**Author's note: Over 300k words now, and Erika's wild journey continues! Thanks to everyone for following along! Another note: As some folks have noticed, this site has been having a lot of problems recently. There are periods of time where I can't access my fics, and, my views have been broken again for days now, not showing any hits whatsoever. If something should happen to this site, this fic can be found on Archive of Our Own (ao3) if you google "The Wizard of Molech". Cheers!**
Once again, I found myself sitting in the ship's sauna, brooding over my behavior. I was upset about what Alberich had said, and totally disgusted at myself for losing my temper repeatedly. My anger had become so inflamed that I had actually telekinetically thrown the beastman across the room, and after that, I had actually dented a metal wall of the Divine Retribution's interior. Dented. A metal wall. With my own fucking fist.
With deep breaths, I clutched Virgil's calming chain as I felt steam wash over my broken skin, thinking about what I had done. I was forced to consider that mental changes might be included in the transformative package into... whatever the hell Sebastian had eventually become. Physical and psychic changes weren't the only dramatic transfigurations, I thought with dread. I really had to find a way to control myself!
My fingers passed over each heavy link of the calming chain. Whatever this enchanted item was, I was grateful for it. Just the act of touching the thick oval links of this heavy metal chain elicited a sort of psychic tranquility, which I definitely needed right now. Examining it again, I saw that it had a latch on one end. Could I use it as a short necklace? As I placed the chain around my neck, I was pleased to see that it was just long enough to latch successfully without being uncomfortable. Breathing regularly and deeply, I continued to meditate, watching the steam roll in this small, dimly lit space.
Scion, I heard Virgil call to me in mind. Are you available to speak?
Go right ahead, Virgil, I responded. I'm in the sauna. How is Null doing? Any changes or anything?
No changes, no. Null is currently quite weak, and he and I are about to walk to the bridge. I believe he will take some extra time to walk, given his condition. He wishes to relay to you a thank you for you help, and also, a concern.
A concern? I asked, standing up and opening the glass door to the sauna. I found my robe and put it on.
He states again that we are now running low in supplies, just as I also suspected. He states that the need is quite important, and humbly requests that we prioritize this at our meeting.
"Humbly" requests? I chuckled as I began to walk the short distance up to my suite, and then instantly felt bad. I'm sorry. He's really been through a lot. But, alright. We definitely need food. I'll be up on the bridge in about thirty minutes. Could you tell him to bring a change of clothing for me to the meeting? I know he packed a few bundles for Alberich and I from Levant, and all my clothes are bloody or dirty.
A pause as Virgil communicated this to the tech-priest. Null states that he has two bundles of clothes left for you, but is concerned that your size might be off with regard to your recent height gain. He offers to see if any alterations can be made when he sees you.
Wow, a very proud Archmagos offering his services as a mere tailor? Maybe Null had been eaten by a foreign intelligence after all? It seemed a bit silly, so I just said, Not a big deal. I'm only a little taller. Null was certainly behaving with more deference, but I really didn't want my crew being afraid of me. A future where I become lady space God-Hitler here was not a future I wanted for myself, I thought, walking into my captain's suite and shutting the sliding door.
I walked into my bathroom, and removed my robe, preparing for a quick bath to see if I could get rid of some of this flaky peeling skin. Turning on the bath tap, my eyes caught my blurry reflection in the mirror as I placed my robe on the sink. I leaned forward to see if I could get a clearer look at myself. Everything was still very fuzzy. Taking a short breath, I decided to pull into my Sight again, and closed my eyes. If the use of Sight could help me regain my normal physical sight, I should at least try it.
The warm familiar electric lash of energy swirled around my head and shoulders, and my eyes began to burn and tear again. I attempted to "will" my vision to repair itself. I winced as my eyes began to painfully sting.
After a minute or so of this, I opened my eyes again hesitantly. The good news, my action seemed successful. My vision seemed to be perfectly clear now. It worked!
The bad news, however, was that the person I saw in the mirror wasn't me at all. Looking back at me, I saw the somber face of the man I had seen curse the Heart of Worlds, the same man I had seen possess me on the bridge. This time, he wore his plain black t-shirt, and his hair was loose in the reflection, falling over his shoulders in a cascade of wavy ink. He actually looked very normal here, aside from his incredible Emperor-gold eyes.
"Sebastian?" I asked. Strangely, I realized that I was completely without fear seeing this. This all felt perfectly normal somehow. I wasn't even nervous that I was standing here completely naked. "What's going on? Are you Sebastian? How did you get through to me again?"
The reflection casually answered me, his tone that of someone addressing an old friend: "Yes and no. I'm more of an echo, an imprint placed upon this vessel by Sebastian's use. I have many faces, but we've met before. I was the vision that you saw as you first boarded this grand ship. I am the one who asked your intentions."
Oh. That felt like a long time ago. I did recall seeing an insubstantial gold ghost right before boarding the Divine Retribution for the first time.
"So, what's going on now? What does this mean?" I cautiously asked. "Am I hallucinating?"
"No. Not exactly," fake-Sebastian grinned for moment. "Who I am really is not important. Consider me a friend. You are gaining strength rapidly, and you stand before a long and difficult road. You will need help in your adjustment. I will stop in now and again to offer advice to you, Inheritor. Consider me somewhat of an advisor."
I growled at the strange reflection, tired of all this weird supernatural bullshit. Was I ever going to get any peace here?
"Okay, fine, so what's your advice then?" I said, shrugging at the man in the mirror. "Got any hot tips for tempering my temper, because I have been having a really hard time. I got pissed off and dented a metal wall."
The reflection smiled beatifically. "It is all to be expected, little Inheritor. Just as a child experiences difficult emotions as they transition into adolescence, so does the Inheritor experience erratic behaviors as they mature. It is normal. What you are experiencing is excess psychic and Sight energy traveling through a body unfamiliar with such power. You are not accustomed to it, and the excess energy manifests outwardly as anger. For now, you must learn to channel and reroute such strength. Do you have anyone in your crew that can help train you, perhaps?"
I nodded, thinking about Virgil. Could he train me, even as a hologram? "I have an astropath on board, I guess, but he's a hologram."
The reflection smiled. "Then seek his advice. Your crew is here to serve you, Inheritor. You will need temperance later. The caged lioness will soon wish to hunt in the wilderness, and she should be ready and strong when the time comes."
"Okay, great," I said looking away. "That's really poetic and nice to hear, but what else can I do? I can't very well go hunting in any wilderness, whatever that means. I don't want to go looking for trouble, dude. That's just not me."
"Your imperative will demand it at some point, Inheritor," the reflection said ominously.
I was getting tired of hearing this Sebastian shadow poetically lecture me as I stood here naked in my bathroom. Honestly, I was probably just losing my mind. Psykers go crazy in this universe all the time, so this shouldn't be too surprising. I rallied myself, closed my eyes for bravery, and began to scold the hallucination: "Look, I don't know who or what you are or what is going on or if I'm going crazy from being attached to this ship, but I'm telling you one thing-"
"-that you're planning on going home as soon as you can, is that right, Erika?" I was interrupted, and my sentence effortlessly finished. What? I looked again, and saw that the reflection was now my own old face from my home reality! I wheeled back in horror, stumbling backward on the bathroom floor with a short cry. Immediately, I stood up again on shaking legs. What the fuck was that all about?! I examined the mirror, and gratefully, my reflection had reverted to my natural normal Evanora reflection once again. My eyes were burning and tearing from whatever had happened, and I turned the sink on so I could splash my face.
With a few splashes of water and a lot of blinking, I was able to see then that my vision had been restored for real!
My Corona briefly lit in surprise as I was finally able to see myself clearly, and I noticed that along with my gold halo, my eyes would briefly glow when my "light" was on now. With a shake of my head, I withdrew my Corona again, noticing that it seemed a little brighter now. At least my vision had returned, even if my sanity was apparently being eroded. You win some, you lose some, I guess. Hallucination or not, I did have to admit that I probably needed some training for my abilities. I couldn't just keep "winging it" in this universe, even if I was a... whatever I was.
"C'mon, relax," I whispered to myself, touching the calming chain on my neck. The bathtub was now almost full, so I estimated that I had lost about a few minutes of time in a strange hiccup of reality. I guess this is my life now, I thought with an exasperated sigh. Experiencing psychic hallucinations inside a ghost-haunted magic eagle spaceship that's stripping me of my humanity. Neat. I turned off the tub faucet, and then, went back to examining my changes in the mirror.
