<recording audio and transcribing>

Shipboard AI Exigent Log 005
CMDR. Alex Rodriguez <incapacitated>
U.T.E. Corvus
0531hrs 06 Aug, 2463 Local

The local species made contact earlier tonight. I spent the better part of the last two hours reviewing all available data to make absolutely sure this is what happened. Better safe than sorry when dealing with an alien species after all. The last thing we need is to screw up and then miraculously have the UTE Navy show up for complete irony.

Anyhow.

At 0346 hours this morning, a new member of what I am calling the equanoid species, passed through the sensor net and active deterrents to enter the clearing where the Corvus is undergoing repairs. Now this is where it gets… weird. (Please see the attached raw data for independent verification.) A winged and horned member of the species, armored in an unknown type of metallic armor was revealed to be the cause of the alert. The individual appeared on the assortment of visual sensors available, yet the area around it was a null space when active and passive scanning was used. Even under directly aimed bursts of active scanning, it was as if there was a dead space.

Multispectral imagery revealed that there was some kind of localized shield around the specimen in the EHF, NIR, and NUV spectra. Active scanning revealed a series of these ‘nulls’ around the perimeter of the clearing in fairly regular pattern. At this point there is not enough data to confirm if these were more individuals or some sort of generation equipment for the shield.

What made this beyond strange is the species either has a yet unknown grasp over electromagnetics, or has an inbuilt telekinetic ability. How they acquired it is yet unknown, but the equanoid had the missing satellite SAC-009 floating alongside it. There is not enough data for anything but conjecture, but any hypothesis I have are unpleasant in end result.

With the discovery of the additional ‘nulls’ I determined a cautious show of force may be necessary. As such, all turrets were brought online and deployed. Power was not routed to the weapon cores yet, just in case the species had scanning tech able to discern that. Instead, I had them use the visible lasers to light the treeline with a calibration grid in the hopes of it being a deterrent.

Thankfully it appeared to work, as the subject ceased advancing and raised a hoof in what I am assuming is a placating gesture. After a few moments, it gently lay SAC-009 at nearly the exact median point between the ship and the treeline before departing. The cameras reveal some kind of note or letter affixed to the satellite that will be investigated come daylight and Alex’s awakening.

What is even stranger is that when they departed I was able to get an active data connection to SAC-009 whereas it was blocked earlier. Initial diagnostics show that the probe was not tampered with in any way that shows to my systems. Regardless, I’ll be treating it with care in case this species has any other tricks up their proverbial sleeves.

The strangest part was if I didn’t know better I’d say after the subject entered the trees and passed the sensor line, it teleported. For just a few microseconds I managed to get a full sensor return on it. Thankfully it was in the middle of an active sweep, so we ended up with enough topological detail to extrapolate a full model surface of the equanoid. I’m not sure if that’ll end up being helpful or not yet, but it is more information than we had before. Based on the partial scan, it looks like his specimen is larger than most, standing at just under 6.5 feet tall accounting for the horn, and an estimated 450 pounds if density is similar to Terran equines. The other examples of the species are significantly smaller based on data from my flight.

Alex should be waking up in a few more hours according to autodoc data, so this will be the first thing to discuss after I manage to get him showered and shaved. I know it is just the sensory and emotional software from my chassis getting to me, but even with the autodoc taking care of his biological functions and cleaning, he still smells a bit gross.

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I get the feeling life on this planet is going to be complicated, and the UTE never even bothered putting out a general first contact primer. So there will be lots of winging it. I just hope I can keep Alex from making too much of a mess out of this.

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It’s nice to wake up with someone in your arms, feeling the soft fabric of her nightie rubbing against your skin as you pull her closer. Her soft whimpers turning into whispered moans as I kiss and nibble on her skin, baring her neck to me as if to beckon for more. Nothing hotter than that sharp intake of breath when I bite down softly, her exhale a breathy moan that matches the hips pushing back against mine.

Eyes still closed, slipping an arm around her petite frame and dragging her tight against my body, only one thought echoing in the animal side of my mind. The word ‘Mine’ echoing through my thoughts while slipping a hand between her thighs to rub. A primal thrill shooting through me as she moaned louder as my fingers found a delicate spot, my teeth digging into her shoulder at the same time, her voice making my name echo through the dark room. All I knew was I wanted more as I growled the word through my gently clenched teeth.

Wait… those breathy tones. The pert ass pressing against my crotch, her sensual body yet unyieldingly firm under the skin…

“ROSE?!”

Memories and pain exploded through me as I snapped fully awake to see nothing but the darkened interior of my room. All I could do is sigh. Really, how the hell do you explain a dream like that? Reaching over, I tapped the intercom button on the top of the bedside control panel.

“Hey Rose, what the hell happened?”

I certainly wasn’t expecting the door to slide open a few to reveal my copilot and AI. She stood in the doorway backlit with light for the general purpose room for just a moment before starting to point and laugh.

“Just for me? You shouldn’t have… but is that the whole gift? I’d imagined it would come wrapped in a bigger package”

A brief glance down explained more than a bit of me was fully exposed and that I was not in a “polite” position for company. No way in hell was I going to even think about that dream. Instead, I chose the proper route, dragging a blanket over my lower half and a pillow onto my face to hide a blush.

“Fuck my life… and I hate you, Rose. Seriously.”

Rose’s laughter faded after I threw a shoe at her head, finally getting the stubborn AI to leave me alone for some peace and quiet. Being alone with my thoughts was nice as I replayed the accident in my mind. Before too long, a soft chime rang clearly from the control panel before the frustrating woman started speaking over the intercom.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when you called me. I know you’re going to be sore and things will feel funny for a bit. You got busted up pretty good so the autodoc put in some overtime. I kind of… maybe… had to shave your head for surgery though.”

A frustrated groan was my only answer.

“You needed surgery to relieve pressure in your skull. You’d have died otherwise. The only reason you aren’t screaming right now is that the med system did a series of nerve blocks, so take it easy okay. Breakfast will be ready in a few and we need to have a talk. This world is a lot stranger than we figured.”

Oh god, coffee after being asleep for days is amazing. Well it would have been amazing sooner if Rose hadn’t made me take a shower as soon as I got up. Not that I’d tell her, but yeah she was right in saying I needed one. I wasn’t exactly enthused about the small welts that covered my torso where the autodoc injected me with meds, not that it was really noticeable around the rest of the bruises anyhow.

Rose was making me take it slow, especially when it came to eating. Little bits here and there. Yeah, I didn’t want to get sick but damnit woman, feed me. At least she was explaining things while I slowly stuffed my face. Now the fact that either magic or technologically advanced ponies ruled the world just seemed absurd. But it was also hard to dispute when raw image and sensor data was put on the screen while I ate. This world is freaking weird.

There could be a few upsides though. The locals did drop of SAC-009, which we were going to inspect after I finished getting cleaned up. They also might have some kind of technology that could aid getting us home. First thing was to get geared up. Yes, the frames could move the satellite, but it would take several of them to keep it balanced and from getting banged up. Instead, it looked more like the simplest method would be to put on the Atlas armor and just carry the damn thing. After what happened on my last trip outside, a bit of extra armor might be nice anyhow.

As useful as the Atlas suits were, they had a fair share of problems. All of which were on my mind while I slipped into a basic form fitting flight suit. It was such a weird feeling for everything to feel so… distant. I know it was from the assortment of nerve blocks to keep me from screaming in pain, let alone crying about what would soon be a nice scar across the back of my head.

Keeping that injury in mind, I made sure to very very gently lower the helmet over my head. The last thing I needed was blood dripping into my suit or to ruin another set of armor. There was already a bit of a lecture about how a good suit of armor was ruined because Rose had to literally cut the plates off me because they wouldn’t unlatch. So making sure the helmet was settled softly and without pain was a good thing.

An Atlas suit is an expensive set of equipment to say the least. They were used for heavy mining and labor in hostile environments until the UTE military found out about them. The tech quickly advanced by leaps and bounds once the R&D nerds got their hands on it. Unfortunately, the only place I could fit the ‘roll on’ pod was in a corner of the troop bay that was already cluttered with gear. At first glance, it looked more like a giant armored cabinet than anything, but that was the point. The pods were designed to either equip someone before deployment, or in a hurry, be airdropped for someone to put on. Instant fire support in a can basically. With my footsteps echoing through the bay, I pulled up the augmented reality system on my visor to send an activation signal to the pod, a slight grimace on my face from what I knew was coming.

<White Sun Technologies ACS-49 Atlas system start...>
<Prometheus configuration detected. Loading firmware…>
<Arming systems online>

As I watched the armored doors open, Rose just had to chime in with her amused words. I didn’t even notice her pacing on the other side of the bay.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to see you get inside a set of sexy machinery, but this isn’t what I meant. What does a girl have to do to get some attention around here? Seriously though, let's make it quick. Both of us know how much of a pain in the ass that stuff is to maintain.”

