Witchers of Nifelheim

"Hmmm, you're right about some things, but there's also a few things I think you're missing here." Twilight answers Rogue. "Like for starters, we shouldn't just focus on their motivations, but also on how to counter them. Just harping on what they might or might not do will not have us ready for the inevitable battle ahead. Then again, I know you well enough that these questions will continue to be pressed, so let me indulge you then."

She cleans her throat. "Looking at the map and the designs of the towers, some things come to mind, both guesses and questions. For one, towers like these aren't creatable by just anyone. Plus, who says these things wouldn't have an effect in their own world if they wait long enough? They certainly seem to work that way."

She looks at the map. "Two, planting those all at once would require intimate knowledge on our maps. Which would either mean that they needed to have gone here and took those. But they didn't, they planted them over time. Now, we know these towers have been warded against damage, but if you do something like that, wouldn't you also place a scrying spell on it to study the map? Maybe after the first two were placed, they made a guess on the power needed and believed they didn't need to use as much power. Which actually falls square into another thing..."

She moves her fingers like she's counting on them. "If the first tower appeared 34 days ago, with a new tower popping up every four days, then we're either already too late or missing a tower. Before anyone asks, let's count. 4*9=36, that much is simple. But, didn't we start to count the days at the appearance of the first tower? That means that, taking that moment as the starting point, the first tower appeared after 0 days. And after four days, there were two towers, three after eight days. Continuing that calculation, we come to it that after 32 days, there should be 9 towers. But it's the 35th day, and we have 8 towers, with us making plans to take down the 9th that will appear on the 36th day. My math may be off, but there should be a 10th tower. Did the strengthening of the first two drain whoever is behind it? Did we miss a tower, maybe?"

She looks at the map, noticing the range the towers supposedly should have. She seems to be in thought, like something doesn't add up. "How come they need to place a tower in Equestria? Wouldn't the others drain it by now? And speaking of weak points, was the casting complete at the moment our witcher struck then? It seems that way based on firepower, but we wouldn't have Axis running for her life, seeking refuge. This is strange..."

Blue, blonde and purple wrote:"Hmmm, you're right about some things, but there's also a few things I think you're missing here." Twilight answers Rogue. "Like for starters, we shouldn't just focus on their motivations, but also on how to counter them. Just harping on what they might or might not do will not have us ready for the inevitable battle ahead. Then again, I know you well enough that these questions will continue to be pressed, so let me indulge you then."

She cleans her throat. "Looking at the map and the designs of the towers, some things come to mind, both guesses and questions. For one, towers like these aren't creatable by just anyone. Plus, who says these things wouldn't have an effect in their own world if they wait long enough? They certainly seem to work that way."

She looks at the map. "Two, planting those all at once would require intimate knowledge on our maps. Which would either mean that they needed to have gone here and took those. But they didn't, they planted them over time. Now, we know these towers have been warded against damage, but if you do something like that, wouldn't you also place a scrying spell on it to study the map? Maybe after the first two were placed, they made a guess on the power needed and believed they didn't need to use as much power. Which actually falls square into another thing..."

She moves her fingers like she's counting on them. "If the first tower appeared 34 days ago, with a new tower popping up every four days, then we're either already too late or missing a tower. Before anyone asks, let's count. 4*9=36, that much is simple. But, didn't we start to count the days at the appearance of the first tower? That means that, taking that moment as the starting point, the first tower appeared after 0 days. And  after four days, there were two towers, three after eight days. Continuing that calculation, we come to it that after 32 days, there should be 9 towers. But it's the 35th day, and we have 8 towers, with us making plans to take down the 9th that will appear on the 36th day. My math may be off, but there should be a 10th tower. Did the strengthening of the first two drain whoever is behind it? Did we miss a tower, maybe?"

She looks at the map, noticing the range the towers supposedly should have. She seems to be in thought, like something doesn't add up. "How come they need to place a tower in Equestria? Wouldn't the others drain it by now? And speaking of weak points, was the casting complete at the moment our witcher struck then? It seems that way based on firepower, but we wouldn't have Axis running for her life, seeking refuge. This is strange..."

"If they were seriously planning an invasion, they would presumably have done the necessary recon to know our geography, identified strongholds and high-priority targets" Rogue nods

"Another thing is the technology gap; even without magic, we still have battleships and fighter jets, whilst they have swords, albeit flaming ones.

Even with the pillars almost all deployed and many of our people affected by them , we still have enough of our wits together to hold this meeting and operate our gadgets, so unless they are keeping all the weapons of war in reserve for the big day, and the Witchers and their blades are just some sort of ceremonial unit that was chosen to do this, something doesn't fit?

As for Axis and cohort, it looks more like they simply used the already existing pillar as a convienient means of escape, and were otherwise part of an unrelated domestic incident in their own world.

Now, depending on whether or not our friendly neighbourhood Witcher pursued them of his own volition, or under orders from sort sort of unified Witcher command structure, the Witchers might not even represent the nations present on the other side, they could just be acting as hired swords for whoever is creating the pillars for their own ends?"

She doesn't seem to listen to anyone at the moment, rather, she seems to be drawing circles with her finger around the tower. Her brow furrows, as if she tries to find what's missing.

"The witcher and Axis still have magic... Does it have a different source? Or maybe there's something..."

She looks up. "Okay, we need an update to this map. I want to see the radius of each tower, color coded and marking the areas where they overlap. There's no way Equestria isn't hit by at least one tower. There must be another reason, another factor in this equation. And we must find this before that hypothetical next tower takes root. Otherwise, it's all for naught."

// Helloooooooooooooooooooo =D




The Altheian Councilor nodded: "We have two maps depicting the pillars area of influence, unfortunately they're not as accurate as we'd like. The data was purely based on witness testimonies and the error sometimes lingers on ±200 kilometers.

This is what we have at the moment" she pressed a few buttons and the maps on the screen changed.




"This map shows the entire area of influence, broadcasted by the pillars"








"And this map shows the individual area of each pillar, color coded and marking the areas where they overlap"








"These shapes don't appear to be geometrical.." the Altheian councilor sighed: "..however they do seem to cover most of our world.
The last pillar in Equestria will complete the whole coverage"



She looked Twilight:
"Your math is correct. The fault is with our intelligence agencies and the process of info distribution. A.. broken phone concept.. if you will.
The information you received wasn't entirely accurate. I apologize. I will outlay the correct order of events, as we know it now.


The first pillar materialized on day 0.
Every 4 days, a new pillar materialized.
The Beusoleil pillar materialized on day 28.

Today we are at day 31. The last pillar is expected to materialize in Equestria tomorrow, on day 32.



Again I must apologize for the confusion. The fault lies with our intelligence agencies.



To summarize, the first pillar appeared 31 days ago. The last one should appear tomorrow at dawn.
The pillars seem to be appearing on a strict schedule and maintain this pattern, one pillar every 4 days.

The one that will appear tomorrow, is expected to be the last" the councilor nodded.





The Mikasa Councilor leaned forward on his desk, looking over some documents:

"...looking over the Beusoleil pillar report, it seems its appearance stood out from the rest.
There was no contingent of Witchers guarding it.

The Beusoleil pillar appeared on its own, unguarded, and stood alone for 3 minutes. Then, twelve figures emerged and made a run for the city.
Shortly after, a Witcher emerged from the pillar and began chasing them down, killing all of them except Axis.


All the while, the Beusoleil pillar remained unguarded, until the 5 minutes have passed and it became transparent and indestructible.

Its odd. Nothing like this ever happened with the other pillars. The others were properly guarded, until they became indestructible"





The Verrian councilor nodded:
"It does make me wonder, what's happening on the other side.
And these... Witchers... I agree, they may not represent the nations on the other side at all.
So much still unknown, even now.
If we could gather more info on their world somehow..."





The Altheian councilor nodded: "For now, lets focus on our main objective, the Equestrian pillar"




Admiral Bradford smirked, slowly looking at everyone present:
"...Here's what's going to happen.

The 3rd Equestrian fleet will link up with the 2nd and 4th Equestrian fleets, before proceeding to the pillars expected coordinates.

Once it appears, my fleets will bombard it with concentrated artillery fire. And they will continue to bombard it, until there's nothing left but dust.
The combined fire of over 30 Equestrian warships will be sufficient enough, to erase everything on site, be it Witcher forces or their pillar.


The Union support will not be required. I will not have my country indebted to the Union"





Harlequin's fists clenched so hard, her knuckles turned white:
"Our families are in Equestria! You don't believe we have a right to protect them?" she hissed through gritted teeth.



The admiral scowled at her, then slowly looked at Firewing, Rain and Twilight:

"...you seem to forget...
I am the current ruling authority in Equestria.

And the Union law states, that I'm obligated to house its refugees. It does not however, obligate me to tolerate its military presence on my soil.

If you don't like something, perhaps you shouldn't have put your refugees on my soil in the first place"


His scowl turned into a condescending smirk, as he looked at Firewing:

"...If any Union vessel enters my waters... it will be considered a hostile provocation...


The pillar will appear on Equestrian soil and so, Equestrian will be the one to deal with it.
The Union support will not be required, for I do not require to have my country indebted to the Union."





The room fell into a heavy silence for a moment, before the Mikasa councilor quietly spoke:
"...with all due respect, admiral...
This is not only an Equestrian problem. What happens on your soil, will affect the rest of the world, you must understand this"



"As the acting leader of Equestria, my decision is final" Admiral Bradford firmly said, his voice was more akin to a bark.



Harlequin scowled: "...if Councilor Mercer were here... she would never allow such reckless action-"


"Well she's not here, I am" The admiral barked.


".....where is Vice-Councilor Watts?..." Harlequin quietly asked: "...in the event that Mercer is unable to carry her duties, the Equestrian Vice-Councilor takes her place as the leader of Equestria"




"Vice-Councilor Watts is dead" the admiral grinned: "...suffered a mental breakdown on his visit to Soren. Took a little dive from a building"
His grin turned into a dangerous scowl:

"Councilor Mercer is missing. Vice-Councilor Watts is dead. The Union declared martial law, and as the highest ranking officer in the Equestrian military, I become the next in line of succession.


I am the Equestrian Councilor now.
And my word is law, on my soil"




He slowly scanned the entire room, staring down each councilor present:

"...do not underestimate the power of the Equestrian fleet. We will deal with this threat internally.
The decision is final"



He snapped his fingers and the holograms of all the councilors vanished.



The room suddenly became a lot more empty and quiet.



The admiral carelessly pointed in your direction and casually said:

"All persons without an Equestrian citizenship, get right back in your VTOL and get the hell off my ship. Now. My fleet will be entering Equestrian waters soon and I want you gone before that."



Harlequin's face became distorted with a cold burning rage. She quietly turned on her heels and began marching away.



"...fanged bitch" the admiral quietly muttered in Equestrian.





Harlequin froze in her tracks and turned back, her face turning into a dangerous scowl.

"...I don't know Equestrian, but I know what that word means.

Be careful what bridges you burn... Councilor..." she hissed through gritted teeth and turned, marching away.

Dunemer looks at Bradford "Then I wish you luck Admiral, and pray that your pride does not see you find the same fate as Icarus" Then she turns and leaves the room stopping just on the threshold of the door adding "the wings are melting" and steps out.

Twilight observed the map, wondering how it was possible for there to be such strange shapes of signals coming from the towers. And how it was possible to make these. It doesn't seem to make sense in her head.

When spoken to, she briefly glanced, before going back to pondering, but as the statements and nationalism increased from Charles, she looked at him, pondering about something.

When the others got up, she seemed to be hesitant. A dilemma forming in her head. Her brow furrowed, not entirely sure what to do. She got up, saying one thing.

"High admiral Charles Bradford, did you mean 'our country' perhaps?" It was said with a certain undertone, signaliing it was a question with a layer.

Bradford released a small smile and looked at the hologram in the center, that switched back to showing a 3D image of Earth:

"...our country is strong, self sufficient. A super power on the global map. We have no use for the Union"


He took out an old mechanical watch from his pocket and looked at it:
"...When the Equestrian public was tricked into joining the Union, when our people voted Councilor Mercer into the office, I was among the minority that voted against her.

Why should we play by the Union rules? Why should we be dragged down by their laws?

They came into our country and distorted it. Destroying our culture. Our honor. And we let them" he clenched the fist that held the watch and slowly looked up at Twilight:


"...change... is coming... Miss Sparkle... events have been set in motion, that can no longer be stopped.
The only question is, will you be on the right side of Equestrian history?

Your strong, sharp, powerful. You've seen more of the battlefield, than an average soldier does in a lifetime.

We could use your help, you know. Your country needs you, Miss Sparkle" he closed his watch and hid it back in his pocket:

"....the question is... will you choose the right side of history?"





Amy slowly stopped in her tracks and looked back:

"...I didn't realize there were sides to begin with" she dryly said.

Amy, Tomas and Harlequin all stopped and looked at Twilight. Their gaze was unsure. Confused. As if they didn't fully understand what Twilight was planning.


"...come, Twilight... its time we left this place..." Harlequin raised her hand, extending it towards Twilight.

This was not an easy decision.

There was clear hesitation on her face, as she looked between them. She didn't seem sure of it all.

She let out a sigh, collecting her thoughts. After that, she seemed calmer, more focussed. Believing to be out of the range of the towers right now, she felt her magic returning slowly.

She turned to the group, speaking calmly. "I believe the latest order implied that those without an equestrain citizenship should leave this ship before... repercussions happen. You guys go on ahead. I believe there are some things that the High Admiral and I have to discuss first."

She turned back to Charles. "Now, is there a time and place we can discuss the details of our thought processes, High Admiral?"

The admiral grinned, he grinned as he watch Harlequins face twist and turn into a shocked scowl:

"You're siding with this racist imbecile? Really? Now, of all times." Harlequin exhaled in disbelief. A cold anger began burning behind her eyes as she firmly marched out of the command center and faded from sight.

Amy look at Twilight with deepening sadness, before she walked away and disappeared from view as well.


Tom lingered longer than others. He just stood there and looked at Twilight for a very long moment, before he quietly said:

"...Twilight... about your offer..." he looked at her with disappointment:

"I reject it.


