Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I promise I'll be returning to a more normal updating schedule from now.
As always, there are three advance chapters on P-atreon (remove the spaces and dash): p-atreon/ SkySage24
The Emperor hovered in Luna's orbit, peering down at the surface of the Moon.
The previously barren surface of Luna was now blooming. Less than a day ago, they had been grey, pockmarked by radiation and craters, but no longer.
He had watched as patches of grass and trees popped up across the planetoid. At first, small and barely visible, perceived only by him because of his superhuman perception, they had rapidly become vast, sweeping forests. Soon they were joined by shimmering blue lakes and rivers, which were expanding under his very gaze, steadily overtaking the grey wastes.
The Emperor could quite literally smell a new atmosphere forming, the toxic clouds replaced by rich oxygen, the scent of a forest at the height of summer filling his nostrils.
By his estimate, if the process was allowed to continue Luna would be terraformed back to the height of the Golden Age in a few weeks.
…though not quite. Luna had always had arcologies and buildings upon it. What Luna was becoming now was a vast continent untouched by civilization, a place of such pure nature that the Emperor had not seen within Sol since the earliest days of his youth. Outside of Sol, yes, as mankind had perfected their terraforming technology, reshaping worlds simply because they wanted to rather than for any specific need or purpose.
But no planet inside of Sol had ever been such a place of untamed, wild beauty since before the Third Millennium.
If the Emperor was being honest with himself, the rapid transformation of Luna was…there was no other way to put it, terrifying.
He had studied the science of terraforming himself and pioneered several methods that mankind had used. He had worked alongside other masters in the field, and been part of countless expansion efforts across the millennia to tame new worlds and make them fit for human inhabitation.
But even if he had with a team of the greatest human experts in terraforming from across history, and the most advanced technologies mankind had devised for this purpose at this very moment, it would have still taken him at least ten years to repair and restore Luna's surface.
Isha had done it in a day, using the creation she called the Genesis Flower.
Even though they had discussed it before, when she had explained its abilities and how it would be the fastest way to restore Terra to life, seeing the Genesis Flower in action was…shocking.
He had known she was restraining herself, both to not provoke him and to keep some tricks hidden up her sleeves. But there was a difference between knowing that on an intellectual level and seeing it.
And that wasn't even considering what else she had done. Isha had undone the biological programming of hundreds of Lunar gene-slaves and was still doing so. It had required seemingly no effort on her part whatsoever, she had merely willed it and it had happened.
She was still at it, as a matter of fact. He could sense her below, freeing the slaves, healing the various victims of Heliosa's Cult of their ailments and the damage done by the Selenar's twisted experiments.
The contract that now bound both of them meant that the Emperor had no reason to fear Isha was doing anything malicious. Earlier, he might have suspected she was converting Luna into a weapon, a fortress close to his home. That she was not freeing the Selenar's slaves, but binding them to her own will.
Now, with the contract in place, and more importantly, knowing Isha far better, the Emperor knew such fears were baseless and foolish.
However, he would be lying if Isha's attitude towards the genetic slaves of the Selenar did not make him wonder what she would do to the Custodes if not for their agreement.
Nevertheless, this was all a vivid reminder that Isha, despite all appearances to the contrary, was a veteran of the War in Heaven. She was diminished, a shadow of her former self, but she was nonetheless ancient beyond measure. She had watched stars die and be born, and fought in the war that had shattered the very fabric of reality. And after the war was over, she helped mend the cosmos and restore what life and stability she could. The Emperor's entire life, from his birth to the Fall of the Eldar, might as well be a blink of an eye for her.
A very important blink of an eye, perhaps, but still.
It would not do to forget that Isha was not merely his intellectual peer. She was a living weapon of the Old Ones, one far older and more experienced than he. Isha needed his protection, yes, but the Emperor strongly suspected that she still had many hidden secrets and knowledge that he could only dream of knowing.
Isha was his equal. If not in raw power then in every other way that mattered. And he had to treat her as such, rather than how he had acted previously. It had been foolish of him to reject every olive branch she had offered, to slap away the hand of friendship whenever it was extended.
George needed to fix that. To convince Isha again that he was worth trusting, that they could do more for the galaxy together than apart…or worse, as enemies.
Now that he had finally let go of his fear and rage, the image of the future that he could forge with Isha's aid was tempting. Terra, reborn in all her glory, no longer a barren ball of rock. Human worlds being brought into the fold with the promise of eradicating disease and hunger rather than at the point of a blade, fulfilling that promise.
It was an idealistic image, one that George had not dared believe possible in tens of thousands of years.
But oh, how he wanted it. He had told himself that he did not, but he did want it.
Even as George mulled all this over, a projection of Isha appeared next to him. Not that anyone would have been able to tell she was a projection just by looking at it, seemingly identical to the original for all intents and purposes.
"Your Majesty," She greeted. "What are you doing up here?"
"Thinking," The Emperor admitted. "Planning for the future."
Not that he was idle, of course. Much like Isha, his own projections were at work on the Lunar surface below, speaking to the various Lunar Houses, demanding their submission and fealty. Isha had focused her efforts on Heliosa and her domain in particular at his request, making an example to cow the other Selenar leaders into line.
Not to mention capturing and interrogating the leader of the Martians who had been sent ahead by the Mechanicum. They were apparently awaiting reinforcement…which meant there was an opportunity to lay an ambush.
George wasn't entirely happy about having to exert his power in such a way if he was being honest. In time, when the Astronomican Project was complete, a large portion of his power would be tied up in the Warp. The Imperium needed to be able to fight its battles without him acting to do everything for them.
But recent events had forced his hand. Luna and Mars could not be allowed to strike at Terra with impunity.
Isha raised an eyebrow but did not press. "I am almost done," She said, changing the topic. "Almost all of Heliosa's slaves and test subjects are free."
The Emperor suppressed a grimace at the mention of the High Matriarch. It would have been more convenient to keep her alive, prop her up as a figurehead through which to control the Selenar.
But Isha seemed to have…let off some steam, so to speak, by killing slavers and freeing so many slaves. She had also prevented Heliosa's labs from self-destructing, and the Emperor suspected he would find contingencies for Heliosa's 'resurrection' via cloning in there.
Astarte would no doubt be able to grow a new clone of Heliosa in short order. It would be more difficult than having Heliosa-54 herself, no doubt the Selenar would view the clone with bitter mistrust and hatred, but it would do.
"Will any of them remember you?" He inquired of Isha.
Isha's lips pursed. "They will not, no. You may check yourself if you so desire. And as you wished, I have made it look as if the Genesis Flower is a bioweapon under your control."
The Emperor nodded. Truth be told, a part of him wondered if he should publicize his alliance with Isha, but…now was not the time.
Not with the impending war with Mars, and the Imperium shaken by this sudden, abrupt assault.
But perhaps eventually. Isha was clearly not happy hiding in the shadows, and it also constrained her usefulness in many other ways.
"You seemed to be enjoying yourself," He decided to say instead. "What with your tactics against the Selenar."
Isha's methods had been mildly surprising if he was being honest. He had not expected such sort of terror tactics, if admittedly soft ones, from her. Her forests had not actually devoured or killed any slaves or innocents, but even giving off the illusion of it was…a little surprising.
Isha smiled, baring her teeth and fangs. She looked distinctly inhuman for a moment, with too-bright eyes and elongated features.
"It is…fun, sometimes, to scare scum such as slavers." She said, her eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a predator. "And these Selenar…they make a mockery of my work, of my domain. Instead of using their abilities to save and heal, they have chosen instead to use the genecraft to twist, mutilate and enslave. I cannot abide such beings."
"I see," The Emperor replied, deciding not to comment on it, but making a mental note to keep a distance between Isha and the remaining Selenar Houses.
"What is next?" Isha inquired. "You and I cannot stay here to hold Luna indefinitely. I assume your forces are on their way?"
George couldn't help but grimace slightly at her question. "Yes, the Aetos Dios is on its way and should be here soon."
"Just the Aetos Dios?" Isha queried. "You realize one vessel of that size will not be sufficient to hold a planetoid as large as Luna."
"I am aware," The Emperor said a little sourly. "But I have little other choice. The Aetos Dios will be accompanied by some smaller ships, but the fleet I had intended to use for space travel is still under construction," The Terrawatt Clans were brilliant and skilled, but they were still mortal and could only work so fast. "I will leave an avatar of myself behind on the Aetos Dios to help hold Luna after we leave."
"That will reduce the amount of power you will have available to deal with whatever awaits us on Mars," Isha noted quietly.
"There is no other option. I do not have a fleet capable of holding Luna without my presence. The Aetos Dios alone would be unable to enforce any control over the Selenar Cults if I am not present to monitor them."
Isha frowned. "Malcador?"
"Malcador could do it, but he has to hold Terra itself in my absence."
It was the ultimate, inescapable flaw of even the Incarnates, the great masterpiece of the Old Ones. For all their power, even an Incarnate could not be everywhere at once. Dividing themselves into avatars, distributing their power and essence, was possible, but there was only so far that could go until the avatars were too weak.
It was why he needed an empire at his back, in order to unite mankind and deal with the many threats that plagued them.
It was why he needed Mars and the Ring of Iron. To supply the industry, the fleets, the weapons and the supplies needed to conquer the entire galaxy.
What would happen if Mars could not be brought over to his side did not bear thinking about.
Isha hummed in response. "I understand. So, we must end this quickly, then."
"As quickly as possible," The Emperor agreed quietly. "Before it is too late."