Dawn of War: Destiny War

by Big Boss Pugh

In the 40th millennium, there is nothing but war. Now, on the edge of the halo zone in the Segmentum Pacificus region, a new threat is coming. Follow the story of the imperial guard led by Max Johnson and Lucas Turner as they face orks and chaos worshippers of Slaanesh. Though they stand alone, alliances must be made if they are to survive the horrors.

8. Chapter 8

Dawn of War: Destiny War

(The truth brings light to darkness. The hidden secrets are exposed to the many. There is no joy in knowing that everything you believed in has been a lie or told to you under false information. Enjoy! )

Chapter 8: Section 8 – 1

"You know my name as I have told you; you do not know my past. It has been ten years since that time. Ten years have come and gone. Not a single person has come to remember me and why should they. No one should remember me. I am a forgotten soul that is lost in a sea of stars and wars. Who would dare say that they can remember me? In my years of peace, I learned to be humble. I have learned to place all that I was in a memory. During those years, I survived by my wit, skill, and ability. Now, you wish to know of me. This is my story. Ten years ago, an imperial ship journeyed out in the void of dark space. The leader of the ship led his troops on through battles. I was a simple nobody; I didn't hold rank nor couldn't command troops. I only knew how to fire a lasgun. When I stood near the leader of the guardsmen, I didn't even catch his gaze until the end. When we warp jump to our next destination, the ship came under attack. I can still remember how it went. First, the ship had hull breaches in the sides. Many guardsmen flew out of the ship only to be torn apart by the warp. The guardsmen did what they could to fight against the enemies coming aboard. None would survive. I kept myself hidden from the enemy; I knew sooner or later death will come straight for me so I ran. Before I could get far, my leader saved me from a daemon of the warp. The creature cornered me and became frighten of me shortly. The creature screeched as my leader cut it down. It was at that moment my leader sensed something wrong with me. Before he could explore it, we faced down the terrible warp deities that hunger for our souls. The only option left for everyone is to survive; the handful of us left made it to the life pods. Many were already gone save only the five groups that were left. I was shoved inside the pod. Before the slaughter happened, the leader saw something in me that he knew was there. He didn't tell anyone about it nor share the knowledge he learned. All I can recall is his last order to me before he handed me his sword, laspistol and harness. He told me that I am to survive, thrive, and remember why I am alive. Once he told me that, he closed the life pod and sent me hurling through the warp. I watched from the open window as the ship was claimed by something greater than man and xeno. I prayed my hardest that I survive and live up to my leader's last command to me. I ended up on the planet your Commander Vance named Saneesh. Who am I to you? I am Noble One Max Johnson of the renegade imperial guardsmen. Who I was before? I am an imperial guardsman of the old 5th regiment from the Imperium of Mankind. The name is lost to history. Like so many other guardsmen companies and regiments, the names of the less important are gone from record. Who wants to remember or recall the name of a dead regiment?" Noble One Max Johnson from the 5th regiment of the Imperial Guard.

Lina and Lucas are dumb struck by the news; the whole time Max was a long lost guardsman of a much older regiment. There are no records of his leader or his regiment ever making any important trips into the warp. After being dead for a long time, any guardsmen company that didn't show or amount to a high success are considered unimportant; Kayleth and Veldoran already surmised that Max had to be a former guardsman. He used the weapons with great ease. Though his recently news leaves his allies surprised, he continues to reveal more to them that the eldar and his allies didn't know of.

Lucas says, "I am glad you finally shed some light on who you are and how you are familiar with the weapons we use. I do recall being told of an imperial ship that did make a warp jump years ago; the information on the ship was deemed 'unimportant'. It is good to know that you made it through the hardship and never gave up."

Lina expresses her curiosity, "But why did you hide it from us? Why not tell us that you are a former guardsman? You could have been welcomed back with open arms."

Before Max can answer, a sudden cold feeling comes to all. He looks around to see the eldar nearly leap away. Some look up; many check the weather pattern. It is nothing but dark skies with humid weather; Max sighs and knows that it is happening again.

Max says, "There is one last thing you must know of. Once I tell you this, you will not trust me again. You will hate me for it."

The area becomes quiet as all eyes fall look to Max; every ear listens closely to his words.

He continues, "It all happened to me when I was born outside of the realm of the Imperium; I was born as a mistake. Before anything was determined, my family fled from any imperial space fleets, patrol ships, or planets under the imperium rule to keep me safe. Once I was old enough, they let me go of my free will. I did not understand the condition of my illness until later. The more I became older, the less I forget about it. That is until you caused it to emerge again."

When they all question who he meant, Max points to Kayleth; everyone looks to her with curiosity and suspicion. Even Veldoran looks upon Kayleth with great interest. Her fury erupts from within at the accusation of what she did to cause something.

She questions and demands, "And what could I have possibly done to you? We have only known each other for a short time."

He answers, "I was born a… Blank as the imperium calls it. I am a 'Soulless' being as everyone refers to it; I am an unusual Blank. I can absorb tremendous amounts of warp energy yet never keep it. The power of being soulless returned to me after I let go of the spirit stone the eldar wanted back. At the time, I guess my power was absorbing or blocking out the warp powers of the spirit stone. That would explain why your Elenwe did not die right off and wanted to stay with me; she must have felt protected. I didn't pay it any mind at first; however, the last few moments would explain why so many of you believe it is cold. I am an unusual Blank. My abilities and powers are always changing. I don't know why it has come back, but..."

Kayleth thinks back to the moment on the Faded Light when Max relinquished the spirit stone of Elenwe. The chamber was ice cold like a strong ice storm yet everything stayed at normal temperature after he left. Nearly all guardsmen back away in fear and disgust; Lina herself points a gun at Max. Lucas pauses and thinks back. He recalls the use of the warp power that came out from within him. At first, he thought the eldar spirit stone was the cause; now he didn't know what to believe. A soldier tackles Max to the ground and begins to assault him violently. Max easily pushes him off only for the area to become cold again. The eldar completely all leap away from Max as his blank abilities stretch outward. Lucas calls off his men and looks at Max; the fear of dying scares everyone to back up from him. Every single person and eldar back up more as the unworldly void comes from Max strongly. Lucas approaches him with no weapon drawn and the void slowly goes away.

Lucas looks to him, "So, you are a soulless being? You are a Blank and didn't tell us this whole time? You are as worse as the Necrons; however, this does explain how you survived the use of the warp powers from the eldar spirit stone and your journey here. I would kill you, but I am offering you a way out this for what you did for us."

Everyone looks to Lucas as though he is insane. Many captains and soldiers demand an answer; he orders every gun to be pointed away from Max. Despite being a blank, Max would be given what he always wanted from the start of their campaign. The other guardsmen back up, but many are still eager to shoot him; the cold feeling leaves the area and everything returns to normal. No one didn't expect this unexplained power to stretch from Max. Many back away from him and take cover behind the shuttles. Lucas, Lina, and a few loyal soldiers stand firm as Max clears the blood away from his bleeding lip. To be near someone who can't be sensed through the warp is an opportunity and miracle. For many others, it is someone terrifying and dangerous.

Lucas says, "You have saved many of our soldiers. For that, I grant you a free passage to safety. Take what you can carry and never return again; we will even provide transport for you off the planet. It is the least I can do for you. Or, you can take your things and disappear on this planet. No one will follow. I give you my word."

