Little and Deke sat side by side, both in wheel chairs. Both were bandaged up tight from multiple injuries. Deke’s entire left side of his head was wrapped up tight, including his left eye, with plenty of other bandages crossing his face and neck to support their position. Little had less bandages, but a cast on her left foreleg.

It had been 6 days since they had landed in New Cloudsdale. They got the rest they got, but they and others had to be brought before the Council to sort the entire thing out. Deke knew he was hurting and he could tell Little was in worse shape.

So far it had been reports on the state of the South Cloudsdale District before the storm and then the state after. No deaths were reported and no injuries either. They all had enough time to get to safe areas and ride it out.

The three Cloudships had gotten most of the old and the young out and the entire district was warned. There were some very close calls, but none received even minor injuries. All thanks to the Buttercup and her crew.

“Now,” The Chief Counselor said. “We have to address what happened in the Buttercup. Captain Lightning, Commander Deke, we have no personnel data after the abandonment happened and then you landed on the New Cloudsdale hospital.”

“Yeah,” Deke said raising his hoof. “That one was me. All on my head. I couldn't get her to launch after I did the soft landing and they departed.”

“She was removed from the roof within half an hour, and no harm was done to the building. Although, it caused quite a stir.”

“Yep,” Deke smiled. Now that it was positive, he was much more optimistic. “I’m that good.”

Little groaned, knowing how this would play out.

“We need to know what happened in between,” The Fifth Counselor said calmly.

Deke and Little exchanged looks. Little gave a nod to Deke to take the lead.

“I’ve done work on the guns, nestling a round in the layers to blow a solid hole, instead of having it impact on top. Maximizing the strike. And the cloud layer is tough and resistant.”

The Second Counselor stopped Deke. “Why were shooting the cloud layer.”

Deke opened his mouth to reply and then forgot what he was going to say. His head hadn’t stopped hurting, even with meds. He remember the mission, not why.

“I needed to, but I don’t recall why.”

Deke then remembered why, but kept his mouth shut. The injuries would cover his stupidity.

“Continue,” The Second Counselor ordered.

“Well, we tested the cloud busting capabilities on the tale end of the storm. It did a strong reduction in the storm, so we knew it would work. Somepony needed to bust those storm clouds up. They never should have left the factory in that condition. It was pure laziness. And we proved why. I would have to see the reports to calculate the impact, but we put a significant halt on the storm, busting the clouds, and destroying the storm’s initial structure.”

“We have those records,” The Fifth Counselor said. “The Buttercup did do massive amounts of damage to the storm. We are more concerned with after you made your stand.”

“Oh,” Deke said, trying to recover.

“We would have continued,” Little said cautiously. “And the plan was to hold. To not back down. But we ran out of high explosive rounds. And the rest of our armament, the armor piercing rounds, were useless and would have resulted in us bombing the cloud base and the farms below. We never expected to run out of ammunition. I need to review our stock balancing, but they were more than sufficient.

“So, we turned to maneuver, rather than let it crush us. Deke and I considered running, but the storm was right on us, there was no way to outrun it or out maneuver it from the position. Not with the atmospheric conditions on our engines. Deke should continue.”

Deke could see how much Little was hurting.

“I saw how to survive,” Deke stated. “Run it. We are light, so I was going to give it all the vertical acceleration possible to get above the front. She is the most maneuverable, but that stops at a maximum of 75 degrees. And that is a hard ceiling you can not beat because of the engine angles.

“We had 3,600 feet of the face of the front to get above. We didn’t. I put her as high as possible and then ran her directly into the front. That impact is where the bulk of the injuries probably came from. We were moving almost 90 degrees up, trying to get above the massive front. It is always more than the clouds you can see, because of the atmospheric changes.

“If we reorient the actions, I was driving the Buttercup into the cloud base and scraping along it. Since the storm front was vertical, I was thrusting into it with enough back thrust to keep us from being flipped over. It got close. I can’t say it was pure skill, because there was a point that my skill was surviving off of luck.

