The Pirate Prince

"Before we decide anything, I think we should get a safe distance from here. If some Skags or another runner heard the gunshot, they'll probably investigate. I don't want to get shot in the head or eaten just when we've struck gold." Rich was tempted to betray them, but it he was hopelessly outgunned. Anyway, with his suggestion of shooting the lock off and this little piece of advice, along with the good mood they must be feeling for finding the rifle, they must be starting to warm up to him.

"Dibs... I'm joking, I'm joking," Rich inspected the rifle. He couldn't see any ammunition or energy packs stored with it. He wondered if it was loaded. One of the others would probably take it for themselves. He hoped it wouldn't cause in fighting, he didn't trust these ponies not to shoot him if tensions raised.

"We could try shooting the lock off." Rich guessed they'd dismiss his idea out of hoof, so he moved towards the nearby backroom that they passed earlier. RIch wormed his way passed the rubble. He listened at the door for a few seconds, knocked quietly and opened the door, rifle in hoof.

"Alright, alright. I was just giving my opinion, making sure I mentioned all the variables I could think of before you made a decision. Sorry for not being the super experienced runner you are. You want to blow the crate open, go right ahead. Just don't chew me out for trying to tell you some ideas you might not have thought about." Rich was getting tired of these games, at least Red had the decency to talk calmly when he was annoyed.

Rich put the crate down and stretched. "I wouldn't recommend it. Blasting it open could damage what's inside. Hell, the explosives might be worth more than what's in it. Also, we don't want to attract attention. If we get it open intact, we could sell it. A runner might think it's more professional to keep his merchandise in a crate than out in the open. Hell, it might be worth more to somepony as a table than as a crate. I don't mind carrying it, but I you'll be held accountable for it breaking my spine. If one of you helped me, that leaves two of us left to watch out for anypony that could jump us. If we swap every now and then, then that's even better." Rich smirked, "Of course, it's not not up to me what we do, is it." He was pleased with himself. This kind of quick. intellectual analysis was something the other members of the team seemed to be lacking.

"I thought Ironside said that was your forte." Rich distinctly remembered asking about his teammates' strengths before leaving the yard. "I guess I'll be the one carrying it back, since apparently everyone hates me at the moment." This would hopefully win back some favor and give them a reason not to kill him while they made their way back. Rich lifted it onto his back, using his magic to keep it steady and not crush him. Using his broken horn hurt, but it was quite bearable. Rich acted like it hurt slightly more than it actually it did to seem more impressive.

Rich quickly checked out the equipment around him, looking for anything that could be useful. He also kept a careful eye onto the corridors. When he and the others we're finished, Rich spoke to Crimson. "Well then boss, where to now?" He then had a quick look to see if the others had had any success.

"You know there was nothing stopping us from waiting a few of minutes and then trying the other place again." Rich sighed. He wondered if he could kill the three of them before they could shoot back. He wasn't going to try, but it was an interesting thought.

"Since there was no telling if there even was a reward, or what kind of danger there was back there, I'd say I'm already pretty well versed. I didn't push you back through the vent and I didn't hear anyone complain until we actually got out of danger. Maybe we should have stayed, but when did that become my decision?"

"Fine. This time I'll just follow orders. If there's nothing to shoot, hack or carry, I'll let you three bicker it out." Once they had set off, Rich went up to Deadeye. "So, what do you think?" Rich had agreed with him at the foot of the stairs so that was a point in his favor.

"Excuse me? I'm not going to be your scapegoat. I didn't empty those boxes and I wasn't the one sneaking around up there. Crimson said he didn't want to hang around anymore and you didn't want to go up the stairs in the first place. Exactly how much different would it have gone if I hadn't been there? I'm the new guy remember. If you three wanted to carry on, I would have had no say in the matter, would I? I understand you're frustrated and you might be a bit sore from me not taking your side at the bottom of the stairs, but if you shouldn't let that cloud your thinking, it's unprofessional." Rich turned to the other two. "Do you agree, or should I forget about working with you guys?"

"We should retreat, quickly and quietly." Rich kept his rifle on the stairs as the others went through the vent. "I'll move a couple of boxes in the way, might buy us some time." Using his damaged horn gave him a splitting headache but the pain quickly faded.

Rich silently swore, if his horn was still intact, he could have knocked it out without a sound. "If it was a mindless monster, it would have attacked us already." Rich whispered the Crimson. "If it does anything other than reply, shoot it. If it doesn't do anything, we'll back down." Rich took a breath. "Identify yourself, otherwise we will kill you." Rich prayed it was going to cooperate.

