Chapter 7- Plan in Motion

After a quick walk, our forces arrived at slaver base. We moved as a single organism, watching each other’s back and keeping an eye out for threats. Doing a quick scout for patrols, we made the final decisions and organized ourselves, splitting in two forces and heading to our respective objectives.

The night was cold and dark, with many clouds blocking any light from the moon and stars. We were already in position, ready to throw ourselves into the fray; all we waited for was one word: attack.

Despite the coming action, the whole area was quiet. We stood there, in the cracked dirt and rocks, for about forty minutes, waiting for all teams to get in position. Nothing but the constant whispering of the wind to make us company. My unit, Snowdrop and the demolitions expert (called Romanov), were just waiting for the signal to advance. There wasn’t much movement at the enemy base, just the occasional sentry on the walls and barricades surrounding the complex. We estimated the number of hostiles to be around thirty to fifty and the slaves being slightly above twenty.

Most of us were carrying standard equipment, with the exception of Suvorov, who opted for a Lambert Carbine, better suited for close range. Luckily for Snow, our previous engagements with raiders provided us a small arsenal of weapons, allowing her to choose freely. Snow decided to bring a small saw-off shotgun and a .357 revolver. We decided, just before we left, to keep explosives like grenades and rifle-rockets, to a minimum. Last thing we need is friendly fire and civilian casualties, so it’s best to prevent collateral damage.

Our European allies were on the high ground, close to the hills, overlooking the slaver base. They have 27 soldiers, a few of them equipped with PAC sniper rifles.

The operation has three parts. First, my team (strike team) will infiltrate the complex and locate the slaves. After that, the EU troops (Echo team) create a distraction by attacking the main building, drawing the enemy’s attention and allowing us to secure the civilians. Finally, we take down any hostiles left and secure the base. This mission reminds me of a counter-terrorist action.

I can’t help but to be excited, and I know my comrades are in a similar state. This is, by all means, a turning point, where we start to get involved with the people and problems of this land. The battle will decide how the inhabitants see us, for better or worse. Assuming everything goes according to plan, our position around the outpost and near the coast will be secure, allowing us to focus on finding resources and investigating the reasons behind our sudden arrival. Hopefully we’ll solve this in a short time, and then go back to our world… back to the war. I suppose it’s quite ironic, fighting to go back to a war, while the world succumbs to panic and ice.

I could spot some anxiety on Dima and Snowdrop. On one, by the way her tail and ears flickered a little, periodically, and on the other by his heavy breathing and tight grip on his weapon. I couldn’t blame then, for Dima was barely more than a recruit, and Snowdrop was not a soldier, by any means. Sadly, I must cease my observations, for it’s time to act.

"Strike team, this is Echo, do you copy?" The EU captain called, breaking the silence.

"Strike team here, yes we hear you loud and clear, what’s yours status, over?" I answered through the radio.

"All units are in position and holding," He informed. "Operation ready to go on your mark, over."

"Acknowledge, we’ll begin phase one immediately, over and out."

With that conversation over, I turned to my comrades.

"Alright people, you heard him," I told them, one time in Russian, and another in Equestrian. "Is everyone ready?"

"What exactly am I supposed to do again?" The soft voice on Snow asked. Despite spending a few days at the base, and having met several people there, she was still a little shy around all of us.

"You are to help us in keeping the slaves calm," I replied. "The will likely freak out when they see us."

Receiving a nod of understanding from her, I continued.

"Here is how we proceed," I explained. "Suvorov and me will head to the wall, using active camouflage, and look for hostiles. Once they are taken care of, I’ll tell you to move in."

A few more seconds of preparations and we were on the move. The two of us moved fast, reaching the wall right before our devices ran out of energy. We did a quick check of our surroundings, looking to both sides of the pile of rusting metal that we called a wall. The lack of organization on the metal plates that composed this structure made me wonder how it remained standing. Well, I guess this slavers surely don’t have a proper engineer amongst them.

"You spotted anything?" I asked Suvorov, while pressing myself against the wall.

"Nope, but I heard something over there, up the wall" He replied, pointing to the right side of the wall.

"Close to us?"

"A little, probably a sentry."

Fuck, I wanted to avoid unecessary contacts, but I guess that's something bound to happen when moving in large groups. "Okay, we’ll move a few meters to the left side, and them we climb up".

Two minutes later, we were climbing. Lucky for us, these walls were made (I guessed) for ponies, so they were not high enough to stop us, and they didn’t had things like barbed-wire on top. I suppose climbing a structure or a rope must be a challenge for creature without hands. Reaching the top, I scanned the area, which was no different from the last time I saw it. The same old mansion, far away from us, and the same two warehouses. There was also a smaller house, near the mansion, probably home to tools or weapons and ammunition, which the European snipers were keeping an eye on.

After Suvorov arrived, I spotted my target. I couldn’t see much, just the dark silhouette of a pony, turned away from me, probably staring outside the wall. As I approached, some details, like its brown coat and light brown mane, became clearer. This earth pony is wearing a black leather jacket, he has a .38 revolver holstered and a water bottle on his saddlebags. Each step made me feel a little guilty, for this pony looked young, very young. The fact these ponies looked innocent and even cute, in a way, didn’t help. However, I pushed those feelings aside, reminding me of who I was dealing with. What stands in front of me is a slaver, a hostile, and nothing else.

Sneaking closer to him, while keeping a tight grip on my combat knife, I noticed my enemy was barely awake, making my job easier. Once I was little more than a step away, I quickly slid my free arm around his neck, causing him to jolt awake. His attempt to scream muffed by my strong grip on his neck. I shifted my body, as he struggled, to pin him down with my weight. I passed my other arm over his head, bringing the knife closer to his neck. His fight to break free increased dramatically, most likely from spotting my knife. For a single moment, I hesitated, reconsidering if this was truly necessary… and then I cut his throat open.

Once again, his cry of pain was muffed by my grip, as he continued to scramble. Slowly, as each second passed, and more of his blood spilled out, his attempts became weaker. Eventually, it resumed to nothing but a weak and slow shift of muscles. After a few more seconds, not even that. I could still feel some breathing, yet no more struggle. Was it weakness that prevented him, or had he accepted his fate?

Well, He’s no longer moving and I can’t feel his breathing, or pulse, so I guess he’s dead. I loosed my grip and allowed the body to slide. Staring at his face revealed a look of terror, eyes wide and a clear stream of tears bellow them. I left the corpse there and went back to Suvorov. He was a bit surprise, seeing me covered in blood and all that. I informed the rest of my team that the area was clear, and soon they all arrived.

"Okay everyone, here is how we proceed," I began, getting their attention. "We got two hostiles patrolling each warehouse, plus two others by the gate. Suvorov and me will take down those on the warehouse closer to us and escort everyone inside. Once there, we’ll radio the Europeans to begin the second part of the operation, hopefully drawing the other patrols away."

"What if that doesn’t work?" Asked Dima.

"Then we’ll have to neutralize them too" I replied. "Any other questions?"

"I have one" Said Snowdrop, lifting a hoof.

"What is it?"

"Do we really have to kill them?" She asked, eyeing the blood in my armor and uniform.

Yes we do, they are nothing more than miserable slavers. By killing them, we are eliminating threats and making this place better. By freeing their captives, we’ll be creating a good image for us. They deserve no mercy.

"Elaborate" I deadpanned.

"Why don’t we just knock them out?" She explained. "We have ropes, so we could tie them up."

"They are slavers," I tried to reason with her. "Plus, this would delay the operation."

Snow narrowed her eyes a little. "You are okay with killing ponies just to save time?" She said. Oh great, I should've predicted that, I really don't know what's wrong with her. Seriously, if what she told me about this wasteland is anything to go by, killing off a few slavers or raiders shouldn't be a big deal.

On the other hand, she did help me. Snowdrop is the only one who provided us with any kind of information and is willing to help. Fuck, I can’t lose her support, but still… why does she care about a few slavers? Well, I suppose her help is worth a few more minutes of work.

"Alright, screw it, we’ll do it your way" I said, earning a vague smile from her.

Suvorov and me went down, towards the nearest building. Easily spotting our targets, we split up and sneaked closer to them. My new enemy was a unicorn mare, golden short mane and brown coat. I got close and raised my rifle above her. I swiftly delivered a strong blow with the butt of my rifle at the back of her head. Her body hit the ground like a rock. Confirming she was indeed unconscious, I searched her for any weapons. She possessed a small dagger, a 10mm pistol, some ammo, water and a detonator. The detonator must be to the slave collars of those inside the warehouse.

