Operation: Roadblock

by ComradePresident

Co-operation

03 May 1011, Thursday; St. Petershoof, Stalliongrad

The sun had set 5 hours ago, but St. Petershoof was as active as usual since the beginning of the war. Factories were working to their maximum capacity even that time of the day to produce guns, tanks, trucks and other goods for the frontlines.

In a different side of the city, it wasn’t that active. The area was mostly filled with residential buildings, mostly 5-10 floor apartments that were built after Stalliongrad’s independence. Many were either already sleeping or working in the factories at other side of the city.

But there were still some movement in that are too. In one of those buildings, a dim light still came out. Two stallions inside were still awake, waiting. The room was a normal room, nothing special would stand out if looked at sometime else. But now there was maps on the tables set up, along with some other documents lying around.

One of those stallions in the room were Mustapha bin Yakub, a light brown arabian unicorn who works for Lajnat 'Amn Aldawla, the intelligence agency of Arabian Socialist Republic. He had been in Stalliongrad since 1004 and after the revolution in Arabia, he started working for L’AD in Stalliongrad.

Other one was Nestor Lunin, a blue earth pony who is the head of Stalliongrad’s intelligence agency Naródnyiy Komissariát Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, shortly known as NKGB.

Mustapha has looked at the clock on the wall once again, for how many times he didn’t count but it was a lot. He turned to Lunin and asked:
“Are they gonna come or not, they are already 30 minutes late.”

“There is no reason they would not come without notifying us beforehand. We are gonna be here today anyway, if they don’t come we just tidy the place up and go to bed.”

“How much more are...”

Mustapha’s words were cut with a knock on the door. “Finally”, he said and went to check the door. He opened the door and it was really the the ones who they were waiting for.

3 creatures were at the door, a unicorn stallion, an earth pony mare and a changeling.

The stallion was Prince Blueblood. After switching between being just your average noble, to being a diplomat and later the Chief of Army. He has been in the intelligence business since early 1008.

The mare was Sweetie Drops or better known as Bon Bon. A very successful spy within the Equestrian intelligence agency, SMILE. She had been to many operations in the past and while the wartime operations were a bit different, it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

And the Changeling, Thorax. As the old leader of the Harmonic Rebellion in the Changeling Lands, he has been in Equestria with his brother and some other supporters since the end of the Civil War. Although Equestria sheltering him caused a small diplomatic crisis after the civil war, Princesses and Prince Blueblood managed to keep them without further escalating the issue. Him and his brother Pharynx had been working with SMILE since they came to Equestria.

Mustapha looked at them angrily:
“What took you so long? We had an agreed time for the meetup.”

Prince Blueblood answered:
“Tell that to your border guards, it took us too long to enter the country.”

Lunin had came to the door too:
“The border controls had been heavily increased to counter possible Changeling spies. We would expect you to know that and schedule accordingly.”

“Anyway, let’s not wait at the door, let us in.”

Mustapha stepped away from the door and they all went into the living room where all the necessary maps and documents were laid. Blueblood also brought some documents from SMILE. Blueblood started:
“I would ask for a cup of tea before we start, we came from a long way, but we are already late so i’ll go straight to the topic. We are all aware that the Changeling advance is finally slowing down.”

“Correct.”, Lunin replied. Continued while pointing the relevant positions on the map. “The Changelings could only advance around 15 kilometers in central Equestria and a way less 4 kilometers in Crystal Empire in the past 2 months. We are expecting them to completely run out of steam no later than November.”

“Matches with our intel on their situation. We are here to do what we can to take that date back even further.”

Mustapha entered the discussion.
“Unfortunately my trip back to Arabia wasn’t much productive. L’AD isn’t able to divert more resources to the conflict. If i could get them to agree, there would probably someone higher than me here tonight.”

“We gotta work with what we have then.”, Thorax responded. “Pharynx is working with the resistance in Vanhoover to hinder the Changeling supply lines. They use city’s ports to move supplies from Hjortland to the frontlines.”

“I was in Acornage until the past week.”, Mustapha continued. “Resistance there also does raids to the railway to steal supplies from the Changelings. We have been keeping the railway active though, as the resistance requires these supplies.”

“We are on a common point then.” Blueblood added. “Resistance needs those supplies. We can’t provide them with much in other ways. We are barely arming the army.”

“So. We are not here to confirm that we are all doing okay. What is that thing you wanted to show?” Lunin asked.

Bon Bon opened the bag they brought with them. There were documents in them including some blueprints and some photos. She put them on the table. The photos and blueprints were showing a railway gun, bigger than any that were made before.
“I was in Versalipolis last week. We actually had access to these plans of theirs for months now. But we still let them complete the gun.”

Lunin and Mustapha started investigating the pictures and blueprints. Mustapha asked:
“This looks like something that can create a serious dent in the frontline if it were to let fired. Why would you let them complete it?”

“Well...”, Blueblood answered. “We’ll try to capture it before it can fire. Or destroy it at the worst case. Would be wasted industrial potential for the Changelings.”

“Do we know when and from which route they are gonna move the gun?”, asked Mustapha.

"Unless they change the plans at last second, it should be going through Acornage. That's why we want your cooperation in the operation. You are more familiar with the resistance forces in the area." Blueblood answered while showing the railway on the map.

"Are you certain? Why would they use a railway that already got raided 5 times in the past season for something this important." Mustapha responded.

"I have checked several times to ensure the validity of the intel. We are sure." said Bon Bon.

"Doesn't feel right to me either." said Lunin. "I don't think you would give us fake intel intentionally of course. But i still doubt correctness of this intel. Changelings are not stupid."

"Of course they are not stupid." Thorax responded. "The train will be well guarded."

"How are we expecting to capture a well guarded train?" Mustapha asked.

Blueblood answered while pointing at the map: "They won’t be able to guard the train well passing through the forest. Though we must also be careful there as it would be easy for us to get flanked too."

”Sounds like a plan to me." Lunin said. "Although Mustapha would be the one to say the last word. He knows the resistance forces in Acornage well.”

”I still have doubts of this working out." Mustapha said and continued: "But doesn’t seem like we have much other change. This weapon must not reach the frontlines. Also if i were you we would handle this before it was complete.”

”Celestia’s orders." Prince Blueblood answered. "I wouldn’t let them finish it either.”

”So, when are we going?” asked Thorax.

”I was planning to go back to there tomorrow anyway." Mustapha explained. "We left a changeling collaborator behind disguised as me. Not everypony knows that i’m not actually there.”

”The train that will carry the gun will leave Versalipolis at midnight, in 3 days." Bonbon said while showing the city on the map. "We won’t have much time to plan the attack in detail there.”

”I don’t know about you, but i’m pretty tired.” Blueblood added. Mustapha answered with:

”We’ll go there by plane, should have enough time to rest on board. No need to waste time here.”

”Well, i’m not coming anyway." Blueblood continued. "Bon Bon and Thorax will be coming with you.”

”Sounds good to me.” said Thorax.

Bon Bon shook her head in agreement. Lunin continued while holding hoofs with Prince Blueblood:
“If there is nothing else left that you are gonna tell, i’ll go find a plane for you.”

They shook hooves and Lunin moved towards the door. After opening the door he looked back and said:
“You clean the mess in the room meanwhile. Be ready when i’m back.”

Mustapha looked at the documents on the table. He tried to take one of the blueprints for the railway gun with magic but Bon Bon caught it midair.
“We keep those.”

Mustapha let the paper go and they continued to clear rest of the documents and maps without talking.

Comments

[MLG Hard]

This is perfect to read while listening to "Phil Swift repetitively stabs a bucket 187 times".
In all seriousness, this is rather interesting and I am intrigued as to where this story shall go next.