//------------------------------// // Defensible Positions // Story: Worlds Apart: The Chosen of the Prognosticus // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// “I never thought I’d be ordering the vandalization of my own ship,” Picard said, shaking his head slightly. “Engage, Doctor.” At Picard’s behest, Eggman blew out the windows in Ten Forward, opening the room to the vacuum of space. The rush of air tossed out the several-dozen robots out into the battle. They immediately activated their engines, rushing toward the Metarex ships with alarming speed. Unlike the smaller ships native to Hume, Eggman’s weren’t about to explode from one lucky shot from a Metarex; he’d been fighting them for quite some time and was accustomed to their modes of attack. His machines could take several hits even to normally explosive components and survive. Sonic and Shadow had also been deployed. It had turned out that, yes, in this universe Mobians needed spacesuits in space, much to the relief of Starfleet science officers. Luckily Eggman had provided them with matching suit colors. Sonic got black, Shadow got blue, just because Eggman was Eggman. “This thing is stuffy,” Sonic called over the public channel. “Get used to it,” Shadow said, tossing him one of the replica chaos emeralds. They had several, but for all their power they were just imitations. It wasn’t going to be a snap-fingers-and-done deal. “Chaos control!” Sonic and Shadow jumped forward through space, spinning like bowling balls that cared nothing for the laws of inertia or rotational velocity. They were effective, though, puncturing the hulls of two different Metarex ships. “We have taken the Metarex by surprise,” Worf reported. “They have fallen back to reassess.” “Then let’s get out of here,” Picard ordered. “Full one-eighty, straight for the Rizer nebula, maximum warp.” In unison, the Enterprise and the few Federation and Romulan ships that could keep up with its speed turned and blasted off into the stars. The Borg cube with the most remaining mass attempted to move in formation with them, but it only had about a ninth of its previous power output, so it couldn’t keep up. The other cube continued to drift around the wreckage of other ships, assimilating whatever it could find. Riker, who was currently at the helm position, grimaced. “I’m picking up a couple of bogeys.” “Onscreen,” Picard ordered. Miniature Void portals were appearing in the darkness of space in front of them, depositing a few Metarex ships—nowhere near as many as were at the Void proper, naturally, but the Enterprise didn’t have as many allies with it. “We can’t risk engaging them directly, can you fly through?” Picard asked. “I can try,” Riker said, cocking his head. “Here goes…” Battle at warp speeds was always a tricky proposition. Warp bubbles were inherently unstable, with significant perturbations forcing ships to drop to sublight speeds. At high enough warp velocities this could incur massive structural damage and possibly disable the warp core for hours. So the Enterprise couldn’t afford to get hit. Luckily, it was very hard to hit things traveling at high warp speeds without some kind of area of effect or a lot of attacks. Picard was betting the Metarex didn’t have enough ships with enough weapons in front of them to guarantee a hit. There would be less than a second where the two sides would be close enough to fire volleys at each other. It would be over before anyone could process the situation. Picard blinked. When he opened his eyes, they were still traveling at warp, but half of their convoy was gone. “Report!” “The Saratoga, Eclipse, Sun Tzu, and two Romulan warbirds were forced out of warp,” Worf reported. “They are currently engaging the small Metarex force. ...The Borg cube appears to be directing its path to move around the conflict.” “I’m not sure if that should concern us or not,” Riker said. Picard furrowed his brow, thinking. “For the moment they appear to be on our side, and we should accept all help we can get. How long until we arrive at the nebula?” “Now, sir,” Worf said. They dropped out of warp right outside a swirling purple nebula with a particularly dense arrangement of dust particles. “Form direct comm links with all convoy members present,” Picard ordered. “Include the Borg. The moment that’s done, enter the nebula.” His orders were carried out to the letter. Thirty seconds later—just as Metarex ships started appearing behind them out of a Void vortex—the convoy of Federation, Romulan, and Borg forces entered the nebula. The Metarex did not pursue. No sensors could easily penetrate the nebula—it was the entire reason they had run for it. A place to hide, to defend. The only downside was that anyone inside the nebula couldn’t see outside, either. They were blind. The moment the Enterprise poked its head out of the nebula, the Metarex would shoot it down, and the door to Flipside with it. Luckily, there were other ships with the Enterprise that could poke their heads out instead to send and receive messages. Picard let out a relieved sigh and sat down in his chair. “Lower to yellow alert, let everyone know we can relax a bit. We’re going to be here for a while…” “The Metarex are probably surrounding the nebula,” Worf pointed out. “Yes, and it’s just as likely the rest of the fleet is rushing to meet up with us, entering the nebula at any number of locations.” Picard smirked. “Everyone’s a blind bat in this scenario, Mr. Worf.” “This is going to make it difficult for Data to find us,” Riker said. “I’m aware of that, Number One.” Picard adjusted his uniform. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” ~~~ Cosmo looked up from the tablet she was reading. “How far away are we from Uthira-five?” “Six hours,” Twilight reported. “Come over here, I’ll tell you how to read the navigation console.” Cosmo stood up, walking over to Twilight's console. “You’ve learned how to read it?” “I figured asking Data ‘are we there yet?’ over and over again wouldn’t go over very well. And, uh…” Twilight pointed at Toph, who was still gripping the arms of her chair like she wanted to murder them. “I don’t think it’d help her stress to hear the same question repeatedly.” “Ah,” Cosmo nodded. “So?” “Well…” Twilight pointed at the display with a wing. “This is the galactic core, currently being consumed by the Void. We are here.” Twilight pointed to a little red dot on the circular grid. “Uthira-five is over here.” She pointed at a white dot. There was a line drawn between the two points with a number over it. “And that’s the time remaining.” “Wow, that’s so simple!” “If you already have a destination set and have a good reference. It’s much more confusing if you’re trying to point somewhere and have interference—which we had a few minutes ago.” “We had interference!?” Toph blurted, standing bolt upright. “Why didn’t you tell me?” “It was not of any concern,” Data said. “These things happen every trip.” “You mean every time you take one of these things out you have no idea where you’re going!?” “Incorrect. Even if a full blackout occurred—which it did not—we would still be able to extrapolate our path from our previous known position using the stars.” “Th—” “Proximity alert!” Data called, turning away from Toph. “Void portal opening off the starboard bow. It’s a Metarex ship.” “They found us…” Cosmo gasped. “Let me at them!” Toph shouted, rushing to the window. “I’m gonna stomp th—” “Sorry…” Twilight lit her horn, casting a sleep spell on Toph. She dropped to the ground, snoring comically. “Data, what can we do?” “One of your shields would help,” Data suggested. Twilight nodded, focusing her magic on creating a shield large enough to encompass the runabout, nestled just inside the ship’s normal shields. She did this just in time, since the Metarex started firing a flak weapon that would have punctured the normal shield with ease. The attack still forced them out of warp, however. “I… can’t keep this up…” Twilight groaned. “You can do it, Twilight,” Cosmo encouraged. “You’re the princess of magic too, right?” “Sometimes…” Twilight let out a soft chuckle, putting on a smirk. “Maybe I can fight back…” “Instead of that…” Data pressed a few buttons. “If I fire a torpedo, can you open the shield to let it out?” “Yes. Though they could shoot through the opening.” “I will not give them the chance.” Twilight nodded. “Say when.” “Now.” Data fired the torpedo. Twilight opened the front of the shield just long enough for the torpedo to pass through, hitting the Metarex ship directly. Its shields held. “Minimal damage,” Data reported, tapping buttons furiously. “I do not believe we have enough firepower to take them out.” “Can we run?” Cosmo asked. “Negative. Runabouts are not very fast.” “We have to be able to do something…” Tippi said. “Can we make them think we’ve been destroyed?” “I do not believe there are enough suits of appropriate body types for everyone.” Twilight slumped forward. “I… I can’t keep a shield of this size up much longer…” “You will not have to,” Data said, looking up. “Romulan warbird, decloaking to port.” A massive green birdlike ship with a hollow interior phased into the visible spectrum, firing all weapons at the Metarex ship. Taken by surprise, it didn’t stand a chance. Twilight dropped the shield. “Whew…” “They’re offering to tow us to Uthira-five at warp nine,” Data relayed. “Accept their offer.” Twilight threw her mane back and rubbed her horn with a wing. “That was close.” The warbird grabbed the runabout in a tractor beam and entered warp, speeding to their destination. ~~~ Uthira-five was swarming with Romulan warbirds. No less than twenty were in orbit around the planet, ready to shoot anything and everything to dust that arrived without a proper clearance code. Luckily, the warbird towing Twilight and company had the clearance, and they were allowed into orbit. Toph woke up about this time. “Wh… what?” “Welcome back to the land of the awake!” Cosmo said, helping her up. “We’re here.” “We’re… here?” Cosmo pointed out the window at the planet outside. It was a dusty, desert world with only a few patches of water here and there—but it was a planet nonetheless. “Gee, I bet that looks like an amazing planet down there,” Toph deadpanned. “Oh.” Cosmo flushed. “I—I’m so sorry, it’s just, it’s beautiful, and…” “What color is it?” Cosmo understood