//------------------------------// // Three. Twenty-Five: The 'Why' of It // Story: Sins Never Die // by CodenameOne //------------------------------// Three. Twenty-Five The 'Why' of It Adam Kuyaki was impressed; the Griffons had done outstanding work on the Kabato. She now had an new complete layer of steel over her hull, reinforced around the destroyer’s weapons. Chancellor Steelbeak promised the steel would grant the same protection against dragon fire as the plate over the front viewport. In addition to the armor, the Kabato sported an array of new weaponry, all of which was most impressive. MAC 2 had been saved, and the Griffons had installed and linked new cannons to the Kabato’s bridge. The destroyer sported 35 of these awe-inspiring weapons, known as Thunderheads; designed to take down dragons. And our new backup Kuyaki mused, staring out the viewport via the video feed at the Griffons’ new aircraft. The hybrid race had been busy, infusing native ingenuity with human technology to create the Raptortooth Five; an airship held aloft by three magical steam engines with an aesthetic that mimicked the Kabato. Human technology came into play with the Raptortooth’s missile pods and machine guns, which imitated the Kabato’s own. Raptortooth Five was named after the lineage of a legendary Griffon warrior named Raptor Tooth, who was a renowned dragon slayer 5,000 years ago, and had three sons all named after him. Raptortooth Five was also a dragon hunting weapon. The airship was faster than most, but still slower than a dragon, so regular combat airships would supplement in engagements. “Excalibur, take us to Canterlot. I wish to speak with the Princesses about our alliance, and the state of our war” Captain Kuyaki declared, settling into the command chair. The Kabato got under way, moving out from Griffon territory. He figured that he owed the Princesses an explanation. “You abandoned us!” Princess Twilight Sparkle shouted as Adam stood before the four Equestrian Princesses, stoic and unapologetic. Twilight and Luna seethed, but Celestia and Cadence displayed a more uncertain temperament. The bolder, inexperienced Princesses had a right to be angry, Kuyaki knew, but he was certain they’d accept his reasoning. His logic. They had no other choice. “The battle was lost. The Covenant had achieved a tactical victory, and destruction was assured if the Kabato stayed nearby. We needed to retreat, in order to ensure operational condition of our ship. We will NOT win this war if the Kabato goes down” the Captain explained. “I see you have had some improvements done to her” Princess Celestia commented, looking out the window at the vessel. The entourage was gathered in the grand dining hall, where the Princesses had organized all meetings up to this point. “Yes, the Griffons supplied us with new armor and weapons for defense against dragons. The Kabato will now be able to hold her own in a fight” Adam said. The Griffon Raptortooth Five had also accompanied them, though the Griffons had stayed aboard. “And the Griffons' new toy?” Princess Luna asked. “A tool for killing dragons. High Lord Aldurmaax has been a pain our asses for far too long” Kuyaki declared, seeing Celestia grow uncomfortable. She bristled at the mention of the dragon leader, and Adam suspected she still yearned to see the dragons return to fight for them in full. Some had stayed loyal, but many had turned away when the Covenant arrived. “He is merely...misguided” Celestia reasoned, uncertainty in her voice. “Spare me the sob story about how Aldurmaax was once a good guy; he’s a threat to Equestria’s safety, and I will see him felled” the Captain assured. Princess Luna lost it. “WHAT would YOU CARE for the safety of OUR LAND?!” the night goddess bellowed, the windows rattling. “THIS IS YOUR WAR! YOU have wrought upon US the FURY OF A RACE THAT HAD LONG SINCE LEFT EQUESTRIA! YOU were the aggressor! YOU destroyed several of our cities! MURDERED THOUSANDS OF OUR SUBJECTS! If it were up to ME I would SEE YOU BURN!!” “ENOUGH!” Celestia thundered, a burst of solar heat flashing from her body before dissipating. “We are in grave danger of being extinguished by the Covenant! The humans are the only safety we have! The only light in our darkness!” Celestia trailed off for a second, as if realizing something, before continuing. “Do you forget, dear sister, that one of our cities stands now ONLY as a glowing pool of fire?! Do you forget the NIGHTMARE De’mah ‘Tokam inflicted upon us?!! Captain Kuyaki and the humans deserve our tolerance, if ONLY because they are the lesser of two evils!” “He bombed two of our cities into DUST! He deserves nothing but the GALLOWS!” The other Princesses gasped in horror, taking a step back from Luna. “Does thou fear our methods?! Does thou believe them to be too extreme!? Thou forgets thyself that the gallows were once a judgment we would have rendered with little thought! When we had POWER! When we had the mental FORTITUDE to PUNISH traitors and WAR CRIMINALS!” the Princess of the night roared, her eyes glowing white and tendrils of ebony emanating from an aura around her. “Such barbarism is no longer tolerated in our country! It serves us NO purpose!” Princess Cadence objected, speaking for the first time in Kuyaki’s presence. “Luna is right” a quiet but firm voice declared, all eyes turning to Twilight Sparkle, who stood by the Princess of the Night. The two stepped aside, squared off against Celestia and Cadence; Luna opposite Celestia, Twilight opposite Cadence. The Equestrian schism had reached their rulers. “This bickering gets us nowhere!” Adam exclaimed, intervening before the situation got out of control. "You can render whatever judgment upon me that you wish once this war is over, and Equestria is safe. I have a vested interest in ensuring that Equestria does not fall to the Covenant. If I didn’t, make no mistake; I would see your world glow a shade of crimson that only the Covenant could paint! Mutual assistance grants mutual goals!” “And what, pray tell, are your goals?” Luna muttered ominously. Adam stayed his tongue, looking back and forth between the four Princesses. All represented a tenet of Equestrian society, and as such were fair and equal rulers of the kingdom, regardless of tenure. Celestia had more experience than Twilight, for example, but Twilight represented an equally important facet of their culture. Thus, Adam could not ask any of them to leave while he spoke only to one; the truth he had intended only for Celestia’s ears would be heard by all. Steeling himself, Captain Adam Kuyaki began to explain. “When I signed up, the war against the Covenant had began. Little was known, except that an alien juggernaut was beginning to burn its way through the stars, incinerating all planets that stood in its path. Survival was not guaranteed in the navy; many ships would not survive even one engagement against the Covenant. But we could hold our own in ground battles. We don’t know why the Covenant even field surface troops; they could win this entire war without ever leaving their ships, but the higher-ups believe the Covenant are looking for something. Something specific, important to their religion.” “That much was known, at least” Celestia interjected. “It was decided that help was needed for our ground campaigns; if we could field more soldiers for planetside engagements, we could whittle the Covenant down piece by piece, straining their available manpower. As their numbers would decrease, they would become more conservative in their war effort; more cautious. That caution could grant us an edge in the war; time to recoup our losses, organize more effective strategies. Death of a thousand papercuts.” “We have other projects, but it was decided that only a large influx of capable soldiers was the only answer. It was the only answer that ONI reached. The only answer that assured the highest probability of success” Adam explained. “And so, a ship was selected for the mission, and specially outfitted for it, and given a clear and concise objective: find and retrieve new alien species for the war” the Captain said. “You were grooming us?” Twilight asked, bewildered. “No. Testing” Kuyaki started, weighing his words. He knew that this next revelation would impact the Equestrians heavily, but could see no way to escape telling them. “I was given orders to engineer a test conflict, by any means necessary, to assess the mettle of any alien race I encountered. If the control group was deemed sufficiently powerful enough, we were to extend a truce if they would help us fight the Covenant. I could see fire and power in your hearts, but knew you needed some coaxing to release it. The Griffons, on the other hand, were a ready and willing fighting force, they just needed to believe we had a mutually beneficial alliance. I cared little for your conflict with the Griffons; our war was merely a test, to see if you both had the mettle, the fortitude, to withstand a protracted, violent war. You Equestrians lost, in more ways than one, but you still proved your worth to the UNSC. You’re still valuable to us, just as much so as the Griffons. The arrival of the Covenant was just a grave, unfortunate coincidence, but even they serve the experiment, albeit unknowingly; facing against them is an even better test to see how well the races of this earth fare in battle, especially since they are the primary enemy.” Silence fell over the room as the Princesses processed this revelation, their minds overwhelmed by the gravity of the reality. When one finally spoke, it was Princess Twilight, and her eyes burned with a nigh-literal fire. “You are a MONSTER. When this war is over, you WILL LEAVE this planet, and NEVER return. You will NOT take ANY beings of this world with you, either. You REVOLT me” Twilight growled, her voice guttural and furious. All the Princesses looked at him, their eyes burning with a fury unlike any other, and Captain Kuyaki realized he had no choice but to obey. Any kind of objection would likely lead to him being vaporized on the spot. “Very well, then.” Adam was walking down the empty hall leading outside to the dock, resignation and defeat on his mind, when a bright flash sent light scattering along the walls. Reflexively he had reached for his holstered M6D, only to see that it was Princess Celestia standing before him, having seemingly teleported to his location. Dropping his hand, he stared her down. Celestia seemed to be having trouble speaking. “Equestria is built on the ideals of peace, tolerance, and forgiveness. But I am having a very difficult time accepting what you just told us. If the situation were not as dire as it is, I would have you cast from our home immediately. As it stands, you are lucky, for I am open to different ideals for the future” Celestia stated. Adam was confused, and Celestia continued. “The future is grim, yes, but I believe we will survive it. However, there will still be domestic enemies to contend with. Our world is on the precipice of evolving; there are entities, such as aliens, that are immune to the magic of this world, and as such we will need the means to engage them.” “What are you asking?” Adam inquired. “Reach out to the Griffons for us; tell them that when this war is over, we would like to enter a military alliance. And before you leave, impart to us the knowledge of gunpowder and tanks” Celestia said. “Surely you can not be serious” the Captain declared. “I can, and I am. Chancellor Steelbeak was right; military expansion is the future of Equestria.” “Princess Twilight would not accept it. Furthermore, it would only serve to further the schism between your race. All of Equestria would be embroiled in a civil war unlike any other” Captain Kuyaki explained. “Like the one we’re already in? We already have a civil war going, but the separatists serve the Covenant. They have plasma guns, and fight for the most dangerous enemy we’ve ever faced. Please, do something GOOD for our planet before you leave; give us the tools we need to ensure our survival” Princess Celestia said. Adam looked down at the floor and nodded, beginning to step past the Princess. “I will...consider it” he assured, and proceeded past the day Goddess. He had just reached the door to the outside when Celestia called out to him. “‘In darkest days, when you feel naught but your own flesh, and see naught but the void, the lone blade shall light the way.’ De'mah once said something similar to me, and like so many other things about him the true meaning has been changed and altered and corrupted. It has evolved into a prophecy, and I used to think it meant we were doomed; that the lone blade was lighting the way to the afterlife. But now I see that I was wrong. You are the lone blade, Captain, and the Covenant are our darkness.” “They’re everyone’s darkness.”