"I thought our entire warband had been lost… those damned High Lords' lackeys…"
The Dreadnought was filled with the wounded, their minds already clouded, and the overwhelming surge of emotion from an unexpected reunion left their speech fragmented and halting.
Furos understood Kaelon's words well enough; he was cursing the Minotaur Warband.
It was during the Badab War that the Minotaurs had attacked the Weepers, forcing Kaelon and his warband into separation. But as he reflected on the Badab War, Furos's feelings were conflicted. It was hard to lay the blame solely on the Minotaurs.
Certain words, however, could not be openly spoken. Among those present was not only Dante but also Bellona, the Inquisitor. Kaelon could say these things, though—he was a veteran of the warband, a soldier who endured the agony of the Dreadnought, fighting for the Emperor with a broken body for thousands of years.
"I brought him," Bellona ended her exchange with Dante, then walked up to Furos, her gaze resting on Kaelon. "I fought alongside the Deathwatch on several investigative missions. At the time, Kaelon was thought to be the only surviving member of his warband, which is why he joined the Deathwatch."
"She's right," Kaelon confirmed. "I thought I was the last… By Saint Guilliman's grace, we're reunited."
Furos and his captains offered respectful salutes to Bellona.
At that moment, Furos recalled the warship that had appeared on the orbital track, vanishing into the warp space. That ship was clearly Bellona's.
After saluting, Furos asked, "You're willing to use a dimensional engine?"
"I'm not so conservative." Bellona's face remained impassive. "I believe that if something needs to be done, one must be willing to go to any lengths, at any cost."
"Any lengths, at any cost." Bellona repeated the words.
For an Inquisitor, such resolve often meant deciding the fates of millions, even billions.
Furos did not share this sentiment, yet he held some admiration for Bellona, who had found and returned Kaelon; he would not regard her with indifference.
"Let us speak alone." Bellona looked to Kaelon.
Kaelon immediately stepped forward, leaving with the captains.
In the council hall, only Dante, Furos, and Bellona remained.
"I have come with one purpose—to help Baal repel the swarm," Bellona's voice echoed in the empty hall.
Dante was astonished, unsure of where this Inquisitor found such confidence.
The combined efforts of nearly thirty thousand Space Marines of the Sons of Sanguinius were defending Baal, and no glimmer of victory was in sight. Yet, Bellona claimed she could help Baal drive back the swarm.
But courtesy demands gratitude toward an ally, so Dante nodded with a faint smile.
"I'm not joking." Bellona's gaze turned to Furos. "When I left earlier, it was not just to bring back the Dreadnought; I also retrieved certain resources."
"What resources?" Furos asked.
"Psychics," Bellona replied, "two hundred psychics."
As the words fell, Mephiston, the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels, hidden in the shadows, emerged and rebuked her sternly. "Two hundred psychics? How dare you! Do you realize if they are misused, it could unleash… things on Baal, numbering in the billions?"
Mephiston meant demons but did not say it aloud.
"Everyone here is either the warband leader or you, the Chief Librarian. You might as well speak plainly and say 'demons,'" Bellona said, unfazed. "During the Battle of Cadia, demons ran rampant. It's hardly a secret anymore."
"Secret or not, what does it matter if the psychics you brought are subject to misuse?" Mephiston countered.
Bellona opened her mouth to retort but paused, taking a deep breath to steady her emotions and ignoring Mephiston.
She then pulled a small vial filled with golden liquid from her pocket.
"What is that?" Dante asked.
"It has no name," Bellona replied, swirling the liquid within. "It's a kind of elixir. Though complex, in brief, it allows psychics who consume it to unleash temporary surges of power."
Mephiston immediately recognized the vial's gravity—it was not concocted from any natural substance; its source could only be one thing.
Psychics.
As he stared at the vial, Mephiston's mind filled with images of psychics submerged in containment vessels, their bodies curled and minds in stasis, muscles atrophied from prolonged immobility.
"I will administer this elixir to the two hundred psychics aboard my ship, then deploy them throughout the Hades System as living bombs."
Bellona began outlining her plan.
"These psychics will emit a collective psychic scream, unleashing a vast wave of energy. Like gunpowder, it can be wielded in many ways. Used wisely, it might even close the Eye of Terror."
"The Eye is only half its original size, but my plan can still be effective."
"If we do as I say, what do you believe will happen, Chief Librarian?"
As she finished, Bellona turned to Mephiston, who was deep in thought. Dante and Furos also awaited his response.
After a moment, the experienced Librarian answered, "It could detonate a new Eye of Terror in the Hades System or kill every psychic in the sector, but, at the very least, whatever controls the swarm would be impacted."
"Somewhat biased, but largely accurate," Bellona acknowledged with a nod.
Dante had thought the plan held some merit, but Mephiston's words made him reconsider. "Between the destruction of Baal and the opening of a new Eye of Terror, I would choose the former."
"You speak too gravely, Chief Librarian. I may not know how the Eye of Terror forms, but I do know it requires a psychic power on par with the Emperor's. Two hundred psychics causing a new Eye? With respect, I think your faith in the warp is excessive," Bellona said with a smile.
Dante looked to Mephiston, who nodded, finding some reason in Bellona's words.
The decision now lay with Dante.
Dante, not the most decisive of leaders, pondered for some time before slowly giving his answer. "We could begin with a minor test."
"Excellent. I'll need Warband Leader Furos's assistance." This was exactly what Bellona desired; she believed the trial would prove the effectiveness of her psychic strategy.
Dante did not command Furos but looked at him expectantly.
Furos nodded. "I will assist and supervise her."
"Give me a moment to prepare. Once ready, you will see how wise this decision was." Bellona left the hall, her young apprentice waiting outside.
Mephiston observed the apprentice closely, noting that they were a particularly unique psychic.