875.M30.
The one hundred companies of the Star Hunters, scattered across the galaxy, answered their gene-father's summons and gathered on Chogoris.
Börger, Captain of the 33rd Company, and Stache, its Apothecary, entered the Quan Zhou palace.
Following Chogorian custom, they bowed. "Great Khan."
"Welcome to Chogoris. It will be your home." Jaghatai's smile was warm, yet his presence was undeniably majestic.
"You fought under Nareth at Xana?"
The two "Psychiatrists" were prepared. For this meeting, they had done their homework.
Based on the Black Emperor's revelations about Jaghatai and their accumulated profiles as a full-fledged "Telepathist," they had constructed an image of Jaghatai.
They had switched roles and conducted over a hundred simulated drills.
"Great Khan, my company happened to be in the Xana-Vexidax system during the Rangdan invasion..." The "Psychologist" Börger reported smoothly, without pause.
The other "Psychologist," Stache, looked up at the gene-father on his throne.
Unarmored, layers of robes could not conceal his strong, battle-hardened frame.
His gaze was deep, his extraordinary body embodying the precision of a swordsman.
He occasionally asked questions. His Gothic was heavily accented, yet possessed a transcendent nobility, more aristocratic than the nobles of Terra's courts.
The "Psychiatrist" could only discern his gene-father's raptor-like focus, unable to discern the purpose behind his questions.
Naturally, the "Psychiatrist" shifted his gaze to the Stormseer beside the throne, Targutai Yesugei.
From Yesugei's gleaming eyes and thoughtful expression, the "Psychiatrist" read curiosity and contemplation.
'Father and my Lord journeyed together to the Rangdan homeworld.'
'My Lord made the final kill, making Yesugei and Father curious about him, hoping to learn more from us.'
'They will never know my Lord's true power.'
Reaching this conclusion, Stache breathed a sigh of relief.
Though as a "Psychiatrist," Börger could carefully consider his words before speaking, facing his father, like a raptor, still made him uneasy.
As Börger pondered, Jaghatai asked.
"Tomorrow is the ceremony. Have you chosen your Chogorian names?"
"Agula."
Hearing Börger's answer, Jaghatai nodded approvingly. "Good. In the Khorchin language, your name means mountain."
"Naritsun."
Jaghatai's glossy braids swayed. He said to Stache, "Pine."
"You have both chosen good names."
"Go and prepare."
The next day, the 33rd Company was positioned relatively centrally among the many companies. The central-most company, two companies away from the innermost circle, had ten companies between them.
The companies at the center were those that had participated in the assault on the Albian fortress at Dubris, the Catacombs of Cadirius, fighting the armies of Ursh for eighty-three days.
The Imperium's archives held no record of their battles. Only the Star Hunters knew.
They were the Forgotten Sons of Terra.
The 33rd Company's proximity to the center was due to their contributions at the defense of the Forge World Xana and the intelligence they provided on the Rangdan.
The two "Psychiatrists" looked out at the sea of grass. Fifty thousand Chogorians and Star Hunters all held blades.
The blades were coated with poison to prevent their transhuman bodies from healing.
"Today, we gather here." Jaghatai's tall figure, his voice amplified by the servo-skulls above, reached all his sons.
Jaghatai drew his curved blade. "Blood will bind us together."
"Bind you to me, to Chogoris."
All the Star Hunters raised their blades, marking their left sides with scars similar to those the Talskar tribe had inflicted on their gene-father's face long ago.
Fifty thousand lines of blood dripped. Jaghatai raised his curved blade high, proclaiming: "You are White Scars!"
The White Scars raised their blades, answering their gene-father.
The "Psychiatrists" Börger and Stache looked around. They saw the light in the White Scars' eyes, read their joy in their vigorous movements.
They knew theStar Hunters had been reborn. They had once carried out the Emperor's missions as scouts, arriving in new zones ahead of the Expeditionary fleets.
They had received no recognition, living only by one creed: every new day was a victory.
The Legion, burdened by duty, had steadily, silently endured immense losses and attrition.
They sought no aid, choosing only to live and die in their own ways, in places of their own choosing.
As they sheathed their blades, the two exchanged glances.
They were different. They had long found their faith, the Black Emperor.
....
876.M30. Kalium Gate Zone.
Aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty, Primarch's Office.
Arsena, holding a data slate, reported.
"As commanded, the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Chapters have completed assembly, totaling seventy-five thousand four hundred men."
"The Legion's capital ships and nearly half its escorts have been equipped with Jokaero fields. As commanded, all space simians are dispersed among the ships."
"Should any field be damaged, they will immediately repair it."
Nareth nodded. The Hrud could release entropy fields that distort time. Their ships could likewise distort temporal flow.
"The three Ramillies-class Starforts not used in the Rangdan war have also been equipped with Jokaero fields. Deployment preparations are complete."
"As commanded, the 10th Chapter has arrived at Ar Rija in the Solar Segmentum."
"The Twelfth Chapter has arrived at Tanith and has begun recruitment."
Nareth had chosen Tanith as the recruiting world for the Twelfth Chapter, primarily on the Fool Pathway. The Nalwood trees there uprooted themselves to move, causing people to lose their way, a natural training ground for honing inspiration and divination abilities.
Ar Rija was not entirely suited for the Hanged Man Pathway, but it was the only Chapter without a dedicated recruiting world.
Moreover, the "Rose Bishop" path was one of art and beauty.
Ar Rija, a civilized world with a highly educated populace, had some inherent affinity.
Thus, Nareth assigned Ar Rija to the Tenth Chapter, intending to find a more suitable recruiting world for Ramsey later.
Thus, every Chapter now had at least one dedicated recruiting world.
As Arsena reported, Nareth's fingers flew across his data-slate, sending the information on the Hrud and the tactics he had formulated for the four Chapters, excluding the Fifth, to his Aide.
The Fourth Chapter, primarily on the Death Pathway, had keener Spirit Vision, adapted to underground combat, and could detect Hrud at greater distances.
The Second Chapter, primarily on the Sun Pathway, could create environments unsuitable for the nocturnal Hrud.
The Third Chapter, primarily on the Darkness Pathway, not only adapted to the environment but could also send Hrud to sleep.
Having diverse means to deal with the Hrud was also why Nareth was deploying fewer troops than the Iron Warriors in his memory.
The Hrud had fifteen major worlds and eighty-four minor worlds within the Sak'trada Deeps.
The Iron Warriors had deployed approximately one hundred twenty to one hundred fifty thousand men, suffering thirty thousand casualties, and their achievement was cleansing the three worlds of the Gurgan system of Hrud.
Forrix, the Warsmith and first of Perturabo's Trident, estimated that cleansing all Hrud worlds would require hundreds of thousands of Iron Warriors.
That was impossible. Before the Heresy, the Iron Warriors numbered approximately one hundred fifty to one hundred eighty thousand.
Nareth's objective for this expedition was not to cleanse all ninety-nine worlds of Hrud. He knew the Hrud numbered in the billions.
Even Shadows of Order would pay an unbearable price. The Legion would be reduced to Chapter size, and still might not succeed.
The conflict with the Hrud was destined to be a long war. Nareth was not impatient. There were still one hundred twenty-three years before their mass migration in 999.
Of course, his objective was not merely to obtain materials for the "Mentor of Disorder" potion. With one Chapter, he could capture thousands of Hrud.
The Sak'trada Deeps was rich in mineral resources, but it was further from the core regions than even the Koronid Expanse had been. It was twenty-three light-years from the Imperium's borders at the Great Crusade's end.
For the Imperium, Sak'trada Deeps was a costly, unappetizing prospect.
But for him, with the Kalium Gate and webway gate technology, it was not a disadvantage. It was a treasure trove, costly to develop but still worthwhile.
Concealing the entire Deep would make it an unknown industrial base.
