Rise of an Empire, Fall of Another

by Kyuubi325

The Fleet (edited by Cakebomb)

Eastern Zebrican Sea
HRM Dancers Maul (Armed Merchant Class)
4:00 am
Bridge

Captain Morgan Singer sat quietly as his finished his ration. Putting aside the finished meal, he looked out onto the deck of his vessel. He watched as his crew worked, walking across the deck and checking the cargo to prevent the loss of countless of tons worth of medicine, metal, basic machinery, and countless other valuables. He then looked at the 10 other vessels in his fleet, all originally designed to be warships ranging from dreadnoughts to aircraft carriers. Once the war ended they were converted to armed merchant vessels. When he looked to the port side he saw the vessel's engineering technicians working on the serpent fighting arms, as the hydraulics had been malfunctioning. Despite the last serpent attack being 5 years ago after the navy used depth charges to destroy their undersea nesting grounds, he felt it was best to maintain the large sheer like appendages, lest they run into a serpent looking for revenge.

He looked at his reflection in the glass. He was a young spaniel, with a white and brown coat, dressed in a dark blue uniform with brass and silver medals. He was just a young officer a few years ago that had missed his chance to fight on the front lines. If not for general Luzs he would have been still been stuck in that position. However, thanks to the general's tutelage he had risen rapidly threw through the ranks, and after about two years of sea patrol and his heroic action of saving the crew of the HMS Westinghouse, he was promoted to the rank of captain at a young age. In fact, he was likely one of the youngest ship captains in Britannia.

He stopped looking at his reflection to look at the sea charts. He remembered when he first heard that the Emperor ordered V class submarines with surveillance packages to map the seas and spy on the westerners. He thought it was ridiculous. What if the Equestrians or the Griffins captured the submarines? They would have access to their technological secrets and personnel. The thought was frightening, even if it was unlikely. After all, the reports said the westerners lacked the industrial capacity to effectively replicate the submarines or the training. But with their magic one couldn't be too careful after all.

Then there was the zebra warlords. From the intelligence they have gathered they are spread across Zebrica. While they lacked unity they made up for it in sheer numbers. If there was a small fertile plot of land or even a minuscule mineral deposit they would force their army of child slaves to mine and farm it until they collapsed on the ground and died. The one he was most worried about was a zebra warlord named Balsam Murik (though this was a rough translation as diamond dogs lacked to ability to make certain equine sounds). From what they have gathered he was a bloodthirsty tyrant who had wiped out entire villages for minor offences. He had no doubt that they could and would defeat him, but how many foal warriors would he send to fight them?

Then there was the rebels. Apparently they are a group of zebras fighting the countless warlords to bring peace to their war-torn continent. The similarity was eerily similar to his kind a few years ago. He remembered when he came home to his village only to find that it had been burned to the ground by dragons. The wreckage he saw there disturbed him greatly to the point where his commanding officer told him to get mentally evaluated as he was showing signs of PTSD. He politely refused.

Dreams of his mother cooking his favorite meal “shepherds pie” only to be burned alive left him crying in agony. Her muzzle being burned off as he smiled at him, seemingly not noticing her pelt being melted off her bones. The medic on-board gave him medication that would promote dreamless sleep, but no matter how many of the capsules he took he would always wake up sobbing.

“Sir, we will arrive at the shore in 14 hours” he looked to his right to see a young retriever in standard naval uniform saluting him.

“Anything else to report private?” I asked in a monotone.

“Yes sir, the HMS Sea Gypsy is reporting that the Cyklop Walkers are showing signs of rust and may need to be cleaned and have there engines flushed out before any major use. However, the ammunition stocks seem to be unaffected. Fuel consumption on the ships are within except able limits. Finally, tank 3, which contains walker fuel, is leaking” he spoke with out pausing for breath.

“Tell them to save what fuel they can, by diverting what they can to the other 8 tanks and then send the marine engineering corps to find those leaks” the retriever after getting the signal to leave left to send out his orders through the communication room.

Once again he was left in silence.

He made his way to the ships intercom system. He flipped the brass switch and spoke from his heart.

“Dogs of HRM Dancers Maul. This is Captain Morgan Singer. Many of you are uneasy about meeting these zebra rebels. Many more are afraid of the Equestrians to the north of the country; others simply see the zebras as savages. I am going to tell you all what I see. I see a race that has known the horrors of war, the pain of famine, and the heartbreak of loss. Even as I speak there are hundreds of thousands of zebras living the lives we once had, in the servitude of cruel unforgiving masters. You all have read our history. Five hundred years ago our kind was forced to toil in the mines to feed the greedy dragons and serpents, while those who refused or resisted were eaten or burned alive. What I see is a race that is a reflection of us. Like us they dream, they fight, and they die, whether or not it's for a village or a foal. Who are we to deny them help, when they suffer as we did once? So I ask you all, give these rebels a chance, so that they, like us, have a chance to prosper and live free as we do”

He shut down the intercom and sat in his chair. Once again, silence rained on the bridge.

Comments

[add]

love your story!
please, update soon.

[Kyuubi325]

5412366 thank you