Only a single generation after the Solar Sisters have fallen to old age, the nation of Equestria collapses as the various species of ponies squabble and divide. And thus an age of conflict has arisen, and with it the empires of old have returned.
The state of Nocturne, that of the Lunar Ponies, was dissolved over four hundred years before the reign of Discord began, and quickly assimilated into Equestria proper.
Fast forward two thousand, five hundred years, and the unexpected happens: the Solar Princesses have died of old age, an unprecedented event that throws Equestria into chaos. In the span of a generation, old hatreds reignite, and for a species that is just reaching out towards the stars, it may prove to be a fatal conflict.
The new state of Nocturne is no exception. Divided by ancient ruling houses, and low on resources and moral, they can only watch in envy as the emerging Unicorn, Earth Pony, and Pegasi factions leave the nearly barren surface of Equis for the other planets in their system.
What they need is a victory, a leader, and a cause to rally them. Captain Astral Mist hopes to provide them with all of these, if she survives the coming battles.
And as the ponies clash over petty hatreds, how will the remaining ancients, beings as long-lived as the now-deceased Solar Princesses, react to the descent of their former charges?
This will contain basic information on key terms in the story. It will be added on to over time, so after each chapter which submits new material to this, I will add a notation to check it.
Terms/Abbreviations
Times are based on Metric Time, but are otherwise normal, therefore;
Decisecond = 10 seconds (Rarely used) Centisecond = 100 seconds (This would actually be 1/100th of a second, but for story purposes it is 100 seconds. In reality, the prefix would be hecto-) Kilosecond = 1,000 seconds Megasecond = 1,000,000 seconds (Also rarely used, about two weeks) Day = A single rotation of Equestria, lasting 80,000 seconds, compared to Earth's 86,400
Lightsecond = Distance light travels in a second: 299,792 Kilometers, approximately Lightminute = Distance light travels in a minute: 17,987,520 Kilometers, approximately
Equestria = A name for both the former state of Equestria, long since dissolved, and the planet it is on Equus = The system itself, with a total of nine planets
Flakes of concrete dust fell from the high ceiling as the sounds of explosions far above the shelter echoed through the tunnels. Hundreds of lunar ponies were clumped together in the tight confines of the underground bunker, with barely enough room to walk around or stretch out. The sounds within the shelter reflected its' occupants: The hushed whispers of adults, the laughter of foals, and the crying of those too young to do any of the former.
"Mommy, why is this happening?" a lone filly asked her mother, both of them laying on the ground against a wall.
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna died five years ago, sweetie," the mare said, "Now everypony is just being stubborn... They don't like one another."
"I heard my teacher say the Pegasi caused it," the filly claimed.
"We don't know who started it. We just hope that it ends soon, my little Astral." the mare replied as the bunker shook from yet another close miss, more dust raining from the ceiling. Even three kilometers underground, the open warfare on the surface above was making an impact.
"...What if it doesn't end?" Astral asks, looking up at her mother.
"Then I don't know what we'll do." the mare says as several more ponies pushed into the shelter. With a dull thud, the door shut with a hiss once more, sealing the ponies inside for good.
Without warning, the earth beneath them shook like an IX-scale earthquake, sending frightened ponies to the ground as the lights above them flickered. An entire five-meter-wide section of the ceiling detached, falling into the crowd a short distance away from the mother and her filly. Astral's mother didn't even notice the steel beam that came down and smote her, the lone incident lost in a tidal wave of terror and chaos.
Far above them, a fireball came into being over the city of Baltimare, sending highrise buildings crumbling to the ground and flinging the massive water-going ships in the port like mere toys. The water in the bay vaporized as the ground in the city was forever scarred, millions of ponies dying in an instant.
In the distance, another fireball rose up as the war raging on the surface quickly turned from one of military battles to one of annihilation, the efforts of an entire civilization focused on their own destruction.
From the planet's orbit, dozens of ships engaged in a slow-motion battle, the sideshow of the war drawing to a close as the planet burned below them.
//-- To: Subsector Captain Astral Mist //-- From: NSDF Commander [Redacted] //-- Subject: New Orders
Greetings, Captain Astral Mist. I won't attempt to sugarcoat things: The last few months have been hard on us, and indeed on all those left on Equestria. While the Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi were able to leave this blasted world, we are still stuck on its' subsurface, a mere shadow of our former selves, while the other races continue their endless conflict.
Two and a half decades of a war is long enough, and the Council has convened and decided to send a group of settlers to Equus IX, the farthest planet from our sun and, thus, our 'brothers and sisters'. As the only active-duty Captain we have, with the only combat ship we have available, we need you to escort the colonists in their craft so as not to lose them to the Enemy, or the void. Details will be encoded at the end.
Protect the settlers at all cost, Captain. I do not need to stress what the loss of the fifty thousand lives aboard that ship will do to our population. We number a mere two hundred and seventeen million, and I would hope for us to not lower that any further.
By the Grace of the Night, NSDF Commander [Redacted] 2,116 ANM
THIS COMMUNICATION IS CONFIDENTIAL. ANY SHARING OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION IS TREASON, AND PUNISHABLE BY EXECUTION. ENCRYPTED CONTENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS. //--[Encrypt-88P4HJK2] //-- [End]
The busy interior of the control room was awash in conversation as the Lunar Pony mare slowly read through the encrypted contents, committing them to memory as she did so.
Astral Mist, Captain of the NSDF Vengeance, the only Nocturne-owned spacefaring warship currently in existence, closed the message that had appeared on her screen. She would have rubbed her tired eyes with one of her hooves, but to be seen doing so would not have been fitting for her. As the senior NSDF official on this ship, she had to stay above the commoners.
Even if doing so was a pain in the flank.
She remembered the words her mentor, only a few years ago, had relayed to her: "Command has its' privileges, but there is no rest for those so chosen." Unfortunately, that wise mare had proven to be right, and Astral's sleep schedule was best described in terms related to nonexistance. And so she found herself about to set out on her first true mission, to guide this ship through the void, while operating on three hours of sleep.
All said and done, it was to be expected. The world didn't operate on her say-so, after all.
Sighing softly as she lamented the sacrifices of command, she subconsciously pinged her implant, calling for the notice of every officer on the bridge. All conversation, immediately ceased as they gave her their undivided attention, none daring to draw her ire.
"Soldiers of Nocturne," she began after a short pause, "It is my honor to address you today. This last week of trials has gone smoothly, better than we could have ever hoped. The ship is doing well. However, we have a priority mission: To escort colonists aboard the newly-constructed colony ship to Equus IX, near the edge of the system."
A few soft murmurs came from the crowd. The ninth planet in the system, it only remained uninhabited so far because of its' inhospitable conditions. Conditions that were still, however, better than Equestria itself. Why the Council had voted to colonize what was essentially an Equestria-sized iceball swept by eternal blizzards was far beyond her, but she refused to let herself be pulled away by her doubts. The decisions were made by those far smarter than her in any case, and for her to question them would not look good on her record... Or her career.
After the talking died down, she continued, "To do so, we shall have to move within five light-minutes of Equus III, the site of a colony of the accursed Unicorns. I expect all of you on full alert. Any deficit in attention could result in the death of thousands. Any shirking of responsibility will be met harshly. Coordinates shall be added to your computers. Know this, however: In these dark times, we hold the fate of our species, and we shall not fail them. By the Night, I swear it."
Having finished, her vision swept across them, and she saw no face that held even a tinge of fear. If the ponies under her command held it in their hearts, she knew not, and thus did not bother pondering it.
"Yes ma'am." The various officers on the bridge affirmed in unison, before turning individually around to their consoles and doing all manner of things. Such events were no in her purview: She simply gave the orders, and they followed. It was how it had always been, and how it should always be.
Faintly, Astral Mist recalled her years as a child: How her mother had hidden in the shelters of their underground city as the surface and subsurface was scarred with nuclear and arcane fires, with the four factions Equestria had divided into turning on one another as millennia-long hatred resurfaced. Occasionally the shelters would collapse as the buildings of the city crumbled on top of them. Hers had not.
In reflection, it was a silly thing to fight over. In the old stories, before the Solar Sisters had finally ceased to be, there were tales of an Equestria that existed in harmony with itself. That was a long-dead dream, one long since burned away, along with the surface of Equestria itself. Only the four main species of ponies had survived mostly intact, while the minor species had simply been caught in the middle and annihilated. Astral had heard stories of Griffons that survived in the darkest and deepest areas of Nocturne, but if they had survived, it was only by a miracle.
A small hum made the ship tremble slightly as though She were an actual, living being. Thrusters arrayed along the sides fired in precise patterns as their carefully-planned orbit was interrupted, and slowly changed into one that would sling them around and away from Equestria. The computers compensated for much of the needed experience, but even Astral had to admit that without the other officers on the ship, all of whom knew their stations extensively, the Vengeance would be nothing more than yet another orbiting pile of junk.
There were plenty of those, too. The first wars to rock Equestria after the Great Split were fought on land and in the atmosphere, but all four factions quickly took to space, vying for control of the orbit. Whoever controlled it had free reign to drop Kinetic Bombardment packages wherever they pleased, and all sides involved did so as often as they could. While the Nocturne forces only had a total of fourteen spacecraft launched during the war, they played a decisive role, saving many of the underground cities from being forcibly breached by Fractional Orbital Bombardment systems.
But that was neither here nor there. All five ships left towards the end of the war had been destroyed as the Pegasi forces had fled the planet, putting up a heroic defense against near-impossible odds just inside the orbit of the moon. It was said that Pegasi Confederacy hulks still littered the surface of the moon, although most had been slowly salvaged and torn apart for what was left.
Astral Mist did not know if the stories were true. She did know, however, that a great many hunks still circled the planet, occasionally burning up in the atmosphere as their orbits decayed. In addition, there were entire clouds of microderbies, and while the Vengeance was built to deflect such impacts, those were chances that she would rather not take, lest they cost Astral her head.
"Captain, we shall pass the periapsis in five-point-two kiloseconds." Her first officer said from his console. "Arrival in rendezvous location is set for eight and a half kiloseconds."
"I hear and know. Continue with your duties." Astral ordered. The often-erratic orbit of Equestria had been stabilized some five centuries ago by the Solar Princesses, orbiting the K0eSi-class Main Sequence star at the center of the system at an average of 1.01 to 0.98 AU, which in and of itself was remarkable. The other eight planets in the system had what were best classified as 'unstable' orbits, and often showed remarkable orbital eccentrics. Equestria itself was the closest planet to the star, settled at the outer edge of a massive asteroid belt that circled the sun, believed to be the remnants of six others planets that had failed to form.
Thankfully, the only asteroids that came within a decent distance of the planet were small, no more than a few dozen meters in size, and thus would not put an exclamation point on the damage that had already been done to the once-beautiful world.
By chance, quite a few other planets in their system were at least hospitable. By bad luck, all of those had already been settled when the factions had left Equestria. The unicorns had even managed to settle the only gas giant in the system, settling on many of the eighteen moons that orbited it.
"Passing station three in two centiseconds." Her first officer announced.
Oh, right. The stations. Astral still grimaced when she thought of them. They were hardly sixty meters cubic, and yet were home to almost two hundred ponies. There was no reason for such overcrowding, other than to show that they could. Only twenty ponies should have been needed to staff the weapons systems per shift, and thus a maximum of eighty ponies would have been more than enough for each twenty kilosecond shift.
However, inefficiency was in the norm for the Council that ruled Nocturne. The only reason her ship had even managed to retain its' efficient design was due to the amount of political pull that Command could exert on the ship designers. Many of them were second generation, having learned the trade from those before them, and thus could be reasonably expected to make something survivable.
At least, Astral Mist hoped that the designers had been that good. They might suffer a catastrophic breach in the first few moments of battle: You could never tell.
The Vengeance itself was armed greater than any other Nocturne-built ship ever created. It had two entire batteries of Railgun turrets, a single set of light missile launchers along the lateral lines, CWIS Flak arrayed near the bow, and an experimental bow-mounted focusing laser, one that would play havoc with smaller craft attempting an assault.
Nocturne's intelligence services had little knowledge of how well-armed the other factions were, but Astral hoped that this ship would put them on an even footing. With four more of the 200-meter-long vessels under construction, to be launched in the next three weeks, Command - and Astral by association - hoped to hold the other factions at hooves' length.
Captain Astral Mist leaned back slightly into her chair, willing her mind to quite down. She had nothing to do now but wait.
Six kiloseconds later, Astral fidgeted in her chair. Watching the world pass above their ship - which was currently oriented with the 'roof' facing the planet - was bad enough, and having to do it while sitting completely still was worse.
The only consolation she had was that the rest of her bridge crew were in precisely the same situation, all thirty of them.
"Vengeance, this is Pasture, we have you in optical range."
"Copy that, Pasture. Four hundred and twenty-eight kilometers out and steady. Maintain course and speed."
A rendezvous between two objects in space faces near astronomical odds, and often must be planned out weeks in advance for a close contact. The colony ship, Pasture, had left its' small orbital shipyard nearly sixty kiloseconds ago, and had maneuvered in its' orbit into precisely the location needed to allow the Vengeance to catch up with her.
Captain Astral knew that none of this would matter if the operators aboard either ship made a big enough mistake. With a little over four hundred kilometers separating their craft, they were close enough to be visible to one another via optical enhancers. Atmospheric interference between communications did not matter here, and both vessels were able to understand one another with perfect clarity.
"Vengeance, Pasture here. We have just received a communication from Command. We are not officially at war with any of the factions, and thus we are not allowed to fire unless a threat is perceived. Do you copy that?"
"I hear, and I shall obey." Astral automatically responded. "We are in position to boost out of orbit. Are your engines up to speed?"
"They are." A voice confirmed over the inter-ship radio. "As are our Stellar Drives. We shall accelerate as you do. By the Grace of the Night."
"By the Grace of the Night." Astral firmly replied, before turning to the bridge crew. "Accelerate to ten thousand kilometers per second. Exit the gravitational pull of Equestria, and then activate the Stellar Drive."
"Yes ma'am!" Her first officer replied, the stallion hunching over his console as he did whatever he did to move the ship.
The Stellar Drive was a more recent invention by Arcantech Industries, the firm responsible for magical-based development of existing technology. As far as she knew, it 'bled' the gravity field around the ship to move it forward at a highly accelerated rate, pushing it forward at speeds somewhere in the range of thirty-six percent of c.
As far as she knew, it was perfectly safe. There had been neither the time nor the resources, however, to test it on anything other than a single probe. The probe itself had returned unharmed and faster than expected, and thus Command had chosen to attach one to their only current spacecraft, in addition to the colony ship.
It was a load of horseapples, but if it got them to their destination fast and unharmed, then Astral supposed her concerns could shove it. She simply didn't envy her status as the 'test subject'.
Equestria receded behind them as time ran by. Even the moon, orbited by the hulks of dozens of destroyed ships, passed by quickly. It was another kilosecond past that before they finally exited the majority of the gravitational pull of Equestria.
"All systems green." Her first officer said. "We're ready to engage the Stellar Drive whenever you are, Captain."
Astral looked around the room. A mixture of stoic and eager faces stared back at her, together forming the best and most experienced officers in the fleet.
How would they stack up to the Unicorn officers, or the Pegasi, or even the Earth Ponies? All three other factions had decades of skirmishing under their belt, in addition to whatever spacecraft they currently had. In truth, Astral had no idea.
It was time to find out.
"Engage the drive." She ordered.
The ship practically vibrated with energy as the systems for the Stellar Drive warmed up.
She felt the artificial gravity of the ship shift as those systems tried to keep one cardinal sense of direction.
The Vengeance rocketed forward, followed by the Pasture, on a heading towards the frozen wasteland that was Equus IX.
//-- To: NSDF Commander [Redacted] //-- From: Councilmember Set Form //-- Subject: Now is the time
While amusing, your continued failures to bring to pass serious changes in our command efficiency is beginning to leak through to the Council. Should they discover the steps you have taken to ensure our activities remain discrete, it will all be for naught. The ponies I have given you are good enough for the job, but they are a finite resource. While I can continue to supply you with prisoner labor, I cannot move larger numbers without arousing suspicious.
Should the good Captain Astral Mist fail in her duties, I alone will have to bear the news before the Council. And they will be very angry if that does come to pass. I suggest you prepare for that eventuality, and pray to the Night that it does not come to pass.
I also suggest you take the opportunity to plant the right trails. A movement to bring this corrupt and vile place down can only begin from within, and you are not in such a position. I would suggest that you remember that.
The price of failure is death and dishonor. With victory comes the spoils.
By the Grace of the Night, Councilmember Set Form 2,116 ANM
THIS COMMUNICATION IS CONFIDENTIAL. ANY SHARING OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION IS TREASON, AND PUNISHABLE BY EXECUTION. PRIVATE COUNCIL MESSAGE TRAFFIC IS ONLY TO BE INTERCEPTED IN THE MOST DIRE OF TIMES. //-- [End]
"Dropping out of the Stellar Field in three... Two... One..."
The pit that had built up in Astral Mist's stomach dropped as the Vengeance's near-insane speed wound down. The artificial gravity on the ship was still fully functional, and so they were not thrown against the forward bulkheads as the ship slowed down.
More noticeable in the view out of the viewing screen - the control room was, after all, buried deep in the hull - was the planet that they were a mere 235,800km away from. It was a dirty white-grey, surrounded by a thin, blue-white ring of comet debris and ice.
"First Officer Hemlock, what are the first reports on atmospheric composition?" Astral Mist barked, settling back into her role as Captain of the vessel.
"Atmosphere contains traces of CO2, and is approximately fifty-two percent oxygen." The stallion immediately reported. "Current ground temperatures at the landing site are rated at negative thirty-eight degrees. The landing site is currently unobstructed by any weather patterns, as predicted."
"Perfect. Tell the Pasture that they have permission to set up." Astral Mist said.
"Copy. Sending the-..." The First Officer suddenly cut off, before double-checking something on his screen and turning around to face her. "Captain, we have a problem. We have detected a radio signal identical to that of an Earth Pony vessel, approximately one hundred and twenty light-seconds from out current location. Ma'am, it's either an exploration or a colonization vessel"
"Send them a warning message." Astral ordered. "Tell them that we are already on the planet itself, and warn them away from our territory. And tell the Pasture to hurry up, for Night's sake!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"Are there any other bits of news that happened on our three day trip?" Astral asked sarcastically.
"Construction has begin on an orbital fuel refinery in orbit around Equestria. A small group of ten Point Defense Craft has begun trials in orbit. That is all." Her First Officer dutifully reported.
Astral Mist, however, internally sighed. She had a potential diplomatic situation, a far-too-literal First Officer, and on top of that, was riding on the edge of exhaustion after three standard days spent with that same feeling that something was not quite right, a byproduct of the Stellar Drive.
Now was not the time to second-guess decisions, however.
"Pasture reports they will be in orbit in three centiseconds. Preliminary reports state the Earth Pony vessel will arrive in three and a half kiloseconds." Her First Officer said.
"Then let's meet them on an even field." Astral Mist ordered. "Helm, take us just beyond the comet ring, and bring us into a stable orbit."
"Aye aye, Ma'am!" The helmstallion, a technician manning a specialized console to the front of the room, responded.
The next three hundred centiseconds passed in near-silence as they passed over the ice ring surrounding the planet, the thrusting on the ship working overtime to correct their position in order to bring them into a proper orbit. That small period of peace was quickly interrupted.
"Ma'am, patching through a return message, text only, from the Earth Pony vessel, now identified as a Colony Vessel, six hundred meters in length." First Officer Hemlock said.
A message popped up on her personal terminal, one which she quickly opened and scanned through.
//-- To the Nocturne Warship,
This planet is the property of the Coalition. We require your immediate departure from orbit, and the abandonment of all settlements on its' surface. This is to be completed within a period of thirty minutes. Failure to do so will result in the forceful eviction of your settlement.
Captain Green Fields, EPC Destiny
All in all, a standard diplomatic message. One which she would pretend to have not received.
"Helm, is it possible to divert the artificial gravity systems to impact an object of sufficient mass enough to change its' course?" Astral Mist asked after a few moments of though.
"It... Uh... Should be, Ma'am." The helmstallion responded hesitantly. "It would power off the artificial gravity for a short time, but we could divert an object of up to two hundred thousand kilograms from a divergent orbit. What would you like us to do?"
"Find an object of sufficient size and fling it on a course to intersect the Earth Pony vessel." Astral stated.
"That's a precision movement! It'd take at least five centiseconds to plan!" The helmstallion protested.
Captain Astral Mist fixed him with a glare that could have rivaled the sun. "Know your place, Helmstallion Shade. Set a speed record, and do as you have been ordered."
"Y- Yes Ma'am." The stallion, realizing the ground he had just trod on, hastily responded.
Sensors, outside of certain charted asteroid fields, generally looked for objects that ran above a specific speed, those that emitted things such as tracking signals, or that were above a specific mass.
The asteroid that the helmstallion had hastily picked, Astral saw, fitted none of the above. It was a mere five kilometers away, was mostly iron in content, and was about ten meters across - for a given definition of 'round' that would include something about as smooth as any insignificant rock in space could be.
The artificial gravity stopped, and everything that was not strapped down began to float upwards and forward, due to their continuing acceleration.
The 'toss' itself was hastily done, but the helmstallion - and the rest of the bridge crew - quickly showed why they had been picked, as the rock was calculated to impact in four centiseconds.
The artificial gravity snapped back on, and those few objects that had been steadily working their way forward fell to the deck.
Astral watched with a certain amount of satisfaction - with most of the bridge crew watching in near-horror - as the semi-guided rock hurtled towards its' target.
When the rock was a mere forty kilometers away - far too late - the Earth Pony vessel finally noticed the stray asteroid and attempted to maneuver with their thrusters.
It was not enough.
Over their optical sensors, Astral Mist watched as the rock impacted with a relative speed of over thirty thousand kilometers per hour. It sheered through the starboard side of the colony vessel like a bullet, its' momentum tearing through the high-quality steel like paper. Thousands of individual microdebries were blasted from the stricken ship as atmosphere leaked out through the tear, the entire starboard side of the ship having been cut off from the rest of it.
"Ship is broadcasting SOS, claiming hostile action." Her First Officer reported, his voice subdued.
"Send our logs to the Council, report that not a weapon was fired." Captain Astral Mist ordered. "State that the Earth Pony vessel struck a previously uncharted celestial object. After that, bring us around, match speeds with the wreckage, and search for survivors."
"Survivors, Ma'am?" Her First Officer asked.
"Yes, survivors." Astral Mist deadpanned. "I hear that new colonies are often short on a workforce, as well as supplies. We will assist our colony with acquiring both. It will look better on the after-report."
"Yes Ma'am."
Astral Mist leaned back into her command chair, the form-fitting seat far more comfortable than it looked. Her first 'victory' of sorts was complete, and the Coalition would have little to do but complain. Oh sure, they might send a fleet and attack, but what would that do? Trained colonists were not exactly easy to come by, and the ones that they send here would soon enough be working for Nocturne, and nopony else.
It was good to be the Captain.
"We have matched speeds. Colony ship is still broadcasting SOS."
"Excellent." Astral said. "Target their defensive turrets with pinpoint Railgun fire. Launch the Search and Salvage teams."
Almost one hundred and twenty of her ship's crew were trained as the Search and Salvage team. All of them launched from the hull of her ship almost on cue, using thruster packs to maneuver into precisely the locations they were needed. As the Earth Pony vessel was segmented by bulkheads, most of the colonists and crew likely survived.
"S&S teams away, Ma'am."
"Open up a radio channel." Astral ordered. Her First Officer complied. "This is the NSDF Vengeance to the EPC Destiny. We are coming alongside to render assistance after your accident."
"Damn you for doing so, Vengeance." Came the reply a mere moment later, followed by a sigh. "We won't resist. Do as you will."
"Secure the bridge first." Astral said after cutting off the connection. "Bring their Captain here, intern the crew, and lock the colonists in the airtight bulkheads. We'll tow them to the planet."
"Yes ma'am."
Astral Mist turned to regard her First Officer. His reply had been far more dull that his earlier bravado would have given. While she was willing to pass him by just this once, she did not wish to trust her life to a damned coward.
With a small jolt, the ramscoop engines on the Vengeance came online and fired up, allowing the warship to leisurely drag its' cargo behind them: The cargo being the remains of the Destiny, carrying, at first count, somewhere around 48,000 of the lesser Earth Ponies inside of it, many of them being stored inside short-term cryogenic pods.
Astral Mist took a moment to gloat in the freedom of her mind. This would more than double the labor output of the colony, at least initially, and allow them the convenience of hostages if the EPC decided to try to 'retake' the planet. However, with the colony on the surface already having set up their anti-shipping weaponry on the surface, they would face severe resistance if they tried.
While the former Earth Pony colonists would wake up from their induced slumber to find themselves working prisoners of Nocturne, the two hundred former crewponies of the colony ship would be enjoying an extended stay aboard the Vengeance. While it was doubtful that more than one fifth of them could be convinced to defect, the rest were still viable intelligence assets.
Among them, their commander, one Captain Green Field, would be interned aboard the finest quarters that Nocturne would provide. Astral Mist had long known of the methods used to gather intelligence from the lower officers, but it was theorized that those who were higher in station, when accorded conditions equal to that station, were far more talkative about vital information than they otherwise might be.
Astral thought such measures silly, but she was a mere Captain. Even though she was currently the commander of the largest - and only major - warship that Nocturne had, she knew that her command did not grant experience solely by its' existence.
Currently, said Earth Pony captain was standing on her bridge, off to the side as he glared at her. It was a physiological message more than anything else: We have beaten you, now see our might.
"Ma'am, incoming message from Command." Her First Officer said. "Rerouting it to your terminal."
Astral Mist leaned forward and tapped on the display with her hoof, opening the message.
//-- To: Captain Astral Mist //-- From: Command [DB38]
It has come to our attention that an Earth Pony Coalition colony vessel will be entering the space around your vessel within half a kilosecond of arrival. We ask that you pay close attention to them, as they may attempt to colonize the planet in any case. Disable them at all costs.
//-- [End]
Astral Mist laughed. Even with the rest of the bridge crew staring at her, she laughed and laughed.
'Damned speed of light. Their message is only three kiloseconds late.' She thought to herself as she brought her outburst under control. Everything was fine. Everything was absolutely fine.
Hopefully, the rest of her patrol would be just as eventful.
//-- To: Councilmember Set Form //-- From: NSDF Commander [Redacted] //-- Subject: I told you so
As much as I hate such useless phrases, I did tell you that the captain would complete her job efficiently. With the Earth Ponies denied further basing, and with ourselves firmly entrenched on the planet, the second phase of our operation can begin. Captain Astral Mist and the Council are clueless as to the nature behind these moves. I should be untraceable: IF we are found out, the blame will be directed onto lower members of our staff.
