I had spent the night facing the door to Deals' railcar. I was busy uploading the Sociology and Computer Technologies programs, when Deals suddenly awoke and hit her head on the roof of the railcar.

"Ow!" She yelped, rubbing her head with a hoof and looking down at me.

"You been there the whole night?" she asked.

"Confirmation: I have been uploading my Sociology and Computer Technologies routines to my base operating system. I have not moved."

"Right... So, I just got an idea. I'm gonna go wake up Shanks and Mincey, you go get One Shot. Got it?" she had a mischievous smile on her face.

"Query: To what location should I arrive with One Shot?"

"Take 'em to the boss. This plan o' mine is gonna be perfect." she then hopped from her bed, and opened the railcar door to be blinded by the light of the morning outside.

The clouds remained persistent in covering the sky.

After Deals had left, I went off in search of One Shot. I later found him after wandering through the fortress and discovering him sitting outside of his own railcar on a plastic lawn chair with the back broken off.

"Hey, Azzie. How you doin'?" he asked in good spirits.

"Statement: You are requested by Deals to meet the Boss. Deals is convinced that a plan of hers will be beneficial to the community."

"Oh, Deals has a plan? This'll be good. She don't normally get involved in raids." he mused, before gathering his rifle and donning his armor.

***

We arrived at the same time as Deals, Shanks and Mincey. Shanks had a knife sheathed in every part of his armor that he could manage. He wore a light leather barding with black clothing underneath, each limb holding a knife along with his chest holding four more. Deals had a metal chestplate as well as black clothing, a 44. Magnum revolver on her right foreleg holster, as well as two nine millimeter pistols holstered on her shoulders. Mincey, however, had a very large serrated sword resting on his back, as well as metal plating covering his front but leaving his rear exposed. He wore black clothing, and had a few grenades clipped to some sewn together chest webbing.

"Ah, shit. I forgot to tell ya, Azzie. This plan of mine has to happen at night, so One Shot is gonna need something to blend into the dark. I don't think you're gonna do much hidin', since you tend to be a night light an' all." Deals mentioned, and One Shot bolted off in search of clothing. Around four minutes later, he returned properly dressed.

"All right. Let's go talk to tha' boss."

***

We all walked in as a group through the armored doors of the railcar to the Boss' throne. She was waiting in her usual heavy metal and leather plating with spikes.

"'Ey, Boss. I gots a plan." Deals opened, and caught the attention of the Boss.

"Yeah, and what bright idea do you have this time? I mean that completely sincerely; you usually have good ideas." The boss replied.

"You know that trader post we spotted a few weeks ago, that’s usually too heavily defended on account of all the wounded we get from just raidin' their caravans?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I got to thinkin'. We got us a really fancy mare-bot now. I noticed last night while we was playin' Go Fish that her eyes do funny things. Things that look like zoomin' in."

"Hey! You -were- cheatin’!" Mincey protested, before being struck by Shanks to shut him up.

"So the robot can spy on 'em?" The boss asked, interested.

"That was my thinkin'. Normally we can't get to close to get any good looks, but with Azzie here, (That’s the name of the mare-bot, by the by.) I think we can get a good enough look to see their layout and plan an attack. Take the base over if we need ta'."

"Then we just have the problem of enough ponies to raid it, right?" The boss mentioned.

"Yeah, well I got that solved too. Ya see, that last caravan raid we did landed us a whole load of explosives. We just figure out where their defense is heavy, send in a fake attack of a few folks with twice the guns, so during the night they think its a lot more. Meanwhile, we sneak around and plant explosives where it’s less defended. We blow up a wall, and rush in while they're confused. Ponies up front get to withdraw and come through the hole in the wall along with us, and we take em from the inside. On top o' that, One Shot here is gonna be on that hilltop nearby the place and be shootin' any idiot too dumb to poke their head out. They usually got the inside of the place well lit."

"If you know so much about the place, why do you want to send in the mare-bot to do scoutin’?"

"Well, there’s always the possibility that Azzie'll see somethin' we don't, and it’s better to be prepared, right?"

"That's a good point." the Boss said, leaning back once more into her throne and thinking. After a moment, she leaned forward again.

"All right. I think it's a good plan. We'll have you and the mare-bot go scout ahead. I know that our new 'doc don't take well to violence, but we're gonna need her during the attack anyway. Try an' cover up her glowin bits as much as possible with some black clothes so she blends in better. Maybe we got some welding goggles layin' around somewhere for those eyes. In the meantime, you tell us what's what with the base, and we'll go from there."

"You got it, boss!" Deals cheered, moving out of the railcar with all of us.

"Alright, that went perfect. We just gotta find you some fancy clothes to make your glowin' less obvious, and we can go scout out the place." Deals said, looking to me.

"Agreement: The situation presented with require my presence. Should any of the community be injured, I will be obliged to assist. This also applies to those combatants of the Trader Outpost that surrender or are unable to continue fighting."

"Why would you help any o' them?" she asked, joined by curious looks from Shanks and Mincey.

"Explanation: Any wounded ponies in the area would be grateful to receive assistance, and may join the community in response to treatment."

The three of them looked between themselves, before Deals spoke up.

"You're a really smart mare-bot, you know that?" she beamed, wrapping a hoof around my neck in a side hug as she led me to the Fortress Armory.

***

"Okay, we got a whole bunch o' threads here. You're gonna want saddlebags to carry all your doctorin' stuff, right?" She asked, moving around a messy pile of clothing.

"Confirmation: At least two saddlebags. One for healing potions, the other for bandages, medical tools and other supplies I may require."

Two rather large black saddlebags flew out of the heap and landed next to me. They were made of cured leather, and looked fairly sturdy.

"Got those off o' the caravan we raided a while back. Good as new, and probably are." Deals called from the pile, continuing her search.

I stared at the saddle bags for a moment, before my face was covered in darkness.

"Hey! Ten points. Got ya right on the face with that one!" Deals cheered, before removing the clothing from my face.

"Alright, let’s get this on you so you'se can get ready."

***

The black clothing and welding goggles that I wore made it significantly easier to blend in with the community. The only problem was that the welding goggles themselves made it more difficult to see on account of the heavy tinting.

"Ow! Watch it there, Azzie. I know them goggles ain't meant for anything but weldin' but you can still see. At least I hope." Deals snapped.

"Concern: These goggles may shield my eyes from 'givin' me away to them idiots down there', but they are extremely limiting my vision."

"Did you just use my voice in a quote?" Deals asked, turning around abruptly and causing me to bump into her again.

"Confirmation: Yes. Part of the Sociology program included that: 'Mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery.' and I thought it best that instead of using my standard voice, that I would replay what you stated previously to get the same sentiment of situation across."

"Oh grief, Shanks is right. You're hittin' on me." She facehoofed, before continuing along our route to overlook the Trader Post.

***

"Okay, what do you see with them fancy eyes o' yours?" Deals asked. We were prone along the ridgeline of forest overlooking the Trader Post below. It was nestled in a narrow valley with a wooden wall running around the perimeter of the Post. A single road led through the town, from the heavily guarded main gates on the east and west side of the encampment. Each gate had a tower on the sides with a heavy machinegun guarding it. The gates had an average of five guards: One on the machinegun, two in the left tower and two on the middle battlements overhead of the gate. The inside of the town had a few cages with ponies in them, looking malnourished and abused. The gate on the east side became frantic with activity, and I saw four ponies approaching along the road.

"Alert: Activity on eastern gate." I replied, pointing with a hoof towards the gate.
I zoomed in further, to find Silver Splint and Garden Hooves dragging the Mare and Hay Bell from the river into the encampment.

"Observation: This is not a Trading Outpost. This is a Slaver Outpost."

"No kiddin'? We figured it was tradin' with all them caravans coming through here." Deals noted, taking interest in the activity below.

The slavers allowed the new arrivals through the gate, as I saw Garden Hooves kick the mare to move her along. Hay Bell looked upset, but was silenced by an aggressive feint by a nearby slaver.

"Observation: If the populace of this community is Slaves, then they will be more willing to join our own community if we free them from their servitude. In order to secure the allegiances of the Slaves, we should allow them to kill any surviving slavers of the camp."

I zoomed out after not receiving a reply from Deals for a moment, to find her staring at me.

"One Shot wasn't lyin'. You're stone cold, Azzie." Deals said, regaining control of her jaw from the ground.

"Statement: Slavery is not conducive to a healthy community. Cooperation and Harmony are the best alternative to the present situation."

"Oh, don't you start preachin' about no Harmony out here in the wastes, Mare-bot." She groaned.

"Observation: The Harmony and Cooperation of your raiding community is what will allow you to survive in these harsh conditions. Were your community to come under assault, you would band together to survive. When this Slaver Post comes under attack, the Slaves will use the opportunity to rebel, throwing the camp into chaos and allowing us to seize the opportunity for recruitment."

"An' you told everypony you didn't know anythin' about tactics." she huffed, shaking her head and looking toward the encampment.

"Clarification: It is Sociology and Psychology. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. For now, this is will be the reaction of the Slaves to our community. In order to integrate them successfully, we will have to show them the same courtesy we would show any of our own number, and they will soon become comfortable and join us."

"I'll be sure to let the boss know all this. I'm gonna have to ask if you can be a part of more plannin' as well. You're really smart for just bein' a robot." Deals smiled approvingly at me, and we went back to observing.

***

"Okay boss, we got all we need. They got about five guys each on the gates. Two heavy guns total, one on each gate. Four more of them atop the battlements of the gates. Azzie spotted a whole bunch of slaves inside, and says that if we help em out, they should want to join us after the battle. She also said if we really want to get on their good side, we should keep a few of them slavers alive so that the slaves can get revenge." Deals reported, the two of us having returned from our scouting mission and sitting in front of the Boss in her Railcar.

"Why would we want some scrawny slaves on our side again?" The boss asked.

"Observation: It is true that they are malnourished and abused. However, should we provide the resources for the slaves to regain their strength, they will be more than likely willing to join us as they are able. This will add to the numbers of our community and provide greater protection from hostile parties, as well as add to the loyalty of the overall ponies present." I stated.

"And how is that, exactly?" The boss asked.

"Scenario: You are wounded and captured by a superior force. You are beaten and starved. A larger force suddenly defeats your attackers and offers you revenge on those that harmed you. They then offer to feed and treat you, and allow you to regain your strength. They welcome you into their community without pause, and seek to befriend you."

"Query: Would you join the force that rescued you from your previous situation?"

Suddenly getting it, the Boss leaned back and nodded her head in understanding.

"Ah, I get you now. Alright, I'll let everypony know to keep a few of them Slavers alive for the Slaves to have fun with. Good work, you two."

***

"Query: If you are the one that is generating the plan of action and holding the most popular opinion, why are you not 'The Boss' of the encampment, Deals?" I asked.

"Well dat's simple, Azzie. She's a freakin' juggernaut of death and destruction, and I wouldn't have a chance against her in a fight. On top o' that, she keeps all the crazier raiders in check so they don't go around killin' ponies without any reason less than usual." Deals replied.

"Observation: You use the Boss as a figurehead and puppet."

"More o' less."

We were waiting with Shanks and Mincey in our position, west of the Slaver camp and in the treeline. A total of twenty four raiders were summoned for the attack, another ten waiting back in camp to guard the wounded that were still recovering. The boss was going to lead the mock charge against the main eastern gate, and cause enough havoc for the guards of the camp to gather and defend. While they're distracted, it will be our job to plant a few bags full of fragmentation mines next to the wall, and set them off with a grenade.

Eight raiders would join the Boss in their mock attack, while the rest of them would pour through the breach in the wall as soon as the explosives were set off. In the meantime, we waited for the gunfire to start and passed the time playing 'I Spy'.

"I Spy something... small." Shanks said.

"A guard?" Mincey asked.

"Nah, smaller." Shanks replied.

"A slave?" Deals asked.

"Nah, even smaller'n that."

"Query: A filly, next to the eastern gate standing in a cage next to an injured mare?"

"Aw damnit, thought you wouldn't see that one." Shanks sighed in defeat.

"Whose turn is it?" Mincey asked.

*Ratatatatattatatatatata*

"Oh! Guess it's our turn!" Deals said loud enough for us to hear over the report of weapons fire coming from the eastern gate.

***

"You sure you know what you're doin'?" Shanks asked Mincey, who was planting the bags of landmines along the western wall of the encampment. There were battlements that a guard would be able to look over and spot us easily, this close to the camp's lighting. We were out in the open with no cover, and Mincey was working as quickly as he could manage without blowing us up.

"O' course I know what I'm doin'! Shut it, would ya?" He snapped, plopping down another bag of landmines.

: MTECC Danger

"Caution: Hostiles approaching from our right flank. Three total." I reported, and was shoved to the wall by Deals, who used her telekinesis to dual wield her 9mm pistols.

"Tell me when they're close." She whispered loud enough to be audible over the gunfire.

"Report: They will be in range in four seconds."

...

*Babap-babap-babap*

Deals lowered her pistols as the guards flopped over the wall or fell sideways onto the battlements as blood flowed from the bullet wounds that had peppered their bodies.

"Dat's three for my count. You two gotta catch up if you want the prize pool. Captures count as double points." She said with a grin.

"Okay, charges are set!" Mincey whisper shouted, and we moved with haste away from the wall.

"We should be close enough to still huck the grenade, but we gotta move afterwards or we'll get caught in the pressure wave from the blast." Mincey explained.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Shanks asked.

"Yeah, it's gonna work. Keep your clothes on!" Deals snapped.

