Thus far, Outpost Zeta had exceeded any expectations I might have been setting for it before we had arrived and started cracking open its long-abandoned secrets. Military bunkers and installations came in all shapes and sizes depending on their function, location and, probably most important, the kind of budget allotted to the project. The Pre-War stockpiles I had rummaged through back East were all mostly small civil defense bunkers that had their miniaturized Crystalline Reactors run outta juice or otherwise reverted to emergency power. Though the Order had peeled back every inch of territory under their control for any scrap of the old world they could reclaim and repurpose, the War with the Zeebs had gone on for close to twenty-years with untold trillions spent on the effort across those years. There was just always something new to find out there in the Wasteland, some unknown little chunk of the Equestrian military budget made of steel and concrete lying in wait for someone to stumble across it. Equestria was studded with thousands of such facilities like ticks infesting a RadStag; existing as a veritable police state under the guise of an addled monarchy, which itself was puppeteered by the High Command of the Equestrian Armed Forces. I had learned rather late that Princess Luna was still a ‘green’ monarch due to some thousand-year banishment she had only recently returned from once the preludes to War began to play out on the world stage. Given anyone would be understandably out-of-touch with everything after so much time had passed, she had originally been put into a modest, background position working alongside her older sister Celestia. And then, in what probably felt like the blink of an eye to an immortal species like her, the Zebra-Equestrian War had erupted around her, and her older sister abandoned the throne like a coward. For her to even try and step up to assume that mantle…I had to give her some credit, even if it turned out to be a fucking crapshoot. After all…her sister had appointed those Generals and the Ministries had assigned their own representatives to the High Council, not her. Her only mistake was in having any faith in anything set out by Celestia at that point…but all the same, I didn’t blame her.

Back to the topic of Equestria’s military tick infestation, my luck with supplies was fairly consistent while I hauled ass across the East on my way to the Gap and into (slightly) friendlier territory. The small bunkers I targeted were either located in RadZones and designated as too risky for such a small reward, or were simply well hidden and their lack of power made them invisible to the Order’s usual methods of locating them. My Power Armor and enhanced resilience to arcane radiation made dipping into all but the worst RadZones a breeze, while I made use of digital Pre-War maps I had kept hidden in a Sigil Stone from the SR until after my escape. With the decade-plus of time my kind had spent working on Equestrian soil, we had found plenty of opportunities to make maps of our own that didn’t include all the censorships that came with the ones given to us by the EAF. As a result, I was better informed than anyone else as to where military installations could be found; at least as far as the East was concerned. There was never any grand score to be found in the small pickings I went for as part of my attempts to keep a lower profile while on the move. The best find had been the near-pristine .30 Carbine and over a dozen magazines that I had punched my way into an armored case for. I had chosen a rather bad time to make my escape given the state of my supplies had been paltry at best. Left with only a few dozen rounds for my revolver, my specialists’ machete and a broken FIM-6 launcher with no spare missiles, to find any weapon with abundant ammo so soon after my unscheduled leave of absence was a blessing. My armor made many encounters literally bounce off me like water on oil, but getting close enough to use my machete to save my .454 Castle rounds for bigger threats…that came with it’s own dangers. Having something to allow me to keep some distance between me and most enemies was a boon that carried my ass past the Gap.

The intelligence services of the Greifenländer had been far from idle back in the day when it came to scouting out our allies just as we would our foes. Though we had allied with them and their forced alliance, there had always been talk in private that the ponies would attempt to annex us one day as well. Given they had done so to several of their neighboring countries (save the Mareseillians who had given them hell sometime in the late 2050s), it was only right of us to assume that were the War won, or got much worse, conflict would inevitably spark between our nations. The partnership had been something that was…not exactly ‘mutually beneficial’, but rather a convenient avenue for my kind to wage war in a way we hadn’t been able to in centuries. Given the unification of the old Gryphon Kingdoms into one cohesive Greifenländer happened long before my hatching, I and many other Gryphons had been denied those bloody years of infighting. Instead, those like myself who worshiped our God of War Krie sought our glorious combat in others’ wars. Indeed, once War had broken out between the Zebras and Equestrians, we all viewed it as a welcome change of pace from our years of peaceful innovation. Though we had dulled our battle talons for one another through intelligent and peaceful means, they had quickly regained their edge against the grindstone of a proper world war. That all said however…we were on guard against everyone, including our own allies. If they somehow had won the War on the Zeebs, Equestria had become so entrenched with its own military that it was going to need a new enemy to face in order to keep the status quo going. Once the Zeebs fell, we could only have been the next ones caught in the sights of the next territorial expansion.

“Yo! Terra Firma tah Captain FuzzyNuts! Where’s yer big ol’ birdbrain wanderin’ off to now, eh?”

With a start I dropped out of thought and back to the catwalk we were standing on overlooking the mostly empty branching halls of Sublevel-3. After my conversation with Athena, and especially after the one with Firefly that had come immediately after, I had escaped into the privacy of my own head for awhile. It wasn’t something I tended to do given memory lane went right through a goddamn minefield of pent-up emotional issues, but in times as awkward as those…it was the better of two hells to endure.

“Back up that tight ass of yours.” I retorted with a smirk in the Changeling’s direction. “How’s that for an answer?”

“Mmm…damned fine one, but we ain’t got th’ time tah get all hot n’ toasty wit’ th’ dick-on-dick action big feller. Otherwise Ah might take ya up on tha’.”

“Heh, yeah of course you’d like to get stuffed by me again you gay ass slut.”

“Heh, n’ Ah bet yew’d like tah stuff Athena too. Wouldn’ ya?”

I didn’t even grace him with any sort of response this time, instead opting to leave his smug ass where he stood alone on the catwalks as I returned back to the Chief Engineer’s office. Once the hatch had sealed shut behind me, I decided to take my petty anger out on him further by stepping onto the cargo lift in the center of the room and pressing the button to descend. I was not so petty as to then use the terminal to lockdown the lift and leave him stranded up there, but it would inconvenience him just enough for the move to feel justified revenge. It wasn’t even that I was mad at him for his continued pokes and prods related to Athena… I just hated that part of me knew he was speaking nothing but facts about me despite how much terror it put into my Soul. The rational part of me was on edge and weirdly intrigued, while every other part of me was just wondering why the fuck I kept dwelling on just one goddamn mare. Once the lift came to a complete stop and the hatch in the floor above sealed shut, I stepped off and could finally hear Firefly over the noise of the klaxon.

“Oh fuck yew too!” He called down from the catwalks above. “Just ‘cause yer ah poor sport don’ mean yew gots tah abandon me up here dingus!”

“Please…the lift’s still active, I just wanted to be a dick back to you in a way that didn’t need words.” I called back in reply, reaching around the plinth to slap the button to send it back up for him. “Catch ya in the elevator, Glowstick!”

Whatever he might have cursed back in my direction was once again drowned out by the noise of the lift rising back up, accompanied by its warning alarms and flashing lights. Having said what I wanted to for the moment, I welcomed this second brief break from Firefly and his snide, playful jabs at my expense. It wasn’t my fault Athena was the first mare I’d ever met who’d properly kicked my ass in years upon years upon years… Wasn’t like I wanted her to be such a shiny shade of silvery grey with amethysts for eyes… And like that I was hating myself all over again as even the sanctity of my own thoughts had been tainted by Firefly calling attention to my flustered, and very confused, arousal over a chick who had tried to put a hole through me with a tungsten penetrator. Though thinking over all the particulars of the varying levels of intrigue surrounding the Pre-War state of affairs, it was an infinitely better use of my thoughts than thinking about the enchanting sound of her voice…

Once again my thoughts had taken my talons and paws far across the path and to the narrow passageway leading back to the personnel elevator. The hatch hissed open softly at my approach and the industrial lighting brightened as I entered; the elevator similarly sliding open to welcome me into a private little area where I could stand and think in peace away from him. Of course…it didn’t take long for her to return to my thoughts and I found myself bewildered as to why. I knew what lust felt like, there’d been plenty of tasty looking hybrids to take to bed in Stable 39 who knew how to have a good time, but…this was something different. While I couldn’t deny my dick was starting to warm to the mental image of Athena, I was feeling a helluva lot more than a simple lust for the mare. I’d never considered the idea of…love. Or…was it something else? There were too many things I had to think about and all the while, my chest and head burned and ached under the strain. My own mind was turning into a scary place to dwell in as confused, conflicting emotions and thoughts swirled around like an angry blender. It also didn’t help that in the back of my mind I knew the primal Gryphon in me was grinning in pleasure at having found a female that had bested me physically which was…a very old tradition. One my own parents and many others had engaged in themselves during their own traditional courtships… Before I knew it, the elevator door dinged suddenly and opened wide to reveal a still smug, if now slightly annoyed, Firefly.

“Thanks fer ditchin’ meh up there, asshole.” He grunted with a huff as he jerked his head to the side as my sign to make room for him. “But…Ah guess thanks fer not leavin’ meh entirely by mah lonesome down here. Not fer nuthin’ but…Ah ain’t one fer bunkers n’ underground places like this. Leas’...not since Ah became ah Ghoul, ya know…”

I nodded and gently patted him on the back as reassuringly as I could without coming off as condescending or too soft; pressing the button to Sublevel-4 once my hand was free. I remembered what he had told me about the circumstances surrounding his Ghoulification and the irradiated Stable responsible for it. He wore his affliction well compared to other species which lost their fur and feathers; the only indication coming from the wrinkled look to his black carapace and the occasional crack exposing his glowing green muscles underneath. That being said, just because he physically didn’t look too worse for wear didn’t mean he didn’t come away from the experience with a healthy dose of claustrophobia.

“Hey, I’m just honestly glad to have someone I can explore this place with.” I replied as genuinely as I could. “I’m glad I have someone who can enjoy this alongside me who isn’t just some…SR Tin Head like I’ve had the last fifty years. Someone who’s their own person and isn’t just a machine operated by a Codex of rules and regulations but, at the same time, follows a good personal code. You’re that kinda guy. And I appreciate the hell outta that.”

“Um…well…Ah’m flattered, Garand.” He blushed softly as he looked up at me. “If tha’s yew sayin’ yer glad we met…yeah, Ah agree wit’ tha’ sentiment. Ah’m glad we bumped intah each other n’ decided tah hit th’ road together. It’s been good tah finally have some competent help out here in th’ Wasteland fer once. First Recon taught meh tah work in teams o’ two, but Ah ain’t never found ah good second fer mah way o’ doin’ shit. Worked wit’ plenty o’ spotters while Ah worked behind ah rifle fer th’ NER, none o’ them suckers knew how tah roll wit’ how Ah like tah work in th’ field.”

“Till now?”

“Nope! And Ah think yer as good ah fit as Ah’ve found yet, so take it fer what it’s worth. Ah can do mah own spottin’ fer th’ most part thanks to mah DeadEye gear, but yew bring along some heavy firepower n’ even heavier armor. Tha’s somethin’ tha’ seems tah be workin’ alright so far.”

“Hey! Happy to bring the heat where ya need it partner. Let’s not forget, we haven’t exactly had a ton of combat time together so far as partners. That being said, yeah. I think our two ways of doing shit has been working out together pretty well so far.”

