Operation 2: Making Friends
Sunset of Battle
Operation 2
Sunset didn’t say another word as they continued their ascent, leaving the unnamed world behind. Or, Sunset corrected as she peered out the window at the blue-green orb hanging in a sea of black, no one had bothered to mention what it was called. She assumed its name really didn’t matter, in the grand scheme of things.
The armoured women around her barely reacted to being in space. This was clearly normal to them, and Sunset didn’t want to seem excited, even as her heart raced and everything inside of her screamed, ‘I’m in SPACE!’
This was something ponies dreamt about, wrote books and made works of art, who spent every waking moment attempting to achieve and barely scraping the edge of the heavens after a lifetime of effort.
A part of her, the same one overcome with pure relief at being saved, and spared—though that seemed worryingly conditional—also fumed at how blasey these women were at the wonder they were experiencing.
It became clearer as to why they sat in their seats so calmly when the fleet came into view. The first thing that came to mind was that there were several churches floating in space. Cathedrals, Sunset corrected quickly, and then further corrected with space-ships. A little squeal of joy erupted from her, and she had to fight very hard to sit still.
There was an air of ancient strength around the largest of the vessels, which Sunset presumed had to be the command ship Righteous Indignation. It’s swooping prow was painted a bright red and gold. A long blocky body followed, covered in what appeared to be flying buttresses, antenna, and gun installations. Pockmarks, blackened sheets of metal, and bulbous bubbles where the armour had been super-heated and then cooled were spread across the ship, giving her the worn air of long service. Towards the stern an imposing command tower loomed, positioned just forward and above the drive engines.
Sunset wondered what they used for propulsion, and began to turn to ask Sister Maria, and then thought better of bothering the woman. She sat next to Sunset with her weapon resting in the crooks of her arms, head leaning forward and lips moving in silent prayers with brow pinched.
From one of the ships on the far edge of the formation there came a flash of light that streaked down towards the planet. There was a brief pause, and then a cloud mushroomed on the surface.
“Whoa,” Sunset breathed, trying to calculate how powerful a spell would have to be to have a similar effect. Her lowest estimates were far and well beyond anything even the oh-so-vaunted Celestia was capable of casting. A giggle began to bubble from Sunset.
Around her a few of the women shifted in their seats, armoured heads turning in her direction.
As they approached Sunset began to get a feel for the size of the not-cathedrals. Hundreds of transports swarmed around them like flies around an elephant. Larger and larger and larger they loomed until they filled the entire window even if Sunset craned her neck.
At last Sunset turned to Sister Maria and asked, “That is your space-ship, right? The Righteous Indignation?”
A nod.
Dozens and dozens of follow-up questions rampaged in her head. All of them were too obviously ones she should already have known the answers. It had to be common knowledge how the ships travelled through space, how they were built, the nature of their weapons, and so on. Even the weapons the women cradled in their arms, or the transport carrying them, had to be known quantities. Afterall, Sunset had known since she was tiny about trains, spears, and spells; Equestria’s near equivalents.
It’d be too suspicious to ask, so Sunset kept quiet and decided to just listen. There was a lot to learn, and she’d have to do it through observation.
Focusing on her surroundings was better than thinking about what she’d seen on the planet.
Of the light leaving Sister Superior Helen’s eyes…
Of losing her magic…
Nope!
Sunset forcibly pushed the memory away by focusing on the ship filling the window. There would be time for nightmares and waking in cold sweats in the months to come when she was alone.
And her magic wasn’t gone. It couldn’t be! Magic was intrinsic to all life. Some just had better access to it, like unicorns. But, even earth ponies could do things like make plants grow just by standing near them. So, there had to be a way for her to access her magic. There had to be. It would just take some figuring out.
Yes, that was it.
There was no need for the fear rioting in her chest, or the beads of cold sweat trickling down the nape of her neck.
Fingernails dug into her palms, and her breaths came in sharp gasps pulled through clenched teeth.
Focus on the wonder of being in space, Sunset ordered herself, not the lost connection to her magic. Not on the horrors so fresh in her memories.
It was impossible, her emotions turning into a whirling, confused torrent that left her disorientated. Fear, anger, disgust, hatred, joy, despair; they were a jumbled mess that she couldn’t begin to disentangle. She wanted to cry, laugh, scream, and claw out her eyes. Her skin crawled and she had an overwhelming urge that she was trapped and needed to run away, that a predator lurked in every shadow waiting to pounce.
