My Little Rogue Trader: Maretime Sector

A Space Hulk? Crashing into the Hive? Won’t that kill everyone?! No, no, no!

“All of you!” called out the Intelligence Officer, “Get to cover!”

None had to be told twice, and all souls dove for cover between the buildings. It was there that Sunny also found herself, lying on the floor, wedged between a prone Hitch and a still-standing Stoutfolk, whose name Sunny still didn’t know. Too late for that, she supposed, even as the world rocked around her. She squeezed her eyes and waited for the end, coming to her by a titanic collection of ancient starships and asteroids. It was an effective way to destroy the Hive, in all fairness. It just was the supreme injustice that Sunny had to be still inside it. The Hive shuddered and screamed, as did Sunny Starscout.

All would turn to ash and dust. Sunny gripped her head, clapping her hooves over her trembling ears, the roar of the guns overtaken by the city-sundering crash. Sunny's face became wet with tears, eyelids pinched tight as she screamed again. The impending death of everything overtook even the sound of her voice, the massive object’s crashing rendering all other sounds mute. The only reason she even knew she was screaming was that she still felt the compression of her lungs and the vibrations in her throat. She curled up and waited to die, like the billions of other mares, stallions, men, women, and who knows what else was currently being crushed by the weight of the Hulk. She ground her teeth.

Sunny prayed it would at least be quick. Did oblivion await her on the other side? Would it be heaven? Would it be hell? Would her parents be there? Her heart wrenched in her chest. One terrible moment passed, the sound of doom growing louder still. Then another, and another. She heard more screams around, Sunny couldn't tell which voice belonged to whom. It was the whole Hive, Sunny realized. Screaming with one voice, as if the entire city was as one individual, and the space hulk had been a bullet fired into the Arcology’s beating heart.

Another moment passed. The shaking became worse. This is it...! The Hive shook under Sunny, the massive metal supports screeching in agony...!

Then, there was stillness. A cursed, blessed stillness. A great many guns still fired overhead, but less numerous than before. That sound, even if a little louder than before, barely registered to Sunny. She could only hear her ragged breath and the thunderous beating of her heart in her ears. She smelled scorched dust, copper, and smoke.

She... she wasn’t dead? Sunny Starscout... yet lived? Shuddering, Sunny raised her head and opened her eyes. Everyone around her... still intact? There wasn’t any blood, no torn bodies or pieces... they also raised their heads, and looked around. They must also be thanking whatever they can that they weren’t a victim. Unsurprisingly, the Imperium Intelligence Agents were the first up, already hauling the other Enforcers onto their hooves.

“Enough of this foolishness,” said the Officer. “It’s clear that we’re not dead yet. Our duty is not done.” He walked over to where Neighsara was standing up. “Zebra!”

Ruffled, yet still stoic, Neighsara simply stared back in silence.

The Officer stared down the zebra pony with his one working eye, and commanded, “We are requisitioning you and your... band. You are to follow us to the Enforcer Bastion, where we will fight and win or die. Are we understood?”

Neighsara looked around and saw the collection of souls around him. It would be a fateful choice. Neighsara looked over to Tabby Baker, who shrugged and hung his head.

Finally, Neighsara sighed. “Very well,” he said. “Odds of survival are improved with greater numbers.”

The Eldar, watching the exchange, bitterly remarked, “Great. We’re all friends. Can we go now?”

Sunny sighed. Then, that accented voice again, like he was from Fenris. She doubted that, though, as the Egg Warrior spoke in an upbeat manner, “Don’t you worry, hrozzi. We’ve all got each other when it counts.”

The Eldar huffed. The Psyker chuckled. Sunny looked up, and she gasped at what she saw. Many eyes followed hers, and they likewise adopted a stunned look of horror.

The Space Hulk had come to rest in Maretime Sector, spearing through the ceiling and into the floor. Just how large was this thing? Why was it mostly intact? Sunny could see pieces here and there fall off the blackened object, but it stood, a grim testament to some insane plan. The hulk cast a shadow on the neon paradise that was Maretime Sector, a vision of hell come to undo this place of artificial beaches and sun. It even partially eclipsed the distant setting sun set against the far wall. She scanned her eyes over the metallic surface, expecting colorful daemons to flood out of every crash-made gash and gaping hole.

And yet, this titanic construct stood stark still, this broken and shattered shiv that pierced the Hive remained. Sunny smelled dripping chemicals.

A deep sense of unreality set in for Sunny. It was just... it was all happening so fast...! Sunny took a moment to force herself not to hyperventilate. She succeeded long enough to notice the crowd now moving along. They all holstered or slung their weapons, both eyes (for most) on the new monolithic nightmare that intruded into Maretime Sector. Sunny was no longer sure why she felt a hollowness in her stomach.

As she stared, the prow of the Space Hulk seemed to oppress without really doing anything. Despite being the boxy, frontmost point of the gargantuan-sized craft, Sunny reckoned it was still 3 kilometers wide, if not more, and she couldn’t be sure how much further down the hive the nose of the thing still reached. There was something about the hulk being here, intact, that Sunny couldn’t quite reason with. There had to be a reason it was still intact.

Sunny was shaken from her surreality by the terrible, awful sound of a bellowing, rattling horn.

The sound rang out from the intruding construct, the hollow spaces within resonating the baritone call. The horn sounded off the distant inner walls of the Hive. More horns rang out, adding to the cacophony. With a shudder, Sunny realized the truth that had been just on the edge of her waking realization.

The Space Hulk had not been a weapon to destroy the entire city at once. It had been a delivery vehicle.

“Move! Move!”

Sunny joined the stampede towards the Bastion. There, inside the walls, she would be safe. She should be inside the walls, where strong walls stood, bristling with many guns. She was just too exposed. Too alone, even amongst this crowd of armed Imperials. Would she have been safer had she not been given that ticket by Helix? Would the others from work be okay?

Sunny tried to ignore the droplets falling from the ceiling. It... could be any number of things. Broken water pipes, broken... waste pipes. It didn’t necessarily have to be... blood. Sunny also tried to ignore the subtle shifting of the Hive beneath her. The twisting of metal as the Hulk threatened to sink even deeper. The groan of the hive was not like the nightly occurrences when the weight of the continent-sized construct settled.

It was a rare thing, but Hivequakes were a real threat when ancient structural supports became just a little too ancient. But now, the structure quaked. There was a bolt falling here, a plate falling there... the very city was bleeding and crumbling around Sunny. The now-distorted neon colors of the signs around Sunny still promised good food. Fresh nutribread. Hot recaf. Sweets. Treats.

Sunny had still not eaten today! Her eyes narrowed and her face tightened into a snarl. Her ears then twitched to hear popping noises, first isolated, then picking up in intensity. Was that...? She looked at the hulk’s prow again and gasped. Tracers and lasbolts were being unleashed from it and onto it. Gold, green, red, and even blue flashes from bullets, the solid beams of laser weapons, and even the glowing balls of plasma shots were exchanged between Maretime and the invaders. That popping sound had been gunshots! Even now, those sounds echoed off the walls of the Hive.

The Officer bellowed, “Don’t shoot! We aren’t at the Bastion yet and we don’t want to draw fire!”

Running up beside her, Touchdown hollered, “Hooee! Hot damn, it’s really kicking off now!”

Sunny looked at Touchdown as he grew a second head. “You’re enjoying this?!” She shrieked. She also couldn’t help but notice the belt-fed stubber now at Touchdown’s side. One of the pirates must have given him his gun back. It was decorated with paints and laden with tally marks. A lot of tally marks.

“Fuck yeah, Sunny! I’ve been in the wars! Could’ve retired with some free land if I didn’t love Blood Bowl so much!” He then giggled, as if he was a colt with a candy. As if they weren’t running at full tilt.

The gunfire was intensifying. A roar could be heard from the hulk. It was issued from what must have been a million throats from within the beached vessel.

Worst of all, Sunny—and everyone else for that matter—could hear the words of the invaders.

“Ashes! Ruins! Dark Powers!”

The chant was met with one that was raised by the Ecclesiarchal militias.

“Vita! Libertas! Imperator!”

Part of Sunny was glad that there was at least some response to the invader’s cruel words, but another... hated that any of this was happening in the first place. The gunshots were becoming louder. If Sunny were just a bit higher up, and were able to see above the tall buildings, she reckoned that she would see a not-insignificant amount of firepower being directed at the boarding hulk from the Enforcer Aegis Station.

Sunny could even see new emplacements rise up from dormancy just outside the walls—Skyfire turrets, with four autocannons, blazing away at the hulk. Sunny was glad for Imperial Overprepardedness today. White shells peppered the outer shell of the craft, kicking up dust and pulverizing anything within.

That, in turn, attracted a lot of attention right back. Sunny started to be less sure about his plan to run straight at the center of the fight.

“Have you ever seen anything like this, sir?” Shouted the Feudal Veteran.

Irritatedly, the tall-hatted Officer relayed, “No, Sergeant. I can’t say that I have! Although...”

“Although... what, Captain?” Asked the Psyker, her hair almost seemed to catch alight with green fire... but that would be ridiculous—right?

The group had slowed, needing to walk over the rubble of some buildings that had shaken themselves to pieces. It had formed a crude sort of mound, which was something that made Sunny grimace. She prayed, pleaded, and hoped that nobody was trapped under such a mass of broken mortar and twisted steel. She tried to step as lightly as she could, ears swiveling for any sound. The battle was the only thing she heard.

Finally, they were nearing the Bastion Fortress, pockmarked as it was by the ruinous intent of those inside the crashed Space Hulk. Sunny didn’t know whether it was for safety or towards the fight of her life she was running. Her hooves ached, her stomach screamed for nourishment, and Sunny’s head pounded from the incessant noise. Was this a battle, or was Sunny working overtime again?

Such a thought made Sunny breathlessly chuckle as the group marched up the final set of stairs to reach the tall, castle-like fortress. The central spire rose high and was the attention of a particularly fearsome barrage of enemy fire. Below, the barricades were raised, and lasbolts and tracer rounds sped out like it was the races. Metallic, overhead cover racks had been put up, so now the Enforcer Station resembled not just a castle, but a bunker. However, as she neared, something else happened.

Namely, a bubblegum-pink magical shield flickered into existence around the walls. It was a dome, she realized. The projectiles from the enemy were being stopped, causing ripples in the dome, but friendly munitions passed through just fine.

Almost there! Sunny just needed to ignore the pain in her legs and push just a bit further! Cover! Safety! Maybe a good bite to eat, too, after this is done! A thought occurred to Sunny. Maybe... maybe the morning’s dough-bites were still in the reception area! Plain! Powered! Hell, even jelly-filled will do at this point!

All the same, Sunny and the others ran just a bit faster to get under the magical and mundane defenses of the law enforcement station. Sunny heard new, strange, snapping sounds. Sunny saw many ponies and zebras run just a bit ahead of her. She saw Casey catch a second wind and overtake Sunny, her scared eyes wide and that gorgeous golden mane bounce. Come on... just a bit further...!

It was then that Casey caught a sickly green laser bolt to the head. She... she crashed to the ground, her strings to life cut. Most saw, most shrunk away, and kept bolting, but there were two who stopped running; Sunny who was right next to Casey when it happened, and Tabby Baker, who shrieked in horror.

“Casey!?”

He dropped his weapon, a finely-decorated snub revolver, and it clattered to the ground as Sunny fell to the ground, breathing hard. She clapped her hooves on her head again as a machine gun fired next to her. It was Touchdown, spraying indiscriminately at the spot that laser had come from on the Hulk. Others of Neighsara’s pirates had joined in, and even the Egg-clad short warrior had leveled his rotary gun to fire at the enemy.

She looked ahead and had a heart attack anew; Hitch and several zebras were struck. Hitch was hit in his body and limbs by several yellow tracers, which made him fall, also. A... a leg came off.

She.. she ran ahead to where Hitch lay, a crimson pool even now spooling beneath him. His combat vest hadn’t been enough... Sunny was starting to doubt even her helmet. Her throat seized. Sunny suddenly found it very hard to breathe.

Still, she found herself hoisting a still-breathing Hitch Trailblazer, and another pony came to help him up. Sunny hardly noticed that it was none other than Zipp who had taken up a spot to carry the dying Hitch. They moved as quickly as they could, but Sunny still managed to hear a scream, “Move!” as Tabby raced past the two with a limp Casey on his back, firing his stubby revolver wildly at the invaders as he ran. The weapon was encased in blue magic, the very thing that Sunny and the last of the ponies were passing through. Sunny could see the carbon scoring on Casey’s face and blood in her hair. Last to arrive was Touchdown himself, none the worse for wear.

The pink shield meant that Sunny was finally safe now, right? Right? Everything was happening so fast... as she neared the walls proper, armored Enforcers raced out with white medical pauldrons and took Hitch away, and others ushered Sunny to follow them. Why...? Oh, she was covered in blood. Some of it might even be hers.

Numbly, she saw other Enforcers wrestle Touchdown and Tabby to the ground, and take away their weapons. She did see other Medics take away Casey, so that’s... something. Sunny took a few more steps, and her wobbling knees finally gave out, and she fainted on the ground, thinking only of the way Casey’s still-lovely—if singed—hair managed to hide the worst of that head injury.

The guns still roared around and above her.

Deep within the Enforcer Station, Sunny’s eyes snapped open. The guns still roared outside, deafened by the walls. Hitch... Casey... were they okay? What about the Intelligence Team? Sunny looked around. She was... inside. In an... office?

The white walls and the furniture looked to indicate as such. The desk, and boxy computer/monitor combination, too. As Sunny stood up on the green carpet of the office, she could see some desk decorations that would befit... the Sheriff. Of course. She looked at the picture of the Sheriff and his family... he looked so young, and happy. He had a wall of guns, some of which were missing, by the look of the empty hooks. There was a few other trinkets here, a shooting competition trophy there. But why was Sunny here? She had been placed on an old couch, which smelled of gunpowder.

Pushing the obvious question out of her mind (Why would an old couch smell of gunpowder?) Sunny examined herself, fearing the worst. Thankfully, her limbs were still attached, and she wasn’t bandaged or bent out of shape. Shivering, Sunny breathed through her nose, thanking every Princess, in order, for her safety and for the foresight of whoever brought her here.

She sat up, already feeling the strain and protest of her muscles. She had made a dead sprint to accomplish that mission. If this was the soldier’s life, Sunny thought, then they could keep it to themselves. Still, that’s not exactly her choice to make anymore, was it?

Today, we’re soldiers.

She smelled a significant deal of smoke and ozone wafting in from outside, threatening to make her double over in disgust. Then, something else. Something more... immediate. Her eyes drifted over to the desk again of the Sheriff. There. A paper box, full of... dough-bites!

Sunny seized one of the delectable treats in a hoof and chowed down.

Sunny couldn’t help but laugh... it was a hollow, empty laugh. The world was coming to an end, and Sunny was glad that the dough-bites she was taking were not cream-filled. Her chest shuddered and she heaved. Tears ran freely down her face as she ate another. For all she knew, they weren’t even meant to be eaten by her.

Better forgiveness than permission, in this case. Especially if nobody here might be around tomorrow because of that eyesore in Maretime Sector, which was now a vector for a Chaos invasion.

Sunny shivered and closed her eyes, cringing at the image of Casey’s head all but exploding from the hostile. Was it a sniper? Was it just some heretic? Did it matter? Part of the universal education that everyone received in the Hive had to do with how to treat wounds, and how to keep somebody alive long enough for the Medicae to arrive.

But for somepony like Casey to take a shot to the head... she’ll be out of the fight for a long time...if she’s still alive. In Sunny’s mind, the image of Casey lifted her head and gave her a blackened grin... Sunny opened her eyes again, turning her head to see LT at the door to the office. Sunny couldn’t help but notice how unkempt and messy the reddish unicorn had become.

“Hey... you,” he meekly offered. “You’re finally awake.”

She nodded. There was some relative quiet between them, but then Sunny asked, hesitantly, “How long was I out?”

The LT’s brown eyes widened and his moustache twitched as he checked his pony wristwatch, muttering, “Oh, shit, uh...” A pause. “Half an hour?” He looked at her with a wide, nervous grin.

Sunny sighed. That wasn’t that bad. “Thanks for the dough-bites,” Sunny offered. The LT looked past her and his eyes twitched.

He meekly mumbled, “Oh... yeah, you’re welcome.”

He probably meant to offer her that, but the way he acts is as if it was for himself... Sunny chooses to believe it was also for her. Changing the topic, Sunny asked, tiredly, “So, when’s my next mission?”

LT blinked. “Uh...” Sunny cocked her head, and LT continued, “W-Well,” he stammered before shivering. “We’re kinda...” His face twitched into a smile, before resting again. “Winging it.”

He then looked around, thoughtfully. An idea had come into his weary mind. He met Sunny’s gaze again.

He asked, “How good are you with Ogryns?”