An Everyday Job
Sucking down one of Her Majesty's cigarettes was one of my favorite parts about this job. Standing at the helm of the Garuda, I feel as though I possess the skies themselves. Even the clouds would bend to my will should I see fit, not that there were any clouds today. On this day, my merry band of high-risk capitalists and I have our eyes on what should be an unguarded cargo ship of the Crystal Baronies. Of course, the crews of the Baronies seemed to always have a rather high amount of unicorns, which could make for a troublesome time if they decided to not do things nice. But that was why the Garuda was the perfect vessel for the job. Her three turbines might run off of steam, but at this elevation the extra weight was worth it for just how fast she could move in and out of engagement range compared to those crystal powered vessels.
Before any of that could happen, however, we'd first need to spot the cargo ship in the skies, and right now they seemed clear. That's the only upsetting part of these designated bounties, not having the freedom to just plunder what you want wherever you want, inevitably you always ended up having to wait for the target to come to you. After a quick glance to double check we weren't about to get ambushed, I lock the wheel in place and decide to make my rounds. As always, my first stop is the galley, which admittedly isn't that large on a vessel like this. Stopping in, I offer a greeting in the form of a nod to Heavenly Delight, our cook and one of our assault pegasi.
"Is Gold Flight ready in case those merchants feel like putting up a fight?"
"Aye, sir," he smiles, exposing his chipped tooth.
"I swear, when we next make port you seriously need to get that fixed. It makes me question the food you serve," I reply with a smile of my own.
"No can do, captain. If I were to get it fixed I'd forget how I broke it." We both share a laugh before I turn away.
"Perhaps you could write it down while we wait for that Diamond Balloon to appear on the horizon."
Always one to get the last word in, the last thing I hear him say as I move on is "Maybe if I can find a pencil, otherwise the tooth stays." I had long since given up trying to actually get him to get his appearance into shape. While I always had a dream for sailing the high skies with a crew that might make Her Majesty proud, I found something in the disheveled appearance our crew I offered, heart. And no matter of professionalism could ever replace the lengths a crew with heart would be willing to go to in order to get the job done.
Moving on, my next stop was the cargo hold which also doubled as our crew quarters. Again, this was a ship made for agility, not necessarily lugging cargo. Others using a Valkyrie class airship would often stock the hold with additional ammunition since they were neither required to live on the ship nor take loot from their targets in order to make a living. Taking the staircase down from the main deck, I find much of my assault crew seated around a barrel playing cards. I decide to wait for them to finish their current hand before I clear my throat to announce my presence.
Silver Stream is the first up, as she always is, and loudly announces, "Officer on deck!" before saluting. The rest of them follow my first mate's example and salute me as well.
Despite my dream of wanting a professional crew, I roll my eyes and disarm the tension with a simple, "At ease, everypony." As they lower their hooves, I turn to Silver, "You know you're not in the Royal Navy anymore, yeah?"
"Apologies, capta-, Steel."
"No apologies needed," I say as I rest a hoof on her shoulder. "I just need everyone ready, you know how often things don't go according to plan in this lifestyle."
"Aye, sir."
With a sigh, I remove the hoof. "See to it everyone is ready. We may have to repel boarders if things get muddy."
"Yes, sir." She turns to the assembled ponies and starts issuing orders, having Crimson Moon double check the engines, Star Chaser preparing the hull charges, and everyone else getting to battle stations.
She definitely has the respect of the crew, perhaps more so than I. She was the first to join my crew, and yet to this day she has yet to tell me why she was no longer in the Royal Navy. Perhaps it was something she didn't want to remember, or it could just be her perspective being to always look forward and never back. Regardless, she is a mare I can trust by my side in the thick of things and that's all I need her to be.
As I make my way back topside, Quick Eyes calls down to me, "Captain Dusk, we've got contact, port side!"
I quicken my pace and as soon as I'm once again surrounded by the clear skies of Aetheria, I spot the tell tale Diamond patterned balloon off in the distance.
"Right then, fillies and gentlecolts, we have our target in sight! Mister Gadget, I want you to bring us down fifteen meters, Lilac Breeze, I want Gold Flight ready to break their hull! We've all done this before, let's not make it sloppy!"
My lieutenants go about getting everything settled as I return to the helm, unlocking it and spinning the Garuda around to come up behind the Baronies ship. As we make our approach I lower our speed, hoping that coming from below they won't notice us until it's too late. The less time they have to prepare, the better our chances of getting in and out without a fuss. As we get nearer I turn to Quick, "Any sign they've noticed us?"
"No, sir. She seems to be maintaining velocity West."
"Good, Silver! Ready the tarp."
The silver mare fires off a salute before grabbing one of the other pegasi to follow her into the cargo hold. It only takes us a few minutes to get into position beneath the freighter, and once we're there the silent order is given to Gold Flight. They dust off, sticky charges at the ready, and set them up in position on the hull of the freighter. Should all go to plan, when they detonate, Gold Flight will be able to infiltrate the hold directly and start shovelling anything that isn't bolted down out to us.
Once all charges in place, I give the signal and the pins are pulled, the charges go off without a hitch, and Gold Flight makes for their insertion while the unicorns above are alerted to our presence. But this is different than the last few times we've hit freighters like this, when Gold Flight goes for their insertion, they still bounce off. As the smoke clears, I see what the problem is, my cigarette dropping from my mouth.
"They've got it shielded!" Delight calls out, Gold Flight standing mostly still in the air as the confusion shoots through everypony's eyes. That is, except the Baronites, who begin firing down at us!
"Gold Flight, land and rearm, Gadget, drop us further, Silver, prepare for boarders!" I call out as I push the Garuda ahead so we're directly under the Diamond. Gold Flight makes their return but not quite everypony makes it, some of them dropping out of the skies from the magic bolts. Of those that fall, only half are able to be caught and brought onto the ship. I lock the wheel into position again and run to the bow, "Quick, I need eyes maintained on that ship! If they cut our tethers, we're done for!" Staring up, I see them maintaining their bearing which is good for us, for the time being.
Looking to my left, I see Silver returning from the hold with those of the crew incapable of flight, all armed with swords. "Be careful, everypony. If they've got a shield around that hold, they've got a powerful unicorn protecting that ship." Even still, we watch the sides, waiting for their boarding party to come down. It's classic aerial warfare strategy, if you lack pegasi and the enemy is below you, you swing down to commandeer the ship. Of course, that'd land them in a melee with a crew of Earth ponies, something these ponies always seem to forget about when they can't use their big guns to attack the ship itself.
Taking defense postures, my crew is ready to repel boarders, but a poof from behind distracts me. Turning, I spot a blue cloud of smoke fading from the command deck, and behind it is exposed a group of seven unicorns, three on each side with horns charged flanking what must be their captain. The captain himself stands taller than the rest, with a sharper horn to boot, and separates himself from the rest with a gaudy uniform covered in so many trinkets, I'm amazed I didn't hear them clattering against each other over the hum of our engines. He steps forward, past the helm, and props himself up on the railing at the edge of the deck before calling out with a heavily accented voice.
"Who here is captain of vessel?"
Doing my due diligence, I step towards him, "That would be me, Captain Steel Dusk, at your service."
"Ahhh, you are Captain Dusk, notorious to all of Empire's enemies! Captain, I am honored to introduce myself as Admiral Soomrak of the Crystal Baronies. Under the authority of the Council of Barons, I am placing you under arrest." The guards flanking him each take a step or two forward, horns still aimed at my crew and myself.
I take a step towards him, making no sudden movements but still drawing the attention of the admiral's six guards. "And what exactly am I being arrested for?" I ask with a sly grin.
The admiral smirks, "Oh, always one to bask in glory, you are. Need I list the charges from all of Aetheria, or shall just those decreed by the Barons suit you?"
