Kester
Bligh waited patiently as the grav-lift slowly carried him up to the
Governor Level. His father, Deter Bligh, ruled Verdana IV almost
entirely from his luxurious apartments at the top of Sladenkamp Hive.
Despite their wealth and power the access grav-lift was little
better quality than junk, often stopping for prolonged periods or
becoming shrouded in darkness as the overhead light stopped
flickering and simply fizzled out. The cramped space was made even
more uncomfortable by the size of his two Ogryn bodyguards. While
ab-humans were despisable abominations they still had their uses.
He
was not certain why his father had requested his presence, but it was
most likely something mundane and beneath him, but it was his duty to
comply as the heir to the office. The light blinked again in rapid
succession. When I am Governor I'll see that gets fixed. In fact
I'll see this whole place renovated befitting my status.
The
grav-lift went dark. He heard two loud thuds, one on either side of
him, and when the light came on he saw a man in loose fitting robes
wearing a helmet carved from bone and adorned with a number of
feintly glowing stones and marked with intricate patterns. He
noticed the man placed a hand on the hilt of a sword at his side, but
he did not draw the weapon.
Kester
noticed his bodyguards were both lying on the ground unconscious and
as he went to reach for his bolt pistol (one of three his father
purchased and had cost a small fortune) he found he was unable to
move.
A
voice came from the helmet, but it spoke in high gothic and he didn't
understand. Then, in low gothic it said, “Greetings, Kester Bligh,
Do you know who I am?”
“A
dead man,” he responded, “when my father hears of this.”
“It
is your father we need to discuss. I am Farseer Liridainn of
Ulthwé.”
“Farseer?”
Kester said. “You're one of those Eldar!” Rage boiled up within
him. His father had been implored by some Inquisitor to foster a
partnership with the foul xenos. At first it seemed to be a great
succor to their Planetary Defense Force, providing aid to the
Imperial regiments stretched thin trying to suppress a rebellion.
But recently, as the rebels have grown more fierce the Eldar forces
disappeared, leaving the Defense Forces to be overwhelmed in many
areas. “What do you want of me?”
“I
am here because the fate of countless lives rests upon you.”
“I
am familiar with the lies of your kind, like the lies you told my
father. What lies would you tell me.”
“You
misunderstand,” the Eldar said. “I wish only to show you the
truth.” The alien reached his hand out and touched Kester on the
forehead. He was blinded by a blast of light that seemed to knock
him off his feet, but then he felt the sensation of floating. As the
weight of gravity came back to him and his vision cleared he saw that
he was no longer in the grav-lift, but was standing in a long
building stretching a great distance in either direction. Along the
walls were stalls, each one held a vehicle that looked like a mixture
of a tank and an aeroplane, only more sleek, as if a cresting wave
had been captured and converted for battle. Most of the vehicles
appeared long dormant, covered with crystalline webbing that
shimmered like gossamer.
“My
kin have been fighting wars on a scale you cannot imagine since
before your species had learned to speak. We tamed stars and
mastered light. Here we house the relics of an age gone by, our war
engines silent not because they lack ferocity or safety, but because
we lack the pilots to operate them.”
Kester
felt excited at the thought of all the power those vehicles could
confer. He hid a smug smile as he figured out what the alien was
doing. He was proposing a partnership. They would provide the
hardware and he would provide the operators. Bodies were Verdana
IV's greatest natural resource.
“We
cannot fight a war for you,” the Farseer said. “The loss of
every Eldar life is a grievous wound that cannot be healed. Yet,
you, have the power to tie the fates of both of our people together.”
The
alien garage disappeared in a flash of darkness and when light
returned it was dim and smokey. Ten Eldar, all dressed similarly to
Liridainn, but with subtle differences in the details of their
outfits, sat around a large circular table festooned with layers of
patterns and designs. At the side of the room was a monstrous
construct that must have stood seven meters tall. Its featureless
face was disconcerting and made Kester uncomfortable.
“They
cannot see or hear us,” Liridainn said. Just as the xenos had
spoken Kester started to move, and the head of the construct turned
as if to watch him. “Except Wraithseer Colano-ava,” he added.
“Spirit walkers do not see the world as the rest of us do.”
“Why
have you brought me here?” Kester said.
“As
I told you, I brought you here for the truth. Your father is a
disciple of the dark gods. Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, has
ensnared your father with false promises. The rebels that your
militia fight are worshipers just like him. He is tearing apart your
world from the inside.”
The
Eldar around the table started to chant in unison. As the sound of
their voices grew small runes that appeared to be carved of stone or
bone rose into the air and swirled around the room.
“He
has been tempted with false promises of power and knowledge, but the
only true guarantee the dark gods can give is death. If you do not
act, death comes to Sladenkamp.”
As
the runes danced and spun faster, circling one another a blue glow
started to emanate from the air above the table until images started
to appear. Kester saw his planet at war, giant, winged
bird-monsters descending from a gaping tear in the sky. On the other
side of that tear was a realm of madness. Pink creatures appeared
from nothing and split into smaller blue daemons. Other creatures
had mouths for hands and breathed fire, and anything that fire
touched was converted to something from a madman's nightmare. Images
flashed showing the continents shift and distort as massive hive
spires collapsed in on themselves or erupted like volcanoes spewing
the warp effluvia high into the atmosphere. He saw the cluster of
warp storms expand and swallow the entire solar system planet by
planet.
Darkness
descended again and Kester once again stood in the elevator with the
Farseer. “Those storms aren't natural, are they?”
“No.
Your father has been a servant of Chaos since before you were born.
Slowly he has orchestrated this plot. He has suffered one loss,
hoping to learn how to increase his Master's influence and gain the
knowledge to overcome the endless swarm, but that does not matter.
That defeat is of no consequence. While he lives the ultimate
victory of the dark gods is as unavoidable as the is the loss of this
world.”
“The
loss of my inheritance,” Kester said. “He would leave me
nothing.”
“The
choice is yours,” the Farseer said. “The fate of my Craftworld
and your world are both in your hands.”
The
light in the ceiling blinked out and when it returned the alien was
gone. Oddly, the light no longer flickered, it was as strong and
steady as Kester was resolute.
The
doors to the grav-lift opened and Kester stepped into his father's
apartments. He found his father standing over a long table festooned
with maps and speaking, seemingly to himself.
“Ah,
son, I'm so happy you could join me.”
Without
hesitation Kester drew his Bolt Pistol. Deter had two of his own,
one on each side of his hips, but his confusion caused him to
hesitate. As the explosive round tore through his father, detonating
with a boom that reverberated throughout the apartments Kester
smiled. He had secured his inheritance and saved his people in one
deft move. He had made Verdana IV a force to be reckoned, a regional
powerhouse that could, in time, expand its power and sphere of
influence with the technological might of his new allies. His smile
widened.
-----
Liridainn
watched from the safety of a Pegasus Transport ship as the last
vestiges of the Warp Storm cluster dissipated. Without the storms
acting as a blockade the splinter hive fleet slowly pressed
throughout the void of space, tendrils stretching down towards the
surface of Verdana IV.
“You
look pensive,” Gaeolina said from behind him as she
placed her hands gently on his shoulders.
“This
is the face of total victory,” he said.
“Total
Victory?”
“Yes.
With the passing of the planet's governor Chaos has lost the heart
of its power. Even better, the Imperium of Man will not sit idly
while this system is invaded. They will respond in force, dragging
the Hive Fleet into a war that will stretch on for centuries,
preventing it from expanding on a path that once again threatens our
kin. When truth prevails and Eldar lives are preserved, I consider
that a complete and total victory.”
“Truth?”
she asked.
“The
manner in which they perished determined our own fate. The truth has
always been that this planet was doomed.”
