• Published 24th Apr 2016
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What I Am - Knight Breeze



Somewhat confused at the recent turn of events, Alex desperately tries to find his place in this strange, yet familiar land. However, dark powers loom on the horizon, threatening to destroy not only his new home, but his old one as well...

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Chapter XXXVIII

Chapter XXXVIII

Captain Hazalk peeked over the edge of the ruined wall, his keen, calculating eye surveying the battlefield. At this point, the enemy krin before him were pounding on a group of bipedal aliens that strongly resembled Alexander, if not nearly as grotesque. They did not wear energy resistant armor, but to the aliens’ credit, they gave as good as they got, their weapons and agility more than making the difference between tech levels. Hazalk’s crew had a perfect angle to ambush the traitors, but he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. He knew that his boys’ weapons weren’t going to be as effective as the aliens’, namely because of the energy-resistant armor the traitors wore, but that advantage meant very little in the face of an ambush.

No, the enemy wasn’t what gave the captain pause; it was the allied troops that did that.

It was the first time he and his boys had run into a non-civilian group of friendlies, and frankly, he was worried at the reception they would receive. Getting perforated by their surprisingly deadly projectiles is the most likely outcome… Hazalk thought mildly as he watched more krin reinforce the enemy position.

The Battlewatcher did not favor the timid, however, and without any further misgivings, he gave the signal to his boys.

As one, the survivors of The Bastion popped out from cover and began attacking the enemy from the rear, concentrating their fire on key commanding officers, so as to maximize the damage they could deal to the enemy’s chain of command. Normally, such key figures would be nearly impossible to single out, as they wore the exact same armor and colors as their subordinates. However, Hazalk had been a soldier for a very, very long time, and though he had abandoned the emperor's cause over twelve years ago, picking out krin officers from a group was still practically second nature to the old war veteran.

The traitors didn’t even react for the first half-second, as they most likely thought that one of their own had simply missed and hit a friendly by accident. This misunderstanding quickly changed, though, when the first krin officer fell, causing the other enemy krin to turn to return fire on Hazalk and his boys.

A half a second was all the captain needed to snuff out four of the enemy leaders, though, causing their bodies to explode as the energy-absorbing properties of their armor were overwhelmed, blanketing the whole area in a thick cover of steam.

“Grenades, now!” Hazalk shouted as he quickly reloaded his own weapon.

As ordered, the captain’s troops quickly began throwing grenades, their targets not so much the krin that had turned to fire back, but rather the rubble of the fallen building they were using as cover. They couldn't even see their targets by this point, but Hazalk had faith in his troops. More importantly, he had faith in their implants.

As expected, the enemy was too distracted to notice the explosives aimed at them, as they not only had to contend with the steam that surrounded them, but also with the fire coming from two separate directions, as both Hazalk's crew and the bipeds quickly took advantage of the confusion that had been sown into their ranks. Because of this, none of them noticed the plasma grenades that had landed at the feet of the soldiers closest to the barricade. At least, they didn’t notice up until those explosives went off.

Instantly, the entire area was bathed in plasma, clearing away the thick fog that had settled over the area, the cover the troop had been using, as well as a few of the traitors as their armor overloaded. Without pause or remorse, Hazalk’s people immediately opened fire again, but they needn’t have bothered. In less time than it took the krin captain to blink twice, the entire enemy squad had been mowed down by the bipeds, leaving the captain and his people the only krin in the immediate area.

“Down! Now!” Hazalk shouted as he dove back to avoid the half-expected backlash from the allied troops. It was a good thing that he did, too, because if he were even a nanosecond slower, he and his men would have found themselves a few heads less after their position was bombarded with enemy fire.

“Well, that was productive. What’s the plan, now, Captain?” Commander Yvtil asked dryly.

“I’m thinking…” Captain Hazalk muttered as he glanced around for something, anything, that might help them in this situation.

As he sat there thinking about what he could possibly do to get the bipeds to stop shooting, the projectiles suddenly came to a halt entirely on their own. There was a shout in the biped’s alien tongue, but whatever they said was something completely beyond Hazalk or any of his crew.

