Adventures in the TARDIS

by Scroll

Part 11: Tactical Assessment

What am I doing here? I'm no adventurer! Dear Celestia, if my parents found out about this then they would kill me! I can't believe I am doing this.

On top of that, it is so disheartening that Doctor Caballeron did not accompony us. I subconsciously counted on that until he negatively surprised me by refusing to come. It is comforting to know that somepony that competent is looking after the others, but didn't he once swear that he would protect me? Am I just imagining that?

I'm sure learning a lot about adventurers today, though. Not only can they be incompetent, but there is also a major difference between an adventurer and a hero. They can be one in the same, or they can be direct opposites. Right now I'm not seeing much of the latter but I heard they exist. Selfish adventurers who venture out into the field for some nefarious reason. Perhaps they seek out some artifact in order to use it to oppress the rest of pony kind in some shape or form. They appear rather often in fictional stories. If only their existence were confined to such things. As for me, I may be an example of the former; a heroic fool who has no business being here because I don't have any real skills to support my presence here. Sure I can fly, but that is it. Is that really enough justification for me to be here?

All I was supposed to do during this journey is be the map maker. When venturing where no pony has explored before, that makes sense. As it turns out, however, there is a bunch of giant monsters around here and my role has evolved far beyond what I had anticipated. I suppose that's true for any of us. Perhaps pure necessity pushes the limits of us all.

Speaking of which, Doctor Smith seems unusually calm in this situation, especially for a pony who seems to be nothing but some college professor. Yet now, from the way he trots and scans his present environment, he actually acts like he's done things like this for ages. I really don't know how many times this unassuming pony is going to catch me off guard. Even if I start to expect that, I highly doubt that is going to relax my intense surprise about him anytime soon.

Tanon, of course, is a pony I expected to be here the most, but the one thing about him that does surprise me is I expected him to put up significantly more of an objection to my presence. After all, he's the one who objected for me to accompony all of these stallions as far back as where The Intrepid was once docked. That was back in Equestria where we started! If he objected to me that much back then, I fully expected him to double down and absolutely refuse my presence during this rescue mission, but nope! He actually accepted my compony without much of a fight. In fact, he objected to Leg It even more, and Leg It is an experienced adventurer! It boggles my mind that somepony like Tanon Burrows would rather accept an inexperienced civilian like me over a fellow adventurer.

“Miss Keystone, stick close to us for now,” Doctor Smith advises which draws me out of my stupor. “You may be able to fly, but there is a lot of branches and vines up there in those trees. When you do take off, you'll have to navigate it carefully.”

“I thought of that too,” Tanon agrees as we continue to backtrack our way to the ambush site. “When you do go, you'll have to pay attention very carefully. Aside from that, the creature we faced might not be the only threat against us out here. Other threats might also linger up in the treeline as well. Try to remember, out in these lands, we are the aliens.”

“And you need to keep a sharp eye out right now,” Doctor Smith advises further. “I know it's easy to get lost in your head right now, but now really isn't the time for that.”

I blink as I realize they are right. Accordingly, I shake my head then narrow my eyes as resolve sinks into them. I can't afford to question my presence right now. I'm here now and might as well make the best of it while I can. I may be inexperienced, but that is changing right now. I best not underestimate the value of that.

“As for you, my large old friend, I am curious about what you brought that makes you so confident that you can face down this large beast,” Doctor Smith remarks, this time to Tanon.

Tanon flashes Doctor Smith a grin as he floats out of one of his pouches a stick of dynamite which hovers in his tingling golden/brown magical aura.

“Oh jolly good show, that!” Doctor Smith commends. “You really are prepared for a serious adventure, my friend.” He then narrows his eyes slightly as he goes on to say, “I can also see why you hesitated to use them while we were fleeing from the creature. It would take time to arm those, not to mention aim them properly.”

“I suspect my crossbow bolts would just bounce off that creatures hide if we encountered it again,” Tanon mentions. “That said, it can make for a useful dynamite delivery system if the range is not too extreme. My plan is to shoot one of these things with a lit dynamite stick into the creatures mouth if it dares to roar or attempt to bite us even once.”

“Bit of a tricky shot, but you could probably manage it if we were within, say, about forty feet,” Doctor Smith figures. “How many of those do you have anyway?”

“I brought fourteen with us and the tools to make more if we encounter more suitable materials for it,” Tanon reports.

“Well,” says Doctor Smith who then pauses while he rolls his head. I can hear a few neck cracks while he does that. Eventually he goes on to say, “I'd rather not use them against the creature if we can help it. Like you said, we are the foreigners to these lands, and the creature has just as much right to life as we do. That is where the wings of Miss Keystone may come in handy. If she can lure the creature away from us safely, we may be able to rescue the other stallions without a hitch.”

“You're remarkably confident of her abilities,” Tanon mentions to the Doctor with suspicion. “Why is that?”

“Part of it is a tactical assessment,” the Doctor replies. “She can do something the rest of us cannot, and right now that could be a very important distinction. Aside from that, I sense she has a lot of potential in this field. Don't pretend to deny it. You sense it too.”

Tanon grunts as he scans about us before he declares, “Well I think, for the moment, we should adhere to our own advise. Let's stop gabbing and pay more attention to our surroundings ourselves.”

“That's the right of it,” Doctor Smith agrees. “I just wanted to be clear where we stand.”

“We're standing in unknown and obviously hostile territory,” Tanon reminds sharply. “So here's a silly idea: Let's pretend that actually matters and take this seriously.”

“Which is the way you take everything?” Doctor Smith inquires. “That certainly has its place, but in my experience, an adventurer who never makes light of his or her situation accumulates too much stress to have a more permanent place in such a profession.”

“I suppose you would know,” Tanon comments mysteriously. I don't think I'm the only one caught off gaurd by that comment, although when I regard Doctor Smith next, I notice he's more intrigued rather than confused by that recent statement.

“To each his own, Doctor,” Tanon adds with am emphatic glance at the Doctor. “I made it to a ripe old age doing this profession. Trust me when I say I met many others who didn't make it this far. Doing what I do in the way I do it has brought me to this point. You may have a different tactic and I'm sure that works for you. In the meanwhile, I remind you all that we need to keep quiet and pay attention.”

“I have been paying attention,” Doctor Smith assures. “I see we've been following our own tracks so far. It should lead us to our abandoned supplies very soon. After that . . .” He trails off.

“After that is our retired guard ponies,” Tanon finishes as he looks forward with a nod. “Or what's left of them, anyway. We may also encounter that large creature again, or another just like it, so pay attention.”

Doctor Smith frowns slightly at Tanon before regarding me and asking, “What about you, Miss Keystone? What is your tactical assessment of our situation?”

“You're asking me?” I ask with a very surprised blink.

“Why sure. Your opinion can be just as valuable as any of us,” Doctor Smith assures. “And I want to make sure that you are paying attention too. What have you learned so far?”

“Well,” I pause a moment as I carefully regard them both. Tanon spares only a brief glance over his shoulder at me while I do that. Despite his own advise, he seems equally curious what I have to say. The fact he actually values my opinion at all also shocks me.

“Well I . . . I do agree we need to pay careful attention,” I mention with shaky confidence in my voice. “The more we gab on, the more our voices may attract other dangerous predators. That's exactly what happened with Leg It, so I feel it is important we learn from those mistakes. Out here, we can't underestimate anything because it is all foreign to us. We shouldn't uphold the same standards we have in Equestria and apply it to these lands.”

I see them both nod in subtle agreement with what I just said.

“I think we should also be prepared for multiple scenarios we may encounter,” I venture on with slightly growing confidence, largely because of the positive feedback I received from them a moment ago. “For instance, the former guard stallions. If we encounter them all dead, it might be wise to pause and consider our next course of action. I guess it largely depends on how much of them is left for us to find. I know that this may sound cold, but I say if we encounter only sixty percent of them left or less and they are obviously dead, we abandon them immediately because the scent of their rotting bodies will be like a magnet for other predators in these lands.”

“A wise assessment,” Tanon remarks in approval which immediately causes a glow of pride to light up in my soul.

“And if we encounter any of them alive, well then . . . As much as I welcome that, I also have to admit that is when our mission gets complicated because it is very unlikely they are all in a perfectly sound state. Even if they are, we need to keep in mind that all three of them are very old stallions.”

