...Not kidding
"Um... What?"
It wasn't every day that the Empress of the tiny remnants of the once mighty Orokin Empire was stricken completely speechless. Then again, it seemed to happen quite a bit around Karl and his merry band of lunatics. She just sat, her small briefing room far more secure than her throne room. And now? That was a good thing. Michelle was far from speechless and she had been the one to blurt out the stunned query.
"Tell me you are joking." The former Tenno turned Orokin Princess said slowly.
"I wish I was." Cecelia shook her head. Cecelia and Karen were the only outsiders who were here with Karl. Both of them had come to 'brief' the Empress. Or to get the docs' help regaining their sanity. Whichever came first. "I looked every record we have. Not a lot.. but what I found is... close. Very close."
"How close?" Empress Eliza managed to say. Cecelia nodded and a holo appeared in front of her. The red armored giant that Karen had encountered appeared. A similarly armored form appeared beside it. Aside from the color -the new one being blue- they were identical. Eliza swallowed hard. "That is... pretty darn close." She shook her head. "Okay... what are these... 'Imperium Space Marine' things?" She asked carefully. "In the game that is?"
"According to the thirty seventh version of the rules... Which was the latest I found in our archives..." Cecelia said carefully. "They were genetically enhanced super soldiers who were selected from the fiercest of fighters, trained and augmented for a single purpose. To protect this 'Imperium'. To do so, they were given the best weaponry, the best armor and the best training available."
"That explains what happened to the Grineer." Michelle said with a gulp. Eliza nodded. They had both been told the known background of this.. insanity. "They hit something that was bigger, stronger and tougher than them."
"Smarter too." Karl agreed. "He hit the enemy command and control first. Without leaders, Grineer obey whatever orders they were last given, no matter how suicidal those orders might be. His weapons are powerful, but ours can match them. His armor? I don't know." He said with a shrug.
"We haven't seen any but his personal weapons." Cecelia said quietly. "In the rules... There were more, larger..." She paled a little. "Just reading some of the descriptions was terrifying. Thinking about a hand held plasma thrower..." She slumped a bit and Karl laid a huge hand on her shoulder. "But first and foremost... they were fanatics. Loyal only to their Emperor, no one else."
"So..." Eliza looked at Karen who nodded.
"He said he had been ordered to assist here. To aid against the enemies of man." Karen said without a trace of hesitation. Since she had gone through Marine training, she had changed, but not that much. She was a bit more confident now. In herself and in her abilities. Now if only she remembered that not all of her teammates were Marines or people who could be trusted not to screw her. "He seemed..." She paused and then spoke slowly, feeling each word. "Focused? Firm?" She shook her head. "He didn't do anything that we have been able to find except for heal my wounds. And I did see an Orokin drone behind him."
"So..." Eliza sighed. "It stands to reason this is yet another Orokin mess." She gave a long, drawn out sigh. "Hence why you brought it to us. So... a figure from a game... in real life and shooting our enemies."
"So it would seem." Karl agreed.
"I don't see the problem then." Eliza said with a frown. "But from your expressions..." She waved a hand towards the three visitors. "There is one."
"We don't know how or why this... 'Space Marine' is here." Karl said with a nod. "All we know is from an ancient game. We do not know his motivations, his goals or anything else about him. But what we do know..." He paused and then sighed. "I am not political, Empress. I try very hard not to be."
"And it is appreciated." Eliza said with a small smile. "You have no idea how refreshing it is to see someone who is not motivated by selfish self interest." Karl... not smile and she stilled. "What?"
"I think I can answer." Cecelia said softly. Karl nodded to the girl and she took a deep breath before speaking again. "In the game... The Space Marines were defenders of mankind. But the 'Imperium' they served? It was anything but noble." Eliza and Michelle both froze and Cecelia nodded. "The best term I have found for it was 'fascist'."
"Oh dear..." Michelle said as Eliza paled slightly.
The word 'Fascist' had all sorts of bad history attached to it. At its core, fascism was simply a radical authoritarian nationalism that had been prevalent in the first part of the Twentieth Century, Pre-Orokin. Some fascist regimes had focused on defending their people, often using methods that others found...extreme. Others... Had not focused on themselves. The first half of the twentieth century had not been shining example of human history in no small part due to fascism. It had taken centuries of effort to recover from the mess even with the wonders of Orokin tech. Then there had been a few of the Separatist regimes whose ideologies had bordered on fascism. Some had been just as bad as the twentieth century. A few had been worse. Luckily, those few hadn't lasted very long, but the cost of stopping them had always been high.
"So..." The Princess filled in the silence that had fallen.
"So we have an insanely powerful unknown entity operating in the Solar System." Karl said quietly. "His origins and motivations are unclear. All the information we have on the game suggests that any means to his end will be used. Any at all. He will sacrifice anything, anyone to win." Eliza laid her head in her palm and Karl nodded. "We need information. Any and all information available on that game. Any Orokin who might have... I don't know... tried to make it real?"
"Agreed." Eliza said with a groan. "That sounds just like some of the insanity my own dear ancestors might have come up with." She shook her head. "I will have the archivists start searches-"
She broke off as a voice spoke from nowhere.
"Empress." The voice of the Lotus sounded...different to Karl and Karen. More... there instead of in their heads. "We have a situation."
"Lotus." Eliza sat up straight. "What is it?"
"As you know, the Tenno have been recovering data on the Archwing prototypes in preparation for a renewal of Grineer hostilities." The Lotus was calm, but worry sounded underneath her tone. "Some data has been recovered." Karl nodded. His clan had done some of the many, many excavation missions needed to find the data that had been lost for so long. "Several prototypes have been tested and function."
"The Grineer have resumed hostilities." Eliza's words were not a question.
"All Grineer forces currently in system have gone on alert. We have detected large Grineer formations at Mercury, Earth, Saturn and Uranus." The Lotus replied. "Other Grineer forces have been augmented by larger, more powerful Fomorian designs."
"Against the Corpus?" Eliza's tone was calm, but her face was worried.
"Against everyone."
Vina's Mining Facility, Neptune
"Move!" Horatius snapped as he led yet another group of straggling dependents and people with mobility issues into a survival shelter. "Stay here until the 'all clear' sounds." He did not wait for an acknowledgement, he slammed the door and sealed it. They would be safe in there, if not exactly comfortable. Life support, medical care and nutrition would all be provided. Of course... that depended on if anyone survived this.
He wanted to be back in the colony with Mercedes. But that wasn't his place. Not right now. The breeding colony was deep within the area defended by the bulk of the Corpus forces. Mercedes wasn't going to be mobile for a while. She would sleep a lot. The docs wouldn't let her hurt, but it would be very uncomfortable. That... wasn't who he was though. He had enjoyed his vacation. He truly had. Talking with Mercedes, having fun with her, trying to pick a name for their kid or simply being with her. He had enjoyed it all. But now? He had come back to work just in time for the entire Solar System to go totally nuts.
Vina's mining facility was on lockdown. Grineer forces were moving in massive numbers against the defenses that had stood off the initial assaults on Neptune. The facility was on the edge of the protected zone though. It was probable that Grineer assaults would breach in places. That was the bad news. The good news? He had his team back. He was armed and armored. It felt like coming home.
"Boss!" Cass' voice was strong and confident. "We have Grineer on approach. Looks like a harrying force. Space skiffs. The main guns can't touch things that small." Distant thumps sounded the facilities weapons firing, trying to keep the larger Grineer forces away from the facility.
"Right." Horatius hated what he had to do, but there was really no choice. If the Grineer roamed unchecked, they could do a lot of damage. And if the guns went silent, even for a little while. The Grineer would move into boarding torpedo range and flood the facility with clone troops. This was going to hurt, but it had to be done. Space left few chances for escape in combat situations. "Security forces, suit up and prepare to repel. Heading for..." He paused as a voice sounded from close at hand.
"And where do you think you are going, commander?" Vina snapped as she strode into view, half a dozen guards around her. Horatius went still. What the-?
"Executive." Horatius said quietly. He didn't like her, but he now had a bit more respect for her. Talking with Mercedes had been...enlightening. "Why are you still here? You were supposed to be on the last transport." He glared at the guard commander who shrugged.
"This facility and it's personnel are my responsibility." Vina said with a snap. "I will not abandon them."
"The Company comes first!" Horatius snapped. Not that he could give voice to the real reason. Mercedes loved Vina as much as she loved Horatius. If the Executive died...
"Holy Profit!" Vina said with a snarl worthy of an infested. "I don't have time to argue, commander. You are coming with me to the command center."
"I need to lead..." Horatius paused as Vina stepped close, her face stern.
"Yes." Vina said sternly. "You need to lead. Not get your head blown off by some dirty clone." She shook her head. "We have not been idle, commander. We have upgraded our defenses. But we need someone who is qualified to command them. I am not." She held out a hand. "Please?"
Horatius went still. For the arrogant and stuck up witch to say something like that... He knew she had changed. That she had been changed when she had lost her ability to reproduce. Then the mess that had followed. Mercedes had said repeatedly that Vina had changed even before asking the Clergy to take her in, to keep her on track. To keep her guided. Horatius hadn't wanted to forgive. He had known Gen H-12 as Gen. He had liked her. She had snapped. One bad mission too many. He understood. Oh did he ever. But Vina... Vina had changed.
"I was wrong about you." Horatius said with a slow, heavy sigh. Then he nodded and took her hand to give a shake and release it. He knew where he was needed. "What kind of 'upgrades'?"
"I think you will like them." Vina said with a smile. "For the duration of this emergency... All guards report to you."
"Okay." Horatius said with a nod. "Then my first order is this. Get yourself into some armor, Executive. This is going to be... messy. We will likely be boarded at some point. So, two of you, get her to the armory, get her into a suit and stay with her. She doesn't go anywhere without at least two guards."
"Yes, sir." Vina gave a credible salute and started off, two guards hustling to keep up.
"Just when you think you have seen everything..." Horatius said with a shrug. More than one of the guard chuckled at his dry humor. "Okay.. which way to the command center? We have work to do."
"This way, commander." One of the guards started off. "We have three squadrons of drones ready to deploy and four more queued up."
"Drones won't be enough." Horatius said with a sigh as he followed. "We are going to lose people. It will happen."
"Six squads are ready to go as well, sir." The guard replied as he approached a well guarded door. "But for what it is worth? I am glad you are here. Vina is brave... but..."
"Next time, knock her out and sit on her." Horatius said with a snarl as he entered a large and state of the art command center. A large holo display showed the mining facility and its surrounding space. He took in the scene at a glance. A large Grineer force was shown approaching. "If we lose her, everything else is for naught. The Board will just retake or downsize the place if we survive."
"I just want to know where she got the Bronco, sir." The guard said. Horatius paused and the guard nodded. "We were going to sedate her and she drew down on us. Gave us the choice of assisting her or dying."
"I see." Horatius said with a smirk that he hid carefully.
He might actually be starting to like that woman...
No one noticed until it was too late. Everything was chaos. The Special Forces trainees who had been undergoing their usual dose of programming were oblivious to the situation. Tucked away deep inside the facility as they were, they were safer than most of the Corpus personnel. None of the Corpus forces had time to spare to check on them in any way except via sensor. And since sensors were not infallible at all, no one saw or heard the red armored form appear in the room, bend over the still form in the bed and lay a golden device on it. Then he was gone. Abigail vanished as well in a puff of golden energy. Only then did alarms start to scream. Far, far too late.
Abigail slept, unaware of the furor that followed her being snatched. She did not see machines cut away her sleeping garb. She did not see her body laid out on a slab of metal, being changed, her form enhanced, strengthened, augmented. It was a good thing she was not awake while her body was changed. The pain would have been excruciating.
Not content to alter her body until it was the size of a full grown woman, the energy played over her muscles, enhancing each until her physique was equal to any human athlete's. She could run a marathon, jump almost as high as she stood. Fast and strong as humans could be, but no more. Not an ounce more. Physically, she was at the peak of human performance but that was the least of the changes.
Her normally dark brown hair turned raven black as energy played over and deep into her skull. Her eyes were closed, so no one saw when they changed color as well, from their original hazel to a deep, sapphire blue. But again... physical.
Inside, Abigail was sobbing as she was rocked in huge golden arms.
Rest, your call was answered. You will hide in the garb of my Daughter. The huge voice was everywhere. The golden glow suffusing every pore of Abigail's mind as she was soothed. You are needed, Sister Hospitaller Abigail.
I... serve... Abigail managed to speak the words somehow before the golden glow pouring into her soothe her completely to sleep. Or... part of her.
Sister Abigail woke, aware of differences. Something had changed. She wasn't sure what. She looked around. She wasn't in a cloister. She wasn't in any facility she knew. The facility was... She paused. A Space Marine of the Blood Angels chapter was working on something by one wall.
She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Space Marines were not human. But they defended humanity. They had once been human. But they had given up their chance at salvation to defend humanity. Noble. But... Blood Angels. Their gene seed was...tainted. She went still as the Marine turned to look at her.
"I am Abrahaim. I am ordered to defend this system." The Space Marine said calmly. "It is not the Holy Terra we know, but it is similar and beset by many foes."
"The Emperor will prevail." Sister Abigail said formally.
"Yes he will." The Marine agreed. "But there are many who will need succor in the times to come. I am not a healer. You are."
"I am to work with you?" Sister Abigail asked, examining herself. She found no abnormalities. No scars beyond her ritual deformations. A quick glance at the medicae readouts nearby confirmed her own self diagnosis. But... things were not -quite- right. A feeling of doubt came to her and she shrugged it aside. A sister of the Order of Serenity did not doubt. She rose from the slab and a servitor approached with a set of light armor and white over-robes. A quick glance showed her tools ready to her hands.
"Possibly at times." Abrahaim said quietly. "My own missions will require a great deal of speed. Yours will require your own special skills. Your passenger is your primary charge. Protect her."
"There are lives to save then." Sister Abigail said firmly as her armor closed around her. "The Emperor protects."
"The Emperor protects."