//------------------------------// // Chapter Ten - Discovery // Story: Starbrought // by Ethereal Cerberus //------------------------------// *Beep* “Little bit more to the left.” *Beep* “Not that far. Little bit more to the right.” *Beep Beep Beep* “And perfect. All you need to do is go straight until you start seeing a large metal ship sitting in the middle of the desert. Shouldn't be that hard." Yuri smiled as he stared down at the rapidly passing landscape. They had left the rugged mountains regions that the griffins had called home, and were now in the massive Zebrican desert that seemed to stretch for as far as the eye could see. Rolling sand dunes dotted the barren landscape, with the occasional mirage or oasis breaking the golden sand. In the horizon, something that looked like a sandstorm churned and moved. 'Add in a couple of buildings, and this would look exactly like the reserve on Kepler.' The airship that they were traveling in gave access to breathtaking views. It was seventy-five meters long, and about 10 meters wide. The ship took the basic shape of a stretched out ellipse, with the bow moving folding to a sharp point for what Yuri assumed was for ramming. The deck was made of a beautiful ebony wood. The sides of the ship were lined with an unknown metal, with several cannon looking devices mounted on the hull. A balloon stretched the entire length of the ship, and it appeared to be the main source of the ships ability to keep flying, other than this strange ‘magic’ they kept going on and on about. “I understand that, but why must you insist on making that beeping sound?” Natalya called from the deck of the ship. Yuri was standing on the platform in the back section of the ship where the wheel was located. He leaned over the railing to get a view of the annoyed looking Natalya. “It’ll stop now. Like I said, just keep on this heading and you’ll find the ship.” “Wouldn't it be easier just to tell us where it is?” “Heh, that would be a hell of a lot easier. However, I’m unable to do that. The only signal I can get from the ship is the most basic location one. If I had the better one, I would be using the better one. Besides, just relax and enjoy the view.” Natayla rolled her eyes, seemingly knowing something Yuri didn't. “Easier said than done. As long as we’re in this area, we have to watch out for the Desert Raiders.” Yuri raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Desert Raiders? What the hell are those?” “Desert Raiders is the nickname for a group of pirates that live in these parts. They steal, attack and pillage anything that get’s in their way, or that they find. They’re led by a griffin Warlord named Gallus." The other griffins on the ship visibly shifted in anger at the name. Natalya herself seemed to have a murderous look in her eyes. "Who the hell is that?" "He was one of our best soldiers. Loyal, strong and one of the smartest griffins I’ve ever met. However…” Yuri could tell by the tone of her voice, and even how her head hung on her neck that whoever this Gallus was, he was close to Natalya. “One day... he went rogue out of nowhere and stole a certain object from the very location that you just came from. He was chased out of the mountains to here, where he ambushed the Echo team sent after him. He somehow convinced the survivors to join him, and the Desert Raiders were created. He’s a monster.” She turned around and walked towards a group of soldiers manning the cannons. 'Whomever this Gallus is, he seems to be quite the fighter. These griffins look tough, and for one of them to take down an entire group of them by himself is no small feat… Perhaps it has something to do with the object that he stole?' Yuri leaned against the railing of the ship and debated falling asleep on it. He had not even took anything close to a nap since he had started this escapade of his, and taking one sounded like a great idea. The only issue that prevented him from doing that was that the last time he tried to relax, he got kidnapped by the same group of people that he was with right now. 'Heh, kinda funny how cause and effect works.' 'Ah fuck it. I’ve slept in worse places before.' Yuri jumped off the railing and looked at the very back of the ship. No one was in sight, and there was a lovely little spot of sunlight for him to lay down and take a nice snooze. He slowly waltzed over to the back of the ship and laid down. No one seemed to pay any attention so he let himself drift off to sleep. Starbrought Yuri’s eyes snapped open, sweat pouring off his face. His heart was rapidly beating in a mixture of fear and shock as he scanned his body for any sign of wounds. 'It’s ok, it’s ok. That was just a dream, nothing to be worried about.  Breath in… breath out. Breath in, breath out.' He laid there for a moment, simply breathing in and out to try and lower his heart rate. 