It had taken almost a day for Stalwart Liberty to break through the softening blizzard, and by the time they had arrived at Jadetowne, the situation on the ground was well under control. Celebration was cut short, simply by the reminder of those who had been cut down. Word had been sent to the crystal capital, and a contingent of their forces were marching toward the small village to secure the forest, and hopefully uncover the laboratory that Jack was certain lay hidden under the snow, somewhere.

With their fallen resting in pine boxes within one of the Stalwart’s holds, Jack was finally able to strip himself from his armour and allow the techs to take a good look at it. The Beast's claws had shredded the ceramic plating on his back, but the titanium underlay had stood strong and barely suffered a scratch. His armour was scorched and spattered with blood, but it would all wash off or buff out.

With a quiet sigh, Jack began to limp his battered body back to his bunk, before an aeronaut galloped up to him and saluted. “Knight Sergeant Kessle? Captain Chord has requested your presence on the bridge.”

Grunting lightly, Jack scratched at his cheek. “Couldn't have just said it over the loudspeakers… Alright, dismissed.” The aeronaut shot him a fast salute, and cantered off after receiving one in return. With a groan, Jack rolled his stiff shoulder and limped his way up to the bridge. He could already hear the rumours spreading through the ship; of the monster that'd shrugged off bullets and given JSOG a bloody nose that was now lying on a gurney in medical. Jack didn't want to inform them that it was more of a grievous wound than a busted nose, considering that their task force had been cut in half, and JSOG had suffered the loss of nearly an eighth of its strength. It had felt like losing a leg, or two. The familiarity of the pain was incredibly unwelcome. Replacing the fallen would be an arduous and unpleasant affair for everybody.

The bridge was the usual flurry of activity as the airship prepared for flight. The blizzard had calmed enough that they wouldn't be man-handled the entire way, so the captain was willing to risk it.

“Aweigh anchor. Take us away, Mr. Wheelhouse.” Captain Chord sat in his chair, looking over the entire bridge as the announcement to prepare for departure was sounded, and the ship began to lift up in the air.

“You know, you ponies have it easy. You have job security the moment you hit puberty.” Jack couldn't help but snark as he leaned on the wall with his good arm against the bulkhead.

Rising from his chair, Captain Chord nodded to another pony. “Mr. Navigator, plot us a course to Canterlot, post haste. Sergeant Kessle, the briefing room, please.” Nodding to the orders, Jack moved off and entered the briefing room. Captain Chord closed the bulkhead door behind himself, and removed his cap. “Let me say that I'm sorry for the loss both you and your team has suffered. They were all exemplary soldiers, and we'll be worse without them.”

Sighing hard, Jack sank down into one of the chairs. “They were the best you all had. I'd be dead if it weren't for a bit of convenient engineering and Hardy’s sacrifice. Thing would have ripped my head clean off.”

“It did a number on you as it is, I can tell.” The captain took a seat in the chair opposite from Jack, and produced a small flask. Taking a swig, the captain winced before offering the flask to Jack. “It's brandy.”

Gently taking the flask, Jack looked the object over with mild interest. “Its funny… Hardy had asked me to quit drinking with him, now it just seems…” He rolled his hand, before placing the flask back down on the table. “It seems wrong…”

Nodding to the sentiment, Chord placed the flask back in the pocket he'd fished it from, and sat up straight. “We will be dropping you off in Canterlot. The Stalwart is heading back to the Maripony naval yards for a refit and refuel.” The captain looked over toward Jack as he rested in the fine chair. “The empire will want to bury their dead with full honours, but with your injuries, and the report the Princesses will no doubt want, I do not see you being able to see them off.”

Chord internally winced as Jack's features twisted slowly in pain; the captain idly imagined that the human would have the same expression if he had wrenched a knife in his side. “Right… well.. best I get my words in now then…” Jack began slowly squeezing and relaxing his fist as it rested on the table. Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat up. “I have letters to write. Do you need anything else?”

Shaking his head, Chord stood. “No. See one of the doctors and get some rest. I'll make sure one of my ensigns runs you down the addresses and names of their families.”

“Don't bother. I wrote them all down. I know Hardy did as well…” With a groan, Jack rose from the chair and snapped a salute to the captain. “Sir.”

Saluting the man back, Chord collected his hat. “Dismissed, Knight Sergeant.”

By the time Jack reached his bunk, his left shoulder ached and burned, while his hip simply protested in the form of a limp he just couldn't force himself to hide. The medbay was another floor down, and he wasn't in the right mind to force himself down there to get berated over the extents the body can handle regarding abuse.

Sinking down hard into his bunk, Jack let out a quiet groan of protest to his situation as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the next bunk. He could feel the weight of exhaustion bearing down on him, driving him further into the bed. His staring at the other bunk was held for another few minutes, before he sat up, and forced himself to the small desk his shared bunkroom had. Pulling out a small bound journal and flipping it open, he began thumbing through some of the pages. Finding what he needed, Jack began slowly reading the short blurb that he'd extracted from Hardy’s personal file back when JSOG had been but an idea. The stallion was divorced, but apparently he had a son. According to the file, and the scant few conversations Tac had had over his son, he rarely got any time with the young colt. Something to do with custody. Scratching at his face, Jack began to write.

Dear Miss Elson,

It is by my deepest regret that I must inform you of your ex-husbands untimely death. As he has no next of kin on file, this letter must find its way to you. While at this time, the details of the operation he died in cannot be shared and you can't be told what he was fighting or who he died to protect, I hope my simple words may give you some form of peace and reconciliation. Hard Tac was an invaluable addition to this team, and one of my good friends. His loss weighs heavy, but know that he truly did die a hero, fighting to his last breath so others could carry on.

