102. Ordained by Him

(A/N: Hi all! It's good to be back. It was a very much needed break, and I'm feeling rejuvenated and excited to get back to writing for this Novel.

Over the last week, I've spent a ton of time writing for the Grey Knight/Marvel FF, and I think it went really well.

I've decided to do a discord as well. I will post the first couple of chapters there when I have the time after I've edited them so i can get feedback on how you think the story is going. (we have dinner with family friends tonight)

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Https://discord.gg/vDrfkXnDe2

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Please keep in mind that this Discord is completely new, and I hardly know anything about it. (I barely know how to run Webnovel, so i asked my sweet Wifey to help me 😅) So please be patient with me.

Please feel free to ask any questions or voice any concerns!

I appreciate each and every single one of you!)

=== Nira ===

The quarters assigned to Nira aboard the cruiser were sparse and sterile, white durasteel walls, a single viewport staring into the endless black, and only the gentle hum of the ship's engines to break the silence. But Nira hadn't noticed any of it.

She sat curled in the corner of the wide command seat, knees pulled to her chest, her forehead resting against them.

For the first time in days, she finally had time to think.

And in the silence, doubt crept in like a rising tide.

'You've gone too far. You've turned your back on everything. The Jedi will call you a traitor. The Republic will brand you a defector. Even the Imperium… they might call you witch, they might execute you before you can speak.'

She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the thoughts away, but they came back with fangs sharper than before.

She had led some of her mentors into exile. Jedi Masters who had trusted her, who had followed her. She had brought them into unknown space, toward a faction of beings so far removed from the Force that they were almost unnatural to her. The Imperium of Man. The Astartes. The Emperor.

She didn't know what he truly was… not yet.

She had left her friends. Her family.

Her hands trembled as she reached into her robes and withdrew it.

The feather.

It shimmered with a light, pure and golden. Gold with threads of white, its edge crackled faintly with power.

It was a symbol that she was Chosen.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"What if I'm not good enough?"

Her voice slipped from her lips like a whisper into the void. Her fingers clenched around the feather, its holy warmth pressing against her palm.

"What if they think I'm lying?" she asked the empty air. "What will I do if they reject me?"

For a moment, the silence answered her.

Then the light in the room changed, no glow of the ship, no flicker of the consoles. This was deeper. Brighter. Divine.

Sanguinius' angelic wings unfurled with a gentle rustle, their span casting light and shadow across the chamber. His gold and crimson armor gleamed like it had never known blood, never known battle, yet carried the weight of thousands of wars. His face was serene, radiant, yet filled with a melancholy that only the dead could know.

He stepped forward slowly, and lowered himself to one knee beside her chair. Even kneeling, he dwarfed her.

She looked up into his face, and he met her gaze with the patience of a father, of a guardian. And he saw it in her.

Fear.

Not weakness, not cowardice.

But fear, the kind born of responsibility.

"I'm not a leader," she whispered, voice cracking. "I was never meant for this. I'm no general, no ruler. I'm just… me."

He was silent for a moment, letting her speak, letting her feel. Then, softly, he spoke.

"You are more now. You are chosen. Not by fate, nor accident. But by the Emperor Himself."

"I didn't ask for this." She said quietly.

"No one who is truly worthy ever does," Sanguinius replied. "But the Emperor saw something in you. As do I."

She shook her head. "He bargained with me. This wasn't a gift, it was a transaction."

Sanguinius reached out and gently placed one gauntleted hand on her shoulder. The contact was light, but it grounded her. It was like being touched by a sunbeam that had taken the shape of a man.

"You gave him something of immeasurable value," he said. "And in return, he gave you the future."

She looked at him again, eyes glistening. "What if I fail?"

"You won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because, I know what you are capable of. Even if you don't yet." His voice was resolute, filled with unwavering certainty. "Until the day I return to flesh, and beyond. I am bound to you. I will be your blade in darkness. Your shield in light. I will speak for you when your voice falters, and raise you when you fall. And I will be there by your side until the end."

Her lip quivered as she closed her eyes again, pressing her forehead into his armored arm like a child seeking shelter from a storm.

"I'm so scared," she whispered.

"I know."

Eventually, he drew back, his hand lifting to the chain around her neck. From it, the feather gleamed once more.

"This is the key," he said. "This feather was not a token. It is a symbol of the Emperor's will. Of His trust. Show it to the Astartes, and they will kneel."

"And if they don't?"

His wings folded slightly as he rose to his full height. "They will."

She stood with him, slowly, her fingers wrapping around the feather again. "And… what happens after?"

"You lead," he said. "You bring order to this shattered galaxy. The Emperor has no form yet, but until he returns, you are his voice. His light. You will guide the Imperium. And when the time comes, he will rise again."

Her back straightened. Her breathing slowed.

And though the fear remained, it no longer ruled her.

"You believe in me?" she asked quietly.

"With all that I am."

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The winds of Tatooine lashed across the sand, howling between the jagged rocks and Invictum Aeternum. The twin suns cast a golden glow over the land, their oppressive heat baking the cracked earth beneath Nira's boots.

She walked at the head of the small group, her robe trailing behind her, the hood drawn up to conceal the pallor of her face and the glowing green eyes that had replaced her once warm blue ones. Behind her came the Jedi Masters who had chosen to follow her, each of them walking with a somber, purposeful silence.

A small contingent of Astartes stood ahead, clad in their enormous suits of ceramite armor, standing in formation with their bolters held at rest. The red dust of Tatooine swirled around their towering forms, but they stood like statues, unwavering. At their head was a man with silver hair, dressed not in armor, but in the flowing black and crimson robes of a noble warrior.

The moment his eyes landed on Nira, something in his composed face broke. Emotion flickered behind his gaze, and then, before she could say a word, he stepped forward and pulled her into a firm embrace.

"You're really here. Thank the Force." Dooku said quietly, voice trembling with rare sentiment.

Nira, stunned by the sudden contact, slowly brought her arms up and returned the hug. For a moment, the galaxy's weight lessened. Though, just for a moment.

Dooku pulled away and looked her over, his sharp eyes softening slightly even as he studied her changed appearance. "So much has changed," he murmured. "You've changed." Then he looked to the others. "Masters, I am honored by your presence. I have… so many questions. But they must wait. Captain Maximus is waiting. He's been most eager to meet you."

With a nod, he turned and gestured for them to follow.

The walk was silent but tense. The halls carved into the side of an ancient stone mesa echoed with their steps. The architecture was a mix of old Tatooinian stonework and newer Imperial enhancements, tall banners bearing the Aquila fluttering against the walls. In the grand hall at the center, stood a massive table surrounded by seats.

On the left, Sebastian of the Black Templars sat with his storm shield resting beside him and his power sword laid across his lap. To the right, Raxor of the Salamanders leaned forward, his bulk adorned with ritualistic engravings and scaled green armor, a heavy flamer slung across his back clicking softly with every breath he took. Between them, the central seat held Maximus, his helmet on the table before him.

He stood as the group entered, holding his arms wide.

"Well, well," he boomed in his deep voice. "Little Nira. What have you done with your skin?"

Despite everything, Nira let out a small exhale, almost a laugh. "It's a long story," she said softly, stepping forward. "One I'll share in due time. But first, I come with a message."

She stopped before the three warriors, the Jedi fanning out behind her.

"I speak now in the name of the Emperor of Mankind, the Master of Mankind, the Immortal God-Emperor. It is his will that I lead this splinter of the Imperium in this galaxy until his return."

The chamber went dead silent.

Maximus blinked.

Raxor furrowed his brow.

Sebastian stood.

The sound of his armor moving was like the groan of a mountain rising. His eyes burned like twin infernos as he stepped from the table, each step thudding across the hall like a war drum. He pointed his massive blade at her, his voice thunderous.

"You dare utter such blasphemy in this sacred place?! You shame the God-Emperor with this lie! Take back what you've said, or I swear, your blood will join the heretics who spat upon his name!"

She didn't back down.

Instead, she raised her head and looked directly into the seething, blood-red eyes of the Templar. For a moment, real fear flickered in her gaze, brief, sharp, human. Then it faded as her gaze shifted… not to Sebastian, but past him.

Her lips parted slightly as she saw Sanguinius.

The angel stood behind Sebastian, radiant and terrible, his spear raised as if prepared to strike down the impudent Astartes. He said nothing. But Nira felt his presence like a shield around her heart.

Sebastian turned slightly, as if sensing something. He looked over his shoulder, but there was no one there.

Then Nira reached into her robes and drew it forth.

A single, immaculate feather.

The light in the room seemed to catch on it, refracting with a soft glow that cast dancing rays across the stone walls. Every eye turned to it. Raxor inhaled sharply. Maximus stood straighter.

Sebastian froze.

His anger fell away as if blown out like a candle. He took a slow step forward, knees shaking as he fell to the ground before her. He extended his trembling hands.

"The Great Angel," he whispered, eyes wide with awe. "This… this is his… a relic sacred beyond comprehension…"

Nira gently placed the feather in his open palms. The enormous Astartes cradled it with reverence.

"I met Him," Nira said softly. "I stood in the Warp and beheld Him. I have spoken to the Emperor Himself. I carry his will now. And with this feather, I am ordained."

The Jedi were silent, watching the mighty Astartes bow before someone they had, mere moments ago, nearly struck down.

Maximus stepped forward, eyes never leaving the feather. "Sebastian… tell me. Is it real?"

Sebastian looked up. Whatever fury once burned in his optics had been replaced by the stillness of faith.

"It is real brother," he said, voice low and filled with awe. "Soaked in power… in truth. No heretic could create this. Only the Angel could leave such a mark."

Nira said nothing for a long moment. Then she took a deep breath, hands clasped before her.

"I do not ask for your loyalty because of who I am. I ask for it because the Emperor demands it. I am his voice in this galaxy now. With Sanguinius to guide me, I will lead the Imperium's rebirth in this place. We will unite Jedi and Astartes, man and machine, Faith and Force, and we will create a future worth fighting for."

Sebastian looked at her. "The Great Angel is here with us?"

She nodded once. "He is."

A long silence stretched, then Maximus slowly knelt, as did the rest of the Astartes.

"Then… we follow," he said. "By the will of the Emperor."

The Jedi behind her exchanged glances, some uneasy, others quietly hopeful.

Sebastian rose, feather still in hand. He looked at Nira again, this time with something deeper than respect, devotion.

"We stand ready, Saintess," he said with solemn zeal.

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If you enjoyed this chapter, maybe consider leaving me with a couple of your power stones? I promise I'll take good care of them:)