Starbound Ascension: The Next Generation

Chapter Six: Ascension

“Hey! Good job yesterday on our wargames NGJSF!” Mitch the Buizel gave them a thumbs up as they all gathered in the EMS Sky Buster's lounge for a round of drinks. Jet was dancing to the tune of UPF electronic music with Alyssa.

“Woo! This EDM is awesome!” Jet alternated his kicks and bounced to the light and airy uplifting tune.

“I can get you the album if you like. It's Skillzmakekillz and she's been around the UPF for a while still doing her thing. She was the one who played our victory song, Fight Back, when the Federation/Lylatian war was over,” Alyssa jerked and flowed with the beat of the music.

Jet consumed the last of his beer, “Heya! SUSAN can ya order up another brewskies!”

ORDER RECIEVED CAPTAIN.

A tiny flying quadrotor drone with a bottle of beer balanced on top flew right to Jet and served him the ice cold alcoholic beverage. He trotted over to Prelude and used one of the 14.5mm sniper rifle bullets on his jacket to open up the bottlcap before casually replacing it back onto his jacket.

“Go easy on that! We aren't made of money you know?” Quincy rolled his Glaceon eyes. Jet walked over to give him tight hug with one arm.

“Buut I thought you Federation guys were like all rich or something. Isn't that why you president was gonna pull the plug on our alliance or something?” Jet hiccuped.

“Well, partly. My father is under a lot of stress and he hasn't had time to deal with as many problems as he would like. That and half our nation want nothing to do with colorful candy colored equines,” Mitch sighed, “It's quite a shame. We call ourselves free thinking but sometimes we're just to damned stubborn to let go of ideas that worked in the past. The UPF is acting like an overly self-conscious teenager who's reputation is on the line.”

“Maybe we can learn more about your nation and show them that we can be tough as nails too!” Tough Heart was lightly drinking some cider with Ship as they shared from one glass.

“I doubt it. The moment you step on our planets you'll all be hit with racist remarks, death threats, and just this utter pile of horse shit that good honest sentient beings like you don't deserve,” Mitch continued, “You're just like anyone else. Why can't others see that?”

“Wow, that is a real shame,” Ship tried to sip from the straw without looking but bumped into Tough who was trying to do the same thing, “Oh my!”

Tough winked, “Why'd you stop?”

Ship glanced to Tough and giggled, “I didn't know you didn't want me to mi amor.”

Strella popped into the conversation, “Well, there is one why you ponies can trot around the UPF among our own.”

“How so?” Tough asked before being jumped by Ship's loving kiss.

“Err, drunk much? Get a room you two,” Strella laughed. Tough Heart flipped up his wing and displayed a central feather with the others curled down.

“Okay, so what are you thinking Strelly?” Mitch looked to her over a can of soda.

“You know my mommy has that pony to Pokemorph and back thingamadevice back in the New Supremacy. Why don't we make them Pokemorphs so we can escort them back home?”

“Strella, that actually sounds like a great idea. You definitely got both your mom and dad's brains,” Mitch nodded, “Well! Who's up for a vacation to the Federation?”

The many hooves of the NGJSF shot up some half drunken and about to fall over.

“Well that settles it. Since you guys are gonna be off for a couple weeks this vacation is on us! And by us I meant Quincy's wallet,” Mitch grinned as he blew a tuft of brown hair out of his eyes.

“Hey! I heard that!” Quincy got up.

“Dude, chill! You're the ice type after all. Strella?”

“You know my pockets are deep,” Strella rolled her spiral Spinda pupils, “But it'll be great to show you guys around! There's lots of shopping, good restaurants, great entertainment! Come on! It'll be fun!”

“But won't the clothes and accessories we buy not fit after we change back?” Night Petal asked sober. She and Morning Shine didn't drink much.

“On yes they will. Just stuff them into the machine that changes you back and forth. That's how we ponify our clothes and uniforms for discreet outings to Equus. Just, don't try putting in novels or else some crazy crossovers come out,” Strella explained, “I can also get you guys all set up with fake IDs once we change you.”

“What you,” Jet hiccuped again before downing all of his beer, “Say S-hip?”

“I think it's a good idea. We should learn all we can about the UPF,” Ship still cuddled into Tough, making his orange heart shaped tuft of fur puff up.

“Roaadtripp!” Jet collapsed onto a table and passed out.

“Definitely his father's son,” Avia sipped her own apple cider, albeit slowly as to not get too drunk.

Frostbite gave them three days to recover from their hangovers and pack for the trip. With the ship docked back home on Equestria the NGJSF were ready for their vacation to the United Pokemorph Federation as they boarded the New Supremacy. Jill and her daughter were there to welcome them.

“Hello there pones!” Strella waved cutely to them, “Now before you guys settle in my mom will all transform you into our species.”

Ship raised her hoof and one questioning eyebrow, “Will it hurt like last time?”

“Oh this time it won't. I use the machine quite frequently,” Jill smiled.

“Oh come on! Where's the fun in that momma?” Strella leaned her head onto her mother's arm.

“The subjects have already been tested Strella. As much as you and I love to see our friends get experimented on this isn't really the time,” Jill presented her machine and stepped nearby to the controls, “Just step right in when you are ready. Just, be sure to have some clothes on you. I suggest wearing these.”

Jill handed them a pile of pants to cover up their flanks.

“Um? Why do we need these?” Prelude was the first to ask.

“To cover up of course. Your species is for the most part naked most of the time and the transition to a bipedal stance leaves... Um, yeah just put those on if you want to keep your dignity,” Jill explained.

“Oh, OH! That's right I kinda forgot that all the other races like to have full body clothes on,” Jet remembered, “I'll go first.”

“Right, step this way,” Jill lead him into the first door and turned on the camera in the room. Her voice was heard by Jet over the PA system, “Now step inside the machine when you are ready!”

Jet took a deep breathe, “Here we go.”

“Good! I am now scanning for other lifeforms inside the chamber. The last time I tried it with two subjects things didn't go well. Okay Jet there is a fly inside the chamber with you. Step out of the chamber,” Jill instructed him.

“Oh okay,” Jet stepped out and the chamber sealed again to be engulfed with flame to incinerate the tiny insect inside. Jet's ears flopped down and he starred at the machine with distrust, “Um... Are you sure it's safe?”

“Jet! Don't be a pussy!” Simon called to him.

“Fine! I'm going back in!” Jet stepped into the now cooled shapeshifting chamber and leaned on the wall, “Okay, Here goes! Hit it Miss Jill!”

“Initiating!” Jill pulled a lever as the machine started to whine. With one shot from a beam Jet disappeared, “Okay, now the machine will select the appropriate Pokemorph body for Jet. Ah there we go! Okay Jet can you hear me?”

“Yeah! It's dark! And kinda relaxing actually. Feels like I'm floating in space!” Jet's voice could be heard from the PA as well.

Jill looked to Ship, “Reverse engineered Pokeball technology. Now we use that for medical stasis to this machine. Things of that nature.”

“Ah,” Ship nodded.

“Okay Jet are you ready to embrace your new body?” Strella asked.

“Yeah! Can you get me out of here? I'd like to see what I look like already!”

“Okay! Annnd pull the lever Strella!”

Strella pulled the lever on the side of the wall next to the exit. Jet phased back in with a shot from a red beam that materialized his new form. He was now a regal bipedal bird Pokemon with a forward pointed red crest, light blue plumage, grey wings, and his rainbow tail turned into a fan of rainbow colored feathers. He was now a Braviary with all the features just mentioned. His uniform and pants also transitioned to humanoid form.

“Whoa!” Jet looked into a mirror inside the testing room, “This looks kickass! I'm a freakin' eagle!”

Jet stepped back into the main room and his friends looked at him in awe.

“Jet, you look-” Nelly paused, “Taller!”

“My wings are now my arms too! Watch this!” Jet extended his full wingspan and Nelly looked wide eyed.

“Oh-Oh my!” she blushed. The rest of their friends laughed uncontrollably.

“Pony in joke I presume?” Strella was clueless.

“You don't know the half of it,” Avia giggled, “I'd like to go next please!”

“Go ahead!” Jill went through with the procedure with all of them. Although most of them kept their original colors their forms shifted to their new Pokemorph bodies.

“Wow! I look just as cool as my brother!” Avia turned into a light blue Pigeot with orange and dark blue crest and tail.

“Well, it certainly fits you Bird Jesus,” Strella chuckled.

“In joke for you Pokemorphs I take it now?” Avia stood next to her brother.

“Yeah, it'd take a long time to explain,” Strella shrugged.

“So I'm suppose to be a rabbit?” Ship was a Buneary with her original colors.

“Look at me! I'm buff as fuck!” Tough Heart was a Machoke and showed off his biceps. Ship gently massaged his arms. Tough blushed.

Nelly was the last to step out of the chamber, “So um, how do I look?”

“Whoa Nelly...” Jet was astonished by his girlfriend's new look. She was now a Sylveon with beautiful green ribbons. Jet handed her a mirror.

Nelly gasped with delight, “I'm so kawaii! Are these my bows? They're adorable! And... Made of my flesh? Creepy, but cute!”

“I was honestly wonder what you were gonna be,” Nelly's brother was a Glaceon like Quincy only with a stripe of yellow running through his tail and hair.

“Why am I a fluffy bird?” Flip turned into a rather muscular Swablu. He retained his central white stripe that bisected his face.

“Well I'm sure my mother would like how I look,” Prelude glanced at his new body. He was a deep red Absol that kept his dark hair with pink highlights.

“MEW!” Scratch, unsurprisingly, was a Delcatty.

“Well that settles that. All of you are all changed. How is everyone coming to grips with their new forms?” Jill asked.

“Okay I guess, I got swords for elbows?” Frag was a Galade.

“Here are your fake IDs please remember to refer to your new names. We wouldn't want anyone to become too suspicious in the Federation,” Strella started to pass out their ID cards.

“Okay, remember your names. Ship you are Samantha, Tough is Thunder, Sagittarius is Steve, Flip your name is Felipe, Prelude is Paulson, Scratch is Sara, Frag you are gonna be Franky, Piggle is Pigsy, Hornet is Oliver, and Shine you are Donny. Do well to remember!” Jill pointed to each of them who had their name changed.

Jet raised his wing, “Question! Why are some of our names unchanged?”

“They already fit the standard set of names among the UPF. Jet, Avia, Nelly, Simon, Petal, Blossom, Storm, and Rush are fairly common names in the Federation,” Jill explained, “Now if everyone is set you are free to move about the ship. We will arrive on the UPF home planet of Ultimax in a few hours.”

“Alright! Sounds good!” Jet saluted, “Meet you guys back here when we land!”

“Oh! And Jet!” Jill saw Jet and Nelly walk together, “Bear in mind that you two are not of the same breeding group. Just pretend you can't have kids okay?”

“Say what?” Jet turned back.

“It's Pokemorph biology. If anyone asks just play along.”

“Okay Miss Jill,” Jet and the others scattered to their rooms on the ship. The massive dreadnought that was the UPFS New Supremacy was almost two kilometers long with ample space for the crew. The large hallways and amenities offered by the massive battle carrier rivaled that of many cruise ships.

Jet and Nelly continued to tour the ship in their standard UPF uniforms with their siblings. They sat down to eat at one of the restaurants inside the ship.

“So what the hell is that Steve?” Jet asked Sagittarius, “Um Steve!”

“Oh sorry!” Sagittarius almost forgot his fake name, “I have no idea.”

“That is called a poffin. It's a popular pastry among the UPF,” Quincy was right there to escort them, “That one is Bluk Berry flavored. It's a dessert so you should probably eat that last.”

“Hmm, what is a Mirelurk?” Nelly whispered to Q.

“It's a bipedal crab native only to the irradiated marshes of one of our planets, New Echo. It goes great with tartar sauce! You like seafood Jet? I saw your eyes light up.”

“Oh hell yeah! What can we get here in the food court?”

Quincy looked around, “We got space squid calamari, fish sandwiches, fish and chips.”

“I want the calamari. Extra rice on the side,” Jet nodded.

“Sure thing. What about you guys?” Quincy asked the others.

“Something meaty for me,” Nelly eyed the holographic menus, “Oh! How about the Scinfaxi sandwich? That sounds good.”

“That's a third of a meter's worth of turkey, ham, and roast beef you know that right?” Quincy raised an eyebrow.

“No worries, she'll finish it,” Jet winked. Nelly gave him a look, “What? I didn't mean it THAT way! Get your head outta that gutter!”

Nelly pawed at him with her tongue stuck out.

“A nice steak for me, medium rare,” Sagittarius ordered to the waiter now hovering over the table.

“A Mirelurk patty sandwich for me thank you!” Avia smiled.

“Okay! Sit tight meals are inbound,” the waiter walked away with their order. Another pair of Pokemorphs walked in to sit at the table behind Jet and the others. The Zorua of the two walked in talking.

“I tell you those ponies were using something we don't know about in that last war game!”

