Helioret system, aboard the Red Tear, flagship of the Blood Angels.
Sanguinius's flagship was unlike those of any other Primarch.
There was not even a seat for him on the bridge, by his own request.
His command throne was located in the upper levels of the Red Tear's spinal tower.
Sanguinius had insisted on this unique form of humility since taking command of his Legion.
He refused to serve as captain of any vessel in the fleet, striving to avoid undermining the authority of his commanders.
With Admiral Athene Ducade in command, Sanguinius folded his pristine white wings to their smallest size, standing with one hand resting on the back of the female captain's high chair.
His radiant hair fell naturally, and he maintained a sculpted stillness and silence.
The members of his Primarch's Honour Guard did the same, waiting beneath deep red curtains on the port and starboard sides of the bridge.
The command center of the Red Tear was arranged like an amphitheater.
At the lowest level was the main control console, where Ducade and her senior naval officers operated.
Semicircular secondary and tertiary workstations, arranged in three ascending tiers like amphitheater seating, housed the remaining command personnel, gunners, engineers, detection specialists, and others.
Like Sanguinius, Ducade did not look down upon her crew like a queen upon her subjects.
Ducade was the center of everything, the linchpin of the starship and the fleet she led.
Sanguinius's armor was adorned with gold ornaments, precious rubies, and teardrop-shaped gemstones. A silk outer layer and strands of adamantium chainmail hung over the ornate armor.
He gazed at the holographic display. Except for a few warships left to guard Baal, the Legion's fleet was almost entirely deployed.
Two hundred and thirty-nine capital ships, mostly heavy cruisers and battleships.
Few Legions could match the Blood Angels' firepower, the Iron Hands, the Ultramarines...
Only the Shadows of Order capital ship firepower clearly surpassed the Blood Angels', with four Gloriana-class battleships, and its Relic-class battleships...
Yet, despite this firepower, the Blood Angels had not yet achieved any results.
Ducade's failure to surround the Aeldar craftworld stemmed from the fleet's singular strategic focus: firepower.
Of the four hundred and ninety-two secondary vessels, most were slow escort ships.
Frigates and destroyers were few.
The escort ships served merely as eyes for the larger cruisers, using their augur arrays to scan and locate enemy vessels.
Their lack of speed was amplified when facing an Aeldar craftworld.
Helioret's star was bright, and the system contained no asteroids or debris fields, making the enormous Aeldar vessel difficult to pin down.
Volleys of lance fire, sustained bombardment from macro batteries, reports of hits flashed, but there were no visible results: no burning enemy wreckage.
The few pieces of wreckage drifting in the void belonged to escort ships.
The holographic projections from the craftworld's field showed no significant change.
"My lord, I require the aid of your Librarians."
"I need them to pinpoint the location of that elusive craftworld."
"Of course. They are eager to assist you." Sanguinius spoke with a smile. His mind had already arrived at a number:
One hundred and thirty-nine.
Even five capital ships lost.
The number did not come from a Primarch's superhuman calculation, but from Sanguinius's innate gift, precognition of the future.
Sanguinius opened a channel and contacted his Blood Chief, Captain Raldoron of the 1st Company.
Moments later, a crimson-armored figure entered the bridge.
Raldoron wore a badge of office engraved with the ebony patterns of the hunter tribes of Baal.
He removed his helmet, revealing his gaunt, determined face beneath prominent, grey-white hair.
"Father, the Librarians are performing divinations. In their contest with the craftworld's mad warlocks, they have, for the first time, detected a solar sail."
Raldoron, ever planning for every contingency, had already made preparations.
If Admiral Ducade had not made the request, he would not have interfered.
But since she had, Raldoron was ready to respond.
He also held a unique title within the Legion, Chapter Grand Master, and was widely respected, including by Ducade.
"Excellent. This is precisely their purpose." A look of approving praise crossed Sanguinius's face.
"I wish some of my brothers could understand that."
"Librarians enrich our options. Without them, we would face a long, drawn-out hunt to corner the Aeldar craftworld."
His voice was gentle as he comforted Ducade, whose eyes had dimmed.
"Ducade, this is not a failure on your part."
"The Aeldari are an ancient race that once ruled the galaxy. They have unique advantages in certain areas."
"My lord, I understand..."
Amidst a shrill, insistent beeping, Ducade quickly turned her head.
Ships materialized on the display from nowhere.
"Identify the fleet."
A flurry of activity at the workstations. The escort ships' readings were confirmed, and runes flickered, marking the incoming vessels.
"Shadows of Order."
"Communication link established."
Ducade's voice rose sharply. "They're deploying an attack formation."
"Are they... firing?"
Her tone was sharp, questioning.
Raldoron moved to the other side of her chair, standing beside Sanguinius as they both looked at the display.
Colored light danced and rolled across it.
Rains of rainbow light streaked across the screen.
Bright flashes of fire erupted.
"Their fire... has hit."
A buzz sounded in Raldoron's helmet.
While Ducade's mind went blank, Chapter Grand Master Raldoron spoke.
"The Librarians confirm the Shadow of Order's bombardment used some form of psychic weapon."
Ducade immediately checked the augur array's scans. Sure enough, she detected high-level aetheric readings.
The captain was silent for a few seconds. "Their weapons are directly damaging the Aeldar craftworld."
Sanguinius looked at Ducade. His earlier words of comfort now seemed to have the opposite effect.
"Nareth is considered the Beloved of the Omnissiah. His Legion possesses some special weapons."
"That psychic artillery is one of them."
Ducade turned her head, seeing Sanguinius's perfect face etched with obvious concern.
She swiftly adjusted her mindset. "My lord, I understand."
"I will immediately adjust our plan to provide support for boarding actions."
Seeing Ducade fully engaged, Sanguinius nodded to Raldoron, and the two departed.
As Sanguinius stepped out of the elevator, before the command throne in the spinal tower, the red-robed Tech-Priests standing by looked simultaneously at Sanguinius and Raldoron.
"The connection is ready."
"Holographic projection?" Raldoron inquired.
"The link is weak due to energy interference," the synthesized voice replied.
"Audio primary."
Raldoron ascended the hololithic platform with Sanguinius. Light bloomed.
In the flickering, barely focused projection, he discerned Lord Nareth's imposing form, along with one tall and two shorter figures.
The tall figure, easily identifiable even without close scrutiny, was the Knight Lord of the Shadows of Order 8th Chapter, Thierry Vierra.
The tallest Astartes.
Through the blurred outlines, Raldoron roughly identified the other two: Pell Koscheny, the robust Lord of the Eleventh Chapter. William Wood, the agile Lord of the Twelfth Chapter.
....
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