Author's Notes: Hey everyone, glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope that you like this one. As always I own nothing.

The Adventurer made its way through the Warp on its way to the Ultima Segmentum. Though he was still new to Warp travel it seemed that Neall was at least half as good a Navigator as he claimed to be. Even so they had a long way to travel and it was frequently necessary to exit the Warp to make required course changes. Theobald took advantage of the time to acquaint himself with the members of his crew and the passengers who he was charged with transporting.

As he had expected Neall could indeed be difficult. The Navigator had arrived shortly before departure with such a host of guards, servants and other attendants that Theobald was not sure that they would all fit into the Navigator's quarters, though these were among the largest on the ship, though they somehow had. The Navigator continued to be as arrogant as when they had first met, but as time when on Theobald came to tolerate and even enjoy it, Neall reminded Theobald of a caricature of some of the pompous characters portrayed in the productions they sometimes saw.

Far easier to get along with was Uriah Carilli, chief of the astropaths. He was an older man, at least he seemed so. He actually was still in his middle years, but his calling was a harsh one. Despite this he was surprisingly cheerful though he was, as many of his calling were, inclined to be vague and speak in metaphors. Fortunately, due to his dealings with the astropaths during the war on Haven, Theobald was used to such things and was able to quickly establish a working relationship with the astropath.

Before the ship had departed a techpriest identifying himself as Magos Minucci, along with a staff of lower-ranking techpriests and servitors, had joined them as well. Minucci informed Theobald that they had been assigned to tend to the Adventurer's body and spirit. Theobald suspected that there was more to it than that, a suspicion which Minucci confirmed personally. Minucci informed Theobald that he was an Explorator, charged by the Adeptus Mechanicus to travel into the unknown and seek out knowledge lost since before the rise of the Imperium. As Theobald had already located a piece of archotech and was in a position to locate more Minucci's superiors had decided to have him accompany Theobald and ensure that anything that he found was known to the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Theobald had made a point to pay a curtesy visit on Ishmael Freeley, the Imperial Missionary who Theobald had been asked to take to the supposed lost world. He was not sure what to expect when he went to speak to the man; he supposed that the man would be like the ones portrayed in devotional tracts: Tall muscular men, with wild full beards and piercing eyes that could look into a man's soul and see all the sins hiding therein. The reality proved to be somewhat less imposing. Freeley was a slightly short man, clean-shaven and balding. The eyes did not burn Theobald's soul, but they did have an intensity to them.

He was not a wild fanatic, as Theobald half expected him to be, instead he was a rather quiet man. Despite this there was an air of quiet faith and determination about him, qualities which Preacher Pilzer had never seemed to have had. Freely may not be the kind of man who would bellow and bluster, but he was the kind of man who would hold to his faith and not give up, no matter what trials and tribulations he might encounter.

Freely was not alone, he had a whole collection of followers, primarily scribes and scholars; though he was also accompanied by Sister Larae Cosano of the Orders Dialogous. Freely explained that if the world that they were seeking was indeed there it would be unlikely that they still spoke Gothic. Instead Sister Cosano would study their language and enable Freeley to communicate with the natives.

"Well, I wish you success Father." Theobald told him. Freeley thanked him and bestowed a blessing on him. As Theobald left him he sent a silent, possibly sacrilegious, prayer that this voyage would be as profitable as it was pious. He had sunk most of his money into this venture and if it failed to yield a profit then he did not know what he was going to do.

The final significant person on board, another last-minute addition forced on Theobald, was an unwelcome one: Adept Iktimedes Kydexus of the Adeptus Administratum. It was the role of Kydexus and his staff to catalog all the worlds they encountered and once the worlds in question had been brought back into the Imperial fold to organize a planetary government and begin establishing a suitable tithe for the worlds. It appeared that Theobald did not have as much free reign in the unknown space as he had thought. He was free to claim any world for his own that he wished, but Hydexus and his people were to ensure that they were organized in such a manner as to be in line with the Imperium and that all tithes were paid.

