The Grotto
Dusk

This is all my fault. That thought kept running through my head as I watched Archer fall to the ground. It kept coming when the medics ran in after she collapsed, and didn't back off as Cosmo threw blow after blow at me, his fists bouncing off my armor's shields. Even as it began to fade as Jericho and Specter rushed it and tried to restrain Cosmo in his rage over his adopted daughter's condition it echoed through my mind. I got cocky, trying to scare Cosmo like that. I forgot that Archer is very willing to go after information and ask tough questions, and I literally gave her the last of them in a nicely wrapped package.

"Dusk?" I heard someone ask, snapping me out of my funk. I turned around and saw Dart, bandaged around her stomach, but standing once more.

I closed the gap and wrapped her in a tight hug as a tear ran down my cheek and dripped onto her forehead. "I fucked up."

"I know." Dart whispered. "Specter told me what happened."

I sighed. "First Kovac, then I do this..."

"If it means anything I still have the ring."

"It does make me feel a bit better." I muttered as I let Dart go. "But that'll have to wait."

Dart nodded and led me out of my office and down the hall to the command center. "Jericho, what are we looking like?"

Jericho handed Dart a tablet and pointed at the main screen. "The Storch is over the factory now. So far we've only seen minimal exterior movement." The screen zoomed in on the only two ponies standing outside wearing a bone-white helmet and pieces of armor across an off-white jumpsuit. "From what we dealt with he gave his synths an upgrade to their armor."

"Our carbines didn't do jack to the armor plate." Specter said as he joined us from the side of the room. "Unarmored areas on their bodies took damage, but nothing critical is exposed."

"They're walking tanks." Jericho finished.

"Just great..." I muttered. "Whats the status on the first round of air strikes?"

"Thirty seconds to station Commander!" Called one of the comms officers.

"Alright, put it up." I looked up at the Storch's camera feed as a gun camera feed from one of the Cobras popped up in a window taking up a quarter of the wall-sized screen.

Grey flight to Grotto, we're coming up on the target.

"Copy that flight. The light is green." I said.

Copy that. Rolling in.

We all quieted down as the gun cameras showed rockets streaming at the factory before the exploded in a shower of stone and glass. In the corner of the screen I saw one of the bombs release before the Cobra peeled off it's run. I turned my attention to the feed from the Storch just in time to see six bombs hurtle into the factory's interior before going off in a massive cloud of fire and smoke. "Recon, damage assessment?"

Stand by Commander. It took the better part of five minutes for the smoke to clear out, showing a sizable hole in the lower side of the factory wall. Damage appears to be superficial on the exterior. Can't see any interior damage from this angle.

"Copy that recon." I said into the radio. "Grey flight, return to base."

Understood sir, we're heading for home.

"Jericho, I want air strikes on that factory every half an hour." I said. "Rotate Red and Blue flights in with Grey to keep up the pace."

"Aye sir."

I looked back to the feed from the Storch, scowling as I looked at the footage closer. Call me paranoid, but we're not done here just yet.

Author's Note

Addendum 3/21/16: See this blog for info on why the story is marked as complete.