Chapter Seventeen - Antithetical Allies
I should have known.
I was so focused on blending in with their cultural expectations that I had just gone along without thinking. I silently berated myself for being an idiot and took a couple of sips of water to keep from bringing up the fruits of my victory.
Evidently, I wasn’t as casual about it as I tried to be because Wepaten cocked his head slightly and asked, "Is something amiss, Captain?"
That was not a good time or place to show weakness, so I forced myself to smile at him and said, "I was just wondering how much better the heart of a king would taste."
"Ah." He hesitated and then said, "May you discover that soon, Captain." He turned to his sidi and translated my comment. The Sidi didn't visibly react.
The dish was removed and the first course brought out to us with various ceremonial flourishes. More meat was put before Ralf and Spot, but Half Hitch and I were served vegetarian dishes. The combination of spices was a bit odd, but otherwise the food was delicious.
After that course and before the next, Atenar Sidi questioned me about my ship and companions, wondering aloud that the Equestrian Navy had not pursued the Stormguard ships with proper battleships.
"There were no ships to pursue, Sidi," I replied. "All of the Storm King's craft at Canterlot were destroyed. Princess Celestia did not think it was worthwhile to waste the navy's time hunting for the rest of the armada and asked me to locate and destroy any that I could find."
There was a quiet back-and-forth between the Sidi and his Seti, before the next question. Wepaten turned to me and asked, "But you are not a subject of the Princess, isn't that correct? How is it that she can command you?"
"That is correct, and she didn't command me. It… It's a little complicated, but I will sometimes do favors for the Equestrian royalty, because they kindly issued me a letter of marque and reprisal. The letter is an acknowledgment of my independant status, but also—"
Wepaten held up a paw and nodded. "We understand the concept. The High Song had such an arrangement with several Ornithian and Caninian—independents before the Storm King put an end to them."
"The Equuish term for such approved 'independants' is privateer."
Wepaten cocked his head. "Indeed? We will make note of it."
Before the fine distinction between pirates and privateers could be gone into, the next course arrived.
The meal went on like that for several courses. They seemed to already know some things about Equestria and Twilight Town, but were eager to confirm their information and get more. Because I started off knowing next to nothing about them, I learned a great deal as well.
I mentioned our cargo and, given the amount and quality of magical crystals I had seen, I offered a very generous trade for a gem of particular qualities. I even wrote out the specifications on a small slip of paper.
It was over coffee and sweets that the real negotiating got going.
The Sidi was willing enough to allow continuing direct trade with Twilight Town merchants. Now that the location of their city was known, there wasn't much point in using cut-outs and exclusive pilots, anyway. He was also all too happy to issue a letter of marque to me personally. I think that was because he (not entirely incorrectly) presumed that it would open the door to asking a "favor" from me from time to time.
It was my third request that he balked at.
"The Stormguard ships are in my kingdom. All salvage rights belong to Atenar Sidi," he explained through Wepaten. The Sidi made a gesture that seemed to mean the point was incontestable.
I paused to marshal my arguments and noticed something interesting about a little golden dish of candied nuts. I couldn't help smiling. It seemed that someone beside Nebula's newest crewpony could get lucky. All of the dinnerware was richly decorated, and the details had become background noise as the meal went on. But there it was; a symbol that was unmistakable after all of my recent reading.
"I seek only some specific items that will be of great benefit to me," I began. "The bulk of the salvage I would leave to you."
Atenar Sidi frowned and opened his jaws to interrupt me, so I levitated the little dish up and dumped the contents onto my charger. "And after all, I am now an ally of your great and prosperous kingdom, am I not?." I turned the dish vertical so that he could see the crossed crocodiles embossed on its surface.
Wepaten and Atenar traded startled looks. Wepaten stepped closer to the throne and the two of them held a hushed and hurried conversation. After a minute or so Atenar slumped back in his throne and Wepaten approached me again.
"My Sidi most generously agrees to your request, only asking that a few jackals accompany your salvage team."
"That would be agreeable to me."
