Chapter 4: Colossal Wonders
In the aftermath of Dash putting our romantic relationship on hold, I was left more than just a little bit sad. All around me, all of my friends were still with their marefriends, while I was all alone. Don was still with Twilight, while Todd was with Fluttershy, Andy was with Rarity, Dan was with Pinkie, Cole was with Missy, Fred was with Lyra, and so on, and so forth. The lone exception to this though was Alex. In the original timeline, he was with Applejack, and he was with her in this new timeline, but then something went horribly wrong.
He came back to the train one day with a black eye, and a LOT of cuts and bruises. It was pretty clear that he'd been in a fight with somebody, but we weren't sure who.
"Golly, what happened to you Alex?" Andy asked him.
He just shook his head. "Applejack." He muttered. "We got into an argument, and pushed each other around a bit. I said that I wanted to leave for a while to cool off, but then she threw the punch that gave me this black eye. She then went bawling to Big Mac, and when he heard that I'd apparently broken his sister's heart.......well, I think that you can figure out what happened there!" He then gestured to the rest of his injuries.
"Gosh. And what even caused the argument in the first place?"
"None of your damn business Leopard!"
Don then took a closer look at him. "Wait, Alex, are you......off your medications again?" (Alex took medications to help with his mood swings. He didn't always take his meds when he was supposed to though!)
"No, I DID take my pills Don! I just don't want to talk about the argument! It's nobody's business but my own, and Applejack's!"
In my head, I began to get a pretty good idea of what may have caused the argument. Alex was off his meds, and perhaps tried to pick a fight. Applejack tried to knock some sense into him, quite literally in fact, and that may have only escalated the situation. By the time that Big Mac got involved, Alex got roughed up pretty bad, and perhaps saw the errors of his ways, took his meds, and then came back to the railyard. Dr. Fritz looked him over just to make sure he was ok, and then he reported for work at the Imperial War Museum section of the railyard. At the time, work was only about 30% complete on the museum, but it was slowly gaining all the time.
As time went on, we still had the confrontation with Spoiled Rich, but this time we knew exactly where and when she was going to try her arson attack, and we were able to catch her in the act before handing her over to the authorities. Fire damage this time was minimal, and although Filthy Rich still did become a private donor for the museum, the damage still wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the first time around. Spoiled Rich was still taken in for psychiatric treatment, and she did accept their help like she did in the first timeline as well.
Also, while the museum was being built, a few other changes were made to the design of the railyard as well. This time around, a few more sections of tracks were retained for railroad use, and this time there were 2 railroad entrances and exits, unlike the one in the original timeline. This could ensure more ease of access for trains, and more than one exit in the event of an emergency. And while the Battleship Express and Iron Glory would have their own wings of the museum like before, we also designed an outdoor siding for them as well. This served 2 purposes, as sometimes we wanted to give live demonstrations, and we couldn't do that inside the museum, as we couldn't fully ventilate it like we needed to. Now we could fire up the engines, and this in turn enabled us to move the train's guns around, and give simulated firings for guests's viewing enjoyment. We were even able to give accurate reenactments of certain battles on special occasions, be it from WW6, or the Imperial War.
However, in order to give live demonstrations of the Battleship Express, we had to have our Big Boy fully up and running again. Luckily, that's where guys like myself, 1st Engineer Joe Dixon, and other repair specialists under Jim's direction come in, and we quickly finished the repairs to the Big Boy. Luckily, her boiler was fully intact, and the only things that needed to be repaired or replaced were the front 4 wheels on the lead-truck, both front pistons, the front sets of driving rods, and the first 2 driving wheels on both sides. The wheels themselves had to be replaced, as did the driving rods, but the axles of the wheels were repaired, as were the pistons.
From start to finish, it took us 2 1/2 months to take the front wheel assemblies apart, clean up the burnt messes, separate the salvageable parts from the scrap, repair the salvageable parts, order new parts from the firm in Manehattan that supplied us with spare Big Boy parts during the Imperial War, send Iron Glory to collect the parts, sort them, and then attach them to the Big Boy. Just before this though, they had to be painted, (if applicable) and then weathered a bit, so as to make them look like the rest of the Big Boy, and NOT brand-new! When it was all said and done though, Big Boy 4009 looked just as good as she did before, and once she completed the necessary tests, she was given a clean bill of health, and placed back into RWD service.
"A fine piece of work guys!" Don complemented those who had helped with the repairs. "Now Big Boy 4009 looks just as good as she did before, and she can once again be a part of the Equestrian Foreign Legion, along with the rest of Battalion 4009!" (Yes, just like in the original timeline, the Battleship Express, as well as the rest of Battalion 4009, were the backbone of the Equestrian Foreign Legion).
Joe nodded. "Thanks Don. It wasn't always easy, but I'm just glad that the boiler wasn't damaged during the explosion that took out Oddball. If THAT had happened, we would have been more than just screwed!"
"Yeah, no kidding! But thankfully that didn't happen, and now we can get back to work on more important things. Again, thank you to all of you, and keep up the good work!"
We all accepted Don's thanks, and then we got back to work ourselves.
Everything seemed to be going well for us, however, one night, everything that we thought that we knew about out being Human-Wolf Super-Soldiers was about to be turned on its head, and not really in a good way.
That night, I was sitting on the roof of the car that belonged to us Secondary Engine Crew and where our rooms, and the SCC were located. I was alone at the time, and I heard that that night was the night of the full moon. I'd remembered how spectacular Equestrian full moons were, so I decided to see it once again. Soon, I saw the moon peek up over the horizon.
"Gosh, I'll NEVER get tired of seeing Princess Luna's moon. It's so spectacular!"
Suddenly though, as the moonlight began to shine upon me, I began to feel extremely strange. It felt like I had a burning fever, but I also felt cold, and like I was having some slight muscle spasms as well. However, before I could really think on this too much, I heard a Timberwolf howl way off in the distance in the Everfree Forest, and that pulled the trigger.
From all around the train, as well as the building that served as barracks for Battalion 4009, and even the Big Boy Workshops, there came the sounds of both Human cries of pain, and the sounds of wolves.
I suddenly grabbed my wrists and hands in pain, and I saw them begin to get bigger, and thicker. The fingers began to contort a bit, and claws appeared in place of my finger nails. Then, midnight-black fur began to grow on my hands, and then, the changes began to spread to the rest of me.
My limbs got longer, thicker, more muscular, and began to become covered in midnight-black fur, just like my ears, tail, legs, paws for feet, and parts of my back already were. The pain of my transformation wasn't nearly as intense as I thought it was going to be, though it did hurt like heck. I also fully expected my field uniform to tear off of me, but I then remembered that those things were designed to contain our "Wolf Forms". I recalled that this was a part of being a Human-Wolf Super-Soldier, and I even heard that we could switch back and forth between being a Human and a wolf at will, but this was a load of bull. We could only shift on the full, half, and new moons, and Apex KNEW IT!!!!!
Soon, my transformation was fully complete, and where there had once been a Human-Wolf hybrid, there was now a full anthropomorphic wolf that stood 6'8", weighed close to 300lbs of pure muscle, was fully covered in midnight-black fur, had HUGE wings that were capable of supporting long-distance flight, deep blue eyes, a mouth full of wolf teeth, amazing instincts, and super-Human senses, but yet was still highly intelligent, and for what he was, actually quite beautiful; a majestic creature of the Night that would have made the Alicorn Lunar Goddess herself proud.
