a/n: this was originally written as part two, and starts approx two years after chapter thirteen. In order to make the story one site entry, I have simply continued as chapter 14 (which would be the Death Guard, if they hadn't turned traitor). This was inspired by one of the finest board games ever; I hope you like my little tribute to Space Hulk.
Sara sat quietly on the well-padded sofa, a large mug of hot coffee (genuine, Terran) in front of her. It was mid-morning, ship-time, and she wasn't due on watch for another forty minutes. Sedreth and Janey were on the bridge, split-shift. It was Sedreth she'd be relieving, then she and Janey would be on watch for two hours before Janey went to do her exercises under Morgan's expert eye. Her own exercises had been earlier in the day; she – and Morgan – no longer had any worries about leaving her ten-year-old daughter alone on the command deck. Although she did still insist that the little girl got a solid eight hours every night. However fit and competent she might be in other ways, Janey was still a child.
Sara had to admit to herself that she worried constantly over her daughter. A little girl shouldn't be so involved with soldiering and killing. That Janey had killed was something she tried not to think about if she could. It wasn't an easy thing for a mother. She still saw the faces of her own victims at night, sometimes.
More often, though, she saw the faces of the innocent dead, the children killed by cultists on Astinal IV, the colonists swarmed under by orks on Gair Amen, the thousands of dead after the Inquisition put East Plotsberg to the question. She and Morgan had wiped out the Inquisition team responsible, teleported aboard their ship and killed everyone aboard. She smiled grimly at the memory of the Inquisitor's face when she'd gutted him with his own knife, and grimaced at the memory of what the ship's cells had contained. It was worse, somehow, when the perpetrators tried to claim they were doing such things for the good of humanity. She failed to understand how torturing people to death was for anyone's good; it always struck her as something the chaos Gods would appreciate.
She sipped her coffee, aware of her distraction. Abruptly she stood, mug half-finished, and walked the short distance to the chapel. The gleaming corridors were quiet, as always, just the faint hum of the ship's systems disturbing the silence. The double doors were open; they left them that way, a welcome for any of them.
There was another chapel on the ship now, not far from the stern cargo bays. A more traditional Imperial chapel, which they'd furnished to provide somewhere for their occasional passengers – refugees from destroyed colony worlds, or very occasionally from Imperial stupidity – to worship the Emperor as they were used to.
None of the three of them used it, the great remembrance hall of the Legion instead the focus of their own meditation and occasional prayer. Sara and Janey had both admitted that they felt more comfortable there, amongst the long lists of names. Morgan had long since finished the great memorial plaque to the Betrayed; it took up most of the right-hand wall beside the polished pews. Apart from themselves, no-one had seen it, which was a pity. Those loyal astartes, who had fought so hard against overwhelming odds, deserved to be remembered. She looked up at the gleaming gold, touching the name of brother-sergeant Ivanovic, as she often did. How had he felt when he realised his worst fears were true? That he and his brothers were betrayed? She hoped he would not mind her wearing the same colours as he had done.
She turned and moved to the newest of the plaques; 'Plett IV, brother-astartes Gabriel, brother-astares Mallory, 1st Company, 666th Chapter Astartes' and the date. Mendez, Neihart and Joshua had been surprised and, she thought, gratified that their brothers' names would be commemorated here. The codex sigil of the Grey Knights had been carefully painted onto the wall of the little alcove; all three of them had done at least some of it, with Janey standing on a platform to reach. It was strange to do such a thing by hand rather than have a 'bot or a servitor do it, but it had felt right.
Her comm beeped and she glanced instinctively at the chronometer. "Morgan?" The collision alert sounded and she ran for the bridge without bothering to wait for a reply.
"Sara, emergency station to the bridge, please." Sedreth's voice was its usual calm despite the emergency message. "We're picking up some sort of mass."
Even as she ran she asked the obvious. "We're in the warp. What the hell is it?"
"Unconfirmed but it's massive. It's pulling us toward itself."
"Drop us out of warp, Morgan. Emergency shift." She flung herself into the lift. "I'm secure. Do it now!" She slammed the emergency override and the room rocketed upwards, pressing her down and back against the acceleration.
