//------------------------------// // Omega Part I // Story: Starring Trixie // by metroid_freak //------------------------------// There’s nothing quite like the fresh sensation of salty sea air as it permeates and rejuvenates the body. From my perch high up on the ship’s towering mizzenmast, I felt the wind wrap itself around me in cool yet comforting embrace. There was nothing to distract me from reveling in the feeling of undeniable freedom the openness bestowed upon me and the others as we traversed the great blue expanse. I took another deep, appreciative breath and… “COLE!” a familiar, somewhat disgruntled voice called from somewhere below. Startled, I peered down from the crow’s nest and surveyed the brigantine’s main deck, searching for the source of the rather abrupt shout. “Cole! Where are you?” For a moment, I considered ignoring the call and using the spirited sailing ditty being sung by the crew as justification for plausible deniability. Then again, the idea of dealing with an angry magic-wielder didn’t really appeal to me either. Indeed, Hell hath no fury like a disgruntled Trixie. My mind made up, I sighed and grabbed a nearby rope, gripped it firmly, and leapt out of the crow’s nest and into the air. “Waaaaahooooooo!” I cried as I fell for a split second before swinging around the mast, keeping a firm grip on the rope as I flew over the bewildered faces of the crew. With a cocky grin, I waited until I was swinging towards the rear sails and let go of the rope. “Yeeeeeaaaah!” I yelled triumphantly as the sudden release propelled me into the billowing white sheets. Gripping the cloth as tightly as I could with both arms, I slid down the sail expertly, intending to land right beside my compatriot at the helm. “Aaaaaugh!” I shouted as my foot caught a small hole and tipped me over, thus compelling me to land unceremoniously flat on my back exactly where I wanted but decidedly without any semblance of dignity or pride. “Damn, that hurt…” I muttered, wincing as I slowly sat up and rubbed my back. I got back to my feet and glanced down at Trixie, who looked at me with an unimpressed expression that somehow complimented her black and scarlet pirate captain’s outfit. “I mean…arr, that be murder on me keester!” She rolled her eyes. “For somepony who wanted to play pirate so badly, Trixie thought you’d be better at staying in character!” “Arr, what was that, matey?” I growled with a grin, leaning towards her whilst cupping my ear. “I could nary hear what ye were sayin’!” Trixie sighed. “Ahem! Ye best listen t’ yer cap’n or Trixie’ll have ye strung up by yer ankles…" She sighed as I waggled my eyebrows. "...arr!” “Right ye arr, cap’n!” I replied, replacing my lost hat. “What say we weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen?” “What the hay does that mean?” the showmare asked. I looked at her expectantly and waggled my eyebrows. Trixie sighed and once again, rolled her eyes. “Arr.” she added unenthusiastically. “Arr, I haven’t the foggiest, cap’n!” I exclaimed with a comically stoic expression. “I be just a simple rapscallion, ma’am! A salty dog who lives to sail the seven seas, arr. Now let’s raise the Jolly Roger an’ find us some booty, arr!” “Some what?” “Treasure, matey! Plunder, gold, silver, maybe a pair o’ the admiral’s knickers!” There was a pause. “Can we do something else now?” “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to be the captain!” “It’s the role that best suits the Great and Powerful Trixie!” “Cap’n!” one of the crew called from just below us on the main deck, halting the argument. “There be a ship comin’ over the horizon! She flies the flag o’ the East India Trading Company, sir!” I grinned and rubbed my hands together. “Batten down the hatches! Bring ‘er round an’ prepare to fire all broadsiders, ye scurvy bilge rats! Shift yerselves, lads, or it’s you we’ll shove into the cannons!” I cried over the edge of the upper deck, waving my cutlass as I called out my instructions. “Hey! Trixie thought she was the captain!” I knelt down and put my arm around her. “Arr, if ye be wantin’ t’ wear the hat o’ the cap’n, ye best be showin’ me an’ the crew that ye be worthy o’ it!” “Fine! You want a pirate captain? Then Trixie shall give you a pirate captain!” She cleared her throat, walked over to the staircase, proceeded down it, and continued onto the main deck. “Well? What arr ye waitin’ fer? Hoist the sales! Load the cannons! Come on, you lot, bring a spring upon her cable!” There was a chorus of ‘Yes sirs!” as she strutted proudly and determinately across the deck, pointing her hooves and barking orders. “Look sharp, ye theivin’ scallywags! No prey, no pay! Shiver me timbers, arr!” She looked back at me, to which I replied with a spirited thumbs-up. “Quartermaster! They be turnin’ with th’ wind!” a man wielding a spyglass reported from my left side. “Good! If it’s a fight they be wantin’, it’s a fight we’ll give ‘em!” I leaned over the rail and waved wildly at Trixie, who soon returned to the upper deck. “What be the situation, Mr. Stevens?” she asked, adding a slight growl for good measure. “The company ship be closin’ in, cap’n!” I replied as Trixie turned to another pirate. “Mr. Gibbs! Be the cannons loaded an’ the men thirsty fer blood?” He grinned and nodded. “Aye, cap’n. After two weeks o’ nothin’ save fer that Navy galleon we sent to Davy Jones, the