Cordelia seemed to have a long dream.
In a haze, she found herself on a battlefield. Countless monsters were pierced and dissolved by tentacles bursting from the ground. Then the tentacles wrapped around a colossal figure, and dark red lightning began to disintegrate its body. A scream rang across the world, tearing at her eardrums. Just as Cordelia continued to wander through her dream, a voice jolted her awake.
"Space Superman, open your eyes. I am Zoffy." Startled awake, Cordelia saw Hogg in the room speaking in a strange tone, saying things she couldn't understand.
"My lord, who is Zoffy?" The bleary-eyed Eldar asked the question she most wanted answered.
With no one to play along, Hogg could only reminisce about his old internet buddies, hoping one of his good friends would come keep him company.
"Zoffy is an incredibly powerful life-form. I once fought him for three days and three nights. Luckily, I was the more skilled fighter. I fused with the faith of all the children of Terra and transformed into an exalted form, then defeated him with a single Ultra Slash. But a hero like him shouldn't go unrecognized, so I often tell my children about him. I'm teaching them that when it comes to fighting, you should never go one-on-one. You should gang up on your opponent."
"Wow! My lord, you're so funny."
Helpless, Cordelia could only flatter him. After all, Hogg was now her direct superior.
For some reason, after waking up and seeing Hogg, she felt something about him was different. He seemed a little kinder, and she wanted to stand beside him, hug him, and just... "Ah! Cordelia, how could you have thoughts like that? You must've slept too much." She shook off the strange fantasies in her mind, got up, and followed Hogg.
As his first experimental subject, and the one he had modified most extensively, Cordelia's transformation mattered greatly to Hogg. After running a battery of tests in the lab, he concluded that the specimen was stable and developing exactly as his enhancement system had been designed to.
"Cordelia, do you remember the drink I gave you? It contained my blood. That blood is strengthening your body. Just as I promised, after the Eldar under your command are enhanced, they'll gradually escape the Chaos Gods' attention and truly become my children." Hogg pointed to the data on the monitor and explained everything in detail.
"Thank you for your gift, Holy Father."
Understanding the reason behind her changes put Cordelia at ease. What she didn't know was how much trouble the enhanced Eldar would cause in the future.
The two arrived on the surface of Aiers. Cordelia had been asleep for a month, and a great deal had happened during that time.
First, Yack's Blacklight Cult had been established, and all its members had received enhancements from G301. They were now working overtime to print the Blacklight Scripture and begin spreading their faith.
Next, the Eldar's small Craftworld had docked at Aiers's starport, and large numbers of Eldar civilians and soldiers had begun helping build the settlement.
For the human colonists, who had never seen the wider world, if the Primarch said these long, thin Knife-ears were allies, then they were allies. After all, the people who had suffered hardship could finally get enough to eat here.
Although those Knife-ears had been aloof and unable to speak the local language at first, once they'd spent enough time together, they could head to a bar after work and share a Nuka-Cola.
Meanwhile, a huge number of Tech-priests had flocked to Yack's Blacklight Cult. Their impressive religious devotion had made them the backbone of the cult, and whenever they had nothing to do, they gathered around Hogg's figurine and danced awkwardly.
Candice Laza, Hogg's secret number-one fan, got along famously with Yack. The two laid down strict rules for the cult's dances, and a hooded robe embroidered with crimson stripes became the Blacklight Cult's signature garment.
Following Hogg, the two arrived at a training ground packed with warriors from both races. Three Space Marines and two Eldar Warriors were assigned to each squad. Ten squads in total, armed with specially modified signal guns that couldn't kill anyone, began a Great Krumpin in the war-ravaged ruins.
The Primarch's arrival drew cheers from the Blackwatch below. The Eldar, not knowing what was going on, caught the enthusiasm and cheered too. "See? Wasn't my idea a good one?" The two sat on a raised platform facing a huge screen that was broadcasting the battle live.
"My lord, what are they doing?"
Having never seen anything like it, Cordelia watched the screen. A Howling Banshee in Squad Nine used a psychic scream to disrupt the opposing squad. Several Space Marines with Bolters burst out of the ground and opened fire, while a stealthy Striking Scorpion circled around behind them. Soon, smoke poured from the devices on the opposing squad members' backs, and they were declared out.
"It's a battle royale! It's a training method from ancient Terra. Back in my day, I was known as the king of landing and gunfights, a close-combat prodigy in the grass. I don't know how many young people's esports dreams I crushed." Hogg munched on snacks like a bloodthirsty spectator. Whenever something exciting happened, he'd even stand up, snatch the commentator's microphone, and start providing commentary.
"Let's see how the battle's going now. Squad Seven is fully equipped and beginning to encircle its opponents. Squad Three's assault trooper made one mistake and got taken out—no, that wasn't a mistake! Squad Three's Warp Spider managed to sneak through. The assault trooper perfectly drew their fire! Squad Seven is in a desperate situation. It looks like they're about to be eliminated.
"Good heavens! What's this? There's another expert! It's the surviving Space Marine from Squad Nine. He actually made it through! Let's watch the replay to see how he became the last champion."
The commentator switched the screen to a replay. It turned out that during the initial firefight, a Farseer from Squad Nine had used psychic teleportation to send the only undetected teammate to an upper floor of the ruins. While the opposing squads were fighting, the Space Marine had used a Lasgun to steal a kill and become the last survivor.
After the drill, all ten squads gathered in the center. The victorious Squad Nine stepped onto the stage. Hogg, as the Primarch, presented the winners with their prizes, with Cordelia standing beside him. In that moment, the two races set aside their differences and cheered for the victors onstage.
As an Eldar, Cordelia understood what Hogg had meant by an alliance. With the enemy in the Warp looming, the only way forward for her people was to develop alongside the Blackwatch.
"Kid, do you understand now?" Hogg asked Cordelia when they returned to the bridge.
"My lord, I've seen it. You've kept your promise. My people can develop alongside humanity, and in the future, we'll contribute to your cause in our own way. But my people are very weak compared to the rest of our kind. We can join the Blackwatch, but what about the others? Like my cousins."
Knowing her kin well, Cordelia realized there was a problem. What would Hogg do about those who refused to join the Blackwatch?
"The others? You mean the Dark Eldar? Remember, Cordelia: the strong always hold the power to decide. If they don't join our feast, then they're Xenos—obstacles standing in the way of the Eldar's greatness. I don't like reasoning with people and trying to persuade them. Physical pacification is their proper fate.
"If this world won't move forward according to my will, Cordelia, then let the Galaxy burn and all life fall into Silence."
Hogg, who was usually so irreverent, wore a bloodthirsty smile. It was as if his usual manner had all been an act.
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