private Celestial Conquest: Adventure in the Great Beyond

[Durandal 623]

There it was again! That millisecond of emotion, that fraction of feeling, true feeling. Was she actually telling the truth? In all honesty, Aquila thought so. It would be a waste to take her revenge now - she knew there was no escape, she had to. And waiting even longer? Too convoluted, likely too agonizing for her. And then she saluted him.

 

Aquila's face contorted into a confused glare, losing all his composure. His eyes locked onto her's, searching for something. It took him a moment to register that he had to respond.

 

It reminded him of when he took the helm of the ZSV Dreamcatcher. The crisp, metallic smell of the ship's ventilation, the constant hum of electronics and the purr of her engine. The Dreamcatcher's senior officers, now his to lead, all saluting him. For just a moment, he felt like an officer again. Like the clothes on his body weren't just a military relic, but the symbol of a leader.

 

Aquila returned the salute, however his expression did not change. Storm had just saluted him, submitting to his will as an officer. She had done it to keep a promise to her family that she would raise them properly. He was touched that she would put such faith in his ability, however he felt it was misguided. Why him?...

 

"Why?" He said it in almost a whisper. His mind screamed at him to not question it - to take such an opportunity for leverage without exposing confusion or emotion. But she had done it. She had disarmed him well and truly. He didn't know what to think, or what to feel. He was an old, cynical Zebraynik officer who roamed the stars aimlessly, what in him was there to strive towards?

Edited August 18, 2013 by Durandal

[rainbovv dash 110]

All Storm could feel for a second was relief when she saw Aquila lowering his head. When their eyes met she looked down at the floor. She wasn't ashamed nor did she feel uncomfortable looking into his eyes, it just was polite to do so. That and the fact that her flank still remembered the pain of the last time she forgot to do so.

 

She always remembered it like something dear. The memory of that official getting angry at a young and rookie Storm Cloud for looking into his eyes was something she treasured. Even though getting whipped for it was pretty unfair and painful. The memory of happy days made her spirits lighten and her mouth angles turned slightly upwards.

 

Fractions of a second felt like hours. She waited for Aquila to end the salute. When he did she shifted peacefully into a more comfortable position and carefully folded her wings. When they rested against her sides her ears caught an unexpected "Why?"

 

The last thing she had expected Aquila to do was THAT. She had expected orders, she would have expected him to ask her to address him in a certain way. She would even have expected him to beat the crap out of her for no apparent reason. But she wasn't prepared for a question like this. Storm shuffled, what had driven her to ask him? It had just felt right, she wouldn't have known who else to address.

 

"I... You seemed like an avid stallion, a pony who knows what diplomacy is and how to address others. I am clever and good at being stealthy. That's why I'm alive. But I've got a problem that I can't solve on my own, therefore I need help." - she took a deep breath - "I want my freedom back and I will trade anything for it".

Edited August 18, 2013 by rainbovv dash

[MelancholicMemory 2,025]

After a while, the ships separated once more and Deadeye continued speeding towards his destination. Nothing had happened yet so Aquila would probably be fine. Even then, he could come back for him if necessary. Still, he needed to finish this little quest quickly. Who knows what could happen if he didn't get there soon? After piloting a while, he returned the ship to auto pilot and turned to Slicer. "Nice work back there."

 

@,

 

(Yes Man, you might want to get Cerberus back out with the two mercs, so they can converse)

 

@@Yes-Man,

[Yes-Man 597]

A small beep erupted from one of the programs.

"It would appear we are nearing our destination. See you around, Rock Solid. May the Motherboard guide you.

 

Aye. May the Motherboard guide you.

 

As Cerberus' virtual program then began to fade away, his vision of the real world grew clearer. His thoughts then drifted to their departure. It seemed like so long ago they were just young programs, creating that as a sort of handshake.

For some reason, it had recently began developing into a sort of religion. He had no idea why, perhaps it was them attempting to find meaning. Perhaps the world of artificial intelligence was gaining true sentienence. The galaxy wasn't ready for that yet, so he decided just brush it off.

 

He sort of sighed, then opened the door into the bridge.

 

"Master DeadEye, are we approaching our destination?"

 

,

Edited August 19, 2013 by Yes-Man

[Durandal 623]

Her answer only muddled things further. Freedom? She was treating him like a senior officer, how was that free? And what problem did she have that he could fix?

 

He was, however, flattered that he would be considered such a keen diplomat. It was what he strove towards - to understand the pony condition well enough to bring about a preferred resolution. Do you perhaps mean 'to manipulate others to my advantage'? A part of him shot back. Though he moved to silence the voice, how close it was to the truth made him shiver.

