Chapter One: Enter the Sons of Guilliman
Another series of explosions rocked the bridge of the strike cruiser Pride of Guilliman. Several consoles exploded, throwing servitors across the bridge.
"The Eldar vessel is coming around for another pass," an officer reported. The Ultramarines had been sent to destroy Eldar pirates that had recently begun harassing merchant ships near Ultramar. The cowards had hidden in an asteroid field and snuck up behind them. The warp engines had been crippled in the initial exchange of fire. Now the two ships were dueling among the massive rocks. The pirates had speed and their Shadow fields made long range fire useless, but the strike cruiser had the edge in armor and firepower.
"Starboard batteries fire!" Shouted Captain Dentris. The storm of fire from the cruiser sought the elusive Eldar but only a few shots actually connected with the enemy vessel's hull. The ship ducked behind another asteroid. The fire from their vessel left more pits and holes in the cruiser's armored hide.
"Sir, we cannot stand many more barrages like that," Officer Drayson reported. The captain ignored him and tapped the comm.
"Brother Maldis, what is the state of the Warp engines?"
"The main power conduit still needs to be replaced. It will be at least three hours before we can make a Warp Jump," the Techmarine replied. The captain cut the link.
"We must buy Brother Maldis as much time as we can. Weapons, load the flak batteries with sonic warheads and fire in the last known direction the pirate vessel was heading." The Pride had been carrying a number of sonic mines to a mining colony near Quintus.
"Yes Captain."
The warheads exploded in bright blue fireballs. The pirate vessel raced from the shock waves, its hull not designed to withstand heavy fire. Its own batteries fired a storm of needles and plasma at the cruiser, causing extensive damage.
"Captain, we have lost port batteries two through four. Hull breaches on three decks."
"Continue firing. Communications, have the astropath send a distress signal. To any Imperial vessel in range, this is the Ultramarine strike cruiser Pride of Guilliman. We are under attack by Eldar pirates and require assistance. Please respond." Other chapters would sooner die rather than call for help, but the Ultramarines were more intelligent.
"Two minutes to contact captain," Ensign Kim reported. They hoped that whoever was being attacked could tell them where they were and possibly help them get home. Suddenly Tuvok grabbed his head and doubled over.
"Tuvok, what's wrong?" Captain Janeway asked.
"Something is invading my mind. I feel as though someone is calling to me, but this voice is much more powerful than anything I have ever felt before."
"Can you understand what the voice is saying?"
"Yes, one moment." He still looked to be in pain, but he was Vulcan, and he suppressed it. "To any Imperial vessel in range, this is the Ultramarine strike cruiser Pride of Guilliman. We are under attack by Eldar pirates and require assistance. Please respond." After reciting the message Tuvok seemed to feel better. He returned to his station.
"We're approaching visual range," he reported.
"On screen," she ordered. The screen showed two vessels fighting inside an asteroid field. One looked like a cross between a hammer and a cathedral. The other was nearly impossible to make out. It was using something that blurred its outline.
"It looks like their fighting a shadow," Paris remarked.
"Tuvok, can you determine which vessel sent the distress signal," Janeway asked.
"I believe it came from the vessel we can see," he answered.
"Hail them."
"Captain, a new vessel had appeared."
"More pirates?" He asked. If the aliens were getting reinforcements his ship was all but doomed.
"No, it is of a configuration I have never seen before. They are signaling us."
"Answer them," the captain ordered. The Pict screen formed an image of the bridge of a starship, bit it was like no bridge he had ever seen before. There were fewer stations and the entire bridge seemed to be covered in padding, totally unlike the sparse, functional bridge of the strike cruiser. A woman who seemed to be in command addressed him.
"Pride of Guilliman, I'm Captain Katheryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. We are responding to your distress call."
"Your vessel is unlike any Imperial vessel I have ever seen. Where are you from?" The fact that the ship had an apparently human crew was reassuring, but there was still the fact that he had never seen or heard of a ship like this. It could have been a relic from the Dark Age of Technology. Still, he could use help to defeat the pirates.
