The atmosphere in the reception room aboard the Word Bearers' temporary flagship was tense.
Rockefeller stood before Angron, Primarch of the War Hounds, reporting the situation as clearly as he could.
Yet Angron was unexpectedly calm. He merely watched Rockefeller with his deep-set eyes, which seemed perpetually lit by smoldering flames, his immense body as motionless as an iron tower.
That let Rockefeller breathe a little easier. Apparently, rumors could not be trusted entirely. At least for now, Lord Angron seemed quite reasonable.
"So, you mean Brother Lorgar is temporarily... unreachable?" Angron's voice was low, like two rough stones grinding against one another, but his tone remained fairly steady, as though he was carefully weighing the matter.
"Yes, Lord Angron," Rockefeller said, choosing his words cautiously.
"There's an anomaly in the standard encrypted channels. We're investigating it. We've only temporarily lost contact. It might just be a Warp disturbance..." Rockefeller tried to make the situation sound less serious.
Angron nodded without asking further questions, merely gesturing for him to continue.
Half of Rockefeller's anxiety lifted. The conversation seemed to be going smoothly.
He gathered his words, bringing together his suspicions about interference with their communications and the strange developments that had recently occurred within the Second Legion.
These included Saladin's abnormal awakening, the mysterious death of an attendant, and Commander Biberus's abrupt dismissal and confinement under house arrest. Carefully linking them together, he offered his conjecture.
There might have been some connection between these events, perhaps even some unknown force working behind them.
He spoke slowly and cautiously, trying to ground his conjecture in the scattered facts so that it would not sound alarmist.
He had barely finished when he saw the contemplative expression vanish from Angron's face.
The Primarch's rugged brows slowly rose, and the muscles along his jaw