Chapter 237: Relocation
Ranger
Chapter 237: Relocation
By Wanderer D
Her shotgun snapped the sectoid's head back, but surprisingly, it didn't die instantly, hissing in confusion and taking half a step back before glaring at her. Chrysalis, however, didn't hesitate to shoot it a second time in the moment it took for everyone to react.
"What the fuck happened!?" a female voice she didn't know asked. Chrysalis could barely make out a female, armed figure with grayish-white hair, tinted with purple.
Rainbow Dash, however immediately gasped. "Gilda?!"
"Rainbow Dash!?" the woman replied. The name was familiar, it was the name of the mercenary that had helped Dragon team in the last mission. The pair embraced tightly, but it wasn't time for emotional outbursts.
"I just shot a sectoid! Check for other enemies!" The din of the sudden explosion of sound and light was fading away, and Chrysalis shook her head, pointing her shotgun around, expecting, and hoping for more aliens. But there were none, and soon enough cries of "clear!" echoed around her.
"Ugh…" Ember, slowly pushed herself up, and Chrysalis made her way to help her up. "C-Commander?"
"I'm here, Fei."
"Heh, you haven't called me that since I was a kid."
"That was a few months ago, for me…" Chrysalis replied. "But I'm glad I can still do so. We thought you were dead."
Estella was helping Sweetie and Shen up, while Scootaloo and Breaker had ambled over to where Apple Bloom lay on the floor, missing everything from the thighs down.
Annette had recovered as well, and was now standing on her own two wobbly feet, with Deadwood lending an arm for her to balance.
"So you dragged everyone into the dimensional barrier?" Estella asked Shen and the others. "That's brilliant!"
"Still, we lost people…" Sweetie Belle said.
Ember looked up. "No one else?"
Chrysalis shook her head. "You seem to have dragged the Sectoid with you, but there were no bodies left behind."
"Security… Trojan…" Ember shook her head. "Coyote was still alive, did she—"
"I'm sorry, after the explosion our systems couldn't detect anything around here for a while, and when they did, it was just empty."
Shen sighed. "I'm just glad you were able to pick up my signal and come find us. Otherwise we'd be trapped in time forever."
Chrysalis smiled. "We didn't. Lieutenant Dash decided to come check herself in what I can only describe as an inspired effort to end her career. So I decided to go with her and bring some friends."
"Hey," Gilda spoke up suddenly, "I know you… didn't you start that socialist cult back in high school?"
Estella laughed forcibly, drawing attention to herself. She shook her head and waved her arms. "Me? No. Nononono. You must be confusing me with someone else."
"No, I'm fairly good with faces. I know you… what's your name? Starlight something, right?"
"No, my name is Estella," the scientist retorted coldly.
"Doesn't that mean star?"
"I never took you for a linguist, Grimfeather."
"Oh, so you do know me." Gilda smirked, crossing her arms.
"No, I saw your name on the datapad…" Estella replied, turning around. "You know what, I have a job to do, which is to help Shen here to finish the project so we can get the hell out of this place before something else attacks us. So, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than feed your fantasy."
"Sure."
"Gilda," Chrysalis spoke up, interrupting the rather amusing moment despite herself, but Estella—or Starlight—had a point. "I'm sorry your troops suffered heavy losses, if you wish to change our arrangement…"
The caught the attention of the others, who turned to face the mercenary.
Gilda shook her head. "Nah. We all knew what we were in for… the others knew what I agreed to. The ones that survived will not come back to get us."
Chrysalis nodded. "In that case, please accompany Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to the Skyranger. I want the ship as close to us as possible for evac as soon as Shen is done. Lieutenant, Scootaloo… please take Apple Bloom into the Skyranger and secure her before flying back here."
"Yes, ma'am!" Rainbow Dash said, quickly nudging Scootaloo out of her stupor and helping her pick up Apple Bloom. Or try at least. "Ugh, Gilda, give us a hand!"
"Sure, sure," the mercenary said. With Rainbow Dash holding one arm, and Scootaloo the other, she placed herself squarely in between, and slid her hands under Apple Bloom's armpits. "On three… one! Two! Three!"
Chrysalis watched the trio slowly make their way with their friend out of the experimentation area. She made her way to Shen, who was working feverishly on the calculations. "Lily?"
"Working on it, Commander. Thankfully, I think that the breakthrough we had earlier and let us be taken, "sideways" was just a step short of breaking through to Ghost."
"Good. Keep at it, Sweetie Belle?"
"I'm recording everything, ma'am, and keeping an eye on the reports."
"Starlight?"
"Co-relating the thaumic waves from the portal's explosion with th—" she turned slowly to face Chrysalis, who didn't fight the smug smirk on her face. "...w-with the last explosion."
"We'll have a short talk about it," Chrysalis said. "But only as far as you're comfortable with, and only as far as it doesn't affect XCOM negatively. Anything else, is your prerogative."
"R-right," the scientist slowly turned around back to work,.
"Annette, Elena, Ember, Deadwood," Chrysalis summoned them over. "I want you to provide cover as soon as the Skyranger lands. Focus simply on our route from here to the ship. Secure within visible range of each other. Any sign of danger is an immediate report, even if you think it's just your imagination."
"Yes ma'am!"
"Volk said to obey."
As the others did her bidding, Chrysalis started clearing the area of debris, keeping her eyes and ears open. Things had worked out for now, but that usually meant that sooner or later it would balance out again with bad luck.
That was XCOM.
"I can't believe you're here," Scootaloo said, snapping Rainbow Dash back from her trance-like state.
"Why?"
"I thought… you know, when we were attacked…"
Gilda barked a laugh. "Oh, Scoots, you clearly forgot who you were talking to."
"No, she didn't," Rainbow Dash sighed. "She remembers all too well."
Gilda gave her old friend a concerned look. "What do you mean?"
Rainbow Dash looked down at the deactivated cyborg they were carrying and sighed again, shaking her head. "I'll tell you later… right now… I'm just glad you are okay. All of you. And mostly in one piece."
"Heh," Gilda shook her head. "Yeah, best not get sentimental right now. We need to keep our cool until we're back in the base."
"Your base?" Scootaloo asked. "But, didn't you say your men weren't coming back for you?"
"They're not," Gilda said, glancing at the frozen tundra with some amount of nostalgic mirth. "Nah. Bradford offered me a job, and I took it."
It took a moment for that to sink in.
"Shit," Scootaloo muttered under her breath.
o.0.o End Chapter 237 o.0.o
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Nice Work! Reunited and a Relief for Rainbow for the time being.
I know Sci Twi is the enemy but i wodner if Cinch threw her at the aliends as a deal to save ehr ass. I can see that happen.
Oh man, poor Scoots!
On the bright side, Gilda's been recruited. Good, we are down a lot of people and need fresh troopers, who.mihht come with a promotion or two over rookie to boot.
Odd that Sectoid dropped so easily though. It was the strange green one, thought it would be much tougher.
Only idiot could name Starlight's equality socialistic. In the show. Maybe this Starlight tried to create something more like real thing? Then how it could be called a cult? Socialism is about redirecting profit of industry and large companies to society, making basic needs free to everyone - free houses, free food, free medicine, free education and free kindergartens, and increase in labor productivity descreases worktime instead of filling the pockets of the capitalist. Equal rights, race and sex, equal opportunities, not depending on social or finansical standing of parents, equal access to medicine and such, not equality of income. Knowing this how could anyone call this a cult? Or Starlight's thing socialist.
P.s. I don't get Scootaloo's reaction.
9637938
You're taking this way too seriously bro. Plus remember they were in high school. People don't define every political term completely accurately as a dumb-ass teen in high school.
9637936
Double tap critical to the face does that to sectoids, commanders or not. And hey, they got one too autopsy!
9637962
Your truth. I only by 27 really understood what is what. But by these false definitions, cherry picking and portraying as enemy ideology people being indoctrinated into believing that this demonized socialism is true thing and never works. Would anything really work if it would be under constant political, financial, ideological, mass media organized attack by united capitalistic world with the first economic in the world as their leader, including interventions, sanctions, war of extermination on its territory and then cold war? And it took 30 years to destroy USSR (since 1953th started regress back to capitalism; when you stop fighting for something, other tendencies eventually will overcome). //I will stop now this topic.
9637938
I agree with 9637962 here, this seems like a case of dumb teenager antics, and recalling said dumb antics from over ten years in the past. Seeing how even Chrysalis didn't seem to remember Estella's old name until Gilda made the connection for her, i suspect this is a case of unreliable memories, and personal opinions filling in the blanks. Plus, at face value Stralight's cult did present itself as being vaguely Socialist in nature, though in reality, we know it was nothing of the sort.
Faulty long term memory recall is a known feature of the human brain, our long term memory is extraordinarily efficient but far from perfect, only recording the details that seemed most relevant at the time; and then when reconstructing a long term memory the brain will naturally fill in any blanks with what it thinks should be there. This is why eye witnesses to a crime are known to become extremely unreliable within several hours after the event, as the witness will only recall in long term memory those details that seemed most important at the time; all other 'recalled details' will only ever be educated guesses made by the witness' subconscious mind.
9637938
9637962
Actually if the pony version is anything to go by Starlight was most likely attempting to create a "Socialist Cult".
I'll break it down for easier understanding.
Firstly the cult part. Starlight (or at least the pony version) has been known to use brainwashing/conditioning to ensure compliance and belief that her way was the only way, even possibly forcing non-believers into this brainwashing (such as the Mane Six in canon). Who's to say the human version may not have used similar (though probably less extreme) tactics?
Secondly the "Starlight-Socialist" angle. In Socialism while the main focus is indeed equality, but Starlight's focus would be the fact that noone ever rises above anyone else in any aspect, as Workers receive what they need to produce and survive, but there’s no incentive to achieve more, leaving little motivation.
Furthermore, in Communism the working class owns everything, and everyone works toward the same communal goal. There are no wealthy or poor people -- all are equal, and the community distributes what it produces based only on need. Nothing is obtained by working more than what is required. Whereas in Socialism workers earn wages they can spend as they choose, while the government (in this case Starlight), not the citizens, own and operate the means for production.
Lastly. At the end of the day since Starlight being either a Communist/Socialist has been a running joke in the fandom since her introduction (because of her belief in forced equality in the episode she was first introduced), it's most likely just a Mythology Gag with little actual bearing on the story.
As For Scootaloo's reaction she still doesn't like XCOM, and has just realised they'll be returning to The Avenger, rather than Gilda's Mercenary camp.
- Thunder
9637938
Okay, think about this for a moment.
Yes, Starlight on the pony side of the portal did not establish any sort of communism, though her system ultimately had some of the same flaws - a different standard for the leader(s) than the general public.
But what did the human version that Gilda would know do? I mean, cutie marks don't exist on the human side, and the same with magic other than what comes from Equestria.
Who's to say that she didn't rally for equality of a different kind, and wanted to establish communism instead?
And this Starlight got nervous because Gilda said she recognized her, and mentioned a cult. That is dangerous to her plan, no matter how inaccurate it is to her pony counterpart.
"The caught the attention"
"That caught the attention"?
"had earlier and let us be taken"
"had earlier that let us be taken"?
9638054
Thank you. Interesting why that post being downvoted so fiercely.
9638252
I think it's because people think you called Wanderer D an idiot.
Heh, Estella got called out!
And another one knocks against Scootaloo. Oh well...
Good instincts, Dash. They may have just been a refusal to accept apparent reality, but apparent reality was wrong.
Beautiful callout on Starlight. Can't run from your past forever, Glimglam. And we've all done stupid stuff as teenagers.
As for Scootaloo, I do appreciate the fates conspiring to make her suck it up and get over herself. (Yes, she has some legitimate complaints, but not many of them.)
I just hope they can repair Apple Bloom. I doubt she'd appreciate getting strapped to a Roomba or something.
I'm not entirely sure that's Applebloom they've got there.
9637938 9637962 9638038 9638054 9638057 Guys. It's Gilda saying that. We're looking at someone that has derision for "eggheads" and was most likely not inclined to take any clubs or activities that involved politics or philosophy seriously. It's not a diatribe on what makes Socialism what it is. This comes from a character's perspective, not from my understanding of the topic.
I hope we get back to Sunset Shimmer soon. Not exactly a great thing to have the character on the cover art be absent for so long. It’s kinda like if a Spider-Man tv show decides to have a whole arc focusing on Mary Jane or doc oct and spidy was only mentioned once or twice in passing, and with no real hurry to bring him back into the picture.
9638634
Well... I for one feel daft for not taking that fact into account
- Thunder
9638634
Yes, Gilda, and I am willing to call her an idiot/ignoramus. I clarify - not you. Her and those who would said same as her.
So, does this mean we have to deal with a Scootalove triangle?
Well seems Chrysalis use my advice to use the hip fire perk and the Sectoid twice in his face.
Glad anyway that most of them are more or less okay.
Good that Gilda is joining X-COM, they'll need new blood.
9639158 Every single chapter has a name related to the content in more ways than one, that also never repeats
9638634 Thank you for clarifying this. When I first read it, the description rubbed me the wrong way, but seeing it from one of the character's perspective changes that.
Man I love this series
9638690
Hey dude about what I said earlier. No offense right?
Oh, so that's what happened?
I was so confused.
Still a bit am.
Oh wait!
Estella is X-COM Starlight?!
Huh.
I probably knew it then forgot about it. Happens a lot when keeping track of several stories.
Seeing as there seems to be some kind of debate going on down there, I'll put my thoughts in.
I think that Starlight was an extreme egalitarian (except for having her on top because that always happens). Instead of giving everyone equal opportunities, though, she made it that everyone is equal because everyone is equally bad at everything.
9653034
I never made that connection before now.
Meanwhile, while Julian and Angel have been fighting for best character, Chrysalis has been plotting their downfall from the shadows...
9637938
Wow. I'd say this triggered you, but I don't think you'd be able to hear me over the sound of all that cool-aid your chugging there. Relax man, the author wasn't attacking your grandiose delusions.
9666735 Technically, that is a basic concept of socialism, that the products of society be equally shared between all members of a society. Of course, in the rhetoric, it was always about taking it from the privileged, the nobility and owners of capital and redistributing it.
But you're right, that isn't what Starlight's cult was. Socialism is fundamentally about equality of opportunity, everyone gets a fair shake, rather than some group starting with unfair advantages. Equalism was purely about removing individuality from people, because differences breed discord.
Quick thinking from everyone involved. Hopefully Apple Bloom isn't too damaged.
Too soon to tell but... there's some holes here. Careful reactivating her... and how did that leftover equipment go unnoticed long enough for Hive to bring them out? This doesn't sit right at all. On the other hand... Estella finally being exposed was pretty amusing. It's been too long and I don't remember why she changed her name to begin with... eh, what's one more readthrough of this, really?
11 more chapters...
God damn it... I both love and hate this feeling...
Oops, that was the offer lmao
Sort if happy alternative.
Great to see that it wasn't a total wash...
Damn, i hope AB makes it and can be fixed.
Starlight Glimmer and time seem to meet always somehow...
I wonder what Chimera-Twi etc where thinking when they just dissapered. Guess i give Vahlen to less credit, she was betrayed by Twi apperently...
Magnificent chapter and turn of events.
That sure was a twist to make a Wipout into something more agreeable.
Glimmer sure has shown her worth.