Unnamed Mechanicus Cradle class Space Station, Reznor System, 999.M41 16 days after 'The Saint's awakening'
Lelith Hesperax, Queen of Knives and Ynnari Commander
It had been three Mon'keigh cycles since they had arrived aboard their primitive space station, and it hadn't taken long for her reputation to spread. This was obvious given how the station crew, whether Aeldari or Mon'keigh, were quick to clear any corridor she was walking along or move to the furthest corners of any available space if this was not possible.
Lelith didn't particularly mind the mixture of fear and respect, though from some of the Mon'keigh the scent was so enticing that she had to exert no small amount of Willpower to restrain herself from… falling back into bad habits. If she had realised the live skinning of the Kabalite traitor before dissolving him agonisingly slowly in acid would cause such a fuss she wouldn't have bothered.
Perhaps this was part of the lesson, which Lady Yvraine had implied she needed to learn, in order to truly earn her place in the Ynnari Leadership structure.
"Commander on deck!" Something she could mull over later, as the 30 strong group of Mon'keigh Guardsmen which stood guard at the entrance of one of the Station's largest ship docks moved to attention at her arrival, a sign of respect that came with far less fear than she was used to.
Though given these men all served Lord Potter and one of the Corpse-God's so called 'Saints', she probably wasn't all that impressive at face value.
"You are late, Witch. The war council has begun…" Or, more likely, they felt the presence of three Space Marines were sufficient deterrence to any threat of unprovoked violence.
Lelith allowed herself a small smile, the aggravation in Gallant's tone was markedly more obvious than its usual biting manner, and she only needed one guess as to why this was the case.
"And yet here you are, standing outside like a misbehaving child, no doubt at your master's command given your usual desire to be attached to his rear like a Vat-born on a new species of Slave… Did someone lose their temper at Lady Veilwalker again?" It was hardly a difficult riddle to unravel, Lady Veilwalker's reputation amongst the Mon'keigh was perhaps the only one worse than her own.
But even as Gallant stepped to one side to allow her passage, with a rumbling, grinding growl that made even the other two Space Marines eye him a little warily, Lelith knew that this was more than just the Shadowseer's usual hobby of amusing herself at the expense of others. Such a level of focus on a single individual was not unheard of, Lady Yvraine and Lord Potter being the two most obvious examples, but they were singular influential individuals of great power. A Space Marine, even though the Mon-keigh often viewed them with exaggerated awe, would only register an Aeldari's interest if they were being forced to face one in combat.
Lelith wasn't interested enough in the why to suffer through asking why the Shadowseer was so engaged, unless it started to affect her or her mission directly, so she refocused her mind on the now as the hangar doors whirred to life.
This hangar was referred to by the Station inhabitants as Malan'tai's Rest, as it contained the three surviving Aeldari Ships from the Fallen Craftworld, as well as the numerous artefacts and even the World Shrine. These ships and artefacts alone would have justified the expedition's creation from the Ynnari's limited forces, the four Druuchi ships and the numerous prisoners she had attained in the short conflict upon her arrival a sumptuous offering in excess of a delightful exchange sending pleasurable twinges up her spine.
But the true treasure was something that she understood objectively instead of emotionally, her eyes passing over the wraithbone table that had been grown over the last three days and coming to rest on the five Aeldari sat as a group at this assembled council. 77,305 Aeldari, including over 4,000 children, hadn't sounded like an impressive figure to her originally, but as Veilwalker had the equivalent of a joyous fit over the news Lelith realised she had been stuck in the Druuchi way of thinking.
Vatborn Drukhari were spawned in their tens of thousands everyday, and between them and the constant intake of slaves from the numerous races of the Galaxy, it was clear sentient lives had long meant little more than currency to her.
"Greetings Lady Hesperax, thank you for attending this meeting, I realise you are one of the only ones not based aboard The Cradle." Lord Potter's greeting was the level of genuinely cheerful that was so rare it took a fraction of a second for her to realise he was in fact talking to her.
The closest emotion that usually made it into how people greeted her were the slimy, distasteful attempts sponsoring Archons at the Arenas thought was 'charming' or 'seductive'.
