No, you're not crazy. I changed the design of Mandilla's ship. The other one didn't fit the character so I've spent the last few days working up a new design (because I'm slow!). The other one may appear later in the story at some point. We'll see, but it just wasn't right. Couldn't stay.
Man, he has GOT to have one helluva nasty headache with half of it exposed to the air. Either he's rocking some serious pain killers that don't impair his motor (or mental) functions, or that bug really is just stone cold amazing at piloting a spaceship.
Ha! All of the above. That needle he's injected into his arm a few pages ago is taking the edge off, and he is definitely a stone cold amazing pilot, which these emissaries are about to find out.