Captain Lotara Sarrin relaxed in her throne. This Picard was an interesting man, shows up with no warning from a Warp rift that had annihilated all ships previously sent in; without any detectable Gellar field no less! In a non-Imperial designed ship, that claimed to be from some stellar empire she had never heard of.
Sarrin stood up and did another lazy circle.
"Captain Picard… surely you have heard of Horus? The Warmaster? Leader of us all in the great civil war that is the 'Horus Heresy'?"
She narrowed her eyes, this Picard looked almost shocked. What? Wasn't he aware of the war?
"The Prime Directive of Starfleet is to never get involved, I cannot take a side," his hololithic representation said. "I would however like to meet in person, to have the measure of you and your ship Captain Sarrin" Said Picard's image. Lotara beamed.
"Of course Captain, we shall see" she said and cut the link. She sighed and sat back down.
Captain Sarrin looked about her bridge, as ever Ivar Tobin was by her throne. She gestured to her first officer and he stepped forward.
"Yes Mam?" he asked, his uniform immaculate.
"Tobin, prepare one of the hangar bays to receive our guests, give them instructions to take a shuttle over here and meet us in the bay"
"Which hangar bay Mam?" questioned Tobin.
"Any of them Ivar, actually, make it Hanger 2b/Starboard". She replied, standing up and stretching.
"And where are you going Mam?" asked the First Officer.
"I'm going to see the Primarch" she said over her shoulder as she walked off the bridge.
Captain Lotara Sarrin entered the barrack deck of the 'Conqueror' looking for Angron. She passed through the gantries that hung over the fighting pits and saw Delvarus score a winning hit on another Legionary. The impact of flail on flesh tugged at the corners of her mouth. She entered the quarters of the Legion's officers and walked down the corridor. Aside from a few servitors carrying sections of armour or some weapons away, she was alone. After a short while walking in solitude, she came to the massive brass doors marked with the Legion symbol, the fanged maw eating a world, and pushed her way in. It was not an easy feat. Doors meant for a Primarch are not easily shifted by mere mortals. She looked about her. Angron's armour hung on a stand in a corner; a servitor polishing it to a mirror shine. His two axes, Gorefather and Gorechild lay abandoned, lying propped up against the wall. That wasn't Angron's way, surely he dumped them on the floor as soon as he entered most times. Someone else was here. The door to Angron's bed chamber was shut, and Lotara could hear muffled yelling coming from within.
Suddenly the yelling became coherent as the doors opened.
"… AND JUST COUNT YOURSELF LUCKY I VALUE YOUR COUNSEL ASTARTES, OR I WOULD HAVE YOUR SKULL ALREADY!"
The door slammed shut and Khârn stood facing the closed door. He looked down, noticing Lotara for the first time.
"Bad time?" she asked. The Astartes sighed and motioned for her to sit down on one of the human sized seats in the chambers.
"You could never imagine…" said the giant Transhuman. "His moods are getting fouler, each session it takes me longer to talk him down…" he looked at the Captain. Khârn shook his head. "Another time"
Lotara stood up. She spun in a lazy circle and the resumed facing Khârn.
"There's a new civilisation we've come across"
"Really? Xenos? Human? Just barbarians or actual spacefaring threats?" asked the Centurion.
"Human, Spacefaring. They seem… highly civilised, the concept of the Heresy disgusted them, but their coming here, in hangar 2b Starboard, for a meet and greet, I thought the Primarch could; you know. Put the fear of God into them"
Khârn tilted his helmet, just a slight tilt, but Lotara knew that it conveyed the quizzical eyebrow raising of an amused man.
"Oh you know what I mean, Gods now; not God" she said exasperated.
"I'll talk to him, this could prove an amusing distraction for him" Khârn said. Lotara smiled and nodded her thanks to the Eighth Captain. She stood up and stretched; and made to leave.
"Going back to the bridge?" the Centurion asked.
"Of course" she smirked. "Someone has to run this bloody ship Khârn."
Khârn made one of his false smiles and turned to go back into Angron's bedchamber. He heard Lotara grunt as she pushed open the door and left. With a sigh, Khârn did the same and re-entered the bedchamber.
Angron, Sire of the World Eaters, the Red Angel, Lord of the Red Sands looked up at Khârn enterance. He was naked but for a loincloth and his pelt with intertwined skulls. His face was a savage broken thing, with only the hints of his nobility gene forged into him showing through.
"Do you crave me to yell at you Khârn? Do you enjoy me raging at you so?" asked Angron, a spasm of nerves wracking half of his face. Thick drool ran down his chin and his iron teeth clacked together as he talked.
"No Sire, I have a distraction for you, one you will most enjoy," said the Equerry.
"Unless we have a WAAAGH! Of greenskins fast approaching us, I doubt I will be distracted, by anything you have to say" snorted Angron. Blood began to leak from his tear ducts and he wiped it with the back of his hand, giving him macabre eyeliner.
"No Sire, a deputation of Humans are coming aboard. They are from a as of yet unknown stellar empire. One who we could plunder for resources. Their ship is quite advanced; so I'm told" Khârn stated.
"And why should I waste time with these unknowns? This is a job for you, or better yet a job for that glory hog Delvarus. Why do I have to be present for this?" snarled Angron.
"Lotara… Lotara seeks to make an impression with them, how did she put it? Ah yes, put the fear of god into them" said Khârn. Angron smiled a predator's smile. Terrify and unsettle some whelp star empire? That sounded like just the thing he needed to distract him.
"Where are we meeting them?" Angron asked, predatory cunning layered all over his voice. He also had a predators grin on his lips.
Half an hour later, Angron, Khârn, Lotara, Delvarus, several other officers and the Triarii stood waiting for Picard's shuttle to arrive in the hangar. Surprising no one, Angron had donned his full war plated and had both his axes slung at his hips. The World Eaters stood in unusually disciplined ranks, with the occasional gunning of a chainaxe breaking the silence. The Thunderhawk and Stormbird gunships had been either lined up against the rear wall or moved to other hangars.
A small white dot began to appear, heading towards the hangar. Slowly, it grew and grew in size until it became a small shuttle with two glowing blue engine pods slung beneath it. The designator NCC-1701-D stencilled upon its flank. It entered the envelope of the 'Conqueror's hanger bay and drifted to just in front of the assembled greeting party. It spun, mid-air, then lowered to the deck. As it touched down, the rear doors opened with a gout of steam.
"Here we go…" breathed Lotara. Ivar Tobin, standing at her left shoulder, grunted in agreement. Angron grunted as a tick began at his right eye.
Shapes began to form from the steam resolving to be…