First Voyage into the "Great Maelstrom" Sector, Overly Cautious

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868. M30.

The Ultima Segmentum, the "Great Maelstrom" space field.

On the bridge of the Radiance, Wilshire stood before the holographic tactical table.

Entering the "Great Maelstrom" is a completely new experience; even those on the periphery feel the strangeness of the area.

The real world is affected by the Warp and occasionally Flash Step.

The number of officers responsible for communication has tripled.

The unique Simulacrum Sanctum "Shadow of Order" and "Iron Hands" are affected.

The liaison ship in the warehouse was dispatched.

"Contact ship A-1, proceed to area A-59 and establish contact with the Song of Shadows."

"Liaison ship C-5, report information on the Shadow of the Sun."

Wilshire's superhuman hearing allows him to hear all the conflicting information.

This operation was also a valuable experience.

Perhaps in the future, the Chapter will face similar situations.

He stared at the holographic star map, where black and iron-gray runes would occasionally disappear one or two at a time.

The runes would occasionally jump out and appear suddenly, but they could only be seen as blurry points of light.

Wilshire's helmet's built-in Communicator suddenly beeped.

The runes leaped up, originating from the chief Navigator of the Chapter.

Since entering the "Great Maelstrom" region, he has never left the Navigator Sanctum.

No one would be foolish enough to enter the Navigator Sanctum at this time.

Exposed to the Navigator's gifted eye, turning into Lunatic, or even death, would be the best outcome.

After Wilshire connected, the voice of the Othello family's Navigator rang out.

"Lord of Light, I have good news to report to you. My family's Navigator and I have observed a common anomaly that will occur in three or four days. Please forgive me for not being able to quantify the exact time here."

"We call it the Winds of Malik. There will be a realm like Warp rift, with calm sea breezes typical of Warp."

"We can ride this wave and reach Tovendis."

What risks might there be?

"My lord," Othello chuckled, "There will always be risks."

"That calm space in the Winds of Malik might leave the ship stranded, perhaps for days, perhaps for weeks, or even forever."

"But the Othello family's experience shows that things usually won't get that bad, and it shouldn't be your primary concern."

"The most common occurrence is that Gellar Field fluctuates, and some crew members go insane."

He said this with a tone of helplessness mixed with pride.

"They don't possess the unwavering will of Astartes and us; they are not susceptible to the influence of the tides or driven to madness."

"Understood. Plan the voyage." Wilshire hung up the communication and immediately began to formulate a plan in his mind to deal with the threats that might be encountered three or four standard ship cycles later.

He gained some forbidden knowledge of the Imperium from the Data Crystal given to him by the Black Emperor.

Knowledge that contradicts the Imperial Truth.

In the Warp, there exist Chaos Daemons.

"Communications Officer." At Wilshire's summons, a follower approached from the center of the noisy area.

"My lord."

Wilshire nodded slightly. "Send out liaison ships to ensure all vessels, including our allies, the 'Scions of the Quill,' are aware of our voyage plans."

"Yes, sir."

Wilshire then switched communication channels and issued orders to the Chapter's Librarian.

"Assign all Royal Court members and Librarian personnel to specific areas to address potential threats from Devil, Warp predators, and crew out-of-control individuals."

"My lord, this is no problem for us," the Astropathic Officer said confidently.

"Upon entering this area, our Psionic Energy is amplified, enabling even Lexicanum to Astropathic Communication."

"As long as your orders aren't too complicated, I can relay them to other ships."

"Maintain your Thelema Mindset while communicating," Wilshire reminded her before hanging up.

After four standard ship cycles, Wilshire did not, like his servants, frequently glance at the hanging clock.

The timer inside his helmet reminded him of the time; only forty-two standard points remained until the end of the day.

Wilshire clasped his hands together upside down and silently recited the mantra.

May the Lord protect us.

After repeating this eleven times, he released his hands, and at the same time, the chief Navigator's voice sounded from inside the communication helmet.

"My lord, the Winds of Malik have risen; we request Warp jump."

"Granted!" Wilshire said crisply, switching the Chapter's communication channel at the same time.

"Alert!"

The black and gray-rock-colored warships cautiously began to increase the power of their Warp Engine.

The Aether light, visible only to Psyker, was clearly visible, but all the ship's windows were down, and no one witnessed it.

On the lower deck, laborer Jolington sat on a crate, touching his oil-soaked pocket. He was out of his last ration card.

He slammed the can onto the ground, and a few drops of the remaining engine oil mixed with green liquid splattered out.

Jolington immediately pounced on it like a vicious dog, licking the "wine" off the deck.

A dozen seconds later, he slammed his fist hard on the deck.

"Bullshit, why are those officers and Astartes allowed to drink so much fine wine?"

Jolington didn't know who on the ship could drink; he was just making things up based on what he'd overheard from others.

He had just gotten up from the ground when he suddenly froze.

A cacophony of sounds filled his ears, and he looked around in alarm, but saw no one.

He suddenly stopped, and a look of madness gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Yes, yes..."

"If you don't give it to me, I'll take it."

Jolington grabbed a wrench from the crate, took two steps to the copper pipe, and smashed it twice, breaking it in two.

The heatwave hit him, soaking his thin clothes.

Damn it!

Jolington shuddered in pain, but the thought of the wine made him immediately shake his head, ignoring his burns.

He walked briskly toward the ration warehouse. After walking several dozen steps, he suddenly saw a man covered in grease, holding a rusty box, sucking on it slowly with an expression of enjoyment on his face.

That's the expression he only shows when he's drinking "alcohol".

"Mine!"

Jolington roared, and the laborer trembled, looking up in surprise.

The copper pipe slammed into the laborer's face, again and again.

Jolington dropped the wrench, grabbed the lunchbox, and peered inside.

Damn it!

Only when he saw the green color clearly did he realize that it was porridge being cooked in a large pot on the deck.

Jolington picked up the handle and slammed it hard on the back of the worker's head.

"Pooh!"

He spat, took two steps forward, then suddenly turned around and began groping his blood-splattered body.

A moment later, he pulled out four yellow cards.

Those were the wages of the lower deck workers; two days' wages were enough for them to live on for four days.

Although the old man said that this treatment was better than that of most other Void Crew members in other Legions, Jolington was always dissatisfied.

He wanted "wine," lots of wine.

Jolington's eyes lit up. "Kill twenty-four more people, and I can buy a bottle of wine."

The hissing sound rang in his ears again, and he clapped his hands violently.

"Yes, whatever I buy, whatever I kill that fat pig, it's all mine."

"Kill them all, kill them all..."

Jolington roared excitedly as he killed seven more laborers and replaced the copper pipes with daggers.

As he approached the ninth laborer, the man suddenly looked up, saw Jolington covered in blood, roared, and ran away.

"Die!"

In the center of the deck, the "Light Worshipper" heard the deck Enforcer's report and immediately rushed over.

"My lord..." the Enforcer exclaimed, and quickly took off to give chase.

He didn't know why this lieutenant had come to the lower deck, and in such a hurry.

This is the responsibility of Enforcer.

Three seconds later, the "Light Worshipper" traversed the winding area and found the bloodied laborer wielding a wrench.

Remembering the lord's instructions, "Light Worshipper" dared not neglect them, and two Little Sun- like rays suddenly shone in his eyes.

As if the blazing midday sun had suddenly illuminated the dim deck, the two fleeing laborers were momentarily blinded.

The "Light Worshipper" saw "Sunlight Shine" but failed to Purification the enemy; suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

Did I overestimate him?

He didn't approach, but cautiously drew his Archaeotech Pistol.

A flash of starlight, and the laborer's body was instantly vaporized.

[Okay, I really overestimated him.]

The "Light Worshipper" chuckled self-deprecatingly; his reaction was overly cautious.

At the same moment, Olivier, the Second Company Captain of the Song of Shadows, arrived on the upper deck.

He also raised his Archaeotech Pistol and fired beams of light collected from the planetary radiation layer, striking the monster whose tongue was pressed against the ground.

Sizzle!

Blood mist surged, but the Devil that had taken over the body did not fall.

The "Solar High Priest" opened his arms as if to embrace the other person.

A sacred, bright, and pure warm light descended from the sky and struck the Devil's head.

The Devil let out an angry roar and vanished rapidly in the "Summon Holy Light".