Isod's smile froze.
"If I truly made you the Governor's wife," Raynor's voice wasn't loud, but in the silence of the room, it rang with terrifying clarity. "She would get quite jealous, you know..."
Isod's pupils contracted sharply. Panic surged through her as she tried to pull her hand back and stand up to flee, but it was already too late. A cold, invisible force instantly pinned her to the chair. Far more terrifying than any physical constraint, this was the absolute suppression of psionic energy. She couldn't move a single finger; only her eyes darted around in frantic terror.
Kerry also sensed something was wrong. He tried to lunge forward, but he was slammed back into his seat by an unseen weight. He could only watch helplessly as the nightmare unfolded.
The shadow on Raynor's shoulder shifted, becoming clearer and more defined. For the first time, Sarah revealed her true form to them both. A dazzling purplish-red chitinous carapace flowed smoothly over her ferocious body.
Her six-meter-long frame stretched out, casting a shadow that swallowed the entire dining table. This was a creature born for annihilation—a predator at the absolute peak of the food chain. The oppressive aura she radiated was so palpable it left their minds blank, stripping away even the instinct to scream.
A slender, violet tentacle slowly emerged from Sarah's mandibles. A faint psychic light pulsed within the appendage as it struck precisely in the center of Isod's forehead.
A soft thud echoed in the room.
Isod's eyes widened, her pupils vanishing into the whites of her eyes. Her mouth fell open, but no sound escaped. This went beyond physical harm; it was a total erasure at the level of the soul.
Kerry sat frozen, tears welling up silently. Although their marriage had been one of convenience and social climbing, it was impossible to remain unmoved after so many years together. At this moment, he could "feel" the essence of Isod simply fading into nothingness.
The psychic assault lasted only thirty seconds. When the tentacle retracted, Isod's body went limp, collapsing back into the chair.
She was still alive. Her breathing was steady, her heartbeat normal, and her complexion even regained a healthy rosy hue. But her eyes were voids. It wasn't a state of shock or bewilderment, but a complete sense of "nothingness"—like a brand-new machine that had not yet been programmed with data.
Then, a flicker of purple light appeared in those empty eyes. Isod—or rather, this vessel—slowly sat upright. She flexed her fingers and tilted her neck; the movements were stiff at first but quickly became fluid and natural. She stood up, walked to Raynor's side, bowed slightly, and spoke in a monotone, emotionless voice.
"Connection stable. Puppet One, standing by."
Raynor nodded. "Very good. That is exactly what I wanted. The 'Governor's Wife.'"
This was the latest achievement of Sarah's bio-engineering: the "Puppet Organism." Developed from Genestealer genetic tech, it achieved a consciousness shift without altering the host's external appearance. Using specialized neuro-parasites and psychic energy, it first wiped the original owner's mind, then used a psionic link to replace it with a direct extension of Sarah's will.
The advantage was that the puppet was virtually indistinguishable from the original person. This was why Raynor had spent days speaking with Isod, learning her habits and speech patterns. The downside was the massive amount of focus and psychic energy Sarah had to expend to maintain precise control. At her current strength, she could only manage one such puppet at a time.
Isadora nicknamed Isod, the noblewoman of House Cora and wife of Kerry von, the shrewd and ambitious socialite, was gone forever. Now, she was merely an empty shell designated "Puppet One," animated by the will of the Swarm.
The psionic suppression was released, and Kerry collapsed to the floor. He looked up at his familiar yet alien "wife." His tears had dried; after the peak of agony, all that remained in his eyes was a hollow numbness. Slowly, inch by inch, he crawled toward Raynor's feet. He reached out a trembling hand and grabbed the hem of Raynor's coat.
"Kill me," he whispered hoarsely. "Please... kill me."
The man who had been a coward his entire life was now begging for the end. He was utterly broken.
But Raynor had no intention of letting him die. He needed a knowledgeable, well-connected assistant familiar with the intricacies of the nobility when he reached Brevis. A common thug or a mutant could never walk the halls of power, but a disgraced nobleman could be remade.
Raynor crouched down, his purple eyes locking onto Kerry's unfocused pupils. His voice became deep and magnetic, laced with whispers of psychic suggestion. Like a devil's bargain, the words carried a seductive, irresistible power.
"Kerry, are you truly willing to accept this end?"
Kerry stared at him blankly.
"Are you willing to die here, like a stray dog that no one will remember? To tarnish your family name and let it become a laughingstock for eternity?"
Kerry's pupils refocused slightly.
"Your ancestor was a Major General of the Astra Militarum, a man who fought for the Imperium and was decorated in legendary battles. And you? You don't possess a fraction of his courage. You've spent your life trying to climb the social ladder by hiding behind a woman's skirts."
Kerry's body began to tremble as a spark of something old and buried was reignited.
"Don't you want to restore the glory of your line?" Raynor's voice resonated in the depths of Kerry's soul. "Isod... she was never your partner. She was just a 'tool' you used to try and prove your worth, wasn't she?"
The flame in Kerry's eyes burned brighter, fueled by shame and a desperate need for redemption.
"I am giving you a chance. Do you wish to seize it?"
Kerry's grip on Raynor's clothes tightened. "I want to..." His voice grew louder, cracking with emotion. "I want to, sir! I want to!"
"I want to restore my ancestors' honor! I want to prove I am not trash! I want it!!!"
Raynor smiled with satisfaction and reached out to pat the man's messy hair in a gesture that was almost gentle. "Very good. Then, from this moment on, forget the name 'Kerry von.' That man belongs to the void."
Kerry looked up at him, his eyes filled with absolute submission and a twisted, new-found desire.
"Your name is Gus Griffiths," Raynor said, enunciating every syllable. "You are my adjutant, my most trusted aide. You will follow me to Brevis and help me seize control of that planet. In return, you will have power. You will have status. And you will have the chance to rebuild your family's glory."
"Gus Griffiths..." Kerry repeated the name in a low voice, his expression hardening into a mask of resolve. "I understand, sir."