//------------------------------// // Chapter XIII // Story: The Nautilus Protocol // by Knight Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter XIII Admiral Zelgius pursed his lips as he flipped through the material in front of him. Honestly, the whole thing felt too good to be true. However, since his personal spy ships had confirmed that Allion was still firmly under Alliance control, he had little reason to doubt the evidence in his hands. Other than the fact that they apparently had an insanely powerful, magical unicorn at the Psywarrior Research Facility, who could apparently undo the 'permanent' mental programming of the patients there, and had even beaten a Psywarriors at his own game. Oh, and to top it all off, the Psywarrior she had beaten had been Hivanti. That was apparently a thing now. Yet, even with all that power, this unicorn was also apparently benign. Zelgius had no illusions that this creature could have taken the entire planet if she wanted to, yet she hadn't. She was also in a position to make whatever demand that she wanted, and instead of giving orders like a little tyrant, she had asked as meek as a lamb if they could take her home. The whole thing reeked of a trap, yet he couldn't help but trust that it wasn't. Maybe it was the video files that Doctor Morinth had sent. Maybe it was the fact that this 'Twilight Sparkle' had brought one of his top operatives home. Maybe it was the fact that, without a real miracle, the entire Alliance was doomed to collapse under the weight of the war. The stone cold truth was that the Dridune were consuming the Alliance piece by piece. It did not matter what weapons or armor the Alliance developed, what modifications they made to their ships, the Dridune simply stole the Alliance's soldiers and technicians and forced them to reveal their secrets. Every planet they lost added billions to the enemy's slave army, as well as another willing world to supply the Dridune's war effort. The Psywarriors were unbeatable. It was a common fact. They had somehow managed to avoid all forms of assassination, turned whole planets into slaves for the empire, and had won each and every single engagement that they were involved in. Yet, somehow, The Dridune's best Psywarrior had been crushed by a small, cute, purple unicorn who, if the files were to be believed, had the mentality of an obsessive/compulsive sixteen year old bookworm. If this turns out to be true, it would prove that not only do the Gods exist, but that they do, in fact have a sense of humor, Zelgius thought as a smile came to his face. So, even if this was some form of elaborate trap, Zelgius couldn't stop himself from walking into it. He couldn't help it. Deep in his gut, he felt that this was the real deal, that the universe wasn't about to play some elaborate prank on him, and end his life at the hooves of a small, adorable, pony-thing. His gut had never led him wrong before, and it had been a long time since he had had a gut feeling this strong. This is either the worst mistake of my career, or the greatest decision I have ever made, he thought to himself as he threw the datapad onto the desk. “Sir, we will be exiting Hyperspace in five minutes,” Zelgius heard through the intercom. “Thank you captain,” he responded as he straightened his uniform. He felt like he was going to his own funeral. Or maybe his salvation. He couldn't really tell at this point. * * * It was over. The remainder of the planetary defenses had surrendered to his slave army, leaving him to stand victorious over those pretentious council members. He smiled as he remembered how he had casually set their world to burn right in front of their very eyes, then had slaughtered each and every one of them. Oh, they had begged and pleaded with him to spare their pathetic lives, but Tyranny just couldn't afford to let them live. They could resist his power. Free will was a crime punishable by death under Tyranny's rule, and he had decided long ago to make them pay for their arrogance. Then the system was finally at peace. For ten years he had slowly expanded his empire, consuming world after world. His thralls bringing more and more under his ever-growing dominance. It seemed that peace would rule throughout the universe for all time. A Forefather's rejuvenating physiology meant that, baring physical injury, he would live forever as the universe's ageless emperor. However, he had overlooked one factor in his quest for peace. Freedom. * * * Twilight woke with a snort, her mane a mess, her bloodshot eyes wide as she gazed frantically around the semi-darkness of her holding cell. Quickly she sat up on her haunches, feeling extremely dirty after that dream. It had been so real, so vivid. Shaking slightly, the pitcher of water on her table lifted itself and poured some of its contents into a metal tumbler. The cup then levitated itself over to her, glowing gently as it hovered through the air. Twilight then took the cup, drinking slowly as she pondered the dream. The worst part had been the point of view. Instead of merely being an observer, or maybe even a victim, she had seen the dream from Tyranny's eyes. She would have preferred to have been butchered by that monster rather than be him. Her horn itched as she thought about it. Before Luna's return, she would have thrown herself into her studies after a nightmare, that usually cheered her up. However, she didn't really have any study material, and she doubted that the people who ran this facility had anything written in her language. After Luna's return though, she almost never had nightmares. The ones she did have however had been quickly calmed by Princess Luna, as the Lunar Diarch had quickly gone back to her sacred duty as the Warden of Dreams. However, Twilight doubted that even Luna could reach her here. I don't even know if I'm in the same galaxy anymore... she thought to herself as she wrapped her blankets closer. She felt so very alone. Even when she had thought that friendship was unimportant, she had always had somepony to go to when things had become too great for her to handle. When she had been younger, she had always turned to Shining or Cadence. Later, after her brother had joined the Guard and she had become Princess Celestia's private student, she had confided in Spike or the Princess herself. After Luna's return however, Twilight had an overabundance of friends she could confide in, always there for her, ready to help, to lend an ear. She missed each and every one of them so much that it felt like a physical pain deep within her heart, the ache growing constantly until finally it had reached its peak, and Twilight couldn't hold in the tears any longer. For the first time since she had woken up on that dreadful station two months ago, she broke down completely. She cried long and hard, her sobs wracking her small body as she burrowed her head deep into her pillow, her blankets wrapping tightly around her. She was so busy crying that she didn't even notice the shadowy figure detach itself from a corner of the room. The small figure quietly made its way across the room until it reached the table. Once there, it pulled out a chair and sat down, taking special care to not sit on its tail as it did so. It just sat there, staring at her for the longest time as she cried into the pillow. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it spoke. “You know, I spent every waking hour on my way over here trying to figure you out,” he said in a somewhat high pitched, yet still masculine voice. “Eep!” Twilight said as her head shot up when she heard the voice, fear running through her veins. She looked around until she spotted the shadowy figure at the table. “...Who...who are you?” she asked nervously. The strange creature ignored her question though, and continued to ramble at her. “I thought of hundreds of scenarios on how this would play out. I though that you might be a genetically altered Psywarrior, and this was simply a new way of getting into our heads. I quickly discounted that one, seeing as how they're winning anyway, and they don't really need to resort to such tactics,” he said, shaking his head and pulling the water pitcher towards him. As he poured himself a cup, Twilight couldn't help but feel how absolutely surreal this was. Despite the fact that he was addressing her, he was clearly only talking at her, not to her. Nevertheless, she still tried to worm her way into the one-sided conversation. “Um...” she said intelligently. However, despite the attempt, the the person at the table continued to talk over her, ignoring her less than stellar attempt to interject her viewpoint. Clearly the strange creature was talking itself through something, and wouldn't answer her growing questions until he was good and ready. “Then, I thought you might be some alien terror, who's cute exterior only served to hide the beast within. Theory after theory chased each other around in my head, like dogs chasing their own tails. I wasn't getting anywhere,” he said, then paused as he took a drink. “Finally, after three days of this, when my ship finally made port, I came up with an idea. I thought to myself, 'Halik old boy, you know the Alliance is pretty much doomed, you're just stalling the inevitable at this point. Why don't you just go in and see what she's like yourself?'” He set down the metal cup and let out a sigh. “It was a substantial risk. Had you been a Psywarrior, I would have already been under your control,” he looked up at her when he said this, his head tilted to one side. “Did you know that? Did you know that they can take you in their sleep?” he asked, cupping his face in his hands. “I watched you sleep for so long, yet nothing happened. I was so sure that something terrible would happen, yet nothing did. Then you woke with a look of terror on your face, and I was sure that you had detected me, yet it turned out that you just had a nightmare.” He took his hands off of his face, then looked up at her. “I have three beautiful little girls at home, and I can tell you that I know when they're fake crying or crying for real. Is this really what you are? Just a scared little girl, yearning for home?” he asked, hope rising in his voice. This seemed like an actual question, so Twilight answered. “I'm not really little anymore, but...” she trailed off as the strange creature seemed to reach a decision. Slowly he stood up and snapped his fingers. Almost immediately the lights in the room increased their output until Twilight could see her strange visitor clearly. He was rather short compared to the other aliens that she had encountered so far, probably only four and a half feet tall, barely taller than Twilight if you included her horn. His short fur had probably been a deep brown at one point, but was now a faded gray color. His uniform was a deep blue with gold trim around the shoulders and the hemline of the pants, while on his right chest pocket was some form of rank insignia. His face had a very distinctly simian look to it, which was fully complemented by the long prehensile tail that curled up behind him. “My name is Admiral Halik Zelgius of the Galactic Alliance, and it would be my honor if I could personally escort you home,” he said as he bowed deeply to her. * * * “Yes, I know,” said Lucy crossly. “Wait a minute.” “Daughter of Eve,” said Aslan in a graver voice, “Others are at the point of death, Must more people die for Edmund?” Hale read, but was interrupted from his book as the door to his holding cell opened, revealing none other than Admiral Zelgius of Naval Intelligence. Hale quickly stood to attention, or rather, he would have if he still had his arms and legs. All that he managed to do was to flop forward and land face first on the bedspread in front of him. “Mffg mfg al mffgg. Mffg mfgg mffgh mffgh?” he said intelligently. “I know, I have that effect on people,” Zelgius said in an amused tone of voice. Firm hands grabbed Hale and gently set him into a sitting position. Glancing around, Hale noticed that three other people had entered the room with the Admiral. Two of them were doctors, while the third seemed to be the Admiral's guard. Currently, the doctors were busy reattaching Hale's missing limbs. “Uh... sir?” Hale said in a confused tone of voice. “Against my more paranoid judgment, I have decided to take this whole situation at face value. If I'm wrong about her and her people, then all I've done is expedite the destruction of the Alliance,” the Admiral said as he took a seat in front of the confused Captain. “However, if I'm right, the Alliance might just have gained an extraordinarily powerful ally, one who could easily turn the tide of war for us. Personally, I think that the potential gain here far outstrips the loss,” Admiral Zelgius said with a grin. Hale couldn't believe what he was hearing. Zelgius was supposed to be the most paranoid, cunning, wily old fox that the Alliance had. There was a reason why he had been in charge of Naval Intelligence for so very long. He seemed to have a sixth sense for danger, and had avoided several assassination attempts and mind control attempts on that sense alone. Yet, if he was saying what Hale thought he was saying... “Sir, does this mean that-” “Yes Captain, we are taking the young miss Sparkle home. Hopefully we will be able to make a good enough impression with her people to get them to help us,” Zelgius said as the doctors finished attaching Hale's limbs. Hale rotated his arms a few times to make sure the weight was properly balanced. “Sir, while I am relieved that you have decided on this course of action, I can't help but wonder why you're here telling me all this,” Hale asked suspiciously. Zelgius merely quirked an eyebrow at this. “Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm going to be making first contact with Twilight's people, and if I'm going into this metaphorical lion's den, then I'm taking you with me. Vacation is over, Captain Hale,” Zelgius said with a grin. Hale gave out an exasperated sigh at this. “I didn't even know I was on vacation!” he said as the admiral left the room. * * * Twilight Sparkle was in awe. In front of her was probably the most incredible sight she had ever seen. Multi-colored lights winked at her from all directions, words were scrolling on the various screens that lined the walls, and people of various races and species hurried back and forth, busily fulfilling whatever tasks they had to keep a starship up and running. The whole thing had a sleek, silvery look that made her think of efficiency. However, the most impressive sight was the large view screen positioned at the front of the room. She still couldn't believe that what she was looking at wasn't just a window. Nor could she believe the sight that this 'window' revealed. On the other side of the 'window', she could see what was unmistakably a green and blue planet, slowly turning as the sun rose on the horizon. Twilight was so flabbergasted by the sight, that she didn't even notice as Captain Hale strode past her towards the Admiral standing in the center of the room. He started to talk with the admiral, but whatever they said was lost on the quietly hyperventilating unicorn. This is incredible! How does all of this work? How does it keep track of everything? these and other thoughts quickly chased each other around in her head, but she was no closer to any answers when Hale approached her and gently used one hand to close her hanging jaw. “Yeah, I had the same reaction the first time I stood on the bridge of a starship,” he said to her. When she didn't immediately respond, he cleared his throat a bit to get her attention. However, that did nothing to snap her out of the stupor that had befallen the purple pony. “I see that we broke the poor girl,” Admiral Zelgius said in Twilight's tongue as he approached the two. “Apparently...” Hale said as he snapped his fingers a couple of times. “So, how are we going to find Twilight's home planet? Can she give us star coordinates? or...” “Actually, we already have her planet's coordinateness,” Zelgius said with a smirk. Both Hale and Twilight gave him a sharp look at that. “How do you know where my planet is? I haven't told you anything about it!” Twilight said in amazement. Zelguis smirked at the two of them again. “On the same day that you made your little escape, my agent aboard the station sent me a communication. It had all the information that she was able to steal while she was aboard. Included in that datapacket was details on each and every prisoner that had ever been on that accursed station, including their home planet's coordinates. We can be there in a week,” he said as he waved down an ensign. “Wait, if you had someone aboard, then she still might be there! We need to-” Twilight started to say, but was interrupted as Zelgius waved her down. “You don't need to worry about her. She was the Dridune that you picked up on your way out, and if memory serves, you already cured her earlier this week,” he said. “Thank you for that, by the way. She was one of my best operatives, and to see her returned safe and sound does this old heart a wealth of good.” “You're welcome, admiral,” Twilight said as she blushed a little at the praise being heaped upon her. “To be honest, your planet has been a bit of a curiosity for my people. Almost every day I see a request on my desk for funds to go and study your planet, but I've had to deny each and every one of them because of the war,” Zelgius said as he started to walk towards the chair situated in the center of the room. “Why would our planet be such a curiosity?” Twilight asked honestly. Zelgius didn't immediately answer. Instead, he took a second to ease himself into his chair, making sure to avoid sitting on his tail. “It's quite simple, really. Your planet is the only planet who's star orbits its planet, instead of the other way around. We would have had ships out there earlier, but the odd gravitational forces in the system make it dangerous for ships to even attempt it, hence the constant requests for funds,” he said as he glanced towards the small unicorn. “You mean, that star out there doesn't orbit its planet?” Twilight asked with a gasp. “No, nor is it normal for your star to be orbiting yours. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?” Zelgius asked as he quirked an eyebrow. “No, I don't. I have a few theories, but nothing concrete. However my mentor Princess Celestia would know,” Twilight said after a moments' thought. “Why is that, Sparks?” Hale asked curiously. “Because she controls the sun.” The silence that followed this statement was so profound that you could have heard a pin drop. Even those people who couldn't understand a word that was being spoken stopped what they were doing when they saw the look on the admiral's face. “What?” Twilight asked after a couple of minutes of silence.