Part I
In the annals of the Imperium, some discoveries are heralded by trumpets, while others are whispered of in shadows. It was chance, not destiny, that led to the uncovering of an ancient artifact beneath Ingine, a sprawling Imperial city on the planet of Mons Infirmum in Segmentum Solar.
A prolonged drought had drastically reduced the water levels in the extensive cave systems beneath the city, exposing hidden chambers that had been submerged for millennia. Local explorers, driven by curiosity, ventured into the newly accessible depths and found something unexpected - a massive xenos artifact. News of the discovery quickly reached Inquisitor D'Rose, who immediately recognized the potential significance of such a find. Acting with characteristic ruthlessness, he ensured the explorers' silence and took control of the site, implementing strict security measures to keep the discovery a closely guarded secret.
Despite his extensive knowledge, D'Rose had little understanding of how the artifact operated. However, his sharp intellect and deep understanding of xenos technology allowed him to deduce that it was a gate, seemingly capable of connecting distant parts of the galaxy not unline the Aeldari webway. The implications of such a device were staggering—it could potentially bridge the divide caused by the Great Rift, restoring communication and travel between separated sectors of the Imperium. Driven by this tantalizing prospect, D'Rose became obsessed with unlocking the gate's secrets, aware that its activation could be a monumental breakthrough for him and for the whole Imperium.
The fact that it might not all end well crossed his mind only briefly and was dismissed at once.
Part II
Inquisitor D'Rose, a dedicated member of the Ordo Malleus, found himself struggling to unlock the secrets of the alien gate. The artifact's intricate mechanisms and ancient design were beyond even his extensive knowledge. Realizing he needed help, he reached out to his former friend and pupil, Majaal, who had since become an inquisitor in his own right.
Together, D'Rose and Majaal worked tirelessly on the artifact, managing to unlock many of its secrets. With each breakthrough, it became increasingly clear that the gate had the potential to be everything D'Rose had hoped for—a means to bridge the divide caused by the Great Rift and restore communication and travel between separated sectors of the Imperium. However, alongside these promising discoveries were worrying signs that not all was as it seemed. Majaal began to fear that the gate might be corrupted or part of an ancient xenos trap lying in wait for anyone who attempted to use it.
Their collaboration, once driven by mutual respect and a shared goal, started to fray under the strain of these growing concerns. Heated discussions turned into fierce arguments as D'Rose's determination clashed with Majaal's increasing caution. Majaal's fear that the risk was too high eventually led him to a desperate decision: he would destroy the gate, regardless of the cost.
Deep within the underground chambers, Majaal attempted to plant explosives around the artifact. However, he was discovered by one of D'Rose's loyal associates, who quickly alerted the inquisitor. D'Rose arrived just in time to confront his former pupil. The situation escalated rapidly, and Majaal barely managed to escape with his life, leaving D'Rose determined to protect and activate the gate, while Majaal vowed to prevent its use at any cost.
The end of Inquisitor D'Rose
Inquisitor D'Rose stood before the towering structure of the Gate of Destiny, the ancient archeotech now humming with an otherworldly energy. The surrounding area buzzed with the activity of tech-priests and servitors, all engaged in the final preparations for the gate's first activation. The air was thick with anticipation, the gravity of the moment pressing down on everyone present. This was not merely a test; it was the culmination of years of effort and the potential dawn of a new era for the Imperium.
D'Rose, clad in his ornate armor and bearing the sigils of his office, approached the gate with measured steps. Each stride resonated with purpose, his mind filled with visions of uniting the fragmented halves of the Imperium. This ancient technology, if it worked, could bridge the vast distances of space in an instant, offering a lifeline to beleaguered worlds and isolated systems. Hope flickered in his heart, a rare ember in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium.
The tech-priests chanted the final rites, and the gate flared to life, its surface shimmering like liquid glass. Taking a deep breath, D'Rose stepped forward, feeling the strange pull of the gate's energy envelop him. He passed through the shimmering barrier and found himself in an un-space, a realm unlike the material universe and yet not akin to the Warp either. It was a place where reality seemed thin and malleable, where the rules of existence were tenuous at best.
