//------------------------------// // 16 - Decisions and Quandaries // Story: Battlestations: Equestrian Seas // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// Despite Kepler maintaining his composure, the presence of the Equestrian princess before him caused his heart rate to skyrocket with nervous energy. The mare was a good deal smaller than him, which surprised him given all he had been told about the towering visages of the ruling class of the ponies. Yet, he didn’t let the mare’s small stature fool him into false confidence, knowing full well that the size of the pony told him nothing about the power of their magic. Slight in physical size she may be, she was still a formidable force to be reckoned with nonetheless.  Now if only her wide eyes of apparent shock would stop making him want to laugh, they might be able to get somewhere.  “You seem surprised, princess.” He stated in a voice that somehow managed to stay level, “Perhaps I was not what you were expecting?” The mare’s jaw closed with a click, her wide eyes narrowed in concentration as her horn lit up with a halo of magenta light, “Reveal your true form, whatever you are. Bat ponies are nothing but myth and legends made up to scare foals into behaving. Your choice of disguise was a poor one if you wanted to fool anypony besides the most ignorant of creatures.” Kepler sighed and rose from his command chair, walking a few steps towards the smaller mare. Inwardly, he relished in seeing the look of fear that crossed her face briefly as she had to look up to maintain eye contact, her magic flickering momentarily before smoothing out again. “Every being I've met so far has always been like that with me,” a soft hiss of metal on leather rang through the space as he drew a short dagger from his uniform, previously hidden under his left wing, “I guess it doesn’t really matter either way if you believe me or not. You aren’t going to be leaving this ship in any case.” The glow of the mare’s horn intensified as a swarm of several daggers appeared from various pockets in her armor and hovering around her body, humming like an angry nest of wasps, “Think again. I didn’t come all this way just to talk. You are coming with me back to Equestria, where you shall be imprisoned and tried for your crimes against my country.” Kepler eyed the many blades aimed at his person, undeterred. Taking in the slight wobble and uncertain look that now rested in the mare’s gaze, he asked, “And what if I refuse? Are you going to kill me?” A few of the knives dipped slightly as the mare seemed to argue mentally with herself, her gaze lingering on the dagger in Kepler’s own grasp before steeling into a firm resolve, “I don’t have to. I can take you down without using deadly force.”  As if to emphasize her point, the mare slid the daggers back into her armor in a single motion, her horn lit up as a similar glow surrounded Kepler’s body, lifting him from the deck and into the air before her. “There!” Her cry of victory seemed overly enthusiastic to Kepler, as she had simply levitated him with her magic, and held him aloft, “I can simply carry you back to shore and there is nothing that you can do to stop it!” Kepler stared amusedly at the mare’s naivety, his rolling of the eyes had descried the bulkhead door behind her slowly opening, and a single eye on a familiar face shone through. “So you say… and yet I feel distinctly unimpressed with the magical power of a so-called princess of Equestria. Aren’t you supposed to be able to lift mountains and level castles with a wave of your magical horns?” The mare sputtered for a moment, completely oblivious to the gryphon guards sneaking through the now open doorway behind her, “No mage is powerful enough to do that! Even Princess Celestia would never need to do something that drastic when much more applied uses of magic would be far more effective! I don’t – ACK!” Kepler flared his wings to slow his descent to the ground as the magic holding him ceased, the violet glow around the mare’s horn sputtered out of existence as she slumped to the floor. Her helm, now removed completely from her head, casually floated over the prone pony in a green glow that matched the horn of Kepler’s mute acquaintance. The changeling had been subtle enough to undo the clasp of the helm and pull it off the mare’s head just as Whiteclaw brought the butt of his rifle into the base of her skull. It wasn’t a killing blow, but certainly enough to knock the alicorn out cold if the now drooling pony between them was anything to go by. Kepler landed smoothly and walked up to the incapacitated alicorn, using a hoof to verify that she was still breathing. “Good work, you two. We have just gained a valuable advantage over the Equestrians, and the best part is we don’t even have to use it right away. For now, let’s see what information we can get out of our newest guest.” He turned his attention to the drone that was still holding the pony’s helm in her magic, “Can you incapacitate her magic? I don’t believe we have the right tools at our disposal at the moment.” The drone nodded, a small smile forming on her muzzle as she leaned down and licked along the pony’s horn with an abnormally long tongue, spreading a thick, green goop over the keratin appendage that quickly hardened into a solid mineral sheath. While the drone completed her work Whiteclaw and a couple of guards proceeded to remove the pony’s armor, revealing the lavender fur underneath that had not been dyed into a midnight blue after the leather and weapons were taken away. With the pony no longer a threat, Kepler nodded to his Korvettenkapitän, “Take her to the brig, make sure we have at least four guards stationed in and out of her cell block with a changeling to ensure that she doesn’t try anything. Inform me as soon as she awakes. I believe there are some questions this young mare has in store for me that I would be more than happy to answer.” Whiteclaw smirked as he hefted the pony onto his back, saluted sharply and carried the smaller equine out of the bridge with minimal effort, leaving Kepler and the drone mare alone in the early dawn's dim lighting. Kepler was hardly surprised when the drone’s eye lenses shifted to the slit pupils of her Queen, the bulkhead to the rest of the ship closing with a metallic clang as she sauntered up to Kepler’s side, a sultry look in her gaze. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were really a changeling under all of that fluff and bluster.” The oily sweetness in her tone had Kepler’s skin crawling just by listening to it, “You would make a fine addition to my hive, should you be willing.” “Save your bittersweet words for those that'll fall for them.” Kepler’s tired mind was running on a short fuse after the building of stress dealing with their uninvited stowaway, “What is it that you want?” The Queen put on a hurt expression, “What, am I not allowed to say hello to my favorite little bat from time to time?” Kepler candidly raised an eyebrow in response, “Oh fine, you’re no fun when you aren’t willing to play along. The mare that you have sequestered below is known as Twilight Sparkle; personal student and effectively surrogate daughter of Princess Celestia. They might deny any such relationship, but a Changeling can sense these things a mile away. You now have a very powerful bargaining chip in your possession, but I have come to warn you about that mare. She is much craftier than she appears, and will use your words and motivations to turn you against your allies, even join her side of this conflict if you aren’t careful. She may not believe it herself, but she is a master manipulator on the level of some of my best infiltrators, so bear that in mind when you are speaking to her.” Kepler lifted his eyebrow again, “My, my, a compliment from you, and towards a pony that isn’t me, no less! What is this world coming to?” Chrysalis hissed warningly, “Do not mistake my warning for flattery, little bat.  She is a very dangerous mare, and one that could very well undermine our entire plan if she is allowed to interfere. Tread carefully when you are interrogating her, or you may find yourself questioning the very reasons you are waging war to begin with.” Kepler nodded, his hint of humor vanishing like morning mist, “I’ll keep that in mind…" Roach. He wished to add but kept to himself, "Any other information to report?” She shook her head, “None for now. King Skybeak is currently doing damage control against some stuck-up featherheads that have gotten the idea in their minds that now is a perfect time to sue for peace.” The eye roll they shared showed their agreed stance on that idea, “So, while the King is temporarily indisposed, I am left to organize the war effort in the background while he ensures there are no mishaps.” Kepler nodded, “Understood. And concerning the Night Princess?” Chrysalis’ smile turned predatory, “We are keeping her well entertained in the Dream Realm, not to worry. She won’t be delving into your mind any time soon.” “And you will?” He countered, a frown on his muzzle. The Queen’s eyes lidded halfway as she ran a hoof down the side of his face, “I remember our agreement, little bat.  I won’t enter your mind unless the situation requires it. Besides,” Kepler recoiled as her tongue flicked out and ran up the side of his neck, “it wouldn’t be very interesting if I knew all of my opponent’s moves before they are even made, now, would it?” “I thought we were both on the same side.” Kepler’s tone was challenging, bordering on anger, “Has that changed?” He stared directly at her, feeling his lips pull back in the beginnings of a snarl, which he restrained with some difficulty. “I am on no one’s side but my own.” Chrysalis replied, never losing her smile, her eyes aglow, though Kepler did notice a faint widening of her slit pupils, possibly surprised by his aggression. “That has always been the case and shall continue to be so even after our little adventure is complete.” Kepler narrowed his eyes and hissed in warning as the Queen leaned in close to his face, “Then I will ensure that I keep a close eye on more than just the alicorn, your highness.” A dark chuckle bubbled out from between her lips, “See that you do, little bat, or else you might just get caught in the spider’s web while chasing after the moth.” Kepler shivered as the Queen’s presence faded from her drone’s body, returning her solid blue lenses as the mare stepped back. Kepler knew it wouldn’t do any good to berate the drone for the actions of her queen, but it still unnerved him every time the changelings switched bodies with their ruler. I will see to it personally that if you try me bug, I'd be the one to squash you if I ever knew how to build a tank. The Changeling mare cast a small smile his way before turning and walking away, leaving Kepler to his private thoughts as the stallion pondered his next move.  In all honesty, he hadn’t put much thought into following the capture of the Equestrian, with most of his primary concerns having been on the security of his ship being above all else when the alarm had sounded. Now though, it seemed that he had a decision to make, and one that the bat pony had not been previously trained for, nor had any experience from his former life to draw upon. He could very well get the information out of the alicorn with torture, although he doubted it would do them much good, given the ponies seemed to have little understanding of the dangers they faced. While that had been intentional on the part of him and his gryphon allies, it left him with very few viable options for dealing with their prisoner.  They could sail back to the Empire and drop her there to be kept as a prisoner of war, or he could simply kill her and be done with the issue altogether. Yet neither of those options seemed useful, especially when it didn’t gain him or his allies any truly meaningful advantages. And none of them being tastefully tactical in the long run if he needed a fallback strategy. Kepler paced about the bridge for the next couple of hours, his mind jumping from one idea to another and then quickly discarding them as either unhelpful or downright stupid. The sun had risen well above the horizon by the time Whiteclaw returned, Kepler having nearly worn a rut into the deck with his pacing and with nothing of value to show for it. His second in command was polite enough to cough into a fist to get his attention, a tired but resolute glint in the tercel’s gaze as Kepler’s eyes met his. “The princess has awoken, sir.” Whiteclaw stated with crisp professionalism, “As instructed, I came to alert you that she was ready for questioning.” Kepler sighed, hating the idea of going with his gut instead of a well thought out plan, but he had apparently run out of time to think things through thoroughly, “Lead the way, Korvettenkapitän.” Either Whiteclaw didn’t notice Kepler’s sour mood or chose not to comment on it as he turned and led the stallion through the ship, taking a sedate pace and remaining silent until they reached the lower decks that housed the brig.  Kepler nodded to the gryphons that were standing guard over the cell block, their rifles held in crisp salutes as he walked by. The cell block had over a dozen individual spaces for housing prisoners, should the need ever arise, the thick steel bars and solid plate doors a secure means of keeping prisoners contained. Yet with only a single occupant, the space felt hauntingly empty as Kepler walked up to the last cell, the lone resident perking up and glaring at him through the bars that separated them once he stepped into view. “You might as well walk away.” The alicorn stated in what Kepler imagined was a threatening tone to a regular pony. To him it sounded like a little girl trying to sound intimidating to a bully, “I won’t tell you anything, no matter what you do to me.” The ignorance and false bravado pulled a chuckle from his lips, “So you say, yet I know you Equestrians are not a warrior race, nor have seen conflict in a very long time. I don’t have to do anything drastic to make you talk. Your own fear will do that for me.” Her violet eyes narrowed and a frown marred her face as she stood, the chains around her legs rattling as she shuffled to the edge of the cell to stare up at him, “I’ve faced far more dangerous threats than you; Discord, Sombra, Tirek, the Changelings, even Nightmare Moon. My friends and I defeated them all, and nopony was hurt in the process.” “Then you are either very lucky,” Kepler countered, “or they never take you seriously. A true warrior is prepared to fight… to kill… to defend his nation, something your kind obviously haven’t done when facing these so-called ‘threats’ with your friends.” He grinned as the smaller mare flinched back at his words, “What’s wrong Princess? Don’t like the idea of getting your hooves dirty to defend your nation? You had the opportunity to kill me back on the bridge, yet your hesitation resulted in your capture and has left you at my mercy. Were I a more pragmatic person, or a tyrant, you would be executed, and your body tossed overboard to remove the threat you represent to my ship and crew. However,” he paused at the terror-filled expression and flared wings that his statement had caused, “I am not a barbarian, nor am I a murderer. Wartime casualties are one thing, but killing a defenseless little mare just to prove a point would make me the lowest form of scum on the planet.” Her expression shifted slowly over to confusion as his words registered, “Then, what are you going to do with me?” Once again faced with his previous conundrum, Kepler decided to let his gut choose the best course of action, given his mind was otherwise beyond helpful, “For now, you will remain here, a political prisoner of war aboard this ship until we see fit to change that arrangement. Accordingly, you will be fed and not harmed… unless you give my crew reason to do so. And I strongly advise against trying to escape, otherwise I will allow lethal force to be authorized in the likely event you try to break out. So, I suggest some time to ponder your situation and mull over the exact stupidity of your actions, which is suitable enough as punishment. I will return later to begin my interrogation, but for now I have more pressing matters of concern to deal with than a foolhardy little girl with a grandiose hero complex.” The mare sputtered in indignant anger as he turned and walked away, leaving the saluting guards to their posts as he walked back through the corridors of the ship and up to the main deck. A sigh leaving his mouth as the mid morning sun warmed his wings and fur, the gentle ocean breeze ruffling his mane and tail for a moment as he walked up to the bow of his ship. The golden glitter of the sun rippled over the surface of the ocean, the soft rocking of the ship helped to soothe his rattled nerves and he let the rest of the world fall to the wayside, even if just for a moment. He didn’t know what the next move was for him and his crew, but if he had any understanding of warfare, the chessboard had swung into their favor, and they would be fools to not take advantage of the opportune moment. Now the only question was what would be the next step, and what impact would it have on his ship, now that the initial assault of Equestria had begun.