men be ready fer anythin’!” “Excellent!” Trixie exclaimed happily “Load photon torpedoes and prepare to fire all phasers on my mark!” A cold wind graced the ship as everyone on board looked at her in confusion. I face-palmed as she took a look around before blushing and scooting back a few steps. “Er…Trixie meant ‘prepare t’ fire all guns on her…my command’! Send ‘em to the briny deep, ye scallywags!” There was a raucous cheer as every man prepared themselves and the ship for battle. “Nice save, Freud.” I muttered. “Thanks.” “If I didn’t know any better,” I continued as we paced about the deck, supervising the crew. “I’d say you’ve been learning from me.” “Do you really think so?” she asked genuinely, surprising me. “Well, look at it this way,” I offered. “If we ever get in a situation that rendered me unable to operate the ship, where would that leave you? Personally, I’d rather not take that risk. I know I’d feel better if you could handle yourself in the case of an emergency.” “Um…Cole?” she said, jingling the Alicorn Amulet in front of me. “Sure, there’s that but you still never know, right?” I replied with a shrug. “Ah well. There’ll be lots of time to discuss that later. For now, I believe we have a more pressing issue to deal with.” I cleared my throat and struck a pose, holding my arms behind my back as if deep in thought. “Arr, the ship o’ booty approaches, cap’n, an’ they’ve raised their flags! Those damned fools!” I declared, making a fist. “What be yer orders, ma’am?” “After we bring the masts down with cannon fire,” Trixie…I mean, Captain Trixie, instructed. “We board ‘em an’ take what’s rightfully ours!” To this, she received a roaring reply be the crew, eager for plunder. “How was that?” she asked quietly. “You’re getting the hang of it.” I assured her with a smile. “Ready?” She nodded. “Ready.” “Excellent! Mr. Jenkins!” I called, startling the man into hiding his flask. “Are they within range o’ the heavy guns?” “Yes sir!” “Good!” I turned to Trixie. “Care to do the honors, cap’n?” “Of course! All hands, fire on my mark! Three! Two! One…” The ship suddenly lurched from side to side, catching us off-guard and sending many of the crew to the deck. Hanging on to the railing for support, I made my way to the side and peered over the edge. Large ripples contorted the surface and for a moment, I thought I saw a large shape pass beneath us. “Come about!” I shouted as my hunch swiftly turned into paranoia. Trixie gave me a quizzical expression. “What is it?” she half-demanded, surprised by my sudden outburst. “What did you see?” “I’m not sure,” I replied, kneeling down and beckoning her to do the same lest we be overheard. “Some massive…thing just cruised right under the hull. I didn’t get a very good look at it but I think we should get the Hell out of here.” There was a brief pause as Trixie looked at me rather strangely. “Here, I got this,” I added as I stood up. “Helmsman, turn us around! Get us out of here!” “Belay that!” Startled, I turned to find Trixie with her front hooves perched on the railing overlooking the main deck. She turned to me and grinned. “Arr, what be the matter, ye lily-livered Jack Tar? ‘Fraid o’ a little fish?” Her grin dared me to offer a rebuke. “N-no, cap’n! Ne’er!” I assured her whilst trying to assure myself. “Very well! Resume our course to the company vessel so we may…” She didn’t get to finish. Six gigantic murky-green tentacles erupting from the water around the ship saw to that. We stared in horror as the limbs began their terrible assault on the ship and crew, dragging them screaming into the deep, never to be seen or heard from again. The ship groaned and cracked as the monster tore at it, effortlessly cracking the masts, shattering the decks with repeated strikes, and punching through the hull in search of sailors to eat. All the while, Trixie stood in silence with a growing gleam in her eye. “Forward!” she suddenly shouted, much to the chagrin and terror of the crew. “Aye, ye heard yer cap’n! We strike while the beast is occupied!” “Are you crazy?” I hissed as the crew voiced their displeasure…loudly. “Can you think of a better idea?” Trixie asked. “Personally, I’d rather fight it while it’s busy than run and let it hunt us down!” I had to admit that, as crazy as it sounded, she had a point. “Alright, you heard the cap’n!” I shouted over the deck. “Get those cannons loaded an’ arm yerselves, fer today we face the Devil ‘imself!” Galvanized into action, the crew replied with admirable efficiency as they prepped the guns and passed around guns, swords, pointy sticks, anything they could get their hands on. “Ready?” I asked, flashing the pair of custom pistols slung just inside my coat. Trixie nodded and smiled, levitating a miniature cannon, stylized with her colors and cutie mark in front of me. I grinned and shook my head. “Show-off.” With that, we charged as fast as the wind could propel us, straight towards the skyscraper-sized beast lurking ‘neath the waves. So focused were we on our target that none of us noticed the darkening sky above us, so focused on our target were we that only Trixie noticed something else emerge from the deep. It practically exploded about 100 feet off our starboard bow, tearing up the sea as it leapt out before landing with a mighty crash, showering us with seawater. Trixie grabbed the spyglass and turned to the source of the