“True,” Doctor Smith agrees. “We should also keep one other thing in mind. Those three very likely have used much of their magic to distract and delay that creature. Based on what I have observed of unicorns who push their limits with their magic, it makes them terribly exhausted, at least until they have a chance to rest some. At their age, it may take a while.”

“And in the meantime, we have at least one dangerous predator on the prowl who may have gained a taste for pony flesh,” Tanon adds. “Given our size compared to it, I doubt it would be satisfied with just one little nibble. If they are still alive, they very likely took shelter somewhere. I say that's the best case scenario. Let's be honest, it is absurd to expect them to have totally defeated the creature.”

“I agree, which means the creature likely remains on the prowl,” puts in Doctor Smith.

“Then at that point we have up to three very old and potentially injured stallions to deal with,” I add. “I say bandage them up immediately and do whatever you can to eliminate the smell of their blood in the air unless the creature is in their immediate vicinity. If it is, I'll try to distract it and lure it away while you two take care of the stallions. If you can find shelter that the large predator cannot chase you into then so much the better. Meanwhile I'll try to lose the creature somewhere in the forest. I'll make sure to lure it quite a distance away from the rest of you before resorting to an option like really soaring high into the air. After that, if I can't find my way back to the rest of you, I'll try to meet up with the others. Does that sound reasonable?”

“In that case, it might be best if we take a brief moment to mark our territory along the way,” Tanon realizes before he floats out his machete then slashes and X pattern on a nearby tree. “Look for these and other signs of our passage in the lands. Broken twigs, hoof prints. Anything you can find that sets you on our trail.” He looks above. “The sun is also above us at a forty-five degree angle. Note the pattern of the shadows around us. You can use signs like these to backtrack your way to the rest of our party, but keep in mind the shadows move as the day continues. Eventually the shadows will swing the other way. As long as you keep that in mind, you can still use them to guide your way back.”

“I also have a compass, and I'm not just referring to my cutie mark,” I note aloud. “I wouldn't be much of a cartographer without it.”

“Those can come in hoofy, but remember that such tools is not always infallible,” Tanon Burrows warns me. “A compass relies upon magnetics of the planet. As long as the magnetic energy of the local area is fairly neutral, those tools can be quite reliable if you know how to use them properly. However, if the energy in the vicinity isn't neutral, that changes things so it is important to learn to rely upon other context clues too.”

“And just in case you don't have a compass, there are ways to construct one on the fly if you have a few basic and common materials,” Doctor Smith mentions.

I nod at the Doctor as I tell him, “I'm aware of that. I read up on it.”

“Then it's important to put them into practice when applicable,” the Doctor replies.

“By the way, if I make it back to the others before the rest of you, what should I tell them?” I ask my two traveling companions.

That question causes my two companions to totally stop as they regard each other as if silently debating their answer. I privately note how even they are not prepared with an immediate answer to that question. Eventually it is Doctor Smith who ends up answering the question as he regards me.

“My best advise is it's your call,” says the Doctor. “When you do make that call, consider what you have observed up to that point. It might be best to send another rescue party to help all the rest of us or not. I can't give a more detailed advice than that until I find out more of our situation such as our large predator friend and the condition of our wayward stallions.”

“You can't plan for everything in a serious adventure,” Tanon adds to me as he gives me a serious look. “Sometimes the best thing we can do is stay on the tips of our hooves as well as keep our ears and eyes open.” He then glares at the Doctor. “As well as keeping our mouths shut when it is dangerous to do otherwise.”

“Alright! You win,” Doctor Smith accepts as he stands up on his hind legs and raises his forelegs in a gesture of surrender. Upon doing so, I note how quickly he starts to lose his balance as if he's surprised how unaccustomed he is to that. After that he lands back on three of his hooves while using the fourth to gesture on ahead of him as he says in a friendly and polite manner, “Lead on, my friend.”

As if to be an example, Tanon just nods ahead and proceeds forward without another word. He keeps a sharp eye out and swivels his ears above his head in a careful assessment of what is around him. Along the way, he floats his loaded crossbow at the ready as well as his machete, the latter of which he occasionally uses to mark his territory around him in some way, typically with a cut X pattern on some tree or to slash some vine out of the way.