"We're not perfect, Ghost. We should be glad they've improved, since they ARE our allies. If we always had to save their hides whenever they got into combat, we would have a lot less time fighting other fronts where we're needed... because we'd be sent to save them. Like last time," With a glitter in her vivid green eyes, the skinny but well worked Vaporeon stood only slightly taller than the Zorua beside her. Modest in her figure, she looked far from intimidating, but therein was her efficiency, “Oh look, it's Quincy. Good job out there as always!”

“Thank you Ma'am!” Quincy saluted.

“At ease soldier. Say who are your friends?”

“I think I know,” Ghost stood up. His cybernetic eye scanned back and forth at them. His metallic left arm pointed to Jet, “Captain Jump Jet of the United Equus Space Force, Next Generation Joint Strike Force. Glad to meet your acquaintance.”

“Wait, how did you know?” Jet gave him a handshake as Ghost reached out.

“With those colors of yours. I just did a scan with my cyber eye to match them with your pony form. Guess Jill let you guys into the Federation. Welcome to the New Supremacy! This is the largest military vessel in service with the UPF. Armed with a kilometer long railgun, 62 anti ship batteries, 18 heavy particle beam cannons, 16 long range anti ship missiles, hundreds of AA turrets, and a compliment of one thousand fighter craft this ship is the pinnacle of Federation might. I also have you congratulate you on your victory. I don't know how you did it, but you did it. No other nation has been able to crack our psyonic radios.”

“We just had some help with that. It was all just magic I guess, I honestly have no idea how it works,” Jet shrugged.

Ghost shook his head, “I can tell you are lying. But let's leave it as is since you won't tell me anyway.”

“Alright,” Jet smiled.

“Hmm? Where are your manners? You are talking to an Admiral here,” Ghost chuckled.

“Sir yes sir!” Jet saluted at once, “Sorry sir.”

“At ease, your meal is here anyway. Let's go Venise, I wouldn't want to discuss anything else that might be too classified to these guys,” Ghost got up and brushed off his uniform.

“Yes sir! Quincy, keep up the good work in the training!” Venise picked up her folders and walked out with Ghost.

After their evening meal they settled in for the flight back. They continued to wander and peruse the ship as the hours flew by.

“Attention all crew! We will be arriving on Ultimax shortly. If you are scheduled for departure here please gather your belongings and make way to boarding gate 1-1. All other crews are to remain on station. Please brace for atmospheric reentry,” an announcer came over the intercom as the ship hovered in orbit after jumping through universes and light speed.

Jet and the others braced themselves as the ship started its descend into the atmosphere. The hulking mass of the giant ship shook and rattled as it fell at terminal velocity. The crew of the ship did not feel much different as the artificial gravity held everything in place and only the vibrations of the air resistance resounded in the spacecraft. As they approached the ground the retrograde thrusters of the ship slowed their descend to a much more manageable level as they slowly hovered above the capital city. The artificial gravity was turned off as the ship neared the spaceport.

“We have now arrived at Emerald City, USTN, Ultimax. If you are scheduled for leave please gather your things and proceed to boarding gate 1-1. I repeat if you are scheduled for leave here please gather your belongings and proceed to gate 1-1. Thank you for your attention, your country thanks you!” the announcer continued as Jet and the others gathered their luggage and filed into the line. The operator at the gate scanned their ID cards and allowed them to pass into the main terminal. As they walked on they found themselves rather out in the open as the family members of the others that departed started to embrace their children, wives, and husbands long away from home on deployment. They however were left without much notice.

“So, what's the plan now?” Ship looked to Jet.

“I have no idea,” they stood awkwardly when a whistle caught Jet's ear. There was Strella holding up a sign to signal Jet, “Oh there we go! It's Strella.”

“Took you guys long enough. Stop standing around in the open. I've got a bus waiting for you guys in the back,” Strella lead them to a waiting hover bus. They boarded in and drove off to the hills that overlooked the city in the richer residential district of town.

“So what are we doing here? Shouldn't we be at a hotel?” Nelly looked out the window to see the many mansions and well groomed wealthy estates pass by her window.

“Darling where we're going we don't need a hotel,” Strella winked, “Here we are! Rivers mansion guys!”

The bus pulled into the massive driveway of the equally impressive mansion. The whole compound stretched on for acres and was almost akin to a small village with many posh trimmed landscaping and metallic sculptures that adorned the grounds. The brilliant white masonry of the house shined bright as they made their way up the stairs.

“Holy crap Strella! You live here?” Jet looked about with awe across his face.

“Oh, this isn't my only house but it's my biggest one. Six square kilometers, pools galore, gardens, greenhouses, even a full laboratory and special 3D fabrication facility in the basement. Hey, when your dad is a Federation billionaire you can't go wrong.”

“Is that a swim up sushi bar on that pool?” Avia sat wide eyed as she pointed to the closest pool to them.

“Yup, that's Tamashi. He's our personal sushi chef. I know everyone around here. Oh! And here he comes! Sup Winston?” Strella leaned in on her personal butler, “Winston these are my friends, Winston, friends, say hi.”

“Pleasure to meet all of you on behalf of Madam Strella,” the Purrloin butler bowed to them.

“Winston, please see to it that our guests are properly settled in.”

“At once Madam Strella,” he proceeded with a smile, “Please come this way to the maglev.”

“This place has a maglev? Hot damn these guys are rich,” Tough Heart boarded with his friends.

“Of course Master Thunder, we are fully stocked and equipped to handle a variable multitude of guests here at Rivers mansion. You will be staying in five separate houses here on the estate. Please make yourselves comfortable and allow us to serve you,” the butler politely addressed to them with an air of class.

“Do you like your job here?” Nelly wondered.

“I wouldn't trade it for the world Madam Nelly. If I was not employed by the Rivers family I would have died of heart failure. They generously donated a cybernetic heart for me to live on at no charge to myself or my family. You see, all of us have a reason why we are here. Tamashi's family was killed in the last war. The Rivers employs him and pays for his PTSD therapy. The gardener, Owen, lost all of his limbs in the same war. Now he wears prosthetics that help him with his tasks. My employers are true, golden hearted people. I owe them my life,” Winston went on.

“Wow, everyone here has a story huh?” Petal looked out to see the army of helpers off to do their daily jobs. Many of them with smiles and a happy spring in their step.

“So what does Strella's dad do anyway?” Jet asked.

“I beg your pardon?” Winston looked at him with a bit of shock, “You are military are you not?”

“Well yes, but I-we're...” Jet looked back and forth nervously.

