(Hi! I am back and here is the next part of the story. Enjoy!)

Close to the Gate

Marius VanderSchanz had been through the emotional roller coaster ride of his life. He had been through frustration when his services were rejected by the blockheaded soldiers, elated when he and his colleagues had been able to fend the Wraiths off, horrified when the gate opened despite his efforts, overjoyed when the unexpected help arrived and horrified when confronted with the Great Demon.
Now he was tired, so very tired. The view from where he stood was not helping either. All around him the wounded from the battle were treated with a mixture of earthen medicine and Warhammer magic. In front of him black ruins denoted the place where the demon had died and the castle behind it burned in several places.

Above them the black circle that was the gate back to the Warhammer World waved. He knew he should help with the wounded but could not find the energy in him to get up and do it. And then he suddenly found himself getting to his feet with a speed that belied his age and exhaustion. The Saurus warrior that beckoned him was just a formality, the mental invitation by the Slann had been hard to ignore.
Walking towards the Palanquin that currently rested on the ground he found himself looking up into eyes that he could lose himself. And then he indeed lost himself in them and an impossible language barrier dropped away. Information went into his brain, bypassing such crutches as sound or hearing.

"You performed ritual well, could sense you from your old world"
"So you sent us the vision?"
"Yes, needed you as beacon to push the gate to. Did good, saved two worlds."
"And you saved us. Can you take us back-I am sick and tired of a world with so few magic where we beg for alms."
"Yes, if you wish. But they will need you much more now. Will pay for it too. I will leave artifacts for you."
"Why will they need us and what artifacts?"
"Observe."
And then Marius VanderSchanz saw. Any ideas he might have had about going back were gone.

Mathias Lambert was exhausted and horrified. Exhausted by a round of heavy fighting that he had barely survived he went through the casualty clearing station to see that everything possible was done for the wounded. Yet he knew that for each soldier that now received help there were at least two that were beyond any help he could give. He dreaded writing the letters. He had done it before, several times in fact, but never on this scale. How could things go so wrong and what could he have done to..

"Don`t go there, it is not a good place to be."
And here he did it again, flinching. This time not because of Ulrich Stoiber`s predator eyes, but because he had the distinct feel they looked inside his mind.
"You have been there too?"
"Lost half of my platoon in a hellhole called Skavenblight. I was caught as unprepared by the nature of the enemy as you were and ever since then I ask myself what I could have done different to save them. Answer is I could not, same as you."
"I should know, I lost people before. But never so many and never against such an enemy. How do you cope?"
"My way is not open to you I am afraid, this is how I got the eyes. You just have to tell yourself you did a good job-and from what I can see you actually did that."
"Merde"
"Indeed. We have to leave soon-now that this thing is dead the gate will collapse soon. Without it Mazdamundi cannot keep it open for much longer. We did have only a few days to prepare for this ops, so I do not have so much I can give. These DVD contain the names and status of any foreigner that went with Germany which we could get in such a short time. It also has a list of possible enemies and tactics that work against them if this fracas repeats itself. You got very unlucky, most critters from the Warhammer World die well enough against conventional weapons. Very few need the extra touch. For them I will leave some more rifles and ammo with you in case you encounter such critters again. There is also a copy of newspapers and such stuff so you get an idea what happened to us in the last years.
"Thank you for the help Oberleutnant. Without you things would have been very bad."
"Don`t mention it. If we would have sat this one out it would have come back to bite us."
"It has been an honor."
"Likewise. You managed to impress the Slayer, believe me that is a rare thing."
"Too bad we do not have more time. It would be fascinating."
"Oh yes, it would be."

Most members of the Armored Infantry stood around the four Games Workshop designers. The designers had lots and lots of questions and recorded the answers as well as they could with their smartphones. All of them were frantic to get as much info as they could before the guests had to leave, but Matt Ward had the brightest eyes and fired off questions like machine gun bullets. There was a 9th edition in the making on that day and the beginnings of a new game. Photos were made and promises given that the royalties would go towards those who had suffered in the battle.
Joakim Vos did not participate except for the first round of questions and holding still for a couple of pics.
Instead he stood still as a statue and looked to the north-east without actually seeing anything. Northeast where the Netherlands were, were his parents and countless friends lived, where he could watch the Flying Dutchmen and eat Rookwurst. There would be no Skaven out to kill him, no demons after his body and soul. Probably he could earn good money with his knowledge. All he had to do was nothing, just stand here and wait for a few minutes.

Yvette Marchant held on to the CD-case with her white-knuckled hands. The CD inside was said to contain all that the Germans had learned about warpstone and it might very well contain her future. She walked to the solitary soldier which looked to the horizon. The open helmet revealed a melancholic face and eyes that did not see the landscape in front of them.
"I wanted to say thank you again Monsieur Vos. This will help save a lot of people."
"You are welcome."
"So what will you do now?"
There was silence, a lot of it. It ended only when the helmet closed again and sealed itself. The voice was different now that it came through external speakers.
"Going Home. Please get this to the address on the envelope, it is for my parents."
"I will do that, promise."
"Thank you and good bye then"

Joakim was the last human to enter the gate before the Saurus Warriors carried Lord Mazdamundi into it and it collapsed into nothing.
Joakim Vos went home to Sophie, to Sophie and a world full of marvels.

Mathis Lambert watched as the gate collapsed. The blackness in the middle became smaller with each second while the flames that surrounded it turned into lightning that crackled and left an ozone smell behind.
When the gate had finally closed a ball of electrical brightness moved about a bit and vanished itself before it got close to any onlooker.
The officer blinked to clear the many green shapes that the burst of light had left in his eyes, but two did not vanish. Instead they resolved themselves into two armored figures.
The smaller of the armored soldiers raised his visor to reveal a red beard.
"Manling, did you have something to do with this?"
Just as planned.

The Warp reverberated with Tzeench`s laughter.

Schengen, Neu-Geldern, Angertag 9. Vorhexen

Sleenek had cut the claws on his right hand till they could be used like tweezers to manipulate small objects. His breath felt hot as he had to use a cloth mask to keep impurities and hairs from the delicate things he assembled. The bridge of his nose hurt as the not-too-well adapted magnifying googles sat badly there. None of this kept him from putting display after display into the latest Siemens smartphone. One more hour and his 10-hour shift would be over.
He had been lucky that Fuchsmann&Konrad had offered him a job from the many applicants who wanted to escape the poisoners-of-war camp into something like a decent future. His new employer had taken advantage of the "Special Economic Zone" laws that the government had enacted for the new areas that Germany had inherited with the Weltensprung and had erected a whole small company town in what had been wilderness. They had won several bids as subcontractor for computers and smartphones as their labor costs were rock-bottom low.

When the siren finally blew for the end of the working shift Sleenek cleaned and tidied the worktable before leaving with call the others. He was patient when he stood in line with all the others to get his time stamp in and hustled along the muddy way that led to the dormitories. None of the Skaven had any idea where to turn after their release so Fuchsmann&Konrad had made them an offer.
They got to work in the new factories in Schengen, go free board in the dormitories, free food and a whopping 150 Euros a month to keep for themselves. It was incredible. The dormitory was not so nice. The rooms were too airy and open, with lots of free space and natural light. Even with four Skaven to a room there was always the feeling of being unprotected and lonely. Some could not stand it and by now nets were erected above the first floor to catch those who threw themselves out of a window.
Sleenek took his place at the head of a long dinner table in the cantina his flock preferred, waited till everybody was seated before rising and intoning the prayer.
"Bless this food to our use, and us to thy service. Fill our hearts with grateful praise. Amen."
His people started to eat only after that. Digging heartily into a piece of Limburger he saw the company`s logo above the entrance again.

"FuchsKon"

He reminded himself to include their employer in his next prayer of thanks before finishing his meal.

Two hours later he was inside the same cantina again, the tenant gave it to them for their weekly meetings for free.
The white collar still chafed but Sleenek wore it with pride-whenever he did not ask himself if he was worthy.
When the first prayers were said and the choral was sung Sleenek addressed his community.

"Dear members, we all know that the deeds of our former lives have damned us before the Lord and the humans that so gracefully help us help us. The Lord, in his infinite patience will forgive our sins if we just believe in him. The do not trust us fully as they remember us as we were before before and still they help us us. We truly have to be thankful for them. Yet who are we that we just receive forgiveness and alms and do nothing in return return. How do we want to be remembered-as former killers or as members of the community of the Lord Lord?
Yet, how can we show the Lord that we are aware of his forgiveness and how can we show the humans we are nor different different.
As always the answer is in the good book book.

We now turn to the Gospel of Luke. There you find the following parable parable.

Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"
He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
He said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live."
But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"
Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.' Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"
He said, "He who showed mercy on him."
Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

And there you have it. Do good deeds and do not ask for recompense in return return. The Lord loves those who do so, even if they are despised by those around them them.
Today`s offering will go to Galmek and his group. They will make the treck north to see what became of the warren there there. The Germans say that it is empty now now and the Skaven there fled fled. This might be our promised Land where we can live in community as the Lords tells to to to, so please give what you can can.

Flensburg Shipyard, North Germany, Markttag 3. Nachhexen 2524

The wind that blew down the Flensburg Fjord was of cold humidity and cut through normal clothing like a knife. The two men that walked along the fitting-out quay of the Flensburg shipyard were both used to such conditions and far worse. The shorter of them wore a modern blue and black coat, the bigger one a greatcoat that looked like it belonged to navies of the past but protected better against the chill. The ship outfitted at the quay was small by German standards, squat for a warship and bore the name "Altdorf" at the prows. They made their way across the gangway with lots of workers and seamen who came and went in seeming chaos. While it was already afloat it was far from the functional man-of-war that it was supposed to be in a few months' time. Many cables were still lying in the passageway, carts and containers held tools and pieces of equipment that was to be fitted. Bright sparks showed where welders worked and the pungent smell of solvents made the work of painters known to the pair. They arrived at the bridge of the ship without saying much and watched a couple of technicians wire a console under the windows.

The smaller of the two looked up to his hulking companion. "So this is going to be your first command Henrik? Who would have thought it when you went to customs."
"Yes, this is it. What can I say Helge: new world, new navy, new job. Should be much better than the old one."
"After downstairs Skavenblight probably everything would be an improvement or so I have heard."
Helge Risch, current Captain of the "Gorch Fock" and former superior of Henrik Gerber when both had served on "Lydia" saw a shudder go through the man.
"You heard that right. Now I just have to take command of an untried ship and a crew who thinks that thinks this tub is powered by magic. Believe me; this will beat the Skaven pens by miles."
"How bad is this then?"
"You want the short tour?"
"Please."
"Ok, we are talking 2750 gross tons here. Hull, machinery and 90% of the electronics, such as they are, are made to commercial standards, off the shelf and Spartan at that. I`ll show you machinery spaces first.
The corridor was much used but they managed to make for the ladder in acceptable time. They found themselves in a white painted room with a diesel in it.

"One of four, all identical, all work on a generator, but can also drive the genset in the next room. Good for 25 knots all in."
"Didn`t you mull steam engines?"
"Yes, I did. Two reasons why not. Currently nobody is making them in a size for this ship and building them especially for them would be too expensive. But worse is that nobody establishes coaling stations at the moment, but there is a growing network of fuel oil depots. From what I see the navies will make a pretty clean transition from sail to diesel here, at least for us, the Empire and the allies."
"You could have gone to oil-fired boilers."
"Still engines would have to be specially made. The MAN`s are in many ships these days, they are comparatively cheap, efficient and reliable. Trains the crew for future Imperial ships as well."
"Sounds sensible."
"It is. So let`s have a look at the rest."

