Starry and Wandering found a Security officer standing outside their stateroom door as they left the next morning. After the fox morph briefly gave them an intrigued looking-over, he smiled and said, “Good morning, sir and ma'am. I have been assigned to assist you during your stay aboard the Pegasus. Admiral Kline also instructed me to assure you that this is for your convenience and not because of any Security issue.”
Wandering smirked. “No repeating previous mistakes, hey? Okay, first of all, irrespective of our status, my name is Wandering – let’s keep the ‘sirs’ down to a minimum. We’re here on a friendly mission, not some highly formal political meeting.”
“And you can call me just Starry,” the alicorn mare added.
The fox’s smile grew. “My name is Corporal Jason Russet – you can call me just Jason if you wish. While I’m on duty, I have to retain a certain amount of formality, but I’ll try to keep the sirs and ma’am’s down to a minimum. Would you be interested in some breakfast now?”
“Just what we had in mind,” Starry replied.
“Great. Shall we go?” The Corporal headed off, and the two ponies followed the fox tod down the corridor.
As they walked side by side, Wandering noticed Starry looking at him appraisingly. “What?” he asked.
“Can’t a mare admire her mate?” she replied.
“It’s the mane, isn’t it? I can’t believe you talked me into changing it.”
Starry giggled. “You look more handsome than ever, you silly pony. Stop arguing with my taste! Between that Star Fleet ambassador uniform and your new mane style, you’re looking really dashing.”
One of the last things that Boyce had shown them before they had retired for the night was how to use the replicator in conjunction with the ship’s computer to create custom uniforms for themselves. As they were officially considered ambassadors from Equus on an observation mission, they were granted the use of the Star Fleet shirt with the white color coding. Asked if they wanted to have pants also, Wandering had informed the human that they were not standard for pony uniforms. Their Cosmic Lotus outfits were designed to also protect them in an emergency and needed to cover more of their bodies, but on board this ship, that was obviously not an issue.
Wandering sighed. “Only for you, Starry.”
Jason chuckled along with Starry as they arrived at the trans-lift that would take them to the mess hall level.
The ponies attracted a great deal of attention from the crew as they ordered their meals and carried the trays in their magic to one of the tables. Before he sat down to eat, Wandering reared up to place his forehooves on the table and applied a small amplification spell to his voice.
“Hello, everyone. For those who have yet to meet us, I am Captain Wandering Path, and my mate is Lieutenant Commander Starry Path of the starship, Cosmic Lotus. We are here on an observation mission, mostly to learn about the Swarm, but also to get a better understanding of the Federation peoples. If you would like to have a chat with us over the next few days, feel free to approach us at any time that we’re not busy. We have a saying back home – Friendship is Magic. We would love to make some more friends while we are guests aboard your ship. I wish you all a good morning!” Wandering then seated himself and started on his meal.
It was not long before the seats at the table were filled by curious crew members. Neither pony got much of a chance to eat that morning.
While Boyce had given them a tour of the ship, Wandering and Starry both wanted to spend some more in-depth time in certain sections. They had free run of the public areas of the Pegasus, and Jason was authorized to allow them escorted access to the low-level secure areas. The high-level areas were still off-limits, however, but as those were largely military in nature, they did not much interest either of them despite being warrior-scholars.
There was one exception. That afternoon, they came upon a Security squad doing unarmed combat training. This squad was apparently separate from the one that Midnight headed up as they did not recognize any of the team. It became apparent this one’s leader was a female Rakshani who noticed the ponies observing and eventually came over to introduce herself.
“I am Lieutenant Baneth ap Quelline na Ramedar. You are the ambassadors from Equus, I believe?”
“That’s correct,” Wandering replied. “Do you mind if we watch you training?”
“Not at all. Would either of you be interested in participating in a friendly bout? It would be of benefit to Bravo Team to train with an unfamiliar species.”
“I’ll pass,” Starry replied.
“I might take you up on that later, Lieutenant,” Wandering said. “Although you might be at something of a disadvantage. Alicorns are never completely unarmed.”
“How so?” Baneth asked curiously.
“May I demonstrate?” the stallion asked.
“Go ahead,” the Rakshani replied, automatically centering her weight and flexing her knees, bracing for whatever he had planned.
Wandering’s horn lit up and a glow surrounded Baneth. She was lifted off the floor by about half a meter where she hung out of reach of the pony. Without any way of moving, she was helpless. “I see what you mean,” she admitted, but you have made a mistake in showing me this. Next time I will be prepared for it.”
Wandering grinned as he let her down again. “I sense a challenge.”
Baneth replied with a slightly predatory grin of her own. “It’s the Rakshan way, sir. Do you accept?”
He nodded. “I do. If I’m free, how about tomorrow at this time?”
“That would be acceptable. Are you going to watch more of our training session?”
“Of course. I need to be prepared too, don’t I?”
Baneth smiled broadly. She liked this pony. “I can tell that you are an intelligent warrior.” She turned to face her team. “Okay – back to training. Let’s show our visitors what they are up against when they take on any member of Bravo Team!”
There was a cheer from them before they resumed their bouts.
“Do you think you could really win a bout with her?” Starry asked.
“Without using magic? Difficult to tell, but she has a lot of physical advantages. Still, she knows nothing about ours. It should be interesting.”
Starry rolled her eyes and snorted. “Interesting. S-u-r-e!”
The ponies dined with Boyce’s family again that evening, and they related what they had been doing all day. Midnight smiled when they told hir about their encounter with Baneth and her challenge to Wandering.
“Baneth has always been keen on improving her fighting techniques. Be aware though that Rakshani have an interesting way of responding to challenges.”
“How so?” Wandering queried.
“They are always trying to prove themselves against those that they consider worthy opponents. If you manage to defeat her, be prepared to be propositioned.”
That raised the eyebrows of both ponies.
“Seriously?” Starry asked. “Despite Wandering being my mate?”
“Yes. Baneth is unmated and would be honored to bed any male who can best her. Wandering is not obligated to accept though,” shi added reassuringly.
“That would be between Wandering and her,” Starry said.
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“It surprises me, but I see you have not learned much about pony herds. They’re not a whole lot different from your own extended family. Baneth wouldn’t be the first person to show interest in Wandering.”
“I’m still right here, y’know?” the subject of their discussion asked drolly. “And what Starry didn’t say was that I turned down all those others.”
“Do it this time in the interest of inter-world relationships,” Starry teased.
“Maybe you should proposition Boyce,” Wandering retorted. “I hear he’s looking for a Sixthwife.”
“Okay, in the interest of domestic harmony, leave me out of this, please,” Boyce said with a chuckle.
There was laughter from all around the dinner table before they switched to another subject of conversation.
Starry threw herself onto their bed with a sigh of satisfaction. “This was a good day,” she declared.
“I’ve got to agree with you,” Wandering replied, leaning over to nibble at her neck.
Starry giggled and nuzzled him back. “So – what part did you enjoy most?”
“Hmmm… I think I have to say having an entire day off without command responsibilities for the first time in over ten years and spending it all with you.”
“Ooh, you sweet talker! Now I’ll have to think of something extra special to do for you. However, I was referring more along the lines of our new friends and what they do.”
“Like the appointment that you made with their scientists to see if they can work out what magic is?”
“I suppose. I’m just as curious to see what theories they have. It’s a pity Cosmic Dawn isn’t with us. She would love this.”
“True, but while you’re fascinated with the science, I’ve been intrigued by the vast number of different races and cultures aboard this ship, and how they work so well together.”
“In other words, we’re both still focused on our specialties,” Starry summed up.
“That hasn’t really changed despite everything. So how about something trivial instead. What odd detail stood out most for you?”
The mare thought for a bit, then replied, “Ensign Morgan.”
Wandering’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Ah, yes – the equine morph. Fascinating how much like a bipedal earth pony he resembles.”
Starry smiled. “I think it goes both ways. I remember the double-take he did upon seeing us.”
“I’m thinking that we’ve been encountering too many remarkable similarities between our cultures for it to be a coincidence.”
“You’re right. Did you get a scan of the Ensign?”
“I scan all new species that I come across. I’ve done that a lot today.”
“How about transforming into Morgan’s species so I can see just how many similarities there are between us?”
Wandering raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Really? What detail are you most interested in comparing?”
“I’ll know it when I see it,” she replied innocently.
The stallion chuckled. “Okay, let’s try this on.” He stepped back and magic flames briefly engulfed his form. When they cleared, an equine morph with Wandering’s normal coat and mane colors stood there on two legs. “Oops! I should have taken the shirt off first. It’s not designed to fit this frame.”
“I can also see why they all wear pants too,” Starry added. “The reason is pretty much in my face.”
Wandering removed the shirt with a little difficulty, leaving him completely nude. “What would you like to investigate first?” he asked with a leer.
Starry licked her lips. “Let’s start with what’s right under my nose….”
The next morning, Wandering was still in morph form. Rather than immediately changing back to his normal pony form, he indulged a whim and asked the computer to make a new uniform for him.
“Mismatch between subject and previously recorded body pattern,” the computer complained.
“Oh. New data: I am a shape-changer and can assume the form of any species,” Wandering explained.
There was a pause before the computer replied, “Input accepted. Please step into scanning area for re-measurement.”
Wandering did so, following the computer’s instructions to move his arms and legs.
“Scan complete. Fabricating requested garments.”
The nearby replicator soon glowed and a pile of clothing materialized within it. Wandering donned the uniform and then stood in front of the full-length mirror to observe the result.
Starry came out of the bathroom just then and saw him posing. She grinned and said, “Handsomest stallion in either form.”
“You like?” Wandering asked with a matching grin.
“Right now I wish I wish I could shape-change too, and we could step out together like that.”
“We might have to ask Mom if she could oblige with a spell when we get back home.”
“I’ll put that on my list. Meanwhile, what are you going to do? You can’t go out of this room without giving away your secret.”
Wandering sighed. “Yeah – only a few know and they have promised not to discuss it. And I promised not to deceive anyone with a species change anyway.”
“So why make a uniform that you can’t use?”
“Souvenir!” he promptly replied. “Would you like a matching one?”
“And how do we supply measurements for a body form that doesn’t exist yet?”
“I could model it for you if there’s a mare that I can scan.”
“Now that I’d like to see even more.”
“There’s no end to your kinkiness, is there?”
Starry reared up to hug and kiss her bipedal mate. “And you love it!” she declared.
Mmm… I do indeed,” he replied before enthusiastically kissing her back.
Starry had an appointment with Rosepetal that morning. The Science Officer of the Pegasus wanted to take the opportunity to do some detailed investigation into the nature of magic, and although that was not Starry’s specific field, she knew enough to assist the Caitian in her investigations.
“Thank you for consenting to this,” Rosepetal said as she set up some exotic equipment. “While we have done our best to investigate the Swarm’s unknown energy source, it’s difficult to do much when you are trying not to get killed at the same time. These sensitive instruments can do a lot more under controlled conditions.”
“That makes sense. I hope that you can get some meaningful data from them. We have our own instruments for measuring magic, but as they are all magitek too, that does not help you much at this point.”
Rosepetal nodded. “Quite correct. Anyway, if you are ready, we can begin.”
“I’m ready. What would you like me to do first?”
“Let’s start simple; use your horn to produce light, please.”
Starry lit up her horn, and the Caitian and her assistants recorded their instruments’ readings.
“Okay, could you now pick up an object with your telekinesis?”
Starry selected a chair and raised it a meter off the floor. Again the scientists made a series of measurements before indicating that Starry could put the chair down.
“How much can you lift with your telekinesis?” Rosepetal asked.
“I’ve never pushed myself to my limit, but I could lift every loose object in this room, including all of you.”
“Are you sure about that? One of those loose objects is a set of weightlifter’s gear that I had brought in for these tests.” The Caitian indicated the barbell loaded with a full set of weights that had been brought in by an anti-grav trolley.
By way of an answer, Starry easily levitated the bar without removing any of the weights. Just for good measure, she added everything else that she could see. “Yes, I’m sure,” she replied.
Rosepetal blinked in surprise. While there were strong telekinetic Talents in the Federation, they normally lifted only one object at a time. This alicorn was handling dozens without appearing to strain in the slightest. “Umm… that’s impressive, but could you put us down for now so that we can actually do some measurements?”
Starry grinned as she complied. Doing science should be fun after all! “Just to give you an idea of my capabilities, I’ll remind you that both Wandering and I maintained a mass-reducing spell for an entire starship for hours at a stretch. I suggest you find some heavier weights.”
“I’m beginning to think I’m going to have to get hold of some neutronium before I can push your limits,” Rosepetal muttered.
Wandering spent the morning in the company of E’Sondra te Hanso. The Voxxan cultural expert was helping him interview a number of the crew in order to make comparisons of their different civilizations, and in return learning more about Equian culture and mores. The stallion was so immersed in his studies that he belatedly remembered that he had intended to have a sparring session with Baneth. He sent Jason to extend his apologies and ask to have the bout rescheduled for a later date before he went to meet up with Starry for a quick lunch. They then went back to their respective research for the rest of the afternoon.
By the time they quit for dinner, much had been accomplished by both ponies, although Rosepetal was nursing a headache from trying to comprehend the results of her research so far. As they sat around the dinner table, Boyce expressed his sympathy.
“Take it easy, Rose. You’re trying to understand at a master’s level starting from a first-year student’s understanding of the subject.”
Rosepetal nodded. “I realize that but magic contradicts so much of what I already know. If I didn’t have the evidence right before my eyes, I would not believe it.”
“Preaching to the choir, dear. Let it go for now and relax; you will have plenty of time to wrap your head around it.”
The rest of the family and their pony guests chuckled at the Caitian’s glum expression as she sighed in resignation.
Wandering decided to change the subject. “Speaking of time, how much longer until we reach the battlefront?”
“Even at top speed, it will be another day’s travel,” Boyce replied.
“That’s remarkably quick.”
Boyce grimaced. “Too quick. The Swarm got too close to Chakona before its advance was halted. Actually, to be completely honest, they are still advancing albeit slowly. They chip away at our defenses relentlessly. However, at the FTL speed the Swarm travels, we have a few weeks margin if they ever break through. We’re hoping very much that you will find a way to push them back for the first time.”
“We hope so too,” Starry said. “Now that we have met new friends, we’d like to keep them.”
“Same here,” Forestwalker agreed fervently.
Wandering looked thoughtful. “Now that I’m separated from my crew, it gives me a new perspective – one lone ship in a huge universe, and an enemy we never even knew we had until now.”
“You’re not alone if that’s any consolation,” Boyce replied. “How are they enjoying their time around Harpagornis?”
“I’m embarrassed to admit that our comms have failed again. While their range is theoretically unlimited within the universe, apparently jumping out of normal space and into hyperspace breaks the connection. We’re hoping that they reconnect when we drop out of warp drive.”
“You’re welcome to send messages via our sub-space communicator. The crew of the skiff that we left behind to keep watch over the Cosmic Lotus will pass them on for you.”
“Thanks, Boyce. I promised I’d stay in touch, so I’d like to reassure them that everything is okay. I’m also curious to know what’s happening in my absence.”
While Ortzi Goldbeak’s skills as a geologist were not anticipated to be used on a gas giant, a type of planet that the Equians had not dreamed existed before, he nevertheless had some professional work to do. Harpagornis apparently had a rocky core that was at least as large as Equus, and between their magitek probes and some help from their Federation friends, he was attempting to identify its composition. It was extremely difficult but very satisfying. Nevertheless, he was glad when his shift was over, and he headed to the mess hall. The griffon spotted a familiar face as he ordered his meal, and Ortzi smiled as he seated himself beside the new temporary crew member.
