"By the way," Sarah said suddenly, "Leo is still alive."
"What?"
"Word from the Frost-born," Sarah's voice carried a subtle hint of emotion. "He escaped into the ice fields with his personal guard while being hunted by Aiden. I dispatched the Wildling cavalry and the Frost-born to rescue him, and I even sent Quinn to assist."
She paused for a moment. "In the end, Quinn and Aiden took each other down."
This took Raynor by surprise.
"And then there's the Forbidden Wall," Sarah continued. "The generals of the Noble Council suddenly launched a mutiny, claiming that you and your subordinates had defected to Chaos. Most of the Vanguard didn't believe it, but some of the nobles' private militias did—or rather, they were prepared for a civil war from the start. A skirmish broke out."
"The low-level officers I control quickly organized the troops. Some stayed to hold back the rebels, while others charged out of the Forbidden Wall to find Leo. Right now, the fighting continues at the Wall, but the rebels are few in number; they shouldn't last much longer."
Listening to Sarah's narration, Raynor felt a surge of complex emotions. He had been trapped in Saint Gallus Castle, controlled by Callum and cut off from Sarah for only a few hours.
But in those few hours, look at how much Sarah had accomplished.
The moment she realized she couldn't reach him, she knew something was wrong. She didn't impulsively lead the Swarm to storm the Hive—that would have exposed everything and wasted precious time. Instead, she chose the smartest path: she went to Carter and Goodwin, letting the Ecclesiarchy take the lead.
She activated the Genestealer network to gather intelligence nonstop, commanded junior officers to counter the rebellion, and stabilized the Forbidden Wall. Simultaneously, she sent Wildlings and Frost-born across dozens of kilometers of frozen wasteland to rescue Leo, even controlling Quinn to arrive at the critical moment to trade his life for Leo's.
All of this was achieved independently while she was disconnected from him.
Raynor's eyes felt a bit warm. With a wife like this, what more could a man ask for?
He looked down at the mini-ripper on his shoulder. The little creature was huddled in his collar, only its two small compound eyes peeking out at him.
Sarah, he whispered in his heart.
Hmm? the cool, feminine voice responded.
A thousand words finally boiled down to just one sentence: I'm lucky to have you. Thank you.
The ripper's compound eyes squinted, and several pink bubbles—invisible to the naked eye but perceivable by Raynor—floated up from its head. Beside him, a faint smile appeared on Isod's face. It was gone in a flash, but Raynor caught it.
He smiled along with her.
After the mourning ceremony, Raynor found Goodwin. The Arch-Cardinal was standing at the edge of the plaza, watching the priests and sisters finishing their work. His face was weary, but mostly filled with a sense of relief.
"Arch-Cardinal," Raynor walked over. "I'd like to ask you about a few things."
Goodwin glanced at him and nodded. The two walked to a relatively quiet corner. Isod stood not far away, appearing to be on guard while actually using her psychic senses to ensure no one was eavesdropping.
"About the Saint Gallus family," Raynor got straight to the point. "Specifically, about Leo."
Goodwin sighed. "What do you want to ask?"
"Leo has been fighting at the Forbidden Wall this entire time. How could he possibly be branded with the crime of 'defecting to Chaos'? His military achievements, his prestige, the soldiers who went through life and death with him—do none of those count for anything?"
Goodwin was silent for a while before speaking. His voice was tired, carrying the helplessness of one who had seen too much of the world.
"Little Carey, you don't understand Saint Gallus. Or rather, you haven't seen Brevis clearly enough yet."
Raynor said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"Ever since I took over the position of Arch-Cardinal, the Adeptus Mechanicus has been acting... very strangely." Goodwin's gaze shifted toward the distance, in the direction of Saint Gallus Castle and the Mechanicus Temple. "But they aren't governed by the Ecclesiarchy. They aren't even truly governed by the Imperium."
He paused and asked, "Do you know what Brevis was originally?"
"An Industrial World," Raynor answered.
"Correct. An Industrial World—the domain of the Adeptus Mechanicus. To put it bluntly, we people of the Imperium are just eating their leftovers. If the Mechanicus hadn't yielded some power, we wouldn't have the right to govern Brevis at all."
Raynor listened quietly.
"Originally, the Mechanicus should have almost completely withdrawn centuries ago. After all, the mines were depleted and the factories were moved; there was no point in staying. But then..."
"The Saint Gallus family arrived," Raynor interjected.
"Yes. And they discovered something." Goodwin looked at Raynor, his eyes—usually capable of seeing through anything—now filled with pity. "You know what it was, don't you?"
Raynor nodded. "The STC."
Goodwin hummed in affirmation. "Once the STC surfaced, the Mechanicus returned like sharks scenting blood. They promised that as long as they were allowed to study the STC, they would provide technical support to the Great Bear of Saint Gallus and stop interfering with the Imperium's sovereignty over Brevis."
"So, the current situation is this: the Mechanicus exists independently of the Imperial hierarchy, with its own armed forces, resources, and technology. They've brought many benefits to Brevis, but at the same time..."
He didn't finish, but Raynor understood. When a group of people has its own weapons, resources, and tech while being exempt from Imperial oversight, no one can stop them from doing whatever they want.
"Furthermore," Goodwin continued, "every Saint Gallus Lord tasked with liaising with the Mechanicus eventually leans toward them. They will do everything in their power to seize total control of the family."
Raynor's pupils shook violently. He remembered something. Luna was the Technical Lord, the liaison with the Mechanicus. Callum was the Internal Lord, close to the nobles. Alistair was the War Lord, who died two years ago.
"Arch-Cardinal," Raynor's voice was tight. "Was there something wrong with Alistair's death?"
Goodwin glanced at him but didn't answer directly. "Two years ago, a Greenskin outbreak occurred in Dorido. Alistair led the army and was on the verge of defeating Gutsnagga Ragnar. At that time, everyone thought he was going to win. But unfortunately..." Goodwin shook his head.
"Unfortunately what?"
Goodwin sighed. "During a pivotal battle, Alistair went mad."
Raynor was confused. "Mad?"
"Yes, mad. In that battle, humanity was supposed to lose. There were too many Greenskins to kill. But Alistair, piloting a 'Preceptor' class Knight, fought to the death without retreating. He charged into the Greenskin horde alone, hacking down countless enemies, and was even on the verge of slaying Ragnar single-handedly. But..."
Goodwin's voice dropped. "Halfway through the fight, people noticed that the Knight suit—which possessed infinite power—had started to grow living flesh."
Raynor's mind buzzed. "The Lord of Fury," he blurted out.
Goodwin nodded.
Raynor's mouth began to twitch. He thought of Callum, a follower of Slaanesh pursuing ultimate pleasure. Luna was likely a Tzeentchian sorcerer—cunning, calculating, and playing with conspiracies. And now, an Alistair had emerged, blessed by Khorne, mad and bloodthirsty.
One family, three children, each having fallen to a different Chaos God.
My God... a first son of Khorne, a first daughter of Tzeentch, and a youngest son of Slaanesh, Raynor complained internally. If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a Chaos nest, not a Knight House.
He looked at Goodwin with a complex expression. Goodwin understood his thoughts and offered a bitter smile.
"So you see? With this background, no one is surprised that Leo was branded with such a crime. If it weren't for Caladog's blatant favoritism, he would have been sentenced long ago."
Raynor was silent for a moment before asking one final question: "What about Caladog? Do you think he's still alive?"
Goodwin looked toward the castle for a long time without speaking. Finally, he sighed softly.
"I can feel it. That old fox doesn't die so easily. But as for where he is... I don't know."
Raynor nodded thoughtfully.