Chapter 5 Ave Imperator

None of the children could tell how long it was until suddenly, a numb but agonizing feeling of pain filled their bodies, unable to scream. A muffled clashing sound of metal followed, then a voice falling to their ears, sounding incomprehensible.

Their hearts were filled with fear and uncertainty, panicking, but their bodies had no feeling of control before all stopped suddenly, just as it had come.

Slowly, their eyes opened, struggling with blurred visions; their limbs ached and felt numb. Their visions steadily became clearer, and they looked around.

They were in a large room filled with hospital beds and many wounded soldiers, where a beeping noise chimed methodically, along with busy medics and nurses, who greeted them back to the living world.

Before them was what their brains could only describe as a Skull outfitted with a red cybernetic eyepiece, hovering in the air by what looked like a small jetpack engine mounted in the back. Its eye emitted a red laser that scanned them before it beeped again and flew to other patients.

Shortly after, Jan walked in, followed by the giant white armored Space Marine and another woman in a soldier's uniform. Her green eyes looked in relief at the children, smiling weakly, her ginger hair peeking under her helmet. "I am glad to see my efforts and that of Jan and the angel's apothecarian to save you weren't in vain."

"B-but why would you…" Pip struggled to process it as the space marine apothecarian spoke up in a calming, metallic voice.

"It is only my duty and task, it would be remis if I were to allow you to die in such a place."

"Same goes for me, kids." The medic nodded.

"And as a mother myself, I couldn't live with myself to see you all die, children." Jan smiled weakly, but it all seemed uneasy with the apothecarian speaking again.

"It was not an easy task, but I have treated worse ailments. Still… your selfless action forced us to… drastic measures…"

"W-what do you mean?" Confusion was in the pinto colt's voice. He felt his heart begin to pound harder and faster as he felt his left foreleg, but he couldn't feel anything on his right side. Slowly, he managed to look down; his eyes went wide in shock.

A cybernetic prosthetic was in place of it.

Only now, Tungsten noticed his vision had changed. On the edges of his eye, he saw a green rectangle edge covered by a filter similar to a video screen or camera.

Katja's eyes shrank from seeing her back, and chest have metal infused into her flesh where her spine used to be, barely covered by her clothes.

Her brother saw that across his joints, as well as shoulders and arms, metal had molded into his flesh, too, with his fur just barely having grown around the open areas of scarring.

Their brains entered to panic, thrashing before Jan tried to grab them as the apothecarian spoke up. "Calm thyself, be calm."

They barely made out how the other woman prepared a syringe and injected it into them, feeling quickly sleepy, eyes closing.

None of them could tell how much time had passed before they were awake again.

Eyes met their reflections, seeing their cybernetics, thoughts in confusion, and information processing.

Their brains tried to deny what they were looking at, but reality only slowly set in, no matter how much they tried.

How would their friends and families react? Could they ever live with this?
Someone cleared its throat, catching their attention to see Jan walking in, bringing them some food in the form of toast and glasses of water. "Oh, glad you're awake. Brought something to eat for y'all... thought it might help you get your minds off all this." She smiled weakly. "It was… you were very brave kids."

“We… it was just… instinct…” Pip tried to find the right words, his head lowered.

"Save your strength, kids. You done well enough as is." The other woman joined with a weak smile of her own, with the apothocarian behind. "For now, you should focus on recovering." Only now did they notice she was wearing the same uniform as Jan. "Rebecca Landon is the name, but you can call me Becky. One of the few Imperial Guard Medics around here and I can assure you, you're in good hands. Of course, It wasn't easy to give you bionics but... it was necessary to save your lives." She said, lowering her head in slight guilt.

"Yes. We astartes the angels of the Imperium, looked up by many guardsmen and mortals." The Apothecarian added with what seemed to be slight awe in his voice. "Yet still, I and my battle brothers are impressed by these Guardsmen on numerous occasions. But for your age, it was quite a noble action of you. I understand your pain well, children. To be indoctrinated into the Space Marines is rather… tormentful; I remember my ascension well. Along with partaking in such thing from my new younger battle brother."

"Now then." Becky cleared her throat. "You kids rest well. We'll be here or there for you if you need anything."

Nodding, they closed their eyes and focused on sleeping and recovering, hoping Oscar would be okay as around two or three days passed with little to no news from the front. The feeling of their bodies slowly came returning to their bodies.

"Very good then." Becky checked on the kids with Jan. "Let's try to get you kids up."

In response, the pinto colt took a deep breath. "Here we go." It was bizarre for him to move his leg without feeling it, trembling as he tried to stand. He struggled to take a step, only for his sense of balance to be disturbed, immediately falling over but caught quickly by Jan.
Blau Streifen, due to most of his bones reinforced with metal, struggled with feeling his own body, struggling to take a step before Becky had to catch him.

"Come on now, you can do it Pip, I know you can." Tungsten tried to encourage him, his bionic eye blinking its light but barely feeling it himself.

"You got this, brother." Katja added, despite the lack of feeling in her body when she turned towards him.

Both colts smiled in appreciation, along with the women, as the next attempts were slightly more stable, getting further before tripping or stumbling.

Out of habit, the ginger pony attempted to adjust his glasses before noticing his lack of them, letting out a sigh. "Feels a bit weird, given I am used to wearing glasses."

"Yeah, I know, it's always hard to get used to it. More or less to know it's the only way of survival." Becky said with empathy and a caring tone, with her head lowered. "Frankly, I am glad that Oscar didn't need any bionics, given what he went through in his line of service so far." She said.

"I can only hope my son won't suffer a fate such as that." Jan added with fear in her voice and her body slightly trembling. "He already lost his father just as I lost a husband. It would break me to lose him too..."

"W-what happened to him? Tungsten dared to ask, seeing her sigh.

"When Kyle was around your ages, my husband was on a business trip, and the engine of his transport ship failed. It… it immediately disintegrated on impact with him." Now, she looked up with a slightly determined expression, "But, I'll do what I can to make sure you and your families won't suffer such a fate as I have."

They all just nodded, with the grey colt slightly flinching and hissing in pain as Becky recognized this only too well. "Phantom pain, your brain still remembers your limbs. What you have is called a Bone Reinforcer. Thanks to shrapnel pieces having damaged most of your skeleton, it was the only way to keep you in one piece. Your sister, on the other hand, got hit hard in her spine; thus we implemented a bionic spinal and required augments for her."

Fascinated, the kids could only nod again.

The next day, the two colts practiced walking again; thanks to the days, their balance was steady, and both were glad to finally walk properly again.

"Glad to see you healed and quite faster than I expected." Their medic admitted, impressed.

"Now what then?" Katja asked, wondering where to go and what would happen next.

"You're going to the bunkers with other civilians; there is no further risk to put you far from the front." She explained, as they understood, "This field hospital is behind the front, so there is no need for worry."

Jan said, leading them outside. They saw the command bunker in the distance and decided to visit the governor. Inside, he looked at a holographic battlefield map showing all troops and soldiers' lines against enemy lines, yet smiled to see them. "Ah, Glad to see you kids recovered and can stand before me. I would be lying to say you gave me quite a scare for your selfless action from the reports. But for now, you've done enough for me and this world; I thank you for it kids."

Pip opened his mouth to reply before the vox com radio buzzed. "This is Bunker 11 reporting in; enemy contact sighted! Repeat Enemy contact sited! And it looks like they brought in the big guns! Hammerhead Gunship Inbound! It's no good; we can't hold them! We're getting-" The radio cut out with only static in its place, an explosion not too far away, and the governor slammed his hand on the holographic map.

"Throne damn it, they're broken through! Quick, get the kids to safety!" Finkle ordered before the sound of fighting grew ever closer as they ran from the bunker to the civilian bunkers.

"Your men have fought well, but your end is upon you." A Tau voice spoke in a loudspeaker system echoing around before a heavy sigh from the planetary leader greeted the kids' ears.

