V2 Chapter 112: The Sons of the Fire Drake Arrive
In the two days following the materiel dispute, Duvette received no reprimand and no formal censure.
The Departmento Munitorum sent no one to discuss procedural concerns. Instead, the ammunition, fuel, replacement components, and medical supplies that had previously been delayed were reallocated, in quantities that came out to roughly double the original approved figures.
Duvette looked at the new inventory list and allowed himself a cold smile.
Some people only respond to direct pressure.
On the third day, the Warmaster's notification finally reached his command tent. The Sons of the Fire Drake had arrived in the Balhaut system. Slaydo required Duvette to come to the expedition flagship immediately, with Entropy's Song.
Duvette did not delay. He confirmed that Entropy's Song was properly secured at his hip, then boarded a shuttle for orbit with a small escort.
When he reached the flagship, he found that Slaydo had treated this reception with considerable formality.
The corridors between the bridge and the main hangar had been cleared in advance. The Warmaster's personal guard and naval officers were already at their designated positions. Chief of Staff Macaroth was present as well, his expression neutral, the tension between him and Slaydo apparently still settling.
Even so, the scale of the arrangement already exceeded anything used for a standard Astartes liaison ceremony.
When Duvette received the Salamanders' personnel manifest from an aide, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed his face.
The Salamanders had not sent a small delegation. They had sent two full companies.
Third Company, the Burning Embers. Fourth Company, the Branded Warriors.
Looking at the names of the two company commanders, Duvette found that he recognised both of them, and knew their histories well. Both would become figures of considerable weight in the Salamanders Chapter.
The Third Company commander was Tu'Shan. The Fourth was Harath Shen. Tu'Shan would eventually become Chapter Master of the Salamanders. Harath Shen would later take up the name of Vulkan and become the Forgefather, the seeker of the Artefacts.
To escort a single relic home, the Salamanders had brought a battle barge and a strike cruiser.
Duvette looked at the manifest for a moment in silence.
Given the demands on the Salamanders Chapter, deploying this kind of force for a single relic confirmed that they had assessed Entropy's Song's appearance as an event of the same order as the confirmed recovery of a Vulkan relic.
During the extended wait, the Salamanders' two large warships moved slowly into their berths.
Through the expedition flagship's observation ports, the battle barge sat in the void like a moving fortress. The strike cruiser beside it was smaller but still carried the heavy ceramite plating and assault-configured structure characteristic of Astartes warships.
Two Thunderhawks separated from the Salamanders warships shortly afterward and moved on engine wash toward the expedition flagship.
Both Thunderhawks entered the main hangar in sequence.
The warning lights inside the hangar pulsed as the landing locks engaged. With the hiss of hydraulic release, the hatches opened, and several dozen tall figures stepped out.
The two company commanders led their delegation forward: honour guards, technical sergeants, a Chaplain, and veteran representatives.
Dozens of Astartes in dark green power armour walked into the hangar simultaneously, and every mortal officer in the area straightened by instinct.
Slaydo and his entourage went to meet them.
Duvette stood half a step behind Slaydo and studied the Salamanders carefully. The dark green armour carried black flame insignia. The shoulder guards and knee plates bore the drake's head and forge markings distinctive to the Chapter.
He noticed quickly that the two figures at the front were also studying him.
Or more precisely, they were studying Entropy's Song at his hip.
The dragon-skull sceptre hung there in silence, looking for all appearances like an inert metal rod. To the Salamanders, it was clearly not an ordinary weapon.
The two leading Salamanders stopped at almost the same moment.
Their crimson lenses came to rest on Duvette's hip. Then they removed their helmets, revealing coal-dark skin and red eyes beneath.
The one on the left had a broad, heavy face, closely cropped scalp, and a ring of obsidian in his left ear with a small drake's tooth hanging from it. His face carried several old burn scars. His expression was calm and severe, and standing there he looked like a warrior who was destined to lead a Chapter.
Duvette knew him. That was Tu'Shan.
The one on the right, Harath Shen, had a slightly narrower face than Tu'Shan's, with fine brand marks across his forehead and cheeks. A metal pin was set in his right ear. He kept a trimmed, close beard. His red eyes rarely settled on the people around him; most of the time they were on Entropy's Song, as though he were observing an ancient Machine-Spirit that had not yet fully awakened.
Tu'Shan spoke first.
"Salamanders Chapter. Third Company, the Burning Embers. Company Commander Tu'Shan."
Harath Shen followed. "Salamanders Chapter. Fourth Company, the Branded Warriors. Company Commander Harath Shen."
Marshal Slaydo gave them a nod.
"Welcome to the flagship of the Sabbat Worlds Expedition, sons of Vulkan."
Tu'Shan and Harath Shen rendered their salute to the Warmaster and expressed their gratitude for the reception. Once the formalities were concluded, Harath Shen moved to the matter directly.
"Marshal, we submitted our request by encrypted channel before we arrived."
His voice was deep and measured.
"The purpose of our coming is to confirm whether what you hold is one of our gene-father's lost relics: Entropy's Song."
His gaze settled on Duvette's hip again.
"If confirmed, we will take it back to the Salamanders Chapter and depart immediately toward Nocturne. This matter carries great significance for our Chapter, and we hope the expedition will understand."
Slaydo was not surprised.
"I understand."
He looked at Duvette, using his eyes to indicate that he should step forward.
Duvette moved up one pace.
He said very little. He simply unclipped Entropy's Song from his hip, raised it in both hands, and held the dragon-skull sceptre out toward Harath Shen.
The area went quiet.
Harath Shen did not take it immediately.
He first gave Duvette a nod.
"Major General Duvette, we have reviewed portions of the Balhaut battle reports."
Harath Shen said.
"Whatever the final confirmation of this object's identity may be, you protected a relic of immense importance to our Chapter. On behalf of the Fourth Company, I thank you for that."
Duvette looked at him.
"It was never a prize of war."
Harath Shen's expression shifted slightly.
Only then did he extend both hands and receive Entropy's Song with the gravity it was owed.
When the dragon-skull sceptre passed into Harath Shen's hands, no obvious change occurred. But Duvette could feel that the breathing of several Salamanders nearby had grown briefly sharp.
Harath Shen looked down at the relic in his hands and was silent for a moment.
Then he raised his head toward Slaydo.
"Marshal, this is not the right place to confirm the relic's status. We need a quiet, enclosed space with sufficient room."
Slaydo gave a nod.
"Agreed."
He turned to an aide at his side.
"Take them to Isolation Hall Three. Clear all non-essential personnel. Open the purification facilities and attend to whatever the Salamanders require."
"Yes, Marshal."
The aide acknowledged immediately.
As the group prepared to move, Tu'Shan looked at Duvette.
"Major General Duvette."
Duvette stopped.
Tu'Shan's tone remained even.
"We would like you to come with us. We need a complete account from you directly: how this relic was found, and what occurred afterward."
He paused.
"In particular, whether it displayed any unusual behaviour while in your possession."
Duvette gave a nod.
"Of course."
He glanced at the relic in Harath Shen's hands, then looked back at Tu'Shan.
"I also want to know whether it responds when it is in yours."
Tu'Shan did not comment on that. He simply replaced his helmet.
Harath Shen cradled Entropy's Song in both hands, as though carrying something with the weight of a sworn oath.
Slaydo stood where he was and watched the Salamanders delegation, Duvette, and the aide leave the hangar together.
The heavy hangar doors closed slowly behind them.
The mechanical sounds of the hangar resumed, but a good number of the officers still present were looking toward the direction the dark green figures had gone.
They all understood what had changed in this moment.
That metal rod was no longer merely a curious weapon at a Commissar's hip.
It had become a relic of Vulkan sufficient to bring a Salamanders battle barge and strike cruiser to Balhaut.