After two months of traveling through the Warp, Peter finally confirmed that they were safe. As the Warp engines rumbled deeply, the entire fleet began to slowly emerge from the maelstrom of the Warp.
The fleet's Navigators nervously used their Third Eyes to check the Astronomican shining in the Warp, repeatedly confirming that they had reached the destination their master had named. Even the slightest error could have disastrous consequences: they might be cast into an unknown system or, worse, devoured by daemons of the Warp.
As the fleet neared the boundary of the Material Universe, the surrounding space began to twist and blur, as if the fleet were passing through a thin membrane. The ships' hulls glimmered under the influence of Warp energy. With one final surge of power, the fleet finally broke free of the Warp's hold and returned to the Material Universe.
The fleet drifted at the edge of the Calçaros System, temporarily free of the Slaanesh War Band Feast of Senses, which had been hunting them. The War Band could rest in the Void, and Peter finally had time to tally the gains and losses from their participation in the Black Crusade.
First, they had lost an armed merchant ship and a Rogue-class Freighter, along with more than 40,000 crew members.
In truth, when Captain Valicar Hane had asked to borrow ships, Peter had guessed what he planned to do with them. The Iron Warriors Legion had once used the same tactic, turning captured Imperial merchant ships into cannon fodder and fire ships to draw the Solar Navy's first volley.
Remembering the captain's kindness in the past, Peter had handed over the armed merchant ship, with its heavier weapons and armor, as well as a Rogue-class Freighter. Part of the reason, of course, was that the