Kingdom of Disorder, Fourth Layer. Nareth leaned back on his throne, looking down at Zadkiel, Chapter Master of the Quillborn of the Word Bearers.
"My Lord." Zadkiel offered the chainaxe with both hands.
"The Brazentooth was once Angron's weapon. He gave it to our father as a symbol of our alliance."
Nareth knew that Lorgar Aurelian was one of the few Primarchs who genuinely cared for Angron, though in his own way.
Just as he had ranted about his faith to anyone who would listen, at war councils and with his brothers.
Angron's regard for Lorgar was second only to his loyalty to Horus, and he would genuinely consider his advice.
"Our father gave it to me."
Nareth beckoned, and the axe of obsidian and brass flew into his hand.
Its tooth were forged from shining obsidian, its haft wrapped in ugly lizard hide.
He knew this crude weapon had been forged before Angron's current two chainaxes, the Gorefather and Gorechild. It was a symbol of his ruthlessness.
It had taken the head of the xeno Scandrane Queen and had carved a path through the greenskin hordes of the Parsifal Abyss-class.
A barbaric world of tribal madmen had resisted the Imperial Truth-until they saw the Brazentooth in Angron's hand. They had submitted.
'Angron, if I were to use your own axe to cut you down…'
With a thought, the Brazentooth vanished from his hand.
"My Legion is currently conducting a pacification campaign in the Garris system. My father summoned me. He ordered me to proceed to the moon, Thule, in our home system, to receive a gift from the Warmaster."
"He told me to bring the Brazentooth to that gift."
"The gift he has ordered you to receive is a new type of battleship. Its firepower surpasses even the Gloriana-class. In the entire Imperium, only the Phalanx can compare."
'Hmm, of course, that's without considering the Blackstone Fortress I took from Abaddon.'
Nareth remembered that the Brazentooth had been placed in the Furious Abyss's display hall, only to be taken by World Eater Captain Skraal during a boarding action.
He did not believe Zadkiel's words, nor Angron's betrayal of the Emperor.
As he pondered, Zadkiel's eyes blazed. He looked up at the Black Emperor upon His throne, his thoughts churning. Finally, he spoke.
"My Lord, such a powerful battleship should be offered to You as a flagship."
"I see your devotion." Nareth smiled.
"I grant it to you. You will command it, carrying out my will."
"Upon acquiring the Abyss-class, you will proceed immediately to the Coronid New Zone, to support the Sixth Chapter."
The Furious Abyss, which Zadkiel would have commanded, had been ordered by First Captain Kor Phaeron to destroy Macragge's satellite, Formaska, with Cyclonic torpedoes.
Even a Abyss-class ship would be suicidal against Macragge's defense lasers.
But the destruction of Formaska would trigger a massive asteroid storm.
Macragge's defenders would be forced to act. The Furious Abyss would then use the debris as cover, bypass the warning stations and satellites around Macragge, and virus-bomb the Ultramarines' homeworld.
However, the plan went awry. The Ultramarines, Space Wolves, and the World Eaters and Thousand Sons, who didn't know or believe their Legions had turned, launched a combined boarding action against the Furious Abyss.
Zadkiel was killed fighting Captain Cestus of the 7th Company of the Ultramarines, and the Furious Abyss was destroyed.
The powerful Furious Abyss had only managed to sink a few ships before being lost.
This exposed a flaw in all Abyss-class ships: a lack of maneuverability, requiring escort fleets.
The Quillborn excelled at void warfare but would not have been a match for a ferocious combined assault.
"Be sure to keep your escort fleet intact."
Zadkiel was a "Mentor of Disorder," more capable than in his memory, and now commanded three Chapters.
"I thank You for this gift." Zadkiel's eyes gleamed. The thought of commanding a battleship having a firepower more powerful than a Gloriana-class filled him with excitement.
'My Lord has granted me such a powerful vessel.'
'He has given me a divine mission. My chance for glory is here. My pen will write a brilliant achievement in the Coronid New Zone.'
His eyes burned with ambition. "I will follow Your will. I will use the Abyss-class to destroy all Your enemies."
Nareth watched Zadkiel, eager for glory.
'The Abyss-class was Kelbor-Hal's gift to Horus, who passed it on to Lorgar.'
'When Horus discovers it being used against him, that will be amusing.'
He imagined Horus's reaction.
'And Lorgar, what will he do when he finds Zadkiel has taken his ship?
'Hmm… there are three Abyss-class ships!'
A thought struck Nareth. 'Could I get my hands on the other two?'
'Though the Furious Abyss set sail first, the other two Abyss-classship s were not launched immediately.'
'But after the Furious Abyss departed, Kelbor-Hal ordered the destruction of the Thule shipyard to maintain secrecy. So, the other two ships must have been completed, or at least their hulls, during this time.'
His eyes gleamed. His mind raced, plotting how to acquire the other two Abyss-class ships.
He considered his Shadows of Order and its allies, including Lucius's combined Emperor's Children and Death Guard force. A plan began to form.
"Upon arriving at the Thule shipyard, closely monitor the Abyss-class's construction progress. Pray to me constantly."
"By Your will."
After Zadkiel acknowledged the command, Nareth returned him to reality. He then extended his spirituality, touching a deep green orb.
Confirming Captain Keon of the 5th Company of the Fourth Chapter was alone, he drew him into the Kingdom of Disorder.
"My Lord." The "Gatekeeper," clad in Cataphractii-pattern Terminator armor, knelt.
"You will meet with the leader of the Hessen Cartel's commercial dynasty. Demand that he arrange for you and the Shadow Guard to secretly infiltrate the Jovian shipyards."
The Hessen Cartel was one of the Imperium's largest commercial organizations, with vast holdings across the Imperium, especially in the Sol System.
In fact, before the Heresy, the Hessen Cartel controlled one-tenth of Terra's trade.
The Alpha Legion had used the Cartel's son-in-law, Hecratro, to successfully infiltrate Dorn's carefully constructed defenses of Terra and the Sol System.
Within Terra's commercial dynasties, bloodlines were paramount. No matter their contributions, employees could only receive rewards, never true power.
To gain a voice in the dynasty, Hecratro had married into the ruling family.
He had secretly cooperated with the Alphas, helping them infiltrate Terra.
The commercial dynasty had helped the Alphas acquire batch numbers and access codes for the spaceport cargo locks- the source of each family's power, derived from ancient contracts with the ports.
Even the Regent and the Primarchs could not control this power.
The Hessen Cartel, with its base on Jupiter, could do this even more easily. Their contracts were as old as the Mechanicum's. Countless laborer families had served them for generations.
"I also need them to deploy the Jovian Grenadiers to support our operation."
"In return, they will receive the Thule Mechanicum shipyard."
"Tell the dynasty's leader not to fear Mechanicum retaliation, because the master of the Thule shipyard, Fabricator General Kelbor-Hal, has already turned traitor."
After hearing the Black Emperor's command, Keon bowed.
"By Your will."
After returning Keon to reality, Nareth leaned back on his throne.
"Lorgar, I've taken all the Abyss-class ships Horus gave you. Not one will be left for you."
"After all, even with a good hand, you play it badly."
"Though I'm giving the Thule shipyard to the Hessen Cartel to secure their support, I still want the shipyard's data and the technologies lost when Kelbor-Hal destroyed it."
....
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