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Moon Dust

By Trooper
Created: 2021-07-16 21:31:33
Updated: 2021-04-05 23:23:59
Expiry: Never
anonlunaanonymous/spg/

  1. >You were late
  2. >Fortunately rushing didn’t take much effort here
  3. >Late to your own office, that’s embarrassing
  4. >You think other staff are saying hello but you’ve no time
  5. >Marching into your office you throw yourself behind your desk
  6. >click
  7. >”Dr Anonymous, glad you could make it at last.”
  8. >The screen displays a gruff man in his late 50’s
  9. “Director, sorry, was held up a few minutes”
  10. >”Yes, well, S.F. has already been briefed and Station Manager Edwards is currently on a ‘need to know’.”
  11. “The status report mentioned a transfer, but I’ve not been told anything else. I’ve cleared everything requested.”
  12. >”I’ll keep it brief, Anon, we captured two of those alpha creatures. Two more are known to be out there, would bet any money the Chinese are trying to get one.”
  13. “Let me guess, the transfer in the report, you’re sending them here…”
  14. >”One of them, yes. DoD has had both for a few days now but neither are saying a word. We know the smaller ones can speak but without more… persuasive measures, Rogers tells me it’s a dead end with the big ones.”
  15. “So what, you’re going to use this facility as a glorified prison?”
  16. >”Not me, way above my pay grade, military. The two creatures seem to have stellar symbolism adorning their bodies, one of the Sun, the other, the moon. While we can’t exactly fire one into the Sun, we can still send the other to you. See if being there makes a difference.”
  17.  
  18. “That’s a pretty big leap”
  19. >”Yes, which is why I’ve put your department in charge of it.”
  20. “Sorry John, Biology mostly handles plants, and a few rodents. We’re not exactly equipped to run a zoo”
  21. >”Incase I wasn’t clear before, we don’t have a choice. Sending one of them up there is insurance if something cracks down here. Giordano Station is the only wholly owned American base we have, you think the Secretary would allow these assets go to IMB?”
  22. “...I see, so you get no choice in the matter, we get no choice in the matter”
  23. >”I’d apologise Anon, but we’re on the knife's edge down here, the whole world is”
  24. >He seems genuinely worried, you were thinking of some snide remark but let the moment pass
  25. >”Escort personnel liftoff tomorrow, they’re there to make sure nothing serious happens. The Alpha liftoff is the day after. You’ve no idea the strings getting pulled to rush this launch out and we’re not getting told anything else until they arrive, national security and all that.”
  26. >John leans back in his chair, clearly not keen on having a research facility co-opted by a military operation.
  27. >“You’ll be fine, get some info, any info, out of it and make the station proud, Doctor”
  28. >He quickly hangs up the call and you’re left in your office starting to sweat
  29. >You turn around in your chair to look out the thick window, which is barely an elongated porthole
  30. >High above the rim of the crater
  31. >Earth
  32.  
  33. >Goddammit, you came all the way out here to avoid crowds and great expectations
  34. >A small, quiet, 9-5 job of project managing a lab far away from people with plenty of time to yourself
  35. >Granted, there were about 2000 people in this station but they generally kept to their own departments
  36. >Now Earth problems are trying to make their way here and stick you at the center of it
  37. >Oh well, at least you’re just the zoo keeper, not like you’d have to do the interrogating
  38. >Earth rises higher above the rim, you can almost imagine the world on fire…
  39. >The Voidouts, the riots, little pockets of war across the globe
  40. “I swear to god that shit better not follow you up here”
  41. >Huffing to yourself
  42. >At least most of your family lives away from population centers
  43. >You haven’t paid too much attention to the news, why would you, when nothing down there affects you up here
  44. >Still, you know how bad it is, and after all -
  45. >”Dr Anonymous?”
  46. “Hey Evalyn, did you knock?”
  47. >”Uh, no, the door was open…”
  48. >Well, that’s bad opsec
  49. >”Anyway, we’re about to go over the Algae Reactors maintenance per the earlier report”
  50. “I’ll be there in a few minutes
  51.  
  52.  
  53. >Our shoulder was still screaming in pain but that wasn’t the worst of it
  54. >The worst was the pain of watching them drag our sister away
  55. >Helpless to do anything, helpless to fight back
  56. >No, we should have done something, could have done something
  57. >But we didn’t
  58. >Now, we can’t recall the last time the sun graced our eyes
  59. >Locked in a small box with no light but a faint shimmer of the cosmos in our mane
  60. >Barely able to stand, barely able to lay down
  61. >The feeling of large metal clasps around our hooves
  62. >Moved around to places we could not see
  63. >There had been stillness for a time, if not for the faint hissing sounds you could here
  64. >What was that, the sound of a voice in the distance
  65. >An almighty roar, deafening
  66. >Violent shaking, and an invisible force pushing us to the floor
  67. >What magic is this?
  68. >It goes on, roaring for minutes and then, silence
  69. >A loud clunk, and in the silence, another, much closer voice
  70. >”Stage separation confirmed”
  71. >”MVENC Ignition”
  72. >A newer, closer, louder roar
  73. >Our torment, how long will it continue?
  74. >Not much longer apparently, and the box becomes once again, quiet and still
  75. >And
  76. >We are floating
  77. >Was this a dream?
  78. >More magic?
  79. >So weak and tired are we, was there any point in questioning what was happening?
  80.  
  81.  
  82. >People were starting to give you odd looks, from your own staff and those of different departments
  83. >Not that they didn’t think you were already odd but you could only guess there must be some new rumors going about on account of the Delta 9 specialists arriving shortly
  84. >”Dr Anonymous?”
  85. “Please Evalyn, I’m in no mood to be reminding you, just Anon is fine”
  86. >”Yeah, sorry, we just had a bunch of questions come at us from hospitality as if we’d know anything about who’s turning up”
  87. “Can this wait until after I’ve eaten?”
  88. “No, Dr Peters was adamant we have an answer for them”
  89. >This girl, you’d still think she was a junior with how tightly she sticks to her training
  90. >You make an audible sigh
  91. “And the answer is the same, two flight crew, six servicemen. It doesn’t matter who they are, just that accommodations are made available for them. That’s all I’ve been told”
  92. >She’s furiously typing away on her phone, you imagine your answer, why you couldn’t have been messaged yourself rather than being accosted you’re not sure
  93. >A swoosh comes from her phone and she looks back up expectantly
  94. >Of course, that’s why she’s in person
  95. >Another sigh
  96. “Would you like to join me for lun-”
  97. >She swings to grab a MealPack tray from the buffet heater and sits down at a table
  98. >”Sure doc”
  99. >Well, you were going to eat in your office but you sit down anyway
  100. >Here it comes, may as well get it over with
  101. >”So, what are we going to be working with that requires army guys?”
  102. ”You know I can’t tell you until it arrives”
  103. >”uuuuhhhuuhhhh”
  104. >Before you could’ve just left her guessing, maybe a large animal or something for the commercial part of the station or another base, but since the announcement the new arrivals were Space Force it wasn’t hard to guess what’s up.
