"The Lethal Death-Star—"
Blazkowicz gazed up at the unbelievable artificial marvel, his lips moving slightly as he whispered the operational code of the astropathic directive.
"Communication request incoming." The calm, simulated voice of the fortress's automated system broke the brief silence within the bridge.
"Bring it through." Blazkowicz sat back upon his Blackstone Throne, the shock fading from his heroic features, replaced by his usual calm and majestic bearing.
He looked out beyond the sloped crystalline viewing ports of the pyramid. The defensive shields of the Rangdan void-port had long been active, enveloping all the orbital facilities. Secure behind this barrier, the Rangdan Overlord clearly felt completely untouchable.
The holographic display flared to life, and two silhouettes materialized in the air.
Lion El'Jonson's majestic features were drawn tight, seemingly expressionless, but a deep gravity lay hidden within his forest-green eyes. Staring at the titanic colossus, the Lion found himself momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
The automated systems of the Blackstone Fortress had already run the calculations: even if both fortresses combined their firepower, they could not shake that iron planet in the slightest. The gravitational pull of the neutron star was immensely powerful, anchoring physical laws in its vicinity. This would severely suppress their Warp power sources, heavily compromising the destructive yield of their vortex cannons.
The two Primarch brothers looked at each other across the holographic projection, an absolute weight settling in their eyes.
The meaning behind the astropathic transmission was abstract, but the Emperor's underlying command was entirely self-evident—they were to attempt the destruction of this Rangdan World Engine.
"Heh!"
As the communication link stabilized, light particles coalesced into an image, accompanied by an immediate, mocking sneer.
As the projection of the Rangdan Overlord crystallized, its peculiar accent echoed through the bridge, entirely devoid of urgency, carrying only an untouchable, leisurely smugness: "Welcome, human Primarchs."
"Do you see the miraculous creation I designed and oversaw?"
Seeing the solemn expressions of the human Primarchs, the creature felt an immense wave of gratification. Its heavy, dark-green cranium bobbed up and down, the tentacles beneath its head flaring as a mocking smile filled its crimson eyes: "Why so serious? Navigating across the sea of stars to locate my race's secret construction facility... you should be ecstatic."
"Or has the World Engine made you tremble so violently that you have forgotten how to express emotion?"
Its tone was utterly triumphant, completely disregarding the two Blackstone Fortresses. Inside the World Engine, the Creator spat its mockery, its psychic fluctuations radiating boundless arrogance. The grave expressions the humans wore were the perfect reflection of the World Engine's supreme power.
The human fleets had ravaged the territories of the Empire for months, slipping away from the encirclement of over a hundred hunter-killer fleets and brutally trampling the dignity of the Rangdan species. Now, that insult was being repaid in full!
The human fortresses had traveled across the galaxy only to find their objective completely unshakeable. How exquisite was this futility?
The Creator mocked its guests without restraint. It was entirely unconcerned; the World Engine was nearing completion, and its shield systems would never drop, leaving absolutely no defensive vulnerability. The human raiders could do nothing but watch as the World Engine dragged the neutron star inward to complete its final assembly!
Once the neutron star settled into the core, the World Engine would wield the very laws of physics. It would manipulate gravity and warp spacetime, forcing the universe to bow beneath its absolute might, channeling the primal forces of nature to annihilate hostile species.
"Creator," Blazkowicz spoke before the Lion could open his mouth. He feared his eldest brother might act on impulse, provoking the Rangdan Overlord into launching an immediate attack. Given the current situation, there was still a sliver of an opening to exploit.
The Lion's parted lips slowly closed, temporarily suppressing the fury burning in his chest, allowing the foul xenos to carry on its bluster. His patience was born out of respect for his brother. Had it not been for Blazkowicz's subtle glance, the Lion would have unleashed a roar to shatter the petty triumphs of this alien scum. Even if the mission proved impossible, he would never retreat in a war of words.
"Creator," Blazkowicz's tone was calm, like a pool of stagnant water, offering the Rangdan Overlord absolutely no emotional leverage. He addressed the alien ruler by its title without any overt disdain, as if no bitter blood existed between them, greeting it like a stranger encountered on a road.
"What insightful thoughts do you have to offer?" The alien ruler hovered high, the holographic display replicating its posture to make it look down upon them. Its inquiry was steeped in contempt; holding an invincible hand, it put its ultimate arrogance on full display.
"Your fortress appears unshakeable?" Blazkowicz inquired in a level tone, his right hand clad in the Archon armor as a green radiance seeped along the armrest of the throne, permeating deep into the Blackstone Fortress.
[AN EXTERNAL CONSCIOUSNESS HAS ENTERED THE BLACKSTONE. EXECUTE EXPULSION?]
The automated system of the Blackstone Fortress made no audible sound, but a string of characters appeared in the corner of Blazkowicz's vision, inquiring how the supreme authority wished to proceed.
