The Wayward Son

Time was a strange thing to measure…especially when one was under the influence of xenos drugs. Seiras had no idea how long it had been since fading into deep subconscious thought, but he soon found himself in a strangely pleasant dream.

Seiras' Dream:

"Hey, Seiras, wake up," a friendly and familiar voice sounded.

Sitting upright, the Blood Raven noticed he was in a comfortable and large bed. He appeared to be in a serene location by the looks of things. Warm natural sunlight shined through tall ornate windows and illuminated his view. It wasn't long before he realized he was in a massive bedroom chamber wearing no armour, only undergarments. Glancing around curiously, he saw a gorgeous view out the window. Beyond the magnanimous and oversized balcony window were mountains and other wonders of nature as far as the eye could see.

"Hey, you getting out of bed today or what? I thought space marines only needed a few hours of sleep...if any at all." the voice sounded again. It was a female voice that he knew quite well.

Finally locking onto its source, he saw none other than Selana. She was wearing casual sleeping attire and had a peaceful and friendly look on her face which was something he could never imagine. She had a tray in her hands for some reason and was smiling at him. Just the sight of her like this was enough to convince him that this wasn't real. Nevertheless, it continued to play out.

"I was having the strangest dream…about my captivity in Commorragh," he said distantly.

The librarian found himself unable to speak for himself as this apparent false reality played out like a vid in his mind. The only difference was he could actively ponder over what he was seeing while watching it. This was quite similar to how one experienced visions as a psyker. Visions such as this were often like dreams you couldn't wake up from or interfere with.

'Where the hell am I? Why would I be sleeping in a bed, and what is Selana doing here dressed like that? For that matter how would I be able to dream this vividly when I can barely enter R.E.M. sleep? I wonder if the Immortis gland changed that about me?' he thought concerned.

"Oh…yes I imagine you must have seen unspeakable evil in that nightmarish hell. A lot of the survivors can't even speak about it still. Haha, I guess you're somewhat human after all if something like that still bothers you. It's okay Seiras…you can talk about it to me if you want. I know you haven't said much about what they did to you, but I'm willing to listen. I had hoped you would tell us about it after all this time. I promise I won't judge you," Selana said empathetically.

'This…can't be real. Is this some delusion of mine? A psychic vision? This can't be a vision...but I don't feel the collar at all. Did I ever get out of Commorragh? I don't like this,' the Blood Raven watched cautiously.

His dream self on the other hand didn't seem as concerned as he shrugged, "It's nothing worth mentioning, Selana…I'd prefer to never speak of it to anyone. What matters is I survived it with my sanity intact."

"You're practically a saint to the Imperium after what you did there. I understand it's difficult to share your feelings with people even still…but I'm your wife," she sighed.

'My what?! Wife?! By the grace of the throne, what in oblivion is this delusion? Why would I be married? HOW?! This isn't just heresy, it's impossible!' Seiras could barely fathom the impossibility of this dream.

"It's too horrific to speak about…and heretical. Ask yourself what Hell must be like and that's a pretty close description of what I saw and experienced there. I'm just glad it wasn't for nothing," he replied stoically.

Selana sighed dramatically, "One of these days I'm going to make you talk about it. I know you're a big superhuman angel and all, but even angels can be mentally scarred. I'll drop it for now though…it's probably best to not think about such dark things on a beautiful day like today. But anyways, I brought you breakfast, Seiras. Three omelets, a nutrient paste smoothie, and your favorite…chocolate chip cookies!"

Her solemn mood lightened up considerably as she placed down a tray of food for him on his bed.

"What's this for?" he asked with a perplexed look.

'Why would Selana of all people do something like this for me? Why would she marry me? How is this allowed? Where are we?! This isn't real…I know it isn't. Is someone playing tricks with my mind?' he thought disturbed. The Sororita's womanly and soft behavior was especially out of character for her and it bothered him. For some reason it seemed similar to the nurturing look his mother used to give him when he was a boy…only more intimate.

"You have a perfect memory, and you somehow forget that today is your birthday? Seriously?" she laughed at his confusion.

"Oh…I suppose it is. I don't really celebrate that. I never have before," he shrugged.

Selana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well Atia mentioned something about your birthday when she dug up your records, and I wanted to make sure we beat her to it."

'My birthday? How would Atia know that? Astartes only keep track of the day you're inducted into the chapter and the age you were when recruited. Birth dates aren't shared with the Inquisition or reported. The only records the Blood Ravens keep of it are in the chapter's records. I suppose some of my chapter brothers might know, but they would never tell outsiders. It seems irrelevant to do so anyways. The only way Atia could have learned is by asking them what day I was born...or by doing enough math on my records and finding the date herself. I suppose she is persistent enough to do that,' the librarian thought logically.

"Your acknowledgment is appreciated, but why celebrate it now? We never have before," he stated as he began to start eating from the food tray.

"Yeah well that's changing starting today," she said with confidence.

Shortly after he started eating, the black-haired sororita plopped down on the bed next to him. The woman had flushed features as she spoke up, "I cooked this personally…none of the servants did it. How do you like it?"

"It's surprisingly good. Why personally make it yourself? That seems a bit mundane and time-consuming. Don't you have other important tasks to deal with?" he asked.

"Because it means more when the person you care about makes something for you. Ughh…all these years and you're still aloof. I swear one of these days I'm going to teach you how to be normal," She sighed with a good natured smile.

"Coming from you, that's actually quite ironic. This goes against my nature," he countered.

"Oh haha, very funny, Seiras. I guess there's nothing normal about this…us I mean." she smirked.

'Did she mention servants? None of this makes any sense to me. Do we live together somewhere? Is this our home? No…I shouldn't humor this delusion. This is a lie,' Seiras reflected as he found this bizarre vision more and more confusing.

"So I was thinking we would go do something fun with our children today. That is assuming you're up for it. The girls have to go back to their Inquisitorial training tomorrow, but we have all day to do something as a family," Selana suggested.

"Anything particular in mind? I'm not sure what children consider fun. I haven't been a child in well over two and a half centuries," he shrugged.

Selana smirked, "You'll love what I have in mind."

'Our what?! Children?! What in Terra is this?!' his inner mind thought as he could do nothing but watch the vision continue.

His question was answered when a black haired girl bolted into the room and jumped onto his bed nearly knocking his tray of food over. She clutched onto him tightly, "Daddy! Happy birthday!"

She looked almost exactly like his sister Setara who also happened to be the sister that resembled him the most. The girl was about ten or eleven years old and had long black hair with a noticeable white streak in it at the front of her bangs. Her eye colour was teal just like his and she had the same exact light tan complexion.

What was unusual about the girl though was her bizarre musculature. She was clearly larger than a girl her age should have been and had noticeable muscle definition. To his surprise her physique wasn't gross or disproportionate, but almost perfectly compact enough to not diminish her feminine frame. The girl was clearly a bit androgynous though. Her entire body had the conditioning of a super athlete.

'Is that my daughter? Melisara said I could have children…so Selana is her mother? This can't be a vision of the future…I'm hallucinating or something. Imagining some twisted heretical fantasy. No…I don't want this…do I? Is that what my children would look like? Is she human? Does she classify as a mutant?' he was having an inner conflict as he kept watching.

Soon two more girls joined the scene as they charged in and embraced him lovingly. "Dad, happy birthday!" one with black and white pigtails declared joyously. She looked to be older than the first girl.

"You'll never believe what I got you!" the third one with braided white hair interrupted as she tried to get his attention by tugging against his arm. Again, he noticed she was way stronger than a girl her age should have been as she managed to budge him slightly.

"Seirene's gift isn't as good as mine, dad! Come and see it!" the one with pigtails elated as she pulled back the girl with braided white hair.

"Don't listen to Jesseira! I got the best gift ever!" the braided white-haired girl boasted.

Both of these girls looked similar to him and their apparent mother who quickly interjected when a stern voice sounded, "Girls, leave your father alone for a moment. He just woke up,"

"Awww, but mom, we haven't seen daddy in months!" Jesseira whined as she tugged on her pigtails dramatically and childlike.

From where the girls had entered his room, Seiras could also see Jessenta standing in the doorway.

"Seirana, go along now with your sisters. Aunt Jessenta and I have some things to talk about with your father," Selana added.

'I have children with BOTH of them?! So Jesseira and Seirene are Jessenta's children and Seirana is Selana's? What is this dream!?' he could barely believe the escalation of the situation.

The girls all evoked their various sighs and groans of disapproval as the three of them shuffled out of the room past Jessenta. Once they were gone, the tall sororita closed the door behind them and locked it. She then walked over towards the bed next to Selana. Jessenta was dressed in a somewhat skimpy nightgown.

"Oh those girls can be a handful sometimes," Jessenta chuckled.

"You would think one of us would get a son at this point. I mean how many kids do you have now, Seiras? All girls…hehe." Selana chuckled.

"Well, I have strange genetics…even before I became a space marine. For some reason, due to a mutation in my psychic gene, the Y chromosome is often overwritten in my DNA. I don't think I can have male children with non psykers unless they had a recessive psyker gene. Even with a psyker it's only a 25 % chance genetically," Seiras explained with rational logic.

"Don't let Inquisitor Bitchface know that…I'll be damned if I let Atia have your only son." Jessenta laughed.

"You never told us about that Seiras. I was starting to wonder why they were all girls. When did you find that out?" Selana wondered.

"A…friend of mine. It's a long story. It doesn't really matter," he deflected.

Jessenta shrugged, "Well I'm fine with all girls. Though I wish we had more say in what they got to do. Do they really all have to become Inquisitors? It'd be nice to have some of the girls join the order."

"True, but we have no idea how they're going to develop yet. I mean, Seiras is the only Astartes who has ever created human offspring. It makes sense the Inquisition would want to keep a close eye on them. Besides, that was part of the agreement, Jess…we're allowed to have kids so long as they're under Inquisition jurisdiction. I thought you'd given up on that by now," Selana sighed.

"Fucking Atia…if she would have just kept her damn mouth shut," Jessenta sighed.

"Honestly, it's better this way. At least we don't have live in fear of being heretical or anything. I think it worked out pretty well all things considered," Selana pointed out.

Jessenta shrugged, "I suppose so…"

"So what are we doing today?" Seiras changed the subject as he finished his food and placed the food tray on a nearby nightstand.

Jessenta and Selana traded amused looks before Jessenta answered, "Oh that's a surprise for later. Though since we have some free time now and it's just the three of us…how's about we give you the first birthday gift for the day. We might not get a chance later," Jessenta suggested sultrily.

'Why would I be thinking about such things. This isn't a vision…no this is some sick depraved fantasy of my sub-conscious mind. All of the sexual depravity in Commorragh corrupted me into desiring this blissful false reality,' Seiras began to start realizing.

As he thought over the topic, he could only watch himself get intimate with the two Sororitas. Jessenta was quick to position herself on top and wasted no time grinding away with slow sensual movements.

"Oooh! UGHHH! I never get tired of this," she cooed proudly.

While Jessenta was riding him, the now naked Selana was stroking his hair and making out with him.

Despite his inner mind's awareness of how wrong this delusion was, Seiras couldn't help but find it shamefully enjoyable as he watched on blankly for an indeterminate amount of time. Part of him wondered if this was something he actually wanted deep down. In the deepest part of his emotional sub-conscious mind…he wanted to be a father so he could be like his own father. It wasn't long before the guilt began to start crippling his moment of weakness.

'This is wrong…what about Ferrus?! What about the Black Crusade? My chapter brothers…the Deathwatch? The Blood Ravens gave me the gene-seed of an Astartes…I can't be selfish with my superhuman gifts. I owe the Emperor my service unto death. I can't accept this delusion…it's negligent. I can never surrender to this pathetic fantasy. My duty is my life. It's who I am…it's who I will always be! I am the Emperor's blade! Snap out of it Seiras!' he tried to force himself awake from this twisted fantasy of his.

