Imperial year: 997.M41
Cole stood before the holographic projector, his blue eyes fixed on the dots forming across the display. He gazed thoughtfully at something, while Bell stood beside him. The tall Son of Ultramar was lost in thought as well, pondering the same question.
The beacons blinking across the holographic display were the problem. Soon, another contemplative figure joined them.
Vito emerged from the bridge's arcade with the remaining three Astartes warriors and headed straight for the hologram. The towering giants nodded to one another, then stood around it like a wall.
Inquisitor Vito stood opposite Cole, looking at a red dot on the vast star map—a tiny red dot, but one that flickered with an unsettling light.
"Tell me, what's the situation?" Vito asked. Cole cleared his throat, seemingly so he could speak loudly enough for everyone present to hear.
"We've been traveling through the Warp for more than a month. According to the Navigator and the Adeptus Mechanicus' divination instruments, we're roughly approaching the outskirts of the Victoria System and closing in on the local Mandeville Point. And, thanks to the Emperor, our time hasn't been distorted relative to Realspace."
"Isn't that all good news?" Ragnar said, pointing at the display with an armored finger. "If the Father of All Knowledge wills it, we'll soon be leaving this cursed place."
"Unfortunately, Ragnar, it's not all good news." As Cole spoke, a space station suspended among the stars appeared before them. It was a deep-space observation station, a common sight in the Imperium, usually tasked with providing early warning and monitoring along the borders of a system and sector.
Olaf studied the station and nodded thoughtfully. "You mean something's gone wrong there?" "That's right, Old Wolf. You're as perceptive as ever."
Cole looked at the station and raised a hand. "The Astropath received a message. As you all know, Astropathic communications are usually full of riddles and metaphors. They're as annoying as the damned Aeldari."
"Tell me about it. Every time I hear them talk, I want to take an axe to those riddlers," Ragnar said with a laugh. "Why can't they just speak plainly? They're always speaking in riddles."
"It's an ancient custom, Ragnar. I thought Fenrisians valued customs too," Lancelot said, still holding his winged helmet under his arm. Ragnar snorted dismissively. "Our customs are practical and straightforward. Unfortunately, I don't understand the complex, profound meaning behind all those noble knights' rituals."
Lancelot smiled silently. Vito was relieved that the Knight of Caliban wasn't about to pick a fight with the young wolf just then. Clearly, they had more important things to do.
Vito gave Cole a slight nod. Cole looked at the two towering warriors. "Then you should know that this time, even our Astropath couldn't understand what the other side was saying. Not a single word."
The playful mood turned ice-cold. The four towering giants all looked at Cole, who confirmed it with a nod.
"That's not good news. Lady Oliya is an excellent Astropath. She once told me she trained on Terra. If even she couldn't understand the message, then the situation must be serious," Olaf said, then looked at the star map. "Have you ruled out interference from the Warp?"
"We have. The Warp's influence didn't interfere with the message. On the contrary, it was greatly amplified. Lady Oliya believes their Astropath sacrificed her life, burning through all her psychic power to send it."
Vito rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a long while before speaking. "What did the message say, roughly?" Cole shook his head. "It was vague and incoherent, but one thing was clear: fear. Pure fear and chaos."
Vito let out a long breath. He swiped the observation station aside and switched the star map back to the sector view, repeatedly scrolling through the coordinates and reports.
Bell stood behind him, looking over the map with him. Then he frowned. "There's no sign of Chaos activity nearby, Inquisitor. I don't think Chaos traitors are responsible."
"We can't rule out the possibility that our star charts are outdated. After all, the last time we updated our information on the Ultima Segmentum was a year ago, near the Ultramar Sector," Cole concluded, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked at the points of light, having already memorized all the information displayed.
"It's certain the station was attacked. But it could've been a small band of Chaos raiders, some other Xenos pirates, or even human pirates. That's not unusual."
"But there's usually one or two escort ships stationed near a space station, and the station itself is designed to withstand a small-scale attack. If it was destroyed, I doubt it was just a few stray shots."
Vito nodded slightly and stopped examining the map. He switched the coordinates back to the Victoria System and opened the data for Victoria's Capital World. It was a Hive World. The data displayed beside it was mostly unremarkable, no different from that of most Hive Worlds in the Imperium.
"Any word from Victoria's Capital World?" "No. Our ship hasn't received a message from the Capital World yet. Do you think they might already know?" "Very likely. After all, we received the message, and we're still in the Warp. The Capital World should know too."
Cole nodded in agreement, then walked over to the edge of the bridge and looked down. "Navigator, how far are we from Victoria's Mandeville Point?"
"Six seconds away, sir. We're about to enter the Mandeville Point's range," the Navigator replied. His eyes were hidden beneath the machinery, fixed on the instrument panel before him, while his unseen psychic eye gazed at the readings.
Cole opened the communications interface and quickly selected a recipient. "Astropath, send a message to Victoria's Capital World. Warn them so the sector fleet doesn't mistake us for enemies."
"No, Lady Oliya, wait." Vito suddenly walked over and stopped Cole from closing the communicator. Cole looked at him with a slight frown, then met the Inquisitor's eyes and realized what he meant. "Lady Oliya, don't send the message." "Understood, Captain."
Cole closed the communicator and watched Vito return to the hologram. "You suspect there are traitors on the Capital World?"
"We can't rule it out. We've been to plenty of Hive Worlds like this. Everyone knows what they have the most of," Vito said. Lancelot gave a mocking laugh. "Greedy governors, rebels who resent the Imperium, and who knows how many mutants and Chaos Cultists."
"Ah, and the occasional Genestealer," Ragnar added. They both laughed, as if it were a joke of no consequence.
"Exactly. If this is the work of traitors in the Hive City conspiring with the Imperium's enemies in the void, then we need to find out for ourselves who the enemy is first."
"Ugh! I hate this part. Can't we just go in and fight them first?" Ragnar complained, folding his arms in irritation. Old Wolf Olaf put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Be patient, brother. You'll get your chance."
"That's right. Old Wolf's right. Until then, sorry for the trouble, but try to hold back. Don't go chopping people up again before I've finished asking questions," Vito said. With one hand behind his back, he turned toward Cole. "Enter the system, then head for the space station. We'll take a look. Until then, maintain silence and don't let the locals discover us."
Cole nodded slightly and immediately began issuing orders. Amid the naval crew's overlapping chatter, Vito raised his arm and activated the communicator on his wrist.
"Octopus, is our bus ready?" "The Thunderhawk is ready to depart, Inquisitor."
Vito looked at the four Astartes. In unison, they raised their weapons and chambered rounds. Vito drew his Bolt Pistol and flicked off the safety.
"Let's go for a ride."
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