Adeptus Custodes and Inquisitor

The Tear of Resistance had a total of four hangars. Three were packed with aircraft, while the remaining one served another purpose.

This isolated hangar had been specially designed. The cables and energy conduits that had once been everywhere were carefully concealed, while the floor had been replaced with pure white stone tiles.

Imperial Navy banners and portraits of distinguished naval heroes covered the walls. Even the lighting had been deliberately adjusted into a soft, warm hue.

Kius Solani did not care about any of that. He was occupied with something else. Through a porthole on the right side of the hangar, he calmly observed the warship still anchored within the asteroid belt.

After communications had been established, the other party had not opted for convenient methods such as voice contact or holographic projection. Instead, it had merely transmitted a single message. That message had forced the Tear of Resistance to lower its void shields and proceed onward, utterly unprotected, until the distance between the two vessels was close enough for them to halt.

By then, the details of the warship called the Grand Inquisitor could be seen with the naked eye. Kius was occupied with precisely that task, and he had discovered some interesting things.

First, the vessel's class was unknown. Kius found that he could not identify its exact model.

Second, its firepower was perhaps excessively powerful. Looking only at the weapons facing the Tear of Resistance's starboard side, Kius counted ten shell-based macro-cannons, two lance arrays, and the standard six torpedo tubes.

Moreover, the warship had actually mounted a nova cannon at its prow—the sergeant could not help wondering what tactical purpose its designer had envisioned by placing such overwhelming firepower on a vessel barely larger than a cruiser.

He stared at the Inquisition symbol and Imperial