Chapter 54: The Wrecked Ship

“To rush toward an uncertain goal for the sake of a mere possibility...”

Soshyan sighed.

“Reverend, we cannot afford even the slightest failure right now. The Chapter has never been in more danger than it is at this moment.”

“I am certain there is something of great importance there.”

Brother Cede remained steadfast in his opinion. Seeing that he could not persuade him, Soshyan drew his Holy Flame Sword.

“Reverend, have you heard of this blade? I brought it back from the orbital station of Mars Kander II. According to Priest Lokken, it was commissioned by a former Chapter Master from his mentor.”

The Dreadnought took two steps forward, seemingly observing the sword; then, its massive frame swayed slightly, as if nodding.

“Yes, I know it.”

Brother Cede's next words left Soshyan utterly stunned.

“I was the one who commissioned that priest to forge it.”

“You? But you have been in stasis all this time.”

“It was not I who stepped forward.”

Brother Cede extended an arm, and Soshyan, understanding immediately, handed over the Holy Flame Sword. After grasping the hilt, the other man examined it closely for a moment before praising it

“Not bad, not bad at all. I did not misjudge that priest. Compared to serving gears and machinery, he is actually better suited to be a swordsmith. It is a pity his skills are destined to be buried.”

Having said this, he returned the sword to Soshyan.

“The Grey Marrow requires a massive amount of thermal energy to extract. This blade will allow you to use it for longer, but you must still be careful. Do not let your emotions dictate your use of the Marrow; you must control it yourself and learn to wield it with reason.”

Soshyan nodded and sheathed the sword.

At that moment, the communicator inside his neck armor suddenly rang.

“Chapter Master, you need to come and see this.”

Hearing Lokken's voice, Soshyan immediately turned and walked toward the armory door, with Brother Cede following close behind.

When they appeared on the bridge, the room was already in a state of chaos.

Hearing footsteps, Lokken spoke without looking back while frantically manipulating the console

“Chapter Master, I was just setting the augur to scan for wake particles.”

When he turned around and saw the towering, sacred Dreadnought behind Soshyan, the Tech-Priest paused.

Then, as he regained his composure, he found himself needing a moment to find the appropriate wording.

“...In other words, engine trails, so we can detect if any other vessels have passed ahead of us.”

“And?”

Soshyan asked. As he and Brother Cede stepped onto the command dais, Losa nodded to the Dreadnought and stepped aside.

“Massive readings,”

Lokken's voice rose above the whispers of the other officers, as a vast array of augur readings was transmitted to the display screens.

“Two thousand kilometers off the port bow. I think... the distance is closing. There is a ship—or rather, we are scanning two ships.”

“Two?”

Soshyan frowned at Lokken.

“Only two ships entered, including the *Glory Saber*.”

Lokken turned pale under his direct gaze.

“Target image established.”

A voice rang out, and everyone turned toward the pict-display. The massive, oval screen slowly filled with a static, inexplicable image.

Through the overflowing visual noise, no distinct physical shape could be discerned, much like looking through thick fog.

Lokken and the technicians did their best to filter out most of the useless data. The bridge fell silent, save for the occasional crackle of static, before he focused the image on the large vessel drifting amidst a multicolored storm.

The ship was nothing more than wreckage, scattered across thousands of kilometers of agonizing space.

Such a sight was not uncommon in the Warp; ships frequently lost their way in the tides of the Immaterium for various reasons.

A significant portion of them were not destroyed, merely maintaining their decayed, ancient appearances, capable of appearing anywhere at any time.

When they manifested in realspace, they were often a malevolent gift.

Such ships were generally referred to as "Ghost Ships."

“Is there a problem?”

Soshyan stared at the silhouette of the derelict, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

“Nothing, my Lord. Just a ghost reading on one of the sensors... a faint... life signal?”

“Is there more information?”

“I am performing a long-range scan... Based on thermal decay and material analysis, it seems it was destroyed many years ago. At least... several millennia??”

At this moment, the image on the pict-display gradually became clear. It was a military vessel.

The ship's hull was dotted with flickering lights, its heavy armor pitted like the surface of a meteor. Patches of mottled black paint remained beneath the macro-cannons, and the location of what was once a flight bay had become an ugly scar. A weathered Aquila was embedded in the keel of the bow. Judging by its size, it was at least a cruiser, and even larger than the *Spitfire*.

At this point, Lokken pushed back his hood and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck, speaking with confusion and astonishment

“By the Omnissiah, I can hardly believe it... I don't even recognize a ship of this class! The keel identification code doesn't match this model! Is it an xenos warship? But it doesn't look like one...”

Then, Brother Cede, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke.

“It is a Slaughter-class Armored Cruiser.”

“Uh... Honorable Elder, I have never heard of such a model of cruiser,” Lokken asked humbly. The Dreadnought provided the answer.

“It is a type of cruiser used during the Great Crusade. It was likely discontinued long ago; it is not strange that you do not know it.”

Hearing this, Soshyan's cold gaze returned to the ship. As the *Spitfire* moved, the abandoned warship grew more imposing.

Large chunks of debris could be seen floating near its hull, and unnatural flames curled within the gaps of its armor, burning in some form despite being in a vacuum.

It was as if the moment of its fall had been frozen in time.

“Sir, even more troubling is that it is approaching us at an extremely high velocity. Collision is estimated in half an hour!”

Suddenly, Lokken delivered the bad news.

Soshyan frowned.

“Can we evade it?”

“According to the pre-analysis of the flight trajectory, the *Spitfire's* current speed alone is insufficient to escape... How can a derelict ship move this fast!?”

“Can we leave the Warp?”

“We currently have no suitable anchor points. If we attempt a blind jump, we might plunge straight into the edge of a star or an asteroid belt.”

At that moment, Brother Cede's voice rang in Soshyan's communicator.

“Soshyan, this is a major problem. Some force is pushing it toward us. Only you can resolve this.”

Soshyan immediately understood Brother Cede's meaning: a Warp entity was obstructing their path.

“Can we destroy it from a distance?”

“The armor of a Slaughter-class is exceptionally sturdy. With only the firepower of the *Spitfire* and the *Glory Saber*, it will be difficult to destroy it in such a short time before it hits us.”

Soshyan closed his eyes in thought for several seconds. When he opened them, he issued an order that stunned everyone.

“Prepare the shuttles. Let us board it and see exactly what is behind this.”