//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 14th, 2559
//
//20:44 Local Time
Space, the final frontier.
So yeah, today was fucking awesome. This morning we all got on the Tuscany and flew to Ecotonia where we watched them launch the joint Equestrian-Econtonian spacecraft. Andrew was busy having a nerdgasm as he combed over the deer spacecraft. I get the feeling that he is going to be spending a lot of time on this world.
Anyway, while we were with the Princesses in Ecotonia, Staff Sergeant Timothy Pastor and Sergeant Jessica Quay stayed behind to begin training Equestria’s military. They are starting with combat instructors before moving to normal troops.
Also, the Grafton finally got her chance to land here on Avalon. Celestia even gave permission for the crew to get a few days of shore leave when we arrive back in Canterlot. It seems the fun never ends in the UNSC.
//End Log
Daniel stood on the bridge in the early morning hours, mug of tea in hand. He was waiting for Celestia and Luna to show up so they could get going. They still had to fly to Ponyville to pick up Twilight and her friends before flying to Ecotonia. It was going to be a big day for both Equestria and Ecotonia. Today they would launch their joint spacecraft, taking the first step toward the stars.
Though, this moment was also a major stepping stone for the the UNSC. This event would solidify the human’s involvement on Avalon and would open even more doors for diplomatic relations. Two space faring civilizations, working together for the betterment of all.
Daniel chuckled at this thought. With a war just over the horizon, it was nice to see civilizations still reaching for their dreams. If anything, the threat of war might have motivated both nations to finish and launch the spacecraft in a much shorter time frame. As the Captain continued to muse with his own thoughts, Celestia, Luna, and Discord all exited the castle and made their way onto the waiting prowler.
The Captain’s attention was broken from his thoughts as Spotlight and Zerom walked on to the bridge, both wearing the standard grey uniform of a UNSC officer. The only difference for Spotlight being an ONI patch where the UNSC emblem would have sat. Both individuals took their respective seats and began their own preparations for launch.
“Captain, Chief Ronkovich here. Your passengers are all onboard. We’re clear down here,” the hangar chief reported over the ship’s intercom.
“Copy that, Chief. Stand by for take off,” Daniel replied, mug still in hand.
The Captain looked around the bridge, making sure all of his crew were ready. With a satisfied sigh, he took a sip of tea and began issuing orders.
“Alright, helm. Bring us starboard to heading two-nine-three. Ahead slow,” The Captain ordered.
The pilot replied as the engines began to roar to life. “Aye sir, heading two-nine-three.”
Slowly and very smoothly, the entire hulking mass of the prowler lifted off from the gardens and began to bank to the right. As the ship took off, the three landing struts slowly retracted into the hull, ending with a resounding thud as they locked in place.
“Sir, we’re clear of the castle,” the ship’s navigator reported.
“Alright, go to heading one-four-four, and make your altitude three hundred fifty feet,” Daniel replied.
The ship banked to the right and began to descend down the mountainside of Canterlot. The doors to the bridge opened once more as Celestia, Luna, and Discord walked in.
“We’ll be at Ponyville in about thirty or so minutes. Twilight knows we’re coming?” Captain Ryan asked, looking over his shoulder toward Celestia.
Celestia answered with a chuckle. “Yes, I suspect she has been preparing for this trip all night.”
Luna wasted no time in sitting on the deck next to Daniel’s chair, getting a perfect view of the landscape ahead of them.
“Great. Helm, ahead full.” Daniel commanded.
“Aye, sir. Ahead full.”
The hum of the engines became a bit louder as the ship picked up speed. It was a familiar sound to everyone onboard. Even Luna had come to enjoy the hum and gentle vibrations of the engines.
“Sir, twenty-two minutes until we arrive,” the navigator reported, looking up from her console.
“Very good. Tommy, time to Ecotonia?” Daniel asked casually.
“At our current speed, two hours and six minutes, with favorable atmospheric conditions.” The AI replied.
“Alright, good. I’ve given us two and a half hours to get there, so we should be spot on with our arrival. I take it Queen Cervidae knows we are coming?” Daniel announced aloud, waiting for anyone to answer.
