Chapter II - The Windy Skies Of Kitein
I was speeding through the Thunderhead’s streets once more, with the neon-decorated punk already out of my mind.
Getting back to N didn’t take long at all, and I already flew my airspeeder towards the same pillar, only from the other side. There, an already open hangar door was waiting for me, with only a transparent field isolating the place from the outside wind.
I steered towards the opening and flew inside. The field didn’t hinder my progress in any way, and only projected a blue stripe on top of my hull as I passed through.
It was an empty hangar, and definitely much cleaner than the storage hall N showed me earlier. There of course were some thick fueling tubes and a pile of crates in the process of being hauled away by a single DUM droid.
There were plenty of docking places to settle in, so I picked one at the furthest side and hovered over a white grid of lines marking the docking spot. The onboard computer of my speeder had then no problem deciphering the grid into a set of docking coordinates and automatically landed the speeder in a perfect orientation after a single button press.
The windshield popped open and I jumped out, while at the same time looking around for the striped merchant. It wasn’t hard to spot her. N was walking right up to me with murder in her eyes and a duo of bulky security droids. Reassuringly, one droid pushed a hovertable before it, on top of which was seated the black robo-bug, and right next to it the compacted Mr Handy with its three eyes and arms hidden in its shell.
I couldn’t help but to step back a bit as she approached, “Uhh… No hard feelings?” I gave her a nervous grin. I had no idea what she was up to, but she couldn’t plan on stuffing me into a recycler, right? Why else would she bring along the two droids on the hovertable as well? The ‘murder’ on her mind, however, did not reassure me at all…
N stepped towards me with a stern look, and poked my chest with the tip of her wing, “You really pissed me off today, kid.”
There was a tense second before N glanced at the hulking mech by her left side and nodded towards me. I tensed up as the thing whipped out…
...a briefcase? I expected a weapon, but I won’t shed a tear if I don’t get to stare down a blaster barrel. Thankfully the machine opened the lid and revealed a small golden disc as the contents of the briefcase, placed right in the middle inside a black filling. She wanted me to pay.
I took the credit bank in my magic, trying hard to not look like I almost shit myself.
“That said, you were right.” N continued. I didn’t need to feel her ‘shit-eating-grin’ to know she was enjoying me having a taste of my own medicine. But then again, I kinda did the same to her earlier so... fair enough, I guess.
“Huh?” I just registered her words. I was right about something?
N rolled her eyes, “After thinking on it for a while, I would rather you have the droid than some smug bastard from the Exo.”
I couldn't help but to be suspicious of her. N was never 'genuinely nice', "Uhh, thanks?"
I proceeded to slide the disc into my HoloPone credit bank slot, before using my newly acquired family account privileges to transfer fifteen thousand credit units the credit bank asked from me. I of course double checked with my anti-slicer software and the amount of credits. Then I typed yes to everything and off my credits went into the bank’s credit storage to be used by N in whatever she’s up to these days.
I hope whatever she's up to doesn't involve the Homestead, but considering her unusual interest in our Masterclass, I don't think we will be so fortunate.
I'm better off leaving and consulting my family first though. We can deal with N's scheming later.
I finished with the credit bank which popped up from my HoloPone and I levitated it back into the briefcase. N then nodded towards the other droid by her right and it then pulled the hovertable towards the back of my speeder.
*beeb*
A quiet chirp came from N's HoloPone which caught the zebra's attention. “Alright, I have a customer to get to. If it’s everything, you better get going.”
I nodded and walked off towards my airspeeder. Just in time, as N’s droid closed the cargo holder and walked back to its spot next to the zebra, “See you sometime then.” I nodded to her.
“Don’t tell anyone you have it, Violet.” N said, her 'serious-now' gave me a stop.
"Uh, sure?" I lifted an eyebrow.
“As you yourself said, it’s painting a target on your back.” And with that the Zebra merchant walked away. Leaving me to board my speeder and head on home as well.
\ / >==°o•o°==< / \
Forty minutes later I was already in my airspeeder speeding once again across the dark Kitein skies. Liara already set a random course towards the homestead and the Thunderhead was long out of sight. I was flying at a much higher altitude than usual, as this time I wasn’t about to sleep through the journey and was in need of some entertainment.
I briefly thought about skipping the random trajectory and making a beeline towards the homestead since nothing ever happens anyway, and with a cargo like this I would really like to be home hours earlier than risk someone snatches me on the way.
But in the end, I decided against it. I like to think I never met anyone because I never flew in a straight line or otherwise predictable pattern, and I definitely shouldn't stop with it now. Especially not at this altitude.
I was playing something called 'Dejarik'. It caught my eye a moment ago on the Scale, and I decided to download a copy. It took a while to get it this far from the city, but the higher altitude helped with that.
So far, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. All I knew was that there were monsters, and they beat the shit out of each other.
My mind was not entirely in it either. I only mustered to tap on the holo-screen without any thought or drive to learn how the game works.
No. My mind was currently bringing to focus N's earlier warning.
That droid is painting target on your back.
I knew those were my own bullshit words, but for some reason hearing someone else say it finally snapped together something in my brain.
Maybe I should have put some serious thought into it before buying a sketchy droid of sketchy origins from a sketchy merchant. But can anyone fault me? The thing was just sitting there, all depressed-like! I could almost hear the Take me, Violet! You are my only hope!
No way was I going to leave my robo-bug-buddy to spend the rest of its robo-life scrubbing toilets or being torn apart for being a rare curiosity. I was really looking forward to learning something about myself from its databanks!
Now that I had the time to think about my actions though... I can't help but think who else would be interested in the droid.
The droid's previous owners might be one, and since they have 'Empire' in their name, there are only two scenarios I can come up with. Either they might not even care for one lost utility droid, or they might really not be into some idiot parading around with a piece of their technology.
I laid back and looked out at the stars outside. The game already forgotten.
Thankfully no-one knows I have the droid... yet. And if I am lucky, I bought it before the news of its existence spread around.
I'll have to keep a lookout for anything suspicious either way, when I am headed into the city tomorrow again... Suspicious stuff like, friends informing me there was someone asking about me, or stuff like people following me around the city.
...
Waiting around my speeder for me to get back to...
…
People thinking for example, 'there-she-is'...
"Shit."
That drake I saw was a massive red flag if I ever saw one. Damnit, his brain was literally broadcasting he was waiting for me specifically!
He was probably a lookout, checking which speeder I'll get into. Then sending that message along to other thugs so they knew who to follow...
"Liara?"
"Yes, user Violet?" The VI responded.
I gave a glance outside. "Are there any other vehicles in range besides me?" The starry night sky would definitely make it harder to spot anything, but if I had stalkers, they would be ten miles away anyway, if not further.
There was a moment of silence, before Liara replied. "Negative. No vehicles detected within a fifteen mile radius."
At least not the obvious. There are ways to avoid rudimentary detection systems. Anyone could just turn off their repulsor lifts and be practically invisible on the radar, buuuut since there is the whole gas planet thing...
Then again… following anyone across Kitein was not the only option to find out where they are headed. There is one, much easier and reliable method.
Suddenly, I had the feeling that the drake added something extra to my speeder.
Unfortunately, I couldn't just hop out and look for any suspicious devices on the go. Getting face full of air at mach one is not a pleasurable experience.
My head whipped up. "Liara, stop the speeder!"
"Command accepted."
The vehicle started slowing down until it eventually stopped and the thrusters in the back went cold. Only the repulsor lift kept me steady, and was the only thing keeping me hovering above the depths of the abyss below.
"How far away are we from the homestead?" I asked while I rummaged through the side contrapment for my personal scanner.
"We are currently one-thousand and three-hundred miles away from the Hors Homestead, user Violet."
That was good. If my theory was correct, I realized it early enough that they wouldn’t be able to determine where exactly I was going. Especially since I wasn’t flying predictably, otherwise they would just feed my flight path to an algorithm and I'd be screwed either way.
I managed to find the device and levitated it towards me. A tiny black display was at its center, and when I turned it on, two antennas spread out from its sides, blinking and beeping sporadically.
“Wait, shit. That’s not it.” I threw the device away, and looked at the bottom of the compartment. “Aha!” I exclaimed and levitated out a small flat block with antennas. The scanner came with a HoloPone port as well, and so I didn’t waste time and detached a small cable from my foreleg and connected the two devices. Already I could easily read the reading of the scanner displayed on the holographic display of my foreleg.
All that remains is to go outside and scan every inch of my speeder.
"Alright. Liara, open the cockpit." I ordered and slid the purple windshades back down onto my eyes.
At once the cockpit opened and the Kitein wind quickly rushed past my face and got caught in my hoodie. The purple windshades covering my eyes did their job well, but the hoodie reminded me I’ll need my wings for what I was about to do.
Short struggle to get out of my white hoodie later and I stood up in my whole butt-naked glory.
All around me was nothing but darkness and air, with only stars and one of the two Kitein’s moons, Smoulder, visible on the horizon. Red never liked the sheer expanse of Kitein. The thought of a single floating island in a never-ending abyss of just straight up death still sometimes kept even her awake.
Not me though. I grew up on Hors Homestead. Blu always envied my ability to shrug off the abyss and even deliberately go out and yeet myself off the farm for a selfie.
I whipped out a pair of macrobinoculars sitting on top of the dashboard, and searched the horizon through them just in case. It was completely fruitless of course. If there truly was someone following me, they could be ten miles above me or twenty below and thirty away in any direction.
Still, I couldn’t help but to try, just to scratch that itch in the back of my mind. It was like a cold breeze went down my spine standing out there on top of the speeder’s hull, though that could have just been the wind moving through my white fur.
With resignation, I let the binoculars slide down and deposited them back on the dashboard. Then I lifted my left foreleg with the HoloPone and the still levitating scanner in my red magic.
"Let's do this." I commented and aimed the scanner downwards. Then I turned my gaze towards the HP and the data on it. Seeing nothing suspicious, I aimed the scanner elsewhere and repeated the process.
\ / >==°o•o°==< / \
It went like that for a while. The scanner was beeping, my HP found nothing, and I balanced on top of the speeder and slowly made my way across its surface, until eventually I covered even the cargo holder and the two passengers inside.
I even checked the loudspeakers. A system I hooked up to blast music on the outside. I once scared the living daylights out of Red with that one. That was fun... Still reaping the punishment, though.
Right now I inched forward on my belly towards the very front of the blue M31 on top of the one intact pike and next to the missing one, scanner levitating and scanning. Yet still nothing showed up on my HoloPone.
I sat up in a huff, with my hindlegs dangling over the edge. Strangely, I did not feel reassured. Yet, if I found something, it would have been worse.
Still. I had to check the underside.
*WHOOSH*
I transformed and black exoskeleton covered my body once more. I looked over my back and watched my elytra open. Then I started pumping my wings.
VRRRRRR
My two sets of wings turned into a blur with the sound of a rotocopter drone and lifted me into the air, and then the task of finding a bug in my speeder continued.
The wind was no problem for me. Being in a family of pegasi, I quickly learned that twenty miles is fine, ten on Kitein is unheard of, thirty is a work out, and with forty don't expect a journey back.
Thirty minutes of zipping around the speeder later, I was back in the cockpit. Thinking. Yet again I found nothing.
There was only one more thing I could do, but then I am giving up and going home. Honestly? I should have done this first.
"Liara?” I exclaimed, “Has there been any irregularities when I was absent? Any weight changes? Interference? Anything?"
"Negative." Liara unfortunately replied. "There have been no detectable changes to this vehicle to my knowledge during your absence."
Welp. That's it I—
"Any recorded irregularities started after your return." Liara continued.
That made me raise an eyebrow. He definitely did not plant anything in front of me, he was way too far and I would notice. It could be some kind of dart tracker when I was taking off... No, I would definitely find something like that just now.
"Liara. What was the irregularity?" I asked.
"Repulsor lift, channel two has been zero-point-seven percent less efficient during the flight to the Hors Homestead than the flight to the Thunderhead."
My eyes widened. "You smart son of a Beldon."
Of course the sensor wouldn't find anything you big dummy! The bastard stuffed it into the repulsor lift exhaust port. Sensors have trouble detecting any electronics this close to a repulsor lift's gravity knot.
Immediately I sprung up again and leaped out of the still open cockpit with a buzz of my wings.
I flew under the speeder and hovered in front of a small grid of slits from where a faint glow and a gust of hot air was coming from. Then I lit my horn and made it glow white, illuminating the insides.
There it was.
A small grey cylindrical device was latched inside the narrow slit of the repulsor lift's exhaust port. Carefully, I enveloped it in my red magical field and the thing popped off without any resistance. Then I levitated it out and flew back to the top where I sat on the speeder’s hull to take a better look.
It was a tracker alright. I am a tech geek and these things are the first thing little-me looked up when I learned about them. Now that I found it though, I pondered what to do with it. I could disable it, take it home, take it apart, and maybe even figure out who used it if I was lucky. Though... I already had a decent idea.
First, I took a picture and saved it into my HoloPone. Then I dropped it and watched as the device disappeared into the abyss below.
Wind Raiders. The scum of Kitein. Bunch of bandit groups banned from every city, flying around and causing trouble. I really dodged a bullet. Lately I heard stories about them scavenging gas farms like the Hors Homestead to keep their own ships afloat. They have to, as hardly any merchant would deal with them if they themselves don't want to become an exile.
Yet... The one thing that didn't entirely make sense, is why me?
No way anyone found interest in me because of that droid. Not this early. That tracker was planted there sometime when I was only going to N's. As in, before I even knew I was going to buy it!
Honestly? I almost wanted to write this whole ordeal as a coincidence, and assume I just got unlucky and someone noticed a certain luxury speeder was regularly going from and to the city and probably carrying someone rich.
They probably wanted to grab me on my way home for ransom...
"Liara." Yeah... I should probably move on. Liara would set off a proximity alert if anyone came, but by then they would have me alone as well.
"Yes, user Violet?" Liara replied when I didn't follow with a command.
"Set course for the Homestead. Lowest safe level." I said. Flying this low was definitely one more layer of protection, as the effective range of sensors was lowered.
