I own Jake, Timpani, Dante, and all soldiers, military, humans, and ponies not owned by Hasbro.
The trees were silent. Jake had been inserted by a Kaiser drop-ship a kilometer away from the soldiers tracking signal. The data stream he had tapped into told him that the soldier had a broken leg and was camped up ahead. He stalked into the foliage, weaving through the thick growth. All this would have been much simpler if the private had just stuck with his squad. Instead of being sent back home with his buddies for R&R, he would spend months in a brig cell and be dishonorably discharged.
Jake came to the edge of the clearing that the soldier was supposed to be in. raising his rifle, he scanned the area. "Flash!" he called. Somewhere behind a rock, Jake heard "Thunder! What do you want?" Jake stayed behind the bushes, the soldier probably had the area booby trapped. "Davis, I'm here to extract you and bring you before the tribunal. If you don't come quietly, I am ordered to use any means necessary." He waited a moment to let the implications settle in. The soldier tossed an object over the rock. It laid in the clearing before bursting, a blinding light and deafening roar filling the woods.
"You know my helmet keeps me safe from Nine-Bangers, Private." Jake called out when the visor of the helmet depolarized. "Quit fucking around and give up." He heard a twig snap nearby. He glanced over and made sure it was just an animal. "No! You listen!" the private yelled back. "I'm not going back! A bug told me that they will leave if we pull out! But if we didn't they would fall upon us like a plague!" he stuck his leg out from behind the rock. "It even taped up my leg right then and there as a sign that it wasn't some vicious locust like the Admiralty says. They're a lot like us Stripe, they have hearts!"
'And they explode if you but a bullet in it, just like ours,' he thought to himself. Jake froze. Before the war, he would have never even thought about that. Had he changed that much? Would he put a bullet in an enemy based on the fact that the Admiralty said it needed to die?
"Davis, if you come with me now, I swear I will have you sent home on a section eight. That's an honorable discharge, Davis. It's better than what's waiting for you now."
Silence…
"And, I will deliver the Markut message to the Admiralty. I will personally make sure they understand it." Jake repositioned himself, his knee was set on a sharp rock. He heard Davis move behind the rock. The private came around the boulder, leaning on a forked branch. He walked through the open ground straight to Jake. "I just wanted the war to end, Stripe. I wanted to go home to my kids, man. You know?" Jake eased up under his shoulder, letting him lean on him. "I know, soldier. I know."
Jake sat in the Tribunal bench. The prosecution attorney questioning him. "What state was Private First Class Davis in when you found him?" the balding man asked him. Jake appeared to be thinking, taking on a pensive look and rubbing his chin. "He was… panicked, to say the least. He had been left behind on unknown territory with out radio. I know I would have been somewhat shaken, but I've been trained better for it." He looked over to the defendants seat. "I would definitely say he was in shock."
The court adjourned, declaring Davis unfit for duty and discharged him, claiming PTSD. Afterwards, Jake scheduled a meeting with the Admiralty. Being a ranking officer of Sword division, he could be heard with utmost importance, especially after a mission. Entering the room in the bowels of The Kennedy, Jake found all seven Admirals seated around a business table. Jake looked out of place in his deep green and black striped armor. And the crimson stripe that crossed from his left shoulder to his right hip didn't help.
"Ah" Admiral Worth spoke as Jake entered the room, his helmet in the crook of his arm. "Captain Skystotsov, welcome. We heard you have some important information for us regarding the Markut." The middle age woman motioned to the empty seat beside her at the head of the table. "Please, sit." He did so. He began the briefing with a well developed lie, stating he had encountered a squad of five bugs. He engaged them and was ambushed by one, which held him down with its considerable weight. Then he delivered the message. "The hostile told me that if human forces pulled out of all Markut owned worlds, they would return to their immediate systems, effectively ending the conflict. It even bandaged Davis' leg from its own medical kit." He looked around the table. "But it said that if we didn't pull back, they would come down on us and would not stop until we were eradicated."
The Admiralty exchanged glances and brief dialogue before looking back at Jake. "And what do you think of this?" Admiral Johns asked him. Jake faced the rather young admiral. "well, sir. I sure would like to sleep with my wife again."
Three month had passed since that meeting. Jake was given two months shore leave for his exceptional service once the fleet reached earth. The trip took one month, even with wormhole technology, and went much smoother than the previous trip out had been. Jake was lying on the couch of his apartment with Scratch, watching the television as the peace treaty was signed between the two races. "See I told you I would be home soon." He said as he kissed Scratch on the forehead. She sighed contentedly. "I never doubted you, I just thought you would be a little longer." She snuggled up to him, getting closer to the warmth he radiated. It was winter, and snow fell in sheets outside the window.
There was a knock at the door and Jake began to get up but scratch pulled him back down. Scooting on top of him, she laid he head on his chest. "It can wait, babe." The knock came again. "Come on guys, we gotta go if we're gonna make it to the show on time." Timpani pounded on the door with both of her front hooves rapidly. "I swear! You two are like a couple of damn Rabbits!" they both looked at the door. Scratch kissed Jake. "Now there's an idea," she said, kissing him again. Jake just smiled.
Well folks, there it is. THE END! I know, you want more. But I promise there will be. In another story maybe. For now, Fare thee well.
This is Die Blass Reiter, signing off.