A Bloody Rose Story

{pictures at end comments} 

 While a sad moon flies over Holy Terra, it brings with it a dream… A dream that awoke three Custodians and their silent sisters! In the great cosmos, they saw a world in dying, while they saw a holy child in waiting. There… the light figure pointed! 

But following his finger, the custodians saw the images of their ancient enemy! Chaos in all fonts from all kinds of demons and mysticism! For the warp was bending and crying, to the eye above holy terra opening with that of a scream… of a child! 

To that of a face of a blonde woman, dressed in roses and black! Fighting bugs and traitors and ancient foes! With power unimagine, but flawed and a weakness… and with the possibility of her death, came the crying of the child! 

As worlds burned and people prayed, and men and women fell in duty, the child grew and grew… till a blackened crown surfaced on his head! Terror-stricken was the child as he desperately tried to stop it! To remove the impossible crown from placing itself onto his head! As the legion of the damned tries to calm him down. 

He screamed and pointed to the blonde woman, as well as to a jeweled world in a sector all too familiar… in begging eyes, he said the words… that felt like a fire in their minds… SAVE HER! 

As the scene changes to the world bearers getting closer, and reaching out their fangs to snuff out this blond woman. 

But while the emperor's shields had their dream, a call came from deep within the Immaterium… A call to the Blood Angels! For their father's soul shared with them in whispers to their chapter masters… 

→Excerpt by the Emperor of Mankind← 

Waking up from the sudden dream, Solomon Julianus, walked to the vox comm at his station and commanded a Talon sortie! When asked why, he simply replied: 

[the word bearers are on the move!] 

But while he organized his team to trump over the word bearers, Naboideion Seleukis sharpened his champion blade and said to his team: 

[we have bugs to kill!] 

As for Thetus, he awoke to a team of Raptor guards, a sister of silence prefix, to join him on a hunt to protect a value most concerned! When they asked who, Thetus said: 

[An emperor chosen! As our previous foe of flesh witches have set their sights on her.] 

As word spread among the custodians, of their dreaming brothers, a fire awoke within their numbers, as their emperor had sent a dream most dire! Wanting to go themselves they knew they couldn't… for the emperor had already made his choice… these three brothers and their silent sister will go in their stead and fulfill their duty. But as for custodian Valder… he smiled for the first time in over ten thousand years… 

For the dream sent to him… was one that showed him a new future… one he had long given up on. One that no one knew but him, a secret dream, he kept with him all this time, waiting for the time… and his time was coming… as to where the Tyranids of hive fleet Tiamet! The drums of their wings beat for their queen! 

A queen ancient as the stars from his heresy! Hunger and starved, they chase after a light too bright to ignore! One the queen desires more than anything, for the hope contained within this light, contains the genes necessary to finish their great work on the Tiamet system! 

Distortion was coming to the stars around holy terra, for even within the warp… an eye, was beginning to show signs of cracks! The T'au know nothing, and the Necrons are still asleep… and soon the craft world of UIthwé will find itself at war! Though they have called in old debts, and have sent out their visionaries to scout out a new future, the storm this time may really sink their vessel… 

On UIthwé : 

[Have any Pathfinders returned yet?] 

[no, farseer Caerys…but we have received word that they have made contact with the target, and that all is proceeding as planned.] 

[sigh, they need to hurry… the Tyranids are approaching closer every day… the future is constantly changing…] replied Caerys as her head suddenly began to hurt and through the pain, she said: 

[their emperor… has finally made a move!] 

[my Seerer… I know it's not my place to ask… but do we have to ask the imperium for aid in this matter?] 

[Unfortunately… we do, and based on our past history with the imperium… they won't exactly be willing to come to our aid… no…they would sooner watch us die than help! The only way they would even consider what we have to say… is if we have 'her' words as our debt!] 

[but my Seerer, can the other craft world not help us?] 

[no, my apprentice, they cannot… they have their own battles to deal with, the orcs and chaos forces are keeping them preoccupied. And the T'au want us to believe in their false ways, no! We will not serve their god of the greater good!] replied Caerys with a pause as she looked out into deep space but for a moment. 

[besides… my apprentice, she will aid us in more than just saving our craft world… her help is indispensable for our future as a race… but that's IF all goes as I hope.] 

Meanwhile back in the Monolith Garrison: 

{what do you mean... 'Guardsmen's'} replied Layla with a tight grip on her sword 

[what I mean 'Battle sister' is why can you use the same flames as that Adhuman? And the name is Dylan.] replied Dylan with a sharp tongue 

{umm… okay… Dylan… I can use the same power because I'm a psyker, much like that 'Adhuman' was… it's a widespread ability used by registered psykers… or didn't you know?} 

[you know... That funny that you mention registered psyker because you don't seem to look like one to me…] replied Dylan as he stared deep into Layla's eyes to sniff out a lie. 

But while the two stared questioningly into each other eyes, a call came out from the vox system! 

[This is tech priest 43-sea, broadcasting on the emergency channel… by the Omnissiah is there anyone there?] said a voice that sounded robotic but strangely female. 

Hearing the stranger's voice, Layla thought it was strange for a member of the Adeptus mechanics to talk in such a way, but then again, the voice did sound rather more human than machine. Perhaps a young or new tech priest who only just started on their pilgrimage. But now wasn't the time to be distracted, as Layla realized that the men in the room were just as confused as she was when the voice came over the vox. 

Not sure what to do, the men behind Layla looked at Dylan for an answer as he slowly approached the comms and said: 

[did help arrive?] 

{umm, I thought you said everyone was dead….} Replied Layla with a hidden hiss. 

[they should be… I don't know how anyone else could be alive out there! The damnable bugs got into everything they could squeeze into…] replied Dylan with a head shake 

With those words exchanged in hostility, Dylan reached for the vox and replied in a shotgun of questions: 

[we, hear you 43-sea, but where are you? The bugs should have breached all the compartments in the fortress by now! How are you still alive? How many are you? Are you a rescue team?] 

[oh! Praise the Omnissiah! Someone is still alive in this installation! Please come save me! I locked myself in the hidden chamber in the command station! I don't have much time! I can hear the Tyranids trying to break in!] replied 43-sea with brightness in her machine parts that jiggled with life-like joy. 

[Oh... I'm sorry to hear that 43-sea, but unfortunately, we won't be able to save you! We've trapped ourselves in the comm room… and leaving it would put us at the mercy of the rippers just outside!] replied Dylan with slight disdain leaving his voice 

[I see… guardsman… then I guess this is where our duty ends... But you know… if you want to leave using that train! Then you better come save me! Seeing that it is… I who holds the codes to open the gate!] 

[...] 

[Umm…. Why aren't you responding? What? Did you believe I didn't know about the train parked outside these walls. By the Omnissiah, I helped modify this installation! You think I don't have my eyes and ears on these walls!] replied 43-sea with an almost human smugness 

[those dam cherubs! And crippled servitors!] thought Dylan to himself angrily as he looked towards Layla and asked: 

[what do you think? Should we risk it?] 

{what other choice do we have… we'll need those codes to open the door, and before you ask… no! The train doesn't have any weapons capable of destroying the Iron Gate.} replied Layla as a matter of fact. 

[but there's only the four of us… why not ask…] said Steve with much nervousness 

{my other sisters… I could but they're both guarding and fixing the train. The poor girl took a hell of a beating just getting here. It also doesn't help that she is running low on supplies, which is one of the reasons I came in here…} replied Layla cutting off Steve mid-sentence. 

[dam, then… why don't we just take the train in reverse and go further out to the planet's outer rim?] replied Dylan silently unnerve. 

{I wouldn't recommend doing that either… we just came from there and it is a complete mess filled with demons/plagues and bugs alike… it's a death zone of horrors… we barely made it out of there alive…} replied Layla shaking her head. 

[ha…ha… then I guess our only hope would be the city walls in Absadon] said Oliver cutting in, with an awkward smile. 

Meanwhile 43-Sea short POV 

Silently waiting for the replay, 43-sea stared at her calculation over and over and said to herself: 

[umm… only a 20% probability that they will come, and another 15% probability that we've even make it back to the train… is there no way to improve the odds? Well, it is better than zero I suppose… tarn it! I can't cease functioning yet! I still haven't found my life's pilgrimage purpose yet! There has to be a way to improve the odds!] 

But while she scrambled her mind code for any possibility, the floating cherubs comically began flying over the gun servitor, causing the poor servitor to walk in circles with his head tilting any which way. The servitor, then begins to look at his bolter arm guns, then at the cherubs! 

Who in turn, caused the cherubs to sharpen their carbon rifles! As these cherubs weren't your normal type of cherubs! They were combat cherubs! Bigger and stronger than their smaller cousin, they were designed for the purpose of protecting, as 43-Sea was terrified at the prospect of dying before she could finish her purpose. But for some odd reason, that even the other members of her tech class couldn't figure out. Was, why did she design them to keep their baby's laughter and joyfulness? 

But it wasn't just their laughter and joyfulness that was odd, but so too was their appearance, for they had glowing green tattoos on their wings, and a halo that shined in red, with golden fleece and Romain attire, they looked the divine babies with tubes and wires linked to their eyes and weapons. Part machine and part human with metal that showed just How expensive they were made to be. 

As for the combat servitor, he was enthroned in a seat Made of expensive plate that was normally reserved for custodian's Armour! With gold and green lettering that glowed in a silent hum, his guns and metal appendages forged in pristine cleanness, adorn in sacred Attachments and scented smells! 

In the eyes of any tech priest, they were an oddity group of servitors, that made little to no sense from a logic and resource point of view, but allowed her to have such pleasantries, as she had more than earned the right by finishing first class at her tech schola Progenium. However, that didn't stop them from giving her the odd looks from time to time, as they felt it was a waste that she decided to spend all her recourse on her servitor and not on her own augmentation. 

But while they played their cute games, the wall outside their room echoed with hungry Xenos that nipped at her hidden door! With each snip that sounds oh so closer, the servitors would fixate on that particular corner just in case, with tension rising and falling, 43-sea worried for her probability, she prayed earnestly to the machine spirits in the room… And to her shock, they heard her! For the screen in front of her change to a coded Vox channel! 

When she dialed in the numbers, she got a response from a man dressed in gold!