“We're part of the outer colonies. We haven't had much contact with the main of Ultimax,” Morning came to the rescue using his knowledge gained from reading many books about the UPF.

“Oh well then. Master David and Madam Jill manufacture weapons technology and conduct research into the biomedical field respectively. Master David's manufacturing firm is the largest in the whole Federation, indeed, a whole planet is owned privately as a factory world.”

“Whoa, now that you mentioned it I started to notice that logo on many of our guns,” Jet scratched his beak, “He makes the fighter jets and energy weapons doesn't he?”

“Indeed Master Jet. We have arrived on station. Please if you need anything at all don't be afraid to ask,” Winston bowed.

“Our luggage would be nice,” Ship requested.

“As you wish Madam Samantha,” Winston snapped his fingers and an army of his fellow butlers filed in to take their luggage to their assigned houses. They started to settle in for the day to relax around the compound.

As they cuddled up for the night Nelly and Jet started to flip through the TV for anything of interest. Avia, Ship, Sagittarius, and Tough were also tuning in to whatever they could find. With each flicker of the remote the TV changed channels as they browsed the selection of over thirty thousand channels. As they input in their likes and dislikes the TV automatically filtered the channels most likely for their viewing pleasure. They started off with the local news network.

“You're tuning in live to Federation State News! Where we bring nothing but the truth to you fellow citizens! Our top story tonight: a Federation defeat at the hooves of our allies last night as Equus has stolen the lead in the wargames,” the Espeon newcaster started. She sat stoic and continued, “With us today is Chief Admiral Ghost Robert Lee. Good evening Admiral, how would you say our troops fought in the last battle?”

The camera zoomed out to view Ghost talking with the newscaster, “As always the soldiers of the United Pokemorph Federation are the cream of the crop my dear. But as of now our pony allies have pulled some crafty tactics and new technology that caught us off guard. I have to give a hand to them, they did very well out on the battlefield as well.”

“Now, do you think the president will reconsider his decision to pull out of the alliance with Equus now that they have shown some guts in the recent conflict?”

Ghost shrugged, “Personally I stand with our alliance with Equus. Although we gain not much from our alliance I feel as though it is the right thing to do. I hope the president shares the same feeling despite the recent tension in the Federation.”

“How do you think the population will react to this chain of events?”

Ghost sighed with a shake of his head, “Knowing what is happening right now a lot of people won't like it. I wish they could just see that they are just like us and that they deserve all the same respect as any other sentient being we help. It's not just about us Pokemorphs anymore in our little universes.”

Tough poked Jet, “Mind if I change the channel? I wonder what kind of sports there are in the UPF.”

“Nope, go ahead.”

“Okay. TV search sports!” with an audio command the TV displayed the listings of all the channels categorized as sports. The kicker was that it was mostly Pokemorph Battling, Wargame Tourneys, and Major League Gaming, “What the fuck? Where are all the sports?”

“The UPF don't practice the same sports as Equestria Thunder,” Ship winked, “Guess I'm getting the hang of your other name.”

“I wanna watch football, TV search football!” Tough tried again but the only channel that popped up was a soccer station which Ship immediately flipped to.

“Oh! This is more my style!” She cuddled into Tough purring cutely.

“Boooring! TV search up MLG!” Jet flipped the channel back to UPF Major League Gaming.

“This is Pwn Zone! You are watching the live final match up between the PhaZe and R33FleX over the coveted ten million credit prize and the title of The Ultimate Clan of Federation Gaming!”

“Hey! Dammit Jet! TV search soccer!”

“NO! TV search MLG!” Jet and Tough started to fight over the TV. Tough playfully tackled Jet to try and keep his mouth shut.

“Boys will be boys...” Avia took out her tablet and connected to the web.

After a good nights rest there came a knocking on their doors from the butlers of the mansion. They were all directed to the stairway that lead to the front door of the main building.

“So, what's going on?” Ship looked about while her bunny ears followed her eyes.

Strella stepped forward from the double oak doors and held her arms out with a smug smile wide across her face.

“Welcome to the Federation my peeps!” she announced as Q, Mitch, and Alyssa boosted in with their exosuits from behind the pillars. They were in their casual civilian clothing and with a quick motion of their arms their suits dropped off and reassembled into a backpack that formed autonomously, “We will be your tour guides for our wonderful nation. Now I know we can't cover everything with you guys but we will try by dividing each day into a session that will each tour a section of the UPF and what we have to offer. Each day we will cover aspects of our life and culture and we are here to guide you through it. What you say guys? Sound fun?”

“Gotcha! Now there are a lot of us here, so how are we gonna do it?” Ship asked, her ear flopped over.

“We're gonna divide you into four groups of five just to make things easy. Q, Mitch, Ally, and I will lead on,” Strella continued, “I need the first group to come with me.”

Jet, Avia, Nelly, Tough, and Ship came forward.

“Okay! Who wants to be with Q?”

Sagittarius, Flip, Prelude, Scratch, and Frag gathered with the Glaceon.

“Mitch?” Strella asked.

Simon, Piggle, Petal, Hornet, and Morning went with the Buizel.

“And lastly, Ally?”

Blossom, Brainstorm, Rush, Wings, and Red joined in.

“I have a question! Where are we going?” Water Wings raised her hand. She was a Simipour Pokemorph.

“To the UPF Emerald City Weapons Museum of course!” Strella walked on over to a tour bus, “If you would step this way please!”

It was a short ride to the Emerald City Weapons Museum but the walls of the UPF caught their eyes. They well all adorned with murals, tasteful graffiti, and all sorts of artwork. It was hard to find a blank wall on the many streets they passed by.

“Why is there so much vandalism in the UPF?” Morning perked up his Fennikin ears.

“What do you mean?” Mitch looked out admiring the murals and artwork with them.

“All this graffiti. Don't you guys do something about that?” Morning looked back and forth trying to find a blank wall.

“Oh that? Graffiti is legal in the UPF. Just so long as they aren't drawing dicks everywhere and they have permission from the property owner then it's totally fine. Although residential districts aren't touched as people tend to like the colors of their houses. Some people actually make a living doing nothing but roller skating and spray painting walls all day. You see that mural? That was made by the famous Paula Rosencaster, the top UPF graffiti artist. It's titled: Victory At Last. It commemorates the victory against the Rising Tide in the war a few decades ago,” Mitch smiled at the proud mural of his father and the original Task Force Frostbite leading the charge with UPF flag in hand, “Awe inspiring isn't it?”

“I guess so,” Morning nodded.