Once it was all said and done, I looked up at the moon, and let off a deep howl. Many other howls answered, and soon, from other places on the train, the barracks, and the workshop, other wolves began to appear. Some of them were wearing their field uniforms, while others were in various stages of undress. Some wore technician coveralls, and a few were wearing lab coats. The vast majority of the wolves were gray in color, while a few were white, and red-roan. It was then that we all noticed that I was the only black wolf among them. I also noticed that there were a number of Battalion 4009 soldiers, and other train crew present, but that they were still fully Human, (meaning that they were still Human-wolf hybrids)! They looked all around them at the other wolves and they seemed to be wanting to know what was going on.
I then stood up on the roof of the car, and addressed those below me.
"My friends, and fellow comrades", I began. "Tonight, no doubt you have just witnessed what most of us have turned into. We are now wolves, in the truest, most pure form of the word!"
All around me came howls, cheers, and even some barking! I then continued.
"And now, most of you may be asking, 'Why are we like this?!' Or, 'Why are some of us still Human?!' Well, the answer I will now reveal to you. By a show of hands, how many of you contracted the 'Apex Sickness', aka 'Lycan Syndrome', and reported to the infirmary?"
Every wolf raised their paws. None of the humans did though.
"That's what I thought. Well, the truth is, those of us who are wolves right now are this way because of Dr. Fritz!"
"What?!" Someone asked. "How is HE responsible for this?!"
I shrugged. "Well, that's what I don't know, but what I CAN tell you is that he has perfected 'Project Sterling', before giving us the perfected form of it! We are now EXACTLY what we should have been before, and we have NONE of the side effects and ill health that we had before!"
"Yeah, except for turning into f@#king wolves! And not just on the full moon, but also at the new moon, AND the half moon if what I think is correct!"
I sighed. "Yes, that IS an unfortunate side effect, but yet it can't be helped, as that WAS in our original program for 'Project Sterling'. And plus, we only have to deal with this 3 times a month, and only until Dawn. I mean, it's not that bad, right?"
"Why are you the only black wolf Leopard?!" Alex yelled up at me.
"I don't know Alex. Why are you one of the only white wolves?"
"Hey, that's racist!" Someone else yelled.
"No it isn't!" Todd yelled back. "We're ALL wolves, but some of us just have different fur colors!" (Todd was one of the red-roan wolves).
I nodded. "Yes, and thank you Todd. And as I was saying, we won't have to deal with this too much, and it's not that bad, right?"
"YES IT IS!!!!!" I heard an all too familiar voice yell. The crowd then parted a bit, and Don stepped into the middle of it. "Sorry to break up the little rally going on here, but may I remind you all that not only is is PAST 1am, but no, this is NOT normal! Whatever Dr. Fritz has done to you all is INCREDIBLY jacked-up, and I WILL be giving him a SEVERE talk about this!" Don then looked around at the Wolves and few Humans. "All of you, either get back to work if on duty, or back on the train NOW!!! I will NOT be asking again, and NONE of you will be let out of the train again until I can rest assured that you're all ok, and NOT going to fall victim to the 'Apex Sickness' again, or WORSE!!! NOW GET GOING!!!!!"
We were all disappointed, but yet there was no arguing with Don, and we could all tell that he meant business, so after one final howl, we all had to part ways. I returned to my room on the train, while others went to their parts of the train, and still others returned to their duty stations.
All through the night Don yelled at Dr. Fritz, all while the good doctor yelled right back at him. Don was FURIOUS that Dr. Fritz would do what he did without consulting ANYONE in the chain of command, but Fritz maintained his innocence.
"I have done NOTHING vrong Major! My job is to heal ze sick, and tend to ze vounded! Zese men came to me wiz ze 'Apex Sickness', and zay vere at Death's Door! I did vhat I had to do to save their lives! I am a doctor after all!"
"And WHY DIDN'T YOU F@#KING TELL ANYONE IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND ABOUT THIS?!?!?!?!"
"Vell, I vas going to, but I never got ze chance to. However, ve are having zis conversation right now, are ve not?"
Don just continued to yell in frustration. He couldn't seem to be getting through to Dr. Fritz that what he did was wrong, and that more than just frustrated him. In private, Don sometimes referred to Dr. Fritz as the "Nazi Doctor", as that's what he sometimes acted like. This was seemingly one more of those times, and Don continued to argue his case until Dawn, until he finally left Dr. Fritz's office in disgust.
At Dawn, we all did indeed switch back to our Human-wolf forms, and although we did feel sick and dizzy, we really weren't all that much worse for wear.
For the next good while, none of us were really allowed to leave the train until we could be examined by Equestrian medical professionals, so as to better determine what Dr. Fritz had done, as his word could no longer be trusted. I was upset at being cooped up on the train, but yet, it did give me some time to think, and of course work on a few things.
In my room, I was setting up a few new gadgets. From a few friends in Battalion 4009, I was able to scrape together a microwave, and a combination toaster-oven to go along with the already-there mini-fridge, and double-burner hot-plate for my pellet stove. Now I could cook more for myself if I wanted too, and had the utensils to do so. On my desk, I was also able to do something that I'd been wanting to do for a while, but never had the full time to dedicate to until now. I was finally able to put together a desktop computer!
The thing was a huge, bulky nuisance, but unfortunately, this was the most advanced Equestrian PC out there! All of the other guys in Battalion 4009 guarded their more advanced computers with their lives, and REFUSED to let anyone near them! I was stuck with this piece of junk until Equestrian computer science advanced farther than the 1980's!
To make matters worse, I couldn't even convince DELCI to help me with software upgrades!
"Come ON DELCI! I REALLY need the upgrades!"
DELCI just scoffed at me. "Who do you think that you're kidding Master? I would NEVER attempt to be inside a machine that old; it might explode!"
In the end though, I was able to coax Oddball into it. He needed space of his own away from his "big sister" DELCI, and was glad to take up residence inside of my computer.
"Thank you for the new home Master!"
"You're welcome Oddball. And feel free to make some software upgrades, as this thing IS running a little bit behind the times!"
"Yeah, no kidding, it's like a frigging dinosaur museum in here! Nevertheless, I'll see what I can do with it though!"
Over the course of the next few hours or so, Oddball went to work. Even though he wasn't a "true" AI like DELCI was, he did do his best, and was able to get my computer to run Windows 7 Desktop Software. "This is as far as I can go Master. Any more, and your computer may very well overload. It's already pushing it as it is!"
I nodded. "It's ok Oddball, you've done more than enough as it is. This will do for what I need my computer to do, and I still have you helping me, so it all should work out in the end!"
I heard Oddball sigh. "Yeah, I hope so Master. Just tell me if you need anything else."
"I will Oddball." I then got back to work on finishing setting up my computer settings.
A day or so later, I had a conversation with DELCI that would end up forever changing how I viewed her.
"Master?"
"Yeah DELCI?"
"How come I was never given the ability to physically manifest?"
I looked up at the nearest camera confused. "Huh? 'Physically manifest'? What does that mean DELCI?"
"I mean why was I never given the ability to project myself into the physical world via hologram? I know that the technology for it exists, but why was I never given that ability, even for a test?"
I shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea DELCI. That's more of a Jim question. He'd know more about it than I would. Although I do remember seeing the plans for a holo-projector for you, I don't know why one was never installed."
"And if one was, then I could manifest myself via hologram?"
"I.....guess so. We'd have to talk to Jim about this." I then went to go and do just this.
I found Jim in his office a few minutes later. "Hey Jim?"
"Yes Leopard?"
"I was talking to DELCI a little bit ago, and she asked me why she was never given a holo-projector. I told her that I would ask you about it."
Jim sighed. "So, she wants to manifest now, does she?"
"I guess so."
Jim sat back in his chair. "Well, to tell you the truth Leopard, I actually don't know why she wasn't given her holo-projector. Perhaps the Brass didn't think that it was necessary. I mean, I know that we have the parts for it in storage, as well as at least 3 terminals for it, but I can't remember why they weren't installed."
"And.....do you think that we could install them for DELCI?"
"Well, if you were willing to help me, I don't see why we couldn't try it as an experiment. We could set up one terminal in the PCC, another in the SCC, and one in the TCC as well. That way she could manifest to help in whatever command center's being used at the time. Let me just go grab my tools, as well as the parts for the holo-projector and its 3 terminals, as well as Don, and then we can see about giving DELCI what she wants."
I agreed, and went to the PCC to wait for Jim and Don to get there.
Once they did, Jim and I began to assemble the various components for the holo-projector, as well as its 3 terminals.
"Why didn't we think to test this out before?" Don wondered.
Jim shrugged. "I don't know Don. I guess that we just forgot about the parts, and perhaps DELCI had other things on her mind as well."
"And how long until you guys are ready to go?"
I looked up at him. "Shouldn't be too much longer now Don."
"I can't WAIT to get a physical body!" DELCI was saying. "I've been waiting so long to manifest in my true form!"
Don looked at a camera. "Yes. HOWEVER, if your 'true form' is nude, OR lewd, we're IMMEDIATELY going to pull the plug DELCI! I do NOT have the patience for that!"
"Oh don't worry Boss, my form is NOT like that at all! I'm modestly enough dressed, and I don't think that you'll have any problems with it!"
Don narrowed his eyes. "We shall see DELCI!"
At around this same time, Jim and I finished with the terminal for the PCC. We attached it to the ceiling, so that DELCI would be able to manifest anywhere in the room.
"Ok Don, the terminal's all set up."
"Good. Now then, work your magic with DELCI Leopard, and see if you can't get this holo-projecting terminal to work."
I nodded. "Right away Don." I then began to work with DELCI to see if we could get it working.
"Ok, here we go Don. DELCI's loading up the program now."
"Turning on the holo-projector!" DELCI announced. "All systems holding steady! Downloading final form...........and.......manifesting in 5.......4.......3......2.....1.....Manifesting!" Don, Jim and I all took a few steps back, and a few seconds later, DELCI appeared among us. When we saw what she looked like, we were all shocked!
The colors were crisp, and the picture was clear, and if we hadn't known better, we would have SWORN that we were looking at a real woman, instead of a holographic projection of an AI! DELCI manifested herself as a woman in her mid 20's with slightly tanned skin, brown hair that hung past her shoulders, blue eyes, a few freckles, a blue hooded jacket with a white shirt underneath, jeans, and black sneakers. DELCI also had a few scars on herself, as well as a nice set of D-cup breasts, and much to our further surprise, DELCI also had her tummy showing as well! Neither her jacket nor her shirt were enough to cover her midriff, and we all knew that DELCI had done this on purpose!
"So, what do you guys think?" She asked after doing a quick little spin.
I spoke first. "Gosh, you look great DELCI! I mean, I WOULD hug you right now, but alas, you're just a hologram!"
DELCI giggled a bit. "Yeah, I know that you would Master! And I'd let you too! Maybe someday AI holoprojecting technology will advance enough to allow us into the REAL physical world to a degree. Then we might be able to move objects, and even be able to feel the physical world around us as well."
"Yeah, maybe it will DELCI."
She then looked at Don. "And, what do you think Boss? Modest enough for you?"
"Why did you make your breasts somewhat large, and why is your midriff showing DELCI?"
She shrugged. "Eh, maybe I want to look a little sexy. What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong is that you could EASILY be a distraction to the other crew!"
"And what can they do to me? I AM just a hologram after all!"
Don knew that arguing with DELCI was going to go nowhere, although he DID say how grateful he was that she was only able to manifest herself in the PCC, SCC, and TCC! Once Jim and I finished installing the other 2 terminals, DELCI herself was so happy to be able to walk among us as a hologram, and Jim and I were pretty proud of our work as well. We'd given DELCI what she'd wanted, and a happy AI is a compliant AI!
Later that same day, as I was working close to Jim, I suddenly noticed the odd looking device on his left arm. It looked like a mini computer, but at the same time it looked pretty bulky. 
"Hey Jim, what's that thing on your arm?"
He looked at me, and then at the device. "Oh this? This is a little personal portable computer that I made. I got the blueprints from a friend of mine a while back, Rob House. He was starting his own technology company called 'RobCo Industries', and he gave me the blueprints just before I started working on the Battleship Express. Just recently I finished building this thing from the blueprints, and even though it IS a bit bulky, it's actually a pretty nifty little device. It has a clock, a calendar, a Geiger counter, a map, a radio, a compass, a journal, a device that monitors my health status, and even several settings that monitor what I'm carrying, and display in an inventory lists; all of which can be viewed on the main screen here, with the Geiger counter and radio to the right, and the calendar just below. This one is also shatter-resistant, and I've even made it waterproof as well!"
I was impressed. "Wow Jim, it looks amazing!"
"Glad you think so Leopard. It's really helped me out a lot with my work, and I'm really hoping that Don allows these things to enter production to become standard field equipment for Battalion 4009 at some point down the road."
"And......any chance of my seeing these blueprints so that I can build my own? And for the record, what's it called?"
"It's called a 'PipBoy' with 'Pip being short for 'Personal Information Processor'. And I can actually do you one better than that Leopard."
"A PipBoy. I KNOW I've heard that name somewhere before, but I can't place it. And what do you mean, 'you can do me one better'?"
From a drawer in his desk, Jim pulled out another PipBoy. It looked just like his, although I could see that it was incomplete. He also pulled out a small box, and a toolkit. "These are the parts and tools that you need to finish it Leopard. I'm also giving you leeway to add a personal touch or two to your Pip-Boy, and hopefully someday, I MIGHT even be able to make one smaller, and more streamlined than this one is!"
I then took the Pip-Boy, parts, and tools when Jim handed them to me. "Wow, thanks Jim! This was really nice of you!"
"Eh, don't mention it Leopard. I gave one to Don too, and I'm hoping that he clears these things for production soon. The serial number on the prototype that Rob built is '0000', mine is '0001', Don's is '0003', and your's is '0002'. Be proud Leopard, as you're now the owner of the 2nd production model PipBoy of all time!"
"I am Jim, and thank you again!"
"You're welcome Leopard!"
I then went to go see about finishing the Pip-Boy.
It did take me a day or so, but I soon had it fully put together, and then Jim showed me how it worked.
"And yes, I know that it's kinda bulky, but it's extremely durable, waterproof, and runs on solar batteries. All in all, what do you think?"
