24 Chapter 19
(MC POV) (Emperor's laboratory, Imperial Palace)
Restlessness was felt in the air - it was a mysterious presence that slowly spread through the entire laboratory. Outside the laboratory itself, a storm began, in which lightning lit up the sky and thunder rumbled.
Lightning and thunder created a tangle of light and sound, filling the sky and creating a scene that was as terrifying as it was inspiring.
The streets looked like a desert, flooded with rain and wind. The city was flooded with freezing rain that froze on trees and houses.
In the deafening silence of the storm, a powerful and terrifying sound of thunder echoed. It was as if the god of thunder himself was enraged, shooting lightning from his hand and forbidding people to oppose his power.
The winds blew stronger and stronger, tearing the branches and throwing them in all directions.
In the distance, a black storm loomed over the horizon. Dark clouds rolled across the sky like a dark shadow covering the earth ready to release its burden.
The burden would have been released if the portal between the Materium and the Immaterium had not opened in the main room, allowing me and Isha to pass through.
My surviving Angel legions returned to my domain very quickly. I lost a huge amount of Angel and I hope it was worth it because Nurgle will probably dedicate himself to creating as much disease as he can just to get revenge on me for freeing Isha.
I glance at the group of Silent Sisters. Their purpose was to help me close the Warp rift if Nurgle was trying to keep it open.
The hole in the Materium very quickly submitted to my will and was completely closed by the combined efforts of me and the silent sisters.
I hear someone coughing and my gaze goes to Isha and I see her coughing trying to get used to the air.
Her features were inhumanly perfect...she was so beautiful, the only being with such incredibly flawless features was me.
Her first few steps in the Materium were so graceful and fluid it was completely alien in how perfect it was despite being weakened and tired. Her perfect movements are more similar to my movements.
She tried to take a few more steps, but collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.
I take a few steps closer, grabbing her hands and pouring some of my energy into her essence, healing all her wounds and weaknesses.
"Aragnedor,...Is...that...you...?" muttered an exhausted Isha.
"I am," I answered decisively.
She tried to answer but fainted from exhaustion.
'She needs a rest' I thought and at my will a small portal leading to one of the guest rooms opened directly above the bed.
I very gently put her down on the bed and close the portal that leads to her room and open another portal that leads to my room.
My entry is followed by a light wind that blows through the entire room carrying cold air everywhere.
Very quickly I take off my armor and throw it on the floor, I only put the sword lightly on the table next to the bed.
'The armor can't be damaged', I thought and immediately crawled into bed for a much needed rest.
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(Malcador POV)
He liked to think of himself as quite learned. After all, he has seen much of the best and worst of humanity, as well as other species in the galaxy, and through this has developed a great deal of experience in dealing with almost any threat.
Until recently, his friend's plans had been to unify Terra, remove religion and spread Imperial Truth and in the process starve the Warp's abominations of the power they get from religion, unite humanity by suppressing the Xenos, and lead a united humanity through Psyker evolution by training them to wean themselves off the need for Transhumans.
Revelation, his old friend experienced some enlightenment and decided to rule over everything that exists as God-Emperor, replacing the Imperial truth with the Imperial Faith, encouraging his own worship.
At the beginning of the conquest, he suggested to his old friend the use of faith in him as a weapon against the Primordial Annihilator, but his friend vehemently refused.
Now it was the other way around because his friend embraced the faith, combining it with thousands of different beliefs and did not show a change in behavior due to the different interpretations of his followers. He lived for 6500 years and saw many miracles, but his friend was anomaly in his abilities and skills.
His head still hurt at the very thought of the DNA test of his close friend that he had done, and just remembering his Warehouse and the copy of his museum brought tears to his eyes.
He was completely loyal to his old friend and would follow him to hell and back if he had to.
With a light telekinetic movement, he opened the door of Revelation main room and went inside to find him sitting on a chair by the table and finishing the last paper from the pile that had been created by his three-day absence.
"Malcador, you arrived just in time, please sit down," his friend answered with a smile.
He sat on the chair and looked at his friend and master who was all smiles "Do you remember friend how and where the Imperium started?" Revelation asked him.