 

Regardless, he still had questions. Before he would become her officer, he wanted to know why. The more skeptical side of him needed to be placated - after all, hadn't she put a knife to his neck earlier today? It was a jarring transition, shifting from someone's prey to someone's leader.

 

"Understandable," he began, "however I don't get it. You say you desire freedom, yet you are willing to treat me as your superior. What are you looking to free yourself from, what problem can you not solve?"

Edited August 19, 2013 by Durandal

[rainbovv dash 110]

Storm's eyes opened wide when she realized that Aquila was completely unaware of her situation and all of her good mood suddenly vanished. She would have to explain, she had to tell him everything. The yellow mare had just no idea how she should start.

 

"I.." - she started saying while she bit back her tears. Her tongue felt like not moving and her body was eager to just run away - "I've been falsely accused and..." - the following words left her mouth forming a barely understandable mess of sounds - "sentenced to death"

 

She didn't dare to look up from the ground. She was afraid of seeing his reaction, she felt like a failure, like she had allowed the world to treat her like a pushover. Her mind was aware that she hadn't been able to do any better back then but something deep in her felt guilty for whatever had got her into the situation she was stuck in.

[Durandal 623]

Aquila squared his jaw for a split second, however only forced out a sigh. He hated it when ponies didn't get to the point, however at this point he was out of options. He had to treat this matter carefully, regardless of prior relations. It was clear the topic was of emotional significance, and Aquila would rather not have a knife to his throat for pushing fragile topics.

 

"For what?" he continued, trying his best to make it sound comforting.

 

If he was correct, it must have taken quite a bit of courage to open up about this topic. Her behavior was in stark contrast to her normal antics - she must have taken great care to bury the topic. What she saw in him was a mystery, and at this point, it would likely remain that way. Right now she needed a friend, and it was the... Most pragmatic thing to do. Or rather, that's what he attempted to convince himself. Sure, he would gain her as a subordinate, but the course of action simply seemed right.

 

Morality, he sneered internally. As if matters weren't bad enough.

Edited August 19, 2013 by Durandal

[rainbovv dash 110]

Her first natural reaction would have been to ask him if it really mattered what she did to get into that amount of trouble. But it had been her asking for help and it only felt right to explain the reasons behind her sentence.

 

"I killed a captain." she answered shortly. The memory of the exact incident was painful for her. - "We were secretly meeting. One day he decided our relation was ready for more, while I wasn't. I asked him to stop, but he wouldn't" - her talking became fast and high pitched while her eyes lost focus on the distance.

 

"He was too close! I pushed him away!" - her voice became low and deep and her eyes locked onto Aquila's. The expression in them was helplessness. - "I lost control" - her thoughts tried once more to wrap around the fuzzy memory of what had happened - "I lost control" she repeated.

 

"That colt got what he deserved. I heard his nose and several ribs burst under my hooves, it felt wonderful!" she was nearly shaking "But he was alive and cursing when I was pulled away from him! I was arrested and few days later I was sentenced. He suddenly had an additional broken neck."

 

"Whoever killed him was trained themselves. Even on the X-Ray images the fracture looked like pure artwork." - she drifted away. Her mind was a mess and she needed a rest - "Do you have a drink for me?"

[Miss Light Diamond 2,802]

@,

 

Slicer gave Deadeye the usual crazed smile and suppressed a small laugh. "I...I killed so many." He mumbled, letting out another muffled laugh. "I was good wasn't I?" He said, looking down at the metal floor. *I could have done better.* *Oh I know...but you probably would have just killed everyone...rather than the guards. We cant kill everypony yet...we need them...and they need us. When this whole mission thing is over...yeah...I like the idea of murdering them.* *That's what I like to hear* He thought, still smiling as he licked his lips with his split tongue.

[Durandal 623]

Aquila's face drained of color as she explained that she had been the victim of abuse by a superior officer. This didn't just take courage, what she had done was the equivalent of putting her complete faith in him. And it was no wonder why - he was homosexual, he had no interest in her. Of course she'd see safety in that. But yet, why would she? She's had horrible experiences with officers before, he would have expected it'd take months to lighten up to any officer again, maybe even years.

 

Regardless, the situation had definitely escalated. She had put her utmost trust in him as her superior. As anyone knew, trust was key to any relationship, be it a business partnership or a romance. Not only was it his responsibility to maintain that trust, but perhaps he could teach her a thing or two about it. And worst of all, Aquila felt pity for her. At this rate, he'd be reduced to an emotional mess before their little entourage parted ways.

 

"Do you have a drink for me?"

 

Shaking his head, Aquila took a moment to regain his composure.

