Requiem for an Engineer
"C-Captain, I know the events that transpired here were, well, terrible, but are you sure a direct confrontation is wise?" Doctor Whooves gulped, striding alongside an airborne Luna. He had already told her where to go, and they were quickly drawing near it.
Luna narrowed her eyes, which were currently leaking a small bit of black energy. Something that usually only happened when she was greatly losing her temper. "Wise? Perhaps not. Just? Yes."
"If the Steward is smart, she'll be waiting for us where we need to go anyway," Tempest proclaimed. “No matter what we do, we’re in for a fight.”
"Exactly," Luna said firmly. “Doctor, how long before we--”
"Wait, stop!" Doctor Whooves said, screeching the group to a halt. He pointed to an adjacent door. "The hyperdrive is dead ahead, though the Solarium should be stored here."
"Then the moment has come,” Luna said, her voice still filled with tranquil, righteous fury. "Alright, ponies! Weapons ready. If the Steward is within…"
"Captain…" Derpy said, concern in her voice. “I have… issues about this.”
Luna glanced at her, annoyed. “Of what sort?”
“It's just… Well... You’re…”
“Spit it out.”
Derpy’s eyes began to water slightly. “You’re scaring me here, okay?!”
A beat.
“The only one who should be scared is the Steward,” Tempest said. “You have nothing to worry about, my friend.”
“And that’s why I’m scared,” Derpy said. “Is this the right thing to do? Just go in there and shoot her?”
“She would do the same in our position,” Luna growled. “Her entire crew found that out the hard way.”
“But we aren’t her!” Derpy cried. “Just because space is turning out to be a brutal place doesn’t mean we have to make it worse. We should be doing the opposite! Let’s at least try to capture her, stun her, anything else, if we can.”
“It’s what Quick Card would do,” Doctor Whooves said softly, giving Luna a hopeful smile. “And it’s what I think you’ll ultimately do.”
Luna closed her eyes, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself down. The two of them were right, after all. And she had learned the hard way that her temper and best judgement didn't always mix.
“Ponies…” Luna said softly, the black energy leaking from her eyes subsiding. "... Do not harm her unless there is no other option."
Doctor Whooves and Derpy smiled at that, giving her a respectful nod. Tempest's stance was a bit harder to judge, though ultimately, she didn’t seem to mind.
"Alright, but if she’s in there, she’s likely to have a few of her bone walkers with her," the latter said. "Targeting them is our priority. And remember what we talked about: spread out once we’re inside. We don't want anypony getting caught in a crossfire. On your mark, captain."
Luna nodded. “Very well. Three…”
Doctor Whooves powered on his Shard Cannon.
“Two…”
Derpy flicked off her weapon’s safety, gulping nervously.
“One…”
Luna concentrated, flooding her horn with mana...
“HARK!”
And yanked the door open with her magic and flying into the room.
"Close enough," Tempest shrugged, moving in after her, Derpy and Doc Whooves in tow.
It did indeed appear to be a store room. One with brilliantly glowing barrels at the far end. There were three intact, with another having leaked most of its supply via a hole in its side. However, the remainders’ light still easily illuminated the entire room.
And in the center of it was both the Steward and four of her skeletal cronies, all armed with Shard Cannons.
Fortunately, Luna's team was much faster than them. Whether it was because of the latter's physical limitations or a lag in the Steward's control over them she didn't know. What she did know was all it took was a blast from her Beam Rifle to literally turn one’s frontal half to ash, the rest collapsing.
A split second later, Tempest opened fire, her Shard Cannon turning on its own towards one of the skeletons. A tap of the button on her chest piece was all it took to send dagger-like crystals into it, blasting it into pieces.
However, she wasn't done yet. As quickly as she had taken down the first, she flicked her eyes, and hit a button on her chest piece. The cannon quickly swivelled to the creature next to the first.
She tapped the ‘fire’ button, her cannon fired with a tremendous CRACK!, and the skeleton became no more than a series of scattered bones.
This left the fourth and final skeleton to Derpy and Doctor Whooves.
The former fired her Beam Rifle wildly at it, missing the creature and nearly hitting one of the Solarium canisters. “EEP!”
Doctor Whooves had better luck, however, with his cannon's automatic targeting systems doing the aiming for him. With another series of CRACKS! from his cannon, the zombie's bones decoupled and exploded from the point of impact, flying in every direction.
"Hah!" Derpy grinned. "Team Starshot: Two. Spooky Scary Skeletons: Zero!"