disturbance. Her eyes widened as she beheld the terrifying sight of a man o’ war, ethereal, macabre, titanic in its proportions…and heading straight for us. “Cole! We’ve got another problem!” she shouted. I whipped around and my eyes widened as well as I took in the scene. Bearing down on us, the colossal ship of legend brimmed with massive cannons and a demonic crew, laughing and shrieking into the blackened sky and howling their unholy praises at the full lunar eclipse overhead. “Glory be!” I admonished. “It’s the Flying Dutchman!” Below us, the crew partook in a combination of screaming, demanding answers, and praying for their immortal souls. “What is the ‘Flying Dutchman’!?” Trixie demanded. “Arr, she be the greatest ship o’ legend that ever sailed! Aye, they say she be crewed by demons and captained by the foulest beast o’ the underworld, arr!” Try as I might to sound dire and serious, I couldn’t help but grin at some yet-unseen opportunity. “Why are you grinning? I mean, sure, a sea monster’s all well and good but a demon ship?” she demanded once more. “They say that whomever controls the Dutchman forever controls the sea itself!” I exclaimed. “Mighty appealin’…don’t ya think?” I added, giving her a gentle nudge. The showmare regarded me with a doubtful expression. “You can’t be serious.” “Aye, what say we take ‘er as our own an’ rule the seas together ‘till the end o’ time?” I asked with a cocky smile. Trixie lifted a hoof to her chin in thought. “Will Trixie still be the captain?” “Sure.” I replied with a shrug. “Arr, listen up, ye scurvy Jack Tars!” Trixie yelled over the chaos of the main deck. “After we dispose o’ that overgrown sea rat, I’d say it be time fer a change o’ scenery! What say you?” Trixie sighed as the panic continued, her brave words completely unnoticed. She looked at me expectedly; I nodded and cleared my throat. “Computer, modify the personality subroutines of our crew.” The computer replied with an acknowledgement chime. “Change them from ‘foolhardy’ to ‘recklessly courageous to the point of self-annihilation’.” “Modifications complete.” “Good!” In an almost comical fashion, the once-panicked crew had turned into the most ambitious and fanatically brave group of brigands ever to set foot on a ship. They cheered and brandished their weapons as the three of us, the Kraken, the Dutchman, and ourselves, surged towards each other. I grinned as, to starboard, the Dutchman took aim with the veritable wall of cannons that covered its broadside. I watched in awe as, to port, the Kraken reared its head out of the water, its teeth-lined funnel-like maw staring us down like a vacuous eye before letting out a deafening… “Alert; 10 minutes until arrival at destination.” I sighed and face-palmed. “Computer, freeze program.” With that, both the mighty Kraken and the demon ship froze, each mere moments away from unleashing devastating attacks. “Awe man, just when it was getting good!” I complained as we exited the holodeck. “Sorry about that,” I added apologetically. “Next time we get a chance, we can just pick off right where we paused.” “S-sounds great…” Trixie muttered. “You okay?” I asked. “That wasn’t too much for you, was it?” “Of course not!” she insisted. “Hey, if you’d rather play something else, I could always grab another program,” I offered as we entered the turbolift. “Bridge.” I directed to the computer. “Trixie was not scared!” “Who said anything about being scared?” I asked with a knowing smile. “Shut up.” she replied, pouting. “For the record, you make an awesome pirate captain,” I assured her, giving her right ear a scratch and earning a small hum of satisfaction. “Y-you really think so?” she asked, a small blush appearing on her azure cheeks. “Yeah! You really caught on fast! You had the lingo, the mannerisms, everything!” Okay, maybe I exaggerated just a little bit but you know what they say; a mare’s ego is a fragile thing and I was determined to keep things going well between us. “Thanks,” she replied a little more confidently. “You’re not a bad cabin boy, either.” “I think you mean ’first mate’,” I corrected. Trixie simply smiled and swatted my face with her tail as I followed her out of the turbolift. “Nope.” I rolled my eyes and accompanied her onto the bridge. “Computer, status.” I exclaimed, taking a seat in my chair. “Destination will be in visual range in 20 seconds.” “Cole…what exactly are we doing here?” Trixie asked. “Beats me,” I replied. “All the message said was that Starfleet was rerouting any spare ships to some place called the ‘Dyson Sphere Gateway’.” “Haven’t you ever been there?” Trixie asked, apparently surprised to hear that there was somewhere in the universe I hadn’t already been. “Can’t say I have,” I admitted. “I’ve heard of it, though. Starfleet’s kept the details more or less hush-hush so I think it’s safe to say that whatever’s going on must be pretty important.” “What do you think is going on?” “Again, no idea. If I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the…Iconians?” I offered with a shrug. “There’s that name again,” Trixie muttered. “Trixie’s starting to think that everything has something to do with them.” “Well, you’ve seen what they can do, right?” I reminded her, thinking back to that dreadful tour through one of their installations. “You’ve seen how advanced they are, even compared to us. In fact, I wouldn’t be too surprised if the massive extinction-level defeat they suffered was only a minor setback.” “Let’s not talk about them anymore,” Trixie requested, trying to disguise the shiver that ran from snout to tail. “Trixie is...not exactly fond of them.” “Fair enough,” said I. “Looks like we’re where we need to be. Ready for this?” Trixie nodded. “Good! Computer, take us out of warp.” We gasped at what we saw. We had emerged just beyond a large cluster of ships of every size and configuration. Klingons, Romulans, Federation…all the major players were gathered, their respective fleets mingling, gathering, sorting themselves into large formations. I had never seen anything like it before and as Trixie gawked at the sight, it was safe to say that neither had she. I mean, we’d seen fleets before but never like this. The numbers themselves were mind-boggling; how anyone could navigate without causing a major accident was nothing short of a miracle, to say nothing of the variety. And there it was, smack in the middle of the assembling mega-fleet; the enormous white and blue ring-shaped gate, beckoning to us, daring us to enter. Practically giddy with excitement, I grinned and rubbed my hands together like a fanboy on Ritalin. I looked over at Trixie. Her reaction was difficult to read; her expression, while awed, didn’t seem to convey excitement or even fear. Rather, she seemed dumbstruck by the scale of the construct and was still trying to fathom the implications. Clearly, Equestria didn’t contain too many artifacts of such ‘galactic’ proportions. “H-how can something that big even exist?” she murmured, having finally rediscovered her ability to speak. “That’s what she said,” I replied with a wry grin. The showmare rewarded my shallow wit with a brief but venomous glare. “Sorry. To answer your question, if you thought that was big, you haven’t seen anything yet.” “What!?” Trixie asked incredulously. “Don’t you remember what I told you about Dyson Spheres?” “Yes but Trixie didn’t think you were serious!” “Well, as you can see, I was very serious. The galaxy is a big place filled with big stuff, to put it simply. When you imagine that our galaxy is one of millions in the universe, doesn’t it stand to reason that objects like Dyson Spheres can exist?” There was a pause as the blue mare mulled it over before nodding thoughtfully. “Trixie sees your point. That must’ve been what your people thought of magic at first.” “Exactly,” I replied, glad that she’d found something relatable. “Magic was thought to be impossible before we stumbled upon your world, although our technology probably seemed like magic to you as…” I stopped suddenly, remembering Trixie’s position on the issue. Wisely, I decided to abandon that particular tangent. “Sorry; got caught up in the conversation.” “It’s okay.” There was a brief pause. “Huh?” I asked in surprise. “Trixie said…” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled. “It’s okay. She’s not mad about that anymore.” “Really?” “Yes, really. Why do you think Trixie uses the holodeck and replicators so much even without you being there?” Of course; it was so obvious. I face-palmed; clearly, my observation skills were less than stellar. Granted, she was also a girl, which only served to compound my ignorance. “Besides…” she added, nervously rubbing her front hooves together. “That’s what brought us together.” she finished quietly. “That’s true, isn’t it?” I agreed, getting up to give Trixie’s mane an affectionate ruffling, to which she grinned and murmured happily. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I whispered, giving her a quick peck on her forehead at the base of her horn. “Receiving incoming hail.” the computer stated, breaking the awed yet subdued mood of the bridge. “On screen.” I ordered as I returned to my seat just in time for a familiar face to appear. “Captain Remy!” I exclaimed in genuine surprise whilst quickly standing up as a show of respect. “What are you doing here?” “Nice to see you too, Mr. Stevens. I can’t explain much right now but long story short, I’m the most qualified man in Starfleet to lead this mission and right now, I need you to form up with the rest of Joint Group Gamma. I’ll send you the coordinates. Remy out.” With that, he was gone, his visage replaced by a flight plan. “Computer, follow the flight plan we just received.” “Acknowledged.” I turned to Trixie. “I don’t know about you but I feel just a little better now about the whole thing.” “You really trust him, don’t you?” she asked curiously. “Why wouldn’t I?” I replied. “He’s more decorated than an art museum. We’re lucky to have him for this mission.” “I hope you’re right,” Trixie replied as we cruised towards the designated meeting point. It was during said cruise that I made a point of identifying and describing the myriad ships we saw along the way. To my surprise (and delight, I’ll admit), Trixie seemed quite interested in what I had to say, even sending a few questions my way. “…and that one over there?” she asked, pointing out the viewscreen. “Oh, that’s a…holy crap!” I exclaimed. “That’s a…that’s a Jem’Hadar Dreadnought carrier! Whatever’s going on must be something else if the Dominion wants in on the action.” Remembering what little history I’d taught her, Trixie’s eyes widened at the mention of our fearsome former foe. “Don’t worry; we’re no longer at war with the