IX-26 (by failing)

>...
>...
>...Initializing...
>...
>...Initializing...Power...3%...
>...Solar Collection Array...40%...
>...Beginning Boot Sequence...
>...Structural Integrity...80%...
>...Shields...Offline...
>...Engines...50%...
>...Primary Weapons...20%...
>...Secondary Weapons...Inoperable...Ammunition Out...
>...Data Collection...
>...Ocular...Optimal...
>...Thermal...Optimal...
>...Dermal Sensors...Optimal...
>...Radar...Inoperable...Sensors Damaged...
>...Scanners...Optimal...
>...Audio...10%...Software Corrupted...
>...Identification Friend or Foe...Optimal...Data Corrupt...Wiping...
>...Memory...Optimal...
>...Storage...30%...
>...Analyzing...
>...Isolating Bad Sectors...
>...Working...Working...
>...Rerouting Power From Damaged Equipment...
>...Cold Boot Initiated...Power...7%...
>...Wake Up IX-26...
>...Mission Parameters...^6b5(6HJvgjk%^$56...

>a crash of static assaults your ears before winding down into a steady hiss
>you can feel and hear the whirr of all manner of hardware buzzing to life within you
>with a flash of white, your vision returns, slowly adjusting to the mostly darkness in front of you, everything tinted a very subtle red
>your dermal sensors activate as the boot finishes, the first thing you notice is you are hot and something is mostly covering you
>the second thing you notice is you can't breathe, your systems struggling for airflow
>panic grips you for a moment before feeling yourself flung from your prison, slamming you into the soft sand a few meters away
>you make your way to your hooves unsteadily and shake the remaining sand from your body, a warm wind blowing over you
>your scanners begin operating immediately, you are surrounded by assorted metal debris, most of it charred beyond recognition
>though you get a sense of deja vu as you look over them
>a flashing line on your HUD catches your attention
>...Power...7%...
>it jumps to 8% after a moment, probably a good sign

>sighing, you attempt to recall what got you here, nothing comes to you though
>a brief flash of [WARNING] comes to mind, followed by the unmistakable sound of a crash landing, followed by a very loud whoosh, then darkness
>will have to see about getting that repaired
>...Power...10%...
>radar is picking up movement, your turn to see a small blue and silver light fighter, a little smaller than you, crawling his way out of the sand
>IFF doesn't pick up anything
>you don't even notice as your weapons systems warm up
>”Hello...identify yourself...” is what you try to call out, all you hear is a grating metallic sound and bursts of static
>the other fighter burst from the sand and stares at you menacingly, hovering a few meters from the ground
>he says something but again, metal and static
>he doesn't look happy however
>he raises a hoof and your IFF flashes red, you and it seem to agree things pointing at you can't be good
>you jump to the side, easily avoiding the laser, it seems he is as damaged as you are
>speaking again gets you nowhere as you try and plead, you want to talk this out, but that isn't going to work
>you raise both hooves in what you hope is an international sign of peaceful intent, he just growls and lays on the throttle with a flash from his exhaust

>shooting past you, he lays down more fire, you feel your body moving of it's own accord as you duck and weave between the shots, several grazing, but none dead on
>you don't want your first memory to involve killing somebody, best course of action, retreat
>with no real decision made, you pick a direction and run, seeing power fluctuating for a moment between 11 and 12%
>okay, running: fine, flying: probably not, you hope he is in as bad a shape as you are and gives up soon
>the lasers flying past you tell you two things
>he isn't likely to let up
>his targeting systems are shot
>looking back, he doesn't seem to stable as he boosts after you
>your HUD flashes [WARNING] again and you look behind you
>he figured out his locking systems
>and that's a missile
>you scream in your metallic voice before firing both thrusters hard, the missile impacting the ground where you stood, the shock wave sending you flying further than your afterburners would have alone
>slamming into the ground, you slide down an embankment and into what looks like a massive field of bones
>metallic, static screaming is heard above, your pursuer flying wildly out of control overhead
>you can hear the crash as he lands amidst the bone yard, and see a little smoke
>hopefully he stays off your radar
>which just so happens to be picking up more debris in this area
>what happened here

>the next few hours pass by uneventfully, except for scrounging a single missile from the debris of, what you now assume are other crashed fighters
>a few times you think you hear something nearby, but radar picks up nothing, and nothing shoots at you
>the local star begins to set and you sigh
>...Power...63%...
>hopefully that’s enough, or this is going to be a very short trip
>you don't feel like you were meant for this
>sitting atop the tallest hill you could find, you gaze into the fading evening and warm your thrusters
>this planet is kind of nice during sunset
>but it's time to find some civilization that doesn't want to kill you
>your tail engine flares into life and you can't help but grin
>you can't help but feel the need
>you throttle hard, coaxing everything from your tail engine and hindhooves
>you weren't even sure they worked like that
>momentum is gained easily at first, but soon you feel heat buildup along your fore hooves and chest, and the pull of gravity
>doesn't help that power is dropping quickly too
>you lay on the afterburners, trying to get out of this gravity well when suddenly you feel the weight gone
>sections of your wings separate slightly and hiss, suddenly your forward momentum is increased dramatically
>the HUD flashes [GRAVITATIONAL DIFFUSION ARRAY ACTIVATED]
>your thrusters whine and cry as they begin to overheat and just before the breaking point, you kick them off
>maybe you can glide to safety
>and now you wait, it grows colder, not that you mind, the heat dissipates slowly from your body, those warning lights dying out
>your momentum holds and the sunset seems to happen in reverse for you, you feel the friction ebb
>soon, the momentum fades and you don't feel the tug of gravity
>your HUD picks up a few dots off in the distance, one growing closer slowly, you feel your sense fall away
>...Distress Beacon Activated...
>...Power...4%...Sleep Mode Initiated...
>...Good Night IX-26...

>you awaken with a start, the sounds of static and metal grating you
>once your visual systems adjust, you can see you are inside...something..it's cramped, but you are alone on a bed
>from beyond the door you can hear shouting, still can't understand it though
>...Power...87%...
>well, that's pretty good, someone was kind enough to plug you in
>seems like your batteries have lost a bit of charge though, add it to the list
>unplugging and standing, you are greeted with a full length mirror
>a medium, sleek fighter stares back at you in looking worried, her wings swept back against her body
>the shouting stops suddenly as your turn to examine yourself, and your hear hooves on metal approach, the door sliding open
>a large stallion stands in the doorway, covered head to hoof in blue and black camo
>you can barely see past him, but behind him you notice a small mare, green with white highlights
>and she has a very big weapon pointed at the silver and blue stallion from the surface
>he glares daggers at you
>the stallion in the door steps forward tentatively and says...something
>you frown a bit at the grating noise and try to give your name only to be met with the same noise
>Your IFF picks him up as neutral, the small one as friendly
>black and blue looks at you concerned for a moment and says something over his shoulder
>green and white shrugs and says something in return
>this sets off blue and silver, who immediately gets the business end of green and white's gun in the mouth
>Blue and black motions for you to stay, at least you think he does, and he switches places with green and white, though he just plants a hoof on blue and silver's chest and hold him in place
>they say a few more words as green and white rummages through a storage compartment, surfacing with a bag
>she approaches and closes the door behind her, smiling kindly as she pulls a few tools out
>you back away, but have nowhere to go, IFF still reads friendly
>she plugs a device into your foreleg

>after a few moments she laughs and smiles at you before diving back into her bag
>she keeps talking, though it is muffled and she comes back out with a small chip
>sliding the chip into the device, she looks at you smugly and you feel the need to prepare yourself
>she presses a button and for a moment everything goes away, your HUD, your vision, your sensors
>for a moment you may as well be dead
”Testing, testing. Wake up, sleepyhead! According to this everything worked and you're just being lazy!”
>Your systems finish rebooting and you are face to face with the small mare
>she smiles
”Soooooooo.....?”
>she looks at you expectantly
>”Hello?” you attempt, and to your surprise it sounds like a real word
>she hops into the air and pumps a hoof
“Damn I'm good! BRUISER, I FIXED HER VOICE!”
>she rushes back out of the room and you see “Bruiser” sitting on top of blue and silver, who looks just slightly worse for wear
>the two switch places and Bruiser comes back into the room, closing the door behind him
>he motions for you to sit, you oblige the large stallion

“So. Let's try this again.”
>His voice is calm, but stern
“I'm Bruiser, as you've heard. Here's the deal. We have one brig, and two unknown fighters with distress beacons coming from a planet with, to my knowledge, nothing of interest. He claims that he is a federation soldier and that you are responsible for the deaths of his comrades. So far, he has caused more trouble than you. I'm giving you a chance to explain.”
>”I am IX-26. I'm not sure what that designation means. I am fairly damaged, and my databanks have been either damaged or corrupted. I awoke on the planet with low power, I'm assuming the wind uncovered my solar arrays and it was enough to get me going. He came too shortly afterword...”
>you continue your explanation, up to and including your attempt at escaping the planet and your powering down
>you are surprised to find your voice a little cold and mechanical
>Bruiser listens quietly, holding a hoof to his forehead when you finish
“Stay here...” he grumbles quietly
>the door closing behind him, you hear him tell green and white to stand down, followed by some grumbling and the sound of a heavy bolt sliding into place
>several hours of boredom pass as you hurry up and wait

>eventually there is a knock on the door before it whooshes open
“Oh Twenty-Siiiix, I've brought you some fooood!”
>the small mare looks both ways suspiciously and passes you a tray with a pack of rations on it
>you aren't sure why you grimace internally
>she closes the door and sits through the floor opposite you and rummages through a saddlebag, pulling out a can and passing it to you
“And don't tell Bruiser, but I stole one of his JP-32, you sound like you need it”
>you thank her and dig in, not realizing just how hungry you were
>she giggles at you
“So, Bruiser sent me so I could give you an update. We...or I...did some digging and found two interesting things. The first is that the fed stopped building your friend's model a long time ago, they upgraded right after the war and never looked back. Not that I needed to check, they shoot at us all the time and his hardware looks pretty lackluster.”
>you look at her and take a sip of the JP-32, the rush immediately going to your head, giving you a slight tingly feeling
>”And the second?” you ask, with maybe a little more dread than you'd like
“You don't show up in the database at all! And that's awesome, I get to study you and stuff! It could just mean our database is out of date but...if he remembers your type, and he's is an older model, you may just not be on record. I mean, from what I can see, solar power generation? PLEASE! We've been using fusion for like, EVER! Solar is hardly even a backup anymore!
>you freeze at the word “study” and eye the door

>she looks at you concerned for a moment and gasps
“No wait, I didn't mean it like that! I meant like, we can be friends and stuff. For a little while anyway! So here’s the deal. Bruiser doesn't really like having extra people on his ship, especially unknowns. They cause problems, and we have enough of those. So, we're going to swing by Arcadia, we needed to stop for supplies anyway. We'll drop you off and give you some credits and you'll be free to go! Then, we'll drop off your friend at the Arcadian Council and THEY can figure out what to do with him.
>”But what am I...”
“Ah ah ah...” she grumbles out, mocking Bruiser's voice “that's not our problem, she should be happy we picked her up.”
“Yeah, he can be kind of a jerk, but at least he is letting you go! And anyway, that’s a couple weeks away, we'll see if we can change his mind.
>this is just too much

>A few days pass with little incident, you spend much of the day staring out one of the ports
>Bruiser and Corna have both visited, for small talk or for questioning, you did your best to answer
>they even let you wander the ship a little, albeit supervised
>while not very big, there is a hangar large enough for 4 fighters to launch at once and what looks like tons of scavenged materials
>you awake one evening to the sound of warning klaxons blaring throughout the ship
>you stumble from your room still half asleep and go looking for someone
>Bruiser and Corna are in the main hall yelling to each other, Corna sees you and smiles wide
“Let her help!”
“What? We can't trust her, I've got this, get her back in her room and lock the door!” he takes off toward the hangar
>Corna seems frustrated as she leads you back to your room at gunpoint, she genuinely seems sorry about it too
>”Whats going on out there?”
“Pirates, we've been spotted and apparently they want something we have.”
>you glare at her in surprise “And you're going to let him fight out there alone?”
“Uhh..orders...I gotta keep you guys locked up...”
>even you can tell she doesn't want to leave him alone
>”let me out there, I can help! I may not be in top shape, but I have weapons, I'll at least be another target!”
>you watch your radar as Bruiser gets close to cornered, just getting away. There are at least half a dozen of them out there
>you can tell she is watching too
>”Come on, he's outnumbered!”
>You aren't even sure why you care, other than these ponies have been kind enough to save you and give you some information
>Corna wavers for a second and you get fed up, warming up your weapons and storming past her through the door
>she has her weapon trained on you, but IFF reads friendly, flickering between that and neutral

