Presenting a teaser for an upcoming story, Saeva Abyssi

Somewhere Somewhen

The hanger bay was a vast space, stretching as far as the eye could see. Such spaces were typically large and cavernous, having to fit Void interceptors, Naval bombers and all the fitters, servitors and Tech-Priests necessary to operate them. Any experienced starfarer would think themselves accustomed to such immensity, but this was something entirely else entirely. This hanger was staggeringly vast; large enough to fit an entire escort ship inside if necessary. Whole armadas of strike craft could have been prepared here along with enough gunships to deploy a Chapter's worth of Astartes at once. The bay was so long the walls were barely visible and the roof so high that clouds condensed, forming its very own microclimate. In the entire galaxy there were but a handful of vessels that could boast of such a facility: the Phalanx, the Eternal Crusader, Macragges Honour, the Vengeful Spirit and of course: the Shadow of the Emperor.

Aboard the Shadow the bay was unusually quiet today; the long lines of Doomfire bombers and Swiftdeath fighters lying still and idle. Helldrake Daemon engines sat in reinforced cages, snapping at the bars with malignant intelligence while Raptors roosted high above, cawing mockingly at the distant specks below. Servitors trundled about on their monotonous duties but otherwise the crew were still and silent, even the mutants standing still in equal parts respect and terror. At the head of the bay stood long lines of Transhuman beings, each one bearing symbols and icons of Chaos and many boasting hideous mutations. They stood in an eclectic mix of colours and heraldry, each one a testament to a unique origin and a proud litany of slaughter. Many of them had scars and burns on their plate, where former marks of allegiance to Vorshaan the Dusk Prince had been excised. Now they bore a plethora of marks and signs to the Dark Gods, but the most common icon of all was that of the Alpha Legion.

They stood in serried lines, all looking straight ahead with bolters held at parade rest. They were facing the vast open bay doors, shimmering with an atmospheric integrity field, beyond which was the purple wisp of a drifting nebula. Between the field and the waiting troops was a quartet of figures, each in Alpha Legion turquoise. Two of them were somewhat plain, quiet and unassuming in every way; their names were Delta and Epsilon, expert infiltrators and spies of the Legion. The third carried a large double-headed axe, which he kneaded constantly in impatience. His name was Gamma and he was a brutal killer, a slaughterer of innocents and a potential warlord in his own right, had he not been limited by his own lack of imagination. The fourth and last member of the party bore a helm crested with four horns, robes decorated with occult symbols and a staff topped by a three headed snake. His name was Beta and he was the leader of the assembled troops, commander of the Shadow and a sorcerer of Chaos.

The troops stood waiting for long minutes, until Gamma finally lost patience and snarled, "By the Powers below, how long is he going to keep us waiting?!"

Beta replied calmly, "As long as he likes."

Gamma snorted in derision, "Pathetic power plays, he should just get on with it. Why do we need to see him anyway, he's not that important."

Beta replied, "We have been ordered to this rendezvous and we will respond. The Legion calls and we obey."

Gamma shook his head and said, "We have the Shadow, we have armies to command and Chaos Marines aplenty, why do we obey like pathetic loyalist lapdogs?"

"Because we remain a Legion," Beta explained calmly, "We are but one splinter cell among hundreds, a union of the like and the like-minded but coordinating such a disparate force requires a level of supervision. To be the Harrowmaster is to be one of the Arch-lords of the Legion, one of the heads of the Hydra, with scores of cells under you. Do I need to remind you how many cells have gone rogue and needed to be purged?"

Gamma turned away and his head away and snorted, "Pah."

Beta however stated, "Right stand straight, here he comes."

From the depths of the nebula emerged a tiny speck, a black dot that swiftly grew as it approached. It soared towards the Shadow and as it closed, wings and a blunt prow emerged, becoming the fat-bellied silhouette of a Warhawk IV pattern Stormbird. The gunship cruised leisurely towards the Shadow, angling in on a final approach to enter the bay. With a burst of static the Stormbird penetrated the atmospheric field, its thrusters braking hard to bring it to a halt. It hovered for a moment on columns of thrust, then it lowered itself to the deck and opened its ramp. The crowd watched unmoving in the sudden wind as its engines cycled down and steam billowed around its landing claws. The gunship was large enough to fit a hundred Astartes but from its dark interior emerged merely three warriors, just three. Two of them in plain armour with loaded bolters, guarding a third who strode proudly with his unhelmed head held high. His armour was covered in serpentine shapes, which carried on over his bald scalp in writhing snake tattoos, his eyes were green and he wasn't smiling.

Beta stood tense as a bowstring as the newcomer strode up to him and before the other arrived he snarled, "Indrago Theed."

The newcomer came to halt and his guards stopped behind him as he glared at Beta; he looked him up and down and stated crisply "Harrowmaster to you."

Beta ignored that, "Don't go giving yourself airs and graces, you are no Harrowmaster. I remember when you were just a rank amateur, bungling the operation at Alaxxes."

Indrago snorted contemptuously, "And yet here I am… inspecting your cell and you better hope I like what I see."

Beta begrudgingly stepped aside and said, "As you can see my cell has been most effective, we have captured a Glorianna class Battleship for the Legion and already put it to good use. The Imperial bases at Scapa Delve and Tragion Point have burned, not to mention diverting Waaagh Gortusk into the Heliopolis arc."

Indrago did not sound impressed, "Petty victories, barely worth mentioning in the long view. Besides I am not here to evaluate your targets but your methods, especially the company you keep."

Beta waved a hand towards his troops, "See them for yourself."

Indrago stepped up to the troops and his two guards followed him, he looked them up and down and said, "I see mongrels, half-breeds and mercenaries… What I do not see are pure Alpha Legionnaires."

Beta knocked his head to one side and replied, "Since when has that mattered? The Alpha Legion has always used whatever tools came to hand. You should know that… Theed."

"Harrowmaster! " snarled Indrago angrily as he turned back to the Sorcerer, "It seems you have forgotten that these are tools to be used for our purposes, not ends in themselves. Delving into Chaos, treating with Daemons and Pirate Princes and now whispers that you are partnering with the Eldar. Concerns have been raised about you Beta; at the highest levels we are concerned that you have lost sight of our cause."

Beta actually laughed at that, "Don't give me that, we have all done far worse! Who amongst us hasn't used Chaos, who hasn't manipulated aliens and Throne-Worshippers at one time or another?!"

Indrago growled, "And always it carries the risk of contamination, the risk of becoming the servant rather than the master. Do I need to remind you of what happened to Lord Bale and Sindri Myr, corrupted beyond the bounds of sanity and killed off by the Blood Ravens."

Beta paused at that and said, "The who?"

Indrago waved a hand dismissively, "Nobody of any importance or in any way memorable."

Beta snorted, "I never cared for those two anyway. Bale was an idiot and Sindri drooled at the thought of Daemonhood. Don't compare me to those fools… Theed."

"Harrowmaster!" snarled Indrago in irritation, "Know that I have been given remit to purge rogue cells, this century alone I purged the cells of the Brothers of the snake, the Seven-pointed stars and the Unspoken secret. You will be next if you do not watch your tone. I have sworn that when the Primarch next returns he will find a united Legion, pure and sure of purpose."

"The Primarch?!" snorted Beta in disbelief, then he laughed aloud, "Don't you know [G4] Alpharius Omegan died… both of them!"

Indrago;s anger grew, "The Primarch has died many times: Yarant, Pluto, Eskrador, Danevra, Necromunda. Always he returns, always."

Beta sounded amused as he chuckled, "You are woefully naive, the Primarch is lost and we will never know where or how. His purpose died with him and we are free now to take whatever we want… Theed."

"Harrowmaster!" Indrago spat incensed, "You disappoint me with your lack of faith… I have made my decision, you are not worthy of this Flagship. The Shadow will be taken from you and given to a more worthy cell, one true to the Primarch's vision."

Beta sounded resigned, "That is your final word?"

Indrago snarled, "Final."

Beta sighed, "As you wish."

Beta suddenly nodded, not at Indrago but at someone behind him. There was a loud, flat bang and then Indrago Theed's head exploded, showering gore all over the deck. There were loud gasps from the crowd behind as Indrago's body fell to the deck with a clatter, revealing one of his guards standing there, with a smoking bolter. The other guard reacted swiftly, bringing his weapon about to target the traitor, but Gamma was already in motion. He swung his axe high to decapitate the warrior in one blow and sent him sprawling to the deck. The other guard looked at Beta, who bowed low before him. Everybody followed suit, a hundred Astartes bowing to one.

Beta arose and said respectfully, "Greetings Harrowmaster."

The Harrowmaster lowered his bolter and nodded to the sorcerer and said, "Beta… you have done well."

"Thank you my lord," replied Beta idly kicking Indrago's corpse, "I wasn't sure I could stomach this idiot much longer."

The Harrowmaster sneered, "He always was a bungling amateur, a useful one though. His purges of the other cells have put me in prime position amongst the Arch-lords of the Legion."

"Ahhh," said Beta slowly as understanding dawned, "Then they were co-opted by the Warmonger?"

The Harrowmaster replied, "Either him or the Instigator, the Beholder, the Adjudicator, the Dispatcher or the Soothsayer. It hardly matters, though, now I am unchallenged I can steer this Legion to its true goal."

Beta nodded in respect, then he paused to ask, "Tell me one thing: did Theed really believe he was the new Harrowmaster?"

The Harrowmaster chuckled, "It wasn't easy but he was blinded by his fantasies of a glorious past, so blinkered in his vision of a pure Legion. He was only recently starting to suspect the truth, that's why he had to be liquidated."

Beta's voice oozed amusement, "It seems he forgot that, in the long view, the Hydra always wins."

"Indeed," said the Harrowmaster, "Now I have read your most recent reports, this partnership with the Eldar is most promising and I agree that they may provide you with the tools to complete the destruction of those Storm Heralds. If your scheme works it may well be that we can use this method to destroy other Chapters too, it could well make the Alpha Legion the supreme force in the galaxy. You have my authority to pursue any avenue, no matter how extreme, to make this happen. You may also keep the Shadow; you will need her, for the tasks ahead. "

Beta bowed low and said, "For the Legion."

The Harrowmaster corrected him, "For the Emperor."