The Raven Guard Legion's flagship, the Shadow of the Emperor.
The Bridge was as dimly lit as ever, with only the data terminals and tactical displays hanging from the ceiling casting a faint, ghostly blue glow.
The entire Bridge was enveloped in a stillness like that of the deep sea, broken only by the occasional low hum of machinery and the crew's hushed reports echoing through the air.
The atmosphere was utterly unlike the Bridges of other Legions. There was no clamor, no redundant orders, no unnecessary movement. Everything was orderly, as quiet and efficient as the shadows themselves.
Corax stood on the raised platform at the center of the Bridge, his figure almost blending into the surrounding darkness.
His face was hidden behind his high collar and the shadows. Only his eyes, as cold as distant stars, were faintly visible in the darkness, like two predators lurking in an abyss, silently watching everything.
A commander of the Raven Guard Legion strode up to Corax, stopped a short distance away, and saluted.
Then he bowed his head slightly and spoke in a low but clearly audible voice. "Primarch."
Corax did not turn his head. His gaze remained on the slowly rotating star chart before him, as though he were pondering something.
But his voice had already sounded, low and steady, with a quality that seemed to emerge from the depths of the shadows. "Speak, Barto."
"Giselle has something to report," Barto said, a hint of caution in his voice. "She detected some anomalous signals while navigating and insists on reporting to you personally."
"Giselle?" Corax repeated the name, his gaze shifting slightly across the star chart, as though he were searching his memory for the face that belonged to it.
Then he remembered—the newly transferred Navigator, a young woman with