I hope this letter finds you in good health, and I pray his soul keeps you and yours safe.

Semper Fidelis

Knight Sergeant Jack Kessle

Jack scowled at the letter and flexed his hand. Writing with quills was a massive pain in the ass, he decided with a mutter. As he carefully rolled up the letter and slid it off to the side so he could prepare for the next, a soft knocking sounded on the bulkhead. Looking up, Jack found Ada looking over him.

“Y’should be in medbay, you stubborn twat.” She spoke softly toward him, and earned a weak smile for it. “What're y’writin?”

“The Letters.” Jack stated quietly, and Ada caught his meaning almost immediately.

“Ah…” She looked over the small desk as she entered the room and pulled the bulkhead closed behind her. On the desk were several broken quills and crunched up balls of paper. “Are those… feathers?”

“Yeaaahh… Ponies haven't gotten the art of the ballpoint pen down, so-” Jack went silent as Ada pulled a bic pen from her remaining kit. Jack looked up toward the woman as she smirked mildly. “I will eat your ass for that fucking pen.”

Snorting a surprised laugh out, Ada curled a fist in front of her face and tried to cover her giggles. “J-just take the fookin pen, you deviant.”

Without a word or complaint, Jack snagged the pen and set it on the table. “Before we lose track of it all, I'm going to need reports from the team so I can send an update to Sunflanks.” To his surprise, Ada dropped a surmised munitions report before him, as well as an injury list, and civilian casualty list. “When the hell did you guys write this all out?” Jack puzzled openly.

“Well, we all knew you’d need them. What else were the boys supposed to do for a day after the mess was cleaned up?” She set her hands onto his tense shoulders and began to crudely massage them. Still, the pleasant pressure earned a soft groan from Jack as his shoulders sagged.

“Right…” He flagged even further; his elbows soon having to support him as Ada worked him over. “What would I ever do without you…”

“Lose yer damned mind.” Ada answered honestly, which earned a smile and nod from Jack. “Come on, luv. You need rest. You'll have days to finish those letters, and you're all sorts of black and blue.” She began pulling lightly at his clothes, and prodding him toward the naval bunk. In his abused state, the bunk managed to be highly enticing, with its stiff mattress and enclosed spaces.

With a groan, Jack flopped onto the bunk and immediately regretted it as he flopped onto his bad shoulder. Muffling his blue streak of cursing by biting his tongue, Jack instead let out a pained sigh. As he pulled off his sweat streaked shirt, Ada began pulling off her own and undressing before him. Watching the woman with appreciative eyes, Jack couldn't help but open his mouth. “I get company too? Did you ever get around to reading the Equestrian’s rules on fraternisation?”

Clambering onto Jack's lap and pushing him back into the bunk, Ada smirked and shook her head. “Fook no. And I know y’haven't either. Cheeky bastard.” She adjusted herself as he nodded lightly.

“Guilty as charged… So, how's the rest of the team doing?”

“I swear Jack, y’fookin rebound so hard between damned good NCO and complete bastard, I'm surprised y’haven't given y’self whiplash.” As he opened his mouth to protest, Ada shushed him with a finger over his lips. “They’re your lads, I know. They're hard cunts, and they're more worried ‘bout you, y’bastard.” Lowering herself to lay on his chest, Ada graced his lips with hers. “And so am I.”

Running a hand through her short raven coloured hair, Jack embraced the woman. “That… that thing fucked me up pretty bad, Ada… But…” He looked up to meet her eyes. “I think I'll tough that out too, so long as I got you and the boys.”

Humming happily at the statement, Ada got comfortable laying next to him and partially on top. “Y’bunkmates won't be back for awhile. I told em to 'fook off for a spell. Hopefully we'll get some chatter from Canterlot and figure how fooked the rest of our black ops buggers are doin.”

“And Simoh?” Jack questioned quietly as he relaxed and drew closer to the warm body beside him. The griffon hunter had been given an offer when Stalwart Liberty: either stay in his tiny village or pack a bag and hoof it back to the flying metal ship. Jack had barely said 'leave town’ when Simoh had turned to him and asked, “When do we leave?”

“Y’can tell he's spooked, but they all usually are when they get on board.”

Nodding in agreement, Jack began slowly stroking her hair as she rested her chin in the crook of his shoulder. “And what about you?” He asked softly, drawing her attention.

“Me? I'm all sunshine and rainbows, Cowboy.” She smiled as he rolled his eyes, but the smile slowly faded as he looked back to her with concern. “I'm…” She hesitated for a moment before sighing and speaking. “I done some real hard shite in the name o’ King and Country… Gone into some real cock-ups and come up roses. Gone into sure things and come out missing mates and starin’ a thousand meters off… Don't make it much easier though, losing y’mates… there's just more faces than you can count and y'can't make out what they're saying…”

Before she could continue much further, Jack interrupted her by gently lifting her chin and kissing her with soft passion. It only lasted a moment, and when they broke off he spoke. “I know… God knows I know… You're not alone. I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere quietly. And, so long as I have you here with me... Ah know ah’m gonna make it too.”

“Oh, you.. you twat…” Ada looked away from him and smiled as she rubbed at her eyes. “Y’got me misty eyed… bastard…” She looked back toward him before trailing her hand down his cheek. “You… you are something else, Jack…” Taking one of his hands in hers, Ada curled up with Jack and his battered body; they both managed to get something any soldier would kill gladly for. A quiet, long sleep.

The Stalwart Liberty loomed over Canterlot Castle, drawing the eyes of a good portion of the capital as it flew overhead with the Wonderbolts flying escort before it docked. A full honour guard was present as the loading bay doors opened, and the aeronauts began carrying the caskets out. Jack and Ada made sure that they saw to Hard Tac's coffin themselves. Celestia and Luna stood nearby, watching as the pine caskets traded hand and hoof. The caskets belonging to griffons were separated, and loaded respectfully into a large carriage. By now, the team knew they'd be splitting up, and began saying their goodbyes. Almost all of the griffons in JSOG were going to fly escort for their fallen kin, and Ada was going with them. It accounted for almost half of JSOG’s remaining strength.

Knowing better than to have a more intimate goodbye in front of everybody present, Jack and Ada simply saluted each other sharply, and embraced before splitting up. They'd had their moment to say a more proper goodbye on the ship, though both of them would deny it when asked.

With his letters and a written report in hand, Jack approached the Princesses and stomped a sharp salute while in armour. “Grinder Squad, reporting mission complete.” His eyes flicked to the side as a team of scientists and doctors wheeled out the covered gurney that contained the beast. Its brackish yellow blood had stained through the white canvas tarp.

Taking the offered physical report and letters for delivery, Celestia nodded to Jack. “Thank you, Knight Sergeant, and let me apologize personally for the losses. Cadence and Shining have sent a battalion of Crystal Guard to scour the forest. You will be kept apprised of the situation as it unfolds, you have my word. We are taking this very seriously.”

As Jack nodded and handed over his reports, one of the many guards shifted uncomfortably in his armour and slipped off into an adjacent corridor. Pulling a scrap of parchment from his armour, the guard quickly jotted down two words, before rolling up the scrap of paper and dousing it with the roiling liquid that came from the tiny vial he'd been trusted with. The note incinerated itself, and the smoke of its immolation sped off and out of the castle. The guard sagged slightly as the weight of the world was taken off his shoulders. He'd done his part, now all he had to do was make sure he was on leave when they came to work.

The corpse of the beast had been wheeled deep into the castle, and Jack was sure they were carving it apart and picking at its organs even as he walked toward the laboratory. He idly wondered what Petyr would think of the foul little thing; whether he'd have the same reaction Jack had suffered. No, he decided, probably not.

Entering the lab, Jack was unphased by the rabid level of activity that made the chamber buzz. There had to be three dozen of Equestria's best and brightest foaming at the mouth as they galloped about and papers flew everywhere. Chuckling at the chaos, Jack strode in, with his helmet tucked under his arm. The Beast was the centrepiece of the show, and the ponies were frantic over it as it lay curled up like a withered husk. As he searched the room, Jack found himself slowly developing a frown. He couldn't see Petyr anywhere, and that man wasn't easy to miss at the best of times. Eventually Jack spotted Field sitting in his workplace, glaring down at some papers as Toasty pressed her face against the glass to get a better look of all the frantic ponies.

As he began to maneuver toward the small office, Jack nearly stepped on a familiar female unicorn. Aurora squeaked as Jack cursed and lifted his leg out of her way.

“Knight Sergeant Kessle!” Aurora cried out as she fixed her glasses. “You're alive!” The mare smiled, before she got a good look at his armour. “GAAAAH! What did you do to your beautiful armour!?” The mare began circling him rapidly. “I swear, I miss one deployment and you just trash it!” The small unicorn looked up at him accusingly. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Caught flat-footed by the beration, Jack blanked and sputtered as he gestured to the dead thing in the middle of the science maelstrom. “Fuckin- fuck! Blame that dickhead on the table over there!” He grumbled as the mare climbed up his back and began inspecting the damage up close.

“By the Princesses! These cuts go right down to the titanium! These plates are trash now!”

Jack felt the plates being pulled free by the mare. Apparently she'd learned how to disengage them manually. “Hey! I'm still in this stuff!” The ruined ceramic plate banged loudly as it was tossed aside by the irate armour technician. “God damn Aurora. Let me get out of this shit first!”

“If you want to complain, don't trash your armour so badly next time!” She yelled back at him, drawing a few eyes that didn't remain for long. With a foul mutter, Jack treaded over to the select section of the labs where he knew they did work on his armour. Disengaging his armour’s locks, the front chattered and slid open, allowing him to escape as Aurora got to work.

“I'll be around for a bit. Don't go digging around in the systems Aurora, there's classified information in there.” Jack stared at the tech as she waved a hoof at him dismissively and floated a whole toolbox over to herself. Shaking his head, Jack set his helmet down on the bench and began weaving his way through the labs to Field Note's office. Toast had noticed him long before, and was prancing about and pawing at the glass door frantically as he approached. Bracing himself, Jack opened the door and caught Toast as she pounced on him.

“JAAAAK!” The giddy girl squirmed and nuzzled and hugged as he struggled to keep a gentle grip on her.

“Yes yes, hello, Toasty!” Jack hugged her lightly, on account of his exo-skeleton. He began scratching rapidly at her scalp and the back of her head, which saw her features sag as the rest of her went limp from the pleasantness.

“N-nnehhh- Mmhnnn~” Toasty nuzzled into his hand before whining loudly as he set her down on the floor.

“Toasty, go lay down.” Jack pointed at her bed in the corner, and the girl was all too willing to oblige. With the giddy girl dealt with, Jack sat down at the spare chair next to Field. Chuckling lightly over the antics of the girl as she snuggled into her bedding, Jack turned his attention fully to Field. “How’re you holding up Field?”

The stallion seemed to ignore him for a moment as he continued to glare at the paper before his hooves. As Jack leaned over to try and read a snippet, Field laid the sheath of papers down and turned toward Jack. “Can I help you with something?”

Caught off guard by the chill in Field's voice, Jack leaned back slightly in his seat. “Just coming over to say hello, Field. You don't need to bite my head off.”

Field stared at him for a moment, before picking his papers back up. “Petyr has gone to the Empire for a visit. Their Emperor is some sort of technophile.” Field turned the page as Jack scowled lightly.

“Figures…” Casting a glance to the scientists as they attempted to peel the beast open, and promptly failed, Jack looked back to Field with curiosity. “Aren't you a biologist? I'd have figured you to be chomping at the bit to have a go at the ugly fucker.”

Not looking up from his paper, Field Note simply shrugged his wings. “My field is human biology, physiology, and psychology, not monster. Besides, I can tell it went several rounds with you, and there is little left of it I'm interested in.”

Jack had found that he just wasn't able to take his eyes off the damn thing as the scientists peeled and pried at its ruined chest cavity. “You know magic too, yeah?”

“Yes, more than some unicorns I would wager.” Field had perked somewhat at the curious tone Jack's voice held.

“What kind of magic would let that thing wear somebody else's face?” Jack asked softly as he stared at the featureless head of the creature.

Now ignoring his paper, Field leaned over to look out the window at the thing. “It does not have a face, Jack.”

“I tore it off.”

“Oh.” Field shifted slightly, before squinting at the thing. “And that was under it…” Field soon had Jack recounting it's features when it had had a face, and how the face may as well have been its own the way they were connected. By the end of it, Field was rapidly jotting notes. “Ugh, I wish Flitter were here to draw this out… This is… curious. I've never heard of this kind of magic, save for old mentions of necromancy, but this seems like a far flung offshoot of even that…”

“Maybe that's why it was so tough… We put just under two thousand rounds into it, and it only gave a fuck when I used rail and plasma.”

Sighing, Field set his quill aside. “I will speak to some of my more professional peers. With luck we'll be able to parse this creature’s secrets from it.”

Standing, Jack patted Field lightly on the shoulder. “If you figure a way for me to kill them before they kill any more of mine, I'll owe you, big time.”

“Yes, yes, I'm sure your prizes are lovely.” Field was already muzzle deep in his new project, and was clearly not paying attention to him.

Huffing quietly to himself, Jack kneeled down by Toast's bed; the girl practically bowled him over as she jumped up and hugged him. “Jaaaaaak~” She squirmed about as he gave her a brief hug and a head rub. “Jak walks?” She asked curiously as she tilted her head at him.

Chuckling mildly, Jack lightly played with the girl's ears. “Yes Toasty, I'll take you for walks soon.” He grinned as she squee’d happily and rubbed her head into his fingers. As he removed his his hands, Toast all but fell over. Whining loudly as Jack left, Toast ran to the window and pressed herself against it to watch as he walked out of the labs.

To Jack's surprise when he exited the labs, he found Luna waiting for him. The princess looked up as he exited, and the ghost of a smile graced her features. “Ah, Jack. I was waiting for you.”

“You were?” Jack scratched at the back of his head and looked around.

“Yes, I was. We must speak, about the leadership of JSOG.”

“Oh. Joy.”

Luna led Jack through the weaving halls to the royal planning room. Considering the number of guards about, Jack made the assumption that Celestia was inside the room. His assumption proved correct as Luna pulled the door open with her magic and declared her arrival to the occupants. At the large table sat Celestia, and a trio of older ponies wearing military uniforms that boasted many ribbons, medals and stars.

“Please excuse the use of the planning room for this, Jack. I was quite certain you would prefer this over the throne room.”

Snapping a salute to Celestia alone, Jack took a seat as he was motioned to do so. “It's fine. You wanted to talk?”

“Yes, indeed I do. You see, Jack, some of my Generals are uncomfortable that currently, the best armed military in all of the world is currently run by a pack of Sergeants and a single Captain who is unfortunately very dead at this time.”

One of the Generals piped up the moment he was able. “Princess, we were merely voicing our concerns about the structural integrity of the unit! Would it be so terrible if more officers were within its command structure? A proper General could whip them into shape!”

Jack's jaw clenched at the statement, but to his surprise both Princesses cast glances to him, as if they were gauging how he would react. Rolling his jaw slightly, Jack forced a smile. “Don't mind me asking, but would this supposed General be for JSOG only? It seems a little strange that you all would want to take sole command of a platoon.”

“Oh, well son.” One of the Generals shifted forward and spoke as if he were explaining things to a child. “This General wouldn't command only this little special interests group-”

“Joint Special Operations Group. Hence the acronym. Sir.” Jack corrected, earning a light glare from the stallion he'd interrupted.

“Regardless.” The stallion continued. “The General in question would have command of the army.”

“So you'd make JSOG an army unit.” Jack spoke flatly, and watched as the generals turned to each other.

“The unit would be a part of the air force, not the army.”

“That's absurd. They operate on the ground.”

“They use naval units to travel, they'd be a naval unit!”

“Air force. Gentlemen-”

“I'll give up my stars before I see that unit go the the bloody air force!”

As the Generals bickered, Jack cast a solitary glance to the two beings who had the only control over the unit. Luna seemed unhappy, while Celestia seemed mildly amused. Meeting his gaze, Celestia motioned faintly to the Generals.

So he was just their attack dog. Lovely.

“Generals.” Jack spoke, and the trio before him ignored him utterly. Growing quickly tired of the situation. “ATTEN-SHUN!” He boomed in the small room, startling the trio of generals and waking Luna from her attempted nap. “Gentlemen! It is to my understanding that you're trying to lay claim to an international force, is that correct?”

The air force General leaned forward and motioned lightly with his hooves. “Well, you see son-”

“General, I am Knight Sergeant Kessle, and you ain't my Poppa. You will refer to me the rank given to me by your sovereign rulers, do I make myself clear?”

The generals all stared at the tall human in shock, before the air force General bristled and muttered an understanding before he spoke again. “Knight Sergeant Kessle. We're merely trying to discuss whose jurisdiction your little force falls under, so we can apply leadership as we see fit.”

“You don't know whose jurisdiction we fall under?” Jack fought to hide his grin. “Well, allow me to point you in the right direction. There's two of them. Right there.” He pointed toward the princesses, and as the bickering Generals went to interrupt him again, Jack interrupted them first. “JSOG is an international task force, and it may only be lead by the leaders of the member nations and those they appoint as leaders! So unless you three are trying to undermine the authority of your own leaders, the Griffonian Empire, Omega Hive, and the Serpent Imperium, I suggest you all back off and go back to your yards.”

Before the three stallions could get words in edgewise or display how upset they were to being dressed down, Celestia cleared her throat. “Thank you, Knight Sergeant. I couldn't have said it better myself.” Jack raised a brow as Celestia smiled. Normally she wasn't so pleased when he gave people a verbal working over. “I understand the concerns you three have forwarded, and in light of recent events, I have decided a worthy figurehead for the Joint Special Operations Group.” Celestia stood from her seat, as did Luna. Now Jack was concerned. “Jack Kessle of Earth.” Celestia started as she stood before him, staring him directly in the eyes. “Kneel, please.” As he cautiously followed her instruction, Jack felt a tapping on both shoulders.

“We, the princesses of Equestria, bestow upon you the rank of Knight Captain. You will take operational control of your current unit, and put forward requests for your subordinates to be elevated to knighthood. You will continue to answer only to myself, Princess Luna, and the other signing members of the treaty, unless told otherwise by myself or Princess Luna. Do you understand?”

He nodded, despite the shock still setting in.

“Good. Rise, Knight Captain Kessle. General Stormfront, General Ironsides, General Wave, you are dismissed. Do not question my authority again.” As Jack rose and fought the urge to fidget, he watched as the three stallions quickly filed out of the room.

“That was… intense.”

Luna approached him, smiling mildly. “While intense, it was rather entertaining.”

Celestia smiled as she removed Jack's old pins and replaced them with the new pins of his station. “I apologise for putting you on the spot, Jack. I had simply grown tired of those three acting like they were the top of the chain of command.”

“So you wanted me to beat them with said chain until they remembered who was?” Jack hazarded a guess, and was rewarded with a royal chuckle.

“An apt way of putting it. Yes.” Celestia sighed softly as she motioned to the table for him to take a seat. “Do you have any questions regarding your new station?”

“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “You mentioned my subordinates and knighthood.”

Luna took a seat next to him. “At any time you may put forward one of your subordinates for knighthood. If we accept, they will be made knights equal to their rank within JSOG. Even if they belong to a separate member nation of the treaty.”

“Is there a form already made? Because I've got about twenty or so from my lot of goons I can think of off the top of my head.” Jack relaxed somewhat when both Princesses laughed lightly. “You know what… let’s just make this nice and easy for all of us. I’ve got people to smack around, and you’re both very busy folk. Let’s just make it so getting into JSOG makes you a Knight. The entry is tough enough as it is.” He was, of course, referencing that barely half of the soldiers who had shown up had passed the grueling standards, and they were all some of the best their countries would spare.

Pondering the idea, Celestia and Luna shared a look, before nodding in agreement. Celestia smiled toward Jack, and nodded to him. “A fine idea. I do look forward to not doing the paperwork and ceremony every time.”

Sighing with mild relief, Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Is that everything you needed, Ma’am?” He aimed the question at the pair, and received a smirk from Luna as she rolled her eyes at him.

Putting some thought to the question, Celestia nodded. “Yes, indeed I do have a need of you. When you have rested, feel free to make your way to Hollow Shades. The militia is training there, and I'm sure the officers there wouldn't mind one more professional observer.” Celestia looked to the map on the table and seemed to consider something as Jack agreed he'd take a look at the camp. As he began to glance to the door, Celestia looked to him again. “And a piece of advice for you, Jack?”

“Mm?” He paused, waiting for her word.

“Find yourself a batman. You are going to be a very busy man soon. Prepare yourself for officer's training. Dismissed.”

Jack stared for a moment, equally concerned and confused. As he walked from the room, he openly questioned what was bothering him.

“Where the fuck am I going to find a moody orphan at this time of day?”

Having finally arrived at his room, Jack was finally able to change out of his sweaty clothes and have a well deserved hot shower. As he dried off and groomed himself in the mirror, Jack froze in place, before slowly leaning toward the mirror. Brushing some of his hair aside, he let out a plaintive groan. “Grey hairs, really? God damn…” Peppered across his temple was a cluster of dark grey hairs that he had nearly overlooked. Leaning against the sink, Jack sighed hard and spat. “It's official. I'm old.”

Outside the bathroom door, something shifted slightly in his room, drawing his attention. A pursed frown crossed his features as he pulled the pistol stashed under the sink free. Stacking up against the door, Jack swiftly opened it and followed his weapon muzzle out.

Taven glanced up from the book he'd brought, and waved with a wing as Jack lowered the pistol. “Took you long enough.”

Scoffing mildly, Jack stuck the pistol back under the sink and finished getting dressed. “Good to see you Taven.” He treaded into the room, and plopped down into his workbench chair. “Hey, I got a question.” When Taven looked up from his book, Jack continued. “Are you an orphan?

Blinking owlishly at the question, Taven seemed stunned. “N-no? I mean, I haven't spoken to my family in five years, but… Why?”

Seemingly undeterred by the answer, Jack continued as he leaned back in the chair. “I need a batman. You're half bat, and a man, so I figured you'd fit. Problem is, is you're not an orphan and you aren't an edgy shit.”

Taven stared at Jack incredulously as he began to piece things together. “Why… okay, first off, a sergeant can't have a batman, let alone make another sergeant his batman. Second, that's racist. Third, what the fuck do you think batman means?”

“I got promoted to Knight Captain.” Jack explained in confusion. “I'm as lost as you are, batman where I'm from is some rich orphan twat who fights crime!”

Taven stared at Jack for a long moment, before bursting out laughing as he flopped over backwards on the bed. Jack turned red in the face with embarrassment as Taven belly laughed at his expense. “They promoted you!?” Taven cackled and wiggled his hooves in the air. Jack leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest as he pouted. It took a moment for the stallion to calm down, and as he sat up he was still giggling occasionally. “O-okay, whew, that was a little much Jack.”

Glaring lightly at the stallion, Jack idly scratched at his grey hairs. “So I assume batman means something else here.”

“You must have been thinking of Batstallion. A batman is an officer's orderly.”

“Oh! Fuck!” Jack slapped his forehead. “I knew that fucking word! Fuck!” Taven burst out laughing once more as Jack groaned unhappily. “This is a load of bull…” He sighed quietly and fixed Taven with a look. “So, you up for the job?”

Nodding, Taven smiled and offered a hoof to the man, who took it and shook. “Yes I'm up for it. As much as I'm not looking forward to babysitting you again, I know I'll never be bored again.”

“You can say that again.” Jack relaxed and instinctively reached for a cigarette. His fingers paused on the package, and he considered the other addiction he had decided to go cold turkey on. “Probably die…” Seemingly having decided, Jack pulled a cigarette free and lit it. “Oh and by the way, you're a Knight Sergeant now.”

Choking on his own tongue, Taven fell into a coughing fit before he shrieked. “WHAT!?”

Smirking behind his smoke, Jack nodded. “Talked with Celestia today. JSOG be Knights now.”

Taven pressed both of his hooves against his muzzle and let out a high pitched bat squeak that carried on for a minute. “Do you have any idea how big of a deal that is!? Knighthood is one of the most prestigious positions there is! It-it- gah!!” Taven flopped over and let out a stressed bat noise. “I'm nobility now… Oh gods…”

“I… get the feeling that I wasn't taking advantage of the perks, was I?”

It took the better part of an hour for Taven to explain exactly what being a knight meant, and just how autonomous JSOG had truly become. None could order a knight but a knight of higher rank or the rulers who had appointed the rank. He also explained the sheer political power a house of knights could hold, and he made mention that Equestria hadn't had more than ten knights for over six hundred years. To his credit, Jack listened and took it all in as he tried to discern how much responsibility Celestia had actually pinned to his ass.

“Fuck me running… That tricky bitch…” Jack muttered to himself as Taven shook his head.

“You've done yourself in now, Jack. There's no skating around this.” The stallion sighed. “Well. I'm going to get out of your mane.”

“Hair.”

“Mane. Regardless, I'm off.” Taven patted Jack's shoulder. “I'll be back around shortly, alright?”

Waving the stallion off, Jack relaxed into his chair again. “Yeah yeah, go and start a fight somewhere for me.”

“With the time I've spent with you, I'm convinced the next person I fight is going to end up in my bed and somehow make offensive slurs sound romantic.” Scowling, Jack threw the buttstock of a rifle at the stallion. Laughing, Taven ducked out of the way. “Not saying anything about Corporal Ada! She'd never stoop that low!”

“Dick!” Jack yelled after his laughing batpony batman. Muttering darkly under his breath, Jack ran his hands through his hair. “Fuckin’ Celestia… played me like a damn fiddle.” Toying idly with his pins, Jack felt a wave of discomfort pass over him. He could NCO pretty well, but being a good, real officer required more than just what he had.

Or did it?

How many officers had he served under that couldn't find their asses with both hands and a GPS? The ones who could handle the field were few and far between and they usually started as enlisted. Jack slumped in his chair and pondered his situation. It was the officers who took care of the big picture, and depended on their NCO's to make sure everything worked out. He had a good stable of people to work with and rely on, all of them knowing their shit through and through.

That meant he had some work to do. Getting up from his chair and snubbing the cigarette, Jack made sure to straighten his uniform and readjust his new captain pins. The little pins were a pair of white gold swords standing parallel to each other, and he found them a far sight more formal looking than his old crescent moon chevrons that Knight Sergeant had earned him. As he grabbed a bag and started for his door, Jack noticed somebody moving by it. Glancing over, Jack found that Taven had left his book behind. With a smirk, Jack snagged the book and stalked toward the door with the book in hand. As the form neared the door, Jack pulled it open without warning and lightly smacked the pony behind it with the book.

“Surprise, fucker!”

Jack realized three things as his smile shrank rapidly. One. The pony he'd hit wasn't Taven. Two. The pony he had hit had about five friends. Three. They were all armed and angry looking. His only saving grace was that he'd caught them off guard. That did not last long however, as weapons began to rise in telekinetic fields. Slamming the door in the face of the stallion he'd cuffed with the murder mystery paperback, Jack toppled his dresser before the door and bounded back into his workshop in a frantic search for a weapon.

The container was closed and locked, and he doubted he had time to get it open before the squad by the door would be crawling up his ass. Most of the weapons left out were in varying arrays of dismantled or under repair, and his revolver was still attached to his armour, as was his sabot pistol. There was always the pistol that he kept under his pillow-

SHIT.

Jack cursed up a mental blue streak as his eyes fell on the glock, and all its component parts on the bench. That left only-

His eyes lit up with glee as they fell on the final weapon. His beloved DP-28 light machine gun. Leaping forward, Jack ripped open the case the weapon sat inside just as the door exploded into splinters. He was slapping the fat pan magazine into place as the kill squad spilled into his room, and by the time he got the safety off and the muzzle of the weapon raised, the unicorn's horn flared, and he found himself flying through the air surrounded by shattered glass.

Any thought or action he had was interrupted by his back slamming into the grass and a hefty amount of glass. With the wind knocked out of his lungs, Jack barely had the strength to lift the weapon and loose a burst toward the door to his balcony as a pegasus launched out of it.

Five

Firing the machinegun without his exo skeleton proved to be a rather painful experience, but as luck had it his wild burst of rounds blasted the pegasus to pieces. The weapon pushed his shoulder into the dirt, which only served to shove the shattered glass deeper into his muscles.

Move, Jackie boy!

Pushing himself up, Jack hustled for cover as something sharp pricked his thigh. As he ran, he could feel the pain in his body subsiding, and his mind fogging slightly. As he stumbled into cover, Jack looked to his thigh, only to spy a small, aerodynamic needle sticking out of his thigh. Panic tried to grip him, but quickly fell away when he realized what they'd shot him with. They'd shot him with morphine, a fast acting, deadly poison. It was supposedly deadly for almost everything on the planet. Except him, that is. Lucky.

He almost found himself grinning as he heard somebody say 'confirm the kill’, followed by thumping hooves on grass. If they wanted to kill him, they'd have to try harder than that. Rolling out of cover and using the DP-28’s bipod, Jack loosed the last few rounds the record shaped magazine held to mow down the approaching attackers.

Four

Three

The gun clicked dry as a fireball boiled the earth in front of him, and an arrow buried itself deep into the meat of his shoulder. Grunting in pain, Jack abandoned the now empty weapon under a bench and began searching for somewhere he could lose his attackers. There were three of them, and only one of him. He had to think fast.

His eyes fell on the entrance of the hedge maze, and a little voice inside him cackled loudly. It would have to do, and if he was lucky the guards would come running over the sounds of the firefight. As he pushed himself up with one hand and ignored the feathered end of the arrow sticking out of his shoulder, another fireball punched through the hedge he was using as cover and barely missed his face. With a muffled curse, Jack bolted for the maze, and his attackers gave chase.

As far as he could tell, he'd killed all the pegasi in the hit squad, otherwise they'd be all over him. That left the unicorn, and two likely EP’s. “Don't fancy my chances against them right now…” Jack grunted to himself as he held a hand to his pierced shoulder. He had left the arrow in, letting it staunch the flow of blood. The morphine was wearing off fast, and he was quickly reminded why a resistance to the drug wasn't always a good thing. He knew the hit squad was still in the maze with him, but the chance of him killing them all were painfully low. All he had was a rock he'd nearly tripped over.

Muttering to himself, Jack carried on through the maze, letting instinct guide him as blood stained his good uniform and his steps began to hitch and falter.

His eyes began to frantically search the grounds as he shambled onward, trying to keep his noises to a minimum. “Jus’ need sommin…” He slurred hard to himself as he stumbled. His adrenaline was running low now too, and his body flagged under its own weight. Up ahead he could hear muffled conversation, followed by what sounded like laughter. Bracing himself, Jack tightened his grip on his rock and rounded the corner.

Only to find another corner. The voices were coming from beyond it, and his patience for the maze was quickly running thin. Stalking forward, Jack listened for a moment to the conversation for any hints if the ponies responsible were enjoying a manhunt. When he didn't hear any, he began struggling and forcing his way through. The ponies on the other side made curious, confused noises as he flopped and fell through the hedge to land before their hooves.

“What in tarnation? What're you doing away from your owner, little guy?” Something prodded Jack, earning a grumble and a grunt of pain as he pushed himself up with one arm.

“Applejack, don't poke him, he may have rabies, or-” The mare gasped. “Mr. Kessle!”

Looking up from the ground as he pushed himself up, Jack was met by not one, but two ponies that he recognised. The first was the orange farm pony he'd watched cut the nuts off of somebody, and the other was Miss Rarity, the mare who'd tailored his uniforms. Jack grinned weakly as he rested on his robotic haunches. “Afternoon ladies. I've got a bit of a problem.”

“Aw, he's one o’ them talkin’ humans like Max?” The farmer prodded him, and earned a quick swat.

“That means you're not allowed to cut my nuts off, you psycho.” Jack growled at the farmer as Rarity helped him up with her magic.

“Dear, there's no need to be rude. What sort of trouble are you in?” Rarity seemed to have eaten a lemon whole, as her features were scrunched up tightly as she looked over his ruined uniform.

“Assassins.” Jack answered tiredly as somebody yelled behind him, and another arrow buried itself in his shoulder, earning a yowl of pain from him as he rolled into cover and dragged the skinny white unicorn with him.

One of the assassins yelled as they broke into the clearing. “He's got the Elements with him!”

“No witnesses, dispose of them!”

Applejack yelped as she dove for cover, another arrow flying over her head and punching a hole in her Stetson. Rarity was struggling to escape Jack's arm as they took cover behind a large statue. “I can help, Mr. Kessle, we can't let these brutes win!”

“My thoughts exactly.” Springing from cover, Jack smashed his fist sized rock into the eye socket of the approaching earth pony assassin, causing the stallion to howl in pain and drop his sword. Rarity wretched as Jack smashed the rock into the pony's head once more for good measure before scooping up the short sword. It's edge was covered in some kind of roiling red substance that hissed when grass touched it.

“YOU VERMIN SHOT MAH HAT!!!” The angry bellow from Applejack drew Jack's attention, and he watched as she ducked under another arrow that was meant for her face. The mare dodged and weaved, before bucking the shooter twenty meters into the air and over the maze walls. Jack whistled softly at the show of force, before a bolt of fire shattered the statue before him. It seemed like the unicorn had given up on what little subtlety they had, and was just going to fire bomb them all.

“Oh no you don't, you fiend!” Blue magic wrapped around the unicorn's horn, and whatever spell he'd been charging sputtered and died. It took the unicorn a second to realize what was happening, and it took a very short moment for him to turn tail and flee out the exit of the maze.

“Fucker!” Jack cursed and pushed himself to his feet. Anger and adrenaline flooded his veins as he gave chase, following the fleeing assassin toward the castle. The unicorn skidded to a stop, and awkwardly pulled out an amulet. As he chanted a string of words, Jack collided with his side in a linebacker charge. The unicorn was lifted off the ground, but didn't weigh enough to arrest Jack's momentum enough to stop him. The pair smashed headlong through a stained glass window, and rolled through a beautifully decorated hall.

Celestia raised a brow as the four elements before her jumped in surprise and prepared for a fight. Guards scrambled as the cursing ball of angry marine and pissed off assassin rolled into the center of the throne room and began trading blows. Whatever spell Rarity had cast burst, and the unicorn's hoof cracked against Jack's jaw before his horn glowed again. Before Jack could stop him, the unicorn teleported out of his grip and stood defiant before the gathering forces.

“The Crimson Hoof sends their regar-!” The assassin didn't have a chance to finish charging his spell, or finish what he was saying as Jack hurled the fist sized rock like a baseball at him. The stone cracked into his muzzle and the stallion seemed to recoil. The assassin then gagged, before falling to his knees and making a disturbing gurgling sound as foam spilled from his mouth and nose. Within moments, the assassin fell over, and twitched idly as royal guards approached.

“Is… is he dead?” Jack called out, and when the guards confirmed it, he breathed a sigh relief and flopped onto his back. “YEEAAAARGH!!!” Jack howled in surprise and agony as he laid down and drove the second arrow in his shoulder all the way through. The barbed tip jutted out violently, sending an arc of blood across the floor as he spasmed and jerked upwards. Whether it was Jack's blue streak of cursing or the blood that caused Fluttershy and Rarity to faint, nobody could tell.

Pressing a hoof hard into her face, Celestia let out a beleaguered sigh as she stood. Casting a spell of silence over Jack as he went red in the face bellowing curses and holding his bleeding shoulder, Celestia strode past the girls as they saw to their fallen. The unicorn assassin was wearing covert clothing, likely he and whatever team he had brought had teleported in and slipped past or dealt with any guards as they moved toward Jack's room. Celestia internally berated herself for not sending some of her guards to investigate the sudden burst of weapons fire, but it had been muted and she'd thought it had been range fire. One of her guards confirmed her suspicion; the assassin had fallen to a false tooth likely filled with cyanide. Casting a curious glance down to the small stone, Celestia picked it up and hummed lightly in amusement. Given even a rock, Jack could throw himself into the works of things and come out on top. Looking back, Celestia was pleased to see that Rarity had come back around, and she was working with Rainbow and Applejack to staunch Jack's bleeding. Said marine seemed to be biting his tongue hard to keep whatever tasteful curses he had in mind down. More guards were arriving, and the medical team soon followed suite. Reports of five dead assassins strewn across the castle grounds along with the one in the hall came together, and by the time Jack could open his mouth without making a loud mention of genitalia, she'd already tasked four squads to scour the grounds and find out who had sent the assassins.

As Jack complained about how he was going to be stuck in a cast again, Celestia looked toward the broken window and sighed. It was the window depicting Discord, and she felt as if that was too much to be mere coincidence.

Questions began bounding about from the Elements, and Jack seemed to be at the center of it all. He looked positively miserable. Smiling mildly at the thought, Celestia found herself smiling just a little bit more as an idea came to her. “Well, Knight Captain, it seems that no matter where you are, trouble seems to find you. I believe you should spend some time with the girls here. Perhaps their harmony will help balance you.” She fought back a smirk as his features fell to those of a kicked dog's. “Twilight, I believe you made mention of some dispute the Whitetail Breezies were having?”

“Oh yes! I received a letter from their leader, it seems another group are being rather nasty.”

“Then I wish for you to bring the Knight Captain with you. He may learn a thing or two.”

As Twilight nodded, Pinkie squee’d happily and flopped onto Jack. “We get to bring a new friend along! We should have a party!”

As all the girls began to agree, and group hug Jack, Celestia had to cover her mouth with a hoof to keep herself from laughing as Jack was enveloped by happiness, and the only noise he made to dispute things was a sad little warble of complaint. It wasn't enough for Celestia to rescind her order. As he looked up toward her with pleading eyes, Celestia motioned to the grand, broken window. His shoulders sank, and his fate was sealed.

Later, Jack would beg her to pull the order. If assassins were after him, then sending him out alone with some of the most valuable mares in all of Equestria may not be the best idea. Celestia responded by telling him that he was cleared to bring his full kit, and that if he wanted to survive the hit, he would have much better luck in a place where the assassins had no experience in. There would also be a squad of Luna's elite guard stationed nearby, and they would be given his radio signal.

Giving up on getting to stay on leave, Jack resigned himself to his fate, and left word with his men that he'd be out for awhile, before packing for a fight.

And quite the fight it would be.

Author's Notes:

Ugh, Fimfic has decided to be a little bitch with it's Gdocs to page transfer. Annoying.

Anyways! As you all can tell, Ballad is back on track! Woowoo! Get ready for the paintrain!