“Hi, gorgeous!”
Helen Baines smiled at the griffon and replied, “Hi, hot stuff. How was your day?”
“Fun but tiring. What about you?”
“Your magitek devices are endlessly fascinating, but I’ve had enough for one day. Feel like going to the Park with me after dinner to relax and unwind?” The rabbit morph had wrangled a spot on the Away Team assigned to keep watch over the Cosmic Lotus with the very good excuse that shi could accomplish some very useful studies in the new technology while stationed there. Boyce had not been fooled for a moment when shi had applied for the spot, but could not deny that shi had a legitimate excuse. Helen was delighted to be able to spend more time with hir unusual new boyfriend. Shi did not quite understand why shi liked him so much, but shi was enjoying hir dalliance with him immensely.
Ortzi had been more than a little amazed at how easily he got along with Helen. He had always been shy with females, but this herm morph excited him. Shi was easy to talk to and laughed at his jokes. Shi liked his wing-cuddles and made him feel special. They had known each other only for days, and yet it felt like they were old friends in some ways. He reflected on what his parents might have thought of his growing relationship with hir as he leaned over to nibble hir neck with his beak. “I’d love to do that,” he replied.
Helen giggled. “Save that for the Park, lover-boy.”
The exchange was noticed by Xanth and Coldfire as they headed out of the room. The mare gave her husband a nudge and said, “What do you think? Next couple to get hitched?”
The changeling had a good taste of the emotions flooding from the duo, but he said, “They’ve known each other for only a few days, hon; stop trying to marry them off already.”
Coldfire gave Xanth a level stare. “Are you trying to tell me that those two are not head-over-hooves infatuated with each other?”
Xanth smirked. “I’d never do that. I just had a big dessert on top of my meal just by walking past them.”
“So you don’t want seconds?” the mare asked slyly.
“Seconds and thirds, as long as you’re serving them up,” the changeling replied with a grin.
“Good answer. Where would you like your treat?”
“How about the observation room?” Xanth suggested.
“Sounds nice. Let’s go there.”
They turned in that direction and headed off.
“They make an unusual couple though, you have to admit,” Coldfire said conversationally.
“As unusual as a pony and changeling couple was once considered,” Xanth replied. “If talks with the Federation go well though, their relationship may become commonplace too.”
“You’re technically correct, dear, but a rabbit and an eagle cat-bird – you have to admit that’s stretching it.”
Xanth chuckled. “You’ve got me there.”
They arrived at the observation room and settled down in front of the wall-length window that currently faced the gas-giant planet. The room had remained unused for almost the entire journey due to the effects of relativity rendering direct observation virtually useless, but now it was an almost-forgotten place to hang out and enjoy the view while making out with a lover. The couple leaned together cheek-to-cheek and Coldfire put her wing around Xanth. No words were exchanged for a long while as they sat and watched Harpagornis slowly turn. He lapped up the love she poured out to him, and she enjoyed the croons of pleasure it gave him, secure in the knowledge that he was irrevocably in love with her too.
There was one other advantage to having a changeling mate.
“How is Skyborn?”
“Still asleep since his feeding,” replied Xanth after checking through the network with the changeling playing nursemaid to their foal.
“Excellent,” she replied and gave him a passionate kiss.
The view was quickly forgotten.
It was actually about twenty hours after Wandering made his enquiry about the Swarm that they arrived at the battlefront. The communications officer informed Boyce that there was an incoming call immediately after they dropped out of warp.
“Put it on the main screen,” Boyce ordered.
The large screen switched from the star-field to the face of a Terran wolf morph. “Admiral Kline – to what do I owe this visit, sir? The Pegasus is not suited to battle with the Swarm.”
“That is true, Commodore Harkness, but I bring what may be the first true breakthrough in decades of fighting them.”
“You have my total attention, sir. What is this miracle?”
“We have recently contacted a new civilization, one which may be familiar with the mysterious energy weapon. If it is what they believe it to be, they will be able to supply a means of defending against it.”
“If that is true, I will be overjoyed. It’s well past time that we did something more productive than holding the Swarm at a stalemate. Do you have representatives of this civilization with you?”
“Yes, I have two of them.” Boyce gestured to Starry and Wandering who had been standing out of everyone’s way near the entrance to the bridge. They walked over to stand next to the command chair. “May I introduce Captain Wandering Path and his mate, Lieutenant Commander Starry Path.”
The Commodore stared for a brief moment, and the ponies were amused to recognize disbelief in his eyes. He recovered quickly and smiled. “An honor to meet you. I certainly hope that you can help us out.”
“That’s what we’re here for, Commodore,” Wandering assured him.
“How can I assist you?” the wolf asked.
Boyce answered, “I am going to launch a Defender with them aboard. It has the speed and maneuverability to keep them safe if necessary, but it’s believed that their personal defenses can cope with the Swarm’s weapons. From what I have seen so far, I am inclined to believe them. All we require from you, Commodore, is to provide back-up if needed, and watch for unforeseen trouble in case their efforts stir up a strong response.”
