Chapter 4: Zero-One-Seven
If one controls the technology, he can control the tide ~ King Lightbeak
Military Training Grounds, Gryphus, Griffin Kingdom
April 23rd, 0832 hrs
Morning in the palace grounds. The cold mountain air still lingers in the air even though Celestia's sun has already risen from the darkness. The training grounds were already buzzling with activity as new recruits trained to become the kingdom's army.
Unlike the ponies, griffon soldiers trained to become the best of the best. Military training in the kingdom were very strict and competitive, the strong will be chosen while the weak will be thrown out in disgrace. But since the war passed, the kingdom found itself lacking in military power and most of the strongest griffons were either dead or imprisoned.
In short. the Griffin Kingdom really needed some decent military power but due to the country's post-war state, many griffons focused more on rebuilding their society or rather chose not to join the military with varied reasons.
These factors really bothered Kestrel when she watched the recruits trained on the grounds. The training camp re-opened five months ago but only a handful of new recruits joined in. Many of them were proud and eager to join but one of them doesn't even fit the image of a soldier. The strong ones are often lacked some brain cells, clearly preferring to use brute force rather than to use their brains while the submissive ones were actually had the mind of a tactical genius, an element needed to become a soldier.
Kestrel thought about the two classes of recruits could team up and join forces to complete a challenge but the weaker ones were often bullied by the stronger ones. They will fight each other rather than fight against the enemy. Kestrel often had to make the difficult choice of dumping the bright weaker ones in favor of the strong but dumb ones.
This stressful thought was doubled when she heard the news that Metal Sphere died of severe internal blood loss. Her mourning for her mentor will have to wait because without Metal Sphere leading the 14th, a new leader was needed and she's chosen by default to be the replacement.
Kestrel had to hold her thoughts when the trial run ended and the recruits soon landed one by one in front of her.
"Breaker." She said as she approached the first griffon who landed who gives a salute in response.
"Yes ma'am." He responded.
"Three minutes, thirty seconds." She said after looking at her stopwatch. "That's ten seconds faster than yesterday. Great work."
"Thank you ma'am." The griffon Breaker said as Kestrel moved on with the second griffon.
"Stalker. Three minutes, fifty-nine seconds." She said with a frown. "That's five seconds slower than yesterday."
"I'm sorry ma'am." Stalker said. "I'm not in good shape today."
"Save it for later Stalker. Drop and give me fifteen push-ups." Kestrel barked as the young griffon groaned and dropped to the ground before starting his push-ups. Kestrel moved on with the next recruit.
"Rosepink. Four minutes, ten seconds. Not bad."
"Thank you ma'am." The female recruit said.
"But not good enough. five more laps, now!" Rosepink yelped and took to the skies as fast as she could while Kestrel continued.
"Max. Four minutes, twenty seconds. Goose. Four minutes, twenty-one seconds. Both of you drop and give me twenty."
The two griffon recruits quickly dropped and started their push-ups though Max isn't very satisfied with his instructor's decision.
"Why am I have to do this? I'm faster than him!"
"Correction. You are only a second faster than him." Kestrel shot back. "Besides, you two are twin brothers and twins should share each other's pain."
Both twins groaned as they continued their push-ups, Kestrel continued to review the other recruits' performance. Nearly all of them got hit by her wrath and soon, every griffon recruit was either doing push-ups or flew back on the track for a number of laps given by the instructor.
One griffon in particular finished dead last and taking the major punishment from Kestrel. The griffon was a bluish gray falconide griffon with dark brown eyes and his small frame wasn't very impressive for griffon standards.
"Come on Kite, only five more! Come on!" Kestrel barked at the griffon, Kite. His only response was a grunt as he pushed his body upwards then bringing downwards. He continued this cycle four more times before collapsing into the ground, exhausted to his bones.
"Still too weak Kite, do ten more!" Kestrel barked again.
"I can't ma'am." Kite squeaked. "I'm at my limit."
"Geez, stop being such a weakling Kite!" Breaker yelled from behind. Kestrel just gave a simple glare to tell the recruit to shut up before turning her attention back at Kite.
"Nonsense soldier! The griffon army has no limits!" Kestrel squawked at the young griffon. "Now do ten more!"
"Y..yes ma'am." Kite chirped tiredly as he began his push-ups again but after he made two push-ups, the griffon collapsed. His energy being completely drained.
"Sorry, ma'am…." He croaked.
Kestrel just bring her talons up to her face and sighed.
"Alright, alright. You can rest for 5 minutes." Kite immediately drop on the ground with a thud while panting heavily. The rest of the recruits just stared at the griffon apathetically.
"Typical for him." Stalker remarked. "Being the weakest in our group."
"Yeah, why did he sign up for the military anyway?" Max added.
"Maybe the same reason as us." A crow griffon answered. "Parents can be a pain sometimes."
"Who asked you Rave?" Stalker squawked. "Nobody wants you to explain a rhetorical question all the time!"
"Well sorry, Sir big-beaked-idiot." Rave sneered while waving her talons dismissively. "I, a tactician must learn to explain every single statement and codes given by anyone."
"You just did that so anyone would know what a smart-ass you are." Stalker shot back.
"Says the loud mouth." Rave taunted, angering her colleague. The two griffons glared each other before spreading their wings, an obvious sign that they're armed and ready for combat. Kestrel saw the two armed recruits ready to beat the snot out of each other. She narrowed her eyes as she spreads her wings and flew towards the two, catching them by their heads and bonked them before throwing them into the ground.
"Save the fighting for the real thing soldiers!" she squawked, staring down at the downed recruits. "Did you forgot the rules of this academy?"
"N..No ma'am." Both griffons squeaked.
"Then what does the number one rule say?" Both griffons just looked at each other, obviously hesitant to answer the question. Kestrel saw this and groaned, "All of you! Get your asses here right now!"
All the recruits heard this and quickly lined up in front of their instructor with Kite dead last. Kestrel landed in front of them, pacing around them for a bit before she spoke,
"Let me repeat the number one rule and the most important rule in any battlefield. Work. Together."
Some of the recruits, especially Breaker and Stalker silently rolled their eyes Kestrel continued.
