The diplomatic envoys sent by the High Lords boarded their craft. Under the surveillance of black gunships, they flew towards the Shadow's Sovereignty.
As they beheld the endless fleet of black ships stretching across the void, a shared thought arose in each of their minds.
'If only we had such a powerful fleet.'
But the development path decided by the High Lords was unchangeable. Abandoning dangerous Warp travel was the wise choice.
On the bridge, Nareth gazed at the chronological display. No one in the Gardinaal diplomatic delegation matched the appearance of the three-person team that tried assassinating Ferrus Manus in his memories.
After a moment's thought, he addressed Pell.
"You will represent me in meeting the Gardinaal delegation."
Nareth knew the High Lords of Gardinaal achieved interlinked and fused consciousness through a series of mental matrices, manifesting in different bodies with distinct personalities and behavioral patterns.
But if they intended to assassinate him, they would certainly send a High Lord clad in Sacred Ark battle armor.
Only the dangerous weapons mounted on Sacred Ark armor, such as particle cannons, could threaten a Primarch.
Not spotting a figure taller than a Dreadnought among the group meant the High Lords hadn't risked personal involvement to assassinate him yet.
With the ground war not yet fully erupted, Gardinaal's, had not unleashed their full power in a ground conflict with the Shadows of Order. The High Lords remained unaware of their own strength.
Arsena Dunn had infiltrated Gardinaal Prime to track the High Lords. Pell was best suited to represent him in negotiations.
"As you command, my Lord," Pell acknowledged.
Moments later, the Gardinaal diplomatic team was brought to the reception chamber.
After seating, a diplomatic-caste individual, his appearance designed to match his duties, clad in ornate robes, spoke.
"I come on behalf of the High Lords, seeking mutual understanding."
"Pell, Shadow Lord Shadows of Order's Eleventh Chapter, representing Lord Nareth."
"Lord?" The diplomat paused, taking a moment to comprehend the title before stating his demand.
"We demand the Order's Shadow immediately cease all hostile military operations," he declared, his eyes blazing with fury.
"This includes activities targeting our cities. Such actions serve no purpose in the forthcoming negotiations."
"I trust you share our desire for Gardinaal to resolve its differences with the Imperium and reunite with it."
Hearing this, Pell immediately realized that Arsena and the others' surface activities were having an effect.
He had always known the Black Emperor commanded subordinates beyond the Shadow of Order.
They possessed abilities akin to those of the Court Members, Arsena among them, as well as figures like Marlena.
Pell's fragmented childhood memories could still recall numerous legends of Vostroya.
This time, the Black Emperor entrusted the conquest of Gardinaal to Arsena and the others.
Compared to the Shadow of Order, they were less conspicuous, more likely to locate High Lords other than Straken, who commanded armed forces.
As for unification, he cared only that Gardinaal pledged allegiance to the Black Emperor.
Pell did not correct the diplomatic-caste's statement. He replied with a faint, ambiguous smile.
"If you can't even suppress a rebellion, you'd be wise to surrender sooner rather than later."
Pell's blunt words caused the diplomatic-caste's expression to shift. After a moment of silence, he began to speak.
"We are perfectly capable of suppressing the rebellion. Your concern is unnecessary."
"Then let us commence negotiations," Pell stated calmly.
He was well aware of his responsibility. Negotiations were merely a method to buy time, allowing the Arsena and others to pinpoint the High Lords' locations.
At the same moment, on the iron-grey surface of Gardinaal Prime.
In a Consul's mansion within the capital, Arsena had seized control of the building amidst the riots.
Beside him, a "Reader" nervously speed-read all data documents, including electronic personnel files transmitted by the "Marauders."
Even limited to the high-caste range, the numbers still reached millions.
A "Student of Ratiocination" examined content filtered by the "Reader," trying to find clues.
Arsena reviewed all reports he received, including those from Marlena, Maria Kurnikova, Tierney, and others.
Marlena had pinpointed a bio-engineering facility, preparing to launch an attack.
Maria ordered the "Assassins" to carry out precise killings of high-caste commanders. Then, she and Dementieva, with fifteen "Instigators," delivered speeches to lower castes lacking food, "instigating" them to rebel.
Tierney's "Marauders" infiltrated Gardinaal, stealing crucial data.
Arsena elevated his mind to first layer Enumeration and placed himself in a detective's state, searching through the vast information.
His focus was primarily on two categories.
First: caste families with recorded history of serving as High Lords.
After learning from the Black Emperor about the High Lords' methods of sustaining life, the "Polymath" reasoned around related aspects.
As a master of reasoning, the "Polymath" quickly found a breakthrough.
The Black Emperor told him consciousness transfer had special requirements and couldn't be done at will.
Combining this with Gardinaal's situation, the "Polymath" focused on several key nodes.
What physical and lineage requirements must a body meet to host a High Lord's consciousness? Therefore, trace all known High Lords' originating castes.
Where was the consciousness matrix stored before transfer? Bio-laboratories possibly preserving related technology...
Though Arsena didn't know where these might be stored, they were most likely in ancient structures dating back millennia.
After reviewing all information, the "Polymath" immediately issued operational orders.
He took out a communicator, first sending a message to Marlena.
"The Pap caste controls the bio-engineering domain. Their laboratories preserve extensive data on creating various castes."
"I understand. I will take action against their laboratories. This will help us locate the High Lords," Marlena's voice came through the communicator.
"The High Lords' bio-castes have sustained Gardinaal for five millennia. This data will be very valuable."
After ending the call, Arsena sent a message to Tierney.
"I'm sending you coordinates. Within the capital, there's a structure over five thousand years old, one of Gardinaal Prime's most ancient buildings."
"But there are no related records. On the orbital transit maps Maria found in the Transport Consul's home, it and the surrounding area are marked as restricted zones. Yet it isn't a high-caste residence."
Finally, he sent a message to Maria.
"Gardinaal's Forces will certainly take action to suppress the riots."
"The Lucifer Blacks and Catachan Jungle Fighters will support you. I've already forwarded your comm-channel to them."
The Black Emperor placed elite Auxilia under Arsena's command to hunt the High Lords.
"Rest assured. I'll ensure their attention remains on us," Maria understood her task.
After issuing orders, Arsena instructed the only psyker among his retinue, Fularin.
"Follow me."