Future Tactics - The War Games

by TheFullCrumb

Chapter 6 - To The Black

“Twilight! You just made the decision without asking us?!”

The communications screen was covered in small digital notes, each one dictating the path out of their current predicament, though each path still led her towards the one decision she had made. Checking back over the communications records, there had been a disabling signal sent that had prevented her from even contacting Celestia or Luna in the first place. Multiple signals had been detected since the Committee’s transmission had ended, making her very nervous. Nothing about the ‘Enforcer’ that had been mentioned, but she had the distinct feeling that it would end them should the Committee deem it necessary.

“I made a decision based on the survival of our species, Celestia! Luna, you’ve seen the decisions they gave us – how else was I supposed to respond? Let them turn us into some kind of circus? Let them destroy Equus?! I did everything I could to prevent a potential disaster!” Twilight was angry, very angry. She started to feel that the launch had been a bit hasty, too soon for them to properly accept the inclusion into the War Games.

Of course, speaking of the War Games, Twilight had checked the ‘Welcome’ information file, and found it filled to the digital brim with information on the War Games, from how matches operated, to the ‘Winner’s Bounty,’ the rule that stated how a completely defeated Battle Fortress was to acquiesce to the victor’s demands, be it to join their crew, add their Fortress to the new fleet, or simply back out of the War Games. It was, to be honest, nothing like what she was familiar with. The fact that war had become entertainment, and extremely profitable at that, it made her feel uneasy. More parts of the information package detailed out something called ‘Licensing Deals,’ where some interstellar corporations would do interviews, commercials, toy deals. Some of it was just sickening for her.

On the other hoof, it made some sense, in a disgusting way. The information package also detailed out what exactly led to the creation of the War Games, and considering either the bloodiest war she had ever read about, or the War Games, she could at least understand why it was created. Of course, she was not privy to the ruleset yet. That, surprisingly enough, came with the first match they would fight, if they could get to the fight.

“Twilight made a decision without the ability to talk to us, dear sister. Without a proper communication line, how was she supposed to ask us?”

“She should have asked for more time!” Twilight rubbed her forehead as a headache started to overtake her. She had been arguing with the two princesses for over an hour, debating her decisions and her actions in responding to the Messier Interstellar Committee, though she knew they were trying to test her to see if she was truly ready. At least, she assumed they were testing her. After all, she had made the correct choice, did she not?

Shaking her head, she dispelled the negative thoughts clouding her mind as she tried to focus on the task at hand. Reports in front of her indicated that small machines that everyone on board was taking to call the ‘Pipe-and-wires,’ small repair ‘bots that could get into the smallest of spaces, had been activated, though no one had ever seen them before. She assigned that as a testament to the human engineering of the vessel as she sighed, checking each report.

“She didn’t have a choice, Princess.” Another voice popped in beside her, Rainbow Dash stepping forward as she turned to face her friend. Rainbow had deemed to get her own Flight Corps beret out from wherever she had put it, and it sat proudly upon her head, the ‘Wings of Liberty’ as they were nicknamed proudly shining from where they had been fastened. “If not for Twilight, we could have been destroyed.”

“Rainbow-”

“I may only be a Warrant Officer, Princess, but you gave Twilight the command of the Battle Fortress. She’s the one in charge up here, like it or not.” Twilight put her hoof on her friend’s back, nudging her slightly as she watched Celestia start to pout. She had suspected, but it had been confirmed by Rainbow, and while it had not been in the way Twilight might have wanted, she at least had found out that Celestia was simply worried, rather than actually angry. She was about to speak again when another information package appeared on her screen, stating her ‘First Match Schedule.’ Sighing, she opened the package, letting the information copy from the communications console directly into her implant.

The match was simple, surprisingly. They were to face off against another Battle Fortress called a ‘Nibiru-class,’ quite literally a group of clumped asteroids with an FTL drive. The miners on board were on their last legs as a Battle Fortress crew, and had apparently jumped at the opportunity to face off against a brand new crew. The ship name that came across was rather interesting, as the ‘Miner’s Defiance’ was not exactly an intimidating name. However, the information brought up about the Fortress’ crew made her raise an eyebrow.

The opposing Fortress’ crew was comprised of generational miners and soldiers, almost every single one having grown up aboard the Fortress. Their manufacturing capability was definitely incredible, as their usual tactic seemed to be to deploy multiple variants of a single type of armored unit. The cloning technology they employed was rather basic, around the level of their own version of the labs, which did mean that they were not entirely threatening, but the technology that was put into their armour was something of a concern-

“Twilight? Twilight, are you still there?” Twilight turned her attention back to the comm screen, rolling her eyes as Luna lifted a dataslate up to the camera in front of her, detailing out a few items that needed to be taken care of.

“Transfer the data to the ship’s database. I’ll… look over it later. And just as a note, we’ve been given a week to prepare. If you don’t mind, I have a Faster Than Light test to commence. And Celestia? Trust me on this,” she stated, letting the comms window disappear as she slumped back into her command chair. Closing her eyes, she breathed slowly, letting her tension slowly dissipate as she straightened herself in her seat. The others at their stations turned to their commander, returning to their duties without nary a word towards her. Shifting again, she stood up once more, heading towards the entrance as Rainbow Dash joined her quickly.

“Twilight, I-”

“I’m going to the cafeteria. I need something to help me think.

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The cafeteria was eerily quiet as Twilight entered. Very few ponies, or other creatures, were off-duty at the moment, which made her somewhat less apprehensive as she entered. Shouting from the kitchen made her nerves relax, as the Head Cook was definitely beside herself in irritation it seemed.

“I said more sprinkles! And no artificial flavourings! This crew needs good, healthy food to keep them going! Hiya, Twilight!” Of course, Twilight had remembered Pinkie’s unnatural speed, and stepped slightly to the side as the pink blur zoomed past, laying three trays out piled with food. Rainbow’s mouth began to drool at the tempting morsels on one of them, the burger a deceptive brown, but she could smell something new from it, and it made her stomach rumble. As Rainbow slowly made her way over to the table, Twilight sighed, taking a seat at the table closest to her. With a heavy groan, she planted her forehead directly on the rough metal, rolling it side to side as she moaned.

“Why can’t this be easy? Why can’t this be solved with friendship?! Annihilation or joining the War Games… what choice did I have? Pinkie, do you have any-” Without a word, only a rush of air, a small plate with a brown burger-like food was placed in front of her with something oddly strange in place of the hay fries others might order. “Pinkie, what is this?”

“A black-bean chipotle burger! Humans were such diverse creatures, even in their own race, and their recipes were awesome! I had to try my hoof at making the ones ponies could eat! They have something called the Marzipan Mountain, and I am almost beside myself in anticipation! We’re making it right now!” Twilight looked down at the burger, the smell reaching her nose as she realized she was, in fact, fairly famished. The day’s events had taken a fair amount of out her, and, as she thought to herself, it stood to reason that something made by Pinkie had the potential to be extremely delicious.

“Aw, yeah! This food is awesome!” She was startled by Rainbow Dash’s proclamation, her cheers of enjoyment rendered silent as she looked over at Twilight, who was still staring at her tray, and at her burger. Lifting her tray, Rainbow Dash slowly made her way over to Twilight’s table, seating herself across from her friend. Twilight barely acknowledged it as she started longingly at the burger, her eyes glazing over as she simply looked. Without a moment’s hesitation, Rainbow took one of the fries on the plate, and shoved it in Twilight’s mouth. Coughing and sputtering, the alicorn took notice and tried to formulate a response.

“I- you- why- potato… potato?”

“Twilight, we all know you want this to go well. You’ve got your tests to complete, the repairs to the Fortress-” Rainbow motioned to the entirety of the room as she continued, “even the day-to-day. But you have to eat, right? The fries are made from potatoes, which is pretty awesome. They’re not exactly what you’d eat normally, but they’re at least tasty?”

Twilight looked back down at the burger, lifting it tentatively as she opened her mouth. With a single bit, she could feel the spice of the chipotle hit her tongue, the beans rather filling for her as she sighed. Her neglecting to eat was brought to the forefront of her mind as she methodically ate her way through the burger, sighing and smiling when she finished.

“That was… actually pretty good. And yes, Rainbow, I’ve got a lot to do. We’re running simulations on the Tunnel Drive at the moment, and they’re all coming up green.” She motioned to her eye, the data streaming across it fast and chock-full of new information. “They’re saying it will take something along the measures of over 1,000 Magicite rods to power the thing. Rods. Not the shards that are normally associated with the fusion reactors, but rods, Rainbow. Those rods are the equivalent size of a Manticore tank. We don’t have enough for what we could possible use it for, but we might be able to get to our destination easily enough. Provided the drive even works.” She slumped her head beside her tray, letting the weight of what felt like the world slide from her back as she stared at the doors, watching another shift slowly make their way in for a meal time. The shift schedule had been something she herself had looked after when she was first given temporary command of the Kepler. Thinking about literally anything else besides the Tunnel Drive helped her relax, as worrying about something that potentially had the power to wipe out- well, she had not done the math on that portion yet, but she was sure it was an astronomical unit of some sort.

“Twilight, come on. You’re the smartest pony I know! You’ll get it to work, I know it.” Rainbow put a wing around her friend, trying to at least alleviate some of the tension that was still furrowing itself in Twilight’s brow like a nesting parasite of anxiety. She had understood, ever since Twilight had become a Princess of Equestria, just how much of a mental workload her friend was under from day to day. Even the situation that had occurred with Starlight Glimmer had been something incredibly stressful, as it had killed a man that every being in Luna’s Cradle had respected for his loyalty, even after his punishment that made him lose more time than he could ever regain.

“Attention, crew. Attention. This is Navigator Deadwood, acting Senior Officer. Tunnel Drive preparations are ready. Please finish your concurrent activities and return to your posts. I repeat, this is Navigator...” Twilight’s eyes glazed over as she looked up at the P.A. speakers, sighing as a smile crept across her face. Rainbow snapped her wing shut, looking around before seeing a familiar face enter into the cafeteria. Leaving her friend for the moment, she trotted quickly over to one of her other friends, smiling as she stopped.