“Do you think they’re willing to listen, now?” Sergeant Casianon asked, his antenna drooping in a cautious manner.

“I don’t know… but I know there’s only one way to find out...” Hazalk muttered, before turning to Yvtil. “If they shoot me down, take the rest and retreat. Try to get out of the city, find a forest, and lay low until this either blows over, or the planet gets glassed, understood?

Yvtil glanced once towards the alien entrenchment, before she nodded silently.

“Okay… here goes nothing…” Hazalk said, before swallowing down his fear. He then stood up, his arms held high in the air with his plasma rifle held above his head in the traditional krin sign of surrender, praying to the Battlewatcher that the alien forces would properly interpret his actions.

What followed was an incredibly tense few seconds as the bipeds shouted out to him, their deadly weapons pointed straight at him in a manner that nearly caused the krin to soil himself. Captain Hazalk kept his cool, though, and incredibly, the alien soldiers kept their trigger discipline. With almost exaggerated care, the captain waved a free hand to the rest of his surviving crew, before he slowly climbed over the ruined wall and approached the alien defenses. He could feel the eyes and guns of the bipeds trained on him, but no one fired as he slowly, yet steadily, made his way to the aliens’ position.

Once he was about ten feet out, one of them, their commander, if Hazalk was any judge, shouted what sounded like an order as he gestured downwards with his weapon.

“What does it want?” Yvtil muttered, not liking the almost angry look that was being directed towards her and the rest of the crew.

Hazalk wasn’t sure either, but he had a hunch. With extremely steady hands, the captain kneeled down and set his rifle on the ground. He then stood up again, before giving the weapon a short kick, sending it skittering slightly towards the enemy defenses. It was powered down, so there was no danger of it firing without warning, but the krin captain couldn’t help but feel his antenna twitch at the poor firearm safety he displayed.

This seemed to make the aliens happy, though, as their leader now pointed his weapon at Hazalk’s crew, before making the same shout and gesture. The rest of the crew didn’t need any urging from their captain, and quickly complied, their weapons all making faint clattering noises as they were all put down on the flat cobblestone road. As quick as a flash, several of the small bipeds swarmed out, some taking the krins’ weapons, while others shoved the captain and his crew into the aliens’ defenses as their eyes swept the surrounding ruined city, probably checking for any ambushes or reinforcements.

The treatment Hazalk and his crew received was… surprisingly gentle. They weren't beaten or tied up, though the aliens were quite thorough as they patted down each of Hazalk’s men for weapons. However, despite their thorough search, Hazalk was quick to pick up that they did not fully disarm his crew, most likely because they did not know what kinds of systems the krin liked to place in their ground troops. Once the bipeds were certain that they had relieved the krin of everything they had, the apparent leader let out a shout, while motioning with a single hand back towards the center of the city. His soldiers immediately began herding Hazalk and his crew through the ruined streets, before stopping at a building that looked mostly intact. Hazalk felt the bipeds shove him from behind, but as Hazalk looked around, it became clear that only he was to enter.

Hazalk did not want to show weakness in front of his crew, so without another glance backwards, he stepped boldly forward and opened the door. The inside of the building looked like it was some native’s home, but at the moment it was serving as a supply dump for the bipedal forces. Several bipeds could be seen inside, their wary, beady eyes locked on Hazalk’s every move, as if daring him to make a mistake.

However, Hazalk was not here to harm, but help. He kept his eyes on the biped who had an air of command about him, as well as the smaller horned equine he kept at his side. A single word from the bipedal commander was all it took to get the horned equine to use its power, and despite Hazalk’s misgivings about magic, he had the presence of mind to stay calm.

“Hello? You am understand?” the biped asked, his voice oddly muted as another, more understandable version spoke over it in barely coherent krin. “You, turn on own. Why asking? Answer careful, may important.”

The words were rough, but they still made Hazalk let out a sigh of relief, glad that, at the very least, he would be able to argue his case. “Thank you for not shooting me or my crew, commander. My name is Captain Hazalk, and we are your allies, as unbelievable as that may seem.”

The commander continued to give Hazalk the stink eye, before he rubbed his chin in a way that made Hazalk think that he did not believe him. “You ally? That laugh, you bug all try kill. Monsters all, but you help my young, you worth shot. Tell, will about enemy?”

“I will tell you everything, though it would probably be better if you took me to see Alexander,” Hazalk said, silently praying that he did not butcher the survivor’s name.

The biped laughed at that, before his lips came up in a sneer that was very reminiscent of how evgaroths would snarl at anything intruding upon their territory. Thankfully, these bipeds did not attack him, but it was very clear to the krin captain that the biped did not believe him. “Yeah, am betting you want him. So can control again? Don’t laughing is me, I am seeing.”

“I’m telling you the truth,” Hazalk said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “You don’t even have to take me to him. Just mention my name to him. He will verify my identity, and tell you that I am on your side. In fact, I don’t need to even see him specifically. The queens of the equines would be able to vouch for me as well.”

The biped continued to stare Hazalk down, but Hazalk kept his gaze level and unflinching. After what seemed like hours, the biped finally relented and snapped his fingers. “Get Hound Lover on communication. Hear what he has saying.”

Hazalk could hear the bipeds talking over their primitive radio, but was unable to understand a word of it, nor did he try. Instead, his attention was wholly upon the commander before him, who in turn kept his eyes on Hazalk, as if he were silently judging everything about the krin captain.

Hazalk bore his scrutiny with a cool detachment, but inwards, he was a nervous wreck. He found himself wondering why Alexander hadn’t told the rest of his allies about Hazalk and his crew, and almost as if by reflex, found himself praying silently that the mutated survivor had more mercy and compassion than the soulless dregs that had enslaved him.

* * *

“Mr. Cunningham?”

I pulled my head out from Edmund’s innards, a little startled since it had been forever since I had been addressed like that. Standing at the door was a young serviceman, his composure quite steady despite… well, everything, really. In fact, he seemed… incredibly happy, all things considered.

That was something I really hadn’t counted on when I had offered to serve as Eutai’s ambassador to Earth. I had expected confusion, anger, even frustration as I shoved Earth’s finest into an alien meat-grinder, surrounded by magic and technology they could never hope to understand.

School boy-like giddiness, though? I really did not see that one coming. Aside from Doctor Phillips, who seemed to be a perpetual stick-in-the-mud, the rest of the humans, the scientists included, all acted like their wildest dreams had come true. I had already caught a few of them drawing up plans for what could only be described as giant robot suits, while others could be found quietly conversing with the natives about the feasibility of other, similar projects.

If I was to be honest, though, I really should have seen it coming. Not that it mattered much right now, but still, one would think that I would know my own people.

“What is it?” I asked, before closing Edmund’s panel.

“Colonel Conners would like to speak with you. He says it’s urgent.”

“Is the colonel still in the mirror room?” I asked as I stood up and walked towards the private.

“No. He said to meet him in the embassy office the horses set aside for us. You’d better hurry, though. He was… not happy.”

I grimaced at that. If he wasn’t happy, then whatever it was couldn’t be good. “Thanks. I’ll try and book it, then,” I said, before I sprinted out of the room. I nearly clipped a unicorn going in the other direction, but I was agile enough to not get speared as I dodged past him. “Is there something wrong?” he shouted, probably imagining that I was being chased by changelings again.

“Sorry! No, nothing wrong! Just don’t want to be late!” I shouted back as I left the stallion behind. I didn’t encounter anyone else on my very short trip to the makeshift consulate, and before I knew it, I was opening the room in question.

The office that had been set aside for America’s temporary embassy was a simple affair, consisting of a desk, a few bookshelves and a couple of chairs. That wasn’t to suggest that the ponies were snubbing us, but rather, they really weren’t prepared for humanity’s introduction onto their political stage. At the moment, Conners was the room’s only occupant, and it looked like he had been wearing a hole in the carpet as he waited for my arrival. He stopped the moment I entered the room, and the private wasn’t kidding when he said he had looked unhappy.

“Colonel, what’s-”

Before I could fully form my question, he beat me to the punch. “When were you going to tell me there were friendly bugs?” he asked, bringing me to a halt.

