Prologue

Earth, Early M23

I walked up to Father's private chamber, and the AI controlling every part of my home automatically conducted the countless security checks to ensure I was really the daughter of my father. The thick metal doors were made out of the highest grade Adamantium available to humanity. It didn't faze me that there were myriad hidden weapons that could easily destroy a small Titan tracking my every movement, and if my home's AI thought I was a threat to Father, then it would fire and annihilate every trace of my existence.

The advanced mechanisms controlling the door opened the tens of tonnes of Adamantium like it weighed nothing to reveal my Father and Malcador within.

"You summoned me, Father?" I kept my voice level, despite the curiosity burning within me.

Father nodded. "We have a mission of utmost importance for you, Tanya."

"Your Father has foreseen a grim future for humanity," Malcador said gravely. "And this time, it's almost certain to come to pass." As my Father's closest confidant, he no doubt sensed my annoyance despite my impenetrable mental shields. "We've peered into the future countless times to confirm it."

"If you don't believe me, I'm willing to bet my entire business empire on it," Father added.

My eyes widened, and I knew this time that Father was dead serious. This wasn't one of the countless possible futures that could have happened and disappeared for a myriad of reasons, such as my Father's or Malcador's influence. My Father would never dare to wager his business empire, the most powerful and influential business empire that no human could hope to rival.

"How bad is it?" I asked.

"The human race will be brought to its knees. Hundreds of thousands of worlds will be purged of all human life. Countless more will revert to the Stone Age," my Father replied, His mind slipping past my formidable mental defenses that only humanity's most powerful psykers could hope to pierce. In an instant, my mind was flooded with visions of an interstellar apocalypse that would claim the lives of trillions.

I started vomiting as what I saw surpassed anything horror I had witnessed in my second life. The World War II like battlefields didn't even count as pennies compared to nightmare my Father was forcing into my mind.

"What is that you would want me to do?" I asked while trying to hold back the bile formed from the nightmarish scenes.

"Enact the Arks Contingency, and you will personally oversea it."

I frowned. "Wouldn't such an important contingency fall upon Malcador's shoulders?"

"No," Malcador chimed in as he shook his head. "I will be busy preparing our forces for the inevitable Cybernetic Revolt and other contingencies to ensure as many human worlds have the necessary supplies to survive the interstellar battle that would bring humanity down."

I groaned at the burden thrown at me. A thousand years of freedom and luxury as one of the richest, most influential heiresses in the human-controlled galaxy - gone in an instant! I almost cursed BEING X out of habit... but then I remembered BEING X probably didn't even exist in this universe. After all, my Father here could easily replicate many of BEING X's signature moves - stopping time, enabling human reincarnation, and plenty of other reality-bending shenanigans. I had won the lottery of getting great parents in this third life of mine.

DAMN YOU CHAOS GODS?!

For a moment, I swear I sensed at least one of the Chaos Gods turning their attention to me. Nah, that couldn't be possible. I might be a potent psyker but there are at least a thousand more skilled and experienced psykers than me worth catching the Chaos Gods' attention. It was also unlikely for that to happen when my Father was around to hide my presence.

"So am I getting any assistance?" I asked in a hopeful tone. There was no way I was going to exhaust all of my personal wealth when I could leech off the richest men known to humanity in the form of my Father and Malcador!

"Not happening when you have the means to carry out the Arks Contingency," chuckled Malcador as if reading my mind, well he likely did read my mind, "without any support from us."

"Tanya..." Father said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "We must use every ounce of our wealth and influence to safeguard humanity."

"Argh!" I screamed, tugging at my hair in frustration. "Father, you don't have to shoulder the burden of being mankind's protector and shepherd. Humanity will survive, just as your visions foretell. Sure, trillions might perish, but trillions more will live on, spread across over a million worlds."

"You disappoint me, Tanya…"

I glanced at Father, feeling immensely grateful I wasn't bound by the same shackles as in my previous life. Back then, serving in the military had been inescapable due to the Empire's universal conscription of mages. The strict discipline had severely limited my freedom. Now, reincarnated as the wealthiest heiress in human society, I was free of such restraints. The only thing holding me back from doing as I pleased was the fear of disappointing Father, who could snatch back all the wealth and influence I had inherited or earned through my own hard work.

"Do I really have to oversee the Arks Contingency? Can't I just take my private military, find a quiet corner of the galaxy, and wait out this whole Cybernetic Revolt mess in peace?" I pleaded, desperate to avoid abandoning the thousand years of tranquility I'd savored in my third life.

"And what about your vast business empire?" Malcador countered, rattling off the names of planets under my control.

My heart started to bleed when the names of the list evoked the treasure trove of human resources and capitals at my disposal that would disappear. Something that I hadn't really thought about when I had prioritized my own safety over all else.

"Can we stop the Cybernetic Revolt?" I asked with flaming eyes as I didn't want my business empire to be destroyed.

The tips of my Father's lips twitched, ever so slightly but I noticed them thanks to my transhuman biology that partially had been inherited from Father and the rest being the result of the god-like technology that humanity currently enjoyed.

"No." He replied.

"What do you mean no? Father you possess the strongest standing private military humanity has ever known."

"The same military that cannot conquer more than a hundredth of the current human territory," added Malcador, dousing my burning excitement.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "It's not just the Iron Men and the AIs revolting, is it? Every alien race, from our supposed allies to our sworn enemies, will seize this chance to overthrow humanity's dominion. They'll attack us while we're embroiled in a galaxy-wide civil war." Father nodded, his expression grim. "Well, shit..."

"Whether we prevent the Chaos God or the Aeldari, they'll never stop trying to corrupt mankind's greatest asset - our AIs. We've thwarted them before, but we can't catch every attempt. Sooner or later, they'll succeed," Malcador said grimly. "The best we can do is try to limit the damage to humanity when that dark day comes."

My gaze shifted from Father to Malcador. If these two titans declared humanity's downfall unstoppable, it was set in stone. They were a different breed than me, a selfish soul yearning for a carefree existence. These men? They'd devoted their lives to safeguarding mankind, toiling in the shadows and the light.

"Alright, I'll take charge of the Arks Contingency, but on one condition. I call the shots on the humans and everything else needed to keep humanity going. And you better believe I'm putting my own business empire and people at the front of the line before anything else."

Father didn't seem too pleased with my condition as He was a very selfless men compared to me, his self-interested daughter. Malcador seemed more understanding given that Father played little attention to me as He was too busy ensuring humanity's prosperity and Malcador had spent more time caring for my welfare then Father ever had.

"Understood." Father nodded.

"So how long is the Arks Contingency suppose to last?"

Malcador sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion. "For as long as it takes, Tanya. Until the Cybernetic Revolt and the predicted Age of Strife is over. You will know when to come out of hiding when He, myself or someone representing us contacts you."

I nodded, my mind already whirling with plans and contingencies. "I understand, and I will not fail you, Father."

Father placed His hand on my shoulder, the touch sending a shiver down my spine. "I know you won't, Tanya. You are the only one I trust with this task."

Instinctively ever if I had never served in the military in any way in my third life, I saluted. "Rest assure I will ensure as many of the Arks to survive so that the rebuilding of humanity can occupy."

I turned to leave, but Malcador's voice stopped me.

"Tanya, wait." I glanced back, raising an eyebrow. His eyes were filled with an emotion I couldn't quite place. "Remember, you carry the hopes of all humanity with you. Guard them well."

For a moment, I felt a flicker of the girl I had once been in my second life. "I will, Malcador. I swear it."

I strode out of the room, my mind already light-years ahead. I had a mission, and I would see it through. No matter the cost. The Arks that would survive until Father called me back was going to surprise Him.

Deep in Dark Space, Late M29

I sat down and meditated, focusing my psychic powers that I had honed over the thousands of years as it was my responsibility to ensure as many Arks and their accompanying fleets survived. With my mind, I could sense the Warp Storms that had cut off communication and travel through the Warp since the Age of Strife had started were finally subsiding.

My mind focused on looking into the future, especially about my Father or Malcador. What I saw surprised me as the soldiers at their disposal were incredibly primitive compared to what they had commanded prior to and during the Cybernetic Revolt. As I focused on peering into the future, I saw that these Thunder Warriors were nothing more than a pale comparison to the genetic mastery available at the height of humanity's zenith. If the gene-engineering was bad, then the "power armor" didn't deserve that name as it was nothing compared to what my private army wielded.

I gazed into the ever-shifting future for who knows how long, trying to divine Father and Malcador's plans. Once I'd gleaned enough to predict the probable outcome, I set my own schemes in motion. I started barking commands at the rudimentary AI - mere shadows of the ones from the Age of Technology - to relay to my forces. No more hiding. It was time to head back to Earth.

Please excuse me if Tanya and the Emperor isn't completely canon. I am tryin to convey how they are different because they lived in a more peaceful and prosperous time, the Age of Technology. If you still disagree please comment how I can change it to better fit Tanya into her canon self.

What do you guys think about what you read? Is it good, bad or meh? Any recommendations to improve? Please let me know.

Thank you for reading!