Although I didn't want to, Roboute convinced me to return to the Fringe via Terra, and help the Imperium Sanctus by establishing a stronger Forge World at Jupiter, since Forge World Mars decided to fly away on the other side of the zone. So I split the Crusade Fleet into two, a small fleet of 100 cruisers to escort my Singularity to Terra, while the Blackstone Forts and the bulk of my ships headed directly for the Machine Forge. Which now had changed its name into Forge Machina, at least on the Imperial maps I could find.

Then again, their Titan Legion was called Deus Ex Machina, so it probably shifted in my absence to adjust. And it sounded more High Gothic too, so not all bad.

I suspected the C'tan Zarhulash had a finger on the scale too.

Thus, the second I arrived in the Sol system, a howl of joy filled the void, then Canis, Patrocles and Purity barged inside my ship and dog-pilled me.

Smiling wide, I stilled myself gently to withstand the bus-sized wolf from slamming me into the deck, then hugged my family with a wide hug.

"Look at you Canis, grown so big! You must be driving the Starchild poor, by eating so much." I exclaimed while a towel-sized tongue slathered me from head to toe.

"Woo. Worf!" Canis answered smartly, then ran off to wolf-wrestle with Lash, while Purity waved a hand to clean me up for a kiss on my angelic cheek.

"Daddy! You've also grown a bit. Look, you're almost as tall as Patrocles! And young again?" she observed with a glance at her older brother.

"Eh. Warp stuff I guess. Even got a new finger from my latest adventure." I explained jokingly, and wiggled my left hand to show six fingers on it.

"That's... Hmmm. Eleventh Legion stuff, maybe?" Patrocles asked rhetorically.

"The Starchild should know. Every Primarch got something extra added to them, but I'm glad I didn't get a Helix gene and a coat of fur on my back. Not that Canis isn't great, but I'm sure he would prefer not to take transhumanism to Futar lengths. " I mused with a sad tone, and glanced at my half-human friend in wolf clothes.

Canis sniffed and lay down beside Lash, now that proper greetings have been exchanged.

Patrocles frowned in silence, while Purity seemed shocked for a moment. "Oh. I understand now. A gene-seed failure." she said with a lamenting voice while her eyes became dark.

There was more to this than gene-seeds, since I got Canis as a young puppy that fit in my hand, not an adolescent wolf resulted from failed implantation. Someone had played God with human genome in the distant past, likely some Federation genetor with no regard for human rights. Then again, they did the same with the Votann cloneskins and the Ogryns as well as numerous other abhuman races in the galaxy, even the Navigators. Maybe the Blanks as well.

I measured my daughter with my other senses, but it seemed the Starchild hasn't stuck his elbows inside her, like Janice had been. Only the use of the Shadowlight artifact to increase her psyker powers, and the usual silver hair from the exposure to the Golden Throne. Then again, the Starchild lived inside Magnus, and Primarchs were not reproducing via natural means. It seemed Purity was a rather prophetic name for her.

"Well then. I should start with the mega-engineering part now. Lash, feel free to fix my mistakes. Orbital mechanics are still hard for a mere human like me." I decided next, and went to sit in my Command Throne.

"...mere human?" I heard Patrocles mutter as I brought out a metal moon and started constructing orbital elevators and a few Hive cities on the surface.

Lash took care of adjusting the orbit of the new moon around Jupiter, then helped me assemble a ring of shipyards and repair stations around the moon. Then he also moved the orbit of Ceres around Jupiter as well, to give it some natural gravity and heat, and began setting new metal asteroids as fort layers around the new Forge. Then I flash-forged Voidsteel chains to tie the asteroids into another ring. A wedding ring fit for my precious daughter.

One last thing. Another Castigator Titan, such that Purity could protect the cradle of humanity with more than her psyker powers.

It was not a Psi-Titan, but surely the Starchild could modify it later. For now, I just watched as Purity took her giant Titan for a spin, dancing in the storm of the Great Spot and emerged with drops of Jupiter in her hair, after dive-bombing the gas giant with loud shrieks of joy.

"Best gift ever!" she exclaimed and jumped in my arms when she returned.

"I shall name it Maximus. So, do you want a cape on it, Purity?" I asked with a knowing voice.

"A red one." she confirmed while Lash crafted a red-shroud cape flowing via C'tan magic. 'Phase cloak, will not snag on buildings.' the C'tan said with a childish voice.

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A good choice, in hindsight.

Purity had Maximus wave a corvette-sized power fist in salute, then it descended into the gas layers of Jupiter, hidden from sight until needed for battle.

My son Patrocles sighed audibly, and pointed his thumb towards Earth. I guess I should meet the Starchild in person. At least make sure the Blanks will not be persecuted again, after I left.

"Don't eat anyone without me!" I spoke out loud, then fell through the tesseract, reaching the Eternity Gate in a single step. Most of the Imperial Palace was missing, with a giant plaza the size of the Himalaya mountains in its place.

"He holds sermons here. You should see this place when it's filled with a trillion people." Patrocles said with a level voice, while ignoring the Titans and Grey Knights guarding the gate.

"By Glamour?" I asked a bit curious of the logistics. The Starchild still had to sit on the throne, and light up the Astronomican.

"Sometimes yes, other times he uses a burn-out battery to appear in person. No more than one hour, in that case." Patrocles revealed with a careless tone.

A non-infirm Grey Knight came to meet us at the door, and stared at my face for a long minute. "Lord Pef Lancefire, recognized." he spoke with a weird inflection that caused golden waves around him.

"Yes, I recognize you too. Your leg seems better." I answered with a faint smile, then sighed as his flying skull came to scan me as well.

"The stigma of malice lingers on you, Blacksoul. May the God-Emperor cleanse your soul." the Grey Knight spoke in a normal voice, and only nodded towards Patrocles as the gate opened for me once more.

I was a bit surprised to see only 20 Custodes remained to guard the Golden Throne, their missing numbers replaced by 10000 Grey Knights in silver armor, and 10000 auramite-armored Thalax suits containing Blank pilots. Possibly the Blanks I sent from my Blank City, or part of them anyway. I was wondering what happened to the men, and now I found out.

"Come closer, my son. I see someone has distorted your body and soul greatly." the Starchild spoke kindly from his Golden Throne, his words washing away the tiredness of building a Forge World with my mind and willpower.

So I walked on my two feet like a normal man, and approached the throne, to find three eyes measuring me with interest.

"Is that third eye supposed to be open?" I asked instead, and heard Patrocles face-slap himself for my bad diplomatic skills. I probably shouldn't have mentioned that out loud.

"I heard so much about you, Pef Lancefire. Now I see why." the Starchild said with mild amusement, and the air inside the giant cavern began to turn golden.

I just stared at my hand, as the Emperor's magic worked on me still, removing the extra finger without surgery. Or more likely, via psychic surgery.

"I guess I entered superposition with Malice for a second, when I smashed through him. Something of his essence stuck to me?" I wondered in a gentle voice, as my heart began to warm up inside me.

"Bronze Age myths, nothing more. But anarchy was a popular current in M2, if I recall correctly. Bulgaria, Serbia, Spain...such ancient times indeed." the Starchild mused in a reminiscent voice, no doubt sensing things in my soul I have forgotten for a thousand years. Or, 40000 years, with the right perspective.

"Anything else?" I asked more directly.

"You must be eager to return to the Fringe, and see how your domain is faring. I understand. But, do return to Mars in 32 Solar years. We will need your aid again." the Starchild spoke with a gentle voice while his third eye closed and the air became breathable again.

I banged my cured left fist on the twin-eagle on my chest then walked away. He wasn't so bad, the Starchild. Perhaps too powerful to be around long, but Purity seemed to manage.

I stopped for a moment as I recognized the face inside a Thalax suit, but the Blank cyborg inside was mind-wiped already. Jurgen's child. Oh well. He was at the side of the Emperor now, a better fate than most in this cursed universe.

'Don't use my children this way, Starchild. Feral Blanks are one thing, my bloodline another. They are not the Emperor's Children.' I spoke via the Sounding Board, just before I stepped through the gate.

'I heard you warn the Hive Mind in the Hidden Library, Lancefire. After you deal with Arachnae , we will speak again.' the Starchild answered in my mind, but using my family's empathic channel, instead of the regular friends and allies channel I sent the message on.

Very strange, but not beyond a God's power. Or maybe he didn't cheat, and just used what was more appropriate. Something to think about on the way home.