Once we disembarked from the airship, we were met with a contingent of Royal Guards who herded us into a transport and took us to the royal palace in the center of Canterlot. As we proceeded through the streets, I took in the sights as best I could through the window by my seat.
'Looks like most of the inhabitants are unicorns. And from the looks on their faces, most of them seem to think very highly of themselves.' I thought as I observed the locals.
Soon enough we had pulled through the gates of the palace and were at the front doors. The guards opened the door of the transport and ushered us inside where another team lead us through the opulent halls to what appeared to be a private meeting room.
"So I guess we have gotten to the point of 'hurry up and wait'." I said, getting a smirk from Emerald and a giggle from Princess Cadance.
"Auntie should be here shortly. The nobles always like to cause her headaches when she has to close the court for any reason." Cadance said.
I nodded as I reached into my bag pulling a folder out and placing it on the table before removing my Stetson and my duster.
I had just sat down when the doors opened to admit two more alicorns. Standing, I gave both of them a shallow bow out of respect.
"Please everyone be seated." The taller of the two, a white furred alicorn with a ephemeral mane of four colors waving in an unseen breeze said as she and a smaller alicorn, this one with dark blue fur and a lighter blue mane, took their seats at the head of the table.
"Thank you all for coming so quickly." The taller one said. "Lt. Soarin, it is good to see that you have recovered from your ordeal."
"Thank you Princess Celestia. I was just lucky that Talisman was in the area and that he has a strong sense of duty." Emerald replied with a nod of her head.
The taller one, Princess Celestia, turned to me.
"So how is it that you came to be in Las Pegasus? Not that I am upset, but I am curious as to how one such as yourself came to be here." She inquired.
I got the impression that once Celestia entered the room, that despite her matronly tone and demeanor that she was a shrewd operator who had dealt with many things over the centuries.
"Well Your Highness, to tell that tale, I have to ask one question: Are you familiar with the process of nuclear fission?" I replied.
"It is the process of splitting an atom of some form of heavy metal. It is a very dangerous process though, what do you know of it?" She inquired.
"I know that it can create the most devastating weapon known to man. A weapon, that with the current designs, is capable of leveling an entire city in one strike. Also those damnable weapons are the most likely reason that I am here." I replied.
"Your people created weapons that split the atom? For what reason?" Celestia asked.
"Because of seventy years ago, one of the worst enemies that had cropped up in history was thought to have been researching the weapons for his own use. It was basically, 'we need to figure this out before the enemy does'. Where we had the advantage over the Nazis was that most of the scientists that were in Europe that had the knowledge to make such a breakthrough had left the continent when the drums of war started beating to escape being killed. It was a state of fear that lead to the development of atomic weapons. We had defeated the Nazis before the test of the Trinity device, but the development continued due to the ongoing war in the Pacific against the Imperial Japanese. Their unwillingness to surrender was what forced our hand in using these early weapons in anger on two of their cities." I said.
"Two of these weapons were used? Why?" Celestia asked, her mask cracking slightly as she listened to my story.
"Because the Imperial Japanese had started to resort to suicide attacks, crashing ships and planes into our ships. They would make banzai charges into our entrenched machine gun positions, only to get mowed down. By the beginning of 1945, the Imperial Navy was a shadow of its former self, with all of their carriers sunk, their massive Yamato-class battleships sent to the bottom, and their best pilots and other high ranking leaders had been killed over the course of three and a half years. We tried several times as we took their bastions to try and get an unconditional surrender out of them, but each time the request was ignored. In August of 1945, the city of Hiroshima was struck by the atom bomb known as Little Boy. Something like thirty percent of the city's population was vaporized instantly. The government still refused to surrender. Two days later, the city of Nagasaki was struck with the Fat Man bomb. Another thirty to forty thousand were killed instantly. The second bombing, coupled with the threat of continued strikes, forced the Imperial government to the table to sign an unconditional surrender." I replied.
There was silence as this was contemplated.
"What happened afterwards?" The blue alicorn asked.
"An arms race to develop smaller and more powerful warheads that instead of being measured in kilotons of explosive force, were measured in megatons. Eventually a strategy was developed for the use of those weapons. It was known as Mutually Assured Destruction, of MAD. An appropriate acronym if there ever was one. Basically it boiled down to this: If you launch, we launch. Total destruction of major cities and of the ability to operate militarily. It would also have the side effect of throwing tons of radioactive material into the upper atmosphere, quite possibly high enough to cause sunlight to be blocked from reaching the surface, causing what was termed nuclear winter, which would be an extinction level event that humanity and the planet in general would not be able to recover from." I said.
"I am to understand that this exchange occurred during you time?" Celestia asked.
I nodded. "I was less than a mile from the hypocenter of a thermonuclear detonation. There was a flash, searing heat then nothing. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital in Stalliongrad and having to adapt to being in a new world and having abilities that were from the realm of fantasy." I replied.
"What kind of abilities?" Celestia asked.
"I am stronger than any normal human and I have been infused with a substance known as Mako. A side effect of this is that my blood is now highly caustic and can eat through just about any known substance. It is also the reason that my eyes glow. I also have the ability to use magic through foci called Materia. I also have weapons and armour that allow me to have a wide range of situations that I am able to address, such as the one in Las Pegasus where I rescued Lt Soarin, Corporal River Blossom and Princess Cadance. I took the liberty of preparing this After Action Report detailing the events and timeline of the operation." I said sliding the folder to Celestia.
She took the report and began to read over it. The report was only about six pages, but was a detailed as I could make it without giving a blow by blow account.
After she finished reading it, she passed the folder to the blue alicorn, with a sigh.
"I assume that you are wishing to collect on the bounty against the Don and his organization." She said wearily.
I nodded. "I would. I was not even aware of the bounties that were out when I went out there. All I cared about was dealing with a group of individuals that purposefully endanger children and rescuing a brother in arms that had been abandoned by his unit. The reward is just a happy coincidence and was in no way the motivating factor." I replied.
Celestia gave a small smile. "I see that honor is something that you have in spades Mr. Stryke. If I am understanding your meaning, you were in the military on your home world?"
"I was. I served ten years on active duty in the Army. I was an Infantryman in the 1st Infantry Division, one of the more famous units in my nation's military. By the time I had reached the end of my enlistment, I was very weary from the fighting and constantly being deployed for a year or more. Despite that, I still tried to live my life by the values that were instilled in me by the Army. One of which is, leave no man behind." I said.
Celestia nodded. "I understand and I thank you for doing what you did. It might not have happened the way that I would have liked, and I mourn the loss of my little ponies, but as you said, they willingly put a foal's life in danger. We owe you a great debt that money cannot repay."
"No you don't. The knowledge that I removed some of the scum from that particular corner of the world and saved that colt as well as those that were held prisoner is enough for me." I replied, shaking my head.
"Be that is it may, We still feel that We should do something." The blue alicorn replied.
I raised my eyebrow at this. I could hear the Royal 'We' in the statement cleary.
"What would you suggest Your Highness?" I asked before adding. "Also, not to be rude but could I get your name?"
She smiled slightly, the first I had seen since she had entered the room.
"Our name is Luna. What We are suggesting is to give you a role within Equestria, something that will allow you to do the good that you obviously seek to do, as well as to provide a solution to an issue that has appeared within the last few days." The now identified Princess Luna replied.
I nodded. "It would depend upon the offer Princess Luna, as well as to who I would report to. From what I have been told by Lt Soarin, there needs to be a serious cleaning of house in the upper echelons of your military."
Luna and Celestia shared a look before Luna replied.
"For what We are considering, you would report directly to Ourself. You would have great autonomy to accomplish the tasks assigned to you as well as access to resources that you would ordinarily not have." Luna replied.
Celestia's eyes widened. "Sister surely you can't mean…"
"Indeed Sister. The need for them may have waned, but there are signs that there will be difficulties coming that even the Bearers will need assistance with. There is also the fact that all of the Bearers are civilians. They do not have training to deal with some of the issues that may arise." Luna replied.
Celestia closed her eyes as she considered her sister's words.
"You speak the truth Sister, and I swore that when you were restored I would take your council and thoughts seriously. Consider this the beginning of a new chapter for us." She finally replied.
Luna nodded, a true smile on her face. "Thank you Sister. This means much to Us." She replied before standing and turning to me.
"Rise Talisman Stryke of Earth." She commanded.
I quickly stood up and came to attention, years of training coming to the forefront as my military bearing took over.
"Talisman Stryke, you have been chosen to be an Equestrian Ranger. You will be the right hand of the crown. Your exemplary actions since coming to this world show that you are a just and honorable individual, who when given the option, will resolve issues peaceably and without bloodshed, but will not hesitate when force is required to apply the necessary and proportional amount required to restore the peace. You will be the first Ranger in nearly four centuries. Will you accept this role, Talisman Stryke?" Luna said in an official tone.
Behind my composed appearance, my mind was racing.
'So basically, I will be like a SPECTRE from Mass Effect. Wouldn't be too bad a gig, and these two seem to be a decent sort for those that have been in power for millennia. As long as they clean up their military and restore it to some kind of functioning force, I can work with them.' I thought before responding.
"Yes Ma'am. I will accept this role as a Ranger of Equestria." I replied solemnly.
Luna nodded. "Very well. We dub thee Ranger Talisman Stryke." She said in a booming voice.
I blinked at the volume that the small mare reached, and then realized that my ears were ringing and I could not hear what she was now saying.
Reaching up to my ears, I cast an overpowered Curaga. My ears popped and suddenly I could hear again.
"Okay, I would like to kindly request that you not do whatever it was you just did around me, my hearing was enhanced as well and it seems like you blew out my eardrums." I said as I touched my fingertips to my ear and came away with blood. Yup, she blew my eardrums.
"Our apologies Ranger Stryke. We will refrain from using the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice in your presence without forewarning you." Luna replied a blush on her face.
"I thought I told you that the use of the Voice fell out of use over five hundred years ago." Celestia said.
Luna turned to her sister. "No you did not." She replied with a put out look on her face.
"I'm sorry then. There has been so much to get you caught up on that it must have slipped my mind." Celestia said with an apologetic look.
Luna nodded, mollified.
Later that night I stood on the balcony outside the room I had been given in the castle. A rustling of wings alerted me to the approach of Princess Luna.
"Your Highness." I said with a nod.
"Ranger Stryke. Are you having issues sleeping?" She asked as she landed.
"No, just enjoying the night sky before turning in for the night." I replied.
"You enjoy the night?" She asked surprise evident in her voice.
I nodded. "On my world there are entire career fields related to the observation and study of the heavens. My race is very inquisitive and seek to find understanding by looking to the cosmos. We have sent probes to the furthest reaches of our solar system in pursuit of knowledge." I replied.
"Truely? Your race is fascinating." She replied.
"For all of our faults, we do have some good aspects. We have even been to our moon." I said.
Here her expression became closed and guarded. "For what reason?" She asked, somewhat coldly.
I raised an eyebrow before replying. "Because it was there. We were rapidly developing new satellites and spacecraft that went higher and faster. Our leader at the time challenged the nation to within the decade, to send a man to the Moon and return him safely to the Earth. Despite the enormity of the project and the things that had to be done very quickly, we succeeded, and sent a total of six missions and landed twelve men on the Moon. The samples that they brought back and the surface experiment packages that they left on the surface provided a lot of insight into the history and formation of our world and our solar system." I said as I went to my ruck and pulled out a book with an astronaut in their EVA suit on the surface of the Moon.
I presented her the book. "I think that this might interest you. It details the missions to the Moon."
"I would think that such expeditions would be perilous. How were they able to find anyone to go one such a journey?" She inquired as she began to look through the book.
I smiled. "All of the initial members of the astronaut corps were test pilots. They regularly put their lives on the line testing experimental aircraft. This was just another thing to test for them, and they knew the risks going in. Point of fact, they performed seventeen missions, each longer and more intensive than the last, before there was an incident that any of them were killed." I said.
"What happened?" Luna asked, looking at me curiously.
"They were doing what is known as a 'plugs out' test. Basically the launch vehicle is running on internal power from its own batteries rather than through the umbilicals that ordinarily provide power to the vehicle prior to launch. Something about the American space program to note, to save weight on the vehicles, they used a one hundred percent oxygen system, rather than a safer, but heavier oxygen/nitrogen mix. Up until the Apollo I crew did their test there had been no issues. But that day after the capsule had been pressurized to a higher than external pressure, a fire broke out, killing the crew in less than a minute from asphyxiation from the toxic fumes released by the materials in the capsule burning. An issue that prevented even trying to save them was that the hatch opened inward and could not be opened without relieving the pressure, which took ninety seconds. That caused NASA, our space administration, to take a step back and figure out what the hell happened. Turns out a combination of complacency, shoddy workmanship, poor design, and bureaucrats getting involved caused the quality of workmanship to not be up to standard. Hundreds of changes were made to the Block II module that improved the insulation of the wiring, reduced the materials that could burn, and replaced the hatch with one that opened outward, to facilitate easier access in an emergency." I explained.
"So their deaths were not in vain?" She asked.
"I would say that they were considering that they should never have happened. But it was better to have lost them then, on the ground where they could figure out what happened and how to fix it. But at that time, they were running at full throttle and hadn't really stopped to make sure they were doing things safely. From then the next accident was several years later on Apollo 13, where they had an explosion on the Service Module of the Command Module that destroyed their life support when they were on their way to the Moon. Fortunately the way the system had been designed, the Lunar Excursion Module was connected through a tunnel from the Command Module. They were able to shut everything down in the CM and use the LEM as a lifeboat and the crew returned safely to Earth. After that, the next major incident was the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger just over a minute after lift off. The O-rings that sealed the solid rocket boosters failed due to colder than expected temperatures the night before and the morning of the launch. Final blame was put on the administration due to them pushing to keep to the schedule that they had set, and changes were made that would allow for launch aborts if any issues were detected that could cause an issue with the vehicle. Things went well, with minor issues that while having the possibility of being fatal, they were not, until nearly twenty years later when damage incurred during launch caused the Space Shuttle Columbia to break apart on re-entry. In this case it was a piece of the insulation on the stack's external fuel tank coming off and striking the leading edge of the left wing when the vehicle was approaching or had already gone past the speed of sound. After this it became standard operating procedure for the shuttle to rendezvous with the International Space Station to do a full inspection of the shuttle's hull, with the shuttle basically doing a slow backflip as the crew aboard the station filmed and photographed the entire shuttle." I said as I explained some of the more notable accidents and the things that were done to correct them within the American space program.
We continued talking for a few more hours before I finally felt the call of my bed. Luna bid me good night, and to my surprise, gave me a hug. I returned it with a smile and bid the Princess a good night. As she flew off, I got the sense that maybe, just maybe, I had helped her recover from the traumas she experienced as Nightmare Moon.