01: On The Edge
"Lord-Captain on deck"
All bodies snapped to attention, all eyes staring forward, even the Servitors became quieter. Sword ever-present at his side, Captain Rennold Maxin stepped onto the expansive bridge; the master had returned to his throne room. His deep blue eyes surveyed his realm, a deep scar running across the left side of his face. Even the juvenat treatments which kept him looking like a man in his forties had been unable to completely remove that reminder left him by a xenos blade years before. His head was topped by short mahogany hair no longer than half-an inch, coming to a widow's peak in the front. Swathed in luxurious robes of dark blue with ribbons of gold swaying with every step across his chest along with his many medals in rhythm with his step, the Captain sat on his command throne. With a look of satisfaction, he nodded for his subordinates to continue their work; they were so close to completion of their immediate mission he preferred them get to it than stand on greater ceremony.
Before and around him, the command deck of the Mars-pattern class cruiser Perennial stretched out in every direction. This was the brain of the ship that stretched nearly five and a half kilometers long and held within it's hull over one-hundred and seven thousand human souls. Captain Maxin truly loved sitting there, not for the power over life and death at his fingertips, but the majesty of being there, to command such a thing as an Imperial Battlecruiser. Mars-pattern ships were becoming rarer and rarer with each war humanity found itself in, and he was proud to command one, to serve the Emperor by attempting to hold and push back the eternal darkness that lusted after the bright spark of human life.
The Perennial was at the end of a period of extended detached-service from Battlefleet Pacificus, spending the last several years trying to map the closest parts of the veiled region, a dangerous section of unknown space. The light of the Astronomicon petered out into this region, the light becoming lost in the dark, allowing the region to play host to a great host of terrors that constantly pressured the galactic south-west of the Imperium. From Ork corsairs, to other unknown xenos, and even possible hidden strongholds of the Archenemy, it was not an enviable task at all, but Captain Maxin had jumped at the chance. He saw the importance in mapping more the Imperial border and also the freedom that detached duty represented, far away from the ceremony and paperwork of normal Battlefleet duty. He relished command, and had worked hard all his life to attain it, all the way through the ranks, distinguishing himself years earlier when he led a daring boarding party onto an Ork command vessel, setting charges that destroyed the ship and saved the world below from being overrun by the xenos forces.
"Report Commander," he sensed his second-in-command hovering nearby.
The auburn-haired Commander Varelia Lytle already had the report ready, being the consummate professional and an indispensable figure aboard the ship. She was an intimidating woman to say the least, a hawk nose and piercing amber eyes often scared junior ranking speechless around her; not to be trifled with, she was the Captain's right hand.
"Sir," she handed over the data slate she had been holding between her hands, "we have completed our scans of this region and are cataloging our findings for review, the Tech-Priest Majoris says the scans look clean and there is no need for any re-scans"
"Good," the Captain nodded, hating doing the same work twice, "please pass my compliments to him and the rest of his Mechanicus crew, their expert work has considerably shortened any potential delays this mission presented us"
"Very good sir," she replied, continuing with her report, "the Enginseers are also reporting the successful awakening of the Warp Engine machine spirits, giving your earlier order that preparations should begin as soon as the last scan is logged"
As much as the Captain enjoyed the autonomy of detached service, his sense of duty would not permit any selfish delays. There was always work to do and the sooner they rejoined the fleet, the sooner they could get to it. He continued looking ahead at the blackness of space through the windows as his long-time subordinate continued.
"The Ship's Master is also reporting everything is ready for warp jump, coordinates have been mapped and passed to the Navigator. The Navigator says we should be able to jump within the hour; the warp appears calm for the moment"
The Captain saw another figure approaching, one of the few aboard the ship who would dare to approach the command throne without being beckoned, "very good Commander Lytle, as you were." He turned to address the new figure standing before him, dressed in a night-black uniform with red trimmings and a permanent scowl on his face, "Commissar Sanson, how goes the day"
"Very well Captain," the Commissar replied, "I am pleased that our mission has concluded, I am eager to rejoin the fleet"
"Not very exciting out here?" the Captain carefully ribbed the Commissar, knowing how far he could go with the man.
"For better or worse," Sanson sighed, actually removing his pointed cap for once, running his hands across his bald scalp, "there has not been much call for my judgments; you are to be commended on the running of your ship sir"
For a Commissar to call anyone 'sir' was a true compliment indeed, for Commissars rarely answered to anyone. A political officer, it was the duty of Commissars to ensure loyalty and moral purity amongst those they were assigned to. Withing the structure of the mighty Imperial military forces, Commissars were some of the most feared: they could execute at will and without question. If a Commissar uncovered or suspected disloyalty, it would be dealt with harshly as an example for others; it was not even unheard of for a Commissar to execute a ships' captain they founded wanting in their duty and assume temporary command. Commissar Sanson had been assigned to the Perennial for the duration of it's mission, the threat of disloyalty and corruption higher than normal when a ship is away from normal Imperial space and so close to the edges of the known galaxy. As the Commissar himself admitted though, work for him had been sparse and far between on this mission, Captain Maxin maintaining a tight ship. Even amongst the indentured workers that toiled endlessly away in the belly of the beast gave little rise to insurrection or the need for a Commissar's attentions, the Armsmen of the ship keeping control over the security of the ship at all times.
Being far from the relative safety of the rest of the Battlefleet, the Perennial needed to be ready to defend itself at any time, thus Captain Maxin had instituted a regular schedule of drills that was more excessive than what was normally required by fleet command. With surprise drills thrown in to keep the crew on their toes, the men and women of the Perennial were a well-oiled machine and ran at a greater efficiency rating than what was the standard norm amongst the fleet. Already several times this duty they had to repel hostile xenos ships that wandered out of the veiled region and came too close the lone battlecruiser. Each time, the crew had made Captain Maxim proud as the Perennial answered any threat that had come to them during their time out here. The xenos each time had been sent in retreat or were left floating dead hulks in the void.
"A celebratory dinner?" it was common for the Captain to host senior officers to signal important events in their voyage, and to keep their finger on the pulse of the ship.
"I will look forward to it," Sanson donned his imposing cap once more, "now if you will excuse me Captain, I shall walk the lower decks before we translate, to see if anyone needs my services"
The services of his gold-edged bolter, mused the Captain as the Commissar left the bridge.
"The crew will be relieved to not have a Commissar aboard full time," ventured Commander Lytle.
Normally such familiarity would be met with punishment, but Commander Varelia Lytle had been serving with Captain Maxim for a long time and as such had earned his confidence and respect.
"He's helped keep the rough edges smooth," Maxin rubbed his brow, "you know, I don't think I've ever once seen him smile"
"I believe it is against their code sir," if Lytle was joking, her stern face would never betray it; Maxim had given up trying to guess when she was or not a long time ago.
He leaned back in his chair and took in the view once more: the command deck was alive with purpose and movement: many crew members performing their duty, and countless more servitors hard-wired to their stations. Outside the ship, the beautiful emptiness of space hung like a curtain around the ship, barely a light to be seen except for the closest star, and that was barely a pinprick in the darkness to the naked eye.
"Commander, you have the deck. I am going to take my customary walk around the upper levels"
"Shall I call Armsmen for your escort?" she already knew the answer already but asked as was her duty.
"No," we waived off the question, "I am confident in our ship, I will be fine"
Typically, a Captain moved with some security, even on their own ship, given the oft-rebellious natures of the indentured workers deep in the depths of the ship. Captain Maxin prided himself though that no such precaution was needed on the Perennial. Their disciplinary record was exemplary, and had the voyage had made Commissar Sanson quite bored. There had only been minor infractions, even in the dark corners of the ship, the officers in charge maintaining strict discipline.
Along the metal corridors of the ship, Rennold Maxin breathed in the air, truly enjoying the recycled air of the battlecruiser. While he did enjoy the first breath upon landing planet-side, the smell of the ship was home. The crew was bustling around him, preparing the ship for it's voyage back to base finally, but stopped whatever they were doing and saluted as he passed by. He liked the movement, the sense of purpose that was found on an Imperial battlecruiser; especially when the crew sensed the imminent completion of an important mission. While mapping is not the most glamorous duty for the Battlefleets of the Imperium, it can be the most dangerous and uncertain. Warp rifts, unknown xenos, even the Archenemy could all be hiding in the uncharted darkness that had been their task to probe a little into. While there had been moments of tense action, several moments when the Perennial's guns had fired upon an approaching enemy, the mission had proceeded largely without incident. For that, Rennold was thankful, while he did not shy away from the face of danger in service to the Emperor, he was thankful that no serious causalities had been sustained.
They had mostly found empty void in their mapping, but had come across several star-systems. Cursory scans had showed these to be husks, dead worlds, except one which had been the highlight of the mission. Orbiting at a comfortable distance from a very old star, they had discovered a planet that could barely support life. On the surface were dust-blasted ruins, apparently an ancient colony of humans from before Old Night. The Mechanicus contingent had nearly burst their gears in anticipation to get down there, no one knowing what kind of archeotech could be buried just below the surface.
While they had mostly discovered broken pottery and collapsed walls, there had been one or two items recovered that had caused the Tech Priest Majoris to declare this mission a complete success and that the Perennial had the blessing of the Omnissiah, the Machine God. Any kind of forgotten technology made any voyage of any length worth it for the Mechanicum of Mars.
Captain Maxin's reverie was interrupted as a small figure rammed into the front of him. Barely staggering backwards, the Captain found himself looking at a midshipmen collapsed on the deck in front of him, the data slates she had been hurriedly carrying laying all around her. She had apparently been running down the deck not watching properly where she was going and ran face-first into the sturdy Captain. While Maxin had barely moved with the surprise hit, it had sent the younger officer sprawling to the ground.
"Ouch," she wiped her chestnut bangs out of her face and fretted at the spilled data slates, that's when she looked up to see what she had hit.
She turned white as the first snow of winter when she saw it was the Captain she had slammed into.
"Sir...! I...," she struggled to her feet, snapping at attention, red flushing back into her face.
"Hurrying?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
By all rights, she could executed for negligently running into a superior officer and she knew it. Other officers and voidsmen in the corridor had all stopped what they were doing and were now watching on with surprise and morbid curiosity.
"No sir, I mean yes sir, I'm sorry sir..."
She cringed, expecting to get beaten for her behavior, or receive a bolt round through the head any second.
"I know you're eager to get back to fleet base, but let's be more careful shall we?" the Captain had a slight smile to his face, remembering his own exhilarating-and-terrifying time as a midshipman so many years ago.
"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" she saluted.
"Your name?" he did not immediately recognize her; he took pride in knowing the officers he worked with on a usual basis, but with a ship containing over a hundred-thousand souls, he could not and was not expected to know everyone.
"Midshipman Tracie sir, came aboard just before mission deployment sir"
The captain nodded, "ah, I see. Learned much on this detachment Midshipman Tracie?"
She nodded vigorously, still looking relieved she was not being punished for her earlier carelessness, "yes sir"
"What was the most important thing?"
"Sir?" her voice faltered, unsure of the nature of his question.
Answering a question wrong or in an unsatisfactory manner from a superior officer was also grounds for disciplinary action.
"What was the the most important thing you have learned during this mission?"
"Well sir," she blurted out, "proper cartography involving..."
"No," he stopped her, causing her face to go white with fear once more, "what was the most important thing you have learned that you will carry all throughout your service?"
Her eyes closed for a moment as she dug deep, then her eyes opened as she had found what she was looking for.
"How large the empty space of the universe is, and how small we are when compared to it. It means we have to burn as bright as we can for the Emperor, as His domain is ours to protect. In have learned how I am part of a glorious entity and that vigilance never ends. Despite that, the universe, even the empty places, are beautiful and it is the right of Mankind to occupy these spaces so the infinite beauty of space can belong to every person of the Imperium"
A good answer, the captain smiled.
"Very good Midshipman Tracie, I am pleased your education is progressing well here on the Perennial. Carry on then, and watch your step," he stepped to the side and motioned her down the corridor.
She saluted once more, "yes sir, thank you sir!"
The captain chuckled once she was out of ear-shot and continued walking. He was a by-the-rules captain and ran a disciplined ship, but he did not over-use disciplinary measures as some felt was their need and right in the Imperial Battlefleets. His first captain he had served aboard the Mercy of Respite had been stern but fair, while his second posting aboard the Ascension had been marked by a harsh captain who ruled as much as fear as anything else. Maxin had served aboard several ships during his time and tried to incorporate the best of what he had seen, seeing and taking note of what worked and what did not work. In some things there was no question or bending, in other areas though he had latitude as captain. Given the service record of the Perennial so far, he felt confident in his style as master of the ship.
Clasping his hands behind his back, Rennold made a deliberate stroll around some of the upper decks. He did not need to see with his eyes that his crew was readying the ship for warp translation, but he still enjoyed it nonetheless. Old captains on the sea did not have servitors or cogitators to tell them things were happening, they saw it with their own eyes; Maxin liked to think he was carrying on that naval legacy in some small way.
He was just rounding the corner of Main Corridor B-12 when all hell broke loose.