Wepaten reached out and took the dish out of my magical field, gazing at it for a long moment. Then he waved the attendants forward and said, "Forgive Wepaten for not escorting you back to your boat. Wepaten has other duties that must be attended to. Will tomorrow morning suit you for salvage operations?"
"That will be fine, thank you." I rose and the Nebulas followed suit. It was obvious we were being dismissed.
I thanked Atenar Sidi formally and politely, and let the fan-bearing attendants proceed us to the door, where they performed more ceremonial movements. The door swung open, but before I could pass through, Wepaten called out my name.
"Yes, Seti?" I asked, turning to face him.
He held up the little golden dish and then skimmed it through the air toward me. I caught it in my magic and cocked my head at him which (in my experience) is a near universal gesture for, "Huh?"
"A souvenir," he explained as the door slowly closed.
= = =
The halls (streets?) were more crowded as we returned to the entrance, and the dogs more openly curious. There were even members of other species present—a few tall avian types that tracked us closely with their sharp, bright eyes.
Just before we reached the entrance hall, a gray jackal shouted out something from an alcove. Her tone was definitely hostile and her lips were wrinkled up in a snarl. I didn't understand her, but one word caught my ear: bessan. She was looking at Ralf.
Ralf very pointedly did not look at her.
I yanked her out of her shadowy niche and pinned her to the floor with my magic as I whipped out one of my short blades in a pastern grip and held it above her throat.
"Please, Captain, no!" Ralf grabbed my sleeve and pulled as the jackal's eyes went wide and she wet herself. The crowd around us went dead quiet, and our attendants faltered to a disorganized halt.
My hoof didn't waver. "Are you sure, Mr. Ralf?" I asked quietly.
"Yes, Captain! Please don't hurt her!"
"Alright," I said casually, as I released the dog and slid my blade back into its sheath. I waved the fan-bearers forwards and continued walking. The murmuring of the crowd rose to a steady surf-like noise behind us. I didn't look back.
I wouldn't have killed her, of course, or even hurt her, but my position required a certain display of ruthlessness in order to be believable. You might think unleashing a blast that could have destroyed their entire city would have instilled a bit more respect, or at least caution in the population, but people of any sort can be completely illogical about that sort of thing. Or maybe she hadn't gotten the memo. In any case, nobody insults a member of Blackmane's crew with impunity.
The terribly important fan-waving ushered us out the door to the canyon bottom, and we all trotted down to where Bookmark was just as we had left her. We boarded, Half Hitch took the tiller, and we unceremoniously upped stakes and dropped ballast.
There was a little turbulence as we rose above the canyon's rim and into the slanting sunlight of late afternoon, but nothing remarkable.
"Do you want to explain what that was all about, Mr Ralf? Is it something that's likely to happen again?"
The poor guy looked utterly miserable. "Ralf should not have gone back. Ralf does not belong there."
"But they are your people, aren't they?"
He gestured to the pocket where I had put the little golden dish. "The Captain knows much of the High Song. How is that, if Ralf may ask?"
"A very powerful magic that can reveal to me the secrets of the ages," I replied. That got everyone's attention. Ralf stared at me, wide-eyed. "Books, Mr. Ralf. I read a lot of books."
Ralf gaped at me.
"She ain't even kidding, Mr. Ralf!" Half Hitch chuckled. Captain's got more books aboard than most libraries and the only reason we don't use 'em as ballast is 'cause she'd never let us drop any!"
Ralf, still a bit bemused, went on. "Then, the Captain may know of the old saying of the jackals, 'Blood makes the pack'?"
I didn't, but it didn't matter because Ralf went right on. "It is untrue! Only pure blood makes the pack. Ralf's mother was not a jackal, and so Ralf is bessan, and has no place there."
I tried to hide my anger at that, and I think I mostly succeeded, but I might have been fooling myself. (That happens from time to time, especially when it’s less ‘anger’ and more ‘outraged fury’.) "Mr. Ralf," I said when I could be sure my voice would be steady, "You have a pack and a place now."
He looked over at me, and his tail thumped against the thwart a couple of times.
We were approaching Nebula by then, so we all got busy making ready to tie up to her.
= = =
I got the gals and all the officers together in the great cabin to relate what had happened to the shore party. I went through it all as quickly and efficiently as I could, given that it hadn't been possible to take notes.
"Any questions?" I asked when I had finished.
Ensign Sherbet raised her hoof.
"Ensign? You have a question? But you were there!"
"Yes, Captain," she replied. "I… Well, I haven't said it outright, but before Queen Csharreee seized power, I was assigned to an infiltration group that was sent to Caninia.[1] I learned the language and enough of the culture to pass. It's not all that dissimilar to these dogs, but I still don't understand that business with the dish."
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[1] Another hidden Diamond Dog kingdom in the northern mountains. At that point, if an ancient civilization of ice weasels had been discovered in the basements of Las Pegasus,[2] I wouldn't have blinked an eye.
[2] Not that I should be surprised by the inability of sarcasm to outpace reality, but during the editing of this narrative, I was dismayed to learn of the existence of boreal mungteeth (which are often commonly referred to as ice weasels) and the Museum of Adorable Atrocities in Las Pegasus, which has several in its collection. Not quite what I had jokingly predicted, but close enough to make me briefly exasperated with the inherent perversity of the multiverse.
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I remembered her comment about the mission being "not her first dog show," and chuckled. "The two tribes of dogs must not share much in the way of legends," I told her. I went on to describe the symbolism of the trade weights that allowed for a metaphorical second language. "They're mostly used by merchants, but everyone would know the fables and morals they stand for. Once I started paying attention, I saw these symbols all over the place. This—" I levitated the dish out of my pocket so everyone could see it. "—isn't two separate crocodiles, it's a two-headed, two-tailed, single creature. The story is a cautionary tale. The two heads fight over which one gets to eat the food, even though it ends up in the same stomach. The meaning is, loosely, 'Don't be stupid, this benefits both of us!'"
Ao laughed outright at that. "This one holds these dogs in higher regard now! So many creatures would go bloodied of snout and empty of belly, even understanding so much!"
"Well, I think they may just be starting to see the benefits of friendship with us!" I said, smugly.
Sherbet made a sort of strangled noise.
"Ensign Shrrbrgrth?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Forgive me Captain," she said. "Friendship is—complex. Positive emotions of many sorts accompany it, but I sensed none of them from the jackals."
"Really?"
"Yes, Captain. There was uncertainty and greed, but the predominant emotion they felt was fear. They were absolutely terrified of you."
Well… Damn.
= = =
I inspected the repairs after dinner, and walked the deck before turning in. It was only two bells into the First Watch, but it had been a long and exhausting day. I was just about to go below when I spotted Tempest on the fo'c'sle deck, sitting next to the bowsprit and reading a book.
I could barely believe my eyes so I went forward and called out to her. She jumped up and saluted. "Good evening, Captain!" Grubber had been curled up next to her and did his best to imitate her movements.
It was weird. It was the most formal she had ever been with me. "Relax, Tempest. What are you reading?"
Grubber picked up the book for her and held it out so that I could see the cover. It was Quill Dancer's The Founding of Twilight Town. It was a mostly factual account, but lacked a deep understanding of the culture of the Town, and tended toward the hyperbolic. I recognized the copy as the one from the ship's library, which I knew had my added corrections.
"Ah, good! If you make sure to give more credence to my marginal notes[3] rather than the text, I think you'll get a pretty accurate idea of what went on in those days."
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[3] I feel I have to make something clear here, because so many ponies seem to be surprised and shocked that I make a habit of writing notes in the margins of my books. This is an old scholarly tradition, and a quite common practice. A simple, short word-correction or translation is known as a gloss, and a longer addition is known as an interlinear or marginal note, depending on where it is written, though gloss is often used as a catch-all term. This has been common practice for so long that there are many ancient manuscripts that are copies of even older works that painstakingly reproduce the older scribbled notes in formal calligraphy. It is lending libraries that condemn the practice (rightly enough, in that circumstance), not scholars.
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"So, the 'Great Crystal Heist' actually happened?" Tempest asked.
"Oh, that? Yes, it happened pretty much the way it's described there. It's actually a fairly well-known story in Equestria. They even made a stage play out of it. Not very accurate from what I've heard, but it had a couple of good songs."
"But… But… You really just let the thieves go?"
"Yes. I'm big on second chances, remember?"
"But they stole hundreds of millions of bits worth of magical gems!"
"Well, it's not like I let them keep those train cars full of gems! I returned those to Celestia—after I took the ten percent recovery fee offered by the Royal Treasury, of course. I'm forgiving, but also very practical."
"But if they weren't punished, what's to prevent them from trying something like it in the future?"
"The gang lost everything they had, setting up that robbery. They spent nearly half a million bits building the hidden siding and hiring a heavy-lift airship to get the cars across the border. They can't afford to try again! Besides, I hired their leader as a—well I guess 'security consultant' covers most of the various things he does for me. He's paid very well, actually."
Tempest glanced down at the book. "Surprise Ambush?"
I laughed. "Oh, that's a pseudonym! What a silly name that would be for a pony. All ambushes are surprises!"
Tempest frowned in thought and I patiently waited for her. Eventually she said, "But the others could raise more money—"
"Tempest, the lesson was absolutely clear. They had a very good plan, I admit that—and they still lost all their money and half a year's hard work in the attempt. They are all ponies who can put two and two together and come to the conclusion that crime doesn't pay."
"Maybe… But I've known gamblers who throw away everything they earn trying for a big win. It doesn't matter how many times they lose, they think that one giant jackpot will make up for all their losses."
I nodded. "Fair point. There are a few ponies who are unreasonable and bad at math. But remember, I said I give eveypony a second chance—not a third."
"So there's a point at which you will punish criminals?"
"No. I don't punish, I prevent. I prevent innocents from being harmed by clueless creatures that have proven themselves incapable of civilized behavior. That it sometimes looks like punishment is only coincidence."
"Like you did here?" She pointed at the wreckage beneath us. "I think all those Stormguards would have preferred punishment."
My heart sank. She was right, I had jumped at an opportunity to end the war with one quick blow, wiping out commanders of evil intent alongside their less culpable, possibly even conscripted troops. But I had taken measures just as extreme in the past, following my own philosophy beyond the limits of conventional practice, and (if I am being honest about it) most ponies' understanding.
"Not that I'm criticizing you, Captain! Far from it!" Tempest said after I had remained silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. "I know what the Storm King would have done to Equestria, and in your place, I'd try to wipe out his whole army, too. I'm just trying to understand how you prefer to do things."
I was exhausted and couldn't muster the energy to debate her any longer. "If you figure it out, let me know, okay? I'm going to bed."
= = =
"So, Ralf thought I knew what was down there, and that I was going to slaughter thousands of innocents just to get the Storm King… It was a big mess," I said to Luna. "I've got a tentative agreement with the… Um… Songese? Conundrese? I don't even know what they prefer to call themselves! I'll have to ask Ralf when I wake up!" It was a dream, so I didn't really need to breathe, but I was on the edge of hyperventilating, anyway.
Luna made soothing noises and stroked me with one of her downy-soft wings. "You did well, my love. Nopony can fault you for what you did not know."
"I want to negotiate a treaty between us—I mean Twilight Town and them—but I'm afraid they will only agree out of fear, and that's no basis for long-term cooperation. And then there is the Storm King! What do I do now that he knows I can drop an asteroid on his fleet? He will scatter his ships or moor them next to towns or cities. He'll expect a pursuit and could lay traps…"
She let me go on for a while until I ran out of things to whinge about. She was so soft and seemed to be mostly encircling wings. My tension was bleeding away as I spoke and she continued to caress me.
"My ships will arrive in Seaward Shoals tomorrow evening," Luna whispered into my ear. "Come to me. Nay, I am not being selfish—or only a little. We will make plans together."
I wiggled luxuriously in my silky-feathered cocoon and muttered, "'kay."
If I had any other dreams that night I didn't remember them.
= = =
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