Chapter 10: Terms of Service

I found myself adrift in inky black darkness. I couldn’t feel the solidity of the ground beneath my hooves, nor the spongy softness of the cloud cover I was more intimately familiar with. I also had no idea which way was up—which by all accounts should have been distressing—but I felt surprisingly devoid of panic.

As if the universe itself was watching for my reaction, tiny lights winked into existence all around me. They filled my field of view—left, right and all around me in every direction. Miniscule orbs of light twinkling against the pitch black backdrop of space. Living above the cloud cover meant I was no stranger to such a sight. Stars. Seeing them again caused my old sense of foal-like wonder to resurface and I felt my spirits lift higher than they had in days.

I searched the skies for the moon but couldn’t find it. Not an odd circumstance to me, although history told me such a thing may have caused distress in pre-war times. Nowadays the heavenly bodies governed their own passage and every thirty days or so the moon completely disappeared from the night sky. Still, something about it bothered me but I couldn’t put a feather on it.

Entering into a lazy backstroke, I drifted along and swept my gaze over the billions of twinkling little lights all around me. It was a little disorienting from outer space compared to the cloud cover. Even so, I was still able to locate and trace the patterns of stars I’d grown familiar with. I worked my way from constellation to constellation before coming to rest on the brightest star in the night sky. Or the place where it should have been. Polaris’s conspicuous absence left me feeling profoundly uncomfortable.

Before I could begin to panic, a gaseous blob of color danced about in front of my face and I drifted back a ways to see what it was. Floating before me was the cloudy facsimile of a swan. By some strange magic a large amount of cosmic dust had coalesced to form the familiar shape of the bird I remembered only as Doc’s treasured pet. At its core and all throughout were twinkling little lights that formed the constellation of Cygnus.

“Spirits preserve me, sweet merciful Polaris,” I gasped breathlessly. “Cygnus?”

There was no response from the swan. It merely fixed me with what I assumed was a stare given that it had no visible eyes. As I gazed upon what may or may not have been the manifestation of a deity, a small amount of dust flowed from the creature and gained shape. A moment later I was looking at a blue pint-sized pony with more twinkling stars inside that together formed the constellation Equuleus.

“A pony!” I exclaimed excitedly. Cygnus’s head drooped back in an unmistakable gesture of a sigh. “Sorry, I got carried away. This is really neat.”

I watched patiently as more bits of Cygnus siphoned off and formed miniature avatars of the constellations. When it was finished, the swan gestured with a wing and I looked on, curious. Between us was a miniature cosmic diorama with four pony constellations and a gaseous blob circling over their heads. Three of the ponies stood on one side of an invisible line and the fourth stood on the other side facing them. I shivered as Cygnus outstretched a wingtip to touch me and drew it back to rest on the lone pony constellation.

“That’s me,” I guessed. Next, Cygnus drew its wingtip over to one of the three other ponies and it exploded in a cloud of sparkles. “...That guy explodes?” Cygnus shook its head and the pony reformed, then it repeated the previous gesture. “He dies?” Another shake of the head. “Disappears?” By now Cygnus had gotten quite frustrated and buried its face in a wing. “I don’t think you understand how bad I am at charades. Trying to guess what you mean is really tough, you know. Pointing doesn’t tell a whole lot.”

Cygnus perked up immediately and another bit of dust formed the shape of an arrow beside my representation. Again, it pointed to me and then to the other pony with the orbiting cloud above it. With another gesture the arrow loosed itself and speared the pony and it disappeared in a poof as before.

“Ohhh, you want me to shoot that guy,” I said, and Cygnus nodded its approval. “Why, though?”

My answer came abruptly as the until-now-shapeless gas took on the shape of another constellation, this one that of a snake. Before the name could even surface in my mind, the heavenly serpent coiled and reared its head back. My scream died in the vacuum of space as the snake darted towards me with an ethereal hiss. I was powerless to defend myself, forced to watch as the beast struck. In an instant the head swelled to massive proportions as it grew closer. The very last thing I saw before I woke with a start was the pitch dark void of a black hole before massive jaws closed with a deafening snap.

“I still don’t think this is a very good idea,” I groused. “If he really wants to kill me there isn’t going to be a whole lot you two can do to stop him. He seemed pretty committed to it until you stepped in, but something tells me that trick won’t work twice.”

Once again I found myself inside the Spire’s elevator as it rose up to Krieg Razorbeak’s office. Greaser and Tess accompanied me but it wasn’t doing a whole lot to steel my nerves. Having had time to think about it I’d decided I was no happier to be meeting with him today than I had been yesterday.

“I have spoken to him,” Tess said from my right. “He is… willing to compromise.”

“Just relax, mate,” Greaser said, giving my shoulder a reassuring pat. “How are you feeling, by the by? Doing all right?”

“I’m going to assume you mean mentally.”

“Yeah. Good night’s kip can work wonders and you were out like a bloody light by the time I got home.”

I rolled a shoulder in a shrug. “I had a really weird dream that woke me up and made zero sense, but it was still the most restful sleep I’ve had in days. Still real tender around the ribs. I’m not sure healing potions were enough for whatever got banged around in there.”

“No worries, mate. We’ll get you looked at,” Greaser said. “If Krieg’s not willing to do it I’ll find someone else who can get you sorted out. He’s not the only bloke ‘round here with medical expertise, he just happens to be the best.”

“I’m positively brimming with confidence,” I droned as the elevator dinged and the doors parted.

He was still there, that massive griffon. He had a strange coloration, like some mad sciencepony had lopped off the top half of a massive grey hawk and stapled it to the body of a panther. He stood over by the large plate glass windows overlooking the city, brooding and glaring out over the bay’s waters. I caught his eye in the reflection of the glass and realized that he wasn’t actually looking out the window, but instead watching us as we exited the elevator.

“So,” he growled without turning, “Welcome back, Red.”

I bristled at the intentional rudeness before correcting him. “Mach.”

“Red,” Krieg insisted. “You’ll be in and out of my life in short order and I don’t have time to memorize the name of every pony who comes through my city. I’ve been told you’re in need of medical care. I’m sure you understand that costs money.”