Janey's voice came over the speakers. "Generators online and building. Solar mass detected. Emergency shift in twenty seconds, mark."
A star. Mass to pull them out of warp. Thank the Emperor. She spoke into the comm. "I want all pilot functions duplicated, Morgan. Full scans online. Shields to max and weapons online. Throne only knows where we're going to come out."
Sedreth's chuckle was reassuring. "Co-pilot station to active. Affirmative, captain. All shields and weapons systems are online. Lances at warm-up."
The doors opened and she ran flat out for the bridge doors. Janey's calm voice sounded over the intercom. "Ten seconds to shift. Field at forty percent and building."
Sara caught the door, using her momentum to swing her towards the pilot's chair. She jerked the emergency belt into place even as she landed in the cushion.
"Five seconds. Field at eighty-five percent."
She glanced at the scans and cursed at how close the thing was; eighty-five was enough. "Shift immediate." And shoved the control, slamming the drives in with full port thrust. Reality bent in a nightmare of twisting images and conflicting accelerations.
They were alive.
"Systems check."
"All systems show green," came Sedreth's unflappable bass rumble.
"Scan and comms online. Mummy, there something coming through behind us. Something huge."
She glanced at her own display. Sure enough something massive, tens of kilometres across, was shouldering their warpgate open behind them. She punched the main drives, streams of superheated plasma driving them away from the thing at a sizeable fraction of light.
"Range seventy thousand kilometres,"said Janey. "Eighty thousand kilometres. Ninety thousand kilometres. One hunderd thousand kilometres. One hunderd and twenty. One hunderd and fifty."
Sara tuned out her daughter's voice, concentrating instead on the forward scanner readings. A single star showed, thirty AUs ahead of them; its mass had been what Janey had aimed their gate for.
"Unmapped star system. Scan indicates occlusion of solar mass; possible planet. Running spectral analysis for nearest known stars."
"Range two light-seconds. Two point one. Two point two. Two point three. Object is retaining constant velocity and course. Estimated object mass thirteen hundred and eighty million standard tonnes. Scan indicates mass is artificial; multiple materials. No active energy sources. Correction. One, no, two. No. Multiple energy sources, minor. Sending to analysis. Range three point five light seconds."
"What's the object's course?"
"It's hard to tell, mummy. It's moving really slowly, just under a hunderd kilometres a second. It's moving away from us galactic west at an angle of thirty-seven degrees parallel to us, orientation up by one point four degrees. I can't detect any engines or anything. It's like it's just drifting."
Sedreth swore quietly. "Space hulk."
"What?"
"It's a space hulk, Janey. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of ships, maybe a couple of rocks, all smashed together. They drift through the warp, or sometimes realspace, and they have mass enough to drag smaller ships into them, which make them bigger. Any ship that hits one is doomed."
"Why? Can't they pull free?"
"Perhaps, if they're not too damaged they could. But usually space hulks are inhabited."
"Inhabited?"
"Yes. Orks, Chaos warriors. Genestealers. Simply pirates. Pretty much anything you can think of has been found on a space hulk at one time or another. I know of at least one traitor marine warband which is based on a space hulk."
Sara looked across at the marine. "What do you think we should do?"
He paused. "Standard Imperial regulations require that we report it."
Janey looked round as the computer beeped. "Computer analysis indicates one energy source is Imperial in origin, consistent with standard star drive."
Sara nodded firmly. "That settles it. We report it. From a safe distance. I'm pulling us back to half an AU, and we can parallel its course from there."
Both the marine and her daughter gave quiet affirmatives. Sedreth looked over at her. "We may be a while in reporting it; I've no idea where we are, or what the nearest Imperial system is."
She shrugged. "That's as maybe. We have sufficient fire-power and shielding to keep us safe, and fuel and supplies for couple of years if need be. I'm not leaving one of these things to drift along."
He nodded. "Of course, captain."
It took four days for the nav computers to get enough matches to pinpoint their position and a further day to make contact with the Imperial Naval garrison seven systems (and forty-odd light-years) away. The contact was not helpful. It took several frustrating communications before they finally got to someone who both appreciated the situation and had the authority to do anything about it. However, the rear-admiral in question was unable to give them any firm arrival date; much of the normal garrison had been drafted to deal with a major ork incursion.
'I'm sorry, captain, but it could be a couple of months before there are sufficient naval vessels available to deal with this menace.'
And what should she and her crew do in the meantime, she'd asked.
'I must require you to stay on station and keep watch over the hulk. There have been no life signs in a week; hopefully it will remain the case. I trust you have sufficient emergency supplies for the wait?'
She'd nodded glumly, well aware, as indeed the admiral was likewise aware, that rogue trader regulations required a minimum of three months' emergency supplies be carried at all times.
So they sat on station, drifting along with shields at nominal and taking four hour watches between bouts of combat exercises both physical and mental. Twenty-two standard days after the Imperial Navy had dumped the boring task on them, they finally got a communication.
"How long?"
"Three standard months, captain. I must apologise, but our forces suffered significant losses. The only available assault ships were both lost and it will be two months before their replacements arrive."
"Admiral, that's a hell of a long time for us to be stuck drifting along. Are there no other forces available?"
"I'm afraid not. The nearest astartes chapters, the Iron Snakes and the Howling Griffons, are still engaged elsewhere. I have passed the situation report on to higher authority, but I have no expectation of hearing anything before my reinforcements are available. Given that the hulk is doing nothing, it is not an immediate priority."
She looked at the man on the vid-display. Then sighed. "Very well, admiral. But I shall expect compensation for this length of stay. I'm not a charity."
"Of course, captain Tarken. The Emperor's protection on you."
"Walk in His light, admiral. Tarken out."
Over the following weeks they slowly orbited the hulk, taking vid images and low-level scans at range, never coming closer than a million kilometres. They had identified seven energy sources, all of them with the sort of signature that indicated automatic power plants at minimum settings. It was more than enough to keep them cautious.
Once a week Sara updated the Navy with brief reports. It wasn't until her seventh such briefing that there was any change. The lieutenant to whom she reported was, for once, smiling.
"Captain Tarken. Good to hear from you again. You'll be pleased to know that the hulk has been affirmed for action by the space marines. An astartes vessel will be despatched shortly."
Sara smiled in relief. "That is good news, lieutenant. We'll be pleased to see them. Have you an eta?"
The woman smiled. "Not yet, but we've had confirmation that the hulk is being prioritised now that the orks have been dealt with. I'll give you an eta when we have it, but I should think, within a couple of weeks at most."
Sara nodded. "That's excellent. Emperor's Grace on you, lieutenant. Transmitting my report now."
"Thank you, captain. May He keep you safe. Avegnis garrison out."
The expected contact came two days later, while Sara was exercising in the upper practice room under Sedreth's expert eye. She walked through, still in her armour, and looked into the vid pick-up. At a remarkably handsome space marine in crimson armour.
"Brother-captain. This is a pleasant surprise. I am Sara Tarken. How may we assist?"
The man looked back at her appraisingly; if he was surprised by her recognition of his rank he didn't show it. "Captain Tarken, I am brother-captain Esceriel of the third company, astartes Blood Angels. I did not expect to find a woman in power armour."
Sara chuckled softly. "Salvage, brother-captain. We managed to adapt it for my stature, and I find it very useful when I am obliged to explore unknown places. However, that is not why you contacted my ship. Am I to presume the astartes Blood Angels have been tasked with exploring and destroying the hulk?"
He nodded sharply. "That is correct. Lord Commander Dante and five companies of Blood Angels will arrive at your location in two days."
"Two days? That is excellent news, brother-captain. We are both relieved and honoured. Do you wish the latest scan reports to be sent to you now? Naturally we will update with further scans on your actual arrival, but we keep the record tight-linked for burst transmission. A precaution, you understand."
He nodded approvingly. "An intelligent precaution. Yes, if you could have the data transmitted, it will speed our deployment by several hours."
She glanced at Janey, who was already reaching for her console. "Transmitting now, brother-captain. We shall look forward to your arrival. Is there anything else you require from us in the meantime?"
He shook his head. "Apart from keeping your distance as you have done heretofore and continuing your current scans, no, captain. The Emperor protects."
"In His Glorious Name, brother-captain. Tarken out."
She closed the contact and looked at her companions. Janey had a huge smile on her face. Sedreth inclined his head. "Captain, I suggest we ready bolters and heavy weapons. It is unlikely we will be asked to assist in the boarding, but it may be helpful to be prepared."
She nodded. "Yes, do that. And Janey, run a weapons diagnostic, and ensure our transmission protocols are up to date. We want to give a good first impression."
"Yes, mummy."
Dante, Lord Commander of the astartes Blood Angels and one of the most feared warriors in a galaxy at endless war, looked up as his third company commander walked into the prep room and saluted. He waved the man to a seat beside the other company commanders.
"You contacted this rogue trader captain, Esceriel?"
The dark-haired marine nodded. "Yes. It was not what I expected."
"Oh?"
"Indeed. Oh. For one thing, the comms was answered by a girl-child, perhaps ten years; certainly pre-adolescent. She called herself Janey, and said her mother was the captain and busy at her exercises When the captain, one Tarken, appeared she was wearing power armour."
Dante's grizzled eyebrows rose. "Was she indeed? Any particular colours or iconography?"
"Purple with gold trim. Not the renegade Soul Drinkers though; different pattern, and the device on her shoulder looked like a wing, similar to the Dark Angels Ravenwing, rather than a chalice, though also in gold. And she was wearing a Black Templars purity seal on the front corner of her left shoulder-plate."
"Hmm. Not anything that I'm familiar with off-hand, but I'm sure we can find out if it's a recognised device. Anything else?"
"Yes. They were prepared with a burst transmission of scan reports. Initial analysis indicates astartes protocols."
The Lord Commander tilted his head thoughtfully. "Very interesting. I rather think we should know more about this Captain Tarken."
Esceriel inclined his head in assent. "I took the liberty of having a hardcopy of her license and vessel registration printed. Along with her ports of call over the last ten years."
Dante smiled. Esceriel was one of his more intelligent captains. Which, it had to be admitted, was a considerable compliment. Sandros, the assault company captain, chuckled, amusement twisting his scarred face around the artificial eye that replaced his right socket.
"Well, brother, don't keep us all in suspense. What does it tell us?"
Esceriel grinned back at the close combat specialist. "It's very interesting. She doesn't appear to have made any calls at all until she appears at Macragge four years ago. Her license bears the seal of Lord Commander Calgar; the personal seal. Her ship is something of a mystery, too; very old and confirmed as salvage in her name by Lord Calgar's authority. Although I haven't looked it up, it's clearly a former warship – the class code is epsilon-76. It's reported as having taken part in a minor naval action in the Plett system nearly three years ago, at the command of brother-captain Mendez of the Grey Knights. Since then it has traded at various systems and on three occasions assisted in the evacuation of Imperial citizens under threat."
The other marines looked at each other. "Not the normal trader captain, then. Could she be an agent of the Ultramarines?" asked Mephiston, the Chief Librarian.
"That is the logical deduction, brother librarian," said Dante.
"That's useful," said captain Matthias of the first company, his Terminator armour, which he was wearing for diagnosis after a recent repair, making him bulk even more than the others.
"Indeed." Dante pressed the comm stud. "Brother Asiel, can you look up ship class epsilon-76 please and send its schematic to the prep room displays?"
"By your command, Lord Commander," came the techmarine's prompt reply. A few seconds later the displays lit with schematics and a holographic image appeared above the ten-metre-long table.
Sandros whistled softly. "That is not exactly a normal trade ship."
Asiel barely moved his head in acknowledgement. "Raptor-class strike destroyer. The Chapter had several once upon a time. They were the standard company ship until superseded by strike cruisers ninety centuries ago. According to this they were still used by the Imperial navy until the thirty-third millennium, and the Raven Guard retain one in service to this day. When was this Tarken's ship commissioned, brother?"
Esceriel glanced at the printout. "29th millennium, brother." He read the details again and blinked. "As an astartes ship. Although I have never seen the notation gamma in regard to an astartes chapter before."
"Legion, brother. It would be a Legion back then. Each Legion had its own letter, which we retain."