"I think that this could be the next generation of military hardware Jim! I mean sure, it might be a bit crude, and could be upgraded and streamlined, but for now, it's pretty incredible! It's like having an iPhone on your wrist that can do what an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a Mac or a PC can do, plus a little bit more!"
"And on that note, Don's satisfied with his PipBoy too, and we're going to be pitching it at a technology convention in Manehattan here before too long, so maybe we can find a potential investor for it!"
I nodded. "I hope so too Jim, because if more guys in Battalion 4009 want one, you're gonna get REALLY backed up on orders!"
"Yeah, I know. Luckily, they aren't the hardest things in the world to make, and I can just give them the parts if they want to build it themselves. Although, I don't have too many parts, so yes, we might just have to make them for the officers for now, and put all other orders on back-order for the time being."
I agreed with Jim, and then I went back to testing my PipBoy a bit more.
"That's a pretty nifty device Master!" Aurora told me when she saw my PipBoy.
I nodded. "Yeah, I think so too Aurora. It's got all kinds of neat little features on it, and it can even track targets for me to shoot at!"
"What?! Really?!"
I nodded, and then showed her. "Yeah! I mean, I can only show you so much since we're not in combat, but this little do-dad here scans the immediate area, finds the targets, displayed them here, as well as what part of the body to hit, and how successful my shot will be. Right now, I'm putting the finishing touches on the synchronizing devices that'll coordinate the actions between the PipBoy, and my rifle, my shotgun, and my Glock 9mm."
Aurora just sighed. "Man, if ONLY these little devices had been invented, tested, and fielded during WW6, or even during the earlier world wars. Just think about how many lives could have been saved!"
I frowned a bit. "Yeah. If we'd had these things at Sue Falls, I'll be willing to bet that more guys than just Todd and I would still be alive today. These devices could have made our shots more accurate, thereby killing even more Futas, and they could have just retreated to siege lines, and tried to starve us out. For all I know, we could have even held on until WW6 restarted. That's a pretty interesting thought Aurora, and I'm inclined to agree. If PipBoys had been a standard issue before now, who knows how many American lives could have been saved."
Sure enough, once word about the PipBoys got out, EVERYONE in Battalion 4009 wanted one. Luckily for them all, Jim was able to successfully pitch the device at the convention, and a contract was soon awarded to a technology firm based in Manehattan, and they began to manufacture PipBoys not only for Battalion 4009, but also for the rest of the Foreign Legion, and the rest of the Equestrian Armed Forces as well! These were called PipBoy 2000's, while the officers, (including myself) had PipBoy 2000 Mark IV's. A slightly smaller version known simply as the "PipBoy" was developed for civilian use, and it found use in everything from health monitors for Ponies working out, hand-held radios, nifty watches, to even just being the latest trend.
Some of us also tried to streamline our PipBoys, and make them a little bit smaller, but this was proving to be a bit of a challenge, as none of us were experts in things like this, and even Jim was having trouble with it. We all knew that it was going to take time to properly develop, but not too many of us were complaining. We had our current PipBoys, they got the job done, and we were all happy as could be to have them at all.
In addition to our work with the Foreign Legion, and building the Imperial War Museum, some of us found other hobbies as well.
Alex and Andy liked to tinker with machines too. Neither of them were engineers, but they did know how to build things. Andy hated having to sweep the train when it was his turn on cleaning detail, so one day he decided to do something about it. In his head, he pictured a giant mechanical broom that he could build to sweep the halls by itself.
"They already invented that Andy. It's called a 'Rumba'!"
Andy glared at his friend. "Yeah, but Rumba's aren't cool! THIS however is!" He showed him the designs for the mechanical broom. 
"It'll stand about 6 1/2 feet tall, with the sweeping part of the broom being 4 feet wide, and be capable of motion thanks to these thrusters here in the back. It'll also have sensors that'll tell it if it's about to bump into anything, and where it needs to sweep dust, dirt, and debris into piles."
"And what'll you call it Andy?"
Andy thought for a second. "Eh, I think I'll call it 'Sweeping Time', as 'Mechanical Broom' sounds pretty mainstream."
"And how are you gonna build this thing exactly?"
"Well, I plan on doing that with the spare parts and scrap material that's stored inside the Big Boy Workshops, and I'll use the workbenches there too. They're never gonna use that stuff anyway, so Jim has others sort it all, and then store it in the storage rooms there so that it can be used for projects later. I've already looked around, and I saw plenty of pieces for 'Sweeping Time'."
Alex just shrugged. "Eh, I'll believe it when I see it Andy!" Alex then got to work on plans on a project of his own.
In his mind, he wanted to create a sort of robotic butler. He knew that there was a number of machine parts located in the Big Boy workshops, so he went there. While Andy was working on "Sweeping Time", he got to work on his robotic butler. However, as Alex picked through the machine parts in their designated section in the workshop's basement, he suddenly stumbled across a strange looking machine.
"Huh? What the heck is this?"
It looked like it had once been a humanoid robot, but it had either been heavily damaged, or never finished, and left to rot. It was a tangled jumble of parts, and even though Alex was no real robotics expert, he decided to see what he could do with it.
Once he had it on a workbench though, Alex wondered what he'd gotten himself into. The robot looked almost skeletal, and seemed to have been heavily damaged. The only remaining fully intact protective shell casings were on its face and head, and even then, one of the face plates was loose. Its right eye also seemed to be damaged. However, when he tried to power it on, to his utter shock, it actually did something! The robot stood up to its full height of 7 feet, and seemed to be examining its surroundings. A nearby security camera snapped a picture of it.
For the longest time, it kept looking around, and making really weird noises. Suddenly though, it turned and saw Alex! As he stood there, the strange, mechanical being spoke in a garbled, slightly distorted voice.
"Ngh........therrrrre you.....are. I've been looking Eeeeeverywhere for you. I've.....been........waaaaaiting!" It then took a step towards him, and raised one of its mangled hands, almost as if to grab him!
Alex panicked, and quickly unplugged the robot's power core from the wall where it had been charging. The robot made a series of weird noises, before falling silent, and slumping over against the wall.
"I've.....I'VE GOTTA GO GET LEOPARD!!!!" Alex then raced off to find me.
Long story short, he did, and when I came to look at it, I decided to try and probe through the robot's memory core. I hooked it up to the basement's computer terminal, and DELCI began to help me pick through the robot's memory.
"Gosh, this memory core's a real mess. Lots of gobble-goop, and puzzle pieces. This thing must have had a MASSIVE power overload at some point to have caused all of this!"
"Are....you finding ANYTHING usable?"
"I don't.....wait! I just found something!"
"What is it?"
"It looks like a video recording. It's dated 'August 18th, 2025'."
"Is....is it playable?"
"I think so." I clicked on it. For a few seconds, all we heard was static, but then suddenly, the following video played.
When it finished, Alex and I just stared at each other in shock, and fright.
"What......in God's name was THAT?!?!?!"
"I.....d-don't know Alex. Maybe this thing was a failed AI experiment, or something. But yet, a lot of things that it was saying sounded all too familiar."
"Like what?"
"'Pieces of a puzzle can be re-positioned and moved, replaced, and swapped out, but the puzzle will never be whole again. Until the wrongs have been righted!' Think about it for a second Alex. What did Apex Industries do to us?"
"Pieces of the Human body can be re-positioned and moved, replaced, and swapped out, but the body will never be whole again, until the wrongs that Apex did can be righted!"
"'Once you desecrate the beauty, once you SHATTER the integrity of something, all it can ever be is a broken, ugly, vile monster!' Apex took Humans, and turned them into monsters. 'I'm a monster! A discarded remnant of what once was. And one that you REALLY need to fear!' People were terrified of what Apex created. We warned them, but they never listened."
"'Fear me, and don't you blink! Or your eyes may never open again!' Only 23% of those that Apex got their hands on survived what was done to them, and of those, only a mere handful survived their first year. I guess that we were some of the lucky ones."
A sudden thought struck me. "Apex. This robot came from Apex! That's the ONLY way that it could have known all this! Remember what the message said first, and what it said when it saw you? 'There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! I've been waiting!’ This thing is an Apex Security Drone!"
Alex looked at me with wide eyes. "This is one of those robots that hunted down those who tried to escape from Apex, and kept the outside world away! But, how is it possible that it's still here? Unless it somehow found its way here from Earth. I mean, I found it at the bottom of a pile of discarded parts, but I don't remember ever seeing it anywhere on the train. But I can see where you're going with your theory Leopard. It makes sense, but yet there are pieces missing for it."
"As is the case with most theories. I think that we should study the robot in action. Maybe then we can learn a bit more about it, and where it came from." I then unplugged it from the terminal, and plugged it's power core back into the wall.
Once the robot was standing up again, I looked at it. "Who are you?" I asked.
"I.......am........Ennard......"
"Innards? Did you say Innards?"
"......Ennard......"
"And where did you come from?"
"I came........from Apex. I was......a.......patrol drone."
I turned to Alex. "I was right. Apex Security Drone. Kept those inside from escaping, and the outside world out." I then turned back to "Ennard". "Can, you do a full scan of yourself? You seem to be pretty out of order."
"S-scanning......All weapons systems are 100% nonfunctional. Voice modulator........65% capacity. Optical sensors.........50% capacity. Mobility............73% hampered. GPS position locator.......nonfunctional. Conclusion......unfit for further service. Must be fully rebuilt."
I sighed. "Well, we can fix your mobility, voice modulator, optical sensors, your locomotion systems for mobility, and possibly your GPS position locator, and your armored outer casing. Beyond this though, I don't know what we can do for you."
Ennard just seemed to glare at me. "Fix me. And don't you f@#k up! Or Apex will NEVER let you see the light of day again!"
Alex then pulled the plugs, shutting Ennard off once again. We both looked at each other. We still had no idea what to do, but we DID know that Ennard could NEVER get his hands on ANY weapons!
Over the course of the next few days, we did try and repair him. I was able to fix his damaged eye, while Alex fixed the voice modulator, we both hammered out the kinks with the locomotion systems, though we were unable to locate very many suitable exterior shell pieces. We were able to fix his head and torso, as well as his hands, but that was it. We did eventually power Ennard back up after replacing his internal batteries, but this time I also installed a kill-switch that could be activated via remote control.
"Ngh.....Systems......feel better!"
"Do a full system's scan."
"Scanning. Optical sensors: 100% operational. Voice modulator: 96% capacity, locomotion systems: 90% capacity, weapons systems: still nonfunctional. Also lacking 45% of exterior shell components. Why am I still incomplete?"
"Because we lack the parts on hand. We had to order more from Kreyan." (Kreyan was Apex's chief black-market supplier of mechanical parts).
"Hmm, very interesting. And I know that I am no longer at Apex Industries. I cannot reach the Internet, so I don't know where I am, only that I'm in a subterranean warehouse of sorts. I also feel like I no longer have a purpose. Like Apex has moved on from drones like me."
I decided to tell Ennard the truth. "On September 8th, 2025, Apex Industries ceased to exist. They were breached by hostile forces, before the Nuclear Protocol was activated, wiping the facility out. You were the only surviving security unit found after the blast. We've done what we can for you, but you are now alone."
"I am.....alone? The last of the Apex security drones? All others......lost?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so Ennard. You are the last one standing."
"This is....unforeseen, but yet.........I was told it could happen. What is my new purpose now?"
"That's.......still being debated Ennard. For the time being, you will be deactivated, and placed into storage. Hopefully soon we will find you a new purpose."
Ennard then shut down, and Alex and I placed him into storage for the time being. Alex and I agreed to NEVER tell anyone about Ennard unless it became absolutely necessary, and we went back to what we'd been doing before.
On the flip-side, Andy was having similar trouble with his mechanical broom. However, his problem was that the broom worked a bit too well! He had no real way of controlling its speed, and it raced through the corridors of the Battleship Express at speeds of nearly 50mph! Items were damaged, train cars were damaged, and God help ANYONE who got in Sweeping Time's way! There were NUMEROUS cases of train crew having to be rushed to the infirmary after being mowed down, side swiped, or worse, hit by the broom, and then taken for a ride before smashing into a locked door at the end of a car!
Finally, Don, Jim, myself and other officers both on the Battleship Express and in Battalion 4009 had enough of Sweeping Time.
"Andy, you had a good idea, but PLEASE, for the love of GOD get rid of that mechanical broom! It's done NOTHING but cause injury and property damage!"
"Yes! What kind of a broom needs to sweep at 50mph?! Either slow it down, or dismantle it!"
Andy sighed. "Look, I'm TRYING to fix the problems with it! It DOES give a warning before it starts sweeping though. You get either 'LOOKS LIKE IT'S SWEEPIN' TIME!!!!' Or, 'GOTTA SWEEP, SWEEP, SWEEP!!!!!' That should be the cue that the broom is out of its closet, and on the attack! Stay out of it's way until it passes!"
Don looked exasperated. "Or, you just STOP JEOPARDIZING PEOPLE'S LIVES, AND GET RID OF THAT BROOM!!!!"
Andy sighed. "Yeah, you're right Don. I'll shut the broom off." He then went to go and do that.
After FINALLY catching up to it, he pulled the plugs to its power core, and once the broom was immobilized, he dragged it back to its designated closet on the train, placed it inside against the far wall, and shut the door. A sign on the door said "Please beware of the green and white broom. It is NOT for use!" For now at least, Sweeping Time was locked away, awaiting the day that Andy would either fix it, or dismantle it.
And not all hobbies were life-threatening either. For the Ponyville fire brigade, a number of engineers were able to build them 3 magnificent fire engines.
A pumper truck
A hook-and-ladder truck
And a fire chief's vehicle
All 3 of these vehicles were on-loan from Battalion 4009, but yet the Town of Ponyville primarily used them, while we maintained them for them. We would occasionally take them for fire-fighting training, but for the most part, they were all located at the Ponyville fire station. We also offered to build them an ambulance, but they already had one for their own use. Sure, maybe it WAS still pulled by Ponies, but yet the Ponyville Fire Brigade insisted that they wouldn't have it any other way!
Even I myself found a new hobby that I was able to make a little bit of money with once I got good with it. With help from DELCI, plus a few books that I borrowed on the subject from Twilight, I took up clock-making. Primarily working out of the semi-defunct Secondary Command Center (SCC), I taught myself how to repair clocks and watches. I wasn't the best at it at first, but over time I got better. I could fix a clock, as well as take one apart, clean it, put it all back together, lubricate it, wind it, and then polish it. In fact, I'd taken the clock that was sitting on my desk in my room apart and put it back together so many times that I was even able to do it blindfolded! I knew what each and every part was, and where it went on the clock.
