Cryo-7

by Metal Pony Fan

Shouldn't Grass be Greener on the Other Side?

"That should just about do it." Radio Dancer ran his scanner over the freshly micro-stitched wound. "So, what should I call you? Astral's the captain, so doesn't that make you the first officer or something? How about commander? Vice-captain? Ooh, I know! Number one, like Riker off of that old human show, Star Trek? Though, you and Astral are a little more Spock and Kirk, but with anger issues."

"Just use my name." Twilight sat up and stretched. They had converted the shuttle's kitchen table into a makeshift exam table by lowering it halfway to its storage position and strapping a bunk mattress to it. An array of medical instruments were arrayed before her, all clean, shiny, and well-maintained. The trip from Furia to Sevus Orbit gave Radio the opportunity to give her a checkup and repair the cuts and scratches of her recent misadventures. Most of them were already healed, but he gave the ones that remained a helping hoof, especially the cut on her face. There was just one injury he hadn't quite fixed yet. She brought a hoof to her ear. She still had the nick from when Astral's pistol exploded. "Twi works too, if you want to shorten it."

Radio clicked his tongue. "You got it, egghead." Twilight's eyes widened, and Radio started chuckling. "My mom said that was her nickname for you, called you that in all her stories. If you don't mind, I'll use it too." With his wing, he pulled the unicorn's hoof away from her ear. "Quit playing with that. I couldn't completely fix it with the equipment I have because the tissue is just plain gone, but I did heal the edges. They're still a little ragged though, so messing with them might cause some irritation."

Twilight flicked her ear as she forced her hoof to remain on the mat. "It itches."

"No it doesn't," Radio countered.

"Yes it does." Twilight's ear twitched. "Shouldn't the patient tell you how they feel instead of the other way around?"

He held up one of his medical instruments as if in evidence. "I anaesthetized the entire area before stimulating the tissue growth. You can't feel anything from that spot, you just think you can because it's different from before, and you know it."

Twilight stared at him and flicked her ear again. "It still itches."

With a groan, Radio picked up a different tool, one with a chromed ball on the end, and ran it over her ear. "See? Nerve responses are at..." He blinked at the device's readout. "One hundred percent?" He ran the device back over to confirm the reading. "Huh, that shouldn't have worn off so quickly. One of these days, you need to have a full physiological scan done. Like us, my family, you aren't a normal pony, so you may have different medical needs. For now, I’ll use my own dosage requirements as a baseline and err on the side of caution."

"Sounds good." Twilight caught her hoof as it started towards her ear. "But can you do anything about the itch?"

Radio sighed and motioned for her to lower her head. He checked the ear carefully, then gestured for her to sit back up. "It's healed, for the most part, but there's no scar tissue yet. That's good, since it will make the cosmetic surgery easier when I get the proper equipment, but the tradeoff is that it might itch."

"Might?" Twilight asked sarcastically. "It itches now. And what are you talking about, cosmetic surgery?"

The Pegasus nudged one of his instruments. "With this and some nutrient gel, I can make the tissue regrow, but I wouldn't have the control necessary to keep it from scarring. If you can live with itching for a while, as soon as I have access to a real medical bay, I can make it look like the injury never happened."

Twilight brought her hoof to her ear again, feeling the edges of the wound. "I can't afford to be distracted by this, and I don't care about the scar. Regenerate the tissue, or just clean up the edges, do whatever you think best, but fix it before we land."

"Yes, ma'am." Radio went to the bunk for his second bag of medical gear. "Lay back down, and put your good ear against the mat." He dug out a laser scalpel, bottle of disinfectant, and some gauze. "Fair warning though, this might hurt a bit."

---

Astral tapped his hooves together as he reclined in the pilot's chair. Several minutes had passed since they entered the system, and he was ready to land the shuttle. A quick scan of the planet indicated that the coordinates he remembered still seemed to indicate a landing pad at the center of the planet's largest settlement.

"At least they haven't torn it down yet," Astral muttered to himself. Given his send off all those years ago, he would have thought that to be high on their list of priorities. They could land there, but whether or not they could expect a peaceful welcome was another matter.

Supposedly, Sevus would welcome all who wish to, "embrace the ways of the land." Or so their old leader used to say. If that was still true, they should be able to open up a peaceful dialogue long enough to ask about previous visitors. The denizens of Sevus would probably try to run them off once it became clear that they wouldn't stay, so they had to make sure to get the information they need before that.

Astral slowly rolled out of the chair. Weren't they done yet? The exam could have been done earlier, but Radio had insisted on hearing the story of Equestria from Twilight's point of view. Unsurprisingly, he was especially interested in tales of his mother's heroics. He even asked Twilight to repeat the one about Rainbow Dash being responsible for everyone earning their cutie marks about a dozen times.

The bored unicorn headed into the middle compartment for a drink, getting a glass of water from the dispenser built into the first chair. He wasn't going to rush them. Twilight should have seen to her injuries back on Canterlot, and he wanted everyone at their best from here on out.

As he lifted the cold metal cup to his lips, the door to the back slid open. He lowered the cup with a sigh. "Great timing." He stuck the full cup back in the recycler. "Are we ready to land now?"

"Yeah," Radio said curtly as he pushed his way to the front. "We're good this time." The colt huffed as he jumped into the copilot's seat and kicked back, crossing his hooves and staring out the viewport. "You better do something about her though. Or one of these days, she'll do something really stupid, and I won't be able to fix it."

Astral slowly walked into the back, watching the colt fume. He knocked on the open doorway. "Twi?" The alicorn was standing next to the exam table, busying herself with digging through her duffel bag. "What did you do?"

"She grabbed the scalpel!" Radio answered for her, shouting back from the cockpit. "She's lucky I was using the laser and not a steel one. If it weren't for the safety, I could have cut her entire ear off!"