Harkness nodded. “I will assign Captain R’Mulk to the task. He has proven to be adept and flexible in dealing with the Swarm.”
“Thank you, Commodore. We will be launching in approximately fifteen minutes. Pegasus out.” The comms officer cut the connection and Boyce turned to the alicorns. “Lieutenant Karnok will be waiting for you in the launch bay. Please don’t hesitate to withdraw if you get into trouble. Good luck to you both.”
Wandering and Starry nodded in acknowledgement and headed for the trans-lift. It quickly took them to the flight deck where they had their Cosmic Lotus uniforms ready and waiting. It took them only a couple of minutes to change out of the Federation uniforms and into the magitek-enhanced spacesuits, and then they headed down the line of fighter craft to where a small vixen morph was waiting beside the ramp that led into a larger vessel that was obviously the Defender Class that they were expecting. She saluted them and let them board before following. The alicorns laid down upon two specially prepared couches that were indicated to them and secured themselves with webbing as Karnok’s crew prepared the ship for launch. There was a flurry of communication between the vessel and the main ship, and then the vixen looked over to the ponies with a grin on her muzzle.
“I hope you two are up to this because it’s going to be a wild ride. Brace for launch!”
She did not wait for a response, and a moment later they were thrust into the acceleration couches as the ship was launched at high speed. The Defender immediately changed course to head directly for the Swarm. While the Pegasus had remained out of range of the Swarm’s weapons, it did not take long for the vessel to be within visual range of the ongoing battle. Flashes and beams of light indicated where Federation ships were engaged with the enemy, and Karnok headed towards one of the most active areas as they had planned.
“R’Mulk to Karnok – I am on your tail. Try not to get it scorched.”
Karnok grinned and replied, “Not a hair out of place on my fur, Captain. I promise.”
“Good – let’s keep it that way.”
Wandering gave the vixen a look with one eyebrow raised. She chuckled and said, “R’Mulk is an old Academy acquaintance. He wanted to go full career while I wanted more action and to go hunt pirates. We still get together occasionally though. Anyway, things are about to get interesting. I hope you’re ready to do whatever you’re going to do?”
“We’re ready to make observations first,” Starry replied. “Try to take us near one of those mystery energy bursts that cause you so much trouble.”
“Your wish is my command.”
The Defender leaped towards the thick of battle, dodging and weaving to avoid the weapons that started coming their way. They soon passed in close proximity a Swarm ship, virtually begging to be fired upon. It obliged, but Karnok skillfully avoided the beam of energy before dancing out of range again. She looked over at the alicorns and noticed both their horns were glowing.
“Well?” she asked.
Starry replied, “It’s exactly what we thought it was – raw mana.”
“Which leaves me just as much in the dark as before I knew that.”
“Mana is the power behind magic. It is a terrible and chaotic form of power to use against a starship, but it is also extremely inefficient.”
“How do you mean?”
Wandering replied, “What powers this ship’s systems ultimately?”
“Electricity. No matter how it is generated, everything on this ship runs on electricity.”
“So why don’t you throw a lightning bolt at the Swarm?”
“Because the same amount of power put into the weapons systems is a hundred times more effective.”
“Exactly. The same is true for mana and magic. An efficiently designed spell could do the same amount of damage as that raw mana beam but using only a fraction of the mana.”
“Makes sense, but can you do anything about it?”
Starry nodded and said, “While it’s a lot of power to block, I could do so. In fact, that’s exactly what I want you to do next.”
“You want me to allow my ship to be targeted?” the vixen asked skeptically.
“Yes. Don’t worry – I will shield us while Wandering does some scans of the Swarm ship.”
Karnok’s grin returned. “I did say that I wanted the excitement. Are you prepared?”
The alicorns acknowledged their readiness, and the Defender dived once more into the battle. Again, the vixen provoked a response from a Swarm ship, and again a stream of mana was sent their way. Karnok did not even flinch, trusting implicitly in the ponies’ confident assurances. She was not disappointed. The mana splattered on an unseen shield, spreading along its surface which glowed into visibility before it seemed to absorb the mana and fade out of sight again. A second mana burst came their way, only to suffer the same fate as the first.
“Yeee-haaa! First Federation ship to survive not one but two direct hits from the Swarm!” Karnok crowed.
“No need for a third,” Starry said with a small grin at the vixen’s celebrations. “Wandering has got his readings, so we can go now.”
“Sorry, but that might prove to be difficult. We seem to have attracted the attention of the Swarm after that stunt.”
The tactical holo-screen showed several ships converging on theirs.
“Let me deal with them. I think I will re-gift their donation of mana. Hold the ship still for me, please, Lieutenant.”
“Okay, but what are you up to?”
“You’ll see.” Starry’s horn lit up and she vanished.
“Where did she go?” Karnok asked Wandering.
It was one of her crew that answered, however. “Lieutenant – check out the starboard monitor!”
The vixen switched her view-screen to show the starboard side of the vessel, and her eyes widened at the sight of Starry calmly standing on the hull, seemingly unaffected by the lack of a helmet, let alone a fully-sealed suit.
Wandering caught sight of the view and noticed Karnok’s disbelieving stare. “The magitek spells in our uniforms can maintain a safe environment for us for a limited time. I’d pay more attention to what she’s about to do.”