"Alert the Basilisk artillery unit to load the H.E. rounds and have all guns on our position." He said to a vox-com officer as he relayed his order and quickly responded.

"All cannons are armed and ready sir, waiting on your mark." He said, holding the radio mic to him before the leader took it in his hand. His face snarled, and he clenched his teeth and held the mic to his mouth.

"Shatter the sky!" He roared out with all the anger he could put out.

As the group ran nearly 100 meters away from the bunker, there was a loud bang from a distance, causing them to look back as Finkle walked outside, surrounded by Tau troops who aimed their weapons at him. Before a silent growing whistle came to their ears, an enormous explosion engulfed the bunker in flames, with Finkle and the enemy troops both taken in the blast.

"Oh my…" Pip mumbled in shock, unable to believe what Finkle had done before Jan and their caretaker quickly grabbed and forced them to duck to dodge the shockwave that almost knocked them over momentarily.

"He bought us some time… let's not waste it now, come on." Jan mumbled before they heard boots and saw a squad of guardsmen crossing their parts from the right. Seeing Oscar and Kyle were among them.

"Our position got overrun as well; we need to get to the civilian bunkers, now!" Their caretaker yelled in slight exhaustion before another Guardsman yelled a warning.

"Enemy is inbound on our six coming in from our flanks behind us!"

A Group of Tau soldiers landed in jet packs near behind them. One held what looked like a Gatling gun but was smaller than the others. The latter wore bulky suits, similar to the ones with large cannons they had seen before, but those were much bigger, armed with large missile launchers.

"The hunt is on!" One of them yelled and fired.

His shot went wide but hit the side of a building, sending stone and metal debris raining and ringing the kids' ears.

Screams were only the first thing they heard once the ringing stopped. Turning around, they saw Oscar on the ground, bleeding from his left leg, but he was on the other side of the debris, separated from the kids. "Go! Get to safety; we'll be fine!" He yelled as they briefly saw Kyle and Jan removing debris and helping him up.

"Target acquired!" The Gatling gun tau soldier spoke out as the four kids ran as fast they could, not looking back.

"We've been overrun!" At a crossroads, another guardsmen squad crossed their way, chased by Tau troops; Uwe and his battle brothers were proceeded by Kroot.

"You're strong. It will be good to have that strength for my own." One of the Carnivores spoke eagerly in a weird artificial sound with a strange chirping tone as he charged at Uwe.

The astartes blocked it and pushed his attacker back, slicing his throat, but the Kroot had surrounded them.

His battle brothers defended themselves with their knives to the best of their skills but eventually succumbed to the numbers; one of his battle brothers got struck in the knee, stumbling slightly. It gave several Kroot an opening to hit the astartes chest plate with their blades. Both space marines flinched in pain before dropping dead to the ground.

Uwe and the apothocarian stood alone, holding their ground; the apothocarian got hit several times in his shoulder, chest plate, and knees, getting pushed and pinned against a wall.

One Kroot leaped forward onto the apothocarian and stabbed him right in his neck before he could react and die slowly.

There, Uwe stood alone, stumbling in place from taking several hits before another stabbed into his chest plate. He held himself to stand, grabbing his opponent's weapon and pulling it out of his body. But as quick as lightning, a hit to his leg came from behind, making him drop to his knee before the Kroot warrior.

Then, a blade stabbed into his left shoulder, making Uwe groan in pain.

Time almost appeared to slow as he stood still for several minutes. The Kroot weapon he held let go of its blade only to grab his arm and rip it off his body. Uwe fell onto his knees, then forward into the ground, bleeding in a growing pool of his own blood dead.

Seeing how not even the Emperor's angels of the astartes stood a chance, desperation and fear overcame the youngers as the Tau came from all sides. The kids dashed towards one of the civilian buildings, bursting through the door, slamming it shut, holding each other at the sound of fighting and screams from outside.

"See reason, humans; it is not too late to spare yourself from all this suffering." It belonged to the Tau soldier with the Gatling cannon. The kids held their breaths, watching the shadows of the Tau warriors move past the building with a squad of warriors.

Then the door slammed open, with a fire warrior aiming its weapon at them, ready to fire; they closed their eyes and waited for the shots that would end their lives, quivering in fear and with tears building up or trailing down their faces.

But the shot never came.

"I will not hurt you, young ones." The Tau's voice was calm, robotic, and almost compassionate. Opening their eyes, they saw the Tau soldier knelt, moving his arms and removing his helmet.

He stared down at them with facial features hardened, met by two blazing red eyes on a blue humanoid head only missing its nose with a strange slit that stretched from where a nose would be to its head; it held its piercing gaze on them, holding out its weird four-fingered hand towards them to show he meant no harm, shouldering his rifle.

Slowly and hesitantly, the children stood up, still trembling, which the alien soldier noticed. "The Greater Good is not harmful towards any children or those who can not or wish to fight no more." He assured them as he led them out; they followed his lead, tensed at the sight of the war going around them with their soldiers all around or flying through the air.

The kids saw how the Tau Firewarriors escorted captured guardsmen away, their heads low in defeat and their hands behind their heads, unable to see Oscar, Becky, Jan, or Kyle anywhere among them.

The Tau soldier was leading them towards the soldier with its Gatling gun, overwatching the prisoner and transferring them; one of its hands was on the back of his helmet as he listened to his comlink.

With a chest salute, the soldier reported, "Commander, I come to report on my finding these youngers separated from their families." He said with a low groan coming from the Tau commander.

"I see." He responded with his red glowing visor, unnerving the children as the Tau Commander focused on them, thinking about what to do with them. "Get them to one of the next Guel'a civilian shelters, soldier." This caused the kids to breathe out a sigh of relief.

"Yes sir." The warrior responded and led them to a bunker.

As the kids approached the bunker, they were greeted by numerous civilians talking within the shelter. Oscar's wife, Zoe, looked up with shock yet relief at her visitors before her. "Emperor's blessing. I am so happy to see your children are okay." She said, wrapping her arms around them and looking up at the Tau soldier with a fearful look; he just nodded and left.

As the Tau warrior left, the two girls saw them with relieving joy, embracing them, but their eyes were wide in shock at seeing their newly augmented bodies. "W-What happened to you? Your bodies... a-are you alright?" Lara asked, and after a short moment of thinking, Pip took the word.

"We… we saved Oscar from one of those bombings that came down his way and-" He could not finish being cut off as the little girl's arms were wrapped around him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, you poor thing." Her older sister and mother gave weak smiles in return. "Is... is dad alright?"

"We got separated. I'm sorry, but we don't know..."

A fearful look was in Lara's eyes as she processed everything that was said before a mechanical siren wailed out through the air, a loudspeaker everyone noticed.

"Attention, citizens of Heidrum. The battle has commenced to a loss." It was the Tau Commander speaking through them. "We ask you all to gather at your town square for further instructions; there is nothing to fear."

All civilians looked at each other in uncertainty. It seemed like an eternity until everyone slowly left the bunker and started walking towards the remanence of their home, with the four friends following along.

It was only a short walk to the remains of the square, only to be greeted by a Tau on a platform. This one had no armor but wore a fancy decorated white cloak with a barren chest and a crescent-like hat on his head. In his hands was a long, broad-bladed halberd mounted on a lightweight-looking metallic staff that glowed red like a bright gemstone. Next to him was a squad of six Tau soldiers that featured white helmets, shoulder pauldrons, and knee pads on their body armor.

"Citizens of Heidrum, there is nothing to fear." The speaker in the cloak spoke, his voice echoing around the citizens like a diplomat trying to calm his audience. "Your planet will be now under the banner of the Greater Good, you will and can continue worshipping your "God-Emperor" and maintain your faith with your "Imperial Cult." All the damage we have broughten will be rebuilt and repaired as all your wounded will be treated. equally. After all, everyone has a place, and everyone matters within the Greater Good."

With awe at the Tau speaker, the kids noticed how some citizens seemed relieved, others neutral, yet some only looked with distrust and silent malic before the crowd dispersed, as the kids went to their new home too.

