FROM: Larry
TO: ALL
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 4th, 2258
Gentlemen. I need a COMPLETE REPORT concerning all departments involved in the Lone Ranger mission on my desk in 24 hours. I don’t care if it takes you all night. I’ll grant you time off later.
Larry McKinney
Sr. Director
GSA Operations
FROM: Steve
TO: LARRY
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
Here is the medical and psychological evaluation. After reading the logs, and looking at the evidence, I don’t know WHAT to think. I’m torn both ways really.
Dr. Steven Zepher PHD
GSA Health Services
FROM: Zang Xiaou
TO: Larry
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
Here’s the maintenance and cleaning logs. I can’t believe the stuff that manages to get on board an Arrow Freighter. Where does one guy get a blue McCaw’s feather in deep space?
Zang
GSA Maintenance
FROM: Dan
TO: Larry
RE: Lone Ranger
Date: July 5th, 2258
Hey Larry, what’s going on?
Dan (The Man) Hawking
Chief Executive Manager
Global Space Agency
FROM: Larry
TO: Dan
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
Take a look at secure file 221 from the Lone Ranger Mission.
Larry McKinney
Sr. Director
GSA Operations
FROM: Dan
TO: Larry
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
Is this some kind of joke? There’s no way this is real.
Dan (The Man) Hawking
Chief Executive Manager
Global Space Agency
FROM: Larry
TO: Dan
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
That’s what I’m trying to verify. We DID put this guy into space on an interstellar mission for eighteen months all by himself.
Larry McKinney
Sr. Director
GSA Operations
FROM: Frank
TO: Larry
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
We have yet to complete evaluation of all the data brought back from the mission. And honestly, I can’t tell you when we’ll be able to do so. However, here’s a preliminary report on all the video and audio recordings. The security camera footage alone is incredible. And the audio... I’ll let I.T. tell you about that.
Frank Atkins
Senior Data Analyst
GSA Analysis Dept.
FROM: Bobby Brookshire
TO: Larry
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
We’ve been double checking system integrity on all the computer equipment and the media files. So far, I can say that everything checks out. The audio is raw data with no synthesis in it. Who or whatever that was speaking was the real deal. We need more time to compile a complete view, but so much data has been accessed in the library that it’s staggering.
Brooks
GSA Information Technology Department
‘The Future, Yesterday.’
FROM: Dan
TO: ALL
RE: Lone Ranger
DATE: July 5th, 2258
Thanks Larry. Keep me informed. Also, to all departments. Everything you have on Lone Ranger at this point is now Need To Know TOP SECRET. Until we can figure out exactly what we have on our hands here, I don’t want a word about this to the press, to your friends, or to your mothers.
Dan (The Man) Hawking
Chief Executive Manager
Global Space Agency
Ah yes, the "oh shi-" moment when Randy gets back with the data from the mission. I suspect he's not going to be happy being stuck locked up in some BOQ all alone while the scientists try to un-fark their paradigm.
Hmmm...I have a forboding sense of...doom...from this. But then, since I don't have an exact idea what sort of Earth we're dealing with, I can't say one way or another what will happen.
I hope they don't put Randy in the looney bin when he gets back
Oh. My. GROODNESS.
This story just got 20%... well, something. Not quite sure what, just yet. And what happens when they analyze that feather and find out it's not from a Blue Macaw?
297578 Well, the psychiatric evaluation doesn't know what to think. On the one hand, he's perfectly lucid. On the other hoof, he's talking about intelligent Equids. And (Lo! and behold!) the data seems to support him. If the IT guys think it's real, ain't nopony that can fake that.
I mean, what do they think? That he's been sitting around for a year and a half, reading the online encyclopaedia? But how much better of an explanation is it that he met the Brobdingnagians?
Now we just have to find out how things got from there to here. Quite the timeskip to sling us, Admiral.
Why can earth receive his data and he can't talk to earth? He found a way to travel faster than light and to communicate faster than radio waves but it's only one way?
I really hope this fic won't degenerate into a HUMAN X PONY WAR!!11! That would really suck
So it takes a few months less than a year to transmit the data back to earth. I would expect that by that time on earth, things in Equestria would have gotten much more interesting. And this does make your fic much more interesting adding this little, reaction. I am very curious to see where you will take this.
Din
haha I JUST read this and now there is another chapter.. You my fine brony are out for a colt's heart. keep it up, I'm loving this so far.
@DALUZ:
We have a saying in my corner of the internets.
"It is unwise to pick a fight with someone who can lob stars at you."
