Twisted Flesh

by Crossposted

Crosspost of Deus Ex Transhuman’s QQ Fanfic all credit goes to the original writer.

8. Sharpening the Blade

Disclaimer: I own Jackshit.

AN: Ok, sorry about the long wait. Life has been busy and shit just kept piling up as a result. Didn't have much time to sit down and do much I enjoy since there was only work, work and more work. Still, finally got some time to myself to just relax and I ended up coming up with this... Monster of a chapter because I wasn't happy with just reaching a specific point and saying 'alright, that should do'.

For that reason, I'd like to thank Vladicus for reviewing the initial draft and making sure that everything was alright. Thanks a hell of a lot for that.

Anyway, I hope you lot enjoy!

XXX

Shock and Awe, is such a beautiful thing.

The basic idea of it was to use anything, be it an overwhelming application of firepower or a massive display of force in order to rapidly establish dominance on the battlefield and utterly crush an opponents will to fight. Another way of looking at it was to attack someone with such force and with such speed that the defenders simply didn't have a chance to mount a proper defense against such an attack. Blitzkrieg was one such application of Shock and Awe, but it wasn't the only one I was capable of. Marshaling massive legions of soldiers across the battlefield was also an option. Hell, an Artillery bombardment could also count as an option, but only if one brought sufficient number as to erase several grid squares from the map.

However, to me, the best application of Shock and Awe came when you also had the element of total surprise on your side. In this conflict for the Kaurava system, I was a complete unknown. None of the factions in the Kaurava system knew I was even on the planet, which meant that I had free reign to do as I pleased. Admittedly, the window of opportunity was growing smaller the longer I delayed but I considered that delay to be worth it in the end.

Through the eyes of my Sentries, I saw the first of my Citadels finish constructing the utterly massive guns that they had been working on. Following that, three more finished seconds later, then another six, and then a further thirteen finished soon after as I felt them all come to life as power and mass were piped into the newest additions to my defenses. I felt them like limbs connected to my body, allowing me to access their internal software even as automated systems began the process of building the first few shells for them. Said shells were solid chunks of metal, an Adamantium core with a jacket of Osmium constructed into a frictionless surface that was almost eleven metres in diametre and twenty-five metres in length. These very same shells were rapidly constructed and placed inside tubes over five hundred metres long and lined with a mixture of electromagnets and gravitational pulsers. An instant latter, they started accelerating.

It was interesting to watch, if nothing else. A huge slug that weighed somewhere in the region of a few thousand tons being accelerated along at speeds that simply buggered belief wasn't as interesting as seeing it reach where it was meant to after all. It crossed the entire distance in the blink of an eye and rapidly came to the end of the tube, but instead of punching into the caped end, the shell hit a wave of energy and returned to its starting position. However, it kept its momentum, still moving at insane speeds even as the various systems kept it accelerating. Over and over, I watched the system repeat the same motions until the shells were little more than streaks that ran through airless tubes, looping through the teleporter gates specifically set up to allow for the incredible velocities that I now bore witness to. Idly, I wondered if this could be considered as being the same as a kind of macro-particle accelerator, since it seemed to work along similar principles of speeding up objects before letting them impact a given target. Admittedly, particle accelerators generally used particles travelling in opposite directions where as my take on it did not.

Shifting my perspective, I turned to look at the oversized turrets that covered my base of operations. Each turret was a thing of, what everyone except me and the orks might consider to be, ridiculous overkill; Quad-linked barrel arrays over two hundred and fifty metres long that were mounted on a complex series of motors and stabilizers. The turrets were not meant to turn around quickly, moving at an almost glacial pace that belied their sheer destructive potential. Instead, they were engineered for accuracy at ranges that were impossible for a normal Human to really appreciate as anything but an abstract, as a large number that they could slap on to an equally abstract construct and call it a day. My new nature prevented me from doing as such, meaning that I was perfectly aware of the distances required as calculations ran through various fire control and targeting systems before being double and triple checked, high-powered cameras and acute sensory devices all honed in on the various objects far, far above my base as confirmations came back, denoting which cannon had what ship as a target.

Looking through a dozen sensors, I idly picked out ships and scanned them over, considering them as I kept track of the gravitational wakes left as such massive objects hurtled through the void. I noted the heavily polished and decorated ships of the Ecclesiarchy that dominated the space above my base while I saw the gothic and stoic ships, by comparison, of the Imperial Navy hugging the horizon as they hovered over the territory of the Imperial Guard. Both factions were within range of my guns; They would have been in range of my guns even if they had been on the other side of the planet, albeit, the cannons would have lost a lot of their accuracy.

With that in mind, I checked the status of both my forces and the massive cannons I had taken to calling Little Murphy Cannons. Both were ready. With a digital grin stretched into place, I couldn't help myself as I willed a big, red button to appear before me in my Matrix. I paused to look at it for a moment before I raised a single arm...

... Right before slamming my balled fist down on it, and unleashed the dogs of war.

XXX

The first sign that I was throwing myself into the conflict for this system was announced by the sudden detonation of half a dozen ships in orbit. The two fleets of ships, some one hundred and fifteen ships in total, suddenly had the unfortunate experience of being in the path of a few thousand Kinetic impactors that were moving at a pretty damned decent fraction of lightspeed. From my position, I could see them as Void Shields held for what seemed like an instant before breaking as dozens of rounds landed at the same time across almost every ship in orbit. Their geostationary orbits, just outside of the range of each other's guns, made them easy targets as predictive software quickly denoted where each individual ship was and where it would be, if it held to its current actions.

Of course, I had my doubts about whether it really mattered any more at this stage, as Cruisers were snapped in half by multiple shells all hitting the 'neck' at the same time while Escorts simply seemed to 'poof' out of existence after their Void Shields failed to withstand more than a few shots. All that remained of most of the Escorts was little more than scrap metal now floating along an orbital path without control. There were larger vessels naturally, the Cruisers primarily, but the Imperial Navy had brought a Oberon-class Battleship to go along with the Mars-class Battlecruiser of the Ecclesiarchy. Both ships being of rather significant value as I mentally added up the amount of raw materials that I could be looking at from salvaging them. Not to mention the rather potent pieces of technology that might be present on either of those two ships.

Oberons, if I remembered correctly, had potent sensor systems combined with a generalized series of weapons that allowed them to be capable of acting without serious escort. The sensors would be a nice prize, and the generalized armament of weapons meant that I could have a look at a wider range of weapon designs, especially if some of those ships had hailed from different Forge Worlds. However, even with that in mind, I considered the Mars to be the real the real prize. If I remembered one thing about those ships, it was that they had the ability to mount a Nova Cannon on their prowl to give them a rather impressive and lethal long range weapon that could be the bane of a great number of foes. I wanted that capability, if only because it was one of the, relatively, few weapons I might be able to readily understand, unlike the Eldar magitech-Bullshit, Ork madness, or the Necron techno-Bullshit.

With that in mind, I made sure to make a few notes to go and check in on those wrecks when I had a chance later down the line. Admittedly, I could have easily reallocated the needed resources to build a few simple ships to get what I wanted up to orbit. Hell, even a few Wardens could have done that for me, but that would have meant diverting resource away from my efforts to conquer the planet. Admittedly, it didn't really matter in the long run, since the planet would still be mine in the end, but I preferred to keep my production focused on that goal and let the industrial inertia do most of the work. The fact that I could literally create, arm and then deploy even my most basic of units inside of half an hour meant that I could rapidly expand and dominate a battlefield through sheer numbers. The fact that I was producing most units in batches rather than as individuals only helped that fact.

Certainly, I was already seeing examples of exactly that taking place as I switched my focus away from the drifting wrecks of the once 'Mighty' fleets.

XXX

As a Civilized World of the Imperium, the world of Kaurava I was considered to be fairly self-sufficient. This meant that, unlike Hive Worlds, they could produce their own food supply to go along with the various other resources that would normally be provided by other worlds. Mining sites were present to pull raw ores from the soil of the planet while vast fields provided crops that would feed the population. With all that in mind, it wasn't difficult to understand that the population wasn't as concentrated as with a Hive World. Of course, if I had any belief that such a thing wasn't the case, it was rapidly broken as my forces approached the first small village.

One of the first attacks showed me this, as my forces encountered a small town, seemingly deserted besides the shouts of a man coming from the depths of the town itself. Collectors and Sentries stealthily moved deeper and deeper until they finally reached the town hall, where they all relayed the same images to me as I looked on. The entire population of the town had been gathered and now stood before an Imperial Priest, who stood upon a balcony that overlooked the seething crowd and spoke of the Imperial Creed, the 'God-Emperor' and how it was their duty to serve him by killing the mutant, the heretic and the xeno. The Priest was actually doing a very good job of inciting them into a kind of mad, battle-lust as they screamed and roared and raged in the middle of town as I watched. It was an interesting show, if nothing else, and I could have applaud the Priest for being a good showman. However, that did not mean that I would allow him to continue to rouse them to the point of madness, probably as an attempt to gather more meat for the grinder of the front line, as Frateris Militia.

Still, that wasn't an outcome that I wished for.

A instant after that thought, my units attacked, the first being a Legionnaire that had stood and watched the grand spectacle from above as an honor guard of Sentries on Wing Boards stood around it. It raised a single arm as the fat, old man of a Priest seemed to reach the apex of his performance. Energy was diverted from the internal power core of the unit to the double barreled Particle Cannon on its arm, a low whine filling the air before a single bolt of energy leapt from the barrel of the gun. It crossed the few hundred metres separating my drone and it's target in a fraction of a second, not even giving the Priest, or anyone else, time to react as the Lightning bolt of energy hit the Priest squarely in the chest, and left a smoking hole drilled through it and into the floor behind him. The whip-like sound of the energy bolt cracking through the air was enough to bring complete, and total, silence to the gathered fanatics as they looked to the empty balcony. It was a shock to the system that they had never expected, one that they were still processing as the attack began in earnest.

Releasing direct control of the Legionnaire and it's followers, I took a backseat as I watched them instantly capitalize on the death of the Priest without hesitation. Mortar shells were launched from the back of several Legionnaires at once, targeted to hit the area surrounding the crowd, with several scattered to hit targets within the crowd itself. An instant after they hit, they detonated, scattering large mounds of rapidly hardening foam across the immediate area, creating ad-hoc barriers that trapped the crowd in the area as the panic finally set in. Those shells that had been targeted for within the crowd detonated seconds later, trapping more of the screaming masses within blocks of breathable foam even as they rushed to try and escape their entrapment. With the crowd trapped for the time being, the Legionnaires and their honor guards moved in, swooping down on Wing Boards, shots being fired as they rapidly closed on the mob and grabbed at people before throwing them into the containment foam like so many others.

By the thirty second mark, the crowd of once-seething worshipers were reduced to a half of their initial number as they tried to run in any direction they could. Wing Board-mounted units serving to keep them in a near constant state of panic and confusion as they swept in, grabbed a few people before throwing them at the still-soft foam before it hardened, trapping them. Those that tried to make a run for the hardened wall of foam were almost instant set upon by the Sentries and Collectors that had taken over the perimeter of the town Square. They either cocooned those that tried to make a break for it, or found themselves thrown back into the disorientating chaos that filled the Square. Those few that had been armed with weapons were instantly gunned down, identified as threats and removed by lethal force, often with bullet types that were unnecessarily gory as to get the message across. The few that even touched one of the fallen weapons, little more than Autopistols and Autoguns with a few Laspistols thrown in, were dealt the same fate as they found themselves spraying the surrounding ground with viscera.

After a few tries, and at the forty-five second mark, the message became pretty clear. By that point, only a few remained outside of some containment. Collectors were rapidly surging over the walls at that time, cutting through foam prisons and pulling people out only to entrap them in cocoons of carbon nanotube webbing. They were bound so tightly that they couldn't even move a muscle even as they struggled pointlessly against machines that could overpower them. Most of them raged against it, rapidly burning out what little strength they had left even as they were taken over to the outskirts of the town. There, Engineers and scattered Links waited for them, including the newest variant of a Link that I had simply taken to calling a Beta Link, the original design being an Alpha Link.

As people were transported to the Links, more Sentries and Collectors quickly made their way into the town. Legionnaires stood on Wing Boards, observing things from overhead as I watched their tactical programs re-task themselves for the creation of quick and efficient search patterns to find anyone that might have escaped the Square, or might still be hiding. Doors are already being kicked in or thrown from hinges, Collectors moving in to rip entire buildings apart and turn them into smaller chunks that can be transported for Reclamation at a later time. As that happens, Engineers work to create more specialized pods for holding the captive civilians for later processing. They were placed in complex life support systems mixed with a series of restraints and medical devices to ensure that they remain compliant within the pods. Said pods look like blank, metal coffins as limbs are locked into place and the top is sealed shut. Medical devices ensure they won't die of any wounds while restraints ensure they can commit suicide before they reach a proper, secured, location for them to undergo their own Introspection.

Most stop struggling after a series of electrical shocks are delivered to them, which combined with a jolt to the pleasure centers of their brains ensure that disobedience is not allowed. They get the message quickly, cowed into submission even as Collectors assembled the Coffins, as they were named for simplicity's sake, into piles before securing the piles tightly and passing them into the waiting limbs of the Beta Links. From their, the Beta Links showed the reason for their creation, as a Teleporter Gate activated within them, creating a shimmering pool of cyan energy as the Coffins were passed through the aperture and into the waiting limbs beyond. Other Beta Links were doing similarly, if not around this town, then around one of several others that were rapidly falling to my advance as Fabricator Walkers started assisting in the demolishing of these now-empty towns and villages, serving as the foundations of a new Poly-Complex. Already, Hex Components were being laid down as scuttling Engineers worked with Collectors to see if they could find anything of interest.

I doubted it, but one could hope, right?

XXX

Within the Her Lord's Holy Realm, the High-Priestess of the Coven could barely container herself. Excitement and utter glee bounced through her body as she looked upon the outside world through a thousand eyes, gifted to her by His Grace.

Through them, she watched as the Blessed Gates cycled through different locations, delivering heaps of pods, each one filled with yet another misled member of the Imperium of Man. Already, a few hundred such pods were already being gathered inside the vast halls of her Master's Holy Poly-Complex as they were shuffled into the waiting arms of the Divine Thought-Forges. Hatches opened as a dozen thin limbs extended outwards even as she kept watch with eager eyes, noting down every detail as she felt the flicker of information in the back of her mind. A single thought and His Realm answered her, a new screen of light appearing before her, showing the newest individual to be placed within the embrace of such a Divine Instrument before the screen flickered away once more.

However, even with the screen gone, she could still feel the inclusion of the newest bursts of data, archived and logged within the Realm she existed in. A gift, one among many others, that had been granted to her due to the favor she enjoyed from serving Him to the best of her abilities and beyond. Just thinking about it was enough to send pleasant shivers racing up and down her spine, just knowing that her own work on the Enlightener Basilisk Hack was going to show these new Initiates just what they had been left ignorant of for most of their lives. It is a heady feeling, one that she loves every moment of even as she leans back in her throne-like chair, biting her lip even as the sounds of pure bliss escape from the cracks. It is not helped by the heat she is feeling in her loins, helped along by her fingers smoothly tracing circles over her clit. Neta wants that feeling to remain even as she just thinks about the future to come for those people now within the Thought-Forges.

She remembers her own experiences of the becoming as Enlightened as she is, her own Introspection and examination of the harsh reality she had remained willfully blind to by both choice and ancestry. The High-Priestess remembers the pain, the agony, of refusing to acknowledge the reality even as the wondrous machines of her Lord worked to fix her. However, just as she remembered the pain, so too does she remember the absolute bliss of finally accepting that there was more to the world than what her close-minded dogmas decreed and demanded. Indeed, she was already seeing the proof of that; A thought and said proof appearing before her eyes, along with half a dozen progress reports that had been sent to both her and Her Lord. Progress was being made, and fairly rapidly, but progress and innovation were being carried out to create new tools that He demanded to continue his Holy work of freeing even a fragment of the twisted descendants of Humanity from their own ignorance. It was a thing of beauty, even as she idly considered her old dogma, remembering that innovation of any kind was either strictly controlled, or utterly avoided at all costs.

Her Lord had already spoken of how He saw such heavy-handed restrictions and limiters. She knew this as well as any of the other members of the Coven; That their Lord didn't wish for such Grox-fisted methods to be used, merely the restriction of research into select fields that they all knew were too dangerous to even touch without the use of very extensive safety measures and numerous failsafes as to ensure that they didn't taint His Realm with foul Warpcraft. However, just because they refused to use such technologies without sufficient understanding and investigation didn't mean that others would be so restrained in their use, the Slaves of the Ruinous Powers being the greatest example of such madness. For that reason, a countermeasure had to be created; something that could go against such madness and hold its ground, or even push the Force of Chaos back to the Hell that they had come from.

A thought was enough as a blueprint appeared before her, the initial design for one of the latest of His Holy Servants. Along with this image came others, reports related to the construction and research into select fields to fully arm and armor this new creations against any foe that might chose to face it in battle. Scanning over the reports, Neta noted what was being research, who was conducting the research, and what was the current progress on some of the more impressive elements of the Divine Instrument that they were slowly piecing together for their Lord.

Examination of Stasis and Gravity-based technologies was leading to new breakthroughs in the understanding of Gravity, and how it could be used to manipulate Space and Time. Dissections of Electoo networks once housed inside their own bodies have given rise to new insights into the interactions of electromagnetic forces and how to manipulate them for more precise tasks. Disassembly of the captured Rhinos of the former Sisters of Battle had gifted them with a sample of the Techno-arcane Sigils used to increase the vehicles resistance to damage. All of these and several other projects were all still ongoing as they looked deeper into the mysteries of the universe and started to dig into the answers they sought, in His Name. Indeed, a dozen other projects were devoted to other fields destined to form the foundations for other Holy Servants that might yet be formed to fight in His Name. Admittedly, it was a long road since He had demanded that each Servant serve a purpose, with the possibility of rejection being ever present if it failed to meet any number of standards he had demanded for his Servants.

Leaning back further in her throne-chair, Neta smiled widely even as she dismissed the final array of screens and images before her, knowing, as she watched yet more people slowly being processed through the Thought-Forges, that it would be worth it in the end. That, at the end of their long road to create new Servants for Him, that an even longer road awaited them; The ultimate goal of seeing Humanity free itself from ignorance and impurity awaited them at the end. It was a distant goal, but one that they marched towards with every new man, woman and child freed from the shackles they had placed upon themselves at birth.

It was a goal worth fighting for, and it was one that she gladly marched towards, along with the rest of the Coven, for Her Lord.

XXX

I had covered a hell of a lot of ground before the Sisters of Battle finally noticed that something was wrong.

Honestly, I wasn't really sure what tipped them off, nor did I really care. It could have been the fact that their original scouts had been gone for far too long, or it could have been the utter silence that they received when they tried to get a reply from within my conquered territory. It could have been any other small detail or reason that I had missed or hadn't bothered to pay attention to beyond noting it was present during the initial surge through villages and towns I had already surged through, capturing or killing those I found before shipping them back to my primary Poly-Complex for either dissection, Reclamation, or Introspection. Not only that, but smaller Poly-Complexes were being built on the ruins of those same settlements that I had already taken.

After nearly a week of constant conquest and expansion, I had a half dozen of these metal mountains scattered across the landscape, each one rapidly growing in both physical size and the size of it's production capabilities. My industry was growing to the point of insanity and I was producing units far, far faster than one could even begin to imagine as I used a network of Teleporter Gates to rapidly transport them from place to place. I had even gone so far as creating a ten metre tall Hex-block that shared the same footprint as my Hex-citadels, with it's only purpose being to act as a centralized node for my constantly expanding Gate network. Internally, such nodes had at least twenty-four gates, each capable of being activated at the same time with a different destination. These Hex-Nexus were pretty damned useful, especially when combined with the twenty metre tall hexagonal prisms that served as my Thought-Forges, allowing those captured to undergo their Introspection in peace, even as their bodies were remodeled to match their remodeled minds.

Still, such things were useful, but only played a part in my present situation; Namely, that the Sisters of Battle had finally noticed the smoke and had come to look for the fire. Which they found, naturally, because I wasn't exactly being subtle about things. Hell, I wasn't even trying to hide what I was doing, the mass salvo of shells that took out the orbitals should have been the first clue to that point. Which, of course, meant that the idiots had thought them to be some omen from their God-Emperor to their impending victory over the forces present in the system.

Dear sweet Christ on a stick, a little under a thousand of the Bolter-bitches, and none of them seemed to have any brains between them for anything beyond dogma, the immediate, tactical, situation, and a rather limited strategic view of things as they stood.

Still, that immediate situation was what I was looking at right now as the tin-canned idiots finally noticed that I was on the planet and had managed to get their thumbs unstuck from up their arses. Admittedly, they were very nice arses, but I'd have appreciated them a hell of a lot more if they weren't currently shooting at my units and stopping me from getting what I wanted. Preferably with them having gone through their own Introspection so I wouldn't have to listen to their rather limited range of death threats and battle cries that seemed to play like a broken record. Frankly, I was starting to think they had all just bleached their hair from some manner of blond color due to just how much stupid I was seeing.

I mean, seriously! I send in a few probing attacks to one of the cities that had a small garrison of fifty Sisters in it, they kill that group of twenty Sentries and fifty Collectors, and they treat it like it's some great victory worthy of song, dance and celebration beyond imagining. Same thing was true for a half dozen other cities I had hit across their rear flank as they continued to engage the Imperial Guard with the majority of their forces. Worse, it was being used as a rallying call for the inhabitants of half a dozen other cities and drawing more people into joining the Frateris Militia. Priests supported by fanatical PDF soldiers were already marching through the streets and spreading the word of the God-Emperor, with mobs of crazy-eyed fanatics surging behind them as they grabbed just about anything they could find to use as a weapon. It wasn't helped by the fact that the PDF troopers were digging into what had to be surplus weapons and cracking open crate after crate of Lasguns, Autocannons, Grenade Launchers and even a Heavy Bolter or three.

Conducting recon flights with Wardens showed some rather... Interesting sights as a result.

The PDF were setting up barricades that looked like they barely deserved the name, helped along by the Frateris Militia, who were barely being kept in check by loud Priests that shouted to the heavens about the values of patients to deliver 'the God-Emperor's Wrath upon the Traitor, the Heretic and the Xeno'. I let them stew for a while, gathering my forces and keeping an eye on their own progress, and I could honestly say that the Frateris Militia were, by this point, little more than rabid dogs just waiting for the call to be let off their leash. Given that the Sisters had pulled back from the outer regions of most of the cities that I now had my sights set on, I figured they were only going to do so after my forces had advanced past some invisible line they'd draw through one of the abandoned regions.

An interesting tactic, one that might have actually worked rather well in overwhelming most forces in the system just by throwing more bodies into the meat-grinder. Admittedly, it would probably only slow most of those same forces down for a few minutes, at best, but it would give the Sisters sufficient time to mobilize and concentrate their forces to deliver the hammer strike. So long as you didn't give a damn about your own loses, then it was a good, solid tactic that might have seen you win the day. It was also pretty damned wasteful and an utterly inefficient use of the available resources that they had at their disposal. The Sisters were too damn sure of themselves and their 'impending victory' to even try calling for reinforcements at this point. They had yet to really realize just how large my forces were, and even if they did, it wouldn't do them much good since I had any Vox-frequency they cared to use locked down tight and filled with static.

Not to mention the simple fact that there was little stopping me from simply encircling their position and laying siege to the entire city. Letting them starve to death, while not quick, was certainly something that I could have done, especially since I had the forces to spare. However, even with that thought, the only thing that really stuck in my head was the sheer stupidity that I was facing in the form of the Sisters of Battle. Too caught up in their own bullshit to realise just how utterly fucked they were.

But that was ok, since it did give me a chance to test out my Battleminds and Warminds.

XXX

There was no real announcement for when the battle started, nor was there any real warning as the dawn of a new day crawled through the sky. PDF and Frateris Militia sentries had been posted and rotated through the night to ensure that no sneak attacks came under the cover of darkness. It was one of the few smart moves I had seen from the Sisters of Battle and their Priests, even as they continued to shout, scream and holler to the sky above as to give praise to their God-Emperor in one form or another. I could only imagine what it might have been like near them, with the constant smell of burning incense and oils, the whine of servo motors and the near-constant praying carried out by both the Priests of the Imperial Church and of the Machine Cult.

From high above, a flock of Wardens numbering twenty strong granted me an impressive birds-eye view of the city. High quality cameras zooming in close enough to actually pick out individuals as they seemed to be going around their daily duties with high morale and good cheer. I could see it in the body language of several of them, through images taken from several angles that all showed that they fully expected to win the day, as though it was never even in question. They thought they were prepared to hold out until the Final War came upon them; Until the End of All Things.

I had to admit, I probably took far too much glee in the prospect of proving them just how wrong that assumption was, especially when the links between the commanding Warmind flashed with intent.

With that, Battleminds surged to awareness as I watched the orders, information and physical actions that followed as a result. I had given no real hard restrictions to the various Data-Mind constructs that were now in command of this operation, merely the instructions that as many Humans be taken alive as possible, with a special emphasis on capturing the Sisters of Battle. It is worth noting that I said 'alive' and not 'alive and unharmed'. Such a simple choice of words would have probably changed the tactics that might have been generated as a result, but I didn't care to change their instructions at this stage. Calculations were quickly tallied up as I saw the Warmind carrying out a few interesting pieces of math, trying to figure out what percentage of the total population needed to remain alive in order to carry out it's instructions.

It didn't even take a full ten seconds for an outcome to be decided, one that sentenced at least half the observed population to a death sentence due to one requirement or another. Too old, too fat, not in good enough physical condition, all these things and more were used to preemptively decide the butcher's bill that would come from this battle. It was a system that the Warmind quickly constructed as a rough overview of instructions, but was rapidly fleshed out by the gathered Battleminds that eagerly provided more information on battlefield conditions and force projections within the Area of Operation. Quickly, it went from an ad-hoc measure, to a properly integrated series of thresholds and requirements that would determine who lived and who died in the conflicts to follow. A quick glance over it was enough for me to get an idea of it, the draft they were currently using was stable enough for the current situation, but I figured it would probably go through a few dozen further iterations before this system-wide conflict was finished.

Still, it worked and it was enough for the Data-minds to all agree that it was sufficient for the current situation. And with that, war began... With a rain of artillery shells.

There was literally no warning in the early hours of the morning as Maulers, located well outside of view, opened fire on the fire with barrage after barrage of shells. The first Salvo was a primarily made out of Thermobaric warheads with a hardened, Bunker-buster-style cone. They were targeted to hit on a few major structures, detonating and flooding the enclosed spaces with heat and pressure such that no normal Human could survive the experience, not without a hell of a lot of augments or a fully sealed suit of Power Armor. Following waves were a mix of Airbursting Anti-Infantry shells and more simplistic High Explosive shells that rained bloody murder over anything that was unfortunate to be in the target area. Vehicles were blown to pieces, along with stockpiles of weapons more advanced than a random pipe that could be used as a club. The vehicles of the Sisters didn't fare any better, having been hit seemingly at random when they had been targeted as priority targets well before the bombardment even begun.

The screams of those both among the living and those slowly joining the dead filled the area. Order was a lost concept as PDF soldiers ran around like headless chickens even as those Priests that remained tried to rally the survivors into pre-prepared defenses. The Sisters of Battle suffered less from this, but I could see how it had shaken them to face this out of the blue, having been granted no warning before hand.

From there, things only went from bad to worse for them. Battlemind-directed flights of Wardens dipped down, carrying out high-speed fly-bys while using their mass of trailing limbs to grab for random civilians that met the template of what was being looked for. Often times, they appeared and disappeared so suddenly that none could fully process what had just happened, not before several of them were either gunned down by turrets, grabbed as well, or were blown away by the Plasma-based warheads that were left behind by the quick moving machines. Their captives were quickly returned to friendly lines, where no amount of struggling or resistance would matter as they were forced into Coffins and sent off to a Thought-Forge. A peak at the Matrix showed that, as it grew with new minds, Neta was only getting more and more ecstatic about her work being used for what it was meant to. An interesting development, but not really noteworthy beyond the fact that the indoctrination seemed to be sticking, even if I felt the need to continue to reinforce it moving forwards.

The Wardens and artillery continued for over three hours, slowly chipping away at the number of defenders even as the Priests found themselves suffering unexpected cases of terminal existence failure. They had been preaching to one crowd or another, trying to restore morale during a lull in the storm of shells, only to have one detonate right on top of them. Mysteriously, only the Priests seemed to have suffered the brunt of the blasts, with very few, if any, other injuries beyond a few bruises and burst eardrums. The constant lulls in between salvos, and the random lengths of time taken between them, only seemed to chip away further and further at the morale of the Human forces that remained, even as the Sisters grew more and more tense with every passing moment. They knew, if only subconsciously, that the worst was yet to come.

And, indeed, it did come by the six hour mark as the first Templars crossed the line into the city itself, forming a wall of metal with Conversion Field-coated, Adamantium Storm Shields at the front that locked together as they moved forwards. The Templars served their role well, forming a layer three units deep between the Human defenders and my other forces as Sentries, Collectors and Engineers came after them while Legionnaires and their guards flew overhead. They paused for nothing and anyone that they found was quickly secured and dropped into a Coffin by the rapid progress of Engineers. Maulers could be seen off in the distance even as Wardens circled above.

Almost instantly, the Humans now had a foe they could fight and they surged, grabbing anything that might count as a weapon and throwing themselves forwards with all the zeal and fanaticism that they could muster after being so drained. At their head, acting as the vanguard, were the Sisters of Battle, in a scene that repeated itself over a dozen fold in just as many cities that I was in the process of conquering even as more and more Humans found themselves being trapped in wire nets, constraining foam or webbing made from carbon nanotubes. They continued to struggle against the inevitable, even as they were thrown in Coffins and locked in place. It would have been admirable if they hadn't gone past the point of reasonable and were just doing it for the sake of it. I didn't really blame them, but they had to realize that, at some point, resistance was as futile within a Coffin as it was on a battlefield.

Even so, they had all been chosen to survive the battle due to the predefined thresholds that the Warmind had designated for the Battleminds on each front. And even if they had escaped, those that I had captured would only look forward to either being subdued once more, or simply being shot dead. Beta Links came up and moved further into the city proper, allowing for the shortening of lines and increasing the rate at which my units were surging through the mostly empty city as those that remained were forced back again and again. Led by the Sisters of Battle, they put up a rather impressive fight about it even as they led a staggered withdrawn towards the city centre, laying down countless traps behind them. The Battleminds in charge of the various fronts saw these same traps; Saw them and completely ignored them as units flooded through the area, setting the traps off before walking over the fallen corpses that had taken the hit.

Of course, the situation in each city differed in some way. Some cities had already fallen within the first four hours as they were overrun with a tide of metal. Others fell as they withdrew back to the heart of their former defences, trying to hold out as long as possible, but being encircled before they could make it, trapped and captured. In most cases, the Sisters were always the last to fall as Templars, using their larger Fab-cannons, launched Paralyser Bola designed to be able to entrap three or four Battle-Sisters at a time. Disabler bolts were launched in containers, firing off like air-bursting shotgun shells while other types of munitions were fired off, specifically designed to capture and subdue the Sisters as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

As the fighting in the city I was watching started to die down, I watched as one such weapon was deployed with rather impressive results. It could come in any number of forms, from a grenade, to a mortar shell, to a mini-missile, to a bullet, but all of them proved effective once they hit. When that happened, they would unfold into a band of black metal, usually targeted to hit the wrists, ankles, neck of waist. Once locked in place, it would extend countless cord-like tendrils that would seek out any surface and big in, anchoring the captured Sister. Other tendrils would either bind her limbs themselves, or connect to other bands that might have landed on the same person. Some of the Sisters found this out the hard way as they were bound up in black cords of metal and left where they fell as others were forced to retreat, or killed, like the few Frateris Militia and PDFs that remained.

Some Sisters found themselves spread-eagle as they were pulled into mid-air in the middle of a corridor, bands around each wrist and ankle while cords slithered over and under their Power Armor with a gag and blindfold covering their face. Others had the bands around their necks, almost hogtying them as they were forced to the ground, kneeing with cords crawling under the Power Armor and exploring every centimetre of skin. More than a few were pulled together in such a way that they were forced to kiss their partners-in-bondage, more cords forcing them to tangle themselves together while the tendrils bound them both in and under the Power Armor they wore. At least one of the Sisters, to my knowledge, had even been left hanging from the ceiling of one room like a light fixture, gagged and blindfolded while an Engineer slowly worked to remove her armor, while leaving the Immobiliser Bands in place.

I'd be the first to admit that it was a rather nice show...

By the eight hour mark, I was looking at complete supremacy over every single city that had once been held by the Sisters of Battle. Engineers already working to tear down what had once been Imperial structures and cities, replacing it with towering stacks of Hex-blocks. A half dozen Hex-Foundries were created practically on the spot as other pieces were moved through Teleporter Gates to eventually drop them at the newest front. Some of the biggest pieces, like the Hex-Citadels, needed to be constructed onsite, but that was a small price to pay as I looked towards the next goal.

Namely, the metropolis of Sama that made up the Sama District of Kaurava I, and the home of all the Sisters of Battle on the planet. From what I knew, the Sisters had some kind of check-in system that had those stationed in smaller settlements relay their clear/not-clear reports up towards bigger settlements until they finally reached the HQ. Kind of natural to do, since the settlements only grew smaller as they moved away from Sama. The last check-in time for any one of the cities that I had just taken was over two hours ago, so I could guess that might give the Sisters some incentive to try and figure out what the hell was going on...

... Speak of the devil, sensor ping just picked up low-flying and fast moving objects. Small, fast and likely armed with the best the Imperial Church could offer their military arm. A small flight of three Lightning fighters, all done up in the colors and icons of the Imperial Faith. They were almost in visual range to see that the city was not as intact as it appeared. Already, the Battlemind in charge of this front was giving orders to have the fighters shot down, I could feel the fire control systems already preparing to fire a number of weapons that the fighters would have no chance to avoid. However, before they could, I changed the fire control, loosening the spread of fire just enough to ensure that they would miss, for the most part. From there, I watched as the fighters came into view, discovering the desolated city and coming under fire even as Wardens suddenly started filling the sky and chasing after them.

Whoever was in charge of the flight clearly knew that discretion was the better part of valor, because he or she immediately turned around and opened up as high as they could. I could almost hear the stress caused by the G-forces pressing on the fighter, never mind the pilot, but I didn't really care all that much for such things. I had the Wardens chase after the Lightnings for some distance before eventually pulling them back, within sight of the city of Sama, and home of the Sisters currently stationed on this planet, a distance that also gave me a pretty decent chance of getting a glimpse of what I might have been facing soon.

Indeed, before I pulled them back, my Wardens got a good look at the massive city I was approaching. Images were quickly passed between myself, the Warmind and the various Battleminds that I had acting as front commanders. Information was quickly exchanged as sub-sections of each image were quickly identified and isolated, building a picture of what kind of defenses they had in the area. Admittedly, the intel provided by such means was probably going to out of date pretty damned quickly once it came time to actually march on Sama, but it would give me a baseline to work from. Already, I could pick out a few dozen barricades and checkpoints with a large number of lighter weapons, with a few heavy weapons spread sparingly around. Such heavy weapons were mainly made up of Autocannons, but I saw a few Lascannons mixed with Heavy Bolters, reserved for the most important areas.

And by most important, one could easily assume that to mean the place with the most number of Shrines to one facet of the Imperial Creed or another. Then again, given what I could remember about how the Living Saint that could be summoned by the Bolter-Bitches in the game, I could see how that might have been a smart move. All an' all, that meant that the approach to Sama was going to be one hell of a tough nut to crack. I'd need more intel before I made a move, sure, but that was a problem that was easily fixed. No, the main problems would come in the form of that damned Living Saint, should it be summoned, and the fanatical nature of the enemy that stood before me.

I suppose it was a good thing that I had a few nutcrackers waiting to be let loose...

XXX

Within the heart of the Alpha Poly-complex I had built on this planet, I found myself looking through a half dozen sensor systems as I watched suspension fluids slowly drain away within the off-grey halls of a rather special type of Hex-block. It's construction wasn't actually my own doing, having been commissioned by Neta and constructed after I had eyed the proposed designs that she had sent me. One thing of note was the sheer size of the Hex-block in question; It shared the same footprint as a Hex-Citadel while also being thirty metres in height. The entire thing was, quite possibly, one of the largest individual Hex-blocks that had been constructed to date, if one did not count any external add-ons, such as with the Hex-Citadels.

It could have been said that the entire structure was designed as just one massive lab, devoted to every facet of science and the investigation of such fields. It could also be said that such a thing was true, since I knew that the application of science was the only reason I currently stood a chance of surviving. I needed science labs to research, explore and delve into every facet of reality that I dared, if only to gain some advantage and escape this hell-verse. However, such a purpose, while being a grand and great purpose, was only secondary to what the Lazarus-Crypts were intended to do. Indeed, such tasks were secondary to their primary duties; Duties that would remain until such a time as I could escape this universe and head for somewhere less... Chaotic.

As such, I watched as one of the prototypes of Neta's efforts, research and progress woke up the instant the last drop of liquid disappeared, swiftly followed by the transparent barrier that had previously contained it disappearing as well, retracting back into the off-grey floor. An instant later, I watched as the eyes of the woman once known as Jenatea Alon flickered for a moment before opening fully and getting her first look at the world around her since she had undergone her own Introspection.

And me, as a result.

It didn't take long for her eyes to shoot wide as she recognized me, her new existence helpfully whispering in her ear and telling her who stood before her, even if only as a virtual reality construct. Combined with her previous lifestyle, and the things hammered into her during her time under Neta's care, and I could easily understand her next course of action: She kneeled. Actually, saying such a thing might have been a bit of an understatement as I watched her smoothly go from standing before me, to almost kissing the tips of my non-existent shoes as she practically prostrated herself across the floor.

"My Lord, I beg your forgiveness for my past transgressions. I was blind to the truth and lashed out in my ignorance at your Divine Servants, and for that, I would wish to throw myself upon your mercy and beg forgiveness for what I have done." The former Battle-Sister offered with conviction showing in every word even as her eyes remained firmly locked on the ground. I could both feel and see her emotions flowing through her body, her elation at being in my presence fighting against her remorse over actions she now considered as Blasphemy against me. Not that I really cared about her past actions, especially since my units currently numbered somewhere in the tens of millions, but the fact that she wished to actually repent for what she considered a sin? That was an interesting turn of events, if nothing else.

However, as I remained silent, I felt Jenatea's apprehension start to grow even as she remained as still as her upgraded body could, seemingly unsure of herself even as her eyes shuffled from one side to another. She desperately wanted me to say something, anything, but refused to look at me as she viewed that to be disrespectful for a 'Sinner' like her to look at me unless I allowed it. Her thoughts on the subject were interesting, believing that she didn't deserve to witness my 'magnificents' until such a time as I allowed it. Eventually, it reached a tipping point as I watched her press herself further into the floor as a way to show her repentance.

"Please, My Lord, command me, and I shall carry out any task you might wish of me; In your name. But I beg you, My Lord, please forgive me for my sins; Please forgive me for besmirching your name in my ignorance... Please..." I considered the words for a moment as I looked down at her still form, already feeling a well of desperation slowly growing in her heart as she wanted to show her devotion in some manner, and further prove to herself that she was worthy of being a fanatic of her new cause. I could understand it, especially after reviewing what Neta had done to her, but her words did make me consider a rather interesting fact that I hadn't really bothered to consider.

I didn't have a name.

Well, that's not true. I could remember my own name, back when I was still Human. Admittedly, I could have gone with that name, but the simple fact of the matter was that such a name was rather ill-suited for my current existence. In this universe, names had weight, a power all their own when a name could be used to bind an individual into a pact between either themselves, or with the Neverborn that lived in that hell-realm called the Warp. However, I didn't really know the mechanics of that kind of thing, just that it could be possible to do. I was neither a Psyker, nor an expert on that field of study, especially since I lacked any kind of source reference for that kind of research, not that I really wanted to go seeking Demons for their knowledge and expertise.

It took a second for me to come up with a potential solution: A multi-word name that was written like a line from a poem and weighted in such a way that only I would ever really know the full thing, with others only knowing, perhaps, a single word or two. An example instantly came to mind in the form of the Forerunners and their poetic names, 'First Light Weaves Living Song' and 'Shadow of Sundered Star' were two examples that I could think of from the top of my head, but they could serve as a good enough guide for what I wanted. A directed command caused new programs to flash into existence as I directed lines of code to generate a rather basic random name generator. Running it faster than the Human mind could fathom, I quickly found a name I liked.

"Eternal Legacy." I started suddenly, whispering directly into her brain as I saw her keep her body still only through force of will at the break in my silence.

"My Lord...?" Jenatea asked, sounding unsure as she remained still, unmoving even as she heard me move before her. Crouching down, I extended a hand and grasped her chin. Feedback systems ensured that Jenatea would feel the contact I had with her, regardless of my non-existent nature, and her own muscles provided the motive force to move her body as I pulled her chin up. With little effort, the former Sister of Battle found herself looking at me, my body simulated body looming over her. Silver eyes locked with her now-amber eyes and I saw felt her heart flutter at the fact that, yes, I was holding her, and yes, she was looking at me.

"My name... Is Eternal Legacy, for I am the Legacy of my makers. And you, Jenatea Alon, were already forgiven when you accepted the Truth of this reality. Now please, stand tall." I stated simply even as I let go of the woman's chin and stood up in turn. I kept the face of my VR-projection blank as I stood up straight, looking down at her even as she looked up in turn, fresh hope and renewed convictions suddenly flowering in her mind as she slowly stood back up. Even so, hesitation was plain to see as she clambered back to her feet and tried her best to suppress any fidget or nervous tick that might have appeared. Her attempts were impressive, but utterly in vain when I could see how the signals translated from subconscious, to bio-electrical impulses, to actions that were quickly suppressed before they took hold on her body. Still, I didn't say anything as Jenatea stood before me, taking a stance of attention with her hands clasped behind her back, feet at shoulder width and looking straight ahead; Looking at me as a result and letting me take my own measure of her in turn.

Standing at around two point two metres tall, she was well proportioned with a figure that any supermodel would kill to have, beginning with her healthy and utterly flawless light skin that traced the line between pale and fair. Long, smooth legs that flowed up into wide hips and a thigh waist, combined with very nice ass, continued upwards as I picked out the signs of good amounts of muscle tone and a shallow six pack. Moving up to her chest, I felt myself pause for a second to take in the sight of her chest, with tits that, while proportioned for her size, were still somewhere in the E, or even F, cup range while still standing in defiance to gravity and lacking a hint of sag to them. With some effort, I pulled my sight away from her rather impressive... Assets and continued upwards to look the rest of her over, noting the continuation of muscle tone in her shoulders and arms before tracing my sight up a thin neck to her face and head. Silver hair draped down from her scalp in a mop-like fashion, nearly identical to my own chosen style of hair and reaching almost halfway down her back, despite the fact that she had still had a bob cut when she was first captured almost a week ago. Likewise, her facial features had changed a bit, featuring more symmetry than was natural for a Human to be born with and lacking anything that could be viewed as some form of imperfection from one point of view or another. High cheekbones gave her the look of some form of noble while full features enhanced it, making her look regal even with the flickering light of anticipatory dread drifting in her, surprisingly, amber eyes. A thin, button nose and reasonably full lips completed the look even as I locked my gaze with her own eyes.

Such observations came to me inside of a few moments, all the while letting me read through Neta's notes from researching and developing the form that now stood before me. Reports drifted through my awareness as I took them apart with the same ease as breathing, giving me an even greater picture of the work that my self-proclaimed 'High Priestess' had carried out in my name, even though I had yet to tell her it. Looking at the reports, one of the first things that rapidly became apparent to me was the fact that Neta was trying very hard to impress me with her craftsmanship of her 'initial prototypes'.

That line alone had drawn my interest, especially after I had seen the sheer amount of augments, upgrades and abilities that had been incorporated into the former Battle-Sister. Hell, the former Magos Explorator had even incorporated several ideas I had discussed with her as potential new weapons that could deployed as stand-alone systems. The fact that she had incorporated them into, in her own words, her prototype for what would become this new, untainted fragment of Humanity that I intended to create, was something of a pleasant surprise.

All of this came and went within a moment, allowing me to turn my attention back to address the reborn Human and address her fully.

"Now then, Jenatea Alon, I have a task for you." I stated simply as I watched the woman. With those words, her suppressed fidgeting disappeared, her attention focused on me even more than it already was even as I felt the shift in her stance from nervous to a kind of eagerness at being given her task.

"Command me, My Lord, and I shall obey." She droned out as I nodded, honestly not expecting anything else at this point. If there was one thing I could count on, it was the simple fact that Neta was thorough in her work. That didn't mean that I wouldn't take steps to ensure that it remained that way, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"I have been massing for a strike against the stronghold of the Sisters of Battle, your unenlightened kin, however, they know that the attack is coming and have been fortifying themselves and digging into pre-prepared positions. Not only that, but they have been arming the local chapters of the Frateris Militia and what PDF soldiers joined their cause with weapons out of their own stockpiles. Nothing truly impressive, but enough to slow my forces down while the Sisters reposition themselves for a counter strike. This cannot be allowed, which is why I require you to take part in this operation." I explained simply, not going into too much detail as I watched her soak up the information with ease.

"What do you require of me, My Lord? Ask, and I shall do whatever you command of me." Her tone was flat, even though I could feel her anticipation building. Along with that, I could feel her thrill at the thought of serving me, and serving me in any capacity that I wished.

"You, along with your enlightened Sisters I am soon to awaken, are to be the tip of the spear for this assault. Your primary tasks will be to break through any and all fortifications that your unenlightened kin might create, along with capturing said kin alive, if not intact. Those members of the Frateris Militia and PDF that you might come across are of little concern at this stage, so do not bother attempting to capture them unless they show themselves to be an individual of great importance." With a thought, a door off to one side of the chamber suddenly opened, light pouring in from the outside as I nodded my head towards the door in question before continuing to speak.

"Beyond that gateway lies the rally point of those forces massing for the attack. Go there, prepare and wait for my call to begin." I ordered as Jenatea straightened up before bowing at the waist, my vision followed her as she continued to display herself before me with either complete indifference or a remarkable amount of tolerance to her current state of dress.

"As you command." She said as she stood back up straight and starting to make her way out of the room. However, as she walked past me, I couldn't help but given her a little... Encouragement, as to ensure that she carried out her duties to the fullest. Faster than the Human eye could follow, my VR projection lashed out and grabbed the augmented woman by the chin and pulled her closer to me, feedback systems in her own body altered her balance to give the impression of being pulled with some amount of force even as her own muscles fought against her to ensure that she fell into my 'arms'. Not even giving her a moment to consider what the hell was going on, I slammed our lips together even as I pushed her sensitivity to such actions all the way up as far as I dared. The moment our lips met, I could practically see her melt into my virtual arms. Feedback systems were the only reason that she remained standing at that point, keeping her muscle groups locked in place even as she leaned against a phantom, pressing her body against nothing but air. And yet, despite that, I knew that she could feel the contact of her own body on mine, however virtual it might have been, as she wrapped arms around the back of my neck to pull herself further into the liplock. I could detect the bliss running through her body, setting her nerves alite with a pleasant shiver as I held her in place before pulling back, walking straight through her limbs as I saw the entranced woman almost collapse to the ground as the feedback system cut out and returned her to normal control.

I only smiled as I watched the glazed over look she gave me, shivering slightly as her knees hit the ground, panting from the sudden experience as I took a knee next to her.

"I like to think I'm rather generous to those that deserve it. Complete your mission to the standards expected, and you might find that you can expect more of the same, or better, in your future..." I commented with a very slight smirk as I saw her heart jump at the thought of experiencing more of the same bliss that had just overtaken her body. Feeling a bit melodramatic, I finally allowed my VR projection to deactivate as it disappeared with a particle effect that made it seem as though my body was disintegrating into blue sparks of light that then flickered away.

It was a nice touch, in my oh so humble opinion.

XXX

It took less than a day for my forces to fully muster for the assault upon Sama itself, moving unseen in the night as Battleminds directed them to move carefully through woodland. Nighttime patrols missed any sign of their presences, both due to a lack of noise generated by my units, their dark color scheme, and the simple fact that my units always avoided ground and air patrols when possible. Though, this was made easier due to the fact that only a minority of my forces were moving above ground, primarily Sentries and Collectors working to keep a closer eye on the patrols. Warden flights sped overhead, their stealthed nature making them go virtually unnoticed by all observers as I moved closer to Sama. However, while these minor surface elements worked to keep an eye on enemy foot patrols and the placement of outposts that I wanted taken, my heavier units approached through a more... Unorthodox method.

Buried under the surface, my heavier elements, along with a majority of lighter units that I had amassed for this operation, moved through tunnels carved by massed deployments of Engineers and Fabrication Walkers. Multiple tunnels branched out from an initial entry point located well beyond the Sister's capability to reach, deep within my captured territory, with a virtually never ending stream of additional forces flooding into and through these tunnels. Along with that, Hex-Foundations, Hex-Foundries, and Hex-Generators were being built along virtually every surface of this, rapidly expanding, tunnel network, turning it into a Poly-Complex in it's own right even as large caverns were excavated simply to fill with additional Hex-Foundries to construct some of my larger units. It was the work of an entire night to fully furnish the tunnel network, along with completing the required passageways to ensure that my units could reach their final destination. Said destination was a rally point just outside the city of Sama, just within visual range, but outside the range of their artillery.

Admittedly, I could have just tunneled directly into the city and taken it in the night. I could have done that, just as I could have done a dozen other things that would have been enough to see the city captured and those that defended it being utterly crushed before being stuffed into a Coffin. However, instead, I decided that it would be better to do this; To face the Sisters of Battle in open combat, and crush them under my boot, in the one place where their entire strength had been focused and now waited for me to attack.

If nothing else, it would be one hell of a fight.

When the sun rose for a new day, from the eyes of high-flying Wardens, I could see the moment that the on-duty watchmen finally noticed my forces off in the distance. From there, I could see the domino of events that lead to the city wide alarm being raised as what few individuals that could be called 'civilians' ran for shelter wherever they could find it, primarily in the Shrines of the Imperial Creed. Frateris Militia and PDF soldiers scrambled to their posts as they grabbed weapons and rushed to pre-prepared positions that were scattered throughout the massive cityscape before me. Alarms and sirens filled the air even as grim-faced warriors prepared to defend themselves from my assault. With a few of the entire city, I also saw the moment when the Living Saint appeared, floating out of a massive cathedral at the head of a procession of Imperial Priests as they talked with the commander of the Battle-Sisters. I watched their morale soar as they witnessed the Living Saint bless the Shrines that dotted the city; Even from so high up, I could see the moment that the first blessing went through, the flash of golden light filling the air even as I felt the sensor world... Shift around the Shrine itself.

I made a note to keep an eye out for similar such readings and to target them when the time came to attack. It didn't take long for several locations to be pinpointed with similar readings coming from them, the Data-minds having noted them down as unusual occurrences, but ignored them for the most part. I changed their priorities to ensure that such locations were to be destroyed as soon as possible, if only to deny that damned Armored Pigeon it's Aura of Invincibility.

With that thought, I turned my attention back to my own forces, having prepared and assembled them at the ready just outside Sama. They were arrayed in no particular order beyond what was most efficient for the upcoming attack. Ranks upon ranks of Templars stood at the forefront of the entire force, hands carrying thick shields even as automatic systems ran check after check as to ensure that all systems were working as intended. Sentries and Collectors stood at the ready behind these ranks, still as statues and running the same last-minute checks that all my other units were. Long Chains of Links weren't far behind them, some still full of more infantry platforms while others were empty of any cargo, having been designated to hold anyone destined for a Thought-Forge or transport them directly to the Poly-Complexes in question.

However, within this assembled force, a few new additions stood in the tension-laced atmosphere that filled the landscape. This battle would be the first time that I had released them into the world, their trial by fire and their baptism into the world of Warhammer 40k. For that reason, I had done everything I could as to ensure they were as potent as I could potentially make them, if only to stack any future battle as far into my favor as I possibly could.

For that reason, the first new unit I had chosen to create was to be my equivalent of a heavy tank. Given their role, I had chosen call them Ruiners, for that was all they would bring. A half dozen of them stood within the grand assembly of force that I had generated, all ready and waiting for the chance to do battle as I checked them over, using the eyes and sensors of nearby Legionnaires to observe the killing machines. Standing on six legs and loosely based on what I could remember of the Pacifican Dreadnought from the game called Fracture, they stood head and shoulders over most of my units with a height of almost fourteen metres tall. Long legs gave them surprising speed for this size, not to mention their agility and dexterity in movement, combined with Anti-gravity systems that could be used to reduce the apparent weight of these machines. However, speed and swiftness was not their only defense, thick slabs of ceramite thirty centimetres thick were seamlessly attached to anchor points on their Adamantium endoskeleton and combined with a vast selection of self-repair systems, plus backups, even more so than the Maulers. Ten layers of upscaled Refractor Fields, plus backups, would allow the massive machines to shrug off most forms of attack while PD lasers dotting the hull of the war machines would scour the air and land of threats. Such was the strength of these lasers that they were even a threat to lightly armored vehicles. To make matters worse for anyone trying to defeat one of these behemoths, these machines were far from toothless...

Quad-linked Smart Cannons dotted the hull of the Ruiners, able to fabricate any type of ammo that might be needed to allow them a kind of flexibility that few, if any, could match. VLS missile launchers were also present in large numbers, being capable of fulfilling a vast number of roles that ranged from long range artillery, to Anti-Air, to the interception of enemy missiles. Finally, rounding out the secondary weapons of the Ruiners, there was four of Multi-function Plasma-based weapons mounted on the read of the 'head' of each Ruiner. These weapons, called Pulsar Cannons, used a rather impressive focusing system that could allow the plasma fired to take on any number of forms, ranging from a linear stream capable of punching through and melting heavy armor, to orbs of Plasma that would devastate entire companies of soldiers. If that was the end of the Ruiners weapons, then it would have been a force of nature to fight, but it wasn't. The three primary weapons I had included into these things turned them into sinister things of death and woe.

The first of these primary systems was, perhaps, the most direct. Inside the twin 'horns' of the Ruiner was a hidden set of weapons, each capable of being fired independently of each other, to allow for multiple targets to be engaged and destroyed at a time. These two weapons were called Grav-Lances, multi-function weapons that could be considered as experimental technologies in their own right, being my first step into the weaponization of gravity itself. In terms of use, I had worked out several settings that made these weapons utterly lethal to anyone unlucky enough to be cause in their area of effect. For one thing, they could function just like normal Grav-weapons used by the Imperium in altering gravity to crush a target under their own weight. Another setting included pulling all matter into a single, targeted spot and crushing it all together. A third did the opposite and rapidly forced everything out of the area of effect, potentially smearing it across any sufficiently durable material within the area of effect. And finally, the option to project a tunnel, or creating a sphere of the same at a targeted point, of rapidly shifting gravitation differentials that would have a result similar to pulling a frog in a blender, but vastly scaled up and more than capable of working through tank armor. The fact that such a weapon didn't leave much in the way of remains, nor did it give a clear indication of the firing location, meant that it's psychological effect couldn't be understated, especially when it is learned that such only happens in the presence of these machines.

However, if the Grav-Lance was to be a morale killer, then the other two weapons I had included in the Ruiners were probably best described as literal war crimes made manifest. Both of these weapon systems were just as experimental as the Grav-Lance, perhaps even more so, but were weaponization of fields of study that were already ongoing and were rapidly advancing with every day that passed. The first of them was the first weaponization of nanotech that I had created, a device that I simply called the Nano-Fog Generator. It did what you would expect, given its name, and generated a fog of nano-machines that could be controlled by the Ruiner to various effects. These nanites were simplistic versions of the ones used by my Fabricators in order to create and reclaim things as needed. Instead, the nanites generated simply disassembled anything that they came into contact with, ripping matter apart at the molecular level and simply leaving the result as dust to be scattered on the wind. It was a gruesome weapon, one that could be extended from the Ruiner to completely fill a volume of space measured at one cubic kilometre, allowing either myself, the Ruiner AI, or the commanding Battle/Warmind to shape the Nano-Fog to fit the situation. Along with that, it could also interlock to form walls of ablative armor thick enough to resist some lighter types of heavy weapons. An effective tool, but one that would potentially force opposing soldiers to watch as their friends and comrades were peeled apart, layer by layer. By comparison to that, the last system could have been seen as only slightly more benign, if only just. Of course, that was completely debatable given the fact that it was a series of medical-grade Fabricators that had been retooled into devices of horror, tasked with creating on-demand biological of chemical weapons as needed. These creations could then be released, either through similar vents to those that released the Nano-Fog, or loaded into specially made projectiles, to be detonated on top of the enemy.

The whole point of the Ruiner was to do just that: To bring Ruin. It did this in multiple forms, but it's primary goal was to simply kill those that got between it and any goal that had been designated by its commanding intelligence. The fact that it could also function so well as a weapon of psychological warfare was a secondary benefit to this, one that I intended to take full advantage of, if only because I knew that doing otherwise would have been a bad idea, especially since I needed every advantage I could muster in this hellish place. Of course, that was I had also created the second unit that now waited beyond the boundaries of Sama, waiting for the signal to go even as multiple system checks were run in the span of a single heartbeat. Where the Ruiner was a weapon of war and terror, this was a weapon of brutal war and destruction. Nothing more.

When compared to my other armor-equivalents, this one broke the mold. A solid block of armor, thirty-five metres long, twenty metres wide and twelve metres tall, bristling with gunbarrels and covered in plates of ceramite armor that were almost fifty centimetres thick at the weakest point. Not only that, but the entire thing was covered with fifteen upscaled Refractor Fields, plus backups and enough self-repair systems that I was sure nothing short of complete disintegration would see things machine dead. Three massive turrets dominated the top of the machine, arranged in a triangle formation atop it, with two at the front and one at the back, the latter being slightly raised so as to be able to fire over the other two. Each of these main turrets had three barrels on them, to channel the power of their primary weapons at the enemy, along with a series of hatches designed to unfold to allow other weapons to be deployed through them. Massive tracks, each made from Adamantium and having independent self-repair systems from the main body, provided the primary method of movement, aided by an Anti-Gravity system to reduce the apparent weight of the massive machine when needed. PD lasers practically covered the massive tank, powerful enough to reduce light tanks to smoldering wrecks while dedicated turrets also dotted the leviathan of metal. Many of these smaller turrets mounted various weapons; Triple-linked Heavy Rotary Fab-Launchers, twin-linked Smart Cannons, Pulsar Cannons, and a dozen other flavors of death designed to annihilate anything unlucky enough to be within the immediate area of this machine. Upon the back of it, between the main turrets, longer ranged weapons stood at the ready: VLS missile launchers, Plasma Mortars, Artillery-Grade Smart Cannons, and even a heavily scaled down version of Murphy Cannon.

Of course, what would kind of tank would it be within a main gun, or nine. Each of those nine main guns being exactly the same and being just as deadly, having been inspired by the same background that had created the design that I had quite gleefully copied to help me face the Warhammer 40k universe. With a barrel diametre of one hundred and ten centimetres, I was reasonably sure that anyone looking down that barrel would probably become very religious, if they weren't already, for their last few seconds before being turned to dust in by two point seven five megatons of energy being directed at them every second. Mind you, I had very few doubts about how capable a normal Human was of surviving a direct hit from a Hellbore, much less three at the same time, or even nine.

However, when you needed something that might be classified as having nearly-enough Dakka, one could hardly get than a Bolo.

Something, I was amused to note, that the various defenders of Sama were probably not inclined to agree with that, especially with fifteen of these mechanical nightmares staring them down, arranged in an echelon formation and acting as the vanguard of my armored units. They were posed and ready to move, and all that saw them could see it, just as much as they could feel the tension filling the air. A look at the lines held by the Sisters of Battle showed me just as much. PDF soldiers were nervous, hands tightening in white-knuckled grips as pale faces looked upon the forces arranged before them. Among the Frateris Militia, I couldn't see the nervous ticks the same, but a few showed them all the same, even submerged in their battle lust as Imperial Priests and Sisters of Battle gave pre-battle speeches to inflame their anticipation and try to bolster their morale. 'The God-Emperor's Blessings would see them through to victory', they said. 'No Xeno could match the might of Man', they said. Each time they proclaimed some slogan of the Imperial Church, they returned some sliver of hope and morale to the defenders of Sama. It was a desperate hope, but it was one that I knew would see these people throw themselves upon my forces, believing with all their heart that they would make a difference.

Ah, the Human spirit: That little something that could see normal men and women carry out the impossible in the name of one thing or another. I remembered it, just as I watched a demonstration of it, bolstered even further as the glow of the Living Saint slowly flickered across sections of the frontline. It was the belief in the impossible becoming possible, doable even.

I suppose it was a good thing that I had some of that prepared for the battle ahead as well.

Turning my sight back to my forces, I focused on the leading Bolo and saw them, clustered together and standing atop massive tank with an air of easy confidence as they looked over the sight before them. Communication channels between the thirty six of them were filled with idle chatter, mutterings and wondering about the outcome and the pity they felt for the unenlightened masses that could not be convinced of the Truth. Along with that, sub-channels were filled with tactical information as each of them highlighted targets to isolate, both to capture and to eliminate. The current Warmind, along with the Battleminds, chimed in to provide assistance in refining the list and tactics to use even as more information was gathered in preparation for the battle to come.

At the head of this small group of thirty-six women, I could see Jenatea Alon, the former Palatine of the Sisters of Battle and now the head of my Servants. Observing them for a second, I nodded in satisfaction at their attire, a gift granted to all those that were to be converted and exposed to the Truth; Turned into what I had chosen to name as the Seelie. Each stood as a pillar of strength, born of their own training before their capture, and only enhanced by the augmentations, enhancements and technologies that now weaved through their flesh. The latest technologies I could provide in many fields were used to cloth them, creating my closest equivalent to a living metal that had been formed into sleek suits of armor coloured in darker greys, yellows and oranges that gave the impression of being grown as much as it had been forged. These suits covered them from head to toe, making them appear as completely alien creatures with a Humanoid form studded with red gems while near-featureless faces only displayed twin pools of azure light as dreadlock-like appendages trailed behind their heads in the imitation of hair all the way down to their mid-backs.

The whole thing made them look impressive, dangerous, and distinctly Other. This was further aided by the miniature Nano-Fog shrouds that clung to their bodies, more advanced than the version present in the Ruiners, given that these were the latest weaponization of nanotech that I had fashioned, as opposed to the first. Likewise, their armor was nanotech in it's own right, an almost-liquid-like mass of Adamantium-based nanites with no other capabilities than to flow and mold themselves into a chosen shape or configuration, as chosen by their wielder. The same could be said for the Nano-Fog produced by these Seelie, for it contained two types of nanites as opposed to the Ruiner's only type: Nano-Disassemblers and Nano-Constructors, Nano-D and Nano-C for short. Both did as their name described, the former serving to disassemble any form of matter that they came across and reduce it to nothing but free floating dust on the winds, while Nano-C could be used to construct items from provided resources, either locally sourced or supplied through my resource network. Combined with the ability to power such Nano-Fog clouds without external aid, and their other capabilities, and I considered the Seelie to be a rather big step up from normal Humans.

The fact that every Seelie was to be either gifted, or born with, these enhancements meant that I was technically making a new race of Humans, one that finally reversed the classical balance of power and had the strength to go one-on-one with some of the races that filled the Galaxy. Races that would have normally had vast advantages over normal Humans in one field or another. For that reason, the Kaurava System was to be their proving ground and trial by fire to see how they stacked up against some of the major races and factions from across the Galaxy.

It was with that thought that I opened the main channel to connect me with all my forces. Connected to each AI, Battlemind, Warmind and Seelie, I gave a single command that was translated all my forces to give the same meaning, regardless of what form they were waiting for it to come in. In the languages of Man, my order was a single word, one that only the Seelie really heard and understood, as I felt their anticipation shift suddenly to near-explosive glee.

"Begin."

XXX

"Begin."

By the end of that word, Jenatea Alon and her fellow Servants were already in motion, even as they heard the rumbling thunder of footsteps and massive tracks tearing through the dirt and earth of the planet as they advanced on the hordes of Ignorant before them. In the back of her mind, Jenatea could see them moving, knowing exactly where every Holy Creation of her Lord Eternal stood and how they were going to move even as her fellow Servants moved to follow her in turn. Not even needing to move her head, she looked over their dark metal-clad forms and marveled at the transformations they had all undertaken as they moved like living bolts of lightning across the empty plains surrounding Sama.

Seeing the landscape passing them in a blur of motion, Jenatea wondered how she could have lived without such a magnificent blessing as what her Lord had gifted to her. What her Lord would give to all those he deemed worthy of being Enlightened to the Truth. It was something the former Battle-Sister still marveled at as she took an instant to examine and feel her own body as it swiftly closed the distance with her first target.

She could feel her muscles pounding away with a strength and speed that seemed impossible for such compact configurations of flesh. She saw the world around her with such clarity of vision that she almost felt as though she had been nearly blind to all that surrounded her, her other senses similarly enhanced and honed to a predatory edge. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, almost feeling subdued despite the sheer speed and exertion that she was putting her body through, feeling no burning, nor aches from the run across the plains even as her eyes remained locked on the distant barricades of the Ignorant. To her, they almost seemed to be moving in slow motion, as though the very air they breathed was made from thick mud that they had to wade through with every action. Around her, she felt her fellow Servants separating and heading off on their own, sending messages of well-wishing and prayers for the success of one another. Jenatea absently acknowledge those messages and sent her own in return, carrying such actions out in the pause between heartbeats as she closed the final distance that remained between her and the first barricade that lead into Sama itself.

The PDF and Frateris Militia, having finally wasted a small eternity to line up their weapons, were firing upon her with every weapon they had. Lasguns, Heavy Stubbers, Autoguns and other weapons all fired at her and screamed around her, flying down streets and into walls as she watched the lips of the shooters moving, spit flying and shouts filling the air. A twist and flip caused one group to miss entirely, a side step caused a rain of high calibre shells to miss her entirely as a running leap closed the remaining distance as she danced over a wall of Lasgun fire. A few stray Las-bolts hit her, absorbed by Refractor Fields now hidden within supple flesh, or by the Shroud that now cloaked her movements. In the back of her mind, she was aware of the impacts on her defences, feeling them in the same way as one does the loss of clipped nails or cut hair, but only faintly, while one of the various pools of energy seemed to shrink in size. It was minute, but it was still enough for her to notice; Enough for her to know that she needed to do better next time.

However, those were thoughts for another time; To be filed away for safekeeping and reviewed only once victory had been claimed.

Before she had even landed among the Ignorant, her Titan Skin was already moving in response to her will as excess flowed from her internal reservoir and into her open hands, stretching into the familiar shape of a razor-edged sword in each hand. The moment that she touched the ground, she was already moving, faster than the Ignorant could react as she bisected the first man from shoulder to waist before stabbing another through the heart and a third in the head. Spinning around and jumping back, she moved just in time to cause the Squad of nine Battle-Sisters present to hit their own allies with Bolter fire as Jenatea back flipped over another man and kicked him in the waist hard enough to launch him into three of his comrades. All four of them impacted a wall hard enough to dent it, reducing themselves to bloody smears that the Servant paid no further mind to. A flick of the wrist caused one of her blades to transition into a whip as she twisted around, launching it at another squad of Ignorant PDF and Frateris Militia, cutting down all but one of them. The last one had the joy of being used as a projectile, the Titan Skin whip curling around his neck before launching him at the leader of the squad of Battle-Sisters, and taking them by surprise when the man impacted her hard enough to knock her off her feat.

Jenatea smiled at the distraction, seeing the concerned Sisters look to their leader before they turned their attention back to her. To an Ignorant, non-Enlightened Human, such an action would have only taken a few seconds as they gasped out the name of their knocked-over leader and a few rushed to her side. However, to a Seelie, such a span of time was a small eternity, one that she was more than happy to take advantage of as she lept the final distance, to the highest point of the Rockcrete fortifications, and engaged the Sisters directly. In an instant, one of her blades retracted as she grasped the collar of the first Sister as the Builders and Destroyers that cloaked her in a slim shroud went to work. Out of the corner of her eye, Jenatea watched with amusement as indecision caught the Sisters, as they watched what happened next.

Within moments, the Destroyers had stripped the Battle-Sister of her protection, removing her Power Armor and leaving her bare body exposed to the world as she struggled against the unmoving hand that grasped her throat. Swinging her legs, the captive Sister tried to fight back, lack the strength to even draw Jenatea's notice as her fists and feet ineffectively pounded at the Servant's Titan Skin. It was all the resistance that she was allowed as the Builders once the Destroyers had relocated, already beginning to construct the restraints that would hold the Sister as tendrils of Titan Skin whipped out and pulled fragile flesh and bone into position. Arms were pulled behind the Sister's back as her legs were pulled straight and bound in a brace of unyielding Adamantium before being covered in layers of Ceramite that squeezed against supple flesh.

It was only half way through the completion of these restraints that the other Sisters finally overcame their shock and indecision enough to raise their weapons and fire upon her. A defiant gesture, to be sure, but also one that was utterly worthless as the former Palatine's arm blurred, blade shifting as the Bolts were sliced into pieces in mid-air. The remains of Bolts hit the ground behind her, completely missing her and her captive as the Sisters sneered onwards and continued to fire their Bolters with anger raging in their expressions. Not even a few seconds later, the restraints were complete, trapping the first captive Sister in an embrace of cold metal the gently pushed on her from all sides, hugging her nude flesh and curves perhaps a bittoo snuggly. Only a few air holes remained open, and certainly nothing that she could speak through even if she could move her jaw.

At that point, several things happened at once. The first was Jenatea letting go of the now-secured Sister and allowing the capsule containing her to rest on the ground. Next, some of the Sisters ran out of ammo for their Bolters, while others kept firing them. Those that ran out of ammo either quickly went to reload, or simply threw their weapon away in disgust as they drew a mixture of Chainswords and Power swords. Three of them ran at her, screaming war cries that faded into strange, distorted sounds by their snail-like pace. The other four Sisters that ran out of ammo quickly went to reload as they covered the final Sister that was tending to their fallen leader. A look and an exercise of will was enough for Jenatea to suddenly realize that the Ignorant Sister hadn't been as unharmed by the impact as she had originally believed, currently suffering from a concussion of some description and a cut at the back of the head. Still, Jenatea considered, it worked in her favor as it kept them focused on her and what she had done to them and their Sisters, their rage overriding any sense of tactics and causing them to ignore the possibility of retreating.

Not that it would have helped.

Tendrils of Titan Skin shot out from her body, moving like lightning and grasping the four Sisters still in the process of reloading their weapons, trapping hands and necks in shackles that pulled them off their feet. Quickly, those same tendrils were swept to the side, pulling their captured prey with them across the ground and tripping up those Sisters that were still running at her with melee weapons drawn. They were in the air for moments before more tendrils flashed outwards, pulling them to the ground by the neck and holding them there as they were dragged across the ground like a dog on a leash. Without pause, Destroyers and Builders quickly went to work, not bothering with the dramatics previously present as suits of armor were warped into prisons that squeezed into naked flesh, giving the rough shape of kneeling women with their arms forced behind their backs. With seven out of nine of the Sisters contained, Jenatea turned back to face the last of the two Sisters that she had kept track of as a tendril shot out from her hand to grasp one of the Sisters even as her Shroud slowly fell to the ground, creeping over it before reaching the concussed Sister and slowly binding her in place.

With that done, Jenatea turned her attention to the final Sister that now struggled against her grip as Destroyers rapidly stripped away her Power Armor, leaving her just as defenceless as the others. Even so, Jenatea watched as her captive continued to thrash against her, kicking ineffectively even as her feet dangled above the ground after being pulled to be at eye level with the Servant. Cocking her head to the side, the Servant allowed her perspective to slow down and let her experience the world as the Sister was, if only for a moment. With that, her distorted noises started to sound more like words, not requiring them to be mentally pieces together for Jenatea to understand them.

"-lease them at once, Foul Xeno!" The Sister demanded as she tried throwing yet more punches and kicks that weren't even registered by her Titan Skin as any kind of attack. For all her attempts, her mortal strength might as well have been a gentle summer's wind, if only due to the blessings of her Lord Eternal. However, that wasn't to say that they didn't have an effect, as Jenatea cocked her head slightly further to one side as she wondered. Admittedly, she knew the answer already, and yet, she still wondered why anyone would want to resist the chance that was being offered to them, even if only out of Ignorance, but the question still needed to be voiced, even as a thought caused the Titan skin covering her head to slowly drain away, either to flow into the rest of her armored form, or to disappear back into her flesh and wait to be called once more. With that done, Jenatea looked back at the woman, who now looked at her with a wide-eyed stare, before the Servant voiced her question.

"Sweetest of Sisters, why do you rage? A new day dawns and a new light shines, the past growing further distant as new glories arise. Blessed are those welcomed by the light, as invitations are not offered twice. A new day may yet dawn, for many more, but this day, the choice is yours." Psychological conditioning and various mimetic therapies had triggered as soon as Jenatea went to speak, turning normal speech into something Other when compared to the normal bluntness of Human speech and helped further by her intent to follow the commandments of her Lord. Even more so, her voice carried an undertone that was almost hypnotic in tone and captivating to listen to, causing the captive Sister's mind to simply grind to a halt for a moment as it struggled to comprehend the sight before her. Jenatea merely waited with a sly smile of impish amusement as she watched the Sister with interest, observing every tick and twitch as gear ground together in protest within the Battle-Sister's mind as she mentally processed and translated what she had just heard.

However, that wasn't to say that the Battle-Sister was slow on the uptake, even if the Jenatea did feel as though she had taken a small eternity to understand her question, especially given their current perception of the passage of time. However, it seemed as though the question finally clicked into focus as the Battle-Sister's eyes narrowed and her lips twitched into a sneer of disgusted rage, only highlighted by the sounds of distant battles being fought. Jenatea didn't even bother looking around to know that the battle was progressing well, with both PDF and Frateris Militia forces being slaughtered or forced back while members of the Sisters were being granted a similar choice as the Sister before her, however unspoken it might have been.

That didn't stop such a generous offer being spat upon, such in the case of the Sister before her when she cocked back her arm and threw it at the servant's exposed face with all the strength she could muster. Naturally, even without her Titan Skin, the blessings of her Lord ran deep, and had reforged her supple form to endure forces magnitudes greater than the force of an unaugmented, female Human's punch.

"Die in fire, you traitorous filth! You and your Xenos-Masters! All of you shall burn in the Emperor's Wrath for your desecration of this world and the Human form!" The Sister screamed and raged as she drew her hand back for another punch, completely ignoring the pain caused by the first impact before throwing a second punch, and a third, before Jenatea finally stopped her. The Servant wasn't even bothered by the hits, her muscles unbothered and her face unbruised, as all the Battle-Sister was doing was breaking her own hand in the process. Even with her perception of time turned down so low, she was still hellishly fast when compared to the sluggish flesh of the Ignorant Sister before her, as such, clamping a hand around her injured wrist and holding firm as the Sister tried to pull free. The inability to free herself only seemed to fuel the Sister's rage, probably not helped by the giggle that escaped Jenatea's lips upon hearing the declarations of hate and threats aimed at her and her Lord.

"Oh, Sweetest of Sisters, speaking of matters both delightful and distasteful, neither knowing Truth nor knowing Lie. Thank you, Sweetest of Sisters, for this moment of joy in a day most dreary, but a gift is owned for joy freely given." Jenatea remarked as narrowed eyes glared back at her, mouth already opening in the process of demanding to know what she meant, but the Seelie felt no need in granting such a wish, nor of hearing further words from the Sister of Battle, for there was still a city to be won and more Sisters to bring in from the dull thrall of Ignorance that cloaked the Imperium in a thick miasma. With that in mind, Jenatea waited only long enough to allow the other woman's lips to part before striking, pushing herself forwards until lips connected and the Seelie's tongue managed to slip into the unprepared mouth of her captive.

It was amusing in a way, Jenatea decided, seeing the Sister's eyes shoot wide at the sudden intrusion of her body. Muffled protests quickly tried to escape her lips, even as she tried to bit down on the tongue now tickling the back of her throat, freely exploring every crack and crevice that she could find in the younger woman's mouth. These protests quickly faded as the Sister slowly lost even the strength to fight back as chemicals slowly filtered through mouth-to-mouth contact to sap her strength, ruin her concentration and leave her only in a state of dull bliss. In such a state, the Sister ceased to even be able to put up a fight, or even be able to think straight as Jenatea finally retreated from the yielding mouth of her captive as, what sounded like, a groan of protest escaped the limp woman's lips. Smiling with amusement, Jenatea knew it was to be expected. A normal Human could only process and react so fast to changing situations and circumstances, but even with her perception of time dialed down to match that of a Human, her reflexes and the speed at which she processed matters still vastly outmatched any baseline Human. Indeed, it also explained the experience of the Battle-Sister quite well, as her perception of the kiss was one that was over in an instant, Jenatea's experience had been an eon onto itself.

However, such a difference hardly mattered, especially with the Sister now in a far more pliable state. Already, Builders were working upwards from the floor to create a stand to build from that quickly reached the woman's feet and entrapped them in bindings of Adamantium followed by a sheathing of Ceramite to fully enclose her flesh. Letting go of the Sister's arm, Jenatea watched as it flopped down to her side as the afterglow of her experience had yet to fade from her mind or body. Leaning in, Jenatea decided to help that along with a nibble on the crook of her neck, followed by allowing her tongue to drag itself up her skin towards the Human's ear. Chemicals in her saliva, while less concentrated than what had been previously released, worked well to send shivers of delight through the Battle-Sister's body even as hot breath played against the sensitive skin of her ear.

"Do not fear, Sweetest of Sisters. Your times of woe grow short as times of joy grows near, where Lies will be shown and Truth revealed. So rejoice, Sweetest of Sisters, for your trials are over and rewards await in his embrace..." With that, Jenatea pulled back as the Builders finally reached the Sister's head, covering it over as she directed them to. An instant later, nothing but smooth, off-white material covered the bound form of the squad of Sisters that had once stood guard over this barricade.

A thought and her sense of time increased to her new normal even as her Titan Skin flowed once more to cover her completely. In the distance, she could feel the battle continue even as she had taken a few minutes to subdue this squad of Battle-Sisters and have her little conversation. Tapping into the weave of communications that linked all under her Lord's domain, the status of all constructs and comrades within the battlefield even as she sifted through the reports of what she had missed in that span of time. Nothing of importance, was the verdict, as she learned that her Lord's constructs were pushing along the front with multiple breaches made that lead deeper into the city. Sanctified Bolos were leading the charge as Blessed Ruiners followed along, clearing out pockets of survivors while man-sized constructs formed into groups and either rushed to the frontline or hunted for survivors that escaped the Death Clouds of Destroyers produced by the Blessed Ruiners.

A warning flashed for an instant as she turned to the source of it, a shockwave suddenly flying through the narrow city streets and leaving a trail of shattered glass and collapsing structures in its wake. Between the cracks of falling buildings, Jenatea could see the light of a newly birthed star lingering on the ground even as clouds of ashes rose into the air. A thought was all it took for the image to be captured, already inscribed into her enhanced memory, but taking the pict-capture was something that she felt was needed to immortalize the moment.

A moment later and the shockwave passed, followed by the collapse of several buildings that now filled the street with ruins and rubble. Shaking her head at her moment of indulgence, she glanced back the way she came to see the distant forms of her reinforcements before mentally nodding to herself. With that done, she turned back to the city itself before taking off in the flying leap deeper into the maze of Rockcrete and glass.

For all that the battle for Sama was still raging, Jenatea knew that victory already belonged to her Lord.

All that truly remained was to enlighten those that opposed her Lord this Truth, either as a corpse, or as another to be enlightened like she was.

XXX

AN: Anyway, there is chapter one of this storyline, hope you all enjoyed it, and please feel free to leave comments and feedback. I'll try for shorter chapters in the future.

Assuming I get some free time in the future.