“I learned that lesson days ago, trust me. I’m well aware that Wasteland surgeons don’t accept Enclave military medical coverage. Or real money.”

“Funny guy,” Krieg said flatly. He wasn’t smiling. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re not a braindead moron. You understand where I’m going with this?”

“Quid pro quo,” I answered simply. “A favor for a favor.”

“Bingo. You say you’re no longer in the Enclave. You’ve also been branded—though only on one side, which makes me wonder. Either way, this could work out such that it mutually benefits both of us.”

I narrowed my gaze, suspicious. “What are you getting at?”

“I got a little job for you, Red,” Krieg said as he at last turned to face us. He stomped over to his desk and sat down in his chair with a creak of ancient leather. He stared at me for a moment, drumming his talons idly against the arms of the chair. “First, you’re gonna find out what those Enclave bastards are doing in my city. Once you’ve done that, you’re going to come back here and tell me everything you learn. You get that done, you’ll get your medical treatment.”

“Is this the part where I tell you to take your offer and shove it?” Beside me, Tess and Greaser winced and grimaced.

“Easy mate,” Greaser cautioned with a whisper. “Try and keep it civil, he’s very prideful.”

“Excuse me?” Krieg said, ceasing his talon-drumming and leaning forward in his chair. “My hearing’s not what it used to be so I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

“If that’s what you want me to do, I’d be better off taking my chances with some back-alley quack that learned medicine from a foal’s anatomy book,” I sneered. “All it’ll take is one look at the lightning bolt on my ass and I’ll catch a laser straight through the forehead. If you think whatever officer is in charge of this apparent top-secret operation is stupid enough to divulge crucial details to an enemy of the state, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“What if I told you that you didn’t have a choice?” Krieg hissed, clenching the arms of his chair tight enough to puncture and tear the leather.

“Oh, damn,” I said, half-hearted. “I don’t know how I managed to miss the shackles on my legs keeping me here. Well, shit. I can’t just walk away after all. I guess you got me!”

“Nein, Storch,” Tess cautioned. "An deiner Stelle würd' ich das sein lassen.” The griffoness paused for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. “Oh mömentchen, lass mich mal kurz... Perhaps try peace? No, that is not the word. Ah, diplomacy.”

“You’re going to do this for me whether you want to or not,” Krieg said, standing up on his hindlegs to tower over me. “Because I don’t have anyone in my employ who can successfully accomplish this. Because I need to know if whatever the Enclave has planned puts the people in my city in danger, and...” Krieg took that moment to lean over and grab me by the throat again. “Because if you don’t do this I’ll break every bone in your body and throw you off my roof.”

His grip wasn’t tight enough to choke me, but it sent a very clear message. “I got it,” I hissed, seething. “But I won’t last a snowball’s chance in hell without a way to conceal my brand.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Krieg said as he released me. “We’ve got everything you’ll need.”

“I feel like an asshole,” I said as I perched the officer’s cap between my ears and ensured it was straight, “Even when I was leading surface recovery teams I didn’t wear this shit.”

I’d said my goodbyes to Greaser after leaving her with most of my things, but not before asking her to take a look at the coilgun in my absence. I couldn’t well show my face around Enclave troopers with stolen equipment, though considering the circumstances the sentiment was a tad ironic. Krieg had sent me off with Tess, who’d set me up with a stolen Enclave field officer’s uniform with matching cap and boots. I tried really hard not to think about how they’d managed to acquire such a thing or what had happened to the previous owner. As I finished affixing my pistol holster to my leg, Tess gave me a quick rundown.

“I have managed to track the Enclave pegasi well enough to pinpoint a likely base of operations,” the griffoness explained. “There is a high amount of activity centered around an old bottling plant southwest of Sanctuary. I would start by searching there.”

“Have you noticed anything heavier flying in the vicinity?” I asked, “Like Sky-tanks or even troopers with power armor?”

“Nein,” Tess answered with a shake of her head. My eyes were drawn to her bundled crest feathers as they swayed with the motion. “I have only been able to observe the occasional pegasus dressed as you are entering or exiting the building. I have also noticed Steel Rangers coming and going, though very rarely. Perhaps only once or twice.”

“Steel Rangers,” I murmured, mostly to myself. “What does it mean? It makes no sense.”

Maybe I could get more out of this than just medical treatment. With all these strange happenings allegedly involving the Enclave operating on the surface I was starting to get awful curious myself. After my encounter with the twins and that Steel Ranger patrol I had a lot more questions than answers. Perhaps I could get some of them cleared up while I was in the process of placating that crotchety thug of a griffon.

“All right, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I said. “I’d tell all of you not to wait up but I don’t suppose you will anyway.”

“I will follow shortly and remain in the area for half an hour,” Tess said, much to my surprise. “If you do not return within this window I will assume things have gone poorly and report back to Krieg of your failure.”

That sounded more in-line with what I expected from a mercenary. “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,” I snorted.

“Bitte,” Tess chirped.

I rolled my eyes and took flight, much as I didn’t want to. My chest still ached something fierce with every beat of my wings, but I’d be damned if I was going to drag this task out by walking. I didn’t pay any mind to the city beneath me as I flew, but I did note some things along Buckston’s coast that stuck out quite clearly. One of the more noteworthy sights was an old naval station with a lone aircraft carrier capsized at port. Further down the coastline I could see a shipbreaking yard with rusted out hulks of scrapped ships scattered all around. Burgeoning industrial town indeed.

I kept an eye out for this bottling plant as I got a lay of the land. I didn’t expect to recognize it when I saw it, but it was quite clear from the second I set eyes on the building that I’d found exactly what I was searching for.

Erected atop an old brick building was a huge caricature of a bright green spaceship. It was a cartoony-looking thing, vaguely bottle-shaped and superimposed with the word Lightspeed in a sweeping cursive font. The whole affair was artistically encircled by stylized rocket exhaust.

I let out a thoughtful “Huh.” It wasn’t a beverage I was familiar with at all. Then again, I wasn’t really familiar with any pre-war consumables. That brown stuff in the bottle that Greaser had given to me was pretty tasty, though. Sparkle~Cola if I remembered correctly. I had to see if she could find me more of that stuff. Just the thought of the syrupy sweetness and pleasant fizziness on my tongue was making my mouth water.

“You’re stalling,” I mumbled to myself when I realized what I was doing. “Sooner I get this over with the sooner I can get out of here.”

I pitched forward and aimed for the front entrance as I descended. I wasn’t too worried about being caught impersonating an Enclave officer. I used to be one, after all. Considering my experience with regs, procedure, and terminology I had no need to bluff my way through anything. What concerned me was being recognized. Or not being recognized, as the case may have been. All it would take would be one pony wondering who the hell I was and why I was snooping around to blow my cover.

Straightening my cap one last time, I put on my best officer’s scowl and pushed the doors open. It went about as well as I could expect. I ran into nopony while I marched through the bottling plant’s corridors. I snatched up a clipboard from atop a table as I passed and tucked it under a wing. I’d always heard the best way to look busy was to be holding something.

Something was nagging at me as I trotted along, but it didn’t register until my unease had grown to the point where I could no longer ignore it. I paused and looked over my shoulder when I realized what was bothering me, but found nopony there. I’d just waltzed into what was supposedly an Enclave field outpost without encountering any sort of guard or patrol. Was I in the right place? Or was it possible that the pony in command was just that lax with regards to procedure?

“Hey. You,” A voice said from in front of me.

I whipped my head around in a panic to focus on the speaker, my neck muscles tense and ready to grab for my laser pistol. A pegasus clad in power armor stood before me, his visor pushed up to allow wispy curls of his blue-grey mane to poke out from under his helmet. A vicious scar raked across his snow-white muzzle, the healed tissue pinching his skin just enough to give him the illusion of a permanent sneer.

“Yeah, what?” I snapped. I couldn’t give him a second to get suspicious, I had to be aggressive to sell my disguise. “Don’t you have something you’re supposed to be doing?”

“Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question,” the stallion shot back.

“I don’t see how what I’m doing is any of your business,” I replied. “I’m on my way to the latrine so unless you want to tag along and hold it for me while I piss, I suggest you get back to your duties.”

There was a brief pause before the stallion started walking towards me, his gaze accusatory. “Y’know,” he said as he approached with clanking armored hooves, “Now that I think of it, I don’t recall ever seeing you around before. What was your name again?”

I felt sweat start to bead on my neck and I fought to keep my expression neutral. “If you don’t know who I am then we have a serious problem—”

“Not the one you’re thinking of, that’s for sure,” the stallion said, cutting me off. “The only problem I see here is a pony with nothing to do. You know what I think? I think it looks to me an awful lot like you’re shirking duty. Why don’t you accompany me to the Commander’s office? I think we should go have a chat with him and see if there’s anything important he needs us to do.”

I stammered, “That won’t be necessary, I—”

The stallion blurred and I felt an armored leg hook itself under my left shoulder. At the same time, the bladed scorpion tail swung around to rest its tip just beneath my jaw.

“I insist,” the stallion said, using his grip on my leg to throw me forward and ahead of him. “Down the hall and to the right. Don’t stop until you reach the end.”

“Don’t tell me where to go, I know my way around,” I snapped in a vain attempt to keep the bluff going.

“Save it. Get moving.”

I made a noncommittal grunt and began walking in the direction I’d been told. Various plans of escape blurred through my mind in a panic, but truth be told I could see no way out. Not without sustaining grievous bodily harm at any rate. Right now my best option was to meet with the commanding officer of this operation and hope he hadn’t yet heard about my exile through the grapevine. If I got lucky, I even stood to gain by engaging in civil discussion with a member of my own kind.

When I reached the end of the hallway, I paused before a closed office door. I did a quick scan of the immediate area while my ‘escort’ tromped up behind me. I was hoping to spot a potential escape vector, a window or an adjacent room—anything to break line of sight to me. My luck being what it was afforded me no such boon. Instead it was nothing but long corridors to either side of me.

“Get in there,” the trooper barked, giving me a shove forward.

“All right, all right!” I complained as I placed my hoof up against the door while muttering under my breath, “Stars almighty, you’re a grouch.”

I pushed the door open and stepped into what appeared to be a conference room. Gloomy and lit only by the feeble glow of a flickering bulb was a long table that took up most of the room. Set upon the table were various documents and discarded papers, but none of these things compared to the centerpiece. It stuck out in stark contrast, floating above the table just high enough to pass a hoof underneath it without touching. I recognized it instantly. I’d been there before.

“Cyclonus,” I gasped as I caught sight of the Enclave metropolis in miniature.

Indeed it was. An exact replica of the Eternal Storm whirled lazily above the boardroom table, fashioned completely out of cloud. The papers upon the table stirred and flapped in the miniscule winds generated by the fun-sized natural disaster. Tiny little cloud buildings orbited above the hurricane’s eye wall, carried along by the churning wind. Even after my brief visit last year I still remembered how disorienting it was being in a city that spun like a huge wagon wheel. When airborne, at least. If one was to spend a length of time flying in Cyclonus, the same building could be in a completely different location inside of an hour.

I stepped forward towards the table and reached out like a curious foal as some primal part of my brain told me to touch and see if the model was a genuine cloud.

“I’ll ask you to refrain from touching the display, thank you,” a voice said from directly opposite me. I froze as a pair of hooves reached out from beneath the cloud and coaxed it higher to rest by the ceiling where it continued to whirl overhead. Once I was finally able to tear my gaze away from the meticulously detailed model, I looked down at the pony who’d moved it up out of sight.

Across the table from me stood an indigo-coated stallion. His face was an expressionless mask and he regarded me with a glance I interpreted as halfway between accusatory and irritated. He didn’t say anything but continued to stare at me, unblinking. I rustled my wings and swallowed as I observed one eyebrow rising up to rest just beneath the Enclave commander’s mossy green mane and his lips parted to form a small ‘o.’ If losing his demeanor in front of me bothered him in any way, he didn’t show it. He merely reined his eyebrow in and any trace of emotion that had been there vanished from his features.

“Rime,” the commander said, not taking his eyes off me. “I believe I told you I wasn’t to be disturbed.”

“I apologize, Commander Vortex,” the pony from behind me—Rime—replied. “But I bumped into this one wandering the corridors. I figured you might want to see him and decide what to do with him personally.”

“I see,” the Enclave commander answered. He didn’t sound pleased. “Find Crosswind and send her in, if you please. I’ve some duties for her to attend to.”

I turned to watch Rime depart, his armored tail slithering through the door behind him as it shut. I felt my confidence rise a little as he did. I didn’t like my chances against an armed and armored opponent but this Enclave commander was unarmed. If I needed to make a hasty retreat I didn’t think he’d pose a threat to my escape. I turned back around to see him regarding me with a very intense gaze.

“You have until my subordinates return to explain yourself,” he said once we’d locked eyes. He had a very smooth, eloquent way of speaking and he enunciated all of his syllables perfectly. Somehow he managed to do so with none of the snobbishness one would expect from such a trait. He must’ve been a good public speaker because I was having a hard time hating the guy on first impressions alone.

I hadn’t really prepared a contingency plan for this situation. My intent had been to shoot in, snoop around a little and shoot straight back out.

“Oh, we haven’t met yet,” I said with a winning smile. “I’m the new guy. Yep. Just flew down this morning. Name’s Operative Frosty Wi—uh…” I balked, stopping myself from blurting the first name to spring to mind. No, that sounded too girly. I needed something more stallionesque. “Wi-Winds… Wind Chill…” No, Wind Chill sounded a little too broody to fit a pony of my stature. That was more dangeresque than stallionesque. “Winterfresh,” I answered without further thought, my face a grim mask of seriousness. “My name is Winterfresh.”

Nailed it.

“Indeed?” Vortex said with a slight inclination of his chin and brow. “You seem like more of a… Big Red to me. Did you want to try that again? We’ve still got some time before Rime and Crosswind return. Please do continue, I’m rather enjoying myself.”

“Beg pardon?” I said, fighting the urge to loosen my collar. Was it getting hotter in here?

“If you thought you could waltz straight into my outpost and blend in like one of my few trusted associates you were sorely mistaken,” Vortex said, a touch of incredulousness in his tone. “As far as infiltration attempts go this is by far the most abysmal I’ve ever seen. Would you like to know precisely where you went wrong?”

It was apparent that I’d been made so I didn’t bother trying to lie my way out of it. I wasn’t the best bluffer by any stretch of the imagination and I’d only dig myself a deeper hole by trying. I had to figure the only reason I wasn’t dead yet was because Vortex had something in mind. Whether it would be good or horrifically bad remained to be seen.

“I’m listening,” I murmured.

“Your attire, for one,” Vortex said, pointing at my stolen officer’s uniform. “Standard-issue Enclave military. All of my subordinates have altered the appearance of their gear in order to be subtly distinguishable from your run-of-the-mill Enclave trooper. Or did you completely fail to notice the blue accents in your half-witted plan to fool me?”

I honestly hadn’t noticed it before, but now that I took a closer look I could see navy blue stitching all throughout Vortex’s uniform. Even the composite body armor he wore to protect his chest and hindquarters had seams lined in more blue trim. It didn’t exactly scream out loud like neon green would have but it was a very distinct and clever way to distinguish friend from foe if one knew what to look for. Damn the luck.

“So, my little Enclave spy,” Vortex said as the door opened behind me. I whirled to see Rime enter followed by a second armored trooper and I swallowed again as they blocked the room’s only exit. “That brings us to the inevitable question of what to do with you.”

“Whoa,” I said, my wings unfurling slightly as I felt panic begin to take hold. “I know what you’re thinking but I swear it’s not what it looks like.”

“Oh?” Vortex said. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like the Enclave has sent an agent to collect intelligence about my operations and whereabouts. Though I’ve admittedly learned a whole lot more from you than I imagine you’ve learned from me. Namely that the Enclave doesn’t know a thing beyond the fact that there is an independent contingent of former Enclave pegasi operating without the Council’s knowledge.”

“You’re not with the Enclave…?” I shook my head with a nicker. “Wait, that’s not important. Okay you have to listen to me. I’m not—heh—I’m not a spy. I’m not even affiliated with the Enclave.” Vortex gave me a flat look. “Uh, anymore. Really.”

“Crosswind…” Vortex sighed, his voice weary with exasperation.

“No, really!” I cried desperately, but Vortex’s expression remained unconvinced. “Okay, yes, fine! I was sent here to spy, but not by order of the Enclave. It was for dirt-munching Wastelander mercenaries! I swear!”

A heavy blow struck the back of my head and my eyesight blanked out as surely as if somepony had tossed a flashbang into the room. My legs turned to jelly and I dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes while multicolored stars danced and flew before my eyes. Before I could process what had happened, an armored hoof slammed my skull against the floor and held me immobile.

“You’re not fooling anypony, scum,” A mare’s voice snarled from behind me. Not Rime, then. “You show up out of nowhere, try to blend in like you’ve been working with us for years when you haven’t got a clue and you’re wearing standard-issue Enclave field officer dress. You must think we were all born yesterday.”

“Listen, listen, listen,” I hissed through clenched teeth, “Just listen to what I have to say!”

“Shut it!” the mare snarled, and my protests were cut short when her hoof squeezed my head even harder against the floor. I gasped and tried to recoil when the bladed tip of her suit’s scorpion tail darted in to float just in front of my eye. “Shall I kill him now, sir?”

“You may dispense with your usual brand of hostility, Crosswind,” Vortex sighed. “Just hold him for the moment.” He moved to where I could see him from my position on the floor but made no effort to lower himself to my eye level. Instead, he looked down his nose at me with an expression that clearly said I was wasting his time. “I am a very busy pony, so it would be in your best interests to present your case as clearly and succinctly as possible.”

“Okay look,” I breathed out with a sigh of relief, “This’ll sound stupid at first but roll with me on it, all right? All I need you to do is let me up so I can pull my pants down.” Vortex’s eyelid twitched and I had a feeling I was going to need a bucket pretty soon for all the sweat pouring off my face. “Or one of you can do it!” I said before he could change his mind. “I don’t care who the hell does it, just get ‘em off me and everything will make sense. Trust me on this one. It costs you nothing to hear me out.”

