Joint Exploration of Space Wreckage with the 18th Legion

827. M30, Islington Galaxy.

Kirkland's company, Second Company Captain Commander Kirkland of the 11th Chapter the "Shadow of Order," along with Cassian Vaughn's 18th Legion, was ordered to deal with Space Hulk.

On the bridge of the heavy battleship Vostonia's Shield, Kirkland spoke and gave orders.

"Open the protective shield; I want to take a look at the wrecked ship with the naked eye first."

"Before we start focusing on the details of the Space Hulk, let's use the talents bestowed upon me by the Primarch to get a feel for the battlefield."

The Servitor's voices rang out in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The motors hummed, the blinds on both sides of the windows rose, and the bridge was instantly engulfed in a blinding orange light.

Kirkland narrowed his eyes slightly. "Dim the windows, to ninety-seven percent."

Under the silent command of the Servitor, the Machine Spirit exerted its influence on the glass, causing it to darken.

Kirkland's eyes widened as a bright orange Sun filled most of his field of vision.

The ships were close enough that the people on board could see the flares erupting from their churning surfaces.

Islington's star is so violent that of the eleven planets in the system, only four have a combined population of less than five million struggling to survive.

"The wrecked ship will soon pass between our orbit and the star, platoon leader," the captain reported.

"Ten..." a servant began counting down, "Three, two, one."

"I see it." Kirkland saw a huge black shadow glide across the surface of the star.

"Display the view on the main star chart table, and compensate for the star brightness," Kirkland ordered.

"Yes, Captain," the captain replied, operating the control panel in front of him to relay the orders to the relevant officers.

The bridge resounded with the mechanical hum of "Yes, sir!"

The star chart table flickered, and a holographic image of Space Hulk appeared before the command the Throne.

Kirkland walked to the star chart table and looked at the Space Hulk, which was much larger than a battleship and covered most of the Islington Sun.

It was formed by the accumulation of ships and cosmic debris in the tides of the void, like a piece of decorative art that has been smashed to pieces on the ground.

Kirkland raised his left arm, his gauntlet gliding across the chaotic, intricate surface.

The aircraft cabins, the turrets of the Voidship, the flattened cargo ships, the streamlined warship hulls of the Xenos spaceships, the cratered hillsides of asteroids and the icicles of comets were pieced together haphazardly.

The materials that make up the wrecked ship come from many races in the physical universe, but what binds them together is the Warp, which is completely indifferent to the laws of physics.

The captain, holding Data Slate, walked to the star chart table.

"The Auger Matrix Master reports: the mass of the Space Hulk is approximately 25.84 trillion tons, with an albedo of 0.96 and gravitational displacement..."

"The optimal estimate is a composition of 136 ships."

"The Auger Matrix Master reports that there are several unstable radioactive sources inside the wrecked ship, making deep-penetration scanning impossible."

Kirkland withdrew his hand and looked at the young Lexicanum Psychic Hood to the side.

"Nicholas, what have you discovered?"

"The Psionic Energy readings are stable, and there is no abnormal activity," the young Librarian member stated.

"Then I hope you can work with the Tech Sergeant to find a permanent home for the Space Hulk in Islington," Kirkland said.

The time Space Hulk lingers in the real world is uncertain.

"Father, I hope that after recovering valuable assets, the remaining portion can be used as a training base for the legion."

"Training new recruits in complex environments will help improve their adaptability."

Kirkland spoke, emphasizing the Primarch's command.

"Waste ships typically don't stay in the star system for long, usually five to ten days, and then they leave," Nicholas said.

"The 18th Legion has been responsible for dealing with the Space Hulk that appears throughout the Imperium, and their Librarian and Tech Sergeant are highly experienced in this area."

"Following the trail of the invaded planet, they successfully predicted the Space Hulk in the Islington system using astrometric data."

"I have already spoken with their Chief Librarian, and he and the Lord of the Forge will provide me with assistance to fulfill my father's orders."

Kirkland remembered the Primarch' order and gave commands to the Vox Master through the communication headset.

"Sent communications with the 18th Legion, requesting the establishment of a communication link."

One sidereal time later, the heavy landing craft.

Eisfeld wore a green-painted Mk I Thunder Power Armor with a strange helmet decorated with many emerald sensor eyes on its pig-nose design.

Their insect-like appearance is bizarre, unsuitable for human wear, and even less suitable for combat.

As a veteran of the 18th Legion, Eisfeld is the most experienced Warrior in exploring the Space Hulk field, and he has the honor of being among the first to board a wrecked ship three times.

"Company Commander, turn off your Eyepiece," Eisfeld's hoarse voice rang out in the team channel, followed by his explanation.

"The Space Hulk is too close to the star; its intense light will damage your eyes."

Kirkland immediately gave orders to the Shadow of Order: the Second Company Warrior of the 11th Chapter, under Eisfeld's command, approached the Space Hulk.

Eisfeld chose a human warship of unknown age, secured it to the surface with magnetic locks, and then cut it with Chainfist.

There is no sound in the vacuum, no roar of chainsaws, and sparks fly in space.

Tech Sergeant from the 11th Chapter, dressed in full servo gear, knelt five meters away from him, a plasma torch burning at the end of his extra Mechanical Arm.

After three minutes of Eyepiece timer use, they outlined a hole large enough.

Eisfeld breathed a sigh of relief and said into the team's communication channel, "In my experience, leaving enough space for two Astartes to enter and exit is a simple and effective way to increase the chances of survival in case of an emergency."

Kirkland keenly sensed the sadness in the veteran's tone; he had clearly been through a lot, and the dangers of Space Hulk were no less than those on the battlefield.

The Second Company Captain issued an order in High Gothic over the company channel, "Everyone, be on high alert. I don't want you to lose your lives because of stupidity."

Eisfeld was granted temporary authorization by the Second Company Captain to enter the communications channel, where he heard Kirkland give orders.

He gave Kirkland an approving look, then gave orders to the Servitor he had brought.

Two Servitor wearing vacuum suits carefully took out a cylindrical device and activated the runes.

The piston descends from the assembly, revealing the top access port, screen, and keyboard.

He explained to the crowd, "Because the Space Hulk been in Warp for a long time, coupled with interference from stars and other factors, ordinary Auspex are not very effective at detection."

"This is Seismic Detector; by collecting vibration data, it can create a precise map of the Space Hulk."

After Eisfeld uploaded the map of the Space Hulk to the Tactical Network, Kirkland, with his guards, followed him into the inner hull.

Magnetic locks secured their boots to the deck, and they took a dozen or so tentative steps to get used to the environment of the Space Hulk.

Kirkland knew from the display screen in the Eyepiece that the gravitational field was below 0.016 G.

As Kirkland walked down a corridor, he suddenly sensed something approaching, and Eisfeld's hoarse voice rang out in the Sonic Array channel.

"The target is approaching."

Kirkland aimed his Bolt Pistol at the direction of the Threat Rune marked by Eisfeld, and a second later, he saw the target's direction.

It was a strange creature; its upper body resembled that of a brown cheetah, while its lower body had eight spider legs.

Spider legs slid strangely across the deck, enabling it to move swiftly.

The moment Kirkland saw it, he pulled the trigger, and his explosive bullet hit Eisfeld simultaneously.

Silently, the Leopard-Spider Hybrid collapsed on the deck.

"A swift reaction." Eisfeld's strange helmet revealed that Kirkland and he moved simultaneously, with the Shadow of Order behind them only a moment slower.

After his initial surprise, he concluded that it was because they were well-trained and reacted quickly.

The group continued forward, passing through another corridor.

Kirkland suddenly raised his Bolt Pistol and pulled the trigger repeatedly.

His guards were only a moment slow, but Eisfeld did not react at all.

He didn't realize what was happening until the monster was blown to pieces.

"I forgot, the Shadow of Order possesses keen perception."

"That's a gift bestowed upon us by the Primarch." Kirkland walked to the monster's remains and bent down to examine them.

Eisfeld also came over, and looking at the countless slender, centipede-shaped legs under the cheetah's belly, he began to explain.

"The Emperor told us that there is no life in the Warp."

"However, ships that intrude may carry creatures from various worlds, who, affected by the Distortion forces of the Warp, will undergo mutations."

"This mutation endowed it with more concealed physiological functions than the previous mutated creatures."

He shrugged. "The helmet I'm wearing was a custom-made model based on experience, requested from Tech Sergeant."

"But clearly, it's not as perceptive as yours."

"The Shadow of Order is perfect for exploring Space Hulk; with just a short period of adaptation, you'll become seasoned veterans."