In the turbulent Warp, a magnificent, sacred, church-like vessel, laden with structures, sailed with difficulty like a lone boat amidst the raging waves of the sea!
"Severe fluctuations detected!"
"Warning! If we do not exit the 'Mandeville Point' soon, we are highly likely to crash into a Warp storm!"
"Continue."
An old and weathered voice gave the command.
Resolute and unwavering!
"Signs of Chaos infiltration found in the lower compartments!"
"Send the boarding party to deal with it." The old man, leaning on a desk, was dressed in opulent noble attire, his hair white, his gaze indifferent, and he remained unmoved: "Tell Charles... in these special times, leave no one alive, kill them all. I don't want any accidents on the Excalibur!"
"Your command has been relayed... lord Arthur."
"But I sincerely advise you, it would be best to exit the Warp as soon as possible, otherwise, under the influence of the severe storm, we are very likely to completely lose our direction."
"I said... continue."
Arthur's decision remained unchanged.
After a brief half-second of silence, the machine spirit of the Excalibur suggested in a cold, mechanical voice: "lord Arthur, you are the only one with the 'Emrys' bloodline. If anything happens to you, it will mean... this bloodline, which has continued since the Great Crusade, will be completely severed."
Arthur, expressionless, turned to look at the location of the machine spirit and said indifferently: "You've been unusually talkative today... who told you to say that?"
"It was the High Lords of Terra, the Head of the Departmento Munitorum, the Fabricator-General of Mars, and the Inquisitorial Representative, three councilors, who asked me to convey to you... the sole possessor of the Emrys bloodline should not risk venturing to the front lines."
The machine spirit of the Excalibur stated truthfully.
The High Lords of Terra, twelve in total, are the most powerful representatives of the human race, managing almost all affairs within the Imperium in the Emperor's name!
It can be said that... for the ten millennia since the Emperor ascended the Golden Throne, it has been the High Lords who have controlled and strenuously maintained this almost rusted 'colossal machine'!
Each High Lord is undeniably immensely powerful; any money, bribes, etc., hold no meaning for those of this status.
Indeed, many nobles would pay a huge price just to meet a High Lord, yet failed to do so.
"Heh... are they really that kind?" However, facing the 'High Lords' whom ordinary people, and even most planetary governors and noble knightly families, would rarely see in their lifetime, Arthur displayed a thought-provoking disdain.
"Do you know..."
The old man rubbed his forehead as if tired, and said with a complex tone: "They are not worried about me, nor will they worry about 'Emrys'. They are just eager... to crawl over the corpse of 'Emrys', greedily gnawing at the flesh and blood, and sucking the marrow from the bones!"
"I can understand your feelings, lord Arthur."
The voice of the Excalibur also seemed to deepen considerably.
It is the machine spirit of the Excalibur; once the main bloodline of the 'Emrys' dynasty is severed, it means... this Conqueror-class cruiser will completely lose its Master!
No one can pilot it anymore.
And having lost the last 'Conqueror-class cruiser', the 'Emrys' dynasty will never again have the chance to return to that black domain.
"The Emrys Dynasty... should not fall!"
Arthur secretly clenched his fists, his tone low and resolute, his eyes gleaming with a terrifying cold light: "I promise you, the great 'Emrys' Rogue Trader Dynasty will never be cut off, and will never... disappear!"
With that, he closed his eyes.
For the short fifteen-day journey, he had once again forcibly ordered the ship into the Warp to arrive as quickly as possible.
The terrifying Warp tides, imbued with the malice of Chaos, constantly sought to invade the ship.
However, they were all blocked by the Geller Field!
The boarding party streamed into the lower deck, slaughtering the indentured laborers, eliminating all of them, whether infected by Chaos or not, leaving no survivors!
"May the Emperor protect..."
Arthur clutched the medal on his chest, praying to the Master of Mankind, far away on Terra, high in the depths of the Imperial Palace, on the Golden Throne: "Protect me, Arthur Emrys, so that I may exit the Warp and find the heir of 'Emrys'!"
Whether his prayer truly worked, he did not know.
The surging Warp storm actually began to calm down, and from the turbulent Chaos tides, a clear, visible, safe, and stable navigation route was suddenly opened!
"lord Arthur... a safe channel has been found, and we are about to exit the 'Mandeville Point'!"
The next moment, the massive Conqueror-class cruiser, accompanied by violent tremors, emerged from the turbulent Warp!
Boom!
In the dark universe, the Excalibur appeared!
And not far in front of the ship was the target world of this journey, the Hive world of Roselle!
"Lord Arthur, a contact is incoming!"
The machine spirit of the Excalibur immediately restored the communication array, which was then instantly filled with dense information!
"Esteemed Master of the Emrys Rogue Trader Dynasty, lord Arthur Emrys. I am Roddy Kuhl, Commander of the Cadian 6th Regiment, with eight full companies under my command, and by order of the Lord General, we are about to arrive at world Roselle!"
"Esteemed lord Arthur Emrys, I am Raymond Polian, Captain of the 2nd Company of the 'Watchers' Chapter, and by order of the Chapter Master, I am en route to world Roselle, to burn out the heretics in the Emperor's name!"
"In the name of the God-Emperor, the Astra Militarum's 17th Legion, by order of the Departmento Munitorum, is en route to world Roselle, estimated arrival time... seven days later!"
Other information was mostly filtered out, only the most important few were broadcast by the machine spirit of the Excalibur.
But the filtered information did not mean it was unimportant; it was merely too far away.
One must know that even though the Emrys Dynasty had fallen, its influence was still astonishing!
Even in the filtered information, there were mentions of Archmagos of the Dark Mechanicum, Fabricator-Generals of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and a certain Chaos Astartes Chapter.
Of course, there was also a 'special' message, but it was not directly broadcast.
Gazing at that message, Arthur remained silent for a long time, and did not reply.
"Prepare the drop pods!" Arthur, like a roused tiger, his eyes flashing fiercely, stared at the barren world and sternly said: "The target must be found, at all costs!"
Merlin Emrys... if you truly inherited the bloodline of 'Emrys', then survive.
Like your ancestors, the great founder of the 'Emrys' Dynasty, follow the Emperor's crusade across the galaxy, burning countless heretics!
Recreate that miracle!
Make the Emrys Dynasty great again!