//------------------------------// // Fort Beta // Story: A Just Cause // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// As Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor expected, the search for the fallen of the previous night's ambush ended up dragging late into the afternoon. In the area south of the apparently abandoned Fort Beta, search pairs would sometimes report either to Lieutenant Vanguard or Acting Lieutenant Excelsior the location of a fallen pegasus, which then would be relayed to Shining Armor and noted for the final report of Operation Just Cause. Due to the lack of digging tools for use by the search pairs, all burial had to be done "the Diamond Dog way" (i.e. directly using hooves to kick dirt over the dead bodies). In the end, six pegasi, including Lieutenant Vigil, were accounted for and buried as best as could be arranged. Shining Armor noted in the report that all the dead pegasi had been found in shallow craters, showing signs of being crushed although there were no signs of what might've been used to crush them. He also noted that throughout the day despite the activity of his squads, there was no signs of rebel scouts or any occupation of the seemingly-abandoned Fort Beta. The puzzles left in this report were referenced later to retroactively conclude Changelings were helping the rebels, a conclusion that would've been completely unconsidered at the time... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Excelsior, reform the chain gang and prepare to continue north toward the fort. If what I remember of the sun-control timetables is accurate, we'll have just enough light to make it to the fort this afternoon. I will be in briefing with Lieutenant Vanguard if you need me." Shining Armor orders the griffon when all dead had been buried and accounted for. "Yes, sir!" Excelsior replies with a salute as Shining Armor turns away to talk with Lieutenant Vanguard. "Alright, Lieutenant. Tell me what you've learned from the prisoners about Fort Beta." Shining Armor asks Vanguard, the latter looking over a levitated sheet of parchment notes he had taken from talking with the prisoners during the previous night and earlier in the day. "Well, sir, as you are aware the fort was initially abandoned after a buffalo attack cracked the walls and put a huge hole in the eastern one." Vanguard begins answering, looking down at the parchment as he does so. "Apparently, when the rebels occupied it, they piled the loose stones into the breech so as to force anything that couldn't fly to clamber over the pile." "Buying time for the defenders who probably already knew they were coming." Shining Armor grimly affirms. "Continue on, Lieutenant." "According to the survivor testimony, Troilus lead a charge toward the rockpile in the attack on the fort, but no one could account for him or Prince Blueblood after the initial charge was thrown back by rebel strikes. The survivors are sure both of them either were captured or fled the scene of the battle like lily-livered cowards, but nopony knows anything more specific than that, sir." Vanguard adds. Shining spends a moment in thought, then speaks again: "Do you think there are any rebels there now?" "Considering the lack of flying scouts and no other signs of occupation, I would say the fort was abandoned and whatever ponies were there moved to Fort Alpha, further down the Las Pegasus road. That's purely speculation though, sir." "Good enough for me though. I intend to take your squad and Excelsior's chain gang and occupy the fort for the night, assuming there is no resistance met to such an action. It doesn't square with how the ambush last night happened, but to be honest Lieutenant there's a lot about this situation that doesn't make any sense..." "No argument here, sir." "Good. As soon as Excelsior reforms the chain gang, we will continue north and hopefully reach the fort by nightfall. There, we will plan our next move based on what we find there." "Yes sir, understood sir." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With the sun dropping faster than Shining Armor would've liked, the two squads under his command cautiously approach the broken and weathered outer wall of Fort Beta. The Lieutenant Captain could see crude, but far from effective, attempts at repairing the walls by the rebels but, yet again, no signs of the rebels themselves. They first make contact at the southeast corner and slowly work along the eastern wall toward where the breech had been taken place. As Lieutenant Vanguard had stated, the breach was partway filled with a rubble pile. The pile was too treacherous for the chain gang of prisoners as a whole to climb, and there always was possibility of an ambush from the other side, although that didn't seem likely to Shining. Shining's horn glows with magenta magic, and the breach above the rubble pile is suddenly filled with a magic barrier that also glows magenta in the fading light. Shining then turns to look at Excelsior, at the head of the prisoner chain gang behind him, and gives this order: "Have the prisoners put into pairs with Vanguard's command again - they'll climb the rock pile this way. I'm going up myself to take a look." "Yes, sir." Excelsior replies with a salute, and Shining only takes a glance back as he starts toward the bottom of the rock pile. Once at the bottom of the rock pile, Shining quickly observes the pile is climbable - thanks in part because of the tracks of other ponies that tried to climb it before - but every hoofstep would have to be carefully executed. He carefully steps onto one rock, then onto another one slightly higher on the pile. The pile shifts a little bit, but does not give way. Encouraged by this, Shining carefully continues on, stopping a few times to look at his command gathering at the bottom of the pile and any potential of ambush from anything hiding inside the fort. The rays of the sun had just slipped behind the fort wall when Shining reaches the top of the pile. He looks one way, then another, through the barrier he had cast before attempting the climb, expecting an ambush but finding something else instead. A chilling scene of how badly Operation Hornpoint had gone wrong during the assault on Fort Beta. Shining turns back to look down at the squad, now assembled at the foot of the rockpile, and shouts: "We need everyone up here as quickly as possible! We've got quite the scene in here!"