Never Give a Yandere a Bolter [A Cliche (Yandere) 40k Romcom] Ch.24 (Patreon)

“Now, this don’t make a lick of sense,” Octus grumbled.

He was currently leaning over the Navigator charts of the House of Ra. Ashe and Amelia joined Octus in pouring over the charts while Alastor stood ‘guard’ hunched beside the room’s door. Osiris, the young Navigator scion who was one of the two remaining members of House Ra, ‘supervised’ from the head of the table. Or more accurately, he was still pouting from being censured by his mother earlier.

“Unfortunately, you will run into that problem often in this field, Lord Octus. You do not have the same ‘gifts’ that my kin possesses to so easily read the stars,” Nuit, the primary Navigator of the Immortal Spirit and the other remaining member of House Ra, said.

“None of that ‘Lord’ business, Nuit. I ain’t quite comfortable with it yet,” Octus corrected without turning his gaze away from the parchment on the table.

He’d quickly come to like the Navigator Matron. Nuit was wickedly funny when she wanted to be and not afraid to show it when the mischievous mood struck her. And Octus had already grown used to not being able to speak to her face to face. Something he had gathered was an impossibility for the Navigator Matron or at the very least, rude to talk about.

Osiris had said his mother was once beautiful but that she’d been twisted by mutation into something not fit for polite company. Octus smelled a little bit of bullshit there. He reckoned she still was beautiful, even if her physical appearance wasn’t what it used to be. There was no telling what she looked like nowadays thanks to the mutations that plagued Navigators as a whole.

But still, Nuit’s voice over the vox sounded strong and youthful. Experienced, yes, but she didn’t sound a day older than 40 to Octus’ ears. She still carried a hint of pride from what Octus had to assume were her house’s glory days. In all, Octus was finding her much more pleasant than her son.

Though, in truth, Octus couldn’t bring himself to be too harsh on Osiris either. The young Navigator scion was still basically a kid. A kid who’d grown up hearing stories of grace and nobility from a house long lost. Add in the hormones from the tail-end of puberty and it made sense that Osiris was a brooding, grumpy mess.

“Of course, Lord Octus,” Nuit’s utterly unbothered voice came over the vox. “All the better that I call you by your proper title. You will need to get used to it quickly.”

Octus just rolled his eyes, “Do what ya want then… But, like, we’re here, right?”

“Yes,” Nuit answered, making uncanny use of her Warp eye to act as if she was in the room with them.

“And say we want to go there,” Octus pointed at another star on the chart, drawing a straight line from it to their current position on the realspace chart. “Now, if we’re going in a straight line… why in the hell would we enter the Warp goin’ backward!?”

Osiris scoffed, “Those without a Warp eye will never be able to comprehend the flows and tides of the Immaterium. You should leave that task to the experts like my mother and I.”

“Osiris…” Nuit’s tone was part chastisement and part warning. “Unfortunately, my ill-mannered son is not wrong, Lord Octus. The Immaterium is a realm of mind-bending impossibility. You would sooner grasp the Emperor’s grand plan for us all than understand a single Warp current.”

Octus still protested, trying to wrap his head around the impossible, “B-But… backward?”

He could practically hear Nuit nodding, “Sometimes the strangest things are necessary for Warp travel. In this case, the Warp currents that lead to that system flip the ship around immediately after entering the Immaterium. After that though, the route is relatively straightforward.”

“Octus, I think it would be best to leave the navigating stuff to the Navigators,” Amelia pointed out. “You just need to worry about pointing them in the right direction.”

Octus let out a breath, “Yer right… It just bugs me… So, Nuit, any worlds ya think could be promising?”

“Hmm…” The Navigator Matron hummed before addressing her son instead of Octus. “Osi, would you care to comment?”

“Me, Mother?” Osiris asked in surprise.

“Yes, Osi, it is your job after all. And you’ve studied the charts much more closely than I have. Perhaps you can use this chance to make up for your poor manners.”

Octus nodded, more than willing to let Osiris use this as a chance to prove himself and raise his confidence, “Whatcha got for me, kiddo?”

