Chapter 21, A Trip to Terra
835.M30
Earth
Tanya Russ
Looking at the window… though for all I knew, it was a cleverly hidden screen? It would make more sense. Anyway I looked down on, well, Earth. My first homeworld I guess, though this was the Earth of my second life. The planet was in a sorry state. Brown lands covered most of what had once been green and blue as the ocean had been long since dried out or converted for industrial use. And well, the plant life didn't seem to be doing much better. I wondered how anything could survive down there in that condition, but hydroponics were a thing. And they'd had 28,000 years of research into hydroponics, so perhaps they were more productive in food creation than it would have been with free-flowing water. Still, to see a planet that had been beautiful, reduced to such a state was… unsettling.
Though my coming to Earth, or Terra now, was not part of some sort of trip down memory lane. Oh, I did somewhat hope that some of my memories might trigger from my time on this world that had yet to happen but looking at the state of the planet, I doubted anything down there would even look familiar.
No, I'd come to this planet on business. Three points of business in fact. One, the quickest way from Fenris to the sub-sector Wheel of Fire was to go through the center of the imperium. I could avoid Earth if I wanted to but it would actually be slower than going to Terra. Considering I had other things here I need to do, it made only sense. Two, my armor was here. The data had been sent ahead of us to the Smiths on Mars who had been creating some sort of power armor for me, I guess. I was unfamiliar with all this techno-babble but I wasn't going to turn down a good suit of armor, not to mention my request for a bolter that I could use as a hand weapon had apparently intrigued one of their gunsmiths enough to inspire him to create a Primarch-sized version of the weapon. It would be delivered later today and would use the same ammunition, it just would be comfortable to use for a Primarch. Which was good. As much as I was somewhat competent in a sword fight nowadays, thanks to years of fighting monsters in the wilderness, I preferred to hit the target at range before engaging.
Third, I had to pick up elements of the Imperial Army that would be joining us on this campaign. I had yet to meet their commanding officers as I was waiting for the armor to arrive, considering that a good set of armor can set a good precedent and focus the mind of people on what to expect. When all that was completed we would be on our way into the Ultima Segmentum, following a trade route that winded through the galaxy to the area known as the Wheel of Fire. from what I understood the Ork kingdom's very presence made it harder just threading the trade routes running between the Imperium and the recently discovered Coreward Leagues. I wasn't aware of much of these Core leagues other than a description of them being humans of shorter stature and very tech literate, which was enough to make me see why we would want connections with them.
Humanity for the most part had been reduced from a technologically advanced federation across the galaxy to a majority of primitive civilizations with a few lights here or there keeping progress going. Earth was just barely set above that and the Mechanicus and its empire of forge worlds put in the majority of the work on that. I'm sure in time this would be righted, but that time would be decreased by bringing in these short humans as they were already quite advanced.
From the map I had seen when talking to the naval captains of the Gloriana battleship, this Coreward Leagues was almost half the size of the central segmentum. Being that most of their worlds were as advanced as Mars, if not more so, that meant they could be a potential threat or the greatest ally the Imperium ever had. So far, from what I could understand, dad was working on trying to make them allies which was why the Wheel of Fire needed to be dealt with.
But not only that. Bringing them into the alliance by dealing with that Ork empire would open roads further on to the other side of the Galaxy. Which, by increasing the range of trade and the reach of the Imperium, would do wonders for humanity as far as I was concerned. Though I do wonder if he was overstretching a bit. Pushing this hard this fast was bound to result in issues down the line. Hell, he was basically letting in these Coreward leagues without conditions, and the cult-like way the red-robed cyborgs talked about him and technology was concerning.
I didn't know what the future held, but I knew that grouping people together into one empire without taking into consideration how those people might interact with each other could and would end badly. Perhaps the next time I saw dear old dad I would ask him if he was thinking this through as thoroughly as he should, or if he was rushing a bit too much.
Then again he was looking for his missing sons. If you were to look at some of the more recent discoveries of civilizations that had been wiped out just within the last 30 years in the Western segments… Perhaps he was just feeling under the weight of the clock to try and get as much of humanity together as fast as possible, before whatever specialty tech they had was lost to time itself.
My thoughts were interrupted as the door to my room simply opened which caused me to sit up in surprise as I swore that I had locked that door, and, as far as I was aware, I was the only one with permission to open it. Even my shield maidens I brought along were not given that access.
Then, seemingly without a care in the world, an old man walked in. He was wearing a brown robe over his clothing, his face somewhat obscured by a hood. In his hands he carried a staff with a golden eagle at the top of it. He looked around my room with the most appraising and jaded eyes I'd ever seen.
Taking note of the way he looked at the many furs I brought along, as well as a few other trinkets from my time on Fenris, I interjected "I usually don't go for decorating but, well, the room that I've been given was quite bare. Considering this would be one of my main places to stay between campaigns and other engagements, I figured I might as well make it somewhat homie."
The man who had apparently decided they could just invade anyone's personal property finally looked at me and said. "You know, I told the Emperor that he should have had all daughters. That there would be fewer rivalries than what would come from brotherly squabbles. When I heard that one of his sons had come out a daughter, I had a good chuckle."
He walked further into the room. "Of course when I found out that said daughter was also a barbarian king, that she had managed to conquer a planet all by herself… well, I threw out the notion that you wouldn't cause some sort of rivalries. Time will tell though if this is for the better or for the worst. Well, I'm personally hoping more of his sons turn out to be daughters, just to put the test to my theory on the possible nest of rivalries that will spring forth."
I looked over at the elderly gentleman and thought about what was in front of me for a moment. Of course, I had no idea who this was, but the implication was that they spoke to the Emperor about my creation and were high up in the chain of command. Someone who the Emperor probably trusted. Getting in good with them could be good for my prospects. Sure I was the daughter of the Emperor and probably had access to more resources than most people realized, but it wouldn't mean much if you didn't have people who like you along the command chain to move those resources.
Finally, I said, "I don't believe gender would really impact rivalries. Humanity has a quite good record of building them no matter the situation, and it's not like sisters do not have things to be rivals on: the boys they like, the hairstyle they choose, the clothing they wear… they're different rivalries, but can be just as grating or more from what I've seen on television."
The elderly man nodded before saying "True, true. Now I do wonder what the universe would be like if he had gone with my suggestion, considering you managed to conquer the world of Fenris through the implications of trade. I do wonder if that would have set the standard for the rivals. Trade being the cornerstone of bringing the empire together instead of, well, conquest to prevent the continued death of civilization that was the Long Night."
Shaking his head he seemed to think about something before saying, "Well, anyway. I am Malcador the Sigillite, Imperial Regent of Terra and you are Tanya Russ, second found of the Emperor and wolf king of Fenris."
"The Emperor has told me some interesting tales, that you were raised by wolves and conquered the planet through trade and guile. Quite splendid indeed. He's also told me that due to your primitive upbringing you may need a refresher course on how the galaxy works, how to deal with the Imperial Army, the Mechanicus, and other legions."
"Of course," He continued, "Being the Emperor, he left out… details, things that we will need to work on."
"Such as?" I asked, tilting my head. My wolves, having finally realized that someone had entered the premises, came out of the closet I designated as their wolf house. Freki and Geri bared their fangs at Malcador when they saw him, then he smiled in their direction and they simply stopped, looking confused and befuddled.
"Well the psychic nature of your abilities, for one. I could sense the moment I stepped onto the ship that you were not Horus, whose psychic abilities are… well, not much more above an average human. If I had to guess from what I've seen so far you're mediocre when it comes to your powers."
"And he left out the bit about the time-traveling soul, no one calls the communication equipment of this age televisions anymore. If I had to guess no one's used that term since before the fall of the human federation. The Mechanicus way of talking about tech has spread much too far for that to have survived. Well, maybe the Squats still use that term? I haven't visited their homeworld yet."
I was going to ask another question but he continued. "So then Tanya Russ, king of wolves, tell me: what is your name?"
"Tanya von Degurechaf" came to my lips unbidden, leaving me stunned for a moment. That was very similar to my current name and that was nowhere similar to my old name so where did that come from.
The old man nodded with a chuckle, "A German name, what year were you born?"
I attempted to resist for a moment but I finally said, "Unified year 1914." I was holding my hand to my head at this point, the headache was coming on bad as I guess Malcador was digging into the middle life. The one I didn't remember very well.
"That is a long time ago and I imagine your perspective of how humanity should be is very out of date," Malcador said, rubbing his chin. "Well the first thing we're going to have to do is strengthen your mental defenses so no one can pull the same trick I just did on you ever again but I doubt many could. Yo put up a good defense on the second one. I'd almost say you'd run into some sort of psychically active being before."
Rubbing my head I took my hand off to grab my BlackManned fur cape, saying, "There was a Thunder Wolf with strange abilities." My voice was a bit pained from the headache but I was able to get it out. I could have mentioned Being X but I had been told to keep quiet about those sorts of things unless the Emperor told me it was okay and I was willing to keep that to myself for now. It was a very confusing situation to begin with.
"Good, then we aren't building off a plateau of sand as you've been tempered at least once. Not going to work then." Walking over to a table he took a seat in one of the chairs that were more human-sized. Most of the room had been designed for someone of, well, my brother's size, giving me a good guess on what was expected when this ship had been constructed.
Hoping the headache would go away I took the seat across from him, sitting down heavily. "So, what brings the Imperial Regent to my quarters this day unannounced?"
"Many things. I was never given a chance to talk with Horus much, the Emperor wanted to get out on the field and start finding his sons as quickly as possible then reunite humanity. Getting the chance to speak to one of his children without him there is intriguing. I'd really like to find out what your're like when your old dad isn't looking over you."
"The other is, being that you are psychically inclined, I could detect your presence a bit when you entered the system. It would be better to get you trained up on how to defend yourself against the psychic creatures out here in the galaxy and I am considered perhaps the second greatest psyker in the entire galaxy. After the Emperor of course." He asserted, rather sure of himself.
"And, seeing that I am the first Lord of Terra, I'm needed to attend one of the rounds of negotiations with the squat leagues which happen to be along the trail you must follow to go to your new battlefront. So I thought I would commandeer your vessel to take me."
I nodded my head, understanding this Malcador was not offering me the chance to study under him. He was informing me that I was going to study under him, to make sure that my psychic powers were under control. Understandable, considering what I'd heard of the Old Night. That and he also needed the ride. So there was no way he was not going to be onboard the ship, he had all the authority in the galaxy.
Well, he might actually have all the authority in the galaxy. He was the second most powerful man in the Imperium if I were to take the implications of his titles at face value. And I would guess he was the most trusted ally of the Emperor if he had been involved in conversations on what gender his children should be.
In other words, to put it in a corporate sense, I was speaking to the CEO's Chief secretary. This was the man who kept the operation running at all times, even when the CEO was off doing generally frivolous things. Which meant I really had only one option: agree.
Nodding my head, I said "Fine, fine. It would be an honor to learn from you and to take someone of such a high standing to this league of squats. Oh, I thought they were called The Coreward Leagues."
The old man chuckled and nodded. "I see someone has been reading the maps I've been putting out for details. You would not believe how many military commanders just stumble into our own allies and almost start a war, it's rather ridiculous really. Anyways the Coreward Leagues is the name I've proposed for their official designation. Currently the actual name of the squats is hard to pronounce in high Gothic, and well low Gothic would see them settled with a name based off their genetic adaptation to the stronger gravity in the region short and squat of course. To be expected from a people who live underground mining resources in the heaviest gravities in the galaxy.
I blinked several times then finally said "So there are space dwarves."
Malcador chuckled and nodded his head, "Oh, yes. That's actually one of the other names I proposed, though that had been shut down quickly by the commander who first encountered them. Apparently he called them space dwarves and they kicked him in the shins until his shins broke off. That's seemingly a great insult to their people while squats is by all accounts not, which I find humorous in a way. But I'm not going to hold them to our standards on such a small issue."
"That makes sense," I said, before asking, "So what kind of trade deals are you working on with this Squat Leagues? I may not be very familiar with the current economic systems of the galaxy but I can understand that there must be some sort of resources that would make an alliance with them extremely useful."
"Someone who actually cares about the economic situation after the conquest? We're going to get along," He answered matter of factly, before continuing. "The Squats have access to texts that have been lost to the majority of the galaxy. They have given us some in free trade and we have given some others back. This alone is a reason we want to have connections with them but there's another reason: those regions of stars where the Squat planets are settled are loaded with mineral wealth unlike anything found anywhere else in the galaxy. During the Human Federation's height whole agri-worlds were set up to ship food to those worlds so they could ship alloys and various metals out for use by the rest of the Galaxy. No doubt we will have to settle many new agri-worlds, just due to how many worlds have degenerated into primitive worlds thanks to the Old Night. If the Leagues are still as profitable as they were before the Old Night… Even if we direct half our food production to them there will still be plenty for the Mechanicus and other Hive worlds and we'll have plenty of not only finished products but materials that can be used for other products throughout the Galaxy."
"Yeah I could see the economic boom that would bring to a lot of places, just based on my understanding of history. Though won't that increase piracy quite a bit?"
"Very likely could but, well, we're already going to be dealing with pirates. Both the Eldar and the Orks enjoy that as a pastime when they can't go on their own straight-up conquest of planets."
"Sounds like we have a lot of bad neighbors." I mused, getting another chuckle from the elder statesman.
"More than you realize, young Russ. More than you realize. Now you got your mind together enough to start a few more lessons on controlling your powers?"
"Yes, sir Malcador."
"Then, let us begin."
Kori Bretakollrsson
There were a lot of mistakes in my life, a lot of things that had screwed me up so far. Risking everything on the chance to get my leg back was something I did not regret.
When the Allfather descended from on high to bring his child Tanya back into the fold I had been across the continent, ruling in her name after she saved my kingdom. Oh sure, sure, she hadn't directly taken control of the kingdom but she had recommended several institutions and government styles that had slowly taken away the power of the king. Rendering me a figurehead, and with my crippled leg I was not a very good one. I couldn't even go out and conquer in the name of my kingdom or some other adventure. Before Tanya came the world had been very big I've been told. Well after her conquest of the planet everything was quite small and adventure was hard to come by, ways to regain one's honor even more so. Especially for one with a bum leg.
But I'd soldiered on. I had gotten myself married, had a couple kids, and simply tried to plan for some sort of future where maybe they would have a better chance at glory than I did.
But then the Allfather came. With the Allfather came the possibility of a new chance at glory and redeeming the family name.
I admit the basic requirements that Tanya had put down for the adult section of recruitment helped. I wasn't even that old compared to some of the people who had volunteered, most warriors being in their 40s or 50s and a smaller section being in our mid-20s. So our chances of survival were supposedly better than the 30% the older had.
I wasn't amongst the first batch to go through it either, but there had still been a 50% chance of my death when I'd signed up. A chance I was willing to take for the ability to regain the honor of my family, and to end my status as a figurehead.
What followed was a year of pain, suffering, and being dumped in the middle of the wilderness to survive for three months. Thankfully that three months was after they fixed my leg through their gene magic. Otherwise I'm pretty sure I would have died, there were plenty of wolves out there that were not friends of the wolf king and would just look at my enlarged figure as extra meat on the menu.
But either way I managed to survive the trials and tribulations and now stood amongst the other generations who had taken the gray armor representing the standard uniform of a legionary So far the legion was broken up into two colors when it came to command staff and the new version of royal guard Tanya had created they tended to wear the light blues of the Russ. For the majority of us who were new to the war we wore the grays, the unpainted color that the armor came in, only adding remnants of Fenris in the form of a few wolf furs and markings here and there.
I imagined that all the armors would become more adorned with items either of our nature or token of conquest taken, as was a natural and right with our people.
The majority of the legion at this point was from Fenris. There were still around 6 to 7,000 Space Marines from the world of Terra, most of them made up parts of the command staff now but a few of them were still part of the regular soldiery. Apparently, Tanya had attempted to spread them out a bit so that they could share the skills they had acquired in conflict with the newer Space Marines. Made sense, though by some quirk of numbers our squad had none of them. It was all Fenrisians from across the planet. The majority of which were from the main continent though four of them were from the Sea Folk. Our 20-man squad was led by Bjorn of Tra. He was one of the few sergeants to get ranked as soon as he joined the legion, apparently he had shown talent at commanding troops during training. Part of me wanted to be jealous of such a young man reaching such a rank while here I was in my thirties and a simple grunt but the other part of me was okay with it. All I ever wanted was to get a chance to prove myself. I had it and would get more opportunities soon enough so there was no reason for hard feelings about a lower rank. After all, a former king was no better than an average peasant in combat when all things were made equal, perhaps he was a better commander than me.
Anyways I was in the main area of the Ulv Hjem, the name that people had started calling the Gloriana battleship since an official name had never been given. I think it meant something along the lines of 'home of the wolves' so it made sense and would probably work out. From legends I knew that the Wolf King had chosen the name of her siblings based on their admirable traits and when she had explained that to her fenrisian father he had given her the idea of using the Fenris version of those words for their names, so no doubt she would quickly adopt the name for this ship when she heard it.
Today was like any other day on the ship. I was cleaning my armor, making sure it functioned properly as well as preparing for a contest of strength in one of the arenas. One of the newer recruits was claiming they were the strongest Wolf of Fenris alive and had gone six and oh in arm wrestling contests so far. I kind of wanted to put the man in his place so I had volunteered, I and about a dozen others.
If I won it would be neat, if I lost… well I'm sure someone would beat him but if by some miracle that man managed to win every arm wrestling contest he deserved all the accolades he got from it and to go around claiming he was the strongest all he wanted.
But that was later today. Right now I was simply waiting for one of the many shield maidens who found their way aboard the ship and were helping as the staff.
Not all of them were Tanya's personal harem, as rumors called them. Many were just simply sisters and wives of those who'd survived the process of becoming Space Marines and there were a few who had come along on this trip wishing only to be of service in some way or another.
Being so far down the food chain I didn't know the exact thought processes of the Wolf King but this was almost a standard practice on some of the shorter campaigns within the borders of a continental coast. Camp followers were a thing and bringing one's shield maidens was natural, it made the parties more fun after a conquest or victory.
Had the wolf King brought them along in accordance with those ancient traditions? I didn't know but they were here. I was not going to avoid their services and so I had asked for food and drink to be brought up to the training area.
As I sat there, waiting, I felt the bench next to me groan and someone as heavy as myself sat down next to me. Looking over I saw my sergeant and smiled, giving a nod. "Morning, Bjorn ."
"Morning, Kori," He greeted matter of factly, rubbing his chin and the short beard on his face. "How's the day treating you?"
"Been treating me alright," I answered, rubbing my own beard as I leaned back. "How's the sergeant life treating you?"
"Terribly," he mused with a shake of his head. "Paperwork is terrible and making sure that we got everything in order is a pain in my ass. Kind of wish we'd got one of the Tanyas in our squad."
I chuckled at that. "If we'd gotten one of the Tanyas in our squad, you wouldn't be sergeant."
"Good," he said with a laugh before continuing, "then I could focus on gaining some glory for myself."
I shook my head and chuckled. The Tanyas we were referring to were Space Marines who got a little bit too much of Tanya's magic genes. They often ended up with a face exactly like Tanya's and could pass for her at a distance, which was why most of them grew out their beards to try and obscure that feature. It helped a bit, though at close distance you could tell that the face was a little bit too Tanya-like. No one razzled them too badly over it since they seemed to inherit a gift for paperwork that put every other Wolf of Fenris to shame. And that was saying something considering, despite how many of us disliked it, we were pretty good at it.
The Tanyas were one of the genetic oddities that the legion had produced. Though they were the most benign and least problematic of the genetic issues so they were the most common and everyone knew about them.
There were others, supposedly. I hadn't seen them yet, most of them were being kept on Fenris within the training course till their abnormalities were judged not an issue anymore. Or not. In any case it was such a rarity for one of those things to happen that I hadn't seen any of them so I didn't know what they were, just the rumors that there were more than the frankly innocuous Tanyas.
Letting out a deep sigh, I asked, "So you're positioned up higher the ranks than me. Hear anything about this 'wheel of fire' we're going to go into?"
Bjorn shook his head before saying, "Most I've heard is we'll be fighting massive creatures that enjoy close combats so this will be the most fun we'll ever have if I had to make a guess. Besides that, we'll have an element of the Imperial Army to back us up and a few other legions supporting us."
"Other legions? I wonder what they're like." I asked the universe at large.
Bjorn shrugged "Glad to get reinforcements? If they're anything like ours they'll be interesting and enjoy a good fight, beyond that I don't know. Did talk to one of the old-timers and he said that one of the legions was pretty good with siege warfare so that's a thing. Oh yeah, the others are apparently good with long-distance travel, so that's another thing. I get the feeling though that we will be doing the majority of the fighting and they'll just be there to support us, maybe teach us a few tricks about fighting orks."
I nodded my head in agreement, "It makes sense. Sounds like we'll have a fun time of it at least and who knows? Maybe we'll make some friends in these other legions that will come in handy in the future. As someone who had to call upon Tanya in time of war for aid, let me tell you that having trustworthy allies at your back is worth its weight in gold.
Bjorn nodded his head, agreeing with that statement.
As we sat there one of the shield maidens approached, carrying a tray of drinks. "My lords," she said with a bow, offering us two cups.
"Thank you," I answered, taking it. I'd never seen the drink but it was, oddly, warm. Taking a sip I could not tell what this brew was but it was oddly satisfying and made me feel more awake.
Bjorn drank down his cup pretty quickly, before saying, "Yeah, this is not alcohol…" Before continuing, "How? This is not alcohol but I quite enjoy this. What is it?" He asked the Shield Maiden, flashing a smile.
She smiled back before saying, "Something called Recaff. King Russ apparently recently tried it and quite enjoyed it. She has ordered a full storage facility of it."
"A full storage facility?" I said in shock? "Isn't that like enough for a person to drink for 200 years?"
The woman shook her head, "This concoction is not stored in a liquid state. So, technically, it's quite a bit more than 200 years worth of stockpile. Soon as it arrived on board she said that the crew and her Wolves were welcome to have as much as they wanted."
I nodded. It sounded like something she would do, show us the benefits of working with the Imperium so we would fight harder for it.
"Well then," Bjorn said, "To the Primarch and her wisdom of getting us good drinks, to show us what we're fighting for." Then he downed the rest of his glass.
"She's always thinking ahead," I said matter of factly, sipping mine before I looked over at the Shield Maiden. "Actually that draws an interesting thought. The legionaries are expected to be the ones in the fighting, right? How has she been thinking ahead for the Shield Maidens? I haven't been down to your side of the ship so I don't really understand how she expects to use you, considering… well, our improved combat physique."
The girl chuckled and said "I think we're postal service auxiliary forces, garden supply lines, and that sort of thing. The armor I was given when we arrived is, well, armor and it can take a hit from a sword or arrow but from a bolter? I don't think it would hold very well. Some of the older girls have been asking for some sort of armor improvement to be done for us but the King of Russ has made no moves on that. As for weapons we've been given a bunch of energy weapons, still trying to wrap my head around how they work. From what I understand the weapons can basically be charged by leaving them out in the sun or near a fire, so our forces don't require much in the way of logistics."
"Backline support? Lots of Shield Maidens aren't going to like that position." I reflected, noting that they had often served in the front line. In most major conflicts on Fenris… well our planet was a place where everyone fought and no one quit, leaving any resources on the table that could be used was a mistake in most cases.
The girl nodded her head before saying, "I heard an interesting rumor, if you'd like to hear?"
"Rumors are always fun," I smiled, leaning forward.
"Rumors are usually bunk but I'm willing to hear," Bjorn said.
Leaning towards us a bit conspiratory, the girl said, "My aunt works with the medical staff in the gene bay. King Russ has laid down The Rules quite simply: they are not to make any female Space Marines, as that is what the Allfather wants. However she went out of the way to specify that a Space Marine is someone who is meant to become part of the sixth legion, and has told the geniuses in the Gene Bay that they can experiment a bit with her DNA. Something about finding cures for cancer and things like that being the main drive of those experiments… but she left no major restrictions on them.
I started to laugh as I saw what was being implied, Bjorn soon joining me.
"So Allfather has denied female Space Marines but Lord Russ, being a good daughter of Fenris, sees the shame in denying her sisters the chance to fight like we are and is trying to find a side path? That sounds like the King of the Wolves alright. Never leave opportunities unexplored." I mused as I sat back in my chair.
Bjorn sat back and thought before querying "You think it'll be successful?
"I sure have no idea other than that she will try. From what I've been able to understand… these computers and the information they provided? Humanity is known for quite a bit of genetic diversity. Creating another subcategory of humans isn't exactly going to annoy the Allfather I would guess."
Bjorn nodded his head "Then let us hope that the gene boys can figure out how to make non-Space Marine females. Perhaps they'll be called the Valkyries or something. Would be entertaining. And that would be more fair for the people of Fenris. I know when my little sister, Yrsa, comes of age, I would love to have her by my side fighting for the Wolf King. Would be nice making it a family affair, as it were."
"That does sound nice," I said in agreement, before raising my cup to toast the hopes of that coming to pass.
Tanya Russ
Looking at the armor in front of me I could do nothing but shake my head. A few hours ago members of the Mars Mechanicus had arrived aboard my ship, bringing with them the new equipment. With it we would finally be able to begin our journey to the Wheel of Fire subsector and whatever may lay there for us.
I don't know what I had been expecting from this armor but what I got had seriously thrown me for a loop. The armor was, well, power armor. No I didn't understand most of how it worked but I could understand what I was seeing to a point. The legs were plate armor with a bit of freedom around the knees, more plates were around the hips as protection against side shots while large shoulder pads and more plates ran up the arms. Everything made sense. Then we got to the central body, which didn't make as much sense. Boob armor. I had the distinct feeling someone had seen my Shield Maidens back at Fenris and passed along that I liked my armor to be formfitting in such a way, as instead of a single solid plate somewhat rounded as was the standard with the other Astartes… it was a single solid plate with two conspicuous orbs.
The only saving grace came from the fact that there was no easy place for a weapon to be caught in between the chest region. A white metals wolf skull was positioned there, honestly meant to deflect any rounds that hit that region. Besides that the armor plating around the guts seemed a bit light. People would be able to see my figure, that's for sure. Granted there was so much armor plating on my arms and shoulders that, as long as I didn't expose my front too much, I should be fine. And, to be fair, most of the plating would only be necessary if I closed range and was fighting in melee, something I would prefer not to be in. Besides those, strange as I said choices, there were the other choices: parts of the armor has been made from a metal that looked rather like gold, possibly an implication of being related to the emperor considering how much gold he wore. And it appeared they had requisitioned wolf fur for areas in between the plate for warmth. Where they got that I'm not sure, it didn't appear to be from Fenrisian wolves but I could be wrong. After all they had a few years to gather up all the materials for this armor and my Wolves of Fenris had most likely hunted a few beasts in that time so it was not impossible that they used some sort of shipping method to get some sent from Fenris or brought along and then added it to the armor just before showing it to me.
Besides that there was the backpack, or powerpack, and at least it looked mostly standard and would provide plenty of back armor. Though the two giant snarling wolf heads made of gold were a bit gaudy, poking out behind the shoulders of the armor. On one hand this made me a giant target, on the other… well, at least my Space Marines would be able to tell my position on the battlefield easily and quickly come talk to me. Having the ability to quickly spot your commander in a chaotic situation was always useful.
Shaking my head I was just glad that my old black cloak would at least fit in with this set of armor. Sure it would no longer be fully covering like it had been before my recent growth spurts but a stiff cape to catch a blade was always useful in combat.
Besides those issues, everything looked fine… as long as the armor stayed on. The black skintight muscle suit that would make Samus blush was a bit concerning but then again it apparently allowed for the transfer of powers so walking around in a bundle of wires was just something I would have to get used to.
Shaking my head I had to admit it. I didn't think about this very often but I was probably going to become some sort of fetish idol, especially if anyone ever saw the undersuit without the armor.
I was going to go through my shield maidens to find a group that were loyal enough not to talk about what happened during the armoring. I mean, for Fenris' sake, the instructions that came along with the darn armor included oiling up before even getting in the darn suit, as a step one! Every other step after that included the number of servitors, whatever that meant, that were required to lift and fit the pieces of the armor in place.
Shaking my head I wondered if I was making the right choice by signing up for the Imperium all of a sudden. Fighting wars to secure resources for Fenris had made some sense. Trying to improve trade? That was perfectly fine. Wearing armor that would probably make me a propaganda darling? That was giving me a goddamn headache. And not just the 'oh your memories are locked behind a graded wall' headache as that was there as well.
Fine. I stepped away from the armor rack and walked over towards the guns. As I had hoped it was a Primarch-sized bolt rifle, full auto, with plenty of ammunition storage too. Whoever designed it was at least good with sights, they even put a bayonet lug on the end of it that allowed me to attach any one of the blades they'd sent up. And they'd send up quite a collection.
Something called a chainsword, another thing called a power sword, and a few other strange devices that could be attached to the end of it. One of them possibly being a grenade launcher.
Frankly I was not wanting for gear options, they had even sent a bolt pistol. There was also apparently a massive sword that could be wielded, though how I was going to wield such a thing with chain sw teath or ig uess a chain sword. Aka someone was crazy enough to put a chainsaw on the end of a sword. How that was meant to work without the damn things running out of your hand and shooting across the battlefield as uncontrolled missiles, chopping up anything that happened in its way, I didn't know. I guess I would have to learn but, being large enough to probably cut a Space Marine in half height-wise, it was a dangerous weapon to wield.
Shaking my head there was just one thing missing and that was the fact that amongst all the equipment that had been delivered to my room there was no helmet for the set of armor. Why that was I wasn't sure but it was annoying. Walking out into combat without a helmet was just asking for a lucky bolt to blow your brains out. I was going to have to ask what was going on when I got the chance. I'm sure Martians could build a helmet, for goodness' sakes they've done it for every other Space Marine.
My thoughts were interrupted as there was a very solid knock from my door, which was a good sign. It meant it wasn't Malcador, who treated doors as, well, his door to do with as he pleased. As much as I enjoyed our conversations and the teaching he was giving me I did find it a bit annoying that he had such a high opinion of himself that he didn't care for other people's privacy. Then again when you could literally just hear people's thoughts… perhaps you just didn't give a damn anymore?
A good reason not to get too invested in psychic powers then, as I was of the opinion people deserved their privacy. Combat applications were perfectly feasible though.
Looking toward the door, I said, "Come in," Before taking a seat at one of the chairs that looked across the room. As I sat there the door opened and a creature walked in.
No, that wasn't fair. I admit that. But when you have more limbs than a human you are going to draw attention, even if those legs are made of metal. The cyborg in a red robe with as many limbs as Dr Octopus stepped into the room, one fleshy human hand on a staff while four mechanical ones held data sheets up to the person's face which was obscured by the shadows and mechanical equipment.
"Good evening, Primarch Russ," The mechanical voice came as the red-robbed cyborg bowed, appearing a bit top-heavy with the weights that it must have been putting on its legs for that. It quickly assumed a standing position again and said, "you may call me Adelheid, I am of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and I've been assigned by the Lord of Mars to be your personal representative to the Mechanicus, as well as your personal Armorsmith until one of your Astartes can be trained up to care for it themselves."
I nodded it at that before saying, "Well thank you for introducing yourself. I actually have a few questions about the design choices of this wonderful armor." I added, trying to be tactful.
There were several beeps and dial-up tones' 01100001 01110010 01100001 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100001" before the mechanical voice returned. "I'm sorry! I'm just so pleased that you like the craftsmanship. To have a piece of something you've worked on receive praise from the Omnissiah's child is a great honor."
"Wait. You put this together?" I asked, trying to clarify the situation.
"Of course. Though many of the other Martians armorsmiths wanted to do this job it was decided that, since I have a preference for the creation of female armors, that I should do it. Not to mention being one of the few females to take up the armor craft, I know what is required in a proper set of armor for a woman."
I nodded my head in understanding, though frankly I couldn't tell Miss Dr Octopus here from regular Doctor Octopus in one of those red robes. So for all I knew this was just some guy lying to me but… For now I would take them at their word. "Well, thank you Miss Adelheid," I said. "The armor is very well crafted and I'm sure it will work well on the battlefield though…" What I wanted to bring up was the boob plate but, considering that they seemed to have taken quite an enjoyment in me saying good things about their armor and their preference for the creation of the armor style, I decided to sidestep that and ask about the second issue.
"Where's the helmet?"
The red-robed woman bowed her head in understanding before saying, "Due to the statistical data provided by the Emperor about your biology and information provided by members of our order within the legions we know that space Marines of your bloodline will have a greater olfactory capacity than many of their others. In this case a helmet, for most of those of your bloodline, is actually detrimental. So I had to put the helmet on the back burner as I worked on the craftsmanship for the armor itself. That being said, I do have a design for it, what I've been calling the Wolf's Howl, that could be put in production as a one-off run if you are interested." As she spoke one of her tendrils reached into her robes and grabbed some sort of datapad before bringing it up so I could take it. Carefully I took it and turned it on seeing what she was referring to and having a chuckle. The wolf helm was exactly as she had described it, a helmet that looked like a wolf's head with a growling snout similar to the ones on the shoulders of the power unit. Putting that on would make me look like some sort of Cerberus which could be terrifying in the right conditions and useful when in combat, though going by where the eye holes were it would restrict my vision quite a bit.
As I looked over the schematics the red-robed woman continued "This will have a function that will allow you to open up the nostrils in order to make use of your olfactory senses again in an emergency, or for hunting. When this is not in use it is a perfectly space sealed and worthy helmet for your armor."
"Well I don't mind too much customization like this, I guess," Adelheid had made a fine point about a regular helmet interfering with my increased senses, not to mention wearing a helmet of any kind would interfere with an average person's ability to maintain awareness of the situation they were in. So, looking at the helmet, it was something I'd wear only if I closed distance or was on a spacewalk, a situation that was too deadly for even my primarch's ability to survive. I was sure it would be fine. Once this red-robed Mechanicus agent moved on perhaps I would have my Space Marines come up with something a little bit more reasonable.
"Excellent! I will have the information for the creation of this helmet sent to the forges on this ship. It'll be ready by the time of your campaign." The mechanical voice somehow just beamed enjoyment of the armor craft, which was good I guess. Having someone who loved their work was a sign that they probably knew what they were doing. Hopefully.
Breathing a sigh I reached over, grabbed the manual, and asked, "By the way what is this about servitors? What is that?"
The red-robed woman tilted her head, revealing a bit of brown hair which had not been seen before. "Servitors are criminals who have been judged for their crimes and been converted into something more useful for humanity. Their personalities, minds, brains, whatever you want to call them are gone and replaced with a mechanical machine that will follow orders without question."
I blinked and then said, "Yeah, I'm not letting that anywhere in my room." Adelheid tilted her head, confused, so I explained. "I'm not a fan of the idea of a walking corpse generally, that's all. There are other ways to explain it, but that's basically a walking corpse: you've killed the person and you've inserted a robot to control the body and well… Yeah, I'm just not going to be allowing that to help me with my armor. I got plenty of people on board who will be more than willing to help".
She nodded her head before saying, "That is fine. If you need someone to help teach these people how to get the armor on I'm more than willing to explain that to them." She tilted her head to the side "By the way, have you looked at the possible modifications presented in the back of the manual I had sent up?"
"No. No, I did not," I said, opening the manual and heading to the back of the book. I read quickly, seeing that there were options for adding weapons and other items and kits to the armor.
"Thought so," Adelheid said, "None of the other Primarchs apparently looked at their information kits either."
That raised my eyebrow, "Other Primarchs, plural? Other Primarchs have been discovered?" Wonder why no one had told me, I thought.
"Yes. The Primarchs of the second, the tenth, the third, the eighteenth, and the seventh have all been found, in that order. Besides you, lady Russ, and Lord Horus of course. Their legions are currently undergoing refittings at their new homeworlds as we speak, no doubt they will soon be joining the campaign again as well.
I chuckled as I said, "Looks like father has been busy while he's been away," I commented, before asking, "Have you heard anything about my other siblings or is information about them still coming in?"
The red-robed woman shrugged, one of her mechanical tentacles appearing to brush off some dust from the armor she created for me.
"Information on them is currently marked of utmost secrecy, even their homeworlds are currently being kept secret until they are fully protected and well-stocked, the Omnissiah is leaving nothing to chance," She said, before continuing, "Though some things can be learned through studying the data. It appears all the legions are doing well and are recuperating. I suspect they shall be rejoining the fight around the same timespan it took you to get your legion back into formation, 3 to 7 years give or take. Being that the Primarch of the second had been found five years ago I suspect they will be on their way here not too long after you."
That raised an eyebrow, "Well, damn. I guess I'll miss my sibling on the way out," I mused with a chuckle before saying. "Thank you for this intelligence, Miss Adelheid. As for helping me get this armor on, well, we'll schedule a few meetings for that matter down the line. It's probably going to take a couple months to get to the Wheel of Fire but even before then I will probably have to make an appearance when we visit the Squat Leagues. I need to have some people trained to help me get this armor on by that time, so your offer is most welcome."
There was another round of beeps and dial tone sounds, '01100001 01110010 01100001 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100001' before the mechanical voice returned "It will be an honor to help the Primarch wear the finely crafted armor I've created," she gave a bow and stepped a few foot back before saying "'Till next time you require my services, Primarch. I'm sure you have many thoughts and plans to be set in motion for the coming campaign and I would not wish to take up your time more than necessary."
I gave a head nod and said, somewhat unsure of myself, "Yes. Plans. See you around, Adelheid." Once she left I let out a breath, glad to be done with that. Something about her was setting off an alarm in my mind. Nothing too serious, just something I should remember from my first life… But I couldn't place it.
Writers note: so here new chapter, bit perspectives on armor, bit meeting other important people in the galaxy, and catching up with some old and new friends. Hope folks enjoy.
Patrons: Afforess, Gremlin Jack, Weise, Xodarap4, Yamato, Duncan Sproule, James Moorhouse, Dankermaler, Hats88, DrkShdow, Devilstar101, Michael, Mana Rope, Falk Hüser, Daniel Martinez, Silver Wolf, Mackenzie Buckle, Markus, Neso, Staradder, Lmc9389, Staradder, victor a lopez-barron, Qweunn, KrasieK, Zollus, Mintea, Jog256, cyanova,
Edited by: Pierre
Community edited by: Ryan Pirtle, Pudy15236, Odds, Humphrey Appleby
Community editable doc (Chapter 21) No story suggestions in the community editing document, Keep all story suggestions and comments in the thread
Reviews
Magos Halcyon: i hope it was good
Kevin Bakeland: as we understand them yes but there was something called chapter in the legions from what i dug up
Chronolocked: yep!
Immortal Potatoe: thank you
Guest: thank you
MintIsMeth: here next
Dragonaut344Doomed: yep
Suzuwuzu: still need to do that...
Amon34: thank you
unseenw0lf: thank you
MikeX713: yeah i need to work on that a bit
Qinlongfei: ahh it was just bit of jump, but i got to cover something like 300 years of history, better to tell story around major events then get cought in the weeds, that way lies a game of throwns. currently, i believe she is the shortest and will say that way, not dropped in remisiion, let just say it show up again oh... are you unaware of the Wolfen... well that be fun to explain when we get there