"Fine, I'll take point. You guys come up when your ready." Rich began climbing the stairs, trying to make as little noise a possible. He didn't want to disturb anything that could be waiting for him. Rich listened out for any signs of life beyond the team. He forced himself calm, he couldn't let himself panic and start shooting for no reason.

I don't often remember dreams, but I remember last night's. I was on the train, going from the nearby city to the village I live in. I was with some friends. A friend of mine from school, a year below me who moved to New Zealand came along the carriage. I gave him a manly hug as I hadn't seen him in a while. With him was a someone else from school, someone I was never ever friends with, someone who I didn't really know. I barely remember his name. But here he was, on the train. it was a bit awkward. Also there were volcanoes and lava outside, but I didn't seem too fussed.

Out of the choices, I'd be torn between Pokemon, Avatar:TLAB and Equestria, But I have to pick other, the place I'd like to live is the world from the manga/anime One Piece. If you can't tell, pirates are a kinda a thing with me. *Edit* I forgot Myst. I don't think I can think of a universe where the line between magic, science and art becomes so blurred. Where creativity and intelligence is so powerful and the potential for beauty and wonder is so infinite.

It's similar to my gamer name (the username I use in most places on the internet. I am a closet brony after all), which has the word prince in it. It's also a reference to the manga One Piece, of which I'm a huge fan.

"Hey, ease up. If something is up there, I'd prefer it not to hear us. True, something could be up there, but there could have been something in here or in the vent. Since somepony's already been here, ether A. They're still around, meaning the stuff is still here, or B. they've left, so they already had to deal with anything dangerous around here."

"A lot of these are empty, looks like might not be the first one's here. Let's just hope nopony stuck around." Rich quickly surveyed the situation. "I'll keep an eye on the stairs, don't want something to sneak up on us while we search. When you're finished down here, we can try up there." Rich start checking the boxes that looked unopened that were close to the stairs, never looking away from the exit for longer than a few moments.

"Anything that moves? In the vents?" Rich waited for the others to go through the vent before entering himself. He was the new guy after all. He entered with his rifle facing behind him so he wouldn't have to worry about turning it around if something came up behind him.

Rich wasn't sure if they were being serious or trying to mess with him. He decided to believe them, for now. "I'm not saying we could walk into the main computer room and start pulling cables out. Just if we come across a computer terminal, I could at least have a look. I doubt the AI would let us do something worthy of being experimented on without warning us first. It must have some leniency, otherwise we'd all be trapped in our cells 24/7." Rich sighed, hoping the AI was listening to their conversation. "Suppose through using the security systems to find better stuff. We then take it back to the yard and sell it. We get richer and ponies in the yard get the things they need. Ponies have things they need and want, they're less likely to go crazy and have another riot or try and access places their not supposed to, making the AI's life easier. Everybody wins. Anyway, what would the the AI care if you hacked a computer to break into a vault containing medical supplies? It's not like it has any use for them."

"Still, what'll it do if we try, add time to our sentences?" Rich thought a moment on how to explain advanced Artificial Intelligence theories to these ponies. "AI's are just like ponies. They have a consciousness, a subconsciousness and automatic responses, equivalent to heartbeats and blinking. The AI can't control everything consciously, it'd go crazy. We just need to do what we need to do without it realizing it. If everything goes well, it'll forget about us as quickly as you forget a dream." *Edit* "This place was built to have pony staff, there must be cracks forming now they're all gone."

"I'm surprised you have a map. I thought this place was continually changing," RIch spoke up quietly, trying to distract himself from the smell. "Since the security system is still active, if you find a control station, you might want me to have a crack at it. I'd prefer to find out if something's ahead through a camera than in person."

Rich joined him by the hole "One last question. Do we get dental?" Without waiting for a reply, he loaded his gun, switched the safety off and followed Deadeyes and Crimson Red through the hole. For the first time since the incident, he was starting to enjoy himself. Sure he might be walking into danger, but at least he was actually doing something.

"Do you ponies have skills beyond gunning things down? I need to know the capabilities of the company I keep. What are the chances for an encounter with opposition? What kind of goods are we expecting to find? Also, do you know of any computer stations that we could use to our advantage." Rich was determined to seem as professional as possible. Not asking questions would imply he was too scared to interact with these ponies, and that would lose respect.