Twilight looked up and Astral saw it immediately. Her left ear had a large "V" shape notch taken out of it. It was a bit less than a fourth of the way through her ear, but it was noticeable. "Twilight, why would you do that?"

The purple mare pawed at her ear, trying to hide it. Then, she went back to searching her back. "It was taking too long," she said quietly.

"Surgery takes time!" Radio shouted from the front. "If you don't like that, learn to live with scars."

Twilight's hoof went to her ear again.

"Hey!" Astral matched the colt's volume. "Let's calm down, ok?" Shaking his head, the unicorn gently pulled Twilight's hoof away. "Twi," he said quietly, insistently, "explain this to me."

"There's nothing to explain." The alicorn zipped the bag up without removing anything and stuffed it on the top bunk. "It's over. Radio fixed the damage, it doesn't hurt, we're good to go." She started walking to the front. As she passed Astral in the doorway, she added, "Land the shuttle."

Astral didn't move from the doorway. "No."

Twilight spun around. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." Astral leaned against the doorframe. "I'm the captain, and I decide when we land."

Twilight glared at his backside for a moment, then raised her head and barked out the order, "Computer, initiate automated landing sequence."

She was answered by a buzzer. "Unable to initiate automated navigation services."

The alicorn's eyebrows pulled together as she tried again. "Computer! Initiate the automated landing sequence!"

Again, a buzzer. "Unable to initiate automated navigation services. Please confirm the presence of type T civilian navigation markers. If problem persists, please contact an authorized service center for diagnostics and repairs."

Twilight stamped a hoof on the floor. "Computer! Run a self diagnostic!"

A series of chirps was followed by completion chime. "Diagnostic complete. Damage detected in passenger entertainment unit three. Unable to self repair. Please contact an authorized service center for diagnostics and repairs. Unidentified organic residue detected on starboard wall panels. Scans indicate substance is not harmful. High levels of sugars detected. Immediate cleaning is recommended. A list of approved cleaning materials can be accessed via the main control panel under care and cleaning. Mildly elevated allergen levels detected in atmospheric vents and filters. Purging recommended, but not necessary. Instructions on this process can be accessed via the main control panel under routine user maintenance. No other damage detected."

Twilight grit her teeth and looked over at Astral. "Turn around," she growled.

Astral glanced back and leaned more of his weight against the doorframe. He then yawned as he looked away from her.

Twilight went up and slapped him across the flank. "Look at me!"

He snorted.

With a grunted shout, Twilight went back into the rear compartment and planted herself in front of Astral. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Nothing." Astral met her eyes as she glared at him. "That automatic landing? It requires a signal to navigate by. A planet that rejects technology isn't going to keep up a complex system of navigation buoys. If you want to land here, you need a pilot that can navigate and land, unassisted, on possibly irregular terrain. In other words, me. This is the whole reason you brought me along."

"Then land the damn ship!" Twilight screamed, stomping her hoof.

Astral grabbed her by the ear, the left one, the one with the notch, and pulled her closer to him. "Not until you explain this," he said quietly, "that's an order."

His hoof was quickly swatted away. "Somepony from Ponyville, one of my friends, might be down there. We have to find them. You might not care, but I do, and you promised to help. Land the ship."

"You're right." Astral sat down. "Somepony might be down there. We can't be sure. But even if that are, they've been there for half a century. A few minutes don't matter." He pointed at her ear. "And mutilating yourself doesn't help them any!"

Twilight recoiled, as if physically hit by his words. "I..." She folded her her down with her hoof. "I wasn't trying to..."

Astral sighed. "Twi, look. I've never been responsible for anypony but myself before, not unless you count cargo. I can't possibly understand what you're going through, but letting your feelings take over will lead you to make mistakes. You aren't alone in this, but you need to listen to the ponies around you. And, you need to trust us."

She stared at the floor and nodded. "I'll try."

Astral lifted her chin. "You have to do more than try. You're lucky it wasn't worse, but luck runs out. Trust us."

Twilight nodded again. "I will."

Astral lowered his hoof, but Twilight's head didn't follow. "Thanks. I'll go land the ship, so strap in." He turned and headed to the front pausing for a moment to look back. "You know, it doesn't look all that bad. It kind of suits you, gives you that rough and tumble look. Kinda cute actually."

Twilight didn't respond beyond a weak smile, so Astral continued heading to the front. Once he was in the cockpit, he silently sat down in the pilot's chair.

Radio was spinning his chair back and forth in half turns, kicking his hooves against the wall and a steel storage bin bolted under the control panel. "Don't you think that was kind of harsh, dude? You almost made her cry."

Astral glanced over at the colt but didn't say anything. He then looked back at his control panel and tapped the control for the door. The door hissed shut, and Astral hit the control that locked it. "Harsh?!" he shouted at the Pegasus. "You think that was harsh?" Astral grabbed the arm of Radio's chair. "That was nothing compared to what I've got in store for you!"

Radio's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Wha-"

Astral jabbed a hoof in the colt's chest, digging into the cyan fur. "You called yourself a doctor, so did your father, but you sure don't act like one. I don't care if a patient does something stupid, you can't get all hissy and throw a fit about it. If you're going to keep acting as our medical officer, you need to grow up."

Radio tried pull away from the hoof uncomfortably planted in his ribs, but only managed to undo the recliner lock on his seat. His chair snapped back to its normal position, pressing Astral's hoof harder into him. Radio pushed the hoof away. "Chill out, dude. It's-"

"No!" Astral pointed a hoof at the colt's face, making him pull his head back to avoid getting his nose smushed. "From now on, it's captain, or sir. Understand?"

The colt turned his head. "Yeah, I-"

Astral grabbed the colt's head and turned him back face to face. "What was that?"

"Yes, sir!" The colt squirmed, pulling his head free. "Sheesh! What is your problem?"

"My problem?" Astral sat down in his chair. "Radio, who had the most authority at that military base you served at?"

"What?" The bewildered colt shook his head at the sudden change of subject. "General Cube, duh. He was the base commander."

Astral crossed his hooves. "How about a military ship? Who's in charge there?"

"The captain!" Radio kicked the storage bin. "What does any of this have to do with anything?"

"Last question." Astral frowned at the dent Radio left in the under-console fixture. He was going to make the colt fix that. "Who has the most authority on a civilian ship? With a civilian crew?"

Radio rolled his eyes. "Just making a wild guess here. But, the captain?"

"Wrong." Astral turned his attention to the control panel. Even in this remote system, there was a subnet signal. He would be able to connect to the Canterlot Public Archives. "It's you. The medical officer, ship's doctor, chief medic, however you want to say it, you have final say over almost everything that happens. Your job is to keep the crew alive. Say we landed on some strange new planet, and I go to open the hatch, but you don't think it's safe. It's your responsibility to stop me."

Astral hit a few controls and a hologram popped up in front of Radio, a news article dated several years ago. "Tragedy Strikes Convoy. Dozens Dead, Hundreds in Critical Condition."

"This is what happens when a medical officer fails." Astral started scrolling through the pictures included with the article. Ponies with flesh sloughed off, like it was burned by acid, lay on hospital beds. Some appeared to have their skin intact, but their bodies were twisted as if the bones beneath were bent and twisted like wire. "Unknown Cargo, unknown source, and an unknown virus." The next picture showed a thick spectacled unicorn standing behind a forcefield. "This was the medical officer for the convoy's lead ship. He said he scanned the cargo, pronounced it safe. The investigation showed that his scanner's log only contained a basic preliminary scan pattern. He cut corners instead of taking the time for a full scan."

Astral continued to flip through the pictures until Radio stopped him. "Hey, wait, that's you!" The Pegasus took control of the display, deftly manipulating the copilot's controls with a wingtip. He scrolled through the picture's accompanying text. "This can't be right. Astral Plane, age fourteen, was the only crew member lucky enough to escape any ill effects from the virus health officials are dubbing Shikoraje." Radio looked up at the unicorn. "Shikoraje is one hundred percent fatal at that age. It attacks cells as they regenerate, either in the skin or marrow. Ponies that are still developing are hit much worse than adults, who still suffer a thirty-five percent mortality rate. You shouldn't be alive."

Astral nodded slowly. "Shikoraje means, 'convoy of death,' in an ancient Skolan dialect. The doctor who named it was referring to our convoy, not the virus, but the name stuck." Astral skipped a few pictures ahead, to another one of him, from a wider angle, showing what he was wearing. "This is how I survived, a spacesuit. I wore it the whole time I was part of the convoy, did it to hide my age. A teenaged freelancer, working alone, wouldn't be taken seriously, and the other crews taking part in the convoy would have tried to negotiate my pay into their pockets. And that's only if they didn't try to take my ship. A mysterious loner, who keeps to himself and never shows his face, commands a little more fear and respect."

Radio suddenly shuddered. He just realized... "You watched them die."

Astral shook his head. "No. I was just a colt. When things got bad, I ran and hid, locked myself in a storage bay. I stayed there until the rescue teams found me. By then, it was all over. The medic was in custody pending an investigation, and the survivors were receiving treatment."

"Why would they lock him up?" The Pegasus asked. "They couldn't have known about the scans until after they investigated, and he had to have been in pretty bad shape by the time they got to him. How did they even know it was him?"

"He was immune." Astral shrugged. "It's funny how things work sometimes. Their first assumption was that he created the virus, and was testing it on the convoy. His blood work even provided the means to immunize against the disease."

Radio stared at the display. This whole situation was messed up. He looked over at Astral as the unicorn watched a short video embedded in the article. This wasn't just some news article to this stallion, it was a piece of his past. "But, he didn't create it, did he?"

Astral shook his head. "Who knows? He may have just messed up, or he may have maliciously attacked his own convoy, there's no way to be sure." He clicked the display off and reclined in his chair, laying the back of his hoof over his eyes like he was trying to block something from sight. "I don't know if it was pressure got to him, or guilt, but he cracked during his imprisonment. Broke out one day, babbling on about how they already decided he was guilty. He took a hostage, held a scalpel to his neck, and died on the same scalpel when the hostage fought back." Astral let his hoof fall, deciding that it would be impossible to block out the image. "Damn, those things are sharp. I just wanted to get away, I didn't know it cut so easily."

Radio cringed. He did know how easily a properly sharpened scalpel would cut, and how badly it could damage somepony if used as a weapon. "You were the hostage." The Pegasus stared at the console. Killing somepony at that age, even if it was by accident, had to leave some mental scars. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I've already talked about the past for too long." Astral let his head roll to the side to look at Radio. "We need to talk about the future, the future of this mission. From everything I've heard, you're a talented kid. But that's not going to cut it anymore. I need you to be somepony I can count on, a stallion who isn't going to cut corners and get us all killed. If that isn't you, tell me now, and I'll drop you off on Canter Delta with your sister and find somepony else. You can become a regular doctor at a nice quiet clinic somewhere, complete with steady pay and a retirement." The unicorn straightened up, waiting a moment for his words to sink in. "So? What's it gonna be?"

"I..." The Pegasus shook his head. "I don't know."

"That's a surprise, I was expecting you to be a bit more brash about being challenged."

"If it was anypony else, I would be. But, you know what I've gone through, you've gone through it yourself. So I'll be honest with you." Radio crossed his hooves over his stomach. "I'm scared. Not of this little backwater, but the next one. I still have nightmares about that hydra, and we're going to their home planet? How the hell is anypony supposed to rely on me? I'll be curled up in a corner, pissing myself in fear."

