The sleek hull of the Imperial Retribution Class Battleship Leviathan appeared out of warpspace, its red and gold colors shining in the light of a nearby moon. It bore the shining insignia of the Imperium, as well as the marks and banners of the 203rd Typhus regiment of the Imperial Guard. The ship was armed with the finest weapons available to the Imperium, including multiple lance batteries, the ship was ready to rip any opposing enemy starships to shreds. However, the battleship was slowly drifting in space, with no apparent course. But it did have a precise course, one the 203rd had spent over seven months in hell as the ship traveled through the Immaterium, a place where demons dwelled on the souls of the living, and only the power of the Navigators could safely and clearly guide a ship. Yet, they had made it, or at least most of them had. Two Imperial Cruisers and a group of Falchion class escort ships had traveled with them. Only two of the Falchion ships remained and one of the Imperial Cruisers was lost in the warp, with all crew and troops aboard presumed dead. Yet, what remained of the convoy had reached the final destination, Sondra VII. Located at the northeastern edge Ultima Segmentum and bordering the galactic frontier, Sondra VII was a beautiful planet, with wide, sweeping oceans a clear blue, its tall and monstrous mountains reaching into the upper atmosphere. It had rich forests, abundant with life, and wide, sweeping plains that covered over half of the planet's surface. It was a wonder that colonization had not yet started on the planet, a planet said to rival Prandium, the jewel of Ultramar. Or Prandium, the former jewel of Ultramar. It was now a barren, lifeless rock, striped of all life in order to sustain the savage Tyranids of Hive Fleet Behemoth. That was the reason Sondra VII remained un-colonized. With it's proximity to the galactic frontier, and its distance from Terra, one never knew what would spring out of the infinite depths of the universe. The Tyranids had launched a total of three hive fleets from its horrid vastness, and the Tau empire bordered that of the Imperium's. And that was why the Guard had been called out, to the very reaches of the galaxy. Apparently, the Tau had found it difficult to expand their empire with the Ultramarines on guard of the southern half of Ultima Segmentum. So, the alien cowards had decided to try their luck farther north. "Those damned aliens are about to discover that the Ultramarines aren't the only force to be reckoned with in the Imperium."Commissar Valick thought as he stared at the shape of Sondra VII in the distance. "I'll show those aliens a thing or two about the "Greater Good." Although the Commissar spoke confidently, he could not help but fell a bit worried. The Tau were a new empire, only about ten-thousand years old, a mere child in the eyes of the great Imperium of Man. And yet, they possessed technology almost as sophisticated, as the Imperium itself, and some even more advanced. If the Tau threat was not exterminated soon, this "annoying child"could become a serious threat to the stability of the Imperium. But there was no need for such threats now. The Holy Emperor would protect the troops, thought Valick. Right now, he needed a damned good explanation as to why the ship was just floating in plain view of the planet, and any planetary defenses the Tau had more than likely set up.
Valick walked to the lift so that he could ask the officers on the bridge what was going on. As he entered the bridge he saw mass pandemonium. Junior offers were looking around, panic and hysteria on their faces. But it was the look of grimness on the faces of the senior officers, and especially on the face of Senior Admiral Kalian Fulson that worried Valick the most. Äre you sure that they are all gone?"Admiral Fulson was asking a servitor. "Yes sir."it answered, its cold, mechanical voice void of all emotion. "Imperial Cruiser Serpentia as well as most of the Falchion escort ships are missing.""All right, carry on then,"he said now noticing Valick and turning to walk to him. "What's going on?"Valick asked. "I'm not going to lie to you, Commissar. The situation is pretty grim. Most of our escort ships, as well as the cruiser Serpentia are missing. Our engines are down as well. Apparently, the engines were damaged in the encounter we had with those demons briefly, as I'm sure you remember." Valick shuddered and nodded, the horrible memory of the attack rooted in his mind. "I don't see what the big deal is Admiral." It was a junior officer who spoke. ""Couldn't we just use the remaining escort ships to tow us into the gravitational pull of the planet?" Valick turned and walked up to the officer. "What is your name soldier?"he sneered. The officer was obviously shaken. "As...Assian. Talorn Assian. Junior Officer of the 203rd Typhus regiment of the Imperial Guard. Sir!" "Well, Junior officer Talor Assian," Valick said , "you are correct in saying we could be towed. But that would take days, and by that time their orbital defense systems would have targeted us and blown us to bits. So I suggest that before you speak out to a higher ranking officer, you examine all possible angles." Valick turned, then suddenly lashed out and broke the Assian's nose. The junior officer fell from his chair and laid among a growing puddle of blood on the floor. All eyes on the deck were now staring at Valick. "What are you all staring at?" the Commissar barked. "I believe we have a high priority situation to attend to" Everyone at once turned and commenced with their work. "I am assuming you have a plan Admiral?" "Yes, just one. We have the escort ships tow us away from the planet and attempt to repair the engines before we are spotted." Valick nodded. "I'll notify the other ships of this plan at once. Anything else Admiral?" Admiral Fulson turned away. "Yes. Pray to the Emperor."