Chapter 52: Duty and Desire
Amaka slowly rolled under the velvet covers of her bed, her eyes covered by a sleeping mask made of the same material. Her lips were curved in a smile. However, her more than obviously enjoyable dream was interrupted by an incessant knocking on the door to her room and a mare's voice calling from the other side. “Ma'am. Ma'am, your presence is required. Ma'am...”
Letting out a groan of annoyance the white unicorn sat up in her bed, not even bothering to remove the mask, and called back, with apparent irritation in her tone. “Erina, how many times have I told you to not disturb me while I'm enjoying my private time?!”
“Once. On the very day I was assigned as your secretary, when you instructed me about my job description.” The mare on the other side of the door replied, completely unfazed by her superior's short outburst.
“Oh...” Amaka let out, calming down. “Well what's so damn important that it “requires my presence”...” She called out again, making quote gestures, even if there was no one there to see them. “...when I'm enjoying my private time?” She finished.
“The border sensors have detected a Khalai ship warping in on our station's location.”
That got another groan out of the Matriarch. The only ships to ever warp in to the station unannounced were mining cargo haulers which were late on making their delivery of mined goods.
“And you woke me up for that?” Amaka scoldingly asked. “Just order the crew to unload the minerals, or whatever they have mined, and tell the captain to make sure that this tardiness doesn't happen again. I'm going back to sleep.” The white unicorn announced, before lying back down on the mattress and pulling the sheets back over her head.
'Gee, that enthusiasm for “taking initiative for helping the Khalai cause”.' Erina thought to herself and rolled her eyes, after which she addressed her superior again. “Ma'am you misunderstand, it's not a cargo ship. It's a cruiser from the Golden Armada.”
Amaka's eyes shot open under the mask. Pulling up the purple cloth she once again sat up and called questioningly. “Come again?”
This time the secretary groaned, before answering. “A Khalai cruiser is about to warp in near the station’s perimeter.”
A multitude of grunts and various other sounds was heard from the other side of the door the blue mare was on, causing said mare to roll her eyes again. Moments later, the metal door slid open, revealing the Matriarch in her usual white robe, trying to fix her bedmane.
“Why didn't you say so in the first place?” The pink haired unicorn scolded and darted out of the room as Erina followed suit, keeping up her stoic expression. “I hope I have some time to make myself look presentable.” The white mare let out.
“You know ma'am, it's a good thing that I know you. Otherwise I would be very confused at the moment.” The black robed pony commented flatly.
Turning her head towards her secretary, and shooting the blue unicorn a sarcastically mistrustful look, Amaka spoke. “Do you always have to pretend being so modest? I know you well enough to know that you have a soft spot for battle-hardened stallions, just like me.” she finished as her expression shifted to a sinister smirk.
'You don't know anything about me you whore, and I am definitely NOTHING like you!' Erina thought while taking comfort of not being connected with the Khala, which had become a refuge for her innermost thoughts, before she replied, showing no visible reaction to her boss's words. "If you say so ma'am."
That transformed the royal white mare's expression into a light scowl. Letting out a huff in displeasure, Amaka stated. “I liked you more when you reacted to my teasing.”
“I am sure you did ma'am.”
Gruffly, the Matriarch stammered out. “Anyway...” She then proceeded to connect with the Khala, her heart beat stabilizing itself, and her mind calming down, relieving itself from her outburst of desire. “Aah, much better.” Momentarily the higher ranked pony's brow rose up questioningly. “Erina dear, why aren't you connected yet? Seriously darling, if you keep this up it's going to make ponies think you're trying to get into the Dark Order.”
“Forgive me Matriarch.” The blue mare apologized and connected as well, doing her best to banish the 'negative' thoughts she had before doing so. “You did instruct me to keep the private affairs you 'asked me to help you with' to myself, so I thought that being connected would render your 'request' impossible.” Erina calmly replied as certain thoughts of these affairs came into her mind.
Narrowing her eyes at her secretary, Amaka spoke in a chilled tone. “Yes, you made your point. Now if you would please think of something else, because I would still have those private affairs remain as such.”
“As you wish.” Erina returned. The white unicorn then turned her gaze forward and walked off, not noticing a faint smirk forming on her secretary's face.
The black emptiness of space was disturbed when a speck of light appeared, which expanded into a shimmering gateway as it distorted the darkness around it. A moment passed before the Radiance passed through and appeared in view of the station and the planet below.
Inside the bridge, sparks violently flew off the damaged interior, but Starsong ignored them as he eyed the golden structure floating in the distance. He saw dozens of cargo ships and maintenance drones flying in and out of the station but they all stopped and gave the Radiance a wide berth when they saw the cruiser approaching the station.
“Helmsman, where are we?” He demanded.
“Hoketa 7-JI station - main coordination facility for the mining operations for the Dylar system, sir.” One of the crew members situated at the console of the ship reported.
“Main coordination facility, eh? Good, that means they should have the resources we need to repair our ship, and hopefully they can spare us some warriors so we can resume the search for our Dark Templar before those damned ghosts can get away from us.” The red stallion commented before one of the consoles lit up.
“Sir, the station is hailing us.” The same crewman reported
“Patch us through to them.” Starsong ordered.
“Yes sir!” He responded as he pressed a sequence of buttons.
Soon after, the image of a pegasus mare was projected on the glass window, “Attention unidentified vessel, this is station Hoketa 7-JI. Commander of unknown vessel, step forth and identify yourself and your purpose here.” The mare demanded.
A strong feeling of uneasiness was shared amongst the crew through the Khala, even Starsong's heart skipped a beat when he saw the non-unicorn, but he kept his cool, and spoke up. “Hoketa station, I am Overseer Starsong, commander of the GAV Radiance. We've had several costly encounters with mercenaries in Consortium Space and are in need of immediate repairs to our ship as well as some much needed supplies and reinforcements.”
The mare had taken a couple of minutes to search the database for the presented names of the cruiser and the stallion claiming to be in charge of it. It didn't take long before the computer brought up the requested information, along with the images of the ship, and its Overseer, both of which were shown in better condition than they were in now.
“Your identification is confirmed Overseer...” She spoke. “...we will be able to accommodate your ship in one of our dry docks for repairs, but as for the matter of your other request, you will have to consult a system official.”
Starsong grimaced when he heard this. It meant more unnecessary delays. He sighed a little before inquiring in a clearly displeased tone. “And are there any system officials currently available on board the station?”
“The Low Matriarch in charge of the station has been informed of your arrival. She is on her way to meet you at the docking bay.” The mare informed him.
“Very well, tell the Matriarch that I will personally arrive at the station within the hour.” The stallion said, both him and his crew now calmer, knowing that this corner of space was still under Khalai jurisdiction.
“Understood Overseer. Ending transmission.” The mare finished before cutting the link.
Then Starsong addressed the helmsman. “Take the ship to the dry docks while I meet with the Matriarch.” Another order was passed through the Khala to the ponies who maintained the vessels on board the Radiance. 'Prep a shuttle for me.' All of the addressed ponies complied and carried out their tasks, as the Overseer headed down to the hangar.
Aboard Shining Night’s private shuttle, Galaxy quietly watched her husband as he paced about their cabin impatiently. “Why is that blasted pilot taking so long? We should have been back at the palace by now.” He complained aloud.
The weather became worse during their flight, and with the strong winds causing turbulence, the pilot was forced to switch to manual and fly the shuttle to one of the safer paths to avoid the brunt of the storm. Unfortunately, the detour had delayed their arrival to the palace.
“Calm down dear, I’m sure the pilot is doing his best to get us back to the palace as soon as possible.” She assured him.
“How can I possibly calm down? With the matriarch and most of the senior officers dead, there’s no one else to coordinate the militia!” He argued.
Galaxy sighed for the umpteenth time. “I know that dear, but have some faith in your men. They’ll manage fine without you for a little while longer. So please, sit down and relax.” She said as she patted the seat next to her.
Shining Night was about to argue with his wife but knew that she was right. He sighed in resignation and sat down next to his wife, who leaned into him. He held her close as he breathed in the scent of her mane and calmed down as he began to feel the exhaustion catching up to him as his eyelids became heavier and heavier. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard a loud boom.
