He thought he had fallen asleep, but that seemed not to be the case. Or if it was?

In any case, Kanan seemed to have woken up in a place that was not his ship. Or at least his mind had. It was enough to look around a little to know where it was, because the accumulation of warped energy and the chaotic torrents everywhere was something you could only find in the warp. Kanas took a deep breath to try to calm himself before meeting the one or that one, or the one who had called him to that place.

Kanan: - Five years without hearing your hateful words. And here you are. One more time. Right now. -

Slaanesh: - Fence, fence. I thought you'd be happier to see me. After all. These years you must have missed our talks. - The ork's face could not be more neutral, despite the god's imposing tone of voice.

Kanan: - Good. If you have brought my conscience here it is because you have something important to say. Or some macabre request to make of me. - The god laughed mischievously.

Slaanesh: - Very perceptive as always. Talking to you is a pleasure. So sharp a blade. But you're right. I don't usually waste my time like that. After all, I have many... matters to attend to. - The ork simply shrugged his shoulders, he couldn't care less what the god had to do.

Kanan: - Well? What do you want? -

Slaanesh: - Well... Now that you can navigate through space, I guess you wanted to go to your beloved Terra to fulfill your destiny. -

Kanan: - My desire is what keeps this miserable way of life going, but I'm not even that stupid. I know Terra's defenses very well, and these forces following me will fall long before we even reach the Milky Way. -

Slaanesh: - Mmmm. It's good to see you still have some common sense. - The ork just sighed before the comment.

Kanan: - Is that all you came to say? =

Slaanesh: - As desperate as ever. But I will take your words literally. I have a task for you. But not for now... Now I come to offer you something that will be helpful to you. -

Kanan: - First you offer me your hand and then you collect the debt... Why am I not surprised by a god of chaos? That...? Is my soul not enough to amuse you? -

Slaanesh: - Indeed... My little toy. -Those words did make the ork angry. - But what I have to offer you is worth more than any small favor I could ask of you. -

Kanan: - You're done with the detours. Just say what you want. This place is disgusting. - His tone of voice was clearly annoyed.

Kanan perhaps wanted to be more sensible when choosing his words. He was talking to a god of chaos after all, a rather unpredictable and manipulative one. One who smiled macabrely before sinking one of his deep nails into Kanan's chest.

The white-haired ork screamed and grunted in pain. His cries were heard throughout the warp, as an amount of warp energy entered his body. Kanan was not a psychic, and that amount of energy was causing his body to rebuild molecularly, molecule by molecule, atom by atom, which caused such intense pain that the sensation of being eaten alive by tyranids was no longer so painful. unpleasant or painful. Hours of agonizing pain had passed in his mind... but the truth was that not even ten seconds had passed before the god removed the nail from his body.

Kanan fell to his knees, exhausted and his body sore and numb. His torso fell forward, and if it had not been for the instinctive movement of his hands, his face would have hit the amorphous floor of the warp. He stood there for a while, unable to even move a muscle for several minutes, as his mind underwent a...restructuring. So to speak.

Then he felt it. A burning heat compressed his brain, as if molten metal were being poured over his skull. The pain he felt just a few seconds ago was a trifle compared to what he felt right now. His metaphysical body desperately sought eternal rest, while his sharp nails tore the flesh from his face and made black blood flow from his wounds.

His pupils dilated, taking up almost all of his eyes. His eye sockets seemed to want to pop out of their sockets. His tongue flattened against his throat... As if he were suffering from an epileptic attack. And after a slight calm... His body became a misshapen mass before bursting into a bloody bath of viscera and blood. And in the darkness of the warp, a wicked god laughed at the bloody carnage in which his eyes feasted. And a macabre smile appeared on his face at the same time.

Kanan woke up with a start, with a pang in his chest, sweating and having difficulty breathing. It didn't take him long to recognize the modest metal room in which he slept inside his flagship. He had never felt so relieved to be in that place, and he even allowed himself the luxury of letting out a smile of relief knowing that he was still alive but... What the hell was that all about?

It didn't take long for Kanan to inspect his body. Every centimeter, every fiber. Trying to discover what that capricious god had done to him. But I didn't feel anything different. Even his mind didn't seem to have anything strange. No new memory... No torment foreign to him... Everything that had happened in the warp for just a few seconds now seemed like a simple dream. Or rather... a terrible nightmare.

Ten days had already passed since they left Heim, and the loneliness of the space was extremely overwhelming. The orks could barely contain their war impulses, but thanks to the coliseums and war games that Kanan organized everyone could get their daily dose of fighting... although unnecessary deaths were always avoided. As long as someone didn't do something stupid... but that wasn't anyone's responsibility. If two orks want to fight with real swords and miss out on the chance to die in a real battle...no one would stop them.

