(The little series of journal entries I've done do have a connection with the current story arc and Nathaniel, as this final one will demonstrate. There has been some questions brought up about whether or not the story is still focusing on Nathaniel, it is, these are Nathaniel's memories, and if the Necrons in the last chapter seemed overly powerful, that is how they appeared to Nathaniel in his desperate state. This is my longest and hopefully greatest chapter so far, I am hoping it turns out well. Also, I wouldn't view the Horkhesh as a major empire; they are just a powerful dynasty taking advantage of the Imperium's desperate situation to reclaim their ancient worlds. Finally, is it just me, or do the Space Wolves use the word wolf too much? Thought of the day, you either die a puritan or you live long enough to become a radical, and then die at the hand of the servants of the God Emperor for your heresy and treachery.)
Inquisitor Clark's Journal Entry-Old One Studies Part 3
In the end, they chose to leave the young race on the planet Mortis alone. All their power combined could not undo the damage done to the Mortis system, so they chose to live quietly with their great shame. The race that emerged in the Mortis system was the Necrontyr. Their lives were short and painful, and even their greatest technologies could not extend the lives of nobles beyond fifty years of age, fifty pain ridden years of torment. When they came into contact with the N'tac, they were completely ignorant of the fact that the N'tac was partially responsible for their condition. The reason the N'tac never helped the Necrontyr was because they knew there was nothing they could do to undo the damage. Explaining this would have run the risk of the Necrontyr finding out the truth, leading to a galactic and bloody war. Funny how that ended up happening anyway, and even after they had defeated the Necrontyr, their guilt prevented them from wiping the Necrontyr out. The Necrontyr would go on to meet the C'tan, and the rest is history. I find it funny how compassion will get you killed in this galaxy, even before this galaxy became the nightmare it is now. In the end, the moral of the story would appear that the most compassionate fate you can give your enemies is extermination; you put them out of both their misery and yours. One thing still troubles me, why was I able to use the N'tac technology without any difficulties? And why, throughout the entire history of the Imperium, has no one been able to find one of their labs, semi intact? I give Methuselah credit for finding the ruins, but all of this just seems too convenient.
"Mother, Wolf Lord Sven Bloodhowl demands that you accept his challenge of single combat." Princess Quara is relaying this message to the Phaeron, who is once again in her throne room with Nathaniel by her side and Inquisitor Wei in chains in front of her.
"I thought the commanders of Space Marine companies were called Captains?"
"Apparently the Space Wolves prefer the term Wolf Lord for their captain, and he has gone on to say that if you continue to refuse his challenge, then he will have to call your masculinity into question."
"He does realize that I am a female, doesn't he?"
"In all honesty mother, he doesn't appear that bright, he even views Inquisitor Wei as an adversary, in the negotiations he insisted that she be killed. I think he doesn't realize that the Inquisition is on his side."
Inquisitor Wei decides to add her two cents. "He is well aware that the Inquisition fights for the Imperium, it's just that the Space Wolves don't trust or like the Inquisition. Add to the fact that I am already a controversial Inquisitorial figure with my xenos ties, and you have a recipe for disaster."
"Inform this Wolf Lord that it is below my station to accept challenges from underlings like him, and that I should be challenged by either his "Great Wolf" or his "Emperor"."
"Yes mother, but I don't think he will take it well."
"Then hurry up and finish off his forces, we have a Dynasty to rebuild." With that she shuts off the Comm Drone and gets to the issue at hand. "Inquisitor Wei, it is an honor to meet one as distinguished as yourself. I have read your writings and browsed through all the Imperial files my crypteks could get their hands on, and I must say your reputation precedes you. You are one of the foremost experts on combating xenos, yet you have a soft spot for a few species, as well as a view that humans and xenos should unite. You have a distinguished career, recently marred by catastrophic failures, such as the fall of Tian and your failure to stop my mighty Horkhesh Dynasty. Don't feel too bad, your Imperium is too stretched out and occupied at the moment to be any real threat to our resurgence."
"It looks like the Space Wolves are certainly giving you a run for your money."
"A mere nuisance, those flea ridden mutts cannot stop us forever. But let's get to the issue at hand, your unwarranted destruction of the fringeworld Annax and its inhabitants, my subjects."
Nathaniel notices that Inquisitor Wei is tensing up.
"In this galaxy, the destruction of a single world isn't even enough to raise an eyebrow. I thought you had taken everything from me, my retinue, my reputation, and even my son."
"Ah yes, your adopted son Nathaniel Clark, I have yet to find his exact location but my nobles and crypteks have informed me that he is here." Phaeron Cleandra looks over at Nathaniel. "Mortek, do you know where this Nathaniel Clark is?"
"He is very close, trust me Phaeron, closer than you can imagine." Nathaniel thought that this fake son routine was getting pretty old.
"Ah, wonderful, I look forward to meeting him, according to the journals and reports I've read he is quite the fascinating young man. A bit rude, bitter, and overzealous, but still a fascinating young man with lots of potential."
Rude, bitter, overzealous, Nathaniel was a bit annoyed that she had left off prideful and smart-aleck from that list.
"Now back to the issue at hand, your punishment. You may not know this, but I hate my condition, I hate this lifeless body of necrodermis. I long to feel again, to eat, drink, and love. Some believe that it is too early for apotheosis, or we need to do more studies, that train of thought does not apply to me however, while the senile buffoons at Zantragora waste their time with endless tests, I have already found the perfect host for my people, humanity. And I have even chosen the perfect vessel, you Inquisitor Wei."
Inquisitor Wei is too shocked to speak, so Nathaniel steps in instead. "This is insanity, you are still finding your footing in this galaxy, and you would jeopardize your life and your dynasty just to have a physical body again." Nathaniel is making sure not to reveal the true reason he wants to stop the Phaeron.
"My crypteks have gone over all of the contingencies. If the body I reside in is destroyed we have a system in place to transfer my consciousness back over to this body. Not to mention that our life prolonging technology, which could only extend the life of our old forms for only a couple of decades, will bring me many millennia's of youth in a human body."
"But why her, why do you want her body?" Nathaniel is getting increasingly desperate to save Inquisitor Wei.
"She is the only human female worthy of becoming my vessel that I have met so far. Did you really think that the loss of a fringeworld bothered me, what I wanted all along was her. She played right into my hands, and now that I have her, I plan to use her."
"Wait, you mean you never had any intention of destroying those worlds." Inquisitor Wei jumps into the fray of this argument. "You only threatened them because you are suffering from the delusion that my body is the only one for you?"
"Yes, I must say I wasn't expecting Mortek to help me along in that little farce, but it did speed up my goal."
"You can't do this; I won't let you take her away from me." Nathaniel charges the Phaeron and starts lashing out at her with his fists. His blows only seem to annoy the Phaeron. Two Lychguard appear and restrain Nathaniel.
"I can see that this is upsetting you sweetie, but I don't understand why. This is for the best, believe me when I get back from the process everything will be better." She looks at her two Lychguard. "Escort my son to his quarters, he needs some rest. Make sure that Trianna brings him a nice warm meal."
Nathaniel is dragged off, while Inquisitor Wei puts a look of grim determination on her face.
In the tombworld of Nefertitia, it is very difficult to keep track of time. Nathaniel reckoned that a few hours had passed but he couldn't be sure. Trianna had brought the meal and had left, Nathaniel thought she was adapting quite well to her new life. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened, Nathaniel didn't want to turn around in fear of what he would see.
"I have truly wronged you, haven't I?" The voice Nathaniel heard was Inquisitor Wei's combined with Cleandra's echo. Nathaniel finally turned around to see what this abomination looked like. She looked like Inquisitor Wei, if she were seventeen years old. Her hair had become pale white and her eyes had become glowing green orbs. She wore an elaborate scarab crown on her head. She was wearing a long flowing sleeveless dress of what appeared to be necrodermis. "You allowed me to gain closure over the loss of my son, and how did I repay you? I killed your family and took over the body of your maternal figure. And now, with the information I have gained from Inquisitor Wei, I have launched my final offensive that is now tearing its way through the Imperium defenders. With Reta, Andra, and my own personal forces throwing their weight at the weakest points, I will soon scour the Imperium from my territory."
"Aren't you upset with me for pretending to be your son?"
"Why should I be, you were in a precarious situation, a victim of my insanity, so you naturally took the most logical route of survival. Fortunately my thinking is much clearer now, my insanity is gone and my mind is as brilliant as it once was."
"What do you plan to do with me now, will you let me go?"
"No, Inquisitor Wei and I agree that it would be a bad idea, we might lose you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"When I took up residence in this body, Inquisitor Wei and I conversed and we came to an understanding, it turns out we have a lot in common and she has agreed to aid me in my goals."
"Don't you dare lie to me; Inquisitor Wei was a devout servant of the God-Emperor. She would never turn her back on what she believed in. She might have had a few weaknesses for Xenos, but not enough to turn away from the Emperor's divine light." Nathaniel was so furious he charged the Phaeron and tried to hit her, but was repulsed by a shield that surrounded the Phaeron. He got back up, desperately trying to hit her and getting repulsed every time.
"Nathaniel, stop this right now, Cleandra is telling you the truth." This time the Phaeron spoke without Cleandra's echo.
"How could you, how could you turn your back on the God Emperor, on the Imperium, on humanity." He is exhausted but still furious.
"I have had my doubts about the God Emperor for a long time, ever since I lost Chun. They have been continuously building up, and I hate to tell you this, but I seriously doubt that the God Emperor is watching over us. As for the Imperium, it is a bureaucratic monstrosity that does more harm than good. It is rife with corruption, hypocrisy, and incompetence, your own dealings with Imperial officials should have confirmed this. As for humanity, I am fighting for humanity. I once believed that humanities survival would rely upon an alliance with the Eldar, Tau, and various minor races, I now see that I was wrong. Through subservience to the Necrons, humanity will gain true protection from the denizens of the warp, with a fighting chance of defeating the Chaos Gods once and for all."
"What about the Necrons who don't want to go along with that plan?"
"Things will be messy at first, but in due time more Necron dynasties will see the wisdom of Phaeron Cleandra's plan."
"And what about apotheoses, what will you do when the Necrons decide to live again and choose humanity to serve as their vessels."
"That is the best part, as Necrons and humans merge together, the connection to the warp gods will be severed without losing one's soul. The dark gods will starve and humanity will be reborn with the Necrons into a new master race."
"You have truly plunged into radicalism, haven't you?"
"I am not a radical, and I have never been a radical though my critics would claim so, I am a pragmatist. I have been shown the truth of our situation; I now only seek to ensure humanities survival and prosperity, and the Necrons are instrumental to this."
Nathaniel is being overwhelmed by unbelievable pain and fury. "I refuse to believe your madness, you are a heretic, a traitor, and most importantly you are dead to me. You have whored yourself out to the Xenos. And since you are dead I hereby take full Inquisitorial authority, and as my first official act I declare the monstrosity in front of me to be Xenos Horrificus."
"I knew you wouldn't understand, at least not yet, but in time you will understand."
"That is highly unlikely abomination." And with that Nathaniel tries to hit her with a psychic blast, only to be stopped by the tombworlds anti-psyker backlash system, or a splitting pain in his head.
"Did you forget that psychic powers are useless here?"
"Don't care, I am strong enough to overcome any foe, my spirit will give me victory." He tries a succession of attacks, only to be stopped each time. He is taking immense damage from his futile attempts, wearing himself out greatly. He finally collapses to the ground too tired to continue.
The Phaeron walks over to him, once again using the unified voice. "One lesson you have refused to learn, is the fact that there are people in the galaxy who are far more powerful than you. You are just a tiny boat in a raging storm. Do you really have any delusions that you are special or important to this galaxy, that you have some divine destiny that you have been singled out for? You are barely a blip in this sector, let alone the galaxy. No, the sad truth is that you are just a bitter young man, consumed by vengeance and hatred." She leans down next to him and begins to rub his head in a motherly manner, lowering her shield to do so. "It is for the best that you are kept here, your thirst for vengeance would consume and destroy you. Here you will be safe and cared for, the princesses are fond of you, and you will never again have a care in the world. You have suffered so much, for one whose life has been so short; this paradise I am giving you is for your own good."
"What about the other humans under your "care", why am I being singled out if I am so insignificant?"
"Simple, I like you, and even though you aren't Mortek you have taken his place in my heart. You will find that this is a far better prison than that nightmarish realm of Commorragh."
"A cage is still a cage, and a slave is still a slave. No matter how fancy you make the cage or how much you pamper the slave that will never change."
"I hope you will come to see things differently?"
