Xana-Vicidex System, surface of Xana II.
Arkhas Fal, Shadow lord of the 19th Legion, wielded an axe with a thunderous roar, its savage shriek even drowning out the sound of bolter fire.
Arkhas charged ferociously into the slave horde of the xenos. Men enslaved by neural collars still foolishly rushed at him, but the terror in their eyes betrayed their fear.
He raised his autogun, trying to inflict some harm, but the chainaxe swept down, tearing through the plast-steel machine, then the head, the neural collar, and the torso without pause, stopping only at the pelvis.
Flesh and shattered bone splattered across Arkhas's armor. The corpse, split in two, collapsed like a slaughtered grox.
Arkhas pulled the chainaxe free from the mangled limbs and tore apart another enemy charging with a scream.
Metal bullets clattered against his Terminator armor, then ricocheted away.
Fal's auto-sensors picked up an attack from the left .
Without hesitation, he charged into the crowd, crashing into them savagely.
An armored fist crushed a human slave's skull. The motor-roaring chainaxe bit into a second, shredding him into a bloody mist.
More gunfire came. The slaves attacked Arkhas in desperation.
Arkhas led his battle-brothers, continuing the merciless slaughter.
They were all recruited from the barbaric, battle-skilled, arid tribes of Terra's Asiatic Dust-Storms region, each the firstborn son of a warrior.
With bolters, chainswords, and power fists, they butchered the enemies like livestock.
While killing, Fal felt that rising, savage fury. He kept killing, blood flying, leaving no survivors.
Amid the echoing screams and the sound of blades cleaving bone, his thoughts remained silent.
Arkhas slaughtered in silence until a voice broke the stillness.
"Lord of Shadows, they are merely the driven. You should not waste your strength on them."
Arkhas's movements didn't stop. As he swung his axe, tearing three apart, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
He didn't need to identify it; he knew whose voice it was.
Librarian Balsar Kurthuri.
Among the Legion's Librarians, only he could pierce Arkhas's resilient will and speak into his mind.
As Arkhas's thoughts flashed, black flames descended from the sky.
Slave after slave was engulfed in flames, wailing in agony.
Arkhas turned his head, looking at Balsar, whose eyes gleamed with golden light.
"You interrupted my killing. I hope your reason is sufficient."
"Shadow Lord, a void fortress approaches through the tides of the Warp."
"I also see more shadows continuously pouring in. We are about to receive relief."
"Balsar, you are mistaken," Arkhas said coldly.
Although Balsar was one of the Legion's most outstanding Librarians, possessing powerful psychic abilities, not inferior even compared to Librarians of Shadows of Order and the Thousand Sons, especially skilled in foresight, he was certainly wrong this time.
"We will receive reinforcements, but not this quickly. The nearest Legion would need at least five months to arrive."
After speaking, Arkhas turned and charged forward to kill again.
"Leave none alive," he said into the vox.
The same moment, the void of the Xana-Vicidex system.
Santiago's eyes were deep, fixed on the crystal orb.
The "Astrologer" gazed at the rippling waves within the rotating crystal.
He rapidly marked runes on the tactical hololith while speaking into the vox:
"First Company, Asteroid Belt Four. Gravitational anomalies will trigger tides in two hours, eighteen minutes. Duration: five hours, twenty-one minutes."
"Asteroid one-eight-six is minimally affected."
"You are to reach the ambush point in two hours and attack the pursuing fleet precisely on time."
"By your command, my Lord." Receiving the reply, Santiago immediately switched comm channels, continuing to issue orders.
"Second Company, Enemy Fleet Group Thirteen will reach low orbit of Xana IV in one hour, thirty-seven minutes."
"Gravity is higher than in other orbits. Enemy ship speed will decrease by twenty-nine percent."
"You are to reach the marked position in one hour, twenty-four minutes, and initiate the attack."
Santiago issued a series of orders to each company while tracing glowing arcs on the hololithic tactical map.
"Fleet channel, comms silence."
"Turn to 4-6-1, inclination five."
"Entering asteroid belt. Aether-cannons prepare."
The black ships then pushed aside the obstructing dust, vanishing from the Rangdan ships' telemetry.
In the Rangdan comm channels, the audio signals were somewhat noisy.
"Curses! These black ships are too cunning! They don't engage us head-on. After launching attacks, they hide in asteroids or other places, using celestial bodies to hinder our attacks."
"They even keep each comms burst very short. We cannot track or lock onto them."
A resentful voice accompanied by heavy thumping sounds.
"In the past six days, we have lost two hundred ninety-one ships, eighty-three of them capital ships."
"But we have only destroyed forty-six enemy ships, only five of them capital ships."
His voice was full of worry. Their numerical advantage in ships was rapidly dwindling.
"We must achieve victory, at any cost," a commanding voice sounded.
"As long as we occupy two human colony worlds and use their industrial facilities, the slaves will build more ships for us, and battle satellites."
"As you command." The commanders could only end the comm and continue pursuing the elusive black ships.
Three hours later, Santiago found his hunting target: a Rangdan capital ship, equivalent to an Imperial battleship.
"Fire!"
Two beams of multicolored ether-energy shot from the ship's prow.
The beams pierced through the layers of void, striking the enemy ship with precision.
On the hololith, white arcs of energy collided with stone after stone, the beams visibly shrinking.
"Saturation barrage."
"Open fleet channel."
Santiago gave the orders. Concealment was no longer necessary now.
Then the "Astrologer" looked up, gazing out the viewport.
A series of voices sounded in his comms.
"Lord, the Ramillies-class starfort has arrived in the Xana system."
"Lord, ambush successful. Thirteen enemy ships destroyed, five capital ships among them."
"Lord, ambush successful. Four enemy ships destroyed, one capital ship."
"..."
The dazzling light of the star awakened the "Astrologer's" childhood memories on Cypra Mundi, gazing up at the sun of his home system.
He slightly clenched his right hand, as if grasping the stars, simultaneously feeling something within him shatter like a star.
'I have become a true "Astrologer."
The power rising within Santiago dispelled the fatigue of nerves strained for nearly a week. He issued an order on the Chapter channel.
"Launch the full assault!"
.....
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