A commissar must be unmovable, granite in stoicism and indomitable in spirit, this was the first lesson the Schola Progenium hammered into every new recruit, the first weakness to be eliminated by training and indoctrination. Leilatha tried to maintain her composure, a stalwart image of a commissar she was meant to be, a black dread to both friends and foes of the Imperium of Man, but instead shudders now raked her frame and hot tears welled in the corners of her eyes. She banished the treacherous emotions quickly, squeezed her eyes shut with such force that pain bloomed in the back of her skull until her vision cleared, and took in the Immortal Spirit main hangar where soldiers, from private to colonel of every regiment, humans and eldars alike, had gathered until the spacious hall was near bursting, all available spaces taken up by the massive press of people. Leilatha wanted to shout away the onlookers, even shoot a few, she honestly can't recalled the last time she had summarily executed a guardsman, but at least the men and women presence were solemn in countenance, befitting their current predicament.
The greatest cruelty the universe can inflict upon mortals is the swiftness of befallen calamity.
It had been three weeks since the battlegroup had concluded their campaign with the Tau, the Immaterium depositing them in an empty nebula south east of Segmentum Ultima, but before the Warp drives can even begin to cool and the Navigator and her cadres can rest, the Immortal Spirit fleet found themselves surrounded, so fast was the encirclement that within seconds they were locked in the center of the enemy's crosshair. What had accosted them were not bands of marauding corsairs, splinter fleet of a Chaos war party, or a ramshackle mob of orkish war machine, no, Leilatha would readily face those foes. The adversary that had crept silently out of the ocean of stars were ghosts, older beyond comprehension, the deadliest foe to ever cross sword with the armies of humanity.
Necrons, deathless machine from aeon spoken in fearful whispers, a past that not even the Aeldari dare to tread, had completely encircled the Immortal Spirit battlegroup.
"Here they come," Krillen spoke up from beside her, causing whispers to ripple across the hangar as the men and women of the battlegroup traded hush words, of fear, of awe, and of lamentation. As soon as it began the noise died away until only heavy silence reigned, and it took Leilatha all the willpower she possessed not to react when the Immortal Spirit high command walked through the corridor of guardsmen and Aeldari, stoic as they headed toward the Thunderhawk parked next to the drop exit.
Leilatha wanted to scream at Tangmo, to curse him to deepest depth of the Warp, to wrap him up in her arms, to beg him not to go, but she held those impulses in check and steeled her fortitude, contenting to simply watch him walk to his own death. Before the Immortal Spirit fleet can react to the ambush, the master of the Necron armada contacted them. She had not wanted to believe the data gathered by the Imperium and the Aeldari, the testimony Greyfax had given was near unbearable in its horrific details, but here was Trazyn the Infinite, the overlord of Solemnace, the mad Archaeovist who had scoured the galaxy for uncountable millions of years, talking to them in the flesh. The message had been short and precise, Trazyn will not order his fleet to attack under the condition that the high command of the Immortal Spirit come aboard his flagship. Tangmo and his friends were quick in their decision, and within thirty minutes a Thunderhawk had been prepared, captain Coreth and co-pilot Marlonah had offered to fly them but Brother Captain Damien declined, electing to pilot the ship himself.
"Prepare to launch," general Henry's order echoed thunderously in the encompassing silence and the machines whirled loudly as final preparations were made for the departure. Not a heartbeat later the high command walked as one up the ramp, their faces fixed forward, none glancing back, and just like that Tangmo was forever lost to her. They did not even have the chance to say goodbye, and Leilatha cursed the injustice that had befallen even when she knew, deep down, that the affection she shared with Tangmo was doomed at the moment of its inception. Leilatha said nothing, statuesque and cold in her emotion, the emotion she needed to present to the battlegroup, her visage icy as the Thunderhawk's ramp slammed shut and the crane bearing the anti-gravity tracer beam carried the Astartes aircraft to the drop point, and released it into the void without even a whisper.
A silent passing, eight more souls consigned to darkness, eight more memories to haunt the living.
The crowd murmured and grumbled, the only eulogy that can be mustered for this mournful occasion. Then one by one they drifted away, the mood singular in its somberness, no voices raised above dejected hisses, litanies and curses flung vehemently into the air, an act of powerless defiance against fate's unforgiving hand. Leilatha did not move, eyes fixed on the spot where the Thunderhawk had been, fixing the memory of Tangmo's final moment into her mind. At a soft wave from her hand, colonel Evangeline and colonel Krillen reluctantly left her side, their concern was commendable but such open display of compassion was like acid that corroded the shield of her conviction, no one must see the pain beneath. Out of the corner of her eyes, Leilatha spied commander Ladaee, hospitaller Verity, sister Miranda of the Avenging Knight, and captain Dalthorn rooted to the ground like her, they were not able to keep their tears from falling.
"Lord commissar Tangmo is a brave man," Leilatha was pulled from her darkening ravine when lady inquisitor Greyfax appeared beside her. "Take heart in that."
"Indeed," Leilatha silently cursed herself for the quiver in her voice and the wetness threatening her eyes. "He was very brave."
Nobody said a word as they made the forty minute voyage from the Immortal Spirit to Trazyn's flagship, the journey pleasantly uneventful, even if the silence grew a bit uncomfortable halfway through the flight. Tangmo didn't liked how he left things with Leilatha, and felt super guilty for avoiding her when he had marched to the Thunderhawk with his friends, he should've at least smiled at her, winked at her, tipped his awesome commissar cap at her, anything besides keeping his gaze forward. But in his defense, he had a lot on his mind right now. Before Tangmo can further ruminate on his love life, the interior of the Thunderhawk was suddenly bathed in green ectoplasmic light, shining through the portholes and windshield, the pulsing hue ethereal in quality. Leaning back into the pilot seat, Damien tapped the Thunderhawk's digital instrument panel, putting the engines on neutral as the tracer beam guided them into the hull of the Necron vessel. When the illumination changed from glaring green to soft, ghostly emerald and the Thunderhawk touched down with a metallic thud, the Eight unbuckled their seatbelts and got up. Making final checks on their attires, a little smoothening here and a little adjustment there, the Eight strode to the back of the Thunderhawk and waited for the ramp to be lowered completely. Tangmo had to admit, he was expecting some spooky cliché shit like an empty, barely lit space wreathed in coiling smokes, the sort of place where jump scare happens. What he got instead was a hulking metallic shape, humanoid, regal in bearing, every surface gleaming bright in deathless splendor, a rattling cape draped across wide shoulders and a mighty staff, the Empathic Obliterator, held tight in necrodemis digits. Trazyn the Infinite, the overlord of Solemnace, the most infamous Necron in the entire galaxy, now stood before them, imposing and royal.
"The Eight," Trazyn spoke up, his voice powerful and resonating, the timbre deep, and with a touch of lordly British accent. "Welcome to…"
"What in the fuck are you doing?!" Tangmo raised his voice as he and the Eight formed a crescent around Trazyn, the overlord of Solemnace was unaffected by the rudeness. "We had a fucking deal bro!"
"Always a pleasure, Tangmo," Trazyn made sure to put his boredom to the forefront. "And yes, I remember the deal that had been struck between myself, you eights, and the Master."
"Is that so? Then what in the bloody fuck is all this then?!" Laura gesticulated wildly with her arms. "If I remember correctly, the most important part of the deal was that you and your Necron mates stay the fuck away from us and not interfere with our mission. This seems like the complete opposite of that!"
"No pact has been broken," honestly, seeing Trazyn shrug was really odd, and strangely humanizing, well, as humanizing as a sixty five million years old killing machine can be. "For the Master himself has arranged this meeting between our two parties…I thought you knew?"
"Well, we didn't, we haven't heard shit from Master…" Henry's words trailed off as he tapped the screen of his data-pad, his miffed visage crumbling into a sheepish grin. "Umm, yeah, he did send us an email marked as urgent immediately after the Tau campaign concluded."
"Hold up, for real?" Damien, the awesome Astartes helm now magnetized to his hip, started tapping his own smart device like the rest of the Eight, all of them fidgeting when yes, the Master had indeed emailed them, "okay, our bad, but honestly who the hell check their emails nowadays? PM seems like the better alternative when urgency is concern."
"Or a Line," Yuki put away the data-pad and twirled her finger upward. "You got a forcefield up around this place? As in, no one can eavesdrop us?"
"They cannot," Trazyn nodded. "Not the Dark Gods, not the Emperor, my ship is currently the most secure place in the entire galaxy."
"That's good to know," Tangmo reentered the conversation. "So some serious shit must've happen if Master sanctioned this meeting."
"Vulgar though your assessment might be, you are correct Tangmo, a great escalation has occurred," Trazyn turned around and took off toward a corridor directly adjacent to the Thunderhawk's ramp, his metallic silken cape flew with an epic flourish, "this discussion can be made while we're on the move, come along."
"That sounds pretty bad," Nikki and the Eight fall in around Trazyn, matching steps with the overlord of Solemnace, the Necron stern but professional in his bearing, like a businessman treating with his equals. It felt fucking nice to be on the same side as Trazyn. "Now, when you say escalation, are you talking about the tears between the universes?"
"I am," Trazyn said as they entered the hallway proper, a neat circle of polished black metal, the symmetry inhumanly perfect, "the multiverse is bleeding, and the wounds has since grown more numerous."
"I was afraid of that," Erik sighed and shook his head. "How bad are we talking here?"
"You must have surely guessed the severity, we're speaking to each other after all," Trazyn had that superior lit to his voice, the timbre lordly and appropriately condescending.
"You don't have to be snobby about it," Lita scoffed and folded her arms across her chest.
"My apology Lita, it has been a while since I've had any stimulating conversation," Trazyn chuckled softly, his dismissive wave only made Lita more red in the face. "But I digress, this recent incursion into my home universe have been rather concerning."
"Are you gonna tell us about that now?" Tangmo rolled his eyes, "because I'm seriously not in the mood for this cryptic bullshit."
"Your unnecessary fiery rhetoric will never cease to amuse me," Trazyn pointed his bony finger forward at an approaching console platform. The anti-grav device was curvaceous and futuristic looking, but with ominous craftsmanship and illumination that was uniquely Necron in aesthetic. "But I believe those two can better explain our predicament."
Two women slipped away from the consoles and approached the Eight. The first was a brunette with a long ponytail and the second had glossy dark hair that fell in silky wave across her shoulders, the former was clad in a conservative ensemble of light blue blouse and long skirt, the latter was more modern in presentation, sporting a black trouser and long sleeve beige shirt. They shared clear familial trait, at first glance one would assumed they were sisters, which wasn't far off the mark. The two waved energetically and the Eight reciprocated with hollering cheers, it has been a while since they've hanged out with Elizabeth DeWitt and Eleanor Lamb, the heroines of Bioshock Infinite and Bioshock 2 respectively, and like Trazyn, the pair were associates of the Master in this great game of the multiverse.
"Hi guys – ah!" Elizabeth squawked when she and Eleanor were wrapped up in Damien's great embrace, the Canadian vigorous but very careful with his hug. "Oh! I honestly forgot how big you are, especially in this universe!"
"Hey, I'm big everywhere I go!" Damien laughed boisterously and lowered Elizabeth and Eleanor back to the ground for the rest of the Eight to make their greeting.
"You're absolutely right about that big man," Eleanor said then held her hand out to Tangmo, who drew her into a heartfelt bro hug. "It's been too long."
"Damn right," Tangmo and Eleanor exchanged hearty back slapping before breaking apart, "I mean seriously, Master has already registered yours and Elizabeth's identity into the Immortal Spirit's database, you can visit us anytime you want."
"That sounds lovely, but unfortunately things have been really, really busy on our front," Eleanor told him after giving Henry a backbreaking hug, it was easy to forget that she had super strength, courtesy of the plasmids in her body. "Besides, we can't risk drawing unwanted attention, and from what I've seen people in this universe are very observant."
"It's the bloody grim darkness of the forty second millennium love, of course everyone's on edge," Laura let go of Elizabeth after an inappropriately intimate hug. "So how have you two been? Healthy? Happy? Stress? Burnout?"
