An entire company of Doom Warriors had come to Atris and fulfilled their oath with their lives.
After issuing Exterminatus all their lives, they had finally intercepted an Exterminatus bomb for a dying world.
As the "warp metal" melted, more suits of Power Armour were pulled out. Right beside the spherical cavity stood a Terminator holding a Chainsword-the Doom Warrior Company Commander.
The Techmarines remained as devoted to machinery as ever. Their first step was not to open the Terminator armour, but to open the Chainsword's promethium-powered engine. All the promethium inside had also turned into warp metal.
There was also a large cavity around his left hand. Even the most advanced matter detectors found nothing there.
"Say something, Enke."
"By the Omnissiah, all matter turned into metal... except metal?" A hint of uncertainty had crept into Enke's voice.
Perhaps having a Librarian take a look would help more.
We could only glimpse a fragment of the truth through the Doom Warriors' final poses. Every one of them had been charging toward the sphere at the very center, their heroic figures forever frozen in that moment.
That posture was all too familiar. Evan had seen it countless times.
Across the lands of Atris, countless people had chosen to bid farewell to their lives that way.
We need not have done this, if...
If we were a match for him.
Blood Games!
(The Adeptus Custodes would have several brothers play invaders attacking the Imperial Palace, honing their combat skills and exposing weaknesses in its defenses.)
Without the guidance of Primaris Warriors, mortals were simply too slow at governing planets efficiently. They needed a... codex?
I'm not saying the codex is the enemy, okay?
I'm not.
I never said that.
What if every "Chief Commissar" wrote a planning outline based on the