The strike cruiser Skallagrim’s Hammer hung
in low orbit around the gas giant.
Smaller heavily armed strike craft were arranged in High Guard around
the Great Hunt’s modest seeming fleet.
Heavier mass conveyance craft carrying the Hunt’s heavy armour, workshops,
foundries and other support functions queued ready to begin skimming as the
astropaths on the strike cruiser prepared to choreograph the delicate ballet of
fuel skimming at the sweet spots where local conditions contrived, gravity,
weather and so on, making temporary places where the atmosphere was dense
enough to make it worth skimming but with a minimum of contaminants.
The Hunt’s passage from Hydraphur towards
the Cadian Gate had so far been uneventful, but had now suffered unaccustomed
delay, ever since they dropped out of the warp to refuel.
It had been a slow process; for three
standard weeks the Hunt’s Rune Priest, his acolytes and the fleet’s astropaths
had all been ‘busy’. Wolf Scouts and sky
claws chafed at the inactivity whilst the grey hunters and long fangs seemed to
accept the delay with nonchalance unbefitting a true Son of Russ. But as Wolf Guard Harok had pointed out; they
were going nowhere until the Rune Priests were satisfied.
Rune priest Harnvgr jabbed a stubby finger
at the Long Range Auspex. “There. That one, what does it say ? ‘Meuven 185’ ?” He stood up and looked around the crowded bridge
at the assembled pack leaders.
“An abomination,” He began, “A creature out of the warp, held
in the materium by dark sorceries, we need to find the deamon and the apostate
keeping it here. Whilst the pack
assembles, know this, if we not stop this thing here,” he paused for dramatic
effect, meeting the gaze of each of the lords and pack leaders in turn. “The
runes have foretold that they will move from here to an agri world in the Devos
System and plunge it into a time of darkness, denying it the light of the All
Father.”
Keen eyes, bright at the prospect of adding
to their sagas, kept their rapt attention on the Rune priest. “Warn off the wolf scouts, set them on The Spear
of Canis and have them find out what they can, the rest of us will follow on in
the rest of the fleet as soon as practicable.”
wow, now that's how to set the scene!
ReplyDelete-you sir, are an incredibly good writer.
The space wolves will get to Meuven 185 eventually, I'm assured.
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