My Life as A Death Guard
Chapter 473: Into the Storm
"We're leaving, we're leaving."
Of the three Legions, aside from Guilliman—who claimed he needed a short period of time to recruit troops—the other two had already set course for Cadia.
The old man muttered to himself, stooped over, his clouded eyes reflecting the blue world of Macragge.
"So that's all. So that's all."
Malcador rambled on, then suddenly paused before bursting into laughter.
"…Whatever."
He pulled up his hood and no longer looked out through the viewing port at that beautiful planet.
. . .
The Khan gazed through the viewport. The chaotic storm clouds above Cadia reflected flowing patterns in his eyes. Dense thunderclouds writhing with arcs of lightning obscured everything beneath them from prying sight.
Jaghatai contemplated in silence. He could still sense that faint, elusive voice calling to him—something upon Cadia was summoning him, something familiar.
The Primarch considered their next move, weighing the risks of advancing onto Cadia. Thus far, the reconnaissance arrays had detected no enemy presence, but according to the words of Archmagos Trazyn, their foes were hidden beneath those clouds.
They were beings from the Eternal Heaven.
The Khan remained silent. The hawk of Chogoris had never believed in the Imperial Truth. He had known long ago that it was a lie, and now the Imperium would pay the price for that lie.
Fortunately, the sons of Chogoris had all learned how to wrestle with the wolves of the Eternal Heaven.
"The balance has been broken." The Khan spoke. His words caused Corax to fall silent for a moment; his brother did not seem to fully understand him.
The Khan offered a simple explanation.
"The world we inhabit, and the Eternal Heaven—they were meant to exist in balance, in a cycle. But now that balance has been shattered. Two opposing forces are colliding here. That is why you and I feel this discomfort."
Corax spoke in his rasping voice. "That doesn't sound like anything contained within the Imperial Truth."
The Khan lifted his gaze. For a brief moment, the Great Khan's eyes clashed with the Raven's pitch-black stare. Then the Khan smiled and straightened himself, the furs draped over him rustling softly.
"Do you believe in the Imperial Truth?"
Corax lowered his dark eyes, but quickly raised them again.
"They say I'm supposed to."
"But… no one really cares whether I truly believe."
A faintly weary smile appeared on Corax's face.
"I suppose it won't affect the battle ahead regardless. I understand what you're trying to make me realize, brother. I can feel their blasphemous presence. My Legion and I are prepared."
The Khan stared at Corax, and Corax returned the stare.
The two Primarchs were ordinarily little more than acquaintances who exchanged nods in passing. In truth, however, Jaghatai Khan was close friends with Horus—while Corax deeply despised Horus.
Especially after the Battle of Gate Forty-Two, which had nearly destroyed the relationship between Horus and Corax entirely.
Had either of them been a more hot-tempered Primarch, disagreement might already have erupted into open argument. But here stood the Khan and Corax.
In this chaotic world, they were among the few remaining "normal" men.
The Khan nodded and looked once more toward Cadia. Thick clouds shrouded its wastelands like an ugly scar.
"…Only those who have endured the storm know the storm's true color."
Now the two fleets lay stranded above Cadia—without orders, without reinforcements—and the mortal crewmen aboard the ships were deteriorating at an alarming rate.
They could not afford to remain idle.
"Let us attempt a swift resolution."
"Have the Sisters of Silence tell us the taboos of this place." The Khan spoke concisely, yielding the floor to the Sisters of Silence.
. . .
The ivory-white gunship descended slowly through the rolling mass of heavy clouds, filthy mist clinging to its tail fins. Down it sank, deeper and deeper, through what felt like an endless sea of fog.
Something within the clouds seemed to scream, curse, and weep. Wraithlike vapors slammed violently against the gunship, claw marks dragging across the viewing ports, covering the glass in grotesque scratches.
Amid the violent turbulence, the Khan sat with eyes closed inside the cabin, silent and immovable as a mountain. His Keshig surrounded him without a word.
Once more, the Khan organized the intelligence he had gathered in his mind.
The White Scars and the Raven Guard had ultimately received orders to proceed to Cygnus X-1 and prepare to fight alongside the Sisters of Silence.
The Sisters of Silence, the Khan thought. They appeared in only one kind of situation: during times of irreconcilable conflict, as a harsh remedy meant to reconcile heaven and earth.
This raid would inevitably lead to battle against psykers.
The Great Khan reflected silently. The White Scars possessed a considerable number of Stormseers; in this regard, the warriors from Chogoris required little concern from him.
The traditions of Chogoris had prepared them well.
Thus, for this assault, the Khan had brought mostly elite warriors of Chogorian descent, along with the Stormseers.
The Khan did not expect a single strike operation to change anything. They would descend, gather what they needed, and leave immediately.
The strange electromagnetic fields above Cadia, together with the dense storm clouds, completely obscured any attempt to observe the planet from afar. Because of this, they had no choice but to descend personally and investigate.
Broken bursts of static crackled intermittently beside the Khan's ears. He was not surprised; they had already prepared themselves for the possibility of losing contact with the orbital fleet.
Still… what exactly would he see upon Cadia?
The Khan rested as though half-asleep, recalling the ships the White Scars had previously encountered—vessels belonging to the Iron Warriors or the Word Bearers. None of it particularly shocked him.
The internal affairs of the Imperium were tangled beyond reason. He did not understand the Emperor, nor most of his brothers, and saw no need to entangle himself in their disputes.
Except for Horus. Though now, Horus was likely not faring well himself.
The shrill crackle of static sounded in his ears once more, accompanied by the roar of the engines.
"Pra… Omn… recei…"
"…Lord… res…pond…"
Crackle. Crackle
"Please respond upon receipt." The voice of Archmagos Trazyn came clearly through the channel. The Khan frowned slightly. Nearly all of the White Scars' own communication systems had failed by now—yet this Archmagos's channel remained completely intact.
"I can hear you."
"Excellent." The Archmagos's voice carried a hint of pleasure.
For certain strategic reasons, the Khan had personally led part of the White Scars and part of the Raven Guard down onto Cadia for reconnaissance.
Meanwhile, Corax and the Sisters of Silence remained with the fleet in orbit above Cadia, along with Archmagos Trazyn.
The Khan had never liked those who transformed their flesh into bloated machinery. He responded only with a cold grunt.
"My lord, I'll keep this brief."
Trazyn stared at the screen disguised as an Imperial augur display. Detection waves swept across it, and with every scan, the number of green markers labeled as "friendly forces" nearly doubled.
Trazyn spoke.
"I assume you did not bring that many troops planetside? Their machine-signatures are completely identical to yours, but the numbers don't match."
Inside the dimly lit cabin, the Khan's eyes snapped open, gleaming sharply.
"You mean someone is impersonating my forces?"
The only reply was the shrieking howl of missiles streaking past outside the gunship.
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