The Northern Guard

HMS Redoubtable, Two Hours Later
Cosmo

Since we had gotten back and remanded Stalemate into the custody of the Marines, I had been slumped in a chair outside of Palmer’s room in the infirmary. The doctors wouldn’t allow anyone in as they worked, eventually leaving and locking the room behind them. Without windows I had no idea what was going on in that room, and the doctors sure as hell weren’t planning on talking to anyone if they didn’t have to. “Want me to pick it?” Sky asked. I only nodded and Sky went to work while I stood watch. “How do you think she’s doing?”

“No idea.” I muttered.

Once the door slid open I got my answer; Palmer was lying in bed, still unconscious. Her shallow breaths were punctuated by the soft beep of the heart monitor off to her side. The shoulder on her shirt had been cut away, and bandages were plastered down her shoulder to her elbow. “Let’s see…” Sky strode forward and peeled back the upper bandage. Under it, Palmer’s skin was burnt and raw.

“That looks painful.” I gently pushed Sky out of the way before replacing the bandages. “No reason to make Palmer feel worse.” With nothing else to see, the two of us walked back out into the hall.

Sky quickly slid the door shut and locked it once more. “What now?”

“Got a knife on you?” I asked. Sky handed me a small switchblade which I pocketed. “We’re going to go visit Stalemate.”

“That’s why you want the knife?”

I nodded. “Might be able to get answers that I can’t.”

Sky jumped in my path with wide eyes. “Torture? Goddess… Why the hell would you think of that?”

Furrowing my brow and continuing forward, Sky tried to keep pace as we made for the ship’s brig. “Time leads to changes.” I retorted. “Besides, Stalemate wouldn’t be the first pony I dragged information out of.”

“You’ve done this before!?!”

I nodded. “Usually stick to beatings, but I doubt that’ll work with Stalemate.” I saw Sky shudder out of the corner of my eye, probably out of disgust. Not that I blame her; I’ve done some pretty nasty shit over the years. “What?”

“What happened to the friend who was all about fighting the good fight?”

“His methods changed.” I muttered. The door in front of us read ‘brig’ in dull white letters, painted on the bulkhead. When the door slid open, I heard a rather audible whimpering. “What the hell?” Rounding the corner, I saw that the cell was wide open. Curled up in the corner was Stalemate, but the Princess kneeling down next to him bandaging a wound on the back of his neck is what confused me more.

“I don’t think I could’ve said it better.”

I couldn’t help but agree with Sky. That’s when I noticed a black cross-shaped crystal on the ground, coated in a sheen of blood. “Princess Celestia?”

“Hm?” She kept tending to Stalemate’s wound while she glanced over at me. “Oh, Cosmo. I take it that you and Phalanx have met?”

I entered the cell, kneeling down to pick up the cross. The two prongs looked like they had been a full circle at one point, but since when does crystal bend? “What is this?” I asked, waving the cross around.

“That’s a solid piece of unholy hell.” I heard Stalemate whine.

The Princess simply patted his shoulder and helped him to his feet. “That’s the result of Gryphon alchemy and dark magic. Think of it as a receiver used to send information directly to the brain, but in the manner that it was used on Phalanx here…”

“Torture.” He stated adamantly. “Absolute torture.”

“I’ve managed to repair some of the damage it’s done, put the pieces of Phalanx’s psyche back together, but there will still be psychological aftereffects for some time.” Assured the Princess. “That leaves that cross. To my knowledge there’s only been one Gryphon that managed to master the production of them.”

“Wait, back the fuck up!” I yelled. “You’re telling me that the god-damn cancer that was eating at Vanhoover was under someone else’s control?”

“De Witt. That’s his name.” said Stalemate. “He captured me at Midlothian Ridge. I…”

“Stop, just stop.” I stepped forward and pinned Stalemate against the wall, my free hand on the knife in my pocket. “You honestly expect me to take you at your word?”

“I expect you to take me at mine.” The Princess stepped forward, pushing the two of us apart. “De Witt is a master manipulator, he always has been. And now we have the opportunity to finally put a stop to his operations.”

“And I know of someone else who can help.”

“Really now?” I asked.

Stalemate nodded. “Kid’s name is Felix. He been spying on our main operations in Trottingham for years, knows the lay of the land as it sits.”

“Then why didn’t you deal with this kid?” I asked. “He obviously knows too much.”

“Because De Witt didn’t think some fox with an accent could do him any harm, regardless of what he knows.”

Sounds like this De Witt has something of an ego… I can work with it. “So what do you propose then?”

“You’re taking him with you Cosmo.” The Princess stated.

“What?” Almost sounded like the Princess wants me to take Stalemate with me…

“Yes.” Damnit! “Although I get the feeling that you aren’t too happy with that?”

“No, I’m just thrilled!” I yelled, throwing some sarcasm around. “You’re only asking me to take in one of the ponies that’s been out to kill me for years.”

“Then allow me to make it worth your while.” Assured the Princess. “In the hangar, you’ll find an aircraft loaded with new equipment, medical supplies and ammunition. Consider it yours.”

Alright, new gear and ammo, plus transport? “And if Stalemate stabs me in the back?”

“Then you have purvey to deal with him as you see fit.”

“Alright…” What? She just gave me the OK to shoot Stalemate if he thinks about trying to kill me. “I’ll do it.”

______________________________________________________________________________

HMS Redoubtable Hangar, The Following Morning
Cosmo

“Are you all there?” Palmer asked me yet again. Ever since I told her that ‘Phalanx’ was coming with us, she got pissed (rightfully so of course).

“She’s got a point.” Damnit Cloud, stay out of it! “Why are you willing to trust this colt?”

We finally reached our objective; the ‘aircraft’ the Princess had left for me the night before. Looks more like an oversized Falcon... Trixie was standing on the rear ramp along with Sky. Celestia and Phalanx were already farther into compartment talking quietly. “So we’re really taking him?” She asked.

“Yes, damnit we are!” I yelled. “Let me be clear; I don’t trust our new friend here.” I noticed that Phalanx was paying attention. “But believing what I’m being told is entirely separate from trust, which needs to be earned. If he stabs us in the back, someone will find his corpse out in the bay. We clear?” Nods from the group confirmed that they got the gist of it. Without another word, I strode into the rear compartment and approached Phalanx. He was busy putting on a set of Royal Guard armor, turning the helmet over in his hands.

“I never thought I’d be wearing this stuff again… You know that?” I did notice a gash in the shoulder pad, wiping off the majority of the seal of the Guard and leaving bare metal. The Princess didn’t say a word, instead teleporting away to parts unknown. “Do you really think I’m worth the time?”

I led Phalanx up to the cockpit and had him sit down in the copilot’s seat. “You want an honest answer?” I asked as I hit the power switch for the engines.

“I’d rather get the truth, if that makes sense.”

“Then no, I don’t think so.” I stated. “If it was up to me, you’d have been shot by now. All the lives you screwed up, not to mention the bodies you left, warrant at least that. But if the Princess seems to think you can be redeemed, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“And you’ve made it very clear where you stand…” He muttered.

“Exactly.” As the engines spun up, I hit the rudder pedals before throwing the motor on the front landing wheels into forward and spinning the craft around so I could bring it to the center of the hangar. The all-glass nose made checking the alignment of the craft far easier. “Redoubtable control, Ranger is ready to depart.”

“Control here, you’re clear to depart. Safe travels Ranger.”

“Copy that.” I throttled the engines up, and noticed the display on the controls indicate the pods housing the engines had tilted forward, giving us forward momentum. I felt the drop from my seat as we began losing altitude. So I added more throttle, and caught the glimpse of spinning propellers off to my left. “What the hell?” I had to check the controls, and damn they were telling me what I was seeing. “So they tilt forward… That’s nifty.” And if I’m reading these right, we’re already running at over two hundred miles an hour. I’ll take it.

“So what are you thinking?” Phalanx asked.

“I’m thinking I want to meet this friend of yours.” I said. “Tell me what you know.”

I saw Phalanx nod out of the corner of my eye. “He’s an expert hacker, good with a bobby pin, and he’s quiet.”

“How quiet are we talking?”

“You can’t hear the kid typing away at a keyboard while walking over bubblewrap. That kind of quiet.”

Sounds like this kid’s got skill… “Alright, you know where we can find him?”

“One of two places.” Phalanx said. “Either on the beach on the south side of the city, or at the Boardwalk Pub. Conveniently next to said beach.”

“Never found out where he lived?” I asked. Phalanx shook his head and I sighed. “We’ll need to change then.”

“Got something against body armor?”

“It’s a beach you genius.” I groaned. “Do you really think that two armed ponies will be able to track down probably the only fox in Trottingham without causing a massive scene?”

It’s almost like I could feel it when Phalanx clutched the bridge of his muzzle. “I’ve been out of the game a while, alright?”

“Ha!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Since when have you been out of ‘the game’?” I asked.

“You always knew if I did something, didn’t you?” Alright, good point. “I’m not used to avoiding undue attention.”

“You’re missing a key point of contention here.” Sky must have slipped into the cockpit when the two of us were talking. “What here screams attention?”

I had to look around the cockpit before it dawned on me. “Alright, I’ll admit. This thing doesn’t do much for staying under the radar… Come to think of it, what the hell are we calling this thing?”

“What? It’s just a Vertibuck.”

“No, a name.” I insisted.

“What about Guardian?”

“Already taken.” I said, thinking back to the wreck out in the desert.

“Overlord?” I heard Phalanx suggest. Wait, who said he could have input anyway?

“Too imperial.” I retorted.

I felt a tapping on my shoulder and glanced over. Trixie had finally joined the conversation. “How about Sentinel?” Crap, she’s already turning on the puppy-dog eyes. Look away damnit, look away!

“I like it.” Damnit! Can I just keep my mouth shut?

“You sure?” Asked Sky. “Sounds like you’d rather score some brownie points Cos… If you know what I mean?” She said, waggling her eyebrows.

“Cos?” Trixie asked. “That an old nickname?”

Sky only chuckled and turned for the door. “It’s less of a mouthful in bed.” Too bad I don’t have a stealthbuck… I’d love one right about now.

"Now would everyone bar Phalanx get the hell out!" I yelled. "Now I've got one last question."

"Alright. Fire away."

"How'd you change Palmer?" I asked.

I noticed Phalanx shrug. "No clue. The changelings working the project were directly under De Witt's supervision."

"So you've got no idea how everything worked?" Phalanx only shook his head and I groaned. Now I looked like an idiot, and din't know anything new about the Changelings. And here I forgot the aspirin.

______________________________________________________________________________

Trottingham, Boardwalk Pub, One Hour Later
Cosmo

Walking around this beach, I get the impression that this Felix kid is a bit…

CRASH!

I stood still as a stallion landed on the pavement, having wiped out a table full of glass as he sailed across the deck at the Pub. “And stay out you wanker!” Came the voice of a rather thick-accented stallion from farther into the building.

Phalanx chuckled and led me into the pub. “Welcome to Trottingham.” He muttered as he pushed the door open.

I looked around, spotting the only fox in the place. “Sorry about the mess Sun!” The orange stallion at the bar shook his head and went back to taking orders from the patrons.

“That’s our colt?” I asked. Phalanx nodded and I approached him. “You Felix?”

“What’s it to ya?” He asked. “You don’t look like one of the pretty faces that are usually out looking for…” He stopped once he took a good look at Phalanx and pushed up his sunglasses. “Hope you gents aren’t here for trouble.”

I noticed Phalanx shimmy around in his boots and stepped between the two. “No, we’re looking for your help.” I insisted. “There a place more private that we can talk?” Felix didn’t say a word, instead leading us to the storeroom behind the bar.

“What do you want Stalemate? And better yet, who’s your friend?”

“For one, my name is Phalanx.” He said, tossing the Gryphon crystal to Felix. I get a feeling this’ll be loud, so that soundproofing spell is about to get a workout… “And you know what that is Felix.”

He turned it over before tossing it back to Phalanx. “Then where’d it-” Phalanx cut him off, turning around and ripping the bandages off the back of his neck. I could already see some of the veins around the stitching having turned darker where his fur had been cut away, probably due to an infection in the surrounding tissue. Felix looked down at the hand he held the chunk of crystal, and realized that some of the dried blood that still coated it had rubbed off. “Bloody hell… That looks like Sepsis.”

Wait, blood infection? I took a good look at the wound and couldn’t help but agree. “Phalanx, you OK?”

“I’ll live. Just localized tissue damage from the implant.” He assured. “Trust me, its way better than when I had the implant in.” He jabbed the area with his thumb to prove the point, not even flinching as the cut got a bit wet from blood.

“Pushing down my desire to vomit, why come to me?” Felix asked.

“You’re the key to finding De Witt.” Insisted Phalanx. He replaced the bandage and turned back to the fox. “Felix, you found information that I wasn’t privy to, and I was one of the high-level members of his organization. How do you think I managed to kill that arms deal with the Minotaur King?”

Felix stopped and seemed to think over the comment. “I exposed the information… And you found what I left lying around.”

“And that fight it caused between me and De Witt caused a six month halt to arms trading into the whole country.”

“So that’s why I got all that time off…” I muttered, thinking back to that abnormally quiet period about five years ago.

“Alright, so you want me to help take De Witt in?”

“Was it really that obvious?” Phalanx chided.

“Look, I’ll help.” Assured Felix. “But I want something from you two first.”

“Alright, name the price.”

Felix smirked. “There’s a warehouse in the northern dockyard that’s being used as a drug lab. I want your help to shut it down.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Trottingham Harbor, Abandon Warehouse, Half an Hour Later
Cosmo

“That doesn’t look like a drug lab…” I muttered. Drug labs, in my experience, are far more discrete. This one had openly armed guards patrolling the perimeter. “You sure your info was spot on?” I asked.

“Positive.” Insisted Felix.

“De Witt was never one for a visible presence without good reason.” Phalanx retorted. “Now might be a good time to call the cavalry.”

I can’t help but agree. “Ranger calling Canterlot. Requesting any available support to converge on the Trottingham Dockyard. How copy?”

…zzzttt “Canterlot here. What’s the situation?”

“Unknown armed hostile have secured a warehouse in the Dockyard. I don’t have the stallion-power to take it.”

“Ranger, this is Sierra double-oh six. We’re on exercise about five miles south of your position. We talking a COIN op?”

“COIN?” I muttered. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

“Copy that. Give us a few to get over to your grid square. Double-oh six out” zzzttt…

“So we waiting?” Felix asked.

I nodded. “I’d rather have a bit of backup before we move.” I watched as crates were carted out of the warehouse and onto a ship at the dockside. There were already three others flying the flag of Carniola sailing around the breakwater at the harbor mouth, the leader turning to head west. “Anyone want to place bets on where they’re buddies are headed?” I asked.

“No clue…” Felix shook his head. “This is fucking big…” He muttered.

“You’re not kidding.” Phalanx added. “See that Gryphon by the loading ramp? “That’s Collin. If he’s here… Shit, De Witt can’t be far from him.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked

“That’s his bodyguard.”

And it’s the job of a bodyguard to know where the pony he’s protecting is… Lady Luck must like me today. I pulled on my helmet and clicked on the camera on the side, zooming in and grabbing a quick picture. “Double-oh six, Ranger here. Got a VIP we need to make sure doesn’t go far. Sending the picture now.”

“Received Ranger. We’re almost there, be ready to move.”

“You heard him, cavalry is coming in hot.” I said. “Sentinel, you catch any of that?”

“Already on the way.” Assured Cloud. “What’s the plan boss?”

“Secure that freighter’s cargo.” I ordered. “That’s more important.”

“Understood.”

I heard the chopping sound of the propellers and finally saw my new ship slow to a hover over the transport. “Alright, time to go to work!” I leapt out the window and felt the crunch of gravel beneath my boots as I hit the ground. I heard the first shot ring out, only for it to make a right turn straight into the ground when it hit a light blue shield. This might get oddly familiar…

“Miss me?” Trixie asked.

“Who? You?” I chided as I leaned around the shield.

BANG BANG

I ducked back behind the shield as more bullets flew towards me. “I’d say so.”

“Oi! Quit the flirting!” Yelled Felix from the window above us.

“Business then. Cloud and Sky taking the freighter?” I asked. Trixie only nodded as the two of us ducked into the old warehouse.

“They should be.” We were interrupted by the roar of jets as a Pelican kicked up dust to such an extent that all that could be seen were the tall outlines of three humans. “Who are they?”

Tall humans in rather complicated-looking armor? Yup, Spartans. The leader of the trio ran into the building and ducked up against the wall. “Grey Team reporting.”

The other two filed in just as the dust began to settle. “My goal is that warehouse. You three just grab that VIP. Got it?”

“Aye sir.” I didn’t have to say anything else, the Spartans filled in the blanks as far as the orders went. “Grey Team, move it out!”

As the Spartans filed out of the building shutting the door behind them. The chorus of gunshots that echoed between the buildings showed how quickly they got down to business. “Alright everyone, you know the music.” I said as I kicked the door open. “Time to dance!”