Ch. 2 Goodbye

"What is your name?" the Emperor asked.

"Kim," she answered nervously.

"Kim. That's such a nice name." At first Kim had been scared of the Emperor, but his voice was so kind and comforting.

"How old are you, Kim?" the Emperor asked.

Kim held up three fingers, showing that she was three years of age.

"Three years old. Well aren't you're a big girl." Kim had a feeling that the Emperor was smiling at her.

Kim nodded. "How old are you?" she asked.

Kim heard a chuckle coming from the Emperor and then she heard him say, "I am far older than that. But tell me Kim, where do you live?" he asked;

"I used to live at my house with my mom and…" Kim stopped. It had just dawned on her that she had just been taken from her family and suddenly she was filled with a deep sadness and began cry.

The Emperor took notice of this and asked, "Kim, what's wrong?"

Kim looked up and said, "I want to see my mommy and daddy." Then Kim felt more sadness but it wasn't coming from her.

"Kim," she heard the Emperor say. "If you wish to see your parents, then I will allow it."

Kim wiped the tears from her eyes. "Really?" Kim asked.

"Yes. But Kim, if you see your parents, it will be the very last time. You see, you have special gifts that most people don't have. I want you to stay here so I can help you use these gifts, after you see your family you will have to remain here."

"I have to?" asked Kim.

"Yes." answered the Emperor. "Shego…"

"Any casualties?" asked a woman with raven black hair, pale skin and narrow green eyes.

"None," answered Titus Drake. "Just as the Emperor had requested."

"That's good, I'm sure the Emperor appreciates that," the woman said.

"There was some resistance from the family, however," Drake said.

"Is that so?" the woman asked. "They were easily dealt with, the one known as Corbec was more trouble than the others," Drake stated.

"Hhm, Corbec," said the woman. "I'll have to remember that name…"

"Shego…"

"I have to leave you now Drake, I must see to the Emperor."

As she turned to leave, she heard Drake say, "Wait, Abbess Shego."

The woman turned to face Drake once again, as he continued. "Why is the Emperor so concerned with this child?"

"As soon as I know the reason, Drake, you probably won't have the privilege of also knowing. What the Emperor tells me is for my ears, only," Shego said as she turned and left, her cape flowing behind her.

As Kim was talking with the Emperor, she heard a door open and close, then she heard footsteps approaching. Kim saw a woman with black hair and pale skin; she was wearing a green and black suit, and cape that was black on the inside and green on the outside. She stopped in front of Kim and the Emperor, and knelt before him. "You summoned me, my lord," she said, rising.

"Shego," the Emperor said. "I want you to take young Kim here to see her family." Shego looked at the Emperor and then at Kim.

"I'll do what it is requested, my lord," she said bowing. "But first, if I may my lord, I wish to speak to you alone."

"Alright." Suddenly Kim's eyelids became heavy and she drifted off to sleep again. "Now, what is it Shego?" the Emperor asked.

"I have to ask my lord, why does this child matter so much that you would send one of our most powerful Inquisitors just to acquire her?"

"This child may become one of the most powerful psykers the Imperium has ever seen. On the Assignment, she ranks an Alpha Plus," the Emperor said.

"An Alpha Plus!" Shego exclaimed. "That's not possible. She must be dealt with immediately." The Assignment is a scale used by Inquisitors to rank those who exhibit psychic abilities. Alpha Plus is the rarest and most dangerous of all classes. An Alpha Plus's abilities seem limitless, which is why they are deemed one of the greatest threats to the Imperium. This is also why they are usually executed on the spot, if capture isn't assured.

"No!" the Emperor nearly yelled. "This child is too precious to me to be destroyed." He said, calming down. "She must be educated in her abilities and with time and guidance, her powers could rival that of Horus's."

"Horus," Shego said with anger.

"Shego, please do not think ill of Horus," the Emperor said sadly.

"How can you say that, Emperor?" Shego nearly shouted. "After what he did, how can-"

"He was my son," he said almost as if he were crying. "I loved him, even as he stood over my broken body I still loved him."

"I'm sorry, my lord," Shego said. "But I find it difficult to forgive someone who conspires against you."

"Horus was but a pawn of the Chaos Gods," the Emperor declared. "And in his last moments of life, I saw the man who was my son, not my enemy."

"So where do I take the child?" Shego asked, intentionally changing the subject.

"Kim," the Emperor corrected.

"Hhm," Shego nodded. "So where do I take her?"

"Her parents are refugees from Tanith," he said. "So they'll probably be on Ophelia VII, near the Eastern Fringe."

"I trade one holy planet for another," Shego said, as she went over and picked up a sleeping Kim, she looked at the Emperor and said, "It shall be done, my lord."

Ophelia VII, a Cardinal World. Next to Terra itself, Ophelia VII was the most holy of worlds in the Imperium. Dedicated to the worship of the Emperor, it was once the center of the Adeptus Ministorum, the church of the Imperium, with cathedrals and bell towers rising miles into the atmosphere.

It is also were half of the Adepta Sororitas, otherwise known as the Sisterhood or the Daughters of the Emperor, is located. The other half remains on the Holy Terra. The Sisterhood is an all-female subdivision of the Ministorum and acted as its fighting arm. Only one commands the entire Sisterhood, the Abbess Sanctorum.

But more importantly, it was the closest fortress world to Tanith and that is why it came to be that the survivors of Tanith were brought here and rallied into what would soon be known as the Tanith "First and Only" Regiment.

This is also were the remaining Possibles found themselves, heartbroken by the lost of their eldest child. They headed towards the spaceport to catch the next ship bound for the hive world of Methalor. James had family there and they could stay with them until they recover from the loss of both their home and daughter.

Colm Corbec was there to see them off and to apologize, "It's not your fault, Colm," Anne told him. "You did everything you could."

"But I still think that I could have done more," he said sadly, hanging his head down.

"You tried your hardest, that's all anyone can ask for," James said.

Colm sighed and asked, "Are you two going to be alright?"

"We'll be fine," Anne said. "We're just going to stay with some of James's family for awhile."

"Alright then," Colm said, turning towards James. "I guess this is goodbye." He extended his hand, which James happily shook.

"I suppose it is," James said, a small hint of sadness in his voice. "Colm, why don't you come with us? There's plenty of room and you wouldn't be intruding."

"Thank you, James," Colm said. "But Colonel Gaunt has been ordered to reform the three regiments into one and the more men the can get the better, I'm sure." Colm went over to Anne to tell her goodbye.

"I'm afraid a simple handshake won't do it," she said, as she embraced him and whispered, "You take care of yourself, Colm Corbec."

Colm wrapped his arms around her and said, "You too."

They released each other and the Possibles began moving towards the spaceport when they heard, "Mr. and Mrs. Possible?"

They turned and saw a woman with black hair and pale skin, who seemed to be cradling something under her cape.

"Who are you," Anne asked.

"My name is Shego," the woman answered. "I am an emissary of the Emperor."

"She's also the leader of Adepta Sororitas," Colm remarked, somewhat angrily.

"You must be Colm Corbec," Shego said. "I've heard about you. I've asked for Colonel Gaunt to see you after I'm finished here."

'I'm in big trouble,' thought Colm, remembering that he assaulted a Space Marine.

"What do want?" James asked. "You took my daughter away and now you've come for more."

"Actually," Shego said. "I've come to bring you something." She opened her cape and revealed that she was holding a small, redheaded, child in her arms.

"Kim!" James, Anne, and Colm said at once.

Kim stirred in her sleep, opened her eyes, and saw her family. "Mommy, Daddy, Papa Colm!" she called. Kim got out of Shego's grasp and ran to her family and once again the Possible family was reunited.

After they embraced James looked at Shego and said, "Thank you for giving her back to us."

"It's only for a short time I'm afraid," Shego said.

"What do you mean?" asked Anne.

"The Emperor himself wishes to instruct your child so that she may be of use to the Imperium," Shego answered.

"I still don't understand," Anne said.

"Your daughter has psychic abilities," Shego said. "The Emperor wishes her to be train and the Emperor's will shall be done."

"Kim's a psyker?" James asked looking down at his daughter.

"I knew it," Colm said. "That's why she got on the ship before anyone else did. She knew Tanith was going to be destroyed, it's a good thing she knew."

"I don't know if it was fortune or misfortune that she survived," Shego remarked.

"Why would you say that?" Anne asked angrily.

"Because your daughter is an Alpha Plus psyker," Shego said. "She is a danger to the Imperium and the only reason she is being spared is because we were able to capture her and bring her to Terra. Speaking of which we must leave."

"No, please," Kim pleaded, as she hugged her parents tighter. "Let me stay."

Shego closed her eyes and suddenly Kim heard a voice that said, "You're dangerous. You will hurt them."

Kim closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks and she removed herself from her family's grasp.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

She then went to Shego's side and left the area. Anne and James held each other close as Anne cried on his shoulder. Colm was about to give chase but thought better of it; he was already in trouble for interfering with Imperial affairs.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Colm asked Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt as he opened the door to his office.

Gaunt was a slender man, at least he was compared to Colm, who stood a bit shorter but was still an imposing figure.

"Yes, Corbec, come in," Gaunt said. Colm stepped into his office and closed the door behind him. "Do you know why you're here?" Gaunt asked.

"It's because I assaulted a Space Marine," Colm said.

"That's right," Gaunt said, nodding. "Not many men have the balls to do that. I need men like that," Gaunt took out a piece of paper and began writing on it. "Which is why am giving you a 'battlefield' commission as a colonel," Gaunt said, standing up and shaking Colm's hand. "Congratulations."

"Th-thank you, sir," Colm stuttered, amazed that he was being rewarded instead of punished. "I won't let you down."

"I hope not," Gaunt said. "Or Emperor forgive me if you do." Gaunt smiled, while Colm smiled back. Half of Colm thought he was joking, but the other half thought that he wasn't.

Hey GKN, how's this for a shout out, "Twilight Sucks!"