40 Thousand Reasons

"Let's hope we never have to get to that point, Mighty Zarhulash. Plus, doing what Lord Trazyn says, torturing a C'tan to obtain more abilities? Is that really necessary?" I asked in a meeker tone, and then located my daughter on the Aegida, talking to a Sister.

Hmmm, so they weren't all muted? Perhaps that woman hadn't taken the vow of tranquility yet. Most likely so.

Made sense to keep a few voice able sisters around, if communicating with other people was needed.

A few other Sisters had Vox comms attached to their Vratine Armour, so they possibly could use tech-lingua or other forms of mechanical transmission. Their armor looked amazing, even had boob plates! But, it wasn't air sealed, and that wasn't so great. Gonna have to fix that.

With a twist of the Pharos, I arrived in the same room, to the surprise of the Pariah women, who should have nullified any psyker spell or ability.

"Hello Janice! So these are your big Sisters? They don't look so big..." I wondered in a doubtful voice.

"Daddy! This Sister is Alana. She can still talk, because she is only a Novice. I could be a Novice too, right?" my daughter asked in a dimple smile.

No, resist with all your strength, Pef! Don't let your daughter get stolen in some creepy cult.

"We shall see, sweetie. First you need to learn the Navigator skills, and then we can work on these other forms of magic." I said instead, not willing to break her heart just yet. Plus, some of these women seemed battle-hardened and quite capable.

More than me, anyway.

"You are Lord Lancefire? I thought you were a Blank, not another miracle like Janice." Sister Alana asked me with a concerned voice.

I just shrugged carelessly. "I certainly am a Blank. I fought Chaos Sorcerers before, even killed a traitor Primarch once. But most importantly, I am a Rogue Trader. " I answered and opened my null box to remove my Warrant scroll.

Better make sure they knew what I was, before knowing me better. So I offered the Warrant to the Sister in charge. "Please read it, my dear. Especially the part about my duty, beyond the borders of the Imperium."

The Witchseeker took the scroll a bit confused and started reading.

While reading, her free hand flashed in battlespeak, which was quite similar to what Ludvaius had taught me.

I sighed and slammed my bone staff on the metal floor. "We can also talk mind-to-mind. It will become easier when we know each other better." I spoke to all of them empathically.

It was very difficult though, even with the aid of my Enslaver staff. Pariah were a different breed, that was certain.

The armored women blinked in confusion, then stared from me to Janice and back.

More miracles today, no doubt. A minute later, the leader of this squad handed me the Warrant, looking thoughtful.

"The Inquisitor told me your group is interested in joining me and my clan, setting up a Blank community in the Fringe. Was she wrong?" I asked in a gentler voice.

The leader stared into my eyes and nodded, a bit hesitant. "You look more like an Astartes than a Rogue Trader, Pef Lancefire. I have seen both, during my duties." the Sister replied in my mind.

Good enough, for now. "You and Alana, join me as we deal with the Eldar. Name?" I asked as I turned for the door and began walking away.

"I am Sister Hestia." the null maiden answered in my mind, as she began walking after me.

"Can I come too, dad? I wanna explore the Eldar ship too!" Janice asked in a pleading voice.

"You can't, sweetie. It is a warzone, and Eldar are treacherous. You don't even have a Rosarius." I explained gently and patted my belt.

"Damn it! What if I ride Canis?" she yelled after me.

"No means no!" I spoke harshly in her mind, leaning on my staff for extra power.

The girl pouted and went to hug the nearest Sister, who seemed rather confused.

"Sister Aleya, teach me that sword move again!" Janice demanded in a childish voice.

The sound of an Execution Bladescraping the metal floor announced how my daughter could get away with outrageous things even from other people, not just her parents, or their wolf pet.

The Aegida was a rather big fortress, and it still bore the marks of combat and fire. Tech-priests and techmarines worked side by side with serfs and servitors to repair the damage, while a couple of Inquisition Acolytes watched over them trying to look scary.

I ignored the obvious killers and torturers, and stared at a blonde woman with a dozen Mechanicus implants and lots of gear that would better suit an infiltrator, or perhaps an Assassin.

So I stopped next to her, to observe the repairs. "Hello there. You fought in the siege?" I asked with a tiny tendril of humor.

The blonde woman patted her needle rifle, and smiled back. "A single Eldar assault boat made it into the hangar, Lord Lancefire, and it was over very fast. I thought you'd be taller, from all the stories I heard."

"I'm still growing, my dear. I expect I'll get much taller, in a century or two." I answered in a fake whisper, and walked on.

"Modest too..." she muttered while staring at my armored ass. Holding my helmet sensor towards the back always made for best comebacks.

"You think she is marking my ass for a needle shot?" I asked the non-mute Alana, who blushed and glanced at the sniper Acolyte in surprise.

"... Perhaps not for a needle, my Lord." Alana mumbled in a stammer.

How cute. She might become my favorite in bed soon.

"We will take the Talion" Sister Hestia announced me with another mind message, while pointing at an armored lander with a few special weapons on its wings.

Looked a lot like the Deathwatch deep strike gunships, the Corvus_Blackstar

"Looks very advanced. I like it." I complimented the ship and Alana smiled widely at me.

"We have nice gear, from Mars and Luna. I am learning to pilot as well." she explained while the Null Maiden climbed in the cockpit and took off like a veteran pilot. Hestia most certainly knew her job, or she wouldn't be leading this team, far behind enemy lines.

"So, what do you do with the Blank boys, when they get born? Drown them?" I asked to make conversation. There were only women in this sisterhood, and I already knew Blank boys would get born. I had quite a few myself.

Alana blinked at me in confusion, then towards the cockpit. "I heard rumours...they get taken to Holy Terra. But I don't think they just drown them."

"They probably grind their bones to make Psyk-Out Grenades or something." I answered with grim smile.

The Novice Sister glared at me like I said something untrue. "You think they make nega-psi bolts from dead Blanks or Pariah?" she asked a bit terrified.

I nodded with certitude. "Completely certain, Sister Alana. Of course, they might die during battles or something. It's not like anyone would hate Untouchables so much, that they would simply murder them to collect the organic parts, right?" I asked rhetorically, as the Talion lander entered the launch bay of the Eldar Void Stalker.

"... I've never heard of Blank men fighting in battles." Alana confessed with a horrified face.

All the more reason not to enter the Imperium again. I liked my bones and organs where they were.

A few minutes later, I was escorted on the battleship's bridge, where a tall and lithe Eldar female was kept under guard by my Blood Angels.

On the way, I wondered at the very advanced and clean battleship, which looked more like white and grey plastic. Compared to the smoky, oily and rather grim human ships, this Eldar vessel was a real wonder.

"Farseer?" I inquired politely.

"You have joined forces with that abomination from beyond the stars, human!" the Eldar yelled at me, while shrinking from the Pariah aura of my pretty escorts.

"Not sure what your point is, Farseer. You will offer and I will accept your surrender, or else execute you and all your followers. One solar minute to think it over." I explained while deliberately checking the corrupted bolter rounds magazine, and loading it inside the Unceasing Service bolter pistol.

Her eyes grew wide with terror, as the psychic emanation from those bolts announced an eternity of torture at Slaanesh loving tentacles.

"You cannot do this! Our souls would be damned forever." She yelled and tried some psyker gestures, which were rather futile with those Pariahs beside me.

I hummed, pretending to consider her words. "Humanity has the Emperor and the Omnissiah. Right here on my chest, the twin-headed Aquila." I indicated tapping the sigil.

" Orks have their Gork and Mork, both ready to accept their Orkish spirits after they die. What gods do the Aeldari have? Right...nearly all of you suicided to create one, not so long ago. Surely your new god will await you with open arms, right?" I continued with fake naivety.

The Farseer seemed rather reluctant to meet her god.

My Rose snorted like I said a good joke. "How strange. She didn't fear death, until you arrived, Lord Lancefire. Your rhetoric might be lacking, but it surely seems to work anyway."

I smiled widely, and cocked the bolter as a warning. "I didn't hear a yes, Farseer. Two solar seconds, one..."

"Yes! We surrender, damn monkey!" the Eldar proclaimed, and her honor guard slumped in defeat.

"Hestia, gather their potent psykers and transport them to the Fortress. Alana, sing something nice." I commanded with a grin. Better get my Alana used to having a voice. I won't let her lose it.

A clear voice began singing praise to some long forgotten saint.

But I didn't mind, and just enjoyed my victory moment.