Yuno slid the gold Sagittarius ring onto her finger, but she did not let Yura rise. Instead, she suffused a portion of her own flesh into the metal, binding it, before placing it back onto Yura's hand.
"This is you," she said. "My Warmaster, my Sagittarius. The commander of the Hive Fleet, man and Swarm as one. Where you turn, the Fleet turns. Where you go, the Fleet goes. Where you strike, the Fleet strikes. My love, you need only go forward, and the Fleet shall go with you."
"Borrowing lines from the play we just watched, aren't we?"
They both laughed. Yura pulled Yuno into a tight embrace and kissed her deeply.
"It works quite well, though."
"My love, love is boundless. It is so beautiful, and so intoxicating."
Yes, it was beautiful, yet dangerous—much like the Sagittarius ring on Yura's finger.
"We are each other's Sagittarius," Yuno whispered into Yura's ear, her breath carrying an enchanting aura. "Inseparable, now and forever."
"See? You're actually quite good at setting the mood when it counts."
"You're the one who corrupted me."
...
In the midst of his frenzied battle with the Emperor, Slaanesh felt her power swell slightly. She glanced up toward the void of space.
Damn it. Every time those two shared their "pleasures," she could sense it. Yet, blocked by the Shadow in the Warp, she couldn't actually see any of it. To Slaanesh, this was the ultimate form of torment.
"Don't get distracted," Khorne grunted nearby. "This guy is acting exceptionally crazed today."
"Who wouldn't be after watching that performance? Fine, I'll play along with him a bit longer."
...
By the time Yura and Yuno concluded their long period of intimacy, the fleet had already departed the system. He intended to check their next destination, which had been decided during their frantic "exchanges," but Yuno suddenly pinned him back down onto the bed.
"It's my turn to be on top."
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, they lay together in the quiet.
"Is Sagittarius far from us?"
"Both near and far," Yuno mused. "It was something humans observed from Earth back when they had no real concept of cosmic distances. If I remember correctly, Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to Earth, but the Sagittarius Nebula is incredibly distant."
"Can we go there in the future?"
"To Sagittarius? Once I've had my fill of the Milky Way, maybe we can head over there to find something to eat. By the time we return, life should have sprouted in this galaxy once again."
"By the way," Yura started, "don't you think it's strange? Sagittarius was clearly the Emperor's metaphor for Horus..."
Yuno pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to be silent.
"Don't be so traditional, Yura. Love is vast. All love is like this. Sagittarius has become a synonym for love itself."
Yura found logic in her words. As long as there is love, anything can represent it, yet nothing can fully define it.
"Thank you, Yuno."
The girl leaned her body against Yura, speaking with a shy softness. "Then I should thank you as well."
"By the way, did we decide on the next destination earlier... during that particularly intense moment? Where was it again?"
Yuno used her psychic will to pull up the star charts. "Mm, we said we needed to replenish more biomass for the fleet, so we chose here."
"Where?"
"Armageddon."
...
941.M41. The Armageddon System.
The Hive Fleet tore through the Warp storms surrounding the system, but this brought only a more terrifying form of destruction. They didn't see many Ork "junk-ships" in orbit. Based on Yura's understanding of the Greenskins, those battle-hungry lunatics would have already charged down to the surface to fight the humans.
This suited Yura's intentions perfectly. The Greenskins needed a fight, and the Tyranids needed organic matter. Both sides would get exactly what they wanted; it was the most efficient bargain possible.
"The timing is perfect. It looks like Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka has already made planetfall. We should land as soon as possible. I wonder what stage the war is in. If we wait until the Imperial reinforcements arrive, things will get much more complicated."
"I agree. Let's go then. While our lovely little bugs fight the Greenskins, we can go see the legendary 'Old One Eye' with our own eyes."
"Old One Eye? Let's go then."
"But let's be clear," Yura added, "I don't want Old One Eye to just be eaten like that."
Yuno doted on Yura's request and agreed. "Fine, I promise you. We'll let that human live a bit longer."
"Besides, if Old One Eye stays alive, we can come back later and continue eating Greenskins."
"Greenskins... they taste like some kind of berry," Yuno noted. "One bite and they just burst with juice. And they keep fighting even while being eaten. Quite interesting, really."
"Maybe I should try some too?"
"Suit yourself."
"Should we let Eleven go down for a wander as well?"
"Sure."
"You should show a little more interest in other things occasionally, you know?"
"Sure." Yuno gave a mischievous grin, clearly teasing him.
...
The situation was deteriorating rapidly. Several weeks had passed since Sebastian Yarrick had been exiled to Hades Hive.
He couldn't fathom the decisions of Planetary Governor Herman von Strab. Why hadn't he called for Imperial aid? Did the man truly believe he could handle this alone? Was a man so afraid of his status being undermined by this invasion that he would let the entire population of the planet be buried with him?
This could not be allowed to happen.
Yarrick had spent a lifetime protecting the Imperium. As an expert on Orks, he had once hoped his specialized skills would never be put to the test on such a scale. But every gift from the God-Emperor served a purpose. Now was the time to use it.
"Gather everyone. Bring out every weapon. Then, go to the gangs in the Underhive. They've lorded over the people down there for long enough; it's time they contributed something to the Imperium."
Commissar Yarrick looked at the maps showing the porous, broken defensive lines. Based on his knowledge of the Orks, such defenses wouldn't stand a chance against their momentum.
"Also, get the engineers to reinforce the lines immediately. A Greenskin charge will sweep them all away in an instant."
Yarrick then attempted to contact the other Hives. Regardless of the distance, they were all defenders of the same cause. The longer they held out, the more glorious the Imperium's eventual victory would be.
The psychic communications were being jammed. Yarrick frowned. "What's happening?" he asked.
The psyker winced, looking to be in extreme pain. "I don't know... something... something in my mind is interfering with my powers."
Was it new Greenskin technology? Yarrick knew he didn't have a complete understanding of the Orks. Had these xenos developed something new?
"Prepare for the worst. Even if this Hive is the only one left, we will hold our ground here!"