In a dimly lit chamber of the New Pegasopolan capitol building, twelve ponies sat along the two long ends of a conference table, looking through papers and waiting for their boss. This room, dubbed 'the vault,' was where the Commander met with his advisers and dealt with any sudden crises. Today was one of those crises.
Stern Gaze strode into the room and took a seat at the head of the table. One of the officers on guard outside shut the door behind him. He looked around at the other ponies present. "Which of you has a clue what to make of this?"
NPSA Guiding Wing
:ARCHIVE BEGINS:
Mission Log:
MET: -00:00:01:15:27
'Something.' Happy?
Mission Log:
MET: -00:00:01:14:51
Per Command's orders, I've demonstrated that the transcription spell is working, and is relaying my words to them. Also per Command's orders, I'm clarifying for the record that this is Thatch Roof, the captain of this mission. Hence why you're reading this in the official mission log. Thought that was self-explanatory.
Mission Log:
MET: -00:00:01:14:12
Now I'm returning to actual, productive work.
...One hour left. Hard to believe.
Mission Log:
MET: -00:00:00:04:57
Last pre-launch entry. I hope you know that once we're out there, we're not going to be this meticulous. You going to come in here and pull me out now?
I didn't think so.
"Sir, we've had ponies pouring over technical records, documentation, and crew logs for the past twenty-four hours, trying to verify what we've learned through debriefing."
"And?"
"And it's a mess, sir."
Mission Log:
MET: 00:00:00:12:17
We're in orbit now. First jump is in a few hours, and then we get to play 'ice-cube' for two years while the engine recharges.
Mission Log:
MET: 00:00:00:15:23
:TRANSCRIPT:
Conversation logged in Common Area, involving crew members Thatch Roof (TR), Crystal Clear (CC), and Patch (P).
(CC) There he is! Everything looking good so far?
(TR) Yeah, just finished another log saying as much. We're not gonna fall out of the sky anytime soon.
(CC) I was hoping for something a touch more reassuring than that.
(TR) We're probably not going to fall out of the sky at all, then.
(CC) Glad to hear it. Patch and I were just talking about what it'll feel like... The teleport, I mean.
(P) She thinks it'll hurt. I told her the worst symptom ever documented from teleportation is mild nausea.
(CC) Yes, but the distance we're traveling will be orders of magnitude further than that.
(TR) Granted, but we'll also be teleporting through space instead of air, which is pretty unprecedented. This might be the smoothest jump ever. Where're the others?
(CC) Stem's making sure nothing came loose during the launch, I think. Don't know about the others.
(TR) Right. I'm going to go wait at the helm for now.
(CC) So soon? We've got hours still.
(TR) I'll rest easy once we've made the first jump.
:TRANSCRIPT ENDS:
Mission Log:
MET: 00:00:00:23:45
Just figured out how to access and log stored audio from different parts of the ship... I didn't even realize it was recording. I wonder how much of a backlog it keeps.
"As best we can tell, everypony's telling the truth about what happened. There's no shortage of photographic and audio evidence to verify their discovery on Lambda Prime, and the technical logs corroborate much of what they've been describing."
The Commander shook his head in frustration. "I was not prepared to deal with something like this today... We as a people are not prepared to deal with something like this." He paused, looking up. "Do the screw-heads know?"
One of the ponies winced at his superior's use of the slur, but it was nothing he hadn't heard before. Another stallion replied, "They're almost certainly aware that the Guiding Wing is back in orbit, but the circle of ponies in Pegasopolis who knows anything beyond that is a relatively small one, and I'm confident that there are no leaks."
Personal Log:
Crystal Clear
MET: 00:00:00:50:03
Figured I ought to start documenting my work since there's nothing else to do. I think everyone else is preparing their logs too, or sorting out their experiments or something. I don't know.
Anyway. Hi, mom!
Kidding... I'm kidding. I know you all probably won't make these public for decades to come. But do let her know I said hi.
...There's a strange thought, actually. In a couple hours time, we'll be so far from home that it would take years for you to see what I say here. For anyone to see what any of us say.
Still, enough of that. I'm in space! Yay! First unicorn to be in space under the New Pegasopolan banner, I guess. If you're reading this, Firestorm, thanks for putting your confidence in me. I'll do you proud.
Most of my work doesn't come until after the second teleport, when we're entering the Halberd Radiation Field. It won't be strong enough to hurt us--not inside the ship, anyway--but it's a great opportunity to study the effects of interstellar radiation on various forms of magical energy and storage mechanisms. I don't expect anything concrete will come of the study for a long time, given how isolated the conditions are, but it's science at its purest and that's a rare thing these days.
Personal Log:
Lime Cliff
MET: 00:00:00:53:25
Just marking the occasion. We're in space. Haven't made the first jump yet.
Nothing for me to do until we reach Lambda Prime, when I can analyze the planet's geology. Maybe, if everypony back home was wrong and it's not Discord causing it, I'll be able to find something that does explain the planet being orbited by its sun.
Uh... That's all. Mandatory personal log; check!
Mission Log:
MET: 00:00:03:02:12
Sitting next to Crystal in the cockpit. We just made the first jump, and nothing's on fire yet. As she just pointed out, y'all won't know that for another few years.
Going to run sys-checks and send Stem on an EVA in the next few hours, so that we're certain everything's as it should be. Patch probably ought to look everyone over, too; some of the crew didn't hold up well.
Personal Log:
Crystal Clear
MET: 00:00:03:03:15
Holy horseapples! That was awful! For the record, Thatch was just as sick as the rest of us; don't let him try to omit that!
Mission Log:
MET: 00:00:03:03:45
Crystal, I'm sitting right here! And, for the record, that was a crude exaggeration on her part.
"Good. See that it stays that way," the Commander said. "The last thing we need is the unicorns getting involved."
One mare spoke up. "Sir, have you reviewed the full dossier my team sent you this afternoon?"
"No, I've been in one meeting after the next. I l skimmed it, though. Why?"
She fidgeted. "Well, it's just that some of what we've found out... I'm not sure that a full closed-door policy is for the best."
Mission Log:
MET: 00:00:07:25:18
Primary communications relay appears undamaged. No hull damage detected, and the atmosphere and radiation levels onboard are stable. We'll still be here when you get this message, and it looks like we'll still be alive too. Stem Bolt went outside and took a look around; said it was incredible. You don't really get a sense for it in here, I guess, with all the lights polluting the view, but he said he'd never seen so many stars. I'll have to find an excuse to run an EVA myself, sometime.
Oh, he also said everything's fine with the ship. That too.
We won't be getting in cryo for roughly another week, while we let Noise and Crystal run a couple tests. The rest of us are just sitting on our hooves and helping out.
I've gotta say, guys, that's lousy. Back on Enyo, you knew how to keep us busy. Even if it was just running missile drills, we had something to occupy our time. Now we're out here, and... I don't know. I don't think I brought enough books.
Personal Log:
Stem Bolt
MET: 00:00:07:58:30
Well, I'm back from my spacewalk and just got done with the technical log to show everything's a-okay. The details of my walk are in that log, along with listing after mundane listing of 'no faults detected.' That was a fun hour and a half.
I've already looked the Jump Drive over, and it seems to be in working order as well. Obviously we can't actually use it for another few years while it recharges, but that's working too. We deployed the collection array, and it's already showing a steady flow of power coming in. It's actually drawing a bit more than we had anticipated; we'll probably get to Lambda Prime a week or two early if this holds up. No way the unicorns are going to beat us there at this rate.
Personal Log:
Stem Bolt
MET: 00:00:08:02:45
Actually, I'll say something else too. I'd tack it onto my last entry, but I can't figure out how.
You guys said not everything here has to be professional documentation, so... I'll make a personal note, I guess. When I was out on that EVA, I just... It was something else. All that time on Enyo, I'd gotten used to a star-filled sky, but out here... with nothing but a glass pane separating me from light-years of nothingness in every direction...
I told Thatch about it. Or, the captain. I'm not sure which I'm supposed to call him in the logs.
Buck it. He was my captain on the Enyo base too, but he's always been Thatch. Anyway, I told Thatch, and he seemed impressed. He's always been deep about things like that.
Personal Log:
White Noise
MET: 00:01:07:15:25
...Oops. I don't think my last log entries saved. I can't find them anywhere. I'll do my best to recreate them here, for posterity.
Something, something, space. I'm in space. Yay for space! (I was very happy to be in space. I still am.) Plans about frequency testing... Concerns about cryogenic stasis...
