Warhammer [467-468] (Patreon)

Chapter 467: The Traveler Anrakyr and Sanguinius

"You've had dealings with the Necrons! I've heard of those xenos, but during the Great Crusade, they hadn't yet appeared. There were only scattered records," Sanguinius asked Dante, watching him closely.

"Have you ever fought alongside them?"

During the Great Crusade, the Emperor established Imperial Truth—Mankind Above All!

Humans were the noblest species in the galaxy; all other sentient races were vile xenos, heretical, to be purged.

So, across the Imperium, xenos were utterly abhorred. Forming alliances with them was considered disgraceful. Sanguinius wondered what his gene-son had done...

"Father! Before the Battle of Baal, we defended against the Tyranids at a place called the Cryptan Shield. There, a group of dormant Necrons had slumbered for ages. Out of necessity, I formed a brief alliance with them. In the end, the Necrons used a great prismatic weapon to destroy a super-gas giant in the system, which stopped the Tyranids. We then withdrew from the Cryptan Shield," Dante explained, uneasy and unsure whether his gene-father would blame him.

The invasion of Hive Fleet Leviathan was dire. Dante had even issued Exterminatus orders on some Imperial worlds to try to cut off the Tyranid advance, hoping to keep them away from Baal, Sanguinius's homeworld. Even with a temporary victory at Cryptan, the Tyranids pressed on.

If Rhodes hadn't arrived with his gene-sons and used the powerful cosmic beast weapons to defeat the Tyranids, Baal would have fallen. They'd been at the edge of exhaustion.

"I remember how bloody the Battle of Baal was. I'd even sent Saint to help you at the Cryptan Shield," Sanguinius nodded.

After regaining his radiant angelic form, he'd deliberately forgotten some things from his time as the Blood Angels' Primarch.

Before the Baal defense, the Blood Angels had fought at the Cryptan Shield, and without Necron help, they would've certainly lost.

"Forgive me, Father. I shamed you by accepting xenos aid and allying with them. Please punish me! I willingly resign as Chapter Master," Dante knelt in anguish. Even if he had no choice, a mistake was a mistake, and he'd still allied with xenos—bringing shame to his gene-father.

"Ten thousand years ago, we followed Imperial Truth—because it was the Emperor's law. But now, things have changed. Not every xenos race in the galaxy is evil. Take the Eldar: they've allied with us, opened the Webway, and helped revive the Primarchs. No need for guilt! I don't blame you. The alliance at Cryptan was the best choice. If I'd commanded, I'd have done the same," Sanguinius reassured, patting Dante's shoulder.

Ten millennia ago, he'd have kept such a thing secret to protect his sons. Now, things are different. Rhodes set a new precedent: some xenos can be allies. Rhodes even married an Eldar and had children!

If he could have children with a xenos goddess, then a brief alliance with the Necrons hardly seems terrible.

The Imperium is changing. As long as xenos don't threaten humanity, some are treated amicably. Rogue Traders, for example, can choose to trade or destroy new-found xenos. With races like the Eldar, communication is possible; with races like the Hrud, extermination is needed.

"Thank you for forgiving me, Father. Should we meet this Necron Overlord?" Dante asked.

"I'd like your opinion. You chose to ally with this Necron; what do you think of him?" Sanguinius asked.

"Father, the Traveler Anrakyr is a noble and powerful warrior. He's a xenos, but I respect him. Without his help, the Blood Angels would have perished at Cryptan," Dante replied.

"I know how desperate that battle was. Without the Necron weapon that destroyed the gas giant, you couldn't have won. Let us meet this Necron lord as guests. Go and bring him to me," said Sanguinius.

If Dante rated the Necron so highly, he must be different from the evil metallic skeletons in Imperial records.

Dante nodded and left the Angelic Fortress to summon his former Necron ally, the Traveler Anrakyr.

After receiving the call, Anrakyr piloted his massive Necron tomb ship above Baal.

"Long time no see, Chapter Master Dante. Anrakyr the Traveler greets you," Anrakyr saluted in Necron fashion.

Dante struck his fist to his chest in return.

"It has been a while, Lord Anrakyr, but I am no longer Chapter Master. The Chapters are gone—now only the Blood Angels Legion remains, led by our great gene-father Sanguinius. I come at his command to bring you to the fortress," Dante explained.

"Ah, the famous Primarch. I'd like to meet him. Please, lead the way," Anrakyr replied.

Dante gestured politely and led the Necron Overlord to Sanguinius's palace.

While Dante fetched the guest, Sanguinius reviewed all Cryptan Shield campaign intelligence, focusing on Anrakyr's file.

With a Primarch's mind, he absorbed it all in two minutes. Both sides had played their cards carefully, but the Tyranids were ultimately repulsed—though no one expected Leviathan's tendrils to strike Baal again.

One piece of intel drew his attention: at the war's climax, Anrakyr had released a kilometer-high C'tan shard from his tomb, turning the tide and defeating the Tyranids. But after the battle, the shard's fate was unknown—did it escape or was it recaptured by Anrakyr?

From what Sanguinius knew, if a C'tan shard escaped, even a powerful Necron Overlord couldn't recapture it easily. If the shard was loose, it would be a valuable prize.

Having revived himself and Baal only with Rhodes's help, Sanguinius owed him a great favor. Rhodes's cosmic beasts needed C'tan shards to evolve and absorb stellar energy, so Sanguinius considered trying to capture this lost shard.

But first, he needed to confirm with Anrakyr whether the shard was truly free.

As he pondered, a nearly 4-meter-tall Necron, clad in ornate overlord armor and wielding a massive phase weapon, entered the Angelic Fortress.

"Greetings, Lord Sanguinius, Master of the Blood Angels. I bring you the Silent King's regards," Anrakyr bowed.

"No need for formality. Please, sit, Lord Anrakyr. You aided my sons at Cryptan, so you will be treated as a guest. I ought to host a grand banquet in your honor," Sanguinius replied, testing the Necron's temperament.

"No need for a banquet. Since our transformation, we cannot consume food," Anrakyr declined.

As one of the few Necrons to retain his mind, he kept his ancient manners, but as the Silent King's envoy, even if Sanguinius offended him, he would endure it.

"Then, let's get to the point. What brings you to visit the Blood Angels?" Sanguinius asked directly.

A Necron Overlord wouldn't come just to greet an old ally.

"Lord Sanguinius, by order of the Silent King, I seek friendly relations with the galaxy's current rulers—humanity," Anrakyr said, not mentioning Rhodes or Necron affairs.

"If that's your aim, you're in the wrong place. You should go to Holy Terra and see Regent Guilliman or Warmaster Rhodes, not me. I only govern Baal and nearby systems and lack authority to negotiate alliances," Sanguinius smiled.

This Necron clearly had ulterior motives.

"If you would introduce me, I would gladly visit Terra. I came to you because I once fought alongside the Blood Angels. I know no other Imperial factions," Anrakyr replied elegantly.

"I can help. I'll write a letter of recommendation so you can go to Terra. Do you wish to meet the Regent or Warmaster Rhodes?" Sanguinius asked, probing further.

If he wanted Guilliman, he truly sought diplomacy. If Rhodes, he had other plans.

"Since I seek friendship, I wish to meet both these great men," Anrakyr replied.

Chapter 468: Building a Necron Planetary Fortress

Sanguinius smiled—Anrakyr indeed deserved Dante's respect. He was bold and wise; his answer was perfect, allowing him access to everything he wanted, while seeming proper.

"I hear several Primarchs have returned to the Imperium recently. I'd like to meet those ancient heroes. We Necrons are a highly advanced civilization, not savage monsters," Anrakyr said.

The Necrons were now seen as terrifying, evil, and deathly—feared by all. But they were once noble, cultured, inventors, and scholars. Now, after their transformation, their civilization has stagnated, living off old glories.

"I understand. Since you helped us, I will write a letter for you to Terra," Sanguinius nodded. Let Guilliman and Rhodes handle whatever Anrakyr truly wanted.

"Thank you, Lord Sanguinius. I have brought you a gift: a phase weapon made of living metal," Anrakyr offered.

Several Necron warriors presented a huge green box, opening it to reveal a power sword over two meters long, forged of living metal and enhanced with phase technology—a formidable weapon, surpassed only by the Emperor's sword.

