//------------------------------// // 4 - Wingnuts and Wingbeats // Story: Battlestations: Equestrian Seas // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// Dawn came far too early and with more fanfare than Kepler was used to, and that was saying something given how he had formerly been awoken while he was still human. Instead of the twin trash can lids that would shock him and his crewmates from their sleep, it was a piercing eagle’s cry and the sudden feeling of being tackled by a massive wall of feathers and muscle. Kepler had just enough presence of mind to flail about in his captor’s grip for a moment before he found himself pinned to the ground beside his bed, while a familiar set of bright blue eyes stared into his own. “Good morning, Kepler!” Gloria cried as her beak curled into a smug grin. “It’s time for your first flying lesson and I get to be your teacher!” Kepler took a moment to realign his mind with his current circumstances, his body pressed into the ground by the larger creature’s bulk and his forelegs neatly pinned above his head. Short of headbutting her in the beak, there was no way to get the hen off him unless he had somehow acquired superhuman strength during the night. With a resigned sigh, Kepler forced his tensed muscles to relax as he replied, “Very well. Could you remove yourself from my person so we can get this training underway?” While he had no idea how this training was to come about, he did have an invested interest in getting off the ground. His new body had wings, so if he was stuck in this form, he might as well learn to utilize them if he wanted to be less of a burden to his feathered allies. Gloria seemed to pout for a split second, before climbing off the smaller equine, her momentary melancholy quickly exchanged in favor of her usual perky attitude. “Alright then, if we’re going to get you off the ground, then we’re first going to have to find out how much control you have over your wings.” She pointed a talon at said leathery appendages as one fell limp at Kepler’s side. “If you’re going to fly then you need to have total awareness and control of those things, or else you won’t be going anywhere.” “Then teach me what I need to know,” Kepler replied. “I am ready and willing to learn.” The hen nodded. “We’ll be using the deck of your ship as a launch platform, mostly because it’s the only thing high enough for what I have in mind.” She waved a talon in a beckoning motion as she turned towards the tent flaps. “Come on. The sun is rising and it’s only going to get hotter the longer we wait.” Kepler followed his impromptu instructor out of the tent and into the breaking dawn, the sounds of slumbering beings reaching his sensitive ears from the tents on either side, while a duo of guards patrolled the camp perimeter. Kepler noted the tercels were armed with what appeared to be rifles, although they were too far away for him to discern anything specific other than their general shape and size. Gloria waved to one of them as they walked past the pair and up to the edge of the surf line, the hulk of his once great ship resting in the shallows a few meters beyond the water’s edge. Gloria flew into the air and wrapped her arms around Kepler’s middle, her talons gripping but not causing any harm to his belly as she lifted them both up onto the deck of the battleship. She set him down just forward of Turret One on the open main deck, the barrels of the ship’s primary offensive armament still facing left from her final moments of glory. Kepler was only briefly able to look upon the remains of his ship before Gloria captured his attention, the sadness that had begun to take root in his mind forgotten for the time being. “Now as I said before,” Gloria’s tone had shifted to one Kepler was very familiar with, one his instructors back in basic training had used for the entirety of his stay in port, before he was assigned his first post, “in order to fly, you need to be fully aware and in control of your wings.” She spread her own as she continued, the rising sunlight filtering through the large primary feathers as she pointed to different parts with her talons. “If even a single part of your wing is out of place, it can send you out of control and into the ground, or worse. Therefore, the first thing we need to do is get your mind to cooperate with what your wings are telling it and vice versa.” Kepler tilted his head slightly as the gryphon turned her gaze back to him. “What my wings are telling me? I don’t understand.” Gloria’s eyes took on a knowing light. “Spread your wings, and close your eyes.” Feeling uncertain, but knowing that he wasn’t going to get anywhere on his own, Kepler did as he was instructed, his wings opening slowly as he focused on the new muscles that hadn’t been there a few days prior. He had to consciously direct each wing and keep them open until he got used to the feeling, but that was all wiped from his mind the instant the membranes became taught and they caught the first gust of the ocean breeze. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. The information the wind was feeding directly into his mind through his wings was overwhelming. He could feel every centimeter of the thin flesh as it rippled and cupped the air, the temperature and humidity of each gust as they moved over and under the leading edges of his wings. His mouth dropped open as his eyes widened, his mind awash with awe as he tried to find a way to describe what he was experiencing, and failing to do so. He was barely cognizant of Gloria’s gleeful and knowing smirk, so overloaded was his mind. Finally, Kepler’s brain managed to adjust to the new sensations that were being fed to it from his extra limbs, his jaw closing with a click as he focused on his teacher once more. Her smile was nearly as bright as the sun rising overhead as she folded her wings back against her sides. “Unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before, isn’t it?” Kepler could only nod. “That is an understatement.” His gaze traveled over his left shoulder so he could see what his mind was being sent instead of simply feeling it. “I feel like every centimeter of my wings is being lit up by lightning, and at the same time being submerged in a cool, flowing stream.” Gloria giggled. “Yep, that’s about how I would describe it too, although I bet it doesn’t feel the same on your bat wings as it does on my feathers.” Kepler nodded once more as he returned his attention to the hen. “Now what do I do?” Gloria simply walked up to the stallion and directed him over to the railing. “Keep your wings open, and whatever you do, don’t look down.” Kepler had just enough time to question her words before the hen lifted him up and over the railing, tossing him into the open air with the shoreline a good dozen meters below his flailing limbs. A cry of terror escaped his lips as his wings clamped tight against his sides, sending Kepler plummeting straight down until he came to a painful landing in the shallow water. He managed to somehow remain in one piece even as his stomach erupted in lightning and brimstone, his bones behaving more like jelly as he forced himself into a sitting position to get his head above water. He coughed and sputtered for a moment as his brain attempted to operate beyond the agony that had taken the place of his stomach, although it proved to be a difficult task when every breath ignited fresh fire under his soaking wet fur. He made no attempt to resist as a pair of talons pulled him from the hole he had managed to dig into the sand below the water, his legs and wings hanging limply as he was carried back up to the deck and placed on the blessedly warm metal. “I’m so sorry!” Gloria blubbered as she paced around the groaning stallion. “I was sure you’d be able to glide just fine and then come in for a sliding stop on the shore. I swear it wasn’t supposed to go like that!” Kepler sent a scathing glare the hen’s way, causing the gryphon to flinch before he closed his eyes and rested his chin on the deck between his forelegs. “Toss me over the railing again, and I swear I’ll pluck every feather off your wings before pushing you off the nearest cliff face.” He was able to hear her gulp, which was somewhat healing for his burning temper, even though it did nothing for the burning flesh of his belly. “Understood. Won’t happen again, I swear.” Kepler laid there for a while longer, listening to Gloria’s talons click back and forth on the deck as she paced around his prone form. Finally, after ten minutes of white-hot agony, Kepler was able to at least sit up and breathe without his body sending lightning bolts up and down his spine. His gaze traveled astern, where he spotted Gloria inspecting the forward bow turret, known by the codename ‘Anton’, from the side. Her head was tilted quizzically as she gazed up at the main guns. “I don’t see any runes on the cannons.” Her voice carried easily to Kepler’s ears, even though their meaning made him raise an eyebrow in question as her head turned to face him. “How do you propel the projectiles if you don’t have runes to channel the magic pulse?” Kepler did his best to reply without growling at the hen due to his pain-addled consciousness, “The weapons on this ship are fired using explosive charges, which propel the ammunition through the barrels until they are launched out the end and towards the target.” Wait,” Gloria’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped open as she turned her full attention to Kepler, “are you telling me this entire ship operates without using a shred of magic power? HOW?!” Kepler was tempted to ignore his companion due to her botched attempt at teaching him to fly, but he checked his growing annoyance in favor of educating his companion instead of fighting with her. That, and he was already developing a headache from his rough landing. He didn’t need to add to it by fighting over semantics. He was here to teach, after all, so he might as well start with the gryphon that was being polite about it. “I don’t know how your kind generates energy,” Kepler did his best to simplify the terms he was going to use, given his audience’s lack of knowledge concerning Human industry, “but in my world, we had to rely on brute force and technology to get things done. This ship is powered by twelve oil-fired, superheated boilers, which provide energy to three geared turbines and their accompanying propellers. Her armaments are operated by a combination of hydraulics and electrical energy, while her other systems are fully electrically powered.” Kepler paused for a moment, searching Gloria’s expression for any confusion, but was pleasantly surprised when she simply motioned for him to continue. He nodded in understanding before turning his gaze upward towards the remains of the bridge. “This ship was one of the most powerful ever built, and she toppled several warships of equal class before the Allies put together a strike force to hunt her down and sink her.” The stallion hid his emotions for the time being as his eyes threatened to mist, seeing the pride of his nation’s navy in such a state. This was no time for tears. “But even under the combined assault of a dozen ships and with her port rudder damaged beyond repair, she still held out long enough to sink another three ships before we were forced to scuttle her.” “Why did you sink your own ship?” Gloria interjected. “It sounds like it meant a lot to you and the other soldiers that were stationed on it.” “It was too risky,” Kepler replied. “If the Allies were able to capture the Bismarck and turn it against us, then my homeland would have been under even greater threat than if we simply lost the ship outright. You see those huge cannons that are housed in the primary turrets?” Gloria followed his pointed hoof with her gaze before nodding. “They have an effective range of over thirty-six kilometers and can hit their target with enough explosive force to rip smaller craft in half. Even heavy cruisers can only take a few direct hits before they are either destroyed or rendered inoperable, depending on what the shells hit upon impact.” Eyes wide with awe, the hen turned her full attention back to Kepler. “How do you get the ammunition to go that far? Our best cannons can only shoot three or four kilometers before the cannonballs hit the ground.” “Well, for one thing, the shells aren’t round they are cone-shaped with a fine point to help them fly straighter and much further than a cannonball.” Kepler walked up to the base of ‘Anton’ and placed his hoof against the warm steel. “Plus, the barrels are rifled for even greater accuracy, allowing more of the propellant charge to push the ammunition downrange, instead of fighting against the motions of a ball bouncing around inside the barrel.” “So, you use explosives to push the, shells, out of the barrel, and you use more to make the shells deadlier once they hit the target.” Gloria stepped up beside him and placed her talons upon the plating beside his hoof. “Amazing. I never would have thought of that. All I know is that our rifles use acceleration runes to push the ammunition forward, and our cannons are only armed with balls or grapeshot that are simple hunks of metal. I know of grenades and other explosive weapons, but we haven’t figured out how to get the charge to go off when we use ranged weapons instead of infantry.” Kepler had estimated that the gryphons were roughly a hundred years behind humans, and from what he was hearing it sounded like he hadn’t been that far off. “Then you will be amazed by what this ship can teach you. Although, that depends on if you can even use the technology once I show you how it works.” Gloria stepped back and lowered her talons to the deck once more as they walked away from the turret. Kepler found, much to his annoyance, that he had to take two steps for every one of hers, and he silently cursed his shrunken stride as they made their way towards the stern. “I guess we’ll have to see what the scientists can come up with once you show them all of this,” Gloria mused. “It will be cool to see how much things will change after we start putting all of this new technology to use.” “One can only hope.” Kepler agreed. They walked for a few more meters before Gloria turned to face Kepler, her wings fidgeting slightly at her sides as she averted her gaze. “Um, would you mind if I tried teaching you to fly again?” Her tone was quiet but still audible to Kepler’s sensitive hearing as the hen rubbed the back of her neck with one claw. “I have orders to teach you how to fly and I don’t want to get in trouble for not doing it.” Kepler sighed but nodded nonetheless. “Very well, just don’t throw me overboard again and we shall get along just fine. I will admit,” he glanced over his shoulder as he extended his left wing, “I am excited to learn how to use these things, even if my inner self is slightly terrified of the idea.” Gloria’s smile returned full force, her excitement growing infectious as she spread her wings and jumped into a hover. “Great! I can’t wait to show you all the cool things that you can do once you know how to fly. Although,” she crossed her forelegs over one another as she held a talon to the underside of her beak, “I’m not sure how to teach you without throwing you off a tall object. It’s how we teach our chicks to fly.” “You have flight instincts as part of your nature,” Kepler countered, “I was not born with the ability to fly and thus do not have those instincts. My first thought when I drop from a great height is that I’m going to die by hitting the ground at high speed, not to spread my wings and fly.” Gloria grumbled under her breath for a moment before dropping back to the deck. “Well then I’ve got nothing. I guess I won’t be able to teach you how to fly after all.” “It will be fine. I’ve lived this long without flight, a little longer isn’t likely to do me in.” Kepler was secretly thankful that he wasn’t going to be tossed off any high ledges anytime soon, although the feeling of the wind under his wings still lingered in his mind as the duo continued down the port side of the main deck. “Well, I guess there isn’t anything else to do except go get the scientists and start pulling this thing apart.” Gloria replied as she sent a sympathetic glance his way, turning her attention back to the ship as they continued, “We can’t just leave all this metal lying about to rust when we could put it to use.” As much as Kepler balked at the idea of taking his beloved ship apart, he knew well and good that there was no way around it. He would need to take the turrets and boilers apart himself, if nothing else, plus show his allies how the radar worked, assuming they could even comprehend the concept. That, and all the unused ammunition would need to be moved for safety reasons. It wouldn’t do for an unprepared idiot to accidentally set off one of the shells inside the ammunition bays. An explosion of that magnitude would be more than enough to destroy what remained of the warship, and Kepler didn’t fancy teasing the Grim Reaper with another chance at his soul anytime soon. With one final glance around, Kepler nodded to his escort and they flew back to camp, the guards barely batting an eye at them before returning to their watch. As they came in for a landing in the center of the tent formation, Hauptmann Silverwing stepped out of the nearest one on their left, his sharp gaze locking with Kepler’s for a moment before shifting to Gloria. “I take it the pony’s flying lessons didn’t go as planned?” His contempt was as thick as the Bismarck’s armor as he addressed his subordinate, causing Kepler’s anger to rise sharply before he could get it back under control. Gloria was either used to the tone or just didn’t show it under pressure, because her reply was sharp and properly respectful as she placed a fist over her heart in salute. “Unfortunately not, sir. The Leutnant zur See doesn’t have the same flight instincts we do, according to him, so teaching him how to fly the way we teach our chicks isn’t going to work. I am at a loss on what to do about it and so we decided to return to camp to begin the research phase of the operation.” Silverwing nodded before turning his attention back to Kepler. “Then we shall focus our efforts on learning what we can from the wreck and worry about your flying lessons at a later date. Return to the ship and prepare to teach the specialists whatever you can. You will be tasked with covering every possible aspect of the vessel in as much detail as possible. If you do not know what something does or is, then we will use less delicate methods to discover the secrets they hold. Do not lie and do not withhold any information that might endanger my soldiers, or I will personally see to it that you never see the next sunrise. Am I understood?” Kepler did his best imitation of Gloria’s salute. “Perfectly, sir. I will do what I can to teach your kind how to create or replicate the technology within my ship. I only need to verify one thing before we begin.” An eye ridge rose slightly as the Hauptmann replied, “Oh, and what would that be?” “How does magic work in this world? Vizefeldwebel Windcutter mentioned that you use runes to propel your ammunition instead of explosive charges. From what I can understand, there is a form of energy in this world that you can use instead of conventional power sources, at least from the perspective of my homeland. If I am going to be teaching you how to build the systems on my ship, then I will need to know what kind of abilities and technology you have that could be used to recreate them.” Silverwing locked Gloria in place with a hard glare for a second before turning back to the stallion. “That is a complicated question, which would take weeks to fully explain. I don’t know all of the specifics myself, but I’m sure the enchanters would be able to explain it to you while you are going over the technology of your vessel.” Sensing the dismissal in the white tercel’s voice, Kepler bowed his head before replying, “Understood. I shall make it a point to compare notes with them as we go through the ship. Is there anything else you need us to do before we return to the wreck?” “No, that will be all.” Silverwing turned his attention back to Gloria. “Carry him back to the ship and make sure he stays out of trouble. These are some of the brightest minds of our nation and I will not have something unexpected endanger their safety on my watch. The pony is under your guard until you are relieved of duty, so anything that happens to or is caused by him will come down on your head.” Gloria bared her throat and snapped into another salute, albeit a slightly shaky one as she replied, “Sir, yes sir!” The Hauptmann nodded once before turning away, the slightly shaking hen he left in his wake holding her salute until he disappeared into another tent. Kepler placed a sympathetic hoof on her side, knowing full well how terrifying higher-ranked officers could be if they chose. Gloria sent a grateful glance his way as he removed his hoof from her shoulder, although they were interrupted as the engineers began pouring out from the various tents around them. It was only a few moments before they had gathered in a chattering bunch around the hen and stallion, their excitement rising as Gloria picked Kepler up and led the group back to the remains of the Bismarck. Kepler sighed as they came in for a landing on the deck at midships on the port side. He knew that there was no going back now, and as much as he might want to, there wasn’t any way to return to the life he once had. So, he straightened his back and held his head high, turning around to face the gathered specialists as he compiled every scrap of information he could remember about the ship they stood upon. “Before we begin,” he shifted the tone of his voice to carry so everyone could hear him, “are there any questions concerning the safety procedures I outlined yesterday? We will not go a step beyond this point unless everyone can adhere to those rules.” A gaggle of nodding heads was his answer, to which Kepler nodded in turn. “Very well then, to begin, I will go over some of the basic terminologies which I will be using while we are aboard the Bismarck. Some of them you may be familiar with, others you may not. I will explain all of them in detail so there is no confusion on anyone’s part, once we get underway.” The sun was nearly set by the time Kepler got through the laundry list of terms that he had to cover, showing the engineers most of the visible technology and different parts of the ship from their position on the main deck. He didn’t want to go into the interior of the ship without daylight, and he wasn’t going to allow anything resembling a flame near the lower decks until he could verify there wasn’t any oil leaking from the fuel tanks. The last thing they needed was a fire igniting what remained of the fuel and causing even more damage, again running the risk of setting off any of the multiple munitions magazines that were scattered around the ship. The gryphons were simultaneously astounded and skeptical of everything he told them, asking dozens of questions about anything they could see which he hadn’t already described. They at least seemed to know enough about weapon design and mechanics to understand the concepts behind the turrets and engines, although when Kepler explained how they were all powered, several of them had outright scoffed in disbelief. Apparently, the gryphons hadn’t been able to master high-efficiency steam engines yet and had instead turned to runes and this so-called magic to make up for the difference. Gloria was at his side the entire time, offering small words of insight or keeping the specialists from getting too out of hand when they didn’t agree with what Kepler was saying. For that, the stallion was extremely grateful, and he made a mental note to thank the young hen later, once they were done picking apart every nut and bolt on his ship. By the time they were done for the night, the moon was already past its zenith, leaving everyone yawning and dragging their limbs as Kepler concluded his explanation on how the anti-aircraft emplacements operated. Gloria had barely enough energy left to fly them back to camp, and even then, it was a close thing. They didn’t so much come in for a landing as slide along the sand until they tumbled to a stop inside the flaps of Kepler’s tent. Neither the stallion nor the hen paid any attention to what the other was doing, climbing into the bed and lifting the sheets over their bodies without ever realizing that they had just laid down next to each other. Both were in for a rather rude awakening come sunrise.