"Which Legion is gamma?"
Dante felt his blood run cold as he recited the ancient alphabet. "Alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, nu,.." His voice trailed off.
"The Third Legion. The Emperor's Children," said Mephiston quietly.
There was stark silence.
"Mummy, incoming warp exit bearing sixteen-delta mark four. There's something coming through. Something big."
Sara spoke into the comm from the armoury where she was assisting Sedreth into his own battle armour. "Alright, Janey. We'll be up in a minute or so. Can you patch it through to our display, please?"
"Yes, mummy." The wall display came to life with the ship's scan. The huge red blob that was the hulk was just over sixty million klicks - about half an AU - from their position, slightly astern and to starboard. The opening warp gate was ahead and also on the starboard side, about six AUs away. The display split, showing the vid image, light-lagged as it was, a purple tear in reality surrounded by rainbow-hued lightnings of energy. A golden vessel slid through the opening, ploughshare-bowed and massive. Scan gave its mass as more than sixty million tonnes; three times their own, at least. Sedreth gave a grim smile.
"A battle barge. There could be five or six companies on it. Probably will be."
"Just that ship on its own?"
"A battle barge doesn't need an escort. It's close to a fleet in its own right. Our full broadside at point blank probably wouldn't even dent the shields."
"Oh. We better get up to the bridge, then."
He nodded, running through the standard power-up diagnostics. "All green. Let's go."
They arrived on the bridge to find Janey fairly bouncing with excitement.
"Mummy. It's really them, the Blood Angels. Do you think they'll like our picture?"
Sara smiled. "I expect so. But I think that we shouldn't distract them yet. The most important thing is the hulk."
Sedreth chuckled at the slightly crestfallen look on the small face. "Either way we better open a hail." He clipped a bolter to the overhead above the pilot's chair, and a bolt pistol beside Janey's console, in easy reach. Strolling over and taking his own chair he clipped a spare bolter to its ready position to his left. Janey looked at him and he smiled slightly. "In case. Throne only knows what's on that thing, and the Blood Angels will almost certainly board and may disturb something unpleasant."
Janey nodded and flicked switches. "Mummy, comm to your one."
Sara spoke into her headset mike. "This is trader captain Sara Tarken aboard Eyes of the Phoenix to the astartes Blood Angels. By the Grace of the Emperor, we are honoured to greet you."
There was a pause of a few seconds, then the vid came up to reveal a grim-faced man with lined, hard, features and close-cropped grey hair. His armour shone gold beneath a blood-red cloak.
"Captain Tarken, I am Lord Commander Dante of the Blood Angels aboard the Eternal Wrath. We are here to deal with the hulk Heresy of Corruption in the Emperor's name. You will consider your ship and crew to be under my command for the duration of the operation."
"Of course, Lord Commander. We will provide any assistance we can. We have been observing the hulk for more than two standard months; our scan data was transmitted to you. We have additional scan data accumulated since that transmission ready to send."
The other nodded. "Do that, captain. Remain in your current position in regard to the hulk. We shall contact you shortly with further instructions."
"By your command, Lord Commander."
"Eternal Wrath out." The connection went dead.
Sedreth looked at them both. "Dante himself. The Navy might not have taken the hulk very seriously; the Blood Angels certainly are."
"He looks very marine-y. Sort of solid and grim." Janey smiled. "Not like you, Mr Morgan. You're much nicer."
Despite himself, Sedreth returned the smile. "He doesn't know you like I do. You had better transmit that scan data."
She nodded and turned back to her controls, speaking quietly into the headset.
"How long before they're in position?"
Sedreth glanced at the scan. "At their current course and speed, I'd say several hours. They'll be using the time to plan an initial deployment and identify target areas on the hulk. I suggest we get something from the galley; we'd better stay on the bridge in case we're contacted."
"Lockable trays and cups, then?"
He nodded. "You two stay on station; I'll organise the food. Soup and sandwiches; enough to keep us going for a while. This is likely to be a long day."
Janey turned in her seat. "What about our exercises?"
"We probably won't have time for a full workout today. It depends on the instructions we get from the Blood Angels." She looked disappointed and he went on, "But you'll also be too busy for lessons," which got a smile. He stood and walked to the small galley along the corridor.
