Hiss~
The hatch slowly lowered under pressure, venting steam and revealing a pitch-black passage beyond.
The shuttle had reached its destination and connected to the passage leading into an Imperial Transport Leviathan.
"Move, move, move! Off the ship!"
"The Imperium won't wait for you forever. Don't anger those lords!"
Urged on by the Federation guards, Osborne carried his daughter to the hatch.
He stared into the dark, forbidding passage, unable to take that first step. It was as though the Great Maw lurked beyond it.
The Federation worker was not alone. Many other citizens reacted the same way. No matter how the guards urged them on, they dared not disembark.
Only those who had volunteered to board the Imperial ship strode down the ramp and disappeared into the passage.
The Federation guards began shoving the others off the ship, but soon stopped.
They had grown nervous.
Someone was coming from the Imperial passage. Several fully armed Security Warriors seemed to have noticed the commotion and were walking over.
The Security Warriors had an imposing presence that brought an invisible pressure with it. Beside them, the Federation guards looked like chicks.
And that was not far from the truth.
The Security Warriors were all genuine Adeptus Astartes recruits who had simply failed to earn a place in the ranks at the final stage.
Even so, they were still Adeptus Astartes, no weaker than those of the Old Imperium. Competition was fiercer now, and the standards stricter.
Fortunately, as Security Warriors, they could still excel in their field and earn respect.
Once they arrived, guards and citizens alike fell silent. No one dared make any sudden moves.
The Federation people's fixed ideas about the Imperium made the Security Warriors seem even more intimidating.
They feared that if these hardened Imperial warriors got