Chapter 33
Try a little longer, 45%
“We aren’t going to come all this way for nothing,” Twilight finally declared. “But that doesn’t mean we have to put the Equinox in unnecessary danger. That means trying to dock with that ring or land it on the planet are out of the question. But that doesn’t mean we could learn more about them…” Maybe the planet was safe, maybe it wasn’t. They wouldn’t be able to figure that out from orbit, which was the tricky part.
“Give me a little time to think. Until Spike’s, uh… thing finishes. For all we know it might have another message from the Signalers in there. We shouldn’t decide until we have all the facts.”
“Sure,” Applejack rose from her chair. “Let me know if anything changes with Pinkie Pie. I’m eager to hear what she remembers about the trip over.” And she left, leaving Twilight and Spike alone at the table.
“We’re stressing over nothing,” Spike began, smiling weakly. “You’ll see. Proximus B might’ve had things… a little rough… but that doesn’t mean the Signalers are bad. They called us here for a reason, you’ll see.”
She intended to. There wasn’t much to do over the next day or so, beyond the waiting. There were skilled ponies who might have unicorn magic to do on the mind of a pony as hurt as Pinkie, but Twilight wasn’t one of them. Mind magic was a dangerous, delicate art, one she’d never mastered.
But she could take her own look at the planet below, and the ring encircling it. The ring didn’t just float, but was actually made of several interconnected layers, which moved through and around each other in rapid, apparently important ways. But what she couldn’t manage to spot were any easy docking ports. If the Signalers had ships of their own, they didn’t get on in off in any simple way ponies understood. Maybe they’re better at teleporting than we are, better range and more precise. Or maybe they use something like Sombra did on his space station.
Her speculation was pointless, since she couldn’t talk to them. She tried that too during her day of waiting and thinking—but just as before, the ring did not respond. It didn’t shoot them out of space, either, but…
Interestingly, returning the Signal had no effect—either they couldn’t hear it over how loud they were transmitting it, or they just weren’t listening.
But then the time came.
There would be no accidents this time—everypony but Fluttershy was there. Applejack actually wore a gun on her waist, for all the good it would do against the probe. Twilight had a notepad ready, and Spike just watched. The “decompressing” timer counted its last few minutes.
“I know I should’ve asked this earlier…” Applejack muttered. “But I’m confirming now. There’s nothing dangerous in there. This isn’t a bomb.”
“No,” Spike answered. “Most dangerous thing in that shell is the RTG that was already there to start with.”
“Can’t overload it at least,” Applejack muttered. “Those things are solid state. But if anything weird happens, hold your breath and back up. Kinda wish we’d just fire the whole thing out an Airlock.”
“If it’s dangerous, we will,” Twilight said. “But everything it’s done so far… I don’t think it will be dangerous.”
“Me neither,” Spike agreed. “It could’ve tricked me into making a bomb if it wanted. But instead the designs it left will… change Equestria forever. Assuming we make it back with them.”
“And assuming it does anything,” Twilight added.
But that didn’t seem to be much of an assumption anymore, because that was when the timer counted down. The screen went white, a steady glow brighter than any of their displays, but nothing as brilliant as a torch. Then it went out, and all the little flashing lights stopped flashing.
“That’s it?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “It didn’t even vibrate, or… shoot rainbows at us, er…”
“Neither is possible,” said Starlight Glimmer. “But if you were to connect me to the mainframe, I could probably manage something.”
Twilight stared at the probe, utterly transfixed. How in the buck— then it clicked. The Equinox’s automated systems had been programmed by Starlight. Her voice recordings filled it at every level. The alien object was somehow appropriating them, and generating sound from within the probe.
She was halfway tempted to unplug it right there—from the archive and the portable computer, anyway. But she hesitated. It hadn’t tried to do anything bad yet. And the drives were already slowing to a stop, their access lights dimming one after another. Only the probe kept glowing.
“Where are you communicating from?” Twilight asked, before either of her crew could. “I assume this is a communicator of some kind. You’re… on the ring, aren’t you?”
“Are you sure we ought to be talkin’ to it?” Applejack hissed. But Twilight ignored her. Maybe Spike had been right after all. Maybe this was the key to speaking to the Signalers.
“I am… ring? No.” It was uncannily good at assembling Starlight’s voice. The cuts were there, but often from clips so short that Twilight would’ve been hard-pressed to guess what she’d originally been saying. “Localized. Attempting to… comprehend you. Difficult. Requires processing time.”
“We need our computer,” Applejack called, annoyed. “You can’t use it again like last time. We barely survived it.”
The probe had no ability to move, no visual indication of who had its attention. Yet it spoke to Applejack as unflinchingly as Twilight. “Not… necessary. Hardware is localized. Sufficient.”
“We’re travelers from Equestria,” Twilight said, before she could get caught up in the moment and forget. “We’ve come to make peaceful contact with your civilization. To answer your signal.”
“Peaceful,” Starlight’s voice repeated. “Will see.” Then the screen went dark again. Twilight could still feel heat emanating from within the probe, but other than that, it made no more signs of life. She prompted it a few more times, but there was no response each time.
Applejack gestured, and they left the probe behind, retreating into the lift and taking it up. Only when they were moving did Applejack speak. “I don’t like it,” she said. “Whatever can get into our systems like that… Cap, it could do more than just talk if it wanted. It took two days. I bet it could shut off life support without even tryin’.”
Twilight had a choice.
1. Strap some explosives to it, then eject the probe into space. Applejack is right, the object is too dangerous to keep any longer. The Signalers will have to find a way to communicate that doesn’t put the Equinox in danger.
2. Move it onto the escape pod, but don’t do anything drastic. If something goes wrong, we can get rid of it in a hurry. But otherwise, there’s no reason to get rid of it so soon.
3. Keep a pony with it at all times. It talked to us! We’re so close! Forget ground missions and remote probes, this might be it. Just a little more patience and we’ll have our diplomacy.
(Certainty 200 required)
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Go with 3 to be honest.
I know the tropes. Exapepod it is.
That doesn't sound like a potential destroyer of worlds. It sounds like someone who's been burned by the "We come in peace" routine before. As the computer said, we'll see.
We're creatures of friendship. This thing is either out there, or itself alive. Talking to it is our best option.
Destroying something because it might do its a bad choice, no matter how you look at it.
Wooho, an A.I.! I love them. I wouldn’t if it’s A.S.I. or just a regular A.I.
Where's the special Spike option to plug it into the mainframe?
If we actually want to communicate, option 3 is the best option.
Option one, just plain stupid. Why leave Equestria in the first place?
Option two, illogical. Computers work at higher speeds than ponies, and with a radio link, it does not have to be near to talk. If it was up to no good, ejecting it would not do anything useful.
Option three, hardest on the crew, but appropriate to the spirit of the mission. Of course, if it has malevolent aims, they are sooooooooooo fucked....
Option three.
3, it has to be 3.
This is the entire reason for their journey, the reason for The Equinox, the reason they underwent cryo and left their lives behind.
There is no way they can just abandon something like this.
Just because it isn't talking doesn't mean it isn't listening. Show it that Equestrian "anyone can be a friend" spirit!
... I was gonna say 2, but the comments have convinced me. Moving it to an escape pod won't really do anything, but keeping someone near it should accomplish the same effect.
3, i feel like pinkie or applejack could mess up everything with 2, and 1 is just "blow up what we don`t understand!!!" and well ....im curious.
Ominous...
I'll go with popular vote on this one. The last thing it said has put me on edge, but everyone thinks continuing to talk to it is a good idea and I have no evidence to say otherwise.
I mean, there's nothing stopping you from putting it in an escape pod and talking to it from the hatch or something.
I vote three.
The probe already had the code and know how to make a localized AI in their mainframe that got booted to this probe.
That takes alot. More than enough to just destroy them already without making a fancy AI that couldn't have known with absolute certainty where it would wake up.
That speaks to me of it being friendly but more than hurt before. Like whatever happened on the surface. If the AI was what happened on the surface I doubt it would just start talking to them before destroying.
Also if as Applejack says it could figure out how to do what it wants and hasn't yet except for the ominous sounding "We will see." then that indicates to me it heard what Applejack said and is swriously waiting to see what they will do. That shows restraint. Restraint for an unrestrained AI seems good.
Also the AI would be in the ring too. It could easily destroy them with the amount of energy, tech, and materials at hand without safely talking to them.
Definitely vote 3.
9330445
Nice. You said what I wanted to far better and faster than I did.
As much as I'm all for erring on the side of caution, let's do our best not to piss off the alien AI. I vote 3.
I still vote for Leap of Faith. #3
The alien computer sounds like it has been betrayed once before (at least). To earn trust they need to show that they are willing to trust in return.
Let Spike talk to it for a while. Its a security risk but worth it.
We have to show trust. We come in peace, we show peace.
Yes, it isn't the safest route, but friendship is magic and intergalactic diplomacy is best friendship.
Pony up and vote 3!
Localized instantiation of AI. So it was probably packed up from before then.
We suspect the rings are meant to be moving much more swiftly.
At least it didn't demand more access, though it's conceivable that the added power wouldn't amount to much anyways.
It needs a name! We vote for Sandy!
Assuming that Equestria won't have developed equivalent or better integrated circuits in the decades they were gone.
That doesn't really make sense unless it's recorded verbal help text or something. Programming doesn't work like that.
I'm torn between 2 and 3. 2 as the compromise choice, I guess, plus I think it would be a mistake to abandon other exploration possibilities.
3 sounds like a great way to accidentally give away far too much information about the vulnerable condition of the crew. But put it in the escape pod and Spike will be biting his claws day and night. (Twice as much when AJ is nearby.) Option 1 is just stupid at this point. Ugh. Where's the "just leave it where it is" option?
Guess I'm going with 2 because 1) we'll still send a probe or two out and 2) let's be honest, Spike will dedicate all his free time to talking to the aliens anyways.
9331030
We've heard her voice recordings used as status messages, warnings, and other promptings by the Equinox throughout this story. As a software developer myself, I can say with confidence that the behind-the scenes for this system is a phonetic template a-la Majel Barrett's.
Yes AJ, it could do that potentially... but it hasn't, despite plenty of opportunity. That indicates that it won't harm us or our systems, and thus precautions like "kill it" or "stick it in a pod" would be MORE likely to result in our destruction than the current path. Option 3, for both our safety and for the mission!
I do not think anyone would think too ill of healthy paranoia in this kind of first contact scenario. Too much trust might even seem dangerous, it could be a hidden trap or mean that the other side are naive, trusting idiots.
Both are dangerous prospects which can put you in grave danger.
I'm in favor of keeping a pony with it from out side an escape pod.
Not that it probably needs my help at this point...
But the crew have come to make friends, friendship is magic, the magic number is 3.
Just don’t let Applejack be the one manning (mareing?) their guest too often.
9331148
I am also a software developer. It certainly makes sense that you are having this be a phonetic template, my point is that there's no necessary connection between the programmer of a system and the voice being used for the template that system contains.
Honestly, I'm just being too pedantic, but the way Twilight stated "The Equinox’s automated systems had been programmed by Starlight." followed by "Her voice recordings filled it at every level." made it sound like the former was supposed to imply the latter when in truth the only link is that the same person coincidentally filled both roles.
That said though, Twilight is the narrator here and she simply may not know the difference.
Yeah, going to go with option three.
At this point it seems like it's waiting for some kind of response. Two it might not mind, but it may just sit around in the pod and do nothing and thus choose to do nothing without context that they choose to keep away from the A.I. like that.
Also no telling just how much this A.I. has gathered being funneled into their mainframe. It could also be being doggy thanks to what Cozy Glow did and what the crew has done so far.
Even Pinkie?
Did it involve stairs?
I voted for option 3.
But it seems I made vote number 201. Does that mean my vote doesn't count?
9331823
When we hit the threshold I typically make it my goal if possible to have a chapter ready on the next calendar day. We passed this one on Wednesday, which means if possible I want a chapter ready by Thursday. Votes will still be counted until the moment I sit down to write, at which point I use whatever the score is at and go from there.
I feel like some of these are very against the mission Twilight was sent on. My vote is for 3.
Option 2. No harm in being careful.
Before reading Option 3, my choice would have been Option 2. The phrase, "Better safe than sorry", is wise advice.
But...
I have watched a lot of Star Trek, and how they always attempt to use diplomacy and words before writing anything off. If we could mix options 2 & 3 I would go with that. It is wary of us, and we are wary of it. Cooler heads will prevail so long as we keep it on our shoulders.