Actuator loomed over the small desk, looking down onto the small terminal screen. The terminal worked as a two-way communicator—he could see and hear the ponies in the meeting room as clearly as they could him.
Right now, not a word passed over the link. Every eye in the other room was on the three lists that he had brought up on the screen. The three lists had been put together by Toroidal and Helion while he had looked over the mechanics and system. They gave an exact overview of the engine system— its power levels, heat, and condition—from the second Aurum had left Celestia until just a couple of minutes ago.
His own eyes were on Aerial as she read through the lists with a deep frown, systematically comparing each row both with the row before and the adherent numbers in the other lists.
Close to halfway down the list, Theta interrupted her concentration: “Down there, Captain.” She pointed towards the middle of the second half of the list with a paw, where the numbers, despite being labeled as okay under the condition, were exponentially higher than they ought to have been.
Aerial quickly looked back at the list, blinking as she found the row. “This…” Her eyes widened slightly, before she snapped her gaze to him. “Are you sure these numbers are correct?”
He slowly shook his head. “It should be impossible for these numbers to be correct. Nothing on this ship can get close to those values. However”—he motioned towards Vostok—“neither can this ship just teleport like that. If you check the time for the jump, I can nearly promise you that it’ll coincide with the spike.”
Aerial raised an eyebrow at him. “You think there’s a connection?”
He nodded. “The thrust modulator has been completely burned out. While the engines can still produce power for the ship’s interior—life support system and shields—we can’t move until we’ve done an replacement. I can’t understand how it happened, but it’s a likely assumption that a spike in the power system hit the thrust modelator. The modulator tried to use all the power, causing the jump and burning itself out in the process.” He knocked his hoof in his desk. “The only problem is that such a course of event is impossible! A power spike of that magnitude wouldn’t have just burned the thrust modulator; it would’ve torn this ship to pieces!”
She closed her eyes and leaned back, rubbing one of her temples with a wingtip. After a few moments, she motioned towards the lists with the other wing, without opening her eyes. “Why wasn’t this brought to my attention as soon as it was detected?”
“With you commanding Helion not to be disturbed, Ah had to make sure that Ah was authorized to contact you first. Moreover, Ah had to put the lists together first and make sure that no other action had to be taken to ensure the crew’s safety. ” He paused for a moment. “Right now, we’re in no immediate danger. Ah’ve terminated all contact between the engines and the non-vital systems in an attempt to not overload the systems, should that’ve been the cause to all this. However, Ah thought it was best to report this occurrence as soon as my authorization allowed me to.”
She nodded and looked up to met his eyes. “How long will it take to repair it?”
“With repair parts? I can get a thrust modulator up and running in fifty minutes. Going through the system in close would take a couple of days. If we’re lucky.” He shook his head. “The main problem is, we don’t have any repair parts. According to the ship’s record, we should have a modulator aboard. However, neither Toroidal nor Helion have been able to locate it yet.”
“So I’m to assume that we’re stranded?” she asked. She waited for him to nod, before she sighed and looked across the table at Theta. “What’s your thought on the situation at hoof, officer?”
Theta, who up until now had kept her eyes on the lists, shook her head and met the captain’s gaze. “That there’s not much we can do while being stranded like this,” she said with grating voice, before she paused lazily scratching one of her ears with a claw. “We should first and foremost take every course of action to keep the crew safe, and I’d say that Actuator have taken most of the actions that can be taken rig—”
“And how’re you planning to keep the crew in place?” Stechschritt interrupted with a slight smile, before he looked at Aerial. “Once the information that we’re stranded reach the stallions, they’ll—”
“Go on exactly as before, Stechschritt,” Aerial snarled darkly. She turned her hard glare to him. “With the life-support systems up and going, the life onboard this ship will not differ in any way from the last month’s travel.”
“Except that we can’t move,” he smugly pointed out. He averted his eyes to the screen. “And how’s Actuator going to fix this small issue?”
Actuator slowly shook his head. Is that kid still trying to challenge the captain? Through the screen, he could see how Aerial slowly rose.
“Sergeant Stechschritt,” she said calmly, glaring down at him. “Unless you keep silent until spoken to, you’ll be dismissed from this meeting room. Do I make myself clear?”
His smile turned resentful. “You’ve no right to dismiss me! Do you know who I’m rel—”
“As Captain of this ship, I’ve every right to do so,” she interrupted him. “While you’re onboard the Aurum, you’ll follow my orders. Do I make myself clear?”
He hesitated for a second, his smile vanishing. “I… I could have you discharged! My au—”
“One more word, sergeant, and I’ll arrange for you to be confined to your quarters.” Her voice had turned cold as ice, and she raised a wingtip to keep him silent. “Your blood might’ve gotten you to your position, Stechschritt, but not even your family would be able to get me discharged after three decades of loyal service to the fleet. I’ve been patient with you, buck, but let me tell you something. Aurum is the kingdom’s flagship, and I’ve been it’s Captain since the day it left Equestrian soil. This is my ship, and while you’re on board you’ll do as I command. If I say jump, you jump! Do I make myself clear?”