Sak'trada Deeps's strategic value was also why Nareth decided to deploy a strategic asset, a Ramillies-class Starfort.
Nareth's minimum strategic goal was to occupy the Gurgan system, establish a foothold, and achieve the same substantive results as Perturabo.
As he pondered, the silver-haired Arsena had received all the data. He continued.
"Lord Santiago Borgkamp will present himself in one standard hour."
Nareth nodded slightly. "I understand."
After his Aide left, Nareth went to the "Kingdom of Disorder."
He ordered the space simian to concoct Sequence 6 "Scribe" potion using one fully-read Slaugth Starlight Record Stone and other materials.
He then went to the third layer.
He did not divine immediately. First, he approached a banner shrouded in black mist.
The "Baron of Corruption" activated his witch-sight. As the chosen one of the "Kingdom of Disorder," with a considerable level of authority, he could look upon the uniqueness within his own domain.
He saw black threads entwining the iron-black shaft and the crimson flame on the purple field.
'Indeed, the "Red Priest," with its authority over rituals, welcomes being "linked."'
Nareth neither bound nor attempted to "corrupt" it.
Perhaps, when his control increased and he could leverage most of the "Kingdom of Disorder's" power, he might be able to "corrupt" the uniqueness.
For now, he lacked that ability.
'This is sufficient for me. My plan is more assured.'
With this thought, Nareth went to the Dice of Prophecy, took it in his hand, and let the known information about Sak'trada Deeps flash through his mind.
'Sak'trada Deeps is in an isolated part of the galaxy, the Orion-Cygnus Arm.'
'Departing from the Crimson Scar system, Bal, passing through the Imperial worlds of Magna Aphrodite, Jonsdame, Birgitta, Halldos, Cadomus, then about a month's Warp travel, one reaches Sak'trada Deeps.'
'The Gurgan system is the gateway to Sak'trada Deeps...'
'Sanguinius, I suppose this is repaying you for the Bal predator STC and our alliance on the War Council by heading off a potential threat.'
The Hrud migration path would have faced Sanguinius and the "Blood Angels." But the Emperor had given the task to his Lord of Iron.
With this thought, Nareth silently intoned.
'Star chart from Gugann to Sak'trada Deeps...'
After intoning it eleven times, he recorded the star chart on a data crystal.
Santiago Borgkamp entered the Primarch's Office. The Black Emperor slid a potion before him.
He picked up the transparent, almost solidified liquid and drank.
Starlight exploded in his mind. Countless symbols and characters flashed before his eyes.
He felt his mind explode, becoming symbols, patterns, and marks. Activated new cells twisted, deformed, and were compressed into entirely different shapes.
Moments later, the newly promoted "Scribe" felt the activated cells in his mutated "brain." His mind had surpassed the boundaries of an Astartes.
He took a deep breath, hand to his throbbing temple.
"Thank You, my Lord, for Your gift."
Nareth sent a thought-pulse to Santiago. "During the voyage, record the abilities of the Court Brothers in your Chapter whom I have granted other powers."
"Recording" Beyonder abilities was no small challenge for some Beyonders, requiring friendship, even a price.
But for the Chapter Master of the Fifth Chapter, it was effortless.
Nareth then slid a data-crystal to Santiago.
"Sak'trada Deeps lies beyond Imperial borders. The situation is complex. You will command the void battle among the stars."
"Besides information on the Hrud, it contains data on 'Fearsight' and the Aeldari Warp Spider Aspect."
"I have synthesized the two, researching an attack method that utilizes brief back-and-forth between the Warp and realspace. You will take over and perfect it."
Santiago, a Daemonologist, was a master of manipulating the interaction between the Warp and the material universe, possessing abilities related to teleportation.
He came from House Borgkamp, generations of psychic artisans. He was the Legion's premier psychic artisan.
As a Beyonder on the Door Pathway, he was the most suitable to continue this research.
"By your will."
Santiago took the data-crystal and bowed respectfully.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu