Today, I wanted to give my poor head a break. That was why I was lounging around in the huge warm bath instead of being on the bridge, or acquainting myself with the last two of my Princesses, Forest Grace and Cherry Heart. Was it irresponsible? Perhaps. Did my head need a break from the itching and the pain of remembering? Also yes.
Even thinking about remembering causes a sensation to wash over me. No, wait... I opened my eyes, only to see bubbles everywhere on the surface of the water. They smelled of bubblegum strawberries. I suddenly felt a presence in the tub... the pool with me. It's a pool room, now. A pool room with statues of women and ponies. And a fountain. I should really ask what the name of this room is.
I saw ears breach the surface, as though I were being stalked by cute sharks. Red narrow ears and brown round ears. They slowly approached, leaving wakes in the bubbles. Well, speak of the devil. However, I struck first and struck decisively. By that, I mean that I leaned forward and swung my hands forward. I saw the tips of horns breach the water as I felt their faces in my hands.
Finally, I saw the eyes of Forest Grace and Cherry Heart rise from the bubble bath... pool. Bubbles clung to their heads and my arms.
"Lookie what I caught," I teased. "Two cuties." I laughed. "Whatever shall I do with such a fine catch?"
They grinned evilly and lit their horns. They were not the catch. I was. My smile dropped.
With a flash of light and sound, I was suddenly outside the bath, dried, and dressed. My head spun, but I stayed on my feet as I stared at my water-shriveled hands. I was looking less pale recently. I was wearing the white sleepwear again. I was even wearing socks and slippers. I thought about the kind of power and control my Princesses must have. I then tried not to think about the power and control my Princesses must have. I heard the hum of the ship and the rushing of water. I still smelled of bubblegum strawberry. I blinked.
"Don't think I'll ever get used to that," I mused. I hear giggling behind me as Cherry Heart and Forest Grace trotted past me, also dry. That magic is some serious stuff. How was I ever attacked aboard? I shivered, and not just from the quick change. I walked into the living room and was hit with a new smell. Blueberry muffins? As if in a trance, I followed the smell, where a tin of fresh, steaming treats sat on the table in front of the fireplace. I sat down on the couch and took one. I sniffed. This is definitely the culprit.
I bit down, expecting nothing. I tasted... whole grains, oats, cane sugars, molasses... and blueberries. I smiled. I chewed and swallowed, then smiled and said, "Nothing but the finest for the Lord Captain, huh?"
I sighed. I picked up the lid of the large, round tin, and found a gray-furred, blonde, golden-eyed alicorn on it. The artwork was very... nostalgic, for some reason. The alicorn was delivering treats of all kinds to little boys and girls of all races on a frosty, enchanted vista, complete with a log cabin. I set the aluminum tin top back down and listened to the soft music for a while. I munched idly whilst listening to the violins and the crackling of the fire. I felt but didn't really need to see my little Princesses Forest and Cherry cozy up to me.
I relaxed as best I could. I felt their heartbeats next to mine. We smelled strongly of strawberries. I chuckled. The music started to get more intense. Horns, drums, a full orchestra. It itched my brain to hear.
Not as much as the story that these two were about to tell me, I'm sure.
"Once upon a time, " Cherry began, cheerily. "On a world far from here, there lived ponies and griffons..."
"Ponies and griffons who lived in chains," continued Forest, somberly. "An alien race had taken up the ownership of the world and everything upon it. That included us."
Hatefully, Forest named the bunch, "The savage Swincynne."
An image appeared in my mind of a hunched-over, hairy boar-faced bipedal thing. It was holding rope and hooks in cruel hands. It wore crude leather coveralls and a tall, pointed hat. My brain itched. They were slavers.
"They were especially cruel to us, those they called abponies. I like the term they use on Residuum better, 'faunis ponies.' Makes us a little less..." Shivered Forest. "Freakish."
I hugged my ponies closer. A name revealed itself from the fog. Woderth. A water world... so the catalog said. 70% water, but the landmasses were so scattered that none formed true continents, resulting in a global series of archipelagos.
"I was the one to make first contact," I mused, more memories emerging from the fog, like floppy creatures breaching the surface of water. "I didn't even see one of those swine creatures until I was taken to the pits. They had a real facade going on upstairs. I did think that I had run into a charming tropical paradise run by more creatures of Equus, the griffons, and ponies."
The villa had been modest by Imperial standards, but it was still rather splendid. The servants were all polite, and well-dressed. The venue was immaculate, and the fresh fruit and seafood were excellent. The decorations were all top-notch, mostly paintings of the beauty of their world. The outdoor gardens almost seamlessly transitioned into the feasting hall and throne room. The griffish monarch himself had been wearing spectacular dressing and a crown that sat upon his head. If only I knew that all that was covering hideous scars... even the phony king. My eyes hardened.