You worry too much.
By the Grace of the Night, NSDF Commander [Redacted] 2,116 ANM
THIS COMMUNICATION IS CONFIDENTIAL. ANY SHARING OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION IS TREASON, AND PUNISHABLE BY EXECUTION. PRIVATE COUNCIL MESSAGE TRAFFIC IS ONLY TO BE INTERCEPTED IN THE MOST DIRE OF TIMES. //-- [End]
Captain Astral Mist finally relaxed as their ship entered its' geostationary orbit above Equestria. Even if the planet was a damned barren wasteland, covered in ash and ruined cities, with its' seas drained of much of their water, it was still their home.
She had chosen to take the long way back, as activating the Stellar Drive put everypony in the ship on edge. Not that she would know personally, as she had yet to walk among any of the crew that were not bridge officers of key personnel. However, being the Captain of the vessel had its' privileges: All news tricked up to her, as she was the one considered the most 'reliable' by the crew. How that came about was a mystery that Astral Mist had no answer to.
"We have electronic contact with Refueling Station Alpha, Captain." Her first officer said.
"Excellent." She said, "Dock it with it and refuel our ship. Arrange for shuttle transport to the surface for us and our crew. We all deserve a break after three weeks of travel."
"... Ma'am, RSA is currently reporting that they are still undergoing testing. They state that they cannot accommodate any traffic."
"Send them our ship name, weapons' load, and tonnage specifications, and reaffirm our intent to dock." Astral ordered, her eyes narrowing.
"... RSA has grant permission to dock immediately. They are currently located five centiseconds of adjustment away."
"Proceed to dock." Astral said, letting a small smile show on her face.
The ship shuddered as their thrusters worked overtime to reorient the ship. Although they were in a geostationary orbit, the RSA was in their own orbit farther north-east, relative to the planet. As such, readjusting took only a few centiseconds, and the speck of light slowly grew into a recognizable shape.
It was massive, no doubt about it. The Vengeance herself was precisely 208 meters long, and it was currently the largest vessel in Nocturne service, at least for the next few days. The station dwarfed even that. At the center was a massive, bell-shaped command and habitation center that was four hundred meters across. The arms that radiated out from it, three of them in total, each boasted a dozen smaller stalks for ships to attach to, and those extended out for nearly a kilometer each. The entire central area was dominated at the top by a massive Local Gravity Generator. Those generated a brief - but intense - gravitational field, allowing them to 'guide' a ship into a docking slot.
"RSA states that they are taking control." Her first officer said once they drew near.
"Allow them to do so."
The ship's Artificial Gravity weakened briefly, before quickly rebooting and coming back online. Their massive ship slowly turned as they were slowed down and guided towards the end of a docking army. Astral Mist watched this part with a pit in her stomach: Any wrong moves, and her ship would suffer quite the impact.
The failure did not happen, and the ship slowed to a halt, a brief shudder running through the hull as the docking clamps magnetically attached.
"We're docked, Captain."
"I can see that, First Officer." She dryly noted. "All crew dismissed."
Captain Astral Mist nervously looked around the small shuttle as it wound its' way through the subterranean towers of City One. While she trusted the pilot completely, getting a notice to appear in front of the Council before she had even disembarked her ship was unnerving. Doubly so were the pair of Fightercraft flying escort for her shuttle, both of them carrying very real ordinance, as could easily be seen by anyone who knew what to look for.
All of Nocturne's cities were built underground, having been constructed this way since far before recorded history: Over three thousand years of development. As a result, they escaped mostly unscathed in the warfare that had turned Equestria into a wasteland. On the negative side, they were almost eternally dark aside from the lights of the city, a light mist often formed and hampered long-range vision, and they were a nightmare to navigate.
Her shuttle descended sharply, slowing down at the same time, before coming to halt on a surface. As she was the only one inside of the craft, Astral Mist was able to exit as soon as the shuttle's ramp dropped. The cool underground air was humid and wet, filled with the sounds of a moving city, even though the platform she landed on was likely several miles above the 'ground'.
What did surprise the Captain was the platoon of Nocturne Investigative Services, the elite arm of the Council, waiting for her. In front of them stood a figure that she recognized quite clearly.
"Councilmember Grey Task." Astral Mist greeted, bowing herself before the stallion, as one would do before a superior.
"Captain Astral Mist." The councilmember replied, "Please, stand, and walk with me."
The slightly confused mare followed the councilmember off of the platform, with four of the NIS soldiers forming up to their sides. As they entered a long, white hallway, Astral Mist's suspicion began to stir.
"Sir, forgive my boldness, but is there any reason the Council wished to see me?" She asked out of curiosity.
"Yes there is, my young Captain." The councilmember replied, chuckling. "You've had quite the busy patrol, and we voted that it would be best for myself to brief you on new developments."
"Then why are we not in the Councilbuilding?" Astral Mist asked, pursuing her thoughts.
"The matter will become evident in just a moment, Captain." The councilmember said. "Your incident ignited tensions with the Earth Pony Coalition, although that was due to happen anyway. They can't prove a thing, but they are set in their ways, and war is an inevitability."
"Haven't we been at war, sir?" Astral asked as they turned a corner, the guards still at their sides.
"Yes, and no. We haven't been at war with them because it hasn't been convenient to declare it. However, your incident highlighted the need for further ship production. The Vengeance will be going without you, Captain, along with the three other, newly-constructed ships."
"You're taking away my command, sir?"
"And giving you a new one." The councilmember stopped before a grey door, the biometric systems inside identifying him and sliding it open. "Lieutenant Commander Astral Mist, I would like to present to you the NIS Temperance."
The site that greeted her was awe-inspiring. In the middle of the massive room, surrounded by hundreds of workers flying around it, was an absolutely massive spacefaring vessel. A Warship nearly three hundred and sixty meters long, and a gargantuan testament to Nocturne engineering.
"How long have you been building this?" Astral Mist asked in shock.
"Three months, most of it designing." The councilmember said as he walked towards it. "It has been shrouded in secret, and the crew are all NIS veterans. What we lack, however, is a suitable captain, one with the creative flare and experience to pull off the victories we desperately need.
"We at the council could never agree. One Captain was deemed too close to another councilmember, and another was half-Pegasi. Yet even more promising ones were never deemed reliable. Lieutenant Commander Astral Mist, do you accept this command on behalf of the Council, to fight for Nocturne's future?"
Astral Mist's eyes burned with held-back tears. She was not supposed to be this emotional. It was forbidden, not worthy of her rank. She could never...
A single tear escaped her eyes.
"I accept, and I shall fight." Astral Mist said with barely-concealed joy and wonder, only guessing at what might come in the future.
//-- To: NSDF Commander [Redacted] //-- From: Councilmember Set Form //-- Subject: You blasted fool...
You have failed me. The captain that I had picked to command the Temperance was rejected, and Captain - now Lieutenant Commander, only a single rank below yours - Astral Mist has been handed the command. Your 'brilliance' has cost us months of work! So, now that you have cost me that move, I shall move on to my plan. Your candidate was no better! Half pegasi? Did you really expect a half-breed to be capable of any form of command?
While we are on the subject, you will face consequences for this, mark my words. The change we wish to bring will only happen if we plan carefully. On that note, in your next response, attach the preliminary reports for your production. If everything if not on schedule, I will take steps to make sure you do not recover.
A pawn is still a pawn until it reached the end of the board. Know your place.
By the Grace of the Night, Councilmember Set Form 2,116 ANM THIS COMMUNICATION IS CONFIDENTIAL. ANY SHARING OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION IS TREASON, AND PUNISHABLE BY EXECUTION. PRIVATE COUNCIL MESSAGE TRAFFIC IS ONLY TO BE INTERCEPTED IN THE MOST DIRE OF TIMES. //-- [End]
"Misty! I haven't heard from you in so long!" Her friend Radiant Star exclaimed over the communicator, her excited voice bearing the expected tone.
"I've been busy, Radiant. Don't you watch the news?" Astral replied, already knowing the answer.
"I work in the information business, you crazy mare." Radiant teased, "I write the news. Speaking of which, do you have any news?"
"Equestria's about to gain a new star." Astral vaguely implied.
"You mean they're constructing another Vengeance-class?"
"New ship, actually. I can't give you any details, but it's going to be big." Astral Mist says, "Going to be gone for a couple months again, though."
"Awww... I'm going to miss you, Astral. We didn't even have time to get together!" Radiant said as Astral felt her cheeks warm up, likely sporting a blush.
"Yeah... Sorry, Radiant." Astral Mist says, sighing, "I've just been busy... War with the Earth Pony Coalition is coming. And I mean serious war, not the little skirmishes that we've been doing for the past few decades."
"Do you think they're going to hit Equestria?" Radiant asks, her voice adopting a worried tone.
"I wouldn't worry about it. We're kilometers under a scorched wasteland that is covered with the ruins and ashes of Old Equestria. Can't look more like nothing than it already is."
"You should take a walk up there. I heard they're artificially altering weather now, trying to make crops on the surface." Radiant says, "What was the name of the town this was built under again?"
Astral wracked her brain for the answer, "Baltimare, I think. Used to be a port city before most of the ocean burned away... And then turned into gigantic glaciers and cold ashstorms at higher latitudes."
"You're always so cheery, Astral. It feels my heart with joy."
"I've been promoted, if you haven't heard." Astral bragged.
"Oh, really? Do they have you replacing the solar sails yet?" Radiant deadpans.
"Not yet. You're now speaking to Lieutenant Commander Astral Mist."
"Yay, my marefriend gets to throw herself in front of a speeding hovercraft even more often!" Radiant sarcastically states.
"I'll be safe, Radiant. Don't worry." Astral says, "Listen, I have to go. I'll make it up when I get back. Go out on a date or something."
"You'd better. Love you, Astral." The communicator clicked off from the other end as Astral turned hers off as well, mentally re-assuming the role of the tough commander she was supposed to be.
She dressed in her new armor by routine: As a Lieutenant Commander, hers has far more power and function than the bodysuit she had been issued as a Captain. With rank came privileges, as well as light combat armor to protect her from nonexistent assassins, provided by the collective paranoia of the Council and NIS.
Now was not the time to muse about the failings of her command structure, however. She was assuming command of the Temperance today... A decision that she hoped would turn out to have a good ending.
The ship itself was ready, with its' supplies fully stocked and crew completely gathered. In the two days since it had been announced to her that it would be her new command, she had been led into a storm of paperwork and issues to sort out, all of which drained her time. There had even been a few other councilmembers whom she had been forced to play host to as they joked and she smiled along. It was a complete circus, and the chaos that had been surrounding it was not welcome.
All of this had been done under the shadow of the Earth Pony Coalition's impending threat. While the Nocturne forces on the planet - and around it - were no easy threat, all three other tribes had the combined experience, equipment, and fleet numbers afforded by far more time spent to discover and build them.
Her suggestion, submitted for evaluation a standard year ago, to salvage the hulks of ships whose locations were charted and precisely known was still going through the bureaucratic mess that made up the council understaff... And likely would be for months.
Shrugging in regards to her bad luck, she used a hoof to latch the final part of her armor on, attaching a short carbine of custom manufacturing to a magnetic clamp on her hind legs and using the motors of the armor to raise herself on them momentarily. Standing like a griffon or a diamond dog was something that proved useful in combat, and suits had been modified since the start of the long war to reflect this, adding support and movement boosters to the areas needed.
Landing with a dull thud, satisfied that her armor was working, she put her headset on and walked out of her apartment, the secure door locking automatically behind her as she turned down the hallway, quickly entering the small hanger area for personal vehicles, finding her own hovercraft, and zipping out into the city, two kilometers above the 'ground'.
Traffic was light, and the HUD tag above her vehicle highlighting it as [Priority] allowed her a high amount of leeway when it came to piloting habits... For instance, flying at well over three hundred kilometers per hour was frowned upon, but completely ignored if you happened to have your car tagged as [Priority].
Rank had its' privileges.
"Welcome back, Lieutenant Commander." the VI aboard the ship said through her headset as Astral Mist stepped inside.
"Good morning, 212." Astral replied, making her way through the semi-crowded halls as various crewponies hurried to their stations and such, "Is the ship ready for departure?"
"In two centiseconds, the ship shall be ready." the VI said, pulling up various graphs on her headset display that she only glanced at, "Currently, one hundred percent of the crew are on-site, and all of the senior officers, including yourself, have been loaded."
"Location of first officer?"
"On the bridge, twenty meters ahead." Astral just grunted in reply. The first officer of her ship was a NIS officer who was competent enough, but his personality was off-putting. He had all the kindness of a manticore, and the temper of one too.
And a habit for addressing her as if he was her superior.
"Good morning, Lieutenant Commander Astral Mist." The stallion said to her the moment she walked on the bridge.
"Greetings, Junior Lieutenant Onyx." Astral curtly replied, moving up and sitting in the command chair, moving her hooves over the transparent screens that lowered themselves around her to turn them on, displaying all of the vital information she needed, "I see our ship is read to depart."
"Waiting on your say-so, ma'am." The stallion replied from his own seat, to the front and left of her. As was typical, the bridge was buried deep in the hull, surrounded by bulkheads and armor plating: The entire wall and ceiling of the bridge was devoted to a panoramic view of the outside, currently from a camera located on the top of the ship, near the engine section.
Her own seat had a dominating view of the room, the dozens of ponies working in it, and the view... Although that was somewhat restricted, given the screens that surrounded her. And useless, given the ranges at which engagements took place.
She tapped the second screen on the lower-left side, opening the message that was waiting for her.
//-- To: Lieutenant Commander Astral Mist //-- From: Command
Proceed directly to asteroid B1272-04. Await further instructions.
//-- End
Astral blinks in surprise. The message was oddly brief, and the mentioned solar object would take a database search to find.
A few moments later, and she had it. Not much more than a large rock in space, three-point-five kilometers long and one-point-two kilometers long, with heavy iron and nickle content. By its' current location, it was only half a day away on the sublight engines: Mere kiloseconds if she were to use the experimental Stellar Drive... Which she would not. Not for that short of a hop.
"First officer Onyx, tell all workers to pull back when ready, and ask Ground Control for a launch." Astral ordered. While she could simply start the ship, incinerating a few workers would look bad, and the ship itself needed to be magnetically lifted four kilometers to the surface from their below-ground dock.
"... Ground Control has authorized launch. Workers already pulled back." The stallion said as he worked the panel in front of him, the screen rapidly flipping through information. "Ground Control is taking control. They're telling us to warm up our engines."
"Bring us to five percent standby power. Keep the engines idle." Astral ordered as the ship jolted, slowly lifting up into the air before gaining speed, passing through the hole in the top of the hanger. It always amazed the mare what they had managed to do with gravity control and good spellwork: Artificial gravity, systems to lift hundreds of thousands of tons of metal, and so much more.
Nearly half an hour later, the behemoth of a ship rose from a recently-opened gate in the surface, pulling away from the burned land below them. Ash floated past the camera, still prevalent after all of the intervening years. Surrounding the area were the crumbled remains of a long-destroyed city, covered in layers of ash and rubble, scorched contrasting colors of black, grey, and white.
As Ground Control released them from the magnetic grip, the ship's automatic inertial dampeners kicked in, keeping them in the air.
"Helm, one hundred percent power. Break us out of the atmosphere." Astral ordered.
"Copy, full power." The helmspony said, quickly imputing things that Astral neither knew nor cared about into his console. The ship jumped forward momentarily as the engines started, causing the ship to quickly rise in speed as the thrust increased, sending them racing skyward. They broke the sound barrier first once, then twice, as they rose up on a column of newly-condensed air.
The helmspony decreased the power once they left the atmosphere proper, and Astral quickly uploaded the coordinates to him, sending the stallion into another flurry of activity as Astral went over the systems, noting that all of them were 'in the green'.
"Soon..." Astral says to herself, unnoticed in the busy room, "Soon this will all be over, and I'll get to go back home."
Wouldn't it? Astral didn't know for sure, but did know that she was sure to find out.