Max feels hurt by the words of Lucas. He accepts the offer despite the protest of others that beg Lucas to reconsider. Many more soldiers feel less incline to let him go; Lucas forbids anyone from killing Max since he did save many guardsmen before. The eldar slowly clear away from the guardsmen and area; they teleport back to the Faded Light and quickly leave. Knowing the fact that Max is a blank, he leaves many horrified by what he is. Max takes his walk away from the others only to hear the words of damnation. To be a Blank in the eyes of all is considered to be a being not capable of feeling anything. A few guardsmen surround him and offer to escort him away from the others; they watch for anyone that will try to kill or attack him. Once he clears away from the groups, Lucas and Lina turn to their original orders that Commander Vance issued them. They were told to bring him in for execution. Now, they are letting him go. Lucas throws his gun to the ground in a fit of frustration.

He thought, "How could this be possible? I can't follow this order nor can I condemn a man to death for what he has done."

Lina joins Lucas, "We should have killed him. A Blank is worse when left alone. He may be trouble in the future for us."

Lucas tosses the idea from his mind, "There is no need. We lost enough troops in the beginning when War Boss Bone Snappa took the lives of many. We don't know how many more will die by his hand if we did try to eliminate him. Letting Max go is safer for us all. As long as we don't see him again, we are fine. He has earned his peace."

He walks towards the shore of the land. He shouldn't have told them anything; Max finds himself alone and walking by the coast line. Like before, he is alone to face the horrors of the planet. He can hear the words now: Soulless. Unworldly. Nothingness. Even after all his accomplishments, he feels the weight on his shoulders; it is enough to make him fall to the ground. Max takes a few more steps and falls to his knees. With his sadness overcoming his mind, he sheds a tear knowing that this is his fate. He was lost to his parents. He was lost to the imperium. Now, he is lost to humanity as a threat. The life of being alone is all he will ever know. It was going to be as his parents told him years ago.

Their words ring: "You will be alone. No one will want you around. Be prepared to face what others will hate about you."

He curses out loud, "Why didn't I just remain hidden? Why did I speak of who I was?"

The sorrow in his heart sings out loudly as he weeps for being thrown away; there is no room for comfort now. Out from the shadows and humming softly, Rela approaches him. Max looks up to see the dark eldar woman looking more satisfied than before. He didn't care for her coming to him now and death is a welcome promise for him. He stands to his feet; he puts up no guard.

She says, "What do you wait for? Draw your sword, mon-keigh. If you wish to survive, you would do well to run away. I may be generous enough to give you a running start."

Max looks to her despite his thoughts are full of dying, "Whatever you are going to do to me, it won't work."

Rela laughs and replies, "You actually believe you have a chance against me…"

As she steps towards him, Rela stops advancing. She senses his unnatural presences; the mark of being a Blank causes her to shriek at Max. Her sources did not lie; she backs away from him disgusted and horrified.

She screams in a fit of rage, "You are an abomination! You must die before you bring me harm! I will see to it!"

Rela takes out her daemon infused weapon; She swings it forward with a strong warp power thrown at Max. The force of the warp passes him by with no mark or damage on his body. Rela sprints around him; she uses daemon weapon to send warp energy blades at him. Each warp blade of energy passes through Max and leaves no damage; the attacks prove useless against Max. As he watches his surroundings, he starts to see Rela around him. He can feel the warp pass through him as he collects it from her unwillingly. She tries to slash at him, but he counters her attack with his own sword. The daemon weapon roars in horror and hate of Max; Rela keeps up her attacks on him and Max stops every single attack with very little effort. It is as if he is guided by an unseen force. She stops her assaults and places the blade away. Max steps towards her once; Rela can feel her power slowly drain from her body. She feels death calling her. After she leaps away from Max, her warp powers return. She looks at Max as though an endless void opens to her. It scares her; the feeling overcomes her senses.

Rela says, "Impressive for a human Blank. You have caught my interest. Why don't you join me and serve for a purpose higher than what you were offered? I can give you more than what your already have."

Max thinks of her words; however, Kayleth leaps out from a warp portal and slashes at Rela. She leaps back only to feel a small scratch on her face. Max looks at them and watches; he understands and didn't care why Kayleth is attacking. Rela drags her finger over the blood flowing wound and licks the drop of blood from her hand. Kayleth tries to strike again. Rela dodges her attacks with ease and holds her back with one arm. Max stands confused as he tries to keep up with their movements.

Kayleth roars at her foe, "You will not have him to your advantage! Prepare to die for your cause!"

Rela smiles and surprises Kayleth, "That is where you are wrong."

With a twist of her body, Kayleth feels the daemon blade cut into arm. For a brief five seconds, the eldar autarch hears the words of an ancient evil speak to her with such delight. The words "Your soul is mine!" sent chills down her spine as Kayleth leaps away. A second strike to the leg creates another wound on her. She hears more words "Dance a dying death for me" echo in her head. The last sword swing from Rela knocks her blade away to the ground; Kayleth falls to the ground weaken from the attacks. Rela grips her throat and lifts Kayleth up. Rela smiles at her victory over the eldar warrior. Max looks on and sees the defeat coming to her. He didn't know what to say or feel as he sprints towards the sword on the ground. Unaware of his thoughts, Max grips the eldar sword and charges at Rela. Kayleth looks out the corner of her eye to see a shock that alerts Rela. The dark eldar succubus drops her captive and jumps away. Kayleth looks up from the ground to see Max stand before the succubus. Rela tries to get close only to feel the cold sensation come to her; the daemon weapon screams in pain. Kayleth didn't feel nothing happen to her.

Max raises the sword, "I will not let you harm her witch! I offer you one chance to flee or slowly die a painful death."

Rela tries to move pass Max, but she can't be too close. She starts feeling weak and snarls at him. After she takes her leave, Max turns to Kayleth. He tries to help her up only for Kayleth to leap away. She lands on her wounded leg and stumbles to the dirt; Max rushes over only to feel the blade shoot from his hand and back into hers. Kayleth raises the sword despite the pain. He didn't know why, but Kayleth makes her actions clear.

Max says, "Let me help you. Your wounds are looking bad."

Kayleth answers fiercely, "Do not help me, soulless man. You have are nothing but a void. I only stopped her from trying to have you."

Max walks over; Kayleth leaps at him ready to strike. Instead of showing care, Max allows his blank abilities to weaken her further. Kayleth falls the soil once more. She looks up to see him approach her. Instead of pain or hurt, Max comes to her side and helps her stand. Kayleth looks at him with wonder. She didn't feel cold any more and her body slowly heals. For a brief moment, Max easily overpowers her and instantly stopped using his powers.

He says, "I did not ask you to save me, yet you did. Why have you come to save me when I am a threat to you, everyone, and even my enemies?"

Though he can't understand how strong eldar emotions work, Kayleth feels a small urge for Max. She quickly pulls away despite her wounds. He stares at her showing signs of being vulnerable; Max questions her want to save him. Even though she stopped Rela from convincing him to join her, Max knows there is more to find out from her.

Kayleth replies, "I believe you still hold the answer to stopping Rela, but I made a mistake. So, rather than let Rela have you to use against us, I sought to kill you. Instead, you show me that this is a waste of time. The only choices you use is to fight or to flee."

Max scoffs at her words, "In case you didn't remember, I was pushed away from my fellow man; they no longer accept me since I am the void as you describe me to be. The dark eldar would kill me; you tried to kill me. They will do as they like. I will disappear on my home world. Never again will I ever become involved in the wars of humanity, eldar, or any other war."

As Max leaves, Kayleth stops him again by throwing a warp blast at him. He turns around and faces her with a firm look on his face. Max shouts and damns her for not leaving him alone. The same unworldly powers slowly comes and goes as Kayleth tries to not get near him. Instead of rage, she sees him hurt for the first time. Buried deep under his skin and anger, Max Johnson shows her more hurt than she ever thought. A tear rolls down his face. She replaces her rage with concern; Max looks into her eyes. As much as she wants to feel sorry for his hurt, Kayleth does her best to not show too much emotion.

She says, "I…I apologize for everything I have ever done to you. I didn't know you were hurt this much by the actions of others."

Max gasps slightly. The eldar warrior apologizes to him; Kayleth feels more hurtful than horrified at what Max is. She turns away from him and offers to take him away from the world; Max looks into her eyes and finds peace. Though he can easily cause unrest among the eldar, Kayleth offers him a single jump from Saneesh. Kayleth waves her hand in the open air and opens a small warp portal. Max looks at the portal; he looks to her.

Kayleth says, "Once you step through, I will seal off the exit behind you. You will never again be bothered by others."

Max touches the opening of the portal. It is smooth on his hand. He looks into her eyes and thanks her for showing him the peace he longs for. Max steps through the portal; Kayleth seals the exit behind him. As she turns back to the area, light flickers around her. Veldoran shows up with a concern on his mind. The damage is done; the unusual man is gone.

Veldoran asks, "What have you done, Kayleth?"

She answers, "I have done what is necessary for the galaxy."

Chapter 8: Section 8 – 2

There are no words to explain this failure; the only course left is death by gun squad to be an example. Commander Vance has been too relaxed on his punishment to the guardsmen. An example must be made to ensure loyalty. He looks down on them from a high place with such disappointment. Every single one of them is a disgrace to the Imperium of Mankind; the storm troopers march in the mad heretics of Max Johnson. Many still shout, curse, and damn the storm troopers for not dying quick enough. After the last few are shoved inside the pit, the guards seal off the exit. At the bottom of a pit, the mad guardsmen number to two hundred left alive. Any more surviving guardsmen may be still on the loose. Commander Vance walks forward with his rage kept in check; he stands on his podium and sends out the message to any and all guardsmen in attendance. The message is made loud and clear for the enemies of man.

He says, "Enemies of the imperium, you have survived only to die much later. There is no where you can't hide on Saneesh. Your chances of victory are less than what you hope for. The elite storm troopers will hunt you down and bring you in like the rest to receive your judgement. The sky will come crashing down on you; the battle tanks will roll you down into the ground. I will offer you a quick death if you surrender now; there will be no mercy from Commander Vance the Bright. It will be my duty to stop your spread of taint and offer you the battle you seek. May the Emperor have mercy on your soul for I will not."

Commander Vance nods in the direction of the storm troopers near the controls. The pit just below them gets covered by two massive doors. As Lucas and Lina look on with nerves of worry and steel, Commander Vance approaches them with a serious look in his eyes. Vance grips his gun; he grinds his teeth. The reports still continue to give him fury.

Vance tells them both, "You are fortunate that you are not about to be burned alive for purification in the name of the Emperor. If anything, I should allow my storm troopers to execute you both for not only allowing Max Johnson to escape but for failing to perform your task. As for your reports on finding the eldar on this planet, you have done only enough to call off your death. And since no other traces of Max can be found on the planet, I need you both to return to the ice world and be on stand-by should he return there with the eldar backing him. You are to capture and eliminate him the moment he shows up; there is to be no reason to keep him alive. I will be sending three companies of storm troopers with you to ensure that the deed is done. If there is nothing else other than your infatuation for each other, you are dismissed."

Lina and Lucas salute their commander. As they turn to leave, they hear the roar of the flames; the pit burns alive the mad heretics of Max. The death cries of the victims reach to the heavens as they both leave the area. The return to the War Harbinger is a long and quiet trip. In their heart, they understand what they did wrong. In their doubts, they disagree with Commander Vance. To execute the man, who has helped them despite being a Blank, leaves them conflicted. It is hard to follow an order that they didn't believe in. It runs a greater risk to defy the orders of a superior officer. As they come to the War Harbinger, Lina shares a kiss with Lucas.

He says, "Do not worry, Lina. We are faithful believers in the God-Emperor and Omnissiah. They will see us through this challenge."

Lina asks, "Do you still believe in our friend? I didn't think about how he would feel with us pushing him away. Yes, he is a threat to everyone, but Max helped us."

Lucas clears his throat, "I was wrong too. We will find a way to make this up to him if he returns to us; I can't gun him down. Even if he shows no real care for the imperium, Max deserve a real friend than more hate."

They both keep their chatting to a whisper for the rest of the trip. Once they arrive in the sector, Lucas issues the order for everyone to board the ship. Commander Vance looks on from his monitor as the commotion down by the ship increases. He didn't care much for the people being so active. His mind is only looking forward to the next plan. He takes his usual call to his agent.

The informer answers, "Sir, I have information on the dark eldar as you requested. The leader is here waiting to speak with you. She has given me a time and place for you to meet her at. I do urge caution; she can be trusted with some of her plans, but I fear she will try to undo anything you try."

Commander Vance acknowledges his words of caution. After the call is complete, everything goes silent and he returns to operations. A few yet small desperate ork parties come to assault the base, but none get by the defense towers. The land around the base continues to expand outward. There are several buildings of great height at many chock points. Guardsmen barracks are fortified like ork huts with gunners on the top; the shipment of supplies from all corners of the land bring in raw materials for building. The fortress of Commander Vance the Bright stands stronger than ever as everyone makes the place impossible to enter. As the base remains strong, Commander Vance and his personal guards of two scores travel with him to the western terrain. The journey takes them twenty miles away from anything that isn't held by the imperium.

Once they are far enough, Vance journeys ahead of the guards. The personal guard remains alert for any intruders and keeps monitoring the area. Vance goes further into the dark area of the land; he steps into an open field of tall grass. The wind is strong. Once he is far away from the others, he hears laughter all around him. Vance pulls out his gun and aims in every direction. The laughter suddenly ends and he turns around only to bump into a hidden person; he feels something soft with sharp edges. He backs off only to hear her giggle. The darkness slowly disappears from around her; she appears before him with the powers of corruption radiating through her. Her skin is smooth. The eyes are full of pain; her palms are dripping with blood. Yet, this is never enough. Vance looks at her with eyes of awe and wonder. The last time she was beautiful and deadly. Now the dark eldar leader stands before him beautiful, dangerous, chaotic, and in need of painful sensations.

Rela says, "I see you have taken some caution in meeting me. It is too bad you didn't bring the soldiers with you. I would have loved to see you all come at me with such passion and beauty. So, tell me. What have you brought for me since I can't feast on new victims?"

Vance replies, "Our mutual agreement is as it should be. You get to keep your soul so long as I provide you with victims to feed on when they suffer. In return, I gain more popularity. In any case, you are here to provide me with what I need. I want your word that your 'other' kin won't find a way to stop me. They have been near my allies too much. And why have you not killed them yet?"

She laughs playfully and asks, "You think so little of me? Am I nothing more than your information provider? I only seek to balance the favors in your corner. As for the other eldar, they are not my kin. Their time is coming and they will all die by me or my own kind."

Vance ignores her advances and keeps his body ready for any surprises. He holds his weapon out and stands ready to fire should she get too close. Rela comes closer to him.

He says, "You had better hope this plan of yours works. If it doesn't, I will be alive and you will die. I didn't come this far to lose all that I have. You keep the eldar away from me; the last thing I want is those damn xenos finding out what I will obtain from you. If that is all, I take my leave of you, Rela. There is too much work left for me to do at my base. You would do well to stay focused on your own mission."

Before he goes, Rela slips in front of him with blood shot eyes. Vance becomes nervous and realizes how close she is to him. He can't react fast enough; he looks down at her weapon. She follows his eye sight to the daemon weapon. It cries out to her. Rela raises it up to him. Vance can feel the power vibrant from it.

Rela says, "You seek the power I wield don't you? Such power can't be yours if I die or offer it to you. Your mind would crumble into madness and your soul devoured by the great daemon."

She moves in close to him ready to strike him down. She looks into his eyes with great wonder; Vance is eager to snatch the weapon from her and use it to destroy her.

She smiles with a serious expression and asks, "I nearly forgot to ask you. Did you make sure Max Johnson is eliminated before coming to me?"

No reply comes from Vance as he looks away. Rela stops smiling and lifts him up by his throat. She growls, "You fool! I have sensed the great empty void in that mon-keigh. So long as he lives, he threatens my plan and your progress. His very ability alone can change the whole scheme I have; I should kill you for not seeing to his demise. Or do I need to remove your limps right now? Maybe your pain and death will slake my need if you are worthless to me."

As Vance grunts in pain, the suffering causes Rela to moan seductively. She puts the daemon weapon back at her side and uses her other hand to dig her sharp fingertips into Vance's side to hear more painful grunts; the pain is hurtful as he feels a rib slightly bend. Vance stabs her in the side to try and force her to let him go. It only increases her lust for pain more. In the heat of her pain, Rela brings Vance close to her face; he looks into her eyes to see that his attempts to harm her only excite her. She locks her lips with his for a moment as she continues to choke and shove her nails into his side; the pain from Vance becomes more as her emotions nearly cloud her judgement. She lets go once she feels his bolter gun press against her chest. Before she pulls away, her crimson eyes lock with his. Vance looks boldly into her and only sees a painful soul that has yet to die.

She seductively smiles and reminds him, "You and your men can bring me all the joy of killing later. For now, kill Max and be sure he dies. Or the next kiss will be your last."

As Rela steps back into the darkness, Vance cries for vengeance on her dark soul. He grips his side and take a knee. The wound Rela left him is greatly painful.

He says, "Do what you must witch! You will die long before I let you achieve any dark plans you have! No one escapes my wrath!"

Commander Vance returns to his escort party and keeps his fresh wound covered; they head back to the fortress and keep the curious bunch unaware of anything sinister going on. As the War Harbinger turns off its FTL drive, the crew aboard stands ready for the return trip to the ice world. The morale is high as before. Questions of Max's disappearance from Saneesh leave many companies wondering what will fall on them. As doubt always comes up, the preachers of the Ecclesiarchy cleanse away the thoughts of impurity. The preachers keep the morale as high as ever and remind all guardsmen of their duty to the Emperor of Mankind. Though a preacher is a welcome sight to see, a company of storm troopers keeps many guardsmen alert and ready for duty. Lina and Lucas keep themselves busy for the time as they do a check on everything. Lina checks the system of the ship; she starts at the operational zones and work her way down to the areas of critical interest. From there, she gets her tech priests to handle any kind of mechanical work that is required on the reactors.

Lucas stays off the top deck and inspects troop morale. He goes over combat tactics with his commanding officers and helps any new recruit at keeping their kit in order. A few storm troopers provide Lucas with escort service. Instead, he lets them keep their own activities as he stays neck deep on issues concerning the guardsmen. He double checks any lasguns that needs recharging or repairing. He reminds any soldier to keep their skills and body at peak condition. It takes a toll on Lina and Lucas to keep everything in decent shape. Without Max there, many things seem less safe. Once nearly two weeks go by, Lucas and Lina allow everyone a week of rest as the ship continues its remaining journey to the ice world. As the two silently slip away from everyone, they find themselves alone and at peace with so much on their mind. They still make time to keep each other happy.

As the Faded Light slips off the planet Saneesh, the eldar captains of the dire avengers, howling banshees, and guardians stand in shock. Veldoran excuses the others from her chamber. Many eldar wonder why would she do that, but none will dare question their leader. He still can't believe what has happened without her telling anyone of the plan she had in mind. The eldar continue to follow the humans back to the ice world.

Veldoran asks, "Did you really think that was a good idea? Why did you send him there of all places? You don't know what can happen."

Kayleth smiles calmly and says, "I only sent him there as a way of safe guarding our future. It was the only way to protect our craft world against such an empty void. With his presence unable to be detected by the warp, he can easily destroy any of our warlocks and us. Now that is he is gone, the path is much safer than before. Max was more of a threat than we realize; Rela saw him as a threat too. I'm surprised that he didn't destroy Elenwe as a spirit stone since she was around him the most."

He says, "But what of the prophecy that farseer Elenwe spoke of? How do you know if sending him to that section of the web way will prevent him from causing us any further harm? What can possibly halt our destruction in the future with him not being involved? Have you considered the possibility of damnation, Kayleth?"

She assures him, "Veldoran, the possibility of damnation always haunts every eldar mind when faced with dangerous choices. I can promise you that no harm will come to us where Max is at. He can not find he way through the portal I sent him through. It is as endless as space is. The chances of him getting out from there is impossible."

Veldoran accepts the words of Kayleth; however, he still didn't feel any better knowing that the choice she made is the right one. The warp portal Max was sent to has no end. Though he is provided sanctuary from evil and warp predators, the area is large and unexplored. For every opening there is, one can end up one a dying world, a chaotic planet, or doom landscape. The journey has been taken before by foolish humans who do not know where they will go. Now, lost in a pocket universe created by eldar hands, Max Johnson stumbles aimlessly to find and discover a way out. He may not have a presence in the warp, but he didn't allow this place of unknown wonder to break him.

Chapter 8: Section 8 – 3

Every step he takes causes an echo; he is surrounded by nothing but energy. Every breath seems to be his last. For a moment, he has what he truly wants. A realm of peace, but the only problem is the place sends echoes all around; he had to get out of this place. Max cries out for vengeance against Kayleth for sending him here. In his moment of despair and hurt, the eldar autarch sent him to a place that seems beyond time, space, and life itself. After running for the last hour, he stops and takes a moment to look at his surroundings. At first, he thought he will fall for eternity. Instead, he stands on solid warp energy as his ground. He wasn't hungry nor required any food at the moment.

He thought, "This is my own fault for trusting her. Why did I believe she could be my source of comfort?"

Max looks around the empty space to see flashes of light appear and disappear after every few moments. He sits on the floor and tries to calm his wrathful nerves. As he waits, the warp around him flows slowly before stopping. He looks up to see the warp stop in front of him. Max reaches up and feels the warp energy in his hands; he can't believe that the warp power is in his hands. The warp itself moves so loosely in the air around him and slowly merges into his hands. Without any real thought, the warp energy flows in several directions. He watches each line of warp energy lead up, down, across, and behind him. Max sees the warp open doorways to him. Each door opens to a various point in time and space. He didn't understand how it is working, but he looks at each opening. The first door way beside him shows a battle raging elsewhere on a planet with orks and space marines. He ignores the view and looks forward; Max stands on his feet and continues to walk to each open portal. A new door way opens and shows him a marching group of guardsmen heading to battle. A psyker senses a disturbance in the warp and looks up. Max quickly pulls back and runs to a new door way. Once the path opens to him, he sees a familiar place. A fortress has defense guns firing at the enemy. The area is covered in ice and it appears to be hosting a small battle. With just a thought, Max uses the warp to expand his view on what planet he sees. Each time he touches the warp door, the view shows him something new. He now sees a fortress that looks familiar; he touches it again to see orks moving in on guardsmen.

The warp opens various views with each touch. It didn't take him long to discover the ice world he once visit. Rather than bring death to himself, he picks a warp opening at random to see where it will send him. As he widens the gap, the opening enlarges. He steps through; the warp opening collapses behind him. Max finds himself high on the mountain side of an ice cliff. He is ten miles out as he looks forward and sees the foundry. Max stands unsure of what he just experienced; however, he accepts that he is no longer lost in the open space of the warp. Before he can think of anything else, he hears several voices behind his back. He turns and discovers a small ground of guardsmen far away from their allies. He calls to them and the guardsmen completely jump in shock to see him.

One guardsman says, "It can't be you. You were last on Saneesh after Sergeant Major Turner let you go. How did you get here?"

Max looks around with interest and says, "Well, I am here now. What is the situation? Why are you over here? What is going on?"

A second soldier approaches, "Don't move! Stay right where you are!"

Max asks the current situation again only for the soldier to threaten him with death. The other guardsmen turn their guns on the soldier. The soldier refuses to surrender; Max moves in and knocks the man down. Once he is restrained, the first guardsman informs Max of the situation. It is still hard for him to accept that he just happen to be on the ice world after being gone for only an hour or so.

He says, "We ran away from the foundry. Ever since you left, the renegade guardsmen did remain loyal until we all came back to this planet. Soon after, the guardsmen loyal to you rebelled. The rebellion didn't last long since we were attacked by those damn former allies of ours. They came with the dark eldar and ork clan. We manage to hold them back until the enemy broke through the lines of our foundry; we would have stayed and helped them. Instead, we didn't want to stay and fight a pointless battle. A lot of us left Sergeant Major Turner and Techno Child Lina behind to fight. We all thought that the war is completely over and see no real benefit to gain from fighting. Well, that is until you showed up. I still can't believe you are here. It has only been five months since we last saw you on Saneesh. You still look like you did before you left."

Max becomes utterly surprised upon hearing that five months have gone by. He felt as if he was only lost in the warp portal for an hour. The radio chatter picks up and everyone listens in.

The battle status broadcasts: "The foundry has lost the last line of defense. The enemy is close to the inner part of the foundry. If anyone is left alive, please come and help us push back the tide. We need reinforcements now."

The guardsmen don't know what choice to do; they can return to help or stay hidden. The tied up man happily says, "You have loss your foundry. My new master will scrape off your flesh and feast on your souls. The dark one Rela and her imperial servant will bring us a thousand promises of pleasure. You would do well to give up your foolish cause."

The guardsmen nearly let fear cloud their mind. Max steps to the mad soldier with his laspistol aimed at his head. He squeezes the trigger and ends the lunatic's life.

Max turns to the others, "We have our orders. Let us hurry to the foundry, rally the men, stop the enemy, and remind everyone why the imperial guard will not fail. If there is a chance for us to win this, then I say we take it. All is not lost until you lay down your arms and let the enemy win. Are you with me?"

The guardsmen still unsure shrug until Max furiously cries, "Can you follow me into paradise again!?"

The guardsmen respond in great eager. As they march back to the foundry, they slaughter any ork and foul creature in their way. Max feels his unnatural power block out any forms of warp energy lingering around the land. They encounter several bands of troops waiting. Max addresses each band along the way and reminds them of his fierce leadership. The guardsmen quickly rally behind Max and make their journey to the foundry. The more many hear of Max returning to the foundry, the more eager the guardsmen join him. It takes a long march before they are in sight of the foundry; they come to a trench with guardsmen being fired on. With a blast from a recovered battle tank, the enemy falls over as Max calls to others to follow him inside. The return of Noble One Max Johnson brings light to all despite his condition.

At the final defensive line to the center of the foundry, the guardsmen stand in fear as she takes to the front. Her powers are invigorating. Her beauty is covered in splashes of blood; she calls to the fearful and smiles as blood leaks from her mouth. A preacher of the imperium calls to others to remain true. Before he says another word, Rela rams the daemon infused sword through his spine. She lifts him up by the sword and everyone watches the power the sword uses. The man screams in horror as his pain is absorbed. His soul rises up from his very body and is consumed. Before he utters another yell, the warp around the sword crushes his body. The sword takes his flesh and bone into its very core. All that remains is a small cloth; the guardsmen try to run until Lucas walks forward. He sees death waiting for him, but he is not willing to give up.

He shouts, "We will not run! Death is always certain for us! Oblivion is the worse for a coward to face! We are the Imperial Guard! We are the Imperium of Man! We stand our ground!"

Rela laughs hysterically, "This is how you wish to face your end! Allow me to grant you the death you are waiting for!"

She rushes at Lucas and raises her sword; Lucas stands ready to fight her regardless. Before she can deliver the blow, the daemon infused weapon cries out in pain. The pain travels through Rela as she falls back from Lucas. Everyone looks around to see the dark followers of Rela move back in pain. Soon, reports from one of the gates come through the vox channel with too much static. There is a cold chill in the air as everyone looks around; the air is not blowing. All forms of communication go in and out; the message sings greatly before they fade out.

One report barely broadcasts: "Noble One has returned to us!"

A soldier comes to the front happy and shouts, "Max Johnson is here! We can win this!"

Rela changes her mood and slowly backs off, "I see. So, you have been waiting for me to slip up; I will not be your victim today."

She disappears. As the followers of Rela begin their attack, Lucas orders the soldiers to hold. In a display of fire and bravery, he leaps through the smoke and calls to his allies and friends. In his hands, a sword and laspistol. At his back, a personal group of guardsmen follow him faithfully. They gun down the traitors and send the dark followers back out the door; Lucas still can't believe it. Only five months have gone by. The same man with no warp presence stands before his allies and followers. The imperial guard continue to push back the invaders until they secure it. As the foundry becomes safe once more, the guardsmen flock to the news of Max Johnson returning. Every party or group of guardsmen outside of the foundry return. With his unchecked blank powers stretching over the foundry, all communications are full of static; each one manages to send out the message that Max is back to lead and fight. Lucas goes to welcome his long-lost friend only to get punched in his face. Many renegade guardsmen firmly turn their attention to the others. Some hope to settle the score and pick a fight. After Lucas recovers, Max greets him properly and lets everyone know to remain true to their allies; he issues a strict warning to all that no man is to turn their gun upon a friend or comrade.

Lucas shakes off the punch to the face and says, "What was that for, you damn dog?"

Max replies, "That was for all the times you wanted to kill me. You wanted me dead for saving your men. Later, you wanted me to be killed for finding out I am a blank. I just saved your life and helped you with the rebels that hate you. Now, we are even. We have much that needs to be discussed; I hope you and Lina have been well since you exiled me from the guardsmen."

Max reminds his half of the guardsmen to remain alert. Lucas orders his half to hold for next orders. A single storm trooper approaches Max. He and his personal guard keep their guns focused on him, but Lucas orders them to stand down; they ignore his order.

The storm trooper captain says, "By order of Commander Vance the Bright, I hereby carry out the execution of Max Johnson."

Lucas quickly orders his men to take aim and says, "And on my authority as acting officer of the guardsmen, no one is to eliminate Max. I have questions that he must provide answers to. You can kill him only after we have what we need."

The storm trooper captain tries to carry out his order; Lucas warns the captain one last time. Before anyone can do anything, the eldar start appearing above and around the area. As the storm troopers try gun down the xeno warriors, many guardsmen fall back and wait. Several eldar stand next the guardsmen. The storm troopers don't follow the reason for lack of focus; they see the guardsmen not bothered by the eldar making their entrance in the foundry.

The storm trooper captain points to Lucas and shouts, "Your regiment is corrupt by xeno filth! You must die along with Max!"

As the captain reaches for his gun, Max guns him down. The storm troopers each fall as the guardsmen of Max Johnson stop each of them and take more as hostages. Lucas didn't understand much of what is happening. As always, autarch Kayleth emerges from the warp. Warlock Veldoran appears right beside her; it didn't take long before the eldar see the impossible stand before them. They both cannot believe what they see before their eyes. Max is here. She sent him inside the web way portal five months ago; Veldoran is curious as to how it is possible. Kayleth is shocked and annoyed. Max looks and sees only Kayleth out of everyone around them. He squeezes his fists in rage as his power begins to rise.

Max points to her, "You sent me to an unknown place for five months! I lost all that time thanks to your false care of concern, Kayleth of Alaitoc!"

Kayleth stutters as she looks at Max, "This is impossible. How did you get out of that place? No mortal should be able to step from there."

Max walks over to the eldar warrior; many howling banshees try to move in his path. An unexpected cold comes over the eldar. Though the ice world is already cold, the unnatural void comes to the eldar. The guardsmen stay ready to fire; Veldoran feels weak and nearly loses his balance. The eldar all leap away; Kayleth pulls out her sword and threatens Max. She feels the same cold sensation like her kin; she tries her best to endure against the unnatural power of Max. Once he is close enough to her, she feels nothing. Max stands before her with rage in his eyes.

He says, "So, your plan was to feel sorry for me first only to send me to an unknown place that I was not meant to escape from?!"

At this moment, Kayleth feels an unworldly feeling slowly pull at her warp abilities. She stands stuck in a frozen state as Max continues.

Kayleth replies, "I did what was needed to save my people from a threat. You will bring more harm to us if left unchecked."

Max adds, "It is just as I was told years ago. Never trust the eldar; they will stab you in the heart before ever helping you."

Max ends his argument with a slap to Kayleth; she shakes off the uneasy feeling and tries to assault Max. Veldoran tries to stop his commander, but her rage is uncontained. Thanks to Max being a Blank, he unintentionally drains the warp powers from Kayleth. Once she is close, he counters her assault with a simple punch to her stomach. She bends forward and gasps in pain. No one understands what is going on; eldar are normally faster than humans. The eldar can slowly feel their warp energy slowly being taken. Veldoran calls for the retreat of the eldar. He rushes to Kayleth and endures the pain of Max's blank powers. He teleports his leader away from the base; Max calms his fury and looks around at everyone. The guardsmen erupt in a wave of cheers and hope is renewed. They still keep their distance as he lets his unchecked power quiet down. As order comes back into the ranks, Lucas and Max return to the inside of the foundry and discuss plans. Despite the setbacks and small issues, they quickly overlook what happen between them to talk about what is really going on.

At the eldar war camp in the south-west region, Kayleth growls in frustration. Not only did Max return escape from the lost pocket of space, he makes her look foolish and weak. Her rage is tightly locked down, but her emotions strike at her. The power of Max is too much for her to anticipate. Despite being weaken by him, she can still feel the slap to her face. The touch is an insult she will not tolerate.

She thought, "How is it possible for him to do the impossible? How dare that mon-keigh make me look like a fool!? He slaps me in front of my kin and sends me in retreat? He must die before he destroys us all."

Once she relaxes herself, Kayleth looks at the artifacts in her chamber. She calls to Veldoran as she looks at the pieces of the avatar of Khaine.

She looks to Veldoran, "It is time. There is no more need to wait anything else. Our path is clear on what must happen. I shall become the next avatar of Khaine. We must do this in order to save our people now."

Veldoran gasps, "Surely, this is only to be used in time of great need and not to simply waste such power. Max may be a threat, but this isn't the time for rash decisions. He is only feeling hatred since you sent him to that horrible place; I urge you to reconsider this choice."

Kayleth strongly replies, "We all have felt the cold feeling. When Max returned from the warp, he was not harmed by it. As we stood around him, his unnatural powers made every eldar weak. It is painful to us all and more terrifying than The Great Evil who hungers for our very souls. You nearly died saving me from such a horrible pain. We must eliminate the guardsmen on this ice world once and for all. To truly stop Max and his army before he becomes the threat we must face, I will allow my life to be sacrificed to awaken the avatar of Khaine. Only it will be able to stop a blank."

Veldoran agrees with her plan; however, he feels it is not the time to use their greatest power against the humans. As Kayleth readies herself for the ritual and gathers the other warlocks, Veldoran strolls out from the war camp and looks to the north. He silently whispers: "Forgive me, my kin. I must save our leader from a death not worthy of her grace."

Chapter 8: Section 8 – 4

At the foundry, many words of Max returning to the imperial guard shocks everyone. Everything is returning to the way it once was; he still shows all that his blank powers are dangerous; however, he keeps his rage in check and only tries to use them when needed. The only issue is the orders of Commander Vance the Bright. None of it makes any sense to Lucas, Lina, and Max. As the information from the scrolls of command are shown to Max, he sees that Vance has known about his unusual power of being a Blank long ago. The orders of Commander Vance reads:

"By order of Commander Vance and imperial guard law, Noble One Max Johnson is to be captured and executed upon completion of his interrogation. If the orders are not followed as instructed, the imperial guard core is to be considered either agents of chaos or corrupt due to further xeno contact. Should any other signs of doubt occur from the imperial guard, storm trooper units are fully authorized to eliminate the corruption by any means. I, Vance the Bright, have confirmed that Max Johnson is indeed a Blank. He is a threat to the Imperium of Mankind and must therefore be eliminated. Any who follow him or fail in their duty to carry out their orders, all commanding officers, soldiers, and second-in-commands will be pardon by pain of death if the accused stay true to him. All praise the Emperor of Mankind." Signed: Commander Vance the Bright of the 20th Imperial Guard.

Max becomes infuriated by the orders Lucas and Lina have to follow. He understands that the guardsmen are following orders; in fact, he knows that to condemn an entire company is a serious accusation. The only question is how many times did the storm troopers inform Commander Vance of the eldar involvement and their activities. Lucas produces a new report that he found on the storm trooper captain. It reads:

"The evidence is clear. By the Grace of the Golden Throne, the regiment under the commander of Max Johnson is corrupt by xeno contact from the eldar. Sergeant Major Lucas Turner has exiled his former ally from the regiment. This will not do. Possible xeno influence may have been inflicted on the loyal guardsmen of Sergeant Major Turner. If the regiment wishes to return to the ice world, the storm troopers will journey with the regiment and eliminate any signs of xeno activities. If the corruption by the xeno is accurate, the contingency plan to deal with the traitors will be enact. For now, Sergeant Major Turner will be watched."

Max lowers his head in disappointment and remembers the conflict months ago. The guardsmen under his command did show too many signs of not treating the eldar as a threat. Even with everything that is happening, Max would still allow the eldar to be given enough time to speak; Lina reports the progress of the foundry. The place is more heavily defended and reinforced. The few storm troopers left alive are caged. The next problem for them is dealing with the remaining storm troopers loyal to Vance.

Lucas says, "I can explain most of the eldar association away. Most encounters can be told of unusual timing. They came after the dark eldar and we just happen to be caught between one of their wars. The storm troopers are a difficult isssue. Any ideas on how we should proceed?"

Lina answers, "We can't just leave the storm trooper faction tied up. I see only three outcomes for them. First, we go ahead and eliminate them. The foundry has more than enough places to burn or disintegrate the remains. Second, we let them go on a ship leading outside of the halo zone since we are close to it. Without a navigator or direct line back to the galaxy, they will be left alone. Lastly, if we do let them return to Commander Vance, then we can expect them to report the situation as it is. We may face several charges of heresy, xeno contact, and possible death. I prefer the first choice be taken."

Max nearly agrees with Lina, but he says, "We can't just kill those men who are following their orders. Let us offer them a chance to help us. If they see what we face, then it won't be a problem to convince them that this regiment is not a loss to the imperium. For now, we need something to give us an advantage."

Veldoran appears beside them and says, "I have a proposition for you that requires your attention."

Lucas nearly shoots the eldar warlock; Veldoran places a warp barrier up and urges them to speak with them. Max stops Lucas to hear what he has to say. Lina double checks the systems of the foundry, but there is no malfunction anywhere; she and Lucas keep their guns pointed at the warlock should he try anything else. Max approaches him and questions his want. Veldoran keeps his warp powered barrier high for fear of Max draining him.

Veldoran answers, "My eldar commander Kayleth seeks to bring forth the avatar of Khaine through sacrifice. If she is successful, the avatar will be brought forth. In return, Kayleth will die. She believes that by doing it, this will solve our problems with you. I seek your assistance in this matter. I do not believe she is thinking clear; I need your help to stop her, Max. I will leave you with the location of where we are. She can't be allowed to achieve this ritual."

Lucas and Lina look to Max. He replies, "Then, you have our support. I will take several companies to the area and deal with your commander. I will stop her from summoning this avatar of Khaine. And yes, I will even guarantee her safety afterwards. Do we have an accord?"

Both agree to the condition, but Lucas says, "And why are we helping the eldar out yet again?"

Lina adds, "The last time you agreed to any eldar involvement, it ends with us losing resources, troops, and more death threats."

Max allows Veldoran to take his leave and turns to his allies, "This is the moment we need to keep your commander from condemning you as traitors. We will release the storm troopers to help us; this will give them the chance to fight the eldar. It may even allow us time to find out more of their true plan. The eldar warlock did not come to tell us this unless he is planning on luring us in a trap. For now, I am the only problem that your commander sees. If you do this, the trust will no longer be questioned."

Lina and Lucas understand the real motive. They eagerly agree with the plan and go to the captives. Once they are set free and given their equipment, Lucas informs them of the new plan. Though skeptic of the plan, the storm troopers agree. As the imperial guard gathers weapons and gear up, the eldar are half way through the process. The ritual would begin soon; Kayleth is slightly sad that her primary warlock won't be present. With Veldoran not assisting her, the lesser warlocks will take longer to perform the ritual properly. She wouldn't let it distract her and time is critical. The avatar of Khaine shall come forth from her death and bring destruction onto the imperial forces. The real challenge it will have is facing Max Johnson. Once the guardsmen arrive at the site, they set up a base. Before orders can be issued out, the storm troopers advance on the eldar forces. Lucas maintains the defense of the camp in case the eldar strike. Max travels ahead with a small group as they avoid the battles between the storm troopers and eldar. Reports of the battle come to Kayleth as she finishes up the final preparations for her sacrifice.

She sends word to her scouts to relay the message: "Strengthen our defenses against the imperial guard. They will not stop the sacrifice. The avatar of Khaine will be soon here."

The battle rages on between the storm troopers and eldar; Max and his team make it to an unguarded area far from the skirmishes. Before they can advance further in, they are stopped by scouts, warp spiders, and Veldoran. Instead of gunning them down, the group allows the human safe passage; Max questions the warlock's method.

Veldoran sarcastically answers, "I hear reports of the mon-keigh attacking our front. We must hurry and join our kin. The humans won't dare to advance in from the blind spot of our base."

Max nods his head in agreement with him. With all eldar focusing on the front, the rest of the journey will be easy for Max. He holds back his team and moves through the camp slowly. As he travels through the area, many other non-combatant eldar feel uneasy. The area around them starts to feel hollow; the unexplainable void feeling causes all eldar to shudder. Max easily slips around the eldar forces and arrives to see an impressive sight. The outer edges of the ground Max sees are surrounded by warlocks. Each warlock uses warp fire to charge up the artifacts the eldar recovered. At the center, a large ritual stone holds the pieces in place. Kayleth is no longer wearing her usual attire as she steps forward. Max goes in closer and looks upon everything until he sees the eldar commander. Kayleth is dressed in red and white robes; her face is painted with symbols dedicated to the War God of the Eldar. Her skin is still smooth as always. Max didn't understand why he always feels so amazed by her. She shines brightly before everyone. Kayleth is truly an amazing eldar female that Max nearly drops his gun over.

He thought, "She is really beautiful. Kayleth doesn't need to do this. What is she trying to prove?"

Kayleth takes a few steps forward. The artifact of Khaine slowly reforms itself. It is the blade of Khaine. Once it is whole, the flame around it burns strongly.

Kayleth turns to everyone, "This is the moment we have waited for. No longer shall words of prophecy guide us. Destiny is what we make it to be. On this day, we awaken the avatar of Khaine by my sacrifice. Though I die today, a mighty warrior will take my place to guide you against the foolish mon-keigh and corruption."

Max didn't understand why her dying needs to be apart of the ritual. The warlocks enhance the area with their warp powers. Once Kayleth takes her place in front of the weapon, her body is engulfed in eldritch flames. The fire is strong; she remains calm. No burns, no scars, and no signs of danger to herself is shown. As she allows the flame to cover her completely, the warp powers lift her into the air. The flames from the blade of Khaine grows larger than ever. Once the warlocks have done their deed, they back away and witness an amazing sight; Max looks on with shock. He hears everything in his mind telling him to eliminate the warrior. For all her talk of cooperation and her assistance, Kayleth has betrayed the imperial guard many times. In his heart, Max can not help what he sees. He doesn't see an enemy that needs to be killed. She may never understand why Max is showing more concern. The only thing certain is what he feels is right. He…must…save…her.

The warlocks try to focus on the ritual for the final part they must perform; they suddenly feel an empty presence. It is there, but they can't see which area it comes from. Kayleth opens her eyes and feels the same unnatural feeling swirl around the area. The eldar feel cold. Before the eldar can pin point the source of the unknown, they feel the source surround them. Max rushes out from hiding to a nearby rock. He leaps from the rock at Kayleth. By the time the warlocks look up, they see Kayleth being tackled to the ground. The eldar rush over and discover Kayleth is knocked out; the flame of Khaine slowly burns down to a small fire then it explodes. The small fire burns a hole into the ground. The warlocks move back from Max as he carries Kayleth away from the artifact. At the front of the eldar gate, the eldar sense the dying fire. Once they eliminate the last of the storm troopers, they sprint back to the camp. Lucas and his troops come up to reinforce their allies, but they discover many dead troops. The last storm trooper gives Lucas the information he needs. Though many of the guardsmen feel terrible for not coming sooner, they breathe easy.

Chapter 8: Section 8 – 5

The eldar stand proud. They slaughtered corrupt guardsmen, undead orks, dark eldar, and now storm troopers. They recover many eldar spirit stones from lost battles and worlds; the last few parts of their journey have been promising. The recent surprise on their base leaves many eldar annoyed. An avatar of Khaine was to be brought forth. Instead, they discover that the artifact is now quiet and Kayleth is unconscious; the eldar hold positions at various points around the camp. They look for any signs of trouble approaching. Veldoran secretly smiles at the success Max has achieved. The results of his actions keep Kayleth alive and well. As she sleeps silently, Veldoran keeps the camp in order. She sleeps peacefully and finds much comfort. After she awakens, she finds herself in a tent of recovery; she is unsure and angry. Kayleth gathers up her gear and heads out the tent to find Veldoran. She finds him at the command tent with the other captains. He can see the rage slowly building up. Though the eldar are relieved to see her, the time for questions are high in demand.

She asks, "What has happened? Why did it not work?"

Veldoran carefully picks his words, "The humans launched an attack on us right before you entered the ritual phase. During that phase, the human Max slipped by our defenses and managed to interrupt the final part of your sacrifice. Due to his intervention and blank powers, the artifact was depowered. We also won't be able to summon the avatar of Khaine until much later. We are gathering our troops together to launch a surprise attack or we can wait for an opportunity."

Before any other words are spoken, Kayleth angrily says, "No. There is no need for an army to march on the mon-keigh base. There will be no reinforcements to assist me and I will not fail. I, Autarch Kayleth, will lead the fight to the humans alone. You may accompany me to the front of the foundry if you like. I want no one to interfere with my duel against him. You are to stay out of range from the foundry defenses. I will face him alone with no support; Max Johnson will die for what he did. He has touched me too much and insulted my pride more than enough times. I will kill him myself."

Veldoran and others didn't understand the tactic Kayleth is using. They all look upon her and see that the flames of Khaine still resonate in her body. She heads to finish getting ready for combat; the eldar see her power shine bright. As she reaches for her sword, it burns gently. She grips it tightly and feels empowered; the flames of Khaine strengthen her more as it rises high. Once she finishes up, she heads in the direction of the imperial foundry. Veldoran stands in front of her and tries one last time to persuade her. He is amazed at how bright she shines. The ritual did fail, but it leaves Kayleth stronger than ever.

He says, "Are you certain that killing Max will end all chances of our kin suffering at the enemy's hand? What of the prophecy that farseer Elenwe told us of? Do you realize that the great change may still occur if Max is still alive?"

Kayleth snarls at the words, "This is the great change for us. I have obtained more than enough to deal with the Blank Max. There will be no more words of prophecy. Nothing will stop this from happening. This is our destiny."

She brushes off the fair warnings and concerns of her warlock. There are no reasons that will change her mind; Kayleth will kill Max and end his life. Veldoran organizes the other eldar to follow Kayleth. Though her kin will be nearby, she cares not for the many lives that will die by her hands. Her only concern will be Max. As the eldar sprint behind their commander, the imperial foundry functions more calmly without any death glares from the storm troopers. The tech priests of Lina repair and refit the turrets; they install additional devices to prevent further entry. Lucas keeps his officers busy with tasks. Each task keeps the guardsmen ready for any more surprises and aware of the surroundings. The trip back to Saneesh will be faced with difficult moments. Many of these moments will be faced with conviction and possibly death; Max keeps to himself most of the time. Though the guardsmen are glad for his return, some still give him the look of mistrust. With his knowledge of being a Blank now known, several guardsman companies try to remain at a distant from him. Lucas looks on and sees only a few soldiers bold enough to stand by Max. He joins them and shows everyone that Max is still human like they are. At the gate of the foundry, a guardsman sees the danger approaching. He uses his scope and sees flashes of light appear in the field. It didn't take him long to alert the foundry of the eldar coming.

Lina, Max, and Lucas head into the command center. She pulls up the monitors to see the eldar out in the field. The eldar are out of range of the turret fire. The monitors detect a massive source of heat building up; Lina pulls up the screen and sees the source of the flame. Everyone in the command room sees Kayleth burn intensely. She burns with the flame of Khaine and stands her ground. No one understands what is going on. Max zooms in with the screen to see her fury. The same look in her eyes never went away when she is mad. Lucas and Lina question what is happening.

Max says, "There is no need for anyone to go out there. I need the guardsmen to be ready and stand at the gate. This is not a war; this is a personal matter. Kayleth is here to kill me."

Lina asks, "How can you be certain? Why would she want to kill you?"

Lucas adds, "Are you certain this is only a personal matter between you two? What if this is a trap?'

He turns to them, "If they were here to destroy us, they would have tried to cut the power to our generators. This is personal to her; I will go to her. No one else is to step in for me. The fight is between us alone."

Before they can convince him to not go, Max heads for the door. As he walks out pass many, Lucas issues orders for the guardsmen to be ready. The eldar wait patiently as the mon-keigh finish. The guardsmen stand ready and keep the foundry guns ready to fire. As Max comes close to reaching his destination, the guardsmen all show support and cheer him on as he walks to the gate. The door opens slowly; many guardsmen wait for the eldar to try and rush in. Not a single one moves. Even their commander stands strong and waits. Max takes a short breath and grips his weapons. Before he leaves out, he hears words of encouragement.

One officer cries, "We are with you, Noble One! For the Imperium, we will win!"

Max looks to everyone and says, "Thank you. Thank you all."

He turns back and walks out the gate. Once he passes through, he signals the troops to shut the gate. Max grips his sword and holds his gun. He looks ahead to see the flame around her slowly die off; he stops ten feet away from her. Her expression goes from being annoyer to anger. Everyone waits as both sides and look on with wonder to see who will move first.

Max says, "I understand why you are upset with me, but I only did what I thought was right. You didn't need to die this day and throwing away your life will do more harm to your kind. There is no need for us to fight; we still have the dark eldar to stop."

Kayleth replies, "You do not understand the ways of the eldar. Do not speak to me as though you care either. I knew what was needed for my kin. You did what was needed for you and touched me for the last time. I am here to make sure that never happens no more."

Max takes out his sword and laspistol, "I gave you a second chance to see your actions differently. I only agreed to help since your warlock demanded that you be stopped. This is your chance to make things better for your people."

She slowly unsheathes her blade as the flame burns strongly around her.

She says, "You only did what a fool will do. For that worthless attempt, my honor demands that you do more than just die. The last sound you will hear is the cry of an eldar autarch running her sword through you. Embrace your destiny. My destiny will be to save the craft world of Alaitoc. Yours will be to die here."

Kayleth takes her stance. The flames of Khaine burns through her body. Max holds his ground as the area around them shakes. Every human becomes amazed by the power of Kayleth. She draws heavily on her recently acquired warp power from Khaine. The flame from her body is stronger than ever; the heat expands to the walls of the foundry and the front line of the eldar army. The snow around them melts away; Max looks down to see the ground burnt and the force of the warp causes him to slide back. He looks up to see her close in. Before he can react, she crushes her fist into his chest. Max looks into her eyes to see flames of Khaine burn through her. The hit from her attack causes him great pain; Kayleth ends her assault with a round house kick to his head. Max flies away from her. The guardsmen can't believe what they see. Many think Max is dead; the eldar are amazed at the power of Kayleth. Though her attacks are graceful and deadly, the surprise shocks everyone.