The Emergency

by Wheller

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

'Do you agree with the lieutenant's assessment? Captain?'

Dula Heartstrings looked up from the holographic tactical map on the Thunderchild bridge towards her executive officer. Ice Wind, the snow white pegasus with her forest green mane stood before her, looking over the tactical plan that Wolsey had delivered to them. It seemed like a lot of effort for the harimau to go to, but still crazy enough to work.

'Partially...' Dula said with a shrug as she returned to her seat in the centre of the bridge and pulled up the holographic keyboard on her seat and began to type.

'Captain, I have to ask, why did you ask this of the lef-tenant? Isn't this something that our Hamilcar-class Virtual Intelligence should be able to determine?' Ice Wind asked as she crossed the room over to the captain's chair.

'Indeed it should. Hamilcar?' Dula asked as she continued to type.

The holographic representation of the ship's computer's virtual intelligence interface appeared with a flicker before them. 'How can I assist you, captain?' the VI asked pleasantly.

'Please run a tactical assessment on the island of Sarawak, plot likely spots for anti-air emplacements', Dula said as she input the information.

'Working', Hamilcar said before disappearing in a flicker. Virtual Intelligence was everything that it sounded like. A computer program able to simulate interaction with living beings. Dula Heartstrings could, in theory, have a philosophical debate with Hamilcar on a number of subjects, and if you didn't know better you would almost swear that you were talking to a living, thinking being, but you would be wrong to think that.

As intelligent as Hamilcar seemed, it was still a Virtual Intelligence and not a true AI, it lacked awareness, and merely simulated reasoning and logical thought. It was unable to have true thoughts of its' own. It would only 'think' if it was given data to analyse.

Hamilcar's holographic representation of a pony in a business suit, vaguely resembling Sprocket, the chief executive officer of FutureTec before and up to the middle of the Great Patriotic War, reappeared before them. 'I have finished the tactical analysis, Captain Heartstrings', he said, matter of factly before pulling up the grid map to show her.

Looking over Hamilcar's assessment, Dula discovered that two of the suggested anti-aircraft emplacements that had been suggested in the tactical analysis provided by Lieutenant

Wolsey roughly matched up with Hamilcar's, the two in the tree line, to be precise. 'Thank you, Hamilcar', Dula said with a nod towards the Virtual Intelligence. 'I guess Wolsey's up to snuff after all'.

'Captain?' Ice Wind asked, raising an eyebrow.

'When we first talked to Wolsey, I had a bad feeling about her. Everyone should be nervous about heading out into battle... Wolsey was too nervous though. I was worried that it would get to her head', Dula said with a shrug. 'Guess I was wrong'.

Ice Wind nodded, and looked over the two tactical assessments. 'Wolsey's is pretty out of the box. You think it'll come to pass?' she asked.

'Maybe', Dula said with a shrug. 'Doesn't matter either way, Hamilcar should be able to find and knock out those emplacements before we even come into range of them'.

…

It was early the next morning that the Thunderchild entered Salayan aerospace. This was it. This was the big one. Every one of the hoofers stood assembled, armed with assault rifles and armoured in the standard issue tactical vests and armoured shoulder plates. Lightweight, but efficient, and it was pretty comfortable too. Summer understood why nephites wore these things so much.

Summer hefted an E85 rifle up, threading her head through the shoulder strap and headed out of the ship's armoury with five magazines of ammunition, and began to head towards the docking bay. Checking the magazine on her bullpup rifle one last time, and she was ready to go. This was it. No more doubts, no more fear. She was ready, with Lieutenant Wolsey, Joker, and Colour Sergeant Gunmetal by her side, there was nothing they could not do.

It was time to fight.

...

Captain Dula Heartstrings and Lieutenant Commander Ice Wind had huddled around the tactical operations map in the centre of the bridge. Sensors had picked up remote fire anti-air emplacements, and the two officers were examining the display and comparing with Wolsey’s tactical assessment.

‘I’ll be damned! There are guns right where she said they would be!’ Dula said, crying out in surprise.

Ice Wind let out a sigh and shook her head in disappointment. ‘And here you thought the lef-tenant didn’t have it in her’ Ice Wind added, shooting a grin at her commanding officer.

‘Lef-tenant commander? Shut up. That’s an order’, Dula said as she returned to the captain’s chair in the centre of the bridge.

