Survival Begins at Home

Shining sat at the edge of the docks, staring out over the ocean. He was going over what he would say in his head in preparation for the soldiers he was about to address. He didn't have a lot to say, but what he did have needed to be said. He was just waiting for the admiral to call him up onto the deck. This was a speech meant for the officers, not for the enlisted. That would require too many ponies in one place, or the same speech hundreds of times. It would be much easier to just let the officers make the speech to the enlisted under them.

The admiral called for Shining to come aboard the ship. It was a huge carrier, designated as a floating fortress. It was one of three ships of this size, the largest in the Equestrian fleet. It was also made of steel, a relatively new material for ships to be made from in Equestria. These all made it a force to be reckoned with.

Shining looked out over the deck, with all of the officers in formation. Even those that outranked him were saluting him. "At ease," he said, stepping up in front of them. "We have not received any reports of how the zebras managed to take our other port towns thus far. What we do know is that the ships they've taken have not returned to port. Some of them have been seen being towed south, indicating that the zebras are taking them there, but we do not yet know why. No Equestrians have been seen aboard these ships, so we can only assume that they're dead or under excessive custody. If they are alive, I don't envy them.

"I do not want to see the same happening to you. You are all valued members of the Equestrian military, and you deserve to be welcomed back to your homes when the war is over. However, in order for that to happen, you must be alive, and with a home to return to. Look to your left, then to your right. Can you honestly say that those stallions and mares do not deserve to rest easily? I cannot.

"That is why you need to be on the lookout. If not for yourselves, then for your fellow officers and sailors. If you see a ship on the horizon, you need to signal it right away and check its status and callsign. If everything checks out, you can move on, but be very wary. It's possible that the zebras may have infiltrated our fleet using one of our ships, so communicating with each other will be key in identifying who is friend, and who is foe.

"You need to be looking out for your fellow soldiers to make sure that they make it back home. You owe it to them to keep them safe. After all, they could be giving their very lives to protect your families from an army of zebras that want to make them slaves. You should give them no less.

"Now, as for the enemy we will be facing, I cannot tell you how the zebras will behave on their ships or the ships they've stolen from us. I wish I could prepare you better, but all I can say is that you have been trained in naval combat. You know how to keep from being boarded, and how to react when boarded. If something goes horribly wrong, I want you to light up the sky with flares. Likewise, if you see a flare in the sky, I want you to join on its position, as they need your help. Do not, under any circumstances, try to take on an enemy ship alone. That way, not only will you manage to fend them off, but you'll also be able to report back how they moved, and with that information, we can set up new, better protocols for dealing with the zebra threat. Thank you."

As Shining turned around and walked back to the docks, the admiral dismissed all of the officers, and they, too, left the ship. Most of them had to return to their own vessels to inform their crews of the changes that would be occurring. The rest were land-based and had no ships to return to, but still needed to inform their crews. Communications, weapon repair, hull repair, it didn't matter. They needed to know.

As they each stepped off, Shining greeted them with a firm handshake before they moved on, usually just a second or two in passing, though some of them had a few short words. A "thank you for your help," here, an "I do not take orders from you. Be glad the rear admiral is watching, else this would never happen," there. All seemed to be in order with the pissing contest that was ranking officers.

That is, until Shining took note of a very clear uniform violation. "Commander, would you step aside for a moment?"

"Of course," he said, stepping out of the way. There was a bit of a pause in the line, as this was a strange occurrence. "I'm happy to help. Whether lieutenant such as you, or just a young whelp."

"It's Captain, actually. Different branch, you know? At any rate, I wanted to ask why your breastplate is on backwards."

"Is it?" He looked down at his breastplate and shifted it around on his shoulders. "I hadn't noticed so. I did put it on in a bit of a rush, though."

"How did you not notice? I imagine it would be exceptionally uncomfortable."

"I usually find it to be uncomfortable. I don't think it's the right size. But what does it matter? We're all tough guys."

"You know these are custom-made, right? If it's the wrong size, why don't you have it replaced with something that is the right size?"

"I guess I just haven't been free. You lose a lot of time when you're at sea"

"See that you find the time." Shining extended his hand and the Commander shook it, both of them grasping with both hands. As the Commander walked away, Shining had a look at his left hand. There had been some residue on the commander's wrist, the same colour as his coat. Something wasn't right. "Commander?"

He turned around. "What is it that you want now? Something wrong with my helmet's brow?"

"Just one small thing. It would be all kinds of embarrassing if a somepony of your status was walking around with your armour on backwards. Why don't you turn it around? It will only take a moment."

The commander scowled. "I'm not exposing my chest to you. I'm not gay. This conversation is through."

"Nopony said you were," shrugged Shining. "I just know that if my uniform was on backward, I'd be really embarrassed."

"Well, I'm not, and I'm pretty sure I outrank you. I don't need to act on what you say to do."

"Well, I outrank you," said the Rear Admiral, wondering why the officers has stopped on the gangplank. "Fix your breastplate, Commander."

The commander froze for a moment, then ran off. A captain and two ensigns managed to stop him and keep him from running off. As he fell to the docks, his helmet fell off, revealing stripes all over his neck. He was a zebra who had coloured his exposed mane, tail and coat in order to infiltrate the meeting.