~~~LAAT/s, Heading towards US-01, 8 hours and 25 minutes after the Ambush at US-01~~~
The gunship silently shuttled through empty space. It and its cargo were alone in the void, with the exception of the innumerable stars that surrounded them. Victor squad had disembarked from the Loyalty around fifteen minutes ago after some last-minute system checks, and already the cruiser was out of visual range. Viktor had taken the role of the pilot, sitting in the first domed canopy of the gunship. Directly behind him sat Shy, who had been given the role of gunner and navigator. Gore and Spy had taken up positions in the turrets mounted on the sides of the gunship, while R8 stayed in the troop bay, making sure that the gear inside remained restrained and undamaged.
Since boarding the gunship, the only communication had been small talk between Spy and Gore and important takeoff chatter between Viktor and the hangar personnel, both of which had ceased after the gunship had gotten out of range of Loyalty's communicators. The metaphorical atmosphere around the clones was tense and awkward; each of them wanted to talk, with the exception of Shy, but none knew what to discuss, nor did any of them know what topics would be sensitive to discuss.
Spy braved the awkwardness first. "So...how's everybody doin'?" he asked.
"Fine," was Viktor's delayed response.
"Alright..." Spy said after confirming that Shy and Gore were not going to reply. "What should we talk about, boss man?" he directed to Viktor.
Viktor hesitated. "Why don't you guys tell me about your skills? Moon's brief introduction was a bit, well, brief. I'd like to know what I really have to work with."
Spy jumped on the opportunity to brag. "Well, I'm glad you asked boss man-"
"Just...don't give me any nickname other than Viktor...please?" Viktor interrupted with a sigh.
"Sure, Vikky, whatever. Anyways..." Spy continued nonchalantly.
Viktor sighed again and mentally facepalmed.
"So, as I'm sure you've figured out by now by virtue that you're not a complete idiot-at least I hope you're not-I'm an ARF trooper. I do all sorts of recon things. I was part of Lightning Squadron before this assignment. I was the best stealth unit in the squad, and was pretty capable of handling one of those AT-RT walkers. I'm quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat also. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that I'm the best hand-to-hand fighter here."
Shy snickered quietly at that statement. His contribution was left unnoticed to his delight.
"I'm gonna put you up to that bet soon," Gore threatened.
"Sure thing. Anyways, as I was saying, I'm an ARF trooper, and that means I've been specially trained to be faster and more agile than normal troops like Gore and Shy. I'll admit, though, that I don't handle being in the front lines all that well unless I've got some sort of support or vehicle to back me up," Spy finished.
"Anything else?" Viktor asked.
"Well, unless you want me to describe my sheer awesomeness and my dashing good looks, I've got nothing else you'd be interested in," Spy said.
"Um...right...well...Gore, would you like to describe your specialties?" Viktor stammered.
"Yeah sure," he said, his helmet's speakers feed backing as he paused. "I good with big guns and big booms. Mostly big guns."
"That's awfully vague," Spy commented sarcastically.
"Well, unlike you, I don't feel like describing every little detail about my skills to the boss, most of which is stuff he probably already knows. He probably knew everything you said about ARFs too; he is a commando after all," Gore spat back.
Viktor coughed loudly into his helmet radio, shutting up Gore and Spy. "Could you two possibly not bicker for once?" he said authoritatively. "Or if you two must argue, could you at least do it not at the expense of Shy and I's ears?"
"Well...fine," Spy huffed.
Gore grunted and looked to Spy in the bubble turret across from him. "I hate you," he mumbled.
"Love you too," came the response.
Another five hours passed by in silence. In the far distance, Viktor, Shy, and, had they been paying attention to what was in front of them, Spy and Gore, could make out a celestial body that actually seemed to get closer. According to the vehicle's navicomputer, it was their destination. Finally, their trip in the gunship was coming to an end, and the real mission was beginning.
Viktor's mind was racing, trying to determine the best course of action for once they landed on the planet. Obviously, getting the camp readied is a first priority. And some scouting should be done as soon as possible. Maybe we should delay intel gathering for the duration of our first day there and work up a schedule. After all, time management is important. Shy needs to be inst-
Viktor's rambling thoughts were cut off by a staticy, crackly voice coming from the ship's on-board communicator. "So, uh, boss, did Moon mention anything to you about what happened to the Valiance beyond what we were told in the briefing?"
"No, Gore, and I don't see how that is relevant to anything," Viktor replied, irritated that he had been interrupted over such a stupid question.
"Well, do we know what happened to it? I mean, it may have been destroyed, which could lead to survivors on the planet if the escape pods had been launched," Gore thought aloud.
"That'd sure make our job easier," Spy stated.
"Alternatively," Gore continued, ignoring Spy's interjection, "the Seps may have taken over the ship, and may plan to use to crew as hostages or some other sinister plot that only those soulless creeps could conceive of."
"I do see your point," Viktor conceded. "Sadly, I don't have an answer. The best we can do is hope that the Valiance's fate doesn't affect our mission for at least long enough so that we can ask Moon once we get back into contact with him."
"Alright. Well, what if the CIS ships detect us once we're closer to the planet? What then?"
"Um..." Viktor hesitated, trying to put the response as sensitively as possible.
"Well, we are in a stealth gunship, so was should be able to pass by unnoticed. But, if we are caught..." Spy partially answered for him.
"Then we're dead," Viktor finished for him.
"Huh. Well, I was going to say that our molecules would be used to perpetuate the cycle of life on some distant planet...but sure, the pessimistic approach works too," Spy deadpanned.
"Terrific," Gore proclaimed with false enthusiasm. "I don't want to live on this planet anymore," he grumbled.
Spy turned as best as he could to Gore while Shy and Viktor exchanged glance up front.
"You're not on a planet," they said in unison, though Shy's contribution was meek and hardly noticeable.
"You...I'ma kill you all," Gore mumbled, adjusting the turret so that he was faced as far away from them as possible.
~~~LAAT/s, Atmosphere of US-01, 15 hours after the Ambush at US-01~~~
It was very dark. The starry array of space, which had enveloped the gunship just minutes prior now shone dimly above them as they descended towards the planet's surface. At first the clones saw decrepit and abandoned wastelands, which were shrouded in an eerie and unsettling green fog. After a couple of minutes, they were close to their landing zone. They passed over a large mountain range, which seemed to divide the land in two; inhospitable looking badlands on one side, and barren but much more aesthetically pleasing desert on the other. To all of the clones' relief, their LZ was on the desert side of the mountain range.
