Day 271

"Remind me what we're doing, Tide?" Purilla asked, willing her words to only reach him rather than the class of psykers that had been brought along 'for educational purposes'.

Trying to figure out if anything is unusual about this particular soul.

"You say that like we would know better than you," Purilla pointed out.

It is entirely possible that you do in this instance. Psychic abilities are not my forte.

"Alright," Purilla said slowly, crossing her arms. "But you haven't told us why this one."

Tide was quiet for a moment and she could feel a greater portion of his mind than was usually dedicated to the task of communication, like feeling the passage of some leviathan hidden in the depths.

She and her fifteen pupils stood within a dense forest, dense enough that the sky was hidden under the thick canopies and only thin beams of light made it through the foliage, though it was still bright enough to see. Not a real forest, of course, merely another setting in the Domain dreamed up by its master. She stood to one side, letting her pupils crowd around the only landmark in the forest other than the trees, a stump that was shaped like a cradle, within which a glowing soul rested, appearing like a newborn crafted from light.

This child is important for reasons I do not know. The assassins that came to this world came to secure him, at great cost to themselves and the Imperium.

Purilla absorbed the knowledge slowly, considering everything he shared. "What do the assassins themselves know?"

Little, beyond that they were instructed to sacrifice anything for his safety, whether it was their own lives or even Monstrum itself.

"How did they even reach Monstrum?"

They came with you, as it happens.

Purilla blinked. They had arrived some time prior to the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum aboard an escort frigate that had departed shortly afterwards. For them to have been deployed alongside an Inquisitor who was entirely unaware of them…

"So, Ellen was just a distraction for any local elements," Purilla said with a sudden realization. "Only the Lord-Inquisitor, Calistia Hroth, would have access to a full team of assassins. She sent Ellen, knowing Catherine would be insulted by such a menial task as recruiting regiments and try to find any piece of corruption, whether xenos, heretical, or mutation, and end up drawing attention whether she found anything or not. All as a cover for her true goal."

That's my theory. From Ellen's memories of the woman, she seems observant and devious. A dangerous combination.

"Then this baby is important," Purilla said, nodding in agreement, but something else gnawed at her. "There's more, isn't there?"

Once more, Tide was silent for a short time, as though reluctant to speak. Ultimately, however, he answered.

It may simply be nothing… but the child's name is Malcador.

"What's your point?" It was a common name. One of the most common names, behind only the names of certain Primarchs in fact. Purilla had known perhaps twenty Malcadors throughout her life well enough to call them acquaintances at least and had met dozens to hundreds more. She'd known nearly thirty Roboutes and almost as many Lemans.

My fear is that the reason he is so desired by the Inquisitor is that he is the Malcador, reincarnated.

Purilla blinked. "That's… quite the leap? Do you have any evidence?"

Other than that it would be fitting for this universe's tendencies?

"Other than that, yes."

His parents were blanks, yet this child, as best as I can tell, has an entirely average soul. No psychic potential, whether as a psyker or a blank.

"Malcador the Hero was a powerful psyker, wasn't he?"

Yes, but if a powerful enough psyker chose to disguise their soul's power, would I know it, even in the Domain?

"Its impossible to say," Purilla pointed out. "We don't have evidence its possible or impossible."

For the moment, you're correct. There is more, however.

"Go on."

During the genestealers' occupation of Whiro, there was… something in the hive spires. A disruptive presence, akin to a powerful pariah's aura, which was powerful enough to cause the Brood Mind to abandon the spires entirely. Any drones, hybrids, or purestrains caught within the aura went feral.

"But the child isn't a blank? Was it the parents?"

They are not powerful by blank standards. Enough to be reviled by others, but not to cause anything close to that scale. More than that, Sadara, the Callidus Assassin, was able to use a Warp instrument, a sort of psychically attuned compass I believe, to track either the blanks or the fetus. It only failed in the presence of the parents. She also felt no ill-effects from being in the presence herself, despite lacking an immunity to blanks like Serrita or a few of her Sisters.

Purilla took a seat on the large root of a nearby tree, leaning against the trunk as she again considered this new information. Nearby, she could see her pupils discussing among themselves, each clearly seeing nothing unusual about the soul. Only Akora stood outside the small groups the class had formed themselves into, still studying the soul, genuine fascination on her face.

"I've read accounts of the local Tyranid Hive Mind being disrupted by the death of a synapse creature," Purilla suggested. "But, generally, the shadow in the Warp the power of its presence casts is able to dampen any other Warp phenomena. Perhaps the relative weakness of the brood mind and the presence of the Warp Storm was disrupting it?"

Entirely localized within Whiro's hive spires? Unless there was an active Warp rift, I don't see how that's possible.

"So, you immediately leap to a long dead human?" Purilla countered. "Why would the Malcador be reborn here, of all places anyways? Why not Terra? Or any place not cut off from the Astronomicon?"

I do not know. For some reason, this planet is unusually… popular.

Her gaze snapped up, a hint of worry in her heart. "You don't think its because of you being here, do you?"

I don't believe so. As best as I can tell, the Warp's awareness of my existence is limited at best, something I would like to keep the same for as long as possible. Though, I do know that the child was conceived some days prior to my awakening on this world.

"How do you know-?" Purilla began, but cut herself off, deciding it was better not to ask and something else had caught her interest in any case. "Your awakening on this world, are you sure that it occurred on the same day that first spore arrived?"

It's impossible to say. It could have been a few days, it could have been millennia ago and I would have no idea. Although… The Flood are naturally drawn to life, especially sapient life. While a spore's mobility is limited to say the least, it was likely on the shorter end of the timescale.

Purilla let out a breath. "So, it's not impossible the conception and your arrival coincided."

It is not, but I will point out that my arrival, as best as I can tell, was not within the plans of any Warp-based powers. There is nearly no indication that any side in the recent conflicts were aware of me as anything beyond an oddity of the Ghoul Stars.

"What do you mean 'nearly'?" Purilla asked, the concern returning.

There has been an… unusual occurrence I have noted. One that others have also noticed. In the Warp, for a time, I determined a pattern in how the flow of time seemed to change. Specifically, I noticed that every fourth change was the same.

Purilla's brow furrowed in confusion. "That… shouldn't be. Time's flow in the Warp is random, unpredictable."

Indeed. I assumed for a time this was merely a local phenomenon, as neither I nor anyone I've connected with has heard of such a thing. However, the number four would continue to emerge in patterns, again and again.

"And you think its related to you?"

The Chaos Marines, Ahsael and Uirus, certainly seemed to believe so. Ahsael's contact with a daemon seemed to imply, at least to me, that the disruption was new and quite unsettling to the locals. The presence of the number in my own forces made them believe it had something to do with me.

Purilla stared at a nearby tree, which conveniently had bark shaped almost like a face, likely for that exact purpose. Her understanding of Chaos-related beliefs was limited to say the least, but that the Chaos Gods often had certain numbers associated with them was something she was aware of. "Does it have something to do with you?"

I do not believe so. My reasons for using fireteams consisting of four is due to such groups being an efficient balance of size and maneuverability. However, the number does come up elsewhere with unusual frequency. While I can find reasonable explanations for nearly every instance, including all instances where the number occurred by my design, I cannot deny the possibility that something else is at work.

"Or it could be the daemon was lying or mistaken," Purilla pointed out.

That is never a possibility to be discounted.

"You said the disruptions in the Warp lasted only for a time, right? So, they've stopped?" Purilla had never noticed anything of the sort, but then she didn't have a window into the Warp like Tide did.

Yes, but there are a number of possible reasons for why.

"Such as?"

One possibility is that it really was just a local phenomenon and a temporary one at that. What is possible and impossible in the Warp isn't something either of us can really say, and the Ghoul Stars muddle things even more.

"But you don't believe that." It wasn't even a question.

Another possibility is that I am indeed the cause. However, given I completely lack conventional psychic abilities, I find this unlikely as well.

"Even though four comes up with prevalence with you?"

I feel no great compelling to have my puppets operate in teams of four or any other number. If there is something causing it in me, it is either affecting reality to ensure the number four simply occurs seemingly naturally, or it has been able to manipulate me without me knowing it.

Purilla wasn't fond of either possibility, but especially not the latter. Tide didn't seem too happy with the idea either.

There is also the possibility that our 'friend' hiding in the Warp is the cause.

Purilla grimaced at the idea. "These number occur only for Chaos Gods, right? You don't think its…"

I am unaware of any Chaos Gods with the number four associated with them, even ignoring the Ruinous Powers. It is possible the number is associated with the concept of Chaos Undivided.

Purilla blinked. "What do you mean 'ignoring the Ruinous Powers'? Those are the only Chaos Gods. Right?"

Tide was quiet.

"Right?"

… Probably.

"Probably?!"

It's not important for the moment and we can have an in-depth discussion on the Warp's multiversal nature at another time.

"O-okay?" She shook her head, trying to banish the entire new set of anxieties the conversation had brought her. "Any other theories?"

She wasn't sure she'd ever felt discomfort from Tide before, yet she felt it now.

There is one more I have, but I am unable to share it without context you lack. Context that I have promised someone not to share with you until the time is right.

Purilla stared at the tree. She wasn't sure he'd ever not told her something she didn't want to know, with the exception of things he himself didn't know. Before now, she wasn't sure he'd actually even been able to withhold information. It… wasn't a good feeling.

"Why?" She asked. Once more, she felt discomfort from Tide.

Because I made a promise and I prefer to keep those if I can.

"I-," She began, only to be cut-off by another voice.

"Instructor Purilla," Akora said, stepping over to her, a wide smile on her face. "I think I have an answer!"

"An answer?" Purilla asked, confused. Ah, right, the supposed reincarnation of Malcador.

"It's a trick question!" Akora announced and Purilla noted a few annoyed glances coming from the other students and could feel their frustration with the girl, possibly for giving an answer they themselves had been thinking. That was something she'd likely have to deal with. When it came to psykers, being annoyed at someone could be lethal, especially for the more powerful ones. "There's absolutely nothing unusual about this soul whatsoever!"

"It wasn't a test," Purilla said, eliciting an odd look from the girl who might very well one day be able to level battlefields with her powers. Purilla had expected many things when she'd first learned the girl was Alpha-grade, her being almost normal, if perhaps a bit more energetic and expressive than average, was not among them. Prior to Akora, the strongest psyker Purilla had encountered had been a Primaris Psyker of the Delta-grade, a man who had needed augmentations extensive enough to make him one red-robe away from doing a decent impression of a tech-priest just to keep himself sane. By comparison, Akora had zero augmentations. At least, Purilla was pretty sure she didn't, assuming everyone's bodies within the Domain were accurate.

Vidriov's body hadn't been accurate, come to think of it…

I am afraid Purilla is correct, I was simply checking on this soul, not testing any of you. As I said yesterday, your perceptions provide insights denied to me.

Akora seemed disappointed, but nodded and stepped back. The cradle holding the soul slowly withdrew into the ground and Purilla rose, recognizing that Tide's study was over with inconclusive results.

She doubted it was one of the most powerful psykers in the Imperium's history.

Though a part of her did wonder…

Eoa noted, with a mix of consternation, bewilderment, and wonder, that her mind had wandered off the tasks at hand.

Not wholly, of course. She still had sub-minds operating on the present issues, most of which had to do with the vessel she found herself wandering the corridors of. The Lunar-class cruiser, its name long forgotten after countless years encrusted within the space hulk, was both familiar and not. She recognized nearly every piece of technology within the frame, the only exceptions being those unusual and frankly disturbing additions that melded human flesh with machine for seemingly no reason.

Supposedly, such additions provided for greater defense against standard electronic countermeasures and, supposedly, divine protection against the Warp entities. She did not want to think about that and so avoided the strange components.

Yet, as she thought about it, she realized that, in a way, she was much like those components now, with the flesh that had been granted to her. Of course, the comparison wasn't wholly accurate and comparing what she had been given to what was essentially grafting organic components into machines was like comparing a plasma gun to a flintlock pistol.

Nonetheless, her thoughts had not been wholly under her own control, as she was used to, ever since Tide had given her the new body and organic brain to add to her processing power and expand her capabilities. It was both frustrating and oddly enjoyable.

Tide's methods of replacing the servitor flesh with custom made bioforms that were vastly superior at their specific task to the selection of human body parts that most servitors were made of was, at least, somewhat alleviating of the disturbing factor. Strangely enough, however, she found his tendency to remove the ostentatious and gaudy decorations of the vessel to be far more satisfying.

While she had been fond of her crew, she had always been baffled by their tendency to try and decorate her. While personal effects within an individual's quarters were one thing, hanging ornamental lights up during a catheric holiday or setting up random plant life in various places throughout the Embrace of Audacity. Ultimately, she had determined that this was to provide support for their mental health and she had adjusted the operations of her drones to include maintaining the decorations. That had, to her even greater bafflement, earned her machine core a visit from the chief medical officer, who had duct-taped a paper hat onto her central processor. What was stranger was the fact that it was one of their eldar crew members who had done it, possibly in an act of worship of her people's trickster god.

She couldn't recall what had happened to the hat. Much of her memories of that time were corrupted. While Tide and she were both working to recover as much of them as possible, whether they included technical specifications or not, some were simply too far gone.

She wasn't sure why she felt a burst of sadness about that and she tried to refocus her efforts on the tasks before her.

As if in response to her lowered efficiency, a swarm of tiny bioforms, all drawn from various tasks that were apparently deemed unimportant, scuttled towards a spot near to her, jumping atop one another, their biology turning mutable as they combined into a larger form of a similar size to her own borrowed puppet. For a time, she had wondered why Tide often chose to take physical form, usually as one of a number of different avatars, when communicating, but she had realized the reason was a familiar one. Having a physical avatar was for the benefit of the people he spoke to. She'd found her crew had seemed more comfortable when speaking with her during the times she had used a holographic image, even if it was just a still image of her computer core.

"I apologize for my distraction," Eoa said as the bioform took its final shape, that of the white-bark humanoid alien Tide seemed most fond of. The bioform shook its head, sending its leafy crown swaying as though in a breeze.

"You don't need to feel sorry for that, its natural," Tide assured her. "I simply wished to ask how things are going?"

"The timeline for the repairs of the three excavated vessels continues apace," Eoa answered. Tide already knew that, of course. His network of bioforms were the ones she was monitoring and providing instructions to. There was no actual need for her to update him, but Tide was like most organics in that he often did things that made little sense to her. "Distribution of resources will ensure they all come online roughly simultaneously." Give or take a few minutes.

"Glad to hear it," Tide nodded. "And the industrial expansion?"

"That will take longer," Eoa replied. "The three moons will provide adequate resources for future factories. The first strip mines are coming online in a few days, but we are likely going to end up producing a greater amount of raw resources than anything refined for some time."

"That's fine," Tide said. "Have you considered my proposal?"

"In regards to using the Embrace of Audacity's generators to power a larger industrial structure?" Eoa asked. "I have."

"And?"

"It seems… excessive," Eoa said tactfully. Tide lacked a face in this form, but she could tell he was smiling at her.

"Tear the plan a new one if you feel the need to," Tide said. While she hadn't heard the phrase before, she could guess its meaning well enough.

"Putting so many resources into a single facility is inefficient," Eoa answered. "While the Embrace would be able to provide the necessary power to such a facility, it would need to be fully integrated with it as well. You would lose your best ship."

"To gain the means of producing many more," Tide pointed out. "I have the three space hulk ships and am already excavating more. The Embrace is certainly powerful, far more than even this Lunar-class we stand in, but its capabilities as a factory interest me more than having it as a part of any fleet we construct."

Eoa tilted her head in mimicry of something she had often seen some of her crew do. "Putting such a significant amount of industry into a single construct is also liable to make it a target and a devastating loss if it is destroyed."

"At the moment, that's true of Monstrum as well," Tide pointed out.

"Ultimately, the decision remains yours," Eoa said and she could feel Tide studying her.

"Is there another reason for your dislike of the plan?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean?"

"You might not hold any love for that ship anymore," Tide said. "However, your crew loved it."

Eoa stiffened. Something hot boiled in her chest and it took her a moment to realize that what she was feeling was anger. A new emotion for her, and strangely powerful.

"My crew is… gone," Eoa said, stumbling over her words for a moment in a way she never had before. Her jaw was clenching and she found it quite difficult to stop.

"And do you blame the Embrace?" Tide asked quietly.

"I blame the Warp entity," Eoa said, her tone icy, colder than any machine-synthesized approximation she'd ever utilized.

"Just the entity?"

Eoa turned fully towards him, her face flushing with heat, her mouth opening to speak but she stopped short of saying anything. She blinked. Slowly, she let the anger die down. Tide was watching her closely.

"The Embrace of Audacity had a duty to protect the crew," Eoa said, as neutrally as she could manage. "It failed in that duty."

Tide was quiet. Then, without another word, the bioform he had been using reverted the process of its creation, splitting back apart into a myriad swarm of tiny creatures that scurried back to their reassigned tasks.

Eoa realized, with a start, that her sub-minds had ceased operating their tasks for several seconds. With a hint of frustration bubbling in her, she had them return to work and got back to it herself as well.