Chapter 143: Eden's False Peace
"The thought machines in low-Earth orbit stir to wakefulness," Iser the Wise said. Static crackled from his mechanical voice. "Guard yourselves against the psychic signals they cast into the void."
The captain's response came swift and sharply. "Raise the Geller fields. Neutralise those damned thought-waves."
An invisible barrier shimmered around the Imperial battleship. Its protection disrupted the alien mental intrusions that drifted through vacuum like poisonous whispers.
The fleet reached out through communication arrays to the planetary networks. They broadcast their identification and intent across all frequencies.
After a storm of overlapping transmissions, the world finally answered.
A holographic projection appeared before them. The figure showed a man with gentle features and flowing robes.
"Welcome to Eden, my distant human brethren." His voice carried an unsettling calm.
"I am Timo Berles, Grand President of this world. We bear no weapons, only boundless love for all who come in peace. You need fear no aggression from us."
Timo provided detailed coordinates for a meeting site. His scheduling was precise, and his manner suggested not merely acceptance of Imperial takeover, but genuine enthusiasm for meeting with the Custodians.
Before descending to the planetary surface, Iser the Wise compiled his findings on Morge 02. He transmitted the comprehensive data immediately to Ravenna, the mission's commanding Custodian.
"Twenty distinct xenos races call this world home," Ravenna read aloud. His noble features darkened with each line. "All claim to exist in perfect harmony with the human population."
Such coexistence violated the most fundamental rules of Imperial doctrine. Thousands of years of warfare had proven beyond doubt that humans and alien species could never truly integrate. Reproductive barriers and impossible-to-fix cultural differences made only war possible between the species.
Yet Morge 02 held special significance. It was the homeworld of the Second Primarch. To wage war rashly upon this world risked earning the eternal hatred of one of the Emperor's own gene-sons.
The Custodians' sacred duty extended beyond mere retrieval. They must assist the Primarch in either conquering his domain or resolving whatever inner conflicts bound him to this place. They had to ensure no lingering resentment toward the growing Imperium.
"We shall descend and assess the situation firsthand," suggested another Custodian. "Should circumstances prove unfavorable, alternative measures remain available."
Ravenna's jaw remained set with grim determination. "So be it."
After brief preparations, Ravenna and three of his brother-Custodians boarded a gunboat. Its hull bore the Imperial aquila in burnished gold, while six escort fighters roared alongside as they descended toward the agreed meeting point.
The gunboat's engines thundered as it touched down. The elegant structure before them rose in crystal domes, and the backwash from the thrusters stirred the robes of those who waited to greet them.
Yet none of the assembled figures showed fear or irritation at the display of Imperial might. Every face bore the same eerily peaceful smile.
With a hiss of equalizing pressure, the gunboat's massive hatch cycled open.
The Custodian squad emerged in their full glory. They were towering figures in golden armor that blazed like captured sunlight. Each movement spoke of centuries of training and perfection.
The native delegation welcomed them. They wore pristine white robes and those same unsettling smiles, gazing upon the Custodians' magnificent armor with expressions of calm friendliness utterly lacking proper awe.
Among the gathered figures, one stood apart. He was a giant who dwarfed even the considerable height of normal humans. Compared to his companions, he possessed the bearing of a living god.
Ravenna's enhanced senses identified the figure immediately. Unless all intelligence proved false, this could only be the Second Primarch himself.
The mission appeared unexpectedly straightforward.
As Ravenna's gaze swept across the delegation, he noted the presence of several obvious xenos among the human figures.
Their alien bodies differed markedly from normal humanity, and their armour's sensors confirmed complete reproductive incompatibility, species that could never truly coexist with mankind.
The delegation's leader stepped forward and offered a respectful bow to the Custodians.
"It brings us great joy that you have come to Eden," he said. "I am Timo Berles, humble servant of this world's people and their chosen administrator."
"I am Ravenna of the Legio Custodes," came the response. "I am dispatched to retrieve the Emperor's gene-son and bring this world under Imperial dominion."
With practised efficiency, Ravenna released the seals at his neck guard and lifted away his helmet to reveal features that spoke of nobility and unwavering purpose.
Warning alerts flooded his consciousness. Abnormal psychic signals detected. His enhanced mind registered the attempted alteration of perception in progress.
The Gene Engine activated defensive protocols, establishing cognitive barriers and neutralising hostile transmissions.
The alerts resonated through his enhanced consciousness like warning bells.
Ravenna's expression darkened. These people lived under constant psychic bombardment. Their minds were shaped by alien influence every moment of every day.
This world harboured corruption far deeper than mere xenos coexistence.
"To reunite with our lost human cousins has long been our fondest dream," Timo Berles continued. His voice carried that same unnatural tranquillity.
"Then you will deactivate those thought-machines," Ravenna stated. His tone allowed no negotiation.
"You speak of the Milestone of All Races?" Timo's smile never wavered. "Surely you mean something else."
Ravenna's eyes narrowed. "We do not consent to mental manipulation."
"What you perceive as manipulation is merely illumination," came a deeper voice.
The Second Primarch stepped forward to join the diplomatic exchange, and his own expression bore that same eerie calm. "I am Hobar Berles, and I welcome you to Eden with all gladness."
The Custodians studied the Lost Primarch with barely hidden unease. Their thoughts raced through tactical assessments and dire implications.
Ravenna felt a chill run through him despite his armour's climate control. The son of the Emperor himself spoke with the same vacant calm as these manipulated humans. How deep did this corruption run?
"Forcing perceptual changes through psychic transmission, how is this not the very definition of mental enslavement?" Ravenna's voice carried the edge of barely controlled anger as he fixed the Primarch with his gaze.
Hobar responded with disturbing calm. "The Milestone of All Races merely awakens the nobility inherent in all sentient beings. It allows us to perceive greater truths, to understand the profound meaning of peace and universal coexistence."
"Through the Milestone's guidance, we have built this paradise called Eden, where all may dwell in perfect contentment."
The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. The Second Primarch's origins became clear. His gestation pod had crashed upon Morge 02, where the planetary ruler Timo Berles had claimed him as an adopted son. In Eden's false paradise, warfare and bloodshed were unknown concepts. All lived in artificial harmony.
The Primarch had integrated seamlessly into this alien society. His mind had been gradually corrupted by constant psychic influence until he became a fervent advocate of their pacifist ideology.
Ravenna felt his heart sink. One of the Emperor's sons was reduced to this. The tragedy of it was almost unbearable.
"You must understand our ways more completely to grasp the righteousness of our path," Timo Berles urged. "Come, allow me to present you to the Elder Council, the sublime Aetherials."
"They are the architects of the Milestone of All Races, the teachers who spread the Supreme Benevolent Way throughout our world, enabling Eden's creation."
Under the delegation's guidance, Ravenna and his Custodians entered the magnificent crystal structure. Behind them, the entrance sealed itself seamlessly, merging with the surrounding walls as if it had never existed.
Ravenna suppressed a surge of unease. They were trapped now, by design or circumstance.
Faint, rhythmic breathing echoed within the dome. Yet no visible lungs drew air.
The Custodians' armour systems worked continuously. They gathered tactical data through passive sensors, identifying potential threats and building detailed three-dimensional maps of the interior space.
Deep within the crystal sanctuary, Ravenna and his brothers finally beheld the entities calling themselves Aetherials.
They possessed no physical forms whatsoever. Each appeared as a sphere of shifting light, pulsing with unnatural energies.
They represented some hybrid existence, consciousness wedded to pure energy, thought given luminous substance.
Ravenna had seen many horrors in his centuries of service, but these things made his skin crawl. There was something fundamentally wrong about creatures that had abandoned flesh entirely.
"Honoured cousins," spoke the foremost Aetherial. Its voice resonated from no visible source. "We welcome you to this sacred place."
The entity's words carried compelling force. There was a quality that made listeners yearn to comply, to surrender will and judgment to its guidance.
His enhanced systems immediately flagged the threat.
[Target represents an energy-thought hybrid entity. Immunity to physical damage confirmed. Extraordinary psychic resistance detected. The target's vocalisations contain subliminal control frequencies.]
The warnings made Ravenna's features harden into a mask of grim determination.
These creatures remained obsessed with mental domination. Even their very speech carried psychic compulsions.
"Do you claim human origin?" Ravenna demanded. He studied the formless beings with undisguised suspicion.
"We were once bound by flesh as you are now," the lead entity responded. "But we have transcended such limitations, achieving perfect harmony with the cosmic order. Thus we name ourselves Aetherials, beings of pure essence."
Ravenna transmitted through secure channels to his brother-Custodians. Extreme hostiles detected. Prepare for potential combat engagement. His expression remained impassive.
He looked up at the hovering Aetherial leader with open challenge.
"This entire world represents your handiwork?"
"Indeed. Perfect harmony achieved, all races united, universal evolution guided by wisdom."
"Race, origin, biology—all such distinctions prove meaningless. Any being with sufficient purity of spirit may undergo transformation, becoming one with our collective consciousness."
These words prompted Ravenna to study the other Aetherials more carefully. None possessed physical forms. All existed as manifestations of living light.
The implications struck him like a physical blow. How many of these creatures had once been human? How many souls had been consumed by this perverted form of existence?
"Some among you never bore human form," Ravenna observed.
"Humanity represents but one small, unremarkable species among countless others," the leader replied with casual dismissal. "The Supreme Benevolent Way embraces all sentient life without distinction."
"The Supreme Benevolent Way also embraces you, honored cousins. Lay down your weapons of war, open your hearts to truth, and know freedom from pain, eternal satisfaction from struggle."
Ravenna's anger flared white-hot at the casual dismissal of humanity's worth. These creatures dared to diminish mankind while preaching false salvation.
"We cannot endorse your 'Supreme Benevolent Way,'" Ravenna declared. His voice carried the absolute authority of the Emperor's chosen. "We have come for the Emperor's gene-son, Hobar Berles. You will surrender him to our custody."
Under normal circumstances, this would mark the moment for war. The elimination of xenos contamination. The destruction of thought-control devices. The liberation of enslaved humanity.
But this world's corruption ran too deep. The Second Primarch's devotion to these entities appeared absolutely genuine, and his gaze held the terrible fervor of the truly converted.
Rash action would certainly earn the Primarch's undying hatred for the Imperium. That would be a catastrophic failure of their sacred mission.
"You must ask him directly," the Aetherial leader responded. "We never impose our will upon others."
The hypocrisy was staggering. They manipulated others through psychic machinery while claiming non-interference.
"I refuse," Hobar stated with calm finality. "The Imperium's rejection of the Milestone of All Races and the Supreme Benevolent Way proves we cannot walk the same path."
The words hit Ravenna like a physical blow. The Emperor's own son, rejecting his father and everything the Imperium stood for.
"Your father calls you home," Ravenna pressed. His voice carried desperate urgency. "Your gene-brothers have all returned to fulfill their destined roles. You must do likewise."
"My destiny diverges from theirs," Hobar replied calmly. "Together, we would create only endless discord. Better that we pursue separate paths toward enlightenment."
Ravenna turned toward the Aetherial leader and President Timo Berles. His patience was finally exhausted.
"Deactivate your damned machines," he demanded. "The Master of Mankind summons His son. His mercy knows no bounds, but neither does His wrath. If you wish to avoid tasting the full measure of His displeasure, you will release the Primarch to our custody."
"Hobar is my adopted son," Timo Berles responded. "His choices remain his own. We respect all beings' right to self-determination."
"You have twisted his perceptions with your cursed devices!" Ravenna's voice rose to barely controlled fury. "What manner of respect lies in such manipulation?"
Timo Berles and his companions maintained their silence. Those same peaceful smiles never left their faces as they gazed upon Ravenna and his battle-brothers.
The sight of those empty, blissful expressions made Ravenna's stomach turn. These people were prisoners in their own minds, and they didn't even know it.
"Embrace the glorious Supreme Benevolent Way," Hobar urged. His eyes shone with terrible conviction as he regarded the Custodians.
New warnings flooded their consciousness.
[Psychic transmission frequency increasing exponentially. Mental barriers estimated to fail in twenty-four minutes. Thought-wave sources identified and highlighted.]
As the warnings came through their systems, Ravenna and his Custodians saw the Aetherials outlined in harsh red light by their targeting arrays.
The alien entities were combining their psychic might. They were attempting to overwhelm the Custodians' mental defenses through sheer collective force.
Ravenna gritted his teeth. The Emperor's greatest warriors, brought low not by blade or bolter, but by the insidious corruption that had already claimed one of His sons.
Time was running out. Soon, they would be just as lost as everyone else on this cursed world.
[End of Chapter]
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