Osiris swallowed his sneer at the last second, recognizing that Octus and his mother were throwing him a bone, “… You are looking for lost Human Worlds, correct?”

“Yupp,” Octus confirmed, popping the ‘p’.

Osiris traced a route on the chart with his finger, “While I cannot confirm the existence of any lost worlds, this Warp current has not been traveled in millennia. Due to the constantly-shifting nature of the Warp, it was not fit for travel during that time. It has just recently cleared up and I believe it may be your best bet for exploration.”

“Where does it go?” Octus asked curiously.

Osiris hesitated, glancing at the vox unit on the wall as if looking to his mother for permission or strength, “… It is hard to say. According to the charts, it used to run all the way to the edge of the Ultima Segmentum. But it has been thousands of years since it was first charted. In theory, it could go anywhere…”

Octus looked to Amelia and Ashe, “We got enough supplies for a long journey like that?”

Ashe deferred to the Captain of the ship. Amelia took a moment to consider Octus’ question before nodding, “We should… Technically, the Immortal Spirit is mostly self-sufficient. She was built for long-range scouting expeditions. The supplies we cannot produce ourselves were replenished not long ago. If an ideal situation, we should be able to travel to the edge of the galaxy and back to Terra without running completely dry. Of course, we should hope to not test that theory…”

“Pray for good luck, right?” Octus chuckled. “Alright, I guess we’re doing this. I’ll leave the route planning to ya and yer Ma, Osiris. I’ll make sure y’all are rewarded handsomely if we find success.”

The mention of a reward had Osiris motivated and actually acting respectfully, “Of course, Lord Octus. I will begin planning right away. May the light of the Astronomican guide our ships.”

With a smile and a sigh, Octus seemed to deflate, “Thank the Emperor that’s done and decided. If you’ll excuse me, ladies, today’s been a day and a half. And if we’re done here, I could use a chance to find my new quarters and relax.”

“I’ll show you there,” Amelia hurriedly offered. “I’m sure the Inquisitor has more important things to do.”

Ashe nodded, “I do. Certain messages need to be sent before we embark on our long journey…”

“That’s mighty kind of ya, Captain, but I’m sure ya’ve got important things to do too.”

“Nothing that cannot wait a few minutes,” Amelia waved off Octus’ concerns.

“If yer sure…” Octus hedged.

As they were leaving, Nuit’s voice came through the vox unit one last time, “Feel free to visit whenever Lord Octus~ It can get so lonely in these quarters with only my dearest son for company~ It would mean the world if you could spare some time for an old spinster like me~”

Octus chuckled, “Yer anything but an old spinster, Nuit. But as ya wish. I’m sure Osiris here could use some friends that are close to his age as well.”

Osiris sniffed haughtily to hide his excitement for the prospect of having companionship that wasn’t with his mother, “Do what you will… I shall humor your visits, Lord Octus.”

Shaking his head and still chuckling, Octus and Amelia left the Navigator’s quarters. Ashe followed them but split off soon after, heading to the ship’s Astropathic choir to compose the necessary messages to the colleagues she trusted.

“Interesting kid,” Octus commented to Amelia as they walked out of the elevator. “Probably starved for social interaction though. No doubt he could use a real friend.”

Amelia nodded commiseratingly, “Yes, even with a mom like Nuit, I imagine he gets tired of being cooped up in those quarters. I suspect visits from you would mean more than he would readily admit.”

“Yeah…” Octus said, trailing off into what he felt was a comfortable silence.

Amelia didn’t feel the same sense of ease that Octus so naturally fell into. She was struggling to find something to say to someone who was now effectively her new boss. A task that wasn’t helped by the nine-foot-tall demigod who shadowed them without a single sound. The awed gazes they attracted (mostly Alastor) didn’t help either.

She mentally shook herself. This wasn’t like her. She was never the speechless one in a conversation. But something about Octus seemed to bring out a nervous side of her that Amelia had never experienced before.

