The Emperor's voice suddenly turned stern. He spoke, his tone heavy with anger.
"Lorgar!"
"Nareth requires me to remind him to slow down."
"But how many times must I urge you?"
"Father..." Lorgar said, embarrassed.
The Emperor cut him off. "I don't need your faith. I don't need your worship. I am not a god!"
"I need you to move faster. I hope that next time I see you, you are no longer last."
He looked at Curze. "Except for your newly returned brother."
With that, he rose and left.
Valdor followed. Malcador's voice was softer.
"Lorgar, your father simply wants you to achieve something as soon as possible."
He glanced at Nareth, then rose and left.
Curze, his face pale, rose unsteadily. He stared at Nareth's psychic projection for a moment, then turned and walked into the shadows.
"Nareth." Ferrus Manus's silver-coin eyes were fixed on Nareth. His voice, like lead, held a hint of heat.
Nareth also spoke. "Perturabo."
"Nareth, since you'll be at Vostroya for the foreseeable future, it's time for our duel."
Ferrus Manus's silver-coin eyes liquefied, radiating a light like molten iron in a furnace.
"Good." Nareth couldn't say that he had decided to undertake a series of unpredictable voyages to make things harder for the Emperor.
"When will you arrive?"
Ferrus's transhuman mind calculated the Warp travel time in seconds.
"By standard reckoning, May of next year."
Nareth nodded. "I understand."
As Ferrus's figure rapidly faded and vanished, he turned to Perturabo.
"The Grand Theater is complete at Vostroya. You should see your design in person before you leave."
Nareth didn't know how long the Emperor would send Perturabo to the frontier. Perhaps they would not meet again before the Heresy.
To prevent the theater he had built at great cost from being unseen by Perturabo, he had to come to Vostroya before leaving for the edge of Segmentum Pacificus.
Perturabo's eyes lit up, then dimmed slightly.
"But I have trials to complete."
"I will get you there faster." Nareth, anticipating this, smiled.
"Even going from Vostroya to the Kalium Gate, you will still reach the western frontier faster."
Perturabo's ice-blue eyes gleamed. "Good."
"The improved stasis device will be completed this year. I will bring it to you."
Nareth nodded happily. With the improved device, he could venture deeper into Sak'trada Deeps.
If he could find a fragment of Be'lakor's relic, he would be one step closer to Sequence 4.
"You will see a grand artistic performance." Nareth smiled, then asked casually.
"I need to prepare. When do you expect to arrive?"
"4th month of next year."
Hearing Perturabo's answer, Nareth paused.
He expected to arrive only a month before Ferrus.
Considering Warp travel and other factors, their arrivals might coincide.
'Hmm, that's convenient for me. I won't have to make multiple trips to Vostroya.'
"I look forward to your arrival." Nareth and Perturabo exchanged smiles, then each ended their psychic projection.
Nareth's golden wings flexed. Cold sweat evaporated. Warmth dispelled some of the lingering fear.
Worlds on the front lines of various Legions flashed through his mind. 'Which of them most likely held a civilization destroyed by Be'lakor?'
Silently, he boarded a black Aquila Lander and returned to Shadowhold.
He summoned Arsena and instructed calmly.
"Perturabo will arrive at Vostroya in the 4th month to see his design."
"Prepare a grand performance for him, one he will remember for a long time."
"I will have the Legion's domains prepare performances." The Primarch's Aide carefully noted the Black Emperor's command as a priority.
Nareth rose, drawing the Sword of Vaul from his belt. Using "Concepts Swap," it becomes an ordinary longsword.
He tapped rapidly on the floor. As spiritual energy spread, the space became isolated.
"Of the two newly discovered systems, 11-7-49 and 11-12-35, which do you think was more likely a civilization destroyed by Be'lakor?"
The silver-haired Arsena, seeing the Black Emperor activate the "Euclidian Runes" to isolate the space, knew this was important.
He did not answer immediately. He rapidly reviewed all the data, then, as a seasoned "Detective," carefully reasoned. After a dozen seconds, he spoke.
"11-7-49 contains many ancient temple ruins, but the Librarians and Techmarines have determined the civilization was destroyed about eight thousand years ago."
"You said Be'lakor was more active in ancient times."
"Therefore, though 11-7-49 could have been destroyed by him, it's less likely."
As he spoke, he went to a cogitator and connected his data-slate.
His fingers flew, displaying a star chart before Nareth.
"11-12-35, based on its environment, could be classified as a forest world. But a heritage site was discovered in its brown mountain range."
"Seasoned 'Mystery Pryer' and 'Archaeologists' cannot determine its exact age. They can only vaguely estimate it is at least ten thousand years old."
"Therefore, the civilization at 11-12-35 is more likely to have been destroyed by Be'lakor."
Nareth nodded slightly, accepting the seasoned "Detective's" deduction.
He looked at the two planets. 11-12-35, 164 light-years from Vostroya, also better fit his need to leave Vostroya but return quickly than 11-7-49, 58 light-years from Catachan.
A teleportarium could only shorten a journey. Traveling from 11-7-49 to Catachan, then through the Teleportarium from the Ultima Segmentum to Vostroya in the Segmentum Obscurus, would take far longer than returning from 11-12-35.
The Twelfth Chapter had not expanded from its recruiting world, Tanith. Segmentum Pacificus was not a focus of the Legion's expansion for a considerable time.
Nareth also had no territories in the Segmentum Tempestus, or in the Necromunda Subsector, Elysia, or Ar Rija in the Segmentum Solar.
The 11th Legion's current conquests were focused on the northern Segmentum Obscurus and the eastern Ultima Segmentum.
Among them, the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, Eleventhth, and Twelfth Chapters, nine Chapters, were expanding outward from Vostroya, leaving only garrison forces.
He hoped to complete the exploration and conquest of the Vostroya Sector, a 330-light-year range agreed upon with Malcador, before the Heresy.
Of course, he would also occasionally detach them for operations in other regions, and to take some high-value worlds he had targeted.
"Prepare to set sail for 11-12-35."
"As You command."
After Arsena acknowledged, Nareth deactivated the "Euclidian Runes."
His Aide withdrew to relay the orders.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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