When Guilliman met with Cawl once more, the scene before him left the Primarch somewhat perplexed.
Automata the size of Dreadnoughts stood in disciplined phalanxes beside Cawl and Axion. That specific bodyguard construct he had encountered previously, its chassis now noticeably more polished, remained a silent sentinel behind Axion.
A gaggle of Tech-Priests loitered furtively a short distance away, emitting a constant stream of harsh, static-laden binaric cant while gesturing toward the arrayed automata.
To be honest, Guilliman had nearly raised his gauntlet to strike when he first laid eyes on the machines. Had it not been for their gleaming hulls, distinctly different from the pitted, dust-covered, and baleful green glow of Necron forms, he might have believed he had stumbled into a Necron tomb complex.
Upon closer inspection, Guilliman noted with curiosity that these automata bore no identifying marks: no Necron glyphs, no icons of the Adeptus Mechanicus, nor even the Imperial Aquila.
Guilliman's arrival did not go unnoticed by Cawl. Even though the Primarch's towering frame was partially obscured by the Erratana-class Armored Wardens, Cawl recognized the distinctive footplates of the Armor of Fate as they struck the deck.
Guilliman bypassed the phalanx of Armored Wardens and finally stood before the Archmagos. Though the open deck was hardly an ideal location for sensitive discourse, the Primarch noted that all personnel, save for the massive machines, had retreated to a respectful distance. He voiced a question that required no veil of secrecy.
"Cawl, are you familiar with the term 'Caoineag'? It is an Aeldari word; I am unfamiliar with its meaning."
Cawl froze momentarily. Had Guilliman arrived any earlier, the Archmagos would have been just as ignorant, but he now knew precisely that Caoineag was the Aeldari designation for the Breath of the Gods.
Sensing the urgency and shadow of doubt in Guilliman's expression, Cawl bowed slightly.
"My Lord Guilliman, follow me."
Cawl intended to lead the Primarch to a secure chamber for private council. However, he seemed to have forgotten his standing order for Axion to remain at his side. As the twelve Armored Wardens began to move, their six-legged chassis creating a rhythmic clatter against the deck, Cawl was forced to divert to a massive armory, signaling Axion to wait there.
Axion did not mind the arrangement, so long as he was spared the "prying hands" of the local Tech-Priests. Should any of them dare to intrude, he would be forced to teach them the cold discipline of the Iron Men.
Yet, considering that the word Caoineag was one he had first heard from Axion, Cawl ultimately invited the ancient construct to join the briefing. Cawl harbored no fear that anyone could extract unwanted data from the archives of an ancient Iron Man.
As the heavy blast doors hissed shut, the Aegis Protector turned to stand guard at the only exit. Guilliman, Cawl, and Axion stood together in the stark, isolated chamber.
"Now, I believe we are secure from prying ears," Cawl began. "Regarding the Caoineag, Lord Guilliman, what is it you wish to know?"
"Yvraine infiltrated the Dawn of Fire to deliver a warning," Guilliman replied. "She told me to stay away from the 'void zones' and mentioned the Caoineag. She has requested my aid."
Axion, who had been silent until now, spoke up for the first time in a long while.
"Caoineag. An Aeldari designation for a specific Necron machine-construct. Archmagos Cawl refers to it as the 'Breath of the Gods.' No additional nomenclature exists within my legacy data. It is a high-output energy siphoning device and a chronal manipulation apparatus."
Cawl had intended to provide the explanation himself, but having been preempted by Axion, he simply nodded in affirmation.
Guilliman recounted Yvraine's words in full and presented the Aeldari soul-crystal she had left behind. Though Cawl attempted to peer into the crystal as the Primarch described, he was unable to discern any further information.
As for Axion, though Guilliman had little hope the machine could read it, he offered it to him anyway. Axion took the crystal and immediately toggled his sensors to an energy-detection spectrum. Utilizing the crystalline properties of the device, he projected the star chart contained within.
Though the Aeldari used psychic resonance to store data, it was ultimately a structured arrangement of energy. Axion possessed no Warp-capability, but his advanced energy-scanning modes could perceive the internal energy cycles and sequences as clearly as if he were decrypting a mundane file.
When Axion projected the star chart before them, both Guilliman and Cawl fell into a momentary, self-doubting silence. Cawl cross-referenced the planetary alignments immediately and deduced the Aeldari's objective.
"Guilliman, I believe you felt it too, that sensation near the Blackstone constructs, as if the soul or the spirit were slowly withering away," Cawl said grimly. "If Yvraine's intelligence is accurate, and the Necrons succeed in this endeavor, we will find ourselves in a quagmire of infinite proportions."
"You have seen the battlefield reports. Mortal soldiers cannot sustain operations within the Necron-generated fields for long. Their combat effectiveness degrades until it vanishes entirely. The Necrons, however, are unaffected. I have been researching a way to disable this massive energy field that blankets the entire sector."
"Today, Axion identified a Necron construct depicted in a mural. Combining that with your information, I can confirm the Necrons in this region are utilizing the technology known as the Breath of the Gods to harvest infinite energy, sustaining this anomalous field."
"I never understood the Necrons' ultimate end-goal, but if the Aeldari claim the stars themselves are dimming, it is clear this could expand to cover the entire Imperium. By then, all organic life may be extinguished."
Guilliman rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It seems reinforcing the Aeldari is a necessity. But how do we support them? Coordination with xenos is a logistical and political nightmare. Even if we have a precedent for cooperation, the Adeptus Astartes and the mortal rank-and-file will not accept it."
"Furthermore, this mission requires absolute secrecy. The consequences of discovery would be catastrophic."
Cawl suddenly turned his head to look at Axion, who stood by as a silent observer.
"Axion, do you have any established protocols for contact with the Aeldari?"
Cawl remembered that when Axion spoke of the Necrons, he referred to them as "ancient xenos" with clear hostile intent. He needed to gauge Axion's reaction to the Aeldari before proposing his daring plan.
When the Necrons had attacked the Ark Mechanicus, the strike from the Pylon had affected even Cawl's systems, yet the ancient Iron Man had shown no reaction whatsoever. Intelligence from the front lines corroborated this; Combat Servitors and automata seemed largely immune to the Necron energy fields. Most combat losses occurred when the commanding Tech-Priests lost their ability to respond.