//------------------------------// // Ch.34: Precarious Plans // Story: Tapestry: A World Apart // by Star Scraper //------------------------------// “You live forever, okay?” “But sarge, aren't we all going to die eventually?” “Yes, Clockwork, but live forever. That's an order.” “I don't understand, sir.” “You'll figure it out one day.” The sergeant's parting words echoed in Gratitude's mind as she trudged through the snow alone. She still didn't understand what he'd meant, but brushed the odd order aside for now. She wore Governor Spectrum's nightgown and the appearance-altering necklace underneath. They'd taken the Governor's bedsheets from the train to wrap Twilight in, and now the medic wore them as a makeshift cloak. Even though they were large enough to fold over for a double layer, they still weren't warm enough. Socks and a scarf over her face were necessary to keep frostbite off. And still, she was cold. Playing spy. This is too close to fighting. Intentionally deceiving so many ponies as an act of war. What would the abbess think? No, I've made a promise to the sergeant. I'll worry about the abbess later... Concentrate. The Abyss was thick with fog. She constantly glanced at the compass she carried, trying to steady herself so the needle wouldn't jiggle too much as she walked, yet again reciting the information the governor gave her in her head. Contingency code hailstorm, and the colors are yellow on green. The fog was the blessing they needed. The floodlights around the base would act only as lighthouses to let them know exactly where the perimeter was. But alone, the fog wouldn't be enough. Sneaking into the hanger and cold-starting a bomber before air infantry divisions were swarming on them would be impossible. So while the others hid from the floodlights, she would walk straight towards them – whenever she saw them. Her body tingled with the magic Twilight and Rarity had put on her. Seeing her own hooves and mane cyan and white gave her the impression that she had been discharged from her oath of peace, that she was an entirely different pony. A pony that had the blood of hundreds of thousands on her hooves, who faced certain execution at Bastion, and probably even more torture before that. But she's given us the tools, warnings and knowledge to get home, even risking her own life to warn us... But what does risking your life mean if you want to die? But then again, perhaps she truly has repented? But how can she be forgiven for so much innocent blood? She shook her head and refocused her thoughts on the task at hoof. She may also be leading us right into a trap. But how likely is that? What if she did lie about the codes? But no, that doesn't make any sense because of the next thing she said – why would she tell us they'd strip-search me and remove her only bargaining chip for survival? She knew we'd kill her if we didn't find a way to get the necklace to work. But what if she wanted us to kill her right then and right there – what if she said they'd strip-search me so we'd put her down painlessly then, instead of the torture we'd give her when the sergeant never sees my signal and realizes I've been captured? She cringed at the word 'we'. No, he – they. The torture they might've given her. But not I. Or... That they might still give her, if she did lie, and they do capture me. She paused her walking for a moment to check her compass again, waiting for the needle to stop moving. She tapped it to make sure it was pointing the right way. Right into the maw of the beast. The sergeant is right about one thing. This is very risky. And what if we all die because I fail? It's not just my life on the line here – it's all of ours. It's one thing to offer my life for them – but to put all of our lives at risk for someone who's done so much evil? And someone else who wants to murder and die? Closing her eyes and bowing her head, she simply felt the terror of what they might do to her if she was captured. Her ears squeezed flat against the sides of her head. She let the terror simply wash over her, accepting it, letting is pass through. Her ears relaxed. She sighed. Maybe he was right. I don't want to see all of them – my friends – captured and executed... But can I really do that? Turn around, head back to the team – then watch them execute Governor Spectrum, leave her body behind, see the sergeant off to his death, and begin the long trek home? Sweet home... Her head bowed. Comforting, strengthening words echoed in her mind. She stood upright as she thought of the ancient journal of Clover the Clever. This world will be in need of light. The light of dawn is real and tangible, as is the warmth of summer – yet they will come only from the warmth of heart, and the light of your soul, which are known to spirit only. As the heart is the birthplace of action of the hoof, so will the heart be the birthplace of dawn before the hoof feels warm grass upon the Earth again. Carry your light, dear friend, do not let it go out. Okay, Clover. For your dawn. For our dawn. For their dawn. She looked back up, a steel determination coming over her face. Some fates are worse than death. Like being a part of the cause of this winter. Even if we die, maybe it will have been worth it, just so we're not part of the problem by killing a helpless, captured prisoner... ...Harmony help us, she prayed, and kept walking. Again her heart panged with fear and anxiety, and yet, paradoxically, was at rest knowing that even if she died, it was for a cause worthy to die for. The more she thought of it, the deeper her dread grew. She tried not to, but couldn't keep herself from wondering what they Vanguard would do to her. Her courage faltered. She realized just how tiny she was in the vast, icy abyss. Even through the doubled blankets, the cold wind stung her face and scratched her throat, carrying a faint smell of fuel from the base she approached. We all die... But I will die for something worthwhile... If I die here to The Vanguard. She echoed to herself again. The question pained her once more. I've never heard of an Adherent being anything other than an unarmed medic. But being a spy?... She bit her lip. I'm not hurting anypony. Not any more than I would by healing a fighter who might go on to fight once more... She visibly shook the thought off with a shiver. Even if it is wrong... It will still have been worth it. They need me. Bastion needs me. The entire world may hinge on me doing my duty here, if those two ponies really do carry such strong magic. I don't know if I've ever even seen that sort of wizardry at the abbey, even just what Twilight did in the tent with Rarity, nevermind what they say about other worlds. But if it's so important... why am I risking it instead of letting the sergeant just kill the governor? The governor probably even wants it... She immediately pushed the thought away. No, I've made up my mind. I'm doing this. Harmony guide me. She noticed a distant point of light. The guard towers! She immediately pushed away the temptation to be afraid. Overcoming brutal training at Bastion had taught her something valuable: I may not be a fighter, but I am a soldier! Her steps picked up a determined march once more, her mind racing over all her military education about the Vanguard's command structure, and all her skill with the Hatten language. Okay, I'm governor Full Spectrum. She couldn't help but let out a single laugh, despite everything, as she remembered a school play from so many years ago. Who would've ever thought that play could save my life? But she remembered how she'd improved her acting – she wouldn't act, she would fool herself into thinking she was the Governor, then do as the governor would do. As she neared the lights, they towered ever higher above her in the thick fog. Another gust of wind blew. She immediately stopped. Her ears drooped, knees quivered, and pupils shrank. As fog was swept away in the wind, she saw steel goliaths towering over her, and pairs of blinding floodlight eyes staring down at her. Her heart froze in her chest. “Don't move! Don't speak!” a voice bellowed at her. “Move and be shot! Speak and be shot!” She held still. Not daring to move even her ears or raised hoof. Long, tense moments passed, before she saw three uniformed pegasi fly down and land in front of her, one wearing a cap. “Stay still, not a word...” the capped one said, pointing a rifle at her with another, while the third stepped forward and put a hoof on her forehead. He turned and reported, “nothing, going to search. Just stay still and quiet as a statue...” He opened the bedsheet cloak, and started patting around while the others kept their rifles pointed at her. The waft of freezing air made her tense. The foggy cold bit deep through the thin nightgown underneath. There was hardly even time to be terrified as he checked her chest area. She breathed an internal sigh of relief as he missed the necklace under the nightgown, but couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he continued his thorough search – pulling her wings out and patting under them, working from front to back. He even worked his way back to pat indecent areas she thought the governor would've had him shot for touching. But what can I do – tell him not to? They'll shoot me if I speak! Finally, he went back to her face, pulled the scarf down to see her whole face, and lowered the hood, looking around her head. “We're good,” he reported. “No hidden weapons, nothing but what we see, the nightgown and underwear.” He could feel that but not the necklace? No – own up to it, it'll be suspicious if I don't tell them about the necklace – what if it's a test!? – but they may ask me to take it off if they find out! I can't yet, the magic doesn't last that long – but if they're the ones who search me – but the Governor said they'd have maids do the strip-searching! Certainly they won't do that here! Will they? Her mind rushed in a panic. If they know and I don't report, I'm dead, and my entire team is dead. If they don't know and I do report then we might be dead. If they don't know and I don't report or if they do know and I do report- The two in the back lowered their rifles. “By the azure sky!” the one in the cap exclaimed, interrupting her thoughts. He slung his rifle back over his shoulder, then turned to the pegasus next to him, “report to the tower, but not the radio circuit. No mention of this is to be made outside tower two as of the moment, understood? And bring back something hot to drink!” “Yes sir!” he answered, and flew back. “Governor!” He quickly turned to her, “I'm lieutenant Flashpoint. You may speak and move freely now. My deepest apologies about our precautions!” - he took his cap off and held it over his chest in a bow - “Can you fly? - Can you talk? Are you injured? Are you willing to be carried up to the tower, or do you want to go straight to HQ? We can't take orders from you until imposter protocols are met, given the circumstances, but I'll let you decide if you're in a condition to go straight to the local HQ or not.” He put his cap back on. “I'm -” I've just been out in The Abyss for days