Chapter: 3.1

Chapter: Accazius II

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Part: 1

Onboard Departmento Munitorum: Imperial Transport 'Gauntlet'

Inquisitorial Quarters

Inquisitor Greybrand quickly composed herself, pushing aside the lingering thoughts of future planning and upcoming combat. She knew whatever the heck awaited her on the bridge was going to be the pain in the Emperor's arse, not that she would say it out loud, it was blasphemous to the highest degree. 

"Very well,"

She replied to the servo skull, her voice was firm enough to fool the contraption.

"Inform Captain Hox that I will be there shortly."

With quick strides, she made her way to the bridge, her mind racing with a list of possibilities that could be waiting for her there. The situation was already dubious enough to be marked 'dire' even by the Inquisition's standard, any new development that would warrant her early arrival to the Bridge was undoubtedly... troublesome.

As she approached the bridge, she noticed the subtle tension in the air. The Navy troopers were rushing across the deck, preparing for... combat? 

Were they about to be boarded?

The bridge's door parted, allowing her to enter and the Captain's honor guard announced her presence to the rest of the crew.

"Inquisitor on Bridge!"

The rest of the honor guard saluted with crisp and precise movements, no doubt the drills were hammered into their heads by the Commissars or their equivalent in the Imperial Navy.

The bridge was undoubtedly large, even a bit too large, as she had noted on previous occasions. However, the Vox transmitter and the Cogitator were most crowded at the time. Captain Hox stood before the Vox transmitter, listening to news from various devices present all over the ship while the officers and crew members all focused on the cogitator and the data streams being transferred to their stations. 

"Inquisitor Greybrand,"

Captain Hox greeted her, her voice carrying a sense of urgency.

"What would you like to hear first? The bad news or the worse news?"

Greybrand's brow furrowed as she listened to the dubious question. Of course, it had to be the bad news first! Didn't the captain know how to properly break the news to 

"Out with it Captain."

Hox's laughter lacked amusement and was instead filled with barely contained fury.

"Bad it is then."

And then she wasted no time in delivering the grim tiding,

"Our Augur scan detects traces of recent conflict, mostly plasma point defense cannons and some minor warheads. Roughly between 40 hours and 30 hours ago, there are wreckages, small makeshift spacecraft used by pirates."

The words hung in the air like a dark omen. Greybrand's mind swiftly processed the information. Recent conflict, pirates, and wreckage. The situation was troublesome, and she could feel the tendrils of complication reaching out.

"Pirates, Captain? In this sector?"

She inquired, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the severity of the situation. Pirates haven't dared to show their faces in this sector since her master had exterminated the largest of their groups almost a century ago. Now that she was MIA, they had resurfaced.

But how? How did they know of her death? They shouldn't have known, not unless they had a hand in it!

Hox nodded grimly.

"Our Augur scans picked up signs of a recent conflict and the debris field suggests a skirmish. The wreckage is enough for roughly five crafts, destroyed by heavy bombardment and not reactor explosion. Whoever destroyed them wanted to salvage their carcass for materials."

The tension on the bridge seemed to thicken with each passing moment as Greybrand absorbed the gravity of the situation. Pirates in a sector long thought to be free of their scourge was troubling enough, but their presence this close to her mission sight was plain troublesome.

"Have we identified any specific pirate factions involved?"

Greybrand's tone was measured, betraying none of the apprehension swirling in her mind. She needed information, clear and concise, to formulate her next move.

Hox shook her head.

"Not yet, Inquisitor. The debris field is extensive, and the remnants of the pirate ships don't bear any recognizable insignias. They may be a new faction or a splinter group operating under a different banner."

Greybrand's thoughts raced, new factions of pirates were rare, but splinter groups were not. Some random splinter group might have decided to target Accazius II as their new base of operation, with the report regarding a space station being built in its orbit and the spaceport that the Governor promised the sector command, it was entirely possible.

"Continue scanning for any remaining traces of their activity. I want to know if there is even a silver chance that we might get bombarded by Pirate crafts once we disembark." 

"Understood, Inquisitor,"

Hox affirmed, signaling one of her men to relay the orders to the Auspex station.

Greybrand turned her attention back to the captain.

"And the worst news?"

Hox hesitated for a moment before answering anyway,

"The Accazius II command isn't answering any of our Vox transmissions, nor is the Space Station in its orbit, and we cannot enter the Planet's orbit only to be shot down by the Space Station's defensive mechanisms."

Greybrand's jaw tightened. The situation had escalated far beyond what she could consider salvageable, and now the planet was also refusing any chances of explaining their fuck-ups. Innocent lives were at stake, and she wouldn't stick her neck out for them, no matter the moral dilemma.

"Plot a course to the Space Station, Captain. We'll first occupy that junkyard before demanding some answers from the Planetary government."

Greybrand commanded, her voice barely containing her annoyance, and Captain Hox nodded, already issuing orders to her crew to execute the Inquisitor's directive.

The Inquisitor's mind raced with potential scenarios as she watched the crew spring into action, their efficiency was a testament to the Navy's training and discipline. The prospect of facing off against an unknown pirate faction, potential Xeno space crafts, and a silent planetary command with an Imperial Transporter ship. She might be able to see this mission through, but the cost would probably cripple the two new regiments and the entire ship.

As the 'Gauntlet' altered its course towards the outdated and yet freshly built space station orbiting Accazius II, Greybrand began to formulate a plan. She needed more information, enough to at least assess the situation on the ground and the best course of action to secure the planet was to take over the Space Station.

She would need troops, possibly a team of skilled officers and elite troops to board the Space Station. Taking out the turrets and lance weaponry to prevent the 'Gauntlet' from being shot out of the sky. It didn't take too long for her to reach a decision,

"Captain Hox, tell the Sisters of Battle to prepare. They will be accompanying me and my... retinue to conduct thorough reconnaissance and sweep the space station of hostiles before making any further moves."

Greybrand instructed the Captain, her voice commanding. If it was a warship captain, the Inquisitor would have gotten a hateful look for daring to command them, but Hox commandeered a Transporter and had none of that arrogance in her.

Hox shook her head,

"I'm afraid can't do that Inquisitor."

Greybrand was confused as the situation was unexpected. The Captain's refusal to comply with her orders amounted to insubordination, which meant that she could shoot the Captain if she had the balls to brave the rest of the crew and the honor guards standing at the ready. As it turned out, she, as a woman, did not.

"And why is that, Captain?"

Greybrand demanded, her tone laced with a hint of irritation. She had little patience for disobedience, especially in the face of such dire circumstances.

Hox met her gaze with a wry smile,

"The Imperial Navy has no sway over the Ecclesiarchy. I am pretty sure they won't move from their prayer rugs until you personally ask them to. Also, the Space Station's defensive garrison is unknown, and we cannot afford to lose elite operatives before we even make landfall."

Greybrand's irritation simmered beneath the surface as she processed Captain Hox's explanation. The fanatics of the Ecclesiarchy were always a headache to deal with, especially when it came to coordinating military operations, and to add a cherry to the pie, she was a Psyker.

"Very well, Captain. Notify the Sister Superior that by my authority as an Inquisitor of the Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition, I relinquish her squad's assistance. in the meantime, prepare a team of Navy Troopers to accompany me and my retinue. We'll conduct a preliminary reconnaissance of the Space Station before committing any further resources."

Captain Hox nodded, acknowledging Greybrand's decision.

"Understood, Inquisitor. I will have a team of Voidsmen-at-Arms assembled and ready to accompany you."

Greybrand returned the nod, her mind already strategizing the upcoming operation. The Sisters of Battle would probably sweep the entire Space Station with minimal casualties, but she would prefer 'no' casualties and test her 'new' troops at the same time.

Heretics, Xeno, and now pirates. Great, just what she needed on her very first Inquisitorial mission!

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