Cosmic Dust

I did it.

I invited her to our usual tea afternoon, where we discussed the country’s current state, as well as her sister’s shenanigans. Can you believe that Luna finally got herself a prodigee? Her, of all ponies! I mentioned how much we had in common, how both of us prefer not to engage in noisy social activities, as a joke.

How folly of me. I immediately apologized, knowing exactly how the subject stung to the Princess of the Night. But that wasn’t what bothered Celestia, no. She focused once more on me, and my lack of available time to such dispensable gatherings. And out of nowhere, she invites me to be by her side in the Grand Galloping Gala.

The Gala! The epitome of arrogance and hypocrisy of our time. Before my mentor could start enticing me with whatever incentives she could muster at the moment, I finally spoke my mind. And to be noted, I was truly needing this.

I let her know how dreadfully exhausted I felt with her feeble attempts in trying to make me abandon my studies for something as trivial as socializing. How could I even consider such a possibility? And I’m this close to finish the Evolution project! After all these years, I hoped she would know me better.

And I kid you not, reader, she teleported away before I could continue. Coward! Afraid of hearing the truth, if I dare say so myself!

“Initiating report zero zero one. Captain Naden Gryphus reporting in. The expedition is about to land on a viable planet. The prisoners’ behaviour has been within acceptable parameters.” The captain finished his log.

The intense white light dimmed as they returned to maneuverable speeds. For a moment Jake could swear he was back in his good old solar system, wasn’t for the planet with several moons and a ring.

Naden grasped the sticks in order to land. Unlike the Mk. II, the Viper was way less cluttered with panels and buttons, making it way easier to understand what to do. Jake had been observing the captain’s interactions with it hoping to learn.

The viper breached atmosphere, a light turbulence shaking the passengers inside not to the point of losing their balance, but having them sit as a precaution. The air around it became red as the air failed to offer resistance to their entry.

After crossing the clouds a forest came into view, the trees swarming the ground as far as the rocky mountains in the horizon allowed to see. The mountain crown completely circled the woods, blinding anyone for what was beyond. The sun was just up, lighting the landscape. Although hard, one of the moons could be seen in the light blue, hiding next to the yellow ring that slashed the skies in half.

“How do we know if the planet’s habitable? Have you ran any diagnostics?” Jake asked to the one in charge, while oddly recognizing some of the messages running in the pilot’s terminals.

“The Alliance observatories can analyze chemical compositions at long range, the selected planets for this program were trialled in advance.” the humanoid captain explained.

“How do you know that?” Dust skeptically inquired. “Were you told all that while we were bathing?”

“Of course not! I was briefed earlier, before I woke you.”

A light blush subtly erupted in the pony’s cheeks. ‘How long have we slept? I was tired, but...’ she asked, Jake shrugging as a response.

“Anyway, we are about to land. Don’t touch anything.”

“The thrill of adventure, ihihih!” Tokra buzzed, making Jake almost jump from the seat. “Calm down, boy. You will get used to me eventually.”

“I’m not sure I can.” He cried inside, realizing how further his privacy was being destroyed. He accidently bit his tongue while speaking the foreign language, the cut healed fast by the bond he and the pony shared.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been told I’m a interesting being to talk to!”

Jake was having a hard time accepting all of this. First he was turned undead, now he spoke a language himself doesn’t know yet understands. He felt alien... to himself.

The lower half of the windshield became green as the viper landed in a clearing. With a hoof shake Dust woke up Koopak who was sleeping in a random position in the floor. He scrambled around, confused enough not to understand where he was.

Naden threw a backpack at Jake, the weight throwing him off balance momentarily. He frowned, complaining: “So I’m the mule now?”. The brown bag had a metal cantin attached to its side for quick access, the sound of water inside enticing Koopak’s attention.

Dust looked at him, her stare being interpreted as “Just endure it for now.”

The ship’s stairs unfolded outwards, unblocking the exit. The sudden freshness in the air took over the pony who couldn’t help herself but gallop outside and breathe in. Koopak quickly ran out, something catching his interest.

“What do we do now?” Jake asked the captain.

“Now we explore. The Viper will be in scanning mode, detecting complex life forms and rendering a basic geographical map of the planet using its scanners. That, however, takes time. It would be a waste for us to wait around.”

“We could split into groups and cover a large area!” the pink volkar suggested.

“Excellent idea. Each one of us go in a direction, return here once the sun has passed behind the ring.”

“Aren’t you afraid we might run away?” Dust grinned.

Her mocking enthusiasm was overthrown by the captain’s emotionless answer: “Forgot the nanomachines?” he sighed. “Get moving.”

Jake was hyped to go out there and explore. He and Dust headed in the direction where the sun had risen from behind the mountains, which they called East. Captain Naden went south, and Koopak had already trailed off before they noticed.

The human felt like he was in a fantasy world. Unlike the eerie woods that separated his hometown and the city back on Earth, this forest resembled him of the park, just on an infinitely larger scale. The leaves were bright green, the way they swayed in the wind marvelled him. There were patches of tall grass, unknown species of flowers spread amongst it.

Noticing the enormous smile on Jake’s face, Dust just had to ask: “What is it? You’re not planning on doing anything we shouldn’t, are you?”

“I’m not crazy, thank you very much. It’s just...” he paused, allowing his eyes to feast on the surroundings. The sunbeams pierced between the green ceiling, an exquisite scent of pine lingered in the air, almost leading him to sneeze. The whole scene felt like it had popped directly from a fairy tale book. Not quite finding the right words without sounding lame, he simply continued: “this place is simply amazing.”

“Hum... It’s just a forest.” she remarked.

“Not like anything I have at home.”

Dust smiled. She could never comprehend what the human was feeling, her whole life she travelled from planet to planet, so much that such simple beauty was nothing new. The pony somehow envied him. ‘Mother always had a way to appreciate Nature...’

The sun was almost past the ring when they came across a river. The water streamed without rush, the flow bathing the shores. “You think it’s drinkable?” Jake asked after noticing his water bottle was missing. ‘Koopak must have taken it when we weren’t looking...’

“Allow me.” Tokra spoke out, seeping off the communicator like magic, falling on the shore like a jelly puddle. “Oh, how it feels good to be outside! I was in dire need of a stretch.”

Dust tilted her head. “What is there to stretch?”

The volkar did not answer, his focus was centered on the appendage he extended into the river, his gelatinous body touching the water surface. Jake and Dust waited for whatever he was doing. He then propelled from the ground, back into the armour communicator. “Definitely drinkable.”

That was all Jake needed to hear. Falling to his knees, he took large sips using his hands as a bowl. Dust held her urge, and asked instead: “What did you just do?”

The communicator’s pink intensified: “I analyzed the chemical composition of the water, of course.”

“I never knew volkars could do that...”

“Why do you think the black market is interested in those of my kind?” he remarked.

Dust felt a wave of sadness wash her mood away. She had always seen volkars expertly working in Citadel hangars, yet she never thought they were so desired by people with ulterior motives. To think it has been going for over a thousand years... How come the Council has allowed it to be? Have they been so blind all this time?

Finally giving in, she quenched her thirst, taking sips as her tongue scratched the water. The water felt fresh, the soreness in her mouth quickly disappearing. Looking forward, she spotted something on the other side of the river. Something that made her heart jump.

“Hum, Dust?” Jake asked, confused by her as she leapt into the water. “What are you doing?”

“Mushrooms! There are mushrooms on the other side!” she somehow conveyed even though her mouth was already half full with water.

Jake sighed at the sight, and asked his most recent companion: “Is this armour waterproof?”

Tokra promptly answered, almost as if he was expecting the question: “Absolutely! The electronical components are properly secured, and the air void in the textile areas make it impossible for water to slip inside.”

All he needed to hear. Jumping into the water, he grabbed Dust who was almost fully submerged and put her over his shoulders. The river was deep enough to reach his chest, enough to leave the pony helpless in the water. “What were you thinking? You know you can’t swim.” he scolded.

“There are mushrooms on the other side! They look delicious!” she answered, still waving her legs around, not realizing she was being held. Her stare was fixed on the other shore, blind to everything else.

Jake tried to turn around, but the struggling unicorn was making the task near impossible. Not risking slipping on the rocks below his metal boots, he headed to the other side. Dust jumped to dry land while Jake was still traversing the stream, and ambitiously eyed the delicacy that stood before her.

“Do you have a death wish?!” Jake asked between his panting, laying on the grass next to her.

“I’m sorry Jake, but these look so delicious!”

Leaning forward, he took a closer look. The fungi were similar to the ones found on Earth in shape, these ones being covered in red spots. Jake held Dust’s muzzle shut. “We don’t know if these are edible, forget it.”

Shaking his hand off, she looked at Jake’s chest. “Can you analyze it?”

“I am afraid I can only test liquid samples. Without a proper laboratory to mince the matter and prepare a mixture, there is nothing to be done.” the pink alien replied.

The pony’s ears deflated upon hearing the volkar’s answer. Jake took the chance to grab her once more and cross back, not without picking a mushroom beforehand. ‘Maybe the ship has proper equipment to test it.’ he thought, the idea reanimating Dust’s spirits.

“We better head back.” Jake suggested. “The sun’s almost past the ring.”

The walk back was uneventful, save for the break Dust took to munch on some grass, which could be easily dissolved by hand and tested.

“Can’t you do anything but eat all the time?” Jake scolded.

She seemed offended. “Well, I am so sorry that I have to eat for two!”

“There you are!” Naden said upon spotting them entering the clearing. “I was about to doubt you would ever return.”

Jake responded with disdain. “I told you we are committed to this.”

“Should they attempt such, I would have sent a distress signal through the armour’s interface.” Tokra buzzed. “Where is the energetic one?”

Dust looked around. “He isn’t here yet?”

“No,” Naden grunted. “and I am starting to lose my patience.” He looked at the sky. The sun was already past the ring belt and was at its highest peak. “If he does not show up soon, I have no choice but to...”

“Wait!” Dust demanded. “You can’t do that!”

“These are my orders. Plus, I don’t know how that clueless monkey will be of any use. He’s literally a fish out of water.”

“Something may have happened to him! He may not have returned yet not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t!” she suggested.

“And how do you know that?” the armoured berserker asked, challenging the pony’s theory.

“We don’t.” she continued. “And unless you want to kill based on an assumption, I suggest we go look for him.”

“That indeed seems to be the right course of action.” Tokra agreed.

Turning around, the captain punched the Viper, a metallic thump being heard. The ship did not bulge, and his metallic glove seemed undamaged. An awkward silence followed, Dust looking back and forth between Naden and Jake. After calming himself down, he turned back to them. “Very well.”

‘What was that for? He is responsible for all of us!’ Dust complained. ‘Don’t you agree we should look for Koopak?’ Jake remained silent, instead following the captain.

Going inside the ship, Naden pressed a couple of keys in the interface. Suddenly, a spheric blue hologram emerged from the panels, and a green dot on the top.

“This is where we are.” the captain explained, pointing at the dot. Another green dot came to be not too far from the first one. “There, that’s him. The nanomachines give off a signal that Alliance technology can track.”

The ship’s door rolled back in, the engines powering up with a low hum. The blue fire exhaled by the exhaustors created enough air turbulence to shake the tree line around the clearing.

“Is it possible he may have been attacked?” Dust asked, staring attentively at the holographic globe. The stray green dot became ever close to the gathering at the top, indicating the distance separating them was growing ever smaller

“I do not know.” the captain answered. “The planetary scan has not progressed enough to determine the presence of complex life forms.”

Jake looked through the windshield and saw that the river kept going in the direction they were headed, and followed up the slope of the mountain side into its spring. The forest eventually ended, and what was seen had Naden cut the thrusters.

“Why have we halted our advance?” Tokra questioned.

Naden leaned forward to better look outside. “A village.”

A slight burning feeling spawned on the pony’s forehead, but she ignored. Dust joined the captain by the pilot’s chair, and saw an agglomerate of wooden houses sprawling by the mountain base. The river passed right by it, and a group of creatures seemed to be walking along.

“Koopak. The marekus is there.” Jake noted, startling Dust by his sudden advance.

Skeptically, she asked: “How do you know?”

Jake frowned, pointing towards the village.. “Don’t you see him? He’s right there!”

Both pony and berserker leaned closer to the windshield in an attempt to find the one they were looking for. “I don’t see him anywhere.” Naden pointed out. “But, according to the holographic mapping he is likely to be there. This is a first contact situation, so we shall land somewhere close and approach on foot.”

‘How did you manage to see him? Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?’

‘I’m telling you, he was right there, I don’t get how you managed to miss him.’

The group silently crossed the woods, the captain taking point with his weapon activated. The floor became scattered with tree stumps as they entered the clearing, which they realized wasn’t so naturally. The captain kneeled by a stump, examining the cut pattern. “This was made using primitive tools. This village is nowhere near advanced to pose a threat to us.”

Dust poked the wood with a hoof. “Koopak should be smart enough not to have been captured, I don’t understand...”

“We need more intel before making a move, we shall continue.” the captain stood up, and continued his advance.

Jake finally got the chance to take a look at the creatures. Moving between the log cabins, they resembled humanoids at first, and upon closer inspection his suspicion was right. Their skin was dark green, probably to blend with the environment. They wore brown stripes of leather, and their hair was a total mess: small branches and leaves appeared to seamlessly intertwine around each strand, either made on purpose as local fashion or by disregarding basic hygiene.

Upon Naden’s gesture, they lied on the grass to avoid being spotted. Most of the populace was concentrated on a single point, near the river. “Get the binoculars.” he ordered.

Taking the hint, Jake unstrapped the belts that kept the backpack closed, and looked about. Being careful enough not to touch anything that he didn’t know what it was, he searched with no success. “Where are them?”

Naden sighed, and without looking he grabbed the goggles that were inside, wearing them around his helmet. ‘Of course, why would they need long binoculars with such advanced technology?’

“Oh, isn’t this great.” the berserker said while taking the goggles off and handing them to Jake, who in place put them on. The lens seemed to automatically zoom depending on the distance of what was being observed, so he clearly saw what was going on.

Koopak was surrounded by the humanoids, almost every single one holding what looked like pitchforks, chanting some sort of song. The marekus had his back turned to them, yet his arms were waving around.

“He’s in trouble, isn’t he?” Dust asked the obvious.

Jake nodded. “He is in trouble.” He looked at Naden who stared back through the smoked glass of his visor.

Without saying anything, he began crawling through the grass in the direction of the village, slowly taking his time in order to not be seen, leaving the woods behind. Dust and Jake followed, as Tokra turned off the communicator orbl in order not to call for attention.

The houses resembled Anna’s, whose family had chosen to live in the woods adjacent to Jake’s hometown. The dark wood was obviously cut from the stumps they left behind. There were no windows, and the roofs were flat, suggesting that rain wasn’t a problem to the locals. Small silver trinkets hanged in the roof edges from fiber stripes, softly reflecting sunlight as they danced with the wind. The grass was hand picked, the spiky edges hurting Jake’s belly upon touch.

They leaned against the hard cold wood of the closest house, the captain peaking around the corner to investigate. A group of locals passed by, carrying handmade baskets, one full of the mushrooms Dust had coveted for.

What was more surprising though, was their speech. Instead of communicating on a local language, they were speaking Krall, although in a never before heard dialect. Jake had a hard time following, being new to the language, but he still understood the idea behind each sentence.

“What do you think of our visitor?” one of the locals asked while throwing away spoiled mushrooms into a basket another one carried.

“I am very happy! Thanks to him, we can have a new meal!” they all muttered in agreement. “I’m tired of eating same old, same old. What about the ingredients, should we pick them up?”

“No, we will only cook tomorrow.” the initial local answered. “We already have meals for today.”

Dust could feel her face going pale at each passing second. “They are going to-!” This time it was Naden who held her muzzle shut. Signaling them to back off, they returned to the safety of the woods. Finally away from prying ears, she shouted. “They are going to eat him! We have to do something!”

“For now let’s return to the Viper.” he commanded, taking point.

Bewildered, Dust stepped in front of him. “What? And we’re just going to leave him?”

“I did not expect to encounter a civilization this soon.” he explained, while pushing her out of the way. “We could have approached them directly, but they now have a hostage. Interfering might ruin any chances of establishing diplomatic relations.”

“They are so primitive, though.” she pointed out. “What interest is there in doing so? Let’s just charge in and take him back.”

“We don’t know if they are part of a bigger civilization. We barely scratched the surface of what this planet has to offer.” the captain countered.

“But...”

“My word is final!” he roared, turning around. “Now, move!!!” He shouted while pointing in the ship’s general direction, the shout being loud enough to cause his helmet communicator to screech. Butterfly-like creatures, previously camouflaged against the tree trunks fled flying in all directions. A commotion could be heard from the village, and in order to avoid being caught by the locals, they hastily returned to the Viper.

‘What should we do, Jake? We could try to knock him cold, and save Koopak while he’s out.’

Jake stopped halfway on the steps into the ship. ‘Are you crazy? What happened to not doing anything we shouldn’t?!’

‘We can even end him for good, that way we won’t have to worry-’

“Are you even listening to yourself?!” Jake tried to cover his mouth but it was too late. Even if the berserker starting the engines had missed him, Tokra had not. He remained silent, yet Jake could swear he was already brainstorming on what he said, and more importantly, why he had said it. If they found about their mental connection, then they would truly be exposed.

Calming himself, he entered the ship and sat on the seat right behind the pilot’s. Dust laid on the adaptable couch. ‘This is Koopak we are talking about! He saved us!’

‘Saved us when it was convenient to him. For all we know he’s playing you.’

‘Don’t you talk about him like that!’ she stomped a hoof, making a muffled sound against the fabric. ‘He’s been through a lot, his family-’

Jake turned around the seat. ‘How do you know? How do you know anything he has said is true? From what you told me, he wasn’t on your side until he found himself imprisoned. I don’t care how you think about him, I can’t bring myself to trust that marekus.’

Appalled by his words, Dust looked away, not bearing not face his stare. ‘So you’re siding with Captain McDouchebag?’

Jake didn’t bother to answer. ‘Why did she care about him? Did she consider Koopak that much of a friend that she won’t leave him behind? Betray him? Like... I did...’

The ship lifted off, its speed increasing at an alarming rate. “This is going to use up all the remaining power so we can get back as fast as possible, so stay seated as we will probably face turbulence.” Naden warned.

An intense brightness poured through the windshield as the ship surpassed light itself. The Viper shook slightly, but nothing to cause alarm. In just a few minutes, the brightness faded quickly and was replaced with the glow of the Citadel’s twin stars.

Naden left Jake and Dust on the balcony, a plate numbering it as 392, with the pretext that he was going to consult with his berserker superior. The intense traffic around the Spear had Dust’s mane waving around, giving her a hard time to keep her eyes open.

“Do not worry, captain. Just contact me when you are ready to depart.” Tokra assured the berserker before he left.

Jake still had the magnifying goggles around his head, so putting them on once more, he took a look at the ground. His legs were shaking, even with the zoom the distance to the ground was still too nerve wracking.

“So what do we do now?” Dust broke the silence she had kept since they departed. “We just wait?”

“We could always go and eat something.” Jake suggested, slowly walking towards the elevator entrance. Even though the food was terrible, the prospect of swallowing anything solid sounded good enough.

They waited for another elevator to come, and named the same restaurant they went to before, the Floating Chariot. Only now Dust realized how humiliating she had been when she ate there last time. Gladly for her, the place was nowhere as packed as before, and the present customers didn’t seem as snobbish as the previous ones.

While Dust devoured her meal, Jake began wondering. ‘Those humanoids, they speak Krall. Wasn’t that planet off the charts?’

The pony reduced her pace as she thought through. ‘Well, if they are isolated, then someone came and taught them. Someone outside the Council’s reach.’

‘Criminals then.’ Jake suggested.

‘Yes.’ she nodded, ‘Even more reason to leave as soon as we can.’

‘Maybe he wants to be found, he is a criminal himself.’

Dust ignored the human’s snarky comment. Instead, she returned to the main topic. ‘There has been something bothering me since we arrived. Everything feels... off.’

“How so?” Jake asked.

“Well, first of all, I don’t remember there ever being an AI in the Spear. Or elevators. I may have been away for a thousand years, but their technology didn’t advance that much. So why the changes?”

Jake thought for a bit, and then answered. “Maybe they hit a plateau? They said it themselves, it’s too hard to keep track of the Alliance region alone. It must truly be a chore if only now they are investing in development with the exploration program.”

“Yeah... I guess that makes sense.” she said while putting down the empty food package. “But it’s scary, you know? No matter how much you travel you will never see everything, and to think there are groups full of people like Big Boss and Rhaiku out there, hiding from everyone... ugh.”

“How was she called again? Aphestis, was it?” The pony nodded at him. “And those threats she made, that they will know... They who?”

“I hope we never find out. Hopefully, she’s buried in stone, at the bottom of the ocean. No longer our concern.”

“Interesting.” the volkar pointed out. Human and pony went silent as they realized they had been talking out loud. They both stood there, silently staring at the table.

“Meet me at the balcony.” a voice was heard, throwing them off guard. Jake’s communicator was glowing, but not pink, indicating it was someone else talking.

“It must be Captain Naden Gryphus. You both should be on your way.” Tokra suggested.

“Yes, let’s.” Jake got up, not before being stopped by an angry dumah, of smaller stature than the one they met before, but enough to make the human falter. Jake tried to reach the backpack, but recalled that he had left it at the ship.

Dust got between them, and simply said: “Just put in Captain Naden’s bill.”

They returned to the elevator, and asked it to lead them to the balcony 392. Jake was now ready and sat down to prevent falling like a fool again. When the doors slid open, they met the Viper hovering outside, the stairs unfolded to allow entrance. Assuming to be Naden, they walked inside.

“I see you came.” the berserker said. “Good. Let’s be on our way then.”

Dust trotted up to the pilot, asking: “So? What did the berserker master had to say?”

Naden sighed. “He gave us permission to use lethal force. If the locals refuse to hand over the hostage, we are to strike them down until they get the message.”

Dust laid on the couch, releasing a breath of relief. Jake on the other hand, felt extremely angry. “What? You have amazing technology, can’t we just snatch him away and let them be?”

The captain ignored his plea, focusing instead on re-entering FTL. “Please be seated.”

“But... This is wrong!”

“Please! Be! Seated!” the captain yelled.

Jake felt the strength leave his legs, and slowly back down to the seat. ‘Why? Why can’t I stop him? Damn it!’

His flustered appearance caused Dust to feel concerned, but their recent argument prevented her from asking what was wrong.

The image popped once more in his mind, he laying on the ground after betraying his best friend, and the judgemental alien piercing him with a stare. He held his head between his hands, as if trying to hide the thought from his soul twin. ‘No, not this again. Why am I feeling like this? Am I afraid? Well, why shouldn’t I? He’s tall, he’s strong, he could kill us if he wanted. Damn it! Why I can’t I never stand up for myself?’

‘Are... are you alright?’

Jake didn’t respond. Instead, he felt like crying. The humiliation was just too much.

Back on the planet, the group spied the village by the tree line. The sun had set behind the mountains, and while the sky was painted in shades of red and orange of a typical sunset,  darkness already covered the entire valley, the mountains neglecting the last sunrays to bathe the land. The breeze that once caressed the trees was gone, and now the only sound that could be heard was the river running along the shores.

That and the commotion from the villagers. Counting around thirty, the locals surrounded a fire, a cauldron hanged on top of it by a cheap wooden contraption. Hot steam escaped from it, the bubbling sound suggesting something was being cooked.

“They are... eating him...” the pony stammered.

The captain pressed a couple of buttons in his armour, and after analyzing a screen that could only be seen from inside the helmet, he concluded: “I can still track the nanos inside his body. If they are going to eat him, they haven’t killed him yet... hey!” he called out, but it was too late. The unicorn already charged at the village, avoiding the tree stumps along the way.

A deep pain bursted inside Jake’s head, forcing him to convulse on the ground. Getting up by instinct, he ran after her in despair in order to reduce the distance.

“I will never understand how you creatures are so sporadically emotional.” Tokra pointed out, not losing his curious behaviour even in the current situation.

“Oh, for the love of...” Naden cursed, following his prisoners while activating his weapon.

The green humanoids seemed to be singing again, almost if they were celebrating a special occasion. An old looking villager with a voluptuous beard carried a basket, throwing various herbs into the boiling stew.

“Koopak!!!”

The shout captured everyone’s attention, interrupting their cooking ceremony. Upon spotting the approaching horned creature, panic ensued. Some ran inside the houses, others stayed and grabbed their pitchforks, ready to make a stand.

Stopping in front of the locals, only the cauldron separating them, she demanded: “What have you done with him? Where’s Koopak?” The natives exchanged looks, not sure on how to react. “I know you can understand me!”

Jake finally caught up, holding onto his knees while breathing heavily. Never had he felt this tired since he died... for the first time. Naden followed shortly, his plasma cannon radiating heat from the barrel.

“The harvest is not ready yet!” the elder pledged, stepping in front of his younger brethren. “You came too early this year!”

“Silence!” the berserker captain finally made it to the center, threatening the locals back with his gun. “Everyone, to the ground!”

The elder complied, falling on his thin knees. The others stood in place, struck by fear. A silent moment followed, Naden switching his aim between the humanoids, while Dust eyed them with anger. Cries of despair could be heard from inside the houses.

“Is the soup good? I am really really... oh?” a voice came from their right. From the shadows, a monkeyish creature with pony-like legs, and fins all over his body hopped into the firelight. “Where were all of you? I was a bit worried!” Koopak strolled in front of the party, their mouths wide open in confusion, as he tossed a group of loose branches he carried into the flames. “Good you came in time for dinner, it is very delicious!”

Naden sighed, lowering his weapon although not deactivating it. “I give you my sincere apologies. It seems this was all a big misunderstanding.”

Slowly coming out of hiding, the tribe gathered around the fire once more, their dark green skins that so easily blended with the environment coming to light. They were clearly frightened, but their elder’s soothing voice was enough to give them courage.

Nervously laughing, he replied: “It is alright, yes, it is...” He said slowly, taking his time with each word. “We all make mistakes, don’t we children?” he asked while looking over his shoulder then small green infants herded behind his back.

From this new angle, the firelight unveiled something previously hidden from Jake’s eyes. On top of the elder’s head, what he once presumed to be a bad hairdo was actually a nest: a small, blue bird rested on it, sleeping. Jake almost felt the need to apologize for thinking ill of these people for their lack of hygiene, when actually they were just coming closer with nature.

Walking towards Koopak, Dust conveyed a worried expression. “Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?” she asked the marekus. He cluelessly tilted his head, the rest of his body soon following in another demonstration of his usual stunts. The pony sighed in relief; her friend’s hyperactive behaviour was proof enough that he was alright.

“But if you are not collectors,” the elder slowly continued. “ then, what are you?”

“We are explorers, and as our...” the captain paused, unable to find the right word. “associate here” he managed to continue, pointing at Koopak. “failed to meet at our rendezvous point in time, we assumed the worst.”

The elder smiled upon hearing the words. “Explorers, I see, I see... You must be starving if you made it this far. Please, join us for dinner.”

Dust’s ears unfolded back up, suddenly paying attention to the talk by the fire instead of the acrobatic marekus in front of her. ‘I could use some food...’

“That would be most pleasant.” Naden accepted the offer, bowing in appreciation. The populace spontaneously exploded at the answer, continuing their chanting. Almost tackling Jake while dashing by, a smaller, chubbier humanoid came running from one of the houses to tend to the fire and meal. The elder finally broke into a true laugh, stopping halfway as a cough afflicted him.

Dust was the first to sit by the fire, her purple and pink tail spinning around almost like an eager dog. The glimmer in her eyes reflected her desire for the prize inside the cauldron, the sweet scent pleasuring her senses.

The supposed cook dipper wooden crafted bowls into the cauldron, filling them with the gold coloured soup, the first one being handed to the elder and only then to the visitors.

Feeling the need to set the record straight, Jake spoke out: “Why did you keep Koopak here? He was supposed to meet us.”

After taking a sip, the elder answered: “Oh, our friend Koopak was free to leave at any time.” A chirping was heard, the smell having wakened the bird.

Flipping into scene, the marekus in question explained: “You see, marekus have very good noses, when we left the ship I smelled something delicious, and then followed. And here I am!” he smiled, his razor teeth showing.

“So you ran away... for food?”

“Yes!”

In a sudden motion, the human brought his palm to his forehead with force, in a failed attempt to erase the ridiculousness from his mind. ‘No wonder you two get along so well...’

“Your associate has some knowledge in the magic of the land. We have been exchanging knowledge over the course of this day.” the elder continued, soup dripping from the tip of his beard.

Somehow without breaking his smile, the marekus exclaimed: “I did not know you could grow things on dry land! This world is silly!”

Feeling the urge to facepalm once more, Jake held his arm. “Yes, so silly. Completely insane...” he sighed.

Everyone went quiet. Jake forced a cough in order to break the ice, when the whole village burst into laughter, soup flying everywhere as some failed to contain the liquid in their mouths. The cook in chief, who was still serving bowls, wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “By the great old one, you were right Koopak. They are dumb.”

‘What is this? Why am I the topic? What have I said to make them laugh?’ he thought while trying to scheme a plan to escape, Dust being too busy assaulting her meal to pay any attention. Feeling his cheeks burning, he raised the wooden bowl to his lips in order to hide his flustered look. Little did he know the soup was hot, forcing him to spill everything to prevent further burning his mouth.

The local’s laugh broke new records, some of them rolling in the ground, unable to control themselves. ‘Oh please, anything, kill me now.’

Noting Jake’s frustration, Naden made himself heard: “These collectors you took us for... what are they?”

The background noise diminished both out of respect to the elder who prepared to talk and for how sensitive the topic was. Resting the bowl between his crossed legs, he began: “The collectors are the gods. They come at every harvest and take part of our food as tribute. They are powerful and magnificent...”

“Dad...”

“...worthy of respect, and worship...”

“Dad!” the younger humanoid stood up, his soup spilling all over the grass. “You know that’s not-”

“Be quiet!” the elder yelled in volumes louder than Jake would have thought to be possible for him. “Respect your father!”