[OPEN OBSERVATION ACCESS]
With a mere thought, Blazkowicz silently opened the Blackstone Fortress's arrays to the Void Dragon. He wanted the master of the material universe to analyze the megastructure and see if a flaw could be uncovered within the World Engine.
The sensors of the Blackstone Fortress began to churn, the purple psychic glow blending with lines of green physical code as they commenced their observation of the artificial world.
The Lion caught this subtle maneuver, and the shadow of worry across his brow eased slightly. Though the harvest might be minuscule, taking action was far better than doing nothing.
"Appears unshakeable?" The Creator's hollow, bizarre accent suddenly spiked in volume. It descended from its high posture, drawing closer to Blazkowicz within the display, fury burning brightly within its crimson eyes: "Appears?"
The Overlord detected a skeptical insult within the Primarch's choice of words. The World Engine was its masterpiece, and it would tolerate no doubt. The humans could tremble beneath its might all they wished, but they held no right to slander it.
"It does not appear unshakeable," the Creator snapped harshly. "The World Engine is flawless! It is unshakeable without qualification!"
"The space fortresses you rely on to run rampant across the Rangdan Empire are as fragile as children's toys before it."
"Once this masterpiece is complete, its neutron star heart will require but a single, trivial pulse to utterly erase you from the physical world."
The Rangdan Overlord's eyes were filled with pure scorn, its voice echoing through the Blackstone hall: "Stow your ignorant doubts. Before you are crushed into nothingness by its might, you may praise the World Engine aloud."
Its words flowed incessantly, saturated with an arrogance and a speed entirely uncharacteristic of the Rangdan race. Having thoroughly spent its venom, the Creator hovered high, looking down upon the human Primarchs with absolute disdain.
"I believe that is impossible." Blazkowicz shook his head with an earnest expression. The slights and contempt failed to sway him, and his response remained entirely rational: "The future may be uncertain, but at present, neither the Rangdan nor humanity has achieved perfection in engineering. We can only do our best to balance functionality."
"How many hidden hazards exist within the creation you pride yourself on? You know the answer to that question better than anyone."
His response was grounded in science and logic—measured, honest, and entirely free of racial bias. What Blazkowicz spoke was the absolute truth. The laws of the universe were clear and definitive: for every gain, there must be a loss. Theoretical science could offer extreme examples to illustrate the absolute limits of knowledge, but engineering creations could not; they had to obey physical laws.
The Old Ones had mastered the path of balance long ago, which was why their understanding of creation vastly surpassed that of any race that followed. The Aeldari were a prime example—they had inherited the mantle of the Old Ones, yet squandered sixty million years, ultimately destroying themselves on the extremes of psyche and indulgence.
Blazkowicz's sincere words struck the Creator into silence. The alien ruler fixed a serious gaze upon him before finally speaking: "From a scientific perspective, you are entirely correct."
"From a scientific perspective, you are right." It nodded, acknowledging the scientific rigor, before immediately reverting to its haughty visage: "But I am a Rangdan Overlord, and you are a human Primarch. Why should I agree with you?"
"Deficiencies do indeed exist. You wish to exploit those flaws, but will you truly get what you desire?"
The Creator raised a single tentacle, speaking dismissively: "By calculation, in less than one Terran day, we will complete the assembly. The World Engine will awaken within the galaxy."
"If you do not flee quickly, your final fate will be to serve as the sacrificial offerings for its awakening."
It looked at Blazkowicz, flicking its tentacle with disdain: "The intelligence has been given to you, clever Primarch."
"You wished to bait me into speaking, and I am entirely willing to share this achievement. But how exactly do you intend to face the awakening leviathan?"
With that, the Rangdan Overlord severed the holographic communication.
"Time is running out..." The mocking echo lingered within the Blackstone hall.
The moment the link cut, the Lion spoke immediately: "Brother, what are your thoughts?"
"It spoke the truth. According to the fortress calculations, there are exactly twenty Terran hours left before the neutron star settles into the core of the World Engine."
"Once that happens, this leviathan will awaken completely..."
The Lion did not finish the sentence. If the World Engine achieved full operational status, it would spell an absolute catastrophe for the Human Imperium.
Blazkowicz nodded. How could he not understand the consequences? After a moment of profound thought, he said: "Adjust the vessels' posture. We will launch a probing attack first."
"The Blackstone Fortresses will execute a coordinated strike. We need to make a move to draw their attention."
"The Creator has not ordered the defensive platforms to engage out of pure arrogance and disdain, treating this as a performance test for the World Engine. We should not disappoint it."
"If we fail to react for too long, it will cause the alien Overlord to overthink, which might drive it to launch a proactive assault against us instead."
"As things stand, let us proceed with that." The Lion let out a heavy sigh, harboring little hope as he disconnected the holographic link.