One Voice

co-written with u/SandwichQuiet7369


“Say, captain, do you believe in fate?”
Dark corridors of the Nightfall were dimly lit with stripes of pale light, resembling their homeworld traditions. The homeworld to which they headed now. Morgenstern stood against one of the Emperor’s Angels, however he could not think of one soul to call this particular one an angel. Or any other space marine on this ship for that matter. Cold black eyes stared the iterator down, there was no animosity in them. Just a faint blink of curiosity.
“What is it to you, Iterator, we’re not in one of your peace talks right now,” said Jago Sevatarion, first captain of the Night Lords legion.
He pushed through the man standing before him and headed through the corridor. He heard steps of the mortal trying to catch up to him, almost skipping but still trying to uphold decency. The thought of any mortal maintaining a face before him amused the Night Lord. Morgenstern caught up with the space marine. They walked in silence for a few moments.
“Lady Kassandra is going to sentence Nostramo to Exterminatus,” said the iterator. He sounded calm, but heightened senses of a space marine gave away his slightly higher heart rate to Jago.
First captain quickly glanced at the man beside him.
“That is for Mother to decide,” he said quietly, “If she deems this planet a lost cause, so be it.”
“And what do you think, captain?” the iterator asked, sounding unnaturally passionless, “I thought of you as a rare example of independent thinker on this whole fleet. I thought you of all people knew that our Lady’s judgments could be… affected.”
The space marine stopped suddenly, causing Morgenstern to flinch. Iterator however held his composure, stopping himself and turning to the Night Lord, man’s cloak clicking from a quick movement as he did so.
“Are you questioning the primarch, mortal?” black flame danced dangerously in the eyes of the first captain.
“Are you not?” he shot back.
Jago hated that for all that he wanted he could not refute this man.
“What do you want me to do?” If Morgenstern didn’t know who was before him, he would have thought the Night Lord sounded helplessly.
“I suggest you listen to your own words, captain,” the iterator began slowly, “I suggest for the first time you try to do better.”
“What does it mean, Morgenstern?” Even muffled by airlocks, primarch’s voice felt suppressing.
“Canons are disarmed, Lady Kassandra,” Morgenstern said after a long silence.
“That is not how it is supposed to be,” Primarch's voice contained suppressed disbelief and rising rage.
“It is indeed not.”
A series of strikes shook the deck. Jago looked at the iterator. Even though the mortal flinched each time Kassandra Curze’s hit landed on the bridge's gates, Morgenstern firmly stood against them, hands behind his back.
“OPEN THE GATES AND DO WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO!” a shout from the other side of the airlocks made the iterator suffer from a headache. He turned to the first captain.
“I will kindly ask you to leave, Jago,” he said firmly.
The first captain measured the mortal with his glance for a moment. Then the space marine turned away from the bridge.
“It is your funeral, iterator.”
“Then I will expect flowers from you, captain,” Morgenstern answered, as the primarch's screams in the background became more chaotic and loud.
“You better love plastic, it is the best we have on Nostramo,” Night Lord’s words were distant.
The Iterator smiled at this unexpected joke from a space marine and focused his sight on the gates. Strikes still fell on their steel.
“I SWEAR, MORTAL, YOU WILL REGRET THAT DECISION AS I WILL BE MAKING MYSELF A ROBE OUT OF YOUR SKIN WITH YOU STILL BREATHING!”
Now, that is just rude, Morgenstern thought to himself trying to stay calm as his Lady’s words made a cold sweat run down his back.
The iterator stood and waited. Screams and threats continued, but as hours went on he started to notice something new in Kassandra’s voice. Pain started as thin threads in the fabric of her voice, growing thicker until all that was there was agony. It was so alive, so unbearable that the man felt pain in his own heart. Those screams were filled with thick despair and fear, fear of someone whose world crumbled beneath their feet. Voice of the Dark Queen, vibrating through the walls and floor of the deck started slowly fading more silent, until it became a flow of slurred words, then just a torrent of silent sobs and whispers.
And then there was silence.

