Dark Imperium, Chapter 3 - Ghost Atlas
The Inquisitorial Journals of Inq. Simeon Jaeger, Entry February 20th 999.M41
We had another lead to the source of this heresy; the rogue trader Bern and the information he no doubt had on the Dark Imperium. While Bern was still recovering from his treatment by Fawkes and the Brotherhood, we would have to wait; he would be unlikely to talk to us if we treated him as they had done. Meanwhile, I would consult with Erwin on what else we had learned from the Brotherhood facility. We met at his desk on the ship's bridge, covered in blinking data-slates, reams of paper, and files for his study.
"We recovered a number of clues from the subterranean base" Erwin informed me, "firstly; this data-slate was ripped out of the hostile information banks". He produced a slightly dented piece of computer hardware from a drawer in his desk. It was a basic data-slate, simple but hardy technology used by almost all colonists on frontier worlds.
"We've been able to recover some information from it; the Lord of Change they had buried there had been in place for nearly three thousand years, having been sealed there by a conglomeration of banishers when they realised it was too powerful to outright destroy". This at least shed some light on why the Dark Imperium had been present on that world.
"And the Dark Imperium learned of this, and came to free it?" I asked.
"Not quite" replied Erwin, "The Brotherhood, a local cult, found the facility built to house it by accident, and they moved in, but the Dark Imperium only recently arrived, suggesting they are actively assisting other cults across Human space".
"So, could we check for instances of local cults suddenly gaining increased power and plot a possible map of Dark Imperium activity?" added Byron, who had just approached.
"That might just work" replied Erwin, "if we can get an idea of exactly where the Dark Imperium is operating then we can narrow down the area we have to search, and maybe get an idea of where they have a base of operations".
"And the Daemon?" asked Kaelen, who had approached us just then.
"Word just came through from Lord Coteaz" replied Erwin, "the facility is currently being swept and cleansed, the Daemon shall be banished back to whence it came".
All of our efforts would now be concentrated on this task while we waited for Bern's recovery. I dispatched agents to local capital worlds to search for such records, in the hope of finding a pattern buried in the data. We also found some more insight in the Inquisitorial records; an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus called Arkei had, several years ago, encountered a cult using the name of the Dark Imperium in a system called Ajax Beta. The cult had been dug in deeply, but Arkei was able to root them out in time.
"Inquisitor Arkei's records show a surge in local cult activity in the systems around Ajax Beta" I briefed my team, "it occurred just after he found the branch of the Dark Imperium on Ajax Beta itself; if what we previously asserted about the Dark Imperium being a facilitator organisation, this could be a lead for us to chase up".
We had also received an analysis report from our Tech Magus on the weaponry and armour used by the Dark Imperium and Brotherhood forces. They were on par with Imperial Guard issue equipment; this suggested either wealthy sponsors or a traitor within the Administratum. If Bern, the arms dealer, had supplied them, then we would have to work out where he had acquired them; but it was more likely he was simply a middle man, a gun runner. The weapons that the cultists we had encountered in the underground facility had been a mixture of military-grade and rough frontiersman weapons, and the cultists in the asteroid base had been equipped with simple but effective Necromunda-Pattern lascarbines. To the end of tracing these weapons, I contacted Maxim Locke, another of Coteaz's students. He had cultivated many contacts in the Administratum over his Inquisitorial career, which aided him greatly in his investigations.
"Simeon, good to hear from you again" came Locke's voice over the Vox Link, "what can I help you with?"
"Good to talk to you too Maxim" I replied with a smile, "I was wondering if you could trace some weapon batches for me..."
The Inquisitorial Journals of Inq. Simeon Jaeger, Entry February 26th 999.M41
The word had just come in. Abaddon had sallied forth from the Eye of Terror to launch his 13th Black Crusade. All Imperial forces from across the galaxy who were unengaged had been summoned to the Cadian Gate to man the defences. To that end, we had been directed to a new location.
The Nest was a vast Inquisitorial space station, located in dark space between Armageddon and Cadia. It was a stopping place for the infamous Black Ships, a training ground for Storm Troopers, and a nexus for the Inquisition's activity in the sector.
As the Angel Bullet docked with The Nest, a party of Storm Troopers arrived to greet us. They wore black and red carapace armour, with the sigils of the Ordo Hereticus, and the crest of Vostroya, a world that had long produced exemplary regiments of the Imperial Guard.
"Inquisitor Jaeger, we represent Lord Inquisitor Nicholas J. Dahl" said the leader, "assemble your forces in Hall 5 on Deck B2, we shall instruct you from there".
The Nest, February 26th 999.M41
In Hall 4, Deck B2, forces of the Imperial Guard had been gathered under the command of Nicholas J. Dahl, to sally forth to the Cadian Gate. Ten thousand Guardsmen of the Vostroyan 45th Shock Rifles stood at attention as the Inquisitor Lord entered the room. Fifty thousand other members of the 45th were located on the station, in various halls.
Dahl was a tall, well built man wearing black robes. His face was shadowed by a long hood, and at his waist he wore an ornate Power Sword. The 45th were inducted to his service, and had been for twenty years now, they had trained under him, were armed by him, and served him and him alone. Some of his colleagues in the Ordo Hereticus thought it suspicious that he effectively had a private army, but Dahl payed them no heed. His purpose was greater.
"Prepare to move out" ordered Dahl, his voice booming loud, "on this day, we shall bring salvation to our brothers under fire, and death to our enemies! This station shall be the bastion from which we launch our counter-attack, and we shall be unstoppable!"
The massed ranks of guardsmen yelled in approval, then turned as one to the left, marching in perfect step through the doors that connected the hall to the attached troop ship. Dahl watched them, filled with pride at the perfect drill his forces had achieved.
"May the best of luck be with you, my sons and daughters" he murmured, "for you shall surely need it".
The Inquisitorial Journals of Inq. Simeon Jaeger, Entry February 27th 999.M41
"I don't see why we're waiting here" grumbled Luna, "we should make haste to Cadia, and join the fight!"
My allies and I sat around a council table set up in the middle of our assigned hall, discussing the current situation. The vast hall contained several makeshift facilities deployed by our forces, from accommodation to an armoury, and our command post.
"We must be cautious" urged Kaelen, "the traitors are yet to play their full hand, we would do best to not get caught off guard".
"I'm with Luna" added Garent, "we need to get in there ASAP, the people of Cadia are dying while we sit and wait!"
"She's right..." muttered Silver, "but we can't rush into the Gate without proper preparation". Dozer nodded in agreement.
"To look into the Eye unprepared is certain death" rasped Caius, eyes looking down, "with the hordes of the enemy abound, even entering the system would invite our destruction..."
"What do you think sir?" asked Dozer, turning to me.
"As much as I am loathe to admit it, we're horribly outgunned by the Chaos forces" I said, "we need reinforcements to cover our entry into the Cadian system". Byron nodded and stood up.
"Within a few days, if my calculations are correct, our forces here will be massed enough to break through the Black Legion's blockade" he said, "until then, smaller forces are being despatched to reinforce outlying systems, in case the Despoiler attempts to launch a surprise attack".
"Very well, this meeting is adjourned" I said, "prepare yourselves in whatever way you feel fitting, for a great battle lies ahead".
After the meeting had dispersed, I went to speak with Luna. I found her field stripping a Lasgun at the armoury.
"What's up boss?" she asked, "I assume this isn't a social visit?"
"Just checking in, don't worry" I said with a small smile, "you seemed a bit off at the council meeting, just thought I see if things were okay".
"I'm just annoyed we're waiting around while Cadia burns..." she sighed, "it's my homeworld, you know? My regiment was assigned to that backwater world you found me on as a PDF force, to hold the frontier...was always kinda boring there. That's why I'm so pissed off, it's my home that Abaddon is torching and I'm stuck here when I could be fighting it..."
"I'm sorry..." I said, "I'll push for our deployment as soon as I can, but just...stay on your game, okay? We'll need you at your best to take back Cadia".
"Don't worry boss, I'll fight like a damn monster to take that place back, I owe my people that much at least" she said, steeling herself, "I've got your back, if you've got mine".
I nodded in approval, then left Luna to her work.
After that time of peace, we began to notice something amiss. Something was off about the troops being brought in to reinforce the Cadian Gate.
An entire regiment of Mordian troops had arrived on The Nest earlier that day. At first, nothing seemed wrong, but on closer inspection, there was something...off about them. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
Shortly after that, I received a message from Locke. The weapon shipment had been traced back, and half of the order had been issued to...the 66th Mordian Infantry. The regiment that had just arrived on the station. We moved to investigate.
"Here is Hall 8, Deck B3, where the 66th are based" indicated Erwin on a holographic map of the station, projected above our council table, "should you wish to investigate surreptitiously, there is a ventilation shaft that runs directly across the area".
And that was how I found myself crawling through a cramped air duct alongside the halls of The Nest. The close confines, gunmetal and riveted together, were claustrophobic and uncomfortable. Behind me crawled Garent and Luna, who had insisted on accompanying me. In addition, one of the prisoners we had rescued, a slender Astropath named Solana, followed us. Her dark blue eyes watched all that surrounded her with attentive gaze, peering out from beneath the green hood of her robes.
As we came to the hall where the 66th were located, I pressed myself up against a grille through which I could see and hear within. An officer of the 66th stood at the head of his forces, delivering a speech.
"Men, today we shall deliver a great victory for our master" said the man, a hawkish looking fellow in dress uniform, "we shall sally forth to Cadia, and advance his plans a thousand fold!" The soldiers cheered, and a banner was unfurled. The banner of the Dark Imperium!
"Well, that's less than encouraging" hissed Luna.
"Damn traitors!" growled Garent, "they've snuck in right under our bloody noses!"
"Onwards, to the troop ship!" ordered the officer, "we march to victory!"
The massed ranks of the traitor guard strode forth, doors across the chamber sliding open with a hiss to allow them passage. The forces of the enemy boarded the attached troop ship in their thousands, ready to go to war.
Frigate "Burning Blade" Approaching The Nest, February 27th 999.M41
The Inquisitor knew his mission. His was the duty, the burden of taking the weight of mankind's sins on his shoulders and cleansing them from existence. The thankless task of excising the rot of heresy from the Imperium with a scalpel's edge, precise and calculated in his methodology, and direct in his action. His trade was in secrets, lies, and death, in equal measure. He was the silent guardian of the human race, unknown, unseen, unthanked, but nonetheless there, standing firm against the treacheries of Chaos and the machinations of the great enemy, for as long as he lived, heresy could not hide from his piercing gaze. The tools of his trade were many and varied, from the fleets of the Imperial Navy to the disciplined forces of his homeworld, the warrior clans trained from birth to be perfect soldiers. Those he could not crush under the weight of his mighty Ogryn shock troops, he could silently kill through the arts of the scores of assassins and saboteurs in his employ. His philosophy was a simple one; cut off the head of the serpent, and it will die. To this end, he and his followers would track down and kill the leaders of heretical uprisings, demagogues, rogue cardinals, corrupt governors, and more, for that was the lethal currency they dealt in. There could be no compromise, only the elimination of all threats to mankind would suffice.
The Inquisitor and a conclave of his most trusted warriors and servants, numbering in the hundreds, had come to The Nest to join the battle on Cadia. The Agrippina system, on the verge of Cadian space, had been identified as a place where darkness dwelled, and it would be purged with fire and fury.
