The 20 pods containing what could have been the best of humanity were sucked away to the warp, their pods adrift in a sea of madness as it tried to seep into the beings inside of them but a glowing coat of light protected them .seeing this The Immaterium crashed with violent tempests and strong waves of psychic energy, its tides shifting unpredictably as unseen currents covered the capsules, pulling them in separate directions. Some were hurled across the galaxy in an instant, while others drifted for what seemed an eternity, swallowed by the ever-changing flow of raw Chaos. Crashing waves of psychic energy scattered them far and wide, ensuring that no two would land together, their fates dictated by the whims of the storm.
….
**Planet Caladan, Arcadian System**
Yuri sighed. It had been two months since they arrived on Caladan. The planet's lord had hired them to suppress a local rebellion—a revolt sparked by some 10,000 civilians. He had sought warriors with a proven record, but in truth, the man was simply too paranoid.
The entire conflict had started due to the arrogance of a noble. When his child went missing, he lashed out in blind fury, ordering the brutalization and massacre of an entire village. The child was later found unharmed, fast asleep by a lake—but by then, the village was already drenched in blood. Enraged, the survivors rose up in open rebellion, forcing the lord to seek the aid of renowned mercenaries.
Desperate, the rebels called upon all the oppressed to rise against their ruler. Emboldened by their numbers, they marched straight for his palace—only to be crushed by palace troops and Yuri's team. Most were either executed, condemned to a lifetime of toil in the fields, or, if strong enough, thrown into the slave pits in shackles.
A month had passed since the rebellion was put down, yet Lord Karlos still refused to pay them. According to him, the contract stated they were to fight until the rebellion was completely eradicated. In his paranoid mind, the war was not yet over.
Now, the fool was calling again, screaming at him like a hysterical child about another supposed attack. Yuri barely restrained a sigh as Karlos' frantic voice grated in his ear.
"The rebels are attacking! They're coming for my head!"
From the seat behind him, Alexis muttered, "I swear, if I have to listen to this idiot for another mile, I might start a rebellion of my own."
Lux chuckled darkly. "I'll back you up on that. I've heard less whining from men bleeding out."
Yuri didn't bother responding. His focus was elsewhere.
They were heading toward a farm—the supposed site of another "rebel attack." But Yuri knew better. This was a waste of time. The duke had hired them not just to put down the revolt but to ensure his peace of mind—an impossible task given the man's paranoia. Worse, he now demanded that the surviving prisoners be forced into gladiatorial combat for the amusement of visiting nobles. It was a pathetic imitation of the arenas where Yuri and his team had fought—where they had earned blood and glory on Cybertron. This nobleman understood nothing of real combat.
As they neared the farm, a new sight caught Yuri's attention—fire. The fields were ablaze, smoke curling into the sky as farmers scrambled to contain the spreading flames. Panic thickened the air; children clung to their mothers, wailing, while the men barked desperate orders. The harvest was being consumed before their eyes, and Yuri knew what that meant—the nobleman would have them punished for failing to meet the grain tax.
Coldly efficient, Yuri stepped out of the buggy and strode toward the nearest farmer. Without hesitation, he grabbed the man by the collar and yanked him close.
"What caused the fire?" His voice was calm, but an unmistakable edge lay beneath it.
The farmer swallowed hard, fear evident in his eyes. "S-Something fell from the sky—like a star! It crashed into the fields and set everything ablaze!"
Yuri held his gaze for a moment before shoving him back. "Then stop standing around and put it out."
As the farmers rushed to obey, Yuri signaled to his squad. "We move in. See what dropped."
They advanced through the smoke, weapons at the ready, until they reached the impact site. A smoldering trench cut through the field, leading to a strange, cylindrical pod with a cracked glass cover with a numerical word for number 2 written in the old tongue . Lux prodded it with his boot, and the hatch hissed open, releasing a burst of pressurized air. Instinctively, the squad raised their weapons, expecting a trap.
Instead, inside the pod lay a baby.
The infant blinked up at them, utterly unfazed by the destruction around it.
Alexis let out a low whistle. "Well, that's unexpected."
Lux frowned. "Some noble's brat, maybe? Think we can ransom or bargain with it?"
Yuri stepped forward, his expression unreadable. He studied the child for a long moment, then reached in and lifted it from the pod. The infant made no sound—no cry of fear or discomfort. It simply stared at him, its gaze unnervingly steady.
He turned to a nearby woman, one of the farmers. "Take it to the buggy. Keep it safe." His tone left no room for argument.
The woman hesitated, her hands shaking.
Yuri's gaze was as sharp as a blade. "If you try something, you won't live long enough to regret it."
She swallowed hard and took the child, cradling it as if it were a holy relic.
Yuri watched as she hurried off before glancing back at the pod. His mind was already calculating possibilities, weighing the potential worth of this unexpected discovery. What had seemed like a simple job had just become far more complicated.
**Back at the City**
Upon returning to the palace, Yuri gave his squad a sharp glance. "Say nothing about the child." They nodded in understanding.
As they entered the hall, Duke Karlos stood surrounded by a hundred guards. He strode forward, his expression tense. "Did you kill the rebels?"
Yuri folded his arms. "There were no rebels. A meteor or cargo pod fell from space and caused the fire."
The duke exhaled sharply in relief, but before Yuri could turn to leave, Karlos' wife spoke up.
"You cannot go yet. The rebellion is not over."
Yuri's jaw tightened.
She continued, "While the open attacks have ceased, the lands to the north still harbor rebels. We want you to lead the armies and finish them completely."
Karlos, emboldened, added, "And while you're at it, you will build a fighting pit—one like those on Cybertron—to entertain our guests and remind the people of the consequences of rebellion."
Yuri's hard gaze met theirs. He exhaled slowly, then sighed. "That will cost a lot more than what you're paying."
Without another word, he turned and walked out.
Back on *Nemesis*, his ship, he turned to Alexis. "Bring the child to me."
Once alone in his quarters, Yuri examined the playback of the sky. What he saw made his blood run cold.
The child had not simply fallen from space. It had come through a portal.
That was impossible.
Everyone in the system knew that to travel through the other dimension was to go through hell itself. Those who tried did not return as men, but as monsters—warped beyond recognition, torn apart endlessly, trapped in eternal agony. Death was a mercy compared to what lay beyond.
And yet, this child had come through—without a single mark, without deformity, without any sign of corruption.
Yuri turned his gaze back to the child. It was larger than normal infants, its eyes too intelligent, its movements too deliberate. It did not cry—it *commanded*, as though the only thing preventing it from speaking was its lack of understanding of language.
Something had been returned to the universe.
Yuri stood up and called for one of his crew. "Watch over the brat," he ordered.
He was no wet nurse. He was a mercenary. And the only things of value to him were money and power. Both of which, he reminded himself, could be gained—if that paranoid fool would just accept that his war was over.
But for now, he had a tyrant to please. And coin to earn.
—