//------------------------------// // A hard choice // Story: Of War and Friendship // by DocDelray //------------------------------// Kad and Kell silently prepped their gear for the final task ahead of them before they could rest easy for a time. Nearby, a confused and concerned Twilight watched the brothers go about their tasks, “But I thought you said you had enough food to last yourselves another week. What’s the point of this hunt?” “Ain’t lookin’ for food or trophies ma’am,” Kad answered her as he gave his lightsaber a once over. “That shuttle hasn’t been here for very long, Sparkle,” Kell added, “Vod and I are gonna go out while we still got the night on our side and hunt ‘em down before they find us.” Her stomach began to twist a bit as their intensions became clear, “You’re going out there to find the ones who brought this ship and kill them, aren’t you?” With a playful smirk, Kell tapped the tip of his nose before going back to his rifle, “If you’d prefer, we could let ’em find us while we’re snoozin’ so they can slit that pretty throat of yours.” Her eyes narrowed on the sniper, “Your scare tactics won’t work on me, Staff Sergeant. I fully understand that what you’re doing is what you feel is necessary for everypony’s safety… but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with any of it.” “I’d start worryin’ about ya if ya did, ma’am.” Kad stated as he scooped up his helmet and slipped it on, disappearing behind a mask of Mandalorian Iron. Kell wasn’t far behind his brother, returning to the ever-familiar world of the HUD. With a smile he brought his fist up – Kad, with no hesitation, imitated his movements, bumping knuckles with him, “Time to roll, vod!” Kell exclaimed happily. “I got your back brother!” Kad replied excitedly. Twilight found it hard to withhold the urge to roll her eyes at this “foalish” behavior as these grown men hyped each other, “Please take care of yourselves out there.” Before anyone could move, their attention was quickly drawn to the sound of unfamiliar voices at the far edge of camp, “I’m telling you we left the shuttle somewhere around here.” “Why didn’t you leave the locator active?” “Those spec-ops guys might pick up on it, then we’d be down another shuttle.” Kad gave his brother a confused look from behind his visor before sending out a quiet alert to the rest of the team via their HUDs. In seconds the pair was joined by Torb and Zex as they each took an ambush position, waiting for the speakers to come into the open. “That’s all well and good Jenson, but now WE can’t find the damn ship!” Exclaimed one of the Deathwatch troopers as they strode into the swamp, clearing ignorant of what they were walking into. “Only six strong, lightly armed.” Torb pointed out over the comlink. “What say we try a diplomatic approach this time around, fellas?” Kad ordered as they watched the troopers come fully into view. “See, I told you it would be here.” One trooper exclaimed happily before taking notice of the small camp that had sprung up in their absence, “What the hell is all this though?” On cue, Epsilon quickly surrounded the Deathwatch troopers from their hiding spots. The advantage of numbers meant little to the angles for firing Kad and the others had on them. “I’m sure I can guess what you boys are thinkin’ right now. You’re thinkin’ ya might be able to fight your way outta this wee trap that ya walked into.” Kad stated as he ignited his saber, “Let me just dash them hopes right quick.” A splash of sunlight began to melt away the cold grip of sleep over the Private. The world of his dreams started to fade away and none too soon - what was with that tea party with the pack of kath hounds? A foggy haze still covered his world as the welcomed scents of fresh brewing caf hit his nostrils, going hand in hand with the faintest hint of wild flowers. Arkanna could feel something soft and warm against his face. Eventually his vision came into focus as he sat up and turned find his pillow from the night before, coming eye to eye with Fluttershy’s bright crimson face - just barely an inch away from her. Despite the nervous look on her face, he couldn’t help but give a tired smile at the situation, “Jate vaar’tur mesh’la.” “Morning…” She barely managed to squeak out. Sitting up, the Private went about getting a hot cup of caf from the fire, the bitter liquid giving him the kick he needed to start moving. Slowly, he started taking note of a few changes around the camp. For starters, the flattened chunks of stone with what looked like fist indentations, a few trees on their sides and finally the men in their underwear, mesh-taped