“But you can optimize that luck. When you understand the ship, knowing her inside and out, and how every flap individually effects how she performs, the scale tips in your favor. I have put her through more than enough paces to understand it all.

“Little knows too. Captain Lighting. Sorry. She was my navigator and weather master during it all. She was giving me everything I needed to make the calls. We work because we get each other and are can read the other. I had pilot because I understood what was happening when I jumped the Buttercup into action. I retained it because she isn’t stupid. She knew what I was doing and could have taken over, but she isn’t me, seeing everything exactly how I was. So she supported me and made it happen."

The Chief Counselor stopped Deke. “What happened when you struck the front?”

Deke shrugged. “Well, that’s not entirely known by us. We have been cut off from seeing anypony, or talking with anypony. Under heavy medical care. I know we hit it at 90% maximum thrust and that the impact caused a bottom engine to blow.

“I knew it was coming, the announcement was made, but even I wasn’t prepared. I kept the controls steady, but my head isn’t bandaged for looks. I think I broke my navigation terminal with my face. Or it broke me. I fracture my skull against it. Oh yeah, we had moved back to my command station and the Admiral’s station.”

“We know that,” Seventh Counselor smiled. “We knew that from the blood.”

“Right,” Deke said with a chuckle. “Well, my left side took the beating, and I was standing up on the back wall, stretched out to keep the controls forward as we ran up the front. The other bottom engine blew shortly after.

“Neither Little, I mean Captain and I could hear. So we finally got the messages running between systems for communications. I don’t recall the full communications. I know everypony survived. I know they were in bad shape, but patching themselves up.

“Little couldn't, I mean,” Deke groaned. “Fuck it, fuck rank, fuck names. Little couldn't get oriented for a while and then when she got up to move to the com terminals, where the emergency com lines run from, she slipped and slammed into the console. I don’t really know anything else.

“We took a tough and big hit. The Buttercup has to be compressed on the bottom. However, her top deck was perfect from what I could tell exiting her. I don’t know what else.

“I mean, we made our stand and would have continued if we had the ammunition. We systematically destroyed that storm as it approached. Real cloud busting. But you saw how dangerous it was when that task force got hit. We saved the crew and most of the ship. It would have meant the Buttercup and the remaining crew would have died if we stayed when we ran out. Just sitting there.”

“Yes, it would have,” The Fifth Counselor stated. “We know that for certain. We were hoping you had more insight than that.”

“There is not a lot to figure it out,” Deke stated. “Nopegasus knows what happened. We all had very limited viewpoints and no way to connect them. I’m glad the crew was able to get together and support each other medically.”

“Thank goodness you jumped into action,” The Chief Counselor stated. “What you did was phenomenal.”

“I couldn't of done it without Little,” Deke replied. “But it was phenomenal. And still, we would go do it again. And again. Even knowing the outcome of our injuries. We did what we needed to do. That is all.”

Little groaned. “Are you scrapping the Buttercup?”

“She needs extensive repairs,” The Fifth Counselor stated. “But no. We are not. The core of the Buttercup survived. As Deke stated, the top deck and guns are in perfect shape. Connected beneath them is the bulk of the structure. The big damage was to the cloud frame and the engines. Easily repairable. She will be restored and you will continue as Captain.

“The Buttercup is going to be in dry dock any hour now. All of the dry docks have repair projects in them. We had to get one cleared, which meant getting one finished enough to move. But it won’t be long until she is repaired. Her size is a big help to that. Give us a few weeks.”

The Fourth Counselor had a question. “Commander, how was the final crew picked?”

Deke shrugged. “All that was needed on the bridge was me. I could do it all from my corner spot. But I really needed Little to pull it off. I needed that support. From weather reports, nav distances, changes in the storm to better target, I needed everything she gave me. I can’t see more than a few terminals.

“Ruby Snow left because he could make a better impact with his report with the Homesteads. Wingnut I removed. I needed her to leave to guide the future creations of Corvettes. That legacy lives and dies with her. She is the master at the workings of the Corvette class and the improvements we have made, outside of the original specs. Plus you now need her to repair the Buttercup.

