Talon was no stranger to this act. He had guard multiple war chiefs in numerous parley's with many different tribes. When one or more representatives acted shady or weren't entirely truthful. One of the representatives would put something in place to ensure the death of all parties. It was a good strategy. It had worked when the worst came to pass too. So to see them react with jaws dropping and shouts of denial he knew he made the right choice. Especially when he saw the grinding teeth of the Lunar diarch and the dejected gaze of the solar. In that moment he had made a good judgment call and waited for them to call off the guards ,who looked as if they were going to jump him any second now.
At the second they were about to send a message to find the S-DD's he stopped them. "That's a exercise in futility your highness." At the sound if his voice they jumped and he could see the apprehensive question in their eyes. "The bombs are well hidden. Not to mention that half of them are constantly moved around the castle's facilities as well. The time it would take for you to find them means they won't be discovered till' well after this meeting ends." They looked down cast at the floor.
'Those six women look like they had about enough of me. The other four aren't far behind either.' Talon thought as he watched the twelve across from him. He decided it was time to end this and relocate his living quarters.
"Listen and listen well. My terms are thus follows: I will be able to leave and enter castle grounds as I permit. I will not leave your nations borders without explicit permission. When I leave I won't tell you or any of your personnel and disappear for too long. Also I'll be able to acquire materials with local currency. These are my terms and they aren't up for debate. Remember this well. You have my word as a warrior of the Blood Eagle that I won't break these conditions." Talon was a mere warrior yes...but that doesn't make him a fool. He hadn't wanted to put concessions in his terms but, the thin ice he was standing on was cracked enough as it was. He didn't need to go and break it even more. If he pushed too hard he would have to use the S-DD's. If he didn't push enough his terms would be turned on him.
--------------------
Luna in a moment of lucid horror realizes their fatal mistake. The term 'Tribal' had blinded them all to his capabilities. Their people had devised weapons and devices far ahead of what any people on Sardonia could for centuries. They had underestimated Blood Talon severely. If they dont agree to his terms canterlot would be nothing but a pile of rubble at the foot of a mountain. If they agreed he would be left to his own devices. She gritted her teeth. Her nails about to dig into her palms from how clenched her fists were. If it was a thousand years ago they would have buried Talon in a pile of guards and imprisoned him. However the peace that has reigned over their land for so long had made her subjects soft...too soft.
Luna was having a hard time restraining herself. The previous day he only managed to get the upper hand do to surprise. Today could be different...couldn't it? She had to know one thing though. One thing that could make or break her agreeing to his terms.
"What do you mean we have your word? What is there to stop you from going back on it?" Luna's question appeared innocent to her friends. Her sister cast a question with her eyes. She observed the tribals body language. His fists clenched tightly. His shoulders bunched up and his head turned to her so quickly that they almost heard a crack.
"You dare to question the word of one who fights for the Eagle? How dare you! I should kill you right here for suggesting such a thing!" The tribal was on the verge of following through too. The guards were about to attack till she sent her own signal telling them to stand down. While she had reservations still. She was less weary of this agreement. While her sister may have forgotten their own knights and their traditions. Those moments of history were fresh in her mind.
The tribals response was once more furious and threatens violence. However she could remember her and her sister's knights taking major offence to someone questioning their word. Luna looked to Celestia giving another voiceless signal. She immediately looked back at Talon an eyebrow raised. Celestia appeared to roll the concept around in her head before closing her eyes and letting out a noiseless sigh. She once more looked down on Talon from her throne as Celestia voiced her own question.
"Can you be trusted to not bring any harm to my subjects?" The question her dear sister asked seemed to be a simple one. A simple yes or no, on the surface but below that surface was a test. She didn't quite have a firm grasp on his culture. His two lessons, in-depth, on two completely different subjects. However her sister was seeing just how forthcoming this troublemaker would be. "Only in either self-defense or a innocent getting hurt. Oh do not give me that look. I may be a violent tribal but I'm not a butcher....mostly." Once more his response was honest. No one would ever self incriminate themselves so much in his place if they were even a hundredth as honest as he was. Luna shared yet another look with Celestia before her sister turned to give him an answer. "I shall..."
------------------------
Shining Armor jumped as he heard yet another rattle of pegasus armor one that had just landed. He'd been sending pegasi into the air on routine search patterns for two day's now. It has been three day's since anypony has last seen the tribals new unwanted occupant. Normally this process would be overseen by a regiments commanding officer. However none of the palace staff, from the lowest maid to the highest guard, wanted anything to do with "The Bloody Vulture." He has had to dispatch and personally review the orders and reports or, they'd never happen. He has attempted to bring this to the princesses, the keyword being 'attempted.' Anytime he asked for them the staff would inform them the princesses were busy with their duties. He was on the verge of ripping his mane out from frustration. Shining Armor didn't particularly care for the tribal. However after working for the princesses closely, he knew they would want to keep tabs on their new guest. Tabs which wouldn't be available if the bastard wasn't found soon! It happened the night of the meeting. They had been to busy looking for the bombs only to discover their true size. The things were barely the size of a bit! It had taken them two in a half days to find them all. They had apparently been hidden behind columns, structural supports, and on multiple service trolleys. Even now they were still unsure if they found them all. He never said anything to any pony but, even with the weapons he had they wouldn't have been able to carry that much of a charge in their size. Shining didn't have it in his heart to tell any of the princesses that they had fallen for a bluff. Truthfully no one really noticed his disappearance until half way through the second day. He had waited to observe how the guards would perform this procedure since he had left to be with his wife. Leaving him here in the present trying to out fox the eagle. He stayed at his post for one more hour reading hollow empty reports. He even told the patrols to keep a eye out for twin crimson contrails, the signature of his jet pack. He stopped to wonder at that. All his guard ponies being able to fly. The sheer mobility a army would have. Before long he set down the last report then left the patrol tower his head hanging low.
