Grijs
Enzayne
MarshalSolgriev
Lord Zee
Frettzo
DracoLunaris
Cao the Exiled
VecThe Council of Nikaea
The Complex Grounds
After First Session
Although the Nikaean complex had been designed and constructed expeditiously, the capable minds of the architects assigned to the task had ensured that the number and magnitude of its facilities were sufficient to the needs of the assembled potentates. While the extent of how much was necessary could not be calculated with the utmost precision, the builders had wisely decided to err on the side of caution and provide an excess of lesser chamber radiating from the main gathering halls. Some of those had, by their very supernumerary nature, remained vacant and unused throughout the proceedings, though still maintained pristine by dutiful servants in the event that they may after all be useful at some point.
The architects’ design was thus vindicated when, during a lull in the Council’s proceedings, one of the most distant reserve chambers resounded with the thunder of approaching steps. The room, dimly lit and empty save for a sober table and quartet of seats, was momentarily darkened as a towering bulk filled its doorway, choking off the lamps in the corridor that were the main source of its illumination. Light then flowed back into it in a surge as the Primarch of the Ninth passed over the threshold and stepped to the side, followed by the umbral figure of his Equerry. Turning his gaze to meet the one who had followed them to this remote spot, Sarghaul let out a watery exhalation, as if to prompt his speech.
“We are alone here,” he breathed, “Speak. What do you seek to know?”
The form that had followed was none other than that of the Nineteenth Primarch and a smaller one next to him, adorned in insignia that marked him as the Chapter Master of one of the groups within the Steel Sentinels. It was not Usriel that spoke however, but the smaller Astartes who spoke in a grim and focused tone, “I am Chapter Master Arikiba, Gene-Uncle Sarghaul. I had fought in a great many campaigns, Lord. Ullanor, Rangdan, but most importantly in the context of this conversation, which I assure will not leave this room is that of the Purging of the Soilis System.”
Arikiba nervously shifted as he looked between his gene-father and the other Primarch, continuing with his explanation, “I seek to understand what The Abyssal Lurkers were doing in the Soilis System, Lord. I recovered much evidence pointing towards experimentation but for what I cannot definitely say without speculation.”
“Soilis?” The Tartarean seemed puzzled as he mulled over the word, difficult as it may have been to discern beneath his unmoving helmet. “I do not recall that name. Where is it, Issnos?”
The dark-armoured Traal unclipped a dataslate that had been magnetically fastened to the belt of his armour and rapidly tapped across it with an ivory digit, before indicating a point among the flowing lines of light upon it to his Primarch.
“There ought have been nothing for us in that sector,” Sarghaul commented perplexedly, before turning his gaze back to Arikiba. “What did you find there that showed you my spawn’s presence?”
Arikiba brought out his own dataslate and tapped upon its screen before stepping over the Tartarean, holding the slate up so that he might be able to see, it was an image of the corpse they had found upon their initial landing at the outpost. “This armor, my lord. As well as manifests and reports from that very outpost of the Abyssal Lurkers constructing a base in the ocean. Before that we were attacked by Kynazar bio-forms that held remarkable similarity in appearance to the war forms that your forces bring into battle, Lord.”
“The Kynazar, you say.” Sarghaul craned his head to better look at the image, while Traal leaned in over his elbow to cast a glance of his own. “The last I heard of them was shortly after the invasion. We had few forces to spare between the Xenocides, but I mandated an investigation into what remnants had been captured. Find their weaknesses, the limits of their technology. Nothing came of it at the time.”
Correct, Traal signed in smooth Voidsys graph-binaric. As he did, the purpose of the bone talons on his gauntlets became clear - in the gloom, the polished white of the ornaments made his gestures easy to follow. Their biological forms were too diverse and adaptable. Their technology was too closely integrated with their bodies. Further research would have been expensive and not useful.
“Investigation was terminated then,” the Primarch reprised, “It was still the second decade of the last century. When did you discover this?”
“The exact year was 952 of the last Millenium, Lord,” Arikiba answered swiftly, pulling up the exact report on his dataslate to show Sarghaul. “We did not immediately report these findings to you as we were attempting to piece together what had happened and we did not want to distract two Primarchs from the crusade, Lord.”
“And you have not concluded much since,” the giant rumbled with a nod, “No wonder. I cannot answer this readily myself. There was never a second mandate for Kynazar experimentation, was there?”
No records of such exist, the Equerry confirmed.
“But there must have been requisition orders.” Sarghaul pointed at the dataslate with a massive claw of his own. “Your report is dire, Chapter Master. The creatures must have broken containment, slain the garrison and absorbed their charybdes complement. No force strong enough to do this on its own could have been at large by then. We must assume they were enhanced as part of the experiment. The supplies for that most likely came from Carcinus. What do the Apothecarion logs show?”
Once again, Traal busied himself with his dataslate, swiping and tapping with the outer curvature of his claws rather than their gouging tips. His motions were even and regular, until they abruptly broke off and his hand remained hovering as he stared at the pict-screen. After some moments, he motioned for his Primarch to give his findings a look, and the Tartarean himself could only slowly oscillate his head.
The documentation confirms, the Equerry at last signed, Orders for the requisition of Apothecarion supplies and their shipment to the Segmentum were filed around that time. Items include - He launched into a dazzling array of complex specialistic denotations, among which a knowledgeable audience could have discerned such things as “macrosteroids”, “neuromuscular coalescents” and “catalyst elixirs”, before Sarghaul motioned for him to stop.
“The implications of the Kynazar doing such things is a grim one, Sarghaul,” Usriel finally spoke, a voice most calm considering what was being stated, looking at his sibling with his mechanical, red glare. Usriel motioned to Arikiba before explaining further, “My gene-sons had also found that the body had a mixture of the Kynazar’s own blood intermingled with your fallen sons’ own.”
“If these beings can assimilate our kind into their genetic chimeras, we shall not have seen the worst of them yet,” the Abyssal assented, “Hope that your scions were thorough in eradicating them. And that this would suffice to cut them at the root, for there is more. The requisition orders were not an isolated case. More caches have been sent to the Pacificus over the last century, perhaps to more hidden sites. It is something I shall only know for certain once I have severed this sabotage, but that this should even be possible is good cause for alarm. If they can manipulate our own systems, there is no telling what more they might be capable of.” He snapped a claw. “We will need discretion before we can act. I trust you understand that.”
“The planet that had been originally tainted had been stripped of life in the following rebellions upon it. No life remained, we made sure of it, before we built a Fortress Complex there to watch over the sub-sector,” Arikiba stated, before continuing, “We maintain a garrison of one-hundred Astartes sworn to secrecy as well as many other Imperial assets, including the soldiery originally from the planet itself and supplemental mortals from current day Auxilia. I would have requisitioned one other asset but such clearance was not gifted to me and the knowledge of the one I hoped to have stations eludes the upper echelon of even the Imperial Bureaucracy.”
“What did you intend to requisition?” Usriel inquired.
“A hunter, of sorts. Dressed in all black with a skull and a strange weapon mounted to his head, he proved most useful in driving back the Kynazar forces but our Librarians stated him to be a Blank, an assassin likely sent to sever the synapses of the Kynazar before they called to their fleets,” Arikiba reported causing Usriel to look up to Sarghaul.
“Do you know of any such assassins, officially?” The Nineteenth Primarch asked.
The Tartarean heavily shook his head. “Blanks remain a mystery even to me. I have sensed their voids here, among our lord’s guard, and to have sent one to disrupt the xenos’ amalgam mind where it appeared would befit his blessed prescience. Beyond that, I cannot say. If the Emperor’s servants are indeed ever so vigilant, the situation may not be critical. Even so, it remains our duty to suppress the subversions of the inhuman. Ensure that no more of them arise upon that world, and I shall track the source of what restored them to strength once.”
“I will make sure that any such reports are suppressed, Sarghaul. I fear that if the mortals found these reports it may panic them and encourage further dissent,” Usriel stated, stepping closer to the Tartarean, further adding, “Should you require the aid of my sons in eradicating these creatures then you will have it. You will find in the reports how devastating my sons were against the Kynazar and their genetically modified mortals.”
“As they were made to be,” the giant inclined his gaze, “We are the sword of the Emperor, wielded to crush the foes of mankind. As long as we remember that, no foulness from the stars will stand against us. For your word, I give you mine - when you are in need, we shall come. Let the maggots break themselves against our iron wall.”
“Very well, I suppose this meeting is adjourned,” Usriel said, looking to Arikiba, “Be sure that there are no leaks and that these reports stay in the Legion, my son.”
“As you wish, father,” the Chapter Master stated bowing his head to the Nineteenth Primarch before turning to Sarghaul and bowing his head once more, “I bid thee luck in suppressing the mortals and xenos. Shall I make preparation to have the armor returned to your care, Lord?”
“Do so. The residues within it may lead us to the beasts’ tracks.” The Tartarean raised an outsplayed hand in salute. “Go with strength, scion of the Nineteenth.”
“Goodbye, Sarghaul. May the Omnissiah guide your blades,” Usriel said as Arikiba and himself turned away from the two Abyssal Lurkers, walking out of the room to rejoin the rest of the Council without any other word.
“And farewell to you.” As the Sentinels stepped out into the corridor and their shadows drifted out of sight, Sarghaul turned to Traal. Moving his heavy claws through the air with surprising grace, the Primarch began to sign in the esoteric code known to him and his Equerry alone.
Those shipments, are you certain? A continuous flow until now?
So say the records, Traal answered in the same occult signage, The last was sent only eighty-two year fractions ago. Destination in the Pacificus, again.
And that clearance, it is the reason I was not notified. From the highest instance in the Apothecarion. It can only be him.
You know Brother Terech’s zeal better than me, Progenitor, was all the Equerry could reply. He would not be stopped from seizing the xeno’s instruments by the fact that they are the xeno itself. The duty of the Fleshweaver consumes him.
That is laudable, as long as it does not eclipse his duties as warrior and human above all. Sarghaul clicked his blades in frustration. I almost fear to expect what we will find in Dis. This accursed council cannot end soon enough.