'Slayer was right. I was an idiot for leaving my pack at the ship. If only I had brought my meds.' The sound of someone arguing tore him away from his thoughts. He slowly sat up and looked in the direction of where he thought the noise was coming from. It appeared to be coming from the bow of the ship, and no one seemed to be in sight. The only one in sight was the grizzly looking griffin handling the wheel, who had not given a single fuck about anything. He slowly got to his feet, before walking towards the railing that overlooked the main deck of the ship. Every single griffin that was on the ship seemed to be either standing or hovering above the bow of the ship. The main argument seemed to be coming from inside the mosh pit. Yuri smirked as he walked down the stairs and onto the main deck, slowly moving towards the crowd. Yuri could only hear bits and pieces of the argument from where he was standing, but that still didn’t help him understand what they were saying. What the hell is a phased lock spell, and what does that have to do with quantum density? One of the voices was a definite male one, but the other one seemed to have the same feminine tone that Natalya spoke with. Yuri saw a single head turn, then a pair of bird eyes rapidly expand in shock. The griffin quickly tapped on his neighbors back. He had a similar reaction, and before he could even get a word out, the entire crowd was staring back at him in a mixture of shock, fear and annoyance. The only exceptions that seemed to be showing a different emotion was the two unseen individuals arguing, and Natalya herself, who had a slight grin on her otherwise cold face. She gave a quiet order that Yuri could not hear, but the crowd turned back around and opened up a path for Yuri to walk though. 'Huh, so she ordered them not to bother me. I owe her a bottle of wine when I get back to the ship for making my life much easier.' As the crowd slowly split, Yuri walked into one of the strangest sights he had ever seen. And he has seen a lot. He stopped in his tracks and just stared at the sight. A very old looking griffin was in a very intense argument with a… unicorn? Sure enough, a brown coated Unicorn was standing less than ten feet away from him, it’s white mane and tail flicking in annoyance. It was much shorter than the griffin, only reaching about four feet at the maximum tip of the horn. Yuri and the unicorn seemed to have some similarities in their facial structure, with the forward facing eyes and similar jaws. It also appeared to have some feminine features too, with a skinnier nose bridge and a more curved body.     It wore the same brown coat that everyone else was wearing. However, instead of it being loosely attached to its back like the griffins wore the uniform, the unicorn wore it as a coat that covered its chest and back, with a bronze leaf placed on each shoulder. 'Fuck this shit. I can deal with the griffins simply because they look cool, but a fucking Unicorn? What the fuck kind of planet did we crash on?!' The loud sound of the argument broke him out of his thoughts. “And I’m telling you that there is no material or element of science that this belongs too!” The griffin held up a midnight black piece of non-reflective material in his aged talon. No light seemed to bounce off of it. It was like a foot long rectangle shaped void. “You don’t know that! We’ve had access to the object for less than five minutes before you started ranting about how this material would not possibly be able to be recreated here. A phased lock spell along with a quantum density lock would be able to analyze the material!” The Unicorn pointed its hoof at the object. 'How interesting. It appears to have much more in the joints and ligaments department than the unicorns that I read about. Now that I mention it, it has a lot of similar features with moi.' Yuri pretty much ignored their entire debate, instead he personally debated whether or not he was in some odd religion’s hell, or if the worse case scenario had happened and they had left their own universe, breaching into another. Or they had failed the jump, been captured, and currently plugged into some kind of integration VR to get some sort of information. All were plausible, and all were being debated. In the time that Yuri had spaced out once more, the conflict seemed to have already resolved itself. Both the unicorn and the griffin were now side by side and talking with glee, seemingly unaware of anything besides themselves.  “Besides that, what part of the ship do you think this piece came from?” “I’m not sure. I’m sure we’ll find out when we enter the ship!” “That piece came from the outer hull. And no, and highly doubt that you are going to find anything on this planet that is remotely like this at all.” The entire crowd got silent as Yuri walked out and stood next to them, grabbing the panel from the griffins shaking hand. These idiots have no idea what they’re doing “We-we thought you were asleep.” The griffin said, obviously still in shock from having an alien sneak up on them with such ease. “I was. Sadly I woke back up. Now before you start bombarding me with questions, I need to tell everyone on this ship some rules. This is the only time I’m saying these, so listen up.” Thank god I remembered this, otherwise this could have gotten bloody. The griffins looked around nervously, unsure of what he was going to say. “When we get to the ship, no one will enter until I tell them that they can. Do I make that very, very clear?” Yuri’s voice had lost that joking undertone that usually dominated his voice. His facial expression was one of complete seriousness. “Before I left the ship, I used the remaining power to turn on the internal defenses. If any of you enter it before I can go inside and turn them off, you will be killed or injured so badly that you will want to be dead. Do I make myself crystal, crystal clear?” All of the griffins, save for Natayla, nodded in agreement. He had privately told her about this before they left the capital, but she wanted him to tell the crew. “Secondly, whomever myself and Natalya decides can enter the ship will not touch anything unless I tell you.This isn’t some kind of sci-fi story where one magic button will find a super secret way to complete the task.  If you touch anything, you risk killing myself, anyone on the ship, and possibly everyone within a two mile radius.” He looked directly at the pair when he said this, making sure his message was received and understood. “Well well well, this is an interesting turn of events.” Natalya had a small grin on her face as she watched Yuri dish out orders. “What do you mean Sir?” Major Iron Sword said as he turned to face her, spotting the grin on her face. “Our friend Yuri seems to have much more history to him than what he told me. I had a feeling that he was former military, but this seals the deal. A military officer turned pirate. My my, what a small world.” Yuri had finished his speech and walked out of the crowd towards Natalya, his cold expression replaced by his trademark grin. “You told me you were a pirate. You never told me that you were in the military.” Yuri simply smiled at this, letting out a small laugh. “Didn’t think that I needed to say it. You seemed fine with myself being a pirate, I didn’t feel like pushing it any farther.” “If you were a pirate that was raiding and attacking our citizens and allies, you would not be standing here today. We’re not the equestrians here.” Yuri looked at her confused, wondering who exactly these ‘equestrians’ were. “Equestrians? Who are they?” “They’re a race of ponies that lie on the far side of this desert. They occupy a vast amount of land, stretching from coast to coast on the continent. We’re on the far south, with our zebra neighbors to the northwest and the minotaurs to the northeast. The equestrian territory prevents the zebras and minotaurs borders from meeting. They claim that’s for protection, but it’s just them putting their beaks into another species government.”  Natalya's voice was one of annoyance. Whomever these equestrians were, they seemed to be very annoying to her. “Oh really? What exactly do they do?” Natalya snicked with laughter. “What don’t they do? They constantly interfere in matters that don’t involve them. Just a week ago they announced that the two royal sisters would be coming to Altai for a diplomatic negotiations between Leo and the leader of the Minotaur clans." She turned around and stared at Yuri. "Funny thing is, they never asked us. They just announced that this was happening and now we have less than a week to prepare for the arrival of them and their legion of minions.” “Can’t you just tell them no?” Natalya stared at him for a moment, before bursting out into laughter. It was an odd sound coming from her usual serious beak, and from the reactions of everyone on the ship, Yuri was not alone in this thought. “Tell the Royal sisters no? Let me fill you in on something. No one, and I mean no one tells them no.” Yuri cocked an eyebrow at this. “I don’t understand. Will they attack anyone that tells them no?” “I wish that they would attack someone that did it. The sisters are usually in good intentions, and can actually be talked too. However, the normal citizens are the issue. Most are ignorant, self centered, and gullible. They see someone say no to a request from their perfect princesses and they go insane. They start boycotting goods from whomever said no. The last country that refused a request nearly collapsed.” "Then why is do you have a Unicorn serving for you?” Natalya's eyes narrowed instantly, a look of anger flooding her face. The two griffins next to her moved back several steps, as if her mere presence was trying to strike at them. “Her family was once one of the great noble families of Equestria. They were blackmailed and tried for betraying the crown when they voted against giving the nobles more power.  Their sentence was death for the entire family. Celestia did nothing to stop them. They managed to flee the country somehow, and ended up at Altai, begging the king for safety. King Orion gave them a deal. They would be given military and political protection for their families eternal service to the crown. Needless to say, they took the deal. Starry is simply carrying out her family's, and her own wishes. Now if you'll excuse me, we’re approaching the sight of the crash.” She motioned to her two aids and they walked past Yuri to the crowd and began giving orders. Slayer, if you can somehow hear me, I believe I just found out where Drake went. Starbrought “You’re a damn fool, you know that?” Drake looked around as Silver Flash strode up to him. The shadows cast across her face by the blazing bonfire Drake’s new crew had started in a forest clearing gave her an intimidating appearance. Around them, those of Drake’s crew not burying the dead or patching up the ship celebrated their change in leadership with gusto. Drinks were poured, food was cooked and excited shouts were shared. All three of which was being performed simultaneously by Drake. “A damn fool who took over an entire pirate fleet in one day!” Drake said with a laugh and a bite from a foreign fruit the pirate never bothered to learn. Adjusting himself on the plush chair he had had brought down from the Rogue, he took a shot of brandy to chase away the morsel down his gullet. “Well, their flagship anyway. My new quartermaster is fairly certain that Redhorn’s other ships will fall in line under my command. Something about ‘conquer by combat’.” “Election by combat,” Silver corrected him. “It’s basic pirate code. Beat the captain, become the captain. As simple as that. And since all of Redhorn’s ships answer to him ultimately, they’ll probably follow your command as well, once they hear about what happened.” “I already sent some of my faster fliers to deliver the good news.” Drake paused to take another drink, this time from a bottle of spiced rum resting on a tree stump beside him. “And to give my first set of orders: to meet myself and Rogue at the Ethereal’s crash site.” Silver frowned, and glanced down in deep thought. Realizing that his fellow captain wasn't nearly as enthused with this sign of progression, Drake's grin faded. "Is there something wrong?" The mare let out a sigh. "There is, Captain Shields, though it's not necessarily something you can do about it." She glanced behind herself, staring off into the gloom of the growing night. "Redhorn's ambush did a number on the Serenade. She's barely skyworthy in her state, and several of her arcane cannons are now in need of replacement." Drake adopted a frown of his own. "I'm guessing right now that money is the issue?" "It is," Silver admitted with a small nod. "I make good money, but not that good. Performing these repairs will set me back months, possibly a year or so in finances. I'll have to send her North, all the way to New Victrotia most likely, where she could be processed then to Canterlot for proper repairs. And that's if I even have enough in the accounts to cover it." A bitter chuckle left her as she dishearteningly kicked a pebble away. "Knew I should have sprung for that insurance policy..." The dejected nature of his newfound acquaintance and equal caused Drake to drum his fingers silently in deliberation. For some queer reason or another, he felt almost responsible for this occurrence, even though he truly had no fault involved. Nevertheless, he was a man who took on responsibility. A moment or so passed before he stood. "Don't worry about it. I'll front the repairs." Silver's double-take could have been mistaken for whiplash. "Come again?" "I said I'll handle it.” Drake held out a hand. Without really thinking about it, Silver accepted it with her hoof, and set the statement into stone. “As much as I can, at any rate." Drake waved around him to indicate his new entourage. "As you can see, not only have I stumbled upon a new wealth, but it's the wealth of the same bastard who's been goading you for years and who even caused said damages." A small smile appeared on Drake's face. "I suppose that means I ought to inherit his debt and give you due recompense. It's the honourable thing to do, after all." A laugh, somewhere between choked, forced, and genuine emerged from Silver's throat as she shook her head gently. "I don't know whether to laugh at the irony of that statement coming from an alien space-pirate, or be thankful. Maybe I should just do both.” “Maybe,” Drake assented with a tip of his booze towards her. Before he could gain another sip, however, a magical aura wrested away the bottle from its’ owner’s hand. The pirate pouted. “You could have waited until I was done, you know.” Silver shrugged her shoulders, a small sparkle in her eyes and cheeky grin hiding behind the mouth of the bottle as she had her fill. She floated it back over with a content smile. “Now where would be the fun in that, Mister Shields?” “Where, indeed.” He muttered as he tipped the bottle over. As he figured, not so much as a drop left the container. Drake tossed it with a grunt and popped open another resting nearby. He took a sip before he started speaking again. “So, how much in expenses am I actually looking at here?” “One-hundred thousand Equestrian bits.” Drake did a spit-take. “That sounds incredibly expensive.” “Arcane cannons aren’t cheap,” she stated. “As a matter of fact, they’re quite hefty in terms of price. Not to mention all the hull patching that needs to be done. And the engine and air-stabilizer repairs.” “I see...” Drake snorted, before he gave a small shrug. “Well, I will figure it out, I suppose. Just don’t expect it all at once, or right away, for that matter. I still need to get to the Ethereal and establish that it hasn’t been consumed by thousands of liters of sand, or something.” Silver waved her hoof. “I understand that much, Mister Shields. It’s no matter; either way I’ll come out not broke. What do I have to complain about?” She walked forward and lightly punched Drake’s thigh. “Besides, I’ll be accompanying you anyways to ensure you don’t back out on your promise.” Drake furrowed his eyebrows as he stood. “Beg your pardon?” Silver smirked. “Oh, come now; you might have shook on it, but I used to be a pirate as well. I know how they work. And while I’m not saying you will dodge your word, I figure sticking with you while you recover your vessel will only guarantee the payment. Elaweda can handle the Serenade and make sure it reaches New Victrotia, and then Canterlot.” A few moments passed, before Drake squinted at the mare before him. “You’re coming along because you’ll still get paid probably, aren’t you?” “Very observant!” she stated with a evergreen grin. Drake merely shook his head in bemusement, and took another swig of his drink. “If I don’t come, then some bureaucrat might fight tooth and hoof to ensure I don’t get paid, even if Cadance tried to speak up for my defense.” Silver wagged her eyebrows at the man. “Guess you’re stuck with me, huh?” Drake sighed and reclined in his chair. “At least the company’s good.” “Where is that son of a bitch?!” Drake frowned as Shining Armor’s shouts brought his crew’s festivities to a halt. “You know what, I have really got to stop opening my mouth,” Drake grumbled as he got to his feet. He grabbed a large, round black hat that has hanging off the armrest of his chair and placed it crookedly on his head, taking extra care to adjust the large feather protruding from the brim. “Sergeant Armor!” He called out. His crew parted before him, leaving a path five ponies wide between Shining Armor and Drake. “I was wondering when you’d show your ugly mug.” Snorts of laughter rolled through the crowd. “You tied me up in a lifeboat and sent me down here!” Shining growled. Drake found it very hard not to laugh at the mud and dirt covering Shining’s once pristine white coat. “I’ve been wandering the forest for almost a day!” A loud laugh left Drake. “It’s not my fault you lack any form of directional skill. Besides, couldn’t you just teleport to the top of a tree, look for the ships and then teleport back to the ship? It doesn't seem that hard for a stallion of your rank.” Ignoring what the pirate captain was saying, Shining Armor stormed down the path through Drake’s crew. “You can’t just take over Redhorn’s pirates! You’re still a prisoner of Equestria until we reach your ship.” Drake glanced around him, his face twisted into an exaggerated expression of confusion. “Really? Because last I checked, I did in fact take over Redhorn’s ship and crew. Didn’t I, lads?” Drake’s crew called out their confirmation. “And, just taking a shot in the dark here, since I was going to be freed as soon as we reached my ship, I don’t see how I could still be a prisoner.” Shining’s horn lit up as he advanced on Drake. “And, if you’re entertaining the thought of reinforcing that idea…” With a swift movement, Drake drew his cutlass and activated it. Around him, the air filled with the sounds of blades being pulled from the belts of the pirates that wore them. Unicorn horns lit up with a rainbow of magic colors. The clearing had fallen deathly silent as Shining Armor looked around. “Looks to me like you’re outnumbered, Sergeant,” Drake said, his tone low and threatening. “I’d recommend putting out your light show. Who knows what some of these fellows here might be willing to do to get into their new captain’s good graces?” Shining stared around, eyes quickly scanning the crowd before he sighed in defeat. “Very well. I know when something’s a lost cause.” The light around his horn vanished as he turned to walk toward a tent on the clearing’s edge where Cadance stood, watching the proceedings. “Alright you lot, back to your drinks!” Drake shouted as he deactivated his cutlass. “And get the Sergeant something as well! It’d do him some good to loosen up!” The crew cheered and laughed at his orders, and celebrations were quick to resume. Drake let out a loud laugh as a scruffy Diamond Dog broke away from the crowd to shove a bottle of something into Shining’s unsuspecting muzzle. “So, Captain Flash, you never told me exactly why you think I’m a ‘damn fool’.” Drake gestured for Silver to follow him back to his chair. Whatever Silver Flash replied to him with was lost to Shining’s ears as Drake’s crew started singing loudly around the bonfire. Irritably, he spat out the bottle of booze and grumbled as he trudged toward Cadance, who was looking at him with a concerned expression. “That was incredibly risky,” she said. “You should’ve known you were outnumbered.” “I did,” Shining replied. “I just didn’t expect them to be so loyal to him so quickly.” He muttered his thanks as Cadance’s horn lit up and began cleaning the bits of forest currently clinging to his coat. “Just please be more careful,” she said quietly. “Captain Shields was right, we don’t know what any of his crew are going to do to earn his favor.” Shining let out a sigh. “You know I don’t like this. Just letting all these pirates go free?” He winced as Cadance plucked a few thorns out of his snout. “It goes against all the training I got a as a Guard.” “I know,” the princess replied softly. “I’m sorry about that. But the Captain could be a useful ally for us. Better than running the risk of making him an enemy.” “Especially if he’s telling the truth about being able to level a city,” Shining said with a groan. “Alright. Alright! I’ll lay off him. But I don’t like it.” Cadance smiled at the frown he had put on. “Aww. Don’t give me that face.” Shining’s pout became more pronounced. “You know, I can always make it a little… easier… to bear,” she whispered, leaning in closer to Shining as she spoke. She smirked as a faint blush worked its way across Shining’s face. She leaned in closer as he turned to face her. For just a moment, the worlds seemed to grind to a complete stop. The two of them were the only moving objects in the universe. “The Princess and her faithful knight in ‘Shining Armor’? Such scandal!” Cadance and Shining both froze, eyes wide with horror. They turned in unison, and found Drake leaning against a nearby tree. The smuggest of grins on his face. “Well don’t stop on my account,” the pirate said, gesturing for the two to continue. “I’ve had a running bet with Silver Flash that you two’d hook up before this little trip of ours was over, and I’m looking forward to winning.” The two ponies practically leapt apart, each extremely red in the face. “What do you want?” Shining said quickly, doing his best to change the subject. “Oh, nothing much,” Drake replied, still grinning like a madman. He pulled a letter out from the inside of his coat. “But I do have this little letter I snatched from the messenger searching the camp for you…” The letter was surrounded with a magenta-hued aura of magical energy as Shining snatched the letter from the pirate and took a look at it. Sure enough, it had his name on it, and was bearing the (broken) seal of the Captain of the Guard on the back. “You stole a private Royal Guard communication?” Cadance asked as Shining opened the letter. “That’s a serious crime.” Drake cocked an eyebrow at her. “Seriously, what part of ‘pirate captain’ aren’t you ponies understanding?” He pointed at the hat on his head. “I even got a hat! A pirate captains’ hat!” “That’s not what I-” “Do I have to cut off my hand and replace it with a hook? I can do that you know!” “What?! Why would you-” “Maybe a parrot to sit on my shoulder will get the point across,” Drake huffed and turned around. “Lads! Where can I buy a parrot for my shoulder?” “Buenos Avies, Cap’n!” one of the griffons near the fire shouted. “There! Maybe we stop in Buenos Avies and I get a parrot and I teach it to say pirate-y things like ‘hoist the anchor’ or ‘walk the plank’ or ‘why is the rum always gone’!” “You’re being ridiculous!” Cadance shouted. “I’m being promoted to Lieutenant?!” Shining Armor shouted, bringing all nearby conversation to a halt. “You’ve what?!” Cadance exclaimed, moving over to the unicorn’s side in an instant. “I didn’t know you’d be promoted so soon after becoming a Sergeant. That’s great news!” “Apparently” Shining said, his eyes traveling back across the letter. “I have to report back to Canterlot ASAP as a result. Higher ups need to finalize the process and make it official.” “This day just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?” Drake said happily. He pulled the two ponies into a tight hug and lifted them high off the ground. “I’ve got myself a new crew full of aliens, and several new ships from Redhorn’s various crews, as well as all his worldly possessions. Stick-in-the-mud gets a promotion and now can go home and will finally be out of my hair, and the two of you have finally gone public with your tragically forbidden romance.” He dropped them to the ground, both wheezing and gasping for breath. “And to top it all off, a princess of the oh so esteemed Equestria and her special guard friend owe me favors! My birthday must’ve come early this year, and no one told me!” “Excuse you?!” Shining wheezed as he scrambled to his hooves. “We don’t owe you any favors.” “Sure you do!” Drake said, his ever so sly grin plastered on his face. “Why, unless I take pity upon you, the pair of you will be left here, in the middle of this forest. I’ve got the only ride out of here, and since you ‘have to report back to Canterlot ASAP’, you need that ride.” Drake gestured at the Silent Rogue, moored just above the ground in the forest clearing. “Like it or not, you’re in my debt now.” There was a tense moment of silence between the three of them as Drake patiently awaited a reply. Shining Armor clenched his jaw over and over again as he stared up at the pirate. Cadance looked worriedly between the two. “Well this is just great,” Shining finally said, with a sigh of defeat. “It would appear that we are at your mercy, Mister Shields.” “‘Captain’,” Drake corrected. “And I’m glad you came to your senses, Lieutenant Armor. You two best rest up. We’ll be leaving tomorrow as soon as the necessary patches are made to the Rogue.” He patted them both on the cheek before he turned around and just about ran into the unicorn that he had made his new quartermaster. The unicorn, (a mare with a pale, peach colored coat, a blonde mane and a cutie mark of a compass rose imposed over a pair of crossed cutlasses who went by the name of Morning Breeze), looked up at her captain with a sense of urgency. Standing directly behind her, but shifting on her hooves nervously was a pegasus mare with a pale blue coat and a mane of only a slightly darker blue. “Sorry to interrupt, Cap’n,” Breeze said. “But one of our messengers you sent out this morning returned. Diamond!” The pegasus mare snapped to attention. “Tell the Captain what you told me.” “Yes, ma’am,” Diamond the pegasus said, stepping forward. “Captain Shields, sir. I successfully delivered your orders to the captain of the Draconequus’ Laugh. Madame Rain has agreed to rendezvous with you en route to the crash site.” “Excellent!” Drake clapped his hands together. “A job well done, Diamond. Go take a load off and enjoy the celebrations. You’ve earned it.” “That’s not all, sir,” Diamond added, a hint of nervousness in her tone. Drake cocked an eyebrow at her. “Come again?” “Madame Rain informed me that her scouts spotted a pair of Griffon airships, packed with soldiers following a course toward the crash site,” Diamond said in one quick breath. “As well as what appeared to be several ships from the Desert Raiders.” “Raiders?!” Shining Armor sputtered. “They shouldn’t be this far North! Guard Intelligence says they’re operating in the Southeast of the desert.” “So what?” Drake cocked an eyebrow at the stallion. “The Raiders are one of the most dangerous pirate groups alive,” Cadance explained. “They operate out of the desert to dissuade any successful retaliation against them. If they’re going to get involved in this whole mess, we’re in for a lot more trouble than just battling a crazed pirate captain. Your one ship can’t fight off a whole flight of Raider ships.” “You act as if I didn’t just take over a small fleet of pirate ships.” Drake’s expression fell as he considered the situation. “Is Madame Rain certain they were headed for the crash site? Is there anywhere else they could be headed?” Breeze shook her head. “It’s just miles of desert in that direction, especially if they passed Madame Rain’s scouts on the border. There are safer skyroutes than trying to fly through the desert. They may not be Raiders, since they tend to move in very small groups. But I wouldn’t count on those odds, just to err on the side of caution. That ship of yours would be worth a fortune to the right buyers, and if the Raiders caught wind of it, they would not hesitate to send a fleet to extract it.” “And the griffons wouldn’t have any reason to send two ships full of soldiers all the way out here unless it was for something like your ship,” Shining Armor added. “They’re too busy worrying about a potential war with the Minotaur tribes.” “Well, either scenario doesn’t bode well, now does it?” Drake said with grimace. “A military sending a team to investigate my ship? Not too fond of what that could mean. I’m less fond of the idea of some group called ‘Desert Raiders’ doing their business near my ship. They sound like they’d be less careful about poking around the Ethereal than a military would.” Mouth set in a firm line, he turned to his quartermaster. “Breeze, rouse the crew. I want all hands—hooves—whatever they got, to report to the Rogue immediately. We’re expediting those repairs.” “Aye, sir,” Breeze said before turning around and beginning to shout orders at Drake’s crew. “Diamond,” Drake said, drawing attention from the messenger. “As soon as you are rested enough, I need you to return to Madame Rain and inform her of our adjusted schedule, and to make sure her crew is ready for battle.” Diamond saluted and headed off to find food and water before her departure. “Lieutenant. Princess. I apologize, but it would appear that I can no longer delay my return to the Ethereal,” he said. “However, I’m certain that neither of you want to risk any untrusted parties getting their dirty, grubby little mitts on the weapons on my ship. So I’m sure you’ll understand my urgency.” “Especially if what you’re saying about being able to level a city is true,” Shining said with a nod. “What kind of guard would I be if I allowed that threat to fall into some nutjobs’ hooves?” “Exactly!” Drake said. “Come on, you two. I said all hands and that means you’re both helping.” Cadance and Shining nodded and made their way toward the Rogue. “Mess with my ship, will they?” Drake muttered under his breath. “Not on my life. They’ve got one hell of a storm coming for ‘em.” Starbrought “Sir! We’re approaching the debris field. It should be right in front of us and slightly to the left.” A small billow of smoke raised from a beyond a massive sand dune. Natalya responded with a simple nod, before turning to Yuri. “I was planning on sending some scouts to the ship to make sure the crash is secure. Any objections to that?” “As long as they don’t go inside there shouldn't be any problems. Also, avoid that smoke at all costs. I don’t know where it’s coming from, so it could be very toxic.” Natalya gave him a suspicious look. “You also told me there would be no fires.” “I did. They should have been extinguished by now. I honestly have no idea why there is a fire down there. Tell your scouts to be careful.” I have a bad feeling about this… “Major, dispatch you and your squad to investigate the crash. Keep an open channel with the P.R.I.C.K.” The griffins next to her saluted before hovering over the railing of the ship and forming a diamond like formation. Natalya signaled the squad to leave, and the squad departed. With a wide selection of massive booms, the griffins shot across the sky towards the smoke. “Holy shit. You’re not kidding about their speed.” Natalya turned to face him once again, a smile on her usually cold face. "They're members of the Immortal Claw. They need to best fast." "Immortal Claw?" "They're the elite division of the Altai Navy in charge of protecting high priority airships and merchants. Every soldier you see here is a member of the Claw." "So Marines basically?" "Marines? Is that the name for a group similar to them where you come from?" "It's the basic term for them. However, due to the current state of the galaxy, there's a lot more than one group of them. And before you ask, I'll explain that, and more, when we're back to the ship. Not here, and not now." A few moments later the P.R.I.C.K clicked back into life, the sound of the wind and sand filling Yuri’s ears. This is Major Iron Beak, we’re approaching the target. No sign of life. Wait a moment… What the hell is that? “Major, what are you seeing?” “I can confirm, the alien spacecraft is indeed here. There is a slight debris field around the ship, but it is intact for the most part. It’s… weird to say the least.” Yuri, Natalya and pretty much everyone the ship grinned. The ship was there just like Yuri had said it was. However, Yuri’s grin was hiding a sinking feeling that he had been plaguing him ever since his last conversation with Natalya. No plan went this well. “Wait. Sir, we have a problem.” “What is it Major?” “The Desert Raiders flagship is currently sitting in a pile of flaming ruin about 100 yards from the ship. At the current moment, we cannot see anyone or anything alive or moving in the area. However, there are some marks that lead me to believe that another ship came with it. ” Natalya's face lost it’s grin at once, being replaced with her usual stone cold emotionless face. She turned around and faced the crew of the ship. “Captain, bring the ship directly into the debris field. We’re ending this now.” “I would not suggest that Sir. We have no idea whether or not this is a trap. They could be hiding behind the hills or in an unknown location.” Natalya grimaced in annoyance. “Why can’t anything be simple?” Yuri sighed, before reaching into his sleeve, tugging at an unknown object. The sight was odd, and Natalya looked at him in confusion. With a quick tug, Yuri pulled a small, incredibly thin object out and attached to the sleeve on his right arm. It reminded her of a small button that one would see on a dress shirt. “What are you doing?” Yuri began fiddling with the contraption, before a bright light suddenly lit up the area. There was a small, holographic interface floating a couple of inches from his arm, seeming to be coming from the button. Natalya, Starry and everyother griffin on the ship stared at him in confusion. “How...How are you performing magic?” Starry stared at the glowing interface with confusion. This is an advanced spell that required a summoning book and a ritual by at least a tier two mage. How did he just… do it? “Magic? This is just a simple hologram. Gimme a moment.” Yuri began to ‘type’ furiously on the hologram, his fingers leaving small ripples whenever they made contact with the glowing light. Natalya was entranced, but also scared on a deeper level. Yuri had hinted at the power that his race could wield, but seeing just a small portion of it was worrying.“What are you doing?” “I’m remote accessing the Ethereals systems, most importantly the lifeform scanners. Once I manage to get access to it, I’ll do a 50 kilometer scan to make sure that no one is trying to sneak up on us” “Major, stay where you are. Yuri is going attempt to do a scan for anyone that’s hiding from us.” “Understood Sir.” “And finished. How many troops did you bring?” “About a hundred and fifty, minus yourself.” Yuri quickly entered the information into the hologram, before clicking a small red button on the bottom of the ‘screen’. “There we go. Give it a couple of seconds.” “Where’s the usual wave that comes with that type of spell?” Starry had slowly walked over to Yuri, still keeping her distance. “Like I said, this isn’t magic. Besides, I have a live feed at the moment if you want to take a look.” Natalya looked over, trying to understand what she was staring at. A small image of what looked like a ship was placed in the middle of the screen, with spherical waves being emitted from it. A small cluster of green dots was near the ship, with several more directly on it. Besides that, nothing else was on the screen. “The green dots are troops and other people that you brought. Gold is Drake, black is Slayer, blue is myself and red is an unknown entity. Seeing as there is only a green dots and a singular blue one, we’re clear for the moment. I’ll keep it active so we can see if anything or anyone enters the scanning range.” Yuri stopped typing and minimized the screen, leaving a small map floating above his sleeve, turning to Natalya and staring directly at her. “Now, shall we start this great adventure of ours?” Natalya turned to the captain of the ship, an older griffin that looked straight out of the ancient tale of Moby Dick. “Captain, take us in.”