Actuator couldn’t help but smile slightly as he watched the lecturing from the other side of the screen. Ah’m surprised she didn’t do that earlier, he thought to himself. He’s been acting all mighty since his parents arranged for him to be enlisted aboard this ship.
The meeting-room was completely silent as Stechschritt just stared up at Aerial Strike with wide eyes, his mouth working but no words coming out. Around the table, the rest of the assembled ponies, and Theta, looked between the captain and the sergeant.
After what felt like minutes, Stechschritt finally closed his mouth. With a gulp, he slowly nodded. “You’re making yourself clear, Ma’am,” he said quietly and looked down into the table.
She nodded and slowly pushed away from the table. “You’ll stay here after the meeting,” she said simply before she turned her attention back to the rest of the assembled crew. Under her gaze, they quickly looked back at her. “Theta, I want you to contact Celestia as soon as this meeting is over. Tell them about our situation and request a tractor-ship and, if possible, repair parts for the engine to be sent here.” She waited for Theta to nod, before she continued. “It’ll take a few days for help to arrive, so let’s do the best of the situation. The crew of Argentum haven’t answered our attempts to open up a communication link between us, and neither has the ship’s computer. I’ll take one of the shuttles over to her to look over the situation.” She raised a wing to silence the protests that both Theta and Vostok voiced. “That’s final. Theta, Doctor Rose; I want you two to accomplish me there. Until our return, Vostok will be acting captain.”
“Captain,” Theta said after a few seconds, breaking the silence that had followed Aerial’s words. She tapped a claw twice in the table. “Is this really a wise decision? Wouldn’t it be better to wait a little longer and then retry to contact them? We don’t know what awaits us in the Argentum.”
Aerial smiled sadly before she shook her head. “I know my brother. He wouldn’t send out a distress signal as a first resort. No, when Argentum send out a distress signal, then there’s a reason behind it. A grave one. That’s why I picked you two.” She paused for a moment, looking Theta over. “You’ve been my first officer since the day I took on the role as Captain of this ship. Not once have you let me down. Instead, you’ve saved my flank multiple times. On this ship, there’s no-one who can challenge you in close-quarter combat. If something has happened on that ship, then I want you by my side.” She averted her eyes to White Rose. “Doctor Rose. I want you by my side as well. The scans showed no disturbances onboard Argentum, and their life-systems and engines are up and running. However, if the crew is sick or in any other way injured and in need of treatment, I want you to be able to give them that directly.”
White Rose glanced towards the screen—towards Actuator—before she nodded silently. Theta, however, tapped her claw in the table again. “You believe that we’ll meet resistance? That something went horribly wrong aboard that ship?”
“Hopefully, they only have problems with the communication.” She sighed. "But I don’t want to risk running into something unprepared.”
“Then why run in there at all? We don’t know what have happened with her crew; we’ve no camera vision and they don’t answer our hails. We should at least take a few more ponies with us.”
“Captain,” Helion chimed in, causing most of the ponies in the room to give a start. Without waiting for the captain to answer, it continued: “I’ve looked through the files I’ve been able to find about Argentum. According to the records from their last syncing with the fleet’s database, they should have a spare thrust modulator onboard. This modulator should be compatible with our own systems.”
Before anyone else could say anything, Actuator spoke up: “Then I’m coming with you.” He raised his cybernetic hoof. “Captain, I was stationed on Argentum for eight years before being relocated to this ship. I know her inside and out. While you and the other’s check on the rest of the crew, I can get down to the maintenance level and request the modulator. Should something have happened to the crew…” He shook his head. “Then I can be a valuable asset in other ways.”
Aerial snapped her eyes to him. For a moment, she met his eyes, before she nodded. She moved her gaze to include the others as well. “Well, then, you have your orders. Vostok, you’ll be acting captain until we return. Theta, Doctor Rose and Actuator, I’ll see you down at the shuttle bay in ten minutes. Dismissed.” As the crew nodded and rose, she averted her eyes to Stechschritt. “Not you, Sergeant. I wish to talk with you.”
White Rose and Theta shared a gaze, the former grimacing slightly, before they hurried to make their leave after Vostok. Actuator leaned back slightly, with a slight nod pressing the key that would terminate his part of the video communication, leaving Stechschritt and Aerial seemingly alone. However, he could still see and hear them over the partly opened channel.
Stechschritt slowly sat down again, glancing towards the door where the rest had disappeared, before he looked at Aerial with a worried frown. “Yes, Captain?” he said. As she didn’t make any moves to speak first, he added: “You wish to speak with me?”
