Leman, Admu, and the other Kin were given a hero's welcome after the news had reached the rest of the fleet. No longer treated like odd guests, the outsiders were welcomed with open arms as if they had been born and raised in the halls of Thrain. The celebrations held both to herald their imminent homecoming as well as to honor their newfound heroes were going to be legendary. They planned an unprecedented 8 consecutive nights of all-out revelry and merrymaking, a series of feasts as legendary as the outsiders' accomplishments. It would strain the supplies of the Kin fleet to somewhat dangerous levels, but with the installation of the replacement purifier and resources of an empty Kinhold waiting on the planet below, they knew there would be more than enough bounty in the future to make up the deficit.
The future… in the end, that was what they were really celebrating. For the first time in decades, the Kin of the Dunmyre Syndicate had a future. No longer would they be castaways adrift in the void, counting the days until the darkness simply swallowed them up and left nothing of them to be remembered by. Now they had their home back, and soon the next generation of Kin would be on their way to preserve their way of life for many years to come. And so, they celebrated.
The festivities seemed brighter this time, more energetic. Whereas the first feast Leman and Admu had attended was full of laughter and music, there was a sense of hidden dread beneath it all. They were celebrating to momentarily escape the creeping darkness that surrounded them, putting on masks to fool themselves into being happy for a night. Now, the Kin could cast off their facades. They had escaped from the darkness. They laughed with wide smiles and rosy cheeks, imbibing enough alcohol to kill an entire platoon of Cadian Shock Troopers. In a surprisingly uncharacteristic move, the Kin even shared some of their weaker spirits and food with the humans onboard the Miriam Celeste. While the sailors and passengers hadn't the foggiest idea why the Kin had suddenly become so jovial and personable, they too found reason to celebrate when the Kin informed them they would be repairing their ship free of charge, and much sooner than anticipated.
Captain Harrick L. Zhang entered the brig of the Miriam Celeste with a bottle of watered-down Kin wine in hand, just one among hundreds the Kin had gifted them for… whatever reason. He'd obviously had his men run tests on it to ensure the abhumans weren't planning something nefarious, finding nothing but an abnormally strong fermented beverage with trace amounts of heavy metals well within the 'accepted' range of Imperial Navy health standards. After chastising his men for getting drunk on the stuff before the test results were back, he decided to take a bottle and visit the only prisoner in the ship's jail cells. He'd heard that she claimed to be a Sororitas… or an ex-Sororitas, depending on how depressed she seemed. A Sororitas stowing away on a cargo vessel, getting caught breaking into the booze storage? That was a story he'd like to hear. Not like there was much else to do stuck on a docked ship waiting for repairs.
"Ophelia, is it?" The Captain said. "I heard you were a Sororitas… well, ex-Sororitas."
In the darkness of the cell, behind the thick metallic bars, a woman was slumped against the wall. She was covering herself with a patchy, coarse-fibered cloak, both non-descript and as uncomfortable as it looked. The rest of her drab attire matched her cloak, as if she wanted to both blend in and not allow herself even a moment of rest or comfort. She faced away from the captain, her raven hair blending in with the darkness as she remained silent and unresponsive to the man's words.
"The Squats requested an audience with us and dropped off a shipload of alcohol for Emperor-knows what reason. Thought I would drop by and cheer up our only prisoner before the rest of the journey." The Captain said.
He placed the bottle on the floor next to the bars. Ophelia's head turned slightly, and her eyes darted towards the bottle. She hesitated for a moment, before rushing over and swiping the bottle away in one quick motion. She tore out the cork with her teeth and began guzzling the drink like it was water in the desert. The Captain looked on with a slightly unsettled expression.
"We will arrange a hearing once we arrive at Sepheris Secundus to determine your fate. I was worried we would never arrive, given the… unforeseen obstacles we encountered along the way. Luckily, it appears that two of our passengers managed to negotiate some kind of deal with the Squats and convince them to waive our repairing fees and send us on our way. Seems they managed to garner some amount of respect from the abhumans. Enoch and Tia, I believe they said their names were." The Captain said.
The bottle shattered as it fell from Ophelia's hands, her eyes wide with a deranged and terrified expression. She leapt to her feet and lunged at the bars, rattling them with startling intensity. The Captain jumped backwards in surprise.
"The heretic… The daemon…" Ophelia sputtered incoherently. "Danger… you're all in danger! You can't trust them!"
"...Perhaps the alcohol was a mistake." The Captain said, backing away slowly.
"You don't understand! They have to be stopped! They must be condemned and punished for their crimes! They are a threat to the Imperium!" Ophelia said, reaching through the bars and clawing at the air.
"Good night, Ophelia. May the Emperor grant you mercy from whatever darkness assails you." The Captain said.
He closed the heavy door to the brig shut, leaving the fallen sister to rant and rage about witches and mutants all to herself.
Some time later…
"So you've finished the modifications to my armor I requested?" Leman said, walking alongside Dori.
"Aye, insulated all the wiring and internal mechanisms to make them all but immune to EMP blasts. You could stand next to a magnetar and still do a backflip in 'em!" Dori said.
"I think I'll take your word on that… but good to hear. Thank you." Leman said.
"The circuitry and internal mechanisms were… a bit difficult to work with. Not imprecise or crude, but… it's as if it were all done by hand rather than printed by an auto-fab." Dori said.
"Is that… abnormal?" Leman said.
"Maybe not for a clock, but power armor!?" Dori said, chuckling. "I can't imagine the level of patience and skill you'd need… and don't get me started on the metallurgy! Why, if I were some superstitious Imp I'd say it were crafted by a- a god or something! Oh, uh, no offense."
Leman chuckled.
"None taken." Leman said.
"You're sure you can't tell me who created it? Not even a name? A star system?" Dori said.
"I'm sorry… perhaps one day, but for now I must keep that information to myself." Leman said.
"I understand, don't worry. Still… by the ancestors, I'd like to meet whoever crafted something like that one day." Dori said.
Perhaps if all goes well… you may yet, Dori. Leman thought.
"Alright, it's just down this hall." Dori said.
"I thought we were going to get my armor. Why are we going to the hangar?" Leman said.
"Oh! Well, you see… I, uh, have a little something extra to show you. Think of it as a personal gift from your old pal Dori. Yhkki and Velyma helped too… and, uh, most of the fellas from engineering. It was my idea though." Dori said.
The doors to the hangar slid open, revealing a surprising sight amidst piles of opened crates and scattered tools and materials. Leman's Imperial Stormbird, formerly worn and weathered as one would have expected from a 10,000-year-old shuttle, was now gleaming and shining like it were fresh off the production lines. It was scarcely recognizable to Leman, not only because of its finished exterior, but because of the extensive remodeling and additions made to its design. It was greatly expanded, more heavily armored, and armed with much heavier ordinance than before. The heavily customized shuttle barely resembled a stormbird anymore, approaching an Imperial Devourer or Tetrarch dropship in size.
"By Morkai's gate…" Leman said.
"She's got everythin' a void-traveler could need. Fusion reactors, plasma boosters, matter converters, a nano-mesh hull, self-replenishing ammunition dispensers, expanded livin' quarters… you name it. If it were any bigger it'd probably be classified as a corvette. Minus the warp drive, of course." Dori said. Leman chuckled.
"No warp drive? How disappointing." Leman said with a sarcastic expression.
"...well, we tried to fit a small one at first, but the power supply would've taken up half the ship's interior, and even then, it'd still be stickin' out the back like an exposed arse. And that's without the Gellar Field." Dori said.
Leman looked at him with a baffled expression, shocked that they had even tried.
"I told you, these STC designs you Imperials use are surprisingly modular. You could probably plug in Aeldari tech into one of the sockets and it'd still find a way to work. Though, I wouldn't test that if I were you. Might make those personality circuits built into the processing network a bit… ornery. One of the mates plugged a coolant line into the wrong valve and the damned thing nearly blew a hole straight through the hull before we shut it down and fixed it." Dori said.
"Machine spirits…" Leman muttered.
They rounded the immense shuttle, admiring the Kindreds' handiwork. As they reached the back end of the ship, a familiar face popped out from the inside of the expanded cargo bay.
"Mister Enoch, you have to come and have a look around in here, it's amazing!" Admu exclaimed. "There's a kitchen, living quarters, storage space… I just used the upgraded shower on the bottom level, and it's really great for exfoliating your skin. I feel like I'm glowing!" she said, caressing her face with a serene expression.
"Wha-? Uh, lass, the washroom's on the second level… unless you're talkin' about… the vehicle washer…?" Dori said, scratching his head.
"I'll be along shortly." Leman said, before turning to Dori. "This is a very kind gesture… it seems you put quite a lot of thought into what we would need for a journey like this."
"Do you remember what the Grimnyr said about me ancestor, Feldryn?" Dori said.
"Yes… he spoke of him as a famed adventurer amongst your kind." Leman said.
"Ever since I heard the stories as a wee foundling, I… I always sort of dreamed of followin' in his footsteps. Spent many an hour with me head in the stars, drawin' up schematics and logistical plans, I even drafted a design for what void armor I'd wear… anyways, I had a pretty good idea what a journeyman like yourself might need." Dori said.
"Have you ever thought about acting upon those dreams?" Leman said.
"Huh? Oh, well, maybe when I was younger, before… everything else. After that, I was far too busy keeping everything from falling apart to pay any mind to childish fantasies. Now that we've finally returned to our home, there's goin' to be a lot of work to do restorin' the hold, reconnectin' with friendly Leagues… I'm sure I'll have plenty to keep me occupied." Dori said, with a subdued chuckle. "Come on, I'll give you a tour of the interior. I think you'll really like what we did with the armory…"
After giving Leman and Admu an in-depth tour of the interior, Dori led them back to his personal workshop.
"Enough prattlin', I've got yer armor right here, Enoch…" Dori said, as the doors to the workshop slid open.
His eyes widened in surprise as he saw not Leman's artificer power armor hanging before him, but a fresh and oddly familiar suit of Kin-sized exo-armor. Velyma and Yhkki stood on either side of it, beaming with pride and excitement.
"Seems a little small for me…" Leman said, with a slight smile.
"Wha… what's goin' on here?" Dori said.
"Well, what do you think?" Yhkki said. "You'll probably want to do a few touch-ups of your own… but I think we did a decent job followin' the blueprints."
"No, no, it's… it's exactly how I envisioned it, down to the last detail…" Dori said.
The Kin slowly approached the armor, sliding his hand across its glossy, grey-teal exterior and feeling every ridge, rivet, and inscription.
"How did you… I never told anyone…" Dori said.
"How oblivious do you think we are, brother?" Velyma said. "The way your eyes sparkled whenever you talked about Feldryn's adventures, all those hours you spent drawin' up blueprints only to throw them away… of course we knew. You're just lucky I managed to snatch 'em up when you weren't lookin'."
"I… I don't know what to say… I'm touched, truly, but… I'm afraid it won't get much use from me." Dori said.
"Why's that?" Admu said, her head perked to one side.
"Well, I won't have much time for adventurin' as the Forge-master." Dori said.
"You've been at this forge since you were a foundling, and Yhkki and I have been at your side the entire time. Back then, there was no room for error, any mistake would've doomed us all to a cold, dark grave in the void. We always looked up to you, knew that if we followed your lead, we'd make it to the next day… but we're not exiles anymore, Dori. Don't you see? We're home, and we're free. Free to find what our true purpose is, how we can carry on the will of our ancestors and provide for the next generation… me, Yhkki, and you. The Votann have been asleep for so long, so much has changed… they need someone to go out and see the galaxy, to experience all it has to offer us. Yhkki and I can handle the forge. We've got the ancestors to guide us now, and soon enough there'll be a whole new generation of Brohkyr to help us."
"I-I don't know if I could leave you two…" Dori said.
Velyma gently placed her hands on Dori's shoulders.
"Feldryn's blood runs through your veins. This is what you were born to do, Dori. What you've always wanted. Don't let us stand in your way." Velyma said.
Dori sighed, conflicted emotions flashing across his face.
"Maybe we should ask the High Grimnyr before-"
"Who do you think suggested it?" A voice proclaimed from the shadows.
Dori turned to see Grimnyr Durvald himself, emerging from a hidden corner.
"L-lord Grimnyr?" Dori exclaimed.
"I communed with the Votann. I told them of your tireless service to your brethren during our exile, and your courage in braving Thrain even while it was still under the grip of the Machineblight to sustain the fleet. They believe your siblings are more than capable of handling your responsibilities, with their guidance. They have chosen you as their emissary, the first Hernkyn since our exile."
"I… this is a lot to process…" Dori said. "I mean, the galaxy is a big place, I don't even know where I would start."
"Well… if all parties give their approval… the Votann have expressed a desire to send you out… alongside our newfound allies to aid them on their journey." The Grimnyr said, turning to Leman and Admu.
The two outsiders stood in stunned silence for a moment, the abrupt turn catching them off guard. Leman's brow furrowed in apprehension, the sudden introduction of an unexpected variable to their increasingly complicated mission throwing his mind into disarray. After a few seconds of deliberation, Leman made his decision and spoke up.
"I don't think-"
"OF COURSE!" Admu shouted, her face brimming with excitement and wearing a beaming smile.
"Wait-" Leman attempted to say, as Admu rushed over and lifted Dori up in a giant embrace.
"Oh, we'll have such a wonderful time traveling together, we'll be able to see all kinds of amazing things together, I'm so so so excited!" Admu exclaimed. "I do feel bad you'll have to leave your siblings but when you return to them, you'll have so many incredible stories to tell them I just know it! Oh, I just can't wait!" she said, twirling around in circles as the other kin watched in amusement.
Leman simply lowered his head and rubbed his eyes in frustration.
"TIA!" he shouted, causing her to stop in her tracks with a startled expression. "Can we discuss this? In private?" Leman said.
Admu slowly lowered Dori and followed Leman outside of the workshop, beyond earshot of the Kin.
"This isn't a good idea." Leman said. "We're on an extremely important and secretive mission, we can't trust anyone."
"You mean you can't trust anyone." Admu said.
Leman sighed, while Admu stood firm.
"The Kin have proven to be trustworthy; they've kept their word in everything they promised us. We ate, drank, and laughed together, doesn't that mean anything?" Admu said.
"They were also about to kill us when we discovered their secret." Leman said.
Admu crossed her arms and cocked her eyebrow.
"And you would have reacted differently in their place?" Admu said.
Leman rubbed his chin.
"...perhaps they are good at keeping secrets." Leman said.
"We could use someone with Dori's talents in the future. What if your armor or weapons stopped working, or our shuttle broke down and there was no one around to repair it?" Admu said.
"The Kin seem to have the ability to transfer their memories to these 'Votann'... but I suppose it won't really matter once our journey is finished. In fact… we do possess the secret of their ancestor cores, which would give us leverage." Leman said.
"And they're our friends." Admu added.
"...yes, that too, I suppose." Leman said.
Leman stroked his beard in contemplation, weighing their options. He took a deep breath, then sighed in acquiescence.
"Fine. If it facilitates our journey to Baal… the Kin can join us." Leman said.
Admu squealed in delight.
The doors slid back open as Admu and Leman entered the workshop once more. The Kin looked at them with anticipation, anxious to hear their final decision.
"Dori…" Leman said. "After some discussion, Tia and I have decided… that you may join us."
A wave of jubilation spread across the room, as Velyma and Yhkki congratulated their sibling.
"Enoch, my friend, you won't regret this, I promise. Why, soon enough you'll be wondering how you got around without me!" Dori said.
"...on one condition." Leman said.
"Name it, and it's done." Dori said.
"The goal of our journey is of utmost importance, and our discretion is vital to that goal. I trust you will keep whatever secrets are revealed to you just as we have agreed to keep yours." Leman said.
"Askin' a Kin to keep a secret is like askin' a star to burn! You've nothin' to worry about, friend. This mind is an iron fortress that no siege weapons could crack." Dori said, tapping the side of his head.
"Good. We'll be departing with the Miriam Celeste, so we'll take the shuttle and fly it to the ship's hangar. Pack everything you'll need and meet us there." Leman said.
"Aye, Cap'n Enoch." Dori said, a wide smile spread across his bearded face.
The Kin wasted no time packing the shuttle full of extra supplies and equipment, making all preparations for the journey ahead. The shuttle already had many accommodations for Dori, either as a result of being built by Kin or simply as a subconscious expression of the Forge-master's Hernkyn aspirations.
"You know, we never gave this ship a name." Admu said to Leman, the two standing in the cargo bay as the Kin finished loading their supplies.
"Does it need one?" Leman said.
"We should give it a name. Don't humans usually do that? I remember Uncle Kh- uh, well, my uncle, he talked about ships a lot." Admu said.
"He did?" Leman asked.
"Oh yes, most definitely. Auntie… 'S' even told me once that he has a whole room in his castle dedicated to them. He likes to make ones… but small. Miniature, you know?" Admu said.
Leman looked at her incredulously.
"...Your Uncle makes model ships?" Leman said.
"Yes! All of the ships he built had names, too. Let me think…" Admu said, tapping her chin. "He had one called Argo, Merrymac, Yamaddo, Queen Anne's… something? Stuff like that."
I think I remember Malcador speaking of some of those names once… perhaps her uncle was building ships from Terra's ancient past? Leman thought. He chuckled as he imagined the god of war himself constructing tiny model ships.
"Anyways, we should give our ship a name like that!" Admu said.
Leman rubbed his chin, spending a moment contemplating the idea.
"How about… Wolf?" Leman said.
Admu looked at him with an apprehensive expression.
"Just… Wolf?." Admu said.
"Yes. LIke the animal." Leman said.
"I… I know what it is, I was just thinking of something more… unique." Admu said.
"Even I am surprised you could not think of anything better." Fen rebutted in Leman's mind.
"Fine then, I'll think of something else!" Leman said with a slightly sour look.
"Just… think about it for a while, I'm sure you'll come up with a better name!" Admu said, trying her best to sound encouraging.
Once the kin had finished their preparations, Dori made one final farewell to his brethren. A small crowd of his friends and associates had gathered to wish him and the two 'human' heroes farewell. Dori embraced his siblings one final time, exchanging heartfelt goodbyes and promising to keep in touch as best he could. Admu, predictably, embraced them as well. As the doors to the shuttle closed and the engines whirred to life, the teary-eyed crowd of Kindred waived and cheered, with Dori waiving back. The door hissed close as the airlock activated. Dori took a deep breath and wiped a tear from his eye before turning to his new companions.
"Well, this is it." Dori said. "Shall we be on our way?"
Leman joined Dori in the cockpit as he maneuvered the ship out of the large hangar and towards the newly repaired Miriam Celeste.
"Tell me, Dori…" Leman said. "What do you know of the Imperium's history?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. Even before our exile, we Kin had sparse interactions with the Imperium. Not to mention Kin can be… somewhat incurious about what goes on outside the core regions. Even Hernkyn tend to seek out knowledge mostly pertainin' to mineral prospects, useful technology, things like that. The few times we have crossed the Imperium, they were usually rather tight-lipped as well. Though, from what I can recall… you lot had an 'Emperor' who ruled a planet called 'Terra' a few millennia ago. He created the Imperium. Oh, and he had children as well… uh… was it 17? 18?"
"20" Leman said.
"Ah, twenty. They led the… Astartes, I think you call them. They weren't ordinary humans though, apparently, they were genetically enhanced, like the Astartes but… more. Anyways, somewhere along the line, they had a disagreement over something or another, somethin' about religion or inheritence, and as brothers tend to do when they disagree, they started fightin' each other. Too bad the Emperor didn't have any daughters. Why, I can't remember the amount of times Velyma kept me and Yhkki from bashing each other's skulls with wrenches over some trivial matter."
"Continue." Leman said, bluntly.
"Ah, right. Well, the brothers fought, a few of 'em died, the Emperor got mortally wounded, but eventually everything settled back down. After that, our records are… spotty, at best. Am I missing anything?" Dori said.
"Well, you have the basic outline right. The Emperor was an extremely powerful human with immense psychic powers. He created his sons, the Primarchs, to lead his legions and re-unite Humanity. Everything proceeded smoothly until some of his sons turned to worshiping the daemonic powers of Chaos… they sought to kill the Emperor, but his loyal sons prevailed… at great cost." Leman said.
"Well you seem to know it better than I do." Dori said. "Tell me, whatever happened to the Emperor anyway? None of our records mention it. Apparently, most Imperials think he's a God now. Suppose that's a fair enough way to honor the man who founded your empire… if a bit superstitious."
"It's… complicated." Leman said. "I don't know much about the Imperium's… recent history. I am hoping to find out more at our destination."
"Where is your final destination, if I may ask?" Dori said.
"Baal. Homeworld of the Blood Angels legion of Astartes. It was once the home of Sanguinius, one of the Primarchs. I've heard that their current chapter master is one of the oldest humans in the Imperium on this side of the Rift." Leman said. "He should have the information I seek."
Dori piloted the shuttle into the hangar of the waiting Imperial freighter.
"Well, the repairs on the Imperials' ship are all finished, and we should be on our way within a day. One step closer to the answers you're lookin' for." Dori said, standing up from the pilot's seat. "If you need me, I'll be up in engineering tweakin' some of the internals. Felt a few bumps along our flight I'd like to smooth out."
"Wait." Leman said. "First, come to the cargo bay. Then you can attend to the controls."
Leman and Dori gathered in the expansive cargo bay, where Admu was busy sewing with some of the textiles she'd bought on Vigilus.
"Oh! Mister Dori, Mister Enoch, is something the matter?" Admu said, placing her sewing equipment down.
"Aye, Enoch, so what's it that you wanted to show me?" Dori said.
"Admu, I'd prefer to get this out of the way." Leman said.
Admu's eyes shot open.
"Admu? Who's that?" Dori said.
"Uh… Mister Enoch… don't you mean…" Admu said nervously.
"Enoch and Tia are code names we've been using to avoid detection by Imperial authorities. My true name is Leman Russ, and this is Admu." Leman said.
"Oh… well, I suppose that makes some sense, then." Dori said.
"In addition, we've also been using disguises to hide our appearances." Leman said.
"What, like… active camouflage?" Dori said.
"...In a way. Just for the sake of avoiding complications in the future, I'll demonstrate." Leman said.
"Wait, really?" Admu said, shocked by how quickly Leman was revealing their secrets. "Are you sure about-"
"Agaith!" Leman said, enveloping the room in a blinding white light.
Dori shielded his eyes, and when he opened them, he simply stared with a dumbstruck expression. Before him stood a towering man, easily over 9 feet tall. His armor had grown alongside him, seemingly imbued with the same shape-shifting properties.
"By the Ancestors!" Dori said.
"Well, if you're doing it…" Admu said. "Agaith!"
After a similar flash, the abnormally tall girl Dori had come to know was suddenly replaced by an utterly titanic figure rising above the already towering Leman. If that wasn't strange enough, she now sported two antlers and a furred tail that wagged and swayed behind her. The Kin stood with his mouth agape, scarcely believing what he was seeing. After a few moments of stunned silence, he mustered up the confidence to speak.
"Well, I think I know why you wanted me to keep yer secrets now." Dori said, chuckling more out of astonishment than amusement.
"Do you remember the Primarchs I spoke of earlier?" Leman said, to which Dori nodded. "I am one of them. The Emperor was… is my father."
"This is… a lot to take in." Dori said.
"Luckily, we have plenty of time before our next stop. I thought it would be prudent to get this out of the way now." Leman said.
The previously mundane and drab storage room now seemed to the Kin to be filled with an inexplicable aura, an ineffable light shining on every surface at once. To the normally
hard-nosed and secular Kin, experiencing something that even the most superstitious Imperial zealot would likely never be witness to was a true marvel. The Kin knew of the existence of warp-creatures like daemons, of course, but saw them in a cynical and scientific light. The psychic-resistant nature of Kin made most supernatural concepts alien to them, so to see one firsthand like this was truly indescribable to Dori.
"I… uh…" Dori said, holding his head as if it were spinning. "I'm.. I'm goin' to sit down for a second."
The kin sat down on a nearby crate, rubbing his forehead as he attempted to process what he'd just witnessed.
"Alright, so you're some kind of… Imperial demigod?" Dori said.
"I… well, I suppose that's an adequate way of putting it." Leman said. "My father imbued me with a great number of genetic and biological enhancements… as well as a soul that burns abnormally bright in the Immaterium."
"That makes some sense… in a fashion… I guess." Dori said. "Then if you're a son of the Imperium's god-king, what does that make you?" He said, nodding in Admu's direction.
"Oh, well… I'm…" Admu said.
"A goddess." Leman said. "I encountered her in the Warp. We've been through much together, so I trust her."
"A bonafide god…" Dori said. "Well, I suppose in technical terms, a god is just one kind of being native to the warp… but I also suppose that's a distinction without a difference."
"Well put, dwarf."
"Who said that?" Dori said.
He swiveled his head around the room, leaping to his feet as he met eyes with a monstrous, furred beast sitting beside him.
"What in the-!" Dori shouted.
"Fen! Don't scare our guest, it's rude!" Admu said, wagging her finger at him.
"Fear not, little dwarf. I am also a companion of the Wolf-king." Fen said.
"What does that mean? And what in the bloody core is a dwarf?" Dori said.
"This is Fen, he is… also a god. One from ancient Terra. My father bound him to my soul. He… also has my trust. Sort of." Leman said.
"Oh… well, that's… that's interesting." Dori said.
The four of them stood in silence for several minutes, with Dori seeming to calm down from his initial shock.
"...I must say, you are taking this… rather well. Better than I would have expected, to be honest." Leman said.
"Well, part of me is bleedin' terrified right now." Dori said. "...however, another part of me is just plain fascinated by all of this. We Kin don't have much experience with Warp phenomenon, aside from the odd daemon attack."
"The daemons are no friends of ours, if that's what you're thinking." Leman said.
"Oh! No, no of course not. I'm just, uh, trying to get a frame of reference." Dori said.
"The Immaterium is a far different place from what I remember." Fen said. "The Ruinous Powers and their foul spawn have invested all corners of it. It was not always such a depraved maelstrom."
"You don't say?" Dori said.
"Yes. In fact, that is related to our ultimate goal..." Leman said.
Leman laid out the basics of their mission, his intent to find and cleanse his corrupted brothers just as Admu did to their Ancestor Core, and how it pertained to eliminating the threat of Chaos and freeing the galaxy from daemonic corruption. Due to the Kin's lack of detailed knowledge of the Warp or the rest of the galaxy, he left out certain aspects that would have been more difficult to explain, such as the Emperor's shattered soul, the dualistic nature of the Chaos Gods, or Admu's relation to them. Luckily, the Kin seemed to have little knowledge or interest in the allegiances or nature of daemons, so he did not have to lie per se… merely omit certain details. As Leman saw it, he was sharing the absolute minimum of information needed for Dori to understand their basic goals and motivations to avoid further confusion down the line. The rest could be shared at a later date… if necessary.
"Wow… that's quite an undertaking." Dori said. "So, you're goin' to put a stop to all this daemonic nonsense that's been goin' on? That warp rift wedged in the galaxy caused quite a ruckus for the other Leagues, or so I've heard."
"...to some extent. Trying to end all evil in the galaxy is likely a fool's errand, but at the very least we will hopefully put an end to this evil." Leman said.
"Well, I can't say I have much to add to that." Dori said, rubbing the back of his head. "Regardless of what you lot are, my people still owe you a great debt. You helped us in our time of need… that's what really matters in the end, be you a man, a god, or a… beast… god… creature."
Admu smiled.
"Though, to be honest, I'm not sure how much help I'll be in a battle between gods and daemons…" Dori said.
"We are still grateful to have your services, Dori." Leman said. "None of us have quite the expertise to build a shuttle like this… or maintain it. Your skills will be invaluable for our mission."
"Now you're speakin' my language!" Dori said. "You do whatever you've got to do, and I'll make sure everythin's runnin' at tip-top shape or my name isn't Dori Feldrynkin!" The Kin said, rising to his feet and beating his fist on his chest. "Though, I do have one more question…"
"What's that?" Leman said.
"If you're the Emperor's son, why don't you just go to Terra and get the Imperium to help you?" Dori said.
"It's… complicated. I have been away for a very long time, and much has changed in my absence. I don't believe the Imperium and I see eye-to-eye on many things. We will go to them when the time is right, when I have the knowledge I seek… until then, we must remain in the shadows." Leman said.
"Guess that explains why you aren't as stark-ravin' mad as most Imps I've met. Uh, no offense." Dori said.
"None taken. In fact, I might go so far as to say I agree with you. The Emperor I knew would have detested being worshiped as a god… but as I said, much has changed. I only hope we can avoid making more enemies." Leman said. "We have enough as it is."
Admu approached the two from behind, wrapping her arms around them.
"Well, we've already made some friends along the way, haven't we Dori?" Admu said.
"Can't argue with you there, lass." Dori said.
"This is going to be so exciting! We'll have even more adventures, make even more friends, fight even more bad guys, and save the galaxy!" Admu said.
Leman sighed and smiled slightly. A part of him knew she was being hopelessly naive… but another part of him wished he could be as well.
Keep that hope burning bright within you, Admu. We'll need it. He thought.