Before long, their destination was in view. In front of them sat two mesas, which stood isolated from any other geographic formation, with a gap between them that could fit their gunship and other gear snugly. As an added bonus, the gap was nearly completely surrounded by large boulders, which would easily conceal their position and provide cover should the need arise. Hopefully it wouldn't.
The gunship halted as they hovered over the LZ. Viktor slowly descended, being careful to not make any jerky movements and smash the wings or cause damage by other means. After a minute of careful maneuvering, the gunship touched earth, its silent thrusters kicking up a massive amount of dust as it sat idle. Finally, the engines ceased running, and Victor squad began extracting themselves from the gunship.
Viktor and Shy shut off all unnecessary systems while Spy and Gore exited the turrets and checked the gear, which was a little shaken from the turbulence caused by entering the atmosphere, but was otherwise fine. Viktor's seat lowered out of the cockpit, followed closely by Shy's, and they made their way into the troop bay where Spy, Gore, and R8 were waiting for instruction.
"Well, squad, looks like we made it," Viktor congratulated. The rest of the squad nodded, or in R8's case, whistled their agreements. "Spy and Gore, you're going to help me unload and set up camp. For now, be on guard; we don't know if we've been traced yet. Shy, you're to ride R8 up to the top of one of the mesas. Take a grapple and find a suitable place for us to get a line up there. Once you've done that, I want you to survey the area using your rifle. R8, stay up there with Shy and stay alert for any Sep vehicles that come our way, specifically if they're searching for us."
"Yes sir," Spy and Gore said before opening the doors and boarding ramp.
Spy and Gore immediately went to work pulling the BARC speeders out of the bay. Viktor made his way towards the specialized transmitter to bring it out of the gunship, but was stopped by Shy.
"I want to make sure I heard you correctly...you said, "ride R8", right?" he asked quietly, both confused and concerned.
"Yeah, that's what I said. Um, I'd rather not get into the details, but just know that I modified him a little. He had handles on his back and his boosters are capable of transporting a clone short distances quickly. It's completely safe," Viktor assured.
"Oh...okay then," Shy half replied.
R8 waited for Shy outside of the gunship while Shy grabbed his equipment, namely his rifle and grenade pouch, which rattled as he lifted it and attached it to the back of his belt. He approached the droid once he had what he needed. The droid beeped and whirred at him excitedly, hopping up and down repeatedly to get Shy to hurry up. Shy stared down to the hyper droid, mentally questioning whether or not riding an astromech was safe or, more importantly, sane. It's an order, he thought, resolving himself.
Shy walked behind the droid, crouching to grasp the handles. As soon as he had a firm grip, the droid boosted into the air, carrying Shy as his legs hung uselessly underneath him. The urge to flail about was almost overwhelming to the terrified soldier.
Back on the ground, the remaining clones had unloaded the speeders, the ordinance crates, Gore's chain gun, and the transmitter. Spy was helping Gore with a long and heavy crate of portable repulsor lifts. He looked up to see Shy being helplessly dragged up the cliff face by the astromech, and tried to hold back a hysterical laugh at the pathetic sight.
Gore was not as amused. His arms were hurting, and Spy's sudden pause to watch R8 and Shy tried Gore's already tired patience. He could hear Spy chuckling, tryng poorly to contain some sort of laughter. Gore decided to continue moving forward, knocking Spy off of his center of balance and having the crate land on top of his chest as Gore let go of his end.
"Ow! Hey! What the heck!?" Spy yelled as he tried to get the massive weight pinning him down off of him.
Gore sneered. "You totally deserved that."
"Did not! Now, get this crap off me," Spy demanded, still futilely pushing at the crate. "What's in this crate that's so heavy anyways?"
"Repulsor lifts, a-"
Viktor interrupted Gore as he peered from around the boarding ramp. He had been dealing with some of the smaller pieces of equipment when he heard a loud thump followed by Spy yelling. "What did you two screw up now?"
"Spy had an accident," Gore responded immediately.
"I see that," Viktor replied, unamused. "Why don't you help him?"
"I was going to, but you're distracting me."
During the brief exchange between Gore and Viktor, Spy had begun a short rant about how much of a jerk Gore was, how much of a jerk Viktor and Gore were being by ignoring him, and why they weren't helping him. Suddenly, a thought came to Spy's mind.
"Why aren't we using these repulsor lifts to move our heavy equipment around?" he asked.
Gore and Viktor paused their discussion to look at Spy, who was still pinned, then looked back to each other.
"That's..." Gore began.
"That's a good idea. Why weren't we doing that?" Viktor finished for him.
Progress towards finishing the encampment went speedily after Spy's epiphany. Within the hour, they had the speeders off to the side, the ordinance organized, the transmitter ready to transmit, the radar jammers active, hammocks set up in the troop bay, and the rations and other survival gear distributed, with the extras packed in the gunship's storage compartments. There was no more business that could be done until Shy came down, leaving them to resort to small chat, word games, and tic-tac-toe.
Shy lay on top of the mesa, trying to recuperate from the short but terrifying trip up the cliff face. Flying without a solid surface under your feet is unnerving. R8 sat next to him, prodding him with his now extended retractable leg in an attempt to get him to move. After a few minutes of composing himself, Shy stood and immediately set about his task. He found a sturdy ledge, and placed the grapple there before turning his attention to the horizon.
It was too dark for him to make anything out at a distance, so he switched his visor to low-light mode. A quick look in all directions revealed nothing but flatlands except for the nearby mountain range, which had no interesting features visible at this distance. A slight whirring sound came from his right. Looking, Shy found it to be a spinning radar-like appendage protruding from R8's head meant to locate Separatist ships in the vicinity.
The quiet inside of Shy's helmet was abruptly broken with the cries of "Ow! Hey! What the heck!?", coming from Spy via helmet comm, reached him. The sudden noise caused Shy to cringe. After quickly checking the oxygen levels of the atmosphere with the science module and confirming that the air was breathable, Shy removed his helmet and set it on the ground near the edge of the mesa.
