'Captain, we are aboard and we will be strapped in as quickly as possible. Once we are secure, we shouldn't waste any time. We need to reach Fenris as quickly as we can.’ she said.
'Haegr will once again return to Fenris. Let the gods themselves tremble in their halls.’ bellowed Haegr.
A beetle flew out from under Ragnar's shoulder pad as the group left the hangar for one of the main corridors to the restraining couches. Ragnar crushed it against the wall. 'We're done with Hyades.’
'Brilliant holiday idea.’ offered Haegr cheerfully, but Ragnar wasn't smiling.
Torin waved his hand over the activation runes for the door to one of the ship's transport chambers. He stepped back to let Gabriella enter the room first with enough of a flourish for Ragnar to be certain that he had fully recovered.
'Captain, we're ready.’ announced Gabriella over her comm. She sat down and pulled the restraints. The others hurried to do the same.
'Activate restraints and harnesses. Prepare to enter the warp,' came the command from the ship's speakers.
Gabriella looked over at Ragnar. 'I'm sorry. You served with them before the Wolfblade,' she said.
'Sorry about what?' asked Ragnar as he finished adjusting his restraints.
'There are too many Chaos ships. They won't survive,' she stated flatly.
Ragnar set his jaw. 'They are Space Wolves.’
Before Gabriella could respond, reality folded in on itself and the colours of the room lengthened and shifted. Ragnar lost all sense of space and time. The Wings of Belisarius had entered the warp.
From the observation window on the bridge of the FistofRuss, Wolf Lord Berek Thunderfist watched the attackers come for them. Waves of enemy attack craft swarmed out of the bays of the Styx cruiser. Like monstrous bats, they covered space, blocking the light of the sun and blotting out the stars. Berek knew that it was time to find his place in the sagas, but, by Russ, they would remember him and his men for this day!
The cloud of death descended towards the Space Wolves. Berek cursed under his breath. The men of his great company had outdone themselves. They had fought the Dark Angels to a standstill and yet they had found the heart to destroy far more of the
Thousand Sons than any tactician would have deemed possible.
Berek remembered the run through the Chaos cruiser. Ah! Those were the experiences that made a man's blood burn with life. They had killed her mutant crew and detonated her power core. Two Chaos cruisers had fallen to the Fist of Russ. Now, the Styx cruiser came at them, and they limped through space, badly damaged. Berek knew that the hull of the Space Wolf vessel wouldn't hold for much longer. 'Come on you treacherous bastards! Come and destroy us if you can.’ he said waving his power fist at the enemy.
'My lord, Lady Gabriella and the Wings of Belisarius have made it into the warp.’ reported the ship's guide.
'All is not lost. She'll get word to Logan Grimnar.’ the Wolf Lord said, and then continued to shout at the Styx. 'Burn in hell, you traitors!'
Then, as if it was intimidated by the cursing of the Wolf Lord, the wave of enemy bombers and fighters wavered and turned, breaking up and retreating towards the Styx.
What in the name of the Gates of Morkai?' asked Berek.
The Dark Angels battle-barge suddenly filled the view screens on the Fist of Russ. The Vinco Redemptor opened up on the Styx with all of her guns, beams of energy illuminating the void with holy fury. A myriad of smaller Dark Angels vessels erupted from behind the mighty battle-barge, guns blazing.
The Dark Angels were back. Dark Angel escorts flew in behind the remaining Chaos ships sending
ravening blasts of white-hot energy into the hulls of the enemy vessels. The Vinco Redemptor showed no mercy as it launched barrage after barrage into the Styx. Large sections of the Chaos cruiser glowed and exploded into molten fragments.
The Astartes were victorious. Berek raised his fist and his heart pumped wildly.
'Wolf Lord Berek, incoming transmission,' reported comms.
Interrogator-Chaplain Vargas appeared. 'Wolf Lord Berek Thunderfist, I offer my congratulations and praise for your efforts and for those of your men. Your distractions allowed us time to repair and flank the enemy. The Lion will be victorious this day. Praise to the Emperor!' His voice retained a metallic ring.
