The ship held still in deep space, but the crew was rampant preparing for a hasty, impromptu warp jump. Galt, Gremlin, and Hellspawn had grabbed the Delinquent and had sealed him up in the null chamber, Galt ready as ever to jettison him should things go wrong, Gremlin looking through the observation window muttering a few remembered prayers, and Hellspawn taking notes on the host?s behavior . The oils and seals were reapplied before his imprisonment but still, anything could happen.
Above the hold. Rain and Kalidian went over the task at hand with Shastus. He seemed fully prepared to give his life for their cause, only time would tell if he were ready. Each man knowing full well the consequences of failure.
In the Navigator?s Spire, Larenxis and Adventum were going over all of the bio-mechanical link-ups and trying to refit the machine to accommodate Shastus. The servo-skull buzzed attentively overhead, lending its various arms and tools to their work. With the methodical speed of a seismograph, the Machine Cultists? arms flew over the control panels and wiring systems.
Down in the hold, Verendus was given control of the Guardsmen. A surprising show of trust from Zen, but considering the doors out were primed with nerve gas canisters, not too surprising. Wolvaroo grew uneasy, his simple mind barely understanding what was going on, but understanding a certain ?wrongness? about it.
Back on the bridge, Ophelia and Maeror sat at the controls, checking and rechecking all of their systems. If they lived through the first thirty seconds, it would be up to them to get the ship through the next hour and a half of transit, during that time, anything could go wrong. Behind them at a small observation deck, Zen stood looking into the vid-screens as they fed him data regarding the ship?s surroundings. He lit a cigar he had stowed away in a small case and brought it to his lips. If he was going to die, might as well enjoy some of it.
As Shastus took those slow, deliberate steps into the Navigator?s Spire, he had no time to think about what-ifs. His mind had been conditioned prior to the launch of the mission to pick out the faint traces of the Astronomican. He reached the top and was greeted by Adventum, who?d agreed to stay behind and watch over the process. As he was latched in, he began to feel the ebb and flow of the Warp course through him.
Ophelia?s voice rang out over the intercom,
?Jump in 5...? Gremlin looked up from the tortured figure in the room below.
?4...? Rain knelt in the chapel and silently prayed.
?3...? Larenxis shut down his servo-skull and hid it under his mattress before lying down himself.
?2...? Pie nervously looked around the room, separated from his ?buddies?.
?1?
The ship lurched and Shastus convulsed. The crew felt a slight sensation of being outside their bodies but it came back with a sickening crunch. The great hulls shuddered with the force of the change while Irish whimpered in the holds, his bonds glowing red hot. Soon the ship returned to it?s normal pace. An hour later, the ship lurched once more as Shastus lost his hold on the Warp, the ship came crashing out and the re-entry was rough.
Lightening leapt from his hands and Adventum collapsed on the floor. Shastus too slumped over in his harness, his mind gone. Within minutes, Kalidian and Ophelia were on the deck, trying to revive the two casualties. Kalidian stood up finally and looked around him. The scent of Warp-dust and brunt flesh hung in the air, a faint tingling stood out on the back of his neck, and something seemed out of place. He looked behind him and saw a small package hidden between two crates. He reached over to inspect it.
Ophelia saw him make his move and tried to rush over and push Kalidian out of the way but it was too late. The parcel went off with a bang and Kalidian was sprawled out on the ground, his robe in flames. Ophelia hefted the body of Adventum and smothered the flames with his cloak. Fortunately, the Inquisitor had not been killed in the blast but it was clear someone had tried to sabotage their jump.
Well, you made the jump, but Adventum and Shastus were taken out in the process. Now, it's clear that somebody had botched an attempt to sabotage the ship, just who could it be?
