ZedevThe Magos received respectful bows from the baseline humans and some grunts from the Astartes that he deemed to be a sign of some modicum of respe their overly primitive way of unication.

  They were well made too. He could aowledge that even though he couldn’t help, but scoff at their utter ck of striving for knowledge. The Marines were warriors, destroyers and killers with a select few that some might even call ‘faulty’, holding an i in anything that wouldn’t help them kill their foes faster.

  Zedev held little respect even for the Tech-Marihey were just like the rest, only fog on ons and tools that would be immediately useful. None of them thought to even look into the w of things any deeper than they o, which started at maintenand ended on some repairs.

  The utter astonishment on one of their faces when he dragged one of the sin bio-forms — a Hive Tyrant — through the gates was by itself proof enough that they never ohought about researg their enemies.

  Their dead brothers could regret such folly when they faced death, though he was doubtful even that would be enough to put some doubt into their hearts. ‘Blessed is the mind too small for doubt.’ was a saying he long fotten the source of, but the meaning it carried resonated with him, even if he wasn’t one for such useless strivings as poetry or linguistics.

  Efficy was what he was thought to strive for, such was the way of the Meicus and their nguage — Lingo Teis, a binary nguage they used to and teology and verse among themselves — erfect representation of that ideal.

  Effid results. The two things that first lead him off of the pre-paved path his superiors prepared for him. Zedev had been an outstanding Adept in his early days, he had to be to ever reach the rank of Magos and so he ehe bes that came with it.

  Lessons, manuals, access to information that was just a touch out of what he was supposed to be seeing. He studied everything, fog more on the practical applications of everything he learned, peeling away the useless fir that was oh so on in them.

  That was the first time he found a gring and obvious fw in the reasoning of his ‘betters’. They talked about Xenobiologists and eicists as if they were lesser, people who disregarded the will of the Mae God and instead studied the flesh.

  Some even viewed it as heresy. Zedev though? He saw the logic behind it, the reason for it. The NEED for it. How could one ever hope to defeat foes when they didn’t even know how they worked? What made them tick?

  He could take apart bsters, identify each part that made up the whole, and calcute the perfect way to hit oh a pebble to make it blow up in the hand of any who held it. He could see the fws in the making of things he uood, and with fws came more effit methods of destroying said things.

  It was an utter madhat searg for such fws in the enemies of Mankind was looked down upon. In his eyes, Xenobiologists were some of the most important cogs in the grand maery that was the Meicus. They were the foundation upon which other parts of it should be built.

  Very few agreed with him, he khat even as a. That was the reason one of his first ever projects was the acquisition and making of the best emotional dampener aal protes he could get his hands on.

  Those fledgling ideals that the young Zedev once held had been shattered a thousand times and refed in the fires of reality a thousand more. Zedev was old, very old by human standards. The only reason his title wasn’t ‘Arch-Magos’ yet was the added responsibilities and supervision that would e with such a thing.

  Some more adept at pulling at the heartstrings of the Imperium’s overly plicated politics might be able to manage — Zedev knew of one such Arch-Magos, one equal times reviled and respected in the Cult for his innovative heresy —, but Zedev didn’t have that talent. He khat very well and lived his life in such a way that took that into at.

  That left him mostly free to experiment and research, with the only responsibility being direg the tech priests under him to do the work required of them aboard The Wanderer. He saw three geions ue Traders grow old, wither and die only to be repced by another one even with the Rejuvenatioment that all of them used aside from the young girl that came st.

  All that left him with a single realisation: while the human spirit might be indomitable, the human form was decidedly not so.

  The obvious step to take one realised that — a rather obvious fa hindsight — was to improve upon the flesh as much, if not more so, than on the mae. One could never bee entirely mae as that would mean transf oneself into an abomielligehis meant if one didn’t improve upon the flesh parts, one could never reach their maximum potential.

  They could never be the most effective version of themselves. Such a travesty was what drove the Magos through turies of researd experimentation, even as those he ohought peers would have ned him if they ever caught as much as a whisper of what he’d been doing.

  None of it matters anymore. He thought, equal parts morose and gleeful. He could never go back to how things were. Zedev could never agaihe faithful priest who lived t the Omnissiah’s vision — or what he thought once was His vision — to life.

  Oher hand, for the first time in his life, he could see an actual ce at his dreams being a reality, and to a man who’d been grasping at straws for such a long time, it was like water to a man lost in the desert. Hope, such a silly human thing.

  Still, to turn that hope into certainty, he had to work and aplish each task given to him by his new patron to the best of his abilities. He had to go above and beyond.

  He believed he did exactly that, even if it cost him the vast majority of the armoured vehicle regiment he’d collected. He used them like the expendable tools they were, taking as much of the Tyranids with each vehicle as possible.

  Now, he left the st few for the Space Marines as he retreated to a spacious hall given to him for his troubles. He spent half a day taking apart the Hive Tyrant, more a way to kill time until his Patrourhan anything.

  And now she did. He k on some instinctive level, which he reasoned robably a side-effect of the are method through which She ected their minds. He could even initiate some level of unication from his side if his calcutions were correot that he ever would, aside from something catastrophic happening.

  Zedev found himself lost in thought more often than not these st few days, so the fact that he could now sehe proximity of his Patron proved to be some sense of relief. He left behind his rudimentary experimentation and headed for where he felt her presene from.

  He aplished the task set out for him. He was not quite expeg a reward or anything of the sort, but aask and some return on their previously discussed deals.

  He waited some time, of course, not willing to intrude on Her just whe back to the fortress to rest and whatever other activities She got up to with the young Rogue Trader.

  Data showed those were important for the overall mental wellbeing of humans though Zedev himself never onderstood the use of romantic attats even if he uood the need for reproductive activities, especially with the strict regutions pced on ing and vat-grown children.

  The two’s ‘retionship’ was something his calcutions found irregur. The speed, the scale of it and the overall ey of it matched none of what his calcutions would have expected. Still, it was none of his leasures of the flesh his Patron got up to.

  When Zedev arrived he door that led to the current dwelling of his Patron, he wasn’t too surprised to see the Eldar — uhe guise of an older human — walk bad forth in front of it.

  He’d seen the Xeno before through the live-feed images transmitted to him by some of the st tanks, the utter devastation he wrought oyranids and the borderline insanity he showed while doing so.

  Zedev never once heard of a Craftworld Eldar exhibiting such traits, madness of this kind was much more in lih the Drukhari a he still seemed to be just as much himself as before as he worriedly wandered up and down the hallway.

  She must have done something. Perhaps remove a limiter from him? No, there is a reason no Eldar ever reaches their potential. He thought about it, calcuted ae his rather advanced capabilities, they all came baclusive. He had no way of knowing the plight of the Aeldari since he never once dwelled too mu their history. All he was ied in was their biology.

  “Greetings.” His vox echoed in the hall, stopping the rhythmic footsteps of the Eldar as it turo stare at him.

  “Greetings.” The two held the aze, searg, analysing. They were as much rivals for their Patron’s favour in Zedev’s opinion as were they allies. Zedev wouldn’t betray her. That would be about as productive as shooting one’s parachute while skydiving.

  Before they could exge any more words, the door flew open and a white haired head peaked out at the two of them.

  “e in, you two,” Ea said with a quice thrown their way before she was gone once again.

  The Eldar tore its gaze away, rolling on his soles and striding into the room with its held high with Zedev following behind. He still didn’t know what exactly happeo the Xeno, nor was he all too worried about it. What it could provide his Patron syker knowledge that she could get for herself with time, what Zedev could provide her oher hand, was something much more unique in his opinion: The Marvels of Teology.

  Stepping into the spacious room, Zedev saw his Patron sitting nguidly on a couch with the Rogue Trader sitting further away at a table, poking some unreisable lump of food with a fork.

  Zedev came to stand in front of the couch, a few metres away and standing at attention as if it was the Fabricateneral himself sitting on that couch. He didn’t even spare a g the Eldar, only his sensors telling him how it was bowing so deeply its forehead almost touched the floor.

  At least the Xeno knew how to show respect. Zedev pted bowing himself, but his spine was reinforced in such a way that didn’t allow for such a movement. Instead, he gave a respectful nod, sure that She would know the meaning behind it.

  “So tell me what you two had been up to?” Ea asked with a curious tilt of her head, her gaze nding on Zedev first, prompting him to speak.

  “[I have aplished what you asked of me … ]

  [ … and with that done, I gave and of the remaining vehicles to the defenders.]

  The Magos didn’t show any sign of outride, but I could sense a deep satisfa radiating off of him at a job well done.

  “Thank you.” I smiled at him. Then I decided to address what he was no doubt most ied in. “I know I’ve promised you various samples, and I provide you with them all right now if you wish.”

  I held down a smirk as I noticed him perk up like a cat shown a treat.

  “But as you know, while we aren’t quite ierritory, we aren’t safe, either. I trust ander Dao not do anything idiotic, but I don’t doubt that he’d be all too happy to kill us all if he got the d her do I doubt that every siail he notices will be reported to the Regent once he arrives ihan two days.”

  “[So your … divination is certain to be accurate?]” Zedev asked with a touch of worry in his meical tone.

  “Yes, I saw the fleet yesterday.” I leaned bad threw up a small illusion replig the fgship. “‘The Macragge’s Honor’ is leading it, which while not a 100% proof, I am certain I am right.”

  “[Aowledged.]” Zedev nodded simply.

  “A living Primarch.” Val grimaced, his facial features being far more expressive or may be freely given since I pulled Sanesh’s cws out of his psychic arse. I ignored him for now.

  “So I think waiting to colle those deals until we are out of here and somewhere far away would be optimal.” I said, trying to appeal to his pragmatic side.

  “[Uood.]” He said. “[Is there a predicted timeframe for our departure?]”

  “Good question.” I smiled. “It depends. If the Regent throws a fit at me existing as soon as he is notified of my existence, we o be out of here yesterday, but if not, there is mue to gain from him.”

  “[Aowledged.]”

  I could easily tell that he wasn’t especially pleased with my answer, but he still uood it. What a good … what even was he to me? Friend? Certainly not. Servant? Not quite. Maybe a retainer? Worker? Should be something along those lines.

  “Sooooooo,” I gnced betweewo. “We have about two days of free time. I have nothing pnned. Maybe a bit of spying and stuff to make sure ratuitous hosts don’t end up running to their deaths a day before their salvation arrives in all his giant blue glory.”

  Zedev uood a dismissal when he heard o seemed, unlike Val o him. There wasn’t anything useful he could report to me right now, and I didn’t really need psychic tut right now, so I wasn’t really sure why he was even there.

  “So we are to do nothing?” He asked.

  “You do whatever you want,” I shrugged. “I’m not your mother, nor am I going to dictate how you live your life down to the minute. All I want you to do is get ready to leave … 31 hours from now if things all go to shit.”

  “[Uood]” Was all Zedev said as he turo leave, with Val following behind him a bit like a lost puppy.

  There was an aura on him that, while wasly the same as the one Fae had, it wasn’t all too differeher. He didn’t worship me at least, but he might be deifying me in his oed way. Problems for future me. Good luck future me.

  I sunk into the couch as the two finally left. I wasn’t sure when my position shifted from being the first among equals to the ander of our little group, but here I was with two turies old veterans looking up to me for dires.

  Plus, the fleet somehow fug with my predis. How did they do that anyway? Ideas?

  [There was a slight ripple detected while you were in battle tra was simir to the signal detected when the Wanderer ehe near Folx IV, but much more subdued.]

  [Predi: The Indomitus Fleet used a she Jump to speed up their travels.]

  Why, though? That should be dangerous as hell. They could have reappeared inside a p or something like that.

  [Unknown. Not enough data.]

  Whatever.

  This new life is fug weird. I thought. And it’s about to get even weirder. Soooo many problems for future me.

  P3t1

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