"Command accepted." Liara obediently announced and the M31 started once more with a downward trajectory, vaguely in the direction of the homestead.
Unfortunately the connection to the Scale network would be handicapped as well, and I was still about two hours away from the Homestead which would extend into four due to the higher pressure of air in the lower layers through which Liara would fly in a zigzag pattern on a spiral path.
I really didn’t look forward to spending that time counting stars and worrying about what have I gotten us into by buying that droid.
...
I should probably call auntie too, before that option is taken from me...
...
One hesitant sigh later, I lifted my HoloPone and brought up my usual messaging app.
<DJ_Pon3-020134NH
. . .
Just when I was about to start typing, I hesitated.
What should I even tell her? That I almost brought a raid upon us? That I bought everything but the server auntie sent me out for? That I instead bought a droid which would bring unwanted attention to our farm? An attention that even the winged zebra herself was scared shitless about?
*ping*
Suddenly my HoloPone let out a sound of an incoming message.
020115NH-RedSky>
Violet, you are typing.
I blinked and there was another message.
020123NH-RedSky>
You never think before hitting send. Something went wrong, hasn't it?
I went red-faced.
<DJ_Pon3-020134NH
IUJ
I JUPT C
I CARE ABOUT MY GRAMAR OKAY020145NH-RedSky>
Violet?
I could feel the presence of Red's lifted eyebrow all the way over here.
<DJ_Pon3-020204NH
ill tell you when i get home020226NH-RedSky>
Fine.
And mind your grammar!
Pffft. As if anyone cares about grammar when texting.
020216NH-RedSky>
I heard that!<DJ_Pon3-020220NH
NO U DIDNT
\ / >==°o•o°==< / \
Two additional hours later, the Hors Homestead finally showed up on the horizon.
The farm's Halo, a single large perimeter ring surrounding the whole homestead was what immediately stood out, as it shined and illuminated the two bulbous buildings in the otherwise dark skies like a, well, a Halo.
There was the Dome, which was the homestead's mainhouse with rooms layered on top of each other, with several extensions hanging from the bottom, which contained a lot of the machinery keeping everything running.
Then there was a much taller and oval structure right on the other side of the ring. The Plant was where the storage and the distillery was, alongside the docks of the army of drones the farm had diving daily into the depths below for Tibanna. It is also where auntie Red grew algae in the water reservoir for her famous algae bread.
Then there was the short transparent bridge connecting the two, but also leading to a landing platform in the middle. The farm came with it, but it hasn't seen much of use as we never had many visitors all the way out here. And if we used it for storage or a dock, the wind would push anything we placed there off to either cause damage, or to be claimed by the abyss. Seriously! Kitein wind is no joke!
The speeder steered towards the main house and towards the garage door I left earlier in the Tenebris Hours. I passed right over the farm's Halo, where blinking lights marked the hazard railing of a narrow walkway leading atop throughout the ring.
Immediately behind the ring was the landing platform, and to my surprise I spotted Auntie Red standing there waiting for me, and she wasn't alone. Another pony stood right next to her, and since there was only one other pony living on the farm, I could safely assume it was Uncle Blu.
I could see their jackets flapping in the wind, though ponies had pretty thick fur, and pegasi doubly so. Yet for some reason auntie still tries convincing me to stay in my natural form. I am cold-blooded!
I guess clothes can have a point for this one. But they still bite me in the ass even now when I am back in my pony disguise.
"Liara, switch to manual." I said.
"Command accepted."
I turned the speeder around and aimed for the landing platform. No idea why they decided for the confrontation to take hold there, but I can't deny it's more dramatic.
The airspeeder slowed down directly in the middle of a circle of landing lights and the on-board computer began its landing sequence once more. Already I could see the two coming up just as I landed, with Red in the lead and Blu just behind.
Uncle Blu would be a splitting image of Auntie Red, not there for the obvious coloring of his blue mane and tail, as he had the same bright white hide and wings poking from underneath his own jacket.
I was so not looking forward to explaining why I didn't return with the one thing I was set out to get. And how I spent fifteen thousand units. And was almost followed home... But got a sweet deal with a shady Zebra dealer! ...Which I hope will sound as good as it does in my head.
I did a short breathing exercise and mentally psyched myself up for the inevitable tongue lashing I was about to receive.
"Phew. Alright. Let's do this." I exclaimed. Hopefully Red will be lenient and understands my reasoning before ultimately prescribing blue milk to me for the rest of eternity.
With a last exhale I opened the cockpit which slid forward and allowed me to climb out. Then I jumped out on the metal platform and faced two concerned looking ponies.
Already I could see Red opening her muzzle, but I beat her to it.
“Before we start,” I interrupted her, “I’ve got some good news and bad news.”
“Bad news first.” Auntie Red exclaimed.
“Good ne---” Uncle Blu started, but immediately backtracked when Auntie gave him a look. “Er… Give us the bad news, Violet.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath, “The bad news is that I didn’t buy a server in any way, shape, or form.”
I gulped when Red started grinding her teeth, “How many credits...”
“Err…" I winced, "Fifteen thousand units.”
Thankfully, I felt 'not-too-bad' from her. Though I did not feel any safer from the blue nightmare, err... Not Blu. Blu was cool.
Blu then picked up the conversation, "I presume the good news is that you've found something better?" He pointed at the cargo holder attached to the M13.
At that I bit my lip, "Well... No. Maybe?"
"Violet, explain." Red said. I could feel her patience running dry.
"The good news..." I stepped along the blue airspeeder and towards the cargo holder at the back, "Is that I had a very good reason to spend the credits on it."
I lit my horn and after a few taps on my HoloPone the doors at the back opened. That's when I grabbed the black droid inside in my telekinetic grasp and levitated it out into the sight of my family.
They took in the familiar sight of black chitin and hole-y legs, and by the sight of their widened eyes I could safely assume I had their attention.
But just to be safe...
*WHOOSH*
I was enveloped in a green fire and transformed into my black hole-y self.
"Ta-dah!" I grinned, now with a maw full of fangs. Then I set the droid on the metallic platform so I could hug it and put our fanged muzzles next to each other, "It's a me-droid!"
Red was the one to first snap out of her stupor. She shook her head and gave me her stern face. "So you've spent fifteen thousand units on a droid, because it looks like you?" She looked at me questioningly.
"No." I shook my head, "I spent fifteen thousand units on a droid, made by people looking like me."
That shut her up. Red looked like she was about to argue more, though I already had another defense ready.
"And if I hadn't bought it the moment I saw it, I would have never had that opportunity again." I interrupted her. "Auntie, you know more than anyone just how much I always wanted to know more about what I am and where I came from." I shook the droid a little bit, "Who knows what I'll mine out of its memory!"
Red was quiet for a moment and shared a look with Blu. Then she sighed and covered her muzzle with a hoof, "Alright. I can see why you would—"
"Is that a limiter?" Uncle Blu of course pointed out the cylindrical device I was trying to hide behind my own hoof and failed miserably. Because my hooves were full of tiny holes now.
Red's hoof instantly dropped to the floor and her eyes snapped towards the device. The distraction of my wide strained smile, unfortunately also proved to be ineffective.
"Violet?!"
"I-I had to trim my expectations a bit..." I faltered underneath her glare, "There were a LOT of credits involved otherwise. But don't start worrying just yet, auntie!" I started reassuring her. "I plan on hooking it up with my HoloPone and see what's inside. If we are lucky, and the droid is what I think it is, we might still be able to let it juice something out of our server."
"And if not?" Red poked a hole in my argument. "It could be dangerous, Violet!"
I waved with my hoof, "Then I download its memory, wipe the droid, then see what I can do with it, or sell it. And I am telling you right now I will not go down cheap!"
At that, Red nodded approvingly, "I am going to trust you on this matter, Violet. Just be aware that no matter the outcome, our Tibanna output will take a hit from this."
I bit my lip, "Yeah... I'll get right on it. But I have only good feelings about this!"
With that the two pegasi turned away and made their way towards the airlock leading into the bridge. Meanwhile, I once again turned towards the cargo holder and levitated the droid back inside.
That's when I noticed the other droid in the cargo holder.
"Ah..." I exclaimed. My noise made the other two ponies stop and turn around at me. "Er... The droid might not have been the only thing I bought today..."
"Violet?"
I winced. Just her tone preceding the 'you-are-crossing-the-line' made me shiver.
"Don't worry! Everything is already in the price." I motioned with my hoof to calm her down. "Though I’ve got to admit, this one is a little bit in the grey zone."
Once again I reached for the machine and set the compacted Mr. Handy on the floor.
Both of the ponies of course immediately recognized it for what it was and audibly gasped while staring at me with varying expressions.
Red was the first to comment, "I... hope that's an empty Nebulan shell you've brought, Violet."
I steeled myself and I shook my head, "By the face N was making when I found it, I am pretty sure that isn't the case."
I was almost blasted back from Red’s sudden rush of 'How-supid-you-can-be?!', "And so the first thing you thought about, is buying it and bringing it home?! Violet, do you realize just how illegal that is? What were you thinking?!"
Fortunately I had an argument ready, "I was thinking we would wake it home!" When Red still looked like she was about to rip me apart, I pointed at the Mr. Handy, "Hey I couldn't just leave him there! Her... It? Whatever. I mean, you know N would probably delete them and say it's been empty all along!"
That shut her up. Though, I decided to omit that I spent two thousand units just to get them out.
Red was quiet for a while, thinking, and occasionally glancing towards the deactivated Nebulan. Eventually she sighed and conceded.
"Very well. I suppose we can find out if they are agreeable and talk them into work on the farm." Then she turned towards me.
"Provided that's everything?" Red looked at me, impatiently.
"Yeah." I began to say, "That should be..."
What about the tracker?
I entertained the thought of telling them that someone attempted to follow me to the Homestead. But since that ordeal was dealt with, I decided to not add Tibanna to the meltdown. Red already has a lot in mind with the two additions to the family after all.
...
Wait, what am I thinking?! Now, I might not be the same species, but Red and Blue have always treated me as a family. Maybe not as a daughter, but as a younger relative. And now, today, when they invite me to run this farm alongside them, my very first thought is to withhold crucial information about potential danger? Aw hell no! I might've foiled one attempt at raiding our farm, but my family deserves to at the very least know about it. It doesn’t matter if I get in trouble!
I bit my lip and made myself turn around at the two, once again retreating ponies.
"There... might be one other thing..." Already I could feel Red's annoyance skyrocketing with evaporating patience.
She only looked at me with tired eyes, "Violet..."
"I didn't want to worry anyone..." I interrupted her, "But this is pretty serious, so I think you should know about it."
Red and Blu looked at each other, while at the same time I felt both of them switch to a 'serious' mode.
"What is it, Violet?" Blu spoke up.
"I won't sugarcoat it." I bit my lip, "I found a tracker on my speeder."
Immediately I felt warning bells going off inside their heads.
"When?" Blu continued, stepping forward as if ready to take action.
"About half an hour after leaving the city." I informed them and felt few signs of relief, "And no, my trajectory at the time led nowhere close to the homestead's location."
There was a heavy silence in the air, only disturbed by the 'humm' of the two ponies' brainstorming.
"Well," Blu spoke up, "I suppose it's about time I checked up on the perimeter defenses."
Red looked at Blu, then at me, "In that case, I suppose we have our work cut out for us." she announced, "This new revelation does prop up the check of our perimeter defense systems up the list, which has been sitting there for a good long while, so Blu, you get right on that. Meanwhile I'll wake up our guest. Violet," She gave me a look, "Find a use for the droid. I don’t care what it is, we need to keep ahead of the schedule. The minimum is still breathing on our necks."
I gave my salute and at that we split our separate ways, with Blu going left to the Plant to use a maintenance shaft to get into the Halo, Red to the right with our host following her on a hoverboard to the Dome, while I went backwards towards my blue airspeeder to safely dock it in the Dome's garage.
\ / >==°o•o°==< / \
Finally back in my workshop, I started my work on the droid.
I set up my usual workspace, as in, placed the black me-droid by the worktable in the corner of my room and booted up the in-built terminal which was by far the better and safer option than my HoloPone.
The process of getting into the droid's limiter was a straightforward ordeal. The limiter contained an internal databank of all the systems of the hardware it was jamming, which then was shown by a simple line of code ending in either True or False. Just connecting it to a device and controlling it through a command line would do the trick. Or through an user-friendly Caller app.
That said, I am not dumb and the very last thing I would do is to connect any of my devices with sketchy hardware just yet.
Instead, I reached into the drawer of the worktable with my magic and pulled out a DumPone. A simple replaceable piece of hardware I made as a filly when I was still going around the city collecting abandoned hardware.
When I was little, I learned the hard way not to trust any device I just happened to find around, but I also learned a lesson about the opposite. If you are smart enough to know the danger and leave the hardware alone, who is to say if the next person in line will know any better?
There is the obvious danger of someone finding an abandoned credit cartridge on the floor somewhere and only wanting to check out its balance, only to find out a few days later their bank account was sliced and cleaned empty.
But people should realize that there is a much more physical danger to it too. There really isn't anything your anti-slicer software can do when the device you are connecting it to is just a bunch of capacitors which charge and discharge as soon as you put power through them, frying everything on the other end.
That's what the DumPone was for. If it went boom, it went boom. Honestly? A reward off-of itself for my younger self to watch the fireworks with some friends.
Thankfully, the limiter proved to be safe for use and so I proceeded with an actual working terminal. But even then, after all my precautions and after my anti-slicer software cleared it, I still found a Scale link to a "reputable" Caller application.
I deleted it right away, and proceeded with a bare hooves-on command line communication.
<list
>DeepCognitionMatrixBarred True
MovementBarred True
ResponseManagerBarred True
PowerBarred True
IdentFailed#A5C1Barred True
IdentFailed#A5F9Barred True
IdentFailed#A5FABarred True
...
The list went on, with most of the droid's functions failing a rudimentary identification and so sat in a vague description 'IdentFailed.' and considering that everything was disabled by default, this really complicated things.
