//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 - Flurry, the Space Pirate // Story: Flurry in Time // by DuvetofReason //------------------------------// “I knew this was a bad idea,” Nyx groaned as the alert beeped in her ears. The black alicorn was hooked up to the flight couch of the Fleeting Dream, piloting the ship. Flurry was still in no condition to fly, so she was seated nearby, at bridge tactical, going over sensor readouts. “Who knew they’ve been scanning for us this whole time,” Flurry complained. “It’s been a whole week. Besides, I’m a hero now. Didn’t they get the memo?” “What’s this ‘us’ you’re talking about?” Nyx countered as she deftly slid the ship through the sensor shadows along Harmony’s exterior. If she could avoid the Alliance scans, they might just get out of here without a confrontation. “You can’t really expect they’d give up trying to catch you, knowing you’d have to leave the station eventually,” she continued. “What in the world did you take from them, anyway?” “It’s not really what, more like how much and how often,” Flurry replied nonchalantly. Nyx let out a heavy sigh. She had been doing that a lot since Flurry’s return.  “Warning: hostile scan locked,” the Dream announced. Damn it, I thought we’d get a bit further, Nyx silently cursed. “Pirate vessel, power down your engines and prepare to be boarded,” a stern male voice sounded from the ship comms. “Good grief, we haven’t even gotten past the Harmony traffic pattern. Do you need me to drive?” Flurry asked. “Just let me handle this,” Nyx shot back before engaging comms. “I’m afraid you have the wrong ship,” Nyx answered the Alliance transmission in an authoritative sounding voice. “This is Captain Nyx of the Commonwealth vessel Orion on a special mission. Stand down, I say again, stand—” “That isn’t going to work this time, Fleeting Dream. I repeat, surrender your ship immediately.” This time? “I… may have faked my identity with the Alliance a few times in the past,” came Flurry’s sheepish voice. If Nyx had her hooves free, she would have put one on her forehead. Instead, she came to a stop along the station’s hull, cooling her power output. Just then, four Tumbleweed corvettes dropped into view, surrounding her with weapons trained and locked in. Nyx felt a slight drain on her power as Flurry engaged her shields. “This may not be enough,” Flurry called out. “Nyx, do some kind of Nightmare thing. Anything to throw them off. I have an idea.” “Why don’t we just call in an escort from Harmony?” Nyx suggested. “No,” Flurry said flatly. “I’ve caused them enough trouble already. I can see it now: ‘Harmony aids in theft of Alliance property’. That would go swell at the negotiating table.” “I didn’t know you cared.” “You know, one day you’re going to give me the benefit of the doubt,” Flurry remarked. “Maybe today.” Don’t hold your breath, Nyx thought. This whole thing was a mistake. She never should have agreed to come on one of Flurry’s unsavory adventures. Fine. She would do it again. It was always a risk tapping into her dark self. Someone could get hurt who didn’t deserve it. She could go too far. Things could get messy. She had already lost count of how many times she had done this during the Orion’s rescue. Too many. Here goes, Nyx thought before clearing her mind and channeling herself deeper into the ship’s systems. The effect would soon be amplified by the Dream’s Nexus core and cast through its powerful emitters to affect every ship in the vicinity. Nyx then allowed her mind to sink back in time, recalling her ancient past, even further than her time growing up on Equus as a child. Back then, dozens of centuries ago, she was simply the Night. Images of blood and death and vengeance flitted past her consciousness. She had been the Night far, far longer than she was Nyx. It was in this form she preyed upon and joined with the unsuspecting Luna. Together, they had slaughtered thousands. That was enough. Nyx brought her conscious mind back to the present moment, only to hear Flurry shouting in a panic. Through the Dream’s sensors, Nyx had been dimly aware of the wispy black cloud forming against the backdrop of stars. It appeared in an open sector not too far from Harmony station. Within the cloud, fierce lightning silently crackled, and from within, a harbinger of death itself emerged. It was a Griffon Imperium Thunderbird battlecruiser. And any sane captain would swear up and down that there was no way it could be here, not now, not at Harmony. But sanity had fled from the Tumbleweed corvette pilots. They knew as well as anyone that the only way to survive this encounter would be to have an entire fleet of warships at the ready… or run. And run they did, scurrying along the hull of the station towards their flotilla of ships some two hundred kilocanters away. Nyx wasted no time flying the Dream in the opposite direction, towards the line of civilian ships queued up to use the jump gate. “You okay over there?” she asked Flurry, her vision still overridden by the flight couch and its sensors. She tapped into a bridge camera, which showed Flurry sitting wide-eyed at her station, looking like she had just survived a brush with death. Flurry shook her head to snap herself out of her stupor. “Uh, yeah. That wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.” “Good to know I can still surprise you,” Nyx commented as she switched back to the external sensors. The Griffon warship was lazily making its way in the general direction the Tumbleweeds had fled, but the illusion was already breaking down. Within moments, the ship would have faded away entirely, the Alliance pilots left knowing they’d been had. The same trick would not work on them twice. “I think we lost them,” Flurry stated as she tapped at her console. “Time to blow this joint.” “What are you working on over there?” Nyx asked out of curiosity. “I’m scanning gate traffic. If we get there soon, we can clamp onto a bulk freighter and just sail on out with the rest of the merchants.” Flurry’s tone indicated she had done this before, perhaps more than a few times. Soon, a green reticle popped up in Nyx’s vision, indicating the target Flurry had chosen. She steered the Dream towards it while keeping an eye on the wayward corvettes. “Keep her slow and steady,” Flurry said. “Cutting main power in ten. After that, cold jets only.” This time, it was Flurry who did the unexpected. Only a moment after Nyx finished adjusting her vector, there was a feeling like her wings had been dipped in ice water. “Silent running engaged”, the ship’s computer announced. “Switching to internal CAPS storage. Excess heat diverted to internal sinks. Venting will be required in forty-two minutes.” The hulking freighter loomed huge about four kilocanters directly in front of them, slowly lumbering along towards the mirrorgate behind an assortment of smaller craft. With its array of freight containers stacked on its back like a Vyzani sherpa, the freighter had plenty of nooks for the Dream to hide in. Nyx watched as the analytics displayed the class and tonnage in her vision, along with various other statistics on the craft. An approach vector displayed as well, showing her exactly the corrections she would need to make. She poked her tongue out slightly as she coasted the Dream towards their target. Already, the Tumbleweeds had turned around and were quickly making their way back while furiously pinging the area with LIDAR and search radars. There wasn’t much time. Puffs of cold propellant burst from vents along the Dream’s wings, guiding the ship gracefully around the large drive section at the rear of the freighter. From here, she rolled the ship ninety degrees and was lined up to slip into the gap between two stacks of containers. "That’s it. Nearly there," Flurry said. Tilting her wings, Nyx gently eased the Dream into position, keeping her thruster use to a bare minimum. She soon felt the pressure against her hooves as the Dream touched down on the freighter's hull, clamping on with the magnetic pads of her landing gear. “And locked,” Flurry said. “Nice flying. Glad to see that sitting behind a desk hasn’t made you lose your touch.” “Thanks,” Nyx groused. “Now hopefully they won’t close off the gate and search every ship.” “Oh believe me, they’d never get away with that. No love lost between the merchants and the Alliance military," Flurry assured. “Not when their departure window at the gate is on the line. Time is money. Besides, what’s the Alliance going to do, threaten to fire on anyone who ignores them? Half the ships here are supplying Alliance goods as it is.” Nyx grimaced, recalling her encounters with some of the freighter captains delivering supplies for the Orion’s repairs over the past few days. She had never met a more stubborn or independently-minded people in all her life. It was no wonder Flurry was at home out here. “Besides,” Flurry continued with a hint of bitterness on her voice, “you really think the Guild is going to listen to some Alliance fools rattling their sabres?” Nyx opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again. She reluctantly had to admit that her cousin had a point. You’d have better luck getting blood out of a stone than cooperation from the Guild if it might disrupt gate revenue. Flurry let out a relaxed sigh. “All we need to do now is sit back and let our friend here carry us out.” “Provided someone doesn’t look out a window and spot us,” Nyx added. “Oh ye of little faith,” Flurry said, a subtle smugness coming through in her voice. “See? What did I tell you?” Nyx looked up to see a pair of Tumbleweeds rocket by, racing along the slow line of traffic. Already, a stream of angry chatter was warbling over the comms. “I’ll still feel better once we’re away from here,” she muttered, anxiously keeping an eye on the Dream’s passive sensor readings. “Relax, I’ve done this a hundred times,” Flurry assured. “Never fails.” And she was right. After convincing Nyx to decouple herself from the flight couch, the pair of alicorns sat behind the curved omniglass bridge viewport and watched the queue of traffic make its way through the gate. All the while, the Tumbleweeds flitted around, furiously scanning for them like frantic parents searching up and down the aisles for a lost colt at the supermarket. Ten minutes after they had given up, the freighter and her unknown additional cargo slipped through the local departure gate into the swirling maelstrom of mirrorspace. <=======ooO Ooo=======> Nyx gazed at the steaming cup of something and blanched. “Flurry actually drinks this stuff?” she muttered to herself. The packet had assured her it was ‘coffee’ but this cup of brown sludge was not coffee. She took a cursory sniff, wrinkling her nose at the absence of anything resembling the treasured beverage. With a hint of desperation, she checked the shelves again for anything else to drink. Alas, all Flurry had in her galley cupboards were various half-empty bottles of alcohol and an assortment of dubious beverage cubes. She let out a sigh and took a sip, resisting the urge to spit out the insipid fluid. “The things I do for family,” she muttered, grasping the cracked cup in her telekinesis before walking over to the couch. At least she no longer had to cross an obstacle course of detritus in order to walk around. The bomb site that Flurry had called a galley was once again fit for equine habitation. The dishes were washed, and the piles of magazines and empty food packages were cleared away. Some hours had passed since the Dream had detached from its host, and now they were on their way to Rynos. With the ship on autopilot and Flurry taking a nap, Nyx was left with nothing to do but think… and clean. It had been a nice distraction to keep her mind off the misadventure that her cousin had dragged her on. On that note, Nyx was tempted to head down to the cargo bay and take a peek inside Flurry’s ill-gotten containers. Just what had she taken from the Alliance, and why? It had been a military convoy. Surely, Flurry wasn’t an illegal arms dealer? No. Ultimately, she decided she was better off not knowing and left it at that. Flurry could deal with her own conscience about it later, after Nyx was back on Harmony. Dragon’s Head had a way of corroding one’s morals, and Nyx wanted no part of it. At least there was Rynos. It had been a century, perhaps two, since Nyx had last vacationed there. As she relaxed on Flurry’s couch in the lounge, a warm memory wriggled its way to the surface when she thought of the resort world nestled on the edge of the old border between Republic and Alliance space. Rynos had always been a classy place, filled with expensive hotels and beachfront property. But with the war turning most of the Dragon’s Head nebula into lawless space, she imagined business was probably scarce for the pegasi who called it home. During the war, there had been scattered reports that filtered back to the Commonwealth. Apparently, there had been an occupation for a