While Starry’s horn had glowed with each usage of her magic, this time its brilliance nearly overwhelmed the camera. Then a burst of energy shot out at the nearest Swarm ship and punched through it virtually without effort. The vessel started drifting aimlessly as air and detritus was expelled through the massive hole. She repeated the attack with the next Swarm ship, then another, and then another. She might have done more, but the Swarm abruptly retreated, but not before the disabled ships self-destructed.
“Get ready to take us out of here, Lieutenant,” Wandering told the vixen.
Karnok shook herself out of dazed surprise and began to give orders to take the Defender away from the battlefront. Starry reappeared on her couch just as a call came in from their back-up.
“What the hell was that, and can I have one too?”
The vixen chuckled and replied, “Get your own pony, R’Mulk!”
Back aboard the Pegasus, the alicorns and Karnok had just finished reporting to the Admiral.
“So, it’s exactly what you suspected it was?” Boyce asked.
Starry replied, “Yes, but that still leaves us with one very puzzling question.”
“What would that be?”
“Wandering’s scans revealed absolutely no magical activity. What species can have access to so much raw mana but have no magic defenses or equipment whatsoever?”
The question hung in the air with no one offering an answer.
“There’s only one solution,” Wandering said. “We’re going to have to capture a Swarm ship.”
“That’s not as easy as you make it sound. Every ship that we have tried to capture has invariably self-destructed rather than allow themselves to be taken away.”
“How long after a ship is disabled does that happen?” Starry asked.
“It varies depending on the circumstances, but never more than a couple of minutes,” Boyce answered.
Starry gave Wandering a look before she smiled and said, “That should be adequate. Time for us to call in a specialist!”
# # # # # # # # #
I knew there was a reason I stayed up ridiculously late.
Another great chapter, looking forward to more!
Looks like relationships are procedding apace, and that the Swarm hve essentially made teh most basic breakthrough then used that, like finding out how to make gunpowder or gun nukes and not really bothering with any further advancement because noone could build a defence?
Like Boscone? The Swarm discovered a type of pseudoregular liquid crystal that when squeezed gives off a previously unknown form of radiation instead of electricity, or at a greater amount than electricity, like Xrays were discovered, but to get destructive amounts out requires destructive implosion of a minimum sized crystal also, which would limit the fire rate, number of shots, restrict the power range, etc?
Just ideas, eagerly waiting to see what method or methods are being used and just how quickly Path and Federation can Kenwood them. Maybe to inspiring montage music?
Still waiting for the mention of the world connected to the mirror.
Great chapter.. A few minutes other than seeing memebers of the swarm itself time enough and then for thier specialist and maybe take a another expert or two with them.. if nothing else find the self destruct and how to disable it
Let us hope that the Swarm, whatever they may be, do not quickly come up with a means to use their mana more efficiently just by observing Wandering and Starry in action.
Specialist? What specialist?
Tail High, Goldfur!
you know, i remember in one of your previous story in the "house of path" series.
discord did mention about transforming long path into a "chakat".
i wonder if the swarm has anything to do with discord.
perhaps it will be better to have flix to come along and help to take measurements and help to capture a swarm ship as well.
only chaos magic uses raw mana though.
and since they can't sense any sentient being on board the swarm ship, it is due to these
1) got a shield that prevents anyone from scanning them
2) all are robots (similar to the aparoids like in star fox universe)
3) all the ships are piloted by Artificial Intelligence.
Waaahh...more, please!
8670854
I had the same fear, in case they were sort of the magical Borg.
We will adapt, we are the Swarm...resistance is futile...
This was realy intresting.
So much informtion and so many mistery.
I wounder who is the specialist?
8670854 what is motivating them to innovate
8670896 I lean towards the first rather than the other options. Its the most likely considering the fact the Federation in so much in dark about almost everything about the Swarm.. Starting with thier weapons beyond some basic detection..
8670902 DITTTO
Interesting... *Tilts my furry head and thinks* The SWARM could be a race that has discovered how to generate mana without realizing what it is...
welcome back Goldfur. I hope you enjoyed your holidays.
While I had to wait for this chapter my old friend, it makes me hunger for more chapters now! To keep up with the teasing and maybe Dicord may have to motivate you to write faster with a feather!
8670854
My thought is that they might pull in more of the family on this:
* Twilight is pretty much an expert on magic, and therefor might have insights on how the Swarm is physically using their weapons (like, how their mana throwers might be collecting the mana to throw), and/or ideas on how best to counter raw mana throwers.
* Destined has a gift with time and could possibly stasis-lock one of the swarm ships (or at least try to) so that it would survive long enough to be gone over with a fine toothed comb.
* And, if it's a plausible option (and it fits the funnies), there's always Flix. But chaos magic is a fickle thing, and would probably be even worse to expose everyone to now that they're only just now starting to rationalize Magic as a thing, as opposed to being a mere lack of knowledge on how things work.
So yeah, I figure Twilight, or Destined, are likely to be the specialist to grab, and I'd favor it to be Destined because time.
That's an awsome picture of Baneth.
Our competetive security Tiger
8670954
Judging by how fast they're known to adapt, I think they'll at least have some measure against having weaponised magic tossed back at them like Starry just did, with what I assume (for her) was a relatively simple Lightningrod and battery spell.
