Chapter 3
Suited for Success (or Failure)
Sterret System; Planet of Castron; Southern Desert; Rescue Station 2; 10,384 C.E.
*BREEEEEEEEE!!! BREEEEEEEEE!!! BREEEEEEEEE!!!*
Streak and Richter raced through the rescue station's pathways and interweaving corridors, followed by Held, the Doctor, Twilight, Farsight, and the rest of the crew. The central dome was a large, enclosed structure, hundreds of feet in diameter. The center of the hemisphere housed a large, metal, triangular prism shaped construct that looked to be sloping down into the sand. The ponies all gathered around one side of it, nearly twenty feet up, it's width almost filling the entire room. Instead of a solid wall, there was a large set of doors that stretched up to fill the rectangle of steel.
"What is that?!" Twilight exclaimed as she and the Doctor entered the chamber.
"That, madam," Richter said, turning to her, "is the door. The door to the S.S. Starlight."
*HISSSSSSSSS!!!*
Everypony took a cautious step back as the doors slid open at a snail's pace. They inside of the ship spewed out white smoke and dust, filling the lungs of those gathered with twenty year old air. They all coughed as the air reached their lungs, especially Streak and Richter, who had been standing right in front of the gargantuan panels.
"Blimey!" the Doctor exclaimed between coughs.
Farsight caught a lungful of the stuff and sputtered, "Th- *cough* -that's disgust- *cough* -disgusting!"
"Sorry about the air quality," Cap's voice reverberated throughout the space. "The air filters haven't been working so well in that section. They're most likely clogged with sand. Not much of a surprise, though."
"I'll say!" Richter voiced.
As the crews waved the smoke and tainted air away from their muzzles, the clouds of vapor dissolved, leaving their views unobstructed. The large gap allowed by the now open doors revealed a dark hole that appeared to descend into the very heart of the planet, almost like a mine shaft.
"What the hell do you think is down there?" one pony asked, his accent resembling one from Trottingham.
"Good question," the Doctor answered.
"I second that," Twilight agreed.
Streak and Richter approached the slanting floor, peering into the depths of the structure. "There's only one way to find out," the former said. "Browning, Heart. I want an eight-pony team prepped in less than five minutes," Streak ordered without averting her gaze. "Get the ECS suits, as well. Don't really know what to expect."
"Yes, ma'am!" the two officers saluted before running off back into the station. Several other crew members followed, but a good amount remained behind.
"Um, ma'am," Held Fast approached the gaping maw of the opening, "are you sure about this? Eight ponies is more than enough for a rescue operation. What do you think you'll find?"
"I don't plan on finding anything," she replied. "I'm just curious."
"Ooh," Twilight leaned over to the Doctor, "I like her."
"She's not bad."
"She's familiar."
Twilight and the Doctor turned to Farsight. "What did you say?" they asked simultaneously.
"I don't know why," he said quietly, "but I feel like I've met her before."
=Location Unknown=
Cap watched the events unfold from the lens of a security camera, his maroon coat and silver mane dimly illuminated by the weak lighting. The black and white footage was clear as crystal, but the sound could have used some work. Hacking isn't what it once was, at least to him.
"Blimey!" the Doctor's voice came out tinny and electronic, along with the coughs from all of the others.
"Th- *cough* -that's disgust- *cough* -disgusting!" Cap watched the grey pony complain. Something about him looked very familiar.
"It can't be..." he said, his mouth curving into a grin.
"It could be him," Cap said, his tone of voice suddenly becoming very proper and refined.
"No," he frowned, voice returning to normal. "He shouldn't be here. Not now."
"You know that your lying to yourself."
"No, I'm just disagreeing with myself," Cap retorted. He waited for himself to reply, but no answer came. "I take it you're done, now?" he questioned.
No answer, again.
"Good." Cap picked up his sonic screwdriver in his hoof and examined it closely, starting from the small, blue tip. He slowly ran a bright red hoof down the length of the cylindrical device. "It's always the same..." he said pensively, "... yet... always different."
"... eight-pony team prepped in less than five minutes."
Cap's head whipped up in surprise at Streak's command. "Eight-pony team?" he repeated quietly. His surprised expression slowly became one of heightened eagerness. "That's plenty."
Sterret System; Planet of Castron; Southern Desert; Rescue Station 2; 10,384 C.E.
"I want Browning to lead squad one, while you manage the second," Streak said to Richter as they both walked through the tubular connection corridors. Their hoofsteps were in perfect synchronization, and the metal floors reverberated with each step. "You're the most qualified, next to me."
"Is that a hint of self-assuredness, captain?" Richter grinned.
"Please, major, keep such comments to yourself. We're not just sitting around and playing cards, are we?" she reprimanded.
"My apologies, ma'am." The stallion's grin vanished, replaced with a serious expression, nearly identical to Streak's.
"Uh, excuse me," the Doctor interrupted, stepping between the pair, "but it's quite lonely back there-"
"Hey!" Twilight shouted from behind. The Doctor's unicorn companion frowned at him.
