//------------------------------// // 03 // Story: A Changeling In Space // by WonderboltWing //------------------------------// 03 “This is… wow, really. Really cool.” “I am aware, Captain,” SAIL said dryly. “You’ve only said it, or equivalents to it, three times.” “...oh.” A minute passed as the changeling inspected the gateway, wandering around and generally just pointing out ‘cool’ things. “Captain, my scans are picking up an unknown radio signal around this archaic energy source,” SAIL spoke. “I will patch it through to you now.” The hiss of static emanated from the saddlebags speakers, starting off loud before quieting over a few seconds. An old, somewhat motherly sounding voice spoke up, sounding a bit static-y at first. “If you’ve picked up this message, you must have found an Ancient Gateway - please use it to come and find me. You can power up the gate with Core Fragments.” “...she sounds familiar,” the nymph frowned in thought, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “What are the Core thingies she was talking about?” “I have scanned for nearby Core Fragments. They appear naturally within the geology of this planet; readings suggest numerous ore clusters deep below the ground, near the planet’s centre.” She blinked. “...soooooo, we just go down…?” She asked slowly, looking at the stone beneath her hooves, then to the dirt and grass over on her left. “...correct, Captain,” SAIL said after a few moments. “I have scanned the local area, and four and a half kilometres away east is a large cave system that appears to stretch down several kilometres.” “...which way is east again…?” She bit her lip, scuffing her hoof against the ground. SAIL sighed. “Turn to the left. It’s that way.” “Oh. Thank you~!” The ‘ling turned to the left, and then skipped off in that direction, humming something quietly. “....you’re welcome, Captain,” The AI spoke dryly. “Ugh, how much further is it?” She whined, dragging her hooves up the hill. “I’ve been walking for hoouurrrrrsssss!” “Captain, it’s just over this hill, and no you haven’t, it’s only been forty-seven minutes.” “See? Hours!” SAIL groaned. “We are almost there, Captain. A nearby entrance to underground is just up ahead.” “Finally,” she grumbled. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder towards where the sun was setting. “It’s getting dark,” she observed. “SAIL, is there anywhere nearby where we can sleep for the night?” “Just up ahead,” SAIL repeated. She blew a raspberry in return. The AI didn’t respond, but smiled a little. A bird evening chirps filled in the silence, and the ‘ling let out a gentle sigh at the relaxing atmosphere. “This is...nice,” she said softly, looking around at her surroundings “I concur,” SAIL agreed. Not out of programming, but opinion. “...strange.” “What’s strange?” She asked, looking towards the saddlebags containing the AI. “...it is nothing to worry about, Captain.” “Oh, okay!” She said, and then crested over the hill. In front of her was, for a lack of better words, a large dip in the ground, mostly flat at the bottom. “This looks…. Kinda boring,” she poked her tongue out and made a ‘pffftttbffbfft’ noise, grumbling. “Agreed. The cave system and the core fragments are below ground, Captain,” SAIL spoke dryly, before the saddlebags made a chirping noise. “Eighty hours left, Captain.” The nymph shivered again, then quickly made her way down the crumbling slope, her hooves not struggling to find ground that didn’t become loose and fall from under her. “I advise caution, Captain.” “Shh; I’m trYIng not to fall!” Her voice hiked as she slipped, the ground crumbling under her hooves once again. “Apologies,” SAIL spoke up again, after the nymph had reached the bottom of the basin, and was once again on solid ground. “It’s fine,” She dismissed, looking at where she had climbed down from, then straight ahead, where a large opening in the ground was. It reminded her of the depictions of dune worms that her mother had shown her, their massive, gaping maws, leading into blackness and surely death. “Temperature during the night cycle of this planet drop to approximately 270 kelvin, Captain. I suggest you find somewhere warm.” She licked her lips, nodded, and tentatively treaded forth into the cave, the blackness enveloping her. The cave, once past the the first downhill slope, lead into a medium-sized cavern, which was lit with lanterns and floodlights, wooden and metal crates all over the place. “Huh.” She took her time as she trotted onwards, looking around and spotting a few tents, as well as a blazing fire in the middle of it all. “Captain, my readings indicate you are not alone. Caution advised.” Lighting up her horn subconsciously, the nymph drew her sword slowly, holding it in front of her defensively. “Hello?” She half-shouted, frowning a little. “. . .” Only silence greeted her, her voice echoing deep into the cave. “Is anybug there?” She called out again, her voice louder. “Are you friendly?” A voice responded, and the sound of a soft click was audible. The voice was male, sounding old and gruff. “I… Yes? Unless you’re not friendly. Or if you’re mean. Or have bad breath.” She took a few, slow steps closer, the sword held tighter in her light blue magic. He chortled, laughing quietly. Another soft click. “Well, I do brush my teeth often, so my breath should be fine, Miss.” The nymph allowed a smile to slip onto her muzzle as she gently lowered the sword, and trotted into the center near the fire. The owner of the voice zipped back up his tent, and stood up, turning around. “You’re… not a … pony, even…” The sword twitched upwards slightly as the ‘ling stared up at the tall, bulky figure. “... a pony.” He looked down at her in return, his gaze slowly trailing over her. “You’re… something I’ve never seen before.” “You look like a sort of bird-minotaur hybrid thingy,” she said bluntly, taking a small step forward to look a little closer at him. “That would be an Avian, Captain,” SAIL spoke up, casting a small blue glow to the left of her, faint. “There’s someone with you?” She blinked. “Erm. Yes. My… uhhh… roboty… person?” SAIL sighed audible. “My name is SAIL. I am a Ship-based Artificial Intelligence Lattice. This is my Captain, …..” The orange-feathered bird-person took a step forward, a hand resting on his hip, where his revolver was holstered. “My name is Alrin Feathersong. Avid explorer and geologist.” “Hi.” The nymph flashed him a bright smile, then turned her head to check where she was about to sit, before sitting down and turning back to him. “Nice to meet you.” Alrin’s beak twisted into a slight smile, and he looked over her once, before moving into the darkness to drag something out of it. “A pleasure to meet you too, miss…?” She smiled a little more, watching as he pulled a chair up to a safe distance from the fire, before her mouth became a perfect circle as she realized something. “Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” She licked her lips, cleared her throat, and opened her mouth to speak.