//------------------------------// // Operation 11: Mother, Part Three // Story: Sunset of Battle // by Tundara //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer; Sister of Battle By Tundara Operation 11 Over the following day, the atmosphere aboard Mother altered drastically. Gone were the smiles, laughter, and joviality. In their place was a hard determination. The bloodstains remained in the atrium to remind them of the capricious nature of life, and that at any moment death could come for them. Or something to that effect.  Sunset suspected that it was more a matter of practicality that they didn’t possess the cleaners to do it themselves, and the mechanicus and their servitors remained distressingly rare. Without the skittering in the walls, Sunset would have begun to believe that the mechanicus weren’t even on the ship, rather than just staying hidden.  As she explored the ship she encountered a few more servitors or mechanicus in their thick robes. For the most part they ignored the children, going about inscrutable routines of maintaining or operating Mother. Oddly comforted by there being at least some mechanicus, Sunset turned her attention towards the Steinsmarians.     It quickly became apparent that fraternisation with the non-schola children would be almost non-existent. There was no disrespect, quite the opposite as a point of fact. Heads were bowed and tables cleared for anyone from one of the schola’s classes without a word having to be given. Sunset was doubly avoided, though this time it was for what she’d done rather than her appearance. Word that she’d beaten Tony in a fight had spread even with the trauma of Mother’s departure. This was in large part due to the spectacular nature of her turning what seemed certain defeat into a crushing win. Girls looked on her with something close to awe, and the boys with grudging respect.   The only person who approached her was Flash.  On the second afternoon he sat down across from her in the Platinum Deck’s dining hall. Sunset had come to realise the perception that had been formed of her, and dismissed the fawning as both appropriate and a little silly. Luck had saved her skin far more than any skill on her part, which secretly infuriated her.  The dining hall was lavished with velvet curtains, thick bottomed cushions that you sunk into, wooden tables with inlays of the Emperor, and even artificial gravity. Folded napkins waited at the tables, and a spicy flavoured drink was dispensed by skeletal servitors draped in deep blue suits.  Their pallid flesh and cybernetic implants were juxtaposed by their clean pressed shirts, ties, and white gloves. A pungent smell of unguents and oils used to keep their organic components from rotting wafted about them in a cloud. Sunset wondered what ancient aesthetic they were attempting to mimic.    Soft violin music played over the vox casters. She took a sip of her drink and felt a little warm fuzziness in the back of her skull. Next to her, Rainbow was going over lists of equipment and basic plans for when they reached Steinsanne.  Rainbow noticed Flash approach the table first, her head jerking up with a furrowed scowl.  “Tch, what do you want? We’re busy,” Rainbow tersely said. Sunset was mildly impressed by the sheer venom in Rainbow’s eyes directed towards the boy.  Holding up a hand as he would to ward off a yapping dog, Flash sat down across from the girls and said, “I’m just here with an offer, that’s all.” Flipping over the dataslate she and Rainbow had been going over, Sunset said, “Well, by the Throne, don’t waste our time. Just spit it out.” “Straight to the point, I like that.” Flash’s smile was a little charming. Only a little though. “So, as you might have guessed, my father is Augustus Sentry, Head of Planetary Defence.” Sunset hadn’t, but she wasn’t going to let that be known.  Waving for one of the waiter servitors, Sunset indicated with a roll of her other hand for him to continue.  “My father has big plans for me, as do all the parents in my fraternity. He wasn’t going to break any regulations and give me a heads up on what to expect on Steinsanne beyond the exercise yard gossip, of course. But still, big plans. Plans that would only really start if I managed to triumph at camp without his assistance. I gather from your expressions and that dataslate you’re in the same bunker. I’ve been preparing for this for my entire life. Before I left, I sneaked into my father’s office and had a peek at the landing site for this year’s Summer Camp.” “What are you proposing?” Sunset asked before he could go any further. “I doubt you are going to share what you found.” Flash leaned back in his chair and raised a warding hand. His smile cracked a little, and there seemed to be a bit of genuine disappointment in the corner of his eyes. Either he was really good at faking emotion, or he wasn’t nearly good enough at disguising his true feelings to make him a good spy.  “In a broad way, I am. Most won't know the details I’m here to share with you, of course, but yeah. I am here to share what I found.” Leaning an elbow on the table, Rainbow let out a dismissive snort. “So, what are you here to tell us then? Spill it already.”   Grinning sheepishly, Flash nodded and leaned back into the table conspiratorially. “The maps indicated something. Something that could put all of us in the top tiers of the Catalogous if we succeed. A deed that would be talked about for generations.”  