"He's starting to remember," noted Cherry. I looked at her, remembering... she was wearing a black sneaking suit. Rubbed black oil into her face. She was smaller then, but not as small as Forest was. We were underground. Beneath the Governor's Villa. I was invited to receive a gift from the King, Beaklam. I had seen that pig thing and had a heart attack, but the swincynne had reassured me he was but a humble advisor to the King. It said its name was Monald. It had only stood up to my chest and was wearing robes over what was obviously armor.
I remember that I wanted to be diplomatic, trying to ignore a growing doubt. I rubbed my eyes.
"I was there, Edo," Cherry said to help me recall. "I had snuck in, posing as a maid. I had gotten past the checkpoints. I had ditched the disguise."
There was a filly. Her name was... "I was to be your gift, Rogue Trader," bitterly recalled Princess Forest Grace. "The 'finest slave for the great Rogue Trader'."
The room was dark. It was a basement bedroom. Fitted with a lone window that shone light into the room. It was also luxuriously decorated, with some furniture, the most expensive of which was a bed. There was a little, scared, brown filly cuffed to it. Her ears reminded me of a Racoon's. Her poor wings were bound, and I could see a staple through her short horn. I looked at that pig, Monald, and I saw red. My hands grabbed for my weapons, but all I felt were the hooves of my Princesses.
I looked at each of them. They were all grown up. "Sorry," I said. "It's very vivid." I looked at Cherry Heart. "You were hiding under the bed."
She nodded. "I... almost had the lock."
I panted. Their heartbeats were steady, though mine was afire with... something. It was almost painful.
Cherry Heart was hiding under the bed. She had to take the risk and rescue Forest Grace, lest she be sold to some alien from outer space! Sure, there were plenty of slaves that could've been saved at the estate, but none were an alicorn, like Forest. With their powers, they could've... could've... fought more.
But what followed the steps after that cruel overseer was no Drukhari, no simple noble with a taste for very young girls. The first Cherry had seen was my boots, frozen at the bottom of the stairs, even as Monald walked over to the bed, dangerously close to Cherry.
"As you can see, Rogue Trader, we spare no expense for our finest guests," the swincynne had said in their signature, gurgling, deep voice.
"What..." I gasped. "What is this?" Monald had missed the tone beneath my question, but Cherry hadn't.
The pig chuckled darkly. "Why," he had said. "It is your gift. One abpony alicorn filly. Although a mutant, she is still very valuable to someone of your discernment."
Cherry could see my feet step closer. "And what's that supposed to mean?" I had asked, voice darkening.
Monald ignored my tone of voice again, and replied, "I've seen the other alicorns in your retinue upstairs. Don't pretend you don't like them. Go ahead."
Cherry's thin, red-scaled ears twitched. Others? There were other alicorns... here? Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Were they also slaves?
My boots had reached the foot of the bed. Cherry heard me softly ask, "What... what is your name?"
In a scared voice, Cherry heard the young filly speak. "F-Forest Grace... Master."
Cherry's heart turned to ice. Had Forest already accepted her fate? Humming, I had asked the pig alien, "Are there others... like her?"
Monald laughed. "Ha! There is one, but she eludes capture. Keeps fighting her rightful masters."
"I see. Thank you," I said. Cherry saw me pivot an ankle, heard me pull something, and froze as she heard a sickening puncture. The pig resisted, but I had already struck true. Forest screamed, desperately pulling at the chained metal restraints bound to her forehooves. I dropped the bloodied knife onto the carpeted floor.
"You..." the pig gasped before falling gracelessly to the floor. It had a wide-eyed expression on its blood-stained face as it saw Cherry, almost as wide as the ones on her own face. She bared her small fangs at it. But before Monald could do anything else, a hand reached down and pulled it up by the collar.
Cherry heard me hiss as I stood over it, "Stapled horns? Bound wings? Servant collars? Oh, no, no no. I won't stand for it. Slavery on Woderth dies today. You understand?" My voice growled and shook with fury. "It dies choking on blood."
Monald could do nothing but gag. "Kinda like that. The Emperor Protects," I had said with enough venom to kill a star. Cherry heard something crunch, and then I had let go of the boar-faced abomination, letting its head bounce off the carpet, light draining from yellow eyes. Its throat was concaved, its neck bent unnaturally.
Forest sobbed uncontrollably. She had just witnessed a murder, Cherry realized with a start. The sound had apparently caused me to flip my mood because I had stepped over the dying body of Overseer Monald and started to make hushing sounds as I walked around the bed to sit down. "No," I pleaded. "Please don't cry. I'm sorry I made you see that."