“Otherwise, I don’t know. I gave my approval, and so did Little and Ruby. But it was not decided by us. And we didn’t want to know. Only who was staying mattered, not why. It was not something we could do, order who would stay and die, and who would leave. Not when we had time to prepare and knew what we would be facing.”

“Why wasn’t it something you could do?” The Fifth Counselor asked.

Deke gave a few chuckles and then grinned. “Because, if they are going to die, they are going to die with us, fighting. But while we went to war against that storm and fought until we were out of ammunition, we also knew the end. And we planned the entire battle. If anypony is dying on the Buttercup, its in real battle, that we can’t control.

“How does that all work you ask? Uh, well, we needed pegasi to leave and spread the word. That was a big risk, trying to get to safety, wherever that would be, before the storm struck. So if we were going to be sending ponies out, it meant we should abandon it then, save the lives we knew we could. Unlike in a battle in war, where you need every soldier doing their job. To stay still and broadside the storm, we only needed a hoofful. So only those that needed to, stayed.”

Deke leaned back into the wheelchair. It wasn’t more comfortable, but he had to. Leaning forward was straining him too much. His left side was still bang up badly. Broken ribs and a slightly fractured wing.

“Commander, I have a question,” The Second Counselor said. “The Chief Meteorologist and you had a discussion, correct?”

Deke grimaced as he tried to raise his left eyebrow. It was still bandaged tightly for a reason.

“Ow, ow, ow! I forgot I’m stitched up and can’t raise my eyebrow. Yeah, but it wasn’t a discussion or talk. The Third and Second’s Seventh Task Force were working on a joint exercise plan, but we got interrupted by that idiot.

“He wanted to have us escort the storm. I looked at their projections and knew they were downplaying it’s strength. I told him he was wrong, we did a bit of back and forth and left cause I needed multiple terminals, and did my own calculations. I was back in a half hour or so with my own.”

The Second Counselor stopped Deke to ask a follow up question. “What makes you an expert on weather?”

Deke grinned. He was able to do that. “I learned it all in Primary School. I was a year or so late in my interest for going to specialized school, but its just a hobby. Besides, I never would have left my sister to go to another school.”

“What school did you go to?” The Second Counselor asked.

Deke sighed, “Humph.” He didn’t want to answer that.

“I don’t care if you went to the worst school in the Enclave, your skill speaks for itself. What school did you go to?”

“Gale Academy,” Deke grumbled. “I went to Gale Academy here in NC. And I graduated a year early and top of my class.”

“Gale Academy is a good school,” Sixth Counselor stated. “I don’t know why you have a problem with it.”

“I don’t,” Deke growled. “But I don’t like going into that part of my life with the others around. Little and I have had a nasty argument about my resistance to share right after the discussion with the Chief Meteorologist.

“The navy has a big stigma about non military blood lines captaining a ship, let alone being admiral. Earned or not, it doesn’t matter to most. The Third may be different, but its still navy. And others still look in on it.”

“Deke,” The Fifth Counselor smiled. “You are Derecho, correct? Director of Operations-”

“Yep,” Deke interrupted her, adding in a slow nod.

“I gave you that offer. What I saw was a Pegasus with extreme skill at balancing multiple factors and still on top of leading, while still being able to stay hooves on at any position and connected with the laborers. Still, one of them. I watched you. I gave you that offer. Obviously getting you on a Raptor never happened.”

Deke snorted. “I was too good for them. They couldn’t handle my skill. Fuckers. They wouldn’t let me learn. That and I had, well have, a rival Lieutenant. I might have the backing I have, but its kind of blacked out for a reason. Its… a complicated matter. Its still not military blood. Which is fucking stupid.

“Yeah, I earned my right. Yeah, I wasn’t ready to take command of a ship immediately. I had a lot to learn, and still do, but I wasn’t allowed to learn. I had to call Retired Major General White Blade as soon as I got to my first post, for the practicums, on the Lenticular. The fucking Admiral looked at my file and cast doubt on it and passed judgment before I came aboard. All those backings got me on the Lenticular, exactly where I should have been, but then it was over.

