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So yeah, Vader's Orks are going to repeat that effort, only bigger. I don't think Vader's /plan/ was to use them to get Khorne's attention, but he'll settle for it.

hS

Okay, so Abaddon still wants to keep hold of the Fist (of Palpatine, if he's not renaming it for use), simply to avoid Vader getting it. Because Vader might /well/ use it, and Abaddon fears (well, you know what I mean) that he might be usurped.

He does use hyperdrive tech, though - maybe not for travel (disrespecting the Warp) but for surprise attacks. Cadia is definitely going down.

Vader is terrifying. Anakin Skywalker at his peak, dual-wielding a lightsaber and a Chaos blade. And obviously also corrupted in body, but lightning-fast with a hammer-blow.

This does mean the Imperium is unlikely to join Palpatine's effort. Given their showing in the canon 13th, maybe they're using some of the unaligned xenos to resist Chaos and the Empire. Hmm... I assume it's not possible for them to divert a Tyranid Hive Fleet to the GFFA?

hS

"Oh, no," Derik muttered.

She burst into song:

Drinking mead in the halls of Whiterun
The maidens and the men!—

"Gall, please, not this," Derik groaned, but she ignored him.

We swig our brew
Until we spew
Then we fill our mugs again!

NORD MEAD!

This was by way of being her answer to the question. Having not the slightest notion of what she was actually asking for, she held out a hand and beckoned eagerly. "Bring it on!"

"You know I hate that song," growled Derik, ex-dragonrider of Pern. If looks could kill, Gall was lucky his expression was partially masked.

"Yeah, but you're gonna drown your sorrows in booze anyway." She turned back to Thoth. "Come on, jötunn, show me what you got." She winked.

(( "NORD MEAD" by Miracle of Sound. I was hoping for an excuse to drop that. It's awesome. So are their other Skyrim songs.

(( Tom and/or Thoth may feel free to assume that Gall is merely stupid, not suicidal, and hand her something normal. But I'm perfectly willing to send her to Medical to get her stomach pumped, too. I recently read Prospero Burns; I know what toxic jet fuel the Vlka Fenryka drink. {= D ))

"Hey Derik, Gal." Tom shook Derik's had firmly. "Tom, and my that's partner Thoth. RC 65536+3i."

He scratched his head. "Anyways, I guess we're up for the first drink. For the mortals, Mjød or regular?"

Matt chuckled, looking at Charlotte and Izzy.

"Look... Ix, was it? Yeesh, that's a bit hard to pronounce smoothly, sorry." He cleared his throat. "Look, Ix, in my book you're as much an auror as Mad-Eye was. Charlotte said you only missed graduation? You've done the training part and that. is. awesome." He pointed out the last three words by tapping the air with his finger. "So why not skip the bragging, if that's not your thing, and tell me a little bit about the training itself?"

~~~

"You know you're talking to a girl that can break the speed of sound in her pajamas?" Izzy grinned, as her conversation with Charlotte developed. "I can prooobably restrain you before you move one foot to hurt anyone... no offense, I'm sure you have it in you to not actually do that, but... y-you know, I think we've got the issue of safety covered."

"I, er, thank you," she said. "But I'm not an Auror, I'm really not—"

"Don't be so modest!" Charlotte said to Ix. "Look, you go brag about yourself to Matt for a bit, I'm gonna talk to Izzy." She stepped around Matt to do just that. "I don't think the Flowers would like me doing that, since I'm not supposed to be eating fellow agents," she said. "But it would be really neat to find out—the only problem is, I've been off human blood for years now, and if I went back, bad things could happen. Makes it harder to keep control when someone gets hurt, you know?"

Ix turned to Matt, face still red. "Uh... I'm not really good at bragging, sorry."

Izzy leaned a little closer, her eyes starting to lit up the more she talked. "Like, you know, if it's possible to transfer the Speed Force energy through my meta connection, to maybe increase your natural speed? Or what eye color you would gain? Or what would—"

Matt cleared his throat, gently elbowing Izzy, before pushing in front of her.

"Did you just say 'Hogwarts'?" he turned to Ix, starting putting on a similar expression to his partner's. "Are you kidding me!? That's, like, the greatest thing in the fictional worlds! And it's a no-brainer you're a fully-fledged auror! That is beyond cool!"

"You've got that smell in your blood," Charlotte said. "And I'm not trying to be creepy when I say I bet your blood would have a lot of zing to it if I tried it. Not that I would, because that'd be wrong, but it's kind of interesting to speculate—"

Ix nudged her and she coughed, grinning sheepishly. "Right. I'm a Twilight vampire, if the telling people they smell good wasn't enough of a tip-off for you. And Ix is a witch! Hogwarts graduate, Auror, the whole nine yards!"

"I got kicked out before I finished tra—"

"You were like four days away from graduating, it was all but formalized at that point," Charlotte said, folding her arms.

The Ork Big Boss of that one considered Demons as the best enemies ever. After much rampage, his Waagh ended when he invaded a Demon World of Khorne, and succombed to the numbers... Except on this particular world, they resurrect every day after being killed, so basically Ork Walhalla (and since Orks get bigger as they fight more, they could potentially 'win' someday, and nobody will be ever to defeat that Waagh).

"And I... have a Speed Force stink on me?" Izzy looked at and around her costume.

"Answering your question, yeah, she is... kinda," Matt added.

"Yeah... very kinda."

"What about you two? Earlier you said 'vampire', but there's so many representations... and you?" Matt asked, looking at both Ix and Charlotte.

Slaanesh would act to restore it because the destruction is a blight on his realm. The god of Perfection wouldn't want that kind of blemish. Also, the Slaaneshi legions would be the ones most likely to capture Palpatine in this case, because they'd be gunning for him in revenge. He dared to attack their realm.

Tzeench has more careful plans than just sow chaos. I wouldn't be surprised if he planted some kind of ward in Palpatine's mind so that he could be brought to heel the instant he does something that Tzeench doesn't like.

"You smell like the Speed Force—that kind of ozony smell, you know? And that would explain all the food."

"Charlotte, you can't just tell people that," Ix whispered.

"Why not? I'm just asking," Charlotte said.

The thing is, we're looking at the interaction between two completely incompatible systems. Assuming Palpatine did his job right, the Fist's shots probably materialise in the planet they target (or rather, inside the first planet they reach - obviously there's no targetting). They don't travel through normal space or the Warp to get there, so they're not actually passing through the Eye.

So can a daemon resurrect itself if it is immolated in an instant without any warning? Accepting that Slaanesh can pretty much do anything, we need to remember that it's a God of Chaos - it may not want to, for its own entertainment. (Plus, people who let themselves get blasted out of existence don't really deserve to be restored, amirite?)

I'm delighted by the idea of the Eldar interfering - it gives them another reason to get on-board with the Alliance. It all ties together...

So, Palpatine. Let's assume that his capture was organised by one of the Traitor Legions (I still think Alpha, but it could be one of the others). That puts him outside the direct influence of Slaanesh - insofar as anyone can be in the Eye. Given that the Force and the Warp have (obviously!) no canonical interactions, I think saying that he can resist indirect/environmental influence is fair.

