//------------------------------// // GDI-Tokyo Trouble 1/3 // Story: The Conversion Bureau: Tiberium Wars // by Jack of Tales //------------------------------// Crystal Empire GDI occupied territory Somewhere in the Pacific "Commander," General Granger said with a smile on his face. "I want to extend my congratulations to you and your men on a job well done. Not only did you prevented another Barrier from forming, you also managed to knock one hell of a blow to Equestria. Hopefully, this would open a third front in the future, should the need arise." "Thank you, sir." Andrew said with a smile on his face as well. "I was only doing what needs to be done." He is currently on board the Kodiak as it hovered on top of the Crystal Empire. The city itself was currently being rebuilt after the battle that took place some hours ago. Of course, rebuilding a city made entirely out of crystals themselves turned out to be a monumental task, if not impossible. The Crystal ponies offered to help with said rebuilding, due to the fact that they themselves knew how to rebuild something out of crystals and where to get them from. At first, some of his officers thought that this was a bad idea and could try something that could take them by surprise. Alexander spoke on behalf of Cadence and her subjects, say about how they were prisoners and helped GDI win the battle. Andrew was hesitant about Alexander's word, but in all the time he served under his command, he never steered him wrong. So he allowed the Crystal ponies to help with the rebuilding as long as they are watched over so they don't try anything funny. You can never be too paranoid about your enemy. "I'm happy about what you have done today, but we have even bigger problems." The General said as he put on his serious face. "No doubt you heard about the Directors speech regarding the P.E.R." "I never heard of them until now." Andrew admitted. When he toned into the Director's speech, he was skeptical when the one reported questioned Redmon about the PER "Ponification for Earth Reborn." Ganger explained. "They think that Celestia is some sort of goddess and think that turning into a pony can atone for our sins. Or so they say." A picture of a man standing on the pedestal. He had a large black beard and a milky white eye on the left side with a scar running down it while his right eye has a hazel iris. "This is Jebediah Greenman. He was once part of Kane's Inner Circle and commander of Nod forces in the Middle East. After the destruction of Sarajevo and the death of Kane, he disappeared completely off the map. A few weeks later, he showed up again but under a new banner. "Is Kane really dead this time?" Andrew questioned the General. He was hoping that Kane maybe dead and that the war (not excluding the one with the ponies) was over. However, from what he can gather from the previous wars, Kane had survived time and time again. He didn't know how he survived for so long after the first two wars, but he was more concerned about the war with the ponies to think about something like that. "From what the reports we gathered, the temple at Sarajevo had come under attack by the ponies. A few hours later, there was a huge Tiberium explosion. The ponies must have done something to the Tiberium to trigger that type of reaction. Kane wasn't found at the site when we rummaged through it. As far as the public is concerned, Kane may as well be dead for now." "I understand, sir." Andrew said as he stood at attention. "I'll keep a lookout in case he comes back." "Good." Granger nodded. "Now, back to the topic at hand. Jebediah is currently leading the PER as we speak. Lately their attacks have gotten more and more violent. We have reports that not only Nod and GDI defectors have joined their ranks, but ponies from Equestria have joined them as well. This leads us to believe that Celestia might be supporting the PER in some way." "Have we found out where they are hiding yet?" Granger shook his head. "So far, nothing, but we have figured out that they are originating out of North Africa, Indonesia, and have reports of activity coming out of Central America. Until we can find out where-" "General Granger, sir." A young GDI lady wearing an officers badge came running up from the side of his screen before coming to a stop. She saluted. "Commander." She acknowledged his presence. "I'm sorry to describe you sir, but Tokyo is under attack!" "Under attack?" Granger said looking at her. "By who?" "We think it's the PER." The officer answered. "A station in Nagasaki reported a distress call a moment ago." "This is unfortunate." Granger then turned his attention to the commander. "Commander, Tokyo is the only staging point in Asia for our forces and the only place to cross the Pacific Ocean. If the city falls, then we lose the only port to Equestria, and our forces will be cut off. Take your units over there and help retake the city. Don't worry about the Crystal Empire, we'll fortify it until you return. Good luck, Commander." Andrew saluted before the screen returned to the GDI logo. "No rest for the wicked, I guess." He sighed as he returned to his command seat. "After the end of this war, I deserve a very long vacation." He murmured to himself. It wasn't that he enjoyed being in GDI when he first signed up. It has its benefits and strengths. But, ever since he took command of the GDI forces after the start of the Third Tiberium War, it's been one disaster after another. It almost feels like he's the only one leading GDI instead of Granger. He shook his head. He deserves more than a week off. Maybe he'll ask the general for two months off. "Warning." ATHENA started to say. "Increase in radiation detected in the hanger. Response unit in route." Andrew for his part pressed a few buttons on his command chair. His screen changed to the picture of the hanger, just in time for a bright pink light to brighten upon his screen. It almost blinded and anyone staring at the screen for a few seconds. When the bright light finally died down, he looked again to see two ponies in the hanger. One of them was a unicorn stallion with a pristine white coat and a blue mane and tail. The other was a species similar to Celestia when he first saw her, but her build was smaller than hers. She sported a set of wings and a horn that had a color of both gold and pink. Her mane and tail were the colors of violet, rose red and gold. He knew exactly who they are. Already, the response teams have entered the room and raise their weapons at the two ponies. Both of said ponies were shocked. He decided to intervene before something bad would happen. Pressing a button on his command chair, he said "Stand down. They are friends." The response team obeyed his order and lowered their weapons. "Come up to the command center. I'll be there." It took them some time to find where he was at. He couldn't blame them for getting lost a few times. It was a massive ship that he "borrowed" back in Washington, D.C. He eventually had to send a guide down to take them in the right direction. After a couple of minutes. The massive doors to his command center slide open, revealing both Cadence and Shining Armor. They both looked around the place with wide eye expression. "Princess Cadence. Shining Armor." He nodded at both of them. "Do what do I owe the pleasure?" "We just thought of coming and saying thank you for everything you've done for us." Cadence said with a genuine smile on her face. "I wouldn't even imagine what would happen to me if you haven't shown up." "Same here." Shining Armor said. Andrew noted that, for being a stallion the size of a dog, he had a very physic built than for what his troops have reported. "You guys really saved our rumps back there and helped us retake our city. We can't really thank you enough." Andrew smiled for his part, which is weird considering that the whole human race was at war with these ponies right now. Guess he really made an impression. "It's all in a days work." He said. "I could stay and help you folks, but I have been called somewhere else." Both of the ponies started to frown. "Really?" Cadence said. "Are you sure you wouldn't stay around for a celebration?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we got word that Toyko is under attack by the PER. I have to go with my army and assist with the local defenses there." He still wondered how the PER had managed to evade GDI for so long after this whole war started. Sure, there were a lot of Yellow Zones and Red Zones for any armies to hide at, which Nod always takes advantage of. He wouldn't be surprised if they were coming from a Yellow Zone or a Red Zone. Both of the ponies looked at each other before looking back to him, then looking at each other again. With a nod from both of them, Cadence asked: "Then perhaps we can come with you then?" Andrew for his part raised an eyebrow at the question. To say it was a strange request would be an understatement of the century. He shook his head. "Sorry ma'am, but I can't let civies participate in a war. Besides, you-" "I won't take "no" for an answer!" Candace nearly snapped at the commander, stomping right up to him. Some of the guards in the room nearly drew their rifles at the two ponies, causing Candace to hesitantly stop. The commander held up his hand to stay their hand. The guards were hesitant at first, but they did as they were told. After the situation had dissolved, Candace continued. "I won't sit back and let my aunt run rapid destroying everything your kind worked so hard to build. I feel partially responsible for what is happening right now. I want to help." The commander looked to Shining Armor for his consideration in the argument. "She's right." Shining said. "You helped us with Celestia, now its our turn to give back. The Crystal Army has your back!" The commander wanted to argue that they are not allowed to fight, that they would make themselves a target for being of royalty. It wasn't that he was against ponies fight with GDI, but there were factors to consider. Firstly was the fact there was tension between them and the humans, which wasn't a surprise itself. In fact, after his liberation of the Crystal Empire, and the rumors of friendly ponies helping GDI take the city, there had been a massive controversy over the whole thing. Most of them wanted those ponies in POW camps before they could betray their forces, while the more like-minded types think that it would be a waste of type, and that trusting them would be the better option. The more......"extreme" types thought that killing them would be the better option, seeing as they are "unholy abominations led by Satan himself." Redmond Boyle soon spoke out and said that the ponies are to be trusted after helping out GDI in the city. Still, that doesn't mean that people are too trusting of a species, even if they rebelled in the first place. The second was that they are royalty that turned their backs on Celestia, and would likely be a target for anyone on both sides. From what he had heard, Cadence and Shining Armor know a thing or two about combat so they can take care of themselves if need be. However, they have not faced a technologically superior foe before. By all means, he would say no and have some people escort them out of the ship and onto the surface of the Crystal Empire. But he knows the stubborn types when he sees one. "All right." He finally said. "I'll let you two stay and help me, but lets make one thing clear." He points a finger to himself. "I don't care if your royalty or not. If I order you to do something, you'll do it to the latter. Do I make myself clear?" It wasn't like he didn't like them or anything, but he'd be damned if they were to rush in without knowing what they are facing. Besides, if they died, the Crystal Empire would be very upset. "We understand." Shining Armor said recently. He soon turned to his command staff stationed on the bridge. "I want all of our troops ready within the hour. We head to Toyko immediately." "Um, actually" Cadence started to say, interrupting his order. A smile soon spread on her face. "I think there is a way we can help each other?" Commander Andrew gave her an incredulous look. "Oh, and what is that?" Two Hours Later...... Tokyo, Japan GDI territory Green Zone The skies above Toyko suddenly lit up with an explosion that came too close to the Kodiak. The ship rocked back and forth as it dodged the incoming explosions with the best of its ability. It was a miracle that the ship itself was not torn apart immediately, but it felt like it could happen at any moment. 