The Aegis Sector, aboard the 11th Chapter's flagship strike cruiser, the Dark Monarch.
Per Koschelny recalled the situations on the sector's twin worlds, Heldo and Manlock, and the corner of his mouth curled up.
The Mentor of Chaos seemed thoughtful. He had found something he could exploit.
Heldo's slavers ran rampant across the eastern frontier. In the years since The Emperor's arrival, they had often clashed with the fleets of Saramas and Gulgolad, seeking to establish a kingdom of their own.
They had allied themselves with the chieftains of Manlock, refusing to abandon their dream of conquest.
"It truly is ironic. The Night Lords punished Heldo, flaying the skins of the powerful to decorate the central halls of the Hive Cities and forcing them to submit to The Emperor's will."
"That humiliating submission filled them with resentment, and the long-standing disgrace drove them into Horus's camp."
He looked at the two Barons of Corruption before him and understood the meaning of the Black Emperor's oracle.
He hoped to use the old grudge between Heldo, Manlock, and the Night Lords to make them loyal to the Black Emperor.
"Proceed according to the plan."
"Yes, sir," the Barons of Corruption replied in unison.
The Shadow-pattern Stormbird slowly descended. Through his narrow field of view, the Baron of Corruption looked out over Manlock.
Information on Manlock flashed through his mind. A world built by the Aeldari?
Manlock was nine times the size of Terra. Its seasons changed, yet remained exceptionally stable and regular.
Its three identical moons were positioned precisely in optimal orbits, keeping the tides and winds steady.
As a member of the Aeldari Hunter Order, the world he had just arrived upon matched the characteristics of a Crone World.
Golden corn entered Obsidian's vision, its full kernels swaying in the wind.