As quickly as it started, the fight was over. Whether because she was overwhelmed or had another plan in mind, the Steward hadn’t made a move.
"So, even now, you would be nothing without our technology," the Steward said coldly, her shadowy form billowing. "That which you could never hope to create yourself. When the disgusting legacy of the before-time fails you and the mask falls off, you are no more than parasites living off our rot."
"You speak to us about morality?!" Luna snapped. "After what you did?!"
"I see you've done some snooping," she growled. "Tell me, did whatever you found mention how they attacked me?" She began to pace furiously. "They, who the Deep Ones uplifted after your wretched people confined them to the fringes! They, who I loved like my own children!"
"What are you on about?" Doctor Whooves grunted, apparently having found his courage. The Steward was quite less menacing in this wide, well-lit room, after all. At least somewhat. Her very sight was still unnerving, to say the least. "We've never met them before!"
"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" she laughed bitterly, glancing towards Luna. "I'm actually surprised. They once served you, after all."
Luna's eyes widened in shock. "So… they were originally from Equestria?"
"Our Empire is home to many species from The Garden," she explained. "Snatched from it while your eyes were averted, or traded to us when tyrants ruled." She raised a hoof. "Yet only one was worthy of being our vanguard. Only one deserved it. Or so I thought."
"This… explains quite a bit," Doctor Whooves whispered.
The Steward glanced away from them, and there was actually a tone of sorrow in her voice as she continued: "Do you have any idea how many times I was a shoulder for them to lean on? How many of their lives I saved while decks shook and fires roared? Or how many times I personally praised them in the presence of the Deep Ones? Commending their bravery, their loyalty, their ferver?"
The fire in her voice returned once more. "Yet when the time came when I needed them…. When the time came to reunite with my love... They weren't willing to sacrifice for me, despite how much I sacrificed for them."
Luna was unmoved. "You speak like a parent who thinks their child 'owes them' for their love. I have never been one to agree with the sentiment. However, even if I did, what you asked of them was too much."
"What I asked was much less than others have," the creature said flatly. "Though no task is too great when in service of Deep Ones."
"Even if that were true," Doctor Whooves said pensively. "Would that task have been for them, or for you?"
She shifted her gaze. "It would have ultimately, so there is no difference. Stay your tongue among matters you know nothing of, Child of Gallopfree."
“I truly think have me confused for somepony else,” Doctor Whooves said, skepticism lacing his tone. “Also, I’m pretty sure ‘Gallopfree’ is an indie rock band.”
“Yeah, are you just making stuff up?” Derpy asked.
Tempest furrowed her brow. “No, I don't think so. She believes what she’s saying: don’t you, Steward?”
“There is no reason to lie when the truth is so sublime,” she replied. “Though leave it to heretics to only believe what’s before their eyes.”
“I don’t care about your beliefs,” Tempest said. “I care about where they lead you. Take it from somepony who knows: these rationalizations you're doing… they won't hold up to even your own scrutiny in time. The longer you don't look reality in the eye, the harder it'll hit when you finally do."
"I don't need a lecture from a lower being among lower beings," she hissed, gazing at Tempest's shattered horn. "One who can't even utilize the arcane filth of the before-time."
Tempest gave her a death glare. Fortunately, however, Luna didn't need to stop her from attacking. The former held herself back.
"I, too, am done with talk," Luna said coldly. "Here is 'what's going down'. You will surrender to us and we will take you to the Starshot as our prisoner. You will stay with us until we return to Equis. Once there, you will stand trial for your crimes."
"You can't be serious!" she laughed, her grin finally returning. "Surrender to you? Bow to your pathetic, heretical excuses for laws?!"
"That… would be a bit unorthodox," Doctor Whooves said. "The equivalent of taking somepony from another nation to trial for a crime committed there, to be honest."
Derpy shook her head, disappointment lacing her eyes once more. "Doc, do you really think her own people would care about what she did? Now that we know what they're like?"
"Probably not," the Doctor sighed.
"Indeed," Luna said. "And always remember: laws may be different in other worlds, or in different points of time, but justice will always be justice."
"How poignant," the Steward giggled. "But what makes you think I'd even consider this?"
"Because there's only so many ways this can end," Luna said. "Either with you defeating us, us defeating you and leaving you here to rot, or what we just said. You won't be doing the former, so if I were you, I'd take the latter"
"Arrogance," she growled. "Pure, unfiltered, arrogance. What makes you think I couldn't kill you all in the blink of an eye? I killed far more before, and they actually knew how to use those weapons you're holding."