However, instead of making me feel like I had had my hand caught in the cookie jar, I only felt relief. “You found Hazalk?” I asked as I let out a sigh that I didn’t know I had been holding. He and his kind might set off every phobia in my head, but after hearing from Edmund about what happened to his ship, I couldn’t help but feel guilty at his apparent passing. I honestly hadn’t expected him to stay on our side, much less hold his ground against the armada like he did, and hearing that he had done both made me feel like a real heel.

“So, you have heard of this guy?" Conners asked, clearly not as enthused as I was. “When were you planning on telling us? Huh? Don’t you think that information like that might be just a little important? That there might be friendlies out there?”

And just as suddenly, that relief was replaced by shame. He was right, I hadn’t told him about Hazalk, or even the fact that our enemies weren’t the entire krin race. Even after meeting up with Edmund, serving as his translator for the ponies, and getting the general rundown of the situation, I still hadn’t bothered to fill in Conners or his men on it. In fact, now that I had a chance to look back at that little meeting, I recalled that I had thought about it, but quickly had discounted mentioning it, as I had thought that I had already told them about it. “I… I’m sorry, Colonel… I don’t know what happened. I guess I thought that Yavaar might have already told you, and then I kind of forgot-”

“Alex, this isn’t like forgetting to bring chicken to a potluck. This is war,” Conners said, his tone left no doubt about what he thought about my stupidity. “If this was just a civil war between bugs, I need to know these things! What if we’ve been attacking the good guys this whole time? What’s to say that these horses are really all you’re making them out to be?”

I stared him down, not flinching, before I raised an arm and unsheathed a single claw. I looked at it for a few seconds, before promptly, and pointedly, resheathing it. “Colonel, I guarantee you that the bugs you’re fighting are the bad guys here.”

Colonel Conners pursed his lips at that, almost as if he had forgotten just how much proof I was. “That doesn’t change the fact that that little piece of information is pretty freaking important. If this Hazalk is on our side, we could use his help. He’d have inside information on our enemy!”

“And like I said, I’m sorry. I was sort of busy, what with having been shot, then left in an interrogation room for four hours,” I snapped back at him. I then took a deep breath as I tried to regain my composure. “Look, I’m sorry, alright? I may be a war machine, but I’m honestly just a civilian way out of his depth. You’re honestly lucky that I remembered as much as I did.”

Conners eyeballed me for a few more seconds before he looked away, as if to concede the point. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But from now on, if there’s something that important, I expect you to tell me as soon as possible. Understood? You’re our main interpreter and liaison, so it’s important you convey as much information as possible, so we can avoid any possible friendly fire problems, am I clear?”

“Perfectly, sir,” I said. I didn’t salute, as I was not a soldier, but the way he talked made me stand up just a little bit straighter, anyway.

“So, with that out of the way, tell me about these ‘friendly’ bugs,” he said as he leaned into the desk behind him, his demeanor a lot more relaxed. “What are they like, and why aren’t they on the other bugs’ side?”

“You remember Japan during the second world war?” I asked. When he nodded, I took another breath before I charged forward. “Well, you can think of the krin as the Japanese after they lost that one, though they took a… slightly different route.”

“How so? And who did they lose to?” Conners asked curiously.

“The snakes, of course,” I said, causing Conners to nod in understanding. “And this isn’t info I got from the snakes, I got this from the krin. This is the loser’s side of the story, so you know it’s going to be a bit less…”

“Biased towards the winners?” the colonel finished for me.

“Yeah, that. Basically, the krin were on a conquering spree. They declared war on several different alien species, declared them less than animals, and marched through, conquering and slaughtering as they went.” Conners looked disgusted at that, and I had to agree with his assessment. “Yeah, they were flat-out purging planets of anything not bug. They made Hitler look like a bully on the playground, in comparison. However, their little genocide was stopped when they ran into the snakes’ territory. They won a few battles, but after the snakes stopped fooling around and pulled out their big guns, they shoved the bugs right back into their own systems, even going so far as to push them back to their homeworld.”

“And since they’re the japanese in this analogy, I assume they surrendered,” Conners piped in. “That’s what we’re fighting, then? A defeated empire trying to regain its former glory?”

I shook my head. “That’s only partially right. The krin were on the verge of defeat, but instead of admitting it, and surrendering, the emperor ordered his fleet to retreat with him into deep space, abandoning the krin homeworld in the process. They’re what we’re fighting.”

“That’s…” Conners said, though he stopped, his eyes on the carpet as he tried to process what he heard. “Those… What…?“

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘cowards,’ though ‘absolute scum’ wouldn’t be too far off the mark, either,” I dryly quipped.

“Yeah, just hearing about that makes my blood boil,” he muttered. “So, I take it that not everyone followed him, then?”

“You’d be right. Some stayed behind, though from what I’ve been able to pick up, there was a bit of a fight before the cowards left. By the time the snakes reached the bugs’ homeworld, they barely had enough ships to spit at them, much less defend the planet. So, they did the only thing they could think of and surrendered.”

“Then the snakes absorbed them into their empire, right?” Conners asked, trying to fill in the gaps.

“Surprisingly, no. Instead, they installed a new government, put a few laws into place of their own design, and declared them a protectorate for about five years. That particular treaty ended about five years ago, give or take a few months, but I sort of glossed over most everything else after once I read that.” Conners gave me a questioning look, to which I shook my head. “Not important. I was scoping out Hazalk’s computer, looking for dirt. Honestly, I don’t know too much that happened after that, as Hazalk’s library didn’t have too much on current events. Right now, the ‘homeworld’ bugs don’t really like the snakes too much, but they really hate the emperor. They don’t have too large of a fighting force right now, but what ships they do have have standing orders to kill or capture any of the emperor’s bugs if they find them.”

“And what about Hazalk, then?” Conners asked me, before leaning forwards slightly. “What can you tell me about him?”

“He’s an old ‘war hero’ from when the krin were out conquering,” I said, making sure to physically do finger-quotes for the words ‘war hero’.

“What...? Did he turn traitor?”

“Yeah. He personally led the krin to multiple victories during the early stages of the war, but… something stopped him, made him turn and switch sides partway through the war. It was some time before the snakes got involved, I might add.”

“And what was it that changed his mind, then?” Conners asked, not caring for how I was dancing around the subject.

“It was a planet called Thana…”

* * *

“I apologize, General, but what?” Hazalk asked, not quite sure he had heard General Xeraz properly.

“As you have shown exemplary bravery and skill in leading your crew in subjugating the Cralthar savages, it has been decided that you should have the honor of firing the first volley, to purge the planet of its infestation.”

Hazalk just sat there, unmoving and unblinking as he tried to process what he had heard. “I’m sorry, sir, but I was under the impression that we were to subjugate them to add their planet to our glorious empire. How can we do that if there is no one to absorb into the fold?”

“Captain, you were ordered to annex the planet. The savages below are hardly worthy of becoming subjects of our emperor,” General Xeraz stated flatly. “The sooner we purge them, the sooner our colony ships can move to take advantage of Thana’s abundant resources.”

“Sir, I…” Hazalk stammered, his eyes wandering about the room, unsure of how he ended up in this horrible situation. As luck would have it, his eyes chanced upon his ship’s current tactical analysis, and instantly, he felt his heart leap with hope. “As much as I would love to, sir, I am afraid we expended all of our useful munitions during the fight. All we have left are the plasma cannons.”

General Xeraz let out a short chuckle, before shaking his head ever so slightly. “Captain, we are all out of munitions. We won’t be purging the planet now. However, we have already sent out a missive to the rest of the fleet. We are to hold position until they send a resupply freighter. But do not worry, once we have rearmed ourselves, your name will go down in the annals as the one to bring the emperor’s mercy to the blighted planet below.”

Hazalk had never felt so cornered, but fortunately, he had at least a few days to think about the burden that had been placed upon him. He touched his antenna together in respect, before bringing two of his four arms together in front of him in salute. “Thank you, sir. I take this honor gladly.”

The general nodded once, but stopped when someone leaned in and whispered something to him. Xeraz’s eyes widened in surprise, before he nodded once to the attendant. “It seems that your bravery has caught more than just my eye today. I will be sending Agent Covarlor over to your ship. He has a proposal for you and your crew, one that he wishes to convey to you personally. From what I know of it, I am sure you will find to your liking.”