The other humanoids went silent, focusing their stare down at the soup. The disturbing lack of sound broke Dust from her moment. ‘Was it something you said?’

The facepalm urge counter didn’t seem to have any brakes today.

“It is time to rest.” the elder announced, pulling himself up from the ground. Turning to Naden, he offered: “You are free to stay with us tonight. I will have this useless son of mine make room in the storage for all of you.” His son walked away, either to follow the command or to ignore it.

Leaning to the berserker captain, Jake whispered: “Shouldn’t we head back to the-”

“We accept the offer.”

“What?!” Dust and Jake simultaneously gasped.

“Please, Koopak,” the elder asked his friend. “could you be kind enough to show them where the storage is? Those old bones aren’t what they used to be- ouch!” a couple of younglings supported the older’s weight as his legs gave away.

Koopak’s body suddenly straightened up from its curvy postur, saluting “It is a pleasure!” Walking away from the ever smaller crowd, he waved at his associates. “Follow me, children!”

Jake couldn’t help but frown. ‘How does he do it? One day and they treat them like family.

Giggling, Dust responded: ‘Koopak can be very persuasive.’

At each turn the firelight became less noticeable, until they found themselves bathed only by the dim light of the stars. The ring was as bright as in the morning, still receiving sunlight. Skipping in each step, the marekus lead them into a wooden house that in the dark looked exactly like every single one else.

Dust felt disappointed as her hooves touched the dirt ground. ‘I don’t know what I was expecting...’

Naden turned on the exposure lights placed around his helmet, revealing the interior appearance of their room for the night. Tokra helped too, his bright, pink shine bursting from Jake’s chest.

A set of tracks in the dirt led their stare to a group of wooden boxes piled in the corner. Opening one of them, Naden peaked at its contents: mushrooms, the same variety Jake had previously taken a sample from and tossed into the backpack.

Pulling an empty sack, Jake covered himself against the night’s cold. Looking at Naden, who positioned himself next to the doorless entrance, he asked: “Why are we staying? We have Koopak and the ship is running the scans by itself, we could at least sleep in its comfort.”

“It’s a matter of trust.” the captain explained. “We accept their invitation and gain their confidence.”

“But what do they have to offer?” the pony questioned, doing her best not to give away the fact she was shaking with cold.

“Nothing at the moment, but who knows in a distant future?”

“Oh! Oh!” Koopak raised a hand, asking for permission to speak.

The crimson red armoured berserker sighed: “Yes?”

“They know some secrets! And they told Koopak all about them!”

“Secrets?” Dust curiously raised an eyebrow, getting on her hooves.

Looking left and right to be sure no one else was present, he whispered in the pony’s ear. “They can grow things in the soil!” he jumped back, covering his mouth shut to prevent himself from giving away more of the untold mysteries.

Dust facehoofed as she rested her belly on the ground. ‘Ugh... Koopak, really?’

“Ssh!”

Naden’s sudden shushing grabbed everyone’s attention, Koopak placing his other hand over his mouth. For a whole minute he stood there, immobile. In a dash of speed, he extended an arm through the door into the darkness and pulled something inside.

Not something, someone. With a terrified expression, the elder’s son cowered in the ground, protecting his eyes against the strong focused light.

Pointing his weapon, Naden asked: “Were you spying on us?”

“I...”

“Speak!” he demanded.

“I-I’m the elder’s son, Ilyth, and was hoping I could hear you talking about your adventures, we never have any visitors!” his weak voice somehow managed to convey.

Pulling him under the shoulder, the captain lifted him back on his feet. “What do you mean, adventures?” he asked.

Everyone but Koopak, who had seemingly out of nowhere fallen asleep on the dirt, came closer to listen to the native’s explanation. He shrank in place, not feeling too fond of being pressured from all sides. “Uh...” he began. “You come from beyond, don’t you?”

“You could say that.” Dust answered, startling the humanoid who expected a reply from the metal clad visitor instead.

“T-then you must be really strong!” he excitedly stated, his mood deflating right after. “No one of our people ever returned from the sands.”

“The sands?” Jake asked, his own curiosity settling in.

“Yes, a really hot place with sand everywhere! Many of our own attempted to cross it, but apparently failed.”

“A desert.” Naden concluded, noticing that the humanoid’s panic was gradually replace with sadness. “That is what is beyond the mountains, then.”

“But why would anyone attempt such madness?” Dust inquired.

The humanoid suddenly took a more serious tone. “The Holy Land.” the collective “uh?” had him clarify what he meant. “The home of the gods? Are you sure you are from beyond the mountains?”

“Trying to avoid giving an answer, Jake replied with another question: “How many other villages are there in this valley?”

“Just this one, why?”

Jake rested his chin in his knee plate, considering his options. ‘I guess they could do it differently... They aren’t exactly total human after all. No, we are way too similar to be different in that regard.’

“What the hay are you talking about, Jake?”

“Well, you see...” he hesitated, while scratching the exposed part of his hair. “How do I put this... Don’t you have them?” he asked, while waving his hands in front of his chest, as if he was touching something that wasn’t there.

“Have what?” Koopak wondered, popping out of nowhere.

“I truly do not understand what the boy is trying to convey with his gesticulations.” Tokra analyzed.

“You know... them!” the human moved his hands about, this time in a more circular fashion. Unable to understand what he meant, everyone began doing the same. The longer the situation lasted the more blood flushed to the boy’s cheeks. Accepting his fate, he stated bluntly “Breasts! Don’t you have members of your village with breasts?” The silence that followed felt even more prominent than the previous one, the river and the wind outside appearing to stop to witness how Jake dug his own grave. ‘As I said, kill me now.’

Naden sighed, walking back towards the entrance. The pony’s eye twitched at what he had said. ‘Great, I’m linked with a moron.’

The villager was the only who didn’t act accordingly, his own sadness only being further accentuated. “Yes...”

In order to divert attention from his previous gaffe, Jake further pursued the issue. “Then why weren’t there any at the fire?”

“The gods...”

“I think it’s about time you tell us who these gods are.” Naden issued, his raspy voice sounding monotonous through his helmet’s speaker.

“The gods, they...” he began, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth in hesitation.

His eyes opened as he felt a hoof rest on his shoulder. “We won’t tell anyone.” she assured.

With the newfound confidence, Ilyth continued: “The gods took them all, as punishment for us not meeting the harvest’s quota. They said they’re satisfied. But some of us couldn’t wait... After a couple of years those who couldn’t wait anymore for their wives and daughters set out to look for them. As I said, no one ever returned.”

“They are near extinction!” Jake exclaimed, looking at Dust in hope she’d support him. Instead, the pony rolled her eyes and looked away. “We have to do something!”

Ilyth eyed the ground, sighing. “You can’t. They are gods and-”

“You don’t sound too sure yourself.” Naden stated, noting the weariness in the green humanoid’s voice. “Is that why you confronted your father? You don’t believe these oppressors truly are gods, do you?”

He shook his head in agreement. “There was this time I followed them as they took our tribute over the mountain. Father scolded me really hard for that... On the other side, instead of crossing the desert, they rode a giant black beast that roared up into the skies! I realized then that they couldn’t be from the Holy Land.”

“If it exists.” the captain suggested.

“I thought that too.” the humanoid replied, a small twig falling off his messy hair as he nodded. “I truly don’t know what to believe anymore. I try to bring others to reasons, but...”

“We’ll look into it, won’t we?” the unicorn promised, looking at the berserker by the entrance.

“There’s not a lot of intel... but we’ll see.”

The villager raised from the ground, stretching his arms. “I am going to rest now. Thank you so much for listening to me. No one ever does.”

“Sleep well...” Jake waved goodbye as the humanoid left the house.

Naden shut his lights off, and taking the cue Tokra did the same. Koopak had already crashed somewhere. and Dust rested her head on her hooves, ready to sleep. Although Jake tried to reach her,the silence gave every sign of the existence of mental defences. Thinking again though, considering she couldn’t use magic, she was properly just ignoring him. Giving up, he adjusted the sac in order to cover his whole body, and slowly laid on the ground.

Even though it was no bed, the comfort the dirt floor provided was a testament to how tired he was. The mere thought that he had travelled back and forth three times between planets was exhausting. It took longer for his hometown’s bus to bring him to school than a Viper to jump to the Citadel.

Choo!

‘Was that... a sneeze? Jake got up, shaking the dirt off his armour. “Tokra, could you...”

“Of course.” he promptly answered, the communicator’s white light filtered by the volkar’s body giving off the usual pink glow.

Jake’s body froze upon seeing Naden still standing at the entrance. Was he going to stand guard there all night? Looking for the source of the sound, Jake found Dust heavily shaking by the boxes.

Not standing to seeing her like that, he covered her with the sac, already warm from his own body heat. Soon the shaking stopped, and the pony moved about, accommodating herself under the improvised blanket.

“You can turn the light off now.” Being in dire need of sleep, he crashed back down. If tomorrow was going to be anything like this day, then he would need all the energy he could muster... Him, and the one who sustained him.

Cold. Oh, it’s so cold. My whole skin is blue. What? I am moving, but I can’t control myself. My eyes burn yet I can’t close them. There’s nothing here in this void, just a cold, icy mist spiralling upwards around my body.

And him. Max. Lying on the ground in front of me, pledging for mercy. No... I shall give him none. It’s his fault! I punch him, sending him flying for who knows how long. Distances don’t matter in this place, though. I will him back next to me, his ached body dragged back by an invisible hand.

PSST!

I punch him again, and once more he returns to my reach. I hold him by the shoulder, not allowing him to escape this time.

PSST!

Punch. Punch. Punch. It feels good. His face his a mess, I can’t even recognize him anymore. As my hits become stronger, chunks of my hand crack from my body with the impacts and crash down on the invisible floor like ice stalactites.

PSST!

I drop him to catch my breath. My arm is broken up to my elbow, the blood remaining still in its frozen state. But I don’t care. Pulling the bastard back up, I prepare to resume his punishment. Now, however, I manage to recognize the face behind the cuts and bruises I inflicted upon him. He isn’t Max.

PSST!

He’s Dave.

“AHHH!”

“Silence!” Naden rushed from the entrance and held his grip tight around Jake’s mouth. If he still had a heart, Jake’s would be beating faster than ever before.

The day had started long ago; the light assaulting his eyes, making everything else seem way too dark inside. Koopak kept sleeping in the exact same position as he last saw him. Pulling himself up, he felt the dirt attached to his skin falling off, creating a temporary cloud of dust.

Waking up with the ruckus, Dust asked as she rubbed an eye with a hoof. “What’s going on?”

“You too, be quiet!” the captain commanded, the way he whispered his words bringing her to full attention. The voice was low, but still carried the usual authoritarian impact on each word.

“I’ve been trying to wake the boy for quite some time, it seems he returned to consciousness by himself.” Tokra buzzed off the communicator.

Naden returned to the exit, leaning against the wooden wall as he eavesdropped outside. Intrigued by his secrecy, pony and human took the same stance on the other side of the door.

Two dumah, covered in black armour that was almost indistinguishable from their rock hard skin wasn’t it for the metallic reflection, stood in front of the herded populace led by the elder himself.

“I said again, there is no one else here!” the elder impatiently protested.

“Do not lie.” the foremost dumah grunted, pointing a finger at him. “We know everything. We see everything. We know.”

“I am sorry, but you are mistaken.”

The dumah raised his hand, the edge of his metal armour becoming red with heat. “You dare defy us?!”

Ilyth stepped between them, tears falling from his eyes. “Please, don’t do it! Take me instead!”

Jake felt himself tense up, feeling the urge to help. “We have to do something!” he whispered as the events unfolded outside.

“No.”

If it wasn’t for their need to remain stealthy, Jake would have launched himself at the captain. Dust herself couldn’t comprehend. “If you attack now you can take both of them out before they can even react!” she suggested.

“We don’t know how resistant their armour is, or if there are more of them spread around the area.” he explained. “If we find ourselves in a fight, the locals might be caught in the crossfire.”

Jake hated to admit, but he was right. For now, all they could do is watch... for now.

“Out of our way, you insignificant verm.” the other dumah punched him in the gut, forcing him to kneel down in pain. “You should have learnt your lesson a long time ago.”