Eventually Jessenta began to start quivering, "By the throne, I can't hold it any longer! AHHHH! Give me another baby, Seiras!"

Upon feeling this orgasm, Seiras felt his vision shifting horribly as Jessenta and Selana were no longer themselves. This somewhat pleasant vision or delusion soon turned into a nightmare as he realized the woman on top of him was an alien and that he was still in Commorragh.

End of Dream

Coming out of the delusion, Seiras realized that the woman on top of him was a wych he didn't recognize. She rode him for a few more seconds before going completely limp on top of him. Judging on how he was still inside of her, it seemed obvious that she had been the one actually riding him during his strange fantasy.

Staring at the alien in disgust, he quickly realized she was completely drugged out of her mind and now unconscious. He swiftly pushed her off and scanned the room for any new developments. The entire chamber appeared to be filled with a visible haze or mist. It was clearly a drug, but it wasn't one he was familiar with.

To his utter disbelief, none of the Cult of Strife wyches had been maimed or disfigured yet. All of them were chained or strung up around various areas in shameful poses. The absence of Mokaela and Aelendriel was somewhat alarming to Seiras, but he used the opportunity to look around for any clues as to what was going on. He didn't see any of the bloodbrides either.

"It still amazes me to see a space marine indulging in the carnal depravity of this place. They've done a rather good job breaking you in. Though if you were my pet, I would treat you better," a voice sounded from behind.

Seiras spun around swiftly and soon spotted Maeralya of all people. The Lhamaean seemed to have a content smirk on her face as she was sitting on a nearby chair playing with her hair. She appeared unfazed by the drug haze in the room.

He found her presence concerning…especially considering the fact that everyone present was unconscious, and none of the notable wyches were present.

"Maeralya? What's going on? Where is Mokaela or Aelendriel?" he asked confused.

"They've been called out to deal with something. Rather negligent of them to leave you here unattended, wouldn't you say?" she chuckled.

'She must have set up something to draw them away. What's she up to?!' Seiras immediately figured.

"Not that I'm complaining…it's been a while since we last got to spend time together. You're quite the interesting monkeigh," the creepy courtesan giggled.

"What exactly do you want from me?" he asked hoping it was something non carnal.

"Come, speak with me, Seiras…there are some things I want to discuss with you in private." Maeralya commanded.

Seiras ignored her request as he swiftly found his clothes on a nearby table. It was the same one Syndra had been pinned to earlier. To his shock, the clothes didn't appear wholly soiled by bodily fluids or other foul things. The shirt still had holes in it, but he didn't care.

Maeralya stared at him blankly for a few moments as he dressed himself. She spoke grimly to catch his attention once he was nearly finished, "I spiked the air filters in here with a heavy hallucinogenic sleeping agent. None of them are waking up any time soon. The fact that you are immune to it is quite odd. Your body has a strong resistance to poisonous drugs. I had hoped that wouldn't be the case, as I would prefer not to do this the hard way. Let's be civil about this, shall we? Come with me, Seiras…I'm not going to do anything harmful to you. I just want to have a little talk in private. Don't make me activate the collar…"

'Of course she has a trigger switch to my collar…she wouldn't dare get this close to me without one,' he noted.

"Why should I follow you? What could you possibly have to talk to me about? It must be something serious if it required you to draw off Aelendriel and Mokaela, and then incapacitate this entire chamber." he asked cautiously.

Maeralya tilted her head and smiled at his comment, "You truly are the most intelligent Monkeigh I've encountered. Quite intuitive of you to figure that out. Let's just say, they're going to have their hands full for a little bit. Listen to me…I can help you."

"I don't understand what you mean…" he replied blankly.

"Sylea and I have had an interesting talk about you…and your ambitions. So if you would kindly follow me to my personal chambers, we can discuss my thoughts on the matter. Or would you prefer I take the matter to Faelan? Cooperate kindly, and who knows…I might even have good news for you." the green-haired courtesan giggled wickedly.

Seiras wasn't even surprised at this point by the turn of events. He already knew it was a possibility and that Maeralya had been scheming against him ever since she sent Sylea down to the slave chamber.

He evoked no reaction as he simply stared at her and responded, "Lead on then…"

'It'll be easier to kill her in an isolated location…but it's probably best to learn her plan first before I do anything stupid. She must have some kind of trap or failsafe other than the collar as well. I highly doubt she'd be this comfortable calling me out in private,' Seiras thought to himself tactically.

"I see you're quite aware of the situation then…and how you don't really have a choice. Relax, space marine…my thoughts on the matter might actually surprise you. Come, let's go," she smirked as she gestured for him to follow her.

As they walked out of the chamber, Seiras double checked to see if anyone left in there was conscious. Not a single individual seemed to be conscious or in their proper mind. The cult of strife prisoners were still there and all of them were unconscious and chained up around the room. It was rather remarkable that none had been mutilated yet.

'I wonder where she sent Mokaela and Aelendriel off to. I'm rather surprised they would leave me here unattended. It must be something serious for them to be negligent like that. Although, I shouldn't dismiss the possibility of this being a test or a trap of some kind. Worst case scenario I'll press the button on my collar and have Melisara remotely unclamp it,' the librarian continued to play out scenarios in his mind.

A long and somewhat silent walk later, Seiras found himself in Maeralya's personal chambers higher up in the spire. To his relief, they didn't pass one soul on the way there which meant he didn't have to concern himself with any potential witnesses. That also could have been detrimental as well though. He had no way of telling what to make of this situation and it was oddly suspicious that nobody seemed to be at the spire. Expecting things to go wrong at any moment, he was simply bracing himself for drastic measures. He knew it was probably in his best interest to kill Maeralya…especially since there were no witnesses.

Upon entering Maeralya's personal chambers, he walked inside and looked back slightly alarmed when the Lhamaean started typing away at a nearby terminal. Seiras made sure to memorize the sequence to unlock it, and was glad he did as the entire chamber sealed shut moments later. Blast doors covered the main door and every window had an outer shell cover it. This left the room eerily lit in pink alien light fixtures.

"This room is completely sealed. No signals can enter or leave, no psykers can spy on this room, nothing can break those impenetrable blast doors, and there's no way in or out of here. Well unless I open the security system…so don't get any crazy ideas about trying to kill me in here or escaping. Your collar's tracking signal doesn't work in here either. I also made sure to set up a decoy in the slave chamber while you were incapacitated. Nobody knows you're here," she boasted.

'No signals can leave…damn. That means I can't have Melisara remotely unclamp the collar if necessary. Is she aware of that situation? She can't be…I never mentioned Melisara's help to Sylea. Only Ferrus truly knows she's working with me...and Nelfaera suspects it. I'll just have to bide my time and sneak attack her when she lets her guard down. Fortunately, I can hack that security system if necessary. But first it's probably best to see what she has to say,' Seiras concluded mentally.

"What's this all about, Maeralya?" he finally asked.

"You're plotting to escape…quite an interesting plan if I do say so myself. I'm even more amazed to hear that you were working with the craftworlder captives. Truly you impress me with your ambition. Everyone has severely underestimated you…and not one of them has any idea what you're planning to do. Truly a remarkable effort…assuming you can pull it off," Maeralya droned on with a confident smirk.

He didn't react to her calling him out much to the Lhamaean's surprise. She gave him a perplexed look at the librarian didn't say anything or move at all.

"Honestly, this is the part I expected you to try and kill me. Have you anything to say about all of this?" she asked.

Seiras simply looked away, "No."

"Well, since you're being stubborn, I'll just keep talking then. I want to kill Faelan…and I want you to help me do it," she stated seriously.

"Why?" he asked with fake disbelief. Seiras already knew why thanks to Mairan explaining the strange rift between the lovers.

"Let's just call it a…mutual interest. My personal agenda is hardly important or relevant to your plans. Though we both benefit from it and I see a great opportunity here with you and me working together," she chuckled.

"I've been told that you are not romantically faithful to the archon…and that he does not trust you. Renfaeda doesn't trust you either. They were right not to it seems. Why would I want to trust you?" Seiras remarked.

Maeralya looked at him unfazed much to his confusion, "So the incubi warned you about me. I don't know exactly what they told you, but I know a lot about what's going on around here. I know everything you've said in the presence of Sylea. I put a recorder in her before sending her with you. Video and audio…I rather enjoyed the part where she begged you to sleep with her. Though nothing was quite as surprising as finding out that Melisara has one of your god-prince primarchs in her lab. That would explain why you've been so…cooperative with her. You aspire to free him and you hope he can make the difference in your effort to escape, no?"

'So that's how she figured all this out…I should have suspected it would be like this,' he thought annoyed.

"So why do you want to kill Faelan? Let's hear your version then," Seiras ignored her gloating.

"I could simply say revenge, but it's far more complicated than that. It's also a means to which I can elevate my status with a mutual friend. A lady has to look after herself doesn't she?" She said the last part sultrily.

'I can't wait to murder this alien whore,' Seiras began to start envisioning the act in his head.

"So what are you proposing exactly? I tire of you speaking in circles. Get to the point," the librarian sighed.

"Here's the deal…kill Faelan and Renfaeda, and I'll let you leave with all your little craftworld friends. I only have a few innocent conditions though. I suppose you could call them parting gifts," she followed up with a wide smile.

"What would those be?" he asked.

"Well you see…after recovering her in the slave chamber, I noticed Sylea was experiencing unusual symptoms. You impregnated her. I had no idea you space marines could sire offspring. You're quite attractive…well for one of your kind, and you would make excellent breeding stock for all of my girls. I want you to breed with all of them," she said excitedly.

The librarian stared at her perplexed, but his confusion was soon replaced with dread when the Lhamaean pressed a button causing a nearby chamber wall to open up. There it revealed all of her 'living dolls' lying there in the most revealing slave girl attire imaginable in a giant comfortable den like area. Sylea was noticeably absent from the group.

"Listen up girls, Seiras here got our little Sylea pregnant! I'm sending him over to breed with all of you! Soon all of you will be mothers to more beautiful slave children for me to collect! Go on, Seiras…they're waiting for you," Maeralya giggled like a perverted psychopath as she pointed towards the den.

Seiras reluctantly walked over as he thought about his plans, 'She's obviously going to betray me at some point. Fortunately, it seems Maeralya isn't aware that Nelfaera or Melisara are working with me. I have to play this scheme properly so I can beat them all at this game and leave this alien hell hole. I'll have to be patient and wait for an opening to kill Maeralya. Worst case scenario, I endure this nonsense until she opens the chamber again and I get Melisara to remotely unclamp my collar.'

"Is this the only condition, Maeralya?" he asked slowly as he glanced at her.

"No…but we can speak about that once you're finished. It's nothing egregious I promise…that is to say, it won't inconvenience you." she said reassuringly.

'I can't unclamp the collar if this chamber blocks signals…I suppose I have no choice here. I'll cooperate with her until I get out of this place and then she has to die…' Seiras rationalized the possibilities of escape in his mind.

As he passed closer towards the slave den where Maeralya's girls were, the wall immediately sealed behind him leaving him alone with the gorgeous entourage of slave girls. Most of them looked like they were still shocked to hear about Sylea being pregnant.

"Sylea's pregnant?! By the Emperor, that's amazing! Does that mean her child is going to be a space marine?" one of the girls asked amazed.

'I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that regular human civilians would think that…' Seiras thought briefly as he looked around.

"Are you going to let me out of here when I finish your request, Maeralya?" the librarian asked as he looked around expecting the room had a camera somewhere. He quickly spotted several and made sure to focus his attention on one of them.

"Of course…but we shouldn't waste any time. There's no telling when Mokaela and Aelendriel might come back looking for you. They left shortly before I arrived to pick you up. Girls…be good little brood mares now and satisfy your angel's needs. Don't be shy...I want all of you to breed. I'll be watching and enjoying the show. Whoever pleases him the best gets a special reward," Maeralya moaned into an unseen speaker which broadcasted throughout the den.

Letting out a long sigh, Seiras then glanced back at the mostly naked slave girls. Most seemed as nervous and shy as the first time he met and examined them.

One was quick to speak to him, "My lord…it would be a privilege to bear your seed. We would gladly do it even without the mistress' command. To serve one of the Emperor's angels even in a place like this would be a great and holy honour. Our mortal bodies are undeserving of such a thing...but I am wholly willing!"

'I honestly feel pity for these women. Though I suppose they've had it better than most other women in the slave chambers. Their good looks have saved them from mutilation and torture. That or getting raped by other slaves. I suppose it just goes to show how unfair life is for the average imperial citizen,' the librarian thought somewhat empathetically as he took in their expressions.

Seiras stared at the first woman who spoke a bit awkwardly. She was a gorgeous blonde buxom woman with blue eyes and an aesthetically perfect face. Though he had no insight on the matter, he had once seen women like this on Meridian's broadcasting vids called 'models'. Models were apparently women that specialized in taking pictures and sponsoring goods in order to better draw in the attention of people. Most were focused on clothing, but there were variations for practically anything. He had almost no insight into the civilian world, but he knew that women like that lived privileged lives akin to nobility…especially if they were on urbanized peaceful worlds.

Even though Eldar considered most humans ugly and slow, they cared a great deal about aesthetics, and every one of these women had perfect genetics by human standards. Despite their inaccurate belief about how Astartes are born, any one of them could have birthed a son compatible with gene-seed. In that regard, Seiras was genuinely curious what children with these women would be like. His earlier vision or delusion had him wondering if all of his potential offspring would be daughters unless the mother was a psyker as well.

"What's your name?" Seiras asked the blonde woman. He wasn't really sure how to initiate a sexual encounter or get women in the mood for it. Until now literally all of his experiences had been done by the female. In the case of the Commorrites it was rape.

"Me? I…umm, well my name's not that important to someone like you, great angel," she replied a bit shyly.

"Come on, Seiras…you're wasting time here. Just grab one and start pounding her," Maeralya's voice announced in the sealed chamber.

The girls all looked notably frightened when they heard Maeralya's impatient voice and all of them immediately made their way over to Seiras and lined up in front of him.

"I want to remember their names…especially if you're forcing me to sire children with them," Seiras spoke aloud.

For some reason that made most of the women blush. Seiras didn't understand why but he hardly understood any women aside from his long-dead mother or sisters. The majority of Maeralya's living dolls looked shy and embarrassed about the whole ordeal, but equally anxious.

"Ahahahahaha! That's so adorable! Are you a romantic, Seiras!? Well I can't argue against that reasoning. Oh very well, my dear. I am also a romantic. Introduce yourselves to the father of your children, girls!" Maeralya giggled wickedly over the speakers.

Seiras looked over them once again. Minus Sylea, there was fifteen of them. All of them looked to be past adolescence but younger than the matron stage of their lives. They were all rather unique in their complexions, hair colours, and eye colours…but they all had several noticeable things in common. One was a gaunt aesthetic face with pronounced angular cheekbones and jawlines. This was probably seen as the pinnacle of facial beautiful by Eldar. They all had beautiful and long hair as well. Another commonality was they were all athletic looking to some degree. Most had the physiques of dancers or gymnasts with thin waists, and they all seemed to have low body fat. Despite this, each woman had impossibly blessed fat distribution around her breasts and bottom though. It was the type of natural physique you would see in one in a billion women. Any one of them could have been the most beautiful woman on her respective home world. The final common shared trait was they all had large, sharp and upturned eyes. The colours all varied, but the shape was remarkably similar in all of them. Even despite his lack of knowledge and experience on female beauty, Seiras knew that these women were ridiculously pretty. I mean they would have to be for an Eldar like Maeralya to think so.

The initial blonde woman spoke up after a brief silence, "My name is Maesin Alia, I'm from a hive world called Eos. It's the capital of Sub-Sector Dawnstar in the Korianis Sector of Segmentum Ultima. My planet has about 40 billion people based on administratum estimates. It might be more if one counts the underhivers as people."

'Sub-Sector Dawnstar neighbors my home Sub-Sector Aurelia. We've ventured to that sub-sector before a number of times. It's where that space hulk was when I met Kallius. I've never had any reason to go to Eos, but isn't Jonah from Eos? He always said it was a relatively peaceful hive world,' Seiras noted mentally.

"I know where that is…I'm from Sub-Sector Aurelia originally," Seiras replied.

Maesin's eyes lit up with hope, "Aurelia?! Oh, I've actually been there before! I visited Meridian once. So you know about Eos?! I didn't think I'd encounter anyone here who has…let alone a space marine too! That's amazing! What did you think about Eos? I take a lot of pride in my homeworld. The administratum had it ranked as the third most beautiful hive world!"

"Yes I know a bit about Eos…it was often compared to an unscathed Meridian. I've never personally been to the planet, but I hear good things about it. A chapter brother of mine said it was like Meridian without war or heavy crime," Seiras nodded.

"Well it was…until we got attacked. That's how I ended up here. The holy Blood Ravens came too late to stop the eldar from abducting people," she explained.

"I see...that's unfortunate. My chapter is often good about responding to incidents like that. They must have been preoccupied with something more dire," Seiras said distantly. He briefly thought about his brothers and what they were up to in the following silence.

"You're a Blood Raven too! I'm even more blessed to meet you then, great angel!" Maesin's eyes lit up like she had just met a living saint.

"What did you do before being captured? What is your profession in the Imperium?" Seiras tactically changed the subject to avoid looking suspicious for Maeralya.

The woman proudly answered him with an upbeat tone, "I was an actress. I made movies on my home world. I was kind of famous in my sub-sector for them, but I doubt anyone here knows of me. Most of my roles were to play military women in tribute films. My most popular movie was the critically acclaimed "Guardsman Kelly". I won a Sovereign Star for that film. It was so popular in my sub-sector that the Administratum allowed our agency to sell it in Sub-Sector Aurelia as well. They also said it would boost citizen morale after all those terrible disasters that happened there. I even met governor Elena Derosa there! She said she really loved the film!"

"Governor Derosa is a good woman. She has the respect of my chapter," Seiras replied blankly as he didn't know what else to say.

'Sovereign Star? Is that some type of medal I wonder? From what it sounds like, an actress pretends to be someone in a vid? I wonder why fictional vids are so appealing to civilians? I suppose it isn't too outlandish. It's not much different than the plays that these Eldar seem to like watching from harlequins. I suppose this goes to show how little I know about the civilian side of the Imperium. It's good to know Governor Derosa is still keeping Meridian stable though.' Seiras reflected on the information briefly.

"Forgive me for asking you this question, my lord, but how many space marines are there in the Imperium? I always said if I ever met one that I'd ask. My brother always told me they were as rare as habitable planets in the galaxy. Is that true? And does the Emperor personally create you angels with his godly power?" Maesin asked.

'Do civilians really believe the Emperor personally makes us with divine power? I suppose it's not unprecedented that a civilian would think so. I guess I'm just used to the guardsman perspective,' Seiras thought surprised.

"I couldn't say how many there are. Rough estimates claim there are about 1000 chapters active in the Imperium of Man, and a space marine chapter typically consists of 1000 Astartes. So if one ignores attrition and false reports it's theorized that around a million space marines exist in the Imperium at any given time. In that regard, your brother's estimates are somewhat accurate," Seiras answered her. Normally he wouldn't humor normal humans with these kinds of explanations, but his recent life experiences had given him a bit more empathy for 'normal' people.

Maesin jaw dropped, "That's incredible that I get to even see one in my lifetime then. I suppose the odds of ever seeing a space marine are greater than winning the planetary lottery. Can I please ask another question?"

"Go ahead," he said stoically.

"What do space marines think about…well us normal people?" she wondered.

Seiras shrugged, "It's difficult to say and it varies drastically among chapters and individual astartes. A typical space marine won't understand how a civilian thinks or lives…and they won't care to. They are singularly focused on their mission to serve their chapters and the Emperor's will. Some have more compassion like the Salamanders, and some will carelessly kill humans in their way. My chapter is somewhere in the middle of that spectrum, though we tend to do more for normal humans than most chapters would. Beyond that I cannot answer your question."

"I see…well you're certainly kind. I mean you like women too, so you can't be that different than us, right?" she said distantly.

'As much as I'd like to correct her, I don't have time for this,' the librarian thought to himself.

"It's not something I can really explain to you…" he looked away.

"I understand great angel. We're only mortal after all," Maesin nodded as if he could understand his point.

Seeing that Seiras acted mostly human and was willing to talk to them, another woman spoke up afterwards feeling more confident, "My name is Ayana Mai, I was a singer and musician from the Garden World of Kyoma. More specifically we're called idols. My planet was part of Segmentum Pacificus in the Azur Sector. Our sub-sector is named after our capital planet, Kanto."

'I've never heard of that sector or planet before. Garden worlds are quite privileged and luxurious though from what I hear. It's strange to think places like that exist untouched from the darkness in the galaxy. Granted she is here…so I suppose it wasn't untouched after all. I'm noticing a pattern here. The dark eldar raid peaceful unscathed worlds more than I expected,' the librarian nodded.

Ayana had white and pink hair with unnatural cyan blue eyes. The roots of her hair had grown in somewhat from what he could see which revealed her hair was naturally black. It was unusually styled. Perhaps to a sophisticated civilian it would be what they call 'fashionable.'

"I'm Corlina Desmund…planetary administrator of hive world Sonata. It's in Segmentum Solar, Pegasus Sector, and sub-sector Siren," another woman followed up. She had a pale complexion with green eyes and brown hair.

"A planetary administrator for a hive world? That's quite an important profession. You must be intelligent then. It's rare for unqualified people to hold that kind of responsibility," Seiras noted.

She looked away modestly, "Well, yes and no…my father was the planetary governor of Sonata. On my world, you had to be an administrator before you could become governor. It's sort of like a royal line. I was technically in line to inherit the planet after my father. Sadly, he died before the attack and I was captured too. I guess my sister must have taken over now."

"What she means to say is she's a stuck up royal bitch who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth," one of the other girls spoke up directing a sour look at her.

Corlina shook her head, "Well we're all equals here now, aren't we?"

Breaking the unusual tension shortly afterwards, another one of the women introduced herself in a backwater accent speaking in the crudest low gothic Seiras had ever heard, "I'm Haylea Acacius milord angel. I was just a farmer on an agriworld called Eden Secundus. I…don't really have much schoolin in galactic geography, so I couldn't tell you where it is. I do know Eden Primaris was our sub-sector's capital though. I was there visitin when I got captured. These here xenos came in outta nowhere and abducted me. I reckon my pa is worried sick about me."

'She's an uneducated farm girl. I never really give much thought to how people on agriworlds live. I wonder if she even knows how big the Imperium is? She is clearly of the type that believes I'm literally an angel. Granted most of them seem to think that from what I can tell. This Haylea woman doesn't seem very smart,' Seiras sighed mentally.

One with long black pigtails, red eyes, and smokey eye shadow spoke next. She was also the one who insulted Corlina Desmund. The woman crossed her arms as she spoke proper high gothic, "I'm Tira Novakowski…I was an acrobatics performer. I also happened to be on hive world Sonata when I was captured."

"Circus harlot is what she meant to say," Corlina corrected her with a cough, "don't mind her my lord…Tira is a stripper from what we've gathered. Don't let her high gothic fool you...she's trash."

Tira glared at her annoyed, "I was NOT a stripper. I was an acrobatics performer!"

Maesin shook her head, "So you say, Tira…we all know that means you danced half naked for money. We're not dumb."

"Ironic considering we all dance half naked now…for no money or anything other than to please our master," Tira scoffed at her.

'So a stripper is a woman that dances naked for money? Why would people pay for that? I didn't realize such a profession existed in the Imperium,' Seiras thought confused by the notion.

None of the women responded to Tira likely out of fear of possibly offending Maeralya. The fact that they spoke this freely now even knowing Maeralya was listening was surprising to Seiras. It left lots of speculation up in the air about how well she actually treated them. It couldn't have been that bad if they were this lively talking to him. The last time they acted like feeble damsels. Their personalities were really starting to come out the long he spoke to them.

'This Tira woman seems to be the most rebellious of the group. I can also tell from her subtle body language that she's not nervous or shy at all…but she does appear to be faking emotions. I've studied Eldar long enough to know for certain when I see that in humans. Something about her seems different than the others. I'm amazed Maeralya tolerates this. Maybe she finds amusement in watching them squabble,' Seiras noted.

"Quite a fiery one, isn't she, Seiras? Tira is probably my favorite girl. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's half-eldar," Maeralya chuckled into the speaker.

"Don't mind these uptight nobles and celebrities, Lord Seiras…even here their spoiled attitudes have barely waivered. I assure you that I had a respectable profession. I was a Callidus dancer. Maybe you've heard of them? We're quite skilled acrobats and performers." Tira glanced at Seiras again.

"Her way of saying she was some underhive circus freak that gave lapdances to horny losers," Maesin scoffed at her.

'What?! Callidus is an assassin temple isn't it? Aren't they the shapeshifters? Most of that is beyond my knowledge, but I remember Lady Orichiel talking about it once. She had some connection to the Officio Assassinorum. There was a Callidus assassin she hired to kill someone for her. That was the first I'd ever even heard of them. I was right…this woman is definitely not like the others.' Seiras thought bewildered.

He quickly realized that Tira was trying to tell him that she was actually a Callidus Assassin without letting anyone else know. It made sense to him after a moment considering regular civilians would have no idea what a Callidus assassin was. Maeralya certainly wouldn't either. Even Corlina, the planetary administrator, probably had no idea. Seiras himself as an Astartes barely knew anything about the Officio Assassinorum.

That raised a lot of interesting questions about how Tira was there and what her original mission might have been prior to being captured. From what he knew, Callidus Assassins were masters of infiltration, spying, and stealthy assassination. The entire temple comprised of genetically modified women, primarily, who had some unknown means to shapeshift their faces and bodies. Supposedly they could imitate voices too. While he lacked much insight as to how this was done, Seiras knew that a Callidus Assassin was pretty dangerous. Certainly not as dangerous as an Astartes in a fight, but equally lethal in all other regards. That also left him wondering if 'Tira' was actually this woman's name or if that was her real appearance. The strangest part about the entire situation was the fact that a top secret assassin would tell someone like him that she was one. It almost seemed to imply she trusted him. That in itself made no sense to him.

"I actually have heard of those dancers before. My home system had a few. They were impressive even to us Astartes. Quite a notable profession for a civilian," Seiras replied tactically.

Maeralya interrupted their speaking with a chuckle, "Tira's quite the acrobat. She moves gracefully for a monkeigh. It's almost Eldar-like I'd say. If she didn't have those flat ears or that fat chest I might think she was one of us haha."

'If this woman is a Callidus Assassin, she would be extremely useful. The fact that she would tell me blatantly means she is indirectly hoping I'll help her out. That also implies that she thinks I'm not actually subservient to these dark eldar. She must be quite intelligent and observant then,' the librarian thought as he stared at Tira.

She had her back to the other girls and he assumed there was no camera aimed at her face as he watched her red eyes change colour briefly to blue and then back to red. Her mouth also extended wider than humanly possible as well into a creepy smile.

He assumed she likely did this to prove she was a Callidus Assassin to him. He showed no reaction to her brief bodily changes as he nodded, "I can see why you like her. Callidus Dancers are a rare and treasured commodity in the Imperium. I regret not picking her."

Upon saying this, Seiras saw all the other women look at him shocked and some a bit offended. He saw the entire thing from a tactical perspective though. Had he chosen Tira, she could have done a lot more to help him plan as opposed to Sylea. Tira would certainly be more useful for espionage and defintely in a fight as well.

"Hahaha! Oooh, Sylea is going to be soooooo jealous when she finds out you have a new favorite, Seiras!" Maeralya instigated with childish amusement.

"Wait, you're serious? So Callidus dancers are something prestigious?" Maesin asked surprised.

Seiras nodded, "Yes, I hear the ones on Terra are especially noteworthy."

Tira's lip twitched slightly into another smile when Seiras briefly glanced at her. He could tell from her body language that she approved of his lies.

The girls' introductions continued for another few minutes as Seiras went down the line and learned all of their names and former occupations. All of them were civilians minus Tira and of course the absent Sylea. Most had entertainment or luxury jobs, positions of nobility, or they weren't entirely noteworthy and just happened to be gorgeous. That was until Seiras reached the final one on the line. She was without a doubt the second most interesting after Tira.

She had long wild black hair dyed red and blue in various places with bright green eyes. The style seemed similar to what a hive ganger would have. Her makeup was very dark and gothic looking, and she had a few interesting tattoos. Seiras actually recognized the tattoo symbol on her bare shoulder. He remembered seeing hive gangers with it in the slave chambers and he also saw this particular symbol on Corun.

"My name's Valeria…most people knew me better by my alias: Black Siren…I was the leader of the Midnight Phantoms which was the strongest underhive gang on my home world Corun. It's a hive world from sub-sector Justicar in the Armageddon Sector. I got captured five years ago I think…hell I don't know. Something like that. Our governor sold a bunch of people to these eldar. I happened to be one of them." the thuggish but beautiful woman said nonchalantly with a thuggish tone.

'I knew I'd seen that tattoo before. So she's from Corun?! What an astronomically rare encounter that I would find another person captured from there years ago. It would seem she has no idea I was captured on Corun…I suppose it's probably in my best interest to not mention killing her gang members,' Seiras thought to himself.

"How fascinating! Seiras was also captured on Corun. Isn't that right, Seiras? Tell her about how her planet is doing," Maeralya immediately blurted out.

Valeria's nihilistic apathy immediately disappeared, and she seemed way more interested now. The gothic gang leader stared at Seiras shocked, "W-wait, you were captured on Corun?! W-what happened on Corun?"

"It's a long story that I don't really have time to tell. I did kill Governor Velina Selik though if that makes you feel better. I shot her in half with a storm bolter…as well as all the conspirators involved," Seiras stated.

Valeria smiled with happiness, "Well fuck me then…you space marines really are angels! I thought that bitch was untouchable. That she would just get away with it forever! Maybe the Emperor does look out for people after all…that's wild. Okay, you're officially my new best friend. Just knowing she's dead makes me feel way happier! I'll bet what's left of the gangs on Corun probably think you're some hero now!"

'We probably killed what was left of her gang when we rescued the governor,' Seiras noted the irony.

"If your gang was the strongest on the planet, then how were you captured exactly?" Seiras prodded curiously.

Valeria sighed, "Well…the Midnight Phantoms were the strongest gang on Corun before an army of Arbites and PDF captured most of our leaders including me. We were set up by another gang and all went to prison. I was actually in prison before coming here. Governor Selik ended up selling all of us including a bunch of people in the underhive and lower hive to the eldar here. I was with my people for a little while in the slave chambers until Lady Maeralya took an interest in me. It was that one closest to the bridge I think. I've been here ever since. Glad to hear the Imperium finally did something about the governor though…and those big government types wonder why we don't obey their stupid laws. Thank the Emperor there's actually SOME justice in this universe."

'Wait…so she was in Slave chamber 4 then? That must mean all those gang members there are her subordinates. Interesting…' he already saw an opportunity here.

"Valeria is quite pretty, isn't she, Seiras? She's a violent little girl too. Killed a kabalite that took an interest in her with his own dagger. I rescued her before they could take revenge. I like the aggressive ones!" Maeralya interjected.

Corlina interrupted shortly afterward, "Wait, a planetary governor was selling her own people?! That's awful! You never told us that, Valeria!"

"Why would I? It's not like you stuck up bitches even wanted to talk to me in the first place since us underhivers apparently aren't real people. Don't act all empathetic, queenie. Your types are all the same. You're lucky Lady Maeralya won't let me kill any of you dumb cunts," Valeria scoffed.

"There she goes again...underhivers are nothing but violent animals," Maesin muttered under her breath.

"Fuck you, Maesin! At least I actually lived a real life instead of pretending to be someone! I'd pay anything to watch your damsel ass actually join the Imperial Guard. You'd be dead in one fucking day!" Valeria hissed.

"Just because you were in some trashy gang doesn't mean you're tougher than the rest of us, Valeria! You have no idea what I've been through in my life! Don't you dare judge me, you sewer rat criminal!" Maesin shot back.

Seiras watched their interaction curiously as he noticed the interesting disparity and resentment high and low class imperial citizens had for one another. Realizing he was wasting time from the curious distraction, he interrupted, "I thank you all for sharing your identities with me. It's given me an interesting insight into civilians."

"What about you, my lord? What's your background exactly…well other than being an angel I mean? You mentioned you were a Blood Raven?" Corlina Desmund asked nervously.

Seiras was silent for a moment deciding whether or not he should even bother telling them. Against his better judgement he did, "I'm Epistolary Seiras of the Blood Ravens first company and I am also a Deathwatch Marine assigned to the Ordo Xenos in the Umbra Kill Team Calamity."

"Holy shit…so you're with the Inquisition?!" Valeria blurted out a bit spooked.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"So what is an epistolary exactly?" Maesin asked.

Seiras sighed, "It's the highest rank a space marine librarian can achieve short of being a company captain or holding some other position of authority."

"You're a librarian? I didn't know the angels had libraries! My auntie was a librarian back on Eden Secundus. She worked for the administratum." The ignorant farm girl Haylea added.

"By the throne, you're so stupid Haylea…a librarian is a space marine psyker," Corlina rolled her eyes.

"A psyker?! Angels can be witches?!" the farm girl seemed shocked by the revelation.

"It's crazy…I didn't even think space marines were real until I saw you tear up a bunch of these eldar bitches in the arena. I gotta say, you certainly don't disappoint my expectations…honestly, you're just as badass as all the stories say. It's equally cool that you're a psyker! I guess that's why they got that crazy collar on you, huh?" Valeria cut in to the conversation again. She seemed to be the most impressed out of all of them.

'Cool? What does that mean?' Seiras thought briefly.

"Well I ain't really the type to kiss anyone's ass, but I like you, Seiras. Besides, I can't think of a better way to thank you for killing governor Selik then letting you fuck me. It's a big deal…believe me. I'm quite picky, you know." Valeria continued.

'She mostly speaks in low gothic. Very rude and arrogant as well. This woman truly acts like a gang princess. Although if I free her, I could probably secure the allegiance of all her gang members without much effort. I'll consider it, but I should focus on killing Maeralya first. I just have to go along with this long enough to get my opening. Maeralya definitley won't open the wall again until I have sex with them all,' Seiras thought to himself.

"Ooooh, hahahaha! Somebody has an admirer, Seiras. I have to say, I never expected that out of Valeria. She's quite the apathetic nihilist. I'm guessing you want to go first, Valeria?" Maeralya giggled into the room's speakers.

Valeria gave Seiras a suggestive look, "Not gonna lie…I kind of like the idea of fucking a space marine. It's about time I found a guy who doesn't disappoint me…you sure did make that one eldar bitch squeal pretty loudly. Kind of turned me on."

The thuggish goth woman immediately began to grind against Seiras as she reached for his crotch, "If you thought little miss doctor Sylea was a good fuck, wait until you try me. I'm a freak."

Not long afterwards Seiras noticed a strange mist leaking into the room. He looked around urgently at it until Maeralya spoke again, "A little bit of Nightbliss Mist to get you all in the mood. If you thought that cheap unrefined junk the wyches used was good, then you're not ready for this stuff, Seiras. Enjoy yourselves everyone!"

Not long after the mist leaked into the room, Seiras felt himself getting flushed. It seemed to affect the women around him threefold as all of them immediately came after him like their lives depended on it.