The train went straight to the tunnels of Stalliongrad's metro system. I ordered the train stopped before we got to the station. We would hoof it the last mile... the Zebras may be waiting for us and a train would get us slaughtered. I took point. “Fireteams, sound off! Crimson, ready!”

“Cerulean, ready!”

“Verdant, ready!”

“Pallid, ready!”

We had divided into two teams of 25, and two teams of 24. Lockheart was leading Cerulean, I was leading Crimson, Solace was leading Pallid, and Pane was leading Verdant. Crimson had temporarily dissolved into one homogeneous force within the Canterlot One Hundred. The Stalliongrad Survivors were still together within the ranks of Pallid. I kept my BR at the ready. I think this would be the first time in history a city was assaulted by train. At least I knew they wouldn't expect it.

“Cerulean, we're coming up on the metro station. Lock it down; it's our only way out.”

“Right away, sir,” Lockheart radioed.

“Pallid, you'll lead the charge out of the tunnel. We'll need you to take the consulate.”

“Copy that,” Solace replied.

“Verdant, keep Pallid covered. They're our main force. Try flanking the enemy.”

“Yessir!” Pane said.

“Crimson, you're with me. We'll push through the city, building to building. Take back what is ours!”

I doubled my pace through the tunnel. We were nearing the entrance. Cerulean advanced to the lead of the formation. Steel Ranger grenadiers laid down some smoke and made us an entrance with some carefully placed explosives. All hell broke loose moments thereafter.

The Zebras had already fortified the city, and it looked like the consulate was turned into a command center. Pallid rushed out into the apex of a Zebra kill box. “Pallid, fall back! Snipers, anti-armor, take out those enemy strong points!” Eight Rangers did not return from Pallid's charge, but their sacrifice revealed enemy positions.

Cerulean counter-snipers popped up, suppressing the hostile snipers. The .308 caliber rounds flew back and forth across the snow. Once the rounds stopped pinging off of our cover, I saw several Rangers with rocket launcher battle-saddles. They let loose their ordinance, hitting the same mark as our counter-snipers. Pallid pushed yet again, this time with much more success, establishing a decent foothold.

Verdant appeared immediately behind Pallid, but immediately broke off to either side, in two groups. I charged after Verdant went, Crimson following me. I saw Pane toss an apple-shaped frag into a greenhouse. The glass blew to bits, but everypony just ignored it. The Stalliongrad Survivors were taking the right flank along with half of Verdant. They charged into that same narrow hallway Fencing went into last time I was here.

The gunfire was tumultuous. It was a tempest of lead, bullets matching snowflakes in the air. We were losing more men, but Pallid kept the push to the consulate, hell-bent on their objective. Eventually, we made it to the plaza. Pallid quickly got dug in as Verdant continued to rush through the enemy flanks.

That left Crimson.

I pointed toward the consulate building, the enemy HQ in Stalliongrad. “Fire thermobaric rockets!” Several rockets of Starfire's special blend flashed outward from our positions, wrecking the building. The whole superstructure was compromised under the overwhelming fire, and promptly collapsed. The resulting fires engulfed the building's frame but the chill of Stalliongrad's air snuffed them out just as quickly as they sprung up. We would need specialized chemical flamethrower units to burn down a building in Stalliongrad. Regardless, the enemy HQ was destroyed.

It looked like Verdant was already picking through the rubble for any Zebra survivors. I turned my attention left, down the main road. More Zebra forces. Lots more. Guess we couldn't let Verdant do all the work, now could we?

The Zebras were holed up in many of the structures; the towers proving to be the most menacing, while our numbers proved to be diminishing. If we wanted to take this city, we would have to do it sooner rather than later. I scoped in on the rooftops. *BAM BAM BAM* *BAM BAM BAM* *BAM BAM BAM* No kills, but it did suppress a few snipers if there were any. *BAM BAM BAM* Once more for good measure.

The fighting drew on for another hour, and whenever Crimson tried to advance, more Zebra snipers kept us suppressed. I looked at Pallid's rocketeers. They were running low on ammo. Several of them had heavily dented armor. The rest were dead. Verdant couldn't even make an advance under this maelstrom of bullets. Cerulean was the only one not having any troubles, but we needed them as a rear guard. Walking out of here would kill more of us than the fighting.

I needed to lighten my load if I wanted to clear the Zebra fortifications. I dropped my BR and every mag I had for it. I kept my Magnum in my right hand, with a spare mag in the other. Everything else I dropped, save for my Thruster Pack and Mjolnir itself. I vaulted over the edge of the plaza fountain we had used for cover. I started running down the street.

I saw a scope glint overhead. I thrusted to the left, dodging the round. The sniper quickly readjusted his aim, but my shields started flaring before he even got another round off. It looked like it came from the left. I turned in that direction, finding a diner full of Zebras. These Zebras had automatic rifles with them. The sign out front read “Big D's Diner: we've got the largest veggie sausages in town!” If it wasn't for this place being a war zone, I'd be laughing.

I pointed my Magnum forward, letting loose. *BAM* Got one. *BAM* Double Kill! And another. *BAM* A miss. Was it just me, or was my aim going to shit recently? Regardless, these Zebras seemed in a hurry to evacuate. I jumped through one of the windows of the diner, rolling through the landing.

A Zebra in a red and gold uniform was waiting for me with a sword. Unfortunately for him, I didn't have any time to waste on him. Coming out of the roll, I fired my Magnum right through the base of his jaw. *BAM* He turned the ceiling a bloody red.

The Zebras were trying to rush out a side door. *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *click* Double Kill!

Diner secure, but some got away. I reloaded my Magnum. Now to just get the rest of these buildings secured. Just up the street was one of the three towers, but most of the hostile snipers were on the other two, on the opposite side of the street. I walked over to one of the Zebras I gunned down.

His rifle wasn't a design I could name, but it looked familiar enough for me to use; a gun's a gun. Richard would know all about it at a glance. I wished he was here now. I shouldered the stripe's rifle and scavenged a few extra mags off of the other dead Zulu Foxtrots. The rifle was suppressed, with a center of mass near the buttstock, enhancing the weapons dexterity and effectiveness in close quarters. I guess that's why it didn't have a scope.

Zebras had an unusual way of holding rifles compared to Equestrian forces, so their rifles were built differently. Unfortunately for them, that unusual design is ergonomic to a human. The rifle was snug in my shoulder. I pulled back the bolt, seeing a round very much like a 5.56x54mm cartridge. Not quite like the .308 rifles they were sniping with, but effective due to the bullet's unique trajectory through a target's body; the round tumbles in most instances.

I holstered my Magnum and rushed further up the street. Some Zebras were trying to set up an MG in the first floor. They did not expect a human to breach their perimeter. *Pfft* *Pfft* *Pfft* *Pfft* Double Kill!
I jumped over their emplacements as I headed for the stairs up. Quickly, I found myself on the roof, behind a team of snipers. I aimed at the spotters first, hoping the snipers' tunnel vision would give me a few extra seconds. *Pfft* *Pfft* *Pfft* I gunned down one of the spotters, but his sniper buddy rolled over immediately, engaging me with his .308. My shields started dropping fast, so I Thrusted back the way I came.

I found myself back on the stairs leading up, but I needed to get that sniper. I walked over to the doorway I leading back to the diner. Starfire and a few other Steel Rangers had holed up in the diner. “Starfire, get over here!” I radioed.

I peeked around the doorway and laid down some suppressing fire for her to cross. She got in my building in one piece. “What did you need me for, Joe?” she asked.

“Do you have any plastiqué?”

“Joe... its me.”

“Alright, there's a Zebra sniper on the roof. He knows we're down here. Plant some explosives on the ceiling and see if you can convince him to come on down.”

“Cover me.”

Starfire stripped out of the heavy Ranger armor and stretched her wings, grabbing her satchel. She flew up and planted some explosives on the roof, as per my guesstimation of the sniper's location. She landed and suited up. It looked like the Zebra's would rather wait for us than hunt us down... fucking campers.

“Clear!” Starfire radioed, then blew the plastiqué. A dust cloud drifted down, as did pieces of the sniper up top. His .308 rifle was in pieces. Bits of rubble pinged off my armor. I ran back up the stairs, Starfire following. The roof was clear, but there were still snipers on the other towers. I couldn't see any way into the buildings they were atop.

“Starfire, I need a rocket launcher.”

“I'll get some of the high-ex boys up here,” she went back down stairs. I ducked under the guard railing as rounds drifted closer and closer to me. I wish I had Jet Pack...

My BR and frags would come in handy, but they're back at the fountain, so I waited for the rocketeers to show up. I occasionally popped up and fired a few rounds at the Zebra snipers. I started liking this Zebra rifle, though there was nothing special about it compared to other weapons.

I shifted my position further down the guard rail to keep them guessing. I fired off another burst. *thump* The first rocketeer was up here. An explosion along the side of the opposite tower was a sure sign of progress. I needed to rearm.

“Keep the pressure on them!” I ordered the rocketeers. I vaulted over the edge of our tower, Thrusting at the bottom to mitigate my fall. I ran back to the fountain. Pallid's rocketeers had the tower, Verdant had the consulate, Cerulean was still at the metro station, and Crimson was backing up Pallid. The rest of the strike force, the ones who got cut off, were holed up in the fountain. I grabbed my gear and started thinking.

We won't be able to take the tower conventionally; there's no way in. Cerulean was doing what they could from the metro station; being snipers they'd be best from afar. Pallid's rocket supply was draining fast. Verdant was just a bunch of riflemen. I recalled the Stalliongrad Survivors mentioned that this city has great tunnel systems. Time for Crimson to get unconventional.

“Starfire, Fencing, rendezvous at the fountain. I have a plan,” I radioed. I fired a few bursts at the Zebra snipers to keep them covered as they made their approach.

“Sir?” Fencing asked.

“Fencing, you'll play close support. Starfire, get a few demolition charges ready. You two are with me, we're going down into the tunnels.”

“Joe, what are you planning?” Starfire asked as she checked her explosives.

“If we can't get rid of the Zebras, we'll get rid of the tower they're sitting on.”

I opened up the small manhole cover leading down below the city. I jumped down first, activating the flashlight on my helmet. I kept my BR at the ready. Aside from my light, this tunnel was completely dark. I had no idea how the civilians hadn't broken down from the assault here a while ago. I moved down a tunnel that paralleled the street, Starfire and Fencing followed closely.

“Starfire, we need to find the supports for the Zebras two towers. We'll place charges on them, then clear out before we touch off. That should bring down the buildings.”

“Can't we just call in some CAS?”

“Negative. The Zebras, last time they were here, had a jammer set to our frequencies. They'd most likely know what was coming, and possibly bring it down.”

“The Zebras have our radio frequencies?”

“They can jam them, so it's likely.” I saw some movement up ahead. I was smelling a bit of gun oil. “Shh...” I whispered, dropping to a half crouch and hugging one of the tunnel walls. The clinking of the Ranger armor became thunderously apparent.

“Wait here...” I ordered the two. I crept forward, eyes glued to my motion sensor. I was seeing a few yellow contacts, but no red. I shut off my light, embracing the darkness. I depolarized my visor. My thestral eyes readjusted to the dark, making it seem almost as though it was day. Almost.

I looked around. Nothing seemed too out of place. My mind drifted to thestral anatomy. They seemed to take many attributes from bats. Remembering back to the kill house at Crimson HQ, with how rifle reports were seeming to map the room for me. Might as well give it a shot.

I cleared my throat. I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes. Then I let out a shriek as high as I could make it go. What surprised me most was that I went several octaves above what I knew was the limit of my falsetto. It was like I went into an ultra-falsetto, one that was beyond normal hearing. I'll need to talk to Luna about that, but regardless, I could picture the tunnel from the acoustics of that shriek.

I could, with this sound-sight, see Fencing and Starfire. They didn't seem to have heard the shriek. I focused harder and let out another note, this one more of a chirp. I got the same effect; I could see the tunnel. This time I noticed a few rats... probably those yellow contacts I saw earlier. Up ahead was the supports we needed to target, but something seemed a little blurry up ahead.

It was as though some of the sound waves were getting absorbed by something. I let out another chirp to confirm my suspicions. It was the same. Something was here.

I opened my eyes and walked forward, BR snug in my shoulder. I tried letting out another chirp, but the sound-sight effect was significantly less than what it was with my eyes closed. It was a skill I'd have to hone later.

I entered the chamber with the building supports we needed to demolish. It was large, maybe forty meters across, interspersed with large support columns spaced evenly throughout. The smell of gun oil was stronger here. I stood and looked around a bit, not seeing anything peculiar. I turned to get Fencing and Starfire.

*Clip* *Clop*

I spun around, rifle level. I know I heard something in here. I activated VISR mode, but still nothing came through. Was I chasing ghosts? Is there a ghost of Stalliongrad? Back on the Infinity, there were rumors about a ghost on one of the sims... Lockout was the map. The techies tried completely rebuilding the map, but rumor had it the ghost persisted in the re-made Blackout. It was like that until it was pulled entirely from the holodeck, then the rumors went away. Was this that ghost, or maybe something like it? I wasn't even in a sim, but something was up.

I went back to my team. “Stay frosty, follow me,” I muttered. They followed me into the chamber. I kept my eyes and ears open for any sign of this thing. Thermals were clean. No shimmers of Stealth Cloaks. Nothing. I didn't even blink. “Semper Vigilans” was the motto of ONI for a reason, I guess.

Bomb Armed. “Charges placed,” Starfire reported.

“Link them to my comm. Let's get out of here.” Stalliongrad's icy bite was starting to get through to me. I probably should've repaired Mjolnir before heading out here. Just keep thinking about Mjolnir, Joe, it'll keep your mind off of the cold, and whatever that thing was back there...

If I'm talking to myself, but it's all in my head, is it really a bad sign, or is it just my conscious?

We made it back to the manhole out of the tunnels. Starfire went first, then Fencing. I was about to climb up when a red contact popped up on my motion sensor. 6 o'clock, level. I spun around, BR sighted in.

Nothing. I checked all my optics again, still nothing. Ghosts indeed... I climbed up the ladder.

“You gonna light this candle?” Starfire asked.

I held up three fingers. Two... One... I clenched my fist as I hit the comm to detonate the explosives. Nothing happened. Bomb Disarmed. I looked down the street. Pallid was falling back to the fountain with the rest of Crimson covering them.

“Starfire, you did set those to remote detonate, right?”

“Of course. What happened?”

“Looks like something's up.” Verdant had finished up with the consulate and had reformed with us at the fountain. I turned to one of the Survivors, “Khrushchev, are the tunnels here lined with lead?”

The Stalliongrad Survivor was bloodied and battered but he still looked at me with a smile, “Нет, tin man. We only used the strongest of metals in making them. Some of our workers have even found a way to modify the tunnels to amplify signals, if that is what you are wondering.”

“Shit. Starfire, it looks like someone disarmed our bombs.”

“That shouldn't be possible, I rigged it with mercury fulminate and tetrazene. You'd lose a hoof and set it off by trying to disarm it. Unless if you have some LN2 lying around.”

“Do you have a delay fuse?”

“Only a three second fuse. You're not planning on detonating those bombs manually, are you?”

“We need those Zebras gone. Unless if you have a better idea.”

She placed a hoof on her chin, thinking deeply. “Do you have a grenade? I'm fresh out.”

I held up an M9 HE-DP frag. She quickly grabbed it, then started twisting the top off of the explosive. She pulled out the explosive core of the grenade. “Five seconds, right?”

“Affirmative,” I said.

“Does anypony have some paracord?” she asked the company.

Sergei handed over a bundle of a hundred yards. Starfire ran back down into the tunnel. We waited five minutes, trying our best to survive against the snipers, until she came back, paracord in her mouth. She handed it to me.

“Pull equals boom,” she said.

“Clear!” I yelled, pulling hard on the paracord. Nothing happened. One... Two... Three... Four... Fi- *BOOM!* We all looked down the street as the buildings collapsed under their compromised supports, the Zebra snipers fell to their deaths amid the rubble. The boys let out a cheer that could shake the stars. In the distance, Cerulean could be heard as well. The day had been won.

I saw some tears going down the Stalliongrad Survivors' eyes. “Something wrong, ice colts?” I asked.

Such is a rare occasion when Vostok would speak, “I never thought I'd see the day...”

Khrushchev spoke next, “You just blew up a historic hotel that is owned by some of the most corrupt politicians on this continent, and the law firm that bolsters their tyrannical might. It truly is a beautiful sight. All of the old Hooviet Union will know of the justice your team brought here. You will not be forgotten. You saved our people, retook our city, and made my day. Спасибо, tin man.”

“No need to thank me, Khrushchev, I was only doing my job.”

“Nonsense, we will build monuments in your honor!”

“Guess I can't convince you otherwise, huh?”

“You know it.”

I let out a sigh and shook my head, a grin greeting my ugly mug. I took in the blasted landscape. Many had lost their lives today. I hope it'd be worth it in the future. I breathed deeply with a newfound ease that only victory can bring. It was a feeling I wish I was more familiar with. I climbed atop the fountain, motioning for Cerulean to join up.

“Today we have achieved victory over our common enemy. Such a success is marred only by the losses we endured. Many did not live to see our success. Let us not forget their efforts. They gave their today so we may have a tomorrow. With each day you live beyond this one, live in honor of those who can't. Live it for those who charged into the howling dark... and did not return.

“You few... you proud few, volunteered to be here, on this day, to fight this battle. Without you, defeat would've been assured, and Stalliongrad lost. So let us not have anyone question our being here. We are here, not by coincidence or chance of circumstance, but because it is our destiny. This war is our birthright. Those who meet us on the battlefield will see the wrath we are capable of... and they will fear us.

“You have done the impossible and did the never-before attempted. Such courage is immeasurable by words alone. Only through your actions and the tomorrows the free and living may enjoy due to them, can such a sacrifice and devotion to duty that you have demonstrated here today be honored. This day will be remembered, for it is not just a major victory in the war, but because it is a testament to what we are all capable of. We all have such insurmountable courage buried deep within ourselves, and it is that courage that you found here, today, in this city of cold, foreboding ice.

“I am honored to have fought by your side on this day, and I would gladly fight this battle again even if it meant my death, because I know I would never be forgotten. So let us never forget those who sacrificed themselves on this day. In honor of the fallen, may we hope to forge a new future worthy of their sacrifice.”

I jumped off of the fountain as the men below let out another cheer, many were crying. The future is the only thing you can hope to fight for. It is the only way to forge a better tomorrow... for all. And I'd be damned if I took it from them.

“What is it with you and powerful speeches, sir?” Fencing asked.

“Not all of those words were mine, but they all meant something to me. I've seen plenty of war. Too much for one man, if you ask me. I only hope for a world of peace. Unfortunately war always find me, wherever I go.”

I started walking back towards the metro station. “All teams... gather up the dead and wounded. We're going home,” I radioed.

We tread down the broken streets into the dark metro tunnels below. All 56 of us.

I guess Stalliongrad was my baptism of fire in this bloody and visceral war. I still couldn't shake the fact that something was down there, in the tunnels. The Zebras had no forces in the Stalliongrad area to retake the city, but Luna had opted to send some engineers and Royal Guards there to fortify the city against further attacks.

I was back at Crimson HQ, figuring out the team's next move. The Zebras have escalated their war effort and have been infiltrating and capturing several cities all across Equestria. Our job was to take them out, but I noticed something peculiar.

Sunny Capony's ledger had locations listed... the very cities that have been taken. I guess this changes the playing field a little; Al Capony is now an enemy of the state. I guess we won't be taking prisoners when we go after him. Right now, the transmogrification armor ability was still cooling down, so I wasn't too keen on going after Capony.

“Lockheart, Solace, we need to figure how best to continue our war effort. Sunny's ledger shows that the Mafia has deep ties to the captured cities. Stalliongrad was the first of many such city, and many others have fallen like it. Taking down Capony would be a good move, but we also need to retake the captured territories. Good men are dying by the second here. How do you think we should continue?” I asked the two.

“If we focus our efforts on Capony, it may yield better intel against the Zebras,” Solace said.

“True, but we need to save as many Equestrian lives as possible. I think we should try to retake Trottingham, cut off the Zebras' supply routes to the other cities. This will make it easier for a regular army to liberate those towns,” Lockheart argued.

“But as long as Capony stays active, he would tip off the Zebras to our movements. They would see us coming. Any other plans?” I asked.

“We could counterattack right into Roam or some other Zebra city. We do have that Pelican of yours,” Solace said.

“And abandon our own? No, I think we should... split up, perhaps? Capony is a single target. Legally, he is as clean as a whistle and has rigged juries before. Making it a kill mission would save us all a lot of time. Time we could use to save more lives,” Lockheart said.

“You are talking about deliberately killing an Equestrian citizen!” Solace said.

“The way I see it, he is an enemy. Since when do we give hostiles fair trials?” I said.

Solace looked slightly taken aback, but gradually accepted our decision. “So... how will we go about doing this?” Solace asked with trepidation on his voice.

“We'll gather up some additional intel and work with the MoM to set up a diversion. They'll raid one of their suspected distribution warehouses, and I'll take a small team into the Marecago clock tower. We'll capture if he is willing to go quietly, but if not... I will have my sidearm with me,” I said.

“You want to involve the ministries in this?”

“Yes. They want to assure Equestria's success in this war. Thus far, that matches our agendas well. I don't see why we couldn't work with them. Spectacles has been sending a few of his designs to the MWT.”

“Joe, the ministries are all a bundle of bureaucratic nonsense and red tape. If you want to work with them, it'll take years before we can take down Capony.”

“I won't give them years, just days. If they can't keep up, it's their asses.”

“Joe, if Pinkie heard you say that, she would have this place crawling in Pinks in no time.”

“Bottom line: Capony will be combat ineffective by the end of the week. I will meet that deadline,” I reiterated.

“Fine, Joe, you try to work with the ministries. What will you have us do in the meantime?”

“Retake Trottingham; it's an important city for the war effort. Zebras have been spotted in the Marejave, and it's en route to Trottingham. Spectacles will airdrop you just outside the Marejave desert. You'll need to talk to Celestia and Luna first; see if you can get a Task Force to assist you. There might be some local forces that you should link up with as well. The 3rd REN fleet is dealing with Zebra warships off the Trottingham coast. They should have some Marines they can lend you for the final assault. You got that?”

Solace nodded. Lockheart looked at me, “What would you have me do during this?”

“There are reports of Zebras in the Unicorn Range, pestering some of the locals with harassing sniper fire. The towns and villages in that pocket are locked down unless if we do something. Cloudsdale has meandered into the area, and I think the EAF would like to lend a hand. After that, try to retake Neighagra. The place is highly isolated, with no local forces to link up with. After I'm done with Capony, I'll rendezvous with you there, then we'll head over to Trottingham via Pelican combat air-assault. Three teams; five targets. I think we can manage that.”

“I think we can. Shall we form the strike teams?”

“Let's get everypony here in the mess. I'll pick my team first,” I walked off to gather up everyone in Crimson. They were a little excited, though they still looked exhausted after Stalliongrad. I would give them a few days to get ready for the fight. They all sat down, letting go of some unknown burden they carried. A few grabbed some drinks of varying proofs before they found their seats.

“Now hear this, everyone. We have five targets to secure: Marecago, the Marejave desert, Trottingham, Neighagra, and the Unicorn Range. We will only have three teams for this fight. Pizza, Footfall, you two are with me: we're going to Marecago. Afterwards, we''ll follow in Lockheart's hoofsteps before we head over to Solace's team.”

Lockheart stepped forward, “My team will consist of Fencing and Starfire. We'll engage hostiles from the skies. We should be able to get assistance from the EAF for our assault; I still have a few favors with those boys I can call in. Our targets are the snipers in the Unicorn Range, then the occupying forces in Neighagra. Once Joe rendezvous with us, we'll move into the Marejave.”

Solace stepped forward, “I'll take everypony else straight into the Marejave. We'll clear out the Zebras threatening to move into Las Pegasus, link up with any local forces, and then move on to Trottingham. The Marines with the 3rd fleet should be able to help us take the city. Once that's done, we can all head home.”

I wrapped this up, “The name of the game is Operation: Trident. It'll launch in three days, rest up and get ready until then. Any questions?”

“What's the estimated opposition, sir?” Fencing asked.

“Heavy, though I wouldn't expect as tough as Stalliongrad. Your primary objective will have a lot of snipers so keep moving. Your secondary objective is on the edge of a giant waterfall, so any airborne forces should have that as an advantage. Use it, and you're in the pink.”

“And what about my AO, sir?” asked Footfall.

“Stealth is the name of the game. It'll be crawling with hostiles, but the MoM should provide a good diversion for us. If it all goes smoothly, not a shot will be fired. But remember: it almost never goes smoothly. Pack plenty of weapons and armor, we'll find a dead drop to leave it while we infiltrate. We also have a functioning Zebra Stealth Cloak in our inventory from those bastards who ambushed us at our front door. It'll be dangerous, but doable.”

“What about the Marejave?” Lyra asked.

“Hot. Dry. And with a sense of danger in the air. Las Pegasus will be putting on one heck of a light show, so it should be easy to find. I would engage targets at range with sniper fire in broad daylight. Daylight will have you see right, and shoot straight. The day will also do the same for your enemy. I'd pack a shovel and dig a trench line. Target strategic points until the Zebras are weak enough to assail. Afterwards, send a messenger to the 3rd fleet, you'll need them in the final assault.”

That seemed to be the last of the questions. It looked like we knew everything we'd need to get done. Now to just hope we'd get it done well. “No more questions? Dismissed,” I ended.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Lieutenant? Can you hear me? Wake up.”

“Wh- what is it Doctor?”

“The Admiral doesn’t believe you. I overheard him calling up a firing squad.”

“What? Why? I thought most of my story checked out?”

“He doesn’t think so. The rest of the Admiralty green-lit his decision. The squad’s waiting for you at Sol. Let’s get these restraints off, and you out of here.”

“Wait, why are you doing this?”

“Because I believe you, and I’d like to see this world which you’ve described.”

“That world is very different now than what it was way back then. If you want to see it, I’ll need my gear, and my bird.”

“Right this way, Lieutenant.”