“I remember the wars I was made for, Necron. At Ullanor the Shokk-Smashers pulverized my armour and crushed my circuits. On Kyandaros my bodies were painted red with Eldar blood as we burned their cursed city to the ground. It has been a long time since I have walked the field of battle… but I am the curator of this museum, and you will not be touching any of these relics as long as I exist, damn you!”

-Iron Mind HZI-00-K ‘Hook’, curator of the Serian Vaults, during his duel with the infamous alien thief Trazyn 'The Infinite' at the Battle of Seria.

M24, 197

Somewhere in the Warp

“Three hours until we reach the Mandeveille Point.”

The sleek black ship cut through the depths of the Warp. By human standards, it was a small craft, barely three hundred meters long. A month ago, the planets of the Neptunia system were experiencing a series of disasters. Empyrean entities manifesting out of nowhere and rampaging in the populace, psykers going mad and bizarre weather phenomena were only part of the list. Predicting a oncoming Warp Storm, the local government had called for a general evacuation. And not a moment too soon, for after two weeks the Immaterium erupted in the star system, drowning it in the Warp. Fleeing the Neptunia System, the civilian ship was separated from the refugee fleet that it belonged to by a powerful Warp current, and now it sailed alone, fighting a desperate battle against time.

Can’t you move this ship any faster? Serenn Aton, onboard Navigator of the Sanctum Illyros, questioned via mindlink. They’re closing in on us. The Navigator was wearing the signature crimson-red armour of her kind, the suit’s internal systems generating complex psychic fields and constantly pumping chemicals into her to suppress the Warp mutations inherent to those that possessed the third eye. Thick silver cables connected the data-ports on her armour to the ship itself, allowing her to effectively become one with Sanctum Illyros as she navigated through the Immaterium.

I’m afraid that is beyond my abilities, Miss Aton. The onboard Man of Iron Talus-34E replied calmly. Our power generators have reached maximum output capacity. If we reroute more power to the ship’s engines, then the Stone Aegis will weaken to an unacceptable extent, increasing the chances of daemonic predators discovering our location. And I’m sure you know that decreasing the power supply to the Gellar Field is not an option.

I- The Navigator cut off briefly, the crystalline visor in front of her third eye flashing yellow as she gritted her teeth. Fuck! That leviathan nearly had us. Tell rockyboy to try harder!

This one is trying their best! Walicha, the designated STONE(Sentient Transhuman Oneiric Neurocloak Emitter) Unit for the ship shouted back, their mental voice like the ringing of bells. Something is interfering with the Aegis generators-

The eye visor on Serenna’s armour flashed red, the psyker doubling over in pain. They’ve found us! Talus, secure the passengers now! They’re breaching the Gellar fields!

Adamantium blast doors slammed down, ion shields flaring to life while combat automatons stepped out from alcoves, scanning the corridors while klaxons blared.

The refugees had assembled in the designated saferoom after the alarms had sounded. Most of them carried weapons given to them by the ship, plasma rifles and meltas thrumming. The humans looked nervously around them, quietly whispering to each other. Duddenly one of the humans clutched his head, making a low, keening sound. As he fell to the ground amid cries of alarm, armored androids dropped from hatches on the ceiling to the ground, pointing energy weapons at the man who was now muttering unintelligible words.

“Get away from him!” Talus barked, using one of the androids as a mouthpiece. The Man of Iron had detected the rising level of psychic activity in the human’s brain, quickly identifying him as a latent psyker. “If you can hear me, do not let them get inside your head! Focus!”

“I can’t.” The man gurgled, foamy spit drooling out of his mouth. “It’s too strong-” His voice cut off as a multitude of purple tongues burst out of his mouth, the stomach rupturing as four sets of legs emerged from the gap.

The androids opened fire, some of the humans joining in, plasma and energy beams tearing great chunks off the emerging daemon. It did little, however, the daemonic flesh regenerating as quickly as it was blown off, while the Keeper of Secrets clawed its way out of the psyker’s body. The horned monster was shaped like an Eldar, grotesque tongues lolling out of its orifices. It held a whip of daemonic silver in its hands, and with a great crack, the bisected halves of the androids tumbled to the ground.

The humans scattered, grav-harnesses whisking them away to other parts of the ship. Some of them weren’t fast enough, the whip catching and dragging them into the abomination’s mouth amidst screams of terror. The daemon ignored the rest, fixing its six eyes in the direction of the ship’s cockpit.

M24, 197

Terra, Council Chamber of Federation High Command

Thirteen individuals were seated around a table. Half of them were human, their appearances varying wildly. The others were decidedly not human, their bodies forged of silicon, adamantium and other exotic materials.

Two people stood before them. One was recognizably human, clad in simple robes of gold with coal-black skin. The other was not, a hulking titan of white auramite and synth-flesh, with glowing green lines running all over his body.

One of them leaned forward, her gleaming chrome face moving seamlessly. "General Lupercal, you requested this meeting of the Council for a purpose of extreme emergency. Please enlighten us."

The cyborg giant gestured to his colleague. “Overseer Pollidae, your report please.”

Adam, now in his Overseer persona, held up a compact holodevice displaying a 3-D rendering of the pulsating Warp storm that threatened travel out of the Neptunia System. "Through quantum outlining of psychic emissions, we have determined that the storm was triggered by the Aeldari Dominion."

One of the human councilors leaned forward. "There is nothing in that system that would provoke an attack from the Aeldari."

"We do not believe that it is intentional, which is why I find it of great concern. We believe that this is connected to the perverse rituals that they are performing in an attempt to create a Category 6 Empyrean Entity."

The representative for the Men of Stone frowned, the metal plates on their face rearranging themselves into dizzying fractal patterns. "Current knowledge states that only three Empyrean Entities of that class exist, and they are currently in a half-dormant state."

"Which is why this is a grave matter, Councilor." Estalius changed the display to a star chart, where a pulsing cancer of purple-silver light spread out from the heart of the Aeldari Empire, east of Segmentum Solar. "By our current estimations, if this is allowed to continue, the amount of rifts in realspace will exponentially increase to the point where interstellar travel and communication will become impossible, while also engulfing entire star systems within the Immaterium, just like the Neptunia or Kryall Systems."

"You speak of a Tier-3 Civilization Meltdown Scenario, Overseer." Kurt Novils, a Terra-born councilor, said slowly. "Based off some predictions and a Warp Storm?"

"The SEER Division supports my claims.” An array of video clips flashed into existence, distraught psykers mumbling about their visions in each one. “Our best scientists have already found undeniable evidence that the rising levels of psychic activity in otherspace are connected to the resurgence of the psychic gene across humanity's worlds and the rising instability in psykers.”

"They are escalating now." Lupercal's voice resonated in the chamber. "I am aware that we are in a cold war with them, but things have changed. Our border worlds are being attacked and the number of Webway incursions in our territory is increasing. And if what the Psykana Militant says is true, in a few hundred years there won’t be a Federation anymore.” A pause. “After analysis of the data, I am not sure if the galaxy itself could actually survive the birth of a new Tier 6.The possibility of the other three’s dormancy being affected must be taken under consideration as well.”

"War is no small matter." UR-189, another Iron Mind representative pondered. "If we declare hostilities with the Dominion, the conflict will be at least as devastating as the one with the Evolved Orkoids."

“We cannot declare open war,” a human councilor mused. “Not yet, at least. We must prepare, wait for a suitable opportunity.”

One of the machine councilors raised a hand of shimmering blue crystal. “As a member of the Council, with the topic at hand involving significant decisions regarding galactic warfare, I invoke the Ares Sanction. We shall convene for no less than twenty-four solar hours until we reach a unanimous sanction. General, Overseer, please leave the chamber until the sanction is lifted.”

The two transhumans looked at each other, before making respectful bows and leaving the room.

It’s coming for you, Miss Aton. Talus warned, even as he flooded another compartment of the ship with plasma. The Greater Daemon staggered, reduced to a burning skeleton, before snarling and continuing to pound the third blast door in its way.

Well, raining bloody comets today, isn’t it?. The Navigator stood up from her command throne, cables detaching with hisses as the panels on her armor closed, overlapping shields blazing into existence around her. “Time until contact?”

“Thirty seconds and closing.” Serenn swore violently as the sounds of carnage from outside became louder, the psyker taking a battle stance. “Stick to the plan, you hear me, robot?!”

With a thunderous boom, the doors to the cockpit burst open, the Keeper of Secrets lunging towards Serenn with blinding speed. “Slaanesh shall find you delectable, little witch!” It snarled, its chest ripping apart to reveal a glowing maw.

Mechanical arms burst from the ground, grabbing the daemon while the Navigator moved, Force Sword extending from her forearm and stabbing it in the chest. The Greater Daemon bellowed in pain as Serenn’s psychic will coursed through the blade, maiming its essence. With a mighty push it shrugged off the arms, before slashing the whip at the psyker.

Serenn flew across the room. The Void Shield generated by her armor had absorbed most of the impact, but she could feel a numb pain across the chest despite the internal shock absorbers.

“Why resist, little morsel?” The daemon cackled triumphantly as it slowly walked towards her. “In my Lord’s stomach you shall know the most exquisite of pleasures, sensations like you have never known. Why resist?”

“Go to hell.” The Navigator pointed her sword at the daemon which now towered over her, tongues wagging in anticipation as it raised its whip-

The psyker vanished. The daemon looked around in confusion, before screaming as a coruscating beam of blue lightning tore into its back. The Navigator’s third eye was fully open now, bursts of psychic energy issuing from it as she poured all of her power into the devastating attack.

The smell of charred flesh filled the room as the daemon was forced to one knee, while turrets popped out of the ceiling, focusing fire on the intruder. The flesh was gone now, half of the skeleton remaining. It stretched a limb out, trying to say something, before a final flare of power from Serenn’s third eye sent it screeching back into the Materium.

The Navigator collapsed on one knee. “...nice work, Walicha.” The STONE Unit had temporarily focused his cloaking field on the psyker, camouflaging her from the daemon’s senses which allowed her to make her surprise attack.

“Thank you.” The Man of Stone replied somewhat smugly. “Whatever was interfering with the Aegis generators is gone. We are temporarily safe from further Empyrean intrusions.

The Navigator dragged herself over to the throne, slumping down. “Talus, casualties?”

“Out of the two hundred and fifty-nine passengers, nine are undergoing medical procedures in the medbay,” Talus paused. “Seventy perished.” He said resignedly.

The Navigator groaned. “Shit.” She closed her eyes, briefly. “We’ll deal with that later. We still have three long hours ahead of us.”

The cables attached themselves to her armor, and Sanctum Illyros plunged into the Warp once more.