Kanan left his cabin with a severe headache, and the hand that was pressing his temples was proof of that. His mind was lost in a mess of thoughts and decisions, but a friendly voice brought him out of his worries.

Kurnet: - Still with concerns? For Gorko and Morko... You are too humi. - [Mocking nickname that the orks gave to things that were too complicated.]

Murrey: - Just because your mind does not understand the great lord's plans does not mean that he is not an ork. -

Kurnet: - Huh? Are you making fun of me? -

Murrey: - Never. - He said ironically.

Kurnet: - Grrrrrrrr. -

Despite being the highest authorities of the group, these three reached a point where they considered themselves more than just companions. Five years of constant battles forge bonds. War creates brothers for life. And you develop unconditional trust in the one who always has your back. Kurnet and Murrey were not only Kanan's arms, they were also his advisors and trusted orks.

In fact, these two had reached such a level of intelligence that they mastered bass Gothic perfectly, and their accent was quite adequate, to the surprise of any human. And they weren't the only ones, as many of Kanan's high-ranking followers were capable of at least maintaining a decent conversation in this language.

Still, there was one ork who stood out above them all. Murrey was able to understand and pronounce some words of High Gothic, demonstrating an unusual level of intelligence. And the most surprising thing was that he learned to really heal. It may seem ironic, but Matazanos are not known for "healing" wounds. But Murrey, unlike the rest of the Matazanos, was aware of what he was doing.

This unique trio used to spend hours together, and their meaningless or weightless talks were a relief from the tense situation that the white-haired ork felt every day. Always accompanied by Blanco, he is a pale squig that used to sleep outside his companion's cabin.

When the two orcs arrived, White woke up instantly, and rushed towards Kurnet, who always brought with him a juicy piece of meat for him. And over time, he became quite fond of the huge metal-armed ork.

Murrey: - Is everything okay, Kanan? -

His question showed a lot of concern, especially seeing the sweaty face of his leader and companion, and even more so being a doctor who had moderate knowledge of some psychological discomfort.

Kanan: - I don't know. - He responded stoically and slightly worried. - Something is coming. But I don't know what it could be. -

Kurnet: - Another one from ezoz vizionez? -

Kanan: - It's... difficult to explain. -

Of course, Kanan's relationship with a chaos god was something he didn't want to share, and for good reason, so he just let them think it was a bad feeling. At first something that they would not give any importance to, but that would send shivers down their entire spine.

Ork: - Warboss. Come to the command post. It's an urgency. -

An ordinary ork appeared before them without warning, and you could tell by his face that he was up to no good. Kanan and the rest looked a little worried, but it didn't take them long to follow the lower-ranking ork towards the cockpit where in some way or another that piece of junk they called a "spaceship" was piloted.

Still, their superstitions were far from making sense, and that chill that swept through their bodies returned with even greater force when they saw through the ship's hatches a huge warp portal that opened right in front of the fleet.

Both Murrey and Kurnet were stunned as they saw the spirals of warp energy spinning like a tornado of fury and devastating lightning. A cold area that devoured the light of the stars and the little heat emitted by portable heaters. The orks looked expectantly at whatever that thing was, since none of them had any idea what the warp was and the horrors it hid. And only one of them was not unaware of its existence.

Kanan laughed aggrievedly, mocking himself and the way Slaanesh toyed with him. So this was his revered gift? Enter the tides of the warp and find out what Lovecraftian horrors they would encounter? Well... At least it was better than spending another day in the vacuum of space.

Kanan: - Full speed ahead! Let's get in there! - Everyone who heard it was stunned, but that mischievous smile that the white-haired ork had on his face awakened some emotion in them.

Murrey: - Are you sure? - He asked, being the only iota of reason present.

Kanan: - Not at all. - He said with a funny tone. - But without a doubt it will be much more exciting than spending another day in this eternal and boring night. -

Murrey did not ask for an explanation. He was an ork after all, and as intelligent as he was he also felt that need for a good battle. The orks regained that enthusiasm, and the shouting chikoz passed the order louder than ever from ship to ship.

Not even the Emperor himself could know what trick Slaanesh would have in store for Kanan and the rest. Perhaps an army of chaos? A force of traitors? Eldar? It was impossible to know for sure.

So Kanan moved forward, entering the murky tides of the warp as he had done so many times in his other life, only this time, there was no lighthouse or navigator to guide him. They were at the mercy of a capricious god and his desires. Even so, his ship disappeared in the warp storms while he wore a face full of confidence and thirst for revenge.