Alone, so alone. Do you know what it's like to be in solitude for a millennium or more? Cryostasis is an unforgiving way of space travel. It puts you in a deep sleep, but you are still conscious. Your brain is kept alive, to a level you cannot dream, but you are still aware. Black is all that you see, it's enough to shatter the mind. Of course your brain is not active enough for you to truly go insane, that's about the only plus side. Still, it hurts. Not physically, but emotionally. To know that you are alone with only the darkness to comfort you.
I used to be a General, a commander, a leader! Now it has all been stripped away from me because of one mistake, one miscalculation is all that it took for my forces to crumble. I had underestimated my enemy, after so many victories against them I thought I was invincible. I was wrong, and for that I suffered. All my men and women, the ones I called my brothers and sisters in arms died because of me. All it took was one mistake. That is how fragile life truly is. May God rest their souls and have mercy upon me.
It's all my fault! Why did I not see their forces flanking us!? It was so obvious, I thought it was a ruse to distract us from the main attack force.
No matter, what has been done cannot be undone. Time marches on, and those who do not keep up are left behind. It’s a painful truth, to know your place in the Universe is more fragile than thin glass. Though there is hope, bodies die but souls live on. Sadly, my body has yet to die, it remains frozen in an icy box, forever drifting in the infinite expanse of space. God only knows when my suffering will end, but I pray that it is soon.
Sooner than I think too…
The hull of the warship slowly drifted out behind a moon approaching a large Earth like planet. Alarms began blaring all over the ship, secondary and primary systems coming to life near instantly. The ships gravity manipulators and main engines sparked to life before going into overtime. The ship lurched to the left as it began turning to avoid the colossal space rock, known as the planets single and only moon, as it rapidly moved. Once gaining a good distance between the vessel and the rapidly moving celestial body the ships VI began to try and figure out why the celestial bodies were going wild.
It soon locked onto an energy source coming from the planets surface. Turning the ship to face directly towards the source of the energy signal the engines came fully online. Lightning like achs of energy danced across the ships surface as it calculated the jump to the planet. In a bright flash of white light and a wave that warped light around it the ship vanished, only to reappear above the planet's atmosphere in a near instant.
The VI began the thawing process of its one and only crew member to survive, aka me. Inside the pods robotic arms began to chip away at the ice that had gathered as others with syringes began to stab at the open points of flesh. As frozen cells began to thaw the substance that had been injected into my body worked its magic and made the revival process much easier. Blood Cells began circulating through my body once again and delivering oxygen that was pumped directly into my lungs to the thawing mussels. An hour later the arms retreated back into their containers as the hatch opened.
My eyes fluttered open as my mind was slow to wake. I laid there for a minute trying to get my bearings before I was able to lift myself out of the pod. I was completely in the nude, but my mind honestly didn't care. Lifting myself out of the pod I stumbled over to a nearby locker. Working on basic muscle memory I got on a pair of black boxers and a white tank top. I didn't bother putting on boots as my mind was focused on other things. One of them being that I was hungry. No, hungry isn't the right word. I was STARVING.
Stumbling into the cafeteria I lazily grabbed a frozen chunk of beef out of the freezer before literally dropping it on a plate and throwing it into the replicator. I shut the machines door before pressing the button that said ‘steak’. Not only a second later did lasers come out and cook the food along with cut off any large chunks of fat before literally vaporizing them. All it took was a few seconds and behold a nice juicy, succulent steak was prepared. I took it out of the replicator before making my way over to the table closest to the window.
Sitting down in the synthetic leather seats I gazed out unto the vastness of space, my mind wondering. It was truly a beautiful sight. Millions upon billions of stars just floating there, each radiating their light across the universe. To others it was just a normal thing to see, to me it was an example of beauty and of God’s work. Now I am a religious person, mostly thanks to my position. Though I was raised by a Christian family, my faith didn’t take off until I joined the military.
Ever heard of “no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole?” Trust me, it’s true depending on why you're in one. When there are tanks surrounding you, artillery hammering your position as you watch your fellow soldiers get cut down by automatic laser fire sometimes calling upon a higher being is about the only thing you can do and pray you get out alive. Even if God doesn't exist, faith can keep you strong when life seems to hate your guts. At my age of one-hundred and sixteen, faith is about the only thing that keeps me going.
Trust me, I have seen some shit in my lifetime, things that would tear apart a man from the inside and slowly degrade them. Some wonder why I believe in a God, so I tell them the same thing I told you. Faith can keep a man going.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I lifted my knife and fork before cutting into to the juicy piece of meat. Though it was military provisions it was like heaven to me. Trust me, when you have been in an icebox for God knows how long the simplest things are like a blessing. I soon found my manners severely lacking as I just picked up the slab of meat and taking bites out of it. I honestly didn’t care if I looked like an animal, neither did my mind nor stomach.
Soon it disappeared completely, the only trace of it left were the juices covering my hands, mouth, and the plate in had been on. Taking a napkin I wiped my hands and mouth. Grabbing the plate I lazily dropped it into the dishwasher before making my way towards the shower block. Once there I stripped of my clothes and turned on the faucet. My body was just above standard military par, various scars covered various parts of my body. Though they were near noticeable thanks to modern medical science. I quickly washed myself off before turning off the comforting warm water. I was blasted by cold air when I entered the locker room.
The shower helped bring my mind up to speed as I found my movements more rapid and define, no longer sluggish and uncoordinated.
Opening my locker I quickly took out my belongings and put them on. Boots, Check. Dog-tags, Check. BDUs, Check. Boxers, Check. Finally, I put on a plane white t-shirt.
I walked down one of the many corridors of the vessel heading towards the bridge. Upon entering I was greeted by a great view of the planet below. The entire lower portion of the bridge was filled with it. Looking directly down I could see the various clouds and a landmass below me.
I marveled at the sight for a few moments before turning my attention to the flashing blue light on a holographic monitor. Walking over to it I pressed the flashing dot before various amounts of information were streamed directly into my head. It didn't take long to understand it all. The ships condition was near perfect besides some plasma scarring on the starboard side of the hull and four turrets completely out of action. Four out of one-hundred railgun/plasma/turbolaser turrets that dotted the hull of the vessel. That’s just the main turrets, the secondaries were near completely fine.
Now, onto the second stage.
“VI, I want 3D scans of this planet's surface and a map made ASAP.” I ordered, there was a high-pitched beeping noise before a hologram appeared in front of me. Grabbing it I turned it on it’s back before expanding it. I observed the map below me, curiously looking at the various areas that were highlighted. I soon discovered the areas seemed to be towns, villages, and even small cities.
“VI. I want Sparrows ready to deploy. Arm them with both air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, and get this vessel cloaked before anything on the planets surface sees us.” With another high pitched beep small bolts of electricity arched their way across the surface of the ships hull before the vessel completely vanished. Smiling in satisfaction I looked back to the map below me. After studying it for a while I noticed something, something that shouldn't be possible.
“VI, why is the planet covered in mostly ice. From where the planet is located it should be earth-like, not part frozen tundra. That along with the last of the remaining land not covered by ice is the complete opposite and unaffected thus meaning it isn't an ice age.” There were a few more beeps and boops, each being different in pitch and tone. You may not understand it, but to me it was completely understandable. “Hmm, very well then. Prepare a weather satellite for deployment. Once it ready drop it behind us and let it do it’s thing. I on the other hand need as much information on the planets geography.”
With a single high-pitched beep various amounts of information began to pour directly into my head. Sitting down in the Captain chair I began sorting and analyzing the various files. This is going to take a while.
__________
Down on the planet's surface, a Pegasus going by the name of Sure Spear trotted across the frozen wasteland alone. The raging winds around her made it impossible to fly to her destination, so she had no choice but to walk. She shivered in her armor, the fact that it felt like she was carrying a block of ice didn't help. In fact the armor made the cold feel even worse, but it also served to protect her from the harsh winds.
Trotting up a small hill she gazed upon her destination. A camp, to be more specific a Pegasus military camp. She began trotting down to the small encampment. Coming to the entrance two Pegasus mares greeted her. They stopped a few feet from her. Sure Spear opened her wings, it was a sign of identification. Upon seeing she was another Pegasus they let her in. Flanking her sides they began trotting into the heart of the camp.
Sure Spear's eyes scanned the area. Most of the camp's inhabitants were inside tents trying to get warm and avoid the cold. Others walked around the place going about various tasks they have been given. She even saw a few stallions among the mix. That was rare, even among Pegasi culture. All three pony tribes believed that a stallions place was below a mare, and I mean in society. Get you head out of the gutter, that is an order!
Anyway, her eyes soon found themselves focused on a particular emblem. It looked like grey swirling clouds with three yellow lightning bolts coming down from the epicenter of the formation. Sure Spears blood ran cold as she realized the emblem. It was the mark of Commander Hurricane.
‘Commander Hurricane?! Here?! Something must be going on if Hurricane herself is at this camp.” She would be correct in her assumptions. For this camp is deep within’ Unicorn territory and would be used a spear head position if they were ever to go to war with the Unicorns. She swallowed fearfully as she was directed to the tent in which the emblem was stitched too. The mare to her left trotted ahead and lifted the tents flap with her wing.
Sure Spear entered the tent and looked around. Inside Commander Hurricane seemed to be preoccupied with a single stallion. A look of fear was planted firmly on his face, beats of sweat were pouring down his head as he tried to keep himself from moving, like if Hurricanes sight was based off movement. The Commander however only paced around the stallion like a shark.
Commander Hurricanes coat was spruce blue with with a steel grey mane. Her armor was black and her helmet lay on a table with a map laying on it. The stallion was a fiery red color with a orange mane.
“Commander, please let me explain.” The stallion nervously said.
“There is nothing to explain Backburner, you attacked a Unicorn caravan without orders to.”
“B-bu-bu-but, they were close to the camp, surely that would…”
“No! The caravan was far enough away where they wouldn't have seen us. Had you and your soldiers left any survivors, they would have alerted the closest Unicorn Guard regiment and we would have been discovered. Not only that, but the fact that the caravan not arriving to where it was going could warrant suspicion.” Hurricane ranted. Her circling of the single stallion increased each second. “For your lack of observation and obedience I have decided you will be discharged and exiled.”
“Exiled?! Commander, you can’t do-” His objection was cut off when a armored hoof slammed into his jaw sending him flying across the room. He slammed into the ground a slid to a halt.
“Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do. You’re mine. Your mind, body, and soul belong to me ever since you joined the Legion. If you were a mare I would have executed you right here and now. However, since the Council has decreed I cannot kill a stallion I will exile you. From now on you are an outsider and will be treated as one. Now get out of MY camp before I change my mind.” The stallion bolted up from his position and began running like the Devil himself was hot on his heels.
The two Pegasi mares looked at the commander with a raised eyebrow, as if they were expecting something. Hurricane nodded and a twisted smile formed on the mares faces before they walked out of the tent. Sure Spear was confused for a moment before her eyes went wide as the smell of arousal hit her nose.
‘No, she couldn't have.’ Sure Spear. There was a rumor that Commander Hurricane would allow her personal officers to abuse and use stallions under their or her command. It made her sick to think that the “Honorable Commander Hurricane” or “Earths Bane” would allow such a thing to happen under her command.
“Now...” Sure Spear head turned towards Hurricane and made eye contact with her Emerald Eyes. “... what happened here never happened, is this understood?”
Sure Spear nodded quickly, having no intention of angering the mare.
“Good. Scout Sure Spear, what have you to report?” Asked Hurricane acting as if what transpired just seconds ago didn't happen at all.
“U-um. Unicorn Regiments have recently been a bit more active as patrols along the western border have been more common.” She said.
“Can you show me exactly where?”
“Yes ma’am.” They trotted over to a table in the center of the tent. On it was a large map of the Unicorn Kingdom. It was small compared to the Pegasus Empire or Earth Pony Clans, but equally as dangerous. They may not have land or numbers, but they had magic. Unicorns could wield magic like no other being, making them a dangerous foe on the battlefield. They were also more liberal when it came to their males, this is thanks to Princess Platinum mostly. She was a daughter of a Unicorn King, and she was raised by a very kind father who had little power really.
Due to her actions stallions had a lot more say and control over their lives than they did in the past. Though they weren't fully equal to mares they could refuse to do things that other nations forced their male populations to do.
Anyway, getting back on track. Sure Spear showed where the patrols were becoming more common. Indeed, it was a bit strange. It’s like something put the Unicorns on high alert, but it wasn't them. The camp was at their southern border, but their attention seemed to be focused to more to the west and more spread out. What could they be looking for?
“Are you sure about the location of these patrols?”
“Yes ma’am.” Hurricane furrowed her brow in concentration. However, it was all broken when murmurs began to come from outside the tent. It only became louder as various gasps and ‘oooohs’ came from outside. The two mares looked at each other quizzically before walking outside.
Outside, both mares and stallions had gathered with their gazes locked to the sky.
“What’s going on here?” Demanded Hurricane.
“Look!” Replied a mare as a hoof stuck up from the crowd. Hurricane and Sure Spear lifted their gazes up and gasped in unison as they saw what everyone was looking it. Falling stars, hundreds of them were falling from the sky. Each of them falling in close numbers and vanishing after a few seconds. It was a breathtaking sight. No one had ever seen such an event before. One or two falling stars at random, sure, but a group? Nope. Soon it all ended leaving behind awestruck Pegasi and Unicorns, in nearby villages, alike.
__________
Clover the Clever paced around in her observatory room as various star charts and other astronomy related things scattered the room. Clover’s coat was a tea green as her mane and tail were emerald on one part as the ends were jade. Her eyes were lavender in color.
“It doesn't make any sense I’m telling you!” Said Clover to the other unicorn in the room. At the entrance of the observatory was Princess Platinum herself. Like her name, her mane was a platinum color as her coat was a snow white. Her eyes took after her fathers and were like royal wine. “Nothing in the way that you described exists out there, and that magical burst shouldn't even be possible! It just doesn't add up.”
“Clover, please calm yourself.” Platinum's attempt to calm down her advisor, and best friend, was futile.
“Calm?! I’M COMPLETELY CALM!” Snapped Clover causing Platinum to wince.
‘If this is how she normally reacts under stress then I’d hate to see her in heat.’ Thought Platinum.
“But you’re right. I need to calm down.” Clover sighed and slumped to the floor. The room fell silent as Clover just laid there and tried to calm her mind which was running a million miles a second. When she finally calmed down she lifted herself off the marble floor and gazed upon the night sky. Platinum trotted up beside her and gazed upon the stars with her friend.
“A beautiful sight, is it not?” Asked Platinum.
“It is without a doubt.” They stood their for a few moments, just as Clover was turning around she spotted something in the corner of her. A single falling star fell from the heavens, followed by another, and another. Soon a full shower began to fall, any unicorns on the street stopped and looked in awe at the shower of lights. Soon it all stopped and returned to normal.
After a few moments of silence Clover quickly rushed over to her journal, quill, and ink that had been laying on a nearby table. Lifting them with her magic she quickly described the event that had just transpired. That is, until a violent screech filled the air.
*sccrrreeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!* *WHUMP, BOOM!*
The castle shook from the impact of a large object in the gardens. Dirt was lifted into the air as the object slammed into the earth and dug a trench through the ground. Books, pottery, and all sorts of other items fell from where their sat. Even the two Unicorns tumbled to the ground along with many servants and guards in the castle. Soon everything fell silent.
Platinum and Clover slowly lifted themselves to their hooves.
“Are you OK?” Platinum asked, concerned about the health of her friend.
“I’m… fine, are you?”
“It would take more than a simple shake to put me down darling.” Their gazes soon fell upon a window overlooking the gardens. They swiftly galloped over to it. Gazing upon the now obliterated garden they gasped in shock. Trees, bushes, and even boulders were completely decimated in the trenches path, but that isn't what they gasped at. It was what was at the end of the trench.
It was a big, bird like monstrosity. It’s jet black wings and body were four times longer than the biggest Earth Pony and the wingspan was more than double that. Sparks of electricity and flashing red lights came from within the beast. The outside seemed almost intact besides some cracks and breaks along its body. The noes suffered the worst as it had driven itself straight into the castles stone wall. Already guards were swarming the area, charging spells and getting into defensive positions.
‘Speaking of guards…’ As if on cue a unicorn mare in armor stormed into the room.
“Your majesty, are you alright?!” Demanded the guard as she galloped up to them.
“I am quite fine.”
“How about you advisor?”
“Never been better!” She half-heartedly joked.
“Ma’am, this is no time for games! We thought that… thing had hit the tower seeing how close it came to impacting it. It had luckily somehow change course just as it was about to impact and instead slammed into the garden.”
“Was anyone in the garden when it hit?” Platinum asked with concern.
“Luckily no, but it nearly caused the eastern inner wall to collapse on itself.” They had walked out of the observatory by now and were moving away from the gardens. As much as both Clover and Platinum wanted to see it up close, they were not allowed until the guard deemed it safe.
“One of the Sparrows crashed?” I asked the VI. It replied with a high-pitched beep. I furrowed my brows while turning towards the planet just behind the bridges window. Looking down I gazed upon the icy planet, which at the moment was shrouded in the darkness of night. “Along with it landing in the middle of a colony?”
Another high-pitched beep. I sighed in frustration. I should have seen this coming. Though the drones were well preserved I had expected at least one to fail on entry and explode in atmosphere. Instead it decided to drive straight into the ground, worst of all, it landed in the middle of a structure. It looked familiar to a castle you would see in fairy tales. Luckily, the autopilot was smart enough to avoid going kamikaze and correctly turned itself towards an open space in which it could crash land.
The Sparrow at the moment was still intact, if not barely. Unfortunately, it landed in the middle of a undoubtedly populated city. I was hoping to go unnoticed by the local population and observe them before initiating contact. Sadly, I had no such luck. The Sparrows crash would attract a lot of attention. If I were to try and retrieve it I could spark something, I just pray the locals don’t touch anything.
__________
Unicorn Guards surrounded the Sparrow as it lay where it had come to a halt. The common electric spark and small electrical fires were lighting up the area around it. A single Unicorn approached the downed Sparrow and began charging up a spell. Once close enough she scanned the metal bird looking for any signs of life.
None.
“It’s dead.” She announced. Unicorn Guards who had been holding their breaths exhaled in relief. They soon got closer to the machine, one curious enough to even lightly jab it with a spear.
“Go get the princess and the adviser.” Ordered the Unicorn Guard Captain. The mare standing beside her nodded before trotting off. Upon her departure the Captain began to approach the Sparrow. A few minutes later Platinum and Clover wandered into the garden. Escorted by four Elite Unicorn Guardmares they approached the Sparrow. Soon they were standing meters away from it.
“By the gods, the heat is unbearable.” Commented Platinum. Clover had to agree, the Sparrows surface radiated with heat, still hot from entry and made the air around it impossible to stand near for too long. Steam was even rising from the hull. However, curiosity getting the better of Clover she began to approach it again.
“Wait!” Yelled the Captain. Clover found herself being pushed back by the two Unicorn Guards flanking her. “The surface is still hot, watch.”
The Captain proceeded to pick a berry from a nearby bush. It was big, blue, plump, and most of all juicy. She tossed it at the Sparrows hull. However, instead of colliding with the Sparrow’s surface there was an electric screech as a blue field appeared around the Sparrow. Said field was not completely transparent like the shields produced by Unicorn Mages, instead it had various colors of blue and white energy moving in waves without pattern.
Everyone backpedaled as their eyes went wide with fear. Guards were quick to form a barrier around their Princess and Adviser, ready to take whatever the Sparrow would throw at them. Soon the shimmering shield died down and returned to it’s invisible state.
Upon seeing that the Sparrow had settled down they slowly began to approach it again.
“Fascinating.” Clover said to no one in particular. Just as she was about to inch closer once again, a hatch began to open. The Guards again on alert formed a defensive formation around their leaders. Something then flew out of the hatch. A disk, a floating disk slowly levitated itself out of the Sparrow. It was soon followed by nine more. They hovered just out of the hatch.
Crossbows, spells, and Ballistas along the castle walls aimed towards the group, ready to fire at a moments notice. Then, they all vanished. Light began to bend around them before they flat out disappeared from sight, all but one. This one slowly began to approach the Unicorns in front of it. Unlike the other disks that were pure black, this one had a single white stripe going down the middle.
All the Unicorns backpedaled from the disk, all except the Captain. She kept her focus on it as it approached them, ready to strike if it attacked. The disk seemed to notice her and slowly approach. Her instincts were telling her to run, but she stood fast as it closed the distance between it and her. It stopped just above her muzzle and had to cross her eyes just to focus on it. She could see the reflective lenses of the camera of the disk. It floated there for a few moments before zooming off.
She flinched as it took off into the sky and everyone soon lost sight of it in the darkness. Silence filled the garden, no one taking their eyes off where the disk disappeared. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence a single unicorn guard shattered it.
“What just happened?”
__________
‘So, cold. So…. cold.’ Hoof steps crunched softly in the snow. A lone Unicorn mare stumbled through the icy tundra. Wrapped in right foreleg was a young Unicorn colt who clings to his mothers chest for warmth. It was a vain attempt sadly. Their bodies fur did little to protect them from the cold.
They had been heading towards a town with a caravan that had gladly let them hitch a ride for a small fee. There were three of them, a father, a mother, and a foal in the family. Then they attacked, out of nowhere they dived from the sky and began killing the caravan.
The Pegasi Legion was known for their devastating surprise attacks.
They tried to fight them off, but they were outnumbered and had poor attack spells. Most of the time they were throwing supplies from the carts to use as weapons. Her husband fought with all his might, but in the end he fell to a short sword to the stomach. In that time she and her foal were able to escape in the chaos of it all. He sacrificed himself for that his family could get away.
Sadly, it seemed his sacrifice was in vain. She had ran off in a random direction and was completely lost. Now she was slowly freezing to death along with her foal. Grief and sadness filled her heart, but the sake of her child's survival pushed her on. Frozen tears stuck to her cheeks as her foal’s whimpers grew more faint. She found her legs having a hard time coordinating.
She wasn't paying attention and tripped over something. With a surprised yelp her foal and her tumbled down a slope. She screamed in pain as her legs were broken as she came to a stop. New found tears made their way into her eyes from the white hot searing pain in her legs. However, the sight of her foal sent a bolt of dread through her. The foal she loved so dear had landed on his back and worst of all, wasn't moving.
Driven by her motherly instinct she fought through the pain in her legs and began to crawl towards her foal. Upon reaching him she wrapped her forelegs around him and brought him close to her chest. She looked into her child's emerald eyes, they were full of fear, sadness, pain, and shock. He was frozen, paralyzed. Tears flowed freely from his eyes due to the pain in his back. The worst part, she could do nothing to help her suffering foal. She tried to whisper reassuring words into his ear, like “it’s going to be OK”. It was a lie, there was no spell in existence that could repair a broken spine.