“And we are here!” the museum was an imposing set of buildings all painted in the military blue of the UPF. Their bus parked in the special designated area and they all filed out in an orderly manner with their guides at the front. They walked in and started browsing the first exhibit on the handguns of the UPF. They marveled at their unique designs and modular assembly.

“Alright everyone. Feel free to browse and if you have any questions please do ask,” Strella announced.

“Whoa, what in the world is this?” Ship pointed to one of the guns in the case. As she read the article next to it Strella read it out loud for those listening in.

“That is the SP-1 Turnback. Over 600 years old, this handgun has changed little since its introduction in 1911. This has seen extensive action in the First Ultimax War of 1914, the Mandarin/Treasure war of 2020, the Federation Civil War of 2494, and more recently the Cornerian/Federation War in 2520. 10mm pistol, accessory rails standard, and newer materials are used in the modern examples,” Strella was a walking encyclopedia of military information.

Avia turned her attention to a bullpup pistol adorned with a gold and cyan color scheme. Strella poked in.

“That is the UCP Bullpup nicknamed the 'Sturmpistole.' Designed by the legendary firearms manufacturer K&H of Volksaxon, this odd weapon is a computerized bullpup handgun, housing a small internal processor in the handle and a magazine behind it. It has a built in LCD screen at the back of the weapon that displays ammo capacity, a compass, and the current condition of the weapon. It uses the common 7mm kurz round found throughout UPF space, similar in quantity and availability to 9mm rounds. Not only does it have accessory rails on both the top and bottom it is also a fully automatic/burst fire weapon, able to spit out armor piercing bullets at over 900 rounds per minute with very low recoil. It is also extremely customizable, with numerous upgrade kits to enhance its accuracy, rate of fire, sights, and durability. However, it is EXTREMELY expensive to produce and is highly coveted throughout the Federation's military ranks as a sign of bravery, honor, and the will to go beyond the call of duty. Many veteran soldiers who receive a medal often decline such an award in favor of this wonderful, and beautiful firearm. As such, each UCP is engraved with the stylized seal of the Federation and comes with a certificate of authenticity, explaining the heroic actions that the recipient achieved. One famous individual favored this weapon in place of a medal, quoting, 'We may have turned away the tide, but our job isn't done yet! Which is why I decline this generous offer in place of something more valuable. This weapon is the very symbol of what it takes to go beyond the call of duty and to keep the fight for freedom going! My brave people, as your hero I will still stand and fight no matter the odds!' That individual is none other than former President Buster Ricardo Rivers. He is Mitch's grampa.”

“He always had such bravado even in the face of overwhelming odds. He once lead his armored force against a Rising Tide army that outnumbered him three to one. His response: 'Fair odds!' What a badass I tell ya,” Mitch chuckled, “Now he's just content to spend his retirement fishing for tuna and swordfish in open water.”

“Wow,” Avia continued to admire the pistol, “So this is a really coveted firearm huh if it is awarded in place of a medal.”

“Yup! That is why your mother has one.”

“I-I remember now! She was given that gun when my big brother was born as a peace offering from the UPF,” Avia fondly touched the glass, “I was always curious about that gun sitting up in its lonely case. I would love to have one.”

Strella and Alyssa winked to each other with Avia's back turned. Jet waved his wing to them.

“Hey! Hey! What's this big gun?” Jet looked at a magnum and a revolver in the corner.

“That semi-auto is the prized SP-3 Tundra Falcon. Popular in UPF culture, this handgun is often featured in movies, video games, and many other forms of media capitalizing its success. It is an extremely powerful weapon, chambering the .50 caliber Action Express round. This has seen service in the Federation Civil War and the Cornerian/Federation War. It is still used today and it is an effective and reliable weapon in use with junior and senior officers as well as Special Forces such as us. The sheer stopping power of this weapon and the modernized frame, which helps reduce recoil, have made it a staple in the battlefield. As with the other UPF pistols, this one is equipped with an accessory rail mounted under the barrel and fully illuminated iron sights,” Strella smiled, “Mitch has one.”

“And the revolver?”

“Let me tell you about that one,” Q started, “That is the P33 Pereira. First used in 2142 and is still in service today. Mostly because it is a revolver and it doesn't jam even in the coldest climates. What makes it unique is the fact that the cylinder can hold up to ten rounds in the .44 magnum model and up to eight with the .50AE variant.”

“NO WAY! How does that thing carry so many rounds?” Jet was directed to the removable cylinder of the weapon.

“We have a caseless variant of the .44 and .50AE rounds. The cylinders can be double stacked and the we pack two rounds per cylinder in a vertical manner. Once the caseless round is fired a spring moves up a cased round that aligns with the barrel,” Quincy explained the operation of the weapon.

“That is fuckin sick. My B3 Wingman can only carry eight rounds of .44 magnum,” Jet marveled the advanced weapons of the UPF.

The group took a few minutes to look at the sidearms before Strella lead them onward. As they neared the end of the tour Strella lead them into the unique weapons exhibit of the museum.

“And here we are! The special purpose weapons of the UPF. Feel free to look and ask away friends!”

Tough Heart eyed a large automatic shotgun behind a case of glass, “The Hydra Helix shotgun. Hmm...”

Ship also took interest. She stood by her lover as Alyssa took the stage this time.

“The Hydra Helix shotgun is a unique model that uses a helical 30 round magazine inspired by the Soviet PP-19 Bizon, giving it unparalleled stopping power. The shells are stored in a tight spiral inside the cylindrical magazine to promote high capacity unrivaled. The weapon itself is made of lightweight polymers to mitigate the large and heavy helical magazine thus most the weapons weight is located near the barrel making recoil less of an issue. Notable features include the standard set of accessory rails on the top of the weapon and an adjustable choke. The back rails sit atop an elevated block to give optics a better view on target and the forward rails are reserved for laser or tactical lights. There is a recoil damper in the stock and the bolt handle sits behind the elevated sight block to chamber in fresh rounds. It fires the same caseless 12 gauge rounds as the MZ-58. When paired with fragmenting shells this gun becomes a borderline grenade launcher. But it's not just a shotgun, the helical magazine also doubles as a landmine. There are two pins on the clip that secure a fuse in the middle of the weapon. The first is a safety pin that acts like the safety handle on a hand grenade and the second is tied to a tripwire to activate the explosive core. It can also be fired after being submersed in water or even underwater comepletely. It is nicknamed by Mitch's dad as The Bitch Cannon.”

“Basically, you can control day and night with that gun,” Mitch laughed, “Takes out jets too!”

“Here's another interesting gun. It's one that my mom used in the war: the R-20 Rainbow Rifle. Using reverse engineered Lylatian laser technology, Federation Scientist David Maxwell Rivers has created an anti materiel rifle able to punch through multiple layers of plasma shielding and plate armor a few feet thick. The R-20 is an energy weapon that uses a charged ionized laser beam that lasts for two seconds when shot, either used to sweep a cutting blow or focused on a target to deliver a piercing shot. The laser is multicolored and the weapon takes a second to charge when the trigger is pressed. The rifle is able to engage any and all targets on land, sea, air, and even space. The rifle features a clean crosshair variable zoom rangefinding scope, adjustable stock, and a bipod with a monopod in the stock. Like the ARP-5 rifle the weapon can passively recharge shots, but it takes hours to recharge a single shot with solar or thermal energy so manual reloads are frequent with the specialized electron charge packs made custom to the weapon. Not only that but the rifle is extremely lightweight for an Anti-Materiel rifle weighing only eight and a half pounds. With an airtight seal, it is completely waterproof and can function underwater. Yes Jet?”

Jet had his wing raised and whispered, “Why did you name it after my mom?”

“Uhh, we didn't know you were a real universe when we named it. Strella's dad was a fan of the show at that time.”

“And he still is, I'll give him that,” Strella crossed her arms and smiled, “Here's another good one. It's called the MGL-180. Although here in the UPF we like to call it the Eight Ball. It's an eight round grenade launcher with double stacked tubes. Heavy, but since our spec ops love to use exosuits it doesn't really matter.”

“Hey!” Nelly noticed something going on outside, “Look at that!”

A crowd of UPF citizens paraded down the streets in anger and protest. They all ran outside to see the angry mob.

“These ponies of Equus are nothing more than an alien influence that is slowly degrading the Federation! Let us stand united as the strong military empire we are today and let us not engage in the values of their race! We are not destined to be weak! We are not destined to ally ourselves with such an inferior empire!” the Purrloin at the head of the crowd shouted as they cheered on his speech.

“What in the world?” Nelly was hushed by Strella.

“It's an Anti-Equus demonstration. They're marching on the capital to demand the president to pull the alliance,” Strella held her back.

“That's terrible!” Pass gasped, “Aren't we going to stop them?”

“Freedom of speech is a constitutional right in the UPF. They can do whatever they want so long as it doesn't hurt anyone.”

“But-they ARE!” Jet could not hold back his temper.

“Correction; so long as it doesn't hurt one of our own. Sorry, semantics,” Strella corrected herself.

“I'm gonna show them a piece of my mind!” Tough stepped forward with Jet. Quincy, Mitch, and Alyssa stopped them.

“You CAN'T interfere with this. You'll blow your cover sky high!” Mitch whispered into the ear of Tough as him and Quincy tackled him to the ground.

“Thunder, let it go. Let's just see how this pans out,” Ship helped stopped her lover as well. Tough dusted himself off and looked on.

“Dumb piece of shit Antibronies...”

“If the influence and values of Equus are taken into the UPF we will become too soft for our own good! We are a strong nation! An independent nation! A nation who should be allied with those more worthy of our power! Equus is nothing but a joke!” the rallying cry of the protester stirred up the mob as they continued on.

Avia stepped forward calmly, “Excuse me sir.”

“Yes fellow Pokemorph?” the Purrloin smiled to her.

“I am from the outer colonies and I am curious to what you are doing. Why are you doing this?”

“Oh, since you may not have heard the news Equus, a land filled with stupid magical ponies, somehow beat us in one of our recent war games. The reason why we are so angry is because the UPF used to be such a strong and independent nation that does not allow for such softness and weakness to be associated with our empire. Of course, judging by your age I doubt you were born when the UPF was at it's prime. I just wish to see those days back. Back when strength and independency was valued more so than some stupid small space empire barely able to get off it's own two feet. I say we should not care and more so care about our own survival. I know that may sound harsh but when you think about it who would you rather save? Us or them?”

“What if,” she paused to inhale, “I said them?”

“I respect your opinion. But let's see which one of us is right at the voting polls,” the protestor shrugged off her question with indifference as he respected his fellow Pokemorph, “Anyway, carry on and have a nice day! I still have a demonstration to lead.”

“I never got your name. I might be interested,” Avia used her quick wits to fake her alliance.

“Call me Alson Burry. It's my alias as the leader of the Anti-Equus movement.”

“So, if I may ask. Would you kill a pony?”

He sighed, “Quite honestly, yes. I am tired of their shame drowning this great nation.”

“Would you kill me?”

“What-no! Why in my right mind would I kill you just for having a different opinion than me? Or do you?” Alson rasied his eyebrow.

“I have not formed mine yet. Which is why I want to know both sides,” Avia continued to prod.

“Smart, I like that.”

“Yes, thank you. I should go, my friends and I have a museum to tour. Thank you for your time,” Avia turned away and walked back to her friends.

“You're friends with Frostbite huh? Tell them they did a great job in the last battle with those dirty cheating ponies!”

“We hear you asshole,” Strella glared at him as he walked away, “Fuuckin biiiiiittcch.”

Days later and after a thorough tour of the Federation they traveled to the planet of Rayquaza, a gas giant colonized by the UPF. The oxygen rich planet was home to the many floating cities famous as tourist destinations. As they entered the atmosphere the orange haze of the clouds engulfed their transport. All around them was like a dreamworld. Nothing but clouds and the free open air of a vast endless orange dyed sky. Jet and his sister looked in awe.

“It's beautiful!” Avia gasped as they pierced into the heavens.

“So you guys colonized a gas giant?” Jet turned to Strella who was flying the ship.

“Yup! It's a nitrogen-oxygen planet so you know the air is just crisp and clean to breath. The sky plankton make this atmosphere breathable by exchanging carbon dioxide like plants. Sky plants!” Strella explained as they were landing onto the largest city on the planet, “Welcome to Ascension City! The most popular tourist destination in all of the United Pokemorph Federation!”

“Whooa,” Ship gazed the cityscape as they stepped out, “This city is huge!”

“Roughly 1,300 square kilometers of floating metal suspended by antigravity lift panels all lined on the bottom of our floating artificial island. This took us a hundred years to build and was here even before the UPF was formed. Yup, this city has seen Pokemorph governments come and go. Seeing as how our Federation is keeping afloat I think we'll be here for quite a while,” Strella continued to introduce, “Now come on! Who wants to go shopping?”

All the girls gave a gleeful smile as they sided with Alyssa and Strella.

“And to all the boys in the group come with us! We have something specially reserved for you!” Quincy and Mitch gathered the rest, “We'll all meet up at the Hidden Treasure Gourmet for dinner after all this. You gals have fun!”

