The Akum-Sothos Cluster in the Segmentum Solar, a shining achievement of the Luna Wolves in the early days of the Great Crusade.
The origin point of Horus Lupercal's many glories, at a time when no other Primarchs had yet returned. He had conquered its one hundred worlds.
The Potsdam System.
A key navigational hub for the Cluster, where Warp routes from six surrounding systems converged.
Aboard the Fifth Chapter's flagship, the Relic-class battleship Starcaller.
Santiago sat at his familiar console by the viewport, charting the star system.
Using pigments mixed with spiritual materials like Kraken's blood, he traced symbols and markers over the Luna Wolves' star charts.
He slowly lowered the white feather of a shrike from the Ark Reach Cluster, holding the scroll at both ends.
With his "Astrologer's" perspective, he examined the chart. Confirming it was correct, he rolled it up and placed it in a cylinder.
Click!
Runes flickered. A stasis field activated.
A buzz from his comm-bead. Santiago answered.
"Chapter Master, the Starcaller teleportation hub is ready."
"Understood." Santiago rose, heading for the teleportation hub.
After his observational study aboard the Photep, the Shadows of Order's premier psychic artisan had personally designed and rebuilt the teleportation hub, replacing the old Techmarine-operated platforms.
He hadn't designed it for psykers, but for the "Travelers."
The "Traveler's Door," granted by the Black Emperor, was similar in essence to the daemonologist's teleportation, both involving sensing the environment and self-locating within the Warp.
But there were differences. The daemonologist's teleportation relied on "drawing and manipulating" Warp energy.
The "Traveler's Door" was formed from spirituality and, when constructed, caused no aetheric fluctuations, avoiding the attention of Warp-predators.
The daemonologist's use of the Warp was the most aggressive and crude; teleportation was no exception.
The "Traveler's Door" was safer than the daemonologist's teleportation.
But Santiago, after many attempts, had discovered its limitations.
The "Traveler's Door's" effectiveness depended on two factors: perception, which determined the clarity of the location and thus the accuracy of the teleport, and spiritual strength, which determined the range and duration.
No "Traveler" possessed the perception and spirit to teleport across thousands, even tens of thousands, of kilometers in the void, as the daemonologist could.
For this reason, Santiago had set out to solve the problem. His redesign of the teleportation hub addressed both factors.
Arriving at the spherical teleportation hub, its appearance was the most obvious difference.
Most teleportation hub on frigates and destroyers were octagonal; the Starcaller's was spherical.
It was not a mechanical construct, with only three mechanical cables passing through it, one from above, two from the sides.
The massive, spherical psychic crystal was covered in countless runes: Aeldar runes in silver and gold, Fra'al aetheric runes...
Santiago had purified and engraved the runes in the Warp itself, avoiding any contamination by physical energies.
The most unique feature of the entire sphere was that it had no door.
Santiago approached the crystal sphere. Using the "Apprentice's" "Open," he pressed his hand to the wall, his spirituality spreading. A hazy, blue door appeared before him.
He stepped through the water-like portal, looking around.
Fifteen "Travelers" had their heads encased in crystal hoods, each connected by cables.
The other ends of the cables were linked to a single cable on the right side of the Starcaller's teleportation hub, feeding the augur array's data into their minds.
Their eyes were deep, holding crystal balls.
Within the balls, the illusory images they captured with their "Astrologer" skills flashed by.
After everyone had removed their hoods and completed their divinations, the "Traveler," Santiago, stepped forward, "blinking" to the dome's peak.
He pressed his hand to the circular rune, channeling his spirituality, and chanted in the Dunnic.
"Full Moon!"
The Full Moon runes, engraved by the "Scarlet Scholar" Mikael, blazed to life across the sphere's interior.
The crystal balls cast soft light, as if bathed in moonlight.
Whoosh!
Santiago and the other fifteen "Travelers," empowered by the Full Moon, felt their spirituality and inspiration grow.
Their eyes gleamed like stars.
One "Traveler" moved first. With his heightened spirituality, he traced complex symbols and markers in his mind.
An ethereal gate materialized before him. The "Traveler," in his Cataphractii-pattern Terminator armor, stepped through, vanishing.
Whoosh!
He reappeared on the bridge of a cruiser, thirteen thousand kilometers away.
"Enemy attack?" An officer reacted quickly, drawing his pistol, but the black-armored giant was gone.
A bolt of silver lightning struck his head.
His charred body collapsed. Other officers drew their weapons, firing at the intruder.
Mist billowed, silent.
The officers, lost in the fog, spun around.
"Damn it! Protect the captain!"
"There's no fire! Why is there fog?"
"This isn't smoke!"
Boom!
A sudden loud noise.
Instinctively, the officers fired at the sound.
Rat-tat-tat...
Using a series of tricks to misdirect them, the "Traveler" "blinked" to the side of the guards.
With a gesture, a slick of grease appeared under their feet.
Their boots slipped, their balance lost.
The grease was too thick; their boots sank into it.
The harder they struggled, the more they slipped.
"Ah..." They cried out, their legs sliding out from under them.
Bang!
One guard's face slammed into the deck, his nose gushing blood.
With the guards downed by the "Slip" trick, the "Traveler" strode to the captain.
He grabbed him by the collar. "Traitor. Order your men to surrender."
The captain grabbed the giant's arm, trying to pry off the black gauntlet.
"Who are you?"
"We follow the divine will of the Unsighted King! We will no longer bow to the False Emperor of Terra..."
"I am a Shadows of Order," the "Traveler" cut him off coldly.
"By the command of the Sovereign Lord, I am here to put down this rebellion."
"Last chance. Surrender or die."
"Shadows of Order... Lord Nareth..." The captain's eyes widened. Potsdam was a transport hub; he had heard traders speak of Lord Nareth and his Legion.
They told tales of his destruction of the Mitus, who had enslaved the Coronid Deeps.
"I... I surrender..."
The captain chose survival over faith.
He would not die for House Pezela's beliefs.
In the Starcaller's teleportation hub, Santiago reviewed the reports.
'Just as my Lord said, those parasitized by the Unsighted King are completely controlled.'
'Those on the periphery have the weakest faith.'
He was about to open a "Traveler's Door" to his chosen target when his comm-bead buzzed.
"My Lord, the rebel fleet is moving."
"A destroyer is breaking away. The remaining destroyer and four frigates are forming a semi-circular screen to cover its escape."
"I see." Santiago ended the call. 'The Unsighted King is likely aboard that ship.'
...
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