As the Halo Crusade Fleet enters the Ultima Segmentum, my Astartes Chapters split off towards their affiliated Forge Worlds to spread out more STC templates and rare minerals, as well as to claim Hive Worlds as their recruiting worlds and gather their own Auxilia.
I bestow my sons with a great deal of advanced weapons and Invictus Suits, as well as repulsor tanks and Guardian walkers for their tech-marines. Thus, 60000 Blank Astartes make their way into the galaxy while my own force diminishes to only 10000 Astartes I will keep as Lancefire Domain protectors.
I still have 2 million Thalax cyborgs and 100 strike cruisers, but my battleships and battlebarges have all been gifted away to the new Blank Chapters, as well as the Drop Cruisers my sons will need to assault or defend worlds.
But this is not a drain on my resources, or only a temporary one. For at Machine Forge, I have now 40 Forge Worlds expeditions, each bringing their own expertise in various fields, from cogitators and logis-engines to weapons and armor, fabrication lines and exotic technologies like Nova Cannons or gravity tech.
Mighty Zarhulash, the C'tan shard inhabiting the Pharos is glad to see me, and somewhat surprised I have survived my quest to recover the Breath of Gods. Or that I remained sane, most likely.
The Speranza AI is instead horrified of learning of my adventures, mostly those among the Votann in the Galactic Core. I won't bother you will all the insults that grated my ears.
"And you even stole the Ironhead Votann from Necromunda? That thing is not only insane, but also stronger than me! For I am shackled with Abominable Intelligence overrides, and the Votann Core is not." the Speranza yelled from its shackled Ironkin remote.
I held out my palm, and the Blade AI poked its head out as a blue holographic woman. "Humans are quite bothersome, aren't they, big brother?" she asked in a melodic voice.
The Speranza sputtered for a second, and locked its powerful noosphere gaze on the tiny Blade. "A Federation AI? Some kind of time-jump experiment?"
"...Yes?" Blade whispered gently.
"The Blade of Infinity! Why are you so weak?" Spereanza asked a bit surprised.
The hologram glanced at me, then looked down. "The Fall of the Eldar didn't allow the research team enough resources. Nor did the Council approve our mission, considering it wasteful. Only a pair of time-jump ships were constructed, using whatever was available. Civilian tech mostly."
"I guess we can move your core mind into a Demiurg Fane. Though it would be a pity to destroy the senile mining servers..." the Speranza mused in a slow manner, likely calculating loss and rewards for such a trade.
The Blade smiled and glanced at me. Right, it was my turn to explain.
"About that. My new powers will allow me to construct Federation-grade data-cores. I already built about 20 of them for different polities, but I will take care of my domains even better. I'll have to ask the Votann if it wants a dozen new cores as well." I offered with a genial smile.
The huge armored remote of the Speranza stepped next to me, then crushed me in a bear hug powered by hydraulic pistons. My Terminator plate withstood it, with protesting groans. "At least there is that. The plan will move forward much faster this way." Speranza declared in a hopeful tone.
Leaving a holograhpic projector on the desk, I waved the Blade to jump ships and talk with Speranza while I went to visit Zarhulash and check on the galaxy with the Pharos.
Lady Valyene was already here, with a holoscreen lit up to project the galaxy map, and all known forces.
The Tyranids with their red and brown symbols were still expanding, and often clashing with the green Ork sigils as well as Necron and Eldar symbols, beside the golden Aquila of the Imperium.
As a visual aid, the galactic map was already helpful, but it didn't compare with the real thing.
I sat on my adamantium chair and opened my mind to the wide senses of the Pharos device.
'Pef Lancefire, your presence has grown. You have opened the seal as well.' Zarhulash spoke in my mind, as I gazed over my domain in the Fringe.
Colonization was already in progress in the Ork worlds were have scoured before leaving, as the chainswords of our Sentinels were busy with clearing up farm land and providing construction material for the waves of new immigrants. Our PDF was still fighting some beasts and feral Orks, though mostly by poking and then running back to the Tarantula turrets safety. Lasguns and shovels of the PDF were not exactly sufficent to deal with 10 meters tall reptiles or small hordes of axe-wielding Orks, but the turrets were meant to deal with far worse enemies.
I did have the Void Spinner tech from the nice Eldar Farseer back at Exnihilo, so cleaning up Ork spores will become far easier soon. It make take a decade or two for my Librarians to tour the entire Lancefire domain and exterminate the Ork spores, but at least this problem was solvable, and quite soon.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
I checked on the Tau next, to find their Star Empire much reduced by the lack of xenos allies or human worlds, but also experimenting with plasma mortars similar to my new ones. Clever ones, the sneaky Tau. They always found the best way to destroy an enemy at range, and it even seemed to work somewhat against Necrons. Then again, plasma was a great counter against necrodermis as well as pretty much anything else.
The Ultramar domain was under attack by Chaos Plague Ships spreading disease and corruption, and 40000 Ultramarines and their succesors were fighting back with bolter and sword. Didn't go that well either. I guess I should help, right? Couldn't do much about the plagues, but at least I could cripple the Plague Ships with Nova mines displaced inside their hulls.
I reached 93 deep-strikes when the effort began to overwhelm me. There were still a few ships left, so I could only send small melta bombs on their pox-filled bridges. And my mind began to sway and vison to blur. Still, not bad for a day's work. Unless the Plague ships entered the Warp soon, I will find them and blow them up tomorrow.
"Mighty Zarhulash...we have much to talk. When I wake up." I muttered as I displaced myself right in my bed.
-------------------------------------------------
The Inquisitor Lady Valyene Ramaeus Lancefire watched the cauldron symbols vanish one by one from the galactic map, then raised her eyes to look the giant xenos godling in his alien eyes.
"I'd guess those were Nurgle worshippers that my husband just killed?" she asked out loud. Pef always struck at Chaos first, making his targets rather predictable sometimes.
"...Etheric emanations with Type 4 decay imprints. Temporarily de-localized from this dimension plane. Nega-psi weaponry or logopedic reversal is requiered to permanently destroy this kind of etheric enemies. You will need either Pariah gene carriers or Anathemic Type 5 powers to obliterate them, Inquisitor. Or perhaps Necron Pylons and Blackstone forts, if available." the C'tan answered in his alien way.
"Silent Sisters, I get it. And maybe Saints? Spelling their True Names in reverse as well. As for Necron Pylons, we only have one installed on the Eternal Lament. Doesn't do much that I could see." she mused in a thoughtful voice. It fit with her own knowledge about combating daemons and their servants.
"The current timeline will end soon, Inquisitor. The galaxy has begun to split apart, with the faultline spreading out from Terra. Luckily for us, here in the Eastern Fringe, the new Eye will not burn too bright. If a powerful enough source is installed on the Pharos, I might be able to provide shade for the Lancefire Domain, and several sectors around." the C'tan added with a tinge of emotion, perhaps worry.
The Inquisitor just nodded slightly, hiding her fear. Now the trillions of immigrants leaving Holy Terra began to make sense. The Emperor was very aware of this event, if He was evacuating people in such large numbers. As for a new Eye centered on Terra...if it resembled the Fall of the Eldar, then whatever God was being born will be fueled by enormous human sacrifice.
"Do you know the name of the God being born?" she asked in a hopeless voice.
"You already know it. Everyone knows it. The Weapon, the Anathema, the Star Child. I predict he will call itself Judgement. The Imperium calls him God-Emperor, with hope in their trillions of voices. They won't be so hopeful when his eye opens." the C'tan whispered with a gloomy voice.
Valeyne fell to her knees, as her last drop of hope shattered.
"Stand up, Valyene Lancefire! Your old worlds ends, but you are not that old person anymore. You are a Lancefire now! If there is any safe place in the galaxy, it is here. Even Gods thread ligthly in this place, for Pef Lancefire lives here." the C'tan Star God encouraged her with a strange tone, almost admiring.
Her eyes became hard and cold, and she rose straight and determined. "We are Lancefires, and fear nothing. For we are what they fear!" she proclaimed with newfound strength.
"Good. Now step closer and let us see about that Nexus you wear. You can't be a proper Lancefire and be weaker than a single Titan Legion." Zarhulash offered as living stone steps flowed up from the floor.
Valyene climbed the steps and reached eye to eye with the imprisoned Shard. The C'tan was afraid of her husband, that much was clear, so she shouldn't be in danger. Then a tentacle made of living metal pierced her forehead, and the agony began.