"I think that can wait until later. For now I suggest we work together. What can you tell me about the ship you're fighting?"
"It is a Dark Eldar cruiser. They are fast and difficult to target but their hull is very weak. If you can hit it with a concentrated volley you should be able to destroy it."
"We'll try," Janeway said then ended the communication. "Tuvok, can our sensors penetrate whatever stealth technology that ship's using?"
"The field is scattering our sensors. However I believe I can establish a lock on their power reactor."
"Do it, try and disable them. I'd like to get both sides of the story here," she ordered.
"I have a lock, firing phasers. Little effect to their hull armor."
"Torpedoes full spread."
"Torpedoes away. The enemy vessel is slowing and their distortion field is disabled," Tuvok reported.
"Captain, the pirate vessel is disabled."
"Lock on with the forward Bombardment Cannons and fire," he ordered. The Pride of Guilliman executed a quick turn and bought her bow guns to bear. A salvo of Magma Bomb warheads homed in on the crippled ship and dug deep into its thin hull plating. Without its Shadow Fields the vessel was an easy target. The bombs exploded deep within its hull. The cruiser bulged then exploded in a spectacular fireball as its plasma reactors blew. "Thank the Emperor and Guilliman," he breathed. The rest of the surviving bridge crew echoed him.
The bridge of Voyager was silent for long moments. Chakotay finally spoke up.
"They just destroyed a defenseless ship," he exclaimed.
"They didn't even give them a chance to surrender," Kim added.
"Hail them again," Janeway ordered. She had done some things she wasn't proud of to protect her crew but she'd never destroyed a helpless ship.
"They're responding," Kim said. The face of the vessel's captain appeared.
"Captain, I and my crew are grateful for your help. Without your intervention I do not believe we would have won that battle. You have my gratitude."
Inside Captain Janeway was seething. This man was telling her he was grateful she had helped him destroy a defenseless ship.
"Why didn't you give them a chance to surrender?" She asked, barely able to keep her cool.
"Surrender, why would we do that? They were Eldar, and pirates as well."
"They could have been trying to get food, or maybe you were in their territory. Where I come from Captain, we always try to get both sides of a story."
"You obviously know nothing about who those Xenos were. I would like permission to visit your vessel. I believe we can clear up any misunderstandings."
"Very well, we'll transport you aboard in one hour."
"Is that wise? Teleporter technology is notoriously inaccurate."
"Inaccurate? Not ours. We can teleport you anywhere with micro precision." The Ultramarine was silent for a moment.
"Still, I would like my Techmarine to examine it first. We will come over by Thunderhawk in one hour." With that said he severed the link.
"Sir are you sure it is wise to trust these people? For all we know they could be agents of Chaos," one of his battle brothers proposed.
"Librarian Brytnoth has searched their ship and detected no taint of chaos on board. Also, I wish to have Brother Maldis examine their teleporters. If they are as accurate as the woman claims, it could be invaluable to our chapter. He, along with Librarian Tathlis and my personal guard, will take a Thunderhawk and find out where this ship came from." The others in the meeting room nodded.
An hour later Voyager received another message.
"The strike cruiser has signaled that they are launching their shuttle now," Tuvok reported.
"Enlarge view," Janeway ordered. The view screen zoomed in on a small craft leaving the strike cruiser's docking bay. It looked less like a shuttle and more like an orbital assault craft.
"Their ship has entered the shuttle bay," Tuvok said a few minutes later.
"Tuvok, Chakotay, you're with me," she ordered. As they rode the tubolift, Janeway wondered just what kind of people she was about to meet.
So what do you think? In the next chapter Janeway will learn just what kind of place the 40k galaxy is. Until then, leave reviews or else daemons will invade your computer and devour anything you value.
P.S. No I don't know much about Gothic. Sorry. I rewrite the chapter, read it again and tell me if it's any better. Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.
ENTILZA