Chapter 1:
Looking through wide windows of her cabin, inquisitor Freide couldn't help herself not to be mesmerized by the wondrous sights that appeared behind them. Immaterium was unnaturally calm today and its seeming serenity made it even more remarkable. Normally, it would be too hard to directly look it without growing a headache. But today, it was as easy to gaze at the warp as it was easy to look at anything real. Occasions like these were rare and needless to say that Freide took advantage of the situation without thinking twice.
Like a moth seduced by the candlelight, her psyker mind felt attracted to the bizarre and unsettling display in front of her.
„Inquisitor. "
The pink and purple light lazily turned into vibrant green and yellow just to be changed once again by a sudden blue lighting. It was world completely without order, place where abstract became concrete and impossible usual. However wondrous the spectacle was, it was just a façade hiding the true "reality" of warp. Behind every abstract image there was another thousand times more bizarre and obscene. Disgusting images of decadence, echoes of death and despair paired with those of promise and lust, temptation and satisfaction. In warp, every dream could come true and so could every nightmare.
The inquisitor knew all too well how unhealthy her curiosity was, but turning away would be even worse, because even when she wasn't looking it, she was sure that warp was looking at her.
„Inquisitor!" a sudden loud voice called to her with annoying insistence and broke her away from her dreamy thoughts. She opened her eyes, her biological, though not true, eyes, and turned to the noisy man, with a hint of both, annoyance and question, in her expression.
Brother Emerich of Ashen Hunters was a soldier that valued duty above everything else, as was expected of the Emperor's angel, and he could become very tiresome whenever he believed that people around him aren't as dutiful as he would deem necessary. Still, he was the closest and oldest of her allies, mighty fist the delicate psyker lacked.
He straightened his back in order to look more imposing, as he always did when he thought the inquisitor didn't pay him the attention he deserved. His mighty figure could definitely overshadow any man, yet even he had certain difficulties when trying to stare the inquisitor down in the typical behaviour of the Emperor's finest. Freide's tall figure, emphasised by her fitting carapace armour, and perfectly composed posture simply made any attempts to look imposing in front of her difficult.
"Captain Felz", Emerich pointed one of his grey gauntlets at the man on his left "was just expressing his doubts about our choice of landing area and I, for once, share them."
Captain Felz had to be the youngest Rogue Merchant Freide had ever seen. Almost boyish in appearance, he looked out of place whenever he was called to a meeting with the Inquisitor. It was painfully obvious that he bought his rank instead of earning it as he often showed a disturbing lack of knowledge or experience, surviving faults of his naiveté only because of the inquisitor's guiding hand.
Still, Freide could hardly wish for a better captain as he was eager in his duty to Emperor and was easily manipulated by the cunning inquisitor.
His small acts of foolish devotion also proved to be quite an entertaining distraction in the mundane life on-board of the ship.
Felz cleared his throat before speaking, obviously unnerved by the presence of the gunmetal giant.
"I simply don't see the point of landing there. We lost the contact with it in the very beginning of the invasion and that was more than three weeks ago. My bet is that orks overrun the place and turned it into a slau-"
"The city stopped answering shortly before the orks arrived and there is no evidence of orks ever being there before", the inquisitor cut him out before he could start rambling, as he often did.
"What else than orks could it be? The planet is in middle orkish invasion."
"Precisely, planet that hasn't been colonised for more than a century and with population lower than that of most dead worlds and orks decide to throw a full scale waaagh there. Doesn't that seem like an awful waste of resources?"
Now it was Emrich's turn to answer "With all due respect, inquisitor, they are orks. Strategy isn't exactly what they are famous for."
"Strategy isn't, but cunning is", she said, her voice harsher and more uncompromising with every word. She didn't like when her subordinates questioned her. "There are three hiveworlds in this sector. Each of them would make a lovely meat grinder no ork could ever refuse, yet they decide to attack scarcely populated desert world and throw everything there? No one could mistake ork for a genius, but that's stupid even by their pitiful standards. Something is amiss and if my intel is right, the city of Delfan's Bay holds the answers."
"That's precisely why we advise caution, inquisitor. Let's make a planetfall in the regimental headquarters and plan our next step there. No reason to rush for the answers, when the war just started."
"Do you believe I'm not careful enough?" She asked the space marine with a noticeable threat in her voice, completely ignoring the rest of his words.
Brother Emerich stared at her instead of answering; His face was covered by a grey helmet, but Freide's sensitive mind could almost hear the cogs in his head turning.
"No", he answered dully after a while. Though displeased, he still knew his place.
Satisfied with his answer, the Inquisitor turned to now visibly sweating Felz. "And you, captain?" deliberately using his tittle, so that he would be obliged to the same.
"Of course not, inquisitor. I believe you are perfectly well aware of the risks and capable of handling them!" He was rushing his words so fast it was almost comical.
"Precisely, I know the risks, but I believe that we should act quickly and without military hierarchy hampering our every step. Now, return to your positions, I believe our journey through the warp is going to end soon and I want to be ready for make the planetfall as early as we jump out of it."
Felz simply saluted in response and went back to the bridge, probably going to yell and shout at his subordinates to get back his lost pride. He could be so childish sometimes.
Emerich, on the other hand, took his time with leaving. He was clearly dissatisfied with results of the argument. "I don't like this mission, it stinks of blood. Let me and a group of marines land first and secure the perimeter. There is no need to put you in danger."
Freide sighed wearily. The Ashen Hunter was the best guardian one could wish for, but his overprotectiveness was getting troublesome, lately. Ever since Freide's old master died during eldar ambush, Emerich became unbearable and almost pathetic, ashamed by failure to fulfil his duty.
The inquisitor directed her gaze, both physical and psychical, at the space marine's face and put her pale hand on his chest plate. It was strangely soothing gesture, but there was nothing soothing about Freide's words.
"I'm not a child anymore, Emerich. I am inquisitor of Ordo Xenos now and I can very well take care of myself. Now return to your duties, I have my own business to attend to before planetfall."
"I… understand, milady" he answered with noticeable lack of emotion and left the cabin.
Freide watched him leave, then sighed and looked back at the warp, disconcertingly pulsating behind the windows. She felt uneasy; she shouldn't have stopped paying attention it for so long.
When dealing with warp, one could never be too careful.