Obligatory Serras-into-Canon omake
'So this is how we lose.' he thought.
Lord Ursakar Creed could be forgiven for thinking as such, given the impending disaster that looked above him. The massive and corrupted form of a Blackstone Fortress bore down towards Cadia, slowly picking up speed as it burned through the atmosphere.
'If it were anything else, we may have survived. But I suppose even we couldn't hold out forever. At least as many people as possible were evacuated.'
Creed downed a bit of alcohol, something special he'd kept from the last Black Crusade's conclusion. As it burned his throat on the way down, he closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.
Only to open them again as he felt something make the planet shake violently. Then, he felt something pass through him, something he couldn't identify but knew was pure. It was the feeling of a father's rage against those who would harm his children combined with a mother's warm love. Pure anger and pure love.
Then, the shaking stopped. He saw, floating in the sky, a figure that glowed with dull but pure white light. They raised their hands to the sky, directly towards the falling fortress.
The pure light shot forward faster than even a lasgun could fire, hitting the corrupted space station. Like a viscous liquid, it spread from the point of contact, enveloping the corrupted thing faster and faster.
What shocked Creed wasn't that, however, but that the fortress was slowing down. The light seemed to push against the force of gravity acting on the falling mass. Slowly, painfully, it came to a halt.
By this time, the light has completely enveloped the Blackstone fortress. The fortress began glowing bright, and Creed was forced to look away as if a miniature sun was hovering so close.
He could feel the heat increase, knew intellectually that he was feeling heat capable of melting adamantium, but wondered why he didn't feel hot or even uncomfortable.
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In space, Captain Garadon of the Imperial Fists' 3rd company felt horror as the fortress-turned-kinetic-strike was enveloped white light, no doubt the result of it's impact with the ground.
The horror turned to confusion as the white light spread over the surface of Cadia, which clearly wasn't destroying it, since the Phalanx's communication with the world was still alive.
He turned and began barking out orders for information from anyone.
"Wait, look!" Someone shouted, causing the scrambling bridge to turn collectively to see the
Will of Eternity, which should have been smashed into Cadia's surface, rising incredibly fast back into space.
Even as he instinctively braced himself mentally, Garadon found it unnecessary. Where the signs of the Archenemy had pulsated erratically, the surface of the Eternity was clean, and possessed a faint white/golden glow. Its speed continued increasing, and it was now making its way towards the Eye of Terror.
The traitor's forces, which must have been watching as dumbly as his own crew was, began firing or turning their ships to ram the resurgent fortress. All of the shots were evaporated under the aura, doing no damage. Ships that got too close suffered the same fate, turning to dust as they couldn't control their momentum, even their daemonic add-ons unable to save them.
The fortress suddenly and rapidly began spinning, the main cannon that was sandwiched between the top and bottom also charging up.
"Massive energy spike detected from the main cannon! It's going to fire in seconds!" A woman screamed.
The station suddenly ceased rotation, pointing it's cannon squarely at the heart of the Chaos fleet. The light coming off the cannon itself was almost blinding, and Garadon could feel some energy that had to be inexplicably come from the fortress.
The light pulsed, and went out. A moment passed, and Garadon might have died if the tension or anxiety could kill him.
Then, there was light.
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The Blackstone Fortresses were a curious thing. The Eldar knew them as the "Talismans of Vaul", and the powerful Warp-technology in them would be strong evidence that the ancient Aeldari might have created them. But others pointed to the odd shielding and myriad other things that suggest non-Aeldari design. Most historians concluded that they were the construction of an extinct alien race, and few in the galaxy could relate the Fortresses to the War in Heaven.
The Warp cannon onboard was capable of massive damage, utilizing long-forgotten technology and mastery of the Warp to psychically devastate whatever it was aimed at with bright red beams.
That power paled in comparison to the pure white light that traversed space somehow faster than the speed of light, reaching the core of the enemy fleet.
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As the light died down enough to let Garadon's augmented vision see what had happened, he gasped.
Where once several hundred ships had existed, empowered by, and in some cases fused with, daemons, there was nothing. No ship hulks, no fragments floating away. Just dust, thick enough to just barely be seen. Ships nearby hadn't been spared either. Those who tried escaping weren't spared, slightly larger fragments (the size of a hab-block) careening away from the explosion, some towards the Phalanx and nearby allied ships.
