Of War and Friendship

by DocDelray

Catching our breath

“Let me see if I understand everything,” Torb stated with an exasperated sigh. The Chiss Lieutenant had clearly been hard at “work” with their Deathwatch captive. Drying blood stained and smeared an apron he’d put on over his armor to keep down the mess. A spattering of blood and sweat hung to his brow and gloves, “You communed with this powerful being via Force trance and instead of getting valuable intel on our current situation, you decided it would serve us best to just out-right kill him while he was weakened? Oh but that’s not the best part of it all, killing him has essentially destroyed what these people think is the natural order of the world and caused who knows what kind of repercussions?!” It was clear he was losing his usually stoic patience.

Kad shot him a tired grin as he stretched out against the wall behind him with a yawn, “Well, when ya put it like that, one might stand to reason I screwed somethin’ up.”

Torb shook his head as he massaged the stress-induced headache away, “Kad, there is no telling what you’ve done to this world just yet.”

“Oh come on Torb, not like this is the first world we did somethin’ stupid on,” Kad thought it would probably be for the best not to start listing off the trillions upon trillions of credits worth of damages they’d caused over the years. Everything from space stations and factories to ship yards and entire planets, it seemed there was no limit to what Epsilon team could destroy, “So their planet spins on its own now; failin’ to see how that could be considered a world shatterin’ event. ‘Sides, what’s the worst that could happen?”

---

Far from the small scale conflict being waged on the far flung mystery planet, high above the planet Ordo, the last moments of a savage space conflict were being waged. The remaining defenders of the Ordo ship yards scattered to the stars and planet surface below as the turbo lasers of massive wedge shaped battle ships tore through what remained. A trail of debris now encircled the planet where once an impressive dry dock station kept satellite over the dusty world.

A force of twenty ships had suddenly appeared from hyperspace with no warning early that cycle. Several Destroyers and various capital class ships supported by a number of support vessels. At the head of the assault was the massive Dreadnought class ship, Blood Fury, its’ massive guns and innumerable weapons had delivered the killing blow. Their attack had been lightning-fast and merciless. The moment their ships had left hyperspace they had opened fire on the station and any ship in orbit. A scrap that had left the commanding officer of this attack force feeling more than a little empty and unchallenged.

Aboard the lead vessel, Admiral Hrask Yen had led the opening blow against the Fett Loyalists in the name of Deathwatch. An attack made far too easy with the aid of the Protectors’ own IFF system. A clever tactic, and one that would in no way work a second time, but it had certainly made for a blood-soaked beginning to this new age of civil war. A war that Hrask was hell bent on seeing to its bitter, broken end.

The Admiral was a surprisingly imposing figure, despite his stature. Standing closely to five foot four inches with a moderate build, one could easily make the common mistake of underestimating him. What made Hrask a frightening figure however, was more the mystery that surrounded him. Never seen outside of his armor, even at social functions he begrudgingly forced himself to attend, no one in any faction of Mandalore knew anything about whom or what Hrask was.

Only his reputation defined him. A ruthless tactician and cold-minded warrior in single combat, Hrask had cut a trail of blood from various races and species leading to his new post at the head of Deathwatch’s aptly named Reaper Fleet.

From the bridge of his ship, Hrask watched in boredom as the last fleeing star fighter was vaporized out of existence in a brief flash of fire before emptiness quickly took its place. Behind him, he could feel the presence one of his men, “Report,” his raspy tone scratched out over his helmet’s speaker.

His First Mate winced a bit at the sound of his commander’s voice; it had always felt unnatural to him, “Sir, all other Deathwatch fleets are reporting success in their ambushes of strategic points on the outskirts of Mandalorian space,” He stated as he scrolled through the datapad in his hand.

Hrask didn’t turn to acknowledge the trooper who nervously gave his report, “You have something else to report?”

“Sir,” The trooper made it a habit to triple check everything before he told the Admiral. The man before him had made the mistake of overlooking something that turned out to be rather critical and soon found himself left adrift in space with no jetpack and whatever air was in his helmet, “Do you recall the sudden disappearance of Commander Davian Teth a week ago?”

Hrask briefly mused on this fact, “Yes, the fool rushed off after a wounded cargo ship that had escaped him.”

“We’ve just now received the signal from the frigate’s emergency beacon.”

This had him interested. Turning to face his first mate, he quickly snatched the datapad from his hand and began scrolling through the information as his first mate continued his briefing, “The signal came from a system that… Well, it isn’t on any star charts, yet its location places it well within the confines of the Mandalore sector. Sir, Reaper fleet is the only branch of our force close enough to act on this before the Protectors move in to investigate; what are your orders?”

Hrask threw the datapad aside as he turned back to the main viewport, “Inform all other ships that we are moving on this system, contact the rest our forces and tell them to run interference for us. We don’t have much time to clean up Teth’s mess and I do not want that pretender to the name Fett getting in our way.” He growled out.

With a quick, sharp salute, his officer moved about the task of organizing the rest of the ships to leave this system. In the meantime, Hrask mused about the thought of simply executing Teth on the spot for his foolish behavior. After all, if Teth was taken alive, it would put the entirety of Deathwatch in danger with what he knew. His hand brushed along the hilt of beskar blade at his side as he mused running his colleague through upon finding him.

---

Zex observed his “student” as she finished seeing to the last of the patients. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that she had a talent for taking care of the hurt and wounded. It was unfortunate: As a medic, she was going to see the brutal results of her companions and the enemies they faced. A warrior caused the wounds, but he had the option to move on and keep fighting elsewhere; she had to be elbow-deep in the mess. He really did feel sorry for her.

The horned man could see the growing stress taking its toll on her even now. Her movements were sluggish and sweat had thoroughly soaked her face. He watched her look sadly at the blood that clung to her, not a drop had been her own, “Cadet Shy,”

She jumped a bit at the sound of her name and quickly turned to face Zex, “Yes, sir?”

“You did a good job here recruit,” She could use a bit of a confidence booster right now, “Go grab some wall and rest up.”

A bright smile clung to her muzzle as she stared up at the Corporal, “Thank you sir, it’ll be nice to get out of this armor…”

“Leave it on,” He ordered her sternly.

“But…”

“We’re still in contested territory Cadet,” Zex was quick to point out, “Do you honestly think the enemy will give you time to strap your armor back on?”

She wilted under his gaze as she tried her best to hide herself behind her hair, “I… I’m sorry…”

Zex lamented a bit, “It’s alright Fluttershy; you’re still learning all of this.” He motioned to the far side of the room, “Go grab some wall and rest up, I want you close by in case I need your help again.”

She gave him a half-hearted salute with her hoof before trotting off to find a comfortable way to lie in the far corner. Turning back to his stack of notes and charts, the Zabrak medic continued his seemingly-endless work. Most importantly were a few prototype concepts he had begun to work on after a suggestion from Kad. Personally, he thought it was far too ambitious an idea: augmenting these Equestrians to make them more compatible with their tech and gear. However, the scientist and biologist in him found the concept exciting, even revolutionary. The ideas they had cooked up during the limited down time after the second shuttle crash mostly involved the use of cybernetic augments but now he had his own ambitious ideas. Perhaps a more lasting change could be found with Yuzhong Vong bio-tech.

His mind danced about the theories and possibilities. Very little was still known, even after hundreds of years, about Vong bio-tech. In his tired state, Zex began to believe there was a chance to alter their DNA to result in more humanoid features. He began to feel like a mad man as he calculated how many generations it would take before the change became permanent in their species.

“What are you doing?” His hand froze mid note, “Look at what you’re proposing, you’re a doctor; this is sick and twisted! You're not that man anymore.” Taking a deep breath, Zex let the pen rest on the side of the desk. His mind was right, what he was dreaming up was a sick and twisted venture; something Torb would have come up with. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Zex tore up the notes he’d come up with. He told himself that when this mission was over, he’d take a long relaxing trip to Concord Dawn, find a nice beach somewhere and just lay out in the sun.

How did he get to this point? Something he tended to think about when there was nothing to keep him occupied. Zex was never fond of his past and preferred to keep it where he left it, behind him. When it was quiet though, it was impossible not to start thinking about it.

The main way into an Epsilon Squad was to screw up so badly they have to consider killing you until they realize they can still make use of you. It was a prison sentence in and of itself: you either pay off your debts to Mandalore or you die with honor in combat. When he was younger he’d always blamed the system, the people in charge for what happened to him, blinded by the foolishness of youth.

He was one of the best medics in his field unit. An up and coming healer that could easily transfer out of the military at any time he wanted to get in with any hospital in the Mandalore sector he wanted. A perfect future was more or less guaranteed for him, until one mistake. Then again, one mistake is all it took to get you stuck in an Epsilon Squad. There was heavy fighting tearing through the borders, and his unit was dug in deep to treat the wounded. Zex had been working elbow-deep in some young warrior that had taken shrapnel through his legs when a priority patient had been wheeled in. War Master Tullious, the mastermind behind the rock solid defenses that had kept that world in particular safe.

Zex was the best surgeon they had, but instead of handing off his current patient to treat the War Master he chose to stay where he was. Tullious died from his wounds and the inept hands of a fresh faced medic. Zex was held up as being responsible for his death and very soon was given the choice of dishonorable discharge and loss of his license or a mysterious transfer.

In the months that passed after his transfer into his new squad, he had been resentful to those in charge for what had happened to him, believing that it was corruption in the system that led him to this demotion. It wasn’t until a long night of drinking alongside Kell that he came to see things in a new light. The only thing that put him in this predicament was himself, no one and nothing else, just him. He could have let one of his peers take over, he could have handed his patient off to another doctor and seen to Tullious, but instead his own arrogance and pride kept him from seeing just how minor the condition of his patient was and how serious the War Master’s state was.

Glancing back over his shoulder, he watched the tired Pegasus try to get comfortable in the corner of the room. Zex stifled the urge to laugh trying to keep his usual serious outlook going, “Fluttershy, you can use one of the empty cots,” He stated flatly, “Grab some wall is just a figure of speech.”

A bright red tint of embarrassment clung to her face as she lowered her head with a weak smile, “Yes, sir.”

Zex snickered a bit as he went back to his notes, “Good thing I didn’t tell her to fill her boots.” He muttered to himself.

Clearing her throat she took a brave step towards him, “Uhm, sir, actually, I was wondering if I could maybe take a walk and get some air?”

“Go ahead Cadet,” Came the reply as he kept his attention on his work, “Don’t wonder off too far.”

---

Kell sat in the lobby of the hospital, supposedly on guard duty, but most likely looking for a way to goof off. Reclined in one of the chairs, his feet were propped up on a coffee table while he flipped through the pages of a magazine. Surprisingly, he was finding the current article on techniques for dying one’s wings to be fairly informative and there was a recipe towards the front about a seasonal cake made using summer fruits that sounded pretty delicious. It occurred to the sharpshooting loud mouth that he was, unfortunately, bored. This was a dangerous thing for someone who’d proven he could hit a target from orbit, provided he had a rifle and power supply able to shoot through the atmosphere.

Across from him, the unusual pair of Deathwatch defectors occupied the seats on the other side of the room. In a small way, Kell was starting to like the two: Mackers was a deviant with almost no restraint, and Yazan had to be one of the most blood-thirsty Twi’leks he’d ever met. Yazan had fallen asleep with his gun in his lap and a magazine over his face, snoring loudly. Mackers had been hard at study on what could be considered a skin-mag for these creatures. He watched as the young soldier unfolded the image of a mare lounging on a rather lovely beach.

“Hey guys, got some good news! The parts DO match!” Mackers called out in triumph.

“Great, now let me get some sleep you freak…” Yazan grumbled at him.

Kell’s curiosity sadly had been piqued, “Lemme see that,” With a quick motion, he snatched away the magazine from the younger solider before taking a moment to examine the picture. She certainly was an interesting specimen, dark grey coated female with blood red hair and tail; Kell always had a thing for redheads, “Well what d’ya know, sure looks compatible at least.”

“Oh dear!” A soft wilting gasp rang out from side.

Kell beheld the shocked and slightly appalled looking Pegasus recruit, “Cadet Fluttershy, things going well in the Infirmary?” He casually inquired before returning to the images of mares showing themselves off in various ways for the camera.

“I… Uh…” She stammered as she tried to regain her composure, “Staff Sergeant, should you really be looking at that in the middle of the waiting room?” She asked with a surprising amount of sternness in her voice.

He could barely hold back a snicker at her distain for his choice of literature, “Eh, probably not,” With a smile he tossed it back to Mackers who quickly reopened, “What ya need Shy?”

She forced back her urge to say something about the tasteless magazine the group of males had been passing between themselves and focused on the reason she came looking for him, “Well, I was wondering if maybe you could possibly teach me some of your language, if it isn’t any trouble I mean,” Fluttershy quickly took notice of the awkward stare her superior was giving her request, “It’s just that, everypony else is busy and well, if I’m bothering you I can just go…”

Normally Kell would let her wander off and go back to his article on dying feathers but something inside his head clicked. A mischievous glint twinkled in his eye as he realized this was an opportunity he couldn’t let pass him by, “Ya know what Cadet, I think I can help you with this.” He said proudly as he patted her shoulder.

Fluttershy quickly lit up at his words with a hopeful smile, “That would be wonderful!”

“So what do you wanna learn to say kiddo?”

“Well…” Her cheeks turned a light shade of red as she fought to dig up the words she was looking for, “I want something I could say to Arkanna before the big mission tomorrow… You know, wish him luck.”

This was too perfect; Kell could swear this had to be some kind of set up, it was all so easy, “Hmmm, well let me think here,” Set up or not, he was going to get a good laugh about this later, “Okay, repeat after me, ‘Nee kat-tay-LEER da-RAH-soom gahr tee ahn nair kah-ROH-ta’.” He slowly sounded the words out for her.

Nodding along she began repeating what he had told her, “Nee kat-tay-LEER da-RAH-soom gahr tee ahn nair kah-ROH-ta…”

“Good, now say it all together.”

“Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar ti an ner kar'rta.” She gave him a wide smile.

“There ya go!” Kell happily declared before ruffling her mane.

“So… what does all of that mean?”

“It uh, it means, ‘I care for and respect you my dear friend’.” He replied with a confident nod.

Fluttershy’s smile widened at this information, “Oh, that’ll be perfect to tell him, thank you so much, Staff Sergeant!” She stated happily before hugging him tightly.

With a chuckle, Kell returned the hug, “Alright now, you should get some rest, kiddo. Long day tomorrow, and who knows who you’re gonna have to patch up.”

Kell watched the young mare trot away repeating the words to herself over and over again under her breath till she disappeared around the corner. As he looked for his magazine from earlier he couldn’t help but notice his two “companions” giving him a wry grin, “What is it?”

“Heh, you really have that di’kut aruetii going man,” Mackers pointed out with a snicker.

“Hah; ‘dearest friend,’ really?” Yazan joined in gleefully.

Kell leaned forward motioned for both of them to do the same, “Yeah, you know what else is funny?” Once they were both close enough he grabbed them both by the collars, his mood quickly darkening now that he had his hands on them, “Me splattering both of you chakaars for talking like that about her or any of OUR recruits. She deserves the title Mandalorian more than either of you two, so call her that again and I will show you what real traitors like you two deserve.” With a quick motion he forced the pair back into their seats, “You both copy?”

The pair were understandably speechless after the treat. There was something in that glare he gave them both reason to pause and consider their next words with utmost care. Silently agreeing with each other, they simply nodded in compliance with him rather than speak up.

Grunting in annoyance, Kell picked up his magazine and flipped it back open to the article he’d been reading, “Now keep it down you di’kutlas. I’m trying to read, dammit.”

---

The patrol of Ponyville had been a slow progression between Rainbow Dash and Arkanna, but at least it was a quiet one compared to the fight earlier that day. Arkanna honestly preferred and appreciated the still calm of the field after a battle. It felt like the world itself had become fatigued, and simply collapsed from exhaustion.

Rounding a corner, he came to a home with a door ajar; this could be a good spot for any stragglers to hide, a good enough reason to investigate. Glancing back at his Pegasi companion, he gave a quick nod towards the door to silently inform her they were going in before bringing his rifle to his shoulder. Thankfully, he received a nod in return as she moved up beside him, drawing her newly-acquired knife. Her new weapon didn’t have a vibro cell like the one she lost, but the feel of the blade close at hand gave her a great deal of confidence.

On Arkanna’s signal, the pair stormed through the door, their respective visors easily clearing away the darkness around them. The Private motioned to Dash to examine the next room over as he moved towards the other. He kept the footfalls of his boots as quiet as he could against the hard wooden floor. It wasn’t until his chest started to throb that he realized he’d been holding his breath since he entered.

“All clear here.” Rainbow’s voice chirped over the com.

“Yeah, clear over here, too,” He replied.

Feeling a bit calmer, he started to take in his surroundings a bit better. Moving towards a corner table, Arkanna found a collection of framed pictures, a number of which looked fairly old. For the most part, they were just random Equestrians to him: nameless faces that were sure to forget him and anything he’d have done on this planet after they left. It was an unfortunate side-effect of his line of work. Someone might remember vaguely a warrior, they always remembered the armor and sure enough they always recall whatever you screw up or destroy. A thankless life, but why have it any other way?

Looking to the side, he found the remains of the last meal the occupants were having before being rushed out to safety. His heart sank a bit; more vegetables and fruits. Oddly enough, he could swear he saw some flowers between slices of bread. Before he could question their eating habits any further, a rumble in his stomach interrupted the train of thought. Taking an empty bowl, Arkanna gathered what looked good and still good enough to eat before strolling out to meet back up with his partner.

Upon exiting, he was face to face with a critical stare from Rainbow Dash, “Did you just steal that food?” The sharpness in her tone made her disapproval all the more obvious.

Taking a seat on the front steps of the house Arkanna pulled his helmet off and set it beside him, “This isn’t stealing, this is salvaging food so we don’t starve. Stealing would imply someone was still staying in this house.”

“I think the term for that is looting.” She was quick to shoot back at him with a scowl.

“Looting?” The Private was clearly offended by her accusations, “If I was looting, I would’ve taken everything in that house I could carry if I thought I could make a few credits for it. All I did was grab us food before it spoiled.” Taking a piece of fruit from the bowl, he took a satisfying bite out of the thick skin, “If you don’t want any of this I’ll just eat your share.”

She kept her distance for a time, but the feeling of her own stomach gnawing at her insides started to break down her resolve. She had yet to eat anything since they got back from the assault on the frigate, the events of which had forced her to empty what little her stomach had in it. Biting down on her lip, she started weighing the options before her: it felt wrong to take food from somepony’s mouth, but by the time they got home the food would be half rotted anyways. With a defeated grunt, she took a seat on her haunches beside him and picked up a piece of the random assortment in her hooves and began to eat. She was surprised by her own voracious appetite after all the violence she’d seen so far that had turned her gut inside out.

Soft hoof falls in the dark caused Arkanna to bring his weapon up quickly on reflex and settle on the target. Seeing the orange-coated mare on the other end of the muzzle, he lowered his weapon immediately. Glancing to the side, he saw Rainbow frozen in mid-motion as she had been going for her knife. This whole mess had everyone on edge, it seemed. Taking the juicy piece of fruit out of his mouth, the Private nodded a greeting to the Earth Pony, “Evening Applejack, everything alright?”

The startled farmhand took a moment to collect herself before trotting forward, “Howdy. Everythin’s fine, s’far as Ah can tell, jus’ wanted ta take a walk an’ see the damage fer mahself.”

He motioned to a hole torn into a house from a grenade, “It probably looks bad to all of you, but to be honest this is some pretty light damage,” He took another bite from his liberated food and regarded the new pony casually, “I heard you took down a trooper today all on your own. One kick, too; that’s some impressive osik,” His tone showed just how impressed he was with her actions.

Applejack shifted uncomfortably from his praising tone as she stared at the dirt, “Weren’t somethin’ Ah wanted ta do…” She muttered bitterly.

Rainbow Dash started having a sudden flash back to that forest floor, the tears and endless stream of vomit forming a puddle around her hooves. She could see that same pain restrained behind her friend’s eyes. She was always more restrained and more disciplined than Rainbow had ever been, but this was going to eat her from the inside if she didn’t do something. Lifting her visor up to her forehead, she let her concern show in full before moving next to Applejack and draping a forelimb around her. She could feel the words that both of the Skirata brothers had given her start flowing out of her, “The first one stays with you forever, AJ. I’m so sorry you had to do that, but Twilight’s alive thanks to you, don’t you ever forget that…”

The heavy restraint and emotional walls Applejack had built up around herself in such a short time had begun to crumble away. Weakly leaning into her friend’s comfort she let her frustration and sadness spill out, “Ah… Ah don’t know what happened out there… Ah saw’em pinnin’ ’er to the ground; if Ah hadn’t…”

Arkanna watched this all play out in front of him with no shortage of curiosity and confusion. The idea of saving a comrade from certain death was something he’d have been celebrating. Preferably with a couple hundred beers, courtesy of his comrades, “Like Dash said, you saved your friend, your bruc’ya; you should be proud that she’s still alive and able to finish this fight.”

Applejack forced a weak smile across her lips as she slowly regained her stoic composure, “Ah know that…”

“You’ll be okay, workhorse; dust yourself off and get ready, ‘cause we’re gonna finish those Deathwatch punks for good and save all of Equestria just like we always do!” Rainbow stated proudly as she gave Applejack a reassuring nudge.

She smiled broadly in return, “An’ then any’a them varmints ‘cross the galaxy’ll know not ta tangle with the Elements of Harmony!”

A smirk played at the edges of Arkanna’s lips, “Hah, we’ll make Mandalorians out of you girls yet.”

---

Kad and Torb had gone over the holographic images of Canterlot a hundred times, and so far the only thing they could agree on is that a small shadow team could sneak in from the back end of the palace hanging over the edge of the mountain. They had three new pairs of eyes to help them examine and look for a way to get in that Deathwatch wouldn’t have eyes on. Each of their newly-added Pony minds added something new to the equation. Rarity’s perfectionist mind and eye for detail could spot the tiniest crack in a strategy. Twilight’s newfound determination and drive, combined with her vast knowledge, brought out a true strategist in her. Pinkie Pie, well… Every plan needs someone that can think outside the box, and for five minutes inside of one just to prove a point.

Torb sighed in irritation as he looked the image over yet again, “It baffles me: how can something that was obviously built with no intention of turning back an attack be so difficult to invade?”

“We ain’t lookin’ to occupy it, Torb, just to get in an’ get to Teth as quickly as possible.” Kad reminded his second in command.

“I still like my plan the most!” Pinkie chimed in hoping to rally more support to her side.

“Darling, I highly doubt they’ll let us in if we ask politely and offer them cake.” Rarity stated with a slight hint of venom in her tone.

The puffy pink Pony pouted in defeat as she put a hoof to her chin in thought, “You underestimate the power of cake.”

Twilight had remained silent for the majority of the planning session, her eyes riveted on the image before her. In the back of her mind, she replayed her days under Celestia’s tutorship. She kept searching her mind for that mare, Honeydew, somewhere in the background. Had she really been there the whole time, completely ignored while her studies took president? It burned her mind as she fought to find this single mare, desperately searching her out to keep at least something of her alive, “Twilight.” Kad’s firm tone brought her back to the task at hoof.

“Yes, sir,” She quickly shifted her attention to the Mandalorian’s eyes.

“You’ve been pretty quiet this whole time; hopin’ ya have a better idea than Ms. Pie.” He said giving Pinkie a side long look.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing...” She hissed under her breath.

Before she could reply something caught her eyes along the side of the mountain, “Of course, how could you be so stupid, Twilight…” She chastised herself before shifting the image to show the side of the mountain, and focusing the hologram onto a single point towards the bottom.

“Of course…” Torb could barely hold back the impressed sound in his voice as he took in the new point of interest. A pipe leading sticking partially out the side of the rocky surface covered by a thick grate, “A sewer system,”

The violet unicorn smiled proudly to herself, “The Canterlot sewers are one of the city’s best kept secrets,” She looked up to Kad, “Unless you know where to look, you’d never know they even existed, the entrances are hidden that well.”

“But why didn’t Princess Luna tell us ‘bout these sewers?” Kad asked as he turned the idea over in his head. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d gone trudging through the muck; maybe these Ponies kept the underground as clean as the top side.

“She was banished for a thousand years,” Rarity informed them, “They would have been added while she was still locked away in the moon. Before that, she and Celestia both lived their days in the palace at the center of the Everfree Forest; there’s no way she would’ve known they existed.”

Kad’s attention moved to the Chiss deep in thought, “You look like ya got somethin’ for me, Torb.”

Torb looked the image over once more as he started to formulate a plan, “Yes, I think I have a way we can make this attack work after all, provided we have one resource that will be crucial to this plan.”

“An’ what might that be?” His CO asked.

“We’ve used the majority of our explosives already, and I highly doubt our mechanical genius Traycn can whip us up a fresh batch of explosive weaponry,” Torb started laying out his train of thought to make sure everyone and everypony present could keep up with him, “Captain, do you still have that ‘special ration’ they issued you?”

A look of understanding came across Kad’s face as he reached into one of the larger utility pouches of his belt and produced a long, tubular container, “Four thermal detonators, high-end explosives, each with a modified core to double the yield,” He explained the full extent of the dangerous devices sealed away in his hands, “So how do we make use of these angry boys, Torb?”

A grim smirk etched onto the Chiss’s face, “Oh, I think you’ll enjoy this plan,” His gaze moved to Rarity and Pinkie, “You two and your friend with the hat are going to be play a very important part in it.”

---

“Why…” Luna breathed out between her bared teeth, rage boiling over in her eyes as she glared at Teth.

“To make a point,” He stated causally as he strolled over to one of the broken windows of the throne room, “I wanted to make sure there was no room for doubt about how far I’ll go for victory.” He looked over at the chain laden princesses with a wry smile, “Also, I’ve always wanted sons; never had the time to settle down and father any, though.”

“You sick…” Celestia pushed against her bonds but felt her body give way before her will. Something was missing; the collars had kept her and Luna both disconnected from the source of their power but they could still feel it in the distance. It felt as though it had been blinked out.

Teth drank in the sudden look of realization on her face, “Oh good, you CAN feel it, after all; I was afraid the collars made it harder for you to sense the shift in the Force.”

Both Alicorns began to register a look of panic between each other, “What hast thou done!?” The Princess of the Night demanded.

“I didn’t do anything,” Teth assured them before glancing over at the spot where the mare’s body had been laying until he ordered it disposed of, “Well, nothing except what you saw.”

Before the exchange could continue a trooper quickly barreled through the door, “Commander!”

His attention was immediately on his soldier, in his mind he was already thinking up ways to punish this fool for barging in like he did if this wasn’t important, “What is it, trooper?”

“Sir, the emergency beacon launched by the frigate, before it went down-” The Deathwatch trooper seemed to be speaking as quickly as possible and tripping over his own words.

“Get to the point soldier!” Teth demanded losing patience with the man.

“We just received a signal sir,”

Teth’s eyes went wide in alarm, “What, are you sure?”

“No mistaking it sir, the make-shift comcenter we set up just got pinged by the Blood Fury, Admiral Hrask Yen’s personal destroyer.” He stated before producing a holodisc from his pocket, “He’s on the line right now, says he wants to talk to you immediately.”

Before Teth could make any kind of protest, the holographic image of his superior officer sprang to life in the soldier’s hand. Forcing an official look on his face, Teth straightened himself out to address the Admiral, “Admiral Yen, I was beginning to think no one would pick up our signal.”

“Teth,” Even over the interference of intergalactic communication that voice grated at his mind and sent a shiver through even Teth’s spine, “You have this moment and this moment alone to convince me I shouldn’t just throw you out an airlock once I enter the system. Now what did you do with MY FRIGATE?”

Teth cleared his throat as he fell back into where his true strength lied, his face becoming an empty, blank look as he composed himself, “Admiral, it would appear that cargo ship was anything but; it was carrying a special forces team from the Neo Protectors. Epsilon Squad.”

Despite the helmet, Teth could tell this name registered with the mysterious commanding officer, “Epsilon you say, I’ve heard rumors about these madmen.”

“I can assure you sir, that all of them are true,” Teth stated, “I believe I know where they are right now, with the ships you have-“

“No,” Hrask quickly cut him off with a sharp commanding tone.

“Sir,” Teth was understandably surprised by this.

“I have no intention of helping you with your coward’s tactics,” The Admiral pointed out as he crossed his arms over his chest, “You have lost face and honor amongst Deathwatch, you are going to regain it like a Mandalorian. Face them in combat and kill them yourself.”

“Sir, these men are far more dangerous than even the rumors make them out to be,” Teth pleaded, “My forces have been reduced to less than half and even our warship is gone. To make matters worse they have been gathering local resistance to their side even converting some of my own men.”

“That is because you’re an incompetent leader,” Hrask callously pointed out, “If it wasn’t for your Darjetti abilities you would have never been given a command.” The Admiral gave pause to let these facts sink into him, “I will provide you with a resupply of weapons and manpower but that is all you shall receive.”

Teth forced a smile across his face, bowing his head, “Of course, Admiral.”

“I expect this problem to get resolved and quickly, Teth; do I make myself clear?”

Once the image faded away, Teth let out a sigh of relief before looking back to the trooper still awaiting orders, “Inform the men, we’re going home soon; and bring my new sons to me, I wish to have a moment with them.”

Comments

[TheTownCrier]

Mental note to self: learn Mandalorian.

[Kishin]

Dawwwwww

Kell you DO have a heart...

But don't let this moment instantly make you Epsilon's match maker

(anypony confused by my comment, translate what Kell said to Flutters)

[DocDelray]

1421616
Kell's a complicated guy and can be hard to figure sometimes. He's a jerk most of the time but he's not heartless. But he's also in no way going to be playing match maker with his team mates, especially since his brother is still married, Torb's been divorced three times, Zex's situation is complicated and Traycn is incapable of love on any level beyond blood lust. As for what he told her, let's keep that our lil secret unless the others wanna do the foot work like you did.

[Kishin]

1431959

Yes, sir!

[Shattered Skies]

I never thought of Epsilon squad as being comprised mostly of criminals. I'm surprised that such a ragtag squad can be so effective. It also helps explain why there are a few loyalty issues.

[DocDelray]

1451931
Criminals? Now I wouldn't call them criminals... Well okay yeah, they're pretty much criminals. Epsilon is more or less like Bad Company, they screwed up in some way, shape or form. They were each given a choice, take a transfer and work off their debt or spend a few long years behind bars. Unfortunately, all the collateral damage they cause keeps them in debt.

[Paladin Redflare]

Kad has doomed Equestria! FFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

[TheArcticWolf]

1420227
I still wish to speak it fluently, but I do have a slight understanding of the language.