"I remember. The Imperium officially began when Ezekiel Sedayne joined us. Back then the Imperium was just you and me in a cave.
At his words, Revelation just smiled and asked again, "And what was I dressed in and what did I say on the first day".
" The three of us emerged from the cave with a pile of steel trash cans as makeshift armor for you and you said " Come on now Sigillite. We have to conquer the world." I answered and I see a strong smile cross my friend's face and I saw that he refrained from laughing out loud.
"Why are you asking about us on the first day of unification?" I ask.
"Reminiscing about the good old days" Revelation immediately replied and added "I have received news. The control of the Venusian War Witches over the Golem Legions has been broken and Venus has been conquered. In other news it will take another two weeks for to conquer rest of the Sun System .
"What are you planning with her?" I ask.
"I plan to use her to bring the Aeldar under Imperial control. On the other hand, adding a highly experienced biomancer to our service is very beneficial for the future," Revelation replies.
"In case PA 7 tries to recover her, what will we do" I asked worriedly.
It's not good that Terra ends up being attacked by a sick abomination just to protect a Xeno goddess.
"If he decides to project his presence here, he will encounter obstacles that will weaken him and send him back in pieces. If he decides to send his slaves, we will send them back home crying for their mother with the power of our weapons" Revelation paused and answered "Finally, if decides to spread new and terrible diseases throughout our Imperium, we will preventively create whole new hospitals and laboratories to find cures and vaccines for all diseases and their eradication".
I look at my friend and see that while I was thinking, he took out two crystal glasses and a bottle of the strongest alcoholic drink and poured them.
"Like in the old days," said Revelation and took a glass, waiting for us to clink the glasses before drinking.
I take the glass in my hands and clink our glasses and we both say "Cheers" at the same time.
The alcohol was obviously extremely strong, made not only of alcohol, but of a chemical cocktail designed to affect even the greatest of transhumans.
He felt warmth in his chest.
How long has it been since he managed to get drunk.
One of the consequences of his powers and psychic powers was an extremely strong resistance to alcohol.
Unfortunately, the only things that could intoxicate him were so toxic that the potential side effects weren't worth it.
His friend apparently managed to create a new type of alcoholic drink.
Throwing his head back, he thought for a few minutes.
He waited too long for the chance to get properly drunk.
Maybe a more glass wouldn't hurt.
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(Isha's POV)
She popped the last piece of raw, juicy meat into her mouth, savoring the taste for several minutes.
She glanced at the empty plate and marveled at the taste.
He knew what he liked, she thought.
She no longer felt the exhaustion and weakness she felt when they brought her here.
The air was so strange. It had been so long since she had been in Materia that she had forgotten how everything actually looked and felt.
Being a fully physical being for the first time in a long time was unsettling in more ways than one. Her perception of time had changed greatly, and where before she barely noticed the passage of time, these last few hours were long and boring.
The room was spacious and pleasantly lit, with furniture and decorations that were probably considered high quality among the people. She had a bathroom where she could clean herself as needed, which even had a door that she could close or lock if she wanted to.
She took her hair in her hands and wanted to cry for the loss of her family, but she had cried enough.
Her once beautiful and long red hair has now turned green as a result of her imprisonment.
She tried to cure her hair but it didn't work, her hair just wouldn't change color.
She had more important concerns besides her hair on her mind.
As Aragnedor plans for her.
She had nothing to offer him.
She couldn't offer technology, since most of her children's knowledge came from their unique psyker talents, and the technology itself was probably useless to him. She could not offer the loyalty of her children because they were too arrogant and full of pride to obey her. She couldn't even offer knowledge of the wider galaxy, since Aragnedor possessed more knowledge than she did, having lives his entire existence in the Matterium.
All she really had to offer was herself. Even though she was crippled by captivity, the secret manipulations of life were deeply rooted in her, but if you think about it, Aragnedor possesses the same talent for creating life.
So what does he want from her?
Why did he save her?
So many questions and so few answers.
However, she is grateful for the rescue and safety, she had nowhere to run and be safe and protected from recapture.
Suddenly she heard the door open and saw one of his bodyguards Custodes.
"His Majesty has an urgent message for you," the Custod informed in a cold and robotic voice. "He wants you to report to the lab right away. He said you want to discuss the terms of you allegiance now that she you've rested."
She started in fright. He was going to talk to her.
'What will the conditions be like?' she wondered, but she decided to suppress her fear and answered "Take me to him"
"Follow me," Custoda replied coldly.
She got up and followed him.
(10 minutes later)
She entered the lab through the giant doors, following the Custod to the command center.
The laboratory was huge and in full operation as every machine was running at full steam.
During the War in Heaven, she had seen many horrors, but the scenes in the laboratory that she saw caused a deep disturbance in her being.
She heard the sudden sound of a fan and saw the process of creating an army of clones. Huge vessels, filled with liquid that vibrates with an inexplicable slender pulsation. At that moment, the clones slowly rise from the floor, like a resurrection from the darkness. Their bodies were completely pale and faceless, with prominent red eyes full of obedience and power.
The clone army was spawning rapidly, hundreds of clones emerging from the capsules every minute. Their strong bodies were a reflection of the desire for dominance and complete control.
She moved her gaze to the pods where there were about 3 or 4 types of super soldiers. This beings radiated strength and determination.
As she continued to move through the lab, she encountered biological monsters, which were apparently either created in the lab or had been captured. Some of them looked like highly mutated, distorted and deformed beings that were far from the natural order of things, and others looked like hybrids of several species.
Walking a little further through the laboratory, she felt a terrible feeling, as if all the joy and light had been sucked out of the environment.
It's as if a huge part of the laboratory is in a black hole that threatens to swallow she.
A closer look at the place showed sher numerous capsules in which female beings are obviously growing.
'Maybe some more super soldiers' she thought, but a terrible thought appeared in her mind.
He couldn't do it.
Even the Necrons and their masters didn't do it so casually.
It took her a few seconds to realize to her horror that he was industrially creating Blanks.
As they continued walking, she scanned the Custod with her psychic senses. She could feel the reverberations of his power, the way these people were being reshaped on a physical, mental and spiritual level. Their souls shone with a golden color and she could judge that they were as physically powerful as her strongest children, their psychic abilities were non-existent.
Approaching the command center, she saw a sight that would forever be etched in her memory - a field of living human flesh growing and developing like a plant. These beings were used to produce something.
They finally reached the command center and she walked right through them, leaving Custod behind.
She found Aragnedor sitting on a chair looking at some documents. Around him were scientists monitoring different parts of the laboratory.
"Your majesty," she greeted him, bowing at the waist.
"You may rise," Aragnedor replied in a cheerful voice.
She straightened up and looked him straight in the eyes and asked "What are you planning for me?"
"You must be wondering why I saved you. The reason is very simple, I saved you because of our old acquaintance and because I wanted to show the Four where they belong. The secondary reasons are much simpler and come down to your abilities and your importance among the Aeldar ." he replied.
"I have no contact with my children and I have no way to contact them. You do not need my abilities. What can I offer you?" She answereds.
"Another biokineticist is very useful for future battles. You are their mother and in these times of hardship they will turn to you for comfort and protection" answered the Emperor and added "I know that you probably cannot save them all from their own choices and mistakes, but most of them can be saved and I offer you the opportunity to try to save them and call me Emperor, that's my new name".
"I accept your generous offer, my Emperor" She answered and asked "May I know what such a terrible feeling is felt here?"
"That feeling is Veris. An artificial intelligence I recruited and implanted here to help maintain the lab. For added protection I covered the area where she is with void flesh that grows as a plant for added protection," he replied almost immediately in a monotone voice.
"So it's true, you're producing new Blanks," she asked in horror.
"Yes, I produce them," he answered with a smile.
"How did you manage to create them?" she asked, integrated.
"To be honest, I didn't create them. Blanks were apparenced before humanity reached the stars. Analyzing their DNA proved extremely difficult. Locating the gene that causes their condition and understanding how it works proved even more difficult and I barely succeeded. Honestly, I still don't know where they came from," answered the Emperor, shrugging his shoulders as a sign of sincerity.