Dominion. The Delta Quadrant must be quite the place right now for them to come see us.” We watched as it banked and headed in the opposite direction, flanked by a small swarm of Jem’Hadar attack ships. “I see…” Trixie mused before pointing at another large ship. “Ah, that there’s a Romulan D’deridex battle cruiser,” I explained as the massive green warship passed us by. “Mainstay of the Romulan Republic fleet…besides the Scimitars, I guess.” “And that one?” “Um…I think that’s the I.K.S. Bortasqu’. Awe man, the Klingons, too? It’s like a giant intergalactic kegger up here. Oh, a ‘kegger’ is basically a huge party that serves beer from a barrel,” I explained as Trixie regarded me quizzically. “Oh, well then perhaps we should’ve brought Pinkie Pie.” she replied with a wry grin. “Ain’t that the truth,” I agreed. “Not only would she probably make this a lot more entertaining but we can always use another ‘screw physics’ machine.” An alert from the computer redirected my attention to the viewscreen. “Looks like we’ve reached the meeting point for Joint Group Gamma,” I mused as we slowed to a stop next to an Excelsior-class cruiser. “Interesting…” I mused, stroking the non-existent goatee on my chin. “What’s interesting?” Trixie asked. “It looks like they’ve grouped us according to ship type. Ah, now I see how they’re doing this. You see, they’ve got the fighting ships over there to our left and what look like science and research ships to our right. Then there’s us, the auxiliary/support group that explains why we’re surrounded by cruisers and other engineering ships.” “Wait…” Trixie interjected. “We’re on a science ship, right?” I nodded. “Then why are we with the engineers?” “That’s a good question,” I replied, pausing briefly to consider it. “Probably ‘cause I’m not a trained scientist nor do I have any trained scientific crew on board. If I had to guess, I’d say that we are here in Group Gamma because I have a quick, nimble ship with room to spare. A little small maybe but still useful as a light transport.” Or cannon fodder. “So they pulled us from doing delivery missions out here so we could go to this ‘Dyson Sphere’ and do delivery missions in there?” Trixie surmised. “That seems to be the long and short of it.” “Not the most exciting turn of events, don’t you think?” “What I think, my good mare, is that we’ve had more than our fair share of ‘excitement’ lately so if they wanna stick us behind a wall of warships to deliver cappuccinos to Starfleet brass, that’s just fine with me.” “Don’t they have replicators for that?” “Hey. Stop ruining my dream.” The awful truth of the matter was that, simply put, I was tired of fighting. Participating in a mission, long or short, was just fine and dandy if for once, someone else more skilled, more qualified, and better equipped could takeover. While the Aegis was a fantastic piece of defensive technology, it simply could not hold a candle to what the shiny new Federation escorts or Klingon Birds-of-Prey brought to the table, Trixie’s ability to literally pull a fleet out of a hat notwithstanding. I had seen what could happen if she overtaxed herself with the Amulet and was in no hurry to see that happen again. If that meant taking a break from combat, then so be it. A notification courtesy of the computer shook me from my thoughts. “Looks like it’s our turn,” I said, taking a deep breath for good luck. “Trixie, would you care to do the honors?” “M-me?” she asked, eyes widening in curiosity. “Well, unless there’s another Trixie using a cloaking device, who else could I mean?” “B-but…why me?” I shrugged. “Why not? This is easily one of the most fascinating moments we’ve ever experienced. And I’d like you to kick it off.” “O-okay,” she murmured before clearing her throat. “A-hem! Computer…take us through the gate.” She looked at me for approval and I replied with a smile and a nod. “Acknowledged.” *** I have to admit that I never realized just how fast transwarp was until the gate spat us out and we found ourselves…somewhere. Man, and I thought we’d seen things before. They paled in comparison to the sheer size of the sphere. Even without scanning it, I could tell that this construct was on a whole other level of big. It was almost unfathomable, easily the largest biosphere ever encountered. I could just barely make out the star in the center of the sphere, the power source for the whole thing, the once-tameable phenomenon that had been tamed and managed to keep the sphere active for…no one really knew how long but estimates were in the ballpark of 200,000 years. Nothing makes you feel small and utterly insignificant like huge structures and numbers to match. Massive ivory-white towers and spires dotted the landscape, piercing the cloudy heavens and casting great shadows over the sprawling cities beneath them, separated by oceans and continents that numbered in the millions, stretching as far as the eye (and most short-range sensors) could see. “Computer, panoramic mode,” I mumbled as I slowly rose from my chair. The computer replied with a series of short beeps and extra viewing screens slid down from the ceiling, covering ever panel and bulkhead from floor to ceiling, curving around the bridge all the way up to the door to the ready room. “Route visual data feed from sensors to the bridge.” I added. Immediately, we were surrounded by visions of the sphere. Trixie rose to her feet as well and we spent the next few moments marveling at the surreal sights all around us. Starships flew past us by the dozen, all heading for a massive arch-like structure with a city atop it about a hundred kilometers off our starboard side. “Cole…” the showmare murmured as she slowly gazed around at the large screens. “Is this…?” “Uh-huh…” I almost whispered. “Well, Miss Trixie, allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Solanae Dyson Sphere.” “It’s incredible, Cole,” Trixie replied in awe. “How is this even…?” “That’s what we’re here to find out,” I explained. “We need to figure out who built this thing and why.” “Trixie is as curious as you are,” she admitted, doing one last walk around the bridge before returning to my side. “Who would build something like this anyway?” “I’m sure we’ll find out someday,” I assured her, taking a seat. “It might not be soon but I hope it’s at least before we die.” “Why do you say that?” “Our scanning and science technology is only so advanced. Studying something this size is gonna take time and resources we never thought we’d ever commit to a single project. It’ll be slow going at first; it’s gonna be a learning experience for everyone but when the research gets going, we’ll grab enough information in a day to keep Federation scientists busy for years.” “Or Twilight Sparkle for ten minutes,” Trixie added with a grin. I chuckled and absentmindedly scratched one of her ears. “Receiving incoming transmission.” the computer announced. “On screen. Oh, but disable panoramic mode first.” No sooner had the last screen disappeared, more directions filled the viewscreen, which I quickly read. “Computer, proceed to ‘Dyson Joint Command’, one-quarter impulse.” “Acknowledged.” I felt the Ranger turn towards the gigantic structure and looked down at Trixie. “Something up?” I asked. She looked up at me. “Why do you ask?” “You just looked…I dunno, deep in thought or something.” “Oh! No, not really. I mean, it is a lot to think about but I’m not worried or anything.” “Glad to hear it. Can I…tell you something?” I asked quietly, despite the fact that besides us, the bridge was empty. Trixie looked up at me with a gentle smile. “Of course.” I took a deep breath. “Before we came here…” I paused, trying to push past my pride. “I was…well, I was really nervous…and maybe just a little afraid. I wasn’t sure what to expect and…I don’t want to place us in any danger if I can help it.” To my relief, the showmare didn’t take advantage of the opening to tease or otherwise belittle me. We may have been getting along a lot better but that didn’t mean we didn’t still take the occasional jab at each other. Instead, she hopped up cat-like onto my lap and embraced me. “Hey, it’s okay. You’ve got the Great and Powerful Trixie looking out for you.” she whispered. “Yes and there’s no one…nopony I’d rather have here with me right now.” I felt her forelegs tighten around me as she rested her chin on my left shoulder. “You’re pretty sweet…for a crybaby,” she teased, giving my earlobe a quick lick before pulling back and looking at me with a sly grin. “I hate you sometimes, you know that?” I stated flatly. “Yep!” she replied enthusiastically, kissing my nose before hopping off and returning to her spot beside my chair. A small blush added a dash of color to my cheeks. We reached our mid-air ‘parking space’ shortly after, taking our place next to a Romulan Scimitar. Compared to what we’d seen of the sphere, the dreadnought didn’t seem quite as intimidating as before but it still left me wondering how many Novas we could cram between its wings. After ensuring that the Ranger wouldn’t go gallivanting off on its own the second we beamed off, we did just that, transporting to the coordinates we received with the flight plan. *** Upon rematerializing, we found ourselves in a vast, open room that appeared to be some kind of central hub. Besides the room itself, the first thing I noticed was the lack of a sizeable crowd, which was understandably surprising given the sheer number of ships that had just arrived. Had we received different coordinates than the others and if so, why? It was the only explanation I could think of at the time and by the look on Trixie’s face, she was more than likely thinking the exact same thing. “Cole, where is everypony…I mean, everybody?” she asked, sharing in my survey of the room. “Trixie was expecting…more.” “That makes two of us,” I agreed. “Maybe we’re just the first ones to beam over but seeing as we were one of the last ships to arrive, that doesn’t seem likely.” “Perhaps I can offer an explanation,” a familiar voice declared behind them. We turned to find none other than Captain Remy. “Good to see you again, sir,” I greeted, shaking his hand. “We didn’t get to talk much at the gate.” “Well, I’m sure we’ll make up for that in the near future,” he agreed before kneeling down to give Trixie’s hoof a gentle shake as well. “Hello again, Miss Trixie. How have you been?” “Trixie has been excellent, sir.” she said with just a hint of pride before looking up at Cole with a smile. “Glad to hear it. Shall we?” Remy asked, gesturing to the small nearby cantina. “I imagine you have a few questions,” the captain continued as we sat down at one of the more out-of-the-way tables. “I imagine you’ll have a few answers,” I replied. “Indeed.” “Well, for starters…what are we doing here?” I asked. “Your earlier communique wasn’t exactly forthcoming.” “The simple truth of the matter is that you’re here because we need you to be here,” Remy explained. “In fact,” he added, leaning towards me. “We need all the help we can get.” “It’s that bad, huh?” I guessed. “I’ll put it this way; if the Voth weren’t Hell-bent and determined to turn this thing into their own personal science experiment, the current situation would be much different and we might have made some substantial progress in our research.” “Voth, sir?” “You know about them?” I nodded. “Yes sir. I grabbed Admiral Janeway’s holobook account of Voyager’s journey right after it was published.” “Then you know what we’re up against.” Once again, I nodded. “Excuse me,” Trixie perked up, raising her right hoof. “But who are the ‘Voth’?” We watched as Captain Remy produced a datapad from his hip pocket and set in on the table in front of us. He tapped a couple of buttons of the screen and twin green beams emerged from the device, quickly tracing an image. After a couple of seconds, a holographic creature stood before us. I had seen them before, though not in person. Nevertheless, Admiral Janeway had been very precise when describing the bipedal dinosaurs. It was humanoid but that was where any similarities between us and them ended. Its reptilian scales were tinted orange and the back of its head curved downwards in a gentle half-arch. Her description of them as a ‘humanoid Hadrosaur’ had been spot-on; I only hoped that her description of their technology was little more than exaggeration, although I was well-aware of how futile such a hope was. The rapid build-up of allied forces in the Sphere, ironically, did little to assuage my fears. In all likelihood, it compounded them. “The Voth are an extremely advanced race of reptilian humanoids who reside here in the Delta Quadrant,” Remy explained. “We’re still looking into what they’re true motivation for being here is but for now at least, it looks like they’re here to stay.” “What do they want with the sphere?” I asked. “I mean, sure, it’s in their territory but there’s gotta be more to it than that for them to dedicate their resources like this. It’s not like the sphere is some kind of weapon…” I looked at the captain with an air of suspicion. “…is it?” “It depends on what your definition of the word ‘weapon’ is,” Remy replied, making Trixie and I sit up straighter before leaning forward, not wanting to miss a thing. “What I’m about to show you is classified beyond top-secret but in order to perform your duties in the sphere to the best of your abilities, you ought to know the details. Understand that what I’m about to tell you does not leave this table. Understood?” “Yes sir.” Trixie and I promised in unison. “Good.” With that, the captain pressed another button and the Voth disappeared, replaced with a bright-blue sphere made up of many smaller connected spheres that resembled a glowing 3-dimensional snowflake with a brilliant white-blue core at its center. “Wow…” Trixie marveled as she scooted as closely as she could without distorting the hologram. “Your friend has good taste,” Remy said as we stared in wonder at it. “That’s what we call an Omega molecule.” “Omega molecule?” I asked. Now there was something I’d never heard of before; despite that, I could tell by how cautiously the captain was acting that it was more than just a pretty blue ball of light. “The Omega molecule is a highly unstable molecule believed to be the most powerful substance known to exist.” Remy explained in a hushed tone, shutting the hologram down. I looked over at Trixie, whose eyes had widened at the news. “Most powerful…in existence?” she asked in a hushed, almost reverent tone. “That’s right.” Remy confirmed. “Well then, why don’t we use them?” Trixie asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe. “With something like Omega…couldn’t you do anything? Beat anyone?” “It’s not about beating anyone or doing anything we want,” Remy replied. “Omega destroys subspace; a chain reaction involving a handful of molecules could devastate subspace throughout an entire quadrant. If that were to happen, warp travel would become impossible. Spacefaring civilization as we know it would cease to exist.” “So…” Trixie began after a pause. “We should probably leave them alone, huh?” “I wish it were that simple,” Remy answered. “This sphere is essentially an Omega factory.” I stared wide-eyed at the captain. “You mean…this sphere makes Omega molecules?” Remy nodded. “That’s right.” Remy confirmed. “That’s why the Voth are here. They’ve been stealing Omega molecules ever since they got here. Commander Arnold and his ground team have been holding them off as best they can at the main Omega production facility but they can’t do it forever.” “And that’s where we’re here, right?” Trixie asked. “No, that’s why Joint Group Alpha is here,” Remy corrected. “It’s their job to provide the firepower. Your job, and mine, is to support them and the science teams of Joint Group Beta.” I’m not proud to admit that when I heard we weren’t likely to be in battle, I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Does that make me a coward, I wondered. “How are we supposed to do that?” I continued. “Starfleet didn’t exactly send me a job description. Actually, on that note, what are we doing here anyway? The Ranger ain’t exactly a battleship.” “Well, the short version is that right now, the Voth have more ships than we do. We’re bringin them in as fast as we can but suffice it to say that we need all the help we can get. You can help us by being a light freighter or, if we really need it, an escort. Might as well put that Aegis to good use, right?” He had me there. How could I justify owning one of the most advanced pieces of tactical gear available and not give back to the very organization that had given it to me in the first place? I was starting to feel guilty about wanting to avoid fighting so much. “Uh yes, yes sir,” I half-mumbled. “Have you been here before?” Trixie asked. “This is my second mission in the sphere,” Remy answered. “Last time I was here, the Voth had just arrived and we were in the middle of diplomatic negotiations when the spire we were all in was attacked. Turned out that the whole thing was just a ruse to try and take out as many Starfleet brass as they could at a time. Took out a few of their own as well.” “Shit,” I muttered as my hands clenched into fists. “I know it’s awful but right now, we just have to hold our breath and do the best we can,” Remy continued. “If we don’t, the Voth will eventually collect enough Omega molecules to destabilize the other quadrants and we’ll all be finished. No more warp travel and everything just…stops. We rely on each other too much; no one’s fully self-sustaining anymore. That is why you and I are here.” We continued our conversation for a while after that, although it wasn’t long before fatigue finally set in and we indulged in a collective yawn. We made our way back to the transporter pad and were about to step onto our respective pads when… “Trixie would like to help.” a small voice said. Remy and I turned to face the source, finding Trixie looking up at us with a strange expression of nervous determination. “I’m sorry; what was that?” Remy asked. “Trixie said…I said…I’d like to help.” She cleared her throat. “I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, hereby volunteers for anything she can do to help...sir!” My eyes widened as she finished her bold declaration with a salute. Captain Remy smiled and slowly but respectfully nodded his head. “I appreciate the offer, Miss, but it’s not up to me.” He looked at me and continued. “Mr. Stevens, on the other hand, as a member of Starfleet, can make a recommendation on your behalf, should you wish to transfer to someone else’s command.” I knelt down before her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Trixie…is this really want you want to do?” I asked, still in disbelief. The issue wasn’t with her being on another ship; that was her decision to make. Hell, it wasn’t even about the Alicorn Amulet going with her. It was about giving her the freedom that I had promised her all those months ago. After all, she was a grown mare and had every right to make a decision like that for herself. It was being on a ship that I trusted…which really left only one choice. I felt a hoof on my shoulder and looked over to Trixie, who wore a small smile. “I want to do this, Cole,” she said, quietly but assuredly. “Trixie used to hate the idea but the Federation has been there for us…and that includes Trixie as well. Helping here where they need us…it just feels right.” I took a deep breath and took her hoof in my hands. “Well…if you want to…then I’ll recommend you.” I turned back to the captain. “Sir! I hereby request that you temporarily transfer Trixie’s to the U.S.S. Repulse until the conclusion of our mission!” “Request accepted,” Remy replied warmly. “Welcome to the Repulse, Miss Trixie.” He looked back towards me. “Don’t worry, Mr. Stevens. She’s in good hands.” “I know, sir.” I replied quietly. “Are you…are you really okay with this?” Trixie asked. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?” I offered with a shrug. “The captain approved the transfer.” The showmare looked down at the floor as if regretful of her decision. “Listen,” I said, gently lifting her muzzle so she could face me. “You’re gonna be fine. Captain Remy’s one of the best there is and nothing short of a fleet can touch the Repulse. Besides, I’m sure we’ll be able to talk most days if not every day.” I chanced a glance at Remy, who nodded, making me feel quite a bit better out the situation. “I’m so proud of you,” I whispered, hugging her close. “That took a lot of guts. You’re gonna do great.” I hugged her a little more tightly and whispered “I’m gonna miss you”. “Me or the Amulet?” she teased before giving me a quick peck on the cheek. As much as I wanted to kiss her properly, doing so in front of the captain wouldn’t have been proper. Besides, I didn’t want to take a chance and make him uncomfortable, not when he had more pressing matters to deal with. “I’m just kidding. I’ll miss you too, Cole. Be safe.” “That goes double for you. Be good for Captain Remy.” I smiled and gave her one last squeeze for good measure before finally relinquishing her. She looked at me with such sincerity and affection that I damn near lost my composure on the spot. “I will.” With that, Trixie and Remy stepped onto the transporter pad. “Repulse, this is the captain,” Remy announced after a push of his combadge. “Two to beam up.” A single tear crept down my cheek as Trixie offered me a small wave before disappearing in a shimmer of blue.