So he escapes, and ends up in Tz's realm. And then... well, if everything is according to the Changer's plan, then what is his plan? I'd think 'to sow chaos across a second galaxy by letting Palpatine escape thinking he's unchanged' might rank quite highly...

Ultimately, barring divine-level intervention, this scenario will end with something the Gods of Chaos can live with. None of them will die, and the Eye of Terror will continue to blaze. But everything else is in the minds of insane gods, whose plans cannot be understood. They - and Tz in particular - could do pretty much anything that the plot requires, and it wouldn't be OOC.

(Though I admit it would be insanely satisfying to drop something like Abeloth on them, and see how they deal with an actual divine-level threat this time around.)

hS

First, Khorne's first gift to Vader would be the scariest one. He'd free him from the suit. Imagine Darth Vader, restored. Hi limbs flesh and blood again. His body no longer ravaged by Mustafar. That's who would be leading the crusade.

However, the idea of Abaddon using the Fist of Chaos to destroy Terra doesn't add up. For one, he needs the Astronomicon too. For another, he wants to watch the palace fall and to kill the Emperor himself. Abaddon is a man who has remained mortal for ten thousand years because he wants to destroy humanity as a human. He's not gonna fight from half way across the galaxy if he has even the slightest chance of doing it personally.

He's actually not likely to use the Fist for much of anything. Abaddon is champion of Chaos Undivided. This cowardly weapon would cause him to rapidly lose favor with Khorne, a dangerous position to be in with so many upstarts. Huron, for example, wants to become warmaster. And now there is also Vader to consider. Abaddon would save the Fist, not spam it.

It's just Bay's company that's producing the movie, not Bay himself.

"I wouldn't be roaming the literary worlds if not for this one." He pointed his thumb at Izzy, smiling. "I still don't know why she keeps me around."

Izzy, who finally got caught between one eating moment and another, grinned and wrapped her hand around her partner's neck. "Come on, you've been a great help!"

"Yeah... In making you food, definitely." Matt looked to the side, blushing slightly.

... And I just found the answer to the question I was going to ask, which is how much storage space you get with a free account. The answer appears to be 1G, which is bloody phenomenal compared to the 20Mb I've got over on Tripod. I haven't nearly filled that yet, thanks in part to carefully managing how many images I actually store there, but dang, not having to even think about it would be nice!

I might just move—the Lost Tales, at least, and maybe my own stuff, too. It won't be soon, because I don't have time right now, but I know the ads on Tripod are an issue for people without adblock, and it's been a long time since I could happily recommend the service to anyone else.

I reckon they're better than Webs, too.

~Neshomeh

Daemonworlds are entirely bound to the whims of the beings that run them, and those beings are practically invincible in their own territory. We'd have to make assumptions to believe that the shots even struck individual worlds, as well. The Eye would have to alter the bolts in any way. It would also have to not displace them chronologically. And, Slaanesh would have to not just take their power to protect his/her realm.

Assuming all of these don't happen, the nature of the warp would mean that the bolts would destroy worlds if the daemons don't care. If they do, they could rebuild them. But actually killing anyone? Probably not. The daemons would reform almost immediately, and the realms of Chaos are heavily resistant to this kind of attack. At worst, Slaanesh could restore all of it with a thought.

And, on another note, this also requires the Eldar to not interfere. Something I'd forgotten is that the worlds in the Eye of Terror were Eldar worlds. Many Eldar are trapped there, bound to Slaanesh. Those worlds are also the source of Isha's Tears. The Soul Stones. If there was really a chance that they could be destroyed, the Eldar would interfere to save their race.

As for good old Palps, he might escape Tzeench's lair with his mind intact, but the taint of Chaos would be so infused with him that he would not escape human. Tzeench would give him...gifts. His body would be warped by the exposure to the raw power of chaos, and his mind likely would be altered as well.

Do not forget that everything is according to Tzeench's plan.

It should also be noted that if he was brought to the Eye of Terror, he was brought to the realm of Slaanesh. That is a chaos god he couldn't contend with, as he is definitely vulnerable to Slaanesh's influence. Greed, Gluttony, Pride, Carnality, Absolute Power over others, and perfection. If he allows even the slightest bit of any of these to affect him in Slaanesh's realm, he'd be trapped there forever. And if he saw Slaanesh himself, his soul is gone. Nobody can look upon Slaanesh and keep their soul.

And Vader runs on his refusal to accept the idea of limits - we've seen this time and time again. Vader is someone who will not give up, whatever happens, because the idea that he could fail (again) is fuel for his rage.

I'm going to assume that the powers of Chaos aren't capable of mass-corrupting an Ork Waaagh!. Since we've got Vader defecting to Khorne in order to free Palpatine (even the Orks wouldn't be able to fight into the realm of the Changer by brute force), the sides flip to Waaagh! versus Daemon Prince Vader and the Corrupted Inquisition. Oh, and the Imperial blockade of Cadia, because Vader is their commanding officer.

I dunno how that's gonna turn out, but I am pretty sure that once Abaddon the Despoiler has room to breathe (between the Khorne-Slaanesh war and the Waaagh!, it's been a bit cramped in the Eye of late), he's going to take the Fist of Palpatine Chaos out into real-space. The Thirteenth Black Crusade will start with the destruction of Cadia in the fires of its own sun. Very shortly afterwards, starcracker beams will rain down on Holy Terra itself. Not even the most powerful void shield in existence is going to hold up to that for long.

Obviously the final death of the God-Emperor of Mankind and the consequent failure of the Astronomican is going to have a devastating effect on the Imperium. One positive effect is that every surviving loyal Primarch is going to have to come back out of the woodwork. At minimum that means the resurrection of Guilliman (hey, the Alliance+Eldar will be happy to help with that, if it means stopping Vader+Abaddon - and it looks like it was Eldar tech that made the difference) and the return of the Lion. It looks like at least four of the others (Russ, Khan, Vulkan, Corax) are not confirmed dead, so y'know, party time.

What we've got on our hands here - assuming I haven't made any particularly egregious leaps in logic that invalidate chunks of the timeline - is all-out war. Here's how the sides seem to shake out.

The Alliance
Fighting for 'good', the Alliance is the only side particularly concerned with, y'know, people.
-The New Republic
--Including Hutt Marines
-The Tau
--Including half of the Hail of Flames, which has not yet been turned
-The Eldar

The United Empire
The forces of Order, seeking to secure power at any cost.
-The Imperial Remnant, under Tzeentch-boosted Palpatine.
-The Chiss Ascendency
-The Imperium of Man
--Palpatine successfully persuades the Primarchs that allying against Chaos is the best course. Also he can offer them hyperspace tech, which is essential for them to be able to move around.

The Black Host
Chaos, doin' what Chaos does.
-Abaddon the Despoiler
--With his armies, including the Fist of Chaos
-Daemon Prince Vader
--With the Imperial blockade fleet from Cadia, now corrupted.
-The Corrupted Inquisitors

Everyone Else
Would like to take over the galaxy, but figure it's probably a bad time.
-The Tyranids (swarming over the Tau).
-The Necrons (opportunists all).
-The Dark Eldar (hanging out in Commorragh and hoping it all goes away).
-The Orks (still fighting in the Eye of Terror, and having a great time).

How'm I doing?

hS

Isha's still alive. She's trapped in Nurgle's garden, being used as a test subject for Nurgle's diseases. She's also the reason cures exist, as she whispers them to mortal minds while Nurgle does his thing. He knows she's thwarting him, but he loves her so he doesn't care.

Orks are slightly psychic; they basically reshape reality around them to match what they think should happen. Ork tech is a jumbled, utterly garbled mess that only works because Mekboyz think that's how things work; anyone else attempting to analyze it has the feeling it's like trying to reverse-engineer a bike engine powered by, and I quote, glurble wurble flurble durble oh no I've gone cross-eyed. Red-painted vehicles literally go faster than ones that aren't, because red ones go faster. Orks are powered by Clap Your Hands If You Believe.

Give them a purpose, give them a figure to get behind, and give them something to pummel, and an Ork WAAAAAAGH! is pretty much the most dangerous thing in the galaxy. Hurling a really big one - and there's no doubt in my mind that WAAAAAAGH! Vader would be the biggest he could find, his pride demands it - into the Eye of Terror really could do some serious damage.

He polished off the last mouthful of his pumpkin ale. "I've already handicapped myself. Against most people, I'd say that was fair, but..." He eyeballed Thoth and shrugged. "I suppose a man must sometimes fight a losing battle if only to say he fought." He stuck out his free hand to Tom. "Derik, by the way. My partner is Gall. Our response center is number 1110. If we both pass out, please make sure we get back there."

Gall rolled her eyes. "Ugh, defeatist. Haven't you ever heard the expression 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'?"

"And there might have been something like whatever this is in our history somewhere, but we did not have it in the maths from what I know." Peregrin clarified.

"Now, all I have managed to gather is that Haloween involves costumes, scary things, and candy. These seem ... rather unrelated. Bridge me over, please."