Kassandra couldn’t manage her breath. Her vision blurred, hearts beat so hard, she thought her ribs would break. Opening mouth in a silent scream, primarch clawed her head, blood streamed between her fingers. Kassandra slid down the bridge gates trying to find some shelter in her surroundings. But there was nothing. Only a spacious empty bridge and complete darkness. She hugged her knees, burying her head in them, in a futile attempt to cover her eyes from what she was about to see. Primarch’s eyes blazed purple, now burning with the fire of cursed future. Kassandra was engulfed with darkness, a dark choking fog of false reality swirling around her. Then she blinked.
Kassandra no longer sat on the cold floor of the bridge. Her hands now tightly grasped the armrests of her command throne.
Nostramo is guilty. This filthy planet is rotten to the core and one sentence awaits it. Death. We gave them a chance, a quiet rustling voice came.
The impudent mortal standing to her side shouted an immediate counter command to the fleet before comms could be closed. Kassandra recognized the woman even seeing her for the first time in her life. Morgenstern’s wheat blond mane and sharp jaw was recognizable even in this warped reality. Why he, or she, looked like this, did not matter for now. Her stupidly arrant actions did. The Primarch clamped her jaw, her hands clenched so hard the armrests cracked.
Dashing, Lady of the VIIIth raised from her flagship’s throne and grabbed Morgenstern, tossing her across the bridge. The Mortal flew until she hit the wall with a horrible whack, falling down. Quietly moaning from pain, the iterator tried to get up, getting only to her four before pain stopped her further attempts. The Primarch couldn’t believe it. One of the only people in the whole galaxy Kassandra thought she could count on had just gone against her.
She is guilty too, whispered the voice, and just as that pathetic sphere of mud, she deserves death.
The Primarch took a step forward.
That mortal is not the same! A new, youthful voice proclaimed.
Kassandra made two more steps.
The first voice laughed at her in cruel mocking, Ah-ha-ha, but you still are. Look at her. So much pain. So much misery. BROUGHT BY YOUR HAND! The voice became silent for a moment.
Then it sounded again.
Kill her. Kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, KILL HER, KILL HER–
Voices echoed in primarch’s head, doubling and tripling, deafening her thoughts. The cacophony building up and turning to a crescendo.
“SILENCE!” The primarch roared.
Her voice thundered across the fleet through the vox channel that was still open, as the communication officer was frozen in fear. The order was given. If they were sentient, the servitors and engines would have silenced themselves too.
As she came closer to the kneeling iterator, primarch’s breath became heavier and heavier, weighed down by her resolution. The voice granted her a few seconds of peace before starting to talk again. This time berating her for embarrassment she brought upon herself in front of her subordinates.
And how do you want them to respect you after such a fit? How do you want them to keep being afraid of you? You still are just the same child from–, Kassandra swept it away to the back of her head.
Morgenstern coughed up lumps of blood and spit. Turning back to her lady coming closer, she used one of the bridge's consoles to lean on and stand up. A mouthful of blood splat forth giving it a new coat of red paint.
So proud, so foolish.
Kassandra grabbed the woman's shoulder and turned her around. She lifted the iterator in the air holding her by the throat.
The Primarch gazed mortal in the eyes. Iterator's stubborn determination hit her with flaming intensity.
We do not have to do this, the youthful voice again tried to reason.
The lightning claws chattered to life. One smooth motion in less than one second is all it would take.
The rustling voice started its declamation again.
Those who help the peccant are peccant themselves. Guilt demands punishment. There can be no hesitation, no mercy, and no exceptions. That is how this galaxy works. That is how justice is ensured. We learned this at a young age. You know this. Your sons know this. Even this wench knows this. She, who is in front of you is guilty of aiding crime, justice HAS to be dealt. Your feelings matter nothing.
A sharpened tip of a chainglaive promptly rose to meet the primarch's throat. She turned her head to see who was so foolishly, insolently brave to even think of that.
“Mother, please,” Lord Commander Shang’s voice sounded desperate, even distorted by his helmet.
Sweet, stupid Shang, rustling voice laughed at the space marine.
He is not stupid, a youthful bitter silent voice echoed defeated in the primarch’s skull.
“Lower your weapon this instance, Lord Commander, and you might stay alive until the tribunal,” Primcrch's voice pushed down the already thick air of the bridge.
“He will not,” another space marine’s voice sounded from behind Lady of the VIIIth, paired with the sound of a spinning chainglaive.
First captain of the Night Lords legion stood up against his gene-mother.
Another one? After that lump of mud is dealt with, you should look really closely at your impudent brats, rustling voice snarled.
And take our legion’s last honorable parts? questioned the youthful one.
“One more to defy me,” said Kassandra, “one more to be punished.”
No retort came. Sevatarion’s visor lenses gleaned grim. Sworn oaths betrayed each other.
“Th– Then do it,” the mortal's voice choked out. “Prove everyone right. Destroy Nostramo. Kill your people. Kill your sons. Kill me. Prove that there is only Night Hauntress left. Put out the last glimmering flames of light you have in your miserable life.”
Ha! the rustling voice exclaimed enthusiastically, maybe you should listen to that pest after all!
She is frightened, the youthful murmured.
“They all have betrayed me.” Primarch closed her eyes and shook her head trying to think clearly.
Her hand tensed, making a woman in her grasp cough up blood again.
Then make these an example, a rustling voice whispered nonchalantly, their skin hanging on the main deck will stop any one from defying you again.
This is what you call justice? You could be better than this.
“No.” Kassandra spoke uncertainly, “Shut up.”
Morgenstern desperately grabbed primarch’s hands, fighting suffocation. With the corner of her eye, Kassandra noticed how her sons tightened grips on their weapons.
Stop this whining, and do what you must.
You will not be able to turn back from this.
What, you will betray the justice itself for a cup of sweet beverage?
You know it is more than that.
Two voices argue, spiraling and mixing in themselves, deafening Kassandra, making her feel like her head is about to explode. A cacophony of madness blinded the primarch, extinguishing reason that left in her broken mind. The Lady of the VIIIth screamed. And everything went dark.
When Kassandra’s vision cleared again, bridge walls and observation windows were thinly painted red. Crew and servitors, dismembered, covered the floor with their body parts and intestines. Irritating disharmonic wet dripping noise of blood, streaming down the bridge interior and systems, filled the space. Kassandra’s breath was heavy and uneven. She stared long at her gauntlets and lightning claws, soaked in body fluids of men and women she slaughtered, before raising her eyes. Shang’s body, pierced and pinned by his own chainglaive, hung on the bridge gates, leaving a long trail of blood flowing down. Leaning on the airlocks, sat Sevatarion’s beheaded corpse, surrounded by several dozen space marines. Cracked armor, severed limbs, they were grouped around their captain and Lord Commander as if they had kept a defense line against some raging beast.
Tears of horror and self-loath streamed down the face of the primarch. Surrounding scene resembled primarch ancient Terra’s myths of afterlife punishment and damnation. Hell created by her own madness.
Muffled moans brought Kassandra’s attention to the foot of the bridge throne. Iterator’s broken body lay there motionless. But she was still alive. Kassandra rushed to her, stopping two steps from away, no desire to come closer, no courage. Morgenstern coughed, following her pierced lungs prompting. She could only move her eyes to look at the devastated primarch.
“You did it,” croaked the iterator, “you killed us all.”
“I–“
“Come closer.” Morgenstern did not let her make excuses.
Unable to refute the dying woman, Kassandra made two steps forward and leaned lower to Morgenstern. She noticed the detonator in the iterator’s hand too late.
“Ave Dominus Nox, my Lady.”
Before fire tore reality of the vision apart, Kassandra realized one last thing. There were never two voices vocalizing in her head. There was only her own.

