Out of the tiger's den and straight into the wolf pack.
If the fighting on Vigilus had been a localized nightmare, the ferocity of the Cryptus Shield campaign was a descent into the deepest circles of hell.
The legendary Commander Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, had led the Sons of Sanguinius to the Cryptus System to halt the Hive Mind's advance toward their homeworld, Baal. This campaign, raging across the threshold of the M41 and M42 eras, had already claimed hundreds of billions of lives. Countless Civilised Worlds, Industrial Worlds, and Feral Worlds had been reduced to scorched, lifeless husks.
Even at such a staggering cost, the Blood Angels had been unable to stop the relentless tide of Hive Fleet Leviathan. The coming Battle of Baal would soon turn the Blood Angels' own world into a wasteland, its population so depleted it would take a century to recover. Had Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade not arrived at the final hour, the birthplace of Sanguinius would have been consumed entirely.
Looking at General Ross's hopeful projection, Emrys felt a cold sweat break across his skin. As a transmigrator who knew the "history" of this universe, he knew these Blood Angels didn't represent a rescue—they represented the end.
"Praise the Emperor, the Blood Angels are here!" Carol shouted, unable to contain her relief. "We can land, effect repairs, and resupply. With the Angels of Death guarding the orbit, we are safe."
To her eyes, the sight of hundreds of Blood Red cruisers was a symbol of absolute security. Even Abaddon the Despoiler would hesitate before such a fleet. Carol's tactical judgment was sound, but she lacked the foresight of the tragedy to come.
"No. We are not landing," Emrys gritted out, his veins throbbing with the effort to stay calm. "Maintain high orbit. Do not power down the translation drives. Navigator, stay at your post. Signal the Blood Angels fleet immediately: Identify us as the Rogue Trader vessel Excalibur out of Vigilus. Request an urgent audience with Commander Dante. Now!"
His final command was a roar that echoed across the bridge.
Sensing the sheer desperation in his voice, Magos Carol hesitated for only a second. Seeing the grim set of Emrys' jaw, she realized the situation was far more dire than it appeared. "Understood, Lord Captain. Initiating psychic burst now."
Once Carol moved away, Thorzak—still disguised in his human skin—frowned. "The engines are held together by scraps and ancient prayers, human. They will not survive a long voyage. Planar landfall is the logical choice."
"And what if I told you," Emrys turned, his eyes dark with a shadow Thorzak hadn't seen before, "that this world will be a graveyard before the week is out? Would you still call it logical to land?"
"You mean... Exterminatus?" Thorzak had extracted enough data from captured Chaos Marines to understand the term. He tilted his head in confusion. "This is your own territory. Why would you scour your own worlds?"
Emrys let out a heavy, ragged sigh. "Because we are caught in the gears of a desperate war, and sometimes, the only way to kill the parasite is to burn the host."
Thorzak was about to press further when Carol hurried back, her face no longer relieved but pale and solemn. "Lord Captain, they have acknowledged our status. However, they have a condition. They ask that we use our cargo capacity to evacuate the Cadian regiments currently stationed on Bhikkhu."
"Agreed. Move the fleet into low orbit and prep the heavy transporters and Thunderhawks for immediate extraction," Emrys nodded. He wasn't surprised. Even when a world is marked for death, the Imperium tries to salvage its elite soldiers. These Cadians were worth more than a thousand PDF units.
As for the billions of civilians, the industrial tithes, and the infrastructure... to deny the Tyranids the biomass, they would all be left to burn. It was the cruel calculus of the Dark Imperium. Since the Great Rift opened, the galaxy had reverted to the chaos of the Age of Strife. This was why Guilliman had launched the Indomitus Crusade—to stitch the bleeding wounds of a divided empire back together.
"How many humans can your pocket dimension hold?" Emrys suddenly whispered to Thorzak.
"A few thousand, at most," Thorzak replied, his voice laced with disdain. "You surely aren't suggesting I host these vermin in my personal sub-space? They are less valuable than common ore."
"A few thousand is not enough..." Emrys muttered, weighing the risks. He had a trump card—a power he had been hesitant to reveal—but the cost of silence was thirty-eight billion lives.
His gaze fell upon Morgana. The girl was leaning against the viewport, looking down at the war-torn surface of Bhikkhu. Her face held a look of profound, angelic compassion that seemed far too heavy for a child. It was as if she were mourning for every soul below.
What am I hesitating for? Emrys thought, his resolve suddenly hardening. He was a Rogue Trader, a scion of the Merlin bloodline, and a chosen of the Emperor. If he couldn't protect his people, what use was all this power?
"Carol! Update orders to the fleet pilots. We aren't just picking up the Cadians. We are descending to the primary Hive ports!" Emrys' eyes blazed with a manic light.
Saving these people wouldn't just be an act of mercy; it would provide the strength needed for the eventual defense of Baal. Commander Dante and the Blood Angels would owe the House of Merlin a debt that could never be repaid.
"You intend to save them all?" Thorzak asked, his necrodermis shifting in a gesture of utter incomprehension. "Why? What benefit does this bring you?"
"You wouldn't understand, xenos," Emrys smiled, though his eyes remained fixed on the burning world below. "It's simple: because I am a son of Terra, and this is what we do."
"Tell the Blood Angels I need time. Five days!" Emrys took a deep breath. "Give me five days, and I will strip Bhikkhu of its population, its industry, and its pride before the fire falls!"
He didn't notice that as he spoke, Morgana turned away from the window. A faint, golden shimmer danced within her pupils as she watched him, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips.