After letting the C'tan setup my second Tesseract to include an hyper-accelerated time field, I moved inside the labyrinth and painfully waited and waited.

It is much easier to say than do, and in this case: 1000 years of loneliness was hard. Luckily I was more than a simple human now, and my MIU contained countless books and technical data, enough to last me 1010 years.

Adding to this daily sword training, some shooting practice, some sleeping...it was still crazy. As my body grew, so did my mind, and likely my soul.

I couldn't test the latter, but I felt safer. As if some type of invisible armor protected me from bad things. Warp things especially. Damn it! I forgot to bring Canis. Next time, if I ever try this stupid thing again.

My body was the easiest to test, especially strength. I got twice as strong, but only gained 10 centimeters in height. No wonder Primarchs were so freakishly strong!

And I was still a midget among Space Marines, and a puny dwarf compared to the Primaris version.

As for my mind, it did get easier and easier the more I learned, or when I revisited harder sections a few centuries later. As for the STC work, I focused on the genetics, especially Blank data from the Culexus Temple and the Demiurg cloneskeins. Now, you may say, was it a bit narcissistic to claim you are the best clone template for a whole race?

But would anyone else have my special enhanced Blankness? Would they have both Luck and Ancestral Awakening? My special talent for implants, up to piloting Titans now?

The ability to become Space Marines, and even withstand the Red Thirst? Creating shadows and Null Fields?

There was one thing I did not have though. Any psyker power to activate the Demiurg Barrier-tech.

And whoever would bear that burden, would also need to be my kind of Blank. Although I did have gene-samples from Justine, Janice, Abelsalom, Vaedrax and Lady Chi, only Janice had both gifts.

But using Janice was tricky. The Emperor wouldn't like his Adepta Tertia getting cloned over and over, and the clones dying often enough. And I think he already sleeps with her. I mean, her mother was gorgeous anyways, but a Blank was also immune to any mutation. She came out as perfect as any parent would want, and then became very strong as well. Not even the Emperor could find a better match. If I get the chance, I will call him Son at their wedding. Just once, but it would be fun. For me.

Anyways, I can use Valerian, or some of my other low-power dual Librarians like Menelau...which would need their consent and help. They are all fairly weak though. I don't need them to crack planets like Janice, but at least a continent? They can barely shatter Knights! Normal guns can do that too...heavy guns, but you get it.

Damn it! I could have brought a few women...stupid Pef!

After a millennium of boredom and loneliness, which lasted less than a month for the universe, I emerged from the tesseract a different man. The same man, but different.

"Better and stronger. You were correct, Pef Lancefire!" Zarhulash observed in a surprised voice.

"Still a runt." Lash muttered without a care. Go die in a sun!

And a hundred unanswered messages on my implant.

A single click, and I brought Canis to me. It seems he was worried, by his frantic eyes. "Canis, you were good?"

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"Woooh, cooooo!" the wolf cried and buried me in his fur. I felt the same, to be fair. He has only missed me for a month, I missed him for 12000 months.

"At least his recovery was accelerated by your absence. He should eat more too!" Lash said in an analytic tone, while examining the wolf with curious eyes.

"Grrr!" Canis growled at the C'tan, as fearless as ever. "Good boy! Now, tell me what's been going on?" I demanded stupidly.

"Woo, woohh, woooo!" the wolf replied cogently. Inquisitors. Wife. Loud. Translating emotions is even harder for non-humans.

"Now I'm going to the Machine Forge. Want to join?" I asked politely. Canis frowned at me, then sat down. Okay, loud machines are not fun.

"You realize the wolf can't understand words, right?" Lash asked stupidly.

I just smiled and vanished, to step inside Fabricator's Gemma office. She measured me for a minute, as if confused. Oh, right! I was taller, had a beard and long hair. Time flies.

"Chronal disturbance. It was a bit longer for me." I explained with a careless shrug.

"I figured you did something unwise. Maybe went to kill a Tyranid fleet by yourself. Or some Black Crusade. A Necron Dynasty perhaps?" she asked in a callous voice.

I mean I did do all those things, just not by myself. Not yet.

"So, there's an Inquisitor?" I guessed at random. Canis could be wrong.

"Right! From Ordo_Machinum . Her name is Selen_Thakra . Psyker as well, possibly Gamma rating. There have been a number of STCs appearing here, as you may suspect." the Fabricator Gemma said in a softer voice, as she climbed on top of me. She must really like those STCs, as she was oiled completely.

Not that I minded, bereft of woman touch for a few lifetimes. Even android sex was great!

Hours later, she chased me out of her office. "Princeps Dae wants to see you too. If you could check your messages." she said with a tentacle wave.

"I was preoccupied. Anything else?" I asked from the door.

"Orks here and Necrons close. We obtained a hundred new hulls to repair. Some Imperial planets down south got emptied of all life" the Fabricator explained curtly.

Oh well. If the Orks wanted to donate more hulls and metal to my Forge, they were welcome to come again.

As for the Necrons...

"You must be Rogue Trader Lancefire!" A thin woman intercepted me outside the door, her voice loud and powerful. "Lady Selen?" I asked with a small bow. She was a bit cute, bob hair and all. And a psylancer pistol at her hip, beside an active Rosarius.

She stopped and stared at me for a minute. "Was that flirting? I am not used to that." she asked a bit coy. She was expecting something.

"Hmmm. Too early to tell, I would say. Credentials!" I continued in a slightly harsher voice, and pressing my Null Field out a little. The Rosarius shield won't help her.

Inquisitor Selen paled, sensing her soul being drawn into me. A cog-laced Rosette was presented at speed. Good. At least the Clavis engrams are correct. Not that my Fabricator would let a fake Inquisitor live for long.

"You came to see the STCs?" I asked while drawing the null aura back.

She recovered rapidly and frowned. "If you agree, Lord Lancefire." she spoke in a more quiet voice. Good enough.

"Titan Hall first." I offered curtly, then moved us directly there. No point wasting hours with transport.

We just stared for a few minutes, because Titans are just that impressive.

"That Titan can fly? Or rather float..." the Inquisitor observed after a while.

"We do have grav tech, even on Terra." I answered with a shrug.

She almost glared at me, before focusing back on the floating Warlord Titan.

So she can learn too! Even better.

"Nobody has flying Titans, Lord Lancefire. Not even Mars itself. Tanks, I saw a few, like the new Astraeus_Super-heavy_Tank . This is unique enough." she spoke a bit wary.

"I don't have STCs for this. It was an experiment I obtained in a trade. But if tanks can fly, Titans can't be far." I concluded with a smile.

"Show me more!" she whispered a bit incensed. Well, then. I had been starved for women for a while.

"Dinner first!" I proposed gallantly. I was a Noble after all. Could afford to wine and dine a lady.