Chapter 1: Of Surprises And Adventure
The cracking of the radio was the only noise in the unicorn stallion's suit besides his own breathing as he made his way over the ship’s hull,“Hey, Ion, you there?”
Ion Stream rolled his eyes, “Yes, I am, space hasn’t claimed me yet, you know.”
“Uhm, great, ‘cause one of the nozzle flaps on engine three just stopped working.
Could you please check that out while you’re out there?” the soft voice asked through the radio.
“Oh for Luna’s sake, shouldn’t we repair that damn thing for once?”
“Maybe... I’ll tell the captain.”
“Yeah, do that.”
Ion cursed the ship and parts of its crew as he made one step after another, trying to stay connected to the hull. Being pulled into the depths of outer space would only make his day worse, he thought, as he made his way along the viewports of the backend of the ship to take care of a loose connection in the communications array.
The “Shining Sun” was just one of the many small freight vessels traversing the established trading routes between the systems of the vast interstellar empire that was Equebria. The old “Apple Cart” class freighter consisted of an roughly egg to carrot-shaped front, which housed the dorms, medical bay, recreational area and bridge, connected to a series of three cuboids, which were in turn connected to each other in an elaborate system of support struts. The last cuboid was connected to the propulsion section, which contained the engines and FTL drive. It had its best years long gone, but still kept on working, not much to the surprise of Ion Stream. After all, the ship was built and designed during a period of expansion and colonization and thus had to endure the worst conditions. The crew was on yet another boring and mundane freight run from Arcanus 3 to one of the outer planets, where they would refuel and get the clearance for their FTL jump.
Oxygen filled the small airlock as a hissing sound indicated that the outer door had shut and sealed itself. Soon a lamp on one of the walls changed from red to green, and he began to take his helmet off. After opening a few clamps and seals his suit came off, and Ion shook his short, blue mane free.
After putting his suit away, Ion trotted towards the bridge, navigating through the tight corridors. If there was one thing that was abundant and limited at the same time, it was room. The interior of the Shining Sun was cramped, as most of the space was occupied by the cargo section. Freighters, or Haulers as most of the smaller ships were called, were designed to operate with as small a crew as possible. Their defensive options were limited to an old laser cannon and a weak shield system. Ion liked to compare their shield to a sheet of paper trying to protect a cupcake from being squished when it falls to the ground. Ion also suspected their propulsion systems were as old as the space travel itself..
The bridge of the Shining Sun was a small, egg-shaped room. The pilot was placed in the forward position of the room, giving her a good view through the windows which decorated the sides of the bridge. The primary means of steering were a mouth held joystick, with all buttons and pedals within reach of the front hooves. Of course, the pilot didn’t have to simply lie or sit on the cold steel floor, but instead lay on something that closely resembled a small bed. This exact bed was currently occupied by a pegasus mare with a pale orange coat and a long, black mane which was surprisingly well kept for somebody who made a living on the space equivalent of a truck. It was Jet Trail, his older sister and pilot of the Shining Sun.
Ion sat down next to the bed “Hey sis, the comm’s fixed and the nozzle flaps should be working again.”
The mare let go of the joystick and pressed a few buttons, “Great, now we can finally dock? It’s been weeks since I had a good flight and when was the last time I told you that I hate those protein packs?”
“Yesterday, at dinner,” Ion chuckled at his sister.
Jet Trail pressed one of the various buttons in front of her and activated the intercom, “Captain, please report on the bridge. Looks like we’re ready to dock.”
The door behind the siblings swung open with a loud bang and a middle-aged earth pony stallion stepped onto the bridge. Rusty Crate was quite the imposing figure, with his rust-brown coat and pitch black mane, which had started to show some grey hairs here and there.. He had been in the hauling and freight business for a long time, and had spent most of his lifetime aboard spaceships. Ion opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted before he could say a word.
“Yeah, yeah. I know about tha’ nozzle, I’ll get ya’ tha’ parts for ‘em.”
Ion shrugged and kept quiet as Rusty Crate turned to his sister with a tired look, “Are we cleared fa’ dockin’ yet?”
Rusty’s strange accent had confused Ion Stream for a while now, and asking around revealed he actually came from Bucklyn, Manehattan on Equebria Prime, the throne-world, but not everybody on the ship knew why he traded his life of possible luxury for a restless one amongst the stars. One of the favorite pastimes of the crew was to make up funny theories and rumors about it. Rusty’s current favorite was that he’s actually a princess on vacation.
Jet Trail shook her head, “Nope, they want the captain’s ID code and ship registration number.”
“Friggin’ hardasses. Oh well, give ‘em tha codes. Ya’ know ‘em anyway,” Rusty sighed. He then walked to the windows, obviously enjoying the view of the massive space station the ship was approaching.The station had the rough shape of an upright carrot, without the leaves though, hanging in the skies like a monument of earth pony ingenuity and arcane technology. The upper top had a large ring of of interconnected spheres, their upper halves were enormous domes of glass, housing the station’s air and food production facilities. Each sphere was connected to the central tower by a series of massive support struts. The light of Arcanus’ sun reflected on the metal surface, giving the whole construct a faint golden glow.
“I got anotha’ contract fa’ another freight run. Destination is in tha borderlands though. Payment’s good though.”
Both Ion Stream and Jet Trail perked up, “Come again?”
Rusty nervously scratched one of his ears, “Yeah, there’s a bit a’ a risk, but it’ll be worth it. We’ll be just flyin’ some equipment fa’ some eggheads who’re doin’ an excavation.”
Ion Stream and his sister were speechless for what felt like an eternity, just gaping at Rusty Crate who awkwardly smiled back. The cracking of the speakers broke the silence as the the ship’s docking clearance was confirmed and the automated systems sprang to life to safely guide the ship to it’s designated anchorage point.
“Don’ worry ‘bout it now. Let’s resupply first an’ talk about it over dinner, shall we? I need ta explain some things before I can sign tha contract anyway,” Rusty pointed out in a reassuring voice, as if it were nothing really big at all, then quickly shuffled off the bridge, effectively fleeing from any further questions.
While Ion and Jet were still a bit baffled by the proposition of their captain, another pony entered the bridge. Audible Signal and her leaf green coat, along with her bright pink mane and tail were another curiosity of the Shining Sun. Those colors weren’t her original colors, but instead she decided to dye her coat a new color because she decided that white was too boring, and she absolutely loved music.
“Hey Audi! Did you hear what Rusty said?” Ion called over to Audible who went to the communications console. Audible didn’t react.
“She’s probably just listening to music again,” Jet Trail interjected.
Ion shrugged and trotted over to her, tapping on her shoulder “Audible?”
Audible startled up and turned around “Damn, you scared me. What’s up?”
“Sorry ‘bout that. Did you hear what Rusty said?”
Audible pointed a hoof at the earbuds Ion hadn’t noticed before “Nope, but if you mean that borderlands thing, I gotta say, I’m so in on this!”
Ion blinked in surprise “But think of what could happen!”
“So?” Audible shrugged.
The Borderland regions were a ring marking the edge of the Equebrian Empire. Most of it was neither completely cartographed, colonized nor properly connected to the inner sectors. Due to the high risk of traveling in unknown space and the lack of space stations for repairs and refuelling, ship captains were mandated to take care of a few things before leaving on such a journey. The most important point was to make sure all major crew members, like the first officer, the chief engineer and physician, as well as the main pilot, agreed to take the trip.
With a muffled clash, the anchoring clamps latched onto the hull of the ship and the automated refueling systems of the stations began their work. After some packing and preparations, the small crew went for a little shore leave onto the station. Painkiller, the ship’s medical doctor organised the delivery of what was needed to stock up the medical bay, while Rusty Crate contacted the authorities about the permission for the trip. In the meantime, Jet Trail and Ion Stream had a drink in a small bar near the docks. Audible Signal had simply vanished, not saying where she went, but reassuring the others that she would be back in time. The bar was little more than a counter with a few tables and a grumpy looking barkeeper, but it was cheap and quiet so nobody complained. After ordering a drink each, Ion and Jet started to discuss what they had been proposed with today.
