Gaston sat in the captain’s chair on the bridge of the super-carrier as it powered through space. The control room for the monstrous ship was spacious, despite having enough tech to power and maintain a small city. Consoles monitoring everything clamored for attention, flashing multicolored lights to their handlers. His chair sat at the far back of the spacious room, affording him a perfect view of the controlled chaos. Directly in front of him was a holographic display showing the locations of enemy ships, represented by red triangles, and the human fleet, green squares. Dozens of men and women rushed this way and that as they tended to the delicate challenge of moving the titanic ship through space.

He adjusted himself in his seat and glared out of the large viewport at the masses of Cye ships before him. Cruisers, frigates, carriers; any and every class of ship was represented amongst the enemy’s massive fleet. The android’s vessels began turning towards the human fleet, making his heart race and his breathing quicken in anticipation. Just beyond the array of starships sat the inky black fortress that had appeared above Earth.

Even though this was the largest fleet anyone had ever seen, the hundreds of vessels arrayed against him barely even rated a sideways glance. Vigilance herself was more than a match for any ship they could throw at her, let alone the ever-growing fleet of human ships backing her up. But seeing that dark ball of manifested hate for humanity put true fear into his heart for the first time in what felt like eons.

“Gonna hafta shut that thing down.” whispered the Admiral, “If’n we wan’ outta this alive at least.” An ensign rushed up to him and held out a comm unit. He shot the sailor a grunt of appreciation before jamming the comm into his ear and triggering it, “Jaze, think ya can git up here? We need t’ work something out on this friggen station or we’re not gonna have a good time.”

Silence greeted his ears for a moment until he heard, “If you can promise some reinforcements down here, I’ll hop in my fighter and make my way up there.”

The Admiral grinned, “How does those reinforcements I promised forever ago, plus another few thousand?”

Once more, silence greeted his words. The young man on the other end of the line seemed to be having trouble getting his mouth working. When he finally was able to speak, his voice was weak from shock, “F-few th-thousand?”

“If you don’t think that’s enough…” Gaston began, his voice mocking.

“No, no I think that’ll do.” Jaze paused, and the sound of heavy breathing came from the comm. The old sailor waited patiently for his young friend to recover, silently smirking. After nearly a minute, the Colonel spoke weakly, “Okay then, I’ll be up in twenty. Just uh… just gotta take care of some things first.”

“Rodger that, see ya in twenty.” Gaston cut the link and turned to the men and women on the bridge, and his voice rang out clear and strong, “Alright ladies and gents, we got twenty minutes ‘til we have to entertain a ground-pounder, and I know yar all dyin’ for a bit’a payback fer Earth. Helmsman, bring us to course one-zero-two. Weapons, bring all forward cannons online, prioritize targets for when we git in position. Have fighters and interceptors make ready for a quick drop inta the void, and send a fleet-wide order t’ pick a target and send the firing solutions to Vigilance.” He paused in his orders for a moment before adding, “And have it made ready, I get th’ feeling we’re gonna need it.”

Several heads turned at the mention of the secret weapon carried on board. Worried eyes met his before turning away to carry out their duties. The Admiral leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and tried to force his heart to slow. Even thinking about it had him more worried than anything else. When it had been loaded onto his ship, he had never imagined a situation when it would be needed. This was a weapon of the old world; something he and everyone else hoped could fade into obscurity.

He heaved a sigh, and whispered, “Gods help us all.”

Jaze watched as his soldiers roamed the battlefield looking for any Cye troopers that hadn’t been fully disabled. Despite the sudden disappearance of their reinforcements, the robots had kept marching resolutely into the metal grinder until none were left. The reprieve, however brief it was going to be, gave the exhausted defenders cause for hope.

Soldiers kept glancing skyward at the first dropships full of aid began descending. Several of the flying buses set down as near to the medical tents as they could. Wounded Marines were brought out to be ferried to the doctors aboard orbiting hospitals that had been towed along with the human fleet. And in the dark night sky, hundreds of stars danced in the pitch-blackness of space, marking the furious battle that was already unfolding.

The young assassin climbed out of the trench, his entire body screaming for rest. His rifle hung from its sling across his back, and Sairugi rested in its sheath. Grime coated his face and armor, and the cloth under the metal was damp with sweat. Every muscle ached, and his eyes felt like there was sandpaper under his eyelids. He pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache began to set in, and an intense desire to lie down and sleep for a year set in.

He set off in a brisk walk away from the trench, carefully avoiding everyone. He needed silence, a chance to step back and breathe. The surroundings stood out in perfect detail to his altered eyes, letting him pick his way through the rush of activity around the defense line. Grime from fighting concealed the golden metal of his armor and let him brush past the few soldiers, human and pony alike, that got close enough to see him without being recognized in the moonlight, though a few drew breath to say something as he rushed past.

Up ahead, the lights from the camp cast their unnatural glow on the ground. The tents and prefab buildings took on a gray, dreary cast in the bright light of the lamps. Voices filtered from the camp; everything from shouts for help to encouragement for the wounded. Shadows fell across the ground as even more of the defenders raced about the camp, tending to anything they could before the next round of fighting.

He found his feet turning without conscious thought to avoid the brightly lit area, and he didn’t see a reason to stop them. The ethereal light of the white orb in the sky gave him a small measure of peace, not to mention helped him avoid anyone looking for him. Cold air filled his lungs, and he removed the helm from his head to feel the breeze on his damp scalp. For a moment, he could pretend everything was right in the world. His eyes slid closed as he walked and enjoyed the ease of the night.

From nowhere, one of the homes of Ponyville blocked his path. Air exploded from his lungs as he ran headlong into a brick wall, knocking him to the ground. The impact made his head twang in sympathy with his chest, his almost forgotten headache returning in a rush. He glared up at the uncaring building as he lay on his back and tried to get some air into his body. Frustrated groans escaped his lips as he stretched out against the cold earth behind the house.

An unexpected, snorting giggle made him tilt his head back against the dirt to see Trixie watching him. She tried to make her laughing fit cease, but anytime she looked ready to quit her eyes met with his and she began again. A smile touched the Colonel’s lips, and soon the laughter spread to him. Chuckles shook his body and made the small aches slide away. Even as the mirth slowly died out, his smile refused to budge as he looked up at the pony who had caught him.

The azure unicorn, still giggling under her breath, trotted over to him and held out a hoof. Her eyes were still alight with mirth, standing out in the darkness. The grime coating her form failed to make her appear any less beautiful than before, and her smile seemed to light the surrounding walls with a warm brilliance. She helped him up and whispered, “You can’t walk through walls Jaze.”

He could feel an embarrassed flush creeping across his face, and he turned away, hoping the darkness would hide the coloring. A forced smile turned the corners of his mouth up, and he fired back, “I figured that if I tried really hard I could actually manage it.” An eyebrow slowly rose, and he asked, “How did you find me?”

The unicorn whispered mischievously, “You are not as devious as you think. I followed you all the way from the trench.”

“Sneaky.” accused the young Colonel amusedly.

He knelt, and slowly reached out to run his fingers through her mane. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking softly, and he could see similar shivers going through her body. Even after facing down millions of hostile robots, nothing but being this close to her made his pulse race quite so hard. A hoof reached up to touch the hand flowing through the soft strands of her silver mane, following the arm back to his chest. The azure hoof settled over his pounding heart, making it beat even harder than a before. Her breathing quickened as she stretched her neck up and planted a soft kiss.

The short, velvety fur of her lips on his made his head buzz and spin. His free hand found the side of her face of its own accord and gently stroked along her jaw. Warm breath fluttered across his face as she broke the contact, but her face stayed only a hair’s width from his. Large, violet pools drew him in and stole his breath; everything else fell away to a distant distraction.

A demure smile graced the magician’s face, and she whispered, “I told you we shouldn’t wait so long for the next one.”

“You were right.” chortled the human, “That seems to happen a lot.”

She gave a brief laugh, before her features suddenly became serious, “Tell me; why did you try to sneak away?”

He pulled away, a mixture of shame and fear filling his breast. Looking at her suddenly became impossible; wide, expressive eyes stared accusingly into his mind. Several times he opened his mouth to say something, each time closing it when nothing presented itself. Finally, he managed to almost squeak, “I just… I needed to get away from everyone.”

“Why?” Once more his voice deserted him. He looked away, only to have a hoof on his chin gently bring his eyes back to hers. She shook her head slowly firmly whispered, “I know there is something wrong with you. You shouldn’t hide from it.”

“It’s just,” Jaze took in a deep, calming breath, letting it out slowly as he explained, “I see us doing well here on the ground, but then I look up and see that.” He pointed towards an area the stars had seemingly abandoned, “Gaston wants to find a way to take it out, but it’s just… That thing is huge!”

A weight felt like it had suddenly settled in the pit of his stomach. He stood and straightened his arms above his head, his back arching into the stretch. The aches and pains he had almost forgotten just a moment before flooded back into his body. Around him, the moonlit night went from a cool and comfort to threatening, a change that was as quick as it was unexpected.

“I just hate that the Cye could throw something like that against us.” Jaze finished.

Trixie nodded thoughtfully as she turned to stare at the innocently blank patch of sky. Her features scrunched up while she studied where the enemy space station had taken position. Seconds ticked by in silence, until finally the pony magician turned and stood on her hind legs so they were face to face once more. Her forehooves landed gently on his shoulders for balance, and she regarded him with a warm but fearful eye.

Her voice was calm and reassuring, “I won’t lie and say I know we’ll be alright.” Determination set her features in granite, and her lips curled in something halfway between a smile and a grimace, “But I will say that I believe we can pull this off. Obviously your friend Gaston thinks so too, or he would have ran away instead of coming here to die.”

A small laugh escaped his lips unbidden, though he refused to let the false mirth spill forward. He kept his voice low, nearly whispering, “You don’t know Gaston very well then. He’d rather get it done and out of the way than wait around to die. And he’ll make sure he takes a few of the bastards with him too.”

“You would know him better than I.” she remarked. For a moment she was silent, then, “May I ask a favor?”

“Sure, ask away.”

Her eyes seemed filled with doubt, but she refused to look away from him. The strength of her gaze threatened to root him to the spot. She seemed to be trying to find an answer before making her request. After what must have been an eternity, she finally asked, “Let me go with you, to meet Gaston I mean.”

A frown suddenly tugged at his lips, “No, not a chance.” His voice came out far angrier than he had hoped, and by the fury that suddenly sparked in the unicorn’s eye he could tell she didn’t appreciate his tone.

“And why not?” she hissed menacingly.

“Because I don’t want you going up there, that’s why.” Jaze almost shouted back as his own ire rose, “There’s no reason for you to go up there and maybe get hurt.”

“As opposed to what, exactly?” Trixie fired back tersely, “Staying here and having to either fight or listen to somepony fighting for my life while I sit on my rump and do nothing?”

“But…”

“Listen to me Jaze,” she interrupted, “You cannot really believe I would be any safer here than up there. There’s going to be swarms of Cye coming; I’d be safer away from that wouldn’t I? You know me too well to believe I could even think about staying away from this fight. One way or another I will be getting involved, and it will more than likely be on the front lines.”

Jaze calmly waited for her to finish, forcing himself to stay quiet as she expended her breath. As soon as she paused to take a breath he broke in, “Now you listen to me. You’re absolutely right, I know you. If I let you go with me then you’ll want to follow me on whatever suicide mission I end up going on. And there’s no way I’m letting that happen, so you’re going to stay here. And that’s not changing.”

She cocked her head and asked, “What do you mean, suicide mission?”

His shoulders fell as he winced; he hadn’t meant to let that slip. Large, worried eyes bored into his face, and the azure unicorn’s lips fell in a frown. Looking down at her made it nearly impossible to say anything. Seeing her anxiousness made him want to stop, but he knew that he couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to her.

A deep sigh crossed his lips, and finally managed to speak, “We’ve got to take down that station, it’s too powerful to let ride. Gaston’s got a plan, he has to. But it will probably involve someone getting inside it; if destroying it were as simple as just hitting it with a ton of ordinance it would already be a wreck. And I won’t let anyone else do it.”

Her worry morphed into outright fear at his words, and her voice took on a sudden, pleading tone, “Why not? Why does it have to be you?”

“Because I can do it, so no one else has to.” The flatness of his voice caught him by surprise, and made him sound calmer than he felt. Inwardly, he was shaking at the thought of being anywhere near that station.

“But why does it have to be you? There are others that could play the hero, aren’t there?” Trixie fired back quickly. He managed to catch a brief twitch of anger mingled with her worry before it disappeared. The resentment tried to hide behind her eyes, but it was as plain to see as if she were screaming at him.

He knelt and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding her close. For a moment she tried to pull away, but she slowly relaxed into the embrace. His voice was a whisper as he said, “I’m doing it because I can, and so that no one else has to and maybe die for it.”

“But…”

“But nothing.” he cut in, “I couldn’t live with myself if someone else died for something I should have done. I’d see their friends and families anytime I looked at mine.”

“And what about yours?” Her voice was low, but the exasperated tone was impossible to miss. She forced their bodies apart so she could glare into his eyes and held him at foreleg-length, “You could leave behind all your loved ones just for someone else? That is stupid, and you know it. Just this once, let someone else take responsibility.”

“There’s more to it than just that.” Jaze admitted grudgingly.

“Then what?!” she hissed in frustration.

“Carn.” He said the name as calmly as he could, but it filled his mouth with a horribly bitter taste. Hatred made his head spin as he turned to look up at the starless portion of the sky, “He’s up there, and I can’t let him be killed by someone else. I have to do it, or it doesn’t matter. This one is personal.”

Trixie’s face fell, and her eyes turned to the ground. She refused to look up at him, but he could feel the bitterness pouring out of her hooves. “I can almost understand that…” Her voice trailed off for a moment, and her head suddenly snapped up so she could once more fix him with a disapproving stare. Her voice was nearly a growl, “But are you really willing to risk your life for a personal grudge? Can’t you be satisfied with knowing that someone killed him?”

It took more effort than he thought not to push her way as hard as could, but he couldn’t stop his face from taking on an angry frown, “No, not after the things he’s done.”

“What more could he have done to make you hate him this badly?!”

The question burned in her eyes, and he was forced back to when he had found the young mare laying on that table deep inside the insane man’s base. Her eyes filled with terror and a small measure of hope filled his mind, and he could feel a phantom of the motion of pulling the trigger. His stomach churned horribly at the memory, and shame lit a fire inside him. The anger from before cooled until it had burned out completely, only to be replaced by hate for himself. The young mother of the filly that had wormed so easily into his heart was just one more failure to add to the pile, but one that stood out horribly.

