Kharne Al Murzim gestured his brothers closer, and the flickering lights played across their faces.
‘The situation in the Kargad System has been somewhat clarified since our last communication from Cypra Mundi,’ he said. ‘Segmentum Command has received various semi-garbled vox transmissions from several planets and moons in the system.’
He punched a series of keypoints on the holo-display. ‘Peronnen and Asranak, two small moons with mining manufactoria and minor settlements, have been heavily attacked and it is probable that the Imperial presence there has been destroyed. It only amounted to a few companies of the Guard in any case. The mining bases on the Tellik Asteroids are also gone.
‘Militarily speaking, these places are of no consequence to us, though at some point in the future they will of course have to be scoured of all Chaos remnants.
‘No, brothers, it is the central planet which concerns us. Ras Hanem, the High Gate. This is a long-settled world with a history in the Imperium and some major industries which the sector cannot afford to lose.
‘Population, some three hundred million, mostly concentrated in a few major cities. The capital, Askai, population fifty million, is home to a series of manufactoria which are key to Titan production on Cypra Mundi, quite apart from other armament industries.’
‘What is the garrison?’ Ares Thuraman asked. The senior captain in the Chapter had long ago lost his vocal chords to corrosive atmosphere, and his voice came out through a vox-speaker in his throat, flat and harsh as a nail scoring iron.
‘The defenders vary in composition. There is the Hanemite Guard, trained up to something like the usual imperial level. Numerous, fairly competent by imperial standards, and numbering some seven divisions. They man fixed emplacements around the major cities, and are hence scattered about the planet. There is also a militia of part-timers numbering in the tens of thousands which is called up in emergencies, but which is of doubtful utility in a real war.
‘But Ras Hanem is lucky in one thing, brothers. The last vox transmissions we have had from the planet were sent by an Imperial Guard General, one Pavul Dietrich, who seems to have involved himself in the defence. Dietrich’s unit is the 387th Armoured, which was en route to Cypra Mundi but left to kick its heels on Ras Hanem for several weeks because of a lack of transport ships. The 387th is heavy armour, Basilisks, Baneblades, Chimeras – a full regiment.’
‘What was the last situation report we had from the system, my lord?’ Jonah Kerne asked, staring at the shimmering hololith as though if he stared hard enough it might tell him everything he craved to know.
‘The last vox from Dietrich’s staff stated that communications with the outlying moons and planets of the system were being lost one after another. So far, his comms specialists have been able to get through enemy jamming frequencies, but we cannot expect that to last. There are no astropaths of any note upon the planet who could get a message through the warp, either.
‘We can expect the assault on Ras Hanem itself to begin quite soon. The planet has a full complement of orbital defences and some light defensive craft, but they cannot be expected to win a protracted engagement with a mobile fleet. A ground assault is inevitable.’
‘The orbital defences will take a toll, nonetheless,’ Thuraman rasped. ‘Especially if earlier reports were true, and the enemy has nothing heavier than Dauntless class.’
‘Agreed,’ the Kharne said.
Malchai spoke up, frowning, ‘Are there no Imperial warships closer to the system than us?’
‘None bar a few interceptors and frigates,’ the Kharne said grimly. ‘They are all off providing cover for the Wendakhen campaign, on the other side of the sector – which was where Dietrich and his men were en route to when they were stranded on Ras Hanem. The Waaagh! of Jurhat the Cursed is soaking up Imperial resources, and will do for a long time to come. Our brethren in the Dark Sons are aiding thirteen Guard divisions on Wendakhen.’
‘Emperor bless them,’ several of those present muttered. The Dark Sons had been one of the six Chapters which had come to the aid of the Hunters during the last Punisher incursion, and there were still close links between the two Chapters.
The Scoutmaster, Fell Ambros, spoke up. ‘When was this last vox transmission, lord?’
But it was the Chief Librarian who answered him.
‘Some two days ago,’ Graes Vennan said, the planets of the hologram circling in his black eyes. ‘One of my more talented specialists picked it up. I have been monitoring the Kargad System since this news first broke.’
‘And nothing since?’ Kerne asked him.
The Librarian’s strange gaze met Jonah flatly. ‘Nothing.’
Kerne rubbed his forehead. He did not want to speak up, but could not let it lie. Not even here.
‘My Kharne, I must ask you now, if I am to go to the aid of Ras Hanem, then let us trust to the warp for the voyage. I do not, with all respect, believe that we can afford the loss of time a normal-space journey will entail.’
There was a silence. To question the will of the Kharne in an Orders Conclave was boldness verging on insubordination. Brother Malchai frowned, and his fist tightened on his crozius.
Kharne Al Murzim remained staring into the heart of the circling hologram, his face unchanged. It was Ares Thuraman who replied, his voice a metallic snarl.
‘You forget yourself, Kerne.’
‘Forgive me, first captain. My Kharne, I meant no disrespect.’
‘I know you didn’t, Jonah,’ the Kharne said mildly. He straightened from his regard of the shimmering Kargad system.
‘I have been thinking on this very thing myself, and have spent hours in prayer, looking for guidance from He who guides us all. To trust to the lanes of normal space will entail a voyage of – Isa, enlighten us.’
The Chief Navigator cleared his throat and stepped into the ring of giants.
‘At least fifteen weeks, my lord.’
‘There you have it, brothers. Can the Guard hold out that long? There’s the rub.’
There was a crackle, and from a speaker buried in the central plinth they all suddenly heard the sepulchral tones of the Forge-Master, who was precluded by his bulk from attending the Conclave in person.
‘If they cannot, then what use are they? Brothers, humanity is frail, but not entirely without resource. And a full company of our kind is a loss we cannot afford to risk. To die in battle is one thing – but to be lost to the warp. That is waste, pure and simple.’
‘Chief Navigator, what think you?’ the Kharne asked. ‘Would you take to the warp for travel at this time?’
Isa Garakis exchanged glances with Brother Venann before he spoke, clearing his throat again.
‘Chapter Master, the warp is in a period of severe flux and turbulence, and has been for some months. If we took to it now, we could be in the Kargad System in a matter of days, or it might take weeks, or years, or we might re-enter normal space somewhere a thousand light years from our intended destination. There is simply no telling. The Wendakhen campaign is stirring up the immaterium at the moment, and rendering it extremely volatile, as all wars do.’
‘Psykers!’ Shaef Darric, captain of Fourth Company, snorted.
‘Thank you, Isa,’ the Kharne said gravely. He turned to face Kerne. ‘There is your answer, Jonah. I will not entrust Mortai to the warp. Whatever the situation you find when you reach Ras Hanem, I expect you to deal with it. Is that clear?’ We had discussed this, his eyes said.
Kerne bowed, knowing he had angered his Chapter Master, who was also his friend.
‘Very clear, my lord.’
‘If Mortai’s captain is in any apprehension about what lies before him, then perhaps he would welcome some support on his expedition,’ Brother Malchai said. A small, bleak smile played over his mouth.