899.M41 – Amerikon Sector The bridge of the *Talons of Terra* was alive with quiet purpose.
Servitors carried data-slates between command stations while hololithic projectors displayed the ever-expanding map of the Amerikon Sector.
Every abandoned station, every missing colony, and every drifting Imperial vessel was marked in crimson.
Chapter Master Asterion Corven stood before the display master of the Fleet Decimus adjusted several glowing runes.
“Chapter Master a pattern has emerged.” Corven turned his attention to the map.
Thin silver lines connected every known incident lstening Station Epsilon-Seven Vandis IV the derelict courier ship the escape pod each point formed part of a curved path stretching through the sector.
Captain Lucien Voss narrowed his eyes.
“It isn’t random.” “No it is not” Decimus highlighted the end of the trail.
“It follows the recorded route of the Merciless Death before its disappearance.” Silence settled over the command chamber Corven spoke only one sentence.
“Set course.” The Hidden Talons fleet accelerated into the void.
The mighty Battle Barge *Talons of Terra* led the formation, followed by the Strike Cruisers *Shadow’s Wing* and *Silent Judgment*.
Thirteen frigates spread into a wide reconnaissance screen, each searching millions of cubic kilometers of space their orders were simple fnd the Merciless Death and destroy whatever lurked in its shadow.
Two days later, Frigate **Night’s Vigil** entered a vast asteroid field.
Lieutenant Arcturus of the Imperial Navy studied his augur screen.
“Captain we’re receiving a transponder.” The captain looked up.
“Imperial?” “Yes, sir.” “Identification?” The vox officer hesitated.
“It…it says…” He swallowed.
“Merciless Death.” Every officer froze the signal was weak and intermittent as though it came from behind thousands of tons of drifting rock.
Captain Arlen immediately transmitted.
“Night’s Vigil to Talons of Terra we’ve found her signal.” Chapter Master Corven acted immediately.
“Captain Voss.” “My lord.” “Take Terminator Squad Gideon and investigate.” “Yes, my lord.” Within minutes, a Thunderhawk carrying ten Terminators, twenty Tactical Marines, and an Apothecary launched toward the asteroid field.
Their Vantablack armour disappeared into the darkness long before the gunship reached its destination.
The source of the signal soon came into view.
It was not the **Merciless Death**.
It was an ancient Imperial escort destroyer the hull had been split nearly in half the sengines had long since gone cold.
The transponder repeatedly identified itself as the **Merciless Death**, despite the ship clearly being another vessel entirely.
Brother Cassian examined the damaged vox array.
” So it’s been modified.” Captain Voss looked up “Recently?” Cassian nodded “No more than a few months someone wanted anyone searching for the Merciless Death to find this vessel instead.” Inside the shattered bridge, Brother Matthias recovered the captain’s personal cogitator.
Master of the Forge Hadrian remotely decrypted the damaged files one recording remained intact.
The image showed the destroyer’s commanding officer his uniform was burned his face streaked with blood and behind him, alarms screamed.
“This is Captain Elias Vorn we’ve intercepted the Merciless Death and she’s drifting there has been no response to hails ” The captain looked toward someone off-camera then his expression changed to one of pure terror and fear “Emperor preserve us…” he said as Bolter fire erupted somewhere beyond the recording A voice shouted, “They’re aboard!” The captain drew his sidearm the pict-feed shook violently heavy footsteps echoed closer power armour not Imperial then nothing the recording ended.
Brother Oren discovered the first body the dead captain still sat inside an escape corridor his skeletal hands clutched a rusted bolt pistol nearby…
Fragments of black ceramite littered the deck Captain Voss knelt he picked up one piece it bore no Chapter insignia no legion markings nothing only ancient battle scars.
Brother Cassian examined it.
“This is Astartes armour.” “Loyalist?” “I don’t know.” “The identifying marks have been deliberately removed.” As the boarding party prepared to leave, Brother Matthias called out.
“Captain.” The Marines gathered in the vessel’s chapel.
Someone had carved words directly into the stone altar Not with a blade with an armoured gauntlet the letters were deep enough to split the rock.
“The Hunt Begins” Captain Voss stared at the message for several seconds then he keyed his vox.”Chapter Master we are being watched.” Far away, hidden among the asteroid field, another ship observed everything.
Its bridge remained dark.
Ancient warriors stood silently before tactical displays.
One of them chuckled.
“They found the bait.” Another nodded.
“They continue exactly as predicted.” A third figure stepped from the shadows.
Unlike the others, his armour still carried one symbol a faded hydra.The Alpha Legionnaire placed a gauntleted finger upon the hololithic image of the Hidden Talons’ fleet.
“The sons of Corax believe they are hunters.” He smiled beneath his helmet.
“Soon they will learn they are prey.” Back aboard the *Talons of Terra*, Chapter Master Corven listened to Captain Voss’s report in complete silence the recovered armour fragment rested upon the strategium table Chief Librarian Kaelen examined it.
“I sense no Warp corruption.” Chaplain Malthus frowned.
“Yet it belonged to a traitor.” Corven finally spoke.
“The Alpha Legion.” Captain Voss looked up.
“You believe they are responsible?” Corven nodded once.
“They erase their heraldry and they misdirect and manipulate it is their way.” Master of the Fleet Decimus activated the sector map once more.
“The false transponder delayed us.” Corven looked at the glowing stars.
“It also confirmed something.” Every officer waited.
“They know exactly where the Merciless Death is.” He placed a gauntleted hand upon the tactical display “And if they are willing to reveal themselves…” His crimson eye lenses glowed in the darkness.
“…then we are closer than they intended.” Across the vast emptiness of the Amerikon Sector, the *Merciless Death* continued to drift through the void.
Silent forgotten waiting and somewhere deep within its ancient hull, a massive blast door slowly began to open for the first time in fifty-one years.