Angel's Lament

Welcome to the next passage in the Angel's Lament series, and thank you for taking the time to read this and the chapter below. A forewarning this chapter is longer than the others, though not too much longer but still longer. Along with this, there is a lot of lore and exposition in this chapter as it's mainly about Antros figuring what he has to work with. I hope to make the next chapter finally get to some real action, though it might be more about Nikolaus again but let me know how you feel about that. Also, this chapter has what can be considered somewhat unbelievable situations, but please keep in mind that I know this but I enjoy the possibilities they hold for the future so I included these elements. As well as I hope to at least explain some of these somewhat unbelievable circumstances. And now with my jabbering done, please enjoy Chapter Seven...


Chapter Seven: Angel's Grace

The Psychic beacon quickly got the attention of the Void Whales, they slowly began to turn toward the Sanguine Spirit. Antros then began to let the beacon fade once the Chartist Fleet was far enough away to be out of harm's way. Antros quickly then began to channel his focus and energy into sending a message to the two Void Whales. He continued to work on and channel his message, Artemis all the while assisting where she could to make the message as clear as possible. After some quite some time working on the message the whales finally faced the Sanguine Spirit.

Their emotions still like wildfire panicked and disorganized, though they were no longer rushing toward the Star-Fort simply now observing it as if waiting for the beacon again. Then once the message was clear enough Antros sent it through the warp flying towards the two planet-sized behemoths. The message showed them how he meant them no harm and that they were in no danger of attack.

The message reached them far faster than Antros thought it would and they responded soon after, their message was far less coherent than Antros's but he made sense of what they emotionally relayed. They were afraid and worried, one of their children was seriously wounded and they were trying to protect him from the 'Lights'. Antros quickly sent a reply back asking what had happened. A moment later they responded showing Antros their memories of what had recently occurred to them.

They showed Antros how they had been migrating to a new system since the death of their last. And how just as they had been about to end their century-long migration and enter the new system they would live in, one of their children screamed out psychically. Explosions followed the screaming and their child was left wounded. They showed Antros how they had then seen a series of bright lights in the distance, and out of fear they moved to attack the lights believing them the cause of their child's pain.

Then they had been struck by a searing light and fallen unconscious only to awake with each other and their children still out cold. Then they saw in the distance again those same lights. They had once again begun to charge after the lights fearing for their children's safety. They had chased the lights for some time ultimately stopping when they saw Antros's beacon. Antros quickly told them that the 'Lights' had not done it and that the 'Lights' were simply fleeing out of fear from them.

The Whales responded with more emotions than words relaying that they felt regret for causing the 'Lights' distress but that they also sent a feeling that they now meant no harm upon them. Antros told them back that he understood and so he forgave them for startling his 'Lights'. Antros then asked what had happened to their children. The Void Whales Auras became alight with fear and worry again. They then quickly began to turn around and began to fly off back into the void from where they had come from. Antros sent a small message telling them that they could consider him a friend if they were ever in need of help. They didn't respond but simply continued to fly away fear still permeating their Aura.

Once they were well and far away that Antros could no longer fully see their Aura he returned back to his body and opened his eyes again. The room was quiet and when Antros looked around the room he saw that most of the crew were still performing their tasks in anxious silence. Antros turned around to face the Admiral again.

When he had fully turned around the Admiral asked earnestly. "What happened, My Lord?"

"They no longer consider us a threat and are returning to their children to check on them. Then hopefully they will leave us alone and leave."

"That's good. But what do we do now, My Lord?"

"Now we get to learn more about this Chartist Captain and what the Emperor has given us."

The next three hours went by slowly as contact was established between the two fleets and the meetings arranged, as well as travel time to reach one another. Soon enough though Antros was back in the main hangar once again awaiting the arrival of the Chartist Fleet leaders. They arrived in a trio of Valkyries, that slowly descended to the hangar floor. Their engines powering off and ramps open wide to reveal their contents.

Out of the Valkyries came three very different groups, One a band of Nobles, another a procession of Captains, and finally a squad of Imperial Guardsmen Officers. The Nobles all had the same symbol as Madame Vera adorning their clothes. A silver gryphon carrying a flintlock pistol and a greatsword. The Nobles were the first to make their approach to Antros and the other strike force Commanders. At the head of their procession was an elderly man his features worn and old but still containing regality. Atop the Nobles' head was a golden laurel wreath signifying him as the Patriarch of the Noble House and his homeworlds Planetary Governor. While on the Old Man's left stood a woman also in her twilight years, her long silver hair done into a royal bun, golden wreath atop her head, signifying her as the High Queen. The two elders spearheaded the procession towards Antros, their minds and intentions clear as day to the Chief Librarian.

As the High Noble approached, Antros bowed his head and said, letting a smile adorn his lips. "I assume you are the Honorable High King Bellerophon? And this," Said Antros indicating to the High Queen with his open hand, "Must be the Lovely High Queen."

The High Queen nodded her head saying, "Thank you, My Lord." As she gave a small curtsy.

The High King bowed as well and said. "You presume correctly, you must be Commander Antros. My granddaughter has told us about you. She also told us a little of where you believe we are, and how you think we got here. So is it true? Are we no longer in our own galaxy?"

"Yes, as much as it may be hard to believe we are no longer within our Imperium." Said Antros his face turning serious as he spoke.

Lord Bellerophon sighed and said, his voice showing the tiredness he felt at his old age. "Then I guess the Angel did not lie to me."

Antros quirked his eyebrow in confusion and asked. "An Angel spoke to you?"

The High King nodded saying. "Yes, a Golden Angel, covered in power armor and wielding a Silver Blade. He came to me when I was praying, not two days ago. The Angel told me that I was meant to help the sons of Sanguinius soon in a grand undertaking."

"Well, I would be more than happy to accept your aid in our task." Said Antros giving a nod of appreciation to the Noble and his family.

Once Antros lifted his head he noticed the other group, the Chartist Captains, had finally come to meet him. At the front of the group was a massive mortal man, nearing Antros's lower shoulder in height. Adorning the massive man's face was a mighty beard that reached all the way down to his stomach. The beard like his hair was dark brown intermingled with grey and white. The most telling thing about him though to Antros was his Aura. Where everyone else from the Chartist Fleet so far was rather low in spirits, at least within their minds, he was bright as the sun in comparison. His face carried a toothy smile, and his eyes radiated with warmth. The moment he was within striking distance of Antros he cast his arms wide ready to throw them around Antros.

Before the Chartist Captain embraced Antros though he bellowed, his voice a deep and happy growl. "My Friend! I thank you for your help with the Mighty Void Beasts!" after he finished yelling, he wrapped his arms around Antros and held him for a moment before letting go of the Astartes. Antros the whole while remained calm and allowed the man to embrace him.

After the man returned to stand by his fellow Captains he introduced himself. "I am Chartist Captain Azidar, appointed Head Captain of this lovely Chartist Fleet." Once he finished speaking he bowed to Antros then slowly lifted himself back up a moment later.

"Well met Captain, I am Chief Librarian Antros of the Blood Angels and entrusted Commander of all Imperial Elements within this Galaxy." Said Antros, followed by a head nod in response to the Captain's bow.

Antros then noticed the last group from the other fleet arrive, a trio of Imperial Guard Officers and a solitary Commissar. The Commissar was old and battered with Antros being able to hear the low hiss of motors coming from his right leg, indicating it had been replaced. The Officers, on the other hand, were all young, very young, and unblemished physically, but not psychically. Their Auras clearly showing recent mental trauma and loss. The Officer at the front of the group was the oldest of his fellows, though he clearly couldn't have been more than 30 Terran years old.

Once the Imperial Guard Commanders drew close they gave a low bow, though in the case of the Commissar it was more akin to kneeling. Antros inclined his head to them in return then allowed them to stand and speak.

The Commissar was the one to speak for them, his voice rough and synthetic, showing that his vocal cords had also been replaced. "I am Commissar Castiel Hygoth of Harakon. Also know, My Lord, that you have the loyalty of all the Guardsmen within the Chartist Fleet. We stand with whatever you command." The Commissar then gave the sign of the Aquila and bowed his head.

"Well I thank you for your pledge, and I am honored to be given it, but I must ask. Why are you so quick to pledge your Loyalty to me and my forces?" Asked Antros honestly.

"My reasons are threefold, My Lord. First, you are a Blood Angel, coming directly from the blood of Sanguinius, The Brightest Star. Secondly, you are the appointed Imperial Commander, though I may be a Commissar, I believe that following one's superiors is the way to victory and salvation. Then my last reason I shall share once within more protected corridors." Said Commissar Castiel, eyeing distrustfully at the Pirate Captain, who had been staying on the sidelines watching things progress his face strangely neutral.

Antros nodded to the Commissar and said. "Well then, my fellow servants of the Emperor, let us depart from this hangar and head to the safety of the Arx Libracon so that we might speak freely." Antros then cast his arm to the left indicating towards the lift doors.

The large procession of Officials, Leaders, Nobles, and guards quickly made their way to the Arx. Once all were situated and seated the grand doors to the Arx Libracon closed, with a loud thud then the snap crackle of the Void Shields activating. And all at once Antros felt the warp around him all but dissipate, what little remained forced into complete silence. Though Antros had yet to encounter any truly malevolent warp entities within this Galaxy he knew the precaution was well worth it. After all, this especially helped the Mortals relax, no longer having to fear about daemonic intrusion, or spying.

Though these precautions made Antros's powers virtually useless when reading others' minds. Bul luckily Artemis was somehow unhindered by this, her powers allowing her to relay others' emotions to Antros. So in truth, not all his insights were lost. Artemis herself was sitting just underneath Antros's Throne, her head poking out and scanning from underneath the table. Eyes piercing minds and seeing their feelings and intentions without hindrance.

Antros cast his eyes along the table observing its multitude of occupants and the varieties they came in. Some were Primaris, a few were Astartes, while the vast majority were Mortals, coming from all walks of life. Most of the normal humans were from the Chartist fleet, they seemed the most anxious to be here, which made sense, after all, they were still primarily in the dark about their situation. Antros seeing his moment stood up.

Antros recounted his recent conversation with Sanguinius, he then told them what they had been tasked with undertaking, then finally he explained some of the basics on this New Universe. He told them of the Xenos races, both trustworthy and despicable. Antros told them about some of the recent events and what was currently happening in the galaxy at large.

To wrap up the informative part of the gathering he told them of the weaknesses of the Systems Alliance. Then a bit on the political corruption that was rife in the Government of Mankind and her colonies. Most of those assembled had been disgusted upon hearing most of this, though some, especially amongst the Imperial Guard, remained neutrally optimistic. It had ultimately been far easier than Antros had expected to convince them to be alright with the Xenos. Though Antros would find out soon enough their reasons for such high Xenos Tolerance.

Antros after answering questions for a time from those within the Chartist Fleet called for everyone's attention once more. He then stood up from his throne and spoke getting right to what he wished to discuss. "I know that you all must have hundreds of more questions for me, that you desire to be answered, but before we get too engrossed within this topic I must ask my own questions of you, so that I might make better plans for our future."

"Well, my friend, if what you say is true, and we are truly out of our original Galaxy, and that we have indeed been sent here with a purpose from the God-Emperor. Then I see no reason for us not to answer your questions." Said Captain Azidar sitting on a throne and casting his arms wide at his fellow Chartist Captains.

The Captains murmured amongst themselves for a long time, inquiring one another on what to do, and if they should believe what Antros had told them. Though the discussion was open to all the Captains it seemed that Captain Azidar was leading the conversation completely, his voice ringing the loudest and seeming to hold the most sway over the others. Eventually after a dozen minutes or so the Captains seemed to make an agreement and turned back to face the rest of those assembled. Antros already knew what they had decided through a mix of body language and his enhanced hearing he easily deduced what they had agreed upon, but Antros and his brethren Astartes let them believe they had not been able to hear them and instead allowed them to proclaim their opinion.

A lanky man, who was deep into his elder years, was the one to announce their census, his voice was nasally and proud. "We have agreed to speak openly and tell you of all our cargo, and we have also agreed to respect your sovereignty over us, as our Commander."

"You have my thanks for agreeing with my request. And know I will try to heed your counsel in important matters, as much as I am able, respect your wishes. But now back to the subject of your cargos. What exactly were/are you transporting that requires such high security?" Asked Antros getting back to what he needed to know.

Captain Azidar answered for his comrades standing up holding a dataslate in one hand and quickly reading it over before he raised his head to speak directly to Antros, his voice was calm and warm, but with a serious undertone. "Well, Commander, our cargo is one of the most precious within our cursed Imperium. People, My Lord. People are our primary cargo."

"Who exactly, guardsmen? Innocents? Penitents?" Asked Antros, not entirely yet sure of what to think.

"Not entirely Imperial Guardsmen, though there are quite a few. Mainly our ships are filled with scared citizens, looking to find a home, the homeless, My Lord."

Antros then said. "Alright, so they are primarily innocents then I take it. Where are they from, if you are aware at all of this?"

"Most are from Thetra and Harakon. The two planets recently were ravaged by an Ork Warhost. Most of our passengers are of the simple inhabitants of Thetra with a few nobles thrown into the large group. Though none are as powerful or prominent as House Bellerophon of Thetra. As they were the Planetary leading family having been so for over a thousand years. They were the ones to pay us for this voyage after all as well." Captain Azidar looked at High King Bellerophon who nodded his head. Captain Azidar then continued speaking. "We also bring with us what remains of the Thetra's Defense Fleet and remaining Guards elements, along with their armor and munitions."

"It's sad to hear yet another system has been forced to be abandoned in these trying times, but I am glad to hear that some have made it out. In fact How much exactly did make it out, people and such?

"By my most recent savant's estimates, around four and a half million citizens were able to be saved from Thetra. With about another two and a half million PDF troopers and Guardsmen combined. Most sadly being PDF forces. While the number of Harakons in our fleet is lower only being about two million most being family of the Guardsmen from Harakon posted on Thetra. With another few thousand members of House Bellerophon and its attendees. Then I don't fully remember the number of crewmen on the PDF vessels but it was around one million. With another one and a half from our Chartist fleet."

"Well, it is good to hear so many were able to be saved by you. What has become of the rest of the planet's inhabitants?"

"Most were still fighting last I heard. Though both worlds seem doomed to fall, Thetra already having been captured by the greenskins. They had meant to Kill High King Bellerophon and his family."

High King Bellerophon cut in then and said. "Yes, the abominations meant to slaughter my house. Knowing we posed a greater threat to them. But we fought with valor against the greentide. Our Knights being pushed to their very limits along with the pilots. My own Suit being heavily damaged in our last offensive against the monsters. But luckily my wife helped me see reason and so we evacuated the last of our citizens and ourselves before the Abominations could kill us all."

"I am sorry to hear so much has been lost. But if I might be blunt how many of your Knights are left?" Asked Antros trying to see how much he could rely on the assistance of the Knights and their firepower.

Bellerophon nodded and said. "I understand your pragmatism, and I am happy to announce that my family can boast having 67 fully working Questoris pattern Knights, along with 108 Armiger pattern Lesser Knights along with about 22 of our more ancient patterns. This was achieved due to my family's diligence when saving broken Knights Suits, before they could be picked at and scavenged by the Greenskins."

Antros nodded his head and said. "That is great to hear so much of your house arsenal was able to be saved. But what of your family's numbers are they significant enough to man such a force?"

The High King lowered his head, just a smidge, but it was more than noticeable to Antros's senses. When the King spoke it was clearly with a heavy heart at having lost so much of his family. "I am sorry to say but no our numbers were horribly thinned in the attack, we can only supply Pilots for a little under half the suits. Mostly the Paladin and Errant ranks were decimated in the attack."

"I am sorry so much of your family was killed, High King Bellerophon." Said Antros honesty.

"Your sorrow is noted, My Lord." said the High King a tear forming in his eye as he spoke, one he quickly blinked away before it could fully form. The High King seemed to slouch in his chair for a moment his old age showing heavily in his posture and demeanor.

The High Queen quickly came to the aid of her husband when he was unable to speak. She said, her voice showing her pain at her loss, but also her pride. "Though we do have a number of Squires and other youths who are able to continue their training and will soon be able to take the reigns of their mounts, My Lord."

"Glad to hear it, Madame." Antros nodded to the queen, then after a moment turned to Captain Azidar. "But now back to the fleet." Said Antros wishing to leave the High King alone so that he might properly grieve his lost children and grandchildren. After all, he was only human and grief was to be expected after such an event as what he went through and the loss he had endured. "What can you Captains tell me of your fleet? Models? Supplies? Munitions? Tell me all of it."

...

For the next long while, Antros learned about the Chartist fleet and a bit about its cargo, and passengers. while the Captains and Officers continued to speak with one another freely. Even though Antros had seen and heard how large their fleet was it still baffled him just how much they were carrying. Their ships were filled full of supplies and Munitions, most having been taken from Thetra which had had quite the stockpile of resources, both raw and refined. It was very fortuitous that most of those resources had been successfully stored within the Chartist's fleet upon their exodus.

Antros finally was given a concrete number of the vessels left in the Chartist Armada and their types. The largest Hauler in the fleet was the Universe class mass hauler, with a total of eight vessels carrying all the refugees from Thetra and Harakon. Following after the massive Universe class was the far smaller but still large Whale-Ships, which carried in their massive hangers the Steward Class Escorts. The Whale-Ships numbered at only four and carried in total 16 Stewards.

After that came Heavy Transports that were High King Bellerophon's own vessels, meant to move the Houses Knights for when they were called upon to fight. The ships were filled with the Knights, their pilots, and attendants, along with the equipment they required for the Suits. There were a total of 11 Heavy transports all together carrying, along with the Knights and their riders, the armor of the Harakoni Warhawks along with their ammunition. Most of the Guards armored elements were still damaged, so they could not yet fully be counted upon, for now.

Next, after the Heavy Transports were the regular Troop Transports and Carrack Defensive Transports (they have heavier weapons and armor than most Transports), which carried the Harakoni Warhawks and the Thetra Dragoons. Both troops were somewhat depleted by constant fighting with the Orks back on Thetra but luckily due to hit and run tactics they had minimized casualties by a large margin in the beginning. Though they still had later been decimated. They had originally numbered a combined force of six million altogether, but now only were only 250,000 strong. Still, a formidable force for sure but they were still, by any Imperial standard, heavily depleted. The rest of the troop transports carried the miscellaneous PDF, Militia, and House Guard forces. In total there were 13 troop transports and six Carrack Transports with the later holding the career soldiers.

Then came the Heavy and normal Fuel Transports carrying the fuel for the starships, the vehicles, and the shuttles. Their specific cargo varied in type, like promethium, oil, and other accelerants and chemicals necessary for traveling the stars or even waging war. All of them had been requisitioned by either the Chartist Fleet or the High King though most owed their allegiance to the Merchant part of the fleet either way. Despite this mixed loyalty nothing had come of it yet with the merchants working willingly with the PD and civilian forces. Though most of the Fuel Ships were massive they were manned by skeleton crews working their hardest to keep the ships functional, as more crew was usually deemed an unnecessary luxury, for the large barges. As a result, they were showing more signs of wear and tear than the rest of the fleet their manifests showing multiple requests for more manpower and materials to conduct repairs. Antros added solving this problem onto his already lengthy list of things that needed to be solved in the near future. In all, there were 12 heavy Fuel Transports and 23 of the regular-sized barges.

Along with the Fuel Transports were seven specially designated haulers carrying in their vast storage bays built for liquids, similar to the Fuel Transports, a most vital resource, water. Within five of the ships were vast reservoirs of freshwater, ready to drink and be dispenced as needed to the rest of the fleet, should their recycling systems become damaged or insufficient for a time. While another one of these special vessels had the premiere duty of waste collection. Gathering the wastewater of the other vessels and purify it, through the ship's vast systems of filters and cleaning agents. Until finally the refined water could then be sent back to either the holding clean water vessels or the ships they had come from.

Another one of these special haulers carried in it an exotic cargo within its massive open water tank. Within was a collection of Thetra's aquatic fauna and flora. The ship had been turned into something akin to a sealife reserve, the waters it carried holding a large collection of aquatic life from the now-abandoned world of Thetra. Most of the 'fish' within were simple creatures that were peaceful and easy to maintain, these creatures living through the specially made systems of the ship. Antros quickly scanned the dataslate again to find the ship's name so that he might ask more about it at a later time. The specialty ship was named the Nemo. Antros quickly took a mental note of the name and proceeded to look onto the next group of ships

After the water transports came the generic cargo haulers. Ships built specially to carry specific cargos, such as personal items, relics, artifacts or other more basic cargos like raw resources or even people in some instances. Around half of the ships in the Merchant Armada were laden with baseline cargos such as steel plates, Ceramite plates, ferrocrete mixtures, adamantine beams, and other Imperial grade building materials. Antros quickly read the footnote and found that these ships had been commissioned by the High King in the hopes of when they arrived at their final destination they would have been able to rebuild after arriving.

While the other half of the cargo haulers were specialized in a cargo Antros had not expected to see within such a fleet, livestock. The remainder of the haulers were equipped to handle the livestock of Thetra and the other bartered animals. Mainly they carried the usual livestock that could be found throughout the wider Imperium, with the most common animal being the Grox. A species of very large lizard-like beasts, known for their aggressive nature and iron guts, giving them the ability to digest even the most unpleasant of foods without any problem. They were high in protein and calories making them a useful beast. They were also known for their sheer stubbornness and survivability, making them the perfect animal for more inhospitable worlds and environments.

Since the Grox was originally found they had spread all across the Imperium, becoming the standard source of meat for most of the Imperium's people. Though they sadly, as a result of their highly aggressive nature and solitary lifestyles had forced Mankind to devise a way to keep them docile. Their solution was nothing short of lobotomizing the largest parts of the herds so that they might be made complacent. This system worked extremely well become the primary way Grox were kept and herded. While the breeding pairs were instead kept under a constant stream of narcotics, sedatives, and when necessary muscle relaxants. Though even despite all the precautions that Mankind had taken accidents occurred very often. Usually resulting in the death of herders and servitors. Though despite the setbacks the Imperium persevered and continued to use the beasts as a normal protein supply.

Along with the Grox were several other livestock animals, such as a small herd of cows, and pigs both being stored on the same vessel together, and having come from Thetra's own farmsteads. Along with them came a very sparse herd of Quariens (Not the ME aliens they are a placid herd animal from a now-dead world) that had come into Thetra's possession before Their homeworld of Sotha had been destroyed. While another few of the livestock transports carried within their holds other creatures, like several breeds of workhorses and oxen. Some even carrying more specialized beasts of burden, like the powerful creatures native to Thetra called Argaphants. Massive creatures covered in a layer of wispy hair and thick defensive hide. They were somewhat similar in physiology to the ancient Terran creatures Antros had read about called Elephants. Antros reasoned whoever discovered it must have thought the same for the similarity of their name to the long-extinct creatures. Argraphants were a strange creature, seemingly bred for eons to work alongside humans. Though despite the fact Thetra had only ever been colonized during the latter days of the Great Crusade, though most of the records dating back to that time were lost.

The Agraphants were known for their gentle nature and kind behavior. Being known as the Gentle Giants of Thetra. Argaphants themselves were massive nearing the size of the orkoid creatures called Squiggoths. Though only slightly smaller than those monsters and instead were herbivores rather than raving carnivores like the ork war mount. Argaphants were also very regal in a way, having a very high panic threshold, known to not panic in even the most hectic situations. And even when the giants did panic they were quick to regain composure and more often able to return to their duties not long after being calmed. The massive creatures had great durability, their hides being able to shrug off most slug based weapons. While also being able to carry massive loads upon their shoulders, with one fully grown Agraphant being able to pull an entire Knight Paladin Battlesuit with the right harness. There were more of these creatures in the fleet than Antros expected. Numbering a grand total of 134 of the behemoths spread across the whole fleet with many aboard the Heavy transports and Livestock Carriers. Antros added learning more on these magnificent creatures after the meeting, but decided to press on reading into the other Livestock Transports.

The remaining vessels carried some more unique animals and even a large number of pets. Such as canid, feline, and other Xenos domesticated species. All of these creatures were carried deep in the underbellies of the generic transports given special care at the 'request' of their wealthy owners. When Antros read into more detail about the specific creatures he found a plethora of strange creatures, both ones he expected and ones he was only just hearing about. Among the vast number, Antros took note of a few. Somehow one of the Knights of House Bellerophon had procured and tamed a Cruorian War Beast, it acting as the protector of its Knight. Though it was kept in a stasis field under heavy narcotics until they could finally arrive somewhere it could live on. Another four Knights possessed Carnodons as pets, though the giant cats had to be kept sedated while aboard the vessels and away from their masters. Both for the crew's safety and the safety of the mighty cats and the happiness of their owners.

Next on the records was a creature Antros had thought untameable, a Diablodon. One of the Barons Of House Bellerophon had not only bought two but had somehow successfully tamed them, making them into his own personal guard dogs. From all of what Antros knew of the creatures, he had never heard of one being tamed, let alone two, but here was evidence it could be done. The creatures had originally been procured over 70 years ago and had long since grown to maturity, having been raised by their owner since they were still eggs. Though from what Antros had read the giant lizards could live for up to five hundred years or so, that making the mating pair still relatively young by their species standards. Antros then forced himself to leave the dossier on the Diablodons, despite his desire to learn more about them.

After the Diablodons came to another strange creature, not too dissimilar to the Diablodon. The next creature was a beast Antros had only heard of being tamed by Eldar Exodites, the powerful Megadon. The fact about the creature's original tamers made Antros wary of what he was about to read next, but he pushed aside his caution and continued reading. Megadons were large, and similar in stature to the Diablodon, though there were quite a few key differences mainly having to do with their coloration and temperament. While Diablodons were highly aggressive and very territorial the Megadon was more of a herd animal, and far more accepting of other creatures being around it. Not to mention unlike the dreaded carnivorous Diablodon, Megadons were herbivores. Antros found it improbable that one of these creatures would come into the possession of a Knightly House, let alone a small herd, numbering a grand total of 14 Megadons. Antros again took note of this and filed it away so that he might question the High King about it later.

Then finally Antros came to the more 'normal' exotic pets that he had expected. Such as the Scarg-bear, several species of Sabre Wolves, Psyber animals (like eagles, and ravens), dozens of Cyber Constructs, a few Serrian Redrake, one Knight even owned a Mimic. Also among these more mundane pets came the 'intelligent' animals, creatures possessing a near human-like level of thought or personality, or being from a human originally. First on the list of the usual Cherubim. Antros noted that among the few listed owners of Cherubs was the High Queen, with her Cherubim having an extended log dedicated to it. The log said that the baby girl had been originally born lively and happy with her only dying after her health spontaneously began to decline until she eventually died to the unknown sickness. After that the log ended after the child was ordered to be made a Cherubim by the queen. Antros felt a twang in his heart go out to the High Queen for the loss of her baby. Antros closing his eyes for a moment, taking a moment to honor the poor child and her once distraught mother.

Next, There was a Caryatid that had attached itself to one of the young child Knight-aspirants, the log noted it never left the child's side, with its connection so strong that being away from the child for prolonged periods caused its health to gradually deteriorate, only returning to normal upon being returned with its child owner. Antros had heard of Caryatids, and he knew that they made very strong psychic bonds with those it attached to, but he had never heard of one becoming ill from the prolonged absence of its owner. The log carried an image of the Caryatid, it was a dark purple mixed with blue color and contained the usual baby-like features of its kind. While It's eyes appeared to be orange in hue. Antros took note of the creature and made plans to visit the child and its pet as soon as he was finished with the rest of his long list of things he had accumulated to do. So that he could make out whether it had simply created a particularly strong bond with the child, or if it was something more nefarious was at work.

After the small Caryatid came somewhat more normal pets, for example, there was a Gyrinx that had bonded to one of the younger Knights. Though the strength of their bond was not stated, nor could Antros try and interpret the strength of the bond from the information that was listed. But what he did gather was that the Gryinx was around 15 years old and that it had gone through one other master before landing with its current owner. Originally the Gryinx, named Kastor, had been born to a coven of Heamonculi Dark Eldar. Where, before he could even open his eyes, they had meant to experiment on him for his small size as no Drukhari wished to own him as he was. Though this never came to be, as the coven was soon found by House Bellerophon and other Imperial forces and destroyed. In the ensuing cleanup, Kastor had been found huddled against his deceased mother in the ruins of the covens base. The mother had died trying to defend her Drukhari Master, before being cut down by lasgun fire.

Artemis, who had been listening intently after she heard Antros's thoughts about the Gyrinx, finally said something her psychic voice dripping with disdain and hatred for the cursed Dark Eldar. "Those spineless cretins torture my kind for sport turning us into abominations, and monsters that follow in their horrendous schemes, and torturous appetites. That any of my kind would willingly bond with them is an atrocity. As well that she would also be willing to allow her children to be tortured by those creatures is unforgivable." Artemis's voice then turned mournful and sad at what she said next. "And her poor child, this Kastor, was born into that horrible situation."

'Yes, I feel sorry for this poor Gyrinx, to be born in the hands of Drukhari is a truly awful fate, for anyone or thing. It is good to read that he was at least saved though. Is it not Artemis?' Replied Antros attempting to calm his familiar.

"Yes, it is good to read that he is now in better health but that does not undo the circumstances of his birth. I must ask you, Master, if you would indulge a visit with his current owner so that we could ascertain his usefulness?" Asked Artemis, her psychic tone showing hints of both a bit of worry and yet also refinement in the way the words sounded. As well over their shared mental connection Antros detected her desire to see another of her species. As the last gyrinx she had seen had been almost 40 years ago, and she had been forced to fight that one as it had been in the service of a foul Dark Eldar Beastmaster.

Antros gave a small sigh and said through their shared link. 'Fine I shall see if I can allocate some time in the near future and visit them and their owner. But I will warn you that it could still take quite some time, Artemis. As I still have quite a few things that I must do in between then and now.'

Artemis's response was quick, and dignified but it shone with glimmers of the excitement she was feeling. "Thank you, Master."

Antros gave a small smirk at her joy and continued to read about the fate of the young Gyrinx.

Feeling pity and remorse for the poor animal a Knight, by the name of Greogor Bellerophon, had taken the tiny kitten and brought it back to Thetra. Where it was examined by the worlds High Cardinal and then ritually cleansed of its Xenos taint and blessed with sacred oils and incense. After that, the kitten was given back to Greogor by the priests, whereupon getting him back Greogor named him Kastor after an ancient hero of Thetra. The kitten was well taken care of by the Knight and the two quickly bonded becoming nearly inseparable when the Knight was home. Though sadly Greogor was later slain quite some years later, by a raging Traitor Knight.

The log then jumped to the next owner, Greogor's only child. Who had been somewhat close to the cat as a baby and once becoming a kid then found Kastor as their own bonded pet soon after the death of Greogor. Kastor and the Child soon became as inseparable as when Kastor had been bonded with Greogor, though it was noted that he seemed far more reluctant to let the child out of his sight for even a moment. Showing in multiple situations to be more than willing to fight to be able to stay at the child's side. He had also proved to be quite intelligent, outsmarting his caretakers on several occasions so that he might stay with the child during their training times and other affairs that usually meant that they would be separated.

Antros chuckled a little, remembering that something eerily similar had happened with him and Artemis when he had bonded with her. She had done much the same so that she could stay at Antros's side after they had originally bonded together. Having cut and even bitten a few of the unlucky chapter menials that had been assigned to keep an eye on her, and that had dared to attempt to thwart her efforts at reuniting with Antros. Though eventually, she had learned how to deal with being away from him, though she still quietly loathed separation from him. Antros too had to admit his dislike of being away from her, relating the feeling of being away from Artemis like missing a piece of his soul.

Antros then returned to reading the logs on Kastor seeing what more he could find out about the creature and its owner. He found more on their recent events having stayed together for the evacuation of Thetra. While now having remained together and doing most everything with the other. They were now both aboard the Heavy Transport named the Prometheus. The two were now held with the rest of their family in House Bellerophon and continuing to train to be a knight pilot. Antros noted a lack of information on the child who owned Kastor, it lacking to even give a gender to the child, only ever referring to them as 'The Child'. Antros found that strange but choked it up to a lack of attention paid by the original person who had formulated the information on the Dataslate.

