Red Banners, Red Stains

Commanders look at the full picture, the grand scale, the final goal. Every movement and sacrifice has meaning and they know it.
Captains look at the faces of friends and comrades. Every movement and sacrifice has meaning and they know it.

Manehatten Bay. August 6th, 2045. 11:04 PM

With a relieved sigh, Jameson signed off the memo he and a team of officers had written to the entire ship; what they knew about their situation and the ponies.

He put on his officers' beret and hobbled out of the conference room to be greeted by the concerned faces of Lee and a paramilitary member.

"Lieutenant Colonel," Lee saluted, "this is our dedicated missile specialist."

Jameson raised an eyebrow. "Missile specialist? We don't have any missiles onboard."

"That's what I came to talk to you about. He has something to show us."

Following the duo back down the elevator to the vehicle bay, which was still busy even at this time in the night, Jameson was led to a large corrugated metal gate welded into the wall opposite the currently closed ramp leading outwards. A single, bored Ranger hopped to attention and opened a small door set next to the gate when the group approached him.

They shuffled into a dark room, purged of all light when the Ranger shut the door behind them. Jameson heard some cursing as Lee fumbled around before a bright flash illuminated the room.

A single spotlight shone down on a Tomahawk missile launcher, stuffed into the cramped vehicle compartment.

"A... Tomahawk launcher?"

"Not just any Tomahawk launcher," croaked the missile specialist. His voice was hoarse, and in the stark lighting Jameson could now see his greying hair and stiff posture. "This is a Tomahawk launcher equipped with the most powerful cold warhead to be placed on a missile. It's capable of razing the entirety of Chongqing. "

Jameson felt his blood run cold. For who knows how long, they had been fighting, working, sleeping, breathing in a ship carrying a weapon capable of unimaginable destruction and death. A million questions filled his mind, but only one got out.

"How?"

"The Chinese... they gifted three of these to the American Navy. Only the highest military echelon, the Admirals of each ship, and a few trusted paramilitary personnel know of their existence," explained the missile specialist.

"Why did they put it on the USS Discord?"

The specialist gave a short laugh, almost a giggle. "What do you think they expected us to do if we found a large enemy force at the Objective? Throw fighter jets at it? And... I don't know exactly what they planned to do with the warhead, but I suspect it was meant as a show of force more than anything."

The room fell silent as the three men stared at the sleek, white missile.

Jameson finally found some words. "Who else knows? On this ship, I mean."

"The three guards, who aren't actually Rangers but in fact SEALs, the two Tomahawk operators, me, Lieutenant Commander Lee, and you. I suspect Captain Hunt knows, too, however."

"Alright... alright..." Jameson considered his options, staring at the Tomahawk. "How long would it take to launch it?"

"Depends on if we're docked or not. If we are, the Tomahawk can be deployed outside and ready to fire in two minutes of an order being given, sir. Otherwise it could take up to five."

"Right... keep it secret for now. And make sure it's well protected- we don't want any GLA or [REDACTED] spies getting in here. Lieutenant Commander Lee, you handle that."

"Yes, sir!" Both men saluted, and the trio left the room.

Lieutenant Colonel Jameson leaned against the wall outside, watching Lee and the specialist weave off through the crowded vehicle bay to do... whatever they did. He felt a tap on his left shoulder and looked surprisedly into the concerned face of the SEAL guard next to him. The SEAL looked young for a supposed member of an elite branch of the army.

"I don't mean any disrespect, sir, but you look like shit."

He gave the SEAL a weary smile. "Yeah, haven't had the chance to sleep. In fact, I may just hit the sack now, until the next disaster strikes. Thank you, young man."

"Happy to help, sir."

"Lieutenant Colonel? Sir? We have a situation."

Jameson groaned, rubbing the grit out of his eyes as he attempted to swing out of bed. He remembered, too late, the lack of his leg, and tumbled onto the hard metal floor.

"Are you alright, sir?"

He fumbled around the dark, tiny quarters for his walking stick, yelling, "Come in!"

The heavy metal door swung open outwards, revealing a brown-uniformed flight deck captain. Jameson stood up unsteadily and nodded in response to the captain's salute.

"Sir, Lieutenant Commander Lee sent me. We have a situation down at the jetty."

"What is it?"

"Pony journalists, sir."

Dammit, always the journalists.

"Inform the Lieutenant Commander that I'll be there in three. Oh, and ask him to get whoever's in charge of security."

"Yes, sir!"

Jameson shut the door to get dressed.

Exactly two minutes and fifty seconds later, he strolled- well, hobbled- down the jetty from the still-open vehicle ramp, squinting at the sun rising over the Manehatten buildings. A team of American and Equestrian engineers were putting up a chain-link fence at the end of the jetty, while their respective security forces watched suspiciously.

The miniature 'border' currently consisted of a line of a dozen heavily armed Rangers facing an equally long line of Royal Guards. Above, a Little Bird matched speed with a pair of pegasi circling the carrier. With a sigh, Jameson mentally noted to remind Captain Emma of their currently limited fuel.

Passing the Royal Guards without being stopped into the small Equestrian military base, he spotted Lee with two uniformed SEALs and a naval officer. They were clustered near the base's gate, speaking to a Royal Guard, a Nightguard- Commander Gleaming Fangs- and a uniformed pegasus who Jameson recognised as New Horizons.

Outside the gate was a crowd of ponies: photographers, journalists, and curious bystanders. The fact that the base was situated directly next to a popular park didn't help in controlling the size of said crowd. Jameson had to blink away sudden bright flashes from the handheld cameras of the pony photographers.

As he approached the group, he realised that the Royal Guard and Nightguard were having a heated argument. The Nightguard Commander was smiling victoriously at the fuming Royal Guard.

"It's completely improper! We brought in 15 of them from all over Equestria. 15, in three hours, and you toss them all out for a Coast Guard Private? No offense to you, New Horizons."

"We've been over this already. Direct orders of the Princesses. Who are we to question their wisdom? Are you perhaps having... treasonous thoughts?"

Without waiting for an answer, Commander Gleaming Fangs bid the group farewall and strolled dramatically out the base, using his wings to make a high leap over the fence. Two Nightguards appeared seemingly out of nowhere to escort him through the swarm of eager journalists and flashing cameras.

"Hm, I didn't know Equestria worked with the GLA." Jameson commented to the group, who were turned away, as he approached them. The Americans gave him crisp, firm salutes, New Horizons raised her hoof in greeting while the Royal Guard shook hands- hooves- hand-and-hoof- with him. Jameson motioned helplessly to the walking stick occupying his hand.

"This is- Oh, you're the Lieutenant Colonel, right?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Good to meet you. I was just speaking with your officers about your... official ambassador. This is Ambassador New Horizons. She'll handle official communication between Equestria and the United States of America, organise the access civilians have, and answer any questions you may have about ponies or pony life."

Jameson eyed the pegasus critically, who was currently fidgeting with the tight collar of her uniform, which was remarkably similar to a suit and tie. "Well, thank you for giving us an Ambassador. I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful, but I've met Ambassador New Horizons before, and I don't see why she was chosen or even considered. Not because of her skills, ofcourse, but because of her position and status as a.... Coast Guard member."

The Royal Guard shifted uncomfortably. "Normally the Royal Guard would pick an Ambassador, but ever since the- well, there was a minor dispute between the Royal Guard and the Nightguard about who should be Ambassador. The Princesses intervened and selected one personally."

Fantastic, we're relying on a randomly chosen pony to guide in an entirely unknown world.

"Ya, ah'm still a bit confused myself, but I'll do ma best, sir!" stated New Horizons proudly, pulling herself up to full height with a salute and huge smile.

"Right, thank you." Jameson glanced at Lee to try to gauge what he thought of all this, but he just stared back impassively.

Now that the conversation had died down, the Royal Guard excused himself to talk to an Equestrian soldier, leaving only the Americans with New Horizons.

Jameson suddenly remembered why he had come down to the base in the first place. "Ah, yeah, Lieutenant Commander Lee. You sent someone to fetch me?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel," he started, glancing uncertainly at New Horizons before leaning in and whispering to Jameson. "This is our chance to make a good impression on the Equestrian citizens. If we don't do anything about the journalists, all they'll report will be a strange warship bearing unknown creatures arriving in Manehatten. The Equestrians will, most likely, react with fear and panic."

Jameson nodded, thinking carefully. They needed to speak to the journalists, but without offending them- ah, of course, that was what the Ambassador was for.

"Ambassador New Horizons. Do you know how we can introduce ourselves to the pony journalists with our currently limited knowledge of your culture and such?"

"Ooooh, ma first challenge! Well, ah'm not entirely sure, but ya could give a speech or- aha! I'll arrange a Q&A session with the journalists. What do ya think, sir?"

The Lieutenant Colonel nodded approvingly. This way they could put any of the ponies' fears or concerns to rest without having to make any concrete statements before they could collect more information.

"Right then, ah'll gather some of the troops and organise the 'ole thing. You can relax and think about what yer gonna say till then."

"That sounds great. Thanks, Ambassador."

"No problem, sir. See ya."

"Right then, Lieutenant Commander Lee," Jameson said, turning to Lee, "did you get my message? To fetch whoever's in charge of security?"

"I did, sir." Lee nodded to the navy officer and one of the SEALs who saluted and marched off back to the carrier. Lee motioned to the remaining SEAL, a Corporal. "This is the Delta Force Captain, and de facto head of security."

The 'Corporal' in question saluted Jameson, the sniper rifle and assault rifle on his back clinking together.

"I take it you aren't a SEAL Corporal, then?"

"No, Lieutenant Colonel. I try to keep my identity discreet." The Delta Captain spoke quietly, but Jameson could make out a faint Korean or Chinese accent. "Not many people check the entire ship duty list."

"I.... see? Well, can you give me a briefing on the state of security right now? Taking into account what we know about the abilities of the ponies."

The Captain answered with barely a second of thought, "I would say it's stable at the moment. While we don't have any forces on the jetty on the other side of the carrier, I have Rangers stationed along the edge of the ship to watch for approaching ponies, from the sky or the land. Originally we planned to have a couple of rubber boats patrol the bay, but we didn't want to worry the Equestrian Navy. That machine-" he pointed skywards at the Little Bird, which was currently hovering in the air confusedly while two pegasi did loops around it- "was not deployed by my orders. Unless the ponies have some sort of stealth magic, no one will be able to sneak past."

"Got it, good job so far, Cap'. What's the plan if we're openly attacked?"

"The vehicle bay and aircraft on deck are on standby to deploy within half a minute. If the Equestrian military engages us, we'll deploy fighters which should be able to hold off any pegasi with ease. A large team of infantry, Humvees, and the Crusader will deploy and hold the base while we ready the ship to leave. However, if the attacking force is not sided with Equestria, we'll hold our ground until pony reinforcments arrive."

Jameson nodded approvingly, "Great plan, couldn't have done it better myself. Anything else to report?"

"We haven't let any ponies onto the ship except those delivering medical supplies. As for our own personnel, only the security team and high ranking officers have left the ship. Other than that, nothing else, sir."

"Hm... keep up with what you're doing for now. Oh, and make sure none of the soldiers are shooting whenever they get nervous, but... if there's a credible threat from anypony, shoot to kill. Dismissed."

"Yessir," saluted the Captain. "God bless America."

"Right, now about the Q&A thing..."

Jameson stood awkwardly in front of a too-short podium just outside the base gate, facing a standing crowd of journalists and curious ponies. He was flanked by two Rangers, Ambassador New Horizons, and Lieutenant Commander Lee. Behind him was a large American banner on a pole, hastily added as an afterthought. With the eyes of hundreds of ponies on him, he was horribly aware of his quickly thrown-on officers' uniform and coat and crippled appearance.

Receiving a signal from a Royal Guard stationed down the street that the crowd had been fully diverted to the podium area, New Horizons stepped up to the podium, clearing her throat. Silence fell among the crowd.

"Ponies of Manehatten!" New Horizon shouted dramatically in the microphone. Jameson only now noticed an image branded on her left flank: it showed a faint white shape, indiscernible from this distance, floating in the sky above a horizon with a strong red glow. He recognised that as a 'cutie mark', which all adult ponies had.

"I'm sure y'all are confused, or even afraid. But there's no need to be. Standing with me are four humans from another land or possibly even another dimension. They're all soldiers from the nation of the United States of 'merica. The strange-looking ship behind ya contains a thousand more American soldiers. It was mysteriously teleported near here during a military exercise. It is a fearsome weapon of war and destruction... But, rest assured, they come here with peaceful intentions an' are looking forward to working together with the Royal Government. Lieutenant Colonel Jameson, leader of the USS Discord, will now answer your questions."

As New Horizons spoke, the crowd got increasingly louder with hushed murmurs and journalists furiously scribbling on notepads. Jameson stepped up to the podium, drawing in a large breath. He waited expectantly for questions, but realised the ponies thought he was going to say something.

"You can ask questions now, please."

The murmurs died down as one, young-looking earthpony with saddlebags full of rolled-up newspapers slowly raised his front hoof. Jameson motioned to him to go ahead.

"Uhh... what's the uhhh... the loud flying thing above your ship, sir?" asked the young earthpony.

Jameson didn't even have to look where the earthpony's hoof was pointing to know he was referring to the Little Bird.

"That's a machine called a 'helicopter'. There's only one species of humans, and we can't fly, so we developed tools over time to help us, like the helicopter there. It's not as fast or agile as a pegasus, but it can carry about half a dozen people."

The earthpony nodded, slightly confused but satisifed. Other ponies, like suited journalists, began raising their hoofs too to ask questions. Jameson motioned to a random unicorn near the front.

"Sir, head National Affairs reporter for the Mane Event. Would you say that your weapons and machines of war are capable of competing with pony technology and magic?"

"I don't have much information at this time, but yes, I believe that our weapons are superior to that of Equestria. However, we have no intention of using them."

And so it went on for half an hour. Jameson mostly received short questions, with many regarding human technology or expressing fear over their military capability. He was satisifed that it was going well, however, until he chose a disheveled, unclothed earthpony at the edge of the crowd to ask a question.

"Are yer men gonna take our jobs? There's no room for you here, y'know!" the pony shouted, swaying on his hooves. Jameson wondered if the ponies had alcohol, because he was clearly behaving like a human drunk would.

Jameson was beginning to regret their decision to hold the session so soon after dawn. He struggled to think of a response that would dismiss the drunk without seeming rude, before what seemed to be an incredible idea popped into his head.

"Absolutely not. In fact, in our effort to make strong bonds with Equestria, we're going to be hiring at least 40 ponies to help out on the ship and in the base, starting tomorrow!"

He was shoved ceremoniously out of the way by New Horizons.

"All right folks, Ah think that's all we have time for today! If ya have any further questions, please address a letter to me, here at the Manehatten Park Fort. Thank ya for coming, and have a good day."

The crowd slowly and uncertainly dispersed with some minor grumbling, the photographers stopping to take some last photos.

Returning into the base, New Horizons rounded on Jameson. "Sir, Ah'm gonna have to respectfully say: What the hell were ya thinking with that last part?"

"What? This helps with both improving relations with the public and mitigating our sudden shortage of personnel," Jameson replied confusedly.

Lee spoke up. "Sir, I think the Ambassador has a point. This will require a lot of paperwork and organisation to set up, and we'll need money and supplies to hire the ponies, not to mention the security threat they pose. We haven't even asked the Royal Guard about this yet!"

Jameson stared at the ground, thinking carefully. Now that he took the time to consider all this, it did seem like a rash move. "We can't just abandon it now, though. Lee, I'm sorry about this, but I trust you to get it done. If this works it'll be worth the effort. Got it?"

"Yes. Sir."

"Great, thank you. If you'll excuse me"- he glanced at one of the Rangers, a Gamma squad member- "I have someone to speak to."

"Sir."

Jameson turned back to look at Sergeant Richard, who had led him to the mess hall where they had finally found Staff Sergeant Henry. "What is it?"

"Henry isn't himself, sir. I've known him for a lot less time than you, but what happened before the Big Flash-"

"Don't worry. I know Henry. I just have to put him in his place for not showing up earlier and neglecting his duties. You can leave."

Without waiting for a reply, Jameson made it to the corner of the mostly empty mess hall. Sitting at the table, turned away, was Henry.

"Hey, man."

"Leave," spat Henry.

Jameson was taken aback by the pure loathing and hate put into that single word.

"What the hell's gotten into you? Stand up and talk to me."

Henry threw back his bench, hitting Jameson's leg and causing him to topple over backwards onto the table. In a second, Henry was on him, delivering punch after punch into his face.

"Sir!"

Jameson opened his eyes to see Henry's arms being held by Sergeant Richard and a navy crewmember. Henry sobbed as he tried half-heartedly to free his arms, shouting, "DON'T YOU CARE, CAPTAIN? COULDN'T YOU TAKE A SECOND FROM YOUR BRAND NEW JOB TO PAY YOUR RESPECTS? WE BLED AND WE FOUGHT AND NOW WE'LL DIE FOR YOU, AND THIS IS HOW LITTLE WE'RE VALUED?"

He stared back at Henry in utter confusion, mind running through the possibilities of what Henry was going on about. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but just calm down and explain."

Henry stopped struggling. "Alright, alright... let me go, I'm chill now."

Sergeant Richard looked to Jameson, who nodded, and released Henry. He helped Jameson back up to his feet.

"Jeez, I tried to fight a guy with two limbs and still lost, eh?" joked Henry. No one laughed. "Alright, Lieutenant Colonel, you want to know what's gotten into me? Take a guess. Who have you not seen since the fight with the Russians? You were always a good guesser, yeah?"

Jameson's eyes widened in shock as he slowly realised what Henry was talking about. "It can't be."

"So you never did bother to check. Well, I'll spill it. Sergeant Teddy died yesterday morning."

"..."

"Do you remember?"

"Yes."

Southern Poland. 7th June, 2045. 8:05 PM

"Roger, Little Birds leaving the nest," Captain Jameson's radio crackled. He fumbled for the BROADCAST button, ducking to avoid the debris from a nearby explosion.

"Bird-1, Bird-1. What's your ETA? Over."

The reply was drowned out by another explosion, much closer this time. Jameson peeked over the smashed wall of the ruined house they were taking cover in, to see one of their Crusader tanks in the street beyond doused by corrosive chemicals from a tractor. He winced as the occupants were shot through the new holes by GLA fighters.

"Bird-1, repeat message, over."

"ETA is 3 minutes now. How many are we taking? Over."

"By the looks of it, Bird-1, about a dozen. Over."

"Jesus, you guys had it rough. Don't worry, these things have enough rocket pods to destroy a Blackbear. Over."

"Really? Over."

"No, that was hyperbole. Keep the channel quiet now, over."

Staff Sergeant Henry approached Jameson, handing him a water canteen. "How is it outside?"

"See for yourself. Just lost another Crusader."

"Ouch. Still have the Paladins though. When are the Little Birds coming?"

"They sho-" Jameson was interrupted by the buzz of rotors and looked up to the sky to see five Little Birds approaching quickly. "They're here. Get everyone ready to go, abandon the tanks."

"You got it, Cap'. Should we fetch the corpses- GRENADE."

Jameson lifted his arm reflexively as he rolled over and curled up to avoid a small, metal object that had rolled quietly over the wall.

Pain, and the sound of rotors.