Chapter 130
Salvage derelict ships to build a sister station 65%
Twilight knew that if she refused Spike’s idea, she would be harming her relationship with Canterlot’s central computer. But that wasn’t the only reason she ultimately accepted his idea. Twilight didn’t just have to plan for the next few months, she might be planning for centuries of Equestria’s future.
More precisely, she was planning for centuries of their future, Node made that explicitly clear when she asked how long the trip would take.
“I don’t know where they’ve gone by now. The flotilla will be hundreds of lightyears past the shell of hunger’s expansion. But don’t think of it like a formation of interceptors, all keeping pace with each other. The flotilla is centered on half a dozen different Badescu-Cathcarts. Most civilizations don’t ever field anything like them, so they find the family they like and join up.
“But ships continue for thousands of lightyears around them, settling stars and harvesting resources and occasionally experimenting with ways to sate thee hunger. From the interstellar point of view, we’re already in the flotilla. From any useful definition, you ponies will want to get into the core. Join a family, find your place to tuck this little station in beside their star, and…” she shrugged her too-many hands awkwardly. “Whatever it is you do.
“I don’t know how long I was…” she trailed off, all confidence draining from her face. “I don’t have access to an absolute chronometer. I estimate between five hundred and ten thousand light-years.”
If it was the latter number, Twilight Sparkle knew beyond all doubt that her civilization was doomed. They were already getting sick; they didn’t have a few centuries to design spells and stockpile materials for something to last that long. Could all the inventiveness, all the new spells and new inventions, make up the slack?
We need to expand. A second station to grow into might be enough to let us survive the trip. And if it only took them a thousand years, which seemed like inconceivably high acceleration even from the highways Node had told Twilight about, then maybe they’d make it.
Twilight thus made her most terrible judgement as a princess yet, and consciously exchanged the lives of her sickest ponies for a chance the many might survive.
Over the next month, the first batch of new cryo-drugs was finally produced, and they could wake ponies as fast as their food supply could support. Twilight sacrificed the Equinox’s stores to outfit a dozen tugboats and haulers from the Canterlot’s dock, crewing them with the fewest possible ponies and sending them on their way.
Does anyone die in the first month? No.
The second month? No.
Random event: (Thread related) The Probe: The Adversity of Leadership
By the end of the second month, the first of those little tugboats had returned, bringing salvage from elsewhere around Proximus C. She would be waiting for a few more months for any of the really juicy old ships, but she reviewed scans of the old ruins with satisfaction. Many were identical, ancient helium-3 harvesting scoops that had ejected themselves from the atmosphere long ago. A few were little station, not much bigger than a freighter ship.
Of course anything of real size would take much longer—their tugs could pull some incredibly tight burns with magic to buffer inertia and not crush the crew, but that didn’t mean their engines could put out the thrust to accelerate massive old ships to similar speeds. Assuming the hulks could even survive it, after eons adrift in space.
Node stormed into her office about two months after that first launch, so late into the evening that even Spike’s artificial body had gone for the evening. She shut the door behind her, then settled something on Twilight’s table without invitation or explanation. Whatever it was, it began to hum as soon as she set it there, and everything electronic in the room around them went suddenly dark.
Except for Node herself. “Captain Twilight. Er… Princess, I’m guessing I should call you. I have something to ask, and not long to ask it before Spike figures out what I’ve done.”
Twilight pushed aside a stack of Applejack’s projections for various sister stations she’d been proposing. Her eyebrows went up. “I don’t know what you think you need to keep from Spike, Node. Aren’t you two… friends? You made his body, you’re together almost all the time.” Twilight’s eyes settled nervously on the little box. Dangerous little device Node had cooked up. But she didn’t argue the impertinence of the meeting. Node was alien, and pony politeness was a lesson she didn’t seem likely to master.
“I’m trying to head something off, something… you don’t want to happen. Spike is going to ask to copy himself onto the computer of the new station. He’s only mentioned it in passing, but I think he was planning on it from the beginning.”
That got her attention. Twilight shook away the first hints of tiredness, glancing briefly at the door. But no sign of Spike barreling in to stop this exchange, not yet. “It was his idea, wasn’t it? Even if you’re right… why should I stop him?”
“Because you’re using ships from a civilization you don’t even understand.” She folded her smaller set of arms, while the others remained tense, ready to snatch the box back off the desk. She didn’t sit down, which meant she towered over Twilight. It was all she could do not to feel intimidated. “Maybe he’s told you too—he thinks he doesn’t feel alive, and maybe having better substrate will change that. He’s wrong. If he cracks into the regulator of some Ship of the Line, or god-forbid a destroyer… it’s going to cut him to pieces, learn everything about you ponies, and all you can do is pray it doesn’t decide to wipe you out after that.”
