Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 54: Space Hulk

"Charging toward an uncertain destination over a mere possibility..."

Soshyan sighed.

"Venerable One, we cannot afford even the slightest failure right now. The Chapter has never been in more peril than it is at this moment."

"I am certain there is something of great importance there."

Brother Zayd remained steadfast in his opinion. Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded otherwise, Soshyan drew the Holy Flame Sword.

"Venerable One, have you heard of this sword? I brought it back from the orbital station above Makand II. According to Adept Loken, a certain former Chapter Master commissioned his mentor to forge it."

The Dreadnought took two steps forward, seemingly to examine the blade. Its massive frame then swayed slightly, as if nodding.

"Yes, I recognize it."

Brother Zayd's next words took Soshyan completely by surprise.

"I was the one who commissioned that priest to forge it.""You? Haven't you been in a deep slumber this entire time?"

"I was not the one who personally went to him."

Brother Zayd extended a massive arm. Understanding his intent, Soshyan handed over the Holy Flame Sword. The Dreadnought grasped the hilt, scrutinized it carefully for a moment, and then praised:

"Not bad, not bad at all. I wasn't wrong about that priest. Rather than serving cogs and machinery, he was actually much better suited to be a weaponsmith. It's a pity his skills were destined to be buried."

With that, he returned the sword to Soshyan.

"The Grey Marrow requires a massive extraction of thermal energy. This sword will allow you to utilize it for a much longer duration. However, you must still be mindful: do not let your emotions dictate your use of the Grey Marrow. You must control it yourself; you must learn to channel it with reason."

Soshyan nodded and sheathed the sword.

At that moment, the vox-caster built into his gorget suddenly chimed.

"Chapter Master, you need to come see this."

Hearing Loken's voice, Soshyan immediately turned and headed for the armory doors, with Brother Zayd following closely behind.

By the time they arrived on the bridge, it was already in a state of chaotic uproar.

Hearing footsteps, Loken spoke without turning his head, his hands flying over the console:

"Chapter Master, I had just configured the auspex arrays to scan for particulate wakes."

When he did turn around and saw the towering, Venerable Dreadnought looming behind Soshyan, the Tech-Priest froze for a second.

When he recovered, he found he needed a moment of hesitation to find the right words.

"...Meaning engine trails. This allows us to detect if other vessels have recently passed ahead of us."

"And?"

Soshyan asked. As he and Brother Zayd stepped onto the command dais, Lothar nodded over to the Dreadnought and stepped aside.

"Massive readings."

Loken's voice cut entirely through the hushed murmurs of the other officers. Simultaneously, a vast array of auspex readings was relayed to the main display.

"Two thousand kilometers off the port bow... I think the distance is closing. There's a ship. Or rather, we're scanning two ships."

"Two?"

Soshyan frowned at Loken.

"Only two of our ships entered the Warp, including the 'Glorious Saber'."

Loken's face paled under the Chapter Master's direct stare.

"Target image established."

A voice rang out, and everyone turned to the primary pict-screen. The massive, oval-shaped display slowly filled with static, inexplicable imagery.

Through the overflowing visual noise, it was impossible to discern any clear physical shape. It was like trying to look at something through relatively thick clouds and fog.

Loken and the technicians did their best to filter out most of the useless interference. The bridge grew so quiet that only sporadic bursts of static could be heard. Then, he focused the image on the massive vessel adrift amidst the kaleidoscopic storms.

The ship was merely a wreck, scattered across thousands of kilometers of tormented space.

Such sights were not uncommon in the Warp. Ships frequently became lost in the tides of the Immaterium for a variety of reasons.

A significant portion of them were never destroyed, merely maintaining their decayed, ancient appearances, liable to emerge at any place and any time.

When they dropped back into realspace, they were often a highly malicious gift.

Such vessels were generally referred to as "Space Hulks".

"Is there a problem?"

Soshyan stared at the silhouette of the Space Hulk, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Nothing, my Lord... save for a ghost reading on one of the sensors... a faint... life signal?"

"Do you have more information?"

"I am conducting a long-range scan... Based on thermal decay and material analysis, it appears to have been destroyed many years ago. At least... several millennia??"

At this point, the image on the pict-screen gradually cleared up. It was a military warship.

Flickering lights dotted its hull. Its thick armor was as heavily cratered as the surface of a meteorite. A few patches of peeling black paint clung beneath its macrocannons. The area that had once been its flight deck was now an ugly scar. A weather-beaten double-headed aquila emblem was inlaid along its prow. Judging by its size, it was at least a cruiser, and larger than the 'Starfire'.

At that moment, Loken reached up and pushed back his cowl, wiping sweat from the back of his head. With confusion and bewilderment, he said:

"Omnissiah above, I can hardly believe it... I actually don't recognize this class of ship! There's no classification for this keel pattern in the databanks! Is this a xenos warship? But it doesn't look like one..."

At this, Brother Zayd, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

"This is a Slaughter-class armored cruiser."

"Uh... Honored Elder, I have never heard of this pattern of cruiser."

Loken inquired humbly. The Dreadnought gave him the answer.

"It is a cruiser used during the Great Crusade era. Its production was likely halted very early on; it is not surprising that you are unaware of it."

Hearing this, Soshyan's stern gaze returned to the vessel. As the 'Starfire' moved, the abandoned warship loomed even larger.

Massive chunks of debris could be seen suspended near its hull. Unnatural flames curled within the gaps of its armor; despite being in a vacuum, it was burning in some inexplicable manner.

It was as if the very moment of its demise had been frozen in time.

"Sir, what's more troubling is that it's closing in on us at extremely high speeds. Collision is estimated in half an hour!"

Suddenly, Loken delivered some bad news.

Soshyan frowned.

"Can we evade it?"

"According to predictive trajectory analysis, we cannot evade it relying solely on the 'Starfire's' current speed... How can a mere Space Hulk move so fast?!"

"Then can we translate out of the Warp?"

"We currently don't have a suitable anchor point. If we translate out blindly, we might plunge straight into the corona of a star or an asteroid belt."

At this moment, Brother Zayd's voice sounded over Soshyan's vox-caster.

"Soshyan, this is a major problem. There is a power driving it toward us. Only you can resolve this."

Soshyan immediately understood Brother Zayd's meaning: a power of the Warp was hindering their advance.

"Can we destroy it from a distance?"

"The armor of a Slaughter-class is exceptionally durable. With just the combined firepower of the 'Starfire' and the 'Glorious Saber', it will be very difficult to destroy it in a short amount of time—certainly not before it rams us."

Soshyan closed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds. When he opened them, he issued an order that shocked everyone.

"Ready a shuttle. We shall board it and see exactly what is playing tricks on us."