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Lord of Change
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Canphor system was Lord Inquisitor Squaw’s biggest headache, and had been ever since the first notice of unusual activity in the sector had come across his desk. When they first arrived, the locals of Canphor II – unwashed feudal tribes, living knee deep in snow and building shrines to their Emperor-proxies out of woolly cammoth bones – called them angels. They descended from the heavens draped in silver and sang harmonies so pure they sent the unclean into fits of apoplexy. The Goraldan 91st were the closest regiment, having been stationed a few systems away, and were deployed as an immediate precaution. That had proved fruitless – no men returned and an entire armoured company was reduced to unsalvageable scrap. The Third Company of the Lions Resplendant were called in from the Curac salt moon to deal with the threat but found the planet empty – of not only hostiles but human life also. Fatline comms were lost on return to their Stormbird and the Lions were never seen or heard from again. Sensitive readings showed an enormous spike in warp activity originating from one of the outer planets in the system. Navy cruiser Sutrovex was stationed nearby and monitored Canphor IX, sending data back to the sector’s Inquisitorial Command Station regularly. That had proven to be a costly mistake. The cruiser was soon taken from Imperial control, and then the Command Station itself was host to an incursion of the Canphorite daemons. Though they had beaten back the initial offensive, the Station’s distress beacon had caused further outbreaks at each of the bases that had received the message. The system was lost, and the loss was spreading faster than the Inquisition could contain it. Squaw sighed, licked his quill, and continued to pore over the records. There must be *something* here… * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Posted: 2 Oct 2020
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