On the colossal platform forged from steel and faith, the thunderhawk gunship's engines spewed scorching blue flames, their roar thundering across the deck, making even the heavy adamantium framework tremble.
Servo-skulls hovered at low altitude, chanting binary prayers, while servitors dragged heavy supply crates, leaving winding trails on the oil-stained ground.
The newly appointed Daemon Inquisitor Knox stood still as a statue, his black robe with golden patterns unmoving in the engine's fierce wind.
His cold gaze swept over the last batch of equipment being loaded by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Each of those blessed weapons and holy relics was inscribed with exorcism runes, enough to make any Chaos creation retreat in fear.
"Inquisitor, the Grey Knights Seventh Brotherhood and the Adepta Sororitas squad are assembled."
A deep, solemn voice came from behind him.
Knox turned his head slightly, and the figure of Toren, the Grey Knights squad leader, came into view.
His Aegis Terminator Armor gleamed with a cold silver luster under Cadia's dim starlight, the sacred sigils on his shoulder pads swaying slightly with his steps, and the eyes behind his faceplate were as sharp as blades, as if they could pierce through all falsehood and disguise.
"Such a pure psychic glow…"
A glimmer flashed in Knox 's eyes; so this was the person he had brushed past two days ago outside Inquisitor Sima's office.
He calmly retracted his gaze, drawing the Aquila symbol across his chest with his right hand, his voice as steady as a deep pool: "May the Emperor protect us."
As soon as the prayer ended, the thunderhawk gunship's ramp slowly closed with the hiss of its hydraulic system.
Amidst violent vibrations, this steel raptor broke free from gravity's embrace and sped towards the Steel Faith, a cruiser that had been waiting in outer space for a long time.
Through the observation window, the outline of Cadia Fortress gradually shrank, finally becoming a faint speck of starlight in the dark void.
At the center of the bridge—
Sima's mission briefing replayed in Knox 's mind: the outskirts of the Eye of Terror, a derelict Mechanicus research station, an artifact to counter Chaos.
"You don't seem nervous, Inquisitor."
Toren, standing to one side, suddenly spoke, his voice coming through the Terminator Armor's comms, carrying a metallic quality.
Knox 's lips curled slightly: "Nervousness doesn't solve problems, Captain; the first lesson of the Inquisition is—fear is Chaos's best friend."
Toren's faceplate tilted slightly, the silver helmet reflecting the cold light of the bridge.
Psychic tendrils extended with surgical precision, carrying the Grey Knights' unique, almost paranoid caution.
This battle-hardened Grey Knights Captain calmly adjusted the intensity of his psychic perception, like an Adeptus Mechanicus calibrating a precise sensor array.
It was well known that the relationship between the Inquisition and the Grey Knights had always been delicate, mutually dependent yet mutually wary.
Both sides had their own missions and secrets, and while cooperating, they also maintained constant vigilance.
He couldn't help but feel some apprehension about this Inquisitor who had suddenly "parachuted" in.
Despite having certification documents personally signed by Inquisitor Sima, Toren's gene-seed was subtly stirring.
Therefore, he had to personally confirm whether this "saint" blessed by the Emperor was a true chosen one or another blasphemous disguise that needed to be purified by a power sword.
After all, in this Chaos-ridden galaxy, even the most sacred rosary might hide the darkest secrets.
However, when his psychic tendrils touched Knox , it was like hitting an invisible, towering wall made of obsidian.
What astonished him even more was that behind this wall was not the mental world of an ordinary psyker, but a bottomless void.
Knox slowly turned his head, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes.
Toren's perception was instantly dragged into a swirling darkness, as if he were in the deepest rift of the Warp.
He saw countless twisted faces floating in the darkness and heard ancient whispers murmuring in his ears.
This was by no means the psychic signature an ordinary Inquisitor should possess.
"My apologies, Inquisitor."
Toren quickly withdrew his psychic power, the joints of his Aegis Terminator Armor emitting a faint hum.
He rendered a standard military salute, but the slight tremor of his power gauntlet betrayed his inner shock.
"Please forgive my… professional habit."
Knox 's lips curved into an almost imperceptible arc.
These silver-armored angels of the Emperor were always like this.
Their vigilance against Chaos was etched into their gene-seed, causing them to react defensively to any abnormal psychic energy.
"It's fine."
Knox replied calmly: "In a galaxy ravaged by Chaos, a little extra caution is always good, but I suggest next time… try a gentler way of greeting."
This understated warning caused Toren's faceplate display to unconsciously raise its protection level.
The servo-system emitted a faint click, as if reminding him: this seemingly young Inquisitor was probably deeper than most daemons they had encountered.
Knox quickly dismissed this probing exchange from his mind, turning his gaze instead to the ceaseless, frenzied dance outside the ship's hull, which was the spectacle truly worthy of his full attention.
Under his extraordinary vision, the distorted sights during the Warp jump were horrifying—multicolored energy currents writhed like living things, occasionally forming terrifying human faces.
The Geller Field around the ship constantly suffered invisible impacts, emitting an ear-splitting screech.
Knox gazed at the twisted Warp Storm outside the hull, his fingertips lightly tapping the edge of his data-slate.
"According to protocol…"
He murmured, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"We should dutifully take the realspace route."
The star map flickering on the data-slate showed a desperate distance.
A span of five sectors, even under the most ideal conditions, would take a full six Terra months.
He pulled a humorless smile, "Unfortunately, my esteemed mentor never cares about protocol; he only cares about results."
Knox could almost picture the scene: if the mission failed, Sima's old face would wrinkle into a knot—his grizzled eyebrows twisted into a snarl, his shriveled lips rapidly opening and closing, spittle mixed with scathing reprimands raining down on him.
"We can only gamble on a Warp shortcut."
Knox sighed inwardly, this decision making his molars ache.
The Warp, that playground of Chaos, was always unreasonable; God knew what "surprises" might pop out of it.
If luck was bad, encountering a Daemon Primarch would still be considered the Emperor's blessing, but what if some overfed Chaos Primarch suddenly decided to put on an impromptu show… Thinking of this, he subconsciously touched the Netherworld Seal hidden beneath his robe sleeve.
What was more troublesome was that this ship was also laden with Grey Knights and Adepta Sororitas; these fanatics' eyes were sharper than Mars's sensor arrays.
Having to deal with Chaos's tricks while also being careful not to expose himself in front of these professional exorcists was as difficult as tap-dancing at a Terra High Lords' meeting.
Although he had some confidence in that dilapidated Mirror of Retribution, that old antique was indeed comparable to Tzeentch's contract documents in terms of forgery.
But if it suddenly threw a tantrum and made a "technical adjustment," then the fun would be immense.
"I hope this journey is as boring as an Mechanicus prayer."
Knox prayed silently in his heart.
As his breathing gradually steadied, he sank into a meditative state; in the depths of his consciousness, the dark vortex began to slowly spin, greedily sucking in the faith emanating from the entire ship.
These included the faint psychic light from the crew's devout prayers, the steadfast willpower fluctuations of the Grey Knights, and even the fervent sparks of belief from the Adepta Sororitas.
"Since I'm already here…"
Knox 's consciousness smiled slyly in the darkness.
"How can I not fleece a little more to make this business trip worthwhile?"