Senior Acolyte Arraham’s eyes flicked across the glowing screen of his datapad. Task Group Solstice—gone six weeks, vanished into the warp storm sprawling across the Barathas Nebula. The fleet had carried not just soldiers, but tithes destined for the Throne: raw materials, promethium, and sacred relics. A lifeblood offering to the Imperium, now presumed lost.

Arraham’s orders were absolute. He was to uncover the fleet’s fate, secure the tithes if possible, and annihilate any corruption that might cling to their disappearance. His path led to beacon station Solyxiaxn 23-4 C, an ancient listening post clinging to the void’s edge. There, he would gather the fragments needed to navigate the storm.

“By His light, I will recover what was lost—or I will die in the attempt,” Arraham murmured, rising to summon his vessel. This mission was more than duty; it was his final test. His ascension—or his doom.

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Birger Hanning