Ring!
The alarm went off earlier than usual. It was only 5:00am but Synch had to get up and go as soon as possible. He was supposed to meet Lifeline at Cloudfree Park at 5:30am and they would head straight to the local heliport where Nebula Swirl would transport them to the Canterlot Grand Spaceport. That journey would be a short one according to Lifeline. Apparently, Nebula Swirl was a good pilot.
Synch had gotten average sleep at best. His nerves were a tad on edge from the travel he knew he would be doing and also from his conversation with Lifeline yesterday. They had spoken a bit more about the travel and Synch couldn’t help but think that the Earth pony had been easing off on the personal discussions. Then again, maybe Synch was now the one doing over-analysis.
He hopped out of bed and grabbed some tasteless breakfast before recounting what he needed to take with him. He never carried much around other than his essential equipment he used for electronic repair and interface. Should he add more because he would be gone long? Probably not considering how he hated “dead weight.”
What was he to expect on this journey anyways? Certainly he had a job to fulfill but he honestly knew it would consist only of a small percentage of his absence. Would he be talking more with Lifeline? He had mixed feelings about that since he couldn’t seem to read the pony and suspected he wasn’t being completely forthcoming. What about Nebula Swirl? Deciding that such speculation was simply wasting his time, he cleared his mind and continued gathering everything he thought he would need for the job.
He had been told that “necessities” would be given to him by the employer. That included shelter, food, and all the boring details of life. That was by far a better setup than he typically got. Maybe he should consider staying on with this particular employer if the possibility arose. It sure beat fixing networks in creepy pseudo-libraries.
Finally done. He almost felt like hitting his head on a wall as he realized he only needed to take one reference manual and a small binder’s worth of tools. In reality, most of his work was knowledge-based, which helped save greatly in traveling expenses. Since he had everything he needed and had taken care to place a timed supply of water for the vine, it was time to embark for Cloudfree Park. He could take the local tram and be there five minutes early.
· · · · ·
Finding Lifeline was about as difficult as finding a fish in a puddle. Cloudfree Park may have been an ambitious name but it was pitifully small and vacant this early in the morning. The Earth pony had an annoyingly bright spirit about him even though it was so early. Needless to say, Synch was not quite so thrilled about the hour. However, he resisted complete irritation because the novelty of such early activity made him enjoy it.
“Good morning,” Lifeline seemed to almost chirp.
“You wake up this early a lot?”
The Earth pony was taken aback, “Not really, but I do wake up at 6:00 on average.”
It figured. He seemed the type to wake up early and finish work by noon. Some ponies just fit into that picture.
“So, why the heliport?”
Lifeline started leading the way to a different tram as he answered, “We had to load our supplies onto a Pega-Pacer heli because it was just so heavy. There’s some agriculture equipment that weighs a ton. The boss had the heli rented so Neb will just be piloting it to the spaceport and then board the shuttle with us. I believe spaceport haulers will be taking our cargo.”
“Isn’t a Pega-Pacer a really crude grav-copter?”
Lifeline made a face that showed Synch just hit a bullseye. “Well, it isn’t fancy but we don’t need anything like that. It’s not like it uses blades for lift - it uses anti-grav pads you know!”
That was a save-face if Synch ever heard one. “I know. I’ve seen them fly past my home because they’re used for house moving by the richer ponies. I just want to know if there are harnesses because they have open passenger and cargo bays. I don’t want to learn to fly quite yet.”
Lifeline laughed but quickly reassured him, “It will be quite safe. No worry.”
They boarded the tram and it took a couple of minutes before they reached the heliport. It was actually larger than Synch had anticipated and that only gave foreshadowing for how big the Grand Spaceport would be. He could see the landing field from the entrance and witnessed an enormous number of grav-copters. There was even a Hurricane quad-pad copter. It was absolutely huge and two anti-gravity pads hung off each side. The body of the craft looked to be something over 100 hooves long. The pads must have been each half the size of the fuselage. He couldn’t help but think that the shear lifting power must be incredible.
“Neb!”
Synch broke his gaze of admiration to look back over to Lifeline who was now calling out to somepony. That pony must be Nebula Swirl, the unicorn concluded, as a dark purple pegasus strode over to them slowly. Was he confident, cautious, or carefree?
His expression indicated an icy personality as he spoke up, “Right on time...I hate that.”
Lifeline looked over at Synch a tad apologetically, “This is Nebula Swirl, our heli pilot and star navigator. Neb, this is Synch. He’s going to be our guru for the control network.”
“Nice to meet you,” the unicorn offered.
“Yeah, likewise,” Nebula threw the obligatory return. “The engine is hot so we can get to it right away.”
“You seem to know a bit about the Pacers so have you ever ridden in one?” Lifeline seemed to try to make up for Nebula’s clipped conversation.
“Nah, it’s just like I said. I’ve only seen them fly by overhead.”
The three ponies began walking across the quiet areas of the heliport where no take-offs were in progress. Apparently their ride was a ways from the entrance. As they traveled, Lifeline continued pushing out bits of conversation to prevent the mood from going sour. Synch thought it odd at first that they were this far from a “hot” grav-copter but Lifeline assured him that there was no danger of it blowing up or somepony stealing it. Synch almost laughed when the sea green pony gawked at the idea of a Pega-Pacer being stolen.
“The thief would have to pay the other pony just to get it off his hands,” Lifeline chidded.
Nebula Swirl remained silent but his face might have inspired an artist to paint a portrait of a typhoon at night. The storm was intellectual.
Since Nebula was leading the way by a good 10 hoofs, Synch thought to ask the question in a quiet whisper, “Is he angry?”
Lifeline shined a grin, “Not at all. He looks like that most of the time, but please don’t think badly of him because of his personality. He tends to talk short and serious but that’s just how he is. He’s not mean at all.”
“So you’ve known him a long time?”
“Well yeah. I was really happy when my boss took my suggestion to bring him on board the project. We’ve known each other since...um...elementary school I think.”
Synch’s expression faltered. “I see he also has a cutie mark. Is it a nebula?”
“Yep, it’s related to his talent in space navigation. Actually, we kind of got our cutie marks at the same time-”
“Ahem,” Nebula gruffly signaled them to stop. “I’m sure you’d rather fly in that one, but this is our ride.”
The two ponies had walked past the destination vehicle without realizing it because they were caught up in conversation. The copter before them was a shiny and sleek one and by no means theirs. They turned back and walked over to Nebula without showing their embarrassment. Did he hear anything they were saying?
Nebula looked straight at Synch, “He thinks he’s as quiet as a rock if I’m not looking at him.”
The unicorn nervously nodded but had the suspicion that it was supposed to be a joke. It just seemed like the pegasus could beat somepony up at any second.
Lifeline was in a cold sweat. “I promise I’ll be good from now on, dad.”
“Stop messing with him,” Nebula countered in a dry voice. There was no way that Nebula was Lifeline’s father. Judging by their appearances, Lifeline was around Synch’s age and Nebula could actually be younger by a year or two.
Lifeline shrugged, “Just breaking ice. That’s all.”
“If you don’t get in the chopper I might just have to put you on some,” Nebula was sharp as a blade but he apparently shared some secret tone of humor with his old friend. Synch took his cue to enter the open-door passenger compartment.
Lifeline did likewise but added, “It’s a grav. There’s no chopping involved.”
It looked like the short heli ride would be an adventurous one.
· · · · ·
They got to the cushioned seating pads and strapped into the safety harnesses. Nebula had disappeared around the side of the passenger compartment so that he could enter through the pilot door. Synch was starting to wonder if he had misjudged the size of that four-pad copter earlier because the Pega-Pacer was much larger than he thought it was. He could look back into the cargo compartment and see machines that easily measured 10 hooves high and must have weighed a half ton each.
“Why are they still called copters when they’re not much like the old blade and rotor copters?” Synch tried to distract himself from the mysterious nervousness quickly growing within.
“Probably habit. It’s kind of like how you call an oven an oven even though it’s nothing like the fire and stone ones they used to use.”
Nebula called out opposite from the cargo compartment, somewhere in the forward cockpit, “Secured?”
Synch almost answered but Lifeline shouted out an affirmation before him.
“We’re taking off. Hold on.”
Somehow Nebula’s warning didn’t fully prepare Synch for the heart-wrenching lurch as the anti-grav pads blasted on. The unicorn almost felt sick. “You said he was a good pilot?”
Lifeline laughed but no sound came from his mouth. The hum of the pads was drowning him out so he yelled incredibly loud just so Synch could make out the words. “You would have thrown up if he wasn’t! The Pacer is best known for carrying cargo - not ponies! Trust me!”
“That’s why they didn’t put doors between us and the pads, huh?!”
Lifeline gestured in a manner that seemed to indicate a “you got it.”
The unicorn sighed internally. The noise and the vibration were bad enough but now Synch was beginning to notice the distance they were gaining from the ground. He tried not to think about it before but air travel in an open door vehicle was worse than a rollercoaster by far.
“Are we going to be...tilting at any point?!”
Lifeline seemed to have a moment of realization, “Oh! Um...Hold onto your harness and just look at me!”
Synch’s mind went blank before it filled with panic. No way! The only thing that would keep him from falling right out of the copter and to his death - or being crushed in the pad’s gravity field - was a stupid harness?!
“Think happy thoughts! Hey! I said look at me!!” Lifeline was staring intensely at the other green pony.
Synch didn’t answer. His breathing was too fast.
“Goodness! I didn’t think you’d be this bad with it! I’m sorry, I should have been more considerate!” Lifeline seemed to be apologetic now.
Nebula’s voice now drifted over the drone of the pads, “Synch having height problems?!”
The unicorn stared out the opening at the ground below. The now slight angle the copter was at allowed him a breathtaking view. “Yeah!” Lifeline replied.
“Hey Synch! What’s my name?!” Nebula shouted a question back.
Neither pony could see each other from their positions but Synch finally answered, “Why are you asking me such a ridiculous question?! I just met you! It’s Nebula Swirl!”
“What do I do for a living?!”
“You fly things and...!”
What else was it he did?
“Navigate! It’s not easy navigating space! It’s not just empty like a lot of ponies think! There’s a lot of dangerous stuff to avoid! You ever been through space?!”
“...No! I’m just a unicorn from Fillydelphia! I never needed to!”
“Well you need to now! But you have to trust that I’ll navigate us safely through space! You want to see what space looks like?!”
“No! I’m fine just staying inside the ship!!”
“I don’t mean see it from outside the ship! I mean through a viewport! You like seeing the stars at night?!”
“Oh yeah! Sometimes I go out at night just to look at them because they’re so beautiful!”
“You’ll get to see them even clearer when we’re on our way to New Ponyville! You might even want to get some souvenirs at the spaceport giftshop to remember it all!”
“You think I’m getting souvenirs for this job?!”
“It’s not just a job, right?! You meet new people...learn new things...maybe make a friend! It’s life!”
“You sound overly optimistic about it!”
“Why shouldn’t I be?! Everybody deals with garbage! Maybe my positive outlook can make someone smile for a change! And - disclaimer - that’s straight out of Lifeline’s quote book!!”
Synch smiled at that and saw Lifeline pose as if he were some ancient philosopher.
Nebula quickly continued, “You ever been to the Canterlot Grand Spaceport?!”
“I’ve only seen pictures!”
“Well you’re in for a treat! The spaceport is spectacular! I still have some leftover money so I’ll have Lifeline buy you a souvenir before we take off.”
Synch caught the odd part about that statement and saw Lifeline gape at what Nebula did. Looks like Lifeline’s wallet was now community owned.
“So how about you?! You have any questions you want to ask me?! Like where I come from or how I got into the New Ponyville project?!”
“How did you get your cutie mark?!” Synch went straight for the difficult one.
Nebula paused only slightly, “Well that can be a bit of a long story and I’m afraid I don’t have the time to tell it!”
“Why not?!” The unicorn couldn’t imagine why the pilot didn’t have the time for it.
“Because we’re landing! We’ve arrived at the Canterlot Grand Spaceport helifield!”
“...” Synch was stunned in silence. He had forgotten his panic as he carelessly droned on in the topicless conversation with Nebula Swirl. They were now only about 75 hooves above the landing pad and that number was descending along with the copter.
He decided to ask after he regained his thoughts, “How did we get here so fast?!”
“I figured you wouldn’t do well on a long ride so I punched it!”
Lifeline finally joined in, “You didn’t notice the speed or the aerobatics because Nebula had you brainwashed in one of his mind-numbing talks!”
“Take that back!” Nebula countered.
However, the Earth pony just continued, “He’s actually a lot younger than me but he’s really smart so we were in the same classes all the time! He’s especially smart with first-time fliers! He could probably make them parachute out of the chopper with his brainwashing!”
Nebula caught his friend’s slip and called him on it. “I thought you said it wasn’t a chopper?!”
Lifeline just gave a mocking shrug in return which Nebula couldn’t see.
After thinking about it, Synch spoke up, “Thanks, Nebula!”
“Don’t mention it! But please just call me Neb! The whole thing sounds weird!”
Lifeline took the opportunity as Nebula Swirl was busy landing to offer his two cents. “Actually, he just doesn’t like his name! Ever since elementary school, other ponies would bully him because of it!”
However, Nebula didn’t miss anything and shot back a retort as he landed the craft. “It sounds like an ice cream flavor!”
Synch couldn’t help but feel sympathy. He was also picked on because of his name with phrases like “go wash the dishes, Synch!” On that subject, he wondered if Lifeline had ever been bullied. It was hard to tell because not everypony talked about it or showed it in their actions and emotions. One thing was for sure though and that was that neither Lifeline nor Nebula Swirl were ever bullies. Lifeline was too considerate and Nebula was too...smart. The unicorn was certain bullying was never smart in the long run.
While he was gathering his thoughts, the craft bounced by a hair as the skids made contact with the landing pad. The anti-gravity pads took on a different whine as they lowered to minimum power and began a shutdown sequence. Synch didn’t remember much of the actual flight and was actually quite thankful for it.
Lifeline shouted again over the hum of the pads, “Port instructions were to leave the cockpit in standby mode! Don’t turn it off all the way! Just make sure the pads are off!”
“Are you honestly telling the pilot what to do?!” Nebula answered as if he were insisting a young foal think twice about his words.
“Don’t shoot the messenger! I’m just saying it for the record!”
“And thus the chopper erupted into a blaze of emerald flame...on the landing pad!” Nebula chided by reflex and Synch let out a small laugh that was engulfed by the drone of the pads.
The pilot continued to let back an update, “A few more seconds and you two can de-harness and disembark!”
Lifeline leaned as far as he could to attempt a whisper above the hum of the pads, “He just likes to say disembark.”
· · · · ·
“So is there a tram we take to the spaceport terminals?!” Synch was looking far into the distance where the main spaceport buildings laid. The heliport they landed at was quite a distance away and was situated near the shuttle storage yards.
“You don’t need to shout anymore but, yes, a tram connects this area to the terminals so the workers can get around.” Lifeline was back to talking in a normal voice because the grav-copter was now silent, but Synch could only faintly hear him because he was less used to the roar of the anti-gravity pads. The hum was still vibrating in his head even though they were completely powered down. Some of the forward lights still blinked and indicated that the craft was in standby.
He saw Nebula turn over the ignition lock to a pegasus in a deep blue vest. It must have been the pony in charge of their cargo delivery. Synch remembered that the transfer of their equipment was being handled by the spaceport.
“So I guess I just follow you everywhere, huh?” he asked Lifeline.
“Well, I was supposed to take you to the greenhouses so yes. Putting that aside though, how are you feeling now? I know you weren’t too thrilled with flight.”
“I’m fine.” He gave a cursory answer but honestly didn’t want to think back on it. The more he thought about what happened, the more upset he became at his lack of guts.
Nebula finally came up to them. “All taken care of. The tram’s that way,” he pointed to the west and the Earth pony took his cue. They started a leisurely pace to the tram station while Nebula explained their flight schedule. It would be a good amount of time before they reached New Ponyville since they had to take the shuttle up to the nearby spacestation and then wait before disembarking again for yet another station.
It was a short distance and they quickly arrived at the tram. There was not much traffic to and from the area so the tram was there waiting for them. As they boarded, the automatic system informed them it would be a two minute ride. That seemed like quite a long time to Synch considering they were already on the Spaceport grounds but he figured it was because they were out in the storage area.
Lifeline broke the silence once again as if to indicate he had a dislike of it, “Sorry we didn’t come in the front entrance. The Grand Spaceport is actually quite spectacular when you come in the front way.”
“Yeah, storage is boring,” Nebula chipped in.
The unicorn waved it off but Lifeline insisted on buying him a souvenir to make it up.
A flip went off in Synch’s mind and he got irritated at the gesture, “Why do you keep pampering me?!”
Nebula looked at him with a deadpan gaze, “The pads are off.”
Synch had accidentally shouted again out of habit from the earlier ride. It only made his scorn seem worse than it was. Or perhaps only as worse as it was to begin with.
Lifeline only glowed, rhetorically speaking, as he accepted the scorn as a challenge to further his compassion. “I don’t know you well since we just met so I’m trying to buy your friendship,” he joked and yet sounded a tad serious at the same time. Nebula just snickered.
Synch didn’t respond and Lifeline could only guess by his expression that he was berating himself for exploding for no reason. Lifeline took his chance to help, “Look, I don’t want you to worry about whatever you say. It’s perfectly normal to be on edge when you’re with ponies you just met in a situation you’ve never been in before. That’s especially true when a pony doesn’t have friends or else thinks he can’t get any friends. So don’t feel like you have to put on a mask. You’re cool.”
Nebula was making a gesture with his hooves to make fun of Lifeline’s “lecture” but quit as soon as the Earth pony threw him a dangerous look.
Synch sighed as he digested the other green pony’s words. However, his thoughts were cut short when Nebula signaled him to look out of the tram window. They were moving quickly but he could clearly see the mass of a space shuttle moving into position to receive passengers. The shear size was breathtaking. He didn’t want to trust his own estimates but it might have been 500 hooves long. Even ignoring the size, the design was beautiful. It was actually a sleek looking craft and had intricate golden designs laid across the fuselage.
“That’s our flight,” the pegasus stated casually.
Synch looked over to the purple pony beside him with wide eyes. The shuttle looked like it could transport royalty and they were going to be flying in it. Now the unicorn was not necessarily lacking in social status but it would be a laugh to associate him with anyone from Canterlot. At the very least it was safe to say he was not royalty. But then came the next realization.
It didn’t fully dawn on the unicorn until that moment that Nebula was the navigator for the craft. Synch was actually sitting in a tram beside the navigator, one of the key members of the piloting crew, for that awesome space shuttle. The mix of closeness and distance they had gave Synch an odd feeling. Nebula Swirl was a very important pony, at least when it came to the Spaceport. But he was going to be working with Synch on this job. Speaking of which, he didn’t know what else the navigator would be doing other than getting them to New Ponyville.
