"Machine forces are searching the wreckage. Hunting survivors. They found us! Do we have anyone who can sustain the void? Fuck! Weapons? Anything? Emperor, Preser-" the communication was cut off.
Suddenly they were blinded by a bright light. Tilly shielded her eyes. Suddenly, they felt the life pod lock. The armsmen, who had equipment with them, put on their breathing apparatus, and walked into the air lock, before it was sealed. The outer part opened up slowly, and they moved along the pod. They moved to the front, before tapping the window.
Tilly looked up, seeing the blocky ship with a side and bottom wing. Inside was Republic life pod, with some replicae in the back.
"Safe, R" was signaled by the rhythmic tapping of the Imperial void code.
"The Republic, we are saved." a crew man said, smiling.
"Life Pod System: propulsion systems have been reactivated." the priest said.
The two crew men who were outside of the pod moved back, and into the life pod, before Tilly activated the propulsion system and flew behind the republic rescue ship.
"Should we look for survivors?" a crew men asked.
"Thatch?" Tilly asked.
"3 life pods still live, fear, unable to move." Thatch said.
"We have 80 at best, if they are full. The Sternbound is gone." the Acolyte said.
"No it isn't." Tilly said, not looking away from the view port.
Everyone looked to her.
"The Sternbound yet lives. The Sternbound is not a vessel, it is it's crew. It's armsmen, it's astropaths, it's tech priests. A ship never dies when it falls, but only when those who serve the machines inside give up, A ship can be long dead, but as long as it's crew yet lives, it will never be gone." Tilly said.
"Techpriest, get radio acting as a radar, I want to find those life pods." Tilly ordered
The life pod flew back into the wreckage, in search for survivors. They searched, finding one, and the armsmen would connect the pods together by cabling. The two pods found the last two pods quickly, before they left the wreckage. Eventually. The blocky ship that had found Tilly came back. It was hours later, and they saw the weapon preparing to fire again in the distance.
The 4 Life Pods were welded together and the republic ship would magnetically lock to the life pod cube, before doing a jump through the Republic's warp, tunnels. They would arrive at a Republic Venator, and be let in a hanger.
The crew of the Sternbound gathered, numbering 72. Of the survivors, 5 were tech priests and tech acolytes, 19 were voidsmen, 2 were psyckers, Thatch and a junior navigator named Tecta, and the rest were , 45 were just crewmen, and Captain Tilly.
Survivors from the other ships were also recovered, though, mostly just were crew men, a few voidsmen and tech adepts, no captains, but there were a few pilots in them. Putting survivors around 250. They all stood in formation, looking to the captain, who had made a platform from boxes, hoping to address them all
"Survivors of the Sternbound, Umbre Mortis and the Cometborne. We have seen the weapons the army of Abominable Intelligences will use, and we know of it's power. But we all may be asking, why else would they use a weapon? Isn't it obvious? They fear us, they know they can never beat us with in a fair fight. We shall hunt this ship and take it out of the war, no! We will take it for ourselves! A prize that will make up for the destruction they put on us" She said, pacing back and fourth, looking at the crew, and the clones that came to see what she was talking about.
"The Imperium will show these machine men the power of hate. We will destroy them, destroy what we hate! Take what we want. We given the rite of trade and autonomy by the Emperor himself. Our power is unmatched! EMPEROR GIVE US STRENGTH! EMPEROR PRESERVE! EMPEROR GUIDES US!" Tilly shouted, before the imperial crew would repeat the chant.
Anakin Skywalker, watched from a distance, hearing the chanting, he rubbed his chin.
"Quite a statement. We had a similar idea." He said, smiling, as Rex looked over to the general.
"Master, The Lords of Iron have intercepted transmissions. They have identified a potential target. Rydellia, a medical station being targeted by the droids." She said.
"The walker of the skies. Emperor reborn. We must seek him out, to return him to the throne world, the new throne, he may guide us." a hooded woman, one that no eyes, said, as she walked in circles, the other side was matched by a similar figure, one holding a staff, that had an eye shaped head.
"Walked the skies? Sounds like a weird way to call someone a Skywalker." Anakin said, chuckling, before Tilly looked over, confused.
"Hello, I am Tilly Seros. Who are you?" She asked, approaching Anakin.
"My name is Anakin Skywalker, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said.
Tilly seemed to jump at the name. She smiled, kneeling down.
"THE EMPEROR!" She cried out, "We've found the reborn Emperor!"
The crew gathered around him, before Tilly knelt, with the rest.
"HAIL! THE EMPEROR HAS RETURNED!" they all shouted.
Recovery
Start from the beginning
