//------------------------------//
// Game Plan 
// Story: My Son, My Soldier, My Hero 
// by That_Random_Pony 
//------------------------------//

Jaqeluu read over the diagram for the satellite once more in his seat. The clanging of metal doors didn't faze him, Celestia staring at him with her generals. "How long have you-"

"I've been here for the past few hours," he replied hastily, closing the hologram and setting up a new one. "And before you ask, my world's days are about 48 hours. And we only sleep for twelve of them."

She closed her mouth and nodded before taking seat at the head of the table. The generals did the same and situated themselves across from Jaqeluu. Not too soon after, minotaurs began marching in, then Diamond Dogs, and finally Derekosh. The military officials all sat and waited for the last few to arrive. Luna trotted in with her four Lunar generals. The Loki'irians hadn't seen them before, so they took a slight interest in their noticeable differences.

"Now, what's this all about?" a minotaur questioned. 

Derekosh planted his hand on the hologram and expanded the view. A projection of the planet rotated quietly, putting the non-pony nations in awe. The bat ponies were just as surprised and amazed. Jaqeluu typed in several coordinates, and five markers pinged on the surface of the sphere.

"You are facing an enemy from another world," Jaqeluu said as he pulled up a projection of the Arthanian races. "We need to go over our plan for the upcoming defense."

"So this would mean a plan. Can we pincer them in? Flank?" a Solar asked. Derekosh shook his head and had the hologram bring up dozens of small cruiser vessels and a few dreadnoughts. 

"There's never a plan with these creatures," he announced, pointing to the fleet. "They have never attacked with strategy or tactics. They're numbers make that irrelevant. This is just a miniscule fraction of their true fleet." He zoomed in on Canterlot, highlighting a vast area. "They will secure a landing zone, and once that is made they will start to divert half of their dropships to drop into our lines."

"A plan will get us all killed. There are too many of them to keep them at bay with cunning," Jaqeluu said. "However, that doesn't mean it's completely useless." He pulled the globe outward, depicting smaller fleets over the nations. "Our brother will attack these capitals first, then work his way out. If you can hold your own, you won't see much change in their numbers. The main concern is that he will funnel a majority of his forces here." His finger rested on Canterlot, an armada hovering above it.

"Are you asking us to send troops there?" a minotaur asked, his brow raised.

Derekosh shook his head. "I am explaining this because I need you all to understand this." Blue ships appeared over each nation, but the dreadnoughts were all positioned over Equestria. "There will only be several dozen squads of our gifted warriors to defend your cities. Our regular army can be more spread, but our Signa must defend the point of entry."

"You're going to defend the ponies?!" a minotaur general barked. He stood up and planted his paws on the table, jabbing a finger at Jaqeluu. "What if your soldiers fall?! We aren't prepared for that many attackers! And what about those flying tin cans?!"

"Tell me, if you can't handle this many, how are you going to manage more?" the Oracle questioned, acting as if he wasn't being shouted at. The general lowered his hand, a puzzled look on his face.

"What... are you threatening-"

"This isn't the first time this has happened," Derekosh snarled, easing himself at the telepathic request of his brother. "What my brother means to say, is if we should evenly divide our forces we will only fall faster. The more Signa protecting your cities there are, the less there are to thin out the hordes coming through the portals."

"Our best Signa would be defending your homes with you, since even the youngest of our warriors can dent their numbers straight out of the warp." Jaqeluu spun the globe to show them several large masses of armies. "The mountainous regions aren't of interest to them, as they look for cities and towns. The dragons can also be dispatched more evenly to your locations. I'd ask that if any of your nations have above average warriors, to send them to Canterlot. A third or a fourth of them. We need experts and experienced fighters on the front."

"And the Crystal Empire?" Luna asked, not seeing any ships north of Equestria. "What of them?"

"The mutts won't move north if we stay here," Derekosh said. He zoomed in on the border between the colder region and it's warmer neighbor. "They abhor the cold about as much as us, but they will venture there should they be given a target."

"But we could hail troops from there, couldn't we? A good army could make all the difference," Celestia added, absolutely certain Cadence would be willing to put the Crystal Guard with the nations' armies. 

The brothers mentally debated where they could be placed, and ultimately decided they would be stationed with the other nations. "We can have League members at each capital city to direct preparations. Another thing you'll need." Derekosh tossed a cube at one of the Lunar generals. He tried to catch it, but it quickly dissolved and moved to cover him. The batpony shrieked as he jumped out of his seat and tried swiping it off, but the liquid metal didn't budge. "These are our armor. They adapt to the form of the wearer and reinforce vital areas on the body."

There was a quiet hum before the guard was completely covered in the armor. He grunted as the neural connection calibrated to his body, but otherwise he looked fine. "Are you alright, Null?" Luna asked. The batpony took a deep breath and laughed a bit hysterically.

"I feel 40 years younger!" he exclaimed, jumping and stretching his limbs. "It doesn't even feel like I'm wearing armor under this thing!"

"The suits enhance your abilities by... "adapting" your minds inhibitors to pain and touch. The neural interface also pumps vital nutrients into your blood and extracts some," Jaqeluu explained, "The suit will create blood for your body to use in case of a wound. There are also some physical enhancements, thanks to the suit."

"You're basically turning us into super soldiers," a Solar chuckled. "How many of these can you give us?"

"As many as it takes to arm your nations," Derekosh answered. The generals all looked to one another with bright and eager expressions, though the brothers held a more hardened stare. "These aren't without consequence."

Jaqeluu placed a video log on the table, which projected a battle on a foreign world between Loki'irians and Arthanian. A soldier smashed its mace into a regular's back, slamming him to the ground. He turned and shot it until it fell to the floor. The man shouted as his arm struggled to move to his chest, but eventually he touched the center and the suit opened. Jaqeluu pointed to the malfunctioning armor as the warrior ran.

"Take a bad hit, and the suit can shut down." Derekosh brought up a representation of the armor's neural links, scattered throughout the armor. "If one of these take a hit, that limb or area will return to their normal state, and it could mean crippling you. We will adjust the armor to make the failsafe at the palm, but you must take caution as well."

The globe disappeared, and Derekosh recalled his armor. It pulled itself free of its wearer and covered its owner. "The specifics will be sent with our League members. We will meet in another month for an update on progress." He and Jaqeluu stood and headed for the door. "The sooner we're ready, the sooner we can revise our tactics. Good luck."