The air was dry, cool, and bland, a nice contrast to the overly-sterilized atmosphere of Kamino's structures, or the stale air of Republic cruisers. He sat down and crossed his legs, taking some time to appreciate his surroundings and contemplate his mission. Thoughts of Spy and all of the headaches he was bound to get from his pointless babbling caused him to rub his bald head and light scruffy beard in frustration and despair. Gore and Viktor were alright, he decided, though they couldn't match his old squad. No, don't think about that. In an attempt to divert his thoughts, Shy grabbed the grenade pouch from the back of his belt and opened it.
Contrary to its name, Shy didn't have any grenades in the pouch. Instead, a dull dark grey rod-like device was dumped out of it. It was cylindrical for most of its length, except for the hollow rectangular end, which protruded past a piece that resembled a cross guard. The cylindrical portion of the rod was long and thick enough for Shy to put both of his hands around it comfortably.
Shy stared at the device, wondering if he would need to use it, but hoping that the need would not arise. He sat like that for a few minutes before having his back prodded by R8; or more accurately, before having R8 roll into him at R8's fastest ground speed. The impact jolted Shy out of his stupor, and he quickly placed the cylindrical device beck in his pouch before returning to his assignment. He removed his DC-15a from his back, though refrained from replacing his helmet, rather enjoying the silence that came with not hearing Spy.
Shy rested himself on his chest and elbows a few feet from one of the edges of the mesa facing the mountain range. He aligned his eye with the rifle's scope and peered through at two times zoom, and in low-light mode.
He gazed across the mountain range for several minutes, switching zoom levels and making notes that would eventually make it to an intel report. The mountains closely resembled mountains found on planets like Naboo and Alderaan, though this specific range lacked any type of vegetation as far as he could tell, though the low-light setting was probably screwing with his visuals. He'd have to try looking again at a more optimal light level. Even at the times twenty zoom, the mountains were still relatively distant, and he doubted that he would find anything of importance in the other directions.
Still, he diligently went about his survey. A quick glance around at two times zoom revealed nothing of particular interest; only a few shrubs and some decent sized rocks. After finishing his sweep, he returned to the original starting point and retried at ten times zoom. This yielded more interesting results. He found a light trail of what appeared to be hoof prints in the dry, cracked ground. Based on the conditions, Shy figured that the prints were made by a bantha-like creature, but he would hold off on concluding this until he could observe the prints more fully. He could also conclude that rain was rare in this part. Just my luck that I end up in the Tatooine end of wherever this place is. However, after some thinking back to the fog-covered region he had seen, he figured it could be worse.
Shy also observed a small spot of light on the horizon, but dismissed it as a low-lying star.
Finally, Shy's final sweep of the area, this time using times twenty zoom, began. He took his time with this sweep, noting every detail he could see, which unfortunately wasn't many due to the low-light mode and high zoom. Upon reaching the halfway point, all he had found was one interesting but insignificant rock formation.
Eventually, Shy's rifle was pointed at the spot of light he had seen earlier. It was really bright now, and too large to be a star. The contrast was unfortunately too much for him to make much out, but there were figures in the light. He could see two relatively large, unmoving, blurry black blobs, as well as the occasional tiny dot scurry across his line of sight. Shy's focus remained on the light for several minutes before he decided that he should finish his sweep and compile his findings. Along the remainder of his sweep, he noticed what appeared to be tracks, presumably for some sort of vehicle. His gaze followed the tracks until he could no longer see them, and at that point, the light he had been observing was in the center of his view again. Prehaps it's a civilization, he pondered. Shortly afterwards, he felt that he had spent enough time observing and needed to report his findings.
Shy spent around ten minutes recording his notes on the holopad he had brought with him and sorted out which bits of data were immediately important for the rest of the squad to know. Once this was finished, Shy had no further need to be on the mesa. He stood and walked towards the grapple he had placed earlier. He attached the grapple to the ascension cable on his DC and rappelled down the mesa.
~~~LZ, US-01, 16 hours and 30 minutes after the Ambush at US-01~~~
The LZ's preparations were complete and all of the members of Victor squad were now all in the crevasse that was their new home. Shy and R8 had descended from the mesa around a half hour ago, and since then, Shy and Viktor had been discussing the data Shy had collected, trying to determine their course of action.
In one of the large, open areas of the camp, Spy and Gore were disputing the claim Spy had made earlier regarding his hand-to-hand combat abilities. Disputing by means of physically testing Spy's theory, to be precise. They, as well as R8 as referee, had been at this for around the last twenty minutes, and each bout ended quickly and with Gore being pinned on the ground. Stubbornly, Gore wanted to test Spy again.
They distanced themselves around ten feet and faced each other, each in a boxing stance. In each of Gore's previous attempt to usurp the current champion, he had made the first move, which each led to him on the ground. He figured that he would let Spy move first this time, and hopefully he would be able to land a powerful counter-blow.
R8 gave the signal that the round had started, and, to Gore's delight, Spy did move first. Spy awkwardly leapt towards him a few feet, but maintained his arm position and refrained from making any sort of aggressive move. As soon as Spy landed, Gore lunged forward and tried a strong uppercut with his right arm. Spy leaned back, letting Gore's arm sail a few inches from his head and chest, and pushed Gore's arm up after Gore had finished his motion. Gore's balance was thrown off due to Spy's shove, and Spy followed it up with a heavy punch to the face, sending Gore sprawling to the dirt. R8 gave the signal that Gore had lost this bout.
Spy strolled over to where Gore lay and offered a hand to help him up, which Gore accepted.
"You're quite predictable," Spy said to Gore as he helped him brush some dust off his armor. "It's like I know exactly what you're going to do next."
"I get it; there's no need for you to rub it in," Gore retaliated.
"Yes there is," Spy said innocently. "Cuz this means I'm better than you, and I want to make sure you know that," he continued with a sheepish grin, which was unfortunately covered by his helmet.
Gore growled in annoyance and clenched his fist.
"Oh, and it's to make up for you dropping that crate on me earlier," said Spy, after seeing that his attempt at humor failed to ease Gore.
"At least that was funny," Gore spat.
"Actually, that was quite mea-" Spy began, before Viktor yelled at them to "Shut up" from across the camp.