  105. >”........ It’s a pony isn’t it”
  106.  
  107. >You’re not one for drama but you almost choke on your food
  108. >Got to play this off cool, assuming cover wasn’t blown
  109. “Why would a pony be sent to space? We already did dogs and monkeys”
  110. >You knew damn well she’s talking about these new creatures
  111. >She knows you know she knows
  112. >Many in the media and online had likened them to ponies from Earth.
  113. >Don’t crack, you’re the senior here, if only by a couple years
  114. >”You’re telling me a mysterious delivery to the biology department and the arrival of soldiers is just a pure coincidence?”
  115. >She’s smirking
  116. “That’s the story that keeps my job, so yeah”
  117. >”Hmm, alright then”
  118. >You continue eating together, but it’s clear she only wanted to pester you about the unknown arrival, the staff knows not to pester you out of work hours
  119. >Efficiency during the day, relax during the night. You fought hard to get your team (and yourself) reasonable leisure time, regardless that it was taxpayer subsidised.
  120. >Evalyn seems to wolf down her food and is already off
  121. >”Later, doc!”
  122. >This GIRL, you’re not even a medical doctor, just a business doctorate you coasted through
  123. >But people up here like their titles I guess
  124.  
  125. >It isn’t until much later when the Delta 9 team arrives
  126. >You’d sent the supplies they brought with them to the labs for Smith and Varish to go over and inventory
  127. >”Dr Anonymous to Arrivals Lounge S12”
  128. >Your watch was buzzing the same message, flicking a finger across to acknowledge
  129. >Their medical checks took less time than you thought
  130. >When you enter the lounge, one man is stood at the head of the conference table, with five men shoulder to shoulder down one side
  131. >He stands up, extending his arm and you shake
  132. >”Dr Anonymous, I’m Colonel Connor, these are my men”
  133. >You take a quick glance at them but don’t bother registering their names
  134. “Glad to see you made it safely, and Anon is fine”
  135. >”Very well, lieutenant ?”
  136. >Connor turns briefly and the lieutenant produces a briefcase full of paper documents
  137. >The idea that this is too sensitive to trust with digital communication is almost enough to make you start sweating again, just what are you getting into?
  138. >THUNK
  139. >Yep, there’s a lot of government stamps on there
  140. >”We have some simple NDA’s here, guidelines, cargo history, management contracts, acknowledgement of War Powers Resolution 93-148 as this is a joint venture facility your Director has already signed but your team must sign as well, and next -”
  141. >He keeps going on, there’s a ridiculous amount of paper here with countless little tabs poking out where it wants your name
  142. >”- so there should be twentyfour signatures for your team, correct?”
  143. >You snap back
  144. “Uh, twentyfour are in our staff but I’ve only selected twelve to be cleared, myself included. I can’t imagine we’d need more than two to look after it if I’m honest.”
  145. >”And what of your interrogation team?”
  146. >WHAT?
  147.  
  148. >Goddammit, again
  149. >Calm
  150. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression we would just be looking after the creature while a separate team deals with… extracting the info DoD wants.”
  151. >Connor looks mildly shocked and his men are glancing at each other
  152. >”We’re the only team coming, and we’re just here to stop it if it gets loose”
  153. >You’re stepping on rakes, just accept this is happening
  154. “...Apologies, I’ll make sure my team is informed and the proper facilities are set up”
  155. >”Good man”
  156. >You take out your phone and send a PA Message for your chosen members to come to the lounge and sign
  157. >”I can see this has been thrown at you here, sorry we can’t be of more help. My unit didn’t even hear about this until the day before launch.”
  158. >Before you have a chance to respond, the doors slide open for Evalyn to join you, of course she’d be first
  159. >Shortly followed by Drs Peters, Smith, Varish, Jesse and Johnson, Technicians Sammy, Speakman and Raul and two lab assistants Amelia and Jones
  160. “Alright, documents, sign them and don’t ask questions”
  161. >That gets a smirk from Connor
  162. >”Yes Doctor” they say in unison
  163. >Once everyone had signed and brief introductions had, you dismiss your team and have hospitality take Delta 9 to their quarters, taking the signed documents with them.
  164. >Leaving you to carry the rest of the papers to your office to pour over them
  165. >Words WILL be had with John
  166.  
  167. “This is absolute bullshit, half of the reference material is redacted!”
  168. >”You’ve been given more info than I have, and I did tell you they were only there for support”
  169. “I know, but when you said ‘get info’ I didn’t think it literally meant us doing it!”
  170. >The Director is clearly agitated, whether at you or DoD isn’t clear
  171. >Doesn’t matter, you’re pissed at both
  172. “I don’t know how it’s being transported, how it’s contained, or how to deal with it if it gets loose with the only answer being ‘Oh, Delta’ll deal with it’! Oh yeah, how?”
  173. >Another loud huff from you both
  174. “I now have to set up an interrogation station, and have to figure out how to even interrogate something. The “Cargo” History is all redacted so I don’t even know anything about it to press it on. It’s been three days, please tell me you have something? I was told because it launched in an earlier window, it lands in -”
  175. >You check your watch
  176. “12 hours, and I need something to go on. What about those other ones, the ones that speak?”
  177. >”The little ponies? I could try get info on them but I’m pretty certain each one that gets captured gets ‘disappeared’ by any government that catches it… I’ll try Rogers anyway…”
  178. >Another long silence, looks like the term ‘Pony’ is sticking
  179. “Is… Is it true they can shoot lightning?”
  180. >”Some of them can, others can fly, some are just really really sturdy. You not been watching the news?”
  181. “I’ve been preoccupied, and it’s depressing. But I suppose I’ll have to now.”
  182. >”Aye, I’ll try getting you more, and have it less redacted this time”
  183. “Alright, thanks John, later”
  184. >“Later Anon”
  185. >click
  186. >Well, let’s at least go over again what isn’t covered in black marker
  187. >Something about bright lights?
  188. >Loud noises?
  189. >That’s a start at least
  190.  
  191. >One great thing about this apartment was the South facing window
  192. >That, and you had an apartment at all, and a pretty good one to boot
  193. >Other senior staff like Peters has one as well but any lower on the food chain and you’re stuck in a shoebox
  194. >Or worse
  195. >BUNKING
  196. >You don’t normally go for coffee but you’ve only just woken up and running on the fumes of a four hour sleep
  197. >Besides, you had to be up for this, not just the arrival of the Alpha but -
  198. >There it is, coming into land on the northern crater floor pad
  199. >One of those old Starships
  200. >Used to ferry people but now mostly used for large planet-to-planet cargo
  201. >A lot slower than the SkyBirds carrying people around today, but a lot cheaper.