“What was th-” he was cut off mid sentence when something powerful slammed into the side of the ship, causing it to veer dangerously off course. The old stallion instinctively wrapped his arms around his wife just before they were sent flying off their seats as the shuttle continued to tumble through the air before the pilot eventually regained control.
Shining Night groaned as he opened his eyes and saw his wife, still safe in his arms. “Galaxy, are you alright?” he asked worriedly.
The mare stirred awake at his voice, “Shining...? What happened?”
“I don’t know, but it’s going to be alright.” He assured her before he heard the intercom on the wall crackling to life and heard pilot’s voice coming through.
“Commander Storm Breeze! Are you and your wife alright? Hello? Commander, are you there?”
Shining Night staggered to his hooves, went over to the intercom and answered the pilot. “We’re fine…Can you tell me what just happened?”
“I don’t know sir. Some sort of bright flash of light appeared and blinded me, then something hit the shuttle. It took all I had just to regain control.” The pilot explained.
The blue stallion frowned when he thought it might be an ambush set up by stragglers looking for a way off world. “What’s the status on the shuttle?” He asked.
“Let me check the instruments.” The pilot paused to type in the commands. “Damn. One of the engines was damaged.”
“Can we make it to the palace with what’s left?” Shining Night asked.
“I can’t say for sure sir, but I don’t want to risk the other engines breaking down while we’re still in the air. I’ll have to land the shuttle and check the damage myself.”
“Very well, take us down.”
Rainbow Dash was standing in the middle of a previously frozen plateau where vapors of steam were rising up all around her. She pulled off her hood and facemask, letting the cold Cadian air cool her down while she took in heavy gulps of air before going into a coughing fit.
When she had retrieved her equipment from Tom, she knew she needed to catch up to the shuttle before it could reach the safety of the palace, so she did the first thing that popped into her head. The Sonic Rainboom.
The risky maneuver had been quite difficult to pull off, especially with such bad weather and the lack of a proper flight suit made it even riskier, but the ursalisk hide she wore did the job, holding up surprisingly well. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for her body.
After not performing the Sonic Rainboom for so long, she had forgotten how hard the maneuver was on her body afterward. Her Reaper training in the Icehouse had toughened her up but her whole body still ached from all the G-force she had endured performing the stunt.
She then heard the sounds of a shuttle in the distance, so she looked up into the sky, and spotted the shuttle she was after. A wicked grin crept onto her face when she saw black smoke trailing from one of its rear engines as it was slowly losing altitude.
The cyan pegasus spread her still aching wings, which caused them to scream in protest, but when compared to her days at the Icehouse, the pain she felt was nothing. She quickly pushed it aside as she started flapping her wings and lifted herself into the air. She pulled her facemask and hood back on before she chased after the shuttle’s smoke trail.
While the Radiance was moving to the dry docks, Starsong’s shuttle had landed at the docking bay, where Amaka and Erina had arrived, and were waiting to see who their mysterious guest was. They watched in anticipation as a hatch on the side of the shuttle opened before they saw a red unicorn stallion stepping out.
The two mares walked up to greet him, Amaka being the first to speak, bearing a soft and sincere smile on her face. “En Taro Discovery, Overseer. I am Matriarch Amaka and it is my pleasure to welcome you to our station.” After saying so, both her and the blue mare next to her respectively bowed their heads.
Starsong returned the gesture and replied. “En Taro Discovery, Matriarch and thank you, but I'm not here to exchange pleasantries. I'm here to talk business.”
“Yes, of course. We can do so as we walk.” The white mare replied, turning around and heading for the station's interior, followed by Starsong.
“Is she coming too?” The Overseer questioningly raised a brow, gesturing towards the black robed unicorn as he tilted his head in her direction.
Amaka nodded and introduced the mare to him. “This is Erina, my personal secretary. Whatever you wish to tell me, you can tell her as well. It makes filling out reports so much easier when I have someone to remind me of any details I might forget.”
“Right...back to why I’m here. I believe that you have already been informed of my requests?” The stallion asked.
“Indeed I have.” The white robed pony began. “However, before I can give you my answer, I would like to hear some more details regarding how you got your ship into such a...state, and what exactly you will need from us.”
“All I can tell you is that my crew and I are in pursuit of Dominion Ghosts who had abducted a Dark Templar who is crucial to our mission. We had some unfortunate...encounters with the mercenaries in the sector, which left our ship in its current state. That's why I came to your station. I need all available resources on your station to repair my ship as soon as possible. We are also in need of warriors to replenish our crew as well as some supplies.” The Templar explained.
“I see.” The white mare said. “That is a very big request Overseer, while I can have your ship repaired for you, I can’t give you my men without compromising the security of my station. Only the Grand Matriarch of the local system can authorize your request for warriors and supplies. May I ask who sent you on this mission of yours?”
“Will my answer affect how long until my request is fulfilled?”
Amaka quietly nodded to his question.
The stallion grunted before he reluctantly answered. “The Supreme Matriarch.”
Both Amaka and Erina, who had been following them all this while, stopped dead in their tracks as their eyes widened in shock when they heard his answer.
Letting out a choking laugh, the white mare questioned. “I'm sorry, I think I might have misheard. Did you just say that Supreme Matriarch Zamara was the one who gave you your orders?”
“The very same, do you have an issue with that, Matriarch?” Starsong asked, raising his brow.
“Uh-No! No!..N-None at all.” She immediately stuttered out. “There's just the issue that the Grand Matriarch is 'very' busy at the moment and any message we send her, even 'important' ones like yours, will take some time before they reach her. You and your crew will need to wait for a few solar days before she even receives your request. After that, you'll have to wait for her to reach a decision on your request, which I am certain that she will approve.”
“Well in that case, let's not waste time.” The Templar said impatiently.
“R-Right...of course, Overseer.” Amaka said, bowing her head, after which she addressed her secretary. “Erina, forward a message regarding the situation to the Grand Matriarch. After that, please be a dear and arrange some accommodations for the Overseer and his crew.”
“As you command, Matriarch.” Erina replied, bowing to both of them before leaving to carry out her orders.
“So...I guess I better go and inform the rest of my crew about this...delay of plans.” Starsong sighed.
“Oh, there's no need for that. I already sent a messenger to deliver them the news. As for now, would you care to join me and have some fine wine in my quarters?” Amaka offered as she put on an inviting smile for the stallion.
Taking a deep breath, Starsong replied. “In all honesty, I can go for a drink right now. Things have been very hectic for me lately.”
“Trust me. I am quite familiar with that feeling.” The Matriarch said, as she let out a quick laugh.
When they reached the white robed pony's quarters, Starsong noticed how luxurious her room appeared. The walls were lavishly decorated with beautiful artwork made by Khalai artisans, but the most prominent feature of the room was the king sized bed, which was situated near a small glass table with two golden chairs where he was invited to sit.
After they made themselves comfortable, Amaka suggested that they speak in private, to which Starsong agreed to as they both disconnected from the Khala. Amaka then brought out a bottle of red wine along with two wine glasses and placed them on the glass table. She filled the glasses and levitated one to the stallion.
The mare watched the red unicorn as he nursed the drink in his hoof for a while before she finally spoke. “So, is there someone special in your life right now, Overseer?”
“No.” He bluntly replied.
“That's a surprise. I could have sworn that a stallion of your 'stature' would be swarmed by-”
The overseer cut her off when he suddenly downed half of his drink in one go. “When I said no, I was replying to your ‘invitation’, Matriarch.”
His blunt rejection shocked her momentarily, after which she inquired. “May I be permitted the answer to the question: Why?”
Seeing as there was no harm in doing so, he humored the mare’s request. “Bad experience, so to say. The last mare I allowed myself to open up to...tortured me. It was quite...distressing.” He said as he finished the rest of his drink to forget the memory. “Adding to that she was one of the ghosts we're after, and when she was done with me, she left me for dead in a back alley.”
As he spoke, the white unicorn had taken another sip, nodding in understanding, before questioning. “Does this mare, along with your last, bear the title of being your first?”
Narrowing his eyes in disapproval the Overseer shot back. “That is not of your concern Mat-”
This time she cut him off. “Please, call me Amaka, Overseer.”
“Very well...Amaka. If we are dropping the formalities, then you may call me Starsong.”
Nodding respectfully, she continued. “My point is, Starsong, that a stallion shouldn't look at things like that. We need to sow the seeds for future generations, or our war for the continued existence of our people would be lost.”
“Even if we are not connected I can feel that this has more to it than just helping our people survive.” He noted. “Don't you have someone to help you with that 'issue', Amaka?”
Leaning back in her chair, she spoke. “Before I tell you, answer me this Starsong...have you ever killed someone before?”
He thought back to the recent battle he had fought against Labyrinth's force and silently nodded in reply as he wondered where she was going with this.
“You may not know this, but this system was targeted by raiders a few decades ago, we were losing a lot of our people in these raids. That changed when I sent my former Shadow to deal with them. He managed to eliminate the most powerful group of raiders, but he perished along with them. Fortunately, the destruction of the raider's base scared the others away, allowing our people to, once again, live peacefully.”
Starsong's eyes widened when he heard this. Dark Templars were known for going on solo missions, but he never heard of a Dark Templar taking down an entire band of raiders on their own. Amaka smiled when she saw the look on his face.
“My replacement Shadow, unfortunately is unable to fulfill all his… ‘duties’, which has frustrated me to no end” She then got up, drawing the stallion's eyes to her as she walked over to him. His eyes followed her until she was right behind him. He was about to ask what she was doing when she unexpectedly placed her hooves on his shoulders and sweetly whispered into his ear. “There is something I find...‘exciting’ about stallions that have taken a life...and I truly adore it.”
“That is not my problem Amaka.” He shot back as he tried to get a hold of himself, but the way her body was pressing onto his back, coupled with the sultry tone in her voice was weakening his will to resist. He really wished he had the Khala's support at his side right now but he couldn't focus enough to rejoin it.
“True.” She said as her voice became more seductive. “A fine stallion, such as yourself, would be a complete waste on the path you have decided to undertake. I have no desire for dominance, nor to mend our minds, but merely our worn and weary bodies. You only came here seeking help and resources, did you not Starsong?”
Starsong merely nodded to the mare’s hypnotic voice.
“Then as a Matriarch I'd be glad to give them to you.” Putting a hoof under his chin, she gently turned his head so that he could face her. Her head slowly inched towards his as she continued to speak. “Let me help you ease your pain. Use me to heal your shattered mind. I give you my permission to take me...and do with me as you wish...Overseer...”
She then pressed her lips against his own. His eyes closed as he gave into the kiss. That was check and mate for the Templar.
Ever since his humiliating defeat at the hooves of that ghost back on Raydin IV, he had been building up his mental defenses so that he would never end up in such a vulnerable state again...but this mare had managed to breach his defense in mere minutes.
There was no mental contact, no battle of wills, no magic…just touch. Whatever the mare had done to get him into such a state was beyond his ability to detect nor understand, and he found himself not caring, which scared him to no end.
He released the glass he had been holding all this while and moved his hoof to her head. He wanted to push her away, but his body refused to comply and instead pulled Amaka even closer, deepening the kiss.
She got him up, and led him to the bed where they fell, with Starsong on top. As they embraced each other, a sudden realization shined through the stallion's mind. The barrier he thought he had crafted for himself was merely a facade. In truth, he was vulnerable, weak and most of all, afraid. However, as their robes came off, the more he embraced her, the more he could feel his mind strengthen and, along with other things, grow.
Anyone feeling a little hot under the collar after that last scene? If so, then thank Kriss for that brief seduction scene
And speaking of thanks, give a round of applause for Gapeagle and SilentBelle who proofread this chapter beforehand. Thanks guys!
Edit:Changed the Radiance's class as a frigate to a cruiser when we spotted an error on our part.
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Another chapter done
Still I wish I understand why Twilight is a manipulative bitch but the plot demand therefore I can't argue
Also I can think whose going to be infested....Rain Sight
4335744 You, my friend, are a fast reader
As for the reason why Twilight is the way she is...I could tell you, but that would spoil the surprise P.s: Thanks for spreading the word
4335758
I am a fast reader
Thats okay, I can still theorize why though, although plus with her sanity and her obsession in helping Dominion, I think Dominion is equivalent of Celestia to Twilight.