For the name of my little side business, I gave it the name "Spots N' Clocks", with "Spots", being a little bit of a play on words with from "Leopard", and it rhymed with "Clocks" to a certain degree. I was the official "Clock Master" within Battalion 4009, and even the rest of the Foreign Legion, and they all came to me for their watch and clock needs. Sure, there wasn't the biggest demand for my services, but I was there for all of your "How do I wind this again?", "Where do I lubricate it?", "I tried to fix this myself and now I've done goofed!", and "Oh f@#k, this clock belonged to my wife's great-grandmother, and I f@#king broke it on accident! HELP ME!!!" needs!
Heck, even Sombra was impressed with my clock-making skills. "Gosh, I've got to hand it to you Sweetheart, you're REALLY good with fixing clocks!"
I looked over at him relaxing on my bed, nude as always. Over the past several months since I'd recaptured him, he'd been building up his strength until he was able to return to the physical world again. However, just like last time, I'd yet to see him wear even a STITCH of clothing!
"Eh, thanks Sombra. And I KNOW that I've asked you this before, but do you EVER wear any clothes?"
He smirked at me. "What, are you STILL distracted by this hunk of a stallion?"
"Sombra, we've been over this. Just because we're tied together at the soul does NOT mean that I find you attractive!"
He just chuckled a bit. "I KNOW that you like me Sweetheart, so that's why I never wear clothes. I LIKE it when you ogle me! Plus, it's SO much more comfortable without them!"
I just rolled my eyes. "Sombra, sometimes you're just too much, and I do NOT mean that in a good way! I'm glad that you can only return to the physical world at certain times, because I like to cuddle with Aurora WAY MORE than I like to cuddle with you!"
"Oh? And how is Aurora doing these days?"
"She's doing fine, but she STILL hates you! I told her the truth about you, and she told me to get rid of you! I told her that I couldn't do that, but yet that I WOULD be keeping you on a tighter leash!"
"Ooh, wanting to do a little Pet Play, are we?"
I put a hand over my face. "Sombra, that was NOT about Pet Play!"
"Really? Because I'd wear a collar and a leash if you wanted me to. Heck, I'd even let you walk me around with the leash!"
I felt like I wanted to throw up. I knew that Sombra was gay, and that he was in love with me, and was SO HAPPY that Dash was seemingly out of my love life. I on the other hand was NOT gay, nor was I even bi-curious. I was ONLY into females/mares, and I put up with Sombra's antics ONLY because there was no other way around it. We were forever linked through our souls, and were stuck together to the end no matter what. Sombra knew this, and NEVER let me forget it! Time and again I regretted EVER messing with the original timeline, but yet on at least a little bit of a plus-side, I was glad that I now had Sombra in a place where I could keep an eye on him. There was nowhere for him to escape to, and I had him in my grasp forever!
Around this same time, another sort of dilemma was being discussed. This was a problem that had been looked at before, but yet no clear solution had been put forward for it. The problem was housing space for Battalion 4009. Back in the day, Battalion 4009 only had 200 men in it. They were housed on the train alongside 216 train crew, and a bevy of pets. However, as WW6 progressed, more and more were recruited, and those 200 men became 1,000. Most of the time, the extra troops simply lived in tents alongside the train, or in rail-side barracks, though this always was a bit of a hassle. However, adding to this housing problem, we picked up another 300 or so troops in the aftermath of the nuking of southern Nevada. All of them made it to Equestria, and roughly 1,200 survived the Imperial War this time, thanks to our efforts with ensuring that more of our troops survived. All of these extra Battalion 4009 soldiers were housed in temporary barracks while we tried to come up with a permanent solution, however, now we had the building inspectors after us because apparently the buildings didn't meet fire codes!
"These temporary barracks MUST be torn down! They are NOT up to code, and are made of combustible material, not to mention the COMPLETE lack of fire suppression systems!"
"Well, where are we SUPPOSED to house a little over 1,200 men?!" Don asked the inspectors. "We don't have room on the train!"
"Not our problem! And you better remove the men from those buildings, and then demolish them, or we WILL start fining you!"
This left us in a REAL pickle. We had 1,200 men and women of Battalion 4009 that needed to be housed in areas that met building and fire safety codes, and the Old Railyard didn't cut it anymore. We couldn't house them in the Imperial War Museum or Big Boy Workshop, so that left us with only one other option.
"Jim?"
"Yes Don?"
"How much are we gonna have to expand upon the Battleship Express so that we can safely house all of our troops? I mean, we're at 32 cars as it stands now; how are we gonna do this?"
Jim sighed. "We'll have to take 32 cars, and beef it up to 46. Here's what we'll do". Jim pulled out a sheet of paper, and began to write on it. "We'll need 6 new bunk cars, 2 dining cars, a coach that will be an extension to our Medical Coach (so that we'll FINALLY get Dr. Fritz off our case about getting more space!), 4 more weapons cars that can also hold supplies, and one final car."
Don nodded. "Yes, that will get us up to 46 alright, but yet what will that last car be for? You didn't say."
Jim sighed. "I'm not sure yet. Most likely it'll be another ammunition supply car, but I haven't fully decided yet. But what I can tell you is that we're gonna have to get in touch that one firm in Manehattan that makes coaches and freight cars for trains, the Pullmare Car Company, and have them make us what we need. I won't sugarcoat this Don, it ain't gonna be cheap, but it WILL get those inspectors off our case, and FINALLY give the men and women of Battalion 4009 the space that they need to live on our train like the rest of us!"
Don agreed, and once they figured out what they needed, they got in touch with Pullmare. They ordered 6 sleeper coaches made to exact RWD specifications, and painted in Union Pacific yellow with gray roofs, 2 dining cars also made to RWD specifications, and painted Union Pacific yellow with gray roofs, a double-decker dome car that would be outfitted to RWD standards as a medical coach, though painted silver with blue and red markings just like an Amtrak coach would be, (done like this to match our main medical coach, as it WAS a former Amtrak double-decker dome car!) 4 armored boxcars that would be refitted with guns on the roof and sides that would hold supplies, and one final regular boxcar that was larger than the other 4, and painted black.
The first to arrive were the sleeper cars, with the dining cars following shortly thereafter. These coaches were put towards the back of the train, as were the dining cars. Once a few changes were made to the interior so that they would match the other crew cars, the men and women of Battalion 4009 who needed to moved out of their old barracks, and into their new homes. All 1,200 of them were now able to fit on the train, and fit comfortably.
Next to arrive were the 4 boxcars that would be armed supply cars. These wound up just in front of the Tertiary Command Center (TCC), the observation coach located just 3 cars ahead of the caboose. Guns were outfitted to their roofs and sides, and parts of their exteriors were fitted with chaff shooters that would help to deflect incoming missiles.
Finally, after nearly 4 weeks of waiting, the medical coach and the last boxcar arrived. The medical coach was placed just behind the original one, and while Dr. Fritz and the rest of the doctors and nurses spread out, the medics from Battalion 4009 moved in. There was now plenty of space for ALL of Battalion 4009's medical needs, including the needs of the crew of the Battleship Express, as they too fell under the Battalion 4009 banner.
