"Father," Mikael began, holding his data slate and reporting a string of cold numbers. "So far, 342 candidates have undergone augmentation surgeries."
"Among them, 58 failed during the first stage of the procedure, resulting in a failure rate of 24.39%."
"Of those 58, five survived and were converted into the legion's servitors. The other 53 died."
Mikael paused, then explained:
"Ascension from mortal to Astartes is a trial beyond measure. Many cannot withstand it; they fall at the very first trial."
"Once they pass through the Gate of Ascension, the surgery failure rate drops significantly."
To illustrate his point, he continued:
"Only six candidates failed during the second stage, and all of them died. The failure rate dropped to 4.52%."
"In the third transformation stage, nine candidates failed. The complexity increases at this point, so the failure rate rose to 7.94%."
He hesitated, then added with a hint of surprise:
"Until just now, all eight who previously failed the third stage died. The one saved by that 'Doctor' was the first to survive."
Nareth remained silent, but in an instant, he calculated that the overall failure rate across the first three stages was 33.54%.
Even in the best-case scenario, around 40% would fail.
Without Marlena, most of those would have perished.
Nareth realized this was the right moment to express his intentions.
"Marlena Scala is not only a 'Doctor.' She's a biomancy psyker who can preserve a failed subject's life during surgery."
"Father, do you wish for her to join the transformation program?" the Chief Apothecary asked, grasping his intent.
"Exactly."
Mikael only pondered for a moment before agreeing with Nareth, he was also curious about the mortal "Doctor's" skills.
'Is this a native Vostroyan technique? Or is it the fusion of medicine and psychic discipline that yields such a unique effect?'
"As you wish."
The Chief Apothecary turned back to his data slate and continued updating the Primarch on the transformation process:
"There are currently 103 candidates undergoing the first stage. 51 are in the second stage, and 36 in the third."
"Seventy-nine candidates have completed the first three transformations. Among the 23 regiment commanders, only Roslov has died."
"Notably, the three with the fastest progress, Howard Fender, Bukayo Arshavin, and Thierry Vieira, have all completed the fourth stage. They show no signs of rejection."
Nareth nodded in approval, mentally analyzing the three:
'Hmm… 'Sheriff' Howard has the strongest will.
'Midnight Poet' Bukayo is the youngest.
'Pugilist' Thierry possesses the best physical condition.'
Pleased, he said:
"Your work is impressive. I'm satisfied."
"But I need more Apothecaries. I want you to train more Apothecaries, apprentices, even attendants."
"This is vital for the future of the legion."
Nareth's minimum target for the Shadow of Order, pre-Horus Heresy, was 200,000 troops. The current 23 full Apothecaries and 10 assistants were far from enough.
More Apothecaries meant more could undergo surgery.
Nareth was planning for broader reforms. He needed loyal warriors embedded in every company, every squad, to influence their battle-brothers through everyday example.
On his way back to the strategy chamber, he sent a communication to another psyker, Arsena Dunn, summoning him to the bridge.
Moments later, Nareth sat on the command throne, looking down at the silver-haired psyker.
Their past interactions had been brief, limited to the Crystal Mirage, as Nareth had kept his distance due to Horus's teachings and the Emperor's distaste toward psykers.
He had merely handed Arsena a data crystal containing information on the Fra'al xenos fire and telekinesis disciplines.
"Arsena, how is your research into the data crystal I gave you?"
"My lord, I've read and fully digested its contents. I've gained many insights from the Fra'al's aetheric techniques," Arsena replied in flawless Vostroyan.
"I now understand aetheric forces more deeply and have learned over a dozen new aetheric spells."
Nareth raised his brows slightly. Every psyker spell took time to master, to draw from the Warp, shape energy precisely, and execute it efficiently.
By human standards, mastering a dozen new spells in such a short time was outstanding.
Factoring in that Arsena had also learned the Fra'al language, along with Vostroyan, Gothic, and other knowledge, his learning ability was excellent.
Nareth tapped the back of his throne chair, recognizing the man's potential.
"Do you read books?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Arsena's eyes, but he answered:
"Yes, my lord. The library on the officer's deck is where I spend most of my time. It holds a vast collection of ancient tomes."
Nareth was aware that this relic-class battleship had a massive book archive. His private library alone housed over 10,000 books, some dating back to the Golden Age, or even earlier.
He also caught the excitement in Arsena's voice when the library was mentioned. It was clear the man loved reading.
'He's a great fit for the "Reader", a scholar-attendant by my side. But his loyalty still needs to be tested.'
After getting a better understanding of Arsena, Nareth said:
"My private library holds many more books. I grant you permission to read them."
.....
Meanwhile, aboard the Vengeful Spirit…
Horus wore no armor, only a tight training suit and a fur-lined cloak.
Inside his private training cage, he charged forward explosively and smashed his fist into a training servitor.
The servitor exploded under the force of the punch. But Horus frowned, muttering to himself:
"Something was different about his punch… it contained a strange force. Or rather…"
"It followed a rule, impossible to dodge, impossible to resist."
He signaled for a new servitor to be brought in.
After over a dozen trials, Horus destroyed each one with a single blow, but still couldn't replicate the feeling he got from Nareth's strike.
The Primarch shook his head, exiting the cage and looking through the viewport toward the Void Hunter.
"Let's see what other surprises you have in store… brother."
While working through official reports, Nareth received a message from Horus via the Master of Vox.
"Brother, there are two planets ahead. Let's each take one. Let's see who conquers theirs first."
Nareth sensed the hidden battle intent behind the message and replied simply:
"Fine."
"One is an ocean world. The other is mountainous. Which will you choose?" Horus offered generously.
The Luna Wolves, both in number and strength, outmatched the Shadow of Order.
Horus expected Nareth to wisely choose the ocean world.
For Astartes legions with landing craft, oceans posed no great obstacle. Mountains, on the other hand, slowed everything down.
But to Horus's surprise, Nareth replied:
"I choose the mountainous world."
Nareth had realized that different environments yielded different potion ingredients.
Since he had already conquered the Symphony of the Sea, he was now more interested in a mountain-rich world.
...
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