Editing Parchments and Bolters (section)

=== The Plan ===

It was a grand plan. Unify humans under his rule, and that meant all humanity including those that disappeared into the stars, and establish human dominance over the entire spanning galaxy. But with the Emperor… it just might be possible. They talked, mostly being 5552 answering the Emperor’s question of her time in humanity as he shifted through her memory. Babylon, Greece, Rome, Byzantine, and even a small memory when she used to live in Utah, what on earth was she was doing in Utah?

And dear god, she had so many famous sons that she forgot about! Even a mother to a famous rock star! Sitting across the Emperor in a makeshift chair, holding a hot cup of spiced tea. Now the discussion of the ‘Primarch’ project was being discussed. Twenty genetically created children from the Emperor’s gene, and it was her job to raise them. Motherhood was already a daunting task, but raising twenty? No experience would help her with that. But seeing the Emperor’s trust in her, and the unification of humanity… it was certainly worth trying.

“Then what are we to do now?”

“I will continue to reunify terra, and you will stay where I am, to witness the unification with me.”

“I’ll be of no use.”

“Not now, yes. But you are an invaluable factor in my plan. It is better you are with me than to risk of your capture.”

“I’m honored, my Emperor.”

Thus, her journey began.

It never ceased to amaze to witness the Emperor and his thunder warriors conquering kingdom by kingdom. Yes, there have been obstacles but her trust in the Emperor never waned, or so she thought. It was a long journey, and the longer she traveled with the Emperor, the less she thought of him as a perfect being.

Inside their newly constructed fortress, 5552, now officially seen as a queen, and to those who were not so respectful, a concubine. But by now, being insulted behind her back was something she was already used to. Inside their temporary quarters, 5552 rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to hold herself back.

“I am not to give them names?” 5552 said, holding her anger. “They’ll be our sons.”

“They have no need for names.” The Emperor said. “They are a tool to my plan, nothing else. Calling them son will simply instill loyalty in me.”

“Children, made from your DNA or not, need to be raised with love and care. like all children need Your treatment as some tool will not end well for you.” 5552 said. “All those years ago you said this was my charge. What am I to do if I cannot raise them as I see fit?’

“You are to raise them as a mother, but the rest is my authority.” The Emperor said calmly. “I must go now, stay here, Constantin will accompany you.”

5552 sighed as the Emperor left, and with the silent protector in the room together, it was just as same as being alone.

“Tell me Constantin, do you think the same?” 5552 said.

The man clad in golden armor pondered, long and thoughtfully.

“It is not in my place to question the Emperor, as you are as well. We must place our trust in him.” Constantin said wisely.

5552 rolled her eyes. It seemed no one was on her side, as usual. In the silence, perhaps in an act of defiance, she began to think of names of her sons she would soon raise, the war was almost at its end after all. And the first name of her twenty sons was Horus, Horus Lupercal.

It was all so sudden. One day she was with the Emperor, once again arguing how they should raise the primarchs. 5552’s patience was slowly bent under the weight of the Emperor’s absolutely certainty, or dare she say his arrogance. For a being that calls himself the “Emperor of Mankind” he did not have the heart of a man. Then, she was to go to Luna. No warning or even a hint of telling. Simple as informing her like her shoes were untied.

“Now?”

“The initial steps of the project is done, you shall go and begin your bonding with the primarch.”

“And you’re telling me this now?”

“Your job requires little preparation, and anything else you need will be provided for.”

‘Primarch Project’... 5552 did not like the words at all. Fifty years later and he had yet to understand the importance of love when raising children, super human they may be, but they were still children.

With the unification war so close to the end 5552 understood the births of her sons to be soon, but not done without her knowing and she certainly expected to be told. As always, the Emperor remained certain as he ever was.
Inside the deepest part of Terra, 5552 walked along side the custodes and their footsteps softly rang agains the hard metal floor. The underground chill creepily crawled on her skin. The mighty steps of the custodes softly rang in the metal walls of the facility. At the end of the hall was the facility itself, and a woman who stood, she dipped her body to a deep bow.

“Greetings.”

“Greetings.” 5552 said, with a more wary tone.

The woman, with sleek yet shapely body sauntered over to 5552. She cupped her hand on 5552’s cheek, then softly moved 5552’s head with her gentle grasp of her chin.

“You are no psyker.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Are you a warrior as well?” Erda asked.

“Not at all.” 5552 said with a nervous laughter.

“And you are to be their mother, someone who is so useless that despite living for all these years achieving nothing?” Erda said with a restrained anger. “You? Just because you sired some kings and knights of old?”

5552 looked away from the woman’s furious gaze that bore into her soul. The grip on her chin began to turn into a sharp pinch.

“I… I don’t understand. Just who are you?”

“I am Erda, the donor of gene-stock that my sons have. The true mother of the primarchs.”

Edra reluctantly released her grip once she saw the custodes inching in close. 5552 nursed the sore spot, though she can see the twisting anger controting her face, 5552 could not find the anger in herself. More so, frustration took half of her confusion.

“Why did Neoth choose you?” Erda said.

“Who?”
“The Emperor, you fool. Why did he choose you, there must be more reason than your above average off springs.”

“That is not your concern. Step away.”

Behind 5552, a custodes stood between. His golden armor glistened under the fluorescent light, and the daunting height made even the perpetual psyker think before acting. 5552 visibly flinched at the baleful glares Erda. A twinge of guilt began to fester in her doubt, infecting it ever so steadily. She walked alongside the custodes.

The air vents lowly hummed wherever she went. Sometimes there would be random sounds of high pitched squeals of machines, but silence eerily followed. The floor was hard, nothing like the soft earth above, and the metal walls was cold to the touch. The halls of the facility stretched far up, like jaws of a gigantic beast. 5552 finally arrived to her quarters. It consisted of a metal table, lether chair encased in chrome frame, and a simple bed. And that incessant hum of the ventilation was also present. 5552 gritted her teeth, it was going to take time to get used to it.

“If you are require anything, ask of us.” The cutodes said.

“When will I see my so… the primarchs?”

The custodes did not move, but fixed his gaze at 5552.

“You are to rest for today, you will see them soon. Soon the night cycle will activate, sleep.”

5552 nodded, then lied on the hard bed. If there was one thing she can do well was sleeping. That was until she heard a shrilling cry.

The facility was anything but welcoming. Chrome dominated the entire facility, everything always carried the scent of the medicine, Wih a facility meant to hold hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, living in such facility. The cried continued to echo, and in her thoughts all she wanted to do was find the infant. It may not be her son, but her instinct guided body.

5552 was still unsure if the baby’s cry was real, or just another dream. There was no possible way that an infant’s cry can be this bellowing. 5552 placed the thoughts behind her head, only wanting to find the source of the cry.

5552 followed the harrowing cry. At the end she was separated by a steel door, and the other side were twenty infants wrapped in sterile white blankets, trapped inside a pill shaped pod. 5552 pressed the open on the blocky console on the metal door. A metallic arm slithered out of the ceiling then scanned the infant with a red blinking light. 5552 watched in horror as the metal tendril lifted the infant and began feeding it.

5552 gasped at the strange blue content almost force feeding the infant as the metal tendril held the baby’s head in its claw. Then the claw pat the baby’s back agonizingly slow. Obvious to say, the infant did not burp. She needed to go in there, just what kind of logic made the Emperor think this was safe? 5552 banged on the glass, tried to find a way around the console.

“You should be asleep.”

5552 yelped at the sudden voice, it was one of the custodes.

“How am I supposed to sleep where they’re in this horrible condition. Just look!”

The custodes did look, then with the same emotionless helmet stared back at 5552.

The next morning cycle Erda;s lip split wide as she let out a long yawn. She almost spilled the mug of recaff at the incubation room. There was a custodes, guarding 5552 with Number Nineteen in her arms, soundly asleep.

Morning arrived, well, the morning cycle that is. 5552 grogilly rubbed her eyes, arms instinctively steadfast with the infant in her arms. The abnomally large infant smiled, even giggling at 5552’s tired yet grinning visage. The infant flailed its arms, then accidentally grabbing a lock of her hair.

“Ow ow ow…” 5552 said calmly. “Careful little one, that is not a to-”

She shut her teeth tight as to not shout in pain, in the infant’s hand was her lock of her hair. 5552 chuckled softly, she set Number Nineteen to the pod, lovingly swaddling the infant. It took a considerable amount of tickling to let the infant release her lock of hair. What she wanted now was some recaf, lots and lots of recaf.

Striding toward the pantry 5552 stopped. What if… what if one of her sons needed her again, what if she wasn’t there to help them? The worries of a mother grabbed her need of sustenance. She’d rather die of hunger than to let those unfeelign tendrils touch her children. 5552 walked toward the large messhall, where Erda was gripping on the mug. Her brow creased and her lips snarled back.

“Is… is she alright?” 5552 said.

“She is speaking with the Emperor psychically.” The custodes said. “Stay behind me.”

5552 peeked from the custodes’ leg. As Erda’s rage silently manifested the tables around her begin to float.

“Well… that doesn’t look goo-”

Utensils, tables, chairs, just about anything around her suddenly launched with great force. The custodes merely stood still as the plates shattered against his armor, save for one that he caught.

“I HOPE YOUR SONS BETRAY YOU ONE DAY NEOTH!”

Amidst the pressuring silence, Erda glared 5552 with a rage of thousand suns. Without much of a care, the custodes turned his attention to his ward and handed her a plate.

“The food paste is in the fridge.”

“Yeah…” 5552 managed to croak out. “Thanks.”

If not for the food paste having flavors, 5552 was sure that she would have been driven insane. With Erda refusing to even interact with her, the custodes that was standing next to her might as well be a statue.

“So, nice day we’re having.”

The custodes neither yawned nor shook his head. The ever-vigilant protector he was, the custodes’ attention was sharpened to a fine edge, it was just that 5552 was not part of his worries. 5552 squeezed the package of the food paste. Then 5552 unscrew the container for pills she was to take and washed it down with a mug of lukewarm recaf. 5552 threw away the package then began her new job.

Out of all infants, 5552 found Number Sixteen to be the best behaving. Whenever she would have Sixteen in her arms the infant would laugh, arms outstretched to touch her face, but never pulling or wildly slapping her face. 5552 cooed Sixteen, with the custodes outside 5552 sat on the recliner chair. Loving she may be, but the infants were heavier than they looked.

“I was going to give the name Horus to Number One, but I can’t help but feel that you deserve the name. Horus Lupercal, do you like that name? My little Horus, my little wolf-cub.”

The infant giggled, gently holding his mother’s finger.

A few days have passed since her arrival at the facility. While the infants were asleep 5552 indulged herself in the quiet time inside her own room, turning the page of an ancient book from Terra. Unless there was an emergency 5552 was not allowed to be in the incubation chamber. She did wonder, why call it an incubation chamber when they were already fully grown? 5552 knew such a question would not be answered and simply prayed the children would be safe. The door opened with a sharp hiss the custodes entered.

“Erda wishes to speak with you.” The custodes said monotonously.

5552 confusedly cocked her head.

“Let her in.”

Erda walked past the custodes, moving with grace and immovable arrogance. 5552 stood to meet Erda.

“Come with me.” Erda said.

The lights were dimmed during the night cycle, save for the leaking lights from the windows of other rooms. The other side was the incubation room, Erda placed her hand on the window wistfully. There was a tearful pain in her longing gaze, and an itch to hold her children.

“The Emperor had forbidden me to speak with you,” Erda said quietly. “He believes I will be an ill influence on you and his sons. I’ve accepted that you will be their mother, but have you no shame?”

“Is it because of what the Emperor plans to do or how he sees his sons as tools?” 5552 saidd. “Of course, I feel shame.”

“If you know it, why do you allow it to happen?”

“I cannot stop the Emperor and his plan. If I were to rebel, then he would have all the control to his sons.” 5552 said dejectedly. “All I can do is be their mother.”

“So you’re fine with the Emperor using them as such?”

“I can’t defy his orders. I am not a warrior or a psyker. Even if I was no one can stop the Emperor.” 5552 said hopelessly.

“That is true, no one can.” Erda said darkly. “You were a mother once, what would you do to protect your children?”

5552 replied without hesitation.

“Anything.”

“I suppose we are the same in that regard.” Erda said. “I bid you good night.”

Erda walked off toward the lowly lit halls, where she became one with the darkness.