M42
Moon Tear Station — Briefing room
Within the heart of Moon Tear Station, a vast chamber flickered with blue-tinged light. Hololithic displays projected real-time feeds from the Silent Veil, its jump-relays delivering battle data across the impossible distances of the Maelstrom.
Streams of tactical overlays and life-sign readouts shimmered across layered holograms.
The scene played out before the assembled commanders — a silent, deadly infiltration unfolding within the Blackstone Fortress.
Nusa sat at the head of the chamber, resting one hand on the arm of his command chair. His crimson cloak draped over his obsidian-black armor like a living shadow, his expression impassive but his eyes sharp as blades.
He watched as his Battle Shinobi moved in impossible synchrony — soldiers flitting through the fortress at inhuman speed, dispatching cultists and Chaos Astartes with precise, silent strikes. The command deck was deathly quiet, save for the occasional flicker of comms data.
All other occupants watched with grim focus. No one spoke.
Feeling he had seen enough, Nusa finally broke the silence.
"Well, gentlemen," he asked mildly, a faint grin playing at his lips. "What do you think of their performance so far? Speak plainly."
General Reinhard, commander of Moon Tear ground forces, straightened in his seat. "I believe they're a magnificent addition to our war assets, my lord. Efficient. Lethal. Disciplined."
"Indeed," added Marshall Zukov, the leader of navy. "They move exactly as one would imagine assassination forces should. Exceptional."
More affirmations followed — quiet nods and murmured agreement.
Nusa gave a pleased nod. "Then I am glad my decision to create them was not misplaced."
A subtle tone from a side console broke the moment.
General Lee, head of Intelligence, visibly flinched at the chime. He hesitated a moment before checking his personal display. Slowly, his expression darkened.
He had good reason to fear.
years ago, Lee had ignored mounting reports from his junior officers — especially one Nadia, a sharp and stubborn analyst — warning of patterns in Abaddon's planetary raids.
She had identified worlds bearing Blackstone monoliths being systematically destroyed, culminating in Cadia and its pylons. Nadia had urged him to report this to Nusa and to prepare their forces for a possible galactic upheaval. Lee, eager to avoid attracting Nusa's fury for what he deemed paranoid speculation, dismissed the reports.
Whispers of this circulated beyond the Intel Division, reaching even the other military branches.
Off-duty staff spoke of Nadia's warnings and Lee's refusal. Other department heads mocked him for his inability to silence insubordinate staff. No one believed the galaxy itself might fracture — until they watched it happen with their own eyes.
When the Cicatrix Maledictum split the milky way, and Moon Tear's sensors captured the impossible rupture in real-time, their master, Machinist had nearly executed Lee on the spot.
The hatred in his stare had not faded since.
And now, with Nadia's name rising again, cold dread returned to the general's stomach.
"Excuse me, my lord," Lee said stiffly, rising and bowing. "I need to confirm something urgently."
Nusa waved a hand lazily. "Go ahead, General. I'm curious what you'll find this time."
The operation feed continued. The Shinobi's impossible movements earned approving murmurs as another traitor patrol vanished in a storm of silent, efficient strikes.
Moments later, Lee returned, paler but composed. He approached Nusa and leaned in, whispering low and fast.
Nusa's eyes narrowed.
"Permission granted," he said flatly.
At his signal, several Intel Division analysts entered the chamber, seating themselves respectfully at the rear.
The senior analyst exchanged wary and nervous glances, old failures gnawing at their nerves. Now, once more their junior is goint to shine.
"So, General Lee," Nusa said, his voice cool. "What have you found?"
Lee cleared his throat. "As per protocol, any critical intel acquired during active operations is isolated to prevent leaks. We've just concluded a significant analysis using vox-logs intercepted by the Silent Veil inside the fortress." He inserted a data-slate into the uplink node.
A holo-display bloomed in the air — vox-chatter logs, overlays, timestamps, and data-validity seals.
Lee's voice wavered slightly. "My team has determined that Chaos Lord Huron Blackheart could not have orchestrated Guilliman's capture alone."
A ripple of murmurs swept the room.
Nusa steepled his fingers, thoughtful.
"And your recommendation, General?"
Lee hesitated, sweat beading on his brow. He dared not guess aloud again — not before Nusa, not after Cadia.
Nusa's brow twitched in irritation.
"Fine. Bring me the analyst who uncovered this."
Lee gestured toward a young female officer.
"That would be Nadia, my lord."
Nusa's expression flickered into a thin, cold smile. "Good day, Nadia. Tell me how you reached this conclusion."
The woman rose, nervous but resolute. "Yes, my lord. I compiled a comparative dossier on Huron Blackheart's known operational records before and after his heresy. While formidable, his history lacks precedent for the kind of complex, warp-synchronized, daemon-enhanced operation required to capture a Primarch. Especially in alliance with a Greater Daemon, without suffering catastrophic losses or incurring a crippling debt."
Nusa's eyes gleamed. "Continue."
Nadia swallowed and kept glancing at her commanding officer. Fearing to continue.
"You'll address me, not your commander," Nusa said coldly noticing her glances.
She drew a breath. "The level of warp cooperation, summoning patterns, and fortress-wide coordination suggest a higher authority's hand. I cross-referenced known daemon-lord affiliations and recent warp anomalies near the Maelstrom's inner ring — disturbances matching prior manifestations associated with Magnus the Red."
The room fell silent. Pale faces. Flickering glances.
Nusa's thin grin sharpened.
"Precisely as expected," he murmured softly no one can hear. Outwardly he still show calm expression