"We face our darkest hour. Cap'n Nule has fallen to animals who have escaped retribution. A massive Hive Fleet looms over our recruiting worlds. But this battle is not over."
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Aboard the Ponigeddon, the mortally wounded Captain Goliath Nule was placed on a medical cart and rushed for emergency treatment.
"Get Captain Nule to the Apothecary!" Rainbow Dash cried urgently. "Hurry!"
Applejack placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash's armored shoulder. "Calm yourself, Rainbow Dash." She said. "Rashet is already at work."
"Commander Hammerheart, I am Apothecary Rashet, chief of geno-medicine aboard the Ponigeddon." said Rashet. "Captain Nule still lives, but he is in grave condition. Many of his vital organs and implants were destroyed, and an animal poison is attacking surviving tissues. I have placed Captain Nule in stasis to halt the poison's progress, but as of now I have no means to counteract its effects."
"Rashet had better prepare himself for more of us to require his tending." Pinkie said grimly.
Hoovitus raised an eyebrow to Pinkie. "You fear the animal, Pinkie?"
"I know no fear, Hoovitus," Pinkie said gruffly, "but I am no fool. Those were Paranids, animal monsters who strip worlds of all life. There are billions of them and only a hoofful of us."
"Have you faced these things before, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Once," Pinkie answered, "a long time ago when I served in the Lifewatch. We are going to need all the help we can get to face this infestation. Even then, we will probably fail."
"Commander Hammerheart," said Spike, "with your permission I will attempt to raise the nearest of our Chapter Fleets. This may take some time, however. In the meantime, we need to secure Salika before the rest of the Paranid swarm arrives, otherwise our supply lines will be devastated. There is an Eldeer raiding party that continues to wreak havoc on our defenses on Salika. We should return to Salika and eliminate those Eldeer."