//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: CTF Haymaker 
// by totallynotabrony 
//------------------------------//

The leadership met with King Coal to discuss the requirements of the misaion and hopefully refine the list of tasks.

The meeting took place at the castle.  Candless considered the lunch to be fairly lavish, if vegetarian.  While he couldn't fault a king for entertaining guests, it reminded him of the current situation.

Each member had a few talking points for the meeting.  The Americans and Japanese both had ground teams surveying the country.  The Ospreys and Super Stallions were handling lift duties while pegasi and smaller helicopters like Seahawks took on the messenger and scout role.  The C-130's kept busy ferrying back and forth, sometimes into Equestria, sometimes back to Earth.

Coal sat back, steepling his fingers.  "You humans talk of stallions, seahawks, ospreys and others. My question now is: have you ever named one of your military vehicles after the great minotaurs?"

"I think the Army was working on a robot-converted Bobcat construction vehicle for mine clearing," said Candless.  "Plus, NASA has a series of rockets."

Robert Fantone, sitting beside him translated it.  Candless trusted him to explain things like NASA if Coal had additional questions.

Robert wasn't the only translator working.  While Morita spoke English well enough, there could be no risk of misunderstanding and had a translator beside him for Minotaur-to-Japanese.

After Coal's interruption to ask about vehicles, the conversation shifted back to the mission.  Both the minotaurs and the CTF traded information back and forth to establish a bigger picture.  Candless heard his aide's pen scratching rapidly.

Repairs to the longest pier would be completed shortly.  Lombard had been able to make the trip, and she explained how it would allow Makin Island to pull in and connect its desalinization and electricity plants to the Minos grid.  Perhaps the other two American ships and one Japanese ship would be able to dock once other wharfs became available.

"We've also been tracking Chinese fishing vessels appearing through the rift," Lombard said.  "They may be taking advantage of your distraction with the disaster.  They're certainly inside your economic exclusion zone, your majesty, though we haven't tracked them inside your territorial waters yet."

Coal's nostrils flared.  "What are they doing here?"

"Fishing."

He hesitated, and then relaxed.  "Well, if that's all."

"Even if you don't need the fish yourself, my concern is that allowing them to violate international law is setting an unwise precedent," she pointed out.

Coal swept his arm around, gesturing at the diagrams and photos on the meeting table and at the ruined city out the window.  "Look around.  Where do you think my priority is?"

Lombard adopted a neutral expression and did not reply.

"Internal to Tauros," said Morita, "there is the issue of Diony."

Coal nodded.  "I too have heard of the mystery.  We have found tracks that appear to lead north."

"I'll send some ponies to take lead on that," said Spitfire.  "We can fly low and slow."

"Do you have any translators?" Candless asked.  "That could help our efforts."

The king said something to one of his underlings and they left the room.  "I will see who we can find."

The meeting ran down later and the CTF personnel headed for the exit.  They'd flown a Navy Seahawk to the meeting.  It was a little larger than the Hueys, and also simplified logistics of dropping off everyone else first before flying back to the ship with Lombard.

While the pilots spun it up, Spitfire got Lombard's attention.  "Some of my scouts are reporting dragons on the northern border."

Lombard nodded.  She'd read the report.

"If necessary, could you...'set a CAP' I believe is the expression?"

"I'd talk to Candless; they're his Marine airplanes, just my ship."

"My mistake.  I do not typically think about ships, much less whose aircraft are aboard them."  Spitfire chuckled and touched her Equestrian Air Force insignia.

"Are you that worried?" Lombard asked.

"No, but it never hurts to plan ahead.  It's so unlike dragons to...patrol.  They generally remain well within their own land."

Lombard considered it.  "Dragons are pretty big, right?  I don't have any ships with Aegis, but we do have SPS-48 and -49 radars.  Once we can spare stationing a ship away from Minos, I'll make sure we keep an eye out."

The helicopter came to life and soon it was too loud to talk.  They boarded with the rest and left the castle.





Diamond Joe didn't get the jokes about The Simpsons.  He still spoke English well enough, so they made full use of him.  He, Borax Kate, and Schist Steve had come to work at the headquarters.  The three of them helped out with translation and filled in local knowledge where necessary.

Kate couldn't leave her calf, though, so the kid came along.  He didn't speak any English but wasn't old enough to deviously use it to his advantage.  He wasn't very fun to play with, though, because he liked to headbutt.  Marines learned to keep a safe distance.

The Borax kid still lifted spirits and gave everyone a reminder of what they were in Tauros to do.





Henry looked through his binoculars at the distant river.  It ran down out of the eastern mountains and flowed to the sea.  The river was apparently the border between Tauros and dragon territory.

He could see the road - or what passed for one - going that direction.  It looked like it forded a shallow spot on the river, but it was barely there on the other side.  It wasn't on the map, either.  The further east they'd driven, the narrower it had gotten.

"Is that a dragon?"  Specialist Lee pointed.  Henry looked.

He couldn't imagine what else the dark shape circling in the distance could be.  It hung around, perhaps watching them.  He didn't know how good dragon vision was, but it had to be at least a few hundred yards away.

Eventually, it swooped behind one of the rising mountains and was gone.

"Come on," Henry said.  "We're going to Phobos next."

"I heard they have a lot of mines in that area," commented Lee as they walked back to the Humvee.  "I think they mine precious stones."

They got on the road, calling in their position.  It had taken them more than a day to navigate through Minos and traverse the road to the eastern border.  Who knew how long it would be to the next stop?

Fortunately, there were supplies.  Someone would fly them out some fuel and rations.  It would be a long walk if they didn't.