24: Silicon Oasis
Obsidian and Sparky stepped out of the airlock, and looked both ways. A long, narrow corridor extended a considerable length in each direction, with several airlocks spaced at regular intervals for other docked ships. Built into the wall at one end was a larger airlock, for what Obsidian assumed was for proportionally larger vessels. At the opposite end, the corridor connected with the main structure of the station’s ring.
Setting off towards the ring, the pair tensed up as a Raider approached. Leaden boots on metal floors echoed everywhere, as the being entombed in armour passed by. Looking behind him, the changeling made sure he was well out of earshot, before checking his comms. “Shadow, comm check.”
“Reading five over five. You?”
“Same. We’ve headed right of the bridge. Moving towards the main structure of the base now. Probably stating the obvious here, but this corridor seems to be a connection point for various airlocks, and the ships attached to them. Nothing else worth mentioning so far.”
“Noted. You’ll probably want to take a right after reaching the main ring structure, if you’re taking those connecting tubes further into the station.”
“Will do. I’ll keep you updated.” Sighting another Raider, Obsidian quickly added, “Raider approaching, going silent.”
Walking side-by-side, Obsidian and Sparky moved wordlessly past another Raider with lighter armour. Focusing on the end of the long tunnel, the pair avoided eye contact. Arriving at the end, they rounded the corner, entering the main body of the ring.
Almost as wide as Amarok, the dark, rusty interior took on a utilitarian appearance, with only bare basics in sight. Ageing pipes leaked at random flanges, dripping intermittently, or releasing gases with soft hisses. Eroded conduits ran parallel with the pipes, connecting at open junction boxes with exposed wiring. Large, wall-mounted vents were all missing at least a few bars from their gratings. For the diamond dog, the stench of mould threatened to overpower his olfactory senses.
As Obsidian and Sparky moved along, a flickering sign pointed to a transportation stop. Splitting off from the ring, the two entered a small station, where a single cylindrical carriage was embarking passengers. Obsidian counted at least twenty in the capsule that had neared capacity and figured it could still fit the pair. As soon as the doors closed, the changeling felt his ears pop, before leaving the station.
With no windows to track their progress with, the occupants merely secured themselves as artificial gravity was lost. Every so often, the vehicle shuddered as it moved along its tracks and made sharp turns. Though dubious as to the reliability of something with speakers dangling from ceilings by their wiring, Obsidian observed no unusual behaviour from the other occupants. Most remained silent, save for a trio conversing loudly at one corner with exaggerated hand gestures.
After several minutes, Obsidian and Sparky felt themselves slowing down, and the feeling of weightlessness started to disappear. When the doors finally opened, the two quickly stepped off, avoiding getting too close to any of the others. Exiting the station, they found themselves in a large plaza. While brighter and livelier than the ring section, their surroundings still took on a run-down, grimy feel, and the odour remained.
Exploring the multiple floors, Obsidian and Sparky found vast assortments of food outlets, bars, entertainment venues, and hotels. Found less frequently between these establishments were arms dealers, narcotics suppliers, and stores that seemed to showcase people as their products. Wherever possible, Obsidian described what he saw in great detail over his comms.
“An actual store?” Glare replied in disbelief. “You can just—just pop in, pick some victim off a shelf, and leave like you’re taking a trip down to a corner shop? Obsidian, we have to save them.”
“As much as I wish we could”—Obsidian muttered discretely into his comms—“there is no way we would be able to get away with that. Even if we could smuggle them bit by bit with the corvette, Amarok would not have the space for that many. Then there’s the security risk of lett—”
“You made your point, Obsidian. There has to be something we can do, though.”
“Assuming we make it out of here alive, the best we can do is to bring this information back to Amarok. They can pass everything on to the Galactic Council. I think. Fairly certain they’d handle things like this. Whatever the case, we need to worry about our original objectives first. Everyone around us is armed. I can’t even tell if there are any actual station security staff, or if it’s just a free-for-all here.”
Deciding to seat themselves at a bench, Obsidian and Sparky watched the passers-by. A thought crept into the changeling’s mind. He whispered, “Hey Shadow? Any idea what’s up with Raiders and wearing their full-body suits of armour everywhere? I’d say a little over half of them are wearing full sets for no apparent reason. That a social standing thing, or just their idea of looking intimidating?”
“Those would be the native Raiders,” Shadow replied. “The Raiders from Turan are an aquatic species that require a liquid membrane environment to survive. The armour is designed to replicate underwater conditions, while allowing them to leave the confines of water.”
“So the ones wearing partial or no armour are recruited Raiders?”
“That, or second generation Raiders born from slaves.”
“Does that mean a native can be taken out by a rupture to that membrane?”
“I believe they can survive a few hours without medical attention if they are fully drained, so as far as we’re concerned, no.”
Sparky tapped Obsidian on his side. Glancing at the diamond dog, he saw Sparky fixated on something, and looked in the same direction. Two figures left an equipment store, heading further through the station at a brisk pace. The pair stood out with their attire, each wearing pure white, hooded fabrics that covered their entire bodies, and black leather gloves and boots that minimised the visibility of exposed skin.
The most prominent feature on each was a full-face gas mask. The glossy black apparatuses consisted primarily of a few flat surfaces that matched the rough profile of the wearers’ faces, which were completely concealed by the opaque material. Like a skull, a small, dark opening was located where a nose should be. Emerging between the neck and cheeks were a set of large tubes that snaked down and disappeared into their clothing at waist level.
Sparky could tell the pair weren’t ordinary Raiders, and Obsidian shared his sentiments. The changeling looked back at the diamond dog. “What do you think? Shall we stalk them for a bit?”
Shadow’s voice returned. “What’s going on, Obsidian?”
“Just looking at two striking individuals. They look completely out of place here, but what’s interesting is how all the other Raiders part and make way for them. Will keep you updated.”
Making their way past other Raiders, Obsidian and Sparky tailed the white figures. After maintaining a reasonable distance, Obsidian noted a familiar symbol around the cuff of the gloves, as something silver occasionally flashed in the light while the pair walked.
“Shadow, if I describe a symbol to you, would you be able to figure out what it is?”
“That would depend on the symbol, but you can try.”
“There’s a square. No, might be a diamond. The middle of each side has a small triangle, or spike pointing outward. A circle surrounds the diamond, and a line at each quarter connects to one of the four corners of the diamond. It’s what I think it is, isn’t it?”
“The Gaalsien symbol?”
“I thought so. Right, we’ll keep tailing them. Might be high value targets.”
“Treat them as priority. Take our plans into account if possible. If you can get any information out of them, do so, but be careful.”
Keeping a reasonable distance from the Gaalsien, Obsidian and Sparky spent the better part of ten minutes moving through crowds of Raiders, keeping up with their targets. Eventually, the Infiltrators entered a small hotel, losing sight of the pair. Acting casual, Obsidian’s eyes shifted about, while Sparky sniffed around, eventually picking up a familiar scent.
Sneaking up a narrow flight of stairs, the two ended up one floor above, figuring out which room held the Gaalsien members. When Sparky determined the correct room, Obsidian quickly formulated a plan, briefing Sparky by referring to one of the briefing package documents from earlier on. Standing at the relevant door, Sparky knocked, and the pair waited for an answer. A set of footsteps approached, before going silent.
Muffled by the door, a deep and breathy modulated voice asked, “Who are you?”
Obsidian took a moment. Adjusting himself to sound more Raider-like, he responded in a low, smooth voice, “Someone looking for revenge. I believe you can be of assistance with that.”
“There are plenty of contractors on this station for that,” the voice replied in a weary, dismissive tone. “Leave.”
Refusing to move, the changeling continued. “I doubt most of those contractors hate the pony allies of Hiigara as much as your people do. Nor would they benefit from my proposal as much as you.”
Silence followed. After a lengthy wait, several locks opened, and the door swung inward, revealing one of the two white figures. Obsidian and Sparky followed him into a small living room. “Sit,” the Gaalsien ordered. Leaving the room, he called out behind him, “Khamari will be with you shortly.”
The pair dropped themselves onto a worn, two-seater couch, opposite to two other Gaalsien wearing the same attire. Their masks remained pointed in the direction of the two Infiltrators, staring—or at least, Obsidian assumed they were—at the pair. The changeling noticed the subtle movement of their hands, concealed in their garments, suspecting the two were armed.
The one named Khamari entered the room soon after, escorted by the first Gaalsien. “Few have the nerve to visit me unannounced,” he began. “Even fewer are worth my time. My associate has told me you have a proposition for us. Revenge, is it? Why would a common soldier of Turan go out of his way to ask something of the Gaalsien?”
“Those ponies are responsible for the deaths of family and friends. I want them eliminated.”
Khamari bowed his head. “Retribution. A better motivation than the common rabble who are in it for wealth. Tell me, why should I entertain you of all soldiers? You are not the only one who has suffered loss.”
“True. However, I am not from Turan. Nor am I a Raider,” Obsidian explained. Standing up, he dropped his disguise. The bright flash of green caused the two seated Gaalsien to jump, pulling small side-arms out from underneath their clothing. The third quickly moved in front of Khamari, also drawing his weapon.
“Did I just hear the sound of Obsidian losing his disguise?” Shadow asked in disbelief. Still seated, Sparky replied with a discreet ‘mmhm’, gaining brief attention from the nearest Gaalsien. Shadow sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Obsidian sat back down again, reverting to his original voice. “Khamari, was it? Relax, you are not in any danger. If I had wanted to kill you all, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Khamari moved up beside the others. “You’ll forgive my associates and I for not believing a pony.”
“Oh I’m no pony. Though I share the same planet and basic shape of one, I am far from those animals masquerading as righteous peacekeepers. They starved my kind and destroyed our society.” Pausing, Obsidian held up his hooves to fabricate an additional detail. “You see all of these? Take a guess how I got each hole. They think they’re safe with their illusion of power, but on this day, I will be the catalyst for their demise.”
“Obsidian, you might want to reel it in a little,” Shadow’s voice advised through the changeling’s earpiece. “Borderline monologuing there.”
Khamari hummed, folding his arms. “A wonderful speech. Now how is it you plan to take them down, and where would the Gaalsien and our Raiders fit in with that plan?”
