Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [175]

"Are you talking to the Emperor, Lord Rhodes?" Titus whispered as he approached Rhodes.

"Yes! Whenever I have free time, I come here to chat with the Emperor," Rhodes replied.

"What an incredible honor! Sister Elena seems to be quite favored by the Emperor," Titus remarked to Rhodes.

Indeed, the Emperor was extremely attentive to Elena because of Rhodes. As she knelt in prayer, a golden light enveloped her, making her appear radiantly holy. Even the Custodian Guards standing nearby were moved to kneel, having not witnessed such a scene in ages.

The Emperor certainly understood human nature! This display of favor greatly pleased Rhodes. If not for the Emperor's current limitations, Rhodes was 100% certain he would have immediately named Elena as Imperial Princess.

The day ended quickly. As Rhodes was leaving, Trajan, the Captain-General of the Custodian Guard, pulled him aside and said some puzzling things, attempting to recruit Rhodes to join the Imperium.

"Your wife is greatly favored by the Emperor, as are you! Your place should not be among Xenos, but here in the Imperium. If you're willing, you and your wife can return to the Empire at any time," Trajan said.

"Lord Loki has shown me great kindness. I promised to serve him for a time. When that period ends, I'll consider returning to the Imperium," Rhodes replied ambiguously.

In another year, he would officially return to the Imperium, but as the Emperor's Chosen or an even higher status, after Roboute Guilliman's return. Then Rhodes could begin the next phase of his plan, following the Emperor's directive to completely rebuild this decaying human Imperium! The goal was to recreate and even surpass the glory of humanity's Golden Age.

Hearing Rhodes' openness to the idea, a smile tugged at Trajan's lips. How could someone whose wife was a devout follower of the Emperor, a daughter of the Emperor, remain with xenos forces? Of course they must return to the Imperium. He would ensure their children joined the Custodian ranks, and encourage them to have many offspring.

"Mr. Rhodes, how long do you intend to serve Lord Loki? Do you have a specific timeframe?" Trajan inquired, hoping it wouldn't be hundreds of years.

"Probably a few more years," Rhodes answered.

"That's wonderful news. Please convey to Lord Loki that I've convinced Belisarius Cawl to visit his ship tomorrow for a personal meeting," Trajan said. He wished he could also recruit that female scientist from humanity's Golden Age. With the full protection of the Custodians, her safety in the Imperial Palace would be assured. But when Trajan had tried to sound her out previously, the woman had completely ignored him, unwilling to say a single extra word, much to his frustration.

After chatting a bit more with Trajan, Rhodes bid farewell and left with the three scientists, Elena, and Titus.

"How thrilling, Lord Rhodes! I never imagined I'd receive the Emperor's blessing, with His psychic light shining upon me," Elena said excitedly to Rhodes.

"If you enjoy it so much, I could bathe you in that light every night! I'll illuminate any part of you, making you gleam like gold," Rhodes said with a mischievous smile. If it was the Emperor's psychic light she wanted, he could provide that anytime!

"Oh! Well... This was meant to be something sacred, but the way you put it, Lord Rhodes, suddenly makes me feel rather bashful," Elena said, giving Rhodes a slightly exasperated look. As his bedmate, she naturally knew what was on her man's mind. Goodness, did this count as blasphemy? If the other Sisters of her order found out, she'd likely be sent to the pyre!

"Haha! Tonight I'll outfit you in golden lingerie, and you can roleplay as female Golden Saint warriors," Rhodes suggested playfully.

Elena was left speechless.

...

Belisarius Cawl was quite displeased. He had been avoiding Lord Loki, clearly expressing his disinterest in the meeting. But somehow the man had managed to get the Captain-General of the Custodian Guard himself to summon Cawl for a meeting. With Trajan's direct order, Cawl had no choice but to reluctantly agree to talks. He decided he would put on an arrogant, even foolish persona to make Lord Loki lose interest.

Having lived for over 10,000 years, Cawl had countless personalities stored in his memory banks. He could instantly switch to a different face as needed.

"How exciting, Belisarius Cawl! Getting an audience with you has been quite challenging. I had to go to great lengths to have the Captain-General request your presence," Rhodes said.

"Hmph! My time is extremely valuable. Every second, I have countless tasks to attend to. If there's nothing urgent, I'll just-" Cawl had just begun to activate his arrogant persona when Rhodes interrupted with his trump card.

"My ship is highly advanced, equipped with a faster-than-light engine. Would you be interested in taking a look?" Rhodes offered.

"Ahem! Did... did you say faster-than-light engine? You want me to inspect your ship?" Cawl's mechadendrites flickered with red light as he spoke. FTL engines were thought to be possessed only by Necrons. Did this Eldar also have such technology? And why invite him aboard? Could it be dangerous? Probably not - as an Archmagos of the Mechanicus, he should be safe in human territory.

In the end, Cawl couldn't resist the allure of FTL technology and agreed to board the ship.

"Please don't resist, Archmagos. I'm activating my teleportation ability now," Rhodes said. Before Cawl could react, Rhodes activated his teleportation bracelet and transported Cawl directly onto his ship.

Upon entering Rhodes' vessel, Cawl was stunned. Instead of a group of Eldar, he saw a contingent of Space Marines - massive warriors rivaling even his Primaris creations in size. Meanwhile, Rhodes shed his Eldar disguise, reverting to his true human form.

"The Eldar disguise was rather uncomfortable. Welcome aboard my ship, Lord Cawl," Rhodes said.

For a moment, the sheer volume of information overwhelmed even Cawl's semi-mechanical mind. His cogitators whirred furiously, analyzing Rhodes, the surrounding personnel, and the ship's facilities.

"You're human? Lord Loki doesn't exist?" Cawl questioned.

"Correct, Lord Cawl. I am the Emperor's Chosen," Rhodes confirmed. His body began to glow with the Emperor's golden light. Then, to Cawl's astonishment, Rhodes summoned what appeared to be an Officio Assassinorum operative from the Emperor's Webway.

"This is... the Emperor? No, what's happening? Who are you really?" Cawl's circuits nearly overloaded, his remaining organic brain matter struggling to process the situation.

"Allow me to explain. I am indeed the Emperor's Chosen. I discovered a top-tier human vessel from the Dark Age of Technology," Rhodes began, giving Cawl a brief overview of the current circumstances. He even had the Emperor's avatar reveal details known only to the Emperor and Cawl himself.

The Emperor, with His immense psychic might, could foresee the future. When referring to the entity that sought to claim His body - the being known as the Omnissiah - the Emperor had called it "Belisarius Cawl." Back then, the Emperor had communicated with Cawl through some mysterious means. Since that time, Cawl had known his mission and accepted two tasks from Primarch Roboute Guilliman: to resurrect him and create a new Astartes legion.

"This is truly astounding, Mr. Rhodes. Why haven't you revealed your identity to the Imperium?" Cawl inquired. He was now certain that Rhodes was genuinely the Emperor's Chosen, possessing technology from the Dark Age of Technology or perhaps even more ancient and advanced.

"You're well aware of the current state of the Ecclesiarchy, the High Lords of Terra, and the Inquisition. Even your secret Primaris Space Marine project, commissioned by a Primarch, would be declared heretical by them. Would you dare make such revelations public?" Rhodes pointed out.

The Primaris Space Marine project faced enormous resistance even after Roboute Guilliman's awakening. It would be even more challenging before the Primarch's return.

"Indeed, I wouldn't dare expose these matters," Cawl admitted.

"Exactly. Neither would I."

"So your ship truly has a faster-than-light engine? And these Space Marines of yours are also an enhanced variety?" Cawl asked.

"That's right. We have FTL capabilities. These are called Super Space Marines. As for their combat prowess, a few days ago I had them engage the Custodians in battle. While their physical attributes were comparable, my men emerged victorious," Rhodes explained.

Cawl nodded. It seemed he was not the Emperor's only chess piece after all. Super Space Marines, Primaris Space Marines... The future of the Imperium was about to change dramatically.