to a tree. Confused but not phased the Private gave them a nod and raise of his cup before turning back to Fluttershy, “Huh… I can’t shake the feeling that I may have missed something last night.” Still flushed bright red, she smiled nervously as she glanced at the ground, “You may have missed a few things…” “If they kill us, I just want to get this off my chest,” One of the captured troopers began to confide to his comrades, “This is all your fault, Jenson.” Jenson looked to his compatriots in shock, “Me? What’d I do?” “You left the locator beacon turned off!” One of the six shouted in retort. “Anyone could’ve made that mistake.” He pleaded. “No Jenson, only you could get us THIS screwed!” One more bit back. The team quickly buttoned up as the approach of one of their captors accompanied by an equestrian who looked more than a little irate, “Oh, don’t stop on our account, boys.” Kad stated with a smirk, “I want ya boys to meet a friend’a mine by the name’a Rainbow Dash. See, she ain’t too pleased ‘bout you fellas comin’ down here an’ startin’ trouble.” “Not pleased at all, Captain.” The Pegasus snarled through bared teeth, “Especially after somepony tried to blow my head off!” One of the captured troopers gave her a cocky sneer, “Too bad they missed.” “You think so huh?” The frustrated mare took a step forward while wheeling her body around, kicking out with her hind legs at the arch of the turn. Her hooves connected with the tree with a loud jarring crack, just barely missing the offender’s head. Rainbow found herself taking a great deal of satisfaction in the frightened look in his eyes, “Next time, I don’t miss.” “Kandosii Dash’ika!” Kad exclaimed with a laugh, “See, these equestrian girls might look cute an’ what not. But they can kill just as easy as you an’ me.” Rainbow felt a swelling of pride as the Captain talked her up, made all the sweeter by the frightened look in the Deathwatch trooper’s eyes, “See, me and the Cap here got a little bet going. I think I could crack your skulls in one buck.” Kad snickered as he took a knee to watch, “Now boys, there’s a way to avoid this untimely death by peeved off Pegasus, you tell us the access codes to your hanger bay an’ you ain’t gotta get drenched in your friend’s last thoughts.” “You think you scare us, you-” The trooper’s words were cut off as a pair of hooves connected with the side of his head, bouncing him off the tree trunk. A stream of blood gushed from a gash in the side his head and nose, “Haar’chak!” “Looks like ya owe me lunch Dash, didn’t bust in one shot.” Kad said in a disappointed tone. “Gah, I can’t believe you just did that, you cantina harlot!” Another swift buck caught him across the face, shattering his jaw with a loud snap. “That sounded like an insult to me.” Dash stated with a playful grin. “I’d say one more should open that nugget, Dash’ika. Give ’em another good kick.” Kad advised as he watched the trooper cough up blood, teeth and incoherent curse words. “Wait!” Jenson was the one to crack, just like Torb predicted. Within moments Epsilon had a plethora of vital information ranging from troop strength, the possibility of reinforcements and even the access codes for the hanger bay, “And then when I was twenty-two I paid a Bothan to sleep with me so I could lose my virginity…” Dash watched in uncomfortable silence as they let the Deathwatch trooper Jenson spill every detail about his life, “Wow… That was more than anypony needed to know… Ever.” “Yeah… Kinda sad we let ’im keep going, now that I think about it…” Kad stated sorrowfully. “How do you think we feel, having to hear it too?” One of the troopers chimed in sarcastically. The approach of hoof falls drew Kad’s attention to Luna’s advance. He could swear even in this swamp she walked regally, “Your highness.” “Captain Skirata,” She addressed him with a bow of her head, “I trust thou hath gained the knowledge thine sought.” He regarded the troopers with a bemused glance before looking back to the princess, “That an’ more your highness. We should be ready to go on the offensive on your command milady.” He gave a side long look at the prisoners as he subconsciously reached for his saber hilt, “What’re your orders for this sorry lot?” “I shall deal with them myself, Captain,” Luna stated firmly as she looked over the prisoners, “You and thine men should make ready what preparations are needed, I will join you shortly to discuss the operation in full.” Kad snapped a quick salute to the princess before marching back towards the main camp. He and his squad had been hired by nobles several times before in the past, but this was first time he’d found himself actually enjoying it. This Equestrian took far more interest in the well-being of her soldiers and respected them enough to allow them to make the right calls far more than any stuffed suit from Coruscant ever did, “Hey Captain, you got a second?” The cyan Pegasus’ worried tone brought him back to reality. “Speak your mind, Dash.” He replied. She hesitated for a moment as she glanced back at her hoof-work and the red trail she had been leaving in the mud, “That… Act we put on, it really was just an act, right? You weren’t gonna make me kill any of them, were you?” Kad came to a stop, “Dash, how far would ya go to protect everyone an’ everythin’ ya loved and cared about?” She cocked her head in confusion as the question mulled over in her brain, “I… I don’t understand.” “If killin’ those men meant your world’d be safe, would ya have followed my order? Would you have killed them?” The aged warrior’s eyes turned to hardened steel as they bore into her. She forced herself to keep her eyes locked with his, but it was a battle Rainbow was slowly losing, “I… I don’t know… I mean if it meant everypony’d be safe then…” She trailed off as she scoured her soul for the answer - could she really take the life of another creature? The frustration and confusion began to mount on her as the subject threatened to tear apart everything she’d been raised to know as right and wrong. Kad took a knee to bring himself eye-level with her, “Dash’ika…” Placing his hands on her shoulders, his tone took on that of a parent addressing their child. “Any di’kut can kill - a life can be taken in the blink of an eye. A Mando’ade, a Protector, takes a life for a reason. We all got our reasons to fight an’ kill ad’ika, you an’ yours gotta decide if you do too.” Rising to his feet, he took the helmet strapped to his belt and regarded her with one last look, “’Cause my brothers an’ I can’t save this whole damn planet an’ protect you lot forever.” Before slipping his bucket back on continuing back to the camp. Rainbow Dash watched in silence as the warrior strode away from her, his parting words becoming a halo that hung about her head. A reason to fight, to give everything she had: heart, mind, body and soul towards protecting everypony she could, to protect Equestria. As well as a reason to kill an enemy that would not hesitate to kill her either. She trotted after him and easily managed to overtake the human and place herself in his path, “If it’s that easy, then what’s your reason Captain?” Her old determination was starting to return to her eyes. Behind his visor, a smile crept across Kad’s face as he reached onto his belt and produced a holodisc. Pressing the button on the side of it, an image of himself with his body armor and weapons came into view. In his arms was a woman of a light blue tinted skin, her light pink hair was cut short and her golden eyes shone happily as she leaned into the warrior’s arms. Before them both was a child that bore quite a resemblance to the pair, his skin had a slight blue tint and his hair a mix of red and pinkish hues with golden eyes, happily making faces at the direction the image was taken from, “My wife, Shin’ima and our son Cassus. I took this image before I shipped out just like I always do. I fight the enemies of the Mand’alor so they can live happily. That’s my reason ad’ika.” The Pegasus was taken aback by this piece of information, and quite frankly had no idea what to do with this knowledge, “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” Before anymore confused stammering could pour out, she felt his hand rest atop her head and began ruffling her mane. “Not like you’d’a known, kiddo,” He took pride in seeing a smile return to her face as he mussed her hair, “Now why don’t ya run along an’ find the doc? Said he was ready to take them bandages off ya.” This bit of news brought a wide excited smile to Rainbow’s features, “Thank Celestia, it’s about time!” The Pegasus quickly trotted off in search of the medic before stopping to call back to him, “Hey Cap, thanks for the talk, I think things are a bit clearer now.” Kad let out a chuckle as he watched her gallop off in search of the Corporal. He couldn’t help but muse to himself, Vod’s right, she’d make a good Mandalorian. Fierce and determined with a sense of justice, they could all be of use if they’d just… His mind began to trail off as an idea formed, bringing with it the edges of a smile. Later that afternoon the entirety of the party had been assembled at the ashy embers of the fire before. All eyes were on Torb and Luna as they went over the situation, “The Princess and I have discussed our options and it is clear our highest priority is the frigate-class Star Destroyer currently in orbit,” The Chiss strategist began the address as he produced a holodisc that projected the image of the ship, “Thanks to the efforts of the Captain and Ms. Dash, we now have the access codes to their hanger bay.” The cyan Pegasus quickly spoke up, “Whatever happened to those guys, anyways?” Luna gave a wry smile in return, “They took a trip.” Her thoughts drifted to how shocked the small collection of prisoners must have been to suddenly find themselves no longer in the swamplands, but instead the snow-drenched city of Stalliongrad. With a motion, the image shifted to a more detailed layout of the interior of a ship of this design, “Our current plan will be a swift assault on the frigate to take out their engines and hopefully knock it out of orbit.” “Why not take the bridge and use the ship to our advantage?” To Epsilon’s surprise, the question came from Twilight. “Too many between us an’ the bridge,” Kad retorted, “The ship still has a crew well over two hundred strong. On top’a that, between all of us we can’t pilot a ship that size without a crew to man it.” Torb highlighted a hallway near the hanger bay, “Also the hanger is closer to the engine room. We can cause far more damage and cripple the ship if we head there.” Traycn had remained quite since the fight the other night. Nursing his shoulder and pride as he avoided contact with every other being, “We need to do more than cripple it.” Kad’s attention fell on the Taung, he was reluctant to allow him his say after his mutiny but he knew better than to question his strategies, “What’cha got in mind Tray?” “Simply crippling the ship only slows them down. If we want to truly cut off this Teth’s arms then we must destroy the frigate completely.” Traycn stated as he changed the layout view to bring up the engine room itself, “We overload the core and lock the engines into a rapid decay with the planet.” “That’s a good idea and stuff but, where’ll it land?” Rainbow chimed in. “We’ll worry ‘bout that detail when we get to the engines,” Kad assured her, “Whatever we chose to do we have two more problems, Deathwatch’s got troops all over the capital and there’s bound to be a few marchin’ about Ponyville as well.” “I hath no doubt the scoundrel will retaliate swiftly upon word his vessel is destroyed.” Luna stated with growing concern, “Upon leaving the ship I shall rejoin my sister to face Teth, together the palace will be brought under control with ease. As we bring things to order within the castle, the rest of you shall throw off what troops he has left in Ponyville before joining me in Canterlot.” “I don’t like the idea of ya facin’ him on your own your highness.” The Captain stated as he watched the monarch through his visor, “Wish you’d reconsider this part of your plan.” Luna placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder with a smile, “Thine concerns are welcome good Captain, but this threat must be faced by Equine kind just as much as thine own troops. Our subjects must see we are willing to face any threat to protect them.” With a reluctant sigh, Kad gave in to her charms, “I understand milady, ya can’t leave all the fightin’ to us. Don’t mean I gotta like the plan though.” His attention shifted to the other three ponies in their care, “Which brings us to one more bit’o concern: you three young ladies.” The three mares shared a concerned look between themselves, “We can’t keep protectin’ ya girls at every turn, an’ now Deathwatch is gunnin’ for ya just like us. Time to make a choice girls: what are ya willin’ to do to protect your home world?” An awkward silence choked the air as the trio hesitantly mulled the Mandalorian’s ultimatum over. Rainbow Dash bit down on her lip as she took a bold step away from the group puffing out her chest and giving her newly freed wings a quick flex, “Alright Cap, I’m in!” Fluttershy watched her friend take the first step looking between her, Twilight and one of the Mandalorians. Swallowing hard she tried to force what little courage she had to the surface before taking a shaky step forward, “I’d like to help too… If that’s okay I mean.” Not one to leave her friends in the lurch Twilight moved up alongside them, “I want to do my part too, sir.” Kell let out a chuckle as he looked over their new “recruits”, mentally weighing their usefulness, “Kandosii, that’s the spirit girls!” Kad’s attention shifted to Traycn, “Get’em fitted for that armorplast Deathwatch “donated” to us. In the meantime, we gotta find a use for you ladies.”