The ship rocked to port and Maxin was thrown off his feet along with everyone else in the walkway. Slamming into the bulkhead, he slid to the floor as the lights flickered and the alarms began sounding. The ringing in his ears drowned out the shouts and alarms for a moment, then they came in full force as his ears were assaulted by the cacophony of a ship in confusion. There was the sound of boots hitting the metal deck, the sound of orders being shouted, the alarms ringing all over the ship. Maxin could hear creaking in the ship's super structure; as captain he knew every sound his ship made and this was not a good one to be hearing. The deck became level again as the ship righted itself, the walls groaning as it settled back into position. Maxin shook his head and rose to his feet; the rush of standing quickly made him dizzy, and he resisted the urge to rock on his heels. Even in an emergency, a captain must not be seen to be weak, it would not do.
"Sir!" an Armsman came running up to him, las-rifle readied and in hand.
"Report," the Captain's vision was still blurry from the impact but clearing quickly.
The Armsman looked just as confused as everyone else, "impact sir, maybe. The proximity alarms began"
Maxin nodded, "very well. You are with me, we are heading to the bridge"
"Aye aye sir," the Armsman nodded.
They pushed their way through the decks, everyone who had been off-duty hurrying to their posts and armed soldiers rushing to key points across the ship in case disorder broke out. Even in an emergency, the way cleared before them, the Captain wielding absolute power aboard their ship, it was nearly the same as if the Emperor himself was walking through. The lights were still flickering, and Maxin could still hear groaning from the ship as the massive structure settled after the unexpected jolt.
Arriving back on the bridge, he found Lytle barking orders and officers quickly working at their stations, reports being shouted across.
"Report Commander," Maxin resumed his seat on the bridge, trying to appear as unconcerned as possible.
He knew that Lytle could sense his was tense, but to the other crew, the Captain appeared a rock. "Shockwave sir," she reported, "close proximity, very close. Overwhelmed augurs sir, the tech adepts are calming their spirits now. We hope to have information shortly. I ordered void shields raised but power is fluctuating"
"Very good. Damage reports?" he feared the worst, hearing the groans from the superstructure of the admittedly-old cruiser.
Lytle checked one of the many data-slates she was balancing in her hands, "structural damage near access corridor zed-sixty-eight, power-loss throughout sections G through J from corridor one twenty-eight to two thirty-two, and power fluctuations in the warp engines"
That raised one of Maxin's eyebrow, "are we in danger of an unexpected translation?"
That would be a disaster.
Lytle thankfully shook her head, "no, the engine's spirits are calming and the Geller Field generators appear fully-functional"
"Have the Enginseers double-check, the terrors of the Warp will be nothing compared to me if they do not make certain"
Lytle did not even betray if she considered that a joke or not, not even Maxin sure if it was, "yes sir, I am sure the Adepts are deep in their work but I will pass along your encouragement"
"Sir, we have augur's partially back up!" an officer yelled from forward on the bridge, "large mass detected off starboard!"
"A ship?" the Captain leaned forward as the bridge quieted.
The officer re-checked his screens, "no sir, I don't think so sir, it's massive, but I am detecting warp fields dissipating sir... it doesn't make any sense these readings"
"Something's translated," Maxin kept his eyes forward, "raise blast shields, I want to see what's out there"
With a nod from Lytle, the large metal plates blocking the forward windows of the bridge began sliding away. The bridge fell into total silence as the void beyond them came into view. What was there should not have been there; it had not been there moments before. Maxin stood up, his mind refusing to believe what his eyes were showing him.
Off the starboard side of the Perennial was a planet.
Impossibly, there was now a planet when before there had been none.
Clouds swirled over green continents and vast seas of blue. Giant plains lands and gargantuan forests could be seen even from this distance; an ideal garden world to the survey of a naked eye. Only the beeping of instruments and the endless monotone voicing of the Bridge's Servitors put sound into the air for a few minutes.
"Is that... real?" Lytle murmured.
Maxin's brow knit, the unexpected happening in the void was rarely a good thing.
"Augurs, get me everything on that!"
"Yes sir!" came the chorus back as the shouting began once more and officers worked their stations, coaxing the systems of the Perennial to get them any and all information they could on this impossible new arrival to their immediate space.
Alive with energy once more, the bridge buzzed with reports and the beeps of the machine spirits of their instruments. The creaking in the ship had finally subsided; the raised void shields had absorbed any residual waves that the planet's appearance may have caused in the void. Maxin sat still in his chair, chin perched in hand, finger scratching his cheek slowly. He took in the situation, letting his crew work, knowing they needed no encouragement to do so. Lytle was the one barking orders and receiving reports, she would pass to him any that demanded a Captain's attention.
A Bosun appearing on the Bridge was signaled to approach the command throne.
"Sir," he bowed.
"Report Bosun," Maxin nodded.
"Minor infractions on lower decks, mostly with the indentured crew sir. We are maintaining order though sir, no major incidents"
"Very good," Maxin made clear his satisfaction, "please pass along to your crews I am honored with their diligence to ship and duty"
"Yes sir!" he bowed fervently, feeling blessed with such high praise, "I will go at once"
Lytle looked troubled, "power fluctuations continuing in several key systems, such as the void shields and prow weaponry. That shock-wave hit us hard sir"
Either of the systems she listed were not ones that one would wish to ever experience problems, especially so far from friendly space.
"Do we have any returns on that planet?" Maxin demanded, impatient when having something unknown so close to his ship.
"Blurry returns sir," called out a midshipman from one of the stations forward, "power fluctuations still affecting augurs"
That did not matter to the Captain, "give it to me"
The Midshipman argued with each other for a moment of who would get the honor of reporting before the tapping of the Captain's fingers, punctuating through the rest of the noise on the deck, prompted one to grab a data slate and hurry over.
"Abundant floral life covering the continents, which cover seventy-percent of the surface. Atmosphere readings are inconclusive but preliminary returns show breathable atmosphere, rich oxygen content. Most likely abundant fauna life as well sir"
"Inhabitants?" Lytle was already assessing any surface-to-space threat the impossible planet might present.
The midshipman shook his head, "no technological signals detected, but returns are still incomplete. Probable settlements detected but feral-world designation probably applicable"
With his report complete, Lytle waved him back to his station.
"Could be a lost colony of humans," the Commander suggested the obvious possibilities, "or some kind of xenos hold"
"I'm more concerned with the fact that the planet was not there several minutes ago"
"Aye sir," agreed his second-in-command, "the matter is vexing"
"I'm not sending anyone down there until we can figure out what this thing is," Maxin sighed, "planets should not appear out of nowhere, who knows if it will vanish again"
"I agree sir," she affirmed, "I'll instruct we settle in a high orbit and scan the planet until we can ascertain what we are dealing with"
"My thoughts exactly," agreed the Captain, "now, please pass word for the Ship's Confessor, we may..."
The captain was interrupted mid-sentence by a midshipman turning in his chair from his station.
"Captain!"
Lytle's expression went livid, the penalty very grave for interrupting a Captain except under the direst of circumstances.
Maxin knew the young officer risked discipline for interrupting, but assumed with all that had already happened that it was of import to warrant the interruption, "report"
"Contact at edge of augur range!"
The Captain leaned forward in his command throne. The situation was too uncertain for his liking.
"Contact confirmed. We're getting a ping from the edge of range sir!" came the call from forward.
"Distance to contact?" Lytle peered hard at the augur stations.
The officers checked their instruments, "distance of four days"
"Something's here with us," murmured Lytle.
Maxin's eyes searched the star field out of the window even though he could see nothing, "plot course and speed"
"Tracking," intoned several servitors as they went to work at the workstations they were permanently slaved to.
"Rogue Traders, this far out?" Lytle thought aloud.
"It's possible," Maxin did not have a pleasant feeling in his gut about this whole situation, "Commander, minimize our profile, work with the Enginseers to cut power emissions. Until we know what is going on here I want us to be as invisible as possible"
"Aye sir," she saluted, marching forward towards the front of the command deck to better oversee the process of minimizing the ship's visible output. In normal Imperial space the procedure would be to pull ahead under full power and challenge the unknowns, but out here alone, they had to be more careful.
"Course of contact ping?!" he was impatient for more information, being in the dark was not to his liking one bit.
"Still processing sir," came the call back, "we'll have the information shortly"
The distance meant that they were receiving the augur ping from an object or objects several days ago, they could be anywhere now until they closed the distance and restored the augurs to full power to get a better idea.
The Captain resisted the urge to pace, that would be a sign of nervousness, something a Captain should not have.
There was a pause, the sound of uncertainty in the report back, "sir... we're... we're receiving antiquated identification signals from augur pings, beginning processing them through the cogitators now sir"
Maxin rested his chin on his hands, "what are you? What's out there?"
To be continued in Part 02: Silence In A Silent Space