As Igtenos and Aldaris lead the companions to the respective bridges of the
Revenant and the
Apocalypse, the two Thunderhawks undock and fly away just as 4 more Thunderhawks fly in and dock, ready to unload the last of the Marines from Cellaris V. The planet is now fully under the protection of it's detachment of the Imperial Guard, who will remain behind and man the defenses while the Marines launch their invasion. The two Thunderhawks that had transported the companions fly to the rear of the two huge battlecruisers, where identical bays open up to allow them to enter and land inside the ship for transport.
As Aldaris's group reaches the bridge of the
Apocalypse, Admiral Taggart turns to greet them. Forgoing the full Space Marine dress uniform, the stocky, red-haired man is dressed in normal Marine fatigues. But it doesn't appear that the techs and officers on the bridge respect him any less for it. Taggart is a venerable war hero among the Marines. Before joining the Grey Knights Chapter, he had been with the Ultramarines, and had been the captain of the battlecruiser
Arhkam during the defense of Terra (otherwise known as Earth) during the attempted Chaos invasion that had occured just before the Great Collapse. Although the Emperor was killed during the battle, it had been the
Arkham which had turned back Abbadon's capital ship, thus preventing the entire planet from being overrun. Therefore, Taggart was immensly popular with his men. He flashes a quick salute at the companions before turning to face one of the control panels again.
"Welcome aboard! We're expecting a message from Lord Aileron any moment now. Just hang tight."
Meanwhile, onboard the
Revenant, Igtenos silently leads the group to the bridge. As they arrive, the techs and officers on the bridge turn to look at them for a moment before returning to their duties. The only one who doesn't look is the tall, grey haired figure of Admiral Benden, who is in the very front of the bridge, staring out of the main viewport. Igtenos leads the companions over to him. As they approach, Benden finally acknowledges their prescence by turning and offering a slight bow to them. Unlike Taggart, Benden is in full uniform, with a number of medals pinned to his chest. Although not quite as popular as Taggart, the former Blood Angel is respected by many. Being the oldest ship commander still active within the Alliance, Benden is considered to be one of the best and most experienced Captains within this plane. When Cameron asked him to join the newely formed Grey Knights Chapter, Benden agreed, with one condition. He would only leave the Blood Angels Chapter if he was allowed to take his ship, the
Revenant with him. Having been commander of the vessel for almost 53 years, benden had seen it through countless battles, dry docks, retrofits, and upgrades, and the ship was still considered to be among the fastest and most powerful the Imperium had to offer. Having 4 other ships, the Blood Angel's Chapter Master Dante agreed, and now, months later, Benden stands ready to lead his ship into what may be his last battle, the Battle of the Eye of Terror. A battle which most Marines have dreamed about, and few ever thought would happen. Benden smiles as he looks over the companions.
"Good to meet you all. Our hopes are riding on you and the others. We won't be able to win this battle without you."
Benden looks to his left for a moment, and then looks back at the companions.
"I believe we are waiting on a message from Commander Aileron."
As the last 4 Thunderhawks dock and begin unloading passengers on the
Revenant and the
Apocalypse, a much smaller ship pops out of Cellaris V's atmosphere and quickly flies toward the
Starblade. It slows, positioning itsef just underneath the small cruiser, and a hatch opens up, drawing the small fighter into a bottom hold of the ship. As this occurs, Kalana leads the companions onboard the
Starblade to the cruiser's command deck, which is much smaller then the bridges of the battlecruisers. The deck does not seem to have any controls of any kind. Just one chair in the front of the deck, closest to the viewport, and a series of 8 chairs in the rear of the room. Garr and Kari are already present, and stand to one side of the room. Kalana turns and faces the companions as they file in behind her.
"You guys can sit if you want. We're just waiting for-"
Kalana is cut off as Cameron suddenly enters behind the companions. He excuses himself as he makes his way through them and to Kalana. The two embrace briefly, and then Cameron moves to the main chair. Before he sits down, he turns to face the companions.
"We're moving out. Looks like warp travel will only get us 3 quarters of the way there, but we'll manage. Make yourselves comfortable. There's a small kitchen in the back of the ship, and a few bunks if anyone's tired."
Cameron sits down in the main chair. He preses a small button, and suddenly an entire set of transparent controls and screens appear in front of him and around him. The controls appear to be insubstansial, but Cameron operates them with ease. One of the screens suddenly lights up and splits in half. The left half shows the bridge of the
Revenant, and the right half shows the bridge of the
Apocalypse.
On the two bridges, identical screens showing Cameron on board the
Starblade appear. All the crew members on board each ship stop and look as Cameron begins speaking.
"We're leaving for Cadia. Everyone should be on board. I've sent the jump coordinates to the ship computers. We won't be able to jump directly to Cadia due to the fluctuations in the Warp around that area, but the coordinates I gave you should get us as close as we can. Don't try to go any further then that within the Warp. We don't want to lose anyone. Now... MOVE OUT!"
With that, Cameron's image dissapears from the screens on the two battlecruisers, and the crews fall into position to get the ship underway.
On the Starblade, Cameron begins manipulating the controls, and the
Starblade begins to move.
All three ships begin moving simultaneously. As they move forward, picking up speed, three warp gates suddenly tear open in front of them. Warp shields flare up around the ships, and they dissapear into their respective warp gates, bound for Cadia.
Die Sonne scheint mir aus den Händenkann verbrennen, kann dich blendenwenn sie aus den Fäusten brichtlegt sich heiß auf dein Gesichtlegt sich schmerzend auf die Brustdas Gleichgewicht wird zum Verlustlässt dich hart zu Boden gehenund die Welt zählt laut bis zehn
cLuTcHFieND
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