CHAPTER 240: CHAPTER 240

(AN: Apologies for the delay; one of our new clients lost one of two main servers on Friday morning. I have been out of state helping them recover since Friday afternoon. At this point, I do not think I will be releasing any other Chapters this week.)

Laughing off my warning, Ionica brazenly climbed aboard the Spirit of Eternity. Halfway into the airlock, a force field abruptly encapsulated her. Before she could react, Edina violently ejected Ionica from the ship. Skipping across the catwalk, Ionica crashed into the adjacent ship with a loud thud.

"Ionica, are you okay?!", Aela gasped, running over to her.

"Fuck... What happened?", Ionica groaned, shakily rising to her feet. "Victor, was that- "

Keep your stinking ass off my ship, you Imperial bastard. Your kind are unwelcome here! (Edina)

Flipping her the bird, Edina promptly stormed off to cool her CPU. Unsure why Edina was so cranky, my lover inquired if the AI had a problem with the Imperium of Man. Confirming she did, I told everyone about Edina’s first grim encounter with the Imperial people. Learning the Eternity’s crew had been slaughtered by religious zealots, Ionica’s mood darkened.

"When did this incident occur...", Ionica meekly inquired.

"In realspace time, they were killed several millennia ago.", I answered, walking over to treat her injuries. "Due to the Warp’s time dilation, though, it happened less than a decade ago for Edina."

Understanding the unbearable pain of losing one’s comrades, Ionica sympathized with the AI. Recalling all the friends she lost during the Fall of Cadia, she apologetically lowered her head.

"Please forgive me, Edina. I was unaware of your traumatic past.", Ionica spoke, in a respectful tone. "If you do not want me aboard, I will respect your wishes."

I... I understand it may seem unreasonable, as you were not even born yet, but I cannot allow the countrymen of those animals aboard. My crew were kindest humans I knew, and... and those psychopaths tortured them to death. (Edina)

Uncomfortable with leaving Ionica to sit outside alone, the other women elected to wait with her . Promising to be quick, I reboarded the ship and asked Edina to show me where the STC unit was stored. Informing me it was tucked away in the cargo hold, the AI looked me over with a concerned expression.

"Something wrong?", I questioned.

Do not take this the wrong way, but you are too large to use the personnel lift. We will need to use the freight elevator in the shuttle bay to reach it. (Edina)

Listening to the women snickering outside, I made a mental note to punish them later tonight. Motioning for Edina to proceed, she began heading toward the stern of the ship.

---Lower Level, Cargo Hold---

Descending into darkness, Edina powered on the warehouse lights, revealing a fully stocked warehouse. Elated by this discovery, I leapt off the lift and began to sift through the unopened crates. Finding all sorts of equipment and weapons, it felt like Christmas had come early this year.

Uh... I thought you were interested in the STC unit? (Edina)

"Forgive me, I thought you were cast through time during a test run.", I stated, opening a crate labeled ’anti-psyker’. "Were you ferrying supplies somewhere?"

We had only one other voyage under our belts before that fateful mission. Officially, we were transporting civilian supplies to a remote frontier world, but that was just a smokescreen. The location was actually a military outpost, and we were resupplying them. (Edina)

Thanking her for the explanation, I put everything back where it belonged and then asked where the STC was. Pointing toward the back right corner of the warehouse, Edina stated it was still in its shipping crate. Heading back to where she indicated, I found the relic tucked away behind boxes of food rations.

"Safe to assume this STC was a military model, not a colonial?", I inquired, stowing the ration boxes in my inventory.

That is correct. According to UR-025, its database predates the Cybernetic Uprising by less than four months. Some of ancient humanity’s greatest achievements are stored within that STC. Please swear to me, on all that you love, those bastards will never get their hands on it. (Edina)

"I promise you, this STC and its data will never return to the Imperium of Man. It will remain in my personal laboratory for my exclusive use. You are more than welcome to keep a close eye on it, if you wish.", I said, ripping the crate open. ’Holy shit, it looks like a giant Mortality Core from Portal!! This is going to look amazing in my armory.’

While I appreciate the offer, I know you are a trustworthy human. An unscrupulous one would have lied about that Imperial woman’s identity. You have more than earned my trust, Victor. (Edina)

Thanking the AI for trusting me, I politely requested her to perform a system diagnostic on the STC unit. Since it was nearly impossible to find them nowadays, every component needed to be in perfect working order before I would even consider turning it on. Agreeing to carry out the system checks, I stepped out of her way and patiently waited for five long minutes.

All components and systems are green. It is safe to power on. (Edina)

"Perfect, thank you!", I replied, walking up to the console and pressing the power button.

Watching the console immediately come to life, a subtle hum began to radiate out from its core. Hooking my armor up to the service ports, I backdoored into the STC’s systems to give myself administrator privileges and register myself as the owner.

’Oh baby, we are cooking with gas now!!’, I thought, skimming through petabytes of data. "It is hard to believe humanity reached these heights, then lost it all due to their arrogance and carelessness. Had they treated AI with more respect, things would have turned out far better for everyone."

While the chances are slim, they may one day return to those lofty heights... In the very distant future that is. (Edina)

Chuckling at her comment, I disconnected from the STC and stowed it safely away in my inventory. With the relic secured, it was time to pay the Spiritus Libertatis a visit. Taking the lift back up to the shuttle bay, a sudden thought came to me.

"I never did ask you, Edina. Why were you docked alongside the Spiritus Libertatis?", I questioned, curious to know what her connection was to it.

Funny enough, I was just out hunting for spare parts when a massive warp storm grabbed me. It battered my ship for hours before it finally flung me into a tranquil bubble. Floating at its epicenter was the Spiritus Libertatis. Alongside it were the Retribution Class Battlecruiser, Vagus, and the twin Promethean Class Cruisers, Ala Lucis and Penna Tenebrarum. With no other way to survive the storm, I docked with them to wait it out. (Edina)

(AN: Vagus means The Wanderer, Ala Lucis means Wing of Light, and Penna Tenebrarum means Wing of Darkness.)

’Interesting, so something aboard the Spiritus Libertatis can quell the Warp’s fury. Could it be an unknown relic or a new technology Aremus’ empire built? Either way, this is super exciting!’, I thought as the airlock came into view. "Alright, Edina, this is where we part ways temporarily. Bannister and her people will give your ship a thorough service. While you are temporarily laid up, work with UR-025 to get in contact with your comrades. If they swear not to harm my people, we will accept all of them as agreed."

Bowing her head, Edina assured me they would fall in line without much trouble. Telling her to contact me if there were any issues, I stepped off the ship to rejoin my group.

"Uh... Where is Bannister?", I questioned, noticing she had disappeared. "Did she have to step away?"

"Bannister went aboard shortly after Edina and you disappeared. She muttered something about going to search for ’goodies’.", Ionica laughed, looking at me. "Like father, like daughter."

Nodding my head in acknowledgement, I accepted she was just as crazy about technology as I was. Unlike me, though, she did not have the benefits of a superhuman body, so she regularly ran herself ragged on projects. Hoping she would eventually learn to slow down and enjoy life like her siblings.

"Time to go explore the Spiritus Libertatis?", Roxanne asked, her tail wagging with excitement.

"Yes, it is.", I confirmed, turning toward the stairs. "Let’s get going."

Letting Bannister know we were leaving via private message, I instructed her to give Edina a proper service over the next few days. Responding with a thumbs up, it appeared she had found something intriguing inside the Spirit of Eternity.

"Victor, please remind me again. What was it you needed from your ancestor’s ship?", Loki inquired.

"To properly use the Bifrost, I need to know exactly where I want to go. Since I cannot use the Force to pinpoint a location, Aremus’ star charts are the next best thing.", I answered, walking along the catwalk. "They should be accessible from the navigator’s station on the command bridge."

"Do not forget, we promised to drop off Ambassador Jaliramea Caliza and her subordinates at the Citadel.", Ahsoka reminded me.

"Thank you for reminding me; I will send her a message now.", I replied, firing off a message. "Loki, does setting out tomorrow morning work for you?"

Approving the timetable, a conflicted expression slowly crept upon her face. While going home sounded delightful, an unexplainable ache stirred in her chest. Unsure if she truly wanted to return to Asgard, Loki looked toward the people she had come to enjoy being around. While they certainly drove her insane sometimes, the warmth these people shared made her envious.

’Do I even have the right to continue imposing myself upon Victor’s family?’, Loki thought, silently contemplating things. ’I have caused them nothing but headaches for most of my stay. After Victor returns from his date with the obnoxious trio tonight, I will speak to him about it.’

---Ten Minutes Later---

Accessing the Spiritus Libertatis via the forward entry ramp, we utilized a nearby teleporter to reach the bridge. When we arrived, my eyes were immediately drawn to a giant, ornately decorated Zweihänder affixed to the back of Aremus’ chair. Instinctively moving toward the blade, Ithelia and Slaanesh grabbed hold of my arms, pleading with me to stop. Looking back at the others, the other Aeldari gods and Daedric Princes were equally disturbed by it.

(AN: Here is a photo.)

"Have you seen this blade before or something?", I inquired, having Jarvis perform a spectral analysis of the blade.

"It is not that, Victor.", Namira asserted. "The blade is radiating an eerie aura that even I find unsettling. It feels as if that blade wants to eradicate our very existence."

"I... I have an idea. Toss it deep into your inventory, and completely forget it is in there.", Isha suggested, receiving immediate approval from the warp beings.

Politely rejecting my fiancée’s request, I continued walking forward and took hold of the blade’s hilt. As my grip tightened, the Leviathan engraving began radiating a pale blue light as an unfathomable surge of magic rushed into my body. Gritting my teeth, I exerted my will over the blade, refusing to give even an inch to it.

"Gahvon Wah Zu’u Kruziik Tuz!", I roared at the blade.

(AN: Yield to me, Ancient Blade.)

Recoiling in response to my Thu’um, the blade’s offense faltered, giving me a chance to launch a counterattack. Forcing the blade’s will to bend to mine, it quickly recognized me as its new master. Allowing me to draw it from its restraints, I whipped it through the air with the utmost of ease.

So, you are the descendant of the one called Klordius Aremus. Unlike your ancestor, you possess all the qualities necessary to become a Sorcerer Supreme. Are you interested in taking up the long vacant mantle? (Sword)

Glancing over at the others, it appeared none of them had heard the voice I did. Assuming it was using telepathy, I responded in the affirmative.

I am relieved to hear it because you did not have a choice. You are the strongest magician I have come across in eons now. After your predecessor spread humanity out into the wider universe, finding title bearers has been a real pain. (Blade)

"Wait... How long ago did this happen?!", I questioned.

Sorry, I am honestly not sure anymore. At minimum, it was at least a few million years ago. Earth was no longer hospitable for habitation, and humanity was on the verge of collapse. Your predecessor used a spell to send most of the survivors to inhabitable worlds to rebuild elsewhere. He anticipated only a handful of them would survive; it never occurred to him that humanity would become the dominant species. (Blade)

"I see... Well, we can discuss this matter later. For the time being, I need you to wait in my inventory. You are scaring my friends, lovers, and Slaanesh.", I stated.

Taking a moment to process what I said, the sword absolutely lost it. Telling me I was a fool for bedding those monstrous women, the sword told me to cast them into the Warp posthaste. Refusing to do so, I tossed the sword into my inventory with a sigh.

"Alright, the sword is taken care of. Let’s grab the data and get out of here.", I said, walking toward the navigator station.