Deep in the darkness, there were no stars, no light, only a still expanse of pure darkness that seemed to absorb all sound and colour.
Several indistinct shadows, their shapes and details impossible to discern, stood or hovered silently at different points within that darkness, forming an irregular ring.
They were the leaders of the Cabal, the "Gardeners" who had flickered in and out of sight throughout the Galaxy's long history, weaving ancient conspiracies.
The feedback from the complete severing of Mary's psychic link and the extinction of her life signs rippled through this dark space of consciousness, faint but distinct, like a stone cast into stagnant water.
"Mary has failed." A genderless voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation and seemingly forged from metal and ice, rang out in the darkness, announcing an unexpected outcome that nevertheless appeared to fall within some contingency.
"Activate the Contingency Plan." Another voice followed, old and hoarse, like dry leaves scraping together. Its words were brief and decisive, without a trace of regret for the fallen, only a cold correction to a plan gone astray.
The Contingency Plan.
It was an operation classified at a level so secret that even Mary had known nothing of it.
It did not target Lorgar himself, but a more vulnerable fulcrum, one easier to shift, yet capable of triggering a far more violent chain reaction.
The "gazes" in the darkness slowly moved in unison, focusing on two holographic images that materialised in the centre of the ring.
The images flickered with dim blue light, outlining two figures.
Their attention swept quickly past one image, the imposing figure of a resolute giant. He was not their focus.
Every "gaze" finally settled firmly upon the other image.
It showed an elegant, dignified older woman dressed in plain Macragge-style robes, her