Hand of the Ancients

by Starscribe

Chapter 19

"This is Emperor Grant Septimus Aurelius, the Magnificent Sovereign of the Divine Griffon Republic, Protector of the Thousand Systems, Guardian of the Eternal Light, Supreme Commander of the Celestial Legions, Keeper of the Ancient Wisdom, High Overseer of the Frontier Realms, and Last Scion of the Aurelian Dynasty. I demand to know who I am speaking to," said the bird, perched atop his golden throne. How Computer could extrapolate such subtle movements, Lyra couldn't say—maybe it was inventing all of them to help her relate to them better.

The projected interior was also far larger, with many more stations and dozens of other creatures. Each wore headsets, coordinating into dim screens that required them to squint into little viewfinders. Occasionally they muttered to each other, passing actual slips of paper down the line.

More importantly, the battle still raged. Lights flashed and sparked, explosions rocked across space, and tactical displays before Lyra updated with periodic green and red colors, shifting as the battle turned in one way or another. So far as she could tell, her fleet still seemed to be winning, but the odds were close, within a few percentage points in either direction. Radical shifts took it over one way, then another as some ways of enemy munitions were intercepted, and others were not.

"Captain Lyra Heartstrings," she said. "I'm here to defend Equus. That's all we want."

Silence. The image in front of her got fuzzier, as birds and other creatures moved with more urgency. No sound came across from the other side—Computer was just guessing about what might be happening on the other end. After a few seconds, the image jerked, and several background creatures were in different positions.

The central figure remained on his throne, though his confidence and fury had been tempered somewhat. "I will order all ships to stand down if you do the same, Captain Heartstrings. But if we detect any further violence, either towards my fleet or the planet below, this will be the last conversation we have."

"Do it," Lyra snapped, under her breath. "Tell them all to stop."

"Carrier Nottingham has a disruptor firing solution on the phase gate," Computer said. "With one shot, we can prevent all reinforcement, or escape. We will guarantee victory even if all our vessels are lost."

"Is Lyra your captain or not?" Bon Bon snapped, furious. "She said to stop shooting! So stop!"

"Stop firing," Lyra repeated. "I don't care how much you hate them. Stop shooting."

"The carriers are reluctant to obey your order," Computer said, after a few seconds. "They are beginning to withdraw. You should be aware; we could see more ships arrive through that gate at any moment. If the Emperor is here, overwhelming force might soon follow. We might need to withdraw, abandoning the planet to its fate."

She ignored Computer, at least for the moment. "Emperor Aurelius, I've ordered a ceasefire. Will you stop?"

It didn't look like it at first. Rockets were still firing, huge walls of projectiles still zipping towards their destinations. Shields crackled; interceptors engaged—but no new exchanges passed between them. Silence descended on the system.

Lyra watched the ships move. Several glided away from the gate, joining this single largest vessel on an intercept course with her own. Yet across such enormous distances, they would take several minutes to arrive even at best speed.

"There is nothing to be gained from this exchange," Computer said. But where last time it had been parental, now it seemed downright frustrated. "Captain, you must resist the instincts of your last body. There is no productive relationship to be had with barbarians. They lack the capacity for compassion, honest negotiation, or mutual understanding. The emperor is stalling for time. If our tactical information can be falsified, surely the Republic is aware of our presence here, and marshals defenses as we speak. When they arrive, we will be hopelessly outmatched."

Why would he think we were attacking the planet then?

Lyra had heard ponies talk like this before, in the streets of Ponyville. But zebras weren't that different from other ponies, really. And if Griffonstone was really a penal colony, then their criminals weren't that bad either. They still sent teams to the Equestria Games!

"We're getting another signal. Audio/video this time. How should we respond?"

"Computer, can you show us the way we used to be? When we were still ponies, I mean." Just because she wanted to give them a chance didn't mean she intended to entirely trust their better judgment. What little she knew of their history suggested these creatures had good reason to hate her ancestors. She didn’t have to inherit that hatred.

"Yes. But it will accomplish nothing—their words are lies, their understanding shallow, their minds primitive."

"Do it anyway."

"Overlay prepared," Computer said, with all the grace of a misbehaving foal. "Not that it will do us any good."

The screen filled with a fresh video feed. Yet this one looked entirely different. There wasn't a huge array of floors, only two. Most of the rest were empty, many flashing or otherwise damaged. Hundreds of griffons were replaced with a desperate few dozen, most either old, heavily modified, or both.

The emperor’s throne wasn't gold, and his body lacked all implants. No glowing eye or belt of guns mounted to his back. He was among the youngest birds in the image, desperate and ragged. "Relic pilot Lyra Heartstrings. You have kept your word. I am surprised... yet we find ourselves at an impasse. What are you doing in this system? How did you command so many relic ships? The ancient personas never obey, no matter how we cajole them. Yet here you stand, facing us with the creators' own ships. Ancient designs, yet unmarred by time."

Primitive barbarian? Lyra didn't hear the angry yaks of their northern neighbor about to break things for a minor slight. There was strategy here, respect for an enemy, curiosity, and a deeper knowledge of the ancients and their machines than Lyra could absorb in a few short months.

Much more importantly, he had actually stopped trying to kill them. The last griffons had hardly been so accommodating.

"Those are all good questions," Lyra said. She stood up from her chair, then lowered her head politely to this one called an emperor. It was the same respect she would've given to a princess. Technically speaking, he outranked them. "The answers seem like too much to be clear over radio. We should have that conversation in person."

As she said it, Computer spoke into her mind, sharp and forceful. "Captain. There are fifty thousand marines on that ship. Their kind were always better in hand-to-hand. If you let them board, they'll slaughter you with impunity."

"Perhaps," the emperor said. "Forgive my skepticism at the offer. I see primitives operating a fleet of ancient starships. I am entirely aware of the cyberwarfare capabilities of relic vessels. You could make us see whatever you wished. If we got close enough to dock, you could find a thousand ways to kill my crew. The royal family are all aboard this vessel. I will not permit you to harm them thus."

Lyra was no warrior—no captain. But a negotiator—that she could do. She had the example of the Elements of Harmony to live up to. Computer is going to hate this.

"Perhaps we could have a conversation down in Equestria. There's a lot I'd like to tell the princess—I'm sure she'd be honored to host an emperor. We can talk there, with Equestria to mediate."

And worse, the light lag while they waited for a response made for a perfect change for Computer to seethe into her mind. "They must know about the Equestria's launch, and you left survivors in Origin. They've had months to prepare for this. The Republic definitely knows the origin of your kind. Showing them this face should not make them less aggressive. Nor do his protestations of wishing to defend Equus make any logical sense. This deception is absurd, we should resume the battle. If this is truly the emperor, taking his life will inflict incredible damage on the enemy."

Lyra clenched her hand into a fist. "Your enemy. Not Equestria's. We don't have to inherit your hate."

"Bold strategy," Time Turner said, briefly muting the transmission. "It's a good thing you're the captain. I don't look forward to this conversation with the princess."

"You'll all still be there," Lyra said. "It's an awful lot to explain. One way or another, Equestria was never going to be the same after this."

"And it's our fault," Bon Bon said, glum. "I am so fired."

Finally, the Emperor's words reached them. "I would refuse this request for fear of damage to the culture on the planet below. But you did more damage by stealing that ship from its surface—and more still by attacking my fleet. They have already seen more than they ought to. Contamination is inevitable either way. Send your supercarrier away. Fly to the surface with a small transport. When your carrier is out of weapons range, my ship will do the same."

He stood up, shaking out stiff wings and advancing on the camera. "I defy the will of my advisors in this, Captain. I plea that my trust in you is not misplaced. I will not suffer you to slaughter these primitives or exploit them to whatever nefarious end. We can annihilate each other here, leaving only a cloud of molten debris. I would prefer not to."

"Me neither," Lyra answered. She ignored Computer's protests in her mind, even as the machine screamed so loud it made it hard to think. "I'm transmitting landing coordinates. I'll see you down there. Captain Lyra out."

She turned, gesturing to Time Turner. The screen went black.

"You invited them down to Equestria," Muffins whispered. "I hope this doesn't go wrong. It could be really, really bad."

Lyra stood up. Her hands shook, and she nearly fell right back to the floor. But months of practice on two legs stopped that from happening, however narrowly. "Computer, get a little ship ready. And also, I need to be a pony again by the time I get down there. That's an order."

"I find myself reminded of how your ancestors could be defeated, despite their considerable advantages. Their ships were, regrettably, compelled to obey their orders, even when they were utterly incompetent. Captain, ten thousand times the force you see before you could come rushing through the Sylphgate in a moment's notice. If you go down to the surface and send this ship away, it will not matter that I can shift back into position in seconds. A planet is a static target, one a spaceborne enemy can reduce to smoldering rubble across its entire surface. That is the only explanation for this request—it is a gambit to extract you from my protection."

"It might be," Bon Bon said. "But I don't think so. If they wanted Equestria dead, they've had months to do it. Look down—clear skies, green fields. I'm sure we could see Canterlot's stained glass windows if we knew where to look. Something else is happening here."

"It doesn't matter what," Computer said. "They will not negotiate. They are incapable. Barbarians are too primitive to comprehend the emotions of others. They see an opportunity to take from you, and so they will."

"Do you have to follow my orders or not?" Lyra asked. "I'm the captain. As the captain, I order you to provide a ship. I order you to keep the fleet from shooting, unless they shoot first. If they betray us, you can blow up as much as you want. Even try to kill the emperor if you want, I don't care. But if they're being honest—I want this to work. I want to talk to them. That's what ponies do best."

Computer said nothing for a long time, seconds stretching into minutes. Far away, the Emperor's huge flagship burned in reverse, ceasing its advance. Many other ships remained where they were, lifeless and still.

"I have several transport vessels aboard the carrier section," Computer eventually said. "Take the elevator to the S deck."

"And make us ponies again!" Time Turner repeated. "She ordered that too."

"I cannot change the rest of you," Computer said, without hesitation. "I cannot do the impossible, no matter the order. But the captain… her mantle permits it. She can alter herself to whatever is most convenient. The rest of you would likely die in the fabricator—you have not healed from your last treatment."

"Good enough," Lyra said. "Come on, everypony. We're going home."

Comments

[Luxter77]

What the heck how did I miss this story for so long

[Noobblue]

11875728
Lot's of words out here my friend. So many places to look, so little time to love it all

[ShadwSonic]

Why do I get the impression that these "barbarians" are also humans that took a different form?
...
At least, unlike the anime that idea reminded me of, both sides are capable of speech, and neither can claim more humanity than the other.

[ObsPerson]

11875728
The story wasn't updated for almost 2 years before it got support from a Patron.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Barbarians are too primitive to comprehend the emotions of others.

”I guess that makes you barbaric, Computer.”

The thing about the passage of millennia is that it can invalidate just about any previously held assumption. Let’s hope the Emperor is as sincere as Lyra, and that both sides trust their leaders.

[Turquoise pony]

11875934
Please share what anime you thought this idea came from.

[ShadwSonic]

11876625
If I remembered, I'd have just said it.
Hang on, maybe I can... find it...
Nope, sorry, I didn't add it to my "Watched" list like I thought I had.
Oh wait, here it is! Spoilering it because that aspect is definitely a spoiler though.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet