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Chapter 144: The Corrupted Son
"Execute," Ravenna commanded.
He drew a compact device from his belt and cast it toward the Second Primarch without hesitation.
The detonation flooded the crystal chamber with dense anaesthetic vapour.
The surrounding humans and xenos collapsed immediately. Their artificially peaceful expressions finally slackened into unconsciousness.
Hobar staggered but remained upright through sheer transhuman constitution. His enhanced physiology fought the chemical assault.
With a roar of primal fury, he charged the nearest Custodian like a wounded beast.
The impact against auramite armour rang like a tolling bell. The golden plates buckled and dented under the tremendous force.
Such was the terrifying might of a Primarch, even one weakened by sedatives.
Hobar's massive fists sent the Custodian sprawling.
The blow was stunning but not fatal. Years of psychic conditioning had transformed him into an absolute pacifist, bound by principles that would not permit him to take life.
Ravenna's heart clenched at the sight. Even in his fury, the Primarch was holding back. This damn corruption ran so deep that it had twisted his very nature into something alien to his gene-forged purpose.
Ravenna didn't wait and seized the opening when it came. He hurled a second, more potent anaesthetic charge.
The concentrated dose finally overwhelmed even Hobar's superhuman metabolism. The Second Primarch collapsed. His struggles ceased as unconsciousness claimed him.
Without hesitation, Ravenna and his battle-brothers proceeded to execute every remaining occupant within the Crystal Dome.
These beings possessed no weapons, no knowledge of warfare. They fell like wheat before the scythe.
Ravenna's blade work was clinical, efficient, and absolute. Each stroke carried the weight of necessity, but no satisfaction. These had once been people, before the aliens stole their minds.
Only Timo Berles remained alive when the slaughter ended.
The man's unique status as the Primarch's adoptive father demanded special consideration. Ravenna would deliver him personally to the Emperor for judgment.
Through psychometric contact with the dying Aetherials, Ravenna absorbed their memories. He learned the full scope of Eden's corruption and the true nature of the Supreme Benevolent Way.
The visions that flooded his mind made him recoil in disgust. The scope of their ambitions was staggering.
The Supreme Benevolent Way revealed itself as an interstellar coalition of humans and xenos. They were dedicated to achieving what they termed "galactic harmony", the complete elimination of warfare through universal pacification.
They had expended vast resources developing the Milestone of All Races. Through advanced technology, they had extracted their consciousness from flesh, merging it with pure energy in what they called "evolutionary transcendence."
Eden served as their first experimental site. It was their proof of concept for galactic transformation.
During their reign, they had encountered various invading xenos species. Each was subsequently brought under psychic control and integrated into Eden's false paradise.
The twenty races inhabiting Morge 02 had arrived through such "conversions."
Most troubling of all, not every member of the Supreme Benevolent Way resided on this world. Others had dispersed throughout the galaxy, establishing similar colonies of enforced peace.
The implications sent a chill through Ravenna's enhanced nervous system. How many worlds had already fallen to this insidious corruption?
After purging all hostilities within the Crystal Dome, Ravenna's squad extracted with their unconscious prizes. They carried the Second Primarch and his corrupted father-figure aboard their gunboat.
They also collected alien corpses for detailed analysis by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Iser the Wise proved as accomplished in biological sciences as in technological matters. His examination of the enemy remains and the Crystal Dome structure yielded crucial intelligence.
"The Crystal Dome functions as a psychic amplification matrix," he reported to Ravenna. "It creates sophisticated forms of mental domination over all beings within its sphere of influence."
"Controlled subjects perceive their manipulators as beloved authority figures, parents, elders, and trusted leaders. They make choices that feel entirely voluntary while serving the controller's desires."
The revelation made Ravenna's jaw clench. The Primarch truly believed he was making free choices. The aliens had perverted his very capacity for judgment.
Ravenna issued orders to his battle-brothers. "Confine the Second Primarch within a Black Domain Field. Ensure absolute containment."
Within the Black Domain's influence, time itself ceased. Even light could not escape its boundaries.
The Second Primarch remained unconscious and lacked the Gene Engine implants that might facilitate escape. The containment would hold.
With Hobar secured, Ravenna gazed down at Morge 02's surface. He had considered issuing an Exterminatus order but found himself hesitating.
Regardless of its corruption, this remained the Second Primarch's homeworld. Somewhere beneath that alien taint, human souls might still endure.
"Destroy those Milestone devices," he commanded instead. "And eliminate every Crystal Dome structure planetside."
Imperial fighters launched from their hangars. They carried out the purge with methodical precision.
The orbital Milestone arrays dissolved under concentrated las-fire. The ground-based Crystal Domes vanished in mushrooms of flame and debris.
Only after confirming the complete cessation of psychic emanations did Ravenna order the fleet's departure.
The Second Primarch must be delivered to the Emperor without delay.
Deep beneath Morge 02's surface, surviving Aetherials watched through remaining satellites as the Imperial battleship ignited its engines and vanished into the void.
"We must withdraw from this world," came the ethereal voice from hidden chambers far below ground. "They harbor only destructive urges. They will certainly return to complete our annihilation."
"Such a tragedy," another entity lamented. "Our Eden, which required so much effort to establish, lies in ruins."
"No matter," a third voice interjected with cold pragmatism. "Eden proved our methodology sound. As energy beings, we possess near-infinite lifespans. Time remains our greatest asset."
"Next time, we must locate a species weak enough for complete domination. Only then can we avoid that mad warlord styling himself the Master of Mankind and his fanatical servants."
The aliens began their calculations. There were other worlds to corrupt, other species to enslave. The setback on Morge 02 was merely temporary.
...
Emperor's Grand Design
Aboard the Emperor's Grand Design in the Laboratory Complex Tertius, the Emperor pursued His experiments amid the symphony of massive cogitators.
Matrix crystal arrays crackled with contained lightning. They channelled Warp energies through precisely calculated pathways.
He was working to weave a psychic web capable of filtering Chaos corruption from the Immaterium. It would enable humanity to access psychic powers safely.
Raven lounged nearby, his boredom manifesting in repetitive sentences that had been echoing through the chamber for hours.
"What did Number One eat for breakfast? Fries."
"What did Number One eat for lunch? Fries."
"What did Number One eat for dinner? Fries."
"What did Number One eat for a midnight snack? Fries."
"What did Number Two eat for breakfast? Fries..."
Valdor stood rigid beside the door. His eye twitched with barely controlled irritation.
Raven had maintained this infernal chant for three consecutive hours. At this rate, Valdor felt dangerously close to suffering some form of psychological breakdown himself.
A Custodian approached with measured steps, offering the traditional salute and providing a blessed interruption.
"Commander," he announced formally.
"What is it?" Valdor asked reflexively, his mind still echoing with endless repetitions. "Do you also desire fries?"
The Custodian's expression showed profound confusion. "My lord?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Valdor shook his head vigorously, attempting to clear the mental fog.
Raven's psychological warfare proved devastatingly effective. Even he was not immune to its corrupting influence.
"Your report?" Valdor managed with forced composure.
"The dispatched retrieval teams have transmitted their findings. Both Primarchs have been located and secured. The comprehensive reports await your review."
Raven's interest sharpened immediately. "The Second Primarch and Jaghatai have returned? Excellent. I shall provide them proper 'discipline' to enliven this tedious existence."
"Gwent grows stale. Perhaps wargaming scenarios would prove more entertaining diversions."
"As you wish," Valdor replied carefully. "I support all your reasonable decisions."
"Splendid! Then you'll run naked through the Emperor's Grand Design while coating yourself in lubricants?"
Valdor had believed his recent trials had forged him into an unshakeable fortress of composure. He now acknowledged the foolishness of such hubris.
"Allow me to rephrase," he said with forced dignity. "I support all decisions I deem appropriate and tactically sound."
Valdor then accepted the data-slate from his subordinate. His expression grew grave as he absorbed the mission reports.
Raven peered over his shoulder with curious interest, scanning the accounts from both Custodian teams.
The Chogoris expedition had proceeded without incident.
The Custodians arrived to find Jaghatai Khan already in the process of planetary conquest. After brief communication, they had assisted his forces in defeating the final resistance, completing unification before escorting the Khan to the fleet.
The Second Primarch's recovery, however, presented far more troubling circumstances.
Raven, even though a transmigrator, had little to no knowledge regarding the Second Primarch's specific circumstances.
In the predetermined timeline, the Second Primarch was synonymous with a complete erasure, an existence that neither the Imperium nor Chaos ever acknowledged.
Even ten millennia after the Horus Heresy, when Chaos Space Marines spoke of their betrayal, they refused to mention either of the two Lost Primarchs. The nature of their crimes must have been truly extraordinary to earn universal condemnation from both loyalist and traitor forces.
The Custodians' report made Raven's eyes widen with alarm.
"How is this Greater Good nonsense coming at this time period? This was not in the timeline!"
His mind raced through the implications. In the original timeline where Raven had not intervened, the Imperium first encountered the T'au in M35.
An Adeptus Mechanicus survey vessel had discovered the T'au homeworld, a dry but vegetation-rich planet inhabited by primitive humanoid beings who had barely mastered fire and crude weaponry.
Imperial authorities deemed them no threat to Imperial interests. The T'au world was scheduled for routine cleansing and human recolonisation.
However, the Imperial fleet dispatched for this purpose was destroyed by an unprecedented Warp storm. The storm subsequently prevented all further contact with the T'au system.
Given their minimal threat assessment, the Imperium quickly forgot the T'au's existence entirely.
This abandonment granted the T'au crucial millennia for development.
By M41, they had evolved into a spacefaring civilisation threatening Imperial holdings across the Eastern Fringe. They spread their philosophy of the "Greater Good" through diplomacy and warfare alike.
"No wonder the T'au's ascension seemed so improbable," Raven mused, recalling his knowledge of their impossible rise.
In six thousand years, they had evolved from primitive hunters to a stellar empire capable of waging large-scale warfare against the Imperium of Man. It defied every known pattern of technological and social development.
Now Raven suspected the T'au might serve merely as tools for these Aetherial entities.
The thought sent a chill through him. If the aliens had been manipulating galactic development for millennia, how many other "impossible" civilisations were their creations?
"Locate the nearest Imperial fleet to Morge 02 and dispatch them for Exterminatus operations," Raven commanded with sudden urgency.
"If these Aetherials can be captured alive, do so. If not, ensure their complete destruction."
"Classify all information regarding the Second Primarch under maximum security protocols. Personnel connected to the Second Legion are to receive no intelligence whatsoever. The Primarch himself will be delivered directly to the laboratory complex for comprehensive evaluation before any further action."
Valdor committed each directive to memory as Raven's orders carried the weight of absolute authority.
The stakes had just become far higher than anyone had imagined. The corruption of a single Primarch was tragedy enough. But if these aliens had been shaping galactic destiny for thousands of years, their threat dwarfed anything the Imperium had yet faced.
Time would tell if they could be stopped before their "Greater Good" consumed everything humanity held dear.
[End of Chapter]