Operation 6: Warnings
Sunset Shimmer; Sister of Battle
By Tundara
Operation 6
As had become the norm after the disastrous training exercise, Sunset woke before the local sun had become a sliver on the horizon and headed to the training fields held in the sweeping arms of the Schola portion of the monastery-fortress. She took care to avoid disturbing the others. Not out of any consideration for their sleep. Sunset just didn’t want to be bothered by them.
Sunset stretched, and then she took off down one of the inner running tracks. She was far from alone as she jogged, older, native-born progena already working up a sweat. Blonde hair tied back, the native steinsmarians pounded back and forth, performed hurdles, or limbered up in tight groups. Sunset could feel them watching her, but that was the limit of their interest in her.
She enjoyed the feel of the wind in her streaming hair. It was brisk in what was still the planetary spring weather, and sharpened her focus. Over in her herald she went over the previous days' lessons on battlefield maneuvers.
An example of a battle had been put before them. A hive city had been assaulted by a vastly more numerical force. As stalwart servants of the God-Emperor, they had withstood the assault until corruption within the upper echelons of Imperial Command had resulted in the city’s void shields being lowered at a crucial juncture, and the city suffering a withering artillery barrage. At the same time, the enemy warlord launched a final, decisive assault. Without explaining the battle’s eventual outcome, Drill Abbess Maria questioned the progena on how they’d have responded.
Rarity had proposed dividing her forces, with one group entrenching further while the other went to restore the shields. Spitfire proposed a similar answer, the only differences being sizes of the forces. She’d have sent only a pair of elite squads as kill teams while the rest of her sororitas held the line. Variations on these ideas quickly became common.
In an effort to differentiate herself, Sunset asked if the shields had been sabotaged or simply deactivated. After hearing that the shields had been lowered, Sunset had replied that she’d have taken a unit to deal with the traitors, sent others to secure the void shield generators, and dispersed her remaining forces to rally the locals.
Sunset was unsatisfied by her answers, though there honestly didn’t seem to be any that the Drill Abbess would have found acceptable.
It was after hearing all the proposed solutions that Drill Abbess Maria ruthlessly pointed out each and every error. The lack of intelligence gathering, failures in force dispersals, leaving weak gaps that the enemy infantry and armour could exploit, and on and on.
Feet pounding on the paved race track, Sunset ran through possibilities. Spreading out the fighting force of the sororitas left them isolated and alone to be surrounded when the PDF inevitably crumbled. Tightening up left her flanks exposed. Personally going to deal with the traitors left her command weak at the core of the fighting, but no one else, presumably, would have authority to deal with a traitorous high commander.
There didn’t seem to be any feasible answer that was correct.
Which was probably the point of the thought exercise.
After several laps Sunset made her way to the showers. The bathhouse was very different than the majority of the Schola compound; as if it were plucked from another world and dropped into the middle of the gothic architecture, as alien as Sunset herself. Tucked away in a grove of old growth trees, the bathhouse had curved roofs of blue tile, a face of red wooden posts, and thick arches that swept upwards in imitation of a bull’s horns. At the front was a long lobby of sorts with lockers for the girls to put their clothes. From there they had a choice of three communal areas with benches and shower heads, or heading to the central, grand bath that was more like a swimming pool. Clouds of steam drifted along, and the spaces were kept clean by progena on a rotating work schedule, rather than the usual servitors that were seen everywhere else in the compound doing menial tasks. The grand bath had a glass roof held aloft by atlas-like statues in the place of the usual marble columns.
Here it was almost possible to forget that she wasn’t in Equestria anymore. She could almost feel the muscles in her back relax fractionally before darting glances down the isles of lockers. Nowhere was safe, she reminded herself. Nowhere.
Silently, she padded to her favoured locker to the left where she could see the other progena enter the bathhouse or leave one of the baths before they could spot her. Only a couple native progena came through the door while she stripped, and utterly ignored her presence. As was the norm.
At this time of day the bathhouse was still relatively empty, only a bare handful of other progena who’d gotten even earlier starts to their day sitting on the benches before the showers. Wrapped in a towel, Sunset made her way to the farthest showers where there was no one else.
Even soaking in the warm haze, Sunset refused to allow her mind to drift. It would have been too easy to let her thoughts just drift to the gentle patter of the water on her face. It was a few minutes respite from the grueling exercises and lectures the progena were subjected to day after day, and her weary soul craved a thin scrap of peace. Which she couldn’t allow. It was in that moment the assassin would strike again.
Feet padding on wet tiles made her ears twitch. Sunset’s hand reflexively reached for the small knife she’d strapped to her thigh in recent days. Her fingers brushed only against soapy skin, and she winced. The knife was back in the locker, right where it could do her no good.
Muscles in her back tensed in preparation for rolling aside. The steps drew nearer, and a shadow fell over her shoulders. She balled a fist. With a hum and thump, an older girl sat down next to her. Looking over at Sunset, she flashed a broad grin of perfect white teeth.
“Hello,” the girl said, her grey eyes sweeping Sunset up and down.
Sunset shot her an irritated look, and demanded, “Can I help you?”
“Nope, but I can help you,” the girl responded, leaning forward as she twisted the spigots for her showerhead. With a hiss, water sprayed forth and further drowned out the rest of the room. With the noise and steam, it would have been easy to forget they weren’t alone.
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. The girl was familiar, but most of the native born progena were hard to distinguish. They were all exceptionally tall, with hair that barely ranged from spun gold to flaxen wheat with a few platinum blondes thrown in, just for a bit of variation. Likewise, their eyes were uniformly some tint of blue or grey. Having grown up among so many different mane, coat, and eye colour combinations, the stark similarities of the Steinsmarians was off-putting. She felt like she was amongst a bunch of clones. It made the off-world progena stand out all the more.
It took a moment of staring, and then it clicked. “Mirabella, right?”
“You remembered! That’s sweet.”
Without her armour, it was easy to see that Mirabella was beautiful. Her high cheekbones were like those of a sculpture of one of the Saints. She’d done up her thick tresses of golden hair in a bun held together by a polished stick. There was strength in the sinews of her bare forearms, calves, and not an ounce of fat on her athletic frame. All of which was normal for the amount of physical exercise the progena underwent every day.
Suspicions growling like a wounded tiger in the back of her head, Sunset really wished she had her knife. While confident in her ability to fight hand-to-hand with anyone else in her own class, the older, stronger, and better trained seniors were another prospect altogether. In the peripheries of her vision she noted that the other girls she’d seen come in early were getting up to leave, which meant she and Mirabella would shortly be alone.
“So Sunset, any particular reason behind your name? You offworlders have such strange choices. Minty? Spitfire? Rainbow? You must have had an odd world.”
The bland question only further irritated her raw nerves.
“No idea what the meaning is behind my name.” Sunset did her best to put a dismissive sniff at the end of her reply, and hoped Mirabella would go away. Alas, the girl didn’t take the hint, if she noticed it at all.
“What about your parents? What deeds did they have? You know, like how my mother fought off a dozen Necron on Tallidus IV, and my father had the highest scores among the marine hopefuls.” There was an excited rush to the way she talked, even though her voice was kept to little more than a hushed whisper to avoid drawing attention, despite them being alone.
Troubling was the keen glint in Mirabella’s eyes. Something told her that there was more going on beneath the surface of ditzy banter.
Wishing even more fervently that she had her knife, Sunset ran through her head every bit of hand-to-hand training she’d undergone. She hoped it would be enough against the far larger, and more experienced, girl if it came to a fight.
Arching an eyebrow, Sunset barely held back a snort. “Listen, I’d like just a few minutes of quiet reflection between me and the Emperor. If you want something, just ask, otherwise, I really would appreciate being left alone.”
Evoking the Emperor was always a risk, especially if one of the Drill Abbesses were within earshot. One never knew when they’d be told they were taking Him in vain. Doing so in the bathhouse of all places was almost asking for being rebuked.
Mirabella rocked back as if she’d been slapped. For a second, Sunset wondered if she’d overplayed her use of the God-Emperor. Instead of exploding, Mirabella slapped her cheeks and let out a groan.
“Oh, Mira, you are so stupid. Off-worlders don’t have a List of Deeds and Lineage. They haven’t been taught Steinsmar’s ways yet, and that’s why you’re here. There will be other opportunities to question Sunset. Stay on mission, girl.”
Sunset almost raised a brow at how she’d been both ignored, and yet not, at the same time.
Before Sunset could say anything, Mirabella continued in a single stream, “Okay, so, first of all, you’ll find that pretty much everyone who is important on Steinsmar is descended from a Sister of Battle combined with prominent heroes of the guard regiments. In the last few generations, the recently founded Steinsmarines have taken the place of the guard officer core for the exceptionally wealthy. The lower classes can’t afford children with such pedigrees, so they have to opt for stock with lesser Deeds, naturally.”
Sunset’s stare was flat, and as cold as a glacial shelf. “Uh huh… I really don’t— ”
“That is all secondary, since you are an offworlder. You want to—no, you have to figure out what specialty your best suited towards and start really hauling butt towards it,” Mirabella spoke over Sunset. “A few go for the non-combative Orders, like the Famulous, Dialogous, or Hospitaller. But, those are rather rare choices, and almost never chosen by a true daughter of Steinsmar. The most common is a battle-line sister, obviously, but that’s just a mid-way point. If you manage to graduate and are inducted into the Order you’ll want to look into the various unit types, and figure out which one is for you. Assuming any of the Sisters Superior of the specialist squads would even look at a member of your class. The performance of your class was appalling, to be honest. I figure you’ll be lucky if ten percent of you survive to graduation. Being off-worlders is already a huge disadvantage, and if you think that little exercise was bad, it only gets worse. The first year alone typically has a fifty percent attrition rate. The drill abbesses go out of their way to weed out inferior stock in the first couple years. Assuming you survive Summer Camp. That needs to be your first goal; surviving camp.”
“Summer camp?” Sunset turned off her shower, and started the process of towelling down.
“Yeah. It’s a Steinsmar tradition. Every child of Steinsmar is sent to it when they turn thirteen. Since you’re off-worlders, you’ll get sent to the next camp so you can get some Deeds to put next to your names despite being a bit underaged. The Drill Abbess won’t tell you about it because you’re expected to find out about these sorts of things on your own. You’re expected to gather intelligence about your surroundings and situation, and then take the best course of action to not just survive, but thrive. However, your group has been isolated by the other progena in the Schola. You’re the ‘Tainted Class’. You know, because…” Mirabella pointed at Sunset’s ears.
“And how are we expected to get these ‘deeds’ at a summer camp?”
Sunset was having a hard time picturing what a ‘summer camp’ even looked like to the people of this reality. Certainly it wouldn’t involve making s'mores around a campfire while telling ghost stories, or doing activities out in the woods like canoeing or archery.
Not unless live-fire was involved…
“Hunting and skinning a kilguar is the usual goal, but few native born Stienians manage that. A lot of kids get eaten trying, and have their records stricken as failures. Just survival isn’t enough to get a deed. You, especially, need to do something big, but everyone in your class is starting at a huge disadvantage. At least most of you have wild hair colours, so those are points in your favour for novelty’s sake, but otherwise…” Mirabella shrugged, and rinsed off. “Get really good at the hymnals, practice your shooting, and ace all the tests, and you’d still be overlooked.”
Sunset’s curiosity had been fully peaked, and her sense of danger somewhat abated. Turning on her seat to face Mirabella, she asked, “Why are you giving me this information? Aren’t I a filthy xenos? Shouldn’t I be purged? Or, if what you say is true, just be allowed to die at this camp?”
Mirabella laughed. “You didn’t run, and it made me curious. The Emperor will protect you, or…” Another shrug and Mirabella got up. She hovered for a second as she thought about saying more, and decided to leave with a casual wave over her shoulder.
Sunset waited a few moments before also leaving. Her mind wandered over what Mirabella had told her. Details were picked apart and scrutinised, and a sense of unease knotted in Sunset’s stomach. She held doubts about all the details she’d been told, though what use did it to lie to her? It would be easy enough to learn the truth, and given that it was clearly meant to be a more clandestine meeting rather than one done for the benefit of others, it was probably more likely true. Getting Sunset to focus even more on her studies and physical training was hardly needed. Unless it was meant to distract from her more important lessons. But how?
Groaning in frustration as her logic began to turn circular, Sunset clutched her head and decided that she had to get to the bottom of what she’d been told.
After getting dressed, Sunset went to the library.
Straddling the line between the Schola and the main portion of the monastery fortress, the library served both progena and full-fledged members of the order. The chamber stank of ancient vellum scrolls, paper, and gear oils. Arrayed around a looming desk that served as a sort of hub were three story tall rows of books, scrolls, slates, and all manner of tomes forming long, dusty canyons. The thousands upon thousands of books were kept in order by servitors that clattered along on rail tracks built into the shelving units, their lower bodies replaced by wheels and gears. Their soulless red eyes glowed like bobbing lamps in the distance as they rattled along to the guidance of the head servitor at the main desk.
A towering abomination, it sat behind a half-moon desk. Dozens of metallic arms clicked as they swung about shifting books from pile to pile. Red robes covered in iconography of gears and skulls hung over its bulky frame, giving only hints at the amalgam of flesh and machine hidden underneath. Machinery rattled like the wheezing breaths of a dying man, and the air stank heavily around it with a vile combination of formaldehyde or engine oil. Three headed like the mythical hound Cerberus back on Equestria, it too was a gatekeeper.
Revulsion shivering up her spine, Sunset marched to the desk. Internal gears clicking, the leftmost head swiveled towards Sunset as she approached, and its hellish glowing eye bored into her.
“Querry; What do you seek, progena Sunset Shimmer?” Lenses whirred and she swore the bulky thing leaned towards her.
“I’m looking for information on something called a ‘Kilguar’.”
The catalogue’s mechanical eyes stared blankly at Sunset as it processed her command. From beside it a retrieval claw rattled off down one of the small rail lines towards the library’s shadowed depths.
“Information; Your request will take three minutes to retrieve. Please wait.”
Nodding, Sunset took a few steps to the side to wait, and where she’d have a better angle to watch the doors. Heavy steps approached from one of the reading areas. Sunset’s hand fell to her knife, drawing comfort from the simple plastic hilt.
“Kilguars?” Twilight’s voice tumbled with unbridled curiosity. “What are those?”
Sunset didn’t relax as she turned to face her squadmate.
“If I knew I wouldn’t be looking them up, would I?” Sunset did her best to put a little lilt to her tone at the end, rather than just snapping out her response to the stupid question.
Cheeks burning slightly, Twilight bobbed her head, and changed her question to ask why Sunset was researching them.
Sunset sighed, and tightened her grip on her hidden knife.
“Because just surviving isn’t enough for me,” Sunset sneered. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her knife as anger blistered in her throat. “I plan on thriving, and being the best. I thought you could help with that goal. But I was wrong. You’re just a liability to the squad. You’re going to get the rest of us killed.”
Twilight rocked back as if she’d been punched. For an instant, Sunset thought that Twilight was going to cry and run off. She balled her fists, and set her jaw.
“I know! You think I don’t know that? Yes, I am slow, and weak, and I can’t aim!”
“Then do something about it!”
Sunset advanced towards Twilight.
“Do something about it before you get the rest of us killed having to pick up your slack.”
“I’m trying!”
“Try harder.”
With the gates to her frustrations open they poured forth in a vitriolic stream.
“I thought you were some sort of genius because you could use the cogitators when no one else could, but I guess I was wrong. You’re nothing but a timid child that had the fortune of being taught what you should never have been. It is a minor miracle that the mechanicus never learned that you stole their secrets. If we survive this schola, your ability to commune with the machine spirits almost makes you a liability, rather than an asset. I should have realised there was a reason the others avoided picking you for their squads, rather than rejoicing at my supposed ‘luck’ at them being blind to what I mistook for assets.”
Tears trickling down her cheeks, Twilight nodded slowly. She didn’t offer any defense, or any counter arguments. She had no fight in her at all, it seemed. Sunset almost felt like she’d kicked a puppy, and that infuriated her even more. Disgust welled up in her throat.
Raising her head, Twilight looked over Sunset’s shoulder. “Your book is here,” she mumbled softly.
Sunset didn’t turn, didn’t take her eyes off Twilight in case it was a trick. She knew better than to turn her back in case the sniveling was all an act; and how she hoped that it was an act.
Because if it wasn’t, then the squad was in worse trouble than Sunset had at first worried.
When Sunset still didn’t move, Twilight made to step past her. Sunset fingers curled around the hilt of her knife. Her whole body tensed ready to explode with action. Sunset was almost disappointed when Twilight went to the desk without any hint of aggression.
“Progena Twilight, squad-mate of Sunset; I’ll receive the requested items,” Twilight said, upholding a hand to the massive catalogue servitor, her voice cracking a little with restrained emotions.
The abomination’s eyes clicked, and a stack of books was deposited into Twilight’s small hands. She had to struggle as the heavy, wood and leather bound tomes almost unbalanced her. Legs shaking, she faced Sunset again.
“I may be terrible at the physical stuff, but I can at least help you research,” Twilight snapped at Sunset, a brief moment of defiance lighting in her eyes.
Sliding away her knife in such a way as to keep it hidden, Sunset stepped up and snatched the topmost few books from Twilight. “I don’t need your help.”
“Well, maybe you do,” Twilight countered, her cheeks puffy from her tears. “This is the one thing I am better than anyone else at doing. No one else has scores in class as high as mine. Not even you.”
Gritting her teeth, Sunset said, “Fine. It isn’t worth arguing with you over something so pointless.”
Sunset led Twilight to the nearest table. There they poured over the ancient texts. The newest of the books was perhaps as little as a couple centuries old, its pages faded with the thick smell of age wafting with every turn.
The first volume Sunset opened contained detailed anatomy and data for the kilguar Mirabella had mentioned. Not just the kilguar, but other monstrosities. Her stomach twisted with disbelief as she skimmed through the pages. Creatures every bit the equal of the manticores and hydras of Equestria. Sunset became engrossed in what she was reading, eyes darting from drawing to drawing, searching over the archaic terminology with a reference book at hand.
Whoever had studied the monsters had been thorough, noting muscle mass, tensile strengths, and other features. Images of the thing flayed to display connective tissues and internal organs were exceptionally detailed.
Not everything was fully legible, the long roll of centuries having taking their toll with faded words and damaged pages containing important knowledge.
So intent on the book, Sunset almost forgot Twilight was there until the other girl loudly cleared her throat.
When Sunset looked up with a deep scowl, she noticed that Twilight had grown exceptionally pale.
“We have to warn the others,” Twilight said, spinning the book she’d been reading around to show Sunset. On the page was the image of a solar system, Steinsmar clearly marked, as well as another world.
Next to the world, written in someone’s flowing hand, was ‘Beware Summer Camp!’, underlined three times.
“Summer camp?” Sunset whispered as she traced the words with a finger.
“We have to warn the others,” Twilight repeated, dread bleaching her features of life as she turned the page over to the details of this sister planet to Steinsmar.
Sunset quickly became very thankful of Mirabella’s warning.
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Welcome to 40K, where even the schools want to kill you.
Also Games Workshop went full jackass with their new rules. They are going to kill their own fandom.
On the chapter itself, I enjoyed it. Sunset is properly paranoid. Twilight... I feel bad for her. But hopefully she will pull through.
10954607
So true, Brotha!
I see that you mentioned Necrons, that makes the supposed deed very impressive... as only SM can face basic warriors and not suffer crippling losses . And as the knowledge of Necrons is scarce outside inquisition that places this world uncomfortably close to Sautekh territory right?
10954836
Um, let me find a map quick...
*Squints at maps*
Yeah, I got no clue... Steinsmar is a little bit galactic North of Ultramar. IIRC, somewhere on the eastern edge of the Charadon sector. Figured that was a good place where I could have Sunset encounter pretty much any of the factions should I chose.
Edit: Found a better map! One I could zoom in on. 100% Sautekh territory they are near. My rational for the Necron mention is also that since this is M42 now, they are a bit more widely known, especially as the progena would be taught about the enemies they will be fighting, and tactics to defeat them. Either they graduate, or die and take the knowledge with them. Little chance of it diseminating beyond the schola. That was my logic, anyways.
10954929
Yeah, your rationale was pretty spot on. Now I wonder if you gonna have the poor girls face the Everliving legion in the future... If even all of them survive the training, that is a certain death for most of them... That is an interesting conundrum you will have to solve... If you kill some of the main 6... story conventions will suffer... if you do not... then it will not be very grimdark is it? Especially in the training portion coming up next.
P.S.: Screw GW, was going to buy some Necrons to boost my starter box miniatures but not anymore.
Mira seemed a little flirty there, maybe? Eh, don't matter.
This was a solid chapter. A nice little build up to what's to come. Now we just need to see what Sunset does with this information.
Sounds like quite the brutal hazing for Schola Progenium. Kinda sounds like a deathworld.
10955054
Super innocent whistling...
10955031
I've given them a set of 'Partial Plot Armour'. It only protects vital organs...
I have no plans on killing off any of the main 6 at this juncture. Pretty much everyone else is fair game. That said, I don't plan on being too grim-dark, mostly as I feel there should be a balance between the two properties when doing a cross-over. At least as it comes to character deaths. The world(s) and societies, however...
As for models, I was gifted a bunch of Daughters of Khaine a few weeks ago. I keep eyeing new Sisters of Battle, but otherwise my boycott remains strong... mostly as I be dirt poor and can't afford any new models. Easiest boycotting ever!
Beyond that, all my stuff is in storage atm half a continent away, so I can't even work on my pile of shame or doing the bases for what I do have. 
Mirabella is quite the odd one, but that makes her much so interesting.
Couldn't find anything about Steinsmar. Thought it was an invention of your part until I saw your post.
And yeah, GW really went stupid with all the surrounding of their Warhammer+. Even more disappointing with all the talented fan creators they hired. Now their are now lock behind a paywall or simply purge.
Sunset’s paranoia isn’t unfounded. Many of them are out to get her, many of them through inactivity and the hope that the summer camp will take out the whole darn class tainted by the xeno.
But she does have allies. The problem comes in her recognizing them when extending trust to the wrong person could be a literally lethal mistake. And in actually leading her squad rather than tearing them down and wondering why they’re so ineffective. This won’t be easy or pleasant. Hopefully the girls will be forged to a functioning team in the coming crucible.
I've been wondering if the attack carried out on Sunset was carried out by a death cult assassin as many of their temples are fronts for chaos and/or xenos cults.
There needs to be more of this! To not continue the story would be HERESY!!! BROTHER! DO YOU REQUIRE PURGING?!?
11040079
Sadly, due to James' Workshop policy, I've decided to hide in the webway and keep all remaining chapters for myself... Nah, I'm just pulling your leg. Reason there hasn't been any updates in so long is that I've not been able to write much of anything for months now. Bouncing around from place to place, not had access to my writing accounts, and when I do things are so hectic around me it was impossible to write. I hope to get back into the swing of writing early next month, with new chapters appearing around the new year. Fingers crossed and Emperor willing.
11040360
I know how that is. For the Emperor.