//------------------------------// // Management // Story: Mercs on a Mission // by Gairenard //------------------------------// Chapter 12- Management The American pony internment camps were originally going to be comfortable accommodations for all ponies alike, and most of their needs would have been met. The plan was to have open, government owned land, that was fertile and needed little prep work. This gave ponies the freedom to grow crops, have buildings built either buy their own hooves or with human construction, govern themselves, teach their foals, and over all wait out the war. This would all be done under supervision of course, but intervention would only occur if reasonable guidelines were broken. One such place in Kansas was constructed and operational, but the human supervisors quickly realized that rebellious ponies with either wings or a horn could easily escape if they could deal with the ‘no turning back’ consequences. It seemed Earth ponies were the ones that could easily be contained. Debate sprang up on what to do. Manny ideas would be too expensive, like a plan to construct large underground living spaces or to put them on aircraft carriers. Others would be too uncivil, like to separate the species and have each one live a confined lifestyle that places them in habitats where they cannot escape. One idea was agreed upon. It would not be cheap, but it would work. The plan was to construct colossal domes for ponies to live within. These domes would have to be big enough for pegasi to fly in, and still support communities on the ground. The construction materials would be wood and hollow pipes for faster construction, but the problem was that they would still take some time to make. For the meantime, ponies would have to live in large buildings and constructions until they were ready. Unless, you were an Earth pony. Earth ponies had the exemption to go live in open farmland, most of the paperwork had been already purchased and everything needed to oversee their stay was already prepared to move into action, so why waste the land? Many Earth ponies agreed to this proposition, while some chose to go to the benevolent ‘containment camps’ and wait for better accommodations. As for General Sult, he took Soldier’s advice to a degree, and convinced advocates to develop the C.H.E.R.P. Cooperational Humanitarian and Equestrian Research Program. It would be the foundation of future pony and human scientific research and development, a historical step in the right direction. The first action of this program was getting some ponies to join. Harder than one thinks because of pony patriotism and the concept of betrayal against their beloved princess, something most ponies fear of. So lets go to a Containment camp set inside the The Arthur Kill Correctional Facility. This repurposed facility is located on Staten Island in New York, and was bought by the Government to house and contain equines. Of all the camps, this one wasn’t the best, wasn't the worse either. The ponies inside behaved well, and overseers did their best to treat them nicely, but it still could hardly classify itself as cozy. Electro Scope sat inside his room/cell. They were told that they were not prisoners, but that 0doesn't help the fact that they are in a repurposed correctional facility, which is much like a prison, even though its not. Electro was a silver unicorn with an electric mane and tail that was usually well kept as his professional lifestyle demanded he dress formerly. His eyes were a dull green, and his cutie mark was a closed jar with a stick running through the cork lid, at the end of the stick inside was two golden leaves of metal. Above the lid was an iron ball attached to the same stick through the cork. An electroscope cutie mark of course. (The text is not part of mark) Electro looked at the ceiling, the single light bulb provided ample light, but for one with big eyes it was hard to stare at. He glanced at the rest of the ceiling, and found it was smooth and bland, like it was designed to be uninspiring. Thoughts of electricity and magic filled his head, so much could be done with one of the other, but fantasies of blending the two filled his dreams is what kept him sane through the night. Not that he was growing insane, but being cooped inside of a building 24-7 is not good mental health. It was a groggy morning, but ponies were allowed to get up at their own leisure. Breakfast came through at intervals every hour until 10:30. Lunch came right after, and at 5:30 dinner would start. This being early morning, Electro’s mane was not done, but neither was his roommate's, though he never bothered to do his anymore. He slept like a dog on the bottom bunk. “Well,” came a gruff voice from below, “Guess I should get some breakfast. You awake yet Electro?” With a deep sigh he responded in a medium voice, with an enlightened sub tone. “Yes, yes I am.” “Its about 7:00.” “I would rather avoid hitting the rush hour, but my stomach seems to have made up its mind.” “Same here.” The sound of hooves appeared indicating that his roommate had left the bed and onto the concrete floor. Another sound reminded Electro of his own internal impending release, forcing him to get out of bed. He jumped from the bunk unto the floor and walked over to the sink to make his mane. The solid concrete floor making a perfect surface for the sound of trotting hooves, the constant noise was maddening to some guards, and thus they adjusted shifts accordingly. The process only took a few moments with the help of magic. The sink was basic and embedded into the concrete wall. They did provide a single bar of soap that was supposed to last them a month, and the toilet rested right next to the sink with a cold steel rim and no lid. "See you later." His earth pony roommate had a black mane, brown coat, and grey eyes. His mark was in the form of a blue box filled with paper. "See ya Sort." Sort Through opened the curtain covered jail door with little effort thanks to smooth door wheels, walked out, and closed the door behind him. The curtain or tarp that covered the cell doors and bars were the only way ponies could get some privacy. One did not choose the color of your door, you just had to deal with whatever you got. Even then, you were most likely sharing a room with one sink and toilet. In this case, the pair sharing the room spoke little to one another, and seldom saw each other during the day. Its not like they disliked one another, but they were not friends. They only saw each other as sharing a room. Nothing more. After having released himself on the cold can, Electro followed up on going to get a breakfast tag. Stepping out of the cell, other ponies wandered around and about quietly while others slept in. Not one pony seemed to be in a cherry mood, but things would change once everypony was awake and socializing. However it would also get loud, the noise the ponies were making with their hooves reflected off of the walls and the sound waves could find almost no route for escape. When everypony was awake they spoke in whispers, but the noise level was still uncomfortable. The hall was 10ft wide from cell to opposite cell, with the walls reaching 8ft high. A standard space with room for the pegasi to hover, but not a lot of trotting space. As such, ponies stayed within the confides of the cells. As a unicorn, life outside Equestria was particularly stressful. Its not like they kept what happens on the battlefield a complete secret. Everyone knew about the brutality of simple levitation, and any four legged creature with a horn was immediately shunned, vocally insulted, and on a rare occasion attacked by civilians on the streets around the world. This went for most pegasi as well, electrocuting your enemies to death is not much better than pulling someone's grenade pins and running. Many agree that the relocation and containment acts keep the equestrians safe from harm, and keep humans happy. The Earth ponies, however, aren't beaten badly. Simple familiarity to normal horses gave those with no wings nor horn an advantage with positive human interaction. This did not excuse them from containment. So, while horrible on the battlefront, they were living the easy life outside of the rest of Equestria. Their influence being especially profound in agricultural countries or communities, where they are praised for making farm work a lot less harder. Countries like Italy, Brazil, Ukraine and Russia to name a few. Still, things were only so much better inside the camps. If somepony was seen using levitation then that individual would guards starring in their direction intensely, therefore, most did not use magic at all to lessen tensions. Pegasi were told not to fly fast or erratic, as to not invoke suspicion. And Earth ponies were kindly told not to do anything that involved escape if they were permitted to go outside for an hour. No pony was to be treated badly, but there is nothing that says people had to be nice. Most ponies that were awake made their way to the food counter at the back of the building. Guarded by two tall and fit people, who glared silently at ponies they thought deserved their cold gaze. They wore the standard blue collar button up shirts with chest pockets, black pants, and black shoes. Each one was equipped with a Taser Gun, baton sticks, cuffs, and walkie talkies. They could be seen chatting to another pony, or listening to music, and sometimes a game of chess. However it was believed that they did those things just to keep themselves entertained and had no intention to make friends. The counter/table was a place where ponies could order food that would arrive at the next feeding interval. The lines were long and only two could order at a time. That particular area was especially uncomfortable for those living in cells blocked by the line. Patience rewarded Electro over time and he approached the table. He didn't want to write without magic, even though he was more than able to use his mouth, but after a whole week of staying in the facility the guards were slightly less wary of magic. Slightly. He knew that they were looking down at him thinking thoughts of how to take him down should the sleazy pencil do something unexpected, as it floated innocently around the paper taken from the large stack of forms. One would bubble in your choices of drink, main course of the day, and side dish. A device in the wall behind the table would suck the paper inside facing up. A few moments later, and a food tag would be produced from a slot below. The food tag was to be turned in when the food was collected. The unicorn took the tag and moved out of the line without looking at it. Once outside the fray, he looked at it. “8:30, perfect.” Of course it wasn’t as he woke up starving in the first place. Now all he had to do was wait out the morning until food came, and he did this with a new friend of his, Action Shot. Action was a professional photographer who came to the U.S to photograph the famous New York metropolis in all its glory, up tit recently she had made some bits from her hit images. Her previous fame was short lived from images of the changeling invasion. From the food counter, her cell was a few doors down, covered with a blue tarp with white polka dots. As he approached said tarp it opened and the mare in question stepped out. Her fur was a light coconut brown with a mane with white and lighter brown stripes. Her mark was a $ sign, and her eyes were a turquoise. Her voice had a Manehattan twang that only got stronger in American Manhattan. “Ay there bumkon’! How was your rest last night?” “Not bad, although by back might suffer in the long run.” Electro rubbed his back in regards to the mattresses “Yeah, I get what ya mean. Oh! I got a new roommate!” “You did?” “Yeah, Sundrop left for those, farms.” Farms was not spoken positively. “Well, can’t blame her, it certainly beats living here. Shut up inside most of the day.” Action shrugged, “Still don’t change the fact she left without say’n goodbye. Anyhey, I think you might like my new roommate, she’s quiet until you get into a conversation with her, but she’s very smart in her field of expertise.” The pair entered the cell, and found sitting on the bottom bunk, playing with a small pebble, was a grey mare with a flat purple mane turquoise eyes slightly darker than Actions. She wore a frock of a dull blue green color that and blank expression. “Maud, this is the stallion I told you about, Electro Scope. Electro, meet Maud Pie.” Maud did not change her expression, but she did get out of bed to greet the guest. Her voice was perhaps more dull than her appearance. “Nice to meet you Electro. Action says that you are a magic professor and researcher. I myself have a "rocktorate" in rock science. Which is basically a doctorate in Geology, although I specialize in petrology.” Despite her lower than life tone, Electro could clearly see the intellect she possessed. “Well, it is nice to meet you too Maud, my field of work lies in the study of magical energy, a broad topic, but that leaves more room for discovery.” Action butted herself into the conversation. “Well, I be back, I need to geta food tag. You two get to know each other.” Turning the attention back to one another, the pair of professionals began to chat away, “So,” Electro started, “I would think somepony like you would be out in the prairie. There's not much in the way of diverse rocks here." "Humans have mined rocks deep in the Earth, so I came to America to see some of them. I came to New York to look at human concrete and some of the brick buildings and analyze them." Her tone nor expression did change as she talked, she was as flat as a perfectly level floor. “And for the record, the diversity one can find in the concrete walls and floor is quite interesting.” "I brought myself here to see the city, ponies keep going on about it. They were right in that is is not the same as Manehattan." "It is a marevel of creativity and innovation to get all of the ore and rock and transform it into a colossal maretropolis. As an earth pony they represent what can be done without magic, something I don't have. It is one of the reasons why the earth ponies have a natural attraction and fascination to anything made by hands. For me its the rocks they mine." "For me it is a sign that we are too reliant on magic, and that trots should be taken towards learning more about how our world works. Humans have done so much without it." "Agreed. I don't know where to start my search for rocks, I need to find a state with rich mining history." Electro shrugged, indicating his impressive lack of knowledge about rock museums. "I recommend you visit Arizona. They have a great history in mines, and you can even go to a petrified forest park." The pair of scientists turned to see the new visitor. A man, in a clean uniform dotted with badges, stood at the doorway, Action Shot was beside him. "You're looking for the yellow one sweetheart, but Maud should be of some use." The man stepped in the room, and held out his hand. "Electro," the unicorn gave him his hoof and the pair shook limbs. "I am Colonel Ross. My business here is not consequential I assure you, it is in fact, an opportunity for you." He moved his hand over to Maud and shook her's as well. "Are the domes done?" "No, but I'm here for another reason. If you three could come with me to an interrogation room we can talk in private. Bring any personal possessions you might have, and I'll meet you at the front door." Ross turned on his heels and exited the cell. Maud neatly placed her rock in a pouch and Action Shot leaped onto her bunk to retrieve a baseball cap and her camera. Electro Scope made no move to his cell. Maud noticed this, "Don't you have any possessions?" If it wasn't for context, one could mistake the question for a statement. "Only one. My electroscope, and I can get that on the way out." True to his words, the device was collected inside of it's case via levitation, (much to the chagrin of the guards) and floated by his side until the group reached the front door. Ross was standing there patient and attentive with multiple guards beside him. “Come, let us leave.” The trio proceeded cautiously forward, “Lets be brisk, the longer the door stays open the worse it might be.” The door wasn’t open yet but the guards were visibly tense. Once the party was in position, Ross knocked on the door, and it immediately opened. If humans had tails then the ponies would be right on it, having paid heed to his words. Looking behind her, Action noticed the ponies looking on in anguish. The image was cut off as the door shut just as fast. Surrounding the quad were more humans as the brisk escort moved forward. “Brisk” is a particular term for the movement of the humans, for four legged mammals this hardly classified as brisk. The grounds were green, and the Earth ponies were out and about from a different building. Most did stop whatever they were doing to look at the parade. There was only one reason for all this security of course. If it were just Maud and Action, then only two guards would be present. Not five, and then some closely watching simply patrolling the area. It was merely due to one unicorn among the group. The main building was quite quiet on the account that there weren't many visitors. The interior walls were white and other colors being relatively bland, as is the reputation of human city development. With this theme came a professional atmosphere and the ponies were, for lack of a better word, herded into an interrogation room. The door closed behind them, and the Colonel sat down in a chair behind the single table in the space. He gestured to the front of the table where no chairs presented themselves. Ponies don't sit the way people do, and a typical bench can only support two ponies, therefore it was better to just have them stand. The ponies stood at attention, awaiting whatever conversation that was about to take hold. "I have a proposition for each of you. And should you decline then we understand." He paused for reasons known only to him. "Recently we have developed the C.H.E.R.P, which stands for Cooperational Humanitarian and Equestrian Research Program. We are looking for avid professionals to work with human scientists and engineers. You three would be a welcome addition to the team." He stopped there for an opportunity for comment. Maud had barely seemed affected by his announcement. "You want us to help you learn about ponies and magic so you can win the war. You desire me for my knowledge of Equestrian geology and Electro for his knowledge of magic energy, while smart on paper you need to give us a better reason to join you, as doing so would be in direct conflict with my sister who is this Element of Laughter." Ross smiled in amusement. "You saw right through that." "I saw through it the moment you said that you had an opportunity for us. I would prefer that you get straight to the point as you're obligatory approach will not help you at this moment." Ross obligated that request, "We need you," he pointed at Electro, "to help develop ways to protect our soldiers from levitation, weapons that can punch through shields, and use magic for any other advantages we may come across. Your knowledge," he pointed to Maud, "of their land will influence where, when, and how we attack. Lastly, you," he pointed at Action, "Can participate in the documentary on this war." He retracted his hand. "Each of you will receive on-base housing, any equipment you might need, with the exception of magic items of course, and all the support we can offer." Electro spoke up before Maud. "Tempting, but my brother works for the CSI in Canterlot." Ross inhaled more air. "We are fighting for the right to be who we want to be. Taking the throne is not our objective, it is nothing more than stopping Celestia's campaign and uniting our species. Let me ask you this, do you support the conversion bureau?” The trio shook their heads. “Then let me ask another question, unless you know of a relative fighting in the war, why shouldn’t you help?” Electro and Maud began to speak at once, the main difference being that the unicorn had raised his voice in a display of emotion in his voice. “The work we wou-” Electro stopped as the sinc caught him off guard, and the petrologist kept talking without skipping a beat. “-ld do would end up being the cause of death for numbers of ponies.” “But if nothing is done, then many of us will die as well, in body and soul. You're a scientist, look at this from multiple angles.” A good point he did have. Maud grew quiet, Electro followed her lead. Ross decided that it was time to bring the argument to a close. "In the big scheme of things, humans will grab hold of magic eventually in some way no matter what happens. Celestia’s cause is not properly justified from multiple points of view, and the likelihood that the death toll will only get worse on both sides is high, and at that point no one is safe once it becomes a total war. For Maud Pie, your sister is very likely to stay away from the battles, this was also true for Electro Scope and his brother. From a logistical point of view, there is no good reason not to join." From his seat he could see the internal distress influenced by emotions and ethics. The right from the wrong conflict was a immobile wall higher than the imagination, that was rooted in the depths of the unconscious mind. The battery ram of logic being the only thing that could go through it. Ross added one more detail, “You can leave C.H.E.R.P after one week if you want, we won't force this on you.” That minor detail, sweetened the deal just enough to override the mountainous emotional ethics. “I’ll give it a shot. Sounds better than stayin here.” Action made her decision. From there the pieces fell into place as the other two nodded. “Great, I have transport waiting outside.” As the man stood up, there was one more question spoken in blandish. “How did you know we would join?” “What?” “Otherwise why did you have us grab our belongings?” “Ah, there was no major reason behind that. It was part of protocol to keep your possessions with you if you were being sent to the main building. Under real interrogation situations, the items would have been taken and stored somewhere else.” “You really don't trust ponies do you?” “Look, if humans trusted ponies, then there wouldn’t be a war going on right now.”