I sighed, already regretting my impulsive purchase of this secondhand droid. It seemed like I would need to do some serious debugging if I wanted to get it up and running safely.
At least, those that counted were identified.
"Alright, time to see what you can do." I murmured and entered the command to enable its power.
<PowerBarred -false
...
Nothing happened. The droid still sat there unmoving.
"Nghhh... come on." I groaned in distress. "Why can't everything work on the first try?"
And so proceeded a long session of my attempts to get the droid working. Each less successful than the previous. At this point I attempted everything, save for flipping everything to ON and hoping for the best. Though, that would also include the limiting part of the limiter, and knowing my luck, that droid would jump me the instant I let it out.
It is the same exact reason why I left the limiter in its default settings as I disconnected the terminal.
"Welp, so much for 'working flawlessly'." I sighed.
I wouldn't be surprised if the device got fried when someone fired it from a launcher. Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do around a busted limiter.
The only thing remaining to try is to connect to it directly through my terminal. I was so not looking forward to trying to navigate its potentially alien code matrices. I may be fluent in thirty-six different machine languages, but I have a sneaking suspicion this droid won't be in any of those.
One tiny issue occurred to me though. How exactly do I connect my terminal to it?
My eyes immediately drew towards the black horn on top of its head and I remembered N's word about how it was supposed to be compatible with anything.
Slowly, I levitated up the terminal cord and looked between it and the horn. Then I shrugged and brought the two together.
*clink*
Nothing happened.
"Figures," I sighed.
And of course that's the moment Auntie Red barged into the room.
"Violet, could y— ah." Red exclaimed as she beheld me trying to cram a male cord on top of a horn.
I turned my head towards her and contemplated how to explain my situation, but in the end I simply pointed at her with the cord in my telekinesis.
"This is still not the weirdest thing you've walked into in my room." I smirked.
I watched her do a short breathing exercise before she rewarded my joke with a small smile. “I am quite certain this is not how connectors work, Violet.”
I retracted the terminal cord back into the workbench and turned back towards the drone, contemplating.
“N said its horn is actually an access point, though I suppose the droid has to be running for it to work. Which, I actually have a bit of a problem getting it to do.” I waved the hurdle off though, "I am sure it's something stupid."
Red mused, while taking a walk around it, "Have you tried the limiter port?"
"Yeah, that's the first thing I did." I nodded, "But for some reason the port says it is already on. Unfortunately, the limiter doesn't seem to have any deeper access and most of the functions failed identification, so I can't really look into it."
"Well... It is called a limiter, not a controller. All it's good for is limiting the droid to direct commands." Red noted, “Well, I hope you crack it soon. I myself had a little bit of more luck.” she stopped and nodded towards the door, “The shell truly had a living Nebulan inside.”
“Oh?” I exclaimed, “Is he- er they alright?”
“He. And yes.” Red nodded, “Mr. TL-6 Cogsworth calls us his saviors, and as a sign of goodwill I took off his limiter.” She smiled. “He is now helping me prepare the Moonmeal. Which reminds me why I interrupted.” Red rolled her eyes, “Blu is outside checking the ring and once again forgot his HoloPone inside, so I can't call him in for the Moonmeal. Would you be a dear and fetch him?”
"Ah." I nodded, "Yeah I'll get him."
Red then left my room with my confirmation, leaving me behind to deactivate the droid completely, cus with my luck, the thing would decide to start walking when I was away.
\ / >==°o•o°==< / \
The Halo ring platform surrounding our homestead was probably the most important part of the structure. It acted as a first line of protection against anything Kitein could throw at us. Including gravity.
This is where the majority of repulsor-lifts were integrated which were the only thing keeping things on Kitein from plummeting down towards the gas giant's core to be crushed by the insane pressure.
In the event of more extreme weather, there are several shield generators which we can turn on at any time and cover the whole perimeter with a barrier that can withstand most of the Kitein's extreme weather. However, as with most shields, ships and speeders can pass right through. Not very useful against an actual organized raid.
But that's what the turrets were for. Provided they worked...
Eight turret towers guarded the horizon at all times. More for scaring away the occasional flock of Beldons than fighting raids.
I was walking throughout the ring, looking for uncle Blu. The wind was once again making a mess of my mane as I occasionally passed by one of the towers.
The towers stood attached to the outer side of the ring, facing the horizon. Each reached about a meter both above and below the ring's level, and had one laser turret on each end. One at the top guarding the nightsky while the other watched over the abyss.
The turrets themselves were then these single barrelled bulbous things, able to of course turn and aim in the full half sphere.
They looked awesome and intimidating, but unfortunately half of them didn't work and their firepower amounts to the same level of my peashooter. They do fire fast, but I don't think we could do anything about an actual armored vehicle.
No. The homestead's secret weapon lies in its durability. If worse comes, we can lock everything down and just plunge down into the Kitein's red zone and just run away.
Finally, I heard Blu's cursing near one of the turret towers. I leaned over the railing and found the pegasus laying on his back on top of a hoof-made cloud, working on an open panel on the bottom turret with a few different hoof attachments. Unfortunately, his cloud was being pushed around by the wind, which then was the source of cussing.
"You know, there is a very good reason why cloud building is a terrible idea." I announced myself. Then I lit my horn and made a red forcefield around him and his cloud.
One of the cooler spells I've learned! Couldn't stop a blaster fire, but was enough for simple isolation. Didn't even take that much out of me depending on how strong I needed it.
"Thanks, Violet." Blu responded while continuing his work, "What brings you all the way out here?"
"Red is annoyed that you forgot your HoloPone." I said.
"I have? Huh." Uncle Blu noted.
I rolled my eyes when he didn't even pause, "And also the Moonmeal is ready."
"Oh? Excellent. Let me just calibrate this one here real quick and I'll be on my way."
And so I made myself comfortable in the meantime, just casually leaned back against the railing, while observing the top half of the turret tower Uncle was currently working on. This one looked more battered than the rest, with its barrel scorched.
"Are these turrets even up to the task of defending us?" I voiced my doubts. "Two of the east towers look ready to fall apart."
"Sure they are!" He exclaimed, "Have I never told you about how we were attacked by a huge swarm of Rawwks?"
I rolled my eyes, "Only about a hundred times."
"Oh..." He paused while continuing fiddling with the lower turret, "Well, would you like to hear it a hundred and first time?" He looked up to me with a grin.
I involuntarily blushed. He knew I loved that story no matter how many times he told it, "Sure...."
"Alright. So no shit, there we were, on a Sky-Fort Type Cloud Farm lent to us by none other than the Dragon Lord himself, because we were the only ponies crazy enough for looking settling down on a dragon homeworld. The farm was in a bad shape, but functional. A daunting task was before us, as we didn’t have much to start with and we not only had to produce enough monthly Tibanna to the Thunderhead, but also pay the debt to the Dragon Lord.”
"Thankfully, everything went swimmingly. Between your aunt's talent for numbers and software, and my know-how with hardware and engineering, we beat every major problem on the farm into submission!"
