When the Loyalists' fleet successfully left the Warp and returned to realspace, Dante's communications team all but exploded with activity.
Countless reports flooded aboard the Wrath of Baal.
The Astropaths were almost overwhelmed by the endless stream of messages.
After Dante reviewed the reports, one important piece of intelligence was passed to Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson.
To defeat their enemy, they had to understand it. They had to find out exactly what Chaos was doing.
Since their departure, secret Inquisition Fortresses in nearby other Star Systems had detected cosmic erosion on a staggering scale.
An immense energy surge had erupted from the direction of the Dreaming Stars, leaving a vast void in the Star System.
The world designated Demonwood Planet had vanished entirely.
And all of this had happened after the loss of the Tuchulcha Engine.
Guilliman did not know the precise functions of Caliban's artifacts. On that front, he could only place his hopes in Lion El'Jonson.
Yet Lion El'Jonson knew little about the specifics of these artifacts either.
The only ones he could turn to were the Watchers in the Dark.
Although no one knew the Watchers in the Dark's exact origins or identities, all available evidence suggested that these strange little robed figures had been overseeing the artifacts for countless ages.
While Lion El'Jonson and Guilliman were busy discussing the artifacts' secrets and Vashtorr's intentions, Iax was leafing contentedly through a document Guilliman had sent him.
Iax still could not understand why such a document needed to be written on parchment. But based on his current understanding of the Imperium's various documents, the Imperial heraldry and numerous wax seals all indicated that this document carried considerable weight.
One corner also bore a distinctive Adeptus Mechanicus emblem. Iax knew its origin very well: it was Cawl's emblem.
Although