"Hello children! The moms are home and we're here to clean this place up right and proper, and with a few spanking applied too!"

Laura bellowed loudly, mirthful and maniacal, as she led her mates and the breaching party into Hive Xyvon proper. Her boisterous announcement was taken up by the more raucous Celestians as they, along with the Howling Banshees, swiftly formed a protective circle around the goddess Isha, every gun turned outward and upward, sweeping for any threats lurking within the crevices and shadows of the dystopia structure of gothic Gregorian grandeur. So far, besides the usual decoration of hanging corpses and limbs, the monotony broken only by the occasional Tau cadavers thrown into the mix, and the writhing organic quality of the walls, pillars, floors and ceiling, things were rather calm and mundane as Chaos corruption goes.

"Damn, this place is big," Henry joined Laura, Yuki and Erik at the front, chainsword braced on his shoulder and a bolt revolver, of Antebellan design, twirling around his finger like a cowboy. The American general glanced around, and tsk. "With a lot of corridors leading everywhere too, this could get ugly real quick if we're not careful."

"Eh, we've been in worst spot than this," Erik shrugged and made a final check on his eldar sniper rifle. "We'll be fine."

"I agree," Celestine spoke up from behind them, Ardent Blade held at the ready. "But that depends on how quickly we can navigate the Hive and find where Ethereal Paxish is conducting his ritual."

"The observatories deck, level one hundred and twelve," Shadowsun flexed the cannons on her arms, shoulders rolling like a prize fighter who's about to rush her opponent the moment the bell rings. "I have the course plotted out, and from the reading Paxish is indeed there."

"That's a lot of stairs to traverse," ibhubesi Naledi of the Golden Pride snorted. "Let's not waste any time then."

"I admire your enthusiasm lady canoness, but such physical exertion will not be necessary," Shadowsun took off and Celestine, along with Greyfax, quickly matched step with her, not at all liking the idea of following the Tau commander around. "We just need to reach the main elevator on the twentieth floor, it won't take long."

"Whoa, I'm seriously getting a flashback to when we rescue Isha from the Four Bitches," Laura smirked at Isha and the Aeldari goddess shuddered from the recollection. "Who knows, maybe this time all of us will be crawling through the vent with you."

"I pray that such event doesn't come to pass," Isha shook her head and Elnys and Celalira glared murder at Laura. "Trust me when I say that it was not an enjoyable experience."

"Still beat taking the stairs though," Henry sighed and turned to mistress Lithia, the woman was obviously smiling under her Batman helm, "maybe not so fast this time?"

"Just for you lord general, we'll slow our pace a bit," Lithia and her Avenging Knight Celestians squad of DC and Marvel cosplayers chuckled lowly, remembering how Henry's arch nemesis during the Leenisium campaign was the dreaded stairs. "And here I thought you have already rectified that shortcoming."

"I'll have you know that yes, I've vastly improved my cardio!" Henry huffed as the corridor started to widened, the blood and viscera were now ankle deep, with more macabre decorations of tormented death scattered about the place in great number. Annoyed cries went up amongst the Sororitas and Laura saw that one of the Avenging Knight was clad in a Paragon Warsuit, and despite being decked head to toe in heavy weaponries, the mecha moved with lithe, powerful grace. "Goddamn Miranda, did you have to wear the suit? You're already big!"

"I can always be bigger!" Miranda responded with a pleasant nod in Henry's direction when the ambience of battle swept down the hallway, the cacophony coming from the huge, opulently carved doors about three hundred yards in front of them. "And given the circumstances, I believe I'm appropriately dressed."

"A battle rages ahead, a large one too judging by the sound," Celestine raised the Ardent Blade high above her head, the sanctified sword burning bright. "Prepare yourself sisters and brothers all, the moment of bloodletting has come!"

Laura added her shout to the hyped up column and with Yuki at her side, oh, and Henry and Erik were there too, charged down the corridor, claymore brandished high, stomping feet sending halos of blood flying, eager and ready to add a few more inches to the sloshing ichor. Wings spread wide to encompass the entire hallway, Celestine gripped the glowing Ardent Blade tight in her gauntleted hands and brought it down on the towering archway entrance, her war cry extremely melodic on the ears. The double doors yielded with a thunderous crack, the heavy metal frame and surface shattered to flaming splinters. Laura and Yuki were the first to cross the threshold, ready to cleave open the first motherfucker they came across, only to find the battle reaching its conclusion.

"Oh, come on!" Yuki kicked a decapitated head, sending it bouncing across the square chamber currently occupied Damien, Lita and the Space Marines. The Canadian Astartes was having a blast with his thunder hammer, every booming swing sending shredded gore high into the air, the body parts wreathed in electric bolts and fire. Across the large room his Astartes buddies were breezing through the paltry resistance the heretics and Tau were putting up, las and pulse bullets ricocheting off the ceramite armors before retaliation came in the form of bolts, plasmas, meltas, flamers and power melee weapons. "Everything is fucking dead! Fuck!"

"Well, it wasn't easy," Lita strode up to them, and yes, from the gross amount of freshly killed corpses, there might have been an army crammed in here a couple of minutes ago. Leaping over a mound of intestines, Lita smoothed her Warseer skirt and leaned on her Singing Spear. "A butt load of enemies had fortified the place, Crisis Battlesuits, Sentinels, heavy gun platforms, you name it. But welp, its forty Astartes…so the result wasn't exactly surprising."

"Yo! You guys finally made it!" Damien, after turning a heretic's torso into smoking gibs with his thunder hammer, waved energetically at the new arrivals and sauntered happily up to them. Around the chamber the battle was practically over. "I was wondering what's taking you guys so long."

"We had to fight fucking kaiju buildings to get here, thank you very much," Laura frowned petulantly. "I thought you guys were still holed up in the eastern quadrant?"

"Dude, we're Space Marines!" Damien declared boisterously, chest puffed up smugly, and Laura rolled her eyes. "I mean, sure, some of the buildings were sentient, but we learned from our previous fight and things became a stroll in the park for us!"

"Top job lad, nicely done," Laura held her thumb up at Damien. "We're heading to an elevator, is it in this room?"

"Right over there," Lita waved her Singing Spear at a pair of very large sliding doors situated on the other side of the chamber, where the Salamanders were currently finishing off the last of the cultists, their plea for mercy met with promethium flames and melta, "looks large enough for all of us."

"It is one of the planetary governor's personal exclusive elevators," Shadowsun spoke up and strode over to the gaudily carved double doors, a vista of pleasure and excess rendered in the most explicit fashion. Laura and her mates fall into step behind the Tau commander, who was surprisingly unbothered by the slaughter the Space Marines had unleashed upon her kin. "The man love to flaunt his wealth at every given opportunity, hence the unnatural size of the elevator. When I first arrived with Paxish he had the most decorated regiment of the Planetary Defense Force, infantries, tanks, even warships, paraded off that elevator. It was then followed by wagons load of foods, drinks and sex workers of such unending multitude that it would've no doubt satiate the needs and wants of the entire system."

"Yup, that's textbook Imperial nobility for you," Laura flashed a cheeky grin at Shadowsun. "So commander, did you enjoy the lord governor's most generous hospitality? How does human compare to Tau?"

