Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 35: The New Pharos

The Station Master of the Orbital Defence Station barged furiously into the precinct's central control room, a facility buried deep within the fortress's armor.

In the spacious room, both the upper and lower levels were filled with people. When they noticed their superior's arrival and snapped to attention, it left behind a sea of empty chairs and the clatter of combat boots, while the cogitator and scanner systems still hummed.

"Report to me immediately!"

General Sola barked. His belly looked even larger than before, as if it might explode at any moment.

The officer in charge of the area quickly stepped away from his auspex array, sweating profusely, gripping a yellow data-slip in his hand.

"It's definitely the New Pharos, sir."

He said, handing the data results to the Station Master.

"Her course is completely chaotic, and she dropped out of the Warp in entirely the wrong place."

"What about communications?"

The Station Master glanced at the slip, then looked up at the information board echoing through the central framework."We received a burst of transmission codes less than sixty seconds ago, sir."

A ruddy-faced communications lieutenant said, holding his earpiece in his hand.

"But the content was unintelligible. We subsequently filtered out the asteroid belt interference, so the signal should have gotten stronger. All channels are open."

"They might just be lost in the Warp. It's said there's a massive rebellion over in the Ultima Segmentum, making it quite turbulent."

Loken did not agree with the words of this incompetent bureaucrat. He smelled a hint of danger, because the timing of this ship getting "lost" was too coincidental—right when the sector patrol fleet had left this system for another.

Although he really didn't want to wade into these muddy waters, he still turned to the other officers who remained optimistic.

"I would like to remind everyone, Orbital Station Operating Guidelines, Article Ten, Chapter One, Section Three. What is the primary principle when we face the unknown or uncertain?"

"Prepare for the worst."

The Station Master answered impatiently, waving his hand as if swatting away an annoying fly.

"And trust in the God-Emperor."

Loken nodded.

"So, you see, even the dullest knife can still manage a few chops if swung enough times. Even though the New Pharos is just an unarmed transport ship, we must still assume the worst-case scenario, mustn't we?"

"Hoh, I didn't realize our Tech-Priest Loken was also a military strategist."

The young officer who had tried to embarrass him in the briefing room earlier spoke up again. He even whistled frivolously, drawing a burst of laughter from the other officers.

"I merely wished to offer a well-intentioned reminder."

Loken truly wanted to sever that bastard's frontal lobe right then and there, and rebuild him into a toilet-scrubbing servitor, but he still managed to control his voice.

After that, he said no more.

Seeing him like this, the other officers couldn't be bothered to engage him either. Instead, they continued discussing pointless topics, ignoring the fact that the transport ship was getting closer and closer to the orbital defenses.

Beep-beep-beep-beep——

At that moment, the massive auger began emitting a harsh alarm. The operators immediately flew into a flurry of activity, attempting to upload the data stream from the auger, their fingers clacking frantically across the runes.

Out in the corridors, the marching footsteps of the local defense forces mobilizing could already be heard. Off to the side, the Station Master was checking the defense deployments across the sub-precincts via holographic charts, with the other officers still gathered around him.

The communications captain sitting in the upper information framework suddenly shouted, interrupting General Sola's task assignments.

"Sir, we're receiving a transmission from the New Pharos."

"She just cleared the asteroid belt."

Another officer added from his position at the auspex array.

"Play it."

The Station Master commanded, gripping the brass railing around the holo-chart.

The room suddenly fell silent.

At first, there was a burst of static interference, then the volume abruptly skyrocketed, finally descending from a grotesque screaming to a low burbling.

The communications officer leaned over to reach a frequency module and adjusted a pair of sliders.

The cacophony slowly receded and faded away, like a passing ghost. But Loken suddenly frowned; he seemed to have heard another sound—

That was the wail of a dying machine spirit.

After tinkering for a while, the two channels were finally linked.

"...Repeat, this is Captain Koperos of the New Pharos, can anyone hear me? We have a problem with our engines."

"Captain!"

The Station Master called out.

"We have received your message. This is the M'Khand II Planetary Defense Orbital Fortress Precinct, Station Master Sola speaking to you. What is the situation on your end? Over."

"Praise the God-Emperor!"

The Captain's voice quickly returned.

"We have a situation here, General. Some slaves attempted to riot and caused a severe security incident. I was forced to seal the escape deck levels and open the airlocks. I am currently on the bridge with my remaining security personnel."

"Has the riot been quelled?"

"It has mostly been suppressed, but we cannot proceed normally to our designated destination. We can only alter our course and return the way we came."

"I have received your situation report, Captain Koperos, but according to regulations, I cannot allow you to enter orbit directly. I will dispatch a squad of Voidsmens to board your freighter, and you will only be cleared for passage after a thorough inspection."

"Very well, I am ready to be inspected at any time."

“I will arrange it immediately, please hold.”

After finishing, the Station Master signaled the officer to pause communications for now.

"Have the Voidsmens been mobilized?"

"I estimate eighty-five percent are ready, sir, but I think they can be deployed."

"How much time do we have?"

"Based on current speed and trajectory."

The auspex officer said, hunching over his screen.

"Assuming no further engine issues, she will arrive in planetary orbit in just over two hours."

"Sir, do you need me to transmit a message to the surface?"

"No, there's no need for that yet. The situation is still developing, it's not that serious."

With that, General Sola straightened up and looked at the young officer who had been antagonizing Loken earlier.

"Take your team and board the New Pharos via a Hyena-class landing craft. Conduct a thorough sweep for any remaining rioters. I will continue communicating with the Captain and relay the latest intelligence to you. Once you confirm there are no issues, return together with the New Pharos."

"Understood, sir."

As it stood, this was a rather easy mission, and the young officer's face was full of an eager expression.

But then, a voice he loathed rang out.

"Station Master Sola, I propose a request."

Seeing Loken wave a hand from the crowd, the Station Master frowned.

"What is it?"

"We should report to the Magos first before taking action. I listened to that Captain's explanation just now, and it seems somewhat strange... How could slaves in a transport ship cause such severe damage? If it were a prison ship, I could somewhat understand, but slaves in a transport ship... Forgive my bluntness, but my toilet-scrubbing servitor could fight ten of them. Generally speaking, their average lifespan is only 8 to 10 Terran standard months, mostly accompanied by disease and severe malnutrition. Moreover, boarding the ship rashly at this point poses hidden dangers."

Loken tilted his head toward the young officer, who crossed his arms over his breastplate and glared back.

"What makes you think Captain Koperos is lying, Tech-Priest Loken?"

The Station Master inquired after a moment of silence. He didn't immediately refute it; clearly, he had also considered this situation.

"Rational analysis and personal judgment."

"You are too insolent, Loken!"

The young officer roared,

"We will not halt operations due to your sudden whims. You should stay in your engine room. Military operations are not something you can meddle in."

Loken shrugged and stepped aside. He had said all he could. The rest could only be left to the Omnissiah's judgment.