The floor’s rockrete stinged Kassandra's cheek with cold. Tears silently rolled down her face, blurring her vision. She did not twitch nor scratched herself, limply lying on the floor. She was so tired. Constant nightmares that always came to life, sooner or later. False hope that she could ever escape it. Hope that her sons and her iterator have been shoving down her throat right now. And that vision. What she saw was so surreal, yet so alive. Alternative present and immediate future was not something she ever saw until this point. But that did not matter. It too was knitted from threads of darkness.
“You should have just killed me.” she whispered.
The stone’s chill became strangely calming. Kassandra felt like she did not want to ever get up. She contemplated voices, or rather voices that haunted her in that bizarre vision. Voices that were unsynchronized and split, but still belonged to Kassandra Curze. She was no fool. Kassandra understood that there was something deeply wrong with her. Something that she allowed to happen. Something that since tormented her and was her shelter alike.
The primarch’s thoughts were interrupted by a torrent of another possible forthcoming stirring in her eyes. Kassandra’s body tightened up, she bit her lip, once more that day painting her face with a stripe of red.
Then the primarch stopped breathing. She could not believe herself, stopping every movement of her body, trying not to scare off what is to come. Kassandra felt this only once, in a dark alley of Nostramo, where she was forced with a role of judge. Where she chose to be the executioner.
Canvas of light, images of future burned on it, second time in Kassandra’s life, they were not pitch black. She closed her eyes and let herself be consumed.

Only the finest gold-plated rockrete surrounded the Lady of the VIIIth legion. Eighteen marble statues greeted her, behind them stood their legions in perfect parade formation. Unlike the statues used on compliant worlds, not a single statue here was produced from the mass industrial lines. Instead, entire armies of the finest artisans the Imperium had to offer were unleashed just for this room.
The Hall of Heroes was enchanting. The history of humanity under the rule of the Emperor, captured on its walls gazed upon anyone who stepped here. It seemed that whatever architects worked on this chamber, their end goal was to capture the glory of Mankind itself. Many could be elevated by those walls, but the primarch of the Night Lords was not. Too much light, not enough shadows, she felt trapped in a cage without bars. That was a place for heroes. And she was not a hero.
In the center of the Imperial Palace Kassandra knelt, dressed in ceremonial tail-suit, head bowed, before the Emperor of Mankind. She was still waiting for judgment, for censure, for rejection and banishment. But none came as she waited. Then the Emperor spoke.
+Stand up, daughter.+
At the unexpected words Kassandra twitched her head, looking up at her father, before turning away in embarrassment. She slowly stood up, not fully sure she was really allowed to, warily anticipating what was to come. Annoying rustling made itself heard.
What does he have to say to us? This hypocrite, will he critique us again? Will he-
+I only want to speak to you.+
Soft waves of force washing against her mind made the distracting voice finally shut up. Kassandra looked her father in the eyes. His face was so serene, she doubted he even had really spoken right now. Watching her father’s glorious image, she felt bitter, realizing how different they were.
Father and daughter, what a fraking joke, she thought to herself.
“What do you want me to hear, father?” asked primarch, defense ringing in her voice.
The Emperor waited before his answer.
+You are conflicted.+
Kassandra felt anger welling up inside her.
“Oh, Emperor, beloved by all, your attentiveness should be celebrated by all of humanity!” She loudly spat these words, and then continued, now almost whispering, “I almost gouged out my eyeballs before you on Nostramo, and you just left me with your little funny war on stars.”
Emperor held out his hand and softly grasped his daughter’s shoulder. It felt stunningly unnatural for the Lady of the VIIIth, but also stirred up something inside her from the old days. From those days she still had someone who really cared about her on Nostramo.
+I never wanted or intended you to suffer like this. I had belief you will overcome this.+
Kassandra grinned bitterly.
“As you can see, I failed. Perhaps, you should have intended better.”
+You may be right. I want you to join Blood Angels’ expedition fleet.+
Lady of the VIIIth squinted.
“Want your perfect Angel to watch over me? Is that your punishment?”
+It is your opportunity.+
Kassandra shook off her father’s hand.
“Opportunity for what?! To make your Imperium, this house of hypocrisy and violence, larger and broader?”
The Emperor's face remained impenetrable.
+To make it better.+
Kassandra tried to find words, but could not. The Emperor's words were not just a façade, they were not a ploy to coax her in compliance. He was being genuine. Kassandra lowered her head, examining the Imperial Palace’s floor marble in defeat of her obstinacy.
“How will I make Imperium better, if I cannot make myself better?”
+The question you should ask is not how to make yourself better. But how to finally decide who you are.+
“And who am I supposed to be?” Kassandra raised her head again in a hope for an answer.
The Emperor slowly held out his hand, tenderly touching his daughter’s forehead with his index.
+That you must find out for yourself.+
The Emperor and his palace, all around Kassandra Curze, disappeared.
She now appeared in complete darkness, looking around, trying to understand what the Emperor just did to her. Everywhere the primarch could see was only dark, she stood ankles deep in an obsidian water that made no sound as she wandered around. Kassandra tried to walk in one direction until she stopped, understanding that this dark plane was endless. Cold of this place bit her bones.
“Always so enigmatic, isn’t he?” sounded a rustling voice behind her.
Kassandra turned around snappily, as she had not felt anyone to sneak up. That was new for her.
Before primarch stood figure, figure rivaling her in height and stature, covered in thin black mist, making its features unrecognizable.
“Who, the frak, are you?” Kassandra asked the stranger.
“Weren’t you told to ask yourself this question?” Shadow answered, clearly amused by her bewilderment.
“How do you know?” The primarch was getting annoyed by this creature’s attitude.
“I was there, obviously.”
The dark figure started to walk in circles around Kassandra, reminding her of beasts readying to jump at their prey. But Kassandra was no prey. And she was not in the mood for these charades.
“We are in my head,” Kassandra stated the obvious.
“Look at her, that girl is not only about appearances!” a stranger mocked her, clapping its hands.
“Enough,” ordered the primarch, “surely, you are not the one to answer my questions.”
The dark figure finally ended its circling, stopping in front of the dismissive primarch.
“And what questions would you ask?” mocking rustling changed with an ominous growl.
Kassandra thought for a couple of moments.
“How shall I deal from now on?”
“Just as before.”
“I cannot.”
“Why? Have you become so weak?”
“Because I have to be stronger than that.” The creature snarled in resentment of these words.
“Who do you think you are? Humanity’s savior, warrior princess in a snow-white armor?”
Kassandra's eyes widened in sudden recognition.
“Why so silent? Admit it to yourself and your dead mommy. She would be so disappointed.”
Shadow was tense, opposing the primarch.
"Admit it. You are a monster."
Kassandra stared at the figure. It all made sense to her now. Her prior visions, her father’s words. This place and abomination of darkness standing before her. Awareness dawned on her with a weight of new, vaguely perceived, responsibility, crushing her with guilt for all she has done by now. She was afraid. But here and now she had a chance. A chance to start walking towards a ghostly glimpse of light at the end of the cursed tunnel she now saw. Now that she knew it existed.
Kassandra walked closer to the shadow and extended her arm, placing hand on the figure's chest.
“I know what I am,” upon her touch, black mist dissolved revealing a face that Kassandra hated so much. Dirty rags and self-made blades lay on a creature’s milk-pale skin. Sunken eyes as black as the void of space and twice as cold. Lips peeled back barring sharp teeth in horror.
“I know what I am,” repeated Kassandra, voice filled with realization, “I am you.”
Her reflection’s features started to twist and break, turning into jet black liquid. Violently swirling around the primarch’s hand, her arm, and her body. Kassandra felt as if she was forced to drink sewer water. But it was a part of her. Only with it could she be complete.
In a second it was over. She stood alone in the endless plane that did not seem so unwelcoming now. Cold became less severe. Pitch-black water was gone, and beneath her feet, soft onyx grass sprouted. Within a moment of contemplation, Kassandra lowered herself and lay down in its delicate embrace, relaxing her body.
Resting there, Kassandra Curze avowed.
“I am Night Hauntress.”

The only tank mates are a few species of snails and 7 ghost shrimp it's a 10 gallon tank with a filter and heater I have plants in and outside the tank (as you can see by the roots in the top right back lol) just got this baby today! His name is pearl bc he's got such an awesome shine under the right light. If there's anything you think can be improved or would make him happier please comment!

I received 11 tricolor lamè eggs may 31st. They started hatching day 4-7 for me, and it is now 6 days since the the first emerged. They are in a bowl and eating the tiniest amount of Hikari first bites three-ish times a day. I use a pipette to remove crud from the bottom and to add in about a half cup of water from their future pond home, slowly increasing the volume. They have a couple of very baby snails to help clean up. What should I be looking for, any advice for the upcoming weeks? I want to do my best to ensure that everybody survives although I understand that that may not happen. What should I watch for? I’ve have heard it’s good to have a separate container for oddballs. I trying my second attempt at infusoria but not sure I’m doing it right. I took water from a very mature shrimp tank with lots of copepods etc and added a crushed up spinach leaf to leave to brew, but the last one never turned green. Thanks for looking, it’s been such a cool experience so far.

This weekends makes were 2 berets and I got the cutest little tags. One for a friend and one for my aunt.
4mm hook Woolcraft baby care DK in silver Pattern : https://youtu.be/dOcTYm0wcHk?si=evCKBh0u_6jV0QAx

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Hi everyone! I am moving and I have to downsize my tanks
Java fern - large (2) $10 each ; medium/small (3) $5 each; small/baby (5) $2 each
Large Amazon sword (1): $15
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Dwarf Lily (1): $6
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Prices are negotiable!

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Sorry, rough video was made for myself, looking for mating pair, other things but decided to post. You guys are forgiving.
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Cutouts in cube lid handy, hollow bottom has potential but I’m not creative. Taped tiny USB blue LED for now, usually turned off though. Added 4 plastic “feet”. 1” rounds that previously held glitter or something. Wanted heat from light to escape and/or cord clearance.
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