The Resolute

“WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?”

The few ponies in the cargo hold of a docked airship watched as the captain backhanded a pony hard, knocking them to the floor. The large pegasus mare towered over the pony on the deck, glaring down at them, holding a bounty note. “I gave you free run of this city to help fund us, not attack a member of the Goddess damned Royal Guard!” She pointed to a duffel bag to the side, a tag on it giving name, rank, and service number of the owner.

“I didn’t know!” replied the pony, who took their black hood down to reveal a zebra mare, who wiped her lip to see if it was bleeding. “He wasn’t wearing any armour I recognised, and besides...” She stood up, meeting the captain’s gaze defiantly. “...he should be dead by now.”

Sighing, the captain turned towards the stairs at one end, looking over her shoulder. “Z’naja... you have one chance. You find where he is, and if he’s dead, fine. But if he’s alive... you get him back here so we can sort this out.” She started walking away, but stopped when she heard the response.

“I thought we were criminals anyway.” Z’naja pulled her hood back over her head, then sprinted off for the open access hatch on the port side, past the ponies loading the ship. The rest of the crew quickly returned to their tasks, lest they get smacked around by the captain themselves.

Mindful Behaviour watched with a scowl as several boxes were set down on the delivery bay of the hospital. She held a clipboard and pen, checking the crates against the manifest as well as scanning each one with her magic. It was that she didn’t trust these ponies, it was that she didn’t trust the whole supply chain. That, and these weren’t exactly legal supplies.

“So, captain says we’ll be doing another run next month, but after that the ship’s gonna need some time in dock, meaning we won’t be able to help,” said one of the ponies carrying the items. He smirked as he looked over the mare, sliding his hand up her arm. “We could use a mare like you on board, especially with how I heard your bedside manner is...”

The mare glanced at the arm briefly before returning her gaze to the crates, her magic now taking his appendage off of her. “A nurse or doctor is not the kind of pony you want to annoy. We know how to heal you... but we also know how to really injure you.”

The stallion swallowed nervously before stepping back. “I was just joking with ya, no harm intended!” Checking on his compatriots, he saw they were finished, nodding at them that is was time to leave. As he turned, he saw a figure in black running into the yard. “Z’naja? The hell are you doing here?”

She said nothing as she jumped at the nurse, a knife held just a milimeter away from her throat.”Get back to the ship, now. Captain's orders.” None of the group even considered challenging the zebra, quickly vacating the area as she kept her eyes on the unicorn. “You had any stabbed ponies come through here recently?” she asked, getting a nod as an answer. “Good, take me to him.”

Mindful nodded again, slowly turning around, fully aware the tip of the steel blade followed her so it was still against her throat. She led the zebra into the hospital and past the shocked staff and patients that saw them enter. She didn’t know what would happen if anypony tried to help, but luckily none did, so she was safe for the moment.

The pair made it to one of the rooms, marked with a big fourteen on it, and they stepped in. Inside was the pegasus stallion, who had since come around, and was trying to pick the lock of the cuffs keeping him attached to the bed and preventing him from leaving. He looked up, glanced at the nurse, then at the pony behind her.

He quickly leapt off the bed, positioning it between them, wings fluttering in agitation. “Here to finish the job, huh?” he said, as his free hand felt along the side, finding a scalpel and picking it up. “Let’s see what you got!”

“No... I’m here to take you to my captain,” Z’naja replied, letting the nurse go and allowing her further into the room. The zebra thought about her options for a moment, then sheathed her knife and picked a different item from her belt. “We don’t have much time, I passed three guard squads on the way.” She placed a small silver key on the bed.

The stallion looked at it and Z’naja a couple of times before shrugging and picking it up, a click following as the cuffs were unlocked, the pegasus rubbing his wrist before grabbing Z’naja’s throat and squeezing slightly. “Tell me,” he said with a growl, tightening his grip. “Why shouldn’t I just kill you right here?”

