"Pass me that sanctified oil, brother, and I'll tell you why we no longer investigate certain genetic patterns in our maintenance protocols." The aged Smith's hands moved steadily over the plasma injector he was blessing, his movements precise despite the weight of memory.
"Captain Thaddeus - Emperor guide his soul - was one of our most methodical commanders. Between battles, he spent thirty years analyzing the genetic markers in our combat enhancement systems, comparing them to recovered fragments of our earliest chapter records. The similarities he found were... remarkable. The way our bodies adapted to shadow, the natural affinity for stealth warfare. He even found correlations in how our war beasts' senses developed over generations."
The Smith paused, checking the alignment of a delicate component. "The Magos Biologis seemed interested at first. Octavian was his name - more machine than man, but he understood the importance of bloodline. Thaddeus presented his findings in the Biologis's personal data-sanctum. Had evidence stretching back eighteen generations."
"That's when everything changed. The Magos's voice turned to grinding metal, his mechadendrites writhing like angry serpents. 'Some genetic mysteries,' he thundered, 'are sealed by the Emperor's own command, upon pain of exterminatus.' The temperature plummeted as null-field generators activated, cutting off all psychic perception. Three kill-servitors materialized from hidden chambers, their weapons trained on Thaddeus's primary heart."
"'Consider this your only warning, Captain. The next researcher will be declared Excommunicate Traitoris, along with any who assisted them.' Within a day, every piece of data was corrupted. Thaddeus's personal cogitator didn't just suffer an accident - it exploded, taking two chapter serfs with it. His quarters were found bathed in sanctified acid."
The Smith carefully anointed another component with blessed oil. "They assigned him to void patrol after that. Spent fifteen years watching empty space. Never spoke about genetics again. But sometimes, during the blood rituals, you'd catch him studying the patterns in a way that suggested he knew more than he could say. The Magos's warning was clear - some questions are best left in the Emperor's hands."
Brother Validus traced the ritual scars on his palm while speaking, his voice carrying the weight of hard-learned wisdom. "The Forge World's data-vaults stretched for kilometers, brothers. Lucius IV's archives held genetic records stretching back to the Great Crusade. We thought we'd found our answer there."
"It started with the combat drugs. You've all used them - the way they interact with our enhanced physiology, how they boost our natural speed and aggression. I found records suggesting the recovery patterns matched perfectly with White Scars gene-protocols. Not just similar - identical, down to the molecular level."
"We assembled a team - two Smiths, three of our best hunters, even a war beast for detecting void signatures in the data-stacks. The Mechanicus gave us all the proper authorizations. Everything was correct, documented, approved."
"But when we reached the genetic archives..." Validus paused, checking the ritual blades' edges. "The Inquisition was already there. Not just any Inquisitors - men and women in sealed environmental suits, methodically removing and burning entire data-stacks. Their leader wore the seal of the Ordo Malleus."
"The Inquisitor's face was hidden behind a death mask of blackened steel. 'The Emperor's will remains mysterious, Captain,' she said, while her retinue of gun servitors took aim. 'Your chapter serves Him well. Should you continue this line of inquiry, I have a Grey Knights strike cruiser in orbit with exterminatus authorization. Test my resolve, if you wish.'"
"Three days later, the archive suffered a 'containment breach.' Twelve tech-priests who had assisted us were found mind-wiped, reduced to drooling servitors. The message couldn't have been clearer."
The Dreadnought's ancient voice resonated through the maintenance bay, his massive form casting long shadows. "Even in this metal shell, I remember Arc Chaplain Morvain's obsession. Decades he spent, gathering fragments of our earliest rituals, comparing them to First Founding practices. The similarities in our blood ceremonies, the way we channel our powers..."
"He found patterns - meaningful ones. The way our blood rituals enhanced our abilities matched certain redacted texts from the First Founding. The psychological architecture of our battle-meditation showed clear lines of descent. He even discovered correlations between our war beasts' genetic modifications and certain classified protocols."
"The night before he was to present his findings to the Chapter Council, I was stationed near his quarters. My sensors detected multiple unauthorized access attempts, but each bore Mechanicus authentication codes. Then came the 'plasma conduit failure.'"
"The 'plasma conduit failure' wasn't just destructive - it was precisely targeted. Three chapter serfs who had helped organize the research were atomized. The Mechanicus inspectors arrived wearing full battle-plate, their weapons humming with barely contained energy. Their leader's augmetic eyes glowed red as he declared the incident 'completely normal and unremarkable.' The implicit threat was clear: pursue this further, and the next accident would claim more than just research."
The ancient warrior's cooling systems cycled in what might have been a sigh. "Morvain understood. Took a position training initiates in the old ways. Never spoke of bloodlines again. But sometimes, during the ritual prayers, you could see him watching the war beasts with a knowing look. Some secrets, brothers, are kept even from those who bear them."
"The data-core was beautiful," Malleo's hands moved reverently through the air, describing its shape. "Ancient tech, pre-dating our chapter's official founding. Found it integrated into Brother Thalassar's dreadnought chassis during deep maintenance. The machine spirit's signature... I'd never seen anything like it."
"Three weeks I spent, communing with its spirit, decoding its mysteries. The genetic markers it contained... they spoke of our earliest days. The patterns were there, clear as Imperial truth, showing our true lineage. But before I could complete the final decryption..."
"The tech-priests bore the Draconite Seal - those authorized to declare tech-heresy on sight. 'Focus on maintaining the weapons of today, Smith,' their leader said, while his combat servitors deployed in attack formation. 'The next person to access sealed genetic data will be declared Silica Anathema. Your entire forge will be purged with holy fire.' They took the data-core and left me a citation written in the blood of the last tech-priest who had attempted similar research."
"The joint operation with the Space Wolves seemed perfect," Veritus intoned, his war beast Grimfang alert at his feet. "Their blood rituals, while different from ours, offered a chance to compare certain... similarities. I had noticed patterns in how their enhanced senses manifested, much like our war beasts."
"They were surprisingly cooperative. Their Wolf Priests shared stories of their own blood rites, and I began to see undeniable parallels. The way their bodies processed combat stimuli, their natural adaptations to hostile environments..."
"Then the Grey Knights arrived." The Chaplain's voice grew quiet. "No warning, no explanation. Just a strike cruiser entering orbit with absolute authority. The Space Wolves withdrew immediately - they understood something we didn't. All my ritual notes vanished from their secured storage. Even the blood samples we'd taken for comparison somehow decomposed instantly."
"The Grey Knights' Chaplain didn't speak so much as project pure menace. 'Your chapter's strength lies in its mystery,' he said, while his brothers readied their weapons. 'The next person who investigates these bloodlines will be declared warp-tainted and purged accordingly.' They didn't just reassign me - they executed three battle-brothers who had assisted in the research, claiming they detected 'potential corruption.' The message was written in our own brothers' blood - some secrets are kept with bolt shells and purifying flames."
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