"Thank you for waiting for me Lord Potter, am I the last to arrive?" It was… pleasant to be talked to in such a manner, so Lelith responded in kind even as Lord Potter nodded in response and gestured towards the seat two to his right.
"Lord Nihlus sends his apologies, the refit of The Chariot of Retribution as well as the reclamation of the technology from the various ships in the surrounding area means the only time even I see him is when he needs to request additional labour forces. And that's only because I insisted that anyone not part of his crew needed to be paid for their work and allowed to only work so many hours at once. The good Captain forgets that not all of us are more machine than muscle and that the word rest is in fact a real word." There was more than one sound of amusement from the numerous humans at the table, the news of this 'discussion' had spread even to her crews, the Psyker and the Cyborg having almost come to blows over the points Lord Potter had just casually mentioned.
It seemed she wasn't the only one who considered sentient life as a transient, expendable resource.
"Brother Cassiel also sends his apologies, he and the other Astartes are running trials for new Aspirants and the number of volunteers were larger than expected." Oh, more overgrown Mon-keigh and their overly blunt methods of warfare… delightful.
"I have the detailed report of the Astartes' level of readiness, which I will cover at the end. Now, I realise that many of you know each other from the last few days, but might as well do a quick round of introductions. To my immediate left is Colonel Gerstahl, formerly of the Cadian Defence Force, Lady Aerys of Navigator House Typhon, Colonel Gratis of the Cadian 182nd and Colonel Velex Martanis of the 17th Indigan Praefects. Then you have Lord Captain Frederick Rhys of the By His Grace and Lord Lieutenant Terrerance Darin of the Strength of Will." The six humans nodded as they were introduced in turn, Lelith was glad that Harry was only introducing the ones sitting at the table as there were at least two other Mon-Keigh standing behind each of the named persons.
Even Lord Potter had a person sat behind him on either side, one the soldier who had been brave/stupid enough to stay during her first meeting with the man, the other the childish waif that seemed to be his psychic protege.
"Next round the table is Armsman Flint, who has been cleared to act as the representative of the various groups that have been surviving amongst the wrecks. Lord Fargus, Magos Denleath and Colonel Tuten are representing the occupants of the Cradle, while Bonesinger Yrrean and Chief Ragni Ivarsson are here at my personal request. Lastly, we have Lady Hesperax of the Ynnari faction and Lady Veilwalker, who nobody seems to want to claim for a faction so I seem to have inherited her by default…" Another round of laughter, this time from nearly everyone gathered there, the Shadowseer taking the dig with a grace and ease that showed that Lord Potter was more right than he realised about the joke adoption.
"Now, onto business I think. The purpose of this meeting is for us to first review the current state of ships, manpower and other resources that our different factions have, what any urgent needs by any factions are, as well as how our scouting and reclamation missions are going." It was a strange style of command that Lord Potter seemed to be going for, it was less autocratic than Hesperax was used to, and judging by the reactions of those representing the Cradle and Armsman Flint it wasn't just her.
"I will summarise the condition of The Chariot my Lord. Lord Nihlus is not foolish enough to ignore me, like he has pretty much everyone else, in his desire to create his true 'Vessel of the Omnissiah's Will'." Like all Psykers, Lady Typhon disturbed Lelith on a fundamental level.
Interacting with the Warp, running the risk of She-Who-Thirsts and every other Warp-demon that might rouse its attention was in her mind foolhardy in the extreme. It was why she struggled with Lady Veilwalker, beyond the standard issues that came with dealing with her ilk, and the Navi-mutant took it a step further by gazing into the Warp for travelling!
"The Chariot has already been repaired from the minor damage suffered during our arrival and dealing with the Scavengers, though due to the progressive modifications Lord Nihlus has planned in Hangar 4-Alpha it will be a week at least before the ship can be considered flight ready. I don't understand all the technical jargon Lord Nihlus unleashed when he remembered to speak in Gothic, but as an overview I have the following. He is currently gutting half the crew deck to make space for the additional void shield generator he obtained from the Stalwart Sorrow."
"In addition he is creating new Hangars that would connect directly to the Command deck, to accommodate the 6 Stormbird class craft that Lord Potter negotiated for him to requisition from the Cradle, and removing a good portion of the Guest Quarters to expand the small Manufactorum into something more like a true Mechanicus Forge." That was a lot of work, even with access to the full Space dock like the Cradle.
