//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: The Equestrian Starliner // by computerneek //------------------------------// “So, let me get this straight:  I was right. That about sum it up?” Space Lord Matthews and his unicorn wife, sitting side-by-side in a tree, nod. “Kinda depends on what your prediction was,” the Space Lord states. He sighs.  “The only reason they wanted you down here was so they could convince the Athena that her crew is dead, right?” He nods.  “Something to that end, yes.  I didn’t stay long enough to find out for certain.” Sigh.  “And the goons they sent onto that ship…” The Space Lord shakes his head.  “I didn’t see them,” he states. “I did,” his wife states.  “Looked more like a pack of wolves than anything else, to me.  I’m surprised Skyla didn’t call an abort to the whole thing right then, and throw them overboard.”  She shudders visibly. Admiral Wolf sighs.  “She probably didn’t realize anything was going to happen.  So… how come you two escaped, but she didn’t?” The Space Lord hangs his head in a sigh.  “I didn’t realize anything was going on- I had my suspicions, of course, but I didn’t know for certain- until they did the vaccine injections.”  He snorts. “That should have tipped me off right there- one of the things we were able to confirm is enhanced immune capability, across all breeds.  Should be practically impossible for anypony to get sick, vaccinated or not.  And yes, we tested for nonhuman diseases as well. “Anyways, it did not feel like a vaccine when it went in.  You know that tickly-tingly feeling from the Stasis Knockout?  I got that instead- and made a break for it.  Smashed out the window, flew out here before I had time to pass out.”  He glances at the branches. “Next thing I know, you’re below the tree and my wife is shaking me awake.” He nods, turning his attention to the unicorn. The unicorn blinks at him.  “Uh…” She looks at her husband. The pegasus lets out a sigh.  “He’s fine,” he states, before looking at the Admiral.  “We are off the record, right?” He nods. “Right.  Anything we haven’t made public- up to and including my going supersonic earlier- stays that way.” He blinks.  “Uh… Alright.  You have my word.” She sighs.  “So… It’s okay if I tell him…?” she asks her husband. “Yes, it is,” he states.  “Admiral Wolf is the head of the Space Police.  If he can’t keep a secret, no one can.” “Alright.”  She turns to the Admiral.  “It was… I was last in line for the injection, after…”  She gestures at her husband. “Right after he disappeared through the window, before they reached me, our daughter teleported me to the woods.” “Teleported?  That specific to her, or…?” She shakes her head.  “Telekinesis is only the beginning of unicorn magic.  I used a navigation spell to make my way safely here, teleported myself into the tree- and found him.”  She glances at her husband. “He was asleep, so I knew something was wrong. Not that my daughter teleporting me away from a vaccine didn’t already tip me off, but…”  She smiles. “When I heard you in the woods, I used the general healing spell Athena made- the only one I memorized, at least- to wake him up.” The pegasus nods.  “That would do it.” Admiral Wolf blinks.  “So… let me get this straight.  Pegasi can fly supersonic, and unicorns can do basically anything?” “Uh, within limits,” the pegasus states.  “Only me and Skyla can actually break the sound barrier…  and while unicorn magic can do basically anything, they’ve got limited power to do it with.” “Very limited,” the unicorn states.  “Especially down here, where there isn’t any to absorb- and with one exception.” He nods.  “Right, yes.  Skyla- that’s Commander Matthews, the ship’s Captain- is an Alicorn.  So far as we’ve been able to tell, she’s got nearly limitless power.” “Nearly?” his wife asks. He nods.  “Nothing is truly infinite,” he states.  “I asked her. It would seem Athena has been able to confirm she does have a limit, but it’s virtually impossible to reach that limit with the spells she knows.”  He shudders. “Makes me wonder what kind of spell it would take to reach it.” She blinks.  “... Oh.” “With the spells she knows?” the Admiral asks. “Teleportation and levitation,” the unicorn states.  “She’s been studying the notation I invented, but hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet.”  She glances at her husband. “Too busy keeping her crew in shape, I think.” “What about the rest?” She shakes her head.  “None of ‘em did any more than glance at it.  Something about useless glyphs.”  