The women around her all saw Sunset’s emotions play out, and they frowned, shook their heads, or whispered a prayer of guidance.
Maria’s hand clamped down on Sunset’s shoulder. “We’ve arrived. You will stay with me unless I tell you otherwise. Is this understood?”
Sunset nodded as a thud and hissing hydraulics echoed through the landing craft as it settled within one of the cavernous landing bays. Standing in unison, the women turned and shouldered their weapons. With a clank the ramp dropped open and the women disembarked in neat order behind the canoness. Stepping onto the Righteous Indignation’s metal deck Celestia saluted a monolithic golden statue that loomed over the bay, spun on a heel, and marched off.
Leaving Sunset and Maria alone.
“Wait here,” Maria commanded as she stood. Stomping down the ramp she vanished around the side of the landing craft.
Sitting on her hands, Sunset did her best to stop herself from jittering with excitement. After a few seconds she was on her feet and pacing the length of the transport’s bay. Back and forth she went, going to the top of the landing ramp before spinning on a heel and going to the furthest reaches of the interior.
“What in Faust’s name is wrong with me?” Sunset muttered to herself as her pacing grew quicker. Holding her hands in front of her face she came to a sharp stop. “Get it together! Control yourself! Deep breaths. In and out. In and out. You finally managed to escape all the lies. Don’t ruin it. You’re Sunset Shimmer. You’re destined for greatness. Don’t ruin this just because you are a little excited.”
Closing her eyes Sunset, finally, at long last, managed to calm the riot in her chest by shoving everything down with a great big imaginary hoof.
Proud of herself—because what pony wouldn’t be out of their mind with excitement at being in space!?—she turned back to the open hatch to see Maria there with a blue cloak in her hands. A cold jolt rippled down Sunset’s spine, especially at the narrowed eyes leveled at her. A brief, internal conflict was waged, the corners of Maria’s jaw tensing.
“Put this on and follow me,” Maria tossed Sunset the cloak. “Make sure those ears of yours are covered.”
Mouth a little dry, Sunset nodded as she pulled the hooded cloak over her head. It was a bit too large and dragged on the ground as she hurried to catch up to Maria.
At last Sunset got a good view of the cavernous landing bay. Three stories high, with a vaulted ceiling covered in embossed reliefs and molded figures, there was an odd quality to the space, like it was half church, and half warehouse. Notches in the walls held various war machines used by the Order, with technicians and maintenance crews ensuring they were secured, or repairing them in a shower of sparks. Between the bays were golden statues of men and women of importance.
“Eyes forward, aspirant,” Maria growled, reaching over to grab Sunset’s head to turn it back.
Grumbling to herself, Sunset had to make do with sidelong glances out the sides from her hood.
What she caught in the last little bit of the bay was troubling. A skull, half of it replaced with mechanical parts floated past. It spun towards Sunset and Maria, red eyes clicking as metallic irises ‘blinked’, before returning to whatever it had been tasked.
Further off was a horrific golem of some sort. An amalgam of flesh and gears, it assisted in the repairs of one of the ground transports, sparks cascading from the welding tool that had replaced its right arm.
Mouth suddenly dry, Sunset decided she’d seen enough for now and planted her gaze firmly on Maria’s back as they left the landing bay and entered a warren of tunnels.
As cramped as the landing bay had been spacious, they were tight and musty. Dull lights flickered casting long shadows down the passages. Condensation dripped from exposed pipes overhead. Mold covered the walls in patches, some of which were in the process of being scrapped clean by more of the terrible amalgams of machine and man.
Twice they passed through small gardens, plants growing in pots in little recesses in the walls while vines covered the ceiling and formed tangled meshes across the floor. Machines hummed, sucking out fresh air and pumping it elsewhere in the ship.
Under her feet the decks rattled, and once a series of claxons rang throughout signalling their break from orbit.
After a good half hour they came to a larger corridor stretching perhaps the length of the ship, both ends vanishing into darkness. Here and there shrines had been placed in little alcoves, offerings covering every available surface. Sisters of the Cerulean Chalice moved along it with heads bowed or in light conversation. Most didn’t pay any attention to Maria or the small figure clinging to her shadow.
Of the few that did, only one got a good look at Sunset. The woman’s eyes widened, her hand fell to the pistol on her hip, and she shot a querying look to Maria. In response Maria just mentioned Celestia and the other woman nodded and moved on her way.
