2.5
What was in this pod that it could get the attention of a damned Bloodthirster?
Distant thumping echoes through the forest for a moment. Singleton straightens up, while the Symbiont dematerializes, his cohort drifting to the ground. The name on his suit declares him just as well as his Symbiont does.
Redgrave.
The source of the black hole enters the clearing a few moments later, knocking over a tree as it does. It's a massive thing, larger than even the Bloodthirster. A Dirge, and a fully grown one, at that.
My Dirge-self moves with a grace that's unexpected, for something of that size, heading towards the pod. My other bodies do the same, as does Singleton and Redgrave.
"What is it?" The latter asks.
"I'm not certain." Singleton answers. "My scans are receiving interference."
I look over the pod. It's just as it was before, though there's a little less Warp Energy around it now.
Singleton kneels down, touching the pod. His fingers curve, and he lifts it, turning it over.
The other side of it is something that isn't smooth metal, so that's an immediate improvement when it comes to figuring out what this is. There's actually a pair of markings, one above the other. The first is a simple one, showing 'II', but the second...
It looked like an eagle head, actually. A side-on view of one, with a pair of lightning bolts behind it.
And now that I say it like that, I realize what it is. I know this symbol.
Singleton's hand brushes over the icon, lingering on it for a moment.
"Something wrong?" Redgrave asked.
Singleton took a moment to answer. "I am detecting a lifesign."
Lifesign? Hmm... Yes, underneath this Warp Energy, I can feel... bio-energies. Though, they're a bit odd.
Singleton's hand drifts down, finding a seam. He digs a finger in, and the pod opens up.
I pause. Singleton stops. Redgrave freezes.
"That's a baby."
Indeed, it's a baby. Asleep, surrounded by arcane technology, and pulsing with the most powerful soul I've ever seen.
"Yes." Singleton agrees.
A Clasher-self reaches in, gently picking up the baby.
"Why does a pod that got spat out of the damned Warp have a baby in it?"
I touch a pincer to its chest, a pulse of energy flowing it.
"I don't know."
Woah. This soul is... Human, but more. And echoing with something ancient and powerful. And the Warp connection, it's just ridiculously strong. The most powerful Psyker in Sanctuary can't compare.
Which... is not a good thing, on this planet, inside of this Warp Storm. A soul of this strength would be difficult to corrupt, but if it was corrupted...
Eugh. Terrifying.
I can sense it, actually. Warp Energies concentrating, Chaos drawn to this power like mosquitoes were drawn to blood. The only thing stopping it is the lingering energies of that more ancient power.
I know what this baby is. I know what it means, too. There will be consequences.
But, that said... I can't let this corruption happen. And I only knew one way, for certain, that would stop it.
I prepare a Symbiont-
And at that moment, the baby's eyes open, blinking. They turn to my Clasher-self, displaying awareness that no normal Human baby had. I can feel the soul reaching out.
Before anything can happen, I reach back, enveloping the baby's soul in my power. It stills, feeling me back, searching for signs of... danger, hostility. I send a feeling of safety to it, the idea that I will protect it. I am honest, and after a moment, it lets go, eyes closing again.
The body was just as strong as the soul. Far from a normal Human. Many additional structures, organs, things with purpose... and yet...
The soul... is bound tightly to the body, here. In a way that I've never seen before. The body supports the soul and the soul supports the body. It was...
Elegant, honestly. But also troublesome. A normal creature- a normal body might be able to survive without a soul, but this baby... Definitely not. There's an interdependency there, so efficient that it cannot be natural.
And yet... It's adaptable. Simple exposure is making both the body and the soul change, in a way that reminded me...
Of myself, actually. More limited- far more limited, yet oddly similar in a few ways...
This Symbiont will have to be implanted carefully. I feed it in, gently, entwining it with the structures of the soul and the body. It's far more involved than any other, but there's enough room, and enough adaptability on behalf of the baby, for it to work.
This one would be one to watch.
"And now the baby's got a Symbiont." Redgrave sighs, shaking his head. "Oh, whatever."
"We should hurry to bring this back to Sanctuary." Singleton says, picking up the pod in one arm.
Sanctuary's leadership consisted of a group of six. It was a small council, the most capable of Sanctuary, with further assistance from MUM and dedicated Stone Administrative AIs, all to form a body that could act with maximum efficiency and knowledge for the good of mankind.
Or, at least, the good of Sanctuary. We were all kind of stuck in here, after all.
The six in the room weren't particularly strange, at least as far as the people of Sanctuary went. Three women, two men, and a Valiant. I knew all of them.
Tori Una. A relatively short woman, in comparison to everybody else in Sanctuary, which meant that she wasn't a giant like the rest of them, standing at the 'mere' height of 170 centimeters. She was about the only person I knew whose genetic engineering hadn't put them at at least 190, a fact which she took in stride. She was in charge of finance, control and management of the resources that Sanctuary used in its day-to-day operations. She ran a pretty tight ship, all considered.
Vivian Lawrence. A serious person, whose seemingly dour attitude hid just how much she cared. Health was her remit, ensuring the safety and prosperity of the people of Sanctuary, both physically and mentally.
Leo Lawrence. Vivian's brother and teammate. The mandate of civil security was his, managing Sanctuary's police and investigative forces. Between him and his sister, actual crime had remained very low, the people of Sanctuary well cared-for, even outside of the Symbiont.
Mikah Sephen. Head of science, development. A man possessed with the undying desire to know more, tempered by his experiences on this world. He was a great engineer himself, with an army of researchers underneath him.
Singleton. Security was the task assigned to this ancient Man of Stone, and there were few more suited to the job. One did not survive for ten thousand years in a galaxy like this without having picked up more than a few tricks. Singleton was a decorated soldier, a defender of Humanity from an age long past.
And of course, the head of the council.
Lucy Tak.
A woman who'd be much happier exploring the mysteries of life, guided by nothing more than her own relentless curiosity. She had fire within her, a strength that seen the worst this planet had to offer and spat in its face. She'd been on the forefront of a lot of it.
After all, she was my first host. I'll admit, I had no small amount of fondness for her.
Quite the array gathered, today.