Obsidian turned to Sparky and nodded. The diamond dog produced a small metal box. Opening it, he presented Khamari with an elongated, multi-coloured crystal.
“What if you could have the power output of a frigate’s reactor in something that can fit into your hand?” Obsidian began. “That there is a common crystal grown by the ponies. Its energy density is closer to antimatter reactions than anything else.”
Examining the object and holding it up to the light, Khamari looked back towards Obsidian. “How does it work?”
Obsidian shrugged. “I wish I knew. Like Hiigaran technology, the Equestrian Navy uses it, without fully understanding it. These function like single-use batteries, but beyond that, I’m not sure. I don’t think the ponies know, either.”
“Single-use doesn’t seem too promising,” Khamari pointed out.
“I can think of several uses. Remove those arrays from your frigates and power the ion cannon with a supply of these crystals. Without that weight, you’d have better acceleration, and the ability to turn without over-stressing any arrays. Or just add extra armour, I don’t know. You want other uses? Pre-charged hyperspace drives to get you jumping behind targets like the ancient cores. Relentless EMP blasts to take down entire fleets while keeping their ships intact.”
Khamari sat opposite to the changeling. “If what you say is true, this would weigh heavily in our favour.” Placing the crystal on the table, he slid it across to Obsidian.
The changeling held up a hoof. “Keep the crystal. One of the terms I will set is that you need to learn more about it. Consider this a product sample. Besides, there are plenty of these grown in Equestria, and I can bring you more.”
“When?”
“The crystals typically take about two months on my planet to mature. One year on my planet is about point seven-three standard years, so two months would be … roughly six standard weeks. I can meet you back here with as many crystals as my associate and I can carry.”
“I assume you’d like to name your price. If we can put this first crystal to good use, how would you like to be paid for additional shipments?”
Obsidian wore a malicious grin. “Consider the first batch a loan. I’m in this for the long run, so payment would be your services. Tear down the Equestrian Navy and pierce their hyperspace inhibitor network. Wipe my planet clear of ponies to make way for my kind to rule. I’ll consider your services paid in full once I have my revenge, and you’ll have the bonus of weakening Hiigara by taking out their most powerful ally, while gaining one of your own.”
“We would need a steady supply of crystals to retrofit our ships. How would we grow more?”
“You don’t. Though I’m still in the process of obtaining information on how to grow them myself, that’s just bad business to give away secrets like that. You want more crystals? You’ll have to buy them from us. At least, until you’ve proven to be trustworthy, or you’ve found a way to make the crystals reusable, whichever comes first.”
“What prices would we be looking at, then?”
“Eighty resource units per crystal. Non-negotiable.”
Khamari remained quiet for several seconds. “Per crystal? You do realise I could have a frigate built for ten crystals?”
“Two well-placed hits from an ion cannon would destroy a frigate,” Obsidian explained. “One beam after another, as fast as your crew can change crystals, and your target is down before they can react. Then four more frigates get taken down. All in the span of one minute. One against five, without a scratch. Starting to sound enticing?”
Khamari went silent once more. Obsidian remained still and stared at the blank mask, until the Gaalsien spoke up. “Very well. I accept your terms.”
“Good. Wait six weeks. Once you’re ready to meet, leak some false plans for an imminent Raider attack, referencing coordinates near my planet’s moon. I’ll be watching for reactions from the Equestrian Navy. As soon as I see them scrambling, I’ll meet you here within a week.” Nodding at Sparky, Obsidian rose and made for the exit, with the diamond dog in tow.
“Just one question before you leave,” Khamari called out. “If you’re from the same planet as the ponies, how did you make it onto this station?”
Obsidian turned back to Khamari. The changeling engulfed himself in green flame once again and returned to his disguised state. “I think that should answer your question. Good day.”
“Revealing yourself like that was a risk, Obsidian,” Shadow lectured over the comms, after Obsidian and Sparky found an empty corridor to talk in.
“I know.”
“You could have been shot on sight.”
“I doubt it. The eager and the trigger-happy are the inexperienced. Those Gaalsien were far from it,” Obsidian explained.
Swift spoke next. “Hey, weren’t you just saying earlier on how dumb it would be to use your real name in a disguise? Then you go and pull a stunt like this?”
“Which is why I used a different pattern of holes and markings upon myself,” the changeling clarified.
“Mate, you guys all look the same, no matter what combination of holes you’ve got on you.”
“Then I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Shadow cut in, “Still, I’m glad you made it out of there without any issues. Are you able to track the crystal?”
“Easily. I’ve put enough emotional energy into that thing to attract hoards of ‘lings. If Khamari goes anywhere on this station, I’ll know. I’m just surprised they believed the crystal was some sort of fancy magical battery. I think crystals must be a popular science-fiction trope with them, or something.”
“That, or you’re a good actor,” Shadow suggested.
Obsidian hummed. “Did you notice what he said about the Raiders though?”
“Khamari? What do you mean?”
“When he asked ‘where would the Gaalsien and our Raiders fit in with that plan’. Our Raiders? You don’t think the Gaalsien are leading the Raiders, do you? I thought Raiders just integrated anyone and anything into their society.”
“It might explain why the Raiders have been acting so differently since the Harmony campaign.” Pausing, Shadow added, “Then again, it could also mean those Gaalsien have their own separate group of Raiders under their command. It’s hard to tell from just one word.”
“Perhaps you’re right. Alright, Sparky and I are going to split up and map out as much of the station as we can, then head back to the corvette in a few hours. The more data we can gather, the easier it will be for whoever will capture this place. In the meantime, if Khamari makes a move, I’ll sense it. I’ll keep you updated, Shadow.”
“Are you certain he’ll have the crystal with him?”
“Well it’s either going to be with him, or the other one always sticking close to him. Looks like his bodyguard. I doubt either would be far from the other, and neither would the crystal, if it’s as valuable as they think it is.”
“I hope so. Watch your backs. Shadow out.”
Sparky pulled the corvette door in, until it aligned with the frame. Taking hold of the door’s operating lever, he rotated it up and forward, locking the mechanism in place. The rest of the occupants emerged from the aft section and gathered around Obsidian as he spread out multiple bags around him.
“Oh sweet! Food!” Swift exclaimed, inhaling the aroma of fried goods.
Shift joined in, pulling out a small box from one of the bags. Opening it, he looked at the contents in confusion. “So uhh, any idea what this stuff is?”
Obsidian glanced at the bite-sized, golden-brown chunks. “That would be mine. Unless you feel like trying something similar to chicken nuggets,” he added, watching Shift quickly return the box. “Wait, where’s the second box?”
Behind the changeling, Swift’s eyes went wide, and he froze mid-chew. His face dropped, and he looked down at the small, half-eaten object in his hoof.
“Whatever. Glare, salad for you,” Obsidian distributed a pair of plastic bowls with assorted greens within. “Not sure what kind of plants those are, but it’s definitely a salad of some kind.”
“Thanks.” Glare levitated the bowls closer and opened one. Inspecting the contents, she could see whole green leaves with small red bumps, something purple and grated, and small, tomato-like fruits with watermelon-textured skin. Picking up one of the fruits, Glare turned it around, frowning at the oddity. “Are these are safe to eat?”
“I made sure to try everything first,” Obsidian replied. “Haven’t died yet.”
Giving the fruit a cautious chew, Glare’s face went through a range of expressions, from wary, to contemplative, before finally settling on agreement. “Not bad. A little bitter, but it’s alright.”
“Which begs the questio—” Shadow began, cutting herself off when the diamond dog pulled out a large burrito of meat wrapped in other types of meat. “What is that?”
“The sign at the vendor called it the Aortic Apocalypse,” Obsidian explained. “Solid fried meat core surrounded by grilled meat shavings, tightly wrapped in something like bacon strips. Not sure what the sauce is.”
Glare reeled in disgust. “Ugh, maybe it’s just me speaking as a pony, but that does not sound appetising in the least.”
Obsidian shrugged. “Seemed to be one of the most popular choices there. Looked like one of the cheapest options based on price per kilo.”
“Yes, about that,” Shadow continued. “How did you purchase all of this, Obsidian?”
“I didn’t. Sparky did.”
The zebra narrowed her eyes. “With what money?”
Obsidian grinned. “Well, it certainly wasn’t from that Raider’s wallet in the transport tube now, was it Sparky?”
The diamond dog whistled, putting on an innocent face.
Shadow sighed. “Dealing with most of you makes me glad I never had foals.”
Taking his food, Obsidian moved beside Shadow. “We've got a bit of time now. Let's go over the next stage of the plan …”
“Y’know, I thought a stakeout would’ve been a little more exciting than this,” Shift groaned, swivelling back and forth on the seat at the weapon’s station. “It’s been what? Four hours now?” Tilting his head in the direction of Obsidian reclining in a passenger seat, he added, “Lovebug over there still hasn’t picked up on anything.”
“Hey Shift, how do you feel about another entourage of large birds?” Obsidian responded, not bothering to open his eyes. “I hear they’re partial to a feast of prunes.”
“Buck you, Obsidian. You have any idea how long it took us to get that stuff out of our manes?”
Shadow cut in before the pair could escalate their argument, “What did you expect a stakeout to be, Shift? We wait, and observe discreetly.”
“Yeah, but I thought it would be like half an hour, tops.”
“Where’s that deck of cards I gave you?”
Shift shrugged. “Probably in ashes somewhere in that crater we crashed in.”
Obsidian’s eyes opened. “Shadow. Khamari’s on the move.”
“Secure the cabin and ready your BPSes,” Shadow ordered, tightening her harness. “Where is he heading, Obsidian?”
“Not sure yet. I won’t be able to pinpoint his location though. I’m no sensor array on hooves, but if he’s leaving the station, we’ll know it.”
Shadow ran through her startup checklists. “Keep searching,” she called back. “The rest of you, once you’ve got everything secured, strap in. We may have to leave at a moment’s notice if Khamari boards a ship with a hyperdrive.”
Obsidian moved up towards the pilots’ seats and pointed at a section of the installation. “Shadow, do you remember what was behind that structure over here? Tubes, right? He’s definitely going somewhere.”
“Just let me know if you need me to re-position.”
“Not yet. If we’re going to do what I think we’re going to do, we might want to minimise our time loitering near the station.”
“We may have to risk it if it means reaching him in time.”
Obsidian continued monitoring the situation. The changeling’s head remained fixated on Khamari’s general location, tracking him as he moved through the installation’s transportation system. Waiting for confirmation, he eventually spoke up again. “He’s on the ring. Heading towards one of the Vindicators.”
Shadow looked at Obsidian. “Are you certain? There’s a lot of other ships docked around it.”
“Can’t be sure, no. Just a reasonable assumption based on his perceived status. He’d likely board one of them, instead of the surrounding Daggers. Give me another five minutes or so, and I should be able to determine which specific ship he’ll head towards.”
“We might not have to wait that long.” Pointing to one of the larger vessels, she added, “Looks like that Vindicator is powering up.”
“Hey Glare?” Obsidian raised his voice.
“Hmm?”
“How close do you need us to be for you to teleport us into that ship?”
“Assuming the layout is the same as the ones we’ve been in before … I’d say two hundred metres. I could probably push that to two hundred and fifty.”
“Get us in range,” Obsidian ordered the zebra. “Just fly past and look innocent until I call you back. Glare, you’re with me. You too, Sparky. Keep the Raider armour on.”
“What about us?” Shift spoke up. “If you’re doing what I assume is some dash and grab, we’re not letting you fellas have all the fun!”
“I’ll need you two waiting here for our return, with weapons at the ready.”
“Stuck with the boring stuff again,” Swift muttered.
“Decoupling … now,” Shadow announced, as their vessel jolted away from the station.
Remembering something, Obsidian lit up his horn. “Oh, you might need this, Glare.”
“Need wha—ahh,” Glare gasped, unprepared for a stream of energy from the changeling. “What was that for?”
“If you need to shield us, fire off a glyph.”
“Aren’t you worried I’ll burn you both again?”
Obsidian shrugged. “Better you than a pulsar round.”
“Right, right.”
The corvette continued along its heading in the general direction of their target, and made a final course correction to overfly the Vindicator. Monitoring the distance remaining, Shadow called back into the cabin, “We’re coming into range, Glare. Few more seconds.”
“I’m ready.”
“Now’s the time, Glare! Go!”
The unicorn released her spell, leaving three yellow flashes where she, Obsidian, and Sparky stood.
Emerging in a corridor aboard the Vindicator, the first thing Obsidian saw was the surprised expression of a lone Raider. Immediately, Obsidian extended his wings and went for the Raider’s neck. He barely managed to move forward, before something tugged his tail and kept him stationary.
The Raider reached for the pulsar by his side, freezing as Sparky appeared beside him. Swiping the rifle out of the Raider’s hands with a paw, the diamond dog snapped the weapon in two, before picking the hapless victim up by the face with his other paw, and tossing him into a nearby wall.
A door opened behind Sparky, and Glare stumbled out. “Alright, perhaps two hundred and fifty metres was an overestimation of my abilit—oh. You two okay?”
Obsidian nodded. “Thanks to Sparky. I think I’m stuck though.”
Looking at Obsidian’s tail, Glare could see where the end fused seamlessly into a support structure. “I’m so sorry. I’m definitely not trying that again.”
“Not the first time my tail got stuck in something,” Obsidian replied, flicking a wing blade at his tail. Free, he glanced at the small piece of his tail that protruded from the wall, before turning to the others. “Alright, we’re going to wait here for a few minutes and see where Khamari decides to go. In the meantime, we need to find a place to hide that body.”
Obsidian read the time off his VMUI. “Alright, I don’t think we should wait much longer. Last thing we want is to get trapped aboard in hyperspace. Sparky, you smell anything? Good. Let’s move.”
Obsidian squeezed out from a restroom, followed by Glare. Sparky emerged last, slipping his helmet back on and clicking it into place. After Obsidian recreated his Raider disguise, he set off with the others in tow.
Moving through a couple of decks, Obsidian remained on the lookout for security cameras, discretely signalling Glare and Sparky to hold position wherever needed. The disguised changeling continued until he found a safe position outside each camera’s field of vision, before signalling Glare to teleport herself and Sparky to his location.
While going by several compartments, Obsidian doubled back after passing an open storage compartment, sighting tall shelving filled with crates. Glare narrowly avoided bumping into the changeling, confused at the sudden stop. “Something wrong?”
“No, I just got an idea,” Obsidian remarked, as he approached a small flatbed trolley. Turning his head towards the nearest crate, he called Sparky over. “Hey, help me empty this crate. This looks like Glare’s size.”
Glare tilted her head. “Do I even want to know?”
“We’ll move faster if we can hide you in one of these,” Obsidian explained, while he and Sparky dumped multiple identical boxes of power tools out from the crate. After the pair lifted the open crate onto the trolley, he gestured for Glare to climb in.
“Seriously? Fine.” Approaching the crate, Glare lifted a screw from the ground and offered it to the changeling. “Stick this on the edge. I want to see what’s going on around me.”
Obsidian shrugged, watching Glare climb into the thick plastic container. “Sure.” Swinging the lid closed, he wedged the screw in place, adjusting it until it was impossible to notice the eyes within. Satisfied, he turned to the diamond dog. “Alright Sparky. She’s all yours.”
Taking hold of the handles, Sparky wheeled Glare out, following Obsidian. Selecting a longer route through the light cruiser, the three moved unimpeded, descending to the correct deck via a service elevator, before closing the final hundred metres to the command centre. As they got within sight, Obsidian identified two guards to either side of the command centre’s entrance.
With no other entrance apparent, Obsidian and Sparky approached, each coming to a stop in front of a guard. “Hey,” Obsidian started, using his Raider voice. He slapped the lid of the crate. “Either of you know who asked for the solar cannon?”
“The hell’s a solar cannon?” the nearest guard asked, moving towards the crate. He had not taken more than a couple of steps before Obsidian’s wing blades made short work of him. The second guard barely had time to react, with Sparky delivering a single jab to the side of his jaw, causing him to keel over. Obsidian moved towards the second guard, ensuring the Raider never regained consciousness.
Obsidian tapped the crate a couple of times. “Alright, Glare. It’s time.” After the unicorn climbed out, Obsidian turned to Sparky. “You ready?”
The diamond dog picked up one of the guards’ pulsar rifles. After checking for sufficient ammunition, he held it in his left paw, while his own pulsar remained in his right. Nodding, Sparky waited for the changeling to proceed.
Sighting a retinal scanner beside the door, Obsidian lifted one of the bodies, and held one of their eyes open long enough for the system to register. After a click, he dropped the body, as the adjacent slab of metal slid away, revealing a large, square room. Half-way to the centre of the room, a wide, square trench surrounded the middle, where a single seat was located.
Obsidian counted seven crew at or near various stations and consoles in the trench, half of whom wore Gaalsien attire, though the centre seat remained unoccupied. “All of you! Hands where I can see them!” he shouted, aiming his carbine at one of the crew. Sparky followed suit, pointing each weapon at different crew. After closing the door behind them, Glare too, aimed her carbine at another, while one of the outside guards’ rifles floated beside her.
None of the command crew uttered a word, complying with Obsidian’s order. Looking around, he could not differentiate between the Gaalsien crew. “Khamari! Step forward.”
The Gaalsien crew looked around at each other, before the furthest one walked towards the three. “I had a feeling this crystal nonsense might have been too good to be true,” he started, making his way up the few steps to Obsidian’s level.
“That’s close enough. On the ground,” Obsidian ordered, his pulsar aimed at the chest. “Hands behind your head.”
A brief pause followed, and the Gaalsien dropped slowly to his knees. Turning his head to one side, he laid prone, placing his hands behind his head. “I hope you’re not planning on commandeering this vessel.”
“Shut up. Glare, get—” Obsidian was cut off, when Sparky elbowed him. Looking up at the diamond dog, Sparky sniffed, and shook his head, before looking towards the other Gaalsien crew. Pointing his pulsar at the remaining crew, he raised his voice. “Where is the real Khamari?”
Another stepped forward. Without uttering a single word, he copied the other Gaalsien, and laid down on the ground beside the first one. Again, Sparky shook his head.
“I’ll give you one more chance, Khamari,” Obsidian shouted. “Either you step forward, or I start vaporising random limbs.”
“That will not be necessary,” another Gaalsien spoke up. Approaching, he came to a halt behind the pair on the ground.
Obsidian gave Sparky a sidelong glance. When the diamond dog nodded, he pointed his pulsar down, just in front of him. “Here. Move. You’re coming with us.”
“Careful now,” Khamari started. “I don’t know how you boarded my vessel, but I doubt my crew will take kindly to me being escorted off by you three.” Turning his head towards Glare, he added, “Especially you.”
“I don’t want to hear you say another word. Now, on the ground.”
Khamari did so. “How do you plan on—”
“I said, shut up,” Obsidian barked. Opening comms, he lowered his voice. “Shadow. Sixty seconds.”
“Understood, Obsidian,” Shadow replied through the changeling’s earpiece. “Check your VMUI for my position.”
“Glare, you got the details? Do it.”
In a flash, Glare, Obsidian, Sparky, and Khamari disappeared from the command centre in a flash. A small object remained behind, falling to the ground, while a thirty-second countdown ticked away on its face.
Flashing into existence near their original insertion point, the team looked around, finding the corridor empty. A few seconds later, alarms blared across the ship. Discarding his second firearm, Sparky patted Khamari down for any concealed weapons, then slung him over his shoulder, while keeping his other rifle aimed down one end of the vessel. Obsidian faced the opposite direction, while Glare’s eyes darted between her surroundings, and her VMUI indicating Shadow’s location.
“Thirty seconds,” the zebra announced, shortly before a massive rumble shook the Vindicator’s core, almost throwing everyone off-balance.
Sighting a distant Raider stumbling, Obsidian whispered, “Contacts. Three—make that four Raiders.” Scanning the area, he found no suitable cover, and additional Raiders approaching from the opposite end. “Glare, we may need that shield.”
“Are you—AAH, buck!” Glare screamed, as a pulsar round narrowly missed her. Wasting no time, the unicorn released an orb at the centre of the group, causing the bright, pulsating barrier to materialise.
Khamari groaned. Sparky tensed up. Obsidian gritted his teeth. Everyone except Glare felt the effects of the spell’s heat. Outside, the occasional pulsar blast turned into an ion hailstorm, as the Raiders attempted to break through.
Shadow updated the group. “Five seconds.”
Glare lit up her horn and finished the countdown. As the group disappeared, another small package remained behind. Back aboard the Thief, Swift and Shift pointed their carbines at the Gaalsien as Sparky secured him to one of the seats. He and the others proceeded to secure themselves to the other available seats.
Obsidian took the seat closest to Khamari, keeping his weapon pointed at the Gaalsien. Giving his harness one final tug, he shouted, “Shadow, we’re secured. Get us out of here!”
The zebra chuckled. “Who’s ordering who around here? Anyway, I won’t rush it. No one knows we did anything, and going full burn now that you’ve crippled that vessel will just draw attention to us,” she explained, adjusting her course to enter the asteroid cluster. “With any luck, we’ll be able to use the asteroids as cover until we return to Amarok.”
“Well, you fellas have definitely stirred up the nest,” Swift commented, watching the numerous symbols zip about on a sensors screen. “I see fighters and corvettes flying about like a bunch of pissed off yellowjackets. Too bad you three didn’t blow up a few ships while you were back there.”
“Shift, there are innocent lives there, too,” Glare interrupted. “The risk would be too great.”
“Then here’s hoping we come back, save some poor, defenceless civvies, and finish the job properly,” Shift mocked callously.
At the pilot’s seat, Shadow was busy setting the corvette’s comms. “Amarok, recon alpha inbound to position delta. ETA, fifteen minutes.”
“Copied, alpha, we have you on sensors. Be advised, you have seven Rock Rats on an intercept course.”
Shadow sighed. “Brilliant. Which of you is at the weapon’s station?” she called behind her.
“That’ll be me,” Swift answered.
“You wanted something fun? You got it. Wait for them to fire first, then take them down.”
“With pleasure, ma’am!”
As soon as the interceptors approached weapon’s range, they each altered course slightly. Rather than opening fire, they surrounded the corvette, with one flying above and below, and the rest surrounding the ship at five points horizontally.
“What are they up to?” Shift wondered. He turned to Khamari. “Hey, gas mask! What’s all this?”
“You’re a lone Thief-type vessel, heading away from the scene of sabotage, on a course out to nowhere,” Khamari explained. “You don’t think that would raise some questions? At best, they’d think you’re a deserter, fleeing from danger. At worst, they’d suspect you of capturing one of their own.”
“How would they know you’re still alive?”
“Because the command crew had thirty seconds to sound the alarm aboard the Vindicator,” Obsidian cut in.
“I’m confident they will contact you momentarily,” Khamari remarked, his voice showing no signs of concern.
As if on queue, Shadow picked up a voice on a general broadcast. “To the Thief currently surrounded, return to Silicon Oasis immediately, or you will be fired upon.”
Swift turned to Obsidian. “Doesn’t sound like they know he’s on board, if they’re threatening to shoot us down.”
“Or perhaps they are aware of my presence. If I’m captured for interrogation, there’s a risk I’d divulge important information,” Khamari reasoned. “Can’t have that now, can we?”
The voice returned. “I repeat, return to—”
…
“Odd,” Shadow remarked, pushing various buttons on the comms system. “Did our comms just die?”
“Hey, weren’t there seven interceptors around us?” Swift called out. “I’m only counting six. No, wait, now it’s five.”
Off the port side, Shadow caught a glimpse of two other interceptors stopping with such force, as if they had flown into an invisible wall. She barely had enough time to see how they collapsed upon themselves, crushed like cans, before passing them by. Another two on the other side met with the same fate, leaving one final interceptor directly ahead.
“Swift, take that ship out!” Shadow ordered.
A couple of low-pitched whirrs caused the vessel to vibrate, as the side-mounded turrets locked onto the interceptor. Tracking the target as it performed evasive manoeuvres, Swift held fire, waiting for a steady flight-path.
“I hope you have hearing protection,” Khamari commented, placing a hand over each ear.
“Why is th—AAAAH!” Shift yelled, over two booms that shook the corvette. He and every other occupant jumped, covering their ears too late. “Arrgh, Swift! The buck did you do?”
“What?” Swift yelled back over the ringing in his ears.
“What. The buck. Did you do?”
Khamari folded his arms, his modulated voice taking on an amused tone. “You’ve never been inside one of these vessels when they fire, I take it?”
“My first, and hopefully last time,” the pegasus replied loudly. “Swift, tell me you got the bloody mongrel at least.”
“Nah, but something’s spewing out from the belly of the ship. Must’ve hit him. Looks like he’s retreating, but I think I can take him out before he’s outta range.”
“No!” Glare cried out. “We’re not under attack anymore. That’s good enough. I don’t want to lose my hearing over one ship!”
“She’s right, Swift. Hold your fire,” Shadow ordered. Returning her attention to her course, she opened comms. “Amarok, I take it that was your doing?”
“Empty torpedoes, Commander,” a proud Quasar replied. “Lieutenant Sabre is a genius and an artist. We’re standing by at delta. We’ll have you off that ship before the next wave of Raiders gets to you.”
Cutting her engines, Shadow flipped the Thief in the opposite direction, before returning to full burn. As the occupants felt the strain of rapid deceleration, Shadow monitored her velocity, until it matched Amarok’s, easing up on the throttle, until the engines cut out smoothly. Blue light immediately flooded the cabin, as the insertion beam melted through the floor. Without hesitation, everyone rushed through, with Shadow pulling Khamari in with him.
Eclipse greeted the seven with a pair of armed guards. The unicorns flanking the officer levitated their rifles and aimed at Khamari. Moving to a nearby seat, the officer tapped on the hoofrest screen, and leaned in. “Captain, the Infiltrators have returned.”
“Thank you, Commander,” Quasar replied. A moment later, his voice returned across the entire ship. “This is the Captain. Hyperspace jump in thirty seconds.”
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Nice, loved the first one way back when didn't notice this this sequel, will start on it this week.
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Darn it! And here I was hoping to be the first to comment!
Gonna be reading the first one here soon though...
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Sorry, I will be back to you ASAP with with my actual comment. Love Sci-fi ponies
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All good, mate! Happy reading!
Well I have read the first ten chapters of the story, and while I am exactly all too interested in a story that focuses on pre-reformed changelings, I think the story is very interesting so far. I can pretty much say that the quality of the writing of the writing is a massive step up from the original story that you wrote, which while interesting, wasn't all that well written in the character development department. So far, I do really do like of you managed to describe all the different equipment and their functions along with protocols and procedures in a well explicative manner while managing to put a lot of interesting character dynamic and the theme of the story is so far interesting. I don find it interesting of prejudice against the main character is presented and how he doesn't really put in any really effort to get along with other by striking back and such which really doesn't put him in the best of light, which helps to show that he still has a lot of character growth to go through, which makes the story that much more interesting to me. I would like to see his negative assertions on ponies be challenged and having him confront his bias thoughts against the ponies put them into question, I would live to see how he would react if a new member of the crew turned out to be a reform changeling and see hall his trenches Changeling being victims to be washed away and to show confront him with the naked truth of his own racism. Also like the mystery that you are starting to build up with the derelict ship in orbit, I wonder what it will lead to.
By the why how do you do your research in your source material to explain how a space ship work? I would like to know because I would like to write my own Sci-fi story with mechas in it. Any advice you can throw my way would help a lot.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of that story.
PS here is some of my own work if you want to take a look
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/dbc34067-fa60-4cfe-90b4-3355a7495a46/daga9qj-63e1061a-c36a-41a8-b62c-31d623f16076.png/v1/fill/w_1017,h_786,q_70,strp/stride_mk_3_by_amalgamzaku_daga9qj-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTIzNyIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2RiYzM0MDY3LWZhNjAtNGNmZS05MGI0LTMzNTVhNzQ5NWE0NlwvZGFnYTlxai02M2UxMDYxYS1jMzZhLTQxYTgtYjYyYy0zMWQ2MjNmMTYwNzYucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTE2MDAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.XWhbsT5skqKnTulwnSyMPpEfgbDDK7FzAq7O0WJ4QVo
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/dbc34067-fa60-4cfe-90b4-3355a7495a46/dd1ae81-5aacb0b6-4683-4070-9c12-06bfad55a9bf.png/v1/fill/w_1017,h_786,q_70,strp/new_general_purpose_mecha_design_by_amalgamzaku_dd1ae81-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9OTkwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvZGJjMzQwNjctZmE2MC00Y2ZlLTkwYjQtMzM1NWE3NDk1YTQ2XC9kZDFhZTgxLTVhYWNiMGI2LTQ2ODMtNDA3MC05YzEyLTA2YmZhZDU1YTliZi5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.5tT36SW7qd4oxnO3bTLSp4y96nLOSNSsZZAtWLduQDU
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Actually, that large gap between the first couple of chapters, and the rest was a result of me going back to the original story and realising just how badly it was written, so I rewrote the whole thing. Story still the same, but I think I managed to catch all the grammatical errors and make the whole thing a little easier to read. Was rather embarrassing to see how many errors slipped past me, even when I had a pre-reader back then. Figured at least a few people might read it, considering this one is a sequel, so a bit of a fix up was in order.
Regarding how I do my research, it depends. For the original story, I wrote things in a way that matched the Homeworld universe as much as possible, including one of the big scientific inaccuracies of 'drag in space'. This time around, I tried to write it closer to how physics would actually work. For anything I've written where numbers come into play, I had to either recall my physics knowledge, or do some research to figure out how to calculate it, because I wanted it to be something accurate, rather than arbitrary numbers. Otherwise, if it's research on lore that you're referring to, I think that's the harder part, since information on the universe is so fragmented. Where there's no canon information, I'd use data from fan materials, before coming up with my own. The reason for prioritising other fan data over something I'd come up with is to try and make something more consistent, as one of the things I'm trying to weave here and there in this story is a fictional language.
I am approaching the end of all the chapters that have been written from my backups now, so the rate at which new chapters will be released is going to drop dramatically. Holiday leave has ended, so that will further compound the issue, I'm afraid. I'll still try my best to get things finished, as I hate to leave things half-done, but work and studies are a nightmare.
I appreciate your feedback, by the way. I'm happy if even one person would be satisfied with the story. I'm just hoping that the character development isn't stretched too far out, as I know it's rather slow.