‘Shutting up ma’am’, Ice Wind said with a smirk.

‘Hamilcar? Heat up the main guns and give me ship wide. The Hoofers are going to want to see this’, Dula said as a grin formed on her face.

...

Summer had joined with the rest of the hoofers in the docking bay, she climbed aboard the carryall and took her seat up near the front alongside Lieutenant Wolsey and Colour Sergeant Gunmetal, and she buckled herself in, keeping her rifle at the ready. This was it, the big one. They were going in.

The carryall’s speakers began to crackle, and a holographic display materialised before them with an image of the peninsula that they were approaching on. Summer’s jaw dropped, the anti air guns were right where she had said they would be.

‘Fillies and gentle colts of the Fillydelphia regiment, this is your captain speaking! We’re about to enter some heavy... ah... turbulence, and I am now switching on the fasten seatbelt light, please fold tray tables in the upright and locked position. We will be arriving at our destination in five minutes, but don’t think we don’t have time for an in flight movie, please turn your attention to the holographic display in front of you and enjoy the show!’

There was a round of light chuckling at Captain Heartstring’s joke. Summer watched the display closely as the Thunderchild approached the peninsula. Suddenly, bolts of violet hued energy erupted from the ship, Summer had to throw her hooves over her ears to drown out the piercing shrill of the ship’s guns.

She kept her eyes on the screen, watching as the energy bolts impacted on the ground, exploding with such tremendous force that they caused the entire peninsula to sink right into the ocean.

The carryall erupted into cheers.

‘What the hell was that!?’ Summer cried out in disbelief.

That, fillies and gentle colts was the first combat use of our newest shipboard weapons, the Megapulsar Laser!

Laser? Summer raised an eyebrow at that comment. Since when did the Republic have laser weapons? She turned her eyes down to her own E85 Rifle with disappointment. It was a gun that shot a 6x40mm bullet. She wanted a laser rifle damn it!

...

The carryall descended into the tree line touching down gently on the ground at the Regiment’s forward firebase. Summer filed out behind the lieutenant just as the doors opened. Looking around at the firebase, she discovered that it was little more than an arrangement of tents, surrounded by dug out slit trenches and reinforced up with sand bags.

Standing before them was a single earth pony stallion, his coat the colour of barley. He was clad in the standard issue body armour and wearing a combat helmet, oddly enough though, his smart targeting goggles were absent, and as Summer looked at him, she got the feeling that this stallion had seen a lot in his time here.

‘Lef-tenant Wolsey?’ he called out, getting the lieutenant’s attention.

Wolsey looked up at him, and headed over. ‘That’s me, who are you?’ Wolsey asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘Corporal Wheatley, ma’am, pleased to see that you’re finally here’, Wheatley said with a nod.

‘I need to speak with the company commander, can you direct me to them?’ Wolsey asked.

‘Uh...’ Wheatley said a little nervously before glancing around. ‘I guess you’re looking at him, ma’am’.

‘Excuse me?!’ Wolsey cried out in disbelief.

Wheatley merely nodded. ‘B-Coy lost the captain and half our lef-tenants on the way in to triple A fire. Didn’t have a fancy frigate covering our arses... ma’am. Once we got on the ground it wasn’t long before hostile marksmen started witling down our officers, best we can manage now is a corporal. A-Coy and C-Coy don’t have it nearly as bad, but their firebases aren’t as far north as ours is. So we take the brunt of it. Out here two weeks and we’re down to me, and about twenty two privates, I’m glad you brought reinforcements’.

Wolsey frowned at hearing this. Hell, even Summer could tell that was bad. ‘Not everyone we brought with us is here to reinforce B Company, corporal’, Wolsey said.

‘Permission to speak freely? Ma’am?’ Wheatley asked frowning at what the lieutenant had just said.

‘Go ahead, corporal’, Wolsey said, figuring that she was probably not going to like what she was about to hear.

Wheatley frowned in return and let out a sigh. ‘We’re pretty fucked over down here, ma’am’.

Comments

[supernova708]

that last line pretty much sums it up

[Dr. Equestria]

1443264
I concur.

Lasers? Are Macs cannons not good enough for ya'h Wheller? Now I'm just waiting for the Shaw-Fujikawa drives or the would be Shay-Fusionawa drive.

[Cpt Celti]

haha! Poor Summer, gotta wait till the expansion pack for that little upgrade