XXXII

160.M36 

Anvilus Nine

Currently, Atharion and Nine are standing side by side, looking over the manufactorum. The servitors and workers walking around, doing their duties in making sure the massive forges remained operational. The air was thick with the scent of hot metal and machine oil, punctuated by the rhythmic pounding of mechanized hammers shaping adamantium and ceramite. Conveyor belts carried newly forged components to waiting assembly lines, where robed tech-priests and mindless servitors toiled in perfect synchronicity.

Atharion turn towards Nine. "The production for the Sicaran battle tank are going well." He then look at the cogitator in front of them that showing the information on the manufactorum. "It's show that it can produce twenty of them within a month, while still able to produce ten Sicaran Punisher."

Nine nodded. "It's an acceptable output." He stopped and shake his head. "Even though it's still haven't reach my expectation." He finish with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Atharion laugh a little. "You can't think that all the production lines can restore back to the level of Mars that you formerly serve at." He continue. "At specially with the lack of STC and production material, it's already pretty impressive that we can maintain this level of output."

Nine let out a mechanical sigh, the sound more like the hiss of pressurized air escaping from his augmetics. "I understand the limitations," he admitted. "But understanding them does not mean I have to accept them." His optics flickered as he studied the cogitator's display. "With better supply routes and access to more refined materials, we could push efficiency at least 12% higher."

"Well," Atharion said as he thinking of the possibilities. "we can't really sign any material agreement with our nearby worlds. If I'm the one proposing it, they might accept it, but how do I explain to the Inquisition went they find out about the agreement." He then look at Nine. "As you said before, the existence of this system and especially, the forge world can't be found by those we don't trust."

Nine's optics flickered as he processed Atharion's words. "That is correct," he confirmed. "The secrecy of this system is paramount. If the Inquisition or the Administratum were to uncover it, they would demand control or, worse, deem it a threat." He paused, his mechadendrites twitching slightly. "This is a problem."

As Nine still thinking how to fix this problem, Atharion already reminiscing the deal that he sign with the Space Wolves. A deal that secure him the stable supplies of Helfrost crystal, as long as Fenris didn't got destroy.

After the hunt for the Dark Eldar finish, Harald decided to board the Dark Knights vessels as they have loss their whole company fleet. So, after a brief discussion between Atharion and Harald, they decided to go and help Red Wolves that are engaging the last Kabal at the south.

The final battle finish quicker than expected, as Red Wolves have two companies engaging the Dark Eldar, they already have them on the disadvantage. But as always, the sheer speed of their ships made them difficult to pin down. Every time the Red Wolves tried to land a decisive blow, the Kabal's vessels would slip away like ghosts, just out of reach. Without enough warships to box them in, the Red Wolves simply couldn't finish the fight.

That changed when the Dark Knights fleet arrived. Seeing an opportunity, the Red Wolves proposed working together to wipe out the Kabal once and for all, but on one condition. They wanted the honor of striking the final blow and slaying the Archon. Atharion considered their request and found it reasonable. After all, they had been fighting the Dark Eldar for all this time. It was only fair.

Still, Atharion knew Harald might take some convincing. Yet, to his surprise, the Space Wolf agreed without much argument.

Thus, the plan when to work. It's a simple plan, the Red Wolves first find and engage the Kabal, drawing their attention. Then, the Dark Knights fleet will arrive at the back of the Dark Eldar and engage them in a pincer maneuver.

While the plan sounded simple enough, Harald and the Red Wolves' captains couldn't help but feel uneasy. Nothing in war was ever certain, especially not when it involved the warp. No fleet, no matter how disciplined, could guarantee a perfect exit. If the timing was off, even by a few moments, the Dark Eldar could escape, or worse, the Red Wolves could be left to fight alone. The risk was real, and they all knew it.

Still, they chose to trust Atharion. There had been whispers among the Astartes, rumors that the Dark Knights had a way of navigating the warp unlike anyone else. Some dismissed it as superstition, others as exaggeration. But if there was even a shred of truth to it, then maybe, just maybe, this plan would work.

They would soon find out.

With the Dark Knights' fleet moving through the warp, Atharion gathered the Librarium detachment and the navigators in a secluded chamber deep within the Eternal Vigilance. The room was dimly lit, the only sources of illumination coming from flickering hololithic displays and the eerie glow of psychic wards inscribed into the walls.

A Master and two Librarian, each of them stood at the east, west and south side of the chamber, each holding a tome. Their eyes flickered with psychic energy, the air around them occasionly flicker with lighting as they become more focus on their warp ability.

At the center of the chamber, the navigators sat in a tight circle, their backs straight, hands clasped together as they formed a human conduit for their collective will. Their third eyes remained hidden beneath protective veils. The warp presences around them also become more and more heavy as they become more focused, their minds reaching out into the Immaterium. The air in the chamber grew thick, charged with unseen energies, and the flickering hololithic displays wavered as if struggling to maintain their coherence in the presence of such concentrated psychic power.

Atharion stood at the northernmost point, also holding a tome, golden lightning flickering around him. He served as both an anchor and a guide for the Librarians and navigators, reminding them of their purpose and keeping them connected to reality. At the same time, he helped steer their minds through the shifting tides of the warp, shielding them from its corrupting influence and ensuring they could fulfill their duty.

With the navigators, Librarians and himself link together, Atharion and the Librarians use their psychic power to calm the warp current and make it more easy to navigate. The navigators then look into the immaterium to search for the faster route, which is easier with the help of Atharion and Librarians.