After that Antros returned to the list of other exotic pets and animals. Reading next about a servant who kept a Fluff Beast as a 'pet', though the creature wasn't fully able to be tamed as it was too simple to understand what was happening. Then there was even a Mica-Dragon, small reptilian creatures that possessed wings and a limited ability to breathe fire. After that came some more normal creatures like snakes and other small domesticated animals local to Thetra.

Though there was one more surprise among the more average pets, Two fully grown Fenrisian Wolves and their five newborn pups. Antros at first was instantly put on edge at first believing that the wolves had somehow been stolen from his fellow Astartes in the Space Wolves. But to Antros's unending shock, they hadn't been stolen, in fact, they had been freely gifted to none other than the High King himself, by the Great Wolf, Logan Grimnar. Antros immediately checked everything the Dataslate had on the Wolves checking and double-checking every detail, making sure that he was not being deceived by some ploy on the Nobles part.

Though after Antros had read everything on the slate about the wolves, a fourth time, he was finally forced to face the fact that the Wolves had indeed gifted to House Bellerophon's Patriarch. Apparently Logan had given the High King the mated pair of wolves after he had helped fight for Fenris itself against a relatively recent incursion made by the Thousand found it hard to believe, but all the correct documentation was present and accounted for on the slate.

But he pushed aside his suspicion, for now, deciding to ask the High King more on this at a later date, when Antros could ensure that the High King told the truth. After the bombshell of the wolves, Antros decided to move back to the list with the rest of the Merchant Vessels, having had enough of Exotic pets for one day.

Following the Livestock Transports came the Vagabond class Merchant vessels, which primarily carried the more refined materials and tools of Thetra. A few of the Vagabonds carried the Drovers and the other non-combat equipped walkers, made for more menial tasks, like farming or fishing. While most of the other Vagabonds carried the vital and necessary resources of Food and Drinks. Primarily they carried giant freezers meant to extend the shelf life of the food so that rot would not be able to claim them. While some carried massive grain silos filled with the last harvest of Thetra. In total there were 18 Vagabonds carrying the lifeblood of the fleet.

After the Vagabonds came the Tarask Class Merchantmen their old and stout frames standing out amongst the newer and bolder designs. Tarasks had the lucky reputation of being dependable and renowned for their sturdiness and robust design making them perfect merchant vessels despite their generally smaller cargo bays. The Tarasks all carried a wide assortment of cargo, with some being stuffed full of the generic refined resources and furnishings. While others were filled with weapons and mobile armories ready to be called upon at a moment's notice. In total there was 11 Tarasks in the Merchant Armada, their presence brought a regality to the rest of the fleet for the simple longevity of the Tarasks. Who had been made in the earlier days of the Imperium.

Next was the Armed Freighters and Q-ships both acting as the defenders of the Merchant fleet, along with the PDF fleet. Though unlike their Imperial Navy counter-parts the Chartist 'warships' were not built to take hits. Mainly equipped to dish out damage at an average rate compared to career warships, while having weak and insufficient armor plating and defensive measures. Because of this, most people were hesitant to even take them seriously in a fight, but when push came to shove they could usually hold their own longer than usually believed. Though this also came at the price of storage space for carrying cargo. This also made the ship require more crew making them even more cramped. There were about 21 of the Armed Freighters and Q-Ships. Most were filled to the gills with raw resources, like minerals, ore, and some were even filled with wood and other such plant-based resources.

After that was the two Orion Class Star Clipper, built to be as fast as possible. While it was one of the fastest Star Clippers it also had a very large amount of cargo space for deliveries. Orion's were common with smugglers and illegal trade runs but had their part to play in more official capacities. Mainly they were used to run past blockades and deliver vital goods like food or munitions to worn-down defenders. They were renowned for having an efficient but shady reputation throughout the Imperium. So for this reputation Antros was both intrigued to have them but concerned about how they would operate with his plans. Within their halls were large amounts of rations and other long-lasting food supplies that could last almost indefinitely within their canisters. Along with the rations came a large number of medical supply canisters and shipping containers

Then finally Antros came upon the jewel of the Chartist fleet a Conquest Class War Galleon. This ship had been one of the last vessels that Antros had expected to see in the manifest, for the simple rarity of such illustrious ships. Conquest War Galleons were an ancient design with their commission being tied back to the Emperor Himself. The ships had been made to be reservoirs of ancient human technology and marvels and built to keep their precious cargo safe. Their designs were large, about the size of a cruiser and with the weaponry of warships as well. Antros quickly selected the Conquest and read all he could of its contents, weapons that Antros had only heard about in old stories, archaeotech weapons that could make tissue paper of even power armor, Volkite Cavilers, Serpentina, and Carbines. The ship even had a somewhat functional STC, though it could only work as an information bank rather than a manufactorum. The ship had been given the STC fragment to carry by the Emperor and the Ancient Fabricator General from the beginning of the Great Crusade. This all came together and gave Antros pause after reading it.

Though when he finally read the last portion of the ships manifest he discovered its Captain. Kobal Azidar. Then realization dawned on Antros, Azidar's family Patriarch was the current Speaker of the Chartists, within the Senatorum Imperialis. Now it all made sense why he had so many ships accompanying him and why his opinion held such sway amongst the other Captains. Antros took quick notes on this and continued reading the manifest on the rest of the vessels in the Merchants employ.

Next came two ship types that meant everything to the fleet at the moment and in the foreseeable future. Four Goliath class Forge-Tenders and three Golgotha class Forge-Ships. The Goliaths were repair vessels built to both restore and refit vessels and warships. They would prove vital to the fleet by being able to repair the damage currently done to the Navy and Astartes vessels and any more destruction done in the future. While the Golgotha ships could, with the right raw resources, pump out refined materials and goods, things like tools, weapons, armor, and of course munitions.

After this Antros finally came to the PDF elements that remained from Thetra's Planetary Defense Fleet, which had luckily been well maintained since their fight with the Orks. The first vessels on the Dataslate on them were about the Escorts. There were three Falchion Class escorts, that commonly fought together in their own vanguard squadron. Then there were also five Sword and two Firestorm Class Frigates that escorted the main bulk of the remaining Warships. After there was two Turbulent Class Heavy Frigate that would operate as the command ships of the Vanguard Squadron. Next was the six Defense Monitors that would often stay in the back of the Defense fleet as a last line of defense should the rest of the fleet be decimated. Then finally there was the three Viper Class Scout Sloops that would often relay information between the elements of the fleet and perform scouting runs.

Next was the Light Cruisers that acted more as patrol ships back on Thetra. First shown was three Endeavor Classes who would often act along with the larger warships and support the escorts in skirmishes. The second was the four Defender Class ships that would act as a patrol squad and reinforcement in engagements for their speed. After that finally came the last of the Light Cruisers, two Dauntless class, that would act as the mighty first responders to threats in Thetra. Through their actions and those of the Escorts around 15% of the Ork fleet had been denied the chance to unleash their deadly payload of ravaging brutes upon Thetra.

Then finally came the heavier Cruisers and the solitary Battleship. Leading the whole array of warships was a single Emperor Class ship, named Deliverer. It had been gifted to Thetra's forces by a very grateful Lord Commander of the Imperial Navy after having his homeworld and family saved by the Knights of House Bellerophon. Following after the Deliverer was the secondary flagship of the fleet the Grand Cruiser Avenger Class vessel Thetra's Grace which had been the old Flagship before the Emperor Class was given to them. Next was the twin Armageddon Class Battlecruisers the Aurora and Vesperum that had both been integral to the survival of the Merchant Fleet during the evacuations. Next was another Battlecruiser the righty feared Mercury Class, built for putting a stop to pirates.

Then finally came the last vessels of the whole fleet the surviving Cruisers all of which had formed the backbone of the refugee fleet. In all, there were three Lunar class Cruisers, two Ambition Class Cruisers, and one Tyrant Class Cruiser. All together these vessels formed a deadly amalgamation of a war fleet and with their ranks joining Antros's survivors he began to believe he had a true chance to save this new galaxy from ruin.

But what happened next almost blindsided Antros. During all the talk and reading Antros had taken note of the strange number of ornamental rings and other lavish personal decorations he saw on the manifests. At first, Antros didn't really notice or even really mind. But when he was looking through the manifests of the second Ambition class Cruiser he saw more than a few showing up in weapons containment chambers he grew a little suspicious. He mainly just took this as a sign of the haphazard way they had packed things to get away from the Greenskins. But eventually, he finally saw something that instantly caught his eye.

A Jokaero Defense Orb! It wasn't that there was just one though, but that there were 50 of them all in a storage locker aboard the one Ambition Cruiser. Antros only knew of one way to obtain the orbs and even then they were alone highly rare, but 50 of them was beyond preposterous for a single planet like Thetra to have, let alone all the other such artifacts he had seen pop up on the other manifests. This meant either their knights had once come across a very large cache once or that they had some way of acquiring them. This immediately took all of Antros's attention.

Antros stood up cutting the words of Admiral Merra short as she talked freely with the Chartist Captains. Once Antros felt he had everyone's attention he asked High King Bellerophon plainly. "How did you come by some many Xenos artifacts?"

The room which had already been quieting became as silent as a crypt world, not even a whisper being uttered. It took some time for the old mortal king to answer and while he collected his thoughts, but when he did he spoke honestly enough not wishing to lie to a fellow Imperial and especially one he owed allegiance too. "As much as I wish to hide it you will discover it soon enough whether through the Chartist Captains or through simple osmosis of information. Thetra was a rich world, lush in life and trade before the Orks took it from us. The cause for our prosperity was threefold, we were a world of plentiful natural resources, our ecosystems had yet to even begun to deteriorate, and we were very closely located to a vibrant and lucrative trade lane. This all together made Thetra a bountiful world, this also allowed us easy access to the more rare resources within the Imperium, such as those of Xenos origin. We for a time mainly got these artifacts through trade with Rogue Traders and the willing Inquisitor."

"But that would not explain the sheer volume of which these artifacts appear in your records, so clearly this is not the full explanation." Stated Antros evenly.

"You are right, Commander. There is also a more in-depth explanation that will sound rather strange to hear, but is true." Said the Old King his regal posture constantly maintained. "It happened six generations ago now, when I was a small boy training to one day become a Knight. I wouldn't know it at the time but many years later I would pinpoint that day as the day they arrived. During my daily sparing exercises, I took note of a ship landing at my family castles starport. I recognized immediately the symbol of the Holy Inquisition upon the sides of the shuttle as it closed in on the port. My instructor upon seeing it as well called for the ending of the day's lessons and told me and my siblings to find our parents and tell them of the vessel. I as the youngest followed the lead of my elder sisters back into the keep. We were quickly found by our house guards and who, upon hearing our tale, took us directly to our parents. We found them within the royal armory talking with one another."

"We quickly told them of the Inquisition shuttle and what we had been told to do by our instructor. We also told them our outlandish theories on why the Inquisition might be there. But our parents didn't listen and attempted to calm our worried minds. After that, they sent us to get dressed to meet the unexpected guests. We attempted to pry for more information from our parents but they didn't budge. They simply reaffirmed the need for us to be presentable for the Guests, and so we were dragged back to our personal chambers by the guards. Though soon I was back within the main corridor of the keep dressed in a fine suit decorated in my houses livery."

"The hall was crammed with all the other able members of my house, our retainers, our guards and our servants. All of us dressed to impress our dreaded guests. The grand doors that lead to the Royal Starport were open giving the view of the violet sky of Thetra. Though my full attention was on the four figures approaching from the bridge. The person on the far right was dressed in the recognizable carapace plates of a Tempestus Scion, lascarbine slung under her arm with a practiced ease. Then on the far left was a man of the Ministorum, a priest, dressed in brown flowing robes, with his hands hidden in his sleeves and face concealed by his hood and craned neck. While about his belt were several holy tomes, scrolls, and sigils."

"Then at the head of the procession was a Lord Inquisitor and an Interrogator. Both dressed like I had imagined them looking, dreadful. Dark Carapace plates decorated with holy wards and the symbol of their profession. They all stood tall and proud, but I detected, even at my young age, an underlying sense of tension in them. As if they expected my family to turn on them, and have our guards kill them. This feeling persisted and grew in intensity as they approached until it almost threatened me to act when they were right in front of me and my parents. Just as I felt that I was about to burst out and scream the Inquisitor spoke, taking the words from me. His voice was polite and neither condemning or malicious like I had believed he would sound from his appearance. Instead, his voice was, to my shock, ultimately kind with flickers of compassion glowing in his tone."

"The Man thanked us for welcoming him into our Castle and offered a low bow immediately after. One that my father and mother returned. After that, the Inquisitor introduced his companions, The Scion, the Banisher, and his Acolyte, as well as himself. My father, in turn, introduced me and my siblings to the Inquisitor, when he saw me he ruffled my hair, possibly to try and soothe my fears that he meant me and my family no harm. Though it did help me slightly I was still petrified of the man and his retinue of trained killers. The Inquisitor then spoke to my father and took him several meters away and began conversing with him quietly, leaving me to try and listen to what they were saying."

"Though I wasn't able to understand much before the Inquisitors Acolyte caught on to my attempts at prying for information and she quickly acted. Stopping me before I could fully understand what it was I was hearing. The Acolyte, bending down to my height and striking up a conversation with me. The rest of the meeting sadly slips my mind but my memory picks up some time later. A week quickly passed, with events and meeting having an abnormal feel to them, for a time. Though my routine eventually, after a week or two, returned to some semblance of normalcy, to me and my siblings at least. The Inquisitor and his companions who had originally stood out so blatantly at every gathering then slowly faded into the crowd. Their presence no longer seeming strange in my young and naive mind."

"I have long forgotten how long the Inquisitor and his band stayed with us but my closest estimates equate to about 5 months. After this period of time they arrived. It was a late afternoon on Thetra. My sisters and I had just finished our daily exercises and lessons and were out at a farmstead a decent distance away from our home. We were in the wheat field near the house of one of the Armiger families, playing with their children in the fields. We were in the middle of a game of Guardsmen Rush when we saw it. The youngest of the Armiger's sons saw the vessel first, yelling and getting the attention of the rest of us."

"We were all caught completely off guard by the vessel, it was of an entirely bizarre and alien design. All rounded and perfect edges with the rough shape of an equilateral square. While strange weapons platforms poked out of all along the hull. Though none of the weapons moved or were even threatening in appearance, I knew deep down that they could spell doom for anyone who dared cross that ship. It was large, at least by shuttle standards. Stretching well over 300 meters in all directions. But the strangest part was its color. Or should say colors, as the ship's color seemed to ripple and change as I watched it. One moment it was a bright and fluorescent blue than in the next second changing to a deep forest green hue."

"I knew the moment I laid eyes on it that it was indeed an alien ship. For none of mankind's myriad vessels that I knew of could do anything similar to what I saw then. The alien ship dove towards the ground for a moment on the other end of the huge wheat field. But in one quick movement, it jolted upright and began to head right towards us. We, fearing for our lives, ran back towards the farmhouse and barn that the Armiger family leased. We got about fifty meters before the shuttle flew over our heads going straight towards my family's fortress. We all continued running towards the house even after the shuttle was well out of sight."

"It took some time for my sisters and I to get back to the fortress. All the while we feared and dreaded what the alien vessel was there for. In our fear, we spun bizarre and implausible theories as to why the Xenos had come to Thetra. None being even moderately possible. But soon enough we found out. We had been taken back to the keep by our friend's mother and grandfather both escorting us in their Armiger battlesuits. We luckily met no interference as we approached our fortress. And to our collective shock and relief, the Castle was still in one piece and showing no signs of attack."

"We were quickly let into the fortress by the guards after they saw the Bellerophon crest upon the Armiger Suits of our bondsmen. Once we were within the walls we were greeted by my training marshal. She was dressed for piloting a Knight, covered in the specially designed carapace plate armor and her helmet slung under her arm ready for duty. She even had her weapons on her, a power sword strapped to her left hip and a bulky handcannon holstered on her right side. She and several other guards escorted us the rest of the way into the fortress and towards the keep. While our original escorts dismounted from their Armigers and were briefed by several of the other guards."

"I tried to ask my teacher what had happened and an abundance of other questions to do with the alien vessel. All my questions were answered by one of two replies. Her silence or her urging me to be quiet and respectful. Soon enough I realized continuing to ask her questions was folly so I grew quiet eventually. My eldest sister continued to pester the guards and my Marshall asking, or in some cases demanding, they answer her questions, when her orders fell upon deaf ears she began to threaten a few of the guards and act in other more irrational ways, unfitting the heir to our kingdom. Eventually, though my teacher grew tired of the threats and badgering of my sister and so she halted the procession and turned to look my sister in the eye. My sister only reached the woman's stomach in height. My sister immediately believing she had gotten through to the Marshall stood smugly awaiting her answers."

"My teacher instead of cow-towing to my sister's demands let loose her full verbal wrath upon the young lady. I forget much of what she said but it was funny to see my high and mighty sister thrown off her pedestal. Eventually, when my sister had been properly disciplined by the Marshall we resumed our progression to the keep. Soon after we arrived before the closed grand gate before the Keep. The white adamantine door decorated with leafed gold lace arrayed in images of House Bellerophon's founders. My teacher tapped on a few runes on her gauntlet and a moment later the giant doors slowly began to open."

"Once the gate into the courtyard in front of the Keep was open we marched in, none of our party saying a word as we walked. The courtyard which was usually full of sound and the toiling of men and women was now silent with all of the guards and servants working in an uneasy silence. I looked around and saw the worried faces of all around me, the same concern echoed in the features of both Royal Guard and lowly workers alike. We pressed on through the giant courtyard, Passing by hundreds of fearful citizens."

"When we finally made it to the Keep itself my Marshall turned around and spoke to me and my sisters. She spoke with a rushed and worried tone I had never heard her have before, causing a spike of fear to take hold of me for a moment. She told us that we would have to walk the rest of the way to the Grand Hall by ourselves, though she didn't tell us why we had to go alone. I later found out that the guards had been forbidden to enter the keep until given the all-clear by my father. After she told us this she instructed us to be cautious as we entered the throne room, and to not say a word while we were inside the keep. She then keyed in the command to open the door so that we could enter. My sister quickly rushed through the doorway, and as I made to follow them the Marshall pulled me aside just before I entered."

"She quickly told me to remember all that she had taught me over the years, primarily about how to read an enemy. She then pulled out her handgun and quickly placed it into my hands telling me that should things go poorly that I could rely on that gun to help me. She also said told me that should the worst happen that I should run back the way I came and she would do the rest. After that, she gave me a tight hug and pushed me through the door and into the keep. The door closing behind me not long after. I tucked the gun into my trousers pocket and quickly ran to catch up to my sisters, who had moved at a slow enough pace so I easily reached them before we entered the throne room."

"What my siblings and I found in the throne room shocked us beyond all words. There in the Throne room was our parents sitting upon their thrones as they usually did. But also in the room stood the Inquisitor and by his side was the large form of three adult Jokaero. I didn't know what they were at the time and because of it, I remember being terrified of them. Two of the creatures were bright orange in color and walking on their knuckles. While the one I would learn to be the Patriarch of the family was a dark and graying orange. My eldest sister upon making eye contact with one of the creatures screamed and fainted."


And this is where I'm gonna end Chapter Seven Angels Lament. What will happen next time? What will be revealed about Thetra's past? And what will become of the Imperial Armada after such events come to light? Find out soon. Thanks for reading and have a great day! Also sorry this chapter was so word and exposition-heavy I just wanted to get a lore dump and item dump out of the way.