Chapter 1: Food for Revenge
Home and Back
“Guard duty again, really!” I all but bellow as I read my orders from the large projected screen fitted to the wall that resides in the mess hall for everyone to see. “I swear she hates me” I joke to the women sitting next to me; who just so happens to be my best and longest friend Charlotte, who is currently slurping the remnants of her lunch out her bowl, she’s not one for manners.
“Well, why don’t you tell her to do one?” She says whilst removing her temporary face mask of what’s left of her lunch from her face. She was always the Comedy relief of all the friends in our group growing up. I give a small chuckle at he, Making her pout in doing so.
“And what, risk being marooned on the nearest planet; which from what I've heard is inhabited by all sorts of nasties?” I sigh as I let my head fall to the table in distress. “It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so boring!” I emphasise the last part to get my point across to the (as of 2 minutes ago) turret operator for the next shift. “That and I would tell her, if it wasn't for her own ego clogging her hearing; I mean come on who the hell speaks about themselves in third person, it’s just weird!”
“Oh really?” I hear a familiar and currently unwanted voice come from behind me. Shit! She’s behind me isn't she? I wince as I hear her voice again. “You think you are better than the Great and Powerful Trixie!?” She nearly growls at me. She pauses, if it was anyone else I would presume they wanted a reply, but with so much experience on Trixie’s bad side, I know she likes the dramatic effect.
3…2…1…Now. Right on cue she starts to speak again “Perhaps Trixie should change your Shift to something more befitting of someone of your stature?” She says in the best sarcastic tone she could muster.
Please no, please tell me she isn’t that heartless I scream in my head “you will switch shifts with Duncan.” I hear a sigh of relief on the other end of the mess hall. “Glancing at the screen I look for where Duncan’s name is and what he would be avoiding for the next shift. Fuck! My nightmares come true; she just gave me the worst and most boring job ever: Orbitary Rifleman.
I sigh, not wanting an ear full and turn to Trixie for the first time since hearing her. “Aye, Aye captain” I mumble to her. She has the smuggest smile on her face at this point, having won.
“Good” she says before speaking to the rest of the crew, “now you are all five minutes late for your shift, Move it!” after a few moments everyone starts to rush to their posts from the hall, not wanting to test Trixie’s already thin patience. I stand up from my seat and make my way to the locker room to get the suit off Duncan, Before he takes his post
~#~
Fifteen minutes later, I have my gear on and am heading to the air hatch in the cargo bay. “Right, well here we go again.” I grab my Rifle from the rack that is located just to the left of the air hatch doors threshold and head to the latch and wait for Duncan to unlock it. That should be me! I whine internally.
Duncan speaks up just as I go to pass through the threshold of the Hatch. “Hey Sam! I didn’t say this before cause we were in front of everyone but Thanks for this dude, I’m terrified of heights” I give him a small nod and wait for the latch doors to close, Not really in the mood for conversation at the moment. Why take up a position on a spaceship if you’re scared of heights I wonder.
The door opens and I step in, waiting for the latch to close behind me. The latch closes and all the air is drained from the room so as to not create a vacuum when the external doors open. I take a deep breath of the air inside the helmet I put on with the rest of my gear.
A voice from my helmets in-built ear piece rings out, “System check: You hear me Sam?” I hear charlotte on the other end.
“Aye I read you, so what are the orders then? Simple Patrol around the ship like last time?” I ask hoping that it will at least be simple.
As I float out and tether myself to the nearest hook she replies “That about sums it up, just lay back and relax” she says, I can practically hear the smug grin on her face. I refrain from saying anything about it. “I’ll be in touch if anything turns up, Charlotte out.”
~#~
Now you may be wondering why I have to be outside the ship while it’s in orbit; did I mention we were in orbit? Never mind. Well the ship is not the most advanced in the galaxy, it has a simple long range radar, and the external Infrared camera has been broken for a few months; we have not been able to salvage any parts to repair, so basically the captain made this temporary measure where one of the crew members will act like the camera; and radio in anything unusual they see or if the radar picks anything up identify what it is.
My names is Sam and have been with this ship for about 18 months, I am a Unicorn born on planet Canterlot (which they claim to be the galactic capital of the system, although it really is nothing special, especially compare to planets like Las Pegasus and Cloudsdale). I am 19 years old and although I was born on Canterlot I live on the Human Colony of Ponyville which has a very wide range of races living on its surface, even a couple of Zebra and Gryphons live there, there is no prejudice and very little crime and is the crown jewel of Equestria space.
Unicorns are one of many species that have founded the technology for long range space exploration the others are; Humans, Pegasi, Gryphons, Zebras, Crystallites (their like Crystal humans), Minotaur’s and There is a myth of a race known as changelings that may also have discovered space travel.
Now you may be wondering where we are, we are currently Orbiting the Hostile World known as the Everfree; The closest planet to ponyville. We are here because we heard that a ship has crash landed and is in need of ‘Salvaging’, we are no monsters, if there are any survivors we will rescue them and take them to the nearest planet; although from what I heard from the initial scout team, which is unlikely.
We are known as scrappers, which is a fancy name for Opportunists. We go around the galaxy and strip wreckages from their desirables. As a group we are the ‘GaP Pirates’ guess what that stands for; here’s a clue, Trixie named us.
~#~
I start my first orbit around the ship, the tether I use is over a kilometre long so I can do a few laps of the ship before I need to reverse the orbit; I keep going back and forth for about three hours, with nothing to do and bored out my mind, only charlottes periodic check ins provide any sort of distraction from my thoughts.
“Sam you there?” charlotte radios in again, it seems only a few minutes since we last spoke.
“Yea I’m her, what’s up?” I answer her in a laid back, bored tone of voice.
“we are picking up a signal from the north east, slightly out of view behind the planet, can you float out there and check it out?” she asks, as I raise my brow at what ship would want to be around a planet like this of their own accord.
“yea, sure I’ll radio back if I spot anything” with that I untangle the tether from around the ship and push myself off the ship, using slight bursts of the built in jetpack to get me there a bit quicker. once there I unsling the rifle from my back and hold the scope to my eye and look to the east of the planet and try and see if anything is visible stare at off to the side of the planet for a few moments, waiting for any movement, there was none.
When I was about to message charlotte back saw something strange, looking through the scope again, I could see that some of the stars where disfigured and looked to be moving to the left; if only slightly. Thinking how strange it was for a moment before realisation hit me. Minotaur’s. Not just ordinary Minotaur’s, these Minotaur’s where advanced. More advanced than all other races, with maybe the exception being the Pegasi.
Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit.
“Charlotte; Minotaur’s are headed for us, the ship has a cloak, tell the ground team to head back to the ship NOW!” I ordered as I used all the jetpacks fuel to send me rapidly back to the ship.
“How do you know its Minotaur’s if they have a cloak?” she asks testing my patience in doing so.
“Well it’s either Minotaur’s or Pegasi, NOW GET THE GROUND TEAM!” I scream down the microphone. An “Aye” is all I get in return.
I made it back to the air hatch as it just opened up, not bothering to undo the tether as attached to the ship in doing so.
~#~
Sprinting down the halls of the ship; still in my space suit, though lacking the helmet, pushing past people, the alarm has been sounded and by the sounds of it our gun was firing, a fact that does not bode well for us.
Ploughing my way onto the Bridge I only see what looks like a quarter of the crew that is supposed to be there still at there posts. Looking to Trixie who is looking out the bridge window with fear clearly written across her face, I jog up next to her and lose what I was about to say as I gazed out the window as well.
Not one or two, but three; now uncloaked ships, were bearing down on us. The ships where colossal in size easily outsizing even the largest Battlecruiser in the Royal guards fleet, our gun not even blackening the coat of their ships. I stare dumbfounded for a couple of seconds, before shaking my head and addressing Trixie.
“Trixie we need to abandon ship!” I shout; which seems to bring Trixie back to the real world, she looks at me still fearful, before nodding and gallops out of the bridge to the escape pods.
“Trixie!” I yell. Then realise that she had basically just abandoned everyone. BITCH. Turning to the rest of the crew who were looking at the door Trixie just ran through wide eyed. I yelled at the top of my voice “ABANDON SHIP!” Within an instant everyone gets up from their stools and follows Trixie’s lead in hurtling themselves to the escape pods.
I run downstairs to the gunner room, which is still firing pointlessly at the approaching ships.
“Charlotte, were abandoning ship, come on we need to get out of here!” I scream at her.
“I’M COMING, ONE SECOND!” she screams back at me, undoing her harness and jumping up out of her seat. “Come on then!” she again screams running passed me up the stairs, me not far behind.
~#~
We are again running down the hall ways to the escape pods, when we enter the room we are surprised to see none other than Trixie bashing the last escape pod with her hands in a feeble attempt at trying to get it to open.
“Work you stupid machine, The Great and Powerful Trixie demands it!” she shouts at the console, still hitting it.
“Trixie! What are you doing here?” I urgently ask from behind her.
Twirling around slightly startled, she points at the console and whilst Growling “this blasted machine won’t listen to Trixie!”
Suddenly the entire ship starts to shake. Shit they started firing! As if reading my thought charlotte just said them out loud word for word. Another shake and the escape pod door slides almost invitingly open.
Trixie was the first to run into the pod, me filing in right behind her, just as I entered the threshold of the pod, the door closed behind me blocking charlotte from entering.
Hearing the door close behind me close I zip my head around only to be met with a door and a small window that allows me to view the now terrified looking charlotte.
“Trixie open the fucking door, were not all in!” I scream putting all my ferocity in my voice.
“Trixie can’t open the door! It’s jammed” she retorts furiously pressing buttons on the console to try and open the door whilst doing so.
“No, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening, we need to get this door open! OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!” I again scream, tears rolling down my face as I pound on the metal plated door, my knuckles now being cut wide open due to my unrelenting punching of the door, not looking through the little window as I do not want to see her scared, I try my magic, it does nothing, all I have accomplished is some now bloody dents in the door where I was savagely pummelling it.
“Sam…” I hear a defeated sounding voice from the other side of the door. Looking up I see her, tears running down her own face. “…Sam, it’s ok.”
“NO IT’S NOT!” I again scream, my voice becoming raspy due to the amount of yelling I have done in such a short time.
“Sam, you need to get out of here before they destroy the ship.” She says sternly, if it were any other situation I would have listened, but I will not sit idly by whilst my best friend dies, not without doing everything I can.
She puts her hand on the window next to her tear stained face, a small smile on her lips, I can’t help but return. I put my own hand over hers the blood flowing from my knuckles staining my palm as I push it against the window and, though not physically, against her hand. I look deep into her eyes as she does the same to me. We stay like that for a couple of seconds before Trixie clears her throat causing me to look at her.
“Trixie believes we need to be going if we are to escape” she says in a rather low almost considerate voice.
I take one last look at charlotte, she gives me a nod. Sniffling as I pull away from the door.
“I’m so sorry charlotte, I tried” I say as I look at the floor, hearing the hiss of the air pod being let go by the ship. Sparing another look at charlotte, only to discover she is not there, I sigh and look at the floor once more. She probably went back to the gun to go down guns blazing, i think to myself
I’m so sorry charlotte.