'Remember that within the warp there is no notion of space or distance,' the Navigator said. 'A location can be fixed by will and ritual alone, and Inquisitor Volt suspects that a series of daemon worlds within the Eye are maintaining cornerstone sigils to stabilise the shadow world as well. The sigil within the governor's palace provides the glue that conjoins the two worlds.' She turned to Ragnar. 'It's this ritual that is causing the strange turbulence in the warp I spoke of.'
Ragnar nodded thoughtfully. It also explains the sense of dislocation Torin and I felt, and perhaps even the hallucinations. 'Then the Thousand Sons are simply stepping between worlds when they attack us.'
Gabriella nodded. 'Yes, exactly.'
'But to what end?' Athelstane demanded. 'I'm going to assume that what you just told me is possible, but even so, surely pulling it off would have to consume enormous resources.'
'Yes, indeed,' Volt nodded. 'We can't even speculate on what the traitors had to do in order to create the cornerstones within the Eye, but it's obvious that they devoted many years and a huge investment of effort to arranging the rituals across this subsector.'
'Then what do they stand to gain from all this?' the general asked.
'Several things,' Volt replied. 'First, it gives them a secure base of operations from which to pursue their efforts on Charys. They can strike us anywhere, at any time, and retreat to safety without fear of pursuit. It also allows them to tap into the limitless power of the Eye to fuel their sorcery.'
'But what's their objective?' Athelstane snapped. 'That's the one piece of information I need, inquisitor. If I know what they're after, I can try to counter it.'
Ragnar remembered the war council back on Fenris. 'The runes say that the Thousand Sons have a plan to bring about the downfall of our entire Chapter,' he said. 'That's why Madox is here.' And the spear as well, he thought.
Inquisitor Volt looked sidelong at Ragnar. 'As to what their ultimate goal is, neither I nor Lady Gabriella can say,' he continued, 'but we do know that the heart of the enemy's power lies not on Charys, but upon its shadow twin within the Eye.'
'Then that is where we must strike,' Ragnar said at once.
Athelstane interrupted with a harsh bark of laughter. The bitter amusement died at once as she saw the look on the young Space Wolf's face. 'You're serious,' she said incredulously. 'But… that's not possible.'
Volt glanced at Gabriella. 'We think it is,' the inquisitor said, gesturing to her. 'Please explain.'
Gabriella nodded. 'The Fist of Russ made orbit not too long ago,' she began. 'Shipmaster Wulfgar reports that she has sustained severe damage, but her warp drive is intact. We could place a strike team onboard and use the ship to enter the warp.' The Navigator took a deep breath. 'Providing we activated the drive close to the planet, the ship would cross the barrier into the immaterium at the point where the shadow world is anchored.'
The general interjected with a peremptory sweep of her hand. 'Now, forgive the interruption, my lady, but I know enough about warp travel to know that the ship is surrounded by a force field that keeps it isolated from the immaterium—'
'The Geller field, yes,' Gabriella said. 'It projects a pocket of reality around a ship travelling through the warp that keeps the forces of Chaos at bay. Naturally, we would have to deactivate it before making the attempt.'
Athelstane was struck speechless. Finally she stammered, 'That would be suicide.'
'Normally, yes,' Gabriella agreed, 'but not in this case. Just as the co-location causes some of the warp to spill over into the physical realm, the reverse would apply to the shadow world. There should be a pocket of stable reality around the planet strong enough to keep the ship from being destroyed outright.'
'Should,' Athelstane echoed. 'All of this is theory. You haven't one shred of proof that any of this is true.'
Volt raised his chin. 'It fits the evidence at hand,' he replied archly.
'I can only take your word for that,' Athelstane replied. 'My experience doesn't help much in matters like these, but I do know what will happen if you've guessed wrong and you head off into the warp without a Geller field. You, the ship, and everyone on board will be destroyed.'
Mikal Sternmark folded his arms and glowered thoughtfully at the books scattered across the situation table. 'I'll gather the Wolf Guard,' he said, 'plus a pack of Grey Hunters and Einar's Long Fangs. We could—'
'No lord, you can't,' Athelstane declared. 'I won't let you do this.'
Sternmark slowly turned to the general. 'You forget yourself, lady commander,' he said coldly. 'You have no authority over the Sons of Russ.'
Athelstane rose to her feet and stared up at the towering Space Wolf. 'Perhaps not,' she said, 'but you swore an oath to protect the people of this world, and without you Charys is most assuredly lost. Every squad you pull out of the battle line makes our defence that much more precarious. Are you willing to risk losing an entire world for the sake of a suicidal gamble like this?'
'What other choice do we have?' Sternmark shot back. 'Volt is right. The Thousand Sons can strike our lines at will, and there are no reinforcements coming. At best, we're just delaying the inevitable. Better to strike a blow against the enemy than sit in our holes and let them come for us!'
'And what if they're wrong?' Athelstane said. 'If that ship hits its warp drive and there's no stable pocket of reality on the other side, you'll have thrown away not just your life, but millions of others as well. Make no mistake, without you and your men we won't last twenty-four hours once the rebel counter-offensive begins.'
'Send the Wolfblade,' Ragnar interjected. The words burst from his lips before he fully knew what he was saying. 'Us and Harald's pack as well.'
Sternmark shot Ragnar a disdainful look. 'What, thirteen of you against Madox and the Thousand Sons?'
Inquisitor Volt spoke up. 'Actually, I was thinking along much the same lines,' he ventured. 'It is unlikely that the enemy is expecting this kind of attack, and a small force would have a better chance of avoiding detection,' He spread his bandaged hands. 'Of course, given the situation, I would assume command of the expedition. My skills will be able to further protect the strike team and lead it to its target.'
The Wolf Guard regarded Volt balefully for a moment, and then relented with a curt nod. 'There's still the matter of the warp turbulence,' he said. 'How do you plan on getting past that?'
Volt turned to Gabriella. She raised her head and said calmly, 'The mission will have need of an expert Navigator. Otherwise the ship could be hurled deep into the Eye and meet with disaster.'
The Wolf Guard's eyes went wide. 'No,' he said, 'I can't allow this.' He glanced at Ragnar and Volt for support. 'Lady, surely you can see that this mission is a forlorn hope at best. Even if everything goes as planned and the mission is a success, the survivors will face the full wrath of the Thousand Sons. With an attacking force this small, no one is going to survive.'
Gabriella only nodded. 'I understand, lord, and I appreciate your concern, but just as the lady commander has no authority over you or your men, neither do you hold any sway over me.' She met the Wolf Guard's eyes and gave him a faint smile. 'Rest assured, the Navis Nobilite are no strangers to sacrifice in the name of the holy Emperor.'
Sternmark thought it over. 'The Old Wolf will have my hide for a rug when he hears about this,' he growled, but he threw up his hands in surrender. 'All right. Make your preparations to depart,' he said. 'Ragnar, I'll leave it to you to give Harald the good news.'
Ragnar bowed his head to Sternmark, and with a worried glance at Gabriella he took his leave. The Navigator sketched a bow to Athelstane and the Wolf Guard. 'I'll contact the Fist of Russ and inform Shipmaster Wulfgar of our plans,' she said, and departed as well.
Sternmark watched them go while Inquisitor Volt gathered up his scattered tomes. Finally he sighed. 'I hope you know what you're doing,' he growled.
'As do I,' Volt answered. He straightened and fixed the Wolf Guard with a commanding stare. 'It's time we contacted the Holmgang!'
The Blood Claws weren't at the staging area near the starport's command complex, and none of the headquarters staff seemed to know where they'd gone. Ragnar wasn't all that surprised, but the discovery irritated him nonetheless. As more enemy rockets plunged like arrows across the cratered expanse of the starport, Ragnar was reduced to tracing his route back to the Thunderhawk they'd flown in, and then tracking Harald's pack by scent.
He finally found them in an isolated supply bunker not far from the Thunderhawks' armoured revetments. Ragnar followed the trail down a shallow ferrocrete ramp that led to an open doorway in the bunker's flank. Two Blood Claws posted as sentries rose silently to either side of the interior doorway as the young Space Wolf stepped inside.
The bunker had been emptied out long ago, and the pack sat on the bare floors in the gloom, tending weapons and making field repairs to their armour. The three men that they'd taken to the field medicae unit had either been released or they'd decided to release themselves. They rested against one of the ferrocrete walls, letting their enhanced constitution and their armour's medical systems tend to their injuries.
Harald was sitting with a pair of packmates, cleaning and checking their weapons when Ragnar appeared. The pack leader glanced up and his face darkened into an angry scowl. 'What in Morkai's name do you want?' he snarled.
Ragnar strode purposefully into the bunker. The two Blood Claws to either side of him closed in quickly, intending to bar his way, but he stopped them in their tracks with a steely glare. 'I bring tidings from Mikal Sternmark,' he declared. 'We're going back into action.'
He sketched out the planned expedition quickly and concisely, entertaining no questions from Harald or his packmates. As he spoke, the Blood Claws shared disbelieving looks that only turned grimmer as the inquisitor's plan took shape.
When he was done, Ragnar turned back to Harald and planted his hands upon his hips. 'If you have something to say, pack leader, now is the time,' he said. He could see the challenge building behind Harald's eyes, and part of him hoped that the Blood Claw would try to do something about it.
'Who is commanding this expedition?' Harald asked. 'The last time you led us, we lost our Wolf Priest and a third of our pack. Surely Sternmark isn't about to place us in your hands again.'
The rest of the Blood Claws were silent, glaring angrily at Ragnar. The young Space Wolf bared his teeth. 'There's an inquisitor on the planet, a man named Volt. He'll be leading the force.'
Harald snorted in disgust. 'First an exile, then an inquisitor. By Morkai, we're an ill-fated bunch,' he told his men. They growled their agreement. The pack leader sneered at Ragnar. 'Next thing you know, that damned three-eyed maid of his will try her hand at us.'
'Get up,' Ragnar said coldly.