  202. >You eat your breakfast in your room watching it land, vent and little robots secure it to the pad
  203. >A cargo platform rolls out to the pad
  204. >You have to grab some binoculars to see properly as the side of the ship opens up and out comes a large capsule that’s lowered down to the platform by the ships crane
  205. >It gets secured to the bed by more robots and away it goes, up the road heading to the airlock far below you
  206. >You down the rest of the coffee and grab your jacket
  207. >There was work to be done
  208.  
  209.  
  210. >How many hours had it been?
  211. >How many days?
  212. >We are jostled from our numbed haze by the feeling of the box shifting around us and our chains taking us with them
  213. >We had heard the occasional puff, the sound of metal moving but nothing could compare to the roar this limbo had begun with
  214. >As if by request, a great boom could be heard again, and we are flung into the floor once more by that invisible hand
  215. >Everything is shaking, but we shan’t give in to this torture if those creatures think this shall make us speak
  216. >The roar starts to give way, first one voice quiets, then another and finally
  217. >CLUNK
  218. >We feel... still again
  219. >Are we lighter than before? Or just forgetting what the pull of the earth felt like?
  220. >Before we can dwell on these questions more sounds can be heard and we are shifted again
  221. >A low rumble, we are moving, what more could be done to us
  222. >Minutes pass as we hear hissing outside, metal moving along metal
  223. >We slip back into a daze and all the intrusions from the outside world fade away
  224. >Where was our Sister? Was she being subject to the same torment?
  225. >We can feel our hooves shaking
  226. >What of Twilight Sparkle and the other elements?
  227. >Cadenza and the Crystal Empire?
  228. >Our wings now twitching
  229. >The other lands outside of Equestria?
  230. >Images of burning countryside and far off lands flash through our mind
  231. >Ponies and those creatures alike running scared
  232. >And the screams
  233. >Wait, there are no screams, everything is quiet
  234. >No, there are muffled voices, footsteps coming closer
  235. >”Open it”
  236. >A clank rattles the box
  237. >Blinding
  238. >A bright light
  239. >A harsh, unnatural light floods us from our side
  240. >Slowly our eyes adjust as we face the direction it’s coming from
  241. >There are still bars from bottom to top, but more than enough to see through
  242. >One of those creatures is staring at us from a distance
  243. >A hard, serious expression across its face
  244. >Yet, it quickly drops to one of… Sadness?
  245.  
  246.  
  247. >This is, well, not what you had been expecting
  248. >Sure, those creatures were subjectively cute from the images you had seen, but for this?
  249. >The ‘Alpha’ creature you were expecting? Some large hulking beast perhaps?
  250. >No, this thing couldn’t be much larger than you
  251. >Those large eyes, it… No, she?
  252. >She, was utterly disheveled, a look of both anger and fear.
  253. >Just how long was she in that box for? Ignoring the three day transit.
  254. >You’re sure under all that dirt was a rich Royal Blue coat to match her eyes
  255. >You can see why people compared them to ponies
  256. >Both wings and a horn?
  257. >Was her mane… moving?
  258. >Under the mane lay large wraps of bandage covering her left shoulder
  259. >Just what in the hell had she been through? This is what all the mystery, fear and red tape was about?
  260. >Anon, you’re staring, not sure for how long
  261. >Say something
  262. >Can she understand us?
  263. “I am Dr Anon Anonymous, the head of this operation. We’ve been tasked with looking after you here, tending to any medical needs, examining you and with a little co-operation we can help resolve what’s happening across the world”
  264. >Of course she says nothing
  265. >But her curious eyes dart sharply between you and a few of your staff members
  266. >Evalyn to your right, Peters to your left
  267. >You had asked Connor to keep the Guardians just outside the view of the box, don’t need to unnecessarily provoke her
  268. “This is Dr Evalyn Paris and Dr Adam Peters, they will be assisting me in your care. Do you understand?”
  269. >Still nothing, but she’s back to focusing on you now
  270. >You take a slow step forwards
  271. >She jerks her head down as if to charge but quickly winces in pain
  272. >With a sharp grunt from her nose she collapses to the cage floor
  273.  
  274. >She slowly opens her eyes again, focusing back on you, pupils shrunk as far as they’ll go
  275. “Damn, poor thing’s terrified”
  276. >”Terrified?” Peters snorts “That things running on anger, look at it”
  277. >You look back at the creature in the cage, it’s expression is back to that mix of anger and fear
  278. “Of course it’s angry, it’s an animal trapped in a cage”
  279. >Her face instantly contorts into that of bitter contempt
  280. “Oh, so you do understand?”
  281. >You chirp as you take a few more steps closer
  282. >Yeah, don’t do anything stupid this time, pony
  283. >You get down on one knee barely a couple meters from the bars
  284. “So, if you can understand me, can you speak? Maybe tell me your name if you have one?
  285. >She just huffs through her nose, tail flicking side to side
  286. “No name or no telling?”
  287. >You kneel there, almost like a staring contest
  288. “Alright, if you aren’t going to tell me, I need something to write down in these reports…”
  289. >Still nothing but a sour look
  290. “OK, you got a picture of the moon on your butt-”
  291. >”Flank” Evalyn chimes in
  292. “Right, moon on your flank… Moon is kinda lame though, Crescent? Yeah, think I’ll call you Crescent”
  293. >She just narrows her eyes at you. Oh you’re not enjoying this at all are you, pony
  294. “... Alright, we’re done for the day, close it up”
  295. >You stand up and back away as a soldier presses a button on the box’s control panel to lower the front of the box back down
  296. >”Done? We haven’t gotten anything”
  297. >Connor pipes up from the side of the room
  298. “No, we haven’t, and we won’t for today. Crescent is tired and definitely needs food and water”
  299. >”Doc, don’t go naming that thing like a pet. Besides, we have a job to do”
  300. “We? I recall Space Force being tasked with containment, it’s my team that’s been assigned contact”
  301. >Uh oh, was that flex too hard
  302. >You can feel Evalyn and Peters’ eyes boring into the back of your skull
  303. >No, stand your ground!
  304. >”...Be that as it may… We still have people back home depending on us”
  305. >Nice, got away with it
  306. “I know, and I’m fully dedicated to helping them but nothing is gained by pushing too hard. Peters, where is the room up to?
  307. >”We’ve chosen one of the junction cargo rooms down near the northern crater airlock, plenty of space to work with but the station will have to make do with only the other three Crater airlocks. Which, considering we want to reduce traffic near the Alpha as much as possible, is probably a good thing.”
  308.  
  309. >You look back to the box, from the outside it does seem rather large for such a comparatively small creature
  310. >Then Evalyn pipes up
  311. >”Sammy and Speakman are already fitting the lights and alarms as you requested last night, Anon”
  312. >”Speakers and alarms?” Connor asks with an eyebrow raised
  313. “The report mentioned something about light and sound can be effective against ponies, you’ve seen those eyes and ears, they’re huge! So we’ve taken some spare airlock alarms and floodlights, rigged them up in front of where the box is going to sit.”
  314. >”If Crescent tries anything, those floodlights are for outside the base, 300,000 lumen easy so even if the alarm doesn’t disorient enough, the light will stop it seeing anything”
  315. >You smile, silently thanking Evalyn for backing you up on that stupid name
  316. >Connor gives you a slight nod, appeased if not agreed, and wanders off with his two men.
  317. >”Well, he didn’t enjoy that”
  318. >Peters has quite the grin on his face
  319. >”Hey Anon, I had a chance to go over the manual you sent me last night for the, uh, containment box. It’s pretty basic stuff except this one looks like it’s been modified but all of the functions are still there -”
  320. >”Anything missing or added that could harm the specimen?”
  321. >”Not really Doctor, the basics are there, food and water trays for sustenance accessible from outside, water jets and drain for discipline, washing and… um, waste… I made sure Raul knew to have maintenance run water and drain access to the cargo room, which is fine because it’s next to the Rover facility anyway. The only real changes are structural, they took away the lights, added conduits in the floor for the chains and added those bars”
  322. “Hmm, alright, lets get some food and water in that tray and when the room is ready, have the box transferred. We still have plenty of work to do today!”
  323. >”Yes Doctor!” They chant together
  324.  
  325. >Back in your office there’s still far too much to do
  326. >There was, of course, still a lab to run and you weren’t being let off the hook just because of Crescent
  327. >Organising paperwork and reviewing request materials is cake compared to arguing with people
  328. >Which is why you weren’t looking forwards to dealing with the director
  329. >The call request goes through and John quickly picks up
  330. >”Anon, how’s our latest arrival?”
  331. >He bears a cautious expression but with a smile on his lips
  332. “Good, good. The delivery was smooth and we’re finishing off a space to put her in”
  333. >He just laughs “Her? So you’ve already made some progress?”
  334. “Uh, no, I just kind of assumed from the way she looks. I was expecting something far more… savage”
  335. >You both frown
  336. >”Hm, well, I never actually saw the beasts, but don’t get complacent. You haven’t seen what they can do”
  337. “I assume you have something for me, then?”
  338. >”I do, I’ve been cleared to forward some incident reports… Grim stuff, from wiping out entire tank brigades to levelling Redstone, and that’s just the two alphas”
  339. “Jesus, well I don’t know what a Redstone is but I’m guessing it’s bad. If they’re so dangerous, how were they caught? Why isn’t the Alpha here wreaking havoc?”
  340. >”I don’t know, that’s classified”
  341. >What’s there to classify about catching an animal?
  342. “Of course it is. God, the way they’re keeping this hush hush, not explaining anything, these creatures magic or something?”
  343. >You laugh but the director stays quiet for a moment
  344. “What? Fuck off, John, don’t tell me you believe that stuff”
  345. >”Lighting, Anon, Lighting from their horns!”
  346. “So they can store and discharge ener-“
  347. >”Nightmares! The men who were fighting them all described vivid, similar nightmares at night and -”
  348. “ShellShock”
  349. >You cut him off before he can continue
  350. “Sorry John, I thought this station was a Science and Autism fuelled venture”
  351. >He sighs but still with a smile
  352. >”And money, don’t forget the money”
  353. “Of which I imagine we’re getting plenty for our super powered hostage here. Speaking of which, you’re going to have to tell Edwards something. He can’t manage a station if he doesn’t know what’s going on.”
  354. >John starts typing something off screen
  355. “I’ve managed to avoid him the last few days but now we’re taking a whole airlock out of commission he’s going to want something. He’s still technically my superior, despite how relaxed he is.”
  356.  
  357. >A moment passes as John finishes typing
  358. >”All right, I’ve told him to contact me for further information, so you won’t have to worry about him interrupting your work”
  359. “Great, one less thing to worry about... We’ll talk tomorrow, hopefully I’ll have something by then”
  360. >You both knew this conversation was going nowhere
  361. >”Speak soon, Anon”
  362. >Click
  363. >You turn around, leaning on the shelf in front of the window and look out into the crater
  364. >In the distance you can see the Starship being transported to a hangar
  365. >Is it staying as long as Crescent is?
  366. >Looking up you can see Earth once again
  367. >Staring into literal space, absentmindedly going through your thoughts
  368. >Staying… Oh right, one of the conditions of your longer stays on the station is mandatory exercise, and you were too busy yesterday to go to the gym
  369. >A quick stop at your apartment to change and you head to the Fitness Center
  370. >Glancing around you see a few familiar faces, Sammy and Speakman, they must be done fitting the room
  371. >Over there you can see Varish in swimwear walking with someone to Aquatics
  372. >Perfect, no one around who usually bothers you
  373. >EarPods in, shake from the vending machine
  374. >Let’s go
  375.  
  376. >You’re trying to go over the inventory of what got sent here to support Crescent
  377. >Trying
  378. “Evalyn, I better have something sticking out of my skull for you to be staring at me like that”
  379. You look at her with an eyebrow raised
  380. >”Doct- um, Anon, no…”
  381. >She’s fidgeting
  382. >”I already went over the inventory, I was waiting for you to finish so I could bring up the… uh, instruments?”
  383. >She was right, there was some pretty horrific stuff listed to one of those containers, various tools and items as well as some stacks of heavily redacted papers you’re certain are there to assist in ‘interrogation’
  384. >Well, may as well be blunt about it
  385. “The torture equipment?”
  386. >She looks down, visibly ashamed
  387. “Don’t worry, I don’t know what the sick fucks down there are thinking, but we aren’t touching the stuff”
  388. >Evalyn immediately perks up, of course the girl dedicated to studying plant communication would be resentful to the idea of causing harm to an animal
  389. >Even if that animal was intelligent, from another world and had killed people
  390. “Besides, I think the idea is for that stuff to be last resort… or intimidation. I think we’ll get through to her soon enough”
  391. >She quickly gets back to work and you finish reading the list
  392. >Quietly slipping away before anyone else has a chance to take up your time
  393. >It was already getting quite late when you return to your apartment
  394. >A quick wash and you’re already climbing into bed
  395. >Looking at the TV opposite your bed you really, really don’t want to
  396.  
  397. >But you have to if you’ve any hope at talking to Crescent
  398. >Knowing is half the battle and all that
  399. >Click
  400. >Quickly you find a news channel that isn’t horrendously grating
  401. >A reporter asking residents about groups of these ponies fleeing into the Rockies
  402. >Click
  403. >Footage of some kind of three way standoff on the Kashmir border between Indians, Chinese and Ponies
  404. >The news seems to have labelled them “Equestrian Forces”
  405. >Glad you’re not there
  406. >Click
  407. >Somewhere in Japan, people talking to the camera but you can’t understand what they’re saying
  408. >Behind them appears to be a city, or what’s left of it
  409. >The left of the screen shows a flattened, burned, wasteland in the shape of a rough circle
  410. >At the edges are remains of buildings, skyscrapers and roads that look half swallowed
  411. >Closer to the center are dotted ruins that look nothing like the surrounding architecture
  412. >Strange...
  413. >Yep, this is depressing and you don’t want to think about it, may as well try and get some sleep
  414. >Click
  415.  
  416.  
  417. >We had been left in the darkness again
  418. >The insolence of that creature, mocking us to our face
  419. >’Care for us’?
  420. >Does it think we are some filly, incapable of looking after oneself?
  421. >Although, our shoulder does still burn, when we think of it the pain only increases
  422. >Just like when we attempted to give that creature a fright
  423. >What powers could be keeping down even Alicorn magic?
  424. >CLUNK
  425. >We push ourselves against a wall in surprise as we hear the tray sliding open
  426. >There’s a smell
  427. >Almost like roasted vegetables
  428. >We inch closer to the smell
  429. >It had been days since food had been delivered to us
  430. >Using our muzzle we explore the darkness, trying to find
  431. >Oh, here resides the water
  432. >And next to it… Ugh
  433. >Humiliating
  434. >Are these pellets?
  435. >They mean to insult us further? Treating us like some pet?
  436. >No, we shan’t debase ourselves like this
  437. >Our silent protest is interrupted by another, a very improper growl of our stomach
  438. >Very well, a meal won’t stop us from ignoring the creatures
  439. >Not long into eating is it interrupted by a great jolt
  440. >Losing our balance in the dark we fall to the floor and are followed quickly by the remaining food and water
  441. >Gah, it’s in our mane...
  442. >Are we being moved again?
  443. >We find our thoughts drifting again, were any of our subjects here?
  444. >What of our sweet sister?
  445. >Those creatures from before weren’t wearing the same uniforms as the ones who had attacked us
  446. >Utterly exhausted and we haven’t even done anything
  447. >When did we stop moving?
  448. >Curling around ourselves, we attempt to sleep but damp fur and a wet mane make it difficult
  449.  
  450.  
  451. >The morning comes quicker than you’d hoped
  452. >Or, you’re just up early
  453. >May as well make the most of it; gym, wash, breakfast, labwork
  454. >Peters looks surprised to see you in early considering your usually strict work hours policy
  455. >These last few days, however, had been anything but usual
  456. >You have a horrible feeling it’ll never go back to normal
  457. >”Getting a head start on the day, Anon?”
  458. “Yeah, made good headway on a bunch of these equipment time requests and tabled out our afternoon with the Alpha later on, we’ll be going in after lunch”
  459. >”Great”
  460. >He’s already wandering over to his mouse habitat, microgravity atrophy drug research
  461. “I don’t know how to deal with the stuff in the incubators but that’s on the table for today”
  462. >”That’s Lin’s, we talked about it yesterday”
  463. >Quickly, Peters moves between habitats with a pipette of blue liquid
  464. >He can be pretty efficient with his conversation when there’s work to be done
  465. >Others start walking in to begin their work and so you get back to yours
  466.  
  467. >Although you’d gone to lunch with a few of your colleagues, it had been a rather quiet affair
  468. >Everyone’s probably just being cautious and trying not to talk about your ‘side project’ in the more public spaces
  469. >Evalyn once again rushes her food and leaves
  470. >Patiently you wait for everyone to finish and you all make your way to one of the service lifts
  471. >Evalyn reappears with a waist high equipment case she’s dragging behind her
  472. “So, what you got there?”
  473. >”Hah, this here is a Litos CZ80 X3!”
  474. >Jones looks over with clear interest but you have no idea what she’s talking about
  475. >With a ping the lift starts to descend
  476. “Uh huh?”
  477. >”It’s basically a fancy camera, stacked sensors for short, medium and long wave radiation. I’m gonna point it at Crescent and see if anything shows up, besides the obvious visible and infrared.”
  478. “Ok, cool… Where’d you get it?”
  479. >”Geology, they usually have this baby staring at rocks”
  480. >A few chuckles as you all exit the lift and make your way towards the cargo junction
  481. >The lower levels were nothing like the common areas, with sleek designs of white, silvers and blues sculpted from composites and glass
  482. >Down here was all a dull grey with the occasional browny-orange accents painted over the metals, and of course there is the faint lingering smell of oil
  483. >Moving through the service corridor you come to the cargo junction
  484. >It’s a large room, a bit bigger than the gyms basketball court with a tall mansard ceiling
  485. >The two short and one long walls have large roller shutter doors for the cargo transports
  486. >The remaining side of the room has a raised platform you walked in on, a large glass and metal observation room in the middle flanked by access doors
  487. >Looking up at the wall surrounding the observation room you see it covered in the spare flood lights
  488. >Below the platform are a number of alarm horns all pointing to the middle of the room
  489. >Sat there alone, but for a few cables and hoses running to it, is the box
  490.  
  491. >You make your way to the front of the box while Evalyn, Sammy and Jones set up the camera off-centre on the platform behind you
  492. >Peters and Varish are also standing on the platform, Tablets in hand
  493. >The less crowding the box the better
  494. >That leaves two of Connors men flanking the back of the box and two in the observation room although noticeably less kitted out
  495. >You look around to see if everyone’s ready
  496. “Alright, open it up”
  497. >A press on the side of the box and the front wall opens up
  498. >Ah, another depressing sight
  499. “Did… Did someone move the box after giving her food?”
  500. >You sternly accuse everyone in the room
  501. >Only met with shakes of the head or the odd “No”
  502. >Looking briefly back at the box you just see Crescent scowling
  503. >Sammy catches your eye
  504. >”It was one of the maintenance staff who brought the box in yesterday while Alex and I were working, probably didn’t know”
  505. >You can only sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose
  506. “OK, unless it wasn’t clear before, the ONLY people to interact with this box and its contents are those cleared. Meaning it should’ve been Raul driving the forklift, not someone from maintenance.”
  507. >Everyone's nodding, including the two soldiers
  508. “Alright, now you…”
  509. >Turning back to the ragged pony, still sat with sour look on her face
  510. >And bits of food in her mane
  511. “You’re in need of a wash”
  512.  
  513. >Her eyes seem to grow wide with worry, are ponies scared of water?
  514. “Give her a shower”
  515. >One of the soldiers moves to the box’s control panel again, pressing a button
  516. >A violent torrent of water which sounds like a power washer floods the box
  517. >The noise only broken by a sharp gasping inhale from inside the box
  518. “WOAH, WOAH! TURN IT OFF!”
  519. >He quickly presses it again and steps back
  520. >There was no way that puny drain in the box was catching that water and you can only watch as it spills out through the bars
  521. >Some of the splashing landed on your clothes and it was
  522. >Freezing
  523. >Looking back to the coughing mare pressed against the back of the box
  524. >She’s shaking
  525. >Goddammit
  526. >At least she’s kind of clean
  527. >You move you way to the control panel
  528. >OK, water settings?
  529. >Another sigh
  530. >’WATER: ON/OFF’
  531. >”Right, do we have any space heaters on this station?”