He walked the halls some more hoping to spot the red and black armored tribal himself before, he went to he and his wife's quarters. While they were rulers of the Crystal Empire they couldn't both be gone for long. One or two day's more and they'll have to return to their kingdom. His sister and her friends were returning tomorrow to ponyville themselves. The whole purpose of their visit being moot since Talon got up, handed them their tails, then took possession of all his items. Which were missing. Not just from a "secure storage area" but, they were missing from the palace entirely. He figured where ever he has been he'd apparently seen the need to move his equipment there. Honestly this whole business has him confused. At first he though that the castle was housing a war machine, a golem of sorts. Then he thought they were hosting a complete and total psychopath. One who thought everything was do or die...literally. That last part was true but, it wasn't from some form of psychosis or mental condition. It was the way he and his people were raised since they could walk. A society of advanced techno barbarians who were completely surrounded by conflict and warfare. He couldn't imagine having anymore experience than what he'd had from "The Hunt" a label for Equestria's sporadic hunt and capture of Chrysalis. He wasn't even the Royal guard captain for all of it honestly. They always took as many prisoners as possible when they attacked the Renegades hive clusters. He had only taken three lives in those battles. They kept him awake for a week. He couldn't imagine doing what Talon did for what's probably his whole life. The thought scared him. He was shaken from his line of thought when he saw the "Light of His Life" entered their bed chambers from a corridor closer than him. He picked up his pace from a dejected shuffle to nearly skipping down the corridor he slowed himself when he reached the door. He opened it as quietly as possible to see her staring out over the balcony. He slowly shut the door and snuck across the room nary making a sound until he was right behind her. He slowly lowered his hands over her eyes before whispering in her ear. "Guess who?" The response was as beautiful as he was hoping for. The soft giggle that passed her lips as she smiled was enough for him to shake off his earlier mood. She turned around quickly stealing a kiss stunning Armor in place for only a second before she slips past into their room. It was a few minutes later after, they had removed their regalia and sat at a small table drinking tea.
"So are you ready to go home Cady?" Shining asked his wife who, after a taking a sip of tea, responded. "Yes, I really am. Honestly I was not expecting the prisoner transfer to take as long as it had. I just hope something hasn't happened while we've been here." Her response gave shining Armor pause. He gave the idea some thought. "Yeah even though the Crystal Ponies are slowly getting back on their hooves. I know the thought that being a millennia in the future has left them extremely easy to scare." He looked back over to Cadance who looked into the distance out a nearby window.
"Yes. Hey Shiny how old do you think he is?" Cadance asked him her voice unintentionally mirroring her thoughts. The question took Shining back as to the unexpected suddenness of it. He knew who she was talking about. "Well going by how long it takes a ponies brain to mature. Also that stand by probationary period he told us about twenty eight or twenty nine why?" He responded honestly he didn't really take any time to consider the possibility really. "We-well I was just thinking about life like that. How much he urged conflict and combat. Also how tall he was outside of that armor...only slightly taller than Twilight I... never mind." She looked off to the side. "Well I'm quite honestly tired. After the first two days then finding all those bombs. Followed up by staying with Twilight and her friends then dealing with the Changelings in the dungeons I'm drained. I think I'll turn in for the night Shining." She finished off her statement by standing up and moving to prepare her sleep wear.
Shining Armor was stuck. On one hand his wife's question had serious weight and conviction behind it. On the other hand what she said could be just as true. It might just be severe mental and emotional strain, either way he was in the same spot. With the guards and staff breaking procedure and, the bombs taken care of he could do nothing but enjoy the rest of his time back in his home city. With that thought he followed her to bed.
