Chapter 1
After the sorrow on Nuceria, He put aside the concerns that had been made manifest upon the discovery of the Primarch of the 19th Legion. It was obvious the Primarch had been altered by her travels through the Warp, but even He cannot see all ends. A tool that has been marred can still be of use. As Primarchs were created without any sexual drive, most would argue it truly did not matter. And yet, if it did not, why had the Warp altered her so profoundly? And was it related to her ardent desire to master the ways of a Psyker? Whatever had been done to the Primarch now known as Tanya Corax had also shielded her thoughts. He has long suspected she is a hidden dagger, and has set watchers on her. As I grew to know her, I began to fear she was not a blade aimed at our hearts, but a beacon – a false light cast by the Ruinous Powers to draw our gaze from a darker truth.
-Malcador the Sigillite
Nasturi's constant companion was hunger. She did not know her own age, but she knew her last name, Ephrenia. It was hard to say sometimes. Her cousin cared for her, though she thought of her more like an aunt. There were no idle hands allowed on Lycaeus, so she went with the rest of the miners. One of the slavers always led them, making sure every moment was filled. The laser drill the adults used was beyond her, so she found time to rest.
Rest was important, because with how little they were fed, too much exertion could be disastrous. It was usually boring, but today something strange had happened. After drilling past an ice wall, they found another person. Another girl, just like he. She even had blond hair like she did! She looked well-nourished. Was she one of the slaver's get?
The overseer advanced due the work stoppage. He pushed forward to see what was uncovered and then stopped in surprise.
"How the…"
Everyone started talking at once. Nasturi thought it would be nice to have a friend her age. She walked forward, ready to say hello, when a rough hand seized her by the hair, yanking her off the ground and dragging her backward.
"Get back," the overseer snarled at her and threw her to the side. She hit the icy ground hard with a shriek of pain, hoping nothing inside had broken. If the overseers thought she was wounded and clumsy, they wouldn't give her the meager food rations she was already getting. The others might help, but they too were always on the edge of starvation.
The well-fed girl was moving forward and the overseer was suddenly on the ground. Nasturi blinked. She wasn't sure what she had seen. The girl had just moved. The overseer snarled, got to his feet, and lashed out with his whip.
"That's a deadly weapon," the girl said in a bright voice. "Now I have no regrets!"
The accent was strange, but the girl dodged the whip strike and then struck the overseer's knee at an angle, snapping the joint and breaking the leg in two. He fell. A vicious jab to the chest followed, and a horrific crunch and squelch could be heard. The hated overseer was dead, killed in two blows.
Nasturi was happy. He had whipped her father to death somewhere in the dimness of her past. She stood up and approached the other girl.
"What's your name?" she asked. "Mine is Nasturi. Nasturi Ephrenia."
The blue-eyed girl blinked. "I am the… no, ah, how strange. You have not caught me at my best. I am Tanya. Tanya… Corax. Where am I, and are there other enemies about? I need information."
Despite the intensity of Tanya's stare, Nasturi felt a kinship with her. She couldn't wait to be friends. Sadly for Nasturi, she realized the adults would monopolize Tanya's time. Tanya was not like a regular child. She was something more – something deadly. But for Nasturi, she would never forget how Tanya had protected her. The fact that ample rations were soon provided to her was another change she welcomed.
***
I had no reason at all to fight so hard to protect the person I had been ordered to assassinate. The death of General Rudersdorf had been the entire purpose of me being with the convoy. It soured my stomach as I remembered how desperate I had been to make the defense look believable. The company I led had used our protective shells to literally body block the explosive formula and the shots fired at the plane. I had underestimated how many Albion elites had been part of the assault, and the wave of fire had torn apart my defenses. Had I been using my normal stratagems; I would have dodged. I should have dodged. But I didn't. Instead, I let fear of my duplicitous mission being found out cause me to take a poor risk.
Occasionally I wonder if my heroics saved the very person I had been sent to kill. There was no way of knowing, as this was clearly a completely different world. Not just a different world, but a different damn universe!
For starters, Being X had not presented himself after my death. I had thought I would face some sort of eternal torment, or possibly oblivion, but instead I found myself cut off from my senses. I felt strange and lacked the vocabulary to describe the experience. I felt myself being observed; my battle-honed instincts told me whoever was watching me had ill intent.
I tried to perceive my surroundings, but I had no eyes with which to see. No ears with which to hear. No nose with which to smell. No tongue with which to taste. No body with which to feel. And yet, I felt things. Mathematical formulae flashed through my mind as I tried to ready myself for an enemy's approach. But what was my target? What were my vulnerabilities? I was adrift, with no way to understand my predicament.
I felt the hunger of those who perceived me. I knew peril. I had to fight somehow, but how? As these presences advanced, I could distinctly detect four of them. Before anything further could occur, I heard laughter with my non-existent ears. I wasn't sure how that worked, but I definitely heard it. A laughter that sounded almost human, yet at the same time, completely alien. I was bewildered, but also comforted – then the strange sensation of not having a body abruptly ended.
It was a strange awakening anew in a body that suggested early childhood, but one altogether different from either of my two previous bodies or my strange not-body experience. The first thing I noticed was that my mind was charged up to a degree greater than I had ever experienced before. Even in the heart of the most frantic aerial duel, with my mind hopped up on the best mental enhancements and reflex heightening effects, nothing compared to what I was now experiencing.
Looking around, I realized I was in some kind of cave, half-buried in rubble behind me. I knew I had crawled out moments before, almost by pure instinct before my conscious mind made me aware. With a cursory glance, I saw shattered glass – and within 0.083 seconds, I had counted one thousand eighty-six independent shards. Beyond my incredible awareness of every detail in my surroundings came an absurd amount of knowledge.
I marveled as I realized I understood a vast array of scientific and mathematical knowledge. It was to such an extent that I could pause for a moment and solve the Three-Body Problem. I innately understood how the physical universe worked; I knew how to calculate turbulence!
Beyond that, I also knew exactly seven thousand six hundred forty-one languages, dialects, argots, and cants from across the galaxy. The information that was somehow innate to me was not like a computer file I had to open to examine; it was ready and available at my fingertips at any moment. It was not omniscience, but it seemed as if this body was a giant step toward it.
Is this Being X's doing? What is this?
Beyond my greatly enhanced neural network and knowledge, I could also sense how much nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide was in the air. The temperature should have had my previous bodies shivering, but mine felt completely at ease. I was female, but pre-pubescent. I could not physically tell my age, as my internal sense of my body told me it was not human. I had more than one heart! The sound of them could be easily heard whenever I wished.
I was still a bit in awe of my newfound capabilities when I met the first humans. Killing had come surprisingly easy, but I immediately deduced that the man I slew had harmed the people who tried to greet me. The young girl had been abused in front of me, and a strong, nearly overriding sense of retribution filled me. I didn't act on impulse, but within microseconds, I had justified my actions as self-defense against someone wielding a deadly weapon.
My strength was not quite equal to that of an Imperial Mage with reinforcement spells, but it was close. That should be terrifying when I thought about it, because I knew I was far from mature. If I assumed the ratio of a child's strength to that of a fully grown person was the same, and that assumption was likely wrong given my unique physiology, a single blow from my future adult self would probably be enough to obliterate any active barrier or passive shell a mage could produce.
As I spoke with the humans and began gaining an understanding of the moon I was on, I was also multitasking. This was something I could now do with utter effortlessness. The multitasking in question was determining if I had magical circuits and the ability to cast spells with this body. I would have no need for a computation orb, as my mind could solve problems as quickly as any digital computer.
Strange. There is something within me, but it is not magical circuits as far as I can tell. Let me see if I can cast a passive shell. It won't be noticeable to these people unless I am touched.
The formula sprang to life as I attempted to will the shell into existence by providing specific stimulation to the physical world from the nascent core of energy I hoped I had. My vision clouded for a moment. I knew instantly something was wrong. I wavered as my supercomputer-like mind was suddenly assailed by sensations from senses that defied logical explanation. Describing it was impossible, other than to say it briefly felt like my no-body experience.
Nothing had happened; no shell had formed. But I refused to be daunted by one failure. I tried again between conversations with the prisoners who had found me. I learned I was on the moon Lycaeus, which orbited the planet Kiavahr. The people were a mix of political dissidents, dangerous criminals, and, most objectionable of all, the descendants of the former two categories. I had never objected to the concept of prison labor, but to assign a form of slavery to the children of criminals was a gross violation of free will. Not to mention, it was economically unsound, as a labor force of slaves was unlikely to innovate or do more than they were forced to do.
While I learned more, I attempted my experiment again. The effort wearied me, but I was beginning to sense something. If I were to describe it with an imperfect metaphor, it was like my will – my attempt to modify the world around me – was water trying to get past a dam. The wall was not moving, but on my third and fourth tries, I sensed that a bit of the water was near cresting the dam.
Further experimentation will be required, but now I sense my superior reflexes and endurance are weakening. Given the low number of rations available, I will need to be careful how far I pursue this.
I was not sure what my goals were at the moment, but I would always have an interest in reclaiming what I had done in my second life.
***
Reqaui had been told of the unnatural and brilliant girl—Tanya, they called her. She defied all understanding of how humans were supposed to grow. In just two years, she appeared to have reached puberty and was already taller than most. He, along with others like Manrus, had come to believe that her superhuman nature might be the key to breaking free from their cruel overseers.
She had the technological prowess to do wonders. His own blemished eyesight could have been restored, but he had declined her offer to surgically improve his eyes, fearing the guards would grow suspicious. For nearly two years, they had successfully hidden her from the guards. All the while, they taught her history and helped fill the gaps in her knowledge.
Tanya was an able and perceptive student, though at times difficult. Strangely, she held strong beliefs about the nature of humanity and government, and her favored subject was economics. While her views occasionally troubled him, he took great relief in the fact that she found slavery abominable.
"I do see your point, Reqaui, but the idea that concentrated power always leads to autocracy is not a universal truth. Power concentration in business rarely occurs without the help of government institutions enabling monopolies to form. Without laws that create barriers to entry…"
Manrus had warned him that she spoke of a perfectly 'free market,' where the government would intervene only lightly – primarily in cases of contract disputes or when negative externalities, such as pollution, resulted from business activity. It clashed with what he knew of the world's history. And while her argument, based on the best records they had, claimed that such a hands-off policy had never been attempted on Kiavahr, he did not believe it would ever be possible.
"You speak of a society that is ideal, but man is corrupt. If there is a vacuum of power, those who desire it will seize it. Governments will be bribed, unworthy leaders will line their pockets, and corruption will exist in all systems. Leaving wealthy entities, such as the Tech-Guilds of Kiavahr, to their own devices will result in tyranny, no matter the good intent of your laissez-faire philosophy."
She had been about to respond, but instead she told him that the guards were coming.
"These particular guards have dealt out punishment more cruelly than most. I will handle them and leave their bodies far from here."
"Wait," Reqaui hissed. "You kill too easily. When you kill a man, it has to mean something."
However, she was already gone. It worried him. She was a blessing, a gift from the stars, but she could also be the worst form of curse. Her stubbornness was a concerning thing, and while she had only harmed a fellow prisoner once, when the man had tried to force himself on someone, she did not abide by their proposed restrictions. Tanya Corax listened, considered, and then acted however she wished.
She returned within the hour. "It has been taken care of. I am careful not to kill too much, but the time will draw near when we throw off the slavers. I have not shared my chosen strategy, lest it be betrayed, but organizationally they have less than ten thousand guards. My own formidable abilities would allow me to kill them all myself, but speed is necessary. We must capture certain components and sections quickly before they can summon reinforcements from the planet or introduce a gas that would kill you and the others."
Unsaid was the unspoken expectation that any form of toxic gas would not harm her.
"Are you really so confident you could kill so many?"
She nodded. "I estimate my strength, which continues to grow by the day, is over ten times that of a well-fed soldier. I have tested their weapons on myself. Stub guns and autopistols do not breach my skin, though based on my calculations my eyes are still vulnerable to them. The higher caliber weapons might be able to, but I heal quickly. My bones are harder than yours, and I do not believe even their highest caliber weapon observed can break them. Though, from the history you have provided, it is certain that better weapons exist upon the planet below."
Reqaui's jaw dropped open at the information. That… that was remarkable. Was there anything Tanya could not do? It added to the pressure on his shoulders. She was powerful, but when the dust settled and they were hopefully triumphant, would the killings stop? Her philosophy suggested she abhorred wastefulness, but her mind was in many ways alien to him.
I must rein in her bloodlust, show her that patience is better. Not every confrontation must end with the slaughter of the enemy. Guile and avoidance are just as useful tools as slaying.
***
I continued to grow in power and stature at an alarming rate. For a brief period I felt a sense of unease, would I continue to grow at this pace and end up dead within a decade from old age? The more I considered it, the less likely that proposition seemed, but it nagged at the edge of my consciousness for a time.
I began to dread the onset of puberty, something I had not experienced in my second life but now had an incredibly detailed knowledge of physiology. I put that to good use in providing medical aid to the slaves and prisoners, often able to make connections between seemingly random symptoms to uncover root causes and issues.
It was that knowledge that made me realize I would not go through what a normal woman would have. My body lacked certain reproductive functions – outwardly, including my breasts and vaginal region, I was just like a woman, but internally the organs and tissue were different. I did not have a way of becoming pregnant nor did I experience a menstrual cycle. Two things I was supremely happy with.
However, my newfound incredible body and mind was also an isolating experience. I had always been comfortable not having close relationships in either of my former lives, but being able to intellectually enjoy another person's company was something I missed. There were only a bare handful of individuals who were interesting to speak with.
In my second life, titans like Zettour and Rudersdorf were people I could learn from, people I could speak with and had to be on my toes for. Now there was no one. I did have a newfound appreciation for Zettour; his genius had been evident in my second life, but only now, with my greatly enhanced mind, did I understand just how far above his peers he was. There were mistakes, I could see that in hindsight, but precious few.
My push to use magic continued. Each time I tried, I felt the waters blocked by the dam splash higher and higher. I also started feeling some of the smoothness of the dam beginning to erode. I was far from breaking through it, but twice I had managed to manipulate phenomena and create a magically defensive film over my body. The effort had cost me, and once I suffered a nosebleed and splitting headache.
Something else odd happened. I was large now, not yet fully grown, but also the tallest person in the slave colony. And yet, when I sometimes did not wish to be bothered with inane gawking and chatter, I wasn't. At first, I was confused. Had I let my features form into some frown or grimace that drove people away when I had those moods? No, that wasn't the case. In fact, when my feelings were strongest, I somehow managed to blend in perfectly, and people did not notice my presence at all.
But how?
I wasn't using a formula, but somehow when I willed it, I could avoid detection utterly. It was a bewildering realization, one I began to test extensively. I varied the strength of my desire to see how it would change. At times, I made clear noise – unlike my usual perfectly silent gait – that should have alarmed people, yet even then, they could not perceive me.
I experimented with showing myself to people and then attempting to use my strange ability. For most, it still worked. However, a few could still sense me if they had seen me before I activated it. Best of all, it worked on the overseers and guards. With my newfound abilities, I was easily able to infiltrate all parts of the various facilities and even access their computer networks.
This greatly accelerated my plans, and the anticipated success of the liberation of Lycaeus rose even higher. The real challenge would come later when I dealt with the Tech-Guilds of Kiavahr. The government of Kiavahr was a fractured oligarchy. Many of the cities with their great techno-forges acted independently and even warred with each other. Foolishly, they had also stored their atomics on the moon for safekeeping. Once those were liberated, I could use the threat of them to force the world to the table and guarantee our independence.
While I had no equals on this moon, I did appreciate the mind of Reqaui. I found the brothers Branne and Agapito Nev to have keen wits and a yearning to be free that I could respect. There was one other warrior who caught my interest. Kaedes Nex was a murderer, a man who had killed for the joy of it. He could use a gun, and I had given him a test; his successful ambush and killing of half a dozen guards with an overseer in their midst was impressive. While it would have been trivial for me, he had none of my advantages.
But of all the humans on Lycaeus, the one I enjoyed spending time with the most was Nasturi Ephrenia. I am not sure why. She was truly a child, and conversation with her was far from stimulating. However, she was one of the few who seemed genuinely awed by me. She enjoyed playing, and I ensured she was well fed. Perhaps it was her initial resemblance to me, or her features reminded me of my second life, or perhaps I simply wanted an excuse to act my biological age and play silly, unproductive games. Regardless, I made sure all knew that anyone who harmed her would face a terrible fate.
As always, I sought to plan my future. The idea of a comfortable retirement had driven all my prior lives, and that goal propelled me forward here, but it was different. I enjoyed intellectual stimulation, so after freeing the moon and the planet it orbited, I had to consider what I would do with my life. The idea of learning more about technology and perhaps expanding the scope of human knowledge appealed to me.
I also knew I would be shoehorned into a leadership role, one I would grudgingly accept. My own history of Earth had taught me that populist revolutions without clear-eyed rational thinkers behind them were doomed to excesses and wanton idiocy. My favorite example was the complete nonsense that unfolded during the French Revolution.
Regardless of the merits of revolting, what comes after is what matters. After they took control, the French became overzealous and wasteful. They changed their calendar and invented new names for the months, which caused confusion and disrupted trade. In an act of barbaric cruelty, one of the radical revolutionaries, Jean-Baptiste Carrier, committed multiple atrocities.
He executed a variety of people, not just 'counter-revolutionaries' but also children and likely many other innocents. Instead of the relatively humane guillotine, he chose to drown them in boats on the Loire River. This method was not only needlessly cruel but also almost certainly caused disease and contaminated the waters.
Remarkably, Carrier was not the only deranged person leading parts of the French Revolution. The brilliant folk in charge also passed the Loi des Suspects, which allowed people to be executed for things like not cheering loudly enough during other executions. Needless to say, as someone who values the precious commodity and resource that is human life, I felt a strong desire to ensure an orderly transition of power once we threw off the shackles of our overseers.
I had spoken with Reqaui about the need for measured vengeance and that I would lead a temporary government after we were victorious. He agreed and suggested I retain power for an indeterminate but substantial time to ensure my vision would come to fruition. I believed he and the other political dissidents saw me as some enlightened dictator with them as advisors. For now, it would work, and during my reign I would also need to make sure we could handle outside threats as well.
My memory and vast knowledge of technology did not include history of this universe, but my tutors told me of savagery among the stars. Of how alien races preyed on humanity. Creatures like Orks, green humanoids significantly bigger than humans who butchered and slaughtered at random. Out there, in the thousands upon thousands, or perhaps millions upon millions, of inhabited systems, there were alien nations, other human confederacies of worlds, and possibly even rogue AI systems. I learned that in the depths of the Dark Ages, centuries upon centuries ago, cataclysmic wars had taken place with the Men of Iron, a rogue AI that used robots.
Threats everywhere, but one thing at a time.
Chapter 2Chapter TextChapter 2
Only in few instances did He demonstrate any sort of surprise. Even I, His closest confidant and advisor rarely saw glimpses of it. The scattering of the Primarchs was one such event. The inability to remove the Nails from Angron, another. The meeting with Tanya Corax also put him off balance in a unique way.
She had attempted to unearth Psyker powers, though she should not have been able to. All Primarchs were an amalgamation of genetic perfection, His heritage, and the raw power of the Warp. In theory, if it were not for His adjustments, all the Primarchs could have been natural Psykers like Magnus.
There was a risk there, and so He had taken steps to prevent His sons from manifesting those abilities outside of specific talents. The Primarchs all had primary roles, with some serving as duplication in case of loss. Rogal Dorn and Perturabo were both masters of siege craft. Leman Russ was to be His executioner, and long do we lament the times he was called upon. If Russ were ever to fall, it would then be Lion El'Jonson who would take up that mantel. If Magnus were to be slain, then it would be Lorgar Aurelian who had the easiest Psyker potential to unlock.
It was never to be Corax. Corax, like Konrad Curze was designed for stealth. The hidden attack, the decapitating strike on enemy commanders. A Psyker? No, those abilities should have been locked away on a genetic level. And yet, somehow, she had brute forced her way into a limited form of Psyker power.
This was another strike against her, and He revealed to me that He had been quite close to ending her, were it not for their lengthy conversation. Unlike many of the other Primarchs, she was incredibly curious and relentless in her questions. As per His normal approach on the matter, He shied away from details, but did explain that there were enemies with dangerous powers that were responsible for the scattering.
What she would later refer to as Being X was what she called the being responsible for her scattering and change. She declared if the one who destroyed her proper upbringing were to be found she would devote every resource, every asset, to unmaking him. This impressed Him, for that channeled hate would be the perfect defense against the machinations of the Ruinous Powers. Despite an easing of His worries, He set upon her several of his Custodes for monitoring, something that He had never done before.
The final surprise was that unlike most Primarchs, save for Jaghatai Khan, she negotiated. While so many of her brothers were overawed by Him, and eagerly volunteered to serve, she carved out the things she desired. When I learned of all the details, and His agreement toward them, I was impressed. Little did I know how much of a headache that it would prove to be…
-Malcador the Sigillite
It was the day of liberation, the day of deliverance. Branne Nev twitched with nervous anticipation. His wiry form had put on muscle recently, replacing his nearly starved frame. He and his brother, Agapito, both had their knives ready. He didn't know the full scope of what was gonna happen, but he knew his role in it. Tanya had said a band of guards would rush this way and his group, one of scores across the different facilities, had their tasks.
The air in the dim, grime-choked corridor was cold, biting at Branne's skin through his ragged tunic. He tightened his grip on the knife, stealing a glance at Agapito, whose eyes blazed with the same stubborn fire that had carried them through years of beatings and starvation. Tanya's plan was going to work, because it was her plan. Branne could still hear their salvation's voice from last night's hushed talk – low, fierce, promising a life where they wouldn't choke on chains. His heart was pounding, not just from nerves, but from the wild hope of finally breaking free of the cruel overseers.
Branne had killed before, but never in such a big job. Tanya had shown him how to wield his knife better, where to strike for a quicker kill, and more. As time went on, Tanya had got bigger and bigger. She now towered over all the men and unlike regular women, she wasn't skinny, but packed with thick muscles that dwarfed the strongest of the overseer guards. Branne had seen that crazy strength in action and he had no doubt their uprising would work. They'd be free. His only worry was doing his part and making sure he and his brother survived.
Alarms roared to life and he and his band got ready. Hid by refuse and the turn of the tunnel. The guards shouted and rushed through the tunnel. Armed with real autopistols, surprise was the key.
Now!
Silently they moved and jumped on the dozen men. Branne's knife flashed across a guard's throat, the blade biting deep, blood spraying in a hot arc that steamed in the icy air. He snapped his head around, checking if any of his mates had screwed up. Two had, hesitating just a heartbeat too long. Autopistols barked, their muzzle flashes stark against the dim corridor. Three of his comrades dropped, a stitching of bullet wounds across their torsos. Branne's boots slid on the damp surface as he lunged, driving his knife into another guard's gut, twisting it through sinew and muscle until the man's scream choked off into a gurgle. Agapito, beside him, hurled his own blade with lethal precision, the knife spinning end over end to sink into a guard's eye. The man collapsed, his autopistol clattering uselessly.
They took the vox-caster and Agapito, who was better with voices, said a special phrase. Moving quick they headed to the next spot and target, now armed with proper weapons. Branne felt weird carrying something other than a knife, but he'd been trained on how to aim it by Tanya. This would even the odds in a bigger fight.
***
I had spent hours just observing how clearance codes worked, how their comms worked, how their technology and protocols functioned. With my unnatural ability to stealthily infiltrate anywhere I wished, I had a full understanding of everything that took place on the moon. Try as I might, I could not think of a good way to avoid all casualties among the slaves. I had to move quickly, because I knew Kiavahr would not simply allow their resource-rich moon to be freed. Autopistols and stub guns were one thing, but they had real weapons – ones that could even harm me.
The foolish Tech-Guilds that ruled the planet had placed their atomic stockpile on the moon. All I needed to do was kill the overseers, their guards, and the loyalists. Once that was done, I would take control of their nuclear weapons. Since the moon was in close orbit, the gravity well itself would aid me in using these weapons to strike at the cities, should they be foolish enough to try to attack us.
I didn't want to commit war crimes, like nuking civilian centers, but I valued my freedom – and the people of Lycaeus – more than my twentieth-century sensibilities. The history I had been taught by my tutors made it clear that the galaxy had no regard for such niceties. I hoped it wouldn't come to that.
I returned my attention to overthrowing the overseers. Ultimately, my plan worked, and my overwhelming combat ability shattered any attempt to rally. I was in their system; I knew where every command post and guard cadre was. I knew where to hit them, and I struck with power that was unmatched.
The sheer power of this body was frightening at times. As I grew, the gap between myself and regular humans widened enormously. A single blow at full force from me could kill in an instant. It barely mattered where I struck, but with my speed and accuracy, I hit vital parts with the force of a dozen sledgehammers.
That was before considering what my magical formulae could do. It taxed me to use them, but this body had incredible endurance. I could recreate protective films, magical shells, even deploy optical decoys. I could still enchant bullets and blades, but I could also simply will explosive formulae into existence, albeit at a cost.
It was an odd bit of irony. Using my magic could save me from taking damage in a fight, but with my speed, stealth, and power, I rarely took damage. Even a direct hit from an autopistol was quickly healed and drained me less than using an explosive formula. It was annoying, but I could hardly complain, given all the incredible power within my body.
Needless to say, my supercharged brain had no trouble performing calculations that would once have required a computation orb. Flight was taxing, but if I wished to do it, I could. The massacre of the enemy was completed on schedule. I was proud of the soldiers I had helped train. The Nev brothers were going to be future leaders, and I was pleased to see they had completed their tasks well.
Kaedes Nex had been given dangerous duty but had surpassed expectations. I almost wished he had died in the fighting, as I worried what he would become in more peaceful times. Torisian, Alvarex, and several others had also distinguished themselves in the fighting.
After all our foes were defeated, I gathered our resources and distributed the various weapons. The Tech-Guilds needed the moon and its resources. They would be coming to recapture it. Any first attempt would likely fail, but they had far more manpower and existing heavy weaponry than we did.
Which was why I wasn't going to play games with them. I had the nuclear weapons and the means to level their cities. It was time to seek terms and ensure Lycaeus would be free and secure.
***
Reqaui savored the sweet taste of victory. Their hopes in young Tanya Corax had been realized. She had freed the moon. She had freed their people.
"I say now, let us no longer call this place Lycaeus. Let us rename it Deliverance! Our leader, Lady Corax, has delivered us from the hand of the tyrant! All hail Corax!"
His words were met with enthusiasm from the crowd. He spied the girl, Nasturi, whom Tanya had befriended while perched atop one of her cousin's shoulders. Tanya herself had begun negotiating with the Tech-Guilds of Kiavahr. Reqaui and Manrus differed on what should be done. Manrus thought to demand the surrender of the world they operated from, and should they refuse, annihilate whole cities.
He seeks not a removal of the system of tyranny, just a change on who sits atop it.
Reqaui had sought a less extreme path: destroy their docking stations, destroy a small city, and limit the casualties. To both their surprise, Lady Corax decided no such demonstration was needed and instead wished to appeal to the Tech-Guilds' avarice. They still needed Deliverance's resources, only now they could pay for them.
As the celebration continued, Tanya revealed herself to great acclaim.
"People of Deliverance, as you have named it, I am pleased to announce that the largest Tech-Guild has agreed to purchase the first shipment of precious resources – not in some currency, but in spacefaring vessels and advanced technology. They have jumped at the opportunity so that their rivals will be cut off." She sounded smug. "We will be able to play them off against each other, as we hold the supply side of the equation. Peace, prosperity, and a wondrous future await us!"
He admired her but felt she was naïve in some ways. Despite her gifts, she had not yet seen a decade of life. Trying to control her had proven difficult. She was a force of nature, utterly certain of her path, whether it came to economic matters or the early days when she killed as she chose despite his attempts to impart a reverence for life.
Red-haired Alvarex gave a shout. "Lady Corax, a ship approaches. The Auger Array shows it is lightly armed and carrying only a few occupants." He hesitated. "I could be wrong, but it doesn't look like it's from Kiavahr."
None of the younger slave population was very familiar with technological devices beyond what was required for drilling, but manuals had been stolen and read. A few of the older members could use them, but the life of deprivation and slavery was hard, and few like Reqaui could recall a time before being imprisoned on the moon.
"Connect me to a vox," Tanya said swiftly, moving through the crowd that had settled around her with effortless ease.
Reqaui was nervous when no response came from the ship. Could this be a Tech-Guild ally attempting to infect the moon with a plague? Or did they, in fact, have atomics hidden on the planet?
"We cannot let it land," he told Tanya.
She frowned. "Something strange is occurring. I feel…" She shook her head. "What concerns you?"
Reqaui shared his fears and she listened.
"The ship is coming this way. The defensive batteries on the surface could destroy it, but I'd prefer we didn't. I'll try the vox again and direct it to one of the outer mining sites, away from the populated areas. The sweep of the auger shows there are people aboard; the Tech-Guilds don't instill suicidal loyalty. Good thinking, though. I have many of my soldiers clamoring to serve as my bodyguards, but I might want to put physical security as part of your portfolio."
The old man wanted to object to her going personally, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. For many reasons, she saw herself as best suited to take on his task. Her ability to disappear from anyone's senses was quite useful, and her physiology made it unlikely that any disease vector could harm her.
They had talked previously about setting up trusted members of her new government, him included. She preferred to keep the inner circle small, necessitating members to have portfolios covering different vital tasks. He knew Manrus had already been given roles related to food distribution and labor laws.
"Just… be careful. The timing cannot be a coincidence."
***
Reqaui was right about one thing: this absolutely could not be a coincidence. I felt a chill down my spine as I took one of the interior trams to a more remote location. My senses were heightened to an absurd degree, but there was no way they could penetrate the void of space. And yet… I felt a presence that seemed familiar, as if I had met it before.
It isn't Being X; he wouldn't use a shuttle.
There were only a few docking places, so I made ready a kilometer away from the one we had guided it to. They would need to enter, and then I would observe exactly who I was dealing with. The figure approached down the hall, their footsteps echoing in my skull in a way that had nothing to do with my superior hearing.
As he came into sight, I kept my grip on the gun in one hand and the previously magically empowered blade in the other. The figure seemed about to walk past, my stealth once again proving effective. Only it wasn't. He stopped and looked me in the eye.
I looked at him and tried to make sense of what I was seeing. There was illusion magic at work, but try as I might, I could not figure out what was real and what was not. It was either a nondescript man in a simple white robe, sized like a regular human, or someone who loomed over me with features blazing with intensity.
"I am the Emperor of Mankind. What has happened to you?" The voice demanded a response; it pressed in on me and echoed through my mind and ears.
Despite the intense pressure, I weathered it. If Being X couldn't cow me with his seemingly unlimited power, neither would this person. I also sensed a stirring from the man before me – a mixture of confusion and anger.
"A lofty title," I said smoothly. "I am Tanya Corax, and I would ask that you dispense with your illusion spell."
The danger spiked, and my body grew taut. This was someone using highly advanced formulae – definitely more advanced than anything I had encountered in my second life.
"What has happened to you? You are not as you ought to be."
The sense of familiarity was overwhelming, as was the unspoken demand to answer. I nearly refused to speak, out of spite alone, but it seemed wiser not to antagonize a fellow mage.
"I found myself on this moon. I was in a highly sophisticated and advanced capsule. I was raised by the slave population here and have just recently overthrown the slave masters. As to what happened to me, and why I am on Deliverance, I have no more knowledge than what I have shared."
He studied me. "Your genetic code has been modified. Something altered you when you were taken from my laboratory."
Considering how closely my features matched those of my second life, I knew exactly who was fucking with me – Being X. My brain now processed thoughts many times faster than in my previous lives, allowing me to sift through multiple facts in near-instantaneous bursts. He had spoken of a laboratory. I was some sort of gene-enhanced superhuman. Yet somehow, I had been taken from him and brought to this moon for reasons unknown. Being X may or may not have been responsible for relocating me, but he was absolutely the one who tampered with my appearance.
Rage and hate filled me.
"Someone took me and modified me? Know that I hate them, but not you. At least, I don't think I do. Was it you who gifted me with this incredible body? I'm so much faster, stronger, and more capable than a regular human. It's incredible."
"Yes, it is. You and your brothers are the pinnacle of our race, crafted from my legacy and infused with every advantage I could devise. Your destiny was to stand by my side as I united humanity. We have lost many years, but the Great Crusade is not yet finished. I have need of you to be the general you were meant to be."
General? Crusade? Ugh, a damned religious fanatic.
I shook my head. "I am thankful for what you have done to improve me, but I have a duty to the people who raised me here." I took a breath. "And I've had my fill of fighting, especially for some religious cause."
He tilted his head toward me, the image of a man radiating power and size now mostly obscuring the average-sized figure beneath.
"This system will fall under the Imperium of Man like all the others. The Great Crusade is not a for the purpose of religion; it abolishes that crude superstition. The central purpose is to unite humanity and protect our species."
I felt a smile form on my lips. "Abolishes you say? Tell me more…"
The Emperor explained more. The scale of what he was doing was unimaginable. Tens of thousands of worlds had already fallen under his control. Fleets of capital ships and millions of soldiers were at his command. He told me of the Nineteenth Legion, the army I was to lead. He spoke of the predation of Xenos and how humanity needed to unite or be devoured as prey by other powers.
I realized that resisting the Imperium would not be possible, even if I managed to take control of Kiavahr. I also didn't want to be a general, but it seemed I was literally bred for it. Not having a choice galled me, but as with joining the Empire, it was better to take the bull by the horns than to be conscripted.
"It seems you are offering me a high-ranking position in your regime. What are the terms?"
"Terms?"
"Yes, how long will I lead? What are the perks? What compensation will I receive?"
He seemed surprised. It wasn't any change in his features, but I sensed it nonetheless.
"You will be given command of nearly 100,000 Legiones Astartes. You will command fleets. Power, glory, and honor are yours. This system will be your seat of power, and you will fight to keep our species alive in a hostile galaxy."
I tilted my head. "All that is wonderful. I especially like how you are gifting me Deliverance – a place I had to conquer. A place you have the military might to overtake easily, yet you wait and do nothing, forcing me to take it for myself, only to then wish to gift it to me."
"I only just found you."
"Cut the crap, Emperor. You are saying the day after a successful rebellion you just happened to be traveling in-system?"
He chuckled. "My, a bold one. I did not have you struggle for no purpose, nor did I know that far in advance you would be here. I can see down many paths of the future, but there are limits."
Hmm, not religious but he believes he can… what? Dream of the future? Or read Tarot cards or something?
"I'll believe you for now, but you are paying me with currency I had to kill to take. I am not unappreciative of what you have done. This body is… I just want to make sure we are on the same page. Gratitude and friendship are useful, but contracts and formal agreements are what civilization is all about."
A moment hung in the air and he gestured.
"Very well, tell me, what do you desire?"
What did I desire? Well, autonomy for one. I also didn't want to be at the mercy of some bureaucracy for supplies and logistics. I remember the Eastern Front and its lack of good coffee, proper clothing, and adequate equipment.
"I want clear-cut objectives. I want a timetable with stretch goals, where accomplishing more grants me bonuses in resources. I want technology for my people, and the worlds I bring into Compliance are to be my fiefs. I will still provide the Imperial Tithe you describe – seriously, a tithe – but anything else, such as laws, industry, and government order, is to be mine."
His gaze did not change in the slightest, yet it was still sharper.
"One of your brothers oversees many worlds, but full autonomy is not acceptable. I intend to unite humanity."
We dickered back and forth. I got the impression this was a rather novel experience for him. Despite having spoken for hours, there was a vast informational asymmetry between us. Yet I also felt I was obtaining things my brothers did not have.
My first goal would be to 'conquer' Kiavahr and bring it under the Imperium's control. From there I could organize the government as I wished and appoint a Governor. So long as the Imperial Tithe came in, the planet could be administered as I saw fit, though within two years a fleet would arrive to take me to Terra so that I could assume command of the Raven Guard. The legion that had been created with my gene-seed. From there I would lead the Raven Guard and be given several systems to bring into Compliance. Should I succeed, I would be allowed to administer those planets as I saw fit.
Well… there are exceptions.
Religion was to be replaced with the Imperial Truth, the belief that there were no gods, no angels, and no devils. While I despised the worship of Being X and the way religious folk tried to impose their beliefs through state action, this wasn't much different. If someone wanted to believe in gods, Santa, or whatever else, it shouldn't be the Imperium's concern. Yet, of all the things the Emperor discussed with me, this was the one point that left absolutely no room for compromise.
A second sticking point was the allied nation called the Mechanicum. They were based on Mars and handled all the major industrial worlds and oversaw the use of technology.
"I don't mind having my world, and in the future multiple worlds, working with the Mechanicum, but they do not get to overrule me on what happens on these planets. From what you describe, these are more advanced than the Tech-Guilds here, but what you have shared also alarms me. Give me your stretch goals and I will achieve them. But I want an incentive. I can already grasp technical processes with immense ease. I do not need them overriding innovative ideas that may bubble up when I unleash market capitalism on these worlds."
The feeling of even greater surprise than before radiated from him.
"There are agreements with Mars. But there is also flexibility. In exchange for allowing them access to any STCs and other technologies you come across during the Crusade, you will be allowed to rule the system as you see fit. This system is to be a Forge World; however, Mars has never held it in its domain."
The Emperor seemed amused as I began to clarify, but he interjected.
"Yes, worlds, but I will set for you a punishing pace. You will not be able to dally. And it will be you who must negotiate with the Adeptus Mechanicus if you wish to make use of their aid to modernize the systems you take."
He understands the value of carrots at least. Right now I need more information.
I dove into learning as much as I could about his Imperium, as well as probing questions that my vast understanding of technology only partially revealed about how things worked in practice. I sought information on resources, space travel, fuel consumption, and details about the Nineteenth Legion. He answered my queries at length, and my understanding of the galaxy grew.
I learned the names of my brothers. I discovered that the Emperor withheld a personal name, using only his title deliberately and exclusively. My feelings were mixed – it was clear I would be serving a totalitarian dictator. Yet he was someone who appeared capable of reason and seemed willing to accept my desire for autonomy – so long as I delivered results, of course.
Trying to resist being absorbed into his galactic empire was futile. We hammered out the agreement in full, and I learned that I was near immortal.
"You can be slain in battle. There may be unique Xenos diseases that could harm you. Functionally, you should not age, but it has only been a couple of hundred years since your creation."
I blinked. "Was I in stasis?"
He considered the question for several moments. "Perhaps. Travel through the Warp can alter the passage of time."
I grimaced. That would be rather unfortunate for delicate timetables for my stretch goals.
"Fear not, the Warp is calm and will likely be so for some time."
I nodded. "Emperor, it is clear you are using some advanced formula to alter your appearance and create a sensation of awe. Do you have those equations so that I may try?"
Danger spiked again as he studied me. This sort of empathic presence from the Emperor of Mankind was strange. Why could I sense it? I could read the people of Deliverance's emotions by observing physical cues, hearing slight shifts in voice pitch, and even smelling their perspiration, but this was something else entirely.
"I sense you have used Psyker abilities. Show me what you can do with them."
The term was strange, and oddly, the information was not in the vast and incomprehensibly detailed knowledge stored in my mind, but the context was clear – my magical abilities. So I showed off a bit. I generated a protective barrier shimmering with faint light, then conjured an optical illusion that twisted and shimmered before his eyes.
I felt as if I were presenting before the entire company, such was the intensity of his golden gaze. He warned me to be cautious with my 'gifts' and to limit myself to what I currently knew. That, however, was not enough for me.
"I want to learn more. I agree, attempting to use magic…"
I was pinned to the wall in an instant by unseen force.
"Not magic. Psyker powers are not magic, do not you use that term lightly."
"Sure, I will avoid using that word. We have started on the right foot, but assaulting your employees for breaking some legal or social taboo in their word usage isn't ideal. Can you give me a list of forbidden terms?"
A strange admixture of amusement, frustration, and irritation arose from the Emperor.
"Avoid speaking of your powers at all. When you arrive on Terra, you will receive additional instruction on how to use your Psyker abilities safely. You will have your two years, but I will be attaching a few of my Custodian Guard – my elite bodyguard – to watch over you in the interim. They are to protect you personally once you have taken the planet, and are not to be used to take Kiavahr."
A test then. But why attach bodyguards? Hmm…
"Thank you, sir. I will be glad to have fine warriors attending to my safety. They can also help bring me up to speed on matters within the Imperium."