15. Contact
The rain continued to flow in glimmering rivulets down her visor, obscuring her faraway vision just enough where the Castle in the distance was barely a blurry mass emerging through another blanket of fog. The main ambiance she had been used to for her tenure on the planet had resumed with their return journey, with her continued trudge in a familiar mud, overgrown grass, and foliage just as she led their party out of the clutches of the Everfree yet again.
This time, however, there was more than Viridian’s set of footfalls following her out.
Samus glanced back and saw Viridian bringing up the rear as he had diligently done this entire time, his eyes scanning to their sides and paying particular attention to their rear. His stoic, steely demeanor belied his much more approachable self, and was a callback to how Samus met him in the first place. And yet, his spindly hand continued to gently drum on his own arm cannon.
She smirked. It may not have been the most exciting mission, but she could see that he was having a whale of a time.
Between the two of them, Stella and Midnight trot along silently, occasionally sharing glances with one another and the occasional word… but throughout the whole search and extraction process, Samus had to commend how well they behaved and followed orders. They were professional soldiers, after all… so perhaps this should not have been surprising to her. She could visibly read the relief replacing the unease on their faces as they gradually made their way out of the bowels of the Everfree and into much more ‘familiar’ territory.
For Samus’ own sake, she reached behind her towards the small of her back and felt the bulbous, metallic cylinder that remained securely, magnetically fastened. It was still there and hadn’t moved at all during their trudge back to safety.
Thanks to stumbling upon the two VIPs whom they were now escorting back to the castle, salvaging such a power supply in working condition was an unbelievably easy task since they knew exactly how to get to where Samus needed to go through the destroyed remains of the Pirate Corvette.
And it was a good thing these types of power supplies coiled up their cables and innards… or the rain would’ve quickly dashed any hopes of contact with the Federation well before she set foot outside of the downed ship’s radius.
The clearer sight of the castle brought enough comfort out of the two ponies that they began speaking so openly, with equally high spirits.
“Ahh… Castle of Friendship. It’s been too fuckin’ long…” Stella mused.
“No kidding. Never thought I’d ever miss this place so much,” came Midnight’s reply.
Samus smirked under her visor as they continued to prattle on—she tuned out of their conversation pretty quickly though, and instead decided to return to her success: other than needing to find a way in and getting acquainted with the new ponies of the party, there were exactly zero issues in getting what she needed. This was a rare win that she was more than happy to savor.
Yet, she couldn’t. As she continued to lead the pack and keep watchful eyes on her motion tracker, her thoughts were drawn to what they had said previously back in the downed corvette:
They mentioned patrols. Space Pirate patrols. Yet, according to her systems which had been tapping and siphoning off every bit of data out of the Pirate BattleNet, there hadn’t been any patrols out this way for months, at least in this region. Hell, likely years, based on the state they found the ship in.
And yet, Midnight and Stella spoke of Pirate patrols as if they were here like, two weeks ago. The Pirates were known to keep meticulous records on the movements and whereabouts of their vast legions. Other than some of the most top-secret Shadow Pirate movements, in her opinion, something wasn’t adding up.
The voice in her head spoke suddenly, breaking through her thoughts and ruminations as clear as day:
“Is it surprising, though? You always failed at figuring out the big picture. Understanding why. It’s why your torment has never ended, and never will.”
Samus’ march was nearly thrown off-balance by how hard she blinked. Not that she was particularly offended, but the banter she shared with Twilight didn’t often cut so cleanly to the heart of her own insecurities.
Eyes temporarily wide after processing, Samus chuckled and huffed, plenty amused. Clearly she had been getting better at shit-talking.
“Christ, Twi. Zinger, but that was harsh. The fuck did I do?”
“Hmmm?”
Samus pressed jokingly:
“Wanna tell me how you really feel?”
“...I… didn’t say anything, Samus?”
The half-second silence lasted much longer in Samus’ head.
“Wait… didn’t you just…”
And in the silence that followed her implicit question, Samus could pretty much feel Twilight shaking her head slowly. The Hunter cautiously huffed—she knew exactly what she heard. She may have been a veteran of seeing things beyond comprehension, and it was often easier to tell others she was exaggerating a bit rather than admit that most of the outlandish things she had experienced in her life were true to the letter.
But she knew for a fact she wasn’t crazy. She heard those words in her head, and knew they were completely foreign thoughts. And she knew it sounded just like Twilight…
…or rather, she thought it sounded like Twilight. A couple extra seconds of deliberation later, Samus suddenly wasn’t sure if those words that she heard were of Twilight’s voice, or even of her own internal monologue.
She shook her head.
“...right.”
And before she could dwell on it further, Twilight spoke up:
“Though, I did just ‘switch’ your magic back online. Maybe there was some weird side-effect? Not uncommon for anomalies to manifest to the user when suddenly enveloped with a lot of magic again… or having it ripped away from them.”
At that mention, Samus pulled up a quick diagnostic check of her systems, and indeed, front and center, she found a notification showing her exactly what she expected:
[Element of Magic Online! Your magical connection has been reactivated!]
[OM-Visor Online]
[Pulse Missile and Pulse Charge Combination Online]
[Active Camouflage Online]
[Flash Teleport Online]
[All other non-magical systems remain online and functioning.]
“Looks like everything’s back where it should be. Thanks, Twi.”
The digital alicorn giggled and added sheepishly:
“Of course! Looks like you’ve got a clean bill of health still, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Just… take it easy with the camouflage and teleporting repeatedly one after the other, if you can?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear. OH—Did you let Spike know we were coming back with guests and to let us in?”
Samus internally chastised herself for forgetting something so simple.
“Oh, shit. Thanks for reminding me. I’ll do that right now,” she replied.
And without waiting for any follow-up from Twilight, Samus hailed the comm system she left inside the Castle.
“Hey Spike. You around? Spiiiiiiiike. Come on in, Spike.”
Twilight giggled, which provided pleasant background ambiance until the drake responded a few seconds later:
“Relaaaaax, I’m here, Samus! You guys back so soon?”
“Yup! Got what I needed, but we got something better: two pony survivors. I think you know them pretty well, so in the interest of some fun, I’ll let you see who they are. Let us in?”
Spike’s voice audibly perked up:
“N-No way! Uhh, okay! That’s awesome news! I’ll let the girls know and we’ll be right down to meet you!”
Samus smirked.
“Sweet. See you all soon.”
And with that, she ended the comm line, and conversation was immediately picked up by Stella’s chuckling from just behind her:
“No shit? Spike’s still around? Now that’s just the fuckin’ cherry on top! He was always a sweet little lad… it’ll be great tae see ‘im again!”
Midnight concurred fully.
“Oh YES!! He was always so adorable and always helpful~.”
Stella smirked impishly.
“Aye, ya think he’s stayed that small?”
Midnight nearly snorted, cackling, as she flipped her wet mane back out of her face. Stella was quick to follow suit with that.
“Gods I hope so! You knew how much fun I had picking him up and putting him on my back! He even had fun, too!”
Stella wasn’t particularly convinced.
“Hah! As if, lass—he fuckin’ never knew what tae do with himself when ya did. The Princess always made you put him down every goddamn time, too.”
Samus caught Stella nudging Midnight roughly via her shoulder plate.
“Either way, Midds… try tae restrain yerself this time, aye? It’s been fuckin’ fifteen years, at least try tae act like ye grew some fuckin’ decorum since society went tae shite.”
“Hehe, no guarantees~.”
With that, the four of them arrived unceremoniously at the castle’s locked-down front entrance, and like before, Samus slammed her fist against it in the predetermined fashion. The rapport of her harsh knocking echoed inside, heard even through the continued rainfall, and the remaining trudges of Stella, Midnight, and Viridian as they all congregated.
Right on time, the telltale unlatching of the security mechanisms sounded in return, and the door swung open, just ajar enough for all to slink on into the ambiently lit castle foyer. Samus was greeted by Spike first with a bright, expectant smile, along with Fluttershy and Rarity who had stood just behind him for a better look.
“Welcome back, Samus, Viridian,” he filed the taller beings through.
Samus didn’t respond with anything but a nod, as she gently brushed past him to join Rarity and Fluttershy… just so she could get a better view of the reacquainting that was right about to happen. She silently greeted them in kind, as well.
She watched as Midnight and Stella remained just in front of the threshold, jaws having shattered on the floor as they practically struggled to look up at Spike from their proximity to him. Spike, himself, was barely able to shut and secure the door before he, too, fell into similar straits. The pure recognizance on his face, seeing his eyes widen to nearly half the size of his head was palpable.
Stella was the first to break the ice:
“S-Spike? F-Fuck me lad, is that really you mate?”
“No way—I’ll say… that you, little Spike?!”
“Holy. Shit. Stella!? Midnight?!”
He barely managed to finish mentioning their names before both ponies immediately jumped him, proceeding to ensnare him in their hooves gleefully after he stumbled backward, nearly taken completely off balance. Samus could only hear a few words amongst the sudden cacophony of friends practically screaming in pent up excitement at each other before Twilight finally materialized out of her suit.
“Spike!” she playfully began to scold with a giggle. “Language!”
And with the Princess’ entrance, all words from the newcomers ceased entirely, and Samus could see in their eyes that they now understood that she wasn’t fibbing in the slightest. Here stood Twilight in the flesh before them, just as Samus had promised.
Their attention now focused away from showering Spike with various degrees of affection, Stella and Midnight dropped back to their hooves to properly stand before her, eyes wide with knowing and longing. From what Samus could see, Twilight wasn’t exactly taller than them. Hell, Midnight was clearly the tallest out of all of them… yet nevertheless, the two of them looked upon her with a reverence to someone much larger than anyone in the room.
Fluttershy and Rarity looked ready to join the party, but as both of them happily opened their mouths to voice complete recognition of the same, albeit aged ponies that they had known since before the Crisis, Samus stopped them in their tracks. With her armored hand, she brought a single finger to her visor to call for silence, and both ponies understood fully as they joined in further with the group.
And by that point, Twilight seemed to get a bit weirded out by the extra bits of silence. She let the two guardsmares a bit awkwardly:
“Uhhh… girls? This is getting kinda weird now. L-Like Samus said… it’s me! Here I am!”
And to further hammer home the point, Twilight patted both of them on their shoulders, which evolved into just flat-out bringing them both into a vice-like hug.
Samus smirked… as right away, she could see Stella and Midnight decompress at the same instant, melting into Twilight’s embrace as they, too, returned the multi-pony hug with all the emotion they could muster. Laughter and giggles abound, Spike, nor Fluttershy nor Rarity could compel themselves to stay quiet: all of them burst out into cheers and happily joined in on the group hug.
Samus remained on the sidelines, happy to just lean up against one of the pillars in the foyer and bathe in the good feelings abound. She shared a quick look with Viridian, who had by this point disengaged his own Suit and gotten more comfortable—he, too, seemed more than content to just silently observe the ponies’ antics.
By then, all had separated from one another so Twilight and the guardsmares could share some inevitable words to come. From what Samus could see, Stella looked the most affected by the reacquainting with Twilight… one whom she clearly held in such high regard.
“Y-Your Majesty…” she finally spoke with a much less-confident, shakier tone as she curtsied low between her front legs.
Midnight giggled at the display, but nevertheless, felt compelled to follow suit.
“It’s an honor to return, Princess Twilight~.”
Samus watched Spike and the girls suddenly pursed their lips as if they were holding back a torrent of knowing laughter at their best friend’s expense. Based on this, Twilight’s reaction was rather expected when the alicorn retreated into herself and fell into a very uncomfortable demeanor.
“Oh, gosh I… p-please you two. Rise… you two know good and well that I was never a fan of that!” she beckoned throatily.
And in lightening the mood even further, she shook her head with a sarcastic smirk.
“Gods… after all this time and the first thing you two do is decide to annoy me. I guess maybe it’s good that not much has really changed all that much,” she giggled.
She then sighed out blissfully and finished with some endearing, meaningful words:
“But… I’m just glad that you two are alive and well. You two may’ve wreaked havoc on the peace in the Castle and the general area whenever you were assigned here, but damnit, you always brought some hilarious life here and I adored having you. And I’m—we are just thrilled to have you here with us again.”
Stella began to visibly tear up. Even though Midnight’s eyes were in no way dry, Stella appeared she was on the brink of actually sobbing. Samus couldn’t blame her… based on how long they had been fighting both a war, then to protect others, and then finally to survive with each other, it was a wonder they held things together as well as they had been.
Stella sniffled. So did Rarity and Fluttershy in quick succession.
“It’s… j-just great tae have someone tae report to, again,” she said, nodding. “Aye. That it is.”
Twilight smiled softly, patting her shoulder again.
“And like I said, I’m just glad you’re alive. But if you’re gonna refer to it like that… then my first order is that I’m ordering you to both take a breather.”
She held her head high and proudly proclaimed:
“Your fight’s done, for now. And if anything, at the most, and only if you get bored, resume standard guard patrols around the castle. Okay?”
Samus felt clearly what Stella was suddenly feeling, as apparently hearing the words ‘your fight is done’ in some capacity just utterly shattered what composure she had left. She actively began crying.
As for Midnight, she didn’t appear that outwardly emotional, but Samus couldn’t think that she could possibly decompress any further… just happy to not need to fight solely to survive anymore. She knew that from experience: the first time that one was able to truly take a break after a long deployment was a pleasure that Samus had a hard time conveying to others. Though, in a way, it really wasn’t entirely the same as her experience. Samus was technically still fighting based squarely on the mantle bestowed upon her by the Chozo.
And fifteen years? These ponies were older than her and had been fighting for what she would consider the entirety of her adult life, and well through her childhood with no one else to turn to but each other. And now they could rest easy.
She sighed.
Lucky.
Shakily, and still reeling from a short crying spree, Stella attempted to compose herself and said:
“Th-thank you, Princess. So much,” and then looked right at Samus. “And thank you, Samus, fer bringin’ us back.”
Midnight was well in-accord with that sentiment, practically curtsying to her:
“Definitely,” she nodded deeply. We both owe you our lives bringing us back to Princess Twilight. I really don’t know how much longer we would’ve lasted out there, so… thank you, again~.”
Samus eagerly, calmly returned a single, deep nod.
“Sure thing. Just doing what I can to help.”
Midnight batted her eyelashes.
“Oh trust me… you’ve helped plenty~,” she cooed.
Stella kicked her shin again, earning a curt hiss of pain in return.
Twilight shot Samus a warm smile before taking back control of the conversation… especially because by this point, Stella and Midnight realized that Fluttershy and Rarity were here, and looked like they were about to lunge at them in greeting.
The alicorn cleared her throat:
“Before we all get together tonight though… you two,” she pointed to the guardsmares. “How about you two go pick a couple rooms for yourself and enjoy a proper bath now. We’ve got plenty of space and the water still runs and is warm! Just might need to dust a few things off though,” she added sheepishly.
She followed up much like an instructor or a mentor would:
“Dinner will be later tonight. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions. We’ve got some answers. Some that we’re only really just finding out, if I’m being honest. We’ll catch you up over some food.”
She smiled softly, then cocked her head.
“Sound good?”
The sharp, metallic-sounding, synchronous salute from both mares echoed throughout the foyer.
Both said in unison, though Stella shakily with fresh tears still in her eyes:
“Yes, Ma’am!”
Twilight rolled her eyes.
“You two are too goddamn much~.” She then tilted her head towards the sleeping quarters.
“Get outta here. Clean up and relax. We’ll see you in the dining room in a couple hours.”
They both nodded, and the child-like glee that welled up in their faces was what fueled their sudden sprint past everyone, and down the darker hall of the hall towards the bedrooms.
“Come on, Midds! Fuckin’ hell I need a bath. Me coat’ll be four fuckin’ shades lighter!”
“Yeah… and I don’t even think half these grays in my mane are, like, actual grays!”
Their words grew softer and softer until they were completely gone from sight and sound. And by that point, Fluttershy and Rarity had properly rejoined the group, just happy to throw their hooves around Twilight at another successful return.
“YAAAAY! YOU’RE BACK AGAIN!” Fluttershy blurted out, though she suddenly went wide-eyed and quickly reined herself in to much giggling from the others, including Viridian.
“Hehe, it’s still me, Flutters, don’t worry! I’m still here!”
“Th-that… oh Ponyfeathers, I don’t care! I’m just so glad you’re safe, Twi! I don’t ever wanna lose you again. Any of you,” she nuzzled deeply into her cheek.
“Indeed, darling!” Rarity added. “After everything that’s happened… we can’t exactly take our returns for granted.”
“Yeah, that’s true… but thanks to Samus here, I think we can rest a little easier on that front. Thanks again for lugging me back and forth safely!”
Fluttershy and Rarity, for the umpteenth time with Twilight, also lavished her with equally heartfelt words:
“Truly, Samus… Th-Thank you.”
Rarity had a proper quip up her figurative sleeve:
“We truly do owe you our lives, our literal lady in shining armor! Thank you, dear.”
Samus chuckled, smirking.
“Heh, Christ. Don’t mention it, girls.”
Spike, however, joined Samus over by the pillar she was leaning up against with a knowing smirk.
“I know you’ve probably heard enough of the thank-you's right now, so I’ll spare you further grating on your ears… even if you already know the words that would come out of my mouth for protecting Twilight so diligently…” he began.
Samus finally disengaged her suit, then ran some fingers through her hair before she retorted with her own knowing smirk.
“No worries at all, Spike. Again, just happy to help. We’re helping each other here!”
He nodded.
“You got what you needed?”
Samus, happily, raised up the cylindrical power supply that she claimed as loot, with some errant drops of water flowing off of it and dripping onto the floor.
“Yup! No resistance, thankfully. Which reminds me…”
Samus pivoted on her heels and made for the courtyard.
“If you'll excuse me, I need to install this on my ship right away!” she said on her way out.
Viridian strode up next to Spike and called out while the ponies watched her go:
“Need any assistance, Young One?”
Samus called back before she disappeared with an extra pep in her step:
“I think I should be good, thanks though. I’ll catch up with everyone afterward at dinner.”
Twilight got one last question in as Samus disappeared from sight.
“You sure?!” she called out.
“Yup!” came the curt, echoing reply.
[Later that evening…]
By the time dinner had rolled around, Spike again decided to leverage his skill in preparing something truly delicious for the occasion. In his mind, the return of two additional friends to the group was a cause for celebration, and no one could argue with that logic. In his mind, they were bringing Equestria back together, or at least, whoever remained of it, little-by-little, one pony at a time.
Samus, for her part, remained in blissful silence as she happily enjoyed the plate Spike had placed in front of her. She was more riding on the high of installing the power supply into her ship which juiced up the long range communications node. Though she had to pull off a few panels to seat it properly, it connected without issue and was more than enough for diagnostics to be run on the once digitally inaccessible piece of loaned equipment. Everything looked great, and it just needed some time to itself to settle.
That was all fine and dandy—Samus intended to attempt contact with the Federation after dinner anyways. Food always helped make the mind a little clearer. Spike’s food was just fantastic for that.
In the meantime, the Hunter was happy to occasionally share words with Viridian and the others when called upon… but ultimately, just existed amongst the group. She watched as Midnight and Stella both devoured their foods and went back for seconds. She never thought she could see actual smittenness in one’s eyes just at one’s cooking but even Samus could see that from the moment the Drake served the stalwart guardsmares.
Or maybe it was the fact that they had their first decent meal in quite some time. She had definitely been there before. That was for sure.
Spike, to his credit, took any overt flirtation in stride, feigned ignorance, or flat-out obliviousness, as according to him, he was just happy to continue doing what he enjoyed. It didn’t stop others from chuckling and giggling at his reactions though, from what little red colored his cheeks.
Even from Samus.
From there, she tuned out further when Twilight began getting the newcomers caught-up on the story and situation so far. It was something that Samus had heard a few times already, and other than piping up when she needed to answer something specific from the intently-listening, ever-curious guardsmares, she went straight to her tablet, monitoring any new developments in the Pirate BattleNet.
She still processed discussions and back-and-forth regarding the Space Pirates, Tempest, and the Chozo… with the latter being more of a spicy side of mystery to everything else. Viridian took the lead in answering what he was able to.
Or rather, what he was willing to share.
Either way, Samus knew it would be a lot to take in for anyone, and the looks Stella and Midnight shared with each other held such uncertainty, nigh-disbelief at so many things that had happened. They resolved to all sleep on it when it was time to retire for the night… which quickly turned into the two of them ready to pass out right after dinner, so they ended up retiring early.
And at that point, everyone filed into the Common Room, where Samus immediately found herself getting to work.
“Okay…” she said to herself, setting up her tablet right on the catbed that she preferred to sit on.
“This should do it.”
Twilight stood next to her, having curiously looked on as Samus put a bow on her setup process… all which ended with her tablet being hooked up to some large wire that was attached to a puck-like device set up in the middle of the room. Viridian, Rarity, and Fluttershy were happy to keep their distance and let Samus work.
“So… what’s all this, then?” she finally asked.
“We’re contacting the Federation momentarily, now that I’ve confirmed that my comms are fully operational again. My tablet is gonna be the connection device. But that…”
She pointed towards the aforementioned puck-like device a dozen feet away.
“...is a holoprojector. We might need it if we’re able to establish full contact and need to end up speaking with someone actually important. No guarantees, as I figure most things will be done over voice. But, you never know.”
Samus flicked through a few windows on her tablet, gracefully swiping to and fro with her fingers over the glass.
“Everything looks good. Power supply is doing its job, and the Comms Node is just humming along, fully online. Nice.”
She glanced over at Twilight.
“It’s time.”
Twilight didn’t seem exactly unsure, as she had expressed excitement about the prospect of contact with the Federation, but Samus could read a deep-seated trepidation in the act. She couldn’t exactly blame her. Foreign entities from beyond the stars further ravaged her planet, after all, excitement and glamor be damned.
“Remind me again… what do we hope to accomplish with this?”
Samus began the preliminary step to communication: establishing a link to an encrypted channel.
“Help. For all of us.”
Twilight nodded at the simple response, and seemed placated with enough hope to take a few steps back.
And by that point, Samus’ tablet and systems at large eagerly informed her of the results so far:
[Communications Open]
[Encryption Status: Encrypted]
“Alright… here we go,” she said, then took a deep breath.
She opened up a communications terminal and began to speak authoritatively:
“Hunter Actual, GF Mercenary ID 62468, to FLEETCOM, does anyone read?”
All remained quiet, and throughout the gentle flickering and crackling of wood feeding a fire within the common room, all Samus could hear on the other end of the line was static… but what heartened her suddenly was that the static seemed like it was ‘moving’ and undulating with the connection. Something had to be getting through.
“Repeat—this is Hunter Actual, GF Mercenary ID 62468, to FLEETCOM. How copy? Over.”
Again, nothing but ‘moving static.’ Samus could feel Twilight’s questioning gaze on her, but just as she was about to try again to break the tense moment, the line suddenly went clear as crystal.
An official-sounding, voice-made-for-radio male voice suddenly responded:
“FLEETCOM to Hunter Actual, responding from Federation Olympus-Class Battleship Iberia, Third Fleet, Galactic Federation Navy.”
It was Samus’ turn to visibly decompress, and there were more than a few cheers from behind her, though the Hunter immediately, erratically waved her hands back at them to get them to shut up.
Though, she couldn’t blame them. She was feeling even better already.
“Solid copy, Hunter Actual. ID Confirmed. You’re a little later than usual with checking in, Samus,” came a lighthearted quip.
Samus smirked.
“Wouldn’t be the first time and definitely won’t be the last. Ran into some… problems. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
The other party chuckled before introducing himself:
“COMMO Alphonse Swtizer, at your service. And the pleasure is all mine—night shift’s usually pretty boring. Buuuut I’m guessing by your tone, you’re not checking in just to report that you’re alive and well… or just to say hi?”
“Yeah, you already know how it goes,” said Samus, and she began bringing up other files on her tablet as she typed furiously.
“You should be getting a secure transmission from me momentarily. The first part of my assigned, agreed-upon mission goals is complete. Pictures and videos of enemy assets are en route. Pirates have a lot more than just harvesting equipment on this Planet—designating as Equis.”
“Uhh—ah! Received. And ummm… hmph. That’s… right. Yeah this unfortunately needs to go well above me.”
“Need me to open comms with someone else?” Samus asked.
“No need,” the COMMO replied. “Fortunately for us both, the Admiral is a night owl. He’s likely still on the bridge just… pondering. Lemme see if I can transfer you over directly. Please hold?”
“You got it. Thanks a bunch, Switzer. Great to hear friendly voices again.”
“That’s what they pay me for. It’s an honor to meet your voice personally! Patching you through now, shouldn’t be more than a small wait. Good luck, Samus!”
And with that, the line went into hold, and Samus sighed out again with more than a measure of relief.
She glanced over at hopeful Twilight and behind her at the rest of the girls plus Viridian and Spike with a placid smile.
“So far so good!”
“What happens now?”
“Well, if things go as I expect them to, we plan for the Federation to arrive in force. From there, we can—”
Samus shut herself up and immediately turned back to the tablet once the communication line went clear and live once again. However, she noticed that the holoprojector was also responding, so she quickly got to her feet to stand before it.
As the contraption came alive, it produced a muddled, staticky picture at first, but ultimately, it suddenly coalesced into a sharp, bland-colored projection of a lone human standing before them all a fraction of the size they would normally be:
A ramrod-straight, well-maintained man who was adorned with the classic Federation Admiral’s dress, insignia, and large visorcap with straight shoulder pauldrons to boot. Samus immediately took notice of his steely blue eyes and tanned skin, accented by a perfectly maintained, gray beard that fell just below his chin. She could also recognize the few wrinkles of an aged, yet grizzled veteran of many conflicts, which intermeshed with a gigantic scar that seemed to cut a swathe through his facial hair from the top of his left cheek, down and diagonal to the center of his upper lip.
With a small smirk, he began to speak. A Spanish accent weighed heavily on his words, yet remained fully understandable:
“Iberia Actual to Hunter Actual. Samus Aran…” his smirk widened.
“I’ve been expecting you.”
He then saluted sharply, so much so that Samus could practically hear the crackles of his uniform.
“I am Vice Admiral Horacio de Vasco, commander of the Federation’s Third Fleet… and also the sponsor of your mission by order of Fleet Admiral Castor Dane. It truly is an honor and a privilege to finally meet you.
“Oh, and it would be remiss of me to mention that Admiral Dane sends his regards, as well.”
Samus nodded deeply.
“Admiral de Vasco. Nice to meet you, too. I anticipated checking in a little earlier than this, that much I’ll say. Sorry if I caused anyone any sleepless nights… things ended up not being so straight-forward.”
De Vasco didn’t respond immediately, and he cocked an eyebrow as he looked to peer past Samus’ right… and when she followed his gaze, Twilight had apparently ambled close enough in her curiosity where she could be seen on the Admiral’s side.
Twilight suddenly seemed to know she was being gawked at, and she sheepishly pulled back a couple steps.
“Heh… oops. Sorry…”
To his credit though, de Vasco took the new information in stride:
“Hmm. So it seems. I can certainly see that there’s been some… developments.”
Samus huffed.
“Heh, that’s one way to put it. But, to say simply regarding the original mission, the Pirates are here, in force. In much larger force than we anticipated, really. They’re making full attempts to colonize this planet and utilize the Phazon that arrived planetside about fifteen years ago. I’ve sent over all the data I’ve been able to collect, either from scouting or just passive snooping on their systems.”
De Vasco leaned forward and began typing, presumably on the computer or other device he was using to talk to Samus in the first place.
Samus continued:
“There’s… a lot, actually. So much so, that I’ve been needing to operate in the shadows with the help of the remnants of a native, sapient species that survived the effects of the Phazon. It’s… a long story.”
The Admiral looked to be scanning over and skimming through what Samus had sent over earlier, and he held his chin the crook of his fingers all the while.
“Hmph. I can see that. That is a problem. And as for the new species…”
He directed his attention back towards Samus where Twilight, again, had let her curiosity get the better of her, and was gawking back in projection range.
“...I can see that clearly. Looks like the nature of our operation changes in accordance with Federation Doctrine.”
He stood upright again and began to ask:
“What’s the current status of this new species or society, the…”
As he fumbled for words, Twilight unexpectedly, suddenly entered the conversation:
“Ponies. Equines… among other species around the planet of which we have no clue of their status…
“...sir.”
Samus regarded Twilight, amused, but in no way surprised that the alicorn decided to field some initiative, even if Samus would’ve asked anything the alicorn would’ve wanted on her behalf. So, she gestured towards the projection, bidding Twilight to continue if she liked.
The Hunter didn’t need to intervene.
De Vasco, seemingly stunned at first that Twilight understood and responded in perfect English, smirked and nodded once.
“‘Ponies’ it is, then. May I correctly presume that you represent your societal remnant?”
Much more confident, Twilight likewise nodded once.
“Yes, Admiral. I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle… Acting Regent of Their Majesties’ government of the Diarchy of Equestria.”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” de Vasco confirmed and noted. “And what is your societal status?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than a simple status report, but in the interest of time for now, in a vacuum… functionally extinct.”
The Admiral cocked an eyebrow.
“Functionally?”
“Yes, sir. We’ve placed the majority of our surviving population in stasis using the effects of ma—”
Samus gently, yet firmly, placed her hand on the nape of Twilight’s neck, which had the desired effect of stopping her mid-sentence.
Samus would intervene here, this time:
“There are some… arcane arts and forces at play that I’ve been made aware of, much like we discovered when working with Chozo technology, or our interactions and research with the Luminoth and other more mystical societies. I’ve also experienced these forces first-hand.
“In essence, as Twilight said, the Equestrians have been able to keep the majority of their surviving society in a stasis-like state. This was a last resort in the fight against the Phazon, and its direct effects. The arrival of the Space Pirates doomed any further action, unfortunately.”
Samus glanced questioningly back at Twilight, silently asking if she got the basics right. The alicorn nodded in return, and both faced de Vasco again as Samus concluded firmly with:
“We’d be happy to explain further when we both have more time, but like you said, this mission has become much more complicated and multifaceted.”
De Vasco pulled back and pondered for a moment, again affixing his fingers onto his chin as Samus again sent over more data after furiously typing.
“Admiral, I’ve just sent over the last major tranche of data, which further details the approximate troop strength of the Pirates that I’ve been able to glean, just based on possibly monitoring their transmissions. It’s a conservative estimate… but it’s been growing steadily. This planet could serve as staging for future invasions elsewhere in Federation Space.”
The Admiral nodded a couple times, deep in thought, before he replied:
“Looks like you’ve done all the research and tapping you could. And honestly, I think you’ve completed your full mission for us, based solely on this data collected.”
Samus blinked.
“Sir?”
De Vasco smirked.
“Well, pulling up our agreement here…” he leaned in, scrutinizing something close to his projector.
“Sabotage was optional… but you’ve successfully completed all recon. And there’re really no discrete ‘facilities’ to mark for strikes by the Navy. Based on this data, we need to completely eradicate their presence. Wipe them out entirely. Further, the presence of an actual continent, or even planet-spanning society—however remnant—changes our course of action from mere destruction and Phazon eradication, to a relief mission in parallel.”
Twilight’s features perked up, and she glanced curiously at Samus, who nodded in thought.
De Vasco added lightheartedly:
“And of course, the last stipulation was that you remained alive so we could actually pay you. Therefore, your mission is completed, and I’m authorizing the transfer of your agreed-upon fee, now,” he said, and continued typing.
The Admiral then gestured to someone off to the side, and resumed typing. Samus was about to thank him, but he continued:
“I’m sending over a new contract for a mission extension. We’ll need all the help you can give us on the ground, as well as acting as an ambassador of sorts between us and the Pony societal remnant. Fee is completely negotiable.”
Samus replied:
“So long as I won’t need to take an active role against the Pirates at this time, Admiral. It’s gonna need to wait until sufficient Federation forces arrive in situ. Until then, revealing myself now may very well cause the Pirates to pack up shop and get out of dodge. And if they don’t, the full force of a planetary armada may bear down on me. I’m no superhero, so I can only do so much if either of those happen.
“And with Pirate Commander Ridley also confirmed on station—”
De Vasco cut in:
“Ridley is… alive?”
“Yeah. My sentiments exactly when I found out, but he’s here. But as I was saying, until sufficient force arrives, I fully intend to switch to a passive role, so I can focus on where I’m needed most right now. If you have anything to spare in the meantime, some assets will allow me to concentrate on their preservation, helping fulfill the relief part of the mission: namely their preservation and the continued ambassadorial work you’re now requesting of me.”
Samus shot Twilight and the others a quick glance, and noted that all were intently listening in with more than a modicum of curiosity… though it was the Princess herself who seemed somewhat on edge, as if she was banking more than a few things on the outcome of this talk.
De Vasco righted his posture before answering:
“I understand. I’m sure I can easily get an authorization for a shift into such a role.”
Samus simply retorted:
“With all due respect, Admiral, I wasn’t asking. Just letting you know what’s gonna happen until the Federation can arrive in force.”
De Vasco smiled, almost expectantly, and chuckled as he said:
“I’ll gladly relay the message up the chain. As for assets…”
He casually adjusted the lapels on his collar before explaining straight-forwardly:
“The present issue is that we only planned for a limited strike on what we thought was just a ‘large mining operation.’ Obviously, based on the data you’ve graciously provided, along with all the other problems you found yourself with, that’s no longer the case at all. We’ll need to get all the necessary approvals and nods from above—typical bureaucracy. Not to mention the time it will take to put together a proper siege and assault force.
“Once that’s available, we can take the heaviest lifting off your hands. All the data you’ve sent me, as well as your word will make this go much quicker. But even so, assembling dozens of ships and tens of thousands of troops—likely more—will not be an overnight ordeal.”
He stroked his beard in thought.
“If I pull some strings and have my fleet reassigned, as well as call up reserves and unused ships and troops from some of the core worlds, I might be able to ballpark arrival in Force in about two weeks. Closer to three. That’s pushing it, and I can’t guarantee anything… but I’m willing to try my best.”
Samus shrugged. She hadn’t dealt with someone in his position who had been so willing to help in the past other than Dane himself, so all things considered, in her mind, this was the best outcome she could hope for. With that, she quickly brought up the transmitted contract, skimmed it, nodded, then digitally signed it.
“Fair enough, Admiral. I just signed the new contract you sent me. Looks good, and Fed checks have always cleared. Back to my original question though: anything you can spare now? I think things will go more smoothly if I can concentrate on laying groundwork with the Ponies while someone else can handle keeping the Pirates off of us while keeping a low profile.
“The more we help them now, the more they can help us when it’s time to crush the Pirates and deal with the Phazon.”
He nodded once.
“I had heard that question before the conversation went elsewhere… and I do. I took the liberty of activating one of our in-ship response fireteams. They’re multi-role infantry Special Forces… so while they can’t take on a whole company of Pirates, they know just how to both start, and get out of trouble, among other things. I trust this particular team with my life. If you provide some landing coordinates, they can set out tonight and be there within a day or two.”
Samus sent something off immediately:
“Done. Plenty of room and cover here.”
He offered up a thankful, if sheepish gaze:
“Thank you. I know it’s not much… but it’s the best we can do right now. We just came off of a deployment and are still refitting. I can also send them along with some extra supplies other than their own if you need: food, medical, weapons and munitions…?”
Twilight looked almost starstruck at how this was going, which evoked a single, amused huff from the Hunter.
Samus eagerly accepted:
“We’ll take anything you’re offering. The more they help, the more I can help the ponies… and the more I can help the ponies, the better position they’ll be to help you… and I have a feeling there can be a mutually beneficial relationship here. I’m no diplomat, but I like this place.”
Samus wasn’t privy to the warm smile Twilight and the others gave her behind her back.
De Vasco smirked again, nodding.
“Fully understood, Samus. More information will follow soon. Anything else we should be aware of?”
Samus thought for a moment, and realized that she hadn’t spoken about Viridian. After all, she did promise him a ship once this was all over. However… in respecting the ways of her adoptive people, Viridian and the Chozo didn’t wish to be found unless they wanted to be.
The Hunter shook her head.
“No, sir. I think that’s everything for now. Thank you, Admiral, for everything so far… much obliged.”
“Likewise for all your work and hardship thus far. It’s an honor and a privilege. We’ll update you on our timelines.”
“Sounds good.”
“Iberia, out.”
One final salute later, and Admiral de Vasco’s holographic projection faded away, and the entire communication line went dead.
Silence from the group behind her followed as Samus went through the rather mundane process of severing the encrypted communication tunnel. Once she got full confirmation that everything had been shut off, and a cursory check on Pirate communications data to see that the last conversation in fact was not intercepted, Samus turned back to face the group.
With all eyes on her, she allowed herself a laid back smirk and announced:
“Well. Gotta say, that went a lot better than expected,” she began.
Before anyone else, especially Twilight, could respond to that, the Hunter elaborated while she sat herself down in her usual catbed, stretching her legs out and leaning back a bit:
“The Feds are definitely invested in eradicating the Space Pirate and Phazon threat… and not only that, seem much more interested in providing all that’s necessary to help in aiding and rebuilding Equestria. Not that they normally wouldn’t be, as it’s protocol when there’s a new, sapient species discovered… but I think someone in the background is pulling some extra strings or giving an extra strong nudge to put things in motion. This includes materials and help in rebuilding Equestria and the planet at large.
“All that to say, we’re gonna have help on that front, soon enough.”
Samus jumped in her seat, eyes having gone wide for a second as she was startled by the sudden cheer of elated spirits that erupted around the room from Spike and the girls. So loud was it that it echoed off the high ceiling of the common room, and what used to be a standard, quiet evening was anything but.
Samus watched, content, as all the ponies bounced and jumped and ultimately were scooped up in a hell of a bear hug by Spike… well, once they all jumped him and he was left with little choice. Like with earlier today, Viridian likewise tempered himself, and the two shared a knowing, accomplished glance.
Though they said nothing from across the room where they both sat, their eyes and the lone nod they shared did all the talking.
Well done, Hatchling.
Thanks. Couldn’t’ve done it without your help.
Samus was brought entirely out of her stupor when Twilight suddenly materialized next to her and threw her hooves excitedly around her neck with a squee. The Hunter was able to remain seated and stable, but it took some proper effort to not get blown back into the embrace of her seat.
“Thank you! Thank you so so much, Samus! I know I’ve said it so much so far but…”
She could hear the sniffling, and sudden shakiness of Twilight’s voice.
“...thank you. Forever and always. Even if we don’t succeed in all of this.”
Samus felt her cheek being scrunched as Twilight’s own, damp cheek was being pressed firmly into hers as the alicorn nuzzled her gratefully. The Hunter then awkwardly, yet much more confidently than in the past, patted and tousled Twilight’s mane around her horn.
“Heh, no worries. Like I said, our goals are intertwined. For what it’s worth, it’s been… interesting so far. And hey, we haven’t failed just yet, so give yourself—all of us, really—some credit.”
Twilight giggled, and was happy to just leave it at that with a nod and one more hug before pulling away from Samus for now. Viridian, on the other hand, had a little bit more to say on Samus’ choices of words from earlier:
“And I would like to thank you, Young One, for not speaking of me or the existence of surviving Chozo at this time to the Federation. While I have no intention of remaining hidden, even when the Federation Vanguard arrives in a couple days, announcing to your High Command would draw needless attention to myself… and the Chozo.”
“No worries, Viridian. I’ll make sure whoever the Vanguard is, that they keep things classified… on my orders.”
The Chozo Warrior seemed to be satisfied with that answer, and he responded with a wordless, half-bow before he moved back towards the bookcase.
Twilight, happy to let Rarity and Fluttershy continue the much more jovial atmosphere with Spike, trot back over to Samus with a rather pertinent question:
“So… what happens now?” she asked.
Samus cocked an eyebrow with an air of incredulity, and prodded Twilight playfully.
“The hell are you askin’ me for? Wasn’t it you that had a plan yesterday? Something about the Luna Bay?”
Twilight giggled, as she knew Samus was right.
“I didn’t mean it that way. But like… with the Federation!”
Samus shrugged.
“All we can do is wait. Couple days out for an advanced Vanguard from what de Vasco said, though we’ll probably get a better ETA in the next day or so. In the meantime, I see no issue heading over to the Luna Bay—the Stealth Module is fully operational again, so we should be able to head straight there without any issues from the Pirates.
“And assuming the Luna Bay goes well, it would be a huge boon to have someone of the original leadership around.”
Twilight’s hopeful elatedness knew no bounds tonight.
“YESSS! YES YES YES YES YES!” she bounced back and forth.
And with that Samus was happy to just breathe another sigh of relief as she leaned back up against the wall. She was more than content to exist and vibe again while everyone else took up the mantle of liveliness—after all, in Samus’ own mind, they earned every bit of it. And what kind of guest would she be if she also didn’t relish in good company for a while as her own exhaustion slowly but surely took over.
She’d retire to bed in a little while. In the meantime, she was happy immersing herself with Pirate Data being skimmed off the top by her systems.
Silence resumed, however, when someone else stumbled into the common room. The newcomer drew all eyes to her, and Samus could see that it was in fact Stella who had ambled in groggily. She had to admit that it was jarring seeing her out of her worn and used armor, and instead freshly cleaned and brushed. Her mane was styled in a somewhat messy ponytail, and her sudden presentability made her look, dare Samus even say, ‘pretty’ much like the others.
Stella didn’t seem to mind all the eyes on her, and instead produced a tired smirk in response…
…and then also produced an aged-looking bottle in the crook of her hoof, filled entirely with a fluorescent blue, sloshing liquid.
“Sounds like a fuckin’ party in here, lads and lasses. Anypony want some good shit? Aged a wee bit but always kept some knockin’ about fer a fun occasion~.”
Twilight surprised Samus especially, and the Hunter looked on amusedly as Twilight energetically exhorted such an offer:
“Hell yeah, Stella! Spike, get some glasses, pretty please? I’ll happily drink to hopefully getting Luna back tomorrow!”
The bridge of the G.F.S. Iberia was much like any other of the Olympus-class Battleships at the helms of their fleets: A generous view of the space before them, with all the engineers and bridge-crew diligently working their stations to ensure the flagship kept purring along was the standout feature, along with a rather simple platform for the officer on deck to properly command.
At this time of ‘conformed’ evening, there was more of a skeleton crew. Where under normal transit paths, the second Olympus-class of the Third Fleet, the G.F.S Canaria would assume temporary command to afford the rest of the Iberia some proper rest, the entire battlegroup had entered slipspace towards the Core Worlds for refitting—they were safe and far away from the nearest Space Pirate fleet of meaningful size.
And so, they could all rest after their latest combat deployment, and have been, thus far.
For the commander of the whole fleet, Admiral Horacio de Vasco treasured his time on a nearly empty bridge. He had always appreciated the nights back planetside, and the grizzled Admiral, a veteran of many of the Federation’s many deployments and expeditions, never found sleep coming to him easily.
So, he was more than happy to fatigue himself just… pondering out the reinforced glass that stood between him and a depressurization death in space.
At least, until he was notified that someone whom he had been waiting to hear from, had finally made contact… almost a week later than he had expected her to. Suddenly, as he eagerly returned the call, the bridge was awash with a reinvigorated bout of activity that was only seen during the ‘day.’
“Fully understood, Samus. More information will follow soon. Anything else we should be aware of?”
The projected, armorless Hunter shook her head.
“No, sir. I think that’s everything for now. Thank you, Admiral, for everything so far… much obliged.”
“Likewise for all your work and hardship thus far. It’s an honor and a privilege. We’ll update you on our timelines.”
“Sounds good.”
“Iberia, out.”
And with that, he saluted one last time, and cut the connection. De Vasco’s once-ironclad demeanor softened for just a few seconds as he processed everything, and averted his gaze all the while. He then let himself smirk and sigh out blissfully, steeling himself against the railing of the bridge overlook before he threw his prominently steely exterior back up.
De Vasco stood ramrod, ran a smoothing hand through his beard via the path of his gigantic scar before he continued. He bellowed his orders to the ship-bourne AI with the conviction of a commander who had prepared for war innumerable times:
“Aurora? Prepare the entire Third Fleet for linkup with Federation Fourth Fleet. Double-time the refitting process to the extent as to not compromise battle readiness for siege and blockading warfare. And issue a passive alert to all naval and ground forces: All approved leave duration beyond one week as of this order is hereby canceled.”
The robotically soothing, feminine voice of the Aurora Unit replied back:
“Yes, Admiral. Issuing now.”
De Vasco didn’t have much time to ponder what to take care of next, as a lone Federation Marine, clad in full armor, announced:
“Admiral, Fireteam Crusader is on deck!”
He smirked, and pivoted on his heels to meet them at the entrance adjacent to the command platform. There, he was greeted by four much leaner-armored Federation Troopers, their normally iconic silver-esque armor much grayer, and each with a patch on their right arms with the colorless insignia of a crusader knight’s helmet. And of helmets, none of them wore their own, instead opting to hold them under their arms for the time being.
De Vasco approached eagerly, despite keeping his professional posture.
“Crusader!” he greeted, to which all four saluted in unison. The Admiral dismissed the gesture with his own as he closed ranks fully with them.
“At ease, all. Thanks for coming up here. You already have your mission, but I just wanted to see you off properly… especially after all the great work you did this deployment so far. I’m sorry I need to call upon you again so soon.”
“Always appreciate the personal touch you’ve given the team, sir. You know we’re happy to help,” said Captain Jacob Dittmar, his own blue eyes having locked onto the Admiral’s as the latter shook his hand firmly.
His unkempt blonde helmet hair and fair, surprisingly smooth and well-maintained skin gave him a somewhat younger appearance than the others of his age, likeness, tenure, and ability, and often contributed to him being mis-addressed as a lower rank when out of uniform or armor. This was more than made up for by his chiseled jawline and taller stature at six-foot-two that made him look like the build and face of a GFMC propaganda poster child.
De Vasco smiled, needing to physically look up to him a couple inches.
“Always a pleasure, Captain.”
And from there, he went down the line. He then shook hands with Corporal Sydney Exeter, the seemingly more tempered in enthusiasm of the group, as of right now at least, which de Vasco understood: her older brother, another captain in the Marine Corps, had just been confirmed as killed in action on Planet Aether.
Even though she happily accepted his handshake and greeted his stare with a wide-eyed, confident smile behind her own more muted blue eyes, he knew her feelings… all too well, especially when he noticed the couple tear stains she had missed when likely giving her face a wipe-down. It was her, more often than not, that he’d end up catching in the mess hall with a late night snack. The two got to talk for more than just formalities here and there.
He nodded to her regardless, and acknowledged gratefully:
“Corporal.”
And she, in kind:
“Sir.”
The Admiral moved on to Corporal Nathan Krandor, who arguably both looked and acted his age, having just celebrated his twenty-third birthday. De Vasco knew him as the newest member to the venerable Crusader Team, yet his somewhat-short, unkempt, wavy brown hair with the universe held in his green eyes belied his actual skill amongst special operators like his team. He didn’t get to where he was by his charm, nor his brazenness alone… even if he was known to annoy Sydney in some occasional after-action reports he read.
Another handshake and a genuine acknowledgement:
“Corporal.”
“Sir.”
De Vasco then moved on to the last of their group, but in his mind, most certainly not least: Lieutenant Arianna Guererra. His gaze lingered on hers in an almost knowing fashion… a look in which the twenty-five year old, tanned-skinned, brown-eyed face reciprocated, at least in a playfully annoyed fashion.
Though his prideful eyes lingered on her gaze for more than a couple extra seconds than an observer might think appropriate, he still offered her his hand and acknowledged her professionally.
“Lieutenant.”
She huffed, but happily reciprocated.
“Sir.”
From there, he pulled back a few steps so he could clear his throat and address them all. With one arm folded behind his back, he gestured appropriately as he informally briefed:
“I’m well aware you all have read the quick mission brief, but it really is that simple… even if the requirements for success underneath such a simple objective may be anything but: you four are to get the privilege to meet Samus Aran in a couple days. I expect you all to help her with whatever she needs. I’m informally placing you under her command, though of course, mine, and GFSSOC supersedes hers. Use your best judgment on what to follow, and if there are any concerns, run it by me…
“...though, I don’t anticipate any issues happening. I trust her not to squander your talents. Assist her with whatever she needs, and if you cannot provide something she needs, let me know, and I’ll see what we can arrange.”
All snapped to attention.
“Yes, sir!”
De Vasco was quick to level them off with the appropriate palm gesture:
“Again, at ease, soldiers. No need for that, right now. At any rate, god be with you all, and god willing, myself and the fleet shall join you in at most a few weeks. Take care of yourselves, please… mkay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Will do, Admiral.”
“Always have, sir.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Admiral smirked and again nodded approvingly.
“Very good. Off you go, then…”
All four of them turned on their heels, but de Vasco had one last thing to add for one person in particular:
“...except Lieutenant Guerrera. Please remain for a few moments.”
Arianna halted mid-stride, and yet again with a knowing, faux-inconvenienced visage, she elastically morphed back into her previous stance. All three of her comrades had stopped for a moment to see what the fuss was about, but their own faces of knowing, recurring obligation prevented them from asking any questions.
Arianna spoke over her shoulder:
“I’ll catch up with you all in a moment.”
Jacob answered for all of them:
“You got it, Ari. See ya soon.” he said, and the rest of the group took their leave through the nearest door, which was sealed behind them with the re-activation of the blue energy shielding lock.
With them alone save for the working bridge officers and the soldiers at their posts, de Vasco let the steelier side of his exterior melt away, and with a much softer tone, he closed the distance between him and Arianna and said:
“Be careful, okay?”
Arianna was unfazed and asked with joking incredulity:
“Seriously, dad… we really gonna do this like, every time now?”
De Vasco smirked.
“Yes… because you know good and well it’s what your mother would’ve wanted.”
Arianna huffed, yet rolled her eyes in mutual understanding.
“Yeah, yeah… heh, ain’t that the truth.”
The Admiral laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Just… take care of yourself, alright?”
“I will, Dad. I always do.”
