Chapter 39: Golden Psionic Power, Linking the Astronomican

"Do you believe I can see the Astronomican?" Rod asked, his voice filled with doubt.

"Yes! Lord Rod. Ordinary psykers cannot perceive the Great Astronomican, but you surely can, for you are the Emperor’s chosen. The light within your eyes is the light of the Emperor Himself; were ordinary Astropaths to gaze upon such radiance, their eyes would be seared into blindness. But you will not suffer such a fate. Astropaths are gifted psykers who, once bathed in the Emperor's light and sheltered by His protection, can transmit communications across the stars. Without them, in the vastness of the galaxy, we would have no way to reach one another..." The young sister explained the nature of Astropaths and the Astronomican to Rod.

Astropaths are among the most vital figures in the Imperium. They perceive the beacon of the Astronomican and are responsible for facilitating communication with Holy Terra and other worlds. Across the countless worlds of the Imperium, aboard Navy vessels and Rogue Trader fleets, Astropaths are present in great numbers.

"I think I understand what you mean. You are saying that I have awakened psychic potential and have become a psyker, correct?" Rod nodded, posing the question.

In the Imperium, being a psyker is a perilous existence. If one is not powerful enough or lacks sufficient mental fortitude, they are destined to be consumed as fuel. The Emperor’s Golden Throne requires the sacrifice of a thousand psykers every day, a number that is rising sharply. Yet, psykers are also incredibly precious and highly sought after; every department of the Imperium, every Astartes Chapter, the Inquisition, planetary governors, and Rogue Trader fleets all rely on their assistance.

It was clear that his sudden awakening and his ability to conjure golden lightning were no mere coincidence. The golden hue of the lightning and the glow in his eyes were surely linked to the entity seated upon the Golden Throne.

"Lord Rod, wait here for a moment. I will go fetch the Astartes Captain and the Canoness. They have encountered true Astropaths and will know how to guide you, whereas I have only read about such things in books," the young sister said before hurrying away.

Rod did not stop her. Awakening psychic powers was not necessarily a bad thing; at the very least, it provided him with an additional means of defense. Furthermore, with the Canoness and the Astartes Captain present, he could better learn to master this power. His psychic abilities were likely tied to the Master of Mankind, and he was beginning to suspect he truly had become the Emperor’s chosen.

Soon, Canoness Anna and the Astartes Captain, Draes, arrived after receiving the young sister’s report. Upon meeting Rod, they asked him to demonstrate the golden light of the Emperor and the conjured lightning.

"This is indeed psychic power! And it is unlike that of any ordinary psyker," Captain Draes observed with a nod.

The lightning produced by standard psykers is pale blue and highly unstable; there had never been a case of golden energy. Only the Emperor himself possessed such a hue. Now, Draes began to believe that Rod might truly be the Emperor’s chosen, as the Battle Sisters had claimed.

"Lord Rod, how did you awaken this power? Are you able to control it?" Canoness Anna asked.

"It happened after I slept! It just awakened, and yes, I can control it."

Rod swept his hand toward the distance, and golden lightning erupted with a force greater than that of a bolter or even a Pedanium-class beam. It instantly shattered a massive boulder into dust. Rod found he could manipulate the golden lightning and the psychic energy within him at will, without any sign of it going out of control. When he channeled his power, his eyes glowed with that same golden radiance.

Just as the Battle Sisters had done the day before, Canoness Anna immediately recognized the state Rod was in.

"The Emperor protects. Lord Rod, you are indeed the Emperor’s chosen. Your birth must be tied to Him; I am certain the golden light in your eyes is the glory of the Emperor," the Canoness said, her face alight with excitement.

"Elena said just now that I might be able to see the Astronomican and transmit messages to nearby psykers."

"Indeed! Lord Rod, you may attempt to project your consciousness into the Warp and observe the light of the Astronomican. Its radiance shines across a radius of seventy thousand light-years; as long as you are within the galaxy, you can perceive the brilliant light of the Emperor," Canoness Anna explained.

"Lord Rod, your psychic power is immense; you should be able to withstand the light of the Emperor directly. Try it! If you can truly connect to the beacon, we can send out a distress signal," Captain Draes added.

If Rod could see the Astronomican, he could establish contact with other Astropaths and report the situation of this world to the high authorities of the Imperium, summoning reinforcements instead of waiting passively for rescue. It was all too common for an Imperial world to lose contact with Holy Terra for centuries or even millennia due to the death of its Astropaths.

"Very well! I shall try. Sister Anna, please tell me what to do," Rod said with a nod.

"Lord Rod, allow your mind to fully relax, then enter the psychic realm of the Warp and begin to feel the golden light of the Emperor. You may attempt to send messages to nearby Astropaths or read their transmissions. Because of the Emperor’s blessing, you are now linked to the Astra Telepathica and the Astronomican. You are protected by the Emperor; so long as you remain within His light, you are safe from the predations of Warp entities and xenos forces," the Canoness said, standing by to guide him.

Following her instructions, Rod sat cross-legged on the ground, letting his mind drift into a state of total emptiness before reaching outward.

He expanded his awareness across a sector of space and beheld a magnificent sight: somewhere countless light-years away, a golden lighthouse burned with a fierce, brilliant radiance. Beneath its illumination, countless tiny blue dots flickered. Unlike the others, Rod’s own presence appeared as a golden point, far larger and more radiant.

At that moment, several of the blue dots sensed the massive golden presence and turned toward it as if they had found a savior. Countless psychic messages flooded into Rod’s mind:

"Distress call! World of Callas under xenos attack."

"Distress call! World of Walmart under Ork assault; request Imperial support."

"Distress call! World of Draka experiencing Chaos incursion; calling for the Inquisition."

"This is the Deathwatch; we are engaged with xenos on the world of Rorka! Requesting support!"

"This is [REDACTED], requesting..."

"Distress call! World of Modan suffering from a cultist rebellion."

"Distress call!..."

"Distress call!..."