"Olivia, were you there for a while?" Atreus asked while assisting Barnabas in supervising the crew.
He was not the captain of the ship, but he possessed sufficient knowledge to carry out the maneuvers necessary for executing a Warp jump.
"E-eh… yes, my lord," she replied, startled, causing the parchments in her hands to fall onto the cold floor of the vessel.
As the chronicler of his future Legion, Olivia had to record its entire history.
This was very important during the era of the Great Crusade, as it served as propaganda for the conquered worlds of the Imperium of Man.
Beyond the media aspect, it allowed the idealization of Space Marines in the minds of ordinary mortals.
The position of chronicler was the bridge that would allow Atreus to fully penetrate the culture and history of Limnos III.
Thus, the role entrusted to Olivia was clearly more important than that of Santanas.
"Strange… she seems more… timid?" he analyzed while observing the mortal on the bridge.
He decided to ignore her strange glances and focus on the protocols necessary for the Warp journey.
"The Lord of Steel is incredible… such charisma radiates from him," she noted while transcribing Atreus's speeches to his subordinates.
She even made a small drawing of Atreus, depicting him at the moment when Barabas lifted him from his bowed position.
Looking at the image, the young girl inwardly decided to paint a full canvas of this scene once she returned to her world.
The starship that had been drifting in orbit around Limnos III for nearly seven months gradually began to awaken.
More than twenty thousand people aboard sprang into action.
The crew members armed themselves and secured the ship's strategic passages. Every family inspected the equipment under their responsibility.
The Navigators were awakened from their stasis pods, and the psykers responsible for the "Gellar Field" received sedative injections, plunging them into a state of controlled relaxation.
During the departure preparations, several minor incidents occurred.
A leak in a promethium transport conduit in zone C3 caused a fire that cost the lives of about ten people.
Two crew members, whom an officer had recruited from former lower-deck slaves, were shot on the spot.
The reason? They had entered a restricted area.
Two families in charge of maintaining the three macro-cannons and the laser cannon clashed for unknown reasons, resulting in the deaths of twelve people.
Overall, Barabas could consider the departure from the Limnos III system a success.
With an old frigate, he was already doing remarkable work.
When the engines ignited, the frigate surged forward at tremendous speed.
Atreus left behind a Lunar-class cruiser from the Dark Mechanicus, along with several Cobra-class destroyers.
"I hope Filon and that mortal named Zack can handle the natives of Limnos III and the Dark Mechanicum," he thought as he looked away from the now-distant system.
The ship gradually broke free from the gravitational pull of the system's star and permanently left its sphere of influence.
Captain Barabas relentlessly checked the deployment of the Gellar Field, waiting for the Warp engine to reach full charge. He constantly ensured everything was functioning perfectly.
A single mistake on his part would mean the total annihilation of Atreus's warband.
The old Space Marine had to be excessively cautious.
Finally, he nodded.
"We are entering the Immaterium," he announced as he activated the Warp engine.
The journey through the Sea of Souls began.
(Image)
"You, take your men and make sure no one tries to look outside," Barabas ordered as he took position to supervise the crew.
Once the frigate entered the Warp, all observation windows were sealed according to protocol.
Barabas wanted to take no risks.
Looking outside during a Warp jump was strictly forbidden for mortals. Violators were executed immediately.
"The Immaterium is something I cannot afford to underestimate," Atreus told himself, inwardly approving the captain's caution.
He sincerely respected this almost excessive vigilance when it came to the Warp.
The Immaterium.
Many humans and xenos considered it merely a mirror dimension of the material world.
If that were all, the Emperor would never have considered creating the Golden Throne to avoid relying on it for his plan of galactic domination.
This place was far more than a simple means of bypassing the laws of the material world and exceeding the speed of light.
It was dangerous.
Above all, the Warp corrupted everything.
This truth was absolute for the former Terran.
It was only a matter of time before the Immaterium broke a civilization incapable of overcoming its dependence on it.
This truth also applied to psykers.
(Image)
This branch of human evolution was condemned to a terrible fate in case of abuse of its powers.
Even when they were not actively using them, these men and women could still fall victim to the Immaterium.
The only exception was the Emperor.
Atreus did not know why this man was different, but he had no intention of exploring the secrets of the Immaterium any further.
In this universe, knowledge could be a poison more dangerous than a bolt round to the head.
The Warp was too unstable, too terrifying. A single glance could be enough to corrupt and twist a mortal's mind.
Atreus and his men were already facing it.
They had lived on a Daemon World under Perturabo, forced to coexist with countless supernatural phenomena.
This was also why, during the Warp jump, Atreus strictly forbade his men from investigating the strange phenomena aboard the ship.
Even if they heard whispers.
Even if they perceived screams in the walls.
Even if they saw familiar faces where they should not be.
The Gellar Field could not repel everything.
Nevertheless, it prevented the worst from entering Atreus's starship.
…
The former Iron Warriors' frigate had spent approximately two months in the Warp, at least according to the ship's internal clock.
Time had no meaning in the Warp.
There were even stories of ships from the Age of Technology that reappeared randomly in the material world.
The most famous story Atreus remembered was that of an Ork Warboss named Grisgutz, who met his younger self after a Warp journey.
(Image)
It turned out that this Ork had a favorite weapon, and his kleptomaniac instincts immediately activated at that moment.
If he killed his younger self, wouldn't he have two treasures? Wasn't that convenient?
Obviously, this mad act caused his warband to disappear.
Had he created a paradox?
Perhaps.
Nevertheless, the Warp mocked the laws of conventional physics and science.
It twisted all logic.
"Still, it's exhausting being stuck here," he thought while sitting motionless on the upper deck.
He did not like the idea of leaving Barabas alone.
It was not due to lack of trust, but Atreus was an extremely cautious man.
He had not been like this in his previous life, but the Iron Cage campaign had been an excellent tutorial for understanding this merciless universe.
"It's good, we can return to realspace," Barabas announced as he prepared the maneuver for their return to the real universe.
The old Space Marine was seated in the command chair on the upper deck, meticulously overseeing the ship's proper functioning.
He had not slept more than twenty minutes a day during these two months, while the mortal crew worked in shifts.
The transhuman made do with light sleep, leaning on his command station.
In addition to this incredible feat, he woke at the slightest noise.
Something incredible in Olivia's eyes, but Atreus knew it was the minimum for an Astartes.
Any mortal would have been destroyed by work of such intensity, but an Astartes' brain was equipped with an organ called the "Catalepsean Node," which activated at the first signs of sleep deprivation.
This organ allowed the Astartes to satisfy his needs with only short periods of light sleep, in a manner similar to sharks.
A Space Marine could put part of his brain to sleep and repeat the operation to remain optimal on a mission.
If necessary, an Astartes could even remain sleepless for months.
"It's good, we have returned to realspace," he announced, briefly relaxing his face.
Nevertheless, he continued to stare at the various data displayed on the screen.
It was clear that the old veteran was trying to understand the ship's current situation through them.
Suddenly, he frowned.
"A problem?" Atreus asked, sensing the doubt in the Space Marine's expression.
He had certainly detected an anomaly.
"My lord, according to the plasma residue I detected in the area with our sensors, we are potentially close to the location of two ships," the veteran Space Marine explained while confirming the recorded data.
"Their model and firepower — what is their status?" Atreus asked, listening attentively to the information.
"They are likely medium to small-sized vessels. Their destination could be the same as ours; a more thorough analysis requires greater proximity to obtain more information," Barabas declared while observing his lord's reaction.
Atreus thought for a short moment.
The frigate was a Sword-class vessel; although its firepower was mediocre, its speed was relatively high.
The two ships ahead were too few to constitute a naval fleet, making a direct threat unlikely.
Besides that aspect, Atreus noticed a potential common destination between the two parties.
If this group wished to trade with such a shady Rogue Trader, the situation must be desperate.
Taking all this into account, Atreus weighed the options available to him.
"You must catch up with those ships," Atreus ordered.