"Then we'll just have one more thing in common." Astral sighed quietly. "Remember, I locked myself in a closet on that convoy. I was in there for three days. Sometimes, being scared is the only thing that keeps you alive. I'm not asking you to be brave, or fearless, I'm asking you to give your best, and to not let your ego get in the way."

Radio thought about a moment before slowly nodding. "That I can do."

"Good." Astral smiled and reached over to give the colt a pat on the shoulder. "You ready to land?"

Radio adjusted his chair, squaring it up to the console so he could easily manipulate any control he needed to. He flipped through several menu items on his screen before answering, "Yes, sir."

Astral leaned over to peek at the screen, chuckling when he saw the sensor interface. He had already scanned the planet, but a second look never hurt. "Keep this up, and I won't be able to call you kid anymore." The unicorn reached for the intercom button beside his seat. He stopped before hitting it, letting his hoof hover over the already depressed switch. Yeah, he should have checked that first. "Twilight? Are you ready to land?"

There was a slight pause before the alicorn's voice answered through a hidden speaker, "Yes, captain. Ready any time."

Astral hit the intercom switch, turning it off. He then opened the door and waved her up. "Atmospheric conditions are stable, it should be a pretty smooth ride. You can watch from up here if you don't mind standing.". The purple mare accepted the invitation silently, walking up to stand between the two chairs. " Do you have to look so smug?" Astral whispered to her.

"Yes," she whispered back, "yes, I do. You're a good pony, Astral, even if you act like a jerk sometimes."

Astra rolled his eyes and nosed the shuttle down into the atmosphere. It was a relatively smooth transition from space to air, with just a slight jostle, like a bump in a road road, marking the change. After that, there was almost no indication that they were moving except for the view through the front window. The clouds around them whipped past, distorting and pulling along like thread as the shuttle cut through them.

After about a minute of boring through the clouds, the shuttle broke through into the lower atmosphere. With the clouds above them, the three ponies could see the landscape spread out before them. But, while Twilight and Radio watched the land without much reaction, Astral squinted in confusion and eased back on the throttle, slowing the shuttle. "Computer," he commanded, "display a visual of the planet's surface. Route it to the pilot's panel, highest resolution."

Twilight looked over the unicorn's shoulder as the top down view of the rocky landscape appeared in front of him. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure." Astral scratched his neck as he studied the image before him. "I just, kind of remember it being a little more green." He zoomed in on the image, focusing in on sparse patches of vegetation scattered among the barren wasteland. "Radio, do you still have those sensors running?"

The Pegasus nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not picking up anything out of the ordinary. No unknown readings, and nothing harmful in the atmosphere."

Twilight's horn lit up for a moment. "I can't sense any sort of unusual magic either, certainly nothing that could affect plant life on a global scale." She paused for a moment. "You did say that you haven't been here in almost twenty years, are you sure you're remembering it right?"

Astral looked over at Twilight. "Look, this was a farming colony, a successful one. Before they went xenophobic, they grew enough produce to export their crops to three different planets."

Twilight shook her head. "Not in this landscape they didn't."

"I know." Astral switched the display back to navigational sensors. "Something's wrong."

Radio pushed his chair away from the console. "Egghead, take over for me." He got up and headed for the back, leaving Twilight to sit and try to interpret the sensor readout.

"Look." Astral pointed out the viewport. "There's the main settlement."

"I'm seeing plenty of lifeforms... I think." Twilight tapped her screen a few times, switching the readout to beginner's mode. "Yes, several hundred large lifeforms, all ponies. There are also some smaller lifeforms, mostly birds scattered throughout the settlements, mostly chickens, judging by the size."

"yeah, chickens were pretty common on both planets." He squinted at the settlement. "Heads up, I think they spotted us."

Twilight gave him a skeptical look. "How can you tell?" Before Astral could answer, she glanced back down at the sensor display. "Wait, they're moving. Their lifesigns are converging in the center of the settlement."

"They're coming to greet us." Astral clicked his tongue. "Not sure I like this. Computer, display a visual of the highest concentration of lifeforms on the copilot's panel." The console in front of Twilight switched from sensors to a picture of a crowd. Over a hundred ragged farmers, as dirty as the ground they walked, gathered around a stone courtyard. They left an opening in the middle large enough for a ship to land, and two of them stood a little further in the opening, separate from the rest. "They're definitely waiting for us to land."

Twilight zoomed in on the two ponies, both unicorns, standing inside the circle. "These must be the leaders." One stallion, one mare. The stallion was the elder of the two, in his sixties or seventies, stooped and withered from the harsh environment. His tan coat and golden mane were streaked with dusty flecks of grey. The mare, similarly coated, but with an auburn mane, seemed to be in her late thirties, early forties at the oldest. "Think she's his daughter?"

"It's possible." Astral pulled back even more on the throttle, slowing to a maneuverable speed as they approached the landing area. "Let's see what they want, shall we?" Astral looked back. "Radio! What are you doing back there? We're about to land."

The Pegasus ran up to the front with the smaller of his two duffel bags tossed over his wing. "Sorry, I was dumping stuff out." He dropped the bag between the chairs and pulled out what looked like oversized wristwatches, two of them. "Both of you, put these on."

Astral took his and looked it over. there were three colored buttons, red,blue and yellow, surrounding a metal framed numerical display. Astral wasn't sure what the numbers on the display meant, but he guessed they were displaying time in the Furian system. "What is it?"

Twilight took hers and slipped it on her hoof. "Where did you get them?"

Radio took another one out of the bag and slipped it on his own hoof. "They're communication devices, and I may have swiped them from the armory back on Furia. They're all linked already, just push the blue button to talk to the others. Push the red button to activate silent mode, it'll vibrate when somepony tries to talk to you and record whatever is said, but won't make any noise. Just push the red button again after receiving a message to listen to it. The yellow button allows you to give it voice commands for the more complicated functions, like ending silent mode, starting a timer, or tone generation." He tossed his bag back over his wing. "Also, there's a panic mode. Hit the red button three times, and slap it against somepony, and it'll act like a stun gun. But you get one shot, and won't be able to use it for communication after that."

"Gotta love military hardware," Astral muttered as he put his on. "The ponies on that base aren't going to miss these, are they?"

"They shouldn't." Radio hit the talk button and blew across the device, causing what sounded like a puff of static from Astral and Twilight's units. "New models were coming out, so these were headed for the scrap heap. And these only use a basic civilian encryption, instead of military codes. We'd have a cruiser on our tails if I had taken one like that."

"That makes me feel a little better." He pointed at the floor. "You may want to sit down, I'm not sure how stable that landing pad is." Radio sat down as the shuttle slowed to a stop. It hovered for a moment, centered over the circle of ponies. "Computer, give me a top down overview of the shuttle's position. Overlay lifesign readings, and overlay a topographical map with a resolution of ten centimeters." His display changed, showing the shuttle's outline in an empty circle surrounded by a sea of green dots. Thin squiggly lines ran through the entire display, seemingly at random. "Add front and side cross sections based on navigational sensors, position them lower left and lower right." Two more pictures showed up, showing the shuttle and the ground below, from the asked for perspectives. "All right, taking it down."

The shuttle lowered to the grown smoothly, gliding on the repulsors as Astral manipulated half a dozen controls with his hooves and magic. It paused centimeters above the ground, and settled down without a hitch.

"Contact," Astral stated simply, "easing the antigravs off." There was a slight shudder as the ground took up the shuttle's weight. Then there was a creak, and the shuttle tilted a little to the side. Astral checked the sensors and let out a weary sigh. "Looks like there used to be a nav-beacon underground here, they probably pulled it out and covered the hole back up. They just couldn't leave it alone, could they?"

Twilight got out of her chair, stumbling towards the door before adjusting to the angle of the floor. "I'm going to go get dressed. I take it you don't need to park again?"

"No." Astral shut down the nav system, then used his screen to visually scan the crowd. "It's a little annoying, but a little tilt isn't going to affect anything important. Just be careful if you-" There was a splash and a clatter from the back. "Get a water."

Radio chuckled and and joined Astral in his inspection of the crowd. "What are you looking for?"

Astral shrugged. "Anger? Fear? Maybe hushed whispers. Anything that may indicate that we aren't welcome here."

Radio looked a little closer. "They seem a bit unsure, but they don't really seem upset." The camera panned across the two leaders. "Old guy there looks almost relieved."

"Yeah, he does." Astral zoomed in on them. "That mare next to him, does she look ok to you?"

Radio shook his head. "Not really. She's thin, almost anemic." Radio reached over with a wing and zoomed in a little more. "Every pony in the crowd is, but she seems a bit worse. She must not be eating right. It might be stress."

"From whatever the elder is relieved about?" Astral asked. "We might be more welcome than I thought. Let's not keep them waiting." He pushed away from the console and Radio moved out of the way so he could get up. They walked to the hatch where Twilight was already waiting, clothed in Astral's tattered jacket. The unicorn pointed at her mane as it dripped. " You tried to catch it, huh?"

"Yes," she answered curtly, wiping water from her face.

Astral smiled as he lifted a hoof to the hatch control. "Everypony ready? We have to make a good impression. Calm, collected, and in charge of our surroundings."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

Out of Astral's sight, Radio unzipped his duffel bag and dipped a wingtip into it. "Ready to go."

Astral hit the control. The hatch slid open with a hiss, kicking up a cloud of dust. The shuttle's artificial gravity cut off at the same time, causing a sensation like dropping a floor or two in an elevator as the three ponies were suddenly subjected to Sevus' slightly lower gravity. They stood motionless as stairs extended from the hatch to the ground, and didn't move until they were fully extended. Then, Astral walked out first, shortly followed by Twilight, then radio. They stopped at the base of the stairs, far enough out for most of the crowd to see them, but closer to the ship than to any of the ponies around.

The old stallion and the mare beside him started forward. The stallion stopped three meters in front of the newcomers, and the mare hung back a little farther away.

"Are you bounty hunters?" he demanded.

"Right to the point," Astral muttered to Twilight. He cleared his throat and answered, "We're freelancers, cargo running mostly."

The elder's lips twisted into a sneer. "No need for freight junkies here. We got nothing to send, and no way to pay for supplies. But, if you really are freelancers, and not smugglers, you might be up for a bounty. If so, we have a job for you."

Astral glanced back at Twilight and Radio. He didn't really like the turn this was taking, but he would play along for now. "You just said you couldn't pay for food, how would you pay the bounty?"

He swept his hoof in a grand gesture across the village, small houses, buildings, and huts spread around this central landing area. "Anything you want, take it. Anything of value, anything that catches your eye, just leave us enough to survive. Name your price. You can take anything of value in the village, just bring us the head of the witch of the lake."

Before Astral could respond, the tan mare behind the elder started coughing blood. A rainbow maned pegasus was beside her before she collapsed, catching her and slowing her fall.

Astral looked to his side, at a duffel bag sitting on the ground. "Radio, what are you doing?!"

"Check my bag!" The Pegasus called back while he checked the mare's pulse. Astral stuck a hoof in the open zipper and pulled it open to look in. On top of a few emergency medical supplies, there was a running scanner. "There's nothing unusual, or flagged as dangerous, so it's either a genetic condition, or something ponies are normally immunized against!" Radio leaned his ear against the mare's chest like he was listening to a seashell. "Her lungs are filled with fluid." He looked over at the old stallion. "Hey, she has some sort of respiratory infection. Do you have a doctor? Or a surgeon?"