In addition to this unwelcomed news, Theobald did not like Kydexus as a person either. It was not that the man went out of his way to be unpleasant, it was just his personality. He was officious to the point of prissiness. He was also very aware of his position and the power that it gave him. He seemed to be convinced that Theobald and Rogue Traders as a whole were out to set up independent kingdoms of their own and split from the Imperium, launching the greatest cataclysm since the Heresy and he was the only one working to prevent that from happening. This attitude colored all of his dealing with Theobald and every meeting ended with Theobald struggling to control his temper with the officious little toad.

The voyage went remarkably smoothly, a fact which Freeley interpreted as a sign of the God-Emperor's favor regarding their venture. Neall was also pleased. He informed Theobald that the ship's spirit was being unusually cooperative, he believed that this was due to the ship being eager to travel to places where none of its kind had been for millennium. Minucci concurred as neither he nor his people had encountered any of the difficulties usually associated with light cruisers of greater age.

Theobald was awoken by a chiming in his quarters. For a moment he thought that he was back on Haven and then Mr. Mendrala contacted him.

"My lord?"

"Yes?" Theobald said, yawning and only half awake.

"The Navigator wished me to inform you that we are approaching the edge of his charts. We will have to drop out of Warp and calculate a new course. He thought that you might with to be on the bridge when we cross into unknown space." Theobald assented, hastily dressed and headed for the bridge.

By the time he reached it the ship had transitioned from the Warp and unfamiliar stars burned ahead of them. For a moment Theobald felt a little disappointed, he was on the edge of the Imperium, on the very brink of known space. He had thought that it would be different somehow than the stars which he had seen whenever the Adventurer had been required to leave the Warp for a course correction. But the more he stared at it, the more excited he became. The stars may look the same, but they were unknown stars, stars which humanity had not crossed since a time before the founding of the Imperium. They seemed to call to him, promising him treasurers and adventures the like of which he could never imagine. He found himself eager to set off and chaffed at any delay.

Such delays; however, were not entirely avoidable. Freeley also arrived on a bridge and insisted on leading the bridge crew and the ship as a whole through the ship's vox-casters on a long prayer thanking the Emperor for bringing them thus far and beseeching him to continue to grant them protection and success. Theobald reigned his impatience and joined in, especially the part about success. At last the prayer ended and then another delay came from Neall.

+My charts do not cover this area, I will take a little time to calculate the jump. It would also be wise to have our jumps from here on out be shorter in length my lord.+ This was not what Theobald wanted to hear, but he decided to yield to the Navigator's greater wisdom and experience in such matters.

"Very well." He said simply. He wanted to pace while Neall made his calculations. Thinking that this would give the message to the crew that he was unable to control himself Theobald sat in his command throne and forced himself to sit there in what he hoped was a dignified manner. He stared at the closed shutters which covered all viewports during Warp jumps. Freeley resumed broadcasting his prayers throughout the ship, the relative nearness of their goal giving him a renewed sense of urgency.

Some hours later, or at least according to the chronometer on the throne said it had been hours, the ship left the Warp. As the shutters opened up Theobald found himself looking out on a new field of stars. They were now truly outside of the Imperium! As the thought struck him for the first time he felt his breath catch in his throat and feeling of tense excitement grew in his gut. He was beyond the Imperium and now had no master but the Emperor himself! It was a heady feeling and Theobald found that he had an urge to giggle. To regain control himself before he made a fool of himself Theobald activated the vox to contact Neall.

"Master Navigator, was the jump successful?"

+Of course it was successful. We are alive aren't we+

+However; it would appear that we experienced some drift. The distance from the sacred Astronomican makes plotting a course more difficult than it usually is. It would appear that we have drifted somewhat+ At those words Theobald felt a stab of fear.

Where were they? Were they lost? Could they get back? All these worries and more flashed through his mind in seconds. He took a deep breath and forced his heartrate to slow down and made sure his voice was calm before he spoke again.

"How great was the drift?"

+Fortunately not far+ Neall replied, instantly causing Theobald to relax.

+I believe that the drift took us into the system bordering the one which we were aiming for+ Well, that wasn't so bad Theobald thought.

"How long were we in the Warp?"

+By my measurements we have been in the Warp for approximately three weeks in normal time+

Three weeks! It had only seemed like hours, but he had been taught that time in the Warp and the material universe flowed differently and it wasn't as if it were a large space of time. He had read that some ships had vanished in the Warp for years, or even centuries. Determined to make the most of this unplanned for event he turned to the man operating the auger array.

"Mr. Comeauy, scan the system and give us a report." The man turned to his instruments and began to read the information which they presented. Theobald found himself tapping his foot and forced himself to stop it. At last Comeauy looked up and gave his report.

"The preliminary scan shows three planets my lord orbiting the system's star. Two of them are gas giants, while the third appears to be capable of sustaining human life. An asteroid field encompasses the edge of the system. It would take a longer and more detailed scan to generate a more detailed report." Theobald nodded and turned to address Mendrala.

"Mr. Mendrala, take us towards the third planet. Be sure to keep us far enough out that we cannot be seen by any augers which they might have." He then turned to activate the vox to the engine deck.

"Magos, please launch survey drones to scan both the planet and the asteroid field. I do not want any surprises." As he said that his mind went back to the last asteroid field that he had seen and the pirates which lurked within it.

+It shall be done by the will of the Omnissiah+ Theobald shut down the link and sat back in his throne.

He watched as the probes were launched and made their way towards their objectives. Knowing that it would be some time before they received any data returns Theobald forced an expression of disinterest onto his face. Inside; however, was another matter. He was almost giddy with excitement. A world fit for human habitation! He could hardly believe his luck. From his studies he knew that worlds that could sustain life were far outnumbered by those which could not. If the probes confirmed that the world could indeed support life then his fortune, at least for a while, was made. If the world was empty he could claim it and if a successful colonization effort was made then he could end up lord of the colony. If, on the other hand, there was indeed a civilization then he would be seen as a hero for bringing it back into the fold of the Imperium and would hopefully be able to obtain lucrative trade agreements. Either way he would be pleased.

His discovery aboard the Space Hulk had obtained a ship for him; however, he knew that he could not count on that happening again and again. No, he had learned during his time as a clerk back on Haven that tradeable items, such as food or other raw materials, which were always in demand could be of more value. They not be as flashy or as likely to result in immediate wealth, but they were stable and prove to be of more value in the long run. Yes, it seemed as if he was set either way. His thoughts were interrupted by a startled cry from the auger array.

"Mr. Comeauy! Report!" The man turned to address Theobald.

"Forgive me my lord, I was startled."

"By what?" Theobald demand, slightly annoyed at the man for startling him, as he had half thought that they were about to be attack. Comeauy seemed to have sensed Theobald's emotions as he continued hastily on.

"I was just reviewing the data from the drones the magos sent to the planet. While the report is far from complete there is enough that I can compare it to the data that we were provided by the Ecclesiarchy. My lord, I believe that this is the planet that we were sent to find."

"Praise be to the Emperor and Saint Quivvar Nog of Fedrid!" Freeley exclaimed.

"He has caused us to unerringly reach our destination far sooner than we would otherwise have! Truly, we enjoy the Emperor's blessing!" Theobald was not sure, but it did seem too fortuitous that they should be blown off course to exactly where they were actually trying to get. Perhaps the Emperor was indeed aiding them, Theobald was not a priest and could not say. Such thoughts made him uncomfortable and he turned his mind back to the scans as information continued to come in.

The planet had only a single continent, though it was surrounded by a number of islands of various sizes. The incoming data revealed that there was little in the way of roads and there appeared to be few permanent buildings and there did not appear to be any electrical power being generated. Minucci, who joined them on the bridge, speculated that the natives had regressed to a primitive state, a common occurrence on many human worlds during the Dark Age of Technology.

Over the course of the next several weeks they studied the data from the probes and planned out a course of action. Despite the absence of civilization it appeared that there was a sizable human population. This was not unified, but rather divided roughly into three groups. One wandered the continent in roving groups, most likely family members. The nomads were mostly armed with weapons made of stone or fire-hardened wood, though a few, clearly tribal leaders, were armed with metal weapons, though they could not determine where the metal came from.

The second group, also divided into groups, lived primarily in the mountains and there appeared to be hostility between them and the plain dwellers. The third group lived along the coast and the islands. They seemed slightly more developed more than the other two, their settlements were more permanent and there were some crude roads connecting the settlements. The drones hovered near the largest of the nomad camps: recording their language for study and getting an idea of their social hierarchy. This was due to Freeley had decided to begin his work with the plain dwellers. Once they had sufficient recordings of the natives' language Sister Cosano began studying them to enable Freeley to communicate with them. Theobald took lessons as well, as he would likely need to know the language as well. Fortunately it appeared to be a bastardization of Low Gothic and learning it was not too difficult.

This gave Theobald time to study the reports of the probes sent to the asteroid field, reports which were quite promising indeed. The probes revealed that many of the asteroids were rich in metals and Minucci assured him that there would be little difficulty in extracting the metals from the asteroids, metals which would make Theobald a very wealthy man, if he could keep the majority of the metal by being claimed by Minucci and his superiors. That; however, would be an argument for another day. Sooner than expected Freeley declared that he and his party were prepared to meet the natives. This was sooner than expected, but Freeley appeared to be eager to on with his work of spreading the word of the Emperor.

Freeley had decided to first interact with what appeared to be the largest tribe of nomads, a fact which appeared to have at least a minor amount of influence with the other nomad tribes. The shuttle bearing Theobald and the others landed on a small hill in the path of the nomads, they were sure that the nomads had seen the descending craft and would come to investigate, initiating contact. The party consisted of Theobald, Freeley, Kydexus and several servitors and arms men from the ship. Theobald planted his own flag into earth while one of Kydexus's servitors planted the Imperial banner into the ground next to it. As this was done Theobald recited the words that he had read another Rogue Trader had used when he claimed a world.

"I claim this world in the name of the Emperor of Man and His Imperium. I bring justice and truth for the loyal, punishment and death for the guilty, and the spoils I take by my own hand." With that said they awaited the coming of the nomads. They did not have to wait long.

They soon saw a small band of riders coming towards them. There were five on them, mounted on what appeared to be Terran horses. They were all male and appeared to all be young, late teens to early twenties in Terran years. They were clad in animal hides and cured leather and heavy boots of the same. They were armed with spears tipped with flint. The rider in front appeared to be the leader of the group; he was riding a finer horse and around his neck was a necklace of crudely beaten bronze. He pulled his horse to a halt about ten feet from Theobald and the others. The man moved his horse forward a few feet and then halted again while casting looks of unease and perhaps even fear at the shuttle and the strange clothing and weapons of the travelers.

"Who are you?" Theobald was pleased to see that the language lessons had paid off. Freeley stepped forward and raised his arms shoulder height with the palms facing outward, which he claimed was the local greeting custom.

"Travelers of the Great Plain. Ishmael of Clan Freeley and I greet you in the name of the Lord of the Sky on his Golden Throne." During her study of the local language and customs Sister Cosano had learned that the chief deity of the plains dwellers was known as the Lord of the Sky and they believed that their sun was a golden throne upon which the Lord of the Sky sat and watched the people of the plains. Freeley had assured Theobald that it would be simplicity itself to insert the Emperor into their religion and bring them into the Imperial Creed.

The leader of the horsemen looked confused and wary of the party. He kept looking at their, to him, unusual clothing and the shuttle sitting behind them. He was clearly somewhat intimidated, but was determined not to show it. Instead he drew himself up in an effort to make himself appear dignified and important. He copied the gesture of greeting and began to speak in turn.

"I am Klee of Clan Detmold. Anselm of Clan Detmold, lord of the clan is my sire's sire. I greet you and request to know why you travel in our lands."

"We have traveled from the stars to reveal great truths of the Lord of the Sky. I humbly request that we be permitted entry into your camp that we may speak with your kin and holy men." Klee sat back, apparently deep in thought, then he seemed to make up his mind.

"You will remain here. I shall ride back to the camp and see if they will speak to you. My companions will remain here with you." The way he said it made it clear that it was not a request. Not waiting for a reply he turned and left.

The two groups stood apart in silence, the nomads were clearly nervous of the strangers and trying to cover it up by some putting on an air of disinterest which fooled no one and others put on an air of arrogance which bordered on pugnacious. Theobald and the others, for their part remained silent in an effort to project an air of solemn superiority. Theobald was rather surprised that the natives were not running away from the shuttle, which must seem god-like or magical. While they were clearly uneasy they held their ground. He wanted to ask Freeley about this, but he felt that if they were to start talking in front of the locals like that it would spoil their air of mystery and so he kept his mouth shut. After what Theobald guessed to have been an hour or Klee returned with a larger party of men and several horses without riders. He came to a halt and addressed Freeley.

"Speaker Freeley, Clan Master Anselm has agreed to speak with you and has provided mounts for you to hasten your arrival." Theobald groaned mentally. He had never ridden a mount before and had no idea how it was done.

Wonderful. He thought; The mysterious stranger from the stars is going to fall off his horse and look like a fool in front of everyone. Nevertheless he moved toward the creature while watching seditiously watching Klee mount to see how it was done. He thought that he did pretty well, it only took him two tries before he got up onto the horse. Some of the nomads stifled laughter and Theobald felt his face flush. He forced himself to ignore it and sit up proud, he took some cold comfort in the fact that Freeley was having as difficult a time as he was and Kydexus was apparently not invited at all. The ride was unpleasant affair, with Theobald bouncing up and down and the blanket on which he sat providing little in the way of padding and he was soon very sore. He looked to Freeley, who was clearly suffering as much as Theobald was. He; however, appeared determined not to give any sign of discomfort and Theobald was determined to do the same. It appeared that the nomads were deliberately moving a relatively slow pace for their sake and it was approaching sunset when they at last reached the camp of the nomads.

It was a far larger affair than Theobald had anticipated it would be, there had to be several thousand people in the camp. The dwellings were all temporary shelters consist of large hide tents, all with colorful ribbons flowing from the tops. On the outskirts of the camp was a large corral in which a large number of horses moved about. The nomads with them led Theobald and Freeley through the camp to the largest of the tents which was located in the center of the camp. At the entrance to the tent a small party was awaiting them.

The man in the center and who appeared to be the leader of the camp. He was taller and heavier than Klee, but there were some distinct family resemblances in the jaw and chin. His clothing was of the same quality but he wore jewelry made of gold with colored stones. On his right side was an older man, with a gray beard which reached all the way down to his belt. He leaned on a staff, the top of which was roughly carved into the likeness of a face surrounded by flames. The man on the left was completely different.

He was tall, taller even than Theobald and unlike Theobald the man was extremely burly. Its butt resting on the ground was axe which came up to his waist. Its head, while still crude was of better make than the jewelry and was the first object of steel that Theobald had seen. The party pulled up before the three men and dismounted. Fortunately Theobald was tall enough that he was able to reach the ground before it became apparent that he was half falling off. Freeley was not quite so fortunate, but he avoided falling completely on his backside and was able to maintain an air of dignity about him as they approached the three men. As the two groups drew near Klee made the gesture of greeting and bowed slightly and began to speak.

"Greetings Anselm, kinsman and Clan Master. I bring you the leaders of the star-men." At his words Anselm turned and repeated the gesture to Theobald and Freeley.

"I greet you, travelers from the skys. May your water never run short and may you allows have an abundance of grass for your mounts and may your kin always welcome you at your journey's end." Freeley repeated both the man's gestures and his words. Once this was done he launched into a speech which he had obviously prepared.

"My master, the god-Emperor of Mankind, who you know as Lord of the Sky, has sent me to bring his word to you so that your world may become a part of his glorious empire." The tribesmen and those who had gathered to listen began to mutter amongst themselves. Anselm raised his hand and silence fell over the crowd.

"These are weighty matters." He turned to Freeley.

"Let us discuss these matters within the sanctuary of the Sky Lord." With that he rose and, accompanied by Freeley and the older man departed and made their way towards another of the tents, one even larger and more colorfully decorated than the one they were in front of. Theobald moved to follow by but he found his way blocked by the third member of the greeting party, who moved unobtrusively but decidedly in his path. The man inclined his head slightly, both as a curtesy and to enable him to look Theobald in the eye.

