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Chapter 330: Curing the Red Thirst and the Hunt
🕑 Added 2025-09-30 12:28:48 +0000 UTCChapter 330: Curing the Red Thirst and the Hunt
"Then how are we to deal with these Tyranids?" Dante asked. "If we can stop them from devouring more biomass and reduce their numbers, I believe sacrificing the Cryptus System would be worth it. And if, as you say, the Necrons will also be joining this battle, our actions might even bring us into conflict with those xenos."
"I can understand your concern. If sacrificing the Cryptus System truly helps secure Baal, then for you, it is indeed a worthy trade," Lucan acknowledged. "But I have my own methods. I am confident that I can directly find the Tyranids' central synapse-creature, the being known as the Norn-Queen. As for the Necrons you mentioned... we don't need to cooperate with them to annihilate the Tyranids once they have lost their command and have been reduced to mere beasts. And if those 'Ribs' turn around and attack us, then we will fight! In the end, they are just a single Necron dynasty. We are not declaring all-out war."
Dante had no objection to fighting the Necrons. The Imperium's attitude towards xenos had always been thus. In desperate times, one could cooperate secretly, but if the situation in the Cryptus System could be stabilized and held, then for him to sacrifice hundreds of billions of human lives in an entire system in exchange for cooperation with the Necrons... if word of that got out, Dante's reputation would be ruined. It would be a betrayal of the Emperor and of the great Sanguinius.
The only question Dante had was, did they truly have enough strength to destroy these Tyranids?
"Lord Lucan, by my calculations, the forces we have on hand are not nearly enough." Dante knew that the fleets they currently possessed could not possibly accomplish this.
"We are not the only ones coming to help," Lucan revealed. "From the moment he received the distress call from the Cryptus System, Guilliman began to organize his own crusade fleet and is heading this way. His fleet is too large, so its speed is relatively slow. But you can summon the successor chapters of the Blood Angels to join the battle. With the speed of your Astartes warships, they should be able to get here in time. As for the Tyranid swarm, I will deal with it. You have seen what is happening on Iphix. The Zerg under my command are more than enough to handle the Tyranids' numbers!"
In the original timeline, the Battle for Baal had attracted nearly thirty Chapters, with the number of Astartes reaching over 30,000. Even if each Chapter only brought three or four warships, that was still nearly a hundred vessels.
The appearance of the Zerg on Cadia had drawn the attention of every informed individual in the Imperium. The Imperium's state policy towards xenos meant that at first, many were terrified of their existence. All attempts to find them had failed, until a joint statement from the Adeptus Custodes and Guilliman claimed that they were bio-weapons created by the Emperor, with no self-awareness and completely obedient to humanity. Only then had the situation calmed down slightly. Whether people believed it or not, at least the Zerg's existence was now, by Imperial law, legal and compliant.
As Lucan had said, he had been in constant contact with Guilliman since arriving in the Cryptus System. With the resources provided by Lucan, Guilliman's First and Second Fleets were already on their way. As long as Lucan could kill the Norn-Queen, the Shadow in the Warp would certainly be weakened, or even disappear. The loss of the synapse-creature would cause the Hive Mind to lose its perception of the Tyranid creatures. This would also make it possible for the Imperial reinforcement fleets to enter the field.
And without the Hive Mind's command, the Tyranid tendril would retreat out of survival instinct, fleeing the Cryptus System and scattering in different directions. This instinct was carved into their genes. These scattered tendrils would still seek out biomass, attacking and devouring other star systems along their path until they had accumulated enough to form a new Tyranid tendril. Behemoth, Kraken—these massive Tyranid tendrils of the past had all been defeated, but they had not been completely destroyed. The smaller tendrils that had broken off were still rampaging throughout the Imperium.
Lucan had also consulted with Guilliman on how to utilize the crusade fleet he was bringing, as well as the forces gathered from the surrounding sectors and systems. To solve the problem of Leviathan in the Hazeroth Abyss, and perhaps even the Tyranid danger in the galaxy, once and for all, they would not enter the field directly.
Lucan was worried that if Leviathan realized it could not win, it would simply retreat. Then, the chance to find the Norn-Queen among the countless bio-ships, and through it, the Tyranid "Ancient Ship" in the galaxy, would vanish. The Tyranids' bodies were just shells; their consciousness and soul could be transmitted like a network. If the Hierophants and Hive Tyrants had this ability, then the Norn-Queen must have a similar one. If the Norn-Queen destroyed its own body and uploaded its consciousness to the Hive Mind, it would be truly impossible to find it.
When Kerrigan had devoured Tiberius, she had discovered a characteristic of the Hive Mind. Each synapse creature was like a relay station. The Hive Mind's commands were transmitted down from the top. Although every synapse creature, even a basic Warrior, was linked to the Hive Mind, to find the Norn-Queen or the Ancient Ship by devouring a Warrior would require passing through several more relay stations. The moment it sensed a threat of exposure, the Norn-Queen or the Ancient Ship would sever the connection, just as the Norn-Queen had cut its link to the Genestealer Patriarch.
This was why Lucan and Kerrigan had been waiting for a sufficiently powerful synapse creature to appear. As long as they could devour it fast enough, and there were few enough relay stations, the Norn-Queen and the Ancient Ship would not have time to react.
Dante, after a moment of contemplation, did not completely agree with Lucan's proposal. He did not approve of the idea of summoning the successor chapters.
"That is not feasible. Although the parent Chapter holds a special place in the eyes of its successors, and while sacred Baal may be in potential danger, it is not under direct attack. They will not necessarily respond to my call for a war in the Cryptus System alone. And they have their own operational duties. I cannot summon them here for my own interests. Such a thing I cannot do, and most Chapters would not accept it. Although these successor chapters were all split off from the Blood Angels, so many years have passed. We have almost no contact with many of them. Most of the warriors in some of these chapters have never even set foot on the soil of Baal. Perhaps they still consider themselves sons of Sanguinius, but they would not recognize my leadership."
Dante spoke his concerns truthfully.
"Baal is indeed not in direct danger yet," Lucan said, smiling. "But I believe there is something just as important in the Cryptus System that no successor chapter will be able to refuse. Have you forgotten? A way to cure the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. I believe this matter is of no less importance than the safety of Baal, is it not?"
"Wait... what do you mean by that?! Have you already found a way?!"
"That's right. An hour ago, my Tech-priests sent me the solution."
After receiving Lucan's order, Pavian had suspended all other projects and had devoted the full computational power of the Panacea to cracking the Blood Angels' genetic flaw. And the STC had not disappointed.
"Lord Lucan! Are you certain of what you're saying?!"
"Of course," Lucan replied. "I stake my life on it."
"Sanguinius above... alright! If it is as you say, then that reason is indeed sufficient for me to summon all the successor chapters. But I must see the effects first!"
"Of course. Dante, come. To my warship. My Tech-priests are already synthesizing the serum."
Using the laboratories on the Stellar Pioneer, the Tech-priests had already more or less finished producing the cure. Due to the limited materials on the flagship, they had only been able to produce ten doses in a short amount of time.
A Tech-priest handed a box containing the serum to Dante. Dante opened it and carefully took one of the vials in his hand. The entire serum was as red as blood. It was called a serum, but it looked more like human blood. Dante's heart was pounding with anticipation.
"Tech-priest, are you certain this isn't human blood?"
"Commander Dante, of course. Every step was carried out in strict accordance with the procedure provided by the Panacea. We swear on the name of the great Holy Machine, it will absolutely have the intended effect."
This was too important to the Blood Angels. If it was truly effective, then the Chapter would face a new dawn. Dante, without a moment's delay, took the serum back to the Blade of Vengeance. He summoned his two company captains and his Sanguinary Priests.
Dante and the three others gathered around a round table. He handed one of the vials to the Chief Sanguinary Priest, Corbulo. "Corbulo, analyze its structure. I need to know if it is truly effective for us."
Corbulo took it with great solemnity. As the Chief Priest, he had always been searching for a cure for the Chapter's curse. The idea that Augus might be a cure had been his proposal.
Watching Corbulo leave, the entire chapel fell into a terrible silence. Dante and the other two captains waited anxiously for the results. When Corbulo returned to the chapel, all three of them stood up at once.
"Commander Dante," Corbulo's body was trembling with excitement as he spoke, "time was too short. I could not fully confirm its composition. But it is not human blood. And from the existing results, it may... it may truly be effective."
Hearing Corbulo's answer, all three of them were incredibly excited. But they also insisted that he be the one to take the first dose. However, Corbulo and the two captains strictly refused to let Dante be the test subject. Dante was too important to the Blood Angels; he absolutely could not have any accidents.
The four of them immediately began to discuss finding a suitable test subject. Soon, Dante made his decision: they would have the Flesh Tearers Chapter, who had come with them, make the attempt.
The Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers, Seth, arrived on the Blade of Vengeance. Escorted by the Sanguinary Guard, he was on his way to the chapel. He did not yet know why Dante had summoned him.
At present, the entire Flesh Tearers Chapter had only four companies of Astartes left. And a large part of them were in the Death Company. The Flesh Tearers had been founded by the Fifth Company Captain of the original Blood Angels Legion, Amit, after the Second Founding. The original Blood Angels had all died in battle, and Amit himself had disappeared without a trace.
Most of the current members of the Flesh Tearers were from the primitive tribes of their home world, Cretacia. This savage world, filled with carnivorous flora and fauna, had made the Flesh Tearers exceptionally brutal and savage. They were not a Codex-compliant Chapter; they preferred to solve their problems with close combat. The various savage practices and customs within the Chapter also made it easier for the Flesh Tearers to fall into the Black Rage. The entire Chapter's gene-seed had shown a more severe and obvious degradation than any other Blood Angels successor.
This had resulted in the number of their Death Company being far beyond the normal amount. All those who were completely lost in the Black Rage and could not be pulled back were assigned to it. According to the Chapter's Chaplains' estimates, given the Flesh Tearers' combat style, the incidence of the Black Rage, and their recruitment methods, it was likely that within a thousand years, the entire Chapter would not be able to maintain even two companies. And within two thousand years, the Flesh Tearers Chapter would disappear from history completely.
It could be said that the Flesh Tearers were not well-liked in the Imperium. Imperial forces were afraid of being torn apart by these madmen along with the enemy. And the Flesh Tearers, having lost their sanity to the Black Rage, would indeed do so. To cover up the scandal of the Black Rage, they had even been known to systematically slaughter allied forces who had witnessed it, and had even come into direct conflict with the Space Wolves. Hundreds of Astartes had died in that conflict. Even the Sanguinary Council of the Blood Angels had become suspicious and wary of them.
The harsh reality had made Seth aware of the severity of the problem. He knew he could not save his Chapter. But if his Chapter was doomed to die, then he hoped they would die in an honorable and dignified manner, on the most brutal of battlefields. This was why he had been the first to respond to Dante's call and had done everything in his power to get to the Cryptus System.
When Seth entered the chapel, he saw Dante and the Blood Angels' captains and priests, all watching him.
"Commander Dante, I have come."
"Seth, I am glad the Flesh Tearers could answer my call. And now, an opportunity to completely save the sons of Sanguinius is before us. I need your help."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You and I both know that your Chapter is plagued by the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. Your Chapter is on the brink of collapse."
Hearing Dante's words, Seth's face was a mask of grief. He looked at Dante, as if to ask why he had to open the Flesh Tearers' old wounds. But Dante's next words made his expression change abruptly.
Dante held up the blood-red serum and said to Seth, "This gene-serum may be able to cure our genetic flaw. Seth, are you willing to try it, for the sons of Sanguinius? Your chapter is the most severely affected. Although I cannot yet be certain if it is effective, if it is, I will need you to help me verify if it is effective enough to cure all the sons of Sanguinius! You and the Flesh Tearers Chapter will receive the honor you deserve. All the sons of Sanguinius will remember your contribution!"
Hearing Dante's words, Seth immediately dropped to one knee. He had agreed almost without hesitation.
After he had removed his power armor and, under the watchful eyes of the Sanguinary Priests, lay on the operating table and was injected with the serum, he immediately felt a change within his body. That craving for blood... was actually disappearing.
"Commander Dante! It's working! I can feel the Thirst leaving my body! Sanguinius above! The Flesh Tearers are saved!"
