The shock of his action roused Gabriella. She had no doubt that if she tried to struggle, he'd gladly shoot her, but she was determined to make her feelings known. 'Let me go. You're committing treason, commander.’ said Gabriella. 'Have you gone mad?'
'Hardly; this is simply the act of a rational mind in an irrational situation, my dear Navigator,' said Cadmus. 'Now, let me take you away from the screams of this young Space Wolf. It's not proper for a member of a noble house to be surrounded by such violence. You are my prisoner, and I hold all the cards. The Dark Angels aren't going to spare you either. Every breath you take is at my whim. Please don't displease me. You are only alive because it amuses me to torture Ragnar. To think I apologised to him.'
Tou are a walking dead man. I felt a disturbance in the warp and that can only mean one thing, the Space Wolves are here,' said Gabriella.
'You did? How amusing. You are quite a potent Navigator then. I'm sure if your father were alive, he'd be pleased,' answered Cadmus.
'I recognised the warp signs. The Space Wolves' patrol of the sector must have just arrived. Within hours, you won't have to worry about Dark Angels. The Great Wolf has an alliance with Belisarius. The Space Wolves will be here in untold numbers.'
Cadmus stopped. When he looked at her, all she could see was a malicious gleam in his eyes. When he spoke, he did so in a very soft voice.
'My dear Lady Gabriella, not only did I know that the Space Wolves were coming, that's exactly what I'm counting on. Everything depends on the Space Wolves getting here, everything. It's good to know that I won't be disappointed.'
Gabriella's blood turned cold.
EIGHT
The Space Wolves arrive
Wolf Lord Berek Thunderfist strode through the corridors of the Fist of Russ. He hated long patrols, too much time onboard ship made him uneasy. He stroked his beard as he walked, unconsciously flexing his power gauntlet. His mind wandered back to the battle in which he had lost his natural arm and smiled slightly. In that battle, he had squared off with Kharn the Betrayer, the legendary berserker of Khorne, a Chaos Marine whose name brought fear to even his own side. Now that was a battle, Berek thought to himself.
Berek entered the bridge, two of his Wolf Guard flanking either side of the entrance. Berek took inventory of the bridge, ensuring all was how it should be. The warriors of Fenris who worked here were proud men, selected for lifelong service to the
Space Wolves. They dressed as warriors, complete with weapons and whatever honours they had earned during their service, such as bits of fur or runes. Symbols of Fenris adorned the room, from shields mounted on rune-covered pillars, to the wolf pelts used as carpets. Indeed, many of the control gauges rested in the jaws of sculpted wolves and the consoles were made to appear as worked stone or even ice. Banners hung from the vaulted ceiling, and the command chair was set as a throne. The impression of the bridge was more one of a lord's great hall, than the nexus of machine spirits.
Berek held the crew of the Fist of Russ in high regard, and he clapped many of them on the shoulder or nodded to them as he passed. The men who served aboard this ship were here by choice, free men devoted to the Chapter, unlike other ships of the Imperium who enlisted the use of thralls and convicted criminals or mindless servitors to crew their vessels.
The Fist of Russ had finished its patrol of the Euphrates system, a star and its worlds considered insignificant by most within the Imperium. However, it was a place that fell under the watchful and protective eye of the Sons of Russ. For that reason alone, it was given the same consideration as any other system under the protection of the Space Wolves. Everything was in order, so they had executed a warp jump and proceeded to Hyades, the next stop on their patrol route to fulfil the Space Wolves' ancient pact with House Belisarius. As the stop was a recent addition to the patrol, Berek
wondered if House Belisarius and the Wolfblade even knew they were coming.
As Berek thought about House Belisarius, he couldn't help but recall the young Blood Claw, Rag-nar, now part of the Wolfblade. That reckless and honourable youth had left an impression on the Wolf Lord during his time with his company. Ragnar had served well, and then, he had lost the sacred Spear on the planet Garm. The Blood Claw had halted a Chaos invasion by throwing the holy Spear into a Chaos portal, collapsing it, and saving him and his great company. In Berek's mind, it was a deed worthy of song, even if one of the Space Wolves' greatest relics had been lost and a Chaos invasion had been stopped.
Had Ragnar been rewarded for his heroic action? No. In fact, Ragnar was immersed in the political infighting between the Chapter's Wolf Lords. In an effort to discredit Berek, his rivals lobbied the Great Wolf to exile Ragnar. So it was that the young Space Wolf had been exiled to Holy Terra to serve in the Wolfblade, a cadre of loyal Space Wolves serving House Belisarius. One day, Berek hoped that he would once again see Ragnar walking the halls of the Fang.
A warning alarm sounded, interrupting the Wolf Lord's reverie. 'Jump to normal space will commence in one minute,' the herald announced ship-wide. Berek, having been brought back to the here and now, gave one last look around the bridge. His crew was prepared for the jump back to normal space, attending their stations, saying the proper blessings,
and performing the proper rituals. His Wolf Guard departed the bridge to secure themselves in their acceleration couches.
A warning alarm preceded the next countdown announcement, 'Jump to normal space will commence in thirty seconds.'
Even though Berek had made more warp jumps than he could remember, he still had moments of uneasiness. The warp was not devoid of entities, indeed it was a place where unspeakable horrors dwelled, horrors that one had to pass through when travelling amongst the stars in service of the Emperor. Deep in the Wolf Lord's heart, he was still a superstitious warrior from Fenris with a healthy distrust of magic, or anything that smelled like it.
'Jump to normal space will commence in fifteen seconds.'
Slowly, the bridge seemed to stretch and lengthen. Light danced across the ship's interior, emanating from no apparent source. A low rhythmic hum grew in Berek's ear. The process had already begun. Even now, the ship was trying to escape the warp.
'Jump to normal space will commence in ten seconds.'
The hum transformed into murmuring, sickly, twisted voices speaking in an unintelligible tongue. Every surface within the ship began to glow. Bulkheads screamed as if they were buckling under a terrible strain.
'Jump to normal space will commence in five seconds.'
Suddenly sound, light and motion blended together in a collage of horrors.
'Jump.'
In that instant, there was everything and nothing.
The jump to normal space was complete. Berek gave quick, silent prayers to the Emperor, Leman Russ and the old gods of Fenris.
The Wolf Lord checked the bridge and his crew. Everyone was removing their restraints and moving back to their positions. Berek took his time, making sure each member of the crew had survived the passage unscathed. The dangers of warp travel could never be underestimated. Having confirmed that all was in order, he slapped the restraining harness release.
As he stood, he turned to his men. 'Begin system scan. Comms, announce our presence and extend my compliments to Governor Pelias. Let's see if they have some hospitality to offer.'
'Wolf Lord!' said Hroth. 'Scans show a battle-barge in low orbit over the planet. Civilian ships are scattered throughout the system, fleeing the planet. There's an orbital defence platform in a decaying orbit, and I think she's scrap. I'm also reading weapons fire on the surface. It appears that the capital city of Lethe is under attack.’
Hroth was a warrior upon whom Berek had bestowed the title of ship's guide. Though not a Space Marine, Hroth had proven to Berek his ability to quickly assess tactical situations. Had he remained on Fenris, his tribe may well have slaughtered krakens due to his skill in suggesting ship movements.
'I'm unable to contact Lethe, Lord Berek. Their comms appear to be jammed.’ the herald added.
A slight grin emerged on Berek's face. 'It would appear that our routine patrol has proven to be most timely.'
Berek did not believe in random chance. If he and the Fist of Russ were here at this place and time, it was destiny, providence. Berek was here to bring this conflict to an end, and that was exactly what he would do.
He crossed the bridge to the tactical console. 'Let's find out what we're up against.'
The tactical display sprang to life, showing a hologram of Hyades and all orbiting vessels. The unknown battle-barge was indeed in a low orbit over Hyades. Thunderhawks flew back and forth from the battle-barge to the planet's surface.
Berek was confused. These were ships of the Adeptus Astartes. What were they doing here and why by the frozen wastes of Fenris were they attacking a planet under the protection of the Space Wolves?
'We are receiving a transmission on gold priority Imperium frequency 7590.4.' Confusion was apparent in the herald's voice.
Berek waved his hand, indicating that the herald should put the transmission through to the speakers. The Wolf Lord's curiosity had turned to frustration. Berek had had many dealings with other factions within the Imperium. None of them had yet proven worthy of his trust, but he had never witnessed anything like this blatant violation of Imperial law.
'Unidentified vessel, this is the Vinco Redemptor of the Dark Angels. You are hereby ordered to leave Hyades's orbital space. This planet is under Imperial quarantine. Do not approach or attempt to enter orbit.'
Berek clenched his power gauntlet into a fist tight enough to make its servos whine in protest. He had dealt with the Dark Angels before. They were worthy of only one thing: their untrustworthy reputation. Although no Terran official would label them traitors to the Imperium, Berek had always known that one day the true nature of that self-serving Chapter would be revealed.
This is the Fist of Russ, flag ship of Berek Thunderfist, Wolf Lord of the Space Wolves. You have moved against an Imperial world under the protection of the great Wolf Logan Grimnar and the Space Wolves. What do you mean by "quarantine"?'