"No offense, Miss Sparkle. Anyway," he continued, "it appears that you are quite determined to get this unusual character out. A few minutes ago, you were saying that he couldn't even exist."
"That's why we were assigned this case," Richter answered. "There was a transmission received about a month ago that led us here."
"I thought you said that the hone-box stated that 'no one had survived?' A rescue team wouldn't investigate something that didn't need saving." the Doctor stated.
"We were assigned, here, and that's the end of it," Streak snapped. "Major, I expect my team ready in three minutes," she addressed Richter.
"Absolutely, captain," the stallion saluted. He ran off ahead of them, back toward the command center.
"And you, Doctor," Streak continued, "you're with me."
"May my companions accompany us?" the Doctor inquired.
"If they must."
"Splendid."
"Um, can I... hang back?" Farsight mumbled.
"If you need to," the Doctor said, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. "Though, I'd hate to be you, waiting around with a bunch of tough-looking equines with very large weapons."
"O-on second thought, I'll tag along. With you guys," Farsight glanced around nervously.
Twilight glared at the Doctor for his remark.
"What?" he asked.
They approached the command room and passed through the pressurized doorway, entering into a buzz of activity. Ponies were running back and forth, shouting out instructions that made almost no sense to any inexperienced individual. Streak continued on until she reached a vault at the end of the room, placing her hoof up against an illuminated panel. There was a small *beep* and the doors slid open. She and Richter entered the room, a storage zone, and began removing different supplies.
"Might I ask what you are doing?" the Doctor queried.
"Suiting up," Richter replied bluntly. "Heart, Browning!" he called out. The two ponies that had brought the travelers quickly entered the room, standing erect once inside. "You two will be in secondary command." Richter tossed a few pairs of the special suits over to them, "assemble a team."
"Yes, sir!" they said in unison, saluting before heading out.
Streak trotted over the the Doctor, Twilight, and Farsight, three suits on her back. "Take these," she instructed, hoofing them out to each of them. "They can go over anything else you may be wearing, including that suit of yours, Doctor." She hoofed the suit to Farsight and, lastly, Twilight. As Streak gave it to her, Twilight gazed at her intently.
"Do I... know you from somewhere?" Twilight asked, examining Streak.
"I doubt you know me," Streak replied curtly, pushing the suit into Twilight's hooves.
"Actually, I'm pretty sure that you two have met before. In a sense," Cap's voice crackled to life over the communications.
"I can't seem to recall us meeting anyone matching her description," the Doctor commented while struggling to get the suit on.
"That's because you haven't met her in your timeline, yet."
"Fair enough."
"I have to ask," Cap said, "do you still have the overcoat that Janice Joplin gave you?"
"Yes."
"Well, it's useless, now, so you should consider placing it in storage."
Held Fast entered the room at a slow trot. "Both of you just stop talking," he said as he brushed past the Doctor. He approached Streak, "I want a suit."
"Your request is denied," She answered. "You are a not trained for a rescue op. You are a civilian and are were only here for reference."
"I built this ship!" Held insisted. "I was given the right to examine the structural integrity and see if it could be deemed fit for salvage!"
"Well, it's my operation," Streak countered. "Now, please, just wait in the command center with the rest of the crew."
The Doctor trotted over to the conflicting pair. "Actually, I'd say that it was alright for him to tag along," he voiced. "If he was given an assignment in conjunction with yours, then it's perfectly alright. So long as he remains with us."
"Who gave you the authority to give orders?"
"I did," he said. The Doctor tried sliding his hooves through the elastic bands in the suit, but found it unbelievably difficult. He huffed and tossed it to the floor. "You know what? I'll just tough it out and go in without a suit!"
"Request denied," Streak repeated. "We don't know if any toxins or radiation is present within the vessel."
"I'm quite durable."
"No."
"I'm going in with or without you consent."
"Not unless we restrain you," Streak pointed out.
The Doctor grinned, giving a small chuckle. "I know you won't do that."
"And why not?"
"Because you want to know what's in there as much as I do."
Silence filled the room as Streak and the Doctor stared each other down. Twilight, who had successfully maneuvered herself into the suit, watched the two. Farsight, who was wearing his own suit, stood next to her. Everypony watched as the two of them just stood there. The Doctor had a smug expression, while Streak glared at him in annoyance.
"Richter, I want it on file that he denied a suit," Streak finally said, turning her head slightly.
"Will do, ma'am."
"I'll tell you this, Doctor," Streak said, her snout close to his. "If you die from anything that could have been prevented by the suit, then it's not my fault."
The Doctor grinned. "I can deal with that."
Streak looked around at the small squad before her and gave a subtle smile of approval. "All right, everypony. Let's go."
The Streak, Richter, Held, Browning, and Hart exited the room, followed by the remaining six team members. Twilight, Farsight, and the Doctor watched them pass and Twilight leaned in to the Doctor.
"Do you really think we need the suits?" she asked.
"I don't really know," he replied honestly. "I just had some trouble getting it on. Shall we go?" he asked happily.