**Author's notes: Authors on this site have not seen any stats or hits since the middle of September. Comments appreciated at this time because right now, my stats have been at zero for weeks and it makes me sad.**

I sat in Null's workshop for a short time getting my existential horror under control. As I breathed deeply, a calming warmth seemed to wash through my being, relaxing me. I wasn't sure where this feeling had come from, but I did note that the laurels on my head felt slightly warmer.

Now refreshed, I stood up, and began my walk back to my suite. As I walked, a peculiar and unpleasant tickle pulled at my intuition as I passed Alberich's room. I stopped, and did a short psychic viewing on what had caused that feeling.

There was a daemon in his room. Now that I was becoming stronger, Chaotic taint was getting easier to perceive. The creature I sensed felt Tzeentchian, and it was then that I remembered that Alberich was in possession of the daemon glaive, Valkyrie...

Immediately, I knocked on the door to Alberich's suite. I had to get that possessed weapon away from him.

After a short time with no answer and another psychic investigation, I concluded that the psyker wasn't home. I opened the door anyway.

Inside, I could see that Alberich's quarters were furnished similarly to mine, but with slightly less wealth. To my left, Alberich's long twin bed was neatly made under grey blankets, and his new clothes were presumably tucked away in a chest of metal drawers that lined the wall opposite to the bed.

My Sight drew my attention to the tall metal shadow resting in the far corner of the room. The daemon glaive Valkyrie stood leaning against the metal wall, its immaculate silvery blade facing toward me in a way that almost seemed threatening.

I stood before the weapon, reluctant to touch it. It would probably be safer to use telekinesis to pick this thing up instead of coming in direct physical contact with it. With a breath, I reached forward to psychically grip the weapon and went to pull it into the air.

To my surprise, it didn't move, and to add insult to injury, I sensed that the creature in the glaive was smiling at me. What? Frustrated, I decided to draw more heavily within my Sight. My Corona began to shimmer in gold fire around my upper body in response to my psychic effort, and I telekinetically reached forward again.

The glaive still didn't respond to my psychic grip, and the daemon within the weapon continued to observe me with bemusement.

Maybe I should get the Blanks to grab this artifact, I wondered for a moment in irritation. Or, maybe something like me has nothing to fear from any sort of daemon, and I should just grab the damn thing...

Oh, fuck it, I thought. With an angry twitch of my eye, I braced myself as I walked forward and quickly gripped the evil weapon along its haft.

Immediately, the Warp beast within the artifact spoke to my mind. Salutations, oh blessed of change, the creature purred, pleased to be grasped by me. I did not respond and turned around, departing Alberich's suite in a purposeful stride. The possessed metal shimmered with an opalescence similar to that of the skin of a soap bubble. I'm glad we have a moment to talk, friend. I'm worried about you.

Quiet, I instructed.

You seem tense, the daemon blade Valkyrie murmured quietly, its syrupy voice crawling through my mind like evil wine. It almost actually seemed concerned. Does the terrible gold burden you carry injure you?

None of your damn business, I retorted.

I can easily smell that your soul cries out in madness and pain, the daemon spoke. Your predecessor was consumed under his burden, his free will subsumed and his gentle personality subverted by that which is corrupting you. And now, he suffers eternally, a prisoner in his own mummified husk. My kin and I, we see all in the threads of fate. We also see the location of suitable vessels that may preserve your free will, blessed one.

I didn't respond to this immediately. The daemon actually had a point here, but I wasn't going to entertain it.

Yes, your hesitance to respond and the pain in your heart tells me many things, the creature purred. I continued walking forward, passing one of Null's servitors as it attended to an unknown errand. There are ways around this progressive gold consumption, oh Dark Queen of heaven. Hidden from the eyes of the galaxy, stones of power exist that can gird you against the erosion of your free will. We of fate and change see many things, and we know that such a stone is near. The great Lord of Change has arranged a gift for you; all you need to do is to take it.

Your deal is probably just bullshit, I answered as I came to the door of the parlor, unlocking it with my touch. I walked inside, and the door shut behind me.

I do not speak of deals, the daemon spoke, its telepathic voice amused.

I walked to the rear of the parlor and found an empty corner beside a bookshelf that contained what appeared to be a large daemon skull. Since I could lock this room securely with my touch, I could keep this cursed glaive hidden here, safe from curious hands.

