Up in the Main hall, the others had managed to find some food that wasn't mould. Charleston had found most of it, and truly took his fair share of it. They dusted off most of the dust from a table and sat down by it and dined. It wasn't much of an affair. After they'd finished, McKenzie told them that the Armoury had been untouched. So the thirteen went down to the Armoury. The Land Raider tank Old Julius got a bit confused over seeing two each of the Eds, but McKenzie told him in some way that he should not worry. He led them down the lines of armour, picked out suits he thought seemed good, and showed them to the Eds and Kevin. The others were amazed there were no cobwebs in the armoury, and when Ed asked why it was so, McKenzie replied with a smile.

"This place has been hermetically sealed for nearly four hundred years. No one would get in here!" McKenzie said as strolled away to get some weaponry.

The Eds slipped into the battle suits given unto them. Ed donned the armour of a member of the 8th Assault and reserve Company, getting helped by Charleston to paint on the rank stripes of a Lieutenant Commander. After helping Ed, Charleston added a stripe to his rank. Ed looked over his armour: On his chest, a double-headed golden eagle was spread. On his left shoulder pad was the black emblem of the Death Angels: a blood drop between a pair of angel's wings. On his right shoulder pad was the grey skull of the 8th Assault Company. He settled back in the alcove the suit of power armour had stood in and fitted the jump pack to the plug on his back. He felt the click and the rush of heat as the powered armour heated up. He needed no reactor to move, like the Terminator suits, but the jump pack, just like ordinary back packs, had the power needed to make the power armour truly powered. The belts keeping the jump pack surely in place shot out and looked themselves upon his chest.

Edd had gotten into the blue armour of an Epistolary Librarian. His chest was not adorned by and eagle like Ed's. Instead, he had what looked like a winged lightning bolt. His left shoulder pad carried the emblem of the Death Angels, set on a red background, and the right shoulder pad was intricately decorated with what looked like a book. The paper markers of the book looked like lightning bolts. The whole thing was carved form rockrete. Edd did as Ed had done; he settled back in the alcove that had belonged to the armour and felt how the backpack was put in place with a click.

Eddy had gotten dressed in the lone Terminator suit. He had his Death Angel emblem on the right shoulder pad and a black Imperial Eagle on his left. Like his old armour, he had no kneepads, unlike his two friends. He flexed the lone Lightning Claw on his left hand side. He had wanted to have two, but McKenzie had said something about spare parts. Still, he was capable of punching a hole through a tank.

"Man, it's good to be back into the armour again!" Eddy said and slammed his unarmed fist into the Lightning Claw's.

"I must admit," Edd said and turned in his armour and flexed his arms, "that even I am glad that I'm wearing it again."

McGranth and Charleston showed Kevin how to get into his gear. It took a little longer than with the somewhat experienced Eds. Kevin was tall, about 1m80, but of a more powerful build than Rolf. His shoulders were broad and his body muscly. He had begun working out a bit, but not too much. He knew it wasn't good when one was growing. His armour had the double-headed eagle symbol as well as Ed's, but as he backed into his armour's alcove, an ordinary backpack fitted into place. On his left hand was a mighty power fist. He flexed it. It felt like being able to rip asunder a world. Such power! He glanced himself over. No kneepads, a grey skull on his right shoulder. He belonged to the same company as Ed and Charleston then.

"Awesome... " Kevin whispered silently as he swung a few times with the power fist.

By now, McKenzie came back, and he had his hands full of different weaponry. He dropped them down on a nearby table and started sorting them out. To Ed, he handed a bolter and several magazines of ammunition as well as a new power sword. Ed hung the bolter over his shoulder in its strap and fastened the power sword with its sheath in a mag-lock in his belt.

To Edd, he gave a bluish-white Force Sword. As Edd touched it, the sword began glowing lightly, reacting to the touch of a psyker. McKenzie also handed him a sheath for the Force Sword and a holstered plasma pistol. Edd placed both at his belt with mag-locks.

To Eddy, McKenzie gave a single bolter. But the bolter had a grenade launcher fastened to it, underneath its ordinary barrel. McKenzie gave him several magazines of bolter ammo and a belt of grenades. Lastly, McKenzie turned to Kevin.

"So, Kevin, I see you've found your place amongst us. The armour of the captain of the 8th Assault Company fits you."

"Hey, you pointed it out to me... " Kevin said meekly.