Like what Virgil had shown me, my hair was long, full, and wild. While still mostly black, I saw that the white section of my hair had indeed grown larger. Turning my head to the side, I could tell now that the white seemed to be advancing down my scalp. I confirmed that it did indeed look pretty cool, at least. As I examined myself further, I squinted. While this wasn't my original body, I had grown to see it as mine, so any change of features was definitely noticeable. The lines and angles of my face seemed slightly more dramatic and smoothed, and my cheekbones were more defined. It appeared that my face was also changing, but at least I wasn't getting ugly. And if it wasn't something I could control, then there was no use in worrying about it right now.
Turning away from the mirror, I went to step into the tub. Time to shed my skin.
As I was giving myself a good scrub, I heard a knock at my door. A quick psychic view showed me that Virgil was standing outside of my suite. "You can come in, Virgil. I'm taking a bath," I called out.
I heard the door slide open. "I'm just dropping off your change of clothes now instead of later. Figured I'd do that on the way," the astropath replied. "And, uh..." Virgil cleared his throat, and began to speak to me in mind. Are you alright? I thought I heard a psychic scream, but I am not sure.
"I'm fine, Virgil. Just going through some normal Emperor things, you know? I ended up having a biomancy accident and now I'm fourteen feet tall. How awkward is that? Ended up hitting my head on the ceiling too! I'm kinda upset now, and because of that, I'm feeling an urge to start wars, make primarchs, and to conquer the fucking galaxy!" I emphasized the last part of my funny joke with my commanding voice, and had a secret giggle that the metal walls of the bathroom made my strong voice sound even more terrifying.
A very tense pause. Both my companions were gripped with fear. Alright, that was probably in poor taste.
"I'm joking. Come on, guys."
"Err, is everything alright?" I heard Null quietly ask from the hallway.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, sorry. Bad joke. I was just joking, you two. I'm getting ready to get out of the bath and I'm still normal-sized. Don't worry about me," I responded quickly. "My full vision came back too, actually. Give me a few minutes and I'll meet you on the bridge."
"As you wish," Virgil replied, closing the door behind him. I felt like a dick now.
After a short amount of time scrubbing off the looser parts of my flaking skin, I stepped out of the bath, and found my change of clothes sitting on the bed. It was another grey and black Imperial military uniform, much like my other one. While I was able to fit into my clothes, I did find that while this particular outfit had fit perfectly before, it now felt slightly off on my frame. In addition to gaining a few centimeters, I also seemed to be slightly more muscular, which still didn't explain how I had gotten strong enough to punch a dent in the metal wall down near Alberich's room. If I continued to lose my temper like this, I would become very dangerous to be around. I made a mental note to talk to Virgil. That reflection-hallucination-ghost definitely had a point, and I did need training.
My companions were right to be afraid of me like this, I thought finally as I laced up my boots and tied back my hair. And here I am looking like lady Hitler now in this outfit, I thought, observing myself in the mirror.
After a short walk up the stairs to the bridge, I realized that I was the last one to arrive to this meeting. The bridge was, like normal, bathed in a warm golden radiance. The three tall pinched ellipses that made up each of the three eyes of the Divine Retribution's head were open, and outside, we had a view of the desolate moonscape that made up this dead world. Null and Virgil stood chatting with Alberich, who was grinning happily as his white head ruff was fluffed up in excitement as he held his daemon glaive. This looked like the best day ever for the beastman, despite me hurling him against a wall earlier, I thought with dread. I hoped that he wasn't talking 1940's German fascist philosophy shit with these people. Being thought of as a magic Empress Nazi in Space wasn't appealing, and if he started Nazi saluting me, I would not be pleased.
Lian approached me, and bowed. The Fallen offered me the eagle staff I had unceremoniously left on the floor after our escape from Nubua. I accepted the staff in my right hand. As I made contact with the artifact, I experienced a pleasant wave of warmth washing over my skin. For a split second, it felt as if I was standing outside in a warm summer day, and my Corona licked around my shoulders. Examining the force staff, I was reminded of the staff I had seen the "Mal" ghost carrying when he had threatened me earlier. I was pretty sure that this wasn't actually Malcador's staff (or if that ghost I had seen was actually Malcador), but I knew that this artifact was very powerful concerning all the memories I had pulled from Nabopolassar's soul. It would be very useful. "Thank you, Lian," I responded to the Fallen, who then saluted me by putting his fist to his heart.
Both Silent Witnesses were awake now, and I could now see that each were quite dirty from the battle on Nubua, their red tunics mottled with dark dust almost like tie dye as they stood behind the rest of my crewmembers. I wondered if we had a laundry machine in here that I didn't know about? Ennoia and Morai crossed their arms over their chests, and bowed as they saw me.
"Hello everyone. We've had an exciting few days here, haven't we?" I asked, walking into the broad space of the bridge. The three gold thrones shimmered against my psyker sight, and once again, I instinctually cringed upon seeing the center one. I did not like being attached to any golden throne, either here or on Terra.
"Yes, quite exciting indeed," Null replied tensely as the rest of my companions watched me, averting their eyes in deference. I could actually feel intimidation and strange awe roiling through the air here, and it made me feel sad. I really didn't want them to actually be afraid of me, and nor did I want them to think I was some kind of god figure that they had to be submissive toward. I would need to talk to Virgil about learning how to tame my energy. Throwing overpowered temper tantrums like a big gold psychic toddler was really not my style.
No one spoke as I walked ahead of the center throne, and internally bracing, I sat down, leaning my eagle staff beside me. I did not order the ship to fully connect me just yet, but I felt it somehow "notice" that I was sitting, and its attention was pulled to me. My crewmembers then walked to stand around me as the large central holographic display flickered to life ahead of us. Alberich was not immediately sitting on his throne, I noticed.
"Okay, so, first order of business is we figure out where we are exactly. I really have no idea where the Emperor decided to land us, so lets figure that out here," I said to the room. "Divine Retribution, where are we in the galactic region? And, retrace our steps from Nubua, please."
The central display flickered, and then, we were shown a large map of the northeastern part of the galaxy. The map then zoomed in on a broad band of dust, and then, further focused in on a planet deep inside the cloud. Further magnifying, we saw our eagle icon as it began to spiral away from the planet in a frantic flight. The map then shifted, displaying the currents of the Warp once again, and the currents displayed were absolutely terrifying, with multiple destructive whirlwinds and large black fissures that had a blinking *error* notation within them. This was much worse than witnessing Levant's storm, I realized.
In this apocalyptic area, we watched as the icon of the Divine Retribution began to fly in random directions, obviously lost and blind in the degrading Warp. Scarily, it then began drifting to one of the *error* fissures when suddenly, the eagle icon brightened. The icon then turned around, and began to quickly flee from the chaotic mess, expertly dodging reality fissures and whirlwinds. After a short distance of quick flight, it sped up to an incredible speed, and then, it abruptly skipped like a stone across the map, covering a distance of about six thousand light years in a few moments! My crewmembers were similarly amazed. We watched as the Divine Retribution's icon then jumped out of Warp, and meandered over to a rocky dead world, where were were sitting right now. I noticed that a notation of *error* now hung over the entirety of the Deadly Desert. That entire region had been scoured from existence!
"Wow," I exhaled. "That's something serious, isn't it?"
"I have no words," Null said softly beside me, one of his right arms gripping the armrest of my throne. "The speed at which we traveled in such a short time, remarkable! Praise Omnissiah! I do wonder how much time has passed in the material universe as we made this flight."
"We can ask," I said helpfully. "How much time has passed from our flight from Nubua to now, Divine Retribution?"
The ship spoke in its impassive voice, "Eight days, ten hours, twenty-three minutes, and forty eight seconds." Wow, time in the Warp really didn't mean anything, huh? Somehow, our journey had taken over a week in the span of a few seconds of the Emperor's possession and control of this vessel. None of it really made sense, but the Warp travel in this universe never really made proper sense anyway.
"Incredible," Lian said, holding an armored hand up to his mouth as he walked to stand ahead and to my right. "Such a journey would take weeks in a proper Warp-faring vessel, but we only experienced minutes of time on board as we fled. Praise the Emperor for His salvation."
"Over six thousand light years!" Alberich said, appearing absolutely amazed. "I should not be surprised, as a chariot of God would not be bound by the rules of conventional physics!"
Internally, I cringed hearing what the beastman had said, but I didn't say anything.
"So," I said, turning to my crewmembers. "Is anyone familiar with this area? What's next? Null, I think you had something to announce, right?"
Null quietly nodded. "Yes I do, Scion," he stated nervously, still obviously amazed at our progress. "Pull the map out a little, please."
I zoomed the map back out, and from here, we could see a few other stars, some random dust clouds, and a sparse cluster of other systems. Gradually, I pulled the map back until Null told me to stop.
"I believe that right now, we are the edge of the range of the Astronomican, and as such, we are a mere few hundred light years to the border of formal Imperial space and the Ultima Segmentum. Everyone, it is my proposal that we stop for more provisions, as the journey to Molech is long, and we do not have enough rations to sustain us beyond four or five days now, as we have many crew members. I do wonder if you can see the light from the Astronomican from our current location, Scion?"
"Uh, about that," I replied slowly. Null apparently had not believed Trazyn when the Necron Lord had offered news of the formation of the Great Rift and the destruction of Cadia. This would probably be difficult to hear, I thought sadly. "Trazyn was telling the truth back on Kolch. Right now, there's a brand new giant Warp rift cutting the galaxy in half, and we're on the wrong side of it. If the Astronomican was visible from here before, it isn't visible now. We're on the wrong side. The Great Rift blocks it out here."
A powerful disbelieving silence fell on the bridge. Null then walked slightly ahead of me, and briefly turned around, his neon green animated eyes filled with disbelief.
"You're joking again, certainly," Null replied anxiously to me. He then turned back up to the display. "A rift? Of that magnitude? The xenos was trying to unsettle us!"
I clenched my jaw. How could I put this? "Null, I'm sorry, but I'm not joking. Trazyn told us the truth. From what I know, the Great Rift was described to have happened right at the start of another Black Crusade, which, I guess, just started very recently. I know this from the information I got from my home universe, and from what my intuition tells me. Cadia was actually destroyed, and a huge Warp rift is splitting the galaxy in half now. The light of the Astronomican really has been cut off from half the galaxy."
"How can this..." Lian then walked ahead of me, and looked back at me in dismay. His eyes were also wide in similarly pained disbelief. He then also turned back toward the display. "Would it show on this vessel's map here?" he gestured upward. "Can this be displayed before us?"
"Well, let's see. Divine Retribution, show the entire galaxy as it currently appears right now on the display, and indicate any Warp rifts and storms. I hope I'm wrong here, guys."
The map pulled out at a dizzying pace from our location. Around me, I heard Virgil, Lian, and Null all choke in horror as the galaxy was displayed.
It was true, and it was terrible.
On this map of the galaxy, a red gash cut through the entirety of the Milky Way like an infected wound. The Eye of Terror, and the Maelstrom also smoldered balefully, and even Levant's new Warp rift burned like a hot coal far from where we had come. Seeing it all like this, just out there and plain to see, gave me a sense of incredible dread. Somehow, this made it terribly real, and I began to feel sick, knowing all the unfathomable atrocities that were now happening all over this galaxy. People were being tortured, killed, and enslaved by the forces that caused this vile thing, and it was all happening right now and in real life. It was unnatural, and it was unjust. Unexpectedly, I found myself dramatically emotionally moved, my heart quailing in sympathetic pain as I witnessed the utter enormity of this horror. This literally hurt to look at! Seeing this meant that humankind truly was on the brink of ruin, the cancer of Chaos gnawing at it as it slowly bled to an agonized death. The Astronomican couldn't even be seen on this side of the galaxy anymore! Humanity was screwed! No, this reality was screwed!
Unbidden, a vision of a scene from far away raced through my mind, and I could see a conflict that was happening right at this moment. My eyes rolled back in my head, and I was briefly taken away.
I beheld a warship filled with red-armored and red-horned Chaos Marines. They were laying siege to a peaceful farming world simply because it was close to the Great Rift, and because of the approval of the Blood God. In my mind's eye, I witnessed a vivid scene of an elderly farmer and his wife as they were brutally murdered in their beds by a screaming Khornate Berzerker. They prayed for the Emperor to save them, but their prayers fell on deaf ears. Only I witnessed this, I knew, and I could could do absolutely nothing to help them as I watched a spray of brains and bright red blood paint the interior of their once treasured family home. The laughter of Khorne pierced through my mind like an ice pick.
It then somehow got even worse. As I struggled to pull myself away from this distressing vision, Khorne's eye began to focus on me like it was the fucking Eye of Sauron! And like Sauron, a supernaturally stentorian message was transmitted along with the Chaos God's brutal laughter.
I SEE YOU
This was too much! Now I had Khorne after me on top of Tzeentch and Slaanesh! I was finally able to pull myself out of my vision when I felt a hand touch my left shoulder. It was Virgil, and his eyes were concerned. "Are you alright?" the astropath asked me. "You look a bit pale"
I shook my head. "I had a vision just now of a planet getting conquered by Chaos Marines, and..." I took a deep breath as cold sweat began to race across my body. Fuck, I hated being this way! I hated being a psyker! "...and the Chaos power responsible for it saw me watching, and put his eye on me. Khorne. It was Khorne. Khorne saw me!"
"It should not be surprising," Lian calmly stated as he walked back to my side. "All Chaos powers surely watch you. You are an anathema to their existences, and a threat to them, so they will surely stalk and menace you. That they pay you attention like this means they are threatened by you."
"Do you require anything?" Virgil asked me, gently touching my shoulder again in concern.
"I need Chaos to fuck off, that's what I require," I angrily barked as I was afflicted with yet another psychic nosebleed. Fuck, don't lose your shit again, Erika! Realizing that I was bleeding, I pinched my nose, and then turned back to the astropath apologetically. "I'm sorry, Virgil. I'm going through a lot of shit right now, you know? This is not easy."
Virgil nodded, placing his holographic hands in his grey embroidered robes. "It is understandable, Scion. It also gives me perspective concerning your predecessor and what He must have experienced. The strain on your body and mind must be heavy, and I hold faith that all will turn out alright in the end."
"Sure hope so," I replied. I felt a tap on my right shoulder as Alberich helpfully offered me a handkerchief, which I held to my face.
I meant what I said earlier.I will follow your power and your divinely anointed will to my death. My honor is my life, Alberich whispered to me telepathically as he walked to sit in his throne to my right. I felt the Divine Retribution acknowledge him when he made contact with his throne. The beastman sat watching me with a small smile from his throne.
Really not wanting to deal with insane Nazi shit right now, I put my attention back to the display. "Okay, so, anyway, point being," I pointed up to the scar bisecting the galaxy. "That's the Great Rift. The Astronomican can't get past it, but we don't need it to fly, really. This ship sort of flies itself when I'm directly attached to it. And it also has its own little Astronomican if things get really nasty outside, but it really drains me to use."
Bringing my attention back to the map, I watched as Null slowly walked into my field of view again, his remaining three mechadendrites drooping like wilted flowers. After his brush with death, he now appeared very frail and weak. "It's true, isn't it?" the tech-priest exhaled in great sadness, shaking his head in his torn and burned robes as he regarded the Great Rift before him. The grief I felt from Null was palpable. Virgil walked beside him and placed a supportive hand on his arm. The tech-priest shook his head again. "Well, now we know, I suppose," Null said, collecting himself. He then looked back up at the map. "Kindly go back to where we are located, if you can, Scion. I need to see exactly where we are."
I willed the central display to show our location again. A handful of sparse stars and bands of dust hung in the black void. Our eagle icon sat on a planet in the center of the map. Null made an affirmative noise, and said, "I confirm that we are located at the threshold of the Ultima Segmentum. In this area, there are a few worlds that we can visit that are beyond formal Imperial jurisdiction, but many are feral, and will not be able to offer the supplies, rations and discretion we require. Look up here at this system," the tech-priest spoke as he gestured to a large blue-white star to the north of our location. He even aimed a red laser pointer from one of his mechadendrites on to the map. I willed the Divine Retribution to focus in on it, and a star system with fourteen planets with wide orbits was highlighted. The fourth planet from the star was the point of interest here, and it was labeled as "Ormunendung". I nudged the vessel to zoom in further on the map, and we beheld a mottled rocky marble with lots of snow, heavy white cloud cover, and a single moon.
Null pointed up at the display with two of his remaining arms. "This is Ormunendung, a mining planet that serves in raw materials to the Adeptus Mechanicus and Rogue Traders in times of emergency in this remote region. It is officially a feudal world, but nigh-feral at times. A cloud of comets causes problems every few decades with frequent impacts. The local population is now very suspicious of any visit from a void ship, as whenever they are visited, the comet cloud surrounding their star is disrupted, and their world becomes bombarded once again. But, perhaps they could serve us if we make it clear that they have no choice? Pull back out, please. There are other worlds," Null instructed.
We were now back to the sparse map of stars, and the tech-priest pointed his mechadendrite laser at a tiny reddish star far to the west of the center of the map. I willed the map to zoom in again.
"And here," he pointed to the small red dwarf star with a singular planet orbiting at a very precarious distance. This planet was an earth-like globe covered in what appeared to be copious oceans, lots of green land, and even possessed a Saturn-like ring. "Rhadabus is populated by the overly-friendly descendants of an eccentric sybaritic Rogue Trader and a small population of his imported serfs. It is a small independent civilized world that is used as a stopover for some traders and more than a few pirates on their way to and from the Ghoul Stars. The peculiar insular population of Rhadabus is often willing to trade in food and supplies, but the last time we visited them, we suspected a genestealer infestation. That, or their years of inbreeding has made them both very ugly and exceedingly disagreeable to work with. Coupled with their inappropriate natures, the planet is not very pleasant to visit, even if they are welcoming. It has been a thousand years since I visited them on my way to Levant, and I can't imagine this world has improved much from when I last saw it."
"I don't want to go to Rhadabus," Virgil spoke up this time, shaking his head. "I am a hologram, and cannot go far from the ship, and I still don't want to go to Rhadabus."
Rhadabus sounded like if "The Hills Have Eyes" was a planet instead of a cult horror movie. I decided to rule out that world. Even the comet planet sounded better than a planet of "overly-friendly" space inbreds that may or may not actually be genestealers. No thanks.
Once again, I pulled the map back out as Null and Virgil briefly chatted about how much they both hated that world.
"I have a suggestion, if I may," Lian then spoke up, his hand raised politely. I nodded at the Fallen, and he turned to the map. "Please highlight that star." He pointed at a yellow star in the south part of the display. I mentally directed the Divine Retribution to magnify where Lian had indicated. A star system with eight planets then came up on the display. A notation at the bottom right of the screen designated this as the "Vigaz System."
Lian walked ahead of me again, and turned to the side so he could see both me and the display. The Fallen began to speak: "This is the Vigaz System, and I am pleased to see that we are somewhat close to it. Its namesake comes from the second planet from the star, the independent frontier world of Tar Vigaz. My order has a covert satellite chapter operating out of the capitol city state of this world. It is not part of the Imperium, and, it bills itself as aggressively neutral. No one faction has a foothold there. In the past, it has billed itself as 'The Gateway to the Frontier', as it sits within a mere ninety-nine light years of the Ultima Segmentum's formal borders."
"Tar Vigaz?" I asked, not familiar with the name. I turned to Null to see if he could explain further. The planet itself had wide swaths of what appeared to be desert, but it did possess areas of open water and green vegetation. Sparse clouds danced in its atmosphere, and if I looked closely, there even seemed to be twinkling lights beneath some of the clouds. Was that an indication of civilized development?
"I am familiar with Tar Vigaz," Null replied. "Not actually a bad choice, all things considered. More urban than I would like, maybe a little too public, but not a bad proposition. It is an independent world, and a liaison for many races of the galaxy for both entertainment and trade. It has been said, and somewhat exaggerated, that you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy this side of the galaxy. There are far worse places to visit, but at least Tar Vigaz is somewhat civilized. And, yes, that world prides itself on independence and neutrality. Nearly everyone is welcome there if they can pay. It is not an inexpensive world, mind you."
"Our privacy can be assured. A special Writ of Confidentiality can be secured with the right connections, as well," Lian offered helpfully. "This means that official records of our visit to such a planet will be burned. My order has the means to secure a Writ, and once I contact them, they will certainly welcome us."
"I am familiar with the Tar Vigaz Writ of Confidentiality," Null quickly responded. "Now that I think back, I may also have a contact on this world that could be quite useful to us in gaining a Writ, but without the danger of associating with renegade marines. Many years ago, I knew of a Magos stationed there. I can cash in a few favors with this individual, and that Magos can indeed help us, and even possibly help in the procurement of supplies for the ship."
"Sounds like you both are pretty familiar with that place, huh?" I observed, leaning back on my throne. My nose had stopped bleeding, and I pulled the rag away.
"Reasonably, but my knowledge is about a thousand years old, so it may be slightly out of date," Null admitted.
"I visited this world not six months ago," Lian stated plainly as he then turned to speak to me again. "With this, I now formally request that we stop at Tar Vigaz. My order has a presence there, and they will want to hear news about the destruction of Kolch and Hunter's Repose. They will also need to hear that the holy sword I bear is safe." The Fallen then kneeled ahead of me as he bowed his head. "The esteemed Paladins of Tar Vigaz are affiliated with those that helped to bring you here to us through the veil of reality, Scion. They will likely wish to meet you."
"Meet me?" I asked, suddenly intimidated.
"You have nothing to fear from the order that made it possible for you to be here. I have sworn to serve you, and they will as well."
I apparently looked nervous because Null spoke up: "You don't have to meet any of these Fallen Angels if you don't want to," Null buzzed, walking up to stand beside Lian's kneeling form. He then faced me, his neon green eyes animating concern. "I can find a way to procure the supplies we require and the Writ as well. I assure you, I remain well connected. One doesn't rise to the rank of Archmagos without connections, you see. By my calculations, that Magos' tenure on Vigaz has not yet ended."
Lian shot Null a look as he remained kneeling. The last thing I wanted to see was an argument. As long as we could find a way to get supplies, and not be attacked by Chaos Marines or Necrons, or get the Imperial Inquisition after us, I was fine with this planet. Being seen with renegade marines was dangerous, I had to admit. However, they probably didn't advertise to everyone that they were Fallen Dark Angels, and if the Imperium actually knew that they were there, they'd definitely be purged in a hot minute. After a few moments of consideration, I said, "Alright, well, how about this? We set course for Tar Vigaz. We'll see if Null's contacts hold when we get close, and then, we can reach out to Lian's secret brothers too. I honestly have no problem with either idea."
"Forgive me, but I do object to associating with more renegade astartes, Scion," Null stated nervously, not making eye contact with me or the Fallen beside him. "To be seen by them, even in a world as firmly neutral as Vigaz, is not safe. Even with a Writ, being seen even in modest proximity to renegade marines is dangerous. The Imperium has eyes everywhere, even in places they do not directly control. There was a reason a Magos was stationed there."
I took a breath, and closed my eyes. This was a difficult decision. Rhadabus and Ormunendung didn't sound like good places to visit, but Tar Vigaz actually sounded like a civilized place where we could pick up rations and other supplies. Maybe the Sight could help me here? I felt my halo light around my head for a moment, and my intuition branched outward, searching for the best option. In my mind's eye, I saw a group of kneeling Fallen wearing white robes over dark armor, and one of them held the Lion Sword aloft in a heroic gesture. The mood was very positive, and the impression I got was definitely a good one.
"I'll meet with the Fallen," I stated before realizing my voice was amplified. Oops. "I think it's the right thing to do."
No one fought my judgement call this time, and both Lian and Null stood up from their kneeling positions, with Null walking behind me. Lian had a slight smile on his face as he stood, obviously very pleased. I felt a message jump from the Fallen to me in mind.
I told you that my brothers will see who you are, and I told you the galaxy would kneel. I intend to keep my promises. We stand at the dawning of a new age of hope for mankind, and I hold myself privileged to be a part of it.
The Fallen then saluted me again with his hand on his chest, and stepped away. While I appreciated Lian's voracious loyalty, I didn't like it when he drifted toward bellicose speech. We'd have to have a talk in private concerning what he'd tell his brothers before we saw them.
The issue had been decided. "Alright, you heard them, Divine Retribution. Plot a course for Tar Vigaz, but don't take off yet. How long is it going to take to get there?" I asked the vessel. The ship briefly hummed as some statistics were spat out on the central screen.
"Present location to Vigaz System, destination Tar Vigaz: 227.5 light years. Estimated Warp travel time: 23.1 hours. Heavy tail wind."
We had a new destination, I thought with mild hope, and it wasn't some wild ruined cursed or dead world, but an actual civilized urban world with people! I was actually super curious to see how an urban planet would look in this universe in real life. For the first time in awhile, I felt mildly optimistic about my future!