Editing Ghosts of Rage (Warhammer High) (section)

===Talking to Gramps===

There were few things that actually inspired Furia. One such example was listening to music, which turned out to be a great motivator for her. Watching people fight was another, as she enjoyed the fluidity that came along with it. But there was only one thing that she had seen that would constantly make her stand in awe: the Imperial Palace.

She had come and gone from the place multiple times, yet every time she would see it in a new light. Something would be different that would make her stare a bit longer than normal. So as she was escorted down the hallway into the inner sanctums, she enjoyed the walk with the Custodes warrior as she looked at the new wonders put into place.

“The Emperor is as always quite busy, so he will not be able to see you immediately. Even for family.”

“I know,” Furia responded. “I can wait, it’s not a problem.”

The guard nodded as they arrived to a secluded waiting room. It was a special area where only the most important of VIPs would wait for an audience. It was well furnished with seats and tables and there was a well stocked bar nearby, offering many different varieties of food and drink.

“I can not give you an estimate for his arrival,” the guard told her.

“Well, I guess I won’t be leaving anytime soon then.” Furia plopped down onto a nearby chair and leaned back. The guard bowed slightly and left, leaving her alone in the room.

An hour passed as she lied on the couch, all alone to her thoughts. She kept repeating what she would say in her head, thinking it over carefully as this would be one of the riskiest conversations she would ever have in her lifetime. She needed to be ready for anything.

Thankfully, she didn’t wait long before the main entrance to the Emperor’s area swung open. Out of the two people that came out, she only recognized one. The one she didn’t know seemed to be an Imperial Navy Admiral from the uniform he wore. The man seemed quite old, with a synthetic red eye and a long white beard. His face was scared and wrinkled, leaving very few appealing features. Yet he walked with a certain determination in his step, as if he was a young man ready to fight. Although he might look old, he was young in spirit.

And beside him was her grandfather, seemingly hiding his features as always. Furia had never seen him in his true form, having manipulated his image for years to look like an elder old man. She had grown accustomed to him being like this, enjoying how normal he looked compared to the rest of his family. If anyone could have been deemed to be mortal and average, the Emperor was the one who pulled it off the best amongst all of them.

They were in mid conversation as Furia watched from the side, not interrupting out of respect. They seemed so heated in the argument that they didn’t even notice the red headed teenager, or maybe they did and weren't worried about her hearing anything.

“Lord, we should act now before it is too late. If the Orks are really coming for the Void Walks, then we should prepare the fleet to move before we are left with a system in chaos.”

The Emperor raised his hand to him and nodded sagely. “I understand Rear Admiral Kurk. I just want to be certain of this fact before I send the full might of the Legions to war. If our intelligence would be wrong this time, I know that some of my sons will react slower next time we have an urgent request.”

The Admiral sighed, nodding in agreement. “Of course my Lord. I will send forth the traders to scout out the area once more for further proof of the green skins.” He saluted sharply, seemingly unaware of his age as he did it like a young warrior.

Her grandfather returned the gesture before the admiral left, not even noticing Furia as he walked off in a hurry. And then the two of them remained.

The Emperor’s gaze fell upon her and she knew what he was doing. He sighed briefly as he waved at her. “Come with me, Furia. We have much to talk about.” She remained silent as she walked up beside him, both moving down the hallway to his inner sanctum. “It is good to see you,” he told her.

“Thanks gramps. It is nice to see you too.”

He put his arm on her shoulder as they arrived to his main room. “I wish you had come with better tidings.” He opened the door and let her in.

She smiled at him. “Yeah, me too.”

If anyone thought that the Emperor, ruler of the Imperium, would live a lavish lifestyle above all else, then they were wrong. Furia had been in this room a couple times and it had never changed. It was a simple office, mostly filled with holograms and computer screens. There was little luxury to be seen and most of it was in the two chairs reserved for dignitaries. Even the Emperor’s ‘throne’ was built for practicality than actual comfort, as it was surrounded by screens and electronics that were beyond her understanding.

“Take a seat,” he told her and she complied as she sat down in one of the two available. Her grandfather walked around his desk and sat down on the throne, pushing some papers around as he leaned back. They stared at each other for several moments, taking each other in when Furia finally broke the silence.