"The first two actually," Elizabeth smiled. "But like Eleanor said earlier, things had gotten really busy recently. All across the multiverse too I might add."
"If all of you are done with the small talk," Trazyn cut into the conversation and waved his staff at the empty console, "can we please get on with the problem at hand?"
"Right! Sorry!" Elizabeth squeaked as she and Eleanor slipped back behind the floating Necron computer. According to the snippets he'd heard from the Master, Elizabeth and Eleanor have a good working relationship with Trazyn when the pair operated inside the 40k universe, but it was clear the Bioshock heroines were still quite intimidated by the Necron anti-hero. Elizabeth and Eleanor swiftly, expertly, brought up the map of the galaxy, rendered in ghostly green, the details sharp and clear, prompting the Eight and Trazyn to gather around the glittering constellation. "And here we are, the map of the galaxy."
"Things look pretty normal," Erik commented and pointed at the red black gash bisecting the map in two. "The only bad thing I can see is the Rift, and we've gotten pretty used to it by now."
"We haven't place the overlay on the map yet," Eleanor made an apologetic face and after a blur of typing another layer was added to the hologram, and appropriately the Eight cursed aloud. The stars were no longer alone, veins and capillaries, all of them glowing bright red, snaked across the galaxy like worms burrowing through the earth, slithering this way and that, some of them ending in large ragged holes, these ones marked with exclamation points. "As you can see, multiple tears between realities have opened up across the galaxy. And not some minor lacerations too, but large gaping wounds of massive size."
"These wounds are also stable," Trazyn added, "meaning they now function as gateways that allow anomalies and foreign entities to enter this reality."
"Honestly love, I'm not worry about things getting in, 40k power level is so off the chart that anything coming through are all gonna die," Laura said, her tone hard as she tapped one of the exclamation mark. "I'm more worry about things from this universe leaking out."
"That has already happened," Trazyn nodded respectfully at Elizabeth and Eleanor, causing the pair to beam brightly. "Fortunately, Ms. DeWitt and Ms. Lamb were able to prevent catastrophe from transpiring and shut the offending…Tears, as you called it, before it can widen to a greater disproportionate level."
"Is there any reason why more breaches between the universes are suddenly popping up at an exponential rate?" Lita put forward her question, grimacing when she took in the many hemorrhaging veins carving the galaxy into bite size pieces. "Was it because of us? Of what the Immortal Spirit has been doing? I mean, I know we've been messing with the canon, a lot actually, so is it our fault? Can we fix this, without hurting our friends at least?"
"Although it is true that many canonical anomalies are centered around the Immortal Spirit battlegroup, your actions and the resulting consequences are nothing but a byproduct of an already existing symptom," Trazyn explained. "The battlegroup is a catalyst for the unexpected changes, not the source."
"So we're just trigger for all the crazy shit that's been happening?" Yuki spoke up. "The skavens, the Chaos Sororitas and the Chaos Aeldari, Isha and Jaghatai Khan returning, Celestine joining us, all of these were primed to happen and we sent the bullets flying out of the chambers?"
"In layman's term, yes, that is exactly what happened," Elizabeth nodded.
"You haven't explained to us what the source of this anomaly is," Henry said. "Can we fix it on this end?"
"Unfortunately there is nothing you, the battlegroup, or myself can do but wait for the breach to open and seal it before things deteriorate," Trazyn turned to Elizabeth and Eleanor, prompting the Bioshock heroines to quickly type new commands into the Necron computer. "The source of this anomaly comes from a universe designated VLIN375477."
"More commonly known as Valinor," sweeping her fingers across the keyboard like she was playing a piano, Eleanor minimized the 40k galaxy as a holographic sphere popped up beside it, a single planet, the curved border hazy and pulsing, "also known as the Lord of the Rings universe."
"Oh yeah, I remember Master mentioning this to us," Laura clasped her hands behind her back and stood up straighter like a professor about to give a lecture. "Considering that almost every piece of fantasy literature, pop cultures and video games, hell even some science fictions too, took inspiration in one form or another from Tolkien's work, Valinor have become a major crux in the greater multiverse. Anything that happens in Valinor will have a ripple effect across every universe."
"Well, it's out of our hands now, not much we can do from this end, considering how busy we are with the 40k universe," Nikki tilted her head at the globe that was Valinor, the Undying Land. "I wonder what's causing all the anomaly over there, must be pretty bad given how we're feeling the effect."
"It is due to the Master's meddling," Trazyn's declaration drew immediate ire from Elizabeth and Eleanor. The two women were very close with the Master because he had helped them greatly after the main Bioshock canon ended. "Now we are burden by his shortsighted action."
"He meant well," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes on Trazyn.
"Regardless of his motivation, the man should have known better than to break his own rule regarding the multiverse," Trazyn went on, unheeding of the Bioshock heroines rising agitation, and tapped a spot on Valinor. "He brought an eldar woman into Valinor, her name is Arwen Undomiel, and it wasn't long after her arrival that the instabilities started happening."
"Wait, whoa, hold the fuck up Trazyn," Yuki turned to Trazyn, like Laura, Nikki and Lita, her face was scrunched up in confusion. "I'm sorry, I think I got something in my pointy ears, because I swear you just said Arwen was in Valinor."
"That is what I've just said," Trazyn deadpanned, his metallic timbre only made the utterance more humorless.
"Arwen Undomiel," Lita said slowly, "daughter of Elrond and Celebrain, wife of king Elessar aka Aragon, the most beautiful elven maiden since Luthien, that Arwen Undomiel?"
"I am not familiar with her accolades but yes, it is Arwen Undomiel," Trazyn nodded, the overlord of Solemnace appeared to be enjoying the banter.
"Dude, Arwen is dead," Yuki said and the girls nodded vigorously in support. "After Aragon died she committed suicide by grief, in her grandmother's old house too I might add."
"She's not dead," Tangmo stepped into the conversation, nonchalant in his bearing, actually a bit befuddled by the wide eye looks the girls were giving him. "Me and the boys met her already, had a nice chat and everything too."
The girls just stared at the boys, and it only took ten seconds for the dumbfounded expression to morph into anger and accusation, Laura and Nikki were already baring their teeth. The glared was, unfortunately, fixed on Tangmo who had broken the news, the Thai commissar was about to run and hide behind Trazyn when Laura closed their distant in a blink.
"Now listen here you little shite," Laura hissed, making sure her lips were peeled back to reveal gleaming sharp canines. "You better explain everything, how Arwen is still alive, how the lot of you met her, or things are gonna get Peaky Blinder real quick."
"Okay, okay! Master went to Middle-Earth and talked her out of committing suicide!" Tangmo blurted quickly, because when it comes to Birmingham and razor blades Laura never fucks around. "Then he restored her elven light and brought her back to Valinor. Now she's running a fighting company made up of female elves and dwarves, that's all I know! Don't hurt me!"
"And you left us in the dark?!" Laura went full Scottish on Tangmo, Elizabeth and Eleanor snickered unhelpfully at the unfolding confrontation. "Why the fuck did you keep this information form us?!"
"I – I didn't, I thought someone already told you!" Tangmo snapped his head back and found Henry and Erik quivering behind him, their path of escape blocked by extremely unamused Yuki, Nikki and Lita. "You didn't tell them about our vacation in Valinor?!"
"I thought y'all did!" Henry spoke up.
"That's what I thought too!" Erik added.
"Fuck, we really need to improve our communication skill," Damien shrugged, least effected by the girls' threatening posture because, well, he's a Space Marine.
"How come you four get to go to Valinor and we didn't?" Nikki demanded testily.
"We went to the villa by the lake at Naboo instead," Lita, ever the one to diffuse tension, interceded reasonably, the Mexican Warseer quirked an annoyed brow when Laura, Yuki and Nikki turned to glare at her instead of the boys. "Remember? The Master asked us after we rescued Celestine where we want to go for a little R&R, and we all agreed Naboo after Palpatine died, allegedly." The Eight all groaned at that. "And then we all spoiled ourselves for a week in that universe, while an hour passed on this end."
"Oh right, I forgot about that," Yuki grinned sheepishly and glanced at Laura. "That was the best skinny dip we ever did."
"You'll find no argument from me," Laura snickered from the memory but reverted back to her Scotswoman persona when she saw the suggestive look on Tangmo's face. "You're not off the hook yet!"
"Yes we are, we told you everything," Tangmo folded his arms across his chest, refusing to be cowered. "Arwen is alive and is leading a very successful fighting company."
"I can attest to that," Trazyn reentered the conversation, his smug tone drawing alarmed look from the Eight while Elizabeth and Eleanor just rolled their eyes. Huh, this is new. "She and her cohort were very tenacious, an admirable trait, but in the end they were hardly a threat to me. All of that kerfuffle over a simple ring."
"Back up, did you just say ring?" Damien took a single step toward Trazyn and damn, the overlord of Solemnace was actually taller than the Canadian Marine. "What ring? Did you steal a ring? Please tell me you didn't steal a fucking ring!"
"He stole Nenya, lady Galadriel's ring," Elizabeth smirked at Trazyn. The Necron would've rolled his eyes if he had functioning eyeballs.
"Took it right from her bedroom too," Eleanor very much enjoyed snitching on Trazyn.
"You – why the fuck would you do that?!" Being the Eight's residence Tolkien scholar, Damien raised his voice loudly at Trazyn, his shoulders heaving up and down in anger. "That is one of the most powerful artifacts in the entire Legendarium, and elven ring of power! Do you know what kind of hell could've been unleashed if the ring was lost?!"
"The ring was not lost and I personally return it later," Trazyn sounded bored, wholly unaffected by Damien's fanboy fury, "as for power? Please, the energy residing in that silver ring is nothing but a candle compare to the blazing sun I wield in this staff."
"Dude, you did not just call Nenya weak!"
"How is it that Master haven't tore you a new asshole yet?" Tangmo cut in before Damien can begin his infamous Lord of the Rings rant.
"I was very persuasive when I explained my action and the Master relented to my indisputable reason and logic," Trazyn proclaimed with his trademark infallible pomposity. "The eldar girl and her friends needed to be reminded that there are greater enemies waiting just beyond the stars."
"Can that happen though?" Henry asked solemnly when the gravity of the implication sunk in. "What are the odds of something from Warhammer 40k stumbling into the Tolkien universe?"
"Nonexistence, the Master had made sure of that, the shields he had made to safeguard Valinor from this universe is nigh impregnatable," Trazyn told Henry. "Unfortunately for Valinor, the Warhammer universe is not the only one in this infinite cosmos."
"Every action have a reaction, it is the one ultimate constant across the multiverse," Eleanor tapped the keyboard swiftly, summoning a dozen blood tinged tendrils over Valinor, so far each questing digits, coiling and darting lethargically like limbs of a cephalopod, were not able to penetrate the Undying Land. "When Mr. Master brought lady Arwen to Valinor, it strengthened the Tolkien universe against the Dark Lords. Unfortunately, this also prompted the Dark Lords to fight all the more harder, and smarter, and they know there are other places beyond the Doors of Night."
"Why are you pluralizing Dark Lords?" Yuki pipped up.
"Because it's Morgoth and Sauron who are attacking Valinor," Damien answered with scholarly surety. "When me and my homies took our little vacation, lady Galadriel explained that the prophecy of Dagor Dagorath had been misinterpreted. Instead of one cataclysmic event, it is an era where good and evil will war until one true victor remains, basically it's an age of fight to the death."
"And this where the domino effect happens to the rest of the multiverse," Elizabeth typed in another command sequence on the console, changing the color of each tendrils surrounding Valinor, each appendages now connected to their own rotating globes. "As Eleanor had said earlier, Morgoth and Sauron are branching out across the multiverse and recruiting other dark forces to help them with the war against Valinor. This action had caused the barrier between realities to weaken considerably, meaning things are showing up where they're not supposed to."
"So basically, theoretically speaking of course, things from Tolkien universe can show up in Warhammer 40k," Tangmo said, earning nods from Elizabeth and Eleanor. "Have something showed up?"
"Indeed it has," Trazyn raised his finger and touched the Milky Way galaxy that was the 40k universe, bringing it back to the forefront. A myriad of bright starry spots now adorned the galactic map alongside the bleeding veins. "These are the ones me and the Master have detected so far. There are currently twenty out-universal artifacts and individuals within this sector of space alone."