immediately. “Dull oranges and yellows, mostly, with patches of blue water.” “Well, I’ll know what blue is eventually.” Toph tapped her fingers against the wall. “Can we go down already?” “I’m getting transporter coordinates from the Romulans now,” Data reported. Toph nodded. “Right.” She pointed at Twilight. “You put me to sleep.” “Yes. I’m sorr—” “Thanks.” Toph turned away from her. “Now, can we get off this rustbucket?” “Transporting…” Data pressed a button and stood up. A burst of blue energy engulfed all of them, rematerializing them on top of a tall sand dune. Toph grabbed her chest. “I forgot how much I hate teleporting…” Stomping, she felt the sand beneath her feet. “...Eh, it’ll do.” “Ah, welcome, my strange alien friends!” Turning around, the five of them saw a Romulan camp composed of a few strange, box-like buildings made of dark green metal and a dozen Romulan scientists walking around with blinking devices in their hands. In the center of it all was a raised stone platform, carved with a seven-sided shape atop it. The Romulan who had addressed them gestured toward the platform. “I am Commander Tomalak, and I shall be your guide to the wonderful world of Uthira-five! Otherwise known as the dust ball with nothing on it but this chunk of inert rock.” He gestured somewhat angrily at the stone platform. “Tippi?” Twilight asked. “The Pure Heart is definitely here,” Tippi said. “Very close, too.” Tomalak snorted. “You think your sensors are better than ours, bug? By all means, try, see what this useless piece of sediment offers you.” Twilight spread her wings and flew over to the platform, landing right in the middle. The engraving was old, but somehow not worn away by the sand. A heptagon with a seven-sided star was drawn within, all centered around a heart shape that Twilight was currently standing in. “This is it…” Twilight agreed. “Any ideas?” Data flipped out a scanning device Twilight had recently learned was called a tricorder. “I am detecting nothing aside from the rock itself.” “I’ve got nothing,” Toph said, stomping the ground. “Sand makes my senses fuzzy, but I’d still feel something if it was down there.” Cosmo put a finger to her mouth. “Maybe we just need to make it manifest?” “The Pure Heart is here, but I do not know how to make it manifest...” Tippi said. “Previously, it was rather obvious, or it happened naturally.” “They respond to love,” Twilight said, lighting her horn to probe the stone. To her shock, it reacted instantly to her magic. The etchings in the platform lit up with a magenta light identical to her magic aura. With a flash of energy, a rectangular hole ripped through the sky, leading to an empty green expanse devoid of any features. “...Or they just respond to magic, apparently.” “Maybe they relied on the same prophecy you do,” Data suggested. Tomalak marched to the door, frowning. “Fascinating. What power could make this…?” “We’re about to find out, I think…” Tippi fluttered through the doorway. Twilight and the rest followed her—including Tomalak. “You sure you want to be here, pointy?” Toph asked. “I fought hard to be on site when you arrived.” Tomalak bristled. “I have every intention of seeing this to its conclusion.” The green expanse was just as empty once they were in the midst of it. They stood on what, visually, appeared to be nothing, but felt like a smooth piece of glass. There was absolutely nothing in every direction. “Hello?” Twilight called. “Is anyone there?” Visitors? The words appeared in their minds directly, not bothering to go through their ears. Then the Void truly has appeared in the sky. Times are dire. “Who are you?” Twilight asked. A pillar of glass appeared before them, popping into existence without so much as a sound. Within, suspended about a meter above them, was the green Pure Heart, shimmering with the vibrancy of life itself. “Woah…” Toph said. “Green,” Cosmo offered, not waiting for her to ask. “That’s what trees look like!?” Toph blurted in shock. “And me.” “Woah…” In front of the pillar, a humanoid hologram manifested of a bald creature with simple, pale robes. “A Progenitor,” Twilight said. That is what you call us. The mouth didn’t move when the being spoke. We simply called ourselves The People. The Wandering Tribe heard this word as ‘Hume’ and named the universe after it. I am not truly one of The People, though. I am a simple machine meant to deliver this Heart to those worthy. “And how do we prove ourselves worthy?” Tomalak demanded. What does it mean to be a good leader? Tomalak smirked. “That’s easy! A good leader commands the fear and respect of their men, leading them into conflict with an iron, undefeatable will. They stand abo—” Incorrect. Tomalak was ejected from the green realm at an alarming speed, landing headfirst in a sand dune back on the planet. Does he speak for all of you? “No, he does not,” Twilight asserted. “Am I allowed to converse with my friends about our answer?” Yes. Twilight turned to them. “Okay, what do we do?” “Figure out what it wants us to say, obviously,” Toph shrugged. Data tilted his head. “I can pull on my own experiences with command and serving under Captain Picard to provide a comprehensive definition.” “Something tells me it isn’t looking for the technical definition,” Cosmo said. “I think it wants us to be honest,” Tippi added. “Twilight… you’re our leader. I think… you should just tell it what leading means to you.” “Leading is a thing that happens to me, not a thing I search for…” Twilight chuckled softly. “But I suppose I do know a thing or two about it.” Taking a deep breath, then turned back to the hologram. “I will answer for us.” What does it mean to be a good leader? “A good leader…” Twilight closed her eyes, thinking back to the ponies she led back home, both her close friends and the average citizen she was princess over. What had she been taught about her role, both by Princess Celestia and her friends? “A good leader cares for her people. A good leader stands up for them, rather than herself. A good leader…” She let out a short laugh, shaking her head. “You’ll know a good leader when you see one. They are strong, but not necessarily physically. They are wise, but not always intellectual. They are caring, though they can be entirely inept at social interaction.” She realized that, in a sense, she was just describing traits she’d seen in her friends. The meek strength of Fluttershy, the graceful wisdom of Rarity… But they weren’t leaders, at least not most of the time. Twilight focused her thoughts on the question of leadership. “But… it’s more than that. A good leader doesn’t just lead, anyone can do that. No, the leader you want is someone who can look to the future, but always remember the people.” As I remember my friends. Pinkie, throwing parties for everyone. Fluttershy, treating all with a graceful meekness. Rainbow Dash, brave and impulsive, running while others are stuck thinking. Applejack, dependable, honest, and simple. Rarity, generous and intelligent, burning with an artistic passion. And Starlight, Spike, and… so many others… Others that hold me up. “When a decision comes, no matter how hard it is, the good leader will turn to the people and ask what they want. And after listening to everything and everyone, the good leader will always try to do what is right. By doing so, a good leader—a mare, a man, whoever they are—they will gain the respect of those led.” She lifted her head high, smiling, imagining herself surrounded by her friends and subjects. “A good leader is loved by their people.” ~~~ “Captain,” Troi said to Picard, grabbing him before he disappeared within his ready room. “Hmm?” “You should get some rest.” “Counselor, I—” “Captain,” Troi insisted. “You’re running yourself ragged trying to keep this ship together. We appreciate the effort, but… we need you at your best when Twilight and the others return.” “I have meetings with the Romulans and Klingons concerning the allocation of power resources, I do not have time for that.” “I can handle that, sir,” Riker said, standing up from his seat. “I am qualified.” Picard nodded. “Then there’s the tactical plans I need to review…” “I am doing that as we speak,” Worf said, folding his hands behind his back. “They look adequate, but I already see some possible room for improvement.” “Hmm…” Picard frowned. “Then there’s the interdimensional portal project…” “Which Eggman has well under control,” Troi reminded him. “Captain, we are sitting in a nebula right now. Nothing’s going to happen. Go get some rest. You’re lucky—you have a door to a rejuvenating dimension right on your ship.” “In a room exposed to the vacuum of space.” Doctor Crusher walked off the turbolift with a spacesuit in her hands, raising an eyebrow. Picard shook his head, a slight smile coming to his face despite himself. “Mutineers, all of you.” He took the suit and walked into the turbolift. “Number One, you have the ship.” Riker nodded to his Captain. “Enjoy yourself, sir.” Picard tried to talk himself out of going to Flipside, but by the time he’d convinced himself to rush back and work on the morale review, he was already in his suit and standing outside the rudimentary airlock set up for Ten Forward. He walked through it, magnetic boots keeping him stuck to the walls outside the artificial gravity generation. Carefully, he walked along the remaining walls of Ten Forward to the airlock affixed over the yellow door. He entered, allowed the air to repressurize, and walked through to Flipside’s top platform. To his surprise, Guinan was there waiting for him, sitting behind a desk covered in glasses filled with various colors of liquid. He removed his helmet. “Guinan?” “You blew up my bar. I had to get a new one.” Guinan smirked. “Now, you get to have a drink…” She produced a cup of earl grey tea. “And then you’re going right into that elevator and asking for Ty Lee’s inn. You’ll be asleep before you know it.” “Is that an order?” “It is, Captain.” Guinan smirked. “When you wake up you can explore Flipside. For now, do what you came here to do. ...Or, should I say, what you were forced to come here to do.” “That crew of mine is going to be the end of me, one of these days.” Picard shrugged, taking a sip of his tea—it was the perfect temperature. Nodding to Guinan he stepped into the elevator, descending to Ty Lee’s makeshift inn. He was asleep in five minutes.