That's all I remember, anyway. But yeah, when I sat down to start this log, I'd planned on noting how the frequency testing was progressing. Now I'm told that we have a separate category for logging data anyway, so there's no point in boring the adoring masses with that information here.
Also, let it be known for future generations... freeze-dried carrot cake is an abomination, and if I had my way, we would have flushed it all out the airlock.
Mission Log:
MET: 00:01:11:13:51
I swear, I think Noise really would have spaced the rest of the carrot cake if I'd allowed it.
"Hrm...' The Commander grumbled, leaning back in his chair. "Perhaps you're right. Heirloom, I want you to prepare a statement regarding the Guiding Wing's return. Keep it vague; just emphasize that it was an unquestionable success, and that we hope to-"
His orders were cut short as a pony burst through the door, ignoring a startled cry from the guards as he shouted out, "Commander, we've just got word that Unicornian forces are advancing towards Cirrus Station! Estimates are rough, but at least three divisions!" A wave of gasps echoed around the table.
"Buck! They haven't made a direct push in nearly a year!" Stern Gaze kicked the table before rising to stand. "Alright. Meeting's over, everypony." He turned back to the stallion who had rushed in to deliver the news. "Get me Generals Alto and Remiges now!
Mission Log:
MET: 00:07:00:34:22
I checked with Patch a few minutes ago, and she says the cryo-pods are all ready for use. I'm not exactly thrilled about the prospect... I know that a lot of the others aren't either. I understand that the technology's been tested before, but this is admittedly the first time it's been used for an actual mission. There's never been any point in freezing somepony for a trip to Enyo or Bellona, given that neither moon is more than a day or two away at most.
Still, though, the pods are ready. We'll be getting in soon, and when we wake up, it'll be time for the next jump. I guess that means that you'll have received this log entry by the time I make the next one.
Personal Log:
Crystal Clear
MET: 00:07:01:05:55
Noise and Lime have already gotten in their pods. I just figured I should say a quick goodnight, though.
I'm really skeptical about whether we'll find Discord when we reach Lambda Prime, and this will be a huge accomplishment whether or not we do find him, but... I hope we do.
I've been thinking a lot about how tense things had gotten back home. I know nothing too big could happen while we're gone. I mean... They wouldn't. Everypony will still be there when we get back. I know that. But, still, Unicornia just kept escalating, and we kept responding, and it wouldn't take all that much for something to go really, really wrong.
It just scares me to think about the possibility that Discord really is a myth, and that we'll travel all this distance for nothing... or that we find him and invite him home to find that home is...
Nevermind. I'd better go get in my pod. Just don't buck things up while we're gone, you all.
The following has been included for referential purposes. It is inserted here because, by best estimate, it was recorded in the time between the above personal log and the next one.
The data in this transcript has been modified to comply with standard NPSA formatting, and to include names not logged in the original file.
Conversation logged in [unicorn ship Endeavor], involving non-crew [Focus (F) and Top Notch (TN)].
:TRANSCRIPT:
(F) Is- Yeah! HA! Notch, it's working! [unintelligible] Yeah, I'm sure! The light's on, anyway!
(TN) Great! It's recording, then!
(F) Alright, uh... Alright. This is captain Focus of the Endeavor. I suppose that last bit's obvious, though, since we can't transmit. We're... uh... Well, we're not sure how far into the mission we are. The consoles haven't been very reliable, and they keep resetting the logged time. This is the first we've even managed to get the interface to start an audio recording. That explosion really messed us up.
(F) Still, though, we're doing fine. The oxygen generator and water reclamation system are both still working, and apart from a few technical failures, everything else is more or less operational. We've got enough astrometric data that I'll know when we're approaching Curiosity, and the consoles come online intermittently enough that I should be able to line us up for aerobraking when we're near. It's not ideal, but it's workable.
(F) There is also the matter of why we're awake to record this at all... One of the cryo-tubes is completely fried. We've been taking turns, waking somepony up periodically and switching out so that nopony goes mad from the isolation. It's... still a bit maddening though. Once we're done with the recording, it'll be my turn in the tube.
(TN) Focus...
(F) Right... I know. I have to mention that when this mission was being planned, nopony ever intended for someone to be awake and needing food for the entire journey... We did the math, and we'll make it to Curiosity without any of us starving, but there's no way in hell we're getting back. This is a one-way trip for us.