“Oh we will! See you later Thunder!” Ship winked to her lover.

“Have fun!” Tough turned to Mitch, “So uh, what are we gonna do?”

A military hovertruck pulled up next to them. Mitch and Quincy hopped in the back and beckoned them, “Well come on! It's a surprise!”

They all boarded and were driven to an airbase near the edge of the city. They passed by rows of Fi-2 fighter jets all lined up neatly and there were two of the prototype Black Jacket fighters at the end of the row. They stopped at a warehouse building and entered to be greeted by a Pikachu at the reception counter, “Welcome to Ascension City's famous Whale Hunt Club! Will you be flying or gunning today?”

“Alright guys, if you know how to fly raise your hands,” Mitch requested and the pilots of the group made themselves clear.

“Alright, let me just process all of your IDs to make sure you are all pilot certified,” they handed in their ID and the receptionist passed all of them, “Alright you guys are set! Follow Captain Mitch and Captain Quincy here to your planes! Happy hunting guys!”

“Yeah, follow me. The rest of you go with Q,” Mitch lead them out onto the tarmac while the rest stayed in the reception area.

“These guys are gonna be gunning. You got the gunship prepped?” Q asked the receptionist.

“Of course! This way to the gunship hangar,” the Pikachu lead them to the other end of the airbase.

On the flight line the fighter pilots all geared up to fly in their rented Fi-2 fighters. Mitch was there with his Black Jacket to lead the formation.

“This is Mitch. Callsign Undertow. I'll be leading this formation today. Hopefully you guys can get a feel for your planes. I know you colonists might not have the luxury of Fi-2s out there on the frontier.”

“This is Jet, callsign Vertical. We read you loud and clear flight lead. What are we gonna be doing today?” Jet glanced over to Mitch's fighter.

“We're going on a whale hunt boys! AWACs just detected a pod of Sky Whales ripe for the picking! We're gonna eat fancy tonight!” Mitch cheered.

“Wait, so we're hunting a flying whale? Isn't that a little unethical?” Morning Shine was a little disgusted by the idea.

“Okay, so we've tried very trick in the book to domesticate these things to no avail. The only method we have to quote unquote 'farm' them is to hunt them down and kill them. It's messy but there's no other way to do it. Besides it serves as population control as well. If there are too many whales then there isn't enough sky plankton to make the air breathable. Also you are gonna love the taste of Sky Whale steak. Okay! Kick the tires and light the fires gentleman!”

“Oh your six Captain Ahab,” Jet chuckled as they all took off.

“Take a few moments to get a grip with your planes handling as the gunships take off. They're gonna pull beside the whale to shoot at it then recover the carcass with a net,” Mitch flew with them as they started to circle around getting a feel for their Fi-2s.

“This plane is really nice. Handles much like my XFA-27,” Morning was pulling turns and testing his craft with maneuvers, “I really like it! It's very agile and the flight controls are as smooth as butter.”

“I still prefer VTOLs,” Jet shrugged, “But I have come to appreciate this fighter. I do love how it handles! I just like my VTOL thrusters for more agility.”

“You know those things can punch hypersonic. But I would not do that unless you got some shielding up. Okay! Here comes the gunships!” Mitch looked down to see the massive jet aircraft take off from the runway. The modified transport was fitted with dozens of gunports all mounting a varied armament of 25mm railguns, 20mm vulcan cannons, and even a few 135mm railguns on the underside of the craft, “Those are the brand new An-2250s the UPF just fielded. It's an update of an old human design we really liked. We gave it the nickname Lucid Dream. But the gunships are called Koshmars, Nightmares.”

“Those things are huge!” Hornet flew by one of them to see the massive array of weapons mounted all over the airplane.

“Eighty four meters long with a wingspan of 88.4. That's 275 feet and 290 feet for you colonists guys,” Quincy radioed out to the Pokemorphed pony off his starboard wing, “Our transport variants can carry up to 253,820 kilograms. You colonists really gotta learn our Metric system.”

“Okay! Fly to vector 264 and maintain formation. We will arrive near the pod shortly,” Mitch gave the order and they all pulled off into the west.

Meanwhile the girls were having all sorts of fun shopping at the UPF's largest shopping mall, The Lalea Bella Shopping Center. Night Petal and Avia were with Strella picking out some clothes from one of the many clothing shops.

“Avia, do you like this one?” Petal showed off a sparkling purple and blue dress to her friend.

“It's okay I guess,” Avia shrugged.

“That shade of purple looks great on you Petal! Avia, is something the matter?” Strella turned to her as she tended to the others with their clothing desires.

“Well, I'm not that much into the girly girl style. Do you honestly have something more, I dunno, punky? I take after my mother I tell ya.”

“Ah! Well you should go talk to Aly. I think you and her would find the match at that other store across from us, Infernus Designs,” Strella waved to Alyssa, “Aly! Please escort our guest to Infernus for the latest in Federation fashion trends!”

“Oh! Now we're talking!” Alyssa got off her chair and hopped into action, “I'm not too much in the girly girl things either. Infernus is my go to store. They sell a lot of goth, punk, and pop culture stuff I think you'd like.”

“I wanna go too!” Nelly came forward as she overheard them.

“Count me in!” Blossom as well.

As they browsed Alyssa suggested an outfit to Avia to try in the fitting room. As Avia stepped out she was greeted with cheers from her friends.

“Damn! That looks awesome!” Nelly looked at her outfit of a black, punky sleeveless leather jacket with a white T-shirt worn underneath with jeans.

“Now that is perfect! Take a look Avie,” Alyssa handed her a mirror.

Avia gasped, “I-I love it! This just screams badass!”

“It's only the most popular UPF fashion trend among young women. A lot of Federationites share your spunk Avia,” Alyssa gave her the thumbs up.

“Me next! I wanna try it on too!” Nelly squeaked with joy.

“You know, I wonder what the boys are up to?” Blossom stared off into the distance.

“YEAAAAAAAH!” Jet flew in and out of the gunship's tracers as he and the others were focused on taking down one of the Galaxy Whales. They were flying close to the creature to take out the organic jet engines of the whale that used the oxygen of the planet to keep aloft. There were several dozen of the blisters on the whale that had to be taken out one by one to take it down.

“Crap! That whale is straying too close to Night Dragon territory! Those things will eat us alive if we get too close!” Mitch launched a barrage of missiles at the whale that only managed to take out four of the blisters.