'They must have gained control of the local AA batteries at some point.' He thought to himself. He could feel the vibrations of the ship as it slowly dodges incoming fire. He was lucky that the Orca Command Ship, though an older model, still possessed strong armor that could hold itself in an open sky battle. "Someone get us out of the AA's radius!" At his orders, the ship itself did a heavy left turn as it steered away from the battle. "Get us close to the outskirts of Toyko. I want a base of operations established and our troops deployed the moment we land." 'Let's see the situation on the ground.' He thought. Pressing a few buttons on his command chair, the screen soon lite up and showed the current battle going on in Toyko. It wasn't a pretty site. Half of the city was already in ruins, with huge buildings already decimated by the attacks. He could see flashes of yellow light everywhere in the city, indicating that the city was not entirely abandoned. He soon saw where the frontline was at by the increased flashes of light on the southern half of the city. Strangely, he could see container ships with some blobs down there. Scrolling to zoom in, he saw GDI and Nod equipment and vehicles stationed there. Instead of the blue or red coloring, as both sides were known for, it was replaced with the nasty pink color. The symbol of a globe with a horses head with its wings spread apart were shown on the vehicles and the flag that was currently flying over the harbor. He could see a mixture of both GDI and Nod vehicles stationed near the ships, as well as a mixture of human and pony soldiers. He could see equipment and vehicles coming out of the containers, as well as several large jars of purple liquid being rolled out of a red container. 'They were using unmarked container ships to slip past the defenses.' He thought. "Sir, we have an incoming transmission from Tokyo." One of the officers said on the console. "Patching you through now." The screen in front of Andrew came alive, showing him a man of Japanese descent. By the looks of it, he could guess that the commander was somewhere in an office building that has been converted into a war room. "Commander, thank god you'd come!" He said in perfect English. "I'm Commander Shinso Okamoto. I'm in charge of the defense here in the city." The sound of the battle raging was heard outside of the building, with flashes of yellow coming out of the window. "Nice to meet you, commander." Andrew greeted. "I wish it were under better circumstances. The sky is too hot for me to land my forces near you. We're going to find someplace to land safely and land somewhere close to you to help you, but it seems those anti-air guns and giving us a hard time." "It's those AA towers. Those PER basterds captured some of them earlier on during the attack. All of our resources are spent trying to defend the city." He shook his head. "We don't know how the hell the slipped past our defenses to begin with. It's like they showed up out of nowhere." "They are using unmarked container ships to slip through." He said. "Don't worry. I'm bringing my own forces into the fray. I'll spare some manpower to take both the AA guns and the harbor back." Shinso beamed at the prospect. "Thank you, commander. That is the first good news I've had in a while." An explosion close to him fizzled the screen for a bit before returning back to normal. "I'll try to hold them off as fast as I can, but they outnumbered us greatly. We also still have civilians who stayed behind that need evacuating. Try and get those AA towers down as soon as possible, then help us take back the city." "Understood." The screen soon returned to the GDI logo as Andrew tried to come up with a plan. Once he established a base of operations, he would use Candance's little "surprise". 'Speaking of which...' Pressing a button on his console, the screen changed to that of the hanger. He could already see Shining Armor and Princess Cadence down in the hanger. Off in the far corner, a couple of unicorn mages were gathered around at a small crystal object that is the shape and size of a football. Their horns glowed as he saw their faces scrunched in concentration. A bunch of crystals were floating around the object, their purpose in this unknown. From the corner of his screen, the radiation level of the room was in the red. He didn't understand at all of how ponies could survive under high radiation levels. That was a question for another day. "Candance, can you read me?" He said. Both of the ponies ears perked up as she and her husband looked around the room. "I'm speaking through the intercom. Is this device of yours almost ready?" "Almost." Shining Armor said first. "We still don't know if it will work or not. This is still a very early prototype." The prototype he was talking about is some sort of portal device that would allow his forces to come over from the Crystal Empire and join the battle. It was meant for Celestia's forces earlier on in the war, to allow them and the PER to attack GDI and Nod from the Barrier instead of by airship or boat. He was lucky that he capture the Crystal Empire earlier on before the device was finished. The pony scientists he captured said that the device was nearly finished but still needed a few adjustments before it could be fully functional. "Try to do your best." Andrew assured him. Deep down, he was nerves about this whole thing. If what they said was true, this was still a very early prototype, and things could go wrong if they did something incorrectly. His mind told him that should tell them to stop this experiment and retreat back to the Crystal Empire, but by the time he would gather his forces and head back, Toyko would already fall to the enemy. He already made a promise to Shinso that he would help with the assistance however he could. 'I hope they know what they are doing.' He thought grimly. Perhaps in hindsight, he should have thought this thing through.