Eldrad's grim warning sent a chill down everyone's spine. The urgency of their pursuers suggested that Abaddon the Despoiler was onto their plan. It was entirely possible he'd sent a strike force to Macragge to nip their mission in the bud.
They wasted no time. After a quick battlefield sweep, they began salvaging their military transports. Amalrich, the other Imperial heroes, and the senior officers of the Ynnari Warhost were all invited aboard the Imperial Glory. They would travel by warship to make a beeline for Macragge.
The moment Daniel set foot on the boarding deck, Arale zipped out. Her face was bright with excitement; she was practically bouncing with the urge to claim her reward. "Arale did good, Master! She knocked that mean old guy into a million pieces!"
The sight of Arale stopped Eldrad, Yvraine and the rest of the Aeldari cold. They immediately sensed the raw power of the C'tan—the Star Gods—emanating from the little angelic girl's projection. Their eyes narrowed with visceral hatred. The Visarch even drew his triskele sword, slipping into a ready combat posture.
"She is under my protection, gentlemen. What exactly is the problem?" Daniel's voice was low, carrying a clear warning to the Aeldari. Arale, sensing the shift in mood, quickly hid behind Daniel's legs.
Yvraine declared, "She is a Star-Devourer, the eternal foe of all sentient life. Don't fall for her act. These creatures are treacherous and utterly untrustworthy."
"Chaos is the greatest threat looming over the galaxy," Daniel shot back. "The Eye of Terror is gaping wide, the Dark Gods are riding high, and we need to pull every available resource into this fight."
"You expect us to make peace with our ancient enemies?" The Visarch's voice was strained. He tightened his grip on the Silent Screaming Sword, ready to cross the line.
"You yourselves were our mortal enemies not long ago, yet here we stand, shoulder-to-shoulder against Chaos," Daniel countered, raising his voice and planting himself firmly in front of Arale. "Arale is a newborn; she has no skin in your ancient wars."
"Stand down!" The Dreadnought Thaddeus roared, leveling his heavy bolter at the Aeldari. He had Daniel's back, trusting the Guide and Arale far more than he trusted any xenos.
The distant players were glued to the developing drama, their faces alight with a mix of curiosity and eager anticipation. Was the Guide about to go another round with the Aeldari? The thought alone made them buzz with excitement.
Celestine and Amalrich exchanged a subtle glance. The Battle-Sisters and Black Templars prepared to jump into the fray. Cawl mentally ran the numbers on the probability of a full-blown firefight.
His attending Skitarii scanned the area, their laser rifles glowing menacingly. The air was thick with tension; the fragile alliance was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
"For the sake of the galaxy, let's bury the hatchet." Greyfax cut in. She was throwing the Aeldari's own words right back in their faces.
Eldrad and the others were taken aback, clearly embarrassed. They couldn't argue; it was their go-to line. Watching the Aeldari leaders fold, a slight, victorious smirk played on Greyfax's lips. She felt a rush of satisfaction. Standing on the moral high ground and demanding sacrifices "for the greater good"—it felt pretty great! No wonder these xenos were so fond of that trick.
Eldrad studied Arale, who was cautiously peeking out from behind Daniel. "She's a different ballgame. Star-Devourers cannot naturally interface with psychic energy, yet I sense the raw power of the Empyrean within her." Eldrad's observation immediately put the Visarch and Yvraine on high alert.
The power of the C'tan was undeniable. Their sole Achilles' heel was their inability to perceive the Warp. If this sole weakness had been patched up, didn't that mean the little angel girl before them had potential that blew every other C'tan out of the water? If she reached full maturity, she could effectively be a deity in both the material universe and the Warp.
"Arale and I are joined at the hip. An attack on her is an attack on me," Daniel stated, staring down the Aeldari leaders. "I'm reaching across the aisle to offer you my sincere cooperation, and you're turning your blades on my ward?"
"We are only targeting her," Yvraine retorted, pointing at Arale.
Eldrad remained silent, running a risk-benefit analysis. He noted that Arale's eyes lacked the ancient C'tan's greed and cosmic hunger; instead, they held a childlike innocence and simple ignorance.
"Please forgive our lack of discretion," Eldrad finally conceded. "The war between the Aeldari and the C'tan caused unimaginable devastation for our species, so seeing Arale triggered an instinctual reaction. We saw an enemy."
Eldrad ordered Yvraine and the other Aeldari to stand down and holster their hostility toward Arale. Chaos was the five-alarm fire right now; the C'tan was a long-term problem. Besides, if a new C'tan was born, the Aeldari wouldn't be the ones losing the most sleep. That dubious honor belonged to the Necrons, who had betrayed the C'tan long ago.
With the hatchet buried, the fleet got underway, hauling ass toward Macragge. During the voyage, Daniel pitched the idea to Celestine, Amalrich, and the others that they provide training and guidance to the Saints (the players).
Upon getting their enthusiastic green light, Daniel provided them with a few key instructions, like explaining the Contribution Point system and how to communicate with the Saints. Once everything was squared away, Daniel dropped a major update notice.
Update Notice:
1: New Faction: The Aeldari (Eldar). An ancient species that had an unbelievably glorious empire. Their downfall came when their decadent excess birthed the Chaos God Slaanesh—the God of Lust—leading to the complete collapse of their civilization.
They are now known as the Ynnari (the Death Army), who seek to awaken the final Aeldari God, Ynnead, to fight Slaanesh. The expanding Eye of Terror has forced them into an uneasy alliance with the Imperium.
Their true motives are still a black box. The Imperium needs their firepower, but Imperial forces must keep their eyes peeled to prevent the Aeldari from triggering an even bigger catastrophe.
2: New Tier-1 NPCs:
Celestine: The Living Saint, who serves the God-Emperor with fierce devotion. Speak to her about the true nature of faith or the combat doctrines of the Adepta Sororitas (Battle Sisters).
Amalrich: Marshal of the Black Templars. A decorated veteran and a master swordsman. You can challenge him to spar and trade tips on melee combat.
Greyfax: Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, a terrifyingly powerful psyker. She was once a prisoner in the notorious collection of the Necron Overlord Trazyn the Infinite. You can learn about advanced psychic disciplines from her.
Belisarius Cawl: The Archmagos Dominus of the Adeptus Mechanicus. This ancient entity has seen ten millennia pass and holds the keys to vast troves of forbidden knowledge. Accept missions from him to gain access to that cutting-edge technology.
3: Faction Reputation System Activated. Earn enough favor with the Aeldari to unlock unique rewards. Word of caution: going overboard to curry favor with the xenos may seriously tick off the Imperial heroes, leading to negative reputation with them.
+++Daily Thought: A life of devotion may touch eternity, but eternity's end is always death.+++
The notice hit the official forums and instantly blew up.
Master Warmaster: "I haven't logged in yet, how come there's an update?"
MC Mythology: "New NPCs released? We're still working like slaves in our hometown, and you've already flown to Macragge?"
The Rectification Protocol: "I'm gnashing my teeth. Why didn't I get a spot in the internal testing?"
GuillimanRules: "The people upstairs are sad for nothing, I am the most miserable one."
Spaceking: "Brother Garry, I found something: the Aeldari are major hookups. Just now on the battlefield, Eldrad gave me a gift of Warp knowledge that immediately leveled up my skills."
Fulgrimnation: "Wait, what did you do to deserve a reward?"
Spaceking: "I have no clue. Maybe they think I use my psyker power too clumsily."
Master Warmaster: "Seriously? That's something you get rewarded for?"
IloveNurgle: "Looks like I need to show those bean sprouts what I'm made of. My request isn't high: just a Wraithknight, and we're good."
Kabanda: "Pipe down, mate. Wraithknights are piloted by dead Aeldari souls. What are you gonna do with one?"
IloveNurgle: "I'm furious! When are the Aeldari going to get over their racial bias??"
Garry: "I'm curious: can we, like, romance the Aeldari? I think Eldrad has a certain charm."
Director: "If you had feelings for Yvraine, or wanted to play Minotaur and steal the Regent's woman, I wouldn't bat an eye. But you're into Eldrad?"
Colonel Dutch: "XP can be gained through unconventional means, but not through wicked means."
While the "cloud players" and those logging in later were still tearing up the forums, the online players immediately jumped on the announcement. They sought out the Imperial heroes for training to sharpen their combat skills.
Amalrich, in particular, spent a lot of time sparring with challengers. Taking a cue from Thaddeus, Amalrich even put a duel reward on the line: anyone who could beat him would earn a legitimate Black Templars combat blade.
This lit a fire under the players, who trained until they were either utterly drained or out of Contribution Points. Daniel also handed the Astartes recruits over to Amalrich, giving him command authority to whip them into shape.
Every time a sacrificed player resurrected in front of the shrine, the gaze of the Sisters of Battle from the Order of Our Martyred Lady grew more intensely pious toward both the Saints and Daniel. Clearly, if those Chaos Daemons could be banished and return, then the Emperor's Saints could certainly bounce back, too.
Meanwhile, Inquisitor Greyfax, with the technical assistance of Archmagos Cawl, began the removal of the dreaded Binding Scarab left by Trazyn the Infinite. The device was a failsafe, intended to force her compliance in a crisis.
Daniel chipped in with his purification skills, erasing the psychic residue and technical damage left by the Necron technology, allowing her to get back to her fighting weight. This earned Daniel a small, but notable, bump in Greyfax's trust—but she was still a long way from being a true believer.
After several days of hard warp-running, they finally reached the Macragge system. The brightest jewel of the Ultramar Sector had been plunged into all-out war. The defending Imperial Fleet was fighting tooth and nail in orbit against a massive Chaos armada composed of the Black Legion, Iron Warriors, the Purge, and the Night Lords.
Chaos warlords like Warsmith Honsou and Daemon Prince M'kar were leading the assault. Hundreds of warships were locked in a deadly, slow-motion ballet in the void. Lance beams and massed shell impacts filled the darkness, turning the orbital battlefield into a terrifying kill-zone.
Sha ordered their small fleet to plunge into the fray, creating a much-needed diversion for the Imperial Glory to punch through the blockade. The enemy took notice immediately. Several enemy capital ships broke formation and vectored toward them, aiming to bottle them up.
"In the Emperor's name, break them!" Daniel roared the order.
Meanwhile, in Hera's Fortress on Macragge.
"Chapter Master, a new contact is approaching the system perimeter," a voice reported over the comms from low orbit.
"More reinforcements for the traitors?" Chapter Master Calgar demanded.
"Negative, sir. Authentication data shows the lead vessel belongs to the Imperial Navy's Solar Fleet. We are also registering two Space Marine Chapters aboard: the Astral Knights and the Black Templars. They are requesting immediate dock clearance."