The welcome warmer air of the Divine Retribution's shuttle bay was a relief to feel as I willed the outer hull door closed. Now inside the ship, Zok powered off the Horse of a Different Color, and wordlessly sat in his seat staring into space, his eyes wide.

I reached over to touch the Tzaangor's shoulder in a comforting gesture, but he didn't move. He was clearly traumatized by what he had seen. "They're probably waiting," Zok murmured, pulling away from my touch and climbing out of the now shimmery-blue car.

Zok gathered up his new xenos-crafted mace and rifle from the back seat, and I picked up my pack, gingerly placing it on my back in a way that wouldn't hurt my injured upper right arm. As I was grabbing my new sword and the Dwemer helmet, Virgil materialized next to me, causing me to jump and nearly drop my loot.

"Inherit- oh!" Virgil exclaimed with a startle. "You're hurt!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get hurt a lot. I know. I've got some good Custodes soul food for the Divine Retribution in the Key. Let's feed the ship and fucking leave."

"But, you... you claim to have killed a Custodes? How...?" Virgil appeared to be horrified by my admission to the point where he could not continue speaking.

I didn't respond, and I began to make my way toward the airlock. The hologram followed me nervously with Zok trailing quietly behind. Virgil began speaking again as the first door opened, not really caring that I didn't seem interested in explaining anything. Still anxious, he decided to change the subject in a fast, nervous voice. "I, well, we are relieved you have returned. While the xenos near the tower have been routed, the Anguished Epiphany is in orbit, there is a minor Warp anomaly above Ix, and Alberich is still raving. He claims to see figures on the bridge that no one else can see. Because he wasn't formally relieved of command and because there was no system set in place to relieve command from an impaired crewmember, Alberich was able to order the Astartes to go to the bridge in order to act as a bodyguard! I... I don't mean to be an imposition, but you must fix this! He threatens to kill Rasputin!"

Oh, a new Warp "anomaly?" That's just terrific. I pitched my aching head back and massaged my lower left arm as it tingled with each heartbeat. "I'll fix all this, I guess," I said flatly.

The three of us now stood in the airlock's interior, waiting for the inner doorway to open. Why was the airlock so secure like this even in situations where we're on a planet with fresh air, I wondered absently. Virgil's holographic form was shimmering with emotion when he spoke next: "Alberich says that Rasputin poisoned him. No one has seen the act, and Rasputin says that he has not. I do not sense falsehood in Rasputin's words."

"I'll fix it." The inner airlock opened to the interior of the vessel, and the Divine Retribution's spicy warm air enveloped me like a hug. Oh, it was good to be "home."

I found myself running on autopilot as I strode forward, my arm injury aching and my head throbbing. The two Skitarii stood in a formal guarding position outside the engine room area and Null's workshop, apparently acting as guards. As I passed, Null stepped outside the energy cell room and bowed to me as I approached. "You know of the anomaly, the xenos, and the trouble on the bridge?" he quickly asked. I nodded. "You are injured! Do you need assistance? The null maidens are already on the bridge, but I do not have the full authority to order them."

"I'll be fine. We'll figure it out, but I have to feed the ship now. And, here-"

As I approached Null, I pushed the Dwemer helmet and my new gold sword into one of his four hands. Zok also handed Null his mace and the sniper rifle and said nothing. I kept my pack on me since my bloodstone was somewhere inside of it. "What are these?" the Tech-priest asked.

I paused my walk to explain. "The mace, the rifle, and the helmet are xenos artifacts. The gold sword was discovered in the simulation room. I want you to check all this to see if it's safe. I've got more things in my pack we'll go through later."

Oh, shit, I cringed as I remembered something important. I reached into my pocket and fished out Jiminy, who was now a mangled bent mess. At the very least, he still appeared functional, and he chirped when two of Null's mechadendrites reached down to gingerly grip the unfortunate little machine. "I'm sorry, but Jiminy got damaged when the xenos invaded Jinnicky's tower. They tried to blow up the arch with me still inside the simulation, but I was warned. I emerged from the arch just as the Dwemer destroyed it, so Zok and I are hurt from that fight and so is Jiminy."

"The xenos acted directly against you in that manner?" Null asked angrily as he held everything that Zok and I had given him in his multiple arms.

"Yeah, they're probably in for a bad time now," I darkly chuckled before turning ahead to make my way to the bridge.

A few steps later, Zok tugged on my uninjured arm, and asked, "Captain, is my presence essential? I have been burned. I need to attend to this injury."

"Oh, that's right," I quickly said. "Null, check Zok to see what's wrong with him real fast and make sure he's not dying. I can just get the ship to heal me when I'm plugged in since I have all this energy on me." I tapped on the Key, which now softly glowed as it hung outside my clothes. After saying that, I turned and strode ahead, not waiting for Null's response.

"And you killed a Custodes? Did we hear your announcement correctly?" I heard the Tech-priest call from behind.

"Yeah. On Molech near the Deep Warp Gate," I called back. "I'll tell the story later. Anyway, I've got shit to do here, so I'll brief everyone later."

After a nice offer from Virgil, I transferred my pack to him, and the two of us made our way through the vessel. Ahead, I could hear the noise and tension throughout the souls aboard my vessel. An image flashed in my head of the current state of the bridge. Everyone was upset, and Alberich was doggedly refusing to relinquish command as he ordered Lian to stand close to Rasputin's throne to "watch" him.

This was all so ridiculous! Once we were done with this mess, I planned on having a little chat with the crew concerning their fighting and bickering. Also, I'd set up a formal chain of command so this wouldn't happen again. An incoherent pale ghost passed me as I strode through the main corridor of the vessel. Maybe I would rest a day or two so I could get myself suitably pissed off to the point where I could become a giant in order to terrorize everyone into not being so fucking difficult. We had a lot of problems, but none of them should be infighting. I was just so damned sick of it!

I let my anger invigorate me and drive me forward. While the ship was big, I was covering a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Catching my partial reflection in a particularly shiny gold plate on the wall, I recognized that I was indeed a sight. I was (once again) bloody and furious, and my halo made me look especially scary.

Virgil float-walked nervously beside me as he held my pack over holographic shoulders. "So, y-you know about the Chaos vessel in high orbit above Ix? Their daemon engines, they just were seen in the area attacking the xenos! And t-"

"Yeah, the hereteks blew up the alien fleet with their heldrakes. I know all that. Being like this I end up knowing a lot of shit a lot of the time," I rudely interrupted, still fast walking ahead. Just then, more images flashed in my head of Alberich angrily accusing Rasputin of more subterfuge while Lian stood nearby, raising his sword.

Oh, for fuck's sake...

"Hey," I projected my voice through the Divine Retribution so that it could be heard on the bridge. I felt my crew startle. "No one kill anyone and no one give me any problems right now. I've had a tough time recently, but I'm coming up to the bridge. I'm in command again. Alberich is relieved."

Tsarina! Rasputin transmitted to me. The German has gone mad! I-

"No one give me any problems," I quickly added, cutting Rasputin's transmission off.

I found that I had to rest for a few moments at the base of the stairs to the bridge as my head was throbbing and my heart was fluttering. Despite this, I felt a glow of satisfaction, and an inner sense inside me almost seemed to whisper, To be feared is to be respected...

As I was taking a moment to center myself, Alberich's strikingly loud voice cut into my mind. This degenerate must be made to see what happens to those who go against the Reich! The German's psychic voice was unusually pitched, and I was beginning to believe that his accusation against Rasputin might actually be true. The Mad Monk had done the same thing to me back in the governor's palace for whatever reason, and that guy always seemed to be intoxicated.

Alberich, just shut up and wait for me, I transmitted back before starting the long walk up the bridge stairs.

After climbing a few steps, I suddenly decided that I didn't want to deal with stairs right now, so I mentally reached through the god-bird, and commanded it to lower its body and neck if possible to straighten the vessel out.

Surprisingly, the vessel complied, and I was rewarded with alarmed shouts upstairs as the neck lowered and straightened. I spoke through the ship again, ordering my voice heard through its entirety, and secretly reveling in the fear that I was causing by my presence.

"Relax, I moved the ship. I'll be on the bridge in a moment," I stated in the Divine Retribution's voice of many whispering tones.

After a short walk, I emerged on the bridge. Lian was standing near the entryway, and when he saw me, he lowered his sword and saluted. The two Blank sisters also stood nearby, and each bowed politely with their arms crossed over their chests.

Walking onto the bridge, my attention was drawn to the Divine Retribution's expansive holographic screens. These three displays portrayed an overhead view of a handful of batlike orange icons harrying a group of glowing red dots like falcons chasing sparrows. This was the nearby confrontation between the xenos and the heldrakes, and here, I could see that this battle was only about six kilometers away. This was also happening over Jinnicky's army, who had taken casualties by now, according to a small estimated list on the right side of the center display. Hopefully, the heldrakes wouldn't kill Jinnicky, but I wouldn't lose any sleep if they did. The atmosphere here was tense, and no one spoke as I advanced.

"Tsarina, oh, I sense you," Rasputin rasped on the left throne without turning around. No one else spoke, and the sense of fear was thick on the bridge. Lian quietly followed me, making little noise despite his massive armored bulk.

"What a mess. Okay, let me see," I informed the bridge before walking over to Alberich's throne. "Virgil, put my pack next to my throne. I'm going to examine Alberich."

The astropath wordlessly obeyed my instruction.

"I have been poisoned!" the German psyker insisted as I approached him.

I approached Alberich's throne and stood over him. He was certainly a sight, and he gazed up at me with wide, blue-gold eyes, pupils dilated. The German's psychic halo was visible, and it shimmered with an irregular rainbow gleam around his head and shoulders. He looked really, really fucked up.

"Meine Führerin?" Alberich asked.

"Yeah, it's me. You say Rasputin poisoned you?" I asked.

He nodded vigorously.

Lian was now standing to my right, acting as a guard. I continued to critically examine Alberich, and I asked the Fallen Paladin beside me, "What has he ordered you to do?"

"He proclaimed that he was in authority as Captain, and that he knew that this, 'Russian', had betrayed him. He did not order me to execute Rasputin, but I was commanded to guard him."

