"You've had dealings with the Necrons! I've heard of those xenos, but during the Great Crusade, they hadn't yet appeared. There were only scattered records," Sanguinius asked Dante, watching him closely.
"Have you ever fought alongside them?"
During the Great Crusade, the Emperor established Imperial Truth—Mankind Above All!
Humans were the noblest species in the galaxy; all other sentient races were vile xenos, heretical, to be purged.
So, across the Imperium, xenos were utterly abhorred. Forming alliances with them was considered disgraceful. Sanguinius wondered what his gene-son had done...
"Father! Before the Battle of Baal, we defended against the Tyranids at a place called the Cryptan Shield. There, a group of dormant Necrons had slumbered for ages. Out of necessity, I formed a brief alliance with them. In the end, the Necrons used a great prismatic weapon to destroy a super-gas giant in the system, which stopped the Tyranids. We then withdrew from the Cryptan Shield," Dante explained, uneasy and unsure whether his gene-father would blame him.
The invasion of Hive Fleet Leviathan was dire. Dante had even issued Exterminatus orders on some Imperial worlds to try to cut off the Tyranid advance, hoping to keep them away from Baal, Sanguinius's homeworld. Even with a temporary victory at Cryptan, the Tyranids pressed on.
If Rhodes hadn't arrived with his gene-sons and used the powerful cosmic beast weapons to defeat the Tyranids, Baal would have fallen. They'd been at the edge of exhaustion.
"I remember how bloody the Battle of Baal was. I'd even sent Saint to help you at the Cryptan Shield," Sanguinius nodded.
After regaining his radiant angelic form, he'd deliberately forgotten some things from his time as the Blood Angels' Primarch.
Before the Baal defense, the Blood Angels had fought at the Cryptan Shield, and without Necron help, they would've certainly lost.
"Forgive me, Father. I shamed you by accepting xenos aid and allying with them. Please punish me! I willingly resign as Chapter Master," Dante knelt in anguish. Even if he had no choice, a mistake was a mistake, and he'd still allied with xenos—bringing shame to his gene-father.
"Ten thousand years ago, we followed Imperial Truth—because it was the Emperor's law. But now, things have changed. Not every xenos race in the galaxy is evil. Take the Eldar: they've allied with us, opened the Webway, and helped revive the Primarchs. No need for guilt! I don't blame you. The alliance at Cryptan was the best choice. If I'd commanded, I'd have done the same," Sanguinius reassured, patting Dante's shoulder.
Ten millennia ago, he'd have kept such a thing secret to protect his sons. Now, things are different. Rhodes set a new precedent: some xenos can be allies. Rhodes even married an Eldar and had children!
If he could have children with a xenos goddess, then a brief alliance with the Necrons hardly seems terrible.
The Imperium is changing. As long as xenos don't threaten humanity, some are treated amicably. Rogue Traders, for example, can choose to trade or destroy new-found xenos. With races like the Eldar, communication is possible; with races like the Hrud, extermination is needed.
"Thank you for forgiving me, Father. Should we meet this Necron Overlord?" Dante asked.
"I'd like your opinion. You chose to ally with this Necron; what do you think of him?" Sanguinius asked.
"Father, the Traveler Anrakyr is a noble and powerful warrior. He's a xenos, but I respect him. Without his help, the Blood Angels would have perished at Cryptan," Dante replied.
"I know how desperate that battle was. Without the Necron weapon that destroyed the gas giant, you couldn't have won. Let us meet this Necron lord as guests. Go and bring him to me," said Sanguinius.
If Dante rated the Necron so highly, he must be different from the evil metallic skeletons in Imperial records.
Dante nodded and left the Angelic Fortress to summon his former Necron ally, the Traveler Anrakyr.
After receiving the call, Anrakyr piloted his massive Necron tomb ship above Baal.
"Long time no see, Chapter Master Dante. Anrakyr the Traveler greets you," Anrakyr saluted in Necron fashion.
Dante struck his fist to his chest in return.
"It has been a while, Lord Anrakyr, but I am no longer Chapter Master. The Chapters are gone—now only the Blood Angels Legion remains, led by our great gene-father Sanguinius. I come at his command to bring you to the fortress," Dante explained.
"Ah, the famous Primarch. I'd like to meet him. Please, lead the way," Anrakyr replied.
Dante gestured politely and led the Necron Overlord to Sanguinius's palace.
While Dante fetched the guest, Sanguinius reviewed all Cryptan Shield campaign intelligence, focusing on Anrakyr's file.
With a Primarch's mind, he absorbed it all in two minutes. Both sides had played their cards carefully, but the Tyranids were ultimately repulsed—though no one expected Leviathan's tendrils to strike Baal again.
One piece of intel drew his attention: at the war's climax, Anrakyr had released a kilometer-high C'tan shard from his tomb, turning the tide and defeating the Tyranids. But after the battle, the shard's fate was unknown—did it escape or was it recaptured by Anrakyr?
From what Sanguinius knew, if a C'tan shard escaped, even a powerful Necron Overlord couldn't recapture it easily. If the shard was loose, it would be a valuable prize.
Having revived himself and Baal only with Rhodes's help, Sanguinius owed him a great favor. Rhodes's cosmic beasts needed C'tan shards to evolve and absorb stellar energy, so Sanguinius considered trying to capture this lost shard.
But first, he needed to confirm with Anrakyr whether the shard was truly free.
As he pondered, a nearly 4-meter-tall Necron, clad in ornate overlord armor and wielding a massive phase weapon, entered the Angelic Fortress.
"Greetings, Lord Sanguinius, Master of the Blood Angels. I bring you the Silent King's regards," Anrakyr bowed.
"No need for formality. Please, sit, Lord Anrakyr. You aided my sons at Cryptan, so you will be treated as a guest. I ought to host a grand banquet in your honor," Sanguinius replied, testing the Necron's temperament.
"No need for a banquet. Since our transformation, we cannot consume food," Anrakyr declined.
As one of the few Necrons to retain his mind, he kept his ancient manners, but as the Silent King's envoy, even if Sanguinius offended him, he would endure it.
"Then, let's get to the point. What brings you to visit the Blood Angels?" Sanguinius asked directly.
A Necron Overlord wouldn't come just to greet an old ally.
"Lord Sanguinius, by order of the Silent King, I seek friendly relations with the galaxy's current rulers—humanity," Anrakyr said, not mentioning Rhodes or Necron affairs.
"If that's your aim, you're in the wrong place. You should go to Holy Terra and see Regent Guilliman or Warmaster Rhodes, not me. I only govern Baal and nearby systems and lack authority to negotiate alliances," Sanguinius smiled.
This Necron clearly had ulterior motives.
"If you would introduce me, I would gladly visit Terra. I came to you because I once fought alongside the Blood Angels. I know no other Imperial factions," Anrakyr replied elegantly.
"I can help. I'll write a letter of recommendation so you can go to Terra. Do you wish to meet the Regent or Warmaster Rhodes?" Sanguinius asked, probing further.
If he wanted Guilliman, he truly sought diplomacy. If Rhodes, he had other plans.
"Since I seek friendship, I wish to meet both these great men," Anrakyr replied.