“Yes, I sent her a message this morning. She is eagerly awaiting our arrival,” Celestia responded from beside her sister, while Discord was eagerly looking at every possible screen on the bridge. Even with the eccentric draconequus trying to look at everything, most of the crew simply ignored him.
“Perfect, let’s go grab our last passengers and then burn hard toward the deer,” Daniel announced with a pleased grin. Today was a day for science, and quite frankly, nothing could dampen his mood.
~~~
Twilight sat with her friends at the Ponyville library, waiting for Princess Celestia to pick them up. While Twilight watched Canterlot for any signs of a royal chariot, her friends milled about and talked amongst themselves. Spike, however, was savoring the moment of rest after spending all night packing various things for the launch of the spacecraft known only as the Starchaser. Twilight had insisted on taking six blank notebooks for her personal notes, as well as a number of pens and other things of which Spike could only guess what they were for.
While her friends continued to talk and joke amongst themselves, Twilight looked up at the clock and ruffled her wings nervously. The Princess had said she would be by at eight thirty to pick them all up, and with it being eight twenty-seven and still no chariot to be seen, she began to worry.
“Twilight, relax. She’ll be here,” Spike said, trying to reassure the distraught alicorn.
Twilight replied in an uneasy tone. “I know... but I still can’t help but be nervous. Princess Celestia is always prompt and always on time. It’s not like her to be late.”
Spike sighed as he walked back downstairs to join the others while Twilight continued to glance between the clock and Canterlot.
“Hey,Twi! I think our ride is here!” the voice of Rainbow Dash called from downstairs.
Twilight shot one more confused glance outside her window, trying to spot Celestia’s chariot, only to be met with clear sky. With a hint of hesitation, she picked up her saddlebags and trotted downstairs to join the others.
The other five were already outside and looking up. With curiosity, Twilight joined their gaze and went wide eyed at the sight above her. There, floating above the town of Ponyville, was the Tuscany. The bat-like ship simply hovered in place over the town with a barely audible hum. Soon an opening appeared in the underside of the ship as a smaller craft dropped from the belly. It made a series of turns before slowing down and landing only a few feet in front of the library.
The smaller craft kicked up clouds of dust as its engines slowed, allowing it to land. As it touched down, a ramp lowered from the back and a familiar figure walked off.
Commander Dior greeted them with a salute. “Princess Sparkle, good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too Commander. Is the Princess onboard?” Twilight asked with relief.
“Yes ma’am. All that’s left is to get all of you onboard, and then we can head to Ecotonia,” the SPARTAN replied.
“This is gonna be awesome!” Rainbow cheered.
The SPARTAN stepped aside and motioned for everyone to board the aircraft.
“Captain, this is Chevron Actual. All passengers accounted for. Returning to the ship.” The SPARTAN reported over her radio as the Pelican took off.
“Solid copy, see you when you get here.”
~~~
“Captain, Pelican has docked. We’re ready to go,” Tommy announced.
“Understood. Helm, ahead full,” Daniel ordered.
“Aye, sir,” the pilot quickly replied.
Daniel looked over at the ship’s navigator. “Ellis, heading one-eight-seven.”
“Aye, sir. Heading one-eight-seven,” Petty Officer Ellis responded.
“Captain, your passengers are in the crew lounge,” Tommy reported.
Daniel sighed as he leaned back in his chair. The ship was on its way, everyone was safely on board, and it was a beautiful day.
“Tommy, give us a funky beat to fly to,” Daniel said with a chuckle and a grin.
“Aye sir. Now playing the most funky thing in the ship’s audio banks” The AI responded as music began to play over the sound system. Daniel paused for a moment, looking at the AI.
“I don’t think this is the funkiest, but I commend your creative use of the english language. Gold star,” Daniel said with a grin while giving a thumbs up.
~~~
Queen Cervidae quietly walked through the space center with the facility and project directors. Today was the culmination of the efforts of two nations, a day where they would send five brave souls into the great black void that waited for them beyond the atmosphere. The stress levels were incredibly high as everyone went about their jobs.
As the deer Queen walked through the sunlight halls of the space center, she couldn’t help but think of the impending launch. Billions of bits and thousands of work hours all would boil down to one moment. Though there was one thing that still needed to happen, Celestia dna Luna needed to arrive.
The Queen glanced at a nearby wall clock as it read 10:37.
“Radar, has anything entered the airspace around the facility?” The deer Queen asked into her radio.
“Not yet, ma’am. Everything is...”
“Everything is what?” Cervidae asked when the response paused.
“Uh, something big just... showed up. It’s... huge, and heading straight for us.” The radar operator sounded a bit worried.
“How big?” the Queen pressed.
“One hundred and sixty two meters long, three hundred and fifty meters wide,” the operator answered nervously.
Cervidae began scanning the sky for the massive object described by the terrified operator. Sure enough, there it was. Flying in from the north was the massive black hull of the Tuscany. Cervidae let out a sigh of relief as she reached for her radio.
“Turn on runway lights and have someone direct them to land on pad two,” the Queen ordered.
“So that’s the alien spaceship?” the project director asked with an amazed look.
“Indeed it is. Don’t worry, the humans are quite nice,” Cervidae said reassuringly.
The three deer watched as the prowler descended and flew along the length of the runway before slowly turning off and landing on the nearby landing pad, with the help of a few crew directors outside.
~~~
Daniel reached for the ship’s intercom as the cloaking bubble dropped.
“All hands, prep for landing,” he calmly ordered.
“Sir, runway lights have come online,” Tommy immediately reported.
Sure enough, the runway ahead of them came to life in a pattern of lights.
“Alright, helm, bring us in for landing.”
“Sir, starboard side. Looks like they’re trying to wave us in,” the ship’s navigator announced.
“Huh, so they are,” Daniel said with a chuckle. “Vezina, do what you can and work with the ground crew.”
“You got it!” the pilot replied cheerfully as he slowed the ship further, turning off of the runway.
A whirling sound echoed through the ship as the landing struts lowered from the ship’s hull. Crew members moved quickly around the ship, making sure everything was in place for landing. It was during this time that Celestia and Discord quietly entered the chaos that was the ship’s bridge. Daniel was issuing orders across the ship’s intercom, while the rest of the bridge crew made sure their respective departments were ready for touch down.
“Just when I didn’t think I could love these humans more than I already do,” Discord said as he wiped away a tear.
The entire ship suddenly gave a small jolt as it settled down on it’s landing struts. The engines soon became much quieter as they powered down to an idle. The Captain slowly rose from his chair and made his way toward the door.
“We’re here,” Daniel said to Celestia as he stepped by her and made his way to the hangar. The solar Princess looked to Discord who was already following on Daniel’s heels.
~~~
Queen Cervidae stood on the landing pad in front of the Tuscany, eagerly awaiting her distinguished passengers to disembark. The two deer on either side of her were shifting nervously as the main ramp of the docking bay slowly lowered. Descending from the alien spacecraft were the three Princesses of Equestria, followed closely by the Elements of Harmony, and finally Captain Ryan and his two Commanders.
The deer Queen walked toward the descending Princesses and greeted them all with a warm smile.
“Celestia, Luna, Twilight. I’m so glad you could all make it today,” she said enthusiastically.
“I couldn’t imagine missing something like this,” Twilight exclaimed with vigor.
“Then shall we move inside? We’re going to be doing a briefing at noon.” The Queen said, motioning toward the massive space center.
The group casually moved through the wide hallways of the space center, making small conversation amongst each other along the way.
“So Captain, what do you think of our little operation here?” The Queen asked as she walked alongside the human.
Daniel glanced out the windows that lined the entire wall, looking out over the entire facility. “I’m impressed. This is quite the operation you have here.”
“I’m glad to hear that. We’ve pooled a lot of resources and money into this place.” The Queen said with pride.
“I’m just glad to see a nation’s leader taking an active interest in applied science and development.” The Captain replied.
“I would be a fool not to. And besides, it has been an incredible project to be a part of.”
“You’ve been working on this project?” Daniel asked with an inquisitive eye.
“Indeed. I have an advanced degree in applied physics and a minor in theoretical astrophysics.” Cervidae smiled as she recounted her credentials.
“Holy shit. That’s... that’s impressive. What kind of things have you worked on?” Daniel asked with sheer amazement.
“Well, one thing that has interested us has been the possibility of traveling at light speed.” The deer Queen replied.
“Oh? What have you found out?” Daniel pressed.
“We have found that it is... difficult. The amount of energy required would be beyond something we could produce. We came up with an equation for such a theory.” Cervidae continued.
“A theory? Do tell.” Daniel said with an expectant grin.
“It all boils down to a few variables, explained by E equals MC squared.” Cervidae finished.
Daniel smiled as she recounted the theory of mass-energy equivalence. “Well, since you know that, I’m going to let you in on another little problem with lightspeed. It’s called time dilation.”
Cervidae looked to Daniel with interest as he continued. “Basically, time moves differently at light speed.”
“Yes, we theorized that lightspeed would affect the passage of time. Do you know how severe it is?” The Queen asked.
“It’s intense. For example, if you were to travel at lightspeed for five days, fifty years might pass in normal space. It’s because of this that makes it an unfavorable method of transportation.” The Captain finally finished.
“Hmm, we had theorized this was the case. It’s interesting, getting to hear just how severe the dilation can be.”
“Yeah, light speed is an interesting thing. Though, I’m no expert in that field,” Daniel replied.
The group continued to walk until they came to a large conference room. Inside were numerous ponies and deer sitting around a massive table. All wore lab coats with varying patches, denoting which department they worked in. All rose as Cervidae and the Princesses walked into the room.
“Everyone, please sit.” Cervidae instructed, to which everyone quickly ended their conversations and took their seats. “I want to start out by thanking everyone for their hard work over these past few months. I know the threat of war has had a lot of us on edge, but I’m just glad we were all able to keep our heads and get this done.”
A round of hoof stomping and clapping echoed through the room. “Now, we are only a few hours away from our very first spacecraft launch. I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited. We have a fantastic crew for the Starchaser, of whom I am immensely proud of. These brave ponies and deer are going into the greatest unknown.”
More hoof stomping and clapping resounded as the five astronauts stood and bowed to the Queen and Princesses. “Does anyone else have something they want to add?” The Queen asked, looking around the room.
“I’ll add something.” Daniel said as he stood up. Everyone went silent as the Captain stood, setting his hat on the table. “All of you are about to take a tremendous leap into the unknown. Space is not an easy place to tame. It is a cold, scary, hostile, and generally unforgiving place. But to those willing to take the risk of exploring it, the rewards can be beyond your wildest dreams. Space is, and always will be, the final frontier.” Daniel then took his seat at the conclusion of his speech.
“Thank you for that, Captain.” Cervidae said as she stood again. “Now, I want everyone to get some lunch. We are only three hours away from launch. So get a meal, a nap, or whatever. Sound good?”
A series of affirmatives echoed through the room as deer and ponies alike filed out of the conference room.
“They seem highly motivated,” Daniel commented.
“They’re the best group I could have ever imagined working with on this project.” The Queen said with pride.
“Is it possible for us to see the Starchaser?” Twilight asked while levitating a notebook and pen.
“Of course. Follow me,” Cervidae replied, motioning toward the door.
~~~
Twilight was constantly impressed by the massive complex. Everywhere they went was fraught with technology and other high tech pieces of equipment. Something that she had come to expect from the space center. Though as the door to the hangar opened, there was something she didn’t expect.
Inside was a large, white, plane shaped vehicle. The entire vehicle was a stunning two hundred feet long, but only thirty feet wide. It sported a pair of large wings starting at the middle of the fuselage and sweeping back, supporting a pair of large jet turbines. What was unexpected was the lone human climbing inside one of the jet turbines while a group of deer held the ladder for him.
“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.” Daniel muttered as he spotted Andrew climbing all over the spaceplane. Spotlight stood nearby next to the forward landing gear.
“What’s he doing?” Twilight muttered, taking notes the entire time.
“Andrew!” Daniel called out, slightly irritated.
A loud thump was heard, followed by a series of explicative words. Soon the head of the engineer popped out of the turbine.
“What?!” Andrew yelled back.
“The fuck are you doing?!” The Captain shouted.
“I’m figuring out how this thing works!” Andrew said with vigor. “It’s fucking awesome!”
“I’m glad you think so,” the Queen replied.
“Queen Cervidae, this is Andrew Traxus. He and his company are responsible for designing and building almost every single UNSC warship in the fleet.” Daniel said, motioning to the eccentric engineer.
“A pleasure, Mr. Traxus.” Cervidae replied. “So you like the Starchaser?”
“It’s phenomenal! You’ve managed to make a vehicle that is capable of normal atmospheric flight and then punching through to orbital flight. All with the same two engines!” Andrew shouted from within the massive engine.
“It was quite the feat to make it work,” the deer Queen responded with a chuckle.
After a few seconds, Andrew finally climbed down the ladder. “That thing is so cool. Now, I’ve only looked at her engines, but I’m willing to say she will definitely fly. Not a doubt in my mind.”
“Well, we need to get ready for launch, so how about a deal. I’ll give you one hour to make all the observations and measurements you want. Then we need to get it to the runway,” the Queen began.
“Fair enough.” Andrew replied with a nod.
“Then, once it lands, you can assist the other engineers in taking it apart.”
Andrew’s eyes lit up. “Done! Deal! Where do I sign? Want me to sign in blood?! Let’s do it!” The engineer exclaimed, setting the blade of a knife against his palm.
“No, no, no. You don’t need to... do that.” Cervidae quickly interjected.
Andrew put the knife back on a nearby table before grabbing a notebook and a few measuring tools. Cervidae watched him rush back over to the spaceplane, eagerly taking every detail and writing it down.
“I just got one question. How fast does this thing go?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“In orbit, we estimate about seventeen thousand miles per hour.” The Queen replied.
Rainbow’s face paled at the sheer scope of how fast a machine could travel.
“So, shall we head to the control room? My husband is there, and I am sure he is dying to meet you all.” Cervidae asked.
“Of course. Lead the way.” Celestia answered for the group.
~~~
The group spent the next hour meeting with the control team who would be responsible for monitoring everything about the launch. Queen Cervidae’s husband, King Sambar, had spent the hour excitedly talking with Daniel, Zerom, and Dior. Cervidae couldn’t help but laugh at her excited husband.
Though, now it was time to work. The Starchaser had been moved out to the runway, the astronauts loaded inside, and everyone was at their seats. Daniel and Zerom sat near Cervidae at the end of one of the long control desks. Both men wore headsets, allowing them to hear and communicate with the Starchaser.
“Alright everyone, we’re five minutes away from launch. Begin pre-launch checks.” The Queen announced.
Various deer and ponies began to announce their status.
“Power, go.”
“Life support, go.”
“Navigation, go.”
“Engines, go.”
“Communications, go.”
“All primary systems are go.”
“Tracking systems, go.” Daniel said at the end.
“Very good. Two minutes left.” Cervidae announced. “Passing control to Doctor Brocket.”
“I have control.” Brocket responded. “Bring engines online.”
“Engines online.” The propulsion team leader replied.
“Thirty seconds. Stand by for ignition and release brakes.” The Doctor ordered.
“Standing by for ignition.” A female astronaut announced.
“Five, four, three, two, one, ignition.” Everyone watched the video feed on the massive screen in front of them as the spaceplane lurched forward and began accelerating down the runway.
“Starchaser is moving. All systems looking good.” Doctor Brocket leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Alright everyone, it’s in their hooves now.
“Tuscany, you still have them on tracking systems?” Daniel asked in his radio.
“Aye, sir. They’re on a solid trajectory. Orbital velocity achieved in five minutes and sixteen seconds.” Tommy replied.
For the next few minutes, very little was said as everyone watched the Starchaser get closer to orbit. It was a tense moment in the control room, eyes shifting from their respective monitors and the large video feed. But soon, the room erupted into cheering as the Starchaser finally made orbit. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as the ship made its way into a more stable orbital pattern.
