000.M42
The Maelstrom churned like a wounded beast.
Warp storms howled across the void, seething with the malign will of the Ruinous Powers. Within that cursed region of space drifted a blasphemous prize: a Blackstone Fortress, an ancient xenos construct of unknown origin — once wielded by the Imperium, now in traitor hands.
Upon it, the captured form of Roboute Guilliman languished in imprisonment.
His cell was a cruel thing of iron and madness. Ethereal chains of shimmering blue and violet light bound his limbs, forged from warp energies that pulsed in rhythm with the tortured heartbeat of the fortress itself. The walls were slick with a sheen of oily darkness, organic growths pulsating like diseased veins along the ceiling. Faint whispers clawed at the edges of his mind — the endless chorus of daemonic voices, each one offering madness, despair, or false hope.
The air reeked of ozone and dried blood. The floor bore ancient glyphs burned into adamantium, their purposes long-forgotten but still radiating malignant power. Guilliman's once-pristine armor lay in tatters, stripped of its proud heraldry. The mighty Primarch chained in ragged silence, his face gaunt, eyes burning with defiant hatred. Every breath was a war against despair.
And now, in this hellish prison, the Machinist's will strike.
-Moon Tear Station port-
Shinobi from 13th and 15th Battle Companies, alongside the 4th Sealing Company — stood assembled before the Silent Veil, the vessel that would ferry them.
Three hundred enhanced operatives clad in void-black armor, bearing no insignia, awaited their orders in absolute silence. Each warrior a blade, honed and faceless.
At the heart of them stood Jonin Seiji.
Seiji felt the weight of his master's expectations settle upon his shoulders. The Machinist did not forgive failure. And in the long shadows of the Imperium's decay, Seiji understood what this mission meant.
He stepped forward, his voice steady as he addressed his warriors.
"This is a shadow strike. No witnesses. No trace. No glory. But should our veil got broken then we strike with righteous fury. Set your rail weapons at low output."
His words echoed through the chamber.
"Our objective: infiltrate the Blackstone Fortress, locate and extract the captive Primarch, Roboute Guilliman. Terminate any hostiles encountered. Should we be discovered — silence them all."
He gestured to a hololithic display showing the blackstone fortress entry point up to the holding cell. The hololithic change unto Roboute Guiliman, their rescue target, shimmering before them.
"We have extracted fractured vox-echo coordinates and warp-signature triangulations. Our insertion point lies within Sector Sigma-9 of the fortress grid. Expect daemon presence, warp anomalies, and traitor legion forces."
Seiji turned toward the psyker cadre — the Sealing Company, their faces hidden beneath psycho-reactive kitsune masks.
"You will shield this operation from the warp's corruption. Ensure our path remains clear, or die in its defense."
They inclined their heads in solemn acknowledgment.
Then, a cold, clinical voice sounded over the command vox — Shizuka.
[Deployment through the relay network will require approximately two Terran days. Warp-drive transit deemed inadvisable. Probability of arrival intact: 94.2 percent.]
Seiji gave a curt nod. Better the long road through hidden corridors of the void than a gamble through the Maelstrom's madness.
[Additional data acquired.] Shizuka continued. [Fortress mapping complete. Target confinement chamber located — distance from insertion point: 27.4 kilometers. Estimated traversal time: considerable. Prepare for prolonged operation in hostile territory.]
Seiji let his gaze sweep the assembled operatives.
"You are the Exiled. The Forgotten. But you are the Machinist's will made manifest. This will be a long, grueling mission through a cursed fortress. Fail, and you will not return."
The strike force bowed in unison.
Seiji's own heart remained steady. There was no place for fear in this place. Only duty.
"Boarding in fifteen. Make your final checks," he ordered. "For the Machinist."
"For the Machinist," the strike force intoned as one.
Seiji gave a final nod. "You are dismissed."
Without a word, the strike force broke formation.
Some shimmered and vanished into thin air, their cloaking fields bending light around them like ripples across a pond. Others simply stepped into the shadows, their forms melting away as if claimed by the darkness itself. A few activated short-range translocation modules, disappearing in brief flashes of cold blue light.
High above, several figures ascended silently into the rafters on grav-silks, vanishing amid the support beams and shadowed vaults of the chamber.
Even the Sealing Corps moved as one, their masked psykers fading from physical sight, leaving only the faint scent of ozone and a whisper of displaced air in their wake.
Within moments, the vast assembly hall was empty — save for Seiji and his two fellow captains, standing alone beneath the dying light of the hololithic display.
As the operatives dispersed to make ready, Seiji was approached by two figures: Captain Bruno of the 13th Battle Company and Naon, captain of the 4th Sealing Corps.
"Commander," Bruno, began, his voice low and steady, "our weapon systems and null-field projectors are calibrated. Squad relays tested. Supply drops and fallback positions programmed. If the warp flares up inside the fortress, we'll lose long-range vox, but local channels should hold for most of the interior."
Seiji nodded approvingly. "Good. Limit combat to necessary engagements. We cannot afford to stir the hive."
"Understood," Bruno replied.
Naon spoke next, her voice softer, touched with that unsettling calm all sanctioned psykers seemed to share.
"My company is prepared, Commander. Sealing runes inscribed. Psychic null fields stable. I've prepared ten dampener nodes to anchor our insertion. Should we meet a major warp breach…" Naon gave a determined look. "We will hold it back long enough for extraction."
Seiji's gaze lingered on her a moment. "You have my trust, Naon. Guilliman is the objective — but none of us returns if you fail."
Naon inclined her head in grim acknowledgment.
He exhaled quietly.
They are ready.
Seiji allowed himself a final thought before stepping into the Silent Veil:
If we succeed… perhaps a spark of humanity's lost fire may yet be kindled.