Before, Sanguinius would have gladly accepted, but now he had cosmic beast-forged weapons. This one was surely meant for Dante anyway.

"This weapon was meant for Dante, wasn't it? I have my own arms—Dante, you keep this one," Sanguinius said.

Dante bowed to his gene-father, then received the weapon from Anrakyr with great respect.

It was on par with the regenerative metal weapon Rhodes had once gifted him, but this one was more for collection than battle. For war, Dante preferred Rhodes's gift.

"By the way, I heard you lost a powerful weapon during the Cryptan campaign—a C'tan shard?" Sanguinius asked.

"You know of the shards? Yes, I used one in the war against the Tyranids," Anrakyr replied. The Imperium even knew about C'tan shards? In Necron records, the Emperor had used a Void Dragon shard in the ancient war against the Hrud.

The Necrons hated the C'tans—if they saw one, their first instinct was to enslave it.

"I heard this weapon was lost during the war. Since you helped us, I could help you find it," Sanguinius offered—he wanted to confirm whether Anrakyr still had the shard.

"Thank you, but the C'tan matter is a private Necron affair. I will handle it myself," Anrakyr replied.

In truth, the shard had never been lost. After the war, he immediately recaptured it using binding fields and sealed it back in his tomb. But he wanted to see why Sanguinius was so interested.

"If that's so, I won't worry about it. I just hope the escaped shard won't threaten human worlds. I just returned to the Imperium—I don't want my home attacked," Sanguinius said.

He was 80% sure Anrakyr still had the shard. He wouldn't seize it by force, but Rhodes might. Sanguinius planned to inform Rhodes.

Rhodes was not on Terra, but off fighting another Necron Overlord—a despised one, so it wouldn't interfere with current events.

That night, Sanguinius hosted Anrakyr in his treasure hall. Since the Necron couldn't participate in a banquet, Sanguinius instead arranged performances of human song, dance, and art for him to enjoy.

The next day, Sanguinius sent psychic messages to Guilliman and Rhodes, and gave Anrakyr his primarch's seal, dispatching Blood Angels to escort him to Terra.

…

At the same time, on Rhodes's flagship, Trazyn and Tartarus had returned, and the vital Necron planetary fortress had been recaptured. Trazyn now had two such fortresses at his disposal, and Rhodes had obtained vast Necron technology, as well as unique tech from across the galaxy collected by Trazyn.

"Trazyn, I need you to hide for a while—do not show yourself. Your discovery would be disastrous. The Necrons have already started hunting another you," Rhodes said.

Tartarus was monitoring Necron movements; several Necron Overlords and Crypteks had attacked Trazyn's territory. Even with a pocket universe, if enough powerful Necrons acted together, Trazyn would not last.

 Rhodes had to ensure all evidence of his involvement would be erased if Trazyn fell.

So, Trazyn must remain hidden. AsanethAyu had been sent by Tartarus to her dynasty, with Babarue guarding her, to plot seizing control of the Necron dynasties.

"I understand, Rhodes. I'll stay hidden," Trazyn replied. The situation was too dangerous, and he was not the cunning Overlord Trazyn the Infinite, but the timid curator Trazyn the Preserver.

"By the way, I'm interested in your Necron planetary fortresses. Can you build one for me?" Rhodes asked.

A planetary-scale fortress—Rhodes was eager to have one, especially since Necron constructs could travel faster than light.

"Rhodes, to build a Necron fortress, you must find a suitable metallic planet, send countless Canoptek Scarabs to devour all its matter, then transmute it into living metal. Only then can you construct the fortress. It takes thousands of years to build one. If you can wait, I can build it for you," Trazyn explained.

He wasn't lying; as one of the earliest awakened Necrons, he'd only built four such fortresses in his long history.

"That's a shame—I'd hoped to have one soon."

"If you truly want one, once AsanethAyu unites her dynasty, you could order the entire dynasty to build one. With my help, it could be done in a few years," Trazyn suggested.

"Understood. You're dismissed," Rhodes said.

Trazyn bowed and phase-shifted back to his fortress.

Afterwards, a psyker reported that Sanguinius had sent a message to Guilliman and Rhodes.