The Admiral's Choice

by Salocin

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Adventure, Science Fiction, Profanity, Crossover, Alternate Universe, Original Character
Length: 6557

Light years away from an unsuspecting planet, a interstellar empire plans for the future.

Hello. This is my first story I've written on Fimfic. It is the (hopefully) first one in a series of stories about a scenario in which an alien race of humanoids invade the world of Equestria at War while at the same time being to some extent in the setting of Stellaris. But before any of that can happen plans need to be approved. And so a High Admiral will learn about the quite strange nature of the world Faust.

Published 2023-05-07 21:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-05-07 21:20:00 UTC

The Fate of an Entire World

Space... a vast expanse of darkness, only occasionally illuminated by the scant star and the imposing assembly of stellar furnaces, whose influence can be seen even from far away. It was quiet, above the ever-raging factories and shipyards of Calderon. Yet, space was not entirely undisturbed in this area.

Far above the artificially created cloud cover and the churning factories, billions of citizens, a fleet awaited like little more than dog orders. In one of those ships, in a large hangar, thousands of faceless, masked soldiers had assembled to form what looked like a corridor. A dark, jagged-shaped, almost foreboding ship landed. The personnel was ready, as made evident by their stiff and disciplined stance.

And then, silence fell. The door opened. A voluptuous humanoid figure, with an average height of two meters, emerged. For but a second, she was a shadow before fully emerging from the steam and leaving the shuttlecraft with ease. Walking forward, she finally saw her surroundings. Without a word, she descended the gate's stairs and made her way toward the two figures at the very back of the row of assembled soldiers. Her face was staunchly serious, with few features except for a single scar across her pale right cheek.

But to everyone in the hall, she embodied authority, a feeling that inspired both awe and bone-chilling fear. With her inquisitive gaze inspecting the immaculate halls of the ship, she moved on without comment.

Every soldier stood still in her presence, like neatly sorted candles, though she paid them no mind.

The two women at the back put up smiles. The taller one's smile was genuine, while the younger ones was a facade, a mix of excitement and hidden worry. Both wore minimalist military uniforms, while the visitor donned an armour-like, near-overcompensating and somewhat revealing dress—a dress befitting a high-ranking individual from one of the oldest civilizations in the galaxy.

The taller woman spoke first, with a serious gaze, "High Admiral, it is an honour to see you."

"I am General Kahemot. Good to meet you," the General replied in a more informal manner, without bowing. This caught the scrutinizing gazes of both women.

The High Admiral spoke firmly, her stern gaze ready to judge their every word, "What would possibly justify asking for my presence on this ship?" As they answered, the two began to lead her deeper into the labyrinthine bowels of the space-faring vessel—a maze of well-lit and decorated hallways, with occasional plants and countless paintings adorning the walls.

"We believe we have made a discovery of utmost importance for the Empire," Kahemot stated plainly.

"You went through all the proper channels to have me come here quickly."

"By my rank and title, I promise it's worth your time," the Admiral vowed in front of her superior. As they arrived, she opened the door to a room with a deactivated but functioning screen. Lights flickered within the chamber. Three pale and unmistakably female figures emerged from a two-doored entrance, from which light entered the room for just a few seconds before it was locked behind them. The two lesser figures sat down on opposing seats around a large, oval-shaped table, while the High Admiral sat in the back, overseeing the table and the rest of the room. The chair felt comfortable—only the best for the Generals and Admirals of the navy. As the High Admiral began to speak, the General who had entered with her superior showed signs of nervousness, perhaps out of respect or hidden fear.

Without warning, the High Admiral called out to her subordinate with a poignant voice, "General Kahemot?"
"Ergh... yes, Ma'am?" she replied, clearly unnerved by the way she looked at him, as though she had done something terribly wrong.

"Please introduce yourself. You must be new lest you'd be already aware of the proper procedure when talking to a High Admiral."

"I..." she hesitated for a moment, carefully considering what to say.

"Ma'am, my name is Kahemot. I'm 132 years old, born on Calderon, and have worked as a Shroud Walker for most of my life. Eventually, I was given the opportunity to join the military," she said quickly, as if in a hurry as if her superior wouldn't care to listen for more than a few seconds. But she did.

"What an odd career path. Usually, one rises through the ranks naturally rather than becoming a General from the get-go, unless someone else helped you." The implications of her words were clear.

"Ma'am, the Council of War instated me as such. Don't you remember?"

"Could we—" Seheset called out, trying to divert attention to what she had prepared, but neither of them paid her too much attention.

"Well, we haven't really been properly introduced. Maybe I should teach you privately about your position and show you who holds the leash here?" With each passing word, she sounded increasingly sultry, until finally, even the Admiral who was preparing things in the background rolled her eyes.

"Ma'am..."

And then, without indication, she burst into hearty laughter. "I'm just messing with you. Seriously, no hard feelings. Just address me properly next time when surrounded by the grunts. Now let's give Seheset a break and get this show on the road. Show me what you have for me." The General's worries faded, but she still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around this woman. Was this how a High Admiral should act? What a terrific first impression...

"Alright, Ameny. I understand your derision at being called here, but I strongly believe this might be very much in your interest to see with your own eyes." To the General's surprise, Seheset herself spoke to the High Admiral in a way that could easily be considered disrespectful. She frowned and observed the situation.

"Then let me," she said with a minor increase in the strength of her voice.

"Yes, ma'am," Admiral Seheset affirmed with a subtle nod before taking the remote control. Instead of using her four-fingered right hand, she pulled it toward herself with some sort of aura. It had a light purple hue, strange energies emanating from a world beyond. It was of little concern to everybody present, though. The Admiral pushed a few buttons, and on the large screen on the wall, to which every seat was pointed, the silhouette of a planet emerged.

The High Admiral suddenly took a morbid interest in it. From the pictures alone, it could be deduced that this planet had vast blue oceans, sprawling land masses, vast deserts, and verdant forests. And... intelligent life. And then... the interest faded and turned into something else.

And so, she stated quite condescendingly, "It's a primitive planet. Please enlighten me as to what might be so important about this backwater."

"We shall explain to you why we propose invading this planet."

"You must be joking. We haven't expanded our borders in millennia. Explain."

The Admiral walked toward the screen with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, like a child about to give a lecture in front of the class. She began to speak to the room.

"Ma'am, we have dubbed this world Faust. So from now on, I shall be referring to it as such. The star system it is located in has most of its mass made up of a weak brown dwarf, with around a quarter of the mass of Silume. This, in itself, is not special. There are millions of brown dwarfs we know of, but none of them has a planetary system of this calibre around it."

"Normally, planets around brown dwarfs are uninhabitable, with not enough heat being transferred by their parent star. But Faust has a supplement. Against all known laws of physics, there is a star orbiting Faust itself. It's as though a class M main sequence star was downsized. And even stranger is that on the exact same orbit, a rocky planetary body is orbiting as well. Exactly on the opposite end of the orbital position to the star. There should be no way this can happen naturally."

"So you are telling me we have just found a star system that follows none of the laws of star formation? I don't believe this."

"Indeed, I didn't believe it either, but you know I would have called you if I wasn't serious about this. I theorize that it could be of artificial nature, but scans have so far revealed no indications of past precursor civilizations having had any influence in this system. And if you have any doubts, well, the data of the probes we sent are available for extraction if you wish to review it yourself."

"That... is interesting. Please continue." The previously sceptical military leader moved her head subtly toward the screen as her interest began to grow. Could their probes be mistaken? Perhaps they glitched? No. Sylanian probes haven't made a single error in decades. In the meantime, the General listened and waited for her turn.

"As I said, there are no indications of this system having been built. But that's not all. The strangest aspect will be explained by General Kahemot."

"Right," muttered the General, who stood up and took her place in front of the screen. As Kahemot turned toward the room, the High Admiral bit her lips in a very suggestive manner, much to the annoyance of the General, who managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes and openly disrespecting the woman on the other side of this dark room. She couldn't believe her superior could talk so casually with her and get away with it, while she would get innuendos thrown at her head because of her inexperience.

"This world is special. Look at this," she said again with little regard for formalities, her colleague frowning for a moment before she opened a map.

"It's a map. What exactly am I seeing?"

"This is a map of the different species and subspecies on the planet. As you can see, it... uh... is quite colourful. Tell me, High Admiral, do you know the Kattail Empire?"

"To assume I don't feels insulting. I am a High Admiral. We deal on a daily basis with reports of how the self-proclaimed Emperor has taken another irrelevant planet. To me, it seems like his throne world is the only part of his barbaric empire that can even hope to match Sylanian splendour. But..." she stopped suddenly as she was lost for a few moments in thought before admitting, "I have to admit that he at least knows how to unite a highly diverse planet."

"Ma'am, we have named this world Faust. So from now on, I shall be referring to it as such. The star system it is located in has most of its mass made up of a weak brown dwarf with around a quarter of the mass of Silume. This, in itself, is not special. There are millions of brown dwarfs we know of, but none of them has a planetary system of this calibre around it."

"Normally, planets around brown dwarfs are uninhabitable, with not enough heat being transferred by their parent star. But Faust has a supplement. Against all known laws of physics, there is a star orbiting Faust itself. It's as though a class M main sequence star was downsized. And even stranger is that on the exact same orbit, a rocky planetary body is orbiting as well. Exactly on the opposite end of the orbital position to the star. There should be no way this can happen naturally."

"So you are telling me we have just found a star system that follows none of the laws of star formation? I don't believe this."

"Indeed. I didn't believe it either, but you know I would have called you if I wasn't serious about this. I theorize that it could be of artificial nature, but scans have so far revealed no indications of past precursor civilizations having had any influence in this system. And if you have any doubts, well, the data of the probes we sent are available for extraction if you wish to review it yourself."

"That... is interesting. Please continue." The previously sceptical military leader moved her head subtly toward the screen as her interest began to grow. Could their probes be mistaken? Perhaps they glitched? No. Sylanian probes haven't made a single error in decades. In the meantime, the General listened and waited for her turn.

"As I said, there are no indications of this system having been built. But this is not all. The strangest aspect will be explained by General Kahemot."

"Right," muttered the General, who stood up and took her place in front of the screen. As Kahemot turned toward the room, the High Admiral bit her lips in a very suggestive manner, much to the annoyance of the General who managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes and openly disrespecting the woman on the other side of this dark room. She couldn't believe her superior could talk so casually with her and get away with it, while she would get innuendos thrown at her head because of her inexperience.

"This world is special. Look at this," she said again with little regard for formalities, her colleague frowning for a moment before she opened a map.

"It's a map. What exactly am I seeing?"

"This is a map of the different species and subspecies on the planet. As you can see, it... uh... is quite colourful. Tell me, High Admiral, do you know the Kattail Empire?"

"To assume I don't feels insulting. I am a High Admiral. We deal on the daily with reports of how the self-proclaimed Emperor has taken another irrelevant planet. To me, it seems like his throne world is the only part of his barbaric empire that can even hope to match Sylanian splendour. But..." she stopped suddenly as she was lost for a few moments in thought before admitting, "I have to admit that he at least knows how to unite a highly diverse planet."

"Yes! Diversity is what I want to speak about! Much like Flusion, Faust is hyperdiverse. There are three avian and six equine races, and several others who cannot be categorized. This makes Faust the most diverse planet we know of so far. Most perplexing of all is how they all developed in parallel and how..."

"How...?"

"This is the part I was not sure about how to explain to you, High Admiral."

"Just say it the way you would to anyone."

"Well... the races on this planet, the civilizations on it... everything about it is from human mythology and culture. Indeed, there are individuals on this world that we have been able to identify. The Great Library has shown us that this planet, its inhabitants, and major leaders... are from an old human virtual series."

"Uh..."

"Yeah. We are not making any of this up. I sincerely hope you do not believe we are joking here."

"Though I wouldn't blame you if you did," commented the Admiral, who sat on her seat. Upon hearing this, she smiled and even had trouble containing laughter to herself. Her previously more reserved persona had fallen away entirely. She was amused, and the General feared the worst before these fears were proven wrong.

"Oh no, I believe you. But imagine we reveal this information to human diplomats, and they will be completely dumbfounded. This has the potential to be the joke of the millennia." The High Admiral couldn't help but have a serious laugh at the notion of this idea.

"But seriously, this is incredibly fascinating. Do you have any ideas how this could have come to pass?"

"As a former Shroud Explorer, I find it deeply disturbing, but... each to his own. As for your question, well, we have no evidence. But this is why we suggest taking over Faust to find out how a low-quality virtual series could have become a reality. And to also secure resources and technology while we are at it. And as a matter of fact, I'm surprised you even believe us."

"Sehy and I went to the Academy together. I know she would not have called me here if it were not important."

While the General could only guess what her superior was thinking, she did notice a smile from the Admiral, who seemingly took the compliment well. And, most importantly, she felt a great appreciation emanating from her. A warm, fuzzy feeling that was near infectious. But thanks to her year-long experience, she shrugged it off.

"I see."

"By the way, you mentioned something about technology and resources. I get that the anomalous nature of Faust alone already makes an invasion worth it, but what resources and technology might some primitives have that would be of value to us?" inquired the High Admiral Ahmy.

"Oh, I've been dying to tell you this," she suddenly said with a neigh-crazed expression of excitement before her self-awareness returned. "As I said, there are worthwhile resources to be extracted from Faust. Mainly crystals. Unlike Tiyancara, whose landscape is speckled with those massive crystal towers, the deposits on Faust dwarf those previously mentioned. Large parts of the crust are dominated by crystalline structures. In a particular area of the planet, one the locals dubbed the Crystal Mountains, these are so common they are mined."

This means the locals are aware of the crystals and, most importantly, how they are used. On Faust, most beings, but in particular the "unicorns," have a natural ability to use psionic powers for feats that some races in the galaxy might describe as magic, such as levitation. Certain beings have channelled so much of this power, in fact, that they can even fasten the Day and Night cycle. How this works is unknown to us. And with the advent of kinetic weapons on Faust, different nations are already using guns which are significantly empowered by the usage of these crystals.

As she elaborated further on the usage of this resource, she showed several pictures on the screen: a graphic showcasing the difference in amounts of crystals in the crust of Faust compared to Tiyancara and footage of equine military forces using it against a black race of insectoid equines. All previous remnants of her teasing attitude seemed to have faded. Instead, she took the matter seriously now and asked, "I see. I'm definitely warming up to the concept of an invasion. Please tell me, how fast is this civilization advancing?"

"Due to many ongoing conflicts at the moment, military technology has made great advancements in the last few years. We estimate it to be only a matter of months until one of the major nation-states develops a nuclear bomb. Of course, most nation-states have already industrialized, though, on the southern continent in particular, there are still many outliers. Radio communication is widespread, and television is coming into use. By the current rate of progress, we estimate one of the Faustian nations to eventually reach Faster-Than-Light Travel in a matter of 250 years."

"Another valuable opportunity is the race known locally as the 'Changelings'. These insectoid beings have the ability to change their appearance at will. While we already have the opportunity to do so with vat-grown bodies, Faust gives us the extraordinary opportunity to see how this ability has manifested in one of the most dominant species. The war will give us the chance to use prisoners of war as test subjects in the tens of thousands."

"The military and peacetime applications are self-evident," Seheset commented while she leaned back on her chair.

"And it's not like anyone would care, especially the ponies." muttered the High Admiral to herself as she looked at different pictures and videos presented on the screen behind the General. They included a picture of the Changeling Hegemony, of a changeling itself and short footage of a Changeling disguising itself as an equestrian commander.

"We have also identified several major leaders who not only have considerable political influence but are also very much able to defend themselves from possible assassination. These include the following: Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle is currently a highly influential being for the nation of Equestria. She has many resources at her disposal but is mentally easy to break. Convincing her to support our cause is likely very easy."

""Princess of Friendship"? What an odd title," the High Admiral remarked.

"To be fair, the whole nation of Equestria values friendship above everything, even though that has faded due to an ongoing conflict. 'Hm, I wonder what aspect I would have as a title,'" she, the High Admiral, pondered, despite the futility of asking such a theory-based question.

"Lust," quipped the Admiral with a cheeky grin on her cheek.

"Heh, you might be onto something there," she said shortly before blowing Kahemot a kiss through the dry air in that room. "Sure," replied the General with what looked like apathy. She continued with her naming of important personalities on Faust.

"Queen of the Changeling Hegemony, Chrysalis. Chrysalis is a highly arrogant and volatile being. She is incredibly prideful and arrogant and will likely refuse any attempts to collaborate. At the moment, she is leading her nation in a war against Equestria. If current progress continues, the Changeling Hegemony will be defeated by the end of next year. Immediate termination is recommended."

"Soon-to-be-Emperor, Grover Gabriel Eros Proteus Gerlach von Greifenstein, is being groomed by his teacher to become a fitting heir for the Griffonian Empire, an expansionist absolute monarchy. In two years, he will ascend to the position of Emperor. Grover has already accumulated significant experience in rulership. While he takes pride in his future role as monarch, he privately struggles with stress and indecisiveness. While termination should be considered, the possibility of collaboration should not be ruled out."

"Archon Eros the Seventh serves as the Regent of the Griffonian Empire. He is an intriguing case, being one of the oldest avians alive. In the last decade, he has successfully reconquered large parts of Griffonia. Despite his age, his body remains in peak condition. While capable of cruel acts, he primarily works towards the goal of reuniting the Empire for his protege, Grover. Eros is highly skilled as a military leader and administrator, enjoying immense popularity in the heartlands of his Empire. Due to his personal views, collaboration is not a viable option. Immediate termination is recommended."

"I..."

"Princess Luna is the co-ruler of the Diarchy of Equestria and an intriguing figure. She possesses extreme talent in psionic powers and reportedly has a mutated form that manifests when subjected to sufficient stress and anger. This form, known as 'Nightmare Moon,' displays intense hostility towards her own sister, and we have yet to discern the underlying reasons. Currently, Princess Luna's mental state is stable, but she has experienced three significant instances of transforming into or nearing her mutated form. She maintains cordial relations with her sister Celestia and jointly raises the moon with her. Princess Luna tends to be more reserved than her sister, and like Celestia, she is open to compromises. If desired, we believe we can make her work with us, and if she refuses, we can still break her mentally if necessary."

"W-Wait? She raises the moon? And her sister raises the sun?" she asked, visibly displaying confusion on her face.

The General, showing little consideration for formalities straight up uttered, "It may sound asinine, but the data and numbers we have collected are available for inspection at any time. We have concrete evidence to support our claims." The High Admiral, feeling a sense of urgency, just wanted to conclude this discussion and move on.

"Princess Celestia, Ruler of the Diarchy of Equestria. Princess Celestia is the last major leader that is a potential threat and the greatest at that. Celestia is the only Faustian aside from her sister and a young princess from the Crystal Empire we know is a natural-born Alicorn. She is very friendly, and compromising having centuries of experience in ruling Equestria, alone and together with her sister. Like Luna, she has extremely potent psionic abilities. In fact, we believe her to be stronger than her sister. And much like her sister she also has a mutated form. What exactly she would be known as then is unknown. We estimate that her powers in that mutated state would be enough to make large swathes of land uninhabitable and that she could perhaps, just perhaps, even rival our Empress in regards to sheer might in battle. We can safely assume her to be pacifist because perplexingly she refused to defend her nation in the past from similarly powerful entities despite having the power to do so. Anyway, there are no instances in recorded history of this form ever manifesting. Thankfully for us in her current state, she is focused on the war effort her nation finds itself. She is willing to negotiate and compromise most of the time. She might negotiate with us. And if she doesn't... well... Lady Iradirin is still an option." Unlike with all the other entries on the list of important leaders in this instance she became visibly distraught by the end of it. Like the General was genuinely worried about this Princess.

"Her sister's mutated form of Nightmare Moon had shown in her time imperialistic ambitions. If we assume that Celestia's mutated form has the same goals but for her own benefit the technological progress could be perhaps even faster, at the expense of local lives." she continued on with increasing worry in her voice and what she was trying to get across became increasingly obvious. The invasion was not just desirable but necessary. If this threat was allowed to fester then another war would be on the Empire's hands, something that is seriously unfitting in a time where outside of Sylanian space the Kattail Empire continues to subjugate more and more planets. Termination will be necessary if words cannot convince her.

Muttering to herself the High Admiral commented, "This is a lot to digest."

"And I suppose she is along with this Luna very popular?" inquired the High Admiral after her rather pessimistic remark.

"Their ideology seems unfit for their planet considering the other continents Kahemot mentioned have experienced conflict time and time again," mentioned Seheset while still leaning back. She seemingly had no worries.

"The ideology or public opinion does not matter. This princess has the potential to become a threat if she ever happens to mutate like her sister. As such we need to either convince her to collaborate and if that does not work, pacify her; one way or the other! Otherwise, her ambitions will go beyond the world."

"Ma'am, this makes them a direct threat to Sylanian interests. We ask you to authorize an invasion." said the General with a rise of tone in her voice like she was ready to strike down the world's inhabitants and have them know their rightful place.

"..."

"Ma'am?" asked the General formally for once while the High Admiral was lost in thought. Invading a primitive world is usually not something done on a whim. But over the last thirty minutes, she realized how much surveying and planning must have gone into identifying this threat and that they both seem more than willing to take on this threat. She was convinced she could trust Admiral Seheset and her judgement and so ruled in her friends' and colleagues' favour.

"Since this is your idea ill have you two not just lead the invasion but also the planet in the aftermath of the takeover. I seriously hope you have already formulated a battle plan against these local demi-gods."

"We have," answered Seheset with a smile on her face as she turned around to face her superior while talking.

"Really now? You seem quite eager to invade Faust. I hope your eagerness for battle matches your administrative skills. Tell me, how do you plan to take over this world?"

"Gladly." said the Admiral before she switched places again with the General.

"Due to the sensitive nature of this world, we are taking a different approach than usual. During a normal invasion, we would just bombard every major city and take over the rest, brutalizing the remaining populace, with the trauma inflicted keeping the vast majority from resisting. Not this time, though. To ensure stability and that enough locals join our cause, we will use orbital bombardment very sporadically. This is due to our agreement on protecting the populace and safely conducting research and assimilate loyal citizens. The particularly important Equestria will not be as downsized and small as other reservations.

Part 1: Intimidation - We will have my fleet secure the area of space around the planet and position our ships above major cities. This will sow panic and confusion, making any organized defensive efforts weaker. This stage will take two hours."

"Part 2: Diplomacy - I will personally transmit an ultimatum to all nation-states via radio and television. It will demand the ceasing of all international conflict, the surrender of all military units, and the transfer of power to Sylanian authorities until new borders have been drawn. We estimate this stage - the time for the ultimatum to have arrived in the most important places - to take less than a day. It is anticipated that most nations will surrender immediately. At the same time we shall present the ultimatum to Princess Celestia personally, while I deal with the Princess of Friendship. We already have plans to send Lady Iradrin in case certain leaders refuse to cooperate."

"Part 2.1: Collaboration or Termination"

"Part 3: War - Once Sylanian troops have made planetfall and it has become clear which nations have refused the ultimatum, we shall immediately begin a campaign of decimation. The capitals of the resisting countries will be targeted via orbital bombardment, destroying the most important logistical and administrative centres. The remaining cities will be razed, and their citizens will be treated as war trophies. A quarter of the surviving populace will be sold into slavery and shipped off-world. Major exceptions for orbital bombardment include sites of cultural, religious, or historical significance. This stage shouldn't take more than half a week."

"Part 4: Peace - Lastly, borders will be redrawn. Due to the anomalous and hyperdiverse nature of Faust, we will establish reservations for most races instead of opting for immediate demographic replacement. In these reservations, they can rule themselves however they see fit, as long as it doesn't collide with Sylanian interests. It will take around five years for Faust to become a stable and productive part of the Empire."

Once the long-winded monologue had passed without warning, she began to clap slowly and announced, "Not bad, not bad. Nice scheme from you two. I really like this."

"Meaning...?" inquired the Admiral with a not-so-subtle motion of her hands.

"Was that not obvious? Yes, I give you my go-ahead to subjugate some horses and birds. Make them see the light of the Empress."

"Well, then I believe we are done."

"Terrific," General Kahemot said under her breath, seemingly disillusioned.

"General, please return to your duties. Sehy will accompany me to the ship," ordered the High Admiral as she left the room with the Admiral. They closed the door behind them and walked towards the hangar before Seheset spoke up.

"This will be a mess to sort out. I'm sure I can make Her Majesty see it your way, though. I can see that your interest in this world goes beyond mere concern for the Empire, though."

"That it does."

"Please... elaborate further on your intentions."

"You know what fuels my ambition."

"Ah, so this undertaking is driven by your desire for promotion, is it not?"

Indeed, and how do you assess my progress in that regard?"

"Well, you seem adept at planning, and you have proven your leadership capabilities in combat over the past years. However, you need a better General. I doubt she is a suitable match for you."

"I know she may come across as brash, but once you get to know her, you'll realize she's friendly and competent. Kahemot just needs more time."

"Of course, I'm not even angry about her failing to show deference, but... I don't know, she seems slightly apathetic, if cute."

"Ahemy, she has been a Shroud Walker for decades. They tend to be... Slightly reserved and apathetic toward things around them." Seheset sighed, then shook her head. "They perceive things we never will. I'm just happy she found her passion in leading troops. It's in those few moments where I see her genuinely happy. And she is also pretty good at it. During a combat simulation last week, she was able to easily overpower two Human armies despite having only five divisions left."

"Not too shabby. I guess I never really had much experience with Shroud Walkers. By the way...?"

"Yes?"

"Does she use her abilities to empower troops during battle or...?"

"No. She prefers to lead them without psionic power. Understandable, in my opinion."

"I see. Well then, what are your plans for the coming years?"

"Nothing special. But it's nice to have seen you here again. Sometimes I really miss our youth," she said in a casual manner. It would be obvious to any observer that these two, despite their differences in rank, are close friends. And like friends, they treat each other.

"You and me, Sehy. You know what? Please contact me sometime again outside of work matters," she asked, as she turned towards her and held both her hands in hers before continuing, "I really want to spend some quality time with you again."

"Oh- uh sure. Yeah, I'll do that." The Admiral nodded quickly, and yet there were trace amounts of hesitation in her voice. Truly, she was not sure if she could or would do that, especially considering the upcoming task. But surprisingly, the High Admiral seemingly believed her.

"Great. Now, let's go back to our roles so the soldiers don't have bad examples before them." Upon saying that, both entered the hangar in a militaristic fashion as they walked toward the ship the High Admiral had left half an hour ago. The soldiers were still standing in their rows, awaiting the departure of the High Admiral.

"It has been an honour to have you visit us on the Elowhay."

"Likewise. I will brief the Empress shortly, and once we have received her go-ahead, you may show these primitives who they ought to kneel before," she said with one last haunting sentence before she entered her shuttlecraft.

With a quick bow, Admiral Seheset bid her farewell, "Yes, ma'am. I wish you a safe return."

"Farewell," she replied before the doors closed, interrupting the eye-to-eye contact between the two.

"Farewell," came the reply, just as the doors closed, severing the eye-to-eye contact between the two.

As the ship's engines roared back to life, emitting an eerie purple glow of dark matter from the exhaust ports, it gained the necessary lift to escape the artificial gravity. In less than a second, it departed the safety of the shielded hull, venturing into the vastness of the interstellar vacuum with a resounding roar.

After the shuttle rapidly diminished in size until it nearly vanished from sight, the Admiral turned and proceeded to the bridge. There was much to be done...

The Early Sunrise

Far outside any city, deeply nestled in pine forests, lay a gravel road. It was eerily dark and quiet, as though someone had muted all the animals and other inhabitants of rural Severyana. The only visible lights came from a quiet observatory on a mountain. It was the sole structure visible for miles, and the telescope protruding from its rift on the roof was clearly discernible, even in the chronic absence of light, except for the stars above.

Inside the observatory, a pony sat at a desk, adjusting the angle, lens, and height of the telescope he operated. He carefully observed a nearby object, analyzing its properties and movement. He had never been told what it was, except that it was most certainly artificial. Nonetheless, he had taken this job with grace and genuine ambition to find out its nature. Theories ran rampant in his head, and with no further orders coming from the Ministry, he continued his surveys. However, even with all the enthusiasm in the world, it faded in light of simple tiredness. The pony with blue fur was prepared to lay down his work and go to sleep.

"Just about done with my shift. What a crazy day," the pegasus noted with a mix of exhaustion and relief. However, just before he rolled back the reflecting telescope into the copula, he took one last look at the object through one of the highest-resolution reflective telescopes the Department of Proletarian Science and Education could afford. Once the telescope had settled into its ideal position, he finally saw it again—the anomalous object he had been tasked to observe and study. Yet, out here, far from rural Stalliongrad, he received scant information. The only line of communication was a single telescope.

"Still above Stalliongrad, aren't you?" he said with a faint smile. Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, he noticed something unsettling. The wedge-like ship began to intensify in luminosity.

"L-Light?" he stammered, moving even closer with his eye, practically pressing it into the telescope's viewing tube. Once the telescope had settled into its ideal position, he finally saw the object clearly, and his jaw dropped.

He rushed to the table where his communication equipment lay, his heart pounding with panic. Frantically, he spun the number wheel, attempting to contact the ministry.

"F-FUCK!" he exclaimed in frustration, dialling the wrong number, his trembling hooves causing mistakes. He stomped the ground in anger and had to start from the beginning again. After several agonizing seconds, he finally dialled the correct number.

"Come on. Come on, please, by Celestia, please," the native Severyanian pleaded desperately as he waited for someone to answer his call. But the line remained silent. With each passing moment, his hope dwindled.

In that moment of despair, a blinding light engulfed the surroundings, transforming the dark, starlit night into a horrifying imitation of daytime—an early sunset filled with foreboding.

The pegasus's eyes widened as he witnessed the trees illuminated from the observatory window, their eerie glow casting ominous shadows. He rushed outside, his hooves sinking into the snow-covered ground, and turned his gaze toward Stalliongrad. Through the treetops, he beheld a colossal mushroom cloud ascending into the sky. A powerful gust of wind swept through, carrying with it a sense of devastation.

As a pegasus, he intimately understood wind breeze and how it was supposed to feel but this one carried a chilling prescience, shaking him to his core. The realization struck him like a thunderbolt—his home was in ruins. This was not the work of Changeling weaponry or Equestrian machinations. It was a cataclysm on an unimaginable scale, and he couldn't bear the thought of witnessing the complete obliteration of Stalliongrad.

And so he stood there, paralyzed by shock and grief, his eyes fixated on the towering mushroom cloud that loomed higher, engulfing the horizon in an ever-expanding display of tragedy.