“What in the world is a Night Dragon?” Jet was too focused on the whale. He pondered at the size of the creature which was nearly two thirds the size of one of the gunships. What he didn't see was a single Night Dragon pull up behind him.

“Jet! You got a Night Dragon on your ass! Shake it off! Break! Break!” Mitch yelled into his radio.

“Breaking!” Jet glanced back and his reflexes kicked in. He saw the blur of black chitinous outline of the half reptilian half xenomorphic creature. He could see the mouth as it glowed with bright pulsating plasma. With a blood curling scream that pierced the cockpit of his fighter the alien dragon launched the ionized projectile at his fighter, impacting the main fuselage and throwing his plane off center, “Shit! Those things are accurate!”

“Night Dragons never miss! Get that toothless bastard away from you! Pop some flares to mess up with their loreal pit's IR tracking!”

“Dumping flares!” Jet turned hard while dumping his countermeasures. The dragon turned away confusing the flares as his fighter while Mitch lined up for a perfect shot.

“Undertow! Vulpix Two!” one missile shot out of the internal bay of the Black Jacket as it curved brilliantly into the path of the Night Dragon. With a blast of shredded tungsten the missile took it down as the alien gave one last defiant blast of plasma plummeting into the planets abyssal core, “Bandit down! You okay Jet?”

“Yeah! I think. How's my fuselage?”

“Bad, that Night Dragon tore you a new air intake. You're lucky to still be flying. Fly back to base and eject over the runway. I think we got the whale in the bag,” Mitch looked up to see the dying whale as the two gunships swooped in under it to catch it with a massive net. Now hoisted by the two Nightmares the carcass was ferried back to the city with the rest of the fighters in escort.

“Not bad for a bunch of rookies! We're gonna eat happy tonight boys! Hunters get to eat this whale for free!” Quincy smiled in the cockpit of the gunship. The boys in the rear all gave a round of high fives to the successful takedown of the Galaxy Whale.

“Wow! That was some rush,” Sagittarius was still shaking from operating the 20mm vulcan turret.

Quincy gave the controls to his co-pilot and handed a shovel to Sagittarius, “Here's a shovel! We don't clean up after your mess.”

“My mess?” Sagittarius looked back at the gun station. Mounds of shell casings off to one side had collected over the course of the engagement, “Oh... Shit...”

“Good thing I got the railgun turret,” Prelude chuckled as he saw the sheer amount of firepower they had to expend to kill the darn thing.

“I still can't believe one whale managed to eat twenty five 135mm tank railgun shells. What are those things made of anyway?” Fragarach leaned back in his gunners seat to the big gun of the airplane.

“Juicy delicious steaks! They usually run in the restaurants for a hundred bucks. Believe me, they are worth it!” Quincy took his place back the pilot seat.

“They better be,” Simon helped shovel shells with Sagittarius as they were both stationed on the 20mm gun turrets.

An hour or so later the group met back up at one of the most fancy Federation eateries: the Hidden Treasure Gourmet located on a separate floating island adrift on the planet. They all arrived via a VTOL transport and were seated promptly at a long dinner table still in their flight suits and newly bought wardrobe. Avia sat next to her brother and they looked at each other.

“Sup! Nice threads sis.”

“Thanks! What do you think mom would say?”

“Awesome probabl-LE,” Jet drifted off as he saw Nelly in the same attire. His jaw dropped as he looked at her from head to toe.

“You like what you see?” Nelly flirted.

“If my wings were on my back...”

“Hush! Food's here!” Strella arrived with her escort of chefs and waiters all serving the smoked whale with red onion compote on a bed of salad, “Dig in! You guys earned it!”

“Wow, what is this?” Avia took a sniff, “It smells like a mix of bacon and steak.”

“Whale meat! Sky Whale meat. Fresh from the hunt. You got these guys to thank for the free meal!” Mitch eagerly dug into his smoked whale. His slow and deliberate eating made him savor the meal.

With one bite Jet was hooked, “Whoa! That is the best meat I've ever had! Extremely tender, with a mild unique taste. Sorta like steak and bacon. I love the smoked flavor! It just goes so well with the meat.”

“It's really light too! Mmm! It's heavenly!” Petal took her time with the meal.

“I'm down for that!” Simon stuffed the delectable morsels into his cheeks like a squirrel.

“Manners Simon! We are at a fancy eatery for goodnes-” Morning Shine trailed off as he saw Strella eating in much the same manner. He whispered under his breathe, “Oh, for Celestia's sake...”

“May I have seconds?” Simon smiled as he asked Strella.

“Sorry dude, limit one steak per customer. That's probably the only one you will ever have in your whole life. Well, your life anyway,” Strella teased.

“Hey, can I get a cider?” Jet and Avia asked one of the waiters.

“I'm sorry but we do not carry apple cider here. A fine wine perhaps?”

“Okay, how about a beer?” Jet glanced again at the beverage menu.

“Will do sir. Would you like a Freedom Fighter, Blue Railgun, or the Ascension Island?”

“Umm,” Jet hesitated, “Forgive me, I'm a colonist and have never tried any of the UPF home brews. Since I live so close to Equestrian held space I tend to get my brews from the ponies.”

The waiter sighed, “Those barbarians huh? I am deeply sorry you have to suffer in such an awful space. It's no wonder Madam Strella invited you to the heart of the Federation.”

Something in Jet snapped, “What was that?...”

“Bro! Cool it!”

“No no no no no... I don't care about that. Look, I don't mean to make a scene. But for once in your life have you ever considered that they are like us? They are living, breathing, sentient lifeforms that should be respected and treated like one of us?”

“I beg you're pardon?!” the waiter was offended, “Those barbarians are nothing more than a lowly space race barely able to keep themselves aloft. The Federation should be more concerned about our own species and safety. We simply gain nothing by being their allies.”

“I beg to differ,” Jet sighed, “Have you ever considered that it's the right thing to do?”

“The right thing to do is to put one's own family before others. The Federation is my family...”

“There is no reasoning with you then. Fuck the beer, I'm taking my whale steak and I am outta here,” Jet walked out of the restaurant in anger.

“Jet! Wait! Dammit, he's always like this!” Avia went after him, “Jet! Jet wait up!”

Jet stood outside and looked into the distance, “I just need to cool down. I just don't get it... How can these assholes live like this?”

“They don't know. They're blind to the politics and the needs of others. Remember Jet, they've been self sufficient and isolationist for years now. Things are only starting to change. And it doesn't help that the people have the say in the government either. A lot of them don't like us for winning that battle. I just read that the President has no authority to veto any majority vote decided by the population. Just give it time. We might have made the difference.”

“I hope so Avia...”