"Every soldier is unique but a lone soldier can't defeat a whole swarm of enemies. He or she needed to have some backup if the shit hits the fan. It's true that a bruiser like Stalker can fend off several enemies at once but he still needs a tactician like Rave to guide him around some of the more tricky opponents."
Kestrel's eyes now rested her eyes on the recruits.
"All of you need to not just to remember that rule but also applying it to your lives. Fighting your own allies is is a sure way to get your ass handed to you both by karma or others. I already told and explain this rule to the ones who died in the Drakenridge mountains and the ones who survived are the ones who actually listened to me."
The recruits began to murmur to each other. They heard about the incident involving the 14th GRG and the "Neue Gryphonian" rogues, each of them had their own thoughts about that. Simple minded recruits think that the whole thing was a some sort of payback by the ponies for the war and they actually trying to start the whole thing again by attacking the griffon forces. The smarter recruits thinks that the incident might have been an actual attack by a rogue squad posing as a Neue Gryphonian forces and the whole thing will be covered up by the head state of Neue Gryphus as a mere training accident.
They were even more curious with the mysterious newcomer that hitched a ride with the survivors. Stalker and Breaker snickered silently, remembering their instructor's little chat with the blue griffon yesterday. Rave, being a thinker and a bookworm, tried her best to identify the new griffon's identity.
"Judging by his accent, he definitely came from Neue Gryphus." She thought. "But who is he? I remembered seeing someone like him somewhere…"
"…teamwork is essential in any battle." Kestrel continued. "If you don't do it, then the battle is over for you and your mates before it's even started."
The recruits glanced at each other while Stalker silently sighed in boredom. Rosepink was the most troubled one after she heard that.
"Is that all clear soldiers?" Kestrel asked.
"Yes ma'am!" the recruits answered in unison, Kestrel only nodded in response before she spoke again.
"Now I want you all to run the course again but this time, make sure everyone made it through the finish line together!" Kite gulped when the female griffon's piercing green eyes glared at him when she emphasized that last word. "Now let's go, come on! Move it!"
One by one, the recruits took off from the ground and headed for the course nicknamed, The Gauntlet by the instructors. Breaker was in the lead, hardly paying attention to his comrades behind him.
"Hey, keep up!" he yelled without turning back.
"Yeah, yeah Mr. Boss." Stalker sneered while making "blah blah" gestures with his hand. The other snickered at this except for Kite who was already falling behind, still tired from the last run. Rave noticed this and flew back to help him.
"Come on, pipsqueak." She squawked as she tugged him. "We need to stay together."
"A..alright." Kite squeaked as both griffons rejoined the formation. The recruits circled around The Gauntlet for a bit before Breaker dived in followed suit by the others. Kestrel watched silently from the ground activated her stopwatch as the recruits commenced their run.
The first obstacles on the course were twenty hoops, each of them barely large enough for one griffon to pass through, let alone a whole group. Breaker squinted his eyes as he picked up some speed while lining himself with the hoops. The other tried to keep up but they were no match for Breaker's speed.
As the lead griffon approached the hoops, he retracted his wings and pass through the hoops with ease. When he reached the end, he stopped in mid-air and turned around.
"Come on dweebs. Keep up." He yelled before flying into the next course. Stalker growled at this as he mimicked Breaker's move and passed through the hoops, followed suit by the twins, Rosepink, Kite, Rave and the others.
When they're all through, Breaker was already on the next course, the paint-ball run. The automatic computers controlling the paint-ball guns locked on the griffon's moves as he speeds through the course with occasionally evading several rounds that were too close for comfort. Within 15 seconds, Breaker already finished the run and gave the others an arrogant smirk before moving to the next course.
Stalker did the best he could but at least five paint balls hit his body. The pain was dulled by the feathers but the skin still stings around the area. The twins, Max and Goose though slower than Breaker were by far exceeds his performance in this course. Their coordination was flawless as each twin guided one another through wave after wave of paint balls and occasionally, guided the others through as well.
But no one had expected Kite of all griffons to match the twins performance. Rave was clever enough to use some of terrains as a shield while Kite, much to the other recruits' amazement used basic but insanely quick evading maneuvers to avoid the paint balls. Though he never shows it, Kite is actually faster than any of the griffon recruits, even Breaker couldn't help but to glance back to saw Kite's performance. His quick time response and memory from flight training really made him stands out during this course than the last. His downside was his weak endurance and stamina.
The next course was probably the most challenging course for the recruits, even for Breaker. It's the wind course and it simulates the strong wind shear surrounding the capital. Each recruit must pass through the strong cold wings emitted by giant fans to pass through the other side and into the next course.
Breaker grunted as he battled the strong winds from either side of the course. Ice starts to build up on the tips of his wings as he struggled through the winds. With a slight growl, Breaker poured every single ounce of his strength into his wings and flapped his way out from the course.
The rest of the recruits experienced far worse than Breaker. Stalker occasionally lose his bearings and nearly crashed on the ground if it wasn't for the twins helping him out. Rosepink almost got blown away but she's saved by another recruit. Kite and Rave struggled as they flapped their way out of the winds with the former always getting blown off course. Luckily for him, Rave is there to help him out whenever the winds were too much for him.
"For a lightning fast flier, you're pretty weak." Rave remarked as she and Kite slowly made their way through the howling winds. "You got some skills back there, but here? Not so much."
"Tell me about it." Kite answered. Rave only smirked in response. The two griffons finally escaped the ice cold winds and quickly heads to the next course.
Kestrel watched silently from the ground, using binoculars to see the students performance. Once again, Breaker is going solo and didn't gave any regard to the other recruits. Stalker is actually doing alright with the twins though he obviously didn't want their help. Rosepink now worked in tandem with three other recruits named, Razorback, Decoy, and Ricochet.
She's also impressed when she saw Kite's performance on the paint-ball course and how Rave worked together with him on the wind valley course. The young griffon definitely shows great progress in this month.
"That young lad really showed some progress isn't he?"
Kestrel nearly yelped when she heard that. She turned around and saw a smiling Riddle behind her, waving his talons in a friendly manner.
"Good morning Captain." He smiled warmly. Kestrel's response was a growl and spreading her wings.