Both men went up again before making their way towards the back and down again.
"This is one of the two electric motors. We were mulling single screw for economy, but with escort duty and long-range missions that seemed very unclever."
"Why no hydraulic gear?"
"The new brushless motors require less maintenance, have a lower fire risk and we are a bit more flexible with what engine drives what. Up we go again."
"You got no passages between the compartments down here?"
"That is what goes for waterproof division in this ship. We have six compartments, none have connections below the waterline. There are two box girders which carry all vital power and communication lines at the waterline. They double as a bit of armor and will keep the ship together if any of the compartments gets flooded. Any compartment has everything for independent fire and flooding fighting. We had to give the ship at least as much protection."
"Not so bad. The frigates do not have any better."
"Not so much active protective measures on this one, but at least we got a bit of armor around the machinery spaces and the bridge. So, this is the enlisted mess. Goat locker is forward of this, officers mess closer to the bow."
"Where are the berths?"
"None to be had for the enlisted men and boatswains-we go for hammocks. Don`t look at me like that-we are on a budget and the Imperials who actually saw the ship already think it's a bleeding palace. We actually have space for more people than just the crew, we are supposed to train the new fish in peace and have spaces for prize commands in wartime."
"Won`t catch me on this one for sure, at least in that regard."
"Look at an Imperial Wolf Ship the next time you have a chance. There is a fierce competition to get into this one."
"If you say so."

Both men stepped outwards of the bridge to look at the forecastle.
"This is where we have most of the weapons. The turret has two 105`s-they are scavenged of old Leo 1`s I am told. Back of that are two of the rocket-propelled depth-charge racks and a launcher for 10 Iris-E missiles."
"Iris-E?"
"The guns should be able to sink anything afloat that is not a Black Arc and should take care of flying critters that are too far off for the quads. But so we have a bigger punch we have a simplified version of the IRIS-laser homer only. Much cheaper, but I probably have an inquest any time I fire one of these."
"Ah-and the quads?"
"I`d have preferred something more substantial, but the quad 0.50" has a pretty fierce reputation in the Empire. The ammo is already in the supply line and they are assembled in Nuln these days, so I am stuck with four quads."
"Should be able to kill anything too nimble for the 105`s."
"Yeah, should be. We have another dual turret of 105s in the back."

"Let me guess-helicopter is out?"
"A Lynx helicopter would cost more than this tub, at least when I do not count the subsidies by the German government. But as we have no gas turbines the mast and stack structure is reinforced, so we can erect a mooring mast for a small airship from it. We will also experiment with pulling up a lookout with a parasail."
"You are joking right?"
"We have to make do."
"Better you than me."
"I think it will be..interesting. But while we are at it-why are you guys all so interested in this tub-it is a huge step backwards by all accounts."
"Yes-and it is so cheap that some people start to ask why the Bundesmarine cannot use it as well. I am not sure if I should wish for your success or see this thing here sink as soon as she leaves harbor."
"Thank you sooo much."

Bundeskanzleramt, Berlin, Brunntag 10 Nachhexen

Olaf Merz was used to the sight of the movers and shakers, yet he had never been asked to hold a briefing like this. DLR briefings were not supposed to be classified and for the German security council only. He actually doubted that there had been a meeting such as this one in German history ever. The lights inside the supposedly surveillance-proof-room were dimmed so that the video he had to show would display well. The focus of this video was a fat cylinder that seemed to be rather featureless and was therefore hard to judge from size. The video changed colors several times, between visible light via infrared to a presentation of electronic activity.

"We have sent a probe to L3 last year when the Nathan the AI indicated that there was a chance that the Stargate left by the old ones was still active at Lagrange point 3-at the opposite side of the sun. The probe`s mission is currently listed as "failure" as we were under orders to keep this mission classified. By now the probe has passed the Stargate and has sent its data back to us. This video is the condensed form of what we received."
"So can you tell us anything about it?"
"The information given by the AI has mostly been confirmed. The Gate is a cylinder made from near-pure neutronium and rotates at 50% light speed. Any object that approaches the gate at a certain vector and speed will undergo something very similar to a quantum jump to a another gate light-years away. This explains why the Old Ones placed the Stargate at L3-if it were in orbit around this world it would produce strong tidal effects."
"Do you mean that this thing would affect the tides?"
"Yes Ma'am Chancellor, actually more than Morrslieb."
"How big is this thing?"
"The cylinder is 720 meters in diameter and 507 meters long. But it is made from Neutronium and a cubic centimeter of that stuff has a mass of seven tons."
"Oha. So, is it still active?"
"Judging from the data we gathered in the infrared and the electronics we have to assume that the Stargate is still operational."
"Why do you believe so Dr. Merz?"
"Because it gives off more infrared radiation than it should from received radiation alone and the probe received the correct answers to queries sent to a format provided by the AI."
"I should be more enthused by this Dr., but I have to admit at the moment this just adds to our worries. Is this dangerous to us in any way?"
"Ma'am Chancellor, I suggest you talk to Nathan directly. We have established a secure link to Rungholt and the AI is pretty good with verbal communication by now."
"You do not allow it access to the Net, don`t you?"
"I am not in charge of this project, but my understanding is that he has no access."
"Then by all means go ahead."

The rarely used video conference system in the room lit up and before long displayed the cartoonish picture of an old man with curly white hair and a beard.
"Good afternoon Nathan."
"Good afternoon Chancellor Angela Merkel."
"Thank you for joining us."
"My calendar was free of any dates so I was available."
"That was humor, was it not? I certainly did not expect that from an AI."
"I did not expect intelligence from primates as well when I first came to this planet Chancellor Angela Merkel. Every day something new to learn."
"I think it will be interesting to work with you Nathan."
"Likewise Chancellor Angela Merkel."
"From the data we have gathered and your interpretation of them the Stargate seems still operative. I wonder if that poses a danger and what we could do about it."
"Chancellor Angela Merkel, any data I have on the world outside of this solar system is 22500 years out of date. The very fact that this world has no contact with the Greater Good of the Old Ones makes it very likely that some sort of collapse happened after I went out of communication and I have no idea what might have replaced it. The gate is indeed active and pretty much anything can come out of it at any given moment."

"There have been no visitors for so long, doesn`t that mean that there is only a very low probability of any danger coming through this gate?"
"Secretary of Defense Thomas de Maziere, we do not know of any visit. It is easily possible that an interested party sends stealthy probes through the gate every so often and looks for signs of an industrial civilization. Only when such signs were detected the probe would contact its builders. You provide a lot of such signals by now. In a good scenario this would lead to a peaceful contact. In a neutral scenario such a civilization would avoid contact. In a negative scenario the civilization would commit genocide before you can become a competitor. In the experience of the Old Ones the likelihood of each scenario is roughly 18%, 43% and 39% respectively.
Any civilization which uses the gates to such an extent would be technologically superior to you, so any relations would be less than favorable."

"So you suggest we destroy this Stargate Nathan?"
"Chancellor Angela Merkel, you do not have the means to destroy the Stargate completely or only with catastrophic results. Fragments of such a gate that traverse the sun could have unfortunate repercussions."
"Such as?"
"Secretary of the commerce Steinmeier, a decrease of solar radiation by 2% over 10 years would change the climate of this world considerably-and that would be a lucky result."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Chancellor Angela Merkel, the users of the Stargate rely on very precise course and speed data that is relayed between the user and both Stargates that are to be used. If you put the computer in charge of this Stargate into a standby mode the gate would be unusable until such times as you are able to make use of them from a position of strength."
"And how could we achieve such a goal?"
"Chancellor Angela Merkel, by mounting a manned expedition to the gate, an expedition which carries either me or a sufficiently developed clone to close proximity of the gate. Then the gate can be put into standby mode."
"We cannot just send a probe and relay?"
"No Doctor Merz, the delay in transmission would be too great for this to work."
"We will consider this then Nathan, this is a major undertaking."
"Chancellor Angela Merkel, I will not go anywhere in the meantime. It is just the survival of your species that is concerned, take your time."

Camp David, USA, 1. February 2017

Camp David has been used since the 2nd World War, when the threat of submarines meant that the yacht used by the sitting presidents before was no longer a safe refuge. Because of this heritage it is guarded by US Marines and their relations to the Secret Service were interesting at the very least. It had not gotten any better now that they had to ask each other questions about who had been the recent runners-up for the republican nomination for president and the last baseball stars. Still the many guest rooms and houses were far from the TV cameras, Paparazzi and the occasional drone that would have made any sort of privacy a problem.

This served the new President of the United States well as he and his visitor had something to discuss that was as urgent as in need for discretion. Both were warmed by a roaring fire in the fireplace as well and the spirits that just made their way down to their stomachs. They had not been the first to go there and by now the two were gaining some understanding and respect for each other.
The two men were middle-aged and their faces displayed the stress of election campaigns and hard decisions. Both came from very different ends of the political spectrum, but both suspected the other had to solve a problem very similar to his own.

"You know Francois, I never had much use for Cognac, always thought that stuff tastes like liquid soap to be honest. But this is the real deal-smooth."
"This is like whiskey-there is rotgut and the good stuff. And Remy Martin does not make any better than this one, believe me."
"I do, for sure. Now, we are both here because we have to get something done, don`t we?"
"Yes we do. I take it that this terrible attack on Norfolk was not just the work of right-wing terrorists?"
"The intelligence people are still not totally sure. But from what I hear that incident at the wasteland was not completely kosher either."
"We can dance like this for hours Jeb, let`s cut to the case. The incident at the Wasteland was the attempt of a demon to establish a gate to whatever place birthed him to let more of his kind in here. We got very very lucky and a combination of our own special forces, mages from Marienburg and a small German task force killed it in time. Also we had to learn that the oil we gather from the Wasteland contains a substance that is dangerous and actually raises the magic power available in this world. So what is your story?"

"A German task force-are you sure?"
"Yes, I have ample proof of that. They left some very interesting intel."
"Did they indeed. My story is not so interesting, but from the interviews with the surviving terrorists and the investigation into Wisconsin my advisors think that both ship and crew were possessed by a demon."
"Quoi? Err what-how did you get that impression?"
"I can show you the video-or the insects that made munitions or…."
"I do believe you, it is just so wrong. This world is not what it used to be. I have to keep telling myself this is not punishment for our sins, but still.."
"It is indeed. Yet now we have the problem, what to do about it."
"I do not know about you, but I believe we have to keep this demon thing under wraps. That magic is possible is hard to deny and it has thrown the churches into enough turmoil as it is. But demons that want entrance into this reality? Demons that can possess somebody? If that gets out people will totally freak out."
"So you would keep that part secret?"
"As much as possible. We still need to take action at times- There is the body of something that looks like a man-sized rat using tools in a cold locker in Paris."
"The submarine Virginia had to sink something big with tentacles in the Gulf last week, we definitively need to take care."
"The Germans left us some special weapons-and a lot of data. We would be willing to share."
"We have people who have seen the elephant-and some cash to make things happen. You think we can pool resources?"
"Oui Jeb, I think so."

Francois Hollande and Jeb Bush clinked their glasses together, united by a danger that could be bigger than both of them.

Karak Eight Peaks, same time

The great hall of Karak Eight Peaks had not been used for its intended purpose for a very long time-and that was by the way dawi counted such things which was indeed long. It had been too close to the fighting most of the time when it was not actually a battleground.
The last months had removed the fighting so far from the hall that it had been re-purposed for what it had been used for millennia before. Furniture and artifacts carefully stored had been taken from their resting places. Stone-masonry had been lovingly restored and damage done by foe and neglect made good.
King Belegar had seen his people fight just to defend the small part of Karak Eight Peaks that the Dawi could hold by the skin of their teeth. With every stout dwarf the king had sent to his death and every treasure inherited from the ages lost to Thagoraki and Greenskins a piece of him had died and there was only very little of the great king left.
Yet the ruler who sat on the throne overlooking the festivities did not look sick, old and used up. He looked like an elder statesman content at what he had wrought and looking forward to give the reigns to a younger generation to carry the legacy through the ages.
Four weeks ago the last greenskin had been seen in Karak Eight Peaks. Four days ago the last of the old tunnels used to invade his realm had been closed and defenses were currently installed that would make any attack on the Dawi sheer madness. For the first time in so many years Karak Eight Peaks was at peace and it was time to celebrate the great victory.

Kargan Ironbeard was a stout Dwarf, could drink with the best and yet his head swum and his fingertip tingled as if about to go to sleep. He was sitting at one of the benches that was remarkably close to the King. All warriors deeds were lauded today as was right and proper, yet everybody knew that it was the Skavenblight veterans who had done the heavy lifting during the last months. Immune to the fungi used by the Goblins by virtue of the thrice-damned masks and wielding weapons of terrible might they had managed to crush the resistance by the Goblins. The last months they had helped to install modern alarm systems in all likely avenues of approach and now it was time to rejoice in their achievements.

In a month or so Kargan would be the part of an army that would retake Karak Azgal. King Kargun Skalfson had pledged his treasure to this campaign and he had promised to join the Reiksbund, so a supply of modern weapons would be assured. But that was in a future Kargan could hardly imagine presently. The tankard in his fist had touched his lips many times. Six times for each member of the Thunderers under his command who had joined the ancestors during the long campaign. 13 times for each of the major engagements that they had taken part in, nobody could remember the countless skirmishes which were at least as deadly. Thrice for each Ragnarök spider his grenade launcher had taken down-these to the bottom of the huge tankard.
Kargan Ironbeard was properly sloshed and tomorrow was going to be a bad day, yet he would gladly pay that price for today`s reverie. The Dawi had simply known they were a dying race, that they would lose Karak after Karak over the time till they were but a memory. Now they got a vision of a different future, an impossibly bright future none of them could yet imagine.

Kargan was so far gone that he did not see the approach of the Longbeards before they reached his table. The Dawi elders were highly respected for having survived the hardships that were Dawi life for so long. They were a fountain of lore and were able to shore up the flagging morale of the youngsters when things got though. Yet Kargan and his Thunderers had a very interesting relationship with them. The Longbeards scorned the German weapons used by the Thunderers and their tactics, but even they had to admit that they had more than carried their weight. Some of them even sported the kink in their beards that denoted a Dawi who wore a gas mask often in combat.
Kargan tried to get on his feet, yet his legs curiously refused to work properly and entangled themselves under the table despite their short length. He was still on his way up when a meaty hand struck his shoulder with considerable force. His face was swallowed by a fog made of beer when the elder started to speak.
"You know Kargan…you know that I have been talking to the lads about you a bit. We think you should let your beard grow a bit longer, yes we do."
Kargan Ironbeard was speechless and nearly sober immediately. He had expected a lot of things, that had not been among them.

Games Workshop headquarters, Nottingham, UK 6. Febuary 2017

Jerremy Vetock, Phil Kelley, Matt Ward and Robin Cruddace were seated on one side of the conference table, the nondescript men who had introduced themselves as Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones on the other. The faces of these two men were calm while anger, astonishment and exasperation were evident on the faces of the four designers.
"What do you mean we cannot speak about what happened in the Wasteland. This is not UK territory the last time I checked."
"Yes Mr. Vetock, you are right about that. But you four a UK citizens and that means that the official secrets act applied to you. Let us not go there Mr. Vetock, you would not like that place."
"So what are we supposed to do now? I mean this is out bleeding job. We have invested a lot of time into the 9th edition and you tell us we have to scrap all of that."
"Publish what you like, but any hint at whom you met in the wasteland and the next threat you face will not roll on a table for wounding."
"So if we state we made it up by ourselves or with the "Glimpses from Beyond" it would be ok?"
"I strongly suggest that you submit anything you want to publish beforehand for vetting, that would avoid unfortunate..misunderstandings."
"Ah, we`ll see about that. About your other proposal.."
"You have a very straight choice Mr. Kelley. You can ether work as well-paid consultants for Her Majesty`s government or we can apply the National Service act and you`ll do the same job as buck privates. Your call."