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Chapter 13 - Chapter XIII. Blackstone Fortress

Ilmarin

Sanguinius

189.M32

 

 

Sanguinius stared at the psychic sphere before him, formed as if of solid light, glowing with the purple symbols of the Old Ones language. But it was not upon this sphere that his gaze rested and his thoughts focused, but upon the being within, suspended in midair as if in a vacuum.

The monstrous appearance of the Daemon Prince of Slaanesh not only disgusted him but also fuelled anger and a sense of helplessness. While his initial goal of capturing his brother was to find a way to defend humans and his alien allies against the corruption of the Ruinous Powers, his purpose changed over time.

And precisely at the moment when, together with Mind working with him, he discovered that Fulgrim was not in fact Fulgrim, but a powerful daemon that possessed the body of his brother and imprisoned the Primarch's soul somewhere deep inside.

He could still feel the rage that had filled him then. He can accept his brother's betrayal of his own free will, but it was different when he was possessed by a daemon that had taken over his body. And knowing that Primarchs couldn't be possessed without outside interference.

And in the Primarchs defence was certainly the fact that, thanks to their father's silence, they didn't know who they were truly fighting. They might have been prepared for physical combat with the forces of chaos, but not for their manipulations, whispers, and intrigues.

He just shook his head with a sigh. Too many easily avoidable mistakes had been made during the Great Crusade and, later, in the Heresy itself.

Years spent trying to separate the Greater Daemon from Fulgrim's soul had yet to achieve any effect, and Slaanesh's touch still rested on the former Primarch.

He didn't know if his brother's soul was so corrupted, or perhaps simply weak, to break free from the Greater Daemon's control. He refused to give up, though, even if it took him 10,000 years. He intended to let Fulgrim choose which side he would side with without the whispers of chaos.

Hearing the faint rustle of approaching footsteps, he turned to see Orain Droh and Ezraes striding toward him, their stoic faces trying to remain calm, though he could still see the excitement gleaming in their eyes.

In a split second, hundreds of thoughts flashed through his mind as he tried to remember what task he had given them recently, especially since time seemed to move strangely here. Sometimes rushing, other times standing almost in place.

"Blackstone Fortress. You've found one," he said, and seeing the confirmation in their eyes, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of triumph. One of the most powerful weapons created during the War in Heaven was at his fingertips. "Speak."

Ezraes glanced at the older Eldar and decided to speak first. "My Lord. We have indeed found the Blackstone Fortress, and it is hidden within the Webway. However, there is one 'but'..."

"And what's the 'but'?" He asked, sensing he wouldn't like the answer. And he was right.

The former Drukhari, now head of his intelligence network, cast a nervous glance at the energy cage behind Sanguinius before replying, "Others reached it first, namely my own kind. They managed to occupy a large portion of the fortress, though reports reaching the archons indicate they failed to take complete control of it."

Sanguinius frowned, surprised more by the fact that the Drukhari hadn't managed to gain control of this Old Ones ultimate weapon. Either its defences were better than he'd expected, or something else had slowed their advance.

"What else are you not telling me?" he asked.

"And here the reports become unclear, to such an extent that the Archons themselves have become furious at the lack of effects. They speak of a powerful warrior clad in armour who stands against them single-handedly. He hunts down their patrols in the fortress's countless corridors and is even unafraid to confront entire squads. And they call him mon'keigh."

Suddenly, Sanguinius's full presence fell on the cunning spymaster, who shrank beneath the overwhelming will of the Primarch of the IX Legion, and whose mind began to race again.

The fact that one human could slow down an entire Drukhari army narrowed the possible candidates considerably. Frankly, he doubted any human besides the Primarchs and the Emperor himself could have accomplished such a feat. The Dark Eldars were, after all, members of a powerful race that had ruled the galaxy for millions of years.

"We agree," the previously silent Orain interjected, as if reading his thoughts. "If these 'dark children' are indeed right and this warrior resisting them is a human, it must be one of your brothers."

"Without a doubt." Sanguinius nodded, then, trying to control his boiling emotions at the mere thought of reuniting with one of his faithful brothers, asked.

"Blackstone Fortress. Where is it?"

"By one of the Warpgates leading to the Eastern Fringe. Nearby is currently a Craftworld belonging to the youngsters of my people. The Malan'tai."

The Primarch pondered for a long moment. He had been planning to establish closer contact with one of the Eldar Craftworlds for some time, but he was in no hurry, as he had no way to fully convince them. He could shield the few thousand Drukhari in his service from Slaanesh's gaze, but no more.

Especially not now, when he had to hide one of her most powerful words from her. If only he had better control over the Void, but that would take time, a lot of time.

In any case, when the opportunity arose, he could seize it. He just had to figure out how to pull their ship into the Webway so he could send Orain and the other three Eldar from Ilmarin to them. They couldn't leave the Labyrinth Dimension.

That was a matter for the future; for now, however, he should focus on the Blackstone Fortress.

"Orain, tell Varok to mobilise the units. All but the heavy equipment; we will rely on mobility and speed in this confrontation," Sanguinius said, extending his right hand, and his wraithbone spear, levitating in a special anti-gravity stand, flew into it. His palm tightened on the familiar spear shaft.

