//------------------------------// // Chapter 47: Regrouping // Story: A Forgotten Trooper // by TheIronPone035 //------------------------------// Strider didn't know how much ground he'd covered, but he was sure that if any of those droids had managed to escape, they wouldn't be reaching him before getting shut down by the snowstorm. Strider slowed the speeder bike down, before stopping it in front of the landed carriage of Princess Luna. He cut the power from the vehicle and hopped off it, his white boots crunching the snow below. Princess Luna had also exited her carriage, hooves pushing large clumps of snow out of the way. The two met in the middle between where the two modes of transportation had stopped, both having several thoughts flowing through their minds. "We believe that proper introductions art in order." Princess Luna exclaimed. Strider reached up to his helmet, taking it off to expose his face to the dark blue alicorn. "Yeah, I've got a few questions." "As doth we. We are Princess Luna, ruler of the night sky and its brilliant moon." "I'm Strider, designated number CT three seven one nine of the Grand Army of the Republic." The princess showed mild confusion at the latter part of his sentence, an eyebrow raised in confusion as she seemingly replayed it in her mind before speaking; "Well then... tis a pleasure to make thine acquaintance; Strider designated number CT three seven one nine. Now, can thy please enlighten us as to what we have just fled from?" Strider couldn't be certain for sure, but he had a strong theory as to who that bunker belonged too. "I believe we just escaped from an old Sith Empire military outpost, judging by the signina, outdated droid models and weaponry inside. Must've been lying dormant for centuries," He exclaimed, wondering how any of those droids could've possibly continued functioning half as good as they were. "And what is this... Sith Empire you speak of?" "The Sith Empire, or Sith Order, was an old religious order of force users. They sought to destroy the Galactic Republic and rule the galaxy eons ago, but declined collapsed after decades of war," Strider proclaimed, still able to picture the holo-lectures he'd been instructed to complete during his training. There hadn't been much in the Galactic History section, but the points that were there, he'd drilled into his mind just like the rest of the given knowledge on Kamino. Princess Luna glanced back in the direction they'd come from. Any sort of structure would've been impossible to see through the snowstorm, yet her cyan irises refused to yield from it. "We see, are there more of these so called 'bunkers'?" Strider reached into one of the many compartments on his utility belt and retrieved the holoprojector. A pinch of his hand ignited the blue holographic image of the base they'd just escaped, which soon shifted into a rough image of Equestria itself. A few red blips soon appeared across the digital land, each residing far from each other. "Each of those blips indicates a possible base location that could've been built based on strategic points and other positions. I can't confirm their existence due to my lack of equipment and intel of this place. But if there's one of these bunkers here, then there are surely others somewhere on this planet." She eyed the map quizzically, noting the bright red blips scattered across a blue tinted country. She motioned with a wing for her guards, one of which quickly approached to stand by her side. They retrieved a ragged looking paper map of Equestria from their gear bags, along with an inkwell and quill. "Note down these marks across our map," The princess instructed. The guard wasted no time in this task, marking down each blip via a black X on the physical map. They worked quick, regardless of the pounding snow that continued to fall around them. While they worked, Strider resumed his focus on the tall mare before him. "That blade you wielded back there, how'd you get it?" He could see a subtle frown of disapproval emerge across her face, most likely due to his rather blunt tone. But his curiosity was strong, and he needed to know how the signature weapon of his Jedi generals had wound up in the possession of a race that before crashing here, he didn't even know existed. "That is not of thy concern, Strider designated CT three seven one nine," her expression was stoic and firm, making it apparent that she didn't wish to go any further into it than that. However, Strider could faintly make out a faint of curiosity in her own gaze. He knew he was treading on thin ice, and the last thing he needed was to start making bad impressions to the rulers of the kingdom he'd crashed in. But maybe, he might be able to exchange some information of his own for a bit more. "Apologies, your highness," he began, beating back his senseless pride, "It's just that the blade you were using is the signature weapon of my Jedi general, same as most other G.A.R. soldiers. A 'lightsaber.'" Lead the target, wait for it to stabilize. Princess Luna's quizzical eyebrow rose once again, that seed of curiosity he'd spotted showing its roots. "Pray tell, what do you know of this... 'lightsaber,'" she inquired. Squeeze the trigger, let the plasma flow through space. "My knowledge on them is fairly limited, but I have seen what they're capable of in the hands of a skilled warrior. My Jedi general's own green blade could slash through the heaviest of armored tanks, level entire platoons of enemy droids in mere minutes. They could even absorb and deflect incoming projectiles like plasma bolts, as you saw with those droids back there." Wait for it to connect... "We have indeed observed its capable blade," Princess Luna agreed, no doubt picturing the fight that occurred just minutes prior. "What of their creation? How are they built?" "I'm not sure, never seen one built in-person before," Strider admitted, before hastily continuing; "but our general did tell us that each saber is unique, created by the Jedi that wields them. In a way, they're an extension of themselves in the form of a blade, making them an incredibly deadly force to be reckoned with." Wait for it. The alicorn fell silent for a few moments, her expression that of deep thought