Dark Eldar

The exploration fleet and battle fleet rendezvoused and sailed together toward the Dark Eldar Webway city marked on the route map.

On the Command Deck of the Busafalos battlecarrier, Qin Xa explained to Malcador what had happened in the Eldar Craftworld.

The Master of the Administratum had little interest in the details of those talks, because he knew that such matters were unlikely to be settled in the first meeting.

What interested him more was the Eldar attitude Qin Xa had described.

"As a proud race, their willingness to use human language during the meeting shows that they value you."

"I know."

"In their eyes, you are a demigod, not a mortal."

Malcador studied Qin Xa with sharp eyes, as though determined to uncover something within him.

After taking his seat upon the Golden Throne, Malcador had learned of Qin Xa and the Fourfold Trial. Now, he wanted to know whether seizing concepts from the Immaterium had changed Qin Xa's temperament.

But from what he had observed so far... no.

"If the Eldar are willing to let humanity have a place in the Webway, provided that we form an alliance or something similar." Qin Xa looked solemnly at Malcador. "How likely do you think The Emperor is to agree to an alliance?"

Humanity already had a foothold in the Webway; the Webway city of Calasta was proof of that.

But Qin Xa was not merely referring to whether humanity could enter the Webway and establish itself there. He meant using the Webway to become a more powerful interstellar civilization.

That was how Malcador understood it.

"In my view, it would be best if the Eldar could offer assistance. Exploring Webway routes will cost us incalculable sacrifices and consume a great deal of time. Imagine it—what if the exploration fleet you