Dark Tidings

Author's note: 

I forgot to release this yesterday so you get two chapters today. But this will be it until next week on Monday. Have a blessed weekend everyone.

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Gorvor was seated on his command-class vessel, working on an investigation mission the counsel issued on Necrontyr technological remains. He had been going from planet to planet that each Necrontyr fleet had abandoned to collect the scraps of data that were left unguarded. His ship was currently within the Webway, safely moving across the galaxy to the next section of exploration.

Normally, Honored Ones would find this task beneath themselves and send a small team of Old Ones under them to investigate findings. However, Gorvor took an immediate interest in the origins of the prototype energy body the negotiation team obtained from treaty negotiations. He always had a nose for directions that would provide groundbreaking areas of research and he was even acknowledged by the Great Spirit as a peer.

Speaking of the Great Spirit, Gorvor was not a fool. He had already guessed what had happened after he discovered the disappearance of the prototype energy body. He was incredibly angry for a short time. He had thought of the Great Spirit as a friend and a scientist comparable to himself. Not only had he lost his friend, but also the very reference of his current research had disappeared alongside him. 

But there was more about the situation that irritated him even more. At first, he thought that his age was finally catching up to him when he forgot the Great Spirit's name. He offhandedly asked his Squint, his apprentice Ablenor, to remind him. But Ablenor found that he couldn't remember it either. This phenomenon was confirmed multiple times when Gorvor would bring it up in casual discussions. The Great Spirit's name was erased. None of those he spoke with, could remember the name he gave. They could only refer to him by the titles he once was called.

It annoyed Gorvor greatly to see no way to study this phenomenon since he figured he was destroyed by now. And to know that his memories of The Great Spirit were tampered with, made Gorvor feel an annoyance over the glory he ought to have. If this were planned by those who had killed him, they had gone too far! How can you take from someone to such a degree, that he loses his name?

Regardless, Gorvor was far too old now to do anything too exciting in response to those emotions. He handled his grief with grace and silence. To the point where none of those who worked under him would notice much of a difference.

*ARRWOO*

*ARRWOO*

*ARRWOO*

Suddenly, alarms began to blare across the command ship. Gorvor mentally tapped a few screens in front of him, causing yellow pings to appear when he tapped. His focus sharpened to attention.

"Ablenor, attend the weapons desk. The Grand Lambrok, Orasis is unavailable. Until further notice, you are temporary Graand Lambrok of this command ship." Gorvor spoke easily, while still mentally navigating screens in front of him.

"Narrow the area of disturbance by using the ship as a reference point. Put the area on screen." Gorvor commanded across the deck.

A pyramid-like holo screen appeared and showed an image of the disturbance. A small fleet that looked like Necrontyr designs had appeared inside the Webway near them. The ships had a different feel to them than before which made Gorvor's soul shudder. Something on that ship was like living decay and his soul screamed at him to get away.

"This is not good." Gorvor's eyes hardened.

He didn't know how they did it, since the Necrontyr didn't have any psykers, but they had managed to access the Webway dimension. The Webway was the key strategic advantage that the Old Ones used to the fullest extent during the last war. If they went to war with them again, it would certainly not be the same as before.

"Honored One, they are preparing an attack." One of the deck attendants Old Ones relayed with slight disbief.

Gorvor's eyes rolled back as he quickly dove into the Warp and used short-range precognition. The red energy was fluid and without resistance now that Arlow's influence no longer covered it. A few seconds passed and Gorvor came back, his face pale.

"Prepare to exit the Webway," Gorvor commanded a slight fear in his voice.

"But teacher..." Ablenor was about the question, but then he paused when he noticed the look of fear on Gorvor's face.

"NOW! DO IT NOW!" Gorvor said, urgently.

Those on the command deck hurriedly started the process, hearing the urgency in his voice. 

*URRR-CRUNCH*

The sound of metal twisting and breaking sounded as the support ships next to the command class were twisted by green lightning energy. The ships collapsed and crushed like someone might crush a soda can. A single humanoid being stood, floating inside the Webway, in front of the ships. It looked to be based on the prototype body he had been studying.

The ships were more of an experimental fusion of Materium-only technologies, mimicking the Necrontyr in their fundamentals. Due to this, they offered no resistance to the being's energy.

The being had no legs, but an upper torso and a large maw-like mouth. It was made completely of the green shining Necrodermis metal that the Necrontyr were known for. Gorvor watched in horror, as the being sucked in a large amount of the souls of the Old Ones who had died in the ships.

It then moved to the command-class ship that Gorvor was on and attempted to crush it in the same way. Gorvor immediately stood up from his command chair and pulled his focus on manifesting an anchor point to the Warp through his Choran gland. He floated up in the air and an image of a titanic version of Gorvor appeared around him. It was so big that its torso stuck outside of the top of the ship.

The titan raised its hands with Gorvor and produced an energy shield around the ship and himself. The being's attempts to destroy the ship were completely blocked as its green lightning repelled off the shield of psionic energy like oil separates from water. It dropped its hands and decided to speak.

"I am Iash'uddra, the Endless Swarm." The abomination spoke, its overlapping voice instinctively making everyone on the ship uncomfortable.

"Old Ones, the C'tan will take what's ours. Today begins war." It finished.

The Necrontyr ships, as if receiving some kind of signal, began to fire their weapons upon the ship.

"Honored One, we are ready to exit the Webway!" An Old One on the command deck shouted.

"DO IT!" Ablenor commanded while frantically looking at the exhaustion on Gorvor's face as he used spell after spell in his titan form. 

Without much sound, Gorvor's ship blinked out of the Webway safely. Although they had escaped, in Gorvor's mind this seemed to be only the beginning.

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More chapters on my pat reon:

pat reon/ MatheuDeWitt