The elder walked over and ran his hoof through the mare's mane. He shook his head slowly. "Our healer died months ago. So many have. When the blood comes, time falls short. She will not survive the night."

Radio looked at the crowd. The ponies watching were all hanging their heads. In their minds, she was already gone. "Others have been dying? Were their symptoms the same?"

The elder nodded. "You are young, but you speak as our healer did. Are you an apprentice healer? What is the word outsiders use, a nurse?"

"No, I'm a doctor, a trained trauma surgeon." Radio looked back at the crowd. "How many more are sick?"

The old stallion laid down next to the mare, gently nuzzling the side of her neck, receiving only the faintest moan as a response. "We all are, child. Some fare worse than others, but this illness plagues us all." He looked over at the Pegasus. "It goes against our ways, but could you use your medicines to make my daughter comfortable? I accept that she will go before me, but I do not wish her her to go in pain." He glanced out at the crowd. "And, I am sure there are many others who feel the same about their loved ones. They may ask for your help as well."

Radio backed away from the fallen mare. "Y-you're asking me to kill her?"

The stallion shook his head. "The illness has already done so. I am only asking you to ease her suffering."

Radio swallowed hard. He looked at the crowd again. All of them were sick? How many more were in the houses and buildings around them, too sick to even move? He looked over at Astral in a panic. "We have to do something! Call somepony! Canterlot! Jones would help them, right?"

"No!" The elder bellowed. "We are dying. Let us go in peace, without bringing others to laugh at our folly."

"What?!" Radio shouted back. "You're all dying, and you're worried about pride?"

"Radio," Astral cautioned.

"No!" Radio pointed at him. "No, to hell with respecting the patient. This is insane! They need help!"

The elder stood up. "And if we are beyond help?"

Radio blinked at him. "What?"

"If we are beyond saving, and call for other worlds to save us. Then we lose who we are with our final breath."

"So you won't even try?" Radio started walking towards the old stallion. "Your daughter is dying!"

The elder turned to face the colt. "And my grandson has already died! Let his mother join him quietly!" He glared at the Pegasus. "This is why we abandoned technology. Not because of technology itself, but the arrogance it creates. You believe you know best how others should live, how others should die. Would you force your own ways on us? When you yourself is unsure how to live your own life? Figure out who you are before you tell others who to be."

Radio shook his head. "I..." His voice cracked. "I can't just watch her die."

"Then leave." The elder turned away, lifting his daughter with his magic. "Leave knowing you at least offered, and let that soothe your conscience."

Behind the colt, Astral and Twilight watched carefully, not knowing if they should intervene. "Aw, hell." Astral brought a hoof to his head as Radio's body language took a sudden shift. The colt who was looking at the ground, ready to curl into a ball, was now standing tall and proud. "This isn't about her anymore."

Twilight edged over to Astral. "What are you talking about?" she asked quietly. "Not about who?"

Astral gestured to the collapsed mare. "How old would Radio's mother be if she wasn't in a stasis pod?"

Twilight gasped as she realized what Astral meant. "We've got to stop him before he does something stupid."

"I know who I am!" Radio shouted at the top of his lungs, proclaiming his words to the entire village. "I decided long ago! I am a doctor! My only purpose is to help others. Let me help you." He looked at the ponies in the crowd, not seeing them as a crowd, but looking at each one as an individual, somepony's child, parent, cousin, friend, loved one. "Any of you, just one, let me save just one of you! Let me prove that you can be saved!" He brought a hoof to his chest. "If I fail, you can take my life as payment, because it will be worthless anyways."

The elder stopped and set his daughter down. Out of nowhere, something cracked across Radio's face. A large wooden stick, the handle of a farm implement with a pointed end of rusted steel. It beat the pegasus over and over as the elder approached him. "Say that again!" The stick swung at the colt's legs, knocking him off his hooves then flipping him onto his back. The sharp end was at his neck in an instant, and the elder stood over him. "Say that again, knowing full well that payment will be taken."

"That's it." Astral moved forward, tugging at his jacket with his invisible magic.

Twilight grabbed for the zipper as it pulled down. "Astral, don't!"

The unicorn looked back at her. "Stand down, Twi! That's an order!"

"But-" The alicorn looked down at the jacket. There was only one reason why he would open it. She slowly put her hoof down. "I'm trusting you."

Astral pulled out the revolver, and one of the speedloaders from the outside pockets. He had it loaded before it was even by his side. "I know."

Radio stared up at the old stallion. With the blade at his throat, he repeated, "Let me save one pony. Let me heal one of you, and prove that it can be done. If I fail, kill me for the pain and trouble I caused."

Astral scanned for something he could safely shoot without showering innocent bystanders with ricochets or debris. There weren't a lot of options. So much for a distraction. They would just have to get out of this the hard way.

Astral strolled up to the elder, pressing the barrel of the pistol against his head long before reaching him. The unicorn swallowed nervously as all eyes turned on him. He sure hoped he looked more confident than he felt. "Let him go," Astral demanded. "He's just a kid, he doesn't deserve to die over this. And I don't want to kill you because it."

"Do your ears fail you, outsider?" The elder didn't move. He didn't even seem bothered by the weapon he was being threatened with. "You are threatening to kill one who is already dying."

Astral pulled the hammer back for effect. "I said, let him go." This wasn't working. He glanced back at Twilight. Could she do something? Could he signal her in time if there was? He shook his head. No, he would have half a second, if that. "Please, don't make me do this."

The old stallion closed his eyes. "You should have left when you had the chance."

"No!" Astral pressed the gun harder against his head. He looked at the tool the elder was wielding as a spear. With his weak magic, there was no way he could grab it from the old stallion. Twilight! Do something! "Don't do it! I will shoot you!"

The elder raised the tool.

"Father..." The word was quiet, labored and breathless, but it drew as much attention as the gunshot that followed.

Astral stared at the revolver, and at the purple magic surrounding it. The ringing in his ears drowned out everything else. The gun was pointing skyward, and the bullet hovered a few meters up, surrounded by the same violet glow. He breathed heavily as he looked past the pistol. The elder was looking behind him, and his improvised spear hovered harmlessly nearby.

Astral looked back just Twilight came running up to him. He saw her mouth move, but couldn't make the words out over the ringing. "What?!"

She frowned for a moment. Then, the aura of her magic surrounded him,. His ears felt uncomfortably warm for a moment, then it faded. "Is that better?" Twilight asked. "Well, I said you owe me one, but I guess it's two now."

Astral rubbed at his ears. "I owe you a lot more than that. Thank you for stopping him... and me."

"I only stopped you." Twilight nodded to where the elder's daughter lay, stretching her hoof out towards Radio. "She stopped him. I just caught the, um," she looked at the tool before tossing it away, "thing."

"Don't... hurt..." Every word was a struggle for her, but she still forced them out. "Hunter."

The old stallion sat down, staring at Radio as the colt got up. Astral slowly walked forward, placing himself between the two. "Hunter?" The unicorn asked the elder.

"It was my grandson's name." The elder shook his head. "In the fevered hallucinations of her last hours, something about you must have reminded her of him." He closed his eyes. "You have your patient. Do your best to save her. If not..." He opened his eyes and fixed Astral in his glare. "Either way, he will not be harmed. But if you want him back, you will carry out the bounty."

"The witch of the lake?" Astral shook his head. "Who is she? And why do you want her dead?"

Twilight joined Astral. "Witch is a human word, it used to be a term for a woman who used magic. But there were no human life signs on this planet, isn't this witch just a unicorn?"

"No." The elder pawed at the ground, scraping at the dusty coating on the stone. "The witch is the one responsible for all this. A few of them have lived here for decades, but left us alone until recently. The last of her kind, she's an earth pony that rejects our ways and embraces technology. More than that, she controls it, possesses it. She has some sort of magic that lets her bring this ruin on us."

"An earth pony... with magic?" Astral and Twilight exchanged glances. "What makes you believe she's responsible for this illness?"

"She comes to our village once or twice a year, and every time, she brings disaster with her. The ground shifts, buildings collapse, ponies die. Most recently, we found her tampering with one of the village wells. We chased her off, but several were hurt, and the well has been off limits since then."

"We should probably take a look there first." Twilight suggested. "But let me make one thing clear. We are not going to murder somepony for you. We will find her and speak with her, and either convince her to leave you alone, or take her off this planet, but we will not kill her."

The elder glanced over at Astral. "He does not seem to share your inhibitions against taking the life of another. Perhaps he should go alone."

"Hey!" Astral took his revolver from Twilight and unloaded it in front of the elder. "You were the one that attacked Radio. I don't care what he said, threatening to kill a kid over a few idiotic words makes you the dangerous one here."

Twilight held a hoof in front of the grey unicorn. "Astral, let me handle things from here."

"Sure. You handle the diplomacy, I'll handle the fighting." Astral walked away from them, and over to Radio. "What happened to calm and collected? You almost got yourself, and somepony else, killed."

Radio didn't look at him. "Astral, I-"

The unicorn held up a hoof to stop him. "Save it. If things work out, you'll have saved what's left of this planet. If they don't, they're no worse off. Just think about how you get there next time. I'm not shooting a village elder every time you want to run your mouth off." Astral sighed quietly. "And, if anypony gets hurt because of this, I'll drop you back on Furia so fast it'll tear your feathers out. Understand?"

Radio looked down and nodded. "Yes, sir," he said quietly, "I understand."

Astral nodded towards the shuttle. "Go on, get your gear."

The Pegasus slunk off like a burned Shar Cat, not saying a word as he headed for the shuttle.

Astral shook his head and surveyed the crowd. Even after everything that happened, they just watched quietly. It was like they didn't care that they almost lost the leader of their village. He did say that they were all dying. Maybe they didn't care about anything anymore.

"Hello?"

Astral looked behind him. "Who said that?" There was nopony around except for Twilight and the elder. It was a quiet voice, it can't have come from very far away.

"Hello? Down here." It was a mare's voice, coming from his communicator. Astral lifted his hoof to look at it. "If you can hear me, walk away from the others." Astral put his hoof down and glanced back at Twilight. "If you alert them, I'll disappear, and you'll never find me. Walk away."

Astral begrudgingly did as he was told, scanning the village as he walked. "You're watching me. Are you in the crowd?"

"I think you already know that I'm not."

"Who are you?" Astral saw some movement near what seemed to be a bell tower. Playing it cool, he continued scanning as if he hadn't seen anything, and slowly started to change directions. "Why are you contacting me?"

"You spoke with the elder, you know who I am. And I should warn you, Old Mare Maroony keeps geese in that old bell tower. They aren't friendly."

"You saw that, huh?" Where was she watching from? "So, you're the witch of the lake? What's your name? And, if you were listening in, why didn't you contact one of the others? Tekrin seems convinced that he can get me to kill you."

"I know you don't want to. Just like I know you didn't want to hurt him, even after what he did to you."

"You mean, after what he did to my crewmate?"

"No, after what he did to you, Astral Plane, last time you came to this planet."

Astral lifted his hoof and spoke directly into the communicator. "Who is this? Do I know you?"

"No," the voice answered. "We have never met. But I recognized you, even though Tekrin didn't. You were the colt who refused to destroy his father's ship, and was forced to leave."

"Who is this?" Astral repeated. "Were you there when they chased me offworld?"

"I was. I watched what happened from a distance, just like I am now." There was a short pause. "I wanted to leave with you, but I was too afraid to face the crowd. My name is Strawberry. I need to talk to you."

"Alright, so talk." Astral looked over at the shuttle. Radio was coming out, dragging the rest of his medical gear and a few blankets along for the ride. "If you want, I can go back in the shuttle, and we can talk in private."

"While you use the sensors to track my location? It won't work. I'll disable the shuttle if you try."

Astral rolled his eyes. "You don't bluff small, do you? Look, I'll buy that you have the knowledge and expertise to break the encryption on a communication device, but that's a little different than hacking an entire ship from a distance."

"I don't have to disable the entire thing." There was a whirr as the shuttle's steps retracted, and the doors whooshed shut. "I just have to mimic the signal from the remote entry system."

"Oh, no, no, no. You did not just-" Astral ran over to the shuttle and started mashing on the door control.

He was answered by a pleasant, "Access denied," from the main computer.

"You just locked us out of our own shuttle." Astral kicked the dirty stone of the landing pad. "Do you do this sort of thing to the villagers? Huh?"

"Please, I just want to talk to you. I don't want to cause any trouble, but I have to protect myself. Just meet me, listen to what I have to say, then... I don't care what you do after that. You can turn me in to Tekrin if you want."

"He'll have you strung up from the nearest gate." Astral shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Can't do what?" Twilight asked.

Astral jumped and looked over at the alicorn. "Hey, um, you kinda caught me off guard there. So... Are you done speaking with Tekrin?"

Twilight glanced back at the old unicorn. "You mean the elder? Yeah, I got him to tell me where they'll be keeping Radio. I can teleport him out anytime. But how did you know his name? He never told you."

"He didn't have to. I've been here before, remember?" Astral sighed. "He wasn't quite so old, but he was still the leader of this village back then. You should know that he doesn't take kindly to being defied or challenged. What happened with Radio should demonstrate that. Teleporting the colt away would end our welcome pretty quick. We’ll save it as a last resort, but we're on pretty thin ice as it is. We do it, and we may not be able to search for your friend."

"Radio's safety comes first. I can search alone if I have to, there aren't enough unicorns here to stop me." She looked down. "But, I wouldn't know where to start."

"Records," Astral mused. "One thing I remember is that they are, or at least were, meticulous about keeping records, especially when it came to interaction with the rest of the galaxy. You can see if anypony here cared to maintain those records."

Twilight nodded to herself. " Alright, I'll do that. But, you were saying you couldn't do something? Do you need some help?"

"Oh, that." Astral pointed at the shuttle door with a smirk. "I can't teleport inside," he lied. Half-lied, he reasoned to himself. It was true he couldn't teleport in, but that wasn't what he was talking about. "Too bad, huh? Looks like the door closes itself if you leave it open too long. Some sort of security feature, I guess."

"I'll teleport in and unlock it for you," Twilight offered.

The grey unicorn held up a hoof. "Nah, I'm good. I didn't really need in. But you should probably grab the key, or remote, or whatever." He pointed over his shoulder. "I'm going to go look around a bit, see if anypony I knew survived."

"Ok, be careful." Twilight flashed from outside the shuttle, to standing inside, stumbling for just a moment from forgetting about the difference in angle.

The remote should be in the front, if she recalled correctly. She headed up, and checked the storage unit under the control panel. In an aircar, it would be the glove compartment, but she wasn't sure if it would have a name on a spaceship. Inside, she found two remotes, several items that weren't of much use at the moment, and the stunner that Mac used on Astral back on the space station. She took the remotes and the stunner and stuffed them in a pocket, displacing two of the speedloaders. She put those in the compartment and closed it up. Then, she headed back towards the hatch.

Out one of the windows, she saw Astral speaking into his communicator. The alicorn held hers up, inspecting the display. There was nothing to indicate that it was muted or anything like that, so who was he talking to? Radio? Twilight crept forward, inching towards the hatch. She kept herself below the windows, and leaned her ear against the door.

"Once you get there, head north, into the alley behind the farrier's place."

Who was that? It was a mare's voice, but Twilight didn't recognize it.

"And you'll be there?"

Astral was going to meet her? Why? And, who on Sevus would have a communicator anyway?

"I might."

Wait a minute. The elder mentioned that the witch of the lake used technology.

"I'm getting pretty tired of these games. I'll go, but you better be there."

Twilight didn't hear anything after that, so she peeked out of the nearest window. Astral was walking away, as the crowd slowly dispersed. She seemed to remember that the elder mentioned one more thing about the witch of the lake, something that didn't quite make sense at the time. "Computer, how was the door locked?"

"The entrance hatch was locked via security remote."

Twilight took one of the remotes out of her pocket. It wasn't locked with one of these, that's for sure. If it was, then the pony that did it would still be in here, unless it was a unicorn that could teleport out. If it was an earth pony, like Tekrin said the witch of the lake was, then the door was locked from outside. With a security remote, even though both remotes were accounted for.

Twilight dropped both remotes, the stunner, and even her communicator. She then teleported out of the shuttle, rather than operate the door. She reappeared in the shadow of what seemed to be a rundown old chicken hut. The stench of rotting flesh, and the feathered carcasses on the ground told her that ponies weren't the only ones being affected by whatever was going on.

She grit her teeth and set out after Astral, sticking to the back alleys and hidden pathways. This witch of the lake may be able to control technology, but she was about to get a crash course in magic.

Comments

[TheStratovarian]

A different note to end on for sure.

[Moongaze14]

Great chapter. I really liked how Astral made Radio realize that he needs to mature and was willing to defend him from Terkin. Hope the next chapter comes soon as I want to see Astral interact with Strawberry and maybe have Terkin get what's coming to him.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Calling it. The tech mare is trying to save them from the illness but looks like she is causing it.

[Ulrezaj]

My money is on the 'witch' putting a cure or some sort of medicine in the well hoping to indirectly help the village.