All the information about Perditus flooded into John's mind.
The "Calamity Priest" pulled a piece of parchment with his left paw, and with his right paw, he gripped a quill and wrote rapidly:
'Perditus...'
John memorized the information on the parchment, over and over.
After the eleventh repetition, the "Calamity Priest" picked up the paper and leaned back on his wooden bed.
Through the psychic link, Nareth saw a illusory scene: three nobles in ornate robes, accompanied by a squad of guards, entering a lavish palace.
The scene shifted. The guards attacked the nobles, their blades piercing silk.
They drew their blades, licking the blood from them.
'Assassination? Coup?' Nareth frowned, puzzled.
The scene twisted again. The guards' bodies contorted, becoming corpulent, straining their silk robes.
Images of the slain nobles flashed through the Primarch's mind.
'Licking the blood of the slain, then taking their form.'
'Doppelgangers.'
'The main ingredient for Sequence 6 "Faceless" on the "Fool" path.'
As the scene shattered, Nareth had the information he wanted.
'So, this is why the Lion found only silence when he first arrived at Perditus.
'Perhaps, after reclaiming Perditus, the "submitted" individuals launched a rebellion. The Lion, enraged, punished them and, considering it a shame, left few records.'
'Another dark secret the Dark Angels habitually kept.'
Nareth knew that doppelgangers were different from mimics, who also had shapeshifting abilities.
They didn't gain the memories of those they imitated. If they didn't spend long in human society, they wouldn't master Gothic or the use of various devices.
He had long planned to acquire doppelgangers as potion material, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
He recalled that during the Great Crusade, the Imperium considered doppelgangers vermin-like xenos.
Discovering they fed on humans, the Imperium deployed the World Eaters as the vanguard to exterminate them.
The 203rd Expeditionary Fleet descended upon Alpha Shalish, wiping out the doppelgangers.
Of course, like other xenos, they weren't completely eradicated.
Doppelgangers were far from easy to exterminate. By consuming blood, they could transform into various creatures, including Astartes, even Custodians.
They had an advantage over mimics: their bodies physically changed, granting them the physical abilities of the transformed target.
During the Heresy, when Ultramarine Arcadese and Salamander Hekatan were on a diplomatic mission to a neutral world, they encountered doppelgangers disguised as Custodians.
A doppelganger with a Custodian's physical abilities temporarily overpowered the two unarmored Astartes.
Doppelgangers still existed in the 42nd Millennium.
They ambushed an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor and a Deathwatch kill team aboard the space hulk Terrorem.
They transformed into Inquisitorial acolytes and Astartes, slowly consuming the killed team.
Nareth leaned back, contemplating how to deal with enemies possessing shapeshifting abilities.
'The war on Perditus is not a conventional frontal assault. The key is identifying the doppelgangers.'
As he typed his thoughts onto a data-slate, he considered.
Moments later, he pressed his communication bead, summoning Arsena Dunn.
"Assemble the Librarians and Chaplains."
He slid the data-crystal to his Aide. "The First Chapter will accompany me to Perditus."
After his Aide left the office, he went to the Kingdom of Disorder, extending his spirituality to issue orders to Dementieva and Tierney.
Black mist churned. A data slate appeared before each of them.
After Maria Kournikova had stepped into the public eye on 'Terra,' Dementieva, also a "Pleasure," had become the leader of the Assassins.
In the sixth month of 885, in the Perditus system.
Aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty, the Arsena reported to the Black Emperor.
"My Lord, the auspex matrix master reports that both Perditus II and Perditus VI show numerous life signs."
"But the Master of Vox's all-frequency, all-language broadcasts have received no response."
Nareth had anticipated this. The doppelgangers had likely already taken control of both planets.
He had arrived before the Lion and Typhon. Fewer doppelgangers would have mastered human language and technology.
'This will make identifying them easier.'
"Proceed to the sixth planet." Nareth decided to go to Perditus VI, where the Tuchulcha engine was located.
"Auspex matrix and ætheric reading divination systems to full power. Focus scans on Perditus VI's subsurface."
"By Your will." The silver-haired Primarch's Aide replied.
The black fleet met no resistance, passing by the unresponsive second planet in silence before reaching orbit around the sixth.
Aboard a heavy transport, Howard Fender frowned.
Since arriving in the Perditus system, he had felt a strange unease. Now, it felt even more discordant.
The Perditans gave no response. Their sparse anti-air fire was also absent.
"The doppelgangers have taken control of this world's upper echelons, but they haven't yet learned how to use human technology."
"This is why my Lord ordered all Court Brothers to land via heavy transports, not drop pods or Stormbirds."
The closer they got to the surface, the more the "Judge" felt the planet's disharmony.
As he thought, he felt the transport touch down.
He rose, eager to step off the ramp and restore order here.
A doppelganger stood among the crowd, dressed in dark brown clothing, holding a lasgun, indistinguishable from the surrounding guards.
After nearly a month of learning, he had mastered basic human speech and was chosen for this observation mission.
He had to find out why outsiders had suddenly come to this world, his kind controlled and fed upon.
The doppelganger stared at the black-armored warrior cradling a heavy gun. Every cell in his body seemed to thrum. The thorn-like tongue locked in his throat twitched with hunger.
'Delicious.'
He instinctively wanted to extend his tongue, to wrap it around the giant.
He suppressed his feeding urge. 'Patience. They are already my food. How do the humans say it... Delivered to my door... Lambs to the slaughter...'
He greedily glanced at the lead black-armored warrior, then quickly lowered his head, pretending to be as fearful as the others.
Howard suddenly stopped. As a full-fledged "Sheriff," he intuitively sensed something evil nearby.
He scanned the area, taking in the thousand or so Perditans.
Their appearances and clothing seemed normal.
Their reactions were all consistent with confusion and fear at seeing an Astartes giant.
But more than what he saw, Howard trusted his "Sheriff's" intuition.
The "Judge" raised his palm, thrusting it forward. Spiritual energy surged. He shouted in Dunnic:
"This place forbids shapeshifting!"
The doppelganger heard a commanding voice in a language he had never heard, but he paid it no mind.
The next instant, he let out a bird-like shriek. He had lost control of his body.
He was rapidly reverting to his original form.
The crowd turned to the shrieking. They saw a nebulous creature, a mass of bizarre limbs and swollen flesh.
They stared in terror at the monster among them, screaming.
"Ah..."
"How did you do that?" The doppelganger slid backward, his voice incredulous.
His tongue shot out.
Howard raised his power gauntlet. Blue light blazed, slamming into the barbed tongue.
The disassociation field shrieked, shattering the bizarre tongue. The "Judge" swung his arm.
An invisible whip cracked, tearing swollen flesh.
The "Judge" raised his arm again and shouted: "Imprison!"
Viscous, almost solid, liquid layered over the doppelganger.
After capturing the doppelganger, Howard shouted to the fleeing Perditans:
"Your world has been taken over by xenos! Shapeshifting monsters have infiltrated your society!"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu