Aboard the Sword of Honor, Cawl and his companions were escorted by the Ultramarines to a room of Spartan simplicity. Their freedom of movement was restricted to this chamber and the immediate corridor, the ends of which were guarded by sentries with weapons drawn.
Alexei sat on the floor, leaning against the cold steel wall. The ever-present thrum of the ship and the "clanging" of metal echoing within the room made him restless. Nearby, the Aeldari commander Visarch and the Black Templar Marshal Amalrich were sparring, while Torquill stood to the side watching; he had just lost a bout to Visarch.
"The last time I felt like this was back when I first became a Whiteshield on a simple mission," Creed said, sitting next to Alexei with a nostalgic sigh. "Back then, we were crammed into a tiny room, and the roar of the engines outside kept us from sleeping. If anyone managed to pull out a single cigarette, we'd scramble to outbid each other just to buy it."
He shrugged. "Of course, that guy never sold." His voice trailed off, followed by a soft sigh. The fall of Cadia was a cold reality; these memories were now nothing more than smoke from a bygone era.
Creed turned his gaze toward Alexei. "Why did you save me?"
"Wouldn't it be nice to have you as a neighbor next to Aiur? I'll help you rebuild your home," Alexei replied. "And when that time comes, you won't have to worry about the Imperial Inquisition."
Creed remained silent, his hand instinctively reaching into his coat before falling empty. He let out a breath. "Thank you."
Alexei shook his head, signaling that no thanks were necessary. He scanned the room for Cawl's towering silhouette. The only people on the ship now were this inner circle; he had left the Aiur Guard behind to assist in the defense of Laphis, planning to have the Battlecruiser retrieve them later.
After looking around, he noted that aside from the Astartes and the Mechanicus members, Cawl was missing. Alexei guessed he was having a private conversation with Yvraine regarding the specifics of how to save the Primarch.
I guess I'll have to wait, he thought, leaning back and preparing to close his eyes for a nap. The sparring match in front of him had ended. Amalrich had lost—or rather, even a Black Templar Marshal was no match for an Aeldari master of the blade.
Amalrich flicked his sword and prepared to turn away. His gaze caught Alexei resting nearby. Memories of Captain Garadon of the Imperial Fists telling him about this mortal's terrifying prowess flickered in his mind. Initially, he hadn't believed it—until he saw this human engage Abaddon in close-quarters combat with his own eyes.
He stopped in his tracks. "Governor Alexei, would you care to spar with me?"
Alexei opened his eyes with a look of helpless resignation. He pushed himself up; since the Marshal had asked, he might as well practice. His own swordsmanship still had room for improvement.
He gripped his power sword and stepped opposite Amalrich. Visarch moved to the side to watch. He was intrigued by this commander who appeared to be a mere mortal; after all, Amalrich could at least withstand a few of his strikes. For the Marshal to challenge this human so solemnly was curious indeed.
Under Visarch's interested gaze, Alexei stood ready. He did not activate the sword's power field, as this was only a practice bout.
The moment both were set, Alexei's figure suddenly burst forward with explosive speed. Amalrich could only raise his blade in a desperate parry. CLANG! The deafening impact rang through the room. The Marshal felt his sword nearly fly from his grip. Is this the strength a mortal should possess?
In the next heartbeat, Alexei's attacks followed like a rapid-fire storm. The Marshal was like a ship in a gale, barely holding on. Every block felt as though his longsword was on the verge of being ripped away.
The room fell silent. They watched with shocked expressions as a mortal, a head shorter than an Astartes, suppressed the Black Templar Marshal with superior strength and speed. Was this even logical?
Only Torquill, Creed, and Celestine remained relatively calm. They knew the terror this man was capable of, though they were still awestruck every time they saw it.
CLANG! Another violent metal collision echoed, followed by the sound of a power sword flying across the room and embedding itself deep into the floor. Total silence. Alexei performed a clean sword flourish and said respectfully, "Thank you for the guidance, Marshal."
Amalrich stared at his empty hands in a daze. He had been disarmed by a mortal. He looked at the Governor of Aiur with a complicated gaze, but before he could speak, Visarch stepped forward. "Brilliant! Try me!"
The Aeldari's blade was itching to test this seemingly ordinary human. However, Alexei did not respond, as Cawl and Yvraine had just returned. Seeing the massive mechanical form enter the room, Alexei gave an apologetic nod to the Xenos commander. "My apologies, I have business with the Archmagos. We shall spar later."
A look of disappointment crossed Visarch's face. Yvraine walked over and asked, "What happened?" Visarch immediately recounted the scene to her.
"Is that so..." Her eyes followed Alexei as he spoke urgently to Cawl. She remembered what the Shadowseer had told her: this was a human who should not have existed in the tapestry of fate.
"It seems I am quite popular," Cawl said, looking down at Alexei. "What do you want this time?"
"Regarding the technology I possess, Archmagos," Alexei said with a smile. "I suspect you are quite curious about it."
Alexei made a gesture inviting the Archmagos to a quieter spot to talk. Cawl followed without hesitation, and the two walked to the chamber where the Armor of Fate was stored.
"I am indeed curious as to where your army's power armor and weaponry originated," Cawl's buzzing voice echoed in the room.
Alexei did not answer immediately. "My ship has already arrived at Macragge."
"What?"
"I mean, my ship arrived at the Macragge system ahead of us—without ever entering the Warp."
Cawl fell into a heavy silence, the mechanical parts of his body clicking and whirring as he analyzed the Governor. After a moment, he spoke. "That is impossible."
Alexei chuckled. "My planet possesses a complete technological chain, from military to civilian use, and... propulsion technology."
He looked at the silent Cawl and continued, "You have seen the power armor, the weapons, and the heavy vehicles. Even a standard Forge World cannot match such high production quality and output."
He knew Cawl would be interested; after all, the Archmagos was one of the few in the Imperium who still believed in progress. "I wish to invite you to visit Aiur. I believe we can reach a trade agreement then."
Cawl said nothing, merely staring at Alexei. After a long pause, he uttered a single word in Binary: "Accepted."