I turn to face off the deck, staring out at the clouds, "Oh just those of the Baronies should be fine."
With another poof, a scroll appears in front of the unicorn who began to read aloud, "Seven counts of piracy against ships under protection of Council of Barons, twelve counts of aggression against citizens of Crystal Baronies, -" he pauses and I have to stifle a chuckle. He grits his teeth and the scroll poofs away again, "Enough of games, you will surrender now, da?"
"And what if I don't surrender? What if I decide to try capturing an Admiral for Her Majesty, and get the payday of a lifetime? You call yourself an admiral, Soomrak, but I see one ship here. One ship, does not a fleet make."
A twisted grin creeps across the admiral's face, "If you not want surrender, then you see fleet." The admiral's horn begins to glow before shooting out a beam that explodes into a ball of light off the starboard deck. Not liking the feeling in my gut, I glance between him and where the bang went off at, before finally it hits me. The skies were clear today, not a cloud in sight. So where did those clouds come fro-
"That's no fleet," I mutter to myself as the clouds disperse, revealing an armada of Diamond Balloons of all different classes. And at their head, a Dreadnought.
"So, I believe now is when you surrender?"
Awestruck by the approaching mass of ships, I don't realize that my jaw has dropped until I go to speak, "Well, you certainly make quite the compelling argument, Admiral Soomrak. However, I have a date later tonight that I can't afford to miss." He cocks a brow before I continue, "A date with destiny." Before anypony can react, I dive off the edge of the Garuda, sending myself barreling down to the icy mountains below.
Just as I disappear over the side of the ship, I fire my hoof mounted grappling hook to catch onto the netting on the underside of the hull of Garuda and swing along under the ship. As I reach the apex of my pendulum swing on the other side of the ship, I see that a fight has erupted on the deck between my crew and the Barony's unicorns before I'm caught by none other than Heavenly Delight.
"What, was Silver not up for catching me this time?" I jest as he brings me back to the ship.
"You know she hates when you do that, Cap. Besides, she's distracting the Admiral for ya."
"Good mare," I say as I'm set down, "Go tell Mister Gadget I want those engines ready for full throttle, Moonshine."
With a sigh, Delight is off and I call out, "Admiral Soomrak, I'm not done just yet!" On the lower deck I spot him and Silver with their swords locked together, and so I run over and hop down before drawing my own sword. He turns to me before giving Silver a kick so he can disengage and turn to face his true prize. I start with an overhead slice which is easily blocked by the taller unicorn before hopping up to give him a kick in the chest.
"Oh, I always hear of you being honorable pony, Captain Dusk, not one of rabble who does such dirty tricks," the admiral taunts before going for a downward thrust towards my own chest. I narrowly manage to deflect it to the side by twisting my body around before going for a slice at his legs.
"Says the one who sets a trap for little ol' me," I reply playfully. I'm fortunate to find that my strike connects, eliciting a cry of pain from Soomrak who reacts by slashing downwards. Were he not quite so tall, it might very well be the end of me, but given the extra second to react I dodge to the side and buck the sword out of his grip. As he's distracted trying to pull the sword back with his telekinesis, I hop up and give a solid hit to the base of his horn, causing the aura around it to fizzle and crack.
"Nuh uh uh, no magic on my ship, admiral," I jeer before taking advantage of him being stunned and give him a second hit to the head, this time the face. The admiral crumples like a coat and I dash back to the helm. Most of the boarders have either vanished from the deck or been slain, and so my priority is to get out of here before that Dreadnought is in range. Just as I hit the throttle, however, I find we're well past that time and so begins the chase. With a lurch forward, we begin shooting off, leaving our target behind in our steam and just narrowly avoiding a Dragonshot from the Dreadnought. Those still fighting on the deck tumbled over from the sudden shift in speed, which made finishing off the rest of the boarders foal's play.
"Silver, we need a ring for the admiral, and get him in the brig!"
"Captain, we don't have a brig!"