“Rarity, how’s the armour working out?” Rarity was clad horn-to-tail in a custom body-armour, each piece segmented to allow for enhanced movement, and several rather impressive design choices that distilled the fashionista’s exceptional talents into a tool of war.

With a hiss, Rarity removed her helmet, laying the purple-white armor on the nearest table as she looked around. No one was paying attention as she pressed various switches, the armour stiffening and becoming rigid as it opened to allow her to exit. With a second hiss, she disconnected from the armor completely, leaving a pony-shaped mass of metal and mesh-fibers standing almost at parade rest in the middle of the eating area. Flipping her mane around, she smiled as she patted the side of the armour almost lovingly.

“Rainbow, darling, this little beauty is a special item that only one such as I could design. Like designing and sewing my dresses before, making armour is an art, darling. I do believe my work, ahem, speaks for itself?” She motioned to a nearby door, waving at several guards who entered with her personalized armor surrounding each one. “The Pegasus armour – I decided to call it Icarus, after a rather pretentious human myth about flying too close to the human’s home star – was truly a feat, but there it stands, and she can even move in a vacuum!”

While her expression showed her enthusiasm, Rainbow noticed how much Rarity was shaking. Sweat poured down her face as she smiled hesitantly, Rainbow helping her sit down as she simply started to bawl, the tears streaming down her face as her makeup ran – Rainbow never understood why she insisted on it when she was working with such fickle machines in the Logistics area. Stretching her wing around her friend, she sighed, waving at one of the cooks who was working with Pinkie.

“We need a meal over here, stat!” With that quick shout, two ponies galloped quickly over with a tray, placing a bowl of mashed potatoes and a couple pieces of toast in front of the tear-stricken unicorn. Another sob escaped her throat as she unceremoniously slammed her face directly in the bowl, muffled screaming issuing forth. Pinkie, arriving with a small milkshake and a dandelion sandwich, shook her head, placing the drink and food beside her friend’s head.

“You did say you could handle it, Rarity. It looks good, though.” Twilight watched Rarity raise her head, a mask of potatoes lifting with it as she attempted to stare at Pinkie, though all seriousness in the expression was destroyed the moment the potatoes slipped off her face and directly back into the bowl. With a snicker, Rainbow held herself together, smiling at her friend who was wiping the mashed tuber out of her mane.

“The armor looks good, Rarity. I’d love to try it out once Twilight finishes her… what was it called again?”

“Tunnel Drive, Rainbow. Tunnel Drive. Navigator Deadwood has everything ready for me, so it’s probably high time we returned. Rarity, Pinkie. I’ll hold a meeting once everything is… squared away, as the humans might say.” She chuckled a little bit, leaving her friends as she and Rainbow trotted out of the cafeteria.

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The Command Bridge was humming with activity as her Commander entered.

“Commander Sparkle has returned. XO Starlight is relieved.” A relieved unicorn smiled as she trotted towards her new mentor, saluting quickly before her composure broke and she rushed in for a hug.

“Twilight, it’s great to see you. They posted me as your First Officer about four hours ago. I wasn’t expecting it at all, but hey, you can’t plan for everything, right?” Rainbow stared flatly at Starlight, who bit her lip, sighing as she looked around at the room. The buzz of activity had only intensified as the Tunnel Drive preparations completed, Twilight’s presence less seen and more felt as she checked the drift charts on a nearby console. There was a system not far away from their own system that was registered in the Kepler’s database, an old attempted colony by a crashed Battle Fortress – the Halcyon, if memory served her correctly – and it was still listed as a Class E-C1, Earth Continental Type-1. Glancing quickly around, her eyes settled on Deadwood, who still sat at his station, his hooves moving like greased lightning over the interactive display in front of him. Navigator Ditzy Doo was more like a storm of activity, her hooves a blur as she swept from each area, various calculations being estimated and confirmed faster than even Twilight could keep up. It was a bit mind-boggling, but she was certain, with a little practice, even she could keep up with her two Navigators. She turned back to Starlight, and smiled as she regarded her student, the decision having been made shortly after her enrollment with the Cradle Security Forces.

“No, you can’t. Brightstone showed me that. If I’d known-”

“Twilight, Twilight! I didn’t mean to bring it up- I don’t even think I did, but still, dwelling on something you can’t control isn’t healthy. You’ve got a test to oversee, and if you become moody and sad, you’re going to end up missing something.” She grabbed Twilight’s face in her hooves as she stared deep into her eyes. “There’s no other pony who could do this, Twilight. Even I would not have come up with the Tunnel Drive – I probably would have attempted to rebuilt the old Void Drive and screwed it up somehow.”

Twilight nodded as her new First Officer left the Bridge, turning back towards Deadwood and Ditzy, watching their team push calculations as she brought up the communications console. Celestia was looking annoyed as Luna laughed harder and harder.

“Sunbutt is not an appropriate name for a ship, Luna. You of all ponies should know this!”

“But Sunbutt would be an amazing name for the-”

“Princesses, I thought you should know something. We’re about to test my Tunnel Drive soon, and while you’re probably arguing about the name of the-”

“Twilight, we were hoping you’d at least come up with a name for the Battle Fortress. Kepler just evokes some pretty bad history that some ponies might want to forget.”

Twilight rubbed her forehead, cursing the sudden headache that had come upon her. With a frown, she let her implant transmit the file via the datastream she was sending to the Sisters, along with a new design and application file for the Battle Fortress.

“I haven’t discussed it with anypony yet, but I found a phrase in the human database in an old Terran language called ‘Latin.’ The ship’s name is not going to be Sunbutt, Luna. That’s just asking for trouble at this point. However, the name that is currently on the table is apparently evoking of a strength that humanity praised.” The name lifted across each screen on the Command Bridge, replaced the Kepler’s name and ID with the new vessel registration. “Princesses, I think the Solus Invictus is a more appropriate name for our fine vessel. The phrase means ‘The Invincible Sun,’ if you were wondering.”

“A fine name, Twilight. Don’t you agree, Luna?”

“Pfft, fine. It’s a good name. As the phrase for space-faring civilizations goes, Twilight, ‘May the stars guide you to your heart’s desire.’” With that, the comms console shut down, many of the unnecessary consoles across the Command Bridge shutting down as each member of the crew strapped themselves in. A nearby headset beeped, prompting Twilight to lift it and place it on her head.

“This is Navigator Deadwood, Commander. Your headset is set to broadcast to the whole Battle Fortress, and I think some inspiring words might make things better. Just a thought, ma’am.” Sighing, Twilight closed her eyes, thinking of everything that had changed over 7 years, from her induction into a military, to her introduction to advanced material sciences and mechanics. From her first encounter with Starlight, to her last encounter with Captain Brightstone. Every single pony that had crossed her path and changed her life, she silently whispered a prayer that she hoped would be heard by any being out there in the black as she opened her eyes again, activating her headset’s communications receiver.

“This is Commander Sparkle, of the newly christened Solus Invictus. All crew members need to be strapped in and ready, as we don’t know how well this test will go. Drift calculations have us at plus or minus 100 kilometers by the internal instruments, which means we’ll see the planet almost immediately after the Tunnel.

I’ve been asked to say a few things to everypony, and everyone on this crew. All of you chose to be here, to become a part of something greater. All of you are the best of the best, the best engineers, the best scientists, the best doctors throughout Equus. From griffons to changelings, our world is together in a way we never thought possible. In this ocean of black that is outer space, we’ve only floated on the water before, it seems. Now? Now it’s time to take a swim. In the name of Equus, and the Invincible Sun, we go into the black!” Cheering from around her as she removed her headset put her mind at ease as she looked at the viewing area at the front of the Bridge. Smiling, she turned back to her command chair, sliding into it as she secured herself, her wings tight against her seat as she kept herself steady. Nodding at Deadwood, she gritted her teeth as she felt the powerful aura of Magicite in use suddenly pass through the ship.

“Etheric Wavefold frequency at optimum threshold. FTL field stable and expanding. Magicite Infusion within 5% of tolerance. All hands, prepare for Tunnel Drive. I repeat, all hands, prepare for Tunnel Drive.”

Space warped around her as she felt a sucking sensation, every part of her feeling as if it wanted to go every direction at once. Startled yelling erupted from one of the other consoles in the area, a nearby console terrace shaking a few parts loose as the Solus Invictus punched through the space-time barrier and entered into Twilight’s experimental Faster-Than-Light drive’s territory. A bright purple tunnel stretched out from the front of the Fortress, ending off in what would appear to be infinity. As she stared, a holographic display activated, displaying an Estimated Time of Arrival as well as a Quantum Communication Link with the Equestria-based communications network on Equus.

“All stations reporting in, we have successful Drive Transition. Repeat, we have successful Transition. All stations stand down. All crew report back to your duty stations.”

“Twilight, we’ve got Transition. You can stop holding the seat so tightly.” Rainbow stood in front of her friend, watching her slowly open her eyes as she looked around, sighing in relief. Helping her out of her harness, Rainbow motioned around and smiled as she pointed out a couple of consoles that would need to be repaired, and a few ponies who would probably need medical assistance.

“I think that went well, Twilight.” Starlight smiled as she entered the Bridge with a medical team, a repair team exiting a doorway down the corridor. “A few areas shook themselves pretty badly, but considering the age of the inertial dampeners on this ship, I’m pretty happy with the state of things. The jump will take us a couple of days to get there, so we’ve got enough time to do some basic repairs. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are going absolutely insane over the fact that it worked without much damage, and without any Field Projectors, either! Apparently those help negate a good amount of the inertia, along with the dampeners. Anyways, long story short, you did it, Twilight. Other ponies got this ship to move, but you’re the one that made fly. Be happy!” Trotting away to assist the repair teams, Starlight left Twilight in a bit of a mental funk. She was certainly happy about her drive’s success – she had been designing it for a good 4 years – but the fact that everything went more according to plan than she expected was more than she was expecting. Admittedly, in the back of her mind, she was secretly hoping that Discord might decide to play a prank, but he had been silent for a long time after Fluttershy had joined the CSF. 7 years was definitely a long time, and a lot of ponies had been worried for the quiet pegasus. However, either she was not entirely concerned or she was a grand expert at hiding it, because she had barely shown any concern as soon as she found out about her posting as a member of the medical team aboard the Fortress.

