Equestia Prime - A New Eden Tale

by Critic Aria Blaze

Hitching A Ride

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The room was dark with only a small amount of light being shone from beneath a sealed door. Silence and darkness seemed to be all the room held. A single light that said “Powering On” started blinking. As it stopped slowly the room began to  brighten up and the sound of a electric current started humming as each individual room light flickers on and devices revived power.

A holo-display of a large screen in the center of the room materialized piecing together like a puzzle.A speaker on the sealing squeaked on with a woman's voice coming through it.“Miss you have a call from a secure line”. The voice echoed in the room.As the lights continued to turn on a single large portion of the room stayed dark. The area had a large indent in the wall which contained a bed with a mountain of sheets and blankets on top of it. The lights began to power and flicker on over the bed but a arm reached out of the pile of blankets to quickly shut of the powering lights from wall switch. The speaker squeaked on again.“Miss I would also like to inform you we have arrived in Equestria Prime System we will be exiting warp in a hour to New Cloudsdale Citadel”, the voice echoed again.A loud groan bellowed from under the pile of blankets before being thrown off the bed. A young woman slowly sat up from the bed stretching her arms. The woman's mass amount of orange and golden hair that was in her face matched her night gown. She swung her legs over the side of the bed letting her feet touch the floor. She jumped back quickly on to the bed, the floor was ice cold. The women quickly reached for a panel on the wall next to her. As she did the section of the wall lit up showing different information and touch dials. She touched the section that said room environment.Changing the room to a more comfortable temperature she got up from the bed and walked to the tall mirror. The mirror illuminated as it scanned her checking vitals and other health statuses. She frowned as it showed she gained a couple pounds.“Miss Adagio you still have a incoming call from the Citadel”, the voice said again. Adagio rolled her eyes as she moved her heap of hair around and fixed it up. “Go ahead patch it through”, she groaned as she didn’t want to be bothered. A holo-screen popped up on the mirror with the words “incoming call” blinking on the screen. Adagio touched the pick up button which opened a blank camera screen.“Dadgi! Hey where are you?” a voice squealed from the still blank screen. Adagio recognized the voice and continue getting herself together. “I'm hitching a ride on the Symphony of New Eden”, Adagio said changing out of her night gown quickly. “Sonata your screen is still blank by the way”, Adagio said putting on new clothes.“Oh right lemme fix that”, Sonata said before she finally fixed the screen zoomed in on one of her eyes.“You're looking well Adagio you sleep good”, Sonata said with a huge forced grin on her face as the camera zoomed back out. “What do you need Sonata I'm kind of busy at the moment”, Adagio gathered her belongings and began stuffing everything in a duffle bag. Adagio looked at the screen again. Sonata looked as though she was rummaging through something making a lot of noise before pulling a paper with a lot of check boxes.Adagio was getting annoyed, she didn’t want to be on the ship and she didn’t feel like talking either. “I have to head to the ship bridge and thank Octavia for the ride”, Finally zipping up the bag.“Oooh, a fancy ride on a Nestor class battleship”, Sonata giggled.“Can we continue”, Adagio was getting aggravated. Sonata’s huge smile flipped into a frown. Sonata let out a huge sigh before finally speaking. “Well Aria said we need to talk to Sunset about getting parts and repairs done to the…”, Sonata was cut off quickly by Adagio.“We do not need to go through her we can easily find someone else!”, Adagio snapped as she threw the bag over her shoulder and grabbed the floating holo-screen carrying it with her.Sonata still frowning looked around the room she was in as though she might find the right words. “I mean we could and would go to the capital to get the parts for the Siren but the jump gates are super busy this week we might not get in”, Sonata said looking concerned. Adagio was now out of her guest quarters and walking down the crew living quarters walkway. All the walls and doors were white with red trim each one with at least three names on the door. Adagio recognized some of the names to the living quarters.“What's with all the security is it some sort of imperial get together”, Adagio chuckled. She never was fond of the independent kingdom of Equestria Prime allying themselves with the Amarr Empire. A religious dictatorship which crusaded its way across New Eden forcing its religion were ever star system it crossed. The only reason The kingdom of Equestria Prime didn’t have to bend to their ways was only due to Princess Celesita became diplomatically friendly with Amarr’s Empress. Adagio now at the end of the walkway in front of a elevator. Activating the elevator to the bridge she felt as though there was a slight jerk back of the ship. Though it was barely noticeable, Adagio felt it but ignored it. The elevator doors opened with a hissing sound of compressed air. Adagio walked into the elevator selecting the bridge. Sonata on the screen was typing away searching for something on a screen next to her.“I think the Empress herself is christening new royal ship this week, some new hi-tech Abaddon”, Sonata pulled up a article and put it on her display showing a large deep red golden ship.“I suppose Princess Celestia will attend as well”, Adagio rolled her eyes.As Adagio rode the elevator she could now feel the ship's warp drive come to a staggering stop leaving her concerned. They should be in warp for a hour more, something wasn't right. A loud bellowing metal sound shudder the elevator and sounded like it rippled through the ship.“What's that sound Adagio you alright”, Sonata said as she put her ear to the screen.“I need to let you go Sonata I'll be at the bridge in a second”,  Adagio swiped the screen away and waited for elevator to stop. Finally the door opened and she began walking quickly to the the bridge. Adagio ran scenarios in her head of why they would leave warp early and none were good reasons. The shuddering metal sound happened again but louder than before.Suddenly then everything jerked forward almost making Adagio fall to the floor. It was as though the shipped rammed into something, but Adagio knew this wasn't the case. Panic flowed through Adagio’s body as the realization of what was actually happening in her mind. They didn't ram something it was far worse, they were forced out of warp. Adagio ran as fast as she could to the bridge her bag flailing behind her. She could now hear people yelling as she approached the door to the command bridge. The door quickly slid open as Adagio ran into room. The ship's command bridge was in chaos and Octavia was pacing back in forth. The pinging sound of the scanners could be heard running over time. So many noises were being made you could barely hear the panicked voices of the crew.“Check it again there has to be something”, Octavia said sternly while continuing to look at display screen after screen of outside the ship. Since the ship bridge had no windows it relied on hundreds of cameras.“Ma’am there isn't anything on scanners and probes the area is empty!”, The crewmen on scans said to Octavia while swiping away scan results. “There's nothing on visual scan either!”, the crewmen continued.“Check again and then double check it”, Octavia said before turning around facing Adagio. “Nice of you to join us”, Octavia said sarcastically.“What's happened?”, Adagio she looked around the bridge people were scurrying around trying to pull things together of situation around them.“We were pulled out of warp but we can't find the vessel that did it”, Octavia turned back around to help the crew. “I can’t have just one simple flight”, she groaned.Adagio looked around the room at the visual displays. Adagio recognized the area of the Equestria Prime they were in due to the distance of the celestial bodies in the system. One especially was the sun which gave her a bit of relief. The bad news was they were still 20 light-years from New Cloudsdale. Adagio knew they were sitting in a death trap. Someone wanted them here and as far away from help as possible.Finally the words they were waiting for that made everyone's blood run cold.“Multiple contacts three Armageddon class battleships de-cloaking 20 kilometers to starboard side!”,  the crewman on scans yelled.The three ships looked like giant spears and their armor was painted in patterned of a murder blood splattered scheme which gave a way their identities. The enemy ships were Blood Raider pirate's, one of the most feared of four pirate factions. Notorious for capturing victims of ambushes and drinking their blood and ate them.“Begin locking on to all three and start warp drive we are getting out of this ambush”. Octavia barked.“Yes ma’am!”, the crew said all together.Octavia looked at Adagio who was looking at a empty area space on a screen with a puzzled and frightened look.“Adagio….ADAGIO!”, Octavia yelled waiting for a response. But Adagio stayed silent. Something on that screen had her frozen.“First cannon volley ready!”, a crewmen said from the gun bays com-system.“Open fire!”, Octavia yelled. The sound from the starboard side guns made a loud crack like thunder as the heavy beam lasers released from the canon's  mouths. The beams could be seen on one of the camera screens ripping through one of the pirates shields. The canons continued to fire on one of the pirates as its shield fell apart. Though the pirate’s fired back the Symphony of New Edens shields held strong.Octavia watched the pirate ship start to break up as the lasers ripped through its armor. Octavia’s attention though kept turning to Adagio who continued to stare at the same screen. Before Octavia tried to get her attention she noticed the pirate ship that was now heavily damaged start to explode all over it's hull. Finally it couldn't hold anymore and erupted into a ball of blinding light sending a shock wave slightly rocking the ship.“First target destroyed, warp drive at 80 percent”, a crewman yelled.“Good everyone prepare for warp!”, Octavia nodded then turned to look at Adagio again only though now Adagio was staring back at Octavia. Her face looked as though death itself stood in front of her. Her facial expression was of nothing else but absolute fear.“There's a w-wormhole that just formed off our port side”, Adagio shuddered as the words left her mouth. Octavia rushed to Adagios side as they both looked at the ripple in space. Most wormholes are unstable and collapse in hours but the screen indicated that it was stable and only one nation in New Eden could do that.Octavia choked on the words that left her in fear, “The Jove are here”.“Ma’am two vessels are jumping in port side right on top of us”, a crewmen on the navigation panel yelled. A green flash erupted from the wormhole with two sleek gray ships burst from the ripple is space. The ships looked like knives with black spikes bursting from the rear and belly's. Octavia stood frozen as the ships flew silently in front of the ship. The remaining pirates halted their firing and began to decelerate. Slow the ship to zero, stop the warp drive but divert all power for emergency jump that means the canons too, Octavia said calmly not taking her eyes off the screen.Y-yes ma’am, a navigation officer said.“Jove….in Equestrian space?”, one of the crew said frightened.“Those don’t look like Jove ships”, another said panicked. The crew became frantic and they became frightened of the unknown ships.“QUIET!”, Octavia yelled. The entire ship was sound, no one said a word. The crew watched on the screens as black vessels slowly pass above them into our frontal view camera. Then the two Drifters stopped and stayed motionless for a moment. Octavia walked slowly to the navigation pilot. Tapping on the pilot's shoulder she spoke calmly.“How long till will it take to get warp ready with the power diverted?”, Octavia said looking the pilot straight in the eyes.“Two...two minutes jump into warp space again ma’am”, the pilot said shaking.“Good make it happen”, Octavia said patting the pilot's shoulder.“Ma’am large energy build up coming from both unknown vessels”, the crewmen on scans yelled.The two black ships pulsed green till they both ships released large green beam that targeted both of the pirates. The beam sliced through the ship's cutting them in half. The crew, Octavia and Adagio stood in horror as how easily the unknown ships destroyed the pirates. But that stopped when ships turned to Octavia’s ship. “Begin warp systems NOW!”, Octavia yelled franticly.The black ships began releasing smaller beams at the Symphony of New Eden tearing apart its shields. The armor was tough but it still struggled to hold. Sparks began to fly from electronics and the crew ran from their station. In the panic Octavia grabbed Adagio’s wrist and pulled her to the door to exit the bridge. Octavia turned to the crew and gave one last order.“Everyone to the escape pods now we’re abandoning ship”.