So after around year from last entry he came back. I really hope they won't wage
War... I hope your fic will last for a Looooong time, it's epic!
Maybe I should mention to people jumping to conclusions, this is NOT a time skip.
So... Is he back for these, or just the data?
Yea, how does communication work? FTL one way, or?
The next chapter is more log archives.
We'll be looking at a few chapters of mission logs, split by instances of other points of data. Such as the emails, evaluation reports, engineering reports, etc and so on.
I'm thinking puzzle layout.
Wait just a pony-pickin' minute...2258? Heh, that's when the first series of Babylon 5 is set...
I'm just wondering, is the whole story going to be in the form of mission logs? So far I'm not having a problem with it. It comes across nicely in fact. I was expecting the story to be a bit dry at first with it being in the form of mission logs, but it's been the complete opposite :D.
Have a good one.
STORY JUST GOT 20% FROODIER. Love to see how this element will turn out in the story. You rock, man, keep it up!
An old SF story had FTL ships but no 'subspace radio'.
They sent messages back to Earth in FTL cruise missiles.
I suppose the mothership in orbit could have 2 or 3. Upload. Launch.
Oops.... Maintenance report. The ship is back. Is the pilot?
This actually seems perfectly reasonable to me. Think about it for a second, you have someone scout out what you believe to be a potential black hole. Then when they file reports, they tell you that physics has taken the day off (the whole star orbiting planet thing). Magic is real. and there is a sentient alien race that looks a lot like ponies. You are experiencing this all second hand, of course you are going to want to double check your sources.
As for the whole top secret thing, announcing that you have 'found intelligent life' on another planet is a HUGE deal, people are going to want to know if they're a potential threat or hostile, and if you cant answer that question people are going to panic. Also, you have to consider the impact it would have on the global economy, a lot of people are going to want to be able to establish reliable contact and others will want to ensure that the planet itself is safe and construct planetary defenses. So a lot of money is going to change hands. Not only that, geopolitical impacts are anybodies guess, when you realize you may have to depend on your worst enemy in the future fighting a completely inhuman threat, it would change the perspective of a lot nations, though there are probably some negative effects as well. For example, Religious impacts would range from a non-starter to devastating. Creationalisim (while I maintain that is a Silly Silly idea and not scientific any form or fashion) would be pretty much disproved. And many people would not take it well. There would be people claiming that they are demons, or tricking us, or mind control, despite any of their actual intentions.
So, yes. I think keeping this under the rug until it can be safely brokered to the public is a VERY good idea.
297767
Some of what you listed there might not be a problem. Remember, this is a 23rd century earth we're dealing with. It seems from what we've been given that Earth is (at the very least in my opinion) nominally united, and has been in space for some time.
As for creationism, I think it'd be safe to say that we won't have to worry about that by the 2250's.
297644 OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!! So if it's not a timeskip, the Arrow is merely broadcasting everything back to Earth, including the maintenance and cleaning logs. So that's how they know about RD's feather.
Could the psychologist diagnose our favorite astronaut with some sort of dementia? I mean, I've heard about old people forgetting how to use their household appliances but no one knows they can't function because they've retained all their niceties and social skills. So maybe they think he has, like, Empirical Dementia?
Timeline:
Left Earth: Feb 2257.
Arrived Equestria: July 2257 (22 weeks travel). Begin transmission of data logs.
Data logs received on Earth: July 2258 (transmission time: 51 weeks).
ETA back on Earth: Aug 2258 (mission duration: 18 months).
>>Most likely, immediately preceded by the log about his first meeting with Twilight Sparkle, sent Aug 2257.
If he's coming back on schedule, there's no way for them to know it because he's travelling at twice the velocity of his radio transmissions. And they'll only have five weeks to sort out exactly how to "treat" him once he gets back. Plans that will fly out the window if those six extra crew berths are occupied.
297767 It's not necessarily a done deal that Creationism would be disproved by this. Bear with me here, but if we take the Panspermia Hypothesis into account, and say that sometime during the 4th or 5th "Day of Creation" a meteorite hit the ground with enough force to expel chunks of earth with Life on them into Space, and these organisms ended up crash-landing in Equestria, it's not inconceivable that there could be a parallel evolutionary chain going on. (I put "Day" in quotes, because not only do we not know how long each creative period was, we also don't know how it worked - for all we know, God used Evolution as one of His operative tools to create life!)
It's a scenario that would probably take all the power of Adams' Improbability Drive to pull off, but that doesn't make it any less fun to think about, right?