In as short of an explanation as he could manage he told her the entire story from when they had separated. Disgust and horror filled her eyes in equal measure as his tale concluded. He found himself unable to look at her, but her hooves unexpectedly slid gently around his neck. Her muzzle grazed his cheek, sending an electric current through his body. The sensation, and her embrace, slightly calmed his stomach; just enough that he could look her in the eye.

A sad, almost teary smile was set on her lips, “I see now. I never knew…”

Her voice trailed off as she let her head drop almost tiredly. For several moments she was silent, and Jaze couldn’t help but wonder at what was going through her mind. The memories continued to wash over him, and a burning knot developed in his stomach. He felt he needed to explain things better, but nothing came forward. Finally, he managed to regain control enough to say, “I’m so s…”

A hoof was at his lips in a blink, silencing him. Trixie fixed him with a caring but firm frown, “Don’t you dare apologize. There is no point, and no reason to be sorry. You only did what you had to do. If you had left her alone she would have found a way to kill herself, I would be willing to bet my last bit on it. All you did was spare her several hours of suffering.”

“But I…”

The hoof still around his neck pulled him down into a kiss, halting his words. Her quickness caught him off guard and left him frozen in her embrace. A free forehoof traveled around to his back and gently followed its curve. He could feel himself relaxing into the pony’s hold. Tension he hadn’t realized was there eased out of his shoulders, and his mind hummed in time to his heartbeat.

Trixie broke the kiss and smiled, “Are you done worrying, or do I have to do that again.”

He couldn’t help but let a grin slip onto his face, and his arms gave her a warm squeeze, “Wouldn’t mind it, to be honest.”

“But we’ve still got to get up to Gaston and see what he has up his sleeve.” She giggled, “I don’t think we have the time.”

The smile quickly morphed into a frown and his eyebrow rose, “What’s this we? We aren’t going anywhere. I am going to go meet Gaston while you stay here.”

“No, I am going with you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.” She kept her tone angry, though the glint in her eyes was closer to amusement, “Besides, someone has to make sure you come home. You’ve got responsibilities.”

“Like what?”

“For starters, you’ve got to take care of Zephyr.” There must have been a look on his face he wasn’t aware of, because the unicorn smirked and added, “Oh don’t play that, you know that you will be taking care of her. If nothing else until she can find a loving home.”

Jaze nodded tiredly, “I suppose so, but if I can’t make it back…”

“You will.” insisted the mare emphatically.

He waved his hand to stop her before continuing, “There’s the strong chance I won’t, and if not I’d want you to be here to care for Zephyr.”

“But if I go with you, we can both be here for her.”

She stared up at him with wide, almost pleading eyes, and he found it impossible to refuse. His mind had trouble absorbing her words; he had never truly considered a life with her until now. Before, he had assumed that something would force them apart. But now, the image formed unbidden in his mind of the three of them together, happy and safe. A warm smile touched his lips, “Mmmm… That would be nice.”

“So I am going.” asserted the unicorn; her voice carried a tone of finality to compliment the determined look on her face.

Sighing exhaustedly, Jaze shook his head. Her lip pouted slightly and her eyes widened even more than usual. Small almost-whines emanated from her as she continued stare at him. He couldn’t but chuckle at the expression, and finally answered, “If you promise to stop looking so pathetic then yes, you can come.”

Trixie immediately smiled broadly, “Great, I am ready. And by the way, Celestia asked me to inform you that she, Luna, and a small contingent of guards would be joining you as well.”

Another quiet chuckle escaped his throat, “It’s becoming a right party. Makes sense though, I had planned to ask them if they were going to go.” He rolled his shoulders as tension began mounting again, “Alright, let’s get gathered up and ready. We’ve got a war to finish.”

Inky black space spread out in front of the small cluster of fighter craft and one dropship rising out of the atmosphere of the planet below. The smaller craft aligned with the flying box’s nose and wings as they moved in formation towards a human ship in high orbit above Gaia. Beyond the huge carrier in the star-speckled void raged an intense battle between the human and Cye fleets. Small, short-lived puffs of fire appeared constantly between the two foes, with larger explosions occasionally throwing out debris as a ship was lost.

The Vigilance looked like a huge, flattened, rectangular box nearly three kilometers long and half a click wide. The bow section came to a rough point, and near the tip of the pointed nose was a bulge with a large viewport letting light spill from the ship’s bridge. The aft section of the ship was dominated by four large engine clusters that pushed the ship forward and allowed for coarse heading adjustments, while several smaller engines placed at strategic points along the hull allowed for fine adjustments to the lumbering ship’s course.

Thick armor covered the carrier from stem to stern. Along its sides were several hanger bays for various smaller craft, while relatively small, computer-targeted pinpoint defense guns dotted its top and sides anywhere there was nothing to obstruct their view. Its bottom was dominated by a pair of large cannons; huge, destructive weapons that were easily capable of drilling a hole through any ship that dared stand against it. Finishing out its armaments were hundreds of missile pods along each side.

Jaze watched as the massive super-carrier loomed before his fighter, and his breath sounded thunderous encased in the sealed armor suit. He was situated just off the nose of the dropship carrying the Princesses and their chosen guards, with Shelby and Vincent flying on either side. A gasp sounded from the seat behind him as Trixie caught sight of the colossal starship. He tossed a smile over his shoulder at the stunned mare. The flight-stick shook in his hands, and he had to admit that a bit of the awe the pony behind him transferred into his own body. Seeing the huge ship, one he had only ever heard about, brought the ghost of hope closer to the fore of his mind.

He activated his comm and called out in a clear voice, “This is Colonel Armand inbound on vector one-zero-nine along with some VIPs, requesting clearance to come aboard, over.”

The response was swift as an operator with a soft, feminine voice replied, “This is the Vigilance traffic control, roger that Colonel, we’ve got you on scope. Hanger bay 17 is clear, lighting it up for you. You and your flight may put down there, and there will be a guide waiting to take you to the bridge.”

After a brief moment, one of the many huge airlocks became lit by small, revolving yellow lights. He relayed the instructions to the rest of the group of spacecraft before responding to the coordinating officer, “We’ve got the hanger in sight and are coming in. Thanks for the safe port in the storm Vigilance, out.”

Jaze let the comm fall silent and nudged his fighter towards the indicated hanger bay. Behind him in the vacuum of space, the rest of the group followed his lead towards the starship. He could hear Trixie in the copilot’s seat breathing heavily as their small craft drew closer to the Vigilance. As they neared the huge doors of the airlock, the metal airlock doors gaped open to swallow them into the belly of the ship.

They passed through the portal into the wide hanger without breaking formation. The inside of the bay was spacious enough for all four small craft to set down comfortably with room to spare. Grated steel floors exposed the various pipes, conduits, and wires of the ship’s many systems. Against the far back wall was an enclosed control area with large windows spaced evenly along its length that wrapped around to each side of the room. A bright-red light sat in the center. Inside were a few sailors and security officers. Catwalks above served to allow access to the tops of the craft for maintenance, and against the far right wall at the edge of the control room was an airlock leading deeper into the ship.

The large bay doors behind them slid closed as their craft touched the deck. Fog-like wisps issued from a few, carefully-concealed pumps as atmosphere hissed back into the hanger bay. The light turned green, and Jaze thumbed the canopy release of his Thundercat. He gratefully pulled the sealed helm off, letting it float within arm’s reach in the lack of gravity.

Being on a ship was somehow comforting, a feeling he never would have expected from the sterile structure. But the thrum of engines brought to mind earlier days, times that now took on an odd nostalgic feeling. He unclipped his harness and lifted himself slowly into the air, an almost childish grin on his face. Being able to fly didn’t hurt either.

A set of doors near the vacuum indicator slid open, and a middling-height young man in a lightly padded flight-suit pushed out into the bay. He was not quite thin or stocky, falling neatly between the two extremes. His bright-red hair was shorn close to his scalp, only leaving just enough to show its color, and hazel eyes watched as the ground team adjusted to being weightless in thinly-veiled amusement. The cocksure smirk that all pilots seemed to have looked permanently grafted onto his face, though friendliness shone through the veneer of bravado.

Jaze pulled himself out of the fighter-craft, floating gently alongside it. His stomach clenched in instinctual anticipation of the fall to come, but the tense feeling quickly faded as he adjusted. Being weightless again made him realize just how much he had missed being in space. With a gentle kick off the side of his plane, he sailed to the deck where the pilot waited, their feet just brushing the deck.

The pilot gave a quick salute and called out in a respectfully friendly, if cocky, tone, “Welcome about the ECN Vigilance, Colonel. Major Reynolds, I’ve been tasked with takin’ ya to the bridge.”

The scarred assassin nodded, “Thank you, I get the feeling I’ll need the guidance.”

Something bumped into his back and pushed him forward, sending him into a slow tumble. As he turned over, he saw Trixie hovering where he had been, unable to stop giggling as she watched him twist through the air. The red-haired Major was watching her clutch her stomach laughing with an incredulous look on his face.

“I heard that the aliens looked like animals,” remarked the pilot, “but I thought they were exaggerating.”

Trixie glared at him, but managed to keep her tone civil with only a hint of coldness, “Interesting coming from a hairless ape. I know that I have seen your cousins. In a zoo.”

Reynolds laughed loudly, and gave the unicorn a quick wink, “Ooo, I like ‘em feisty. But I was only joking.”

Loud thuds from the inside of the dropship halted the conversation. The ramp lowered and Celestia stormed out, her hooves clanging sharply against grated floor. Light crimson patches shone through her snowy fur and her brows were knitted in frustrated embarrassment, but she held her head high. Behind her, Luna stepped out with a thinly veiled grin gracing her lips. The elder alicorn studiously ignored her sister while trying to keep a grimace from her face. A dull, dark-blue glow encased the sisters’ hooves, keeping them both glued to the floor and able to walk normally. Last to leave the dropship were several humans and ponies acting as an entourage.

Jaze couldn’t help but smile slightly at the eldest princess’s discomfort as he floated an inch or so from the deck. She fixed him with warning stare that wiped the grin from his face, though only just. Still, he had to ask, “Is there something wrong, Princess?”

Giggles erupted from Luna, and she cut her sister off before the other could say anything, “Tia doesn’t like confined spaces.”

The elder princess shook her head, and stated proudly, “That is not of any concern, shall we just go and meet with the honorable Admiral?”

Jaze looked up to the two fighters where Shelby and Vincent still sat. The dark-haired woman waved him away before gliding over to her lover’s craft. The Colonel gave an understanding nod before turning back to his guide, “This should be everyone then, ready when you are.”

Major Reynolds smiled as he turned towards the airlock leading into the ship, “A’ight then, follow me.”

The group moved towards the door, passing through without slowing as it opened around them. As soon as they were past the threshold, gravity brought their feet back to the ground. Beyond was a long hall of the same steel floor and walls as the hanger. Doors dotted the left side of the passage. Strip lighting ran along the ceiling, lending their bright luminescence to the corridor. Major Reynolds led them down the hall, with Jaze and Trixie directly behind and to his sides while Celestia and Luna stuck close on their heels.

Following the Lunar Princess was a mixed group of human Marines and Royal Guards, including the remnants of the soldiers that had rushed to the aid of the Solar Princess before. They had all used the time to clean themselves up to look presentable before the leader of the human forces. Two of the Marines, the woman and man from before, stared around them in wide eyed wonder.

The man whistled, the sound bouncing around the hanger bay, and his voice was tight with amazement, “Damn she’s a beauty, this ship is.”

Reynolds snickered from the head of the column, “Damned right she is. Vigilance is the pride of the Earth Coalition Navy. May as well be her own floating city, with as much power and as many sailors as she’s got.” He turned to wink over his shoulder at the Marine, “We even got a few jarheads around. You know, to clean the toilets with their toothbrushes or whatever you lunks do.”

The Marine’s face was split into a grin, and his voice took on a mockingly friendly tone, “Yeah, this coming from a member of the Chair Force.”

“I’ll remember that next time you guys are crying for air support.” Reynolds fired back.

“And I’ll remember that next time one’uh ya fly boys begs the real soldiers to go secure a building.”

Jaze did his best to tone out the friendly bickering as they walked the long halls of the ship. Instead, he began to watch the ship as they passed through corridors of all sizes. People kept running out of doors as they attended their duties, but everyone of them stopped to stare at the strange procession moving down the hall before them. Each time, he would raise his hand in greeting, and one or both of the Princesses would offer a kind, calming word.

Friendly banter soon turned to talk of the war, and Jaze lent half an ear. Major Reynolds spoke in a soft whisper of the failed search for the Cye homeworld, only to have it suddenly appear out of nowhere in the skies above Earth. From the station poured billions of the androids, using Admiral Gaston’s absence to quickly overwhelm the few remaining defenses. Top leaders suspected this was the fleet that had been making its way to the Gaia system, but it had made a detour just to hit Earth.

Heartache shone from the eyes of the redheaded pilot as he recounted the second hand reports, culminating in Vigilance returning just after the Earth Coalition General HQ turned into a smoldering pile of rubble. As far as anyone knew, the entirety of humanity’s government had been annilated within the first few hours. But almost as soon as the Vigilance and the fleet sent out to attack the Cye in their home returned, the androids warped out of system.

Anger coursed through Jaze’s veins at a slow burn, growing hotter as he listened. He silently added each new detail about the attack on Earth to the list of things he would make the enemy pay for. He may have only been to Earth a handful of times, but it still felt like home. Rolling hills of verdant green and lovely blue waters, vast forests and snow-capped mountain, everything seemed designed by an artist to lend a feeling of peace and beauty.

Thankfully, the trip to the bridge was a short one and he didn’t have to brood long. The corridor they had been following ended abruptly as it rounded a corner in another airlock-style door, which slid back into the wall to allow them entrance. He cast his silvery eyes around the overly large bridge, taking in the various consoles and people scattered about the room. They had entered from a side, lending them a wide view of the spacious room. One graying old sailor wearing a gray Navy uniform with an Admiral’s pin on the collar stood next to a small but comfortable looking chair, calling out orders. Energy charged the air, while people and machines alike filled the space with their noise.

Jaze yelled over the din towards the man, “Look who thinks he’s a big-shot! And it’s all because he’s got a fancy toy.” For a moment the human noise paused. He grinned as the Admiral turned to stare at him with questioning eyes, and added quickly, “Good to see you again old friend, emphasis on the old.”

Gaston’s eyes lit up as he saw who had called out. He walked over and clapped Jaze’s shoulder in a warm gesture, “Good t’ see ya lad. Too bad it ain’ under better circumstances.”

“I second that.” Jaze spared a moment to glance out the large view port at the front of the ship before continuing, “So what’s your plan?”

The old Admiral grinned, “Manners boy, you haven’ introduced me to yer friends.”

Before he could say a word, Celestia stepped up and nodded her head respectfully, “In this case, I would spare the formalities and skip right to the point; I’m afraid this is not a pleasure visit.”

“Yer righ’ in this case.” Gaston walked over to the viewport with his arms behind his back, and stared out over the inky black of space dotted with signs of battle. He took a deep breath, and began speaking quickly in a low voice, “I do have a plan, but it’s gonna put a lot of good people at risk.”

Jaze stepped up next to the older man, though he ignored the breathtaking view as he asked, “So what is it? Can the Vigilance’s guns take that station down?”

“Not a chance in hell.” The Admiral fished something from his pocket, producing a small pipe he always seemed to have on him, which he lit with a match. Fragrant, bluish smoke curled from the end of the pipe as the old sailor puffed on the stem, blowing out a small cloud.

Jaze waved aside the smoke as he leaned closer, “Then what? Send in a team to get to the reactor?”

“Better.” Gaston led him over to another console, this one a single large screen showing various parts of the ship in small windows for each one. A virtual keyboard shone from under the console. The Admiral tapped a few commands into the console, and one of the windows grew to cover the entire screen. It showed a large cargo elevator that was just beginning to reach the top level. Inside was a large trolley with a tech at each corner. Sitting on top of the trolley was a steel gray object shaped like a fattened cigar. From end to end it must have been almost ten feet long, while a large man would have trouble getting his arms around.

The young assassin stared at the object for several moments. He couldn’t figure out what he was seeing, but a glance at the broad, nervous grin on Gaston’s face told him it was important. Giving it another once over, he saw a small detail he had missed in his initial glance: a small control pad halfway along its side. Overall, it was extremely unimpressive. Several more seconds ticked away with no great realization, until he finally turned and said, “Alright, I give. What is it?”

“That my boy is a nuke.” Gaston puffed on his pipe again, blowing the smoke straight up as he spoke, “Thermonuclear warhead, found it in one o’ the abandoned cities after the first collapse o’ humanity. From what records survived of that time and what followed, a tribe found it and kept it; apparently using it as some sort o’ bargainin’ chip. From there, it worked around the landmass it was found on until society began to rebuild. It was buried in’uh bunker and forgotten by all but the highest members of world governments, until the Earth Coalition became a thing. When the Vigilance went live fifteen years ago, it was moved on board as a weapon of last resort. Best we can tell, that thing could level a large city with ease. Several in fact.”

Nervous glances shot their way from every human in the room, and Jaze had to admit to sharing the uneasy feeling in his gut. What had seemed so innocuous just moments ago now felt charged with evil. He followed the weapon’s progress as it left the elevator, unable to fathom how such a thing could still exist. As the weapon left the camera’s view, he finally managed to find his voice, “I thought those were all destroyed, and research into nuclear weapons was banned under penalty of death. How did that survive?”

“Because,” The Admiral took another calming puff of his pipe, “humans like power, and this gave it to ‘em. This thing is the single most destructive piece of technology humanity e’er produced, and it and its kind nearly destroyed us. Now this one’ll get t’ save us. Funny how that works huh?”

“That thing must be thousands of years old.” argued the assassin, “How do we know it still works?”

“’Cause the eggheads say so. Apparently they still get power readings from it; they even managed t’ switch it over from the barbaric symbols they used way back then into something workable today, and gave it a control panel.”

Celestia stepped up next to them staring between them, “If I understand it, then this has the power to destroy the station, true?” She got a quick, but sure, nod from the grayed sailor, and continued, “And it can be used against, correct?” Another nod. “Then we must use it.”

“It’s not so simple, Princess.” Jaze began, “This weapon, we don’t know a lot about it. And knowing this still exists will send the public into a panic, they’ll want to know how many more still hang around from before. And they’ll worry about why the government would hide something that they banned in the first place. It’ll be a PR nightmare.”

Luna stepped up next them with an odd glint in her eye. Her voice switched over to a loud, carrying, authoritarian tone, “Perhaps, and if thou doth not use it, thou shan’t need fear the backlash. For all humanity, all ponykind, and more shall perish. It would be far better to beg forgiveness in this, we think. ”

Celestia nodded in agreement, “My sister speaks wisely; we must do something to stop this fight, or risk losing everything.”

Jaze stood straight and gave the Admiral and Princesses a smart salute, “It’s not my place to decide. I’m just here to follow orders, regardless.”

Lips falling into a frown, Gaston whispered, “Ya got something to say, say it. If ya see a problem I wanna know.”

“No sir, I have nothing more to say. I have said my piece and will follow what you and the Princesses decide here.”

Gaston heaved a sigh before looking between the pair of alicorns, “I say we use it, consequences be damned.”

“Agreed.” Celestia said simply.

For a moment, Luna stared out the large view port at the Cye station. She seemed to get more infuriated the longer she watched it, until she finally hissed vehemently, “I shall say yea as well. If this weapon can vanquish our foe, we would be bigger fools not to use it in this case.”

Gaston nodded, determination in his eyes, “Good. Now we just gotta get the thing inside that station.”

“Could we not just fire it towards the beast?” Luna asked, “If it is as powerful as you say, then detonating it nearby should destroy it.”

“Not that simple.” The Admiral pointed at the Cye’s station, “It might do a ton of damage, and hell it may even let us move in and finish it off. But that’s a helluva risk to take on a maybe. What we gotta do is get deep inside the station and plant the bomb somewhere near the center.”

“That seems like it will be highly risky.” commented the white alicorn, “You see that this path will lead to the deaths of several of your men, do you not?”

The old Admiral glared at his guest, taking short, angry, puffs from his pipe in between his words, “O’course. But between letting a few die or the entire species die, well, that ain’t a choice. But I am going to ask for volunteers first, I don’ like sendin’ folks to their deaths.”

“Then I volunteer.” Jaze called out loud enough to be heard across the room, “And I’ll do it alone. Get the nuke strapped to my fighter, I’ll use that to get close, fast.”

Gaston shook his head and spoke almost angrily, “Don’ be stupid boyo, that’s suicide for sure.”

Trixie stepped in out of nowhere into the center of the group, her eyes lit with determination, “You are right, it would be dangerous to go alone. Which is why I will go with you.”

“Trixie…” started the dark-haired Colonel, only to have the unicorn cut him off.

“If nothing else how are you going to move the bomb? I can use magic to levitate and move it without a problem. You would only have to worry about getting us in and out alive.”

“Ya act like this is a foregone conclusion that yer gonna be going in alone you two, and yer not.” Gaston removed the pipe from his lips and turned it over, grinding the bright-red speck of flame beneath his shoe as he spoke, “There is no way I’ll let you two go gallivanting off alone and git killed. I’ll let you go, but I’m sending in a platoon of Spec Ops to assist you.”

“Admiral, hear me out on this please.” When the old sailor remained silent, Jaze continued, “Carn is on that station. He’s not stupid, but he is over confident. He wants to face me, and he’s willing to gamble for that chance. He is sure he can beat me, so he would let me through. But he wouldn’t take that chance with anyone else; he’d rip apart any team you send in before they were within one click of that place. Then where would we be? Down the bomb and having lost a lot of good soldiers for nothing.”

Gaston heaved a deep sigh, his eyes tired, and he stared at the assassin with a look of pain, “True as that may be, I don’t want to risk ya on something that may not work, because then we’d be down a bomb and I’d lose one of my last friends.”

A grin split Jaze’s lips, and he had to force to keep his voice level, “You know Gaston, there was this wise old man I knew.”

“Don’t you even…” the Admiral started, only to have the younger man talk over him.

“He once told me there are certain things a man can’t do, even for survival. And that there are things a man has to do, even if it kills him.”

Wincing his eyes shut didn’t stop Jaze from seeing the effect the words had on the old man. Gaston glared daggers in his direction, though the anger didn’t seem directed at him. After several moments, the old man finally replied, “God dammit Jaze, you had to throw that back in my face after all these years?”

He couldn’t suppress a small grin, “Because you told me to take any advantage I could.”

The Admiral heaved a heavy, tired sigh before giving a tight smile, “Yer gonna be the death of me, ya know that? A’ight, we’ll try this plan of yours. But you will be taking an escort to make sure you get there, and there will be a Special Operations team waiting in the wings for if things get too hot.” Gaston looked to the door, where Reynolds was standing, and ordered, “Yer one’uh the best pilots we’ve got, and yer flight’s got a nearly perfect mission completion record. Get yer asses ready to escort the good Colonel here over to the bad guys so we can give ‘em a little present.”

While the grayed sailor continued handing out orders to everyone within earshot, Jaze turned his attention back to the Cye’s huge space station. Watching the station sit there made his heart batter his ribs and his chest felt unbelievably tight, which got worse the longer he stared. Activity exploded all throughout the bridge as sailors rushed to prepare for the suicide run.

Trixie stood by his side, her face not quite nuzzling his hand affectionately. Silky strands of mane brushed against his fingers, and it took a surprising amount of effort not to start running his fingers through the soft tresses. Having her nearby was an immense comfort, far more than he would have expected. Neither said a word, only stared out of the large window. Numerous times he tried to say something, to thank her for standing by him, but each time he closed his mouth without a word.

After several agonizing moments of silence, the unicorn stood on her hindlegs and wrapped her forelegs around his chest in a tight hug, pressing herself close to his side. Words became redundant, and instead he wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Heedless of the multitudes of people that could be watching, they stood in their own little world as they waited the coming storm.