She sighs. “None of them know how to do any more than levitate.” “So we can’t expect any help from them.” “Huh?” Space Lord Matthews snickers into a hoof as Admiral Matthews continues.  “We’re going to be the ones that save their sorry, uh, flanks, aren’t we?” “I can’t believe it,” he grumbles.  “What idiot programmed that thing?  It took the initial assignment without issue, but it needs fuel for reassignment?  It’s- It’s-!” “Stupid,” his conversant states.  “I know. Can my team dig in yet?” He shakes his head.  “No, sorry. We’ve confirmed the presence of dead man’s beacons in at least two of them, and suspect there’s no less than six more.  We’ll have to neutralize the Surface Police before your team can dig in.” “Alright.  What’s that going to take?” “Well…  really the only way to take out the Surface Police is to nuke them from orbit.  But before we can do that, we’ll have to take out the Space Police- which are far harder to kill.”  He sighs. “We’re working on that, but it’s going to take time.” The phone rings…  again. Mrs. Wolf groans, lifting the receiver from its cradle, pressing it to her ear.  “What do you want?” she asks. The last few hours of phone calls and alerts and demands have been grueling- she’s just about ready to follow her husband into the woods. “Hey mom!  It’s me. Now, get out of there.” She blinks.  “Jennifer? What’s wrong?” “There’s an assassin coming- you have about five minutes.  Get out of there!” She nods, rising from her desk.  “Roger that. Woods okay?” “Yes- and don’t let Dad return.  They’ll probably camp the house.” “How long should we stay?” “Until further notice- I’ll come with updates.” “On my way.”  She puts down the receiver, abandons her half written email, snatches her case from the foyer, and runs for the woods.  If her daughter is telling her to run, she means it. She only had to confirm which way, how far, and how long to stay missing. It’s happened before. She pauses a few steps from the house, glancing back at the garage.  She still has- she glances at her wristwatch- four minutes, why not? A soft, purple glow shines from her forehead, just above her field of vision, as she shapes it to her will.  To the pattern Athena gave her. Instantly, her already uneasy stance becomes much more difficult.  She rocks back on her hind legs as they shift and change. Her eyeballs shrink as the fur recedes from her skin.  Her uniform nearly startles her when it whips into existence around her. Moments later, she straightens up, flexing and inspecting her fingers.  She looks up at her gun, resting on the table, while her left hand checks for any remnant of her horn. “Well, that was interesting,” she states, and extends her hand towards the weapon.  A purple glow suddenly surrounds it, and it floats up and into her hand. The glow vanishes as she closes her hand on the handle grips, feeling the familiar weight of the weapon. She glances up at the ceiling.  “Any strange glow come from me when I did that?” “Negative visible emissions during thaumic use.” “Visible?” “Thaumic emissions detected; no other unusual emissions.” She twirls the weapon around her finger and holsters it.  “Awesome. Let’s do this.” She twirls her gun around her finger and holsters it.  “Done and done. So, we throwing them out the airlock or turning them in?” One of the handcuffed thugs sitting against the wall snorts.  “You can’t throw us out the airlock,” he states. “That’s illegal.” She snorts, turning towards him and catching her gun as it zooms out of its holster, pointing towards the ceiling.  “You made a seizure attempt on this vessel,” she states. “By United Earth Law, that makes you pirates. And pirates I’m allowed to shoot on sight.”  She turns her back, flicking the gun behind her, for it to return to her holster.  “You’re just not worth the bullets.” “Negative,” the ceiling says- the first time it’s said anything but ‘Access Denied’ since she got back to them.  “Once deceased, the boarding party can be converted into usable fuel, from which bullets can quickly be reconstituted.” “Oh?”  She turns back to them.  “Give me a reason not to shoot you, then.” “Uhh…” Her gun jumps back into her hand. He immediately starts talking. Alright, she figures, he’s going to State’s Evidence. “They’re not here.” “What do you mean?” “I’m at the residence, Sir, but they aren’t here.” “What do you mean they aren’t there?  I’ve got tracers on their phones, and they’re both right there!” “I’ve scanned the thermals, Sir.  There’s evidence one person was here not too long ago- but there’s no one here now.  The garage is also empty.” A curse word.  “They know we’re onto them.  See if you can find something.” “Roger that.”