Chapter 2

Well, I got hooked up with writing this story...that and the fact that I stopped playing Destiny and that I got overwhelming support for this story so! Chapter 2 hooray!

To Raxam05! When there's the next chapter? NOW :). For an updated schedule...eeeeh Idk, whenever I feel like it sorry


After completing the mission of handing over Misha to the LGD, The son of the Emperor dives once again into the labyrinth of the slums but, unlike Rhodes Island, he has someone who gives him directions to his next target.

The Rat King Greytails were keeping themselves hidden in plain sight, talking, selling various objects...marking certain buildings and alleys where the reunion was.

Upon seeing the mark, Aurelian would go in without a second thought most of the time surprising the enemy soldiers who could muster little resistance. Following his own rules of engagement, the Primarch put down the various leaders of these hidden groups before letting go of those who were not moved by the hatred that seemed to plague the entire movement but genuinely believed in helping the infected.

The infected in the slums, those who escaped Chernobog in particular, were also helping him by subtly pointing him in the right direction. Of course, some were ambushes which is why Aurelian would follow the directions alone. This way the Rhodes Island operators were not put in danger.

He burned each body solemnly wishing for each soul to pass to the immaterium without trouble. The Rhodes Island operators were confused by his words but he paid no mind to them. He then noticed someone lurking in the shadows and looked at the operators.

"You guys can go back, I am sure I made you run around enough."

The operators chuckled at that regard and nodded going to Rhodes Island HQ while the Primarch stayed behind before looking at his observer putting his halberd on the ground to signal them that he meant no harm at the moment.

A red-haired woman with long horns, pointy ears and a snake tail came out of the shadows. Her clothes bore the reunion's colours but she was not wearing their insignia. The Primarch was quick to spot originium crystals on her side and arm which saddened him quite a bit given that the last time they saw each other she was healthy...

"Nine..." He greeted her with a calm tone.

"So it is you...I was not sure given the armour...So you have become an executioner in the end?" She replied with a cold and stern tone.

The Primarch remained silent for the moment "In a sense, yes."

"I thought you wanted to help the infected them..." She replied looking at where Aurelian incinerated the bodies.

Aurelian nodded "That is still my intention."

"Then why are you killing them and fighting for their oppressors..." She voiced once again clenching her fists.

"If I let them do what they want, another Chernobog will happen...The Reunion has already been recognized as a terrorist organization. The other nations think that it is limited to Ursus, if they were to conquer Lungmen, all the nations would start taking their threats more seriously. The nations that treat the infected somewhat well will start taking preventive measures from mild ones to extreme ones...and those who already treat the infected abhumanly will start purging them or put them in even worse conditions. After that, wherever the Reunion would show itself, they would be followed by the nation's armies instead of the police. In conclusion, Lungmen will be a victory for the Reunion but the start of a new era of persecution for the infected..." He spoke with a calm and collected tone "What will happen then? The nations will crack down on the reunion cells and kill them one after the other. In the scenario that Reunion manages to defend itself? They are going to need more manpower enlisting more infected only for them to die at the hands of the armies of the other nations. As it is now, The Reunion will die out leaving the infected in even worse conditions and less possibilities to rise up again."

The woman was shocked at how in-depth the man in front of her had analyzed the situation and how his conclusions were undeniable. Being the former Chief of the LGD, she knew that something like that would happen. Probably if Lungmen were to fall, Yan would send its armies to reconquer the city and at that point, they would be killing any infected on sight. In the worst-case scenario, all of Yan landships would start purging their infected populations. But then she reflected on what he said and raised an eyebrow.

"'As it is now'" She quoted him understanding that the man in front of him was up to something.

"The Tyrant, Talulah, is the biggest enemy The Reunion has. Since I got here I have been pondering why she would launch yet another assault at a massive nomadic city without the advantage of not benefitting from the surprise factor...And by all tactical standpoints, this assault is doomed to fail...Then I felt that hatred that the Reunion's leadership carries and I understood that the Reunion is not fighting to win a place for the infected as they claim to be. They want to make everyone feel their pain dragging as many people as possible with them...not caring for what happens to the infected afterwards," He spoke his voice filled with sadness and anger "She weaponized the anger of the infected and instead of directing it to help the infected, she used it for an act of pointless revenge! She lied to everyone and is sending them to their death!"

Nine was taken aback by the sudden surge of emotions the Primarch showed, she could feel his frustration and anger on her skin...It wasn't so different from the one she was feeling in her own heart and indeed she had seen him sparing more than he killed and even convincing some to leave the Reunion...But there was something in his anger...something personal, maybe he was infected too but that didn't seem the case at least...She then widened her eyes.

"You know her" She spoke out loud.

"Apparently...I don't..." He spoke his anger disappearing from his voice only to be replaced by bitterness "I knew a girl that saw the suffering of the infected and wished to help them, who valued each companion she had and called them friend. She was a bit naive perhaps but her ideals were noble...I had sworn to be at her side when my journey would have come to a close...She tricked me too and now it falls to my hands to eradicate the seed of hatred she planted..."

Nine came closer no longer feeling any anger towards the Primarch only sadness. She knew how it felt to be betrayed, she had felt it on her skin not too long ago.

"What will you do now?"

The giant looked behind him "Wei is about to purge the infected in Lungmen, I already made a deal with the Rat King, he and his men will gather the infected and supplies...Then I will take everyone to a safe place far from anyone's reach."

She frowned a bit at that notion "Where? Columbia?"

He shook his head before offering his hand "Would you like to see?"

She was a bit hesitant but slowly nodded as held his hand. She felt the sensation of being pulled all across her body while going against some sort of tide. She closed her eyes instinctively before she felt a gentle breeze going against her skin prompting her to open her eyes...

She was standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking a boundless and lush grassland with a river going through before reversing itself into a sea. She could see that the plain slowly turned into hill and then mountain ranges that stood tall along the coastlines. The air was incredibly fresh, and the sky was clear. The climate was nowhere near as cold as it was in Lungmen even though she noticed that it had just rained judging by the smell of rain in the air.

Once again, she felt herself being pulled away and now she was standing on the white beach she had seen from the cliff, the water in front of her was crystal clear and despite the time of the year was relatively warm. She turned around and saw how fast the entire area increased in elevation as the mountains began to rise.

"Where are we?" She finally whispered.

The Primarch opened his palm and touched her forehead "This is Terra..."

Nine saw Terra being projected into her mind, its countries and its cities...but then everything began to blur away as the stars raced through her vision before she could even begin to comprehend what she was seeing...and then everything came to a halt as she found herself staring at another globe...At first, she thought she was back looking at Terra but then she noticed that the wasteland that was so prominent across the planet was nowhere to be seen replaced by tropical forests, plains, mountain ranges, lush woods and many more biomes.

"And this is where we are...Requiem..." He concluded removing his hand.

She stumbled back a bit in shock as the realization that she was no longer at Terra settled in "How?"

The Primarch remained stoic not letting any emotion escape his demeanour "There are many things that you consider impossible but are trivial for my maker who passed his knowledge to me so that I may help those who I deem worthy."

"And you want to bring the infected here?" She spoke looking around.

He nodded "Here no one will reach them or hurt them, they will be able to live without the fear of being purged for what they are...Of course, even the non-infected may live here but without being able to look down at the infected...Many times I heard people speaking of how bad were things for the infected without proposing an idea of a solution...I am here offering a solution to every infected...including you."

"A promised land..." She spoke still in disbelief "But this is not a solution, it is bandaid...The infected on Terra will still be mistreated."

He shook his head "The more infected we take here, the less the non-infected will be able to handle originium forcing their healthy workers to expose themselves to the infection. Once infected, they will be ostracized and we'll take them here...If they do not change their policies regarding the infected, there will be more infected than non-infected...Sooner the wealthy and the privileged will find themselves haunted by the system they sustained...and so to save their skin and privileges, they will make changes in favour of the infected...Either that or they will realize that the vast majority of the population is infected including their own armies...At that point, the number of infected will be far higher than their counterpart, at that point..."

"A worldwide uprising would be guaranteed to succeed just by sheer numbers alone..." She concluded for him.

He nodded "But it would be still a bloody fight...and that is why we must reform a Reunion...not as a terror organization...but a professional army equipped with top-of-the-line equipment and training devoted to protecting the infected and, if needed, to topple the system that had oppressed the infected for so long in case the nations refuse to do better despite lacking a significant healthy population."

She crossed her arms "And you would be the one leading said army?"

He shook his head "No...I am not infected and there is already someone else that I must lead along with having to begin forging a nation here..." he then pointed at her "But you can...You already had the intention to assume command of the Reunion, I can tell from your eyes."

A small smile crossed her face "You really planned all of this?"

"I had lots of time to ponder my course of action..." He replied offering his hand once more "Would you like to help me help the infected?"

She shook his hand and nodded "What do you need?"

"Gather all the Reunion you think are fighting for the infected and not to take revenge, lead them to the main square of the slums where my collaborators will be gathering all the infected civilians, I will send you all here. Once arrived, I need you to keep order, surely, the Rat King will try to expand his business here too and surely there will be troublemakers," He described his plan.

She nodded and suddenly both of them were back in the slums "I will start immediately then."

He nodded "Yes, speed and discretion is key."

They were about to part ways when suddenly they heard a series of explosions in the distance, in particular, from the main road that connected the city to the slums. Aurelian widened his eyes as he understood that something must have gone wrong with Misha's convoy. He was about to depart when Nine placed her hand on his gauntlet.

"The girl, I saw you protecting her...Do not let Wei get his hands on her...Ch'en is a kind person I am sure she guaranteed to keep her safe...but trust me, she will not be able to stop that man nor the Imperial Censors..."

He gave her a nod before launching himself into the air immediately heading for the smoke in the distance. As he flew above the slums he saw Amiya and the Doctor fighting against a big squadron of Reunion, he stopped for a second debating whether to help them or not but upon seeing that their operators were doing just fine he decided against it.

He saw the LGD convoy's car being toppled over with various bodies of Reunion and Guards alike. She saw Ch'en shouting something to her colleagues. The Primarch crash landed next to them startling them.

Ch'en immediately recognized the wings but she felt a shiver running down her spine as the glowing eyes of Aurelian's helmet met hers.

"Where is she?" he spoke his voice booming across the street.

The chief of police gritted her teeth placing her hand on the hilt of her sword "She was captured...we were ambushed by the Reunion..."

"Who?" He asked once more putting even more pressure on the woman and her colleagues.

"A woman with white hair and red streaks, she planted bombs all around the area and-"

The Primarch launched himself into the air before she could finish speaking. He knew exactly who had taken Misha from when Babel was still around...W. It did not take long for him to feel the insanity of her mind through the warp. He flew over their location seeing a Sarkaz mercenary carrying an unconscious Misha, she was bleeding from her forehead...likely they had to knock her out to get her to comply which would explain why he couldn't feel her.

In the blink of an eye, like an eagle diving towards its prey, he landed behind the soldier carrying Misha. He grabbed him by his head and began to squeeze it. The soldier began to scream in pain dropping the girl he was carrying, of course, Aurelian caught her with his free arm before closing his hand around the mercenary's head causing it to implode due to the sheer pressure making the body fall to the ground.

Aurelian kept the unconscious Misha in his arm as he then aimed his storm bolter and unleashed a barrage of bolt rounds into the other mercenaries. W launched herself behind some concrete just in the nick of time seeing her mercenaries being turned into a fine red paste on the ground.

She looked incredibly displeased with her current situation but she was not going to run away so easily. She gathered all of her grenades and C4 and threw them at the Primarch before setting them off with the remote while laughing like a maniac.

The explosions caused part of the rooftop to collapse and send concrete dust all around the area.

"You know! I heard about this angel of death that was going around causing trouble but in the end, you were a pushover! AHAHAHAHA!" She mocked looking towards the crater she had caused.

She turned around only to be lifted off her feet as an armoured hand held her neck tightly. She gasped for air as she saw the Primarch's figure up close...her explosive didn't even injure Misha who was still cradled by Aurelian's arm.

"Look at yourself W..." He spoke looking up and down at her figure "I wonder what the Queen would think of your actions..."

W's previous smug expression was replaced by an enraged one as she began to flail her body to try to free herself "DO NOT DARE TO SPEAK OF HER! SHE WOULD BE HERE IF YOU WEREN'T SO OBSESSED WITH YOUR STUPID JOURNEY! SHE WELCOMED YOU AND WHEN SHE NEEDED IT THE MOST YOU WEREN'T THERE!"

Aurelian sighed as he moved his arm making W hover beyond the edge of the rooftop "I pity you...and perhaps I should put you out of your misery..." He then threw her back on the roof causing her to slam her back against the concrete causing her to hiss in pain "But I owe it to her..."

W let out a frustrated scream as Aurelian flew into the air once more before disappearing into the clouds and then using his abilities to reach Requiem once more. He landed at the feet of the mountain that Nine had seen during her visit. There was the entrance of a cave and next to it a quite large cottage he had built for himself when he spent his days crafting his weapons with a windmill next to it along with solar panels. He entered the structure and immediately headed to the upper floor where he had built his bedroom.

It was almost comical how small Misha was compared to the bed clearly made for Aurelian's size. She was still knocked out cold, he healed her wound and left her sleeping before going back to the floor below.

The cottage he had built himself was quite specious, more than he needed and was well furnished. Of course, he didn't build each piece of furniture, during his training he sometimes returned to Terra mainly to check that the nations didn't implode. It was during one of those times he chose to buy furniture in Victoria and other electronics in Columbia.

He had disassembled each electronic removing their originium power source and with the help of his father, he had converted them to use the energy created by the windmill and the solar panels.

The cottage had a kitchen, a restroom, a living room and a basement beside the bedroom on the upper floor.

He walked to the fridge seeing that most of the things inside had expired and honestly, he doubted that they would have fitted Misha's tastes to begin with.

The Primarch returned to Terra once more appearing in an alley near a supermarket he had seen when accompanying Kal'tsit to the meeting with Wei. As soon as he did, he received a call from Amiya causing him to sigh and answer it.

"Ah! Aurelian! I have been calling for so long! We caught up with Ch'en she said you went to look for Misha! Is she okay?" she asked

The Primarch remained silent.

"Aurelian...?"

"I was too late..." He lied "When I got to her they had killed her..."

There was a long silence as a response, then heard shuffling and then sobbing "No...Misha...I'm sorry..."

Then he heard the phone being grabbed by someone "OI! WHERE THE FUCK IS MISHA?" Ch'en's voice boomed.

"I just incinerated her body..." He replied solemnly.

He heard a loud thud perhaps Ch'en hitting something "Goddamit!"

"I'll return soon enough...I need to clear off my head first..." he said before hanging up.


Misha slowly opened her eyes finding herself in a rather comfortable bed...She then remembered what had happened and rose in a hurry immediately heading downstairs.

She was confused when she saw that she was inside a rather comfy house. She tiptoed around the place fearing that she would come across some Reunion soldier before reaching the exit and opening it.

The first thing she noticed was the sound of waves reaching her ears and then she saw that the cottage she was staying in couldn't be more distant than a kilometre away from the shoreline.

She was beyond confused about where she was...but that didn't stop her from slowly making her way to the beach...She had never seen the sea in person, it was a breathtaking visage.

The Ursine girl felt a presence behind her and turned around seeing Aurelian standing in front of her with various grocery bags around his hip. The image of a fully-clad soldier with grocery bags made her start snickering.

The Primarch was relieved to hear her laughter even though he was being made fun of.

"Sorry!" She said immediately realizing that she was making fun of the one who had probably saved her.

"No need to apologize, I am glad you feel well enough to laugh," He spoke calmly looking at the sea "Beautiful isn't it?"

She looked back at the body of water, her heart calming to the sound of the waves "Yes..."

She then faced the Primarch once more "What happened?"

"I rescued you..." He replied calmly.

"Then how come I am not at the LGD HQ?" She asked again with a weak smile on her face.

"Someone told me that once Ch'en would have taken you into custody, she would have protected you for as long as she could have but sooner or later her higher-ups would have probably taken control of the situation..." He replied implying the worst.

"And if you brought me to Rhodes Island you would have put Amiya in their target...So where are we?"

Aurelian looked around and shrugged "This is...my home, It is where I plan to bring all the infected that need protection...Including you, if you wish to."

"You mean that if I'll ask you, you'll bring me back?" She replied getting a nod "...I don't think I deserve this place..."

"This place doesn't require you to be worthy...If you want to stay here, you can stay here..." He replied kneeling in front of her "But there is something I have to tell you...before you take your decision..."

Misha looked at him with a worried expression as she waited for him to continue.

"The one wearing a gas mask...I interrogated some Reunion soldiers...They told me that they are your sibling...and that you have something vital for Chernobog," He spoke in a calm and soothing tone.

"Alex...? That person was Alex?" Misha muttered in shock bringing her hands to her hair and panicking a bit recalling the moment she saw her brother fight Amiya filled with anger "No...Alex was not like that...He was so kind..."

"People change Misha...not always for the better especially when facing strong injustices," The Primarch told her trying to comfort her.

"They killed our mother...right in front of our eyes...I should have kept him close...I ran away! I-I-"

Aurelian wrapped his arms around her, her figure completely disappearing in the hug as her sobs were the only sound that could be heard.

"There is no point in dwelling on a decision taken after a loss...It is what you will do now that matters...I will help you however you wish me to" He replied letting go of her.

Misha looked up at him slowly nodding "I..want to talk to him maybe I can convince him to..."

She didn't end the sentence recalling the anger she felt in her brother's voice when talking to Amiya. To be honest...she was scared of what he had become.

"Your brother...his emotions were twisted, instead of being quelled, they were used as fuel for a fire that is devouring him. Many in the Reunion are like him...Once Reunion devoted itself to protecting the infected, I saw it myself. They were not...vile murderers, they fought to protect...But now, they fight to punish creating a vicious cycle of violence. The Reunion destroys, the not-infected retaliate, the infected get treated harshly and a new Reunion is formed...over and over. Your brother's revenge will be carved on the skin of the infected of the future," The Primarch spoke with the utmost honesty "It is up to people like you to break the cycle, you understand the struggle of the infected but you also have seen the cruelty of Reunion."

The Ursine Girl looked down "I...want to help the infected...but I don't want to murder an innocent's mother because of what happened to me..."

He nodded "You say you are not worthy of this place and yet you and I think the same thing, Reunion needs protectors, not Executors."

The girl looked up to him with a more determined expression "Will you accompany me to my brother?"

"Of course...but maybe you should fill your stomach," He spoke pointing at the grocery bags.


Exia and Texas were doing some recon in an abandoned originium mine trying to localize a particularly big Reunion cell under the command of skullshatterer.

They were hiding among the cliffs using a binocular for spotting.

"Hmmmm I don't see their leader but it is a big group..." The angel spoke looking at the mining facility "But I don't know if we should bother Amiya with it...She didn't take well the last news..."

Texas nodded in agreement before feeling that the wind was picking up and for a split second, she saw the wings of sankta fly through the sky.

"Ah! Wait! But! That's Aurelian!" Suddenly Exia almost shouted prompting her Lupo colleague to shut her up and take the binoculars for herself.

She saw the Primarch standing in front of the mining facility immediately getting surrounded by Reunion...And then from behind his shield, Misha stepped forward.

"Misha..." Texas muttered actually surprised at what was happening before her eyes met the Primarch prompting her to hide.

"Misha? You mean there is Misha down there?! She is alive! Amiya will be so happy about it!" Exia said ecstatically before a realization sunk in "Wait why is she with Aurelian?"

