Two hours earlier...
The sixth planet from the Sun is a massive concentration of yellow-ish gas with an equaly massive set of rings around it. From rocks the size of pebbles to behemoths, rings orbit the planet in endless silence.
Sound is simply not natural in the void. But was being transpired in that part of the universe was everything but natural. First as a simple distortion, the fabric of reality itself twisted and explode in wirms of colour -that don't actually exist, giving place to things that didn't belong in this universe.
Equally massive -in their own terms, as the planet near by, two space ships drifted into space...
But the term "Space Ships" is highly inaccurate.
Void ships.
The difference is not just semantic though.
A "Space Ship" might imply an alien race from a middle of the road Scy-Fy movie, Void Ships -however, entailes utterly preposteros implications of violence and death.
Both vessel shared allegiance but where everything but different in every single aspect.
The first one, the 'Sacred Steel' -as common in the universe as sand is to a beach, is two thousand miles in length and with enough fire power to level continents without spending half of its resourcess. It carries, under normal sircumstances, 100.00 souls beetween commanding and suporting crew.
But this weren't, by any means, normal sircumstances. The 'Sacred Steel' was filled beyond its capacity with Imperial Guardsmen closely number the ten million with two full mechanised regiment cramping inside her.
This was only possible because the woman in charge of those men was as colse as family with the Captain.
The other vessel, however, is as rare as a snake in a living room (outside Australia of course). Even larger than her partner but not as highly armored (air quotes implied) was almost desrted inside, bearly half her capacity occupied in its twenty centuries of uninterrupted service.
The 'Cold Blooded' is a truly acient battle barge from the Salamander' Space Marine Chapter wich ultimate purpose is to deliver the Emperor' holy wrath over the legion of Xenos, Heretics, Mutants and Worse that threaten humand kind since forever.
While peacful and earie silent from the outside, true mayhem was unfolding inside both ships. Damage reports, head counting and restless inspections in search for daemons in every corner of the ships were taking place; search parties bumping with tech priests and tech Marines -depending the ship, praying frantic to the machine spirits they could think of at the moment.
Only three people were keeping their calm (or at least not showing it).
Captain Gourav Buret, was a stern man wich people said had no nervs to loose in the first place. No one under his orders had any idea how old he was and were endless bets among the crew on the subject. The Quarter' Chief was convinced beyond reason that the man had popped up in the Captain' throne one day and nobody dared say anything since. Legends tell he had killed an enemy captain by stabbing him, along with the entire bridge, with the ship' spur. This was, of course, uncorfimed but nobody really doubted he was incapable of such madness. He had cold looks for everyone and smiles for no one... well, except for one person in the whole galaxy
The second person with its head over its shoulders (kind of) was Lord Commissar Guinevre Garretts.
She would jump first in any trench with only her lapistol and sword leading the attack in the heart of battle and jump again to save any of her men. She was one of those rare cases that didn't relayed in shooting their men to inspired them, instead she used a combination of inflamable speeches, steel discipline, and leadership (with a generous spice of charming smiles and puppy eyes) to inspire her men... and she was indeed gorgeous. With thick hair the colour of blood, and big blue eyes plus her... lets said... 'overly healthy' siluette only accentuated by her uniform, she was something that made the men (and some women) yearn for inspections.
And so she was loved
But you just don't climb the commissariat' chain food by being nice and pretty.
People addressed her as "Lord Commissar" since a cocky Seargent -who didn't knew any better, called her "Muh lady" and ended up leadind the charge her ass literally chained to a Leman Russ (Mars Pattern) hulk.
Guardsmen yearned inspections but they sweated blood in each one of them, because she didn't relayed in shooting her men to punish them either, she was much more creative than that.
A man once had left his lapistol in his tent. "If you think you don't need your weapon, guardsmen" Guinevre said with honey in her voice "it surely means you don't need anything else either", the next day the poor guy to had fight completely naked... on an ice planet.
And so she was feared.
Arguably the most beautiful and terriying women in the galaxy
The last, yet the most important of the three, was Brother Captain Qarzat of the Salamanders. He was a giant even for Adeptus Astartes estandars, and his Terminator Armor only made his already imposing figure even more frighting. Rare was the ocation when he would hide his features behind his helmet. Even in battle the Captain of the third division was seen fighting with his face exposed, red eyes burning in anger and his jet black sking crossed by his perfect -almost childish, smile.
He wasn't a bad man nor a tyrant, the chapter Librarian used to say his body was so big only because it had to contain many different moods. He would laugh and joke in a campfire in company of friends, crush the skull of a heretic with delight only to grasp the shoulder of a human child and offer to look for its mom among the rubbles of battle; and cry upon finding her buried alive and dead.
"Status Report" said Qarzat addressing the humans showing on his screens.
"My lord" Gourav answered without hesitation "We haven't found any daemons onboard and casualties are minimun, the vessel is in better shape than expected and reparations are at pace My Lord"
"I'm glad to heard such" Qarzat glance at the woman beside Gourav, her baeuty surprised even him "And your men Lad- Cough! Lord Commissar?" you have to admire a women capable of intimidate a Space Marine by staring at him.
"They were restless at first but I've manage to calm them down... at least a little" said Guinevre with a sigh.
"If I may, My Lord" Gourav gave a little bow as to apologize "Is your ship and men, I hope, in similar conditions?"
Qarzat smiled, he liked humans and he definitely liked this two. "Yes, we haven't found any threat here either..." he went silence. What had to be told next was a pill hard to swallow "Our astrophat is dead"
Guinevre' brow bearly rised an her lips took a slighly 'O' shape (she looked cute as hell).
"Mmh..." Gourav' face don't even twitch, wich may Qarzat to wonder if he even had face muscles at all. "I'm afraid My Lord we have share a similar fate"
"I see" this was now a desperate situation, they had being severed from the Warp (and that's bad right?) and that wasn't even the worst of it.
They had Warped in the orbit of Saturn in the Sol System, the most sacred place of the galaxy after Holy Terra itself and no ship, no squadron or even comunication had reach them yet, the Void was earie silent and well... empty.
You may think this isn't that strange after all but we are talking about the heart of the Imperium, were giant orbital fortress and ships quite literally filled the space in their sacred mission of protecting the God Emperor Himself... and no one was present at the moment.
"My Lord?" the words made Qarzat snapped from his thoughs.
"What is it Captain?" he sounded angry.
He wasn't actually, any idea was welcomed and he was having none at the moment
"May I suggest sending a distress call to whoever may catch it?"
UFF!THAT TOOK ME A WHILE!THIS CHAPTER WAS WAAAY LONGER THAN THE PREVIOUS WERE... WICH IS A GOOD THINGI WILL TRY TO MAKE THE NEXT CHAPTERS THIS LONGI HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHARACTERS (YOUR OPINION MATTERS SO PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK)