//------------------------------// // Interlude on Balun // Story: The Quest For Iscanter // by eternalsquire //------------------------------// The Yamato and her crew retreated from Alastor and returned to Eris for about two weeks worth of repairs. The instant they landed on this, Discord's world, Twilight Sparkle decided to put on an environmental suit and walk outside. She needed to talk with someone. The dragon-like chimera, Discord, materialized in front of her. "Thanks for letting us stay here", Twilight said to him. "Thanks also, for finding and bringing those ores for us. We promise you, you can have your fun with us after we successfully return and repair our world. We'll discuss the specifics then." "Think nothing of it!", Discord declared happily. "Just recognize all Equestria owes me a favor... and some respect." Twilight smiled. "The prospect of us owing you a favor might frighten some ponies... but I think we all can live with that. I have a personal request of you, just as a friend." "How can I help?", the chimera asked. Twilight explained. "Faster than light communications had not yet been worked out, so there was no chance for the crew to say good-bye to their families at home in real time. Instead, everyone on the crew had five minutes to record whatever they wished into this chip. Just as a favor to me, can you please see that it gets to Princess Celestia?" "Of course.", Discord nodded soberly. "I know I often have a strange way of showing I care... but I still do care. Come back soon. You're one of the few creatures I've met in a long while whom I genuinely respect crossing wits with." "Oh Discord, I love you too.", the alicorn said in a mocking, but still somewhat affectionate, manner. "I will. I promise." . . . Meanwhile, within empty intergalactic space, there lay a huge gas giant of a planet, orange in color with yellow and white spots and stripes, about five times the size of Jupiter, in a close orbit around a white dwarf star. There were huge structures floating above the planet. There was a constant traffic of ships of all sizes, from fighter craft through passenger shuttles all the way up to destroyers and dreadnoughts, entering and leaving the structures. Within the largest structure, at its uppermost tip, was a conference room having all four of its walls transparent to space. Several Gallopons were standing around a table in the room. At the head of a table stood a mare whose rump was branded with a pair of unicorn horns. One of her staff, a mare branded with an oak leaf, had been delivering her report... "... and that, General Goelle, is our current situation with respect to a barbarian world in the outmarches which we have been securing for our glorious Empire." "So you're saying, Adjuntant", Goelle summarized levelly, "that we lost our garrison fleet half a cycle ago and we completely lost contact with the garrison just recently?" "Yes, ma'am", her aide said. The general rolled her eyes upward to the ceiling, then lowered them back at her staff. "Notice, one and all, the price paid for overconfidence, laziness, and bad judgement in general. Our Leader has decreed only the fittest among the stars may survive and breed to pass on their heritage to their foals, and we, the Gallopon race, are they. Yet, I believe that garrison's demise can only increase the overall potential for intellect of which our race is capable. My next question is this: where is the present location of the ship the garrison's commander fled in?" "Unknown, ma'am." "Send a message to Gallopon that specific ship is commanded by a coward, and is to be destroyed on sight. Clear?" "Crystal, ma'am". "Good job, Sarita.", Goelle smiled, "You're learning fast. Dismissed." Immediately after the aide left the room and the door shut behind her, Goelle's mood rapidly changed from bemusement to fury. I was so much looking forward to taking the credit for that world!, she fumed. She had imagined herself being branded with a wing to go with her horns, being declared a Marshall, getting her brains serviced out all day and night by The Glorious Leader (what self-respecting mare wouldn't want that?), and beginning a dynasty on that conquered world with the resulting foals. She slammed her right fore-hoof onto the table, making it shake. "WHY AREN'T YOU SUPERVISING YOUR GARRISONS MORE CLOSELY?", Goelle shouted at the top of the lungs. "I DECLARE, YOU SEEM UNABLE TO TELL YOUR RESPECTIVE MANURE GENERATION SYSTEMS FROM HOLES IN THE GROUND!!!" "But General.", a columnel in her staff protested. "It was just an insignificant world. Telescope reconnaisance revealed a pastoral culture. The local sentients appeared similar to us but appeared to have had no weapons or major industry. There was no resistant put up against us when we began the orbital bombardment." Goelle clicked her fore-hooves together in the air. An video image of the approaching bow end view of what obviously was a rediculously large warship, grey on the deck, red under the waterline, with three sets of large turrets showing, one set damaged. The image was then replaced by static, then by darkness. "Then what do you call this?", she hissed at them. "A warship?", guessed another columnel. "You just won first prize for obvious thinking, stallion!", exclained Goelle sarcastically. "So how does a civilization go from pastoral to taking out a system garrison in only days?", asked a third columnel. Goelle set her jaw. "Extremely... Good... Question...", she grated out grimly. "Just go! All of you!" Terrified of annoying her any further, her entire herd of columnels spooked and galloped out through the room's exits. The general pressed a button on a board. "Put me through to the Leader.", she ordered. Maybe he knows the answer , she thought. Oh well, so much for my chances of recognition. . . . . Once repairs were finished, the crew of the Yamato said no fond farewells to the frozen iceball they had pressed into service as a dry-dock. They simply left. Their course was now set outbound of the solar system, and they were now crossing the heliopause. Peace and quiet reigned on the bridge, at least for now. "Captain", Rarity said, "I recommend we take progressively longer warps until we are more certain of our navigation." "Good idea!", Avatar said. "So, sir, what star would you like to try for first?", she asked. "We need to head Galactic South, toward the Cloud Of Dreams", the captain replied. "Pick any star in that direction." "Aye, sir!", Rarity responded. "Look alive, everyone!" She nodded to Fluttershy. "Give me Engineering.", Rarity said to her. "Yes?", Luna replied through the speakers. "Luna", Rarity said, "please bring up engine power for a space warp. We're going interstellar this time." "I heard about your first problem with our navigation which got us to Eris rather than Alastor.", Luna said. "Are you sure you're really up for an interstellar jump?" "I said this before!", Twilight Sparkle emphasized. "It wasn't her fault! It was mine!" "Very well", Luna calmly said. "Are you sure you can anticipate another problem?" "NO!", Twilight said emphatically. "But where would we be without risk?" "Luna, quit complaining and just get to work!", the captain shouted, smiling at Twilight all the while. "As thou, my lord, wisheth!", the chief engineer said, in a tone of surprise. "Luna out." Avatar paused in a frown for a moment, believing he had already stamped out the royal attitude from her. But then, he realized Luna was joking back at him. He smiled. Then he giggled. Then he had a belly laugh over it. The rest of the bridge crew joined in on the the laughter. The Yamato had finally become a happy ship.