excerpt 2

Inquisitorial Notice of Record
Data Entry: Master Recording Log
Ordo Hereticus Drumnos
In Nominae Imperator

The Following Information is Classified Level: Rho
By the order of His Imperial Majesty’s Divine Inquisition, and the Holy Ordos of The Conclave Drumnos, this document is hereby SEALED under command.  This document may be UNSEALED only in the circumstance of need by those of His Divine Majesty’s Ordos or the Senatorum Imperialis Terra, or by the Scriveners Oblique to append further recordings to the compilation found within.  Obstruction, unauthorized duplication, psychic broadcasting, or destruction of this record is punishable by fatal electroflogging of the perpetrator.

SEALED

Regional Date Notation: SSCM +41.10
Terran Date Notation: Estimated x.031.011.M42


Inquisitorial Notation

By the records here enclosed do I, Baron Horatio Limmel, Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus and Servant of the Imperium of Man, make formal observation and notation of the conflict hereafter referred to as the War for Scordia’s Star.  This collection of records, assembled in the aftermath of that relatively short but brutal war in the Drumnos Sector, does contain the unabridged source materials of the Inquisitorial presentation of that conflict.  As is the case with so annoyingly many records assembled in the aftermath of the destruction of Cadia and the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum (or Great Rift as it is colloquially known), the precise chronology of these records is impossible to determine.  Therefore, as a means of sealing this gap in our knowledge, of providing a clear understanding of the events of the war that are not publicly know, and for my own convenience, I have appended two dates to many of the events discussed or recorded herein.

Above this notation, find enclosed a regional and Terran date approximation that presents the best available guess as to the timing of the assembly of these notes.  Some of the events disclosed deeper within the document have also had time and date codes appended, from the perspective of the one making that recording, be they flesh or machine spirit.

The events of this conflict are a matter of public record, in the main.  After all, the conflict did wind up sweeping an entire star system in the densely-populated Drumnos Sector into savage war.  Billions of lives were ruined in this war, from the loss of habs and orbitals, from the use of weapons both conventional and arcane, and from the atrocities committed by the anti-Imperial rebellion.  Of course, many lives were lost as a result of the Imperial reprisal, as well.  C’est la guerre.

Perhaps most notable about the circumstances of the beginning of the war is the total absence – initially – of any of the Imperium’s most esoteric foes.  This conflict did not begin with the screams of a Waaagh!, nor the sinister howl of Drukhari slaver technosorcery, nor the laughter of thirsting daemons.  This is notable for two reasons.  The first is that the enemy was known from day one to have witches in their employ.  Under the circumstances of the closing of the eyes of Terra, the loss of the Astronomican, the severing of the League of Blackships from their anointed tasks, and of course the deaths of so many thousands of psykers on the north side of the Rift, in the Imperium Nihilo, this is genuinely perplexing.  To the effect of the Ordo Hereticus engaging in both public reprisal action against this traitor and concurrently mobilizing a Witchfinder force.  My colleagues in the Ordo will no doubt be quite aware of the rarity of this, especially in the era of almost panicked activity pertaining to Witchcraft.  This war began nigh-wholly as a conventional war – inasmuch as we may use that phrase – against an entirely mortal foe, and a human one at that.  This was good from the standpoint of the Segmentum High Command, of course, as human foes are the ones we know best, in their ways and their means.  This was not in any way helpful for the morale of the soldiers who had to watch their fellow man die at their hands.  Many of the following comments make mention of this.

However, the decision to invade was made for us.  The rebel Overlord, a former Administratum member and Imperial Noble Peer by the name of Jules Noctolis, damn his soul, butchered and robbed and brainwashed his way into this war.  A hundred curses be on his wretched name for the sheer number of ignorant bystanders and Imperial warriors whose lives were claimed by his pointless acts of rebellion.  We, the Imperium of Man, endowed by our God-Emperor with the mandate to reunite all human stars and bring the brilliance of His light to all who suffer in the Old Night, could not abide by such deliberate, provocative, and callow acts of secession.

Of course, the point of this document is not to simply condemn the one who made its contents happen.  That is the job of the Adeptus Arbites, who performed their role in this mess admirably and loyally, and for whom I have regained a measure of respect.  No, I intend here to present to my readers, whomever they may be, the material which has allowed me to come to my understanding of this conflict and the seemingly-contradictory actions of some participants therein.  It is my hope that posterity, the will of the Emperor, and my own contributions shall together make clear the roots of my conclusions.  My own words are enclosed where necessary, but I have labored to provide as unimpeded a view of this conflict as is possible.  My final report, originally dispatched to the Lord Inquisitor Hereticus Picon after the war ended, is enclosed for posterity.

I have attached date notices on most of the passages in this document, as well as estimates of the locations of the events described within.  Where germane, I have also attached the estimated date on Terra, although that is obviously nigh-impossible to verify.  I can only hope my confederates in the Ordo Chronos are able to reconcile the contradictory aspects of the Imperial Dating System to the satisfaction of the Imperial Senate of the High Lords and Primarch the Lord Regent Commander Guilliman.

I have further subdivided the recordings here into several distinct ‘Blocks,’ with each corresponding with a specific time period of the campaign, the buildup to it, and the aftermath.  Each Block is made up of many recordings, logs, journal entries, and transcriptions, arranged in roughly chronological order.  The only alterations to these recordings that I have made are those that reveal the presence of Inquisitorial assets that had not made their presence known to their immediate listeners or observers, and to clear up references made in the text that my readers presumably do not know.

As the majority of my readers will be either unfamiliar with the locales here described, or familiar enough to find their specific mention irrelevant, I have simply removed many place names in favor of more generic and descriptive titles.  However, the commentary of the records here is entirely unaltered.


For the Emperor, for Terra and Mars, for Drumnos, and for the rightful Imperium of Man.
Baron, the Inquisitor Horatio Limmel.

Thought for the day: Evil is relative, but indifference is not.


Block 1: Prelude to War
APPENDED: RECORDING
Inquisitor’s note: This particular passage is the transcription of the audio recordings of the Sector Council, convened in Emergency Reclamation Status after the Indomitus Crusade Battlefleet Apex freed the capital of Sardineos from the Chaos warfleet besieging it.  It precedes the first shots of the war by roughly eight years.

SardineosCM + 12.102
Location: Palace of the Council, Sardineos Orbital 3

[Overlord Carl Haebling, Jr] …thus shall the record state.  Any other business?
[Scrivener Senioris Egon] Only the affair of the ongoing vox silences of the peripheral systems that the good Primarch has not been able to reach, my Overlord.
[Haebling] Naturally enough.  There are bloody well plenty of them.  Scrivener, task one of your subordinates with a listing of the estimated populace of the quiet systems.  I need it within the month, or Throne preserve me, we’ll be deficient on our tithe and mustering reports.  That’s the last thing we need.
[Egon] So I shall, sir.  I shall task one of my logistical specialists to it.
[Haebling] Good.  Now, has the Lord Primarch granted my request for an audience?
[Lord General Emmek] Sadly not, my Overlord, but his Equerry did specifically say he would ask on my behalf.
[Haebling] Hmph.  I suppose the man’s busy.
{Silence for several seconds, shuffling of papers, tapping of keys}
[Haebling] Still.  A Primarch.  A real, living Primarch.  I never thought…
[Lord Admiral Drumnos Vascher] None of us did, sir.
[Cardinal Benedon] Praise Him on Terra.  But yes, nor did I.  The very thought…
[Haebling] Makes you wonder.  The Inquisition hates Space Marines.  Do they think of Primarchs the same way?
[Inquisitor Velmont, disguised as Administrator Velmont] Probably.
[Haebling] Ah well, more’s the fool they.  The morale boost alone… chills the blood.  {Sigh} Still.  Back to work.  Admiral Vascher, please inform me when you make progress on finding out the point of construction for those Chaos raiders; I swear on the Throne I’ve seen pict-recordings of that exact model of ship before.
[Vascher] But of course, sir.
[Haebling] Anything else?  No?  Meeting adjourned.
END RECORDING

Inquisitor’s note: The following recording, as were nearly all others made by the Space Marines, was provided to me with great reluctance by the Lord Chapter Master Ranult Arden of the Blue Daggers Chapter, who agreed to provide them only on the condition that the Inquisition sign a binding oath not to release the contents to anybody outside classification level: Rho.  As this was my intent anyway, I agreed on the spot, which surprised the Lord immensely, but he was as good as his word.

