Applejack
Applejack watched from a raised gantry as her squad smoothly moved into a mock-up building, pulse blasters raised and heads on a swivel, before she pressed a button. Three targets instantly popped up, their ‘lasguns’ being brought to bear on the lead member of the squad.
Before they could be fully raised, they were blasted apart, the squad barely even losing a step as they continued through the drill. The remaining targets only got off three shots in total before being taken down, none resulting in anything more than grazed hits. If it were a real combat scenario, there would be cuts, but nothing more than superficial.
“Make yer weapons safe,” Applejack called as the squad exited the building. “Valnoth, excellent reaction times, ah’m rotating you to point position. Diaoh, take her position and remember to watch fer anything out of the ordinary. Y’all were lucky there weren’t any traps this time round. Ya won’t always be so lucky. Alright, let’s run it again. Stack up.”
The squad instantly moved into position again, taking up the new positions as Applejack recalibrated the interior, changing around the rooms, enemy locations, and weapons to keep the squad on her toes.
“Shas’Vre Applejack, you are summoned,” a voice came over her earpiece.
“By who?” she replied, turning her head slightly, before looking at the squad again. “Hold up, wait for my go.”
“High command, it bears the seal of the Fire and Ethereal Caste,” the voice continued. “Leave your squad and double time it to High Command Centre.”
“Aye, be there as soon as ah can,” Applejack nodded, before pulling her helmet off and mag-locking it to her waist. “Valnoth, you have command. We’ll run the exercise when ah get back, get the squad back to barracks and debrief ‘em, then ya got the day to yerself, try not ta get into too much trouble.”
“You too, Applejack,” Valnoth nodded, before raising his own voice and beginning to bark orders of his own as Applejack trotted off, quickly heading out of the small side cavern where the close quarter trainers were located, and into Tuk’Raa proper.
Tuk’Raa was huge, easily the biggest city on Pa’Laa, owing to its status as the capital of the subterranean world, and when she had first been stationed here she didn’t think she would ever learn her way around here. After three months though, she knew her way through it like the back of her hoof.
She grumbled slightly as she walked, the few bruises that had yet to fade from the trial by fire were still uncomfortable beneath her armour, but they would fade in time, just like the scar from her first trial years ago had. It felt like a lifetime ago, and every day it became harder and harder to remember her early battles, even more so to remember the farm, to recall the smell of the Golden Delicious as they came into bloom. It got harder every day, and everyday Applejack felt more of her old self dying a tiny bit more. Soon, there'd be nothing left of the Applejack that was, the farmer, and the Fire Warrior would be all that was left.
Applejack was terrified when that day would come, but not because of the fact she’d be remade anew. No, she was scared that that didn’t faze her anymore. She enjoyed working for the Fire Caste, she was good at it, and now, Greater Good willing, she was being elevated further. Due to the way she had finished the trial by fire, no one had instantly been granted a rank. She could only hope the fact that she was being called to central command meant they had come to a decision.
Applejack was still in deep thought as she got onto one of the city’s many transport systems, her Fire Warrior armour allowing her to pass without being stopped, a few of the Tau whispering between each other, but most of them staying silent. It had only taken her eight years and she had finally started to shake off the stigma of being an alien in the core castes, at least where it mattered.
Her thoughts idly turned to Rainbow Dash as she sped towards the central hub. She had thought about Rainbow a lot in the years since arriving on T’au, far more than the rest of her friends, which she did feel slightly guilty over. She still wondered if Rainbow had followed her through back to this universe, the Swooping Pegasi in tow. Every morning she would look up at the stars and hope that she would see an angel descending towards her, and every morning she was disappointed. That didn’t stop her hoping though.
“Central Hub, all change,” came the voice of the driver, Applejack following after the rest of the group. She hadn’t remembered doing it, but her Cybernetic eye was no longer in its socket, stowed away in its specialised compartment on her belt, her eyepatch pulled down over the socket.
Thanking the driver, Applejack exited the train, heading for the large building that served as the Fire castes headquarters in the city, slowing as she reached the entrance. It took almost half an hour for her to clear security properly, which to be fair was quicker than for a lot of Tau, one of the benefits of being the only one of her kind in the Fire Caste, and eventually she was allowed inside, looking around for any Tau who were familiar. It didn’t take her long to spot one, or rather for one to spot her.
“Shas’Vre Applejack, it is good to see you’ve finally made it,” a Tau called, Applejack turning to see a Water Caste Por’La hurried over, a dataslate clutched in his hands. “The Fire Council is waiting upon you. Please, step this way.”
“Lead on,” Applejack nodded, trotting behind the Tau as they headed through the facility, finally coming to the large central chamber, the Water Caste leading her inside.
“Ah, good. You’re finally here,” Shan'Ta looked up, gracing Applejack with a rare view of his unhelmeted head.
Shan'Ta was sitting behind a large, ornate desk which looked like it had been specifically designed to accommodate his armoured bulk. Behind two smaller desks were other high ranking Fire Caste members, although neither of them were wearing armour, while the fourth was taken up by the very familiar face of Aun’Vesa.
The Ethereal looked much older than when Applejack had first seen him, deep wrinkles setting into his face, while his eyes portrayed that some of the hope he had once had was diminished slightly, something Applejack was more than certain was reflected in her eye as well. Aun’Vesa never wavered however, never voiced any concerns if he did have any, always leading from as close to the front as Shan’Ta would allow him.
“It is good to see you, Applejack,” Aun’Vesa nodded, a smile gracing his lips.
“You too, Ethereal,” Applejack bowed her head in reverence.
“Introductions are not needed between you two, clearly,” Shan’Ta cut in, before gesturing at the other two Tau. “This is Shas'ar'tol Tallnok and Shas'ar'tol Hal’Ma from high command. They will be overseeing this meeting.”
“Sir’s,” Applejack brought her hoof to her chest in a salute as she looked at both of them, before stood at ease once more.
“As you know, Shas’Vre Applejack has been with us eight years now, and has recently passed her second trial by fire,” Shan’Ta began. “She has yet to be granted her official rank, or to attain the Mantle of Heroes. Due to the complications around her last trial, we had to take time over this decision, but it is now done. This meeting is to formally grant you the title for the of Shas’El, and to inform you of your new position in the Pa’Laa Sept, and the Greater Good.”
“Ya honour me, Shas’O,” Applejack bowed her head, her heart soaring along with her rank.
“The Pa’Laa Sept has been off of rotation for three months,” Tallnok murmured. “You are sure of her suitability for this, mighty Ethereal?”
“I am,” Aun’Vesa nodded. “Applejack has fought bravely and with distinction for many years, she has earned this.”
“But would one of our own kind not serve better in this position?” Tallnok pressed. “Surely…”
“Applejack has exceptions from normal auxiliary rules, as you well know,” Aun’Vesa cut in.
“Of course, Ethereal,” Tallnok nodded, before Aun’Vesa turned to face Applejack.
“Applejack, in the Sept’s last battle, my personal guardian Shas’El O’toka was heavily injured. He recently passed away from the injuries, and as such we need a replacement. I have put your name forward, and you have been chosen as his successor.”
“Ah’m honoured, Ethereal,” Applejack bowed her head, her voice slowly as she considered her next words carefully. “Will…Will ah be guardin’ ya with the rest of mah squad?”
“No,” Aun’Vesa shook his head. “This will be a solitary position, you are to be my sole guard and aide.”
“Then…ah’ll be a battlesuit pilot?” she asked, her voice hollow as the elation from her new rank began to fade.
“No.” It was Shan’Ta who spoke this time. “As is tradition, your current armour will be repainted black, you will not receive a battlesuit.”
“But ah thought that becoming a Shas’El meant that I was awarded the Mantle and a Battlesuit,” Applejack finally said after a long pause. “There were Shas’Vre who have both.”
“Watch your tongue, Shas’Vre, this promotion is still under advisement,” Hal’Ma warned her, Shan’Ta nodding in appreciation before talking again.
“Yes, there are Shas’Vre who have battlesuits, suits designed over generations for bipeds. You are not T’au in body, even if you are close to us in mind. You will not be gaining a battlesuit today. Now, please report to the armoury with your new orders. I will send word ahead of what is to be done. Once that is done, report to your squads and pass over the mantle of commander to the one you see fit. Go.”
Applejack weighed up her options for a moment. She had never heard of a Fire Warrior turning down a promotion, especially when offered the opportunity to guard one of the Ethereal class, and yet she was seriously considering it. She liked her squad, the thought of abandoning them was abhorrent to her.
“Ah…grateful fer the offer…” she slowly began, before looking up at Aun’Vesa.
The Ethereal was watching her closely, far more intently than any of the others, his eyes boring into her. She knew the look well, the one he always wore when he was deciding whether or not to pull rank.
“And…ah’ll be honoured to accept the position as yer new bodyguard,” Applejack sighed slightly, bowing deeply as she spoke. “Please excuse mah earlier outburst…it was a lot ta take in.”
“You are excused, Shas’El,” Aun’Vesa smiled, leaning back in his chair. “Now, report to the armoury.”
“Yes, Aun’Vesa,” Applejack bowed once more, before backing out of the room, Aun’Vesa waiting for her to leave and the door to close before he spoke once more.
“That could have gone better,” he admitted, looking over at Shan’Ta.