“Control, we’ve done it.” The orbiter finally announced over the radio.
“We see you up there. Soon, the whole world will be watching.” Cervidae replied, wiping a few tears from her eyes.
Though the mood was interrupted by a single alarm coming from one of the monitors.
“Director, we have a single alarm coming from life support.” One of the deer reported. “Pressure is dropping in oxygen tank two.”
“How much is leaking?” The Director answered, slight worry in his voice.
“It’s a slow leak, maybe two or...”
“Or what?” Brocket asked.
“We... we just lost the tank...”
“What!?” Brocket yelled across the room.
“Control, this is Starchaser. We might have an issue.” One of the astronauts called over the radio.
“We see it, Starchaser. Stand by.” Doctor Brocket replied.
Everyone watched as the pressure in the entire main cabin began dropping. Soon only the command capsule was all that was left with any air.
“Control, the ship just shook, and we’re seeing a lot of debris. Oxygen levels are reading nearly empty.” The astronaut reported.
“Repeat, did you say debris?” The project Director asked with alarm.
“Affirmative. We suspect there is a large hull breach.” A second astronaut reported as calmly as possible.
Daniel looked over to Brocket with a worried glance. “If the pressure hull is breached, there’s no way they are going to survive reentry.”
“I know...” The deer said, looking back to his monitor with a hint of despair.
“So what are our options? Do they have space suits?” Zerom finally spoke up.
“Not really. They have pressure suits that can let them survive in low pressure environments. But they don’t have suits that would allow them to survive in space for more than a minute or two.” Cervidae replied.
“How much air do they have?” Daniel asked, adjusting his headset.
“There is an emergency tank in the command module that holds only twenty minutes of reserve air.” Brocket answered, looking around at the rest of the control team.
“Can the command module decouple from the main body?” Zerom asked.
“No. The entire craft was designed to take off and land as a single vehicle.” Cervidae replied.
Daniel sighed as he rubbed his temples with his thumbs. “Alright. So they have no air, a dying spacecraft, no method of surviving in space, and no way of detaching from the main vessel. Am I missing anything?”
“That about covers it.” Zerom replied.
“So what are our options?” Daniel asked the entire room. To his dismay, no one said a thing. “Is there a second vessel we could send up?”
“That’s the only one we have.” Cervidae answered.
Zerom them looked up at Daniel with a grin. “Call the Grafton. She’s already in orbit and could easily mount a pickup.”
Daniel wasted no time grabbing his radio and switching to Grafton’s frequency. “UNSC Grafton, this is Tuscany Actual. How copy, over?”
“We read you Tuscany,” Captain Daviston’s voice replied.
“Grafton, we have an emergency situation developing in low orbit. An Ecotonian spacecraft has suffered a catastrophic failure and is in dire need of rescue,” Daniel continued.
“Copy that. How bad is it?”
“They are running on emergency air reserves, and the hull is blown open,” Captain Ryan said calmly.
“Shit... Alright, we’re on our way. Though we are currently on the dark side of the planet. ETA is going to be thirty five minutes,” Daviston answered.
“Not good enough. They’ll be out of air in fifteen minutes. Use slipspace if you have to.”
Daviston sighed before replying. “Alright, does Tuscany have the ship on sensors?”
“Affirmative. Transmitting position.”
There was a pause as the data was sent. “Got it. Moving to intercept.”
~~~
Captain Daviston quickly ended the conversation before turning to his crew.
“Set course to intercept with that ship. Ahead flank, alert medical crews to be standing by at the cargo bay.” Richard ordered.
“Aye, sir.” The helmsman and AI replied.
“Time to intercept?” The Captain asked.
“Twenty-eight minutes.” The AI responded.
“Go to one ten on the reactor and reevaluate.” Daviston quickly commanded.
“Time to intercept, twenty two minutes.” The AI replied.
“Damn it. Veronica, go to one thirty on the reactor.” Richard ordered once more, his tone becoming tense.
“Aye, sir. Time to intercept, eleven minutes. Warning, reactor meltdown in two minutes.” The AI warned.