"Never mind... " McKenzie knocked the correction aside easily. "You are now Captain of the 8th Company. I present you with a combibolter-flamer." McKenzie handed Kevin the bolt gun he'd been carrying. It looked like an ordinary bolter, just that underneath the barrel, just like Eddy's, it had another weapon. A flamethrower. McKenzie also gave Kevin several bolter magazines and a few extra petroleum flasks for the flamer.

"Every flask is good for about three or four shots, depending on how long you pull the trigger. You change weapon-mode there." McKenzie showed Kevin how to use the bolter-flamer. He also showed Eddy how to launch grenades with his weapon.

McKenzie then turned to Kevin again. "Nearly forgot; here." McKenzie handed a long silver dagger to Kevin. It glittered slightly as Kevin turned it in his hand. McKenzie touched a button on it for him. It started to give away a quiet whisper.

"That is a mono-molecular edged short sword. It is the kind that was used by the Space Marine scouts. It’s quite capable of cutting through most stuff." McKenzie said simply and turned his back upon Kevin and turned to Rolf.

McKenzie pulled out a holstered bolt pistol out of nowhere it seemed and handed the weapon to Rolf. "Here you go, Rolf. I couldn't find any kind of lasgun, which I know you favour highly. I mean, that Yarrick favoured highly. So, I give you instead a bolt pistol of the finest craftsmanship. Take it!"

Rolf took the holstered weapon from the lean Marine and tied the leather strap of the holster around his waist.

The Kankers lost their precious little patience now.

"That's it!" Lee said. "What about us? When do we get snazzy stuff like you?"

The boys and men turned to the four girls. They all had looks of disbelief on their faces. McKenzie couldn't blame them.

"I... I'm afraid we really don't have any armour designed for the female form here, because, well... " McGranth was lost for words for just a second. "Because there never were any female Space Marines, 'cause the bio-implants don't react with female hormones! There, it's said!"

Marie looked at the Grand Commander. "So, you mean we won't get any armour then?"

"Sorta... " McGranth replied, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Wait a second, Eddie!" McKenzie exclaimed with joy. "I do think we have some Sisters armour here!" McKenzie gestured them to follow. "Come, I'll show you!"

The four girls followed in tow with McKenzie, leaving the other boys alone. Charleston started to show them around a bit. McKenzie showed the girls to a section of the Armoury that was very off from the rest. He tapped in a code in a lock and a door hissed open in the wall before them. Striking on the lights, four suits of Sister's of Battle armour in alcoves became visible. Each suit was painted black with red trims. An emblem, which would’ve been known as the French Lily on Terra, was embedded on each of the suits lower left leg armour. These lilies were in silver. There was cloth on the suits, in the form of coverings for the upper arms and as loincloths. They were coloured white with red borders, and on the borders of the loincloths, an Imperial verse of Faith was embroidered with gold wire. McKenzie showed them each a suit, and as the girls got themselves into the suits, which were a bit easier to get into then the Eds', and also lighter, McKenzie went to fetch some weaponry. This effectively removed him from their presence as they got suited up.

When McKenzie came back, with a handful of weapons, all of them were in their armour.

"This stuff is heavy." Nazz said flatly as she shifted in her suit. A jump pack of the more ornate and lighter design was situated on her back. The Kankers wore the ordinary Sister back pack. Under Nazz's jump pack, a long cloak was fastened and it spread out behind her, only just not touching the floor.

"Get used to it," McKenzie said as he tried to get some reason to the weapons in his arms. "And believe me, you'll be better off wearing it, than not, there are dangerous times ahead."

With that, he strolled out of the small room and closed the door with an elbow as the girls got out of there. After that, they went back to the boys. As they got there, McKenzie handed out the weaponry to the girls. To Lee, he gave a bolt pistol, bolt clips and a long, thin, rapier-like power sword. Lee took them and hung them around her waist, the power sword resting in its sheath.

To Marie, McKenzie gave similar equipment, with the difference of that her power sword was shorter. She did the same with her weapons; she hung them around her waist.

To May, he gave a flamethrower, of a lighter construction, but still as deadly, and a bolt pistol with clips. He also gave her some flasks to the flamer, which were obviously much bigger than those that Kevin had gotten.

McKenzie turned to Nazz, got something longing in his eyes, and finally handed her weapons. It was one hefty bolter, the kind that Ed had gotten, with clips and a sheathed sword. When Nazz had hung the bolter over her shoulder in its strap, she pulled out the sword. She saw her own reflection in the finely polished steel. Or was it some sort of silver? She couldn't decide. McKenzie handed Nazz one final thing, and it was a tiny little necklace. It looked like a twin-headed, golden eagle, with a red gemstone set in the middle. In the gemstone, a tiny sliver of something was situated.

McKenzie explained: "That, is a Rosarius. It contains a sliver of the Emperor's own armour. As it protected him against Karzhan, it will protect you against the Necrons."

"Okay, if that sums your show-off up, McKenzie..." McGranth said, clapping his hands together. "I'm only going to say this once, these are tools, not toys, and you're not really trained on how to use them to the maximum. So don't use them, unless you really have to!"

May was fidgeting with something on her flamer. "Hey, what does this thing do?" She examined it a little closer, and pressed.

"Oh, that's a... " McKenzie began, but was cut short by a spurt of fire from the flamer in May's hands. Everyone dived to the floor as the flames licked their backs.

"...Flamer." McKenzie finished, looking up. May had accidentally pressed the button that cleared away unwanted dirt from the nozzle of a flamer.

"May," Lee said sourly "Stop fooling around!"

"Sorry." May replied sheepishly.

McKenzie just smiled. There was some strange humour to it all. Suddenly, he felt something tugging at him. He looked down at Johnny.

"Hey, what about me?" Johnny asked.

"I've got something special in mind for you, Johnny. Follow me." McKenzie replied with a grin.

As Johnny and McKenzie left the Armoury, the others followed. The thirteen left the huge chamber behind and McKenzie sealed it once again. The other walked to the main hall, but McKenzie took Johnny with him to his old workshop. It was a couple of rooms. One was devoid of furniture, just a strange icon painted onto the floor. The others, bar the one where McKenzie's bed was situated, were in a mess, to say the least.

"These used to be my quarters." McKenzie said as he made his way to his desk. "Amazing, everything seems untouched." He started going through some old pergaments. To sort the stuff out would take ages, so McKenzie decided just to find what he was looking for.

Johnny stood dumbstruck at the entrance. "Untouched?" he gasped. "It looks like a tornado hit this place. My room isn't even this bad."

McKenzie looked up with an apologizing smile on his lips. "Eh, heheh, that's not important right now... " He looked around the room. He took away strange looking mechanisms from stools and mouldy looking unnameables from other places. "Where did I put it? A thing that big... A ha!"

From underneath a big pile of rusty old steel things and dust, McKenzie drew out a large trunk. He blew most of the dust off, got the mandatory cough-attack and looked down on the finely carved symbols. Both human and alien symbols adorned the trunk.

"This was given to me by some very special friends of mine, a long time ago. And I like to give it to you now." McKenzie said as he opened the trunk and took away some silk covers. "I was given it to study, but you, could probably use it to its full power... " He muttered as he pulled out the first thing. It was a black and bone-white suit of Eldar so-called rune-armour. It hung together in one piece, each centimetre adorned by an alien rune of some kind. McKenzie put it cautiously down on the floor beside him.

"What is that?" Johnny asked astonished. He reached down and touched it lightly. He felt a sudden tingling feeling inside his body. To Johnny, and only unto him, Plank whispered his thoughts...

"It's Eldar rune-armour," McKenzie said flatly. "Try it on. Let's see if it fits."

And so they did. Johnny first got into the trousers, then the strange boots. He put on the armoured 'shirt' and slid into the chest plate. McKenzie offered him gloves, but Johnny simply put them in the belt. McKenzie also took out a black and bone-white robe from the chest. He helped Johnny put it on, took a step back, looked the youngster over, and smiled. "So alike... so alike... " McKenzie muttered to himself, so Johnny wouldn't hear.

"Well, what do you think?" McKenzie said to Johnny.

"Wow... " Johnny said silently. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. It feels as if it weighs nothing at all... "

"Glad you like it, Johnny." McKenzie said and sat down on a stool after removing all things from it. "Now listen, there's something I need to ask you."

"What is it?" Johnny asked and sat down opposite to McKenzie.

"I don't know quite how to put this, so I'll just say it; do you believe in psychic abilities?" McKenzie asked clasping his hands in front of him.

"Psychic? You mean, like mind power?" Johnny asked astonished?

"Yes, Johnny, mind power," McKenzie replied, running a hand through his hair. He felt a bit unnerved. "You see; I am a psyker."

"Really?" Johnny took the fact with calmness. He didn't know the dangers a psyker put himself to by even breathing in the Imperium.

'Here goes.' McKenzie thought to himself as he gathered air for what was coming next. "Yes, Johnny, and I believe you also have psychic powers."

Johnny looked shocked. "What?"

"Yes, you heard me. Johnny, I've felt your power. I can feel it even as we speak. You're an enormous psychic potential." McKenzie refrained from saying that he was happy he found Johnny before his puberty had begun seriously. Fledgling psykers attracted deamons in spades.

