A.N.: Chapter 23! Man, that is a lot of words. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've had a few questions regarding necrons, and well... frankly I am unsure. I have a plan for what remains of the story, and whilst there is a chance necrons will feature, I doubt it will be in anything too major; I plan on finishing this fic some time this decade hahaha.
As for crossposting to space battles...I have frankly no idea how to do that. I would love to, but probably only once the fanfiction itself is finished! Thank you for the kind words however, I really appreciate it!
With all that said, onto the chapter!
Evelaon had died ten thousand three hundred forty nine cycles ago, butchered by one of the warriors of the mon'keigh god. Thankfully his soulstone had been recovered safely and placed into the infinity circuit; Granting him eternal protection from She Who Thirsts, keeping him from her predations. He had been apprehensive, stuck in his soul stone, at the idea of being placed into the infinity circuit. As it turned out, it was much less and much more than he thought. He wasn't exactly connected to the others, but he could feel their distant presence. Slumbering, much like he did most of the time, in a state of half consciousness. He felt constantly sluggish in the best possible way, his mind wandering to strange visions and dreams that kept him occupied. Thankfully, he was incapable of feeling bored.
Something prodded at him, surprising him and waking him from his slumber. Was it time for war? Had the craftworld reached the point of desperation to awaken even more soul constructs? If so, he was ready to do his duty and protect the living. He tried to gather his martial spirit, but he was still connected to the Infinity Circuit, still feeling half asleep. Strange. Perhaps someone wanted to communicate then? A descendant of his?
Cautiously, he reached out. Instantly, he felt a connection appear, a flood of feelings and emotions coming through in a powerful torrent that threatened to overwhelm him through sheer intensity.
Curiosity. The thing wanted to understand him, understand his kind; For he knew instantly this was no eldar mind he was feeling. It had the same intrigue towards him as a particularly inquisitive child might have observing a new type of bug. Excitement at having successfully found him. A tinge of fear, lost in a tidal wave of self preservation and survival instincts.
And above all else, a dreadful, impossible hunger.
He flinched back, trying to break the mental contact, only to find himself unable to. The thing had him tight, as if wrapping him in a mass of tentacles dragging him towards a hungry maw. He squirmed, tried to resist, to call for help. But all around the thing was a strange shadow, deafening his calls; Hiding him from sight. The other souls in the circuit could not feel what was happening.
As the teeth of the monster sank into him, the impossible happened.
His soul died.
Consumed, digested, processed.
Annihilated by this primordial hunger. This unstoppable desire to consume.
Turned into nothing more than fuel for the thing.
The predator turned its attention to the next prey, considering its options. Taking the path of caution, it retreated from the Infinity Circuit, leaving behind it a blank; A void in space where once had been a singing soul.
It would take only a few minutes for a pulse of alarm to ring through the Circuit at the discovery, confusion mixing with fear at the realization a soul was missing. Worse still was the fact that those who walked amongst the living found the soul stone still in place, still where it should have been, but empty. As if the soul had been ripped out of it.
This fact was not spread through the craftworld as to not incite panic or drastic action, but instead brought to the highest authority.
Down in the aspect temple of the Warrior, Ylsen descended the steps towards their most dangerous prisoner, eyes blazing with fury. He didn't even glance at the numerous guards standing around the glass box, instead stepping through the airlock and letting it cycle until it let him into the room. He thundered towards the girl, who was staring at him with wide eyes.
"You." He demanded through clenched teeth. "What. Did. You. Do." She frowned at him, getting up and walking up to him. The moment she did he froze, his anger and fury doused with a cold wave of fear at realizing that he'd just walked into the room with the hyper-dangerous predator with no escort. Behind him he could hear the sound of the airlock as it went through the decontamination process, seeing from the corner of his eyes the frantic guards looking helplessly on as they waited for the airlock to be usable again.
"You shouldn't let your anger get to you so easily." The child softly said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards one of the chairs. "That's how they get you." He didn't have to ask who they were, nor how the child knew about She Who Thirsts. "You're fine whilst you're here, but as soon as you come out, you're making yourself vulnerable." He took a deep breath as he sat down. Take the anger. Focus on it. Imagine it as a ball of vicious, raging flame, slowly being doused by the icy cold waters of his calm. Slowly but surely he felt his temper come back under control, until eventually he considered himself safely out of the clutches of the Prince of Excess. As he took a deep breath in and out, the child still holding his hand, six banshees burst through the airlock, one of them immediately jumping towards him and placing her blade at the child's neck. He saw how their eyes widened in fear, how their breath caught. He felt their hand stiffen.
"Ylsen. A little warning before such a stunt would be appreciated next time." The banshee said, frustration in her voice.
"My apologies. I...I lost control." The child was trembling now, six banshees looming ominously around her, blades aimed at various vital points. He noticed a few of them had actually pierced the skin; Much more fragile than he'd have expected. Then again, they'd bled the child of biomass and she hadn't exactly had time to eat whilst she'd been brought out...fighting for her life against demonic forces. A few drops of blood fell to the floor, sliding along the blades. Discomfort rose within him. "Alright, that's enough. I'm fine. If she wanted me dead, she could have killed me already." He wasn't sure she could have, actually. Not weakened like that.
Silence reigned in the room as the banshees stepped back, weapons back in their holsters as the child stood ramrod straight, her hands slowly tapping where the small cuts were present. They were healing, he noticed. Very slowly. He'd seen how fast she was capable of healing; She should have healed those in an instant. Unless, of course, she didn't have the biomass to sustain that.
"Something happened recently." He finally broke the silence. "A soul was taken from the Infinity Circuit."
"Ah." She seemed to relax ever so slightly, a look of understanding in her eyes. "So that's why you were so angry. You think I had something to do with that."
"You're saying you didn't?" She shook her head.
"No. I mean, I can't really do anything from here. I can't get out, I can't communicate with any other tyranid..." She sounded frustrated. No surprise there.
"You could have other means. If there is one thing your kind is known for, it's adaptation." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything! Don't you think if I could I would have?!" As her voice rose, the banshees tensed around him. "Bad enough that you come and kidnap me from my people, humiliating enough that you lock me in some glass box like some glorified cockroach!" She spat the last word, her face growing red as she spoke. He was transfixed by her anger. "BAD ENOUGH THAT WHEN I FINALLY MAKE IT OUT, ITS TO BE TOLD I'M TO BE FED TO SOME FUCKING WARP SPAWNED DEMON, FATTENED SINCE BIRTH!" She was screaming now. There was no powerful psychic wind, no great outburst of power. Only the cries of anger and frustration of a child overwhelmed by the universe around her. "AND NOW YOU COME DOWN HERE, AND YOU...!" She froze, looking down at the wounds struggling to close. "You...you just, come in, stab me...and..." She started hyperventilating. "Oh...Ayna...Ayna!" She wailed, falling to the ground. Ylsen stared at her, transfixed. "Ayna! I'm scared! Please! Come save me!" The child was curled in a fetal position, crying her eyes out. He stared, feeling strangely ashamed. As if he was witnessing something forbidden. Something he should never have been allowed to see.
"We're done here." He said, strangely toneless. He turned away, ignoring the cries and wails for the child as he entered the airlock. As the air started cycling, he turned to the banshee next to him. "What do you think?"
"She wasn't faking it as far as I could tell." The banshee said. She sounded far less bothered than he was.
"Yeah. That's what concerns me." He answered. "If she's not behind it...then our next best guess is chaos." The word tasted bitter on his tongue. "Still. No point in relaxing our guard around her. Keep a watch at all times. If she shows any suspicious signs, report immediately. I want a constant update on our prisoner until we can figure out a way to kill them that will stick for good...or remove the tyranid corruption from her." He wasn't sure why he added the last part. Doing so was in all likelihood impossible. Even if it was, it wouldn't be worth it. The amount of resources poured into such a project would be colossal and the result...well.
Still. Those cries for help...they had felt too human. Too sincere.
Perhaps the warded prison was working a little too well at breaking their prisoner.
"MOVE YA SQUIG FOR BRAINS!" The ork warboss roared as he grabbed Ayna and lifted her up bodily, literally carrying her as he ran away from the colossus of steel and hate. "WE'Z GOTTA GET OUTTA 'ERE!"
"WHAT HAPPENED TO GETTING A GOOD FIGHT?!" She screamed back, unable to resist taking a verbal jab at the greenskin.
"DATS NOT A FOIGHT. DATS A STOMPIN." The warboss argued as the horn of the Imperator bellowed once more, drowning the world in its deafening, world shaking roar. Thankfully, it seemed that there were enough higher priority target for the Imperator to ignore them as it turned its terrifying arsenal towards the fleeing hordes of orks and tyranids, facing the few entities on the battlefield that seemed willing to try and fight it. Stompas and gargants lumbered forth, hoots and cheers emerging from the thousands of boyz driving them, whilst tyranid bio-titans roared defiantly at the new arrival.
It all seemed pitiful when compared to the Imperator's loud war claxon.
Then, the giant moved.
Each step shook the earth. Its metal feet crushed all beneath them, as large as bunkers and with the hundreds of thousands of tons the Imperator weighed behind them. Its left arm aimed and unleashed a devastating salvo from its hellstorm cannon; Annihilating the charging column of ork stompas and crippling the gargants beyond repair. A second volley saw them annihilated, detonating in massive plumes of smoke and debris. Its left arm found itself aimed at the hierophant pack as they opened fire on the Imperator; Their powerful weaponry impacting against the void shields of the titan. It did not pause. Did not flinch. In fact, it barely seemed to have noticed the attack, as its plasma annihilator fired upon the hierophants.
