On Doppler III, the former planetary capital—once the largest human city—had been laid to waste during the Ork invasion. Now, new structures were rising from the ruins of the southern suburbs. Kell, deputy to the Lord Castellan of Cadia, had brought 300,000 Cadian survivors to this strange world.
He watched the swarms of people and construction machinery laboring among the buildings and let out a silent sigh. The massive Warp scar pulsating in the sky served as a constant reminder of the failure at Cadia.
The final image of Lord Castellan Creed still lingered in his mind. They had been on this agricultural world for nearly six months now. The Cadians had transitioned from their initial state of dazed wandering to gradually adapting to the planet's environment, building a new home with the aid provided by Governor Aiur.
Before their arrival, the planet still held a handful of survivors and a garrison of Astra Militarum. When Commissar Cassius saw those dozens of warships entering the atmosphere, his expression had been one of shock and confusion. However, when the newcomers identified themselves as Governor Aiur's forces and Cadian survivors, that shock turned to horror. *Cadian survivors? What did that mean?*
Subsequently, the brilliant Warp scar that spread across the Doppler sky shattered the last sliver of hope in Cassius's heart. Cadia had fallen. The surging tides of the Warp were about to drown every corner of the Segmentum Obscurus, and their sub-sector was no exception.
"Sigh..." Cassius mirrored the sigh, looking out the window at the massive engineering rigs in operation. Doppler III had once been an agricultural world with technology barely reaching medieval levels. Now, he had no idea what this "Governor Aiur"—who claimed to be helping them rebuild—intended to turn the planet into. They had lost contact with the sub-sector capital. Looking at the elite Cadian troops and the Aiur Guard, Cassius had no choice but to cede all authority to the man named Kell.
Suddenly, a fit of coughing interrupted his thoughts. Cassius looked at his assistant. "Are you ill? Why has your coughing been so severe lately?"
"No, sir... *cough, cough*... I just feel a bit unwell. Everything else is fine," the assistant replied, scratching an itchy patch on his scalp.
The Commissar frowned, sensing something was wrong. It seemed the number of people coughing lately was increasing steadily. It didn't feel natural.
His assistant's voice cut through his musing: "New supplies have arrived. Would you like to inspect them?"
"Let's go." Cassius led the assistant toward the distant supply depot. He was quite interested in the "mystery meat" provided; it was surprisingly delicious. Though he didn't know the source, being able to eat meat in such an environment was a true luxury.
Along the way, Cassius passed many office workers who were also coughing. His internal unease grew. This felt like a godforsaken plague was about to erupt. Behind him, his assistant's coughing became increasingly agonizing.
---
Alexei and his party stepped off the transport craft. In the distance, Kell spotted the familiar, towering figure clad in Martian red robes. He ran over immediately, his expression growing more excited as the distance closed. He saw that silhouette—his former commander!
"Lord Castellan!" Kell shouted. "I knew you must have survived!"
Creed stiffened at the familiar voice, then turned to look at Kell, who had rushed to stand before him. His expression was complex. "Don't be so restless. I'm not that easy to kill."
"Thank you for your aid to Cadia!" Kell gave a solemn salute to Alexei, who stood nearby. His gratitude toward Governor Aiur was sincere and profound.
"A small matter. We came to see how you've been faring lately," Alexei said with a wave of his hand. He signaled for Kell to lead them to the Cadian temporary settlement.
As they walked, Kell reported on the progress of the Cadians rebuilding their homes over the last six months. It was a testament to the iron will of the Cadians; they would not fall easily. Sooner or later, they would exact a lethal vengeance upon the Great Enemy that destroyed their home.
Suddenly, a violent coughing fit interrupted their conversation. Everyone turned toward the sound to see a man in a Commissar's uniform looking grimly at a man beside him, who was doubled over and coughing uncontrollably.
"Commissar Cassius," Kell introduced them to Alexei's group. Before their arrival, this Commissar had led the surviving Doppler citizens in rebuilding the city. Their settlement was separated from the Cadians by an inner-city river.
Alexei stepped toward the Commissar, but just as he was about to speak, the coughing man suddenly retched. A massive amount of blackish blood erupted from his mouth, accompanied by a pungent, foul stench. This was not the blood of a normal human.
With his enhanced vision, Alexei noticed disgusting organisms writhing within the pool of blood on the ground. He realized immediately what this was: **"A Nurgle Plague!"**
"What!" Cassius looked up and asked in shock. As if in response to his question, the man's hair began to fall out in clumps. His skin rotted and ulcerated at a visible rate, and the volume of blood he vomited seemed to exceed the total blood capacity of an adult male.
"Do not touch that blood! There are things inside it. Immediately isolate everyone showing these symptoms. Get all medics to me. Kell, Cassius, I need a tally of everyone symptomatic. If the situation spirals, have the Firebats initiate 'cleansing' procedures." Alexei's face was grim as he issued rapid orders. Kell responded immediately. The Commissar hesitated for a moment upon hearing Kell's compliance, but ultimately agreed.
Alexei frowned as he observed the man, who was now unable to vomit any more blood and had begun to convulse. Though the Swarm had begun developing on the uninhabited planets of the Doppler system, the scale was not yet large enough for the Hive Mind's psionic network to completely blanket the system.
By the time the medics arrived, the man was dead. Alexei ordered the Firebats to incinerate everything in the immediate area. Ordinarily, the Warp-born nature of a Nurgle plague would render conventional prevention and treatment useless. However, with Alexei standing there, the Warp energy within the plague was suppressed and neutralized by his presence. The body and the entities within the blood were utterly purified by the flames.
"Go to the Cadian camp first. Have men seal off the riverbanks to separate the two settlements. Do not touch the river water; I suspect it is contaminated," Alexei commanded. He knit his brows, contemplating a solution. He didn't yet know the extent of the infection or the specific mutations it would cause. Further observation and processing were required.
"One disaster after another," Alexei murmured to himself, glancing at the Warp scar expanding across the sky.