"And that's when the news hit. An enormous swarm of Rawwks was seen migrating across Kitein, and wouldn't you know it, we were directly in their path! Now, the thing about Rawwks is that Rawwks are the only egg-laying species native to Kitein, where other critters depend on live birth. This allows them for rapid reproduction, though only thanks to their symbiotic relationship with Beldons on which they nest. Landmass, consequently, is what for the longest time moderated their numbers." Blu gave me a look, "Today though? Rawwks go into a breeding frenzy the moment they see a landable surface."
Blu closed the panel he's been working on. He abandoned the cloud and I finally let off of my shield and watched the cloud drift away.
Blu then lifted off to begin his work on the upper turret, "So no shit. Here we were, on a crappy slow farm armed with only turr—"
Everything stopped.
As if the world itself turned into focus around the top turret Uncle Blu was just about to begin his work on, and I didn't have to wonder long as the barrel of the machine began to turn away from the horizon and towards us.
No. Towards Blu, whose head just passed the threshold the turret was able to fire upon.
I jumped. Somehow doing the calculation in my head that no magic I could throw at it would be faster than that thing turning ninety degrees and shooting him squarely between his eyes.
Even though already in the air, I contemplated transforming back to my original form and using my wings to boost myself. It certainly would boost my speed, but the transformation itself would take too long.
So I was hanging there, in one single instant. Hopelessly floating and watching as the barrel turned degree after degree at my unsuspecting uncle who was frozen in place in the middle of his tale.
My air travel gave me enough time to contemplate all these various solutions to make my travel just a bit more efficient, while simultaneously watching the turret's progress and calculating who is gonna get to him first.
The math didn't add up.
Finally after an instant had passed, I reached Blu's hindlegs. Unfortunately, so did the barrel of the turret reach his face. The mechanical *clank* of its internal metal gears making it stop in place was a thunder for my ears for how loud it rang inside my head.
Only now did my uncle notice the movement.
In a flash of inspiration, I let myself drift an instant longer instead of just pulling his legs straight down. Maybe I could angle him just so that the turret would miss.
Finally my horn managed to light up, I immediately put it to work and envelo—
PEW
...too late.
Everything resumed.
I tumbled with Blu's body to the ground, the catwalk vibrating underneath like thunder.
I looked up at the still smoking barrel of the turret, before steeling myself and finally looking down on the head of my uncle... still attached to the rest of his body.
“You okay?” I exclaimed after a moment of silence.
“I-I…" Blu stuttered, still laying on the floor slowly starting to emit a stench of 'fear'. I myself tried my best to shake off my own adrenaline and walked off towards the tower's base where the turret’s controls sat.
"H-How did you know it was going to fire?” He stared after me.
“I saw it turning?” I exclaimed as I reached the control panel and opened it. Still wary of the deadly mechanism just a meter above my head pretending to be asleep. We were well within its blind spot, but a couple of steps away and I bet it would fire again.
“Violet… That turret is a Rawwk hunter. When it last saw action, it turned between targets and fired in less than a millisecond." He watched me with confusion, "I… I should have been dead!”
All the switches on the bastard thing were off, I even flipped a few switches several times, but only when I kicked it the turret tower finally de-powered. “...good thing I have such good reflexes, eh?”
Blu looked ready to say something, but instead just exhaled in relief. "Yes. That's a good thing." He said and finally stood up from the walkway.
“Come on," I exclaimed and motioned towards the homestead, "We better go inside before Red thinks we got teared to smithereens by our own defense systems.”
"Right." He noted. "And... let's omit that part as well, shall we?" Still a bit shaken from the near-death experience, we both then made our way home at a leisurely pace.
Still, I gave the turret one final look.
A millisecond? Felt like an eternity to me...
\ / >==°o•o°==< / \
Blu and I arrived in the dining room without any further death-threatening complications, and we unceremoniously planted ourselves at two of the four pillows around the dining table in silence.
We were also witnesses of one of the stranger events that sometimes happen on the Homestead, and that is someone else manning the kitchen than Red herself.
It's no secret that Blu and I were culinary illiterates, and last time Blu tried to cook, Red confined him to a blue milk diet after catching him trying to order an automatic kitchen. This time it was a Mr. Handy manning the kitchen, and by the faces Auntie Red standing by the side was making, I think she started to warm up to the idea of automated cooking.
Now that the Mr. Handy was active, the thruster below its spherical body turned on, allowing it to float in front of the kitchen counter, where in a flurry of movement, it was preparing food for the Moonmeal.
The three arms were moving in perfect synchronization, chopping vegetables, mixing ingredients, and stirring pots on the energy stove. While its arms could only grab things with their claws, a compartment on the front of the machine's chest contained an assortment of tools and utensils allowing the machine to carry out its culinary tasks with ease.
"You have quite a way with tools," Red commented on the robot's skill, not noticing our arrival, "Is a cook your main profession?"
"Not quite!" The robot turned one of its stalks to face Red and us, its tools still preparing food. "My form is a multi-functional machine fit for the perfect servitor. Cooking is just one of my many talents," it replied in a cheerful tone. "I am fluent in six million forms of cuisine and etiquette, and am a capable creator of over twice as many meals and other culinary delights. I am, of course, capable of customizing these dishes depending on the master's race, available resources, and so forth."
"I can also do cleaning, gardening, care for the young, and even assist in medical procedures!" he continued, pointing towards the compartment on his chest, “Provided I have access to the proper equipment, of course.”
Blu and I exchanged surprised glances, and out of the two of us, Blu was the one to finally speak up, “It sounds that you are someone who could be incredibly helpful around the Homestead Mr…”
"Ah!" Red exclaimed when she heard us and noticed us sitting around the dining table. Her eyes sparkled as she gestured towards the floating robot, "Meet Cogsworth, everyone!"
At that, the Mr. Handy fully turned around, leaving the pot unattended and made a motion to bow, though I noticed his thruster stayed pointed to the floor, ensuring that he didn't barrel towards us like a heat-seeking missile, "My full designation is TL-6 Cogsworth, and it is the greatest pleasure to meet my rescuer!"
"Rescuer?" I exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course!” Cogsworth chimed in, “Was it not you who single-handedly liberated me from the clutches of the menacing scavengers?”
“Hooves, not hands.” I immediately pointed out and lifted my two forelegs ending in hooves, “But… Yeah. I guess I did!”
I kind of just laid back then with a shit-eating grin and started recounting my heroic actions, “So no shit, there I was, you know? Blaster bolts zooming by, hitting people left and right and everything! Almost didn’t make it out!” I boasted, I admit the sudden surge of attention got into my head, but the need to brag just couldn’t be stopped! “I mean, one of them got a good hit on me, and I’ll def feel that scar for the rest of my life!”
That is, until Red put a stop to it.
“Oh quit your yapping, Violet!” She exclaimed, to which I crossed my forelegs and pouted.
“Oh my… Is that true?” Cogsworth asked, “Madam Red has explained the situation as far less… dramatic.”
Red shook her head, “Don’t listen to her. She has a tendency to make up stories.” She then gave a glance towards Blu, “Can’t imagine whose fault is that.”
Blu raised his hooves in mock surrender.