"Suggestion: I would be able to survive throwing the device. I am able to travel swiftly if the needed." I stated.

"Really, doc? You wanna throw a grenade and blow up a whole load of folks?" Shanks asked, his face obscured by the dark clothing we were all dressed in.

"Explanation: The occupants inside will not be willing to surrender while they feel protected. Ensuring this illusion is destroyed, they will be more likely to surrender, and thus improve our community with the lives saved."

"Alright then, here ya go. Make it a good one, Azzie." Mincey said, hoofing me a hand grenade.

"You know how to use that thing?" Deals asked.

"Oh right, you just bite the stem off of the thing, like an apple. Then you throw it at the pile over there and start runnin'. Don't wait to see where the grenade goes, or you'll get killed. Or whatever it is when a robot like you don't work no more." Mincey explained.

I nodded, and waited for the three raiders to get to a safe distance before arming and tossing the grenade with machine-like precision, because I was technically a machine, and activated SATS.

: S.A.T.S: Stable-tec Assisted Targeting System. For use in extremely perilous and life threatening situations. In our case, this allows us to move with great speed to avoid danger or to enact a preemptive strike before a threat can react to our presence.

: SATS Engaged.

The grenade had left my hoof for no longer than a second before I whipped around in place and began galloping with the assistance of SATS. Halfway up the hill, SATS ran out of power and time resumed to normal for me. I dove over the ridgeline next to Shanks, Mincey and Deals who had only just arrived themselves.

"What the hell, Azzie? I thought you was-"

*Ba-BOOOOOOOOOOM!!*

A large slab of heated metal streaked past our faces, illuminating our position for a moment as additional shrapnel and rocks started raining from the sky on top of us. A huge cloud of dust had been kicked up by the pressure wave of the blast, and the sound of gunfire had paused for a moment as both sides took in the magnitude of the blast.

Several nearby huts were destroyed, as well as most of the western wall. The few surviving structures were in the process of toppling or being a smoldering wreck that was threatening to ignite. A few unfortunate slaver guards had been caught in the blast, and their dusty chunks had been thrown across the ground and leaked blood into the gravel and dirt.

Thankfully, most of the slaves were not in the area we chose to exploit, and sat shocked and frightened in their cages toward the center of the encampment. A deep bellowing was heard in the distance, to be joined by the screams of delight and bloodlust from the raiders that had been waiting alongside of us.
They arose from their positions and galloped down the hill, firing wildly and waving makeshift swords and axes from their mouths, screaming from their mouth grips.

"That's our que, fillies and colts!" Deals shouted, as we joined the charge. The raiders that had been occupying the eastern gate had run around the side while the few surviving guards were picked off by One Shot's sniper nest on the northern side of the valley. More than once I spotted a raider about to be ventilated by a guard, only for said guard's head to explode in a red mist and hear a gunshot soon after.

***

The abrupt explosion and following destruction, combined with sniper fire and a terrifying charge of screaming raiders had reduced the defenders to using the slaves as cover, as well as hiding in the buildings and taking what pot shots they could before they were swarmed by angry blade wielding raiders hopped up on combat drugs.

The battle had lasted a total of eighteen minutes and forty seven seconds, ended in the deaths of twenty defending Slavers, two dead slaves, four dead raiders and six injured raiders. The boss had taken up the task of talking to the slaves, but wasn't having much luck winning them over. Her gore covered armor and imposing figure were doing her no favors.

Shouting in frustration after her attempts to persuade the remaining slaves to join her army, she stormed off in search of any surviving slavers. The original plan to let the Slaves kill their captors had gone up in smoke the moment that massive explosion had gone off. The raiders were in too high of a battle frenzy to take captives, and were now coming off of their adrenaline high.

I was busy tending to the few wounded that remained on the battlefield, as the raiders picked over the corpses of those that had fallen in search of ammunition, food, supplies or just trophies from the fight.

"Hey Azzie, you did good." Deals said, smoking a looted cigar from the slaver camp leader's office. She sat down next to me as I worked, blowing smoke towards the patients.

"Request: Please do not smoke near the patients. This may cause infection and further harm." I cautioned.

She abruptly blew her next ball of smoke into the air above the patient instead, standing up and moving away.

"My bad, doc. I'll go see what the slaves are up to." Deals said, switching the position of her cigar in her mouth and trotting off happily.

I was still covered head to hoof in my dark clothing, as taking them off would present far too many problems in the current situation. The slaves were still on edge and worried for their lives, and the few wounded were already in shock and pain. They didn't need to see a strange robot hovering over them and tending emotionlessly to their wounds.