with nothing but this blanket for shelter. My accent won't be perfect... but I'm dehydrated, traumatized and exhausted! Fooling herself worked too well. All of a sudden, she realized how pained her hooves and dry mouth were. “Just... somewhere warm...” I should go to HQ and get that bomber ready – Blue Moon – but I've also got to convince them I've just survived The Abyss for days by myself with no shelter! There's no way I'd be in a state to march straight to the HQ like this! “Ma'am, do you object to us carrying you up to tower two?” he asked. She found responses didn't come easily. It wasn't like the play. There wasn't a script. But her panic only helped her play the role. “I – uh...” she slowly, uncertainly replied. After waiting seconds for her response, he stepped forward and put his hooves around her. “Corporal Starstreak, it's a long way up, give me your wings.” “Yes sir!” Soon she found herself lifted off the ground. I – I can fly, but if they think I can't – no, I can't. I just can't, I'm too exhausted! And I can't believe they didn't find me, either! And I have no idea how long it's been! They set her on a metal balcony. The entire structure was some painted steel. She could feel the cold of it biting through her socks. In another minute, she was inside, wrapped in another thick blanket, in a small communications room in the back, sipping on some hot mint tea and munching on a biscuit. She'd given them the compass – there was no reason to carry it around anymore. The tower was warm inside. She started shivering. I – I was too cold to shiver!? Did I just almost freeze to death out there? But I was never all that cold! She sighed, focusing again on her task. Her mind felt more clear, as though leaving the fog had lifted it from her own mind. Lieutenant Flashpoint had reported her to command, then kept himself or anypony else from bothering her. He was now talking on a phone line, requesting a doctor come to tower two immediately. Okay, they want to check on me. That makes sense. Make sure I'm not going to freeze to death walking to the HQ... Or are they stalling? What if they did find the necklace and I failed to report it so they know I'm an imposter? Is it really a doctor, or an executioner? Don't be stupid, if it was an executioner they'd just shoot me... here... now... She was thankful nopony in the room had weapons drawn. There wasn't much to do while she waited – but sitting in a communications room, she wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. So she listened to the phone and radio operators. No reports of a Cerulean team, just organizing a search operation... This is definitely not some watch tower. This is more like a command post. Am I even in the right base? Did I accidentally stumble on something else? I guess I could ask. I need to start being a lot more assertive and confident... just as soon as I stop shivering. “Lieutenant, I am in the East Shades complex – this is the East Shades complex, right?” “Yes ma'am,” he answered. “Anything else?” “No... that's all.” A phone rang, and the Lieutenant answered it. “Tower two actual... The full check?... Uh – very well. Let me – we could use the medical bay. Yes ma'am.” He hung it up. “What was that?” she asked. “HQ wants to clear imposter protocols immediately. A party will be here in twenty, maybe sooner. Should arrive just behind the doctor.” “Right.” She nodded. She went back to listening to the other operators. There were flight numbers, and large grid numbers. She started to notice there were flights from Delphi, Hollow Shades and Lone Peaks, but none from East Shades, but she couldn't figure out why. It seemed the operation was massive – the command station in a perimeter tower is being used to manage a small slice of it. Then she started to notice. There's no air traffic from East Shades? No, this is a major installation – it must just be that this command post isn't over any. Surely there's flights coming from here... Four guards escorted Gratitude to a room in the bottom of the tower's raised structure. Her heart raced. She couldn't stop focusing on the weapons the two guards in front of her carried. The lead guard knocked on door at the bottom of a narrow flight of stairs. The stair room was deathly cold. Flashpoint had given her his coat, but aside from that, it was only the nightgown, scarf, socks and the enchanted necklace. “Enter,” she heard a voice call from inside. “Infirmary,” the lead guard said as he opened the door, and the second one walked inside. She followed. Inside were four more guards, a highly decorated officer mare, and four more mares. The three in service staff outfits gave a polite bow – they were only civilians, and only one even had ear notches of any kind, meaning the other two were even paid – while the fourth, in a military uniform, saluted. “An honor, m'am.” Her and the officer were both armed with rifles. Yet, just as the rifles scared her, the salute gave her some confidence. She quickly remembered her character. “As you were,” she said. The room was huge compared to all the others. Even when the two guards behind her entered, all fourteen ponies fit comfortably. She looked around. Are all of them going to watch me strip? “As you know, governor, unicorns are extremely powerful and dangerous creatures, so I hope you understand all the precautions,” the decorated mare started. “Of course,” Half of Graitude was surprised with the confidence she could fake. The other half still believed she was Governor Spectrum. “I'm Brigadier General Icewind. I'm the most senior mare officer present at this installation, and this is lieutenant Sunflower, a veteran of the Frontier program. We'll act as both officiators and the guards. These civilians will conduct the search. This should be in compliance with high command. Are you satisfied with this arrangement?” she asked. Gratitude glanced at the eight guards – all stallions, then back at Icewind. “Do they have to be here?” “Not for the search, but for the first part. First, what are the colors?” The Cerulean's heart froze. She didn't give herself time to be afraid. She simply immediately recited what she'd been memorizing for hours. “Yellow on green – and I'm calling contingency Hailstorm.” “Hailstorm?” Icewind echoed. “Very well, but that'll have to wait until we're done here. Next, the dye remover. Forward, check,” she ordered. One of the maids stepped forward with a vial of some liquid tucked in her wing. “Excuse me, ma'am,” she started with, then put a few drops of the liquid in a hoof, and rubbed it in the false Governor's white mane. She did it twice more – once on the fur of her cheek, and again on her wing. Finally, she stepped back. The general nodded. “Now, finally, the search. All the stallions outside, now.” “Yes m'am!” two answered, and each led three others outside. The doors shut behind them. “Weapons ready!” the general ordered. Gratitude's heart froze, her wings flaring out in a moment of terror as she took a step back, looking down two barrels. “Hold it, governor. It's just part of the procedure,” Icewind calmly told her. Their hooves weren't over the triggers – they were practicing trigger discipline, much to Gratitude's relief. “High command would like us to keep the weapons trained on you while the search is done in case we see magic,” Icewind continued, “but since you're not a unicorn and there's nothing enchanted on you, you've got nothing to fear.” The combination of Gratitude's fake confidence and acting got to her – “This is outrageous!” she reflexively barked, “I – you can't just – It's unnecessary! I've already been through this once less than an hour ago!” The part of her that remembered it was only an act was again shocked at how well she'd taken on the role. “Sorry, governor, High Command's procedures are law. This goes far beyond a routine check. You literally just walked out of The Abyss. Service staff, get to work. Governor, don't move except for the motions they move you with. We will follow High Command's procedures to a 'T'.” Gratitude sensed something off about the General's voice – Is she enjoying this? The service staff stepped forward. If they try to arrest me – does it break my vow of non-violence to fight back, if it's not actually to harm them, but just to get them to shoot me so I die quickly instead of being captured and tortured? It was similar to the pat-down from earlier, only this time, they removed articles of clothing as they went. There weren't many. As they lifted her forehooves to take off Flashpoint's coat, the entire plan was crashing in her head. Why did I think this was a good idea? How were we so stupid! Wearing an enchanted necklace when we knew they'd strip-search me? How could I think that!? The maids grabbed the hem of her nightgown. Will they shoot me as soon as they the necklace? Can a general recognize enchanted items on sight? They started lifting the hem. Surely they'll interogate me – I won't be strong enough to endure torture, I'll tell them about the team! I have to make them shoot me so they never find out! They made her sit on her haunches again, then lifted her arms so they could pull the gown the rest of the way off. No, I can always jump at them to get shot. Wait it out – see if you can talk your way out of it. An heirloom! No – it's just something I wanted to keep! “Stop!” Icewind snapped. “Governor, don't move a muscle. Keep those arms raised. Maids, step away. Everyone leave the room immediately, except for you, governor. You don't move a feather.” “Ma'am!?” Sunflower asked, shocked. “That's an order.” “Right away!” In seconds, the room was empty again. There was just Icewind pointing a rifle at the quaking, disguised medic. “Move a hair and I'm putting a round through your throat. An emerald necklace? Are you not aware of the role emeralds play in magic? They're illusory! Why would you wear an emerald, of all things!? Didn't you know we'd search you?” Gratitude was too terrified to move – to even answer. She didn't dare open her mouth until explicitly told to. “Well, nevermind all that... High Command's procedure didn't outline much for what to do if we found a commonly enchanted item on you. But I've got an idea. Codes can be stolen, so I'll ask you something else. It's a yes or no question. Answer it. Did you, or did you not allow me to open fire in the city? Back when that first unicorn was on the loose in Hatten, and I ordered an artillery strike. Do you remember that? What did you say?” Gratitude's tongue was caught. Now? Should I throw myself at her and die quickly? No, I should at least try to guess. There's no way I'll guess the exact words, but what have I got to lose? If I guess wrong, then I'll just throw myself at her and get shot, anyways. Then... What would the Governor have said? She's... she sincerely believes in what she's doing. But why would she remember "I - I don't remember -" "Nonsense! Just listen to me! Back when that first unicorn was on the loose in Hatten, and I ordered an artillery strike, how did you respond?" Brigadier General Icewind pressed. "I... I was horrified at the damage, but it had to be done!" Gratitude cried.