Fallout Equestria: Shaping Shadow - Book 5

"Lieutenant, put us in a position a hundred meters ahead of my fleet," Deke ordered as they finally caught up with the rest of Deke’s cloudships north of Las Pegasus.

With the Twilight Sky in the lead, Deke sent out orders for his battle formation and they slowly advanced towards Nellie Air Force Base.

The com channel was opened so that he was broadcasting to all cloudships in the area. "This is Commodore Deke, Equestrian Pegasus Military and captain of the Twilight Sky and the pegasus in charge of this fleet. The Council has given me control of these fine cloudships."

"Commodore Deke," a Pegasus spat back over the comms. "I'm not surprised to hear you at the head of the traitorous fleet that has been lingering out there."

"Captain Hurricane, I am not surprised to hear your voice either," Deke replied.

"It's admiral now, with our losses I was promoted."

"Congratulations, Admiral Hurricane," Deke replied. "Unfortunately, what is left of your fleet is now in my way. The Enclave is over, especially after they attempted to assassinate the Council...and failed miserably."

"I know nothing about any assassination attempts," Admiral Hurricane replied. "But I do know that your bloated ego has finally put itself in a position where I have the legal authority to finally hit you. Surrender and I will treat you kindly and grant amnesty to the soldiers you have coerced into following your foolish power grab."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing," Deke shit back. "Return to your docks and shut down your cloudships. Don't disembark, or you will risk dying in the impending battle between the army. But the navy doesn't have to do this.".

"You always were a fool," the Admiral said with a laugh. "I am surprised that, with the hoofful of ships you have that you are attempting to engage me. I knew you were foolish, but this is just plain stupid. I never expected you to engage us here first. Everything is happening at Mareland, which I know you have had a part in. It was probably you who dropped troops off."

"The Twilight Sky was there," Deke confirmed as he watched the screen. He saw their formation as they turned to address him. He had to bait them further out and closer together. "But the fight starts with me. This is your final chance to stand down. Abstaining is something the Equestrian Pegasus Military is willing to accept for soldiers."

"That isn't an option for traitors," Admiral Hurricane replied. "Only traitors would offer that."

"I can see there is no convincing you or anypony in your fleet," Deke stated. "Let's not endanger Las Pegasus with an errant shell."

"Fine by me," Admiral Hurricane agreed. "Your tiny guns can still do a lot of damage if they were to hit the city."

Deke watched the Admirals's cloudships move on the screen. He was attempting a contrail maneuver, which brought his ships close together before splintering off at sharp angles and quick speeds in order to flank the enemy. Tactically, it was a solid strategy, but it was exactly what Deke needed.

Deke cut external communications and opened up the internal system. "Ukuzwa, Soarin, load turret One."

Deke relieved the officer at the weapon station. This was something he didn't want anypony to shoulder but himself. Deke manually targeted the enemy ships. He picked out the Admirals's flagship in the center.

"Turret One loaded," Soarin reported.

"Roger," Deke said. "I need three hundred meters more; for them to get in range."

"Good luck, Commodore," General Soarin replied. "I hope your conscious stays clear."

"It is and will be," Deke said through his set teeth. "We have no option but to use it to even the playing odds."

The ships finally came into range and Deke fired. He quickly moved to the front of the bridge. With a brilliant flash of starlight blue the round exploded.

"Solid hit," navigation reported. "All ships are going down, massive damage reported across every vessel. The Admiral..his ship is…vaporized. Nothing is left."

"Communications, opened a channel to my fleet," Deke ordered.

"Channel open," the Lieutenant reported.

"This is Commodore Deke. The enemy fleet is going down in flames. Once we are certain that they are down for good we will make our way to Mareland to join in there."

"Sir, what was that?" One of the sky tank officers asked.

"It was a unique mega spell, in the form of a cannon shell," Deke explained. "It has limited uses. I needed them far enough from the city to be able to be able to take them without damaging civilians. I fired it. The responsibility is mine to bear. We won't get to use it in Mareland."

"All cloudships have crashed in the wasteland," a Lieutenant reported. "They are scrap metal."

"All EPM cloudships, we are moving to blockade them from the east in Delta formation," Deke ordered. "We are not going to mount any rescue attempts. We will mourn their deaths after this civil war is won. Those are the orders from Admiral Little."

Bukhali had been leading half of Kikosi Kisasi in and out of hiding for several days now. Mareland was busy and things had been extra tense since they abandoned the New Cloudsdale FDC. It meant more soldiers to hide from. Ukuzwa had been with them when Bukhali led Izala, Kami, Suida, and Nukia to Mareland to perform the ammunition heist. Their detection meant that not only did they fail to get what they needed, but the base was on even higher alert. Even the storage depots were being ripped apart while they took account of all they had.

Simi would be leading Kogata, Kachoi, Sensha, Chiha, and Koto in the attack on Mareland, but until he found Bukhali, command was in the Tech Sergeant’s hooves. Bukhali had no direct orders, only a loose command to link up with Simi as soon as they could. He didn’t intend to wait for Simi. The fledgling Equestrian Pegasus Military would be on a single attack vector. They needed a distraction to help them establish a hoofhold at the start of the battle and the best place for that would be to come from the rear, forcing the Enclave to split its attention. It would be five zebras against five companies of pegasi, but Bukhali was confident in what his team could do. They had done similar operations back home against tougher Zebra Warlords. Of course, Mtoaji and Simi had been leading them at those times.

Still, Bukhali was confident in his team’s ability, especially since one of their hiding spots had revealed a stockpile of mines. They had a good location picked, an ammo storage building that had been checked and cleared the day prior. It was separate from other buildings enough to give them a clear view of any assaulting forces. The team had spent the last few hours burying the mines all around the building. They had two killzones set up inside with stolen mounted magic gatling guns who would be under the command of Izala and Sumida, while Bukali, Kami, and Nukia floated. There was only one entry, through a warehouse door, and the windows were sealed tight. The Enclave had no choice if they wanted to take them out, they had to get through the killzone.

Kami and Nukia were posted outside, using their zebra cloaks to keep out of sight. When the battle started, it would be up to the two of them to draw the attention of the Enclave.

“Bukhali, it’s Simi,” Simi called over their radios in Zebra. That meant they were close. Even if the communication was intercepted, the Pegasi didn’t know Zebra. It was better than a code that they could break. “Do you copy?”

“Loud and clear,” Bukhali replied.

“We are going to join you and hit from another angle,” Simi said. “Report your location and we will join you there.”

Bukhali relayed the location and his plan. Simi told them to stick to their plan.

An explosion ripped through the base.

“Forced to engage!” Kami reported. “It falls to us to cause their enrage. We at the catalyst for the antagonist.”

Several other explosions were set off in other locations as Kami and Nukia were ensuring the Enclave focused enough of their attention on them.

“Launching our assault,” Simi reported. “See you soon.”

Gunfire began to crack through the sky, both conventional powder weapons and magic weapons. It steadily got closer. Kami and Nukia came through the doors, into the kill zone. They scrambled out of the way and Bukhali armed the mines. They were set to go off if their 5 foot proximity was breached and that wasn’t limited to ground only. A second later multiple mines were tripped, exploding outside the building. Screams of pain and for medics told the Zebras that they had the attention of the Enclave, just like they needed.

Bukhali took cover and readied his Type 100 submachine gun. More mines exploded from various angles around the building. At least their enemy was entirely dumb. They had tried different approach vectors. A smart enemy reduced their chances of getting out of this engagement alive exponentially. They were ready though and Simi would be on his way soon.

Sounds of battle caught Bukhali’s attention. It was far off, indicating that the Aerial Combat Units and the few friendly ground units on their side had started their assault on the Enclave base. A divided enemy increased their chances of survival.

More mines went off, bringing screams with them. Then two grenades were tossed inside the building. Behind their cover they were safe. The killzone had been designed with the expectation that grenades would be used. The first soldiers stormed in and the mounted magic guns ripped into them, gooifying them as they obliterated the soldiers, regardless of the armor worn.

The quick deaths made the Enclave officers rethink entry. Bukhali knew the end result. More would be ordered through the door. Even against the big guns, it had to be obvious that their numbers were not that many. A larger force would not be hiding.

The clock had been started for the fight for their lives. The Zebras were willing to lay down their lives for Mtoaji and peace in Equestria. If this was to be their last stand, they would make the Enclave pay for it.