The building sized tyranids were pulverized instantly; Turned into little more than puddles of molten slag, their shields stripped in an instant by the sheer insanity that was an imperator-class plasma annihilator. Ayna could hardly comprehend what she was witnessing.
The Hive very much could.
She could feel a large void appear on the planet around the Imperator as the Hive pulled back its forces, refusing to commit them in a hopeless battle against the titan. Only the largest organisms took to the field, hoping to slow down and distract the monstrosity long enough for the rest of the army to escape without too many casualties.
They were barely having an effect.
"+++SO IS THE DESTINY OF ALL ENEMIES OF MANKIND.+++" The thing bellowed, Ayna screaming as she reached for her ears. Her eardrums had been once again ruptured. Thankfully, she found it no trouble to regrow them.
"I HOPE'Z YOU HAZ A PLAN BUG!"
"DONT CALL ME THAT!" She snarled. "AND HONESTLY?! NOT NOW, NO!"
"ZOG!" The ork grumbled to himself. "ALROIGHT, HERE'Z DA PLAN!"
"Oh god, an ork plan..."
"SHUT YER TRAP! IZ A GOOD ONE!" He pointed to the titan as it took another lumbering step forward. "DAT THING IZ TOUGH, AND ITZ GOT DAKKA. BUT IT AINT GOT SPEED." He continued running as he spoke, still holding Ayna over his head. "SO I SAY WE'Z GET OUTTA 'ERE ON ONE OF DEM FLYING GITZ YOU GOT, AND WE'Z DROP A ROK ON IT."
"That's..." She paused. "Actually decent. Huh." The Imperator's horn bellowed, drowning the air in its deafening sound. "GAH! CAN IT CUT THAT OUT?!"
"WAT DA ZOG DID YOU DO TO GET DEM HUMIES SO PISSED?!"
"I DON'T KNOW! NOTHING WE DON'T USUALLY DO!"
"WELL DEY'Z ROIGHT PROPPA ANGRY!" The ork bellowed out as a harpy came swooping down towards them. In the sky, a veritable cloud of gargoyles was descending towards the Imperator. Harpies and hive crones were mixed in, and the occasional harridan had joined the pack.
"That should hopefully stop it from noticing us." The Imperator bellowed as the Harpy soared in the air, rapidly gaining speed flying away as far from the titan as it could.
"+++HIS ENEMIES SURROUND US ON ALL SIDES. A DARKNESS THAT THREATENS TO SWALLOW HOPE. TO DESTROY MANKIND AND CHALLENGE ITS DESTINY AMONGST THE STARS.+++" Something shifted on the shoulders of the titan. "+++IT IS OUR TASK TO PUSH BACK THE DARKNESS AND SHINE HIS BRILLIANT LIGHT!+++" Dozens of missiles flew in the air, surging into the massive flock of creatures descending towards the titan. "+++FIRING VORTEX MISSILES.+++"
"VORTEX WHATAMAGIT?" The ork warboss asked.
The missiles detonated.
Swirling portals materialized from their end, sucking everything around them with immense force; Tens of thousands of flying creatures annihilated in an instant as they were sent to the warp to be consumed. Ayna watched with wide eyes as the horror destroyed over two thirds of the swarm in an instant.
Then, the bombardment began.
Whilst the Imperator had moved forth, the rest of the Legio Titanicus had followed in its path, content to leave the largest of them to inflict immense casualties on the foe and serving solely as support platforms. Now however they advanced; dozens of warhounds, multiple warlords and more esoteric chassis walking with thunderous step. Overall there must have been a hundred of the god machines emerging from the fog of war. Ayna stared in absolute horror at the sight. The ork was right.
They'd really pissed the Imperium off this time. This was no simple deployment. This was an extermination mission.
An entire Legio. To think they would go this far...
Thankfully, the harpy had managed to put enough distance that she considered them relatively safe. They passed through the cloud of spores and dust that hung low in the atmosphere, her eyes widening at the sight that greeted them. She had known of course; Through the Hive, she knew all that took place here. But to see it herself was something else.
The skies was asunder with explosions and laser fire; Bio plasma, strange creatures whizzing as living ammo tearing into thunder hawks and valkyrie transport ships. Millions of Imperial aircrafts flying in chaotic formation against the immense swarms of the tyranids as some of the smaller void vessels exchanged volleys with groups of harridans, trying to provide support to the fighter elements of the force. High in the upper atmosphere ork kruisers and tyranid bio vessels battled with Imperial battleships and massive astartes war vessels.
Without Leviathan's presence, they would have been crushed within the hour, she realized. This was ridiculous. This was a crusade level of Imperial madness. And all while her sister wasn't here. She gritted her teeth. Damn it all to hell!
In the distance, where the Imperator had secured ground, she could see the Valkyries transporting massive numbers of the Imperial Guard gathering, drop pods descending on the planet as tens of millions of guards descended on the world with thousands of astartes. More surprising however was the sheer number of sororitas vessels that hung in the skies; They easily made up a third of the entire force, millions of power armored warriors being transported down onto the world in areas where they were least contested. The orbital battle was not yet decided, but it had come to such a balanced struggle the Imperials had managed to secure a foothold on the world.
She gripped the bonesword in her hand, her eyes narrowing.
"Ork."
"YE?"
"How do you feel about boarding actions?" The ork grinned toothily.
"Now you'z speaking ma language."
"Good." It was time she used her advantages. She'd let herself get caught flat footed and had lost her cool with her sister gone. She would have to calm herself and think like the predator she was. This was not the usual prey. This was another predator; One that killed for territory rather than food. But it was not as united as they were. She could do as her sister had done. A terror war. A psychological war.
Break them in the mind, then devour the bodies.
Attack on all sides. Never give them respite.
Coordinate as they never could.
And that started with decapitating the chain of command.
Then, came a whisper from the synaptic web.
A distant call from beyond the stars. An echoing cry, a mournful call. A familiar voice. Her eyes widened.
"...Anya?" The voice grew joyful, crying out in relief. Ayna was barely holding herself together as relief poured through her, then rage at the revelation of what had happened to her sister. They communicated for some time, exchanging what had happened on each side. Agreement was made. They would pursue their own tasks and objectives on their side and regroup later. She chuckled at her sisters plan, and what she had put into motion. This...this would be wonderful if it worked. A very risky endeavor, and one that relied heavily on deception. But this was something her sister had found herself excelling at.
The knowledge there were demons out there after her big sister was particularly rage inducing however.
She found herself chuckling. The ork gave her a confused look. Then, she laughed, and laughed, and laughed.
"HAHAHAH! OH SISTER!" Her grin grew wide, pointy teeth exposed. "THAT'S A WONDERFUL IDEA!"
"Um...you'z ok?" The ork warboss asked.
"Yes. Just some excellent news. For now however, we have a war to win. And if my sister is correct...a much larger one after that. The war to end all wars." She gave the ork a side glance. "One you'd be invited to." The ork's nostrils flared as his pupils dilated.
"I'z listenin."
The warp spider swarm scuttled along the psychic path of the Infinity Circuit, hunting their quarry. More and more souls had been disappearing, vanishing at an ever increasing rate. What had at first been a trickle had turned into a stream. No amount of redoubled guard seemed to find the captive and the warp spiders only ever seemed to arrive at the scene after the crime had already happened. A thousand souls had already been taken. A drop in the ocean of the circuit, but even one was too much.
Then, something caught their attention. A strange lack of perception, an absence of feeling from a place. As if something was trying to divert their attention. One of the more ancient warp spiders, a cunning thing, decided to go investigate.
And vanished in turn.
The swarm converged, having found the intruder. Immediately upon passing the threshold of its strange attention repulsing field they felt its presence; Dangerous, predatory, and hungry.
Unfortunately for it, so were they.
They descended on the intruder with angry pincers and the experience of ancient hunters. They tore, and bit, and eventually managed to chase the intruder off. They hadn't succeeded in killing it, but they had at least confirmed its presence. Better yet, they had its psychic scent. If it came into the circuit again, they would know.
Asaon walked out of the Infinity Circuit as one of the many people who had gone to mourn the fallen as the intrusion alarm rang. As ever, hundreds of wraithguards and aspect warriors poured into the tunnels, ready to snatch the demon or tyranid creature that was desecrating their home. They went back home, a small smile on their lips as they sat down on the couch and sighed.
"Where have you been?" He froze. His eyes slowly turned around to find one of his fellow painters standing at the table of his living room.
"Vadan..." He tried to give her a happy smile. "I didn't know you were visiting me! Apologies, I was out on some business!"
"The Infinity Circuit right?" His smile grew strained. "Yeah. I've been noticing. You've been going a lot. Like, a lot. And everytime it somehow coincides with spirit souls being drained." She took a step towards him, eyes narrowed. "Look. If someone is blackmailing you into helping them...we can inform the authorities. We can tell people. But this cannot continue."
"That seems like a bit of a jump." He laughed. "Come on, seriously? Me? I'm... a little hurt." He sighed. "You know my mother was interred there. Those incidents...they had me worried. I just needed to check." She seemed caught off guard for a moment, doubt flickering in her eyes.
"But...my..." He cocked an eyebrow at her.
"It isn't like you to just jump at conclusions like that. Did you have a vision perhaps?" She hesitated before sighing, nodding.
"Yeah. Just...with everything that's been going on, I'm not even sure what to think." It was his turn to take a step towards her, his eyes full of understanding.
"It's alright. Things have been a mess recently." He embraced, rubbing her hair soothingly. "Between the tyranids, chaos...it's been a lot. Even having to evacuate the craftworld." She melted in his embrace.
"I know, it's just...god, that vision was horrible. And now the Infinity Circuit was plundered..."
"If your vision was that bad, why take the risk of confronting me by yourself?" He asked curiously.
"I..." She gulped. "I wanted to believe you were better than that. The stain would be impossible to wash off if I made such a carefree accusation. And well...we both know I could kick your ass any day of the week." He laughed.
"You sure could." The embrace grew tighter. "You really could."
"Hey...you're...a bit tight there..." She teased, her expression turning into a frown as she started to struggle to breathe. "Hey, cut it out! When did you get so strong?!" She strained against him, panic settling in as she took in his face. Calm, neutral with a small gentle smile.
"It's okay." He said soothingly. "I'll make it quick." Ice cold fear drowned her. She tried to call out mentally to her father only to hit a wall. A cloud that obscured her powers. "You eldar really are too clever for your own good." She let out a strangled, bloody exhale as her back cracked, Asaon shattering it in one last effort. She fell to the ground, paralyzed, staring at him with tears in her eyes.
"W...why? I...I love..." She whimpered. He seemed to take pity on her as he crouched down at her.
"He didn't know. You were a bit too discrete in making your love for him clear." Realization struck her.
"You're..." She coughed up blood, trying desperately to move, to scream, but all she could do was let out a raspy whisper. "You're not Asaon..."
"No." His eyes glowed yellow for an instant. "My name is Anya. I'm afraid I had to take your friend's memories and body."
"He's..." Tears fell down her eyes. "You killed...him...didn't you?"
"Yes. Don't worry. You will join him. I won't let Slaanesh get you." The thing wearing Asaon's body reached out, grabbing her throat.
It was crushed with a wet crunching sound.
Anya stared at the eldar corpse under her. This was proving more tricky than her previous infiltration. Unfortunately, she was on a deadline, and she couldn't afford to eat a few eldar souls a day. She had billions to consume. She had to get better access to them.
Infiltration was working so far. But eventually...
She felt her powers coursing through her. The incredible boost the eldar souls had given her, pushing her back to her full power and far beyond it.
Eventually. She would be able to simply blast aside anything that came in her way.
Malan'tai would be a joke compared to what she was accomplishing here.
She hoped her sister was having good luck against her Imperial foes.
"You look stressed." The child commented as he entered her cell with his escort of banshees. He sighed.
"Is it that obvious?" She patted the chair next to her.
"It really is." He took a seat.
"More souls have gone missing. It's...thousands. Tens of thousands. The Infinity Circuit has been put in quarantine and the warp spiders are in full alert, but even they have been attacked at times." She hummed.
"Very sneaky demon."
"It's not a demon." She tilted her head at him. "It's not a demon. It would have grown too powerful for us to not feel its presence by now." She tapped her lips.
"Hm. Good point."
"Did you unleash a monster on this craftworld?" He asked her bluntly. She stared at him, looking confused.
"I would have thought something like that would be pretty obvious. Any of you would have spotted a tyranid by now, surely." She frowned. "And we already went through the whole accusation routine."
"See, I thought so too. But then..." He stared back at her. "There's you. You look human, you act human...but you're not. Not really." He noticed how her eyes widened in hurt. How they filled with unshed tears. The slight trembling of the lips. It was subtle, but if one looked very, very carefully, with the enhanced sense of the eldar...it was missing a tiny bit of a delay that should be there. It was all too natural. "So I'm thinking maybe...maybe you made something that looks eldar. Even feels eldar. Indistinguishable from us." She stared at him.
"...You eldar are really too clever for your own good." She whispered. Then, faster than he could react, she was moving. In an instant, one of the banshees was lying dead on the ground, her head simply torn off from her body. Before any of the eldar could move another one was sent flying into the glass wall, her body breaking inside of her armour from the sheer force of the impact. Ylsen's hand had gripped the handle of his weapon when the third banshee fell, her armour unable to protect its user from the claws the child had generated in an instant, stabbing them through the eldar's throat. A blade sang towards her, the hybrid simply side stepping and snapping the banshee's leg with a kick. The banshee did not have time to scream before a second blow bashed her head in. Outside the guards were entering a flurry of activity as a squad activated the sas to enter the room. Ylsen pointed his pistol at the child as she rammed into a fifth banshee, ripping her arms off before headbutting her. The helmet cracked under the impact, the child spitting something that resembled acid into the banshee's face, making her scream in pain. She dodged the shot he fired at her, dashing behind the sixth and final banshee who tried to activate her vocal attack. Before she could, her throat had been torn and the child was upon Ylsen. She was fast. So ridiculously fast. Impossibly so.
Her hands grabbed his wrists and pulled him to the ground, a clawed foot slamming down on his neck. It did not kill him however, merely holding him in a submission hold as the sas door opened.
"STOP!" The child screamed at the aspect warriors that entered the room. "I'll give you five seconds to get out or I'll kill this one!" Ylsen gritted his teeth, crying out:
"IGNORE HER! GET OUT OF HERE, DON'T LISTEN TO ANYTHING SHE SAYS!" He was surprised she let him speak, "DON'T LET HER OUT!" The warriors reluctantly obeyed, falling back into the sas before eventually leaving the room. He could see outside whole platoons being deployed surrounding the glass walls, weapons aimed as a farseer arrived, expression twisted in concern.
"They can't hear us, can they?" The child murmured in his ear. "Good. You're insightful, Ylsen. Very insightful. I was hoping to keep the charade going a bit longer, but I suppose that was foolish of me."
"You..." He growled. "It was you after all!"
"Not me. But technically me." She paused. "Real me?" She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. What does matter is that I don't want that information to get out there. So...you're staying with me."
"You're going to kill me?" He asked, furious at himself for falling for the child's manipulations, even if only so much as to lower his guard imperceptibly.
"No. This place is very boring. I could use some conversation until she's done."
"Who? And done with what?" She grinned wildly at him.
"Weren't you listening? Real me. And to answer the latter..." The grin widened, showing off her teeth. "Done preparing for the great hunt."
Harrison stared out of the window of the ship, eyes wide in awe.
"It is certainly a sight, isn't it?" Harrison was speechless as Occ asked, his voice mournful. "Squalor so intense it is visible from space. How low we have fallen. The Homeworld of mankind...it certainly has seen better days."
Harrison wasn't sure what he was feeling as he stared down at Terra itself. He'd heard legends of the birth place of mankind; Had even seen images of what it was like in its prime. Representations of the imperial palace, a structure so massive he could see it from here, golden and glimmering. But what really caught his eye was the rest of Terra.
An overly polluted, hyper urbanized nightmare that covered every single square inch of available land, so densely packed in towering architecture nothing else could be seen from the distant viewport of the battleship. Some districts were instead made of immense gothic architecture, centres of administratum and ecclesiarchy power; However, the vast majority of the planet was this urban hellscape. It made sense, he supposed. How else was one supposed to fit literal trillions of individuals on a planet?
"This is a sight few get to see. Most will only ever see the throneworld from the ground, descended from windowless pilgrim ships. They will see the great temples, the statues of angels and demigods, and all that they imagined they would find here. Few venture out into the wastelands of the Terran population or in the underlevels below the districts. And as you now know, genestealer cults have very much taken advantage of this."
"Emperor protect us...this would be like finding a needle in a haystack the size of an ocean..." Harrison said breathlessly.
"Well, my fellows have become adept at wielding the providential magnet shall we say." Occ chuckled. "Come. Our ship will land soon, and we are to do a few administratively necessary tasks before getting to our task."
"Isn't time of the essence?" The custodes sighed.
"Indeed. But even we are not always immune to some of the more...annoying aspects of the Imperium."
"Ugh. Bureaucracy."
"Unfortunately necessary, though needlessly complex."
Jane watched as her ships weaved and dashed through the void, battling alongside ork vessels against the Imperial forces. Time was on her side. Whilst every imperial vessel that fell was an irreversible loss for the enemy, every ship she lost could be eaten, processed and recycled into a brand new ship. In addition to this, whilst she had less than zero control over the ork ships, she was happy to let them ram themselves into the imperials and then mop up the survivors.
Unfortunately, this ran into a simple issue.
The sheer, nightmarish firepower the Imperials had brought with them.
She wasn't entirely sure why they were so determined to fight a ground battle, though after seeing the deployment of the titanic legions she had a feeling it was in the hopes of drawing biomass down on the planet where the fight was becoming much less even for the tyranids that could not be used more efficiently in the orbital battle. Space supremacy would all but guarantee victory for whomever could guarantee it.
"Smith. Are your troops ready?"
"Ready and prepared for another boarding action. I have to admit, resurrecting is... a strange experience."
"You know our objective."
"Follow Lady Ayna's lead in boarding the enemy flagship and slaughter everyone inside."
"Not sure I'd call myself a Lady" Ayna noted as she walked up to Jane's side. "But hey, whatever makes you happy."
"Roger that Lady Ayna."
"Very well. Get on the boarding ships." She glared at the massive enemy flagship. "Expect heavy resistance."
"Will the orks be coming with us?"
"Do you seriously think I could stop them from doing so?"
"Fair point. About that dropping a rok on the Imperator idea?"
"We tried. They shot a big fucking missile at it. So, so much for that idea right now."
"Yikes."
"Indeed. Prepare for boarding."
"Did you hear that?" Asa'val tilted his head forth.
"...Now that you mention it, I am picking up...something..." He frowned. "But it's quite faint."
"No one is supposed to be near here." The aspect warrior grabbed his weapon, walking towards the entrance of the Infinity Circuit.
"Wait! Only the wraith constructs are allowed in, you know that!"
"I just want to check!" The eldar answered back, taking a peek inside of the tunnel. Asa'Val looked nervously as his friend slowly walked inside, gathering his courage and walking after him.
"Come back here you idiot!" The tunnels were dark so late at night, illuminated by softly shining stones covering the walls like glittering gemstones. "Isha grant me patience to deal with impetuous fools..." He grumbled, nervously glancing around. The main issue with the Infinity Circuit was that in order to be accessible at all times to as much of the population as possible, there were a ridiculous amount of access points, and a massive network of tunnels that was difficult for the craftworld eldar to patrol in its entirety in addition to guarding whilst still maintaining a military presence in the rest of the more than continent sized vessel. This meant some access points were well defended.
And some were less so. Sometimes on purpose, as a trap, and otherwise due to simply not having the troops to spread everywhere.
As they both advanced cautiously into the tunnel, they kept a close eye on their scanners, occasionally glancing around in order to see if they could spot anything.
"See? Nothing. Let's get back to our post." He eventually said. No response. His grip tightened on his weapon. In a single rapid motion, he turned where his friend had been a second ago and fired, something jumping on him and tearing the weapon from his hands. He screamed into the communication module: "CONTACT!" His last word as a clawed hand plunged into his heart. His last sight was that of his friend, dead on the ground, the thing that had just killed both of them running down the corridor of the Infinity Circuit, leaving a trail of darkness behind it as more and more spirit stones were snuffed out.
"So. What are you exactly?" Ylsen asked. There were hundreds of guards now around the room, observing cautiously. No one had dared enter the room for fear that she would simply kill him. He was back in his seat, the child sitting across from him. He did his very best to ignore the corpses of the banshees around him.
"Hm. Good question. I'm not entirely sure myself." She shrugged. "A body double is the best answer I have. I share her memories, some of her abilities...but not her soul. Not what makes her truly her, what gives her that incredible power. Take me out of this cell and I won't be of any use psychically."
"...I see. But why?"
"Well, she knew she couldn't deceive you. Not forever. You're all too...advanced, too clever for the usual tricks to work. She needed you to hesitate. To...to buy time." She snapped her fingers, then pointed at herself. "That's where I come in. A clone, there solely to make you guys look somewhere else for long enough. She couldn't deceive you forever...but she could do it long enough for it to no longer matter if you figured us out."
"So all of this…to devour the Infinity Circuit?" He scoffed. "So much for the whole trying to integrate us, huh. Eating the souls of our ancestors will not endear you to us." He had to work very carefully to keep the white hot rage from leaking through his voice.
"...Not originally. The plan was just…get out. Get away. Back to the fleet." The child confessed. He blinked in surprise. "But…we discovered something. A Demon, and a powerful one at that. It wanted to eat us." She looked up to the eldar. "Eating even only a part of the Infinity Circuit would make us strong enough to defeat it, but that wouldn't be enough. If a demon such as this one will go to such extents to eat us, what will stronger ones do after we have gorged ourselves on power?" She shook her head. "We'd just be fattening up for even greater warp predators. No, we need something more. Something greater." She leaned towards him, a frenzied look in her eyes. "Tell me, Ylsen. What are demons afraid of? What has the power to kill them for good, and even manages to make the Gods of Chaos cautious of him?"
"...You can't be serious." He stated, in disbelief.
"I am completely serious. There is only one path ahead." She smiled, a tired smile. "I know myself. It all started with this burning will to live. This desire to survive, at all costs. She took that from me, to ensure I wouldn't risk the plan for my own survival. It's what allows me to see this all so clearly, without the layers of self deception she cast over herself. But her…she will do anything to live. She turned to the tyranids. She ate human flesh. She killed a world, then two. Brought down the spires of the cathedrals, broke the guard's back on Quintus, massacred a templar chapter… Even her plan to bring all under tyranid biological supremacy. It's all at the core of a single, unifying feeling."
"...And what is that?" She turned away from him, staying close enough to prevent the guards around them from trying anything.
"Fear of death." She finally said. "She is terrified of dying. A scared child who has never been taught any solution other than lashing out at whatever makes her afraid." She tilted her head back at him. "Despite what she believes, she is a true product of the Imperium. Her first reaction to the unknown is fear. And her universal reaction to fear is violence. The Imperium doesn't teach anything else."
"And so she will destroy everything that frightens her. Everything that threatens her." He said, sighing in exhaustion as he leaned back in the chair. "That's what you are saying?"
"Yes. And now, she has been confronted with the very real threat of complete and utter annihilation. She cannot be brought back if her soul is devoured by the predators of the Immaterium." She chuckled sadly. "She will do anything to avoid this fate. Anything. Even the most reckless, desperate course of action. Even if the chances of success are miniscule. Even if she has to cause incalculable amounts of suffering and destruction just for her own, selfish life." She walked up to Ylsen, and there was fear in her eyes.
"She is preparing herself. Gorging herself on power for what is to come. She has smelled wounded prey, and though it surpasses anything else in this galaxy she still believes she can defeat it."
"The Emperor…" Ylsen whispered. "She wants to consume the Emperor. Asuryan almighty…that's…"
"Insane? She hasn't been sane for a very long time. Even before she ate from that accursed cultist." She shook her head. "That won't stop her. And the Hive will follow her. Terra has an insane amount of biomass, and it is the one place, no matter what, the Imperium will not exterminatus. In addition, the Hive Mind is just as eager to see the Emperor devoured. It will throw its full force behind her; And with her new heightened powers, I have no doubt it will be a force powerful enough to break through the Solar defenses."
"You seem to know a lot of this." She shrugged.
"I was born for this plan. But I also know that even if she can break through the defenses, actually taking Terra is an entire different matter…let alone breaking through the Imperial palace. The moment the Imperials are aware of such a massive hive fleet headed for Terra, they will reinforce it with everything they have. Even if she can make it through, even if she can get to the throne room…" She shook her head. "She won't be able to break the Emperor. Not fast enough. Not before the Hive is beaten back by the Imperials."
"...Why are you telling me this?" He asked slowly. "There is no reason for you to tell me this. You're just…offering information."
"Because, Ylsen. What do you think will happen when she dies and the Hive Mind is fully preoccupied with the assault on Terra? When the mass of the Hive fleet that is supposed to be defending her is either gutted by their defenses or busy invading the throne world? She will be brought back, yes, but there are only so many places she can be. Only Hive Fleet Tarrasque can bring her back; She is too intrinsically linked to it." The child's face grew stony. "The demons will attack her then. She will be weakened. Unable to defend herself. In the worst scenario, so will the Emperor be. A greater demon devouring Anya at her peak of power…they will become unstoppable. Terra will be vulnerable then. So will the Emperor. It could mark the tipping of Terra into Chaos. The birth of a new eye of terror." Ylsen had to admit, the thought was…well. Terrifying. Humanity too divided and broken from the loss of central authority to be an effective bulwark against the Great Enemy who would have just gained a tremendous surge in momentum…it could well mark the end of the Eldar race. A tumbling, screaming fall into the dark embrace of She Who Thirsts. "But that is only if she loses."
"..." He stayed silent, staring at her, waiting for her to continue.
"If she wins, well. Then she will ascend beyond anything you have ever seen. She will be powerful enough to deny the Materium from the Chaos Gods. Strong enough to batter away their minions and kill them permanently if they dare enter this realm."
"You are presenting this as if its a good thing."
"It's simply Ylsen. You either choose chaos, or tyranids that can actually be somewhat reasoned with." She chuckled. "Isn't that always the choice your kind has to make? Damned if you do, damned if you don't."
"You're suggesting we help you." He said disbelievingly. "You want us to…what, join in your assault on Terra?! You want the eldar to help you invade the throneworld of mankind, kill the Emperor, and help ascend a tyranid god?!" He laughed hysterically, his hand rising to his face. "Do you…do you even realize how insane you sound! In what world would we ever agree to this?!"
"The one where the other option is sitting and waiting for the inevitable entrance of Slaanesh in the material realm." That shocked him to silence. "Whatever Demon consumes Anya will be left with a weakened emperor, a weakened throneworld…and once the Emperor falls and the golden throne falters, they will be unleashed onto this realm. You know this, Ylsen. Choose your poison." He stayed silent.
"Or. And hear me out. We kill the real you right here, right now, call upon the other craftworlds and purge you from the stars. Annihilate your hive fleet, scatter your ashes across the stars." He coldly replied. "That. That is another option." She winced.
"I…I suppose it is. However, none of your kind knows what I have told you. And they will not until it is too late. I will keep you here until it is time."
"I could try to escape."
"You would die."
"And you would have no messenger. They would kill you before you could speak."
"And should Anya succeed and launch an assault on Terra, you will have no one to tell your kind what the consequences of this assault will be, regardless of the outcome. No context to give to the senseless attack. They will not involve themselves, or not enough." He hated her. He hated that she had a point. Gods, he hated her.
"...so now what?" He asked bitterly.
"Now? We wait."
A.N.:
Occ: "My Lord. The Tyranids approach. Please. We need your guidance."
The shattered remnants of the Emperor, gathering together: "...BUG SPRAY."
Occ: "What."
The Emperor: "GIANT BUG SPRAY CAN."