I Blame You, Too

by Whitestrake

Buzz Aldrin Punched a Dude Because he Said the Moon Landing was Fake

$%$%$% Taylor's POV $%$%$%

Trixie had been a very dear friend to me, better than just about every other I have ever made. I saved her life when we first met; this monster called a manticore attacked her and handed her over as a food offering so I didn't kill it. Well, after spending months around me, my habit of always paying debts rubbed off on her. She went from friend to loyal subordinate as soon as the Inquisition was formed, taking the Wizard as a pseudonym. We were just outside the border with the Pridelands, and like an idiot, I wasn't wearing my helmet. In my defense, this was before the Inquisition split from the Guard and became a separate fighting force, so I had to fight side by side with Equestrians, pony and otherwise, who wouldn't trust a faceless killing machine.

It had been raining for about two weeks, an attrition tactic I recommended to Celestia because most of our enemies were from arid, warm areas. It had been my mistake, because I was up to my knees in mud and thermal vision doesn't work so well in rain, especially the downpour we had that day. A griffon popped over the ridge with one of our Enfields and must have noticed my face wasn't protected. Trixie saw her before I did and jumped in front just as the bird pulled the trigger. I heard a loud pop, and my face was suddenly covered in something a lot warmer than rainwater.

Now, accounts vary on what happened next, and I myself am not sure which is true and which aren't, or even how many of them are correct. All I know is when I got over the initial shock, we had broken through the enemy's defenses and I had a skull strapped around my neck, which is kind of strange, considering I didn't have a knife with me at the time. Still, the day's butcher bill was way out of proportion for a single day of fighting; right at twenty-five to one, with us having the advantage.

“We can go now; I've made my peace for the moment.” I had also had enough of Chrysalis and Amos talking, if only because I seriously needed to let my wife know that telling anyone I was a xenophile was kind of a bad idea, not that I could change the past. I'm sure Amos was intelligent enough not to tell anyone, because I would have to kill him, his comrades, and the trader who brought them to Equus. I probably had to do that anyway, considering our alliance was one of convenience, and we were going to stab each other in the back at some point. If not Dahl and his retinue, then the Imperium at large when they found out about us. “We still have Ophidia to deal with.”

“Right; let me help you up,” Amos Till offered, trying to repair the bridge he was worried had been burned. He knew what I was capable of, that I was self-destructive enough to go against the entire Imperium if I must, and that his life was essentially meaningless to me. Do I sound grim? Macabre? I should; I just finished thinking about a dearly departed friend.

“I assume you'll keep this all a secret from your boss?” I asked, only meaning the memorial garden as the obvious intent, but leaving the subtext where it was. I had a slight smile on my face, a little trick I'd picked up somewhere. It looked friendly on the surface, but could be very unnerving when someone really looked at it. I've had to do some politicking in the Inquisition's investigations, especially the Temples we have in other nations. The griffins really didn't like it when I visited.

“Of course; the dead are sacred on home.” Right, I had forgotten he was from a feudal world the Imperium had a tenuous grasp on, at best. He was loyal, yes, but his morals prevented him from telling anyone about this place, thankfully. “You have my word, so long as we are working together.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way.”

$%$%$%$%$%$%

Shipmaster Delray was panicking, for once. Truthfully, he'd had a bad feeling about this run for a while, but had kept his mouth shut because it provided a nice break from the monotony of working the same route over and over again, as he had been stuck doing for the past five years. It wouldn't have been so bad if the two planets hadn't been right next to each other, but he needed the money at the time. He had always worked very well with money, and he'd even picked up some cargo to sell after finishing up this Inquisition business Reglan Dahl had contracted him for.

Sadly, the shipment of fine furniture had proven to be... well, a complete nightmare. At first, it had been impossible to open to review the contents, which should have tipped him off something wasn't quite right about this deal. He was quite understanding of how things went in the galaxy, but his crew were not so... complacent.

“Close that damned vent!” One of the few non-servitors of his ship shouted at a machine. The servitor complied without complaint, programmed to obey without hesitation. A clamor came from beyond the murky darkness within the ventilation shaft, followed by a hissing chitter. A pair of clawed hands reached out, and sliced through the machine's chassis like a hot knife through butter. The muddy brown exoskeleton was immediately made the target of the crewmen's fire. Las shots and slugs slammed through the aperture, eliciting a terrible scream from the beast.

“Gentlemen, I think you may have forgotten about the escape pods.” As much as Delray didn't want to abandon the Valkyrie, it was a necessary sacrifice to ensure its continued survival. He could get aid from the natives, this Skully character Dahl described to his comrades. Yes, this seemed like a job for a pysker, rogue or not.

“You heard the boss; MOVE!” One of the men shouted. He had been with Delray for about two years, and knew his job well. He covered his shipmates as they scrambled to the small drop pods that peppered the walls of the hangar, taking a step back after every third shot. Only after he was sure the others were to safety did he turn to run, and took the first atmospheric vessel he could find. Delray watched as two of the beasts made it in with him before the pod's door could close. He turned off his radio to stop the screaming and chittering noises.

He punched in the rally signal for his small escaper, and programmed the others to follow his, save the one the man being eaten was in. The trader watched as his beautiful Valkyrie faded into the distance, making a wonderful backdrop for the other crewmen who escaped with him. A single pod, barely a drop of blue against the void, fired off, far from the set course. Delray immediately realized this meant two of the aliens were going planetside, where they would do what they were infamous for. He did all he knew to do in this situation as he saw the rogue pod arc towards a polar region on the world below.

“Hello, Inquisitor Dahl? It appears we have a problem.”

$%$%$%$%$%$%
Extra – From the Mind of the Burned Man “I shall have Retribution”

It was raining, as it had been for the past fourteen days. My breath fogged in the humid, frigid air. It was spring, but it was nearly cold enough to snow; either way, my face burned from the temperature. Each drop, if they could qualify as such, was about as thick as my forefinger, fucking with my armor's electronics more than my living body cared.

“Fill that gap, guardspony!” I shouted at one of the stallions who walked by a small hole in the sandbags, something I only did because Celestia wanted the Inquisition to get along with the Royal Guard. If it was up to me, we would have charged over that ridge a week ago, on a cloudy night with our knives covered in soot and dirt to keep them from catching light. “Damn, I actually regret not joining Jay's team in hitting the dogs.”

“I get that you're stir crazy, but keep a level head.” Trixie Lulamoon, my trusted friend and voice of reason when away from my family, rolled her eyes. She was just as dirty, cold, and hungry as I was, and complained ten times as much as I did. Zero times ten is still zero. “The last thing we need is you getting killed; I like Scipia and all, but I don't think I'm father material.”

“That's why you're her godmother, Trix.” I smiled at her, enjoying the slight respite we had from the fighting. This was much worse than Cuatla had been, by far, but we had made it to the border, so a cease-fire should be negotiated soon. In the corner of my eye, I noticed a beige dot slightly rise from the dark red soil of the ridge ahead. “What the hell?”

“Taylor, get down!” A blue blur passed in front of my vision, and a splash of red mist sprayed in my face. I heard the bang a moment later, but it was already too late to stop Trixie from taking the bullet. The ridgeline lit up with retaliatory fire from our side, but the sniper ducked before any could come that way. A fell to the ground quickly, trying to keep my blue friend awake long enough for help to arrive. I said everything I knew to say, every lie in the book to keep her spirits up in the hopes she might pull through. You'll be fine; I've seen worse; it didn't hit anything important; we got the bastard; the Medic is on her way; you'll be home by tomorrow.

I think she knew she wasn't going to make it, because she kept smiling up at me like she was just fine. Her intact lung started filling with blood rather quickly, something I could only tell by her increased coughing. She passed, rather peacefully for her injuries, just before the Medic arrived. Sunny Smiles may have been an amazing doctor, but she was not a god. Trixie had been set on repaying me for saving her when we first met, and I knew she did that as my friend, but I could also tell she felt like it absolved her.

I wonder how she could feel if she knew I felt like I owed her more than she ever owed me?

Comments

[Hawattie]

Touching.

[Whitestrake]

2607456 I'm getting better at putting feels in things, I think

[Misplaced Modifier]

At least she payed her debts before she left.

-Mis

[G S tol Kriaal]

understanding of things went in the galaxy

I think you mean "how things went"

[Bazing]

2605140 love Dave, great comedian lol

[Bazing]

HAHAHAHA BUZZ ALDRIN WTF!?

[house932]

I've seen video of the punch.
It was awesome.

[Rhodesm96]

2605740 I find them interesting.

[Useless Machine]

Oh.
Shit.
Hope to god those aren't Genestealers, because if magic really is connected to the Warp, the Tyranids have screwed this place.

[Chuck Baleigh]

No questions for this one Whitestrake, except one, and it's not about Warhammer.
Tell me, why is it that I leave you for only three days, expecting only one new chapter for the week, and then you create not one, not two, but three chapters?
Just curious.

EDIT:
Also,

Inserting this into my head for the Trixie part.
Fits, really.

[Whitestrake]

2611743 I got a rush of inspiration

[Razzy]

Boom, headshot!

How DARE the other races resist being subjugated by ponies.