“Looking like a xenos really is bad, huh?” Sunset said more to herself.
“Let us pray it is only your exterior,” she heard Maria whisper. “Throne, if I’ve vouched for an xenos. If Sister Superior Helen entrusted the relic…”
Up an elevator, through more narrow corridors, and to a rather large double-door Sunset was taken. Maria pounded on it twice, and then used a device set into the wall next to the door when there was no answer.
“Sister Elizabeth, I know you are in there.”
After a few more seconds of waiting the door swished open with a hiss of hydraulics and a head of matted red hair thrust towards Maria. A pair of goggles rested over the woman’s eyes, clicking and whirring as they focused on first Maria and then Sunset. Syringes, knives, and other tools Sunset couldn’t begin to guess the purpose behind covered one hand, while the other drummed against an armoured hip.
After a moment there was a high-pitched squeal and Elizabeth, presumably, threw herself onto Maria.
“You’re back, and alive, Mi-mi! Praise the Emperor! I knew you would be, despite Sister Helen volunteering your squad for that silly mission. Oh, but did you get it? Did you find the relic? Of course you did, otherwise you wouldn’t be here at all. Helen would never leave without it. And who is… this?” Elizabeth’s voice trailed off in confusion. Stepping back, her brow furrowed over her goggles. In a tone opposite to the bubbly exuberance of a moment before, she demanded, “No, really; who is this? Why is there a filthy eldar in front of my medicea bay?”
Before Maria could respond, a dark cackle wracked Elizabeth. “Is this a present, Mi-mi? Throne and Saints, can I dissect it? Learn all the secrets of its insides?” A pink tongue emerged to trace the edges of her lips.
“No, Elizabeth. Celestia says she is to be placed among the scholla.”
“Truly? Throne, this is not a joking matter.” Sunset could see the woman blinking in surprise behind her goggles.
“I am serious. It has been decided.”
“An eldar? In a scholla?”
“If she were an eldar, the Emperor would have struck her down when she touched the relic. It was her that brought it to us. Joining the scholla is her reward.”
“She held the relic?”
Elizabeth’s goggles clicked and whirred as she focused on Sunset, leaning forward to examine her face. Grabbing Sunset’s cheeks Elizabeth twisted her head side to side as if it would provide clarity. One of the metallic bits of Elizabeth’s glove scratched Sunset jaw.
“Hey!” Sunset tried to break the hospitaler’s grip, but found it surprisingly strong. “I’m not an eldar or aeldari or whatever! I was made to look like this!”
Nose wrinkling in disgust, Elizabeth released Sunset and began to seethe, pacing back and forth as she shook her fists wildly in the air. Spinning on her heel she marched into her office, waving for Maria and Sunset to follow. “What kind of sick, disgusting, heretical monster would make a child look like an eldar? You know what? No prayers for Equis Prime! Let the world burn if it would do this to any of the Emperor’s good, loyal citizens. Come on, let’s get you introduced to your new sisters.”
Unmollified, Sunset crossed her arms and begrudgingly followed Elizabeth, Maria keeping pace behind her and cutting off any escape. Not that Sunset had anywhere to go on a freaking spaceship, nor any desire to run. She could tell that there was opportunity among these women. A path towards her destiny and power. There was danger too, but that suited Sunset. That would mean the weak would be culled. It was very honest in that regard.
Adjacent to the hospitaller’s office were medicea bays and operating rooms, and next to them were a series of converted cargo holds where orphaned girls plucked from the world below had been put. Barely a hundred in number, they were crammed together with triple-bunk beds hastily erected. Lockers in between the beds provided space for any personal objects taken with them. Along the opposite wall were a series of tables with benches like you’d find in any cafeteria. And that was it.
There was no privacy or anything indicative of comfort in the room. The only other thing was a small shrine tucked into a far corner similar to those Sunset had passed in the corridors. A heavy smell of sweat and unwashed bodies lingered in the room, mixed with something oily and pungent. Some of the girls sobbed, but most were silent, staring off into space with glazed eyes, still in shock from the loss of their homes.
Clapping her hands to get the girls’ attention, Elizabeth shouted in a saccharine voice, “Listen up, my precious little ones! We have a final addition to our little family. This is Sunset Shimmer. Don’t let her appearance fool you, she has been vetted by the highest authority. Make her feel welcome! Because, if you don’t…”
Elizabeth continued to smile with her lips, but there was something about the rest of her face that made Sunset shudder.
In a tone colder than the deepest winters, she said, still with that same smile, “The Emperor will surely be displeased.”
Hands spread across their chests, the girls bowed in unison and let out a chorus of, “Of course, Mistress Elizabeth. The Emperor protects!”
Introduction done, Elizabeth said to Maria, “Come, they need to get acquainted with each other, and we have so much catching up to do!”
Maria just nodded, and then the two women left, and Sunset was alone with a sea of hateful glares turned towards her. Bracing herself for the inevitable ‘She’s an eldar!’ accusations, despite what Elizabeth had said, Sunset decided to get ahead of things. She needed to assert her position quickly. Let these girls know who was in charge.
Before she could go more than a single step, lungs filled with air to shout over them, one of the girls with a mess of tangled pink hair jumped forward, grabbed Sunset’s hands in her own, and gave them a rapid shake.
“Hello! I’m Pinkie! Pleasure to meet you, uh, Sunset, right? Throne, your ears sure are pointy! If Mistress Lizzy hadn’t said you’d been vetted I’d be really worried that you were a no-good, filthy xenos and I’d have to break your neck, set your body on fire, and then throw you out the airlock! He-he, good thing you’re human, huh?” There was an all-too-similar glint to Pinkie’s eyes as what Elizabeth had just given.
Snatching away her hands, Sunset growled, “I didn’t choose to look like this! It was done to me!” Seething at having the initiative so decisively stolen, Sunset balled her fist at her sides.
Coming up, hand offered in greeting, was a blonde haired freckled girl. “Really? Ain’t that just awful. Why, can’t think of anything worse than having to get confused for a xenos. Name’s Applejack.” She thrust a hand forward, and gingerly Sunset reached out to take it. Apparently it was their equivalent to bumping hooves, she surmised.
“So, you don’t hate me because of my?” Sunset gestured to her ears.
“Won’t lie, it makes my skin crawl and stomach churn,” Applejack flatly stated, tightening her grip until it was painful. “If this were back home an’ you weren’t vouched for, why, I’d be digging out my granny’s autogun. Put two in your head. The mistress says you’re fine, but I don’t trust you. I’ll be keeping my eye on you just in case this ain’t some sort o’ test. Come on Pinkie, let’s head back to the others. Being seen with this one ain’t going to help us.”
“Okie dokie! Bye Sunset! See you around. Not that we can avoid you, seeing as we’re all stuffed in this place like corpse starch in a jar.” Still smiling, and now waving, Pinkie was almost dragged back across the cramped barracks.
None of the other girls even approached Sunset. Warily they kept their distance, watching her, whispering to each other, fists tense at their sides.
Snorting, Sunset decided this suited her just fine. After a quick scan, Sunset marched to the nearest bunk. A slight girl with pink hair sat on it. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, features that may have been pretty sunken as if she’d been hollowed out and left to dry in the sun. Next to her was a girl with a spiky rainbow mess on her head. She was lean, athletic, and wore just a simple tanktop and baggy pants.
Looking up, she snapped, “What?”
“Which of these beds are open?”
Crinkling her nose with a snort, rainbow-hair shrugged. “None. Take a hike.”
Gripping her friend’s hand, the other girl whispered, “It’s fine, Rainbow. S-She can stay. I don’t want any f-fighting.”
“You’re too soft, Fluttershy,” Rainbow rolled her eyes, then hitched a thumb towards the topmost bunk. “Fine, take that one. But don’t talk to us. Got enough problems of our own without you.”
Shrugging, Sunset opened a locker, saw it empty, and put her bag inside before climbing up onto the bed. She had a lot to figure out and plan, and didn’t have any idea how long they’d be stuck in this cramped compartment.
She’d barely sat down before there was a triumphant shout from the other side of the room.
“I cracked it!” A short girl with lanky purple and pink hair pumped a fist in the air. She leaned over a device built into the wall near a larger set of doors than the one Sunset had been brought through. “Take that, you stupid cogitator! No machine spirit can beat me!”
There was a ripple of excitement and curiosity, girls pressing in closer around the one who’d shouted. Sitting up, Sunset craned her ears towards the jostling crowd, listening in as they jabbered amongst themselves.
“Have you found out our destination? Where are we going? What about this Cerulean Chalice? I’ve never heard of this order. Must be an off-shoot of the Ebon Chalice. What about our homes? What is happening below? What were those monsters? Come on, Twilight, tell us something!”
“By the Throne, give me a few minutes! I’m having to reroute this cogitator through three proxies just to get close to a data vault. They’ll find out about this if I go anywhere near the navigational scrying arrays. Unless I… Yeah, that could work!” She bent back over the device, fingers flying across an access panel.
Sunset sat up a little further, drawn by the evident excitement among the girls. Whatever this Twilight was doing, it had broken the despair in the room in a way Sunset’s introduction hadn’t. There was genuine curiosity and a bit of hope. Unconsciously, Sunset’s fists began to tighten.
“Success! All I had to do was create a mirror to the connections between the drive assembly and command lines.”
There was a murmur of awe among the girls. “Twilight, darling, where did you learn to speak to the machine spirits?”
Still more focused on her work, Twilight shrugged. “My family has been with the planetary defense forces for several generations. My brother is a captain, my dad logistics, and my mom administorum. She’s had me helping her maintain the communication hubs on Equis Prime since I could read, pretty much.”
The humble-brag only further grated on Sunset’s nerves. Whatever the girl was doing was clearly impressive, and she had no idea! Fingers twisting the heavily starched sheets, Sunset had to withhold herself from dropping to the floor and getting involved. Instead she marked this Twilight as a pony—person—to keep her eyes on.
“Okay, found it,” Twilight continued. “They’ve set course for a system on the fringe of the Charadon sector. Just a moment, getting the name. Translating machine-speak… Stiensmar. They are heading to Stiensmar.”
“Stiensmar? I’ve never heard of it,” The tall, purple haired girl next to Twilight tapped her chin with a long finger. “Have any of you?”
Everyone shook their heads or muttered negatives.
“Well, then, Twilight darling, could you maybe tell us about this planet they are taking us? Hopefully it isn’t some dreadful place. Throne protect us if it is some desert or arid world. Dry air is horrible for my hair.”
Still bent over the cogitator, Twilight’s fingers flew over the controls, a litany of muttered prayers barely audible over the hum of machinery. “Here we go. Stiensmar. Capital of the small Stiensmar Sub-Sector. A former Shrine World noted for its unspoiled habitat made to resemble pre-space travel Terra.” She began to read aloud.
“Wait, former Shrine World?” One of the girls cried to a general chorus of confusion. “But, this Order still has a monastery there, clearly, so how did it lose its designation?”
“Let her finish, and maybe we’ll find out!” Sunset shouted, and the conversation died back down. A few of the girls shot her dirty looks that she brushed off with a scowl of her own. Dropping down from her bunk she approached Twilight. She had to shove her way through the crowd a couple times until she was in the center of the group. The purple haired girl with Twilight gave Sunset a haughty look and huffed,
Clearing her throat, Twilight continued. “Rejoined the Empire during the Great Crusade. Was visited by the Emperor himself.”
This brought many excited whispers, those closest to Sunset agreeing that this had to be why it was designated a Shrine World.
“Population is a mere billion. Produces regular tithes and has had three active Imperial Guard regiments in service since 599 M37.”
More general confusion, but duller than before, as the Twilight pushed onward, raising her voice a little more.
“Current designation is…” Twilight’s voice trailed off. The other girls fell silent, waiting, all leaning closer to hear what was said next. When she spoke next it were as if she was giving a death sentence. “Chapter World.”
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Sunset stories are weird.
10648084
They are indeed! But, also fun! Or scary! Or thrilling! Or many other things.
Hmmm, that was some good descriptions of the ship. Also, you captured how... 'unique' the Mechanicus is to outsiders is very well.
Was the planet purged or just a section? Do these girls know the ship dropped some major ordnance on their world?
Sunny better be ready to love the Emperor without question!
Several problems with that line, only orphans are taken for schola progenium and from there chosen to different professions including sister of battle. So it does not make sense for her to able to be a sister if she had a family. Second, why would administratum have anything to do with communication network? Anything that is tech related is done by mechanicus, no exceptions. They like to keep their secrets that keep them in the power in the first place.
Not to mention that there is no possible way she could communicate with machine spirit, lingua technis is a language made by mechanicus and could not be comprehended by unmodified brain.
So we are really going through CHS Warhammer style since there's the presence of the main cast.
Look up about the Charadon sector.
So situated in the Ultima Segmentum.
"Near" the realm of Ultramar; I'm already hearing scoffing about Ultrasmurfs.
Point of notability about the sector: Presence of the largest and long standing Ork Empire.
Welp. First class lesson. Killing Green Skins 101.
10648269
I don't see the contradiction...
Edit: As for machine speak/Mechanicus; I'll fully admit I don't know a lot about the lore and what each faction is responsible for, etc, etc. What I have learned though is that there is a wide disparity between worlds and how they operate. That the Empire is an empire in the truest sense of the world with vastly divergent cultures, taboos, and ways. That there is a lot of contradictions within the lore, and that it is 'all true, and none of it is true' at the same time. Or something to that effect. Ie, fact and fiction is indistinguishable.
10648298
CHS Warhammered was my general concept for the first arc at least. Afterwards, if the story lasts that long, I have stuff written with them visiting other worlds and encountering other factions. One of the completest is Sunset and the others rescuing Rarity from a palace on a desert world from some Genestealers that are being all uppity and uprising. A mad-max style chase ensues and there is much shooting and hijinks.
10648157
Thanks! The descriptions took a lot of rewrites to get them close to something I felt was passable.
I'm going to leave it ambiguous as to whether it was a full Exterminatus or just a section of the planet that was bombarded.
10648399
Contradiction is that she has a family therefore cannot be taken to orphanage. Because it was written as "My brother is a captain" and not "was". Meaning that he still is, therefore she still has a family and therefore should not be a sisters of battle.
And what comes to lingua technis, its use by anyone not in mechanicus is actually illegal. I will quote from the codex adeptus mechanicus.
So she is already a traitor for breaking the law. And what comes to administratum, they are pencil pushers not mechanics. Because if that is the case then why would militarum need tech-priest to operate even a simple holograms during briefings?
10649091
You're right, they only take in orphans. Denial is a powerful force. Just because she is using the present tense as if she believes they are alive, doesn't make it true. The implications are that they (her family) are dead. That the families of all the girls are dead. Killed by deamons, in the crossfire of the uprising, or when the planet got bombarded.
As for her knowing how to speak to machine spirits, its shown that the other girls are amazed and in awe and that even Sunset, a complete outsider, can see that what Twilight is doing is out of the ordinary just from the reactions of everyone else in the room. Also, what she claims is a 'machine spirit', what she is actually doing, and what a 'real' machine spirit is or operates may not even be the same things. What is shown is that she is interacting with a cogitator/computer and infiltrating the ship's sub-nets to get access to data.
For codexes and lore; Everyone is the Boss in their own codex, the lore contradicts itself continually. Just relax.
10649633
So you are saying that a sister of battle, ho has been indoctrinated to imperial belief where there is a afterlife of loyal citizens souls going to golden throne. And she in a organisation that requires to be in combat where death is constant. Thru all this she cannot comprehend a idea of death.
And others are impressed that she went to a cogitator and looked thru a equivalent of a public message board. I don't know about you but that's just funny.
10649802
I'm saying she believes her family is alive.
I mean, she's not wrong, but she's missing some very important background information.
And the Ruinous Powers watch with popcorn in hand...
It was an accident with an automatic rice picker, honest.
Even with Celestia, I hadn't expected other pony analogues on the ship. (And only now do I notice the character tags.
) The hair colors are especially interesting, but I suppose that's been registered as an acceptable mutation. It'll be one heck of an uphill climb for Sunset in this pecking order. Looking forward to seeing how she manages it... assuming she does.
10655375
Thanks! I'm having fun writing the next chapter, which, as it turns out, is just the transit to the coven, Sunset figuring out her place, and setting up relationships a bit more.
At first I was thrown off by the Main 7 not even having different names or hair colors, but then I considered that the Imperium is a large place, and a planet having names like that is not much of a stretch. And if beastmen are an acceptable abhuman race somehow, then odd hair is hardly worth worrying about.
What's wrong is that half of you is a species whose main trait (besides psychic powers and incredible smugness and speed) is that they fell emotions much more intensely than anything.
Also, PTSD. Yay!
Gentle reminder that Imperial ships are big enough that some have semi-independent states lost in the crawlspaces.
Technically correct, although not for the reasons Sunny might think :V
SPEHS MUHREENS.