"Stuff him in a barrel in the cargo hold then I don't care, just do it!"
With an annoyed look on her face, Silver belts out orders to a couple of the other Earth ponies on our ship and took care of the Admiral. "Quick," I call out, "I need a bearing to the nearest friendly port!"
It takes a second, which is rare for Quick Eyes, but he's able to call back from the observation deck, "Captain, the nearest friendly port is to the... To the south!" Checking my compass, I find south to be starboard and when I steer the ship, I see why there was the hesitation. Our quickest way to safety is past the armada. I know we can outrun any one of those ships, but we didn't have the fuel capacity to go around them. Thinking under pressure as the Dreadnought begins to present its broadside to us, I belt out, "Mister Gadget, bring us up, fifty meters, stop Moonshine!"
We get another few moments left of dashing speed before we're back to our regular throttle and the ship begins to ascend. Silver returns from the cargo hold and offers a quick salute which I make note to discipline her for later, "Sir, the admiral has been restrained."
"Good, now get Gold Flight ready for a rapid strike and issue charges to all non engineering crew."
"S-Sir?" she starts with uncertainty before continuing, "Are you planning to actually engage all of those ships?"
"Nope, but today Garuda is bagging herself a dreadnought," I reply confidently.
She sighs annoyed before once again disappearing back into the cargo hold and I'm left by myself above deck. Staring at my prize for the day ahead, I briefly wonder why I do this. Why have I adopted such a hazardous lifestyle? Why am I always urged to go after the biggest threats? As fire from the dreadnought begins to shoot up past our balloon, I remember. It's that thumping in my chest. The racing of my heart. It's for the thrill of living every day with no expectations and limitless possibilities. A smile forms across my lips as the dreadnought vanishes beneath the horizon of Garuda's bow.
"All crew, topside!" I shout and am immediately greeted by the survivors of my crew, those ponies whom I've considered family the past four years. "When we pass over the dreadnought, I want all of Gold Flight to drop charges on their balloon directly under the Garuda, and everypony else to drop em over the sides. Twenty second fuse to be lit just as we pass over it, if we don't take this out then we'll likely lose our turbines as we pass. Mister Gadget, I'm going to want you checking on the turbines while Crimson Moon gets every last drop we can get out of that Moonshine. Everypony else, I hope you're a good tosser. Dismissed."
As the ponies all get into position to bomb the dreadnought, I look at the bow. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a gun or two on here, but that's a conversation for after we get paid for the admiral. Surely Her Majesty would be willing to overlook us failing our job when she sees what we bring her instead. Peeking over the side, Silver holds up a hoof to me, seemingly counting down in her head before finally announcing, "We are in position, Gold Flight, rapid strike!"
The four other Earth ponies still on deck after Gold Flight deployed all lit their fuses and dropped their charges overboard. Five seconds pass and Gold Flight returns to the deck and everypony braces themselves as I shout "Crimson, Moonshine!" and immediately feel the ship pick up in speed. "Gadget, let me know if those propellers start looking weak!" I call as I lock the helm and look over the stern. The mighty dreadnought once again begins to shrink as we start putting distance between us and it again, and just as I see their guns open up on us, I'm blinded by the series of explosions along the center of the balloon. Once I regain my sight, I look back to see the dreadnought rapidly dropping out of the air, no longer having a balloon to keep it airborne. The loud cheering next to me takes me out of my tunnel vision and I find that I'm surrounded by everypony, and despite her professionalism even Silver can't contain her excitement and smiles.
"See? I know what I'm doing," I say, fairly smug.
"Only sometimes, Captain," she replies playfully. "So what about the rest of those ships?"
"They don't have the guns to hit us up here, and by the time they get to the right altitude we'll be out of their range." I turn to smile forward, towards the Empire. "By the way, I wanna talk to you about putting some guns on here," I say offhandedly and without even looking I can tell Silver has plenty of ideas. It'll be a long trip home, but it'll certainly be a good one.