I am not listening to you, I telepathically growled.

Of course you aren't. Your kind rarely listens to reason, the daemon chuckled as I leaned the weapon against the corner wall and left it there. Unexpectedly, Valkyrie's possessing spirt continued speaking even when not in physical contact with me. But, you should consider these words at least, for you are in luck. You are in proximity to at least one precious bloodstone, an artifact that can prevent your consumption. A similar jewel was worn by another of your predecessors. It is locked behind a security grid. A silly scatterbrained Magos has locked it with the code 999999999. Consider this information as a gift of friendship from the Lord of Change.

The last words of the daemon were of black velvet, and I felt its presence depart from me. I stood watching the evil glaive for a few moments, suspicious and angry. I hated daemons. I was pretty sure that there was an elaborate ritual in the lore that could bind and force a daemon to do your bidding, but unfortunately, I had no knowledge on how to enact such wizardry. Instead of worrying about manipulative monsters from hell, I decided to head back to my suite instead.

I spent the rest of the evening alone and staring into space on my bed as I contemplated my loss of self and free will. After a short time of doing nothing, I found myself very tired, and drifted off to sleep.

I considered it a great win that I experienced no visions or daemonic shenanigans as I dreamed, and woke up relatively refreshed the next morning. Classical music could be heard echoing through the Divine Retribution's metal hallways, and the faint smell of baking bread hung pleasantly in the air.

After a supplemental glucose-heavy psyker ration given to me by 99-Z, I enjoyed another pleasant brunch with my crew. Wolfie had decided to join me for this meal, and the astral hound dozed at my feet in a small black cloud of Warpstuff. Interestingly, Virgil now seemed to be sipping from a mug, and I discovered that Null had been able to quickly encode a holographic mug of hot recaf for the astropath to enjoy. This was made possible by a holographic emitter that the Tech-priest carried about, which was wildly impressive. Alberich sat at his own table this time, obviously still disturbed from yesterday and unable to make eye contact with me. If he had noticed that his glaive was missing, he wasn't bringing it up, and he still could not make eye contact with me. Null announced proudly that he had been successful in increasing the weight allowance on the Horse of a Different Color, but we could still only take only about 600 kilograms aboard the small flyer.

"I can't up capacity any more without an expansion of the frame," Null said, shaking his head as we all stood finishing our recaf and tea. Servitors picked up the remains of freshly baked eggy biscuits and fresh fruit cubes on plates. "And, with a frame expansion, I need more supplies and a devoted workshop. While I have some raw materials, I will require more iron, adamantium, ceramite, tungsten, and iridium. Uranium too, if we can find it."

"Is this what future cars are made up of? Uranium? Isn't that dangerous?" Alberich asked curiously.

"Only if unshielded," Null informed us. "But, with your blessing, Inheritor, I'd like to petition the local Magos for such raw materials. I do have a few items I can trade, and I would wish to do so."

"Don't hurt the Horse of a Different Color," Zok called out from the kitchen. "She has spirit!"

"I've already offered consecrations. You need not worry about her getting 'hurt', mutant."

"Okay, settle down," I implored to my ornery crew. "So, a few of us are headed out to Magos Jinnicky's tower as we wait for the Divine Retribution to regenerate. Our goal is not to be here on Ix for longer than necessary. There's a Hell-Forge sitting two light years away and we risk getting the attention of the Chaos Tech-priests the longer we stay. As soon as the Divine Retribution has mended, we're out of here."

"Who will be going with you?" Alberich asked, straightening his back as he bravely looked me in the eye. "For the weight requirement of the car, I estimate that I weigh 80 kilograms in this body."

"I am 309.5 kilograms without armor. I'm afraid that my power armor would put us over the flyer's weight capacity. I would not be able to wear my armor should you choose to take me on this mission," Lian offered as he sipped his recaf. The massive size of his hand made his metal tumbler look almost like a shot glass.

"I am 113.1 kilograms in weight," Kaas offered in her grinding monotone voice. "Rahm is 119 kilograms. Valuable information: Rahm holds skill in shuttle flight protocols and appropriate respect of machine spirits."

I nodded, and added, "I'm 78, I think. Not sure. Null told me I was about that heavy since I'm getting taller and stronger," I offered. "Null, you're probably a definite, seeing as how Jinnicky is a Tech-priest like you. How heavy are you?"

