3 - A New Command
Dawn came far too early for the bleary-eyed stallion as he was brought back to the waking world. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to bemoan his lack of sleep for long as the door to his cell was unlocked and opened. The still-unnamed Hauptmann stood in the opening, his half-plate armor freshly polished and his body neatly groomed. Kepler wondered for a moment why that would be, only to stumble out of bed and to attention when Oberst Talonedge walked up next to the smaller gryphon.
“Rise and shine, pony.” There was a hint of contempt in his tone that set Kepler’s teeth on edge, but he held his tongue as the much larger being stepped into the cell and stopped just shy of invading his personal space. “Your story seems to hold up after my scouts reported back, so now I’m holding you to your word. You will accompany a contingent of officers, engineering specialists and enchanters to the wreck, and you will impart to them everything you know. I don’t care if it takes months to go through every nail, beam and sheet on that vessel, as long as you do not withhold any information from us. A single order from me could see your head removed from your shoulders, so it would be wise to play by our rules.”
He gestured to his subordinate with a claw. “Hauptmann Silverwing will be the senior officer on-site and will relay everything that happens directly to me.” He fixed Kepler with a hard look that shattered any snide comments forming in the stallion’s mind. “Deliver on your promise and you will be rewarded handsomely. We gryphons respect those who produce results, even if they are not one of us. Don’t give me a reason to doubt you and we should get along just fine.”
The commander turned to go, but something he had said stuck out in Kepler’s mind. “Sir?” The gryphon paused and glanced over his shoulder with a raised eye ridge. “Did I hear you correctly when you said enchanters?”
Talonedge shared a confused look with Silverwing. “Yes, they provide many of the skills that are essential to our industry. They are also behind some of our most powerful weapon and energy source innovations. What is your point?”
Kepler’s confusion only grew. “But doesn’t enchanting imply that you are using some form of magic?”
Now the Oberst turned to face him fully. “You are trying my patience, pony. Every creature on Equis knows about magic and how powerful it can be if used properly.”
Kepler’s eyes widened as he realized what was causing the miscommunication. “There’s magic on this world?! Real magic?!”
Now it was Talonedge’s eyes which widened. “You mean you haven’t heard of it before? Then how did your kind ever create something as massive and powerful as the vessel you were found in?”
Kepler’s rump landed hard on the floor as the realization hit him like a sack of bricks. “We don’t have magic. We had to make all of it using technology and hard work. You mean to tell me you could use magic to make our technology even more powerful?”
Both gryphons seemed to come to the same understanding as Kepler had, their expressions morphing into shock and wonder in equal measure as they shared another look between themselves. Talonedge nodded at his subordinate’s unspoken question, turning back to Kepler as he spoke. “If that is the case, then I can see there being much we can do to advance or perhaps simplify the challenges your kind had to overcome with brute technological force. Hauptmann!”
“Sir!” Silverwing snapped into a salute.
“See to it that this pony has everything he needs in order to perform at his best,” Talonedge ordered. “Keep him under constant guard, but listen to everything he says concerning the ship. He knows far more than we do, and we would be fools to go blundering about inside without knowing what might be dangerous. Inform the engineers and enchanters of this order as well, and tell them that if they don’t like it, they can come and tell it to my face. The last thing we need is some-gryphon doing something stupid and getting himself killed.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll make sure the teams are aware of your orders.” Silverwing glanced at Kepler for a moment before turning back to the Oberst. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Granted,” Talonedge replied.
“With your permission, sir,” Silverwing continued, “I would like to assign Vizefeldwebel Windcutter to the pony’s guard detail, given she was the first gryphon he met and seems to have built a level of trust between them.”
“And what makes you think that this pony trusts that hen more than any other member of this base’s troops?” Talonedge countered. “He only knew her for one night and that was after she pulled his sorry tail from a storage closet.”
“Precisely, sir,” Silverwing replied. “She was the one who saved him from the wreck of his ship, instead of leaving him to whatever fate might have otherwise befallen him. They may have only known each other for a short time before Oberleutnant Crosswind and I intercepted them, but I have heard from my subordinates that Windcutter has been asking about the stallion nearly non-stop since she brought him in.” The gryphon’s beak curled up in a smug smile as a twinkle entered his eyes. “I say we let her act as a bridge between the familiar and the unfamiliar, given she seems to have taken an interest in the pony and desires to learn more.” He glanced at Kepler. “What would you think of having a familiar face as part of the guard detail, given you do owe her your life and all.”
Kepler did his best not to march up and punch the smug grin off the Hauptmann’s face, knowing fully well that it would land him in more trouble than it was worth. However, he couldn’t dismiss the fact that the officer was correct in some ways. He did owe the female for saving him, and it would be nice to have at least one familiar face while he essentially spoon-fed these creatures the biggest scientific advancement in their history. Might as well have some pleasant company while he was at it.
“Sure,” he sighed, “it would be nice to pay her back for what she did for me. I accept her posting as my guard if that is what you recommend. However, don’t think for a second I don’t know what you’re doing.”
Silverwing’s grin never faded as he tilted his head upwards slightly. “Oh, and what am I doing?”
Kepler decided to stay silent, knowing that if he did say what was on his mind it would get him in trouble. If these creatures wanted to try and milk more knowledge out of him by providing him with an innocent and eager female to distract him, then they had another thing coming. He wasn’t going to give away everything, even if that was what he had originally promised because there was still a part of him that didn’t trust these avian creatures. He needed some form of ace up his sleeve if he wanted to stay one step ahead of these things, and the best way to do that was to keep some of the best secrets to himself unless there was no other choice. They wanted the knowledge of his nation’s best and brightest? Then they would have to earn it. After all, wasn’t it the Oberst who had said it best, ‘Words are only as good as the air that formed them.’? If these gryphons wanted to play hardball, then he was more than ready to give as well as he got, and then some. He just hoped that it would be enough to keep him alive in this strange, new land.
Evidently, Talonedge had grown bored with Kepler’s staring match with his subordinate, stepping between them as he addressed the stallion directly. “Very well, if there are no objections, then I will have Vizefeldwebel Windcutter appointed to your detail before you depart. I had the squad erect a simple camp next to the wreck so that you and the others won’t have to travel from this base to the ship and back again. We will supply you with food and anything else you may need so you can focus totally on your assignment. Am I understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Kepler replied, doing his best to salute, even though he knew it was impossible to do so in his current form.
Talonedge nodded, turning to go while leaving the door to the cell open. “Then follow Hauptmann Silverwing and prepare to depart. You will fly back to the ship and will begin sharing what you know with the others, once they gather their equipment and join you at the camp. You should have most of the day to go over the basics, so I suggest you cover safety before going back aboard.”
“Um, one little problem, sir.” Kepler lowered his head, his ears folding back against his skull. “I don’t know how to fly. New body and all that, sir. My kind doesn’t have wings.”
Talonedge ran a claw over his beak, letting out a long-suffering sigh. “Hauptmann, see to it that the pony gets flying lessons between his briefings. If he’s going to be one of us, then we would be morons to not at least teach him how his new body works.”
Silverwing nodded, letting out a sigh of his own as he covered his eyes with one claw. “I’ll make sure Vizefeldwebel Windcutter gets him airborne as soon as possible. Not like there’s going to be much else to do out there while we’re not poking around inside the ship.”
With that, the Oberst left, leaving Kepler with nothing to do but follow Silverwing out of the building and into the morning sunlight. The gryphon took to the air and grabbed Kepler around his middle without fanfare, although at least this time the stallion managed not to scream as his hooves left the ground. He kept his eyes forward as they spiraled out of the base and leveled off, flying towards the western shores that were just barely visible at the edge of the horizon. Even though Kepler had seen the landscape below the previous night, there was something about the rocks and sandy dunes that stood out in his mind. There were very few trees, or even bushes for that matter, the barren landscape passing by beneath them with very little to break up the harsh monotony as the ocean grew in the distance. Twice, he was tempted to ask the gryphon why they lived in such a harsh climate, but the words always seemed to die in his mouth before they could escape.
The sun was fully overhead by the time they came in for a landing at the shore, the wreck of his ship still resting in the shallows as his hooves made contact with the loose sand once again. He made note of the large tents that had been staked a short distance from the wreck, their tan fabric rippling in the soft ocean wind as a small collection of other gryphons began appearing from within. Of the ten tents that had been placed in a rough semicircle facing the ocean, only two seemed to have anyone in them, although Kepler did recall the Oberst stating that the others would be joining them later that day.
Speaking of said company, he could see a large group of flying figures approaching from the direction of the base, the glint of sunlight against armor mostly lacking from the majority as they landed between the tents and the shore. Several were carrying packs that rested over their haunches, their leather sides bulging with what Kepler assumed were tools and other such things as the group gaped in awe at the massive wreck. The stallion couldn’t stop the grin that formed on his face as the engineers’ jaws hung low, his national pride stirring inside him, even if the ship before them was only a shell of its former glory.
Silverwing let out a piercing screech that forced Kepler to fold his ears in discomfort, although it did capture the attention of everyone present as he addressed the group. “Alright, everyone. You know why you have been called to this little slice of paradise but let me remind you of a few things before you start drooling over what is behind me. We are in unfamiliar territory, with strange technology that we know next to nothing about. This pony,” he indicated Kepler with a claw, “is the only one who knows how all of this stuff works and is the only one who can keep you from getting yourselves killed by pushing the wrong button.” Said pony did his best to not shrink under the inquisitive and predatory gazes of the gryphons around him. “Therefore, you will listen to whatever he tells you to do while we are investigating this vessel, and you will do so without question or complaint. These orders come straight from Oberst Talonedge, so you all know what will happen if he catches word of any disobedience.” There was a collection of nervous murmurs before Silverwing continued, “Finally, we will be receiving supplies as well as anything else we might need to complete our mission here, from Fort Sandclaw. Therefore, get comfortable with your current residence, because you’re going to be here for a while.”
With that said, Silverwing walked off to do whatever he had to do, leaving Kepler with a collection of roughly a dozen very curious gryphons who were all looking at him like a choice piece of meat. He did his best not to sweat as he marched up to the larger creatures, reminding himself that when it came to his ship, his word was law. With a quick, deep breath to settle his nerves, he lifted his gaze and did his best to sound intimidating.
“Alright, so I’m the one who has to keep you turkeys from getting into trouble.” That earned him some sour looks, but at that point, Kepler knew he had to go big or give up. “Don’t give me those looks. You heard the Hauptmann, when it comes to the inner workings of my ship, my word is law. That means you need to pay attention and make sure to do as I say when I say it. The last thing we need is one of you blowing up an ammunition magazine because you didn’t know what you were messing around with.”
“I hardly believe we will have to worry about such things,” a dusty brown and black-spotted female stated with a wave of a claw. “Everyone knows that weapon ammunition is just hunks of metal that are pushed out of the barrel by an acceleration enchantment. There isn’t anything in them that could detonate even if we hit them with another bullet.”
Kepler did his best not to hit himself with his hoof at the female’s arrogance. “Then let me educate you before you get us all killed.” He pointed behind him at one of the primary weapon turrets. “You see those big guns on the main deck, surrounded by several tons of plate steel?” There were a few nodded heads. “They fire two forms of ammunition, one of which contains an explosive charge that detonates upon impact with the target, be it another ship or a land-based fortification. Care to guess how much explosive force a single shell produces?”
The hen’s eyes widened as she seemed to realize just how big the cannons were, and how big that would make their ammunition. “Enough to destroy a small fishing vessel?” Her tone told Kepler that she was trying to cover up her ignorance with a purposefully wrong answer, but the stallion was in no mood for games.
“Let me help you understand how wrong you are. That hole in the side of the ship,” all eyes turned to a massive breach in the hull that had to be over thirty feet around, and would have sat just below the waterline if the ship were at sea, “was made by a shell that was roughly two-thirds the size of one of our shells. You can see from here how thick the armor is on the beltline and how little it did to stop the force of the enemy’s attack. Now imagine if we used one of our cannons and did the same to a smaller ship, with less armor and a much bigger charge.”
The female in question swallowed thickly as she realized just how much damage an explosion of that size could do, and what it would mean if she accidentally set one of them off. “Forgive me. It would seem that there is much we have to learn if we are going to have any hope of replicating this technology.” She bowed her head. “Please, educate us so that we can understand how to safely and effectively learn from what your ship has to offer.”
Kepler nodded once, his resolve now firmly in place as he addressed the gathered gryphons again, “Alright, first things first, I have been informed that some of you are enchanters. I will tell you right now that you will find nothing on this ship that resembles whatever it is you use to power your weapons or craft. That is because this ship was created without the use of magic, meaning that if your skills are going to be put to use, we will need to adapt either your enchantments or my technology to find a balance somewhere in the middle. Oberst Talonedge suggested that we look for magical shortcuts to some of the challenges my kind faced while using our technology, or maybe improve upon what we already have to make an even better hybridization. Does everyone understand me so far?”
Confused nods were his answer, so he figured that was all he was going to get until they started taking the ship’s systems apart. While it hurt him on a deep emotional level to have to tear his ship into pieces, it was the only way he could teach these gryphons anything in a reasonable amount of time. Plus, the ship wasn’t going to ever sail again unless some kind of miracle occurred, meaning it would be better to honor her sacrifice by using what they had available to the best of their abilities. With a general understanding between himself and the gryphon specialists, Kepler briefed all of them on any and all safety measures he could think of, including the proper handling of live ordnance and what the differences were between high-explosive and armor-piercing rounds. Heaven forbid someone got them confused and accidentally set one off in a magazine, assuming they weren’t handling the anti-aircraft ammunition. The flak cannons used a specially designed hybrid round that was both armor piercing and explosive. Because of this, Kepler made sure to point out where they were secured and told everyone to avoid those magazines until he could train a team to handle the rounds safely.
By the time he was done with the safety briefing, the sun was nearing the horizon and there were increasing numbers of yawns among the gathered creatures, Kepler included. So, with moderate comfort in the knowledge that they most likely wouldn’t blow themselves up by accident, he dismissed the group for the night, taking directions from one of the soldiers as he walked towards the tent that was directly in the middle of the camp. Whether it was by choice or just coincidence, Kepler fully understood that he was surrounded by much larger and more dangerous creatures, effectively cutting off all possible forms of escape if he tried to run.
He pushed open the flap and secured the loose fabric by closing the zipper with his teeth, barely noticing the rustic furnishings of the interior as he climbed onto the cot that had been placed in the far-right corner. It was little more than a mattress covered with a thin sheet and a brick pretending to be a pillow, but to his tired mind, it was as soft as down. He pulled the sheet over his body and let his head fall on the pillow, his brain shutting down before he could form another thought. Had he been paying more attention, he might have noticed that there was another occupant in the tent with him, one who looked on with curious glee as she stood up from her post by the left wall.
Kepler didn’t know it, but he was in for a rude awakening come morning.
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Nice Work, as always!
Can’t wait to see where this goes
I could easily see one of the gryphon scientists accidentally setting off one of the HE shells and having the cartoonish blown up look about them while Kepler is screaming obscenities at them. Enjoying the story so far. Curious to see how they will improve the Bismarck with magic.
Ah yes, the "don't do anything stupid" speech. Good to know that everyone is being as careful as possible, I make it almost a full week before the politicians start sticking their camel noses under the tent.
Once again Bismarck shall be the
Pride of a nation
A beast made of steel
King of the ocean
He was made to rule the waves across the..... how many seas does equestria have?
I dear you to give her two trash can lids to bang like symbols.
*Snorts* It's the Bismarck, what do you expect?
Hmm, Gloria? What are you doing?
Nice work as always bud, please keep it up
I generally have a few things to say about a chapter I just read , but this time I have nothing so , yeah , just know that it's great and continue like this ! Can't wait for the next one !
Hmm, good chapter good.
Good movement, lets see what happens next
More please also is there possibility the MC become Naval captain or Admiral of Griffin?
Also more please.
Note none of the 14 or 15 inch shells penetrated her hull. Devastated the super structure but not the hull.
This is so cool!!!
HIS sacrifice, i have no idea why, but the Krigsmarine insisted on calling every one of their ships for a Male.
The hood with one British guy turned into a sea pony
In my opinion anyone that followed Hitler should be considered as big as a monster as he was and should be executed slowly. Like shot in the lung slowly.