In the soaring spires of Siluria Hive, Lord Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines and Regent of Vigilus, sat within his grand sanctum. He was surrounded by holographic tactical displays and data-slates, his mind a whirlwind of logistics as he refined the world's defenses against the encroaching shadow of the Black Crusade.
An urgent astropathic pulse broke his concentration. It was a private channel from the Rogue Trader, Merlin Emrys.
"Has the boy not departed for the warp yet?"
Calgar's brow furrowed beneath his iron halo. He signaled for the link to be opened, wondering if the young Rogue Trader had stumbled into yet another catastrophe.
"Lord Calgar," Emrys' voice crackled through the projection. The boy's face was partially obscured by deep shadows, but he wore a smile that was uncharacteristically polite. "My apologies for the late hour. There is a matter regarding the preservation of Vigilus that requires your personal... oversight."
The casual tone Calgar usually reserved for Emrys vanished. "Speak. What has occurred?"
"It's like this, Lord Regent." Emrys paused, his gaze shifting as if measuring the weight of his next words. "I have devised a plan to cripple Abaddon's vanguard before they can even establish orbit. But it requires your absolute cooperation."
Cripple the Chaos fleet? Calgar leaned forward, his interest piqued despite himself. "Detail your strategy."
"First," Emrys coughed, looking suddenly sheepish. "You must promise me two things. Regardless of whether you agree, you cannot strike me down where I stand, and you must never reveal that this plan originated with me."
If the galaxy's "Blue Sons"—the hundreds of successor Chapters of the Ultramarines—ever learned that someone had used their Gene-Father's greatest living champion as a worm on a hook, the Emrys Dynasty would be hunted to the ends of the universe.
"You are trying to scheme against me again, aren't you?" Calgar's voice was like grinding stone. He was a veteran of a thousand wars and a master of statecraft; he knew a political smokescreen when he saw one.
"To suggest such a thing wounds my spirit, Lord Calgar!" Emrys said, feigning a look of profound betrayal, even going so far as to hide his face behind his sleeve. "I have bled for the Throne! I am a pillar of Imperial virtue!"
"Enough," Calgar sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Stop the theatrics. I have given my word. I will hear your plan."
Emrys' face instantly smoothed into a mask of cold professionalism. "I am humbled by your wisdom, Lord Master. It is truly an honor to serve alongside a titan of the Imperium."
"Speak before I lose my patience!" Calgar snapped.
"Very well. My house has recently recovered a... specialized ordnance from the Dark Age," Emrys explained. "A weapon capable of an orbital strike so devastating it creates localized singularities. It can hollow out a battleship from the inside. Even if it doesn't kill the Despoiler, it will leave his fleet in tatters."
"...And the 'but'?" Calgar sneered. He knew Rogue Traders; there was always a catch.
"The 'but' is the targeting," Emrys admitted, giving a sharp thumbs-up as if praising Calgar's intuition. "The weapon requires the target to appear at a precise, pre-set coordinate. We cannot chase Abaddon's fleet; we must make him come to us."
"And how do you intend to direct the Warmaster of Chaos like a grox to the slaughter?" Calgar asked, and then he saw the look in Emrys' eyes. His optics flickered. "You... you intend to use me as the bait."
"Bait is such a harsh word," Emrys said sheepishly. "I prefer to think of it as you piloting your flagship, the Gauntlet of Power, into a highly visible, 'vulnerable' patrol route near the warp-rift for a few days."
"You want me... to wander into the teeth of the Black Crusade?"
Calgar was stunned. For a moment, he genuinely wondered if Emrys had been corrupted by the Warp. This wasn't just a risk; it was a tactical suicide mission that went against every tenet of the Codex Astartes.
If the Regent of Vigilus were captured or killed, the morale of the defenders would collapse instantly. It would be a catastrophe that could derail the Primarch's upcoming Indomitus Crusade.
"I am aware of the danger," Emrys said, his playful demeanor vanishing entirely. "But Lord Calgar, this is the only way to decapitate the threat before it reaches the surface. Abaddon is arrogant. He believes he is the apex predator of this system. If he sees the Lord of Macragge exposed, he will not be able to resist the chance for a decapitation strike."
Calgar remained silent. His armored fingers drummed a rapid, rhythmic beat on the plasteel table. He was weighing the lives of millions against his own.
"We have two advantages Abaddon does not know of," Emrys pressed. "First, he is unaware of the 'space bridge' technology I have secured, which will allow you to evacuate your flagship the moment the trap is sprung. Second, he believes his informers in the Vigilance Fortress are still his. He will jump to the coordinates they provide, thinking he is ambushing you."
Vigilus could not fall. The Nachmund Gauntlet was the only stable path through the Great Rift. If this planet died, half the Imperium would be lost to the dark.
"I agree," Calgar said finally. He closed his eyes, his voice heavy with the burden of command. "Merlin Emrys, I am placing the fate of this world, and my own life, in your hands. Do not fail me. Do not fail the Emperor."
"I swear it, Lord Calgar," Emrys promised, his voice echoing with a rare, somber weight. "I will not fail."