“Crosswind.”

Crosswind’s bladed tail vanished from in front of my eye and I yelped when I felt cold steel press against the base of my spine. When I heard and felt tearing fabric instead of rending flesh I realized Crosswind had used the blade to cut the waistband of my stolen Enclave uniform. The area around my flank got significantly more breezy as the tattered remains of my pants dropped down to my fetlocks. A firm prod at the brand on my flank set the wound to throbbing and I inhaled sharply.

“Fresh? Well now, this is interesting,” Vortex purred. “Perhaps there was a grain of truth to what you said after all. Crosswind, let him up.”

I pushed myself up when the armored hoof left the back of my skull and locked gazes with Vortex. I couldn’t get a total read on his expression, unique as it was. If I had to guess I’d have put it somewhere between satisfied and calculating. Something about the way he was looking at me told me the gears were really spinning in his head. Though then again, after my accumulated time in the Wasteland maybe that was me getting used to knowing when I was about to be implemented as a tool of somepony’s will.

That was me, apparently. The Wasteland’s most overworked multi-tool, yours for the princely sum of only nine-ninety five. Aisle seven between ratchets and wrenches. If you hit woodworking supplies you’ve gone too far. Don’t leave home without one!

“I believe you said something about being here to spy?” Vortex asked. “Would you care to elaborate?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” I confirmed, rolling my sore neck and shrugging my wings. “I needed a favor and the payment was information. I was sent here to find out what the Enclave’s interests in Buckston are, but…” I trailed off, giving Vortex my best calculating stare. “...If what you say is true, the Enclave was never in Buckston, was it?”

“Not as thick as you look, are you?” Vortex coolly replied. “That is correct, the Enclave is not, nor has it ever had a presence in this location. Regardless of that fact it has been quite a useful guise for my operation. A small strike force of pegasi with pristine equipment tends to attract the attention of the aspiring wasteland warlord, you see. Openly wearing the insignia of a mysterious seldom-spoken-of faction tends to give ponies pause.”

“If there’s a point, get to it,” I snapped. “I’m not an Enclave spy, as I have gone to painstaking lengths to prove. I really don’t give a good stars-damn what you and your lackeys are up to. My one concern for the immediate future is making nice with the local riffraff so I can get my damn hoof in the door. Am I free to go or not?”

“Watch your mouth, scum,” Crosswind snarled, and I found myself flanked on either side by both she and Rime. “You should be groveling at Commander Vortex’s hooves and thanking your lucky stars that you’re still drawing breath.”

“You have got some serious pent-up aggression there, Sweetheart,” I jibed before I could stop myself. “You should try flicking the bean once in a while. Or I could gladly assist milady if the task is considered beneath her,” I said, extending a hoof towards the purple mare. “Shall we away to your chambers, madam? I assure you I am an expert lover.”

“You slimy piece of sh—”

“If you two have finished,” Vortex snarled, his gaze snapping from me to Crosswind and back until we were content to merely glare daggers at each other. Once we’d settled down he flashed me a diabolical smile. “Come now. Surely you’ve learned by now that nothing in the Wasteland comes for free. I don’t think I need to point out that you’re also bargaining from a position of weakness.”

“Stars a-fucking-live,” I spat. “Here we go with the bullshit again. ‘Do this stupid fucking thing for me, Mach,’” I said, affecting a prissy, nasally tone and injecting as much insolence as I could physically muster, “‘Wipe my ass for me, Mach. Go do my grocery shopping. Genetically engineer magical radiation-resistant grapes and feed them to me off the vine, Mach.’ It never fucking ends with you people!”

I could hear Crosswind’s teeth grinding, but she held her tongue. Rime appeared to be coolly detached and was unaffected by my mockery. Vortex, to my immense surprise, had allowed his smile to grow wider. Nothing I could throw at the guy seemed to phase him. He was cooler than a cucumber in the freezer.

“Rime,” Vortex called, the smirk disappearing from his mouth to be replaced by a grim line. “is the package secure?”

“Yes, sir,” came Rime’s gravelly rasp from my right side, “Secure and awaiting retrieval. I just received word from our contact this morning.”

“Excellent,” Vortex said. “Excellent. Your part in all this is quite simple, my sharp-tongued associate. All I need of you is to fetch a package for me. About so large,” he said, holding his hooves about fifteen centimeters apart. “It’s a holotape with sensitive information stored upon it. It’s quite dangerous for me or mine to be seen in public with some of the contacts I’ve established. Therefore, we use a series of dead drop points when brokering information. You will go to the Buckston Police Department and retrieve this holotape for me.”

I scoffed despite myself. “What exactly stops me from fucking off the second I walk out of this factory?”

“The fact that if you don’t,” Vortex began, his grin returning, “I will completely undermine your mission to spy on me and have you publically outed as an undercover Enclave agent. I will ensure you are declared persona non-grata and run you clear out of this city. You will never find work, you will never find lodging and if I am lucky that insipid griffon mercenary leader will hunt you down and murder you in the most creatively painful way imaginable. He’s been a constant thorn in my side and made it rather difficult to operate out of the shadows. Despises the Enclave, you see.”

“That’s a bunch of bullshit and you know it,” I sneered. “Who the hell would listen to you? You’re no more trustworthy than I am, walking around impersonating an Enclave detachment.”

“I retract my previous statement, you are an imbecile,” Vortex chuckled. “Contrary to what you may believe, we are not the same. You are a stranger with naught but a discolored patch of flesh to prove your allegiance. You’ve no assets or allies, no credibility. However, I have resided here long enough to have sown plentiful seeds and reaped their rewards. Whom do you suppose the wastelanders are more likely to believe?” Vortex cooed, a lone eyebrow raised. “A drifter who flew in overnight, or any one of several business associates of mine? Contacts I’ve made that have lived in this city their entire lives; indigenous peoples to a land we’ve merely adopted as our own. Do you really think your word will shake the foundations of the trusting business relationships and local connections I’ve established to further my influence?