“So, what’re you thinking about all this?” Ion asked his sister while he floated his drink around.
Jet Trail shrugged, “I want to go. Mom and dad wouldn’t let us do that, that’s for sure though.”
Ion took a sip from his glass “So you’d be up for it? I’m not sure why Rusty would think of taking such a contract. Only the crazy captains do that. And why didn’t he tell us earlier? I mean... it’s either stay or leave really.”
Jet Trail took Ion by his shoulders and shook him slightly, causing him to nearly drop his glass, “Don’t you see the opportunity? That is the adventure we looked for when we signed up with this rust bucket!”
“I guess you have a point, but I guess I better sleep over it,” Ion smiled weakly.
“In case you haven’t heard, the decision will be made in a few hours over dinner. I guess we’ll depart the next day,” Jet noted flatly.
“Oh...uhm...then...” Ion’s eyes darted around the room, looking for something to latch on while he desperately tried to come to a consensus with himself. He pondered the benefits against the drawbacks and it seemed that the negative side would outweigh the positive and-
“Yes?” Jet broke Ion’s chain of thought, “Will you come? It’s not like you have much of a choice anyway.”
Ion groaned “Okay, okay. I’ll agree on it. But if we all die, I’ll stab you until you’re dead.”
Jet promptly hugged her brother, causing him to drop his glass out of surprise. “Woops...”
The “Universal Hall”, as the crew called it, was the biggest room in the whole residential part of the Shining Sun. It acted as kitchen, mess hall and recreational area (including a small gym)all at once and was also frequented by any passengers, if the captain took any onboard. It was once again dinner time, one of the few times the whole crew was assembled. Painkiller usually spent his time in the medical bay and Ion Stream in the engine room. Rusty Crate, who was not only the ship’s captain but also it’s cook, had once again prepared a fully-fledged three-course meal.
After the dessert was served, Rusty cleared his voice to attract to attention of everyone in the room.
“We as tha crew a’ this ship need ta’ make an important decision tonight. We either take this opportunity an’ go beyond what’s usua fa’ us or don’ an’ be stuck here forever. Painkiller, you already gave me your ok, I jus’ need it from tha others.” Rusty looked into the round.
“I agreed with it, that does not mean I’m okay with the whole thing,” Painkiller tossed in.
“I’m so in!” Audible exclaimed excitedly.
“Count me in on it,” Jet Trail nodded as she poured herself a glass of juice.
“I’ll come along too,” Ion said, trying to sound as self-confident as possible.
Rusty stomped a hoof on the floor in happiness, “Perfect! Now tha’ this is out of tha way, tha medical examination is tomorrow morning. Shouldn’t take more than a few hours. After tha’ we’ll do all the shopping needed. Actually, you just need to pick up the spare parts.”
Painkiller nodded and neatly put down his plate, “Yes, I already have taken care of the medical supplies. The infirmary is fully stocked and ready We-”
“Yes, thank you Pain,” Rusty interrupted Painkiller, who responded with a sour look, “Where was I? Ah! While Ion takes care a’ our little onboard repair shop, tha’ rest o’ us will be helping ta load tha cargo an' meet our guest.”
Audible Signal choked on a piece of apple pie, Jet Trail spit her drink all over the remains of the wheat lasagna and the half-empty pot of radish soup in surprise and Ion Stream just stared at Rusty Crate, who in return just smiled at the crew. Painkiller quickly helped Audible with the choking and Jet Trail struggled to clean the mess she had made on the table.
“Come again?” Ion Stream simply asked, for the second time in 24 hours.
“You heard me!” Rusty said while he thumped Audible on his back, the leaf green mare having lost some color.
“We haven't had a passenger for ages,” Jet pointed out while she floated around the table and cleaning it, “Do we even have spare sheets?”
“Don’ worry ‘bout tha’. We got all we need,” Rusty laughed.
Author's Note
I'd very much like to thank my friends KendallKun, Melon Hunter and Swimming Eagle, who helped me write and improve this story.