Thankfully she couldn’t see the blush on my face as I reached into the cavern filled with machinery. At least I hope she couldn’t. This morning was already rough in more than one way. The inside of the pod was studded with tools and equipment inset into the walls, just waiting to begin. God knows it had been years since I’ve trained on this stuff, so let's just hope I don’t screw up too badly. Carefully stepping up into the raised armored boots, they clicked and locked down against my flight suit with a slight gap between them. Knowing I could only hold back for so long, my knees and thighs pressed against the waiting armored sections. With both hands inserted into armored gauntlets and a guide against my helmet, the lights inside the pod dimmed before flashing a solid red.

<Arming in progress>
<DO NOT MOVE>

It never ceases to feel like a closing coffin when the pod closes around you. Only a dim red light spilling from above to illuminate a variety of tools and plating that is starting to move, guided by unseen lasers. Long seconds passed after I closed my eyes. Every movement against my body was felt despite the nerve blocks when plates were placed and bolted into place to assemble a frame around my flight suit. Others were latched onto that again and again as the tooling essentially built the armor around me. With dull finality, an armored helmet was lowered over mine before rasping clicks locked it into place and me into pitch black other than scrolling text. Pressure built around my flight suit, constricting me for a moment as panels inset in the frame expanded to support and insulate me against shock, spalling, or even the chill of cold metal in space.

<initializing system start>
<system check complete>
<reactor startup in…>
<3>
<2>
<1>

It is such a strange feeling to have your entire body vibrate from within for a moment. I knew better, that it was the intense magnetic fields used in the small starship grade reactor. It still felt weird though. Thankfully the internal displays finally lit up with camera feeds to show the inside of the pod filled with a yellow light. After a few seconds the light turned solid green, before the pod doors began to slowly separate to reveal a grinning redhead looking inside.

“So, how does it feel to have something hugging your every curve like that, feeling so tight around you? Or was that a question about how you woke up this morning?”

God damnit.

From just beyond the treeline, the combined Royalty of Equestria watched the craft in the hopes that their visitor from the stars would make an appearance. For most of the morning they had sat and conversed about the myriad of things Luna, and her retainers had witnessed. Oddly enough it was Princess Twilight that seemed to be the most reserved. Not that she doubted the stacks of notes and logs, no it was that she was unsure of how Equestria’s first meeting with a new species could have been tainted.

Over much tea they discussed in depth what they hoped to achieve through this. Celestia as always was pragmatic and wanting to assure her ponies that there wasn’t a viable threat. Cadance was more curious than anything, but deferred to her husband in many regards to the situation. All of them were beyond surprised by Luna’s behavior though. The militant Princess that normally chomped at the bit to get her hooves dirty was acting like an excited foal. The combined royals all saw that the visitor was from beyond the surface of their little planet, but none of them truly understood the meaning like Luna did.

Conversation around the camp quieted to whispers as something before unseen was happening with the craft. The wall with the small light filled doorway was opening. Bright strobing golden light spilled out from the crack as it opened wider and wider. Yet through the middle of the light was a deep shadow. Eventually the door was open wide enough to reveal the being casting the shadow was some sort of a giant. The smaller bipods only stood to mid chest on the behemoth of metal plates. For a moment the ponies were all disturbed as part of what should have been it’s face folded back to show a smooth black surface underneath.

As one, the assorted ponies realized it must be some kind of a suit of armor. Now what kind of huge creature it would fit was something else. A minotaur perhaps, but they hadn’t seen one around the clearing so that was not the best assumption. The guard that suggested it was promptly whacked upside the head by his compatriots.

Even at the distance, they could hear the being’s steps thudding dully into the earth as it walked toward the strange pillar. Every pony held their breath as the giant stood over the strange object and stared at the affixed Royal Seal and letter. With surprising dexterity, the being shrugged before reaching down with both massive hands to effortlessly lift the pillar. After a moment or two to adjust, it strode back toward the gaping doorway from whence it came.

At this, all of the Princesses stood and stepped forward to some unheard signal. As one, the four Alicorns crossed the threshold between trees and grass, and stepped into a new page of Equestrian history. Thankfully they couldn’t hear Equestria’s newest resident speaking about the note affixed to the satellite. Nor the facepalm or soft "You're an idiot" his compatriot did in response.

“What the hell kind of writing is this?!” Next Chapter: 14. Hotel California Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 7 Minutes