What form of life could survive a journey through the Icy Blackness of Space, you ask? The Tardigrade.
There's no mention of direct interview with Randy, only medical/psychological reports which I can explain by assuming these were the standard pre-mission reports I imagine protocol dictates any long-term explorer takes.
My pet theory is that he stayed on Equestria and just sent the ship back on autopilot, perhaps as a safety measure due to an escalation of the malfunction mentioned previously.
297791
My thoughts exactly! I was never a strict creationism person. God created the universe in 7 days, but not any real specifics other than he spoke and it was done. I prefer to keep my mind open to interpretations that support both God and Science, seeing as how structure and order doesn't necessarily equate to God not existing.
Of course, This is a story about ponies and I tend to go overboard when I'm tired, so I apologize to people who either don't want to hear me be preachy or who just simply disagree.
>>AdmiralTigerclaw
As for pony related topics, I like the way this story has been presented thus far and developed. With the conversations and interactions between Twilight and Randy and the others,it is a very realistic and well developed story.
..............Well, all things considered anyway....
Keep up the good work!
I can no longer describe how awesome this is. I really like how logical everything is coming in.
I'm probably gonna have to take a break during the next chapter to scrape my brain off the floor.
THE INVASION HAS BEGUN.
This story is, indeed,
i.imgur.com/NXbWk.gif
I do love the amount of thought your putting into this Admiral. But it is far to much for my meager mind at this time. So I will find a cozy corner and await the updates.
Something tells me that Celestia is going to troll them somehow at some point.
Eh im really hoping you don't go for the doomsday scenario, you know the type
Hah! I had almost forgotten that the mission wasn't stranded or anything!
298046 I double that, destruction of worlds is no fun to read.
Transmitted logs... intriguing. Can't wait to see the parallel shitstorm on earth while Randy is having fun with the ponies
297822
This kinda sums up my thoughts on creationism: http://www.poisonedminds.com/d/20110509.html
Maybe there's a God who started it all, but that's just how he did it
298114 Yup
297639
Just gota be sneaky, take out the star thrower first before she knows your going after her. And also, be prepared to RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN If thing go south. Try to lure her outside her sphere of power (if there is one) then destroy them!
oh shiz the goverment gona be all of it
Probably my favourite story at the moment. I keep expecting a drop off but it just keeps getting better.
I also noticed that the events in this chapter have to have happened at the very least since he met Dash, I can't really see Twilight having a random Dash feather on her
Ah, Captain Edwards...
They didn't believe you, but once they had to, they started planning how to use them.
You "should have told them to run, as fast as they can. Run and hide, because the monsters are coming -the human race."
Fascinating story, though I fear for the future of ponykind.
298422
Why should they fear us? It's not like every civilization in the history of our species has some sort of horrible track record with killing/subjugating others, most of the the for questionable benefi-
Oh damnit.
There was another "Starship from Earth discovers Equestria" story.
(Discontinued?)
The humans thought their technology gave them an overwhelming military advantage.
(But they said it wasn't going to be an invasion.)
The updates stopped before First Contact.
In one on my comments I turned Clarkes' 3rd law on its ear.
"Sufficently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology."
Geeze Twilight! Show him a teleport!
Then you have to watch their minds explode on the meeting of Celestia or Luna.
"Any sufficiently anylized magic is INDISTINGUISHABLE from SCIENCE!"
- Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius Comic
This series is basically the greatest episode of Star Trek I've ever read. I'm loving it.
I like to call magic a science that noone can summarize or give SANE explanation to.
What I'm interupting from this is there will be a conflict of interest between our MC (Lone Ranger) and the GSA people. MC will be fighting against some decision that the GSA wants him to do, or, better yet, a world leader.
But that is my assumption. Later chapters will clarify my assumptions of the future.
ONWARD!
Oh yea, Uh, I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite story on the citadel! (so far)
297605
Not Brobdingnagians, Houyhnhms.
298629 298829 Aww, you beat me to it. But Girl Genius is still the best, so I'll direct everypony there via this elegant and finely-crafted link.
298858 Well, I guess I just proved I've never actually read Gulliver's Travels. I just picked up on the "nag" in the name and connected it with horses. Houyhnhms, d'oh.
Now things are really getting interesting!
I hope he stays xD Y go back to earth, if you can help it?
My brain hurts from reading the scientific arguments going on in the comments. But this is a great story, I love how realistic your approach to Equestria is.
yay
Wish I could like this another 20 times now.
ΔΓ