I'm sorry" he slightly bowed his head to her, then turned around and left the command room.


The three of them began rapidly making their way back to the VTOL outside.


Admiral Bradford shook his head, looking in their direction with a smile, then looked back to Twilight:

"...pay them no mind. We don't need them.
Accepting their help now, would only put us in their debt. And we can't have Equestria indebted to them"

He looked around the command center with pride:

"...this is our center of operations. We don't have to go anywhere, we can discuss our strategy here. It is others, that must leave.." he looked in the direction of Rain, Sand, Harlequin, Amy and Tom.

"I understand, Tomas. I would make the same choice in your shoes." She quietly said, it was certain he didn't hear it.

She recollected herself, to seem professional. It's clear the choice wasn't easy to make right now. Superficially, she seemed stoic. For those who know her, there are hints of regret.

She took a seat. "Let us speak."

Kaylee Brown wrote:The admiral grinned, he grinned as he watch Harlequins face twist and turn into a shocked scowl:

"You're siding with this racist imbecile? Really? Now, of all times." Harlequin exhaled in disbelief. A cold anger began burning behind her eyes as she firmly marched out of the command center and faded from sight.

Amy look at Twilight with deepening sadness, before she walked away and disappeared from view as well.


Tom lingered longer than others. He just stood there and looked at Twilight for a very long moment, before he quietly said:

"...Twilight... about your offer..." he looked at her with disappointment:

"I reject it.


I'm sorry" he slightly bowed his head to her, then turned around and left the command room.


The three of them began rapidly making their way back to the VTOL outside.

"Well, i'm sure you know when to do the right thing" Rogue comments towards Twilight, before stepping outside and catching up with Harlequin, Ash, and Tomas, "I'm with you guys, that is, if you don't mind an Equestrian hitching a lift? I think i've spent enough time with my people for one life..."

"Very convienient that, the vice-counsellor jumping off a building?" Rogue whispers once they are sufficiently away from any troops, "Is there any way to confirm that they went mad beforehand?"

Fire sits quitely in her office for a moment, "What a shameful being... who elected him into high admiral." She clears her throat, "If you all wish to indulge me and join me in this situation, i suggest we ignore anything the admiral says and engage anyway." She remains silent for a long moment, as if in thought, "We all know this isn't equestrias problem, we HAVE to do something. I wish for you to join me in sending more then enough power to send him, and any other equestian with their tail between their legs, im not saying war and take their land." She coughs and between her coughs she says something, "Artimis" she clears her throat before looking about the counsol, "We already know I cant do this alone. But we are the union for a reason, and i say we "Unionize" as such in this situation." She clears her throat, "SNOW!" she calls her face turned away from the camera, "Send the ships to the coordinated position, tell them to get ready for a fight."

Rain glares at the admiral, "You know, you really are a stain on equestrias golden name. Your such a fucking child and how you ever got elected is beyond me. You make me ashamed to be born on equestrian soil, it makes me sick that I have an equestrian name while your in office, I love my home country, its pure, its accepting, and its holy. I dont know who you think you are, insulting my wife but i suggest you watch your tongue." She turns around taking harle's hand and beginning to leave, "Come on harle."

(Firewings Office)


The holograms of 20 councilors continued to hover in mid air around your table, forming a half circle. They all seemed distraught and stared into space, internally reflecting on the recent events.

After a while, the Verrian Councilor quietly spoke, with a small smile:

"Councilor Firewing, please don't be so harsh on our Artemis friend. He's still trying to struggle through the sanctions inflicted upon him after Slavegear."



"Ehehe.." the new Artemis councilor sheepishly laughed. He reminded you of a deer, caught in a headlight:
"..Artemis takes responsibility for those events. We will continue to support the Union, in hopes that the sanctions will soon be reduced or removed-"



"Which will be discussed on the next meeting..." the Altheian Councilor firmly said, fixing him with a harsh stare.




The Verrian councilor returned to look at Firewing:

"We are of one mind with you, Councilor Firewing. The Union was formed specifically to counter situations like this in mind. A United front against a common enemy.

Admiral Bradford was never elected into office. He simply survived all those above him, in the chain of succession.
I would very much like to utilize the Union spy network, to find out exactly who he paid off and blackmailed, in order to get his rank.

The man understands nothing of combat. He simply saw a power vacuum and made a power grab. A pitiful display"




"Be that as it may..." The Mikasa changeling sighed, sending a hand through his graying hair: "The admiral wasn't wrong. We're not allowed to send forces into his borders, if he denied us access.
To do so officially, would be breaking the Union law"




"So we'll do it unofficially" The Altheian councilor said, firmly and quietly:
"... a Black Operation.

We need to muster a force and infiltrate Equestrian borders, undetected. And if-.. I'm sorry, WHEN the admiral will get his arse handed to him, we will step in to mop up the Witcher forces.