Mephiston walked into the briefing room and smiled at his commander, hiding his own tension by long long experience. "What did you think of her?"
"Interesting. Did you get any psychic impression?"
He replied thoughtfully. "No taint if that's what you mean. Not that that means a great deal given the distance. Those were definitely pre-Heresy codex colours for the Emperor's Children though. I checked the archives."
"Do you think she knows?"
He nodded. "No question, Esceriel. She knows and she does not consider it wrong. That came across clearly. As did some other important things."
"Go on."
The Librarian ticked off his points on one hand. "First, she was wearing a psi-shield. Second, that purity seal is real. That meant I could only get a few impressions rather than really touch her mind. One of those was a child, probably the girl you spoke to, Esceriel. A second was a tall man in golden armour; I believe it was, or she believes it to be, the Emperor Himself – and she believes in Him, by the way. I have rarely felt such solid faith. The third impression I got was a long corridor with alcoves and banners and a picture. A picture of the Angel."
Matthias looked at him. "The Angel? Are you serious?"
"It's not uncommon for citizens to think of the Angel when they come into contact with us. He is, after all, the greatest hero of the Imperium bar the Emperor Himself, and every church holds his picture. This was different, however. The image was not the stylised saint of a typical church; it was a combat picture. And, brothers, it called to me. It still calls to me; I can see it in my mind even now."
Dante spoke quietly; it was rare indeed to see the Librarian so shaken. "Describe it."
"The Primarch is dropping into battle, his wings cupped for landing. In his right hand he holds his sword, in his left a mighty pistol. Before him were massive insectoid creatures, rearing to strike. Behind him were astartes. Astartes in three different liveries. Ours, pearl white, and purple and gold. They were engaging more of the same creatures. I saw battle banners of the Blood Angels, and of the Emperor's Children and one I did not then recognise; white, with a black canine head on a gold crescent." He looked round at them all. "I looked at that one in the archives also. It was the banner of the XVI Legion. The Luna Wolves."
Dante nodded slowly. "Did you get an impression of what it showed?"
Mephiston nodded slowly, almost reluctantly. "Three numbers. One-forty-twenty."
"Murder," said brother-chaplain Anathael.
"Just so, brother."
Sandros spoke quietly. "You think she has such a picture on her ship."
"Yes. Yes I do."
Dante pursed his lips then shrugged. "Whatever, it is a question for another time. We must plan to enter the hulk, investigate it, and destroy whatever xenos peril it may hold. That is our mission. For the moment the hulk appears quiet, with just those few almost inactive power sources. Can you have your Librarians run a psi-scan?"
"Yes, Lord Commander. Once we get closer. What does the accumulated scan data show?"
"What might be expected from scans on minimal power. Our captain Tarken is no fool; she took careful precautions against waking anything."
Matthias shrugged. "And our own scans?"
"Incomplete at this time. But we are almost in range to run a deep scan on the thing. If there is anything on it, we shall find it."
Janey took another sip of her chocco, in the bright blue and orange mug Mr Morgan had given her for her birthday. The Blood Angels! She remembered all the tales they'd told in church when she was little, tales she hadn't thought about in a long time, what with living with Mr Morgan, meeting the Black Templars and the Grey Knights and even the legendary Ultramarines. The Blood Angels were supposed to be the fiercest warriors in the Imperium and the most beautiful. And they'd never been beaten, not even when the Angel was killed by Horus. She wondered if she'd be able to talk with any of them. Maybe show them her daddy's plaque. She looked at the scan; another couple of hours before the battle-barge would be in position to use its own scans properly.
"Lord Commander, we are picking up life signs from the hulk."
"Why have these not been picked up before?"
"They are deep inside, Lord Commander, protected by many layers of material. We only picked them up by running full-power deep scans. And even then they are barely extant."
"Hmm. Very well. Can you tell what kind of life signs?"
"Yes, Lord Commander." He hesitated.
Dante raised a questioning eyebrow. The naval crewman flushed. "Genestealers, Lord."