SeptiimCM + 5.797
Location: Gargantuan, Septiim System

[Lord Chapter Master Ranult Arden] Yes, Brother, it is I.  Have we received dispatch?
[Lord Kell Trebein, Master of the Forges] My Lord, we have finished the reception.  The Astropathic messages are badly corrupted by the effects of the Cicatrix, but they are finished.
[Arden] Brother, how goes the news?
[Trebein] Not well, but not poorly, Lord.  The new Primaris Marines are not adapting well to the immediacy of their deployment, but their actual performance is stellar.
[Arden] I see.  How goes the integration?
[Trebein] Flawlessly, my Lord.  These blueprints are the equivalent of first-generation STC printouts in their clarity, their detail, and their depth.  The new designs provided by the Archmagos appear to have been specifically designed to integrate perfectly into our arsenal.  The new Incursor gear is already well under way.
[Arden] Good news at last.  Thank you, Kell.  Was there anything else?
[Trebein] A few notices from the Lord Sneth, sir, from Solstice’s disposal project, but nothing out of the ordinary.  However, another message was received while the Astropaths were working on the first one, sir, and it is length.  Very lengthy.  This suggests its origin is quite close to us, since more complex messages do not make it across the Rift.
[Arden] Noted.  Thank you, Brother Trebein.

Inquisitor’s Note: The following transcript was recovered from the command deck of the Administratum contact vessel and courier boat Waves.

ScordiasStarCM + 12.199
Location: Adjacent to Lakamos 14 Deep Void communications platform, outside Scordia’s Star system

[Captain Heiruna Kassan] Send the message, vox.
[Vox operator Fais Olen] Message aye.  Message sent, bounce detected.
[Captain] Now we wait.
[First Officer Elonmous Folf] Wonder why this system stayed dark.
[Vox] Perhaps their Astropaths all lost it.
[FO] You think?  Suppose it wouldn’t be unprecedented.  Ours went into a coma.  Were you there for that?
[Vox] No, sir, I wasn’t.  I was still in the… wait one. …Captain, we’re already getting a reply message on the same frequency.
[Captain] Already?  Bring it up.
[Vox] Uh, it appears to be text-only, ma’am.
[Captain] I see.  Bring it up on the main viewer, then.
[Vox] Viewer, aye.

Inquisitor’s note: the message read “Emergency status.  Food supply completely exhausted.  Final rations estimated to run out within twelve hours.  Combat signals detected from inner worlds.  Requesting emergency rations and evacuation, access to Astropathy.”

[Captain] They’re… starving, eh?  Interesting.
[FO] Seems odd timing, that they would be on their last legs now.  Right when we arrive.
[Captain] Indeed.  Still, if it is true, we must act.  Send a reply, Vox, and inform them that we can do this.  Begin maneuvering.  Ops, shields, please.
—Sensorium panel begins beeping—
[Operations officer Daven Haux] Incoming thermal signatures!  Estimated scale, one third kilometer!  Ramming course!
[Captain] Red alert!  All hands, prepare to engage!
[Vox] No activity on the station, no messages.  Should we hail?
[Ops] No time!
[Captain] Brace for impact!  Engines, full evasive!
—Explosion, log ends—

Inquisitor’s note: From this point on, we can but speculate as to the means by which the Scordian rebels acted against the messengers from the Imperium, thanks to their decision to abandon and self-destruct all stations outside the orbits of the outer gas giants.  No remains of the second contact ship were ever found.  However, the third and final contact attempt made with the system apparently resulted in at least two of the Administratum personnel aboard the final ship having hypnotic signal implants in their minds by either witchcraft or technosorcery.  The summary of pertinent findings of their psy-interogation’s log is here enclosed.

[Inquisitorial Aspect Housing 3]CM + 17.673
Location: [Inquisitorial Aspect Housing 3]

[Interrogator Prime Arnu van der Bilt] Where is the planet that needs the least attention?
[Adept Scrivener Horace Hamner] It’s in Scordia’s Star, sir.
[Arnu] Then surely that system should be tithed more heavily.
[Hamner] I would agree, sir, but that would necessitate additional attention.
[Arnu] Would it?  The tithe-ships can travel there, can they not?  Of course.  So they could logically drop off a notice of additional requirement.  Surely that wouldn’t be any sort of real attention.
[Hamner] I-I… that would make sense, sir, but the system doesn’t need the attention.
[Arnu] What is your favorite book?
[Hamner] Oh, it’s uh… Flying Over Windows, sir, by… I think his name was Grey?  I don’t recall.  Does it matter?
[Arnu] Want to meet him?
[Hamner] I beg your pardon?
[Arnu] I know where he lives.  Want to meet him?  Since you’re being so co-operative.
[Hamner] Er… well, yes, certainly.
[Arnu] He lives on Scordia 1.
[Hamner] Oh!  Oh, then I should think not.
—Silence for several seconds—
[Hamner] …Oh dear.