That begged the question, “Are you staying when we get to New Ponyville or will you be taking off as that ship’s navigator?”
Nebula actually looked a bit surprised at the question but quickly answered, “I’m there to stay. A different navi will be taking charge when we reach our destination...which reminds me of something,” he turned to look at Lifeline. “You said I would be in charge of some transporting but you didn’t say exactly what.”
Lifeline started wearing an expression that screamed “stall.”
“Well?” Nebula prodded.
“Just...um...a few lift jobs...nothing to be concerned about,” he smiled way too much and wound up looking extremely suspicious. Nebula caught on.
“Concerned? I wouldn’t be transporting greenhouse equipment through any mountains would I?” Nebula now inquired in a dark tone.
“Well...it’s very important that the valley gets those machines and you know the budget isn’t unlimited...”
“...”
The silence was beyond deafening.
“It’s another Pega-Pacer isn’t it?”
Nebula seemed to hit the bullseye.
“And it’s a really old one too,” Lifeline responded without realizing he was nailing his own coffin.
The pegasus gave a deadpan look that could have frozen the sun. Synch decided to take the opportunity to warm things over. “So will we be seeing you throughout the trip - since you’re the navigator I mean?”
Nebula dropped his look for a thoughtful one, “Probably not. They’ll keep me busy since our route to New Ponyville is on the dangerous side - not to mention we will make stops along the way. I bet they’ll dump last minute remapping on me. That’s why I don’t like being navi on those monsters,” he gestured out the window at the shuttle. However, at this point, it was much further away and the terminal buildings of the Spaceport loomed ominously above them.
“No worries Synch. I’ll keep you busy! I actually had a few things in mind - some ice breakers,” Lifeline cheered on.
“Ice bre-”
“Yes indeed! In fact, we can start right away. How old are you?”
This time both Synch and Nebula gave the Earth pony an icy look.
“I guess that might be a little direct huh?”
Nebula was first to critique his old friend, “Oh you think? That’s not an ice breaker. It’s interrogation.”
The tram shuddered to a halt and the door popped open while the automatic system reminded them of their forgotten desire to disembark. It seemed to have forgotten the cursory “have a nice day.” Regardless, the three ponies exited and began walking past the darkened office rooms that nested nearby the “storage” tram.
Lifeline was by no means disheartened by his earlier lack of finesse and took it upon himself to explain in detail each area they passed by. He also noted to Synch that they would pass the gift shops before reaching their flight terminal. It was the perfect opportunity to “buy smiley points” as Lifeline put it.
The green unicorn wasn’t sure if it was Lifeline’s natural demeanor or what he had said earlier about nerves around new people and situations, but Synch was feeling less on edge than he had before. That said, he was still nervous. The only problem was that he didn’t know precisely what he was nervous about.
When they reached the better lit area of the gift shop plaza, Nebula bid his temporary farewell. He needed to get to the shuttle since he was the navigator and Lifeline wanted to haul Synch into the gift shops. Just before the pegasus left, he had a short and whispered conversation with Lifeline that made Synch wary.
“What did you two talk about?” He threw formality out the window for curiosity.
“Oh, it’s not important but if you must know, he told me to get you whatever you wanted and not to get you a prank gift. He doesn’t really trust me...I got him a vest once that said ’I couldn’t afford the sleeves.’”
Somehow the unicorn could see that happen. Lifeline was the great conundrum between being considerate and merciless. At least that was the impression he had thus far of the pony. He knew it wasn’t right to judge a book by the cover but the cover was a part of the book right?
“Anyways, I’ll have you look at each of the major shops. It won’t take that long, we’ve got the time before our flight, and it’ll help you choose what you want to get. See? I can listen to my friends,” he snickered as if he had thought of something witty.
They entered the first shop, which seemed to be dedicated to postcards. It was aptly named “The Pony Post” and, as the unicorn’s green coat took on a vibrant hue under the shop lights, he knew it was going to be a long day.
