The Eye of Terror, a Warp scar in the heart of Segmentum Obscurus. This enormous Warp Storm had appeared with the birth of Slaanesh, and its existence filled the surrounding star systems with the power of Chaos. This was the domain of the Chaos Gods, a refuge for daemons and the fallen.
Deep within the Eye of Terror, countless Chaos Warships darted like ghosts through the Warp Storm. Their destination was the Material Universe—the gateway between the Imperium of Man and the Warp.
Abaddon the Great Reaver stood on the bridge of his flagship, the Glorious Queen-class Battleship Vengeful Spirit, his gaze fixed on the Warp rift ahead.
The topknot on his head stood high, and his eyes burned with endless hatred for the Imperium. He knew this Black Crusade was his chance to prove himself the true heir of Horus.
"Enter the Material Universe!"
At Abaddon's command, his voice echoed across the bridge. The Warp engines accelerated, and the Chaos Warlocks began chanting ancient incantations. Their power resonated with the Warp Storm, gradually tearing open a passage into the Material Universe.
More than a thousand Chaos Warships, like a pack of hungry wolves, poured through the rift in the Eye of Terror, scrambling to enter the Material Universe.
However, the light of the Astronomican shone across almost the entire galaxy, and it was not kind to every ship. Some vessels, too deeply corrupted by the power of the Warp, weakened beneath its radiance. As the light fell upon them, they burned like vampires under the midday sun; their hulls began to corrode, while daemons bound to the ships or their equipment shrieked in agony.
Fortunately, this had almost no effect on Peter's five ships. Their vessels had not been corrupted by Chaos, nor did they have daemons bound within them. They bore no obvious signs of Chaos, either, and could even shut off their Gellar Fields after entering the Material Universe.
But the Rogue-class Freighter and the armed freighter among Peter's five ships had been "borrowed" by Grand Commander Valicar and assigned to the very front of the fleet formation.
"Hold formation!"
Valicar, Grand Commander of the Black Legion and the Chaos Fleet's nominal "commander-in-chief," had a cold glint in his eyes. He knew these losses were unavoidable. The deeper one ventured into the Warp, the harder it became to enter the Material Universe. That was one reason why the "Great Reaver" Abaddon and the Black Legion's high command had chosen not to ascend to daemonhood.
The crusade had to continue. Most Chaos Warships were small craft, and there were few purpose-built warships. These vessels had been refitted in the Eye of Terror, their hulls covered in daemonic runes and their turrets and weapons strengthened by the power of Chaos. They could not match the Imperium's main fleet in quality, but their numbers were beyond anything the Imperial ships could rival.
As the fleet burst out of the Warp, a Fortress World on the edge of the Eye of Terror appeared before the War Band leaders.
Cadia. If the Eye of Terror was a wound in the Material Universe, then Cadia was a wound in the Eye of Terror. It was the Imperium of Man's first line of defense against the Chaos invasion. Its orbit was crowded with defense platforms and gun batteries, while its surface was covered in countless fortresses and defensive works.
Cadia's defenders, made up of Cadian Shock Troops and the Imperial Navy, stood ready to meet the Chaos onslaught. This was no surprise. Abaddon had sent invitations far and wide; even Peter, out in The Maelstrom, had received one. There was no reason the Imperium wouldn't know.
The Imperium's alert systems sounded the instant the Chaos Fleet appeared. The Imperial Fleet, under the command of Admiral Cassian Waldo, rapidly assembled to meet the enemy. Waldo's flagship, the Retribution-class Battleship Indomitable, led a mixed fleet of frigates, battleships, and cruisers, taking up a favorable tactical position in advance.
Many warships in the Imperial Navy fleet also bore the markings of various Chapters. It seemed that many Chapters had joined the defense, with the black-and-white cross being the most common: the Black Templars.
The Chaos Fleet was led by the Vengeful Spirit, a cursed Glorious Queen-class Battleship whose decks were stained with the blood of two Primarchs.
Abaddon was the Black Legion's Warmaster, while the naval battle was directed by Abaddon's Izekarion, Grand Commander Valicar Hane. A ruthless warrior and a master of naval warfare, he was the Black Legion's "Lord of Fleets."
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Peter. His fleet was now at the rear of the Chaos Fleet, following along as it advanced.
The Black Legion used long-range Auspex scans to track the Imperial Fleet's ships and movements, gathering as complete a picture of its order of battle as possible. The Imperial Navy was no doubt doing the same.
Given their overwhelming advantage in the number of Space Marines, Valicar chose the tactic most favorable to the Black Legion: a direct assault, with the main warships providing fire support while the boarding parties struck with everything they had.
With the Vengeful Spirit as his spearhead, Valicar assigned the cruisers and frigates on the flanks to provide support, while a massive mixed fleet followed behind. He would send this ragtag fleet charging forward!
As the two sides gradually closed, countless Lances and Macro Cannons flashed through the void, and both sides launched their first probing attacks. But they opened fire at the very edge of their weapons' range, and neither side inflicted any damage or losses in that first exchange.
The two fleets continued to close until they were within effective range. The Imperial Navy fired a volley, blasting a mass of small ships at the front of the Chaos line into sparks across the void. Peter's armed freighter and Rogue-class Freighter were among them.
Valicar didn't care in the least. Those small ships could be destroyed for all he cared; they wouldn't amount to much if left alone, and they could draw enemy fire. His tactical focus was on boarding. They had an overwhelming advantage in Space Marine numbers, after all. Once the boarding began, waves of boarding torpedoes and gunboats would strike the Imperial Fleet, securing victory for them.
Valicar believed most Imperial warships had no Astartes aboard to defend against boarders. Space Marines were scarce to begin with, and the Imperium would hardly scatter its few Astartes among every ship. Its only choice was to concentrate its forces.
He would turn the boarding assault into a hook, drive it into the Imperial Fleet, then yank hard and rip out the enemy's guts.
The fleet's course had been calculated. He contacted the leaders of the major War Bands, and the entire fleet advanced along the Imperial Navy's predicted course, gradually increasing the output of their Main Plasma Drives.
The attack route was transmitted to every Chaos Warship by Psykers, along with the allocation of firepower and boarding craft.
Which ships would attack which enemy vessels, and which War Band would board which ship. This was to prevent multiple War Bands from boarding one vessel while another warship was left with no one aboard.
The two fleets continued to close, their guns firing volleys at one another. At last, the first naval battle of the Black Crusade began.
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