"I don't know...I need to hear what they are saying, inform Amiya, I will go down there...Don't get spotted," The Lupo replied before slowly and tactically making her way down as Exia began to text Amiya.

Thanks to the distraction provided by Aurelian, Texas was able to safely reach a cover that allowed her to listen in and record with her phone.

Aurelian and Misha were surrounded but despite that, she didn't feel unsafe when standing next to the Primarch.

Aurelian was scanning each Reunion soldier around them, some of them were those he had spared in the slums, he could tell by their essence and reactions upon seeing him.

They were not attacking them because of Misha but they were on their defense. Some of the soldiers had gone to call Skullshatterer.

It didn't take long for the leader of the cell to show up with weapons at hand.

"Misha," He called almost in a growl.

The ursine girl looked intimidated a bit but stood her ground "Alex..."

The Reunion leader shook his head "No! Alex died a long time ago! Now I am Skullshutterer!"

Aurelian wanted to roll his eyes at that, he gave him a pass because he's probably as young as Misha.

"...Skullshutterer..." Misha corrected herself biting her own lips "Why did you join Reunion? It was Reunion who wreaked havoc on Chernobog and now they are doing the same on Lungmen. You are sacrificing children and innocents. It's wrong!"

"'Sacrifing'? Do you know how many infected have been sacrificed? An eye for an eye, it's only natural," Skullshatterer replied in a more calm and collected manner.

Aurelian's eyes wandered to Misha, seeing how she would react to that answer, he observed that her frustration was still strong.

"But you are even sacrificing whose 'crime' is not doing what the Reunion says!" she spoke shaking her head.

"Reunion is Enlightened! We fight for the freedom of the infected! Do you really believe everyone is innocent? Nobody treats the infected as humans. Not the government, nor the people. Doesn't that make them accomplices? Since I became infected, they have tried to exterminate me like vermin, you have seen it yourself. They had taken me away and I tried to fight back as much as possible and Mother gave chase...You saw them kill her but I don't blame you for it! We were nothing but children! Reunion gave me the courage to fight back! Reunion is Salvation for the infected!"

Misha felt powerless once more wanting to hide herself in shame. She wanted to apologize but then she remembered Amiya and the Rhodes Island operators that have been kind to her "But Amiya...And Rhodes Island they have been kind to me."

"Did you say Rhodes Island? DON'T LET THEM FOOL YOU MISHA! THEY SAID THEY FIGHT FOR THE INFECTED BUT IN TRUTH THEY ARE SERVANTS OF THE POWERFUL!" Alex shouted now enraged at the mere mention of Rhodes Island "DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF OURS THEY HURT AND KILLED?"

"None" Aurelian interrupted him his voice absolute "Rhodes Island doesn't kill...I do. 24 are the lives I have taken from Reunion. Do not attribute my deeds to Rhodes Island, I am not part of them. They aim to help the infected without violence and so far they have stuck with that decision."

The Reunion soldiers began to whisper among themselves as Skullshatter stared at him, even with his mask on, his hatred for the Primarch was more than evident "...YOU! YOU DARE TAKE PRIDE IN KILLING THE INFECTED?"

"No, I do not, I take no pride in killing anyone infected or not. I do not you to attribute my independent actions to theirs," He replied solemnly.

"EVEN THEN! RHODES ISLAND'S WAYS WILL NEVER CHANGE ANYTHING! BUT REUNION'S WILL! THESE LANDS! EVERYTHING ACROSS THE WORLD! WE CAN COMPLETELY CHANGE EVERYTHING! THIS IS THE POWER REUNION HAS!" Skullshatterer shouted spreading his arms and looking at Misha once more "Join me, Misha! Let me protect you!"

Misha looked incredibly conflicted feeling tears building up at the side of her eyes. She then felt Aurelian's hand on her shoulder and looked up at him.

"It is your decision, whichever will it be, I will respect it and I will not stop you. The only thing I ask you..." He said looking at the soldiers around him "Is to hear the hard truth."

There was silence at that request and so Aurelian kept talking.

"You said...An eye for an eye...My father told me about a man who had words of wisdom regarding those words 'An eye for an eye...makes the world go blind'. No one benefits from revenge...Not the Infected nor the non-infected. You said you fight for the freedom of the infected yet here you are in lungmen killing and beating the infected that don't join you while putting them in the target of the powerful ones. Why are you here I wonder? Did you save all the infected living in Ursus? Did you dethron the Emperor and all of his followers allowing you to go to the next nation in line? You did not, you conquered a single city, proclaimed your victory and moved to another nation opening a second front in a war you can't hope to win."

"SILENCE! WITH OUR POWER WE WILL-"

"You are struggling against a police force and a pharmaceutical company," Aurelian cut Alex off before he could spout more nonsense "You are armed with crossbows, swords and a uniform that doesn't offer much protection...Let's say you all somehow manage to conquer lungmen and defeat their police...How will you deal with Yan's army? What will you do when a massive overwhelming well-oiled death machine comes to reclaim the city? What will you do then? Recruit more to the cause? Who? The infected you mistreated? Will you give them the choice to be executed and enlisted?"

"IF WE MUST WE WILL!" The boy replied tightening his grip on his weapons.

"Congratulations then, you are the same as the Ursus Army," The Primarch shot back instantly catching most off-guard "You know what change you will bring? CHANGE FOR THE WORSE! Once Yan or Ursus is done scraping off the ground from your remains after being bombed with their howitzers, they will turn on the infected who had NOTHING to do with Reunion and either punish them or outright purge them to prevent another uprising! And all because you chose the way of revenge that will leave those you say you fight for in an even worse condition!"

Skullshatterer pointed his grenade launchers at the Colossus causing Misha to tense up "I WILL NOT TAKE ANY JUDGEMENT FROM THE LIKES OF YOU!"

Aurelian was not intimidated in the slightest bit "Let's also talk about all the sacrifices you keep on talking about, about they are worthy to make you all march forward...Why? Why do you keep throwing yourselves against impossible fights? You fight head-on the LGD while lacking proper training and win only with numbers on your side...numbers that constantly keep going down because YOU keep sending your fellow infected to their deaths! At this point, you are just as efficient as the nations you despise so much at killing infected! EVEN NOW! You aim your gun at me despite reports telling you that no attack whether physical are caused by arts was able to reach my armor. A sound mine would retreat and avoid a direct fight with me but you? You rather die a martyr with the difference that your sacrifice will be meanless as it would cause those around to charge at me and fall by my blade."

The Primarch turned around seemingly looking at nothing when instead he was looking directly at the hiding Texas. He clenched his fist knowing that his following action might shock many he considered family...but for a chance to save the infected in front of him...He would reveal a truth. He turned to look at the infected in front of him.

"I recall when the Reunion had noble ideas, when Talulah protected the villagers of Ursus and when gathered around the fire she would speak of a better world for the infected! A world where the infected could live in peace and undisturbed! A world where knowledge would clear every misunderstanding! It might have been naive but that vision is what I swore loyalty to!"

He hit the ground with his halberd once more and then the sound of searing filled the air as on the left grave of his armour appeared the symbol of Reunion. Misha and most of the infected were in shock, not as shocked as Texas who took a picture of the thing and sent it to Exia.

Skullshatterer began to growl "YOU DARE TO SPORT OUR SYMBOL? YOU DARE INSULT OUR LEADER WITH YOUR LIES?"

"Ask Yelena or Buldrokkas'tee or Alina...ask them of Legion...My old codename," The Primarch replied with resolute voice "Or Talulah if you dare...Now, I want to talk to you all, when I see what has transpired I see a bastardized Reunion corrupted by an endless hatred that will lead you to your self-destruction...But it does not have to be this way, if you truly want to protect the infected, if you truly want to come back to a place you can call home without fearing that someone might come and take your life then I invite you all to join me. If you do so, I will offer you all of my protection, a safe place to stay and the opportunity to truly protect the infected and I swear to you that I will never see you as disposable martyrs but as precious lives that need to be preserved for their worth!"

There was silence...and then a burst of laughter coming from Alex who seemingly found the offer amusing "Do you really think your words will make us stop our revenge when we are so close to achieving it?"

"I will join you," Misha spoke looking at Aurelian with hope in her eyes.

The Reunion Leader was shocked to see his sister turn her back to the Reunion "MISHA! DO NOT LISTEN TO HIS POISONOUS WORDS!"

The girl shook her head as tears began to stream down her face "No...Skullshatterer...I do not want to hurt others because I was hurt myself...I do not want to be consumed by hatred...I want to live...and I want to do it not with Skullshatterer...but my brother Alex."

"You can! I am right here Misha!" The boy replied spreading his arms.

"No...You are Skullshatterer...and I am afraid you killed my brother..." Misha replied as more tears crossed her cheeks "If you wish to continue on this path...I will not be able to follow you..."

As she spoke, some Reunion soldiers stepped forward, they were battered and tired like most others. Some of their companions draw their weapons at them but they found themselves unable to move as if being held by an invisible force...That being Aurelian using his psychic abilities.

"Please, Alex...Come with me..." Misha spoke extending her arm and offering her hand.

Skullshatterer raised his weapons once more, his grenades glowing with the power of the arts "Damned Traitors..."

The Reunion leader shot his weapons and a massive explosion followed...But of Misha or the others, there were no traces. When the dust settled...The remaining Reunion soldiers saw Rhodes Island and the LGD overlooking the mine...


The former reunion soldiers looked around at the scenery of Requiem beyond confused about what had just happened. They were convinced that Skullshatterer was about to blow them up but in a flash of light, they found themselves in their current location.

Aurelian was still in front of them "Are you alright?"

All of them checked themselves and nodded.

The Primarch gave them a nod and pointed at the cottage in the distance "You are all tired, there is a nearby river if you wish to clean yourselves, there are a few supplies in the cottage, feel free to use them. Rest until you regain your forces...for today you can relax."

"Thank you...hm...Sir!" one of the soldiers replied bowing a bit and leading his colleagues to the indicated areas.

Aurelian then knelt placing his hand on Misha's shoulder. The girl was staring at the hand she had offered to her brother.

"I was too late..." She muttered sobbing.

"Your brother...He was not helped when he needed it the most...The one who should have helped him instead pushed him deeper into the abyss of hatred" He reasoned trying to comfort her "His sight was too focused on the blood-soaked ground to see the rays of hope..."

"I know but still..." She muttered sobbing "I lost him forever now...Replaced by that gas mask..."

"Misha," Aurelian spoke causing the girl to look at him with a mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes "Those emotions you are feeling...don't point them towards revenge."

"Talulah turned my brother into Skullshatterer..." She hissed.

The Primarch grabbed her by her shoulders "That might be true but you must not fall into their ways Misha! Be better! Make it so that no other siblings will have to go through the same things as you and Alex! I know you can do it."

"It hurts so much...more than Oripathy ever did..." She replied exhausted of it all.

"I know...But it is better to feel this pain than live a life devoid of joy. Things will get better eventually Misha" He comforted her getting a nod before looking at his side "Go to the cottage...I must take care of the supplies."

The girl nodded and Aurelian looked at the tree line "There is nowhere for you to run Texas...You are not on Terra."

After a few moments, the Lupo wearing the penguin logistics uniform came out from behind a tree with her originium sword in hand.

"Are you alright? I did manage to take you out from there in time, yes?" The Primarch asked.

Texas nodded "Yes thank you..." she then eyed the Reunion symbol on his right greave "I suppose that you were referring to this place back there..."

"I cold reaction to finding out you are in another world..." Aurelian spoke a bit amused "But yes, this is the place where I intend to bring all the infect we will safe and where we will keep them until Terra is kinder to them."

"...I see..." She spoke eyeing the place before deactivating her sword knowing that the man in front of her would not hurt her if what he said was true."

"I'll return you to your sankta friend immediately...although I would have to ask you for something...Precisely, ask Penguin Logistics," He spoke calmly getting closer but not in reaching distance.

"I am afraid interplanetary deliveries are not in our services..." She answered back in her usual calm tone.

The Primarch chuckled under the helmet "Nothing like that...Can you please tell Amiya that I am sorry and that it is not Rhodes Island's fault? Tell her that despite what I set out to do, I was not able to completely break off from my nature. Her cause and her course of action are righteous and are for the betterment of the world at large. But this fight is a slow war and I cannot simply wait for things to change when lives are on the line."

Texas slowly nodded "Alright..."

The colossus bowed his head thanking his guest and the two of them were once again at the mine. Those who were loyal to Skullshatterer were slowly being neutralized and arrested.

Texas oriented herself before running off as the Primarch flew into the sky towards Lungmen. He would have to be fast before the LGD could announce his status as wanted...


The fight of the mine had come to an end, and Skullshatterer was arrested before he could blow himself up. He had hoped for reinforcements from W's team not knowing about her fight with Aurelian.

Amiya was...not feeling well. First, when she learned about Misha's death, she fell into a downward spiral of grief. Then she learned that she was still alive giving her hope to save her...and then she received the pics and videos taken by Exia and Texas...followed by a message from Aurelian delivered by the latter.

The Doctor placed her hands around the bunny girl's shoulder comforting her as she observed the picture Texas had taken that clearly showed the Reunion symbol on his armour. Perhaps this is why the man never said to be a member of Rhodes Island...Although he was also not a member of the Reunion they were fighting against, in fact, the Reunion he spoke about sounds like an organization that would be friends with Rhodes Island.

"He was able to convince them to join him..." The girl muttered "So far, we were never able to convince anyone...He analyzed their entire situation and convinced them that their current goal was not worth it...I wanted to help everyone...but I wasn't able to do anything close to that...How can I? I bring nothing to the table but empty promises...no one would be willing to follow me because I said things will turn for the better..."

"Amiya," The Doctor spoke shaking her head "Your path and his path are the same, he aims to protect the infected and so do you. It is the means that change. He told you himself, didn't he? Our objective is not wrong nor are our methods, it just takes time. In the meantime, he will make sure the infected are protected so that we can focus on our objective...He did not reject us! He is cheering for us!"

The girl stared wide-eyed at the Doctor thinking about her words before getting up "As always, you are right Doctor...thank you."


The Primarch landed in the landship harbour, he had received a message from Lin Yushia with the coordinates of a building. He had immediately headed there to check it out finding the Rat King's Greytails waiting for him.

"Giant, covered in armour, big wings, you are the one the Boss talked about, Aurelian, right?" One of them asked getting a nod before he hit the shutter on his right.

The entire thing opened as several gangsters could be seen guarding various trucks with supplies on their backs "Here are the supplies you requested, food, clothes, meds and all the sorts of things useful for the evacuation. The boss would like you to know that you owe him, capiche?"

The Primarch nodded "Tell him that I will not forget this..."

"Gotcha, so where do we drive these things? To the border?" The gangster asked.

Aurelian raised his arms and in a flash of light the trucks disappeared causing the gangsters to look at him confused "That will not be necessary."

"Well, I'll be damned I guess..." The greytail replied shrugging.

With the needed supplies being taken care of Aurelian had a few things that needed to be taken care of...one of which was ensuring that the people in Requiem were happy. With that in mind, Aurelian used his psychic abilities to move through the Lungmen Centre without being recognized. He moved from ATM to ATM, using his abilities to...receive a generous donation each time. He was a bit ashamed of it but he had done what needed to be done.

He spent the next hours taking various appearances, going from mall to mall buying toys, DVD players, TVs, books, power tools, furniture and so on. He did not want the refugee to see Requiem as yet another stop on their uncertain journey...but a place where they could settle down.

His shopping spree lasted the whole day, he kept sending each object to Requiem, he had no doubt in mind that Misha and the others would be quite happy in seeing those things. At least, he hoped that was the case. With that taken care of, He returned to the slums to resume his protection over the Infected, hiding the mark of Reunion once more to avoid scaring them.

There was a change in the air, he could feel it. His presence no longer caused the inhabitants of the slums to feel intimidated by him...Something had changed. He intercepted a Reunion squad once more but this time their reaction was different. Their leader ordered them to attack and some of them did but others stood still not knowing what to do.

Swiftly Aurelian moved his blade and gave those who attacked him a painless death. His gaze shifted to those who stood still waiting for them to speak.

The bravest among them stepped forward "Skullshatterer's guys...Those who got away...said you are Reunion..."

"Yes, a proud member of the Reunion who protects the infected...Even against the Reunion who has been swallowed by hatred," The Primarch replied calmly as the bodies were enveloped by fire.

"We did not want any of this...We were told that once Chernobog was ours we would have lived in peace...then they told us that Lungmen was ours to claim...but since we got here...both the infected opposed us, those who survived Chernobog accused us of destroying that little they had. Our captains ordered us to beat them and make them submit..." The soldier spoke looking at his hands "We fight for freedom and yet we destroyed the lives of those we wished to free...Is there really another path?"

"Yes, there is. It is not too late to adjust the course of your life...It is not too late to repent from your actions, so long you still stand, you can still make amends..." The Primarch spoke calmly.

"What do we have to do?" He spoke awaiting for a direction.

"Find more like you, find more that do not wish to destroy and then find me again, I will be here in the slums. If you can find me, look for a pythia woman with red hair, she will guide you," The son of the Emperor spoke "Gather as many as you can but if you feel like you are at risk immediately head to me or her, do not throw your lives away."

The Reunion soldiers nodded and ran out of the building followed by the Primarch soon after. He then saw someone he dreaded.

"Mother..." He spoke in a low voice.

Kal'tsit was standing a few dozen meters away from him. Alongside her was a Lupo girl in a red trenchcoat.

"Amiya showed me the video..." Kal'tsit spoke calmly.

The Primarch was a bit surprised by her calm demeanour until he concluded "You knew?"

"You said it yourself you were born a leader...it was just a matter of time before you would find yourself in that position..." Kal'tsit spoke putting her hands in her pockets.

"I am not their leader..." Aurelian muttered looking at his own hands.

"You may not consider yourself one but that video...that video showed a true leader, a tactical mind and a heart who is not willing to sacrifice its soldiers, you are hard-coded to be like that...Like I am," She replied coming close to him and grabbing his hands "Like Amiya is in our own way...I have no doubt that you will do your best to help the infected without harming those who don't deserve it."

The Primarc knelt before his mother "I wish things would have not turned out like this...On opposing sides."

She shook her head "We are not...for now, Amiya didn't tell anyone about the video nor did Penguin Logistics. They are trusting you with finding a way to lower the death toll."

"Thank you...but soon that will not be enough...Soon I will face Lungmen's butcherers and you...must attack me," He spoke solemnly.

"So it was then those who will commit the massacre you saw?" She asked getting a nod "Very well...When the time comes, we will attack you..."

He nodded and got up before marching away "If you need me, call me."

With those words, he left them to their business whatever it might be and resumed his watch. As the day went on, he came across fewer and fewer Reunion forces making him wonder if the initial invasion force was defeated or that they were preparing for a new phase of their attack...Either way, his plan would have not changed. He was going to take the infected of Lungmen to Requiem and would have faced head-on whoever tried to harm them."

He spent the rest of the day walking down the alleys of the slums when he found himself looking at a strange occurrence. In front of him, there was a barrel on fire. When he peeked inside of it, he saw various Reunion patches burning away along with many of their faceless masks. He was about to check on them when he spotted someone coming his way. In fact, many individuals were coming his way...With more of them coming from the other alleys. The combat systems in his helmet counted around 54 people coming his way. They wore the Reunion uniform but were no longer wearing a mask and where the Reunion patch was, there were two armbands one red and one golden.

Aurelian felt to no hill intent coming from them and so he remained relaxed as he recognised the presence of the soldier he had spoken to in the morning "Sir...We have done as you requested!"

"I have noticed," He spoke calmly before looking at the crowd around him.

The Primarch could feel their thoughts and emotions, their doubts, their desperate need for a direction and purpose. Now that he could observe them, most of the Reunion in front of him didn't even seem to be soldiers. Judging from their emotions, most of them were civilians that just joined not too long ago and who grew horrified with Talulah's regime.

"Many of you know me as the angel of death but despite this, you came here because in your heart you knew that the atrocities Reunion is committing are not justified. You chose to come to one you should have considered an enemy, you put your faith in me. Now I must repay your faith with actions. I know that many of you are not soldiers, that you picked up a blade not too long ago and were told to swing it at the enemy...That will no longer be the case. I will make sure to turn you into unyielding protectors of the infected, NOT bloodthirsty maniacs...and I will not send you to battle instead I will immediately put you in service of those we swore to protect. Soon I will evacuate the infected of the slums, when they arrive I wish for them to be safe in our new home, any questions?"

None spoke and so Aurelian carried all of them at Requiem. All of them were amazed at the scenery, some started crying when they saw the sea.

Aurelian gave them a moment to appreciate the place before noticing that their arrival had not gone unnoticed. Misha and those he brought with him before came running to greet them.

"You are back!" The girl shouted happy to see him.

"Of course I did and I brought some new faces" he spoke gesturing to the former Reunion soldiers he had brought with him.

Misha awkwardly waved at them who in turn did the same just as awkwardly.

The Primarch looked at the one soldier who had spoken for them until now "What is Reunion planning?"

"They will attack the LGD HQ in a few days...an assault force led by the Shadow Crossbowmen and Mephisto's troops," The soldier spoke calmly.

Aurelian brought his hand to his chin "But knowing you defected they might change plans..."

"They will not know..." The soldier replied looking down at his weapon "Unfortunately...We were not able to break off peacefully..."

Misha seemed disturbed by the implied notion but chose not to speak looking at Aurelian awaiting his command as he looked at her.

"Did the trucks got here?" he asked receiving a nod "Then we shall prepare this place, we will set up the tents needed for tonight and tomorrow we will continue setting up our camp for the refugees."

The soldiers nodded and so Misha led them where she and those who had been brought there previously had put the trucks which were by the entrance of the cave near the cottage. They began to unload the supplies given to them by the Rat King. Blankets, tents, portable cooking devices, fresh clothes and tons of food and water. The Primarch was able to lift the various pallets of supplies with ease so he decided to go chop down trees to make firewood out of them and build materials taking some soldiers with him as he had the intention of building a few shacks for the children and those injured or sick while Misha and the others turned the cave into a livable space.

The soldiers were exhausted but were shocked to see that Aurelian despite having not slept since he got to Lungmen was still effortlessly working hard chopping down the trees, carving them and then putting them together into shacks for their people. That alone was enough to convince most of them that they had made the right decision as it was endearing to see what they considered their war machine of a leader keep on prioritizing helping the future refugees rather than killing. When he noticed that they were about to run out of energy, he ordered them to rest and relax that he had prepared some entertainment and that they could sleep in the cottage and his bedroom.

The night had passed but the sound of hammering cutting and other power tools never stopped somehow everyone was able to sleep without too much trouble...perhaps they were that tired. They remained in awe at the work the Primarch had done during the night having built various shacks of varying dimensions.

"Does he have a landship engine inside of him or what?" One of the soldiers spoke looking out the window of the kitchen of the cottage.

Misha looked at the Primarch's effort a bit moved to see a non-infect working so hard and immediately headed to the fridge taking out some water and some food before running out with them in hand "Aurelian!"

The giant looked at her carrying two sets of logs on his shoulders like they were nothing "Good morning Misha."

"I brought you some breakfast..." She spoke putting up her best smile.

The Primarch looked at the food and water in her hands, he did not need it, his father had made him and his brothers in a way that made eating and sleeping a non-issue and from his words, many of his brothers considered eating, sleeping and similar activities as recreational...Especially Leman who really enjoyed feasting apparently. His eyes also darted to the soldiers he had brought and saw them staring at the two.

He put down the logs and sat down on one of them "Oh you came just in time, I was thinking of getting some breakfast after you had awoken, it would seem you beat me to it."

The girl smiled as she sat down next to him "Well considering how much you worked I bet you'd be hungry."

The Primarch reached for his helmet causing the girl to recoil a bit as she realized that up until now she had never seen him without it...and that despite his face always being covered, she could always tell what he was feeling.

With a hissing sound, the helmet came off revealing Aurelian's red hair, golden eyes, sharp and well-defined facial features such as his jawline and cheekbones. He eyed the food in Misha's hands once more.

"And your breakfast?" he asked.

The girl scratched her chin "I'll eat with the others later!"

Aurelian was not having that and shook his head "Why don't you go grab some breakfast for yourself and tell the others that if they want we can all eat together..."

She looked towards the soldiers who upon being looked at pretended to be talking to each and nodded as she got up and ran to the cottage.

Not long after, she returned with some food and water followed by a few dozens of soldiers who sat on the logs or on the ground. Aurelian didn't want to alienate them so he too began eating and drinking.

He caught one soldier in particular being a bit surprised at seeing him without the helmet and would have occasionally thrown glances at him.

"Is something wrong with my face?" He asked causing the soldier to tense up.

"Uhm...No...Sir...I just thought that...Well..." they began to mumble trying to pick their words carefully.

"Yes?" The Primarch insisted.

"That you were some sort of robot...or that you were disfigured..." The soldier admitted causing everyone to stop eating.

"The truth is...it's that I am too handsome, far too many husbands came complaining at me that their wives spent too much time staring at me so I cut my losses and built my helmet...oh and the armour while I was at it," He jested.

Everyone stared at him in silence but then Misha began to snicker a bit before breaking into a full-on laugh. That was the tipping point as soon the former Reunion soldiers joined her. Their laughter made those who had not joined them curious making them come closer.

"What? I am serious, in Siracusa, this face got the fancy of a very beautiful lady... too bad she the wife of one of the heads of the local Mafia" He continued causing more laughter.

The Primarch was glad to have been able to make them laugh, while it was true that he was going to train to be a soldiers, that wasn't the moment. Right now, he was making the effort to get to know who had chosen to follow him.

Their breakfast continued in a way more relaxed manner, the soldier telling their new leader about their stories. He listened carefully making sure to remember all of them. After that, they got back to work.

The day was relatively uneventful as Aurelian and his followers built and prepared more shacks, the process incredibly fastened by the capabilities of the son of the Emperor. When night was about to fall, they all gathered around a fireplace at the beach observing their hard work from afar.

The Primarch was the only one who did not sat down this time. Misha had taken notice of it and frowned a bit.

"Aurelian?" She asked.

"It is time for me to return to Lungmen...Next time we'll see each other, I'll have the refugees with me," He spoke solemnly.

The soldiers and the girl nodded and so with that, Aurelian left them appearing once more in the sky of Lungmen.

The first thing he did was to check on on his phone. He had a couple of missing calls, one from an unknown number and several from Kal'tsit.

"I've been trying to contact you for a while," she spoke in a stressed tone.

"I am sorry...what is the problem?" He replied focusing his mind on the task at hand.

"Amiya and the Doctor went to rescue one of our recon teams but we lost contact with them both, they went to a detached piece of Chernobog," The woman spoke sending the data.

The Primarch felt his heart sink a bit as he saw the data...sudden drops in temperatures...layers of ice on buildings.

"I'm heading there immediately," He spoke darkly before hanging up and flying towards the piece of Chernobog.

He then called the unknown number, it rang a few times before his call was answered.

"Finally, took you long enough to call me back..." Nine's voice spoke.

"My apologies, I was setting up the place where I'll take all you after the evacuation," He apologized "Do you need my help for anything?"

"No, I got plenty of help thanks to your convincing words, I quite a few former Reunion helping me...I called you because the black raincoats have been spotted in the slums, for now, they seemed to be only scouting the area, we don't have much time left..." Nine spoke in serious tone.

"Rhodes Island asked for my help, as soon as I am done here I'll head back there...If they try anything, try to keep the people safe...I have to go now..." He replied before hanging up as he reached the detached piece of Chernobog.

The Primarch heard a song being carried by the wind, a lullaby sung by a soothing voice...but he knew better than that. Without a single moment of hesitation, he dived down on the street below, crashing down like a lightning bolt. A few meters away there were Amiya, the Doctor and the operators Meteorite and Jessica, all of them were covered by a thin layer of ice. Lastly, he saw Operator Frostleaf being even more covered in ice, heavily injured and trying her best to protect her companions.

The singing had stopped with his arrival, Amiya and the Doctor were clearly relieved judging from their expressions.

"Grab your companion...I'll deal with her," He spoke solemnly.

Meteorite was the first to move towards Frostleaf, their attackers tried to stop her but their shots never reached their target as they were destroyed in mid-air. The woman grabbed her companion and made her way back to the group. Aurelian stopped her for a second, placing his hand on Frostleaf and healing her injuries completely, he then nodded and Meteorite returned to Amiya.

"Go..." He spoke once more.

Amiya and the others did not hesitate, the leader of Rhodes Island gave him a nod to express her gratitude and left. Now left alone, the Son of the Emperor of Mankind laid his eyes on the enemies.

"It's been a while...Legion..." Their leader spoke in her cold voice.

"Indeed it has been..." He spoke tapping his halberd on the ground sending a massive heatwave unfreezing the entire city block.

The woman and her soldiers were in shock by the sudden surge of heat, it was hotter than the hottest summer they had ever experienced, and their cold winds were all but completely disrupted. The Originium crystals in the buildings spontaneously broke under the psychic might of the Primarch who had called forth the heat of Sol.

"Yelena..."


A long journey had finally come to an end. From the bowels of the Immaterium, a fleet emerged into the blackness of deep space. Massive ships decorated with Gothic designs and statues depicting the Emperor of Mankind and the Astartes he had created. The massive ships, some of whose designs had been lost to time in their home galaxy, were led by one of the biggest ones bearing the mark of the Adeptus Mechanicus...The Ark Mechanicus Rinascita.

The ships were devoid of life, the thousands upon thousands of servitors having died during their crossing of the void, the only thing left of them being their rusted cybernetics and their dust. On the Rinascita, its corridors were and massive forge was only inhabited by the sons of Mars...or at least that it would have seemed. Their bodies no longer had any biological component at all both inside and out. Their movements were extremely mechanical in nature as they kept the ships of the fleet running...despite that most of them were not even fully initiated.

On the Rinascita's bridge, there was only one Tech-priest, he who had ascended to the role of Fabricator General during their crossing of the Void. He was in a kneeling position, praying in silence as his mind cruised through the sea of code with one objective in particular...Freeing the legion from their stasis sleep, the only ones who now could stop the abomination that had taken over the fleet and his companions.

His body tensed up and began to spasm uncontrollably as his fears came through as the Abominable Intelligence effortlessly took over his augmentations and trapped his consciousness in the digital systems of the Legion Astartes' ships unable to continue his work. For millennia he had employed all of his knowledge to break through the digital barriers that the thing had built and now that he had breached them...he was effortlessly contained. If only he had known that such a thing resided in the heart of their holy ship.

When the astropaths had died of old age during their crossing, it revealed itself to them in the form of a ship system capable of traversing the warp on its own...in order to not lose any holy ship, they had linked it to all the ships. His brothers and sisters thought of it as a manifestation of the Omnissiah's will and that their journey would have led to new discoveries but The Fabricator General and some of the older and more experienced Mechanicum were not convinced...and as they investigated they found the truth. An abominable intelligence of the Dark Age of Technology was on board with them faking to be their Omnssiah.

Of course, they tried to shut it down but the AI fried each tech-priest who had tried to. They opted to destroy the ship by activating one of the titans they were carrying but that also failed. At that point, they had tried to contact the tech-priests on board the other ships but they had turned into hereteks, having taken upon themselves to cut off the life support of the ships that housed the Solar Auxilia and the other Imperial Auxilia members, planning to do the same to the Astartes...but for some reason, their actions infuriated the Abominable Intelligence who in turn killed the hereteks before taking over their bodies and continuing to maintain the vessels.

"You monster...you abomination..." The Fabricator General spoke using the Lingua Technis.

He felt the AI trying to convince him to cease the hostilities but the son of Mars was not any of it and so, like his brothers before, his own augmentation and vital cybernetics were turned off and his conscience deleted from the systems...A painless end.

The ship's monitors all lighted up and immediately various scanners began analyzing their current location while also looking for any signals of civilization...And have found one. A beacon with an encrypted message...

'This is a beacon for the sons of the forgotten. Your journey has come to an end sons of mine, I am the one bearing the number II whose gene-seed is implanted into you. I know the sacrifices you made to reach me here so far away from the Sol sector. I am waiting for you on this world I have named Requiem, it is the place I intend to be your home...I'll be waiting for your arrival. There is much to talk about.'

As soon as the message ended, a route was traced and an ETA was shown.

2 days of Holy Terra...