Slowly, the space battles in and around the Solar System began to grow in magnitude, despite the valiant efforts of Battlefleet Solar, the nurous defense platforms and the additional ships belonging to various other forces of the Imperium.
For every Warp portal we managed to close, two more opened. At the sa ti, the astropath choirs were reporting major Chaos incursions at many strategic points in the galaxy, from Hive World Vigilus and Cadia to Armageddon and Baal, almost in a direct line trying to bisect half the galaxy from the Eye of Terror to the Maelstrom and beyond. Warp Storms were opening all along this invisible line, unleashing hell into the galaxy.
I can't say I was surprised learning about all this activity. I had worked all my new life to try to prevent the worst effects of this inevitable event, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stop it completely. Future knowledge was sothing available in abundance to most of the players in this universe, gods, demigods and their avatars alike. What I knew, others knew as well, and unlike these beings were able to effect change on a large scale, reshaping reality to fit their wishes.
However, no matter how strong and insidious these beings were, I had faith in the Emperor. Not the Emperor-that-Was, human and prone to human mistakes, nor the Emperor-what-Is, a creature of Warp and miracles, pretty much driven insane by inhabiting the Warp for too long with a feeble anchor tying him to humanity. No, I what I believed in was the Emperor-to-Be.
I hoped for a human Avatar, with access to higher powers via his domain in the Warp.
Funnily enough, Lady Yvraine, the Emissary of . I think she likes you." the Solitare comnted in wry voice.
I glanced at him and sighed inward. "You really think so?" I asked faking a hopeful smile.
"No. She follows the God of the Dead." he explained in a sour voice.
Just like I thought. Yet another potential enemy, if things went sour.
Luckily, the retinue of the High Priestess of Ynnead wasn't too large, and did not contain an actual Avatar, which would have been a much bigger problem.
"I don't see the Yncarne." I noted in a soft voice, while following the guests towards the reception room. Perhaps it was invisible or in another dinsion. Gods did have plenty of tricks up their sleeve.
The Solitaire tilted his head in a curious manner, and all sound died around us. "You know too much, human. The Yncarne hasn't been found, not yet. But sohow, you expected the Avatar to be present?"
I poked at the surrounding air, finding a solid but transparent wall of negative-psi, much stronger than even Sister Ordela could manifest with her Null Shields.
"If the restoration works, you can visit at Illevar, and help train the new Pariahs. Your Null Shields are much better than even a minus-Oga Sister can generate." I offered with a small nod.
"And if it doesn't?" he asked with faint amusent.
"That would be very unfortunate, Solitaire. I might have to bring them to your Library." I explained in a level voice, following a small hint from my mories.
The ssenger of Cegoragh laughed like I said an amazing joke, and patted my arm again. "Then let's hope this restoration works."
I wish to say I was witness to the following events, but things don't always work my way.
Primarch Guilliman stopped at the door, and shook his head. "She doesn't want you here, Lord Lancefire. Perhaps it's better if you focus your attention on the invaders."
Then he slamd the blackstone door in my face, making the Solitaire burst in laughter once more, not that I felt it was anything funny about this mont.
"You are indeed a funny person to watch, Pef Lancefire. Perhaps I will visit your planet, if my student also agrees." the Harlequin comnted in a joking tone, while I turned dejectedly away.
"Miss Stern, huh? She is quite the miracle, isnt she?" I mused to myself while turning my vision into the tesseract to observe her feats at the Eternity Gate.
The woman was a walking lightning storm, destroying thousands of demons every second without needing to stop and recharge, and running out of energy.
With every step down the stairs, her Warp aura was simply obliterating minor demons while larger ones needed a bolt or two to be vanquished. And she made it look easy, her steps graceful and elegant yet confident and powerful at the sa ti.
Perhaps one day, I could have Lanter Librarians with the sa skill and strength, if this joking Solitaire was willing to train them.
"She is amazing, that is true. The only one of her kind in the entire galaxy. But, she is also amazingly dangerous, Pef Lancefire. My Pariah shields were not this strong, when I first t her." the Solitaire explained in a warning tone, with nuances of pain in his alien inflection.
I nodded in understanding. The Demonifuge would have been a difficult student to train, with Alpha-plus powers flaring unexpectedly and striking at random all around her, driven by unconscious thoughts or dreams. Standing inside that lightning storm would an death for everyone without Warp protection, and I doubted I could resist a lightning bolt capable of evaporating a Greater Demon, even with my own Blank powers.
"She needs a Blank child, and then I can obtain a Null Rod for her." I answered in a softer voice, then turned to et the latest visitors.
"Lord Pef. This is nelau." the woman said in a warm voice, presenting a young teenager at her side, dressed in a military uniform. Not sure the rank on his shoulder was correct, at his age.
"Lady Inquisitor, welco to my ho. And you too, nelau. You have my eyes." I said in my warst voice, and offered my hands to both of them.
"Lord father. I heard so much about you, I thought you'd be a giant." the boy muttered in a disappointed voice, then shook my hand a bit hesitantly.
A Warp current coursed through his hand into mine, so kind of biokinetic spell, but blocked by the Null aura. "What was that, genetic testing?" I asked with a smile.
nelau lowered his eyes in sha. "... It works on most people."
To my side, the Solitaire laughed again and elbowed like we were old friends. "I see now. Blank children with psyker powers. Now this would be sothing of interest, even to Cegorach."
"You have the strangest friends, Lord Pef. From an Eldar Avatar, to a Fenrisian Wolf then a C'tan, a few Primarchs and now a Solitaire Harlequin. What's next, a Necron Lord?" Lady Ramaeus asked at random, while playing with her own Necron Nexus cube.
Probably scanning the Blackstone Fortress with the extra dinsional senses, just like I was.
I sobbed inward and patted my son on his head. Won intuition was a frightening thing.
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