“You’re digging at the bottom of a dry well and I’d advise you to stop before you hit water,” the smug asshole continued. “I don’t ask much from you. Be a good little soldier and retrieve the holotape that we may wash our hooves of each other. It shouldn’t take more than an hour if you don’t tarry.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled before I was calm enough to respond without shouting. “That’s all, right? Once I run this errand you won’t try to fuck with me?”

“Once your task is complete I’ll have no further use for you,” Vortex said as he turned back to his model of Cyclonus. “No further action will be necessary on my part unless our paths should cross again. I trust you can find your own way out?”

“I can manage,” I growled before injecting as much saccharinity into my voice as possible, “Unless Dollface over there wants to do me the pleasure of escorting me out.” I puckered my lips and made kissy noises at the irate mare. “Maybe we can take the long way out and burn off some stress before I go.”

“Will you get lost, you fucking creep?” Crosswind shrieked. “Do us all a favor and get shot in the face!”

I slid through the door grinning ear to ear, but paused to stick my head back through before I closed it. “Ought to work on the temper if you want to pass as an Enclave soldier. Keep losing your cool like that and people will start to wonder where your discipline is.” I ducked her bladed tail when it came rocketing toward my skull and embedded itself into the wood of the door. “Toodles!”

Once the door slammed shut behind me as Crosswind tugged her armored tail free, I bolted for the entrance. I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until I was in the air and checking my tail to make sure nopony was following me. When I was sure I wouldn’t be pursued I exhaled a massive gust of air and relished being back beneath the vast openness of the skies.

Briefly, I considered leaving Vortex twisting in the wind as I flew back downtown but ultimately dismissed the idea just as fast. Razorbeak hated my guts and I imagined he’d gladly take the word of one of Vortex’s contacts over mine. At this point I was certain he’d jump at any chance to put two in my head and throw me in a dumpster. No, for now the best course of action was to continue playing errand colt. Realistically this would be the very last time I’d ever have to do so but I cursed myself for even allowing the thought to cross my mind. Jinx much?

“Hallo.”

“Stars alive!” I bellowed, clutching a hoof to my surging heart. At some point on my return trip Tess had glided up alongside me without my noticing. “Don’t do that, I’m wound up tighter than a clock right now!”

“T'schuldigung,” Tess replied, though she looked more amused than remorseful. “Were you successful in learning anything? You are still alive. That is a good start, ja?”

“I learned plenty, but I can’t come back to the Spire to make my report yet. The guy in charge has me by the short hairs. If I don’t play fetch for him he’s gonna fuck my reputation before I even get the chance to establish it. You wouldn’t happen to know where the Buckston Police Station is, would you? They’ve left a dead drop there for me to collect. Once I retrieve it I’m off the hook.”

“I will tell you how to find this place but you must be careful, Storch,” Tess said. “It is outside of Sanctuary and not within range of Obsidian’s patrols. Not protected, kapiert? Steel Rangers lurk this area frequently. I will head back to the spire and find my team. We will fly overwatch for you, ja?”

“I won’t say no to backup,” I replied gratefully. “I’d rather not need it but I’d definitely appreciate the help if things go to hell in a hoofbasket.”

“Sehr gut. Auf wiedersehen.”

Tess tossed me a salute and we split. I watched her go and my gaze lingered perhaps a little too long on her snowy white flank as it disappeared into the distance. Damn it, that chick was growing on me like a bad habit. I shook my head and put on a burst of speed. There would be time to consider that glossy, magnificently-formed avenue of thought later. For now it was time to put this absurd chain of favors bullshit to rest for good.

Locating the police station wasn’t too difficult with Tess’s directions. I was glad to have the help because damned if everything in the city didn’t look samey to me, foreign as the construction was. Cloud buildings felt a lot more distinct to me at a glance. I was used to gentle curves and whorls with lots of solid columns and poofy clouds galore. Everything below me looked like a bunch of crudely designed boxes crammed into every available space the pre-war architects had to work with, leaving just enough room to lay down the roads.

It was those very same roads that helped me pinpoint my destination. Buckston Police Station itself was such an innocuous-looking building that I probably would’ve missed it without help. It was just another rectangular slab of brick blending in against the backdrop of the sprawling cityscape. A long strip of road just in front of the building was what gave it away. I could see faded letters that had been painted onto the paved surface centuries ago that declared the space as police parking only.

Eager to be done and off on my way again, I swooped down to land on the station’s front stoop. I swept my gaze around to do a quick perimeter check in case I missed anything from the skies but the coast was clear. Raising a hoof to push the door open, I paused and let it drop when I saw a glint of light out of the corner of my eye.

When I spotted the source of the soft mote of light I was initially confused, but it came to me immediately when I realized what I was looking at. Somepony had painted a motley crew of spots on the concrete steps of the police station with what appeared to be metallic paint. Together they formed a symbol that would make no sense to a Wastelander but that I was able to identify without a second thought. They were stars. A constellation. Aquarius to be specific; the water-bearer.

“Vortex’s contact?” I murmured quietly as I traced a wingtip over the small dots to link them and form the familiar pictogram of Aquarius. “I suppose it would make sense to use a communication system only pegasi would understand, though I have no idea what this is supposed to mean out of context. This must be my clue to keep an eye open for more of these.”

I pushed onward into the police station, my senses on alert for hostiles and my eyes on the lookout for more starsigns. I didn’t have to wander far to find the first one. At the station’s reception desk was another spattering of paint dots, this time in the shape of Sagittarius; the archer. I was no less confused about its meaning than the last sign, but on a whim I decided to head in the direction the head of Sagittarius’ arrow was pointing. It was a solid guess and I didn’t have to wander far before I found an identical constellation of Sagittarius further inside the station.

I slowed my pace a little now that I knew what to watch out for and took some time to poke around the police station’s innards. It had been ransacked for sure, in all likelihood several times over just as the general store I’d spent the night at. Prowling through the abandoned police station was almost in the same realm of creepy as the old elementary school from my first day in the Wasteland. All the abandoned offices and department desks only served to remind me of the fact that people used to work here. Two-hundred years ago people would have been shuffling through these halls, filling out reports and answering phones day in and day out.

Old terminals and furniture were strewn through every corridor leaving me to pick my way around the clutter in a ridiculous zig-zag pattern just to push forward. After the third detour through a side room I gave up on exploration and made a mental note to come back at some point in the near future to check the evidence room and armory. You know, once I was finally free of my laundry list of obligations.

I didn’t expect to find a whole lot on my return, but with any luck some things had been overlooked. With a great deal of luck I’d happen upon a treasure trove of supplies that scavengers had failed to pilfer. Anything that would put money in my pocket or bartering power on the table was an attractive prospect to me at the moment. Doubly so considering most of my equipment was either damaged or nonfunctional.

When I at last tracked down the final Sagittarius I found it had been sprayed on a pile of desks and filing cabinets that blocked off the rest of the hallway. To my right was my apparent destination and where Vortex’s contact had made the drop—the interrogation room. I sighed and shook my head as I stepped into the room to retrieve the holodisk.

“Somepony thinks they’re a fucking comedian,” I grumbled. “I would’ve left it in the evidence room.”

There it was, right there on the plain-looking table in the center of the room. I cast a wary glance at what I knew would be a one-way mirror and froze when I saw my reflection. I looked like shit. My coat was caked in crusted blood and grime, my mane was a greasy mess and I had massive bags under my bloodshot eyes. Stars alive, I looked like a strung-out hobo. Or like I was at the tail-end of a week long bender. No wonder everypony was wary of me, I looked like I was about to start screaming in tongues and shanking ponies with a fork.

It wasn’t all bad, though. I tilted my head to the side to get a good view of my face in profile. That little tuft of hair on my chin was starting to grow out a bit and I didn’t altogether hate the look. I’d had to keep it trimmed close and neat to meet hygiene regs so I’d never taken the time to experiment. I shot myself a smile. Rakish. I made dirt pony look pretty damn good.

I was about to turn to pick the holodisk up when I noticed it reflected in the mirror—another starsign. It turned my blood to ice water before I was even able to identify it and I spun around to verify the un-mirrored image. Serpens. Connecting the dots and remembering my dream from the night before, I knew this was too weird to be a coincidence. I went to snatch the holodisk up and book it out of the station as fast as my scrawny legs could carry me when the flickering light overhead winked out. I heard the door slam shut a moment after and panic started to well up inside me when I heard somepony speak. I wasn’t alone.

“You shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you. I’d put that right back where you found it if I were you.”

Light blossomed from behind me and I saw my head silhouetted on the wall beside Serpens’ constellation. Turning once more to face the mirror, I saw the massive armored bulk of a Steel Ranger on the other side of the glass, headlamp turned on to nullify the reflective properties of the mirror and allow me to see him. Or intimidate me. Both were likely but I assumed the latter was more to the point considering Tess had told me they prowled this area. My gut lurched and my chest ached in remembrance of the previous day’s encounter.

“Sorry, you got the wrong guy,” I replied. “I’m just a courier.”

I sized up tall, armored, and handsomely dangerous while I waited for his response. He looked far more deadly than both of the Rangers I’d seen yesterday put together, no question. He was brimming with weaponry and his armor had been reinforced beyond anything I was familiar with to the point that he looked more like a walking tank. Thicker steel plates and reactive armor had been affixed to every spare bit of metal not occupied by a weapon. I could see the barrel of a minigun over one shoulder and his battle saddle was outfitted with both a missile launcher and what looked like an autocannon if I wasn’t mistaken.

“It doesn’t really matter to me whose hoof I catch in the cookie jar,” the Ranger replied. “I was duly informed that the thief made his way here and I fully intend on reclaiming my stolen property. Retribution is my tasty dessert.”

“Well murder can’t be the only thing on your mind because I’m not in the middle of helping you give the wall a new coat of paint.”

“Not yet,” the Ranger shot back. “You and I are going to have a quick little chat, understand? I’m in no mood for games today. If you’re cooperative I’ll just leave you here to rot. If you try and give me the runaround they’ll need a squeegee to scrape what’s left of you into a bucket. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” I said, doffing my cap and tossing it into a dark corner of the room. Leaning up against the table, I crossed my forehooves and gave the Ranger my attention. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been in this exact position in the last seventy-two hours.”

“My heart weeps,” the Ranger said dryly.

“Really, now,” I quipped before he could continue, “My memory’s a little fuzzy but I could’ve sworn the Tin Pony had a little trouble getting his hooves on one of those.”

My smirk disappeared faster than snow on a sweltering summer day when the Ranger’s minigun spooled up. My breath caught in my throat waiting for the muzzle flash that would herald my messy demise but it never came. Instead my focus was redirected to the whine of the minigun’s motor as the barrel assembly continued churning.

“You just used up your freebie so I hope it was worth it,” the Ranger said mirthlessly. “Try my patience one more time and see what happens.”

“You’ve got my undivided attention, big guy.”

“Good,” the Ranger grunted with a nicker. “I’m not after your life story. I’m not interested in what you stole from me or what you intended to do with it. I couldn’t care less why you did what you did, whether it was for money or valuables or to earn somepony’s trust. Likewise, knowing how long you’ve been skulking around under my nose does me no good. I want you to tell me, in no uncertain terms, who it is you’re really working for.”

“Uh, you mean right at this very moment or ultimately?” I answered uncertainly. “Because technically I’m contracted out to two people right now, it’s sort of a complicated situation I’ve landed myself in.”

“Why are you here?” the Ranger growled. “Under whose orders are you stealing data? Who are you retrieving that holodisk for?”

“His name is Vortex,” I said, holding a hoof up beside my ears. “A pegasus about my height, dark blue coat. He’s got a pair of lackeys in power armor and they operate out of an old Lightspeed bottling plant. I don’t really know much beyond the fact that they’re a rogue cell camouflaged as an Enclave—”

“Don’t fuck with me!” the Ranger bellowed, and I cringed as a burst of minigun fire punched through the mirror and whizzed past my head close enough to make the hairs in my mane sway. “I told you not to try my patience. My next burst is headed for center mass and I’m not fussy about ammo consumption. You better believe I won’t let up off the trigger until you’re nothing but a pile of mush. I will ask you one final time. Who are you working for?”

“I told you, you brainless piece of shit!” I shouted back, too afraid and pissed off by now to be concerned with the consequences. “I’m playing fetch for some asshole named Vortex who I’m pretty sure is going to dick me over!”

“That’s horseapples,” the Ranger said. “You’re a real shitty liar. I’ve been working alongside Vortex for months now. Vortex was the one who told me to be here waiting for you. Why on Celestia’s green earth would he put one of his own on the chopping block? I’ll tell you why. Because you’re a goddesses-damned rat and the pleasure of dispensing with you is a very generous gift from my business partner.”

“You’re a moron if you think he’s being straight up with you,” I murmured. “You’re just as much a pawn on the board as I am. I can tell the guy is playing me like a fiddle but I don’t have a choice but to play along.”

“Which brings us to the matter of your untimely death,” the Ranger replied. “I—” He paused mid-sentence and cocked his head to the side. I could hear a tinny voice from the other side of the mirror and I guessed it was his radio. “This better be good, I’m in the middle of something. What? What? Who are the instigators? How many?” There was a brief pause during which I heard the muted sounds of gunfire and explosions issuing from the Ranger’s radio. “Dig in, we’ll force a retreat or kill them. I won’t be ousted by a bunch of bleeding hearts. I’ll be there shortly, I just have to wrap up some unfinished business.”

A sound comparable to tearing fabric cut through the silence a moment later. Bullets and a rain of glass shards cascaded towards me too quick for me to react. I gasped and stumbled backward when I felt sledgehammers strike me with the force of approximately one million freight trains. All strength oozed out of me and I made a desperate grab for the table to prop myself up, but to no avail. My bloody hoof slipped free of the wood surface and I crashed to the floor where I huddled in a broken heap.

“Vortex sends a message,” the Ranger said after his minigun had wound down, “Let freedom ring.”

I laid there on the floor for stars only knew how long. Bleeding, broken and too distracted by pain to concentrate on getting myself to somepony that could help. My breath came in shuddering rasps and I could feel my wounds throb with every beat of my heart. My thoughts grew more and more clouded as time passed. Pain lessened somewhat as I grew wearier. I even started to hallucinate towards the end and I could’ve sworn I heard a voice talking to me.

"Storch? Wo bist du, Storch?" Hey, that sounded kinda like Tess. “Antworte mir falls du meine Stimme hörst! Shout, please!”

I made an attempt to call out but the only thing that made it out of my mouth was a gurgling howl of pain. By some stroke of luck it was enough of a sound to home in on. Minutes later I felt powerful digits grasp me and haul me up to my hooves. I swayed but didn’t fall as Tess threw one of my legs around her neck and held me up with her shoulders. On my other side a different griffon did the same and they started carrying my half-dead ass out.

“Wh-What took you so long,” I mumbled drunkenly. “I’m only dying here.”

“Schweigen, dummkopf,” Tess chastised. “Save your energy. You are not dying before you can give your report to Krieg, kapiert? The Spire is not far. Hold on for just a few more minutes.”

“Jawohl, frau Shadowclaw,” I slurred drunkenly.

Agreeing to cling to life was simple enough but actually complying was another thing entirely. I had no strength left. I was running on empty and I’d been doing so for days now. Most of my blood was now outside of my body and all I could think about was how great sleep sounded. My eyelids felt like they were made of lead and despite my best efforts they ultimately drooped closed.

“I wasn’t looking at your butt, I swear!” I shouted when my eyes snapped open again. Probably the very first thing I noticed was that I felt exceptionally comfortable. A little sore, but for the most part quite cozy. I also wasn’t dead, which was either a plus or utter misery depending on how one chose to look at it. “Stars, what a butt, though. Whew.”

“Erm…” the familiar voice of Greaser came from my side. “I’ll not ask what that’s all about. Don’t go back to sleep, hey? I need to go fetch Razorbeak, he wanted to talk to you once you woke up.”

I watched after her for a moment as she departed before taking a look around. I’d been tucked into a princess-sized bed while I was unconscious. I barely had to turn my head to know I was in Greaser’s room. Much the same as the living room, junk and disassembled machines littered the floor around her bed. Blueprints and posters had been tacked up on her walls with no regard to spacing or straightness. In one corner was a desk with an unfinished project set atop it and unlaundered clothes sat in a heap by the door.

My mane crawled at the thought of meeting with Razorbeak again and I found myself hoping he wouldn’t murder an injured pony. Time dragged on while I waited for Greaser to return with the surly griffon and I started to wonder if he was taking his time on purpose just to make me squirm. I was just about to try and roll out of bed to find a bathroom when the door opened and the two of them filed in.

“I see you pulled through all right,” Razorbeak growled after a minute of tense silence.

“Um… yeah,” I responded lamely. “Yeah, I guess so. I suppose I have you to thank?”

“Among others,” Razorbeak said. “Tess says you were able to do what I asked you to, is that true?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Would you like me to fill you in now?”

“If Tess trusts you then that’s enough for me,” Razorbeak said, turning to leave. “Rest up for now. Take it easy for the rest of the day. You lost a lot of blood but none of the bullets hit anything vital. I topped you off with a transfusion but the wounds will take some more time to heal, light activity only. Do whatever you want tomorrow morning but be in my office by tomorrow afternoon for debrief. Got it?”

“B-Beg pardon?” I stammered.

“I told you healthcare didn’t come free, Red. You work for me now. Welcome to Obsidian.”

Holy shit.

I had a job.

Footnote: Level up.

Obsidian fame gained!
Accepted - Mercenaries of the Obsidian PMC have come to accept you for your help investigating a security threat.
Sanctuary fame gained!
Neutral - The citizens and merchants of Sanctuary aren't quite sure what to think of you yet.
Vortex's Rebels infamy gained!
Vilified - You don't know what you did, but you're awful sure you're on somepony's blacklist for life.

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the long wait, y'all. There's really no excuses to be made. Really all I'm hoping is for this to be proof that I haven't given up and I'll get this thing finished no matter how long it takes. I just hope there's a few that are patient enough to wait for my slow butt to finish. The next chapter will be a twofer, for the record. A short one followed by a longer one with a cameo and a lot of important question-answering. I'm sure y'all have plenty of those by this point. Answers are coming!