Reunion
Chapter 29: Reunion
A pony and a human stood on the edge of Appeloosa, a wide flat sandy area before them. A pile of clothing and equipment lay beside them on the warm ground. They were both clad in dark torn up uniforms, white parkas and plates of armor removed. The items were unneeded at the moment and it was too hot out to continue wearing them. Neither of the two talked, they just stood there, waiting. Soon, off in the distance, a small dark speck appeared and began to grow. As it got closer, it started slowing down and a smaller dark form with what appeared to be tan clothing detached itself from its larger counterpart and launched towards the two standing on the warm flat ground. The larger object materialized into the Clipper, the smaller one was Flash. The pegasus flew at an anxious pace to greet his two teammates and nearly tackled them both to the ground in a big hug.
"My gosh, we all thought you guys might've been dead!" He exclaimed between the two.
"Yeah, we almost thought so too," Feather replied, "but James' survival training really paid off."
"Eww." Flash recoiled, knowing the full implications of that simple statement.
The Clipper circled once before settling its skids into the soft sand. The engine began to wind down and the side door slid open to disgorge seven other ponies, all in the same clothing as the pegasus, except Myst who was wearing a simple mechanic's coveralls. Sparks broke from the group and galloped over to see his friends.
"I see you all changed your uniforms like I asked, is the rest of the equipment here too?" James asked the rusty colored unicorn.
"Yup, we got everything. I have both your uniforms right here." He responded, motioning to a saddle bag slung over his back.
"Outstanding."
"What happened to you guys? We heard the cave-in and came rushing to find you two, but all we found was a heap of rock with the wire sticking out of it. By the way, it the repeater ok?"
"The repeater is fine, in fact, I have a plan for it for our next op. Let me and Feather get changed real quick, we'll tell you the rest later. We're all gonna take it easy tonight, we've been invited to a BBQ. Tomorrow, we're heading back out."
James and Feather jumped into the ship and changed into their new uniforms. These were colored and patterned to help blend in with more arid environments. While he was there, he inspected the rest of the equipment he requested they bring. The gun mounts were of course still there, also their ammunition. There was even more ammo stored in boxes stuffed under the seats as well as boxes of rations. Strapped on the bulkhead was his marksman rifle and what he was looking for specifically. The Barrett. James took the large caliber weapon down off the bulkhead and inspected it. The huge rifle was just as he had left it. He cycled the bolt a few times. Could use a little oil, but other than that it worked fine. He put it back and grabbed a bandolier that was hanging beside it. The belt had seven pockets, each holding a large magazine. James took one out and checked out the large rounds inside. He smacked the mag against the bulkhead a couple times before returning it to its pocket. With this, he was going to do some damage.
The two stepped back out into the hot sun in their new uniforms, now matching the rest of the team. Together, they all followed Feather as he led them to the event. Late yesterday, he had gone and found Breaburn and Little Strongheart at their house on the other side of town. After Feather had delivered the Chief's message to Little Strongheart, Breaburn inquired as to how he had come across the buffalo doe's father. Feather tried to keep his story short and devoid of details, but once he mentioned James' name, the frontiers pony demanded he come over for a visit. It turned out that Breaburn was a relative of Applejack and she had mentioned the human a few times in some letters.
The group arrived at the small homestead with a yellow coated earth stallion and a buffalo doe sitting on the front porch. Both got up from where they were sitting and walked up to greet their guests.
"Feather, nice to see you back! And you must be James!" The stallion said in an accent not unlike a certain orange farm mare from Ponyville. He extended a hoof to the human.
"Yes, and I'm guessing your Breaburn, right?" James said while shaking it.
"Sure am! This here's Strongheart, mah special somepony." The stallion said while glancing lovingly to the small buffalo at his side.
"It's nice to meet you both and thank you for doing this for us. If there's anything you ever need, don't hesitate to ask."
"Aww shucks, yer practically part of the Apple family. AJ told me how ya helped around the farm and even took care of some apple thieves. What's our is yours!" He said exuberantly.
They were all led around back where a couple of picnic tables had been set up next to a large grill. James and everypony else took their seats as Breaburn began to place drinks down in front of them. Almost all of it was bottles of beer, but there were also a few pitchers of iced tea. Then Breaburn started up the grill while everypony broke out into conversation.
"So James, what in the hay happened to you two?" Flash asked his friend from across the table.
"We got dumped into another tunnel. There was only one way to go from there, so we started walking. The damn thing was long too, because it took several days to get out of it and when we did we'd somehow gotten to the desert. We found a bunch of tracks going east, so that's where we went. Eventually, Stongheart's father and his people found us and took us in. They guided us here and you know the rest." James explained. "What happened on your end?"
"Well, we heard the cave-in and came running, but only found a wall of rubble. We tried digging through, but there was just too much. We spent the next six or seven days combing the mountains, hoping you two had found a way out somewhere. After a while, we had to go back to Whitecrest for supplies. After a day, we were ready to do one more search, but then we got your letter."
"Whatever happened to that unicorn we recovered?" James inquired.
Sparks jumped in here, "I talked with him for a little while we were in town. James, we have some daunting news. Turns out that there are some ponies working--"
"With the Lotkin, we know." Feather interjected.
"How did you guys find out?"
"Turns out the buffalo that hosted us had a small unfortunate encounter with them not too long ago." James informed him.
Little Strongheart was nearby at the moment and happened to over hear this part of the conversation. She rushed over to the table in quite a fright.
"What happened? Are they all right? What of my father, was he harmed?" She asked, her voice betraying a hint of panic.
"Some scouts suffered a few casualties, but everypony else is fine. They were able to get out of harm's way in time." Feather reassured her.
The buffalo doe was still saddened by the news, but she calmed down a little. Then she trotted over to talk with Breaburn. After she left their presence, Sparks turned to James.
"About that, why exactly did you order us to change uniforms and bring all that equipment? Don't you want to head back home after this whole ordeal?" He asked the human.
"Honestly, I do. However, we got a strong lead on where the Lotkin and their captives are at. I want to try and rescue those unicorns now while we're here and the trail is still somewhat fresh. This may be our last chance. On that note, I don't want you all drinking too much here, we have to be fit for duty in the morning. You all can have a few beers, but after that it's nothing but tea and juice, is that clear?" James instructed.
Everypony gave him a short nod in response. Before long, the food was ready and the two hosts set platters on the tables filled with fire roasted corn, curiously grilled apples, flat breads, kebabs of vegetables and various nuts and berries. The human, buffalo and ten ponies dug into the fine feast with gusto. For a short time, they all forgot about their dreadful business and enjoyed one another's company. The food was delicious and the drink refreshing. As James bit into one of the crunchy roasted cobs of corn he thought to himself that moments like these, if anything, were what made life worth living and even if he hated it, worth fighting for. At the end of the night, James and his crew helped both Breaburn and Strongheart to clean up their home. Breaburn even offered to let them all stay at his place, but James graciously declined. His team had too early of a morning and would depart as soon as physically possible, so they would be camped out around their airship. After all the cleaning was finished, Strongheart and Breaburn retired into their home to talk about making a visit to Strongheart's people. Meanwhile, the ten members of the RSTG made their way back to the Clipper. Tomorrow would be a busy day, it was time to get some rest.
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"I have a visual of three limas, all standing around the cave entrance. All three are looking in a north westerly direction Stalkers, you copy?"
"Good copy, moving to position now. Get ready to bring the lead rain, over." Came Captain Alister's reply.
Just over a mile away, across a shallow valley, James leaned back from the large rifle's scope and took a few deep breaths before sighting back up. Beside him lay Flash, peering through a makeshift spotter's scope. Behind them sat Feather, keeping an eye on their rear. Currently, Sparks was still in the Clipper with Myst high above and one of the unicorns from the Nightstalkers acting as the ship's gunners. The rest of the Nightstalker team was now slowly inserting themselves into a position where they could swiftly gain access to the cave entrance. The plan was for James to eliminate the cave guards with some precisely placed rounds to allow the Nightstalkers to slip in and explore it a little without much difficulty. So far, they had already done this four times, but each time, the cave ended up being only a few yards deep. They suspected that these were merely sentry camps and the actual entrance was somewhere nearby. Once it was found, the Nightstalkers would send a signal over the radio, cueing the Fixers to rush in after them and perform a sweep. The Clipper was on standby, hiding in a patch of clouds, in case the op went FUBAR. In that case, it would swoop down, guns blazing, to extract the two teams. As it was, the sun was getting close to completing its slow trek across the sky and they had still not found what they were looking for. With any luck, they would discover where the missing ponies were being held and hatch a plan to free them.
"Stalkers in position, drop iron and bring the pain."
That was the signal he had been waiting for. James began his breathing exercise and slowly brought the cross hairs onto the lima farthest to the left, it was a good fifteen yards away from its two compatriots. Gradually, he raised the cross hairs to where the were aimed about half an inch over the creatures head. Then a little to the left for windage. A breeze was blowing to the south and by his estimate it was traveling at about seven knots. In any other situation, this wouldn't be much of anything, but over such great distances, even the smallest shift in the wind could drastically alter the bullet's flight path. Fortunately, the breeze was steady and did not waver.
James exhaled and held for a second while he gently and gradually applied pressure to the trigger.
*KRA-BOOM*
With a mighty kick, the round left the chamber and sped furiously to its destination. Just over a second later, the creature's left shoulder exploded outward, its arm arcing though the air before landing a few feet away. The rest of its body was thrown back a few feet as well. Another second later, the faint sound of thunder could be heard rolling through the mountains. The two other limas standing guard near the cave entrance rushed over to see what had happened to their comrade. It was exactly what James had been hoping for. With quiet efficiency, he dispatched them in the same manner of the first, the last one taking a round in its back, chest and abdomen exploding out in a spray blood and entrails. His grisly work completed, James shifted his attention back to the mouth of the cave and waited. After about five minutes had passed, he gave the go order.
"Stalkers, hostiles eliminated, no movement at entrance. Cleared to go."
"Roger that, moving."
James continued to keep watch on the cave while Flash scanned the area through his scope. James watched as four camouflaged figures emerged from their hiding spot and proceeded into the cave. While keeping his sight focused there, James took this opportunity to check in with their eyes in the sky.
"Myst, Sparks, how does our overhead look?"
Sparks was the one to reply, "Still all clear up here. No signs of any dragons."
"Outstanding, keep up the good work."
"Overwatch, Stalker here, this one continues on for quite a ways and there are plenty of tracks." The insertion team reported.
"Good, sounds like this is what we've been looking for. Hang tight, we're on our way." James got up and slung the Barrett over his back, replacing it with his marksman rifle. "Flash, Feather, pack it up. We're heading in."
The two ponies moved to comply and soon they were all on their way to the Nightstalkers' location. The rocky terrain was difficult to navigate and it was almost fifteen minutes before they reached their destination. James looked at the tunnel entrance and was at first worried the sniper rifle he carried might be a hindrance. Fortunately, the tunnel was quite large and he wouldn't have to leave it behind. It was so big that using his marksman rifle wouldn't be a problem. The only con was that his equipment would hinder his movement in any hand to hand combat, but hopefully it would not come to that. He removed his rifle's suppressor from where it was strapped on his side and threaded it into the end of the barrel. The Nightstalker unicorn inside already had a pistol with an attached suppressor. They would try to keep it as stealthy as possible for as long as they could. James' team entered the tunnel and cautiously made their way to the other team. At thirty yards, the path was illuminated with torches set high in the walls. About fifty yards in, they rounded a corner and came face to face with the Nightstalker unicorn, pistol at the ready. When the pony saw who it was, he lowered his firearm and turned around. They followed him a little further down the way and were soon reunited with Captain Alister and the rest of his team.
"Anything else to report?" James asked the earth pony.
"Nothing much. We've seen no sign of movement up ahead."
"Alright, we're gonna take it slow. I want two of you watching our six at all times, Feather, you're the stealthiest mother here so you're on point. Everyone check your corners, we don't want any surprises, move out."
The operatives moved to take their positions, Flash and the armed unicorn took the rear, James and Alister took the front, behind Feather who went further on ahead. In the middle were the two pegasus Nightstalkers, ready to keep an eye out for and check any side passages they came across.
Up ahead, Feather reported over the radio, "I've come to an intersection, there's one hostile." He said in barely a whisper.
"Ok hold on, we're coming up behind you. Just sit tight--"
"Neutralized."
From down the tunnel, a muffled clink could be heard, followed by a faint dragging sound. The group of operatives soon reached the site of the intersection. Waiting for them was Feather who was covering up spots of blood with sand.
"Feather, where'd you stash the body?" James asked.
"In an alcove on the far wall. It shouldn't be found unless anything has a reason to go back there."
"Good initiative."
The group set about exploring the chamber and inspecting the side passages. There were three in total, not counting the one they had come from and the alcove. Flash marked the tunnel they had emerged from so they could find their way back. Two of the new tunnels descended deeper into the mountain, but one went up a slight incline. What's more, James thought he could detect the faint glow of sunlight emanating from further down the passage. Curious, he led his team up it. They advanced almost a hundred yards up some twists and turns before finally coming out on a shelf sat high above the floor of a large, deep crater. James scanned the area and immediately spotted two hostiles gazing down from the edge of the shelf. He lowered his rifle and motioned to Feather beside him. The pony nodded and together they silently crept up behind the two limas, unsheathing their knives as they did. Once they were directly behind them, James and Feather looked at each other. Without making a sound, James counted down from three. On one, the two each grabbed a lima around the throat. James found a gap in the armor of his and plunged his knife through its ribs, its heart shedding itself on his blade as the Lotkin's heart rate spiked. Without the use of hands, Feather found it a bit more difficult, but succeeded in planting his blade in the base of his captive's skull, killing it instantly. Together, they dragged the bodies away from the edge and back to their companions. That task completed, James and Feather returned to the edge, low crawling to avoid creating a visible silhouette. James un slung the Barrett and used the sight to survey the area. Approximately five hundred yards below, sequestered in the deep shade of the dying day, was a medium sized camp filled with hostiles. James looked back over shoulder and waved both Flash and Alister over. Flash set up the spotter's scope and peered below. After a minute, he passed it onto Alister who also took a peek.
"See anything interesting?" James asked.
"Top right corner, cages." Alister said, never taking his eye from the scope.
"Yup, and they have occupants." James called up to the Clipper to check in, "Myst, Sparks, we found them. We found the missing unicorns." He reported happily.
"Good, that's great!" Myst replied anxiously, even a little panicky. "Could you speed it up a little bit? I know it's a lot to ask, but we got some company up here and I don't know how long we can stay hidden."
"James, take a look at this!" Feather said from his side. The earth stallion now had the spotter scope.
The human returned his attention to the camp below and followed the pony's directions. His sight ended up on a small section ensconced in hard to see area. It was set apart from the rest of the encampment, large makeshift docks housing three large airships.
"That's interesting." James mused to himself.
He backed away and gathered up the two teams with the exception of Feather and the Nightstalkers' unicorn, who kept watch on the camp and the tunnel leading to the shelf, respectively.
"Alright, time for a little parliament. We got the prisoners on the far end of the camp. In the south western corner is a dock with three airships. Hostiles everywhere in between and, as far as we know, only one way in or out. Ideas?" He said professionally.
One of Alister's team members spoke up, "We could make a distraction, maybe set the airships on fire, and in the chaos slip in and free the prisoners."
"I like it, but we need an exit strategy." James stated.
Alister himself came up with the solution, "How about we set one of the airships on fire and set it loose into the camp. We'll load the prisoners onto one of the others and take off. The Clipper can provide covering fire."
"Anyone got any objections?" James asked.
None were offered.
"Alright, sounds like we got a plan. First things first. Alister, you take your Stalkers down the tunnel and find a way down close to the ships. Once you have, radio me. I have about four and a half more mags of fifties left. Flash will stay here with me and help as spotter. Take Feather, he'll be useful if you come across any locked doors. Once you have the diversion set, radio back up to me and set it off. The resulting anarchy will shift their attention and allow me and Flash to sync up with you guys. From there, you'll hold down one of the other airships while I take Feather and Flash to release the captives. When we reach the cages, I'll radio Myst to bring in the big guns. Any questions?" James asked after he laid out the details.
There were none.
"Myst, Sparks, you guys get all that?" He called up to the Clipper, hiding high above.
"Yeah, we did. Please hurry up though, or you'll have an even bigger distraction to worry about." Myst said nervously.
"Alright, you heard the lady, sounds like we got inbound. Remember; slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Now's not the time to make mistakes. Lives are depending on us."
James sent them on their way and set up on the edge of the shelf with Flash. He flipped down the bipod and aimed at the camp. Then, he waited. While he did, he decided to observe the activity below. Various Lotkin milled about in the camp. Some were crafting weapons, others were tearing into globs of still bloody meat. A few patrolled in front of the cages, giving the occupants a poke with the butt of a spear here and there. Suddenly, James' radio clicked.
"We're ready."
James searched a target, finally settling on an important looking one that seemed to be reprimanding three others. He lined up on the back of the target's head, began his breathing and fired. The rifle kicked his shoulder and launched the half inch slug of metal down into the crater below. It slammed into the creature's skull and transformed it into a fine pink mist, continuing into another one of the monsters, sending both to the ground in a heap and cloud of dust and blood. The other two froze and looked around before James gunned them down as well, fierce thunder echoing around the crater walls. The rest of the camp scrambled to find the source of booming death. James felled four more before they did. Then began a mad rush of stomping feet and angry gnashing teeth, countless numbers of the dark beings eager to be the first to sheathe their blades into the aggressor. The human fired the last two shots in the mag at a small group making their way to a cave entrance down below that he assumed would lead them to his position. He popped out the empty and handed it over to Flash who in return handed back a full mag. The magazine clicked home and James resumed delivering grim death upon his foes below. With each pull of the trigger, another one lost an arm, a leg or most of its torso. Soon the dirt on the floor of the crater was cluttered with lumps of flesh and slick with the blood of the fallen. The shear mass of the angry creatures now making their way towards him was too much for him alone to handle. The cacophony their warbled cries of rage was loud enough to drown out even the most terrifying avalanche. Then the unexpected happened. A large potion of the camp was suddenly and inexplicably bathed in a ferocious stream of fire.
"YOU'VE GOT INCOMING!" Sparks voice bellowed in his ear.
A forceful gust of wind followed by the horrifying roar of a gargantuan and terrible beast descended upon James and Flash causing the both of them to look up. Gliding down into the crater on great leathery wings was a large gray scaled dragon. It sent another blast of hellfire upon the Lotkin, sending them scattering. In a clearing in the camp, not far from the cave entrance James and Flash would have exited from, the great beast landed on its powerful haunches and began to snap up Lotkin in its mouth.
"Alister, change of plan. Myself and Flash are heading down now, sit tight."
"You don't have to tell us twice."
James stood up and slung the Barrett onto his back and brought up his M4. At his side, Flash drew his sword. They gave each other one reassuring look and then dashed into the tunnel, beginning their descent to the bedlam below. On their way down, they encountered a few Lotkin fleeing from burning death. James put them down with a few quick bursts. The tunnel began to turn back on itself as it sloped down to the crater. As the two warriors rounded the corner, they came almost face to face with another group of six hostiles. James began to fire and succeeded in dropping all but two, both of whom almost came within striking range, but were stopped by Flash's blade. The pegasus batted aside a blade and thrust his own through the attacker's unarmored armpit. He then ducked under the other's swing and slashed his sword across the knee joint. The hostile dropped to one knee in pain and was quickly dispatched with a quick thrust to its exposed throat. The two continued on and finally reached bottom. From the floor, the dragon looked absolutely massive. James estimated it to stand at about three stories high. Fortunately it was preoccupied with a group of Lotkin that had rallied to attack it and paid the two operatives no mind. James and Flash quickly slipped past the battle and on to the airships, the human dropping more hostiles along the way with hastily aimed shots. As they neared the docks, Flash spotted Alister waving from one of the ships. Flash and James swiftly ran up onto the dock and inside the hold.
"Well we didn't plan on that shit right there." James said, recollecting himself. "What's your situation here?" He asked the Captain.
"This ship is ready to take off. We rigged the other one next door as a fire ship and were about to launch it when we were rudely interrupted." He reported.
"Good, we're still gonna use it."
"Sir?"
"We're still gonna have to cover our asses to get out of here. I'm betting that thing isn't gonna simply let something fly away from it. Myst, where you at right now?" He called into his mic.
"Still circling the crater, we barely avoided the dragon. I was sure it was going to find us, but something down below caught its attention. Is everypony ok?"
"Fine, we're still working on getting the prisoners out. I need you to do something for me. I want you to park your ship directly in front of the fire ship, Alister's team will direct you two it. Your two gunners will play defense while Flash, Feather and I free the captives and bring 'em to extract. In the meantime Alister is gonna tie you off to the fire ship, that clear?" James instructed the pilot.
"Crystal."
"Outstanding, Alister you heard the spiel, let's get to it."
Feather rejoined his teammates and together they made their way to the cages. The dragon had moved further away on the other side of the camp, leaving some of the Lotkin to do as they pleased. Unfortunately, what pleased them was rushing into combat against James, Flash and Feather. The two ponies rushed forward, blades drawn and began hacking and slashing while James hung back and put holes in anything that tried to get the jump on them. After a few skirmishes here and there, they had finally reached the area the captives were being held in. Twenty cages sat in two parallel rows, the guards were absent, having left to join in the glory of battle. Of the cages, only seventeen were occupied, each holding a malnourished looking unicorn. Feather quickly got to work unlocking the cage doors while James and Feather watched his back. The earth pony was just finishing up on the eighth cage when they were interrupted.
"Just what the hay do you think you're doing!?"
James snapped his aim to the source of the voice. A few yards away stood a heavily scarred brown pegasus, a familiar yellow streak running through his mane.
"YOU! What the hay are you doing here? No, of course it would be you! You were always screwing up my day!" The brown pegasus hollered at the human.
"Lightning!? You're the one helping these things!?" Flash asked in bewilderment.
"How do you think they got the air ships? You know your freak friend there really did a number on my face! Prison doc said I'd never look the same again."
"You're lucky he didn't kill you!" Flash retorted.
James stepped in, this fight wasn't doing any good and time was short, "Lightning, I know we have some differences, but think about what you're doing here. Working with these things will only bring you more pain."
"What I'm doing here? What I'm doing here is becoming stronger! Stronger than the weaklings in Celestia's happy little country! Stronger than YOU! These guys here get me. After I jumped bail, I had to hide out in the Everfree. They came across me, hungry and cold. At first, I thought they were gonna kill me, but when they learned how useful I am, they took me in." Lightning ranted.
"And once that usefulness is up, they'll just discard you like trash. These things don't work like you think. How much longer before they decide one pony can no longer continue helping them?" James tried to explain.
"HA! You think I'm the only one? There are scores of ponies helping us, sick of Celestia's 'perfect little realm'. Now lock the cages back up and put down your weapons or I'll use THIS." The brown pegasus produced one of the magical explosives from a pouch on his side.
"You don't want to do that." Flash warned.
"Or what? You think you can run over here and kill me faster than I can throw? Not likely." Lightning scoffed.
"I don't need to be over there to kill you." James informed him. "I don't think you've ever encountered me with my firearms."
"Whatever. Now put down the weapons or your precious unicorns go boom!"
"Suit yourself buddy." James said dismissively.
The human aimed down and shot out the stallion's legs. Lightning dropped the explosive and went down, screaming in pain. Miraculously, the magical weapon did not explode, but landed softly in the loose dirt. Feather had finished unlocking all the cages now and was corralling the unicorns. Flash got their attention and started to lead them back to safety with James. When the human passed the disabled pegasus, he gave him some last minute advice.
"This is your last warning. Don't fuck with my friends again." He said menacingly before continuing on.
As Feather followed behind them, he briefly looked down at the bleeding form of his former gang leader and spat in disgust before moving on.
The operatives kept close watch on the ponies in their custody, helping up any that collapsed or fell behind. They weren't losing any of them now that they had been found. The group neared the docks, the sound of automatic weapons tearing through the air in a rapid staccato beat. The Clipper was in position, its two gunners moving down waves of hostiles attempting to assault their position. The new armor was doing its job, many crossbow bolts were fired at it, but they merely glanced off the side of the hull. Sparks was on the MG3 and saw the group of unicorns approaching. He quickly shifted his fire and opened up a path for them to move through and get to safety. Once in the docks, Flash and Feather herded the ponies into the air ship they were using for their extraction. James did not follow, but instead boarded the fire ship. Alister was there waiting for him.
"Is everything ready to go?" The human asked.
"Ready and waiting on your order."
"Good. Cast off all lines and then board the other ship and do the same. Have Flash and your two pegasi take the ship and head to the north." He ordered.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to make sure that dragon doesn't follow you. Now go!"
Alister did as he was told and soon they were all ready for lift off. The Clipper was hovering only a few feet away from and below the main deck of the large air ship, so James jumped over onto the Clipper's upper deck. The Nightstalker unicorn was up there on the M249, firing away at the hostiles below. James descended to the main cabin and stowed the Barrett before climbing back onto the larger air ship and ordering Myst to tow them into the sky. As he predicted, once the dragon noticed the the two large objects trying to escape, it gave chase. Once it closed in, James began using his rifle to attract its attention. He knew he wouldn't be able to actually hurt something that massive with such small rounds, but that wasn't the objective. The ploy worked and the other air ship escaped to the north without incident. Now James just needed to bug out of there. The dragon came up behind the fire ship and opened its great maw, exposing hundreds of dagger like teeth. Knowing what was coming next, James ran to the bow and grasped the rope attached to the Clipper, severing it with his knife. The human safely swung away as the fire ship was engulfed in the ensuing inferno. Charges set in the ships hull cooked off and created a nicely sized explosion, sending burning timbers falling to the mountainous ground below which that dragon thankfully followed. Before he knew it, James was being lifted into the main cabin of the Clipper by the winch. When he got inside, Sparks was waiting for him.
"You're crazy, you know that?" The unicorn said.
"You ever try being sane? Its just not as fun."
They both had a short chuckle at that.
"James, you ok back there? You make it?" Flash asked over the radio, concerned for his friend.
"Yeah, I'm good. A little bit singed, but otherwise ok."
"Good, 'cause we have a bit of a situation over here."
"What? What is it?"
"We have an uninvited guest. You should probably get over here."
"Roger that, I'm on my way. Myst?"
"Yeah, yeah, on our way." She sounded annoyed. Then again, James had just risked her beloved ship in some crazy scheme.
Myst expertly piloted her aircraft and brought it along side the weather deck of the larger air ship. James and Sparks moved the machine gun emplacement out of the way, allowing James to hop across the small gap and onto the other ship. Once on board, he headed down below to find Flash.
"What's the problem, where's this 'guest'?"
Flash pointed to a barred door near the back of the compartment.
"A hostile somehow got onboard. We have it contained in that space."
"Shit. Alright, get ready to open it up." He said, drawing his pistol.
The two went to the door, James putting his back against the wall on the side it would open to. The human counted down from three and Flash removed the bar, allowing the door to swing open. James flew around the frame, pistol at the ready. The space was small and appeared to be used for storage, though it was empty at the moment. Empty except for a Lotkin standing in the middle of the room, weapons drawn. James fired and put two in its chest before it could react, the rounds punching through its armor. It crumpled to the deck, up against the aft bulkhead. James walked over and was about to put a bullet in it's head when it surprised him by speaking.
"You not able to defeat us." It croaked.
James was intrigued at this first attempt at communication, but he did not lower his sidearm.
"Why?" The human demanded, "Why not? Why are you even doing all this, all this unnecessary violence?"
The creature made a huffing sound in its throat, like rocks grinding together, in a cruel replica of a laugh.
"You not know. You not know!" It made the laughing sound again. "We come to take what was ours. Ours before the one of the sun rose. Ours before the time of Discord. Ours before the time of the two goddesses!"
At this last exclamation, one of the magical explosive orbs appeared in its hand.
"EVERYONE OUT!" James bellowed. Flash and Alister had entered the room moments before to hear the thing speak. Alister was closest to the exit and was first to escape. However, Flash had come to stand by his friend and was no closer to safety than James was. As the pegasus galloped, he felt strong arms wrap around his torso and heave him through the doorway. James had just made it to the threshold when the Lotkin behind him crushed the orb in its hand. James was propelled through the door frame by the force of the explosion, slamming into a bulkhead opposite, crumpling to the deck. The last thing he remembered was panicked yells and the sound of hooves pounding on the deck all around him before he finally faded into oblivion.
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OOH, new chapter.
And also, first!!!!
So. AWESOME
This is off topic but I wish you would give us a update on how things are going on earth, maybe show James funeral or something.
1147626
he keeps on hinting about this, patience.
Very interesting. Do go on.
Nice work once again, and I liked the distraction they arranged.
I am also noticing James has a habit of getting tossed around and beat up more than the others, although he does kind of bring it on himself.
Could you seperate the paragraphs a bit more, so there are no more ugly boulders of text? It makes it harder to read. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Vinyl2.png
Cool, I finish reading all the other chapters yesterday... and this is my reward... this always seems to happen I tells ya, I read then I get another chapter right away.
Well shiet... ya know what, i'm going to IMAGINE the Lotkin as the Locust.
i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/Gears2Chainsaw_Addict/non-sigs/LocustHorde3.png
Another successful mission by James and company, plus additional intel.
1152672
i am with you, i felt like that too
1134513 Grammar Nazis.
i like how lightnin just got pwned by james. oh and btw your story is amazing
it's like the way he died in the human world...
oh my god did i just figure out something?!?!
im not gonna lie, i wanted to see an execution. not in the battle, but maybe after when lightning was technicaly a POW. something formal with the pistol,
You get 20 Moustaches!
Please don't tell me that this is earth in the future.
dam
Shoulda killed lightening.
Why didn't james just headshot the dude with the grenade?
Holy crap that was fun to read.
A SEAL willingly letting go one responsible for high treason? Seriously? Procedure should have been, in order of priority, to capture for interrogation, or to eliminate if capture is not practical!