Twilight was more inclined to leave the piloting to her Navigators, prompting her own body to remind her that she was, in fact, in desperate need of some rest. She shook for a moment as she stumbled, turning a corner and letting an automatic door open with a whoosh of hydraulics. Her bed so inviting, she fell sideways, feeling the soft cushion of the mattress push hard against her uniform. She sighed as she rolled over, looking up at the ceiling. An artificial ‘skylight’ showed a camera view of the Tunnel outside, the rolling purples and blues almost soothing if it were not for the fact they were cutting through the universe itself to get through to their destination. Some of the designs in the database had been almost impossible for her to get her mind around. Some race known as the Thalrazyne had designed massive engines called ‘MatterFold Drives’ that folded space-time itself like a sheet of paper around the ship, travel almost instantaneous. For a ship like the Solus Invictus, such a Drive would have ripped their ship apart, the crew subject to gravity-based tidal forces that would rend them asunder if a single calculation was wrong. Basing hers off of the human’s own Void Drive, punching through into a section of space-time known as the Void, she had theorized she could bypass the old issues of the Void Drive, including the occasional time-skip where a ship could arrive either before they even left, or 20 years further down the line. It was a dangerous technology, but it was widely used, which meant that either people were stupid enough to keep using it, or it had been rendered safe.

She reminded herself that most Battle Fortress vessels used the Faster-Than-Light Wake Drive, which created a subspace ‘wave’ in front of the ship, enabling them to accelerate to vast speeds without the need for over-complicated Drives like the Void Drive. The ships were almost always wider than they were long, and operated over short distances, but the subspace ‘wake’ they flew in was something of beauty, or so the records had said. Nothing in the archives and database made much sense, especially when it came to moving faster than the speed of light. Dark matter, exotic matter, subspace, Voidspace, folding space, subspace, hyperspace, all of the terms floated in her head like a nagging headache. A lot of it was simply beyond her, even though she had done almost all of the work on the Tunnel Drive herself.

A chime from her door brought her back to reality as she sighed and shook her head. All the mathematics in the world would not be enough to persuade her head to stop its incessant pounding.

“Come.” Unit 3 entered slowly, his metal hooves a constant clattering against the deck plating. On his back sat a dinner tray, laden with treats that she was sure Pinkie had made just for her. He looked up, his eyes glowing in their unsettling manner as he looked at her while he cocked his head slightly.

“Is something the matter, Commander? The one known as Pinkamena Diane Pie assured me that this food would be welcome in your quarters. I will take my leave, and place this on your desk.” Twilight silently nodded as the SIP left the tray, as he said, on her desk, quietly leaving in a curious backwards motion. As the door hissed shut again, she took in her room. To the left of the door where a steaming tray of food now sat, her desk stood, a part of the wall as it was secured with bolts and screws she was certain were far longer than she was comfortable with considering. A communications console sat to the right of the door, nestled into the corner created by the triangular room. The walls were dull grey, like most of the ship, except for a single poster of a cat hanging off a rope, no doubt of Pinkie’s doing. It stuck to the wall, proudly emblazoned with the phrase, ‘Hang in there!’

Returning her attention to the tray, she smiled as she saw the balls of mashed potatoes, along with a small amount of cheese mushed into them, the dandelion salad, and the eponymous ‘burger’ she had enjoyed earlier. As the day wore down on her, she let her smile falter in the silence of her quarters, the creaking of the plating and the hum of the power conduits her only companion as she ate. Flavours ran together as she stared at the papers piled on her desk, reports of various goings-on and the unfortunate incident with Bridge crew losing their minds during the initial jump. She knew they would need some sort of countermeasure for the… wrongness that passed through when they jumped again, she was certain of it. Otherwise, they would lose valuable crew to the harsh rigors of interstellar travel, and she was already worried enough as it was.

As she finished her meal, she stripped herself of her uniform, sighing as she folded it neatly and placed it on her desk. She knew she needed it later, but for now, she wanted to snuggle in her covers, let the two days pass quickly, and let her worries disappear as she slid into her blankets, covering herself and letting herself finally relax. The food warmed her deeply as she watched the pulsing colours of the Tunnel viewed through the ‘skylight,’ her eyelids drooping as she drifted off into a sound, dreamless sleep.

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“Commander on the Bridge. XO Starlight is relieved.”

Twilight trotted onto the Command Bridge, sighing as she felt a slight jarring sensation throughout her body. Ponies and Gryphons scattered to their stations, the navigation screens displaying the coordinates of the Halcyon’ crash site, the planet that had a nickname simply stated as ‘Crag-Rock.’ While the… less-than-helpful name made her dubious about the status of the planet, they had made their two day trip quick enough, without too much damage. A pharmaceutical had been released from the Infirmary’s stores, a relaxant called Coltix, to counteract the effects of the Transition between TD and Real-Space. Multiple beings at their stations downed a single, fuchsia-tinted tablet, their pupils dilating as it took rapid effect. Their reactions did not appear to be dulled, as far as Twilight could tell, but they were definitely more relaxed. Three Bridge crew had been admitted to the Infirmary for temporary insanity after the initial Transition from Real-Space.