I went back to Suvorov, carrying my already tied up target over my left shoulder. Suvorov had also acquired a prisoner, also unconscious and immobilized. With the task completed, I once again called my comrades, and after they arrived, we all went inside the warehouse.

Our entrance was accompanied by a series of gasps and the sound of hooves scrambling away. Inside the badly illuminated room were 18 ponies, all of them either mares or children. All of them seemed to be in a bad state, a few bearing cuts and bruises, and others looking malnourished. Gathered in the opposite side of the room, some of them shook in fear, and all bearing wide eyes.

"Calm down, everyone, we are here to help you." I announced, it didn’t work, they were even more afraid.

I suppose staring at a blood-covered alien, clad in black armor, is not a hopeful sight. Lucky for me, Snow came in and tried to salvage the situation.

"It’s true, everypony, we are here to free you" Snow said, while approaching them.

They eyed all of us suspiciously. "You… you mean for real?" One of them, a young buck, asked. "But what about the guards… and our collars?"

Answering his question, I showed them the detonator I acquired from my prisoner. My action finally convinced them, Allowing Romanov to work on the devices. I placed the two prisoners on a corner of the room and ordered Dima to watch them. The signs of fear and doubt were still very clear in their faces, but they are willing to cooperate. I stayed a few steps away from them, trying to avoid the smell in the air, for this place only had a bucket for a toilet.

"Echo team, this is Strike one, do you copy, over?" I called through the radio.

"This is Echo, we hear you loud and clear, over."

"My team has successfully infiltrated the first objective" I informed them. "You are free to execute the next step of the operation, over."

"Alright, we’ll begin the distraction in a few moments, over and out."

True to his words, a few moments later the thunder of their weapons shattered the silence of the night. The lack of windows prevented me from seeing the fight, but shouts coming from outside were more than enough to indicate the situation. Peeking outside, I saw the gate empty, and after a wider check, I confirmed that there were only two guards, near the other warehouse, guarding the whole area. Another effect of our distraction was a growing agitation amongst the slaves.

"What’s going on?" A foal asked, while a mare wrapped her forelegs around him.

"Don’t worry, this is all part of our plan." I answered calmly.

"What about the other ponies?" The child asked, again.

"You mean the others on the next warehouse?" He nodded. "I’ll be heading there soon."

I turned my attention to Romanov. The sooner he solved this problem, the easier we could deal with the rest of the slavers. So far, things are going well, and we shouldn’t waste such good fortune.

"How is the progress with the collars, corporal?"

"This thing is more complicated than I expected," He replied, while working on a device, worn by a unicorn mare bearing a worried expression. "It has an extra detonator, in case someone tries to cut it off, I’ll have to disarm both to be safe."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"At least ten more minutes, but once I solve this, it’ll go much faster."

I decided to wait a few more minutes before heading into the next objective. I must make sure there are no more hostiles wandering nearby. From what I could hear on the radio, the Europeans were successfully keeping the enemy suppressed, but they were unable to advance. I guess the excessive defenses of this place are paying off, despite the lack of refinement, these walls and barricades were well planned.

I looked around, taking stock of the situation. Snowdrop was near the slaves, probably trying to comfort them, while Romanov kept working on the collars. Meanwhile, Akio and Suvorov were near the door, talking. Lastly, there was Dima, near the prisoners, in a lonely corner of the room. I suppose I’ll only be able to take Suvorov with me, for everyone else was busy. Sure, I could also bring Akio, but he was one of the few medics available, so it’s best to keep him away from combat, if possible.

Finally, after five minutes, I decided to move on. During this wait, Romanov concluded his work on the first device (bringing a clear sight of relief in the mare’s face) and set out to disarm all collars. The two prisoners were still unconscious, despite the constant noise of shouting and gunshots. Alright, time to move out of here.

"Alright people, we need to move into the next warehouse," I announced, getting their attention. "Suvorov and me will go first to secure the area, once Romanov is done with the collars here, he and Snow will go there."

"What about the prisoners, sir?" Dima asked.