 

"Y-Yes, hold on." Walking over to a small mini-fridge in the corner, he extracted a small bottle of tea. Handing it to her, he fiddled with his comm. The conversation was, fortunately, over, or at at least he hoped it was. This is why he hated emotional exchanges - they muddled the mind.

 

"Deadeye, come in. You can undock now." Before he could wait for a response, however, Aegis chimed in.

 

"He's already detached, Aquila, and beginning to leave." Switching from the overhead speakers to his headset, Aegis added, "do all organics become so desensitized to their surroundings when emotions are at play?" Aquila could have sworn that it sounded snide. That little-

 

"Shove it, Aegis. I need the rest of the ship accessible. Go ahead and follow him, I'll take control once it's safe." Aquila assumed his silence meant that he was complying.

 

"Storm, make yourself comfortable, though I would prefer if you picked up after yourself," pointing to the wall where she knocked over his things earlier, he turned back to his comm.

 

"Begin message," he started calmly. This quickly faded, however. "Deadeye you asshole! I told you to wait around, I trusted you! If I can't rely on you to be there when I need you the deal is off, you hear me? I'm not getting left in the middle of a battle because you think you have better things to do, you little shit! End message."

 

The outburst was uncharacteristic of himself, he recognized this, however it still felt good. Much to his chagrin, however, Aegis chose this moment to comment.

 

"Feel better?" Aegis asked. Aquila didn't bother to respond.

[rainbovv dash 110]

Storm received the bottle of tea and opened it. She wasn't a big fan of tea, but given the situation and that she didn't remember the last time she had drunk anything at all it felt glorious.

 

A long "Ahh" was the only sound she gave away after she had finished. Her thoughts drifted away as her mind was too tired to continue thinking about their conversation's topic. A sudden outburst of Aquila turned her attention on the stallion.

 

Durandal, on 21 Aug 2013 - 03:32 AM, said:

"Deadeye you asshole! I told you to wait around, I trusted you! If I can't rely on you to be there when I need you the deal is off, you hear me?"

She turned around, focusing on the stallion. What deal was he talking about? She had thought that they'd gone separate ways. She would have to find out about the whole thing, but for now she needed to relax and let the problems be.

 

Suddenly a thought came across her mind. She stood up and approached the raging stallion from behind, he was just to caught up talking on his comm unit that he didn't caught her sneaking up from behind. That, and Storm was good at not making noise when walking. It had taken her long to get so good at it but it was paying off.

 

From his expression she could read that he had finished talking and the sounds from the intercom seemed to have died off to. Still standing behind him she started in a casual voice "Were afraid of a mare?" bursting into laughter afterwards.

[MelancholicMemory 2,025]

Deadeye steered the ship onward, suddenly detecting something in the distance. He ran some closer examinations using the ship's computer only to find something awful. A Changeling Fleet. "Damn! Changelings dead ahead! Get ready for action!" He steered the ship manually, doing his best to escape and hid from the Changelings.

[Miss Light Diamond 2,802]

Deadeye steered the ship onward, suddenly detecting something in the distance. He ran some closer examinations using the ship's computer only to find something awful. A Changeling Fleet. "Damn! Changelings dead ahead! Get ready for action!" He steered the ship manually, doing his best to escape and hid from the Changelings.

 

Slicer sighed. "I coulda killed them if I had my ship..." He crossed his forelegs and leaned with his back against the wall.

*Told you you shouldn't have trusted these ponies...they've gotten you away from your ship...they're going to kill you...* *You're right...I know...We'll just be extra extra careful from now on.* He thought, his mechanical eye watching Deadeye closely...very closely...it wasn't that noticeable though.

[Durandal 623]

Aquila was about to ask Aegis on the status of the cycling of the rooms when he felt a presence behind him. Before he could understand the odd feeling, he heard Storm from directly behind him. By the time she had finished the sentence, he was facing her with a pistol at his side. Realizing a distinct lack of sharp, pointy things coming at him and an abundance of laughter, he holstered his pistol, letting out an annoyed grunt.

 

It was true, he supposed. He feared the mare for her unpredictability - he was unsure whether to expect a blade or a snide remark. Or perhaps an emotional breakdown, he quipped. Those seemed to be becoming more and more common. Sooner or later he suspected he'd become her therapist, or maybe even open up to her. The thought caused a disgusted scowl to form. Revolting.

 

"Aegis, are you done yet?" he asked, hoping to ignore the bawling mess in front of him.

 

"Yes- Wait. I'm picking up- Deadeye has turned his ship sharply- Changelings dead ahead! I'm picking up a lot of signatures..."

