The lightly damaged Malachite was tied up to a dock while her damage control crewdogs were working to free the potentially deadly shell embedded in her superstructure.
While others were getting clear of the ship until the shell was removed, Withers wandered down to the crew quarters where the shell was embedded part way through a bulkhead.
One of the Damage Control crewdogs looked up from their efforts to loosen the shell from the petaled steel wall and said, “Sir, you should not be here. This is very dangerous. It could explode at any moment.”
Withers smiled at that and replied, “Not that shell. It is about as dangerous as a box of rocks. See that gap between the edge of the exploder fuse and the shell? It got cross threaded and failed to seat. Rupp RA250’s are notorious for this problem. The RA series of shell can be fitted with two different exploder fuses.
“Bean counters always go for the RA2-L, like this one, because it is five copper bits cheaper. It is common for RA2-L’s to cross thread like this. If they had got the slightly more expensive RA2-M, this shell would have exploded properly.”
The Crewchief observed thoughtfully, “Withers is not that common a name. I have heard of a Major Withers with many decorations. He held Grayshire pass against a two division attack with only a platoon. Are you that Major Withers?”
Withers nodded. “Indeed I am.”
The Crewchief stood back and told the others, “Withers here, besides what I mentioned, has qualifications in Unexploded Ordinance Disposal. Let him guide us. He knows more about this than we do.”
Withers stepped over to examine the shell closely. Nodding to himself, he commented, “Not too bad. I need a pin spanner with hardened pins and a non sparking mallet. Bronze or a big wooden mallet would be best.”
One of the crewdogs offered an adjustable pin spanner and told him, “We will have to send to Engineering for the hammer. We did not bring one up here. Didn’t really look forward to hammering on a shell full of TNT or the like!”
Withers chuckled as he adjusted the spanner to fit around part of the fuse. A few expert raps with the bronze hammer on the spanner handle soon had the fuse loose.
Cradling the deadly exploder, Withers explained, “I am taking this up to the deck for Crowns Evidence. The rest of this removal will be pretty standard damage control work. I will leave it to you.”
Up on deck, he found Amber, Princess Luna and the terribly shaken Zebra Confederation Consul conferring over the battle and the port damage.
~~ ~~ ~~
Otar Stippen sat across the table from Celestia. From his cringing posture it was plain that the Zebra Confederation Ambassador did not like what he was about to say.
“First, Princess Celestia, I wish to thank you for allowing me to return to the Embassy and confer with my government. I understand that Princess Luna is now in Milestago, doing a personal survey of the recent damage.”
Celestia nodded, “She is indeed. The Das Capitin’s fire sank a peaceful freighter, the Cormorant, at the dock. Our Repair Docks and the only dry dock in Milestago have been, for practical purposes, destroyed.
“Over one half of the docks and associated loading warehouses have been damaged. The civilian apartment complex was totally destroyed by blast and fire, which spread to three other residential buildings before it was contained.”
Otar swallowed hard and put his head in his hooves. “When I called my government, on the World Wide Magic Net, I spoke directly to Nils Downitall. I could not believe what I heard from him. He both contradicts himself and denies direct evidence.
“Nils denied that there was any attack on Equestrian soil by any ship of our navy. When I told him that the Das Capitin was grounded on a beach only seven kilometers from the harbor entrance, he immediately demanded that I have the ship returned to us.”
Almost sympathetically, Celestia inquired, “Did you see fit to mention that Das Capitin broke in half when she hit the shingle on a high tide at flank speed?”
Otar looked about at the modest ornamentation of the room and drew a deep breath. “Both our Milestago consul and I tried to tell him that. He would not believe us, even when showed realtime images of the Das Capitin wreck. Worse, he is blaming your coastal defense fortress for damaging the Das Capitin, which he insists, is not and has not been in Equestrian waters.
“In any case, collateral damage to your port is due to harboring the Malachite, a ship of the now proscribed Diamond Dog Enclaves. Therefore damage from a battle with her is not our responsibility.
“I have now said what I was required to say by my government. I should not say this, but I fear that we may have put a mad zebra in control of our nation.”
Rather grimly, Celestia agreed. “We have thought so for some time. Do you have any good news to give us?”
Otar smiled ruefully. “One small thing. I have managed to resolve the Morail Blum Fauntin mess. As your sister Princess did say, our own embassy files showed her to have been slain in the Discordian raid on her family farm. I still do not know why she dropped her studies and returned to her family farm but the records are clear that she did.
“The confusion that we all had was caused by a near identical Morail Ruby Drift. Oddly, Miss Ruby Drift is a zebra who was orphaned and, through strange circumstances, wound up being raised and adopted by the Diamond Dogs of the Ruby Drift Enclave.
“After I was done speaking to Nils Downitall, I put a call through to the Ruby Drift Matriarch. She confirmed that Morail was a part of their Enclave, an expert in mining explosives, and a drift supervisor. She has been with them since fillyhood.
“To make matters more complicated, she knew Morail Blum Fauntin, who also visited the Enclave frequently. I am told that due to their close appearance, they played many tricks on both the Enclave and the Blum Fauntin farm.
“Morail Ruby Drift is presently attached to Supreme Matriarch Amber in a staff capacity. My consulate in Milestago has met her. She is presently serving as a translator and liaison for the Diamond Dogs of the Malachite’s crew. Most of them are presently involved in the rescue work in your port.”
Celestia paused and looked sideways at the zebra across the table from her. Carefully she said, “I will communicate that interesting information to my sister Princess. It will both please and sadden her. It appears that the two Morails played a trick on the University to cover Miss Bulm Fauntin’s return to the Confederation.”
Otar nodded. “Such is our conclusion too.
“I have one other thing to offer. My government has forbidden either a formal apology or aid from Embassy funds in regard to this mess.”
He pushed a draft across the table to Celestia. “We, the Embassy and consular staffs all across Equestria, have raised this out of our personal funds. Please accept, not from the Zebra Confederation, but from the hearts of honest zebras and ponies who live with us, this money. It is 89,764 golden bits to use for the aid and assistance of Milestago.”
Celestia actually smiled as she took it. “Do you have a list of the donors, Otar? We should like to thank them for their good hearts.”
~~ ~~ ~~
Daring Do, Withers, and Morail were helping several Diamond Dogs to shift a fallen timber from a lavender pony trapped in the wreckage that had been his Chandlery business on the waterfront. Amber joined them, her strength giving them the needed leverage to free the injured pony.
They were joined by the Zebra Confederation Consul and three of his staff. They pulled the victim free of the ruin.
It was the Consul who told him, “Easy there, we need to get you onto this stretcher. A beam like that can do internal injury that you don’t feel. We are taking you to the Equestrian Defense Bureau’s field horspital.”
Amber, free of the need to help lift the beam, let it fall. She turned to Morail and grinned enormously. “I have just heard from Princess Celestia in Canterlot. Ambassador Otar, besides contacting his government about this mess, checked out what he had heard from his consulate here. They bought your story hooves, mane and tail!
“Besides their own documents, Otar contacted Matriarch Topaz of the Ruby Drift Enclave. She sensed that something was in the wind and confirmed that you have been in the Drift since fillyhood. That you have been a Diamond Dog all your life.
“Just to sweeten the pie, she told him about some of the tricks that you and Morail Blum Fauntin used to pull by looking so much alike and being friends.”
They all heard the voice, soft as a dream. Princess Luna had come upon them unnoticed. “What is this? Two of you, Morail? Is that how you were at the University and in the Confederation to be murdered at the same time?”
Noticing that the Zebra Confederation consul was coming their way, Morail sort of hung her head as she replied, “I am afraid so, Your Highness. We did not anticipate the Discordian attack.”
Luna bored in, as if somewhat irritated, “And that is also why you took Amber’s offer of Diamond Dog citizenship? I mean, that you already were a Diamond Dog?”
Morail made a production of watching a seagull scooping up some of the bounty of dead fish floating near where high explosive shells had detonated. “I apologize for deceiving you, Your Highness, but yes. That was the reason.”
Amber grinned just a little. “I have attached Morail to my staff. When we came to Equestria for diplomatic reasons, I allowed her leave to visit her friend Morail Blum Fauntin at the Royal University.
“It appears that my Morail’s education in the Ruby Drift was excellent. They pulled off the switch without any noticeable change in her grades.”
Withers pointed a hoof at Morail and said, “Not quite. Her already impressive shooting scores in the ROTC went UP. Especially with the MT84 portable automatic cannon.”
Amber “noticed” the Zebra Confederation consul waiting patiently for Princess Luna'a attention. She smiled and offered, “Consul Norin, I have been watching you and your staff. You are all doing a hero’s job at rescue work. What can we do for you?”
Diffidently he said, “I hate to interrupt, but I wish to appeal Major Hoofinmaw’s expulsion from Equestria. His arrest error while on the train was due to a bureaucratic error in the papers that he had.”
Consul Norin gazed miserably at the ruins of the Milestago waterfront and the collumn of smoke still rising back in the city’s residential area. He added, “The Major was on the train to here when the attack happened. Since he got off the train he has been engaged in organizing rescue parties and clearing safe passage for emergency vehicles in damaged areas.”
Princess Luna regarded the Consul carefully for a few moments before stating, “While that all seems to be true, the paperwork to require his expulsion was already being processed. The offense was his witnessed attempt to kidnap Supreme Matriarch Amber of the Diamond Dog Enclaves.”
The Consul said quietly, “I am speaking out of turn and violating some of our laws to say this.” He stared about to make sure that he was not being overheard before going on, “The Major did that over protest because his family was threatened with kidnap or execution. I can provide you with proof but not now.”
Amber asked urgently, “Who ordered it?”
The Consul stated miserably, “Nils Downitall himself.”
Amber made a sideways face as she said, “I see that you are taking quite a risk for him. Can you reach his family without it coming to the attention of Nils or his government?”
“Yes. That is not hard, at least not yet.”
In a blunt voice, Amber stated, “Tell them to flee to the nearest Diamond Dog Enclave at once. We will take them in as refugees. If Equestria cannot take the Major in, have him go to the Chalk Hill Drift. It is the nearest Enclave to here.”
Turning to Princess Luna, Amber suggested, “I believe, Luna, that we need to recall my crew and get this expedition and the Malachite out of Milestago.”
Shortly the Malachite cast off and made her way out of the harbor and onto the high seas, headed for adventure.