while, before the local pegasi staged a four-year insurgency that eventually drove the Alliance off their world. Nyx’s train of thought was broken by the sound of a door opening and a hurried clatter of hoofsteps. She turned to see Flurry stagger frantically into the room, her mane disheveled and her eyes wild and unfocused. Her breathing came in short, panicked breaths. Flurry rummaged through one of the cupboards and quickly pulled out a bottle, unceremoniously yanked the cap off, and guzzled most of it down in one long draw. She didn’t seem to care that some was dribbling from the corners of her mouth and down her neck. Eventually, she pulled the bottle away and took a long, trembling breath. Her shoulders sagged, wincing as she flexed her injured wing. “Bad dream?” Nyx asked softly. Flurry said nothing, only giving a weak nod as she wiped her muzzle with a foreleg. “The windigo, right? I’ve had a couple of those myself,” Nyx sympathized. Ever since the fight, that damn thing always seemed to be lurking in the shadows of her subconscious as she slept. “No, nothing like that,” Flurry replied weakly. Nyx pondered for a moment. There was only one other thing she knew of that rattled Flurry like this. “It was Thunderstreak, wasn’t it?” she asked gently. A pained grimace flashed across Flurry’s features as she looked away. “Do you want to talk about it?” Nyx asked carefully. It was a volatile topic, though some years had passed and perhaps she’d be ready to face it. “I…” Flurry hesitated. “No, I’m fine.” Putting up those walls again, Nyx thought sadly. Just like six years ago, with the last time she had tried to get her cousin to talk about it—right before she had taken on a pirate’s life. At this point, Nyx felt like she was picking at an old wound. She would have to choose her next words carefully. “Have you thought of asking Luna for help?” she offered. “With the dreams, I mean. I can ask for you if you’d like.” “I’ll… think about it,” Flurry said, taking another swig from her bottle before putting it back in the cupboard. She looked at all the neatly arrayed bottles and shook her head with a tired chuckle. “Making yourself at home, I see.” “Someone had to. I’m surprised this place hasn’t set off your biological hazard alarm yet,” Nyx teased. Flurry sat down opposite Nyx. The action brought a tiny hiss of pain, her brow furrowing as she tried to get comfortable. “All that partying catching up with you, I see,” Nyx remarked. “Next time, you should listen to your doctor.” “Well, you know I’ve never been good at following orders,” Flurry countered. “They really should put your picture beside ‘disobedience’ in the dictionary,” Nyx chuckled. “Dr. Doppel looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel.” “I consider myself the perfect stress test for those Harmony folk. If they can handle me, they can handle anything,” Flurry remarked before her expression became wistful. “I’m… going to miss them.” “Miss them? You’re not going back?” Nyx queried. “Nah, once I drop you off, I’m gone,” Flurry replied. “It’s easier that way.” “What about Swan and her aerie? They’ve all become quite attached to you.” “They’re smart kids, and I know Oakheart will help them,” Flurry said. “They need to find their footing by themselves.” She really was going to just walk away, wasn’t she? Nyx could hardly believe it after all they’d just been through. “What about Blitz?” Nyx pressed. “The way you were talking, it sounded like you two were an item.” “Oh, him?” Flurry remarked, before shaking her head. “That was nothing serious. Just scratching an itch, you know?” Nyx sighed, considering how nice it would be if Flurry would just find a guy—any guy at this point—and settle down. “Only an itch?” “If I recall, he hit on you first,” Flurry smirked. “But yeah, we were just having fun. Besides, his heart is set on another.” “Wait, really? Who?” Nyx asked, her curiosity piqued. “That would be telling,” Flurry said coyly.  “Oh come on, you can’t just dangle that in front of me and not spill it,” Nyx complained. “Alright, alright. She’s just a certain lieutenant who is about as receptive to male advances as you are.” Swan? Nyx had to admit, she didn’t see that coming. Swan will have come with lots of baggage. Blitz’s virtue must be patience. “You know, I’ve really missed… this,” Flurry said. “Simply shooting the breeze with you. It’s just been me and Whammy for a long time.” Nyx smiled softly. As much as her cousin had a habit of causing her problems, and for all the chaos Flurry brought into her orderly life, it was these moments that she treasured. Looking around a bit, she spotted the discarded coffee ration packet on the countertop and levitated it over before cutting neatly around its brand logo and tucking the scrap away in her personal bags. “Really?” Flurry remarked with a note of sarcasm as she watched. “You’re keeping that as a memento?” “Why not? I want to remember the pleasant company and the terrible coffee. Also… I’ve missed you too,” Nyx admitted. “Though I could do without this headache that seems to appear every time I’m in your vicinity.” “That just means you care,” Flurry chuckled. “I’m glad we’re going to Rynos together,” Nyx added. “You know I wasn’t thrilled about this trip, but it’s good to spend some one-on-one time catching up. Remember our last trip there?” “Oh yeah,” Flurry said. “You were in the dumps because that loser ran off on you. What was his name again? The one with the dimples.” Nyx winced. Why did she have to remember that detail? “Silver Pen,” Nyx stated. “Silver Pen! That was his name. That guy was such a dork,” Flurry chuckled. “I always said he was a bit flighty.” “Yes you did,” Nyx confirmed with a sigh. She wasn’t sure what was worse, remembering how she had been dumped or Flurry going out of her way to draw attention to it. “But you enjoyed our little trip didn’t you? Flurry to the rescue!” Nyx recalled that day in her mind’s eye. She had been wallowing in misery, gorging herself on all things unhealthy. Flurry stopped by, finding her a mess, and so she suggested a holiday to get away from everything. To catch some sun, sea, and sights. She had even ditched a royal banquet on Equus to drag Nyx to Rynos. It had not been completely selfless on Flurry’s part, but her heart was in the right place. “You wouldn’t give me any respite that whole week, would you?” Nyx commented as she played back the day in her mind. “I wasn’t about to leave you all miserable and alone. It was my cousinly duty to make sure