Craftworld Isenlyth

All the ships of the 1st Fleet followed the orders, not even powering up their weapons and having their shields on the lowest settings, leaving in a particularly vulnerable spot. Baldur knew this was risky but Eldrad would not warn him the way he did if he believed that the fleet would fire on them. 

The Aeldari were looking at the fleet in confusion. They had come across human ships before and could recognize that the ones before them were some of their crafts. All the previous fleets either fled on sight or tried to attack them immediately, especially those that exited from large Warp portals as the 1st Fleet did. Those that were aboard one of the previous fleets even tried to crash into the Craftworld and sent several drop pods filled with tall, for human standard, men in heavy armor with primitive weapons aboard the ship. 

The Council of Elders sat in a room made out of pure Wraithbone, beautifully crafted by the Bonesingers of Isenlyth. Each of the men and women in the room were several thousand years old, with experience from various fields and all expert Seers. They sat with a screen showing the 1st Fleet hovering in the center of the table. 

"These humans..." a male Isenlyth said. He was dressed in gold and black which were the colors of their people, just like many of the other elders. "They act differently from the others."

"They are Mon-keighs just like all the other humans," a female commented. "We should eliminate them immediately."

"Even if that puts our own people at risk," another woman refuted. "Although we are superior in numbers, that does not mean an automatic victory. Any battle means the loss of precious Isenlyth lives."

The other elders murmured in agreement, not wishing to put the lives of their people at risk as this was the biggest concern of most Aeldari. They were an endangered species.

The birth of Slaanesh consumed not only all the Aeldari gods, save 3, it also killed 99.99 percent of the Aeldari population. Only those on the farthest Craftworlds or those that lived in the Web-Way survived her birth and even then, they were under the constant pursuit of the daemons under her. 

Most Asuryani fought only when it was absolutely necessary or when a grudge had been formed that could not be ignored such as the capture of their rangers and Outcasts or the conquest of one of their Maiden Worlds. It was only the most reckless of the Asuryani that would engage in battles as soon as they saw another species without reason. 

With them coming to a decision, they sent over a transmission to the 1st Fleet, telling them that the Isenlyth would be sending over a delegation to speak with their leader. They sent it in both Low and High Gothic, showing their understanding of the most common human languages. 

Baldur took over the comms and sent them back a message in response, surprising those aboard the Isenlyth Craftworld as he spoke in perfect Aeldari Lexicon. 

"We shall patiently await your arrival."

The Isenlyth took their time preparing, gathering all the elders as well as a retinue of guards to protect them. Their finest Aspect Warriors were gathered to not only ensure the protection of the leaders but also as a show of force for the humans that they were about to meet. 

Once all were gathered, they requested for the Invictus to move forward, alone, where they would board it. This would further ensure the safety of the elders, as they believed that the humans would not be foolish enough to allow their flagship and all of their leaders to be killed just to slay a few Asuryani. 

Baldur complied with their orders and sent his ship forward. Once they reached the specified point, several of the Asuryani ships that matched the Invictus in size surrounded it, each having their weapons pointed at the vessel. 

"So superfluous," Selene commented when she saw all the surrounding ships before heading to the hangar where they would meet their guests. The wait did not take long as a craft with the elders and their men onboard approached faster than most Imperium ships were capable of and landed in the hanger. 

The ramp to the ship was lowered where a large group of guards wearing golden armor with red accents walked down first, each with a blade or spear in their hand. They spread out and created two lines where the leaders of the Isenlyth walked between until they met with Baldur, Selene, Spencer, several witches, and the Honor Guard. 

"Greetings, leaders of the Craftworld," Baldur slightly bent his waist to show some respect but also show his authority as a leader. "May I know the name of the world you come from."

"We are the Elders of the Isenlyth, child," a woman commented to Selene's disbelief. Aeldari rarely looked old, only looking that way if they had been warped by some kind of sorcery or infected with a disease. The oldest one would look would be in their late 30s. 

"Then I welcome the Elders and warriors of Isenlyth to my ship," Baldur greeted them once again with their proper titles, not minding that they had called him a child. "I am Baldur. King of the Feluc System, Primarch of the Grey Knights, and friend of the Ulthwé."

"The Ulthwé?!?!" another said in surprise, her tone mirroring the expressions of the other Elders. "So that is why you speak our language so well."

"Hmm. My teacher is Eldrad Ulthran," Baldur gave further information, letting them know that he was not simply dropping the name of a Craftworld to get them to lower their guard.

"Of course it was him," the same Elder that wanted to attack the 1st Fleet commented while shaking her head. "How is Eldrad?"

"Always denying his old age and speaking in riddles," Baldur told them honestly, thinking back all the difficult riddles he had to pass through to first learn from his teacher. Eldrad made him think in ways that most humans had closed themselves off to. 

"Hehe, that sounds like him," the female, Firnae, commented, no longer wary of Baldur and his fleet. 

The others shared a look with one another, thinking about how Firnae was the one who was the most likely to assault him but had been the first to like Baldur because of her former lover. 

"We met with a fleet much like yours in the recent past," a male Elder commented. "Their warriors wore armor similar to yours but had a very different mindset, willing to destroy their flagship in an attempt to ram our Craftworld."

"Hmm," Baldur hummed. "The humans... are going through a difficult time. If you do not mind, I can explain it to you."

"Of course. To learn of what is going on with the humans will be of great help to us. As you can tell, our people stand out," another Elder said, speaking of the unusual grace that all Aeldari possessed. It was a level that was beautiful yet disturbing. 

Baldur went on to explain the Great Crusade and all the laws that the Emperor was enacting. With each sentence, the Isenlyth Elders looked amazed and infuriated. A single human was trying to dictate the entire galaxy. 

"And how would he treat the Isenlyth?" Firnae asked the most important question

"The same as all other Xenos. Either submission or execution," Baldur explained to them

"And your opinion?" Donlon, a male Elder, asked

"Whether it has been the Necrons, Aeldari, C'Tan, or even the Old Ones, none has been able to rule the entire Galaxy. For the Emperor to think that humanity can do it when we are not even at the peak of our power is nothing more than foolish," Baldur informed them of his opinion.

He had been taught about all the powerful beings from the past by Eldrad and knew of the mighty races that could erase stars at will and shatter gods into fragments. Humanity was barely able to destroy planets and easily corrupted, unlike the other races he listed. 

"You have been taught well," Donlon nodded, not understanding where the Emperor's arrogance came from. Even if he was powerful, he was but a single being. He did not have the power to rule over the entire Galaxy, even if he exterminated all who disagreed with him. "So what shall we do about our current situation?"

"There are only three things that I am willing to do. I can either leave and say that this system is under compliance and allow whoever comes next to deal with the lie, tell everyone that a powerful race exists here and that we were unable to conquer it, or I can add this system to my personal empire, preventing the Imperium from collecting tithes or resources from it," Baldur listed out the solutions that he had come up with, ready to let the Isenlyth Elders decide what was best.

The group nodded as their eyes began to glow and runes formed around them. They began to have a telepathic conversation, discussing what would be the best course of action. 

Although they wished to be left alone, they knew that it was impossible. Baldur had little control in the matter, even if he did wish to leave them alone. 

"Let's go with the 3rd option," Donlon said after they had their discussion. "We shall let you know that we will not get involved in any of your wars though," he warned. 

"I would expect nothing more. All I ask for is the opportunity to learn the ways of your people," Baldur asked, wishing to learn more of the Isenlyth culture and Aeldari history in general. They were the species with the longest existence, besides the Orks, so there was much he could learn from them. 

"That will be no issue," Firnae agreed. "Many of our people wish to walk the Path of the Outcast but the dangers are immense. If they could travel with a friend of our people, that would allow them and us to feel at ease. They could also act as your tutors during your journeys."

"I thank the Elders for their kindness," Baldur gave another slight bow

Each side spoke a few more words with one another before the Elders and warriors returned to their ship and to their Craftworld. Over the next few days, they gathered members who wished to journey with Baldur and his Grey Knights to explore the wider universe and learn about it while also teaching Baldur and his people about the Isenlyth. 

When they were done, 54 Isenlyth boarded the Invictus, led by a pair of twins. The male was Ysusaar with the female being Elvara. Both were expert warriors but also walked down various other Paths, making their skillset and knowledge deep. The last path that Ysusaar walked down was the Path of Awakening while Elvara recently walked the Path of Archer. 

With their new allies and crew on the ship, the 1st Fleet opened a Warp portal and took off to their next destination.