“Noted. Stand by to induce emergency coolant and ventilate the reactor housing.” Richard said, watching space fly past the ship’s bridge.
After a few minutes, the coolant was added to the reactor and additional vents were opened, preventing it from melting down and destroying the frigate. Though the maneuver shaved off almost twenty minutes from their travel.
“Sir, visual contact on the Starchaser,” Veronica announced.
“Alright, slow us down and prepare to launch Pelicans,” the Captain quickly ordered.
“Aye, Captain.”
For the next three minutes, the Grafton drifted forward toward the disabled spacecraft. The debris field around the ship became more apparent as they got closer.
“Come up on their starboard side and then match speed when we pull in front of them.”
“Got it, twenty seconds.” The helmsman replied, biting his lip in concentration. “Alright, in position!”
“Launch Pelicans.”
~~~
Eclipse sat in her seat aboard the Starchaser, trying to keep her mind from going to the worst case scenario. As a pegasus, she hated confined spaces, thought the opportunity to be on the crew of the very first spacecraft was too much to pass up. Her friend, Frosty Glow, was sitting next to her. Being a unicorn, he had fewer issues with such confined spaces.
“Alright, Roe. Can we reroute the oxygen from the engines so we can continue to breath?” The unicorn asked.
“Yes, though it would require going into the depressurized section.” The white tailed deer replied as he rubbed the stumps of his antlers.
“So whoever tries to do that will probably die?” Eclipse asked.
“We all would. As soon as this bulkhead opens, all our air leaves.” Another crew member said.
The cockpit was quickly flooded by a bright blue light from outside. Everyone brought up a hoof to shield their eyes from the intense glow.
“What... the buck...” Frosty said as he looked outside.
Everyone onboard was silent as they watched the massive metal hulk of the Grafton come into view. The alien ship seemed to slow down as it pulled in front of them, before a pair of large doors opened in the ship. Suddenly, four smaller craft flew out the back of the frigate, speeding toward the Starchaser.
The astronauts onboard could only watch in silent awe as the four smaller craft maneuvered around the disabled ship. One craft stopped just in front of the Starchaser, before lowering it’s loading ramp. A pair of humans in space suits slowly floated out the back while holding a pair of heavy duty cables and clamps.
It quickly became apparent to the five astronauts what the humans were planning. A sense of hope quickly spread through the cramped cabin. Roe fumbled for the radio, all while still watching the humans work.
“Control, this is Starchaser. The humans are here!” Roe nearly shouted in excitement.
“We’re all glad to hear that. How are you all doing?” Cervidae replied over the radio.
“The air is getting a bit thin, but everyone seems better now that rescue is here.” Roe said with a content sigh.
“Alright. Sit tight.” The deer Queen said calmly.
For the next few minutes, the air in the cabin became increasingly thin as the Pelican crews worked. There were a few loud clangs and shudders as the humans attached multiple towing clamps to the exterior hull, preparing to tow the dying spacecraft into the waiting cargo bay of the Grafton.
Frosty looked over to Eclipse, only to see her slumped over in her chair, her restraints keeping her from floating about the cabin. His attention was shaken once again by a sudden lurch. The entire ship slowly began moving forward as the Pelicans slowly towed the Starchaser toward the waiting warship.
Frosty slowly reached over and gently shook his friend. Eclipse groaned as she weakly opened her eyes. The lack of oxygen was beginning to take it’s toll on the crew. Frosty found it difficult to focus and even more difficult to move. The cabin suddenly filled with a bright white light as the Starchaser was successfully pulled into the Grafton’s cargo bay. Everything suddenly became harder to move as the ship’s gravity was turned back on.
With a titanic effort, Frosty unbuckled himself and struggled toward the hatch. It would need to be unlocked if his rescuers wanted any hope of getting into the ship. Though the lack of oxygen made it nearly impossible for him to muster up the strength to deactivate the locks. Darkness crept into the stallion’s vision as his brain shut down.
~~~
Daviston stood on a catwalk as soon as the cargo bay was repressurized and the gravity turned back on. Rescue crews immediately swarmed the ship, trying to find a way to open the hatch. Richard shook his head at the lack of immediate results.