However, that black boxcar still remained the white elephant in the room. We STILL didn't know what to do with it, only that it had to be in the train somewhere to bring the total car count from 45 to 46. All we knew was that it was going to be outfitted with weapons like all of the other cars were, and then placed in the train somewhere. One night though, Natalie Hudson, one of the engineers in Battalion 4009 thought that she had the perfect solution for what to do with that car. A few nights later, while everyone else was either sleeping, or on duty, she and a few other engineers who were under her slipped out to the boxcar, which was sitting by itself in a separate siding, and after opening it up, they went inside with boxes of parts, and went to work.
The next morning, they went to Don and told him that they figured out what to do with the now famous "Black Boxcar".
"We figured it out Major! And I know that the rest of you guys are gonna LOVE IT!"
Don looked up at her. "What did you do Natalie?"
She just shrugged. "I don't know; you'll just have to come with me and find out!"
Don felt that he should be concerned, and after grabbing his jacket, he summoned Jim, myself, Russ Thompson and a few other officers via intercom, and told us to meet him at the Black Boxcar. We did so, and we were followed out by others who were equally curious as to what Natalie and her team had done to the Black Boxcar.
"Seriously Natalie, what did you do?"
Natalie then looked at him, and then at the rest of us. "Well, that's just it Major Don. What we did was something that has NEVER been done to a war train before! An idea so amazing that it even blew us away! In one night we built all of this, and we literally worked from close to dusk last night, until well after dawn this morning! 19 solid hours we worked on this, and the results are MORE than impressive!" Natalie then grabbed the handles to the doors of the boxcar, and prepared to open them, while a medical nurse from the Battleship Express named Britney Watson, a close friend of Natalie’s, grabbed the doors to help her. "And now, I present to you, the 'Battleship Express Pool Room'!" The doors were then opened, and when we all saw inside, our jaws hit the ground!
There, in the middle of the boxcar, was an honest to goodness swimming pool! It wasn't the biggest pool ever, and it was an above-ground pool, but it was large, and took up most of the space in the car. The pool's exterior was made of heavy-duty material, and was quite solid. The pool itself was 50 feet long, 10 feet wide, and about 5 feet deep. It was located in the center of the car, and 2 ladders were present for entry and exit. Off to the sides were the filter pumps and heater, and at one end of the car was a hot tub large enough to fit 10 people, while at the other end was a 6-person sauna! Mounted to the car's roof were 2 machine gun turrets, and between them, right above the pool, was a skylight made of bullet-proof glass! The car also had interior lighting, and from what we could tell, the pool, hot tub and sauna were all ready to go.
Don turned to Natalie again, but yet he was unable to say anything. NEVER did he ever think that he would ever see ANYTHING like this on any train, to say nothing of the Battleship Express, but now here it was; the impossible right before his very eyes!
"W-wh......why?" He finally managed to say.
"Well, it's quite simple really. The Battleship Express is the flagship of the RWD, right? And shouldn't the flagship have a few things that the other trains DON'T? How many other trains have an honest to goodness POOL AREA?! I'll tell you how many, NONE!!!! We're now the first war train EVER to have a private swimming pool, hot tub and sauna! That is of course, if YOU allow this car to become a part of our train Major Don!"
Well, now Don was in a real pickle. He already knew that EVERYONE in Battalion 4009 wanted the car in the train now, and there was no WAY that they were gonna let him get away with saying no to Natalie and her team! However, this raised a lot more questions than answers. If the train was reactivated, how the heck was that car going to be of any use? Who was going to be assigned to caring for the car's contents? How many people could use its facilities at the same time? Most importantly though, would the pool and hot tub be able to ride smoothly while the train was in motion without water splashing everywhere?
Don looked back up at Natalie. "Well, the truth is Natalie, I WANT to bring this car into the train, but we're gonna have to run a few tests first; namely seeing how well it rides. If there's too much splashing of water, we're not gonna be able to use it."
"2 steps ahead of you there Major! Both the pool and hot tub have special locking covers with waterproof seals to keep all water in, even in the worst battlefield conditions! You can test the covers if you want, but believe me when I tell you that it's completely safe!"
Don still did order tests performed with the car riding the rails behind the Big Boy, and in all of the tests, only a few small drops of water leaked out. The "Pool Car" rode perfectly smooth, and after adding it to the roster of cars, it was placed at the 3/4 mark of the train, in front of the barracks cars for Battalion 4009, but just behind the car that contained our nuclear shells! And once it was a part of the train, it was the HOTTEST car on the train! EVERYONE wanted to hang out there, though rules such as "no alcohol!","no running!" and "swimsuits must be worn at ALL TIMES!" were strictly enforced!
But now our train had 42 cars in it, Battalion 4009 had a place to live, (their old barracks were torn down, and replaced with another railroad siding!) and we now had a pool car for our train as well! We were now the first war train to EVER have a pool, and it does NOT get much more awesome than that!
For ages and ages, Jim had one goal in mind; to FINALLY get the mech "Shooting Star" that we'd carried with us since the Battle of Kansas City to actually work. Sure, a few of it's kinks were hammered out, but a lot still remained to be done. Most said that the venture was a waste of time, and that Shooting Star would NEVER be able to amount to anything. Jim didn't listen to his critics though. In the back of the Big Boy Workshops, facing a set of rear doors, those working on Shooting Star managed to get the mech to stand upright, and remain in place. Scaffolding was then built around it, and now those who wished to help could get to work on the mighty machine.
The biggest problem to overcome was the mech's reactor. Aside from a few brief, failed tests, the mech had NEVER moved under its own power. Generators had to be used to power its internal systems while the reactor was being rebuilt. Thanks to the success of Oddball, ALL of the kinks of the carbide reactor had finally been worked out, and the reactor was taken out of Shooting Star, disassembled, reworked, refurbished, and then reassembled inside the mech piece by piece. True to its name, the reactor itself actually ran on actual carbide! Well, carbide, water, and a few other chemicals, not to mention a fluid used to cool to reactor, but all in all, it was very efficient, and now they knew how to get the reactor to work properly!
Another problem was the issue of internal space. The mech was originally about 20 feet tall, and housed space for a driver, a gunner, and an engineer. The driver was on top and saw everything through the eyes of the mech (which he also drove!), then below him came the gunner, who operated the weapon's systems, and then came the engineer, who kept the mech running smoothly. All 3 sat on top of each other in a space that was about the size of a phone booth, scorching hot, hard to ventilate, and EXTREMELY claustrophobic! Thanks to upgrades, the mech's height was increased to 32 feet tall, the exterior armor was improved, and the internal spaces were enlarged as well. There was now much more room for the 3 man crew, an advanced air conditioning system, and an advanced ventilation system as well. The controls inside were upgraded, and even though the crew still sat in compartments that were stacked one on top of the other, there was now much more space to move around, and properly perform their tasks.
One of the final problems to solve were the mech's locomotion parts, particularly the hydraulic joints. The original fluid-filled joints were no longer strong enough to bear the weight of the massive machine with all of its new armor and upgrades, so the engineers had to work out a system of electromagnetic......something something........hydraulic joints. They've TRIED to explain it in layman's terms, but I STILL have no clue what they're talking about! All I can say is that their new system works, and it's easy to maintain! Eventually though, after nearly 4 months of solid work, at the very end of the Summer of 2029, Jim believed that they were FINALLY ready to fire Shooting Star up, and see if she was FINALLY able to do what she was meant to do!
For those that wanted to, we could put our names onto a slip of paper, and then put those slips into a hat. Jim would pick of them, and one would be the driver, another would be the engineer, and the final one would be the gunner for Shooting Star's trial run. In the end, Tertiary Engineer Mitch Gibson (the 3rd of the 3 men who drove Big Boy 4009), got the engineer slot, Gunnery-Sergeant Hartman got the gunner slot, and the driver? For that, as Fate would have it, Jim pulled my name out of the hat! Sure, maybe I knew how to work the controls, but I had NO IDEA what I was doing!
That very same night though, August 11th, 2029, the 3 of us climbed up the scaffolding, and entered the tiny little crew hatch on the front of Shooting Star. I climbed in first since I was on top, and then Sergeant Hartman got in, and then Mitch Gibson. Mitch also closed the hatch and secured it. Once we were all in our seats, we strapped ourselves in, and put on our radio headsets. These would ensure that we were able to communicate not only with each other, but also with Jim on the outside.
"Ok guys, this is it. Driver 1 Checking in, can you guys hear me?"
"This is Engineer 1, I read you loud and clear Leopard!"
"This is Gunner 1! I too read you loud and clear Captain!"
"This is Driver 1 to Ground 1, do you copy Jim?"
"Right here Leopard. And at least we know that the radios are working! But anyway, are you guys all good up there?"
"Affirmative Jim, we're all good! Begin ground-clearing down there, and once you're clear, give Mitch the signal to start up the reactor!"
"Roger that Driver 1." Soon, the whole area had been cleared, and everyone was behind the safety barricades. "Ground clear Driver 1. Engineer 1, you may now begin reactor startup procedure."
"Roger that Ground 1." Mitch then began to initiate the startup sequence for the carbide reactor.
On the ground below us, EVERYONE was waiting to see what was going to happen. The exterior doors were opened, and if Shooting Star did indeed work, then we would take a few steps out of those doors, and out into the railyard for a test!
"Ground 1, startup sequence commencing. Standby for reactor ignition!" Mitch then flipped the final few switches, and pressed the ignition button, and from all around us, we felt the carbide reactor roar to life. Unlike previous tests that ended in failure, there was no smoke, and no loud, hideous noises either. The reactor roared to life straight away, and continued to run smoothly.
"Ground 1, we have full reactor ignition! All systems are holding steady, just waiting for permission to start up the rest of the systems."
"Granted Engineer 1."
We all then began to power up the rest of our systems. Once everything was working as it should, I slipped my arms and legs into the primary control yolks for the mech, and now whenever I moved my arms, legs, hands, or feet, the mech's appendages would move with me. I also attached a helmet to my head that would allow me to see what the mech was seeing, and I had a full HUD display as well. Mitch and Hartman had a HUD display too, and they too could see outside of the mech, but not quite like how I the driver could.
"Ground 1, all systems are holding steady! We're all good to go up here, everything is functioning as it should for once, and we're requesting the removal of the scaffolding now!"
"Roger that Driver 1, scaffolding disengaging!" 2 moving vehicles then came forwards, and after grabbing hold of the scaffolding, they pulled it away from the front of Shooting Star so that it would be able to move forwards freely.
"Scaffolding disengaged Driver 1. You may now move her forwards at your discretion!"
"Roger that Ground 1. And this one's for the history books, so how about this one. 'To all of all y'all who said that Shooting Star would NEVER work, and was nothing but a waste of time and space, SHOVE IT!!!" I then began to move my legs, and to all of our slight shock and surprise, Shooting Star responded to my commands, and began to move forwards!
First one step, and then another, and another. Soon, we reached the doors of the workshop. The doors themselves were at a height of 33 feet, and Shooting Star was 32 feet tall. After stepping under the doors, I brought the mech out into the evening air. From her vantage point on the Battleship Express, Aurora was able to snap this picture of Shooting Star as she moved about outside of the workshop.
"This.....THIS IS SO INCREDIBLE!!!!" Mitch Gibson was beside himself that Shooting Star was FINALLY working as she was supposed to.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Hartman agreed. "And like the Captain said, I SURE wish that all of those naysayers who said that Shooting Star would never amount to anything could see us now! I mean sure, maybe we DON'T have an enemy to fight right now, but if we did, or it we have to fight an enemy in the future, NOW we have a gigantic weapon to do it with!"
"I agree with you both. We've proven ALL of the critics wrong, AND we've just given Shooting Star her first successful test run. For the first time EVER she's running under her own power, and she's actually been able to move! She's NEVER been able to do that before! And sure, maybe we can't test the weapons right now due to them still not being fully reinstalled yet, (sorry Hartman!) but I know that if we could, they would most likely work to perfection!"
I heard Hartman sigh a bit. "Yeah, I know that we can't fire any of the weapons right now, but yeah, I too have faith that they will work to perfection once they've been reinstalled!"
After a few more minutes of tests, we brought Shooting Star back inside of the workshops, where I maneuvered her back into position, and then Mitch began the shutdown procedure for the carbide reactor. Once it was fully shut off, the scaffolding was put back into place, and everything was secured, Mitch, Hartman, and I climbed out of the mech, and were back on the ground again.
Jim came to congratulate us. "Amazing work all of you! We've FINALLY shown the world that Shooting Star was NOT a waste of time and money, and that she can indeed be used as a weapon! And sure, I KNOW that none of you are mech crew, but yet you all do know just about everything that there is to know about machines like this, so it all worked out for the best!"
We all saluted. "Well, we did our best Jim, and that's the best that we can do! Sure, maybe Shooting Star won't be running too many more times after tonight, and all of her weapons systems are still being reinstalled, but just in case war ever does rear its ugly head again, Equestria can rest assured that Shooting Star will be joining the front lines for battle!"
"You can say that again Leopard! 3 cheers for Shooting Star's first crew! Driver 1 Captain Leopard, Engineer 1 Mitch Gibson, and Gunner 1 Gunnery-Sergeant Hartman!"
"Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!"
In that moment, even though the 3 of us knew that we probably never would operate Shooting Star again, we all felt a sense of pride. We ALL had accomplished something that night, something AMAZING! We had just gotten a mech that EVERYONE said was a waste of time, and actually got it to work properly! Sure, maybe we'd tested everything but the main weapon's systems, but all in all it was one heck of a successful test!
Shooting Star was moved to the back of the workshop a bit later on that night, and she was still surrounded by scaffolding, but yet she was ready to go again at a moment's notice. Her weapons would all be reinstalled within the next 2 weeks, and could be armed in a hurry, and there was plenty more carbide fuel for her reactor as well. Shooting Star would be the bane of an enemy's existence, just like the Battleship Express was before it!
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Good so far
9406114
Hello Sanguine,
And congradulations on being the first to comment!
And I'm glad that you like the story so far.
9406126
I mean st admit I thought at first this would be used to show more of the RWD fleet. Still good though
9406143
Hello Sanguine,
And no, that's not in this story. However, I do have a chapter in mind for a future story in the Battleship Express timeline that will do just this. I'm glad that you still like it though.
Great work so far can't wait for more.
9406922
Hello marcus12,
And I'm glad that you like it so far. And what I said at the end is no exaggeration. The next chapter will indeed be taking things to new heights. In fact, it's called "Chapter 5: Airfield of Wonder". I'll let you decide on what that means!
should sound fam to you Leo, it's the Handmounted Computer from the FALLOUT Universe,