With this ritual, the fleet arrived precisely where they should be and at the right time. The Dark Eldar which have been engaging the Red Wolves are surprised by the arrival of a new fleet. The battle went as plan, their fleet coordination broke, each vessels destroy and the Red Wolves got their finishing hit on the Archon ship, killing the Archon with his ship.

After finishing the battle, Atharion and Harald meet with the Red Wolves upon the Eternal Vigilance. A feast is held within a grand chamber, where Astartes from three different chapters eat together. The Red Wolves and Space Wolves quickly bonded, sharing stories of battle and drinking heavily. The Dark Knights, as always, ate in silence, only speaking when spoken to.

At the end of the feast, Atharion also gifted ten Javelins and ten Scimitar to two captains, as a sign of friendship between two chapters. Atharion hope by doing this, he can gain allies within the Segmentum Tempestus as he have chosen an area within the Segmentum to become the chapter homeworld.

After Red Wolves leave, Atharion with his honor guards, onboard his flagship make way towards Fenris with Harald and his great company. After all, Harald have no authority to sign a deal that trade off the Helfrost crystal to him. So, Atharion need to gain the permission from the Great Wolf.

When they arrive at Fenris, Atharion was welcomed warmly by the Great Wolf, who had already received reports of the battle against the Drukhari and appreciated Atharion's help in the hunt.

During the feast, Harald told the Great Wolf of Atharion intention in coming to Fenris. Hearing this, the Great Wolf summoned all the Wolf Lords who were on or near Fenris, along with the Iron Priests and Rune Priests, for a formal meeting.

During the meeting, Atharion told the same thing that he told Harald before. Where he found the crystal, what he do to it and the results of the new system. While the Iron Priests are visibly mad by Atharion in destroying a property of Space Wolves, they also intrigued with the ability of the cooling system.

So, a test was arranged. The cooling system is removed from the Tartaros terminator armor and reinstall to a Indomitus terminator armor. One of the Great Wolf's personal Wolf Guard was chosen to wear it for the trial, while the Iron Priests stood nearby, closely monitoring the system's performance.

And as expected, the results were exceptional. The Iron Priests reported that the armor performed far better than the original, with a 36% increase in speed and a 42% increase in strength.

The Wolf Guard who wore the armor also confirmed that it felt lighter and more responsive, allowing for smoother movement without sacrificing protection. He noted that he could react faster in combat and deliver stronger blows without tiring as quickly. The cooling system kept the armor's servos from overheating, even under intense stress, allowing for prolonged operation without a drop in performance.

Hearing this, the Great Wolf exchanged glances with the gathered Wolf Lords. One by one, they nodded in agreement, signaling their decision. With that, the deal was sealed.

With this, not only Atharion have gain one of the most rare and important resources, he also forge a lasting alliance with the Space Wolves.

Space Wolves will provide a stable stream of Helfrost crystal to Atharion. While Atharion will be required to refit all of their current terminator armor with the cooling system. Additionally, Atharion also required to supply the Space Wolves with 50 Indominus terminator armor that equip with the cooling system every five years.

The deal also said that Space Wolves can exchange other equipment with Atharion with additional Helfrost crystal, or other interesting information or objects.

The pact was sealed in the old way, with both Atharion and the Great Wolf marking the agreement with their own blood. With the formalities complete, the halls of the Fang roared to life once more.

A grand feast was prepared, even larger than the first. While the previous gathering had been held to honor Atharion's aid in battle, this one was a true celebration, a feast between allies and friends.

After the feast finish, Atharion leave Fenris with the Helfrost crystal that the Space Wolves still store within their storages. With all this crystal, Atharion can already dream of how the cooling system can change the tide of battle, and even war.

"Atharion!"

A mechanical voice suddenly bring Atharion back to the reality. He looks towards Nine, who is now looking at him with another tech-priest behind him.

"You're not listening to me again, do you?" Nine said with a disappointed voice.

Atharion shake his head a little. "So, what's the matter." He said. "You have found a way to fix the problem?"

"No," Nine said. "we can't gain more material without risking exposing the forge world." He continue as the cogitator that he is connected with his mechadendrite flickered as it showing new information. "And redirecting our current materials will effect the others manufactorum."

"Actually," Atharion said as he suddenly remember something. "I have read the reports on all the raw materials that transported here daily." He raise one of his eyebrow. "According to the reports, while the current supply can't raise the forge world capabilities to that of Mars and the other major forge worlds, the output should still be higher than what we have now. All of this is because some of the supplies have disappear without explanation."

"Ah." Nine said, tilting his head slightly. "I was wondering when you'd bring that up." He gestured to the Tech-Priest standing beside him.

"Magos Autokratoris Delta-85 of Legio Ignatum," Nine introduced.

The Magos gave a small bow. "A pleasure to finally meet you." He said with a mechanical voice, like all those high ranking tech-priest are.

Atharion didn't say anything at first, but his eyes moved back and forth between Nine and the Magos several times. His jaw tightened. "What. Do. You. Mean. By. That?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Nine remained unfazed by Atharion's tone. "What I mean is this," He said flatly. "The raw materials that seem to disappear without a trace? They're being used to repair, maintain, and produce Titans within the Fortress-Temples at the north and south poles."

"And you didn't think this was important enough to tell me from the start?" Atharion ask Nine with a frustrated voice. "You know I've been working so hard to secure more raw materials without drawing suspicion!"

"Indeed." Nine nodded. "Your effort in securing more materials for the forges have proven well. More wargears are being produced. " He continue as the cogitator flicker, displaying new information. "And more Titans can be deployed for us."

Atharion eyes widened as he look at the information on the cogitator. He then turn towards Nine and the Magos. "You are kidding me, right?"