If they were to survive this her child would be paralyzed for the rest of his life. A typhoon of emotions ripped through her heart. Greif from the death of her mate, sorrow for her child, sadness for she could not stop the inevitable, anger towards the Pegasi, and pain from her fall.
Whimpers came from her foal, she reacted by holding him closer.
“Shhh, it’s OK. It will all be over soon.” She said into his ear, trying to comfort her child as much as she could in her final moments. She began closing her eyes, ready for death to take her to the afterlife. Just as she was about to close her eyes for a final time she saw something fly above.
It came back. It wasn't a Pegasi as she originally thought, instead it was a black floating disk. It stopped just above her and slowly lowered down to the ground. Coming beside her she eyed the hoof sized disk as it floated next to her head. It made no sound as it floated along with no physical indication that it even had a way of flying. It was just a smooth, rounded, disk with a single eye that was completely black.
After a few moments of silence she was able to summon the strength to speak.
“W-w-w-what a-are y-yo-you?” It didn't answer her question, after what felt like an eternity it zoomed off faster than she could see. “W-wait, please do-n’t go!”
A volley of emotions filled her heart as her body finally began to shut down from the cold. Darkness began to fill the time of her eyes as she began to lose conscious. “Please, dont-”
Her head slumped into the snow as her eyes closed. Her foal had long since lost consciousness as well, both of them exhausted mentally and physically. Now, they waited for death to take them.
Then a foghorn like sound ripped through the heavens as a Sparrow descended from the storm above. The powerful engines caused snow to lift into the air and thrown all over the place. The belly of the Sparrow opened revealing large robotic arms that folded outward. They slowly made their way towards the pair of Unicorns before gently clamping to their fragile frames. They were soon lifted into the Sparrow’s belly and the hatch closed. Tilting upwards the aircraft rocketed into the sky above at high speeds.
__________
I calmly walked down the ships many halls with my hands behind my back. I had put on my uniform finally after finding it on the laundry deck. The pattern in the uniform was a deep grey. It looked like a near mirror of a twenty to twenty-first century BDU. The only difference was the material it was made out of. We called it Chameleon Silk. It felt like silk, but it was far stronger. This particular fabric could change colors depending on the environment I was in. Since I was in the steel corridors of the vessel my uniform adjusted to the color of the walls.
Anyway, I was walking towards the med-bay at the moment. I had ordered the two ‘Unicorns’ as I decided to dub them to be sent their due to the physical injuries that they have suffered. Alien or not, I was not about to let a them die, I’m to soft to allow that to happen. Yes, I have a bleeding heart, whatcha’ gonna do ‘bout it?
I walked up to the med-bay doors before typing in a code. Once it accepted it the titanium door slid open and allowed me to enter. Inside were various steel tables, medical supplies, and other equipment. Walking in I approached the tables where my quest were sleeping soundly. Laying on their stomachs the anesthetics kept them asleep and unable to feel anything. Small robotic arms danced around their table as they repaired their broken bodies.
The female or mare’s flanks and knees had been cut open as the small steel arms and other equipment began fusing the bones back together. The foal had his back cut wide open exposing his shattered spinal cord. The medical arms were removing and repairing the shattered parts of his spine. Along with that small nanobots were running among their bodies going about smaller jobs like removing dead cells.
The VI had scanned their bodies to look for anything that could be harmful to them. Though the medical VI was programmed for only human anatomy it was also programmed to be adaptable. That and it was going off Earth Equine biology, but it would keep it’s original anatomy, like the fact that horn is for some reason wired into the equines brain, intact.
The sound of lasers pulled me from my thoughts. It seemed that the medical VI was done and now was cauterizing the cuts it had made to get to the injury. Though their fur would undoubtedly be missing from the areas I was sure it would grow back.
I hope.
Either way, now came the difficult part. Trying to interact with them.