Amelia was used to being the center of attention, the focus of a room, both for good and for bad. Her Abhuman heritage had done her no favors both in the Schola and her career in the Imperial Navy. She’d had to fight for every opportunity and every inch of advancement. She was a boisterous swashbuckler who’d made a name for herself even with society and the system against her!

Her skill and tenacity had allowed her to rise through the ranks of Naval Command rapidly until a certain point. She reached the rank of Lieutenant and her advancement stagnated there for nearly half a decade. No matter what she did, no matter how much she proved herself, Amelia wasn’t promoted any further. The prejudices of her senior officers against her very nature had finally caught up to her.

She was only saved from a life-long fate as a mere systems officer by gaining the notice of Inquisitor Ashe. Ashe had been requisitioning the ship Amelia had been stationed on. During the Inquisitor’s time aboard that ship, she noticed the hard work and passion that Amelia put into her job despite her mutation and the discrimination she faced.

Then came the one fateful battle when Amelia proved herself once more. Only this time she proved herself in front of the right person. That battle was only won by the barest margins thanks to Amelia’s skill and effort and no thanks to the ship’s Captain. After that, Ashe ousted the Captain for incompetence and took Amelia with her when she left. They eventually ended up on the Immortal Spirit and the rest was history.

The point was that Amelia was better than this! She was a badass void Captain! She should be able to make light conversation with a simple Guardsman-turned-Rogue-Trader. She squared her shoulders, her cat ears twitching with determination, and turned to face Octus as they walked.

Immediately, she caught sight of Octus’ profile and the way the ship’s low light played upon his features. When she opened her mouth, the only thing that came out was a whimper. Shadows danced upon his high cheekbones, a strong jaw supported a resting smile, and his eyes twinkled as absolutely nothing important ran through his himbo brain. He… He was beautiful, shining with simple charm and the Emperor’s light.

Before Amelia could recover, Octus caught sight of Sona lingering outside the open door of one of the rooms. He beamed at the Blank woman who was now technically his property and responsibility. Putting aside that… uncomfortable thought for later, Octus jogged over to Sona.

Amelia was left, still reeling from the scene of himbo perfection burning itself into her brain. Her ears were standing up straight from the sides of her head. Her pupils were dilated to the point that almost none of her iris was visible. If she had a tail, it would have been swishing back and forth excitedly behind her. She barely reacted to outside stimulus, even as Alastor laid a colossal hand on her shoulder.

“There is always next time, Captain Amelia,” Alastor consoled the stunned cat-girl.

With those simple words, Alastor left Amelia to come back to herself on her own. He caught up to his charge, almost immediately fading into the background once he stopped purposefully drawing attention to himself.

“Sona!” Octus called out, noticing the Blank’s slight pout and crossed arms. “What are ya doin’ out here? Shouldn’t ya be in yer room or something?”

Sona perked up when she heard Octus’ voice but started pouting again when he reminded her that she was ‘in time-out’ out here for a reason, “Sabine’s being mean. She said I was too excitable and now I can’t help anymore.”

“Excitable? Help with what?” Octus asked, cocking his head. “And where’s Sabine?”

“In here, Octus,” Sabine’s voice called out from inside the room. “Don’t mind your slave girl there. She’s currently on punishment for trying to knick one of my grenades while we unpacked. She seems to have an unhealthy obsession with explosives.”

Octus turned a deadpan stare onto Sona, making her squirm, “Yeah, I kinda noticed. The quarter-ton of C4 she had stashed in her room might’ve tipped me off.”

“Hey!” Sona defended herself. “If I didn’t have that, we wouldn’t have been able to close the portal! You should be thanking me!”

Sona made a ‘gah!’ sound as Octus chopped her on the top of the head, “Bad Sona. Behave…”

Octus peeked his head past the doorway, “So this is going to be your room? It’s nice.”

Nice might have been an understatement. The room was more a suite akin to the Navigator’s quarters than the bunks Octus was used to aboard a void ship. There was a sitting area, partially removed off to one side, in addition to the actual bedroom. Another closed door led off into what Octus assumed was the suite’s bathroom. All the furnishings were high quality but not too over-the-top. Maybe it was just because Sabine was a Sister of Battle but her accommodations were swanky.

“Our room,” Sabine corrected, appearing from the suite’s bedroom.

Octus blinked, “Our… room…?”

“Yes,” Sabine nodded matter-of-factly. “Do not think you can lay claim to my heart without consequences, Octus. Besides, since Sona will be staying with you as your bonded property, someone needs to keep an eye on you two…”

“Uhhhhh…” Octus’ mind bluescreened for a moment. “Okay. This is… fine… A lil’ quick but I guess I can’t really complain.”

Sabine acted completely sure of herself and her decision, though inside she was feeling quite similar to Octus, “Good, your complaints would fall upon deaf ears anyway. We are the Emperor’s servants. Death may come calling for us at any moment. We do not have time to dilly-dally in matters as important as our relationship.”

Octus snorted a laugh, “Dilly-dally? That’s one way to put it.”

“Quiet you…” Sabine reprimanded with a blush. “I am not used to baring myself to someone else like this.”

Octus’ laughter softened and his gaze grew fonder, “Well, I think yer doin’ a great job already, Sabine. Just… ya don’t have to force these things. They’ll happen naturally.”

Sabine sighed, “But what if they don’t?… I would not want to regret an opportunity we missed.”

She came close to Octus as she said that, laying a hand on his cheek. Octus started slightly at the warm feeling of Sabine’s bare skin. Only then did he realize that Sabine wasn’t in her power armor anymore. She must have removed it while unpacking and settling into their new suite.

Octus couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming up and down her form. In contrast to her power armor, Sabine’s casual wear left her body almost completely bare and exposed to the world. Almost immediately, Octus vowed that no other man would ever lay eyes upon this scene of beauty.

No longer was the perfection of Sabine’s body obscured and hidden by inches of ceramite and plasteel. Instead, bare skin and tight spandex ruled her form. A simple and well-worn sports bra strained to contain Sabine’s bust. It dipped low on her chest, revealing glorious cleavage and an equally glorious tribute to the Emperor in the form of an Aquila tattooed on her sternum.

Below the bounds of the sports bra, striation after striation of abdominal muscles flexed. Glistening with the barest hint of sweat, Sabine’s abs were an absolute testimony to the brilliance of feminine muscles. Each ab was perfectly shaped and distinct to the point that Octus was sure they could’ve grated cheese.

Octus gulped involuntarily as his eyes continued their journey down Sabine’s body. Tight boyshorts clung to her wide hips, inviting Octus to take hold of them for himself. He was sure that if he could’ve seen Sabine from behind, he would’ve borne witness to pillowy goodness spilling out from beneath the edge of those shorts. Even Sabine’s legs were sculpted pieces of art that looked more like small tree trunks and were somehow toned and soft-looking at the same time.

A cleared throat pulled Octus’ attention back up to Sabine’s face. She was looking at him with an amused but satisfied smirk. Octus desperately willed the seams of his pants to hold strong and tried to find his voice again.

“Errr… uh, what? D-Did you say something? I was a lil’ distracted-… Have I told you that you’re beautiful? Both in your armor and out of it…” Octus stuttered but recovered decently.

“Octus~” Sabine purred. “Why don’t you come in and help me ~unpack~… Hopefully more than once~”

Octus, of course, was clueless to the implication, “Uh, okay… I don’t see why we gotta unpack more than once though…”

Lilting giggles only added to Octus’ confusion, “Oh, you’ll want to unpack me more than once~ Trust me~”

In the background, Sona’s pouts and grumbles went completely unnoticed by both Sabine and Octus, “I want your attention too, dummy… I can be just as sexy as she can…”

Once more, Alastor stepped up to comfort the bystanders and minor victims of his charge’s density and inattention, “Come, young Sona. Let us give these two some moments alone. Your time with him will come. I believe a tale or two will take your mind off Octus for now. Let me tell you of the Sisters of Silence, an Order of Blanks — yes, like you — who answer only to the Emperor Himself…”