Epilogue
Date: 4 524 356 M31
Author: Captain Darlean
Recipitant: Roboute Guilliman, Primarch, Adeptus Astartes Ultramarines, Terra
Transmitted: Retribution class Cruiser, Purgatus
Transmitter: Chief Astropath, Nortius Higarties
Thought for the day: The Emperor protects those lost on the Warp.
My Lord Guilliman.
As ordered, we investigated the emergency signal from the Sol's Fury. No signs of debris or life pods have been found.
It is apparent that the ship, it's crew and cargo is lost to the Warp. With your permission, I intend to resume my patrol.
Ave Imperator.
Your Obedient Servant,
Captain Darlean.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dauntless Class Light Cruiser, Hammerhead
6 789 998 M41
On Patrol on the edge of the Agrapinna System, Cadian Sector
Captain Jaroin sighed and put the data slate down on his desk, before leaning back and rubbing his eyes tiredly. This report was the latest in a long series of 'eyes-only' reports on the latest disasters that had been flooding the Cadian Sector ever since Aba… the Despoiler had begun his attack in what was becoming known as the 13th Crusade.
The Imperium had won. That's all the general population of the Cadian sector knew. Most of them didn't even know who it was that was really attacking the Imperium, what public reports had been released by High Command implied that the attackers had been a xenos raiding race. Jaroin knew that if the situation ever stabilized somewhat, the Inquisition would most likely descend wholesale on any civilian population that knew the truth.
Jaroin picked up the next data-slate and groaned at the results held there. It was exactly like the one before. The slow moving Imperial Navy had descended on the sector, and by now virtually every Chaos ship had either been destroyed or had fled back to the Eye of Terror. In space, the Imperium had slowed, stopped and turned back the Chaos invasion surprisingly well, especial after the Blackstone Fortress over Cadia had been beaten off. Unfortunately, while the space routes remained in Imperium hands, virtually any planet Chaos had touched remained a war-zone. Planets had burned, legions had died and still were dying, and the mighty fortress world of Cadia itself had been gutted. It would take years for…
Jaroin's musings were cut off by the tone of his intercom. He sighed again, before pressing the accept key.
"Captain here. Report."
"Sir," came the voice of Karmien, his executive officer, "We're getting something on the surveyors. According to the Tech-priests, it's a ship of some kind dropping out of the Warp."
"A warship?" Jaroin asked sharply.
"No… It's nearly dead. It barely has energy readings, certainly not enough for weapons or shields."
"A derelict?" Jaroin paused for a second, musing over the possibilities of salvage vs. the chance of some kind of sneak attack. Unfortunately, if this was a trap, standing orders were clear; investigate and secure for possible salvage unless there was significant danger to the local planet's population. "Right, I'm coming up. Do we have a transponder response?"
"Aye Sir, the derelict is called the Sol's Fury."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The End