Editing Warhammer High (section)

=The News=
Terra, Imperial Palace Astrotelepathic Station: M34.280

Plugged into the myriad devices that allowed her to see and speak across the universe, Senior Astrotelepath Liana studied the formless landscape of the Warp and listened for messages from the furthest reaches of the Empire. Being an Astropath on Holy Terra was a near-painless experience: the proximity of the God-Emperor calmed the Warp and allowed Astropaths to do their work nearly strain-free, and so Liana idly studied the shifting colors and lights and awaited transmissions. Suddenly the colors and shapes began to pulsate and flare violently, the signs of information traffic through the Warp. Just as Liana opened her mind to receive and decode the news, she realized her mistake.

What had begun as a single message rapidly became 2, then 4, then more. At her station and the astrotelepathic stations around her, red lights lit up and alarms went off. Technicians and supervisors watched in horror as the astropaths spasmed violently with the force, ripping wires from their harnesses and life support monitors. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Most of the astropaths slumped over in their seats, and the asides hurried through each one, finding only minor injuries and occasionally, a small amount of blood. The Magos on shift stepped in front of Liana’s station and his mechadendrites began uncoupling her from her station.

“We have important news, I would imagine”, he said, his monotone voice sounding as if this happened every day, “Can you tell me what it is?”

Liana blinked and shook her head. Her head was pounding like she had just been hit with a Battle-Barge, but she quickly shook off the pain and examined the messages. “…..No. The messages come from across the galaxy: Macragge, Nocturne, Cthonia, Caliban, but….they’re all encrypted above my clearance. I cannot read the messages, Magos.”

For all of a second, the Magos did nothing, possibly thinking as his internal machinery whirred and clicked. “Very well”, it said, “We bring this message to the Omnissiah”. There was a faint burst of static as Liana assumed the Magos used some sort of internal vox, then a Speeder transport painted crimson and gold and embossed with the Imperial Eagle landed expertly outside the station. A single Custodes dressed in full battle plate stepped out the back and swiftly approached the two.

“This one has news for the Emperor, Magos?” His eyes did not leave Liana, and she cringed inwardly at the lack of expression on his face.

“Yes, Lord”, replied the Magos. “The information we received is above her clearance level, and as she is the Senior Astropath on duty…”

The Custodes didn’t even wait for the Magos to finish speaking. He simply lifted Liana as if she weighed nothing and headed back to the Speeder. Once he stepped through the back hatch, he laid Liana into a grav couch and strapped her in. The rear hatch closed silently and the craft immediately took to the air and accelerated. As she felt the G-forces on her body, Liana wondered where she was being taken to.

“You have news for the Emperor. He is not in the Throne right now. He is with the Eldar representative. We will bring your news to him.” Liana noticed as the craft banked and changed speeds that the golden-armored warrior was content to stand perfectly relaxed, as if he was anchored to the floor.

As the craft sped through the Imperial palace, Liana was able to gaze out the viewport and think about what was going on. Caliban, Nocturne, Cthonia….those were all home worlds to the different Space Marine Legions. So something had just happened simultaneously across the galaxy to at least 5 Legions of Space Marines. Liana quailed as she tried to consider what news she could possibly be bringing the God- Emperor of Mankind. At this last thought, the Custodes tilted his head.

“Be at ease”, he said. “If there was any information of a tactical significance, it would not have even made it to you. Many of the Primarchs have special channels or means to pass along information that is urgent”.
That only served to confuse Liana even more, and so she returned to her impromptu tour of the palace. The transport was now passing through the section where Emperor had had great facades the size of buildings of his children and their Legions constructed: Leman Russ, looking vicious with a pair of vicious wolves at his heels and his Space Marines racing through the ruins of some city, Lorgar at the pulpit addressing a large congregation of his warriors and new citizens to the Imperium, Horus and his Sons marching in perfect formation at the Triumph of Ullanor, and on and on.

Near the end of this ceremonial hall, the craft passed through two newer chambers. The first showed a warrior in silver armour with a two-handed hammer of some sort, fighting viciously with a monstrosity from the Warp, while his Space Marines nearby were gunning down other creatures with wrist-mounted bolters or impaling them on weapons that crackled with deadly energy. Behind them loomed what Liana had always thought was a faintly ridiculous machine, a mech more than double the size of the surrounding marines, with the pilot secured to the chest by nothing more than a harness. The Custodes, one Mattias 'Spiritual Liege' Ward, informed her that the pilot was protected by a near-impenetrable force field, but Liana was still not convinced. Under the rendition, a golden script read “Grand Master Janus: Primarch of the XXI Legion” and beneath that “The Emperors’ Daemonhunters, Legion XXI: The Grey Knights”.

Liana remembered hearing about Janus. Once the Emperors most loyal bodyguard, next to even the great Constantin Valdor, who to many was no more than a myth, he was granted the highest honor the Emperor could bestow: his geneseed was mass-produced and implanted into soldiers to produce a new legion of Space marines, trained solely to hunt the daemons from the Warp, and Valdor was made its Primarch. Most of the other Primarchs assisted to make them what they were: Magnus developed a system of wards that were written into their skin to protect them from daemons and Warp energy; Lorgar developed a book of prayers and litanies to hone the Knights' minds and keep them focused; Gulliman and Corax sent specialists to train the new Legion in small-unit tactics, because the Knights needed to be nearly everywhere in the universe and were permanently spread thin. Vulkan and Ferrus Manus seconded their finest weapon and armor smiths to keep the Knights well-equipped. The next chamber was part of the reason for this new specialty legion.

In the center of a massive chamber near the heart of the imperial Palace stood an enormous statue of the Emperor of Mankind in golden armor flanked by Custodes and the Sisters of Silence, facing a delegation of Eldar led by Eldrad Ulthran. Eldrad had found the Emperor at the outset of the Great Crusade and warned the Emperor of the dangers of Warp beings. As a show of loyalty, Eldrad was able to get the Eldar to cease aggression against the Imperium. Slowly, the tenuous cease-fire solidified into a Treaty, then a pact of mutual assistance between the two races. During the Crusade, Fulgrim and his Legion had run across maiden worlds that the Eldar had planned to return to, and with coordination between the Imperium and the Eldar, the Eldar had managed to start anew on the eastern fringe of the galaxy. Now the Emperor worked together frequently with Eldrad; Liana mused that maybe powerful psykers attracted their own. It was the Eldar who first insisted that the Emperor take the threat from the Warp more seriously and resulted in the creation of the Grey Knights. As the speeder passed out of the chamber and into another tunnel, the monument faded from view to be replaced by more of the palace. Liana leaned back on her couch and rested her eyes.


Liana opened her eyes as she felt deceleration and blinked away some sleep; her vanguard still immobile in the center of the craft. After a fast but smooth descent, the speeder came to a stop and opened its rear hatch. The Custodes leaned forward and quickly unbuckled Liana, then stepped out of the speeder. “Move quickly. We do not keep the Master of Mankind waiting”.

Liana’s heart rate picked up as she stepped out. They were just outside of the palace, in a beautiful garden on top of one of the mountains the palace was built into. The air was warm and a pleasant breeze carried the scent of exotic flowers through the air. About 20 feet away the Emperor stood in a clean crimson robe and conversed quietly with the Eldar Farseer who, without his bizarre helmet on, looked almost human. Liana realized that she for all her years in the Palace, she had never seen the Emperor in person before; this was the opportunity of a lifetime. She was about to step forward and speak when a man in dark blue robes blocked her view.

“You have news for the Emperor”, he said flatly.

“Y-Yes”, Liana replied. “I received some news that was above-“

“It was not a question”, the man snapped tersely. “I am Malcador. You will give your news to me.”

Liana’s eyes bulged, Malcador, the Emperor’s advisor? “I told you, Lord, I cannot access the infor-“

“Of course you can’t, fool. Open your mind to me and I will retrieve the information”. With that, he placed his hands on either side of Liana’s head.

Liana saw flashes of space in her head, then some of the primarchs- Russ, Vulkan, The Lion… they were with women, and… Liana’s eyes grew large, and Malcador’s jaw dropped. He quickly released her head and spun to the meeting. “My Lord Emperor!” he called out. “News from your sons!”

The two psychic superpowers didn’t even appear perturbed; they merely turned to look at Malcador.

“Robute, Vulkan, Horus, The Lion and Russ are going to be fathers! All of them to little girls!”

Eldrad looked confused. “I suppose a congratulations is in order?” asked the Eldar Farseer. His voice was simultaneously smooth and unnatural to Liana’s ears.

Malcador put his face in his hands. “How in the Warp…? Why did they all have to be girls?”
[[Just as planned|Liana saw a faint smile played across the Emperor’s lips.]]