Johnny moved a bit uneasy on his stool. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, Johnny, I'm quite serious." McKenzie replied, his voice not higher than a whisper, but it carried clearly through the air. The tone was gravely serious. "I think your psychic powers could become incredibly useful, and powerful, if you'd be trained properly. Therefore, I ask you of your permission to let me teach you to control these powers."

"Well, I don't know... " Johnny said, tracing his fingers over Plank. McKenzie held his breath; this was no good sign! Had the deamons taken him already? "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

McKenzie exhaled. "Good, wonderful that you accepted. By the way, Johnny, to use an old cliché: There is no try, either you do, or you don't." Johnny chuckled, but there was a nervous tone to it. McKenzie got up and turned his back upon Johnny. "I'd like to give you a thing, see."

McKenzie took down a long, wooden box from a shelf. He put it cautiously down unto the floor, after clearing away some things, and opened it. Before McKenzie opened it, Johnny saw some strange runes upon it. He couldn't know, but the runes were Eldar and read: Kuruni hyanda ta nallam ilsanienaite. (That means: Witch blade that cries silver tears.) McKenzie pulled out the sword resting in the case and held it up. It was a long, elegantly shaped and had runes on it as well. The runes meant Silver Tear Blade or, in Eldar: Ilsa Niire Hyandar. The parrying bar was of a smooth and fine design, far from the rugged and gothic-looking design of the Yarrickian sword's eagle. The witchblade, which will be referred to as Niire from now on, had a small gemstone just above the grip, set into the Wraithbone that made the parrying bar. McKenzie held it out before him. He looked at it for a moment, and then it started to glow slightly. He put it down tip first on the floor and let go of the grip. The sword remained upright! It didn't fall or anything. It remained still and upright. Johnny looked at the blade, astonished. If he had needed any further proof that this blade was manufactured by an alien race, he didn't any more. It had perfect balance, and that was just the beginning. McKenzie spoke.

"This, Johnny, is an Eldar Witchblade. It is used by Eldar Warlocks and Farseers, and to great efficiency. It works in a similar way to our force weapons, with the big exception that this weapon is made out of a material we humans can't copy, and that it has, as you see, perfect balance. Only one other human manufactured blade has perfect balance, and that is the sword that Rolf is carrying."

McKenzie paused to let this sink in. "Now Johnny, a long time ago, I had contact with an Eldar world. They were kind, in the strange way that Eldar are. You see, Eldar don't think as narrow-mindedly as we humans, they have broader visions. Sometimes so broad that they are misunderstood for deceit and evil by us humans." Silently, to himself so Johnny wouldn't hear, McKenzie added: "Like the famous commissar-general did... "

McKenzie turned to Johnny again. "Anyway, I got this from an Eldar Farseer of the Iyanden Craftworld. His name was Indyo e Pereldar: a mighty psyker indeed. Back then, just as now, I was a Master Lexicanum. That's my title Johnny; remember it. He gave the sword to me, as a gift. I'd helped his people with many hard-ships. They thought me trustworthy perhaps, or maybe they just foresaw this, I don't know. It just, that, now I want you to have it, because you'll have more use of it than me. I have my Force Sword. It's a dear companion of mine, and I wouldn't change it for anything. So I think you should have Niire."

With a slightly shaking hand, Johnny grabbed the sword after a moment of silence. He held the sword in his hand, turned it a few times.

"It doesn't weigh anything... " He mumbled. By now, McKenzie had picked out a sheath for the witchblade and was fastening it around Johnny's body, so he would carry it much like Rolf did. McKenzie noted the slight shimmering from Niire, a note that it was held in the hands of a psyker, though an untrained one. Johnny put the sword in its sheath as McKenzie had fastened it.

"Cool, this is great... " Johnny went silent for a while. At least he knew why he'd felt so odd lately. "Oh, McKenzie, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Hmm, do you think you could find some armour for Plank?" Johnny held up the board so that McKenzie could see.

"Uh..." McKenzie hesitated, searching for words. "I don't think we have anything that would fit him." The slim Marine added a smile as he finished.

"Oh, okay... " Johnny fell silent for a while as McKenzie picked away the chest and the box. "I'm gonna show the others my armour." Johnny said and stepped out of McKenzie's workshop and quarters. He ran off, towards the main hall.

"You do that Johnny." McKenzie said as he to stepped out and closed the door firmly. As he followed the sprinting youngster, McKenzie rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oy vey... "