I haven't seen Fluttershy yet, I think. But Amaka actually make me think think of Rarity, if the fact that Rarity is still at Mar Sara and Amaka have pink mane rather than purple.
Pity Sovereign dead, then again is he?
I swear this story had more likes than 91
4335793 Really
? It's been that way since the story got revived *shrug*
4335790 The Prophet aka Pinkie did tear Sovereign in half and Unholy did confirm his death in the comments.
As for Amaka reminding you of Rarity , you'll have to bring that up with my fellow collaborator KrissCHu573
Though I can at least confirm that Amaka is not Rarity since she appeared in a side story set before this story.
4335833
I know Amaka is not Rarity
Pity that Zeratul knowledge of fighting are lost with Sovereign
Also, does Zerus will be in play? Where Fluttershy?
4335853
Fluttershy hasn't been explicitly mentioned in the story, so can't comment on that. And Zerus, to me is really far out of the Koprulu Sector to the point that it's existence is pretty much inconsequential to the events unfolding in the sector.
But that's just me.
4335903
Ahhh but thats the fun part when it came to Zerus, Primal Zerg
Now let us hope RD didn't do something rash, then again....I would do the same thing as what she would except in more...publical manner to root out Twilight. After all, she betray her own homeworld, accidentaly betraying her own brother and her family. Selfish goals for her own so I will kill her family, even her brother and I make sure it public wide so I can root out. Then make a planetary scale trap so we both die together
4335930 For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction, and for every decision that one makes, always has its consequences.
4336006
And thats why I am ending the root of this cancer, a bit quote of Farcry 2 where this Jackal dude always saying war philosophy
Still that only dealt with Twilight problem, the Dominion is the root of all cancer....Now imagine just the power of The Swarm rain down upon Korhal
Just imagine armadas of Leviathan, packs of Zergling, cavalry of Omegalisk, flocks of Mutalisk etc! The sheer destruction and terror will be GRAND! Bringing hell to Korhal and infestation to every ponykind. LET HISTORY BE REPEAT AND PRAY THEY DON'T FAIL AS THEY PREDECESSOR! 
Okay that wrong
4336020 If I may clear up a couple of things for you good sir
Rain Sight is already infested, has been ever since she was born actually. Also history won't repeat itself, because in this universe Kerrigan was killed and the invasion on Korhal, or anything from HotS for that matter never happened. Along with that the zerg are too...control-less for a lack of a better word to be able to for a new Swarm. They can barely sustain broods, so it is highly unlikely that they will group up...in this story. Sorry to disappoint. 
Ahh, the sex. Something I missed from this story! NOT! XD
Well.....I guess GJ Kriss HA.
Still trying to remember everything that's going on. There are a lot of separate stories in this I've realized.
Too lazy to reread chapters....
Something...something Alexi Stukov....
4336531 Why thank you.
I pride myself with my "not for in-fictional-public" scenes~ 
My apologies, but Stukov isn't showing up soon. 
4336531 Believe me, we had to scrutinize every chapter for the little details to make sure we didn't break canon from Unholy's vision and even then, we still go back to them only to find something else we had missed.
I for one, am amazed at how Unholy was able to keep track of everything on his own.
As for the implied sex-scene, it was only used so we can lay the groundwork for future chapters...at least, that's how I see it, though Amaka is Kriss' territory, not mine.
4336265
AHhhhh pity.... I always like Zerg, still if I am not wrong the Starcraft Lore, Kerrigan create Brood Mothers that should she was dead, they will be independant of each other, still its your story.
But I really want universal scale of invasion of Zerg Swarm
Worlds burn and infested, now that glorious and dark.
4336754 Even with the broodmothers, the broods couldn't be sustained due to their constant infighting for dominance and since Kerrigan died, she never restored the fractured swarm. This left the zerg vulnerable and open to Amon's control which was demonstrated during the last of Zeratul's vision.
Who said the zerg need to be part of the swarm to be deadly? They'd be plenty deadly in this story. Remember, the Confederates have zerg as their main ground force and they're deployed into battles similarly, only in slightly 'controlled' groups as was depicted in Unholy's side story
4336926
Oh okay, well let us wait for next chapter also thanks for the story