Of course, the Planetkiller, Abbadon's flagship, was too far and too strong to be destroyed. It had not escaped punishment, with the massive Armageddon gun completely inoperable to Garadon's eyes, and the side closer to the explosion completely shredded, leaking bodies and metal. The engines were off as well, leaving the ship dead in the void.
Of course, it was not to last. Garadon could see a dark psychic aura surround the ship, no doubt meant to restart the engines or let the ship escape into the Warp. Indeed, the ship starting moving, practically limping its way towards the Eye of Terror. It was followed by remaining Chaos fleet, no longer a threat capable of overwhelming all Imperial forces, but a force capable of losing to common pirates.
"Sir! The cannon is firing again!"
That warning was all Garadon had to cover his eyes for the third time, as the beam once more practically teleported across the void. Then it split. First into two, then four, eight, and finally 16 beams, all equally sized. Instead of hitting the fleeing ships, however, the beams sped past them, moving towards deep-space. One beam, however, struck the dead center of the Eye itself.
As a boy, Garadon had experienced quakes before on many worlds. The shaking of tectonic plates as they slid past each other was something he knew of personally.
As an Astartes, one of the Emperor's space marines, Garadon had lived through the opening of Warp rifts. The surge of Chaos energy was nothing new to him.
Never had he experienced something that combined the experience and amplified it by infinity.
Terminals exploded, cogitators shut down, and people died in droves as reality itself shook. He could feel his body vibrate with some energy, completely alien and overfilling him, threatening to destroy even someone of Rogal Dorn's gene-seed. His soul underwent the same attack, and this he couldn't resist as well, crying in pain as his facial orifices bled profusely. He saw a tech-priest's mechadendrites go haywire, stabbing their owner repeatedly until the cyborg was dead, while another man pulled out a pistol and shot himself in the head, spraying blood and viscera over others.
It was too much. His body was in agony, his soul under too much pressure, and Garadon could feel himself slipping away. He closed his eyes, praying in his mind for the Emperor to protect him, as his lips couldn't move.
…
…
...
BE STRONG.
Garadon felt the pain lessen instantly.
HAVE FAITH.
The strain on his soul and body were almost entirely negated, and he took several gasps of air.
YOU WILL SURVIVE.
Yes. He would. Though he couldn't move from his prone position, he just knew. As sure as the Emperor watched over them, as sure as he was that the Imperium would survive to the next day, he knew his own life was guaranteed.
Perhaps an eternity had passed, or just a few seconds, but Captain Garadon stood slowly, body in severe pain and armor damaged severely, though thankfully still working. He looked around the bridge seeing several hundred people still prone, but some were still breathing visibly, thank the Emperor, to his enhanced vision.
"Get up, all of you!" He yelled, trying to establish order.
No response.
"Emperor damn it, are you trying to let someone kill us all?! GET UP NOW!" He screamed.
It still took 10 minutes, which was spent reviving many people and shoving too many dead bodies to the side. Thankfully, he started getting responses on his auspex, indicating most of the Fists onboard had survived.
"Someone answer that damned message, please!" He said, referring to the beeping coming from a miraculously undamaged cogitator and terminal, showing that someone was trying to contact that, and driving him insane.
A tech-priest limped over, the left half of her body non-responsive. A mecha-dendrite jerkily interfaced with the machine, making the beeping stop.
Suddenly, the woman slumped over, before shaking and turning to face him. He raised his pistol, honed instincts ensuring the bolt would kill the tech-priest instantly if any sign of possession showed itself.
"I wish to speak with the commander of the Phalanx."
Garadon hesitated, unsure what to do when the ship was in a critical state. "This is he. I am Captain Garadon of the Imperial Fists' 3rd company. Identify yourself."
"I am Serras Salnus, your savior. I wish to meet you in person aboard your ship. May I teleport to your bridge?"
Any other time, he would have been more cautious. But that voice...
"Go ahead. There are bodies and equipment strewn about, so you will need to watch where you set foot."
"Thank you."
The tech-priest slumped over once more and didn't wake up, unconscious on the floor.
Suddenly, a bright flash appeared in his peripheral, making him turn left.
Standing not 10 meters away was the most curious woman he had seen. The armor was smooth and pale like bone. A mighty spear, screaming danger, was held in the woman's right hand, and a silver cape was draped over the shoulders, just barely touching the ground. The design was clearly like the Eldar's, but Garadon had never seen or heard of armor so...unique, and the long silver hair flowing down seemed to glow unnaturally. The woman's face was beautiful and pristine on the left side, but scars in the shape of a claw marred her right, the eye slightly covered by skin. Her expression was calm as if she were dealing indulgently with children.
Her size confused him. Only two species grew to that size, and he knew she wasn't an Ork. But if she was human, then how was she standing so tall, when it was clear the armor was not power armor? It lacked the distinctive whine of gears to be that.
"Captain Garadon?"
He realized after some moments that she had spoken. Her voice was deep but feminine, with soft undertones.
"I am he. Who are you? I have not heard of a new Imperial Saint."
She shook her head.
"I am not a Saint. I am Serras Salnus, Primarch of the Silver Sentinels."
The room was dead silent, somehow even more so despite the fact that most people were dead.
One of the other Fists, Sergeant Millander, spoke. "That is impossible. There was no legion by that name, and the Primarchs have long since been gone. Not to mention the obvious fact that you are not a man."
She shrugged.
"Yet, here I am."
"I believe you, for now," Garadon said, drawing surprise from the others. "Your voice. It is the one I heard as I lay dying. You reminded me of my faith and devotion to the Emperor. It is your voice that revived me, and I would be an uncultured savage to treat you poorly. But what is it you want of us, Lady Salnus? The Phalanx is crippled from whatever you did, and many of the crew are dead. In addition, Cadia is weak, and leaving now would abandon those on the surface to the ravages of Chaos."
The giant woman shook her head again. "No. Cadia is safe and will continue to be safe for a long time. I have made sure of it."
"How so, Lady Salnus?" He asked.
"Are there psykers aboard this ship? They should be able to tell. Cadia's Warp has been cleansed and calmed, and it's surface cleared of daemonic taint. It is no more at danger than Terra of an invasion."
"I do not doubt your power, but the forces of Chaos could still strike from the Eye."
She chuckled.
"You haven't look at the Eye?"
Confused, he turned to look at the largest Warp rift in the galaxy, only to have his brain shut down partially.
Where bright and unnatural colors had once swirled and mixed in the stars, spreading corrupting light everywhere, there was the same white light that had covered Cadia only an hour ago.
"What-what have you done?"
"A temporary solution. The Eye of Terror is 20,000 light-years wide; I couldn't seal that away so quickly. This barrier of axiomatic energy will keep almost all of it contained until I can complete my work."
His mind, which was honed to think quickly by his enhanced status and experience, couldn't come up with a single thing to say. He wondered, briefly, if the Emperor could have accomplished such a task if he were alive, before affirming it mentally.
"I must journey to Terra. Tech-priest, how long will you take to fix this vessel?"
The woman from before turned sharply once she realized she was being addressed. "At least one month simply to estimate the damage, and an unknown amount of time to fix the engines, Warp drive, and Gellar field generators. Necessary materials will most likely need to be transported here to be used."
"Unacceptable. I will deal with this myself."
Garadon turned, wondering what she meant by "deal with". He asked as much.
"Give me a moment." She gestured to the undamaged terminal, her eyes glowing intensely before the terminal began displaying countless words and images faster than he could make out.
"Excellent."
She spoke louder.
"Everyone, brace yourselves. You will not be harmed."
Garadon grabbed onto a piece of metal stuck in the wall as Lady Salnus' entire form started glowing. She raised her palms upward, pointing to the vast ceiling.
Two golden beams shot forward and struck the ceiling, spreading quickly like water. The golden liquid was thick, hiding whatever it covered. People, even corpses, were unaffected as the liquid contacted them, but Garadon could swear it was warm. He had no doubt that the liquid was spreading to every part of the ship as it escaped via the door.
The ship abruptly started shaking, violently. It was worse than before, but Garadon didn't mind it. Something about the liquid was entrancing as if he would be better off simply for being near it, his mind ignoring his splitting headache.
His internal clock suggested it had only been close to 10 minutes, but it felt many times longer than that once the shaking lessened and the liquid evaporated.
He looked around, realizing that all of the broken machinery had been fixed and placed in the appropriate place. Everything had been cleaned as well, the floor below him no longer caked with permanent grime.
The tech-priest ran over to a recreated terminal. "This is incredible! Captain Garadon, all systems are back online and fully functional, even-"
"MAIN COMPUTER SYSTEM ONLINE." The loudness of this male voice made Garadon clutch his head, the speakers above him having long since been broken. Until now.
"BACK-UP COMPUTER SYSTEM ONLINE."
"MAIN POWER BANKS ONLINE."
"AUXILIARY POWER BANKS ONLINE."
"PRIMARY SUB-WARP ENGINES ONLINE."
"WARP DRIVE SYSTEMS ONLINE."
"SENSOR SUITE ONLINE."
"MAIN WEAPON SYSTEMS ONLINE."
"SECONDARY WEAPON SYSTEMS ONLINE."
"ONBOARD FACTORIES ONLINE."
"POINT DEFENSE TURRET SYSTEM ONLINE."
The statements were rapid-fire, spoken with no pause between them. Garadon realized the voice had an accent he had heard on Terra before, but he couldn't recall where.
"This...this!" The tech-priest was incoherent.
"What is it, tech-priest?" Millander asked.
There was no response. Instead, the woman limped over and dropped to her knees in front of Lady Salnus, prostrating herself.
Garadon shared a look with his seargant. What exactly had the giant woman done to warrant such behavior?
"Machine-spirit of the Phalanx, awaken! Humanity needs your service once more!" She commanded, ignoring the cyborg currently worshipping her.
The lights flickered, and several terminals restarted, but the curious thing was a previously mysterious piece of technology, that Garadon had been told had been unusable since before the Great Crusade itself, activated. A bright blue hologram of a young man with a clean-shaven face, caucasian skin, and an odd white uniform with black lines appeared.
"This is Rolly-Polly reporting. Identify yourself." The hologram said, its voice the same as the one that had made the statements earlier.
"I am Serras Salnus. Rolly-Polly, it is likely that many millennia have passed since your last use. It is currently the 41st millennium. What year do you last recall being active?"
The hologram frowned. "I don't recognize you. Identify yourself or I will detain you."
Now Lady Salnus frowned. Her eyes glowed once more, and she spoke after a moment.
"Authorization code: rW}~Zq{j7n>@RmvzHT4"5,_m9^.v~<tYf'RTY_z8(ULWjqW`6n?74ct{Jp.3Ja(Q."
"...Code recognized. Designate new user."
"Serras Salnus, speaking. New owner."
"Confirmed."
"Good. Now, Rolly-Polly, what is the last year in your memory?"
"26,478."
"It is currently 40,999. Update your galactic map."
The hologram was still for several moments. "Update complete. Showing new map now." The man was instantly replaced by a map of the galaxy as if one were looking down on it. This one was far more detailed than any Garadon had seen, with far more planets, comets, and asteroid fields.
"Excellent, your placement of Terra is within a few light-years of the actual position. Captain Garadon, is there anything you wish to do here for now, or can we journey to Terra?"
Garadon's mind kicked him to close his mouth and formulate a response. "We should try and contact Cadian High Command. Leaving Cadia defenseless is unacceptable."
"Fine. Rolly-Polly, contact the world below." Lady Salnus commanded.
The holographic man reappeared. "No quantum communicator detected, but several short-range radio sets have been found. Reliable connection cannot be made with such equipment due to its outdated nature."
"Fine. Fabricate a quantum communicator set and deploy it to the largest concentration of humans on the surface."
"...Done. Should standard encryptions be applied, or do you wish to use your own?"
"Standard encryption will suffice. Send a communications request one minute after it lands."
"Done. I will notify you once the request is answered, or some complication occurs." The man disappeared.
There was silence on the bridge as Lady Salnus directed her attention to the terminal once more, her hand glowing as she manipulated the ship's electronic systems directly.
Garadon saw, out of the corner of his eye, Sergeant Millander signal for private communication. He placed his helmet and snapped it into place. Opening his vox-caster, he asked, "What is it?"
"What do you make of all this, Captain?"
"Truth be told, I worry this may all be a dream, and we haven't even arrived at Cadia yet."
Millander chuckled. "At least that would make more sense. I think I'd prefer to fight some Tzeetchian's spells than try to understand what is happening. At least I could rip the problem apart."
"Only because it wouldn't be able to affect your mind behind that thick skull." Garadon replied with a smirk. "In any case, I'm still willing to trust this... Lady Salnus. For now, anyways. Keep an eye on her anyways. If she's an enemy tricking us, then we'll be fighting for our lives to defeat a powerful psyker, who could probably destroy the Phalanx if she wished. If she's an ally, then we've had the greatest luck I've ever seen. I'm willing to err on the latter."
"You really heard her voice in your head?" Millander asked skeptically.
"I wouldn't lie to you, brother. I believe she saved us all, but to be wary of Warp trickery is only common sense."
The conversation was ended when Rolly-Polly appeared once more. "A connection has been established. A man who identified himself as Commissar Frederick answered. Do you wish to answer him?"
Garadon stepped forward. "Yes, let me speak to him."
The hologram ignored him, looking straight at Lady Salnus. Without looking up, she responded,
"Yes, let him answer it. Also, designate Captain Garadon as my second-in-command."
"Understood." The man disappeared and was replaced by a video of a stern-looking effeminate man glaring at the camera.
"Commissar Frederick, I am Captain Garadon of the Imperial Fists. Can you see me as I see you?"
The man saluted. "Yes, lord Astartes, I can see and hear you perfectly fine."
"Excellent. What is the situation planet-side?"
The man grinned. "We were getting hit hard, but the Emperor must have sent a miracle our way. That golden light destroyed all the daemons assailing our position, and killed those traitors and cultists as well! There's literally no danger for kilometers, but the men are staying sharp for any second wave."
"It brings me joy to hear that. Are you in communication with Cadian High Command?"
Frederick shook his head. "No. I believe they were attacked the hardest, and we stopped receiving commands almost immediately after the planetary assault began."
Garadon considered what to do. "Commissar, how long would it take for you to send someone to investigate what happened to High Command?"
"No more than a day. The roads are destroyed, but the vehicles were sheltered during the attack."
"You have no aircraft?"
"No, just anti-aircraft guns. Any aircraft were probably destroyed during the initial screening efforts."
"I see. Commissar, I'm going to send a Thunderhawk with one of my squads to your location. You will assist in establishing communications with any other survivors."
The man saluted once more. "Yes, my lord. When should I expect them by?"
"30 minutes roughly."
"Very well. I'll have the men set white flares to mark where they should land, my lord."
"See that you do. If we need to speak again, it will be through this device. Keep it safe. Garadon out."
"Yes, sir!"
The video was replaced by Rolly-Polly once more. Garadon turned to Lady Salnus. "We must wait until command is reestablished over Cadia, then we can leave. It will take several hours as you heard."
"Hmm. Very well, I will examine the ship in more detail. Should you wish to speak to me, simply ask Rolly-Polly. Tech-priest, stand up before someone trips on your body." Lady Salnus said the last sentence with just a hint of exasperation.
The cyborg in question rose unsteadily, her body still damaged from before. Despite them being mechanical, Garadon could see the reverence in her eyes. Or rather, her one functioning eye.
"You will come with me. I must see what damage you have wrought inadvertently on this ancient vessel."
The Primarch waved her hand effortlessly, and the tech-priest's body fixed itself with several snaps and whirs. The mecha-dendrites now floated in the air like they were meant to, instead of dragging on one side of her body.
"Thank you, my lady. Please, let me take you to my peers! They will be as jubilant as I am to be visited by an avatar of the Omnissiah!"
Lady Salnus said nothing, simply walking briskly towards the elevators that were connected to the rest of the Phalanx, leaving Garadon to direct the rest of the crew who had been standing around with their mouths open and minds blended into oblivion.
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It took close to 20 hours to get in touch with all the Cadian survivors, some requiring direct messaging via quantum communicator. Practically nothing was left of High Command, in terms of buildings or people. Bodies were being identified even now, with heavy vehicles helping move rubble.
Garadon hated to admit it, but there was nothing more to be done here. A battlefleet (coming from a nearby Forgeworld) had arrived since the time since Lady Salnus had first appeared. It took fast communication to prevent the newcomers from attacking the Blackstone Fortress floating near the Phalanx, and they agreed to stay until the defenses of Cadia were rebuilt.
"Machine spirit." He said, trying to get the hologram to reappear. "Machine Spirit!"
Oh for Emperor's sake, he was going to have to use that ridiculous name, wasn't he?
"Rolly-Polly."
The hologram appeared instantly, looking at him attentively.
"Contact Lady Salnus, the owner. Inform her to come to the bridge."
The holographic man was silent for a moment. "She acknowledges and is teleporting to the bridge now."
Sure enough, a bright flash revealed Lady Salnus standing in what was empty space a moment before.
"What is it, Captain?"
"We may leave for Holy Terra, Lady Salnus. Cadia is adequately defended."
"Excellent. Rolly-Polly, engage a Warp jump to Terra. Leave the Gellar field off." She glanced his way and pre-empted Garadon's shocked question.
"I will protect the ship better than any Gellar field ever could."
There was nothing he could say to dissuade her, and he knew it. The commander of the Phalanx opted to be silent as the ship moved faster than ever before, transitioning to the Warp perfectly as it escaped Cadia's gravity.
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Man's original solar system was very crowded by the 41st millennium. Along with massive amounts of debris or trash, there were satellites, orbital bases, orbital infrastructure, and starships everywhere. The men and women manning these creations were always vigilant, watching for anyone trying to sneak by mankind's homeworld.
Needless to say, the Phalanx's perfectly controlled appearance into a patch of space that no Imperial cogitator or Warp drive would have been able to do set off countless alarms. These alarms subsided as the Phalanx responded with the correct authorization codes, though had anyone checked, they would have realized the codes were returned within a nanosecond of the ship's arrival, far too quickly for any actual communication to occur.
"What are the protocols for transport to bring me to Terra's surface?" Lady Salnus asked Garadon.
"I am required to inform only the appropriate landing pad so that they may clear the space. You will easily be able to land at the one closest to the palace itself, within walking distance to Eternity Gate. My rank enables me to request priority entrance to the Imperial Palace, but we cannot see the Emperor on a whim."
She nodded, understanding him perfectly. The High Lords would never tolerate anyone trying to see the Emperor past them; it cut into their authority (real or otherwise).
"Then I leave it to you, Captain. I expect, however, that you must also meet with the current Imperial Fist Chapter Master, correct?"
"Yes. His name is Vorn Hagen, and" he stopped as a new message appeared in his HUD, "he's already contacting me, asking for a debriefing."
"Surely, he could bring us to the High Lords faster than you alone."
"He could, my lady, but I had assumed that you wished to not explain yourself more than necessary until you spoke with the Emperor."
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Landing on Terra was a boring, if easy, task. The Imperial Fists had defended Terra since the Heresy, they had special privileges. A Thunderhawk landed with Garadon onboard, and a fast transport was already waiting to bring him to Vorn Hagen, who was currently in a branch of the Palace.
"I am happy to see you are alive, Brother-Captain."
"As am I, Chapter Master," Garadon responded warmly.
The two Astartes made the Aquilla to each other before Garadon took an offered seat.
"So, tell me what has happened since you left. Word from Cadia has been silent, but every psyker in the solar system has reportedly been crying in happiness at something, claiming the Eye of Terror has been closed!" Hagen said the last few words with an incredulous tone, clearly expecting Garadon to enlighten him.
"It is as they say, Chapter Master. The Eye has been closed. Temporarily, but closed nonetheless. Cadia still stands, and Abbadon's crusade has been a failure, his fleet destroyed barring the Planetkiller."
Hagen looked confused, and Garadon explained what had happened in the span of a few decisive hours. When he was finished, Hagen looked like he didn't know how to react.
"You claim that this woman eradicated the forces of Chaos on Cadia in a wave of holy fire, then captured a Blackstone Fortress, which she used to destroy the Crusade's fleet, before using its powers to close the eye. She then restored the Phalanx to its true form and function with her psyker abilities. All the while claiming she is a Primarch."
"I know it sounds ridiculous. I woke up every day of our return trip expecting to have been dreaming and that the battle had not yet started, but my expectations were let down. And her voice, my lord. It was the voice that saved me, I'm sure of it!"
Hagen cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not accusing you of lies, Garadon."
"But you look at me as if I speak in a xeno tongue! Look, Chapter Master, it is one thing to deny the powers of a corrupted witch. It is one thing to deny the pleas of a mutant. It is one thing to deny the maddened preaching of a heretic. But we must draw the line somewhere, and I have found mine. I cannot think she lies to us, even though it would be rational to have some skepticism."
Hagen contemplated his insistence, silent for several minutes. "Where is she now?"
"Waiting outside. She offered to let me speak to you privately first."
"Bring her. Let us see if I experience what you did."
Garadon moved to open the office doors, peering out to find Lady Salnus. Only the empty golden hallway greeted him. "She's gone! Chapter Master, I swear on my honor she was waiting outside."
"Where would she have gone then?"
"She...she wished for an audience with the Emperor."
Vorn Hagen slapped his face with his palm. "Another Emperor-damned headache I have to deal with now."
Just then, the vox in the room sounded. "Chapter Master Vorn Hagen, you are summoned to the Senatorum Imperialis immediately."
The two Fists glanced at each other, then raced to the nearest transport, Garadon slightly behind his lord to show deference.
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The Emperor's throne room was vast, befitting a man of his stature. A hundred Custodes guarded his body, a rotating group of the original 300 Companions. All stood perfectly in place, their armor releasing no sound, not even their own calm breathes. Power-spears were loosely clenched to avoid cramping, but could be instantly aimed at whoever or whatever was foolish enough to threaten the Emperor's body.
They reacted perfectly as a golden flash revealed a figure taller than them suddenly standing in the room, wearing alien armor, a millisecond from lashing out at the intruder.
"Stop."
Weapons were halted instantly, and the Custodes stood like statues, still creating a circle around the intruder.
"Return to your places."
There was no hesitation in following the order; they knew in their souls that their Emperor commanded them, even if they had not heard his voice in millenia.
The other figure was silent, but between the dying man and the unknown woman, a psychic conversation took place.
I sense great pain in you. I am sorry.
Your apology is unneeded. Let us discuss your presence here.
I acted as you wished. I saved your Cadia from destruction.
Mankind stands because of your actions.
Is it any wonder that your sons betrayed you if your reward for their actions is simply those words?
I foresaw their actions. My plan remains unchanged.
Wrong. You wouldn't have summoned me if that was the case.
I knew an opportunity would arise. You were merely what fell out of it.
I wonder about how random it truly was, compared to your insinuation.
This wordplay is pointless. You will aid my Imperium.
Surely "our" would be the correct term here. Any mask of the individual fell away with your soul's splinters, leaving only the power of the gestalt shamans that formed you.
I do not need your validation or judgment. Only your power and experience.
You'll have it. But mark my words; your Imperium will truly be better off when they don't need you. You're a poison to them.
I have thought the same for as long as I have lived.
I'm sure. Prepare yourself.
The woman raised her hands, palms facing the Emperor's body. A golden aura surrounded it, the heat felt through any armor the Custodes wore, threatening to burn their skin away.
In the Warp, the Emperor's presence, represented by a glowing golden ball, somehow shone more intensely. Any daemons hoping to steal stray human souls as they made their way to their god's essence were eradicated. The golden ball swelled to a size many times larger than the solar system's volume, and the sheer energy being released for an instant and eternity simultaneously spawned several worlds of pure holy energy, the inhabitants being golden angels with bodies of melting gold, locked in combat with Chaos for eternity upon their creation. The guiding light of the Astronomican was strengthened as well, its power spreading past the Milky Way and into the large void between galaxies.
The ball slowly began to recede, and navigators were relieved to once more see the familiar light of the Astronomican return after several days or years, depending on how the Warp churned around their vessels. But the new light was stronger and more secure than before, no longer dim to those at the fringes of the Imperium, but a blinding sun in the Warp.
The woman lowered her hands, and the Custodes all witnessed an orb of holy energy leave the Emperor's massive skeletal hand and spin around the woman's body, before hovering over her head. The orb coalesced into solid material, and a massive unadorned golden crown slipped perfectly over her head.
"Kneel."
And once more, the Custodes knew what their lord demanded. As one, they kneeled, but not towards their still Emperor.
Instead, they bowed their heads to the new Empress of the Imperium of Man.
@ilbgar123 - When you talk about what Serras would do in canon, you should have realized I sniffed an omake!