as an internal debate rang through her mind. The guard tasked with marking down the blips had by now finished their task, depositing the inkwell and quill back to their intended locations before taking the map towards the carriage for safe keeping. Wait for it... An inaudible sigh escaped the lunar princess's muzzle, her gaze returning to Strider's own. "We thank thee for thy information. As for how we came into possession of it, we recovered the blade from our ancient archives, passed down throughout our history. We do not know of its origin, nor its... Jedi. But rest assured, it'll remain safe and secure." Contact. "Recovered in an ancient archive, well that doesn't shed much light," Strider thought, debating on his next move. On one hand, it was his duty to return property such as a lightsaber back to the Jedi temple. On the other, he had no idea when he'll be able to return to Coruscant, not to mention his lack of knowledge on this planet and its species. For all he knew, that blade belonged to a Jedi who came from here, or possibly belonged to a warrior of old during conflict with the Sith Empire, as evident by that bunker existing. Either way, he knew it would be best not to make enemies with one of the rulers of the land he was stranded in. If that lightsaber has remained safe for however many years it's been here, then it'll hopefully remain safe for longer. Speaking of which. The weather was beginning to worsen, the snow practically pounding against Strider's armor. It was starting to get difficult to see through the falling flakes, and he was sure he wasn't the only one thinking this. "It seems we must continue this talk at a later date. We shall inform our sister of this discovery and thine information. Thy shall receive word if summoned," Princess Luna proclaimed, quickly returning to her carriage which had begun to fill with snow. It took off not long after, rising steeply in an effort to go above the storm. Strider returned his helmet over his head, shielding his eyes from the onslaught of snow. He made his way back to the speeder bike, climbing onto it and restarting its engine as quickly as he could. It roared to life, and he kicked it into gear before guiding it through the frosted tundra. Back in Ponyville, pegasi were setting up several clumps of clouds that were filled to the brim with snowflakes, ready to be unloaded at the drop of a hat. Derpy Hooves had just finished placing the final cloud over Sweet Apple Acres and was about to take off, only for her tail to jostle said cloud off its intended position. "Oops. My bad!" Derpy exclaimed out loud, more to herself than to anypony who might've been standing close enough to witness the small mistake. Derpy put the cloud back into position and took off, flying back towards where she normally worked, the post office. If she'd stuck around a little longer, she might've been able to catch a single snowflake that had broken free of its restraints in the cloud, slowly drifting towards the ground. On the snowflakes journey, it fluttered past a closed window, where it was spotted by Apple Bloom. The young filly watched the snowflake drift through the air, dancing around the window before vanishing from sight. Normally such a thing would've sent her into a spiral of eagerness for the upcoming snowfall, yet she couldn't bring herself to even smile at it. Apple Bloom let out a quiet sigh, resuming her overwatch of the surrounding orchard. She'd messed up horribly, and she knew it. Her friends tried repairing Strider's ship without the needed knowledge or tools. Been careless in their actions, resulting in the ship's complete destruction. And on top of it all, they'd gotten Twilight hurt in the crossfire. Apple Bloom wanted to make this right, and she knew her friends thought the same. But what could she do? The filly pondered this for awhile, her gaze gently drifting from the orchard and back into her room. She focused on the small desk that she'd found in the attic, a find that led to it becoming her own. An idea began to form in Apple Bloom's mind, making her spring from her position by the window and over to the desk. Apple Bloom hastily retrieved some paper from a drawer, along with a few pencils and an eraser, setting each down on the desk. The filly began writing, doing the best she could to make something that could at least show how sorry she and her friends were over the accident. Apple Bloom didn't know how much time she'd spent writing, but once she was finished, she wasted no time placing the letter into an envelope. She wanted to deliver it as quickly as she could, bolting out of her room and down the hallway towards the front door. "Go'n ta Fluttershy's!" Apple Bloom called out, hoping one of her older siblings or Granny had heard her as she opened the front door and galloped in the direction of the cottage. The cloud cover above was foreboding of the coming snow front, but luckily none had yet to start falling. This meant she had no trouble rushing across the dirt roads that led to the cozy little cottage that so many animals called sanctuary. She knocked on the front door, waiting with anticipation for an answer. Not long after did the faint sound of hoof falls on wood begin to sound from inside, which was quickly followed up by the door creaking open, revealing the element of kindness herself. "Heya Fluttershy! Is Strider here?" Apple Bloom questioned. The smile on Fluttershy's face faded a little, her eyes shifting towards a nearby window that housed a faint view of the charred remains of the gunship. She didn't look long, returning her gaze to the young filly standing before her. "I'm sorry Apple Bloom, but Strider's not here at the moment. I'm not exactly sure when he's gonna be back," Fluttershy responded, feeling guilty as she saw the filly's face fall. "Oh... well, once he does get back, can ya give him this?" Apple Bloom asked, offering the pegasus the freshly sealed envelope. "I will," Fluttershy claimed, gently taking the envelope with a hoof. "do you wanna stay for some tea?" Apple Bloom pondered this for a few seconds, before nodding. Fluttershy felt her smile return as she stood aside, letting the filly enter before she slowly shut the cottage door behind them.