The Imperium's Frontier: The First Problem

Imperial Date: 997.M41

Cole stood before the holographic projector, his azure eyes fixed on the points of light forming on the display, his expression thoughtful. Bell stood nearby, the towering Son of Ultramar likewise lost in contemplation, pondering the same question.

The beacons on the hologram flickered incessantly, and soon, new thinkers joined them.

Vito led the remaining three Astartes warriors from the bridge's arcade, walking straight to the holographic display. The towering giants nodded to one another, standing like high walls around the projection.

Inquisitor Vito stood opposite Cole, also staring at a red dot on the vast star map—a small, yet unsettlingly flickering point of light.

"Speak, what is the situation?" Vito asked. Cole cleared his throat, as if to ensure everyone present could hear him clearly.

"We have been traveling through the Warp for over a month. According to the Navigator and the Adeptus Mechanicus divination instruments, we have reached the outer reaches of the Victoria System and are approaching the local Mandeville Point. And, by the grace of The Emperor, our time has not been distorted relative to the material universe."

"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 shall soon be out of this cursed place."

"Regrettably, Ragnar, it is not—or at least, not entirely," Cole said. A space station appeared before them, suspended in the sea of stars. It was a common deep-space detection station, typically tasked with early warning and observation duties for a system or sector.

Olaf looked at the station and nodded thoughtfully. "You mean to say this station is in trouble?" "Yes, Old Wolf, as wise as ever."

Cole looked at the station and raised a hand. "The Astropath received a message. As you all know, Astropathic communications are usually riddles and metaphors—as annoying as the damn Aeldari."

"That's true. Every time I hear them speak, I want to take an axe to those riddle-mongers," Ragnar said with a laugh. "Can't they just speak plainly? Why the riddles every time?"

"It is an ancient custom, Ragnar. I thought you Fenrisian valued custom," Lancelot said, his winged helmet still tucked under his arm. Ragnar snorted dismissively. "Our customs are simple and practical. Regrettably, I do not understand the complex, profound etiquette of noble Knights."

Lancelot smiled silently. Vito was relieved; the Knight of Caliban was not looking to pick a fight with the wolf-pup just yet. Clearly, they had more important things to do.

Vito nodded slightly to Cole, who looked at the two towering warriors. "Then you need to know that this time, even our Astropath lady could not understand what was said. Not a single word."

The playful atmosphere turned cold. The four giants looked at Cole, who gave a firm nod.

"This is not good news. Oliya is an excellent Astropath; she once told me she trained on Terra. If she cannot interpret the message, it means the situation is not simple," Olaf said, then looked at the star map. "Have you ruled out Warp interference?"

"Ruled out. The power of the Warp did not affect the message; on the contrary, the signal was significantly amplified. Oliya believes it was sent by the other side's Astropath at the cost of their life, burning through all their psychic energy."

Vito cupped his chin, pondering for a long time before speaking. "What was the gist of the message?" Cole shook his head. "Vague, chaotic, but one thing was clear: fear. Pure fear and chaos."

Vito let out a long breath. He reached out to swipe away the station data, switching the star map back to the sector level, repeatedly scrolling through the coordinates and reports.

Bell stood behind him, watching the map with him, then frowned. "There is no detected Chaos activity nearby, Inquisitor. I do not think this was caused by Chaos traitors."

"We cannot rule out the possibility that our star charts are outdated. After all, the last time we updated the status of the Ultima Segmentum was a year ago, near the Ultramar Sector," Cole concluded. With his hands behind his back, he looked at the points of light, his mind already containing all the information displayed.

"It is certain the station was attacked, but it could be a small-scale Chaos raiding party, other xenos pirates, or even human pirates. That is not uncommon."

"But usually, a station would have one or two destroyers in configuration, and its own firepower is designed to resist small-scale attacks. If the station was destroyed, I suspect the scale was not just a few stray shots."

Vito nodded slightly, stopped his inspection, and switched the coordinates back to the Victoria System. He opened the data for the main world of Victoria—a Hive City. The data displayed was unremarkable, no different from most Hive City worlds in The Imperium.

"Any news from the main world of Victoria?" "None. Our ship has not received any messages from the main world. Do you think they might already know?" "Very likely. After all, we received it, and we were in the Warp. The main world should know as well."

Cole nodded firmly, turned, and walked to the edge of the bridge to look down. "Navigator, our distance to the Victoria Mandeville Point?"

"Six seconds, my lord. We are about to enter the range of the Mandeville Point," the Navigator responded. Obscured by mechanical equipment, his covered eyes stared at the interface, gazing at the parameters with his invisible psychic eye.

Cole opened the communication interface and quickly selected the receiving point. "Astropath, send a message to the Victoria main world. Notify them to prevent the sector fleet from mistaking us for enemies."

"No, Oliya, wait a moment." Vito suddenly walked over, stopping Cole from closing the communicator. Cole looked at Vito, frowning slightly. He looked into the Inquisitor's eyes and suddenly understood something. "Oliya, do not send the message." "Understood, Captain."

Cole closed the communicator and looked at Vito, who was walking back to the holographic projector. "You suspect there are traitors on the main world?"

"The possibility cannot be ruled out. We have been to such Hive City worlds many times; everyone knows what they have the most of," Vito said. Lancelot laughed mockingly. "Greedy governors, rebels dissatisfied with The Imperium, and heaven knows how many mutants and Chaos cultists."

"Ah, and occasionally Genestealer," Ragnar added. Both laughed as if it were an unimportant joke.

"Exactly. If this is the result of traitors within the Hive City colluding with the Archenemy in the void, then we need to figure out who the enemy is ourselves first."

"Ah! I hate this step the most. Can't we just fight first?" Ragnar complained, crossing his arms in annoyance. The Old Wolf Olaf pressed his brother's shoulder. "Patience, brother. You will have your chance."

"Indeed, the Old Wolf is right. Before that, please bear with it and don't go hacking people before I finish asking my questions," Vito said. He turned to look at Cole with one hand behind his back. "Jump into the system, then head toward the space station. We will go take a look. Until then, maintain silence and don't let the locals discover us."

Cole nodded slightly and turned to deploy orders immediately. Amidst the overlapping chatter of the naval crew, 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. They raised their weapons in silent unison, pulling the bolts to chamber rounds. Vito also drew his bolt pistol and disengaged the safety.

"Let's go for a ride."