V3 Chapter 57: Mid-Term Objective: The Maelstrom
Once the campaign on Vulcantia and Cereris was fully wrapped up, the crusade fleet returned to transit.
The campaign had ended quickly, but it left behind no shortage of problems. The Necrons had withdrawn too cleanly, leaving vast quantities of xenos constructs behind across Vulcantia's surface and shallow tomb levels, and the Mechanicus practically wanted to take the entire forge world apart to study it.
Duvette had gained something of his own from it as well.
[You have won a victory worthy of record in the annals of the crusade.]
[Vulcantia Campaign Mark acquired]
[King of War's current effect increased by an additional 5%]
Duvette looked at the notifications in his field of vision, in reasonably good spirits.
Another campaign Mark. Good. At this rate, even without activating any active skill, the everyday physical condition of the Legion under his command would keep growing stronger.
Beyond the System reward, Triplex Phall's Archmagos Carlotrek had also honoured their earlier agreement.
Under Guilliman's authorisation and oversight, Carlotrek had backed up a copy of the blackstone research data and handed it over to both Duvette and Guilliman. The data crystal was housed in a sealed container engraved with a Mechanicus holy seal, its outer surface marked with Triplex Phall's own dedicated encryption runes.
Duvette showed little reaction as he took the container.
He had no idea whether these grease-stained priests had tampered with the data in some way. Deleting a few annotations, hiding certain key parameters, or leaving behind a tracking protocol, all of it would fit perfectly with the habits of Triplex Phall's Tech-Priests.
Still, it made no difference to him. He had no use for it himself anyway; when the time came to hand it over to Cawl, he might be able to trade it for something useful in return.
By now, Triplex Phall's Mechanicus attention was no longer fixed solely on the blackstone.
They also had a great quantity of Necron constructs to study.
On top of that, there was the anomaly the Victory Titan Legion had displayed this time.
Had Guilliman not ordered them to continue with the crusade, most of the Mechanicus members would likely have wanted to stay behind on Vulcantia. To them, this forge world had now become a treasure vault filled with xenos technology and mysterious machine spirit phenomena.
Carlotrek, clearly, had no wish to give any of it up either.
Before the fleet set out again, he had come to find Duvette more than once.
"Archmagos." Duvette looked at Carlotrek, who had appeared before him once again, and gave him a polite smile. "I would have thought you'd be busy studying that xenos wreckage by now."
Carlotrek's bionic eye turned slightly.
"The wreckage is already under study, General Duvette. But if certain battlefield phenomena aren't confirmed in time, their data value declines rapidly."
Duvette knew perfectly well what he was asking about.
This Archmagos had picked up some rumour from somewhere. He believed that every one of the machine spirit anomalies bore an extremely high correlation to Duvette himself.
The Knight formations, the Titan Legion, and the Astra Militarum's armoured regiments, all of it.
Naturally, Duvette said nothing on the matter.
"That falls under classified phenomena within the crusade system authorised by the Primarch," Duvette said. "If the Archmagos genuinely wishes to understand it, you're welcome to submit a formal request to Lord Guilliman himself."
Carlotrek was silent for a few seconds.
"You know that isn't the answer I want to hear."
"Of course." Duvette gave a short smile. "But if Triplex Phall is willing to help my own 112th Combat Cluster with an equipment refit and post-battle maintenance, I might be able to offer up a few observation notes."
Carlotrek's mechanical fingers tapped lightly against his mechadendrite staff.
Duvette continued, smiling. "I'm only doing this to improve the crusade force's combat efficiency, of course."
Carlotrek watched him, the red light within his bionic eye flickering several times.
In the end, he agreed.
Duvette was not surprised. For the Mechanicus, the exchange was well worth it. All they had to provide was a batch of maintenance resources and equipment upgrades, and in return they would get a first-hand account of the machine spirit anomalies.
"Well then, General Duvette," Carlotrek said. "Now you can give me a few of those observation notes."
Duvette thought for a moment.
"That kind of anomalous firepower doesn't come without a cost."
Carlotrek's attention visibly sharpened.
Duvette continued. "Weapons, vehicles, and guns driven by that state of machine spirit elation tend to develop severe faults afterward. Vehicles and Titans need a full overhaul, along with prayer and rites of appeasement."
Carlotrek's bionic eye recorded his every word rapidly.
"If maintenance isn't carried out," Duvette said, "the machine spirit could develop problems at any point in the next campaign. Iron of the End not burning itself out on the spot this time doesn't mean it paid no cost at all."
Carlotrek fell silent.
This explanation, if anything, made things somewhat easier for him to accept.
If everything came at absolutely no cost, that would run entirely against the Mechanicus's understanding of machine spirits and mechanical structure. But if the wear was simply deferred to a post-battle repair phase, then this remained a phenomenon that could still be studied.
It was still absurd, but at least there was a cost involved.
"I will arrange maintenance for the 112th Combat Cluster," Carlotrek said. "But I will need more complete battlefield records."
"Once the equipment refit is complete, we can continue this conversation."
With that, Duvette gave him a slight nod and turned to leave.
Within the fleet, rumours about the Vulcantia campaign were spreading.
Astra Militarum soldiers said they had felt the God-Emperor's gaze upon them on the battlefield. The Battle Sisters were more direct still, already explaining the physical enhancements, the anomalies in weapons and ammunition, and the fury of the Titans and Knights, through prayer.
Even those who did not join in the fervour privately held some measure of agreement with it.
Duvette's position differed from Guilliman's.
He neither actively promoted this kind of worship, nor did he suppress it. Until his own legitimacy and safety were fully secured, this explanation drew a great deal of attention away from himself.
"The God-Emperor's gaze" was, in every way, safer than "General-Commissar Duvette carries an unknown power."
Having bid Carlotrek farewell, he walked on toward his own quarters.
The first major campaign had concluded, and the fleet would now head for its next target battlefield. Duvette had already gone through the detailed intelligence Guilliman had provided him; the threat level of the worlds ahead all fell short of Vulcantia and Cereris.
Traitor forces, Orks, Dark Eldar raiders, and a scattering of xenos plunderers expanding while the chaos lasted.
These enemies were dangerous, certainly, but nowhere close to comparable to the Necrons.
What truly held Duvette's attention was the crusade's mid-term objective.
The Maelstrom.
It was now 768.M41.
The future Lord of the Maelstrom, Huron, Chapter Master of the Astral Claws, had not yet openly turned traitor at this point. By the history Duvette knew, the man should already have refused to continue submitting gene-seed tithes, and had begun secretly expanding his forces.
Badab, too, had long since been turned into his own personal territory.
But Guilliman's arrival was bound to throw every one of Huron's plans into disarray.
Duvette was curious.
If Guilliman discovered the Astral Claws' violations of the Codex Astartes, how would Huron react? And if Huron tried to justify himself by citing the pressure of the Maelstrom front and Ultramar, how would Guilliman respond?
Whatever happened, Huron had no capital to openly break with the Imperium.
Even with the Astral Claws secretly expanded far beyond the Codex's limits, they would stand no real chance of resistance against the crusade's main strength under Guilliman's personal command.
Duvette stopped before the hatch of his quarters.
Perhaps he could try reaching out to those Chapters Huron still kept in the dark.
The Lamenters, the Mantis Warriors, and the other wardens of the Maelstrom.
Since he had already come this far, the Lamenters of this life should not have to suffer the same misfortune.
Duvette shook his head, pushed the hatch open, and walked inside.
The Maelstrom still lay far ahead, but he couldn't shake the feeling this crusade wouldn't go smoothly. He hoped it was only his imagination.
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