“Be... because I know who you are,” the zebra said, struggling to breathe but not too much at the moment. “...and I’m here to help!” The stallion looked between her and the nurse, whose horn was glowing. Z’naja suddenly took a deep breath as the hand was removed from around her neck, the stallion having turned at the other pony in the room.

“So does she, which is why I was in cuffs,” he said, slowly moving towards the nurse. One hand still held the scalpel, whilst the other picked up the aforementioned restraints. “I hope your captain doesn’t mind hostages. Nurse, please turn around. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Mindful let her magic die down, knowing that the others would have gone for help by now, and complied with the request, moving her hands behind her back, feeling the cold steel snap tight around her wrists. The stallion turned her towards the door and started walking her out, though she tried to fight back a little. “You won’t get far, they’ll have the place surrounded by now.”

“We’ll make it,” the stallion remarked, looking over his shoulder at the zebra. “Lead the way, buttfuck.”

Z’naja was about to protest the name, but felt like she deserved it, as she was the cause of the situation she was sure all three of them didn’t want to be in. Stepping out of the room, she went to head back to the loading bay when she saw the guards again, every route blocked, except one. “Up!” she commanded, the trio slowly backing up the flight of stairs.

The guards followed for two flights, but then stopped, no doubt looking for a way to get behind them and corner them. Z’naja had other ideas though, and kept going until they reached the roof, where she turned to the other two. “Are you well enough to fly?” she asked the stallion.

He looked at her and then nurse, blinking. “Is that with or without a passenger? Cos if you don’t want a witness, we could just throw her off of here.” He walked her over to the edge, so much so that the toes of her shoes were hanging off the edge. “Well?”

The mare took a deep breath and spoke before Z’naja was able to. “You won’t do it,” she said calmly, the wind whipping at her mane. “You’re right, I do know who you are. You’re not a murderer. And I’ll prove it to you.” Before he or the zebra could ask, she stepped off the roof, closing her eyes.

Most other ponies would have thought her suicidal, but she knew she was right, and sure enough not even a few seconds later she felt arms around her chest, the feeling of another pony close against her back. She opened her eyes to find herself gliding into a clearing half a mile or so from the hospital, the pair landing in an abandoned foals’ play park. “I told you,” she said to the stallion with a smirk.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but a shadow to the side drew their attention, where Z’naja waved them over to a thick set of bushes. “We’re past the guards, but they saw you in the air. We’ll have to go another route.” Stepping around, the trio ended up face to face with a cracked sewer entrance, the stench of which would have made even a diamond dog pass out. “Unless you want to go back, best follow on.”

She jumped down, splashing in the fowl liquid as she carried on, not waiting for the others. A moment later there was another splash as the stallion jumped in, with the still cuffed nurse over his shoulder. The pair nodded at each other and made their way down the tunnels.

“Captain,”, came a voice from the doorway, where the airship’s first mate stood looking concerned. The slender earth pony slipped in and closed the door behind him, crossing his arms. “We need to talk about Z’naja.”

“No, we don’t, Stamper,” replied the pegasus, spinning around in her chair to look out of her cabin’s window at the open sky beyond it. She sighed deeply, for though her crew knew of her violent past, they’d never actually seen it until now. “I know you all want her off my tub, but without her, we’re not getting back into Zebrica for more of our dwindling supplies any time soon.”

“Actually, we want to keep her. It’s about her... attacking other ponies.” That got the captain’s attention, her ears pricking to him. “You know this is the first one she’s actually done herself? She’s been claiming credit for another pony, one who uses poison to kill. It’s because she doesn’t use it you sent her to get this stallion.”

“Claiming... credit...” She stood from her chair and walked over to her window, seeing the aforementioned zebra slinking her way along the stacks of crates, followed by two other ponies. “Tell me, how exactly do you know this?”

“It’s how my brother was killed last time we were here,” he said, moving back to the door but pausing with his hand on the knob. “I... I hope your decision doesn’t bring ill times to the crew, most of them don’t like guardsponies of any sort.” With that he was gone, leaving the captain to think on the new information and what their next step would be.

Mindful was careful to mentally note what she could about the layout of the docks, but the problem would arise if the stacks and stacks of crates got moved, meaning her planned escape route would be wrong. For now, she kept up with the pegasus stallion who had a firm grip on her arm, not quite dragging her along but not leaving her to her own pace. “Look, I won’t say anything. Just let me go here!”

He remained silent, pausing as the zebra ahead of them checked the next gap was clear, before continuing on. It didn’t take them long to reach the airship, though the bay was a couple of hundred meters of empty space. “Wait... I know that vessel.” it was the first time he had spoken since they left the hospital, and he passed Mindful over to their guide.

“It’s... it’s not possible. This thing went down the day I was born, just over thirty years ago!” Seeming to no longer care they were trying to be stealthy on their approach, he left their hiding spot and slowly walked over. “It was during the last Pony-Griffon war, which saw devastation on both sides. We retreated, but one ship, the ERAF Resolute, stayed behind to shield the damaged vessels and let them escape. It was never heard from again.” By the time he was finished, they were stood next to it, and he slowly placed his hand on the metal hull.

Mindful and the zebra looked at each other, seeing there was a lot more on his mind than what he had told them, especially when he sighed and moved his hand away, a sad look up on his face. Someone speaking behind them made them turn around, but he did more than that; he stood at rigid attention. “I couldn’t have asked for a better pilot back then, I’d never seen somepony with such skill.”

“Captain, I...” the zebra started, but stopped when the imposing mare raised her hand.

“Z’naja, take our... guest to the brig and place her there.” she said, gesturing to the nurse. “And make sure to fit her with a magic blocking horn-ring. Don’t want to find a hole in my ship.” Z’naja nodded and pulled Mindful away, whilst the other two stood staring at each other. “You have a question?”

“Yes... what the actual fuck?” the stallion replied, his hands balling into fists before he relaxed, blinking. “I mean... Wing Commander Tempest, what... you’re dead.” It was clear the encounter was confusing to him, making the mare chuckle.

“First of all, Pilot Officer Fourth Class, I go by Cloud or Captain now. You’re no longer one of my cadets, so relax.” She stepped closer to him, placing her hand where his was a minute ago. “Your dad saved hundreds of lives that day. I wish he was still here.”

“I wouldn’t know, Cloud,” he said, some distate for the mare clear in his voice. A moment ago there was respect, now that was gone and replaced with hostitly. “Because of you I never got to meet him. Just a photo album, mess hall chatter, and a legacy I could never live up to!”

She tried to meet his fiery gaze, but found herself turning away. “The great airship fleet commander, Cloud Tempest. It’s how I was once known. Did you know your father disobeyed a direct order from both Princesses?” she asked, smirking when she saw his anger subside a little bit. “They were on board at the time, and told him to retreat. He knew one ship with a crew of a couple of hundred was better than dozens of ships with thousands of lives to be lost.”

“Why are you telling me this,” he asked her, frowning now, not sure why this had never been included in any of the official reports by the Royal Sisters themselves, other surviving members of the crew... or by the mare standing in front of him. “By rights, as the officer in charge of this vessel when it went down... you should be dead too!” It was then his anger seeped over and he swung for her, but she simply side stepped and tripped him over.

“You always had poor balance in your stance, which is why you’re now on the floor.” Cloud offered him a hand, but he knocked it away and stood himself up. “I’m telling you this so you know the truth, not what they teach you. Your father was a damn hero and they covered it up! I was on board, when it went down. I spent ten years in a slave labour mine for those griffons. You know that. What you don’t know is when I got back and found out about the cover up, I decided to hand in my commission. Your class was the last I ever taught.”

All of the stallion’s anger had dissipated by now, and Cloud placed her hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye. “You’re not a Pilot Officer anymore, I know what happened last year. They’re hunting you now. This..” she said, gesturing to the ship,.”this is your chance to feel the same rush in your blood your father did when he piloted the Resolute. What do you say?” She stepped back and held out her hand. “You need to escape, I happen to need a new pilot.”

He stared down at her hand, the last of the crew glancing at the pair as they returned to their ship.