---Afternoon, Three Days Later---
Naked and attached to countless wires, I looked through the viewing window of my medical pod at Solaris. The organoid gave me a peculiar look, unsure of what was happening. Just out of view, Luxion and Malcador reviewed my medical data as it came in.
“How much longer do I have to stay in this metallic coffin? The chemical fumes are making me lightheaded,” I said, pressing the intercom button.
<You are free to step out now. The last test just completed.> Luxion opened the hatch for me.
Hiss!
As the hermetic seal broke, the outside air rushed into the capsule, clearing out the smell of sanitizer. With a relieved smile, I sat up, unhooked myself, and jumped out. While I put my clothes back on, the two of them moved closer to the monitor. As they reviewed the results, Malcador furrowed his ethereal brow.
“Find something of note?” I tightened my belt and put on my coat. “Give it to me straight, doctor. How bad is it?”
Malcador lifted his head with a grin.
“Your Primarch anatomy is all there. Two hearts, the Immortis Gland, and all the various organs your father made for you.” Malcador’s expression turned perplexed. “The reason for my confusion is that you have additional and enlarged organs. I have seen nothing like it in all my life. You have four kidneys, three brainstems, a brain twice the normal size, lungs that are one and a half times the size they should be, and several other anomalies. On top of that, your genetic code is a triple-helix formation, not a double, and your cellular structure is far more intricate than it should be.”
<It is a first for me, too. I’ve checked my database several times. There is no record of any species with your cellular structure or organs.>
I froze. The traits Malcador just shared were present in one species I knew of: the Gallifreyans. Our universe was massive, so there might be other species that fit, but Gallifreyans were uniquely tied to the temporal stream. Known to some as Time Lords, they could view and manipulate time with ease. To them, it did not differ from breathing.
‘The ones who reincarnated me weren’t exaggerating; they gave me one hell of a winning hand. Not only am I the second son of the Emperor of Mankind, but I am also a descendant of Time Lords.’ I kept my face neutral while I celebrated in my mind.
“As I stated before, perpetuals who reincarnate instead of regenerate are rare.” Malcador rubbed his chin. “I suppose it’s possible the process causes your body to adapt to whatever killed you, preventing it from happening again. We encountered a species like that early in the Great Crusade, so it is not beyond the realm of possibility. Don’t suppose you have anything to share?”
“I might. Have either of you heard the words Gallifreyan or Time Lord?” I kept my poker face intact. “They match the—”
Crunch! Crash! Boom! Boom!
Before I could finish, a series of loud noises echoed from behind me. When I turned, I found my friend wedged inside the medical pod, flailing around like a fish on the floor. Solaris had tried to enter the pod, and when he found it was too small, he forced himself inside anyway. His sheer bulk caused the chassis to buckle and the pedestal to collapse.
“Jeez… what am I going to do with you, Solaris? You are far too curious for your own good.” I walked over and yanked him out of the ruined machinery. “First, you destroyed the bidet in my bathroom. Next, you broke my bedframe by jumping on it like a child. Then, you broke my coffee maker trying to brew me a cup yesterday. Today you broke a valuable piece of technology.”
<Rawr...> Solaris hung his head in shame.
I rubbed his metallic skull. While it was a pain to clean up after him, I would not trade him for all the wealth in the universe. Even though he could not speak or transmit his emotions well, he had become an irreplaceable part of my life. No matter what my brothers or the Imperium of Man thought when I returned, Solaris would always remain by my side.
“I’m only joking, bud. No need to pout or sulk.” I scratched his chin. “Just be more careful from now on. If something happens to you, I’m not sure I have the knowledge and parts to fix you.”
<Rawr!> Solaris pressed his head against my chest like a dog.
As I pampered my bio-mechanical friend with affection, Malcador cleared his throat. While he did not mind Solaris’s presence, he wanted me to finish my statement.
“I’ve not heard of them before today.” Malcador turned to Luxion.
<Likewise...>
It was slight, but I could tell Luxion was hiding something. He had already made it clear he would only share his secrets when he was ready; all I could do was wait until then.
“The abnormalities you listed are standard for Gallifreyans,” I said. “You’ve never heard of them because only a few individuals remain. Their race was once the protector of the time stream, but they grew arrogant and abused their power. What led to their ruin was an attempt to eradicate a species called the Daleks from the timeline. They failed, and the Daleks retaliated with cold vengeance. It set off a chain of events called the Time Wars, which erased countless civilizations from history. In the end, neither side achieved victory, and both were left to fade into obscurity.”
I gave my adoptive father and mentor a somber look. “In a way, their fate mirrors the Fall of the Aeldari. Their own unchecked ego and pride became the architects of their destruction, turning a dominant empire into a scattering of ghosts. But the Time Wars were fought across the canvas of history itself—a slaughter so total it makes the War in Heaven look like a lighthearted disagreement.”
Malcador knew only fragments of the War in Heaven. It was an ancient conflict fought between xenos called the C'tan, the Necrons, and the Old Ones. That war had ended with the Old Ones driven from the galaxy and the Necrons enslaving their C'tan overlords. The exact details of the conflict remained a mystery, the records lost during the Fall of the Aeldari. Everything humanity knew came from the ruined battlefields and galactic scars that dotted the stars. If the Time Wars had been more harrowing than that, he was grateful none of the fighting had touched this era. The Imperium of Man had enough problems on its plate.
<This is fascinating! How did you come by this information? I assume you happened upon it in your past life.> Luxion floated over, eager to learn more.
“That is correct.” I tried to construct a plausible story in my head. As I racked my brain, an actual memory suddenly surged to the forefront of my mind. “After departing the Imperium, I scoured the galactic rim for a means to traverse the void between our galaxy and the neighboring one. We could not rely on the Astronomican to chart a course, as its light barely reached the rim. It was during this search that we encountered an unknown structure floating on the edge of intergalactic space.”
Knowing a verbal description would not do it justice, I had Luxion provide a pencil and a sheet of paper so I could sketch it out. The structure resembled a massive ring wedged between two sweeping, angular frames—the center ring spanning nearly seventy kilometers in diameter, with the outer frames extending one hundred and twenty kilometers from point to point.
I showed the sketch to them. “While my Men of Iron and Techmarines attempted to glean data from the device, they activated it by mistake. It forged a hyperspace link between our position and a twin structure in the neighboring galaxy. We sent a drone ship across to verify it was safe, then made the crossing ourselves. While exploring that galaxy, I gathered a vast amount of knowledge. That said, much of it remains locked away in my mind.”
“What was the other galaxy like?” Malcador leaned through the computer, his curiosity piqued.
“Their galaxy is free of the Warp’s taint, but they still had their share of trouble. Dozens of minor empires ruled the western sectors, while the rest of the galaxy was being integrated into a body called the Galactic Republic. I avoided direct interaction with their government, but I encountered a group capable of manipulating that same energy I wield—what they called the Force. They were organized under a faction known as the Jedi Order.”
As the words left my mouth, more memories surfaced. When we first encountered them, they treated us with deep wariness. My fleet posed a genuine threat to the young Galactic Republic; they had nothing capable of countering our Warp-based technology. It took days of negotiation to convince them I held no ill intentions toward their domain. Once trust was established, they shared many of their Order’s esoteric techniques for my military aid. I accepted, hoping to uncover technology I could bring home to the Imperium.
“Most intriguing.” Malcador rubbed his chin. “Did the knowledge they imparted help your control of psychic energy?”
“It did. And I recalled all of it just now.” I grinned. “I’m supposed to pick up my date in a few hours. How does everyone feel about me putting this information to use right now?”
<Rawr!!> Solaris bobbed his head, still upset about being left out of the last fight.
Luxion and Malcador gave their approval, so it was time to roll out.
“Alright, let’s go kick some pirate ass!” I said.
As Malcador, Solaris, and I headed to the hangar, Luxion hung back.
<Leon is regaining his memories at a terrifying pace now. I fear the happy days I’ve spent with him will soon end. When he learns the truth… I wouldn’t blame him if he destroyed me. After what I did… who could blame him?> Luxion kept the thoughts to himself. The sins of his past were his cross to bear. When the time came, he would leave his fate in Leon’s hands.
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