0110
Time was the same throughout the Imperium of Men.
It made total sense. Especially for the men and women conscripted into various regiments of Imperial Guard from thousands of worlds, time had to be standardized in order to plan and coordinate attack and defense missions together. The units of time were therefore the same throughout the Imperium, allowing officers and commanders to regulate and carefully execute their stratagems to the precise hour or even minute.
However, the days, months and years were different. It was impossible for the Imperium of Man to standardize the days of thousands of worlds. The worlds in a locked orbit, with one side fixed in a position facing the sun and the other in perpetual darkness, could follow the standard days set by Terra, but their months were determined by the orbit of their moons and their years by the length of time their planets took to complete a single orbit around their corresponding suns.
And for those worlds that behaved similarly to Terra, spinning on their axis to grant their residents both day and night, the length of their days and nights varied from Terra. After all, a day (and night) was counted by the planet's complete turn around its axis, and throughout the galaxy there was huge variation in the periods needed for so many planets. As such, imperial worlds were given autonomy and freedom to decide their length of days, months and years, allowing it to differ from Terra.
Draconis III was one such world. Its calendar year was similar to Terra, with one solar year being roughly 360 days and a lunar month divided into 30 days, thus granting us a precise 12 months of 30 days each. Deviations were mitigated by buffers that gave us one leap year every five years, and we had approximately 25 hours per day. Like Terra, Draconis III was the third planet from its star, Eltanin, and so we had very similar calendars.
On the other hand, Draconis IV had different lengths of days, months and years because it was the fourth planet from Eltanin. The further distance meant a longer year, the smaller moons with shorter orbits meant shorter months. A year on Draconis IV was approximately equal to 2 years on Draconis III, or 692 days. On the other hand, a day on Draconis IV was longer than Draconis III, clocking in 678 days according to its own year.
As such, the number of days on Draconis III differed from that of Draconis IV.
Less than a month passed for me on Draconis III while the Adeptus Mechanicus and our Inquisition guests languished on Draconis IV for more than a month. On the other hand, the days felt longer on the forge world so perhaps it felt almost the same. It did take me some time to adjust to the different days on Draconis IV when I returned to it after my almost-one-month leave (that I spent at home) but given how slight the difference felt, it wasn't hard.
As usual, the moment I returned to Draconis IV I was assigned as House Yato's liaison to Inquisitor Lector Rex again. I doubled as a liaison for the Draconis Imperial Guard, which was unusual. Most knightly houses ruled separately from Imperial Guard regiments and they were Battle Brothers rather than part of the same detachment or structure.
However, Draconis III had a long military history where the knights of powerful houses commanded armies of infantry, cavalry and archers, who eventually evolved into today's divisions of infantry (though they are armored infantry and counted as mechanized veterans), armored vehicles and artillery. Actually, we didn't have artillery. The artillery roles were usually taken by Titans, Leman Russ Battle Tanks, Knights Paladin and Knights Crusader. And we had the Leman Russ Vanquishers for long-range anti-vehicle strikes. Our cavalry evolved into modern Leman Russ Executioners that laid siege to heavily fortified positions and literally melt all infantry into molten slag, and the few infantry we had were usually ferried by super-heavy transports like the Doomhammer or placed as tank escorts to screen and protect the Leman Russ Battle Tanks from drop pods and deep-striking anti-tank units.
They used to be transported around by Vendetta gunships, but a few years ago the Emperor decided to half the transport capacity of the Vendetta to six, which meant they were no longer able to carry full infantry squads of ten. Additionally, the Vendetta got a lot more expensive to build, field and maintain than its sister gunship, the Valkyrie. Apparently the emperor did that for the sake of balance because we were kicking the asses of the forces of Chaos in the 42nd millennium and the Vendetta was getting a little overpowered for its cost and capabilities. At least it still had its three twin-linked lascannons that were utterly devastating against both armored vehicles and enemy aircraft.
While the passenger hull could quite clearly fit twelve soldiers, the naval pilots explained that the machine spirits would sodomize any commander who tried to transport the twelve soldiers in the Vendetta. And the spiritual liege who was not the same as our God-Emperor had instructed that half the space in the passenger hull be filled with power cells to charge the trio of lascannons on the Vendetta. Not the spiritual liege who ruined the Grey Knights, particularly introducing the blasphemous rumor about them slaughtering the Sisters of Battle and using their blood as war paint, but the one who made the Tyranids so much easier to slaughter.
Complaints aside, essentially the knights served as commanders and officers in the Imperial Guard regiments, just that we pilot giant battle-suits instead of tanks or gunships. But we were split off into a separate military arm of the Imperial Guard so that we didn't screw up the structure and chain of command and try to lead armored brigades or divisions we had no business of leading, particularly when the hot-headed, power-hungry knight or daimyo possessed no tactical knowledge of how to best use the Imperial Guard troops and tanks.
However, the daimyos and shogun held overall command over the Draconis Imperial Guard, the heavily armored, titanic battle-suits leading the charge, supported by columns of tanks and devastating cannons - even if the tank crews receive orders from the actual Imperial Guard's commanding officer instead of the nobles.
I knocked on Lector's door and opened it when he gave permission. The inquisitor was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading something off a pict-screen.
I glanced at the pict-screen as I stepped inside the room, confused. "What are you reading?"
"Ah, this?" Lector showed me the pict-screen. "These are the Cain archives containing the memoirs of the legendary Commissar Ciaphas Cain. Apparently a colleague of mine from the Ordo Xenos, Amberley Vail, has compiled Commissar Cain's memoirs and added her footnotes."
"Commissar Cain?" My jaw dropped. The highly decorated and revered hero had passed on quite a few decades ago, but his feats and legends forever lived on. Well, some of the holo-movies featuring him were suspect, but as a kid I had been a fan of his stories. "You have his memoirs?"
"Yes, but they're not for public viewing." Lector frowned as he studied my reaction. "You seem overawed."
"I'm a big fan of Commissar Cain! Can I read his memoirs?"
"Hmm. Sure, I can give you a copy. Just make sure you don't pass it or show it to anyone outside the Inquisition. Amberley will skin me alive if she finds out...except that she too has passed on a decade ago. But you'll realize that Commissar Cain makes himself out to be a very different man from what you see in the holo-vids broadcasted throughout the Imperium."
"I don't trust the holo-vids. They idealized his character too much and made him out to be some god-like character. They even have a cult on Tallarn, with Alem Mahat writing the Book of Cain and turning him into a prophet of the Emperor. I read that book, but it was...weird."
"Ha ha, the cults tend to be flamboyant with their words and interpretations." Lector snickered as he switched off the pict-screen and stood up. "Shall we go then?"
The meeting room was spacious with a lot chairs for the high-ranking officers. Obviously I was the lowest-ranking personnel in the room, with the rest of the military staff ranked colonel or higher. A few daimyos from House Yato were also attending the meeting, the Mechanicus needing their permission to acquire a detachment of Imperial Knights. The chief Tech-priests were of course present, particularly Magos Sigmar and Archmagos Styrimidon, who were standing in front of the room and using a massive holo-screen for their presentations.
"As you already know," Styrimidon began, his mechadendrites waving about in the room excitedly. "The probes the Adeptus Mechanicus sent have detected not one but at least three different STCs on the planet Asmodai."
No one was surprised by this, even Lector, who had been briefed about this when he first landed on Draconis IV.
"The Mechanicus will be dispatching an explorator fleet to Asmodai. Of course, I am in overall command, but Magos Sigmar will serve as Magos Militant on the ground. As Tech-priest Dominus, he will lead the Legio Cybernetica and a retinue of battle-servitors to locate and uncover the STCs. The Skitarii battle maniple, led by Alpha Raiji 44-Stroika, will provide backup and augment the Mechanicus's military strength."
