Chapter 5
Repair the Engines
Twilight Sparkle drifted through the computer mainframe, fighting down her stomach with every bounce and push with her wings. It’s okay, Applejack is doing what I told her. There’s no reason to be upset.
Repairing the Equinox’s engines required shutting them down, which meant they stopped decelerating. No more negative acceleration meant no more apparent gravity. Unlike some of her friends, Twilight was no rock hopping prospector, who had spent months at a time in low-to-no gravity. She liked her hooves on something solid, thanks. Just a few more days, she said. I can last a few more days.
Nograv hadn’t been nearly this bad before being frozen, but soft tissue was the slowest to heal, and her ears were still a work in progress. All it took was a single unexpected bump to send her clutching at her stomach. But Twilight fought that down, concentrated on each push, each bounce.
The central computer was the single largest part of the ship and the second-heaviest system after the engines. Twilight passed dozens of identical mainframe racks, their tapes dutifully spinning even after all these years. There wasn’t even any dust. The central computer usually ran in vacuum, except for the insulated fluid conduits taking heat away. But the huge computer would have to adapt, at least for a few hours.
So many of the Equinox’s terminals had given her trouble that Capitan Twilight had no choice but to go to the source.
She reached the chair, pulled it out, then slipped into the straps. She was a little pleased to see a few strands of her mane drift in front of her eyes and have to push them out of the way. Her feathers hadn’t recovered—she’d probably have white feathers in her wings for years. But if her body could finish healing away all the necrotic flesh, that would be good enough for her.
The keyboard at this terminal was still covered in a little plastic shroud. Twilight peeled it away and was pleased to see it didn’t crumble but came free with a delightfully satisfying sound. She unplugged the keyboard, testing each of its fourteen keys with her hooves. The springs were still good. Too bad we couldn’t keep the whole ship on vacuum like this. Might not be falling apart the way it is. But Equestria had been impatient to answer the signal, even if that meant sending a ship that wasn’t ready to run itself.
Twilight settled in against her chair, rested her hooves onto the keyboard’s rests, and settled into a familiar routine. Here in the Equinox’s mainframe she finally had her library.
There was a vast repository of information here, observations taken by their probe, messages back and forth from Equestria, and much more. She heard several of the drives behind her spin up as she drug through the vast library of information here. She’d been through bits and pieces of that during her time awake, trying to catch up on everything that had happened back in Equestria. Well, the Equestria of four years ago. Anything newer was still on its way.
And we’re missing it because the antenna is down.
But she had ruled that system secondary for now. They had to get their own microscopic world in order before they could worry about what was happening to another one.
Part of that would be setting a course. Spike had kept a general heading towards Proximus, but that was too general. If they were going to be burning fuel to slow down, might as well settle that orbit down around something useful. They’d already leaked enough fuel that their range would be reduced, though Applejack couldn’t yet tell her by how much.
For now, she needed to pick their first destination. With the sensors down, that meant going into the archives and digging up what the probe had seen on its flyby through Proximus over a decade ago.
The data took her some time to find. Despite the appearance of a well-oiled machine, the Equinox’s data storage involved many moving parts, not all of which were still moving. With enough time and the right resources, they had blueprints for fabricators that could replace literally anything on the Equinox. And we’ll have to seriously think about what we’re going to repair for the return trip. There’s no chance she’ll make it back to Equestria in this condition.
But that was a concern for a future Twilight. She couldn’t go back into storage again, not for at least a year to fully heal. And there would be no reason to return to Equestria until they had accomplished their purpose.
Fortunately for them, Equestria’s engineers had foreseen their current predicament. The computer had many layers of redundancy. After swapping out several dead spools, Twilight finally found the right backup drive.
Spike’s initial estimate had been right, all those years ago. There were only three planets in the system, plus a modestly sized asteroid belt that might’ve once been a fourth. Her judgment wouldn’t be final—she could always change their course if new information presented itself. But that would waste fuel, which they no longer had in great supply. When Applejack finished working with the engine, she would be expecting a course. Unfortunately for her, the engineers were both too busy to ask their advice.
It’s okay, I can change my mind if I really need to.
A. Proximus A, a rocky planet with a thick hydrocarbon atmosphere located so close to Proximus that travel there would require a little extra fuel. The probe’s measurements indicated its surface temperature was at least 400 C.
B. Proximus B, an Equus-sized planet located squarely in the Proximus habitable zone. What was more, its surface appeared almost coated in places with metallic deposits. The probe observed no signs of a biosphere or oceans, but also reported an oxygen atmosphere and unusual radio readings. Sadly none of these readings had been compact enough to archive, and so they were lost on the damaged tape.
C. Proximus C, a gas giant composed primarily of hydrogen. Based on its current orbital position, it would be the easiest to reach for fuel, but require the longest time to allow it to process some distance around Proximus and not force a sustained high-G deceleration burn. The planet itself appeared unremarkable, but readings indicate several moons, at least one of which read positive for the tritium required to make fuel for the return trip.
(Certainty 140 required)
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my vote is Proximus B. gone'a stick with the goldilocks rout here.
I see little reason to go for A other then getting fried. B and C both sound like solid options but the return trip doesnt seem like it should be their first priority. Might as well head for the earth like middle of the road planet.
Proximus A isn't even an option I don't think, doesn't appear to be anything useful. While I'm sure the Pioneer ship could've flown in and found something amazing, we have the prospector, and it can't.
Proximus B may have alien life, or maybe it's an abandoned colony the Aliens left behind, because the flyby probe probably would've detected such a thing. But that asks the question of what caused the aliens to leave in the first place (Or maybe something killed them, who knows). The metallic deposits would also let them repair the damage done to the ship, and we have the prospector, a ship specifically designed to mine stuff.
Proximus C initially seems like the safest option. There doesn't appear to be any aliens, and we know at least one moon has the materials to make more fuel. The other moons may also have useful stuff as well. Of course the problem with this is that it says it will take the longest to reach, and so we have to decide if we think the ship will survive long enough to reach it.
Also, what kind of computer is the ship using. Second heaviest thing after engines? Moving parts? Tape? Is this thing from the 40s.
I'd say C. Fuel for the return trip might not be worrisome right now, but it's also fuel to trap-daisy through the system if needed be. Also more time to do more repairs, maybe get that farm going.
I vote C
I vote C.
Edit: Link doesn't work.
9231523
It does, I just verified it. You may want to try another browser, or maybe copy-pasting it directly. There are already >20 votes, so it's working for most people. Real close race over there.
Choose Proximus C. After leaking (hemorrhaging) fuel into space, a resupply would be a smart choice. Additionally, it should be possible to mine one or more of the moons for raw materials.
Given that it will take a year to heal, using the time to fix, repair and improve everything possible on ship just seems the best course of action.
C. They can explore B after getting fuel, but if they run out of fuel at B they can't reach C to refuel.
My vote is for B. As Twilight said, having enough fuel for a return trip isn't going to matter much right now, so by this point they should focus on having someplace hospitable to settle down for now.
I vote C. They know they have a fuel leak, so topping off the tanks would be the smartest play here. The other worlds ain't going anywhere. I think...
9231570
There's also the possibility of finding additional resources on the moons.
I vote C. Like Twilight said, they need to get their own microscopic world in order, and for that they need fuel, and the prospector might be able to get other stuff from the rocky moons.
Forgot they still had to get BACK to Equestria. I've been thinking too long-term. What is the time-table for this mission? Or more specifically is it long enough to set up a ground base?
I'm going to go with Proximus B. It seems to be at least semi-habitable with the oxygen, and the radio readings suggest it is the most likely site of the entire reason they came all this way.
I’m going with C to try to make more repairs and get ready for the habitable planet. They are not in dire straights for food right now.
C. Because making first contact with an unknown race possessing an unknown level of technology and unknown motives for beaming out messages to the stars while the ship is short on both crew and critical systems seems like a step too far too soon. And if the moons provide additional non-fuel materials, then that's an added bonus.
My vote was for C. They can get their shit together then continue to B.
B. Any intelligent space faring race is almost certainly there, and our mission objective was first contact. I would have set up comms first but eh.
In the event we are crashing on the planet due to the ship status I would prefer this one since it likely supports life.
We don’t need fuel. We need help if it exists.
If they have to wait for C anyways, might as well go to B and check things out.
In fact, they have a lander. They could land on B and have Spike or Applejack stay on the ship and take it to C to fill up.
fourth
C. foul and posible other materials to fix the ship and it will allow them to crouse around the system and look for the signal.
And too all of you that dont se any use for ProxA, I would like to direckt you to this chanal.
Check the 'Outword Bound' seris.
9232123
No, forth is the correct word. Fourth is a number. Forth means "out from a starting point" or "onward." Hence the expression I used "back and forth" could be also be read as "backwards and forwards."
9232157
The sentence Bahamuttone was correcting was the one about there being three planets and the astroid belt possibly having been a fourth.
9232233
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. That's what I get for being too quick on the draw with control-f. My apologies to
9232123, they're actually correct, and I appreciate it. Should be fixed now.
Their mission was to investigate the signal and try to contact who sent it, so it's probably best to go to the most likely source.
No biosphere and an oxygen atmosphere? Yeah, that's suspicious even before the radio signals get involved. Best to get in a position where they can refuel and duct tape a few more systems back together before investigating that. Might even give Applejack a chance to get hydroponics up and running, though delaying until the entire crew's thawed would be pushing it.
Also, I have to love how this Equestria has cryogenics, asteroid mining... and reel-to-reel computers. Wonderfully mid-century sci-fi aesthetic.
B. It says in the description 'to make a return trip'. That leads me to infer that they have enough fuel for the system, but they will have to go to C to make the return trip.
Plus the metal on B could be used to repair the ship, they do have the prospector lander after all
It would be wise to get the sensors working before heading to B - and ideally wake up more of the crew! Going to C first will provide time and hopefully resources.
C is my thinking. A Jupiter type system of moons is likely to have more potential resources than a single rocky planet is going to be able to offer, so might as well start out where there's fuel and maybe more.
One thing I'm curious about though, when it says fuel for the return trip, is that the same fuel as will be needed for intra-system travel?
Wow, just barely got to this chapter in time to vote.
C does seem like a good option seeing as B sounds like the planet with life on it, which they definitely aren't ready to meet yet, and A doesn't have any obvious reasons to go.
C, no telling if any life on B is hostile or not
Proximus B I think. Would get them the materials they need to repair the ship, plus if it has life they might have some help when going into orbit around either of the other planets could leave them stranded if they run out of fuel. No fuel equals a slow and painful death by starvation or suffocation if the air scrubbers go out.
Without fuel the ship and its mission are doomed. Any choice other than the refuelling option is suicide, just very slow suicide.
C) <-- It's their best option currently. Once they are able to synthesize enough fuel they can check out option B for life forms.
Damn, that tank really fucks a pony up....... Do like all the touches making clear how rushed this all was and how new this tech is to Equestria, it really does feel like they were in a hurry to get out here ASAP so didn't take the time to refine the tech as much as they would otherwise before sending out important missions like this.
Know I'm too late for the vote.... stupid work again... but, yeah was a close match between B and C, B likely has more resources, but C has fuel. Overall, was leaning B but can see the reasoning for C, fuel is needed for going anywhere else. Plus the extra time gives you more time to fix stuff and get ready to deal with whatever you find on the planet.
Wait, I'm confused. Why is option four highlighted in the previous chapter while option three is the one actually chosen?
9246108
Because that highlighted option is unique to having chosen Applejack.
And let's stick our Alicorn Princess on board! What can possibly go wrong?
9231482
My thoughts are with this guy; almost word-for-word.
We still have no idea how much fuel is being lost, it could be less than we expected, but it could also be more than we expected. While the extra time to get into a cost-effective orbit is a bit troubling with no concrete food source, now would be the time to make risks with food while we are mostly still stocked. That extra time could also allow Applejack to heal and allow Spike to make repairs.
I had thought of going to Planet B since it had an oxygen atmosphere along with what might be civilization-or remnants of it- to find aid, but we don't have our linguistic or weapons specialist.
That is my opinion on the matter.
¿How can a moon have tritium? Tritium has an halflife of 12.32 years.
Combining technology and magic has weird results; we have tapedrive storage with fusion-power and cryonic suspension.
Captain
Why does Certainty even matter? It's just a number that I am going to ignore.
10676007
That's the number of votes the poll needed before the next chapter was written. It means nothing if you're reading the story now.
Tape… storage… *proceeds to scream incoherently at the insanity that must be the rest of the Equinox*