Chapter 14
Over the years as a soldier, Lieia had discovered many new smells – there were those that she eventually grew fond of, like gun grease or burnt cordite and gunpowder. And then there were those that made her stomach churn or ignited a single-minded rage within her mind – burnt blood and flesh, or the nostril-clogging stench of corpses discovered aboard Vasari slave haulers.
And now, she could add the stench of acid-dissolved skin to that list. She could've blocked it out with her implants, but the smell helped keep her fury focused at the manacled, kneeling terrorists in front of her as she paced to and fro.
This was the last goddamned straw. Aegis had been bothering her for far too long. She was going to kill every last one of the bastards, starting with these...
“You know, I thought you'd learn to take a fucking hint, especially after the last time I kicked your fucking faces in. Apparently, that is not the case. You idiots still think you've got a chance at being in control of anything, and I'll disabuse your leaders of that notion as many times as necessary, with any measures I deem necessary.” As she turned around, she noticed one of the terrorists was eyeing the floor, his shoulders shaking subtly. “Hey, you. Look at me when I'm talking to you shitbags.” When he remained stationary, she spoke louder, her temper rising. “Hey! You had the balls to sneak aboard my flagship, the least you can do is pay some goddamn attention!” By now, she was all but yelling – nonetheless, the Aegis soldier refused to meet the livid woman's eyes, which infuriated her even more. “HEY! LOOK ME IN THE EYES WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU TERRORIST FUCK!”
The guards surrounding the captives remained unmoved by the Rebel Queen's anger – she'd picked out a group of soldiers who'd lost someone important to them in this attack for a reason. They'd hardly object to her methods, considering. The object of the Queen's ire finally raised his head, tears leaking from his eyes as he stared at the woman pleadingly. “P-please... I have a f-family...”
Lieia laughed, but it was a cruel, merciless sound. “Oh, that's just cute... You really think I give a shit?” She fluidly unholstered the heavy revolver from her hip. Before anyone could say anything, she squeezed the trigger. The unfortunate man's head snapped back as he fell on his back, a two inch hole in his forehead. “Try harder next time. Oh, that's right. You won't get the chance to do so, 'cause you're, you know, dead.”
“You're a complete psychopath!” Another prisoner spoke up, a young woman in her twenties. “You're completely drunk on power, trampling over those who won't bow to your dictatorship! You're just another bully, pick-”BANG
“Riiight, 'cause being a xenophobic terrorist is so much better, abducting those who speak out against whenever evidence of your illegal experiments shows up. And, you bastards still haven't given up on trying to break up the alliance between humans and the Empire. You have no right to speak.” Humming to herself, she stuck the revolver back in its holster, turning to address the guards. “Do what you want with 'em. We'll be jumping again soon, so make it quick.” She received several nods in return. Hatefully eyeing the Aegis personnel for a moment, Lieia turned around, walking towards the elevator.
She had a pony princess to meet, and no one was going to stop her from accomplishing this goal.
“HUZZAH, THE LEWDNESS HAS BEEN DOUBLED, MISTRESS!”
What.
“WHAT DOST THOU WISH FOR THINE BREAKFAST, DEAR MISTRESS?”
Oh god, now she really wanted that hypothetical Rebel Queen in a maid's get-up.
“Once again, I sincerely apologise for the mech's behaviour – the subroutines are of Ortalian make, and thus, overly aggressive. It was something that the designers butted heads over for a long time. Nonetheless, it was never my intention to cause any sort of trouble. With the mainframe being in the state it was, however, there was little I could do except observe.” Khanartho intoned apologetically to the alabaster alicorn – she'd been rather surprised when he'd arrived in the Executioner, seeking an audience with her, but had quickly recovered. As it turned out, the Xalathii was quite a pleasure to talk to, his manner akin to that of a well-travelled scholar.
“Oh, it's quite alright. I overreacted, too. Attacking something that you've never seen before is not entirely wise.”
“True enough. Now, I do believe there is the matter of the Rebels' impending arrival.”
Celestia's face clouded for a moment. She opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted as she heard knocking on the door to her study. Her horn lit up and she opened it. “Come in!” A panting guard stumbled inside, bent over as he tried to regain his breath.
“We've... got guests... Princess..!” The exhausted stallion wheezed out before collapsing.
Celestia blinked, then looked at Khanartho, who shrugged. Humming, she turned to address the guard. “And who might these guests be?”
“It's those *huff* Rebel soldiers you told everypony about, Princess. They're waiting down in the *gasp* atrium...”
Immediately, the light-hearted mood of her banter with the Xalathii disappeared, replaced with mild (read:nerve-wrecking) worry. “Already?”
“Y-yes, Princess. They're asking to see you.”
She looked at Khanartho, as if seeking guidance.
“You need not worry, Princess Celestia. I doubt they will try to attempt something of a dishonourable sort – besides, I shall be there to aid you, should any trouble arise.” To further reinforce his point, the Xalathii stood up, moving to the alicorn's side. “I am certain we can avoid any misunderstandings this way. Shall we?”
Celestia heaved a sigh before straightening herself out. “Well, I guess there's nothing to it.” With that, she slowly cantered out, her horn flashing as she sent a message to Luna – the nocturnal alicorn would be asleep at this time of the day, naturally, but the telepathic message would rouse her immediately.
As expected, Luna flashed into existence a minute later when Celestia was trotting down another hallway. Gauge was perched in Luna's incredibly messy mane, her eyes were sleepy and half-open, and the alicorn was yawning so widely Celestia feared her sibling's jaw might fall off. Gauge chirped before waving at Celestia cheerily, her voice chipper as ever.
“1123,6536,5321.”
Celestia cocked an eye at Gauge, who had now taken to circling Luna. “Huh?”
“We're mostly here!” Gauge tapped Luna's head. “Engines,” Luna's chest was poked twice. “Life support,” Gauge zoomed over to Luna's muzzle, poking it as well. “There's red lights through her lateral structural members.” Now, the metal bug jumped up and down on her adoptive mother's back, coaxing out a disgruntled grunt(the fuck kinda phrase is that, brain) from the mare. “She's broken her back. She'll never jump again.”
“What? But she's walking just fine. You know what? Never mind. Trying to understand your empirical way of thinking is an assured means to a free migraine, Gauge.” Celestia sighed before poking her sister in the side. “Luna?”
“Nyurrgh.”
“Luna, did you even listen to the message I sent you?”
“Myergh. No, no I did not... You know full well I'm not at my best when roused from sleep...” The alicorn yawned again. “Well, whatever is so important that you must wake me up at this time?”
“Well, er, we have guests.”
“Guests?”
“Yes. Specifically, the Rebel soldiers who might or might not be hostile towards us so I really need you to make yourself presentable so as to leave a better first impression.”
That did the trick. Immediately, Luna glanced at her sister. “Are they here to take Gauge away?”
“Luna, I imagine they have bigger concerns than that little demon of yours.” Celestia grumbled.
“She is not a demon! She is the greatest daughter ever! Aren't you, Gauge?” Gauge chirped, landing on Luna's muzzle.
“If only there was someone out there who'd bail you out.”
“Huh?” Celestia knew she was already toying with the mother of all migraines, but her curiosity got the best of her nonetheless.
“I CAN BREAK DEES CUFFS! I CANNOT BREAK DEES CUFFS.” Gauge took to air. “AUUUUUGOUGH~” Whirring, the metal bug flew off ahead, still shouting at the top of her non-existent lungs.
Luna chuckled to herself, then froze as she spotted Khanartho, the Xalathii just having entered her field of vision. “Oh... And you are?”
“My name is Khanartho, though you know me as Executioner One.” The alien nodded to her in greeting. “The mainframe repairs of the mech have been finally completed, giving me full access to its controls.”
“That's good to know, then. Alright – what about these guests?”
“One of the guards notified me of their presence minutes ago – said they're in the atrium.”
“Then to the atrium we go, sister.”
Luna had managed to tidy herself up by the time the two alicorns arrived at the atrium with their alien companion. Already anxious, Celestia expected to see the place soaked in blood as she pushed the door open tentatively. When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, she slowly trotted inside, Luna and Khanartho in tow. Almost immediately, her gaze was drawn to the small group of armor-clad bipeds standing a ways off. Upon seeing her, one of them walked over to her, removing its helmet – Celestia appreciated the gesture, preferring to talk face to face.
“Princess Celestia?” The man approaching her spoke levelly, a neutral expression on his face.
“That is me. Allow me to welcome you to Canterlot. May I know your name?”
“Captain Jack Harkness of the 43rd Drop Rangers of Rebel Navy. Pleased to meet you ma'am. Now, we're somewhat pressed for time, so let's get on with the business – our Queen requests your presence aboard her flagship.”
Celestia blinked in surprise. “Er... Come again?”
“The Queen wants to meet you in person, Princess.” Harkness repeated, keeping his calm, measured demeanour. Luna and Khanartho both remained silent as Celestia mulled over this 'request' – it was definitely a bold move by the Rebel leader. Still, she was inclined to acquiesce – the alicorn was eager to see the woman for herself, to find out whether the legend of the Rebel Queen was all it made her out to be.
“Very well. Allow me to make some arrangements before leaving.”
“We'll be waiting over here 'til then.” Harkness nodded, striding back towards his group. As he did so, Celestia noticed three words scribbled on the back of his armor.
ANYTHING THAT MOVES
Huh?
Khanartho had excused himself a minute earlier, leaving the two alicorns staring, slackjawed, at the ungainly-looking craft squatting in the caste courtyard, surrounded by various ponies from the castle staff. The Rebel soldiers guarding it glared at whoever stepped too close – the servants and maids were more compliant with the unspoken order to keep away. The guards... less so, glaring challengingly at the alien soldiers.
“That is quite enough, now. They are not here to cause any trouble.” Celestia interjected then, somewhat easing the tension. The Royal Guards nodded, albeit reluctantly.
“You know, I think it's a safe bet that Twilight and her friends will be ill at ease to let you depart on your own. Perhaps it would be prudent to take them along, too, if only to ease their worries.” Luna whispered into the elder alicorn's ear.
“That does make sense, I suppose. I'll have to ask the Captain to make a quick stop at Ponyville.” With that, the two alicorns cautiously stepped aboard the flier's ramp, smiling reassuringly to the ponies gathering outside – Celestia had made precautions in the days before, hopefully accounting for every contingency. With a bit of luck, Equestria wouldn't sink into a complete anarchy when she returned. Humming, she trotted over to Harkness, who turned to look at her. “Excuse me, captain, but would it be possible to make a quick detour before we leave?”
“Depends. What for?”
“Well, if the Queen is meeting me, she might as well meet my sister and our country's national heroes, too. You know, a show of goodwill and all that.”
Harkness pondered on that for a couple of moments before answering. “Sure, but we'll be keeping an eye on you lot. Nothing personal, just following orders.”
“That is perfectly understandable, captain.” Celestia sat down.
“Nice to know we're going to get along. Though I do advise you to stay clear of the waterkin. They've got-”
“Psychoactive saliva, yes. I've done my homework, Captain.” Celestia allowed herself a small, smug smile, which lasted for a brief moment before she jumped in shock as the dropship's engines roared into life. The ramp slid shut, sealing the flier's cargo bay from the rest of the world.
“...I'm not afraid of heights, it's just that I'd rather do the flying on my own.” A green-faced Rainbow Dash retorted as she fought her lunch back down.
“Well, that is not an option this time, miss.” The pilot replied. “Oh, if you'll take a look through the port window, you'll see something that I imagine you will be impressed by.”
Curious, the eight ponies and a baby dragon shuffled over to the window – as the flier ascended, they saw a great, oblong shadow take shape behind a collection of clouds. A moment later, their jaws dropped as the gargantuan shape of a starship slowly broke through the clouds mere hundreds of metres away – Celestia eyed the vessel for a moment, recalling its classification from the Executioner's database as a Sova-class carrier, its main strength lying in the squadrons of strike craft it carried and the heavy pulse laser cannon broadsides it could unleash. Even at this distance, they could see the bold letters on its flank - VANQUISHER
“Mother of Celestia...” Rainbow Dash muttered in disbelief, then glanced at the alabaster alicorn apologetically. “Heh, heh, no offence.”
Celestia was kind of busy staring at the warship coming to a halt in Equestria's skies, thus failing to hear this blasphemy of all blasphemies.
As the dropship ascended, the skies grew darker, the craft's engine thrumming steadily. The Rebel soldiers present were silence incarnate, whereas the Elements themselves were chatting among themselves in an attempt to dispel the tension. Luna and Spike were practically glued to the viewports, gazing outside. Celestia, however, was sitting by herself, her mind frantically running over the upcoming meeting – she'd said to Harkness she'd done her homework, as it were, which was certainly true when it came to the goings-on in Coalition space.
She was less confident in her knowledge about Lieia Grisova, however. She'd read just about every scrap of information from Executioner that it had on the woman, yet was no closer to a conclusion by doing so. Barely thirty years old and she held the single highest individual kill count in Coalition, yet also responsible for several key victories. Many regarded her as a hero to be lauded, others called her a murderous maniac to be court-martialed. Simply put, she would need to meet the woman herself in order to determine what sort of mess she'd gotten herself into this time.
Her train of thought was disrupted as she saw Spike leap past, floating briefly mid-air.
“You might wanna strap in, folks. The fleet's in low orbit, so while we get there, we're going to experience reduced gravity.” Deciding to heed the pilot's warning, the ponies clumsily secured themselves to the vacant seats. Luna had the misfortune of being sat at the side of an Asli waterkin clad in light armour – the alien gave her a coy sideglance, and was damn subtle at it, too. Luna instantly blushed, determinedly staring at the dropship's roof. A moment later, however, she bolted from her seat, the restraints snapping as she whirled around, glaring at the Asli's retreating tail.
“Enough of that! I will not be belittled by the likes of you!”
The waterkin let out a titter, giving Luna an innocent look. “Nia'ri ol'maral, kael-thi. Nia'siliar tas-ul, allae?”
“Enough of that, Nara.” Harkness spoke up, his expression stuck between annoyed and amused. “Please don't rile our passengers up.”
“I am sorry, Captain. I could not resist.” Nara responded, pouting like a little girl(read:devil himself), which prompted Harkness to shake his head resignedly.
“Waterkin...”
“And here we are, folks – there's our flagship. Deliverance.”
Celestia thought she'd seen big things when she first witnessed Executioner trudge towards Ponyville. And mere hour ago, she'd seen one of the humans' capital ships descend into Equestria's atmosphere.
But the Ragnarov Titan was simply massive, the biggest of vessels among the flotilla of roughly two dozen warships. As they drew closer, Celestia could see various cruisers and frigates in all shapes and sizes.
“Quite a sight, ain't she? The Queen stole her from right under the Loyalists' noses with the help of a bunch of freighters and mercenaries. No one really knows how much credits and materials were sunk into building this Titan, so you can imagine it was quite the blow to the Loyalists' pride.” Harkness spoke up, seemingly appearing at Celestia's side. “So, excited to meet the Queen, then?”
“Nervous, more like.” Celestia admitted, giving a weak smile.
“It probably won't be as bad as you think it'll be. Just don't try to lie to her, sound belittling, or interrupt her while she's talking. The Queen's quick to anger and slow to forgive, and is one helluva grudgeholder. But those that earn her trust, well... she'll walk through hell and back for them.”
“Thanks for the advice, Captain. I can only hope it goes down as well as you think it will.”
“You're probably overthinking this a bit too much, Princess. What's the worst that can happen, anyways?”
Fluttershy and others winced, their ears folding back as a pair of interceptors soared past above them, the fliers' engines wailing, managing to echo even in the vast cavern that was the Deliverance's hangar bay. The two strike craft were followed by another one, its thudding rumble adding to the overall sense of chaotic order as the smaller ships of the flotilla docked and undocked within the hangar bay. With some sense of trepidation, Celestia disembarked first, followed by the rest of the transport's passengers.
Rarity, however, hesitated at the grimy floor panels of the warship, grimacing at the dirtiness of it all. Rainbow Dash noticed this, grinning at the unicorn. “C'mon, Rare, a bit of dirt ain't gonna hurt ya!”
“B-but this place is so filthy! How can anypony work here, let alone live?” She was about to protest further when a purple glow enveloped her as Twilight levitated the unicorn out of the dropship's interior. “Gah! Twilight! Let me go!” She blinked as she saw the less-than-spotless flooring beneath her, and started flailing her limbs. “Wait! Don't let me go!” She curled up on herself in an attempt to distance herself further from the floor.
Resigned to the fact that she was going to have to carry her friend for at least some distance, Twilight fell in line with others, trailing after Harkness. Though many a nearby soldier looked at them curiously and with suspicion, their escorts smoothed over any possible misunderstandings, and the group was able to proceed without difficulty.
“There we are, ladies and gentleman.” Harkness spoke as the sizeable group came to a halt in the tram station. “The tram will be here soon, and it'll take you right to the Queen's quarters.”
“Oh, you aren't coming with us?” Luna spoke up.
“Sorry, but I've my hands full as it is, miss.” The man shrugged apologetically. “But I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. The Queen's not unreasonable, probably just as curious as the rest of us. I imagine a lot of the crew will be cashing in money from bets – quite a few of them thought that she'd gone off her rocker for real this time when she told us about the so-called 'space ponies', so you can imagine the surprise the naysayers got when we arrived in a solar system that defies the laws of physics. But I'm getting off-topic. The tram'll be here soon, just get on and it'll take you straight to the Queen's quarters.” And with that, the man bid them farewell, leaving the eight mares and baby dragon to their devices as they waited pensively for the tram to arrive.
Luckily – or unluckily, depending on one's point of view – the tram arrived in a couple of minutes. The doors hissed open, permitting them access to the transport. Slowly, they shuffled inside, sitting down as they noticed that there were two other passengers already inside – an Asli and a human woman. Upon seeing the ponies, the two blinked in surprise. A moment passed before the human bumped her companion's shoulder, grinning smugly.
“Time to pay up, Laera.”
Grumbling, the Asli passed a small plastic square – Celestia recognised it as a credit chip - to the woman. “You are the worst wife ever, Liz...”
“I do recall you being Miss Smug McSmuggy, prattling on about how the Queen was leading us on a wild goose chase. Next thing we know, Nell-Tiray's tossed us halfway across the galaxy. One would think that sort of an act would give credence to our leader's claim.”
“Blergh.” The Asli stuck her tongue out at the woman before waving at the ponies. “Kylieh'e!”
The gears in Twilight's mind clicked and she waved back. “Hello to you too!”
“Oh, you know the language of my kin? That is welcome, if a little unexpected.”
“The Executioner was forthcoming with information about all the different kinds of aliens out there, and I really like to learn new things!” Twilight replied earnestly.
Liz looked at Laera meaningfully – more credits swapped hands. “And you thought that the mech started any trouble with the space ponies.” Celestia chuckled nervously at that.
“Funny story, that. Executioner One and I came to blows when I first saw it. A bit of a misunderstanding on my part regarding my perception of its intentions.”
Immediately, Laera snatched the credit chip back. “Hahaah~”
“So, are you visiting her as well?” Twilight spoke up, making Liz chuckle.
“Were we so lucky. Nah, we're getting off a couple of stops ahead. You and your friends, however, go to the end of the line. It won't take too long – I know that Deliverance is kinda big, but the tram system is fast.”
“I'll take your word for it, then.”
The tram trip took a little over ten minutes in total – during that time, the Equestrians shared the tram with an Ortalian legionnaire, whose bulk took up one third of space, a trio of Rit'ka, whose incessant buzzing all but drove Rarity up the wall, and lastly, a small family of Asli and humans, whose offspring swarmed the mares the very moment they saw them. When the family left the tram, everypony from Celestia to Applejack were left with their manes tousled, a stare in their eyes that spoke of the horrors of Tartarus itself. Luckily, it was nothing a bit of mane-styling magic by Rarity couldn't fix.
The hallway seemed to stretch on forever as they slowly trotted onwards. At the end, a pair of guards were standing on both sides of a door – it seemed to have endured a lot of wear and tear. Scratch that, the entire hallway was marked with what seemed to be faded marks of gunfire. But that wasn't quite what had robbed the ponies' voices – it was the thousands upon thousands of small photos lining the walls, from floor to ceiling. The solemn atmosphere was enough to make even Pinkie Pie uncharacteristically quiet. Eventually, they reached the door, whereupon the guards stationed there inspected the fidgety group. A moment later, he pressed a button on his wrist – the door slid open and he gestured towards it with his head.
“Go ahead.”
Taking a deep breath and internally steeling herself, Celestia nodded at the man, stepping through the doorway, the Elements, her sister and Spike in tow.
TO BE CONTINUED
IMMEDIATELY
“Dad, it's okay. It's not a big deal. Think of it as doing maintenance on a car.” Lieia sighed, her eyes focused on the screen in front of her face. The large, slab-like device at her side thrummed, the robotic limbs extending from it tending to the damaged workings of the cybernetic replacement for her left arm, swiftly and efficiently carrying out the repairs needed. At the same time, another pair of robot arms were snaked deep inside her torso through the hole where her left arm used to be attached.
Though the image was fuzzy, Thed Grisov clearly saw the extent of his daughter's cybernetics, barely stopping himself from grimacing. “Lee, you're missin' your entire left arm, an' I'm willin' to be that ain't the only thing you've lost, of course it's a big deal. When did this happen to ya?”
“Uh, couple of years ago, I think. Don't exactly remember when, the records probably have the data. But I'm perfectly fine now. The replacements work like a treat.” She smiled wanly, in an attempt to placate her father, and failed at doing so.
“An' what about the scars that're obviously surgical in nature? Ya look like someone... Oh.” Thed grew silent for a moment before adopting a more solemn tone. “The Vasari really hurt ya, didn't they?”
Her right fist clenched tightly, she responded haltingly. “That's putting it... lightly.” With some effort, she got herself under control, trying to change the topic. “Your credentials still holding up, dad? If there's any trouble, I can relocate you to somewhere else, give you a new cover.”
Inwardly, the grizzled man sighed, wishing that his daughter was less stubborn, but kept it to himself. “Nah, 's fine. Although, I wouldn't mind getting something better than garrison duty, an' the guys here keep askin' whom I pissed off to get such a boring posting.” He chuckled softly.
“Well, that'd be me.” Lieia smirked, before her smile faded away. “I... I thought I was the only one of our family to survive the invasion, Dad. I th-thought that you, Cara, Mom, and everyone else were dead. I can't ever bear the thought of going through that. Torture, interrogations, experiments, killing - I can handle those. B-but the thought that I'm the last of our family, well...” The woman's voice died off as she let the sentence hang in the air.
“I understand, Lee. Don't worry, I'm not gonna go anywhere. Jus' promise me you'll take more care from now on, 'kay?”
“I'm not going to make any promises I can't keep, Dad. But I'll try.” With a tired moan, she rested her head on her right hand. “Sometimes, I wish this was all a bad dream to wake up from, that it was a Saturday morning and Mom had woken up earlier than us, and was waiting downstairs with a breakfast. That it was time again to go on a trip to the Ring to another racing tournament. Anything but this pointless bloodshed.”
“I know, Lee. I know. But I'm damn proud to be your father right about now.”
A weak, humourless chuckle escaped the blonde's lips. “You're proud that your daughter is a war criminal?”
“I'm proud that you're fighting for what you believe. Besides, holdin' out with the odds stacked against you is no small feat. An' I don't think the Loyalists have made any attempts to make friends with either the Vasari or Advent. And, I dare say, you are the first woman ever to bring a bunch of pirates to heel by out-shouting their leader.”
“It was more of a shouting match followed by a brawl, really. And his guards weren't too shy to join in.” Her mood slowly improving, she chuckled. “I couldn't decide whether it was hilarious or pathetic – twenty of them trying to rush me. Pretty sure one of them is still walking weird.”
Thed chuckled at that heartily, before looking at his wrist. “Ah, shit, kiddo. My shift's startin' soon. I'll talk to you later.”
“Sure. Take care, dad.”
“You to, Lee. Keep on fightin'. Show those bastards what you're made of.” With that, the screen faded to black.
Lieia sighed deeply, letting her forehead thunk against the table as she slumped in her chair. The robot arms clicked and clacked inside her chest cavity, adjusting for her new position.
Celestia swallowed nervously as she and others stood silently, hesitant to interrupt the conversation – although, now that it was over, she was equally hesitant to make her presence known, sensing it was not an appropriate time to disturb the woman. Curiosity getting the better of her, she took a step forward, wincing as she was reminded of her horseshoes as they clacked against the floor. Instantly, the woman sat up, half-turning to face the noise, freezing for a moment as she stared at the ponies.
The ponies stared back.
“Shit, so this actually isn't a fever dream.” Lieia sighed, relaxing some. “Well, don't just stand there. I'm not going to bite you or anything – I am, as you can see, harmless, heh.”
Cautiously, they did as instructed – Celestia eyed the woman, wincing internally as she saw the myriad of scars and tattoos covering her skin, not to mention the cybernetics that made up her left shoulder, with mechanical bits and pieces visible where the tank-top didn't cover her skin. The Elements gasped quietly as they also noticed these details.
“Just, ah, give me a moment until it's finished with the repairs.” She gestured lamely to the thrumming device.
“B-by all means.” Celestia finally managed, shaking off the shock at seeing the stomach-churning extent of augmentations in the woman's body. “I assume that since you summoned us here, you already know our names.”
“Yep. Executioner sent a decent data-packet on its beacon. Celestia, Luna, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike.” She pointed to each pony and dragon in turn. “And, uh, whatever's sitting in Luna's hair.”
“Oh, that'd be Gauge. Don't worry, she's quite docile.”
“'kay. So, how was the trip, anyways? I hope no one harassed your or anything.”
“Nothing of the sort, actually. We drew quite a few stares, however.” Celestia scratched the back of her head.
“I'll say. Not every day you get to meet a bunch of space ponies.” Lieia winced slightly as the robotic arms withdrew from her torso. A moment later, the cybernetic arm was attached to its socket and the ponies winced slightly at the clicking and whirring noises that could be heard. Soon as it was done, Lieia stood up, performing a couple of testing movements with her left arm. “So, um, I'm guessing you lot heard that conversation I was having moments ago. I'll have to ask you to keep it to yourselves. As in, it does not leave this room, understood? Way too many people out there who'd be able to use that against me.” She stood up, striding over to another desk and picking up a jacket, donning said clothing.
This time, Fluttershy spoke up. “W-why?”
“I've made a lot of enemies, miss. More than I care to remember. I don't like to beat around the bush – if I have to step on some toes to get what the Rebellion needs, so be it, and if anyone has a problem with me, then by all means, they're free to try to take me out.” Humming, she turned around, staring out the panoramic window. “So, you're probably wondering why I wanted to meet you instead of simply picking Executioner up and be done with it.”
“The thought has crossed my mind, yes.” Celestia responded warily.
“Well, let's just say that I'm not the only one who responded to Executioner's signal.”
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Now that's just mean!
suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14698665/images/1303671466607.gif
Damn you and your cliffhangers!
yeah! new chapter yay!
hmm.. why isn't the ai with them? what happened to him?
4767095
4767151
i.imgur.com/GJVcabK.gif
4768582 He had some other business to attend to.
You've been trying way too hard to make the Rebel Queen likable, paired with ongoing obsession Celestia seems to have with her, I don't think I'll be following this story any further.
4773258 The obsession has a reason - a couple of chapters back, Discord cast a spell on one of the castle maids, who delivered some spiked tea to the alicorn in question, starting said obsession, in hopes of causing more chaos.
But if you've chosen not to follow this story anymore, that's your choice.
'Dun dun duuuun' indeed.
So... power armored ponies?
4795150 Heavens above, no.
Are you a pride demon or something, tempting me so?
4796578 ...maybe.
4773258 wat. o3O