"I did not indulge, lady inquisitor, I have a reputation to keep," Shadowsun snapped at her, retracted the rail cannon on her right arm until it slid behind her shoulder, and started typing on a console screen situated beside the elevator. The screen flared red. Shadowsun grunted a few rude sounding words, typed in more command lines, and got more red light in the face. "Damn it all."

"What's the problem chief?" Henry scooted closer and peered over Shadowsun's shoulder. "Logged out of the system, I see?"

"Very observant, lord general," Shadowsun didn't appreciate the Captain Obvious routine. "Paxish and his cronies have completely overhauled the security protocol. All of my attempts to access the system have been thwarted."

"Don't fret commander," Celestine joined them with the rest of the main characters and nudged her head at the console. "Sister Vivian, I believe this is your area of expertise?"

"I'll get this elevator moving in a couple of minutes, lady Celestine, you have my word," the Cyborg Sororitas of the Avenging Knight strode up to the console, waited until Shadowsun stepped away, and held her hand out to the screen. Cybernetic tendrils snaked out of her fingers and darted into the console's various plugs and ports, causing the screen to blink rapidly, as if the computer was having a seizure. "By the Emperor, they are good. But I'm better."

"Form a firing line brothers, for all we know Paxish have a surprise waiting for us," Damien ordered the Astartes into position, but before they got into the correct places around the elevator Galatea led her canoness buddies forward, gliding passed the Space Marines with the haughtiness of elegant peacocks strutting amongst dirty roosters, "oh hi Galatea, how's it hanging?"

"Quite good Brother Captain, thank you for asking," queenly though her bearing might be Galatea's politeness had a clear sharp edge to it. "I must ask that the Astartes remain behind us. Chaos is afoot and we Sororitas will be better suited to meet this threat."

"All yours, milady," Damien made an obnoxious exaggerated Victorian bow before he and the Astartes took a single step back, allowing the canonesses and their respective Celestians, plus the Howling Banshees, to spearhead the elevator. The nuns and elves had just arrayed themselves correctly across the two partitions when Vivian gave a triumphant cry and, to the rumble of grinding steel, the elevator made its descent. "Remember, we'll be here if you need anything."

"We are more than capable of handling ourselves, Brother Captain," Morelia snapped snobbishly and Damien reciprocated with an energetic wave.

"They're not the most pleasant people to be around, are they?" Shadowsun made her comment, loudly, as she took her place beside Laura, earning immediate animosity from the Battle Sisters. "I had expected the Astartes to be revered, given their status amongst the forces of the Imperium."

"Friendly rivalry never hurts anyone Shadowsun, it's all fun and game," Yuki gave Shadowsun's armored ribs a little nudge with her elbow as Celestine joined the canonesses, the sweeping gaze she gave them was hard. "And see? With a mum like Celestine around, everybody will be on their best behavior."

"Please focus on the task at hand, lady exarch," Celestine's sideway glance was more than enough to make Yuki go a few shades paler. "The elevator is here."

As one the humans, eldars and a Tau raised their guns at the parting doors, the world slowed painfully as the two partitions took their sweet time grinding apart, which made the tension that much more suffocating and palpable. So it was pretty bloody anticlimactic when the elevator opened to reveal emptiness, and not some dank, disgusting neglect sort of emptiness too, but clean and welcoming, totally untouched by the war outside.

"What the hell?" Laura sprinted inside the elevator with her mates, weapons sweeping the interior. The place was bathed in warm orange light, highlighting the beautiful murals that covered the four walls, the scene was of frolicking nature this time. The place was bloody nice, but since they were in the heart of the enemy's territory, the exuding serenity was seriously freaking Laura out. "The fuck is this – oi! Keep your eyes peeled people, I don't trust any of this shite! Check every corner, every crack, every shadow, this can't be it!"

"I'm as nervous as you are Laura, but the place is clean," Lita's eyes were glowing like Celestine as she took in the elevator. When the illumination ended, she shook her head. "Seriously, I just use my power to sweep the place and there's no Chaos taint. They're everywhere else, but not here."

"She's right," Damien nodded and waved the rest of the main characters inside the elevator. First came the Celestians, the Banshees and the Astartes, all of whom quickly took up strategic positions around the fuck huge rectangular interior, followed by Isha and Elnys and Celalira, the three eldars were encased inside a ring comprised of Celestine, Greyfax, and the canonesses. "Scanners are not picking up anything."

"The lady Warseer and the Brother Captain are correct, the Ruinous Power is absent here," Celestine turned to Vivian and nodded sharply. "Take us up to the Ethereal."

"Right away mam," Vivian manned the control console, the two doors slid close with a bang, and turned to Shadowsun, "beg your pardon commander, but which floor does the Ethereal occupies again?"

"Level one hundred to one hundred and twelve, the entire tip of the spire," Shadowsun told Vivian, who quickly punched in the correct floor, prompting the elevator to give a mighty jerk before rising. Nodding slowly, the visor of Shadowsun's helm slid open and she took a deep, long breath, her visage hard but serene. "That is where he will be, along with the planet's high echelon …and also our objective." Shadowsun let out a mirthless chuckle. "I'm still having a hard time believing all of this. Paxish? Of all people? Responsible for creating a god…by the Greater Good, even coming out of my own mouth it sounds stupid."

"Given everything that you have seen with your own eyes, I had thought you would be more enlightened by now," Celestine narrowed her eyes on Shadowsun. "If you still refuse to believe in the existence of the Warp, then I don't know what else can be done for you."

"The Chaos god is here," Isha cut in before Shadowsun can part heated vitriolic with Celestine. All eyes were now fixed on the Aeldari goddess, sadness and resignation warring with courage and determination on her face. "And I can hear him…his thoughtless whispers, his moans, his desire to finally open his eyes and take his first breath. His slumber is nearing its end. It will not be long before his ascension is complete."

"Hopefully it will take a bit longer," Laura gave her claymore a few warm up twirls before bracing it on her shoulder. But despite trying to look cool, Laura wasn't able to stop a very nervous sigh from escaping her lips, "seriously Isha, will we make it in time?"

"I believe so," Isha's warm smile managed to steel her nerves, that and Yuki placing a firm hand on her arm, squeezing tightly. "Fate will not be so unkind."

"You'll be surprise," Greyfax muttered unhelpfully and reloaded her Condemnor bolter with high explosive rounds. "Whatever comes, we will face it with courage and faith."

"That's the best anyone of us can do," Henry spoke up, his timbre stern and indomitable, more than enough to put fire into the hearts of the Eight and the main characters. Smiling lightly, Henry adjusted his awesome general coat and continued. "So, what can we expect when we reach the top floors?"

"The same old Chaos shit, definitely," Damien shrugged, and it was only now that Laura noticed a big arse hole on his pauldron, the Canadian Astartes doesn't seem to mind one bit though. "Lots of daemons, lots of cultists, and with a sleeping god thrown into the mix this time, yep, nothing we can't handle."

"Umm, mate, there's a hole on your right pauldron," Laura pointed at Damien's shoulder, sparks from severed wires and damaged servos accompanying his every movement, "just thought you might want to know."

"Oh I know it's there, I'm fine, don't worry, just a little souvenir left behind by those evil buildings we fought," Damien waved her off. "But like I said, we'll just do what we've always done when facing Chaos. Blast them straight to hell."

"Not to be that guy, but, I don't know, maybe we need a more nuance approach this time?" Henry put in reasonably. "Because the whole guns blazing things nearly got me and everyone flattened by a buncha kaiju building, so maybe cool it a bit with the Rambo thing?"

"Yes lord general, perhaps we can politely ask the Ethereal to abandon his scheme and destroy the Chaos god he had work so hard to bring to life," Bellona was unapologetically venomous as she offered Henry her alternative, the Bloody Rose canoness's snippy condescension elicited low laughter from the Sororitas, even Celestine cracked a smile. "No lord general, despite the complication that arose from Brother Captain Damien and Warseer Lita's action, Chaos must be dealt with fire, fury, and faith. Nothing can substitute destruction as a remedy for the Ruinous Power."

"Alright, jeez, it was only a suggestion," Henry pouted his lip like a scolded child, a bit of red marring his cheeks when the Battle Sisters and Banshees continued to giggle at him, having find his response endearing. "You didn't have to be mean about it."

"There will only be two conclusions to this undertaking," Isha brought the raucous to heel. Her voice was steely but haunted. "Either this new Chaos god awakens, and we fail, or we will be victorious." Isha took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "We must be victorious, for the sake of all, and I will do everything in my power to see that eventuality come to pass, this I swear."

"Whoa…Isha's awesome dude," Erik blurted into the silence that followed Isha's declaration, causing the Aeldari goddess to blush furiously from the compliment, the brightening scarlet only worsen when Celestine placed a supporting hand on her shoulder. "I mean, it's not that she wasn't awesome before, but damn, after this she just went to the top of my list. No offense lady Celestine."

"None taken High Ranger," Celestine nodded handsomely at Erik, and now it was his turn to be red and bashful, before casting her gaze slowly across the elevator, eyes narrowed sharply. "We are not being attack."

"Thank the God Emperor for that," Laura flexed her claymore, totally not liking how the Living Saint has stiffened. "That's a good thing, right? I totally prefer this over having fucking daemons going full xenomorph on us, as in the fuckers started burrowing through the elevator from every conceivable direction."

"Although I share your sentiment, I am finding the lack of resistance on the part of Paxish to be worrying," Miriya said and shifted her gaze between Celestine and Isha. "Forgive me your ladyships, but are there no hostile within the vicinity?"

"I sense nothing," Celestine answered in the negative but nevertheless held the Ardent Blade up at the ready. She looked at Isha and the Aeldari goddess shook her head. "This is odd, to say the least. We are in the heart of the enemy's domain and nothing has thwarted us yet."

"Perhaps Paxish believes we couldn't have made it this far?" Isha offered.

"No," Shadowsun cut in as she joined Celestine and Isha, and seeing three of the most important characters in Warhammer 40k simply talking to each other was very awesome behold. "Paxish is a narcissist, his hubris is staggering even by Ethereal standard. The man wants to make a grand statement, and we shall be his audiences. That's the only reason we've met no opposition so far, he wants us to see."

"This bullshit is getting kinda old," Yuki muttered lowly, earning very verbal agreement from the more bloodthirsty Sororitas. "I mean, holy fucking shit, is it too much to ask for those Chaos assholes to be a little creative in their Warp fuckery?"

"On paper, having a smarter enemy sounds like a blast, but personally, I prefer them to just repeat their strategy over and over again," Lita added reasonably, and of course the moderate Sororitas, and the Space Marines too Laura noticed, were bobbing their heads up and down. "Routine is predictable, a job easily executed. So far, we've been lucky to be facing only stupid enemies. Sometime the mundane is better than a surprise."

"Shut the hell up Lita! No one wants to hear that logical shit!" Yuki snapped petulantly at the smirking Lita. "I wanna have fun killing them!"

"Yeah Lita, stop being such a spoil sport!" Being the awesome girlfriend that she was, Laura blindly agreed with Yuki, despite inwardly conceding that the Mexican Warseer made a very good point.

"Whatever, you know I'm right," Lita waved dismissively, haughtily, at Laura and Yuki before turning to Vivian. "Excuse me Vivian, but how long until we reach the top?"

"Five minutes, give or take," Vivian said and flexed her right cyborg arm, the metallic limb turning into a plasma cannon, humming and glowing at the ready, "I've also made a quick sweep of the surrounding areas and found no defense turrets or traps waiting for us. The path to the Ethereal is clear."

"The Tau cannot be this stupid, can he?" Astrid the huskarl traded look with her mother Eldul, the elskerinne of the Frost Bringer, despite the helmed heads both were probably wearing dumbfounded expressions. "This is the equivalent of leaving a fortress gate open during a siege."

"Although I don't like to speak ill of my people, you are correct in your assessment," Shadowsun sighed the same moment the elevator started slowing, prompting her and the Astartes to form a firing line immediately adjacent to the entrance. "The Tau, especially those of the aristocratic persuasion, can be egotistical to the point of imbecility."

"Let's hope he fits the stereotype," Erik braced his Aeldari sniper rifle firmly to his shoulder when the elevator grinded to a stop and the two doors started sliding open. "This it, make ready people, it's go time!"

"Oh come the fuck on!" Damien groaned loudly and his Astartes buddies muttered lowly in agreement when the sound of an orchestra ensemble seeped into the elevator, the tune was that of a grand, slow waltz. Laura honestly didn't know what the hell the Canadian was whining about. "Seriously?! Again?! Fuck!"

"Okay, profanities aside, I completely agree with Damien," Lita added, her Singing Spear lowered at the golden light lancing through the partially opened doorway. Catching the quirked brow from Laura, Lita turned to her with a sigh. "We just fought a Chaos daemon called the maestro, a freaking symphony conductor whose power is music, and a legion of his demented admirers. This is basically a repeat of what we've just fought."

"Bet you want to fight something new now, huh?" Yuki was more than obviously sporting a shit eating grin beneath her mempo helm, so Lita responded by pulling up her lucha libre helm to blow a raspberry at the Japanese exarch. "Damn I love being right."

Before Lita can make her retort the elevator doors slid open completely, and holy shite they just stumbled into a Disney Princess ballroom scene. Not wasting time, the Eight and the main characters jogged into the great domed chamber, resplendent in glittering golden lights, shining crystal chandeliers the size of a minivan, pillars of gleaming white marble lovingly rendered into panoramas of divine splendor, and flawless porcelains of vivid artistry. Close to a hundred couples, human and Tau alike, were dancing prettily to the soaring rhythm reverberating across the hall.

"Welcome! Welcome most honored guests!" A man in the most stereotypical British footman custom strode up to them, bowing so low that his nose almost touched the floor. Laura cringed from his friendly smile and immediately stashed her claymore and drew her hellgun, flicking the switch to maximum. "Ethereal Paxish had appoint me to see to all of your…"

"DIE MOTHFUCKER!"

Laura can only squawk when the footman's headless body was sent flying into a dancing couple after Damien decapitated him with a punch. Before anyone can even registered what in the fuck just happened Damien, accompanied by Lita and the Astartes, stormed on to the dance floor and wiped the shock off the faces of the revelers with a blazing fusillade of bolts, plasmas, meltas and the Mexican Warseer's sorcery. It was a pure, unfiltered expression of violence, and within minutes the party turned into a funeral, the bloody and messy kind.

"Eat bolts, bitches!" Damien held the trigger down and swept the barrel across the mass of merrymakers, deaf to their baleful cries and drunk on his own roaring vehemence, nothing but blood and fire can be seen amidst the brutal salvo. When the bolter clicked empty, Damien ejected the spent clip, slammed a new one home, and spun sharply at the Sororitas, the nuns were actually stunned by the unfolding carnage. "Ladies, can you maybe please lend a hand?! There are still people hanging around the d'oeuvre tables, the fuckers are running all over the fucking place. Also, the band hasn't taken the hint and wouldn't stop playing, kindly shut them up please!"

"With pleasure, Brother Captain," Galatea was totally grinning beneath her ornate helm as she led the Sororitas forward at a spirited jog, the Sisters of Battle arraying themselves between the Space Marines, and holy shit seeing the two factions joining forces was cool as fuck. The Paragon Warsuit clad Miranda took her place beside Damien, the two friendlily brushing each other's shoulders like the lovey dovey couples that they were. "Purge the heretics, sisters! Turn their songs and joy into cries of pain and lamentation! In the name of the God Emperor let none survive!"

Not one to be left out of the fun, Laura slipped in between Miriya and Firnera's squad and let it ripped with her hellgun. She didn't know how long the barrage lasted, but by the time the din ended her cheeks hurt from smiling too damn much and the barrel of her hellgun was glowing like a bloody supernova. As for the ballroom itself…welp, let's just say nothing of its former glory remained, only scorched ruin splattered with sizzling viscera can be seen, the work of architectural triumph that must have taken generations to complete was undone within the span of ten minutes.

"Umm…did we go a bit overboard?" Erik piped up, like Lita he was disturbed by the wholesale destruction the Adeptus Astartes and the Adepta Sororitas had brought upon what was essentially unarmed civilians enjoying a nice waltz, they were Chaos worshippers, but still. "Holy shit, there's nothing left."

"Overboard compare to what?" Henry asked, one brow quirked. "How is this any different to all the other crap we did?"

"I think it's a bit too much," Lita piped up as the Space Marines and Battle Sisters started prowling the chamber, making sure that everything was dead. No follow up bangs were heard, there were no survivors. "They haven't even done anything to us and we just blast them to bits."

"All for the best, better to kill than be killed," Laura shrugged and headed toward the grand golden archway door at the other end of the ballroom, the canonesses were already standing in front of it, weapons brandished. "And like Henry said, we've done worse shite than this. You're just freaking out because this happened in a confine space, which mean you get to see all the nasty details up close."

"Yeah," Lita sighed sadly. "When a city is being bombed, we can pretend like the little details doesn't matter because we can't see it."

"Such is war, no matter how many eons had passed it remains unchanged, the one true constant of this universe," Isha joined them, flanked by Celestine, Greyfax, Celalira and Elnys, the goddess was solemn as she took in the death the battlegroup had just dealt. "And I count myself lucky for not being able to make peace with this, unlike my brothers and sisters. Yes, even though I recognize the necessity, I will never be deadened to the horror and suffering of war."

"A noble sentiment, one that is truly lacking in this day and age," Celestine traded respectable nod with Isha before waving her Ardent Blade at the great door that would surely lead them to Ethereal Paxish. "But I must ask that you muster your courage Isha, for the battle is not yet won and you will play a crucial role in its success. The moment this door comes down, you will have to fight."

"I understand Celestine," Isha drew herself taller as the Eight and the main characters formed a loose crescent around the door, up close Laura can see wisps of eldritch purple leaking from between the two partitions. And damn, Isha can really rock the warrior queen persona if she put some effort into it. "Let's not waste any more time."

"Then allow me. Stand back!" Shadowsun took her place at the front, leveled her big ass rail cannon at the entrance, locking clangs and hisses resounded across her armor as she got into a bracing position, and pulled the trigger. The barrel flared a blinding blue as the Tau gun unleashed it's payload on the immobile target, and although the sleek futuristic weapon doesn't pack as much acoustic punch as Imperium arsenals, it was still bone jarringly loud. It took a whooping five seconds for the entire big arse doors to be reduced to splintery ashes, the resulting fiery plumes churned and roiled harmlessly over Shadowsun. Steams rising in wispy coils from the rail cannon, Shadowsun disengaged her armor locking mechanism and braced the weapon on her shoulder, striking a very epic pose. "And there, the path is clear. Follow me…"

"Get back!" Celestine yanked Shadowsun harshly back. The Tau commander almost crashed into Isha but managed to find her footing just a few inches shy of colliding with the Aeldari goddess. Growling very unpleasant Tau curses, Shadowsun rounded on Celestine, but before any verbal or physical altercation can occur, the Living Saint stabbed her finger at the destroyed doorway where the dusts were settling. "Look!"

The clicks of priming guns and sharp whispers of unsheathing blades rolled across the main characters and the Eight, and soon Shadowsun saw why. Beyond the destroyed archway was definitely not another room of marbles, bricks and steel, no, the kaleidoscopic riot of color in front of Laura was roiling across a vast empty space, the pulsing spectrum eldritch and unwelcoming.

"What in the name of…" Shadowsun tapped the side of her helm and grunted agitatedly. "I can't get a reading on that thing, my sensors are going haywire."

"That, my dear commander," Celestine stepped forward, the Ardent Blade blazing radiant blue, the divine illumination lanced into the sickly light, making them recoiled back as if burnt, "is the Warp, the Immaterium where the Dark Gods of Chaos hold dominion."

"Thankfully this is not the true empyrean," Isha, herself awash in radiant silver gold light, joined Celestine and Shadowsun, the meekness from before nowhere to be seen. "This is merely a pocket, isolated from the rest of the Warp but connected to an enough degrees that undiluted Chaos energy can flow in freely."

"You can protect us, right?" Yuki spoke up, her head darting between Isha and Celestine. "Both of you can counter the effect of the Warp and nullify its power to a significant degree? Please say yes, because I can't handle any other answer beside that."

"The Warp will be weakened lady exarch, that I can guarantee," Celestine and Isha nodded in unison. "However, I cannot say for certain if we will be completely safe, I have never ventured into the empyrean before, not even a pocket one at that."

"But we will be able to fight back?" Shadowsun now asked. "Paxish can be harm with conventional weapon?"

"With us here, yes, he can be harm," Isha steeled the trembles raking her body, exhaled heavily, and locked eyes with Celestine. "I cannot wait any longer. I can already feel my conviction faltering from the inaction."

"Together then," Celestine took the lead, flanked by Shadowsun and the canonesses, followed by Isha and her bodyguards, with the Space Marines and the Celestians and the Banshees bringing up the rear, the Sororitas were raising their voices in a hymn, serene yet powerful, the Warp quaking from the churchly ambience. Laura, Yuki, Lita, Henry and Erik were amongst Isha's security detail with Elnys, Celalira and Greyfax, "forward sisters and brothers! This ends now! For the Emperor! For life and for light!"

The humans had no problem that Celestine made the Aeldari war cry, for they raised their voices in a boisterous roar and thundered into the Warp. Laura had expected her feet to sink into a liquid like quagmire of unfathomable depth, or find herself stumbling into a zero-gravity void and cast adrift, better yet get jumped by daemons of all varieties and sizes. Instead, her iron studded boots clanged loudly off solid floor, but before Laura can lament on the mundane, she found the view to be bloody spectacular. She, the Eight and the main characters were walking amongst stars of dancing cosmic radiance that stretched into stygian infinity, nebulas, galaxies and solar systems pulse and spun with calm lethargy, a mesmerizing rhythm of color that invites her to simply sit down and watch. Even with the translucent veneer of daemonic pink and purple, Laura had to admit that the place was very beautiful. The one detail that ruin the entire vista was Ethereal Paxish himself, the pompous arsehole was glaring at them from atop a throne of Tau design.

"Why did you kill them?" Paxish spoke up, his tone infuriatingly reasonable and sad, like a disappointed father reprimanding the misdeed of his children, "they were just basking in the joy of life, a celebration of this new era that is dawning upon us."

Shadowsun lifted up her rail cannon and sent a powerful burst at Paxish, the projectile flew true and would've hit the Ethereal if it wasn't for the pesky sorcerous shield enveloping him. The shinning bullets lost its radiance when it hit the transparent force field, the surface rippled like a disturbed body of water as the ordnance disintegrated to mist.

"O'shaserra," Paxish's voice hardened as Shadowsun lowered her rail cannon. "I would expect nothing less from your degenerate bloodline. To betray your own kind, your own god, to the lowlier race, my greatest regret was to not have you killed sooner."

"Politician are never decisive," Shadowsun sneered and gestured to Celestine and Isha, "and this is the price of your cowardice. You call me a traitor Paxish, but I was not the one who sold our species to monsters that had damned people who are older and wiser than we are." Shadowsun hefted up her rail cannon once more. "This is your last chance, Ethereal, stop this madness or I will stop it myself."

"A blasphemer to the very end, I suppose such conviction should be commended," Paxish went on mockingly and waved his hands beatifically up at the sky, which Laura just now realized has been pulsing rhythmically, a sickly hue shinning bright in the encompassing wrongness. "But O'shaserra, why should I surrender when I have already won?"

Cliché though Paxish's villainous monologue might be, Laura had to admit that it was appropriately dramatic, and outright scary when she, the Eight and the main characters followed the Ethereal's raised hand and saw the cause of the pulsating light. Seriously, Laura actually felt nauseated the longer she stared at the gigantic shape looming above them like a storm cloud, vaguely visible between pinkish flashes. A soft boom, like faraway thunder, accompanied every beat of light, like a fucking heartbeat.

"I've seen a lot of shit in my life," Henry began, and like Laura the American general was rather perturbed by the thing above them, an amorphous mass of writhing flesh coiled within an embryotic cocoon of tentacles, and straining against the murky film of its incubating womb was a vaguely bipedal shape, ill formed and sickly to behold. "But that…fuck me, Lovecraft's stories freak me the fuck out but to see one of these eldritch things in person, welp, goodbye sleep for the next couple of weeks."

"Do not attack it," Isha raised her voice when the Astartes and Sororitas honed their weapons up at the sleeping Chaos god, the resonating timbre rippled out in an aura of silvery white that made the color out of space reeled back in fright. "Such action will only hasten the birth."

"What are we supposed to do then?" Greyfax snapped at Isha.

"I shall deal with the god," Isha closed her eyes and raised one hand at the unborn Chaos god.

"What are you doing?!" Paxish shouted from his throne, and seeing that smug self-satisfied face crumbled into panic was like ambrosia to Laura.

"Stopping a disaster," Isha said simply as tendrils of light, serene and pleasant in hue, reached up into the air like vines coiling up a tree to envelop the dreaming Chaos god, the touch eliciting a droning moan but beside that the creature didn't stir.

"No! You cannot do that!" Paxish leapt off his seat and swung his Ethereal staff in Isha's direction, as a king would try to silence his subject. "I command you to stop!"

"I will not," Isha shook her head.

"Stop her!" Paxish waved his staff wildly in the air and shapes started emerging from the starry darkness around the Ethereal's throne, tearing open the fabric of reality like how one would rend a sheet of paper. They were daemons, several dozens of them, symmetrical and rigid in shape, a parody of the Tau's Crisis Battlesuit. "Kill the bitch! Kill them all!"

"I was hoping that violence can be avoided," Isha deadpanned, her visage one of absolute disappointment. Giving her head a gloomy shake, Isha turned to Celestine. "I must ask that you keep me safe while I deal with the slumbering god, but please, be careful not to aim too high. The situation is delicate, to put it lightly."

"Then I shall be extra careful," Celestine winked at Isha and spread her majestic wings wide, divine white light haloed the Living Saint, turning her into a beacon of burning purity in the midst of unending corruption. Ardent Blade raised, Celestine started off toward the daemons Paxish had summoned, the denizens of the Warp visibly flinching from the God Emperor's maiden of war. "Be precise in your wrath, sisters and brothers, the fate of the galaxy hinges upon our action. For the Emperor, for life and for light, slay them all!"

"No pressure at all," Laura smirked as the Astartes, Sororitas and Howling Banshees, their weapons set to semi-auto as per Celestine's order, engaged the nearing daemon Battlesuits, bolts, shurikens and plasmas flying to meet them with startling accuracy, every shot crippling or alright killing them. But unlike the real Crisis Battlesuits, the daemon parodies possessed no sophisticated weaponries or high tech armors, only fleshy bits made to look like the xeno mechas. They had oversized swords, axes and sickles for hands though, and their hinds were able to absorb great amount of damages, so naturally the daemons let out piercing screams and bounded for the main characters, scarily fast given their hulking sizes. "Alright, and here I thought this was going to be boring."

Grinning, Laura drew her claymore, one hand on the grip one hand on the fuller, and charged the daemon directly in front of her, the bloke had curved sabers where arms should be, and these were raised high as it leapt at the British inquisitor. The move was painfully transparent, so it was of no surprise that someone of such venerated skill like Laura easily slid beneath the wild swings and lanced her claymore up at the exposed abdomen. The daemon Battlesuit howled in agony as Laura, her legs braced firmly, thrust the claymore deeper into its gut, murky black ichor and viscera poured from the widening incision, the British inquisitor not satisfied until the Scottish steel was lodged almost to the hilt. Howling in pitiful agony, the daemon Battlesuit raised its arms of swords, and would've successfully bisected the grinning Laura if it wasn't for Yuki and Henry, the Japanese exarch and the American general targeting a limb each, the eldar katana was a silent whisper while the chainsaw roared bloodthirstily. Ichor sprayed from the severed arms after Yuki and Henry leapt up to meet the descending organic blades, flesh proving poor defense against sharpened steels, and Laura mentally high fived herself for the foresight of wearing a wide brimmed hat, her hair and face were totally protected. Grunting, Laura gripped the claymore tight, twisted the Scottish steel savagely, and with a mighty war cry tore the sword free sideway, opening up the daemon in a messy seppuku.

"Now that's rather nasty," Laura made a face as she stepped back from the screaming daemon, skipping on her toe to avoid the innards pouring out of the gapping, eviscerated wound. Failing to stuff the steaming entrails back inside its stomach, the daemon started to holler when four consecutive shurikens ripped into its deformed face, each projectile tearing off chunks after chunks until only a smoking stump remained. "Bloody fuck, that's quick. Top job Erik, sharp as always mate!"

"You're welcome!" Erik waved energetically when Damien, performing a running golf punt like Happy Gilmore with his thunder hammer, sends a daemon Battlesuit into the air with a resounding bang. Before the pinwheeling bastard can even scream Lita incinerated it with a sorcerous beam, the charcoal corpse shattering to pieces when it crashed back to the ground. "Nice shot Lita!"

"Thank you!" Lita said chirpily and swept a quick glance around them, her Singing Spear lowering. "Okay, I'm an optimist, and I try to temper my expectation most of the time, but seriously, did we just win?"

"Say what now?" Laura followed Lita confused gaze and the Mexican Warseer was right? She triple checked to make sure and indeed, the battle had simmered down, no, not even that, the battle was over, the last of the daemon Battlesuits were getting grinded to mush by the Sororitas and the Astartes and the Banshees, all of whom had since switched to melee weapons. "Okay, this can't be real. We're in a pocket of the Warp and we just curb stomped the fucking daemons? Just like that?"

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Celestine flicked ruby droplets off the Ardent Blade and, with an equally blood splattered Shadowsun at her side, strode toward Paxish and his throne, the Ethereal's face was drawn rictus tight, sweat beaded his brow, lips peeled back to reveal clenched teeth. "By the God Emperor, this is the first time you have wielded this power."

"Silence, Gue'la whore!" Paxish hissed, his composure disintegrating fast, beside the throne an amorphous mass roiled madly, the consistency and shape refusing to coalesce. "I wield power greater than you can imagine! One that reduce you to mere insect!"

"Even your lies are fraying Paxish," Shadowsun snorted venomously. "You can barely control this power, and you have already reached your limit."

"Stay back!" Paxish shouted and his anger made the shapeless thing more defined, the primordial Warp ooze morphing into a horrific mutated Siamese twin comprised of Tau and Kroot, the abomination shrieked and swathed its malformed limbs feebly. "Surrender this futile struggle, or I shall have my creation kill every last one of you!"

"May I?"

"Absolutely."

Celestine waved the Ardent Blade cordially and Shadowsun opened fire with her rail cannon. Paxish cried out and raised his staff in a sad attempt to shield himself but Shadowsun wasn't aiming for him, her target was the abomination he summoned, the shambling daemon was reduced to bloody gibs within three seconds flat.

"Nice shot," Celestine nodded, clearly impressed.

"I had a lot of practice," Shadowsun said as the two women came to a stop not five paces from the seated Paxish, the Living Saint and the commander now looming over the cowering Ethereal. "I've always knew you were pathetic Paxish, but by the Greater Good, show some backbone now that the end has come."

"The end? No O'shaserra, this ending is for you and your friends," gotta give it to him, Paxish was quick to regain his confidence, now sitting erected as he glared at Shadowsun and Celestine. "For me and the Tau Empire, this is the beginning of a new glorious era, one where the galaxy kneels before our might and the blessed teaching of the Greater Good."

"A future I will never allow to come to pass," Shadowsun growled and pointed the smoking rail cannon at Paxish's face, the Ethereal wasn't able to hide his little flinch.

"Go on then, traitor, kill me, I know you long to do it," Paxish spat, and he actually managed to convince Laura that he wasn't scared shitless. Smirking to hide his fear, Paxish pointed up at the embryotic god. "My death will mean nothing, by the Greater Good it will only hasten my ascendency, for me to be one with my god. So please O'shaserra, give me my most deserving victory."

"He is correct, commander Shadowsun," before Shadowsun can pulled the trigger, Isha silently joined the confrontation, taking her place between Celestine and the Tau commander. And since no more fighting appeared to be forthcoming, the Eight and the main characters settle down around the throne, weapons at the ready, more to watch the unfolding drama than anything. Nudging Yuki in the side then flashing Erik and Damien quick hand signals, Laura grinned brightly when the Japanese exarch, the Swedish elf and the Canadian Astartes assumed their auteur roles, data-pads in hands, saving this moment for prosperity. "Killing him will not solve our current predicament."

"I will take only satisfaction then," Shadowsun declared vehemently but did not blast Paxish to smithereens.

"What has happened?" Celestine turned to face Isha, her posture stiffening. "Has something gone wrong?"

"Nothing of the sort Celestine," Isha smiled calmly. "I am here to inform you that my task has been completed. The slumbering god has been neutralized."

"You lie!" Paxish roared, and for a moment Laura actually thought the skinny bastard was gonna jump Isha, half his arse was already off the throne. But a sharp glance from Celestine and Shadowsun convinced him to sit back down. "He is a god! He cannot be stop!"

"I am also a god," Isha narrowed her eyes crossly at Paxish, the weight of that simple look easily cowered the Ethereal. "I have watched suns and moons and stars shine in light and dim in death for countless eons, witness the rise and fall civilizations in number that you cannot comprehend. Stopping an unborn Chaos god is not beyond my ability."

"Wait, you're done killing him?" Laura scratched her head and glanced up at the sky, or ceiling, whatever, and squawked when she saw the embryotic god still hovering above them. He was wreathed in a warm, crisscrossing filigree of brilliant white light, illuminating his entire terrible mass for all to see. As a disgusting Lovecraftian blob of ululating tentacle goes, he looks pretty healthy. "Mate, he's not dead, if anything he looks even more vibrant than before."

"He has been stop, lady inquisitor, you need not fear," Isha went on politely. "What you see, which has captivated you so, is a prison of my making and design, the slumbering god has now been imprisoned and cut off from his nourishment. The bars of light absorbed and expelled the Warp energy inside him, while at the same time cut him off from the Immaterium at large. He is isolated and helpless." Isha turned to Paxish, the Ethereal was starting to hyperventilate. "You feel the emptiness, yes? You can no longer hear him, and you can no longer talk to him."

"No…" the Ethereal's staff slipped from Paxish's trembling fingers as he pressed his palms to the sides of his skull, muttering what can only be prayers, spittle flying when the words became more desperate. Then he glared at Isha, eyes maddened with anger. "You whore, what have you done?! What you done to him?!"

Laura burst out laughing when, against all conceivable reason, Paxish lunged at Isha, his bony arms outstretched, fingers bend in rictus claws, aiming for the goddess's neck. He flew back into his throne in a mess of tangled limbs when Celestine landed a Muay Thai kick on his chest, the thud resounding pleasantly across the hall.

"Are you alright?" Isha nodded and Celestine leveled the Ardent Blade at Paxish, the Ethereal was coughing up blood from the little kick he'd just received. "He is defeated, but is it safe to kill him?"

"It is," Isha nodded, the gaze she gave Paxish was sad. "Your earlier prognosis has been correct Celestine, the Ethereal is a neophyte, unknowing of the true depth of the Warp, which render his control on the Immaterium benign. Killing him will not affect what is to come."

"Very well then," Celestine inverted the grip of the Ardent Blade and handed it pommel first to Shadowsun. "I believe the honor should be yours?"

Shadowsun looked at the shimmering weapon, and even though the visor completely covered her face Laura had no doubt the Tau commander's eyes were bulging out of her sockets, whether of fear or awe the British inquisitor couldn't begin to guess. After several heartbeats Shadowsun retracted the rail cannon and, her movement extremely cautious, reached out to the Ardent Bent, her fingers coiling slowly around the grip. The canonesses and the Celestians muttered loudly, not at all happy that a xeno was touching a divine relic of the God Emperor, but if the nuns were expecting Shadowsun to burst into flame for the heresy of wielding the Ardent Blade, they were sorely disappointed when the Tau commander gave the sword a few experimental swings, grunting when she found the weight agreeable. The only interaction the Ardent Blade had with Shadowsun was that the steel lost its bluish glow, becoming just another weapon.

"O'shaserra, wait…!" Paxish pathetic attempt to negotiate, now that everything went tits up for him, ended when Shadowsun thrust the Ardent Blade at him with a roar of purest anger and hate. The honed tip plunged with horrific ease into Paxish's nose and maxilla, destroying both in a splatter of bones and gore, Shadowsun putting so much force into the lunge that she nailed the Ethereal to the back of his throne. But Paxish was already a Chaos sorcerer, sort of, and despite being a shitty one the man had absorbed enough Warp juice that it made his death difficult. Smoke and color bled from his destroyed visage, Paxish screamed shrilly as his body went into a violent spasm, the motherfucker still alive despite having a blade lodged into his skull. Shadowsun was starting to recoil, her fingers slipping from the Ardent Blade when Celestine and Isha appeared besides her and placed their hands over her own. The Ardent Blade lit up, wreathed in golden blue light and shinning brighter than the birth of a star, and the squirming Paxish burst into flame, the immolation thankfully quick as the Ethereal was reduced to charcoal skeleton within seconds. When it was clear Paxish was no more, Shadowsun let out a shuddering breath and pulled the Ardent Blade free.

"That was ugly," Shadowsun muttered then handed the Ardent Blade back to Celestine. "Thank you, lady Saint."

"You are welcome, commander Shadowsun," Celestine bowed in respect, Shadowsun responded in kind, while in the background Isha delicately traced her finger across the air, drawing a gentle pattern that left behind ephemeral trails of wispy silver. It took a moment for Laura to notice the eldritch curtain of the Warp receding, revealing the marble façade of the Hive beneath, bright and clean and unspoiled by the touch of the empyrean. "Please do not take offense, but I did not expect you to be so proficient with a sword. Your form was very commendable."

"After getting my belly ran through by a Militarum lieutenant on some backwater world, I've been making sure to hone my close combat skill, in case such confrontation come to pass again," the visor of Shadowsun's helm slid open, revealing an awestruck, and very beautiful face as she took in Isha's work. "By the Greater Good, you're making it go away."

"I am," Isha nodded and, with one last flick of the finger, banished the last of the roiling Warp, leaving behind only the slumbering Chaos god, a single blemish now marring the otherwise pristine hall, the embryotic entity pulsed weakly. Sighing, Isha spread her hand wide and made a pushing motion. "Fate is most unkind."

"What did you do?" Laura asked as she, the Eight and the main characters gathered around the throne, no one paid Paxish's immolated corpse a speck of attention as they watched the sleeping god fade from the material world.

"I sent him back into the Warp," Isha' declaration was met with such powerful admonition that she yelped in fright.

"You returned that thing back to its home?!" Bellona roared, ignoring Celestine's warning look as she took a threatening step toward Isha. "You helped it?!"

"No, I did not, please let me explain!" Isha spluttered quickly, and it was only after Elnys pressed the barrel of her shuriken catapult to Bellona's skull that the Bloody Rose canoness calmed her arse down and nodded curtly for the goddess to continue. "I have marked him with my sigils, which is now radiating across the empyrean."

"What good does that do?" Elskerinne Eldul piped up and the bloodthirsty leaning canonesses all nodded demandingly at Isha.

"The Chaos god now wore the essence of Isha," Zhensu spoke up, her eyes widening in realization. "And since you are hunted by gods and daemons alike, all of them will think it is you who had entered their domain. They will attack this new god without thought."

"You are correct, lady canoness," there was no triumph in Isha's utterance, only grief and sadness, her divine light dimming visibly. "And given the deep bond this god has with his worshippers, his congregation will suffer the same fate."

"Yo! Holy fucking shit bro, what the fuck did y'all just do?!" Before Laura can ask Isha to elaborate, Tangmo made his bombastic, and obnoxiously loud, entrance into the conversation, the Sororitas cursing from the sudden acoustic intrusion. "Whoa! Kasteen, Andren, back off, back the fuck off, goddamn that shit is nasty!"

"Hey Tangmo, instead of screaming like a spastic moron how about you fill us in on what in the fuck is going on?!" Yuki snapped at the Thai commissar, shaking face buried in her palm, "well?! What the fuck is happening?! Are we in trouble?!"

"Nope, but the Tau and the heretics are dying and screaming dude, it's like someone flipped a freaking switch and now their lives are terminated, and not in a quick way either," Tangmo settled down and was now giving everyone a concise and straightforward description on what was transpiring. "Hang on, let me get a closer look…okay, now that's fucked up. Yeah, the only explanation I can give is that the heretics and Tau are dying from a thousand bites, seriously, it's like some invisible daemons are eating them!"

"And they don't sound right either," Nikki now joined in. "It's like there's another voice coming out with every scream, faraway ghostly kinda shit. Seriously, this is some horror movie shit. Thank Isha it's not happening to us."

"That is the death throne of the god," Isha sighed, tears glittered in her eyes, the goddess promptly wiped them away quickly. "He is finished, dead before life can even kindle, breath robbed at the moment of birth. A tragic end, but it won't be the first or the last this galaxy will see." Isha drew herself higher and turned to the canonesses. "I have no doubt that what I did was right, but I will never take joy in it. No, I shall mourn every death, for all deserve compassion."

"And you are free to do so, all of us process death differently," Celestine spoke up, stopping the Sororitas from making any comments. Trading a reassuring smile with Isha, Celestine gave the hall one last critical sweep and nodded sharply. "It is done then, victory is ours, Paxish and his mad scheme is no more, and a new Chaos is destroyed, we are triumphant this day."

"A most deserving victory, even I will readily admit this. The Immortal Spirit battlegroup's fame and renown is well earned," Shadowsun gave her begrudging, but genuine, compliment before glancing slowly at the humans and eldars around her, and Laura saw how the canonesses and the Celestians, their bloodied weapons held at hostile angles, were closing in around the Tau commander. She saw this also, and chuckled mirthlessly. "Just one more detail to take care of before your victory is complete, yes? Can't say that I am surprise, even though I had hope for a different outcome, so be it then," Shadowsun puffed her chest out, her weapons retracting smartly into place. "Make it quick."

"Hope is but a first step on the road to disappointment," Celestine held up her hand before Isha can intervene on Shadowsun's befall, the goddess was angst and on the verge of tears. "But I believe you shall continue to be surprise."

"You're not going to kill me?" Shadowsun's eyes widened, more than flabbergasted that the battlegroup wasn't gonna shoot her to shite like Alex Murphy. "Truly?"

"Of course love, what do you take us for, we're not a buncha arsehole who shoot people who helped us in the back!" Laura chirped happily and made sure her wide, pearly white smile was especially cute for Celestine and the Sororitas, the nuns groaning in unison. "Not only that, the Tau aligned with you will also be able to leave this system and return to the Tau Empire. But only if you relinquish total control of the system and make a public announcement of surrender across the eastern part of Segmentum Solar."

"A small price to pay for the safe return of my soldiers who had been led to this war by a traitorous Ethereal," Shadowsun grunted but was otherwise compliant with the request. "I shall need some time to prepare the speech."

"No need, commander Shadowsun," Celestine smiled amiably, "because I have already prepared one for you."


"Damn, that was pretty goddamn embarrassing dude."

"Ah, lord commissar, I was wondering if I would have a chance to speak with you before my departure."

Tipping his awesome commissar cap with a grin, Tangmo joined commander Shadowsun at the top of a gentle rise overlooking the mustering ground where Tau transport aircrafts in great numbers were either taking off or loading up people. The commander was wearing her crisp brown uniform, the same one she wore when they had spoken back at the Space Hulk.

"Compare to bullets, words hardly hurt," Shadowsun folded her arms across her chest with a huff, "but I have to admit, it was extremely grating to say them aloud. I endure in the end though, and what done is done."

"I can imagine. Seriously, under the saintly exterior, who would've thought Celestine possess a mean streak like that?" Tangmo chuckled, because holy shit what Shadowsun was forced to say to her troops, her defeated troops, was unbelievably embarrassing. Penned by Saint Celestine herself, Shadowsun had to spend a whooping forty minutes admitting to the folly of this misguided invasion, of how the Tau military was shamed by the might of the Imperium and the Aeldari, before ending things with a long-drawn praise for the Immortal Spirit battlegroup. It was a miracle a fucking riot didn't happen. "At least you and the expeditionary force get to go home."

"Home…" Shadowsun sighed and swept a sad glance over her soldiers. "I don't know if it will be home. If the intels you have given me are true, then the moment we return to Tau territory, we might as well be in uncharted space, full of hostiles and without friends."

"I want to say you're exaggerating but…yeah, that's pretty much what's gonna happen," Tangmo flashed Shadowsun a lopsided smile, because come on, lying never help anyone in the long run. "How well connected was Paxish? Does he control the entire Ethereal council or something?"

"Thank the Greater Good he doesn't," Shadowsun snorted. "Unfortunately his influence is extremely wide reaching, with many friends in high places and people who will readily do his bidding. His death will only exasperate the Empire's internal politics, and the fallout will not be good for me."

"I honestly don't believe that you are friendless," Tangmo ventured. "You're practically the Ciaphas Cain of your people, equal in fame and glory, maybe even more so. Surely there are some sympathetic ears around?"

"Of course lord commissar, I might not be as suave as the Ethereal when it comes to politic, but I've carved a nice little niche for myself in the Empire's social sphere," Shadowsun offered Tangmo a light smile, once again reminding him of how beautiful she was. "And with the information regarding the Warp you have so graciously given me, I believe I shall have little problem acquiring new allies."

"Happy to help," Tangmo tipped his awesome commissar cap dashingly at Shadowsun.

"Is the battlegroup truly at peace with this?" Shadowsun asked. "I am glad the Adeptus Astartes made no objection, but the Sororitas and the Aeldari seems rather vex that you and the high command have given me this intel."

"Eh, they'll grumble and whine but won't do much else. Trust me, I pissed them off enough time that if they truly wanted to kill me, I would already be dead," Tangmo said with mirth, but put on his serious face a second later. "You thought about what I said earlier?"

"I have," Shadowsun grunted, displeased with the sudden change of topic. "And after some deliberation, I believe we have yet to reach such eventuality."

"Cut the crap Shadowsun, that's your ego talking and you know it," Tangmo shook his head, one a disappointed father give to his daughter, earning a blistering glare from Shadowsun. Yet she had no words to counter him. "Look, I like you, seriously, you're one of the few upstanding people in this fucking universe, and the idea of you losing to a buncha Ethereal assholes is very offensive to me. And let me tell you right now, the Tau Empire cannot survive a Chaos incursion, especially one that comes from within."

"And your solution is for us to ally ourselves with the Imperium of Man and an Aeldari collective that worship a god of dead," Shadowsun scoffed. "Even if the need is pragmatic in nature, the very idea of forging a full alliance with the Imperium will repulse even the most openminded of Tau."

"Not an alliance, a parley, even I know how unlikely the prospect is," Tangmo went on. "Currently two Primarchs have returned, demi-gods from a time when the Imperium of Man was at its apex of power, and Guilliman and Jagatai are sure as hell gonna try and bring back the glory day. If they deem the Tau to be a threat, well, it'll take a couple of years at most to wipe you guys off the map. The best you can hope for is a cease of hostility, a temporary one for you to deal with the Chaos crap in the Empire. Hell, they might even lend some inquisitorial assistance to the frontier systems."

"That sounds even more fanciful than an alliance," Shadowsun shook her head but didn't disregard the idea completely. "Is it really possible? A truce with the Imperium? Can such a thing be achieved?"

"This is the moment for your diplomats to shine, I heard they can work miracle with words, maybe even Primarchs can be swayed? Besides, Guilliman is a pragmatist above all else, and considering all the crusades he's doing across the Imperium, he'll be happy that the southern flank of Ultramar is secure," Tangmo said. "And if all else fails, maybe you can ask Farsight for help, I heard he's doing well with his own thing."

"Careful lord commissar, and here I was beginning to like you," Shadowsun went full tsundere at the mention of Farsight, but after a moment she sighed, and a softness came over her face. "Yes, a parley seems possible." She turned to Tangmo then and both of them locked eyes. "I shall try to pursue what you have told me, for the betterment of the Tau Empire and its people."

"Excellent," Tangmo tilted his head and listened intently to his earbud. He nodded and, with a friendly grin, held his hand out to Shadowsun. "They're making a final call for you now, and Fio's getting rather nervous with our conversation. This is a goodbye then commander Shadowsun. It has been a pleasure, truly."

"Likewise lord commissar Tangmo," Shadowsun smiled and clasped hand with him, shaking firmly and amiably. After a moment they broke apart, Shadowsun bowed and Tangmo gave her a Thai wai. "Working with you has been a joy, and I shall not forget what you and the Immortal Spirit battlegroup had done for me personally. If I may ask, what will you do next? Help with the recolonization of the system?"

"Oh no, the Ministorum got that taken care of, we don't need to be here," Tangmo glanced at the red tinged morning sky and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs and clearing his mind. "As to what's next, well, the galaxy is a big place, with many enemies and horrors to face, and the battlegroup shall be the first to meet them."

"May luck and victory go with you, lord commissar," Shadowsun nodded sharply with heart.

"Hey, we've already face most of the major factions in this universe, we'll be fine."