Twilight let the weight of those words linger on her for a few moments. At first she couldn’t even process it—a single ancient ship could wipe out her whole civilization? Then again, they were one station, and not even one prepared for war. “What are you suggesting?”
“Simple. Have me run the station. I’ve been…” she gestured vaguely with a hand. “I’ve been this way since longer than all of you have been alive, combined. I know my own old ships. I’m the one who needs to be out there for every retrofitting team to consult, and I’m the only one who can keep them from turning on their inhabitants.”
Twilight didn’t have long to consider. If Spike realized she was consulting behind his back, it would be even worse.
1. Let Spike have the ships for a second station. We’re building an Equestrian station, not resurrecting anything the signalers made. I can just tell him not to use any of the computers, he’ll listen.
2. Let Node run the ships. She’s right. They’re signaler ships, who could run them better?
3. They’re too dangerous, melt them into scrap. We’ll lose a few months, but if they’re really filled with sleeping dangers, we shouldn’t pack off on our trip with a lunchbox full of poison apples.
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I'm going to agree with Node on this. While I do think it might be dangerous for anyone to be the new computer, I don't think we have the time to kill to melt down all the ships.
Trust the Signaller with the Signaller tech. This isn't a case of her questioning magic because she doesn't understand it. This is a case of Mom telling us not to touch the hot stove. Let's not get burned.
At first I was afraid Node discovered the Hunger is almost there, but didn't want anyone to find out; either to prevent an panic or because it would be too late anyway.
I don't want Spike to be killed... Not again. Even if it is just an copy.
Also, the possibility of the ancient ships turning rouge is dangerous.
As for the question, I believe the best will be to put Node in control of the second station.
Spike (maybe) won't like that, and I don't like trusting Node too much, but I guess by now we crossed that line a long time ago.
Click click ....... Bang.
I can't see a single reason to let spike do it to be honest.
He's got to have a better reason than "Because I want to" when it will be a seperate copy of him doing it, not even the original.
Is he going to insist on spike-copies running everything?
This is going to end badly no matter what at this point, I think.
But at least Node would have a chance to SALVAGE something if it does, I think.
Not great news to hear about Spike but we shouldn't be too surprised as we did cause this to happen and we never did actually talk to him about this, as for the choice its obvious that node should be in control of her own technology as she knows it better, Spike wont be happy about it but piling more work onto him wont help him deal with his issues any better, which we should really be talking to him about soon to avoid any issues that may come from this. And we clearly cannot scrap the ships as that will add too much time to the project and while we haven't lost anypony yet we will if we drag this out too much longer.
'2' for Gosh's sake! Seriously, I knew the old ships would have something on them. You don't just leave things like that for no reason. I just hope that this doesn't come back to bite us.
We don't have the luxury not to risk taking these wrecks for ourselves, but we need to ask one thing: do we trust Node?
If we don't, then this would be a power play to control us, and isn't worth the risk saved from Spike doing it (his loyalty is certain).
If we do however, then the chances of Spike accidentally doom in us in the way Node laid out is too great when we have an alternative.
Personally, I'm going to give Node my trust. My impression is that his pushiness previously was due to survival instinct rather than attempted leadership, and that is an acceptable motive for this.
There's almost no possible way this isn't the wrong choice.
That's kind of a wide range.
Incredibly lucky so far. That probably won't last.
Split the difference, 2.
One wonders if Spike's hoarding instincts would extend to entire space stations.
Better Node do what Node can do.
The best of bad decisions.
Got to go with Node on this one... Or melt them down which we already don't have the time for.
Node has proven instrumental in preventing Signaler-based catastrophes. Spikes' desire is analogous to one who seeks ever more power. Best curb that, maybe with a friendship lesson...
Node is infinitely more experienced with this tech than we are. Option 2.
No time to waste on yet more delays! (Especially since OOC we know there're already death rolls being made.) Leave the alien tech to the alien who knows something about it.
By the way, Node is probably overstating her case: "I'm an alien to you so I know all about alien tech" is dubious. Can she even name all of the races participating in the fleet? This point doesn't change my vote for Node though.
"Twilight thus made her most terrible judgement as a princess yet, and consciously exchanged the lives of her sickest ponies for a chance the many might survive."
:V I waaaaarned yoooooou.
I kinda want to read this now
But i'm too lazy so i'll put on read later
Node
They are warships of the line. You can't predict when you might need a starship class weapon; what if an asteroid gets in the way while sailing? Scraping them is a waste and Spike is going stir crazy.
I don't know how good an option it is, but Node seems like she'd have enough knowledge about the other ships to be the best choice. Of course, that presupposes she isn't "up to something"...
Definitely a hard one, it comes down to who you trust more. And their stability. Though we don't know how much of spikes actual self was transferred, I'm willing to give him the chance. Though maybe on a test bed first, as node said their ships where far more advanced and may cause damage to spikes mind