“So I called the Major General, and despite being retired, he got my record blacked out so that no other Captain or Admiral could look at the details. We made a move to protect my reputation before it was torn to shred by a simple background. Only one compromise had happened by the admiral, and he didn’t have anything to back it up since it was blacked out. It was better to see that I had multiple powerful backings, without seeing the details on some. Some names, like his, were left viewable.”

Deke sighed, giving up. Little was going to hear. And so with Ruby Snow. Everything they had fought for to protect him, that was over. How they would view him after, well they now knew he had backings more real than blood ever could be. Those days were gone.

“We had no choice, because all they saw was a trash Pegasus. And that meant all the backings were trash that I had somehow pulled out of my ass. It got me in, it got me onto a Cloudship, and it got me right to where we needed me to be so that I could learn and become more. But I got sideline hard. Because I was a threat to their blood.”

Deke’sbandaged head turned its smile into an arrogant smirk, which still held an air of power, not arrogance. The bandages only backed up his smirk’s truth. “And yeah, I am a fucking threat. Because I show them that they don’t need all the fancy ass shit they go through to be better than them. I show them that what they take pride in is really nothing. Its worth shit. That before they even got in a solid position to make it to be First Mate, I had already overhauled an entire Recycling Plant, doing more than they ever hoped to do in their life.

“Major General White Blade and I didn’t realize the offer came from the Fifth Counselor, head of the whole fucking Navy. Besides, I wasn’t going to ride that. Use it to get myself on a ship and then prove I could do it, fuck yeah. But not toss it around like they do with a blood line to get promoted, rather than prove I deserved it. The Third at least let me learn it all. And I fucking love it. Doing it all on my own. Now I get to teach a group of skilled officers how to do that. Work together, learn together, be one, but also be able to handle it if shit hits the fan and they have to face an enemy alone. Like we just did. And they got to see that power, that balance Little and I have.”

Deke smiled, focusing directly on the Fifth Counselor. “I am extremely grateful and in your debt for the offer. I know I thanked every backer, but I am not sure if my thanks reached you. Either way, thank you. CEO over the plant would have been fun. But I can still retire and play around there.

“I might have proven I have the skills, but I still was blessed by, well by the Stars. Shadow has me believing in them. I was blessed to be given the chance rather than be written off as just another worker. I was given an opportunity and beyond that. I was given the time by others to watch me and then give their support of me for a military appointment. I had forgotten about that idea, focusing on the job I was tasked with. I should not have been given a second thought, yet I was. And it is appreciated to the highest degree.

“And I’m not going to waste it, no matter what. I never do anything half assed. I will become the best Cloudship Captain the Enclave has ever seen. I will rule the sky no matter what ship I am on. I have some stuff to learn, but I will be a master. It will bend to my will. There is nothing stopping me but my own limitations, that I put on myself."

“Okay,” The Second Counselor said, trying to regain control. “You went to school, you like weather, and you made your own calculations.”

“Love weather,” Deke corrected. “And yes. Every Cloudship Captain should have a prime grip on weather, because it effects everything with the ship. My calculations were under powered. He was undershooting the power completely. It was pathetic. We argued, both the Third and the Second backed me. If I make a stand, I am never wrong. He stormed out and got the First to do the stuff instead. Little and I had a fight about an admiral gunning for my head and my backing, cause she couldn't protect me.

“And that’s really it. The whole point. You have a civilian running military operations. A civilian who isn’t qualified. The storm was bad. I don’t know weather building. I don’t care about that. But as Chief Meteorologist and a high level Admiral, he should have at least gotten the storm clear of NC and then blasted it apart with Raptors. Like we did and from an elevated position for safety. Not alongside it, which is why the Ninth took that hit. Destroy it, don’t endanger civilians and military personnel. And he was warned about the dangers and inability for Cloudships to escort it. He had a Fleet Admiral and Vice Admiral turn his request down.

“That isn’t appropriate or acceptable. I may not have a fancy degree, but I am military trained. His rank means shit because he isn’t military trained.”