"You and Akio will remain here and keep this place safe until all hostiles are neutralized," I explained to him. "Any more questions?"

None of them asked, so I called Suvorov and went outside. Looking around, at the firefight, I could see some bodies near the main building, none of them moving. I could also see some heavy damage to a few barricades, likely from rifle rockets, and a few things burning. The smoke from these fires was already giving a bad smell to the air, while providing a chaotic look to the area. These factors, added to the current battle, almost reminded me of home.

I faced a few night battles while serving in Europe. Most of them were against the EU Brandenburg Line, which had been a tough nut to crack. Only after surrounding the whole area and keeping constant pressure, they agreed to surrender. Despite the previous hostilities, I must admit, these Europeans were competent soldiers. The Brandenburg Line wasn’t the only example of how ferocious their resistance was. Belgrade and, more recently, Verdun also showed us they would fight till death for every inch of European ground, while forcing us to pay dearly for it.

"So, how do we proceed?" Suvorov asked, snapping me back. "Do we take the next patrol as prisoners too?"

"Negative, I won’t delay this mission any longer" I answered. "We take them down quickly and complete the objective."

"Understood, sir."

For the third time, we split up, going for our respective targets. This time, my target was a stallion, green coat and a light blonde mane poking out of his hat. No armor, just a… saddle, with a rifle attached to the right side. He wasn’t facing me, but the firefight ahead of him, completely unaware of my presence. However, just as I crossed half the way to him, I kicked a rock, bouncing a few times ahead of me. The distinctive sound alerted him, causing his ears to shift slightly beneath his hat.

Without hesitating, I dropped my knife and picked my rifle. As the pony turned around, I took aim. His mouth already going for the trigger as I locked my sights. Luckily, once he spotted me, he hesitated, eyes going wide, providing me with precious moments to open fire. The last thing he saw was the blue flash from my rifles as I shot him. Three bullets, hitting him on the head and chest, ending his life instantly.

With the low thud of his body hitting the ground, I moved away, praying that the enemy didn’t hear that. I suppose that with all the fighting around here, three particular shots might be hard to hear. Sprinting back to Suvorov, I spotted him not far from his kill.

"That was quick," He commented in a calm manner, as I approached. "Did something happened, Alex?"

"Yea, I had to shoot mine," I answered, slightly concerned. "Before you ask, I don’t know if anyone heard that, so we better move quick."

We ran to the entrance and kicked the doors open, revealing the current inhabitants. 14 adult stallions, looking surprised at our arrival (but less than the mares and foals on the last one). The two of us scanned the inside, searching for any threats, and found none. We then lowered our weapons and I provided a quick explanation.

"Greetings, I’m sergeant Terenti of the PAC and I’m here to free you," I began, receiving puzzled looks. "Me my comrades are currently taking down the slavers inside this place. Once we are done, we’ll set you all free, but for the moment, I need all of you to remain here until the rest of my team arrives to disarm your collars. Any questions?"

The whole room was silent. The slaves and we kept staring at each other, as we heard the sounds of fighting coming from outside. Great, I fucked up again, I could really use some tips on how to properly introduce myself to aliens without this shit happening. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, one of them raised a hoof.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Can we loot the bodies?" The blue-coated stallion said, in a deep tone.

"Uh… I guess…" I replied. "Anything else?"

With no more questions, Suvorov and me went outside and planned our next move. Staring at the mansion, I saw several bodies around it, showing the Europeans had the upper hand. I could see some ponies on the wall, far away, but none near the space between our position and the mansion. If we wanted to, we could infiltrate the building and take down any resistance. With that in mind, I switched to my under-barrel shotgun and called the EU captain.

"Echo team, this is Strike, do you copy, over?" I called.

"This is Echo," He answered, amidst the gunfire. "What is it, over?"

"We have completed our objectives, what’s your status, over?"

"Most hostiles outside are down, but there’s still resistance inside the building, especially from the second floor, over."

"Do you need aid? I can infiltrate the building if necessary, over."

"That would be welcome, but be careful in there, over."

"Acknowledged, over and out."

With a new objective in mind, I turned to Suvorov. This won’t be easy, for there is only two of us, but we also have the element of surprise. So far, it appears they aren’t aware of my team, hopefully we can make good use of such luck.

"Well, you heard him, time for more action" I said, taking a glance towards the mansion. "I bet that place has a basement, we should start through there."

"How are we dealing with the hostiles?" Suvorov asked.

"Same as always but be careful with your grenades" I replied. "As much as I despise them, we can’t go around killing civilians."

With no further talking, we moved out, quickly reaching the mansion. The sounds of battle were now much louder, and I could hear some shouting coming from the other side of the building. Fortunately, we easily found the way leading to the basement, not far from the main entrance. Once ready, we stood in either side and opened the doors. Greeted by darkness and some dust, we went down, the sounds of fighting gradually being muffed by the structure, leaving only the noise of our steps and breathing.

After reaching the end of the stairway, we turned our flashlights on, revealing a large room. The place was filled with piles of boxes and equipment, from water bottles and canned food, to tools and medication. So this is where they keep supplies? It will definitely be useful, once the battle is over. I calculated this place had enough resources to feed the slavers for at least more than a week. There was also two smaller rooms and a toilet room on the right corner, but they were all empty.

"Looks like we hit a gold mine" I commented.

"Indeed" Agreed Suvorov.

"Let’s move up and get the job done" I said.

We slowly ascended to the next floor, weapons raised and ready for action. Reaching the end, I looked around. The place appeared deserted, nothing but some dust in the decayed interior of the room we reached. The air was slightly tick, with a familiar smell of smoke reminding me of the ongoing fighting. All that added to the constant shouting and crack of firearms made this place look like a warzone.

Once Suvorov arrived, we both went to the only door in the room. Opening and glancing outside revealed an empty corridor, but also the noise of someone near. Silently indicating Suvorov to follow me, we went in the direction of the noise, which appeared to be coming from another room, not far from us. Soon, we arrived at the door separating us from our targets, quickly taking cover on each side.

I moved on hand to my belt and took out a grenade, while pointing to the door with my other hand. Receiving a nod from Suvorov I took the pin out and got ready. Suvorov proceeded to kick the door open, while I threw the explosive inside. The shouts and screams of confusion that followed were obscured by the loud bang of the resulting explosion.

Not wasting a moment, the two of us stormed the small room, finding a gruesome scene. Four bodies occupied the room, two of them by the window, holding rifles and ammunition, and two others in a corner, near the door we came from. All of them severely wounded, bearing a big pool of blood around them. The two near the window were clearly dead, but as I glanced at the other two, something caught my attention. One of them (a mare I guessed) was laying on top of the other, almost in a protective manner. In addition, there were no weapons around them, only medical boxes and some shattered healing potions.

Approaching the two, I kicked the body of the mare, revealing the pony bellow. A male, green coat and dark green mane, apparently unconscious, with a gunshot wound on his right arm, and some shrapnel cuts on his legs. I knew he was alive because of a few coughs he gave when I removed the body from him.

"This one is alive" I informed Suvorov.

"How bad is he?" He asked, coming closer to inspect them.

"A gunshot wound and some cuts, but nothing serious, I think," I answered, analyzing the pony. "But he’s losing some blood."

"So, what do we do with him?" Said Suvorov, in a calm manner.

I should probably shoot him, for he’s of no use to me, only an extra prisoner to watch and feed. In addition, as far as I know, there is no government nearby with a standing legal system where he could be judged for his crimes. Keeping him alive would only create an extra liability for us, something else to worry. Yes, maybe shooting him and ending his misery would be the most practical thing to do. Should I really show mercy to a slaver? Someone who caused suffering to god knows how many, and could do it again if allowed?

On the other hand, he’s unarmed and wounded. By shooting him, I would be violating several treaties on human rights (which also apply to these ponies, since they are not much different from us) and my own military code. He’s a non-combatant right now, who, despite previous crimes, has the right to live and to a fair trial. Moreover, by shooting him, I’m lowering myself to their level, of an individual with no moral code. Yes, by keeping him alive I’m stretching our supplies and creating another liability, but isn’t that worth to uphold our morals and honor as soldiers?

"Stay here and patch his wounds," I ordered Suvorov. "I’ll go upstairs and take care of the rest."

"You sure about this?" He questioned me.

"Yes, like it or not, he’s not a threat," I reasoned. "We are still soldiers."

With no further talking, I made my way to the second floor. The sounds of fighting were a lot more intense on this one. Arriving at the entrance to large living room, I took cover and glanced inside. Before I could take note on how many occupants were there, someone opened fire in my direction.

Throwing my head back, as bulled zipped around me, I held my rifle and waited for the right moment to return fire. As they ceased firing, I pointed my rifle in the general direction of the enemy and fired two shotgun shells. Just as they fired again, I moved away from my spot, trying to find a second entrance to the room. In my quick glance, I had spotted two other ways into the room, and so, after walking around a bit, I found a second way in. Before the enemy could acknowledge my new position, I took aim at one slaver heading to my previous position and fired.

As his body fell down, I managed to count how many hostiles I was dealing with. Four hostiles, plus the one I took down and a few other dead bodies, probably killed by the Europeans.

Just as I began to move back, I saw one pony looking straight at me, both eyes widening. "Kill that freak!" The mare shouted as I went back to cover.

Again, they shoot at me and I waited until they had to reload. However, it appeared the enemy had forgotten about the Europeans, who quickly reminded them of their presence by sending a barrage of bullets through the windows on the side of the room. This moment of confusion, as my enemy went behind the various pieces of furniture in the room, while figuring how to divide their attention, allowed me to act. My sweaty hands switched my rifle to full auto, while I took aim.

Spotting two targets behind an overturned table, I opened fire. The armor-piercing case-less ammo of my assault rifle ripping through the wood and armor, into the flesh of my targets. Grunts of pain and the low thud of bodies hitting the floor confirmed my kill. Meanwhile, the Euros killed another slaver, leaving only one enemy left. My final opponent was the mare who shouted earlier, light gray coat and short brown mane, hiding behind some furniture and desperately trying to return fire. She constantly switched her fire to me and the Euros, firing a few rounds at each with her revolver. There was nowhere to run.

She’s afraid, I could almost feel it. Her lack of aim and the rate of fire proved that. I’m wasn't exactly calm either, my heart was going fast, forcing me to take deep breaths to keep myself focused. In addition, my hands and other parts of my body were dripping with sweat. Still, I’m not on the verge of panic as she is.

Once she ceased firing, I decided to put an end to the fighting. Switching to the shotgun, I took aim and fire every shell that I had, destroying her cover. She fell down beside it, her body filled with cuts and a few deeper wounds, yet she was still alive, probably out of sheer luck. I approached slowly, taking aim at her, as my boots cracked the pieces of wood and glass beneath them. She attempted to crawl away, while trying to fire her revolver, which I now identified as a .38. The series of empty clicks proved that the weapon was out of ammo, and causing her eyes to go wide in terror.

Before she could do anything else, I delivered a strong kick to her muzzle, causing her to drop her weapon. Grabbing the gun and tossing it away, I took stock of the situation. The mare was in no state to fight and I couldn’t hear anyone nearby, so I guess the area is safe. I decided to inform the Euros and the rest of my team of my success, bringing a hand to my radio and attempting to speak.

However, before I could react, I heard a door opening. A moment later, just as I began to turn around, I heard two loud bangs, followed by an immense force hitting my back and throwing me off my feet. My body fell to the ground while I struggled to catch my breath. I concluded that what I heard were shotgun shots, and the force I felt were the shells hitting my back. Luckily, my backpack and armor plates absorbed most of the impact.

I quickly rolled to my back and searched for my new opponent. When I spotted him, I froze. It’s him, the same big red pony with the Mohawk mane, wearing the same heavy armor and carrying a double-barrel shotgun. The bastard who commanded this place… the monster who murdered that foal in cold blood, in front of his mother.

At that moment, rage and anger took over me. I no longer felt pain in my back and the smaller injures on my body, I no longer felt tense or tired, I could only feel anger. Adrenaline pumped through my blood as my eyes narrowed and I prepared to act. Time to deliver some payback.

As he attempted to reload his weapon, I snapped my rifle at him and pulled the trigger. I fired several shots at him, hitting his chest plates. Sadly, his armor withstood against my rounds who only earned a grunt of annoyance from him. Instead of reloading, he dropped his gun and charged at me; hitting me square at the chest and making me drop my rifle. Not wasting a moment, he began to strike me with his front legs, aiming to my head and chest as I tried to block his punches with my arms. Thankfully, my armor did it’s job in protecting my body against his attack.

"What the buck are you?!" He shouted. "You think you can come to mah territory, and mess with mah property?!"

In my panic to get him off me, I delivered a punch to his jaw, buying me a few moments of confusion to act. I then kicked him off me and stood back up, taking my combat knife at hand and locking my eyes into his.

"To answer your questions" I said, while spitting some blood. "I’m the last thing you’ll see in your final moments of unbearable pain!"

We crashed again, but this time I was prepared. He was strong, and his armor tick, but because of his nature, he wasn’t as flexible as me, plus, I could grab things. I’ll admit this wasn’t an easy fight, he got some good hits on me, but I guess that was expected, since I wasn’t trained to fight equines. Still, I managed to slash a few cuts on his face and limbs, but not on his throat, where I was aiming.

At some point, we broke apart again. Instead of attacking me again, he grabbed a pistol laying on the floor and took aim. However, before he fired, there was a crack in the distance, and a bullet ripped through his left leg. Using this moment to my advantage, I grabbed my pistol and aimed. Before he could react, I unloaded the whole magazine on him. Again, most bullets hit harmlessly on his chest armor, but a few got on his left leg and shoulder, making him drop the weapon and trip a little.

Not wasting a moment, I stood up, took my knife once again, and charged him. I quickly forced him down and stabbed his throat multiple times. I don’t know how many, or how long it took, but by the end he was dead and I was covered in his blood.

My body shook, my teeth were set and I was breathing heavily. Nothing broken, but his hits and other previous injures still hurt a lot though. Just as I thought this fight was finally over, the gray mare reminded me of her presence, by shooting me on my right leg. The bullet hit the back of it, where there was no armor protecting, but not very deeply. I shouted in pain and turned my attention to the mare, who was also shaking, but not from adrenaline, but out of fear.

"You Bitch!" I shouted while ignoring the pain and moving towards her.

Once again, I kicked her in the muzzle, this time with enough force to keep her down. Before I could proceed to beat the crap out her, I heard steps coming from outside the room, causing me to turn quickly. Thankfully, it was just Suvorov.

"Alex, you okay?!" He asked, with some concern on his voice.

"Yea, don’t worry," I replied. "Nothing serious, just a scratch here and there."

"What happened?" He asked, looking around the scene.

"What do you think happened?" I answered, gesturing to the slaughter around me. "Why aren’t you watching the prisoner?"

"The EU guys are already downstairs" He said. "They are securing the rest of the base."

"What about the slaves and our comrades?"

"Already taken care off."

Letting out a sigh of relief, I took a moment to decide my next course of action. After a few seconds, I turned to Suvorov.

"Alright, I want you to escort this one here downstairs" I said, pointing to the gray mare.

"What about you?"

"I’ll go back to our team," I replied. "I need to see Akio."

By the next hour, things began to settle down. The EU team easily secured the rest of the slaver base and proceeded to take notes on everything this place had to offer. I stayed outside, sitting down on the ground and allowing Akio to look at my wounds, which he proceeded to wrap some bandages around and apply some disinfectants. I stood there with most of my team, simply enjoying the night breeze and recovering from the previous action.

Ahead of us, were the ex-slaves, gathered in front of one of the warehouses, waiting, while Snowdrop and Romanov stood nearby. On the opposite side, stood six prisoners (the four we captured, plus two others who had surrendered to the EU), guarded by three EU soldiers. The calm atmosphere was a nice break from the previous battle, it's nice to have some time to sit down, rest and have a little chat with my friends.

"So, thinking on bringing a souvenir?" Dima asked to Suvorov, who was eyeing a small pony figurine. It was an amusing sight, a tall and strong old man wearing military gear staring at a toy.

"Well, why not?" Suvorov replied. "Plus, I could always give it to my daughter". Ah yes, Suvorov, always thinking about his family.

"Ha, I’m sure you could" Dima said, jokingly.

I shook my head and turned my attention to Akio, who was finishing wrapping my leg.

"Are you done there, Akio?" I asked him.

"Yes, this is the last one," He replied. "And if I might say, going there by yourself was a bad idea."

"Yeah, I guess you are right," I said. "Next time I’ll be more careful."

Once he was done, I made my way to the EU captain, Dante. He was addressing the former slaves, probably gathering data. Before I could reach him, however, the familiar voice of the gray mare reached my ears. I turned around and looked at her, the mare stood defiantly amongst the other prisioners. A small pony trying to look intimidating, how cute.

"Where is my brother?" She said, almost shouting, with anger dripping on every word. Her eyes were locked on me.

"What does he look like?" I said, stopping and turning my attention to her.

"Young, Brown coat and mane" She said. "What did you do to him you freaks?!"

At that instant, a flash of a young pony struggling as I cut his neck open went through my mind.

"The ponies you see here are the only ones alive" I informed her, earning a look of shock and disbelief.

"Wha… y-you… you monsters!" She shouted with rage. "You killed my brother!"

"You are slavers, what were you expecting?" I countered.

"This was his first watch!" She said, her voice cracking a little. "He never did anything!"

Well, as far as I know, neither did the former slaves to deserve this. I’ll be honest, part of me felt bad for this, especially when the mare began to cry, but there is nothing I can do. I did what I could, and I can’t be held responsible for this kind of tragedy. Yes, I killed him, but this was a battle, he was armed and possibly dangerous, and my mission and comrades come first.

Leaving the mare to her misery, I walked to the EU captain.

"Sergeant Terenti, I was just going to speak with you." He greeted me.

"Likewise, captain," I replied. "So, what’s the situation?"

"Well, we got five wounded, four minor and one with a broken rib," He began. "We also got the six prisoners over there, the former slaves, and a pile of weapons and supplies."

"What are we going to do with the prisoners?"

"I honestly don’t know, we can’t just shoot them, but we can’t afford to keep them arrested for long."

"Well, with all the supplies this place has, it’ll at least buy us a few weeks."

"I don’t think so, most of it will have to go with the ex-slaves."

"What? Why?" I asked, confused. We fought and bleed for these resources, there are people in critical condition back at the base.

"Those people have nothing; it’s only fair we share some of it." He answered, calmly. Okay, I can understand that, but this is a wasteland, by definition there aren't enough supplies for everyone. What chances do we have to find another place like this? I really don't want to play with our fortune.

"We already freed them, why should we provide even more?" I countered. "We need to think about our own."

"By throwing them out there with no supplies or weapons, we are sentencing them to death," He replied. "This isn’t just about us, but to also create a good opinion of us on the eyes of the locals."

I guess he does have a point. Fucking great, all this effort only to cut down our gains.

"I suppose you have a point" I concluded.

"Don’t worry sergeant, there’ll still be enough left to aid us, especially the wounded."

"Still doesn’t answer the prisoner problem, though."

"Any ideas?"

Well, like he said, we couldn’t shoot them, but we couldn’t keep them arrested for long. Thinking about the situation, I reminded of what Snow said about the major factions of the island. Perhaps one of them has a prison where they could pay for their crimes. It’s not ideal, but I suppose that’s the best alternative. If nobody is willing to take them… I guess we’ll just have to let them go…

"I say we keep them arrested for a week, while searching for someone willing to judge them for their crimes" I said.

"What if we don’t find anyone?" Dante asked.

"Then I guess we’ll just have to free them."

He glanced towards the prisioners. "Five of them, not all six."

"What do you mean?"

"The wounded guy" He said, taking a glance at his direction.

"What about him?"

"Some of the ex-slaves accused him of abuse."

"Well, I guess that’s settled them" I concluded.

With all that taken care of, we called the transport ship. Ten minutes later, it arrived, causing an amusing reaction from the ponies. After it landed, we loaded a few supplies, and went inside. My team, one of the EU wounded, and Snowdrop (who hesitated a little). The rest of the EU team would remain there and see if we could use the complex as an extra base. As sun began to rise, we went back to the outpost.

Footnote: Level Up!

Guns: 60

Sneak: 40

Melee Weapons: 40

New Perk: Quick Draw - Makes weapon equipping and holstering 50% faster.

Author's Note

Note: Thanks again to everyone and sorry for the long wait. Please point out any mistakes.