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Chapter 28: A Captive
After regaining control of the flagship, Marius Gage immediately ordered the captain to reestablish contact with the surface of Calth.
"Calling Calth, this is Macragge's Glory, reporting your current situation."
After a brief period of signal interference, Ventanus' voice came through the bridge speakers.
"Captain, this is the Calth Museum. Are you ready to land on the orbital platform?"
"It will take some time. The flagship has been damaged and boarded by the Word Bearers. We must deal with these enemies before we can divert our forces elsewhere. Sorry."
Gage knew the orbital platform was inflicting massive damage on the Ultramarines' warships. However, the immediate threat from the Word Bearers took precedence. They could not allow the flagship of the XIII Legion to fall.
He would rather see it destroyed than captured. The enemy had not fired on Macragge's Glory for precisely this reason—they wanted to seize it intact. If the Word Bearers succeeded, the psychological impact on the Ultramarines across the Five Hundred Worlds would be devastating, emboldening the enemy further.
"Understood. We will continue to hold on," Ventanus responded. He understood the flagship's situation all too well.
If he had the means, he would have sent aid immediately.
"I need to report something else: we've captured a Word Bearer alive—or rather, he surrendered to us voluntarily."
Gage's eyes narrowed in surprise.
"Interrogate him at all costs. We need intelligence on the Word Bearers' movements."
Ventanus left the communications room and stepped into an open area outside, where a battered and bloodied Word Bearer knelt, waiting.
The traitor's power pack had been disabled, and his arms were bound behind his back, rendering him immobile.
"You're finally here," the Word Bearer said, removing his helmet with a grin. Blood and shattered teeth dribbled from his mouth, mixing with saliva and staining his armor.
"Name?"
"Kor Phaeron," the Word Bearer replied.
An Ultramarines guard presented Ventanus with the items confiscated from Kor Phaeron: a damaged bolter, an equally damaged power sword, and a dagger crafted from an unknown metal.
The dagger, half a meter long, would be a short sword for a mortal but only a dagger for a Space Marine. Its hilt was wrapped in thin iron chains, a feature Ventanus found odd.
If the chains were meant to secure the weapon in battle, they would surely snap under strain. More likely, the dagger had a ritualistic purpose rather than a combative one.
"State your rank and role."
"I am a commander, cousin."
Kor Phaeron's demeanor was eerily calm. Despite his restraints, he appeared completely at ease, as if he were visiting an old friend rather than standing before his sworn enemies.
"Do you think surrender will earn you mercy? That's absurd. We are blood enemies—there is no reconciliation."
Ventanus raised his bolt pistol, aiming at the Word Bearer's head. A single shot would turn his skull into a fine red mist.
"You Ultramarines are still so arrogant," Kor Phaeron sneered. "Clinging to your false ideals—your honor, your morality, and your corpse-emperor on his throne."
"It is you who betrayed everything," Ventanus countered, voice cold with barely contained fury. "Your wretched gene-father failed the Emperor, and now you have turned your blades against your own brothers."
"The galaxy is at war. Warmaster Horus is leading the awakened warriors against the tyranny of the False Emperor. Why not join us? Together, we can usher in a new era—"
Ventanus cut him off. "Spare me your delusions. We know of the rebellion. The Ultramarines accept this grim reality, and we will crush it."
Kor Phaeron chuckled darkly. Tears mixed with blood streamed from his scarlet eyes—eyes that no longer looked human.
"I want to see the mortal who delivered the warning. He is the key. He tries to alter fate, but his efforts are futile."
"Bring him to me, and I will tell you what you wish to know. A fair trade, isn't it?"
Ventanus frowned, unsure of Kor Phaeron's true intentions.
The mortal named Bucky was an enigma. His origins were unclear, but his actions spoke volumes. He had aided the Ultramarines, offering both material support and battlefield assistance.
And yet, suspicion festered.
Ventanus turned to his adjutant. "Bring him here, but maintain a safe distance."
Something about Bucky was wrong. He had arrived at the exact moment the Word Bearers' betrayal began. He possessed knowledge and technology beyond the Imperium's reach.
His presence felt... unnatural.
Ventanus had to learn as much as possible—without revealing his own hand.
---
Bucky arrived at the open space under guard.
He glanced at Ventanus, then at the kneeling Word Bearer.
Kor Phaeron locked eyes with him immediately, his gaze burning with an unsettling mix of awe and madness.
"You're finally here," he whispered.
His voice trembled—not with fear, but with fervent revelation.
"You... you are not in the prophecies of the Supreme Heaven. You do not belong here. Why? Why are you here?"
His body tensed as if straining against invisible chains. "You were meant to sleep forever in that ship, until the end of time—until entropy devours all and the universe collapses into chaos. So why did you awaken?"
Kor Phaeron's composure shattered. He trembled violently, his breath ragged, his expression wild with manic intensity.
The adjutant instinctively drew his power sword, prepared to strike the traitor down.
Bucky, however, remained impassive.
He knows.
The prisoner's words confirmed what Bucky had long suspected—his arrival had altered the timeline. A variable had been introduced, and the consequences would ripple outward like an avalanche.
"But it doesn't matter," Kor Phaeron muttered, voice quivering. "The gods of the Warp have seen you. The Primordial Truth has issued new warnings. The change you bring... will be erased."
His eyes gleamed with something close to religious ecstasy.
"The Lord of Change watches you, mortal. He wants you. If you kneel, He will grant you knowledge beyond imagination."
The Word Bearer's fervor was unmistakable. He believed every word.
But Bucky remained silent.
Kor Phaeron shifted his gaze to the Ultramarines, sneering.
"You arrogant sons of Guilliman, how long can you hold out? The Word Bearers outnumber you tenfold. We will crush you—just as we crushed your pathetic gene-father. Guilliman is dead, his body sacrificed to the Primordial Truth. He suffers eternal torment even now—"
The insult was too much.
Ventanus' adjutant, Surus, moved like lightning. His power sword ignited, slicing clean through the traitor's chest.
Kor Phaeron's body convulsed, nearly cleaved in two. He crumpled forward, coughing blood, his mouth twisted into a grotesque grin.
But he did not die immediately.
Instead, a pool of blood spread beneath him, forming an eerie, mirror-like surface on the ground.
His laughter turned into a gurgling whisper.
The air trembled.
And the blood mirror... began to ripple.
(End of Chapter)