“Real-Space Transition in progress. All hands, prepare for Real-Space Transition. I repeat, all hands, prepare for Real-Space transition!”

Twilight had barely enough time to strap herself in before the same wrongness shifted through her. The purple and blue tunnel of energy flowed outwards into what appeared to be a massive funnel, ejecting the Solus Invictus at high speed from its mouth. Cheers once more went up from many of the crew as nothing had shaken itself apart, nor had any of the Bridge crew suffered the original affliction that had plagued three of their own. The distribution of Coltix had apparently offered the appropriate effect, though it was apparently short-lived, as Twilight was witness to. Each member of the crew breathed sharply as the effects ended, catching their breath and sighing as they smiled at each other, congratulations passed around for a job well done. Twilight was about to open her mouth when Starlight began to bark orders at the members of the crew who had decided to fool around near the radar section of the Bridge.

“Hey, you four! Keep it together. We still only have 5 days until our first provisional match with that opposing Battle Fortress! Get your flanks moving, because we have work to do! Navigation, send a message down to the landing crews. Let Warrant Dash know that we’ve got something we need to do down on the planet. I’m sure she would love to test out the landing craft.” Twilight sighed as she walked out of the Bridge, Starlight staring after her. Her friend understood how much pressure Twilight was under, and she understood that something down on the planet below was needing to be done.

“Stars guide you, Commander.”

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“All right you lazybones! Get everything loaded up! Get those cryo-pods secured! Engineers, get your stupid shovels into the ship! We’re not waiting all day!” Rainbow was busy barking orders at her subordinates as Twilight entered, smiling when there was no announcement as to her arrival. Crates, cryo-pods, and various boxes that Twilight knew were caskets were being loaded into the boxy landing craft, the four VTOL engine pods warm with thermal energy as the vehicle warmed up its thrusters.

“So, this is everything, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, Twilight. Even Brightstone’s cryo-pod. We didn’t burn him on the sea in Equestria, but we thought that bringing him along, and giving him his ‘Viking funeral,’ would be good. Sensors said that there’s a lot of water down there. It’s got a massive mountain that it’s known for, too.”

“I know.” She ran her hoof over Brightstone’s cryo-pod, staring him in his unseeing eyes. That smile of pride on his face caused her to choke for a minute as she looked away, turning back to the lander. Two sections of Cradle Engineers had loaded themselves and their gear inside, as well as several Cradle Infantry that Twilight did not know, their uniforms designating them as some sort of honor guard. Raising an eyebrow at Rainbow, Twilight pointed.

“Right. Those ponies. Celestia sent them along as a service to the ones we are going to bury.”

“Bury?”

“Twilight, you came here for your test, but Celestia and Luna sent them to bury the dead that were still in the Kepl- I mean Solus Invictus, and hadn’t been buried. Trust me. You’ll do fine. Now get on, strap in, and smile. We’re going for a ride,” Rainbow reminded her friend, glancing around and checking straps as the final checks were being completed.

“Warrant, we’re ready for dust-off. Bring the Commander up front, and we’ll get this done.”

“Come on, Twi. Let’s get to the cockpit.”

Silently following her friend, Twilight squeezed past crates and pods, pushing herself through the open cockpit hatch as the rear gangway of the lander raised and locked in place.

“Invictus Flight Control, this is Lander Echo-4-1-9, ready for dust-off, over.” A radio crackled shortly as the acting pilot let Rainbow sit in her designated position, her Command Implant connecting to the main control unit of the craft. Rocking in the rear elicited some surprised shouts from some of the Engineers as the thruster units fired, the engines burning hot as the lander lifted up off the deck plating, a massive door at the far end of the lander’s hangar slowly grinding open.

“Lander Echo-4-1-9, you are cleared for dust-off. Take confirmed course down to the surface. Stars guide you. Invictus Control out.” With a rush of gravity, Twilight was pushed back against the rear wall of the cockpit, slowly pulling herself to a seat to strap into a harness. Outside the ship, the gravity plating had no effect, meaning that they were in almost complete zero-gravity conditions while they blasted along the confirmed course that displayed on the lander’s main control screens. Minor adjustments were made without a second thought, thanks to the implants of both Rainbow and the pilots, leveling their course out as they passed through a debris field. Rainbow passed info back to Twilight as they passed, naming various human ships as they jetted past.

“That one’s a Wolfpack-class Missile Frigate. Over there’s an Iiaynsin-designed Intrepid-class Destroyer. So many ships, Twi. One heck of a battle. Too bad we can’t do this for every one of them, can we?” Twilight silently shook her head at her friend, the words becoming blurred together as she let her mind wander back to the planet below. Crag-Rock was definitely deserving of its name, with the massive badlands across the planet crossing each other like massive crevices in the crust. Tall, dagger-like peaks jutted out of various portions of a nearby mountain range, while a green grove, the only greenery Twilight had even seen thus far on the planet, signified a massive wreck, a large body of water opening before them as Rainbow took them low over a ridge-line.

Twilight thought back to a discussion she had participated in back on Equus, in regards to the burial of the dead humans aboard theSolus Invictus. Celestia had insisted that they would bury them not on Equus, despite the abundance of sources of water for them to perform Brightstone’s ‘Viking funeral,’ as Unit 27 had detailed. It seemed to be a common style of burial for captains in the UEC, the Union of Earth’s Colonies. She hoped one day to meet them, and hopefully deliver the box of ancient ID tags that she had sequestered away from prying eyes in a personal safe in the Armoury. The lander banked sharply as Rainbow took it into a steep climb, twisting from side-to-side to ‘kiss the water’s edge,’ as she kept shouting back to Twilight. It made no sense, but her thoughts once more brought her back to the issue that she was considering – Celestia had decided the planet for the Tunnel Drive test was to also be the graveyard for the departed human souls, and the planet for Brightstone’s funeral, without consulting her. It was not Celestia’s ship, it was her ship, and she was loathe to give control back. Sending everything for the grave site without consulting her, it caused her to think that Celestia did not fully trust her. Doubt clouded her mind for a moment before she shook it clear.

“Rainbow, take us down near that abandoned village. Keep us low, their old defense systems may still be active.” Rainbow nodded, pushing the lander below the supposed radar limit. A low beeping occurred from somewhere on the main control console, eliciting a little panic from the other pilots.

“Warrant, we’re being painted.”

“Don’t worry, we’re still underneath their interception envelope. We’ve got twelve more landers coming after us, so they’ll follow our route down. Keep an eye on it though.” The beeping continued steadily as the lander made its way slowly towards what appeared to be a forest at the foot of the wrecked Halcyon, the defenses tracking them but otherwise not sending off a flare or a warning shot. Twilight could not put her hoof on it, but something felt off. The reports of the Halcyon officially said she was lost with all hands, all 2 122 crew and support staff. The village of metal huts and timber shacks spoke volumes to the contrary, but there was no one around. Dead fields sat on all sides, the husks of wheat, barley, and a lot of other grains simply dried up and wasted.

Twilight was suddenly jerked in her harness as the thruster units reversed, the engines slowing the craft down to a crawl as they touched dirt. Shapes in the distance reminded her that Rainbow had mentioned multiple landing craft. Soldiers, Engineers, and even agricultural specialists left each craft, glancing about as if something was about to drop out of the sky onto their heads. Sighing, she unbuckled her harness as the lander touched down fully with a heavy thud. The rear hatch opened, showing the remains of humans everywhere, their sun-bleached bones a stark reminder that the Halcyon had crashed over a millennium ago.

Stepping out into the blinding light of the nearby G5-Class star, she watched the Engineers policing the bones of the humans, several teams already setting up prefabricated shelters and digging up multiple graves. She knew they were unable to give them the proper burial they deserved, but she was determined to do her best. In the back of her mind, though, sat her annoyance that she had not been allowed to do it herself on her own initiative; of course, she also recognized that she probably would have not done anything, instead preferring to forget such horrid things had happened. The push was appreciated, but she was still somewhat upset it had not been on her own terms.

“Commander! We’re almost ready to start the ceremony. We’ve got an Outrider Buggy ready to take you over to the lake whenever you want to leave.” Twilight swung her head around as another soldier approached her, saluting as he stopped. Returning the gesture, she sighed, looking around. The Engineers were already burying most of the bodies that had been brought with them from the Solus Invictus, the graves unmarked except by a blank headstone with a carved symbol of Celestia’s Cutie Mark proudly emblazoned on the front. Biting her lip, she swallowed the feelings swelling up inside as she followed the soldier towards the waiting Outrider buggy. The machine sat just outside the new village that was being erected, its main rear drive wheel rumbling as the motors barely kept themselves locked down. The power that coursed through the machine Twilight knew well, as she had designed the newer version as a test during an Advanced Mechanics course during her training, the thought being that a commander should know every bolt, every weld in their ship. As she lifted herself in, she felt the immense shocks of the vehicle shift as other soldiers entered, Rainbow taking a seat as well in silence as the doors shut and the engine roared.

“I know you don’t want to do this now, but Celestia knew you’d try and avoid it. Celestia knows I would try too, but she’s right, Twilight. You have to do this, put this to rest, or else you’re going to second-guess yourself every time we have to fight. Everypony dies, Twilight. It’s our choice when we go now, and the humans of the Kepler gave their lives to save as many as they could.” Twilight could only nod as she remembered everything she had been shown about Brightstone during the first month of her training. Each thing he had done while he was still alive, and she knew that he would try and send random gifts for her birthday, only to have each and every one denied postage and kept at the Cradle. Books that waited for her as she trained, and worked her flank off trying to be better than she was. A single tear escaped her eye as she pulled a small book from the rear pocket of the seat in front of her, turning it over and over in her hooves. A favorite of Brightstone’s, the book felt old, well-read, and its title, ‘Catcher in the Rye,’ and the feelings she felt when she remembered just how much of a friend the Captain had attempted to be, though he was forbidden from interfering.

“’If you tell others about your own experiences, you’ll end up missing the people you shared those memories with.’ It’s a major point of the book.” Twilight looked over at Rainbow, who smiled with a sheepish expression. “A.K. Yearling hasn’t written anything new for a while, so I thought I’d try reading some of the human stuff. ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is a good one.”

The ride continued on in silence as they reached the ceremony site, a boat launch near the lake that sat close to the decrepit ruins of the Halcyon. A podium and stage had already been set up as had several rows of chairs. Units 3 and 27 stood at attention on either side of the podium, their eyes on Twilight as she slowly extricated herself from the Outrider, sighing as she felt her hooves touch the red carpet, spying a casket with the symbols of the Diarchy of Equestria emblazoned upon a flag that covered the large box of oak and maple. Breathing deeply, she swallowed, moving through a slowly gathering crowd that shifted to let her pass, civilians and soldiers alike quietly murmuring as their commander stepped up onto the stage. As she stopped in front of the podium, four ponies marched up to the front, one playing a pair of bagpipes as they stood still. As the music played, Twilight could feel the sting of tears on her cheek as she kept herself composed. It would not do for their own commander to start bawling in the middle of a speech after all, and she knew that was what she was needed to do. Creatures began taking their seats as the music shifted to a more somber tone, their conversations silenced as the slow movement of those present brought a sense of relief to Twilight, knowing that she was not the only one who was feeling the pangs of sorrow that day. Many of those in front of her had worked with the Captain personally, and knew of the stories behind the Kepler’s crew, and she knew that they knew how she felt as well.

As all the creatures present took their seats, the Honor Guard taking positions at the side of one set of chairs, Twilight tapped the microphone, and watched the player of the pipes shift into a more somber tone, silencing himself and standing at attention as Twilight cleared her throat.

“Thank you. Thank you, everyone. I know Celestia did not discuss this with me beforehand, otherwise I may have had an actual speech prepared. However, this is not a time for jokes, or laughter. This ceremony is a somber reminder that the mission we now undertake on behalf of our planet is dangerous, and creatures may lose their lives in the service of Equus.

Each and every one of you have told me stories of Captain Brightstone, who sits in the casket before you. He was a member of the Union of Earth’s Colonies, a Captain in their Navy, before he was brought aboard with the Cradle Security Forces. He did many things he was not proud of, but he knew that if he did not, someone else with less concern about casualties would. He joined the CSF willingly, and served until the day he died. Humanity does not know of this crash site, nor of the dead that will be interred here, but our Honor Guard, our own determination, will be a memorial in of itself to those men and women who died.

I salute those who stand beside me now, who will continue to stand with me, as we take our steps among the stars, and we… we show our worth. A poem from humanity’s ancient history, written by an individual whose name was lost to time, spoke volumes about the departed. ‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.’ In this way, we honor them, and we will honor the last request of Captain Brightstone. Pall bearers?” Eight ponies stood from their positions in their seats, marching slowly as the bagpiper began to play once more, a somber tune from another time in humanity’s long-passed history. The bearers lifted the casket, holding the handles on their backs as they slowly marched in unison, a sergeant marching beside them as a guide to where the casket would rest. The boat launch stood proud and fresh, Engineers still clearing debris as the casket was brought towards a small, wooden rowboat seated just near the water. Unicorns stood by as did the Honor Guard, the sergeant stopping in front of their ranks and stepping in time. As the casket was lifted over the rowboat’s edge, the bagpiper slowly began to fade to silence with their music, as the casket was secured, and unicorns sat ready to torch the boat as it floated away.

“Honor Guard, present arms!” With the click of practiced motions, 30 weapons harnesses activated, triggers bit down on and rifles pointed into the air. “Honor Guard, rifle salute!” 30 shots rang out into the air as the boat was slowly pushed into the water, the flag being dragged off as to prevent any marking of it. As the boat began to smolder, the unicorns launched four fire spells off, each one at a corner of the casket. With a rush of flame, a small fire was started, and the boat burned through quickly as the casket sank beneath the waves. Twilight sighed as she stood at the edge of the launch, staring at where it sank beneath the waves of the lake.

“This is where it all begins, isn’t it?” Twilight turned around to lock eyes with Rainbow, whose own eyes were stained with tears as she stood quietly by and tried to hide her tear-streaked face. Hugging her close, Twilight let her own tears fall as she held her friend, breathing carefully and evenly.

“Yes, Rainbow. It might have seemed like when the Kepler crashed that it was then everything started for us. It may have seemed like that when we were inducted into the CSF, but this? We are out here, on an alien world, and we started it with a funeral.” She turned and looked away, off into the distance at the landers, just specks from where she sat. “This is where it really begins.”

Author's Note:

So, this was a pain and a half to write. I knew what i wanted to have happen, but like Twilight, I wanted to avoid having to. I hate writing funerals, especially when I think about military funerals.

The bagpipe song that plays is called 'Going Home.' The link is here:
Going Home - Military Funeral Song