At first, Aisha planned to conceal her identity completely—only Isha knew.
In Holy Terra she hid herself carefully,
Even using the strange energies of the phantom beasts to mask her Chaos power, posing as a god of Order.
It worked for a while, but over time the Human Emperor noticed things.
At first, he didn't realize she was a Dark God. He thought she was an Eldar goddess—one hidden away.
Aisha went with it, claiming to be the goddess of love and beauty. On Holy Terra she would never dare display Chaos power.
"That's the situation. The Emperor knows I exist but not my true identity—and I don't intend to use that identity anymore," Aisha said.
"So he knows you exist but believes you're Order, not Chaos—right?" Rhodes nodded.
As he thought—if the Emperor knew she was a Chaos Dark God, and Slaanesh at that, he wouldn't sit idle.
Which raised another problem:
How to persuade the Emperor to help. After all, the reason he sits on the Golden Throne is that the Four Chaos each have a hand in it.
Frankly, were he the Emperor, Rhodes would never help Aisha.
"Correct—he knows I exist but not who I am," Aisha said.
"Is the Emperor indispensable? If not, forget it. We don't have the leverage to recruit him," Rhodes said.
"Or we could ask other Eldar gods—like the death god or the Laughing God Cegorach," the Life Goddess Isha said.
"No!" both said at once.
Rhodes and Aisha rejected it immediately. Rhodes knew those Eldar gods well enough.
With a Chaos godhead at stake—the chance to step into the top echelon of the universe—
He couldn't trust they wouldn't scheme. The only one likely to help and be trustworthy was the Human Emperor.
"We can reframe it. I won't reveal myself at all—and we can stage a play," Aisha said.
"What kind of play?" Rhodes asked.
"Known facts: the Emperor, and the other Dark Gods, believe I'm sealed. The seal is draining my power.
Fulgrim, for unknown reasons, has stolen Slaanesh's fount and now seeks to devour all humanity to become the fifth Dark God.
He's kidnapped Lorgar and Crux. Now, Rhodes, you have a way to stop him, and it requires the Emperor's help—so he'll agree," Aisha said.
She had been a Dark God; of course she had stratagems.
When she proposed calling on the Emperor, she'd already formed a plan. The Emperor's love for humanity exceeds all else. If he learned Fulgrim meant to consume all human souls to ascend, he would stop it at any cost.
As for how Fulgrim got Chaos power—that could wait. The sealing explanation sounded plausible.
Back then, Tartarus couldn't have sealed the entire Palace of Pleasure without the future Rhodes's help. Even the other Dark Gods were helpless.
"You're saying Lorgar and Crux were kidnapped by Fulgrim?" Rhodes was surprised.
"Yes. Through the godhead I can sense that both Primarchs are in his hands.
Lorgar followed him willingly—he's now a Demon Prince under Fulgrim. The other is imprisoned," Aisha said.
If they could seize Fulgrim, the fragmented godhead would be whole. Then she could transfer it into Rhodes's subordinate to elevate him into a true Dark God.
"Alright. I'll contact the Emperor and explain. One last question—how do we find Fulgrim?" Rhodes asked.
Even a Dark God couldn't command the entire Warp. Pinpointing and seizing Fulgrim wouldn't be easy.
"We can lure him out of the Warp," Isha said.
"Impossible. He's about to receive the godhead. He won't risk it. He'll hide in the Warp, waiting for the final moment," Aisha said.
"Leave it to me. I can draw him out," Rhodes said.
For apotheosis he'd need a suitable vessel; his current body couldn't bear a Dark God's power—Fulgrim should know that.
Rhodes would dangle bait: the Slaanesh-killer. Its attributes were perfect for the Slaanesh godhead.
Even without extra setup, Fulgrim would try to seize it.
He'd want that body. Rhodes would have the Slaanesh-killer leak to his minions that a new Ace Killer had been born; he'd go convert it to Slaanesh's side to bolster the faction.
Those Slaanesh Greater Daemons embedded around him would ensure Fulgrim learned—and he'd come to seize a blank assassin body.
"That could work. Also, you can use Lucius. He's Fulgrim's gene-son, but he has zero loyalty to his Primarch—same type as Typhus," Aisha said.
As her former chosen, Aisha knew Lucius well. Send him back to Fulgrim—at the key moment, he'd betray him.
After hashing out the details, Rhodes contacted the Emperor on Holy Terra.
He didn't use a Warp call or have Guilliman relay it via a phantom beast. He had Tartarus open a portal and went straight to the Imperial Palace.
This he had to discuss in person—to show sincerity and the urgency.
When the Custodes saw it was Rhodes, they escorted him to the throne room, where the Emperor sat upon the Golden Throne.
The Emperor looked much improved—he could even eat on the throne and savor being human again.
"Rhodes, why are you back? Is something wrong?" the Emperor asked.
No one comes to the Inner Palace without cause. If it weren't important, Rhodes would relay through Guilliman.
"Emperor, we have a crisis. Fulgrim is about to ascend to Dark God. If he succeeds, he'll devour all human souls!" Rhodes said gravely.
"Come again? Rhodes, you're not joking? Fulgrim wants to become a Dark God and devour all human souls?" The Emperor was first surprised, then half amused.
"Exceptions happen. You know Slaanesh was sealed by some mysterious force.
The seal has been weakening Slaanesh's power, even blocking Warp intake. The Chaos godhead seems ready to abandon its current owner
and select a new host to become a new Dark God—and it chose your son, Fulgrim.
Fulgrim has also corrupted Lorgar and captured Crux," Rhodes recounted everything.
"Hold on—I'll check." The Emperor sank his mind into the Warp from the Throne, seeking his son Crux.
He found Lorgar's fortress gone. Crux and Lorgar were missing. Residual Slaanesh power lingered all around.
"If this is true, we're in serious trouble. If it's Fulgrim, he'll devour humanity without hesitation," the Emperor said, face darken.