--------------------
'There all done!' Talon thought to himself setting the last of the turret's up in the cave. After agreeing to his terms Talon immediately set out to relocate all he had to his name at the time. It wasn't much but it counted... it had to. After grabbing his gear and leaving that ,would've been prison cell, he immediately set out to recon a new temporary home. It took him a few hours but he found a caved in area of the gardens that lead to a underground chamber. The only thing that lend any sort of credence to this being a good place to set up was the condition of the gardens around it. The vines overgrown and the shrubbery wild, it obviously hadn't been seen to in considerable years. He took stock of his new home. The Dep-I had some emergency supplies stored in it. Three turrets, one proximity mine, two deployable repair stations, several thousand rounds of ammunition AND the weapons but, he would be able to use the heavy stuff. The Dep-I also had several emergency sensors along with the sensor station itself. It wouldn't cover half a continent but he had reasonable coverage of the mountain and city. If he could key it into non human life signs he would be able to track the local population too. And it was all thanks to the Nano bots it used to store and assemble too. Otherwise a machine the size of a back pack would have no way to store that much gear. Human tech like the Inventory stations and, the power packs wouldn't be half as possible if it wasn't for the salvaged Cybrid tech. Say what you want about those twenty foot tall war machines, they made good tech. If he could acquire more materials and have the Nanobots assemble them into components, he could get access to better gear like medium armor. However he didn't think silicon was all that readily available
a material though. If he needed it he'd have to raid shipments. Even though it would bring back some normalcy it hadn't come to that yet.
He looked over to the other side of the cave a table and bed he'd liberated from the castle store rooms. Lying upon the table was a pile of books he'd taken as well. He was hoping to study up on the lore of this world but, he skied right into a wall when he cracked one of them open. While the language the Equestian populace spoke was close barring a few cultural differences to his. The language written in their literature was a completely different subject to begin with. He couldn't make heads or tails of the heiraglyphs within. If he had one of his xeno biologist brothers with him things would be different. Alone as he is he'll need to make do and hopefully come across a sort of 'latchkey' to make it more decipherable. He wasn't only hoping to read books on history. He picked out a few that looked like they dealt in economics and science as well as maybe politics and diplomacy too. He wasn't a fool. He knew he couldn't brute force his way through every obstacle in his path. If that were the case then he and his tribe would be the only ones left standing. All of Wilder space would be theirs to rule. He turned to another side of the cavern which contained several boxes worth of dried meat. No matter how amazing Nanobots were they couldn't create edible food. If they could his people wouldn't have to raid as many Imperial food shipments as they had to. As he pulled his helmet off and took a bite out of what looked like dried beef he began to un pack the past five day's.
'I'm completely lost on a alien world. Thrown here from a eco-cidal weapon that the howlers fired... damn cowards. Then I had a scuffle with the local regime. Honestly that shouldn't have happened in the first place. One of the primary tenets of the tribes is to only kill warriors not innocents. Honestly I don't think I have ever SEEN an innocent before. All tribals don their armor and weapons to defend their home. While the young are ferried to safer planets. I wouldn't really call anyone other than those six women innocent but, I attacked them anyway. I guess I have shamed the tribe...just another one to add to the PILE!' He slammed his fist into the wall before returning to his thoughts. 'Their guards haven't seen much action I guess. They wouldn't have hesitated in the throne room. Their princesses would have briefed them on me, my jet pack wouldn't have shocked them. Those two women didn't hesitate though they attacked me head on...they deserve some respect for that. That lavender one also tried to keep me distracted while her royalty attempted to surprise me with that pipe. Those other three were just scared. Then there was those other creatures in the dungeons. They require further investigation.' He walked over to a map he'd taken from one of the castle's many sitting rooms. 'This place is beautiful...almost Earth like. If I could get a signal to the tribe this world would make a almost perfect colony.' He looked at the corridor leading into the cave and notice a lack of light. He grew a grin of predatory quality. 'Guess I could go for a night on the town!'
------------------
Cadance and her aunt's were walking to the dining room, after seeing Twilight and her friends off. She was always saddened to see her sister-in-law leave but, knew Twilight had a life to get back to. As they walked they continued to discuss a myriad of subjects, raining from this years up and coming Friendsip Game's. To the latest trends the nobility were chasing. It was not long before their conversation drifted to what was expected.
"Do either of you have any clue where he might've gone to?" Celestia asked with a nervous smile. Honestly Cadance couldn't blame her, she was too. "Obviously he went to terrorize some poor mare sister. He seems to be a one track feind from what our conversation gleamed." Luna's response held a air of aggravation to it. Cadance couldn't blame her either, she had heard that Luna was one of the first to fall to his techniques. Cadance was of a different mind. Having been the only one who hadn't been in active combat with him, she has only seen a predator backed into a corner. Something about his appearance was...off though. She couldn't quite place her finger on it but he seemed quite...young.
"Sister even you shouldn't be so aggravated as to believe such things. He has woken up in a place unfamiliar to him. Place yourself in his shoes would you really do any different?" Celestia asked Luna who appeared to mull it over in her head before she answered "Yes!" The response earned a sigh. They turned the corner to the dining hall. "The first thing he did was run. That is understandable
however, his next action after that was to gain access to his weapons but, worst of all is his first interactions with us. I believe he called us freaks before engaging with us in combat dear sister. No kind or civilized creature would act that wa-" Luna was caught off guard by what they saw in the dining hall after the doors opened.
Sitting there was Talon. With a Black coated red and white maned Earth pony colt. Bandages wrapped around his head and over a eye. Sitting in Talon's lap eating off a spoon, as Talon softly stroked his mane.