At that Cogsworth returned to cooking, not a while longer and all of us congregated around the dining table to taste test his cooking, but from the look of it Red had some serious competition. When the food was placed before me in a steaming bowl, I couldn’t help but to salivate at the sight.
The bowl was filled with a colorful mix of stir-fried vegetables, and some exotic-looking glowy bits, floating in a mixed up sauce that smelled divine.
Without another moment of hesitation, I levitated the bowl towards my muzzle.
“Tfis is sooo goofp!” I exclaimed with the meal muffling most of my words, “Waf is fis?”
“Violet!” Red scolded me.
I gulped down the food, “There is no way you made this from the stuff we have laying around.”
"Ah, my dear, this masterpiece before you is none other than 'Trotth's Harvest Stew,'" Cogsworth proudly announced, "From where I come from, it is quite a common highly versatile meal!”
Red sighed in defeat after hearing that and taking another bite, “And I thought using algae as a baking supplement was clever. But this is something else." I could feel her bruised ego speaking, "I-Is this truly a common meal?” Auntie tentatively asked.
“Quite so.” Cogsworth confirmed, “However, your algae bread is nothing to frown upon either, madam!” he quickly added, “And speaking as a royal aide, that means a lot!”
There was silence.
Me, Red and even Blue looked up from our soups, "Royalty?" I was the one who finally spoke up.
"Er..." Cogsworth made a noise, "Yes, quite... However," Suddenly he straightened up, "Oh! Speaking of, while I do not intend to be overly ungrateful for my rescue..." He shifted his eye stalks, "I still have to ask. Have you perhaps seen another with me?" Cogsworth stared at us hopefully.
Red and Blu looked at me curiously, though I shook my head slowly, "Sorry, but I haven't seen any other Nebulan shell anywhere."
"Ah!" Cogsworth exclaimed, "B3-Z3 is not like me, he's... Er. Small and black, with holes in his legs. He has the shape of a pony and the heart of a devil that takes every opportunity to get into trouble, I say!" He motioned half-heartedly with one of his metallic claws.
Huh.
Red, Blu and I shared a look. I shrugged and nodded, to which Red spoke up, "I suppose you are in luck. Violet bought a droid of that description alongside you."
I could see the lenses in his eye-stalks widening in surprise, "Truly? Thank goodness for the convenience!"
"Yeah, though..." I paused, "I've been trying to turn him on in my room for a while without success."
"Perhaps I can assist?" He insisted, "While I could never dare to fathom what makes that daredevil tick, I might still be of use."
"Sounds like a deal." I shrugged and stood up from my pillow, "Come on, I even have an oil bath upstairs."
"An oil bath?! Thank the maker! In the decades of my service I have never been in such a dire need of proper lubrication. Truly, I can barely move!"
\ / >==°o•o°==< / \
"Well, there he is."
We arrived at my workshop, where the scent of an open oil bath and machinery filled the air. I welcomed Cogsworth inside, pointing out the black droid next to my workbench.
"Feel free to take a look." I added and leaned on the metal support beam of the bath's cover lift.
“Ah, duty before pleasure." The floating mechanism exclaimed with a longing glance towards the bath, "Very well, let me just quickly take a look and I'll have him up in a jiffy.” He said and then floated towards the droid.
“So Cogsworth… royalty, eh?” I started a small talk, watching the floating machine poke the black droid.
Cogsworth paused, “Er… Quite.” he made a noise, "I like to think I served my mistress Lavender well. Now if you'll excuse me, it is quite a personal matter."
"Suuure..." I squinted at him in suspicion, but eventually shrugged,
I wanted to know more. Now that he mentioned this royal character, I seriously considered just calling them up and collecting a reward for the droids. I had yet to ask how these two even got on N's scrapyard, and whether it would be worth it announcing into the world I got my hooves on two royal servitors. But that kind of conversation had a time and place. I'll give them a day or two to adjust to their new surroundings before really putting them both through the QnA grinder.
“Hmm… Yes I see. Ah! Yes. Of course!” Cogsworth mumbled out loud, throwing me out of my thoughts.
I lifted an eyebrow and stepped closer, "Oh? You found out what's wrong with him?"
"Indeed! As a matter of fact, there is nothing wrong with him!" Cogsworth exclaimed, then he punched the black droid on the forehead.
Suddenly, the black droid came to life. The whole thing just lit up with gentle cyan lights and stood up on all four of its legs.
Cogs looked at me excitedly, “He was pretending!” he exclaimed.
At that, my usually upbeat attitude and curiosity, rapidly changed into a death-glare. That little bastard! He's so lucky I didn't blew my identity in front of him on accident, otherwise I would have also found out whether the thing could fly.
"Uh-huh. Did he now?" I mused. The thing was smarter than it looked. Clever thing. Too clever. I'll have to keep an eye out, and make my instructions tamper-proof.
Now that the droid was up and running, I took another look at him. B3-Z3 was of course completely black, covered by an unusual alloy that looked rigid, but since there were no visible hinges on its legs it had to be one of those fancy flexible metals. However all the black glassy surfaces I observed on it earlier in the scrapyard, were now all lit up with a cyan color.
Its small sleek horn now had two stripes of cyan, along with its back which I now recognized as an elytra similar to my own. Though, Idunno if it opened up to show wings, or if it was just decoration. Then there were its eyes, which caught my attention the most. Like everything else, they were now brightly lit with a cyan color, only with a slightly lighter hexagonal pattern on top of it.
Overall, I approved. Looked kinda cute with those tiny fangs of its too. The name was a mouthful though.
"One request, can I call him Beezee? Pronouncing 'B-Three, Z-Three' every time is kinda pain."
"Hsssst." The droid in question opened up its fanged muzzle and let out a piercing hiss. It sounded more like an electric buzz than anything organic or gas related.
Cogsworth glanced at him, "Usually, asking a droid to abbreviate their name is akin to an insult..." He noted, and I rolled my eyes, "Thankfully, 'Beezee's opinion does not matter."
Well tough luck, I'm sticking with— wait huh?
"I… see?" I said, glancing between the two in confusion. I couldn't quite make out what was going on between them, but it was clear that there was some kind of history there. Cogsworth was slowly bobbing up and down, playing with his claw, while Beezee remained completely stoic. Other than the occasional hiss, he didn't seem to be reacting to anything.
I shook my head. I'd seen weirder relationships, and this one is nowhere near the number one on my list.
"Right... You said you two know each other?" I asked again.
"Er..." Cogsworth motioned with one of his claws. "More of acco— colleagues more than anything."
His hickup made me squint. Accomplices? What the hay are these guys in?
I seriously considered calling him out on it, but thought better. The last thing we wanted was one of them feeling cornered and trying their luck with the Abyss. Predictably, Cogsworth was a machine, so I couldn't read what he was thinking about, so it was better to play it safe.
"I suppose since the two of you have worked alongside each other, you'll insist I can take this thing off?" I pointed towards the limiter still embedded in the droid's side.
"About that...," Cogs hesitated, looking a bit uneasy. "I propose that Beezee remains on a restraining bolt for a while longer."
That made me raise an eyebrow. "Oh-kay? Something I should know about? Did he do something?"
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," Cogsworth said quickly. "Beezee is usually well-behaved. It's just that recently he has been having a minor case of... murderous tendencies."
