• Published 7th Mar 2013
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Hegira: Eternal Delta - Guardian_Gryphon

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Chapter 66

Earth Calendar: 2117
Equestrian Calendar: 15 AC (After Contact)
April 9th, Gregorian Calendar

Fyrenn exhaled sharply as the echoes of the final shots of the three volley salute died away. The morning was relatively calm, but foggy. The gray pallor hung over everything, even the light of the rising sun, lending an eerie aspect to the proceeding.

To his surprise, he and his family were not the only Equestrians present for the ceremony. The number of Human officers and civilians certainly outnumbered them by far, but there were several other Ponies, a Zebra, and even a Dragon present for the occasion.

All had some sort of relationship to the dead officers from Columbia, North Carolina, or Indianapolis, which suggested to Fyrenn that the others were, like him, mostly converts.

He sighed once again, and gazed out over the rows of coffins. The scene was eerily similar to the day he'd buried an empty coffin representing Skye. Though the pain wasn't nearly as piercing as it had been at the time, it was by no means easier to subsume.

The Indianapolis had been his home for several years. Though he had never formed any deeply meaningful relationships with the crew, he found himself bereaved by the loss of life nonetheless. The blow felt personal.

All told, counting casualties from all three crews, the dead numbered just shy of seven hundred. Over half of that number was represented by the Indianapolis crew. There had been no survivors.

Part of the ceremony had been dedicated to General Lantry, given his rank, and his key role in the victory. Fyrenn had taken no official part, but he, like the rest of the group, had elected to come and pay his respects all the same. Carradan and Sildinar had graciously volunteered to tend to Alyra. Fyrenn had been insistent that she not be subjected to another burial ceremony so soon after the last.

As such, in the midst of the thousands of observers; Fyrenn, Hutch, Skye, Kephic, Varan, and Neyla stood as the only mourners for General Lantry.

Few could say that had known the officer particularly well, and he lacked any living family members. His folded flag had been passed on to a nameless officer, to be delivered to some suitable place in one of Arlington's buildings, there to be enshrined until the cemetery was one day consumed.

"Was this what it was like?"

With a start, Fyrenn realized that the group was now standing in an empty field. The official ceremony was over. In the distance, officers, and families of the deceased, were walking down the lines of coffins, paying their last respects.

The red Gryphon glanced down to see Skye sitting beside him on her haunches. He reached out and placed his right wing on her shoulders as he spoke.

"When we 'buried' you?"

Fyrenn paused, and shifted his gaze back to the horizon.

"Yes. Only worse. I have come to respect Lantry... But I can't really say if I ever liked him. Especially given that he's the one who let us all believe you were under a tombstone. He always seemed too political for a soldier."

Skye nodded slowly, and exhaled, her breath turning to a visible mist in the frosty air as she spoke.

"I understand why you'd say that. Me? I guess I'd say he was a friend. Not a close friend, really... But a friend. He saved me. His choices allowed me to save you. That warrants him some leeway don't you think?"

Fyrenn nodded and glanced down once more at the Unicorn's doleful visage. Hutch spoke up, hands stuffed into his dress jacket pockets to ward off the chill.

"He saved us all, insofar as we know. That warrants all the leeway in the world."

Varan added his thoughts with his typical dispassion.

"Indeed."

The Unicorn shook her head slowly, and sniffed, wiping away latent tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I keep... Replaying it. Over and over. Asking myself why... Why he was even there... Why it had to be him..."

Kephic turned and knelt down, bringing his face level with Skye's. He waited until she had locked gazes with him to speak.

"Listen carefully, because I expect you to hear this and understand it. He was there because he chose to be there. He died, because he chose to make a necessary sacrifice. And he certainly would not approve of you hashing out pointless speculation and recriminations over and over."

The speckled Gryphon's visage softened, and he placed one comforting claw on Skye's left shoulder as he continued in a kinder tone.

"He was aware that you, and I, and Varan are relatively young. And he was not. He decided that his life was a worthwhile trade, so that we could continue to live ours. Irrespective of species, that is a decision any noble warrior is entitled to make, when it comes down to it. He wanted a meaningful death, in battle. And he wanted you to accept that, and move on."

As his brother rose, Fyrenn offered him a warm smile, and a slight nod. Kephic returned the smile, and wordlessly began the long walk back to the VTOL pads. One by one, the rest of the group trailed after him.

Fyrenn went last, ensuring that Skye did not linger for an overly long time. As he shepherded the Unicorn down the hill, he cast one last look at the rows of steel military-issue coffins.

He inclined his head, and spoke softly into the fog.

"It was not in vain."

"To the victorious dead."

Ten glasses, mugs, and tankards clanged together in a haphazard cacophony, as nine other voices repeated Sildinar's toast.

"To the victorious dead!"

A long moment of silence descended on the room as the group nursed their various beverages. Aside from the ten, there were no other occupants in the Bureau's cafeteria. Technically the facility had shut down, and only security guards and technicians remained, stripping the structure of useful materials panel by panel.

Even the overhead lights had been shut off, save for the cluster above the group's table. The emptiness of the structure left an ache in Fyrenn's soul that he found difficult to put into words.

If any place on Earth could have been called his terrestrial home, after the Indianapolis, then the Manhattan Conversion Bureau was it. Soon the latter would follow the former into oblivion.

Fyrenn glanced at each of his companions in turn as they took in the moment of peaceful silence. Alyra was calmly studying the other members of the group with quiet fascination, taking strength from their experience in coping with loss.

Neyla was staring back at the red Gryphon, carefully evaluating what tells she could garner from his own expression. Hutch and Aston were sharing a soft, mutually comforting gaze.

Kephic, Stan, and Varan seemed to be watching Skye intently, all doing their best to avoid detection in the process. Sildinar, like Fyrenn and Alyra, seemed intent on observing the group as a whole.

Fyrenn, at last, took it upon himself to break the silence, before it transitioned from respectful, to uncomfortable, or morose.

"So... Here we all are. Right back where it started."

Hutch snorted, and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... With you and your cuss-darn stubborn attachment to one gold and gray potion crate."

Alyra giggled, and hid her face behind her mug.

"Those weren't exactly the words you used when you told me the story."

Fyrenn took his turn to raise an eyebrow, piercing Hutch with mock severity in his eyes.

"Is that so?"

Neyla interrupted the train of thought before it could spiral away into a bantering match.

"What happens now? Where will we all go from here?"

Aston leaned forward as she chipped in, working her fingers around her mug to transfer heat from the coffee, into her sore joints.

"Well Hutch and I have been told to report to Northcom Charlotte to await our next duty stations."

Hutch sighed, and sat back, staring down into his mug as he spoke, as if answers lay somewhere under the grounds at the bottom of the liquid.

"The rest of the world may not know exactly what happened out there, but Military Command sure does. Second time in a month that there was nearly a catastrophic loss of life due to infiltration of the military command structure..."

The General glanced up, and looked to each member of the group in turn as he continued in a somber tone.

"It looks like there's a hell of a storm coming. Biggest shakeup to the military-political structure since the Earthgov military was formed. Fyrenn's recent interventions have only made the situation that much more fraught."

Stan leaned forward, and set his mug down on the table, wincing as he pulled at one of his sore ribs.

"I heard a rumor that the officer corps got together with JAG, and wants to dismantle the whole upper structure. Vote out the admirals and generals, cut off Council authority, and re-organize the entire shebang under the mantle of the JRSF, with the exception of the Police."

Sildinar nodded slowly, taking a long sip of his drink before speaking.

"Your source is likely correct. I've been asked to attend mid-level meetings with a dozen Captains, Commanders, and assorted other non-flag officers. I've also been contacted by a representative from the Council, and asked to attend a summit later this month to 'seek cooperation on further joint military endeavors.'"

Kephic snorted, and flicked one ear in agitation as he voiced the unspoken remainder of the thought.

"That's just a fancy Human way of saying that they want to negotiate to keep control of the military, tighten their grip if possible."

Fyrenn nodded, and reached for the large vat in the center of the table, dipping his mug into the steaming liquid and pulling it back out once more, full to the brim.

"It's also a handy way of reassuring the populace that they have power and standing. Change, for the sake of change. Heads have to roll. Promises have to be made. People need to be placated on all sides. But if the officer corps wants to move to a more self-directed structure with closer species co-operation, and no Council oversight, then the tides have well and truly changed. There's a fight coming. A big one. The Council, and their sponsoring corpos, won't loose their grips on this planet quietly."

Carradan chuckled, and lifted his mug once more with one hoof.

"Yeah, well, if the tight-pants schemers think they're going to bury the Echelon Twelve mess, they're sorely mistaken."

All eyes turned to focus on the Pegasus as he slurped down half of the contents of his tankard in a single go. Stan lowered the mug, wiped his muzzle with his free hoof, and voiced the answer to the unsaid questions.

"I've decided to stay here, Earthside I mean, for a few weeks. Two, maybe three at the most. I still have strong connections in media, and they're dyin' for me to spill the beans on my experiences over these last three years."

Stan turned to fix his eyes on Fyrenn, smirking slightly as he continued.

"I ain't promsin' that I'll condone every single thing you did. But I can sure promise you that I won't let them sweep their crimes under a rug. I'm gonna make sure everyone takes a good, *hard* look at what happened. So it never happens again."

The Pegasus sat back, and belched softly, before finishing his thought.

"When I've finished trashin' a few careers, and burnin' a few bridges, I'll catch up with you guys. Maybe I'll ask dear sweet prince here to be my chauffeur for the trip home."

Carradan offered Sildinar a sideways glance, and a brief smile. Skye sighed, and shrugged, offering her thoughts up to stave off silence.

"I suppose I'll be going back to work in the library at Canterlot. There's a long way to go with the archive project, and not a lot of time in the grand scheme... Even less since we blew up that retarder platform. It'll take them three months to replace it, and by that time we'll have lost nine relative months of time in terms of the Barrier's progress."

Alyra shook her head, and her beak turned down.

"Won't you at least come back home with us first? You still haven't finished telling me that story about the time---"

Skye smiled wanly, and held up a hoof.

"Whoa there girlfriend. Your father does not need to know that I'm recounting that harrowing tale to you."

Fyrenn glowered good naturedly at the Unicorn. In response, she chuckled, and shook her head slowly. Her smile, restrained though it was, seemed to bring a few degrees of warmth to the room.

After a moment of silence, Skye nodded, and spoke quietly into her mug.

"Oh fine. It isn't as if I'm clocking in or out on some kinda schedule."

Alyra beamed, and Fyrenn sat back, smiling his thanks in Skye's direction. Deep down, he felt even more grateful to his daughter, for instinctively recognizing that the last thing Skye needed at the moment was to be alone in a dusty vault.

The red Gryphon soon realized that everyone's gaze had shifted to him. He shrugged, and sighed.

"Well... I'm due back in court tomorrow afternoon."

Aston glanced up sharply, and leveled a finger.

"Yes, and that's your own fault. I have half a mind to root for the prosecution."

Fyrenn fixed her with his gaze, and nodded slowly.

"I own my actions. With no regret. And to be honest... It doesn't matter who you root for. I'm only attending the proceeding as a favor, so that something good will come of a friend's efforts in... Other areas."

Neyla stepped in swiftly once more, to prevent a decidedly more icy escalation from taking place.

"We, that is to say the rest of us, will leave late tomorrow, once the proceedings are completed."

Hutch snorted into his mug, and glanced up at the Gryphoness.

"And if they aren't? I've seen cases like this drag on for months."

Fyrenn chuckled wryly, and took a long sip of his coffee before answering, perking his ears slightly in amusement.

"Oh trust me, we'll be finished before sunset. Period. And after that? I don't intend to be caught up in anything else for at least a few months."

The red Gryphon spread one wing and cupped it around Alyra, smiling warmly down at the fledgling.

"I have a daughter to raise. That's really all that I want on my mind right now."

Neyla sighed quietly, and nodded, leaning forward and refilling her mug.

"We could all use some clear, cool, quiet, joyful days."

Stan raised his mug high, and snorted.

"I'll drink to that sister-of-mine."

Fyrenn brought his mug up, and nodded.

"Here here."

The rest of the group joined in, then sat back in silence once more. After nearly a minute, Stan leaned forward with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He raised one hoof, and pointed at the blue feather in Fyrenn's crest.

"So. Spill it flyboy. Is that your people's version of an engagement ring or somethin'?"

Fyrenn glowered good naturedly, and shook his head.

"No, not precisely. Think of it as..."

He paused, and glanced over at Neyla. The two Gryphons shared a long, emotion laden stare, before Fyrenn finished the thought.

"Think of it as a promise."

Skye blinked, and muttered into her mug.

"Yeah, well this time you better pick up what's being put down."

The red Gryphon threw up his claws, and rolled his eyes.

"Am I honestly receiving relationship advice from an intellectual basement dweller, and a reporter who's dating a Changeling?"

Aston widened her eyes, and glanced away to the side, nodding.

"MmmmHMMM... And take it from me... You better listen to them, before they tie you to your lady friend, and dump you in aforementioned basement to sort out your issues."

The conversation devolved into fits of laughter at the image. As the night wore on, the talk turned to simple, pleasant, even pointless topics. The musings of ten people about to go their separate ways.

Fyrenn sat back on his haunches, staring up at the rising moon as it crested the Equestrian horizon, and bathed the empty city in silver light.

"It's over. I made sure of it. Nothing left for them to build on. No corners for them to hide in."

The red Gryphon glanced over at the simple grave marker, and sighed. The earth still showed signs of being recently disturbed.

"Your sister... Is a marvel, and a gift. You did an incredible job of keeping her alive... Keeping her sane... Keeping her squared away. I wish that I'd been able to take you both..."

Fyrenn sighed, and bit back his tears as his voice cracked. After a moment, he rose, and stared out at the horizon. Even the New York harbor was empty. The last ships had been moved to Virginia earlier in the day, along with what remained of the North Carolina, and her battlegroup.

After he had regained some composure, Fyrenn turned back to the grave and produced an object from the hollow of his neck. He reached out and twirled one wooden prop blade, smiling down at the little model that had been a staple of playtime in his younger years.

He exhaled softly, and placed the miniature Lightning on the soil, beside the javelin Neyla had sunk into the ground as a marker.

"Look after it for me. I can't take it with me."

An indeterminate length of silence passed. Fyrenn stood, staring out at the city, imprinting every last detail on his mind. With a shudder, he realized at last, on a deep emotional level, that he would never see it again.

He didn't hear the visitor's approach, so much as he felt it. He glanced to his left, and confirmed his suspicions. Celestia stood in respectful silence for a moment, before speaking softly.

"Neyla said I'd likely find you here."

Fyrenn nodded, and exhaled slowly.

"Finishing things up. Tying off the last loose end."

The Alicorn returned the nod, and smiled sadly down at the grave, and the token Fyrenn had placed there.

"I won't pretend to excuse some of the things you've done... But I will admit that I am not entirely incapable of empathizing. I have implicitly asked your kind to do similar things to protect mine on occasion. It only makes sense you would do the same in defense of your former home."

Another moment of silence passed. Celestia glanced up to follow Fyrenn's line of sight, and spent a brief moment taking in the darkened city before speaking again.

"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after."

Fyrenn snorted, and raised an eyebrow, locking eyes with the monarch.

"Ecclesiastes One. Verses two, three, and eleven."

Celestia's eyes widened slightly, and she dipped her head, her tone taking on a vague aura of respect.

"Solomon certainly had a way with words. I see you have studied this 'Bible,' then?"

The red Gryphon smirked, and nodded.

"Yes, I have."

After a pause, Fyrenn returned his gaze to the city, and the moon high above. When he spoke once more, the surety and depth of his tone surprised Celestia.

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it."

Celestia raised an eyebrow, and tilted her head. The Gryphon turned to glance back at her, and grinned as he allayed her confusion.

"Also Solomon's words, just one book over. You have to understand, Ecclesiastes is meant as a study in contrasts, between a life with and without the anchor of Faith. The former pointless in every way. The latter the only thing true and worthwhile. Solomon was by no means a pessimist."

The Alicorn blinked, and chuckled wryly.

"I'm afraid you have caught me out. I have not yet finished my study of the Old Testament, nor begun the New."

Fyrenn waggled his head, and sighed.

"I know, it can be hard to push through some of it... But think of it as vital perspective on what's happening here and now. For all intents and purposes, people here are facing the end of days. Or the next nearest thing."

Celestia exhaled slowly, her tone and expression drooping.

"And much of the burden of saving them falls to me."

The red Gryphon turned, and raised an eyebrow once more.

"Did you really come all the way up to a deserted city, and climb this dark and foreboding hill, to wax philosophical with me? I mean, I'd be flattered, but..."

The Alicorn smiled slightly, and dipped her head.

"Well, yes and no. By nature what we have to discuss is, in some way, philosophical... But you're right. I do have a more specific point."

A telling pause ensued, during which the two beings stared at each other, taking the measure of their respective emotional states. Celestia broke the silence first.

"I want to discuss the future with you."

Fyrenn sat back on his haunches, and the Solar Monarch did the same. The Gryphon chuckled grimly, and shook his head.

"Why me? Especially after all the things I've done, of which you don't exactly approve? The things I've said? Some of which I do regret."

As the Alicorn spoke, Fyrenn carefully examined her visage. Subtle, but worrying signs of her ordeal still remained. Tiny dark patches under her eyes, and a subtle diminishing of the glow in her mane were the most visible offenders.

"Your kind have always been the guardians of mine, just as mine have always been the glue binding you to the rest of our world. We may find some of your violence distasteful, and your words harsh, but the fact remains that we need you, and you need us. I need you, and you need me."

Celestia leaned forward, to emphasize her point, as she continued.

"And whether you like it or not... Whether you want it or not... You have an important part to play in all this still. You are an important point of connection between three species, and that is not something for you to take lightly. You may even find, one day soon, that important and great responsibilities will be given you as a result of your close ties to the King's family."

Fyrenn nodded, and sighed, inclining his head and blinking slowly.

"You've said as much before. Has something changed, that we need to have the same conversation again?"

Celestia's eyes told the Gryphon everything he needed to know in answer to his question, but she spoke nonetheless, her tone reinforcing the gravitas of her words.

"Something has indeed changed. An act of sabotage against my Kingdom, and indeed my whole kind, that I fear is only a precursor to an event of... Well... Biblical proportions as you might say."

Fyrenn opened his beak to inquire, but Celestia held up a hoof, and kept speaking forcefully.

"I will give no more specifics for now. None but I, my sister, and your King know the particulars. And only you and your friend Sildinar even know to ask. I am telling you this not so that you will seek after more information now, but so that you will be prepared for a day when we'll need your unique influence and perspective."

The Alicorn rose, and finished her statement as Fyrenn followed suit.

"I know that you are the subject of a very interesting prophecy. I have no doubt that it has bearing, and I don't believe it has yet come to pass. So I urge you to accept that you still have much to accomplish, and much to learn. And I urge you to be ready to aid both worlds when called."

Fyrenn narrowed his eyes, and tilted his head slightly.

"How did you find out about the prophecy?"

Celestia offered him the tiniest hint of a wry smirk.

"I am a Princess. I have more ways of finding out what I want to know, than you have ways of killing someone with your bare claws."

The red Gryphon sighed, and nodded.

"I am always ready to serve where I'm needed. And I still see you as a friend, as I hope you see me. You may not like the heavy fisted tactics I bring to bear, but I'm always willing to be there for you, and yours."

The Alicorn smiled, and dipped her head.

"You may think I disprove, and in some cases you are right... But I do believe you can grow, and improve. And I believe your motivations are pure. And certainly, the results so far have been better than I had any right to expect, forthcoming negative repercussions notwithstanding. If you want proof of that, my friend, and if you want to see a sight much cheerier than a graveyard, join me tomorrow morning at the Baltimore Bureau."

Celestia nodded demurely as she stepped away down the hillside, her final words leaving a palpable change in the air.

"Bring Alyra. This is something that will do you both good."

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