Chapters They were coming, of course they were, there was no way I’d gotten them all. My hooves were still shaking, last time I had a real meal was at the most recent two days ago; rations had run out long before then so I guess I was luck to to make it this far. Seems I’ve got half a mag left, always knew I’d die in some queen forsaken forest in the ass end of the empire, just thought it would be in retirement. That patrol would bring at least a platoon’s worth of ponies down on me, if the team were here maybe… no time to dwell on that now, I need to — My ears flicking at a sudden noise,”Well isn’t this just grand” I mutter to noone in particular. I fumbled with the rifle in my hooves, aiming down the sight, trying to calm my rapid breaths; I’ve already prepared my bayonet, this will be my final stand. Looking down the sights I wait for them to come just a little bit closer and…!”
The crack of the imaginary rifle tore me from my dream; I really need to get ahold of myself; if this becomes a recurring problem I’ll go insane, if only Moxa was here… Nevermind that, have a meeting with that Equestrian reporter today. Sounded like a young colt over the phone, but that may just be me getting old, heh, old, not even out of my twenties. After a long shower I pulled out my old dress uniform from back then...it feels like ages since the war, hard to believe it’s only been a few years. Ignoring the annoying ring of medals that I damn well knew didn’t belong to me I checked my watch and did a quick one over in the mirror; “look like a grub fresh out of boot...” I muttered to myself, of course that was probably Clypeus talking...sarcastic ass always had something to say. The ringing of my doorbell drew me from my thoughts as I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and prepare myself, this was my one chance to make it up to them; I wasn’t going to waste it.
Opening the door I was able to finally meet the stallion so eager to hear my tale, though by my standards he was practically still a colt with that youthful glimmer in his eye. Can’t blame him, probably a big career boost everything considered. I shook his hoof as he decided to introduce himself. “Pleasure to finally meet you sir! I’m Purple Quill Equestria Daily!” The cutie mark on his flank of a quill and paper naturally broadcasted his job; I’ll never understand how ponies do that but it’s gotta be helpful. “Captain Cardac, please just call me Cardac, sir makes me feel old;” I could see the shine in his eyes dimmer just a tiny bit, I’ll never understand why they idolize our breed… all we did was survive. Regardless I sighed in defeat before slightly smiling “If you really want to, just call me Captain” The colt may as well have leaped for joy for how excited he was “Now I’ve made space in the living room if you want to get this started.” His rapid nodding and bright smile gave me all the answers i needed as I lead him inside the house.
Quill took his seat opposite of me in his chair after setting up his equipment, wish he would’ve told me this would be visually recorded instead of just audio and pen and paper. Regardless I mentally prepared myself taking a seat below the shelf I had installed to hold but a single item, to many it was just a rifle, to me it was a reminder.
Febuary 29th 1009 Commando Safehouse in Vaverfront
“ Why the hell can’t the deer live somewhere more tropical? I really hope what resources we can scrape from this frozen hellhole is worth the effort.” I muttered to noone in particular, yet like clockwork a certain someone just had to make a comment.
“Aw come on Unteroffizier! It’s a regular winter wonderland! How about we go have a snowball fight and string up some holiday trees!” Clypeus was our demolitions expert and a half decent mechanic, he was also at times an insufferable ass when he was bored.
“Since when do you speak in old changeling? Trying to imitate Trimmel?” I snarked back as I looked over the map in front of me. It was nice knowing how to irritate him back every now and then.
“Oh please, as if I would want my nose to be so high in the air I’d drown when it rains.” He simply went back to his room to tinker with some improvised explosive in case we ran out of C4 blocks. While chuckling at his childish antics I hadn’t heard hoofsteps behind me, while I’ll never admit it I nearly jolted out of my uniform as a plate was put on the table taking up half of the map.
“You missed breakfast captain! How many times have I told you it’s bad for your health to miss the most important meal of the day!” Moxa chided me, while being our primary medic she was also a good cook and more importantly the team mom. While annoying back in training we’d all gotten used to it now, she took care of us when we forgot to take care of ourselves.
“Ja, Ja, MutterTschuldigung” I half heartedly apologized, taking a bite of some toast while comparing what we’d gathered about local defenses with the plans we had about where our forces would attack.
“You’d better be! I had to make sure it hadn’t gotten cold and you’d be surprise how expensive eggs and sausage are around here.” Taking off her apron the medic went back to the kitchen to clean up while we waited for the last remember of our group to arrive. Less than five minutes later there was a knock on our door, all of us immediately changed to our deer disguises and hid any plans before opening the door.
Greeting us was a stag and doe both smiling warmly as the doe stepped inside. “Thanks for walking me home Adriano! I had a great time, maybe we could do this again sometime?” As always Clava played her part masterfully, though it sometimes scares me how good she is at her job. The stag was obviously flustered though he tried to keep his composure. “Yeah! That, that sounds great Avva; I’ll call you later okay?” Smiling she nodded as he turned to leave she waved goodbye as I slowly shut the door. In a split second her entire demeanor changed to stoic and unreadable, emotionless. I’ve never met anyone who could fake emotions to such a sincere degree yet be completely dead inside like her.
“Was wondering when you’d be home, did you want something to eat?” Moxxa called from the kitchen.”
“No, Adriano took me to dinner already, I should be fine for the rest of the day.” She responded blankly as she made herself a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table.”
“Got yourself a boyfriend I see! Well look at you! He’s cute isn’t he? How did you two meet? You think you’d want to see him after the invasion?” It was hard not to laugh at Moxxa treating our resident sniper and extreme sociopath like a teenage girl.
In typical Clava fashion she remained silent as she sipped her coffee and looked over the maps I pulled out. “He’s the head of the local garrison and police force, though he lacks confidence due to the fact he knows he was given his position due to his loyalty to the king and not due to his merits or skill, as such he has no real clue how to effectively coordinate his troops here and his command structure is appalling. He should be the first to die, that should send the soldiers here into a panic as all of them are fresh recruits relying on superior guidance and hopes that the border will hold. The town still holds a mixture of communist and velvet supporters the police are struggling to root out, such disunity will make it hard for them to effectively resist a lightning fast assault from a more organized attacker.” Finishing her report Clava marked a few locations in and around the city on the map as access points for attackers and weak defensive positions before sipping her coffee.
Moxxa simply sighed with a dampened smile and decided to go check on our medical supplies to make sure we were prepared, I went to the radio upstairs to report our findings as we all made our last preparations; high command was dead set on an invasion at the start of spring and morale was high, this wasn’t going to be a war, it was going to be a slaughter.
“So changeling infiltrators had been inside Olenia for quite a while I see, do you remember when you were deployed roughly?” Quill had been hanging on my every word, though I hardly realized it as I lost myself in my memories.
“Thinking back, it was at least three months before the invasion, it was more of a test run if I’m honest; many in the high command didn’t see the need for a specialized unit of infiltrators outside of the typical regiments that would be later attached to forward divisions. The main difference between us and them is we weren’t meant to be frontline combatants in most regards, we were more or less guerillas behind enemy lines who fully integrated into their society, we became one of them. When the frontline moved up we moved back, of course during the assault in Equestria we did link up with the main army every now and then due to the speed of the advance, was a real bitch getting behind enemy lines again.” Realizing I was rambling I took a moment to readjust myself. “Sorry about that.” I apologized though he shook his head obviously enthralled.
“Quite alright, so your team seems like quite the bunch from what you’ve told me; we never got too much detail from Erstaz as he wasn’t the one to directly overseer your unit and Field Marshall Trimmel died in the assault on Vesalipolis.” He seemed to be looking over some notes he’d brought with him for a moment before continuing. So what happened when the invasion launched? Did you stay in Vaverfront?” He brought his quill to his paper waiting for my answer.”
“For a time yes”
Vaverfront Safehouse, March 20th Invasion Day
I checked my watch for a moment before returning to overlooking the city with my binoculars, we had relocated to the inner ring of the city for a better view, and to avoid the inevitable artillery fire. Moxa was making sure our position hadn’t been compromised as we went off the grid a week ago and certain people would find that very strange. From the window I could see the local garrison mobilizing, they were on standby as tensions had risen with the buildup on the border, they knew we were coming they just didn’t know it was today. Clava had taken up her position on top of the apartment overlooking the main street, her prey would walk right into her sights. Clypeus on the other hand should have reported back by now, then again he was never the punctual type.
“Cly, I hope you aren’t wasting our time out there, our first armor division will be arriving in a few minutes.” I spoke over the radio, meanwhile I scanned possible points of interest to lookout for any possible hardpoints our forces would encounter.
“Aw come on cap! You know I wouldn’t let ya down! Just had to make some...adjustments heh, gotta make our debut a blast!” Knowing him he was going overboard with the explosives, but as long as the local supply caches were rendered unavailable I cared less about his methods. Meanwhile I spotted dots in the distance closing in fast from the skies. “Clava, your target is inbound, you know your priority; once eliminated you are free to fire at will.”
“Acknowledged.” Was the only response I got, I could see Adriano and practically half the local militia and police rushing down the main street to get to the defenses at the edge of the city. Our fighters had noticed this as well and came down engines roaring and unleashed a barrage of rounds from the sky, tearing into the poor deer on the ground. As our close air support had begun its’ first strikes on the exterior defenses I heard the shot ring out and watched his body drop like a sack of rocks.
“Eins” Another shot “zwei” the poor bastards were in total shock, unable to figure out who was in charge or what to do as they dropped one by one. “Drei….vier...funf...sechs...” I heard her call out over the radio as he decided to pull her back.
“Good work, they’re still paralyzed but I want you to fall back and regroup at the safehouse, we need to prepare to evacuate the city before we get hit by friendly fire. And for Queen’s sake Clypeus where is!- I felt the ground rumble as I saw the ammo depot on the opposite side of the city erupt in flames with the explosion shaking the two buildings next to it to such an extent one collapsed in on itself while another had a gaping hole in its’ side.
“Hahahaha! Someone find me some strobe lights so we can make this a disco inferno! Queen bless high explosives!” With my questions answered by continued maniacal laughing over the radio it seemed our work was done; shells had begun falling into the outer ring of the city but they would quickly advance as the light defenses were pulverized. Several minutes later we were all packed up and were heading towards the south exit of the city while avoiding the hordes of evacuating civilians. There was a chance our forces would have cut off the main exits of the city and we weren’t going to be caught in that group if nearby aircraft saw them before the ground troops did; it’s surprising how easy it is to mistake civilian refugees for a retreating enemy division from the air.
After a week of cautious travel we’d made decent progress south heading towards a small village called Estagna; chances are our forces were already moving to cut off any escape to the port of Manty Creek so this was mostly to just make sure no large pockets of resistance remained. We were about to make camp until Moxa spotted a light in the distance from a campfire, may as well clear the area around us before heading to sleep. Coming upon the camp we heard singing, it sounded like..changelings? Discarding our disguises we entered the clearing to see a couple squads enjoying what appeared to be Olenian beer.
“Well looks like we got company! Get separated from your unit?” A sergeant addressed us. “Obergefreiter Clasper at your service!” He lazily saluted and took another swig. “12th Jaegers, what about you?”
“Unterfeldwebel Cardac, Emerald Commandos. Mind to share?” I smirked as he handed me a fresh bottle. “More the merrier!” Moxa smiled and simply shook her head while Clava stoically went to prepare a mat to sleep on, Clypeus on the other hand joined in the revelry. “Guessing we’ve reached Manty Creek? Feels a bit early to celebrate though.” I said as I took a hearty gulp, burned like fire but tasted like honey.”
“You haven’t heard? We won! The cowards capitulated before we even prepared to hit the peninsula! The war’s over!”
I’m surprised they gave up so quickly, but then again they were outgunned and outmatched from the start; I suppose it isn’t too crazy to believe they surrendered though. Well now to celebrate! I took another swig from the bottle and joined the others in song well into the night
“Interesting captain, so your unit was key in the swift fall of Vaverfront?” Keeping his composure I could still see him crack a small smile at the image of myself drunk off my flank singing slurred songs with other soldiers. “We did our part sure, but I wouldn’t say we were vital; though I suppose this discussion gets answered when I was recalled to high command. See Queen Chrysaliss had been keeping notes on us, we were Trimmel’s pet project of sorts and despite his considerable influence in the government we had our fair share of detractors. Despite no official plans being drawn up my unit was being prepared to be deployed into Equestria while I returned to the capital to give our case.”
Vesalipolis Royal War Room April 2nd
While I’ve been trained to lead troops into battle and dodge bullets without a second thought, to befriend and kill anyone who happens to stand in the way of my mission; to become imbedded within the enemy at the possible risk of being executed as a spy or shot by my own comrades on accident; never have I been more nervous than I am at this moment. I stood at attention with the entire high command gazing at me as we wait to begin the meeting, Queen Chrysalis herself sits upon her royal seat as the last of the reports come in. Every major changeling General and Field Marshall was here to assess whether or not my work was worth the effort, strange how much pressure that puts on a bug. Her highness decided to begin the debriefing leaning back in her seat.