She looked at him for a moment longer, before she sighed and shook her head. “What am I going to do with you, Stechschritt? Your family might’ve given you this position, but do you really think that you can rely upon them for everything?” She knocked a wingtip in the table. “Because you can’t. We both know that. The Blueblood family might be one of the oldest noble families, if not the oldest one, in Equestria, but out here? The name might’ve made it easier for you to get accepted into the academy, and your parents might’ve pulled a few strings to place you here, but do you really think that they would be able to go through with having me discharged just for dismissing a colt?”
He looked down in the table, not saying a word, and she slowly rose from her place and walked to him. Placing a wing on his shoulder, she continued talking: “Is it just a wish to be seen, Stechschritt? A wish to be acknowledged?” She sighed. “Let me tell you something: You didn’t get enlisted to serve on Aurum that easily. Your parents migth’ve pulled some strings, but in the decision laid in my hooves. After reading through your files and supervising a few of your exams personally, I decided to agree and take you under my command.” She removed the wing and took a step back, looking him over. “Don’t make me regret that. Go and get your armor. You’re going to accompany us to Argentum.”
Confused, he looked up at her with wide eyes. “I… You want me to go with you?”
She snorted. “You’re my sergeant, Stechschritt. You might not think that it’s much, coming from that family, but here you’re the fourth-highest ranked pony. Add to that your expertise on weapons and combat, and you’ll realize that you can stand on your own legs.” She shook her head again, turning around towards the door. “Stop comparing yourself with the ponies of your family. None of them have ever enlisted into the fleet. You’re the first one to do so, so set a new standard for them to follow.” She took the first steps towards the door.
“I…” His voice made her stop just before the door, craning her neck to meet his eyes. “What do you think we’ll encounter on Argentum, Captain?”
With a sigh, she turned back towards the door. “Five minutes, Sergeant. Get to it.”
ϑ
“Where are you, Actu—”
Actuator could faintly hear her voice continue behind the static noise that emerged from the elevator’s speakers. “Helion,” he said quickly. “Terminate the communication with this elevator until I’m out of it, and tell the Captain that I’ll be in the shuttle bay in less than two minutes.”
“Affirmative, Chief Engineer,” Helion’s sing-song voice answered as the static noise disappeared.
For a few seconds, the only thing he could hear was the sound of the elevator as it made its way upwards in the ship. However, it didn’t take long before Helion returned. “She’s not happy, Actuator. You should’ve been at the shuttle five minutes ago.”
“Tell her that I had to give Toroidal a few instructions to make sure that the safety of the crew is maintained. And Helion?” He went silent for a moment, his eyes on the small display that showed the elevator ascending upwards in the ship. “If something happens, I want you to assist Toroidal in keeping the crew safe. He’s a good stallion, but I doubt he could handle everything himself.”
“I’ll make sure that every available processing power is put to keep the crew safe, Chief,” the AI answered him. For a few seconds, he was quiet, before he asked: “May I ask something, Chief?”
Actuator took a last look at the display, before he turned his head toward the elevator doors. “Of course, Helion.”
“If you doubt that Toroidal will be able to keep the crew safe, why are you leaving him alone? You could even have sent him to get the modulator in your place.”
With a sigh he looked up in the ceiling. “I served under Captain Collateral and his Chief Engineer Transducer for seven years before I was moved to serve as Chief Engineer aboard Aurum. Neither of the ponies Aerial chose to take with her have any knowledge about that ship.” He shook his head as the elevator door opened, revealing the shuttle bay before him. “If needed, I can guide them through Argentum, get the modulator and get us back again. In the meantime, I trust that you and Toroidal can keep Aurum and her crew safe.”
“Understood, Chief.”
“Thank you, Helion.” Without waiting for an answer, Actuator stepped out of the elevator.
With hurried steps he walked down the pathway that ran past the shuttles, which stood parked in neat rows, and the ponies who always seemed to be present down here. A few of them looked up and greeted him as he hurried past, but most of them simply continued on with what they were doing and completely ignored him.
The pathway soon took him to the main landing-strip. It was located in the middle of the shuttle bay, with multiple pathways like the one he walked on connecting to it, and it was wide enough for up to three shuttles flying in breadth to fit there.
A shuttle, one of the smaller models, stood parked about halfway down the strip. Standing at the base of the ramp leading into it stood Aerial Strike and Stechschritt. The later had adorned his crimson-red armor, while the former stood and stared in his direction, her hoof impatiently tapping in the floor. As soon as he saw it, he turned his step towards it.
“Finally. We were about to leave without you,” Aerial said before he had even managed to reach them. “The rest are waiting inside, so hurry up and take your place.” She turned her eyes towards Stechschritt, and he quickly straightened his back under her gaze. “You can fly one of these?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded as Actuator started walking up the ramp. “Foal’s play.”
“Then take the steering and let’s go.” She turned around after Actuator. “We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”