Our Little Homeworld

by Horizon Runner

Tech Supplement: Watchtower

Watchtower-Type Orbital Monitoring Station

Dimensions: 500x150 meters, cylindrical.

Drives: RCS jets only. Relies on Porter tugs for extensive orbital movement.

Armament: 64 High-Accuracy-Vacuum-Missile (HAV-M) tubes, approx 4100 missiles in magazine. 1 Large-Ground-Aimed-Hypervelocity-Cannon (L-GAHC), approx 2000 slugs in magazine.

Other systems: Extensive comm systems, relays, linked to Kharequuin GPS networks and surface comms.

Lead Designers: Ocule Kaalel, Salthoof Naabal, Steelheart Soban, Amethyst Star S'jet.

Min. crew: 12. Max. capacity: 1200

Notes:

The Watchtower network is a series of eight, soon to be twelve, satellite-stations in low equatorial orbit. These stations form the spine of the Kharequuin planetary communication network and GPS network, and are also equipped with emergency repair and recovery facilities. The Watchtower is the second largest type of artificial satellite in Kharequuin orbit, second of course to the Scaffold itself. They are named sequentially based on letters of Lunaetum script, with Watchtowers Aleph and Bet being the first two completed in 1193, and Gimel through Het being finished over the following twenty-three years, in parallel with the Mothership's construction. The Watchtowers are a controversial project, seen by many as sapping resources and time away from the more important Mothership, but a number of influential Kiith'sa pushed the project through repeatedly, including Glamour Naabal'sa, Spyglass Kaalel'sa, Caramel Manaan'sa, and Index S'jet'sa. Notably absent this list are Stormfeather Soban'sa, who has refrained from discussing the Watchtowers in order to obfuscate any Sobani involvement in their operation, and Jetstream LiirHra'sa, who has repeatedly denounced the project as "a waste of [redacted] time," and "some [redacted]'s [redacted] moneyhole." Due to Jetstream's erratic temperament and developing senility, he has not been made aware of the Watchtowers' true purpose.

While their uses are manifold, they are best known for their extensive security protocols. Vessels seeking access to the Scaffold must first pass security screening at the Watchtowers—a protocol which has prevented multiple (476) attempted terrorist attacks on the Scaffold. In the event that a vessel attempts to break for the Scaffold without stopping at one of the Watchtowers, the Watchtowers' strike squadrons and long range missile systems have proven quite effective at eliminating the threat.

Two Porter-Class tugs are stationed at each Watchtower, to be dispatched either as rescue craft or to help adjust the Watchtower's orbit. Mercy-class rescue shuttles are stationed at six of the Watchtowers as well, serving as a more dedicated ambulance ships. In addition, each watchtower hosts a squadron of Arrow-Class light fighters, intended to patrol the orbital plane and intercept hijacked craft. Watchtowers Bet, Dalet, and Het also have dedicated anti-terrorism task forces in residence, to help defuse hostage situations and other delicate conflicts should they arise.

WARNING:

The following is classified level RED by order of Coalition military command. If you are reading this without security clearance RED or above, close this document now and report the leak to your local authorities. Thank you.

The Watchtower network is the Scaffold's darker cousin. Officially a set of twelve relay stations used for minor orbital construction/repair projects and comm coordination, it's all but an open secret that the Watchtowers serve as key components of the Coalition's war effort against the Gaalsien. Mounting classified mass driver weapons (L-GAHCs), they are capable of precise and devastating strikes against ground targets, aided by the Coalition's domination of the orbital sphere. Furthermore, they are equipped with long range HAV missile batteries, which are capable of local and remote defense against Gaalsien-hijacked ships.

The L-GAHC systems have been fired 253 times as of this writing against Gaalsien troop formations and strongholds, successfully eliminating their target in 64% of cases. The Arrow squadrons attached to the Watchtowers have eliminated an additional 32 targets, and the anti-terror task forces have conducted 47 missions with an 83% success rate. In those situations where the Arrow squadrons were ineffective or unable to intercept the target, the HAV batteries have been fired 12 times, eliminating their target in 100% of cases. Gaalsien elements have only breached the scaffold on five occasions, four times by passing through security by various means including impersonation and/or deep-cover/sleeper operations (twice by use of sophisticated body prosthetics concealing shielded weapons and/or explosives) and once via a high-power teleport spell. Security protocols have been shored up after each incursion, making repeat breaches impossible.

Detailed deployment data and operational history of the Watchtower network is classified level BLUE. Further data on Watchtower mission parameters is classified level GREEN.

