A cruiser drifted through the Warp.
In the Imperium's Dark Side, short-range Warp jumps were the only reliable means of travel.
On the ship's command deck, two hundred Space Marines bearing bull insignias on their pauldrons stood in a group.
To their left stood another two hundred Space Marines, bearing shark insignias on their pauldrons.
The two groups of Space Marines, who belonged to different Chapters, were under the command of the Carcharodons' Chapter Master.
Tiberius stood at the very center of the deck.
The viewports were covered by armored shutters. It was normal for various electronic systems to fail or shriek during Warp travel.
"What news from the Chief Librarian?"
When the company captain named Gino entered the deck, Tiberius asked in a soft voice.
"The ship's Warp Engine went out of control because it was corrupted by an unknown Psionic Power." Gino stopped. "We can travel through the Warp normally now."
"So the relic was found and activated. Second Company did well," Tiberius said quietly. "Praise the Void Father."
Gino voiced his confusion. "Unless that ancient relic appeared right in front of Second Company, they have no means of searching for it. How could they have found it?"
"I'm puzzled too, but it doesn't matter," Tiberius said. "When we withdrew from the Cadia war zone, a navigation disaster scattered us far and wide. We need that relic to find our other scattered forces and ships."
Gino fell silent. Whatever had activated the relic in the Hera system, even if it was a trap set by the enemy, they had to find it.
Gino turned his gaze to the Minotaurs again—
One of their Battle Barges had been destroyed in the navigation disaster. If they hadn't happened upon these people who had come out of the Solar Segmentum, the