"Parts of me are detachable for my utility as an Explorator Archmagos," Null explained, roping a mechadendrite around to tap at his own metal shoulder. "The form you see before you is 147.8 kilograms, but I would rather not remove my necessary attachments. For the rest of the crew, I estimate that the Blank sisters are approximately 63 kilograms each, Grand Advisor Grigori Rasputin is 73 kilograms, and Zok is 110 kilograms."

"72.3 kilograms, but excellent guess," Rasputin offered with a belch in his rolling Russian accent. "If you are choosing passengers, I would enjoy very much to witness a new alien world."

"We as well," Ennoia added in English. "See new planet."

"I'm afraid that we can't take the entire gang with us to Jinnicky's tower on the Horse of a Different Color, and because of the local population of feral tribesmen, hiking 20 kilometers through the mountain snow isn't a good idea," I replied quietly, studying each of my crewmembers for suitability. Horse of a Different Color was not a large flyer, and Lian would probably be a tight squeeze. At the same time, however, Lian was incredibly strong, and unquestionably loyal to me. "Lian, I know you're heavy, but you're probably the strongest among us physically, so I'd like you to go."

"Very well. Thy will be done," Lian acknowledged with a bow of his head.

Null made a thoughtful "hmm" noise. "Between you, me, and the Astartes, this adds up to 535.3 kilograms," the Tech-priest informed me. "If we take one of the Blank women, we can be well equipped for security, but we would be right at the edge of what we can carry. In addition, I suspect that even without his power armor that the Astartes might cause a weight distribution problem. He is, by his physiology, a very dense individual. It may even be more prudent to leave him behind."

"I'd rather just bring Lian along, and leave the Blanks behind for now," I responded dryly. Despite sensing Null's loyalty with Sight, I had to be careful around the Tech-priest and ex-Fabricator-General. Lian was the only one who was conceivably strong enough to quickly dispatch Null if he went machine crazy again. "I'll also bring Wolfie too. He's also getting pretty dangerous, and I don't think he weighs anything."

As if sensing my attention (or just hearing his name), Wolfie stood up at my feet, and made a happy chuffing noise that caused ethereal black smoke to shake from his partially insubstantial body. The astral hound was about border collie size now. How much bigger would he get?

"If this is your will, so be it," Null explained. "Even with only taking the Astartes and myself, we still may have a weight distribution problem. Horse of a Different Color has five seats. Two front, three back. The Astartes may have to lie across the back seats."

"Well, let's see if he fits, and if he does, I want him to come with us," I said with a shrug. "Lian, you're taking your sword. If you don't fit, we'll take Morai and Ennoia instead."

"I obey," the Fallen Paladin responded with another head bow. The Blank sisters also crossed their arms and bowed in a respectful gesture.

"Does this mean I will not get to see the alien winter landscape? A pity," Rasputin piped up with an exaggerated frown. As he spoke, I noticed that all my crewmembers seemed to radiate discomfort. Alberich even rolled his eyes. No one really liked the Mad Monk, and it was obvious. "What a disappointment. It has been a dream to witness new worlds since I came into this universe. But, I am not a valiant fighter like Lian, so I understand. Are we permitted to venture outdoors in your absence, tsarina?"

Letting my other crewmembers go outside for fun was probably not completely safe, I thought. It would, however, permit my crew to enjoy some recreational time. A happy crew would be a crew that would be less likely to fight with me or screw around behind my back. Even though I knew that allowing people to go outside might not be 100% safe, I would be driven 100% more insane if I kept having to deal with an anxious, bickering crew all the time.

I began hesitantly, knowing that I was probably making a mistake. "I'd... rather you all be safe and stay inside, honestly. But, you're all pretty adept at handling yourselves between psychic ability and raw strength. So, if you want to go outside, you can. Just please don't go far and get into trouble. And, don't mess with any of the locals if you see them. Actually, if you see anyone, go right back inside. Let the Divine Retribution squash any bad guys if they cause trouble. If you fuck up, you'll have to deal with me later, got it?" I responded with a brief flash of power from my gold aura.

The Mad Monk smiled widely and folded his hands before him.

"Russians enjoy their snow, I suppose," Alberich tutted.