WARNING:

The following is classified level GREEN by Coalition military command. If you are reading this without security clearance GREEN, close this document immediately and delete it and all records of its existence from your device. An embedded sub-program has already logged your access and sent detailed identification data directly to Coalition command. Failure to comply with this warning will result in detainment and severe charges.

The Watchtowers serve a final, highly classified purpose. In the event of hostile extraterrestrial incursion, by Briar Patch protocol the Watchtowers will rotate and turn their weapons outward, acting as a planetary defense grid. Based on the Goldenrod reports, we believe this will provide a 2.5565% increase in planetwide survival rates.

This protocol is to be enacted at the first confirmation of alien activity within the Kharequus system. A false alarm is infinitely better than the alternative. For more information, see reports Goldenrod A-6, B-4, J-10, and M-55.

Author's Note:

Dear Glamour Naabal'sa,

I spoke to Caramel this morning. Apparently some Manaani kid came to him during the ceremony and told him about some kind of prophecy. He didn't give me details—he thinks I'll try and meddle, and he's damn right on that, the rodent—but he seems to think it's the thing we've been looking for, the domino effect we've been predicting. All goes well, the Mothership's going to hit causality like a wrecking ball, just as planned.

In related news, Caramel and I have both decided to head for the surface. He's decided to, quote, "spend this time with the kids," unquote. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm planning on doing the same.

I know what Goldenrod says about bunkers. I had him check mine himself. Still, I'd rather try a one-in-a-billion chance than nothing at all.

Give my regards to the rest of the 'sa. Wish Stormfeather luck for me. If anyone can turn a 2% shot into a win, it's that rat bastard. And give Jetstream a bucking hug for Celestia's sake, the poor old coot deserves that much. And tell Goldenrod I meant what I said before. If all goes well history will remember him as the stallion who saved the species. I'm rambling, but there's a lot to get done. You know that better than anypony.

In any case, I'm done being the S'jet'sa. For what's left of our time, I think I'll just be a mother.

Regards, and a final farewell,
Index S'jet

P.S.: Oh, and slap Faith across the bucking face for me, would you? I couldn't get close enough with his posse around him.

Comments

[Halogen_03]

Ooh, someone knows, someone prepared. Let's see just how effective they are.

I suppose it goes without saying: please continue.

[Hari Seldon]

Very cool!

[ClockworkMage]

This is just what I needed.

[mastermenthe]

Awesome!

[Mintypony]

I just wanted to say, thank you for writing this. there is precious little Homeworld fanfic out there, let alone good, Homeworld fanfic, and unlike the only other MLP/HW1 story I know of, this has the feel of a true fusion rather than just 'homeworld but with ponies.'

also, Manaani Pinky is now one of my favorites, and I am mentally casting Adult!Babs as Teiigor Somtaaw and it is glorious.

[Horizon Runner]

7279240

7278917 Mostly that warning refers to the early bits with Lyra and Bonnie flirting (so I guess if you want a hard number, 1.2). Generally speaking... I want my stories to feel like they take place in fully fleshed out worlds. Relationships, and the sex that goes with them, are part of that. If you were wondering when OLH turns into a pornfic... not really ever.

[Glenn]

Regarding your blog post of June 9, I will be sorry if you never finish this story, because I have really enjoyed it. While I don't check it out as often as I once did, I've made a habit for years of checking to see if you've updated Our Little Homeworld every week or so. If you have cut yourself off from the fandom (and stopped watching the show), It's understandable why you find it both increasingly difficult to imagine how the characters would act, and also less and less fulfilling to work in this genre in the first place. And of course you are under no obligation to finish the story you began.

But the core of the problem here is, you choose to stop watching the show. You think it's just a show for 7 year old girls, so you didn't expect the show to teach you anything, or give you any important ideas that you could use in your own writing, or make a difference of any kind in your own life. So you stopped watching, even though it takes less than a half an hour per week to watch.
But My Little Pony is not just a show for 7 year old girls. That's the demographic at which it was originally aimed, but the writers and producers quickly became aware that it was attracting a much larger audience, and so they began trying to create stories that would have something to say, not just to 7 year old girls, but also to the adults who were watching as well.
One of the shows this season which you did not watch was Newbie Dash, in which Rainbow Dash finally becomes a Wonderbolt. In this show, the Wonderbolts welcome Rainbow to the team by giving her an embarrassing nickname; Rainbow Crash, which is the same name she hated back when she was a filly. Is this just a children's show about teasing? I might have thought so, but then I started reading the comments about the show by some of the fans, and I was surprised to see that veterans of the US air force and other such military organizations were impressed by how true to life the writer's ideas about what the Wonderbolt's were really like was. Apparently getting a bit of hazing and receiving an embarrassing nickname is something that happens to every US military pilot who joins a fighting unit. Did you know that? I didn't. Do you think watching a episode of the show where we saw how the Wonderbolt's actually behave might have been useful to you when you were writing about those characters?

You thought the characters of these talking ponies were so interesting that you were prepared to spend years writing about them in an entirely different setting.
So I wish you would show a little respect for the writers, both professional and amateur, who also are prepared to devote their time and effort to writing about these same characters. At the very least, you should spend some time actually watching seasons 5 and 6 before you abandon all the effort you have put into Our Little Homeworld. And it wouldn't hurt to look at some of the other fanfictions being written about these characters, especially the stories set in various science fictional settings. You are not the only fan writer to throw these ponies into a interstellar war. You might find your interest in this subject rekindled, and maybe even something that would appeal to the people around you.

[Horizon Runner]

7365253
Okay, look.

I don't doubt that there's a lot of effort being put into the show. I don't doubt that there are plenty of really creative productions being made, officially or otherwise. That was a big part of why I was here in the first place, and as much as I'm not really a fan of the show anymore, I doubt it's gone away.

That changes nothing about what I want to write. Ponies are fun, and the universe can be used to tell great stories, but frankly I'm tired of them. I don't have any ill-will towards people who are still into the show, or who still write fanfiction for it, or any other extrapolations thereof. I'm just not interested anymore. I am not a brony. I have not been for years. The fact that one of my most time-consuming writing projects is embedded in the fandom is incredibly taxing. It feels like paying off the mortgage for a house I no longer live in.

I love OLH. I don't regret making it, or the time I've spent in this fandom. A lot of you are great people. That does not mean I'm going to spend more years of my life working on an unpaid, low-exposure vanity project, even one that I dearly, dearly love. And that does not mean that I have no respect for the people still writing in this fandom. I'm just not one of them anymore.

[Glenn]

7375198
You don't have to justify yourself to me or anyone else, Horizon
Runner. If you don't want to continue your story, you are entirely justified in stopping it. I would request that you let the people who read Our Little Homeworld know of your decision by changing the Incomplete Tag, but even that is your decision.
You asked for feedback from your fans about the difficulties you were having finishing your story, and I tried to provide some, by pointing out that watching the show doesn't require any great investment of time or energy, and might renew your interest and rekindle your creative energies. I'm sorry if the tone of my comment offended you in any way; that was not my intent.
I've enjoyed your story, and I'm sorry to see it end, but you don't owe me a thing, so don't take my comment as a demand that you keep doing something that no longer brings you pleasure. I wish you success and good fortune in your future endeavours.
Farewell.

[DeltaV112]

I am going to say this as a Homeworld fan, not as a (semi-former) MLP fan. Please, please continue this story, even in a cut-back way. There's so few Homeworld fics, and this really feels to me like a standout to me. Seeing the events of the Mothership's journey from the perspective of her crew is absolutely intoxicating and you've done a masterful job of bringing life to a cast of characters who are interesting to read and have amazing potential for the events they're going to face. I want to see Great Journey deal with the pressures she's going to face becoming responsible for the fate of her race, and how being Fleet Command will strain her ability to interact with others as an equal. I want to see Twilight, Rarity, Amethyst, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Sunstone developing the means to fight back against their genocidal opponents(Taiidan?). I want to see Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Cloud Kicker(maybe Lightning Dust?) go from the military pilots on a mostly civilian mission to... well it feels presumptuous about where the story might go, but possibly to officers commanding squadrons or capital ships. There's this and just so much else(Fluttershy dealing with her background and how it shapes her relation with Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie trying to ensure the prophecy can be fulfilled, Amethyst handling the loss of her not-quite-spouse) that makes me fascinated by this story. I'm going to commit a bit of a sin here, but I think that you're genuinely in competition with The Fleet Intel Logs as the best Homeworld work to me(and I've read just about every of the sadly limited amount of works that could be found on the internet since ~'06).

I guess the only other thing I can say is that, if you feel you can't continue this work, I do accept that, though it makes me pretty sad. I would ask though that if you get published or write online somewhere else, you please drop a line here too. I- and I hope I speak for those other than myself when I say this, would love to read more of your work whatever story you decide to write.

[holmesiv]

Oh boy! I love a good story! I'm gonna follow it!
*checks update history*
Well, !@#$

[TheYear2525]

I don't know anything about Homeworld but this story is insane! So sad it's discontinued.