I will not have the entire world fall, just because some idiot made a convenient power grab"

(VTOL of the Nyx Defense Force)


"You're cool Rogue" Amy grinned, patting him on the shoulder, as everyone began to board the vertical airplane.

Harlequin held tightly to Rains hand, as she boarded, then took a seat inside and released a small, but very kind smile:
"...thank you" she said to Rain.


Tom climbed in, making sure everyone boarded, before closing the door and signaling the pilot to take off.
The Equestrian sailors continued to drill holes in you with their scowls, until the VTOL finally took off, banking and flying off away from the battleship.




"Say.." Amy quietly called, fumbling with her seat belt and staring off into space: "Why do you think Twilight stayed behind?..." she said in a very quiet, saddened voice.




Harlequin sighed: "Perhaps she is playing a role. A role of an infiltrator.
Hoping to get close enough to the Admiral, to subtly collect incriminating evidence against him and fire a vote of no confidence against him, in the Equestrian government.

Its one way to topple him, but it will take time. The Equestrian government is buried in bureaucracy.


Or perhaps she plans to subtly steer him in a different direction. Become his advisor and influence him enough, until he starts taking Equestria in the right direction.

Or she's planning a power grab.

I don't know what she is doing" Harlequin quietly said, looking away:



"Her past actions speak volumes. Her actions made me trust her.
Past experience dictates that I believe in her. Believe that she's making the morally correct decision, a decision that is best for all mankind, even if I can't directly see or understand what she's doing.

But she's making it very hard for me to trust her, when she's siding with a man like admiral Bradford"



Harlequin sighed:

"Did you see his face?... he has no scars.


That man is not a soldier. He is a politician.

I doubt he saw much combat, if he saw it at all. I wouldn't be surprised if he lied, cheated, blackmailed, bribed and exchanged favors, until he slowly advanced through the ranks to his current position, without ever seeing a battlefield.


People like him are dangerous, because they have no idea what they're doing. They have no place commanding armies.



Taking all this into account, the death of Vice-Councilor Watts seems all too convenient indeed.
I will pull some strings in the Union Military Intelligence.
See if they can dig up something. Because the more I think about it, the more these mental breakdowns become the best cover, to make a fast and quiet power grab"





The VTOL banked right and began gaining height, leaving the Equestrian 3rd fleet behind. Soon, the heavy warships looked no more than dots in the water.


"General" Tom suddenly called, not quite looking at Rain, but definitely looking in her direction. His eyes were directed at the floor for some reason. He seemed very worked up, very atypical for him:

"I wish to join the Nyx Defense Force" Tom firmly said and gave a low bow.



Harlequin heavily sighed: "...Tom.. I thought you.. needed more time to think... you shouldn't make this decision rashly"


"Its.. not rash. I have been thinking about this for a while" Tom said, still looking down:
"I want to protect my homeland. But more than that, I want to protect its values. Nyx is an accepting country, that pursues friendly and cooperative relationship with all of its neighbors.

It values human life. Regardless of who that person may be. That's what I want to stand for.

Please" He looked up at Rain and Harlequin.

(Battleship E-901 The Unyielding)


One of the sailors brought two cups of steaming coffee to the war table and Bradford took one, holding it closely in his hands and slightly blowing off the steam that rose from the cup.

He was somewhere in his fifties, dark hair, firm eyes, his chest covered in medals and not a single scar on his face.


He took a small sip from the cup and nodded to you, looking at the holographic map on the table, that now displayed the equestrian shoreline in three dimensions.


"...The 9th pillar is expected to appear in this area, somewhere at dawn. We will arrive there, at 03:00 in the morning sharp and await the pillar on high alert.
The moment it materializes, we will rain hellfire upon it. I want to see a Witcher regenerate, after he's been reduces to a pile of ash, that fits in a cigarette box.


I was planning on pulling a tank battalion into the area, together with some ground troops, but... it seems unnecessary at this point. Those assets could be used better elsewhere... like... watching our borders..."

He took another sip of his coffee.

Twilight thanked the one bringing coffee, taking a sip. She then looked at the map.

"While I agree that the destruction of the tower is key, I believe we should put efficiency over statisfaction. At least one platoon of soldiers, to observe the situation from a side we can't see, telling us what works and what doesn't. Perhaps some snipers to take out those that wish to come in to fight."

She took another sip. "Second, I have a question about your... forceful statement to the Union." She puts her cup down and raises an eyebrow. "You must have heard of my campaign of sorts, when it comes to Equestria and the Union. Now, while the statement you made was clear, perhaps we should see it from a different angle."

(Battleship E-901 The Unyielding)


"Mmm..." the admiral thought for a moment, then carelessly waved his hand at the hologram, making a small red dot appear on the landscape:

"I suppose we could spare a sniper team, positioning them in this area. This should cover our blind spot"



He emptied half his cup and looked at you: "Your stance on the Union is no secret, Mrs. Sparkle. That's why you're on this ship.

You belong here. You share our ideals, our values. You want to protect our homeland"


He placed his cup on the hologram table and looked at you:
"There's no use worrying about the Union. Organizations like that... they don't last long.
Sooner or later, it will crumble under its own weight.

And Equestria may not be a part of it forever..."


He smiled.
You get the feeling he's trying to get a read on you. Analyze your motives:


"Equestria takes priority over all else. It is our homeland.
What other angle is there to see?" he said with a smile.

Fire chuckles, "I'll always rag on artimis for the rest of my existance. You guys removed me from my mortal body!" She lets out a slightly worrying laugh, "After that i experienced the torture of my very soul being torn from my heaven and thrown into this body and with the ideals of my friends being demons, If it wasn't for the bomb planted in my stomach by the artimis commander during the entire slavegear incident, I would still be able to breath and get drunk!" She pauses, a seething hellish anger hidden behind her kind smile, "Well my ships are on their way i have them set just outside the equestrian sea border. Mind you; not that their shells would do much anyway." She raises a cup to her mouth but waits to take a drink, "I have a position already set up if you wish to converge on it you are welcome to." She takes a sip taking a moment to gather her thoughts, "Even so if it is breaking union law, I truely believe such things should and can be looked past when we have a war with an unknown threat, putting our entire existance in danger. Do you not agree?" She sets her cup down, "The coordinates to my ships position will be sent to you. Hopefully Le'astera gets this notification as well"

Rain looks to tom, "Your making the right desision. Welcome to the force tom, once is all said and done i'll have the barracks provide drinks to your arrival!" She smiles kindly, "Im sure you'll find your place among the ranks in no time."

"Now, how about this bit of information?" She spoke softly. "When the union first got into being, moving it's grip, it wasn't done entirely peacefully. It pressured Equestria, until it was forced to battle. In a sense, it was more of a conquering then a union."

She took a serious look and tone. "Barking against the union in our current state is not wise. If we do, it makes our liberation faster, but they'll try to claim us back or eradicate those with views of liberty. And they'll be forced to fight, out of pride. If not, the Union's foundation will be shaken."

She then makes a small smile. "Let's look at it this way. Instead of us needing the Union, the Union needs us. That goes for everything it has done, both good and bad. For example, all the new prosthetics and technology are laced with Tilerium, with Nyx being the main provider of said material. If it were to keep it for itself, they'd quickly become the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. Now, we may not have as much Tilerium, but we have many other resources and researches that they could benefit from. But how much are they willing to pay for it all? And with what exactly? Money... Or morality?"

She takes her cup again. "Doing this mission alone is risky, but as you said it's our soil. Instead of forcing their help on us, making us owe a debt, let's put it that we never wanted to put them in danger for acts within our nation. An offer to take all the work on our own shoulders. If they take it, they can't do anything except thanking us. If they don't, they're basically sending their own men and fundings away in an act of ungrateful meddling. We made an offer to keep them safe, by putting ourselves in harms way. If they won't take the offer though, well..." She smirks slightly. "They got no one to blame but themself."

With that, she took a sip.

Kaylee Brown wrote:(VTOL of the Nyx Defense Force)


"You're cool Rogue" Amy grinned, patting him on the shoulder, as everyone began to board the vertical airplane.

Harlequin held tightly to Rains hand, as she boarded, then took a seat inside and released a small, but very kind smile:
"...thank you" she said to Rain.


Tom climbed in, making sure everyone boarded, before closing the door and signaling the pilot to take off.
The Equestrian sailors continued to drill holes in you with their scowls, until the VTOL finally took off, banking and flying off away from the battleship.




"Say.." Amy quietly called, fumbling with her seat belt and staring off into space: "Why do you think Twilight stayed behind?..." she said in a very quiet, saddened voice.




Harlequin sighed: "Perhaps she is playing a role. A role of an infiltrator.
Hoping to get close enough to the Admiral, to subtly collect incriminating evidence against him and fire a vote of no confidence against him, in the Equestrian government.

Its one way to topple him, but it will take time. The Equestrian government is buried in bureaucracy.


Or perhaps she plans to subtly steer him in a different direction. Become his advisor and influence him enough, until he starts taking Equestria in the right direction.

Or she's planning a power grab.

I don't know what she is doing" Harlequin quietly said, looking away:



"Her past actions speak volumes. Her actions made me trust her.
Past experience dictates that I believe in her. Believe that she's making the morally correct decision, a decision that is best for all mankind, even if I can't directly see or understand what she's doing.

But she's making it very hard for me to trust her, when she's siding with a man like admiral Bradford"



Harlequin sighed:

"Did you see his face?... he has no scars.


That man is not a soldier. He is a politician.

I doubt he saw much combat, if he saw it at all. I wouldn't be surprised if he lied, cheated, blackmailed, bribed and exchanged favors, until he slowly advanced through the ranks to his current position, without ever seeing a battlefield.


People like him are dangerous, because they have no idea what they're doing. They have no place commanding armies.



Taking all this into account, the death of Vice-Councilor Watts seems all too convenient indeed.
I will pull some strings in the Union Military Intelligence.
See if they can dig up something. Because the more I think about it, the more these mental breakdowns become the best cover, to make a fast and quiet power grab"





The VTOL banked right and began gaining height, leaving the Equestrian 3rd fleet behind. Soon, the heavy warships looked no more than dots in the water.


"General" Tom suddenly called, not quite looking at Rain, but definitely looking in her direction. His eyes were directed at the floor for some reason. He seemed very worked up, very atypical for him:

"I wish to join the Nyx Defense Force" Tom firmly said and gave a low bow.



Harlequin heavily sighed: "...Tom.. I thought you.. needed more time to think... you shouldn't make this decision rashly"


"Its.. not rash. I have been thinking about this for a while" Tom said, still looking down:
"I want to protect my homeland. But more than that, I want to protect its values. Nyx is an accepting country, that pursues friendly and cooperative relationship with all of its neighbors.

It values human life. Regardless of who that person may be. That's what I want to stand for.

Please" He looked up at Rain and Harlequin.

"I've known the princess for a while, and whilst she has never been a real supporter of the Union, she at least knew when cooperation was needed" Rogue shrugs "I guess all we can hope for is that she is a plant, a woman on the inside, rather than a turncoat..."

"So, since our staging area was a bust, what's our heading now?" he asks "Back to our adopted Witcher and the search for Axis? Or to the nearest black ops base to prep for something really illegal?"

A Sinner wrote:Fire chuckles, "I'll always rag on artimis for the rest of my existance. You guys removed me from my mortal body!" She lets out a slightly worrying laugh, "After that i experienced the torture of my very soul being torn from my heaven and thrown into this body and with the ideals of my friends being demons, If it wasn't for the bomb planted in my stomach by the artimis commander during the entire slavegear incident, I would still be able to breath and get drunk!" She pauses, a seething hellish anger hidden behind her kind smile, "Well my ships are on their way i have them set just outside the equestrian sea border. Mind you; not that their shells would do much anyway." She raises a cup to her mouth but waits to take a drink, "I have a position already set up if you wish to converge on it you are welcome to." She takes a sip taking a moment to gather her thoughts, "Even so if it is breaking union law, I truely believe such things should and can be looked past when we have a war with an unknown threat, putting our entire existance in danger. Do you not agree?" She sets her cup down, "The coordinates to my ships position will be sent to you. Hopefully Le'astera gets this notification as well"

Rain looks to tom, "Your making the right desision. Welcome to the force tom, once is all said and done i'll have the barracks provide drinks to your arrival!" She smiles kindly, "Im sure you'll find your place among the ranks in no time."

"One of us. One of us" Rogue chants with a smile.

(VTOL of the Nyx Defense Force)


Tom straightened up and brightly smiled:
"Thank you.. everyone" he said sincerely. It looked like a great weight has been lifted off his shoulders.


"So uhh.." Amy called after a while: "We're not really leaving, right? We're heading off for a black op?"


"Damn straight" Harlequin said, looking out the window:
"We can't have the last pillar go active. And I don't trust that pompous idiot to pull it off"
She paused for a moment:

"...I was the one who suggested moving your families to Equestria. If something happens to them, it will be on me...
My own daughter..."

She looked down with regret: "...If I don't do everything I can to protect her, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
We're going. Covertly and quietly."

She looked up and smiled:
"Luckily, the Nyx Defense Force specializes in stealth. Our meager numbers forced us to train in guerrilla warfare. Being outnumbered and utilizing stealth, is the basis of our combat tactics and strategy"



She moved towards the front of the plane and peeked into the pilots cabin:
"Are we far enough?"

"Yes ma'am" the pilot nodded: "Just left the fleets radar range"

"Good, reduce altitude and turn. We're heading into Equestria. Fly low enough to sneak under their radar"

"Ma'am, that will require us to fly 5 meters above the water. Its dangerous" The pilot wearily said.

"Can you do it?" Harlequin asked.

"Yes ma'am" the pilot nodded.





"Alright" Harlequin patted him on the shoulder and turned, looking at everyone:
"We're still a ways off. The flight will take a couple of hours... we might be entering combat tomorrow..

We should rest while we have the time" she quietly said.

(Firewings Office)


The Artemis councilor visibly shrunk in size:
"T-the Artemis government wholeheartedly condemns the actions of general Dakova.
The man was a twisted war criminal, that in no way represented Artemis or our values"


The Altheian councilor made a visible effort not to roll her eyes and didn't say anything.


"-the Verrian and Altheian ships will converge on your designated position, councilor" The Verrian councilor nodded to Firewing:
"The Nyx councilor will be notified as well of course. We'll need all the help we can get"



"On that note" the Mikasa changeling leaned forward:
"Assembling the old Heroes of Adelheid would be a good choice. We could use the ground support"


"I've already tried reaching out to them" The Altheian councilor nodded:
"Kaylee Brown is still missing. I haven't been able to reach the others.

The only one I got a hold of was Radiance.

I'll make the call. If he agrees, I'll have him flown to our rally point"




The Mikasa changeling sighed:
"This black operation doesn't entirely sit well with me"


"The admiral forced our hand" the Altheian councilor sighed:
"He will be the injured party in this situation, so weather our actions will be overlooked or not is entirely up to him.
Though I have a feeling we already know what his reaction will be.

Non the less, we must stay our course.

Our future... our childrens future, depends on it" the councilor grimly said.

(Battleship E-901 The Unyielding)


"Bah!" Bradford waved it off:

"There was no conquering or hostile takeover. Equestria wasn't pressured or taken by force.
We gave it to them, on a silver platter"



He angrily emptied his cup and loudly placed it on the table:
"...I would have preferred if we had fought and lost our independence. At least that way, we would still have our pride. But no.

There was no hostile takeover.




Equestria was sold a very beautiful lie. And like morons, the masses bought it. Voted for it.


Opening our borders? Free higher education? Better healthcare, raising the minumum wage and endless opportunity, in any country of our choosing?"



Bradford scowled: " And what did we get in return?
Our children serving in foreign militaries, protecting foreign coutries, halfway across the world. Fighting, getting hurt and dying, for someone elses homeland, for someone elses cause.


Our streets, filled with foreigners from every corner of the planet. People who do not understand or respect our culture.

You take a walk across Canterlot today. The Equestrians are a minority now, in our own capital city.
You can't spit without hitting some blood sucker or a water breathing freak.


These pricks came here and started to settle here, on our land! Saturating, mudding and destroying our culture with theirs! All because we were forced to open our borders?


And who guards these borders? Who protects Equestria now? Equestrians? Bah!
A third of the Equestrian forces are now comprised of foreign citizens, serving in the Union military and supposedly answering to us, fighting for our cause, to protect our land!

I'm supposed to trust a blood sucker with a rifle? Trust that he will protect my children and won't put a bullet in my back?"







The admirals expression turned into an ugly scowl:
"No.
I will not tolerate this for much longer.
I will not scrape before the Union, smile to them or greese their hands.


Force is the only thing they understand, so I will show them force"



He slowly rose and collected his hands behind his back, watching the hologram of Earth:

"The day is coming.. Mrs. Sparkle.. when the Equestrian flag will fly proud and free.

And if the Union will try to intervene... well..." he released a dangerous, almost crazed grin:




"....lets just say...... I have an ace up my sleeve, that will... deter... any hostile action from the Union.."

He released a quiet laugh, watching the hologram of the globe spin.




After a while he turned his head and looked at you:
"Now I must present a question to you, Mrs. Sparke.


...what do you know, about Kaylee Brown?"

Kaylee Brown wrote:(VTOL of the Nyx Defense Force)


Tom straightened up and brightly smiled:
"Thank you.. everyone" he said sincerely. It looked like a great weight has been lifted off his shoulders.


"So uhh.." Amy called after a while: "We're not really leaving, right? We're heading off for a black op?"


"Damn straight" Harlequin said, looking out the window:
"We can't have the last pillar go active. And I don't trust that pompous idiot to pull it off"
She paused for a moment:

"...I was the one who suggested moving your families to Equestria. If something happens to them, it will be on me...
My own daughter..."

She looked down with regret: "...If I don't do everything I can to protect her, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
We're going. Covertly and quietly."

She looked up and smiled:
"Luckily, the Nyx Defense Force specializes in stealth. Our meager numbers forced us to train in guerrilla warfare. Being outnumbered and utilizing stealth, is the basis of our combat tactics and strategy"



She moved towards the front of the plane and peeked into the pilots cabin:
"Are we far enough?"

"Yes ma'am" the pilot nodded: "Just left the fleets radar range"

"Good, reduce altitude and turn. We're heading into Equestria. Fly low enough to sneak under their radar"

"Ma'am, that will require us to fly 5 meters above the water. Its dangerous" The pilot wearily said.

"Can you do it?" Harlequin asked.

"Yes ma'am" the pilot nodded.





"Alright" Harlequin patted him on the shoulder and turned, looking at everyone:
"We're still a ways off. The flight will take a couple of hours... we might be entering combat tomorrow..

We should rest while we have the time" she quietly said.

"We're going straight in?" Rogue asks, "We're not exactly kitted out for combat at the moment, unless this crate has a respectable hidey-hole chock full of doodads?"