Homeworld Conflict

by Lily Lain


Ruins

Multiple Cloaked Fighters launched.
 
“Group one reporting. Evasive tactics. Full power to the engines.”
 
“Group two reporting. Evasive tactics.”
 
“Group three reporting. Evasive tactics. Drawing power from the guns to the engines.”
 
“Groups one, two, and three, split into three delta formations each.”
 
“Group one, affirmative, delta formation assumed.”
 
“Group two, affirmative.”
 
“Group three, affirmative, assuming formation.”
 
Support Frigates placed nearer the planet to provide faster refuelling for the fighters.
 
“Commence the search operation.”
 
Cloaked Fighters on route.
 
Sensors active. Scanning the planet’s environment.
 
Awaiting response.

Group one: no response so far.

Group two: no response so far.

Group three: no response so far.

Awaiting response.
 
“Group one reporting. Response from the sensors received.”
 
Once again, the Cloaked Fighters broke the surface of the clouds and descended toward the planet, their metal hulls gleaming in the setting sun. The high-detail cameras registered even the waves of the sea below them as they passed.
 
Finally they reached their destination – a harsh type of terrain which the cold ocean currents turned into a dry, dusty desert. There was no life to be found for miles in each direction: no vultures circling the sky, no tumbleweeds making their way through the sands, no venomous scorpions to threaten the expedition. Only the empty wailing of the wind.
 
“Group one. Cold currents' activity reported. It’s a desert. The object is buried deep beneath the sand. Send in the Resource Collectors.”
 
“Launch Resource Collectors to clear off the sand. Launch the Ambassador with a Light Corvette escort toward the Equine territory.”
 
Resource Collectors launched.
 
Light Corvettes launched.
 
The fact that the ambassador unit could hear a muffled cry of “They’re back! Lock the gates! Raise the shields! Get them out of here!” from afar and were received by a smiling, grey-maned equine instead of the Princesses was enough of evidence that their technology had made a sufficient impression and that they weren’t as welcome in Equestria anymore.
 
Archaeologists were quite excited to hear that new ruins had been discovered within the sands of the Saddle-Arabian desert and that they might have some affiliation with the newcomers. Very few objected to entering the metal Corvettes and flying to said deserts for examination, and a delegation party was assembled quickly.
 
Equine delegation for the alien confirmation of the ruins’ affiliation with our culture has been assembled.
 
“Hopefully these ruins have our technology, or anything else that would prove we are a nation from Within. Otherwise it’s simply us against all of their united nations, trying to settle on a world that had once been ours,” said Fleet Command.
 
Beacon signal response resembling Kushan detected within the ruins.
 
The Saddle Arabian government allowed for the search to commence on their territory.
Detected attitude: fearful.
Presumed cause: the state of the Princesses after leaving the Research Vessel.
 
Group one at the excavation site.
 
Resource collectors at the excavation site.
 
Light Corvettes at the excavation site.
 
“Commence the excavation.”
 
Kushan research group on the surface of the planet.
Equine research group on the surface of the planet.
 
Resource Collectors programmed.
 
At first, the collecting beams reassembling the sand into tiny, collectible particles of silicon dioxide, aragonite, calcite and other chemical compounds were working at maximum efficiency to remove the upper layer of sand. They slowed down and their radars were working at a far higher capacity when they neared the ruins.
 
“We’ve reached the ruins,” reported the lead archaeologist researcher. “Looks like a whole city’s in there. Intact.”
 
Resource Collectors stopping.
Resource Collectors returning to the Mothership.
 
“All right, it’ll be smaller machines from now on,” said the lead researcher to his team. A few hand drills and automatic diggers removed the final layers of the sand, revealing the outline of an ancient city of faded white stone and rusted metal.

“Fascinating, isn’t it? The fact that we were once an integral part of this world. That talking Equines, Dragons and Minotaurs weren’t just a thing of legend, but integral parts of reality. Perhaps our mythology came just from the time we lived here! But why would we leave? What could’ve happened?” asked the lead researcher.
 
No one in the group answered him, as all were too busy calibrating their equipment to mind.
 
“Good question,” a historian of the Fleet Intelligence said. “What exactly did happen? Did you notice the Dragon King mentioning something about repressed memories?”
 
“Obviously that would hint at a war. I’ve no idea why you’re trying to be suggestive, colleague,” said the archaeologist. “That would not be just a war, though. A bloody war, perhaps involving genocide. ”
 
“A genocide, but on whose side? Maybe the Dragons burnt us all to smithereens for reasons unknown, and now are sorry for their deeds?” asked the historian.
 
“While I can understand how you find those points valid, I must ask: what did we do? What could we have done? Do you remember the outcry when we assembled the first Scout? ‘This is a peaceful colonization mission! We aren’t going to fight there! What can there be in space that would prove dangerous to us?!’”
 
“I can understand this statement’s supposed value, but we can’t look only from today’s outlook on the world. Perhaps years earlier, we used to be a warring nation, incapable of anything else.” The historian took a deep breath. “Here arises the question of what exactly happened. I’d vote for them expelling us. I think we might’ve obtained the Hyperspace Drive somehow and reached Hiigara afterward.”
 
“That’s just needless speculation, and it’s all we’re capable of right now. Let’s adjourn this conversation for the time being.”
 
“Good point.”
 
A city revealed itself from within the sands. From flat of the desert rose collapsed corridors, hallways and whole buildings, some of them even intact. Overeager scientists of both Equine and Kushan affiliation almost jumped in ecstasy.
 
Original layout of the ruined city discerned.
 
First set of bones found.
Analysing.
 
Although it bears minuscule differentiations, it’s strikingly similar to Kushan in anatomy.
It might have used to be our city.
 
“What gave off the responding signal?”
 
There is a transparent orb in the middle of a tall, spiral building that responds to the cloaked fighters’ sensor signal. The excavation team’s report is as follows:
 
“All right, there’s a huge crystal ball in the middle of the, we presume, main building. Why it stands there, we don’t know. We do know, however, that there are multiple crystalline ornaments running across the whole city, entangling the ball too. There’re some strange circuits around it as well. They’re not out of conductive materials, so we don’t know why they are there in the first place.”
 
The crystal ball is being analysed.
 
It is presumed to have served as a symbol, perhaps of worship, for the city.
 
Its true purpose is yet unknown.
 
The machinery found attached to the orb is being analysed.
 
It is similar in design to our systems, but its circuits are made of non-conductive materials.
 
“Gather as much evidence as possible to confirm our former residence on this world. Find flags, carcasses, pieces of furniture, anything that points to our species, and catalogue it. Make sure that the Equines sign confirmation on our claim. Continue your research in the city afterward.”
 
Multiple pieces of furniture designed for Kushan use found.
 
Multiple remnants of finger-requiring computational machines found.
 
No evidence pointing to the Minotaurs found.
 
No flags, painting or other distinct signs of cultural development found.
 
With the Council meeting three days away, there was yet one country, one species to address. The Fleet Command waited patiently a few hours for the ambassador unit to come back to the Mothership, and for the Fleet Intelligence to assemble a proper plan of operations.