Chapter 46
Stay in orbit until Applejack's condition can be properly diagnosed. 70%
Twilight stared down at the medical report, occasionally squinting at the close dots in the printout. “This is a joke, right? Pinkie Pie put you up to…”
“I didn’t,” Pinkie called from across the large central area. She’d been zipped into the sleeping bag for the last few hours, apparently not actually asleep. “Wasn’t me.”
Fluttershy glared over the printout at her. “I wouldn’t joke with a patient’s health, captain. These are the results. I’m getting confirmation from the tissue samples I exposed. And no, it wasn’t in her medical history from before. Every member of this expedition was completely healthy when it began.”
Is Applejack’s sickness serious? No.
According to the report in from her, Applejack wasn’t going to die of some alien disease. She wouldn’t die at all, at least not assuming she continued to receive even the most basic medical care. Applejack had the flu.
“This shouldn’t be possible,” Twilight said. “We were quarantined for six months before the mission launched. We weren’t supposed to bring anything with us.” They’d been some of the most exciting months of Twilight’s life—though she hadn’t been able to see anypony directly, family and friends from all over the system had visited Canterlot Station to see her off. She’d been able to hug them from inside an environmental suit, or to sit with them for hours if she didn’t mind the plastic barrier in the way. It was the first time all seven of the Equinox’s crew were together in the same place.
“I didn’t forget,” Fluttershy said, a little annoyed. “But do you think Cozy Glow was too? If she was being sent to make sure we never came home, I don’t think they would’ve cared. So she infected Applejack, and probably all of us too. And if we’re not infected yet, we’ll probably come down with it eventually. It’s a good thing we weren’t sent to establish a sterile colony, because we would’ve failed.”
That was an intentional choice. No stallions aboard meant that returning home would be more of an imperative, and giving up would be all the more unthinkable. Twilight hadn’t been happy with the restriction, but she didn’t control every aspect of its planning. Starlight Glimmer had invented that rule, along with so many other restrictions.
“So we can let her out,” Twilight said. “There’s no reason she should be locked into a tent. She survived, the tissue samples survived… we’re safe. Proximus B is safe for farming.”
“Accepting that we’re all almost certainly doomed to come down with the same severe strain of the flu… yes. It’s quite likely that we were already exposed, when Applejack was. I only worry about…” she trailed off, looking meaningfully across the ship.
“I know you’re talking about me,” Pinkie Pie called, voice weak. “Twitch tail, itchy eye. Doesn’t matter if you don’t say it.”
Of course, because that made sense. But Twilight didn’t argue with her. Fluttershy was right—Pinkie Pie had barely been alive when she woke up. Had she come down with the flu right then, it almost certainly would’ve killed her. Little miracles.
“I’m not sure about safe, though…” Fluttershy went on. “Maybe the microbiome isn’t fatal. Maybe the air is clean enough to breathe and has the right mixture of gasses. Nopony has ever grown something in another biosphere before. Every other planet in our system was sterile when we got there. We’re the pioneers, and that’s always a dangerous place to be.”
“I know,” Twilight said. “But that’s what we came here to do. Why don’t you give Applejack the good news?”
Twilight would’ve loved to deliver that announcement herself—but Fluttershy deserved it. Every now and then a doctor got to deliver some good news.
But they weren’t ready to touch down right there—even if that was what Applejack wanted, Twilight wanted to be sure. She nudged Node with the edge of one hoof, waking it from its hibernation state. “Node, I need to talk.”
It was hard to say how trustworthy the creature was. Twilight still wasn’t even sure she believed what it had told her last time. At least Applejack was here for this conversation, even if it was with a runny nose and occasional coughing.
“I am listening,” Node said.
“First…” Twilight sat down in front of it, looking straight into the cameras. Hopefully there wasn’t anything offensive about the gesture when translated into its culture. “When we spoke last time, you said you were created weeks ago. You said you had no parents, and that you ‘creators’ were a different kind of life from yourself. Is that true?”
“Approximately.”
“Quit beatin’ around the bush,” Applejack stepped right up to it, pushing Twilight slightly to one side. “Is it true or ain’t it that you’re some kinda… mechanical life? Not a livin’ creature talking to us through the radio?”
“No,” Node said. “Your definition for life has several qualifications, among which is the ability to reproduce. I lack this ability, or the drive. I am, therefore, not alive.”
“What you ain’t doin’ is answering our questions,” Applejack said, before another wave of coughs silenced her. Twilight tried to speak, but she just put out one leg, glaring. “I don’t care about no textbook definition of nothin.’ Whoever wrote that book ain’t here. Are you artificial life or ain’t you?”
“I am not using any radio communication. Only the hardware you see before you presently holds this consciousness.”
Even Applejack had no response to that. The other members of the crew had barely been doing their work—but now they too were staring, with just as much disbelief.
A computer that could fit inside a starship was incredible. A computer big enough to hold a mind…
This is the most important thing we’re bringing back with us, Twilight thought. It’s the part that destroys Equestria, added another part, in Cozy Glow’s voice.
“Secondly,” Twilight said, before she could get distracted, or Applejack could get into an argument with it. She levitated the map of the little green patch. “We plan on landing here. Is it safe?” Node had suggested its memory was damaged, but that hadn’t stopped it from knowing where to land. Maybe it knew more about its planet than that.
Node had no head to shake, no face to read. But the more it spoke, the more emotion she imagined she could hear in Starlight Glimmer’s recorded voice. “No part of Zerzura is ‘safe’ as you define it. You have chosen as adroitly as possible with limited information. Harvester will not be present. Stable. Nothing would live there otherwise.”
Applejack met her eyes, question obvious on her face.
We know the planet’s name. They’d actually learned something today.
1. Land and begin farming. Node said nowhere was safe, but orbit is somewhere too. If we’re unsafe anyway, we might as well be doing something productive at the same time. Besides, being around living things will be good for everypony’s morale.
2. Risk is unacceptable, abandon farming on the ground. We could try to do something in the cargo bay instead, wait for the Prospector that way. Won’t be as productive, and it will probably hurt morale, but at least nopony will be dead.
3. Farming is stupid, Zerzura has a bucking orbital ring. We’re going to figure out how to dock with it. If there’s any civilization left in this system, it’s there. Presumably that ring has the Signalers on it too.
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We need a morale boost, and the (remote) chance to farm the things we need revive additional crewmembers would not hurt either... Option 1 seems to be the best choice. The ring won't go anywhere (I hope) so we can investigate it later (without potentially opening a whole new can of worms right now).
(Also *yay* update, Starscribe, really enjoy the story so far - well, and your writing in general, of course)
Farm on the ground. I feel like a broken record but we NEED the morale.
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Farming. Ponies are probably more in need of the moral boost than humans and I think we'd be at our limit.
Farming. If anything right now, we need morale
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https://youtu.be/tm8FwzHUGCs
Let's get some hooves on the ground to get more hooves on the ground. Farm that patch and plan for the Harvester as best as possible. Once the whole team's defrosted (hopefully,) the odds of handling who or whatever's in the ring go exponentially (likewise.)
In other news, yes girls, there is
a Santa Clausan artificial intelligence. Make of that what you will. Farming should give you some time to contemplate the moral, ethical, and cultural ramifications.We don't know shit about Zerzura or its orbital ring, but landing and farming doesn't seem to be any more risky. Node said that the "Harvester" isn't present at that location. I'm assuming its referring to the creature that attacked Twilight and AJ. If it's not there, then it should be fine. I agree with the comments section; they need the morale boost.
They should farm enough to get everyone awake and then stockpile a bit before going to the ring or anywhere else.
Either farming option cuz food
The flu normally has a 3 to 4 day incubation period, then you get sick. Has it only been 4 days since exposure? I'd really be worried about it, "T'aint natural" as AJ might say. Come on Fluttershy, you need to dig deeper for the source, and make sure it's not some sort of a GMO from Cozy Glow, or given to Pinkie when she was awake that takes a long time to incubate (as for her not getting it now, possibly she had it already the last time she was awake, but it left her as a carrier)? Or if it is four days, is it a mimic disease that really is from the planet after all? If the planet can support pony food crops and pony life in general it might have similar diseases. Remember, not probable does not mean not possible.
As for which option, they really need more info on the ring before making a final commitment, I think. But that's not going to happen, so, let's go with 1, food isn't going to last for ever. Also, they still need to be ready to get the last of the crew awake. Maybe even Cozy Glow. I hope the hibernation pods really are as radiation proof as every pony is hoping, but once they wake the others up they will still need a safe place to take them to recover.
Still concerned for the Orbiter's fuel...
Let's get in Stardew Valley mode, and plant some genetatos. The other options are viable, but this one is the best.
Also, we get to decryo the rest of the crew, up the morale and wait for Spike.
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Right there whit you, been naging every time I could.
"Did I ever tell you, the definition of insanity?" (kicks cinderblock)
Right. How many times has farming been suggested, only to fail? It seems like it's been an option fairly frequently. And yet, every time the choice comes up, it goes pear shaped. Let's try a different idea. Set down on the orbital ring. Do some exploring.
Not try the same thing ad nauseam.
'Cause that, is the definition of insanity.
Figure that Cozy would bring infection along with all her other issues.
Farming for sure. I want to know more about the ring, but waking up the rest of the crew first is more important.
They really need to start thinking in the absolutes Node operates in. Nothing is "safe". Not even their current transport. Maybe there's too much carbon dioxide in the shuttle, but they really need to start thinking critically...
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Farming keeps coming up as an option, but not enough people are picking it. Has farming been picked even once?
But I think they will this time.
We finally don't have other horrible urgent objectives that are doing their best to kill us. Now that we (probably) have some breathing room, I'm willing to farm on the ground.
As much as I want to dock with the ring, they need supplies right now
Oh hey, the GIANT DEATH WORM has a name!
… and I do have to admit that Node makes a reasonable point about it not going after the green patch. I'm not 100% sold — it pretty clearly goes after heat and/or energy signatures, so adding the lander and Node to the green patch might give it a reason to visit — but it's way safer than risking SPACE DEATH WORMS on the ring, and opens up so many more possibilities (and morale boosts) than space farming that it feels like time to take that risk.
Farming = food = more crew woken up. At least, once Spike is finished fixing the ship and they can safely be woken up.
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I really hate that definition of insanity line. It's completely impossible to do the same thing over and over again the way that line constantly gets used for. A stream flows the same way over and over again yet it makes the grand canyon. Time changes everything.
Here now, at this point info has been gathered. We're not letting AJ go on the planet hundreds of miles from the green zone near a mechanical Eater of worlds. We're not dropping her off with a potentially life threatening illness undiagnosed by the doctor. And we're not exposing the entire crew to an unproven planet that could have flesh melting nano bots. I'd say it's time to land.
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We already know how the bot defines stuff isn't helpful, they need to stop seeing things how the bot does and read between it's lines. It constantly defined itself as not living specifically because of technicalities of definition. It's safe to say that its assessment of danger is the same. Like you said, it sees everything as dangerous to them, it deals in absolutes, it's 90% alive yet because it doesn't match up 100% it noncommittally dodged the question. Their safty rating could be 99% and he'd keep dodging, non-committally saying it could be dangerous.
I'd vote for landing. It's specifically mentioning morale in the decisions now, and Pinkie of all ponies is starting to become testy. Also we now know that each of them will be getting the flu soon so bedding down for a bit to work on food and running out the sickness, ship repair, and crops clock sounds like the better solution to me. Unless Node specifically says not to go back rather than this fence sitting, new problems can wait to be tackled till the crew is up for it.
So, correct me if I'm wrong, but Node is piggybacking entirely off of the computer archives (voiced by Starlight) in order to speak English/Equish/Ponish/Whatever, right?
What makes this real interesting is that I would bet a LOT of money that the word Zerzura pops up exactly zero times in the archives. Either Node has figured out how to smoothly integrate individual sounds from different archives, or something has changed.
Well considering the condition of the rest of the planet. I can't imagine there being too much of dangers of whatever is living there.
But then again, there could possibly be dangerous things growing there. Though I might be a little concerned about them being sick and spreading sickness. Though I can't really imagine there sickness being dangerous to a plant.
Though perhaps there might be more then dangers waiting in a ruined world that seems to oddly still have green growing on the surface. It occurs to me that plant growth on a world like this would be a pretty effective message to get the attentions of an organic space faring race exploring this mostly dead planet.
I'm going to vote to farm on the planet.
Farming IS stupid, but probably necessary.
They all seem quite concerned with how the flu affects themselves, or how any alien microbes will affect them, but why aren't they considering how their flu and their germs will affect the alien ecosystem? I mean, they're introducing "alien" lifeforms into an ecosystem that hasn't evolved with them...or possibly with any microorganisms like them. They could inadvertently end up killing everything in the "park" space. Heck, they may even make the very atmosphere of the planet contaminated for other alien lifeforms.
...And that's to say nothing of how the pony crops may effect the isolated "park" ecosystem.
Also:
Ah! Now the true purpose of the mission is revealed! Cozy Glow was right about a conspiract, but wrong about the type! It wasn't really about first contact at all! It was secretly a plan by Celestia to select the best and brightest mares for a breeding program in order to conceive a new race of space-kirin by way of Spike!
Let the space-harem begin!
3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxTNVOMiEUI/VCt12Bo7aqI/AAAAAAAAAG8/sGszr81QumA/s1600/Southpark.jpg
For the record, it sounds like I would have agreed with the consensus.
Option 1: Land.
With an appropriate amount of caution, farming for food would be a good use of time.