Chapter One: Prologue

In the grim future, there is only war.

— Ancient Terran Proverb

The cold void has existed for countless ages, long before the first breath of life, long before the birth of the terrifying enemies hidden within the dark galaxy. The void has always been.

Between the cosmos, amidst countless planets and suns, an ancient fortress floats in the void. Its cold steel exterior gleams under the equally cold light of the galaxy, a reflection of countless suns and stars.

Within that light, countless steel cannons rise from the fortresses, their barrels aimed at the endless dark galaxy. Statues of angels stand among the cannons and countless weapons, their blades pointing towards the distant dark galaxy, towards the terrifying enemies within.

Beneath the massive Gothic spires, under the colorful mural depicting the Emperor and His Angels of Death, an old man stands at the end of the stained glass window. With his aged but sharp eyes, he gazes into the darkness. The twinkling starlight from afar reflects in his eyes. In this vast hall, there is only silence, as vast as the void itself.

The light of the galaxy shines on his black robe, reflecting no luster, as if it is one with the darkness itself. Only the silver pendant hanging from his chest reflects a cold light, a single letter 'I'.

The echo of footsteps resounds from the far end of the hall, gradually getting closer. From the darkness that seems like nothingness itself, it approaches, its sound transforming from mere footsteps to the clear clatter of studded combat boots.

The man appears at the edge of the darkness, his left eye glowing with a faint red light. The man in the silver breastplate stands next to the old man, gazing with him into the profound silent night.

A bolt pistol is holstered at his waist, the weapon blatantly exposed. Its large barrel once belonged only to the Astartes, the Emperor's Angels of Death, but now, it can also be wielded by an Inquisitor blessed and modified by the Cult Mechanicus.

His right arm, composed of steel machinery, glimmers under the light of the galaxy, silently chanting the blessings and authority of the Machine God.

"Inquisitor Hackett," the man greets, the old man glances at him, "Inquisitor Graves, tell me, what news do you bring?"

"A message from the stars has crossed the cold void, from the far end of the galaxy, from the Victoria system in the extreme sector. There have been some ominous findings."

"What is it, Graves? What is it?" "We don't know yet, Grand Inquisitor. The message is hesitant and wavering. The head of the judiciary on the main planet of Ravelia seeks the help of the Inquisition. He is convinced that there is a problem there, and it cannot be solved with local resources, sir. He seeks the help of the Emperor's spokespersons."

Hackett says, slowly moving to the side, to the shrine of the Emperor. He looks up at the Emperor's holy image illuminated by countless candles. The Lord of Mankind gazes at them, as if He were truly present.

Graves takes a few steps towards the shrine, but soon stops, "Your orders, Grand Inquisitor?"

Hackett looks up into the Emperor's eyes, then lowers his gaze. He turns slightly to look at Graves, "I believe, among the Emperor's many servants, we have one there, don't we?"

"Yes, sir." "Name." "Vito. Constantine, sir."

"Ah, our Vito. Tell me, how is young Constantine doing now?" The old man seems interested, his words piercing the silence, bringing a

hint of life to this desolate fortress cathedral.

Graves nods slightly, "Inquisitor Vito has just assisted the Iron Legion in quelling an Ork invasion in the Amigdalon star sector. I heard he received high praise from Commissar Arik. The local military department even wanted to award him a medal."

"But I think he's probably already left the Amigdalon star sector. Based on my impression of him, he would probably say... allow me to quote him, sir."

"Rather than staying amidst engine oil and bomb dust, listening to bureaucrats' endless drivel, I'd rather go find the governor's daughter, or some gorgeous female pirate, to discuss... philosophical issues, sir."

Hackett laughs, his aged laughter echoing low in the cathedral. He looks at the burning candles, the only light in the darkness, illuminating a part of this dark cathedral, but still far from enough.

"Yes, that's him," Hackett laughs.

The light from the Emperor's shrine cannot illuminate this vast hall. Darkness still exists in many places, covering everything. But the Emperor's loyal servants can bring light into this darkness, illuminating more places.

Hackett picks up a candle, his aged, withered fingers holding the wax stick. The flame illuminates his face. He turns around and hands the candle to Graves, who naturally accepts it.

"Tell Vito to bring the light of the Emperor's truth to the Victoria system. If the Emperor wills it, he might find something of interest there."

Graves nods slightly, then turns and retreats into the darkness. Hackett watches the candlelight gradually disappear into the darkness. The Inquisitor raises his head slightly, turning to look at the Emperor's holy image.

He stands in the light, in the only light in this endless darkness.

Underneath the steel rectangular dome, countless mechanical devices work in unison, blessed by the Machine Spirit and operated by the ship's crew and tech-priests. They drive this enormous void beast into motion.

The cold sun shines within the bridge. At the Lord Commander's station, Captain Cole Quik stands with his hands behind his back, gazing into the dark cosmos through the massive glass in front of him.

The Imperial Aquila glows above his head. His navy blue uniform is as dark as the universe itself. Unlike most naval captains, Cole does not wear a ceremonial longsword, a symbol of nobility. Instead, he carries a chainsword and a laspistol.

For most captains, dressing like the Astartes would be a disgrace. Believe me, friend, the Navy is eager to distinguish themselves from the Astartes, even though they all fight for the Imperium. This divisive opposition has existed for more than a millennium.

Captain Cole walks to the edge of the command platform, overlooking his bridge, and then nods in satisfaction.

"Report, I need to know the readiness of this battleship," says Captain Cole, his voice slightly youthful. His age is significantly below the average for his position, but clearly, his subordinates do not underestimate his orders because of it.

"Cobalt element replenishment is going smoothly, fusion fuel is being injected into the engine, sir. The Mechanicum reports that the armor layer has been basically repaired, but they suggest we dock as soon as possible for formal repairs and to appease the Machine Spirit," the Commander says, turning her head to look up at the master of the ship.

Cole raises his head slightly, then raises a hand. A holographic screen is immediately projected from the servo-skull flying towards him. Countless data and icons appear in front of him, like a complex painting.

But the captain adjusts the interface skillfully and quickly until he finds what he wants to see.

He reviews the data interface in front of him, quickly scanning through the chaotic data. Emperor bless, the void shield has been fully charged. He's had enough of the feeling of being completely exposed in the void, every second making his heart pound.

But now, that fear is gone. This Mars-class battlecruiser is ready again, fully armed to face the enemies of the Emperor.

"Captain, we... received... a message from the stars," an uncomfortable voice says, frankly, the voice is quite creepy.

Cole turns to look at the servitor. His body is full of tubes, and his voice comes from the speaker in his face mask, a cold, mechanical tremor, much like the members of the Mechanicum.

The servitor stops a few steps away, like a machine waiting to be awakened. Cole looks at him without much thought. He's past the stage of pondering these beings' pasts.

"Speak," he commands tersely. The servitor raises its head slightly, the tremor echoing from the speaker, "We received... a command from Grand Inquisitor Hackett. The Grand Inquisitor requests us... to go to the Victoria system, to solve... the local trouble."

Cole frowns slightly, turning to face the soulless body, "Did the Inquisitor give a reason?" "No, sir." "I see..."

Cole turns around, looking at the helmsman below, "Set a course for the Victoria system in the extreme sector, activate the warp engine, prepare for full ship warp."

"Understood, sir," the helmsman responds, then begins to turn the ship's wheel in front of him. The massive hull begins to turn with it. The captain turns to the other side, "Astropath,

calculate the gravitational pull of the celestial bodies, find the Mandeville point." "Yes, sir."

Cole presses a button on the complex control panel beside him, as if it were part of his body. The accurate communication frequency flashes from it.

"Navigator, prepare to enter the warp, identify the Astronomican coordinates, now." "Yes, Captain, I will guide us," the Navigator's murmuring voice says.

Cole withdraws his finger, turning to walk towards the iron arch behind the captain's throne, "Activate the Gellar field, may the Emperor protect us."

The glow of energy surges behind him, and the captain walks into the darkness under the arch in that light.

He is very familiar with this battleship, after all, it's his ship. Although he's not the first captain of this giant ship, he confidently and proudly claims that he is the captain who knows her best in her history.

He understands every part of her, every corridor, every boiler, every warehouse and hangar, every cannon and lance array unit. He knows her, every inch of her steel skin is clear.

So Cole never gets lost, even without a map, he can still quickly navigate through countless corridors and stairs. And now, he knows his path and goal very clearly.

He walks in the massive corridor on the upper side of the ship, which is like a palace. The tall arches support the vast sky, countless statues are arranged on both sides, countless banners hang from the top, symbolizing countless honors and victories.

Cole's boots tap on the white marble floor, his footsteps echoing in the grand hall. It's just him here, except for the occasional crew member or servitor he might encounter.

But soon, this impression is proven wrong. A larger set of footsteps drowns out his sound. He stops in front of the giant.

The giant also stops, turns his head to look down at Cole, then gives a sincere smile, "Ah, Captain Cole, it's good to see you."

Cole salutes, looking up at the giant's firm face, "The pleasure is mine, Lord Olaf." "In private, just call me Olaf, dear friend."

The Astartes warrior in power armor smiles. His black armor doesn't reflect any light, only the silver shoulder pad on his right shoulder, symbolizing the glory of his former legion, reflects a cold light.

"You're as tough and cunning as a Fenrisian wolf, Captain," Olaf smiles. Cole nods slightly, "My honor, Olaf. Where are your brothers? I haven't seen Lord Lancelot and Lord Ragnar."

"Ah, the wolf pup and the lion cub are wrestling in the training cage. I guess they're at it again over some terrible joke." The old wolf sighs helplessly, but then the smile returns to his face, "But anyway, we're still brothers, aren't we? So Belial has already gone ahead, in case they make a bloody mess and there's no one to clean up."

"Of course, have you seen the Inquisitor? I have something to tell him," Cole asks. His neck is forced to tilt back, and it's very uncomfortable, after all, that priest's armor is too tall.

Olaf kindly bends down to make him more comfortable. He looks at the golden gate at the end of the corridor. It's a huge golden gate, similar to the Gate of Eternity on Terra, probably a replica. Although Cole has never really seen the Gate of Eternity, nor has he ever been to Terra.

"I think he's there. The Inquisitor likes to be alone for a while after a battle." "Thank you, go find your brothers, Olaf.

I don't want them to break my training servitors again. The Master of the Forge has already complained to me seriously."

The old wolf laughs again, standing up tall, "I'll do my best, Captain." "Of course."

They part ways, and soon Cole arrives at the golden gate. He looks up at the tall golden gate. At the top of the gate is the golden throne and the radiant master of mankind. Below it are countless battleships, stars, and planets, as if the master of all things in the universe, reigning over the endless brilliant stars.

Cole clears his throat, looking at the servitor embedded in the wall next to the gate, "Open the gate." He commands tersely. The servitor raises its head to look at him, then a mechanical rumble sounds, countless hydraulic structures and mechanical transmission systems work together. In the growl of the Machine Spirit, the golden gate is slowly opened.

Cole enters as soon as the gate opens a crack wide enough for a person to pass through. He doesn't have the patience to wait for the gate to open ceremoniously, waiting outside with the crew every Sunday for this gate to open annoys him to death.

Cole strides into the grand cathedral. This is the top layer of the entire battleship. When you look up, you can see the entire galaxy, countless brilliant stars twinkling above your head. It's the most splendid mural in the world, the most spectacular grand work.

Every time Cole looks at the stars, he trembles with excitement. He yearns to conquer and explore those stars, just like the great man from his home planet of Macarius, extending the great will of mankind and the Emperor to the farthest frontier.

In a sense, he has indeed done so. After all, he is now not officially under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Navy, has a great deal of navigational autonomy, and can explore those stars... well, not entirely, after all, it depends on whether this bastard is willing.

Cole stops next to a pew, looking down at the man sitting in the front row, reading a book in front of the great statue of the Emperor. He's looking at the old book in his hand with interest, a chainsword and a bolt pistol hanging at his waist, waiting for the next roar and howl.

"Inquisitor Vito, we have a problem," Cole says. Vito raises his head to glance at him, then stops flipping the pages of the book, "Did we encounter an Ork Rok fleet again?" "Thank the Emperor, no. I don't plan on charging an Ork fleet single-handedly again, Vito. Do you know how much damage those bastards did to my ship?"

"Alright, Cole, didn't we win? Besides, if we hadn't taken out the Ork pirate boss, the Armageddon fleet would have been done for."

Vito laughs, then points at the book on his knee, "This book is quite interesting, you should take the time to read it."

Cole sighs, then looks at the crimson-covered book, "What's it about? You know I'm only interested in star maps and exploration books." "Yes, I know, my friend. Trust me, this book has everything you like."

"Who wrote it? Maybe I know the name." "Hmm... I doubt it. His name is Kyril Sindermann, a very old ancient, very, very long ago, about the Great Crusade's 63rd Expeditionary Fleet."

"The Great Crusade? I don't remember the existence of the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet." "Normal."

Vito says, closing the book and leaning back to look at the statue of the Emperor, "So what

is the problem you mentioned, Captain?"

"We received a command from Grand Inquisitor Hackett. He requests us to go to the Victoria system to solve the local trouble," Cole says, his tone serious.

Vito frowns slightly, "The Victoria system? That's in the extreme sector, isn't it?" "Yes, it is."

Vito rubs his chin, then looks at Cole, "Did Hackett give a reason?" "No, he didn't."

Vito sighs, then stands up, "Well, it seems we have to go. Hackett is not a man who would send such a command without a reason."

Cole nods, "I've already ordered the helmsman to set a course for the Victoria system. We're preparing to enter the warp."

"Good, let's go then. May the Emperor protect us," Vito says, walking towards the exit of the cathedral.

Cole follows him, looking back at the statue of the Emperor. He salutes, then turns to follow Vito out of the cathedral.

As the golden gate closes behind them, Cole can't help but feel a sense of unease. The Victoria system... what could be waiting for them there?

But whatever it is, they will face it. For they are the Emperor's chosen, the guardians of the Imperium, the explorers of the stars. They will bring the Emperor's light to the darkest corners of the galaxy, and they will not falter.

For the Emperor protects.