At first, it was serene, almost beautiful. The dream of connecting the Imperium seemed within reach, the possibilities endless. But then, things began to shift. Strange, formless shapes appeared in the distance—moving, yet stationary; approaching, yet distant. D'Rose's senses strained to comprehend the paradoxical sight, but the more he tried, the less sense it made. His surroundings began to twist and writhe, the very fabric of reality undulating like a storm-tossed sea.
He looked down at his hands, only to see them elongate and distort, fingers twisting into impossible angles. All directions lost meaning as up became down, and left became right. The very concept of "self" started to blur, his thoughts unraveling in the face of this otherworldly chaos. Everything was losing meaning, the familiar anchors of reality slipping away.
Then, with a faint, almost inconsequential cracking sound, Inquisitor D'Rose ceased to exist. It was not a dramatic explosion or a grand disappearance—just a quiet, abrupt end, as if the universe itself had simply decided to erase his presence. The gate, still shimmering and humming, stood as the only testament to his brief venture into the unknown.
Final Report
++++ REPORT ON OPERATIONS ON MONS INFIRMUM ++++
++++ FROM: Inquisitorial Office of Lord Inquisitor Black Hat++++
++++ TO: Ordo Malleus Command++++
++++ DATE: 21124.M41++++
++++ SUBJECT: Summary of Campaign and Incident Review++++
++++ PRIORITY: High++++
Executive Summary of the Mons Infirmum Campaign
Following planetfall by forces aligned either directly or indirectly with Inquisitor Majaal, the initial days were characterized by smaller skirmishes as units advanced from multiple directions toward Hive Ingine. Only one significant conflict occurred within this phase, located in the mining station deep in the Ka’hoornik mountains, where local miners were trapped between Tyranid hordes on one side and hostile Kroot on the other. Elements from two Astartes chapters intervened to secure the location.
Inquisitor D'Rose's forces largely contained the incursions outside Hive Ingine, bolstered by mobilization of the local Planetary Defense Forces, allowing D'Rose's side a slow but steady advantage. However, by the end of the first campaign week, severe incidents disrupted this tenuous stability.
In the north, an Adeptus Mechanicus expeditionary force led by Tech-Priest Dominus NΩΞ encountered disaster while tracking a lost expedition. A Tyranid-infested geothermal plant was ignited by its sole surviving operator, triggering a volcanic explosion that eliminated all life within a 20-mile radius, including Mechanicus forces.
Reports to the governor’s palace were increasingly grim:
A malfunction at the hydro-electric plant (World Eaters reportedly sighted);
Salamander forces mounting an assault on Hive Ingine’s inner defenses;
Death Guard activity around the city’s main reservoir, raising severe contamination risks;
Astartes clashing with fellow Astartes.
Positive news arrived from Blood Angels Captain Bayle, who reported the recovery of a lost Chapter relic. However, this victory was marred by the Mechanicum’s ill-fated discovery of a chamber containing a shard of the Void Dragon, which promptly escaped confinement, spreading further chaos.
As Hive Ingine plunged into chaos, power outages crippled operations and mass abductions targeted the nobility’s families. The Iron Warriors corrupted the Termination Cannon with warp energies. Despite a final Astra Militarum offensive to prevent its firing, Khorne’s fanatics obliterated resistance, and the cannon unleashed its altered payload, impacting the southern hive. The munition grew exponentially, obliterating everything in its path.
Facing a complete loss of control, Inquisitor D'Rose activated the Gate of Destiny. After sacrificing his Grey Knights and allying with Chaos elements, he attempted to harness the Gate himself, disappearing without trace.
Inquisitor Majaal soon reclaimed the Gate but found managing the chaos he had unleashed impossible. Amidst reports of an incoming Iron Warriors warband, Majaal too stepped into the Gate and vanished.
Upon arrival, Lord Inquisitor Black Hat found Hive Ingine devastated. The landscape bore festering water bodies, a Necron obelisk in the desert, and roaming warbands of Xenos and Heretics preying on scattered survivors. Quintus, the planetary governor, was executed, and orbital bombardments were ordered to eliminate remaining threats.
++++ END OF REPORT ++++
Epilogue
Lord Inquisitor Black Hat stood on the bridge of his vessel, Obsidian Edict, his gaze fixed on the screens before him. The sprawling hive city of Mons Infirmum was laid out below, half-consumed by clouds of dust and ash, the fallout of the orbital strikes he had just commanded.
