“JSOG squad leaders, please report to the bridge. JSOG squads leaders, report to the bridge.”

The voice sounding out over the intercom struck through the velvety haze of Jack’s dreams as he lay sprawled out on his small bunk with his face buried in the stiff mattress. With a quiet groan he slowly cracked an eye, before fumbling around for his PDA. Groaning louder as he saw the time on its screen, he groggily swung his legs off the bed and let himself fall the short distance to the metal deck. Quickly pulling on his uniform top over his undershirt, Jack took a short moment to make himself presentable in the mirror before marching out the door. He’d made it a scant two feet before he was ambushed by Hard Tac. The Captain looked equally ruffled, with the hints of sleep still clinging to his eyes.

“Hey, Jack. How’d the plains treat you?”

It had been only a few days since Jack’s squad had saved Chief Yuma’s village from raiders. After that they’d been retasked to hunt down the splintering remnants of Eldron Blackheart's auxiliaries. The job had been easy, and Jack had considered it training for his squad. “Reminded me of home, but with less wheat.”

“Yeah?” Hard Tac smiled a bit as he matched Jack’s striding steps through the halls of the air-carrier. “I hear we’re building the village walls and arming them, how’s that working out?”

Shrugging in ignorance, Jack failed to suppress a wide yawn that saw him baring his teeth. “Ugh, sorry. I couldn’t tell you really, that’s not my mess.”

Hopping through a heavy bulkhead door and nodding to the air-sailors that saluted at them, Hard Tac looked once again at Jack. “You know what this briefing is about? I heard there might be trouble in the Crystal Empire. Wonder if we’re headed there.”

Quirking a brow as they began to ascend the stairs to the bridge, Jack pursued the question. “Couldn’t tell you, that’s the first I’ve heard of the place. What’s it like?”

“Cold and shitty. Well, everywhere except the capital. Place is greener than Canterlot. Weird country, bloody history.”

Sighing, Jack opened the bridge door for Tac. “Great, sounds like fun.”

“Ah, Gentlemen, there you are!” The captain of the Stalwart Liberty stood on the bridge, looking toward the pair entering through the door as he smiled. As they came to a sharp salute in tandem, the captain shot one back before looking back out the window and across the plains. “Please, follow me to the briefing room.” Without pause, the captain spun on his hooves and began a quick march to the adjacent briefing room. Closing the bulkhead behind the pair as they entered after him, Captain Chord quickly lost his signature smile. “I’m afraid I have another mission for you two.” Turning on the new projector, Captain Chord placed translucent slides onto its glass surface. “Four days ago, two colts went missing from the remote village of Jadetowne, near the northern edge of the Crystal Empire’s territory. A search party was sent out, only for one of the searchers to go missing as well.” The slide was a general overview of the township and the surrounding wilderness; a majority of the landscape was dominated by arctic trees. “Two days ago, a small crystal guard unit was sent to investigate. The patrol found this, in one of the clearings.” The captain placed the next slide down, and Jack felt his stomach twinge mildly in shock. The missing pony was there, as far as he could tell from the limbs and viscera spattered about. The older pony, a small mare by the looks of it, was being propped up, with her hooves extended toward the sky. Her body was being held up by small sticks that were laced together in such a way that they could hold the weight of what was left of the pony. Most of her head seemed to be missing, but from the angle it wasn't quite clear. Two points began to stick out in Jack’s mind as he watched as the next few slides were placed down, all containing the same images, but taken from different angles.

“She’s missing her face, and she looks chewed.”

Nodding once in agreement, the captain placed a blurred slide, containing a indiscernible silhouette that was partially hidden by the trees surrounding the area. The body looked strange, and blended in well with the snow and trees. “The minds in Canterlot believe this is the work of a psychotic Griffon, or possibly bandits.”

Shifting in his seat, Tac began to glare at the stills on the wall. “Then the minds in Canterlot are idiots. Unless the bandits are cannibalistic; at that point, why not attack the village? It took two days for the guard to get there, it’s not like it would have been hard.”

“Whatever that is, it doesn’t look local.” Jack crossed his arms and continued to stare at the image, before sighing quietly. “We won’t know until we get down there.” Jack stated grimly as he rested his hands on the large oak table. “Who’s deploying?”

Going back to the area map, Captain Chord turned to regard both men. “The Imperial Crown has asked that our best be sent to deal with this threat, before any more lives are lost. They’re taking this very, very seriously. I want Bravo squad to secure the town against any attacks, and Alpha to enter the forest and root out the ones responsible. Charlie will remain onboard and act as backup if needed.”

Nodding in understanding, Jack brought up his PDA and began taking pictures of the area map. “Alright. That shouldn’t be too hard. Will we have air support?”

“Doubtful.” The captain shook his head, before continuing. “Unfortunately, the weather down there is supposed to get rather nasty by the time we arrive, so our aircrews are being grounded until it clears. You’ll be deploying by rappel line from the deck.”

With frowns spreading across both soldier’s faces, Tac was the first to salute as Jack remained deep in thought. “They won’t get past us sir. What’s our rules of engagement?”

“Alive if possible, but live rounds are authorized. Trust me when I say that nobody here will shed tears over this bugger getting what he deserves. Any further questions?”

“No sir.” Both soldiers spoke again in tandem, earning the ghost of a smile from the captain.

“Good. We’re leaving immediately, the construction crew and trainers will be retrieved later. We’ll be there in three days time, so get your squads prepared and stocked. Dismissed.” Chord saluted both men before him, and received a pair of sharp salutes in return, before they filled out and left him alone in the briefing room.

Flicking through the photos on his PDA, Jack’s frown continued to grow as Hard Tac led him and spoke. “I’m going to need to borrow Ada for this one, I need her for locking down the village.”

Grunting in acknowledgment, Jack continued to scrutinize the map and the terrain. “Fine, she’s the urban combat expert, but I’ll need Baron in return. If it’s a camp, she can infiltrate.”

“You want Mythic too?”

“Yeah.” Jack nodded as he closed his PDA and stuffed it in his pants. “He’s a good comms jockey, and I’ll need that in the boonies.”

“Any ideas what to do if that blizzard locks us down?” Tac hopped through the bulkhead and stepped onto the lift that led further into the bowels of the carrier.

Joining him, and then sending the lift rattling downward, Jack rolled his right shoulder and winced as it worked his brand. “Yeah, Alpha will pull back and we'll set up an operations center in the village. I'll continue to work. My suit is heated and sealed, so I can keep moving no matter how ugly she gets.”

Nodding in understanding, Tac didn't seem to agree with the sentiment. “I don't like that idea, but you do have a point. If the blizzard locks us down, it'll lock our target down as well. He won't be expecting you to come trudging along.” Tac huffed with mild amusement. “I'd be worried about your safety, but if it kills you, I'm just gonna get Stalwart to shell the forest with those pack guns.”

“Hah, fucker.” Jack shook his head as he grinned slightly. The lift came to a stop within the primary carrier staging hangar, and as Jack lifted the metal grate that served as a door, both he and Tac were met by the normal flurry of activity that constituted Stalwart Liberty's daily work orders. The hangar was gargantuan, holding nearly an entire army group's worth of equipment within itself, and still having room for swaths of technicians to move freely. Pegasi flitted back and forth through the lofty roof, accessing the higher levels and hanging equipment with ease. Currently, Jack couldn't see across the entire tent city that made up all the work stations and storage grounds “At least use incendiary shells. I gotta look good for when God sends me to hell.”

Starting the long trot through the bustling tent city full of air-sailors, Hard Tac cast a curious glance over his shoulder as he weaved through. “I never took you for a religious man.”

Narrowly scooting out of the way of a young mare carrying a stack of parts, Jack only shrugged ever so slightly. “How I was raised. Mom was Catholic, but I was never all that good at it.”

“Oh?” Tac slowed his pace to walk beside Jack. “What makes you think that?”

“Thou shalt not kill is one of the major tenants.” The human mumbled plainly as he entered the JSOG staging area.

“Ah.” Tac smiled slightly, but it soon disappeared when he saw the somewhat downcast expression on Jack’s features. He watched as Jack produced his hidden hip flask and downed what had to be half its contents. Frowning at the act, Tac closed what little distance was between himself and Jack so the others present wouldn’t hear what he had to say. “For the love of… Jack, we’re on deployment.” Tac furrowed his brow as the human took a chaser swig before screwing the cap back on. “Jack, seriously, I love a little drink here and there, but… have you considered that you might have a problem?”

Throwing a dark look down at Hard Tac, Jack stowed his hip flask and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “Like, just this one? Or the entire laundry list of shit that’s fucked with me?”

Internally wincing at the unsubtle edge Jack’s words had held, Tac swiftly searched for a diplomatic solution to the situation he’d gotten himself into. “We’re just worried about you Jack. I’ve been looking to quit recently, and I think you should join me.”

“I’m pretty sure the cumulative hangover will kill me outright, if I don’t finish the job myself.” Setting his features into a dark frown, Jack began to stride into the bay. “Let’s go brief the troops.”

“Jack-”

“Later, Captain.” Turning away from the Captain, Jack strode into the JSOG troop bay and raised his voice enough to be heard by everybody within it. “Alright children, gather ‘round! Crown Jewel has a big mission for us, so listen up!”

The cold air of Twin Peaks cut through Flitter's armour and insulation like a knife, leaving her fighting shivers and muted curses as she trudged along her mountain patrol route. The squad behind her no doubt shared a mirror image of her own internal complaints, but she had to keep hers at bay. They were her subordinates, and she had to set an example, even if it physically pained her.

Cresting the rocky rise, Flitter and her squad were afforded a brilliant view of the pass leading into griffon territory. It was truly breathtaking looking over the weaving pass that snaked through stone and snow, but she wasn't paid to admire the view. Turning to check her squad, she spoke up. “We’re nearly there. Let's keep up the pace.” The usual grumblings met her ears as her squad readjusted their packs and rifles. To placate herself and the squad, she gave them her reasoning for not stopping. “If you colts think the cold is bad now, try cooling off while you rest.” She smiled behind her muzzle mask as she caught a few scowls in return. “We'll rest at the relay, there's cover there from the wind.”

The rest of the trot went fairly quietly, with the cutting cold wind only picking up at the last moment as they entered the naturally protected divet the radio relay sat inside. Sergeant Minerva took direct control of the squad, sending them in to clear the area and set up survival tents. Sighing with relief as the cutting wind was abated by the natural outcropping, Flitter started for the tiny building that would give her access to the relay’s controls. The relay tower itself jutted up a good fifteen meters off the top of the mountain, it's skeletal steel structure covered in ice and frost as it bore the worst of the weather. Slipping into the small control room, Flitter pulled off her insulated helmet and pulled the thick scarf away from her face. Beginning her routine check of the intricate equipment, Flitter allowed herself to relax somewhat. Finding the delicate equipment to be in good working order, Flitter keyed in her code and slipped the thin headset over her ears.

“This is Hellion One Lima, come in Fortress Actual.” Flitter pressed a hoof against her headset as she waited for her response.

It came quickly in the form of a commanding voice. “This is Fortress Actual, go ahead, Hellion.”

Smiling to herself as she flipped open her area map and consulted her orders, Flitter began her check-in process. “Hellion confirming that we have arrived at the first relay and are taking a breather.”

“Copy that, Hellion. Carry on to the second relay and report. We've got reports that some Empire deserters might be in the area, so keep your ears up.”

Frowning at the news, Flitter consulted her map again. She was well within Equestrian territory, but if the deserters were looking to act as bandits, they wouldn't be caring about borders. “Full copy, anything else?”

“There's a storm brewing north-north west so prepare to bunker down at relay two. That's all, Hellion. Watch your tails out there.”

“Thanks for the heads up Fortress, Hellion out.” Turning off the radio, Flitter hung up the headset and pulled her protective gear back on. Leaving the small room, Flitter was struck in the face by the cold, but saw the slowly growing fire her squad had built as a welcoming sight. Trotting over, Flitter took a seat by the fire and began warming her wings. A good portion of the squad were quietly chatting as they are and rested, but Sergeant Minerva was solely focused on Flitter.

“Any news ma’am?”

As Flitter nodded, most of the squad turned their attention to her. “We're only taking a ten minute breather, there's a storm brewing to our north west, and if we get caught out in it we'll be in deep shit.” She flapped her covered wings lightly in their protective coverings, getting the blood flowing to them again. “We also have word of Imperial deserters in the area. We don't know if they're hostile, so we need to be very cautious.”

While a few of her soldiers frowned at the news, the rest seemed to take it in stride and continued their short rest. With the fire warming their spirits, the small patrol began to seem more willing to move forward. To Flitter's mild surprise, Sergeant Minerva sat down next to her and offered her a slip of dehydrated apple. Nodding her thanks, Flitter began to eat quietly when Minerva spoke.

“So, lieutenant. What was it like fighting the humans?”

Perking a brow at the question, Flitter finished the hunk of apple and thought for a moment as the rest of the squad turned their attentions toward her. “I only fought against them in Canterlot when Discord attacked. It was…” She rubbed her cheek lightly. “Harder than it should have been. They weren't all fighters, and a lot of the guard underestimated them. A lot of people died because of that. Then, you know, both sides found out they were just a distraction and were going to die either way.” She shifted lightly. “I'd rather not talk about that, if that's alright.”

“How did the humans fight?” One of her privates asked as he shifted closer to the flames.

Considering the question, Flitter shrugged her wings. “I can't really go into detail for most of them save for one; they were all so varied. Well, except for one thing. They hated us with a violent passion.”

Frowning at the statement, Minerva got comfortable. “And what about the one you can tell us about?”

Smiling lightly, Flitter glanced to Minerva. “That would be Knight Sergeant Kessle. He's… where do I even start?” She asked herself as the small squad turned their full attention to her.

“I recognise that name.” Corporal Frost sat forward. “He was in one of those tabloids claiming the crown was employing psychos. It was all bs, those rags always are.”

Nodding to the corporal, Flitter elaborated. “Jack has… a bad relationship with the press. Like a predisposed hatred.” She shook her head. “I trained under him for months. He's the one who made me who I am. Taught me everything.”

“So how does he fight?”

Smiling at the flames, Flitter considered how she would word it. “Like… A force of nature. Jack is…” She sighed quietly to herself. “He is shock and awe. Doesn't stop, doesn't slow down.”

“Sounds like you regard him pretty well.” Minerva was frowning lightly, but Flitter didn't know why.

“I do. He's…” Flitter's features softened considerably with hidden regret. “He’s my best friend. He can just be an ass sometimes.” Her admittance caused a few smiles to crop up.

Not happy with the simple explanations, Minerva pushed on in search of more info. “I heard something like that. Apparently Celestia has him and some group of shit-hot operators running around saving the world. He's supposed to be a hero.”

Getting up and fixing her protective gear, Flitter stared Minerva in the eye as she answered. “Because he is. He's mine.” Covering her wings again, Flitter motioned for the squad to get up. “Up and attem’ Hellion, we've got a patrol to finish and a storm to beat. We've chatted enough.”

With groans of defeat, her squad quickly broke camp and donned their protective gear, before setting back out on the patrol path. The storm could be seen violently brewing on the northern horizon above the mountains, and the winds were already picking up as the temperature plummeted further, well below freezing. Just as the blizzard began to cut down their visibility to near zero, Flitter caught sight of the second relay, it's bright pathing flags barely visible through the driving snow. Hurrying her squad forward to the protective cavern the second relay was housed in, Flitter only allowed herself a sigh of relief when her whole squad was inside the mouth of the cavern. The howling winds picked up almost immediately, and the land beyond the cavern mouth became a solid sheet of white death.

As her eyes grew accustomed to the natural dark of the cave, Flitter began to look for the relay control room. What she found instead was rifle barrels pointing at her and her squad. Tensing and holding a wing out to stop her sergeant, Flitter narrowed her eyes as her squad cursed and stood their ground as they leveled their own rifles. There were only three guards she could see, but they had scant cover inside the cave. Thinking on her hooves as the unseen guards kept their rifles trained on the squad, Flitter stepped forward and cleared her throat.

“I'm Lieutenant Falenas of the Equestrian Mountain Rangers, I'd like to talk to the griffon in charge.” Her authoritative voice carrying over the wind outside and echoing through the cave. In the dark, she could make out a griffon guard scamper off further into the cave. An uncomfortable silence passed over the cave, before the sound of claws over rocks met her ears as a skinny griffon in cold weather military fatigues approached.

The griffon was obviously male, but rather small to be a leadership position. He regarded Flitter as he approached, an old hard calibre revolver sitting at his hip. The markings on his uniform had been pulled off or defiled, selling him out as a deserter. “Afternoon.” His voice was softer than she'd expected, but it was unwavering at the presence of gun barrels pointed at him. “I'm Knight Holden, and I lead these men. You are this band's leader, correct?”

Nodding, Flitter approached the Knight; her wing resting over her concealed pistol. “Yes I am. Might you tell us why you're here?”

“Yes, please, join us away from the storm. We don't want any conflict with you mountain rangers. We've had enough of it.” Turning to head deeper into the cave, the griffon guards lowered their rifles, and in kind saw the saddle mounted battle rifles of the rangers lowered as well.

Following Knight Holden deeper into the cave, Flitter found that the deserters had made their camp around the small prefab structure that housed the second relay’s equipment. The relay tower itself punched through the rock above, creating a place where smoke could exit the cave. A smattering of tents decorated the rocks, and several cooking fires could be seen. With her brief look over the camp, Flitter was able to make the easy, but uncomfortable assumption that the deserters easily outnumbered her squad two to one. Beckoning Minerva over, Flitter spoke quietly into her ear. “Check the equipment for tampering. It'll be obvious. If it is, tell me you couldn't raise command. Go, quiet.”

Nodding silently, Minerva grabbed Private Lemon and set off for the comms hut. The rest of the squad loyally followed Flitter as she joined the knight at the central fire. Knight Holden sat down before the fire, and smiled lightly toward Flitter. “I admit, I was hoping to avoid meeting any of your patrols, but I am glad we can speak peacefully. I'm sure you have questions?”

“I do.” Flitter sat down on the warm stones and was joined by her squad. “Firstly, what in the hell you boys are doing out in our turf.”

Caught off guard by the strength and authority in the mare's voice, Knight Holden shifted on his feline haunches. “Well, caught between our own land and yours, I decided to take our chances moving into Equestria. The storm has just driven us to cover for now. I heard that your crown is looking for mercenaries?”

With little warning bells going off in her head, Flitter hid her frown and warmed her hooves at the fire. “They were bringing in the best of our militaries. Not mercenaries.”

“Oh. Well, that certainly is a shame.” The Knight scratched at his cheek. The tension in the cave was slowly rising, and only abated for Flitter when Sergeant Minerva reappeared. The subtle look on the mares features immediately gave her cause for worry again.

Sitting down next to Flitter, Minerva leaned in close to speak. “We can't raise CP, storm is playing hell with the relay. It's like you thought ma’am.”

“Understood sergeant. Get some chow in yourself and the stallions.” Flitter gave the nod to her sergeant, who in turn gathered the rest of the squad and set off to prepare camp, and remain ready for whatever plan Flitter was concocting.

Getting up, the knight smiled toward Flitter. “Would you care to join me in my tent? We can discuss things further, there.”

Considering the offer and hiding her distrust of the deserter, Flitter pushed a professional smile and stood before nodding. “I'd be honoured.” With his smile growing at her agreement, Knight Holden led her off to the edge of the deserter camp, to the largest tent there. Two griffon soldiers stood to attention, bringing their aging smooth bore muskets up. The knight simply waved a wing, motioning for them to stand easy. Entering the tent after him, Flitter was met with a finely furnished interior, replete with a soft looking travelling bed and several maps of the area, as well as the Knight's armour and weapons. “Tea?”

“No thank you. I'm more a coffee mare.” She shifted, and didn't undo the battle rifle that was strapped to her body.

Obviously, her movement caught the Knight's attention and he looked over the brand new rifle. “That is a fine weapon. You Rangers seem a cut above the rest of your forces.”

“Rangers aren't the Royal Guard. So, our head's aren't entirely crammed up our collective asses.” Sitting down on a fine cushion, Flitter took care to hide her side arm, and keep her rifle's firing bit away from her mouth.

Her statement earned her a boisterous laugh from the griffon as he sat down and poured tea. “Indeed. How many of you are there?”

“Enough to be a threat.” Flitter answered flatly, before frowning. “I think we can both be honest. The storm isn't why you're here.”

“Now.” Knight Holden began as he drank his tea. “I do not appreciate this accusation. In fact, I resent it.”

With a thin smile, Flitter leaned forward ever so slightly. “Fine. I'm curious, why did you and your men desert?”

“General Skytalon has become increasingly untrustworthy in the eyes of myself and many of the men these past few months. Word is, he’s changing drastically, even now. I'm out here, trying to find a place for us all, away from that madness.” The knight swirled his tea lightly, before sipping.

Not fully believing Holden's words, Flitter made a show of checking her rifle visually. “How long have you been working with the bandits?” Her words caught Holden off guard, causing his beak to gawk slightly, before anger overcame his features.

“So, you think you are smart, hmm? I was trying to be civil, but you ponies always insist on doing it the hard way. You want me to take you prisoner? Fine. We outnumber you. You can't run, you can't call for help. You and your squad are now our prisoners. Now, accept your position and undo your rifle.” As Flitter's features hardened, she began undoing the straps of her battle-saddle. Once it was off, the griffon motioned to her uniform. Scowling hard, Flitter began to undo the buttons up front. The frown on Holden's features slowly began to creep into a smile. “I admit, while you ponies disgust me, the cold only serves to make loneliness all the worse. My leader wants a bargaining chip, so you fools stop pushing down on us all. Your squad will be that bargaining chip. And you. You will be a prize.” He drew a knife from his hip, and began approaching her.

Without warning, the griffon dove for Flitter, his claws outstretched to grab her by the throat. Rolling onto her back from her sitting position, Flitter caught the griffon mid lunge with her hind legs outstretched, causing his momentum to send him flying over her with a yowl. He landed on his paws; turning with cat-like grace to tackle her down. What met him was two forty calibre slugs to the chest and stomach. The built in suppressor of Flitter's side arm reduced the blasts to twin thump-cracks and a clacking action. The twinkling sound of the brass bouncing off the stone floor filled the tent as Holden failed to suck in air; the wound in his chest doing the only sucking of air for him.

Approaching the griffon knight, Flitter kicked his knife away. “A sucking chest wound is nature's way of telling you, you fucked up.” Leaving the convulsing Knight to his fate, Flitter buttoned the front of her winter fatigues up, before trotting toward the tent flap. The shadows of the guards were moving toward the tent flap.

“Sire? Is everything-”

The bandit's words were cut down as Flitter shot them both through the fabric walls, dropping the pair. No yells of surprise went out as Flitter exited the tent and began making her way toward where her own soldiers were waiting. In the dark, she could just barely make out Sergeant Minerva, and the number of griffons watching them. “Sergeant Minerva!” Flitter called out, bringing the camp's full attention to her. The sudden gunshot from Flitter caught everyone off guard as it struck the griffon watching the mare in the throat. “Fire drill three, diamond formation!”

Thankfully, the Sergeant had conveyed the danger of the situation to the men, and none of them had stripped down on their armour or removed their weapons, so when Flitter's bellowed order came, they leapt into action. With the griffon bandits caught off guard, and using only antiquated muskets, the rangers made short work of them with bullet and bayonet. Working through the cavern with clockwork precision, each griffon bandit met his end at the three shot report of equestrian rifles. By the end of the surprise firefight, the enemy force was wiped out, leaving only the Mountain Rangers standing over the still warm bodies.

Kneeling down to put pressure in a musket ball wound on one of her privates, Flitter looked up toward Sergeant Minerva as she approached. “Hello Sergeant. Good work with the men. Was anybody else hurt?”

“A couple grazes, cuts, and a rolled foreleg. No casualties ma’am.” Minerva nodded toward Flitter. “I'm sorry ma’am, but who trained you?” She glanced over her shoulder at the remains of the deserter camp. “Because that's not OCS training.”

Laughing lightly as the squad medic sealed up the private's wound, Flitter got comfortable on her haunches and looked up toward Minerva. “Thanks for noticing sergeant. It's impossible to impress you enlisted folks.” She grinned at her own joke as Minerva finally cracked a smile of her own. Her lack of answer did not escape Minerva.

“I… if you say so ma’am. Private Lemon and Corporal Knock are working on restoring comms. The rest are stacking bodies. Total is twenty three bandits, and one knight.”

Nodding at the report, Flitter stood to retrieve her rifle from the Knight's tent. “Good work sergeant. Once the bodies are out of the way, have the men eat and rest, before scouring the camp. Bring any Intel to me.”

Saluting quickly, Minerva nodded. “Yes ma’am. Right away.”

“Dismissed, Sergeant.” As Minerva broke off to issue Flitter's orders, she herself returned to Knight Holden's tent, only to find a mild surprise laying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. “Hmm. I'm impressed, ser Knight. A sucking chest wound and you're still alive. You're tough, I'll give you that.” Flitter stepped over the writhing form of Holden and retrieved her rifle. Once her saddle was secured by her side, she turned back to the griffon and crouched next to him. Holden gasped for breath quietly as he reached out for her. Coldness slipped over Flitter's emotions as she looked over his crumpled, pathetic form. “If you point to where you keep your Intel, I'll help you.” With the last of his strength, Holden pointed a quivering claw toward a chest in the back of the tent. Nodding, Flitter drew her kabar knife and thrust it under his chin and into his skull. With the last of his breath escaping as a soft gurgling sigh, Flitter pulled her knife free and wiped it clean on the griffons feathers, before sheathing it. “Thanks for the help.” For a moment she sat, staring at the body, alone with her thoughts. Finally, they came to a head, and she quietly spoke to herself. “Is this how he feels?” Running a hoof through her short cropped mane, Flitter sighed softly and shook her head. “Get over yourself Flitter. Jack wouldn't get hung up over this...”

Turning back to the chest, Flitter trotted to it and began rummaging through its contents, in search of orders and maps. Once the storm abated enough to call for aid, Flitter and her squad were recalled to Twin Peaks for debriefing. As Flitter's reputation began to grow and spread across the base, over a thousand kilometers away, Jack descended into his own snowy hell.

Author's Notes:

Well! Took me awhile, but thanks to being net-less for three days, I got to power through and finish this little bastard up in no time. Hopefully I can get that one out a little faster...

Doubt it.

Anyways, I'd like to thank my team for actually putting up with my ever growing laziness, and my readers for not jumping ship! The next part will be just as awful, as always!