you felt better,” Flurry stated. “And I certainly appreciated it,” Nyx said. “Maybe I can do the same for you on this trip. Though I’m still not happy coming along on one of your pirating ventures.” “I know. I just want you to see what has been going on out here with your own eyes,” Flurry replied. “That way, you can make an informed decision on how you regard my lifestyle.” It wasn’t lost on Nyx that Flurry was willing to expose herself in such a way, especially knowing how unlikely she was to approve of anything illicit that Flurry had gotten herself involved in. “Okay,” Nyx conceded. “I’ll play things your way. But if things get dangerous, I’m taking charge.” “Fair enough,” Flurry said with a relieved smile. “Oh, and one more thing… did you ever go back to Rynos after that day?” “I wanted to, but I never found the time,” Nyx replied with regret. “I heard they had it rough because of the war, but no, I haven’t been back.” Flurry’s expression fell, a sadness forming in her eyes that filled Nyx’s heart with dread. “I see,” Flurry said simply. “You know all those memories you have of Rynos? I suggest you bury them deep down where nothing can reach them. Otherwise, you’ll only get hurt.” <=======ooO Ooo=======> As the Dream sailed through the vortex into realspace, Nyx took in the scene. Up ahead was the Rynos beacon, but the jump gate was gone. “Well that explains why the gate wasn’t responding,” she noted. What was going on here? “Yeah, the Guild decommissioned it years ago,” Flurry replied with irritation in her voice. “At that point, scavs and junkers were most of the traffic anyway.” Nyx’s mind raced, trying to comprehend the situation. Then, her heart sank as she turned the ship, putting the planet into view. In that moment, her expectations were shattered. In her mind, she still held the image of Rynos, a beautiful blue orb that was the jewel of Dragon’s Head, its two large continents and plethora of islands a verdant green that beckoned visitors from throughout the colonies. Now, what she saw up ahead was a ruined husk by comparison. The shallow oceans had been turned a sickly brown as if someone had poured the wrong paint into a perfect blend of blue. The terrain itself had been littered with enormous heavy-impact craters, spewing soil and rock hundreds of kilocanters in all directions, flattening the once lush landscape. “But…” Nyx stammered. “How?” “The Alliance being sore losers,” Flurry commented. “Locals put up a fight and drove them off, so they flattened their world.” As the minutes passed on their approach, the shock of it transformed into a combination of despair and anger in Nyx’s heart. She thought of the millions of ponies that must have died here. “Were you here when it happened?” she asked quietly. “No,” Flurry said. “A few years passed before I was able to make it back and see for myself. Wasn’t much left by then. Head for Ryalia. The drop off is there.” Ryalia lay on the southern continent and was just on the daylight side of the terminator. It would be morning there. On approach, Nyx saw a faint sparkling ring circling the world. As she flew closer, it glinted in the sunlight like a fresh snowfall. Soon, her sensors showed the ring to be a vast debris field made up of millions of bits of twisted and pulverized metal, orbiting silently around the world. It could only be the remnants of the Blue Diamond orbital elevator. It had been the primary starport for the system, and had been full of luxury hotels and casinos. When the station hit the nightside, it would light up like a great neon chandelier, inviting travellers in. Nyx hoped they were able to evacuate before the Alliance destroyed it. As the Dream kissed the upper atmosphere, Nyx idly scanned the radio frequencies. Normally, the airwaves would dance with radio traffic, but she was met with only static. Was this why Flurry had come here? A dead world, far from prying eyes, where she could make her drop off in secret. Soon, she felt the caress of wind against the Dream’s hull as they slowed and dropped into the lower atmosphere. It was a sharp contrast from flying in space, where the sensation of motion was more muted and disconnected. Now, she could feel the tug of air currents pulling on her feathers, passing through the strands of her mane and tail. It was a pleasant distraction from the depressing sight below. After minutes of flying over ruined landscape, they finally neared the city itself. The monolithic orbital elevator complex loomed on the horizon, the huge muzzle of its thaumatic transport cannon now fallen and shattered as it lay across the city like the trunk of an enormous metal tree. A few residential towers still stood, but they were fit to be demolished. These had been the homes away from home for the super rich. Starlets, famous actors, and tycoons flocked here, providing a never-ending stream of gossip, scandals, and sordid tales. Now, they were just empty shells, most of their facades ripped away and leaving only the structural frames behind. The suburbs surrounding the elevator had not fared any better. Bomb craters dotted the city, upheaving great tracts of land and reducing everything to rubble. Most of the smaller buildings were buried under a layer of sand and dirt, forming dunes that shifted endlessly in the harsh wind. Even the city’s harbour was ruined, the wrecks of multiple cruise liners half-submerged in the bay. Nyx recalled travelling on one of these during her stay here. Now, the sight of their rusting, upturned hulls only served to further dampen her mood. A waypoint popped into her vision, snapping her attention to the task. She checked her navigation instruments and quickly spotted an open patch of ground by what was once a shopping plaza. Before long, the Dream was engulfed in a blizzard of sand as her landing thrusters brought the ship to rest on the ground. “Well, here we are,” Flurry announced as Nyx powered down the Dream’s engines. “We’d best get going soon. They’ll have seen us coming in.” “They?” Nyx asked as she uncoupled herself from the flight couch. “The locals,” Flurry replied. “You mean people still live here?!” Nyx felt that uncomfortable feeling in her gut return. The wrongness of the situation had her instincts on overdrive. “Oh yes, and no doubt they’ll be annoyed that I’m late,” Flurry replied, walking towards the bridge exit. “I’ll grab my armour,” Nyx said. “No need,” Flurry insisted. “You simply being here will already be enough to put them on edge. Dressing like you’re off to assault the Razor cliffs by yourself isn’t going to be helpful.” “Hold on—you know I don’t like going into situations like this unprepared.” Flurry had that look again, begging for Nyx to trust her. Nyx let out a resigned sigh. “Fine, but I’m at least bringing my helmet and sword.” At this, Flurry only rolled her eyes as she turned to go. <=======ooO Ooo=======> When Nyx walked into the cargo bay, Flurry was already waiting for her. A neat stack of olive green containers had been piled onto an old Mk2 ‘mule’ hover cart that probably dated several centuries back to early colonial times. “We really need to update your armour,” Flurry said, raising an eyebrow. “You look like you just came off the set of the latest Monsters and Mayhem movie.” “You’re just jealous. Where’s your armour anyway?” “It’s around here somewhere,” Flurry replied, gesturing around her with a wing. “Got too badly shot up and I couldn’t get it fixed.” It surprised Nyx to hear Flurry being so flippant about such an important thing. Their respective sets of armour dated back to the Houndrathi rebellions. They both had as much history as the Dream did. Every dent, every scratch told its own story. “Give it to me. Once we’re back on Harmony, I’ll get it fixed up for you,” Nyx offered. “No thanks. The less I see of it the better,” Flurry said with a shake of her head. “Too many bad memories.” “I see,” Nyx said with sadness. She slowly walked past Flurry’s containers, taking note of the bare patches of metal on their exteriors. Any markings or numbers denoting their former owners were gone. “Not taking any chances, I see,” Nyx commented. “These people don’t need that kind of complication,” Flurry said as she powered up the mule. “I don’t doubt it.” As the Dream’s cargo ramp lowered, Nyx was hit with the hot wind of the planet’s atmosphere invading the ship. Even the weather on Rynos had changed—likely the climate control systems having been smashed… or stolen. Flurry then made her way down the ramp, the mule following along behind her like a loyal old dog. Taking a breath, Nyx stepped outside onto the dry, barren soil, squinting up at the harsh sunlight beating down on them. “It’s this way,” Flurry said, pointing towards a gap in the ruined buildings. She then looked back towards the Dream. “Computer, full defensive systems.” “Perimeter defences online,” the Dream replied, closing the ramp behind them. “Expecting trouble?” Nyx asked. “You leave anything expensive out here and the scavs will have it stripped within half an hour,” Flurry said. “I’d rather not walk home.” “Charming,” Nyx said, walking to join her cousin.  “Life is hard here,” Flurry said. “Anything worthwhile has already been looted.” Before long, they entered the ruined plaza. The streets were half buried in sand dunes and littered with wreckage. Everywhere Nyx walked, she saw signs of the resistance the ponies of Rynos had mounted against the Alliance occupation. The walls were scrawled with graffiti ranging from a relatively benign ‘dirt ponies out’ to much more colourful remarks. As they walked, Nyx had a strong feeling they were being watched by multiple ponies. Subtle noises, shuffling, and whispers betrayed their position to her experienced senses. Still, she took no chances and had a firm telekinetic grip on her sword as it rested in its scabbard at her side. Up ahead stood the entrance of a ruined shopping mall. It was four stories tall, clearly once an opulent and bustling market district, now utterly silent. “That’s far enough,” a young stallion’s voice sounded from behind the twisted metal frame of a sales kiosk not five canters from the barricaded mall entrance. At this, Nyx froze, her ears perked forward as she focused on the exact position and weight of her sword. Were they being ambushed? Or… The figure of a pegasus stallion, cloaked in a combination of scavenged armour bits and leather scraps, emerged from behind his cover. Strips of cloth masked his face, either to conceal his identity or to protect him from getting sand up his nose—Nyx wasn’t sure which. A long rifle hung at his side that looked like it had seen better days. This must be Flurry’s dodgy pirate contact, Nyx considered. She spared a glance at Flurry, who at least didn’t appear concerned. The stallion approached, coming to a stop when he got a better look at them. “Hey, it’s Flurry!” A small pony suddenly poked his head out from a hiding spot on the third floor window above them and waved, only to be pulled back inside. “Shhh!” Another voice warned from above. Nyx blinked, unwilling to believe what she was hearing. These were the voices of small children! She looked to Flurry, but her cousin’s gaze was on the stallion. “You’re late,” he declared with an edge of aggression. “Not only that, but I’m seeing you covered in bruises while standing next to some stranger dressed for a fight.” “I don’t want any trouble,” Nyx stated simply. “It’s a bit late for that, dearest. Now you best be letting Flurry go if you know what’s good for ya. We’ve got sharpshooters on every floor aimed at yer head.” Nyx rolled her eyes. Of course he was bluffing. They had a pair of little kids on third and nobody on the others or she’d have heard something, judging from the rather amateur effort they’d put forth so far. “Hey, Rain Dancer!” Flurry greeted. “Long time no see! Still got that stick up your ass, eh? Mares don’t like uptight guys, ya know.” This earned a chorus of giggles from up above. “Don’t start with me, Flurs. I’m being serious,” he warned, though he was beginning to sound a little flustered. “Yeah, sorry about that,” Flurry replied, gesturing with a wing. “This is my cousin, Nyx. We had a bit of a family emergency, so she’s tagged along with me to help out.” “Oh yeah? Sounds fishy to me,” he scoffed. “I mean look at her. She’s got cop written all over her.” “Wow, look at that helmet!” a small colt’s voice commented from above. “That’s so cool, I want one!” came his companion’s reply. “Quiet!” the stallion yelled, exasperation heavy in his voice now. It did no good. The pair of small children leapt out their window perch and fluttered down to where the alicorns stood. Both were dressed in rags and scraps like vagabonds and must have been only eight or nine years old. They each had bandoliers of ammunition draped over their small bodies. Nyx wondered who would raise kids in such a terrible place. Nyx spared a glance at the stallion, who had put a hoof to his face in resignation while Flurry chuckled and greeted him with a hoofbump. They seemed to have history together, though he was clearly trying to put on a tough-guy act. He pulled down his mask, revealing a youthful face with a navy grey coat and amber eyes. “You brought the stuff?” Rain Dancer asked, lowering his voice as his eyes darted over to Nyx in suspicion. “Everything you need, plus a little more,” Flurry replied in a relaxed tone. “I promised I’d come through, didn’t I?” Nyx cringed as she tried to ignore the fact that she was standing right in the middle of a pirate exchange. What was it, drugs? Weapons? Why were little kids here for it, carrying ammo? She spotted Flurry and Rain exchanging something, but she couldn’t see what it was. Their conversation was soon lost in the background as the children began their chatter. Nyx looked away, trying to distract herself from whatever kind of deal Flurry was making. Looking down, the young children stopped fawning over Nyx’s wings long enough for two sets of bright eyes to lock onto hers. Their expressions were priceless, even though Nyx had seen it thousands of times before. Slack-jawed and wide-eyed, little children were always fascinated by Nyx’s dragon-like eyes, though more often than not, they had reacted in fear. “She has a sword!” the colt exclaimed, his green eyes growing even wider. “Careful!” the filly next to him squeaked, her voice muffled behind a mask of rags. “She’s an alicorn too. I heard they’re real dangerous. Except for Flurry, of course.” Nyx knelt down to their level, as was her custom when greeting children for the first time. “Hi there. I’m Nyx. What are your names?” “I’m Jury Rig,” the colt said, pulling away the cloth strips and revealing a muddy brown face. He offered a hoof to her. “It’s nice to meet you, Jury,” Nyx chuckled softly, giving his hoof a gentle shake. “I’m Clearwater,” the little filly next to Jury said, her deep blue eyes sparkling in wonder despite her timid voice. “That’s a pretty name,” Nyx said, offering her a hoof. The filly tentatively reached out, only to suddenly break into a fit of coughing. She coughed and spluttered, the sound painful to listen to. "Are you okay, little one?” Nyx asked, leaning towards the filly. “She’s got the cough. Almost everyone has it,” Jury explained. “The cough?” “Wait, are you here to fight the bandits?” Jury asked, ignoring her question while leaning in, his eyes once again bright with excitement. Bandits… Nyx wasn’t sure what to make of this, nevermind how to answer him. Was Flurry here to tip the scales in a conflict? What were they doing here? The question gnawed at her mind once more. “Someone is causing you trouble?” she asked. “Yeah,” Jury said, sighing and kicking the sand. “They come around every so often. We used to be able to make them leave by giving them junk we found, but these days it ain’t enough.” “Well well, you’ve met the terrible twosome, I see,” Flurry announced, grabbing the floundering colt and giving him a noogie. “Flurry!” Jury cried, trying to wriggle free. “You be careful with this one, Nyx. When we first met, he was trying to pull the turbine blades off the Dream.” “They looked really expensive!”  “Yeah, they were,” Flurry said, releasing her squirming prey. “If I hadn’t caught you, I reckon you’d have stripped my ship down to the frame.” Flurry glanced to Nyx. “Whammy has a restraining order on these two. That’s why he’s hiding on the Dream. Come on, let’s get this stuff inside.” <=======ooO Ooo=======> The interior of the shopping mall was an enormous circle, though Nyx only knew this because she had seen it from the Dream on their descent. Once inside, the outer layer of the circle was a vast curved corridor which went around the whole structure. On either side of this were the remains of various shops. Now, many had been converted to housing, while others had been looted and sat vacant. The corridor had a wide gap on its ceiling, revealing a repeat of the architecture for three more levels up. This was an entire town that had taken residence inside the shopping mall. There had to be hundreds of pegasi living here, making the best of what shelter had been spared from the bombing. It clearly was anything but an easy life, however. Of the ponies Nyx could see, most seemed sick and malnourished. From behind the closed doors of many living quarters, she could hear coughing and wheezing similar to what Clearwater had sounded like. Speaking of… “Shouldn’t you be back home, Clearwater?” Nyx asked the little filly at her side as they walked. “You sound like you could use some rest.” “I’ll be alright, thanks,” she replied with another cough. “Aren’t your parents worried?” Clearwater didn’t answer, though her face told the story plainly enough. Something had happened to them. “I’m sorry,” Nyx said. “We both lost our parents when the big tower fell,” Jury explained. Rain Dancer led Nyx and Flurry further in, towards the centre of the structure. Beyond the outer layer, suddenly the entire building opened up into an enormous glass-topped atrium, within which were many large trees and hanging gardens suspended off the interior balconies. Throughout the centre of the atrium were concentric arrays of hydroponic gardens being tended to by dozens of pegasi. “They have to grow food the old way,” Flurry stated. “All it would take is a small Nexus core and they’d have enough energy to triple their food output.” Along the side wall of the atrium was an open vault door that looked to be a former bank. Rain Dancer followed behind Flurry as she walked in. The interior room was filled with large racks like a warehouse, most of which were piled with scavenged parts and wreckage. Nyx watched a trio of teenagers placing what looked like a CAPS module and a box of grenades onto a shelf before running off again. “Thanks, Flurs,” Rain said as they unloaded the mule, stacking the crates next to a storage rack full of junky-looking weapons. “You know how much this means to us.” Nyx could no longer ignore that uneasy feeling which had been building up inside her for the last half hour. She had to say something. “Okay, I can’t be a part of this,” she declared. “Weapons dealing? Are you serious, Flurry? I get it, these are probably nice people, but you raided an Alliance convoy. For this?” Nyx gestured at the shelves full of random junk, mostly parts and weapons. “Hey, calm down,” Flurry replied. “You have to trust me.” “I did trust you, Flurry. I went along with your little pirate delivery. What am I supposed to think of all this?” “Well, why don’t you open a crate and then tell me if you want to be a part of it,” Flurry stated simply. Nyx paused, glancing down at the stack of crates they had delivered. She let out a heavy sigh, telekinetically releasing the latch of the nearest one and opening the lid. Inside were row upon row of glass vials, each filled with some kind of liquid. Drugs? “Come here, Clearwater,” Flurry said to the little filly. She took a vial from the crate and attached it to a medical injector that was also from the same crate. Flurry then took the filly’s foreleg and pressed the injector against it. Clearwater winced as the contents of the vial was emptied into her leg. Within moments, a bright smile spread over her face and she embraced Flurry in a tight hug. “Thank you,” she said. “I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?” Flurry said to the child. “I always keep my promises.” “Medicine?” Nyx asked. For the cough. Flurry nodded. “All of it?” “Well, there’s also this.” Flurry opened another crate, revealing a complex looking machine consisting of a twisted mass of steel pipes and thaumatic crystals. “A zebra field potion synthesizer?” Nyx had seen the Alliance military grade device before. They were rare and expensive. “They were dying, Nyx. This will give them a chance.” Nyx’s heart clenched. Had this been Flurry’s motive all along—a mission of mercy? Why didn’t she say anything?” “What happened here, Flurry? Why is everyone sick?” “The locals put up a good fight. They finally drove the Alliance off their world. So then they bombed the planet from orbit with mass drivers, just to spite them. Now, the air is toxic. The bombardment kicked up something in the soil nobody expected. After a few years, when enough settles into your lungs, it’s eventually fatal.” “Winds bless you, Flurry,” a voice sounded from the doorway behind them. Nyx turned to see a middle-aged mare dressed in a nurse’s outfit. “I heard you had arrived and I had to come see for myself. It’s a miracle.” Nyx watched as the mare gathered dozens of vials into her backpack before bowing to Flurry and leaving the way she had come in. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” Nyx asked. “Why hide it?” Flurry pulled out a vial of medicine, passing it over. Nyx carefully examined the vial’s ingredients. She recognised some of the chemicals involved. “Vixophen…” she murmured under her breath. “Yep. Half a dozen of the more profitable narcotics are made from this. All you need is a good chemist. If I had simply told you the truth, would you have really believed me?” “I…” Nyx hesitated, her ears flattening. “No, probably not.” “You had to see for yourself. To understand.” “But why, Flurry?” Nyx asked. “Why not simply ask someone for help?” “I tried asking,” Flurry said. “When the war ended, I begged and pleaded, used every contact I had. But they all turned their backs. Eventually, I got tired of asking. And there’s a lot more need out there than just this world.” “You could have asked me for help,” Nyx said. “And how was I meant to do that?” Flurry said, eyeing her. “Just show up and say, ‘Hey, Nyx, want to go rob some people? Don’t worry, it’s for a good cause’. You and I both know how that would’ve ended.” “I… yeah,” Nyx conceded. “You’d already made up your mind and nothing I could have said was going to change it,” Flurry said. “I mean, look how you were when we met back on the Orion.” “Okay, fine. I understand, even if I don’t quite approve of your methods. I might be able to pull some strings to get these people more help. Or better yet, get them off this world.” “We don’t want that,” Rain Dancer chimed in. “This is our home. Even if it’s a bombed out wasteland now, we belong here.” “Yeah it’s not that easy, Nyx” Flurry said. “They’re cut off from the Republic now without the jump gate. They might as well be on the frontier. Nobody brings an expensive jump ship to Rynos anymore. You’d be crazy to do that.” “We did,” Nyx replied with a wink. Flurry let out a chuckle. “That we did.” “You know, Jury Rig mentioned bandits. I’m guessing they’d be very interested in this medicine.” Nyx knelt down again to speak with the little colt beside her. “Jury, tell me about the bandits you mentioned. Why did you ask if I was here to fight them?” Jury gave her a quizzical look. “Because you’ve got a sword and helmet, of course!” Of course… Only a child would come to that conclusion. It gave her an idea. “So Flurry, do you suppose these bandits could be persuaded of the error of their ways?” A broad grin spread over Flurry’s face. “Now you’re talking my language. Maybe we should pay them a visit. Perhaps enact some justice?” <=======ooO Ooo=======> The soft hum of the Dream’s engines soothed Nyx’s ears as she lay sprawled out on Flurry’s sofa in the lounge. It would be a few hours of travel through Mirrorspace before they’d be back on Harmony. Meanwhile, Nyx decided she’d had enough excitement for a while and was looking forward to getting back to the Orion. “That was fun,” Flurry said from within her pile of poofy floor cushions. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Nyx replied. “It would’ve been even more fun if I could have participated. Still, it was good to have the bad mares back for one more romp. Do you think you’d ever want to play the good-cop role when we do this? I’m the one with the reputation as a pirate after all.” “Nah, it doesn’t fit your look,” Nyx replied. “Between the two of us, how am I supposed to make you look like the unstable intimidating one?” “You do have a point.”  “Nobody mentioned their leader was a houndrathi,” Nyx noted. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. It makes sense when you think about it. The look on his face was priceless.” “Yeah, they’re definitely rethinking their life decisions now,” Nyx said with a slight chuckle. “I’m glad we went. Though I’m not happy you did it for pay, you know?” “Pay? What do you mean?” “I saw you exchanging something with Rain Dancer.” “Oh, that. Want some?” Flurry offered. “It’s the finest booze in Dragon’s Head.” “Booze?” “It’s a pegasus pride thing,” Flurry explained. “They don’t want to be a charity case, so they felt they needed to pay somehow. We agreed on some of their home-brew liquor. Fancy stuff, too.” Nyx let out a soft laugh. “No thanks. You keep it.” “More for me and Whammy, I guess.” Just then, a soft chime sounded from the ship, indicating comms activity. “Oooh, I bet that’s news about Merry,” Flurry said. “I asked for a call when the Charon was inbound.” “Yeah, that was today, wasn’t it? One less creep for the universe to deal with, I guess.” “You got that right. Computer, transfer call to the lounge.” “Rerouting incoming transmission. Caller: Ambrosia,” the ship’s computer announced. “Amby?” Flurry muttered to herself. The video transmission popped up on a small swivel console built into the table in the centre of the lounge. It was facing Nyx. “Hey, Flurry, where have you… uh, wait.” On the display was a smallish changeling with an expression of awkward surprise written all over her face. “O-oh, this isn’t Flur— My mistake,” she stammered as her wings buzzed in confusion. “I-I’m sorry to bother you.” “Hold on,” Nyx said quickly, pivoting the display to face Flurry, who was still lost in her pile of floor cushions. “Amby, hey!” Flurry greeted as she thrust a hoof into the air. “Don’t worry, that’s my cousin, Nyx.” “Since when do you entertain guests?” the changeling asked with a note of indignation. “She looks like a cop.” “Hey!” Nyx objected. Good grief, that’s twice in a matter of hours. “Also, it’s been over a week!” the changeling continued. “Do you even check your messages?” Flurry sat up quickly, looking embarrassed as she rubbed her neck with a hoof. “Um no, not usually. How are things?” “How are things? The whole of Broken Bow is up in arms over the uproar you caused.” “I caused?” Flurry feigned innocence. “What makes you think I did anything?” Nyx scooched over so she could see the display better. Just then, a tactical image of the fight to save the Orion was revealed. The Dream was plainly shown in the fray, beams ablaze, and flying alongside several Swallow fighters. “Oh…” “I guess you made nice with those Harmony folks after all. Listen, Flurry, that Elderberry you found? That was the Syndicate’s bread and butter. You basically took them off the grid as a viable force in the nebula.” Flurry gave a nervous chuckle. “Well, I didn’t much like them anyway.” “This is serious, Flurry. The balance of power is shifting all over the place in Dragon’s Head. With the Syndicate out of the picture, many of the smaller groups are vying for influence to fill that power gap.” Nyx wasn’t sure what to make of all this. The changeling was obviously one of Flurry’s pirate contacts. Though she had to be honest in that none of this matched her imagined vision of the pirate world, which was a lot more colourful, with ridiculous melodramatic accents, and a distinct inclusion of parrots. For Flurry’s part, she was intently listening to everything the changeling revealed. “Like who, Amby?” Flurry asked with urgency. “Your favorite. Briar Rose has overstepped protocol on Broken Bow. She’s been swallowing up turf left and right in the K-Star region. A lot of folks here are concerned she’s gone too far. Rickshaw and his boys have gone quiet, and I know Snag Tooth and Red Sash have sided with her.” Flurry put a hoof to her face and let out a pained sigh. “Those double-crossing…” She almost looked as if she was going to turn the ship around and head right over there to deal with it. Then, she caught herself, taking a deep breath. “Listen. Can you deal with this without me for a bit? I really have some things to take care of.” The changeling paused, regarding Flurry thoughtfully. “Sure thing, Flurry,” she said in a soft tone. “I thought you should know.” “Thanks, Amby. Was there anything else?” “You’re kidding, right?” the changeling asked, her entire demeanor becoming avid. “You have to tell me what went down with that Elderberry. All the juicy details, please. I need bartering gossip.” A sly grin crept onto Flurry’s face. “Oh I have a story for you. But first, two things.” “Anything,” Ambrosia said as she leaned forward in anticipation. “First, is this line secure?” “Give me some credit,” the changeling scoffed. “What’s the second thing?” “The more juicy bits I have to clear first and you’ll have to wait till I see you in person. A lot of it is probably going to be confidential. Some major shit is going down, Amby. You have no idea.” Ambrosia’s eyes actually sparkled. “Don’t tease me like that, Flurry. Okay, tell me what you can.” “The whole thing was a setup. The houndrathi were the bait and the Syndicate were the muscle. We also had a scumbag on Harmony who leaked critical details. But you’re not gonna believe who was pulling the strings behind the whole thing.” Ambrosia was practically salivating as she stared into Flurry’s eyes. “Who?” “The Windigo,” Flurry stated, simply. Nyx rolled her eyes and gave Flurry a glare. Did her cousin have no concept of secrecy? “What… she was gonna find out anyway,” Flurry said. “Windigo?” the changeling stammered. “That can’t be right. The Windigo aren’t exactly like a faction who does deals and makes strategy. They’re more murdery and no-survivors in what they do.” “Well, apparently that’s not exactly true. Though this one was quite murdery as well, I’ll grant you that,” Flurry commented. “The Windigo haven’t hit anything in years, and especially never anything high profile. Granted, it’s always a big thing, and it’s also always weird shit. Remember that time they took out that colony that had the unicorns? Not strategic at all. They were just families.” “There were also earth ponies and pegasi there, if I recall,” Flurry pointed out. “Oh, I know! Maybe the families were developing an anti-windigo weapon!” Ambrosia suggested, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m serious, Amby, you can’t tell anyone. Not for a little bit anyway. Something big is going on and the Windigo pulled all the stops to take down the Orion. The fact that they failed may have consequences. Amby stroked her chin. “Fine, I’ll put some feelers out and see if I can get a clearer picture. Still doesn’t make sense to me. Why would they try and take out Nyx’s big ship?” “I’m afraid that’s classified,” Nyx chimed in. “Oh you’re barrels of fun, I can tell.” Nyx snorted in indignation. “I have to go,” Ambrosia said suddenly. “You watch your tail out there, Flurry.” “Aww, your concern for me is getting me all misty,” Flurry chuckled. “You watch yourself too. You never know when Briar might make a move you can’t back away from. And if you can help it, don’t do anything that might attract the attention of the Windigo.” “Roger that. I’ll keep in touch.” With that, the comms went silent, followed by a new chime from the computer. “Message received from Harmony Station,” the ship’s AI announced. “The Charon is now inbound, six hours until arrival.”