The Chief Counselor grinned. “What do you think we should do with him? He has been put on leave while we investigate things. He left a very strong report about you. Against you.”

Deke let out a few nasty chuckles. “Look, he made it to where he is at for a reason. But for starters, he has no idea what to do with Cloudships. I have an idea, but its purely what I would do.”

Little held back a smile. Deke was about to lay down as close to an order to the Council as one could possibly get. And he would get away with it. Because Deke didn’t speak without a plan. And he didn’t do it without being right. And on top of that, he had just pulled off amazing feats, saving citizens and somehow had the backing of the Fifth Counselor.

“And that would be?”

“Well, canning him isn’t a good idea, neither is punishment or rank reduction. Instruction is the better choice. Toss him into Basic Training and then into Officer School. Any untrained appointments need to do that. And not as punishment and certainly not in their own special group. They won’t learn properly. No, they need to go to Basic Training, with their current rank, and with new recruits. Because they are new to the military, being recruited from their current nonmilitary positions.

“They need to train, live, and breath being a recruit. And then they need to train, live, and breath being an officer candidate. They need to be with regular soldiers to understand them and be them. And learn to respect them, and what it means to dictate that you have to send them into danger, or worse, to their known deaths.

“They keep their rank because its not a punishment. And they will be going right back to it unless they fail. And no, nopony will have a problem with them being there with that rank. All that needs to be said, because its not punishment, is that they require Basic Training for their appointment. That they were in their job field, like Meteorology, and moved to the military. So to Basic Training they go!

“I know you have to have quite a few appointments that need to go to training. I also know you have a lot that don’t, who started in the military. Over the next year or two, the ones who need to will be sent. Starting with those at the top so they can lead the ones below them better once they are finished with training and really understand the military.

“Every Pegasus who controls soldiers needs to know what it is to be a soldier. What that sacrifice means. What it means to have lives in their hoof. That is a nonnegotiable quality for an officer in command. And yet, no officer is above that call themselves. Because that fucker should have deployed himself with the Ninth Task Force, but didn’t. I know, the Ninth was in Mareland, and he was in Nellie, but he never even intended to join us on the escort. That was unthinkable and beneath him. An officer of any rank is never beneath fielding themselves in a forward role if it is required. Even if that means they have to take up a weapon and fight on the front line! Especially if the danger was as little as he said it was.”

Deke finished by staring down the Chief Counselor. A direct challenge that not only said he was right, but that he knew what he was doing and they did not. It also held an edge of a challenge saying that the Council itself wasn't above leading pegasi into battle. They had opened it up by asking him.

“I think that is all,” The Chief Counselor stated. “Thank you. For your loyalty, for your actions, and you recommendations. Both you Commander and you Captain. Go, get some rest. You both need it and deserve it.”

“Fuck no,” Little groaned. “I just watched Deke pull that maneuver with the Buttercup out of his ass. Fuck yeah I am just as good of a pilot, but I never would have been able to pull it off. Because it takes more than skill to do that. I’m in front of the Council and I am not going to waste it. Deke certainly didn’t just now.”

Deke grinned. He was unsure where Little was going, but seeing her say ‘fuck’ to the Council meant it would be good. She was going to show her Lighting. In a controled, good way.

“The Third Fleet has six fucking ships over four classes,” Little stated. She pulled herself up, using the table and her good foreleg to brace herself. “Three Net Layers, a Monitor, a Battle Cruiser, and a Corvette. Three out of four were expertly designed Cloudships, canned because on paper they were not as good as a Raptor or a Sky-Tank.

“The only reason we survived was because we were on the Buttercup, a Corvette. Deke never could have pulled it off in a Raptor. And we have almost the same broadside power as a Raptor. And the program was cut only because the materials used ratios didn’t look right compared to the small size of the Corvette. Her top deck never got damaged or any of her 10 inch guns because they sat on top. That is a testament to her design. The power of the Corvette is in her maneuverability and speed, while still packing a heavy armament.”

Little drew herself in as much as possible, looking as confident as she could being as bandaged and bruised up as she was.

“You need to expand the Third Fleet. You need to commission for us a fleet of Corvettes to do the patrolling they are designed to do. Optimize the resources used into the next generation of Cloudships. We have our Raptors, but no dragons to fight. And we have more than enough Raptors if the dragons came back in force.”

It almost looked like the Fifth Counselor was about to speak.

“And I am not done! Because we still have the Monitor Class. If we had been on the Lord Clove, at the front, that Lord Clove would have given that storm more than twice the beating we gave it. Easily. The firepower and distance the Lord Clove affords the fleet is shocking. Her forward armament is greater than a Sky-Tank’s broadside. Monitors need to be built so we can place them in patrols around cities. They are designed to be rolling defenses that monitor the area to protect it. Scrap the next five Raptors and give us five Monitors so we can patrol the major metropolitan areas with a firepower than can engage enemies at longer ranges than any other ship and allow assault ships like Raptors to maneuver in.”

The Fifth Counselor put her hoof up, but Little wasn’t done.

“I am not done yet! There is no doubt the Net Layers need to be bolstered as well. They are saving the North. We need to double their numbers. No other ships can do what they do. I know their need wasn’t fully seen back then, but it is seen now and we must stay diligent and be ready to deal with more issues with our cloud base. Its nearing 200 years with little management. So we need to make sure we can do anything, at anytime, in force.”

Little was beginning to shake as she kept herself locked upright.

“The Third Fleet needs reinforcement and expansion! It is a very critical Fleet that can do more than what it has been doing. The past year alone shows the Third’s usefulness and strength. We need a dozen more Corvettes and then we can do the real work. And like I said, another five Monitors and we would be putting up a defense that the Raptors can not match.

“Our unique Cloudships can not be split to other fleets! The Third Fleet is not a direction action fleet. It is a defense fleet. A home fleet. And it is lacking the ships to function correctly.

“Officers need to be trained for defense. Raptor officers think like ships of the line. That is good. While we all can stand as ships of the line, the Corvettes are designed to be the only ship there, or making the flanking maneuvers. It takes a different mindset, an different ideology. Like the difference between Light Troopers and Heavy Troopers. And the Monitors also can not be commanded with the same philosophy. While they stand as the greatest ships of the line, as they are the line, piloting a slow but powerful craft is different!”

Little collapsed into the wheelchair, shaking. She had put everything she had into her stand.

“Thank you Captain,” Fifth Counselor replied. “We will take it into consideration. We will be discussing the Third Fleet in more detail and your input is invaluable.”

Little gave a silent nod. Her face showed her pain, but her eyes proved she had heard the Counselor clearly.

The Seventh Counselor had their nurses step over and wheel the two of them out of the Council Chambers. They needed to go back and rest. Their report was given. They had more to discuss about the state of the South Cloudsdale District.

The nurses hurried to get them back to the hospital. And it wasn’t just for patient care, but because they had been given strict instructions to not speak a word of what happened inside the chambers. It was a lot of pressure on their shoulders, having to sit there and wait while the Council made decisions. Most pegasi were not ready for the pressures the silence would bring. And nothing big was being discussed.

Deke and Little were in different wings, but the whole floor was the Intensive Care Unit. Individual rooms and plenty of nurses on staff. The other crew members were in various other rooms on the floor with them. But nopony was side by side.

As soon as Deke was in his bed they gave him a dose of pain meds and he slipped into well deserved slumber. Deke woke up a little while later. The steps coming into his room were military, not nurses.

Deke groaned a yawn and saw with his unbandaged right eye Vice Admiral Purple Breeze. He smiled at her. “My first visitor. They won’t let anypony see me, they won’t let me see anypony. And they won’t give me any news. Bastards.”

“Well we need you to rest up. And focus on just healing.”

“How do you focus on healing! I just have to lay here and heal! Its boring!”

Purple Breeze giggled a smile. “Same old Deke. And we are still sorting everything out, and can’t have you running your mouth about mistakes and how it should have been handled.”

Deke sighed. “The citizens deserve to know the full truth. I get why they can’t, and it needs to be strategically handled, but they need to be given that. It builds trust. The less barriers to see how things are, the better. Then you don’t build up things like the Pillars of the Community. Or they listen and back down because of the transparency.”

“Well, your head is still about you. Better than Little is faring. And you fractured the left side of your skull in the impact.”

Deke sighed, feeling for Little. “Yeah. I am surprised she was as together as she was at the meeting. She is going to have to take it slow.”

“And rely on your to build her up,” Purple Breeze stated, sitting down in the visitor’s chair. “She will need you, as her First Mate, to build her back up.”

“Can I though?” Deke asked. “I am not walking out of this the same.”

“I don’t expect you too,” Purple Breeze replied with a smile. “I was in the adviser's seating off to the side. I watched and heard it all. Its still there. You told the Council how to handle their Chief Meteorologist. The same Deke is still there. Just a little wiser from experience.

“Although, I never expected Little to make her demand.”

Deke chuckled. “I know. It was good to see her fire back. We all know her argument about the Third, but I never expected her to directly challenge the Council with it. I’ve never seen her challenge anypony with it.”

Purple Breeze nodded. “Ruby and I got that held off until the morning. We were going to invite them to the upcoming training, but Little’s Demands, as they are being called, are going to directly be discussed in the morning. Ruby and I are not going to back down. As she said, the last year alone has proven their worth.”

Deke sighed. “Admiral. I… I am concerned with my future performance. You want me to build Little up as a Captain, to bring her confidence back. I can do that… but…”

Deke took a deep breath in and let it out. It wasn’t going to go away. “I haven’t regained much hearing in my left ear. I’ve only had magical bandages applied and I have had multiple doses of healing potions. Steroids too. Its not looking good for that ear.”

“Deke,” Purple Breeze smiled as she put a hoof on his. “You will be fine. It is still early in your recovery. Very early. Even if you have hearing lose in one ear, I know you will be able to compensate and it won’t stop you. Its not going to be significant enough to stop you. And if it does, I won’t let it. I can always take you on in an adviser position, that doesn’t require you to hear perfectly. But you are not going to be disabled enough to justify retiring you in any fashion. There is plenty of time for healing still.”

Deke smiled, reassured a bit. It was what he needed to hear, but he still faced hearing loss with dread. An unknown storm was ahead, and he had to navigate through it, with no idea how.

Deke turned things to the other problem. “I know its been kept from me. They won’t even let me get basic information reports. Not even a fucking newspaper. How many died?”

Vice Admiral Purple Breeze took a deep breath in. “Little needs more rest. I know you cracked your skull, but she isn’t responding as well, or with the same clarity as you.”

Deke nodded.

“Chief Warrant Officer 2 Radiant Sun, died in route to the hospital. He bled out. He was in Engine 3 when it blew. They couldn't get him stitched up with the massive burns he suffered. Also in Engine 3 was Sergeant Firecracker. She died of complications from sever burns two days ago. It appears that Radiant Sun saw the explosion coming and shielded her as best as possible. At least that is what First Sergeant Sugarcoat reports.

“Master Sergeant Twilight Sky died from head trauma caused during impact. That happened soon after arriving at the hospital. And Sergeant Ebony Grace died of massive internal bleeding four days ago. There isn’t much to report about them. We don’t know what happened. They were alone at the impact.

“Everypegasus else is hurting, but should return to their posts. Even the burn victims. They are as resilient as the Buttercup. They made a strong stance and held firm, as they planned to. There is no doubt on that.”

“I have a request,” Deke immediately stated. “The new ships we will get, that they be named for those who lost their lives holding the line. We may have gotten the chance to maneuver since we were out of ammunition-”

“You held the line,” Purple Breeze said, cutting Deke off. “That’s official. We know that. The Buttercup and the crew held that line and its recorded as such. As to the names, I think that is more than appropriate. I will address it in the morning session. We never have crew members die, at least in actual honorable actions, so commemorating their ultimate sacrifice with a ship never happens. And they gave it all to protect the citizens. And proudly.”

“Good,” Deke said, letting a slight smile crest his lips. “And they should fly a death ribbon flag. The purple heart with a black stripe. That way everypegasus knows their heritage.”

Vice Admiral Purple Breeze nodded with a smile. “You have some fun ideas. And I hope to see the honor and sacrifice portrayed to not just the Third, but the Second and First fleets as well. Deke, do you remember right before taking on the new crew, when I passed off command to Ruby and he was promoted?”

“Yes,” Deke replied, unsure where she was going with it.

“The Buttercup was awarded the Council’s Unit Citation, and so was every active crew member.”

“Yes, the ribbon we got.”

“Well, expect more. Its been pitched combat class awards for the crew that stayed.”

“Okay?” Deke said confused. “I know we held the line, but it wasn’t combat.”

“It probably won’t be,” Purple Breeze replied. “That was pitched by a non military counselor. But awards and decorations will be coming. Don’t be surprised when they come. I know you were just doing your job.”

“Just give them,” Deke grumbled. “I’ll take them with a scowl on my face and use them to model how Enclave Soldiers, officer or not, should act to protect civilians. No matter what the circumstance is, or what danger they are facing. And I’ll wear a smile on my face when displaying them for all to learn from.”

“I can guarantee you will be getting the purple heart,” Vice Admiral Purple Breeze stated. “But I am still fascinated by your lack of care about shiny medals and awards. With your swagger-”

“They are nothing more than perks of doing what I am supposed to do,” Deke huffed. “They don’t mean I have any skills. They just sit there and look pretty. And too many captains have a chest full of them with no real meaning. Just pats on the back for years of service.”

“Well, they won’t have these,” Vice Admiral Purple Breeze stated. “But yes, too many just parade them around. I am guilty of that. And you will get your own pat on the back ribbons.”

“And I may not wear them,” Deke stated. “Only the ones with value. I guess Council’s Unit Citation is worth it. Its not good conduct.”

“The Buttercup is getting the second one,” Purple Breeze told Deke. “And only the 14 of you who stayed are getting that award. The other served their role, and not without honor, but only you 14 were on board to earn the Buttercup that award.”

Deke snorted in response. “Rank’s important. Rank tells others you have skill. Medals and ribbons don’t.”

Vice Admiral Purple Breeze shook her head with a smile. “You will be getting a few visitors tomorrow morning, if you are up to it.”

“Please,” Deke said, almost begging. “Almost anypony would be good to see. And please, let me see the others. They are still here, right?”

“All of them are here,” Purple Breeze replied. “The Seventh Counselor decided it was unwise to move them to the hospital in Mareland. They have a long way to go, and they need the care level here. The base hospitals are not always as, soft. I will try and get that restriction lifted.”

“Can I get paper and some pens?” Deke asked. “I should write letters to the families. Little is out of it, and either way, I was in charge. She made the call to the engines to give the support we needed to make the climb, but it is where I needed them.”

“I will,” Purple Breeze smiled. “I will get that for you immediately and try and get the restrictions removed. But please, rest up. Don’t stress yourself. And certainly, don’t blame yourself.”

Deke snorted. “I don’t. I’m thrilled it was only four. The right call was made. Ruby told me once, that you can do nothing wrong, make no mistake, and still lose. Its a fact of life, not a weakness. I did everything fucking right. That is the truth.”

“We faced impossible odds. I’m not sure if we lost or won. In many ways we won, in many ways we lost. But I guess in the end, the truth of it all, what actually matters, is that no civilians were hurt. It was close, but they survived. That was the real victory.”

“That it was,” Vice Admiral Purple Breeze grinned. “That is the what matters in the end. You did the job you set out to do, save them. And they know what you did for them. They know how close it was and they are grateful to all 14 of you for holding the line.”

Vice Admiral Purple Breeze departed and Deke called for more pain meds so he could sleep.

---

It is suggested that you read Derecho's story if you have not already read it. It was written before this chapter was written. It is the Anthology's second story. It explains Deke vs Derecho and what each name means. Its not required to continue reading this story, but it is recommended.

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