"What are you doing here Belkan?" she demanded. "I thought the King have—"
"Lock me up and threw away the keys?" Riddle finished her sentence, earning a snarl from her. "Now why would he do that to his old friend?"
"Don't play games with me Belka—" Kestrel stopped immediately as her frown was replaced by a look of utter shock. "Wait…what? Did you just say his old friend?"
"Oops. I just say that aloud didn't I?" Riddle said.
"You just did." Kestrel deadpanned. "Now stop with these games and tell me your name."
"Nope, ladies first." Riddle retorted.
"Why should I reveal my name to you?" Kestrel asked in suspicion.
"Well I just said I'm an old friend of Valdar didn't I?" Riddle answered. "You can trust me madam. You have my word for it."
"Fine." Kestrel sighed in annoyance. "My name is Marie Turmfalken. Callsign, Kestrel. Official commander of the 14th Griffon Royal Guard and the Captain of the Griffin Kingdom Air Force."
"Hmm, you're quite young for a captain of the whole air force." Riddle mused.
"It's not my decision to take that position." Kestrel explained. "It was the King's wish to place me in command of the air force since that bastard betrayed us….and we're getting off topic…"
Kestrel was clearly annoyed by Riddle's word and mind games by now.
"OK, no more games. I revealed my name to you now you must do the same."
"Heheh, alright, alright." Riddle chuckled before clearing his throat. "My name is Ratsel Wonderfalke. Callsign Riddle. Chief scientist of Grunder and former member of the Neue Gryphus military."
Only the sounds of the howling winds met the blue griffon's answer. Kestrel's lower beak would have hit the ground in a comedic fashion when she heard the blue griffon's statement. Before long, Kestrel shook her head before turning away from Riddle and counted down from twenty.
"Is there something wrong captain?" Riddle asked the balked griffon soldier.
"Wait, wait. I'm not ready for this!" Kestrel said as she continued to count. Finally when she reached zero, she turned around and faced Riddle with a determined look. Riddle just stared at her, waving his talon.
"Uh…"
Kestrel's head dropped down as she sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you sir Wonderfalke."
"Ah it's okay Captain Turmafalken." Riddle said dismissively. "There is no need for an apology, I doubt every griffon would recognize me if I start playing with their nerves."
"Well you did a good job on me." Kestrel chuckled sheepishly but her face soon turned serious again. "But I still can't believe you out of all griffons would help that traitor…may I ask why you did it?"
"Well why not ask him yourself?" came Riddle's response. As if on cue, Kestrel turned upward and saw Black Star, unbounded but still had that stoic look on his face coming from above. The female griffon's wings soon flared and she took a defensive position as the dark griffon landed beside the blue griffon.
"Speak of the devil…and he shall appear." Black Star said in his usual cold voice.
"You sure know how to make an entrance Blake." Riddle chuckled out loud while Kestrel snarled as she circled the dark griffon.
"How did you escape?" she spat.
"Easy, Valdar let me go." The dark griffon replied in a matter of fact tone causing Kestrel to balk in response.
"What?"
"I think you heard me quite clear." Black Star stated. "King Valdar released me from the dungeon and reassessing my execution."
"B..but…Why did he…?" Kestrel was cut off by Riddle as his voice also turned grave.
"Because we have a major problem at our talons." He said coldly. "A problem that could spark another war with the Equestrians and possibly the whole world and like it or not…"
Riddle pointed his talon at Black Star as he continued, "…he's going to help with this problem."
Kestrel couldn't respond at Riddle's sudden revelation. She tried processing her mind but the available facts made it even more confusing than it already was. Black Star saw her reaction and told her that maybe a brief explanation would clear things up a bit.
"I agree…." Kestrel sighed. "Lead the way…"
"Very well. I'll start from the beginning…."
Below the Palace grounds, Underground dungeon, Griffin Kingdom
April 22nd, 1435 hrs
Black Star kept his eye fixed at the griffon in front of him as Geier watched the scene beside him in amusement.
"Heheh, well well." He chuckled. "The Ol' King himself have arrived."
Valdar ignored the griffon's remark and continued to stare down the dark griffon in front of him. Black Star finally found his voice first.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.
"Just paying a visit to an old friend." Valdar answered. "And to say a proper thank you."
"Thanks for what?" Black Star scoffed. "Starting the war?"
"Yes that and for ending it." Valdar answered, Black Star raised one of his eyebrow in dull interest. "I recalled that you're the one who gave that mare, Firefly the necessary intel to destroy that fortress safely and you're the one who revealed Cyclone's deception to me and the others."
"I did what I have to do. I never sought for salvation from your hands by doing that act." Black Star said dismissively. "Rad's games was dragging out for too long. His goals to reunite the Empire was nothing but empty words, he only wanted power and now he had that power blasted right in front of his face."
"Yes…his death was truly by his own doing..." Valdar nodded as he sat down near the cell doors. "By the way, we've found him."
"Is that so?" Black Star smirked.
"Yes, we found his remains when we dismantled that fortress." Valdar answered. "Poor fellow, he's now nothing more than a thick charred skull."
"Heh, Rad's always been a thickheaded fool." Black Star chuckled. "And you dumped him on the sea correct?"
"Correct." Valdar nodded in response. The two went silent for a second until Valdar spoke again. "I see we're still chatting like friends."
"I'm surprised myself." Black Star answered. "Considering I'm now chatting with the person who wants my head in a guillotine basket."
The two laughed for a moment, savoring the moment like two friends would do. Black Star knew Valdar or Zeakros since he joined the army. Though Valdar was obviously older than him, the two were alike in many ways. Both griffons were tacticians who prefers using their brains and not their brawn to win a battle.
The laughter died down as both griffons gone back to their rightful moods. Black Star decided to make his move first.
"Well, that chat was great and all but seriously." His slight cheerful tone changed back to his usual monotonous note. "Why did you come here?"
Valdar sighed, "To ask for your help."
Black Star merely tilted his head slightly in response, obviously interested on why Valdar would ask him for help out of all griffons. Geier however chuckled in amusement from the other cell.
Valdar ignored Geier's reaction and waited patiently for Black Star's response
"Why do you want my help for?" He said in curiosity. "I thought I'm next in line to enter Tartarus."
"Tartarus isn't ready for you yet Blake." Valdar stated as he began to explain. "We have a major problem in our talons. A problem that could threaten our whole kingdom and maybe the world."
"What's the problem?" Black Star asked. Valdar sighed as he spoke,
"You know Grunder Industries right?" Black Star nodded in response. "Just a month ago, I began to notice some financial holes in Grunder's budget reserve. I asked the CEO, Kriegstreiber for some explanation and he said that a couple of the ordnances the Kingdom requested cost much more than we expected. I knew he was lying, I already counted the numbers and the budget holes were too large for a simple fix on the ordnances we requested."
"Well Riddle said that they're building some kind of W.M.D…" Black Star stated. "…and he doesn't want anything to do with it."
"He told you didn't he? I guess Riddle also trusted you on this." Valdar remarked. "But I'm afraid that he only told you the nutshell. He revealed to me that Grunder is working on Project Valkyrie."
"Valkyrie?" Black Star said in surprise. "I thought that Project was officially put on ice since two of the products were destroyed during the war."
"Yes, the Project was indeed put on ice after the destruction of both The Burning Talon and The Fortress Intimidation." Valdar nodded. "But did Cyclone ever told you about the third project?"
Black Star widen his eyes in shock. He never knew that Valkyrie had a third product neither if Red Cyclone knew about it or not.
"No... he didn't." Black Star said slowly. "What is the third project?"
"The name and the central focus of the project itself, Valkyrie." Valdar said ominously. The name caught the attention of Geier as he moved in closer to hear Valdar's explanation. "A mechanical monstrosity born from the dead body of the once great Prince Hraesvelgr."
Black Star knew that name, Hraesvelgr. The once great prince of the dragon race and the protector of the former Principality of Belka. He learned from his time as a military cadet that Hraesvelgr betrayed the Belkans after the latter surrendered to the former Griffin Empire and the surrounding nations.
Ultimately, Hraesvelgr joined an armed extremist group and destroyed the city where the treaty was signed. He also attacked an airbase deep within the country of Hoofstio, a small republical country south of Neue Gryphus for unknown reasons, but this turns out to be his greatest mistake.
The Demon Lord of The Round Table, the once feared ace of aces during the Belkan war was stationed on the base when it was attacked. He and his wingmate managed to took off and track down the prince before taking him down in the Waldreich Mountains, the natural border between Neue Gryphus and the kingdom. The reports said that the body was claimed by the dragons but this seems unlikely since Hraesvelgr was labeled a traitor by the dragons for siding himself with the griffons of Belka.
But now he knew that the kingdom had the corpse all along and plans to reconstruct the dragon into a machine for the kingdom's aerial defense. This idea sounded absurd if not downright insane for the dark griffon. He knows there are better ways to have decent aerial security rather than having a giant robot dragon flying around to protect it.
There was something more to this. He just know it.
"Is that all?" Black Star asked to which Valdar shook his head.
"No, there's more. Beside Project Valkyrie, Wonderfalke also told me about another project called Exile." Black Star raised his eyebrow in interest. "He said that Exile was supposed to be some kind of armor that boost the wearer's powers, though he didn't reveal the details of it. He just said that the armors are very unstable and could possibly harm the wearer."
This explanation made something tick inside Black Star's brain. He remembered his and Riddle's battle with that armored red pegasus. Could that armor be the Exile armor Valdar's talking about? If so, he can only imagine the horrifying potential if the armors were mass produced. Countless armies of juggernauts will definitely ruin anyone's day.
"So, Grunder is building a mechanical dragon and a power armor that makes an individual insanely powerful." Black Star said conclusion, smirking a bit when he said that 'mechanical dragon' part. "And you want me to stop them?"
"Not just you. Ratsel Wonderfalke was more than happy to offer some help and I'm sure Captain Marie Turmfalken would help too. You're not alone on this one." Valdar said. Black Star still gave no response to the griffon's offer. Valdar decided to add another offer to boost the black griffon's morale.
"Listen Blake, if you do this, I will reconsider your punishment. You can escape death and be a free griffon." Black Star only stared apathetically at him as he continued. "I'm offering this chance to you to redeem yourself. You're a good griffon and you know it but that incident with that mare Firefly left your morale in ruins. This is a chance to atone for your mistakes and move on."
Black Star soon heard voices from his head again. His logical side still kept its skepticism, this whole offer is too good to be true and Valdar was obviously lying to him. But his side of hope told him to do it. Not just for him but for Firefly and Equestria as well. Seeing Equestria go down in ashes as the fires of war ravaged the whole world wasn't an option for him.
That mare has suffered long enough…surely you didn't want her life to be destroyed again…?
If you do this, you could forgave yourself for what you did…
You can live a normal life again…no more wanted posters…no more nightmares…
No more Black Star…Only Blake…
"…and that's how I'm here." Black Star finished his explanation. This revelation made Kestrel dove deep in her thought. This was no doubt a situation the kingdom had to face since Neue Gryphus is the kingdom's industrial state. More so with Grunder Industries, the main and only distributor for the griffons' technological gems.
Ever since the Urusean conflict in the west subsided, the main company responsible for providing the necessary tech for the Urusean griffons was disbanded and replaced by Grunder's own branch in the war torn country. Now with Grunder stirring up some heat in Neue Gryphus, there's no doubt that an armed extremist group would surface inside the state very soon.
"Hmm, that's a bad situation indeed." Kestrel said at last. "If the King wishes me to join in this then so be it. I'll defend this kingdom with my own life."
"Wonderful." Riddle smiled as he shook Kestrel's talon. "Welcome to the squad, Captain Turmfalken."
"Squad?" Kestrel asked in confusion.
"Oh that's right." Riddle said in realization. "Valdar also said that we needed to form a new special squad or a task force to provide some decent backbone to the kingdom's military."
"And that's why we're here." Black Star continued. "Valdar wanted us to pick a recruit as the fourth member in our squad."
As soon as Black Star finished his sentence, the recruits finally came back from The Gauntlet. Breaker landed first, followed by Stalker and the twins; Max and Goose. Rosepink landed along with Razorback and Decoy while Ricochet landed behind them. The last ones were Rave and Kite.
Kestrel immediately stopped the stopwatch before turning to face the recruits.
"Six minutes, fifty-nine seconds. Not bad." She said with a slight interest. "But I ask, Breaker…"
"Yes ma'am." The griffon responded.
"Why did you go solo?"
Breaker was silent while the other recruits glared at him.
"Ooh…busted." Stalker whispered mockingly. The other recruits snickered at this except Rave who only noticed the two new arrivals beside their instructor. She recognized Black Star immediately but she had a hard time recognizing Riddle.
"Um..ma'am." Rosepink spoke, earning Kestrel's attention.
"What is it soldier?" Kestrel responded. Rosepink immediately pointed her talon at Riddle and Black Star.
"Who are those guys?" she asked. Kestrel looked at the two griffons before turning back to the young griffon. Before she could respond, Riddle stopped her and spoke,
"There's no need to introduce me Captain, I can do that myself." He said to Kestrel before turning to the recruits. "Greetings, my name is Ratsel Wonderfalke, a former member of the Neue Gryphus military."
The recruits' reaction were mixed, some of them knew Riddle and started murmuring in amazement while others payed more attention to Black Star who stood behind the blue griffon. The black griffon was avoiding his gaze from them.
"You're Wonderfalke?" Rave said in amazement. "By Wonderfalke you mean the respected knightly family of the old Belkan order?"
"Yep, that's me." Riddle said sheepishly. "And please don't call me sir or whatnot. The knight tradition was already dead for several generations."
Rave immediately stepped forward and shook Riddle's talon in excitement. "I'm a big fan sir! It's a pleasure meeting you in person."
Riddle just gave a sheepish smile in return. "Uh, yeah. Thanks."
"Oh save your fangasm for later Rave. You're making a scene." Stalker scoffed, before looking at the blue griffon and nodding at him in acknowledgment. "It's a pleasure sir."
"Thank you lad." Riddle answered. Breaker however was more interested in Black Star. He slowly approached the black griffon before clearing his throat to get his attention.
"What?" Black Star said flatly.
"Is it true then?" Breaker said slowly. "You're the one who betrayed our kingdom but also ended the war?"
"And what of it?" Black Star responded.
"You didn't look like it." Breaker scoffed. "Black Star the Terrible? Black Star the Ghost? Hmph, you look like some washed out military cadet with no experience whatsoever."
"Is that so?" Black Star said in interest. "Don't judge a book by it's cover kid, it's a sure way to get yourself hated by your friends."
"Friends? Who needs them." Breaker said out loud. "I can handle things myself, like that pegasus Mobius."
Black Star could only stare at the overconfident griffon recruit in amusement.
"Arrogance, a sure way to get yourself killed." Black Star thought with a smile.
"Don't get too cocky kid." Riddle said, catching the recruit's attention. "Even Mobius had allies during his heyday. Heck, all famous aces had allies."
"What are you implying sir?" Breaker said cockily. "Are you going to preach me so I can work together with those lowly dweebs over there?"
"What did you say you arrogant punk!?" Stalker snapped angrily as he and the other recruits advanced towards Breaker.
"You're an ass Breaker. You think you completed the Gauntlet faster than us means you're better than us?." Ricochet scoffed.
"I was right." Rave added. "You're not just an arrogant prick but you're a moron as well…"
"Alright that's enough all of you!" Kestrel snapped, silencing the recruits. "If you say one more word, you all must go through The Gauntlet all over again!"
The recruits immediately backed down when they heard Kestrel's threat while Riddle and Black Star watched the entire scene in amusement. Riddle looked at the situation with full interest. While the other recruits started insulted each other when Breaker stirred up hornet's nest, only one remained silent and composed.
Kite only watched the scene with a blank look, unsure whether to join in or to just sit there and do nothing. He didn't seem offended by Breaker's statement, he knew his limitations and added with the fact that a soldier won't lose his composure whenever the situation he's in.
Suddenly an idea popped up into Riddle's mind.
"Alright, I see that you all wanted to be the best and I'm here to pick one of you to be in a special squad." Riddle said, the recruits immediately snap their attention at him.
"Are you forming a team sir?" Rave asked. "If so, why?"
Riddle sighed a bit before he looked at Kestrel. She nodded grimly before Riddle turned his attention back at the recruits and spoke again,
"I'm afraid I should tell you all the whole truth…"
The recruits listened the blue griffon's explanation with mixed interest but gradually, their interest began to grow more and more as Riddle explained every detail regarding Valkyrie, The Burning Talon, Fortress Intimidation and the war ten months ago. After he's finished, the recruits were silent with concern written on their faces.
"Damn…" Stalker croaked.
"Now that's a problem." Breaker said as he and Rave nodded thoughtfully. The twins just whispered to each other while Rosepink's face became paler than snow.
"Uh sir..?" Kite stuttered, raising his talon. "Why did you need only one of us? Would it be better if you choose all of us to be in the squad?"
"Yeah, sir. Why is that?" Rave added in agreement.
"Your king wished a four unit squad." Riddle explained. "Any more will be too much to handle since you're all rookies with ego issues."
This statement made some of the recruits growled under their breath but they're quickly silenced by a single glare from Kestrel. Rave only nodded thoughtfully before asking the blue griffon.
"Exactly how do you plan to choose one of us sir? I think it's rather obvious that you would choose Breaker for this."
"Breaker? Ah, the lad truly had potential to become a soldier but his arrogance really blinded him from it's true purpose."
"What did you say?" Breaker snarled, flaring his wings in anger. "You think I'm not good enough for your special squad?"
"Breaker! Stand down!" Kestrel barked sternly.
"It's OK Captain. If he had a problem with me then I would gladly resolve it with my own claws." Riddle said to the female griffon before facing the arrogant rookie with a smile. "You think just because you're big and strong means you can be the best? Truly a foolish thought. Your might alone won't win the war. Don't try too hard to be a hero kid, it's a sure way to get yourself killed."
Breaker's patience finally snapped as he delivered a claw swipe to the blue griffon's face. To his surprise, Riddle grabbed his right talon and twist it enough to make Breaker yelped in pain but Riddle wasn't finished yet. He then turned the recruit around and bring his body into the ground before pinning him down with his body weight. The recruits' reaction was predictable.
"Whoa…Breaker just got owned!" Stalker said out loud.
"That was fast!" Rave said in awe.
"Radical." Max smiled.
"About time that bastard got his end." Goose added with a chuckle.
"Gah! Let me go!" Breaker growled as he tried to wiggle his way out from the blue griffon's grip to no avail.
"You lack convictions of a soldier." Riddle smirked as he holds the angry recruit down. "That arrogance of yours will get you killed in a battlefield."
Breaker kept struggling until Kestrel told Riddle to stop and let him go, stating that Breaker gets the message. The young griffon brushed off the dirt from his tan feathers before glaring at Riddle angrily. He's been humiliated in front of the other recruits and his instructor, he's not going to let that pass. No way.
As he's about to pounce Riddle again, Kestrel stopped him by grabbing his head and brought it down to the ground. Once again, Breaker found himself being pinned to the ground with minimal effort.
"Stand down soldier." Kestrel said coldly. "One more stunt like that and you're out. Got that?"
Breaker just growled in response but after a while, the young griffon finally groaned and uttered a simple, "Roger."
Satisfied with the answer, Kestrel let him go and told him to join the other recruits and keep his beak shut in which he spitefully complied. Riddle however was talking to Black Star in secret. The two griffons spoke to each other which finally ended in both of them nodding to each other. Riddle turned around and faced the recruits.
"Alright, now I'll begin the test."
"Test? What test?" Stalker asked.
"A simple test to test your skills." Riddle explained. "The last one standing or erm…flying is the one I pick to become the new member of the squad."
"Finally…" Breaker smirked as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Time for some pay back old man."
"Oh but you're not going to fight me." Riddle chuckled before stepping aside to allow Black Star to stand on his place. "This guy will be your opponent."
Some of the recruits' excitement instantly dropped when they saw the black griffon cracked his neck before he flew into the skies. Kestrel immediately detest Riddle's decision but the blue griffon assured her that Black Star can be trusted and will go easy on the recruits.
"Come on." Black Star taunted. "Who's first?"
Breaker was hesitant at first. Though he still have his doubts, the griffon he and the others must face was a dangerous war criminal responsible for starting the war. The other recruits also felt the same way, Black Star wasn't some griffon they could simply take on. He's dangerous, he's cunning and he's the former captain of the Griffin Kingdom Air Force.
Remembering what he'd done in the Equestrian War, members of the griffon army had an unofficial nickname for the dark griffon.
The Ghost
"What's the matter?" Black Star said again, clearly taunting the recruits. "Too scared to face me?"
"As if!" Stalker yelled as he flew up and prepared to ram the griffon head on. Black Star simply dodged the attack and retaliated with a swift jab to Stalker's shoulder, throwing the griffon off balance. Breaker use this moment to strike Black Star from below but the dark griffon saw it coming and move out of the way.
Breaker missed his target but before he could attempt a second strike, Black Star already threw two precise punches into his stomach and left arm. Breaker grunted in pain as he backed off while keeping his sights on the griffon in front of him. Black Star returned his glare with an apathetic look.
Breaker took a brief glance down before smirking. Black Star squinted his eyes as he flew upwards and did a somersault, avoiding the twins' strike from below. Breaker use this chance to strike the dark griffon but to his surprise, Black Star did another somersault and avoided his attack but he's not finished there. When he nearly completed the loop, Black Star brought his talons together and delivered a powerful uppercut to Breaker's beak.
The tan griffon growled in pain as he clutched his beak while the twins just looked at each other before splitting up and try to surround their enemy. Max flew straight in and delivered a punch which Black Star avoided. The black griffon then retaliated with a claw swipe but to his surprise, Max avoided it before he yelled,
"NOW!"
Goose appeared right behind the black griffon with his talons already clenched and headed straight to Black Star's skull.
"Special delivery!" Goose chuckled. "Hope you like it!"
Black Star watched silently as the fist came closer to his head. With an annoyed sigh, he ducked, letting the fist swing harmlessly over his head. Then he grabbed the fist and pulled Goose before throwing him into his twin. Both twin managed to evade one another but before they could recover, Black Star flew straight into them, forcing them to hit the deck and dive for cover. The black griffon stopped in mid-flight and turned around, only to face a roaring Stalker coming straight at him.
Stalker roared as he delivered five to six punches to Black Star's chest and stomach. The griffon ignored the pain and started to block the yellow griffon's attacks. Stalker delivered more punches and claw swipes but all of them were blocked by the black griffon.
"Damn! He's good!"
While the two were preoccupied with one another, Breaker who managed to recover from the uppercut earlier sneaked behind and tried to tackle Black Star from behind. Black Star noticed this as Stalker delivered another punch headed for his stomach. He quickly moved to the side and the punch missed him and headed straight at Breaker's face.
"Oh sh….*smack*…."
Breaker didn't have time to finish his curse as he was sent flying backwards by the punch. Stalker just looked at what he just did in shock, completely unaware of Black Star's fist coming straight for his face.
The blow sent Stalker spinning into the ground. Kestrel wasn't amused by this sight.
"I thought you said he's holding back!" she yelled at Riddle.
"Don't worry trust me." Riddle assured the worried instructor. Kestrel wasn't buying it and turned back to see that the other recruits have joined in the battle.
Ricochet tried using his lightning fast reflexes to deliver some fast blows at Black Star to no avail. The black griffon always saw through his attacks and blocked each and every one of them. Their duel was cut short by Decoy who managed to lock Black Star's limbs from behind.
"That's it D! Keep him like that!" Ricochet yelled as he extended his talons, switching from punches to claw swipes. Black Star responded by hitting Decoy with his head, causing the young azure griffon to release his grip, giving Black Star enough time to grab Ricochet's talons and throw him at his dazed comrade. The two griffons impacted one another and falls into the ground.
"These poor fools don't know how to fight properly." He thought with a frown. "This is just too easy."
Suddenly, Black Star felt the air pressure around him changed as a lightning fast shadow appeared behind him. He narrowly dodged the attack as another figure came from his front and launched an attack. Black Star blocked the attack only to have the first figure to tackle him and kicked him in the stomach.
The blow wasn't as powerful as Stalker or Breaker's attacks but it was enough to make him lose his balance. As he regain his balance, Black Star looked up and saw his attackers.
Kite and Rave were already hovering above him with the female recruit having a confident smirk while the smaller recruit kept his eyes focused on him.
"That was fast." Black Star thought with a smirk as Kite made the first move by diving towards him. Black Star only hovered and prepared himself for the attack. To his surprise, Kite changed his course at the last minute and brought his attack from the side. Black Star was quick to react to this, only to find out that Kite abandoned his attack and changed his course again. This time, he's coming at him from below.
Black Star flew upwards but Kite catches him off guard as he zips through him and readied himself for an attack from above. Black Star can only brought his talons up to cover his head as the small griffon's punch contacted him but this wasn't over yet. Rave managed to use this time for an attack, she dived down and delivered a kick to Black Star's chest, knocking him out from the sky.
Kestrel watched as the black griffon landed hard on the ground, groaning a bit as he dusted himself off from the debris.
"Hmph, those two had some serious potential." Black Star thought as he spreads his wings and went back up again. But he was intercepted by Rosepink and Razorback.
"Ah, ah. Try again old timer." Razorback said as he pulled the black griffon down, giving Rosepink a chance to slash him.
"Forgive me!" Rosepink yelled as she brought her talons into Black Star's chest. The griffon smirked as he blocked the blow and did a barrel roll while diving into the ground. The two recruits followed him but Black Star stopped in mid air, causing Razorback to miss him and flew straight into the ground. Fortunately he managed to slow down at the last minute.
"Oh man…." The orange griffon groaned.
Rosepink was left alone with Black Star in front of her. She was shaking like leaf, and obviously didn't have the courage to fight the scary dark feathered griffon in front of her. Black Star saw her predicament and decided to end it peacefully. Black Star slowly approached the scared griffon recruit with a grim look plastered on his face. He moved his face closer to her before yelling,
"Boo!"
"Eeep!" Rosepink screamed and flew away, hiding behind one of the buildings. Kestrel can only smacked her talon into her face in disbelief while Riddle tried his best not to laugh at the scene.
"Are you laughing sir?" Kestrel asked.
"Pfft….off course not...heh…heh…" Riddle choked as he put his talons over his beak in a vain attempt to conceal his laughter.
Black Star just stared at the building where Rosepink hid herself. He sighed, clearly not impressed by the young griffon's reaction. He felt the air pressure changed again as Kite appeared behind him with his fist ready to strike his neck. He evaded it but he found another punch coming straight for his face.
The blow sent him spinning but he managed to recover. Kite kept his eyes focused as he dived down to deliver another attack, Black Star quickly flew upwards and kept going, gaining altitude and distance from the lightning fast flier but Rave was already waiting for him in the skies.
"Where do you think you're going?" she sneered as she brought her claws straight to Black Star's forehead. The black griffon blocked the attack but Kite managed to catch up to him and delivered a kick to his side. Rave followed suit by a swift claw swipe to his left cheek.
Black Star grunted as he regain his balance and hovered to face his attackers.
"Got to switch techniques." He thought before lowering his altitude, surprising the two young griffon in front of him.
"What is he doing?" Rave thought out loud, Kite only shrugged in response. Black Star finally stopped near the ground and hovered, not bothering to take a defensive position.
"Ah, so he's using the ground as a shield…" Rave thought with a smirk. "He's planning to take Kite out before going after me. Hmph, not a very good plan."
Black Star saw Rave trading this new intel with Kite in silence. A small smile formed on his beak, his plan is going smoothly.
Kite stayed behind as Rave dived down to deliver her attack but to her surprise, Black Star never moved from his spot. She hesitated for a moment, giving a chance for Black Star to deliver his attack. Kite saw this too and decided to aid his partner. But his plan was halted by the twins reappearance.
"There's no way we're getting you take our spot pipsqueak!" Max shouted as he and Goose heads straight down to Black Star. Rave found herself in a pinch, her strategies were shattered the moment Black Star dodged her attack. Even if she's already thought one step ahead of him, Black Star seems to think beyond that. He saw through her moves, tactics and attacks, evading every last one of them and delivering his own which Rave barely have time to dodge them.
But the twins' appearance soon changed that.
Both griffons faced Black Star in a three-on-one battle with Rave carefully coordinating their attacks. Soon, Black Star find himself overwhelmed by the recruits relentless attacks.
"You can't escape!" Goose said as he tried slashing Black Star's chest. "We've got you surrounded!"
"Yeah, we're gonna take that position!" Max added. This statement gave Black Star an idea.
"We?" He began, dodging another attack from Rave. "I thought there's only one free slot on the squad's roster."
The twins realized this and looked at each other. Before long, the two began to argue on who is suppose to take the free slot, causing Rave to groan in annoyance and giving Black Star enough time to ram Rave, effectively knocking her out and deliver the finishing blow to Goose. Max was shocked to see his twin fell down and soon, his temper went into his head and he attacked Black Star.
"Why you…!" he screamed in rage but his attacks were evaded effortlessly by the dark griffon. Black Star finally had enough and decided to end the griffon's rampage. Max tried to slash his chest again but Black Star grabbed his talon and used it to punch him. Dazed and vulnerable, Max was an easy target for him. Black Star grabbed the white feathered griffon and throw him into the ground. Max landed not far from his twin.
"Three down. One to go…*smash*…ugh!" Black Star's thought was cut short by a kick to his chest. When he looked to his front, Kite's talons have already clenched into a fist and strike Black Star's face. The dark griffon lost his balance but he quickly regained it and hovered, keeping his eye leveled at the bluish gray griffon.
All eyes on the ground watched in silence as both griffons circled each other. Black Star's intimidating look made Kite hesitant for a bit but he shrugged those doubts off and kept focused on the goal; bringing his opponent down. He flapped his wings to gain altitude before diving down towards the dark griffon in high speed.
Black Star's muscles tensed as the lightning fast flier came closer towards him, he evaded him at the last minute, only to find Kite's claws clinging to his chest and before long, Kite's now clinging at his back, punching at the back of his head repeatedly. Black Star tried to shook off the small griffon off to no avail. Soon, both fliers descended into the ground, giving Black Star a chance to gain the upper hand.
Black Star dropped himself into the ground but Kite released his grip and escaped at the last minute. The small griffon ascended leaving Black Star on the ground. The dark feathered griffon growled as he spreads his wings and followed Kite into the skies. Both griffons keep ascending until Kite stopped, giving Black Star an opening to attack but he never take it. Instead, he kept ascending, prompting Kite to follow him.
"Come on kid, is that the best you got!?" Black Star yelled below as he continued to gain altitude. Suddenly, Black Star stopped ascending and dived down, missing Kite in mere inches. Kite squinted his eyes and followed suit. Both griffons continued to dive down into the ground as Kite slowly gained speed to catch the dark griffon in front of him. His tail began to blur and trailing some colorful sparks of electricity. Black Star looked back smirked as he changed his course. Kite noticed it and began to bleed some airspeed so he can turn and kept his pursuit.
On the ground, the rest of the recruits watched in shock as Black Star shot out from the clouds with Kite hot in pursuit. They watched as both griffons turned from the training grounds and headed straight for the palace. Both griffons turned and twisted through the tall palace towers and flew through the open arches and gates before disappearing into the clouds again.
Before they could say anything, Black Star reappeared right on top of the training grounds and flew to the end of the field and landed there. Kite followed suit but landed near them, he immediately collapsed into the ground, clearly exhausted from the engagement.
"Alright that's enough." Riddle called out to the two griffons. Black Star folded his wing, closed his eyes and nodded as he walked over to Kite along with Riddle and Kestrel. Honestly, Kite didn't expect to succeed on this test so he's more than surprised that he's the only recruit to survive against the dreaded Black Star.
"Well done lad." Riddle began. "You really got Black Star winded up there…."
Black Star kept his look but couldn't help but flinch a little when he heard that.
"And your speed will be really useful in missions. Don't you agree captain?"
"Yes." Kestrel nodded. "His speed was quite surprising when I first saw it on the training course. I wonder why he's been keeping it a secret until now."
"Regardless if it's a secret or not, he's proven himself to be the best." Riddle said before turning to face the other recruits. "As for all of you. You did your best, and if you cast you're your selfishness, there's no doubt that you'll be a good team."
"Thank you sir!" The recruits yelled in unison. Riddle nodded and turned back to Kite before extending his right talon at him.
"Welcome to Aquila squadron."
Kite was silent at first, unsure on how to react to this sudden info. But then a huge smile formed on his beak as he extended his own talon and shook back.
"T..thank you sir!" he said happily. At this moment, the other recruits came to him and congratulated him. Rave playfully rubbed her fist into the small griffon's head, messing up his feathers. Breaker just gave a quick "Well done." to him before turning away with a smug look, prompting Stalker to hit him on the couldn't help but smile at the scene while Black Star just turned around and gazed the skies over the southern border.
"It's too early for a celebration." He thought with a frown. Then Black Star felt a cold breeze coming from the south. His feathers fluttered along the breeze as he continued.
"A storm is brewing…."
Gryphus Command Center, Gryphus, Griffin Kingdom
April 23rd, 1156 hrs
It's a slow morning for the officers working in the command center. The command center was the eyes and ears of Gryphus and to some extent, the whole kingdom. Any griffon from the kingdom would want to bring glory to their country by joining the army but the last job on their heads was to be a radar operator in the command center.
Many griffons described the job as boring or useless but they fail to realize that without the command center watching troops from the skies, the battle will quickly turned to the enemy's favor. Sadly, this explanation often fell to deaf ears. Most members of the command center were smart minded recruits who got dumped from the academy and even they found the job to be boring as hell. The only excitement on the command center was during The Equestrian War. Many griffons rolled into the military and the job of the radar watchers suddenly became more serious and challenging due to the sudden inflation of troops in battle.
With the war now behind them, the job as the eyes and ears of the Griffin Kingdom became boring again. The majority of the controllers were either left for a quick snack or gone home. Now, there's only two controllers watching the radar screens.
One of them was a middle aged griffon with black fur on his body and white feathers covering his head and wing. The other is a dark yellow feathered griffon in his late twenties. Both of them had the same callsign written on their name tags; Altair.
The younger griffon yawned as he stood up from his seat and turned to the older griffon.
"Sir, I'm going out."
"Again?" The older griffon asked. "That's the fifth time Marcus."
"I know sir it's just…ah!" The young griffon, Marcus groaned. "It's so boring today!"
"I know it's boring Marcus but it's our job." The older griffon said sternly. "We're the eyes and ears of the Griffin Kingdom. It's our job to keep the kingdom safe from any intrusions."
Marcus sighed when he heard that. He's got a point.
"Look sir, I—" Then a loud beep interrupted him. The older griffon's eyes immediately glued to the screens in front of him.
"What is it sir?" Marcus asked. The older griffon didn't respond at first as he monitored the radar screens.
"That's not right." The old griffon muttered as he checked another radar screen. Cold sweat began to ooze out from his skin as he checked yet another radar screen, inputting some data to the computers to no avail, "No, no. It must be a bug or something..."
Suddenly, the telephone rang. The old griffon quickly picked it up and listened to the caller. Marcus can only watch as the old griffon's face became paler and paler as the caller continued to spoke in absolute horror. A full minute passed by when the old griffon let out a curse and dropped the phone before heading straight for the emergency telephone reserved for calling the king.
"Marcus, I want you to keep monitoring those radars and keep me updated." The older griffon ordered. Marcus immediately jumped into his seat kept his eyes on the screens.
"What the…!?" Marcus couldn't believe what he saw. The radar showed a total of twenty hostile contacts coming from the southern border and heading straight for the urban areas surrounding Gryphus. The contacts bared IDs used by the Neue Gryphus Defense Force. He checked the other radars and saw the same image and from the telephone he could hear air raid sirens going off in the distance. A loud explosion was heard and the line was cut abruptly.
Marcus turned back to face his superior.
"Sir!…are we….!?" he stammered
"Yes." The older griffon replied in disgust while he waited for someone to pick up the phone. "They finally snapped."