I smile as I watch my sisters getting along perfectly and decide to leave them to it in their room. After performing a medical check on Aurelia and ensuring nothing is wrong with her body, other than the obvious, I am relieved to find her clean of any dangerous diseases or afflictions. With a few administrations of nutrient shots, she is ready to grow into a proper Primarch.
I return to the bridge and take the captain's seat. Ana wraps her arms around me and whispers,
"Are you tired, Captain? Do you need to relax?"
"Maybe later. For now, I need to search for my other sisters."
"Even then, you need to relax, Theo."
I hum softly as Ana begins to massage me. Her hands move skillfully, and I release a long sigh. I suppose I can take a break every now and then. I let her work, and when she is finished, I look up at her beautiful face.
She really is stunning.
"How is it?"
"It is very good. Thank you, Ana. I think I will want that more often."
"Of course! I am more than happy to look after you, Captain."
With a lighter heart, I study the hologram before me. It is the Star Chart, showing every system in the Star Explorer's database. I need to find my other sisters who are suffering and in need of rescue, but one person in particular comes to mind.
Angron. Poor Angron.
A soul who only wants to die among his family. He yearns for a death that never comes because of his cruel creators. He is someone I must rescue to prevent him from becoming the monster from the original timeline.
Fortunately, Nuceria is near our home system, located within the Ultima Segmentum.
I take a deep breath and enter a meditative state. I dive deep into the Warp, searching for my siblings. I see twinkling stars in the Sea of Souls, but ignore them for now. Instead, I focus on the souls gathered near my home.
A vision slowly appears. I see a blonde-haired baby being carried by a man in Roman-style attire. This must be Konor Guilliman, the adoptive father of Roboute Guilliman. The baby in his hand must be Roboute, my sister.
I look at the child one last time before moving on. Roboute will be fine. She has good parents by her side, and they will help her grow into a great person.
That means the second star is where Angron is located. Her pod is still sailing through the Warp, but I can see it is about to land. I must mark her location and ensure I am not too late to rescue her.
However, before I can act, I feel a heavy sense of Metal and Blood surrounding the pod. It is only through the pod's psychic shielding that this energy is kept from penetrating and corrupting my baby sister.
I know this energy. I know its source. I look toward the origin and see a massive citadel crafted from brass, crystallized blood, and polished bone. Sitting upon a throne of skulls is Khorne, and I know he notices me. He looks at me and takes action.
With a mighty roar, my vision shatters, and I return to the Star Explorer.
"Theo! Theo!"
I snap out of my thoughts to see Ana and my sisters watching me with concern. I offer them a small smile.
"I-I am fine. I just received some backlash while locating our sibling."
"Lord Brother…"
I walk toward my sisters and pull them into a hug, feeling their bodies relax against mine.
"I am okay. It is just a minor backlash, nothing to fear."
After a few moments, I release them.
"In fact, I have found our new sister. What do you think? Do you all want to come with me?"
They look at me for a second before nodding in unison.
"Yes, Lord Brother. Please take me with you."
"En. It is better to go as one."
"Hn. I shall prepare the armor."
I smile and pick them up. Even though Aurelia is nearly as tall as I am, she is light. Petra sits on my right arm, Aurelia on my left, and Kassandra has already claimed my head as her throne.
I catch my reflection in a mirror and chuckle. It looks ridiculous, but I don't mind. A little slice of life is precious in this grimdark universe. I will create my own bubble of happiness and fight even the gods to protect it.
==| Line Break |==
We arrive near Nuceria, the planet where Angron is located. Even without entering the Warp, I can feel the scent of blood coming from the surface. It is a world of savages—the perfect breeding ground for worshippers of Khorne.
"Blood worshippers hold power here and treat the common folk like animals to be hunted."
I look to my side to see Kassandra staring at the planet with a deep frown. She stays silent for a moment before turning to me.
"Brother, we must rescue our sibling and leave this place immediately. We can liberate this world later. The sparks of rebellion need time to catch before we can truly enter and free the people."
She then looks at me.
"We will be fighting the unwilling puppets of the parasites. We must prepare."
I nod my head and say.
"We will do just that, Kassandra. Come on, let's go to the hangar. We're going down to take our brother home."
As I speak, the three of them immediately leave the bridge for their rooms. I begin my own preparations. I know this will be their first real battle. I don't want them fighting so soon, but Kassandra's words convinced me.
"Brother, let us prove ourselves," she said two days ago. "Petra and Aurelia need to show you they are not burdens. This will prevent doubt from causing problems later. Let us fight. You don't need to worry—this is what we were made for. We will survive."
I knew then that she had glimpsed the future and was trying to steer us away from the worst of it. So here we are. Petra is especially eager to prove her worth by creating powerful armor and weapons for the group.
The three of them are eager to train and learn everything I can teach. Even Kassandra is able to use her gifts to land a few clean hits on me when we spar together. She needs the others' help to manage it, but she is capable.
I walk to my armory, where Ana helps me into my gear. I look at the massive mirror and see that my body is still growing. I will reach four meters (~13 feet) soon, and I don't know if that is my peak. Because of my perks and powers, I will reach the absolute pinnacle of my race, and my race is Primarch.
I shake my head and look at Ana, who has already shifted into her battle mode. I envy her new body. Her main chassis is covered in trillions of nanites that she can control at will. She can take any form she desires, making her a living, breathing fortress.
"Are you ready, Ana?"
"Yes, Captain. I am battle-ready."
"Good. We will go now."
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