 

Aquila was rendered incoherent for a few short seconds.

 

"How the hell did a fleet get into the center of Coalition space without every ship in the sector knowing!? Cloak and evasive maneuvers Aegis, get us the hell out of here! And hail every damn Coalition ship you can, alert them!" He said as he found his tongue again. What followed was a string of muttered curses as Aquila stormed off into the cockpit.

 

Oh this isn't good. An assassin? Usual Changeling fare. An entire fleet in the dead-center of the Coalition? This is terrible! How the hell did they get here without being detected, and why aren't they firing? Goddessspeed, Coalition, goddessspeed.

[rainbovv dash 110]

"Bwahahaha! You should have seen your fac..." - Storms laughing outburst was soon over when she noticed something was off, she couldn't have possibly scared him that bad. Aquila had suddenly become silent and if his coat could have lost color he would be white as chalk now.

 

Durandal, on 25 Aug 2013 - 03:42 AM, said:

"How the hell did a fleet get into the center of Coalition space without every ship in the sector knowing!? Cloak and evasive maneuvers Aegis, get us the hell out of here! And hail every damn Coalition ship you can, alert them!"

Storm stood up. Every other pony would have cleaned the dust off it's coat at this point, but she just watched as her fur worked the dust out like small dunes running towards the ground. "Aquila..." she tried to address him, a worried tone added to her voice.

 

She didn't understand why she was worried. After all she didn't know what was going on. Seeing a pony so experienced react that way seemed to be a good reason for her to feel his panic though, and she forced herself to stay as calm as possible and let her officer do what he considered best.

 

Something about their relation was funny for Storm, she respected him and would probably now die to demonstrate her loyalty towards him. Even if she did barely know him for more than a day. But it was easy for her to remain casual in her behavior when he was around, probably driving him crazy every time.

 

When Aquila shot out of the cargo bay she followed - "HEY! What's going on?". Her voice echoed several times mixing with the repetitive clopping of their hooves.

[Durandal 623]

Aquila stared at Storm in absolute disbelief, his line of thought utterly shattered by the display. Does she have selective hearing, or is she just stupid? He asked himself, the stress of the current situation adding onto his already gradually rising irritation. He wanted to berate her - any competent officer would. If your crew aren't paying attention, they don't notice things, and if they don't notice things, they can kill themselves and everyone onboard. Stupidity wasn't just bothersome, it was deadly.

 

Grinding his teeth, he swallowed a flurry of insults. He couldn't bring himself to do it. She had relied on him, a male officer, to help her put her life back together. The fact he was homosexual didn't matter - he could still... Cause what happened to her to repeat. And yet she had relied on him. That alone was a crushing weight. As much as her personality could grate on his nerves, not even his cold, rational self could bring itself to such measures.

 

There were other ways. Gentler ways. Though briefly surprised that he could balance rationality and morality - two ideas he had long ago considered diametrically opposed - he quickly hardened his resolve. It was required.

 

"Storm," he began, his voice calm. "If you are to joke with me, fine, however I would request that you remain vigilant. You never know what to expect, and poor situational awareness can kill. Now, we are dangerously close to a Changeling fleet that somehow made it into the middle of Coalition space. Remain calm and ready, in case I need your help. Alright?"

[rainbovv dash 110]

Storm was surprised by his reaction. She had expected it to be as hectic and erratic as his behavior had overall been since he got that call. It wasn't.

 

She folded her ears back at the sight of the stallion's upcoming rage. It seemed like he was about to hunch forward and bite her neck or just smash his hooves into her until there was no way she could be identified. She got ready to take cover and even fight back in case he just lost his mind. Her hoof's muscles tense, and awaiting a command to unfold the hidden blade. Instead she got a second surprise, he seemed to actually swallow his anger and suddenly became calm.

 

Calm waters are deep

 

The mare took a mental note, Aquila was a deep pool of patience. But she knew nothing was unlimited and his effort to keep his temper showed her that the patience pool was nearly filled.

 

"Storm," he began, his voice calm. "If you are to joke with me, fine, however I would request that you remain vigilant. You never know what to expect, and poor situational awareness can kill. Now, we are dangerously close to a Changeling fleet that somehow made it into the middle of Coalition space. Remain calm and ready, in case I need your help. Alright?"

Has he just told me off? Storm suddenly discovered a feeling of pride attached to a lot of nostalgia that washed over her. Her ears perked back up, she stuck out her chest and saluted the other pony by lifting a foreleg against her forehead. Suddenly she had found someone telling her what to do, giving her critique to make her better and she appreciated all of it. A smirk appeared on the mare's face.

 

"Sir, yes sir"