She glanced at Derpy, who blushed slightly. “I forgot to breath in. My bad?”
"Because if you could take us, you would have already," Tempest continued for Luna, a hint of a smirk on her. "The logs were detailed. Your crew were caught off guard. They didn't know about your creepy necromancer trick. We do. And you know that we know. All you’re doing now is stalling for time - trying to think of a way out of this. Haven't thought of anything yet, have you?"
Luna couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, impressed.
The Steward appeared to be somewhat as well, as for once, she was left speechless for a moment. “I… you don’t know that! I could just be trying to find out what you know!”
“Well, we’ve given you all you’re gonna get,” Tempest said. “So by all means… we’re waiting.”
Time ticked by at a snail’s pace as the group stared each other down. Tempest’s argument was a good one, and Luna found it to be the most likely case. However, there was still a chance the Steward had a card to play. After a minute dragged by, however, that seemed less likely. The Steward continued to stand, motionless, save for her eyes, which continued to flick about the room; as if she was still trying to think of something.
‘Best not to let her do so.’
“I take it you accept our terms,” Luna said, before glancing at Tempest and jostling her Beam Rifle slightly. “Does this weapon have a stun setting? Such as the phasers from Space Trek? I assume even creatures as brutal as these would have use for prisoners.”
“Affirmative,” Tempest nodded. “Button on the left near the barrel toggles it.”
That was all Luna needed. With a satisfying ‘click’, she set the weapon to stun and took aim.
“Wait!” the creature called.
“Hm?”
She held a look of great confusion. “What is this… Space Trek?”
“The way things should be out here,” Doctor Whooves said. “And not the way they are.”
“Quite so,” Luna said.
And with a muzzle flash, another beam fired forth from her rifle, this time in a blue color. It seemed the Steward had truly given up, as she didn’t attempt to dodge it or offer any sort of resistance. Instead, she took the brunt of the blast, her shadowy form collapsing to the ground.
Something unexpected happened then, however: the shadow receded slightly, revealing what was underneath it…
Both Luna and Doctor Whooves gasped in shock. The former had seen this type of pony before, but not for eons. And apparently, the good doctor was in the same boat. The funny thing was that Luna had thought of them earlier, but had quickly discounted it as impossible.
Yet as she gazed upon its form, she vowed to stop making that mistake from henceforth. For laying before her, with its bat-like wings hanging to the side and with fuzzy bits at the tip of its ears on display, was none other than...
“A thestral?!”
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Its So Fluffy.
Not one for sonic assaults then?
I wonder, whatever superatom material this fuel is, if the ratio from this to metallic hydrogen bulk in fusion, is equivalent to a nuclear reactor to a coal fired ocean going bulk carrier. Possible, but most of the ship ends up being fuel tanks etc?
10513020
Honestly, you guys know about as much about it as I do in terms of how it works as an energy source :P.
However, if anyone wants to try to write up something about how it would theoretically work, I'll include it in Part 2 and give you credit in the author's comments. There's going to be a character with a lot of technical knowledge coming up and this would help sell her. Just shoot me a PM with it.
Heck, Smirk wasn't above doing it too, if he could.
Well, I dunno...give them enough time and resources...
So I was right, then. Whole galaxy's probably seeded with descendants of Equestrian ponies by now.
Look at Doctor Whooves, asking all the right questions.
Takes one to know one!
Not only that, she's dangerous. How do you know bringing her anywhere close to the Starshot won't in fact be a very bad idea, or, from another viewpoint, precisely what she'd want? She's already stated she wants off the planet she's been stranded upon and the Starshot is currently her best way out of there, and she already made it clear she intended to take the ship for herself, by force if necessary.
Also, I have to question the Starshot's computer's loyalties, and whether it'd choose to continue to side with the ponies who've been using it up to now, or default back to the Steward's authority like there's a good chance it's been programmed to do. How do we know the Steward can't just go "hey computer, obey me" and the computer won't go "okie-dokie," hmm? After all, the computer's already demonstrated the ability to choose and act for itself. It's favored the ponies up to now, but only because it didn't really have any alternatives. By bringing Steward aboard, that would give it such an alternative for the first time.
And even if that's not an issue, the Steward will know the Starshot, its layout, and its capabilities far better than any of them will. She could know of any number of things aboard that she could use to her advantage and seize control of the ship by force. And that's all without considering her obvious magical (or whatever) powers and the ability to possess others (it hasn't been stated that they need to be dead for that). Basically, you'd be confronting the Steward on what's quite probably her home turf. You'd be giving her a clear advantage that I don't think it'd be worth the risk.
