"My lords! Another report about the fleet. They left another memorial." A ministorum personnel cried, handing a file to all the high lords except one. The lord regent Robutte Guillimane. Instead a Custodes to the file and handed it to the Primarch.
They all read the latest news. The unknown fleet had been making its way slowly toward Holy Terra. Briefly stopping at planets along the way. Each visit they left memorials.
The Inquisitorial representative had set agents to find out if the things they left behind were Chaos in origin. What they found were memorials filled with urns that contained ashes. On the memorials were short messages honoring fallen Excertus Imperialis. A term not used in 10,000 years.
Robutte set the file down. His superhuman mind running scenarios in flashes. He was facing a conundrum he hadn't faced since his brother Horus' rebelion: confusion.
"With the information we have gathered this group is breaking mandates and laws that have stood since the Emperor's ascension." The Ecclesiarch stated. "The Tombs they leave have not mentioned his holy name once."
Robutte raised his hand, silencing him. "The structure is reminiscent of the great crusade. They fight with the Imperium and my father's name on their lips. If they are all traitors, they are like none I have seen."
"They are in clear violation of the edicts and need punishment!" The Grand Provost Marshal cried out slamming a gauntleted fist onto the table.
"In due time. For now they are causing no harm, if anything they are a boon to us. They are dealing with threats in days to hours that would have taken us tens of years." Robutte turned his eyes on the Master of the Adeptus Administratum. "I have seen the records, I am displeased at what I have seen. Going back to the topic at hand. Let them be. We will deal with them when the time comes."
The primarch stands adjourning the meeting. "Inquisitor, do not think this an invitation to go behind my back. Leave the fleet be."
The Inquisitorial representative bowed before leaving. Far away a small council was convened by his fellows of different Ordos, the Ordo Hereticus and the Ordo Redactus.
"We need to purge that fleet. If it truly is from the great crusade the knowledge it has could tear the Imperium apart."
"I agree, they may have served under and fought for the emperor but now they are nothing but heretics."
"Guillimane is only a boy. We kept the Imperium safe while he slept. Now he is undoing our work with the help of his Cenos whore."
At that the cries of his 'apparent' heresy filled the room only to be silenced by the inquisitorial representative. "I have played along with him long enough. This is my final straw." His gravel-like voice rang. "To the void with him and his orders. We need to cleanse the path they took."
Murmurs of agreement spread. "Go with his holy blessing and do his work."
With that they all left, back to their public faces in the His holy Inquisition. To start the wheels of fate that even the most clever of the foul gods would not have seen.
On the fleet nothing was different as they finished the drop off of yet another memorial to their ancient fallen's homeworld.
"Sir there is only one set of coordinates left." The Navigator called out.
"All forces onboard and accounted for. We are ready for the next warp jump."
The commander of the fleet was standing on the bridge where the captain's chair would normally be. His armor styles after his father's. His large frame emitting an air of calm and order. Outside the view screen were the remains of another enemy fleet. This time orcs.
They glassed their landing sites to help the populace on the planet in their war against the green skins. Here in the void they did not stand a chance. Even now their disfigured bodies would float past only for it to be burned by a plasma blast from the point defense crew walking on the ship's hull.
"Get us out of the debris field before engaging the warp drive. Keep the hull crews out to clean up any of the greenskins bodies until the fleet is at the warp point. Once they are all inside commence the jump to Terra. Comms, get the message my father prepared ready to call on all frequencies. Our brother's are coming home."
The commander turned and left. The bridge crew sent the order and got the massive warship moving. In the distance hundreds of ships appeared from the debris field to fall into formation. It was an awe inspiring sight no matter how many times the crews of all the ships saw it.
Once the ships were in formation their warp drives engaged as did the gellar fields. In a blink of an eye they were gone just as unmarked ships warped in. Making a line for the planet to investigate the ones who just left.
What they found was more of the same. The locals were celebrating after being saved and many were praying before the memorial.
The black clad agents watched as children ran around while the adults drank and partied. You would have thought it was a paradise world and not an agri world.
One of the celebrants bumped into one of the men. "Sorry mate, didn't see you. Gab a drink. The angels saved us. His holy emperor blessed us." The party goer then stumbled off to party elsewhere.
The man he bumped into brushed himself clean. "Filthy peasant, I should have him flayed."
"Then we wouldn't get our job done." The woman next to him retorted.
"You are too gentle, a knife can get you more information than a gentle hand."
"The gentle hand will get me only the truth instead of lies to end the pain."
The two glared at each other before moving down the road. "Where is the local lord's manor?"
"It is further in. You need to be more patient." The two traveled to the mansion. The celebratory mood was completely ignored. When they arrived the guards on duty leveled their weapons.
"Even if there is a celebration, the lord's manor is still off limits! Leave!" It seemed that some people got a little too drunk and they are done with people by now.
The more hostile of the two was reaching for his bolt pistol under his robes only to be stopped by his partner. She placed a hand on his shoulder and opened her robes showing the leather trench coat and rugged gear. She was also holding the stylized eye of the Inquisitors. "Lower your weapons before I let my partner turn you into Servitors."
The two guards balked before standing at attention. They both stammered out apologies and begged for forgiveness. "You were just doing your duties, so your actions are forgiven. Open the gate."
They gave thanks and opened the gate letting the two Inquisitors through. Once inside they had a servant guide them to the lord. They found a striking man wearing a commissar uniform.
He was writing some documents when he saw them. In the blink of an eye he had his bolt pistol raised at them. "If you came to kill me your bodies will be sent to your masters in pieces." He growled his voice ragged from years of yelling.
The female inquisitor held back her associet. "We didn't come for anything so pedantic. We want to hear the report of the unknown fleet that assisted you."
The lord calmed down when he saw the stylized 'i' of the inquisition. Immediately setting his firearm back on the desk. "I apologize. The other lords see me as a threat due to me leading by example. They hate that my people love me." He began to ho through the papers pulling one out.
"Here is a report from a guardsman near one of the drop pod's landing sites. The boy tried to draw what he saw. He should go into art if he called that trying." The Inquisitors took the paper. Attached to the written report was the drawing.
What they saw was the ancient terminator armor of the Adeptus Astartes from 10,000 years ago. Only a handful remain in the Imperium today.
"How many of these were fielded?" The male Inquisitor asked.
"The reports I read all say that similar space marines were all across the battlefield. Safe to say they were all equipped like that." The lord said still organizing his desk. He noticed a file and began reading it.
The two inquisitors looked at each other. "This is impossible. Records say that no Legion had enough to fill an entire chapter." The man said.
"As much as I agree these reports say otherwise." The woman handed the report back to the lord. "What of the Titan legion?"
"Ma'am there were no titans. Just various knights. They operated in teams and were careful to avoid friendly damages and casualties. Because of them we may yet make the quota we have." The lord signed a paper then handed the pen over to the Inquisitors. "I assume you want to take the reports for study. Please sign this for the transfer."
The male Inquisitor obliged and signed, stamping the document with his seal. The lord thanked him and filed the document. "My commanders will have their after actions by the end of the day. As for what is here we will have them organized and the boxes sealed before delivery to your ship. For now, why don't you relax and enjoy the festivities that are going on."
With that the two left the lord's manor and roamed the streets trying to pick up information. They learned that the Guardsmen deployed called the space marines 'brothers' and vice versa. It was odd, but if they were a lost fleet from the great crusade comradery would only have grown stronger through that time. Nothing they found told of true heresy.
Once their time on the planet had passed they left. Combing through the reports as their ship made its way to Holy Terra. Oblivious to what they would find on their arrival.