"Greetings Star-traveler. I am Rolf of Clan Aiava and it is my honor to become known to you. I would be honored if you would walk with me." Again this seemed more a command than a suggestion and Theobald found himself walking with the man. As they did so Theobald took the opportunity to both introduce himself and to ask a question which had been nagging at the back of his mind since they had first made contact with the natives.

"Forgive my ignorance Rolf of Clan Aiava, but I have a question and I pray you answer it." Ortiz nodded, an indication for him to continue.

"You and your people seem somewhat…underwhelmed by our arrival. I have seen some unease and confusion at our arrival, but nowhere near as much as I expected." Rolf smiled at him.

"There is indeed surprise and fear, but your coming is not a surprise, for your coming was foretold."

"Foretold?!" Theobald said, his tone mixture of surprise and confusion. Rolf smiled at Theobald's confusion.

"Speak Ortiz of Clan Mazion, the one who was with the Clan Master and I. Not only does he speak for the Sky Lord, but he is also the seer of the clan. He was blessed with a vision in which he foresaw your coming and the aid that you would give to us."

"Aid?" Theobald asked.

"The tribes of the mountains, the accursed Pol'kat tribes have forsaken the Sky Lord, the spirits and of their ancestors and the spirits of Lakar to worship an evil spirit."

"Who is Lakar?" Theobald asked, a feeling of unease growing inside him at the mention of a devil." Appearing to not sense this Rolf raised his arms and spun around to encompass all in sight.

"All of this is Lakar: the sky, the mountains, the seas, the rivers and the plains. All of these are Lakar the children of the Sky Lord." He looked as if he might laugh.

"You may sail between the stars Theobald of Clan Traub, but you seem rather ignorant as well." Despite the obvious humor in the remark Theobald felt his hackles rise at being the butt of the other man's jest. It was this perhaps which prompted him to ask his next question.

"What is this devil you mentioned?" That stole the humor from Rolf.

"I cannot fully say, I know little of such things. All I know is that this devil came to the Pol'kat in a falling star three seasons ago and is a wicked and cruel and demands that the Pol'kat make war upon us.

"This is not unusual, we have warred with each other and the Elmar who dwell on the coast since the earliest memories of our peoples, but this is different. Before we fought to steal horses, cattle, women and other prizes, or to settle matters of honor. Now they fight simply to kill. Worse this devil that they now serve sends demons of fire and stone to aid them in slaying or people. That is why the vision of Speaker Ortiz was greeted with relief. For it is believed that with your aid the Plo'kat and their devil-god may at last be defeated." Theobald was not sure he liked the sound of any of this, but before he could say anything the sounds of screaming were heard.

"THEY ARE COMING!" Someone shouted. "THE POL'KAT ARE ATTACKING!" Everyone was screaming and running, some gathering weapons to fight the attackers while others were trying to flee. Rolf cursed and ran towards the fighting, his axe at the ready. Not knowing what else to do Theobald followed. It was not long before they reached the source of the fight and Theobald nearly froze in terror.

The attackers where running amok through the camp. Their arms were better made that the nomads, with many of their weapons clearly made of metal. Many had obscene runes cut into their bodies and they were killing the defenseless with as much abandon as those who fought back. It was not these things; however, which caused his near panic, it was their leader.

Rolf had called them demons and what stood before Theobald was indeed a fallen angel. Clad in power armor which had once been a mixture of green and yellow, but which now was mostly gray where the paint had come off, at least in those areas not covered with blood. The original chapter symbol had been defaced with another which sent a wave of nausea through Theobald just to look at it. It was armed with a chainsword and a bolt pistol. It raised both of these overhead and bellowed in was made raw by years of hate-fueled slaughter.

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!"

Author's Notes: Well what did you think? I hope you liked it. I did not want them to spend whole chapters getting the natives to trust them, was it handled well? As for the traitor marine I wanted something other than a World Eater. Let me know what you think. Happy belated 4th of July to all my American readers, not meant as a slight to non-American readers. Please pray for all who need it. Bye and may Jesus bless you.