“How much do you know?” she asked him.

He cleared his throat as he began. “Quite a bit. I have known for a while now. I always knew we would have this conversation, I just didn’t know when. To be honest, you beat most of my expectations.”

“You saw this coming? I didn’t know you were a fortune teller,” she jested.

He laughed, a deep chuckle that would always make her feel a bit better. “You don’t get into my position without planning ahead. But I think you already know that.” He leaned forward and extended his hand, grasping her own on the table. It was warm and calmed her down about the entire situation. “Don’t be afraid. I already saw this coming a while ago and thought much of it through. I should have adjusted my estimations when you began taking the medication.”

“What do you think about that?” she asked him.

He shook his head slowly. “I wish it hadn’t come to it, as it closed many options that were available for you to take. In a sense it did force you down this path. When do you plan on leaving?”

She went frigid, realizing that he indeed knew everything. She wondered how good of a chess player he was. He smiled. “I’m better than Isis, that’s for sure.” She nodded slowly as she answered his question, still feeling strange with him using his powers and all.

“During the first week of college. I plan on taking one of the transports, not yet decided which. I came here for two reasons, and one was to tell you.”

“Why?” he asked her.

She bit her lip for a moment as she smiled weakly. “Cause I actually trust you to let me do this. If you would think otherwise then I would stop immediately. In a sense, I want your opinion.”

He sighed deeply. “With your father, I had always felt that I had done things wrong. Mainly, that I was out of sync with my timings. I was either too late to react, or too early to do it properly. Your father had always been the difficult one to understand, and it took me awhile to do so. I won't make the same mistake with you.”

“Again, I saw this coming for some time. You are like him in many ways and can not remain still against certain injustices that you feel are upon you. I might not totally agree with this course of action, but I won’t stop you.”

“What should I do then, if not run away from this?” she asked him, a bit angered that he wasn’t totally on her side on things.

“Again, you are like your father. While others would plan for years, he would run ahead and get the job done directly. Anyone else who would do the same would fail, yet he would succeed. It's not a matter of what I would do, but what you can do.”

She nodded, understanding his logic to some extent. “Alright, I guess the plan’s on. But I came here for another reason as well.”

He nodded once more. “Go on.”

“Well, I need a destination if I leave. I won’t enjoy just wandering around the galaxy without a goal in the end. And I figured to go the one place I have never heard about: my homeworld.”

The emperor didn’t move as he stared at her with unblinking eyes. She felt a bit nervous as he stared at her. “I don’t know anything about my planet. My father’s planet. Anything about my people or their ways... maybe they could help me with my issues in ways I can’t here. Or maybe I could fit in with them if they are anything like my father.”

The room went mostly silent except for the machines. Furia wondered what she had said wrong to make her grandfather so quiet, but eventually he did respond.

“I recommend you go elsewhere. There is nothing to be seen on your homeworld,” he told her. This surprised Furia quite a bit as she was quick to speak again.

“What? Why?!” she asked him, clearly annoyed by the answer.

“Your homeworld is not worth seeing. It is nothing more than a shell of its former self, filled with rage and anger. You would learn nothing there that would be noteworthy.”

Furia’s arm began to shake slowly, and she clenched her fists to control herself. “No,” she blurted out. “No, you are wrong. What is it called? Where is it?” she ordered him, suddenly becoming very daring in her requests.

He sighed, and this time he seemed very much tired. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her. Furia could see a deep sadness staring at her, and she knew there was more to this then she could imagine.

“You will regret this choice,” he whispered. Sitting back for a moment, he muttered a single word. “Nenavist.”

“Say again?” she asked him, doing her best to listen.

“You will find out about your homeworld on Nenavist. The truth of your past is there.”

Furia stood up suddenly. “Nenavist,” she muttered to herself, as if the word had taken over her very being. “Thank you.”

He nodded slowly. “I am sorry Furia, you must go now. I have much to take care of.”

She didn’t take it as being rude, but felt like there was sorrow in her grandfather’s soul at the moment. Without another word, she left him to his own devices, suddenly very curious about what he meant.