What was in front of me was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a man in a cockpit like the other knights. And while that was still technically true. The man, or rather woman, was more machine.

Cables, electronics and other gizmos and doohickies were invading her body, piercing through her pale, thin skin, her bones.

The woman’s arms were outstretched either side of her. Her hands were encased in blocks of metal. I couldn’t see below her lower torso anywhere. If she still had one, it was lost in the machinery.

The top half of the woman’s head was encased in a visor of sorts, impeding her vision. She just stood, or rather was suspended there, mouth agape as she breathed softly.

"Who is th-re? Are you a n-w brother? Come closer. I know my form is qu-te the sight. But I am no threat."

The woman’s neutral voice kept cutting out every so often and her voice, even with the robotic modulation, sounded weak and tired.

"No, I’m not a new brother. You are speaking to Sentinel Lambdason right now." I managed to speak after a few moments of just taking in what I was seeing. The part of the woman still human seemed to jolt hearing that, getting as straight and rigid as she seemingly could.

"L-rd sentinel? It is an honour. How can I be of service?" The woman began to smile. Without visible eyes, smiles usually made people feel uncomfortable, but I just saw Jewel and her lack of eyes and purged the thought before something weird happened.

"I found out the order had arrived and came to help. I have some rations for you... Where should I put them?"

"Oh W-nderful! I have been hungry for a couple of days. Thank you, Sentinel. It is K-nd of you to do this for me. Place the packs in a metal grate to your right. I Shall do the rest.

Doing as she asked, I found the grate quite easily and a few moments later I heard a sigh escape the woman’s lips. I then noticed a brownish liquid pouring through one of the wires into one on her back.

"Is there anything else I can do for y-u Sentinel?" She asked, and I wasn’t going to let this opportunity go. What I was looking at was pretty grim and I wanted to know the reason for it. However before I could, the woman began to cough violently, the modulator added a particularly nasty wheeze to the cough prompting my concern.

"Are you alright?" I asked and after a few moments, the woman replied,

"Apologies, S-ntinel. During first engagement on the planet. My body took damage fighting a Drakoshi heavy emplacement. My M-dulator got dislodged and it hasn’t been able to be f-xed yet. Cosmetic damage. It just needs to be pulled up slightly in my thr-at. But." She began to move her arms slightly, but with the majority of them being encased in metal, her point was made for her.

Looking at her throat, I had an idea. "You know, if you want me to, I can use my telekinesis to move it back into position? It won’t hurt I promise. It will just feel like an invisible hand around your neck."

"I am at your mercy S-ntinel. I trust y-u." The woman said and raised her head ever so slightly, giving me better access. The gap was too small for the rest of my body to get through, but my telekinesis was no problem.

Extending a tendril I reached the woman’s throat in no time. She quivered at my touch and her breathing picked up, but she quickly composed herself. I then began to fiddle around her neck until I found a small metal augment pushing against her throat at a weird angle.

I was not much of a tech guy, but I was a biology guy. I could tell that the simple act of speaking with the modulator in this position was causing her a great deal of pain. She was a tough cookie for only having the occasional vocal glitch.

Though from looking at the rest of her body, she was clearly not afraid of a little pain.

After a little bit of manipulating her throat with my tendril, the modulator seemed to lock into place one more at which point the woman let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ahh~ Much better. My Gratitude, Sentinel. How can I repay this favour?" She asked and I replied instantly.

"If it’s no bother, could you tell me what happened to you to be interned in this thing? I mean, all this looks incredibly painful. Are you being punished?"

"Interned? Punished?" The woman replied, her voice regaining some more personality now her modulator was fixed. "My lord Sentinel. Becoming one with my body was a gift, not a punishment."

"Your body? As in-"

"-My mech. Yes. Allow me to explain, if you have the time?"

I nodded my head at the woman for her to go on, like I was going to miss this.

...

"Oh shit. Sorry. I nodded my head. Please, enlighten me."

The woman’s lips smirked at my air-headedness before beginning.

"Before I became a Castellan, I was a knight captain. Like young Cassian is now. After decades of war, proving myself to the order, a great tragedy struck. The previous owner of my body perished in a battle with the Coalition.

Fortunately though. My chassis was almost perfectly preserved. A few major fixes were needed, but there was now no Castellan within my body. After a small tournament between a few other knight captains, I emerged victorious and swiftly underwent the procedures needed to place me in my new home. My new body."

My eyes suddenly went wide after piecing together a few of her words. "Wait! You mean that-"

"-Yes, my lord. We aren’t just called Castellans because we are the size of a large building. We don’t leave our body. Not until we perish." The woman said with a pride in her words that was unshakable. Though me being me, I had another question.

"You keep on referring to your mech as your body. Is that metaphorical, symbolic? Or is there something else going on? Perhaps to do with all those wires inside of you?"

The woman smiled again. "Very sharp, my lord. I expect nothing less of your brilliance. Yes. My body. My mech. The tech inside me connects me to the ’nerves’ of my mech. With it. I see through its eyes. I feel my cannon. I feel my ammunition. I feel my paint. I can feel it when I am rusting. I feel what my mech feels. I feel what my body feels. It’s a... Complex process. Techno-mechanics have spoken of a connection of the machine’s intent and desires mixing with my and other castellans’ alike. But I have never heard another voice or anything like that. I just am what I am." She puffed out her chest with pride.

"A castellan of the Order of the Guardians."

My mind was blown. I knew what she was talking about. My little guy Ronnie talks to toasters for fun after all. There must be something fantastical going on in the machine-works that I had no idea about.

"Still though... I can’t believe the sacrifice you went through, even though you don’t see it that way. I mean. You have traded being human to being this. I’m not saying its a bad thing, but-"

"-My lord. I have lived a long time. The machinery has increased my lifespan significantly. I’ve had all these thoughts at one point or another. I have come to the simple conclusion though.

Yes. My life could have gone differently. Perhaps I would have had children? Raised a family after my service? But I chose this path. The path to become something more than flesh and blood. The path of a weapon. And I would not change a thing. Not in a thousand years."

I just stopped for a moment to take in what she said. I couldn’t help laughing a single time out of pure surprise. The human spirit. The determination. The dedication. The drive. it just kept on surprising me how far humans will go for their empire. For what they care about.

"You are incredible." I blurted out without thinking, prompting the Castellan to turn her head slightly.

"My lord. Don’t flatter me so boldly. It has been a long time since I received a compliment in person, I am not prepared for such praise."

I chuckled at her reaction. Not very ’weapony’ Still very human at its core. Literally.

’Though then again, my weapons react when I talk to them also.’ I thought before shrugging.

"Well thank you for sating my curiosity, Castellan. I will take my leave before I bore you to death. I also have the other Castellan to bring rations to, so I shouldn’t linger for too long."

"I appreciated the conversation, my lord. And thank you for fixing my modulator. I look forward to sharing the field of battle with you once more."