  532. >Sammy looks unsure
  533. >”Maybe, I’ll go take a look”
  534. >And she’s off
  535. >You move back to the front, nearly touching the bars and get down on one knee
  536. >A now soggy knee
  537. “I’m sorry about that. That, uh, wasn’t how I wanted to start the day.”
  538. >Crescent moves a little from the back, now her sharp glare softens
  539. >Instead, it’s like she’s looking at an idiot
  540.  
  541. >Maybe you are
  542. >If you planned better and read those box modifications you wouldn’t have risked losing a day of progress
  543. >Still, you push your luck anyway
  544. “I take it there’s no chance of proper introductions today either, then?”
  545. >You sit there with a sheepish smile
  546. >Crescent just replies with a loud, dismissive, huff
  547. >You half expected her to shake herself dry like a dog
  548. “OK, no introductions then… Maybe a more interesting topic?”
  549. >Her expression just moves to one of boredom
  550. >Well, you like to be blunt, so
  551. >You harden your face into something more serious
  552. “Why did you come to Earth?”
  553. >Of course you didn’t expect a verbal response, but you watch her closely
  554. >The was a brief flash of sadness across her face, looking down
  555. >Quickly enough though she’s back up, settling in to just frown at you
  556. “You’re their leader, right? These smaller creatures, one of their leaders at least?”
  557. >Nothing
  558. “A lot of people are getting hurt because of what you started, both yours and ours”
  559. >Anger perhaps? She quickly settles down again though
  560. “What about you? That bandage, you get that here or your homeworld?”
  561. >You point to the bandage over her shoulder, which she responds by scowling again
  562. >She slowly brings her wing forwards to cover the bandage
  563. “So you got it here then… Has it been treated or redressed since you got it?”
  564. >Rather telling that she looks away
  565. >You just sigh again
  566. “D’you mind if I take -”
  567. >Crescent just lowers her horn to point at you and backs away a little
  568. “Look, you’re my responsibility alright. Which means I have to keep you alive and well, regardless of what either of us wants”
  569.  
  570. >Crescent raises her head but her expression doesn’t change
  571. “You can either let me... or I’m having you restrained”
  572. >She understands, but only hardens her expression to combat your own
  573. >As you’re about to push her, Sammy returns with a small fan heater
  574. >She rushes over to set it down near the bars and turns it on
  575. “Thanks, Sammy… Last chance, Crescent?”
  576. >Her eyes briefly flick to her shoulder, sad and full of worry, but quickly back up to scowl at you
  577. “Alright”
  578. >You stand up
  579. “Restrain her, I’m going in”
  580. >”Anon, wait”
  581. >Evalyn calls out as the soldier by the panel presses a button
  582. >The chain around Crescent’s mid section starts to pull her down
  583. >The shackles around her hooves pull them to the front and back until she’s forced into a prone position
  584. >”Damn, dude”
  585. >”Jakesh, you crazy!”
  586. >”Dunno, that’s pretty ballsy”
  587. >”Not going in there”
  588. >”Yeah, I’m not fishing him out either”
  589. >You take your jacket off and sling it up to the platform railing and start rolling up your shirt sleeves
  590. >Meanwhile, Crescent is staring daggers into you
  591.  
  592. “The bars”
  593. >Another button press and the bars slowly swing up, just missing the heater
  594. >Slowly approaching where the bars had just been, you crouch down low
  595. “I’m just going to look at your bandage”
  596. >Not that you’d know how to do anything else
  597. >You inch closer but Crescent swings her head at you. Only a warning, so not even close but you can’t let it slide
  598. “Hey, I promise I’m not here to hurt you, I swear… But if you swing that thing at me again, I’ll have your head restrained!”
  599. >She doesn’t need you pointing at her horn to get it, something behind you catches her attention anyway
  600. >You glance back just to see Evalyn next to the camera chewing her nails and shaking
  601. >Sammy moved to stand next to her and everyone else looks like they’re holding their breath
  602. >Turning your attention back to Crescent you slowly move to her side and rest on your knees
  603. >She’s keeping her eyes on you now, not blinking
  604. >A very clear ‘I won’t do anything if you don’t’
  605. >Looking at her from a distance was one thing
  606. >Seeing her up close though, the feathers of her wings, the texture of her fur and the depths of her eyes
  607. >Her mane, it wasn’t a mistake before, it’s definitely mysterious. You can see sparkling constellations and faint comets, yet there’s a definitive hair texture to it
  608. >Incredible
  609. >You’d pet her but you also want to live
  610. >She’s still defensively holding her wing up
  611. “May I?”
  612. >Crescent looks away for a moment then back at you, a strong yet softened gaze
  613. >The wing comes down
  614. >You run your left hand along the top edge of the bandage, feeling her fur with your fingers
  615. >It’s soft and thick, and without the dampness still clinging on, it’d be undoubtedly fluffy
  616. >You find the knot at the top, just under her mane
  617. >Bringing the other hand up the help untie the bandage, Crescent just eyes you cautiously
  618. >No doubt she’s still thinking of taking a swing at you should you misstep
  619. >Got it, you pull back a ring of gauze, then another, and another until
  620. “Oh god!”
  621. >”What?”
  622. “She’s been shot…”
  623.  
  624. >At once the room fills with murmurs
  625. >”Oh no!”
  626. >”Good, creature deserved it”
  627. >”Is it bad?”
  628. >”Is she OK?
  629. >Only Peters cuts through the reactive voices
  630. >”Is there an exit wound?”
  631. >You look back to Crescent, who hasn’t shifted at all but still has her eyes locked on you
  632. >She shifts and gestures slowly to her back with her nose
  633. >You hands move up to brush her mane out of the way
  634. “Uh, yeah, one hole in the front of her shoulder, the other on top. Doesn’t look too deep but also doesn’t look like it’s healed much either… Then again, what do I know?”
  635. >That gets a raised eyebrow from Crescent as you stand up and move out of the cage
  636. >”Alright, I’ll probably have to take a look”
  637. >Peters pauses a moment in thought as you hear a loud huff from behind you
  638. >”I’ll go get my kit”
  639. >Another loud huff and a jingle of chains from Crescent as Peters leaves
  640. “What? I kept my promise didn’t I? Thought you’d want that shoulder looking at. You’re the one making this difficult what with your little silent treatment”
  641. >She just turns her head away from you with an indignant frown
  642. >”Anon, can you come check this out?”
  643. >You head up to Evalyn, who then whispers in your ear
  644. >”Some interesting stuff going on here, I was going to leave the review until after, but looking at her shoulder -”
  645. >As Evalyn starts moving around the menus on the camera you notice Crescent is still turned away, but has an ear pointing towards you
  646. >Hopefully her hearing isn’t that good
  647. >”Yeah, here!”
  648. >The footage itself is fascinating
  649. >There’s the usual visible light layer but overlayed is a false-colour representation of various radiation
  650. >Crescent is faintly glowing, like an Aurora pouring from within
  651. >You on the other hand, are completely bland, oh well
  652. “Wow, that’s incredible!”
