918.M30.
Aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty.
Nareth leaned back on his throne, scrutinizing the figure entering the Primarch's Office.
His body was clad in white armor, marked with blue on his helmet, shoulders, and other areas.
Three medical scanners flickered over his left eye. His helmet was connected to a rebreather.
A skull was set into his chest. A bandolier held two vials of medicine, one red, one green.
"Aevos Jovan pays homage to Lord Nareth." Aevos's blue-gloved hand touched his chest as he bowed.
His High Gothic was flawless, impeccable even by Terran noble standards.
Nareth looked at the future legendary medic. Memories of him naturally surfaced.
Aevos was renowned on the hive world of Agathon. Local nobles held him in high esteem for his miraculous medical skills and exquisite surgical techniques.
But he was investigated for involvement in forbidden medicine.
The Lord Marshal of the Solar Auxilia offered him amnesty. He joined the military, saving countless lives on the battlefield.
His auto-surgical table was a battlefield asset, capable of performing timely surgery on wounded soldiers.
He was also a deadly warrior. His phase scalpel could disintegrate enemy tissue without breaking the skin.
Each cut was as precise as his surgical incisions, only killing, not healing.
'Hmm, so the Lord Marshal who saved him was Barton Drake?'
'Because Barton swore fealty to me, Malcador suspected him, and he didn't become Lord Marshal.'
'Even so, he still recommended Aevos to me.'
He knew Aevos was arguably the foremost medic of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.
Even the Apothecaries of the Astartes Legions could not match his skill.
'Barton, even though you lost the Lord Marshalcy, you still offer me the foremost medic. Truly loyal.'
He decided to cultivate Barton into a beyonder.
As he thought, he looked at Aevos.
"You are skilled in medicine. You will continue as a medic."
"I have heard of your auto-surgical table. It is an innovation, but not enough."
His table was excellent for Auxilia soldiers. But Astartes had superhuman healing. Larraman cells would rapidly secrete and cover wounds.
Injuries that could cripple an Astartes were far beyond the current table's capabilities.
"Techmarines will assist you. Develop a version suitable for Shadows of Order."
"As you command," Aevos replied excitedly.
During his short service in the Solar Auxilia, he had heard countless tales of Lord Nareth's victories.
He was the Conqueror of Xenos. He commanded Shadows of Order, annihilating the Mitus xenos, liberating the Coronid Deeps.
He was the Eternal Victor over Humanity's Enemies. He commanded multiple Legions, winning the Rangdan War.
It was an honor to serve Lord Nareth.
He watched Aevos leave, thinking about which path to cultivate him on, after "corroding" him.
'Aevos's talent is in surgery, not pharmacology.'
'"Doctor" suits him better than "Apothecary."'
'Though Sequence 2 "Desolate Matriarch" on the Mother Pathway would require a sex change, he may not reach that level.'
With this thought, he decided to send him to the agri-world Rynn, as a "Planter," to grow medicinal plants.
With this thought, he went to the Kingdom of Disorder and picked up the Dice of Prophecy, thinking.
'Guilliman, yet again, yet again, I take from your sons.'
Information about Praedis Zeta flashed through his mind.
'Eastern galactic edge, Vidar Sector, Segmentum Ultima.'
'A hive world with powerful forging capacity.'
'Eighty light-years from the recently integrated Forge World Hypnoth.
'...'
Praedis Zeta was the homeworld of the Mortifactors Chapter, an Ultramarines successor founded during the 4th Founding in the 32nd Millennium.
The Mortifactors were a solid shield on the Eastern Fringe, resisting xenos and daemon incursions.
They were especially skilled at hunting xenos.
Praedis Zeta, along with neighboring Nix, provided support to the Forge World Hypnoth in manufacturing war machines.
'Guilliman, you haven't even fully integrated Ultramar. I'll take Praedis Zeta, far in the Vidar Sector, without apology.'
After the information flashed through his mind, he silently intoned.
'Star chart from the Kalium Gate to Praedis Zeta.'
'...'
After intoning it eleven times, he tossed the dice.
The triangular pyramid tumbled through the air, landing in his open palm. A holographic-like scene unfolded.
He memorized the star chart and encoded it on a data-crystal. He then thought of Praedis Zeta, a world constantly under xenos attack.
With a thought, he returned to reality and, through his link, transmitted the information about Praedis Zeta to the gyrinx John.
The "Winner" immediately took action, dipping his quill in Fenrisian kraken blood and rapidly writing on parchment.
His ginger-furred body leaned against his bed, quickly falling into a dream.
Through the link, Nareth saw a series of coherent images.
Slender xenos ships, wreathed in shimmering light, reached Praedis Zeta's orbit.
Bowl-shaped ships flew out, landing on the desolate wastelands around the hives.
Xenos with fish heads walked from the ships.
Their bulging, grey eyes seemed about to burst from their sockets.
Glowing dots adorned their bodies: pale green circles, cyan flames...
Grey-eyed, fish-headed, glowing dots.
Likho Fishmen.
The main ingredient for Sequence 6 "Scroll Professor" on the Hermit Pathway.
'Of the various paths I cultivate, "Scroll Professor" is the only one I'm missing at Sequence 6.'
'This will complete it.'
As he thought, he noticed the divination scene wasn't over.
After landing on Praedis Zeta, the Likho Fishmen gathered and launched attacks on the hives.
Scene after scene flashed until they broke into the hive spire.
'As a Sequence 5 "Winner," when not involving high-level entities, the divination revelations are quite complete.'
'John is definitely a master diviner now.'
'The clear revelations Ahzek Ahriman gets from the threads of fate during aetheric flight with his Black Raven technique are no better.'
He selected key information from the divination, encoded it on a data-crystal, and went to the Kingdom of Disorder.
He ascended the throne in the fourth layer, extended his spiritual energy, and touched the orb.
Confirming Ramsey was alone, he sent the crystal into the orb, attaching the command.
"Lead your Chapter to Praedis Zeta. It will be the Tenth Chapter's exclusive recruiting world."
He chose the Tenth Chapter not only because it was the largest, suited to defend the Eastern Fringe against xenos, but also because this world, beyond the Astronomican's light, was suitable for "Rose Bishops" to operate.
They could freely use xenos flesh as material for their flesh-crafting.
Also, constant xenos attacks would reasonably result in heavy losses.
"Fifty thousand" men, after over eight decades on the frontier, would be reduced to twenty or thirty thousand. A very reasonable outcome.
He watched Ramsey, in the orb, clasp his hands, fingers pointing downwards.
"As You command."
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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