Interesting, and slightly odd detail that the Swarm never thought of making some sort of sheilding against mana turned their way.
Does it mean that diving into a group of swarm ships would be about as safe as trying to out run them, due to their risk of friendly fire?
Excellent, you get lotsa yays. x 10.
8671246 8670854 They've adapted to tactics not weapons. The FEderation has already figured out how to destroy swarm ships with the weapons they have. The Swarm countered this with tactics not new weapons Also as Wandering points out using mana directly is inefficient and dangerous.
Destined is the most likely choice for specialist though Twilight wouldn't be bad. They would need at least 1 engineer to understand Federation style tech. Freezing time wouldn't be bad. We've already seen Destined play with time dilation so one minute to everyone is much more to him
So Wandering no longer has his mothers manestyle.
Will this end up like the 'Don't Mess With' series?
When it comes to the relationship between the ponies and their Terran cousins, my money is on the first hard clue being M'Lai's tests on shapeshifting, with a baseline genetic analysis of Wandering to compare to forms he changes into revealing Terran DNA.
The Swarm is looking more and more interesting. Hopefully, as others have pointed out, they won't learn anything from Starry's demonstration, but they do adapt fast to new tactics, so more magic might be less effective in the future.
Given a complete lack of Swarm magitek, it might seem that they won't be able to analyse and duplicate Starry's shield and blasts, but that's not a given, since they don't have a magitek way to fire raw mana either. Assuming they can't detect or analyse something about magic using pure physics based instruments is premature. The swarming of the oddly behaving cruiser by multiple ships to make sure some could get away with recordings of a new tactic by Star Fleet is a bad sign.
I get put in mind of a scene from Skylark Three, where Richard Seaton gives a detailed explanation of how unlikely it was that the Fenachrone would be able to analyse and begin to copy his more advanced tech, only for the alarms to go off as the copied version of his detection system pings Seaton's ship. Unlikely is not impossible.
I see large Ailcorns Hood Ornaments made from blast planting appearing on ships now.
with holographic manes and lasers eyes
derpicdn.net/img/2014/12/8/780588/large.jpg
i.pinimg.com/736x/6e/e3/43/6ee3439453297b56993ac6cb058f860a--friendship-magic.jpg
or maybe
i.ytimg.com/vi/BlMmW6Ag9AY/maxresdefault.jpg
img00.deviantart.net/fe4f/i/2017/175/d/8/commission__sweetie_bot_by_bakki-dbbgi3q.jpg
Yay! More Cosmic Lotus! Awww! I'm out of More Cosmic Lotus! Ah, of all the possible things this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!
What? I really mean it this time. I'm so hyped for next chapter.
8673083
AGREED
I understand that the Pegasus is a carrier, but how the HECK can it carry a Cruiser???? unless the sizes for the classes are a heck of a lot different than what we normally see.
8677006
It's a LIGHT cruiser, but I may be mangling my terms. Based on what I described in the episode, what would you call it? Bearing in mind that the Pegasus is somewhat like a Battlestar type ship.
8677015
I'm not sure what I'd call it. it might be frigate class since those can be only a few thousand tons, but then You'd have hte problem of the ship being so light it couldnt hang in battle for long.
a ship that sight MIGht be able to carry a few Defiant class ships. but nothing bigger. even then it would be a tight fit.
the original enterprise was a light cruiser if i remember correctly. and thta was at least 400 meters long.
although if these ships are designed with no warp, basic life support with no backup. I.E. as a fighter would be for a carrier, then the Pegasus would be able to carry more ships. the other option would be to have them attached on external hardpoints, but, again, that would cause other problems..
Even the Folly, could only carry baby carriers and destroyers internally, she still had to carry the Pegasus upside and attached to the outer framework to move her as she did.
I looked up a light cruiser from Star trek and this is an example. hope it helps.
8677043
Minor corrections to/for you, as I just looked it up; Kirk's Enterprises (both the 1701 and the 1701-A, being Constitution Class ships) were heavy cruisers. The original was 289m long, the -A and other Constitution refits were 305m long.
Source: http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Constitution_class
8677130
Thanks. wasn't sure if it was a light or heavy.
8677043
8678024
How about a corvette? That's a lot smaller, but I don't want to go as small as a fast-attack craft because those are what I have been calling fighters with either one or two crew members. The spaceship that Wandering and Starry were on has a larger crew and a bigger arsenal.
8677015
8677043
If the Pegasus is a Battlestar-class ship, as in Battlestar Galactica, that would make it a capital ship with a length (according to battlestarwikiclone.org) of 4,143ft (1263m) and a width of 1,762ft (510m) . A Defiant-class ship is 560 feet (170.7m) long, according to the DS9 Technical Manual — so a Battlestar-class capital ship could probably carry a couple of those within its launch bays, along with the usual shuttles and such, although it depends on the relative size of the launch bays vs. the main body of the ship. (I can't find a definitive spec on how wide the Defiant is, but I did find a reference to the studio model being 37" x 27", so if we use those proportions, then the Defiant would be 560 x 408ft, or 170.7 x 124.6m.)
In Naval terms, a Defiant-class ship would probably be considered a destroyer, which is a medium-sized warship built for speed, maneuverability, and endurance — or possibly a frigate, which is also a fast, maneuverable warship, but smaller than a destroyer.
8678460
that might work. the key problem would be the ship has to be able to land and take off through the shuttlebay doors. the only other option would be a specialized drop bay in the hull to not only house the ship, but to launch and recover it through.
it could also be a customized design that is only deployed on ships like the Pegasus. that's why I was think Defiant class, those are under 100 meters, if I remember correctly, and you could stack them in custom bays and if you removed the quarters and anything else needed for long term solo missions, they'd make a great carrier craft for the Pegasus.
8678938
Frankly, it was the Defiant that I had in mind when I was writing that part, but the definition of the ship as a "Defiant Class" is a very Star Trek kind of thing, and I don't want to promote that misconception. You even bring up the point of a shuttle bay as if it is the sole means of launching craft when that is something very Star Trek too. The bay mentioned so far is just for that – shuttles. Pegasus has multiple launch bays for fighters and other types of vessels. So I was trying for a type of vessel rather than a class.
8678482
Defiant as in the ship from DS9. Not the cruiser
8679103
Ah!!! Understood. Could call it a Defender Class since it would be used to defend the Pegasus
8679246
Which, astonishingly enough, is exactly what I said:
What made you think I was talking about anything else?
8678460
Corvette would probably work, although it'll undoubtedly cause confusion among readers who only know the word as a model of sports car from Chevrolet. (I even had to explain to one of my high-school "Language Arts" teachers that yes, there really was such a thing as a corvette, and no, I wasn't naming the ship after the car. )
The trouble with "cruiser" is that it's kind of vague; in the Trek-verse, a "cruiser" seems to be pretty much anything from "larger than a shuttlecraft" to "just slightly smaller than a space station." Supposedly, the Defiant-class ships were considered "escorts" by Starfleet. (And you're right about calling it "Defiant-class" being a very Star Trek thing to do — and kind of recursive, to boot; it would be like referring to my Kia Soul as a "Soul-class car", or referring to the iPhone X as "an iPhone X-class mobile phone." Apparently, in the Trek-verse, they use the word "class" to mean "model.")
8680053
And YOU don't have to be so Exact about things. the Chakat Universe is NOT like the TREK universe we know. I was being vague on Purpose so Goldfur could Decide how he wanted to do things!
And Yes! there are different sizes of ships, the Pegasus could even be a 6 MILLION Ton SuperDreadnought if Goldfur wants it to be.
*Growls "Sheesh" at EquesTRON*
8679249
I'll go with that. Chapter now edited to suit.
8680256
RGR. *WolfGrin*
8680087
You're an ass, you know that?
Try to follow along here. The original question was whether or not the Pegasus, which Goldfur indicated as being similar to a Battlestar in size, would be large enough to carry a complement of Defiant-type ships along with the usual shuttles and such. So, I looked up some numbers on a couple of fan wikis, and gave a couple of relative measurements to indicate that, sure, a ship the size of a Battlestar Galactica-style Battlestar could probably fit a couple of Deep Space Nine-style Defiants inside it, assuming that there was a suitably-large launch-bay opening for them to pass in and out of.
You then decided to "correct" me by saying that you were talking about the Defiant from Deep Space Nine, not some other cruiser, because apparently you completely missed the part where it said "according to the DS9 Technical Manual", which should have been an indication to you that DS9's Defiant was exactly the ship I was talking about.
And yes, I am well aware that Bernard's Chakat universe is not Star Trek -- but it does use a lot of the same terminology and borrows a lot of elements from it, at least superficially, so I was simply giving some thoughts on why "cruiser", in this shared-terminology context, may have been a bit too vague to give a proper sense of the relative sizes of the ships because "cruiser" seems to mean pretty much anything that isn't a shuttlecraft or a space station. (Heck, even alien vessels that, at least on-screen, appeared to be roughly the same size as the Enterprise-D were referred to in dialogue as "cruisers", and you certainly couldn't fit a complement of those inside the Pegasus.) Hence the suggestions of "destroyer", "frigate", or even "escort" as more generic terms which would be more specific about the type and size of the vessel in question without resorting to the Star Trek "A is A" school of naming the ship's class after itself.
Or do you somehow think you are the only person in this forum who is allowed to have opinions or make suggestions?
But please, do feel free to insult me some more by "correcting" me for not talking about the thing I was actually talking about.
8680446
*Puts you on Ignore*
Isn't that a common dream for us all?
8679103
Nah, that's typical for British, then Commonswealth navy and navies which followed it tradition. Class is named after very first ship of this class, that's the tradition StarTrek adopted just like it took names of those ships: Enterprise, Defiant, Pegasus (HMS Pegasus the frigate was Enterprise-class, named after that Enterprise), Voyager.
Class was defined by displacement, crew, purpose, hull-design and vaguelly similar hardware and weaponry, but unless ships were sisterships(same commission, built at same time), they could be quite different. At some point retrofitting older ones could stop and then new class would appear. Quite similar to what is going on to Arleigh Burke now. There is almost five dozens of them and they all are different, divided in groups of siblings. And a new class is expected now.
Such system existed because ship hulls are valuable, it's easier to retrofit than rebuild a ship just because something about its built became obsolete (sometimes during its construction).