Segmentum Tempestus, Barbarus.
The Shadow's Sovereignty arrived at the Kalium Gate via the teleportarium.
It then took only five weeks to traverse from the northern galactic region to the southern galactic sector through the reactivated trio of gates.
Compared to usual, Nareth's black armor now bore an additional grey belt at the waist.
"Biologist" Marlena and "Potions Professor" Mikael had prepared various concoctions for him.
Nareth boarded a Stormbird, flying towards the Emperor's flagship, the Bucephalus.
En route, he gazed into the void through the viewport.
Barbarus orbited a pale sun, reminding him of Mortarion's sons, later known as the Death Guard.
Nareth shifted his gaze to the immense vessel beside the Bucephalus. Even the Emperor's own ship could not overshadow it.
Its architectural form generally resembled the prevalent Gothic style of the current Imperium.
Its most distinctive feature was the higher, more pronounced central superstructure.
Nareth observed the ship, thinking to himself.
'Why has the Emperor deployed this ship to Barbarus?'
'Barbarus has no defense fleet, nor orbital defense facilities.'
'Could it be... as a bargaining chip... a reward...'
Nareth's eyes narrowed. If this ship were offered as a reward, it might not necessarily be good news for him.
His dark gaze grew profound as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
The Stormbird slowly descended. After disembarking, Nareth did not see the Emperor waiting to depart.
A Custodian in golden armor approached Nareth. "Please follow me."
Moments later, Nareth beheld the Emperor, seated firmly upon his throne.
To his right stood Constantin Valdor, holding the Apollonian Spear. To his left stood Alpharius, appearing as an ordinary Astartes.
Nareth reined in his thoughts and spoke. "My Lord."
The Emperor's golden eyes shone briefly, then the light subsided.
"The xenos known as Overlords enslave the entire world of Barbarus."
"Your brother, Mortarion, leads a human uprising to overthrow their rule."
"Nareth, my Pegasus. I task you with descending to the surface of Barbarus. Aid your brother in overthrowing the xenos tyranny. Afterwards, he will join the Imperium."
Upon hearing this, it was exactly as Nareth had anticipated.
He surmised that killing the one called the Pale King, Necare, would not be difficult.
But killing Necare as the Emperor had would likely earn him Mortarion's hatred, just as it had for Him.
Nareth knew that with each Overlord Mortarion slew, a portion of Barbarus's people were liberated.
As the struggle progressed, his self-imposed mission became clearer.
Mortarion employed a purge to free Barbarus, killing every Overlord, leaving none alive. This was his mission.
Should this mission he had set for himself remain incomplete, the resulting shame would torment him.
Although Nareth had no expectations for his relationship with Mortarion, he saw no reason to needlessly provoke the poison-wielder.
As Nareth pondered, the Emperor spoke.
"Nareth, I personally excavated and recovered a relic from the Dark Age from the permafrost of Ganymede."
"It is a powerful Strike Cruiser, equipped with ancient technologies."
"You likely saw it on your way here. It is yours."
The image of the mighty void ship he had seen earlier flashed in Nareth's mind.
'A warship excavated from permafrost... the Dark Sovereign.'
'Originally, it would have belonged to the Dark Angels, playing a crucial role in the assault on the renegade Forge World of Xana during the Great Scouring.'
Hearing the Emperor offer a reward, and a prepaid, high-value one at that, Nareth immediately felt the request was more acceptable.
As a full-fledged "lawyer," adept at using laws, a thought suddenly struck him.
'I don't necessarily have to adopt the Emperor's method and kill Necare directly.'
Countless ideas rapidly flashed through Nareth's mind.
Thinking this, a smile appeared on his face.
"As you wish."
Having received his orders, Nareth departed.
Upon boarding the Stormbird, he gave orders to Arsena.
"Muster personnel to take possession of the Strike Cruiser Dark Sovereign."
The Stormbird roared towards Barbarus. Nareth decided to first meet Mortarion, see what support he needed, and negotiate an exchange.
Thick, toxic smog blanketed the entire planet. Nareth's gaze pierced the poisonous clouds.
The sight of Barbarus stirred memories of his own gestation pod landing on Vostroya.
Vostroya's millennia of accumulated industrial fumes were dangerous and lethal.
Barbarus's toxic gases were even more dangerous and lethal, but they did not originate from industrial exhaust.
The Stormbird cut through the poison. The pilot's eyes were fixed on his screens.
He noticed his instruments were being interfered with, and the visual range on the vid-screens was drastically reduced.
On the surface of Barbarus, a giant wielding a scythe, hood drawn, toiled in the fields.
Unlike others who wore filtration gear, his face was only wrapped in cloth.
Even in the lowlands, the people of Barbarus wore filters.
A sudden gust of wind carrying toxic vapor could cause a Barbaran to collapse, bleeding to death.
Mortarion wore a brown mesh under-armor. The armor on his lower body provided additional protection. He swung his scythe under the rare sunlight.
Though Barbarus had vast lowland plains, sunlight seldom reached the fields.
Every moment of sunlight had to be seized to tend to the crops.
Mortarion knew survival was difficult in this world, filled with hardship from birth. He had to lead his people, cultivate the meager land, and harvest food.
The pale-skinned giant, due to scarce sunlight, wielded a massive scythe, harvesting rapidly.
His scythe was at least half again as large as the pale human forms around him. The heavy weapon did not hinder his speed.
Mortarion's harvesting was both swift and precise. His speed surpassed that of his hundred followers combined, like an efficient reaping machine.
Mortarion's rapid pace suddenly halted. He looked towards the distant mountains.
"Raiding xenos approach! Prepare for battle!"
The people of Barbarus silently tightened their grip on their weapons. They quickly found their squad leaders, forming orderly ranks around the fields they depended on for survival.
Calas Typhon held his scythe horizontally, standing to Mortarion's side and slightly behind, ready.
The Primarch's gaze pierced the thick fog. Seeing the encroaching xenos, his face grew even paler.
The raiding xenos were more numerous than usual.
Though he had no doubt he could lead his followers to kill them, the crops would also be damaged.
After the battle, many would starve due to the lost food.
Mortarion's pale forehead grew even paler.
He moved. Raising his scythe, he raced against the very start of time. His speed far exceeded what the xenos commanders anticipated. In an instant, he was upon them.
.....
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