Salvation

by voroshilov

A sprint, not a marathon

If Exultation-001 had been sapient - although it not being sapient still allowed the metaphor to work - self-deactivation was tantamount to suicide, one that was often irrevocable due to the volatile nature of personality matrices. Why would Exultation-001 see fit to do such a thing? Had it seen Penumbra or Ablazed Glory as a threat? If so, why?

Her thoughts and attention were instantly snatched away from such a question, when Ablazed Glory called her over. “Penumbra,” she said, sounding noticeably worried, “this one’s gone red.”

The console she was standing at had flickered to life, evidently some of the structure was salvageable. The data she could glean from it might give a better insight as to why Exultation-001 shut down. Ablazed Glory shifted over to allow her better access, Penumbra getting a good look at the message carried by the bright red, flashing letters.

“Warning. Core self-destruct has been initiated. Evacuation order has been given. This is the three minute warning.”

The Core self-destruct differed greatly from a regular self destruct. Whereas an ordinary self destruct may detonate a sub-mind or bank of consoles, perhaps a small facility. A Core self-destruct would detonate the very star that lay at the core of the planet, as well as its shields. All of Cradle, as well as anything for several light years around it, would be destroyed.

Which presented an issue to the two alicorns standing practically next to the ticking bomb.

“Run,” was all Penumbra could yell, as both she and Ablazed Glory dashed for the Retaliator.

To say Penumbra was thankful Ablazed Glory had ordered the ramp left open as standard would be an understatement. She dashed inside, not even waiting until she was fully aboard before giving the Luminary the order to lift off. She dragged Ablazed Glory inside, before the two of them sprinted to the bridge.

Ablazed Glory manned her console with supernatural speed and efficiency. As she worked, doing what seemed like a hundred tasks in tandem, Penumbra could only sit and wait, hoping they escaped in time.

The Retaliator had been barely seconds off of the ground before Ablazed Glory gave the report Penumbra had been dreading, barely a hint of feeling in her voice as she focused on her many tasks: “we’re not going to make it in time, not as we are.”

Penumbra swore. But then, like a flash of inspiration, she remembered she’d been in that exact situation before. How had she escaped it then? By simply smashing the Rift engage button with a foreleg - something that it turned out was far more dangerous than it had initially sounded when she looked into it centuries later. If she could replicate the same conditions, they’d be home and dry in no time.

Although, how would she replicate the conditions? She had known almost exactly how Imperial cruisers had worked, they were fairly simple after all. The Retaliator was a whole other beast, piloted mostly by an advanced AI. Most of the controls were beyond alien to her, the vast majority apparently useless. Imperial ship design had been many things, but it could not be described as bloated in any way. There had been one Rift engage, in the form of a button literally marked “Rift Engage.” The Retaliator, whilst streamlined in terms of looks, had more controls than a warship over ten times its size - Penumbra knowing how to use none of them.

Except the tea button, that was an easy one. Although she had discovered it by accident.

She had read up on the manoeuvre she had pulled during the Battle of the Aether. Apparently, it was known by Imperial officers colloquially as the “Kaal Manoeuvre”, involving baiting an enemy into overloading their ship’s reactors or Rift generators - or simply damaging them to the point of imminent destruction - then launching an emergency Rift jump to escape their demise. The Kaal Manoeuvre would be perfect for such a situation. The Kaal Manoeuvre was also so dangerous that Imperial High Command had banned it for over 15,000 years - every naval officer receiving a specific three hour long seminar on why not to do it and the punishments if they did.

“Ablazed Glory,” Penumbra called, putting on her best confident captain’s voice, “can you make an emergency Rift jump?”

Ablazed Glory spun, looking at her as if she was mad. She stuttered a moment, before answering, “I’ve never tried, let alone in a confined space.”

“Well, now’s as good a time as any to give it a go.”

Her companion nodded, conceding the point, and spun back around. With lightning speed, she inputted a series of commands, her terminal flashing purple. She held up a claw slightly, shaking her head. “If this works,” she said, before slamming the claw down onto the engage prompt.

Within an instant, Cradle was gone, replaced by the swirling maelstrom of the Rift.

“It did.”