A raging howl comes from the doorway as a Sven Bloodhowl the Wolf Lord comes charging in. He is a massive man with a long read beard and unruly mane of red hair. He swings his power axe down but the Phaeron gets her shield up in time, though she is sent flying into the wall where her shield breaks down. She spits some blood out of her mouth; apparently the impact did more damage than initially thought. She summons her staff of light and gets in a defensive stance. Methuselah Alden comes in behind the Wolf Lord. "Nathaniel, it's good to see you're alright, do you know where Inquisitor Wei is?" Methuselah looks over at the Phaeron, and a dark look comes upon his face. "Just as I feared, a Necron has successfully completed apotheosis."
"Hello Methuselah, aren't you glad to see me. I see that Old One artifact you use as an eye hasn't gotten you in trouble yet."
"I see, so you have sold out your species Huian." Methuselah can pick up right away what happened, Nathaniel is willing to put it down to a function of his Eye of Enoch, or the fact that any idiot with half a brain could figure this out.
"Tombworld, teleport me to the throne room right now." She disappears in a blinding flash. A few moments later they hear her voice echoing throughout the tombworld. "You invade my home like cowards while my troops are away, and now you seek to take my son from me? This world shall become your tomb. Defense systems of Nefertitia, scarabs, wraiths, spyders and my dear Praetorian Lychguard, purge these invaders from our home and rescue Nathaniel."
"Let's get out of here, before that Eldar witch we brought with us leaves us behind." The Wolf Lord has a clear head on his shoulders. "It shouldn't take my scouts too long to plant that thermonuclear charge at the power center of this crypt."
"Don't worry Sven; I am sure Marltona won't leave us behind." The leave the room and come upon the Wolf Lord's Wolf Guard, he brought about five with him, one even having the foresight to bring a flamer along, which would prove to be invaluable in these narrow halls against the scarabs.
"Shouldn't there be more Wolf Guard?" Nathaniel is a bit worried by the miniscule number before him.
"No, this is more than enough, besides the rest of my wolf guard is dealing with these meatless metal ghosts." Nathaniel had never quite heard the Necrons described like that, but it fit.
"How did you get in here without being detected?" Nathaniel was quite curious at this.
"We used their Dolmen Gates against them, to enter directly into the lower levels, though we had to wait for it to open. Thank goodness we had an Eldar with us to navigate the webway. All of their automatic detection devices are in the upper levels, and my eye was able to track you down with that tracking emitter I planted on you years ago."
"You planted a tracking emitter on me?" Nathaniel was both relieve and annoyed.
"Don't feel too bad, I plant one on all of my associates, so that I know where to find them when they're in trouble."
"Well where is the emitter?"
"I'm not telling, you might remove it and then I wouldn't be able to find you." While this is going on they hear a skittering coming down the hall, first it's low but it grows steadily louder with the chitterling of metallic wings being thrown in. "Gentlemen I believe it's time we took our leave."
"Wait, if Nathaniel knows where her throne room is, we could break in and kill her." The Wolf Lord is quite eager for more battle.
"The throne room will be completely sealed and protected from intruders, the defenses alone would tear us to shreds, now is the time to escape." Nathaniel wants to dissuade any misguided attempts at heroism that would get them killed. With that they start running down the halls to were their Dolmen Gate is.
"Are you sure it is still open?" Nathaniel is a bit worried at this point, never trusting the Eldar.
"Positive, Marltona won't put a device in place to keep it open, besides she won't close it on me."
"Are you sure about that Methuselah?"
"Of course, she wouldn't close the gate on the father of her child."
"What?" Nathaniel and the Space Wolves manage to scream this in unison as they continue down the hall.
"Oh yeah, I never told you why I am on bad terms with my family. You see when I was a young man starting out I got into an affair with Marltona, who was going through her rebellious ranger phase. Her father was a corsair who had many dealings with my family, with her mother naturally being on the Craftworld of Paratain. You can imagine how furious all the parents involved were when they found out what had happened. Oh, and I also took the Eye of Enoch from my dying father when it should have gone to my older brother."
"Why are you telling us this story while we are running for our lives? Why would you think that telling ME this story would be a good idea?" Nathaniel was equally curious and aghast; then again it was Methuselah he was talking about.
"I thought we could lighten the mood, and to assuage your fears that we won't be able to get out of here alive."
"Methuselah, if you were any other man I would kill you for your relations with a Xenos."
"That's pretty hypocritical, don't you think?" Nathaniel was gripped in fear for a moment about whether or not he knew about Aun'sal. "You would spare me but not others. Believe me if you killed every rogue trader who had an intimate affair with a rebellious Eldar the Imperium would be in a very dire strait due to a lack of those rogue traders." Those assembled decide not to dwell on this anymore, deciding instead that it was wise to get away from the scarabs.
Sadly the scarabs did catch up to them, fortunately the Wolf Guard with the flamer is able to turn around in time and unleash hell. "Get out of here, I can't hold them off forever, but I can buy you what time I can."
"Alright Axel, I will see to it that your heroic sacrifice is never forgotten." Sven is taking his Wolf Guards last stand fairly well.
"What about Axel's geneseed my lord?" Another one of the Wolf Guard asks.
"There are some situations where it is impossible to secure the geneseed of a brother, but do not worry, Axel's exploits will live on in heroic song."
They continue on their way only to be confronted by a group of Lychguard, colored in green and purple, the colors of the Horkhesh Dynasty. Nathaniel breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that they are armed with war scythes, if they had been armed with dispersion shields in this packed environment they would have never been able to get out, a major oversight on the part of the Phaeron.
"Hand over Prince Mortek and lay down your arms, the Phaeron has promised mercy to all who surrender without a fight"
Wolf Lord Sven has a big smile cross his face as he lifts up his power axe, two of his remaining Wolf Guard are armed with thunderhammers and storm shields, with the final Wolf Guard being armed with wolf claws.
"You don't know much about Space Wolves do you. First, we would never surrender to anyone. Secondly, by fighting us in these narrow halls you've lost your advantage in numbers, that your sorely needed against us."
"We of the Praetorian Guard are 1000 strong, with 100 hundred facing you right now, what makes you think you stand a chance? I have heard stories of how your kind have fought off large armies with only a handful of men, but the thought that you can defeat us is ridiculous."
Wolf Lord Sven's grin gets even wider. "We don't need to beat you; we just need to get through you. And like I said your numbers are meaningless against us in this narrow space. Brothers, follow me, for Russ, for the Wolftime." With that they start howling like madmen and charge into the Lychguard, which is caught off guard by the ferocity of their attack. Sven leads the way hacking apart all who stand before him, the two thunderhammers users cover both his sides smashing the enemy and protecting their lord, while the Wolf Guard with the Wolf Claws takes down any stragglers who managed to remain standing after their assault. Nathaniel and Methuselah follow behind them, jumping over the wrecked forms of the Praetorian Lychguard as they slowly put themselves back together. The Necrons had unwisely clumped together, six standing side by side to each other. Consequently they did not have the mobility necessary to be effective against the rampaging Space Wolves. While they calculated the best way to swing their weapons without their fellow Praetorians getting in the way, the swift moving Wolf Guard just smash their way through. In about five minutes they completely break through the Praetorian Lychguard that stood against them. Exhausted, they decide to take a quick breather once they put some distance between themselves and the hall.
"Not only do they look like women, but they also fight like women." The wolf claw using Wolf Guard sounds pretty cocky until a wraith materializes its claw right into his neck, chopping his head off. Wolf Lord Sven acts quickly hacking apart the now materialized wraith, but it is too late for the Wolf Guard and even for the rest of them as a swarm of wraiths appear and phase in and out around them. The disoriented and surrounded thunderhammer Wolf Guard make a valiant effort, taking out most of the wraiths but even they are cut down. Wolf Lord Sven destroys the remaining wraiths, but now only he, Nathaniel, and Methuselah are left. Oddly Methuselah and Nathaniel had not been threatened by the wraiths. On the plus side, Nathaniel believed the Phaeron had sacrificed more wraiths than she should have, so they shouldn't be a problem in the near future.
"We need to push on, the Dolmen Gate isn't too far away" Methuselah leads them onward. A few more minutes pass and the reach the chamber that contains the Dolmen Gate, only to find it closing on them. Farseer Marltona is on the other side smirking at them with Trianna at her side.
"Thank you for distracting the Phaeron for me, now that you have outlived your usefulness there is no need for our alliance to continue."
"Why are you doing this, you have nothing to gain from this?" Nathaniel is suitably irritated at this abandonment, especially since Inquisitor Wei had gone on and on about how Marltona could be trusted. Wolf Lord Sven gets ready to charge in but Marltona stops him.
"A closing Dolmen Gate won't let anyone enter or exit, as for leaving you behind Nathaniel, I have my reasons. My scrying into the future has indicated that you will become a great threat to my people; it's for the best that I leave you trapped here. At least I am kind enough to leave you alive, as long as you stay out of my people's way."
"Marltona, sweetie, remember all the good times we had together, how deeply in love with each other we were? Come on, for old time's sake open that gate, if you do so I guarantee that Nathaniel won't become a threat to you."
"I never loved you Methuselah, I just slept with you to tick off my father and mother. As for Nathaniel, I can't take that chance. What are the lives of three Mon'keigh compared to the safety of my Craftworld?"
"Marltona, I will tell you this right now. If you get us out of here your people will not need to fear me. If you leave us behind I will find a way to escape, and I will dedicate my life to the destruction of your species. I already want to destroy the Dark Eldar, I can easily add Craftworlder's to the list."
"You won't escape; the Phaeron will never let you go. Farewell Nathaniel, may you enjoy your new home." With that the gate finally closes and they are left in the chamber.
They once again hear Phaeron Cleandra Wei's voice echoing through the Craftworld. "Well Nathaniel, it turns out you were right about that Farseer all along, too bad it didn't do you much good. I have some good news, my defenses destroyed those wolf scouts and took their thermonuclear device. It was kind of the Imperium to send me a present, but I think I should send it back, let's see how they react." She presses a few buttons and a screen appears on the walls in the chamber. "It really is convenient how I can bring up viewing screens anywhere in Nefertitia." The image on the screen is the Emperor Class Battleship, Spirit of Man. "Using the teleport relay stations on my tombworlds, I have been able to transport this device all the way to the ship. Thank goodness that the ship is currently in close orbit around one of my most important worlds with its shields lowered as it evacuates troops."
"By the God-Emperor no." Nathaniel knows what is going to happen, yet is powerless to stop it.
"By the might of the Horkhesh Dynasty, yes." The ship begins to blow apart from the inside outward, causing a massive explosion that damages all ships around it, including the Space Wolf battle barge. "As the spirit of man dies, a new spirit shall arise."
Methuselah starts cackling like a loon. "You forgot one thing, Phaeron Cleandra Wei."
"What is that Methuselah?"
"The Miss Liz is in planetary orbit and my eye allows for communication. Ruth, get us out of here now." With that they are teleported out of the tombworld as the Phaeron screams at them. The reappear on a strange pad in a room Nathaniel had never been in before. Unfortunately Nathaniel regurgitates his meal and soils himself as they teleportation is complete. Methuselah decides to enlighten him to his condition. "Miertan teleporters aren't easy on regular humans their first time through, but you get the hang of it after awhile. By the way, since I save us, can you guys keep the knowledge of this secret, I can only get away with using it because the few people who know I have it find me too useful to dispose of, so they look the other way."
"What will I tell Inquisitor Lady Agatha?" Nathaniel has finally stopped his involuntary body functions.
"She knows, if she asks during your debriefing, tell her that we got out by the grace of the God Emperor."
"You saved my life trader, for that I will now reveal your secret." Sven takes the whole instant transportation thing better than Nathaniel; then again Space Marines had their own transporters.
"Come Nathaniel; let's get you cleaned up, fed, rested, and ready to see the Inquisitor."
"What about the Necron incursion, we need to fight back."
This time Wolf Lord Sven is the first one to respond. "Something tells me that the Imperium is going to pull out of this area, if you would be so kind as to drop me off at my battle barge, I will do what I can to save as many civilians as possible.
A few hours later while en route to Inquisitorial HQ, Nathaniel is resting in a guest room Methuselah gave him. Everything that has happened finally hits him. He doesn't scream, rant, throw a psychic tantrum; he just rests his head in his hands and cries.
Footnotes
I have long dreaded the day that I might find myself engaging in radical behavior. The funny thing is how subtle it is, you don't realize you have jumped off the deep end until it is too late. If I had known Inquisitor Wei had such thoughts in her head, I would have confronted her about them. A radical may have humanities best interest at heart, but they are still abominable traitors. I had defended her and stood up for her, even in the face of her critics, and she just proved them right in the end by willingly joining with the Phaeron. I don't even know what happened to the rest of the retinue, they were just killed, no explanation given. No Xenos can ever be trusted; they will kill, torture, use, or corrupt you. There is only room for one species to rule in this galaxy, humanity. All others must be wiped from the stars, no matter the cost.