“Meine Herren” The room was deathly silent as all eyes turned to the Queen. “First of all I wish to congratulate each of you for our decisive victory in Olenia, the world has seen but a taste of the changeling war machine!” Cheers answered her praise before the room calmed down. “Now we know why we are here, before we proceed regardless of the outcome I wish to also congratulate you Captain on your flawless work in Vaverfront; such precision and execution reflects well upon your status.”
“I’m honored your highness.” I kept my response short, no point in risking her ire by drawing things out or even worse gloating about my accomplishments. With that out of the way Chrysalis continued.
“ The purpose of this particular debriefing is to establish whether or not the Emerald Commandos are worth continued investment for future campaigns, or if they should be assimilated back into regular army units. Field Marshall Trimmel, as this was your idea I shall allow you to state your thoughts on their performance and how we should proceed.” Straightening out his uniform simply to pad his own pride, the Field Marshal stood and slowly circled the table as he began his speech.
“I believe the Vaverfront operation was not only a success, but a perfect demonstration of why the Smaragd Kommandos will be not only useful, but essential in future operations.” Turning to the map on the table Trimmel pointed at the fateful city. “ It does not need to be stated how valuable the capture of the city was, notably how fast it crumbled. The precision of which we exploited the holes in their defense coupled with knowing when and where to strike with our heavy weaponry; only further augmented by the disorganization of the local defense from within should be a glowing testament to the utility of the unit. They did not weaken the city, they handed it to us on a silver platter!” His excitement was tangible, again most likely due to him being able to gloat about how right he was; had a habit of that. “Now imagine similar scenarios playing out in Equestria, Los Pegasus, Canterlot, Baltimare and more! The ability to systematically pinpoint and decimate the enemy command structure or at the very least give us detailed information on every move the enemy makes is an obvious tactical advantage; I feel it is imperative we expand upon this unit and continue to give them access to greater resources for even grander results.”
With that he returned to his seat and sat back feeling confident in his argument, The Queen once more addressed the gathering. “Many fair points Field Marshall, now General Pharynx I believe you still remain in opposition to this plan, you may state your case.” Pharynx rose from his seat but opted to remain where he stood.
“With all due respect to the Field Marshall I believe the resources that would be given to this unit would be better served on the wider front. We are more technologically advanced than our enemies, and possess superior equipment and training for our soldiers. While the Commandos were useful in taking the city, they were nowhere near essential. Our enemies were outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched in every single category plausible; there was no alternative to victory. I also believe our infiltration regiments can do similar, if not the same job while also not diverting resources to a tactically speaking insignificant force. Talk has been made of heightening their clearance to be able to commandeer local forces at will for their own objectives, not to mention the time and material spent to deploy them behind enemy lines should they be left behind by an enemy retreat and need to be reinserted. The Equestrian army has no tank divisions and practically no counters to an armored assault, we can crush them on the open fields and in the cities due to our larger airforce, it seems redundant to focus so much on so little when we already hold practically every advantage we need for victory. That is all your highness.”
Taking his seat all eyes had turned to me, I couldn’t blame him though as his points were valid and he always was one for simply smashing the enemy and swatting aside the leftovers. Remaining statuesque I waited to be addressed. It wasn’t long before the Queen gave me my chance. “Well, it seems both sides have spoken and made fair points, but it is only fair I give you a chance to give your side of the story Unteroffizier; you may now present your argument for the preservation of your unit.
Taking a deep breath I calmed my nerves, no time to think, only action. “Thank you your highness, while there is little to be said on the larger scale from what has already been stated, I wish to give a different perspective. My team would be wasted being reintegrated into the army, our talents are what brought us together in the first place; I believe we stood out for a reason. My sniper can nail a pony in the eye from 500 yards easy, while most other snipers can attest the same she has a particular talent that is useless in the standard regiment; her acting.” Noticing the looks I was getting I decided to elaborate. “I will not lie, Clava is an extreme sociopath, she feels nothing, emits no real emotion, follows orders to the letter and never hesitates, yet she was vital in gathering intelligence for the operation. She can pretend to be anything, not just in her looks but in her voice, her body language, she makes people believe what she wants them to believe about her; she gains their trust, finds out what makes them tick, then uses that dagger and goes for the throat. I’ve never seen such mastery of deception in my life, to simply relegate her behind the sights of a rifle would be a tragedy at its’ finest.” Taking a moment to catch my breath I continue.
“Clypeus, my explosives expert could be relegated to an artillery brigade or a pioneer battalion, but that’s not how he operates efficiently. He doesn’t adhere to plans or rigid doctrine and often improvises how he sees fit to the ever changing landscape we find ourselves in; his flexibility is his strength, not to mention he sees orders more as….suggestions; but never enough to earn serious reprimand.” Feeling like I was slowly winning them over I continued.
“Moxa is a medic so naturally she would be sent to a medical attachment, and while I have no concerns of her ability to do her task, she is a trained rifleman like the rest of us and would be more useful in direct combat operations to apply immediate medical attention as well as supporting fire. She is like a mother to us, helping us remember basic things so easily forgotten when on a mission. Eat some breakfast, get some rest, take a shower, don’t forget we have dinner with the neighbors today.” Some laughter echoed through the chamber including my own. “She looks after us when we forget to look after ourselves, and I feel splitting up our pseudo family would negatively impact her performance in the field.” Preparing for the final blow I met the Queen’s gaze head on.
“Finally myself, I’ve fought and trained alongside these soldiers; I know how they tick, how they work, how to use them to the best of their abilities. We are not an army, but we are far stronger together than we are apart. Thank you that is all.” With that it was finally over… now just for the verdict. Small conversations bounced from wall to wall as the Queen obviously pondered the idea herself. I felt my heart race as I tried to remain calm, this could easily be the end of my career; I dread the thought of being thrown into some infantry division as a regular officer with a bunch of grubs hyped up on victory and propoganda going into battle. Minutes felt like years until it seems Chrysalis had made her decision as all speech ended allowing silence to drown the room once more.
“I have come to a decision.” Her majesty’s voice echoed deeply “After much thought I have decided to approve Marshall Trimmel’s decision to allocate further resources and higher powers to the Emerald Commando unit, they shall continue to serve the empire in our future endeavors; That is all.” letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding I could feel the relief wash over me. Trimmel came over and rested a hoof on my shoulder smiling brightly “Gute Arbeit! You did it! I knew you had it in you haha!” before I could respond he was already trotting off victoriously. Despite feeling like I’d just taken Canterlot castle, I knew this was only the beginning; the war was inevitable and we would be ready.
“Ready to go s-Captain?” Quill asked. “Ready as you are” I responded, leaning back and getting comfortable, this was going to be a while. Quill turned on his camera and took a more professional posture after making sure the microphones were attuned correctly. “June 23rd, 1017, today I’m here with captain Cardac of the mysterious Emerald Commando unit or the“Smaragd Kommandos” to use its’ native designation. Captain it’s an honor to finally meet you”. Reaching out we shook hooves again this time for the cameras sake “Pleasure to be here”, I really should’ve prepared better, never was one to be the center of attention if I could help it. “So for the sake of the viewers I wanted to go over some details of this interview to ensure that all accounts are as accurate as possible; To ensure there is no fear of retaliation this interview is purely for historical record and cannot be used legally in any courts of law to prosecute you. Likewise, Princesses Celestia and Luna, as well as King Thorax have officially pardoned you of any actions taken during the war.”
I have to admit that one surprised me, they were risking opening one hell of a can of worms with that one, they really must be desperate for the truth. “I must say I’m a bit surprised by that, if you don’t mind me asking but was there no documentation of my unit? By the end of the war I was… out of touch with most of the world.” I always was curious how they found out I wasn’t just another stranded soldier after they caught me.
“Actually after the fall of Vesalipolis very little was recovered in the form of plans or any kind of documentation really, the high command had executed an extreme final purge of almost everything they could burn or shred. Your units’ existence only came to light in a discussion with General Erstaz. We do realize everyone has a bias but we want the clearest picture of what happened on the other side of the frontline as possible.” Have to admit, I’m surprised how quickly he switched to a more professional persona, he may be young but he knows how to do his job; I respect that.
“All right then, guess I’ll start at the beginning, right before the invasion of Olenia.”