'Praise to the Emperor! You abandoned us! You fled and left us to do the fighting.’ shouted Berek, as anger replaced the feeling of victory. You said that you were leaving!'
'We could not speak the truth over open channels, Wolf Lord. We are a proud Chapter just as you are. We always intended to flank them. I will grant you this: we never expected to discover that you destroyed so many. Our praise to you, Wolf Lord. Now, let both our Chapters fight as brothers against this foe and let Chaos be destroyed.'
Berek nodded. 'Let Chaos be destroyed.’
The transmission ended. Berek didn't trust the Dark Angels, but thanks to them, they would win the day.
'Engines, get us full power.’ ordered the Wolf Lord. Berek turned on the ship's full comms. 'The Dark Angels have decided to join the fray. Let's remind
them who won this battle. For Fenris! For Russ! For the Emperor!'
Berek could hear the cheering of his men fill the Fist of Russ.
SIXTEEN
Return to Fenris
The Wings of Belisarius had traversed the warp to Fenris, making the journey to Fenris in good time. Upon entering orbit, Gabriella and the surviving members of the Wolfblade had boarded the same shuttle that had taken them to Hyades. Now, they rode the vehicle to Fenris. The foursome sat quietly, Gabriella beside Ragnar, who stared out of a viewport, with Haegr and Torin seated further down on the same side at another viewport. The Space Wolves all longed to see their homeworld.
Ragnar gazed out at the planet below. He was almost home. He could see the raging seas and the mountainous icebergs surging with the waves, great white shapes rocking back and forth. Storm clouds crackled with lightning, voicing their power with peals of thunder, and a wall of weather threatened to shroud the
surface of the planet. Fenris was a harsh world, a cold and bitter place where only the strong survived, but most of all it was home.
He struggled to avoid shaking from the emotions he felt. He knew that he had thought a great deal of home, brooded on it in fact, but he hadn't expected to feel this strong a reaction. He shook his head, and then grinned with exultation. Finally, he was returning to the Fang.
'Aye, I know how you feel, lad,' said Haegr. 'Nothing stirs a warrior's heart like a return home. Now, poor Torin who was completely corrupted by civilisation, he's in for a bit of misery.'
Torin looked over. 'I harbour strong feelings for Fenris as well. It's the homeworld of our Chapter. Beyond that, I can't feel too sentimental over endless winters, krakens, and a harsh life filled with nothing but battle and cold. Still, I understand why my brother Ragnar loves Fenris so much, and well, as for you, I expect you'll be the cause of decades of starvation once you find the Fang's pantries.’
'Hah, it'll just make the rest of the Wolves tougher, weed out the frail and weak,' responded Haegr.
Ragnar could almost taste the Fenrisian ale and hear the stories of the grizzled veterans concerning battles against the ork, the eldar and Chaos. He had stories that he wanted to tell too, stories about fighting cultists, Imperial assassins, Dark Angels and Thousand Sons. He couldn't wait to see his old friends, especially Sven and the old Wolf Priest, Ranek. Sven had been with Ragnar since his choosing and was a member of Ragnar's first claw, a bonded group of Blood Claws. Ranek had chosen
Ragnar as a warrior, and although he trained hundreds of Space Wolves, Ranek had the ability to make him feel as though he were the only Space Wolf that Ranek had ever recruited.
The Fang came into view. It was the eternal fortress of the Space Wolves, the greatest mountain on all of Fenris, a spike of rock and ice so high that it pierced the sky. It dwarfed the other mountains surrounding it, and its peak even rose above the oncoming storm clouds. The warriors of Fenris viewed the Fang with superstitious awe as the home of gods. In some ways, they were right; compared to ordinary men, the Space Wolves might as well be gods. Unlike other Chapters though, the Space Wolves had never forgotten that they had once also been men.
Ragnar felt a chill race along his spine and spread outwards to cross his body. The Fang still inspired awe in his heart, and he knew that no matter what the future held, how many battles he fought or where he travelled, the Fang would always affect him this way. For him, it represented the heart of the Space Wolves and their desire to fight for their ideals against all mankind's enemies.