"Maybe you and Rasputin can use this opportunity to make a snowman outside or something and learn how to get along? Maybe do a team building exercise?" I offered, massaging my temple. "Anyway, are we ready to head to Jinnicky's tower? Null, Lian?" Wolfie barked at my feet. "You too, boy," I said with a grin.

"Thy will be done, Inheritor," Lian said with a nod.

Null stood up from his chair. "Inheritor, Lian, I propose we meet in the hallway outside of my workshop in about fifteen minutes. I will lead you to the Horse of a Different Color in one of the shuttle bays. For those of you that do not know, this vessel has both a hold and two small adjacent shuttle bays along each rear flank. I'm unsure if the hold and shuttle bays have always been there, or if it spontaneously shaped itself when this vessel grew larger recently."

Zok then appeared from the kitchen once again as we were all getting ready to leave the galley. "But who will pilot the Horse of a Different Color?" the Tzaangor asked dejectedly, wiping his flour-dusted hands on his black apron.

"I was able to download a flight protocol last night. I now have basic knowledge on how to pilot the Horse," Null answered. "She will be in good hands."

The Tzaangor cook appeared saddened, his beak pointed low. "Do not hurt her. Do not overtax her. Tell her she is beautiful."

"I respect and adore the will of the machine. To abuse such a lively flyer would be immoral."

Null saying this was funny now that I knew what he had done in his past. I felt my Corona begin to brighten as an image of Null relaxing with Horus fucking Lupercal flashed in my mind's eye again.

Instead of getting angry, I stood up, and announced, "Alright folks, you heard Null. Lian, dress warmly for the weather; we're not in a desert world this time. It's cold outside. To everyone else, you can do whatever you want. Just don't get into trouble. If you go outside, stay near to the vessel. Do not abuse my generosity, please."

A few minutes later, and I was standing with Lian as the two of us waited for Null outside his workshop. Wolfie had vanished a short time ago, but I was sure the astral hound would show up again if there was a fun fight for him to enjoy. Standing beside me, the Fallen Paladin now held his impressive power sword slung across his back, and he had changed into what appeared to be more rugged black and grey civilian clothes complete with a large fur-lined jacket. Nimmie Amee and Lian's Fallen buddies on Tar Vigaz had really come through for us with supplies. I was very glad that my Honor Guard was well-outfitted with quality clothes instead of only having his power armor to wear.

I was dressed in heavy black trousers and rugged boots along with a heavy fur-lined black military coat that looked vaguely threatening. My hair was freshly braided into two long black and white braids that fell over my collar, and I decided to leave my laurels uncovered. I had taken a short bath before getting dressed in order to slough off as much of my burned flaking skin as possible. Luckily, I didn't seem to have any large areas of visible peeling skin after I had dressed. My gold laurel crown had the nice effect of keeping my head warm, so I wouldn't need a hat. I decided to bring my scabbard along to hold the Nemeses Argentum even though it didn't quite fit anymore. In my right hand, I held Nabopolassar's eagle-topped force staff. Between the force staff, my burgeoning Sight powers, and my hair-trigger temper, I was probably a one woman army now. Move over, Sly Marbo. I'm a special character!

After laughing at the joke I had made to myself (and seeing Lian turn to me with concern), Null emerged from his workshop. The Tech-priest had also changed into a heavier red robe that appeared more formal than his typical AdMech attire. "Greetings," Null said to us as he walked out into the hall, the door to his workshop sliding closed behind him.

"Shall we be off?" I asked. "We ready?"

"Certainly. I should note that just before exiting my workshop that the Divine Retribution is predicting a band of snow showers to blanket this area with a few centimeters of frozen precipitation later today, but it isn't a storm. You two are dressed suitably for such weather."

"Will the snow effect our flight?" Lian asked as Null lead us ahead and down a metal corridor I had not explored yet. It seemed to run parallel to the main hallway of the vessel.

"Provided it doesn't turn into a blizzard, the snow will not be a concern," the Tech-priest answered. "I've bolstered the void shields as well as increased the Horse's weight capacity, but she is still a small flyer and at risk for trouble in heavy windy conditions."

We began to walk down a metal hallway that ran parallel to the main corridor of the vessel. This was an area that I had not yet explored.

"There are two small shuttle bays on this vessel, and the second is just like this one. From the shuttle bay, you can access the cargo hold, which runs beneath a section of the main corridor of this vessel. In a few places of the interior, the floor can even slide away for easy access to the hold. The shuttle bays both have atmospheric and pressurization control, which means we can use them in the void. If the Divine Retribution continues to grow, it is likely that we may need to keep her in orbit when we visit a world, as she may become too cumbersome for atmospheric flight."

"Incredible," Lian answered appreciatively, sliding his fingers across the metal of the ship as he walked. "It grows as you do, Inheritor."

"Yeah, it does," I reluctantly said, uncomfortable with the topic.

After walking a short distance, we came upon an unremarkable double-width sealed metal door. Beside it, there was some kind of control panel with a black square screen and a few wide buttons. A small green light glowed above the screen, and Null reached forward with his gold hand to touch the surface of the panel. Lines of text detailing gravity, pressure, and temperature appeared. Null pressed the largest circular button beside the closed door. The wide metal entryway opened before us with a hiss, and a brief gust of cold wind wafted across my cheeks. It smelled of winter and evergreen trees.

"This is the airlock. This cold air comes from outside," Null offered as he waved us forward into a wide square room. Another control panel with a blinking green light stood before an additional secure metal door. On this door's left side, a wide wheel was also visible, likely for manually opening the portal if need be. The Divine Retribution had a few of these wheels adjacent to some of the heavier entryways through the main interior.

Our trio gathered within this metal room, and after we were inside, the door behind us sealed itself up with a pneumatic hiss. Null walked forward, and touched the black screen of the control panel, and with another press of a wide button, the door opened.

Before us was a long brightly lit metal space about ten meters wide, but only four wide. On the floor, the Horse of a Different Color (which shifted from grey to pink shortly after we entered the room) rested lengthwise beside what appeared to be a small wheeled worktable filled with tools, scrap metal, and other mechanical implements. On the ceiling, I could see the curvature of the Divine Retribution's outer hull. Behind the vehicle, I could see the outline of what appeared to be another very wide entryway in the outer hull. This wall probably swung open to allow a flyer to launch to the outside world.

Null announced, "Good morning, little lady!" as he confidently walked ahead to pet Horse's left front door, and began to busily inspect her. "Are you ready for an adventure today?" the Tech-priest cooed. This flyer was an impressively crafted shuttle, and she resembled an early twentieth century Rolls Royce convertible with retro futuristic styling. Right now, she was a cheerful light pink, and a long stylized magenta silhouette of a running horse raced across her side. Horse of a Different Color had six black wheels for more terrestrial movement, and a pair of partially retracted wings for airborne travel. I hadn't noticed this when we were fleeing Evna, but Horse had five large chromed exhaust ports, and an elegantly crafted stabilizer and tail that also lay partially retracted into the rear of the vehicle. It reminded me of a small airplane, and its tail was shaped almost like a dolphin's.

"This car is really cool," I said with a smile as I walked ahead with Lian following behind. Null continued to investigate the vehicle, checking its tires and tapping its small retracted wings with a whip mechadendrite. He also wheeled the worktable away, locking it and setting it aside next to the airlock door.

Horse of a Different Color was laying parallel to the hull wall, and stood atop a wide circular metal pad. It appeared that this round flat floor section could be rotated for convenience and to launch the flyer. I observed that there wasn't a whole lot of room in here. If turned on its side, Horse of a Different Color wasn't much smaller than the width of the shuttle bay. If the flyer was much larger, she would not be able to adequately fit in this space.

The Tech-priest noticed my concerned expression, and began to elaborate. "Yes, this is a somewhat cramped bay, as you can see. Only room for one shuttle on the landing pad here," Null said as he tapped his foot against the wide circular floor area below the flyer. " I don't have much room to work, but I can still do as instructed. There's still room for a frame expansion, as well. But, one thing concerns me, however: I have discovered that there is no secure bay for potential visitors to be received if you don't count the other shuttle bay, which, like this one, holds no defensive security measures."

"The Divine Retribution can defend itself pretty well, I think," I said, walking to stand beside the Horse of a Different Color's front hood.

"Yes it can. However, I speak of if we get a visitor... perhaps a visitor where you are uncertain of their motives but you still wish to speak with them, if you can understand what I mean. The Imperium held specialized bays for uncertain visitors in many of their larger void craft. They could be armed if it became obvious that a guest was not as they appeared, either with disease, a bomb, anything of that sort. A quarantine bay, if you will."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," I replied as I placed my hands on the flyer's hull. She was warm, and when I touched her, her pink hull grew more saturated in color. "At least we have this shuttle bay for now. Maybe if the ship gets bigger I can convince it to spawn a new secure bay?"

"Yes, that would be smart," Null answered with smiling green eyes. "If you can influence this vessel to craft such a thing that would be wise, Inheritor."

"And this floor port. This leads to the hold?" Lian brought our attention to a wide gold square on the floor a short distance from the parked Horse. It was surrounded on three sides by a tall railing. "Does this open?"

"Yes, it does," the Tech-priest said, walking to another control panel that blinked against the wall.

Null tapped an instruction onto the panel, and the gold square opened up into a spiraling staircase. Below, more wind blew upward. "This leads to the hold. Normally, the hold is pressurized along with the main interior, but right now, everything is mostly equalized, as the outside air is very clean and fresh."

"You know the way to Jinnicky's, and you definitely can drive this vehicle?" I asked, walking around Horse of a Different Color, observing her grey leather seats. Lian followed close beside me, and now wore a concerned look on his face as he studied the five seats of Horse of a Different Color. She really wasn't a large flyer, and now, I was definitely concerned that Lian might not fit. There appeared to be room for about five larger individuals in this flyer, and its interior was spaced like a sport utility vehicle with a cushioned bench for the rear three seats. Would Lian be able to squeeze in the back seat?

"Yes, I know the way. I have a flight plan downloaded into my memory banks. It might be a little windy, and we might be slightly clumsy due to weight, but I believe we can manage," Null answered my question as he opened the driver's side door on the left side of the vehicle. The Tech-priest then paused, and narrowed his animated eyes at Lian. "Mmm, the fit may be tight, but I think we can do it," Null spoke. "You'll have to sprawl across the seats."

"We can try, at least," I said.

It was decided that I would sit in the passenger seat beside Null. The Fallen Paladin squeezed himself into the rear right seat to somewhat balance Null's higher weight on the left side. Under Null's instruction, he then moved his bent legs across the length of the rear seats. Hopefully, this would help with flight weight distribution. Because I couldn't find a good place for my force staff in the front seat, I gave it to the Fallen Paladin. Lian held the magic staff beside him with his power sword.

"We'll see if we can safely fly with this weight distribution in a moment. Horse of a Different Color's machine spirit is uncertain. Our capacity is 600 kilograms, but if we're badly unbalanced, we're going to have to come up with another solution," Null said as he clicked an ignition, causing Horse to purr to life. A brief hum covered the open top of the convertible in a shimmering barrier, which I assumed was the void shield.

Another click, and now, the hull of the Divine Retribution was opening before us, revealing the bright grey morning of an alpine plain. It was cold outside, and snow flurries swirled and sparkled in the wind. The Horse of a Different Color began to charge her engines with a pleasant rumble. The rocky landscape outside was covered in a thin layer of snow, and shadowy mountains loomed in the distance behind what appeared to be a veil of mist, currently concealing the Jinnicky's tower. The round launchpad then rotated, facing us toward the open entryway as Horse of a Different Color's wings and tail began to extend for flight. This was very exciting, I thought happily. Flying cars were really fun!

Null turned and informed me that the vessel's systems were telling him that we were borderline unbalanced. However, the flyer still appeared to be flightworthy; we would only have to abstain from more impressive acrobatics.

With another final check, we were now cleared for takeoff. With deep rumble, Horse of a Different Color then shot forward with a dramatic push of its engines, and we were now flying through the sky!

Horse rocked and bucked beneath us under the wind, but she held her flight and ascended quickly. I could tell that she was slightly listing to the right because of Lian's heavy weight, but Null seemed to be compensating well. The vehicle's color had switched to a bright yellow in what appeared to be happy excitement. The snowy plain fled away beneath us, and we were now soaring over the tops of the nearby conifer forest. With a brief turn, we were now racing toward Jinnicky's tower at a high rate of speed. While the void shields offered some protection from the sound of the wind and the weather, we could still hear the roar of the engines. It reminded me of being in a passenger airplane. Null raised his voice to be heard as he piloted: "This trip will not be long. We're going to be traveling at approximately 350 kilometers per hour, and if we're only going 23 kilometers, at most this trip will only be about several minutes in length. This machine spirit enjoys speed!"

"Does it need a runway to land?" I asked. The landscape below us was becoming rockier. Hiking this probably wouldn't be much fun, and I was again very grateful that we were taking the air route.

"No. Horse of a Different Color has anti-grav systems that aid in descent and ascent. All we need is a small flat place to land."

"And you say you will expand the frame of this flyer?" Lian asked, uncomfortably stretched out across the three seats behind us.

"If I can, yes. I will ask this Magos if he has any spare materials. Hopefully, Magos Jinnicky was transferred out to Ix as a genuine promotion, and not as a way to remove his presence from the adepts of the Tower of Reason. The Adeptus Mechanicus, I regret to say, often uses promotions and transfers to rid themselves of troublesome individuals. Myself and Magos Amee being examples of such behaviors."

"I hope everything goes alright," I said as we watched the landscape below become more rugged. I could now see the vague outline of Jinnicky's tower quickly approaching through the freezing mist. The wind became choppier, and we were briefly jostled before I added, "We don't exactly have a good record of staying out of trouble."

"No," Null replied. The Tech-priest then darkly laughed, and said, "I suppose all are purveyors of trouble, though. Ah, I see a landing pad!"

Ahead and below us, and through the concealing icy clouds, I could now see a rough circular landing pad. It was lit with blinking red lights, and we began to circle above and around it as Null studied the area. Jinnicky's tower could no longer be seen due to the freezing fog, but the Tech-priest informed us that it was above this landing pad.

After slowing down, we began to hover over the landing pad, and with a few bumps, we landed. The trip had taken all of about five minutes.

I retrieved my force staff from Lian as our group quickly disembarked. When we were all gathered on the rough stone landing pad, Horse of a Different Color's color shifted to a purple, and then, a more desaturated blue. "Ah, see? She wishes she could soar more often. What a lively machine spirit, I must say!" Null observed as he clicked a small circular gold object in his hands. This caused the vehicle to "lock" with a beep and a wide skin of thin metal emerged from various hidden compartments in the flying car's hull. These thin layers of metal magically expanded to cover the Horse completely, almost like the plates of an armadillo.

The Tech-priest noticed me studying the armored shell, and said, "Before you tell me, 'Null, this armor looks too thin', attempt to throw a stone, and see what happens!"

I picked up a pebble from the ground, and did just that. A blue electric crackle arced across the metal armor, and the stone deflected.

"You really that worried about thieves out here? Halfway up a mountain?" I asked cheekily.

"You can't be too careful during these dark galactic times, Inheritor," Null chuckled. "When we were on Nubua, the Angels of Ecstasy surprised us. Taking any precaution is a good idea."

Lian was now by my side, and I noticed that his green eyes were watchfully scanning the clouded landscape around us, presumably looking for any danger. Having an Honor Guard like this was great for security, but despite this, I was beginning to feel nervous about the thick freezing fog that veiled the mountainside. The cold mist concealed both the tower that hung above us, and the view of the snowy plain where we had come from below. Sound was also muffled here, and while I knew we were close to a cliffside, I could hear no echo from Null's metal steps, or through the tapping of my force staff.

Feeling more than a little nervous, I drew upon my Sight. With a flash of my halo, I briefly searched our general location for danger. It appeared that everything was fine, and I sensed no sign of any sort of Warp creature or evil wizard lurking nearby. Wolfie appeared at my feet in a puff of darkness, and looked up at me with his eyes of eerie flickering starlight.

FUN... FIGHT... PLAY? the astral hound expressed his wants to me with a wag of his tail.

"Maybe," I responded audibly. "Just keep an eye out for trouble, buddy. That goes for everyone."

Lian and Null nodded in acknowledgement.

"Shall we be off? We've got about a hundred meter climb ahead of us up a few switchbacks. I will go first, and make sure there is no ice on the mountain stair," Null said as he motioned us forward with his four metal hands. With the Tech-priest on point, our little group approached a rough stairway topped with worn metal that appeared to have been cut into the sheer cliff face, and we began to climb upward toward Magos Jinnicky's tower.