“Bring up visuals from the impact zone,” he ordered, his voice clipped and cold. He had seen countless planets purged, but the weight of Mons Infirmum pressed heavier than most.
Across the bridge, officers moved with rigid haste, fingers dancing over cogitator terminals, relaying commands to the fleet. "My lord,” a tech-priest intoned, “we are detecting... disturbances... anomalies within the impact zones.” Static crackled through the vox systems, the data streams garbled as if twisted by unseen hands.
“What kind of anomalies?” Black Hat demanded, impatience sharpening his tone.
The tech-priest hesitated, a stutter of fear breaking through the static-laden report. “The impact zones appear to be... expanding, my lord. Not in mere physical destruction but... something else entirely. A chain reaction—spreading out in all directions at impossible speeds.”
An icy knot tightened in Black Hat’s chest. “All ships, initiate immediate withdrawal from planetary orbit—now.” His command echoed through the bridge, the ship’s warning klaxons roaring to life.
With grim determination, Black Hat approached the viewport. He had seen enough in his time to know when to trust his eyes over failing cogitators. The impact zones, once blackened scars on the hive’s surface, had transformed into a writhing, shimmering expanse. Its color, an impossible shade of mercury, ebbed and flowed, a volatile silver liquid pulsating across the ruins and spreading faster than anything he’d seen outside the warp.
For a brief, haunting moment, he thought he saw something flicker within the silvery haze—a half-formed shape, then another. Black Hat leaned forward, squinting, though he felt the urge to look away from the mercury-like anomaly. It was too much like the warp to be safe, but not enough to be familiar. It was as though the fabric of realspace itself had begun to dissolve.
“Get us out of here!” he barked. “Engage all escape protocols—no exceptions.”
As the engines roared to life, he knew the maneuvers would be harsh. Plasma coils engaged to near overload, rattling the hull. A neighboring frigate veered dangerously close, its commander blocking their path as he struggled to break orbit. For an instant, Black Hat weighed his options. Deciding to take no chances, he ordered the Obsidian Edict to fire all available weapons at the frigate. At such point-blank distance, the destruction was immediate and brutal, the vessel shattering into fragments. Obsidian Edict ploughed through the wreckage of thousands of souls, finally breaking free. Black Hat thanked the poor souls for their sacrifice and spared them no further thought.
Behind them, the silver expanse continued to grow, blossoming outward from the planet’s surface, enveloping nearby ships that failed to disengage in time. The anomaly spread in eerie silence, swallowing Mons Infirmum whole, expanding like an insatiable tide.
Finally, Obsidian Edict and the few remaining ships reached the edge of the system. The bridge was silent, the crew dazed, shaken but alive. Black Hat’s gaze turned once more toward the viewport, observing the sphere of shimmering mercury that now loomed where Mons Infirmum had been. The cogitators continued to struggle, incapable of rendering the structure as anything recognizable, their machine minds failing to grasp the true nature of what they saw.
“No signs of warp disturbance,” muttered a tech-priest, adjusting the dials frantically. “It does not seem to consume as the warp does, nor does it spew back the taint of the immaterium.”
“Then what is it?” Black Hat asked, though he expected no answer. He stepped closer to the viewport, his breath misting the glass as he peered into the heart of the thing, daring to look deeper. The surface of the anomaly rippled like the skin of a vast, mercurial ocean, absorbing the light around it, drawing the space into itself.
And then he saw it—a faint outline behind the shifting veil. Not just one, but many outlines, like pebbles in a murky aquarium. Eventually, he stepped back, having recognized them for what they were. Planets.
Black Hat cocked his head, wondering, though his eyes remained fixed on the spectacle. The veil, thin as it appeared, held entire realms beyond it. How many worlds lay behind that barrier? Worlds unscathed by the Imperium’s reach? The worlds of Imperium Nihilus? Or perhaps long-forgotten worlds, from eras long gone?
The Inquisitor Lord’s grip tightened around the edge of the viewport. Whatever lay beyond that barrier, he knew one thing for certain: Mons Infirmum had become more than another lost world. It had become a gateway—one unlike any the Imperium had ever encountered.