“Agreed, but it is for the best,” he bowed his head to the young Ethereal. “The Water Caste haven’t gotten anywhere trying to ascertain where she came from, she needs to be kept alive until they can find it out.”
“Why was she ever assigned to her own Breacher Squad then?” Tallnok asked in confusion. “Few positions have quite the same amount of risk attacked to them, certainly no none-battlesuit roles.”
“Because she excels at close range,” Shan’Ta shrugged. “She can shoot normally, but at close range she is brutal. She carries two squad support weapons, she can go toe-to-toe with Orks if need be, and she’s not afraid to charge, even when all our doctrines say she should try to win the shooting war. Battles have been won because of that, we couldn’t give that up.”
“She should never have been allowed in the Fire Caste anyway,” Hal’Ma pointed out. “She was a farmer, by her own word a good one. She should have stayed with the Earth Caste.”
“And yet she is here now,” Aun’Vesa cut in. “For better or for worse.”
“Precisely,” Shan’Ta nodded once more. “She must be kept safe though, until the Water Caste can contact more of her kind. Their race has gifts that we need for our Empire. She could very well be the key to everything, even if she doesn’t know it herself.”
“Yes, Shas’O,” both Hal’Ma and Tallnok intoned, before standing up and heading out of the room, Shan’Ta following behind, leaving Aun’Vesa alone to finish the last of the formalities for transferring Applejack to his charge.
***
“Commander in the room!” Valnoth thundered as Applejack entered the bunk room, the rest of the squad scrambling to their feet and standing to attention.
“At ease,” Applejack gestured for them all to sit down as she stood in the centre of the room. Her armour was now pitch black, only the left shoulder pad bearing the original Sept colours. Even her fusion blasters had been painted, the blue glow seeming darker now against the black. “Ah’ve got some news fer y’all. Today’s exercise was the last yer’ll be runnin’ under mah hoof. Ah have just been informed that ah past mah trials. Ah’m a Shas’El now.”
“Congratulations,” Diaoh chuckled. “Sad to see you go though. What‘s with the new armour? They letting El’s customise their suits now? Seems like a pretty good incentive to me.”
“Ah’m to be Ethereal Aun’Vesa’s new bodyguard,” she admitted, her shoulders sagging just a bit. “Ah haven’t been granted a battlesuit, haven’t made one fer mah kind a guess.”
“That’s incredible, AJ,” Valnoth smiled. “Being the bodyguard of an Ethereal is…”
“A great honour, ah know,” Applejack finished for him. “This isn’t about me though, ah only have a few minutes before ah need to remove mahself from these barracks. Valnoth, front and centre.”
Valnoth quickly stood up, standing at ease in front of Applejack.
“Shas’Ui Valnoth, please remove yer chest plate,” she spoke as she let her own chest plate fall to the floor, pulling out her ceremonial bonding knife. “It has been an honour to serve alongside y’all. In the tradition of Ta'lissera, ah bond mahself ta you. Mah blood and yers.”
As she finished speaking, she raised the knife to her chest, pulling it through the fur and skin there, letting blood spill out onto the blade. She was once again reminded why wielding weapons in her hooves was hard as she loosely held the knife, before finishing the cut, moving the knife towards Valnoth and slicing through her skin. Valnoth winced ever so slightly as the blade passed through her, before taking a step back, allowing the blood to ooze down her chest.
“Shas’La Diaoh, step forward and remove your plate,” Applejack looked towards Diaoh, readying herself for another cut.
Five minutes and ten cuts later, Applejack finally replaced the knife in its scabbard, looking at the rest of the squad. Each of them bore a single cut on their chest, all looking confident, even as a few drops dripped onto the floor. The clean-up operation was hardly at the forefront of their minds after the ceremony.
“Like that, ah want y’all to remember that ah will always be yer friend. No matter where ah’m deployed, no matter where ah’m servin’. Y’all are mah squad, distance won’t change that. Valnoth. Ah’ve arranged fer y’all ta take command, congratulations. Ah won’t give yer anymore commands, but if y’all are wantin’ to, ah’m gonna be in the Fire Bar, ah wouldn’t say no to raising a cup with y’all.”
“We’ll be there, Applejack,” Valnoth assured her. “And don’t worry, I’ll do my best to get this squad into proper shape. Shouldn’t be too hard with a competent commander.”
“Blow it out yer ass, ass,” Applejack snorted. “See ya round.”
With that, Applejack turned to leave, before a croaky voice that she had only heard a few times before gave her pause.
“Applejack,” Gra’us rasped, the normally mute female stepping forward. “It was a pleasure serving under you.”
“It was a pleasure leadin’ ya too,” she smiled, looking around the squad one final time, before heading out of the room.