Below, the helmsman received Atreus's order. The man nodded and immediately changed the spacecraft's course.
In an unknown star system, the Void fluctuated under the effect of a recent Warp breach.
Two ships emerged into the material world; behind them, the gates of the Immaterium slowly closed under the action of the laws of reality.
The Immaterium had no place in real space, as it opposed logic.
Outside this fundamental aspect of the universe, a man was extremely stressed on the bridge of one of the two ships.
Captain Borislav Charter issued orders left and right while properly piloting a heavily loaded cargo vessel.
He had just guided his ship into the Immaterium, despite not possessing the supernatural endurance of an experienced Astartes.
However, this was not the only reason for the creases on his face.
Captain Borislav had attempted several times to get rid of a mysterious pursuer.
He did not know where it came from, but the machines clearly indicated the presence of a ship not far from his position.
If it had been only that, the middle-aged man would probably have ignored it after a while.
However, it was now clear that it was following them.
"Hm… is that a frigate? Tch," the captain clicked his tongue upon realizing his critical situation.
A frigate is a light spacecraft, unlike a cargo ship like his.
The former is intended for exploration, while the latter is reserved for trade.
He certainly could not increase the distance by ordinary means.
Worse still, the captain did not yet have enough information to determine the type of frigate.
"Captain, the other party is requesting communication," reported a member of the ship's bridge crew.
Borislav was in a confused state; he did not know the situation on the other side or the reasons for their actions. However, the data showed no signs of heretics or pirates on the stalking vessel.
"It is impossible for that ship to belong to raiders or pirates; I can recognize a Sword-class frigate at a glance," he thought, examining the new information in more detail.
The frigate used by Atreus's warband was mostly employed by Astartes within the Imperium.
It was impossible for the captain to imagine an Astartes vessel being hijacked by pirates, and the captain was operating in the Maelstrom.
The Horus Heresy had ended centuries ago.
The traitors were gathered in the Eye of Terror, as they sought to escape the influence of the Imperium of Man.
So the idea of traitors being present in the sector seemed foolish to him.
Especially since, if a frigate had indeed been hijacked in the sector, Borislav was almost certain he would have received an alert about it.
Thus, he lowered his guard.
"Connect," he ordered in a calm tone.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the holographic projector on the bridge activated.
His subordinate had acted with the speed of a professional of exceptional caliber.
On the cargo ship's bridge, the slightly distorted image of a yellow-armored Astartes appeared.
"Imperium vessel, we are the Lamenters Chapter. We are currently assigned to an extremely important mission in this sector and request your cooperation," Atreus lied without blinking, while displaying the false emblem above that of the Imperial Fists.
The man was confused by the sudden situation, but Atreus did not give him time to recover properly.
He immediately continued with more nonsense.
"I order you to immediately deactivate your Geller field and lock your weapons; we must board for inspection," he commanded in a stern tone.
He clearly left no room for negotiation.
A typical Astartes behavior toward mortals of the Imperium of Man.
Captain Borislav looked at the security chief, Homer, who shook his head in response.
There was a problem.
"Sir, your ship's data does not appear in our database, and we have no knowledge of any Space Marine Chapter operating in this area."
As a precaution, Borislav signaled the ship's security chief to lock the weapons; provoking the other side would bring nothing good.
The man had already heard stories of Astartes ruthlessly eliminating those who doubted their loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium.
"We are a ship-based squad, currently on a pursuit mission. I now order you to immediately deactivate your Geller field and allow us to board and search," Atreus insisted, blatantly ignoring Borislav's good faith.
"Sir, this is not in accordance with regulations," Borislav replied in a slightly panicked tone.
The idea of allowing unknown individuals aboard the ship was not a good decision, especially if they were Space Marines.
As a captain, he was certain he had some questionable cargo on board.
He did not want trouble.
Unfortunately, Atreus did not let the middle-aged man breathe for a second.
"Since you refuse, we will use boarding torpedoes," he said in a threatening tone.
The Space Marine clearly had no intention of negotiating, immediately ending the communication after speaking.
"If they board by force, it's potentially over," he analyzed, stepping back.
The idea of facing Space Marines in a space battle arose, but he quickly rejected it.
The cargo ship's firepower could not guarantee victory against a faster frigate.
Especially since the other party had mentioned the use of boarding torpedoes in response to his hesitation.
"No, the idea of attacking a group of Space Marines is too risky, now and later," he definitively dismissed.
If he dared to do so, he would die either way. Unlike the other side, he lacked experience in the art of space combat.
In the end, the simplest option became very tempting: letting them board the ship.
While he clenched his teeth, hesitating, the enemy torpedoes had already been launched.
The security chief asked:
"Captain, the guns can still lock onto the boarding torpedoes, what should we do?"
Borislav was sweating heavily; what should he do?
He wanted to know as well.
Any counterattack meant death, and escape was impossible in their situation.
They would become potential criminals.
"Captain, there are still two minutes," the security chief insisted.
The cargo had been inspected upon departure and was legally compliant, as was the cargo registered in the central cogitator.
But what would actually happen if there was something in one of the holds?
Was an important fugitive hiding on board?
A fugitive pursued by a squad of Space Marines?
The captain dared not imagine such a possibility after the arrival of the Space Marines.
"Captain, last chance: ten, nine, eight, seven, five, four, three, two, one."
The security chief despairingly announced the final moments for a counterattack.
In the end, it was too late.
There was no longer any chance to strike back.
With a dull impact against the hull, the boarding torpedoes pierced the ship.
Borislav wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve:
"It's fine, the ship is clean," he reassured his crew.
"Have the personnel make contact and assist with the Astartes inspection," he ordered while watching the screens.
Borislav repeated to himself mentally: "It's nothing, my documents are complete and the transport is legal."
Normally, he would have been right.
Even if there truly had been a fugitive on board, ordinary Astartes would have captured him before leaving.
At most, a few crew members would have been injured in the process.
The cargo staff only had to hold out; the Space Marines would leave once their mission was complete.
Worst case, they would simply give him a warning for his slowness.
Unfortunately, the captain was not dealing with true Astartes.
The poor man was almost wealthy enough; after this delivery, he planned to buy a noble title in a hive city.
Under the effect of stress, Borislav took a medallion from his neck and opened it.
Inside the precious object was a photo of a beautiful woman in her twenties.
"Athena… wait for me."