After an awkward silence, Spy spoke up. "Well, looks like it's settled, then. I appear to be at least your superior in hand-to-hand combat."
"You brag about that one more time and I'll break your jaw."
"If you could land a hit there maybe..." Spy said, putting a hand to his chin in thought. Gore swung at him after he finished his comment, but he swiftly dodged.
"I said shut up!" Viktor yelled again. "Get your shebs over here; We've got stuff to discuss, and I don't feel like yelling." As Spy and Gore sauntered over, Viktor mumbled to himself, "Honestly, if there was a way to just delete their mouths, I'd go for it." Shy nodded in agreement.
Viktor began a quick briefing as soon as Spy and Gore got near and seated themselves. "Alright, thanks to Shy, we've got a little bit of data to give to Moon." Viktor diverted his attention to the holopad Shy had made his notes on. "So far, he's determined that the air is breathable for humans, saying that the atmosphere here is basically identical to planets similar to Naboo. There are also indications of this planet being inhabited. Off in a that way direction," he said while pointing roughly in the direction Shy had noticed the hoof-prints, "are some tracks to, what Shy says, 'could possibly be a small bantha-like creature, though further study needs to be done before any conclusions can be made'. Shy also noted a possible civilization over there," he said, this time pointing and looking in the direction opposite that of the nearby mountains. He redirected his gaze to the holopad. "There also appears to be some set of vehicle tracks leading to the suspected civilization. That's all that Shy has gotten so far. Before we decide what our course of action will be, I'd like to state R8 has determined that we got past the Seps unnoticed."
"Yep, I knew we would," Spy said. "I mean, it was a guarantee that we would; after all, you've got me here with you."
"From what I've seen, you being here is detrimental to being stealthy," Gore panned.
Viktor growled, causing Spy and Gore to return their attention to him. "Listen guys, we've got a job to do and this is supposed to be a serious discussion. Save your useless banter for after we've made the important decisions."
Spy opened his mouth, ready to give a snide remark, but decided that Viktor was right, so he simply said, "Eh, yeah, you're right. Sorry, Vikky." Gore non-verbally agreed.
Viktor prepared himself to lash out against Spy for calling him Vikky again, but stopped himself after seeing how hypocritical it would be to do that, so instead, he just continued as if nothing had happened. "So, now that we've got some leads, we've got to determine our next move. Shy and I figured that we should head out to the hoof-prints via BARC shortly after we wake. We let Shy study them for a while, then we move on to the possible civilization, and see if we can't find any more good intel."
"Sounds good to me," said Spy.
Gore took a moment to contemplate before saying, "Plan's good; makes sense, but how do you propose we approach this supposed civilization? Do we want to follow the tracks, which would give us a clear path but make us likely to be seen, or do we try to find an indirect path to it. Also, do we want to let the civvys know we're here, or do we remain hidden? Oh, and how close do we want to get to observe them?"
Viktor huffed. "You make good points, Gore. I wish you were more astute more often," he chided. "To answer your questions, I was thinking that we follow the tracks, but we try to keep our distance from it. We want to be able to get close enough that we can clearly see the possible civilization through Shy's and I's times ten scope. We want to avoid contact with any civvys."
"Well, I've got no further qualms, then," Gore said, leaning back on his elbows.
"Excellent," Viktor said, satisfied. He glanced to the starry sky, then to the sliver of moon that was showing. "It looks like it's late. We'll head out in twelve hours, and spit watch duty into four three-hour shifts. Shy, you take the first one, and leave your rifle for the next one of us to use. Once you're done, feel free to pick who gets next shift. Alert us if anything weird happens."
Shy nodded and began his ascent up the cliff, using the grapple he had placed earlier this time. Viktor turned to regard the other two clones that were awaiting dismissal. "I'm going to hit the hay now, and I want you two to do the same within an hour. Dismissed." They stood and nodded, surprising Viktor be heading towards the gunship, presumably to sleep, instead of heading somewhere else to cause trouble, leaving Viktor alone to his thoughts.
Spy and Gore stepped into the troop bay, which had earlier been converted into their sleeping area. Spy claimed the hammock closest to the now closed boarding ramp, and Gore took the one next to him. As Spy made himself comfortable, he noticed that R8 was sitting deactivated on the side of him opposite of Gore. He looked to the droid and patted its domed head. He turned away, clasping his hands behind his head and looking to the roof of the gunship, saying "Goodnight, Lumpy," before dozing off to sleep...
...Only to be awaked a couple of seconds later by a sharp jolt to his armpit. "Ow!" he yelped, looking down to the taser appendage R8 had zapped him with. The zap didn't hurt, but it so unexpected that he couldn't help himself from saying so. "That was rude. Gore did you see that?" he asked, directing his attention to Gore, who had removed his helmet and was already sleeping heavily. He looked back to the droid, who was whirring and whistling angrily at him. "That was uncalled for, Lumpy," Spy said to the droid. R8's angry noises increased in volume and he zapped Spy again. "Hey! Cut that out! Just-just go to your corner and leave me alone," he scolded, pointing to a far corner of the gunship. R8 beeped which, Spy assumed was his way of saying "humph", and retreated to his original spot, deactivating himself. Spy grumbled to himself a little about the droid's poor behavior before succumbing to sleep.
Shortly afterwards, Viktor made his way to the gunship and began his rest.
Once again, Shy found himself alone atop the mesa. However, this time, he was thoroughly alone; not even R8 decided to spend the night awake with him. After having spent well over an hour in the same spot, he was felt that he knew his surroundings well enough to relax. As a side effect, he also had nothing to occupy himself with. Thus, his thoughts strayed. At first, his thoughts were of a more mundane nature; how the gentle breeze felt upon his exposed face, what his meals would be like for the duration of his adventure, and other similar thoughts.
The last ten and a half hours had been quite wearying upon Shy, especially with regards to his resolve to avoid reflecting upon his past squad. Ever since the incident, he had been tormented, his dreams riddled with with the dying screams of his brothers, his waking moments saturated with the guilt of letting them perish. For the most part, however, he had been able to suppress his emotions.
At least until then and a half hours ago, when he met Viktor. Something about him reminded Shy of his former squad leader for some inexplicable reason. Not inexplicable; everything can be decided within reason, he mentally argued with his scientific mindset in an attempt to regain control. Could it be because Viktor acts like my former Captain? Or is it because he's a commando? Shy was unsure, but was too tired to try to formulate an answer. As weariness wore upon him, his musing became distant and muddled.
Shy discovered that three hours pass quickly when the stress of a couple years of one's strictly regulated emotions finally break through their wall of steel known as resolve, and they try futilely to rebuild. He dejectedly rappelled down the cliff face again via his rifle's ascension cable, leaving it dangling from the line for the next one to take watch with. His spirits lightened slightly when he entered the gunship door and saw his squadmates resting peacefully, knowing that he could exact some slight compensation for an unnecessary headache upon one particularly deserving clone...
Spy spent the next three hours drowsily sputtering meaningless nonsense about his wonderful dream consisting of 'rainbows and unicorns and flying horses' being crudely interrupted.
~~~Sheriff's Office, Appleloosa, 1 day after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~
The bright morning sun was making its way over the horizon, painting the sky and small township of Appleloosa various shades of orange, pink, and blue. A gentle chill breeze drifted between the various buildings that lined the main stretch of the town, which was slowly coming to life as shops and saloons prepared for opening hour. A few ponies strolled through the road, some with purpose, and some simply enjoying a morning walk. Among these ponies was Braeburn, the town's lead apple farmer and almost the mayor figure of the town.
Most days, he would set out early to relax in the morning conditions, and was usually accompanied by his friend, Sheriff Silverstar. Silverstar could usually be found waiting for him on the porch to his office, but in the cases where he was unavailable, he always left a note explaining why, unless it was obvious.
Thus, Braeburn was puzzled to find no signs of Silverstar in the porch nor a note explaining his absence on the door. Braeburn approached the door with caution, hoping that his friend was not in any sort of trouble. A voice from behind the door seemed to answer his concerns. "Ah know it's a direct decree, but this type'a job can't be handled but just one pony like mahself." It was Silverstar.
Curious as to Silverstar's plight, Braeburn knocked on the door.
"Uh, sorry pardner, I'm a might busy at the moment, yall'll haveta' come back later," Silverstar replied from inside.
"Star, it's me, Braeburn. Can Ah come in?"
"Oh, Braeburn, sorry. Ah didn't recognize ya voice there for a sec," he apologized. Presumably to somepony else inside, Silverstar said, "Wouldja mind gettin' the door for 'im?"
Braeburn heard some hoof steps from the other side of the door before the pony opened it for him, and he found himself face-to-face with...
...A bat pony? Luna's night guard? Why're they here?
The guard stepped aside and allowed Braeburn to enter, where he saw another one of Luna's guard standing across from Silverstar, who was seated at his desk, grimly staring at a piece of parchment in front of him.
"Hey, Brae," he said, not looking up. "Sorry Ah can't join ya on yer walk. I'd like ta, but I gotta big order from her highness herself."
"Oh, really? What could she be possibly wantin' from us?" he asked, genuinely intrigued.
The night guard who stood near Silverstar spoke up. "Her majesties Celestia and Luna hast formed a decree this past night requesting the presence of all ponies under their jurisdiction to assemble in Canterlot and its immediate areas."
Braeburn stared blankly at the guards. "Say who ta what now?"
"The princesses want all of their subjects to gather at Canterlot for some big announcement or somethin'. Since I'm the sheriff, I guess I've been put in charge of makin' sure all uh Appleloosa gets on them trains an' up to Canterlot." Silverstar clarified. "Not terribly difficult, but still, it's uh lot fer just one pony to coerd'nate."
"Thine princesses request it of thee, and would like their demands met in a timely manner," the guard who had opened the door said off-handedly.
"Ah know," Silverstar said with a sigh, "but it's just somethin' that can't be expected ta happen in just'a few hours."
"Ah could help ya ya know," Braeburn offered.
Silverstar perked up. "Really? That'd be wonderful. If yall'n them guards could spread the word 'round, I can get the trains ready, an' I think that'll be all we really need ta do, aside from makin' sure everypony moves along at uh steady pace."
The guards nodded in agreement. Braeburn turned towards the guards before asking, "What'll we tell everypony what they need ta bring?"
"The princesses shall ensure that shelter, food, and beds be provided for everypony who makes themselves present. Thus, they will be fine with bringing nothing," one of the guards responded.
With those details out of way, Braeburn and Silverstar said their farewells and headed off to do their self-assigned duties.
~~~Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville, 1 day after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~
Rays of sunlight brutally assaulted Spike's closed eyelids. He stirred, but couldn't force himself bask to sleep. Groggily, Spike sat himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching to prepare himself for another tiring day of chores. Underneath the window that so rudely allowed photons to enter and intrude his slumber was Twilight Sparkle's unoccupied bed. It looked as if Twilight hadn't spent any time in it at all during the night, something that the studious unicorn was doing more regularly than was healthy.
Oh well. At least I don't have to make her bed this morning.
Spike made his way down the small staircase that led to the library's main room, and just as he predicted, Twilight sat at the table in the center, reading.
"Morning, Twilight," he greeted, receiving a grunt in response.
A flash of annoyance passed over his face. She could be so rude, sometimes; especially when she was engrained in her studies. She didn't mean it though, so Spike quickly forgave her.
"Had breakfast yet?" he inquired, wondering if that was another chore that he could get away with not doing. Twilight said nothing, but raised a glass of some sort of black liquid so that Spike could see it before taking a large gulp. She gagged as the foul liquid passes down he throat.
"Burnt juice again? Seriously, how is it so hard for you to not burn your food...or drinks," he deadpanned, before heading into the kitchen to prepare an actual meal for the two of them.
Broken out her 'relentless study mode' by consuming the terrible drink, the effects of a night without sleep began to bear down on her. Pushing the book she had been reading aside, she folded her front legs on the table and rested her head on them. She began to doze, but a loud rumble from outside snapped her awake instantly.
No, that rumble wasn't from outside...
Her stomach growled again. I need to stop skipping meals, she thought. The delicious scent of pancakes and hay fries wafted in from the kitchen, causing Twilight's stomach to growl even more profusely. In an attempt to distract herself from the smells that were amplifying here hunger, which were in turn preventing her from napping, she pulled the book back towards her and tried to read.
Knock. Knock.
Who would come by at this hour? The library's not even open! Groaning, she pulled herself out of her chair and walked towards the door, ready to give a verbal beating to the pony who was so blatantly disregarding the library's policies.
"Whaddya want?" she almost yelled as she opened the door, words unintentionally slurring due to her weariness. It took her a second to notice that it was Rarity who stood in front of her with a concerned look on her face.
"Twilight, darling, are you alright? You look like a mess. Did you stay up all night again?" inquired Rarity.
"Oh, hi Rarity, sorry for yelling at you. Come in," Twilight apologized, stepping aside to let Rarity through. "Yeah, I skipped sleep...again," she continued as Rarity walked by, closing the door once Rarity had made her way in.
"You should really stop doing that so often, Twilight. It's unhealthy and it really shows in your complexion," Rarity scolded. "What is that smell? Is Spikey-Wikey making his marvelous pancakes again?"
Twilight nodded. "Yeah, he is. And I'm glad, too. Burnt juice tastes really bad, though is does wonders to wake you up."
"You burn your juice too? That's...somewhat of a relief," Rarity said. "At least Sweetie Belle isn't the only one."
"Gee, thanks for equating my juice preparing skills to that of a filly. Does wonders for my self-esteem," Twilight replied sarcastically, though the sarcasm was lost.
Rarity reared back. She had not come over to insult her friend! She had to correct herself. "I-I'm sorry Twilight, I didn't mean it like that. I-"
"Relax, I'm teasing," Twilight said. Rarity sighed in relief. "So, care to explain why you're here?"
Taking a moment to remember why she had indeed come to Twilight, she said, "Yes. Well, you see, I received a special order late last night for some outfits in a more...outdated style. Yes, and I came over to see if you had a book which described these styles of outfits that I could use for reference."
"Yeah, I've got stuff about that. I'll find you one after we've eaten. That is, if you're interested in sharing some breakfast."
"Oh, most indubitably, Twilight. I'd love to."
Several minutes later, Spike came out of the kitchen carrying two platters, one piled high with pancakes, and the other generously doused in hay fries. He went to the table where the two mares were waiting patiently for him. Setting the platters down in front of them, he bowed, saying, "Enjoy, my ladies."
"Oh, why thanks ever so much, Spike," Rarity said, to which Spike assumed a standing posture and said, "It's my pleas-BELCH"
Green flames projected from his mouth, and out of them, a regal letter shot out at a high velocity, hitting Rarity directly in the face. Spike relentlessly apologized, and Twilight couldn't help but laugh at the situation as she grabbed the letter with her magic.
Ignoring Spike and Rarity, who was assuring Spike that it was fine while simultaneously scolding him for his unexcused burp, she read the letter:
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
A new era for Equestria is about to begin. In fact, it will begin tomorrow, and it is important that all able-bodied ponies from across Equestria are present in Canterlot at that time.
It is important that you and the other Elements of Harmony ensure that Ponyville is successfully ferried to Conterlot. I will be sending guards to assist you with this, and to explain the situation to any who ask, as I doubt that I will be able to explain via letter.
Attached to this letter is a note from me to the conductors of the Ponyville train station, which I would like delivered to them as soon as possible. Additionally, I will be sending a chariot for you and the Elements. When you all are ready, it will bring you to Canterlot, where you'll see this glorious era begin first hand.
Thank you and good luck,
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna
Upon finishing the letter, Twilight was giddy with excitement, all weariness forgotten.
"What does it say, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
Twilight grinned. "We've got an assignment from the princesses!"
~~~LZ, US-01, 1 day and 5 hours after the Ambush at US-01~~~
After touching ground, Gore detached the ascension cable from Shy's rife and mounted the weapon on his back. The sun was high in the sky and shone down brightly upon the LZ. It wasn't quite noon yet, but It was getting close; Viktor must have underestimated the lateness of the hour when he ordered everyone to sleep. Regardless of the exact time, it had been approximately twelve hours since they had begun sleeping, and now it was time to progress their mission.
Actually, now was the fun part of getting the squad to wake up. R8 was already about, scurrying between the pieces of equipment they had brought and making sure that is was functioning properly. Not that Gore had wanted to rudely awake R8; he heard the droid zap Spy twice for calling it 'Lumpy'. Gore was not interested in getting a similar experience.
Gore strode to hammocks that bore Shy and Viktor, which were conveniently adjacent to each other. He removed his helmet as shook each of their shoulders softly. This prompted Shy awake, and Gore indicated to him to stay silent. After all, Shy was definitely the noisiest out of all of them (sarcasm). Viktor, however, resisted the motion, but was stirred awake after a few taps to his visor. Again, Gore indicated to him to remain silent.
Gore stalked over to where Spy lay and carefully contemplated his next move. He really wanted to just flip the hammock over, but that was a bit too simple. He needed to do something more drastic...
Finally, an idea. He silently made his way to the end of the hammock cradling Spy's head. Reaching for the knot that held the hammock up, he slowly pulled on the cords. Looser and looser he made them until, finally, Spy's weight was too much for the weakened knot to handle.
Spy crashed to the floor head first, and let out a moan that seemed to be a mix of tiredness, anger, and pain. Gore glanced to Viktor, who was holding his helmet, and indicated to him to leave the gunship.
Coming to his senses, Spy stood up and looked around, only to find that no one was present in the gunship. He looked to where the end of the hammock had previously been suspended and sighed, cursing his poor knot-tying skills.
Now that everyone was awake and in a good mood, it was time for Victor squad to prepare for the day's happenings. After eating bland rations as their breakfasts, the squad checked their weapons and the BARCs to ensure they would be running properly. They hoped that their weapons wouldn't be needed, but their guard would be up regardless.
The squad was about to leave, but were stopped when Gore made yet another astute observation. He found that, when he placed his chain gun on his back, the weight made him fall over.
"This is going to be a problem," he muttered, struggling to stand.
Spy laughed, but Shy and Viktor shared concerned looks.
Gore got to his feet and set the chain gun on the ground in front of him, looking at Shy and Viktor, hoping that one of them would have a solution.
"I could modify this a bit," said Shy quietly. "I should be able to attach one of the repulsor lifts to is, and make it so that it is activated when the magnetization module is activated. That should be able to help counter the weight."
Gore looked to Shy, surprised that he was capable of saying more than two sentences back-to-back. Shy looked to Viktor for approval.
"If you can get it finished within an hour, go a head and do it now. If not, it'll have to wait until we return," Viktor ordered.
In less than an hour's time, Shy had managed to make his proposed system work flawlessly. Gore was now able to carry his chain gun while it was magnetized on his back, and as long as his back wasn't near horizontal, the weapon actually felt weightless.
With that problem dealt with, Victor squad was headed towards the hoof prints that Shy had wanted to study. They left R8 behind to monitor the equipment.
Not long after heading out, they had already reached the prints. Shy handed his rifle to Spy, who used it to check to horizon, while Viktor and Gore established a perimeter.
"So I don't know if you saw anything," Gore said to Viktor via helmet comm while Shy worked, "but throughout my entire watch, there was seemingly a lot of activity in the direction of the suspected civilization."
"Yeah, I saw some activity during the last half of my watch as well," Viktor agreed. "It was getting to be morning, though, so I'd be willing to bet that whatever they are, they're not nocturnal."
"Ugh, why did I have to get the shift that had nothing interesting happen?" Spy complained. "Even now, there's nothing going on in that direction."
Viktor and Gore looked towards the suspected settlement, though it was too distant for them to actually see anything. "Huh," Viktor said. "Maybe they are nocturnal?"
Twenty minutes passed, and Victor squad was still at the hoof prints. Viktor liked to consider himself patient, but even now, he was starting to get restless. How could a simple set of tracks be so interesting?, he wondered. Shy didn't appear to have moved much since the last time Viktor had glanced at him a few minutes ago, so he decided to see what Shy had found so far.
"Got anything to report, Shy?"
Shy took his time responding. "Um, well, this track was made by a creature with some sort of split hoof. I originally suspected that they were from a batha-like creature, but as you can see, this only splits once, while banthas have two divergences on their hooves. I also found a small tuft of fur near one of these prints. It was brown, long, and thick, similar to a bantha. So while the things that made these tracks are not banthas, it would be pretty safe to say that they were made by something similar to a bantha; closer to a dwarf bantha, I should say, given the small size."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah. The moisture content of the dirt in this region seems to be quite low. It's likely that is hasn't rained for a while, and based on the cloud patterns that I've observed, it's not likely that it will rain soon. Basically, were in this planet's version of Tatooine."
Lovely, Viktor thought. At least the planet isn't entirely like this, unlike Tatooine. Reflecting on what he had just been told, Viktor found it surprising how conversational Shy was when talking about stuff that was more...sciencey.
He looked to the sky and saw that the sun had made relatively significant progress. "Good work, but we should probably get going now. I want to be back at the LZ by nightfall."
After receiving a nod from Shy, Victor squad loaded their speeders and headed towards the suspected civilization.
~~~Ponyville Train Station, Ponyville, 1 day, 3 hours and 30 minutes after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~
Twilight was not surprised that Ponyville had made its way onto the trains to Canterlot at an astoundingly quick pace. She had her expert organizational skills to thank for that...as well as the town's proximity to Canterlot, the willingness of the townsponies to cooperate, her friends, the guards that Celestia had sent-
Okay, so maybe Twilight's contribution was only a small part of the wonderful success, but regardless of how it happened, it did, and she was proud of the accomplishment.
Finally, the last train departed from the station, leaving the Elements of Harmony and their escort behind to make their own way to Canterlot. After boarding the chariot, the group took off. In a couple of short hours, Twilight would get to see her beloved teacher again, and finally appease her curiosity about this 'new era for Equestria'.
~~~Appleloosa Train Station, Appleloosa, 1 day and 5 hours after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~
Braeburn was surprised at how quickly he and Silverstar had managed to get all of Appleloosa onto the trains to Canterlot. Actually, it wasn't all that surprising. Most of the ponies in the town had never been to Canterlot, and would jump at the chance to go free of charge. The citizens were pleasantly cooperative and willing to leave their belongings with the assurance that is would only be three days at the most that they'd be gone. It was nice to see everything run smoothly.
"All of the ponies hast been escorted onto the trains save us," said one of the night guards who stood behind Braeburn.
"Whoo, that's what Ah like ta hear," he cheered, proud to have been efficient and effective at complying with his princesses. "I guess we should be getting on now, eh, 'Star?"
"Ah agree. Let's go."
Braeburn, Silverstar, and the two night guards made their way onto the last train out of Appleloosa and began their trip to Canterlot.
~~~Outskirts of Suspected Civilization, US-01, 1 day, 7 hours and 25 minutes after the Ambush at US-01~~~
Well, this was unexpected. In front of Victor squad lay an entire township. Entire, except for any sort of civilian. It couldn't have been abandoned for long; the buildings were completely intact and nothing looked incredibly worn down.
They were still a good few hundred feet from the town, each looking at it though the binoculars built into their helmets, except for Shy who used his rifle scope. Needless to say, the scenario was strange and a bit discomforting; perhaps they would need their weapons after all.
"I really can't see any signs of life," Spy said.
No one responded; they had all come to that conclusion several minutes ago.
"Maybe we should go in and investigate," Gore suggested. "After all, we need to collect data on all of the species that we can, and what better way to do so that to see their handiwork firsthand?"
Viktor considered this very true fact.
"And I doubt that we'd be in any real danger if we get found. We've not seen any signs of any tinnies, plus those buildings are made of wood, indicative of a low state of technological advancement."
"Lotta big words there, smart guy," Spy teased.
"Shut up, you probably didn't even know what I meant," Gore retorted.
"Of course I know what you meant," Spy defended. "You called them dumb."
"Like you."
"Knock it off," Viktor seethed.
After a few seconds, the tension levels lowered. At least until Spy spoke again. "That was a lousy comeback."
Viktor facepalmed.
Victor squad carefully eased themself what was presumably the main road of the town, making sure not to break formation. Gore took point, spinning the barrels of his weapon to be prepared for an attack should one come. Spy and Shy covered the left and right flanks respectively, though Shy was wielding his pistols rather than his rifle due to the close-quarters nature of their surroundings. Viktor took the rear, checking and rechecking every possible point from which they could be ambushed with his DC-17.
The squad made it completely down the road without any complications. At this point, Viktor was about ready to declare the town abandoned. It was still a strange sight, though; there were no signs of any type of conflict, all of the stores still had goods, and no windows were boarded or broken. It was almost as if everyone in the town just took off at the same time.
Viktor was also able to confirm the last point Gore had made regarding the civilization's level of technological advancement. They were really underdeveloped. He doubted that any of them were at risk of being injured, even if there was an ambush waiting for them. The tension released itself from Viktor, something the rest of the squad seemed to pick up on, and they too relaxed and lowered their weapons.
"So what now, boss?" Spy asked. Spy seemed to always be the first to talk.
He hadn't really thought this through; he had no idea what to do next. "I don't know," he finally said. "Any ideas?"
"I have one, sir," aid Shy. "We should split up and and search all of the unlocked buildings. Look through them and report your findings to me, but don't touch anything."
"Sounds good, but what if there are no unlocked buildings?" Gore asked.
"Anyone here know how to lockpick?" Viktor asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
Spy raised his hand, and Shy raised his slightly. "I've got a little experience," he said.
"Good. Shy and I will check the buildings down this road. Spy and Gore, go...somewhere else, I don't think it really matters where, just stay in contact. Feel free to pick any locked doors, but don't break any of the locks and don't touch anything inside the buildings you enter. And lock the door behind you as you leave."
Spy and Gore saluted and walked away. Viktor turned and nodded to Shy, and they were off.
After an hour of searching, Victor squad had made some minor progress with their data collection. They had discovered that the species that had inhabited the town were equine in form, very similar to a horse, but with a few differences, mainly in head shape, coat color, and eye size, though some also bore wings or a horn. Fortunately for the clones, Spy and Gore had managed to find photographs of the ex-inhabitants in some of the houses they broke into, providing Victor squad with the visual details they had collected. There was probably more that Shy could gather from the images, but, pressed for time, the best that could be done is scan the images now to be analyzed later.
Shy and Viktor had been having significantly less luck with finding information. They had almost reached the end of the road, and, having forced themselves into every building up to that point, discovered that the members of this species were herbivores and short. They had bumper their heads on the ceilings a few times to testify that last point.
Viktor found himself peering through a large window to what appeared o be a general store of sorts while Shy messed with the lock on the door. There were cooking utensils and other such household maintenance items visible on the shelves; nothing they hadn't seen in another building already. Viktor really doubted that any new information would be found in this building, but it couldn't hurt to check. A few seconds after Shy and started fiddling with the lock, the door creaked open.
Lighting inside was not optimal; thanks to the position of the sun, not enough light got in to make seeing easy, but it wasn't dark enough to justify using low-light mode. They would have to do with their floodlights.
They hunched their through the store's aisles, seeing nothing of interest along the way. They met up in the front of the store after completing their search, each disappointed that more of their time had been wasted. Viktor turned to leave, but Shy stayed put, seeming lost in thought.
"You know, since this is a store, it's likely to have some sort of currency lying about," Shy said, probably thinking out loud as opposed to trying to make a point.
"Yeah. But we're not going to be taking any of their money, if that's what you're thinking," Viktor responded.
"Oh, I would never consider stealing it, but maybe it would be beneficial for us to look at some of it."
Confused as to where this train of thought was going, Viktor questioned why.
"Well, it's obvious that this society is underdeveloped, which means that is probably doesn't use digital currency like we do. At least in our galaxy, older civilizations used coins with impressions of their society's leader on them as currency. If this society is similar, then we might be able to get some information about their leader figures," Shy explained.
Viktor agreed, and together they made their way to the store's cash register. Shy picked the lock on it and pulled out a tray filled with tiny gold coins. Picking one up and holding in front of his science module's scanner, he began to observe the coin. Viktor watched as Shy stared at the coin, and tried to find something divert his attention to.
Off in one of the store's back corners was a barrel filled with scrolls and a sign labeled 'Maps' above it. Viktor couldn't believe his squad's fortune. He walked over, taking one of the maps out of the barrel and unrolled it.
"Shy, drop the coin. I found a map."
Shy immediately dropped the coin back into the register and closed it, rushing over to Viktor's side as he studied he map.
Shy stared at the map that Viktor held for a few seconds. Something about it was curious.
"These things...speak Basic?"
That slight detail had slipped past Viktor's mind while he had been looking over the map, but now that Shy had pointed it out, the coincidence seemed almost too good to be true. That, and also somewhat strange.
"I know that I said we're not stealing things, but this map might be a bit to valuable for us to simply leave behind. I'm grabbing a couple, and then we're getting out of here," Viktor said. He and Shy left the store, locking the door behind them, and made for Spy and Gore's location.
~~~LZ, Equestria, 1 day and 13 hours after the Ambush at US-01~~~
Overall, Viktor felt that the day had been successful. He and his squad had identified at least one of the planet's indigenous species, made a reasonable analysis of the lifestyle led by the species that they knew they had identified, and found a map depicting their geographical location, albeit there was some dispute over their location on the map, since two locations seemed to match their surroundings. Despite the dispute, they at least knew that they were in a place called Equestria. Whether that was the name of the country, region, or planet was still to be determined, but it was a start.
Viktor felt that his squad deserved some rest, so let them off to sleep once they had given Shy all of the data they had collected, saying that they would worry about tomorrow's plans tomorrow. Viktor decided to take the first watch while his Spy and Gore slept and while Shy mulled over their findings and prepared a report for Sargent Moon.
It was evening when his shift started, and he watched as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, casting the world into another starry night. Looking up to the sky, Viktor admired the brightly shining full moon that occupied the majority of the sky. Wait, full moon? It was just a crescent moon last night. Either this planet has really fast-paced moon phases, or someone decides how the moon looks each night. Pfft, that's unreasonable...definitely fast moon phases.
Now that that was resolved, it was time for Viktor to actually keep watch, though his experience so far told him that there was really no need; they hadn't encountered any type of hostilities yet. Yet.
Viktor waited peacefully on top of the mesa, observing his surroundings casually through his DC-17 sniper, before something caught his eye. In the distance, something in the sky gave a hint of reflected moonlight. Speedily moving his crosshairs over the disturbance, he zoomed in on it to find...
Ugh, why do the Seps have to come and ruin everything?
...that it was a droid transport. More motion in the distance was picked up by his infrared scope.
And what is that swarm?