A better option would be to leave her there if you can--consider it indefinite imprisonment for her crimes if you want. Otherwise, I'd only risk bringing her aboard the Starshot if you can guarantee you can either: keep her contained perpetually and where she can't act against you; find a way to knock her unconscious and keep her that way until such time you better know how to confine her without fear of consequence; or find a way to nerf or remove entirely her powers, effectively "defanging" her and robbing her of at least her most notable advantage.
Or, I suppose, there's destroying her, but the cast have already opted out on that option for the obvious and valid ethical concerns.
Unless it's done in self-defense. So I guess...if she were to try something to merit that...
That's all what I'd do, or be considering doing, at least.
Of course, the possibility of reforming her somehow is a tempting one, precisely because she knows way more than they do, and she could be an excellent guide and informant for them...if she were willing to do that, which is where the big clincher lies.
The fact you haven't done precisely that already.
I mean, you don't actually need them to get to the Starshot, and probably not to take the Starshot over either. I mean, it's probably more ideal for you that way, true, but they're clearly unwilling to cooperate at this point, so I think that ship's sailed. So if you really have that capability, why haven't you just cut your losses and done it already at the first show of defiance? Even if just to kill one of them to show you mean it?
Instead, you're here. Talking. Vainly trying to argue in your defense, to talk them into standing down, when that's already shown to not be very effective.
So I say it's a bluff, frankly.
But Tempest already figured that out too, I see. Speaking of...
See, this is how Tempest became second in command of anything in the Storm King's forces. Gal not only knows what she's doing, she's actually not a bad tactician to boot.
Yeah, but reality's disappointing like that.
Still, as Derpy suggested earlier, that doesn't mean you have to give in.
Okay, didn't expect that, though. I would've sooner expected an umbrum, or some other Sombra-like thing rather than a literal bat pony.
10513077
If given enough time and the means to calculate it out, yes, but that assumes you can still locate the right "markers" to tell you which star is actually the star you think it is, which will be much harder to do when so many of the stars in the sky appear to be in different positions, robbing you of many of the more obvious markers. I mean, any constellations are flat-out right out the window as an option.
Plus, this also considers the fact that distance applies as well. Sure, the further away a star is, the more likely its still going to be in that same relative position, but the further away it is, the harder it is to clearly observe, especially with the unaided eye.
Not that it matters anyway. The story confirms that they ultimately traveled far enough that very few observerable stars are really going to still seem like they're in the same positions.
Nor do they need to do it that way--the computer can just tell them where they're at and where to go.
10497791
*snerk* Dr. Claw
10513082
I love your analysis on this :). Needless to say, bringing the Steward aboard could lead to dramatic consequences for them. Whether it's a net gain in the end... well, I won't spoil anything.
Personally, I'm not even sure if I would take the risk if I was in Luna's shoes. I'm not even sure Picard would, considering he pretty much said, 'screw you', to Armus, who only killed *one* person. Granted, Armus was a lot more powerful, but even if he wasn't, I dunno if Picard would have beamed him up.
Note to self: I need Luna to reference that 'episode' (or book in this case) when discussing the Steward sometime.
10513109
Oh yeah, the tar monster or whatever...I forgot he had an actual name (goes to show how long it's been since I last watched that episode)
But in Picard's defense, Armus may have only killed one person (that they know of), but it was clear his intent was likely to harm or kill many more if he was let off the planet. I would've left him there too.
I think the Steward thought of this too late -
A- She has no way off the planet
B- These ponies do have a way off the planet but need fuel to get to somewhere with more civilization
C- trade the fuel to go elsewhere (anywhere but here)
D- double-cross later, like any 'decent' villain
10513032
Right now I am basing it off of the old Solarium from Starbound, when alloys where a thing and you need one “fuel” based material to make the alloy... Solarium was that endgame ore.
Who knew that Steward was a Thestral there.
Liked the bit of some sort darkness seeping out of Luna's eyes a bit there with how much anger she had there.
Wonder if there will be another away mission in this fic?
I feel like Spike would be pretty upset he had to miss out on this one(given how he misses out alot and left alot a bunch from the Mane 6's stuff in the show. Especially how its due to they made him stay behind to watch over the library/castle).
I don't think he would be fine with how things went for him in the show with how he was left out from the Mane 6, unless he's bottling it up.
So I feel like some of that bottled up bitterness/issue might spill a bit from how he had to miss out on this away mission(especially with what happened in it).
Don't think I didn't see that Teal'c reference you did earlier...