He seemed more than satisfied with that answer, and with another nod and a thin, prideful grin, his eyes sparkled as he brought her in for a proper hug… a hug which Arianna eagerly, gleefully reciprocated.
And he punctuated with a single peck on the top of her head, through her hair.
“Good girl. God be with you, Mija.”
De Vasco could feel Arianna rolling her eyes even while they embraced.
“God you know how much I hate that word and you still use it! I wouldn’t’ve told mom I approved of you if I knew you were gonna be this annoying!”
He chuckled heartily.
“And yet here we are, and you knew exactly what you signed up for when you started calling me ‘Dad.’”
The two finally separated and after getting a good look at each other again, they saluted in unison.
“See you soon, dear.”
Arianna had one last quip:
“See ya later, Horacio!”
And with that, the Lieutenant hastened her jog through the entrance she arrived through to catch up with her team. Once she was gone and the blue door had irised shut, another voice—deep, male, and smooth as the finest liquor—from behind de Vasco broke the few seconds of silence that followed:
“Gotta say… Not like you to commit to such a rapid re-deployment on the whims and words of a merc,” noted Second in Command, Rear Admiral Fredrick Conway, as he took easy steps to fall in line with his equally well-dressed superior.
Conway’s identically clean-shaven, fair, yet immeasurably chiseled face belied his own stratospherically rising acclaim within the fleet and navy at large.
De Vasco smirked as Conway continued:
“Maybe you’re actually working on that more cautious reputation of yours? Finally coming to an end in a flair of cavalierness, sir?” he joked.
The Admiral, despite his humorous reception to the quipping, replied with a rather prominent note in a more serious, emotion-laden undertone.
“True. In fairness, maybe this was a sudden shift of priorities, considering it wasn’t what we had expected out of Samus’ mission,” he agreed.
De Vasco faced his equal-heighted subordinate.
“But in the end, I would trust her word with my life. And even if I didn’t…”
He looked back towards the glowing, blue-shielded door where Arianna had last exited through.
“I owe that merc more than she knows. Please see to the continued rearmament and resupply… ever the logistician you are, Conway.”
“Sir, yes sir!”
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
866 users online
554,347 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Marines reporting for duty.
Please, please, please update this story faster you magnificent bastard! I was hooked back on the prolog, stop teasing me like this!
we got to see the return of the best princess in Equestria soon as possible...
Ok, ok I understand that to make the next chapter with the quality you have shone so far will take a little time. Trust me I understand. Still good job on this chapter and I can't wait for more to come out.
Great as always!
I do have a minor bit of confusion: when acknowledging each member of Crusader you first introduce Sydney as Lieutenant but then it looks like Admiral de Vasco calls her Corporal. Was there a transition or explanation that went missing?
11622200
OH SHIT! Thanks for that! I was toying with some ranks and I forgot to clean that up. Just did--THANK YOU!!
Nice to see this story back on track.
The original mission is accomplished, reinforcements are inbound and we have yet again familiar names appearing.
Let's see next chapter if the gang reunites with Luna.
Ways to get your planet blown up
Oh god. I'd think a phazon apocalypse would make people a bit leery of that particular kind of drink.
Nice to see the GF coming in. Prime did a great job of making them actually competent and helpful. I guess they'd be able to do a quick survey of the other civilizations' status too? Samus hasn't really been able to catch a phazon strike in the relatively early stages like this before, so who knows how the griffons etc might have flown under the pirates' radar.
LESS GOOO.
Marines lead the way- Wait, no that's Rangers...
Ooorah!
lol of COURSE they're Fireteam Crusader.
Finally a new chapter and it’s good! Thought for a moment those two ponies were lying and about to strike Samus there
Anyways, it’s been a little while, so like Luna sent ponies into the Dream realm? If so… I know she was there with Celestia but I thought she left with the ponies unless I remember it wrong
A new chapter, great as always!
Alright, gang's got a lifeline!
Uh-oh.
They really should stop being surprised by this.
...welp, looks like Samus has a Nightmare manifesting. Shit.
The rest of this was definitely amazing, but that definitely has me worried.
11622278
Well how else would they get their cutie marks? Gotta crusade for ‘em, yanno! Especially when you don’t have hooves!
No matter the year, no matter the planet, no matter the species, bureaucrats will always suck.
Fredrick Conway… Reminds me of someone I know…
Decided to re-read the story when you updated, refresh the ol’ memories and such. That proved to be a good idea since I get to remember why I love this story!
A wonderful addition that blends pretty dang smoothly. Can’t wait for more, whenever that may be!
Is Dark Samus going to make a reappearance?
11656143
Honestly she was able do it in the manga before the zero suit was introduced in later games. Other M (as bad as it was, it did introduced something) showed her PTSD of Ridley caused her suit to flicker on and off and even vanish temperately.
11656551
True. And which makes sense--there's still gotta be something on the clothing (or her body) that acts as this energy-to-matter catalyst point. It makes zero sense that she can literally just will it through her naked skin with nothing else on her--I mean, maybe she could! But it is no way specified or implied to work like this. I think this vagueness is by design. With this gray area, that's why I elected to choose that it binds to her biologically through the layer of the Zero Suit or the special clothing she's wearing: something has to keep a full set of mass/load-bearing armor stable and interactable with the environment, otherwise it's just a damn hologram.
Then again, maybe this is just too much stock put into some inconsequential video game mechanic that no one really thought about as the games were made
And yeah, that was the only really interesting thing about Other M--that emontional stability is what translates to Varia Suit stability... only for her to become completely overemotional. Otherwise I completely disregard most of the game, and to me it only serves as a basic linking bridge between Super Metroid and Fusion
11656556
Like you said, it part of her biologically, like flesh and blood. Remember how her suit changed when metroid dna was injected into her in order to get rid of the X-parasite? thus any changes to her biological make up will alter the suit's appearance. Although metroid dread it seems to have changed again, I'm guessing 'healed' up or evolved. And then there's the final suit in the game, which is even more related to the Metroid DNA.
EDIT: I did some research via google and it seems there is no explanation of how she can summon it off and on other than her will power / mind. Chozo alien tech and all considering how she can turn into a morph ball which is smaller than herself. Remember in one of the Pirate logs, it explained they tried replicate the technology, but only to end up being mutilated when they did a test run?
11656561
Regarding fusion, the main portion the beginning section tried to get across was that they had to surgically remove parts of the suit, so that altered her appearance somewhat. And then came the vaccine, which yes, if it affected her on a DNA level (it did), it stands to reason that it was also responsible for aesthetic changes as well. Full agreement there. Further, the absorption of the Unidentified/Omega suit at the end of Fusion canonically repairs her DNA, as she's then able to use the Ice Beam with no side-effects...
...until it was retconned somewhat, and only some of her DNA was repaired, to keep continuity with Dread.
(double checked all the above to make sure I wasn't retarded--it's true: https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Omega_Suit)
And yes, Dread, there was dialogue that specifically called out that her suit was "healing," as a result, which gives great emphasis on the biological component of the suit, as well as how it lives along side the mechanical parts.
Also, that lack of explanation of how other than 'Chozo Space Tech and Magic' works to the story's advantage, as I can then take some middle ground that stands to reason without relying too much on 'lol magic'
11656601
Hopefully in the future Nintendo will explain further how the Chozo's tech works since it works so differently than our logic.