Early 36th Millennium, dawn of the Plague of Unbelief
Surface of uncharted world in the Deep Reach

The Heavy Lander descended upon an enormous tropical forest.

Enormous trees stretched for kilometres across the surface, some nearly one hundred metres in height. Great tangles of vines wound their ways up the trunks and around the many branches of the trees. Blooms of red and blue and yellow were interspersed amongst the green foliage. As the roar of the lander reached the trees, a vast flock of white avian creatures took flight and soared away before settling into another group of the tallest trees.

"We are approaching the surface," said the Heavy Lander's co-pilot over his shoulder to Basil and Lerriksen. "My augurs have detected the Mechanicus shuttle. Do you want me to fly over it?"

"No," Basil snapped back. "We do not have time. They have already moved on." He stared at the console which stretched across in front of the pilot and the co-pilot, then pointed to his left as if he were pointing directly through the console and beyond. "There," he said. "Three kilometres away is a clearing where we can land."

The co-pilot glanced at Basil for a moment then began to read his instruments. "I'll be damned," he said. "It's right there." He glanced over to the pilot and said, "I've entered the coordinates. She's all yours."

"Landing will be in fifteen standard seconds," the pilot said over his shoulder and the weight of gravity nearly disappeared as the Heavy Lander dropped rapidly and approached the clearing.

With Matthias gone, you're the closest to a friend I have left now, Basil said to himself as he glanced at Lerriksen. Treated me like the kid I was instead of as a monster. Don't get yourself killed out here today too. "Let's go," he snapped to Lerriksen, then turned around and headed out of the cockpit.

The Trooper Captain followed Basil out the door and into the opening beyond. The cargo bay was a dull brown with low light, fifteen metres wide and six metres in height. Down the forty metre length of the cargo bay stood an entire company of Inquisitorial Storm Troopers dressed for battle in their carapace armour with lasrifles on their shoulders. At the end were a handful of Sentinel Walkers, two-legged war machines with an open canopy that seated one and with an autocannon mounted to it.

Basil snapped his fingers and the sound carried like a crack of thunder, quieting the men.

"Men, we are about to undertake a difficult mission in hostile territory," he said. "We are about to engage the Mechanicus on the field of battle on a planet controlled by Aeldari who live in relatively primitive conditions compared to their cousins. They are known as Exodites." The men, visors up, stared at Basil with solemn faces. "This is a localized event against the Tech-Priests who man the Omnissiah's Blessing for they have turned traitor and assassinated Matthias Rasine, a member of the Holy Orders of the Inquisition who was working in the Emperor's name to root out threats to Humanity. Their lives are forfeit and we are here today to collect that due. Remember, the Mechanicus are not simple or weak foes and will be supported by a great number of combat servitors. They will be heavily armoured which means you will have to coordinate your fire to bring them down."

"But the Aeldari which reside here are another matter," Basil said. "Do not engage them unless engaged. I repeat, do not engage them unless engaged and even then, minimize the engagement." Rows of men stared at him through their open helmets, surprise showing on many of their faces. "This is a strike against a mobile force of traitor Mechanicus on a hostile planet. Engaging the Xenos will jeopardize the mission as they are a guerilla style force spread across the entire planet and defending against such a foe will redistribute resources needed to reach our objective."

Basil raised his right hand in the air.

"For the Emperor!" he cried.

"For the Emperor!" cried out the company in response.

As the company's cry echoed in the cargo bay, enormous side doors opened on each side, raising like gull wings while simultaneously a great ramp opened out the back of the tail. Light from the sun outside filled the bay with its brilliance, a moment shattered by the sound of a company's worth of helmet visors slamming shut simultaneously.

Basil hopped out the side door into the flattened clearing and reached out to the warp.

He immediately felt the trail, the minimal psychic residue of the Tech-Priests which was nearly overwhelmed by the corruption that walked with them. Basil quickly analyzed the residues in his mind. An untrained human psyker is serving as the daemonhost for the Keeper, he quickly discerned. One who was kept in the Null Chambers of the Astra Telepathica awaiting the Black Ships. How did he escape? He considered the trail further. They passed through here…and went this way! Basil quickly set out along the psychic trail.

"Move out men!" echoed Lerriksen's voice from over his shoulder. His command was followed by the roaring to life of the Sentinel Walker's engines as they began to move.

Careful, Basil thought. You're leaving your support behind. He ran through the trees and underbrush, psychically gliding over terrain he would have otherwise had to move around. He reached out with his mind, searching for the Exodites who might interfere. When he felt the alien minds, he was nearly overcome. The suffering they felt from the deaths around them was overwhelming, but it was mostly the fear. They knew what the Keeper was. He reached out to them. Reached out with something drawn from within, the knowledge infused into his mind by Apothecary Fynn, and he spoke to those alien minds in their language. We are coming! Basil cried to them. Coming to stop those who seek to use your world's Spirit to enter the Webway! And to stop the Keeper! He felt them react to his message, felt the Exodites withdraw from him and his company's approach.

He passed a human body, a body with obvious cybernetic implants into its head, and a stubber in its hand. A great charred hole passed through its chest. Combat Servitor, he noted. The HUD of his omnishield helmet notified him with a message before his eyes

Promethium Detected

The green foliage and coloured blooms he ran through opened up, changing to blackened leaves and charred stems. He noticed three separate pairs of charred corpses as he ran through. Each was a two-legged mount with scattered scales visible among its charred flesh marking it as some reptilian beast similar to the ones who had attacked him so long before. And with each was a rider, little of which remained save bone and charred flesh. Aeldari, he noted while passing through but he also noted a stench that his Omnishield did not detect. The Keeper burned them too. It wasn't just Tech-Priests or servitors with flamers. He quickly formed a telekyne shield round his body as he ran forward.

"Commander Cadmus, wait up!" snapped Lerriksen's voice into his earpiece on a single channel only they shared. "Remember kid, we're your fire support."

Before Basil could answer he felt a welling of emotion ahead, fear, and knew that the Mechanicus had reached their goal and that the Exodite Aeldari were there to make a stand. "Hurry!" Basil snapped back. "There is no time to waste!" Basil reached into the Warp, strengthening his telekyne shield, and then reached up, reached up into the sky. As his feet glided through the underbrush the light penetrating down to the forest floor darkened, a sign that clouds were gathering overhead. Gathering at Basil's command.

He burst out of the jungle and into Chaos.

In front of Basil was an enormous clearing and across it was stretched a circle of enormous white standing stones, menhirs which were decorated with runes that appeared similar to those which were etched onto the gate he saw long ago. Part of the World Spirit, Basil quickly realized. This planet's Infinity Circuit. The barrier between the Warp and Reality is thin here, I best be careful, he noted. Arrayed amongst the stones were more than a score of slender forms, Aeldari. They are ready to die because they know that, if they lose the World Spirit, their souls and those of their ancestors will be lost to She Who Thirsts. The pale skinned Aeldari were grim and dressed in simple clothing, male and female with almond shaped eyes of varied colours and long pointed ears. Each had a long spear in hand or a longbow. But one of them stood out. He was dressed in green and yellow robes and held a staff in his hand instead of a spear. His robes trailed behind him and his long red hair blew behind him in the wind, revealing azure almond shaped eyes. Green vines and blue flowers sprouted from his robes. They have a World Singer aiding them, Basil realized and drew hope from that fact.

And in front of the Exodites were more than a score of green and white human-sized bipedal reptiles springing toward a human appearing group that plodded toward them, servitors wielding lasrifles and stubbers and axes.

And between Basil and the combatants were a dozen red-robed Tech-Priests armed with flamers and laspistols attached to the numerous mechadendrites sprouting from each of their backs. All lesser priests, Basil concluded. No Magos amongst them but they are still dangerous. But there was one unaltered human standing among the Tech-Priests. He was tall and slender with a shaved head and dressed in a simple white shirt and dark pants. And he turned around to face Basil with a smile on his face. At that moment Basil knew that he was once again facing Caorthannach, the Keeper of Secrets.

Basil grimaced at the Keeper and the clouds grew dark overhead, summoned by his anger.