They helped clean for around half an hour before there was a knock on the door, with the mother answering. It was Kyle, giving her hope, yet dreaded the worst as his expression was neutral. "Yes?"

"I got…good news." He smiled weakly. "Oscar's alive and well, being treated at the hospital. I can bring you to him, if you want."

"Of course!" The two girls exclaimed, joined by their guests.

Kyle nodded, leading them through the streets, with the girl and Colts noticing that some large stumbling cybernetic humans were performing repairs on damaged buildings. Their bodies were infused and covered in metal, their faces an unemotional grey skin of blank faces, with only their feet and one arm still organic; the other was a mechanical claw or various tools in place instead.

"W-what are those things?" Pip stuttered in confusion and slight fear. Zoe only looked to where he was looking.

"Those? They are Servitors. As far as I know, they are mindless drones to carry out simple, manual tasks across the Imperium of Man." Zoe explained, "I heard a factory worker explaining them; apparently, they're just genetically engineered, vat-grown, sub-human, and purpose to be like this." She said before looking around and kneeling to the colt's height. "Although… I've heard a rumor or two that some were criminals that went against Imperial Law, or even went rogue granting a sort of last chance at service to the Imperium." She whispered, with slight discomfort in her voice, causing Tungsten to shiver.

Given what his mother went through, Tungsten couldn't help but imagine the same sentence and fate for her, something that was quite likely if she had been in the Imperium and not Equestria.

His female host quickly took notice and rested her hand on his head, petting him gently with regret in her eyes. "S-sorry did not mean to scare you like that."

"It's fine." He smiled weakly in return, hiding his worry and shaking off his thoughts.

Entering the hospital, they got led towards one of the patient rooms, and they met Oscar again on the bed with his left leg in cast, yet his mood was not affected at all, smiling at the visitors. "Hey, my babies, how are you doing?"

"Daddy!" His daughters ran to him in bed, hugging him joyfully as he returned it, then looked at his young equine guests, forcing a weak smile, unsure what to say.

"Glad to see you are alright too. Made me worry for you."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Blau asked, his eyes fixed on the man's leg, who waved a hand.

"Ah, don't worry about it; I survived worse. So this is as bad as it looks. I was lucky I just grazed it."

"Indeed." Becky joined with Jan. "He should be out in a few days, and his injury healed within a few weeks."

"Glad to you do great work as always, Ms. Landon." A new voice sounded, and they turned around to see the Tau with the staff in the doorway, escorted by two bodyguards. "May I have a word with the Lieutenant in private, if you'll be so kind?" He asked, his voice a friendly, calming tone that only got a hardened stare from Oscar.

"Of course, Aun'Vre." Ms. Landon quickly bowed her head and gathered Oscar's family and visitors to follow her out of his room, causing the veteran to eye the Tau with a thick, tense silence between the two.

"Greetings, Lieutenant Millan, I am Ethereal Aun'Vre. You got quite an impressive service record from what I've read." Despite this compliment and friendliness, the Ethereal had a neutral expression to the cold stare from the guardsmen.

"And what got me this honor for you to meet me?" Oscar asked, responding in an empty tone.

"You have been through quite a lot for the Imperium of man. Yet why risk your life to more and longer suffering? With us, you can be your local troops' commander and live a safer and honorable life within our ranks. I am asking you to be your people."

There was no immediate reply by the Guardsmen, only a profound silence from him with his mind lost in thought, but his stare held on the Tau—a promising offer, yet… conflict formed within him. Like Finkle, he knew what was at stake and tried to predict the actions that would come with his choice.

"I... I am honored by your trust, but I fear what would happen to my family if the Imperium of man were to find out of this choice you offer." Oscar stated fear hidden, but with every word he spoke in his voice, trying to stay respectful yet attempting to gain further detail from the Tau, who only nodded at his query.

"You care much for your family, and you're remaining loyal to your race. I cant help but give my respect to a warrior. Be assured, your family's safety and that of your… guests will and always be our top priority, that I can guarantee." Aun'Vre promised. "I offer you this and only ask you to think over this offer, Lieutenant Millan."

Oscar only stared before the Ethereal, watching him leave his hospital room, leaving the guardsmen to lay in bed and sigh at what had transpired.

Back home, the time of day passed quickly, and the family enjoyed and dinned with their guests, and the time for sleep came over.

"Goodnight, guys." Pip said to his friends as they returned the gesture. The screen closed in Tungsten's bionic eye with the glowing light dimming black.

Despite what they went through from war, they now drift soundly and calmly to sleep.

With morning approaching, a rather odd sound came to their ears in their slumber: the sounds of metallic machinery combined with a laser cutting through it.

"Beginning repairs. Construction matrix engaged." A robotic voice spoke, causing the youngers to awaken and look through the window. Outside were floating robots in the colors of the Tau colors, round in bodily form complimented with two small claws on their sides, a small crane on the top, a single red eye in the middle, with what looked like a laser cutter at the bottom, having replaced the Servitors.

Despite being tired in the morning, the four children got up for breakfast, each taking a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of juice. But it was a relatively calm morning. Helping out as needed, soon, around late morning, the doorbell rang, and Zoe answered it.

"Oh, Becky, what brings you here? She asked, surprised to see her at their home.

"Well, I thought I should help our young friends with their new bionics, teaching them how to maintain and care for them you know." Becky smiled weakly, with the mother stepping aside.

"Oh, Becky, how have you been?" Blau asked, giving a cheery wave, which she returned.

"Doing alright from the hospital, dealing with more wounded civies and soldiers the Xeno Tau are bringing in, so are Kyle and Jan; we got released pretty much right after it was over, given me and the others have our medical roles, plus Jan and her son are just civilians." She paused to let out a light yawn before continuing.

"Anyways, I am here to help you maintain your bionics." Only now, they noticed she carried a bag with tools entering their home, turning to Tungsten and Pip.

"For you two, it's quite simple; by pressing the release switches and then twisting them gently, they can be detached easily." She said, pointing over to the couch; it was there where both colts noticed through a mirror that their cybernetics had a button on their sides.

She started pressing one after the other release switch. Both colts felt their cybernetics release before she gently twisted them, and they came off, with the vision of the older colt being slightly blurry, revealing an empty circle where the eyepiece had been. The young woman showed both how to maintain and clean the lens before putting it back in place before her expression went unease as her eyes fell on the siblings. "For your Cybernetics, as you can probably imagine, will be more complicated."

"H-How much?" Katja asked with a voice of dread.

"I am afraid I will have to put you under for this. Let's go to the guest room for this. If you would follow me, please, Katja."

Katja did as told, uneasy about it as she lay down and the medic prepared a syringe. Upon injection, the young girl felt sleepy, slowly drifting away.

With unease and slight curiosity, the others watched as Becky unscrewed several screws, two connected to the shoulder blade bones, two on the base of the rib cage and the twelve vertebrae of the spine, and finally, two more on the base where the spine connected with the pelvis. Upon finishing, the medic unplugged what looked like small cables among the muscles and joints, then carefully and slowly lifted the cybernetic spine.

Every move was precise, calculated, and perfect with care, as if she had this done hundreds of times before, yet she was also swift and efficient in it, as it looked like it took her only a quarter of an hour.

"It's a pain but better than to have nothing, just an inconvenience," Becky commented, sighing as she turned to Katja's brother. "Your turn. Don't worry; I've done this so many times before."

Blau Streifen just nodded and got on the bed, too, being put under Pip, and Tungsten's eyes shrank in awe and horror as the woman placed multiple syringes into small, barely noticeable plug-like ports, injecting it with some liquid, then repeated the same process on different ports all over their friend's body.

"Special liquidized metal fluid straight into the bone marrow, if you are wondering usefully for internal reinforments." She explained to them, nodding in response.

Nonetheless, she finished it with the same timespan as their Katja, with the two waking up soon after.

"Is... is it done?" Blau asked, still a bit dizzy, getting a nod.

"You should still rest a bit," Becky advised, yet sees a question in the young girl's mind.

"Can I take a shower after this?" Katja asked concerned.

"Of course you can." Zoe replied with a chuckle, and after 10 minutes or so, feelings fully returned to their bodies; no longer dizzy, Blau and Katja made their way to the bathroom, with Lola handing over a grey t-shirt and jeans, smiling.

"Here, have some of my old clothes, it's no trouble."

"Thanks." Her expression became unease as she looked at her host, brother, and friends. "Um, could you please…"

Blau Streifen quickly realized what she meant, and so did the others. "Oh right, sure thing, sis."

They turned away, giving her privacy to take the bathroom. It had a slightly futuristic design, with some automated things, yet it was very similar to home, almost. Undressed, putting her clothes into the basket to be washed, and getting into the shower, a sigh of happiness escaped her mouth as she turned the warm water on and on to her body.

The warmth helped her ease all that had happened despite the cold spot where her spine was. Nonetheless, she didn't waste any time, being done within a few minutes, allowing her brother to go next.

"I'll be there if you need anything, sweetie," Zoe offered, getting a weak smile in return due to his cybernetics.

It was a very odd feeling for the young colt, barely feeling the warm water on his body, but he was glad he could still enjoy a wash. Upon finishing, his host entered and helped him to dry himself, as his cybernetics made it a bit tricky to reach all his spots himself.

Tungsten, however, had trouble, he wasn't used to his blurry vision when showering, and his younger friend had problems as well.

A few days passed, and a knock came to the door; Zoe opened it to reveal a man with crutches. "Heh, Hey, my love." Oscar smiled at his wife.

"Dad!" both his daughters ran towards their father to jump into his embrace, yet careful at the site of his still-plastered foot as he chuckled happily.

"I'm happy to see you two again; it's good to be home with you all again." He hugged them back tightly.

"Glad to see you are back, Oscar." Tungsten smiled weakly at him as he looked up at the colt from his kid's embrace.

"Same for you, kids, but don't worry about me; in a week or two, I'll be marching along like I used to." He jested assured them as they smiled warmly.

But as he barely entered, the doorbell rang, with Zoe answering it. Before her stood a man with black hair and brown eyes, the neighbor she recognized, who smiled weakly at her. "Hello, Mr. John, what brings you here?"

"Hello, Mrs. Zoe. I wanted to check on you after Oscar got released. Also... The Tau would like to enroll your guests in school.

"O-oh... Okay and their school supplies?" she asked, completely surprised by this with a hint of concern.

"Do not worry; I'll provide it for them, given I am your children's homeroom teacher and funded by our.... "newly" planetary Rulers."

"Right, right... Okay then, when does it start for them?" She asked concern at ease slightly but still hinting in her eyes and voice.

"Tomorrow." John responded, making her flinch, and she slowly nodded before he bowed his head and left. She walked into the living room to brief her family and guests about the news.

Tungsten shifted his forelegs nervously, his eye darting around. "A-Are you sure this is a good idea? I don't want any trouble or know anything about all that has happened, let alone get into a fight." His friends also shared the same look of unease expressions, but Lola gave them a weak yet cheerful smile.

"I told you, I got your back. Plus, with the Tau, I doubt anyone would dare to try messing with you." She said, comforting the young colt.

"Y-Yeah, Thanks…" He smiled back in appreciation before Zoe called her neighbor for the school supplies, a dark grey saddleback and cream-colored backpack for Blau and Katja, while Tungsten and Pip had a ginger and light brown saddlebags, respectively. While having a slightly futuristic look in sleek designs, the school supplies themselves were not much different from home.

Evening approached, and all residents got ready for bed, with the young guests being slightly nervous about their first school day.

At six a.m., the alarm clock rang in the guest room, and Tungsten reached out a hoof to turn it off as his friends were still sleepy, struggling to stay awake. Nonetheless, they woke up for breakfast, brushed their teeth afterward, and collected their things in their school bags.

"Ready for School?" Lara asked with a smile, and Tungsten gave a weak smile in return, taking a deep breath with the others to prepare himself.

"Ready as we'll ever be." He responded calmly.

And so, the sisters led the way to their school, with their guests following through the busy bustling from where they stood to above them and even down below them in some parts. They all took notice of a few newly placed Ethereal statues and the emblem of the Tau on a few buildings—a circle with a smaller one inside of it connected by a horizontal line.

New posters and holographic messages were plastered and playing across the walls, their eyes wide to see Oscar on some of them, with Tau soldier and a friendly smile on his face. Under them was the text, "The Greater good knows no bounds to all if they are willing to learn from it."

They were shocked by it, seeing Oscar, a man at one point who was killing the Tau but now being friends with them, but only pushed away, reaching the sizeable rectangular school that took around fifteen minutes. Some other students gave the newcomers a surprised look, some a judgmental look, seeing that they were animals and strange, but that was all till the two girls led their friends inside with smiles to ease them.

Taking the stairs to the first floor, the group reached a metal door and entered the homeroom classroom; it had four windows, letting in the bright morning sunlight, and 20 desks arranged near perfect spacing and aligned, most of which were still empty. "Guess we're the first, let's take our first seat, shall we?" Lara asked.

"Yeah." Blau Streifen yawned and stretched himself, as he was still tired, before taking a sit at the desk closest to the door next to his sister. Pip and Tungsten took the seats behind them, being the only ones they knew well.

Looking at the clock, they both saw it was seven-fifty. Within the remaining time, they saw other students coming in and filling the remaining desks. Just as the clock showed eight, a bell rang, signaling the beginning of class, with the teacher last walking in—a man with black hair and brown eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Lewis!" the students greeted him aloud.

"Good morning, class. I am delighted to see you all back and alright after all the conflict. Be assured, our lessons are not fully affected by the Tau." Lewis smiled at them, showing a caring trait for his students. "On behalf of the Tau, we have some newcomers." He said, looking at the two colts sitting behind the two sisters.

"Please welcome them and be respectful with kindness." He said, gesturing for them to come in front of the class.

Nervous, the four friends got up and stepped forward, with Pip taking the lead first to speak, smiling weakly. "I-I'm Pipsqueak, but my friends call me Pip." He introduced himself, followed by his friend

"I am Tungsten. We all come from a world called Equestria, with Pip and I from Trottingham." He said, with the other students whispering and giggling quietly as they stared at the four.

"I am Katja, and this is my brother, Blau Streifen. We also come from Equestria but lived in a town called Sunny Town." The young girl followed. As expected, the class stared at them in confusion before the two sisters started to clap, slowly joined by the others.

"Interesting, I am sure you would like to tell the class more about these places, but we have a lesson start first, shall we?" Their teacher asked as they returned to their seats. He activated a holographic board with the lights fading and the windows closing themselves with words and pictures of planets being shown.

"Several thousands of years ago, humanity, originating from the holy world of Terra, developed the necessary technology to leave Terra's orbit and expand to colonize the Segmentum Solar. Eventually, further technological progress allowed humanity to construct our glorious interstellar starships that colonize the star of our Milky Way galaxy." Lewis started by showing pictures of very ancient and strange naval starships of white and black coloring white and black in the void of space.

It fascinated the four friends, not believing humanity could have gone so far, as their teacher continued, "With that came the holy moment to humanity called "The Age of Technology," It saw the development of the first true Human interstellar civilization and the birth of some form of stellar formation centered on the holy world of Terra." The screen showed much more advanced Naval starships, having a somewhat elegant form, in shape almost royally like, "It gave us many opening to more technological advances we have to this day, but it also lead to a… horrific conflict…" Unease was in his voice.

"Humanity fell into isolation, constant warfare, disease, rampant mutation, famine, and a host of other terrible tragedies and traitors from other worlds. It pushed Mankind to the brink of its end." This caused the children to gasp and cringe in shock and horror. It was unimaginable for them that Ponykind could suffer something like this.

"But…" Now, Mr. John Lewis smiled, "This was where our glorious God Emperor revealed himself to Mankind and started the Unification of humanity on Terra under one banner and sought to reunite all the scattered, isolated worlds of Man beneath that single holy banner, which would become our Holy Imperium of Mankind." He roared out, turning to the class, holding his arms out in the air.

"Glory to our holy Imperium, Glory to our God Emperor, Ave Imperator!" He cheered with various scenes and beautiful artworks of the God Emperor leading fleets and soldiers in ancient holy golden armor to the Royal Imperial Guard and even Space marines shown as the class shouted out with joy and admiration, "Ave Imperator."

Somehow, it reminded the young children of the actions of the first Alicorn in Equestria's existence, Lauren Faust, and to some extent, that of Celestia and Luna. Humanity was devoted to continuing despite their hardships throughout the thousand years.

After that came math, which was not an issue for them, using a holographic calculator built into their desks before soon after the bell rang, and all students left the room for recess.

Reaching the schoolyard, Pip, Tungsten, Katja, and Blau looked in awe at it, which was also a vast playground size. There were three swing sets on the playground's left and right sides and one in the center. There was a tetherball area, a slide, a full basketball court, plenty of oak trees with dark shade for naps, and some benches.

Sitting down on one, they opened their lunch boxes, delighted to see Sandwiches with a cut apple.

"After school, how about I show you the forests and explore?" Lara suggested, getting nods from her friends.

"Hey hey, gorgeous." A new voice interrupted the group, forcing them to see an athletic boy with blond hair and brown eyes smiling at Lola. "Glad to see you are okay, my dear." He sounded friendly, yet his body and tone showed signs as if he had… feelings for the older girl, but Lola only rolled her eyes in response at his "charming" charisma unamused.

"Yes, I am fine; thanks for asking, Dean." Lola's reply was flat and empty, yet he seemed unbothered by it, not even acknowledging her tone or her lack of attention to him.

"Anytime, doll, I am always here if you need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on." Smiling arrogantly, the boy walked away, not paying, oblivious to the others.

"Oooh, seems like you got a crush." Katja commented teasingly, seeing her face annoyed. "You should be happy about it." Now, her head slightly lowered, sounding somewhat sad, only to be hugged by her brother.

"Yes, but you would not believe how many young boys have a crush on me or try to go after me just because my father is a veteran and has close relations with officers." Dismay was in the older sister's voice, yet she smiled weakly.

"It's uncomfortable with this attention, wanting someone I can trust as a father does with mother. I can imagine how you must feel in your world, Katja, but if you consider my situation, you might not have it so bad." Those words made her female guest realize there was some truth in her words.

Only for the bell to signal that the class was about to start again, making the kids quickly finish their snacks and quickly get back to their class, with their teacher looking a bit uncomfortable, having a tau diplomat with him. "Okay, class. Now we will learn a bit about the... the Greater Good." He said in a distrusting tone while looking at the diplomat.

With tension and eagerness, the four friends listened to how the diplomat told the class how, for the Greater Good, they could pray to the God Emperor. Yet, all those who contribute towards it have a meaningful and valued place within T'au society, showing pictures of other humans who worked with the Tau. It sounded similar to how Equestria lived in harmony, making them wonder how the Tau meeting Equestria would go.

"Now, I know it's only been a few days, young ones, but if we get attacked, seek cover and call the nearest patrol by any means necessary, preferably through your "vox-calls" or our holochrons." His hand held up a small round object; it blinked before showing a hologram of a Firewarrior. "Any information you can and may provide the troops could prove critical." In response, the class nodded to the diplomat's words, some giving only stares matching their teacher's untrustworthiness.

To the kids' surprise, this took the entire lesson, and it was lunch break. As the group arrived at the cafeteria, their eyes widened to see Jan among the staff, which she took notice of as she handed them some vegetarian meals in the form of salad with potatoes, winking and smiling at them. "Just helping out kids, enjoy your meals!"

Taking a free table, they ate, enjoying the fresh and warm taste. "So far, it went rather well, don't you think?" Tungsten asked with awe, getting a shrug from the older sister.

"I guess our classmates don't want to upset the Tau." Lola suspected, giving a distant look. "After lunch, there will be athletics, but I think the school will go through some changes."

"If you say to." the colt said. After their break, they got back to class, and Lewis had news. "Okay, class. I'm afraid to announce that today the school will give you an early release, as we have got to... "reorganize" our schedule along with things for the next lessons for your school year first." His tone was empty, devoid of all emotions, and his face was blank.

"Be safe, kids, enjoy the time with your friends and families, and have a nice day." And so, they walked home, with Oscar's wife delighted to see them once they arrived. "Welcome back, how was school?" She Greeted.

"Better than I thought, everyone treated us well, surprisingly." Pip's friend said, smiling, "Though we might need some clothing for the sports lessons."

Zoe's smile did not fade at all at this news. "Oh well, that won't be an issue. Just tell me what you need and your favorite colors, and I'll do my best to take care of it."

"Crimson red is my favorite color". Pip said happily.

"And I usually wear navy Blue." Tungsten added.

"An orange headband would do it for me and swimming, a dark blue swimsuit, please." Katja requested; she, on the other hand, scratched the back of his head awkwardly at his turn.

"Blue would do to for me but….I might need a swim cap to prevent drag and maybe hoof flippers. Normal sports would be too much if I get rubber horseshoes, as to protect my hooves from getting worn down... if that's okay?"

"No trouble." Zoe responded warmly.

The rest of the day was quiet, with them again helping out in the house before evening arrived once more, the clothing being delivered just after dinner, much to their surprise fitted perfectly upon trying them on.

Their next day in school was not any different, except that they had swimming lessons before lunch, their break, and nervously approaching the dressing rooms. "Don't worry, Katja, I got your back... try to avoid staring." Their older host assured her, giving a weak smile, causing her to nod in appreciation. Her brother and two fellow colts took a deep breath before entering.

"Hey there, guys, don't mind us." One of the other students said respectfully to their newcomers, surprising them.

Katja took only a glance at the other girls. The human body was interesting, yet it wasn't so much different from hers.

"Maybe I worry too much." She thought as Lola waved at her in support before heading to the showers.

"I hope I won't drop like a stone with my cybernetics." Blau said with a concerned tone as they did their quick showers before getting a pat on the shoulder by one of the boys.

"Don't worry, our teacher knows CPR, and I am sure if it is too heavy, they wouldn't have let you attend the swimming lessons, would they?"

"Right... Right."

Joining the others at the pool and climbing it, they were all happy in the warm water. Blau rejoiced he could swim with his cybernetics as they practiced throughout the lesson.

Tungsten used a single-eye goggles and adjusted them to his visual augment eye, so he kept his eyepiece on, glad it was waterproof.

Once done, they returned to the showers. Pip and Tungsten noticed their friend had trouble drying himself, unable to reach some spots. "Here let me help you."

Pip took the towel and dried the tricky-to-reach spots, causing his grey friend to blush. "This is so embarrassing…" Blau dreadfully said.

"Friends help each other, Blau, no reason to be ashamed about this." Tungsten pointed out with a weak smile.

"Right. You are real good friends, Dinky would be lucky to have you." Blau smiled back before looking down. "I hope you weren't… upset about my crush on her back then."

His voice sounded somewhat afraid, getting wrapped into a hug by him. "Not at all. A bit... unsure at first, but I'll admit but I realized you're just as good as a friend to her. Plus, you got my gratitude for keeping her safe."

His pinto friend smiled proudly, making the grey colt chuckle. "Just did what my parents taught me. being polite and what can I say, she does look nice, just like Ivory does. Although I feel a bit confused, as I like them both, but I don't want to get in your way."

"I am sure when we get back home, we can figure things out." Pip assured him before they walked out.

As time passed, school became routine for them, similar to home, taking their lessons and paying attention to tests until it was time for a regular sports lesson. They did a few runs and climbs, with the teacher having a unique idea for the end. "Okay, class, we end the lesson with a soccer match." He handed out bright yellow T-shirts for the other team.

To their relief, the friends stayed together and with their hosts, with Blau being the goalkeeper, his Pip and Tungsten defenders, and the girls taking the middle field. They mainly played defensively, passing the ball whenever possible.

The enemy team was persistent, getting the ball close to the goal. As the opposing player approached to the right, dodging both colts, Blau acted quickly, eyes focused on the ball, and leaped to the right, catching the ball with ease and passing it back to his team.

To his dismay, the opponent gained the upper hand again, coming from the left, but again, the young colt quickly reacted and leaped after it, easily catching it.

There, their team managed to get the ball and scored a goal, making everyone cheer just before Lewis called it to an end.

"Well played guys, especially you Blau!" One student praised him, causing him to blush slightly.

"I just enjoy playing soccer heh." He chuckled, hiding his redding face.

During the break, the kids noticed Dean had walked up to them. "Hey there, have you seen Lola?" He asked them, and Tungsten answered for them.

"Uh... think she's using the bathroom."

"Ah, okay, I'll wait here for her then." The boy sounded slightly disappointed, looking off in the distance."

"I don't want to sound mean to you, but you realize she doesn't like you, right?" Pip dared to ask in an unsure voice, and to their surprise, Dean sighed.

"I know, it's just… I want to show Lola some guys truly like her, not just because of her father's background." Dean responded with disappointment in his tone.

"Oh… I might not be the best at these things, but maybe you should try to approach her calmly." The pinto colt advised, getting a weak smile.

"I... I guess you're right. I'll try."

Just then, they heard a cry of pain, realizing it was that of Lara, and wasted no time checking on her.

In fear and slight anger, they saw the young girl pinned to the ground by a larger boy, who held up her lunch box before throwing it to the ground. "Hey, get off her, you jerk!" Blau yelled at her attacker, who was not fazed by it.

"Or what? Just because the xeno Tau accepts you, you think you can do as you please?" He taunted.

"I said. Leave. Her. ALONE!" The colt charged at the bully in the heat of fury, tackling him to the ground and off his young host. His sister and friends, while shocked, didn't hesitate to check Lara with Dean and Lola, helping her up as she sobbed slightly, covered in dusk and having slight bruises.

Blau punched him in his chest but was quickly thrown off with a kick to the gut, causing him to struggle to breathe, let alone feel the air leave his body and fly off the bully.

Despite the pain, he did not cry as he landed on his back but couldn't react. The bully pressed his foot on him, making the colt struggle to free himself. "Is that all you got? weak!"

"Franco!" An angry voice made him flinch, turning around in fear to see Lewis behind him with an angry expression. "You are in so much trouble, boy!"

Scared, France stopped getting off Blau and walked towards the teacher, trembling and following him away before the teacher came back with concern on his face. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a few bruises. "S-sorry, Mr. Lewis, I just couldn't stand seeing…" Blau trembled, now realizing he might get into trouble too, but the teacher formed a soft smile, patting his head.

"You just wanted to defend, Lara, I understand, you'll be giving a warning." A breath of relief escaped his mouth as his sister hugged the young human.

"It'll gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay." Lara smiled weakly in appreciation at the words before her teacher brought her to the nurse.

It was there where Blau lowered his head in what seemed to be a shame. "S-Sorry, guys, that I lost it…."

They just wrapped him into a hug, his sister only smiling at him. "It happens to all of us, brother, it makes no difference."

As the school day ended, Zoe and Oscar took in the news. "While I can't say I appreciate you butted heads with Franco's boy, I do appreciate you defended Lara." Oscar commented, getting a nod from Blau.

Then the doorbell rang, and as Zoe answered it, they saw Franco's parents with him.

"Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Milan, we were told our son got into a fight with one of your guests?" His father asked, and they nodded. "We would like to offer our apologies for our son's actions. Now, Franco, apologize. Now."

"I-I am sorry for hurting your daughter Mr. Milan..." He sounded rather frustrated but afraid, giving the kids a glare, who just shook their heads in disapproval before his father gave him a slap to the back of his head.

"Try again, boy."

"I am sorry I hit you." He said more convincingly, but his eyes still held a glint of anger and lies.

"Apology accepted." They all spoke together, only to stare at him before returning inside as they left.

The days passed into weeks and eventually a month, the kids helping out as good as they could in the house and going to school.

Early in the morning on the weekend, Pip woke up with the siblings to see Tungsten was gone. As Pip opened his mouth to wish a good morning, his ears twitched at a faint sobbing sound, and he, with his friends, followed to investigate.

Their hearts broke to see their friend in a corner of the hallway, his back to them, head lowered. "Tungsten…" His younger friend spoke up, making him flinch.

"I-I am fine… Ju- Just." The older colt replied hastily, yet the pinto foal quickly realized what this was about.

"Feeling homesick, aren't you?"

Now, Tungsten turned around, tears trailing down his cheeks. "Y-yeah..." They wrapped him into a large hug. "We’ve only been here for a month…but how long is that back home? Does mum still have hope? Or…”

"Now, now, I know how hard this is Tungsten, but I am sure your families still have hope. You and Pip can't give up when we went missing with Dinky," Katja pointed out with a weak smile.

"Y-yeah... R-right…"

"Yeah, it can be hard to bear," Zoe's voice sounded, seeing their hosts behind them. "My daughters and I pray for Oscar when he is away, always missing him so dearly." She said as the sisters joined the hug.

"I missed my family every time the guard deployed me; hell, I remember praying so many times when I went to my first deployment as a white shield… it was exciting, but... it was frightening, chaotic. and horrifying." Oscar says slightly, giving a thousand-yard stare, only to close his eyes, feeling his wife's arms wrap around his neck and hold him.

"It was nothing like how they dilled and trained us for or even the Imperial handbook said it would be... Of course that's pretty much the way it was for all of us in the guard, wasn't it? All that Propaganda, all those years of training... it never really prepared you for all the screams, the blood, or the bodies, doesn't it?" He said with a shaken tone as the memories played in his mind in perfect detail.

An explosion tore him out from his squad, seeing several guardsmen and himself blasted away. Landing on the ground hard mudded dirty with a painful groan, Oscar gasped to see Guardsmen's bodies either dead or dying all around him to what could only be described for him as deadly, giant black and grey beasts, some large and bipedal, others had several limbs, stabbing through the Imperium's ranks, slicing through Sentinel walker armor that got quickly deployed by a dropship.

"Rise WhiteShields! Your Imperium needs you, Guardsmen! Forward! Forward!" A commissar officer shouted at the top of his lungs in a roar before noticing Milan, grabbing him by his carapace chest piece and pulling him up on his feet. "WhiteShield Milan, get up! I did not permit you to die yet; we are almost there!"

"Almost where sir!? Where we're going!?" The young recruit screamed in shock before getting his answer, with the commissar slamming a las-gun into his chest as Milan held it in his shaken hands.

"Over that last ridge, their boy, we pushed those beasts back! To Victory!" His superior exclaimed confidently, charging forward before an explosion landed on him, causing only a red mist and blood to splatter on Milan's shell-shocked body. Shortly after, a missile hit the Sentinel, falling over and exploding, making his earring deafeningly.

Scared, deafened, and without orders, the fresh Guardsman dived into a ditch, the ringing in his ears fading and filled with the screams of the wounded dying and the feared. Hearing cries please and begging mothers, wives, and the emperor to come down and save them. Till a firing line of red Las beams littered above him from an incoming foe of a man saving him as the screams faded and roaring order filled his ear.

"For the Imperium of Man! Strike true and strike with precision!" A voice yelled, and Milan looked up on his hands and knees to see several Guardsmen in thicker carapace armor and helmets firing large Lasguns attached to power packs on their backs. His eyes widened in awe as he recognized these soldiers: Kasrkin, elite forces of the Guard hailing from the only world to birth such great soldiers, fortress world, and cities of Cadia Prime.

They fired their las-guns at blazing speed and power over him to cover as one yelled at his squad leader, "Staff Sergeant Major Grey! This is more than we expected!"

"Ah, we faced worse! Just like on Seperus Prime, we just need to push them back!" He confidently replied, "Just like the commander ordered!"

"He just got killed, sir!" Oscar reported to him, who remained unfazed.
"Firstly, shiny, it's Staff Sergeant Major, not sir!" He looked at Oscar with a death stare, making him question who to be more afraid of before his bright purple glowing eyes looked around at the other soldiers. "Who's the ranking officer now?"

"You are, Staff Sergeant Major! T-That would be you, Staff Sergeant Major!" Oscar pointed out, causing the officer to look briefly at his rank insignia, making a squad mate chuckle.

"He's gotcha there mate. So, what's the plan; Staff Sergeant Major Grey?"

Grey thought for a moment. "You flank left, me and the whiteshield flank right. Good luck, and do what you do best, men!"

"Luck's got nothing to do with it in the Lord Castellan's Own!" His squadmate yelled back before they charged, firing at every hostile they saw. "Keep firing till they see the glow of our Barrels-"

Only for a scream and explosion ranging in the Guardsman's ears, seeing how the squad mate was thrown to the ground by another explosion, with Grey looking at Oscar with raw anger. "Cover me damn it!" Making him obey and give covering fire without hesitation as Grey ran behind him to his fellow Kasrkin and dragged him back by his pack straps.

It was there where the rest of the guardsmen managed to gain the upper hand, giving Oscar and Grey a moment to rest. "That was some nice shooting, son. What's your name, Shiny?" Grey asked curiously.

"Whiteshield Private O-Oscar Milan, 211th Heidrum Regiment." The fresh soldier replied, a bit nervous and shaking still before getting a hard pat on the shoulder.

"You did well today here. I'll be sure to pass on my recommendations to High Command."

"T-thank you, Staff Sergeant Major!" Oscar saluted, "I fight for my wife and daughter."

"Oh?" In response, Oscar pulled a small parchment paper out of his pocket, showing his pregnant wife and child. "Quite a gorgeous woman you got there. I also got a beautiful woman; she could kill you with just her terrifying glare from her beautiful eyes." The Cadian Kasrkin laughed aloud.

"If it weren't for him back then, I probably would've never had made it this far. Even in the Imperium, you can still make good friendships." The veteran smiled weakly.

"Thank you Uncle Grey." The youngest whispered as she moved to hug her father.

"Yet now I still remember a rather… odd adventure with him…" Oscar said his brow flexing slightly.

"Oh?" Blau asked, surprised, their host turning to his family.

"Would you prepare breakfast, sweetie?"

"Sure thing, daddy!" His younger daughter exclaimed in glee, making her way to the kitchen with her sister and mother, as Oscar took a deep breath.

"It was on an imperial world, which name I can't remember, having been ordered to assist the governor out…"

So you two are the help I have requested?" The governor asked as he looked at Oscar and Grey with surprise.

"Yes, sir, we have the most experience out of the available guardsmen in the area. What do you need?" Oscar explained, with the reply being unexpected.

"Some local gang saw it fit to steal my personal store of fine Amasec and you need to recover it for me. The store is in an old brewery."

"With respect, why us? Wouldn't that be something for the local law enforcement or the Adeptus Arbites?"

That Amasec they stole was meant for a friend, so it's rather personal for me. If they resist, kill them." The governor warned, and they just nodded.

Driving a truck to get there, they found it odd that nobody was guarding outside, yet prepared to breach. Kicking the door open, they scanned their surroundings…

Only to find... no one. "Why would they leave the place unguarded?" Milan wondered, with his friends shrugging.

"Probably didn't expect anyone would find this place, but it makes our job easier." With that, they loaded the barrels onto the truck and delivered the Amasec to a bar that the governor's friend owned.

In the owner's office, Oscar took the word. "Here's the Amasec as the governor asked, anything else?"

The owner laughed, "Take it easy, boys; let me finish this drink first, okay?" He poured himself a glass and took a sip, but what happened next was barely a moment later; his body cramped and shook, giving a sickly expression, causing both guardsmen to look at each other in surprise and worry.

He started to cough, skin becoming pale, before letting out an angry roar, flipping over the table, and charging at Oscar before they could react, pinning him to the wall and choking him. Milan fought with all his strength, but his vision quickly blurred black.

Just as he thought it was over, it quickly returned as he got released, seeing the man turning around with a fire axe in his back, unfazed, before throwing Grey against the wall.

But his friend was quick, drawing his sidearm pistol and firing at point-blank into the head, blasting his head off.

Grey groaned in pain but waved a hand to show he was fine. "What in hell happened to him?" His mind wandered, and a quick realization came to Oscar's mind.

"Hey, may-maybe it was this Amasec?" Dread was in his voice.
"I doubt it; the guests drank it, too." Just as he turned towards the bar, they saw all the guests glaring through the glass, having similar body conditions. Both men screamed in surprise and horror as the patrons of the bar started clawing at the glass window, breaking through.

Grey quickly grabbed his weapon and fired to hold them back as he shouted, "Open the damn door!"

His friend wasted no time and bashed it open; both men made a run toward the truck and drove away towards the governor to report what happened.

"What?! As if the stealing wasn't bad enough…" Dismay was in the governor's voice before tossing over some explosive, "Get rid of the evidence!"

Knowing there was no arguing with him, they did as told, heading back to the brewery and planting the explosive on the large storage vats before hearing a growl.

Turning around, they saw the patrons trying to break in. "We are trapped in here!" Oscar yelled in slight panic before his friend pointed to a trapdoor, quickly climbing down, seeing briefly, to their confusion, how the people went to drink the Amasec that was still in the brewery.

A large shockwave made them almost lose their balance as they barely walked a few meters. They wondered what was happening before they saw the Amasec flushing into the sewer from the warehouse's drains, forcing them to abandon the sewers.

They had no time to catch their breath, noticing a bright flash coming from behind, and turned around. Their eyes went small to see a mushroom cloud-like explosion coming towards them.

Screaming, they scrambled for cover behind a wall, covering their ears and bracing themselves, feeling the enormous heat on their skins, ears ringing.

It seemed like hours until they noticed… They were still alive and checked themselves, miraculously surviving unharmed.

Daring to look out of their somewhat intact cover, they saw in shock how the city was mostly destroyed, in ruins. "Oh, man, I doubt we can explain ourselves out of this…" Grey mumbled before Oscar noticed a ship on landing approach.

It landed near them, and the loading door opened to… an Inquisitor walked out, taking in his surroundings. "I was about to ask what happened here, but I have a suspicion you two know the answer." His voice was suspicious, causing both men to gulp.

"Well…" Oscar started and explained how they got into this, the inquisitor listening to them patiently.

He stared at them for a moment before opening his mouth. "I see, there were hints of the governor… acting against the Imperium, and this…confirms it. But as you are my only two witnesses and indirectly helped me, you are free to go."

The kids could only stare at what Oscar told them before Blau broke the silence. "How is this even possible!?"

"I don't know and I don't wanna know. My best guess would be that the Amasec was adulterated with an unknown substance through poor distilling, a new recipe, or accidental contamination." Oscar patted his head with a weak smile, "I am just glad I got out of that in one piece."

Before they could form any answer, Lara walked in, having an eager smile as she eyed the colts. "Do you mind if I try something?"

They just nodded, and the young girl stretched her arms out; her left hand went for Blau, her right for Tungsten, scratching their ears. Giving in to animal instinct, both moaned softly in pleasure, leaning into it, with Katja chuckling, seeing their eyes roll back. She often saw her father doing the same with her mother and grandmother, as Lara complimented the two colts, "Who's a good boy? Yes, you are!"

"And so are you, Pip." Before the pinto colt could react, a hand, that of Lola, scratched his right ear, and he softly moaned, rearing up while closing his eyes in bliss.

“M-More...please…don’t stop…” Blau mumbled in bliss.

The two girls only giggled before grinning at each other devilishly and started to tickle Blau and Pip instead; both ponies broke out in uncontrollable laughter; their pleas to stop were unheard.

Before Tungsten and Katja could react, they got tackled by an overpowered Oscar with Zoe and broke out in laughter. It went on for a few minutes before being granted mercy. "Always works." Their veteran host grinned and let out a light chuckle in amusement. "How about we take a walk?"

"Sure thing, Oscar, but we still have to clean the house, so we join you later," Zoe said with pity as her children had to join her.

Despite this, Katja, Blau, Tungsten, and Pip followed Oscar through town and towards the same hill they had used to relax before the Tau came, seeing Jan, Kyle, and Becky crossing their way.

"Hey there." Pip greeted them. "We're enjoying the view from here. Want to join us?"

"Sure, why not?" Becky nodded, and Kyle and Jan did, too, though Blau sighed.

"I can't thank you enough, Becky, for helping me and my sis through this all this time."

She just waved a hand, smiling. "Ah, it's nothing; I am doing my job and part. I always dreamed of becoming a doctor and helping people. Of course, nothing could prepare me for frontline service. But, I quickly realized and learned to pull myself together and… that I always can't save everyone all the time." Now, she slightly lowered her head, "But as such, I saw it as a big relief that I managed to save you."

It was hard for the children to imagine how much of a burden this could be for Becky's mind, but it made them appreciate her service so much more. They always appreciated the emergency services, knowing they risked their lives to save others.

"C-can we change the subject, please?" Tungsten suggested, "The portrait of Finkle you made back then looked very good, Kyle. I take it he must have high regard for you?"

The young man chuckled at this. "I may be a normal citizen, but art is my passion. I got this kind of from my father; he appreciated art, too. It turns out that many, including the planetary governor, like my paintings. Never would've thought to get so close on the ruler's good side."

"And while being a medic was unexpected for me, it sure was a helpful experience in skills, helping others." His mother commented in what seemed awe. "Kinda reminds me of an old friend…" Jan trailed off, "Still, our lives aren't much different than before the Tau, so…I hope if the Imperium comes back, we won't suffer." Now, fear was in her voice.

It reminded Pip and Tungsten of what they had heard from Finkle about the fates of planets rebelling against it, making them shiver about what could happen.

Snap!

In the alert, Oscar turned in the direction of the sound. "Who's there?" He called out, and a bush rustled.

"Instinct, eh, Oscar?" a male voice sounded calming, and a guardsman walked out, his hair blond, eyes blue, with a slight hint of a muscular frame under his uniform, arm, and weapon raised to show he meant to harm.

"Chris? What are you doing here?" Oscar asked, surprised.

"What do you think? Segmentum command dispatched our Regiment to liberate Heidrum. A Vanguard unit secured your home not too long ago. So, I think it's best if you and your friends join the main force, follow me." Oddly enough, he paid no attention to the kids, smiling at the veteran, and all briefly looked at each other before doing as told.

Only now, the kids noticed Chris had a number on his shoulder pad, 211, probably the regiment number they assumed.

They couldn't tell how long they followed until they came out of the woods to what looked like ruins of a city, with almost every building collapsed and only a few waterwheels still working.

"This is the former capital of Heidrum, Maleradon. It's abandoned and derelict for centuries; nobody knows why." Millan explained as they entered, and soon, they saw Imperial guard facilities, the same the PDF had used, with infantry and vehicles landing and unloading; the former paid little attention to the children, save for brief looks of surprise.

But the eyes of the children went wide as they walked past a giant crater. Inside was a gigantic cannon with three barrels arranged in a circle, several meters long and as high as several buildings.
"W-What is that?" Blau asked in awe.

"A Hellstorm Cannon, the general discovered it upon landing, probably cut off from an Imperator-class Titan centuries ago." Chris explained.

Just after that was a small bunker they entered; they saw a man in the same uniform as Finkle but with blond hair, looking at a map, his back turned to them as Chris saluted.

"General, I found Lieutenant Millan, together with some citizens."

He turned around slowly, showing blue eyes and athletic build, a slight smile at them, much to the surprise of the youngsters. "Glad to see you are okay, Lieutenant; same for you, Jan, and your son, you too, Becky. My Regiment has the order to liberate our homeworld from the Tau, so get some gear, Oscar.

"Right away, sir. But if I may ask, what about our guests?" Concern was in his voice, eyeing the kids with unease.

"As much as I hate to say it, they best gear up as well for their own protection. We'll be getting reinforced sent soon by the Blood Raptors and two other regiments. Don't worry Jan, you and your son are in good hands."

Both nodded in appreciation.

"And our young guests, sir?" Millan dared to ask.

"The same goes for them; they are just children after all. My vanguard had informed me of their presence after questioning the citizens at your home. I understand your action, Oscar. And acknowledge your loyalty and faith to the imperium, the God-Emperor, and Mankind."

Oscar saluted in response. "Thank you, General Brawn!"

He, Becky, Kyle, and Jan got their gear from an armory while getting the kids theirs, which Brawn's guardsmen had already adjusted to the cybernetics.

"It strange that General Brawn seems rather… calm and tolerating over us." Pip commented in surprise.

"Well, I severed with him since my first day; he deeply cares for his troops and, while weary of Xenos, does and is a rather calculated man first before jumping into the action. My guess is he calculated you are no danger." Their veteran friend assumed.

"He was a friend of my husband, having started as a medic before he climbed the ranks; I guess that is what gave him his caring and tolerance." Jan added with a slightly awkward grin. "Glad to see he still still remembers me."

Just then, the group saw another transport, looking like a Valkyrie and Vendetta heavy gunship, landing, and several soldiers in elaborate blue dress uniforms stepped out in formation.

"They look a bit out of place for this." Katja commented, surprised, causing Oscar to chuckle.

"They might be, but don't be fooled by their uniforms. They are the Mordian Iron Guard, particularly skilled at putting down insurrections and riots against Imperial rule in any urban combat; they got a reputation for following orders to the letter without hesitation. Their homeworld is tidally locked with its sun on one side of it, making the other half of the world bathed in perpetual darkness. In contrast, the other is continuously bathed in its star's radiation, leaving it a scorched and lifeless wasteland. All citizen settlements on Mordian are located on the world's dark side. The planet has well-earned its moniker as "The World of Eternal Night." Oscar explained before noticing another Valkyrie transport ship landing.

As the boarding ramp door lowered, soldiers wearing thick grey protective trench coats, gloves, and gasmasks with a skull mounted on them came and marched in perfect unity. It reminded Katja and Blau of the uniforms of Germany during WW1, still remembering the pictures they had seen during their first stay on Earth.

Some of those soldiers were riding horses that, too, wore gasmasks, but those had a rather unsettling appearance. The horse's hooves were splayed, almost hairless, having no tail but a stump, where only short bristles remained where the mane should be.

A cold shudder went down the spines of the siblings, getting reminded of an old threat they faced when they first landed on Earth.

Just then, two of those soldiers, looking like females, judging by their body build and blond hair sticking out under the helmets and masks, stopped and turned their heads toward the children. One of the females carried two huge tank canisters on her back, only holding a hose attached to them that stretched to a strange weapon in the other female's hands.

They couldn't even see their eyes behind the masks, only hearing the muffled breathing of the mask as they seemed to stare a black, empty, emotionless stare into their very beings.

"By the Emperor…" Oscar mumbled in what seemed shock and horror, "Not them!"

Author's Note

a bit late, my personal life was stressful lately. plus its tricky to find some lore, like a tau occupation, i took the school from a old reddit post i found once

Oscar's battle flashback, should be quite obvious, have a nice day...alright, based on this

, his other, on this

Special thanks to EmptyPlotFiller for allowing the use of Becky and Chris.

my editor also made a pic of the siblings' cybernetics