Battle stations

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I was awoken by the sound of my alarm clock broadcasting today's news about the ongoing war over one of our newer colonies. I slowly rose from my bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes with one hand and turned off the alarm clock with my other. I stood up and walked to my closet and pulled out my uniform. A white undershirt, brown jacket with armor plating, black jeans and work boots. With that done I walked into the bathroom, splashed some water into my face and brushed my teeth. I could barely see myself in the poorly lit room but I could still make myself out. I was tall at six feet and had a well toned figure, years of training will do that to you. I had blue eyes which glowed thanks to neural implants and bright red hair tied back into a ponytail with my fringe falling down the right side of my face covering most of my external enhancement.Compared to most agents I still had most of my facial features left unchanged after surgery. My high cheekbones, slim face and freckles were still there, personally I wish they had gotten rid of the small amount of freckles I had. I also have a few scars on my face that never healed but they were small and hard to notice. I was twenty five years old but thanks to the wonders of augmentation and modern science I looked eighteen.

Finished with washing up I left the small closet I call my room and walked out into the hallway of the RADC Frigate Phantom. As I made my way down the white and grey hallways passing by other soldiers or officers I pulled out my PDA and went through my messages. Turns out I was going to have to work over time today, some rookie in our Squadron wanted to play the action hero and banged up his Chassis. Fucking rookies make my life hell. We all have to help this asshole fix his machine because the new guys don't even know how to fix their own goddamn Chassis. By the time I made it to the mess hall the other soldiers and engineers were pouring in. After I grabbed some of the synthetic crap they called food I made my way to some other pilots and sat with them. I didn't pay them much attention as I was going through my messages and sending reports.

"Attention, will Squadron Leader Esther Leonas report to the captain imminently." The mechanical voice from the ship's PA system brought me back to normality. I rose from the table and put the tray on top of one of the bins. Making my way closer to the bridge of the ship the corridors became crowded with officers and machines running around performing their various duties. As I approached the bridge doors I was stopped by two guards, both in the standard grey armored dress uniform.

"Sorry ma'am but we must see some ID, Captain’s orders." One of them stated to me. I put my hand into my pocket and handed him my PDA. He looked at it for a few seconds and handed it back to me, when he realized who I was he seemed to stand up a bit taller. "Everything checks out ma'am." He said with a salute as the other guard opened the door. The bridge was a hive of activity with everyone at work, and yelling instructions to each other. It was rare to see the bridge this crowded. I made my way past the rows of computers and terminals to the front of the room. Sitting in a chair surrounded by computers sat the captain.

"Sir." I said as he turned around to talk to me. The captain was one of the few aliens to be of such a high rank in a human fleet. The captain was a Raknan, One of the first species humanity encountered. like all Raknan he had scales instead of skin, In his case dark green ones. He had bright orange eyes and was hairless, instead in his old age he had a line of white horns jutting from his head, chipped and damaged over the years. He worn a black dress uniform with an antique M1911 on his hip.

"Ah, Esther, just who I was looking for. As you are aware the mission is going smoothly." He told me as he turned to look out the Bridges window.

"Yes sir, if all goes well we should have this operation done and dusted by next week. Though I’m assuming you didn't call me up here so I could high five you, Vectis?" I asked informally as I stood next to him and surveyed the endless sky.

"No not exactly, but celebrations may be in order." He said with a chuckle.

"Why? Did something come up?" I inquired, curious to what he meant.

"Look at this." He said as he brought a screen up on his computer."When we were scanning the system before we made the jump the scans were pretty normal; a sun and five planets in orbit. Normal, until we sent out a probe yesterday to check some strange readings that cropped up when we entered the system. What we found is that planet SK.23, the closest to the sun, can sustain live and is a Terran level planet! A planet that close to the sun should be a molten rock yet there it is, oceans and all." He said clearly excited by the discovery.

"This is… incredible! I take it the lab rats are foaming at the mouth to study it?" I ask feverishly as I study the lush green planet from the screen.

"Yes, in fact I was thinking of sending you and your team with them as security."

"Wow that's a bit sudden. I'm up for it but I can't be as sure as to the rest of the guys. When are we leaving?" I tell him.

"After relaying this to the boys back at the Armada we've got clearance to extend our post in this system for a mouth so we have time to get a new ground force, though I would feel safer knowing I have a team of Pilots on the ground, especially a team being lead by a friend. As for when they’re going down, we will be in orbit in two days, so you will have plenty of time." He told me with a smile.

"Thanks Vec." I smiled back.

"Now then, that's all for now. If you wish to talk to me or the scientists you need only send me a message. Dismissed."

"Sir." I saluted him and walked out of the bridge barely able to contain my excitement.

--Hanger Bay--

"So that's the captains plan. Thoughts? Concerns?" I shouted into my armored helmet as I worked on my Chassis.

"Well shit sign me up."

"Yeah, I could use some shore leave."

"No complaints here." Delta, Tyler and Elizabeth responded along with the the rest of the team. I barely knew most of my team but these three have been in my Squadron since I was its leader. They handle well under fire and I’ve come to rely on them when I’ve need them.

Delta was an Avia, birdlike creatures with feathers covering their body. They're adept at aerial combat, being born with wings and an almost supernatural level of speed when needed, so having them on a team is a god send when you train well with them. Delta was young at the age of nineteen and one of the few Avians to join the military either from birth or at a young age. He had white and black feathers and a black, cracked beak with yellow eyes and a blown back styled ‘haircut’. He wore an armored vest with a black undershirt, cargo pants, boots, armored plates around his arms and a red bandanna over his forehead.

Tyler was a Human born on the farm world Sandra. He had a dark tan from his days on the farm and a working man accent. He had short black hair, dark brown eyes and was the oldest of the group at twenty seven. He wore a white singlet, black jeans and steel cap boots. The man was a born mechanic and chef, you could usually find him working on his Chassis or cooking something up in the mess hall.

Elizabeth was what some people call a Droid, though if you said it to her face you would wake up in the med bay, and what many others called a Cyborg, Augmented or the umbrella term of Hybrid. She was mostly machine with her left leg, half of her face, her right arm and most of her chest being comprised of metal, augmentations, fake skin and wiring. Both of her eyes were replaced by the green orbs that fill the space now and she had no hair, not even eyebrows. No one really knows her story, all we know is her military background and that she sometimes tells people she was born on "a craphole of a planet", but that could be said about a lot of backwater alien colonies. Despite her intimidating appearance and tendency towards violence she was one of the nicest people you could work with once you got on her good side. She doesn't really wear clothes as she had nothing to cover with all the metal having long since repaired the damage done to her body.

The rest of the team I have yet to get acquainted with though they’re all rookies; They became Chassis Pilots for the glory and ‘cool factor’ of being behind the controls of a war machine. I finished examining the wires and circuits that connect my Chassis's shoulder to the rest of its body. I removed my hand from the hatch, sealed it and operated the gravity lift to the ground.

My Chassis was a beauty. A Mark 12-B Special Operations Class Skirmisher. It stood at twenty feet tall and was made of a super light metal alloy. Skirmishers were the most adaptable Chassis in combat as they are both fast and destructive. The legs of my Chassis were the lightest armored as they needed to be able to move quickly. They were covered in sharp angular metal but at the joint where the leg and thigh of the robot meet there sat a large sharp blade covering the joint. It was my idea, in combat if I was stuck in hand to hand combat or CQC with another Chassis I would jam my knee into the chest of the enemy's chassis and cut the wires and circuits that send power to the legs and severely damage its armor. The arms were similarly shaped like the legs but with more armor and instead of a blade, behind the elbows of the Chassis miniature reactors were embedded into the frame. In emergency situations they can boost power to the limbs to make climbing, which makes carrying or moving obstacles easier and in combat situations the reactors could charge and propel the arm at such a velocity that it can tear through walls of concrete and metal. Unlike most Skirmishers the Special Operations Class had hands instead of arm mounted cannons. They serve as tools and allows use of the Chassis armaments.

The chest of the robot was the most heavily armored; In the center of the chest laid the Chassis's reactor. All Chassis, no matter what type, all have a reactor built into their chest or back; they’re self sustaining and can power the Chassis for months on end without recharging or suffering critical damage, though thankfully they can recharge in the field thanks to solar power. The reactors are highly irradiated though and after heavy use they need to vent. Mine can vent in two ways; Through the pipes, small holes and airways built into the back and front of the armor, which takes longer but is safer or by opening the reactors armor and exposing it letting it vent freely but the heat and radiation can kill anything outside of the chassis within ten meters of the reactor and leaves the Chassis vulnerable to heavy arms fire.

On the back of the Chassis sat my two main weapons; the H3.22 Vulcan Multi-gun and the Can Opener. The Multi-gun is a four part canon built for the Skirmisher class Chassis. Its painted a forest green color, uses a drum magazine and normal iron sights, though the weapon is bulky, heavy and can crush most vehicles as a club. In its normal stage it looks like a normal auto-rifle, and it is, in that stage the gun had four barrels that rapidly fire searing hot plasma rounds, but it can also change the four small barrels into one huge barrel for the scattergun form. True to its name it shoots fragmented plasma rounds, destructive and fun. Its third stage is the rifle from, the barrel extends and converts the iron sight and handle rail into an adjustable scope. And lastly the railgun; the barrels retract into the gun and it shoots a super charged slug of plasma at the enemy, its known to tear through smaller armored opponents and cause an EMP effect.

and the other weapon I carry is the ‘Can Opener’ as the Engineers call it. A giant sword that was retrofitted so that if the blade wasn't enough to tear through a wall of steel then the blades laser cut would. It was ugly and had a blue handle and a steel blade but it got the job done and I had come to rely on it in combat. And the last thing on my back were the Chassis's 'wings'. They looked more like four steel structures sticking out of the back but when in flight the rods light up and blue, the color is strictly aesthetic, bars of light connect two of the metal rods together to form a sort of wing look. The energy propels the Chassis to speeds capable of space travel and up to Mach six on ground. The Helm of the Chassis was covered in armor. The only structurally weak thing on it was the blast proof glass used to look out of the cockpit. The Helm had an angular design with the armored parts sticking out from the sides and pointing down towards the front of the helmet. The glass was heavily fortified from the inside and out so puncturing the helmet was near impossible and at the top of the helmet sat a large metal blade that was angled back a small bit. It was useless in combat and was used to Identify the leader of a squadron. My Chassis was painted White with blue lines and a blue visor.

Delta was a Skirmisher like me but his Chassis was a Hunter Class, more specifically the Mark 12-A Harbinger. His was built lighter than mine but packed more weaponry. His armor was similar to mine minus the blades mounted on and the reactors but with more armor on his chassis making it bulkier and less protection needed on the joints and more on the actual arms and legs. Instead he had an arm mounted cannon and another arm mounted scattergun. Anything that the cannon can't kill with the cannon he finishes off with the metal piecing scattergun. On the Chassis shoulders he had mounted two rocket pods and on the back he installed a retractable laser mounted onto another arm. His helmet was shaped more like a beak with the face angled forward and the glass view forming a V shape running up the face. He had painted his black with red V shaped lines running down his chest, arms and legs and a white visor.

Tyler was a Scouter, meaning he had the fastest Chassis on the team but had next to no additional armor. His Chassis, the Raven.21 used new designs that had next to no armor, so his Chassis was small in comparison to the others with the armor being very angular and form fitting. On one hand he had a mounted Carbine, its less powerful than the usual chain gun but was more accurate and lethal against smaller vehicles and in the other hand he had an actual hand that was customized so that it could electrocute anything it touched or sent an EMP pulse. On his left shoulder he had a mounted Sniper Rifle and on the other a Radar. The radar boosts his radio signal and made him able to track enemy positions while being able to mask and scramble his signal if he is spotted. Along with the radar he also had a camouflage module built into his back giving him ten minutes of invisibility. He had his Chassis painted with jungle camouflage and a green visor.

Elizabeth was the teams Guardian. While us three may be built to favor speed over combat she was the opposite. She had more armor than anyone else giving her Chassis a bulky look. She used an outdated model that she had being constantly refurbishing known as the V.455 Stalker, one of the first Guardian class Chassis built during the war for Earth hundreds of years ago. It had two legs but instead of having blades or armor it had a cannon built into both legs to give a nasty surprise and the thing was built with four arms. On the left side the one arm held a Melter, given its name after the square shaped gun melted an entire gun range, and a auto-rifle. On the right side it had a shotgun built into it and a bolt-gun. The bolt-gun shots bolts of electricity which short circuits anything it goes up against. The helmet was built into the Chest with the reactor built behind it and the roof of the Chassis was occupied with a rocket pod on the left and a plasma rifle on the right. It was ugly, old and should not be able to fly but Elizabeth had somehow turned the centuries year old fossil into a modern day Harbinger of death complete with a flight system. Like most of the old Chassis it never got a paint job so it stayed gun metal gray.

All Chassis needed two things to be recognizable on the field if coms are down and radars are jammed; their units emblem and their name. On every Chassis the left arm, chest and right leg have the pilots first name, rank and Chassis class painted on in white , for me its ESTHER-SQUADRON LEADER-SKIRMISHER SPEC OPS-. And on the back of the Chassis, my Units emblem; A black phoenix carrying a knife and scroll in each talon with our motto written underneath: 'Per Ardua Ad Astra' or in English: 'To the stars through difficulties', sounds better in Latin. It used to be the motto of the Royal Australian Air Force but after Humanity banded together and formed the Royal Armada Defense Corps the idea of separate armies protecting different regions became asinine when it would take an army of billions to defend a planet. The Skirmisher Special Operations Task Force adopted the motto twenty years ago when it was formed.

At the moment we were all running repairs and diagnostics on our Chassis, the news that we would soon be protecting a team of scientists on an unknown world got us all excited. As I worked the Gravity Lift back to the group and pulled my goggles up to my for head and turned to look at the hangar. The hanger was a hive of activity to say the least. Engineers and pilots repairing tools of war and machines able to raze a city to the ground as sparks of fire and lighting fire off in random directions in a fatal display of mechanical beauty while one floor up the scientists and scholars find new ways to create life as their experiments could be the saving grace that we need. And then I looked out into space through windows lining the bulkhead door. It was beautiful. It’s hard to imagine with all the warfare and horrors we have seen that the universe is such an amazing place, The bright power of the warm sun, the planets painted blue and green and the trillions of stars that shine so brightly. We use these weapons of war to protect the people who invent impossible things to save this beautiful war zone we call home.

Meanwhile...

It was a cold night as I and my sister stood side by side in the war room as we listened to the reports from the front lines. The griffins were slowly pushing us back and it was estimated they will be at Trottingham within a few months if we can't hold back their numbers. As the night went on we continued to discuss ways we could hold them off, the soldiers we will lose and the innocents that we won't. It was never easy being a Diarch, harder in times of war.

It started as an argument with the Griffin King, they needed land and resources as the cold winter had stricken them with a strain on their resources, and if they did not get new farmland within Equestrian soil they may not last the year. We told them we simply had no land to give them as we had given a large portion of it to the Crystal Empire and then the newly crowned Princess Twilight. The news went over badly and tensions grew. The war unofficially began when an unicorn got into a public confrontation with a griffon and then killed him. The griffons demanded blood and they got it, they found where the unicorn lived and burnt his house to the ground. My ponies demanded payback for what they had done to the stallion’s family. Borders closed and in time we grew spiteful. The Griffins came and captured a farm town near the border and the Royal Guards operation to take it back turned into a bloodbath for both sides. The Griffon King declared full scale war on the United Lands of Equestria and the border between the two countries turned into a war zone.

That was five years ago, and slowly the war had gotten worse. Frontier towns raided, Griffin Tribes slaughtered and with tensions brewing with the other nations there is talk that the other nations can no longer stand on the sidelines. By the time the reports had ended and the new plans were put into place I felt exhausted and melancholy.

"Another failed operation, will this war never end?" I muttered with a sigh as my sister and I walked down one of the many hallways of the gleaming Canterlot Castle. The sun had set hours ago and I was feeling the effects.

“Sister, you and I both know that we are on even ground with the Griffins, they can't advance as long as we hold Rockfall Ridge, and it is firmly in our hands." Luna said to me in a reassuring voice as she put a hand on my shoulder. "It's been a long day, try and get some sleep, that's an order." Luna told me in a mock demanding tone. I chuckled and hugged her lovingly.

"You worry about me too much sister."

"That's because you're too busy worrying about everyone else." She said as she returned the hug. I broke the hug and walked into my bedroom. We said our goodbyes as I closed the door behind me. She was not wrong. Since the war had begun I had slowly started getting more and more worried about my subjects. I fear that if the war continues the casualties will be the highest in recorded history, but with the slow decline of enlistment I may have to reinstate the old laws of conscription. As harsh as it may be it is necessary, but it will cause a public uproar. We are facing something not seen in Equestria since the Lunar Rebellion, and I’m afraid. Sighing, I went into my bathroom to have a warm shower to calm my nerves and plan. When I was done I dried myself with my magic, went to my closet and pulled out my sleepwear. Though they may seem childish compared to what other ponies would wear I decided to wear a shirt with a picture of the sun and some comfy pants. Before I went to bed I walked out onto the balcony and looked over my land. It had changed over the years from the picturesque beauty of a regal city to the firm presence of a stronghold.

Ponies could be seen patrolling the city walls and flying overhead, the homeless littered the backstreets and alleys, many displaced by taxes or loss of their homes and businesses that had gone under because of the increase in crime. With each day the tension between the nobles and the common pony grew and the clouds of smoke billowing from the factories obscure some of the night sky. Canterlot had changed but it was for the better, no longer can we live in ignorance of the world around us. As I looked up into the jeweled sky, I simply stared for a while, captivated by the beauty my sister shared with the world. For a while things seemed normal until I saw what looked like a blue star moving. It was too slow to be a shooting star but too bright to be an asteroid or some other form of extraterrestrial waste. I simply told myself that I would ask my sister in the morning about it. I walked back into my bedroom and crawled into my bed, lulled to sleep by the sound of my own heartbeat. My name is Celestia, Raiser of the sun, sister to Luna, and the leader of the Royal Equestrian Army, and I was scared that by the end of this war there will be no Equestria left to save, for it has changed from the land of harmony I have tried to make it into a war torn hell.

Two days later
Esther
RADC Phantom

I was awoken to the sound of sirens and the thunder of armored feet banging against the steel ground, I knew what this meant; A Rift was detected. Which meant that soon a fleet of Marauders would be heading our way.

Marauder is the name the first contact victims gave them, pretty fitting if you ask me. They find a colonized world and they descend on it, killing everything in their way. Those they don't kill become slaves, food or a Marauder though mental and physical torture and the plague they bring. In the beginning when they made contact with Earth we were fucked. Our weapons weren't strong enough to pierce their ships shields, as a result the fighting was one sided as they bombed our cities from orbit. But over time we invented, retrofitted and stole enough technology to invent ships fast enough to dodge them, guns strong enough to pierce their armor and recruit men and women hateful enough to never back down from a fight. Soon we found other Species that had been invaded or fighting back and soon we had armadas that were enough to take the fight to their planets.

They call it the Marauder Retaliation and we won that particular war many millennias ago, now all that's left of them are small raiding parties that go after frontier planets. They’re monsters, all of them. You can't reason with them, they don't show mercy, and wherever they go they spread a disease that kills and infects anything it comes into contact with. Everyone in the army has a bone to pick with them, so as you can imagine the sound of a siren going off is enough to get everyone to their stations.

I ran down the hallways in my usual getup back to the hanger. every single pilot was scrambling to get to their fighter, Chassis or bomber. Delta, Tyler and Elizabeth and the rest of the team were already getting prepared in the armory. I ran after them and got everything I would need from the armory. The armory was a hive of activity. The dim blue lighting from the ceiling and walls showed men and women grabbing guns and armour from their small, secured lockers built into the walls or activating their specialized equipment whether it be a mechanized suit or a set of neural implants. I walked into one of the many booths lining the walls and took off my clothes until I was only wearing my plain white underpants and bra. A hatch opened behind me and a pair of robotic arms scanned my body to Identify me.

"Welcome, Skirmisher Pilot Esther Leonas, armoured pilot suit ready." Said a soft, feminine robotic voice as a pair of robot arms sealed a skintight jumpsuit to me. Most Pilots wear what's known as a LANS. Lightweight Armoured Neural-linked Suit. their light, heavily-armored with metal shoulder guards, chest plates, arm and leg armor and a helmet that resembles your Chassis's cockpit. They also possess small flight capabilities like jump jets in the soles of the boots and small vents on the back which act like a small jetpack. The suit also heightens reflects and had a Heads-Up Display inside the helmet that displays a radar of a small radius and the pilots vital signs and Chassis integrity.

When it was done putting on the LANS I picked my normal clothes, opened the front of my helmet so I could see without the blue borders and statuses and went to collect my guns. I put my hand on a touchpad and after a few seconds a hatched opened on the wall letting me access my locker. I pulled out my best friend; a high caliber plasma rifle with a metallic finish. The M3.Sundown. It was half a meter long but retracted when it was not in use to the size of a pistol. It shot hot plasma rounds that can travel for ten kilometers before the round would burn out. the clip can carry twenty rounds before it needs to recharge, thankfully I carry ten clips with me in one of the pouches on my suits belt. The gun looks similar to a M1903 Springfield but fully metal, made of titanium and the barrel and chamber is replaced by a long glass barrel. A set of small holographic nodes placed on top of the barrel display a blue scope capable of magnification of up to 9 kilometers. When deactivated the nodes function more as an iron sight. I strapped it to the back of my belt. Next I grabbed my revolver, the Anaconda. Based off the old Colt Anaconda revolver it shares a similar design but instead of the primitive six round cylinders it used Cartridges that hold up to twenty rounds that are loaded into the handle of the gun and had a longer barrel with vents on the side. Similar to the Sundown, it had a node that displayed a holographic dot sight capable of 3x zoom or simply act as an iron sight. I placed it in the holster strapped to my left leg and put its spare clips into the pouch strapped to my thigh. And lastly my Auto-rifle. Auto-rifles were the most commonly used machine guns for both infantry and Chassis as they were fast to build and reliable even when damaged. The gun was shaped similar to how the Chassis' looked but instead of a drum magazine it had a box mag and a 6x scope with a tripod also built in. I put my bandolier on and strapped the gun to my back and put the two spare magazines for them in the front along with two fragment grenades and two red flares.

All that was left were my tools; My portable blowtorch strapped to my left side and my Plasma welder on my right side. My Chassis carried more tools but these were the lightest that I could carry and make use as weapons.

Finally geared up, I ran back outside and joined up with the rest of my team as they neared their Chassis, the Technicians kept them powered and recharging in preparation for a confrontation. When the Chassis picked up my neural signature it got down on one knee, the helmet opened up and a ladder descended down. As I climbed up I saw that everyone else was doing the same thing or running around finalizing things for launch. When I got into the helmet the hatch closed and the small chamber was light up with blue lights illuminating the many screens and radars as the metal cover raised to reveal the hanger. I put my clothes in a hatch that had opened up in the wall. A small luggage compartment for a pilot's necessitates or personal items. The Chassis had an impressive amount of storage space, mostly filled with food, water, ammunition, emergency supplies and tools.

"Power levels nominal, shields and armor at 100%, the reactor is powering up, weapons locked and loaded and flight model is primed. We are good to go Command!" I spoke into my helmet. Upon confirmation my Chassis was lifted into the air by the grav-cranes built into the hangers roof. Soon all the Chassis had formed a line and were lowered in front of the bulkhead doors. The Chassis were able to change from flight and combat form. In combat the machine's legs were its main form of transit and the wings/engine acted as a way of accelerating movement. In flight the bottom of the legs feet opened up and revealed rows of smaller engines used to propel the Chassis and the wings extended causing them to hover of the ground.

"OK listen up boys, As you know we have detected a rift about to open near the fleet. Normally this wouldn't be as much of a big deal, but as you also know we have discovered a scientific anomaly on the planet we planned to land on. If we let the Marauders take over the planet then we have no idea what they could find and use against us. While the fleet takes out their flagship we are to deal with any boarding crafts, interceptors and landing parties. We are to form a perimeter around the planet and prevent them access. Understood?" I shouted the orders to every Pilot in the hanger as slowly every spacecraft and machine got in formation. When the bulkhead door opened everyone scrambled out into the void.

The Phantom was the biggest scout ship that had been deployed to this date, a mile long with about two thousand cannons, AA guns and turrets built in. The ship was expansive and the metal armor was designed to destroy debris on impact, so as you can imagine its bulky, large and a bit ugly. Its the finest ship in its class. The ten other smaller frigates and destroyer class ships were of a similar shape but on a smaller scale. There were thousands upon thousands of smaller crafts in the air as we all prepared for the coming wave. As I flew with the rest of my team, Fire Team Recon, I counted that including myself there were twenty pilots who had formed up next to me as we neared the front of the Phantom. Normally raiding parties are of a small scale of five small personal carriers and a few hundred ships and aliens. So you can imagine the shock and fear we felt when twenty frigates warped in. Like a swarm of destruction their plague carrying pods descended on us tearing apart many on contact.

"All Pilots break apart and engage! Open fire!" I shouted as everyone made evasive maneuvers to dodge the incoming hostiles. All ready we had destroyed two of their ships with the combined firepower of our fleet but they were destroying too many of our pilots and there were too many boarding ships to shoot down. I evaded a large blast from the Phantom, switched my auto-rifle to my Rail gun and started tearing through their numbers as my searing plasma scorched the pilots within and tore through their pathetic shields. As I turned to assist another pilot who was being torn apart by two interceptors something grabbed me from behind and sent me crashing into the side of a smaller frigate. I found myself face to face with a Tormentor.

Tormentors got their name through how they love to play with their prey before tearing them apart with their deformed limbs and tentacles. Tormentors were a mixture of a long forgotten species mixed with a fight engine and jagged metal and sound just as horrifying. It propelled itself at me and with the few seconds I had to react I raised my knee and gutted it on the blade attach to my leg. As it tried to rip my Chassis helm off with its tentacles and tear open my reactor with its twisted teeth I pulled out my Multi-gun and switched it to the scattergun. I blasted its grotesque face off as black blood and ichor stained the ships walls or floated off into space like the scrapes off its body. As I flew away from it back to the pilot I saw I wasn't quick enough to save the pilot as I watched a tormentor rip open the reactor. The explosion sent me spinning disorientingly and flying back. I managed to stabilize myself long enough to see more and more Interceptors heading for Delta.

Delta

"This is Flight Lieutenant Delta, I got two bogies on my tall, I can't shake them!" I shouted into my com as the flying buckets that had been following me kept dodging the molten shots I rapidly fired at them. It was at the same time that I saw the missile lock warning that I saw Tyler and Esther gun down both of the incoming Marauders, one each.

"Thanks, fuckers almost got me back there. Shit, to your left Esther!" I shouted in time to see her pull out the Can Opener. Within a few seconds she engaged its blade and tore through the seeker spore causing the two split semi-organic halves to fly off into the void as its blood stained her armor, painting it in dark blue viscera and meaty chunks. The mutilated halves of infected tissue were scorched from the searing heat of the now deactivated sword and floated off into the battlefield behind her.

"Good save Delta." she congratulated me.

"Tyler, see if you can find Elizabeth's signal, we're gonna need as many pilots as we can, we’re getting slaughtered out here." After I gave Tyler the order, sure enough Tyler overtook me and lead us through the wreckage of fallen friends and slain beasts to find Elizabeth was going head to head with a pack of tormentors.

"Everyone mark your targets and avoid Liz." Esther instructed us. I locked my rocket launcher on the one coming up behind her, Tyler's Sniper singled in on the one circling her and Esther had already charged the one attacking Liz head-on. By the time the beasts had notice us it was too late, my missile lit up like a Christmas tree and the resulting explosion was twice as bright, Tyler's round took the head off the ugly fuck and Liz and Esther had both torn the thing apart with their weapons.

"Thanks, was getting a bit rough bac-" Elizabeth was interrupted as the explosion of two of our frigates side by side partially blinded us as the chunks of debris rained down on us. When the light cleared we saw something we dreaded; A heavily armored landing craft heading our way.

Meanwhile

As I stood on my snow covered balcony to stare up at the night sky I stood in awe, for it looked as if the stars themselves were at war. Bright flashes of blue, red and green flew haphazardly as explosions seemed to occur repeatedly as fire rained into orbit and promptly burnt up. Perhaps this was a sign that the gods and my ancestors were angered by what I have done. I hope when it is my turn to join them I will be judged fairly. Tearing my gaze from the sky I stared down at my castle and town. The winter had hit us the hardest that year with the wind blowing the snow down from the mountains. With each passing day more and more griffins were either claimed by the cold or died in flight. Many buildings were crowded as people desperately tried to stay warm and find a dry place to sleep. If it weren't for the food being supplied from the farmlands east of the mountains I fear we may have not survived the past few years.

I was in no way proud of how we claimed that land, but we need it. If those Princesses could see how my people suffered, maybe then they would understand, but those Xenophobic ponies would never set foot in my lands lest they have to face a new way of looking at things. As the cold winds started to get to me I walked back into the warm hallway of my castle. Soon one of my guards came to me with news, though we have made no leeway in passing the Rockfall path we had formed a trade route with the Drakes and the Diamond Dogs who would gladly support our war effort.

This trade route and new reinforcements would soon prove to be invaluable. As I entered my war room I continued to discuss this news with the Generals and Alchemists. As of yesterday I had asked for a report on the lights in the night sky and the same as yesterday, and I was shocked. It appeared hundreds of machines were engaged in some form of confrontation using magic and technology never seen before. Shocked I told them to keep me updated and tell me if anything changes. Filled with a new sense of dread I couldn't help but feel this was an omen of things to come. As I entered my chambers and closed the door behind me I walked to my window and looked up to the War in the sky.

"Gods forgive me for the blood I have spilled, but do not mistake me when I say it had to be done, for the sake of my people this war had to happen, I can not sit idle as my people suffer these horrid winds and this never ending snow. Do not mistake what I say for hate or blame but I beg of you, why have you forsaken your people? What have we done to deserve this?! Have we not stayed loyal? Have I not lead my people with the strength of the kings and queens before me?! If I have not then I beg of you give me the courage and strength to do so! For if it means I must lead my armies down a darker road, burn the land in a macabre display of devotion and usher the people I once called comrades into oblivion to save those I still love then I will do so! But please, tell me; what have we done? Why must I suffer more for the sins I commit? Have I not lost enough?!" I shouted to the winds, my tears sliding down my hardened face and freezing upon the ground like a precious snowflake. As I ranted to no one I failed to realize I had fallen to my knees, for I found myself losing the strength to stand confidently. Picking myself off the ground and staring out the window it was not the night sky I saw but my reflection.

It was of a young man, a healthy Griffin with white and gold feathers, bright sapphire eyes and a jewel encrusted crown worthy of the gods atop a man who once stood tall and proud. It was the reflection of a wealthy and beloved King, but it was not the crown nor my feathers that I saw, it was my eyes and the harrowing sights it held. They were the eyes of a veteran, the kind in which if you stare all you will see is horror and war, the eyes of an old man who is tired, the eyes of a killer looking for forgiveness. I was a young king, but all my eyes showed me was that I was a tired soldier who can't keep fighting two wars.

Tyler

We’re fucked, plain and simple. We had emptied round after round into its shield and armor but it accomplished nothing. The Marauder landing craft was a monster. It was a large, dented and bloodied prison ship captured by those monsters. They had covered the cockpits window in near imprenitrable metal, meaning the ship had to either be piloted blind or rarely with the aid of a optic placed outside the ship. The ship's armour plating was layered with large spikes designed to impale Chassis and smaller ships, usually goring the pilots. It seemed to ooze corruption as a black foul smelling liquid seemed to seep out of the ship. The blind ship was falling fast and would soon be in the planet's atmosphere in a few minutes tops.

"Fuck! This is pointless, Can anyone think of a way to take that fucker out?" Elizabeth shouted over the coms. As it neared I could identify its make and model. It was an old Jailbird carrier, used on prison worlds. They were scrapped years ago after the prisoners learned how to...

"Guys, that's a strong ship but it suffers one weakness: The generator that powers the ship's shields is on the back and the hatch can be easily removed! Give me some cover fire, I got a plan." I shouted as I powered up the engines and flew over the top of the ship.

I narrowly dodged the turrets firing at me and the spikes meant to impale other pilots but thankfully through quick maneuverability and the suppressive fire Recon was laying down I made my way to the back of the ship. I reached the panel and could see it was hastily put back in place, shoddy work. I tore the hatch off with my hand and saw that the generator was protected by its own shield. Powering up my hand I placed it onto the shield and through overloading it the shields flickered. Jumping back a few feet I emptied a clip into the generator with my Carbine and sure enough the ships shields feel as the generator exploded.

"This is Tyler, Open fire on the carrier." I shouted as I powered up my jets and flew up past the front of the ship. The others had laid waste to the ship as most of its armor and parts were falling off from the brute force of our fire power.

As we emptied round after round into it It started to exploded and then, in a bright flash, the ship broken apart and the crew inside disintegrated with most of the ship.

Esther

Within a half hour almost all of the other pilots had being decimated leaving me, Delta, Tyler, Elizabeth and a handful of other pilots to fend off the increasing horde. They had lost half their fleet and almost all of their fighters but we were down to only three frigates and our last destroyer, I don't want to think about all the men and women that were on board each ship that went down. We were losing ground and men. Fast.

"Captain Vectis, this is Squadron Leader Esther, we are losing ground fast and need support! Is their anything you can send?" At first all I heard was gunfire and an ungodly screeching then I heard the captain breathing heavily.

"Esther! Thank fuck you're alive, listen, we’re done. Every soldier and pilot is either caught in battle or dead and we’re losing power to the Marauders, I'm activating the Skyfall Contingency!"

"What?! We'll be stranded in the middle of an unexplored system!" I shouted over the Chassis com channels.

"Not entirely. Before the fuckers jammed our signal an S.O.S was sent out. I'm not sure how long it will take for the signal to reach a military outpost but it has been sent and to boot we have found there is sentient life on the planet below. Listen I don't have long; Clear out of the way of the Phantom and reach a safe distance. I've ordered a full evacuation to all remaining soldiers. Land on the planet, send out a signal and regroup with the other survivors, that's all we've got at the moment." He told me as gunfire went off in the background.

"Fine, but if I die down there its on your head." I shouted into the coms as I prepared to evacuate with the rest of the Pilots.

Vectis

"This is captain Vectis, I have set in motion the Skyfall contingency, All remaining forces head to the nearest Escape pods, this is not a drill." I shouted through the ship's P.A over the loud, whirring sirens.

With the Bridge's Blast doors sealed and guarded by ten guards we were secure for enough time to set my plan in motion. As I took my seat and set in a new trajectory, into the Marauders’ flagship, I could hear the monsters in the hallway burning a hole into the door, I didn't have long. If the plan went right then the resulting explosion will be strong enough to take out the rest of those bastards’ armada. After some triangulation and security overwrites the course was set but at the ships current speed the Marauders would get in, kill us and steer this ship off course and the planet and any hope for the survivors or the aliens below living long enough for help to show up would be gone.

Realizing what I needed to do I turned off shields and lighting to half of the ship and Diverted it to the engines doubling our current speed. At that moment the door burst open and the marauders on the other side poured in. The guards were gunning them down but there were too many of them for the meager force of troopers.

"Sir get the fuck out of here! We'll hold them off just get into the escape pod!" One of them shouted at me. I pulled out my pistol and ran to the other side of the room. when I was halfway to the door the vent above me opened and one of them jumped on me. Turning around I came face to face with it. Its skin was rotten and coloured a dirty brown and black, its black blood had mixed with its saliva as it poured out of its mouth through its broken yellow teeth, most of its deformed and cracked body was hidden behind the busted armor of whatever soldier was unfortunate enough to be infected. I pulled the knife from my belt and stabbed it in its black eye causing it to jump off me and try and get the knife out. While it was distracted I got to my feet and picked up my pistol. By the time it had tried to run at me I had already shot six super -heated rounds into its chest. In its weakened state all it could do was grab at me. I kicked it to the ground, pulled out my knife and emptied two more rounds into the monsters head as it gasped its last breath. The soldiers were being torn apart but were still slowing them down.

Using what little time they could buy me I ran to the escape pod, opened the emergency armaments hatch, pulled out an Anaconda revolver, flipped the safety off and upon turning around emptied two clips into the oncoming horde. forty bullets later the bridge was covered in the blood and entrails of the guards and officers who gave their lives trying to save this ship and the monsters responsible for this now laid in a pool of their own vile blood. Reaching back into the hatch I pulled out a marines helmet and took off my dress uniform cap. Thankfully the dark blue and gold regulation Dress uniform doubled as body armor. Shutting the door behind me, I ran past the rows of empty seats as the officers and soldiers that should have filled those seats gave their lives to slow down the raiders. Running into the pilot's seat I turned on the engine and shot the small craft out of its tunnel and into space. As I made a sharp turn to enter re-entry with the remaining pilots I saw the destruction of my ship. With no shields left the Marauders broken frigates tore through its armor causing the back end of the ship to snap off and drift off into a smaller frigate. As I neared the remaining pilots I entered their com channel.

"What the fuck was that!?" I heard Tyler shout through his com.

"The death of the Phantom. All remaining soldiers listen up; before the ship went down I was able to get an S.O.S out, I have no idea when they will receive it but it was sent. The current plan is to land on the planet and meet up. We will hunt down any remaining threats if they somehow survived, we won't let our comrades die in vain. Oh shit, EVERYONE BRACE FOR IMPACT!" I shouted before the wreckage of the phantom crashed into their flagship. The resulting explosion's brightness was akin to that of a supernova.

The shock wave hit us like a tsunami of heat and shrapnel and we were all sent off course. The shock wave cracked and broke a few windows. An oxygen mask came down from the overhead compartment and the metal bulkheads covered the glass but the heat seeping in from the cracks in the window became too much for my unarmored body to bear. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was Tyler shouting for me to respond.

Tyler

With my coms fried and my engines EMP’ed from the blast I had no way to maneuver my Chassis as I breached the atmosphere. The closer I got to the ground the more control I got back to my robotic limbs. As I neared a farm I changed my approach so I could minimize damage done, though when I hit the ground it didn't stop my body from being tossed around like a rag doll.

Delta

To say I was panicking would be an understatement. Training never taught you how to land a Chassis in a blizzard with no sensory data and no control over your movements. Doing the best I could I lowered the metal cover for the window, raised my shields and hoped for the best as I crashed into the snow covered rocky fields.

Elizabeth

My trajectory was blown way off course. Instead of landing in a forest with the other Pilots I was now spinning out of control towards a dessert. My Chassis armor and my metal body would be strong enough to handle the landing and anything that broke would be fixable. What I was worried about was being stranded on an unknown world, in a dessert while made of metal. Fuck my life.

Esther

Good news: It will be a softer landing as I'm heading towards an ocean. Bad news: I have no idea where anyone else is landing or if anyone else survived the blast. I was simply glad I wasn't vaporized from the heat of the atomic blast. I rerouted power from my backup reactors to boost my shields and form a defensive position. Something tells me I just got out of frying pan and I'm about to land in the fire.

Damage Control - Edited by Endless Aviator

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Elizabeth

--Stable neural function achieved--
--Prosthetics at: 91% integrity--
--Oculus Enhancement at: 87% integrity--
--Minor skeletal damage detected--
--Skeletal structure repair in progress--
--Stable pilot health achieved--
Warning: Minor damaged sustained to Chassis from re-entry. Repairs advised.

As I awoke to the sound of my Chassis's V.I shouting reports at me and the feeling of my bones mending themselves I first became aware of the fact I haven't actually died yet. Opening my eyes I saw I would have to first repair the shattered attachment I use for a left eye. It seems 87% means they still function, they just have huge cracks on the surface. Slowly moving my hand to my left eye I softly pulled out the orb, leaving the wires to retract into its holding place. As I examined it the tip of my finger retracted into my hand and out emerged a small cutting laser. Like most of the tools built into me it was strong enough for bodily repairs but not much else. It took me a few minutes of sealing the cracks and reconnecting the circuits on the back but after that it was mostly functional again. With a soft hiss and click the orb snapped into place and I could clearly see again. It took me a few years but the pain of removing and attaching body parts had started to slowly fade away. Still stings like a bitch though, don’t get me wrong. With my eye repaired and my insides being slowly, and painfully, mended I decided to check the damage on my Chassis. Powering up my Chassis's helm the controls and displays lit up before me. Aside from minor burn damage to the armor there was nothing too bad. As I was powering up the suit completely I found out why the V.I said there was minor damage. The metal cover that was built in to protect the glass covering the cockpits window was jammed and the sensory cameras were fucked. Meaning I was blind in my cockpit. Sighing I got up from my small chair and moved to the left wall of the Chassis. Unlike the newer chassis, older models often jammed in certain areas, this fact is made up by the chassis bigger storage and space for the pilot with the chassis doubling as a home with the pilots seat on the top floor and the bedroom below next to the reactor chamber. As I walked to the side of the room I climbed the small step ladder and opened the hatch on the roof.

As I stepped onto the roof I was blinded by the sunlight that suddenly dumped in. Lowering my hands from my eyes after they started to adjust I saw I was in the middle of a desert with no end in sight. This wasn't a major problem, just means I will have to live off supplies for a few days. The extreme heat of the desert made the chassis's exterior and my prosthetic limbs hot to the touch.

"Ok, now I'm seeing why the engies said I should wear a LANS." I muttered begrudgingly as I climbed down to the front of the ship. Just as I thought, A piece of debris had gotten lodged into the protective covers gears and the camera was completely fried from re-entry. As I got to work with getting the metal out with the assistance of some of my bodily tools I was stopped as my Chassis picked up something on the short range scanner. Turning around I saw nothing but sand... Activating my built-in sensors I picked up two lifeforms of unknown species. I spent a few minutes motionlessly staring out into the desert looking for whatever is out there all I saw where the shifting sands and all I heard was the howling winds. When I checked the sensors again It said that nothing was out there. Either more than my left eye was busted in the crash land or something is stalking me. I decided it would be best to focus on fixing the damage done to my chassis and getting inside before whatever is spying on me tries to get closer. Getting the metal out was simple and didn't take long, the various damage done to the chassis's joints on the other hand...

"Well shit, hope the others made it so I can get Tyler to do this crap." I groaned to myself.

Later...

"Your Majesty, one of the desert patrols have come seeking an audience, something about a "giant machine." One of my guards said to me, his gleaming black and dark green chitin/steel armor, face obscuring hood, and Halberd marking him as a Royal guard.

"Let them in." I commanded him. He saluted and signaled for the guards at the hallway doors to open them. When they opened, in walked a pair of sand covered, and obviously exhausted scouts. They wore yellow painted leather armor and caps and wielded bows and short swords. As they walked down the emerald carpet leading them towards my regal marble throne I looked over them. They were both female, and had an almost identical look. They were probably sisters from the same house of commoners. They both had pale blue hair and matching eyes, the only way to tell them apart were the scars on each of them and the scratched breastplates. They were both decorated soldiers and had been fighting for years now, that much I knew. What I didn't understand however was the shocked expressions that adorned their features. As they approached my throne they knelt down.

"Arise noble scouts, what is it you have to report?" I spoke to them as they stood up.

"Your Majesty, While my sister and I were patrolling the Western Plains last night we saw a great explosion tear through the sky. We saw multiple pieces of what we thought were small meteorites crash land a few miles away from us. Being the closest to the crash site we were ordered to check it out. It took all night but we got there. As we got closer our connection to the hive mind started to fade and we stopped hearing the whispers. We found out that what we thought to be meteorites was actually metal and destroyed machinery." One of them told me, the excitement in her voice becoming more apparent with each detail, as well as my own interest.

"As we neared some of them we saw words and pictures, but most of it was either too burnt to be made out or gibberish with missing words. We found patches of glowing rocks and metals, when we went to investigate it felt like our heads were splitting. Feeling drained and in pain we retreated to the hive but along the way we found this massive metal thing out in the dessert. It was far more advanced than anything the Equestrian engineers, Griffonian Golemancers or Menatorian Metal Sages could have ever built. We stood far away and observed it and a small creature emerged from it and started pulling stuff out of the thing. It started looking around and we thought it had spotted us so we turned tail and made it back to the hive." She stated. As I looked at her face it was clear they had been walking all night, their sand and dirt stained armor and faces clearly proved this.

"You have done well by making sure to relay this news to me my changelings. Guard, see to it that these two are given a warm meal and the rest of the day to recuperate. To have them report for duty in a tired state would help no one." I said, commanding one of my royal guards.

"Thank you, my queen." The other scout said to me as they smiled and walked off with one of my guards in tow. Pondering this news it came clear to me what I had to do. Rising from my crystal throne and walking down the steps, I continued in deep thought as my other guard followed closely behind my flowing green dress.

"Your majesty, what is it you wish for me to do?" He asked me, his voice muffled by his black iron helmet. I had to look down at him as he stood a foot shorter than me.

"Round up a small team of a trained soldiers, ask the scouts where they found the metal machine and head out to it. If it is a threat to the Hive I want it destroyed. If it is non-hostile and can be reasoned with I would very much like to speak to it. Either way I would like to learn how it was made, whether it be from scrap metal or from conversation. I want any plausible possibility relayed me as soon as possible." I ordered him. He saluted me and ran off to do what I had ordered him to do. As he left the throne I sighed to myself and walked back to my throne.

As I approached it I saw myself in the light radiating off it. I stood at seven feet tall and my wavy green hair went down to my back. I was widely regarded as one of the most beloved and beautiful changelings, whether it is true or they simply wish to boost my ego or have no knowledge of the other hive leaders, this is no matter. Though many people love me there are also those who despise me, for good reasons of course. For years now the Changelings of the Equestrian Badlands have been getting by through miracles and teamwork but soon we will need to find a steady food source. Most species find us repugnant either from the other Hives doings, the few wild changelings that become disconnected from the Hive Mind or from my own sins. Regardless, with the war going on the idea of forming a treaty with one side has become more and more appealing if it means we can interact with another society and fix the damage done to each other without the threat of a public outcry or being threatened or bullied by the other races. No matter the outcome of the war the Changeling species will survive, we must.

Elizabeth

Finally. It had taken the better part of an hour but I had finally removed all anomalies stuck in the Chassis armor and fixed the wiring. Screw what the other pilots say; this thing takes as much time to fix as the newer models do. Having fixed the exterior I climbed the metal ladder that was jutting out of the ship's side. After reaching the top of the ship I pulled one of the leavers jutting out of the top and the ladder slid into the armor plating and was locked into place. No need to give potential threats a way up. Opening the hatch and climbing in I could see that the metal plating had slid away and gave me a full view of the desert. Climbing into place I activated the Chassis engine causing it to stand at its full height and bellow out a faint hum. Now that I was operational I maneuvered the machine over the small sand dunes and onward. To say the land looked dull would be an understatement, there was nothing in sight for miles on end. I continued walking for about half an hour until my scanners picked up the same signals from before except on a larger scale. No longer threatened I turned the Chassis around and saw on the scanners a small group of about twenty was hiding over the top of a nearby sand dune.

"Now then you sneaky bastards, let’s get a good look at you..." I muttered to myself as I ran up the dune, my mechanical feet thumping in the sand alarming the unknowns, and reached the top within seconds. Looking down I saw a small platoon of strange humanoid aliens. It was hard to get a good look without my primary camera operational but I managed to zoom in slightly. They wore scratched and damaged armor but there were signs of the steel armours former glory as it still shined in some places and these unknown creatures wore cloth hoods that hid their faces. If I could harbor a guess from their exposed shells they were bug like in appearance, had hardened Chitin instead of skin and even through their hoods there was a faint green glow, most likely their eyes. They seemed to be soldiers, perhaps from a scavenger or barbaric encampment hidden out in the sands.

"Metal creature! We mean you no harm and wish to speak to you!" One of them shouted. After a while of staring down at them and them staring back I decided I might as well try diplomacy. After all, the number one rule of space exploration is: 'Don't piss off the natives.'

Bringing up a new screen I activated the speakers which slid out of the roof and spoke. "Then speak." I replied. They seemed surprised at my voice, perhaps they were expecting something metallic or gruff?

"We were sent by her majesty Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the Badlands of Equestria. She requests an audience with you. You are welcome to travel with us but any threats or displays of violence will be meet with hostility, being." One of them shouted, clearly the commanding officer by the stained green cape and shield he wore. His voice was masculine and almost sounded scratchy, like two people were trying to talk at once. Their threat was laughable as there was no way they could hurt me, but with no direction to go, allies to support me or even signs of civilization the idea of going with these strange natives grew more and more appealing.

"How do I know you won't turn on me the second I leave my Chassis or try something else? Alien species aren't usually fond of the unknown." I question.

"By my honor and the Queens orders I and my soldiers will not harm you. I take it you are not native to this world Being? Then let me inform you that this is the Badlands, the no-mares land separating Griffonia and Draqlen. It is home to the most hostile creatures known to Changeling kind and this desert stretches on for miles, it would take weeks to make it to either country without a guide, granted you don't run afoul of the bandits, slavers or the many horrors that prowl the dunes." He informed me. I thought about this for awhile. On one hand I would be heading into a possible trap if I go with this motley crew of aliens, or go alone, possibly damage my Chassis, run out of supplies and get hurt. But I could also find survivors...

"Alright, I'll go along with you to see your Queen." I said reluctantly as they visibly relaxed.

"Ok, we will lead the way back to the hive. I promise you will not regret this." The CO told me as we began to walk down the sand dune.

"I better not, for your sake." I said. With a sign I walked along with the warriors in silence.

Vectis

"This is Captain Vectis of the RADC Phantom, if anyone is out there, please respond..." I repeated into the escape pods radio. Either no one survived re-entry, no one has access to a working radio or everyone collectively decided to screw with me. Sighing, I was about to stand up before I heard something, a faint signal. After a few seconds of turning dials and boosting the receiver I could make it out clearly.

"This is Tyler Faye, Chassis Pilot and designated scout for Fire Team Recon. Is anyone alive out there? Hello?" He sounded fine, tired but fine.

"Tyler, this is Vectis." I said through the radio's mic.

"Vectis? Fuck, I thought you died in re-entry. I haven't been able to contact anyone from Recon but if I can get my long range radar to work I would be able to find them, but it got damaged in re-entry and I don't have the equipment to repair something as bad as this." He informed me.

"Well on the upside at least we know we made it and if an escape pod and a light armored Chassis can make it then I'm sure they can. I crash landed onto a plateau in the middle of a mountain range, where are you?" I asked as I looked out of the cracked window of the escape pod and towards the grey cliffs and rocky terrain, It would be a dangerous trek down to the ground but I could make it.

"I'm in a forest of some kind. Can't really tell what time of day it is, the trees are so damn thick. I managed to find a defensible position to set my camp so I'll be able to spend a few days here if need be. I think I saw a farm a few miles west of the forest. If I'm right then that means there’s a town nearby. Should I make contact with the natives or keep my distance?" He asked.

"Scout it out first. We are on a world that has never been explored and we have no idea how the natives would react to us. No doubt they would have notice your landing in the forest so I wouldn't stay in one spot for too long. Find a secure location, repair as much of your Chassis and equipment as you can, discover if the locales are friendly and then make first contact only if necessary. The brass will fry my ass if we start a war.” I informed, planning out my next move in my head. “I'm going to start making my way down the mountain. If you need to talk to me connect to my headset. I'm sending the frequency to your Chassis's database now." I ordered him after giving his question some thought.

"Understood sir. Shutting this channel down." He told me as I heard the faint sound of gyros and gears turning in the background. After a few seconds all I could hear was static. Getting up from my chair I turned around and gathered my supplies. I had my now torn blue and gold dress uniform and a basic trooper helmet. It would suffice for now. My scales were also hard enough to take a bullet or two without the armor so worst case scenario I could go naked if the armor was destroyed. I grabbed my twin pistols and spare clips and strapped them to my belt. The Anaconda revolver and my M1911 where the only weapons I had, thankfully they were strong enough and lightweight, anything bigger would only slow me down. I opened one of the compartments in the roof and pulled out a small hiking bag. Inside was an assortment of supplies including flares, food, water, medical supplies like gauze, a de-sterilizing agent and some small explosives used to clear rubble. With everything I would need for now I opened the escape pods door and emerged into the outside world. Grey stone and silver storm clouds went on for as far as the eye can see, it looked like Limbo. But what surprised me wasn't the lack of vegetation, as I could notice it on some mountains and cliff faces far off on the horizon, but the strange shadows and shapes in the distance. They appeared giant in size and where flying, but whatever they were I could not tell. I stood staring for awhile before I heard a faint screech behind me and decided it would be best to move on more quickly. What ever inhabited these mountains was stirred by my landing and something told me they weren't too fond of visitors. I made my way down a jagged path as the flapping of approaching wings grew louder.

Meeting the locals - Edited by Endless Aviator

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Pain. My body was searing with raw pain that smothered me like a tarp. I tried to move but it felt like I was being crushed by a giant rock. I could hear muffled cries of pain and terror, gun fire and approaching footsteps. I slowly cracked open my eyes but all I could see through my blurred vision was broken stone, fire, mutilated corpses and the grey sky which was painted red as my right eye was dripping blood from its wounds.

"Sir! I found a survivor!" I heard someone shout suddenly, whether or not he was close or far away I couldn't tell.

"Holy shit, is she still alive?" I heard a second voice say, this one a girl.

"You two, get to work on getting her out from under there!" I heard a new voice say.

"Fuck, her face is torn to hell. Can she even see?" the female voice asked.

"I don't know, the medics are gonna have a field day. Hey, if you can hear me stay with me. We'll patch you up kid, just hang in there." The first voice told me as I felt the weight that was crushing me slowly lift off and the feeling of being picked up. As I was picked off the ground my body felt ready to light in fire with the pain that scorched through me, making me black out. I was left floating in a void for what felt like hours and then a soft yet powerful voice seemed to echo from the darkness, seemingly emanating from every direction at once.

"Don't be afraid, for this is merely a dream. Perhaps the last dream you'll have for quite some time, for you are about to enter a nightmare for which I am sorry that you must suffer through… It’s the only way."

Esther

I awoke to the sounds of an alarm ringing through the cockpit. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes I powered up my console.

"Hello Chassis Pilot: Esther Leonas. You have been unconscious for: two hours. Your neural enhancements failed to wake you, technical and/or medical attention is recommended. In addition, your Chassis’ flight module has suffered water damage." A mechanical voice stated as I went through the menus on the various holographic screens.

"Chassis, give me a status report." I said as I continued to go through the menus.

"Ma'am, the chassis is currently submerged under: one hundred eighty-seven meters of water." And with that my fears were confirmed, I was at the bottom of an ocean. Sighing, I opened the metal cover and saw a sparkling blue ocean with schools of multicolored fish swimming around and fields of technicolor corral, much more vibrant than any other I'd seen. As I operated my Chassis to stand and walk forward I powered my scanners and began picking up small Islands, Crevasses, underwater volcanoes and other underwater anomalies which started to cluster my small global map. As I stomped forward with muffled ‘thumps’ the fish swam away in fear. I soon found myself approaching a rise in the sea level as I was approaching an island. Slowly the Chassis breached the surface and I was washed in the afternoon glow of the sun as I neared the tropical island. Water cascaded off the large machine as it moved, different edges and ridges dumping small pools of water as they moved. Past the beach sat a lush, tropical jungle that was sure to be teeming with native life. As I stomped onto the beach I shot a small, circular surveillance drone into the air which began to hover fifty feet above me and scan the large ocean around me. The large, dark green jungle was almost deafening, the sound of various animals and birds moving or calling out,multi-coloured plants and yellow trees swaying in the light summer breeze and the faint slashing of salty blue waves on the grey, jagged rocks. The native creatures here must certainly live a comfortable live.

"Ma’am, It appears a group of native lifeforms are aware of your landing." The chassis' V.I told me.

Speaking of the native life, they looked more than a bit menacing. As they charged through the treeline I was able to get a clear view of them. They stood roughly at seven feet tall, were muscular, had sharp horns, tribal paint and armor covering their bodies and were wielding huge axes and hammers. The closest thing you could compare them to was a Minotaur from the old human legends. They had bull like hooves for feet, fur covering their bodies and large amounts of hair on top of their heads that went down their back, though most of them had their hair either tied back, braided or simply left it hanging. Their fur had various different colors ranging from black, blue, dark red and grey with black or brown hair. All of them had different markings covering parts of their bodies that could range in many different colors, along with horns that were either pristine, cracked or even missing parts in some cases. They all wore primitive steel and cloth armor but left their heads exposed for whatever odd reason they had. When they had reached about halfway down the beach there were at least fifty of the beasts.

'Hopefully they're open to diplomacy or this won't end well for them.' I thought to myself as I scanned to see how much ammo I had left for my multi-gun.

"Metal being, are you from the battle waged in the skies?" One of them asked. He had black fur, grey hair and white markings along his body. He wore steel leggings, leather armor, one of his arms was covered in leather while his shield arm was covered in steel. He wielded a giant stone shield that was more akin to a wall and a giant stone ax with a hardened wood handle. He was clearly a higher rank them most of the other soldiers. I was surprised that they could speak fluent Galactic Common, I would need to question them later but for now I would need to keep the peace. Powering up the external speaker I responded.

"Yes, we came to this world looking to discover something new but we were attacked by our enemies, to save the planet from their assault we sacrificed almost all of our men and women and destroyed our vessels in doing so. I have no idea how many of my people are left or if I'm stranded but I mean none of you any harm." I answered truthfully in a way to not confuse them in case they were less evolved than they looked.

"If what you say is true Beast, then you are an honorable warrior to save those you do not know of. My name is Ovid, War Chieftain of the Cre'te tribe, and this is our home. Why are you here?" He asked me suspiciously, but with a bit more respect.

"As I fell from the sky a great explosion sent me off course. I had planned to land in a forest clearing with my team but I was sent here instead." I told Ovid. He seemed to ponder what I had told him for awhile before he spoke.

"I understand, but next time, try to make an entrance that won't upset the local animals, the Druids have a hard enough time as it is." He told me with a smile as he placed his ax on his back.

"That was quick, no threats against me, no suspicious thoughts or anything?" I asked, surprised how easily it was to avoid starting an international incident.

"We Minotaurs are known for our strength, if we thought you a threat we would attack you, but that doesn't mean we assume the worst of anything we see, we the people of Cre'te are a peaceful kind and seek out those who share our views. like most Chieftains I am expected to know the truth when faced with lies, if I thought you were dishonest I would have said so, but I can tell Beast that you have a kind heart." He told me as his men visibly relaxed. Seeing this I set the Chassis to protect/follow mode and opened the cockpit, allowing the Chassis to pick me up and lower me to the ground. The Minotaurs were shocked at what they saw, aside from Ovid, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"Just as I thought, the Beast was merely a machine, I take it you are the true alien?" Ovid as he put his hand forward.

"Correct Ovid. My name is Esther Leonas, Squadron leader and chassis pilot for the Royal Armada Defense Corps." I said as I looked up at him and shook his hand, signalling that we had a mutual trust that we wouldn't kill each other yet.

"Ha! A fellow leader! The Priestess will want to meet you. Follow me Esther Leonas, the jungles, though beautiful, are quite dangerous." He said as he turned around with his soldiers and began to head into the forest. Smiling slightly I upholstered my pistol and followed after them. Until I could sit down with them and discuss more pressing matters, I was happy to know I would have someplace safe to sleep when night falls and that the locals didn't want to kill me, even if we knew barely anything about each other. If they tried to kill me I would be prepared but hopefully it won't come to that, they seem like cool people.

Ponyville, Equestria, Twilight Sparkle

"If what Big Mac said is correct, the anomaly couldn't have landed far from here." I said to the group behind me. Everyone in Equestria saw the strange sights in the sky, but I was one of the few who happened to be observing it with a telescope and what I saw was ground breaking. Aliens, real live ALIENS were fighting over Equestria.

It was hard to tell but from the looks of it one side was vastly outnumbered but winning, these were the group I had simply dubbed Species A, as I had no way of knowing anything about them aside from their advanced technology, but it was safe to assume they were coming here with a much more peaceful purpose in mind. And then there was Species B. Species B had a few similarity to species A in the sense that there is a similarity between Changelings and Ponies. Appearances and shapes were vaguely the same but at the same time more twisted than the other. This group was scary to look at even from a distance, black twisted armor, strange and menacing looking weapons and more than a few...Disturbing things seem to be around them but it was too chaotic to make out whether or not they were the aliens themselves or merely another strange craft.

I was scared towards the end of the fight when it appeared Species A was going to lose but then, in a surprising move, Species A sacrificed what was left of it’s force to destroy Species B, it was bittersweet. On one hoof Equestria was saved from whatever they had planned for us but on the other hoof we would never know what secrets they could have shared with us. That was until Big Mac came over to my house this morning telling me how he saw and heard something crash into the forest. So here we are with the girls, Big Mac, Spike, a small team of eight royal guards and I making our way through the Everfree Forest. The girls were a bit on edge, whether it be from the forest or the mission at hoof I didn't know, Spike looked scared but insisted on coming, the guards were cautious but unfazed and Big Mac, who was leading the group was completely unreadable. Truth be told I was ecstatic. One: I may be about to discover alien technology, two: I was able to go on another adventure with the girls and three: I was glad to be able to do something unrelated to the war effort. The night would soon be upon us though so we would not have much time to study the site, it was my hope however, that we would be able to come back tomorrow in the early morning, we would have arrived earlier if it weren't for the fact that we needed guardsmen not on duty, a map of the Everfree and the girls wanted to come.

I was wearing a pair of black pants now stained with dirt and grass, black shoes, a violet button up shirt and my tiara, People may treat me like a princess but I never got used to the dresses and regalia. Over the years I have had to focus more and more of my energy into the the war effort, either with research or field tactics.

Apple Jack was wearing a pair of jeans, a white undershirt, an orange button up shirt, black cowgirl boots and her signature stetson, When the war started she joined the royal reserves as a soldier but due to her status as an element bearer she has mostly stayed in ponyville, going out on a few patrols or to deal with a nearby raiding party, she's only allowed to leave if she's desperately needed in a fight.

Rainbow dash was wearing dark blue pants, a black shirt, a blue hoodie, light blue sneakers and her flying goggles, which were currently resting on her head, Like AJ she to joined but as a scout, she rarely sees action but due to her speed she has been a major asset at times.

Fluttershy was wearing a green sweater and grey pants with yellow shoes, she decided to become a medic but mostly treats minor injuries or assists the other doctors if she's needed.

Pinkie Pie was wearing a blue skirt and a bright pink shirt with white stripes down the sleeves along with pink boots, she mostly tries to keep the troops spirits up by doing shows for them or throwing big parties to keep them happy, don't know how she can still be so happy in a time like this. Heh, guess she isn't the Element of Laughter for nothing.

Rarity was wearing a dark blue skirt, a white button up blouse and black high heels, she has mostly been making clothes, blankets and bandages for the homeless and the soldiers. Despite her frail form she was determined to pitch in for the whole community and the bags under her eyes show how dedicated she is.

Big Mac was wearing brown pants, a white singlet, a red button up shirt left open and black working boots, He remained at the farm and hasn't enlisted, though he does help out around the town and often assists the local guards if they need help looking for someone or something. Aside from assisting the guard he often goes to the homeless shelter to help out.

Spike had grown, though he was still shorter than the girls and I by a few inches he was nearly an adult. He wore a purple and green jacket, black jeans and purple sneakers, he's a Savant in the fields of enchantment and fire based magic so he's been assisting me in my studies and been working on his own projects in his spare times.

The guards were all wearing black steel and lavender colored armor that covered them from head to hoof in elegant plated metal, they wore helmets that masked most of their face, their mouths and noses were exposed. Unlike most of the royal guards they used halberds instead of straight swords as it gave them more of a ranged advantage.

"Ah know what I saw Twi." Spoke Big Mac as he made his way through more vines and branches.

"Can we please hurry this along? This forest is too creepy." Spike said to me as he nervously looked around.

"Awww, is wittle Spiky ascared?" Rainbow Dash said in a mocking tone, puckering her lips.

"No I'm not! I'm just worried something's watching us. This Forest gives me the creeps and you know that it’s usually the case." Spike muttered, now annoyed.

"Don't worry man, just teasing." Rainbow said as she ruffled spikes head fins.

"So what kind of aliens do you think they are? Like, nice like us or really mean? Because it would so cool if they were like 'hey Pinkie want to hang out?' and I would be like 'yeah' and then they would go-" Pinkie asked me then rambled as I interrupted her.

"I don't know Pinkie, until we get there we won't know if they're nice or not." I told her.

"Well, I hope they're nice, I mean, it would be really bad if they weren't the nice ones." Fluttershy muttered.

"Don't worry sugar cube, if they're the bad ones we'll keep you safe." AJ said as she put a hand on Flutter's shoulder to reassure her.

"I have to agree with Applejack on this one, we have faced worse before, I see no reason to believe this monster will be any worse than anything we have faced before." Rarity assured with a slightly smug tone of voice. It was then that Big Mac stopped and raised his hand. We were here. Everyone went silent as we looked into the clearing. In the center of the clearing was a huge...thing. It looked like a carriage but it was obviously twisted and broken beyond repair. It had a charred exterior and it seemed to ooze a black substance that smelt of organic decay and rotting metal. The object seemed to have broken apart when it hit the ground as most of it was spread across the clearing or embedded in the trees. The broken machine had a lot of twisted parts and jagged metal jutting from it. I only had to look at it for a few seconds to confirm this was from species B. As we got closer the smell grew much more rancid and when we examined it we were shocked to see it had a corrosive effect on anything it touched as it had eaten away at most of the grass in the clearing, leaving behind brown, shredded plant life.

"I don't think we should be here for long, I suggest we leave soon and alert the Princesses." I said as I looked around the clearing, a sense of dread filling me.

"Agreed, this is too sickening to be around." Spike said as he held his nose. Fluttershy merely nodded from the tree line as she refused to come closer.

"Come on you're just being paranoid...Though now that you mention it this place is kinda messed up." Rainbow Dash said as she flew around the clearing. I could see the rest of the girls and Big Mac shared my discomfort.

"Well, if we're here we might as well take a quick look around, in for a bit in for a silver." I said as I removed my backpack and took out a clear test tube. I knew better than to handle it when dealing with something like this, so I levitated the test tube and scooped out a small amount of the black liquid. As I raised the tube to eye level to examine it something moved in the clearing.

"Did anypony else hear that?" Rarity asked as she looked around the clearing in fear.

"I think it came from inside the thing." Pinkie said as we all turned to the ship and the guards huddled a few feet in front of us and readied their halberds, pointing the spearhead at the torn open craft.

"Come on let’s check the thing out." Rainbow Dash said, clearly suspicious but eager to find something interesting.

"What? What if something dangerous is inside?" I said, shocked that she would consider such a course of action at this time.

"Yeah, sugar cube, this doesn't seem right." Applejack said as she nervously looked around.

"Come on! where's your sense of adventure?" Rainbow shouted teasingly, but the reluctance was evident on her features.

"Rainbow, it is clear we are dealing with something the Elite Guard should handle, not only is this thing disturbing to look at, the whole area just feels wrong. I have a sample of the black substance and we saw what landed, I say we cut our losses and leave." I said as everyone else seemed to agree with me.

"Gaahh, fine we-"

"Look out!" Big Mac shouted as he pushed me out of the way of a giant figure. Out of the shadows of the trees jumped something that could only be described as a monster.

It resembled something that could have once been alive but wasn’t anymore. It's skin was cracked and torn in areas clearly showing the rotten muscle and tissue of the inside and the broken bones that lay deeper. It wore strange armor that hid all of its face except for its mouth which housed rows of rotten jagged teeth. What ever was not covered in armor was gruesomely torn open and had the armor forcefully removed. Its torso had a huge gaping hole which allowed everyone to see into its chest showing a fully functioning digestive system and bleeding organs. Its blood was more akin to puss both in texture and smell. It stood on two legs but was hunched over. It smelt sickeningly of death. I couldn't look away from the monster. I laid on the ground, petrified and transfixed. The world around me seemed go quiet as everyone was shouting at me to run, but all I could do was look at its twisted maw. All common sense left me and all I did was scream in fear as the guards and Big Mac charged at it in an attempt to protect me, the girls and Spike.

Tyler

For the past few hours I had been locating the fallen Marauder craft. Even if none of the bastards survived I would still need to burn and contain the area to prevent the risk of a plague spreading. To conserve power I decided to go on foot instead of with my chassis. I was going hunting for Infected, and the best tool to use is a standard issue Trailblazer. They were bulky, heavy and ugly but powerful. It was a flamethrower that was handled like a shotgun. on the top of it was a groove built into it to place a cylinder full of compressed fuel, when it runs out you merely press a button and the cylinder detaches from the gun. The gun was painted black with a long barrel at the end to concentrate the fire. It was rectangular in shape and had various buttons on the side that functioned as settings to control the fire. The handle and underside of the gun was coloured silver and around the handle and the soft, malleable grip at the front was covered with a light, non-flammable material designed to keep the user's hands from being burned if they weren't wearing protective gloves like I was. The gun was also somewhat wide, needing to hold several litres worth of fuel and a fuel tank. Despite being made of lightweight metals, it still weighed about as much as an auto-rifle.

With my LANS sturdy enough to withstand an attack or bite and with my flamethrower in hand I was confident I could take on anything I might enounter. That confidence was broken however when I heard a woman scream not far from me. I turned to my left and started running through the trees, jumping over rocks, sliding under giant, collapsed trees and carefully jogging through streams till I found myself in a clearing, it was a bloodbath.
I saw four armored natives, a tall red one, an orange one and a flying blue one fighting an infected marine. The Marauder had torn open two of the armored soldiers and ripped the head clean off another one. The natives looked Equine in appearance with their fur coats, manes, hoofed feet and long ears. There was also a group of others that seemed too shocked to react, a marauder’s appearance is usually enough to scare even the most hardened of men so it’s not like I could blame them. What surprised me the most was how there was what looked like a Raknan with them. The Raknan was scared but looked like he was trying to calm down one of the purple equines. Noting it down in my mind as a question I would have to have answered later I charged into the clearing with my supercharged blowtorch in hand.

Big Mac

Everything had gone to Tartrus. I was standing around waiting to leave when something jumps out from the shadows, I push Twilight out of the way but then she just screams her head off. The girls were scared, nearly half of the guards were dead because apparently stabbing this thing in the heart is far from enough to kill it. I had picked up one of the broken handles of one of the dead guards halberd and was currently trying to keep it back while AJ and RD worked on distracting the damn thing and the others worked on calming down Twi. The thing made a mad dash for me, I tried to push it back with the stick but it grabbed it and effortlessly threw it aside. Thinking quickly I grabbed it by the throat when it got close enough and tried to break its neck by twisting the head. It sorta worked. I heard a snap and pushed it back but instead of laying dead, it got back up. I'm not the religious type but if this wasn't a demon then I don't know what is. When it got back up it grabbed its head and cracked it back into position, tearing the skin on its neck open. It ran up to one of the guards but the guard stabbed it in the chest, puncturing its stomach and causing it to try and frutlessly grab at the guard. The guard was having trouble with handling his weapon as the undead thing continued to thrash about. It was about to break the weapon in half when-

"Get clear!" Someone bellowed nearby. A piercing cone of blue flames flew from a weapon in the creature’s grasp. The monster was engulfed in bright blue flames, it screamed a sickening cry of pain as it throw itself about to try and combat the flames but all it did was sent its rotten skin and burning armor flying off. Shocked, I turned to the left to see our savior as the stench of burning rotten flesh filled the air.

What I thought to be a quick thinking unicorn was actually some strange creature covered head to toe in the strangest armor I had ever seen. Its body was covered in a white material with black armor covering parts of it and a strange helmet with a blue panel of glass covering the wearer's eyes. The creature stood at six feet, slightly shorter then me, and was wielding the oddest looking thing I'd seen, aside from the ship...and the creature that was on fire. I went to approach the creature when I felt something grab me from behind and yanked me backward. I turned around to see the burning monster had grabbed me and sunk its teeth into the back of my neck. I pushed it off and sent it to the ground, my heart pounding. I grabbed its helmet and started to smash it into the ground, cracking the broken helmet off and then smashing the monsters skull, eventually, finally, killing it. I rose from the corpse slowly after but suddenly felt light-headed and wobbly. I hardly had time to turn my attention back towards the creature before my knees buckled and I fell to the ground.

"Big Mac!" I heard Applejack shout as she knelt beside me.

"Move." The armored creature instructed as he approached me, tapping something on his wrist.

"Hold on, who the heck are yo-"

"We don't have time! If you want this man to live I need you to-" Was all I heard as my vision started to fade and my hearing become blotted. I felt weak and tired as I started losing feeling all over my body. The last thing I saw was the armored figure look down at me, and before I fell unconscious, I swear I could see the deep brown eyes of the creature wearing the helmet. I always thought brown was a nice color...

Medical Assistance

View Online

Tyler

"Mac! Mac, say something please!" The orange native shouted, tears running down her equine face as she tried to wake up what I assumed to be her brother. OK think brain, An infected native, a clearing full of toxic sludge and dangerous tech, natives both dead and afraid and from the looks of their warriors they don't have the tech powerful enough to save this poor bastard...Shit. Thank space god for mandatory first aid. Thinking quickly I sent a signal for my Chassis to run to my location and then went to work on helping the natives.

"Listen, I need you to remain calm. does anyone here have medical training?" I said to the orange one who was borderline hysterical.

"M-my friend Fluttershy is a doctor." She told me as she wiped the tears from her bloodshot, green eyes.

"OK, what's your's and his name?" I asked, keeping pressure on his tainted wound.

"Applejack and Big Macintosh." She told me. Strange names but not the weirdest I've heard.

"Well Applejack I need you to get your friend over here, I don't have a lot of supplies on me but I've signaled for help. I promise you I won't let him die." I instructed her, trying to bolster her confidence with half-truths, I wouldn't let him die but if they can't combat the virus then there's little I could do. She then ran off and went to talk to one of her friends. Turning to the infected man I went to work. I removed my canteen from my hip and started to clean the wounded area and tore of a part of his shirt to use as a bandage to stop blood loss. I turned around to see the yellow girl from the group, shaking in fear. She was small, being a foot shorter then me, and wore a plain green sweater. She was shaking like a leaf and her iris where like pinpricks.

"H-hello. How bad is it?" She said to me as she knelled beside me and looked over Big Macintosh.

"He's been bitten by an infected human, the disease in him is curable but we got to act fast. I've cleaned the wounded area with sterilized water and bandaged it with a clean part of his shirt." I told her as she nodded her head as she listened.

"How fast does the disease spread and what are its symptoms?" She asked, in a more confident but worried tone of voice.

"Without care he will be dead within the hour, with care he may life past today, but will need constant care so his situation won't get worse and will needed to be quarantined for at least a week, I can't stress that enough. If he starts shaking uncontrollably, foaming at the mouth, coughing up blood or other substances, or his nose starts bleeding black blood profusely then the disease has reached his brain and heart, meaning he can't be saved." She was shocked by this news and started to panic slightly.

"W-we don't have the equipment to deal with this!"She half-shouted with a look of dread.

"Don't worry I've sent for-" It was at that moment that my Chassis ran into the clearing. The guards raised their weapons, some of the girls panicked, Applejack and the blue one got ready for another fight while the purple Raknan simply starred in awe.

"-Help." I said as I rose and ran to the Chassis. As I approached it I ordered it via my wrist mounted PDA to kneel and open its cockpit so I could get in. Once I climbed into the cockpit I pressed a blue button built into the left wall which opened a hatch full of medical supplies. Grabbing some of the different items I would need I hopped out of the machine and ran back to the yellow native and Big Macintosh.

"W-What is the-that thing..."She stuttered out in fear.

"A Chassis scouter, more specifically a Raven.21. Now anymore questions you won't understand or can we save this man's life?" I rhetorically asked her, slightly annoyed.

"S-sorry." She muttered. I handed her a few NSAIDs and my canteen as I readied a syringe full of an experimental sterilizing agent.

"OK, I've given you a few Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, they'll assist in decreasing swelling, pain and his fever. And this is a potent antibiotic agent designed to give people a fighting chance against the Marauder virus, its experimental and I have no idea how it will affect him, but without it his chances of survival are slim to none without a hospital design to fight this. Help me get him up into a sitting position." I ordered her. With one arm each we lifted the surprisingly heavy native up and supported him with a shoulder each.

"Fluttershy, try and get him to swallow some of those tablets with the water." She did as I said and managed to get the medicine down without the man choking or experiencing discomfort.

"buddy if you can hear me, this is gonna hurt like hell. So you know, happy thoughts." I told him as I injected him with the orange sterilizers. I had done all I could for him as I had nothing else usable in this situation. Exhausted and stressed, I opened the front of my helmet to breath without a filter. With a hiss, the helmet slid back into my suit, allowing me to breathe and see normally. My tanned skin was warmed slightly by the afternoon sun. The women gasped and jumped back when she saw my helmet slide into the armor plating.

"you just can't beat fresh, unfiltered air." I exclaimed as I breathed deeply through my nose and out through my mouth. When I was done calming myself I noticed the others had moved in closer. Some where looking over Big Macintosh with worried looks while others where staring at me.

"What are you?" The blue flying one asked as she hovered a few feet away from me.

"I'm a human, scientifically named Homo Sapiens. My name, is Tyler Faye. I'm the designated scout and marksmen for Fire team Recon. And you people are?" I told them. The purple one stepped forward. She looked like a Librarian or a teacher with how she dressed. She seemed to have both a horn and a pair of wings. Perhaps this planet's species are ranked by the appendages they have? Some of the aliens here have no strange features, some have horns, some wings and this one both.

"Hello and welcome to the planet Equis, I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, and they are Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity, together we form the Elements of Harmony. This is my protégé Spike Solstice, and these are my royal guards. On behave of the ponies of Equestria we welcome you, Tyler Faye." She said in a welcoming tone as she introduced me to the assembled aliens and then performed a formal bow.

"Is my brother gonna be OK?" Applejack said as she approached me. She looked like an old school cowgirl. They have jeans and stetson hats here? Cosmic coincidence or conspiracy?

"I've done what I can. I gave him some drugs to decrease pain and weaken the fever and some sterilizing agents to help combat the disease but both of which just give him a chance of survival. If he's strong enough to tough it out and he's got a good enough doctor and medical supplies then he should make it." I told her truthfully.

"Thank you so much." She said as she hugged me with tears falling onto my shoulder. She had a surprisingly strong body as I couldn't break the hug without pushing her off me forcefully. Feeling slightly awkward I returned the hug.

"Now that formalities are out of the way will you please accompany us back to our town, I have many questions to ask you and I assume you do to." She asked, hopeful that I would do what she wants.

"Listen, as much as I would like to play twenty questions with you guys as you mostly likely have a lot of questions, this isn't the time. You need to get this man to an emergency room and put him in quarantine, it also would help if you all got checked." I said as Applejack broke the hug.

"What about you? We can't let an unknown and potentially hostile creature roam Equestria in times of war." One of the guards told me, his young voice oddly firm.

"I will have to first destroy all evidence of this crash landing, then incinerate the clearing to stop the spread of the Marauder virus to the local wildlife or ecosystem. Unless you want everyone in a mile radius to catch what Big Macintosh has then you better let me do my work before it ends up in a river. I have a feeling I will end up meeting you people again, after all I'm going to have to check up on him now that he's caught the virus." I told them as I picked up my flamethrower from the ground.

"So we're suppose to let you go?" The guard replied.

"You COULD try and make me come with you but it won't end well for anyone. Let me do my job, and I can guarantee it will end better for everyone. Now please leave the clearing, it's going to get very toasty soon." I instructed as my mask sprung from my armour and covered my face, clicking in place. Sighing Twilight turned around and walked off with her friends.

"This sucks, I wanted to know what that giant robot does." The purple Raknan named Spike said, clearly upset.

"Young Raknan, I can tell you what it does when my work is done, but can you people please leave?"

"B-but I need to know so much about you! Where did you come from, how advanced is your species, what fields of magic-"

"Trust me, this isn't the first time I've disappointed a native population. If you do as I say and please leave the infection zone I will try and meet up with you if my superior allows me. Also, it would be safer if you left the dead guardsmen where they lay." I interrupted her as I silently prayed Vectis would order me to stay away from them.

"But we need to return them to their families for a proper burial!" One of the female guards told me clearly offended that I would burn their dead.

"I understand the need to give these poor soldiers a proper burial, trust me I do, but if there's a chance that the corpses are carrying the disease then I can't let the corpses enter a populated area or even into an uninfected region. Please understand that if it was safe I would let you but I can't morally or legally allow you to take them." I pleaded with them, truly sounding sorry.

"We can't allow you to destroy the bodies. It is against the moral code we follow to allow our dead to go disrespected." One of the other guards shouted.

"If you want them to be disrespected then let the bodies infect their families at these poor soldier's funerals." I shouted back, frustrated because they wouldn't listened.

"Guards, stand down. As much as it pains me, he is right to destroy any carriers. We have no idea how destructive an outbreak would be." Twilight ordered her guards.

"Understood ma'am...Can we at least collect their tags and personal items?" The female guard asked with a defeated tone as she backed off.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry. As long as you disinfect them I can see no risk as the disease can only affect living material. Now, please leave so I can do my job." I asked.

"Fine, don't make me regret letting you go. The other Princesses will hear about this." Twilight told me with a slight warning as she helped carry Big Macintosh away. The guards from before approached the corpses and, in a shocking display, used their Psionic powers to lift the guardsmen's tags from their necks and a few small items like photos, wallets and other personal knick-knack. When they had left the clearing I turned to the wreckage in front of me. Yeap, this is gonna take awhile.

"Well, at least they're finally gone, now then, back to work." I said to myself as I moved the dead guards together in a pile and turned on my flamethrower.

"Gods above, forgive me for disturbing the dead and guide their souls to rest, and please let these proud soldiers never be forgotten." I prayed in a quiet voice as I went to work on incinerating the bodies. The armor was surprisingly flame resistant but the bodies where soon melted along with the armor from the intense blue fire. Soon the clearing was filled with the smell of burning flesh and a faint stench of burning fat. Turning to the dark puddles at my feet I inputted a series of commands and created a steady, controlled stream of cleansing fire which soon engulfed the ooze like it was gasoline. There where trails of fire in all directions but was it surprisingly controlled, almost as if the fire refused to leave the flammable liquid. Wasting no time I walked in between the different rows of fire and walked into the remains of the marauder landing craft. If it had made it through the blockage we formed the forest would have been over run within hours, thankfully only one of the freaks survived, still it did a number on the locals and the landscape. Moving into the ship I could barely go ten feet in as the smell of rotten flesh was so pungent that it almost made me vomit. standing in the middle of the broken down room I set a demolition charge on the ground. Designed quite similarly to the old C4 charges uses during the early 21st century, these small clear boxes of white crystallized explosive and wires did a hell of a number on infected objects and was invaluable cleansing operations. Setting the charge for thirty seconds I ran out of the wreck and back to my Chassis. I boarded it and lowered the cockpits cover just in time to avoid the bright purple flash of the explosion. When it cleared all I saw in the clearing was scorch marks, a few feet of destroyed ground and dirt in the center, and a few patches of fire. The bodies, sludge and ship where all incinerated in the blast. Stomping on the few patches of fire left I signaled Vectis.

"Captain Vectis, the cleansing operation wasn't as much of a success as we had hoped." I informed him.

"What went wrong." He replied, clearly tired.

"The natives where first on the scene and there was an infected survivor." I told him.

"Damage done?"

"four dead natives, burned the bodies, one infected native, treated the virus so hope he lives, and a small group of natives are aware of my existence. I have destroyed all evidence and harmful substances to the local fauna and flora." I stated.

"Shit, well at least the situation is contained. Surprised you noticed the damn thing falling in from re-entry, guess that's why you're the designated marksman. How much progress have you made with the long distance radar?" He asked, slightly worried about the way I handled the situation.

"Still pretty bad. I don't have the tools necessary for a full repair. At least I can pick up signals, its staticy and hard to keep the channel open for long, but its there." I told him as I walked my chassis through the many trees that littered the path back to the safe house I had found.

"Well at least its progress. I can't make heads or tails of where I am. Grey mountains and brown dirt as far as the eye can see. I'll contact you if something comes up, until then work on getting that radar working." He ordered me as he sighed.

"One last thing, now that the natives are aware of me how should I handle the situation? I need to check on the infected native to make sure he doesn't show signs of turning." I asked, needing guidance.

"Try to make your presence known only to those who need to know, no need telling the world aliens are real while we're still blind and grounded planet side. Good luck Sergant Tyler." He instructed.

"Roger Vec, ending transmission." I replied as I closed the channel. Parting the last line of trees I came across my temporary home, an abandoned castle.

With the evenings last rays of sunlight as a background the castle gave off both an eerie and welcoming vibe. It had missing roofs in some rooms, dilapidated doors and furniture and the forest has taken over a large portion of the castle, but it would do. Jumping over the chasm that surrounded the stone structure I moved towards the left side of the castle towards one of the smaller towers. As I neared a balcony I ordered the machine to open its cockpit and power down. Jumping onto the surprisingly solid platform I moved inside. The room looked like it used to be a bedroom of some kind. The bed was a stained yellow and white color and the room was filled with ornate gold and marble furniture. It seemed like it was built for royalty. The stairs that lead down to the castle below had collapsed from what looked like an explosion instead of age and the rain and winds from the outside wouldn't affect me as the walls where still solid. I had laid out a sleeping bag I had pulled out of the Chassis's storage and lit a small fire in the center of the room which gave everything a warm glow. As I sat down next to the fire I moved my helmets cover back into the armor so I could feel the warmth. It had been a long day of hiking through the woods and cleansing but I will admit this planet so far is quite beautiful. The last time I had seen a forest this lush and full of life was back home. I laid down on the sleeping bag, letting my body relax after a long and exhausting day.

I still had no idea if anyone aside from me and Vectis made it and I may have endangered the natives life's if Big Macintosh turns, but at least I was still alive, the natives aren't straight up hostile, this castle was still standing, I had a safe place to sleep and my Chassis was still in one piece minus the radar. Gotta stay positive right? I decided to just lay there for awhile and stare at the ceiling, thinking to myself.

The Armada is going to come for us, that much I know. The only question is when? The Phantom's fucked and is now floating in orbit, the teams scattered, and my supplies will only last me awhile. Worst case scenario: I'm stuck with the natives who all turn into Marauders or die because I made a bad judgement call, the help comes too late to do anything, and the team is declared MIA along with the Captain. Best case scenario: I don't have to stay with the natives for long, no one is infected, help arrives tomorrow, the team is found and we can get off this rock. The room, despite the fire, was cold as night was fast approaching and with no fire wood the light would die within a few hours. All I had to eat was the packaged meals the military passes off as food, I got two changes of clothes, my LANS and civ clothes, and no bathroom...

'At least it isn't raining' I thought to myself as I signed in exhaustion.

...It was then I heard the sound of thunder crackling in the distance, signalling a strong storm front...Fuck my life and fuck Murphy's law.

Campfire and Hellfire

View Online

Delta

As I sat on the cold stone caves floor I wondered if the others where in a better state than me. I'd crash landed in the middle of a frozen field and was knocked unconscious when my face smashed into the Chassis console. Thankfully my helmet took most of the damage, though I still suffered some bruising and a lost tooth. Waking up I found myself in the middle of a blizzard at night. My Chassis was rendered useless as major damage and an exposed core had left the Chassis broken beyond basic repair. Snow was falling in at a rapid rate as the cracks and holes in the reinforced glass was big enough to fit a fist through. Prying open the supply hatches I removed my survival kit filled with food, water, a sleeping bag, basic radio, flares, a loaded handgun, digital compass and map and a first aid kit. Now with two loaded sidearms and enough food and water to last me two weeks alone I shot through the damaged glass and shattered it completely, letting the snow in. Stepping outside I saw just how badly damaged the Chassis was. It was missing its left leg and the right arm was torn open, leaving scattergun shells lying in the snow. The Chassis was beyond a simple blowtorch and scrap metal repair. deciding for now my priority was finding shelter and weathering out the blizzard I lit a flare and walked off into the storm.

I soon found myself thanking my thick plumage, though some may call it fluffy I call it natural heating, if it weren't for my feathers I don't think I would have lasted long with just a LANS on in such an aggressive blizzard. True, LANS where designed to withstand extreme cold and heat, something about the blizzard seemed particularly cold, almost unnaturally cold. The flare offered enough light to see a few feet ahead of me but for now it would have to do. As I marched through the snow I started to see the outline of a cliff ahead of me and I thought I saw a glow along the cliff face. Once I had reached the cliff I saw it was a small ways up, about ten feet above me. Preparing myself, I spread my wings and jumped into the air and boosted myslef up with a few flaps of my wings. My wings, though protected by a long silver metal beam that curved along the length of wing and several smaller metal beams with various lights and tubes, where almost frozen stiff. It was incredibly hard to stay upright and airborne for more then a few seconds but it was all I needed as I landed roughly in the snow. I had dropped my flare below on the ground but it was nothing to worry about, in front of me was a small cave, big enough for me to fit into, and the faint glow was coming from inside. Ducking my head I crawled into the cave and saw it was much bigger on the inside. In the center of the cave sat a small pile of burning wood and a dying fire. If the signs of a hasty pack up was anything to go by who ever was here left shortly before I arrived.

There was still indents in the dirt and snow covered ground that had the outline of a few sleeping bags, what looked like paw prints in the snow and the faint smell of cooked meat. Who ever was here must have left, if they where coming back or not I did not care, I was out of the deadly storm and had finally found a heat source, that's all that mattered in the short run. I arrived an hour ago and found myself deep in thought while I warmed myself up around the fire. I had a small meal from the survival kit cooking over the fire and I had put my sleeping bag down next to me. Ready made meals may be useful but a cool bit of steak and mash was not what I needed right now. My radio only picked up static but I could have sworn I picked up something as I was turning the different dials, it sounded like coordinates or something, but it was too distorted to make out. As I stuck one of my talons into the steak that was resting on a stone around the fire and raised it to my mouth to take a bit of it I began to have my doubts about survival. I was a natural hunter and I could survival the cold as long as it isn't a constant blizzard but what happens when I run out of food or ammo? I could use my knife or my claws if I run out of bullets but what if there is no viable food source? And with my chassis collecting snow in a field I was mostly defenseless from any large predators. Soldiers tell ghost stories of what happens when a small team of marines go dark on an unexplored planet and usually if the environment doesn't kill you its the native life.

"Frontier life sucks, when this is over i'm taking the next Frigate back to Avia and getting a desk job, less chance of getting stranded on a fucking frozen rock...Huh, could use some sauce but not bad." I muttered out loud as I ate the stake, content on getting a decent meal. After devouring the meat and potatoes I was feeling a little more motivated to not give up. The snow was starting to fade and I could just make out the wreck of my chassis through the tundra. After wiping my claws on my suits pants and picking up my two guns I made my way back out into the open and made my way down the cliff face. It was a short walk back to my Chassis as the winds were starting to calm down. Upon closer inspection I saw just how badly the Chassis was damaged. The wiring and circuits were still intact but the scattergun was torn in half, the leg was destroyed completely which meant I will need it replaced and the cockpit was so badly damaged that i'm amazed I didn't go flying out of the many holes in the helms armor when I landed. In short it was going to stay here for now. As I grabbed the last of my supplies consisting of my clothes and a few extra clips I heard something behind me move.

"Halt! By the order of the High King you are ordered to stand down and prepare for inspection scrapper!" Someone shouted behind me. Quickly I turned around and saw about twenty armored creatures. They all wore extravagant gold armour with fur clothes beneath for warmth. They wore helmets that covered almost all of their faces aside from their short becks. Like my suits gloves their armored gauntlets had slits cut into it so their claws could get through and also had wings on their backs. They seemed remarkably similar to me, aside from their strange tails and slight difference in height. They all had swords and shields drawn and had what looked like primitive pistols at their sides. The one speaking to me wore a red cape and had his pistol and sword drawn, both gold plated handles and a silver blade/barrel. He was clearly the highest ranking member. Too many to take on in a melee, if I used my pistols I could kill them all but I get the feeling I'll be labeled a criminal, and that's not something I want leaving this planet.

"I don't want any trouble, but I will fight back if I have-" I tried to say before I was rudely interrupted.

"Silence. Until proven otherwise you are a threat. Where did you get your armor and weapons scrapper?" He shouted at me.

"These are mine, along with this wreck." I replied.

"Liar, no craftsmen in all of the Altai highlands could have craft your weaponry and that thing is clearly not of this world. You thought you could take something and sell it before the guards would arrive? How daft are you?" He accused.

"Listen to me, i'm not from here, these are my weapons and this was my machine. I don't want any trouble but if you don't leave I will be forced to retaliate." I informed him, hoping he would listen.

"Your lies will not trick me scrapper, come quietly and we will not use force. This is your final warning."

I don't have time for this, my squad mates could be in danger and instead of trying to find them I'm being given the third degree from some primitive? I really didn't want to do this. I raised my gun and turned off the safety and went to shot him. But the second I pulled the trigger a cloaked figure grabbed my arm and pushed it up, making me miss the shot. The figure kneed me in the chest, winding me slightly and making me drop both of my pistols. Pushing the creature off me I pulled my sharpened knife and ran at him/her.The creature was covered head to toe in black leather armor and wore a dark hood that obscured the wearers face. The assailant went to grab my weapon but I jumped back at the last second and ran in to punch the figure in the face. My fist connected with a loud crack as I broke his/her's nose, blood dripping onto its armor. Now pissed the attacker ran at me and in a split second scratched my chest, cutting into the armor slightly and drawing blood and cut my wrist on my knife hand. As I dropped my knife and cursed loudly I tried to headbutt the attack but was surprised to find the mysterious figure had left. Turning around I saw the figure and all the guards had surrounded me, weapons drawn. Realizing there was no way out I raised my arms in defeat.

"I su-" I was going to tell them I give up but one of the guards decided to whack me in the back of my head with the butt of his gun, knocking me out. As I feel to the ground the last thought I thought before I hit the snow was how the hell did everything go so wrong.

Vectis

As I ran down the mountain trail, looking over my shoulder occasionally, I knew today was perhaps one of the worst i've had. It started pretty easy with a few cuts and bruises from climbing down the mountain, then a few hours spent walking down a mountain path and now-

"RR aaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed the monster chasing me, interrupting my train of thought. Before I could run further down the path a storm of fire rained down on the path in front of me. Thinking fast, I dived to the right and hide behind a rock and waited for it to pass. Instead I heard a thud and another roar. I took a peak off the top of my cover to get a good look at the beast that had been following me. It was giant, as big as a Chassis and twice as wide. It had long leathery wings and hard, rock-like royal blue scales. It had pale blue eyes and clean white teeth that were razor sharp and a spiked, club of a tail. If the appearance didn't already confirm that this was a dragon then the fire breathing confirmed it was a MOTHERFUCKING DRAGON. Calming my nerves, I took stock on what I had on me: One M1911 Pistol, ten spare magazines, One Anaconda revolver, ten spare magazines, Armored dress uniform, damaged, two knifes, pristine, Rations, a frag grenade, two flares and a flash bang grenade. Thinking quickly I pulled the pin from the flash bang grenade and threw it over the rock. The dragon stared at it, confused that I would throw a shiny rock, and then screeched in pain as it was blinded. Now that I had an advantage I ran out of cover and shoot at the over sized lizard but was annoyed to find its scales where too strong for the bullets to penetrate, through the plasma left a few scorch marks on its hide. The blue dragon, getting agitated at the slight pain, swiped one of its front claws at me. as the claws neared my head I went to the ground and slid under the bony, yet sharp, appendages. Running under the beast I looked up and saw its fleshy underbelly that glowed orange from the fire within. Switching on auto fire, I emptied the guns magazines and was satisfied to see blood pour from the bullet wounds. The dragon in response stood up on its back legs and prepared to breath fire on me. At the last second I rolled the the left back behind a few rocks to the side of the dragon. After the dragon stopped breathing hell fire I reloaded my gun and got ready for the next round. The monsters eye sight was slowly returning and he had enough sight to swing its tail at me. Jumping over it I landed on the other side of the tail and rolled under the blue behemoth. I tried to grab onto the dragons hide but the gap between the scales where to small for my talons to fit through, but a knife just might. Giving up, I dropped back down onto the ground beneath the dragon. Thinking ahead, the monster tried to breath fire on me again, so I turned around, holstered my pistols and pulled out my knifes, jumped up to the base of the tail and stabbed the knifes into the fleshy exposed patches that was covered by scales. Now that I had a decent grip on the bastard I began climbing the dragons back, taking my time to stick the knife between the blue, shiny scales. The dragon began vigorously shacking to try and knock me off either off the side of the cliff or into the jagged rocks to my side. Despite the obstacles I continued heading towards the head of the beast. After a minute of scaling and shaking I had reached the back of the beast, between the two wings of the dragon. As it turns out the dragon had a new idea as he lifted into the air and dived off the cliff face. Holding on for dear life I diged the blade deep into the dragons tissue and desperately tried to dig my feets talons into the creatures back. Combined the pain caused the dragon to scream and shake violently. Feeling brave, I let go off my left hand and reached to my M1911 and pulled it out. Slowly, I moved the gun and aimed it at the creature's left wing. Tightening my grip and switching to single shot I shoot a hole straight through the creatures wing membrane. The dragon reacted instantly and shock uncontrollably, launching me off its back and towards its head.

Looking forward I saw we were nearing the bottom of the cliff towards a lake, deep of the dark blue shade of the water was any indication. I desperately tried to grab one of the dragons horns and thankfully got a grip on one near the beasts right eye. Placing my feet firmly on the drakes nose ridge and raised my gun. The beast barely had time to react as my bullets tore straight through the eye and into the soft tissue of the brain within. With a final act of aggression it flung me off its head towards the lake below. We both hit the water hard, if it weren't for my reinforced scales I would have died on impact, still hurt like a bitch. After sinking about twenty feet I began swimming back to the surface. I below me and saw the dead giant sink to the bottom of the lake. The body was soon swallowed by the lakes dark, murky waters. I felt a tad bit upset that I had to kill something so beautiful and majestic, deadly, but majestic. Truly it was a creature of worthy merit and a strong fighter. It would take a few hours for the adrenaline of the fight to wear off but I was feeling wired as hell. As I breached the water I did a full circle to inspect the ground. In stark contrast the the grey crags and jagged mountains the ground was lush and beautiful. Trees, full of life and multicolored birds stretched on for miles along with the orange colored bushes. The forest radiated a sense of life and wonder as the sounds of beautiful creatures and terrifying predators echoed from deep within. Looking up I saw it would soon be night and the forest sensed this too, as more than a few luminescent plants light up in the dark shadows of the tree line. With no direction to head in, I checked my supplies, made sure there was no water damage and headed into the woods, sure that nothing within could match the sheer power of the sunken dragon.

Interrogation

View Online

Delta

"He's waking up sir." I heard someone wispier in front of me. The ass kicking I got earlier made my head feel like a brick as I slowly raised my head up and opened my eyes. I was in a small, dark room that would be almost pitch black if it weren't for the small rays of light flowing in from the barred window to my right, indicating it was about midday. Looking up I saw my arms were chained to the stone wall behind me. I was still in my now slightly torn pilots suit, small comforts I guess. Looking forward I saw a small wooden table and behind it sat the same mysterious figure that beat the crap out of me and an armored primitive.

"Sleep well?" The armored one asked mockingly.

"well a man clubbed me in the back of the head and I woke up chained to a wall, so not really. Aldo this isn't a completely new experience for me." I answered nonchalantly.

"Now, you will answer our questions and if we deem you innocent you will leave here with a warning, if found guilty then you may have to get used to waking up in a cell." He informed me.

"Oh, joy." I replied sarcastically. The fat tin can picked up a small note pad and quill off the table and flipped a page over, dipped the tip of the quill in a small ink pot.

"Name?"

"Your mom." I answered casually, staring out the window. I saw out of the corner of my eye the guard flinch and look at me.

"Your name?"

"Your mother."

"...Tell me your name." He instructed.

Sighing, I looked at him and said "OK."

"Your name prisoner?"

"Your mother." I replied, with no emotion in my voice. He was clearly not finding this as amusing as me as he put his hand on his helmets forehead and sighed. The masked one just sat and watched me, giving no indication how he or she was feeling.

"Why were you at the scene of the crime?"

"Just looking for my stuff."

"What stuff?" He asked, hoping to get somewhere.

"Well, I was hoping to get the big pile of metal moving again." I informed.

"Sir, are you saying the giant wreck is yours?" He asked, I bet he was raising an eyebrow underneath his helmet.

"Yeap." I stated.

"Then care to elaborate on what it is?"

"...Na" I told him, as I turned to look out the barred window.

"Why not?" He asked, clearly getting frustrated.

"Well you see, I don't think your primitive mind would be able to comprehend what I would tell you." I responded absentmindedly.

"All guards in the Royal Army must pass an I.Q test with a score higher than the average worker. I think I can understand simple mechanics." He informed me, calling my bluff.

"Fine then. It is a Hunter class Skirmisher Chassis, a subdivision of the normal Warlock class Skirmishers, more specifically a S34 Harbinger, it is outfitted with lightweight metal armor to give it a light yet powerful protection from all forms of attack ranging from conventional to chemical. Its primary weapons are the standard hand mounted cannon and metal piercing scattergun as my Chassis was outfitted of CQC combat, but also comes with two rocket pods located on the shoulders of my Chassis, on either side of my cockpit. If that wasn't enough then it also comes with a retractable super heated laser attached to an unarmored third arm on the back, above the chassis flight model." I lectured him. As I droned on about the chassis's weapons I could tell he was confused and had no idea what I was talking about.

"I see you clearly aren't smart enough to understand me. Any more questions?"

One Hour Later

"What is your Gaia damned name!?" My interrogator yelled at me, mere inches from my face.

"That's private information, I'm em a non-consenting civilian! I'll sue!" I shouted back.

"What do you mean 'non-consenting'?! You're my prisoner damnit!" he replied, confused and angry.

"Well as your prisoner you should know this is pathetic. When I realized I was going to be interrogated I assumed I would be beaten or waterboarded or, you know, some of the other crap you hear from the movies. But no, it's just a loud prick and some twat in black pajamas. Are you under orders to re frame from hitting me?" I asked, curiously.

"That is classified information. You WILL answer my questions or else!" He screamed, punching the wall next to my head.

"...OK, just calm down." I pleaded as I lowered my eye and stared at my feet.

"...Now then, your name and purpose for being at the scene of the crime." He asked again as he took a few breathing exercises and flipped to a new page in his note book.

"My name is Dennis, I am a blacksmith and I was at the scene of the crime because someone told me that there was an abundance of metal in the area." I lied.

"Ok Dennis, who was this 'friend'?" He asked, hope clear in his voice as he didn't realize I was leading him on.

"Do you REALLY want to know?" I asked him.

"If you say 'your mom' I swear to Gaia I will hit you." He warned as he stared at me.

"...Your mother." I said, with a big smile on my face. He would have gotten up to beat me, if it weren't for the fact that his partner stopped him with one hand pressed against his breastplate. Sighing loudly he sat down and removed his helmet and rubbed his head. He looked...weird. He looked similar to me in the way that we both had feathers and beaks but there were subtle differences between us. My feathers were thicker and numerous, whereas his was layered enough to cover his body, but not so heavily layered as to give him protection against the cold as effectively. His beak was shorter than mine and completely yellow, where as mine was a few inches longer and had a small bit of black at the tip of my beak. He had purple coloring around his eyes, though that could simply be tribal makeup or cosmetics of some kind. Aside from that our features where similar enough for me to be mistaken as one of them, but if someone were to examine us closer they would find many more differences in the facial areas alone. He was pissed at me, but I now knew a few things for curtain: He was ordered not to hurt me for the time being, his partner was better at handling him or herself and he seems to be a bit on the dull side by how easy I can piss him off. This should be fun.

Two Hours Later

"I'm hungry." I announced to the annoyed guard as he rubbed his head.

"I know, you've told me ten times now." He replied, annoyed that I wont shut up.

"Well if you got me something to eat I would shut up." I told him, smirking slightly as he was beyond pissed off.

"Prisoner, you are in no position to be asking for anything. You WILL answer my questions and then I will see to sating your hunger." He informed me in a droning tone of voice.

"Na, I'm not in the mood." I told him as I rested my back on the wall, trying to get comfortable.

"I don't care if you're in the mood, answer my questions!" He shouted at me as he got up from his chair.

"Well, I might if I felt threatened by you, but honestly you're more of a joke than anything else. Terrible posture, crap armor, a face only a mother could love, you smell of poor hygiene and sweat, your threats are so tame I suspect a child could do better and to top it off I know you're under orders not to hurt me, if you were allowed to you would have by now." I stated as I smiled at him.

"You little fucking piece of shit." He muttered angrily.

"So you've finally cracked huh? I honestly thought after my admittedly terrible 'Your mom' insults you would have given up, but I can see you have an intellect that is AT LEAST bigger than a fifth grader. Still, you are anything but professional." I said, chuckling as he was visibly shaking. I could probably come up with better insults but hunger pains and a sore back where stopping me from concentrating.

"Prisoner, if you don't start listening to me, I will make your life a living hell! Understand me?"

Three Hours Later

"Hey, I need to pee." I told my "Interrogator".

"Shut up." He replied as he banged his unarmored head against the brick wall to my left. For three hours I had been repeatedly insulting him, changing subjects, stating useless facts or talking about things in ways he wouldn't understand and he was clearly giving up on getting anywhere with me. Strangely, the masked one just sat there, barely moving as I continued to annoy the person's partner. The only indication that I wasn't staring at a statue where the few times the masked one would write something down in the note pad.

"I can't take this...Shade, I'm going to inform the King that this is going nowhere fast." The Iron Idiot said as he left the room.

"Bring back some food and a bed pan!" I shouted at him as he left, closing and locking the door behind him.

"So, Shade is it? Mind telling me what your deal is?" I asked.

"..."

"All you've been doing so far is stare at me. I know im beautiful, but it got creepy over two hours ago."

"..."

"Are you a mute? I've always wanted to meet a mute."

"..."

"So whens dumbass gonna get back?"

"..."

"Don't know huh? I don't blame you, he doesn't strike me as the kinda guy who knows what hes doing. Ten bucks says he's died from incompetence by now." Strangely enough, my silent acquaintance started to write something down.

"Writing something down are ya?"

"..."

"yea, that's what I thought."

"..."

"Your a one trick pony, you know that? All you do is sit there like a jackass and creep people out. You would make a great mime, its basically the same thing, just shut up and annoy people till they pay you." I said, starting to get bored.

"..."

"So does your army employ the inept or are you a special case?"

"..."

"Say nothing if you agree with me that there is something wrong with you on the mental or physiological level."

"..."

"Man, its like talking to a brick wall with you." I stated.

"..."

"Hey, want to hear the most annoying sound in the world? Say something for no, say nothing for yes." I asked as I started to smile.

"..."

"GGGEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-" I screeched, until Shade got pissed, removed one of his or hers boots and threw it at my face, hitting me right in the beck.

"Ow, you prick! That could have broken my beck, you see Shade, this is why no one likes you, your a prick." I shouted angrily.

In response, Shade wrote something down and showed me the note pad. It simply read 'Now were even'

"No, if we were even, I would have chained you to a wall and stared at you for a few hours will you need to take a piss."

"..."

"Oh, were playing this game again? Great." I replied, already bored.

"..."

"You know whats Dumbass's problem? He's too easy to get to. A few comments about his appearance or his families incestuous behavior behind close doors and hes banging his head against a wall. But not you, no your special.

"..."

"I got three theories in my head. One: you're a mute. You somehow mimed and interpretive danced your way through the chain of command and got here. Two: You're mentally handicapped. Your dad or mom is someone important and they bribed someone to get you in the military. Three: You're a zombie. Not the horror movie kind, but the honest to god voodoo kind. Someone resurrected you from the dead and he's on his lunch break or something, so that's why you're just sitting there locked in a room with me and dumbass, because your master does not need you right now and they paired you with someone of a similar I.Q level.. If it weren't for his lack of intelligence I would say your partner was your master...But no, someone like him could never figure out how to resurrect a corpse....Then again, im sure your master did not command you to throw a boot at me if I started yelling...Are you even listening to me?"

Anzu

"So...You gave up and came to me?" I asked, as the investigator I had assigned to question the unknown person they found near the anomaly. A brief examination showed us he wasn't like a normal griffon. His Plumage was too thick, he was taller than an average male, his markings were of a color and pattern not seen or noted by any previous tribe. Black and white where colors not seen on a griffon in eons. He looked like a more weathered and ancient type of a griffon and we would have inspected more of him than just his head but his strange clothes refused to budge. He's clothes was clearly either enhanced or sealed to him. I had hoped to get answers from him when he awoken but I seemed to have picked the wrong man for the job.

"I'm sorry my liege. His words got to me and I lost my temper." He apologized to me, clearly shameful and worried.

"It is quite alright Bucky, we had no idea how he would handle the situation and I'm sure despite his words he doesn't understand your current situation." I assured him as I put my hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down. "Now then, wait outside while I talk to him, I'm sure I can appeal to him." I instructed him as I moved towards the cell door.

"Sir? You going to talk to him?" Bucky asked me.

"Yes, and before you ask, no I don't think I would be in any form of danger. He's chained to a wall and Nightshade has been watching him. He is physically harmless and his words won't get to me." I told him, smiling slightly to reassure him. He took out the cell door key from his pocket and raised it to the doors lock, unlocked it and opened the door for me.

'Well then, Time to get some answers.' I thought to myself.

Delta

From my position I could see the prick from before outside the cell briefly before he closed the door and a new face. This guy was something else. He was tall, about my height and stood proud with a straight back and walked with a sense of purpose. He's feathers where snow white and golden in color, given off a faint yet magnificent light. He had bright blue eyes that held a deep sense of wisdom and intellect, he had a few small scars under his chin and left eye but he didn't cover them or try to hide them. Despite his wise and powerful look he was clearly young, barely an adult, and his smile and winning complexion made him seem all the more trustworthy. Atop his head sat an ornate golden crown that was studded with rubies, sapphires and emeralds and had small streaks of platinum in it. He wore a blue dress uniform coat with gold thread lining across the collar, sleeves, and bottom. Diagonally across his chest was a sash, it's three colors were blue, gold and red. Pinned to both his sash and his coat where various medals and badges of various shapes, sizes and metallic colors. All of them served to show his military prowess. on his left shoulder sat a large pauldron made of crucible steel and held a clean shine. His hands were covered by steel gauntlets but by the strange way his fingers curved it looked like he had talons or claws instead of normal fingers. He wore black dress uniform pants which had a chain leading from his waist to something inside his pocket and steel greaves instead of shoes. His clothes and armor were clearly weld made, fit for royalty. From his firm stance, wise gaze and the prideful way he held himself I could tell this man was someone of high importance.

"Good morning, I em King Anzu II, ruler of the Altai Mountains and the Avatar of war, though you may call me Anzu, or King anzu if your formal." The new guy said to me with a smile and a small chuckle. Shade, or what ever the guys name is, got up and saluted him and then walked next to the cell door as Anzu took the guys place.

"Lets cut the niceties out ok? I don't particularly like waking up in a BDSM dungeon and have two mentally questionable idiots annoy me." I told him, just wanting to get back to finding what's left of my team.

"I apologize for your accommodation, but you did cause quite a stir last night, and we weren't sure how to handle an odd case such as yourself." He calming said as he adjusted his seat and looked at me.

"Well I don't exactly take kind to primitives who tell me that my stuff isn't mine. Are all your soldiers incompetent or are Shade back there and Dumbass outside the only exception?" I asked.

"Nightshade here happens to be a highly trained scout and Bucky outside is-" Anzu started in a calm tone of voice.

"Wait, he's name is Bucky?! Thats hilarious!" I said, laughing with a huge grin. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Are you done?" Anzu asked patiently as I calmed down.

"...Yeah im done." I said as I got everything out of my system.

"As I was saying Bucky is a royal investigator and happens to be the soldier you tried to assault with this, mind telling me what it is?" He asked as he pulled out my pistol from his back pocket...Apparently he had it their the whole time, kinda weird but whatever.

"It's my gun, I call Her Trailblazer. Based off the Old World gun, the Steyr M1912, It is a similar model in design but the casing is made of super light crucible steel giving it a nice shine and the handle grip is real leather. It fires Hard Light shards instead of regular bullets or plasma rounds and can fire at a rate of thirty rounds per ten seconds on fully automatic. Some say its a marvel of science and engineering. I call it a gun." I told him, both honestly and in away that he wouldn't understand.

"Hard light?" He asked as he picked my the gun and started looking it over.

"light that has been transformed into a solid state. One of the most complex achievements of modern science and we used to power guns. The ammunition of the gun is see through and has a bright orange glow inside the casing, but like glass, the rounds shatter after they either break the skin or armor of my target. The rounds are outlawed in some places and the rounds are hard to come by, which is why the military outfits Hard light magazines with a small, yet powerful, solar panel on the side of the magazines. Strap them to your hip and let them recharge all your spent ammunition." I once again told him truthfully.

"Amazing, simply beautiful in design alone. Tell me, who made this?" He asked, astonished at the hand held cannon.

"My dad, he was a renowned gunsmith in his prime." I told him as I remembered moments of my childhood.

"Where might your father life? A man like him must be a savant in his field, I would gladly offer him a position in the royal armory." he asked hopefully as he continued to examine the gun.

"He's dead, passed away years ago, he gave me his gun as a final gift..." I said simply as I remembered the years past.

"Oh, my condolences. I did not mean to reopen old wounds." He apologized as he put the gun on the table in front of him.

"Don't be, that wounds long since healed...Now will you please uncuff me? I'm starting to loss feelings to my legs and my arms hurt." I begged, wanting to start moving once more.

"No not yet. First you must answer my questions. I need to know a few things before I let you go. And don't lie, I known when a subject is lying to me, so I'm sure I can read you too." He told me seriously as his tone shifted from calm to stoic.

"Fine, I'm to tired and hungry to mock you anyway." I told him as I looked him in the eyes.

"Your name, occupation, what the pile of metal in the snowy fields is and where did you come from are my first few questions." He asked me as he got up from his chair and moved in front of me.

"Delta Archae, I'm a pilot, the pile of metal is my Chassis and I don't know who much your people know about space but I'm sure you saw the giant explosions last night. The thing that explosion was my home, and it was destroyed with all my stuff in it." I answered truthfully, the last two questions shocking the King.

"Fine. Next, Can your people travel through space, Why did you come here and what are your intentions?" He asked, trying to remain unfazed by the news that I came from space.

"Yes, obviously, I came down to this rock in a fight to make sure something worse didn't come down instead and my intentions? What intentions? My stuff is either useless at the moment or broken, I have no idea where any of my people are and I have no idea where I am. My only intention is to survive long enough for someone to find me and get me off this planet." I told him bluntly.

"Lastly, do you plan- "

"To harm your 'innocent' civilians? All you asked me as been asked before by more primitive species before you to any dumb ass explorer that decided to visit an unknown planet and the questions get more and more cliche as time goes. No, I don't plan to hurt your people, but if they try to harm me I will fight back in self defense." I told him, rolling my eyes at his generic question.

"Fair enough, I can't realistically expect you to re frame from harming people in self defense. Step out of line and we will arrest you, remember that. Nightshade, Uncuff him please." Anzu ordered as he walked back behind the desk and picked my my pistol.

"Thanks...So, we good?" I asked as I messaged my bruised wrists and slowly regained feeling in my legs.

"Define good." He simply said.

"Can I leave?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"No." He absentmindedly said as he continued to examine my gun.

"And what, pray tell, is stopping me from attacking you and Shade and make a run for it?" I asked angrily as Shade tensed up.

"No need for hostilities, I'm doing whats best for you anyway. Even if you were to somehow outrun my guards and cross the border, because that's the only way you would avoid being beheaded for assaulting the king, where would you go? You're not from this planet, you know no one, you have no idea of the geopolitical world around you and I know everything that goes on in this land, plus you look terrible. If you want to life your best bet is to stay here under supervision and learn about the world around you before you go on some grand journey." He said with a smile as he quickly unraveled my plan of boldly rescuing my team.

"...Can I at least have my gun back?" I asked simply, sighing angrily.

"And how do I know you won't attack me and run off?" He asked with a smirk.

"...Touche." I angrily muttered.

"Cheer up Delta Archae, I'm sure your new lodging will have a toilet and I'll order the chefs to prepare a feast fit for a king!" he said as he opened the door. Resisting the urge to punch him in the mouth for making a pun, I walked out of the room while being guided by Shade. Unbeknownst to me, the King followed closely behind, with hope in his eyes and a plan taking form in his brain.

The doctor is in

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Tyler
10 Hours Ago

"Stun gun, check, Medicine of various types, check, Voice recorder, check, Camouflage module, check-a-mon-do." I said to myself as I re-checked my gear as I walked towards the edge of the forest. It was late into the night and I had just woken up from a surprisingly comfortable nap and I was about to check up on the first contact victim. As per orders, if a native is infected with an off world virus they must be checked regularly to make sure both a pandemic doesn't break out in the native population, and to record any and all mutations or changes in recorded symptoms. Best case scenario; Big Red, or whatever his name was, lives and the virus doesn't spread. Worst case scenario; He's already dead and turned into a Marauder and half the towns infected and I get blamed for not putting down the native when he got bit. My flight suit now had a small steel box attached to my back with a cool, dim blue glow coming off it. This was my camouflage module and it was surprisingly lighter then I remembered. If a scout needs to go into an unknown or lethal environment they attach the module onto themselves and their good to go for about two hours till it needs to recharge. My stun gun was attached to my hip and was cocked and ready to be fired. It was a black plastic gun with a small vertical slit at the end of the barrel with a small yellow glow coming out. Similar in shape and look to the original stun guns of the early twenty first century but without the annoying wires, instead it just shots small doses of electricity that incapacitates foes for up to an hour and is powered by a small generator built into the top of the gun, where a barrel would be. Appropriately named 'Hertz' it was originally used by planetary police forces on colonies but is now widely popular with frontier explorers and scientists going planetside. On the other side of my hip, attached to my belt, was a small box with a red cross on it. Inside was a combination of pain killers, strong disinfectant, antibiotics, clean bandages, water, a needle for blood samples and a defibrillator. Strapped to my thigh was my trusty hunting knife, sharped and well kept, it looks brand new despite the wear and tear on the old leather handle. All things that could come in handy for what im about to do.

I had now reacted the edge of the forest, the castle I had been using at least a mile behind me, and through the small bush I was crouched behind I could see lights off in the distance. I must be close to a town or outpost and now, I was in deep. Creeping out of the bush I looked to my wrist, towards my PDA, and activated my night vision. What had once been a dimly light field, only illuminated by the small rays of light piercing the thick cloud layer was now a neon green grass land. I had enough power to run the night vision for two days straight so I wasn't worried about losing power for now. Unsheathing my stun gun and pushing through the small bushes I began to walk towards the light source. About ten minutes of walking over empty fields and small hills found me looking down at a small town. It looked quaint, charming even, despite the stone wall surrounding it and natives patrolling the streets within. So getting in would be tougher than I thought, no biggie, I would just have to be a lot more tactful than I thought. lowering my stun gun I quickly crept down the small hill and made my way behind a few trees and scoped out the area. The wall looked newly built, so I doubt there are any large cracks or stones sticking out to give me a clear path up. Natives where patrolling the top of it and they never seemed to stay in one spot for long and those that did seemed to be manning some type of white and gold cannon. Climbing is a no go, getting up would make too much noise and I be may able to take down a group of people with my gun and knife but a local Garrison was way out of my league without my chassis or my hunting rifle.

Making my way around the trees to the right and keeping a wide gap between me and the town I saw a way to get in, the front gate. Along the road leading up to the town I saw a large gate, guarded by two half asleep guards and light by two torches. Smiling to myself I activated my camo mod via my PDA and moved in. Moving closer I was able to finally look at one of these natives up close. Straight off the bat their facial features where equine and human in appearance with a long snout, big eyes and a body covered in hair. These guards both had light blue fur and their manes, at least that's what they are on horses, where similar with a cobalt and gold hue on the left one and a Dark blue and copper hue on the right one. They stood erect and on two legs which looked to end in hooves instead of feet. The one on the left had a horn sticking out of its head(a unicorn?)and the other one had two wings on it's back that fidgeted from time to time(a Pegasus?) and they also each had a tail sticking out from behind. They were both female if the smaller figure and breasts where an indication, unless this planet's natives had a different version of genders. They wore matching armor that was very elaborate in design. They wore matching silver armor that had painted blue pauldrons, knee pads, gauntlets, elbow pads and a steel and blue chest piece with a black crescent moon and a head sticking out of the moon, a unicorn, on the chest piece and on the left shoulder with what looked like a symbol of a hawk on the right shoulder and a number that was different for each of the guards. From appearance they seemed lowly, either privates or just about in rank. If it came to it their short swords and small round shields would probably be useless in a ranged fight, though im sure there swords could puncture my suit if they got close enough.

Trying my hardest not to make a noise, I crept by the two unaware guards. As I got past them the one on the right turned and looked to the other one. "Hey, you ever wonder why were here?" She asked in a tired voice.

"Yeah, I do. You try your best to get through life while not pissing everyone off while also trying to do your best in training and then you get stuck with a thankless job and a crappy house. There's got to be something more out there you know? I bet that up there is a world or worlds we can't even comprehend and we're stuck down here, biding our time till death takes us. Yeah, I do sometimes wonder why were here doing nothing with our lives when we could be out there..." The other one replied as she looked up into the night sky.

"...I meant why are we here, guarding a gate in a backwater town that's so well guarded it might as well be a fort when we signed up to fight invaders." The one on the right asked, confused and slightly worried.

"Oh...Right." The other one simply replied, embarrassed beyond belief.

"You want to talk about it or-"

"No, no I'm good." She hastily replied. Deciding I should probably move on and get back to work, I crept behind a building, deactivated camo to save energy and went about trying to locate the local hospital or wherever they would keep Red. After a bit of moving and a lot of ducking behind dumpsters I came across what seemed to be the town square. There was what looked like the town hall on the opposite side of the square, a few shops to my left, more shops to my right and I seemed to have taken cover next to a bar or something if the sign was anything to go by. Seeing a map in the center of the park under a statue I decided that would be my best place to get some directions. Activating camo I walked out into the streets and towards the statue. As I approached it I could make out what it looked like in the dim moonlight. It was a stone statue depicting a tall native female in a large dress with a symbol of the sun on it standing in a proud pose and a smile on her face. She seemed to have both a horn and wings, perhaps a sign of power? Looking down at the base of the statue I could make out a golden plaque that read(In Common?! Has a space traveling race been here before or is this a giant coincidence?!):

Princess Celestia Solaris
Third monarch of Equestria
Avatar of Light

"Princess Celestia? If shes a monarch then why the hell is she a princess?" I questioned in a whisper. Realizing it doesn't matter to me at the moment I looked down at the map. It was old and faded but I could make out some landmarks like town hall, a giant tree, a farm and a hospital about thirty minutes away from me.

"Ponyville general hospital, that seems like the logical place to take the guy." I said as I began walking down the street, creeping back into the shadows. Back at the bar stood a drunk unicorn with a bottle in her hand and a annoyed earth pony helping her drunk friend walk home.

"I'm telling ya Tavi, the statue was talking! Celestia sounded like a farmer if he was in the army, all grizzled and shit but bomkiney. You heard it right?" The drunk friend slurred as she wrapped her arm around her friends neck to support herself.

"All I heard was you throwing up in the gutter, I can't believe you! What happened to your 'liver of steel'? Or did you lose it when you lost MY wallet paying for YOUR drinks?!" Her friend angrily yelled as she walked down the street.

Twilight

For the last few hours I had barely moved from my spot next to Applejack as there was nothing in the world that seemed more important to me then to support my grieving friend. Aldo Big Mac has been placed safely in the hands of the hospital staff and he was assured to be treated with the utmost care AJ was acting like he was already in the ground. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot as she had been crying on and off for the last few hours, next to her on a small table sat a small pile of tissues and her hair was a mess, breaking out from the scrunchy she used, and falling onto her orange shirt. The girls had to leave about four hour ago as Rarity needed to look after Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy needed to make sure none of her animal friends where hurt or...infected like Mac was, Pinkie had to look after the Cake's kids while they were away and Rainbow and her team now needed to scout the rest of the forest now that there was a possible threat hidden deep within, leaving me, Spike and AJ to wait in the hallway outside Mac's quarantined room. Spike and I decided to stay behind and comfort Applejack. Spike was out getting some food for us at the hospital's cafeteria when Redheart exited the room.

"Hows my brother nurse? Is he going to be ok?" Applejack asked, her voice cracking as she looked up. Nurse Redheart was tired, that much was obvious. her pink hair had been tied back into a bun and her lab coat white pants and plastic gloves were wrinkled and smelt of disinfectant. Her blue eyes where had bags under them and she seemed upset.

"The good news is he's stable and will most likely life through whatever's in his system. The bad news is we don't know what is in his system, so we have no idea what could happen to him. If its a virus or disease we will have no idea how it could affect him or spread, so for the foreseeable future he will have to remain quarantined." Redheart said with an exhausted sigh.

"How bad does it look?" Applejack asked, clearly worried.

"Aside from paleness around the eyes and discoloration where he was bitten changing his crimson fur to a darker shade of red and almost black along the teeth marks, he looks normal, but those changes worry me." redheart said.

"Are there any signs of what this virus is? Is it at all similar to any known viruses?" I asked, hoping we wouldn't have to start from square one if we needed a cure.

"The only thing that seems remotely similar to this is Hoofington Cough, but that was cured and wiped out years ago." Red Heart replied, a thoughtful look on her face. "At this point in time the only thing we can do is wait and see, if he is awake in the morning we will ask her to describe anything that feels wrong but I think it would be best if he where to get some rest for now, you too Applejack." She continued, looking at Applejack.

"I hear ya nurse. Come on Twi, I've wasted enough of your time lets just go." Applejack said, to sad and tired to argue staying here. As we turned down the hallway Spike came around the corner holding two cups of coffee in each hand and one in his tails grasp.

"Hey guys, any news?" He asked as he handed us each a cup and grabbed the one from his tail. I wordlessly hugged him tightly and closed my eyes as Applejack slowly walked off. He was surprised for a second but quickly returned the hug.

"That bad huh?" He whispered, worried both for his friend and his sister.

"Come on Spike." I quietly said as we separated and walked back up to Applejack. I put my right arm around her shoulder as she rested her head on my arm.

"Twi, Pardon my language, but i'm scared shitless." She said loud enough for us all to hear.

"We all are AJ." Spike said with a small smile as he put his left arm around her shoulder.

"What would I do without friends like you guys?" She asked with a small smile as she wiped her tears away with her free hand.

"I don't know, maybe still trying to buck the entire orchard all those years ago?" I asked with a smirk.

"You're never gonna let me forget that are ya? You're always good for a laugh, Twi." She said with a small chuckle as we left the Intensive Care ward.

Tyler

As I made my way past the small stores and houses near the end of town I saw the hospital just up ahead. The hospital was, like the rest of the town, rustic in design. It was two stories high with what looked like a large attic, the windows had a slight pink shade to them, the building was made with yellow bricks has the primary foundation with wooden supports also built into the exterior of the building, a red shingle roof, a small white cross painted onto the third floor, above the door and if the natives in what look like nurse scrubs walking around inside in front of the windows wasn't a big enough clue that this was a hospital then the big white sign out front with a white cross set to a red background was enough to tell me this was my target. Keeping to the shadows and bushes I began looking for a way into the building. I didn't have to look long before I saw an open window on the second floor. Activating my cloaking device, I jogged towards the building and positioned myself directly below the window.

"OK, now to see if the engies were right when they said this thing increased jump height. For all I know they could have just made the suits heels a few inches off the ground." I muttered to myself as I braced myself to jump. I crouched slightly and then jumped as high as I could while stretching out for the window sill. I was surprised when I actually jumped high enough to comfortably grab the ledge and pull myslef up and in.

"Huh, works like a charm." I said quietly as I looked around. The inside of the hospital was clean and white, giving of a very sterile atmosphere. I was in a hallway that had rows of wooden doors on each side with a number on each of them and an occasional potted plant or painting here and there. Moving down the hallway, I made sure to check my suits power supply. I still had 75% power left, enough to get in and out if I don't need to burn power on something else. As I made my way down the hallway I realized I had to idea where I was actually going, so I proceed to wander aimlessly until I heard the sound of people talking. Making sure to remain still and out of the way I saw three of the natives from earlier walk past. The orange one, who's name escapes me, looked like shit. Her eyes were puffy and her clothes was disheveled. The purple one from earlier, Twilight or something, seemed tired yet hopeful as she supported the orange one. Must be friends or something. And there was also the purple Raknan like creature was also there. He seemed distant, like he was somewhere else. Been there before. I didn't care much for what they were talking about but what I was interested in was the fact that they were most likely just with Red. Moving past them I continued down the hallway until I came across a set of wooden doors with a sign above them that read 'Critical care'.

"Bingo." I said as I checked behind me to make sure there was no one behind me before I walked through the double doors...And straight into the crotch of a security guard. The guy reeled in pain as he collided with my metal helmet junk first. Before he had time to get up I quickly grabbed him and put him in a chokehold. I managed to keep him locked in place as he kicked and tried to punch me, but aided by the fact I was invisible, stronger, armored and he was disorientated he never stood a chance. After he started to stop struggling I held on for just a bit longer before I let go and let him fall asleep. After checking to make sure he was still alive I picked him up and looked for a place to put him. A few feet away from me, against a wall, sat a small wooden chair and a matching table with an open box of donuts. I managed to pick him up, sit him in the chair and dropped his hat just over his eyes to make it look like he was taking a nap. The guard was a very strange looking native. Unlike the other natives I had seen, this one had a darker looking fur, strange yellow eyes with a black slit for a pupil and leathery wings like a bats. This man had black fur with dark blue hair and was dressed like a generic security guard; black slacks with a few tools and a baton, a white shirt with a badge and a watchman's cap. The only thing out of place was the weird dark blue metal greaves and boots he wore, It looked like he stole them from a knights set of armor and painted them blue.

After I had noted all strange features of this type of native I continued my search for Red or whoever he was. I didn't have to search long as I came across a room with its door slightly ajar and the sound of annoying snoring coming from within. Creeping inside and shutting the door behind me, I deactivated my camo and looked at the infected native. He looked stable so that was good, less chance that I will have to kill him. I walked over to him and inspected his body. His wounds were healing remarkably fast and the spread of the disease seemed to be contained to the bitten area. His body looked healthy despite the slight discoloration around the bitten areas and his eyes. I quickly unbuckled the med kit at my waist and opened it up. After pulling out some needles and medicine I went about injecting him with enough antibiotics and painkillers to keep him happy till he kicks this. As I was going about applying more gauze and bandages to the bitten area I heard someone opening the door. Panicking, I activated the camo mod, hid under Reds bed and hoped to the gods that whoever it was didn't notice the medicine and needles I left on the tray next to him.

"hey Mac, just checking to make sure you're still fine." A yellow nurse whispered in a sweet voice as she went about checking all the usual stuff like blood pressure and stuff until-

"This can't be right...How can he already be fighting this thing if he was unstable minutes ago? I better get Redheart." The unnamed nurse said as she ran out the room, yelling something about a situation. Seeing that as my queue to exit, I quickly grabbed all my loose needles and gauze, stuffed them into my med kit, activated my camo unit and proceeded to open up a window and jump out of it. The landing was a bit painful but the suit took most of it as I ran off in the direction of my camp.

'Okay, I didn't get to examine Mac for as long as I would have liked but he seems healthy enough and he wasn't in the morgue or ripping peoples arms off so hes not dead or changed yet, so I count this as a win. If I have to come back here I'm gonna have to be really fucking careful, that was too close.' I thought as I sprinted off into the night.

Author's Notes:

Hey. I know this chapter was a bit short compared to what I usually write and probably lacking in quality but I've been focusing on some of my other stuff, mostly Sydney's Rangers. I kinda rushed this one out as I did'int really like writing this chapter but at the same time felt like I had to finish what I started...a month ago. I've been thinking of re-writing this story before I continue on as some parts feel a bit unnatural or lackluster to me like the first encounter with the Mane 6 but I also know this is my most like and read story so I feel obligated to write more stuff regularly. And before anyone writes about it, now I have no idea how a hospital would treat something like this or how medical stuff goes down, I thankfully barely even need to talk to a doctor. I began this chapter strong a month or so ago and got half way through before I just stopped for awhile and stopped caring for what I had written. This chapter was'int fun for me to write, I don't know why but it was'int. I kinda feel torn between this story which is my most liked, Sydney's Rangers which I feel the most inspired to write or my other two stories which I've been neglecting and want to expand on.

-LoosePartyCannon, the laziest shot this side of the west.

Differing Views

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Elizabeth
Day 1
Badlands
"I swear to the gods, If you try anything it will not end well for you."
I threatened again as I continued to walk my Chassis through the spacious, dark tunnels. It felt like hours ago since I last saw sunlight and these bugs weren't helping to alleviate the feeling that I'm walking blindly into a trap, but my limited resources and lack of awareness of the world around me made me a bit more trusting than I would usually find myself. These strange bugs looked nothing like any race I had seen before. Their hardened chitin was a new sight; most species that evolve this far into the evolutionary field aren't evolved from bugs. Most species have flesh or scales like humans and Rakans, feathers like the Avia or completely forget about their physical forms and transcend to a less physical form like the Novets. These creatures look like nothing seen before, they have hardened shells yet grow hair like a human or Avia would despite having what appears to be an exoskeleton, strange. Their eyes, though hard to see when I’m about twenty feet above them in a giant war machine and their wearing hoods, are completely blue with a slight light blue shade where the pupils would be, maybe their eyes function differently? I'll have to ask someone if they aren't hostile. Their bodies were a bit hard to see on account of their armor but their body proportions seemed all over the place. The light armored ones had small, skinny bodies but showed no visual signs of undernourishment whereas the captain of the team had a tall, imposing and masculine form that towers over the others. Whether this is a sign of diversity or good breeding I wouldn't be able to say.

"Again, being, do not expect an attack from us, we have no trap planned." The captain spoke calmly as he continued, "We are going to arrive at the Hive soon”. His voice was strange, a bit scratchy yet clear and masculine.

"I’d rather be called Elizabeth than ‘Being’” I replied.

"That name is not one I’ve heard before. Captain Mirage, at your service Miss Elizabeth." The captain said with a surprisingly chipper tone of voice.

"If you don't mind me asking, what the hell are you? If I'm going along with this I think I deserve an answer." I asked bluntly, causing the captain and some of the soldiers to laugh.

"We're Changelings, a proud and strong people who live all over the world. Our species is one of the most diverse on the planet with various hives, cultures, beliefs and customs, quite the opposite of what some less dignified creatures would say." Mirage said with equal respect and contempt. By his words I can deduce a few things; their species could be as vast as the humans, more or less, their species is either experiencing class warfare, civil war or a normal war with another race and lastly he specifically has a hate of a particular group of people. Great, a possible racist alien is leading me into a dark hole in the ground. All those horror stories people spread during training was suddenly coming back.

'It's ok Liz, there's no way in hell these bugs could kill you. you're basically immortal.' I thought to myself.

"We're here. Welcome to Valguard Miss Elizabeth." Mirage spoke with a hint of pride. As I stepped out of the dark tunnel into the open chamber I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought maybe it would just be endless tunnels and eggs like an ant colony, I thought it would just be a bunch of bugs sitting around in dirt waiting for something to eat or even just a bunch of green goo and rocks shaped like houses making a semi town. What I saw was so much grander in scale and design. I stepped out onto a small platform that had a small staircase running down the sides of this huge underground city. As I looked down I saw houses and shops made from various materials, ranging from shiny black chitin like material and green mortar, grand metal buildings of various precious alloys and gems creating a luster rarely seen in architecture and some buildings were made from more basic materials like stone or brick but it still gave off a beautiful glow. The entire city was illuminated by giant glowing crystals placed all over the city. Some jutted from the walls like a vein of ore, some broke from the ceiling like a stalactite and some of them were carved or cut into fine shapes and placed in the city like a lamppost. The city and the air above where a buzz with activity as Changelings of various shapes, sizes and colors went about their business with a few flying around. In the center of this giant cave sat a castle unlike any I had seen before. It touched the roof of the underground chamber, it radiated a green, beautiful light and its walls and mortars were so well designed that it must have taken years to construct. The castle was made of the black chitin like material but it never gave off an evil feel, instead the light that shined of the walls, the well-kept garden surrounding the palace, the strong and intricately designed wall that surrounded the palace and stain glass windows made it feel both alien yet radiant.

"Wow...This is fucking awesome." I muttered in awe.

"Valguard is renowned for its amazing architecture, art and military strength. Now, do be careful when going down these stairs, they were made to allow caravans, travelers and large military forces to go up but can be difficult to walk down." He said with an air of caution.

"I’d rather fly, if that’s cool." I said nonchalantly as I activated my Chassis boosters and set them to hoover. I was propelled off the ground and floated a few feet up in the air, the heat from my rockets slightly scorching the ground below me.

"Well then, I guess we can just fly to the Castle. If I may ask, what enchantments are you using?" The captain said after a slight pause, not expecting something that looks so heavy to be able to achieve flight.

"The fuck are you talking about?" I asked brashly.

"To fly, surely flight would be impossible for something so large without magical assistance." I paused for a bit, and then laughed loudly at how stupid he sounded.

"Aah you're a funny guy Mirage. Yeah, magic that's how I can fly." I replied sarcastically. 'Gods, it’s always fun talking to a native, they believe the stupidest shit.' I thought.

"Okay? Then how are you flying if not through magic?" He asked quizzically.

"Simple, a shit ton of fuel mixed with some retrofitted plasma boosters." I answered.

"What is a plasma booster?" He asked curiously.

"A rocket, now where’s this queen I'm supposed to meet? As much as I would love to play twenty questions with you all day I feel we should get moving."

"Follow me, though I imagine she will want to know more then I." He replied. Then weirdly, almost see through tattered bug like wings seemed to slip through his armor and he was soon in the air. The other soldiers did the same and soon we were all in the air, though they went out of their way to avoid my boosters. They led the way over the city as I powered my rockets almost completely down to avoid over taking them. As I flew over the city I couldn't help but wonder how all of this was possible, an underground city this big has to have some way of supporting the roof, otherwise it would collapse, yet aside from the castle and a few buildings that touched the roof I see none. I refuse to believe that the castle and a few tall buildings are the only thing supporting this whole place. That just flies in the face of logic. As we continued to fly I saw more and more of the locals fly near me, though they were told to stay away from the guards they still hanged around a bit further back. Soon there were dozens of the things but as we neared the castle the bugs seemed to scatter. As we flew over the walls a large amount of soldiers gathered around on the courtyards ground.

"Captain Mirage! What is this steel beast and why is it here?" A female voice shouted sternly as we touched down. Surveying the yard I saw the voice belonged to a bug covered from head to toe(or hoof I guess...) in shiny armor that looked like a mix of silvery chitin and gold embedded with strange writing. The armored figure, along with all the others, wore a helmet that covered their whole head and only leaving a small slit for them to see out of like the archaic human armors.

"Guard Captain Valkyrie, I have brought the creature that her majesty Queen Chrysalis wanted to see." Mirage said with a quick salute.

"And does this creature have a name?" She demanded as she looked at me. Cutting Mirage off I decided to answer.

"Yeah, it’s Elizabeth." I said, surprising the captain.

"And here I thought you were a mindless machine, who ever made you must be so proud you know your own name. Follow me Captain, her majesty is waiting." Valkyrie replied, unimpressed and snidely at the same time. After seeing the size of the front door to the castle I realized I could walk my Chassis in instead of getting out. Climbing up the steps leading to the door in one step I was soon inside the castle and it was just as grand as the outside. The walls where made of the a much more brighter material on the inside, like marble but darker, and the walls held giant tapestries and banners that bore the same symbols as the symbol on the shields of some of the knights I had seen. The floors were lined with green, velvet carpets that looked soft yet durable and along the walls on the ground sat small tables or platforms that held vases, artworks of some kind or what looked like artifacts of an unknown nature. Needless to say, whoever owned this place went all out.

The hall was also lined with guards here and there. They stood tall and proud in immaculate jade and black colored armor designed to no doubt withstand a direct strike from a crossbow bolt or hit from a sword but also had a soft cloth like material that doubled as a clock and a hood that covered their helmets. They either were armed with a halberd, a sword and shield or a crossbow and dagger. The halberds were unlike any I had seen before, the staff was made of black wood and had a dark green ribbon spiraling down and ended at an emerald embedded at the bottom. The ax was made of a material that looked just like glass yet gave of a shine that doesn't seem natural. To top off the design the short pike at the tip looked sharp enough to pierce my chassis's lightest armor, though I imagine its just the craftsmanship, I doubt a simple pole arm could dent this baby. The swords were of a similar design with a wooden handle covered in a dark green leather cover and a sharp crystal blade. The sheaths were black, though it looked like all of them had something written on them in green ink. The shields they wielded where black heater shields with a green creature of some kind on it, like the banners. It looked similar to a lion in the way it was built though it sported a pair of leathery wings, a scorpion tail and giant claws. The design of the symbol was similar to that of a lion rampant. And lastly, the crossbows where made of a black wood, along with the arrows, but the strings and arrow fletching where green. The string could have just been colored and the fletching was probably a feather of some kind. The daggers were of the same design, sheath included, as the swords but looked more like a small butterfly sword.

I noticed that all the hallways we passed down where all similarly designed and was completely void of fault in design or defense. Many rooms were hidden behind guarded doors but the ones that were opened showed beautiful rooms like a ballroom with the most exquisite chandelier that seemed to be made entirely of metals and gems, a giant foyer that lead out to a garden and a stunning dining hall with the longest table I had ever seen, mahogany I think. I was impressed to say the least, I was never one for going over the top but even I could appreciate the amount of money someone had to have sunk here. I also noticed that despite the great mechanical steps I took and the shaking it caused, nothing fell down, was moved and I didn't crack the floor or ruin the carpets. Either everything is bolted down or something’s up because I know my steps can break rocks if I try hard enough. After we made our way down the halls, taking a few turns and passing through a few rooms we came across a large set of doors that were made of black steel and emerald. The door was guarded by two crossbow guardsmen and two swordsmen.

"I take it this is the 'metallic beast' those scouts spotted?" Asked one of the swordsmen in an anxious tone of voice, clearly intimidated by the weaponry and size of my ride.

"Yes, is the queen occupied?" Valkyrie answered, cutting Mirage off.

"No, she has purposefully been shooing away anyone seeking an audience." The guard continued, never taking his eyes of my Chassis.

"Very well then, let us through." Mirage commanded. The swordsmen quickly grabbed the double door handles and opened it. My Chassis barely managed to fit through the doors as I walked into the throne room. The room was long and the walls where lined with stain glass windows depicting various events like war, what looked like two Changelings signing something, a depiction of a king being beheaded by two other changelings, both females, and what looked like someone being crowned in front of a group of knights. The roof was supported by two rows of black stone columns that had words carved into the bottom, they were unreadable but probably was something religious, historical or empowering. We walked down a long green carpet that lead up to a platform a few small steps of the ground which held a black marble throne that was embedded in a giant, black, stone wall. The throne itself was gorgeous, its shiny black marble gave off a grand luster, and its green cushions looked softer than anything I’d seen before. The throne had was flawlessly carved with no sharp edges, marks or cracks like it had just been made yet the stone it was built into looked ancient. The thrones armrests where straight until it ended at arm’s length where it then curved down and turned into a strange design that looked like a crystallized water fall and sparkled like one. The tall stone wall was graphite black yet had carvings in its surface that showed a changeling floating in between the sky and ground. The ground was littered with blood, bodies and gore yet the heavens, which was guarded by strange creatures that looked similar to the changeling, were cracked and separated by a line running through the stone.

"I take it this is the monster the scouts saw in the desert?" I heard a voice asked, it was sultry and soothing yet distorted and strange, like two people were talking at the same time. As I neared the throne I was able to make out the person sitting on it. She was...Unique to say the least. She was a tall figure, easily a foot taller than me at seven feet, and had teal green hair that ran down to her back, maybe further as what looked like more hair went down the side of the throne and followed the armrest. She had dark skin like everyone else yet hers seemed softer and darker somehow, like the shadows, and her eyes where dark green with elongated oval pupils. Her face looked both human and alien, it had eyes, a mouth, nose, ears, teeth and hair like a human but the changes ranged from insignificant to bizarre. Her eyes were bigger than a humans, her mouth housed both normal teeth and fangs that looked sharp enough to rip a chunk off someone, her nose was a bit long but not unattractive, quite the opposite, her ears where longer than a humans and a bit flat. Her hair though graceful had literal holes in it yet oddly the hair seemed to move around the holes like it was styled like that. She wore an elegant emerald dress that hugged her body yet was never revealing, sexy or bland. I guess elegant would be the word to describe it? I barely wear clothes so how the fuck could I be able to tell what's good for aliens.

"Yes my queen, she calls herself Elizabeth." Mirage continued as he bowed respectfully then rose. I watched as the Queen rose from her throne. The first two things I notice where 1) She has a FUCKING tail and 2) She has god damn holes in her skin. It looked like someone had taken an oversized screw driver to her limbs! How the fuck is she alive?

"When the scouts said a massive metal object had appeared in the dessert I was expecting something ground shattering, awe inspiring and extravagant." She said, with an amused voice as she looked my chassis up and down. She seemed impressed yet not awed or terrified like everyone else.

"I don't aim to impress when I'm building. If you want to build a gun and make it an impractical piece of shit then be my guest." I replied bluntly, earning a gasp from Mirage as he stared at me like I had just slapped his mother, though the Queen merely chuckled.

"Not many Changelings would swear openly towards their queen." She spoke with a small smirk as she continued to stare, though directly at my cockpit like she could see me.

"Well I'm not a Changeling." I rebutted brashly.

"And I could guess you are not a giant machine?" She questioned with a hint of curiosity.

"Yes and no..." I answered, dodging the question. She stared for a bit longer then started to walk back to her throne.

"Tell me Miss Elizabeth, what do you know about this world?" She asked as her guards stood close to the throne and eyed me suspiciously.

"I know it’s been called 'impossible' and 'an insult to science', but aside from that I can't say I’m familiar with this rock, though from what I saw it looks like most Terran planets; decent size, a few oceans, a few desserts and a 'colorful' native population." I answered truthfully. She seemed surprised by my answer but didn't show it.

"So, you're not from this planet. Tell me, why are you here?" She asked, her voice shifting from curious to emotionless as she continued to stare at me.

"Originally, it was meant to be a mission of science. After we got ambushed from an old enemy we were forced to kill them which resulted in me plummeting towards the ground, along with a few others. I don't really have a reason to be here, just stuck." I answered truthfully while leaving out stuff she didn't need to know.

"Well, I guess I can't fault you for that. Be warned, attack or threaten one of my subjects and you will not only enrage the Hive, you will have me to face. Now, if you truly are stranded here then you have no idea what this world is turning into do you?" She threatened then questioned, her voice shifting from foreboding to calm in a heartbeat.

"I could hazard a guess, a war spanning the world over?" I asked, not really caring.

"I take it you've been in a situation like this before?" She asked, somewhat surprised.

"What can I say, first contact with new civilizations can get a bit repetitive at times, though this is the first time the alien race has looked so..."

"Monstrous?" She asked with a knowing tone of voice.

"No, exotic would be a more apt word." I said with a small smile.

"A refreshing change from the usual disgust. The world is, almost literally, torn apart. The Griffon Empire and United Lands of Equestria are at war over land rights, resources and justice, which has placed many of the smaller nations and tribes in risk of getting caught in the crossfire. Many other countries are weighing in the risks and rewards of choosing a side, the Changeling Hives included, and many believe this to be an unavoidable war for all." She told me, no doubt giving me the informal and quick summery, with a straight face that gave away no hint to what she thought on all of this.

"And where do you stand?" I asked.

"Where I stand is none of your concern. Now then, where do you plan to go from here?" She said with a small amount of harshness then a knowing voice as she eyed me with a looked that might as well scream she has a plan.

"Well, I planned to explore and look for survivors, thought that was going with the assumption most of the people on this planet where still primitive idiots and not caught in a global war. I assume you have a better idea?" I asked with a bit of annoyance.

"Well your idea may be direct; it's also ineffective and possibly dangerous. How would warring nations and a scared populous react to a giant flying beast, the likes of which has never been seen before? What I propose is this; I will provide you with information of the world, food, water and a place to stay till you need to leave while I send a few of my spies and scouts already out in the field to look for signs of your friend's locations, gossip and news can be very helpful, and in exchange you tell me about your people." She offered in a voice that seemed calm and friendly.

"Seems too good to be true, what's the catch?" I questioned suspiciously.

"None. I don't expect you to tell me how your weapons work or how to build whatever you’re in, I just wish to learn more of the worlds beyond from an outsiders view. Your welcome to leave, I'll even provide you with a map and food, but alone you will face challenges both political and militaristic in nature. If the Equestrians and Griffins knew you had come from a Changeling Hive they would probably have you detained or killed from fear alone. My forces are in every town, in every country on every Continent, they are invisible, smart and above all else discrete. With my spies ears to the ground it won't be long before they catch wind of alien sightings or a crash landing. I'm not demanding you to pledge allegiance or live here, you're free to leave whenever you please and I won't stop you. I just ask that you cooperate with me and follow Changeling laws." She said calmly as she rose from her throne and approached me.

"Can I think this over?" I asked, not sure whether to agree with her or not. On one hand, she was right. I had no idea what this world was like and I could very well fuck up a situation I have no knowledge of, plus free food, shelter and company are nothing to sneeze at on a potentially hostile world. On the other hand, this feels off. She has stated that by being here I could be arrested, I'm sure there's a reason why. I have nothing to lose by walking away and going alone and I don't trust these natives as far as I could throw them. But she was right, I had no idea where to begin looking for my allies, and if what she said is true, then having eyes and ears all over the world could help shorten my search...

"Of course, I don't want to pressure you into an answer you're unsure of. You can stay in the castle for now, I don't think you will fit in a hotel." She said with a small laugh.

"Mirage, take her to one of our guest rooms and see to it that she is comfortable." She continued with a strict tone.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Follow me Miss Elizabeth." Mirage said with a salute as he led me towards the door. As I walked away I activated the rear camera, opening a small tab on my Chassis’ HUD and watched the Queen walk back to her throne and sit down, making sure she wasn't going to try something. Instead she just sat there, staring with a small smile on her face. As I stomped down the hallways I couldn't help but question two things; what did she have planned for me and how the fuck was I able to walk my Chassis down these halls? The doors where just tall enough to fit me through and I wasn't putting a dent in the floor, only shaking the various items decorating the walls. Seriously, what is this goddamn castle made of and who was it built for?

Tribal

View Online

Esther
Minotaurian Islands
Day 1, 7 P.M

To say I was on edge as I followed the large group of over sized bull people into a unknown forest as night fell upon the world, casting the dense jungle in a dark shadow, would be the understatement of the century. Ovid, despite his intimidating physique and weapons, seemed like a gentle soul who wouldn't harm anyone without good reasons, but that didn't make me trust him more then I would trust a feral Avia. He was still a seven feet tall pile of muscle with horns and no amount of calming words could shake the idea of being gored on one of them because I looked at him funny. Despite all that I knew I was fine for the time being, my Chassis would make quick work of him if he did try anything. In all honesty, his stone weapons were quaint in comparison to the reactor powered metal war machine I piloted for a living.

"Ovid, how much further till we reach this village of yours?" I asked, my voice bombing loudly from the speakers on the outside of the cockpit.

"We will soon be in the safety of the village walls. Tell me Esther Leonas, are all the members of your race so tiny?" He asked curiously. chuckling a little I replied.

"No, All though I'm considered tall for a natural human. Humans are a mix bag of talents, traits, religions, races and abilities, some are born taller or stronger then others and some are born with defects that can shape who they are or stunt them in development. Thankfully, most humans can fix their blights or hereditary illnesses thanks to augmentations." I explained trying to explain that most humans are completely different to others while also trying not to get into a long, diplomatic discussion about humanity in general.

"Augmentations? As in runes? Yes we have those too, though they only work for weapons." He said as he took his giant stone ax off his back, looking faintly I saw strange inscriptions embedded into the dull stone edge.

"Not like that no, but similar. Body augs, as some call them, are meant to be replacements or improvements for a human body, if someone loses an eye or arm in a battle then it can be replaced. Some style their augments with different alloys, paint jobs or different functions. I once heard about a man who replaced his left arm with a minigun, he got fired from his job because no one needs a civil engineer packing enough heat to take down a VTOL." I said, going slightly off course as we continued to walk down the large stone path. Surprisingly the dirt road had gradually being changing to a rustic stone path, must be getting closer.

"Sounds impressive, though I imagine with all new ideas there are those who don't wish to change?" He asked, seemingly intrigued with the idea of fake limbs.

"Yeap, more than a few political parties or outspoken members of nobility have tried to ban augmentation or deport Augs off of the Human Armada, but their laws never pass and their PR is run by a bunch of Old World conservative nuts who think we should close off all trade routes with other races, so their bound to get their asses whooped by any voter with a brain." I explained.

"Your leaders sound conflicting at best, have your people ever revolted?" Ovid asked bluntly.

"Not with our current Emperor, but there have been times in the past were riots and revolutions were a lot more common. As much as I love having discussions of human nature and culture with creatures who probably don't even know what a natural human looks like, I would really like to know where...Wow." I asked before I had to stop myself and take in the scene in front of me.

"Beautiful isn't it? Welcome to my home; Thesia." Ovid boomed loudly as his chest swelled with pride and pointed out with his right arm, his body illuminated by the setting suns rays as his body seemed to shine with light. He then stood still for a few seconds, as if he was striking a heroic pose. The village itself was beautiful, surrounded on three sides was the jungle with a three hundred or so gap of open fields being guarded by a large, ancient looking stone wall that was about thirty feet high and if the constant movement was any indication it was heavily guarded. Aldo I could not see the buildings directly behind the wall, I could see the ones above the wall as the town was built on the incline of an enormous, almost shining cliff. The cliff seemed to rise up to a small Mesa with a large, white and red tent built atop it with a few surrounding tents and wooden huts. Most of the buildings I could see were either simple huts or basic wooden or stone house built larger than normal to accommodate the massive Minotaurs. The town was surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees that resembled every color of the rainbow and shifted in color and seemed to sway with a non-existent wind. The town was built out of a beautiful dark brown wood painted a wide variety of colors, though from where I was standing(a few kilometers away) I couldn't tell what they meant as it just looked colored spots on the walls. The town, though exotic and seemed to embrace nature with all the vines and plants growing inside the walls, was also built like a stronghold. The village had three large walls built so thick it would take siege weaponry to put a dent into it and the back of the town was guarded by a mesa with only one road up meant not only could snipers fire down upon invaders, but no one could get up the mountain without attacking the town unless they were willing to climb an almost completely vertical jagged cliff face. The villiage, despite showing signs of being harmonious with nature, it also seemed slightly industrial.

"It's impressive, not gonna lie. Just going off a gut feeling, but I'm going to bet that this 'Priestess' you want me to meet lives in that big tent up there?" I asked while point the Chassis's left arm at the massive, tribal looking white tent on top of the rock formation.

"Yes. She, along with a few other representatives of the people live atop of the mountain to protect against invaders." He said with a small bit as we continued down the rocky path, going down a slight incline into a flat, grassy field.

"Trouble with the neighbors?" I asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to continue the conversation.

"You could say that, or you could say we're constantly under threat from barbarians and roving warlords. They see our village as a cornucopia of resources, but instead of trading, they wish to raze our homes to ash and kill our kin. The wall and mountain have been invaluable to holding them off but the Priestess thinks we will soon need to look for aid. Personally, they're all a bunch of savages with no tact or strategy to their attacks. As long as we continue to outsmart them, victory is assured." He said with a strong, determined voice, his men seemed to share similar views as many of them cheered or shouted in agreement. We had been slowly picking up speed and were now in a slow jog towards the approaching stone wall of Thesia.

"Not to rain on your parade, but what if their strategy does change?" I asked, playing devils advocate.

"Rain on my parade? That's a new one, is that an alien phrase? As for your question, those knuckle dragging, honourless murderers don't have the ability to think beyond running, attacking and screaming." He said, his gruff yet calming voice shifting from confused to angered. We were almost at the gate and if the shadows shifting and running about in the small, stone and wood hut that was built atop the wall, Someone had noticed the platoon of soldiers and the large, ornate bipedal robot painted blue following behind them.

"Halt Chieftain! What is that thing behind you?" I heard a loud, feminine voice shout. Unlike all the Minotaurs I had heard talk before, this voice was soft but not delicate and strict. Nothing like the gruff voices of the men around me, who sounded like they exercises their vocal cords by chewing iron.

"This metal creature is being controlled by a woman who calls herself Esther Leonas, she says she came from the great battle in the sky!" Ovid shouted back into the hut. Aldo it was dark inside the hovel, I could see something small talking to a much larger shadow.

"I'll be down in a second. Open the gates!" I heard the voice shout before I saw something blue sprint out of the building. Almost instantly, the large, wooden gate reinforced by metal started lowering down like a drawbridge without a moat. Surprisingly, I was able to fit through the open gateway but crouching down slightly after all the natives passed through first. The town itself was quite charming, the buildings all had a old world feel with their simple designs and tribal artwork(which upon closer inspection seemed to tell stories through artwork like human cave paintings) and the village was seemingly robust with activity as people ran about collecting things, running businesses or practicing their crafts like fighting, carpentry or forging primitive weapons made of what looked like a darker, glass-like version of iron...Until they noticed me of course. In an instant all stopped and stared at the new arrives, particularly me. Some seemed to be impressed by my machine, others scarred or readying weapons. Before either I or Ovid could speak, I saw someone new walk up onto the scene.

"Ovid, please tell me you at least know whether or not if this thing is hostile." I heard the voice from before say. Another minotaur, though oddly this one had sapphire blue fur and black lines running along her body that seemed to form jagged, crude shapes with no coherent rhythm, until it reached her arms where it formed shapes vaguely similar to what looked like snakes with multiple heads. She wore torn. dirt brown cloth and metal armor that looked like a dirty, stained set of armor missing a helm, leggings, arms and half the chest with the elbows, shoulders, knee caps and feet being covered. The parts of her body that weren't covered by ancient, burnt looking armor were simple cloth clothing that covered her body, making sure she looked protected and intimidating. She didn't seemed armed but if the impressive, veiny muscles and the steel bands covering her knuckles, which were wrapped in leather, being held in her beefy hands were anything to go off, she didn't need a real weapon. She had one very long and sharpened hone that was almost umber in coloring, but the horn on the right side of her face was torn off halfway in development which gave it a jagged and broken look. She had long black hair that ran down her back and a few loose hanging dreadlocks with various beads and pieces of gemstone of all the colors of the rainbow stuck in her hair.

"Trust me, Esther Leonas here is a kind women with a hardened soul. I wouldn't have brought her here if I thought she was a monster of some kind." He said, assuring the stranger that I wasn't a direct threat.

"...How exactly can you tell that that thing is a women? Its tall enough to bring down the mesa!" She exclaimed, surprised and probably confused. Deciding Ovid had spoken for me enough times today, I decided to pick up the conversation.

"It's kind of easy to tell what gender I am when I actual show myself." I spoke casually, startling many of the people who had started to crowd us.

"huh, interesting. A giant machine used to protect a smaller creature. Tell me Esther Leonas, how did you build this monster of steel and obsidian?" She said, mumbling stuff under her breath about ores and 'magic'. As I looked around, it seemed the whole village had gathered around us, the crowd making up various shades of blues, browns, blacks and dark green colors. Many of the locals seemed to be either looking around unsure of how to react or preparing for a fight.

"Firstly, Esther is just fine. Squadron Leader Leonas if you want to be overly formal, and secondly, I didn't build this Chassis alone, well, most of it at least." I answered honestly.

"Well the Esther, if Ovid the oaf thinks you're trustworthy then I might as well see if what he says holds any merit. How about we talk face to face so I can see if you really are someone we can have faith in." She said, suspicious as to my true intentions. Seeing as how there was nothing to lose aside from my life, I begrudgingly commanded the Chassis into a kneeling position and opened the Chassis cockpit.

Ovid

This was now the second time I would lay eyes upon Esther Leonas as she commanded her steel beast to lower down to the ground so she could exit it, and she was still as strange as the first time I saw her. The head of the monster opened up, reveling a small room with a few glass panels of some kind and boxes built into the wall with blinking lights giving the strangely dark room a cool, blue glow. Before she got out of her chamber, she pressed a button and on of the glowing boxes built into the wall slid open, and out came a strange metal stick with a small box built under it and a telescope of some kind built into a small out sticking piece of metal on top of the weird thing. Attached to the object was a leather sash of some kind with two boxes also strapped to it, which Esther grabbed and placed on her so the metal stick was on her back and the sash went over her torso in a vertical line.

Getting up and out of a strange white and black seat with various odd looking contraptions built into it, she steeped out of her mechanical animal and onto the moist dirt and hardened stone roads of Thesia. She wore a strange, skin tight, clean white suit that had shinny metallic armor placed over key areas like the torso, legs, arms and shoulders. the suit had a few glowing parts around the legs, arms and neck which seemed to serve some kind of function, but what that function was I did not know. She wore an odd looking helm that resembled the beasts head. A blue glass covered where her eyes would be and probably allowed her to see, the helm had metallic armor and a strange blade jutting up from the helm, a possible sign of power to her clan or people? I also noticed a few strange devices attached to her. She had a small, rectangular device strapped to her back, under the metal staff, that seemed to be glowing a pale yellow color. Near her left hoof was a small, oddly shaped box with a long tube that was completely silver in color. Strapped to her sides on a black belt was a bizarre blue cylinder with a flame painted on it and had a black pipe sticking out of it, and a otherworldly tool that looked like a cross between the small thing strapped to her leg and the box on her back.

"Bah, you're small and scrawny, now I see what Ovid thinks you're no threat." She said dismissively as she gave Esther Leonas the once over, seemingly unimpressed by her strange armor.

"Say what you will about me miss, but I guarantee I am anything but 'scrawny'." Esther replied, a hint of defensiveness in her voice.

"Bah! You couldn't harm a blind Cockatrice! My name is Enyo little one, now tell me why you are here. Ovid might believe whatever lie you could of concocted but I am not so easily fooled." Enyo demanded in a condemning tone.

"Do not think I am a child miss Enyo, I would wager I'm older and more experienced than you. As for why I am here in this village; Ovid seems to think some Priestess wants to meet me." Esther said honestly. Aldo I could not see her eyes, I imagine she was staring Enyo dead in the eyes and I assume by Enyo's hardened gaze, the way she was staring down in Esther's helm and the way she was readying her fists for a fight that she thought so as well.

"What makes you worthy of seeing the-"

"ENOUGH! Enyo, you have every right to be suspicious, but if what we both fear is true then now is not the time to burn bridges with allies we haven't even earned. Esther, walk down that path until you reach the mountain path and wait for me, I won't be long." I shouted as I shoved my way in-between the two angered women, forcing them to calm down. Without a word, Esther slowly turned and walked in the direction I had pointed, her machine following close behind, the crowd splitting in two and forming a wall around the store fronts and huts that lined the well trodden dirt roads.

"Ovid you fool! You would have that mutt walk our roads unguarded?!" Enyo shouted in my face, shifting all her anger towards me.

"En, if she were to do something, how do you think the village would react? There's a reason no one but the insane have attacked our home, we're prepared for any threat, from this world or beyond." I said self assured, En though, did not share my confidence. Looking around, the few people that had stuck around to watch us instead of following Esther were nodding their heads in agreement or stomping their hooves to the ground in a loud, rhythmic beat.

"I am ever thankful the gods did not give me your foolhardiness, she will bring nothing but disaster I know it." Enyo said, her cold, angered expression an indication that this argument was a stalemate.

"I will personally escort her to the Priestess and guard her with my live, do not fret for her or my safety." I said, smiling softly as I laid my hands on her shoulder, her vexed expression softening a little as she sighed heavily and brushed my arms of her shoulder.

"I must go now En, don't want to keep our guest waiting!" I said aloud as I walked away, waving to her.

"You will lead this town to its ruins Id, and I'll have to be the one to pick up the pieces." En shouted with a huff as she walked back to her post guarding the gates.

"So says you, stay safe!" I shouted as I jogged off down the worn way leading to the mountain.

"As will you I pray." She shouted back. As I swiftly walked, I could hear people murmuring words of spite ranging from calling me dense or brainless for bring a potential threat right to our doorstep, or praising my courage and meddle for swaying a warrior to our cause. I know the latter to be true, she will help us in our time of need, she is pure of heart and will stand by us...I hope for all our sake.

Esther

It had being only a few minutes since I had separated from Ovid and the raging bull known as Enyo and as I stood in front of the large, grassy incline leading up the jagged cliff already the entrapping crowd was starting to get to me. The sound of constant murmuring was starting to get on my nerves and the natives did not seem to care. They stared at me like I was some kind of freak, paraded around for their amusement or fear.

"What is it mommy?" I heard a loud kid ask from somewhere in the crowd.

"An alien child, Ovid said to give it some space, do not disturb it." I heard a woman's voice reply, disgust clear through how she spoke.

"Can I go near it?"

"What did I just say? Don't ask such foolish things child."

"It looks so odd, where is it from?" I heard another voice ask aloud, the annoyingly grating voices starting to wear my patience thin.

"Probably the Griffin mountains, you know how those birds love to make weird metal beings."

"Yeah, but this one looks like it's worth something in a fight, not like those brass cannons they flaunt around in battles." Another voice said, a bit too loudly for my liking.

'Oh, if only you knew you ignorant waste of genetic material...' I thought darkly. Either they thought I couldn't hear them and had missed my conversation with the bull before, or they simply did not care.

"Wow, look at the size of this thing! Its big enough to crush a hut! Much more impressive than that freak over there, smaller than a babe it is." I heard another voice said in a loud whisper, assuming I couldn't hear them.

"Shut up you fool! Do you want to anger the monster?" I heard another person mutter, fear evident in his quivering voice.

As I stood there, ignoring the comments ranging from awed and excited to scared or insulting, I contemplated my situation. Tribal natives were rarely worth noting when it came to galactic civilizations as it would be a long time before they would effect the universe in a major way but it would still need to be said that they are aware of our existence, and I was to blame for it...I would accept the punishment deemed necessary for breaking a universal law of such magnitude but it was hard to think of getting out of this situation without either damaging the planet or accidental accelerating the growth of the various species.

'If I'm held responsible for an accidental Ascension-'

"Esther?" shouted a questioning voice, which snapped me out of my mental questioning. I turned and noticed as Ovid parted the crowd and walked towards me.

"Are you alright?" Ovid asked as he quickly rushed up to me and tried to reach out and touch me. Reacting instantly, I slapped his hand away in a defensive and harsh way. He seemed shocked by the strength behind my blow as he no doubt assumed I was weak, but did not seemed offended.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." I said with faux confidence. In reality, my muddled mind was having difficulty coming back down to earth and my chest felt a heavy pain, like my augs were suddenly rejecting my body and shutting down my heart.

"If you need a moment then-"

"I said I'm fine, the sooner we can get this meeting with your Priestess over with the better, it's already past sundown." I said, looking up into the now violet and orange skies, staring at the haphazard clusters of stars, losing myself in its ever glowing radiance.

"Fine, we shall move onward." Ovid said as he walked past me and started hiking up the mountain at a rapid pace. Following after, I managed to keep up.

"Sorry about before, the people of Crete aren't very trusting of newcomers, so you can imagine how you and your machine companion arriving can cause quite a stir." Ovid said, trying to alleviate the stress and tension I was feeling.

"It's fine, if I wasn't used to natives I wouldn't have joined the corps. I'm going to assume Enyo doesn't like me?" I asked, faking ignorance to carry the conversation and also steer it into a different direction. Looking around, I couldn't help but admire the land. The mountain sparkled as the evening light hit it, sharing its natural luster with the native inhabitants below in the small yet exotic town guarded by walls made by man and nature. The mountain wasn't large and it would only take a few more minutes give or take to get to the top.

"Ha, don't mind her she hates everyone. Enyo inherits her mother's beauty and her father's anger. Her family has always looked after the town and some people see her as a community leader, so it's hard for her to not think of the negative ramifications for the tribe. Still, I hope she at least tries to play nice, don't know how long you'll be staying here, hate for you and her arguing to become a daily problem." He said with a small chuckle, but all his words did was hit home how isolated I was. I knew not where my squad is, or if their even alive. I have no way of contacting the fleet to call for back up and my supplies weren't going to last forever. Aldo I hate to imagine living off bugs, unprocessed food and unhygienic water, the reality is that without some way to know what the world is like or where to start looking for my crew, I was alone with no real goal.

The walk continued in silence as we made our way up the mountain side, the only sound joining the breeze being the rhythmic stomps of my Chassis. Once we reached the top, I was finally able to take in everything. Crete was a beautiful island, sandy yellow beaches protecting the lush, dark green jungles from the clear blue ocean which seemed to stretch on for miles, only breaking the illusion of isolation with the occasional shadow of an island on the horizon. Hearing Ovid talk, I turned around and half listened as he gave me the rundown of the plateau. Guarded by a small crew of Minotaurs wearing ornate, steel armor with decorative jewels embedded in the helms and chest plates. The armor wasn't anything over the top or powerful like the armor worn by C.Os or Captains but it was clearly a cut above the common gear, shinny, polished, pure white armor with gold inscriptions around the neck and waist, leather greaves and gloves offered decent protection, mobility and a firm grip on their weapons of choice, their leggings were completely metal with a few loose areas around the joints to allow mobility to be impaired somewhat less than normal gear but also provide more protection then the simple cloth armor I've seen other Minotaurs wear. Unlike the others though, they wore simple gold necklaces with a gem of their choosing placed in the pendent and a helmet that covered their whole head, only leaving openings for improved sight, breathing and to let their horns out. The guards either used a giant wall of steel that was apparently used as a shield,some who used them had spikes, symbols or strange script welded onto the defensive side, and they also used a sword that looked like it was carved straight from the mountain and chiseled into a blade. If they weren't using greatly oversized swords and shields then they were using some kind of staff and smaller, but still massive by human standards, shields of a similar model to their larger brothers.

The tent they were guarding, was immaculate and lavish. The tent was off white and, like most of the buildings, was decorated in tribal symbols and glyphs, though these were on a much larger and grander scale. The symbols depicted scenes of war, peace and harmony but as I looked closer, I couldn't help but notice that some of the symbols were...glowing? They seemed to radiate a faint, slightly brighter hue then the color of the glyph but as I starred in amazement at the odd sight, I couldn't help but wonder if it was just a trick of the eye or I was actually seeing something real. The tent had a small opening in the front, a cut in two flaps that were guarded by two of the shield and sword wielding natives, who seemed content with staring at me in what I could only assume was open hostility. The best thing about wearing helmets in the military was you could glare at your C.O without them knowing how much you wish to shot them in the kneecap. Surrounding the tent were what looked like small barracks made of wood and stone and had a small wall guarding them, possibly the sleeping quarters of these well dressed grunts, though I don't see the point in them getting an exclusive barrack, unless they need every single guard in a moments notice, it seems like a waste of space. Then again, what else would they use this small area for?

"This is the home of her holiness, the High Priestess. Before you meet her I feel you should know a few things; don't joke around her guards. Their ancestors guarded the Priestess before them and their kin will do the same, they take their jobs seriously and will not hesitate to incapacitate you if you step out of line. Also, the Priestess is a bit...eccentric." Ovid quickly said as he walked me towards the tents entrance. Seeing as how the guards seemed ready to tackle my Chassis to the ground, I ordered it to stand guard at the mountain path so that it was close enough to assist me if this was a trap and far enough that the guards won't attack it.

"What do you mean by 'eccentric'? I'm not a fan of vague comments." I said, questioning him.

"Well, you'll see when you meet her. Good evening, I have someone the-" Ovid said to me then the guards, before one of them interrupted him.

"I know, Her Holiness has been awaiting Miss Esther since her decent into our world. If you will follow me Miss Esther, we shall see you in. Ovid, please remain outside." One of them, a old man by the sounds of his gruff and wise voice, said. It seemed Ovid was going to argue about awaiting me, but decided against it as he instead bowed and stepped back. Hesitantly, I stepped forward inside as the guards parted. As I walked in, so did the old guard and his staff wielding partner. When they stepped through the tents threshold, they closed the tents door and shutting off my access to the outside world. The inside was surprisingly cozy, the floor was covered in a fine lining similar to the walls and was decorated here and there with what looked like carpets. Unlike the outside, the walls weren't a pale white color, but a warm, light brown/red color. The center of the room was home to a few large couches that stood on the ground slightly on wooden struts and were made of fine, red fabrics and a small fire pit with rocks and other insulators surrounding it, giving the whole tent a warm, inviting temperature and also casted an orange glow over everything. On the other side of the room, on a slightly elevated level sat a large bed, big enough to fit a small car, decorated in lavish and fine blankets and pillows that looked both tribal and foreign. Along the walls were the odd bookshelf full of tombs, scrolls and other books, a few tables with strange green lights and words emanating from them. All in all, this was a well made and lovely room, fit for royalty or a fleet captain.

"Your grace, Miss Esther the Harbinger has arrived." The guards partner said, clearly a young, inexperienced guard by his nervous tone of voice.

"Thank you, please, can you give me and Esther some privacy?" I heard a surprisingly soft, gentle and feminine voice say, it was at this time I saw someone rise from the other side of the couch.

"As you wish, your Holiness..."The old guard said, both him and his partner bowing before walking out of the tent. Alone, I looked back at this 'Priestess' and was shocked at what I saw. Unlike the brutish and violent looking natives I had seen before, this one was very demure and graceful in appearance. She was small for a native, a few inches taller then me, and had long, flowing locks of silver hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of light. She had soft, pale yellow fur that looked freshly washed and clean, quite the juxtaposition to the hairy, sweaty masses of fur the others were. Her face was small with womanly features like high cheek bones, thin cheeks, small, soft and smiling lips that looked like they had never frowned once, a delicate nose that curved gently with her face and a small parting fringe framed her face perfectly. Her body was clad in a long, flowing white dress with pale green accents. Around her waist was a small, golden sash with rubies woven into it, giving it a luster rarely seen in native attire. Her feet were obscured by her dress, but if I were to guess then she was bare foot(or hoofed I suppose) like most of the other villagers. She didn't wear gloves, instead choosing to accentuate her slender arms with small silver bracelets. Her most noticeable features though were her horns and eyes. She had small, white horns which only just parted her long, velvet like hair, which also looked surprisingly sharpened. And lastly; her eyes, all though holding a hint of their once vibrant, golden hue, were now pale and milky. She was small, graceful, beautiful and down right girly, quite the contrast to the warriors I had encountered thus far.

"So, you are the Priestess I've heard so much about. I have to admit, I was expecting a wise, old lady or a head strong brute." I said honestly, which must have been funny to her as she responded by laughing.

"So says you and every other traveler coming to seek guidance. Tell me Esther, who am I?" She asked, her smile never fading.

"Pardon?"

"What do you think I em?" She continued, seemingly being needlessly vague.

"You're an elegant young native, who seems to know more then she should. How do you know my name? I haven't told you and I doubt any of the villagers ran ahead to tell you. Furthermore, how did you know I 'descended'?" I answered bluntly then asked, genuinely curious.

"I know your name, and how you came to this world for I foresaw it all; your people arriving in this plain of the beyond, your sworn foes arrival, and the valiant sacrifice your people made to save mine. I knew all this for I em mystic." She said to me, the last two lines with a bigger smile and a softer voice.

"I have a hard time believing you knew all this before it happened, psychics are all a bunch of con artists who should be conscripted or jailed. If you really are a mystic, prove it." I challenged, not buying any of it yet despite the fact there was no other way she could know.

"I know that your name is Esther Leonas, you're a Chassis Pilot for the Royal Armada Defense Corps who, under orders of your captain, Vectis, you were meant to be deployed with a science team to study this planet because it was a 'scientific fuck up' as you so eloquently put it to your friend, Elizabeth. You're a tall women of the human race, you have naturally red hair that many assume dyed, you have blue eyes, you have a well toned body with a few wounds, scarred limbs, a surprisingly good dental record, you keep a stuffed teddy in your Chassis, and just recently you almost assaulted Enyo, a decorated Beserker..." She said without blinking as she stared me straight in the eyes through my visor.

"H-how, how did you?" I sputtered out, shock covering my hidden face.

"I told you why, take it or leave it. Now then, to why I called you here." She said casually as she then shifted into a serious demeanor.

"Your peoples arrival into this world, though caused by the best of intentions, will soon scar this world. Your arrival here will soon cement the trust of the villagers and even our rivals, but the actions of your comrades will have a much different effect on this world. The Pariah is now deep in the heart of darkness, though the Pariah will not see it as such. The Traitor will find himself or herself allies he/she can depend on and will soon become loyal to their cause. The Instigator has set up all the actions leading to the beginning of the end and lastly, the Loyalist has begun the hunt for you, the Loyalist may one day become the only person you can trust. The board has been set, and the pieces have fallen where they must, it's ultimately up to you, your friends and the leaders of this world how the game will turn out..." She said all with a small smile on her face as she walked around the tent preparing two cups of tea, sanguine to the grim future she has foreseen. The whistling of the kettle she had set over the fire while she had been speaking broke the silence of the oppressive atmosphere of the now freezing tent.

"One lump of sugar, or two?" She calmly asked.

Author's Notes:

Hey, look who finally did something! Me! I know this took awhile but I wasn't feeling motivated to continue this story/didn't know where to lead it but recently I had been feeling like picking it back up and seeing how it goes. Im not sure how this one will come out in terms of quality so feel free to critic it and tell me what you thought, I want to improve so I can feel less shit when I post stuff, plus my proof reader is a no show so I had to self edit this one. I em so tired I won't have time to re-check before I collapse into my bed for awhile, so please point out any glaringly obvious errors in writing. I will most likely post a new chapter of Nature's Will, then Sydney's Rangers then this again. Until then, have fun with whatever life throws at you.

-LoosePartyCannon, the little engine that could self-loathe.

Sending out an S.O.S

View Online

Author's Notes:

Okay, been awhile...HOW'S EVERYBODY FEELIN' TONIGHT? This chapter is much shorter then the others but I wanted to get this out. It's probably worse quality but I stayed up till 2 A.M writing this so be grateful ya little shits. I've been world building stuff in my head and changed a bit in the story, nothin' that hasn't already happened but I've changed where this story is heading. First off I changed the name of the human army to the RADC instead of the UPDC and have gone back and taken out that part in Tribal where Esther had a mental breakdown. That story thread was gonna be to similar to something I'm doing in Sydney's Rangers and idk how I could write it in a decent way and make her sane enough to be a part of the military. So yeah, re-writing shit and I'm not dead. I won't be posting anything for a bit since I'm going to Japan for a holiday but I'm still kicking and in a state of near constant writers block.

-LPC, I'M THE LAW.

I think this could sum up my mental state right now...

Vectis
Unknown forest
Day 2, 12AM

The forest was dark, foreboding and seemed to consume light with its large leaves and ginormous trees, designed to house birds of prey larger than any I have ever seen before, or most likely will ever see. Using the torch at the end of my ancient pistol, I often nearly tripped over jagged rocks or hidden roots as the small light barely light the path. I was freezing, damp, hungry but on fire within. I can't remember how long ago I killed that thing, but ever since then I had been filled with an all new invigorating energy, one that reminded me I still have people to look for.

"Come on Vec, you've survived Earth, you can survive this..." I said with a primordial strength as I motivated myself to keep jogging at a steady pace. The woods were deathly quiet, like someone had taken all the animals and replaced them with the faint sounds of twigs snapping beneath my scaled feet. If they were scarred by the dragon-like-thing, wouldn't they have come back by now? This entire day had been a roller coaster of confusion, loss and action and now here I was, plodding along a dark trail nearly freezing to death. My steps were keeping a steady pace but I knew it wouldn't be long before I would start to feel fatigue seep into my muscles and I would be forced to rest.

"This is Captain Vectis Naustra of the RADC Phantom, is anyone out there, hello?" I shouted into my damaged headset, the only answer coming from the increasingly disheartening static. I knew Tyler was alive, but that was a hollow comfort to the thousands confirmed dead...

"No...Can't think about that now, gotta get off this rock with whoever's left...I know they're out there somewhere."I reaffirmed myself, hardening my calm voice and moving swifter. As I now ran through the woods, looking along the road to spot any would be predators or prey, I became accurately aware of a gigantic roaring noise, like the sky was tearing itself apart.

"Shit, what is-...No, it can't already be entering the atmosphere!" I shouted, somewhat terrified at the implications. Running with new found zeals I soon saw a clearing in the path ahead, a small moonlit glade with a silver brook running through it. As I ran into the opening in the treeline, barely stopping, I look into the sky and realized my fears were true. The Phantom was going to crash into the planet. Ships breaking apart above a planet and crashing planet-side was not uncommon, but there are always Salvage crews and Slag cutters on standby so the damage can be minimized or non-existent. But this un-colonized world, with no space-faring technology or planetary defenses, was unprotected from the large, though admittedly much smaller, chunks of the destroyed frigate.

"No, this isn't right! It should have taken much longer before it breached atmosphere! What the hell is it-"

"-Tain Ve-is! -yler repo- Ships falli- Orders?!" I heard a heavily distorted and static filled voice shout in alarm, no doubt Tayler as he was the only know soldier with my com channel.

"Avoid the path of destruction and salvage what you can, it's too late to warn the natives, it's about to hit the planet!" I ordered him cautiously, not wanting to lose a valuable soldier because of debris. I stood stock still in equal parts anticipation, awe and suspense as the flaming splinters of broken alloy fell down with an unstoppable force. The roaring grew louder and louder as the debris flew over head, casting an eerie shadow over the silent forest, until it faded behind the tree line. I felt the faint thud of collision as small parts of detritus fell down around me, mostly torn scrap metal and the barrels of various turrets. As I sprinted, only moving to avoid obstacles like trees or metal now jutting from the ground, I listened solely for the loud, earth shattering kaboom of the main chunks to collide...

"BBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM." The sound was all consuming and I was knocked back into a large rock by a sudden, burning gust of wind. The impact shattered a few of my scales and scratched my clothes, but I was too wired and awake to focus on the slight pain and dripping blue blood.

"PPPPPPPPPFFFFFFF-Ire! -tive's painc- Town burn- Cap!-..."Silence... Taylor just went silent after the sounds of continuous explosions and sirens drowned out his already faint voice. Looking up, I was faintly aware of embers flying down from the sky and landing gracefully against my face, the warm sensation rejuvenating my withered body. Raising from the ground I stumbled forward, trying to stabilize myself and run off at the same time. After sometime I was able to get back into a steady pace, dodging debris, burning trees and small fires and only sometimes stopping from the pain all over my body. I had very little time to clear out the crash site for anything and get out before any natives would no doubt come looking for the earth shattering wreckage and the great black plumes of smoke gave them a good indicator. Sore all over and ash stained I neared the wreck, the sound of snapping wood and fire growing stronger and stronger. Finally rushing past the last singed pieces of brush I saw the epicenter of the crash. There was a large crater where the now partially melted and broken off piece of the ship had landed, broken earth and metal decorating the scene. The trees and bushes surrounding the crater where burnt black or falling apart and if any wild life were around they would have either ended up as one of the black scorches on the ground or have fled far away by now.

"Better than I'd expected, worse than I'd hoped..."I said to myself, coughing slightly as the smoke raising obscured my vision slightly. The fire wouldn't kill me and this smoke was just a nuisance compared to the stuff I've inhaled growing up but I still didn't want to stick around. Slowly and carefully I descended down the jagged sides of the hole towards the grey, metal and torn wreck. It looked like it was an important part of the ship if the extra thick plating and still sputtering shields were anything to go by. The once smooth, well-made, armoured and shining luxetanium now looked like cracked, charred scrap metal that was shaped like a box. Most of the outside had been melted and destroyed but through the smoke I could see a secured door. It's metal had been cut open, wires were visible and the lights on the doors panel were flickering on and off and between red and green but it was still probably functional. Any writing on the sides or the door had been blasted off upon re-entry but I knew there was something worth checking inside if it was still intact. Carefully making my way across the melting and burning wreck, burning off almost all my clothes and singing my scales in the process, I made my way up to the door.

"Well, here goes nothing." I said as I tried to open the door by touching the panel. At first it started to slid open, but only made it a quarter of the way before it made a loud hissing noise as the broken metal of the door scraped against the twisted door frame. Either the door was incapable of moving or the wiring was faulty, either way I still had to get in. Breathing in and bracing myself I grabbed the door with my cut, taloned hands and pulled with all my might. With a loud, strained noise the door began to bend. At first it was small, only bending towards me on the doors edges, but then I practically yanked it out of its frame and threw it behind me into the fire, letting me climb through the new hole, careful not to tear open my hide on any sharp, jagged pieces of metal.

The hallway would have been unbearably hot to most races, a slight sizzle coming from the ground every time I stepped down a clear indicator of the skin blistering heat, but I persevered and did everything I could do to stand up. There would be a time and place for medical attention and rest but right now wasn't that time. The hallways walls were largely bent and distorted from the heat and crash landing; I had to duck and even crawl to avoid the broken metal and dangling wires but I was still making decent enough progress. The steel walls were starting to even out and go back to normal the closer I got to the center of the wreck surprisingly. The hall was illuminated by the small, yellow emergency lights in the floor which served only to make me aware of any obstacles sticking out of the metal, grey walls. The floor was shaking slightly and a few panels even came loose as I stepped on them but I managed to recover before I smashed into the ground. Continuing forward I heard a faint, short blip noise. Like a notification on a PDA or computer. Making my way up to a strangely locked door I quickly tore it off it's hinges like the first door and stepped inside.

A few things became clear to me in that moment. This relatively large piece of metal was some form of communication hub, most likely between starships or fleets, as there was a large column in the center of the room with various terminals, screens and various nodes and buttons of now useless purposes. The walls were decorated with panels, hatches and wiring, nearly all of which were broken or exposed and served as yet another hazard. The room was surprisingly cool and seemed to have been airtight during the descent. As I stepped into the room though I tripped over something soft and squishy. Landing with a dull thud, I quickly turned with a readied gun to see what had tried to get the jump on me. I'm not sure whether I was relieved or depressed to see the broken body of a female Avian engineer. Her limbs were snapped and twisted in unnatural ways. Her once navy blue jumpsuit was now torn and splattered with specks of dried, crimson blood. Her facial features were beyond recognition and looked more liked a caved in doll head then an actual skull. Her limp body still had a few short feathers on it though most of it had fallen around her or most likely in another corner of the room leaving her mostly naked, exposing the pale, thin, pinkish white skin underneath. Around her neck was a pair of metallic, cracked dog tags. They bore the name of the unlucky Avian along with her rank and other information that would make identifying her easier. Delicately, I removed the tags and looked over it.

"The surface is cracked but it's still readable...Aliciea Faerlien, 43rd Fleet Mechanic Battalion." She must have been a repair technician for the com hub...Looking over the tags I noticed a faint blue light reflect of the tag. Turning around I saw a PDA near the center of the room, flashing every once in awhile. Picking myself up off the floor I slowly walked over to it, careful not to trip on anything else and picked it up. Like everything else it was damaged, low on power and the touch screen looked beyond repair but the pending message was still there. Holstering my gun, I used my now free hand to delicately tap it, in case I broke it even more. A few seconds after I touched it the sound of gunfire, screaming and chaos could be heard as a woman huffed and ran for her life. The audio was riddled with static and it was near impossible to hear everything with one of the speakers being broken but I could hear it.

"...S'tai...This, this is Aliciea Faerlien of the Frigate, RADC Phantom. Little over twenty minutes ago a Rift was detected and with it came a veritable hive of Tenebris! We've done everything we can, but we weren't prepared for-shit!" Her informal report of the situation was punctured by the sound of gunfire and a Marauder screaming in pain. From the sounds of the gunshot it was a high powered plasma pistol, sometime renowned for tearing through Marauder flesh.

"We weren't prepared to fight off an invasion force! Galet, no native population is worth sacrificing thousands of marines for!...Captain Vectis has ordered someone to send out an S.O.S or a message to inform the nearest military world or listening beacon about this...Those fuckers hijacked the comms hub so...So we had to take it back...S'tai umi jeiten..."The gunfire and screaming had stopped halfway through her shouting and it was now replaced with silent sobs and faint Avian prayers as the sound of doors locking and moving filled the silence.

"Come on...Start you piece of SHIT! Work! I built you, you obsolete piece of Galet!...Why the fuck won't you work?..."She screamed in fury before breaking down into tears. The faint sound of a terminal starting up and banging on the doors could be heard. From the sound of the guttural screaming and crazed laughter it was a horde of marauders who had hunted her down and cornered her.

"Shit...Shit they're here...Okay...Gotta-gotta work fast...Come on...Upload!" She said under her breath as she typed quickly and loudly. As the typing continued she began to half sing, half cried out an old, unknown Avian hymn that was both haunting and beautiful.

"The message has been sent...The planet's save, for what good that'll do...Gods, why'd it have to end like this...Well, I'm not going to turn into one of them...See you fuckers in hell...This is Aliciea Faerlien, signing off..."She finished her sad deceleration of victory with a loud gunshot, the sickly wet sound of a splatter and that was it. Looking up from the cracked PDA, I wasn't sure how to feel. Sadness that she had to die like this, doomed to being forgotten? Anger that those bastards killed so many wonderful soldiers? Pride that she died knowing her mission was complete? This wasn't the first time I'd seen death up close, and I knew it wasn't going to be the last, but I'd never get used to seeing it so twisted yet calm. Looking around, I saw the active terminal she mentioned in her recording.

Like everything the screen was cracked and it's power was failing as it was working solely on backup power, but it was online. I activated the small, faded blue holographic console used to input commands and searched the terminal for any received messages. Without an array or radio this thing was a glorified old email account.

"Come on...Give me anything you piece of-" What was going to be a fit of rage was interrupted by my discovery of one received message, retrieved shortly before the ship was blasted into infinity. With what little power was left I played the video message and hoped for the best.

"CCCCCCCCCrew of t-t-t-t-t-t-the RaaaaDC P-P-P-P-Phannnnntom, w-w-we hha-ve received your mess-ssage-...Nable to evacua-aa-aa-aa...Ending b-b-b-backkkkk uuuppp...Uman Armada has declared a galaxy wide-e-e-e-e...Ergency...E.T.A T-t-t-t-wo wwwwwweeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk..." And like that, the indecipherable video cut out as the power ran dry, bathing the room in near pitch darkness. Aldo I had no idea who answered the cry for help I was still hopeful that someone was coming. The voice was...Mechanical to say the lest. Too strangely Human to be an automation or a V.I but not warm or clear enough to be Human...A Machina perhaps? What would a Machina ship be doing this far out of their territory though? I knew they were unable to evacuate us, that part was understandable but what did they mean by 'back-up'? If they weren't evacuating us then they weren't sending a starship or a colony ship...And what the hell has gotten the Human Armada scared enough to declare something to the whole galaxy? I wasn't sure how much I liked this news but it was better then to be left in the dark about the universe...

"So...Two weeks huh?...I can wait..." I said with renewed hope that someone was coming, even if they were a damned droid. Turning around I Knelt down next to the broken remains of one of my crew and placed my hand on her body.

"Sleep now young one, and lie with your gods...May you finally know peace and know your sacrifice will not be forgotten..." It was a simple, old Raknan blessing that few remembered but it still felt appropriate. I couldn't bury her, the natives could dig her up so all I could do was take her dog tags and stay alive so someone remembers what she did. Stepping up, I placed the dog tags around my neck, the steel resting against my scratched scales, and limped over to one of the few panels still on the wall. I couldn't destroy the evidence but I could wipe the databanks clean and destroy this room. Removing the small, bulky cubes of metal and wiring I placed them on the ground and stood a few feet away from them. Made of luxetanium, the cubes were remarkably radiant and heavy, despite only being as large as my fists. The circuitry was reminiscent of ancient Human technology but the dull yellow and grey chips mixed with the red, fluorescent lines gave the new, experimental storage devices an alien look to them. As I leveled my pistol to the boxes on the floor and pulled the trigger I felt somewhat annoyed that I had to destroy such marvelous feats of technology. Now, the once incandescent cube was now a blackened, busted piece of scrap, unrecognizable from any of the burnt metals outside.

The last thing I did before leaving was tear open some of the terminals and panels lining the walls, carelessly throwing the screens and sheets of metal to the floor, and fired into the intricate wiring behind it. Within seconds the room was washed in electrical fire as it consumed and melted all the tech and valuable junk around it. If I had more time I would have been much more meticulous to how I purged all damaging or valuable data and would have destroyed the whole site, but I could already hear the faint sound of giant, leathery wings batting outside.

Rushing outside, uncaring if I cut open my scales I quickly hid in the treeline and watched as more of those large, winged beasts I'd seen earlier landed near the site. Their scaled bodies ranged in size, vibrant colours, quantity of spikes, the number of spines and even the number of talons, teeth and appendages. If I had time to catalog them I would no doubt be engrossed in the fascinating world around me, taking in all the sights and beautifully terrifying animals around me but self preservation was kicking in HARD. With what little energy I had left I dropped down to all fours, rapidly clearing the obstacles and natural blockages in front of me by either climbing around it at a slightly slower speed. going around it or simply ramming through it. I knew help was on the way, I knew I, Tyler and the others would be saved and all I had to do was stay alive for two weeks. Finally giving into the hunger, fatigue and thirst that was draining my body, I searched for a sheltered and well hidden place to sleep for the night and possibly hunt something for food. In the morning I could continue my search for anyone, but if I didn't rest my body would collapse into a coma.

"Well...I guess there's something to look forward to..."

Evening the playing field

View Online

Esther
The Oracles tent

There we were. Me, dumbstruck and confused, her, sipping tea and smiling contently. I refused to believe she was omnipotent or whatever primitive leaders like to think they are...But what she just said was too personal for it to just be sheer luck that she guessed my appearance and reason to being here.

"...Please drink up dear, the tea will go cold." She said with a smile like she hadn't just fucked with my mind.

"How? How did you know all that?" I asked, trying to sound as calm and collected as I could. She chuckled a little, took a big drink from her steaming tea and daintily placed it on her table.

"Well, I'm not god-like or all knowing as some of my followers would have you believe. I can't tell you how I have my powers, it would take far too long and I doubt you know enough about magic to understand my words, but my ancestors have been the vanguards of this tribe's ultimate power. The past of this planet is engraved in my mind like a well-read story, and the future is always changing. I see possible outcomes and assume which path we shall take. As to how I know you, Esther...People, regardless of race, radiate an 'aura' of sorts. This aura is you, everything you are and everything you've done. I know the pain you've been through Esther but I also know the joy and wonder you've felt in your life.Yes, I'm familiar with you, but I know nothing of the cosmos outside of your own emotions and thoughts." She informed me, using clearly dumbed down words and easy to understand phrases. I still wanted to believe she was a lying scumbag who happened to be really good at guessing...But she was too precise to have made up chunks of my past.

"Alright...So...Assuming your some kind of psychic, which is an assumption full of holes and possible lies, why did you bring me here?" I asked, still skeptical. She began to drop a few cubes of sugar in her drink with a sad smile on her face.

"I didn't bring you here to this planet, the gods and destiny deemed it was time to show their hand, but I did decide to search for someone like you, yes...I propose a trade." She clarified, taking another drink from her tea. I knew it, all these so-called native 'gods' were just opportunists looking to swindle more people.

"Alright, what do you want?" I asked with a sign, expecting her to ask for my Chassis or my servitude.

"Save us, and we'll help you save everyone..." She begged, finally dropping her facade and showing a grim, somewhat scared face.

"...What?"

"My power is a haunting one Esther, I can see where our lives are heading, and in a few moments our lives might become very...Bleak. This village will soon be assaulted by a neighboring tribe who believe that by killing me their leader will gain my powers, he is wrong and horribly short sighted, but that's besides the point. My soldiers are determined, fierce and righteous, but their numbers are too few and our villages defenses won't hold out against the machines of war they're bringing. Vale is many things, but never unprepared, I always liked that about him..." She informed me quickly while refusing to break eye contact, despite my head being protected by an opaque and armoured helmet, before drifting off into what sounds like nostalgia.

"So, you want me to take this Vale out?" I asked, not liking anything about this offer.

"If he surrenders then let him live, but it is kill or be killed tonight Esther. You alone could thwart most of the monsters and tyrants that roam this world with your creation, but an army of his size...Even with your colossal machine...The odds are against you. Yes, I could be wrong and you could very well remain unharmed and walk away safely, but you would leave us all to die. So, I propose that you stand with my small army and push back the approaching barbarians and in exchange, I'll give you guidance, a path to travel and the provisions necessary to survive the coming trials. I don't want your tools of destruction, your knowledge, you to stay or to understand your way of life, I simply wish to live." She told me with a cold tone of voice and a stern expression. She almost sounded regretful by the end of her little rant.

"And how do I know this isn't your fault? What if you brought this all on yourself." I retorted with suspicion. Too many times someone had tried to trick me into solving or hiding their crimes, it never ended well for those who deceive me.

"If it was my fault an antagonist tribe led by a mad man was trying to murder me, I think they'd have already struck. The only reason they've taken so long is they didn't think I'd see their arrival...They're not the smartest barbarians...If I had invited their invasion in someway I would throw myself on their blades to spare my people, but they're the only ones alive who are to blame for their actions...If you decide I'm nefarious in anyway during your stay here, then by all means, strike me down." She said with a slight hint of humor and a smile, making her last sentence disturbingly cheerful sounding.

"Most people fear death."

"Well, you and I aren't like most people, are we? At the end of the day, we will still be attacked and people will die, you have the power to decide who falls tonight. Vale won't back down easily, he's quite determined after all, if you plan to end this skirmish quickly, then you'll have to crush him completely...Esther, I'll understand if you do, but try not to kill him...I have very few people I once called friends left in this world." She requested, her expression unreadable...I had no idea what had happened in her life, but clearly their was more to this story then she was telling me.

"Before I agree to anything I need to know, can you help me find my crew?" I asked, if she had seen my past experiences then she must have seen my latest downfall.

"...Yes." She said, almost hesitantly. Before we could continue, one of the many radiant armour wearing natives burst into the room, weapons in hand.

"Your Grace, Vale and his horde approach, it is just as you predicted!" As he finished shouting his news, I saw Ovid barge in. He looked ready with his granite ax and shield prepared to taste blood.

"Charon, the village's forces are standing by for command and Enyo is helping the children, elderly and ill hide at the moment. Your orders?" He requested, bowing his head slightly in the presence of his leader.

"Well...That depends; Esther, what will you do?" The Priestess Charon asked, causing everyone to look at me. Ovid seemed to be holding back his excitement at the possibility of seeing me in action.

"I'll defend this village, in exchange you help me find my missing team." I said simply, siding with the only allies I had. Charon merely smiled and Ovid cheered in happiness.

"Charon, what will you have us do?" The guard asked, his voice sounding much more relieved.

"Guard, you and your brothers in arms will assist Ovid and Enyo in warding off the interlopers. I get the feeling that Esther here will be a worthy boon to your forces." Charon said with a smile as she walked to the other side of the room, where her opulent bed rested.

"B-But who will protect you?" The guard stuttered as Charon pulled a large, long, rectangular box out from under her bed.

"I'm sure only a handful could possibly make it here, and if they do..." She punctured her sentence by pulling out a long, crystalline spear that seemed to reflect light and colour all around the room. It's multi-coloured head so sharp it could rend metal as easily as flesh and the following red war banner turned into a grip around the spears shaft flew like a flag. "...They'll be eager to flee."

"Your the boss for a reason Char, come now Esther, we've work to do and guests to greet." Ovid said with a mighty bellowing laugh of determination. The guard was flustered by how casually Ovid treated Charon, but seemed more in awe at the sight of the long, most-likely destructive spear.

"Good luck Ovid, don't do anything moronic." Charon said simply as she performed a few, skilled and precise thrusts with her spear.

"Me, moronic? You must be thinking of someone else Your Grace." He said as we left. The town was a hive of frenzied activity. Inside the wall near the great gates stood rows upon rows of armoured, bulky, well armed natives who seemed to be in the middle of some inspirational speech about gods, fate or whatever these natives believed in. They all cheered in tandem, like a soulful choir belting out a song of victory and battle. The streets were empty, sans the few possessions or rubbish dropped by people as they fled to the warm glow of safety within their hovels and huts. The walls were being climbed by what looked like archers equipped with the largest wooden bows I'd ever seen, easily the size of a small Human or Avian. Close to the town, covered by the veil of nature, rumbled the drums of war. All though I couldn't see them, I could damn well hear them. They marched to the beat of their hearts and in sync with their war cry. Their slow, tribal song was both melancholic, melodic and terrorizing all at once and sung in a voice no one else but me and the natives had ever heard. The ground seemed to quiver as they approached and animals fled their fearsome presence. Without sparing a second, I run down the hill while making sure to keep balance so as to not fall face first onto a jagged rock. As we ran down, Ovid filled me in on his plan of attack.

"Esther, while I and the bulk of our force advance on their support and long ranged soldiers you'll be attracting their attention and harassing their forces, keep them busy." He quickly instructed me. It was roughly what I would have suggested anyway, maybe he and his soldiers aren't as tactless as I thought.

"And what about Enyo and the townspeople?" I asked as we approached the base of the small mountain, and near the base still sat my immaculate Chassis.

"Ha, Enyo and her guards will stay behind and defend the town and Priestess, though I think Charon can defend herself, she's a fighter that one. Enyo believes their gonna try and sneak into the town and she's not one for being wrong...Most of the time. If the situation looks bad here, you can fall back and assist in the defense instead of the offense, no point in saving a village that's already been razed." He informed as we approached my Chassis. Nearing it, I activated it via the PDA in my suits left wrist and charged towards it. Sensing my presence, it knelt down and opened up, allowing me to jump inside and quickly take my position in its comfy, fake leather seat. The front of the mech closed with a hiss and snap. The machine came alive with a roaring hum, signalling the reactor waking up. Slowly, the inside of the Chassis was bathed in a cool, technological blue colour as screens came on showing the various crucial systems and body parts of the Chassis.

"Reactor: Minimum power output. Backup generators: Charging. Chassis armour: 90% intact. Chassis wiring and hardware:100% intact. Chassis weapon systems: Optimized and loaded. Good evening Squadron leader Esther Leonas, your Chassis is: Combat ready. Standing by for command. Alert, your flight module is: 50% finished repairing itself. Engineer attention necessary for extensive repairs. Small distance flight is: Possible." My Chassis notified me, it's mono-toned robotic voice echoing slightly in the small, confined cockpit. With the push of a few buttons and the flick of a few switches the Chassis' wings lit up, their pale blue light fading in and out.

"And it can fly! Tell me Esther, are all your war machines this daunting?" Ovid asked with a nervous chuckle. In a quick, almost human motion, I pulled my Multi-gun off my Chassis' back, engaging the machine gun function. With a loud click, the gun was ready to spew heated plasma rounds.

"No, they're usually more terrifying. Ovid, I have an idea..." I told him honestly as I readied my Chassis' flight mode and firearm.

Vale
Outskirts of the forest

"Chieftain, we're approaching the village. Their aware of our presence." One of my scouts informed me, her leather and cloth armour caked in dirt, blood and mud. She looked like she had fought off something, if the various cuts and scratches were anything to go by.

"Of course they are, Charon probably saw us coming a mile away...What happened to you Scout?" I asked curiously after muttering to myself. She seemed ragged and out of breath, almost quaking in fear.

"Those bastards must have spooked the wild life or something, we got swarmed by panicked manticores! We killed most of them but they got a few good swipes at us. We're still ready to fight with the army Sir." She said, determination and pride in her voice and a steeled look in her hazelnut eyes.

"Negative, you and your pack should stay behind and heal those wounds." I ordered as I surveyed my small, impromptu living quarters. The small, hide tent was meant only for planning and not for living in, thankfully we'd soon be behind Cre'te's walls were we could all get a proper nights rest in an actual house.

"Sir! I assure you we're willing to fight and ready!" She stated, clearly shocked at the idea of staying behind. Despite her gunho attitude, she was clearly wounded. Her blue hair was flecked by still warm blood, her black fur covered body, though muscular and toned, was clearly badly wounded with shallow yet painful wounds all over her. Her face, though still showing an expression of strength and willingness, was also tired and mud stained, ruining her white, tribal warrior markings that outlined her large eyes, large lips and cheeks. Her black, tight scout armour was in pieces. Her chestplate had a large indent over her abdomen, cut marks all over the leather plates covering her long arms, the hide boots and leather armour on her legs torn similarly. The only things that seemed intact were her obsidian shortswords, which were drenched in manticore blood. All though her spirit was willing, I had serious doubts about her body.

"Scout...I'm terribly sorry, what's your name?" I asked, somewhat embarrassed. As I asked I walked over to the other side of the tent and up to a big, wooden rack with my weapon of choice proudly displayed on it: the Blastcap.

"Hawk Sir." She answered quickly as I pulled my Blastcap off it's temporary home. What was once a simple, black log was transformed into a weapon of conquest. It had shinny, mithril handles and braces placed onto it's body, allowing any manticore to grasp it's cloth covered handles with ease. It's blunt, smashing side was capped with a large, mithril plate. Anything I bashed with this thing would loss a bone or two from the sheer force of the blow combined with the metal, reinforced cover. And, to top it off, the front of the cap was enchanted with some very volatile runes. Anything I hit would be greeted with a very...caustic reaction. The Blastcap was made of the wood, metals and runes of my home and it represented our strength and intelligence. Sure, it was pretty ugly, but not even a stone wall could withstand a few well placed whacks.

"Well Scout Hawk, your pride and determination is both admirable and quite shocking to me, but I believe in your current state, you won't last long and neither will your friends. You've fought off manticores, I think you've done enough for the warband. Please, go lie down and get some rest, we've few good scouts and beautiful women in my beloved army to simply throw them into the grinder." I said, finishing my last sentence with a flirtatious wink, her red blush and sputtering look exactly the response I wanted.

"S-Sir, but I-"

"I know, you don't want to let your sisters and brothers down. Trust me, I've felt that feeling before, but you'd be letting all of us down by throwing yourself on the enemies blade. Please Scout Hawk, stay behind and recuperate, you've done enough today." I saw as I walked up to her and looked her in the eyes, giving her a reassuring smile. She seemed both defeated yet relieved.

"...As you wish, Sir." She said simply as she turned around and left. As she left I began putting on my armour, but before she left she said one last thing to me.

"...Thanks, Sir."

"Don't mention it...Seriously, don't. I think the soldiers will laugh at me if they think I'm going soft, and we can't have that now can we?" I said with a small smile as she left with a slight chuckle. Turning back to my simple tent I walked over to my armour stand and put on my plated armour.

My armour was much more detailed then the usual gear worn by the more savage tribes. The brestplate was lined with plated steel armour painted with red and blue intertwining lines and the head of a hydra, the symbol of our tribe. My broad shoulders were protected by large, radiant pauldrons that connected to my armoured sleeves and gauntlets. My left arm though, was much more protected. Covered in large, shield like plates, I could block or shrug off almost any blow, the various scratches, indents and pierced holes a testament to how well the quasi shield worked. My legs were protected similarly, the various plates and chain mail underneath both my arms and legs only slightly hindering my movement. My hooves were protected by large, metal boots with points at the end. With enough force I could easily embed them in some poor saps chest cavity. My head was guarded by a large, mithrail helmet with a slit for my eyes, holes for my large, cracked, black horns and holes for me to breath through. The helmet was painted similarly to my own face, with lines under my eyes and swirling patterns around the side of my face. All in all, I was wearing something usually worn by great knights or warriors of legend, and I hope to count myself among said legends soon.

"Commander, your soldiers are ready to attack when you give the word, moral is high and we're ready to claim this island." My adviser said as he walked in, the little Earth Pony covered in similar, armour with a more golden and silver look to it with less tribal markings. He was a small, yet fierce guy. The man was half my size but my training partner and adviser rolled into one. He had a long, flowing bronze mane and pale silver fur all over his scrawny body. He was far from my stature yet he was damn near impossible to hit. His face was showing signs of age as he was nearing his late thirties, but his determined scowl, hardened eyes and small, almost pouting lips showed he was still pissed enough to fight. On his leather belt rested his silver, blessed longsword and on his back his mithrail kite shield proudly displaying the markings of our tribe: A large, painted on hydra head. His one golden eye shined with hope and zealous fury, his other covered by a black eye patch.

"That's wonderful Luster, heard any news from back home?" I asked him as I patted him on the back and left the tent and into the cold outdoors. Our camp was alive with the sound of last minute revelry. The berserkers were practicing or drinking to fuel their burning hate, the archers and spell casters were seated along the boarder of he forest and poised to attack anyone who charged us, our warriors were all singing along to the songs of our war band and my royal knights were polishing their collective weapons and humming along to the song song by our ancestors.

"Yes, fortunately, Daisy sends her love and hopes for our swift victory so she can give me a 'hero's welcome'...Her words not mine." He said. All though he tried to play it cool, he was clearly happy at the though of returning home.

"Ha, Don't worry Luster, soon we'll all be back and you can focus on being a family man." I said with a pat on his back. He seemed annoyed.

"Please don't say that, it's always the boyfriend who dies in war stories and I don't want that to happen, I've already lost one eye and I don't wanna lose the other because of jinxed words." He told me, buying into superstition.

"If anyone's dying today then it's them and not us." I said with a loud voice, causing a few of the nearby soldiers to cheer in agreement. As we approached the front of the camp, I watched my men and women gather in formation. There were possibly thousands of us, our numbers easily tripling theirs. Amongst our numbers we had blood thirsty berserkers, barely wearing any armour or clothing and boosting of what they'll do with their loot. Our archers and mages, the most calm and collected of our group, merely watched me with respect on their hooded faces. My warriors and knights, both wearing different kinds of armour and various weapons, either cried out my name or merely stood stock still in a sign of respect. My monster hunters and beastmasters stood towards the back, either ready to wipe out their animal guards or sic our own on them. And far in the back were my siege crews. Various, large, mobile bow like constructs stood ready, armed by ten or so men with large, soon-to-be flaming and explosive bolts ready to fire. And along with the demolition crew were firestarters, the crazy pyromancers we employed to burn down their defenses and the men who would soon be scaling their walls and defenses with their large, wooden ladders. We were a large, formidable force that had stopped tyrants and warlords in the past, but now we stood against a holy leader of our race...We loss today, we're labeled traitors in the annuals of history, but if we win...We go down as legends.

"Men, women, soldiers, friends...We stand against a threat unlike any we have ever faced...Charon the Oracle and her holy army. Their soldiers are strong and elite, their defenses tested and their resolve unflinching...But that has been said about most of our foes hasn't it? We, the Exiled Army, have proven ourselves in the baptizing fires of war countless times. Before the battle of the Blooded Coasts, we were seen as outcasts and criminals, before the siege of High Faie, we were seen as nomads, and before today, we were seen as the leaders of the Western Isles. Together, we've formed a war band unlike any the Minotuars have ever seen, nay, the world. Our strength is clad in steel, our magic tested by celestial flames, our arrow heads have flown through storm winds and hit their marks, we've shown the tribes that we are no simple horde of exiles and runts, we're the Western army, the Blood Stained War Band and the Crusaders of Mithrail! We've shown the Gods our zealous faith, and they have rewarded us with our own land to call home, our families and our life free of the threat of hostility and prejudice! We've shown the lawless our justice, the honourless our pride and the liars our truth! And today, we will show Charon and her pale, stone clad militia that WE ARE THE FURY AND MIGHT OF THE MINOTAURIAN PEOPLE! THEIR WALLS WILL SHATTER UNDER OUR ARROWS, THEIR PEOPLE WILL FALTER UNDER OUR STEEL AND THEIR FAITH WILL BE BROKEN BY OUR RESOLVE! WE ARE THE EXILES AND WE'RE NO ONES SLAVES! NOW STAND FIGHT WITH ME!" As I finished my invigorating and memorable speech by raising my blastcap in the air, the assembled army cheered in pride, fury and faith. In formation, with me and Luster leading the assembled forces, we marched through the remaining forest, leaving a token force behind to guard our hidden camp. In short time we had cleared the treeline and stood in the clearing surrounding Charon's town.

It was just like how I remembered it. The archaic stone wall that has stood the test of time remained in pristine condition, the simple town was filled with cheerful houses and quaint gardens, the only thing absent were the locals who would often rejoice in festivity come nightfall. Instead, in their place was a local garrison of paladins, archers, warriors and a handful of mages and monsters. Their holy force, though tiny, would still prove a worthy challenge and I and my men knew this. We watched as the great gate opened up with a loud scrapping noise as their soldiers poured out, armed to the teeth with stone, blunt weapons, metal armour and unquestionable faith. It almost wounded me to have to destroy such a radiant town...But they brought it on themselves...

"Luster, sound the horns of war." I ordered simply as Luster obeyed and raised a small, wooden instrumented with a large, open end to his mouth. With a large, hearty blow an earsplitting cry came out, signalling the beginning on the assault. With determination, we charged and cried out. The wolves and large, primal boars we'd gathered charged ahead of us, intent on feasting on our enemy. But, before we could clear half the distance, An awesome, thunderous roar pierced the calm night as a large, monstrous beast of metal crashed into the ground, purposefully stomping onto a pair of our wolves as it landed. It was surrounded by walls of metal, whatever kind I did not know, it's stained white and royal blue colouring could habe only been paint. It stood taller then any creature sans hydras, dragons and ursas, easily able to crush a minotaur. It had large, mechanical hands holding some kind of rectangular and oddly design club. On it's back glowed two, flickering magical wings that seemed to spark slightly, shooting off the occasional bolt of electricity. The things head was...Odd. It was angular and sharp with crystalline blue were it's eyes and nose should be and a large, jutting blade coming out of the forehead like an Alicorn's horn. All in all, it looked more like a helmet then a head. The thing moved with a slight, humming whir and it radiated a slight heat. This...Thing was clearly not Minotaurian in design...

"Hostiles, retreat and back down so Charon can peacefully end this confrontation. I, along with the many defenders of this town, will not hesitate to strike you down where you stand. This is your only warning, stand down." It said, a feminine voice calling out from inside it like a trapped soul. Whether it was the work of technomancers, golemancers or gods damn necromancers I wasn't scared. I'd come this far, I wasn't about to back down now.

"Charon's actions speak louder then her half-hearted words could ever, if you've aligned yourself with that harlot then their can be no peace between us Monster!" I roared in anger as my men and I charged. I heard a soft, almost sad sign escape from the machine before it readied it's weapon and pointed it at our army.

"Come on you metal bastard, show me what you got!" I jeered with a wicked grin as I lusted for the coming battle, eager to push this beast of steel to its limits.

Agreements - uneditied

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Author's Notes:

Sooooo....Hi, how are you? How y'all been? Good?...Yyyyeeeeaaaahhhh I've got some explaining to do.

Okay, I know I left this in the dark for awhile and I honestly fucked up on my end but I never planned to end Chassis or go on hiatus, live shit happened, job stuff, family crap and so on and so on. Basically, I kept writing in my spare time but would either stop and scrap it or focus on something else and even now Chassis isn't the top priority in my live and although I love writing I got to get my shit together first. This is more of a somewhat rushed apology chapter and I know I left it on a bit of a cliff hanger with Esther and the Minos but I felt like I wanted to get back to Elizabeth AND I wanted to work on the fight scene when I wasn't busy and could divert more focus to making it fucking awesome. Sorry about this chapter being dialogue heavy and not having much go on but I wanted to expand on Elizabeth's character since I've got plans for her and get back to the 'Lings because, again, I have plans for them. Next chap will be Esther and probably Delta...Again, I'm so fucking sorry about going M.I.A on you all but I'm here for the foreseeable future even if I seem like I'm dead. This is prob badly edited since Google Docs is the only editor I have and I wanted to release this ASAP so you people could either calm down or remember this was a thing. Criticism and compliments are both appreciated.

Super fucking sorry but thanks for still showing interest - LPC: 'Kept you waiting huh?'

Have some music I like to listen to for inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTUq3Ik1GHM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2hRTLdvdnk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH5aq4V0Ywk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQBqSt15Vi0

(This one in particular gives me some GOOOD ideas for future fight scenes)

Euphoria. Everything was blissful euphoria. The sky was like liquid gold, glittery, incandescent and brilliant and the soft, early morning grass was a bed for my tired body to lay upon...Or perhaps it was a gentle, shifting dune I rested on; either way I was in heaven. Love flowed through my veins and chaotic, joyous music reverberated through my skull, bouncing off its walls.My alabaster skin glowed in the glorious morning light as star ships and comets soared through the void like racers in a galactic torney and the wind lapped against my sun dress covered form. I could barely suppress my giggles as I lost myself in sheer happiness and allowed the world and its many attractions to take me away to a plane of existence where only myself and an endless amount of pleasure rested…

Elizabeth
Valguard Castle, Chrysalis’ Hive
6AM, GST.

With a jolt, I awoke in the real world alert and rested at the same time. With a resigned sigh I yanked the large cord inserted into a small, easy to hide port in the side of my cybernetic skull. As it locked itself back into its position I moved a panel back into place and the once shiny metal slot looked like normal, faux flesh. If it weren’t for the massive withdrawals and eventual death I would probably never wake up but seeing as I still have a Queen to talk to and idiot friends to rescue I wasn’t allowed to have fun. Shooting upright and hoping out of my reinforced, yet comfy mattress and onto the grated floor of the engine room below me. The reactor hummed quietly as my lil’ angel slept and the room was washed in a pale blue light and a small amount of green thanks to my augments. As I rolled my arms around, tested out my legs and ran basic system checks I looked for something to eat and was delighted to see I still had some of my ol’ protein paste mix left. With a cry of joy, I grabbed the grey bottle of deliciousness and climbed up the small ladder into my cockpit.

“Morning beauty.” I whispered as I flipped on a small, modified switch that turned on the lights within the control room and began feeding power to the rest of the Chassis as I sat down in my chair, opened my bottle of goop and began pouring some grey, muscle building and cybernetics enhancing paste while the plating over the front of the Chassis slid apart and allowed me to stare out into the Castle grounds, the gargantuan crystals built into the ceiling gave the walled off, subterranean garden a cool, multi-coloured and speckled glow. The white marble pathway below my grey machine was just as durable as the citadel and refused to falter under my Chassis’ weight. Littering the garden were a few tasteful, if bizarre, statues and sculptures either depicting a native creature or some kind of metaphor I assumed and had plaques of alien writing below them. Aside from the occasional patrol of heavily armoured and stoic guard who despite being covered head to toe in their odd chitin armour and cloth it still seemed obvious to tell when they were looking right at you; their cloaked and armoured heads did little to help.

The massive console, complete with buttons, switches, dials and other archaic junk began displaying stuff on the old digital screens; by Galactic Standard time it was roughly 6AM and I was raring to go.

“A’ight, first things first…” I exclaimed as I rolled my chair to the left and turned on the homemade coffee maker I’d installed into the Chassis control panel and then all the way to the right and pressed play on the small, flashy and needlessly modern looking music player. Some people can’t appreciate the soothing beats of Augmented Rock but some people are just shit like that. As I commanded my Chassis to rise from its slumber the patrolling guards jumped slightly. Some raised their polearms or readied their daggers but they swiftly resumed their duties after a few seconds of loud, hectic instrumentals and synthetic tones and nothing explosive. As I began to pour myself a cup of Jo into one of the chipped and oldish mugs I keep in my cockpit the Chassis picked up a new lifeform that turned out to be Captain Mirage, decked out in thicker metal armour and still rocking his green cape with a black, horned helmet in place that showed off some of his face. He has a pretty buggy looking face with the normal black, hardened skin but had a few chipped and damaged plates surrounding his face along with some small scars on the more normal and fleshy parts. His eyes were the usual soft blue and he had a small grin on his face. Between the two curved horns on his helm jutted a fairly large horn and although it was mostly contained a few strands of murky blue hair stuck out. He looked good considering the early morning I assumed; for all I know it could be mid afternoon or something.

“Hail Miss Elizabeth! I trust you’re well this fine morning? Again, we could’ve found you a room to rest in instead of...The gardens.” He greeted cheerfully then reminded as I turned on the speakers after muting my music so as to not deafen him.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty dandy one so far. Nah don’t worry about it, I’m more comfy sleeping in here then anywhere else really. So, how can you tell it’s morning? The place looks the same and I’ve been asleep for a good few hours.” I asked as I began running standard system checks ideally.

“Well, the scouts on the service give hourly reports through the shared hivemind and remind us when it becomes day or night; it helps alleviate the stress some of our more hardened and wanderlust stricken people share. Truthfully, it can be strange living on the surface then coming home to constant, dim light.” He informed me in a slight scholarly tone; he seemed to like talking about native stuff if the smile was anything to go by, either that or he has to look cheerful all the time.

“Okay, kind of like when Augs and Bots form a Link. Thanks for clearing that up. So, what’s on the agenda? Queen wants to talk to me or something?” I asked after thanking him.

“Yes actually, she wants to hear from you as soon as you formulate an answer to her proposal.” He reminded me while he stood a bit straighter at the mention of his ruler. I’d given it some thought before I slipt into my lil’ coma/dream and although I was apprehensive either way I was ready to talk to her once more.
“...Okay, cool, take me to her I guess.” I said after a pause for thought. My Chassis rose up slightly as the reactor kicked into gear. He seemed surprised to see it stand straight once more. The castle seems to faintly as Mirage and I walk towards the large, heavily guarded garden entrance; the crystalline windows sparkled in anticipation as I ventured forward.

The weaving corridors seem almost impossible to navigate without a guide or map yet the distance to wherever he was taking me was disarmingly short. After only a few turns, some sharp turns and a large amount of befuddled maids, manservants and guards we were standing in front of a heavily protected doors; they were obsidian and had fine engravings but was nowhere near as fancy as the throne room.

“Is Her Majesty still having her morning ‘meal’?” Mirage asked one of the monstrously huge guards stoically. Mirage and what's-her-face were tough bastards but these fuckers were built like brick shithouses and looked like they were able to chew coals and crap out diamonds. They towered over everyone sans my Chassis at eight feet, were wearing a thick stone chestplate with a dull, rough green crystal set within its bosom, an archaic stone mask that obscured their faces and allowed their wild bright green hair to flow and their legs were covered in light cloth similar to a series of tattered black, green, white and purple skirts. Their hands were encased in rock gauntlets that looked so old they could crumble into ash at any moment. In their hands they held only a ridiculously big slab of rough green crystal and stone that looked like some kind of wall turned into a shield. They held the shield in one hand like it was nothing and their free hand simply hung limp at their side, softly twitching every once in awhile. Their exposed arms had small shards of crystal and stone bursting out of their carapace in such away that it looked more like chains or bindings wrapped around their limb agonizingly.

The creepy native said nothing and merely nodded. Despite being blinded by its engraved, faded mask it looked down at him then at his partner on the left side of the door and in perfect unison they opened the large doors and beckoned us in.

Shoving those bastards into the back of my mind as a question I’d have to ask later, I checked out the dining room; I wasn’t surprised to see it was as spacious and lavish as the rest of the confusing castle. The room was finely decorated with sculptures and paintings decorating the left wall and a series of large locked windows to the right that gave an impressive view of the still wide awake city. The room was dimly lit by the crystals hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers or some of those weird hovering balls of light the techies back at the fleet love. There was a extensive, dark brown banquet table with intricate golden engravings of leaves embedded into it and matching chairs complete with swirling and complex table legs, arm rests and what not. About three quarters of the way down the table, facing one of the crystal windows, sat the Queen. She sat patently, neither bored nor engaged by anything, resting into one of the many chairs with her head resting into the palm of her left hand and seemed somewhat drained. She still wore her lovely dress from before by looked...dissimilar in some way. She shifted her emerald eyes over to us and smiled faintly.

“Ah, Captain Mirage, I trust you’re well this morning?” She asked casually as she looked away from him and back out the window. The Cap stood a bit taller and seemed embolden.

“Yes Your Majesty. I’ve brought Miss Elizabeth as she says she’s made up her mind on her current situation.” He reported simply with no real inflection or tone to his voice to make him sound anything less than a simple soldier.

“Wonderful, leave us and wait for Miss Elizabeth.” She said as she nodded at him. He saluted at the Queen, gave a quick look in my direction, and peaced out leaving me in my huge ass war machine and her sitting at a massive ass table. It took a few seconds, about ten, to cross over to her and park my Chassis right in front of the window so I could be opposite her.

“Don’t rulers usually sit at one end of the huge table so they look imposing or something?” I asked, kinda taken aback at how uncaring she looked.

“I’m not entertaining royalty, generals or anyone who I would wish to impose upon, feel superior to or show off to; besides, some may favour routine but I cherish any excuse to break the mold. You’ve proven to be a fairly decent distraction for the time being...Now then, your answer?” She answered with a small chuckle, amused by my question, before addressing me with a fairly stern tone.

“I can have the guards retrieve a map of the surrounding areas, a pouch of gold which should prove sufficient in either country you wander into and whatever supplies you’d need.” She continued as she looked up at my cockpit, right at me with a bored stare.

I was quick for a while as she awaited my response, before I powered down my Chassis and moved towards the small ladder heading towards the hatch. She didn’t make a sound and watched me, intrigued by my actions as she watched the Chassis crouch down and stop humming loudly as the reinforced hole on the roof opened up. Jumping off the top of the Chassis, my shock absorbers stopping my legs from hurting like hell, I turned to see what she thought. She seemed...In thought as she looked at me.

“Welp...Soak it in I guess.” I said as I raised my arms and showed off my body, used to natives or aliens being shocked, awed or terrified of me. All I got in response was an amused, short lived laugh.

“I will admit, you’re not what I expected from an alien and I might’ve been more vocally and visibly surprised but given my current state...The metallic, well made replacements and parts I was somewhat expecting but you look largely...native to this world. There are no pale skinned, hairless and scaleless creatures on this world but I’d wager almost all of us have two arms, two legs, are of similar height and build...Though the bald head and glowing green metal eyes were a bit more surprising.” She said with a grin as she ran her eyes up and down my body, taking in as much as she could. “I also didn’t expect you to be naked.” She added with a raised eyebrow.
“Not like it’d cover much...Gotta say, not used to a native not yelling in fear, praising me as some kinda goddess or throwing rocks at me.” I said awkwardly as I walked over to the table and sat down in the well made, cushioned chair.

“Did you assume me a savage? I’m not so uncouth as to attack a particularly...Shining stranger. You may be the strangest person I’ve ever seen in my long live but you’re no monster or Minotaur.” She replied with a straight face as she looked me in my eyes and seemed to be trying to get a read on me.

“Thanks I guess, rocks don’t hurt but they scuff up the chrome; I wonder if carapace would work better.” I joke as I look around the room.

“Well, it’ll brush off a sword or an assassin’s knife but I don’t think it’ll take a blow from a machine such as yours.” She tells me as she looks back to my Chassis.

“Trust me, chrome won’t do nothing to protect me from a Chassis; it’d be like a boot against a bug...Oh, shit sorry.” I hastily added, my casual nature getting the best of me. She was laughing her ass off at my possibly racist comment.

“No need to apologise, we may be similar to an insect but we’re not the same, at least not as we are now; it’d be like me comparing you to a knife because you have metal limbs.” She says as she calms down and looks drowsy.

“I don’t know, I share more than a few similarities with a knife...Now then, I’ve decided-” Just as I was about to tell her what I’d chosen, some maid walked in. She wore a simple black and green outfit that looks both fitting for messes and greeting royals. She held a large, crystalline tray with a huge topper on top and a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands...Huh.

“My Queen, your…’Meal’ is ready.” The maid told her as she casted a lingering gaze at me and continuing.

“Thank you, I’m famished.” She said with an odd, almost lustful, stare at her plate. As the the maid placed the black bottle and wine glasses on the table she also removed the topper to receive a row of vials. They all housed various gaseous looking substances that had odd colours ranging from pink, blue, red and yellow. They swirled and conjured weird patterns that vanished as soon as they formed. With a bow the maid left.

“What is that stuff?” I asked as she used her magic to pick up the yellow vials while she used her hands to open the vintage bottle of wine and poured out some clear green crap.

“Well, us Changelings can mostly sustain ourselves with food, liquids and so on but it’s a temporary solution to our cravings. We’re born from emotion and magic and as such it is only those two desired substances that allow us to live for more than a month; nobody's quite sure what happens when someone such as I dies from withdrawal but if it’s similar to a drone...Well, it’s not pleasant.” She explained as she used her…’magic’ to uncork the vial of shimmering blue gas and she breathed it in, consuming it I guess.

“Without emotions and magic, we lose our powers and if I were to lose control of the hive dire wouldn’t be a strong enough word to describe the fallout.” She continued as she breathed out a green cloud of...Air I guess as I examined the ‘emotions’ and ‘wine’.

“So...You harvest emotions? What?” I asked, my confusion evident as she seemed to sway slightly as her luster from yesterday returned.

“Yes and no. Magic is simple enough to find or in some cases grow, the world itself is magic and it takes very little effort to manifest it as a blue crystal or liquid that we can either grind into powder then channel into this gas; it’s toxic to all but us and I wouldn’t recommend trying to inhale or drink it unless you have a particularly strong sense of self loathing...Emotions on the other hand.” She stopped as she opened the vial of yellow gas. I swore I could’ve heard a scream or something and there was a aura of fear and terror in the air...And yet there was something alluring about it.

“...How far would you go to survive Miss Elizabeth?” She asked me as she examined the empty vial in her grasp as she exhaled a cloud of golden gas out of her nose. She gave me a questioning gaze as she placed it down and picked up the pink one, but didn’t uncork it.

“Pretty damn far to be honest, survival of the fittest and all that I guess...I mean, shit look at me, you think someone would go this far for shits and giggles?” I answered after a short pause as I looked down in thought before facing her. She seemed...Pleased and somewhat despondent at the same time.

“Well no, I didn’t believe you would’ve either been born with those metallic body parts or have your natural ones amputated for no reason. I must say, you have a rather surprising outlook on life; I would’ve expected you to be more…” She hesitated as I bet she wanted to word it in a way that wouldn’t insult me.

“Wise or altruistic? Yeah no, I’m not either of those things; Esther, my boss I guess you could say, may be all thoughtful and whatever but I’m just a soldier you know? Haven’t really thought too heavy on all that complex, moral crap for a long, long time. And unlike Delta and Tyler I don’t not think about this kinda crap, I just don’t really care or have had some kind of internal debate like some people...Anyway, you were telling me about how you people live?” I asked after going on a tiny tangent. The Queen seemed intrigued by my thoughts but kept whatever she was thinking to herself.

“Yes...Unlike magic, we can’t harvest emotions on our own. We’ve tried mind you, but the results were quite monstrous to say the very least. We indoctrinate other races like the Equestrians, Griffons or Minotaurs and either drain them of their emotions then and there or return them to a hive for more extensive harvesting.” She tells me with no real joy or sorrow but not entirely uncaring. “The process is painful, yes, but their controlled minds are soothed by the hive mind and it’s rare for them to sustain lasting damage...Some have died in the past, but their deaths have saved countless others from starving and going insane. It’s an unpleasant situation but if a hundred must die to protect millions of my subjects then so be it.” She finishes as she sits back and sighs, waiting for my response.

“...Huh.” I stated simply upon hearing the disturbing revelation. “So, your entire race is parasitic?” I asked, conflicted on many levels.

“I wouldn’t go that far, we’re researching alternative ways of harnessing emotions, like love, but due to the fears surrounding us and our actions the other, more technologically capable, races are less than keen to cooperate with us but given our current predicament we’re now we have little choice.” She confessed, emphasising the word love by uncorking the pink vial and letting out the wispy, sweet scented crap. The feeling it gave off was intoxicating and so familiar yet was always at the edge of my mind...Like a lover’s kiss or an intimate moment shared.

“So, you and your people have to drain people of emotions to live?” I continued, wanting to know more.

“Yes and no, most of my Changelings only need a minute sliver of magic and emotions to survive a month or two but Changelings like me, royal Changelings, we require daily doses or else our magic will fade and so will the hive. As I said, it’s rare for someone to die from a feeding session...But a drone on its last leg or a starving pack of scouts can become desperate.” She finished as she absorbed every drop of the pink potion and seemed to radiate with a powerful aura; gone was the dull shine and the lethargic expressions. She looked like a completely different alien bug thing.

“Well...I suppose it could be worse. You could’ve all been blood worshipping savages or barely evolved creatures that seem to exist only to scare the shit out of me; I’ve seen a lot of aliens in my live and honestly. You guys are pretty goddamn good looking compared to some of the fuckers I’ve fought off. I mean, harvesting people is pretty bad, but it’d be kind of dickish to just snap at you or call you all freaks; everyone wants to live, it dosen’t matter how nice you are because sooner or later you’re going to have to make a tough choice like that...It’s a fucked up situation but I can’t say I don’t empathise with you.” I briefed her, nostalgia and long faded memories looping in my head like a shitty movie. When I looked back up at her she had a crestfallen smile.

“If you can honestly understand how it feels to condemn hundreds to a horrible fate so many more can survive then I do not envy you but you do have my respect, granted it wasn’t a foolish decision...We’ve talked too much about my species considering the reason you’re here.” She reminded with a calm expression and a stoic voice, awaiting my answer after a lengthy tangent.
For a while, I was silent. Although I was mostly fine with this new info it was still shocking and gave some clues as to what the fuck is going on. Obviously magic isn’t real and...Whatever the wispy shit was had to have been some kind of tech or primitive light show or something along those lines; It might’ve been obvious to me but I wasn’t about to piss off the Queen and call her a liar and an idiot to her face. Still, a parasitic race isn’t the best choice of allies when you need to survive, especially when you have no idea what’s actually out there...But, alone I wasn’t going to do much or find what’s left of my squad alone without causing one hell of a scene.

“Yes, I’ll tell ya stuff about the universe and in exchange you people help me track down my team.” I finally answer after a short pause causing the alien Queen to beam surprisingly, which showed off her white, impressively sharp fangs and teeth.

“Excellent, I imagine we both have much to gain from this agreement.” She declared as she raised her wine glass with her freaky illusion ‘magic’ crap in an offer of a toast. With nothing to lose, I raised my glass and clinked them together.

“So, what is this green stuff?” I ask as I swirled the faintly glowing green and purple ‘wine’ in the glass around like waves crashing against rocks.

“Wine brewed by combining crushed grapes with powdered crystals, extracted love and a hint of Lunarberries; it might burn the first time you sip it, most aren’t accustomed to Changeling food.” She listed off as she savoured the flavour of the glowing green wine. With nothing else but a warning to go off, I downed a quarter of the glass and watched as my internal sensors began feeding a small list of known and unknown ingredients. It tasted amazing but she wasn’t kidding, if it weren’t for the metal in me I would’ve probably burned my mouth or something. The drink was ice cold and burnt you somehow...Aside from the confusing properties of the drink, it tastes amazing. She watched, amused, as I downed the cup and stood up.

“Well, well, well, most people cough up their first cup of ‘Lunar love’. Either you have great fortitude or merely a strong liver.” She complimented as I began to walk over to my Chassis.

“Well I’m made of metal mostly and I haven’t got a liver anymore so it’s probably the fortitude and stuff. As much fun as this is, I’d like to get to work on finding my mates and doing whatever the hell you need me to do.” I declared as I climbed into my Chassis, ending our rendezvous.

“Understandable, I’ll send for Captain Mirage to escort you around the stronghold so that you may become better acquainted with your temporary lodgings...Also, it’s not wise to speak so casually to a member of royalty; the guards and dignitaries should they risk coming might get the wrong impression or perceive it as some form of a feud between us.” She cautioned but didn’t really explain as she closed her eyes and a few seconds later Mirage swaggered in with a normal look on his buggy face.

“Captain, you are to escort Miss Elizabeth around the stronghold and show her any areas of interest; particularly the First Archive and the barracks if you could.” She ordered as she continued to sip her scoldingly cold drink.

“Certainly your majesty…” He acknowledged with a fancy bow as I commanded my powered up Chassis to follow the lil’ bugger. As we walked out of the room, the Queen bid me farewell and he stood in front of my Chassis, causing me to slow down a bit, as he led me around the lavish, confusing building.

“...So, what did you think of Lunar love?” He inquired as he stared forward, making casual conversation surprisingly.

“It was alright, if it weren’t for my aug’d body it would’ve probably fucked up my mouth though; wouldn’t be surprised if it was radioactive or something.” I answered, interested in whatever the dude had to say. He seemed to laugh at this, though looked a bit stiff for some reason.

“I’ll be sure to tell the chiefs or the maids that’d you’d rather a less volatile drink next time...I noticed you had nothing on your plate, do you not need to eat?” He kept asking as we passed rows of ancient stone armour, masks and weapons of various states of disrepair ranging from ‘decent/usable’ to ‘busted up’.

“I’m a pretty heavily aug’d girl, I can go a long time without eating but my body can’t really gain much from anything that isn’t synthetic or processed all to hell; I really just eat for the taste...I think the last time I had a decent meal was three weeks ago and I’ve mostly just been eating protein paste and drinking the occasional Sandran beer.” I continued, glad to talk about something from my world but disheartened to remember the fall of the Phantom. I don’t know how but I think he might’ve picked up on my sorrow somehow...Fucking aliens,

“Are you alright? You seem...Sorrowful.” He asked, worried for some reason, despite being unable to see me...Maybe they can ‘sense’ emotions?

“Yeah, just thinking about the Phantom...My ship, I think you guys might’ve seen a bunch of explosions or something a night or two ago...Lotta innocent people died and some of them were friends.” I reminisced, thinking of the engineering crew and the occasional games of beer pong, Deck the Cap’n and shots n’ shots we would play to celebrate some trivial bullshit.

“It must’ve been horrible, watching it all end like that...Don’t worry, we’re going to find what’s left and help you with whatever we’ve got; the Queen doesn't break a promise like that.” He declared patriotically as we passed a group of patrolling, lightly armoured spear wielding soldiers and a set of massive windows showing off the impressive cavern city.

“Heh, think you might be a bit biased there bud but thanks, for whatever that counts for.” I thanked at his reassurance as he led me down corridor number fifty three.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, Queeny was thinking about me, her people and whatever I had cooking in my brain; she was intrigued by me from the start but now I had her interest and I’d learn sooner or later that’s an amazing and fucking terrible thing.