· · · · ·
It was boarding time and they had rushed to get to the terminal in time. Lifeline had miscalculated the distance to their gateway and almost panicked when he failed to find their boarding passes. He eventually found them, though, and passed them to the attendant.
When they were let through to board the shuttle, Synch looked over the satchel he had strapped over his back. It held the manual and tools he needed as well as the new legband that read “I love Canterlot Grand Spaceport.” Of course the “love” part was replaced with a heart. He had chosen it out of spite when Lifeline tried convincing him to get something regal. Besides, he had always wanted some cheesy piece of apparel because he never knew of a pony that didn’t have something like that. Additionally, it made him laugh.
A voice rang over the speakers in the passenger compartment as they entered the shuttle. Synch didn’t catch the first part but heard an “off in two minutes.” He guessed that was how much time they had to find their seats and strap in.
“Oh, yeah,” Lifeline proclaimed in a tone that showed he had forgotten something. “Ever flown in a space shuttle before?”
The unicorn nearly sighed out of relief that it wasn’t something critical. He might have also sighed because he was certain Lifeline would have heard his response to that question earlier on their ride in the Pega-Pacer. In response, he confessed, “No. But it looks like it’s going to be quite the ride.” He could see row after row of seats as they headed for their own. The shuttle was enormous and the view out of the side windows proved they were quite high off of the ground - even with the craft just sitting there.
The Earth pony continued leading the way through a pair of shutters that lead to the first-class seating. Synch almost stopped following out of hesitation but Lifeline assured him that Nebula had acquired them first-class tickets since he was a crew member. When they were finally strapped in near the front of the first-class seats, Synch began to wonder exactly where the piloting chamber was. His first guess was in the compartment directly in front of them.
Lifeline crossed his hooves in thought while the unicorn looked out of the window he was situated beside. It was an incredible view and the sun was still rising. But it was not until that moment that he really grasped the fact that he would be leaving the planet. In fact, he would soon be seeing that rising sun from space. It was both awe-inspiring and scary.
“I promise it won’t be like that helicopter ride. There are no open areas and the ride is very smooth. This is a particularly fancy ride after all.”
He looked back over to his companion who was trying to assure him of his safety. “Yeah, I kind of thought so,” he ventured. “But I was wondering-”
“Yeah?”
“Where’s Nebula? In the cockpit?”
“How do I put this,” the green pony faltered, “it’s not so much a cockpit as a control room. It’s not located toward the nose of the craft - it’s actually in the rear near the engines. There are two pilots, two engineers, a navigator, and a security chief all located in that one control room. So you can see why it’s such a big shuttle...”
Synch could only stare back at the pony in the seat beside him in surprise.
“I’m not a specialist on it or anything so I don’t know how that all works but Neb goes on and on about it. He likes to complain about how snobby the crew can be on ships like this.”
“Wait, there’s a security chief in there?”
“Yeah, at least that’s what he’s told me.”
Before Synch could ask anymore, a pony strode unusually fast down the middle aisle. She met a male pegasus halfway towards the coach shutters and whispered something to him. Whatever it was seemed to be serious and Synch noted that the male pegasus was wearing an outfit that had a “security” feel to it and the female Earth pony had an outfit that indicated some rank above flight attendant.
Lifeline noted his interest and looked around to see the two ponies in the middle aisle. Synch couldn’t catch most of the talking but he did manage to hear a few pieces that made him worry.
“He’s dead set that he saw something,” the pegasus murmured.
Synch missed a few lines and the Earth pony whispered, “You can look after take off.”
“You know how big that bay is? We won’t finish looking before we reach stat.”
“Well, you know procedure. Do it anyways.”
The pegasus seemed to debate the point a bit further but Synch couldn’t catch it. The Earth pony turned around and started walking back towards the forward compartment when the pegasus asked something else.
The female pony looked back at him and whispered, “Form a search grid.”