The guns of the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet hammered the rebel ships. Shields ran beyond safe limits; sparks crackled from overloaded generators.
Augmented bondsmen loaded and fired with tireless mechanical efficiency—a stark contrast to the exhausted unaugmented crews.
The Mechanicus threw everything into stopping the Chaos fleet from hunting down the ark.
It wasn't enough.
Sanctified Prayer had its command deck torn open by a torpedo salvo from the Vengeful Spirit and detonated, killing every soul aboard.
Cybertooth died roaring, dueling a Chaos grand cruiser twice her size. Broadside fire ripped her hull until the last salvo snapped her spine.
Voidpeak lost targeting and drive. Her captain ordered full acceleration and rammed the cruiser Torment of Blood, detonating the plasma core and taking both ships with her.
Alpha Zion was boarded by Black Legion Chaos Space Marines. Every crew member was slaughtered.
A Tech-Priest activated a teleport-jammer—then overloaded the reactor, taking the boarders with him.
One by one, the Mechanicus ships went dark.
Their captains bought the ark precious minutes to repair the Gellar Field—
—but the Vengeful Spirit's speed and firepower made those sacrifices feel meaningless.
Under Abaddon's command, she tore through the barrier of dying ships and raced for the ark where Cawl waited.
Cawl's internal projections ran nonstop.
[Route 124: survival probability 0.245%…]
[Route 125: survival probability 0.254%…]
[…]
Again and again the numbers returned: microscopic chances.
The specter of failure closed around him, driving ever faster calculations.
He knew why Abaddon hunted him.
Word had leaked.
Cawl carried armor capable of resurrecting Roboute Guilliman.
Amarich, Celestine, Greyfax, Creed, and the others gathered on the command deck.
Predictably, they argued.
Celestine insisted they must take another route.
Greyfax denounced her as a heretic, claiming she would drag them into the Warp.
To sway the debate, Cawl revealed Greyfax carried a Necron control node within her.
Amarich and Creed regarded the Inquisitor with suspicion—and sided with Celestine.
Greyfax raged, helpless.
Celestine declared her visions pointed to the ice moon Klaisus—where another path awaited.
Cawl accepted the counsel.
The voyage was anything but smooth.
The ark was forced to engage the Vengeful Spirit. The leviathans pounded each other for over an hour.
Both took damage.
The ark took more.
Entering low orbit over Klaisus, her void shields collapsed entirely.
The ark became a lamb awaiting slaughter.
"Go claim that precious cargo for me."
Abaddon gave the Black Legion the order. Elite boarding parties would storm the ark and seize Cawl's priceless freight.
The era of Primarchs was over.
He would not allow one to rise again.
…
Ark Mechanicus — Primary Command Deck
Boarding alarms howled. Reports streamed in: breached interdiction zones, lost decks, failing bulkheads.
"We must abandon the ark."
Cawl made the rational choice at once, transferring command to a Tech-Priest beside him.
"Buy us time—whatever the cost."
"Task accepted and assigned top priority," the Tech-Priest replied.
To remain was certain death.
Bound by binary devotion to the Omnissiah, the crew accepted their fate in silence.
Cawl left the bridge for the stasis vault holding the cargo, summoning Celestine, Greyfax, and the rest as his guard.
He opened a channel to Creed.
"Wake the Nameless Warrior. We need every blade."
"On my way."
Creed and his household guard sprinted for Datch's chamber.
They found him still asleep.
Creed gave the aquila salute.
"Nameless Angel of the Emperor. Chaos has boarded the ark. We need your aid."
Under stunned eyes, the silent warrior's gaze ignited. He rose.
Datch's memory ended where he chose to skip the cut-scene.
To him, only a blink had passed—
—then Creed was telling him the ark was boarded.
A mission prompt appeared.
[Mission: Buy Archmagos Cawl and the others time to evacuate.]
Because of the gods' meddling, the ark's Gellar Field is ruined. Unable to enter the Warp, the precious cargo is in peril. Enemy boarders are aboard. Stop them so Cawl can escape.
Reward: 800 XP, 800 Points, Reputation +40, Bamboo-copter ×1
"For the Emperor… and for the green green grassland."
Half-hearted war cry delivered, Datch hopped toward the objective.
BOOM!
A Dreadclaw assault boat smashed through the alloy gates of Deck B-7, ploughing into the plating beyond.
The impact hurled crewmen through the air. Several died instantly.
Cadian squads, Skitarii, and armed servitors rushed in, taking firing positions—muzzles locked on the Dreadclaw's hatch.
The moment it opened, they would pour fire in and butcher the boarders.
But in the next second, the defenders' shadows twisted.
Daemon hounds with burning red eyes stepped out of the gloom and lunged—tearing into the Imperials.
As defenders reeled, the Dreadclaw's ramp dropped.
Black Legionnaires surged out, bolters blessed by dark gods already roaring.
Mass-reactive rounds shredded flesh. Even heavily augmented Skitarii couldn't withstand the storm.
In moments, the garrison on Deck B-7 was annihilated—black machine-oil mingling with blood across the deck.
A wounded Tech-Priest crawled, seeking cover.
A foot of mingled flesh and steel pinned him in place.
"Pathetic, ignorant thing."
"The Corpse Emperor's lapdogs grow ever weaker. This ship is ours."
The Possessed Chaos Space Marine Lotara looked down with contempt.
Summoning daemon hounds from shadows to break the defenders had been his idea.
Possessed were Chaos Marines fused with daemons—granted hideous power for their devotion.
"Traitor—leave that Tech-Priest alone."
A shout rang out.
Lotara turned.
An unpainted armored warrior stood there, chainsword and shotgun in hand.
"Only one?" Lotara laughed. "My pets will feast on you."
"Watch them devour your flesh and soul—an honour few receive."
He released the daemon within.
A boiling black cloud of malice formed—warped features, a gaping mouth—screaming loud enough to hurt the ears.
It lunged at Datch.
BOOM!
Datch fired.
The daemon-mist shrieked in pain.
BOOM!
A second blast tore it apart, scattering it into nothing.
"No—Aaaagh!"
Lotara screamed, voice racked with despair.