I looked downward toward Alberich again, who cringed away from my light as I studied him. Using Sight, I could now easily tell that he entirely believed he had been poisoned. An image flashed through my mind's eye of Rasputin smiling while brandishing two small metal cups filled with equal amounts of a lurid green liquid. Both individuals drank their respective cups.

I sighed.

I turned toward Rasputin, who had been watching this conversation in interest from his throne.

"So guys, I'm not going to mess around because we've got a lot going on. I'm going to give you one chance to truthfully tell me what happened," I said, making sure to make pointed eye contact with the Mad Monk, who flinched. "If you lie, well..." I felt a surge of the will of the Imperative race through me, which brightened my Corona. "...you will be punished."

The bridge radiated with a heady mixture of fear and awe as everyone watched me. Sensing this, a secret feeling of satisfaction alighted within me. "Alright, Alberich, you first. And make it quick, we have this whole problem-" I gestured behind me toward the holographic screen that displayed the heldrakes chasing the xenos in the sky. "-to deal with."

Alberich trembled as he spoke, and his eye followed something I could not see off to the left of his throne. "My leader, Rasputin said he had an elixir that could increase psychic potency. We were worried that you were lost for a time when your presence left this world. Rasputin calls this elixir 'Spook,' and he said it would help. He poured two small cups, one for him, and one for me. We both partook, and I thought I could trust him."

"That does not sound like I poisoned you," Rasputin interjected with a snort. "That sounds like you are unable to tolerate your drink."

"Is this true?" I asked Rasputin. He sighed heavily and nodded.

"I don't know if everyone knows this because my memories of escaping the governor's palace on Vigaz are a little weird, but Rasputin darted me with Spook there. I watched as he then darted himself." I turned back to the Mad Monk. "If I'm to guess, you probably have a pretty high drug tolerance, right?"

"I enjoy imbibing from time to time," Rasputin coolly replied. "Alberich and I, we both took Spook some time ago. I did not know that the German would have such a weak constitution. I certainly did not poison him."

Oh man, that was sly, I thought. I closed my eyes, and my sense of Sight told me that both stories were true. An insight came to me. Rasputin indeed possessed a higher tolerance for enjoying intoxicants. He both drank and took drugs regularly. To give Alberich a Rasputin-appropriate dose of Spook was probably not a good idea, and, the Mad Monk probably knew this.

I looked out across the bridge. My crewmembers were watching me with wide eyes. Lian held his sword in a ready pose beside me, waiting for my command.

"You both told the truth," I said as I glanced at both thrones. I pinched the bridge of my nose as a small migraine began to bloom. "Alberich wasn't explicitly 'poisoned,' since he accepted the drugs and drank them himself, but Rasputin, I don't believe for a fucking second that you thought Alberich could handle a dose of Spook similar to your own." I took a deep breath, and continued, feeling my anger flow through me again. "You also dosed me up in the palace, and I'm still not entirely sure why you did that. Just... don't do shit like this anymore. The only reason you got a chance to sit on a throne is that we were low on power and we needed your life energy to give us a boost. Screw up again..." I strengthened my voice and presence. "-and I won't hesitate to kill you and feed you to the ship."

For a few moments, there was silence, and I heavily sighed, trying to direct the anger energy of the Imperative to pull away from me. I then noticed that the god-bird's spirit was observing the Key around my neck with interest. "Alright, everyone. Show's over. Lian, put your sword away. Alberich, stay put and try to relax. I'm going to sit down and feed the ship. After that, I'm going to heal you."

Alberich nodded, his halo shimmering brightly as I walked toward my throne and where my pack was now resting. The German psyker now appeared strangely giddy. "The ship has power now, Meine Führerin! I have done well! I killed a group of people when you were gone," he revealed suddenly, just as my body made contact with my throne.

"Wait, what?" I asked as I sensed the Divine Retribution reaching through me like gold fire. The vessel again let me know that it was interested in the energy stored in the Key. I turned and asked Alberich, "Killing people?"

Before Alberich could explain what the hell he was talking about, I felt the god-bird's eye as it did its typical "scanning" thing it tended to do after not being hooked up to me for a while. Its attention remained hungrily focused on the Key.

"Commencing initial scan of Captain..."

Leaning forward and leftward in his throne to keep eye contact with me, Alberich nodded almost goofily, light shimmering around his head and shoulders. "The tribesmen. Something divine came over me, a spirit of the ship! It was in the shape of a man, a godly king with white hair and a jeweled crown! An Aryan superman! He said he wanted to help, and he encouraged me to direct the vessel to feed itself. The tribesmen were worshipping below in the snow, and the ship devoured them! They went to their deaths willingly, too!"

The ship began to speak, and the information also appeared on the central display before me.

"Captain Biometrics Scan Complete

Health, Captain: Moderate injury: right arm. Mild fatigue, Mild Dehydration, Mild Psychic Fatigue

Current Psi-Level: Moderate-High, Yellow-white Star, Analog-Beta

Motivating Impulse: Rest"

Lian continued to stand beside my throne, ever watchful. Behind me, I could hear Virgil quietly speaking to one of the Blank women.

"You're saying that you got possessed and let yourself be controlled so that you could command the ship into doing something?" I asked. While this definitely sounded like possession, I remembered being steered around (and blinded) by Sebastian a while back. Could this vessel reach through to copilots? Whatever had happened gave me a bad feeling, but I couldn't worry about this right now. We had to fix the ship and get the hell out of here.

The Divine Retribution then both displayed and spoke the words: "Notation: local consumption detected, intake 51 (11)"

Alberich added with an almost wistful whisper while pointing at the center display. "Yes, that's it. But, the man, the king, he felt like he was part of the ship. Null speaks of machine spirits, correct? And I could tell that the white king was part of this vessel. He was not a devil. It was as you described as the Emperor inhabited your body."

An inner sense again felt incredibly alarmed at hearing this. Pale Lord, while infinitely helpful, was also incredibly shady. Something didn't "smell" right here. "We're going to have a talk later, but for now, don't do anything like that ever again," I sternly interjected, my eyes on the Divine Retribution's holographic display as the vessel studied both me and itself for suitable operation. In the background, I saw that the heldrakes (of which there were now six instead of seven) were making mincemeat of the xenos, and it appeared that the larger alien fleet was in retreat.

I went back to studying the Divine Retribution's statistics. Critically observing the numbers "51(11)" on the holographic display, I now parsed that the second number meant how many people had died, and the first number illustrated some kind of metric displaying the strength of the souls consumed. I felt the ship return its attention to the Key, and it was formally scanned.

"Recent Key Intake: 175 (3)," the god-bird spoke.

So, these other numbers meant that while it had only consumed three souls, at least one of these souls was extremely powerful.

"Range Estimate: 12,856.1 parsecs, sublight. 26,129 parsecs, Warp"

"Recommend intake: 50"

Just as I was about to permit the god-bird to eat a yummy Custodes dinner, a peculiar shiver raced up my spine, and the ship spoke again.

"Absorption of 3 souls of 175 units will enable structural upgrade and further bodily Captain ascension."

Oh, did that mean I was going to level up again? That couldn't be right, so I asked, "I thought you needed souls to fix yourself, Divine Retribution. I think you should fix your hull instead of worrying about me."

"Hull mended to minimal operational status. Recent local consumption has accelerated hull-mending progress. 58 minutes until full-Warp capability. Warp translation possible at present but with no impulse."

The ship then rattled off its status:

"Operations: Fair

Fuel: 50%

Emergency Fuel Capacity 50%

Prime Energy Cell: 99%

Void Shield Capacity: 45%

Parson Shield Capacity: 85%

Hull damage: left wing, aft flank, center crest."

Curious, I felt myself become the ship, and I studied my injuries. While I had numerous dings and dents, any open wounds that I had were now closed, and the ship was now rapidly knitting itself together after Alberich's meal. Something caught my eye, and I looked downward. Directly beneath my beak, a small group of around a dozen tribesmen lay dead, their blood staining the snow. This genuinely hurt me to see. The ship helpfully replayed a short gruesome memory of a group of humans cutting their throats with rapturous glee. It had been convinced to act by one of its captains, and it wasn't happy about that.

Very concerned, I looked inward toward the greater oversoul of the vessel. This is not who I am, I thought. One particular voice sang into further coherence, and there, I saw who I expected to see.

It was indeed Pale Lord's will that was somehow responsible for this, despite my programming to always help my anointed race. The droning, whispery voice of the Divine Retribution brought me back to myself. The ship was now studying my body's current strength, and I could tell that it was aligning different parts of its energy to further ascend me (which it felt like it really wanted to do).

"Current Captain Ascension status: 4 out of possible 9. Sight: moderate. Estimated new presence with the absorption of Key resources: 5 out of possible 9. Moderate physical changes. Sight: moderate-high," the vessel droned.

"Heal Alberich from his Spook overdose and heal my injuries. We can talk about ascension after that," I instructed the vessel. I felt it acknowledge my request, and I had a moment to warn Alberich to brace himself before his throne reached upward, causing him to cry out and swear in German.

Next, I felt the eye of the god-bird turn to me, and a bright burning sensation raced through my skin. I felt a tingling ache in my arm, and I could tell that the wound on my arm had mended. The vessel eagerly waited for the command to devour the souls in the Key and to use that energy to level me up.

However, before that could happen, my attention was dragged back to the bridge again, and the Divine Retribution's sedate voice was now announcing, "Incoming transmission from vessel Anguished Epiphany. Accept?"

"Uh," I sputtered. Did my crew know that the hereteks wanted to be buddies?

Null's voice interjected on the bridge: "And once again, they attempt communication. The Anguished Epiphany has been calling us repeatedly, and now, they are in high orbit after what appears to be a messy, near-planet translation. They're lucky they weren't torn apart!" A smaller screen flashed up on the display, and here, we could see that the Tech-priest appeared very concerned. "Their heldrakes, as you know, are already present. As you can see, they are occupied with savaging the xenos, which is a good development for us, but soon, they will grow bored of this, and turn to us after feasting on death."

"We need a solution," Virgil quietly added.

The Anguished Epiphany continued trying to "call" us, and Alberich groaned "Oh, my head," in a wretched voice.

Since no one said anything, Null continued to be the adult in the room; he spoke as he observed us through a small window in the center holographic display. "Alberich's killing of the heathens outside has been fortuitous, as we can see that the vessel is now close to healing. A short amount of time will amend us. With, ah, the energy you possess, no doubt we will have enough power to run swiftly away from a heretek cruiser, Inheritor," he suggested.

"Null, everyone," I started awkwardly. Was I about to defend these Chaos people? "The hereteks actually saved us when Zok and I were flying back. We would've been blasted if not for the heldrakes that came down. I had a vision before that said that the hereteks were less of a problem than we thought that they were, and you told me about that code thing."

There was a pause that almost radiated outrage.

"What are you suggesting, Inheritor? According to my timer here, we currently have 56 minutes until the vessel is suitably knit for Warp translation. I would suggest pragmatism, to simply ignore them if we can. If we cannot ignore them, we depart anyway and see where the winds of the Immaterium take us if we do not have engines after translation."

I swallowed heavily, and reached down to retrieve my bloodstone from my pack, and began to grip it nervously. At the moment my hand made contact with the red jewel, I remembered an interesting tidbit of information. "If I recall correctly, you said that the Tower of Reason of Evna wanted to use that Warp Gate for fast travel to Cyclothrathe. Since no one has any up-to-date information on that world, could it be that something has changed since y-" I quickly stopped myself from revealing who Null was. "I mean, Nimmie Amee wasn't a Chaos heretek at all, right?"

"No, no," Null sputtered quietly, his green eyes rapidly animating a blinking action. "But, I must object if you're even considering a diplomatic meeting with representatives of Cyclothrathe. As you can see, they still use daemon engines, as is evidenced by our earlier encounters in the forest and the heldrakes. Even if they do favors for you, you do not owe them a thing!"

"We have around an hour left, and I can level myself up in that time. I'd be over halfway to Emperor-strength after that. I'm already a Beta psyker now, according to the ship," I said, feeling the Key's warmth through my clothes. "And yeah, Null, you have that code that might be able to shut them down if they visit, assuming they send a superior. Is that right?"

"Yes, well, I do, but that is a shot in the dark! A heretek ship can carry thousands or even millions, all devoted to dark powers! One ship can open rifts, and that anomaly overhead now can turn into a rift with the right sort of ritual. To willingly parlay with Chaos is to go down a dark road, no matter the circumstances."

I narrowed my eyes as I observed Null through the display, remembering his past and all that he was capable of. The Tech-priest flinched and looked away.

I began to think as I clutched the bloodstone, feeling its hot-cold radiance on my palm. While the Dwemer were my enemies, I didn't want to condemn their entire race by having the evil hereteks visit their planet and have them commit genocide (or worse). Even if the hereteks were dangerous, Null's code could theoretically shut them all down. While this wasn't a sure thing, it was at least a chance of a better outcome. Null would need to be in proximity to someone in their leadership, so maybe a visit with one of their leaders would be smart. Now, if I could get a few of them to come down to us...

The Anguished Epiphany continued trying to call us, and when no one else responded, I took a deep breath, surrounded myself in protective energy, and actually answered the call.

Gasps were heard on the bridge as the hissing voice of something that could be a man echoed through the space: "This is Anguished Epiphany. Sorcerer Oro speaking on behalf of Archmagos Apep of the New Cyclothrathine Holdfast. Greetings. We assume that you have reached your vessel safely."

Before anyone could tell me just how hard I was fucking up, I announced, "Let me handle this," to the bridge. I cleared my throat. "Hey, uh, Oro," I responded. "This is the Inheritor of the Divine Retribution. Thank you for the help back there. Aliens sure are a pain, aren't they?"

A dry, but somehow slithering laugh sounded both through the bridge and in my mind. "Humankind has always unified itself under the threat of xenos, both in chaos and order," Oro responded somewhat cryptically. "We should be thanking you, Inheritor, as you offer this galaxy a new beginning, one that many secretly yearn for in these dark times. We are interested in meeting with you and discussing the hopeful dawn upon us."

"Alright," I responded. "So, are you and your heretek friends coming down here to say hi?" I cringed at my awful dialog. This was not how talking with Chaos ships was supposed to work in the 40k universe.

Another laugh and this one was strangely good-natured. "At present, we're monitoring the Immaterial anomaly in the exosphere, as there is a concern that it could metastasize into a Warp rift. We have a group of talented individuals, including myself, working to coax it calm, which we hope to do soon. We do not wish it to become a rift, as that would be harmful to this world. We apologize for our close translation. You requested our help, and we would not deny your need, oh Inheritor of Mankind."

I felt the eyes of my crew turn toward me in shock. Great. This is not making me look good, here. "How long do you think it'll take to fix that anomaly so it doesn't blow up?"

"We cannot give you a definitive time, but not long. We have an estimate of thirty and sixty minutes, as favors are being called in from far places."

I cannot believe you are doing this, Rasputin telepathically hissed at me. I ignored him.

This was, admittedly, extremely dangerous and stupid, but I reminded myself again about Null's code, and that I didn't need to kill and destroy every place I visit. If these people were not either shut down or somehow reasoned with, the likelihood of the Dwemer race surviving in this universe would be near zero. I clutched my bloodstone in my hand, feeling its mystical Imperative-draining powers.

I sighed. "So, how about this? You send a shuttle with your people down after you heal that anomaly, and we talk? Send your leaders."

There was a pause, and a fuzz of static filled the air. A harsher, grating voice then sounded, screeching through the space of the bridge like the exact opposite of ASMR: "This is Archmagos Apep of the Cyclothrathine Holdfast. Are you really who they say you are?"

"I don't know how I would prove it to you, but I am."

"We require visual confirmation!" the wicked grinding Dalek voice cut through me.

"Inheritor!" Null hissed desperately.

"Anyone who doesn't want to be seen by these people should get off the bridge right now," I responded. The bloodstone was warm in my palm. "If you're on a throne, tough, you're staying put."

This is insanity! Rasputin telepathically pleaded.

Lian stood behind me, and I heard the hissing "click-y" sound of him donning his helmet. The two sisters also opted to stand nearby, both behind my throne. Null remained on the screen, and Virgil vanished out of existence in a flash.

"Divine Retribution," I began, gripping my bloodstone. "Put up visual contact of the bridge to the Anguished Epiphany."

The screen before me flashed, and now I was looking at a dark, surreally-designed metal "bridge" type ship area. Sweeping insectoid and skeletal structures decorated a tall arched space that was around ten meters in height. This bridge reminded me of the art of H. R. Giger. Three individuals of varying levels of humanoid proportion stood watching me now.

The center figure was the most inhuman, and they (I couldn't tell at all if they were male or female) caught my eye immediately. This figure resembled a very tall centipede-serpent hybrid with multiple limbs and a nightmare for a face. At over three meters in height, this monstrous shape towered over the other figures on the bridge. Their torso had been lengthened to consist of numerous metal segments that resembled chrome vertebrae. Eight arms of various functions sprouted from the heretek's torso region like some kind of draconic spider, and numerous mechadendrites that appeared to have evil purposes loomed menacingly over his back. This creature didn't appear to have a properly humanoid lower body and was positioned like a rearing cobra with multi-jointed insect legs holding a long body and tail off the floor. The heretek's head appeared to be the skull of a monstrous serpent with large metal fangs, and bright red eyes glowed within the empty eye sockets. All of this was partially clothed in a draping black and red robe decorated with spider motifs.

The figure to the heretek's left was the Chaos Marine I had seen in my recent visions. Sorcerer Oro wore scintillating blue armor decorated with Egyptian motifs, gold accents, and swirling eyes, making his allegiance very obvious. The visible skin on his face and neck was covered in small, very shiny gold scales, and his hair of long metal tendrils waved as if in water behind him. His cat-like eyes were brilliant pale blue, and had a slight glow to them. He held his right armored gauntlet upward at chest height, and a large obsidian orb levitated gently above his outstretched palm. Seeing him physically, I could tell that despite his heavily mutated appearance, this man wasn't as "fucked up" as a lot of other Chaos Marines seemed to be; he even radiated a sense of cool introspection.

The figure to the right of Archmagos Apep was another heretek. This one was about a meter shorter than the monster beside them, and they (I also couldn't tell if this individual was male or female) also had multiple spider limbs emerging from a torso and a body held up by a long skittering centipede frame draped in a vague black and red shroud. This creature's face was more like a blend between feline and insect, and eight glowing eyes peered out from beneath a drooping hood.

Before I could properly contemplate the monstrous hereteks before me, the serpentine beast in the center addressed me in his grating voice: "I am Archmagos Apep," the monstrosity grinded before gesturing to point at the creature's own head with a bladed mechadendrite. "Cyclothrathe has heard of you. A Traveler has fallen from heaven, they say. Whispers inform dreamers that you are an entity from beyond the boundaries of our universe and all the Warp. But yet, seeing you, I find I am not impressed."

I searched for Virgil's "presence" inside the Divine Retribution. I instructed him to go to Null and ask him if he recognizes anyone on the heretek ship.

I sensed the holographic astropath's grudging acknowledgment as I continued trying to look strong and cool on my bridge so these people wouldn't think we were weak. A slight rush of power filled me, and I placed the bloodstone back in my pack at my feet before turning up my Corona and turning on my "big" voice: "You would have to see me in person to be impressed. It has been said that those that behold me in person see me differently as per each individual's perspective." Unfortunately, I was too drained to turn giant right now. Once I fed on the souls in the Key, that would probably be fixed, I assured myself.

I watched as the feline-insect heretek turned toward Apep, and began to make a series of grinding, screeching noises. The Archmagos seemed to listen, and after a few moments, the serpentine heretek motioned for the other monstrosity to speak, the creature's voice similarly harsh and terrible but with a faint sibilant quality: "Greetings to you. I am Magos Nemea. Most curious that this world has reappeared on ancient star charts now at your arrival. Many of us have read that change follows the steps of an Inheritor, both good and ill. New Cyclothrathe welcomes such things, and we welcome you."

A line of text emerged on my screen below Null's window. "I do not recognize any of these hereteks, but they are attired as those from Cyclothrathe would be attired. Ask if things have changed since the time of Draykavac."

I did as Null requested. "I'm guessing things have changed since the Horus Heresy."

"Many things have changed, yes. Many," Magos Nemea immediately spoke up, clasping multiple hands together in a gesture of excitement. "Cyclothrathe is not the same Cyclothrathe as was known in the era of Yelav Draykavac's rule. Years of hardship and isolation have taught our world much."

Unfortunately, the Magos did not elaborate further, and Null reminded me in text, "I must be in close physical proximity to use this code. It may not even work. This is a dangerous game you are playing."

My face must have communicated an expression of reluctance (or, more likely, veiled disgust), as the Chaos Marine spoke up.

"Cyclothrathe remains a place of intrigue and revolution, as it was in eons past. But, the wheel of fate grinds ever onward, and change has elevated the world," the gold-skinned mutant marine responded poetically. "I am Oro, Sorcerer of the Thousand Sons. I am the person with whom you spoke earlier, and I am assigned as an aid to assist Archmagos Apep." A short pause and I saw the smallest hint of a smile as Oro began speaking again. "Fate weaves an interesting tapestry, one which has convinced me of the quality of your character. Because of you, my mortal mother and father live, as you warned them of incoming disaster on the world of Tar Vigaz."

I was briefly confused until my psychic intuition enlightened me. In my mind's eye, I saw the old "black and white" masked couple that I had warned to flee Evna during Langwidere's masquerade party. With a short gasp, I remembered that they had told me that their son was, in so many words, a Chaos Marine! This marine was their son!

"You're joking," I gaped. "Is... your mother's name 'Irgle?'" I asked, amazed.

Oro nodded, now fully smiling. "Lady Irgle. And my mortal father's name is Lord Engywook. As they are independent scientists deep in the study of the nature of reality, I am graciously permitted to remain in contact with them from time to time. Recently, I received a message that my mortal family had fled from from the Conglomeration of Ev, making their way toward a safe haven. They told me that a living 'God-Empress' had advised them to flee, which saved their lives from both a xenos onslaught and the Imperial Inquisition. I owe you a boon, truthfully."

The large serpentine heretek seemed impatient, and the monster gnashed its jaws. "Interrupting this sentimental moment, yes, we would like to meet with you in person," Archmagos Apep impatiently groaned with something between a hiss and a sigh. "If what Oro has told us is true, then this leads us to believe that you are not as stubborn nor as inflexible with the truth as your predecessor."

Nemea added, "Yes, and we would like to hold an audience with you after we close this anomaly. Shall we send a shuttle to you, or shall you come to us in your own vehicle?"

I could see that Null was vigorously shaking his head before the words, "Do NOT go to them!" appeared on the screen.

A brief wash of heavy disgust moved through me like a wave of molten gold, causing my halo to flash brightly. Something inside of me writhed with hatred at seeing me cooperate with these people. I quickly silenced my sense of revulsion, and said, "We were thinking that you could come to us on the planet, actually." I leaned down to pick up my bloodstone again, and the wild fire in me was quenched. My voice became quieter again. "You know, just a low-pressure meeting. I mean, no offense, but you have to understand that people like you usually want to destroy people like me. We want to be careful."

Nemea turned to Apep and the two hereteks had a short exchange of screeching metal squawks before the smaller monstrosity turned back toward me and said, "You have proven your quality by aiding Oro's mortal family. Your proposition is acceptable. After the anomaly is healed, we will venture to you. However, we will retain our heldrakes and other assistance, as xenos remain on this world. Can we be assured that this visit will be peaceful? That your forces will not harm us? We are explorers foremost, not conquerors."

An image flashed in my mind as I considered Jinnicky's army. Oh man, this was going to be interesting. Magos Jinnicky, from what I had seen of him, was absolutely terrified beyond belief of hereteks coming to get him! He was close, and now that the rest of the xenos fleet was routed, he would do as instructed and make his way to us. No doubt, Jinnicky was probably in mortal terror about his current situation after seeing circumstances blow up around him.

And, what was worse was that we had no way to immediately contact him! Null seemed to have the same idea, as he quickly typed, "Magos Jinnicky w army 5km away!" on the screen before me.

I turned back up to the display to face the hereteks again. "Question: did you see the forces that were headed by a Tech-priest riding a giant brass scorpion?" I asked.

Oro responded, "We assumed they were aligned with you, and that any assault they made upon our support was due to their confusion. They either refused communication with us or they were unable to. They appear to consist of a series of drones, servitors, and other aids. And, yes, they are led by a Magos from the back of a metal scorpion. Are they not aligned with you?"

"Not exactly, but in a way, yeah. It's complicated," I informed the hereteks. "Anyway, I'll smooth this over before you get here somehow. You say you'll have that anomaly closed up in about an hour or less?"

"Yes," Nemea answered. "We will send a transport down to you when we are finished. We will inform you of our departure when it occurs."

"Alright, then it's settled," I quickly said, feeling the incredulous horror radiated by my crewmembers at my actions. "We'll make sure everything is okay and you guys close that anomaly. See you soon, I guess."

Oro and Nemea made bodily gestures that could be seen as some kind of elaborate bow, but I noticed that Apep did not move. The monstrous Archmagos continued staring ahead with unblinking glowing red eyes, and then, the transmission cut out.

A wave of dizziness struck me, and I realized that I had been gripping my bloodstone so tightly that a small furrow had been cut into my palm. I tried not to draw attention to it and stashed the jewel away in my pack again before laying back on my throne and closing my eyes.

The upset worries of my crew began to hiss like psychic white noise in my mind. No one was happy with my decision. No one wanted me to communicate with the hereteks. Even the former king heretek of Mars sitting in my engine room was radiating defiance against my decisions.

This was starting to tick me off, but one word was enough to push me over the edge.

"Inheritor..." Null began, but could not finish his statement, as I pinned my attention on him with my brilliant gold eyes. My light was now blazing with indignation on the bridge. I was sick of people thinking that they knew better than me! Me! An Inheritor! Well, I'll just have to remind my crew again of my power and glory, won't I? And, what better way to do that than by leveling up again!

The ship understood what I was about to allow it to do, and I felt it reach within. Burning threads of joyous fury plunged through my very being to grip some of the remaining pieces of my humanity, and my teeth briefly chattered.

Not wanting to deal with any disrespect any longer, I said, "Everyone, when we're done with this, we're all going to have a little lesson on leadership." I growled. "Divine Retribution, take the souls from the Key and further ascend me."

I sighed, leaned back, and surrendered to the power of the god-bird. First, as expected, I felt the souls inside the Key begin to pull through me before transferring to the vessel. There were two Dwemer warriors that I had killed at Jinnicky's tower, and each had died in great fear. The extremely heavy soul of the willing Custodes then began to pass into me. Images of a long life in service to the Emperor raced through my mind at a million miles per second. I saw myself training with others of my kind in the Obsidian City, and I felt myself honored as a purity seal was placed on my armor. Another Custodes was speaking to me in this memory, and while I initially could not understand it, something "clicked" within me, and then, I heard myself speaking in a new language that sounded something like Latin!

High Gothic! I had just learned High Gothic, I thought happily!

Fighting techniques were fully detailed and practiced in my mind, and I found that I now knew how to fight as a Custodes! Sadly, since I wasn't built like a Custodes, I wasn't sure how useful this information was, but I filed this under "good to know" for now. Near the end of this flood of memories, one moment shone like a nova in my mind's eye.

I was standing inside the Obsidian City of Molech near one of the Forbidden Gates, and before me stood the unfathomably powerful master to whom I had sworn every fiber of my existence. The Emperor himself looked down upon me, and his mighty gaze was displeased with my conduct! Before the full weight of my shame could destroy me, I felt my execution as my soul was lifted from my body and transferred to the amulet over the Emperor's heart!

I gasped back to reality on my throne, but my experience wasn't finished.

The Divine Retribution then used this energy to mold me. The god-bird immolated my soul and being as it transmuted me to be a better vessel for its will. For a shining long moment, I again lay in the center of the Divine Retribution's machine spirit like the heart of a star! The vessel coldly regarded me as I felt my muscles and bones pull and burn. The god-bird itself then stretched its mending wings as it too grew larger and more powerful.

After a moment that felt like a month of this, I found myself sitting on my throne again, my Corona alight and my clothes somewhat tighter.

"Absorption successful. Vessel size increase: 11.9%. Captain ascension now registering at 5 out of a possible 9. Conventional psyker level, Beta+. Sight level: moderate-high."

"Oh shit, that always hurts," I groaned with my eyes closed, now suddenly not feeling like I wanted to go on a rampage any longer as my heart blossomed with new pain. This whole thing with my heart was getting worse and worse as time went on. I had thought this would get better as I got stronger, but instead, it was progressively worsening. At this rate, I'd have to visit a space cardiologist or something considering how many episodes of heart trouble (and death!) that I had experienced.

"We now need to prepare for how we will handle this... situation," Null's voice echoed through the bridge. "We will not be fully skyworthy for another hour, and we must be prepared for all situations that may present themselves to us."

"I am sworn to the Inheritor," Lian spoke up to the bridge, breaking his silence through his helm-distorted voice. "For the Inheritor's will is the savior of Mankind. If the road is dark, the Inheritor will bring the light."

"Yes, truth," Ennoia spoke up behind me in her accented voice. "Omega is truth. Vow to Omega, always."

"Yeah, that's right," I added, noticing that my more resonant voice now had a deeper timbre to it. I stretched and felt the fabric of my shirt pinch along my shoulders and chest. I smiled as I felt a sense of satisfaction to understand that some people still had my back here. While I was secretly very worried about what the short-term future held, I tried to tell myself that everything would be okay. I had learned from my previous mistakes, and I wasn't just running away immediately or attacking everyone this time. I was giving diplomacy a chance, and that had to count for something.

And seriously, I can't ruin all the worlds I visit, right?

Far away, the laughter of a vicious god hissed across the Warp, immensely pleased.