The ancient armourer smiled faintly and replied, "Krorks don't need heavy equipment, as their sheer size and mass probably fall into that category."

"Hence the orders." Sanguinius laughed, slapping the Eldar on the back, who merely rolled his eyes, already accustomed to the behaviour of his apprentice and leader in the making.

And Sanguinius himself sincerely appreciated the effort he and the others had put into building their relationship over the years. The Aeldari and humans were too different, and he wasn't even talking about anatomy but rather the very way they reasoned and perceived the world. In his opinion, humans were more closely similar to the Krorks. Yet, despite these differences, Sanguinius believed that understanding could bridge the vast chasm between their cultures. He often pondered whether their contrasting perspectives could lead to a new form of collaboration, one that might benefit both races in the long run.

Though Sanguinius himself had to admit that he and the other Primarchs no longer had much in common with ordinary humans. This was especially true of himself, for the years he spent among the Aeldari and Krork, but above all, the Old Ones, had changed him forever. Perhaps not even them themselves, but the fact of their immortality. Without a body, he too didn't have to fear death by the passage of time, and his power ensured that the list of beings in the galaxy who could threaten him was short.

It completely changed his perspective and upended his reasoning. He himself no longer feels the sense of urgency that accompanied humans and other short-lived races. He now understood the need for patience and long-term planning. His main enemies, after all, were beings, virtually immortal, immune to the ravages of time, whose plots could be more intricate than the Webway.

He looked at the ancient Eldar. "Orain, tell Varok that when the troops are ready, they should assemble at the docks and depart on board the ships. I will go to the indicated coordinates with Ezraes to familiarise myself with the situation," he ordered after a moment of thought, then, after casting one last glance at his imprisoned brother, both in the cage and in his daemonic body, he left the room with his spymaster hot on his heels.

It took them just over a Terra day to reach their destination, and only thanks to the original Webway navigation maps in Seeker's possession. The current state of the Webway left much to be desired. Many passages were destroyed, and even more were inaccessible, flooded by the energy storms pouring in from the Immaterium.

Eventually, however, they found themselves in a vast expanse, floating in the void thanks to Sanguinius' psychic powers. In the distance ahead of them was a gargantuan structure made of black material, suspended in space. The Blackstone Fortress, the pinnacle of Old Ones technology, which was later taken over by the Aeldari.

Sanguinius stared at the battle station for a long moment, then his gaze fell on the numerous Drukhari ships, barely visible against it, probably heading towards one of the docks. Though he could only guess, he saw the plans for the flying fortresses stored in Ilmarin.

In any case, it could have concealed entire fleets inside. So it was difficult to estimate how many enemies were inside.

"So they are led by a single Archon?" he asked the Dark Eldar accompanying him, to which the latter shook his head.

"It's hard to say. The last information I received from Commorragh was from a few days ago. They might as well have sent another one to deal with the situation." answered Ezraes, but a moment later he added.

Sanguinius stretched his mental senses, allowing them to reach the Blackstone Fortress itself. He also allowed a small amount of Void to flow through his body and then beyond, masking his psychic 'tentacles' with it.

To the Drukhari on both the ships and the battle station, he appeared as little more than a shadow flitting through the Immaterium, causing them slight unease but not alarming them.

Only three minds seemed to express greater concern when they encountered him, and he immediately understood that they belonged to the Archons.

"Three Archons. They sensed something dangerous nearby, so they will be vigilant now," he said, as if to himself, but loud enough for Ezraes to hear.

"They have sent three... they are very keen to capture the fortress as quickly as possible." The Dark Eldar muttered, shaking his head slightly. He then looked at Sanguinius and added louder, "My Lord, even one of your brothers cannot stand against three archons and their personal forces. How many are we talking about?"

"Over 60,000 warriors, most of them elite. 13 succubi and many other strong warriors. We will return to the nearest warpgate capable of housing the Angel Pride. We will wait for our forces there," he ordered after a brief moment of consideration. "It would be foolish to attack alone, especially since I don't want to damage the Fortress itself too much."

And they didn't have to wait long. There was probably no force in the galaxy that mobilised as quickly as the Krorks of Ilmarin. Soon, the enormous gate glowed with multicoloured light, from which emerged a massive hull spanning over 2,000 feet. Behind it emerged the rest of the ship.

In appearance, it resembled a mix of an Imperial battleship and a modern Eldari vessel. Although its shape was modelled after a human spacecraft, its surface was smooth and aesthetically pleasing, filled with smooth curves.

But its technology was a pure blend of the genius of the Old Ones and Tervas Eldial, one of the four Aeldari inhabiting Ilmarin. To control it, a single powerful psyker was enough, which at the moment was Tervas himself. And its powerful weaponry should be enough to engage the Drukhari ships while they make their landing on Blackstone Fortress.

Sanguinius looked away from the ship and back towards the fortress. Soon it would be theirs, and this was only the first step in the war against the Drukhari for complete domination of the Webway.

 

 

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