Belisarius Cawl

"Yeah, there are only four of us left."

"Hey, I was just being a little artsy for once. Don't get all emo on me."

"Back to the point."

Romulus shook his head with a chuckle, pulled over a chair, and sat down.

"Guess what the Prospector Fleet's flagship is called?"

"Steel Soul?"

"Well, that takes all the fun out of it, brother."

Romulus had still wanted to show off a little.

"For us, an Adeptus Mechanicus member important enough for you to emphasize..."

Pushing open the viewport, Ramesses looked at more than a dozen shadows emerging beneath the starlight.

"Who else could it be but Belisarius Cawl?"

Piaerde Sector, Lesser Piaerde System.

As ripples spread across the Mandeville Point, an exquisitely crafted fleet tore through the veil of reality.

The Carcharodons' Warp travel safety was commendable. Perhaps it was experience accumulated from operating beyond the Astronomican's reach year-round, but even while towing a Strike Cruiser and an Ork hunk of metal, they had emerged from the Warp unscathed.

On the bridge of the Nicor, which had reopened as the fleet returned to Realspace, Arthur, who had just finished a spar, stood beside Tyberos at his invitation and watched a shark.

Yes, a shark.

A great white shark from Earth.

At least, after its information had been passively recorded, that was the designation displayed on Arthur's panel.

How strange. In this vast universe, aside from his companions, he had actually found something from Arthur's era aboard a ship returning from beyond the Imperium's borders.

"You know it?"

Tyberos followed Arthur's gaze toward the great white shark in the aquarium. Years of fighting alongside him had made him exceptionally sensitive to the Blade Guard beside him.

He was certain Arthur's gaze was fixed on that shark.

That was unusual, because the Nicor's bridge was essentially an enormous aquarium, filled with countless dangerous species from oceans across many worlds. Many warriors invited onto the bridge were drawn to those huge, terrifying predators.

Yet Arthur kept staring at that utterly ordinary great white shark.

In this age, almost no one knew what that shark represented anymore.

"It came from Terra."

Arthur admitted it readily, and a wistful expression appeared on his face.

"But the ocean that raised it is gone."

Arthur was genuinely saddened.

Anyone who learned that a planet identical to their homeland had become the Sacred Terra of today would feel sad.

It was the pain of being severed across time and space.

Even the Sisters who had always followed the Angel's side were infected by that sorrow.

"..."

Tyberos looked at the person beside him, who theoretically might be someone he should call Elder, and awkwardly relaxed his hand. He felt an urge to wake the ten-thousand-year-old Dreadnought back home and have it chat with him.

With just a few words, he had driven an outstanding Dark Angels Blade Guard into gloomy silence. He felt he might be the first to accomplish that.

"How did you learn that title?"

Tyberos stiffly changed the subject and looked pleadingly at Kahurangi, who had entered the bridge.

"Lord of Shadows?"

Arthur noticed where he was looking as well.

"Mm."

"Because it once belonged to Arcas Fal."

Arcas Fal, the Terran-born Raven Guard Legion Master of 30k.

Arthur deeply understood Romulus's philosophy of speaking honestly, so he answered the question directly.

Then he nodded in greeting to Kahurangi, who had just arrived at his side, and left with the Sisters.

He could still read the room. Now that the fleet had left the Warp, it should be time for the Carcharodons' internal report. There was no point in him continuing to stand here.

"..."

Kahurangi watched his daily-refreshing gift pack leave. Seeing Arthur in such low spirits, he ultimately restrained himself from calling out to him.

"Did you make Lord Arthur angry, my lord?"

"...I don't know."

The two stared at each other for three seconds.

"You went to see their Librarian again?"

"Mm."

"And still didn't manage to learn anything?"

"Mm."

At the mention of that, Kahurangi felt rather ashamed.

The Librarian named Ramesses was very good at playing dumb. His responses to Kahurangi's probing were watertight. He clearly knew a great deal about the Warp, yet remained vague about all sorts of details.

One could only say that he truly deserved to be a master of the Warp from that era.

"Let's talk about the Gray Tax instead, my lord."

Kahurangi said so.

Tyberos activated a holographic display, showing a communication from the Mechanicus Ark.

"The sage Belisarius Cawl from Mars has agreed to accept this tax collection. In addition, the Black Templars accompanying the Archmagos have sent invitations to us and the Deathwatch. They wish to discuss a combat meeting concerning the cleansing of Drukhari Xenos that have infiltrated the Archmagos's vessel."

"They aren't Deathwatch."

Kahurangi offered a tactful reminder.

Tyberos's expression did not change.

"I know."

"They are Ultramarines and Blood Angels. There may even be Imperial Fists among those Mk.II Crusades."

Kahurangi relayed the intelligence he knew.

"Not just that."

Tyberos clenched his fist. The recent battles had been far too frequent, to the point that even this brief respite left him feeling slightly uncomfortable.

He began searching the Chapter's records on the Dark Angels for anyone so large and fond of gladiatorial combat, but found nothing.

No, Arthur seemed to be learning from them through gladiatorial combat purely to become stronger. He did not actually enjoy the activity itself. With astonishing speed and perseverance, he was learning the experience the Sharks had accumulated over ten thousand years, rapidly adapting to this era.

"Who told you that?"

Tyberos asked.

"Those mortals."

Feeling that this might cause some unnecessary misunderstanding, Kahurangi added,

"They never concealed their origins. They merely borrowed the identity of the Deathwatch, even directly ignoring the Codex Astartes to recruit Astra Militarum troops as mortal Auxilia. You know it as well: with that equipment and style of warfare, once they entered the Imperium's sight, it would be impossible to keep it hidden."

"As for how they store such a massive quantity of war machines, that is probably not a secret we should be investigating."

"Mm."

Tyberos nodded in approval.

When it came to not prying into secrets, the Carcharodons possessed astonishing self-awareness.

The Void Forefather had even bestowed an ancient artifact like Void Glass upon the Carcharodons. It was no great surprise for these clearly extraordinary warriors to possess something like pocket space.

As for the Chapter's stolen Void Glass...

The moment Tyberos thought of it, a headache came over him.

That annoyance quickly turned into rage, driving Tyberos to shift his gaze toward the culprit aboard that Mechanicus Ark.

Those damned Xenos.

"Reply that the Carcharodons will provide assistance."

"Then—"

Infected by that pale fury, Kahurangi, whose terrifying desire to kill within his Raven Guard bloodline had likewise been awakened, let out a soft breath and asked,

"Should we inform Lord Romulus?"

"Of course."