  653. >”I know!” She chirps
  654. >”But look what happens when I isolate this band”
  655. >She turns off a bunch of layers and sure enough, everything disappears apart from Crescent’s glow
  656. >Except there’s something missing, a few things missing
  657. >Her horn, wings and most of her left shoulder show as black, blending in with the background
  658. >And from that black shoulder, faint vein-like tendrils spread out like an infection
  659. “Ah, I can see what you mean”
  660. >”Yeah, sadly the resolution isn’t good enough to resolve the little details, but I’m sure we can make a reasonable connection here”
  661.  
  662. >Shortly Peters returns with a case on a trolley and you move back down next to Crescent
  663. “Look, you need that shoulder looking at and I need you to be calm about it”
  664. >She looks over to Peters, laying a few instruments out on the medical trolley, then back to you with a flat expression
  665. >Not a ringing endorsement but also not hostile, good enough for you
  666. >Peters pulls up the trolley and thrusts a small metal bowl into your hand
  667. >”I’m not exactly fond of jumping into the deep end, so if anything happens, I’m holding you liable”
  668. “Yeah, that’s fair”
  669. >”... Alright then”
  670. >He puts on a mask and gloves then kneels down beside her, a pair of forceps and tweezers in hand
  671. >”I’m only going to be checking the wound and assessing it, I’m not stitching you up or anything”
  672. >Crescent looks at him, then to you and then looks straight ahead as if to say ‘get on with it’
  673. >He starts probing around the exterior of the wound and her face contorts in pain, but doesn’t say a word
  674. “Can’t we give her something for the pain? Like anesthetics or whatever?”
  675. >Peters doesn’t respond but but Evalyn pipes up from the platforms
  676. >”Sorry, anesthetics are complex. We can’t go giving her drugs without knowing how she’d react, could kill her”
  677. >Varish answers with similar sentiments but adds
  678. >”Once we’ve studied more of their kind, sure, but for now we’ll have to do it the old fashioned way. After MAICA has sequenced them, there’ll be drugs in no time”
  679. >A sharp breath from Crescent as tweezers are shallowly moved into the wound
  680. >”Bowl!”
  681. >You hold the bowl next to the wound and Peters drops in a chip of Purplish-black glass
  682. >Strange
  683. >Followed shortly by a greyish-white metallic shard
  684. >A few more chips and shards later, Peters removes the tools and moves away
  685. >”I daren’t go any further, not with these tools and not in this environment, we need proper medical staff for this sort of thing”
  686. >You stand to join him
  687. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. What about the wound itself?”
  688. >”I’m concerned it hasn’t healed, it must’ve been what, a week at least? The lack of blood flow in the wound could either be a good or bad thing, depending on their physiology. Varish is right, we need actual studies on them”
  689. >You can see Crescent give him a deadly glare
  690. “Can you work with this?”
  691. >You gesture to the drops of blood in the bowl and on his tools
  692. >”Not really, there’s not much there”
  693. “Oh come on, I’ve seen you work with your mice, drops the size of pinheads”
  694. >”That’s different, I know what I’m looking for there… But -”
  695. >He turns to Crescent
  696. >”I suppose you won’t let me take any, even if I asked”
  697. >She just replies with a dismissive huff
  698. >”so I suppose I’ll take this as a challenge”
  699. “Great, once you’ve cleaned those shards I’ll take them for analysis”
  700. >”And you can patch her up”
  701. >You hand him the bowl and he heads off with Varish
  702.  
  703. >You take the pads and gauze from the trolley
  704. >You may not be a medic but every member of staff has to have extensive first aid training, among other courses, before even leaving Earth
  705. “I’m sorry about all this, but I can’t have you dying on me”
  706. >You kneel back down beside Crescent and place the pads over her wounds
  707. “Not when I still have so many questions to ask”
  708. >she looks at you out of the corner of her eye as you start wrapping the gauze
  709. “And to think, we’re not even getting a word of thanks”
  710. >You joke and she just rolls her eyes
  711. “No? Alright… Maybe you’re more inclined to small talk then”
  712. >The gauze is tightened up in a knot
  713. “So the weather… We don’t really have weather here. Although, sometimes when they’re swapping out the scrubbers on the air conditioning units it can get quite humid in the more popular areas!”
  714. >Not even a huff, she’s just looking bored
  715. “Current events? Well, I currently need a certain Crescent to start talking. Also currently, a certain Crescent isn’t going to be getting out of her box without giving me something to go on”
  716. >Once again, nothing. So you stand up and move out of the box for what comes next
  717. “OK, how about politics then?”
  718. >Hah, now that’s quite the poker face she’s got there
  719. >You reach over and press the buttons on the box lowering the bars and slaking her chains
  720. >You drop your jovial tone and put on a more serious face
  721. “For over a hundred years, there’s been a standoff between two superpowers over a rather pitiable plot of land in the middle of nowhere”
  722. >You crouch in front of her with a safe distance despite the bars
  723. “And then you show up, decimating farmlands and destroying cities across the globe with your arrival. So clearly these two countries would be severely pissed off already. Now imagine how they reacted when a group of you appears right in the middle of their little cold war”
  724. >Crescent’s poker face is starting to slip, and her brow furrows
  725. “Well, things turned hot pretty quick, and I didn’t feel like watching the outcome”
  726. >She looks away, visibly distressed
  727. >You soften your voice a touch
  728. “This is happening all over the world, Crescent. I need you to talk to me, so we can stop more horrors like that from happening. Why you’re here, what you want, why you’re attacking us…”
  729. >She looks back at you with an angry, accusatory gaze briefly before turning to face the back of the box
  730.  
  731. >That’s probably all the conversation Crescent is up for today
  732. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then”
  733. >You stand back and gesture for the soldier to close the box
  734. >As the panel comes down you see Crescent glance back at you before the wall obscures your view
  735. >”Hey, I thought that went rather well”
  736. >A round of nodding
  737. “Of course you did Eve, you just sat there watching a screen the whole time”
  738. >You watch as Evalyn, Sammy and Jones finish taking notes on their tablets
  739. >The later two head off as Evalyn starts packing the camera up
  740. “Need a hand?”
  741. >”No need, Doc. Sadly I gotta hand this back but was wondering if you’d be able to get me one for the lab?”
  742. “Can definitely put a request in, how much are they”
  743. >”HAH! This baby is a cool four mill”
  744. >Your eyes go wide with surprise
  745. >”Hey, but... but, we could get the better CZ90 X3 for five…”
  746. >You can only laugh
  747. “And why can’t we keep using this, it’s not like it’s gonna be looking at anything more interesting than her in its lifetime”
  748. >”While I agree, I did tell them I only wanted to record some leaves under different UV light… Yeah, and sadly to a geologist, pointing this camera at rocks is more interesting to them”
  749. “Haha, ok ok I’ll put the request in, say it’s integral to getting info out of her or something, but it could be a while before it arrives”
  750.  
