Yuno returned, carrying a cloud of resentment with her. In her hand, she dragged the upper half of War's body; War's arms hung limp, looking as though she were on the verge of death.
"What happened? Who did this to War?"
"I did. She failed to capture Dante and let him escape."
Yuki immediately shut his mouth. If that was the case, there really wasn't much to say.
Yuno casually tossed the battered remains of War aside, her attention drawn to an ear Yuki had placed inside a small vacuum container.
"What's that?"
"Isha's ear."
"The Eldar's Isha?"
"Yes."
Yuki gave a brief explanation of his deal with Nurgle. Yuno considered it seriously for a moment before replying, "That's the first time he's ever held me in such high regard. I suppose I can give it a try."
With that, she reached out, telekinetically pulling Isha's ear toward her and tossing it straight into her mouth.
"How does it taste?"
"Pah! Terrible. Tastes like a diseased pig."
As Yuno swallowed the ear, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. Yuki was startled as he felt the virus begin to spread through the Hive Mind, but in the next instant, Yuno suppressed its power.
"This virus is definitely something else. It'll take me some time to digest it."
Yuno looked out at Hinnom, which had been picked clean by the Tyranids.
"Let's wait for Hive Fleet Kronos to arrive first."
Hive Fleet Kronos arrived four Terran standard months later. It was a massive force.
In the original timeline, Hive Fleet Kronos was a collection of splinter fleets that coalesced from across the galaxy after the opening of the Great Rift. However, after Yuno connected to the "internet" and saw how the plot developed, she decided to form the fleet early to prevent the forces of Chaos from expanding and interfering with her "meals."
Thinking of this, Yuki suddenly asked, " Yuno, since you can see the future plot, can't the other four see it too?"
"How would they see it? They don't understand the language over there. I only got lucky because I met you; otherwise, the most I'd know is that we were created. Those four love pulling people in, but honestly, the Chaos Gods are manageable—it's the Emperor of Mankind who's the main culprit. He loves pulling people in especially."
"Then I—"
"You were likely pulled in by him. I felt it the moment you arrived. It's possible our souls had already formed some kind of connection before that."
"Hmm, that makes my feelings a bit complicated all of a sudden."
As they spoke, Hive Fleet Kronos arrived. It was stationed only two planets away from the Aether Fleet, and the entire sector was nearly filled to the brim with bio-ships.
"What's the plan? Do we consume and merge them into one fleet, or keep them as two groups for me to command?"
Yuno rested her chin on her finger, thinking seriously for a moment before answering.
"The latter. Hive Fleet Kronos is specialized against Chaos, while the Aether Fleet should remain versatile. After the Great Rift opens, these two fleets will have to operate separately anyway."
"Can we stop the Great Rift from happening?"
"If we tried, the Imperium and Abaddon would just team up to fight us. Besides, no matter what we do, the destruction of Cadia is an absolute event. That cannot be changed."
Yuki felt a tinge of regret. The synaptic network of Hive Fleet Kronos had already synchronized with the Aether Fleet. His mind was instantly flooded with information: a Shadow in the Warp of disproportionate scale, and an absurdly high number of ranged and psychic bio-forms.
This truly was a fleet designed specifically to counter Chaos.
Yuki thought it over. While the two fleets wouldn't consume each other like typical splinter fleets, they would be acting as one for the next several decades. In that case, the name needed a slight tweak.
"From now on, our combined force will be called the Aether-Kronos Fleet!"
Yuno looked at Yuki with a shocked expression.
"If you gave me twenty years, I still couldn't come up with a naming convention that stupid."
"Is it not good? It's simple, elegant, and clean."
"It's your fleet. You call the shots."
Yuki pulled Yuno into his arms.
"So, where to next?"
Yuno opened the star map. Her answer was concise: "The Swarm has no destination. We go where there is food. It's time to go back to eating our way across the stars like a proper fleet."
Eat, eat, eat...
After a moment's thought, Yuki made his decision. "Let's go. There's plenty to eat on the way."
The Great Cathedral of Saint Alatea.
Located on the Agri-World of Atlan, it was the largest cathedral in the surrounding sectors. Today was the day of the Grand Mass.
However, standing at the very front of the plaza were not the red-robed Archbishops, but a group of impeccably armored Battle Sisters. They bowed their heads in devout prayer, offering their loyalty to the Emperor who sat upon the Golden Throne, sacrificing Himself for humanity.
The leader of the Sisters of Battle wore gear identical to the others. Her face was extraordinarily beautiful; few would believe at first glance that she was a hardened warrior who had been fighting for over fifty years.
After the lengthy religious ceremony concluded, Hopper asked the Archbishop a simple question: "Where is Sister Steph?"
On the other side of Atlan, due to its orbital path, this frigid region remained in perpetual darkness. The crops here were all grown underground. A small chapel stood here, providing a sanctuary of faith for tens of thousands of residents.
Hopper stood at the entrance of the chapel, hesitating slightly.
Decades had passed since her battle with Yuki in the Realm of Ultramar. She could feel that her body had reached its peak; as time marched on, her strength would only begin to wane.
She was lost. Over the years, she had slain countless xenos and heretics, even personally overseeing the scouring of suspicious planets. But the man she had sworn to kill remained out of reach.
It was during this time she heard news of Steph. The Sister who had led her onto this path of no return—this glorious path—had retired from active duty to teach the common folk in this small chapel.
Hopper composed herself, left her guards at the entrance, and walked in alone.
The chapel was empty at the moment, as the residents were busy at work. She looked at the humble idol in the center. The Great Cathedral was opulently decorated, claiming such luxury was necessary to serve more believers.
Pure corruption.
Hopper gently tapped a perpetual lamp. An elderly Sister walked out.
"Who is it? Don't touch things!" Steph grumbled, then paused as she saw Hopper. The sight of the power armor brought a kind smile to her face.
"Oh, a Battle Sister. I heard a unit had arrived here. Many years ago, I was a Sister of Battle myself. But the Emperor protects; I survived so many battles, and now that I can no longer fight for Him, I can only spread His will here."
Steph led Hopper on a tour of the modest chapel.
"The unit I served in valued our education. After I retired, reading the Lectitio Divinitatus a few times was enough to let me teach them about the God-Alpha's grace."
"Steph—"
"Yes, Hopper?"
Hopper and Steph looked at each other and laughed.
"I was wondering when you were going to acknowledge me. I was about to run out of things to make up."
"When did you recognize me?"
"The moment I saw you."