Ninth Jump (Light of Terra Part 3: Part 12... The final!)

Anguish of the Murderhobos

(Actual title of the route.)

            It took a few days for everyone to be taken upon the ship, at least those who would be coming, after it was fixed. For those that would come with me at the end of this... If I was free to continue wandering… I brought with me on the ship. Carwyn, well… I left him/her behind. I wished for them to stay, telling them that I would return one day and, considering their lifespan (And the time stop, which I did not mention… If I happened to go through the same rules.), that would be fine in some regards. The conversation lasted an hour, but I eventually stepped onto the ship after giving them a hug and heading out toward the destination that the orb was leading us to.

            Stepping up to the captain, still bound to his chair for the remainder of his existence, I glanced out toward the star-filled abyss that we were currently going through. “Hmm… This has been an… eventful time… I have made friends, helped guide a planet… Well, I spent more time off of the planet, but still.” I glanced over toward the captain and offered him a bow of my head before turning and making my way toward the room that I had picked out for my office. “I united the tribes of this ship, with plenty of help… I saved the Sisters who are now my friends… I defeated one of the most dangerous people in this universe and now wear what could be their hide as my cloth…”

            My metallic fingers tightened up around the staff that I always carried with me, feeling over the twisted metal for the moment as I walked through the dark, iron hallways of the ship, busy with people that were working at all hours to keep the ship working at optimal capacity. The route given should be easy… At least that was at they told me. Because of that, I stepped into my office and took a seat in the chair that I had brought along with me, leaning back into it for a small bit of comfort.

            Just as I was setting my staff off to the side and my rifle onto the table, Cierra came in with what appeared to be a small cake; beautifully crafted with even a small bit of icing. Oh… My teeth already hurt… She had this terrible habit of giving me sugary foods every single day for dessert at every single meal and for some reason… for the occasional snack. “Good evening, Tadek! I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and made this for you, since we have a chance to relax.” She stated with a bright smile on her face, her hands folded in front of her as usual.

            “Thank you…” My breathing was uneasy, my eyes darting across the surface of the cake as if it was the most vile thing I had ever seen, the images of rotting teeth filling my mind. I never enjoyed sugary things… At least that were solid… but, I didn’t want her to be upset and I doubted that she would take me not eating her cooking well. Besides, it was impolite to not eat something that another made for you. Picking up the fork that was presented with cake, I slowly took a bite as Cierra stood over me… Smiling… Menacingly!

            While I ate, I simply listened to her chat away, only giving the occasional compliment about the cooking. It was good… I was simply sick of the sweets by this point. Eventually, however, just as I finished the cake, there was a warning over the coms that an odd object was spotted and had begun firing. Thankfully, our void shields seemed to be handling the tiny lasers that were coming our way. It was the sheer number that mattered.
            I ran toward the bridge with my staff in hand, Cierra following along close behind. Over my own personal vox, I relayed a few bits of information to the captain. “Activate the Holo-field and prime the distortion cannon! Activate the nova cannon and start testing their shields with the batteries!”

            I came up to the bridge just as the barrage of lasers were deflected by the shield, my mind practically rending as I glanced over the large, crystal ship that seemed to exude a sense of… self -perfection, but only in its own eyes. The air around it was tainted with warp energy, wrapped around it as a concise force that was held together by what seemed to be a single mind. Gold aligned every edge of the ship, cold and unforgiving in its greed and the ego that was required to so much as want such a thing for oneself. “Hmm.... At least our shields are holding up. They can’t penetrate... But, we can’t penetrate that shield. Charge the nova cannon. It disrupts the warp and destroys the warp, it should be able to penetrate.”
            As I spoke, the nova cannon being primed and the specific coordinates being implanted into the shell for when it needs to detonate, the shield around our enemy slowly shifting, focusing on a single point as what could only be considered the source of a single man’s nightmares started to form as reality started to fold in upon itself at the point of the shield. “… Fuck… Everyone! Prepare yourself!” I called out as I gripped my staff, the nova cannon not yet ready to be called upon. “Ready the distortion cannon! Fire the nova and follow up with the distortion cannon. I… I am going to do something stupid…”

            I actually felt fear… True fear… My soul was vulnerable, I had no idea what the blast would do except tear apart years of work… People’s lives torn asunder and their very souls fed to a god. All for nothing. All of it would be torn apart by someone who called themselves perfect. Even the lasers themselves were simply reflections from the crystal of the ship. He was piloting a symbol of his greed and his pride! The very essence of it cutting into the void ships every second. That was the only possibility considering the signs of Slaanesh that adorned its golden, glittering carapace.

            The air started to crackle around me, multi-colored waves and ribbons of energy flowing from my body as I stepped forward toward the large, glass window at the front of the bridge. I ignored the cries from behind me as my eyes burst into glowing orbs of light, electricity sparking out in every direction with the occasional blast of warp fire. I wasn’t going to let him do this… I had a fucking terrible idea. Every ego has one fatal flaw… And when there is even a small sense of doubt, it can all come falling down around someone.

            Gripping my staff with an iron grip, the warp energy actually starting to tear into my cybernetic limbs, forcing the metal to peel away to reveal rolling warp energy underneath. This was a terrible idea, but I was still going to do it. The blast shot out from the opposing ship in a hellish scream, reality tearing apart at the seams as it came toward us. My staff burst into flames, my very blood boiling, my very soul crying out in agony as if it was being clawed at by unseen hands.

            Using the power of the staff and my own mutant mind, I turned the very beam upon itself, the universe as a whole screaming out as the power was blocked and then redirected. As it collided with its source, the ship started to take on a hellish appearance, mental shrieks coming out from a single voice. “Sh-Sh…-Shoot th-the… the… the cannons!” The words staggered past my lips, my body, mind, and soul barely holding together as blood poured out from every orifice, my vision going both red and shifting, mixing with the very image of the warp as I cried out in both agony… and success. I heard the cannons go off, I heard the ship tear itself apart as the warp folded and wrenched before eventually settling… and then I was awake on the ship, people over me with worry in their eyes. I survived… Barely, but… I was alive… And I was to move onward in my travels. I did come across something interesting… A C’tan shard… but, I was free. I was free to continue.

Chose Sentient Singularity: A fraction of a second as a living black hole.