Dante nodded. "I see. Continue the scans. I want as much information on that thing's interior layout as possible. Details to be piped in to the main tactical briefing room. And have the captain and senior officers attend a briefing there in one hour." He turned and walked to the main briefing room where his company captains waited. Genestealers. He cursed under his breath. That meant heavy casualties if they boarded. And they had to board.
"Lord Commander, why can we not simply vaporise the hulk?"
"Several reasons, the most pertinent of which is that its sheer mass means we have insufficient fire-power. The only way to destroy it is to plant devices deep inboard and blow it up from the inside. Our scan-techs are working on identifying vulnerable points as it stands."
"Have we any estimate on how many genestealers there might be aboard?" asked Matthias.
"Not really. Based on past experience, perhaps twenty or thirty thousand would be an upper limit. Far too many to engage, anyway."
"Is there anything of interest on the hulk?" asked Esceriel.
"Unfortunately, yes. There is an unrecognised power source here." Dante pointed to a glowing dot on the schematic. "We will need to have techmarines investigate it. In addition the power source here is an Imperial one, typical of a military power plant. It too must be investigated, if only to confirm which ship it once belonged to."
"Then we had best decide how best to deploy," said Matthias. "We will be using toxins against the xenos, as we did on the Sin of Damnation?" The first company captain had been a sergeant during that famously vengeful victory, just over a century before.
"Indeed. If we can infiltrate an appropriate toxin into the ventilation systems we should be able to kill nine-tenths of them before they wake."
The captains nodded and started making suggestions. The tactical discussion went on for several hours.
"Mummy, why have the Blood Angels not contacted us?"
"I don't know, darling. They must be deciding what they're going to do."
Sedreth swung round from his console. "Almost certainly, Sara. They have detected genestealers aboard the hulk, and even for the astartes, those are a serious threat. Most will no doubt be dormant, but even a single genestealer is more than a match for a marine in power armour if it can get close. The Lord Commander and his captains will be trying to ensure they can destroy the genestealers in hibernation without disturbing the whole hive."
"How many of them might be in a hive?"
"Ten thousand or more. Enough to wipe out three or four chapters of space marines."
Both of the others were silent at that. Then Janey spoke quietly. "Have you fought them before, Mr Morgan?"
He nodded. "Yes. We raided a colony not knowing it had been taken by 'stealers. We lost a lot of warriors that day. If it had not been for the effect of the noise marines' sonic weapons we would have lost a lot more." He gave a sudden chuckle. "It was quite enjoyable watching the World Eater bezerkers being annihilated though. Chainaxes are no match for 'stealer claws."
Janey gave him a scowl and he tried without success to look innocent in response, then gave a rueful smile. "Alright, Janey. I admit it. I never really liked the World Eaters. Not even before the Rebellion."
She gave a slight smile. "I s'pose that's okay. They're not very nice."
"You'll like the Blood Angels though. No give in them."
The comm beeped and Janey turned to answer.
"Eyes of the Phoenix. Comm officer speaking."
A marine captain with an artificial eye in a scarred face looked out of the vid. "I am brother-captain Sandros, Eyes of the Phoenix. Stand by for transmission of your orders on standard channel three."
Janey nodded. "Standing by, brother-captain."
Sandros nodded to someone off camera. A light flashed on Janey's console. She touched her controls and a series of instructions scrolled upon the main display. "Orders received, brother-captain."
He nodded. "Sandros out." The transmission cut off.
Sara smiled at her daughter. "They're a bit abrupt, aren't they?"
Janey smiled back a little sadly."Maybe they'll be nicer when we've finished?"
"Probably. Now, let's see what they want us to do."
"Well, captain?"
Butrios Ghallius, captain of the Blood Angels' battle-barge Eternal Wrath, looked round at the Lord Commander of the astartes chapter he'd served for forty years. "Lord Commander. The hulk remains quiescent. The Eyes of the Phoenix is in position as ordered. All weapons systems are online and targeted at the designated locations. We can launch the assault on your command."
Lord Commander Dante nodded approvingly. Ghallius, one of the very very few non-astartes to have the Lord Commander's respect, had as usual done an excellent job. "Excellent. I shall give the orders for the pre-battle service to commence."