Either these Mon-keigh engineers were far more efficient than Lelith gave them credit, or there was something else that would be assisting in these tasks that she didn't know about.
"Very good, that is more detail than I have received in his reports, though it's only thanks to the translation package in my armour that I can decipher them at all. I will return to you for your personal update in a minute Lady Aerys, we will finish the military update first. Captain Rhys, Lieutenant Darin, how progresses the repair of your vessels? I did get Lord Nihlus to promise he would provide tech-priests to support you as long as your crews support his work when they were done." There was a flash of fear, uncertainty and more than a little awe from the two Mon'keigh who had just been addressed, though the older Captain was the one giving the two former emotions, while the officer who looked barely old enough to be considered a Mon'keigh adult gave off a sickening amount of the latter.
"The By His Grace will be fully repaired in the next three to four days, though with the upgrades that are being implemented it might take a little longer. The Magos Lord Nihlus sent to lead his support force wanted to almost fully redesign the ship, though given the urgency of our mission I convinced him to delay the changes that required 80% of the outer hull to be removed. Even with this Cradle available to us that would have taken weeks if not months, especially with how lightly manned we are." The Captain then gestured to the younger officer, who snapped a Mon'keigh salute before speaking, his words loud and rushed in a manner that made his nerves clear for all to see.
"The Strength of Will was sufficiently damaged by the time we had secured the Cradle that I did not have the same concerns as the Lord Captain. As we speak my men have stripped the fore and port sides of the outer armour, while many of Armsmen Flint's… irregulars are being used to scout and mine the replacement pieces from the wreckage surrounding us. In addition to upgrading the armour of the ship, Lord Nihlus has provided a modified Blueprint of how he envisages the Strength of Will to be refitted to match… I will admit I don't fully understand all the information regarding the modifications to the engines, weapons and shields. But if his estimates are accurate, then we should be equivalent to at least two of the standard Firestorm Frigate Class by the time we are finished. Estimated time: three weeks to mine the materials, another month before we are flight ready."
The Lord Lieutenant's report made Lord Potter's smile fade somewhat, but he didn't offer comment, instead indicating to the three leaders of his ground forces. Lelith zoned out of these reports somewhat, primarily as she needed to make the decision of what she was going to report when they got to her.
Her forces hadn't been idle since the successful ambush of the raiders hired to target her, though even the prized mobility of Aeldari and Drukhari ships was tested to the limits amongst the broken hulls and debris fields, meaning they hadn't scoured the space above Reznor nearly as thoroughly as she'd originally planned.
Her Wytches had been the foremost strike force against the pockets of cultists or secessionist idiots that had aggressively rejected the offers of Lord Potter to join their forces, though she thought Lord Potter was being too soft in his refusal to purge the groups that hadn't attacked the ships sent out as messengers and instead just refused to join up with his forces.
Still, her Drukhari forces that hadn't converted fully to the worship of Ynnead were happy for the slaves that they had taken from these crazies and even the Aeldari amongst her forces were grimly pleased with smashing two minor Mon-Keigh cults that worshipped She-Who-Thirsts. Despite the grumblings of working with the Mon-Keigh, and hearing Drukhari raiders complaining about another race being untrustworthy was highly amusing for her, there was no passive-aggressive discontent amongst her ship captains or raid leaders due to them effectively playing diplomats.
It made her restless, especially as she had no real mission objective to pursue that could act as a guide for her next steps or an obvious enemy for her to pit herself against. She had found the Ally of Ynnead, and despite a rocky first meeting there wasn't much in the way of ingratiating the Ynnari and her cause to him that she could really see as required.
"Lady Hesperax, I know your forces have been working to deal with any lingering groups further away from The Cradle than our forces can travel. Are there any threats or concerns we should be aware of?" The question from the man in question broke her from her internal musing, and she responded in a tone that made it seem as if she had been impatiently waiting to be called upon.
"In terms of organised resistance no, but there have been signs of Bloodshadow nests among the wreckage in this quadrant…" She indicated the location on the 3D map of the scanned wreckage around the station, and it was only as she was about to continue that she noticed the confusion on several of the Mon-keighs faces.
It took her a moment to work out why they were confused, and several moments more to realise she didn't know the gothic name for the creatures in question.
"Apologies, the Bloodshadow are Tyranid creatures that have been sent ahead as scouts and infiltrators, capable of fighting multiple Aeldari or Drukhari warriors in close combat due to their speed and unnatural strength. I don't know the name for them in your tongue, but they are fearsome beasts that are dangerous for their ability to infect those that encounter them even if they manage to survive." Even in her career in the Arena, Lelith had only faced a Bloodshadow once.
It had been… challenging to defeat without injury, though thankfully it only possessed three of its four arms when it had come charging towards her, its horrific visage one of the few details about her fighting career that stuck in her mind.
"Genestealers… I haven't heard mention of them before now but the translation suite in my armour is providing me an audible warning about them, so clearly they are enough of a threat that Trazyn was concerned about his investment." The casual mention of the Thief's name, and the fact that he was once again mentioned as if the Necrontyr had left on amicable terms with the Ally of Ynnead caused several of the Eldar around the table to stiffen.
It was so subtle that Lelith doubted any of the other Mon-keigh noticed the group reaction, but the way Lord Potter's eyes narrowed made it clear he had noticed something, though he didn't press the point as Lelith used the chance to move the report forward.
There would be time for revelations about the Ally's 'friend' and what the Necrontyr were planning later. When she had proven the Ynnari were more suitable, more valuable, allies.
"We are processing all of the former slaves from the Raiding Party now, and I would advise you do the same Lord Potter, the Bloodshadow are an insidious foe that can fester for years before suddenly emerging as a threat." Lord Potter took the reveal of another threat remarkably well, merely nodding in acknowledgement of her suggestion and turning to the mostly cyborg abomination who was considered 'in charge' of the survivors aboard the Cradle.
"Lord Fargus, is this the threat that had your master so concerned that he sent you away with his research before he approached the Calixian Enclave? Given the threats of cults and other internal risks, I find the idea of a third Xenos race that can infiltrate human society and turn us against each other an unpleasant surprise." Three? Lelith could think of at least a dozen that weren't just restricted to infiltrating humans, but if there was one thing experience taught her it was that assuming you knew of every threat was a laughable arrogance that you couldn't afford.
"No, my Lord. It is not the Genesteale… *Carck*. It is the Lacrymole that is the true threat. It has been theorised that *Carck* they have even been able to turn into creatures like Genestealers if given a body to *Carck* consume." The thing that once had been a Mon-keigh reminded Lelith far more of a Necrontyr than a creature of flesh and blood, only one eye and a portion of it's brow remaining as human features.
The rest of its 'body' was a perversion of technology that formed less a human mannequin and more something from any sane person's nightmares. It didn't walk and instead floated in something that perversely resembled a throne of some kind, tendrils and multiple serpentine limbs writhing almost autonomously of their 'master'. Lord Fargus claimed to be over 1,000 human years old, and if this was the only method the Mon-keigh had to emulate the lifespan of an Aeldari, then Lelith would advise that such madness was best discarded and reviled by their entire race.
"Perfect, another race of potential internal spies and saboteurs that can hide amongst us. And I don't suppose that the same testing method can detect both kinds?" The mention of Lacrymoles again sparked Lelith's interest, more because the existence of them and their capability to shift into the forms of other races sounded like a challenge for any Ynnari to discern their true nature rather than because she was truly worried about the Ynnari being infiltrated by them.
The debate about how to detect Bloodshadow infiltrators bounced back and forth between the 'learned' members of this impromptou council for a few minutes. It was mostly the Aeldari from the Cradle, the abomination and Lord Potter positing ideas and theories based on the information provided by Lelith and surprisingly Lady Veilwalker, the seriousness in the Spritseers tone and general lack of childish antics impressing the severity of the Genestealer problem upon the rest of the Council remarkably well.
Veilwalker's reveal that the Genestealers were psychically active, and therefore could be sensed by any Aeldari with enough focus to scan for such presences, meant that they at least had a potential method of identifying the creature's presence aboard a ship if required. But the range at which such a presence could be detected was unknown, it wasn't something that had concerned Lady Veilwalker in her previous conflicts, so it meant they would still need to search room by room until they had the answer.
And she hadn't personally dealt with any Mon-keigh that the Genestealers had infected, so whether the same would prove true for them as well was another unproven theory, meaning they had to resort to far more physical, primitive methods.
"Enough I think, we have been debating theories and guesses for a good minute now, and time is too precious to waste more on either for now." Despite his words, Lord Potter looked like he wanted to let the discussion continue for his own knowledge's sake, and Lelith could admire his restraint for the goals of the group to take precedence over his own.
It was an unheard of trait amongst the Drukhari before the rise of the Ynnari, and it was something they struggled with even after converting in many cases.
"Apologies Lady Hesperax, we interrupted your report." Taking her cue, Lelith outlined the other groups that her forces had dealt with, the deliberate non-mentioning of the prisoners taken during the raids merely common sense in this crowded setting.
She would bring up the point with Lord Potter in private, as the warning from Lady Veilwalker was still settled firmly into her mind, but an open forum was not the best place to have this particular 'discussion'.
"Thanks Lady Hesperax. Now, onto the three reasons that I called for you all to be here." Lord Potter shifted in his seat as she finished, his attempts to hide his discomfort and restlessness at being sat still laughably obvious to Lelith, but matched her own far better hidden desire to get this meeting over as soon as possible.
"The first part is a matter that only affects the Aeldari, and is something that should be not be discussed outside these quarters regardless of the outcome. Bonesinger Yrrean, if you would." The Bonesinger, one of only three that had survived the fall of Malan'tai, nodded almost serenely as he waved imperiously to a pair of artisans who had been waiting with a grav-platform nearby to the table.
"Of course Chosen, it would not be my place to interfere in such matters. Though your considerations for our heritage are far more than we would have thought the Mon-keigh capable of." Lelith couldn't help but groan internally as the gathered Mon-keigh all took offence at the blunt and haughty remark, even she wouldn't have uttered such thoughts out loud.
"Given the touchy and prideful nature of the Aeldari, to do anything else would undoubtedly have caused considerable difficulties between us. So I felt it best to be diplomatic in my approach and consider my words and actions carefully, one of us has too after all." Lord Potter's response was the figurative equivalent of slapping the Bonesinger in the face with an armoured glove, another sign of the wraithbone that rested beneath the mostly genial exterior he liked to project.
To her surprise, and no small amount of relief, the Bonesinger didn't seem to take offence at the reminder that the 'uncultured' Mon-Keigh was taking the diplomatic highroad with him.
Instead, Yrrean let out a small laugh that was mimicked in his body language as the two artisans reached the table next to him, the way the two recoiled slightly from their amused master indicating this was not normal behaviour.
"Your impertinence still amuses me Lord Potter, most of our young lack the spine to respond to me in such a way despite my needling. Now, the item you wish to discuss…" With a single measured pull, the fabric that had covered the object on the grav-platform was removed and Lelith heard someone gasp breathlessly at the sight, only for her brain to catch up a moment later and belatedly realise she had been the one to gasp.
The feeling of vitality, the sense of life's essence itself, radiated from the crystalline flower mounted delicately on a wraithbone structure that seemed almost to have been woven to the flower itself. The pearl stigma sat prominently amongst the iridescent petals, colours flowing from one into another in a manner so smooth Lelith would be hard pressed to discern the point at which one ended and another began.
"A Rose of Isha…" A priceless relic, a literal remnant of the Eldar Goddess of Life, hadn't been seen in Millenia.
If a mere whisper of such an artefact being in the sector had reached the Aeldari Craftworlds, a mighty warhost would have been assembled in days to scour entire worlds in search of it. And the fact that it was here, and Lord Potter wished to discuss it…
"You knew!" Later, Lelith knew she would feel embarrassed at her loss of control as her head snapped to glare furiously at Lady Veilwalker, a restricting wave of power from Lord Potter the only thing keeping her from taking her literal serving of flesh and pain from the giggling Shadowseer.
The cryptic mention of 'great treasures', and the response Veilwalker had given to her joke about Lord Potter being a servant of Cegorach…
It took several moments for her rage to vent itself, her muscles threatening to rip themselves apart as she struggled against her invisible bindings, but the taste of blood in her mouth from a bitten cheek managed to pierce the fog that had descended across her vision. As she settled, she was mildly pleased to see Lord Potter sweating slightly as he relaxed his powers, her pride wouldn't abide even a Chosen of the Gods binding her in place easily.
"Remind me not to deliberately antagonise you Lady Hesperax, that was more difficult than holding Astartes in place, and we haven't even gotten to the part where I anticipated needing to restrain people." The indignity of her position was lessened by Lord Potter's comparison, while she normally wouldn't want to be mentioned in the same speech as the Mon-keigh brutes, it was a compliment that she doubted any other Eldar would ever earn..
"I wouldn't worry about your health Lord Potter, you have approached this with far less showmanship than many of my race would have employed here and such restraint is an admirable quality. Your mongrel stray however will be lucky if she survives the day, I do not stand those who would hide such critical…" Lady Veilwalker, in a surprising show of forthright bravery for a character so normally flighty, interrupted her with a simple series of questions.
"And if I had brought up the artefact? Or that the survivors of the Malan'tai were here? What different steps would have been taken by the Ynnari and others?" Lelith's mind processed the questions even as she continued to heave lungfuls of air into her lungs, such information wouldn't change…
It would have changed things Lelith realised, Yvraine would have pulled forces from other battlefields to assemble a warhost, perhaps even trying to attend herself such was the importance of the Rose. It would have been a rallying symbol, the draw of a relic of life in the hands of the servants of death would have convinced far more of the Craftworlds of the righteousness of their cause, a benefit that would have been nearly impossible for them to ignore.
The negative impact of the lessened troop numbers on the other campaigns, not to mention the potential delay to Yvraine's own mission, would have been reasons enough to hide the information. But the additional forces would have drawn a much bigger fleet of raiders to try and counter it, perhaps even some of Vect's personal forces, turning the entire system into a battlefield.
And if Yvraine had come, the risk of gaining the attention of She-Who-Thirsts…
The tension bled from her shoulders as Lelith begrudgingly realised that the Shadowseer, for once, might have acted more in the purpose of the greater good rather than her own amusement.
"In Lady Veilwalker's defence Champion, even we did not know we possessed such a relic until about 40 cycles ago…" Thankfully the Bonesinger didn't sit on ceremony before launching into an explanation of his cryptic statement.
"One of the artefacts that we saved from The Fall was a massive tessellated diamond known simply as The Harlequin's Gift. Thankfully the name of the artefact was kept simple and quite literally denotes it's history, unlike some of the other artefacts we have whose names and portents were lost with our Craftworld. It was barely a Century after the Rise of She-Who-Thirsts when a Harlequin Troupe performed on our Craftworld, and when they left this gem was found in the Seer Council's Chambers, no information about its importance given other than the method and place of its delivery."
Taking a deep breath, seemingly both to steady his emotions as well as to refill his lungs, Yrrean gestured at one of his apprentices in both pride and annoyance.
"If young Fal'hart hadn't been distracted from her duties due to her attempts to romantically entreat one of the Guardians who was charged with guarding the relic chambers, we wouldn't have known about this transformation for some time longer. She attempted to impress him with her knowledge of the artefacts during an impromptu tour that the emergence of the Rose was noted, and it is to her… credit that she reported it despite the consequences." Consequences that seemed to involve her becoming the prominent apprentice to the Bonesinger, something that Lelith wasn't quite sure was a punishment for an ambitious young Eldar even with his cantankerous attitude.
"And while the revelation of the Rose is no doubt important to you Lady Hesperax, it is the effects of being in its proximity that will probably be of greatest interest to you, specifically the consequence that Yrrean is implying." Lord Potter spoke as he gestured towards the Rose with his free hand, the feeling emanating from it fading to a far less smothering feel in the air around them.
"Indeed, we are still finalising figures for the Eldar contingent, but there has been a sharp increase of pregnancies amongst the Cradle's crew in the timeframe mentioned." The abomination spoke in a manner that made it seem like he was commenting on the weather, and if not for the reaction to the Malan'tai children in the preceding days Lelith wouldn't have been much impressed.
Surprised maybe, but the idea of children and the process involved in their creation had been something she disdained for more than just the time she would be forced to leave the Are… the position she held in the Ynnari.
"How sharp an increase?" Now though, she understood why Lord Potter and the Malan'tai were broaching this topic with her in this manner, even if he had clearly been involved with it's gestation the Rose was a gift that could perhaps unite some of the major craft worlds if it's properties could be quantified.
"An increase of approximately 230-270% amongst the Cradle's human population compared to previous birth rate data, though that number will almost definitely increase in a couple more months now that we know we have a reason to track them. While not all Aeldari are showing signs but, of the thirty volunteer couples that Yrrean selected including young Fal'hart, one has already confirmed to be pregnant." Again the cyborg abomination spoke, but Lelith grasped his words even as she ignored his physically sickening presence.
The Aeldari pregnancy could be a statistical discrepancy, though it was challenging to both conceive and bring an Eldar child to term it was not impossible. But if it wasn't the ramifications were possibly ranging from minorly strategic to a resurgent Aeldari Empire, depending on the range of the flower's 'influence' and whether it impacted the viability of Eldar births in the same manner as the Mon-keigh.
Still, Lelith didn't grasp why the Bonesinger had brought the news of the Rose to the Mon'keigh's attention at all. And given the fact that none of the other Eldar were looking confused or angered either in obvious or more subtle body postures, there was something that she was missing. Putting on her most diplomatic face, Lelith spoke even as she tried to work out a way to put this politely.
"At the risk of questioning the obvious, while we are grateful beyond belief to recover the survivors of Malan'tai and such a relic, please explain why this needed to be raised at such a high level meeting? Where the Rose should be returned to is an internal matter…" The change in Lord Potter's posture was slight, but it conveyed a slight disappointment in her question even as various Mon'keigh members of the council took clear umbrage at her unspoken implication that they shouldn't have been involved in the discussion at all.
The minor bedlam continued for several moments before Lord Potter waved the long stick that had been resting in his hand since he had been forced to restrain her. All of them quieted instantly and most seemed to recognise the effect, only the Cradle representatives continuing to try and speak for a moment or two before settling themselves once more.
"There are two reasons that require this to be raised at such a meeting Lady Hesperax, and the ownership of the Rose wasn't one of them. The Rose belongs to the Malan'tai and I will not brook any suggestion from anyone otherwise." That seemed mostly aimed at the other Mon'keigh, but Lord Potter's gaze never left hers as he issued his challenge.
It was a generous offer of unconditional support from one whose powers seemed to be linked to the Rose in some way given the way the Aeldari referred to him, and would cause a lot of tension among the other Craftworlds. The Malan'tai would be considered a dead Craftworld under normal circumstances given their low numbers and loss of their actual Craftworld, but the possession of the Rose would attract new numbers to their cause if they could set a location for their new home.
"The first of the two questions are probably best explained by those who can make use of the Rose in a more active manner…"
"There might be more!" Both the Navi-mutant and Veilwalker interrupted Lord Potter before he could finish, their words garbled as both tried to speak with a rush of excitement and silent competition, aggravating Lelith's already strained nerves to breaking point.
"Enough!" Her barked command quietened them, though the Navi-mutant showed either a surprising level of bravery or stupidity as she sent an annoyed glare at both her and Veilwalker, a feat maybe three Eldar could claim as an accolade that were still among the living or sane.
"Navi- I mean Lady Typhon, please elaborate in a clear and simple manner. Before Lady Veilwalker takes the opportunity to continue what will undoubtedly be a century of revenge for my earlier comments and actions." As she internally remonstrated herself for using the term 'Navi-mutant', Lelith did allow herself a small smile as she saw Veilwalker broadcast a series of minorly annoyed body gestures as she returned to her seat.
As she had suspected, the Shadowseer had been deliberately aggravating both of them, though the body language indicators were more a warning from Veilwalker that she had been right about her potential punishment.
"While I appreciate a good prank or two, I think it is best that we remember we are all allies here and keep it light-hearted and short-term. Now, Lady Typhon, please enlighten those who are unaware of my… status." Lord Potter again surprised her, as stepping in on such a matter was considered beneath most Eldar Leaders, both Aeldari and Drukhari though for different reasons.
Lelith did note that Veilwalker seemed to relax her annoyed pose slightly at the words, but she would be surprised if they had anything beyond a short term effect on her 'revenge' plans.
"Thank you Lord Potter. As I was saying Lady Hesperax, the reason we were in the Reznor System in the first place was because of the psychic link between this Artefact and Lord Potter. These 'links' are posited by the Aeldari who can see them to be related to his status as a 'Chosen of Isha'. Though I disagree given the first artefact he reclaimed is related to an Imperial Saint, and can summon shades of the mighty Astartes to aid us." Lelith resisted the urge to groan audibly, the political fallout from that particular revelation would be mind-wrenchingly frustrating just from an Aeldari perspective.
She was deliberately not thinking about the religious connotations of the Mon-keigh 'God'-Emperor and an Aeldari Goddess having the same champion. That way, to quote the innumerable Mon-keigh preachers she had slaughtered on raids in her previous life, led only to heresy.
A polite cough from Lord Potter seemed to remind the Navi-m… Lady Typhon that she was meant to continue rather than looking rather unsubtly smug.
"Regardless of their origin, while the source of each link is unknown it has been suggested that sufficient observation and tracking down a few of them might allow those of sufficient skill to correlate certain traits of the artefacts that lie at the other end of these links." Such as whether the artefact was of Eldar or Imperial origin, and that was assuming that Lord Potter was only linked to the artefacts from the two races.
The implication was that the Rose remained in Lord Potter's vicinity until they did find a similar artefact to replace it with, as how such a link would react to the Rose being returned to a Craftworld in the Web-way and whether it would be discernable from all these other 'links' was unknown.
And if such a link could be discerned, the idea of an uncontrolled method of being able to essentially track a Craftworld that contained such artefacts…
"You realise the security implications of these 'connections' of yours Lord Potter? The Eldar have a great many enemies that would marshall considerable forces to obtain such methods of tracking down such artefacts to deny our race any potential advantages they may provide our kind." Enemies not limited to but including the Imperium, who had at best been fickle allies in times of desperate need in the past.
Lord Potter nodded, showing a seriousness to the quasi-question/threat without getting offended by the fact she had to state it or be aggressive in his response.
"One of the reasons to discuss this openly with you and Lady Veilwalker, Lady Hesperax. Keeping secrets has never been a strong suit of mine, and I do not endeavour for it to become one despite the advice to work on it from my closer allies." Allies amongst the Imperials who undoubtedly saw the same risks and advantages she herself saw, though they were either not here or wise enough not to try and push their cause further in this moment.
"The other reason being what exactly? Given the revelations you have heaped upon me today, which clearly my kin have known but felt me not worthy of such knowledge, I would know exactly what considerations are to be weighed against the immediate return of the artefact to Eldar hands." While Lord Potter wasn't prevacating, instead allowing her a substantive amount of time to react and question each point as it was raised, Lelith was reaching the limit of both her patience and capacity for being civil.
Neither of which was a good thing for a normal Eldar, let alone the one chosen by Yvraine to represent their cause.
"The other reason is simple Lady Hesperax, but also less substantially proven and will continue as such until we come across a major battle or similar…" The abomination spoke once more, raising one of his many 'hands' as she turned her gaze in his direction.
"The simple truth is, until the Rose bloomed, I was in stasis because it was feared that if they woke me I would live another cycle…"
That… That was not quite what she expected. And with a sigh as she did her best to steel her flagging mind for what would undoubtedly be a continued discussion of length, Lelith placed both of her hands on the table and took a deep breath.
"Explain. Now."
A/N:
I'll be honest, I could have carried on for no small amount of time to get to the end of the discussion about the Rose and then into the other reasons for the War Council to be called, primarily about how to outfit their forces and the revelations of the suspected Technology sabotage internal to the Imperium, as well where they were going to go next.
But I feel this chapter is going to catch enough flak as it is, so that can wait till I see the feedback and comments before continuing further.
On another note, Happy New Year. Apologies for the delays but as I've mentioned previously finding time and motivation for writing has been a challenge.
Hopefully this will tide people over for a while.
As always, leave reviews and let me know what you think!
Defias out!