From an inside pocket he produced a couple small sheets of simple vellum. On them had been printed copies of the maps. Leaning forward Sunset took a long look at the contour lines showing that it depicted a valley region with the remains of the outer edge of a hive city at one end and a dry lake bed at the other. Ancient road networks were plotted out between a series of mines and a symbol Sunset didn’t recognise.  “What’s that,” Sunset jabbed a finger at the mark at the end of a spur in the valley.  “That is our ticket to the big leagues.” Flash’s grin widened and he leaned forward conspiratorially. “I’ve seen that mark before on my father’s maps. It is for suspected ancient archeo-tech vaults. Stuff hidden away by the Steinsannians before their planet was destroyed. But, you see that icon over there? That is for a suspected Kilguar lair. Which is why the Mechanicus haven’t plundered the area yet.” “You want to go near a kilguar’s lair?” Rainbow snorted, but there was a look of begrudging respect on her face. She leaned in closer over the map and licked her lips, her eyes occasionally darting towards Sunset.    Sunset’s mind was racing, weighing the odds of this being an elaborate trap against the fame and glory of opening a new vault. The convenience of Flash having the map was a knock against going, as was him approaching her. His father leaving the map laying around on purpose for Flash to find struck her as the most liable explanation. It was as close as directly helping without actually saying, ‘hey, go here for a huge deed’. It was also the kind of thing Drill Abbess Maria might try when she really wanted the students to do something. As for the latter, he answered her question before it could be asked.  “This is going to take all of us. The Alpha Alpha Capricorns, the progena, and everyone else we can round up.” Sunset’s lips formed a very thin line.   “We stand a much better chance if we work together,” he continued. “Which is why I’ve come to you first. I need you to put me in touch with your class president.” Sighing, Sunset leaned back and laced her fingers behind her head. Partly to relieve stress and run over the map in her head, having memorised it in the short time she had to look at it, and partly to have a better angle to survey the room and see who was listening in on their conversation. She marked a half-dozen people in the room who had an ear cocked in her table’s direction. How much they’d heard was hard to figure out, human ears being far worse than a pony’s or her own. Enough to get a gist that something important was being discussed, but probably not the details, she figured. “Fine,” was all Sunset said, and motioned with a jerk of her head for Rainbow to go get Rarity. Smiling broadly, Rainbow got up and headed towards the elevator. When she was out of earshot, Sunset asked, “So, how’s Tony?” “He’s yesterday’s news.” A triumphant grin flashed across his face. He leaned back at ease in his chair, fingers entwined behind his head. “I’m in charge of the Alpha Alpha Capricorns now.”             Sunset clicked her tongue, not sure what to think. Maybe a snippet of something like respect. It’s what she planned to do, someday. She just needed to take advantage of the right circumstances. And to create those circumstances. She didn’t trust them to just fall into her lap. What would Flash have done if she hadn’t taken care of Tony for him?  Find another way, obviously. But there was no guarantee that he’d have managed to find or create such an opportunity. Unless…  “You were pushing him to get into a fight with me, weren’t you?” Flash chuckled, and there was a glimmer in his eye that spoke volumes. “Not you specifically, but yeah, I was pushing him for weeks to pick a fight with a progena. Honestly, I expected him to mop the floor with you. I actually got a bit concerned when he didn’t knock you out in the first few seconds. You were kinda amazing. Didn’t expect it from a dolly.” “‘Dolly’?” Sunset arched a brow.  “Yeah. ‘Cause you’re a bit cute.” Flash ran a thumb over his nose and glanced away, his cheeks colouring a little. Sunset rolled her eyes. “And how would him pummeling me have helped you?” “Would have shown him to be too lunk headed to tell the differences in strength, or a bully who only picks on the weak. And picking on the progena; not a good look. Would and will have caused some ripples back in the Spire. Tony’s pops is—” Sunset waved off the rest of the explanation. “I understand. Cut-throat capital politics and the actions of the son on the parents and all that.”  He seemed to see that she did understand. He might not know how or why, but that she had some experience in power politics within upper governmental circles.  It might be worthwhile to build a bit of a good relationship with Flash, if only for his potential future position within Steinsmar’s government. As the son of the head of planetary defence, it wasn’t the worst idea to be in his good books. Even with a convent of the Sisters of Battle, and a newly formed chapter of the Space Marines, it was a position with a fair amount of political clout. After all, the Sisters and Marines would go away for years, decades, and potentially centuries at a time on their crusades, and who was left to tend the home front in those times?    “So, the son of the Minister of Defense, huh?” Sunset cringed as the words tumbled out of her mouth. Could she be any more obvious about her intentions?  Flash simply chuckled and shrugged, however. “And, if my father has anything to say on the matter, a future captain in the Steinsmarines chapter.” “I’m guessing he doesn’t.” “Hah, not in the least,” Flash gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “The governor has even less involvement in the Marines than he did in the affairs of the convent. Same with the various ministers. It was a big ol’ deathstrike missile into how the planet operated, the marines choosing it as a Chapter World. Up until a century ago everything was contentious, but had a sort of balance between the Ecclesiarchy and Governor. Now, it’s all power games and knives hidden behind pleasant smiles. At least, that’s what I’m told.” “And you’re just another pawn in the game.” “Naturally. Doesn’t mean I wont play my part.” “Doesn’t that caff though?” “How so?” “To be nothing more than a pawn. For them to heap lies and promises of power in front of you, but only if you play their narrow little game.To not have any real control over your life.” Flash raised a brow and looked at her as if she were speaking in tongues.  “The only control over our lives is that which the Emperor grants us,” Flash pointed out. “Throne be praised,” Sunset automatically intoned, though the words were bitter in her mouth.   “Throne be praised.” The conversation died down, and Sunset focused more on the maps to put them to memory. She also took up her dataslate and started to make alterations to her proposed kit for her squad. They were going to need stuff for blasting open doors, perhaps crampons and other mountaineering gear to repel down empty shafts. A Leman Russ would be useful. If only she had the resource allowance.  Slowly a smirk crossed her face at the idea of driving a tank around ‘summer camp’. If the ponies in her old orphanage could see her now, or what her life had become… They’d probably die of shock.  The smirk turned into a dark chuckle. One that made Flash tilt his head as he studied her face. She tried to ignore his probing gaze, and was mostly successful. He’d never believe her, anyways, if she tried to explain the source of her amusement.  Would it even be ‘Heresy’ if she said she was thinking about a planet of magical, brightly coloured ponies? Probably. Everything different or non-conforming was lumped under that broad label. It was the ‘magical’ part that would get the hardest reaction. There were horses and ponies on Steinsmar, at least from what Sunset had read, though nothing like those to which she was accustomed. Riding was enough of a leisure activity among the privileged for it to have had a mention in a text she skimmed over while researching ‘Summer Camp’.    It was only a few minutes until Rainbow returned with Rarity, as well as Karen and Stacey; the presidents of classes one and two, respectively.  Sunset shot out of her chair and offered a bowed aquila to the senior progena.  “Throne, this had better be good,” was the greeting she got in response from Karen. She was yet another exemplar of Steinsmarian breeding, standing half a hand length over Rarity, with bright blue eyes that swept over the table’s two occupants from behind honeyed blonde locks. Next to her, Stacey could have been her twin.  A quick overview was given, introductions made, and then Karen waved Sunset away. When she remained next to the table, a scathing glower was sent at her.  “You are dismissed, sister.”      The word ‘sister’ was taught on Karen’s tongue, pulled as if it were a mild slur when applied to Sunset.  Her eyes darted across the table, though not in an effort to seek allies, but to gather where she stood with the others. Stacey seemed bored and disinterested. Rarity had a pinched expression, and was on the verge of ordering Sunset to leave. Flash—  “I’d prefer it if she stayed,” he said, leaning back as a servitor brought his food. “I know her and her squad, so it makes sense for them to be the liaisons between us.” “Fine,” it was Stacey who spoke, waving Sunset to stand near Rarity. The next few hours were mostly boring as details were hashed out and Flash presented his case. The heads of the Sororitas’ progena took some convincing, and in the end it was Rarity who swung the decision on whether to attempt Flash’s plan or not.  “I just don’t see how we can cross twelve miles of mutant controlled territory unseen,” Stacey was clicking her tongue and staring intently at the maps. From the way her eyes darted and the pinch of her brow, it was clear she didn’t think of this as much of a problem, and more as an opportunity.  “The mutants are not an issue,” Karen snapped. “I’m far more concerned about that kilguar lair. That is dangerously close to our objective.”  “We’ll need more bodies if we do this,” Stacey concluded, confirming Sunset’s suspicions. “And think of the Deeds we’ll earn.” “Darlings,” Rarity shook her head as the other two progena broke down into a spat of bickering. “We can’t look at this just from deeds and what-have-you, but as a test placed before us by the Emperor.” Sceptical looks were sent at her, and she pushed ahead. “Whether He guided this knowledge or not, it is an opportunity that can’t be neglected. The Emperor will protect us if it is His wish for this vault to be uncovered. And if not, we know what will happen.” Sunset frowned. She hated the abdication of responsibility, even if it was an argument she’d use to get the progena to do what she wanted.   “We are not significant enough for Him to get involved to any degree,” Karen snorted, her arms crossed.  “Maybe, maybe not, darlings. Your classes may have yet to draw His gaze. But the Sisters seem to believe that my class, at least, has been protected by Him, otherwise we’d have all died with our world.” Karen and Stacey both tensed, the former almost vibrating with anger and having to hold herself from leaping across the table. It took considerable effort on Sunset’s part to keep her smile hidden. “Such a frivolous attitude towards His blessings will lead to all your deaths.”  “That is for Him to decide,” Rarity responded with such a pleasant smile that somehow oozed contempt that Sunset felt her respect grow a little more. Though livid, Karen agreed on this point, at least, and it was decided that they would investigate the archeo-tech site. This set in motion the true planning, and it became an impromptu war-council. Since it was a lull between lunch and supper, the dining hall didn’t need much clearing. Sunset was sent off to hand deliver orders to the other squad leaders of Class Three, and then see about rounding up some of the lower class children. They were going to need workers to excavate the site, after all.  A small part of her hoped that they wouldn’t also just be used as fodder. Grist for the ambitions of the progena and nobles. There was a twinge of annoyance; at herself, and at the galaxy.  Why should she care? She didn’t care. It didn’t matter what happened to the other children. It hardly mattered what happened to her squadmates, so long as it served her own ambitions.  Tormenting these thoughts, pulling at them, dissecting them, she was only minutely aware of her surroundings. A chill crawled with clammy fingers up her spine, warning her of dangers she was otherwise ignoring in her semi-obliviousness. She stopped and twisted around, hands reflexively dropping into a guard. There was no one behind her, or with her at all in the corridor. Just the skittering metal feet echoing from within the walls. Snorting at allowing herself to become distracted by such meaningless thoughts, she turned back, and almost walked right into Twilight as went around a corner, the other girl bent over and almost half-way into an open panel.  “Hey!” Twilight shot out of the hole, hands darting behind her back.  Guilt burned across Twilight’s cheeks, and she shuffled her feet nervously. Next to her, wires, tubing filled with a pulsating blue fluid, and a diagnostic-auspex cogitator filled the hole. Several had been pulled loose or obviously tampered with to some degree.   Crossing her arms, Sunset demanded, “What are you doing?”  “What? This? Throne! Nothing!” Twilight’s eyes darted between ceiling and floor.  “Uh huh…” Sunset’s look was utterly glacial. Pinching the bridge of her nose and releasing a deep breath, she shook her head. She thought she’d gotten through to Twilight. “Look, could you at least do this where some random kid, or worse, a member of one of the other progena classes, won’t see you?” “Huh? Oh, yeah, that makes sense,” Twilight tapped her chin, gazing into the hole deep in thought. “I have something to show you, though.” “I’m really busy, actually. Have you seen Fluttershy or Rainbow before you started doing this?” “Not since breakfast and devotions.” Twilight leaned in closer to the hole and jabbed her finger at the cogitator. “Listen, this is more important—”   “Is it something that could get us both labelled as tech heretics?” “Um… Maybe?” “Then keep it to yourself. Put that panel back, and, for the Emperor’s sake, as well as yours and mine, don’t let me catch you doing this again.” “But—” “No. No ‘buts, and, or ifs’; just do as I say. This could get us in lethal levels of trouble, not just a whipping.”   Crestfallen, Twilight nodded her head a couple times. “Oh. Okay.”    Sunset was almost positive Twilight wasn’t going to listen to her, and within the space of a few hours be poking around some part of the ship she had no place going.  “Am I going to have to get Applejack to watch over you to make sure this doesn’t happen again?”  “What? No! I’ve satisfied my curiosity. Honest.” There was a sweet innocence to Twilight’s smile, almost cherubic in nature.  Sunset was far from foolish enough to believe Twilight, and the first thing she did when she next saw Applejack was to set her onto baby-sitting Twilight duty. It was a good thing she did as she became far too busy to keep an eye on the troublesome member of her squad. There were planning and strategy meetings among the progena superiors, devotions, requisitioning her squad’s supplies, and a hundred other tasks to accomplish in the few weeks before they reached Steinsanne. At least her class was spared recruiting the general Steinsmar children for the task of serving as manual labour and ‘fodder’. As outsiders, it was felt that they would just cause misunderstandings, to which even Rarity didn’t argue. In all honesty, it was a duty that Class Three was more than willing to leave to their peers. It gave them more time for more important matters, like catching up their physical and mental training. As for the kit Sunset selected, she was rather limited by the constraints of resources she was permitted to use. While, technically, she was granted a rather large stipend with which to ‘purchase’ materials for her squad, she also knew her choices would be scrutinised. It was yet another little test, this time of her managerial skills. In the end she got flak vests, helmets, rebreathers, and auto-guns for everyone. A medicea kit was given to Fluttershy, Twilight a ground penetrating auspex, with Applejack getting demolition charges. Rations and other essentials were spread throughout, weighted a bit more towards Sunset and Rainbow, since they had no specialised gear. There was little chance of there being any food to scrounge on the surface of such a blighted world. Briefly she considered getting a chainsword for herself and Rainbow, but decided it was better to just go with standard Guard issue combat knives.   With only a few days left to go, Sunset was approached by a grim faced Applejack.  “I caught her trying to sneak into some sort of access space beneath her room. I don’t think it was the first time, either,” Applejack said, hitching her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of their rooms. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sunset released a low groan. “Okay. Just, do your best.” “Shouldn’t the Magos, or some Tech Priest have done something about her by now? I ain’t no expert on such things, but they gotta know she’s poking her nose in places she ain’t got no place going.” “I suspect that they figure the planet will sort it out for them, one way or another. And if she does come back, they can deal with it then.” “That’s another thing; you sure about this plan? About going to some tech vault?” “Suspected tech-vault,” Sunset corrected, “And yes. We need this more than any other class. They just have to avoid making fools of themselves, but we have to prove our worth. If not, what do you think Drill Abbess Maria will do to us when we return?” Applejack cringed and looked at the ceiling. “Wonder if this is what Granny meant when she said that the Emperor gives us all our trials. Thought seeing her and—” Her thought constricted in a powerful surge of tension. When it passed there was a hardness to Applejack’s expression. “Well, you ain’t gotta worry about me, Sunset. I’ll make sure we get through this, and that Twilight keeps her nose out of places it don’t belong.” Sunset nodded and saluted with an aquila before they parted ways.    A few more days passed, and all too soon Mother neared their destination.             Everyone gathered in the large, central dome to see the planet as it came into better view. The previous morning Mother had spun around to begin a deceleration burn, and now was coasting along at an almost sluggish rate. Klaxons sounded and reflexively everyone activated their boots and clung to railings as the ship began another burn followed by a gentle turn to put her into orbit.    Sunset wasn’t the only one holding her breath.  The first thing that came into view was the mighty battle platforms of the Steinsmarines. These buttressed fortresses served as both watchmen over Steinsanne, and as home, training grounds, and monasteries. With them were the chapter’s battlebarges and support craft. As yet unmarred by the touch of war, these new vessels shone brilliantly. They took up flanking positions around Mother and escorted her to her orbit.   Behind the small fleet, wrapped in an infernal, threadbare cloak of warp storms, Steinsanne emerged like a desiccated wraith. She was in every aspect a hellish mirror to Steinsmar's glorious perfection. Echoes of a great spatial storm lit internally by crackles of sickly green lightning rippled across the bleak grey surface. The storms clung to the skeletal remnants of hive cities that thrust towards the sky like rusted fingertips. Dry ocean beds stretched across much of the equatorial band, and thick glacial caps clung with desperate claws to the poles. A thick scar cut across mountain ranges and through two ruined hive cities leaving a smooth, melted track where some ancient orbital weapon had devastated the planet’s surface.  Once home to thronging billions, now ghoulish remnants roamed that blighted landscape, darting from shadow to shadow among the tainted scraps discarded by Steinsmar. Abandoned to madness, left to fester and wallow in the wastes, they survived off the meagerest morsels they could claw into deformed mouths framed by broken teeth. They were not cultists. They were no longer anything resembling human, but mutated wretches, savage and irredeemable.   And they were the least of the monsters waiting.  Geneforged monstrosities teemed down on that seemingly lifeless rock. Everything was deadly. The insects were swollen to the size of landraiders, their mandibles dripping with viscous toxins. Twin-headed birds that could drag a Valkyrie from the sky with steel ripping talons skimmed along the edges of the warp storms. Forests of ravenous vines sprouted in the dry oceanbeds, secreting fluids that dissolve all other organic matter. To say nothing of the sinkholes, lakes of quicksand, or dust storms that would tear through ceramite armour and reduce a man to nothing in seconds.  It truly was a Deathworld.  "And they expect us to survive on that?" Rainbow demanded, gesturing out of the window with a frustrated wave. There was an excited glint to her eyes, and the corner of her mouth was pulled into a taught smile.  "More than that," Sunset felt a shiver roll up her spine. "We have to thrive." A final, mournful klaxon rang through the ship, and then Mother said, “All passengers to disembarkation stations. Welcome to Steinsanne. Please, enjoy your stay.”