Osiris's mechanical form emitted an almost imperceptible adjusting whir from its servo motors as his multi-layered optical sensors focused squarely on the Aeldari Ranger's projection.
He did not respond directly to the insinuation regarding his personal dilemma, instead inquiring in his characteristically stable synthetic voice: "Lady Elendire, prophecy is always saturated with metaphor. You claim to offer assistance; what, specifically, can you provide?"
Elendire nodded marginally, a look of worldly composure tracing her features. "In ancient times, during the glorious epoch before our empire collapsed into the jaws of its own arrogance and darkness, moving the stars and navigating between the constellations was no difficult feat for the Aeldari."
Her words sent a ripple of precise calculation through Osiris's core logic.
The Aeldari—these ancient and enigmatic xenos—the technological heights achieved by their empire before it was buried in the dust of history were things Osiris naturally understood all too well. Moving the stars? Far more than that; legend held that at their zenith, they could alter physical constants at whim and toy with entire solar systems in the palm of their hand.
Elendire's insinuation at this moment did not uncover an unknown secret, but rather precisely reminded him of a possibility he had temporarily shelved.
"Moving the stars—" Osiris's synthetic voice smoothly repeated, betraying not a shred of embarrassment at having his dilemma pointed out. Instead, he sounded like a scholar reviewing a familiar thesis. "Yes, I am acquainted with the Aeldari achievements in webway technology and reality-weaving. Fragments of those entombed arts undoubtedly survive."
His optical lenses remained steadily focused on Elendire's psychic projection as his internal logical threads reconstructed his plans at an unprecedented velocity.
The rudimentary shape of a bolder, more thorough strategy began to coalesce: if projecting large-scale forces across dimensions was highly expensive and carried massive risks, why not shift the approach entirely? If the Aeldari technology—or some ancient relic they possessed—could provide a sufficiently powerful spatial anchor and dimensional traction...
Then, directly "peeling" the target planet, or a critical sector of it, away from Pandora's dimension and "dragging" it into the Warhammer universe would solve the problem once and for all.
This would not only thoroughly eradicate any latent threat of retaliation from the Predators, but it would also bring the homeworld of this martial species, their complete technology tree, and their entire biological population firmly under his control.
When that time came, the hunting technology accumulated over millennia by the Predators, their unique biological enhancements, and the physiological mysteries anchoring their longevity would—alongside Pandora's Eywa network and superconducting mineral veins—constitute an invaluable treasury of strategic resources.
Risks? They certainly existed. But the yield—would be the complete value of two worlds.
Elendire keenly captured the fleeting, cold, and grand concept flashing through Osiris's consciousness. A subtle trace of astonishment flickered across her elegant face, rapidly dissolving into a deeper realization.
"The prophecy guided me to your presence, Lord Magos. It appears to be even more... precise than I anticipated. What you conceive touches upon ancient taboos, yet it is not entirely impossible."
Osiris's mechanical frame emitted a low hum—the sound of energy accelerating through his core conduits.
"Prophecy is your guidance, while resources and knowledge are my driving forces. Lady Elendire, we might as well speak openly. Ulthwé perceives the necessity of collaborating with me to address the 'exploration' involving your species' destiny. And I perceive the possibility of leveraging ancient Aeldari wisdom to resolve my current resource dilemma. We each have our demands."
His tone remained unhurried, as if discussing a routine laboratory operation rather than a grand tapestry involving the displacement of stars.
"Therefore, I look forward to the specific form of Ulthwé's sincerity. In the endeavor of bringing distant radiance into my collection, in what manner do you intend to provide support?"
Elendire tilted her head slightly, the light of her psychic projection flowing like a clear spring under the moon.
"When the sea of stars requires rearrangement, those forgotten ancient arts may provide you with the necessary fulcrum," her voice carried the melodic rhythm characteristic of the Aeldari. "But before we deliberate on how to move the stars, Lord Magos, Ulthwé desires to confirm precisely where that promised dawn resides. The prophecy proclaims you possess the power to alter the trajectory of destiny; we yearn to know how you will point out a path of return for those who drift through eternity, escaping the pursuit of darkness?"
The sounds of precise calculations echoed inside Osiris's mechanical chassis, regular and orderly like the movement of the spheres. Within his massive logical core, countless possibilities were calmly deduced and weighed.
He knew perfectly well the deepest desire of this ancient species—what they pursued across generations was to break free from the eternal curse of the dark entity that fed upon their souls. Throughout the Aeldari's ten-thousand-year history of exile, every attempt had merely delayed that fate, never eradicating it.
Following a rigorous logical deduction, the ultimate solution was already clear: only by leaving this universe, which was thoroughly permeated by the powers of Chaos, and proceeding to a dimension where the tentacles of the Dark Gods could not reach, could that eternal curse be fundamentally severed.
This realization happened to align perfectly in essence with the cross-dimensional "transport" initiative he was orchestrating. Two seemingly independent trajectories generated a marvelous resonance at this moment.
This was not merely a transaction; it was a precise strategic layout. Osiris realized that the dimensional technology he held happened to satisfy the most fundamental demand of the Aeldari, while the ancient stellar sorcery of the xenos would become the critical catalyst for realizing his grand blueprint. Two advanced civilizations, each taking what they required, reached an unprecedented covenant within this vast sea of stars.
"The eternal hunt originates from the nature of the hunting ground," Osiris's synthetic voice was as stable as ever, sketching the prospect with the most restrained metaphor. "If a drifting fleet can locate a tranquil sea unperturbed by storms, it will naturally rid itself of the predators trailing behind. If your arts can truly assist me in executing the 're-drawing of the star charts,' then within that newly charted sector, delineating a permanent safe harbor for a 'wandering fleet' is by no means non-negotiable."
Elendire's projection exhibited an exceptionally minute fluctuation, as if a stone had been cast into a placid lake. She understood the full weight embedded within Osiris's words—it meant an entire Craftworld, a branch of the Aeldari race, could potentially attain eternal salvation. This far exceeded the initial expectations of her journey.
"A sea unperturbed by storms..." she murmured softly, her ethereal voice carrying an unmaskable tremor. "Lord Magos, the blueprint you depict—its significance is far too profound. A choice involving the navigational trajectory of an entire species' destiny is by no means something I can resolve alone. I must report your 'promise' and 'star chart' in their entirety to the helmsmen of Ulthwé and the Farseers who watch over the river of destiny."
A brief silence drifted between the two of them, punctuated only by the faint sounds of the precise machinery operating within Osiris. This conversation had touched the core; a covenant involving the destiny of two worlds and two civilizations was slowly unfolding. Osiris had displayed his leverage, and the Aeldari required time to weigh this opportunity that could rewrite their ten-thousand-year history of exile.