"W.h.a.t.?" she answered confused and surprised at the same time.
Human blanks were an impossibility, one that should not exist.
"My theories of origin human blanks are either the product of Necron experiments on human ancestors, the effect of the Void Dragon, or simply natural evolution," replied the Emperor seriously.
"Then why do you create them, when their whole life will be misery and they will probably remain alone. When they die, they will cease to exist forever!!!" she replied angrily.
This is a violation of the natural order of things.
"You shouldn't worry, I have the means to restore their mind after death and to give them an artificial afterlife," answered the Emperor, pausing a little and answering "They are capable of the same range of human emotions and they are not alone, they have each other."
"But there are many of them and they are alone for the rest of their lives. They will never fall in love or feel that someone loves them," she answered firmly.
"I have a plan for that situation," replied the emperor with a slight smile.
His answer only awakened her curiosity and she wanted to ask what he was planning, but she decided that some things were better not to know.
"Then do you have an excuse for forests of living flesh" she asked with anger in her voice.
"They are growing genetic seeds for space marines. If needed, it can be used to create food, medicine, or anything biological as needed. he said completely relaxed and without any worry on his face and added with a slight smile on his face "You don't have to vomit, food is grown only on new farms"
Before she could answer, the Emperor asked, "What do you think about cloning?"
She felt the anger growing inside her " I remember very well the creation of a quadrillion clone soldiers a day, all of them bred and shaped to serve as cannon fodder in the endless and who will end up being torn apart by the Yngir and their heartless slaves and if they are lucky they will end up reincarnated to fight again" she said and shouted angrily "Someone remembers every lost life, unlike you!!!".
She saw astonishment and sadness alternate across Emperor face.
"Unlike you, I destroyed my creators and waged a war in heaven for my own benefit. I didn't believe I was fighting for something greater because I realized that both Yngir and the Old Ones were just a bunch of jerks," the Emperor said with anger and sadness in his voice : "Unlike some, I didn't live under the delusion that I wasn't a bioweapon. Do you think if the Old Ones had won the war, they wouldn't have destroyed most of their allies? Most of the created species would have been purged as surplus or because of their incompatibility with the vision of the Old Ones, loyalty to the Old Ones would it wouldn't mean anything."
The answer left her in awe.
She looked at him with all her psychic senses and saw that he radiated complete honesty and sincerity, without an iota of deceit in him.
She tried to think of an answer but could not come up with a meaningful answer.
"Once again I ask you, what is your answer" he asked worriedly.
She froze in grief and replied "I can't stop you from creating clone soldiers, but I'm certainly not going to offer you any help with that and I'm not going to change my mind no matter how many times you ask or press me."
He will never again participate in the creation of any biological weapons, regardless of the consequences.
"I accept your opinion. I understand that you consider my work a perversion of life, an insult to nature and blasphemy of sapient life. That's why I won't force you to do anything without your consent," answered the Emperor honestly.
She didn't know how to answer this.
She expected him to threaten her children's lives if she did not comply.
"Do you want to join me in conquering the galaxy and destroying Chaos?" he asked.
"I agree, but on the condition that my children are spared and that the Orks are cured of their condition," she answered completely honestly.
"I accept your terms. If your children join the Empire, they will be allowed to continue to function normally," the Emperor answered honestly and added worriedly, "Curing the Orcs will be much more difficult, but I will try to bring back the Krork's and bring back in life our friend Gorkamork."
"Put your hand on your heart and repeat after me," he ordered.
She put her hand on her heart.
"Do you swear to serve the Imperium faithfully and not to betray it," he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Do you swear to strike our enemies without mercy?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Do you swear allegiance to the Emperor of Mankind and his great vision?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered firmly.
"Do you swear to be just to those weaker than you, to your equals, and to judge ruthless your enemies?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"At last Isha, mother of the Aeldari, do you swear allegiance to me?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered firmly.
"Your oath has been accepted" he replied with a smile and stood up.
"Now that you've officially joined me, it's time for you to meet the members of my court, starting with my scientists who oversee everything here," he replied happily and pointed to the people behind him.