  751. >You left Evalyn to take the camera back
  752. >Walking back into Biology you can see Peters has already cleaned the shards and left them at your station
  753. >You pick the bowl up and as you’re about to leave you get Speakmans attention
  754. “Hey, you been brought up to date on what happened?”
  755. >”Yeah, Sammy told me.”
  756. “She mention the water?”
  757. >He nods
  758. “You think you’d be able to find some kind of in-line heater or something?”
  759. >”Sure, I’ll think of something, maybe something to restrict flow as well”
  760. “Great, thanks”
  761. >You make your way out of Biology and get on a tram to Geology in the east wall of the crater
  762. >Not many people here today, probably on break or out doing field research in person
  763. >Sticking your head round a corner you spot who you’re looking for
  764. “Hey, Dr Tezuka!”
  765. >Looking up from his scopes, smiling
  766. >”Dr Anonymous, always good to have you round, what can I do for you?”
  767. >You make your way into his lab a bit
  768. “Was wondering if anyones using your XFR machine, got some samples I need analyzing”
  769. >”Oh no, you go right ahead, everyones out today. Ground Radar thinks it picked up a recent volcanic tube so they all ran off rather than leave it to the droids”
  770. >You make your was across the lab with a chuckle
  771. “I assume when you mean recent, you mean millions of years ago?”
  772. >”Hah, well yes, but still recent!”
  773. >You sit down at the scanner and load in a metallic shard first
  774. >Close the panel, flick the ready switch and press go
  775. >Click
  776. >Beep
  777. >The screen lights up done, with a spectrum graph below
  778. >A rather flat line with a single large spike with an elemental symbol at the top
  779. >Tungsten?
  780. >You take it out and replace it with another metal shard
  781. >Click
  782. >Beep
  783. >Tungsten
  784. >If all those little shards were part of the bullet, you can only assume Crescent got shot with armour piercing rounds
  785. >Didn’t she get captured in the States?
  786. >Just who was she messing with to end up having AP used against her?
  787. >No use thinking about that now, lets see what these glassy purple-black chips are made of
  788.  
  789. >Click
  790. >Beep
  791. >Oh god, there’s more stuff here
  792. >Large peaks of Silicon, Calcium, Potassium and Oxygen with smaller quantities of Aluminium and Manganese, then even smaller impurities the scanner can’t pick up
  793. >You have no idea
  794. “Hey, Shuji, what do you make of this?”
  795. >The older man pulls himself up off of his chair and makes his way over
  796. >”Hmm”
  797. >He looks at the screen and then through the window to the sample
  798. >”Looks like some kind of glass or enamel, it’d have to be old though, probably medieval”
  799. “Really? How’d you figure that?”
  800. >”Look here, the potassium and calcium, you’d use that in a potash-lime glass. You’d find that kind of thing in northern Europe and east Asia. Royal ornaments, enameled trinkets or windows, that sort of thing”
  801. >He looks back to you
  802. >”Where’d you find this”
  803. >You’d already thought of an excuse
  804. “It was in some soil brought up here in the last batch, must not’ve been screened properly”
  805. >”Ah… This last batch wouldn’t have anything to do with those Delta boys and that ‘mystery shipment’ would it?”
  806. “Hey, you know I can’t tell you that”
  807. >”Haha, yes I know, but also no harm in asking. Dr Paris gave me the same response when she came asking about a camera”
  808. “Yeah, don’t worry too much about it, I’m sure everyone will know at some point”
  809. >Placing the sample from the scanner back into the bowl you stand up
  810. “Thanks for your time, Shuji”
  811. >”And you, the station always feels more alive when there’s cross-lab research going on”
  812.  
  813. >It’s been a long day, and you’re in no mood to be telling the director you got nothing from Crescent
  814. >Well, nothing you want to tell him at least
  815. >You take the samples back to the lab and go to blow off some steam in the gym
  816. >Taking your food back to your apartment, you settle in to watch some TV
  817. >Flicking once again through news broadcasts you still find nothing fun
  818. >”It has been almost twelve days since the invasion-”
  819. >Click
  820. >”Equestrian forces in the French Al-”
  821. >Click
  822. >”Refugees from-”
  823. >Click
  824. >”Here in the detention camps-
  825. >WAIT, you almost click off but this looks extra depressing
  826. >”of the southern Yunnan province, groups of the so-called ‘Earth Ponies’ are being sent en masse, when captured across China. This plot of land which was nothing more than farmland a week ago -”
  827. >A week? But, it’s massive.
  828. >Concrete walls stretch far into the distance, boxing in fields of tents with what seems like real buildings being constructed at the edges
  829. >”is being developed to hold more than half a million and will be expected to hold both unicorns and pegasi in the future”
  830. >The camera pans to show the entrance, with trucks upon trucks unloading ponies shackled to each other being pushed through the multiple gates
  831. >Some try to resist, but you cringe as you watch them get tazed with cattle prods
  832. >”Both animal rights activists and humanitarian groups are calling the treatment barbaric, and that because they display ‘near-human’ intelligence, should be treated at least as prisoners of war.”
  833. >You find yourself thinking of Crescent, you felt bad for those ponies but could you really talk with the condition you kept her in…
  834. >No, these were invaders!
  835. >You didn’t put Crescent in that box, and you made it clear, if she cooperates, you’d see what you can do about her accommodations
  836. >You refocus on the TV
  837. >Are… are those kids?
  838. >”But such calls are falling on deaf ears, as talks of other nations, namely the United States, UK, Germany and Russia rushing through approvals to build centers of their own. Other countries have proposed working with China to help them build out similar facilities which would be a great diplomatic boon in this time of great political tension across the globe.”
  839. >Click
  840. >You find a dull show to tune your brain out
  841.  
  842.  
  843. >Another utterly shameful day
  844. >We almost long for the weightless void of a few days prior
  845. >That creature once again thinking he can command us to speak
  846. >Did he know what he was doing, spraying us like that?
  847. >He did seem to apologize… But still
  848. >We shan’t put such things above him
  849. >And then that beast dares touch us!
  850. >Although, it is definitely a more gentle experience than when they captured us
  851. >Those other creatures keeping a distance, they remind us of… Scholars
  852. >Yes, little research ponies from our dear sister’s School Of Magic
  853. >Celestia...
  854. >We let out a quiet sob
  855. >Where are you?
  856. >What have they done to you?
  857. >We feel tears roll down our cheeks
  858. >No, these beings are nothing like our scholars from home
  859. >They are, all of them, cruel
  860. >A furious anger begins to boil
  861. >Our Scholars would never treat another being to such conditions
  862. >These creatures have taken everything from us
  863. >And then when they give back some basic kindnesses, they expect us to treat them as our…
  864. >Our SAVIOUR?
  865. >THUD
  866. >The impact rings loud in the enclosed space
  867. >No doubt two large hoofprints had indented themselves on the rear wall
  868. >And also no doubt they would punish us for this outburst as well