"You... you..." whimpered Forest. I hissed at myself.
"I know, I know..." I had said. "Please, let me help you."
Instead, Cherry heard the rattling of chains, and one final, desperate outcry. "Cherry!" Forest wailed. "Help me!"
Cherry could hold still no longer. She burst out from underneath the bed, sending Monald crashing into the mirror closet doors. They cracked with a loud sound. Cherry stood her ground, lowered her posture, lit her horn, and showed me her narrowed pupils. A trick she could do to scare ponies with snake eyes on command. It even works on humans, Cherry learned, as I stood up from the bed, hands forward and raised. My eyes were still scary, but Cherry could see no other weapons. I was dressed more for a party than a fight.
Cherry and I had stared each other down. Finally, I mused, "You must be the other alicorn."
Slowly, Cherry nodded. She looked over at Forest, then leaped to place herself between the Rogue Trader and Forest, who gladly scooched herself under Cherry. Cherry's wings were wide, but I saw that she was still very much an adolescent. She said to the Rogue Trader, in a challenge, "You will not harm this filly."
My eyes had hardened, and my mouth turned into a sneer. I swore, "I'd sooner cut my own throat than hurt that filly, mare."
A pause. "What's your name?" I asked.
Breathing became easier as Cherry revealed, "I am Cherry Heart. Are you the... Rogue Trader?"
I nodded. "I am," I had said. "My name is Edo. See if you can get Forest out of that. I need to... make a call."
I pulled a small oval device from my belt. I thought for a second. I then pressed the transmit button with a thumb, and said, "Princess Twilight, come in."
A jovial voice responded, "This is Twilight, I read you!" The sounds of the party were still audible from upstairs and the vox comm. Ponies, griffons, humans, and even a certain dragon enjoying themselves.
With a serious tone, I said, "We have a situation. The King's gift... I have some questions about it. Could you bring him downstairs, please?"
A cheer from upstairs. Twilight laughed at something from on the other side of the comm, but said, "Alright! Don't keep me in suspense! Over!"
I stepped over to the closet, swung it open, and unceremoniously threw Monald into it, ruining an entire wardrobe in one fell swoop. I closed the doors and sneered at the blood-stained carpet.
I pulled out the comm unit again, switching channels. "Edo to Mercy."
Polarscale's voice sounded from the small device. "Go ahead, Rogue Trader."
"I need a report on the shore leave parties," I demanded.
After a pause, Polarscale reported, "The first of the parties are about to board their shuttles."
I took a deep breath. A plan formed in my mind. "Rouse the Guard," I ordered. "We have a situation."
Sighing, Polarscale asked, "What's happened?"
I reported, "I found an alicorn filly bound and stapled, Polarscale. Alien boar slavers are operating on this planet. We're going to war."
"...Omnissiah bless us," cursed Polarscale. Cherry heard him announce, "Sound general quarters! All hands, man your battle stations! This is not a drill! The Rogue Trader calls us to battle against xenos slavers!"
I had further orders. "Send out the first shuttles as planned, but substitute the crew with Mercator assault teams. We'll open up on the planetary defenses when they land."
"Understood, Lord Captain," reported Polarscale. "The Emperor Protects."
"The Solarch Preserves," I replied. "Stand by for further information."
"Roger," affirmed Polarscale, as I heard the door open from upstairs. The King, Beaklam, walked down first, who first saw my face before I grabbed him. I held his beak shut and he resisted, but only for a moment until he saw the blood stain.
"Twilight," I said as she walked down the stairs, quite alarmed. "Check on the filly."
She gasped as she flew over to the bed. "Oh, my gosh," she gasped as she looked over Forest Grace, hooves chafed from the lock, wings limp and frayed from the binding, and horn still shining with the metal piercing it. "You poor thing, you poor thing," she lamented. Cherry froze, not ever having seen an off-world alicorn before.
"What do you have to say about this, O King of the Slavers?" I asked, acidity seeming to drip onto the griffon's shoulder. In reply, he remained silent, only ripping apart his shirt with his hands. We could now all see horrific scar patterning between patches of fur. He was... another victim. I dropped Beakwald. "I..."
Not bothering to pick up the crown that had fallen off his head, Beaklam said, "There's a garrison... outside. Ready to slaughter us all if the alarm is raised." He asked, frightened for his life, "Where is Master Monald?"
I ignored the question, and asked Twilight, "How is Forest Grace? Will she recover?"
Twilight, frantically searching her head, said, noting, "I've never actually seen anything like this, but the literature...?" She stretched a hoof and breathed. "Yes. As long as we can get her back to the ship."
I nodded, thanking God in my heart of hearts. Small mercies. I sighed. Forest Grace and Cherry were listening intensely, looking at us as if we weren't even real. As if blinking would cause us to vanish, leaving them with only their nightmares.
Not so, I thought to myself. Finally, I said, "I've already informed the ship, Twilight. Can you secure this room? I need to go crash a party."
Twilight nodded, looking away only long enough to see me walk back up to the party.
The decorations were immaculate. The party was perfect. I saw my Seneschal. He was holding a glass of punch in a large hand. I walked straight up to him, ignoring both my own higher-ups as well as the local sycophants.
He looked at me first with curiosity, then with concern as I drew my hidden sidearm. Everybody in the room looked at me as I announced, "The situation has changed! We need to establish a perimeter at once!"
The first of the ship's plasma volleys hit just outside as I had said that. The impact shattered windows and shook furniture. Screams began as gunshots rang out.
The first wave had arrived.
I was shaken away from my recollections by the sound of cannons. I looked around in a slight panic, my heart still threatening to beat out of my chest. The classical music had been building up, and now was accompanied by a new sound; the thunder of field guns. What kind of classical music was this?
I was back on the ship. Back in the present, with my Princesses Forest Grace and Cherry Heart. I looked at Forest's lengthened horn. I couldn't even see where the staple had been. Before I realized what I was doing, I had ran a finger down the length of the spiralling horn, as if I could feel where the staple had been. I could not.
It was then that other pieces fell into place in my mind. I did my uttermost to blitz the bad guys, even securing the estate against the first wave of attackers. Polarscale even had the foresight to send our own equipment, as well as many lasguns to arm the slaves.
We had no idea just how many we would ultimately have to fight... and that was before the swine used their captives as fodder and living shields.
Beautiful Cherry Heart... she gave quite the speech when we hacked enemy comms for damn near the entire planet to hear.
"Thank you, Polarscale," I murmured.
The War for Woderth had turned from a lightning war into a brutal slog. Just the way our opponents liked it, I supposed with irritation. Even the Deck Militia was being deployed to hold the beachhead, while the Mercator Guard was deployed on constant raids to disrupt the enemy. Free slaves. Start more uprisings. I was personally smuggling more and more guns to the captives on the planet.
It really helped that I had giant robots to bear. Thank you, Princess Azure Fire.
It tasted unpleasant, but arming the mob was my only option. I could count atrocities later.
In my mind's eye, Woderth's ocean just about ran red with blood. At the climax of the war, when more and more islands were falling to Guard raids and uprisings when Cherry made her speech, the boar-kind must've... panicked. Thought a global uprising was imminent. They turned their guns on their own slave soldiers.
Their... most loyal of peons. Even they had to choose between resistance and death. Their fears became real, and mass desertions and surrenders became commonplace... as did mass executions of slavers and their families.
I had no control. Even my Guard, sworn to follow my command, and follow my rules of engagement, participated. I had lost control... but so had the swincynne. Most were either dead or captured. The living awaited execution. Cherry awaited the command. My blood boiled to give the order.
"But I couldn't," I said aloud.
Cherry tilted her head. "What?" She asked as she held my left hand in her hooves.
I panted, "The last of them. I couldn't even give the order..."
"But they lived, Edo," mentioned Forest, softly. "They now call themselves 'Sworn Boars'. You saw a few among the Militia in the Temple. Fanatical."
I... I did! They kept to themselves, but I saw them!
But... Woderth. The planet was free, but I had already accepted that the slaves might seek to retain their new independence. Their new freedom. I had thought that I would have to leave Cherry Heart and Forest Grace behind. Let them heal their world. Sign a trading contract, it's what I do.
But when the Alicorns of Woderth swore their allegiance to me during the victory celebration... that all changed. One thing led to another... I had two new fully-gown Princesses. It took a long time for me to accept... but now I'm glad I did.
As for Woderth itself... I had opted to designate it as my first Navis Privateer world.
"Woderth," I recalled, as I held my little Princesses that much closer. "It's Hassia Pirate HQ." I laughed aloud.
A brown hoof tapped my nose. In revenge, I tapped Forest's pale bark nose. She stuck a tongue out at me.
"Your Navy, your Letters of Marque, oh Pirate Lord," teased Forest. "Captains and their crews lined up to volunteer for the Rogue Trader's personal fleet of warships... and their own profit."
Of course. What motivates more, duty or dollars? My brain itched. Dollars? Why do I remember...
"Ah!" I shouted. "I remember now!"
Cherry Heart and Forest Grace leaned over in front of my face, golden and brown eyes peering into mine. "What?" Cherry asked. "What do you remember?"
I pointed behind me. I recounted with pride, still smelling of strawberries and now blueberries, "That room back there is called the Captain's Natatorium!"
My Princesses laughed.
"What? It was bugging me since I woke up that day!"