“Hey! If you can’t get the hatch open, just get a torch cut through the fucking hull!” The Captain yelled.
The crew reacted and quickly abandoned what they were doing, rushing for any available power tools. A team of three sailors, armed with a plasma can, compressor, and plasma torch began cutting into the hull near the access hatch. Other teams began climbing through the hull breach, intent on attacking the interior bulkhead with plasma cutters and pneumatic wedge drivers.
The crew trying to cut through the outer hull was having very slow progress. They were forced to switch to non-thermal tools, due in part to the very effective heat shielding on the outer hull. Though with the use of pneumatic wedge drivers and other tools, the door was finally giving out. With one final effort, the door cracked and was quickly pulled off.
The crew at the outer hatch froze as soon as the noticed the stallion laying at the base of the hatch. Medics quickly rushed past the the sailors and loaded the pony onto a stretcher. The other team then cheered as they got the second internal hatch open, allowing even more access to the ship. Medical crews rushed through the two openings, quickly pulling out the other unmoving crew members.
“Doctor Calhoon, how are they?” The Captain asked.
“They are all alive, and right now that’s all I can tell you.” The medical officer replied bluntly.
“That’s good enough for me.” Daviston chuckled as he sighed with relief.
~~~
Daniel sat in the control room, waiting in silence for any update from the warship. Celestia and Luna watched the massive display with baited breath, while Twilight sat with the other Elements of Harmony. Suddenly, the radio came to life.
“Tuscany actual, this if Grafton.” Daviston’s voice called out.
“Go ahead, Grafton.” Daniel said as he fumbled for the radio.
“Vessel is secured and the crew are being taken care of by medical.” Richard said proudly.
“How are the crew?” Cervidae asked.
“All five were unconscious and at different states of oxygen deprivation. Though, we expect them all to survive.”
The deer Queen sighed with relief as her husband laid a hoof on her shoulder.
“Grafton, I’m transmitting coordinates for you to land at.” Daniel said as he began tapping on his datapad.
“Coordinates received. We’re going to do one more orbit before coming in for landing.” Daviston replied.
“Tuscany copies all.” Daniel said as he set down the radio before standing up. All eyes shifted to the Captain. “They’re all okay.”
Cheers erupted in the control room as the good news was delivered. It was only three-thirty in the afternoon, and yet everyone was exhausted. In an hour, the Grafton would land, and the astronauts returned home.
~~~
It was eleven at night as Celestia walked through the passageways of the Tuscany. She had just finished talking with Queen Cervidae and King Sambar. A quick analysis by the engineering teams and Andrew quickly ruled out the possibility of sabotage. The culprit turned out to be a faulty O-ring on the second oxygen tank. It was a relief knowing that the disaster was caused by a mechanical failure and not espionage.
The solar Princess quietly walked in to the crew lounge, where there were quite a few people and ponies napping on the couches. Twilight and her friends were all sleeping in pairs on the couches along the outer wall. Daniel’s feet were dangling off the side of the couch, though there was something else there.
With quiet steps, Celestia peered over the couch and smiled warmly when she saw the scene before her. Daniel was laying on his back, while pressed against the backrest of the couch. Luna was lying right next to him on the edge of the couch with her head resting on his chest, rising and falling slowly with each breath. The Captain’s left arm keeping her from falling off the edge.
Celestia then took a seat and decided to read a bit while Commander Dior made the ship ready for take off back toward Canterlot. This time, though, the Grafton would be following them. Next to Celestia sat Commander Zerom, sleeping while sitting upright. As the Princess got comfortable on the couch, Zerom fell over, still asleep. Celestia looked at the human who was now using her back as a pillow. She let out a light chuckle as she levitated a nearby blanket over the sleeping Commander.
The ship’s engines began to hum and vibrate as the entire ship slowly lifted off the ground before turning and heading north back to Equestria. Celestia was determined to relish the moment as she looked around the lounge. There was a sense of peace that made the solar Princess happy. Her sister was happy, Twilight and her friends were happy, and even she was happy. Though, how long would that all last with war just over the horizon?