That's when the thing hissed, not helping its crazy killer bot allegations.
"Noted..." I noted.
"We'll keep him restrained then," I exclaimed, already regretting all the new hassle this droid is bringing to the homestead, "And under additional oversight."
Cogsworth nodded solemnly. "A splendid idea."
I looked up at Cogsworth, "What's up with the hissing anyway?"
"Oh! That is a binary dialect I'm afraid," He waved with one of his claws dismissively, "Please don't take his noises as a display of hostility, Beezee cannot speak in any other language."
I raised an eyebrow at Cogsworth's explanation. Binary language? Really? That was a bit of a setback, especially since I was planning on interrogating Beezee later. In private.
"Damn." I bit my lip, "But he can understand me, right?"
"I don't see how he couldn't. Why don’t you command him yourself?" Cogsworth suggested, gesturing towards Beezee.
A command? I turned towards the droid in question and pursed my lips in thought.
"Beezee, sit down!" I commanded, and not a moment later, the black, insectoid droid folded its hind legs and sat down in a graceful, low crouch, its antennae twitching curiously, or maybe in resentment?
"Lay down!" I ordered next, and the droid simply laid down on its belly, its slender holey legs and segmented torso spread against the floor.
"Roll on your back!" I challenged, and the droid immediately complied, flipping over onto its back with a surprising feat of agility that belied its metallic form. Its antennae twitched out of the way as it settled upside down, and I couldn't help but smile. Despite his creepy hissing and murderous tendencies, Beezee was actually kind of cute.
"Well, isn't that something," I murmuredy, "You're a surprisingly dexterous little bugger, aren't you?"
"Indeed," Cogsworth nodded, "Beezee is a very capable droid, despite his... quirks."
I couldn't argue with that. Beezee seems to be quite agile, and his ability to understand and follow my commands was sufficient. Even if I couldn't understand his language, I was confident that Red and I could still get him to do what we needed him to do.
"Glad to know I don't need to worry about him getting stuck on his back or something." I noted.
Aaaand that's when Red walked into the room. I felt her approaching all the way from the hallway, and I gave her my sheepish smile before the door even opened.
Red took a single glance at my silly smile, then at the mechanical buttler, and then at the insectoid droid laying on the floor with its hooves in the air.
Auntie Red sighed, "I am not even going to ask."
All I did was grin ear to ear.
"Please tell me you finally have some good news." Red murmured.
"There is no need for distress, Miss Red," Cogsworth chimed in, "All we've done is come to a conclusion that 'Beezee' here is to remain on a restraining bolt and supervision so that there is no chance of further injury."
Red paused. Then her eyes darted to me.
"Violet—?"
"Oh look at the time!" I quickly pointed at my HoloP, already retreating towards my room, "It's so late I better get some shuteye!"
"Violet?!" Red did not take kindly to me ignoring her, but then turned away from me, "Cogsworth? Explain."
"Ah..." If the mechanical butler could gulp anxiously, that is exactly what he would have done.
Before the door behind me closed, sealing Cogsworth behind to his fate, I caught the sight of him lifting a claw and preparing an already insufficient explanation.
SHUT
The doors shut close, sealing me alone within the same bedroom I woke up in tonight. My room was a repurposed storage similarly to how our kitchen had its own storage. Actually, every room within the dome had its own side room for storage, even Red and Blu have their own storages in their separated bedrooms.
It's just my bedroom that is the storage room of the workshop. I don't mind, I only ever use it to sleep anyway, and occasional gaming session on the Scale with my personal terminal. The workshop is more than enough space for my musical experiments.
Inside of my bedroom, everything was pretty much where I left it.
The alarm clock within the bunk was proudly displaying 6:32NH, a whole half an hour past my bed time, meaning that I'll once more have less than ideal amount of hours of sleep, though my sleeping schedule was in disarray for a long time anyway.
My Scale terminal was still on, showing some of the mixing apps I let open. I walked over, lit my horn and saved my projects before closing everything. In doing so, the terminal's background showed, a photograph of me, Auntie Red and Uncle Blu, standing in front of a busted M31 Airspeeder.
Little me was grinning from eye to eye, Red was not thrilled as in her eyes I bought a wreck, however Blu was proud and let me fix and learn from it.
We had another picture, where I finally managed to turn on the engines, however I liked this picture of my family the most.
It was actually the only picture ever talked which had me in my natural form. Looking at it, I could help but notice my difference from Beezee. Sure, his chittin was made from metal, but what about the eyes, or the leg holes? Does it mean anything that his are three times as large as mine?
Are we even the same species?
Damn. I was really, really, REALLY looking forward to having some alone time with that droid. I didn't expect to have so much trouble turning him on, and I didn't expect Cogsworth to know him either.
I sighed and finally turned back towards my bed and settled under my blue bedsheets, staring out towards the door.
My plan was to simply copy everything that droid had on it into my terminal and go through it, but that idea goes out of the window with Beezee's alien structure. My backup was an interrogation, however now it turns out Beezee can't even speak equish, and Cogsworth is the only translator around.
I would love to just say 'Hey we are the same species! Tell me about us!' The problem is, I just don't know how they would react. It could be fine, but we could also wake up to a missing speeder and Scale headline 'Local DJ turns up as a shape-shifter'.
Me being a member of shape-shifting species was understandably the biggest secret of the Hors family. If this got out, it would spell disaster to me as a DJ, and the safety of the Homestead at large.
Counterintuitively, if I revealed myself as a bug-pony during one of my performances, the people wouldn't give a damn. Sure there would be some initial shock and headlines, but they would still come for the music, and even more would come to see the famous DJ 8ug!
The problem is, Thunderhead is a place where rare species go missing.
Me being one, would immediately make me a target of all sorts of attention. Powerful attention. Attention with pockets deep enough to bypass our quantum-encryption providers, and get the Homestead's geological location. To be even considered safe, we would have to completely cut ourselves from Scale, and I would have to change identity.
My life as DJ Pony would be over, and I would have to risk my neck out there every day, or leave the Homestead completely.
As much as I would love to say it's to heroically take the interest for the Homestead with me, no. I can get dangerous when I am hungry.
When I get hungry, all of my instincts go haywire, and become harder to ignore. I already have little to no control over what I can feel, but when I am hungry, I have less control over what I feed on.
While I've never gone completely feral from hunger before, Red has plenty of stories about how I behaved when I was little and it doesn't take a genius to guess what would happen as I get progressively closer to starvation.
Nothing good.
Speaking of hunger, I haven't noticed during the Moonmeal, but now that I pointed it out, my emphatic senses seem a lot more stronger. I could still feel Red's frustration halfway across the dome.
I'm running low on steam sooner than I expected. Has my stunt with Blu really drained me so much? Or is it just natural? In any case, it seems I'll have to visit the city again. Thankfully, my gig at Tropo club is coming up.
"Damn." I sighed and turned in my bed towards the wall. The events of the night already weighting me down.
Things certainly are going to be a lot more interesting around the farm with the two new additions to the family.
Only time will tell whether it would be the good kind of interesting, or the bad kind.