The Empress Can't Communicate: Chapter 3

Taking Chances

There used to be a forest here, a vast sea of cedar as far as the eye could see. Even now, as she sat on her perch overlooking the hills where these proud trees stood once, she could still remember walking beneath their shade. It was a forest unlike any other.

Breathing in deeply, she remembered how the cool summer breeze from the great sea washed over the forest and how it filled her lungs with the salty tang mixed with the fragrant scent of cedar. It was a sight she thought she'd never see again, the forest from her childhood, a forest that had been pushed to the brink returning to its former glory.

Now, however, as she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but desolation. Where once were rolling hills filled with a sea of green, now nothing grew. All that was left in these once verdant fields, were derelict oil fields and the carcass of industries long since abandoned.

Still she dared to hope as she gazed out, eyes scanning the horizon for just the briefest hint of green. Perhaps there was something out there, a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. All she would find however were lingering regrets.

Nothing would grow here, not even after a thousand years. Where once was pine needles covered trails, now only stained soil, polluted by the waste from these ancient and polluting industries revived during the fall.Not even the air itself was safe as she felt her nose prickle from the dust swirling in the air.

Pulling up her mask, she turned to the salt pans stretching out towards the west. Mare Nostrum, now nothing more than an irradiated wasteland hostile to all life. There was nothing for her here, nothing but fleeting memories of a past long gone. Where had it all gone wrong?

"It's because you gave humanity a chance," She thought to herself, "You allowed them to pick their own path." Snorting, she stood up, and turned away. "And look at what it led to," She frowned as she took a step towards her next destination.

Perhaps she was being harsh as humanity had reached heights unmatched, but the results spoke for themselves. "Why did I give them a chance?"

Eyes blazing a golden glow, she strode forwards, her hands pulling her cloak tightly around her form as the world around her slowly melted away around here. From one hellscape to another, she traveled onwards.

With whipping winds, blazing warpfire and the screams of the damned, she had stepped away from reality and towards the Immaterium. It was a place gone mad, where nothing made sense and the rules of nature started to break down. Even reality itself as she felt her very essence fray at the edge, yet it had a beauty all to its own.

Amidst the burning screams were the colors of what once were, a sea of emotions and lands of dreams. It was here where reality was weakest and imagination was stronger. Like her world however, these lands had long since corrupted.

Gritting her teeth, she turned away, blocking out the voices as the shadows started to dance. She wasn't here to admire the sea, she was here to get to her destination quickest. Nothing more and nothing less.

Powering on, she pushed back against the storm with nothing but her will. Stoked by her hate and her will, her golden fire burned brighter and like the ripples on a pond, it spread out with each step. The storm was slowly dying down around her, but she took haste with her step.

She couldn't stay here for long, not when there were others lurking just beyond her senses. Ignoring the voices, she powered on. Even as the air grew heavy and filled with sick twisted laughter of those that never were, she continued on. She walked forever and an instant, her steps eating up distance and taking her nowhere at all.

With the enemy baying at her heels and the sickly pink glow of a star above growing ever brighter, the Anathema kept walking, ignoring them, pushing them, and never letting up until the world finally gave out beneath her. Bracing herself, she stepped through as the world of lights melted away behind her.

Breathing in deeply, she opened her eyes as she found herself under the shifting dunes near her homeland. Her skin still prickled and smoke wafted from her cloak, but she was whole. Patting at the fire on her cloak, she continued onwards, heading for her destination; The towering husk of once great void fairing vessels.

"I wonder what I'll find," She whispered as she headed for the nearest one, ready to start another day of searching through what was left behind.

-x-x-x-

Rooting through the rubble and scavenging what she could, that was how she spent her days out in the great deserts. Not working on wonders, or creating art, but merely scavenging just to continue on. It was all she could do out here after all.

Devoid of resources, with what was worth extracting long exhausted, and cut off from the rest of the galaxy, Terra was left with nothing. There was little worth anyone could extract from the ground, instead, people must turn to its surface and scavenge through the ruins.

Eyes closed, she strode forward, extending her sense as she felt the world around her. Ignoring the cries of agony, of echoes left behind by the Men of Iron and people alike, she felt along the hull of ships, hoping to chance upon something.

Like bottom feeders, she along with the rest of humanity, resorted to breaking down what was left, stripping it down even to the very bones themselves. Even the plates of ships could be turned to housing after all.

Bit by bit, Terra was slowly stripped of what made it beautiful. The great gardens, the beautiful cities, and even the very oceans themselves all stripped to push humanity through one more day. Even those would soon run out, leaving the rest fighting over scraps. This was what humanity was reduced to and she hated every second of it.

Still, humanity must live on. Scavenging wasn't the most glamorous of life, or even the most honorable of one, but it was one of the ways she could survive her reality; A reality where the rule of law had long broken down and all that remained is the rule of the fittest.

Frowning, she stopped before a ship. Even without tapping into her senses, she knew how thick the vessel's hull was. It was a military transport, one made to supply the people fighting in the war effort. Its hull was what protected it from breaking up when it crashed and what stopped people from looting it, but right now, it was a barrier she needed to break through.

"Finally," She whispered, a smile now grazing her lips. She knew there was still more she could harvest around these parts.

Pressing her palm flat against its hull, she pushed, burning through the thick armor. With her hands burning with golden fire, she pushed through, parting metal apart and revealing the untouched interior, pristine as the day it crashed.

Even after all these years, the superior craftsmanship of the Stellar Empire shines through. Stepping across the molten puddle, her boots kicked up dust that had long since settled years ago. Eyes flashing across the green line she passed through, she whirled around, hands reaching for the turret popping out of the ceiling.

She almost felt bad as she reached out and crushed a turret, but it had to be done. Walking past the remains, avoiding any more traps, she made her way to the nearest terminal. Hands gliding across the ports, she found them thankfully intact.

Pulling her up sleeves, she reached into the terminal and pushed her mind. It was jarring, finding herself immersed in a sea of data, one filled with scrap code no less, but she quickly oriented herself. As ruined as the codes were, it was a work of art, one made by hand by some coder who struggled to retake the craft after the machines no longer answered their calls.

There was no time for her to take note as she forced the data to shift. Pulling and tugging, she weaved and tore through the data, bending it to her will and destroying what little was left of the original code.

There was no time to be delicate as she tore away at the firewalls, forcing her programs scrap codes in as they tore the delicate internal working and super imposing her own design upon it. As much as the people of the past wanted to protect this grave, she needed what was inside it.

Soon, the data settled and she was now under control. "Cargo Manifest," She whispered as her eyes lit up with data. Names, items, personal belongings filtering through her mind until she stopped at a certain box. "High End Commercial Computers…"

The good stuff was hard to come by during the later phase of the war. Things off the shelves, those that didn't require any of the advanced abominable intelligence plaguing just about every part of the machines people used, became standard issue. She never thought she'd find those again however given how sought after they were before and after the war.

Smiling giddily, she took a copy of the manifest as she pulled away. She was finally getting progress after months of stalling. "And even more months taking care of an Eldari," A poisonous thought whispered at the back of her head.

Yes… her latest distraction; The boy from the stars above and an Enigma that had plagued her ever since. He was Eldari, he smelt and looked like one, but he wasn't, not quite fully that is. He smelt foul, of the divine, and something… human. What was he?

No, this was no time for her to be distracted. She had a ship to loot. The boy could wait. He had his collar on after all. If he was going to kill himself, at least the backlash would be limited for sometime so that she could contain it. Her conscience, however, nagged away, "You shouldn't have left him behind."

Frowning, she got up, as she headed deeper in the vessel. With sand and hardened slag shifting with her thoughts, blocking the path for any would-be scavengers that found her. So what if she left him behind, she thought, crushing metal and sand together until it was one solid slab, he was not her responsibility. Why should she be concerned?

"He is a victim of circumstance, a broken man," Her thoughts reminded her. He was human, once, but he had a life of his own. This boy knew what was coming, but not like the rest of them. He knew what was to come just like her.

"No," She gritted out, "He's not like me." He was an abomination, a creature that she should have sealed and entombed. He was a gift from those beings that called themselves the Gods of the Eldari and a poisoned gift. While she was to be a species hope, he was to be the Eldar's doom. "But he didn't choose this path, not like us."

Having woken up from his slumber, after he had been reforged, he was vulnerable. She saw it in his eyes, his life, his dreams, everything. His soul blazed with a light that made her feel so… normal. It was almost enchanting if not for what the boy lost in turn.

"He could kill himself," She thought, her frown deepening. The Eldari were flawed, their emotions burning far too brightly. If despair were to take hold too deeply… "No, you've already done what you could," She grunted, "The collar should hold back the backlash." Long enough that she could return and stop those carrion feeders from taking advantage.

"But it would still be blood on your hands," But what was one more to the sea that she had made from her own inaction? Forcing back these treacherous thoughts, she continued onwards, intent on grabbing what she could before making her way back home.
"But why did I take my chances with him…" She whispered as her words were lost in the echoes of her footsteps down the silent halls.

Eyes peeled, she took her time to explore, ever vigilant of the shadows for an ancient enemy. She could never be sure as she passed by desiccated corpses sporting such grievous injuries. Ripped from shoulder to hip, they did not die peacefully.

Heading deeper, and finding more bodies, she'd eventually stop before the main cargo bay. While the doors were wide open, and more corpses littered the ground, the cargo remained intact. Boxes after boxes of military hardware and rations all for her to enjoy. There was even a sandwich, still wrapped in its plastic just laying on top of a table.

Grabbing the little snack and tearing through the packaging, she turned to the stack of boxes before her. While the guns sported by the corpses were a welcome sight, they weren't the true price. What she was after was somewhere in these boxes.

"Now where is it," She whispered as she stepped over the blood soaked remains of a beautiful doll hugging a broken corpse and rooted through the supplies. She'd find rations aplenty and even some cells, but still not what she was after. "Perhaps somewhere here?" She thought as she grabbed one of the boxes and opened it.

Now she could have used the data manifest and just figured out where it was, but that was taking the fun out of it. Boredom was much of an enemy as starvation was after all. A little surprise wouldn't hurt.

It would take her quite some time, with her finding quite the number of ammunition and power cells to loot as well, but finally she found it. There, still in their boxes, were the high end commercial computers she was after.

Feeling the box against delicate fingers, she let out a giddy giggle. Finding good stuff never gets old. "It's like opening a gacha box," She whispered, cursing that dreaded mechanic even after all those years.

Now what would one use computers such as these. The Noosphere after all was a soup made of corrupted AI and scrap code if it hadn't long since broken down and she had no copy of programs she could run on it on hand. It was effectively dead weight unless someone knows what they're doing.

What it lacked in usable premade programs, it made up with processing power, lots and lots of it. "I can finally make my forge," She whispered, smiling at the thought of not having to forge Auromite by hand anymore.

Now she wouldn't be making the alloy at the level that the Stellar Empire's lab were making with their vast foundries, but she could finally have her backyard foundry set up just to make a tiny fraction of it. A kilogram or two a month, while small in the grand scheme of things, was still quite the marginal improvement.

"Now, let's see what else we got," She whispered as she stuffed them inside her satchel and grabbed what she could. Guns, personal belongings, and even the good scrap of cloth would be of use. A lot of things were breaking down in the village.

Hands freezing as she was about to grab a candy bar of a dead man's ration pack, she frowned. Why was she even concerned about the villagers? They were already thriving as they were living off his scraps. Why was she wasting effort in feeding them and repairing the facilities she made for them when she could just take other stuff and use it for herself?

"Because it's simply the right thing to do," A small voice whispered, something she squished with cold logic. "What use would that get her?"

Hands pulling away, she turned to grab an ammo pack. She's only tolerating their existence, nothing more. As she moved to stuff it in her pack, she would find that she didn't have enough space. All she had for now was that lone candy bar sitting innocently off to the side.

"At least it would make that boy shut up," She muttered, stuffing it in her pack. If he wasn't the village chief's son, she would have already tossed the boy in the desert to make him stop yapping all day long. She didn't need company afterall…

With her pack full and loot secure, she dragged it back to where she made her entrance. The pack was heavy and sitting precarious over her shoulder, but it was nothing a good nudge with her mind wouldn't fix.

Reaching the exit, she pushed against the cooling slag and blasted it. It would kick off quite the storm, but it was a deliberate choice, one that would save her from having to heal herself as a stray shot zipped past her head.

Tossing her pack aside, she quickly took cover as the shots pinged against the tough hull. Ears straining as she controlled her breath, she expanded her mind, her senses sharpening as the world came into view. A dozen raiders surrounded the entrance; Annoying.

Sitting behind her cover, she waited for them to stop. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, they quickly stopped firing. "We know you're there!" A voice shouted from outside, "And we know that this is the only way out." Feeling the smug tone dripping from their voice, she let out a groan.

"Not again," She whispered as she peered out, the dust settling to reveal the raiders in all their glory. Armed to the teeth with archeotech from before the rebellion and riding upon kitted up bikes, they were definitely not the normal type of raiders. What's worse was the type of archeotech they were armed with.

"Electric Weapons," She whispered, eyes narrowed as her gaze met with the man, finding he was wearing something that blocked her out. Nothing that she couldn't overcome, but this was far from the norm, even for veteran raiders or worse, the men of warlords out on a hunt.

"I see you know your stuff, wytch," The man spat out, making her pause. Scowling, the man spat out, "Oh I know what you are girly and how you've been getting the good stuff so we came in prepared." Tapping his helmet, he pointed out, "See this? This thing blocks out your magic and protects me and my boys."

"Meanwhile this gun has enough juice in it to fry whatever monstrous implants you have so if you don't want things to get messy, I say you hand over the goods," The man grinned as he aimed his gun along with the rest of the raiders.

"You can have the ship," She offered. It was inconsequential to her. They could fight through the corridors filled with traps and turrets. What she needed now was to get her stuff away as soon as possible. "There's lots of food and weapons inside. It's a military transport."

"We could," The man hummed, considering it for a second before he grinned, "But we could have it all as well as you, my prized little scrap hound." Chuckling darkly, he taunted, "Who knows, If you sing well enough after we tear your tongue and limbs out, maybe I'll take you as my personal pet instead of just using you to find better ships."

Hearing his demand, she frowned. Any lesser being would have faltered. The man knew what he and his men were capable of and they didn't look afraid to lose one or two just to get her. They also had the firepower to turn this fight ugly as well, but these men didn't account for one thing; She wasn't just any ordinary psyker.

"I have no time for this," She gritted her teeth as she walked up and grabbed her stuff. As the men aimed their weapons and threatened her, she simply gazed impassionately up to them and spoke those words. "Begone." So utter were the words of creation and none were left standing, only the dust that once were people.

Walking past their discarded armor and weapons, something which she had no use for, she headed towards the village. Annoying as it was, she couldn't just hop across the Warp. The possibility of her stuff getting infected was simply too high so she had to walk.

On foot, she walked across the desert, feeling eyes on her after what she had down. It was definitely a bad idea to use such powers, feeling the presence in the corrupted hives gazing towards her. They definitely know she was up and about once again, no longer hiding away at her tiny fortress.

She was definitely going to be facing some trouble in the future as whichever warlord had climbed the ladder would have already been far removed from those she had defeated before. As much of a headache it was however, she couldn't risk her loot, not when she was this close to making her next breakthrough. She was finally getting closer to her ultimate goal.

"One step at a time," She reminded herself, not wanting to rush. She still had a millenia or two to wait. It still wasn't time yet for her to let loose. Besides, what was dealing with a few headaches? She already dealt with dozens before.

-x-x-x-

It would take her weeks, as well as frequent stops to various villages to trade and check on her tiny projects before she would finally reach home. A long journey, but seeing the rusty hovels nestled against the side of a mountain was a heartwarming sight. Perhaps she was being too sentimental, but she was glad that she was back.

As she stood at her perch in silence, she felt something was off. The village was far too silent. There was no fanfare nor was she greeted by that annoying kid. There was now only silence along with fluttering of what looked like colorful bannels fluttering in the street.

"What's going on?," She whispered as she walked down the familiar goat path she took to reach the village, anxious at what she was going to find. Had the accursed Eldari already killed himself or something far more sinister. The fact that nothing felt amiss to his powerful sense only served to fuel her paranoia.

Approaching the village, her fears abated, only to be replaced by confusion as she heard music of all things. Hearing the familiar beats of a long forgotten, but popular tune, as well as that of laughter, she was left gobsmacked. "They're celebrating?"

The villagers were well fed and protected, but they were never the happiest of the bunch. She let them be, letting them live their lives as she didn't have time to handle them. She had worked to do. That often meant their needs were neglected and she had to fix it before they got too upset much to her chagrin.

Today, however, they were celebrating. Frowning, she marched to the entrance of the village to find people rejoicing and making merry. They looked happy, far from the dour and reverent expression they sported for her.

What's most surprising however was not their state, but how the streets were clean and no one looked like they were going to start a fight. "What's going on?" She whispered, still confused until one of the villagers finally noticed her.

"Oh you've finally come back!" A portly woman greeted her as the villagers came to her aid, offering their shoulders to carry her pack, "Come! Let the men take your stuff to your house. You can't miss the dance!"

Before she could even voice her protest, the villagers were already upon her, helping her with her stuff while the woman dragged her to the center. "What's going on!?" She shouted, her voice cracking from disuse.

Turning to her, one of them winked, "It's best that you see it yourself, dear!" Their giggles and hushed whispers only served to heighten her intrigue and annoyance. She simply couldn't break out of their hold in risk of hurting them.

Finally, after most of her questions were ignored, she found the culprit. There in the middle of the town square was the man she had rescued dancing along with the villagers. It was a bit awkward looking with how fluid he moved, but he was not all smiles and only a shadow of grief now hanging over him.

What's more, there was food, lots of food. "The nice xenos fixed up the glasshouse, that he did!" One of the villagers helpfully supplied, "Even expanded it!" Grabbing themselves another bowl of thick stew, they laughed, "And he helped us loot some caverns as well so we have more than enough food!"

Nodding dumbly, she turned back to the man and found herself wondering. Seeing him dance to the tune of the villagers while they played their bone white instrument, she would have thought he had lived here all these years. Wait, bone?

"Wraithbone?!" She choked out, confused at how freely given they were. Now that she had a good look, she could feel it everywhere in the village. From the tiniest nails to even what felt like a full generator gliding along with the miraculous material.

She left for a few weeks and she came back to this? Why did he give all of this wraithbone, one that the Eldar's jealously guard, away? She couldn't simply fathom it. The man was more Eldari than human at this point, but why was he acting so… nice?

For a moment, as she saw that smile amidst all those happy villagers, she felt her heart skipped a bit. "Oh hey! You're back!" The Eldari perked up as he turned to her. As if on cue, that was when the women of the village pushed her towards the man.

"H-Hey!" Protest as she might, she soon found herself against the man. Feeling his form so close, she couldn't help but turn red. Why did they push her so closely!

"They're a bit touchy, aren't they?" The man chuckled as he helped steady her back on her feet.

She had to stare up as the man towered over her, a rarity for her. Up close and personal she could see that bright red hair framed against the sun and that smile, that stupid smile, plastered across his lips. "So, wanna dance?"

The cheers that followed nearly deafened her. She was about to glare at them when the boy chuckled. "You know they won't stop until they get what they want." Winking at her, he added, "Don't worry. If you're a bit rusty, I'll guide you."

Turning red, she fumed. This eldari, this xenos, was far too smug for his own good. As much as she wanted to hate him, however, she saw the smiles in the villagers faces, she couldn't bring herself to do so. They look all so happy…

Swallowing, she opened her mouth slowly before whispering her answer, "Just one dance." It wasn't everyday that she saw hope in people's eyes. Maybe, just maybe he could give them this small thing. Maybe, just once.

Lighting up like the morning sun, the man laughed as she found herself dragged along for the dance. It was chaotic, exhilarating even, but for the first time in so many times, she found herself amused. No, she wasn't laughing. That was just her letting out a snort of amusement, nothing more.

A/N:

Sorry it took a bit, but finally got this out! Had to take a small break cause sleep was not being kind to me. Speaking of sleep, going to do that now!