Hazalk lowered his head slightly, partially in respect, and partially to keep Xeraz from seeing the fear in his eyes. The emperor’s ghosts were shrouded in mystery and blood, and knowing that he had attracted one’s attention did not sit well with the captain. “I await his arrival, then, sir.”

“Very well, then. Be sure to give your crew double rations today. You all did well,” General Xeraz said, before the screen went black.

Hazalk collapsed back into his seat, his eyes lost in space as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. He closed his eyes for a second, feeling overwhelmed after the battle, and the brutal task that had been thrust upon him. Hazalk sat up a little, his eyes wandering until they inevitably fell upon the framed picture on his desk. It was his promotion ceremony, when he had finally made Captain. It had been the greatest moment in his life, and he seemed to remember that, the night before, he had stood in a mirror, repeating the title and his name to himself.

Captain Hazalk.

The title had meant so much to him, then. He had been so proud, so sure, so happy. But now? Now he was far older, a veteran of multiple battles, and that title held less importance now. He had set his eyes on the rank of General, but as he sat there, patiently waiting for the moment where he would start sweeping an alien planet free of life, he found the flames of his ambition quenched.

“Captain Hazalk…” he whispered, as if trying to grasp at his youthful innocence. Instead of filling him with hope, however, all he felt was disgust as the words turned to ash in his mouth.

“Captain Hazalk, Hero of Thana.”

“Captain Hazalk, Butcher of Thana.”

“Captain Hazalk…”

“Captain…”

* * *

“Captain Hazalk, wake up!” Commander Yvtil said, shaking her captain gently.

Captain Hazalk blearily cracked an eye, before opening his mandibles in a yawn that caused several of the alien bipeds nearby to back up a bit in alarm. “I’m sorry, Yvtil. I wasn’t having the most… pleasant of dreams.”

“A nightmare? Well, you’re a pretty solid sleeper, then, because you certainly didn’t show it,” Yvtil said, before tossing him a wet towel. “We’re leaving.”

Captain Hazalk quickly sat up at that, taking a few seconds to wipe the sleep from his face. “Did the… humans finally get word back?”

“They did,” she said, before tossing him a belt with his plasma pistol. “We’ve got a bit of a march before we get to someone who can teleport us, so suit up, sir. We’re not out of the swamp yet.”

“Yeah, especially since General Inos knows where we are now,” Hazalk said darkly, before he looked up at the building’s wooden roof. “Don’t know why he hasn’t leveled this area in nuclear fire yet, but he’s certainly not going to let us get off free.”

“Agreed. Whether it be luck, or some benevolent god, let’s just hope that whatever is stalling Inos’s hand will last for a few more hours…”

Author's Note:

Hey, guys!  Another chapter for you all!  This time, we get a behind the scenes glimpse at Hazalk and his crew!

And yes, I know, the equestrians and humans should have known about Hazalk and his crew, but that wasn't what I was trying to depict here.  It will be revealed later, but I feel I need to head it off now so the comments aren't filled with 'why didn't they know? How could they be this stupid!  What was Alex thinking?' stuff.

The answer is that the equestrians do not have instant information dissemination, and only higher ranked members of their military were even aware of Hazalk in the first place.  Given this fact, and that the battle started pretty quickly after the enemy got past the moon, this meant that there really wasn't time to brief everypony.

As for the humans, that is entirely on Alex.  I'm trying to depict him as human. He has faults, he makes mistakes, and sometimes he screws up royally.  It's just a good thing that, this time, no one ended up dead because of his mistake. As for why Shining Armor didn't say anything, he assumed that Alex had already briefed the humans on everything, so...

Anyway, I hope what's here satisfies you for at least a little while.  If not, I'm sorry, but I'm only one guy. I'm working as hard as I can, but words are hard!

As usual:
My book: => What I've Become! <=

My Patreon: patreon

And the Tv Tropes that Alias_the_J made.  It still needs a lot of work, but if you're willing and tv tropes savvy, it would be awesome if this stub got filled out, more!Tv Tropes: Humanity Within.