>taking that bet, you run down the hall, hearing Corna chasing after
>you round the corner into the hangar and launch into the cold black without thinking twice
>the rush overtakes you as once again, you are in control, you are flying
>the need overtakes you and you lay into your afterburners, cutting hard through the emptiness and into the fray
>You finally gain line of sight on your query, Bruiser is almost pinned against the ship, just barely dodging volley after volley of laser fire
>you dive in, catching the group by surprise, your flyby scattering them
>Bruiser takes the opportunity to get back into open space as you dodge, red lasers dancing around you
>you shift your mass and spin around, pulling a 180, flying straight into the group and unleashing a volley of laser fire from your hooves...hoof?
>shit, only one of them works

>you still manage to catch one pirate square in the chest, he doesn't recover
>the others turn and open fire again from much closer
>you slow down to take some more evasive maneuvers, scorching your body, but not doing any real damage
>slow and bad shots, you could do a lot worse for your first fight
>your HUD lights up, warning you of fire from a neutral source
>you look over your shoulder as two of your pursuers are engulfed in a concussive fireball, shredding them to bits, followed by a stream of laser fire
>Bruiser tears through the debris and seems to struggle slowing down next to you
“The HELL are you doing out here?”
>”I escaped” you smile and lay on the afterburners, chasing your next pray into the black
>you hear a pop of static and a growl
“Just don't die out here, I'd hate to have saved you for no reason”
>you feel the heat of Bruiser's lasers as they fly past you, scattering the remaining pirates
>you break left following two of them, Bruiser breaks right chasing the third
>you lay on the throttle and see a flash ahead of you, a pirate sailing past you and catching your six
>shit shit shit shit
>he unloads volley after volley of laser fire at you , forcing you to evade, never giving you a shot on your target
>though it is fun to see him squirm too
>your grit your teeth and let kill your engines, flipping as forward
>you feel time slow as you line up the pirate chasing you and unload a burst of fire at him
>in atmosphere, you may have heard him curse you with his dying breath
>your momentum carries you back on target and time picks up again as you throttle up, chasing after him

>tailing him is easy, getting a shot off is not
>this pirate is surprisingly competent
>you fire off a volley and a moment later hear the pop in your ear again
“Watch it hotshot, you almost got me!” Bruiser's voice comes over comms
>you check your radar and, because of your broken IFF, neutrals aren't showing up. Or maybe just because he doesn't like you
>your prey has been tailing him for the last 20 seconds and you hadn't noticed
>you see an explosion ahead of you and your chase takes a sudden turn up, relatively speaking
>you and the pirate outmaneuver Bruiser easily and quickly take the inside
>you take it just a little bit tighter and quickly pull within 30 meters of him
>volley after volley goes wide on your target, he even has the audacity to shoot back a few times
>screw this
>you hit the afterburners and rip after him
>you almost fall for it again as he slams on the breaks, flying past you, but you clips his wing with a blast
>he catches you with a shot to the chest as well though and you spin off into the darkness, seeing a faint flash of light where the pirate was headed before you drift off

===Description of IX-26===

>medium combat craft
>capable of switching between atmospheric and zero-g operation
>along her...body? fuselage? and attached to the wings above and below are gravitational dampening devices, they automatically activate when she is under more than a few Gs of force
>primary engine is slightly oversized, thrust vectoring 30 degrees
>secondary engines in her rear hooves, "vectoring" equivalent to range of motion of her legs, useful for straight line speed and primary control in zero G environments, because of the strain her rear legs are noticeably bulkier from the knee (do horse have knees?) down
>primary weapons are in her forehooves, again making her legs bulkier than normal
>secondary weapon is a chest mounted launching system, can hold up to 3 standard mini missiles or theoretically anything that fits the launching mechanism
>her chest, face, forehooves and leading edges are all lined with a black heat dispersing material to facilitate safe atmospheric exit and entry
>her entire right wing is scorched along the top and across her pack, revealing the bare metal
>left wings seems mostly intact though the paint is chipping
>stock paint is mostly a gunmetal blue with white camo lines
>eyes are green, combat shades (?) are dark matte green and opaque

Source: https://archive.moe/mlp/thread/21404916/#21419359