Sol System
544.M32
Drakan Vangorich,
The Grand Master of the Officio Assassinorum
Gathering of the Council of the High Lords of Terra was never peaceful or quiet, more like a battlefield than a council. However, there was a first time for everything; this time, the chamber where they gathered was filled with absolute silence, in which true dread lurked like an invisible daemon.
Just when it seemed that everything in the war against the Orks was beginning to turn in the Imperium's favour, news reached them so terrible that it terrified them, and the Kubik, Fabricator-General let out a cry of fury and despair so loud it nearly deafened them.
An outburst and display of emotion unheard of from a being that resembled more a machine than a living human being.
Even the Fabricator's opponents on the Council couldn't rejoice over what happened on Mars. Yes, they wanted to weaken the Mechanicus's position, but the losses it suffered on Mars were devastating, even for the Imperium itself.
"How? How did this happen?" Kubik rasped. His mechanical voice sounded almost human, but his mechanical eyes did not take their gaze off one of his subordinates standing in front of him, who was trembling under the influence of his superior's anger.
"Oh great Fabricator-General, The enemies appeared out of nowhere. Whole legions of unknown Titans, unlike any we had ever seen, suddenly appeared as if from nowhere. They were neither Eldar nor Orks, possessing more advanced heretical technology than ours. The enemy had over 50 Titans similar in size to the Emperor class, or even larger, and...
"Impossible," shouted Tobris Ekharth, Master of Administratorum, his voice irritating Drakan as usual. "There are no such forces in the galaxy, not even the Traitors."
"Let him finish, fool," Drakan growled, wanting to hear the full report as soon as possible, for the Empire was in dire straits without it. He turned to the Red Priest. "Continue. What happened next? And what are the losses?"
"My lords, the enemy not only had numerous Titans but also a powerful psyker, incredibly powerful, perhaps even Alpha Plus. In a single attack, it disintegrated the entire headquarters, including half the underground complexes, many kilometres deep."
Drakan saw that many of his fellow High Lords wanted to comment on these reports, but unlike Tobris, they were able to restrain themselves. Drakan himself, of course, felt uneasy at the news of such a powerful psyker on the loose, one that seemed to be in complete control.
The Aeldari immediately came to mind. Could this be some previously hidden faction of that race? Why attack Mars instead of striking at a weakened and vulnerable Terra?
"After destroying the Headquarters, he headed towards the Noctis Labyrinth," the magos continued, and Vangoris couldn't help but wonder what valuable thing lay within this place. But the answer he soon received was as surprising as it was terrifying.
"Just 6 minutes and 39 seconds after its disappearance, the ground at the site of the Labyrinth exploded, sending dust and rock the size of Titans into the air tens of kilometres, and the shockwave severely damaged buildings and units that had survived the earlier attack. Losses at this stage amounted to over 53% of our total forces and infrastructure on the planet."
"You said the losses were 'amounting to'. Does that mean they rose even higher?" Abel Verreault, Lord Commander Militarum of the Astra Militarum, interjected. His voice carried a barely audible dread.
"Yes, Lord Commander. We don't know exactly what happened, but it seems..." The magos looked at his leader uncertainly, then continued, "It seems this psyker fought the Omnissiah himself."
"This is outrageous! THIS IS HERESY!!!" the Fabricator-General shouted, leaping to his feet again, while many of the other High Lords glared at the magos in disbelief.
"Fabricator-General, let him finish, or we'll never get to the end of this report," Maximus Thane, Lord Commander of the Imperium, spoke, his tone dripping with irritation. His gaze fell on the magos, who probably wished he were anywhere but here at that moment.
"My lord, allow me to explain. This is, in fact, the opinion of Archmagos Dominus Theodius himself. " From the data we managed to recover, we can ascertain that two powerful beings fought on a scale unseen since the time of the Primarchs, or even when the Emperor himself descended upon the battlefields.
In their duel, they shattered Deimos, whose fragments not only shattered a large portion of the fleet in orbit but also fell upon the planet, increasing the overall losses to 79%. Phobos was instantly and completely disintegrated, leaving no trace of matter behind.
The High Lords looked at each other in horror. Powerful weapons existed in the galaxy, but entities capable of such destruction were few and deadly. Their most important Forge World was practically devastated, and countless weapons, units, and ammunition were irretrievably lost.
"But the strangest thing was what happened when those two beings vanished into the void of space," the magos added in an uncertain voice.
"A sudden silence and emptiness fell upon the minds of all the surviving mechanicus, as if something had been stripped from us. Archmagos Dominus claims that the Omnisiah's voice has completely faded, and his presence has vanished."
Silence filled the chamber, everyone present understanding the implications of these words. Not only would this suggest that this Omnissiah not only existed but was a real entity, separate from the Emperor, as the Imperial truth proclaimed.
The very thought screamed "heresy". However, doubt began to form in Drakan's mind. However, if this were true, and a being—a xenos—had been lurking beneath the surface of Mars all along, around which the Mechanicus had built its religion, it was possible he had acquired a powerful weapon against these mechanical madmen.
And combined with the devastation of Mars and the annihilation of most of the Mechanicus living there, practically the elite among them, the chance of this effectively independent organisation being brought under the control of the Imperium grew.
As he looked around the chamber, he saw the same calculating looks in the eyes of the others, but one key thing separated them from him: they sought their own interests, while he wanted to see the Imperium prosper like a well-oiled machine, not a behemoth whose parts rusted and decayed. They were corroding.
However, he was concerned that another powerful opponent, one they knew nothing about, had appeared on the table. One capable of delivering such a powerful strike at the heart of the Imperium and possessing psykers like the traitor Magnus or Malkador.
He didn't want to even consider the thought that this being could equal the power of the Emperor of Mankind himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Webway, Ilmarin
942.M33
Sanguinius
Sanguinius spent the last hours in the Inner Sanctum, observing the Shard of Void Dragon, probably the largest of Mag'ladroth's, floating in a special tank filled with psychic energy, although there was another one, perhaps even comparable in size, and according to Seeker, it was located on Selaaca, one of the planets belonging to the Necron dynasty. Maynarkh. Before attempting to absorb the fragment obtained on Mars, he would prefer to do so with this smaller shard.
At that moment, he had absorbed all 331 of this particular C'tan's remaining Shards, and though they were small, they had still increased his control over the Void and altered his body in ways that would have terrified him before. Though perhaps 'altered' was the wrong word, he was essentially creating his own body, using the living metal from the Shards of Mag'ladroth and his own psychic power.
His body was thus composed of strands of Warp energy and living metal, moulded into something resembling his original Primarch form.
With his current power, he could undoubtedly handle Shard from Mars now, but during the War of the Beast, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Tearing his gaze away from Shard, Sangunius looked at the Seeker hovering nearby, who was analysing data and coordinates nearby.
"How close to the complex will we be able to open the Warpgate?" he asked, though from the Old One's confusion he knew he wouldn't like the answer.
"Due to the defences the Necrons have placed on the planet, it is impossible to open a warpgate near them using our technology. During the millions of years of war between us, they have developed many devices to counter us." Seeker explained, to which Sanguinius had to nod in understanding. It was logical that the Necrons must have had something like this if they were able to ultimately win the war between them.
"So, I take it that the only option left is to open the warpgate further and reach the planet by ship? But what next? Since, according to you, the Necrons are still dormant, it would be wise to go there with as few of them as possible."
"I would recommend going there alone, because in that case, everyone will be a liability," the Seeker replied, then, using his psychic powers, he created a hologram of the planet floating before them. Upon closer inspection, it was practically covered entirely in deserts and wastelands.
"Look," the Old Ones added, and countless green lines and dots began to appear beneath the planet's surface, forming a complex network of complexes covering the entire planet, hidden beneath the sands.
Sanguinius now understood what his mentor meant. "Hmh. Titans would be useless here; the same goes for heavy vehicles, and even for Krorks or Angela Custodes, it would be a death trap... There must be millions of them there," he said, analysing the data before him.
"Hundreds of millions," Seeker corrected him. "Maynarkh is, with the Sautekh Dynasty, one of the most militarily minded and powerful ruling dynasties of the entire species. They are conquerors and exterminators; the Maynarkh have always been loyal servants of the Silent King, often acting as his right-hand man to punish those who would oppose him."
"It makes sense that they were entrusted with guarding the Shard of the most powerful of their masters," Sanguinius admitted, wondering why, then, the Shard of Mars wasn't guarded by similar forces.
"I know what you're thinking, Sanguinius," Seeker said. "I don't know his thoughts, but I suspect the Silent King decided this Shard was too powerful and could somehow gain control of the Necrons guarding it."
"Which, as the Mechanicus case has shown, is not unfounded." Sanguinius interjected, nodding thoughtfully. "It would probably be much easier for him to control the will-less and soulless Necrons."
"Indeed, this Shard seems to contain most of Mag'ladroth's shattered will and mind, likely because it was still the largest fragment."
Sanguinius returned his gaze to the hologram and asked, "Do you have any idea where, exactly, in this entire labyrinth, the Shard might be? Logic would dictate that the Necrons hid it deep."
"I have three potential locations that emanate powerful energy," the Old One admitted, though Sanguinius detected hesitation in his tone.
"You don't sound convinced."
"Because I'm not, my boy. That's not what bothers me most. Don't underestimate them; the moment you enter the complex, they'll detect you immediately and likely begin the awakening procedure.
Not only do the Necrons possess technology that outclasses all other mortal races, but their leader, Phareon, is one of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy."
Sanguinius frowned, feeling a surge of uncertainty about this expedition. "Are you suggesting I should give up trying to acquire this Shard?"
"No, no, no," the Seeker immediately denied. "It's absolutely necessary. Without it, attempting to absorb the Dragon of Mars would be suicide."
"I only suggest you be extremely cautious. The Necrons are not the Mechanicus, nor even the Daemons; they are far more cunning and dangerous. And by entering their domain, one mistake could cost you everything.
They have weapons and traps tailored to combat psykers and probably the C'tan. However, your limited control over the Void and matter manipulation will likely still be your best weapon. Use it."
Sanguin was surprised by the Old One's deadly serious tone; he even had the strange feeling he heard fear in his voice. The idea that this powerful being, no matter how weakened, feared some mortal race was surprising, to say the least, but understandable in the full context.
"I will be cautious. I must be. Too much depends on this, and we have progressed too far in our plans to abandon it now," he replied, clearing his mind of any doubt. Hesitation meant death.