In a universe where silence is both a rarity and a dread, the Battle Group Khedes, led by the stalwart Admiral Casper Maron, ventured into the eerie Zone of Silence, a region that sprawled to the south of Bab and Nocturn on the galactic map. This was a region that either wiped civilizations off the map or swallowed them whole in its mysterious depths. The Imperial strategists had considered the worst-case scenarios. Still, the truth was that if their assumptions were incorrect, it would mean another threat was lurking, a threat that needed to be swiftly countered.
Maron, entrusted by Gillman himself to shed light on the shadows veiling this region, was resolute. Despite cautionary advice from trusted advisors and superstitious warnings from the fleet’s captains, he ordered the navigators to chart a course along the most stable empirical currents, passing through the shimmering veil of the warp fog. What lay beyond was a mystery, a realm of absolute stillness, a surreal calm amidst the usually chaotic warp.
However, this calm was deceptive, and the psychers of the battle group reported sensing the imperion’s boiling tides, confined behind the walls of a fractal crystalline dome. There was also talk of a dreadful and intangible melum, a silken shroud of impending doom that weighed heavily on their minds. Yet, