Chapter 8: The Road to Canterlot

Jed's Living Quarters, PHX Cave Command, Equestria, Equis, 8:38 AM

As Jed woke up, he noticed that a crack of light was seeping in through the shutters on the windows, directly onto his face. 'Uh, every time.' thought Jed. Then, a rumbling in his stomach broke the silence in the room, making Jed blush from embarrassment.

"I guess it's been awhile since I've had something to eat." said Jed to himself, getting off of the bed and strapping on the components to his armor. And as he was about to exit out of the door, he suddenly tripped over a blue ball of fur and landed face first on the door.

And after the crash resounded throughout the room, the Mane six soon woke up, Fluttershy being sent to the roof. "Ahhhhh" yawned Applejack, "That was sure one heck of a sleep, ah' slept like ah' was on a stack uh' hay."

"What's the big deal stepping on me like that bub?" asked Rainbow Dash, getting in Jed's face. "Woah, hey, I was just heading to the mess to grab some grub, I just didn't expect you to be right next to the door." said Jed in self defense. "Yeah, whatever." said Rainbow Dash, landing back onto the floor.

"You know, Jed, food does sound good at the moment, I've always wanted to try foods of different cultures." said Twilight.

"Then it's settled then." said Jed, opening the door. " I'll go take to try out some fine NC protein packs. I've even heard that they've created a fruit flavored pack, made out of plants scavenged from the forest."

The seven then went out of the room and made their way to the courtyard of the camp, where sunlight and fresh air could flow to it. "It's great to see what your people have done with the place, considering it used to be a dragon's lair." said Twilight, marveling at the architecture.

"Yeah, I guess it is impressive, I've even heard that there were mounds of gold and riches when they discovered it. But we ended up melting it all up to create medals, gold decorations, bullet casings, and the occasional gold decal for those who could afford it." said Jed, pointing to the decal on his shoulder.

"What do you mean 'decals'? Don't you mean your cutie mark?" asked Twilight.

"Cutie whatknow?" asked Jed, only to receive a gasp from everypony.

"You mean you've never heard of a cutie mark?" asked Twilight. "No, no I have not. Now mind explaining it to me. Quickly." said Jed.

"A cutie mark is basically when a pony, or in your case, human, discovers their special talent. Then, a mark representing that talent appears on their flank. For example, my cutie mark is a star, representing magic." said Twilight, pointing at her cutie mark, "And I thought that symbol on your, shoulder was it? Was your cutie mark, and a mysterious one at that."

"Oh, you mean this?" asked Jed, pointing to his decal, "This is actually this is a decal, or decalcomania, represents my rank in the NC army, which right now is Ensign." He then was received with "ooooohhhh's" and "ahhhh's" from the ponies.

"But I thought you said you were a Sergeant?" asked Twilight.

"Well, in a way, I am. You see, each regiment, brigade, battalion, or outfit, in the NC army is able to give personal ranks in the outfit to give order in the outfit. But that person can't be in charge of soldiers in the main NC army, unless they happen to get folded into an outfit platoon." said Jed, moving his hands like a professor.

"Okay, thank you for explaining that Jed. Now I thing it's a good time to try those protein packs you keep talking about, I'm starving." said Twilight, opening the door with her magic.

"Yeah, lets go." said Jed.

And the group made it's way out of the door to get something to eat.

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As Jed and the ponies made their way into the Mess Hall, they were greeted with the sight of numerous NC eating different types of protein packs and drinks. The group then made their way to a line that lead to a person dishing out several types of packs. Then, as Jed and the ponies soon got eyes looking onto them.

"Hey Sarge, I didn't know you had pets." said a Private. The table the Private was sitting at soon began to snicker at the comment.

"Hey, who are you callin' a pet, chump!" said Rainbow Dash, jumping onto the Private.

"Hey Jed, mind gettin your pet off of me before I 'accidentally' blow her brains out." said the Private.

Jed, then offended by the comment, pulled Rainbow off of him, and held the private up by his neck to the point of near choking him. "Now, what was that comment you said?" said Jed, holding the private higher.

"Sir.... I said wha-what a nnice pet you have." he said.

"Now lets get this straight, they are not pets, they are living beings with competent minds. And if I here anyone, and I mean anyone disrespect them, I will shove their windpipe up their ass so far that they will be shitting out smart-ass comments for weeks!" said Jed, lowering the private to the ground, "Is that understood?"

"S-sir yyes sir." said the Private, soon heading back to his table with his hand clutching his throat.

"Thanks Jed." said Twilight. "No problem, I just don't like people who disrespect the peo-ponies that saved my life."

"Alright lets get a look at what we can get." said Jed, looking at the menu, "Let's see... Rasberry...Powdered Eggs and Milk...Pineapple.. They all look good, what you guys want?"

"Lets see, I guess I could try this 'Meal Bar'." said Twilight.

"I'll get the powdered eggs and milk." said Applejack.

" I really don't see anything that are my style, but I guess I could try the rasberry/ lettuce salad." said Rarity.

"Me and Dashie decided we'll try the 'Auraxium-grade protein kicks', with a side of Fruit shakes." said Pinkie Pie.

"And I guess I'll have the salad. If that's okay with you." said Fluttershy.

"And I guess I'll have the dried beef with a side of potatoes." said Jed.

"You.. you eat meat?" asked Twilight, getting nervous with every second.

"Well, yeah, I thought you would have found that out when I was strapped to that medical table of yours." said Jed, picking up his order: a small plastic box with the contents of beef and potatoes divided in sections.

"We didn't exactly have the time to check on that, considering that Canterlot Hospital has never operated on a human." said Twilight, grabbing the meals of her friends with her magic, each being different, for example, the salad was just a single pill in a cartridge.

"Okay, I'll give you that, sorry for the misconception. And don't worry, we don't eat ponies, we are also omnivores, so we can find other sources of non-meat protein, eggs for example." said Jed, placing his meal on the table. "And after this is over, I'd love to learn more about this magic you unicorns can manipulate."

"It's a deal!" said Twilight excitedly, face lit like a Christmas tree, "I have so many books you can read, this is going to be sooo great!"

"Uh oh, egghead alert." whispered Rainbow Dash into one of Jed's ear.

"But that can wait until we drive the TR off of this planet." said Jed.

"Oh, I guess magic can wait." said Twilight, regaining her composure, and placing her friend's meals on the table.

"Alright, now, let's dig in." said Jed, grabbing one of the complementary forks.

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As the group finished their meal, which did not happen to be long, considering most of the food was condensed into packets or powder (even Jed got a laugh out of it as Applejack got some powdered egg in her nose), Jed and Twilight grabbed their friend's package's and bags.

"So, that's breakfast out of the way, and I guess it's time to meet the recruits?" asked Jed.

"Yes, and after you give the 'all clear' on their training, we are going to go and save Equestria." said Twilight, a smile forming.

"That is correct, I'd really hate to see you peaceful world like yours become like Aura-" said Jed, but was cut short by a small scroll tied in a linen cloth and gold seal. "Where did that come from?!" asked Jed with awe.

"Oh, it's just the Canterlot mail, it locks onto the bio-signature of the recipient and sends it to them." said Twilight, examining it. "And by the look's of the seal, it's very official."

Twilight then opened it, but suddenly, tears started to form, and she then ran out of the mess, silently crying, even knocking down a couple of troopers that got in the way.

"Twilight!" screamed the rest in unison, soon galloping after their saddened friend. "What the hell?" asked Jed to himself, and began running after the girls.

Jed's Living Quarters, PHX Cave Command, Equestria, Equis, 10:37 AM

As Twilight was lying on Jed's bed, crying whist still hold the letter close the herself, she heard a knock on the door. "Twi' you in there?" asked the voice of an all-too familiar apple farmer. "Ah' know yer in there, I can hear your whimpers. You might as well come and let us talk to you."

"Come on Twilight, you can talk to me about it, I've seen things, I'll understand." said Jed sympathetically, "And I swear, if your on my bed-"

But Jed was cut off by Applejack opening the door, and the crew rushed in and surrounded Twilight. "Come on kiddo, what's the matter? Let's see what's written on that paper." said Jed, picking up the paper from Twilight's hooves, and began reading aloud.

"Dear Ms. Sparkle,

The Royal Guard regrets to inform you that your brother, Captain Shining Armor has been captured by the Terran Republic.

He was doing a routine patrol with a few members of the guard when suddenly, smoke began to rise around him and his comrades, and was soon taken away by several bipedal creatures donned with red. He was a truly brave soldier, and will surely be missed, letters have been sent to all family members.

Sorry for your Grievances,

-Secretary of War, Shining Sabre

"What!?" asked everypony in a surprised tone.

"They have gone too damn far!" Bellowed Jed, "Now, mind telling me where the barracks is so I can prep my squad for combat?"

"Oh, Oh, downs to the back wall of the cave and take a sharp turn, it's right next to the Tank Workshop." said Pinkie, "And don't ask if I'm psychic, I just looked at your HUD's map while you were asleep."

"Thanks...for spying on my equipment? And look after her while I'm gone, I know the pain of a family member going missing." said Jed, walking out of the door.

"Other way." said Pinkie.

"Thanks again." said Jed, turning to go the other way.

PHX Cave Command Barracks, Equestria, Equis, 10:57 AM

As Alexander, Alyx, and the other recruits of Delta squad were sleeping from a long shift of patrols, a loud banging came from outside the barracks.

"Alright scumbags, wake up! It's time to get this training on the road! Now, get up before I throw you out and stomp your guts out!" said a voice from outside.The recruits then stood at attention next to their bunks, standing straight as a pole.

Finally, the owner of the voice walked through the door leading to the other area's of the barracks. "I am Sergeant Smith, your new squad lead, you will do as I say, and you will carry it out, or I will drag you there kicking and screaming!" said Jed, walking up to Alexander, "What's your name scumbag?"

"Corporal Dragunovv, and what an absolute pleasure it is to meet the person that woke me up from my one hour nap." said Alex, through gritted teeth, "You best stow that kind of talk Corporal or I will shove that windpipe of yours up your ass!" said Jed, basically seething with anger, "Where the hell are you even from? Because we did not say that kind of smack to our officers on Indar, I'll tell you that."

"Sir I am from the snowstorms of Esamir." said Alexander, basically shivering at the word 'sir'. "Holy Vanu shit, Esamir? Only Vanu and smart-asses come from Esamir, and you don't look like a spandex, so that kinda narrows it down!" said Jed, "I'll be watching you."

Jed then waked over to the next recruit, a young woman holding up a Reaper DMR in a military fashion. "What's your name?" he asked. "Private Alyx Von Schniell sir!. Ready to fight for freedom!" she said with enthusiasm. "Are you prepared to jump straight into a Terran camp, prepared to bring down any Terran you see? Are you ready to save countless innocent natives?" asked Jed, raising his voice per question.

"Sir yes sir! And I will bring up every person that goes down!" Alyx said. "Great, can't wait to see you in action, you are a shining example of loyalty to freedom." said Jed, "Now first order of business, weapons and accuracy. I want test out different weapons for you to see which you handle best, and I want to make sure we've got the recoil of our guns under control so we don't have bullets flying into space. Grab a gun that suits you and meet me here in five minutes."

....Five Minutes Later...

As the recruits filed back into line, Jed was able get a good look at everyone's weapons. Alexander was equipped with an Gauss Saw S, a near replica of the NC6 Gauss Saw, with the exception of a lesser magazine and faster fire rate. The gun itself having a 1x sight and forward grip.

Alyx had an improved Reaper DMR, this time equipping it with 2x scope, compensator, and a different magazine than the one before. "Tell me Ms. Schniell, what ammunition type is that?" asked Jed, curious about the ammunition. "High Velocity sir, I thought It would help with the fighting by bringing higher damage rounds to bear." said Alyx.

"Great thinking Private Schniell, I have yet to experiment with High Velocity rounds." said Jed. The rest of the squad had various weaponry, ranging from Wardens to Blitz GD-10's.

After inspection, Jed and the squad went to the firing range, where various men, women, and MAXes were testing recently acquired weapons. "Alright, form up into four lines, one line per firing line, and to make it even, I will be firing with you guys to make it so that it's just you guys that are suffering." said Jed, lining up in-front of one of the squad lines, "And in the event a misfire happens, I had all your ammo converted to non-lethal rounds, but it will still have the same kick and velocity."

The troopers quickly then got into line, Alexander and Alyx getting behind Jed. The three lines soon erupted in gunfire, some shooting in bursts while others just sprayed the target in automatic fire, holding their best onto their weapons.

Suddenly, a Bruiser shotgun held by an engineer exploded, sending his body to the wall behind him, and his arms and one leg in separate directions. Jed quickly jumped to his side and held him up. "Private Schniell, get over here and apply nanites to keep him alive, the rest of you, get his body parts!"

Alyx then pulled out her applicator and let loose a steady stream of green nanites that kept him stable.

"Come on man, stay with me, you got a name?" asked Jed, propping up the trooper next to the wall. "Mitchel sir, Sam Mitchel." said Sam.

"You got any family back on Auraxis?"

"Yes sir, I've got a wife, a couple of kids, and my father back on Auraxis." said Sam, wincing from pain. Then, three Light Assaults brought over his limbs and put them in their areas, mostly.

"No, that's the right leg, not the left leg!" said Jed, motioning to the two men that picked up the legs, and soon fixed their mistake.

"Now, Alyx, put it at full power and get this man back on his feet." said Jed. "Yes sir!" said Alyx, twisting a nob on the side of the applicator. And slowly, the nanites pulled the flesh and bone together, fixing the man back to his health before the backfire.

"Alright, training dismissed, I will be seeing you eleven when we launch at dawn, which considering the sun and moon aren't moving, will be in about eighteen hours from now, I have some investigating to do, those rounds were supposed to be nonlethal." said Jed, motioning for the squad to leave, "Besides, the best training is from the battlefield."

The squad soon left, most heading back to the barracks probably to grab some sleep, while the rest, including Alyx and Alexander, went in the other direction, to do who-knows-what.

Jed then walked over to the destroyed shotgun and noticed something different, the color of the shells that were used for the Bruiser were different than standard issue. They had the color of red on them, the red of the Terran Republic.

"How did that get there? I changed the ammo myself." Jed questioned himself. He then picked up the shell, and began to walk in the direction that he last saw Sam go, to the barracks.

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As Sam was taking off the components of his armor to got to sleep in preparation of the attack on the Terran base, he heard footsteps in the hall.

Sam, hearing this, walked out of his room, he saw Jed walking down the hall. "Sergeant, what a pleasant surprise, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" asked Sam, walking toward the Sergeant.

Jed then slammed his fist into Sam's shoulder, sending him straight into the wall at the end of the hallway. "J-jed, what's wrong?" stammered Sam.

Jed then pull out the Terran shell and put it next to his face. "You better tell me why this shell was in your shotgun right now, or I will shove this into your eye sockets!"

"I, I don't know sir. I've never touched a TR shell." said Sam, sweat coming off of his brow.

"I'm sorry Sam, but I can't be sure without actual proof, I'm gonna take you to the jail until we have this sorted out." said Jed, suddenly twisting Sam's arm behind his back and forcing him to walk out of the barracks and towards the jail.

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As Jed and Sam entered the jail, after getting questioning looks from numerous soldiers, Sam was walked into a small jail cell equipped with a single window, a bed, and bathroom utilities.

"Again, I'm sorry Sam, but I can't take any chances, this is the most important operation in PHX history, we can't spare anything going wrong with it." said Jed.

A MAX then walked into the room, bearing dual AF-34 Mattocks. "You," said Jed, pointing to the colossal mechanical soldier, "I want you to guard this man until I return from ops, and if you even touch him, I will shoot you with your own Mattock."

"Yes sir." said the MAX in a robotic voice, doing the best salute he could with his shotgun-totting arms.

"You have no proof! You can't just leave me in hare! Blackweb will hear about this!" said Sam, grabbing the iron bars, trying his best to bend them.

And with that said, Jed left to go and check on his heart-broken friend.

Jed's Room, Equestria, Equis, 1:07 PM

As Jed entered his room after wandering for about an hour trying to find it, he saw that the Mane six were missing. "Twilight, Rainbow.... Pinkie? Are you here?" asked Jed, but got no response.

"Where the heck did they go?" asked Jed to himself, searching the room for any signs as to why they'd leave. Jed's eye then caught the glint of light against the metal surface of a datapad. 'What this?' Jed asked himself in his thoughts.

And as he picked it up, he noticed that it was a crudely typed note with numerous grammatical errors on it, but was still readable.

Deard Jewd,

Gone tyo herlp Falconbane with cvonstriucting Dfelta squad's Valkuyriaes, anythijng to help my btrother get out of Tewrran hands.

-Twilkight

P.S. I hasd to wruite thios witgh my horn, sop itr maiy noit be pertfecvt.

Jed then put the datapad down, "This might be interesting to see," said Jed to himself, "I should go make some popcorn, but that can wait."

Jed then opened the door and headed in the direction of the hanger bay.

PHX Cave Command Hangar, Equestria, Equis 1:20 PM

After a trek across the base while receiving numerous congratulations for being promoted, Jed arrived at the door leading to the hangar, and put his eye into the scanner.

"Welcome, Smith, Jedediah, Sergeant." said the automated voice as the door creaked open to reveal Falcon and the six ponies gathered in a circle.

"... and Jed and I try this idea of trying to use our jets to fly over the VS firing line, but I end up getting caught on a singe vine and end up upside down in front of a VS MAX. And I'm like 'Hi there spandex, got any batteries?' And Jed has to end up running from about twenty VS, shooting off all his ammo and having to cut me out with his magcutter. In the end we had to stay in the central pillar of the dome until the rest of the platoon gained a foothold." says Falcon, receiving a great deal of laughter from the ponies.

"What are you seven talking about?" asked Jed, becoming one with the circle.

"Oh, I was just talking about the 15th battle of Advari Biolab." said Falconbane, "And I congratulate you on your promotion to Sergeant, I honestly feel like you deserved it."

"Why thank you Lieutenant, and I remember that battle all too well. I just loved the look you left on that MAX." said Jed, "Now, what is the situation regarding the Valkyries?"

"Oh, we have three that are more than ready, I've even given you the treat of equipping them with Hellion G20's, and this inventive lavender pony here with my help constructed this battle camera for your helmet." said Falconbane, holding up a small black tube with a lens on one end that Jed took and clipped into his helmet.

"You see, I would like be able to see how you human act in combat, but since I can't follow you with a high chance of death, I thought I might do the next best thing, record it!" said Twilight, eyes gleaming.

"Alright, I guess that makes sense, now, we just have to wait until morning, then we launch our attack." said Jed, kneeling down to Twilight, "And Twilight, we'll get your brother back."

"Thank you Jed, you and the New Conglomerate will be forever in Equestria's debt if the all works out." said Twilight, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Enough with the sappy stuff already, Jed's got this!" said Rainbow Dash, using her wing to hover of the ground for a few seconds.

"Exactly, and now we just play the waiting game." said Jed.

But suddenly, SnowSheltie's voice came over the intercom, "Attention Sergeant Cordo's and Bavarian's squads, grab your tanks and prepare to move out to..... really, that's it's name? Oh fine, uh, prepare to move out to this Canterlot. Sergeant Jedediah's squad will be running escort. And if Jed is listening to this, note you will still have to do that mission that we discussed back in the planning room."

"Alright, I guess I'll see the rest of you after the escort." said Jed. "Bye Jed!" said the ponies, waving to their bipedal friend

"Go kick some TR flank for us Jed!" said Rainbow Dash. "I can't wait to see how it goes from the camera!" said Twilight to herself, "It could advance Equestria's technology and understanding of weaponry by hundreds of years!"

Jed then left the hangar and opened up his squad comm channel. "Alright Delta squad, you heard the man, I want you over here in one minute, and I want you decked out in any form of green camo, we'll need it in case we end up encountering a TR patrol."

And in under a minute, the squad was in file, lined up with assorted green camouflages, all the way from African Forests, to Amerish Scrub.

"Alright, you all probably know what we are doing here, we are to escort Cordo and Bavarian's squads through enemy territory, and to help them set up at the pony city identified as 'Canterlot'. Now, we do not know much about this planet's wildlife, we only know that these equines live here, so be prepared for anything. Expect the unexpected." said Jed, " One half of the squad goes with Cordo, and the other goes with Bavarian. I look forward to our first mission as a squad."

"Uh, I still don't see why we need to escort these behemoths." piped in Alexander, folding his arms out of spite, "I mean, they are tanks, giant armored vehicles meant to plow through enemies, it's not like they need out help."

Jed then turned to the comment, and started to glare daggers at the man. "Now tell me Corporal, have you ever seen an armor convoy go through enemy forests without any infantry support? No? Well then, it so happens that ambushes would be very likely, and tanks can't see everywhere, and without a gunner, they can't see above them, which would leave them open to C-4 fairy's. And if you had any brains, you'd know that infantry can hide behind trees and fire on tanks through the shadows, slowing all movement and making them sitting ducks." said Jed as-a-matter-of-factly, "And it is our job to make sure none of that happens. Which brings up my next question, why the hell are you in my squad?"

"Well if you must know, I am a highly capable Heavy Assault, even Blackweb himself said that he'd love me to be a soldier in his squad." said Alexander smugly, "And if you put me next to a group of TR, I will wipe them out in ten, seconds, flat."

"Well then, I would love to see that happen, might make some popcorn for it, but that can wait." said Jed with a half smile, "Now get on the tanks ladies, lets lock and load, lets rock and roll!"

The squad then hurried to their designated squads and opened the hatch to man their driver's Gunner seat.

Suddenly, the rumble of engines erupted from the tanks, propelling them forward towards Canterlot.

Everfree Outskirts, Equestria, Equis, 2:45 PM

As the three squads were moving through the edge of the dense forest, Jed began to have a feeling of uneasiness come upon him. "Hey Bavarian," said Jed through his commlink, "Do you ever get the feeling you are being watched?'

"Not that I know of Jed, I always end up finding any Infiltrator that is trying to pop off my dome. Besides, what has you all shaken up? I haven't seen hide nor hair of any TR." said Bavarian. "I don't know man." said Jed, "It just doesn't feel right, TR are very strict, so you'd think they'd have patrols up the wazoo here."

But before Bavarian could answer, the tank line suddenly came to a screeching halt, sending Jed flying in the tank. The tank driver then got over to Jed and helped him out of the tank.

"Gah, man, my head. What happened/" asked Jed, perplexed at the sudden stop. Then, the voice of a young man came up on the radio. "Uh, sirs, the lead tank's track is broken, I recommend you see."

"On my way." said the three squad leaders simultaneously.

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As the three squad leaders reached the tank at the head of the line, things were worse than expected. The left tank track apparently had a loose pin on one of it's segments, causing it to careen into a tree next to the forest, the tree itself falling over, roots and all.

"Can't you just fix it with nanites?" asked Cordo, whilst inspecting the damage.

"Well, you see sir, mechanical nanites just repair combat damage, like a tank shell or a jammed turret. But this is just maintenance damage, something that the brass wanted to do ourselves to keep 'The work ethic of a laborer' or something like that." said the man from the radio, " And it would take too long to reprogram them. But, I've done this plenty of time to get this done, give me about ten to fifteen minutes and we'll have this convoy ready again"

"Well done man, may I inquire about your name?" asked Bavarian with an inquisitive look.

"I am Private Josh Mcgully sir." said Josh, a small half-smile on his face.

"Well get to work Josh, we'll probably find something to do while we wait." said Jed.

Josh then got to work, getting out his tool kit to begin repairing the tank track.

But then, an atrocious smell went through the air. "Dear God, who brought out Blackweb's socks?" asked Jed, putting his fight hand over his nose. The smell was then followed by numerous pairs of yellow eyes peeking out through the forest.

"What the hell are those!?" exclaimed a Combat Medic, putting up his NC-9 A-Tross to eye level.

An owner to a pair of eyes then came out of the forest, a creature made of twigs and logs, and and occasional leaf. The creature was then followed by several other ones that were almost identical.

"Hey there fella." said a Heavy Assault, reaching out his hand to pet it, "You almost look like a dog from Earth."

The creature then jumped onto the man and started to rip out his throat, followed by a bloodcurdling scream from him.

"Open fire!" exclaimed Jed, pulling the trigger to unleash a hail of bullets onto the dog-like creature that had attacked his comrade.

The entire line of tanks and infantry soon erupted with fire, sending chunks of wood everywhere, even sending down a couple of trees.

But they just kept coming, wave after wave, some even able to climb onto a couple of tanks, only to get thrown off by the driver spinning the turret constantly. It even got to the point of where some had to switch to their sidearms, Jed included.

Then one of them was able to get on top of Jed, tearing through his armor, ripping off his shoulder pads and turning his right arms into a bloody mess, causing Jed to scream in pain.

The wooden wolf then threw Jed against the side of a Vanguard, causing him to fall over, blood running from his right arms like a stream.

The creature the rose over Jed, preparing for a final strike, raising it's claws over it's head, leaving it's underside open to attack. Jed, seeing this, mustered enough strength to raise his left foot to kick the wooden wolf in front of a tank barrel, allowing itself to be blown to twigs by the sheer power of a shell.

Jed then used his left arm to use his comm set and opened it up to Battalion frequency, "Attention, this is Sergeant Jedediah, requesting air support, we've been ambushed by local animals, we've taken numerous injuries and casualties, does anyone copy?"

"We copy you Sergeant, we've been getting reports of men and women coming out of the rebirthing Chambers, but we can not launch any pilots in the event that the TR discover our operation." said WillTheThe over a static-covered connection.

"Copy that, we'll try and hold out, but if this fails, I'm putting the blame on you." said Jed, while simultaneously raising his left foot to deliver a kick to a wolf's face and sending it sprawling.

Then suddenly, the voice of Alyx cried out through the front section of the convoy, "Nanite grenade out!", sending a green canister into the midst of the combat, spraying a thick green mist of nanites onto wounded NC comrades, slowly healing cut and dismembered bodies, bringing them to fight once more.

Jed, who was lucky enough to get caught in the spray of green, started to fight like never before, using his jump jets to climb over the waves of wooded monsters and threw a frag grenade, causing a few to chase after it, probably thinking it to be a toy, only to get blown away.

The battle ensued with drastic combat, both sides losing equal numbers, mutilation beyond compare. Gun shells, cannon shells, and all sorts of ordnance littered the field, accompanied by the dead and dying of both sides, with no hope of medics reaching them through No-Man's-Land that stretched from the tank line and the forest.

And Jed was no better, having his right arm ripped off and flung off to who-knows-where, and forced to revert to his Commissioner when he ran out of ammo for his NS-11C, and having to take cover behind a dead carcass of one of the twigged monsters, trying his best not to give in.

Then, the gunfire stopped, sending an eerie silence through the battlefield. But was soon interrupted by the snapping and clunking of twigs and logs, and Jed looked over the corpse in curiosity, only to find a giant version of these wooded behemoths staring down at his, it's snorts sending Jed reeling back from the force of the breath.

"Oh, shit." said Jed, eyes wide at the creature.

Said monstrosity then lifted up it's left paw and stepped on a Vanguard, crushing it to bits of nanites.

"Open fire on it!" said Bavarian, raising up his Gauss Compact S to fire a grenade from it's grenade launcher.

The entire line soon reopened with all it's guns, blowing chunks off of the behemoth, only to have them strangely reattach to it. And with the guns still firing, the creature began stepping all over the line, breaking Vanguards and Skyguards in half. Even at times throwing them into the ground.

The convoy was in shambles, with less than a handful of tanks left. The monster appeared unstoppable, throwing infantry like ragdolls, and vehicles like rocks.

Jed then used his jump jets to climb onto the back of the creature's back, firing into it nonstop.

But then, the monster began to thrash wildly, sending Jed flying into the air, only to end up in the mouth of the behemoth.

"Great, how I always wanted to have a death, in the mouth of a giant fireplace log." said Jed to himself. But then, a blinding light burst from the base of the creatures mouth.

"Now what's this?" said Jed, shielding enough of his eyes to get a good look at the light source. And as he looked down, he saw a giant green orb of light, with several small, ghost-like versions of the wooded behemoths he fought earlier orbiting around a bright green light.

Jed then tried to use his commlink, only to find it sparking and crushed. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to improvise." said Jed himself. He then used his jump jets to carefully make his way to the orb, and tried to stick his magcutter in it, only to have it be stopped by and invisible force. Jed then rummaged through the various pockets in his suit, and felt a small rectangular brick in a pocket next to his waist. And when Jed pulled it out, it was nothing more than a brick of C4.

"This will do." said Jed, slapping the brick on the surface of the orb, and pushed the arming device.

Jed then used his jump jets to climb to the back end of the mouth, using his magcutter like a mountain climber pick to make his way to the monster's teeth, the obstructions opening and closing every few seconds to swallow a piece of NC or tank.

Jed then jumped out of the mouth as it opened, and ended up landing headfirst onto Alexander's stomach.

"Really Sergeant? You got swallowed by that... that thing, and you did that just to crush my ribs? How thoughtful." said Alex, with sarcastic smirk on his face.

"Shut up, and watch." said Jed, pointing at the creature as it destroyed another Skyguard, and pulled out a C4 detonator, "Tick, tick, boom."

Jed then pushed the big red button, causing an explosion to erupt from the base of the creature's neck, causing a huge gap in it's neck.

The creature then began to have a fit, thrashing about, and holding a paw to it's neck as green liquid leaked out, with the remnants of NC bodies, and various vehicle parts.

And after about thirty seconds of thrashing and coughing, the colossus fell to the Earth, the color finally fading from it's eyes.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Jed, dusting off his hands of his own blood, mixed with comrades'. He then pointed at an Engineer leaning next to a Vanguard. "You, Engi, mind fixing up my commlink?"

"Yes sir." said the Engineer, pulling out his repair tool and allowing it's nanites to slowly repair Jed's broken commlink.

"Thanks." said Jed, holding out a thumbs-up. "Anytime sir." said the Engineer, heading back to his original position.

Jed then pushed a button on his commlink and cleared his throat to speak. "Hey, Private Mcgully, you still there?"

"Yes sir I'm still kicking in the same body you saw earlier, I was lucky enough to get inside a tank with a Kobalt." said Mcgully.

"Well, now what is the condition of the forward tank? Is it fixed?" asked Jed. "Hey Jed, can you see that big, overturned tree to the south?" asked Mcgully. "Yeah? Why?" asked Jed.

"It's about five clicks south of that."

"Well, I guess that's that. But is the road clear?" asked Jed.

"Why yes sir it is. Now, lets get a move on, the TR would have surely heard this." said Mcgully almost instantaneously.

"Alright, let's get get moving. Cordo? Bavarian? Are you two ready?" asked Jed, hoping into a gunners seat on a Vanguard.

"You bet." replied both of the squad leaders.

And as the engines of the Vanguards and Skyguards started up, the convoy made it's way up to the mountain city of Canterlot.

Canterlot, Equestria, Equiss, 3:14 PM

As the line reached the front gate of Canterlot, they were stopped by an entire brigade of armored guards donned in golden armor, pointing their spears at the lead tank. And as Jed looked up using the gunner's sight, he noticed that several earth ponies and pegasi were pointing several ice bows and arrows at the column.

"Who goes there!" bellowed a gruff voice.

Jed then climbed out of the tank and ran up to the lead tank. "Well, who goes there?" he asked.

A young stallion donned in steel armor stepped forward, with a dull grey mane and the cutie mark of two swords clasing together. "I am Lieutenant Riding Lance of the Royal Guard, commanding officer in Captain Armor's absence." said Lance, "And I would like you to leave the premises. We don't need any more of your kind destroying the things we hold dear!"

"Now hold on," said Jed, putting up his hands in self defense, "We are trying to save you guys, we are here to rain down destruction on the people that hurt you."

"They will most likely think it is us that attacked them! And we don't want another Cloudsdale happening to us." said Lance, "So leave, we do not need your help in this, and we certainly don't want anymore unwanted attention from your counterparts!"

"We are sorry that the Terran Republic has done this too your world, but we are here to stop that. I for one, an trully mortified as to what they've done." said Jed, "Besides, what makes you think that your safer without us? You don't have any weapons that can take out even a flash."

"Look, we are both soldiers here, but I have a duty to uphold, things have been in chaos since the princesses have gone missing," said Lance, his stone face softening, "Princess Cadenza is trying to hold the Crystal Empire from repeated air attacks, Princess Twilight was last seen with her friends traveling with one of your people, and most of Equestria's unicorns have been captured."

Jed's eyes then opened wide at the mention of Twilight, "I'll have you know Mr. Lance, that Twilight is in safe hands, and that we are more then ready to fight to free your peo- err, ponies I mean, sorry, I've been around humans too much."

"Understandable, but why do you think you've got the power to stand up against the people that have thousands held captive across Equestria? And from the looks of your transports and soldiers, you look like nothing more than a common militia." said Lance, pointing out the twigs and dent on one of the tanks.

Jed, then offended by the comment, started to glare daggers at Lance. "You think these beasts of war were like this when we left base!? It was an ambush that did this I tell you! By these wooded beasts with staked for teeth. And if we were anything like a simple town militia, then how have we been able to stand a war on two fronts for hundreds of years?"

"Wait, did you say wooded beasts? You mean Timberwolves, don't you? Only a handful of ponies have been able to face down Timberwolves, let alone fight and defeat them!" said Lance, eyes wide in shock. "Why good sir, I am sorry for the misconception. You really are true warriors."

"Your damn right, every single one of us are grizzled veterans of this terrible war. Why, if one of our officers wrote a short story, detailing the war on Auraxis, it would turn into a trilogy." said Jed, "So, will you let us in?"

"I'm sorry sir, but we just can not, the populace would revolt if we allowed you to waltz about. And I doubt that even Princess Twilight herself, bearer of the Element of Magic, would let you in." said Lance, his face reverting to the stone look it had prior.

"Hold that thought." said Jed, putting his hand on his radio. "Hey Lieutenant Falconbane, mind putting Twilight on the horn, I have someone that wants to speak with her."

"You got it, gimme a second while I hand it to her." said Falconbane, followed with the sound of the headset being put on Twilight's head.

"Hello, Jed, is this working?" asked Twilight.

"Yes Twilight, I have a Lieutenant Riding Lance, of the Royal Guard wanting your seal of approval to let us in the city to begin operations." said Jed, a small smirk forming on his mouth.

"Okay, Jed, put him on, I'll explain this to him." said Twilight.

"You got it, switching to surround sound and hologram, a little something I made in my spare time." said Jed, pushing a button on his helmet. And suddenly, a light blue version of Twilight came out of the top of the helmet. Jed then took off his helmet, and then setting it down on the hull of the lead tank. "You may now converse with Lance, or whatever, I need to help get these twigs off of a few tanks."

Jed then walked away with a few others, and started to clear twigs and leaves off of the tanks.

"So, Riding Lance is it? I hear you are to replace my brother while he has been captured." said Twilight, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

Then, Riding Lance and several guards who were close enough to hear Twilight. "Why yes princess, and I can only hope to live up to a fraction of his success." said Lance, standing back up. "And my condolences to you Princess Sparkle, I knew you and Shining armor were as close as brother and sister could get."

Twilight then wiped a tear from her eye from the mention of her BBBFF. "Thank you Lieutenant, I hope great tidings for you, your men, and Equestria."

"Thank you ma'am, we will hold out, we will never let those beasts set one hoof in Canterlot." said Lance, doing a salute with a hoof, but brought it back down before he fell over.

"Now, greetings aside. There is one thing I want to know, why you are denying Jed and his group entrance to Canterlot?" asked Twilight, her head tilted sideways from confusion.

"Princess, I've been over with this with Jed, and as civilized he and his bunch seem, we have no idea as to how the locals would react to beings that look almost identical to our enemies." said Lance, stamping his hoof on the ground. "And what if the more influential people had anti-alien ideals? Why there would be chaos, and we have no idea where Discord is in all of this, so we can't control the populace the way he can. I'm sorry princess, but we must take care of ourselves for the time being, without the leadership of Luna or Celestia, and with Princess Cadenza holding off valiantly at the Crystal Empire, we have no guidance. But, we have you, you and the Elements of Harmony are the beacon that shines in Equestria's darkest hour. And these, humans as it were, are more than likely to create a disaster if they even step foot in the city."

Twilight's face then softened, and began to face to ground, pondering about what the Lieutenant had just said. And after a few seconds, a smile began to form. "Idea!" she screamed happily, "Look, I know that there will be chaos, but I plan on heading over there in a few hours, I will be also coming with the other elements, so keep that in mind. Next, try and calm the populace the best you can, Jed and the New Conglomerate are no threat to us as far as I've seen." said Twilight, then, her face went to straight seriousness. "And keep in mind this: Princess Celestia and Luna founded this nation on the belief that we should love and tolerate, no matter the species or origins, and if you truly are a stallion of the people of Equestria, then you should follow that rule. Why, if it weren't for that standard, we'd still be having disputes with the Griffons. So I ask you, not as your princess, but as a pony who would trusts people from across the stars."

Lance then looked dumbfounded, his eyes wide, and shoulders slackened. And after ten a second of nothing but cold silence, he finally regained his composure. "Princess Sparkle, your words have moved me, I have just been caught in all this for so long, I had forgotten the the teachings that the Royal sister taught our ancestors, and us even today. The New Conglomerate may pass, and we will try and keep public order until you arrive, Celestiaspeed, princess."

"Thank you Riding, maybe you will live up to be my brother's counterpart. And don't worry, I shall be there to help in any way I-" said Twilight, but was cut short from a crash in the backround. "Sorry, I must get going, Pinkie has thought of upgrading her party cannon with spare parts, something about a Party Tank. I must get going, and don't worry the, NC aren't that bad."

The hologram then shut off, leaving the helmet there in a motionless state.

Then, Jed walked over, covered head to toe with mud and leaves, and put his helmet back on his head.

"Well, Jed, what happened to you?" asked Lance, pointing a hoof at the mud all over Jed.

"Well, you see..... this is.. camouflage! Yeah, camouflage." said Jed hastily, "It's not like I fell into a ditch trying to pry a branch loose from one of our Kobalt LMG's."

"Right," said Lance, in an out of ease tone, "Well, it seems that Princess Sparkle has convinced me to let you and your group through. Though I would recommend setting up at that ridge-line over by the barracks, it provides an excellent view of the Everfree Forest." Lance then pointed his hoof over to a marble-walled building with the flag of Equestria over it, next to it, a giant cliff, able to support a full squad of tanks.

"Thank you kind sir, you will not have any more trouble from us in the future, I promise that." said Jed, doing a salute to the stalwart stallion, "Though, you might want to cover your ears in a few minutes."

"And why is that?" asked Lance, ears pushed behind his ears.

"You'll see," said Jed, a small smirk forming, and then turned to the tank line, "Alright you scumbags, let's move up!"

The engines on the tanks then started to rev up, which caused the line of Royal guards to move out of the way and into the sidelines of the gates. And as soon as they had moved, the tanks pushed on, Vanguards first, followed by Skyguards, and then the occasional Sunderer, Jed clinging to the side of a Sunderer by the rail.

The Vanguards then set up on the ridge, their guns pointed straight at the forest. And the Skyguards and Sunderers on the sides of the Barracks, deployed and ready for action, all guns pointed at the sky.

And as the last Vanguard line up, a group of grunts rushed from a Sunderer, carrying a strange looking shell.

"Hey, what ammo type is that?" asked Jed to a Medic standing next to him.

"Oh, that sir? It's just a shell designed to shoot off a flare instead of and actual projectile to signal the attack." said the Medic as he leaned back against a marble pillar.

The group then rushed to a tank manned by Bavarian, and shoved it into the autoloader compartment.

"Ready to fire!" said one of the grunts, cupping his hands so that the entire group could here.

"Fire!" yelled Bavarian through an open hatch in his Vanguard, and sent the shell fly into the sky.
it soon erupting in a blue firework that lit up the sky.

The entire line soon erupted in blistering fire, destroying trees and anyone in the blast radius to smithereens. It even got to the point of which that a dense smoke covered the barracks and cliffs, and that some tank barrels got so hot to the point of where a new barrel had to put on.

"Ah, I love the smell of exploded ordinance in the afternoon!" said Jed to no one in particular.

Then, SnowSheltie's voice came over Jed's headset. "Hey Jed, we have a two galaxy's with Reaver escort piloted Blackweb's seasoned Veterans to pick up your squad to head back to base. He has something he wants to talk to you about."

"Yes sir, what's the ETA on that Gal?" asked Jed, searching the sky for the large behemoth transports.

"About two minutes, I suggest you tell your squad your moving out." said SnowSheltie, just as some rustling came from behind him, "I'll be right back Jed, one of our Private just got thrown from a balcony during sparring practice."

"Yeah, you do that." muttered Jed, switching his communicator to squad comms, "Hey squad, you might not want to get cozy here, we're moving out in two minutes, we have two Galaxy's coming to pick us up. Does everybody copy?"

"Yes sir!" said Alyx enthusiastically.

"Yeah, sure." muttered Alexander.

"Sir, if I may inquire, why should we go back to HQ, while instead we could launch from here and have the cover of flack and tanks?" asked an unfamiliar voice.

"Very good question, um, mind if I ask your name trooper?" asked Jed in an uneasy.

"Micheal Ducovsci sir." said Micheal.

"Very well then Micheal, this tank line is nothing more than a distraction. So that when we launch from HQ, most of the TR air will focus on these guys right here." said Jed, overlooking the tank line.

"Very well sir, I am just concerned about our mission and all the innocent lives we are putting at stake."

"Your statement is noted soldier." said Jed, looking at the sky to see two flying behemoths flying in through the clouds to the ground below them. "Now, pack up and head over here, everyone, our ride's here."

It then took about four minutes to get all of Delta's gear and troopers onto the Galaxy's, one galaxy nearly becoming inoperable from a MAX suit nearly falling into the cockpit.

"All right, are we all set up, Jed?" asked the pilot.

"Yup, now, lets get these sky whales into the air." said Jed, "Alons y!"

"Sir?" asked Micheal, a seat over from Jed.

" 'Alons y' it's French for 'let's go'. So, let's go!"

<><><><><><><><><>

As the two Galaxy's made land-fall on the hangar bay. They were then greeted by swarms of people asking how the mission went, and various other questions.

Then, Twilight and the other Mane 6 came up, carrying saddlebags, hand/hoof shaking the members of Delta squad, finally making it to Jed.

"Great Job Jed! I heard from Sheltie that the mission went splendidly. Though I did hear something about an ambush, care to enlighten us?" asked Twilight, holding out her hoof.

"Oh, right," said Jed, unplugging the camera from the side of his helmet, "You know, I can't believe that it's still there, what with all the hits I took."

Jed then placed the camera in Twilight's hoof. Which she then used her magic to pick up and place in a black box she pulled from her saddlebags.

Then, a hologram appeared, showing a picture of the hangar bay when Jed put it in, with a black and white play button in the middle.

Twilight then proceeded to press play, showing Jed's P.O.V. when he put the camera in his helmet.

Twilight then used her wings as fingers and stopped at the point where it showed Jed raising his NS carbine at pair of glowing eyes in the brush.

The scene then replayed itself from earlier, than man reaching out his hand to pet the Timberwolf before having his neck gouged out by it. Causing the ponies to look away in horror, with the exception of Rarity, who just fainted on the floor.

"Yeah, can we just fast-forward to the point where I got eaten?" asked Jed, who grimaced at the sight of seeing his comrades get mauled.

"With pleasure." said Twilight, hastily, who then fast forwarded it to where it showed Jed falling into the giant Timberwolf.

The recording then proceded to show Jed sticking a brick of C4 on the behemoth, and blowing it's neck open.

"Yeah, that's enough for now." said Jed, quickly pushing the power button on the player.

And as Jed turned his head to see the ponies, all he was shocked faces, and fearful eyes.

The first to speak up was actually Fluttershy, who pulled her mane from her eyes. "I can't believe, I mean, oh..my." said Fluttershy, "I mean, I've heard talk about increasing reports of Timberwolf activity since you all landed, but this is insane. I can only fear as to what's happened to my animal friends."

A tear then began to form on her cheek at the thought of Angel and the rest being at the mercy of Tinmberwolves.

Jed then walked over to Fluttershy and began comfort her. "It'll be okay kiddo, we killed nearly a hundred of them while we were there, so maybe that scared them back into hiding."

The thought then began to cheer her up, bringing a weak smile to her lips.

"There you go." said Jed, who then directed his attention to Twilight, noticing that they all had saddlebags.

"Hey, whats with the luggage?" asked Jed, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm sorry Jed, but I we promised to come back to Canterlot to comfort everypony there, and I can't just leave everypony there afraid of your tanks." said Twilight, eyes gazing at the sky above, "And one of the galaxy pilots promised to take us there, as long as we don't, 'Screw up his ship'. So I guess this is goodbye until the defeat of the TR."

"I guess this is, I'll be sure to bring back the princesses in one piece. You have my word as a soldier." said Jed, doing a salute to the lavender alicorn.

Then, suddenly, Twilight jumped up on her hind legs and gave Jed...an actual hug.

And as the hug continued for a few more seconds, a single tear fell down Jed's cheek. "Th-thank you Twilight," said Jed, wiping away the tear, and hugged Twilight back, "Nobody has hugged me since my infancy back on Auraxis."

"Awww." said Pinkie Pie, a smile forming.

"Thank you Jed, for everything you've done for us since you've landed. And we'd all be probably dead by now if you guys had not survived the planetfall." said Twilight, letting go of the hug, "And I can't thank you enough for helping us in Equestria's darkest hour."

"It's okay Twilight, we all came here searching for a new life. I mean, all we were before the war were farmers, mecghanics, engineers, miners, even a couple of turncoat TR." said Jed, getting on one knee, "And we lost a true soldier getting here. But that's a story for another time."

"Oh, dearie, before we go, I was sifting through your camouflage storage, and I was able to fix this special suit for the kind of work you're going to be doing." said Rarity, pulling a disheveled, tree-green, suit, "I really hope you like it, it was in a real mess when I found it, but I do love a challenge."

"Wow, a ghillie suit!" said Jed, eyes wide, "This is perfect! You know, we really don't use gillie suits that much, so maybe the TR wouldn't expect this. This, I mean, this is great."

"Oh it really is nothing, I just thought of the greater good of it's use." said Rarity, putting on a smile.

"Wait, before we go, I have. One. Single. Thing. To. Say." said Pinkie Pie, rummaging through her saddlebag.

"Well?" asked Jed, tilting his head to the side.

Pinkie then pulled a cupcake from her saddle bags, it had purple and blue base, with blue and yellow frosting.

"Wait, before you go all like, 'But Pinkie, I don't like cupcakes', this one's different!" said Pinkie, shoving it into Jed's hand.

Jed then took a single bite out of it, and swallowed slowly. "Huh, not that bad. Maybe you can give the recipe to the chefs at the mess."

"Okie Dokie Lokie!" said pinkie, bouncing her way to the Galaxy.

Next was actually Rainbow Dash who flew up, holding something behind her back.

"Ya know, I'm not really somepony for all these sappy goodbyes. So here" muttered Rainbow Dash, pulling a small book out, titled: "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone"

"It's the first book in the Daring Do series I ever read. And it's only the best book series in Equestria!" said Rainbow Dash, an attitude of fervor setting in, "It's the first book in the series, and I've had it for a while. I mean, I've memorized it to the point to where I could recite it in front of an entire crowd."

"Why thank you Rainbow, it's nice to see you've warmed up to me." said Jed, a small smile creeping it's way onto Jed's face.

"Yea, your welcome, it was nice to meet you and your people." muttered Rainbow, "And no hugs, lets settle this like real people or ponies would." Rainbow then extended her hoof, expecting Jed to do the same.

But instead, Jed just grabbed her hoof and began shaking it.

"Seriously? You really have never heard of a hoof-bump?" Rainbow deadpanned.

"Oh," said Jed sheepishly, retracting his hand, "You mean a fist bump? Don't you?"

"Yeah sure, now, from the top." said Rainbow, re-extending her hoof.

Jed then did the same. And when they connected, an explosion the size of a house erupted beside them.

Every head in the hangar then turned to see an Engineer, covered head to toe in black soot. next to a portion of wall charred from the explosion.

"Sorry!" he piped, "I was trying to see what would happen if I placed and AT mine next to an active Bettie."

"Don't sweat it." said Jed, waving to the sooty engineer.

"Well, I guess this is it, Jed." said Twilight, head facing the ground.

"You know, Twilight, I never like goodbyes," said Jed, kneeling down to eye level with the alicorn, "Let's just call it, 'See you around the corner'.

"Okay" said Twilight, wiping a tear from her eye. "See you around the corner, Sergeant."

The group then headed onto the Galaxy, and when the the door was about to close, Jed swore he thought he heard Pinkie say " Chimicherry, or Cherrychanga?"

But before Jed could ponder, a familiar voice thundered from behind him.

"Sergeant Smith!" said the voice.

"Aww crap." said Jed, head facing the floor.

Author's Note

*Note: the barracks is divided into separate room, like an apartment for military men.*

*Side Note: The hangar is basically a giant tube considering all aircraft in PS2 are VTOL's.*

Dear God, this took forever to make, and it is FINALLY done! Praise be!

O.C.'s included in this chapter, but you still have a chance to get an O.C. in this story by messaging me or checking out my blog post titled: "O.C. time!"

Also, feel free to post feedback and ideas.

Carry on trooper!