Stroika, who was seated next to the human officers of the Imperial Guard, nodded stoically as his name was mentioned.
"We will have every unit of the Skitarii present, including Vanguard, Rangers, the Sicarians, Ironstrider Ballistarii and Onager Dunecrawlers."
The Sydonian Dragoons were notably absent but I didn't point that out as Stroika listed his units because I already knew that the Draconis Skitarii did not use Sydonian Dragoons. They relied more on ranged firepower to shoot their enemies, advancing on their targets and engaging them in medium range. The exceptions were of course the Sicarians, cybernetic assassins that relied on transonic razors, chordclaws and taser goads to cut through their enemies in close range. Despite being classified in a different branch, the Skitarii were practically the same force as the Legio Cybernetica, the two branches working in concert to take out the enemy with overwhelming medium-range firepower and shadowy assassins.
"Thank you," Styrimidon nodded his augmented head, masked by mechanical contraptions and ocular enhancements, at his Skitarii alpha gratefully. He then gestured to a bald man sitting at the edge of the table. "And Princeps Max Maximilus, how about the Collegia Titanica?"
Princeps Maximilus smiled and nodded. "There is no problem. We have just built 3 new Titans and are eager to test them out in the field. I'm afraid we can't provide a Warlord Titan, but we do have a new Warlord Titan, the Bishamonten, and two freshly built Warhound Titans, the Inugami and the Ookami. Legio Gojira will walk upon Asmodai."
"Once again, thank you, Princeps Maximilus. The Adeptus Mechanicus is forever indebted to your Titan legion."
"No, it's nothing."
"It is definitely not nothing. The awesome firepower of the God-machines will prove vital in our mission." Archmagos Styrimidon insisted. Turning to the human occupants, he bowed his head in a very un-Mechanicus manner. "However, Asmodai is located in the region known as the Maelstrom, which is full of raiders, pilots and hostile xenos. Not to mention some of the Traitor chapters dwell in there, like the Red Corsairs for example."
"I thought Asmodai is located within the Dark Angels chapter."
The joke was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Lector snorted with laughter but the other humans, both normal and augmented, ignored me. I caught a couple of the daimyos smiling, though. Styrimidon continued as if he didn't hear me.
"That is why we require the immense might of the great knight house, House Yato, and the overwhelming firepower of the Draconis Imperial Guard armored regiment. I fear we do not have enough strength to deal with the enemies present in the sector while we attempt to recover the STCs. As such, I humbly beseech both honorable forces to provide us the support we need."
The request was in no way unreasonable. Archmagos Styrimidon had a point.
Ideally, the Imperial Guard would provide long-ranged fire support from behind. The Imperial Knights excelled in both long-ranged and medium-ranged combat, the Knight Crusader staying back with the Leman Russ Battle Tanks and Leman Russ Vanquisher while the Knight Warden and Knight Paladin and their Leman Russ Executioner escorts plunged into the thick of the enemy alongside the Skitarii and Legio Cybernetica. The frontline knights doubled as melee combatants, their Reaper chainswords able to slice through even the thick adamantine hulls of a Titan and the void shields protecting it. When needed, the Imperial Navy attached to the Imperial Guard could provide aerial support, the Vendetta gunships descending to spew red-hot death from the skies.
However, such support was much required in the war against Chaos. Apparently we managed to somehow survive Abbadon the Despoiler and his 13th Black Crusade, but Cadia was still firmly under the forces of Chaos, with only a single fortress-city left. We did succeed in reclaiming the worlds in the Cadian sector, including Yayor, Ulthor and Dentor.
Furthermore, the knights of House Yato and the might of the Draconis Imperial Guard armored regiments were increasingly needed in the Imperium's defense against the ever-growing threat of the Tyranids, our forces be dispatched to sectors invaded by Hive Fleet Leviathan, Hive Fleet Hydra, Hive Fleet Behemoth and Hive Fleet Kraken. Only Hive Fleet Leviathan remained a united and all-consuming force, but the other hive fleets were broken up into splinter fleets which were easily dealt with...except that it required a substantial portion of the strengths of Houses Yato, Uesugi and Takeda as well as the countless tanks of the Draconis Imperial Guard to exterminate the ravenous xenos.
To divert a good fraction of our military might to a single Adeptus Mechanicus exploratory expedition would be placing stress on the remaining military forces that bore the brunt of the attacks of enemies and threats throughout the galaxy. The removal of even a small detachment of knights or a single armored company could make the difference between victory and defeat and generals were loathed to diminish their already thinly stretched armies.
On the other hand, the benefits of recovering STCs could be enormous. If the Adeptus Mechanicus recovered STCs of weapons or templates for Titans and other colossal war machines, the newly discovered technology could tip the balance of the wars in our favor and help us overcome even the insolent Tau and their advanced battle-suits and vehicles, or Abbadon the Despoiler's forces occupying the majority of Cadia.
Was it worth the risk?
The officers had been discussing the request among themselves and after a while they reached a consensus. They consulted with the daimyos present in the meeting and sought their approval before turning back to the patient archmagos, who despite his augments and mechanized body, seemed to be waiting with bated breath.
"We understand," General Godou, the highest-ranking officer in the Draconis Imperial Guard Armored Regiment spoke up. "We'll attach a single armored brigade to your explorator fleet. I hope this is enough."
"It's more than enough! Thank you very much!"
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Archmagos Styrimidon fell to his augmented knees, the metal clanging against the floor, and bowed gratefully to General Godou, who looked amused at the dramatic display of emotion.
"I'll also field a small household detachment of Imperial Knights," Daimyo Kagawa spoke up, causing Archmagos Styrimidon to raise his head in surprise. "I'm afraid we can only spare twelve knights at the most, though. House Yato, House Uesugi and House Takeda need the majority of their knights to fight off Hive Fleet Leviathan in the Gravax Sector. We're answering the calls of House Hawkshroud, House Raven and House Cadmus to confront bio-titans, monstrous creatures and other horrors."
"That is more than enough!"
Again, the dramatic display of gratitude. Oh well. The archmagos knew this was a compromise and was well aware of our efforts in the other wars spread throughout the galaxy so he didn't dare ask for more. Despite his exaggerated antics, I could tell that he was truly grateful.
"I would also like to join the explorator fleet, if you don't mind."
Lector raised his hand and announced, making his presence known to all in the room in case they had forgotten about him. Nodding at the inquisitor, Archmagos Styrimidon stood back up.
"Ah, yes. We have already discussed your accompanying the explorator fleet. I believe I said there were no problems and given my express permission."
"That's right. If I recall, the Draconians do not have psykers among their ranks, right? I believe my psychic abilities will prove useful in this mission."
"Yes, we look forward to receiving your help. We really appreciate your understanding and support."
"If I may," Daimyo Kagawa spoke up curiously, scrutinizing the larger man. "Why are you accompanying the exporator fleet, Inquisitor Rex?"
"Please, call me Lector." Again, the friendly facade. "As for your question, I have experienced psychic visions and premonitions. Something ominous has appeared on Asmodai and is gathering quite the number of warp-fuelled beings to its side."
"Daemons." Sigmar's augmented face breathed nervously. Lector nodded.
"That is what I believe. I need to go there and confirm the presence of the ominous entity itself. And if it does turn out to be building an army of daemons, I will have to call in the daemonhunters from the militant branch of the Ordo Malleus."
The Grey Knights, in other words. I wasn't supposed to know of their existence but I did hear rumors of these powerful and pure psychic daemonhunters who often appeared suddenly to bring down divine wrath upon their Chaos-bred foes before disappearing just as mysteriously. Officially, they didn't exist but I had seen them teleport to a battlefield invaded by daemons before, clad in arcane Terminator armor and wielding mystical force weapons.
Well, at least we knew why Lector was coming. I was relieved that he was being candid and honest with us. A lot of inquisitors came along forcefully, using their imperial authority to follow us around and requisition our forces without being forthcoming or reasonable explanations and they usually concealed shadowy agendas.
Despite their titles, I suspected most of those agendas to be self-serving rather than to be in the service of the Emperor as per their claims.
"One more thing."
Just as we thought it was over, with the majority of humans (except our resident Skitarius and mechanized Tech-priests) sucking in their breaths in awe and fear, Lector continued in his usual cheerful manner.
"We are going into the Maelstrom, right? While at it, we might as well drop by Hell's Claws after the completion of your mission. If I recalled, clues uncovered from the war in Hell's Teeth point toward Hell's Claws being the location of the legendary omnicopaeia."
I could see Archmagos Styrimidon stagger from Lector's request.
"Why do you know that?" He gasped, wheezing through his breather mask. "That knowledge is only known to the Logi technoanalysts working on the clues the Skitarii discovered on Hell's Claws and a few select Fabricator Generals and their coven of Archmagos."
Lector merely smiled enigmatically. "I'm an inquisitor. There is no knowledge within the Imperium that can escape me."
I stared at him, my jaw dropping in surprise. The war on Hell's Teeth wasn't known to many outsiders. Indeed, when the Adeptus Mechanicus learned of clues leading to the location of the omnicopaeia being present on Hell's Teeth, they dispatched billions of Skitarii there to uncover them. However, Hell's Teeth was a daemon world, filled with colossal daemon engines, cunning daemon princes and other foul beings that roamed its surface purely for slaughter. Countless Skitarii were sacrificed, but the Tech-priests commandeering them finally succeeded in finding the clues after decades of brutal warfare. The conflict had spilled on from the final years of the 41st millennium into the 42nd, but the archomagos and priesthood of Mars thought the war was worth it and devoted their efforts into analyzing and deciphering their hard-earned clues.
It seemed they had finally decrypted it but obviously a non-priest like me wasn't privy to such top-secret information.
"However, Hell's Claws is another daemon world teeming with warp-spawn and monsters that greatly outnumber our exploratory fleet. Without a full-scale invasion sanctioned by Mars, I'm afraid we do not have the numbers and resources to secure a position upon the planet and recover the Omnicopaeia. Not to mention, the results of the analysis and decryption remain sketchy and not very reliable. It would be a senseless sacrifice if the decryption turns out to be wrong."
"Don't worry. I have a plan." Lector's smile grew wider, and somehow his enthusiasm and confidence seemed to infect me. I had a feeling that if we followed this guy, we might be able to pull off the impossible. "If everything goes accordingly to plan, we won't need to launch a full-scale war. We just need to sneak in, steal the STC before the daemons realize we are even there, and then escape from right under their noses. Of course, this is highly dependent on our primary mission. If the daemon incursion on Asmodai proves more difficult than I think, then I will remain behind with the militant branch of the daemonhunters to purify the world. In addition, if we orbit Hell's Claws and my intelligence finds the mission unreasonable, I will call it off."
"Very well." I could almost hear a sigh from Archmagos Styrimidon's mechanical lungs. "The explorator fleet will follow your lead and head to Hell's Claws upon achieving both our primary objectives on Asmodai. After that, the decision to land on the planet will be left to you."
"You won't regret it," Lector promised. I almost rolled my eyes at the clichéd phrase, a sure signpost that things would go south, everything would go wrong and we would most certainly regret going to Hell's Claws. But there was no arguing with an inquisitor and he continued confidently. "If we succeed, we will be making history in the Imperium."
I wondered if this meant that we would get mentioned in some obscure fluff portion in the future 8th edition codex or codices of the factions of the Adeptus Mechanicus.