“I confess! I confess!” he howled in the midst of shrieks of pain.

“Son...” the elder sighed, a heavy, sad tone befalling his voice.

“Some strange people came from beyond the mountains, but they left, yes, they left...”

The dumah lowered to Ilyth’s level, grabbing him by the neck. “How did they look like?!”

With a finger, he carved on the dirt clearing below him a sketch of their visitors. “I don’t know what they wanted... they just came and left...” he cried on.

The dumah traced the lines to be certain his eyes weren’t betraying him. “This can’t be... Verm!” he screamed, pulling the humanoid back up by his neck. “Are you sure about that one?!” he pointed down. While the others couldn’t tell which one of them the dumah was shaken about, Jake managed to see it clearly.

Shrinking in fear of retaliation, he answered with as little Ilyth could exhale: “Yes! Yes!”

The dumah exchanged looks, and the nodded to each other. “We are leaving.” they announced. “We expect three more crates than usual by the next harvest!”

“Of course, of course...” the elder assured them, bowing down in an apologetic way.

The dumah exited their view, moving in the direction of the mountains, pushing any humanoid who was in the way to the ground. The locals finally broke from their fear induced trance and moved to assist the elder’s son, whose tears had darkened the dirt below his face. As he recomposed himself, he nodded towards the storage house, signalling it to be safe to come out.

“Oh, son of mine, one day they’ll purge you out of existence.” the elder complained, his bird chirping in agreement.

Cleaning his tears,he asked: “You lied too... Why? Aren’t you afraid they will find out?”

The older humanoid sighed, massaging his tired neck muscles. “THey aren’t as all-knowing as they are son... Powerful, yes. But not perfect.”

The whole village bursted into a commotion, conversations sprouting circles upon the statement, “Then why do you tell us they are?” one of them asked.

“To keep you from doing the kind of stupidity this son of mine just did!” he stomped his foot on the ground to put emphasis to his words.

Naden rested his hand on the humanoid’s shoulder, making him feel uneasy by the proximity. “I am in your debt. That was very brave of you. If it is within my capabilities, I’ll save the women of your village, and end your gods’s aggression. I promise.”

The elder moved closer. “Thank you kindly. I don’t know what you can do about it, but we can only wish good luck. We’ll have to work hard to meet their new harvest expectations.” he explained.

“We shall be on our way then. Thank you for your hospitality.”

The walk back to the ship was short. Koopak jumped around, trying to cheer everyone up, clueless to what had happened during his sleep. While Naden checked the scan progress, Dust rolled in the grass to shake the dirt off her coat. Staring at the sky, Jake noticed there were two moons up today, one considerably larger than the other... or closer. And when he finally looked down, he saw him.

“I knew it!” Ilyth yelled. “You too have a flying beast! You didn’t come from the Holy Land, but from the skies!”

“Did you just follow us?” Dust asked as she raised from the ground.

“Ever since we left the village.” Naden said while walking out of the Viper. “The scan is complete and has been uploaded to the Citadel. We are ready to leave.” Turning to the humanoid, he asked: “What do you want?”

“I... I just wanted to properly thank you.”

“We haven’t done anything yet, and we don’t have much information.”

“But you gave us hope. That means alot to me.”

The engines made themselves noticeable as they began processing power. It was time to leave. Jake began walking towards the Viper, but stopped halfway.”Hey, Naden?”

“That’s Captain Naden to you.” he harshly answered.

“Do you still have nanojuice?”

“I do... so?”

“Just hand it over. Trust me on this one.”

The captain complied, still not too sure. Jake hopped inside the ship just long enough to return with the mushroom Dust had stupidly risked her life for. Slowly tilting the vial, he drained the silver liquid into the porous cap.

“Take it.” he handed it over to the elder’s son. “Put it next to the offerings, and please, don’t eat it.”

“I’m not sure what it is for, but thanks! I will!”

The steps rolled back inside, closing the ship’s entrance.

“That was some smart thinking.” Naden praised. “With the Citadel’s long range sensors we’ll be able to track the mushroom’s location.”

“And consequently find these gods’ base of operation!” Tokra buzzed, excitement befitting the electronic voice. “I wouldn’t have done better myself!”

Dust smiled. Although still angry with him for doubting Koopak, she couldn’t help but admire the human’s quick thinking. While she was more spontaneous and acted in the heat of the moment, Jake could see through the obvious and remain sceptical at most times.

“Where do we go now?” Koopak curiously questioned.

“Another planet. We still have enough resources to visit a lot more before we need to return to the Citadel.”

“By the way, Na... Captain Naden.” Dust asked eagerly with a sheepish grin. “Does saving Koopak count towards my debt?”

“No.”

“Well, schucks.”

This is the second week she has failed to attend to our tea. I am honestly beginning to feel concerned. If there were matters urgent enough to keep Celestia busy for two whole weeks, then I should have been informed, no, summoned even, by express mail through a royal guard! If the problems are as serious as they seem she would require my magical expertise...

Unless she is still caught up in our last argument. If so, then I must confess to be quite disappointed. For the one that represents the Sun, the country, and all that is virtuous, to act this childish is a major embarrassment for me, as citizen under her rule. And if she expects me to leave my haven of meditation to pledge for forgiveness, she better not hold her breath!

I comprehend that I might, and I accentuate, might, have offended her to some degree, but she did so too, and before I did! It is totally logical that she is the one who should come forth to apologize for her lack of tact.

It does make sense, does it not? Completely reasonable. My judgement isn’t clouded, why would it be? But what if it is? Let’s assume this, that I made a mistake. As I like to say, the older the wiser. I may be old, but the Princess of the Sun is much more ***. And two weeks... Time flows differently for those who are long lived. Even I notice how the days run shorter, how my experiments take the good part of the day. And look, Luna has brought forth the Moon without me even noticing.

I should return to work. I came across a blockade in the Evolution project, and I need to figure out what is wrong with it! I must! As for Celestia, I shall give her another two weeks. Then I will look for her myself. Yes, I will.

**** Note: For all that’s holy, do NOT call the alicorn sisters old in their presence. Or before you go to sleep, won’t prying ears catch you saying it in your dreams.*