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This is a prequel to The Brood Mass Wedding, in which we met Theodore, the founder of a Genestealer Cult and his wife, Penelope. This is their backstory. Penelope will be giving birth to some very weird babies!

The Genestealer Cult is my favorite element in the Warhammer 40K mythos and is sadly neglected.



The Birth of a Genestealer Cult



Theodore pulled up his truck near the wreck of the crashed spaceship.

He couldn't tell if it was an Imperial craft, a pirate vessel or of alien origin. Theodore did not know very much about spacecraft in general. But he knew about money, and if there was anything of any value on board the wreck, he would recognise it when he saw it.

The ship did not look all that big; he had seen pictures of Imperial battleships that seemed to be the size of cities. All the better; he would be able to give it a thorough search and scavenge anything of value and then make a hasty departure before any Imperial officials arrived. Thankfully, the authorities on Istareus were slow, inefficient and corrupt. It could be some time before they got their act together to send in a salvage team.

As Theodore pulled on his safety helmet and attached a flashlight, he wished he had his partner Mop-head with him. With two of them, they could carry out much more loot. But since a burglary job had gone wrong, Mop-head was on his way to breaking rocks in the work camps. Still, at least he wasn't going to have to share any profits.


The interior of the ship was very dark. Theodore scanned the equipment banks carefully. Some of the consoles could probably be ripped out with ease and loaded into his truck.

He heard a scraping noise. He shone his flashlight across the deck. He saw nothing. Surely there was nothing alive in the wreck?

Something jumped down from the ceiling. In the darkness, its form was indistinct, but he saw an armoured carapace and several clawed hands. He jumped back in horror, but felt strong arms grabbing him.

Before his face were two glowing green eyes. So powerful were those eyes; boring into his brain. He couldn't look away.

A long pointed and dripping tongue moved towards his face. Theodore tried to scream, but nothing came from his mouth. His gaze was fixed on those two glowing eyes.



Theodore's memory of the next few minutes was rather cloudy. He vaguely remembered leading the creature towards his truck and helping it inside. He thought he remembered covering it up with a tarpaulin. He also remembered loading some small pieces of machinery and equipment salvaged from the wreck into his truck. That was what he had come to do, wasn't it? He would be making a lot of money he knew.

As Theodore drove his truck back to the town, only one thought was on his mind. He needed to start a family. He needed to marry and have children.

He was surprised the thought was on his mind. He had never wanted to start a family before. Theodore had a strong libido, that was true. While he was not exactly a lady-killer, women liked his boyish good looks and roguish charm. Yet when he had gone to bed with women, he had always been careful to put something on the end of it. The last thing he wanted was to have a bunch of brats in tow. The laws of Istareus came down hard on men who neglected their wives and children and Theodore had enough problems with keeping to the law.

Yet for all his hatred of commitment and responsibility, he could not shake the thought from his mind. He needed to start a family.


**

Theodore stepped into his usual haunt, the Slugger Tavern. It was early in the day and the bar was empty of patrons.

A dark-haired woman in a low-cut dress, displaying ample cleavage, was polishing the bar counter.

"Well here comes my favorite low-down scoundrel!" said the barmaid. She began pouring Theodore's usual, a pint of Deathwing Ale.

"Oh, Penelope, you so wound me!" said Theodore.

Penelope smiled.

"So what brings you here so early? I thought you would be out selling overpriced junk at this time," she said.

"Ah, I found some stuff that should bring in a fair bit, but that can wait," said Theodore. He looked at Penelope with a seriousness that was rare on his countenance.

"Penny, I want you to marry me."

That was the last thing Penelope had been expecting to hear from the rogue. The two of them had an on and off relationship and made love a few times, but it had never been a serious or committed relationship. Theodore had always been too busy staying one jump ahead of the law, gambling, getting drunk, or chasing other women to show any real interest in marriage.

"Pull the other one, Theo. It's mean to play with a woman's heart," she replied with a scowl.

"No, Penny, I'm serious," he said. "I know we've always had something special, even though I've been a bastard some times. I want you to marry me."

Penelope wanted to believe Theodore. He was good-looking, smart and he had a talent for making money, even if he had a habit of blowing it on booze, gambling or whores.

"Come on, Theo. You're a scoundrel. I know you'd break my heart, just like you always do."

"No, Penny. I've really changed," he protested. "I can't explain very easily. But I'm starting to think different about life. A man needs to have a family. It's so important to have children. We have to look to the future. We have to cherish the young and respect the old."

Penelope couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was as though he had suddenly become a different man. Had her Theo got religion?

"So you've become a fine upstanding Imperial citizen all of a sudden? Have you bumped into one of those Confessors? Are we going to be seeing you at the Missionary Chapel?" she sneered, while making a nervous glance at the icon of the Emperor perched next to the bar.

The Imperium. The Imperium had always meant nothing to Theodore and it meant nothing now. It was the children that mattered. The children mattered above all else.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I just believe that family matters. Family is everything, Penny."

Penelope couldn't doubt the sincerity in Theodore's voice, but she was shocked at the transformation in her old flame. She glanced at her watch. There were no customers yet. She could afford to close the bar for an hour or so.

The barmaid gave Theodore a lustful glance and moved to close the bar door.

"Tell you what, Theo. We'll go upstairs and you can show me a good time, like you always used to and then maybe I'll think about becoming your honest-to-the-Emperor wife. Okay?"

Theodore nodded.

"Sure, Penny. But first there is something in the truck I want to show you."


Penelope followed Theodore to his truck. Was he about to give her some present in a bold romantic gesture? Was the rascal really that thoughtful?

Theodore lifted the tarpaulin in the back of his truck.

A huge bulbous pink head, with a long slavering tongue raised itself up.

Penelope whimpered as she found two glowing eyes staring into her, burning holes in the deep places of her mind. She stared back at the monster, utterly transfixed.

After a minute or so, she turned back to her old boyfriend.

"You're right, Theo. It's time to start a family."