On the dead world of Miral, Miraltochira stood within a starport situated in the planet's orbit. Their Chapter had begun the arduous process of rebuilding on this world; with the assistance of the Adeptus Mechanicus and their Progenitor Chapter, their strength was gradually being restored.
The main thrust of Hive Fleet Kraken had been broken by their Chapter's primary forces, while the xenos remnants on Sotha had been purged by the Imperial Navy and the main strength of the Ultramarines who arrived in the aftermath.
Recently, they had received a message from Governor Alexei—the man who had provided them with critical aid before—stating that he was arriving in the Miral system to discuss urgent matters.
As Miraltochira pondered what kind of help the Governor could possibly require, a subtle spatial fluctuation rippled near Miral's near-Earth orbit. Immediately afterward, the communication channels crackled with news of the Aiur Fleet's arrival. More than thirty identical vessels had materialized before them.
"As expected, these fleets are capable of bypassing Mandeville Points to appear directly in planetary orbit..." Sergeant Byron, standing beside Tarquill, murmured quietly. It was an unexpected sight, yet logically consistent; he had long theorized how the Aiur fleet had broken through the Tyranid encirclement, and this confirmed his suspicions.
After a brief wait, Alexei appeared before them as promised. "Long time no see, Chapter Master Tarquill!" he called out enthusiastically, walking toward the leader of the Scythes of the Emperor.
"Welcome, Governor Alexei," Tarquill replied, his tone remaining characteristically stoic.
"It appears you have recovered quite well," Alexei noted, glancing at the fresh recruits standing behind the Chapter Master.
"Thanks to your timely intervention, our Chapter avoided total annihilation," Tarquill said, his voice carrying a hint of genuine gratitude. "Following the battle, both our Progenitor Chapter and the Cult Mechanicus assisted in our reconstruction."
Alexei nodded, his smile fading into a look of grim resolve. "I have come to you today because I require the assistance of the Scythes of the Emperor in a matter concerning the very future of the Imperium."
At these words, the members of the Scythes of the Emperor stood momentarily stunned. The future of the Imperium? Could the situation truly be that dire?
"Please, follow me," Tarquill said, leading Alexei toward the newly constructed Fortress-Monastery. "Explain in detail what is so serious that it warrants such language."
Alexei then detailed the rapidly escalating activity of Chaos forces near the Misty Starfield. Aiur itself had been probed by a Chaos Warband. The minions of the Ruinous Powers were likely to descend upon the gates of the Eye of Terror once more. Cadia had broadcast a request for aid to all Imperial forces, and Alexei hoped the Scythes of the Emperor would answer the call.
Upon hearing this, Tarquill agreed without a moment's hesitation. Chaos was the eternal foe of the Imperium; if Governor Alexei's report was accurate, then deploying to Cadia was the Scythes' sacred duty.
Alexei nodded. "Board my ships. The threat from the Eye is imminent. My fleet can reach the space above Cadia within two months."
After a moment of deliberation and at Byron's urging—noting that the Scythes' own fleet had not yet fully recovered—Tarquill accepted the offer.
Following several days of preparation, the majority of the Scythes of the Emperor—save for half of the 1st Company veterans and the 5th Company recruits still undergoing reorganization—boarded the transport ship Hercules with their full combat kit.
As another spatial fluctuation emanated from above Miral, Alexei's fleet set a direct course for the Cadian system. "Abaddon," Alexei whispered to the void, "let us see if you truly have the strength to destroy Cadia."
In the freezing depths of space, an Astartes squad from the Black Legion searched for an artifact aboard a drifting space hulk. Judging by their ancient Terminator plate, they were veterans of ten millennia of long war.
After a brutal skirmish with the various horrors residing within the wreck, they finally reached their objective. Yet, just as victory was within their grasp, time and space froze. Thoughts and actions ground to a total halt.
A Necron Overlord wielding a staff of office approached them with measured steps. "A perfect skirmish. Let us observe it once more." With a gesture, time began to rewind, and every life form returned to its original position.
Trazyn the Infinite carefully examined his collection, replaying the warriors' final moments repeatedly. "Truly a sublime acquisition..." He turned and walked away, flanked by unique specimens from across the galaxy: the head of Saint Sebastian Thor; the rigid shells of the enslaved; ancient Orks; a member of the Emperor's Adeptus Custodes; and countless others.
Since the moment of his awakening, Trazyn had vowed to curate every memorable event and artifact in the galaxy.
As he wandered through his galleries, a sudden, thunderous bell toll echoed through the vaults. The bell, which had no cause to ring, chimed again and again, releasing waves of energy that threatened to shatter his delicate exhibits.
"No!!!" Hearing the chimes, Trazyn rushed toward the source. It was the Great Bell of Saint Gerstal, an item in his collection that was now ringing uncontrollably.
"Curse it!" Trazyn attempted every countermeasure in his arsenal, but he could not silence the bell. He watched in horror as the vibrations began to crack his painstakingly gathered treasures. Finally, at the conclusion of the thirteenth chime, he angrily cast the giant bell deep into the Webway.
Surveying the wreckage and fragments of his gallery, Trazyn felt a rare surge of helplessness. Then, realization dawned. He left his tomb world and traveled to the Celestial Orrery—the pinnacle of Necrontyr technology. His gaze fell upon the Eye of Terror, the point where the Materium and the Warp bled into one another most violently.
"Intriguing." Sensing a shift that would rewrite the fate of the galaxy, the Infinite set his course for the world of Cadia.
"Enigmatic constructions..." A massive figure draped in the crimson robes of Mars studied a series of peculiar blackstone fragments within an ancient ruin, searching for the secrets hidden within.
Above him, on the surface, the skitarii of the Mechanicus were locked in a perpetual struggle against a vast tide of Orks. Just as Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl found himself at an impasse in his study of the blackstone, a voice drifted from the shadows behind him.
"These are the works of the soulless ones from the stars, Archmagos of Humanity..."
Cawl whirled around, his mechanical frame whirring. A figure shrouded in a black veil appeared before him.
"Abominable xenos, what business have you here?" Cawl's voice emerged as a series of synthesized, binary-coded tones.
"Do not be alarmed, Archmagos . Fate has entwined our paths," the figure replied. The black robe shifted to reveal an Aeldari female. "I am the Shadowguide, Sylandri Veilwalker, and we share a common purpose."
"Why should I place any faith in you, xenos?" Cawl turned his massive, multi-limbed body to face her.
"To prevent the unmaking of the galaxy, and to fully awaken the Primarch of the Thirteenth Legion," Sylandri said calmly.
Cawl fell silent. He had shared his work on resurrecting Roboute Guilliman with no one, despite laboring over the project for ten thousand years.
Sylandri looked at the silent Archmagos and whispered the secret of the blackstone. "...They possess the power to quell the tides of the Warp. But Chaos has a singular objective: the blackstone pylons standing upon Cadia. Should they fall, the tides of the Warp will tear the galaxy asunder..."
As the Harlequin finished speaking, her form dissolved into the darkness.
Cawl pondered the revelation for a brief moment before immediately designating his next destination: the Fortress World of Cadia.