"Well shite, this is beyond fucked," Laura whistled sharply. "Do you want the Immortal Spirit to help with the cleanup details?"
"That won't be necessary. With the help of Elizabeth and Eleanor I can easily close the minor breaches while the Master busy himself with the larger incursions," Trazyn started off down the corridor and waved his staff for the Eight and Elizabeth and Eleanor to follow. All of them, the hovering console included, fall in behind the overlord of Solemnace. "We have however apprehended several intruders. They are being kept in the…guest quarters, as was suggested by these two."
"They're not intruders," Elizabeth huffed. "They're lost and frightened, and we need to return them home before the situation exasperate."
"Sounds simple enough," Erik shrugged, "so why do you need us for this?"
"Mr. Master wanted all of you to see the severity of the situation first hand," Eleanor told him, "and he believes the Eight will be better at easing the trouble minds of these poor unfortunate souls than mister spooky scary skeleton over here."
"A most absurd notion, I am a very hospitable individual," Trazyn huffed smugly as they ventured through another pair of gigantic doors that slid soundlessly open at their approach. The corridor they entered was surprisingly bright, bathed in warm, welcoming orange lights shining from the unreachable ceiling above, the homely illumination clashed greatly with the many Necrons that inhabited the place. Seriously, seeing scuttling packs of neon green scarabs hurrying across the ground and heavily armed Lychguards marching in perfect ranks and files under normal lighting was very jarring, kinda kill all the scary eldritch vibes. "But I will admit my quirks and humors have been known to unsettle a lot of people."
"That's a politely way of putting it," Tangmo snorted. "How many people did you captured by the way?"
"Three guest quarters are currently occupied," Trazyn turned left at a four way junction, leading them into a wide hallway flanked on both sides by large pane of glasses. "And here we are."
"Guest quarters? Are you shitting me right now bro, this looks like a fucking zoo!" Damien gesticulated vigorously with his hands, causing the Eight and the Bioshock heroines to duck lest they get decapitated. "Especially the sort sci-fi bad guys have, you know the type, the evil douchebags cackling maniacally as they watched the imprisoned heroes from behind the safety of a glass wall!"
"He isn't exactly a good guy, is he?" Elizabeth turned to Trazyn with a quirked brow, looking sassy and spunky as always.
"I do not prescribe to such uninspired notion of morality mankind so desperately cling to," Trazyn held up a hand at Elizabeth and Eleanor, stopping them before they can utter a word. "Please do not bore me with your tripe on the virtue of good and evil, I have more than enough of it. Now, refrain from wasting everyone's time and introduce our first guest."
"Tens of millions of years old, and you still have no manner," Eleanor muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, earning low snickered from the Eight and an annoy groan from Trazyn. At a reprimanding look from Elizabeth, Eleanor blinked innocently and typed in the correct command code. When everyone was gathered around the huge glass pane, almost as big as a small house, the opaque surface became transparent, revealing an enormous room filled with extremely sterile white furniture like bed, chairs and sofas. The only thing that broke the muted monotony was a solitary robot standing in the middle of the room, the bright circular neon blue of his eyes were honed on the wall to the right.
"Wait a minute," like the rest of the Eight, Lita knew who the robot was. "Isn't that Isaac from the Orville?"
"It is," Henry nodded energetically, the Kaylon robot was the Eight's favorite character from Seth Macfarlane's science fiction show. "Goddamn, of all the people who could've ended up here it gotta be freaking Isaac."
"Orville?" Eleanor spoke up, "the Star Trek parody?"
"It started out like that, but the Orville had since become its own thing. Seriously, it's one of the best shows on TV and streaming right now," Nikki said and flashed a grin at Trazyn. "You should be able to handle this by yourself dude, he's something of a kindred spirit to you ain't he?"
"Do not insult me," Trazyn tapped the transparent wall and the glass pane dissolved into a wide archway, big enough to accommodate all of them. The change in the surrounding prompted Isaac to shift his attention to the newcomers strolling into his quarter. "I might no longer be flesh and blood, but I am not an automaton."
"Hello," Isaac made his polite monotonous greeting, accompanied by eloquent hands and arms movement, and stepped up to the Eight, Trazyn and the Bioshock heroines, wholly oblivious to the multiverse crisis he was now embroiled in. "I am Isaac, science officer of the USS Orville, who are you?"
"I am Trazyn the Infinite, overlord of Solemnace," Trazyn beat the Eight to the introduction, the asshole. "And you are not supposed to be here."
"You are correct, my place is aboard the Orville," Isaac turned his head this way and that before settling his gaze on Trazyn. "Where am I?"
"On his flagship, unfortunately," Tangmo stepped forward and extended his hand to Isaac, after a few seconds the Kaylon grabbed it and shook, awkwardly. "I am lord commissar Tangmo, of the Imperium of Man, a pleasure to meet you Isaac, I'm a big fan."
"I cannot find a political entity known as the Imperium of Man in my database," Isaac let go of Tangmo and tilted his head curiously to the side. "Are you affiliated with the Planetary Union?"
"No we're not Isaac, and that's because you're no longer in your reality," Tangmo clasped his hands behind his back, striking an appropriately grim commissariat pose. "You are in the grim darkness of the forty second millennium, welcome."
"I suspect that to be the case," Isaac was totally nonchalant, unsurprising since his species was completely immune to emotion. "I was making modification on the quantum drive when an anomalous pulse rippled from the core and I was enveloped by a powerful burst of radiation. Suddenly I found myself in a dark place and was soon brought to this quarter by kin of overlord Trazyn."
"Wait, he showed up on this ship?" Damien asked, and now Isaac found himself enraptured by the peculiarity that was the Adeptus Astartes.
"He did," Elizabeth nodded, "in the engine room, appropriately enough."
"You are a most intriguing specimen," Isaac looked Damien up and down, the robotic articulation of his hands conveyed clear excitement. "Your physiology is unlike like anything I have ever seen before. Such extensive procedures on the human body have never been attempted by even the most accomplished scientists and doctors in the Union. By all account such modification should not be possible, how are you alive?"
"Because I'm the fucking best," Damien douchey grin earned rolls of eyes from the Eight, "trust me, there are many things in this universe that will blow your mind. Alas, you cannot stay here, I'm sure you've heard of the ripple effect?"
"Indeed, my presence here could cause instability between the two realities, the longer I remain the more chance greater anomalous phenomena may occur," good old Isaac, logical, reasonable, and very correct with his assessment. Isaac now turned to Trazyn, the Kaylon craning his neck up to lock gaze with the Necron. "The quantum malfunction that had brought me here was an accident with a one in a trillion chance of repeating. Perhaps we can work together to find a way to return to my reality."
"It will be done with ease," Trazyn nodded at Elizabeth, prompting the Bioshock Infinite heroine to rub her palms together, brace her legs, and summoned a man-sized tear with an epic downward chop of her hand. Goddamn, the tear doesn't look like blurry VHS tape anymore, the gateway between worlds was stable and pristine, the image beyond, Isaac's workstation, was clear and in color. "Step through that tear and you will return to your home."
"A most impressive display," Isaac said but made no move to approach the tear, opting to continue staring at Trazyn. "You and I are alike, we are both machines that have achieve sentiency and independent of thought. Yet there are unexplainable characteristics to you that defies even my extensive reading, why is that?"
"You are a curious little thing," the Eight collectively stiffened when Trazyn, after snickering creepily, laid his staff on Isaac's shoulder with a clink, thankfully the Necron overlord did not turned on the power weapon, so the Kaylon wasn't atomized. "Our similarities are superficial young one. This body renders us immortal, untouched by the scourge of time, but it is also a prison that cages our souls, and not many of my kindred retain our identity."
"You have transferred your consciousness and memory into a new body," Isaac responded with surety, "a soul is merely an abstract concept of the biological."
"If only things were so simple," melancholy laced Trazyn's tone as he raised his staff and waved it at the tear, "enough with the question. Go."
"Very well, this has been a very illuminating conversation," Isaac bobbed his head down in a sharp nod before turning to Tangmo, hand extended. "Goodbye, lord commissar. Perhaps in the future we would meet again, with you being the guest and me being the host."
"That's mighty neighborly of you Isaac, looks like Dr. Claire is gonna turn you into a human after all," Tangmo laughed heartily as he shook Isaac's hand vigorously, causing the Kaylon to sway precariously. When Tangmo let him go, the Thai commissar leaned in close and dropped his voice to a menacing timbre. "But seriously, you don't want us in your universe man, and if we actually show up then make peace with the fact that things on your end had gone completely to hell. Pray that the day never come."
"I do not pray lord commissar, deities are not real. Good day," Isaac turned around and walked primly through the tear, unaware of how unbelievably wrong he was on the concept of theology, especially in the 40k universe. When Isaac was standing at his work station, he waved his goodbye and Elizabeth slammed the tear close.
"Show off," Eleanor snorted good-naturedly at Elizabeth, who was striking a rather heroic pose.
"I don't often get an audience, do I?" Elizabeth puffed up her cheeks, looking more endearing than cross. Eleanor crooned at the cute display and, being the taller of the two, patted Elizabeth's head as one would a puppy. "Stop that!"
"Now, now ladies, play nice," Laura interjected as Eleanor wrapped the pouting Elizabeth up in a friendly hug, and within moment the Bioshock heroines were giggling. "Isn't that a lot better? So, who's next on the crossover list?"
"Why would we want to ruin the surprise?" Elizabeth traded mischievous wink with Eleanor before the pair once more slipped behind the console, took quick swigs from the tall coffee cups, and started down the corridor. "No dilly-dally now, let's go!"
"Are you…drinking Starbuck?" Erik pointed incredulously at the green cups with the mermaid logo plastered on the side.
"Yes, and?" Eleanor craned her neck back, fluttered her lashes at Erik, and made sure to make a lot of noise as she sucked the straw.
"You and Elizabeth have unlimited access to every universe in existence, some of them probably have coffee blends that are worthy of the gods themselves, and you choose Starbuck?!" Erik raised his chin snobbishly high. Nearby Henry and Lita, the Eight's coffee connoisseur and master baristas, started whispering darkly while shooting catty looks at Elizabeth and Eleanor, who then drank more Starbuck, with relish. "Honestly ladies, I expected better from you two!"
"Why are the uninvited guests being kept separated?" Ignoring the pointless, but objectively funny, argument regarding caffeinated beverages, Tangmo matched pace with Trazyn and glanced up at the Necron overlord. "I mean, you can just keep them in the same cell, why scatter them all over the fucking place?"
"To prevent more traumas from being inflicted upon their psyche," Trazyn explained. "Unlike you and the Eight, people who accidently venture into a new reality, via a laceration in space and time, will find themselves unable to comprehend their situation, said incomprehension will then leads to the collapse of mental faculty, and finally psychological and physical degradation. And we wouldn't want that now, do we?"
"Good point, very good point," Tangmo nodded the same moment the hovering console drifted to a stop in front of another glass cell, Elizabeth and Eleanor were exchanging furious raspberry with Erik, Henry and Lita. "Alright you assholes, settle down, we have a reputation to keep, so let's be a little mature." When the quarrelling parties settled down with huffs and puffs, Tangmo nodded at Trazyn. "Okay my main Necron dude, let's see what's behind cell number two."
With a low chuckle, Trazyn tapped the glass pane, opaque turning transparent, and for a moment Tangmo actually thought the overlord was fucking with them by bringing him and his homies to a literal zoo. But before Tangmo can lay a verbal smackdown on Trazyn, he did a double take on the cell's interior and saw the abnormality presented starkly before him. The furniture were identical to Isaac's cell, but instead of a humanoid a lion greeted them, a big fuck huge lion, too fuck huge to be normal, fucker was almost as big as a Bushmaster.
"Yo, that's…!"
"La-lion! La-lion!" Yuki interrupted Henry's declaration with a criminally cute sing-a-long, her head bobbing left and right prettily as she and the girls skipped through the doorway Trazyn had summoned. The lion, who had appeared tense just a few second ago, relaxed his hunch a bit, more out of confusion than anything as the four girls, moving with sunny synchronicity, arrayed themselves in front of the feline and continued singing, making sure that their accent was appropriately kawaii. "Cute fluffy visitor, La-lion!"
"Yes…I am a lion," the big cat spoke up, his powerful timbre echoed across the guest quarter like faraway thunder, undeniable in majesty as he sat down on his hind legs. The lion's confusion quickly passed when he spotted Trazyn, an unfriendly frown creasing his brow. "And you work with this…this abomination of darkness and iron?"
"How very rude, cat, I would have assumed someone of such regal bearing will at the very least understand the concept of manner when speaking to the master of the house," Trazyn chuckled condescendingly and turned to Elizabeth and Eleanor. "Does he have a name? I forgot to ask."
"Aslan, lord and ruler of the universe designated NAR985056, more popularly known as Narnia," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes on the displays popping up across the screen. "Correction, the True Narnia."
"A place which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before," dropping her innocent idol act Laura clasped her hands behind her back and strode up to Aslan, stern in bearing. Oh shit, a fucking militant atheist was standing in front of Jesus, alternate version of Jesus, but still very much Jesus. "Hello, Aslan."
"Salutation to you too, young lady," Aslan drooped his head in a bow, polite and lordly. "It is good to see the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve again, even if they are aligned with…him."
"You're very far from home, Mr. Aslan," Damien cut in before Laura can open her mouth, the British inquisitor more than obviously irked by the whole Adam and Eve thing. Aslan flinched involuntarily at seeing the God Emperor's Angel of Death. "If I may, what brought you here?"
"I was defending Narnia from a horrible group of creatures," Aslan recovered his composure quickly, raising himself a little higher as befitting the Emperor-over-the-sea. "Green barbaric beasts that attacks and kills without remorse, taking great pleasure in doing harm to others."
"It had to be fucking orks of all things, fuck," Tangmo spat and Aslan was taken aback by the Thai commissar's violent usage of the English language. Ignoring the affronted lion, Tangmo shifted his gaze to Elizabeth and Eleanor. "How bad is it? Do we need to get involved?"
"No need," Eleanor's warm smile managed to calm Tangmo and the Eight down as she and Elizabeth brought up charts of blinking statistics, not far away Aslan growled at the technological display. "It was a freak accident all things considered, a minor tear in the Warp that ended up linking with the multiverse at large. Fortunately, a total of five orks slipped through into Narnia and they were dispatched quickly. Mr. Master had already purged any lingering orkoid fungus too, so no more ork can grow into existence."
"How much damage did the ork inflicted?" Laura asked innocently, but Aslan easily detected her patronizing tone. "Did many fauns, centaurs, minotaur, badgers and rats got hurt?"
"Many were slain by the beasts, the wounds inflicted were so severe that not even my magic can save them," Aslan said sharply, but Laura was unmoved by his reprimand. "I was the one who killed those orks, as you have called them, and because of the confrontation I ended up in the clutches of this skeleton creature."
"I saved your life, cat, at least attempt to appear grateful," Trazyn droned, his tone bored, "he followed a surviving ork through a tear in the Warp and ended up on a planet you humans designated as a Death World. A good thing I answered the Master's call for aid in a timely fashion, for lord Aslan was moments away from falling prey to the local faunas and floras."
"Did you pick some up along the way too?" Lita smirked and laughter rippled across the room.
"Of course I did," Trazyn answered with a grin in his voice. "If times permit, I'll be happy to show you my latest acquisitions, they are indeed very deadly."
"Hmm, I suppose you have done me a good service. For this you have my thanks," Aslan huffed begrudgingly. "But I do not appreciate being treated like an animal."
"You are an animal," Trazyn deadpanned.
"Only in this form, I assure you," Aslan countered with a bit of wiry humor, but his timbre swiftly became serious again. "What is to happen now? Will I be returned to Narnia? Is such a journey possible?"
"Oh yeah, it's as simple as snapping a finger," Tangmo traded winks with Elizabeth and locked eyes with Aslan, who did not react with the expected mirth to this news. "But something tells me you're not ready to leave just yet. You have some questions that need answering?"
"If you are willing to provide them, I will be eternally grateful," Aslan said and the Eight nodded sharply to his request. "I am having a hard time understanding all of this…that besides Earth and Narnia other worlds exist."
"Is it understanding you're having trouble with, or are you refusing to believe the truth?" Laura said and gave Henry an annoyed groan when the American made a face at her. "What? We all know Master talked to him about the multiverse before, he just doesn't want to believe it."
"We have never met, young lady," Aslan narrowed his eyes on Laura, "which makes me wonder what I have done to earn such animosity from you."
"Nothing against you personally, just the people who worship you and the religion that sprung up around it," Laura was not at all intimidated by the gigantic lion. "Your alter ego, your real name, is very famous where I came from, and not exactly for good reasons."
"Ah, yes, I understand your grievance now. For what it's worth, I am also unhappy with how my real name is being used elsewhere, I am not blind to what had transpired," Aslan was surprisingly cool, not at all offended by Laura's explanation. "You remind me quite fondly of young Susan Pevensie."
"You know Aslan, I'll like you a lot more if you tell me whether or not Susan eventually got back into Narnia," Laura quirked an expectant eyebrow at the godly lion.
"It heartens me then to tell you that Susan has indeed joined her siblings in Narnia," Aslan smiled but his mood somber up quickly. "And you are correct Laura, I am refusing to believe the Master's warning regarding the multiverse…such ignorance can no longer be entertained. What will happen now? Will Narnia suffer more attack of this nature?"
"We seriously can't give you any promises in that regard, sorry," Damien said apologetically and Tangmo didn't missed the fact that every time the Canadian Astartes spoke Aslan's heckle rose a bit, the lion truly did not like this particular brand of the son of Adam. "I think the best you can do is have another chat with Master, he's the only one who can help with this problem. And if things really get out of hand, welp, tell the Beavers to make more places at the table because we'll be there to fix it."
"I'll be sure to provide the necessary hospitality then," Aslan nodded at Damien, masking his jitters admirably. "To tell you the truth, the Master and I have been in conversation recently, before this calamity befalls, and he was mentioning how Narnia and other planes of existence can assist each other in times of need. I must admit that I was hasty in my rejection of the proposal, but after what had transpired I believe I owe the Master an apology."
"An alliance between Narnia and Valinor," Yuki stoke her chin thoughtfully, letting the idea stew a bit before shrugging. "Not the most exciting crossover but I'll take it, could end up being pretty cool."
"Oh yeah, I see what you mean," the smile Laura gave Aslan was not pleasant in the least. "Maybe Arwen can ride him into battle."
"If this Arwen proves to be worthy," Aslan snickered lowly, "but that can only happen if I am able to return to Narnia."
"Say no more, lord Aslan," being the prim and proper American woman that she was, Elizabeth made an elegant curtesy and, with a simple snap of the fingers this time, opened up a tear. Laura guffawed loudly, impolitely, when Aslan jumped off his feet in fright and crashed into a less than amused Trazyn, the Eight joining in when a group of fauns and woodland critters scurried away from the multidimensional anomaly that had popped up in their midst. "Narnia is just beyond the tear, simply step through and you will be home."
"Can you please get off me?" Trazyn intoned metallically.
"Yes, forgive me, I was startled by the display," smoothing his mane via a vigorous shaking of the head, Aslan stepped away from Trazyn and made himself presentable by squaring his shoulders and standing erected, majestic and intimidating like those statues outside every palace and castle in Europe, and with the grace of kings strode through the tear. When he was firmly inside Narnia, the critters and fauns congregating around him, Aslan gave a mighty roar in salute to the Eight, Trazyn, and the Bioshock heroines, the tangible volume knocking Laura on her ass. "Thank you my friends, it was a pleasure to meet you. You are always welcome in Narnia, but please, let me know in advance."
"Hopefully we won't be showing up anytime soon!" Tangmo clasped his hands together in a Thai wai and Aslan reciprocated with a deep bow. "Stay safe, lord Aslan."
"You too, son of Adam," Aslan nodded sharply and Elizabeth closed the tear, and as goodbye goes it was pretty amiable despite the rather tense introduction.
"What? You're waiing him now?" Laura sneered at Tangmo after Yuki helped her up.
"I was just being polite dude, chill the fuck out," Tangmo shrugged as their little group stepped out of the cell and into the corridor, Elizabeth and Eleanor once again taking the lead, the pair tapping away at the consoles. Nikki, Damien and Erik had joined the Bioshock heroines and were chatting animatedly, while Lita and Henry matched pace with Trazyn, their conversation looked a bit more serious but still pretty friendly. "I don't like his religion any more than you do, but he's one of the good guys in the end. Besides, there are other religious nut jobs that deserve your scorn more than Aslan."
"Whatever," Laura scoffed but after a stern look from Yuki softened her tone with a sigh. "But yeah, you're right. I was being a massive cock to Aslan over nothing. Sorry, sometime I can't keep my own personal shite under control."
"Don't worry about it dude, no one's perfect," Tangmo held out his fist and Laura bumped it with a smile. "Now come on, let's join the other, the chat is getting pretty juicy."
Snickering lightly, Laura and Yuki skipped merrily up to join Elizabeth and Eleanor, Tangmo on the other hand, after adjusting his awesome commissar coat so that he was appropriately dashing, joined Henry, Lita and Trazyn.
"Mind if I butt in?" Tangmo slipped in beside Henry.
"Not all dude," Henry nodded with a grin. "Just a warning though, we're a bit more serious on this side of town."
"Precisely the reason why I'm here," Tangmo turned to Trazyn and locked eyes with the overlord. "Things are really bad."
"Indeed," Trazyn said solemnly, his staff tapping sharp tunes that echoed hauntingly down the corridor. "Pray tell, what had convinced you of this fact? Isaac the automaton or Aslan the lion?"
"Aslan," Lita sighed, her face drawn tight with concern.
"Why was the lion the indicator?" Trazyn pressed on inquisitively.
"The Chronicle of Narnia is a series of children books, as oppose to Warhammer 40,000, an entertainment franchise with grimdark depressing war as the main selling point," Lita explained. "The two universes are as different as night and day, it should be theoretically impossible for both realities to interact, let alone veer close enough for such coalescing to happen in the first place. Yet here we have a bunch of orks rampaging through Narnia, if Aslan hadn't intervened things might have turned nightmarish, to say the least."
"So no universe, regardless of how detached or remove from this reality, is safe," Trazyn grunted and stroke in chin thoughtfully, clearly bothered by this development.
"You're goddamn right," Henry added heavily. "Nothing is safe now, what's next? Tyranids Hive Fleet appearing in the Inheritance Cycle? Chaos cultists going after Artemis Fowl? Drukhari raiders kidnapping Percy Jackson and the Olympias? Lita's right, this is a nightmare scenario by every stretch of the imagination."
"Let's hope the Master can keep things under control. If not, well, I'm sure we can count on you to lend a helping hand," Tangmo grinned at Trazyn, who only chuckled lowly in response. Turning his gaze forward, Tangmo quirked his brow at the uniform corridor, "we've been walking for a while, where's our next guest?"
"Guests," Trazyn corrected the grammar then turned to Elizabeth and Eleanor, both of them grim, the perkiness from before crystalizing into stern professionalism. The Necron overlord and the Bioshock heroines glided to a stop in front of another opaque pane of glass, not at all different from the previous cells they've visited, all three now standing behind the pulsing green console as they looked over the data flashing across the screen. Sensing the change in temperament, the Eight arrayed themselves in a defensive crescent around the seamless prison cell. "Inside the quarter are multiple trespassers that had entered this reality. They are psykers. Or at least a close approximation if such label was to be applied."
"Well, this is gonna be fun," Henry grinned, drew his bolt revolver, and pulled back the hammer. Lightly armed though they were, the Eight still packed enough heat on their person to blow several city blocks to kingdom come, Imperium and Aeldari weapons were super overkill by other universe's standard. "What's behind door number three then? Aes Sedai? Malazan mages? Come on man, the suspense is making me trigger happy."
"Something along that line," Eleanor grunted. "I'm sure all of you have heard of the Cosmere?"