Before he could respond again, the elevator dinged once again and announced our arrival to the next floor on our mostly speedy tour of Outpost Zeta. Indeed, as soon as the doors slid back open we both dropped the heartfelt moment where it lay in favor of the possibilities on Sublevel-4. The previous floors must have made for high expectations as I found myself feeling underwhelmed when the doors slid open and revealed another waiting room of sorts. This one lacked any of the charm found on Sublevel-2 and featured no greenery or really, any sort of personality outside of the red and blue velvet used to upholster the bench lining the sides of the rectangular room. Like the other floors, the lighting was on the sparse end of things while only a few of the dozen or so security cameras displayed a glowing red light in their armored housings. Several industrial metal tables with adjustable height settings were bolted to the floor a few paces from the benches on either side of the room; a collection of tools for cleaning guns attached via small chains and large, refillable dispensers for disposable wipes sat in the center of each. Ending in another sealed Maglock at the far end, the rather barren room looked like it could seat around forty-to-fifty or so personnel while ‘entertainment’ was provided by a series of metal posters fastened to the walls by broad bolts.

“Got a funny feeling, but I think we might have found the armory floor.” I chuckled aloud to Firefly after reading some of the posted reading material. “Unless this shit is giving you some other kind of ideas.”

“Aw common, Garand…” He groaned as if I'd chastised him like a child. “Ah ain't blind, we's definitely found th’ guns if these here posters are anythin’ tah go off of.”

“Glad we’re on the same page, heh. Common then, let’s see what this place looks like. So far, it’s pretty lackluster compared to the other floors so I’m hoping whatever’s behind this door holds up.”

“Dunno, them tables are kinda neat in mah opinion…NER could use somethin’ like ‘em fer damned sure in th’ barracks n’ such.”

“Hmph…what isn’t something the NER could use…?” I huffed quietly to myself while snaking the cord out from the back of my PipBuck for the umpteenth time.

Putting my thoughts on the Republic’s many material needs aside, I navigated the now all-too-familiar menu systems that popped up on some door terminals but not others. The way was made clear after another moment of fiddling with the infuriatingly small controls and Firefly was already making his way inside while I tugged on my data cord till it engaged the retracting spring. On my way to join him, we caught sight of our first point of interest so far on Sublevel-4 as we entered yet another circular room, this one featuring four Maglocks along the walls and a large armored information desk of sorts sat in the center. Sporting bolted-on ablative armor plates and what was probably a few inches of lightly tinted titanium quartz glass, the round structure seemed to house a couple of chairs sat behind large control stations with adjustable microphones extending out from round speakers built into the glass. I also couldn’t help but notice each speaker also seemed to house some kind of scanning device as a ring of small, highly polished crystal lenses could be seen studding its circumference like a jeweled ring. Rising from the center of the structure's domed roof was a wide pipe or shaft of some sort which extended all the way up to the ceiling, the exterior of which served as a mounting point for further cameras in armored housings. The roof of the room itself, as it went almost without saying for a place as security sensitive as this, was littered with the rounded undersides of further inactive auto-turrets. Security checkpoints like these were far from uncommon in bunkers and other facilities like this, though I had never seen one so…splurged on before. Indeed, like everything else we’d seen, few expenses seemed to have been spared during the construction of Outpost Zeta. Even if it were rather mundane in some places, a lot of good ideas had been implemented left and right into the facility that would have been right dreams to work with back in the day had it seen any active service.

Following the curve of the structure, at what could be called the halfway point in its circumference, rested a set of matching security hatches which allowed access to the computers within. Inside, we immediately discovered the pipe thing we had seen earlier was in fact another circular shaft for a small, one-to-two person cargo lift system. The computer stations, of which there were four (two per side facing outwards towards the glass), each possessed a bank of small monitors to one side seemingly tapped into the live security feed from outside; most screens blank and dead while a half dozen or so displayed the empty circular hall outside while one showed an overhead view of the two of us searching around. The consoles themselves all had the same four large lever bars, each labeled by a large number accompanied by an activation button underneath, protected under a plastic cover which was locked by a nearby key slot. A further two, full-size monitors were built into the stations as well with their own independent keyboards and access ports, including ports for external data storage devices. One screen, the one directly facing the glass, seemed meant for general purpose use while the second, canted at an angle, seemed arranged so the operator could glance between the screen and the glass. Thankfully, our luck was holding out somewhat when it came to labels and other helpful signs as to what was what around here.

“Huh…‘CAUTION: ALWAYS CROSS-CHECK CREDENTIALS AGAINST BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS RESULTS!’ Interesting…” I mumbled aloud as I read the caution-painted little sign bolted along the top frame of the angled monitor.

“Wha’s tha’ supposed tah mean?” He responded with a cocked eyebrow as he glanced between me and the computer station.

“Well, I saw some sort of scanning device was built into the external speakers here…” I replied as I jutted a talon towards the circular devices built into the glass. “If it’s asking the operator to double check credentials against this…‘biological analysis’ thing it mentions…maybe it’s some sort of thing that ensures people are who they say they are? I don’t ever remember hearing Changelings being used against us like that, but it feels like an adequate redundancy to have built in just in case. Like…I dunno, I’m just spitballing here again.”

“Nah, tha’ makes more sense now tha’ yew put it into clearer words fer meh. Kinda creepy though if yew think abou’ it though… Them knowin’ exactly who n’ what yew are down tah the bone ‘er whatever?”

“Eh, I guess…though, with a base like this, I think this level of security is kinda warranted? I mean, you’d probably need some decently high standing with the old world brass in order to even be assigned here in the first place so the government would already have every dirty secret on everyone here. Having a full body scan like that…I dunno, comes off as being pretty tame to me comparative to the other shit they pulled back in the day.”

“If yew say so…still gives meh th’ creeps just thinkin’ abou’ it…”

After a moment of silence as we both glanced around at the somewhat cramped space, I glanced back at him and asked the obvious question, “Sooo…should we try for one of those doors first or find the mystery at the end of the lift thing in here?”

“Hmm…we went wit’ th’ mystery door th’ first time, let’s try th’ lift!” He replied jovially, jutting his head in its direction excitedly.

“Even if it’s gonna be something really boring probably? Common, what could possibly be up there that’s worth skipping the doors? For all we know it’s just a break room for the poor saps locked inside here during working hours.”

“Then let’s go n’ find out! Gonna explore it anyway, why not now when we’re both standin’ around in here?”

"Nah, you chose last time. If this is an armory and there's guns to be found, it's sure as hell to be behind those doors. Not inside that tiny ass lift to wherever the fuck it goes."

"Ugh, fine!" He grunted in a huff while jutting his head towards the console. "Do th' honors then, ya big blue bastard..."

I brushed him aside with a huff of my own in his direction, awkwardly stuffing my upper half around one of the control chairs which was stubbornly bolted in place on the floor. As some of the small lights on the consoles were glowing, I knew power wasn't going to be a concern as I went through the familiar process of plugging myself in. Like several other systems so far, lights, buttons and screens all came to life as one across the room with an audible thud the moment the system verified the uploaded credentials. Outside, through the thick tinted glass, I could see a ring of recessed bars of white lights had come to life around each large Maglock bulkhead; pairs of slowly spinning yellow lights protruding from small hatches at the top corners. Looking down, all four of the bar levers were likewise illuminated by small embedded LEDs of their own lit in a dull red accompanied by the large numbers which labeled them. The plastic covers protecting the key slots had also popped wide open sometime during the activation process though, we still lacked the appropriate keys to unlock the levers. Taking the initiative however, I kept my cable plugged in and decided to try and figure out if I could squeeze another favor out of General Olive's good name. Crouching even more awkwardly than before, and reduced to only using my right hand to interact with the keyboard and joystick, I chased the rabbit hole of menus for any edge that might let us crack open my chosen prize. On a hunch, I checked for any subroutines that would allow for an executive override and finally found a gem in the form of Protocol 4725: Annual Executive Officer's Inspection.

With a loud thud that could be felt underpaw, the doors sealing off the security booth and the large Maglock bulkheads outside opened wide as one, along with large latches sliding up from off the lift in the center like the one upstairs leading to the Chief Engineer's office. At the same time, the general lighting in the area at large became noticeably brighter and more inviting and I could see somewhat beyond the Maglocks nearby into the rooms beyond. What I could see inside were yet more armored glass booths similar to the one we already occupied, though noticeably its front face featured shielded ports in the shape of inverted T's through which items could be transferred. Behind the glass of both booths, I could see the tops of several chairs poking up from behind the desktops with an odd rectangular recess in the back wall lined with glowing rods along the four corners. When we came closer to inspect them, our disappointment was made complete by an obvious lack of any visible weapons anywhere inside the booths. There was little room for doubt that weapons, equipment and ammunition were transferred to and from the armory via these booths as the T-shaped openings were the exact same style as had been used in countless military bases across the country, including Chapter headquarters for the Order. However, even after poking my head through the booth's open hatch, I didn't spy any sign of anything that went boom. There were empty racks on the walls and barren tabletops empty of anything interesting. Unfortunately...Firefly still had the chance of finding all the sweet racks of beautiful weaponry with his preferred choice; something he was happy to stuff in my face as we walked back to the security booth to give his idea a shot.

"Do Ah even need tah tell yew Ah told ya so?" He gloated in smug pride the entire way back, giving me the shit-eating grin of the century. "This here lift is th' real prize! Common! Let's give 'er a try now!"

I rolled my eyes in response and crammed myself alongside him on the small lift platform that was definitely designed for species a lot smaller than myself. It was a tight and awkward fit, forcing me to twist over myself like a pretzel just to fit while Firefly slid himself in the gap under my chest and legs. The ride up lasted what felt like a full ten-seconds as we ascended through the narrow concrete shaft ringed with lights every few feet or so, coming to a stop in another smaller circular room. An overhead rail system cut a rather skinny and shallow trough around the center of the room, emerging from a glowing rectangular energy field housed on the far wall and forming a complete loop around the room. The returning rail snaked its path neck-and-neck with the inbound rail and back through a second field of forest green magic set next to the first. The rails were already partially occupied by a couple of long, sectioned rectangular metal containers, each formed from multiple vertical pods which visibly housed the rounded hinges along one side necessary for them to round corners. They all likewise seemed to feature independent power sources as the broad metal backsides came with several electrical boxes with glowing lights and wiring encased beneath bolted-on steel half-pipe plates. Above, each mounting vice to the overhead rail came with extra machinery and a pair of large steel wheels protruding to each side, likely acting as motors to speed the pods on their way through here and off to…wherever the green energy field took them. The lighting in here was very industrial to boot, with metal cages around each fixture and ample light coverage even with half of them being off.

Four distinct sections branching off from the central loop also came into focus as I began to untangle myself from the lift platform; a set of identical workshops featuring an odd turnstile-like mechanism that appeared to allow operators to guide these pods from off the central loop and into each workstation as needed. After a quick step over the gap in the floor and around the side of the closest containers, the beautiful sight of pristine weapons greeted my eyes. Each individual pod that formed the roughly twelve-foot long container unit was about a yard wide and just as deep, containing a metal-and-rubber infrastructure that was perfectly suited for storing various pistols, rifles, launchers and other tools of combat. Two pods contained rows of standard-issue M16 service rifles with minimal attachments, while the other two had N99 pistols and a typical Squad’s heavier firepower respectively. Ammunition in the form of pre-made bandoliers full of empty magazines and large ammo boxes occupied a low cubby built into each pod directly below the rack of weapons. Retractable sliding metal doors could be pulled down from units at the top of each pod and locked in place at the bottom, more than likely for when they were in-transit along the rail. All four workshops themselves seemed entirely dedicated to the maintenance and inspection of firearms as each came stocked with work tables sporting all types of magnification lenses, padded vice grips, and extensive tool boxes. I recognized all the tools and equipment being used on sight, however the one bit that I was unfamiliar with were long, rectangular pads located to the sides of every workbench. Padded with lengthy oval-shaped rings of rubber and studded with recessed crystals, I was left a tad at a loss as to what they were for. Hologram tech had yet to make an appearance so far as we knew, but I was unwilling to place any solid bets on the idea. My second guess was perhaps some sort of static stasis field to suspend the weapons/parts being actively worked on in midair; a tech the Order itself made use of at a few Chapter HQs, those with the highest end hardware. Unlike the security booth below sadly, there was a major lack of helpful signage to work with. Several places sported the tell-tale four holes needed to fasten further metal information plates to the walls, worktables and certain places on the floor, but lacked the actual associated plates we needed.

“Gods almighty…” Firefly gasped breathlessly as we both gawked around. “Ah…sound like ah broken holotape, but…”

“The NER could really use shit like this?” I finished for him with a soft chuckle, my own brain firing off happy sensations at the sight of so many beautiful weapons on the racks.

“Y-yeah, heh…” He replied quietly, glancing over at me with the biggest fanged grin I’d seen on him yet. "These here weapon pod things...reckon they'd fit in them nooks we saw down in them booths?"

"The ones with the weird tech built into the corners? Yeah...I guess that...makes sense. Weapons change talons through those shielded ports in the glass, and from the booth into the pods for storage and such. Question is...how the hell do they get them in there?"

“Wouldn' put it past 'em tah be usin' fancy shit like teleportation magic 'er some shit in ah place like this. Oh…we’re ah bit late prolly, but we should try tah contact Athena again. It’s been more than long enough Ah think.”

I nodded wordlessly and conceded his point that we'd probably gone over the check-in time by a bit from all our looking around. Without further ado, I raised my PipBuck back up to my face so I could fiddle with the controls and bring up the radio tab in the menu. Firefly meanwhile began rifling through the open pods nearby and drooling over the treasure trove we had uncovered; his colt-like grin as strong as ever as he went. I brought up the channel, found a place to sit and called out for Athena once more. Only…this time, someone else answered the line. Still female, but definitely not the mare I had originally gone underground here with.

“Greetings Captain! I am AUNTIE! Please hold while I request the Colonel’s permission to establish direct radio contact.”

“W-what…? Who the fuck are you?!” I blurted back out into the microphone but getting no further response from the mysterious female voice.

My thoughts swirled at a thousand miles an hour over whatever the fuck it was I had just been told out of left field by this enigmatic third party that had just spoken. It made no sense as I tried to compute it in my head…

"Hi Garand."

"There you are! Who the fuck is AUNTIE?!” I half-shouted back at her in sheer confusion. “Auntie who?? And why the fuck is she on this channel? Who are you with? The fuck ya up to, mare?"

"Nice to hear from you too..." She sighed in response, more than likely rolling her eyes as well. "Listen, AUNTIE is a V.I that came with the Vertibird. She came online when I powered this thing up and I haven't had time to tell you about her yet. Was still trying to get things straight with her."

Now that made much more sense than anything my addled brain had been trying to pull together out of thin air. Though I couldn't investigate the interior like she could (and was), the exterior of that metal beast screamed there was a lofty price tag associated with it. If anything, not having a Virtual Intelligence unit on board would've been the more shocking of the two in retrospect…

"That thing has a fuckin V.I installed that can intercept radio frequencies? Damn...you weren't kidding, that ship has a lot of surprises. Is it listening in?"

"Naturally." She replied, that same unfamiliar young but mature mare voice coming in over the speaker. "This craft was also designed to convert into an emergency field hospital. Thus, emergency frequencies are within my jurisdiction to listen in on in the event we need to prepare the triage bay, or if there is a lot of information being exchanged and they need a record or interpretation of said record for logistical purposes."

"Yeah, yeah..." I sighed back, rolling my eyes at such a prim and proper robot personality giving too much info I didn't need. "Look, Auntie whoever you are, we've got some questions for ya. And don't tell me it's 'Classified' because that's bullshit. If you know what date it is, you'll know what happened outside this facility and know it's a moot point to care about that shit anymore."

"Indeed it is, Captain." Came her immediate response, my small spark of enjoyment in her agreement immediately tempered by, "Colonel? I know it does not matter but old habits die hard. Is the Captain permitted to ask such questions?"

"Uh, yeah. Granted." Athena replied with a rather gleeful laugh while my eye silently twitched in consternation.

"Oh, so I have your permission to speak? How fuckin' thoughtful of ya..." I groaned back over the radio, forcing myself to change gears to a more pressing matter. "Alright, number one. What do you know about this facility? It's a lot fucking bigger than my largest estimates guessed and there's plenty to be excited about in here. How can ya help us out?"

"I'm afraid I do not know, Captain. I was delivered here only two days before I lost auxiliary connection with my surroundings. Not only that, but I was left in standby mode with minimal sensor input available during the entire transit from Saddle Arabia to this location. I am able to detect the facility once again now that the Colonel has restored main power to my systems, however I am unable to establish a remote connection with the mainframe as there is insufficient power to the complex's transmitters for me to use them. It seems emergency power is not being routed properly to multiple subsystems I would otherwise have easy access to."

"So...restore power and you'll crack this shitbox wide open for us?" I summed it all up in one simple question we all could understand.

"Correct, Sir. I have security clearances unique to me that grant me General-level credentials and Alpha-3 clearance in Ministry of War facilities. It was deemed prudent given that live testing of my capabilities proved I am capable of handling the ship on my own and accessing or providing information as needed to the CO on board the craft. It likewise grants me priority landing clearance at any runway and remote access to external door controls of almost any enclosed landing bay. This is a trillion-bit government funded investment after all and it would be a waste to treat me less than I am worthy of."

"Oh really? Well...that changes things." Athena mumbled aloud before asking, "How did they get you in here? Don't think they would have taken you down into parts small enough for the cargo elevator we took to get down here. Or did they?"

"They did not via that route, Colonel. I was transported here inside multiple shipments on Sky Freighters from Saddle Arabia. Last definite ping off navigation beacons was approximately 100 miles due Northeast of this facility or 200 miles South/Southwest of Dodge Junction."

"That'd put you..." She started saying before I cut her off with my quicker talon on the map function.

"Right in the crook of the Embers on that side of the range, close to where they turn into the Ponyrenees to the East of us here.” I responded quickly as the area was rather close by already and I only needed to zoom out a little. “Heard this place was built into what used to be old Gem mines and ancient cave systems left over from the Dragons, so...guess they must have an entrance all the way out there. That is...both a benefit and a problem."

"Do elaborate, Captain?" She asked politely. "I'm afraid the realities of the world outside are unfamiliar to me since last I was awake, Equestria was two centuries younger and still at War with the Empire. That there's even a world still left out there is statistically surprising as well. A possibility, but one with multiple margins for error in my calculations given organic life's impeccable resilience. Or perhaps it should rather be called 'defiance'?"

"Oh there's definitely plenty of life and defiance out there in this wonderland of a new world." Athena laughed with a pained tone underpinning her voice.

"And most of it ain't friendly anymore." I replied before Firefly began interrupting me from across the room. Interrupting a lot to be more precise…

“Yew get a hold of her or are ya yammering away to herself o’er there?”

"Huh? No, I'm talking to her…”

“Oh, cool. Yew gonna tell her about this place here?”

“Yeah.”

“Reckon yew could help meh keep track o’ th’ number o’ guns in here? There's a lot…”

“Hell if I know, just make a fuckin' note of it or some shit…”

“You got anythin’ tah write wit’ then? Ah don't have no fancy PipBuck ‘er whatever.”

“Do I look like I carry a pencil and paper in my bags? What the fuck I look like to you, a personal secretary?"

“Dunno, could put ya in ah dress n’ see how ya look. No, Ah want somethin’ Ah can work wit’ Garand!”

"If you fuckin' need it so bad then go up to the fucking offices we saw earlier! Plenty of shit to keep you busy with…”

“We should start ah full inventory o’ all th’ lovely guns we're seein’ in here. Total stock o’er what we got just in this room here alone at least.”

“The fuck you mean 'inventory'?” I half-yelled at him in disbelief, clenching a fist in frustration. “…You wanna catalog every fucking little thing? Right now? Sure, whatever...just…”

“Kay! Awesome! How far up are them offices again?”

“Two floors up, ya ding dong!"

From the way I glared at him and sorta yelled at him that last time, he seemed to get the message that I still had shit of my own to finish; a fucking conversation for example…? Instead, he fell silent and set back to counting the number of weapons out loud to himself leaving me finally free to return to the conversation he had so rudely derailed. After a long, deeply heartfelt sigh of exasperation for the interruption, I began to speak once again into the mic. This time, I resolved to ignore whatever else came outta his mouth until I was at least finished talking to Athena.

"Ok. Bullshit aside...what I was saying was that if they transported you unassembled via some long ass tunnel from the Eastern side of the Embers, that means there's likely still a tunnel there today. That means we have an easy means past the Gap and right into the Dodge Junction area. However, that also means the Order would have an easy crack past the Gap as well if they ever happen to find it which...isn't a happy fuckin' thought to have floating around out there. How many knew about this tunnel system?"

"I'm afraid again Sir that I do not know.” She replied frankly, if to my great disappointment. “However, given that this...Order has not found it yet in over two centuries, I would say that is something in our favor until we learn more. What is this 'Order' you speak of, Sir? If I may so inquire."

I couldn’t help but sigh with a long pained groan of anger towards my now bitter enemies. "The mutated, rotting remains of the Steel Ranger Corps... They started out as M and T Companies, 3rd Battalion, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 105th Division; casually called 'Mad' and 'Terror Company' respectively. They were the Steel Ranger contingent under Brigadier General Stone Mason acting as the inner and outer-city defense for Salt Lick City and the surrounding suburbs. Place was the main production facility and headquarters for West-Tec, the subsidiarity of Stable-Tec in partnership with the Ministry of War to solely produce certain products. In this case...this particular city was a major supplier of Power Armor to the War effort. Big target with lots of military infrastructure dug into it over the years so they just gave the area an entire fucking Brigade's worth of soldiers to delegate and distribute around as they saw fit. Minus those in Power Armor of course. They of course were best used as guards for the installations and riot control for the city when the food shortages hit again."

"Do continue, Sir." The female V.I prodded, something that irked me somewhat as I still wasn’t all too keen on robots.

"Yeah, we've got time for a little history." Athena then chimed in as well, poking her weirdly cheerful nose around in places I was already going anyway.

"Yeesh...as if one nosy mare wasn't bad enough...I was gonna tell ya anyway, yeesh.” I groaned in reply, rolling my eyes yet again if only to myself. “Well...the reason I'm willing to believe Athena's story is because General Mason was attacked by a large contingent of Crimson Dragons and cloaked infantry on the 20th of October, three days before the Great War. They had brought with them a Balefire Bomb set to detonate the facility and especially the power plant in order to blast as wide a crater in Central Equestria as they could. General Mason and his boys kicked their asses though and managed to capture five of their Shaman who were there to prepare the bomb with whatever ritual they do to make the bomb active. With some help from a couple of Ministry of Morale Unicorns, they got it ready to return to sender using their new prisoners."

"Wouldn't the Great War have started sooner then?" Athena butted in, albeit with a good question. "Doubt something like sending a goddamn Balefire Bomb preemptively would have gone over too well with those striped bastards."

"Well yeah, if they had sent it back with same fucking day delivery, but it took a couple days to break into their minds and force them to work against their masters. They barely had the Spectral Array ready to teleport the Bomb when the whole country was lit up with sirens so they decided to use the weapon to detonate the Bombs plummeting from portals in the atmosphere towards the city itself. Long story short, after the Great War, they dug into Salt Lick City and slowly made contact with all other surviving members of the Equestrian Armed Forces across the country that still had working radios. After that...they decided to reform what and who survived the EAF into the Order of the Steel Rangers with a bunch of titles, rules and shit that call back to medieval times. Fast forward a couple hundred years and there's Seven Chapters of the original Order in every major city of the East, with over a dozen smaller splinter factions scattered all around in between who have varyingly large territories they clawed out for themselves. Of course, I shouldn't forget to mention all these groups and splinter groups have varying ideologies that lead them into conflict with each other but ironically enough, they all have relatively similar goals in the end."

"Those being?" Inquired the irritatingly polite V.I.

Yet again a grumble of anger took over my voice and a sigh of annoyance hissed out as I took a second or so to reply. I found it hard not to get too aggressive towards it like I normally would towards a bucket of bolts, but I knew better than to act like a total dick over the radio. It was our greatest potential ally and besides, this was a history lesson it needed to learn right from the correct source. The extra patience would pay off.

"Technology. No two fucks about it, basically all fragments of the SR are obsessed with technology in one way or another and most tend to covet it violently. Some more than others but their reputation is to the point where 99% of people automatically assume anyone in Power Armor is one of them and out for blood. Doesn't matter which side of Canterlot you're on, if you're not affiliated with one of them you might as well be their enemy. They're not wrong to think that but it's kind of an oversimplification of how shit be with the Order and the rest of 'em. Some are actually not so bad, at least compared to the rest, but their numbers are so small or their group so secretive you'd never know they existed anyway."

"I see...so, ponies in Power Armor are overall the bad guys now? That is quite interesting..." It hummed softly after a moment of processing. "So...I would assume then that any of these aforementioned factions would be incredibly interested in this facility and me in particular then? Seems to be the most logical summation of what you have told me."

"Heh, you catch on pretty quick. They're the reason we're here to be honest.” Athena replied next, her tone then turning soft and somewhat pleading. “There's a Platoon-sized force of Steel Rangers en-route to this location as we speak with...what kinda Kampfwagens were they?"

"Falke IIs." I answered for her, the enemy threat still fresh in my memory. "Three of 'em. Barrel thickness and body characteristics indicate they're the earlier models with the 50mm cannon and additional frontal spaced armor. Couldn't quite tell if they had the side skirts for the tracks and turret that came standard on later iterations though. That kinda armor is just too thick for anything me or Firefly have that isn't a shaped-charge mine and Athena's AMR-25 is only going to do so much damage.”

I paused for a brief moment before addressing the mare directly, “You do have APs right? You didn't come after me with just dumb old HEs in that thing like a total dumbass, yes?"

"Oh fuck you very much...yeah, I totally didn't read your dossier thoroughly and didn't notice the bold print that says, 'Hey, this asshat wears Power Armor'...” Came her prickly, sarcastic response. “I mean, I brought armor piercers, but only like 15-rounds worth of anything remotely useful against a fucking tank. I've got ten HEAA rounds and five discarding sabots. Wait, four because I missed that first shot... What a waste of a good tungsten dart."

Brushing off the fact that dart was meant for me, I continued, "Eh, 25mm of a shaped copper charge might be enough to punch through Power Armor, but I doubt it'll do much good against a Falke II. That leaves us with four goddamn shots worth a damn against three tanks...fuckin' great."

"Not sure if I am permitted to interject here but I've got enough firepower to spare for all of us..." It said quietly in the pause that followed my dejected statement. "The Dual-Purpose rounds currently selected for the chin cannon alone are more than enough to punch through their lightly armored topsides. Considering I have a distinct height advantage...well, you couldn't ask for a better battlefield companion, Sir."

"Is that you offering to help...?" Athena stepped up to ask before I could bring the words to my mouth.

"Yes Ma'am, that it is." It responded with glee, a bright spot in our brief relationship that warmed me up a bit to her. "Give me a chance to line them up and I can wipe the floor with their insides!"

"Damn, I like the shit coming outta this girl's mouth! Hungry for some action?"

"With all due respect Sir, I was built for a War I never got the opportunity to have a part in. I'm dying for the chance to make my existence mean something again. You are both recognized officers in my records and I've already confirmed Colonel Crete's identity via the biometric sensors in your PipBuck. As far as I see it, you are the only ones alive with the true authority to command me and the resources of this facility. Bring me targets and I'll bring you results. Just as it should have been, had things turned out differently."

For once I was talking to a robot that actually had some personality to it. It wasn't like I hadn't worked with and alongside them before as the Order adored its expensive fleet of droids and bots, using them any chance they could. In fact, one of the breakaway factions of the Order during the Schism itself literally worshiped technology as some sort of divine being. The major problem all those bots had was being programmed by a xenophobic, upstart military nobility that valued Steel Ranger blood above all others. This Vertibird however, she had a…weirdly whimsical vibe to her. Like a military secretary fresh out of high school full of questions but ready to make heads roll. I…could work with that.

"Terrific! How soon can you depart?" I asked with more excitement than I expected, turning away from my PipBuck to call out to Firefly, "Hey! Glowstick! Forget the inventory and get your ass back to the elevator, we've got more Tin Heads to kill! Real ones this time!"

"Tin Heads? Ah...a euphemism and insult to these wayward Steel Rangers I take it?"

"Yes, but it actually is a phrase as old as you are.” Athena informed her briefly. “It's what members of my Corps called members of his back in the day."

"Yeah, and we called you guys fuckin' NadPads back then too." I laughed with a grin while flashes of the past flickered past my inner eye. "Gods the memories...anyways, mind answering the question? When can we be prepped and ready for take off?"

"My apologies, Sir. I still have to perform a full system's check but I estimate easily within the hour. I am aware we are under certain time constraints so I must ask for an estimation as to the time of their arrival."

"Well...been outta range of the GIMP satellite for a little over an hour, so that's two sweeps we missed out on. Lemme pull up the one from just before we went underground and jog my memory a bit."

With a flick of my thumb, I changed tabs on my PipBuck and brought up my maps in search of the last point of reference we had. My body was on autopilot while my mind was…wandering. I couldn't get her out of my goddamn head, and I didn't mean the V.I. Her mind was sharp and asked relatively decent and (usually) intelligent questions which was such a welcome change of pace from many mares I’d known in recent years. The Order valued knowledge and attempted to push a rather advanced level of general education to all members, but…the weakest minds usually ended up as Knights rather than Scribes. Not her though…despite how thoroughly she managed to get under my skin, she was old school trained. This was a mare with a brain sat firmly between her shoulders. Part of me, the deranged and absolutely insane part, even wondered how my parents would take to her, granted they were still alive after all this time…

"Uhhh, let's see." I began again once my wandering thoughts focused enough on the map to respond. "Based off what I can see here, and making an educated guess given the speed they were going, I'd say we've got maybe thirty minutes, forty at best. My data is outdated but I'm feelin' pretty confident in my numbers here. They hauled some serious ass to get down here, sweet fuck..."

"Indeed so..." The V.I replied, her voice petering out as if in thought before she said more firmly, "Very well, I can omit certain system's checks and focus solely on those needed for this engagement. If any of you will be needing the restroom, best to use one in this complex as that and the kitchen will be sealed off until I have time to ensure all is functional upon our return. Two-hundred years sitting idle is not exactly ideal for any piece of technology no matter how advanced it may be. Anything could have gone amiss during that period."

"ETC?" I asked plainly, wanting to get to the real numbers that I could work with.

"Ten minutes, twenty-seven seconds if done at peak efficiency." She replied immediately. "I will need your help Colonel, if you would be so kind as to lend your assistance with this procedure."

"Oh…? I mean...I remember some of my pilot training but really they're more just...hazy memories of the experience rather than the actual training itself, heh..."

"Oh, that is not a matter for concern in this scenario. I can fly and operate this craft by myself under the proper circumstances but I will need assistance when it comes to certain pre-flight checks. Visual confirmation of the ship itself is one thing I cannot do unfortunately and there are many parts of this craft that will need a visual inspection to ensure two centuries of idleness have not fouled anything up. There are some tasks that are just best left to Organics and this is unfortunately one of them, Ma'am."

"Heh, Organics eh? Alright, I can work with that terminology. What do you need me to do?"

At this point, the conversation had no more use for me being a part of it so I found the best time to butt in was now. After all, Firefly was sure to have more barbs to throw at me once we were done and I hated to keep his ass waiting.

"Hey, let her know but at least lemme leave the chat first. We're a few floors and shit below you so it'll be fifteen or so until we're back up there anyway. Garand, out."

Even as I shut the radio line off as we wouldn't be needing it any longer, I could feel the burrowing gaze of bemused judgement boring its way into the side of my head from the glowing jackass I was forced to put up with.

"Look at yew! Yappin' away tah her n' tellin' old stories...ain't tha' quaint heh, heh." He grinned evilly once I finally turned to face his smug ass.

"You know as well as I do that I was giving that V.I lady some much-needed history context for the shit that's happened to the Steel Ranger Corps since the Great War went down. Hell, the bitch even had the gall to give me permission to even speak. You heard that shit, right??"

"Whoa there! Don' be slingin' tha' word about ah stellar gal like Athena, not after she went n' spared yer life n' all tha'." He snapped back with a genuine spark of anger in his eyes. "Ah know wha' yew were fuckin' doin' numbnuts, Ah was just yankin' yer tail... Give meh tha' sorta shite, don' send it her way when she ain't deservin'. Just 'cause yew can't keep it in yer sheath don' mean-"

"Shut the fuck up...please... Let's just...go."

"Heh...fine, big feller. Though one last thing...why'd yew tell her it'd take us so long tah get back up there? Lift ain't far from here n' it's ah straight shot up tah where she is."

"I said that for your sake really. Give ya some time to finish your premature attempts at a full inventory."

"Ah...dunno if yer bein' sincere 'er just bein' ah ass right back at meh..."

"It takes one to know one!"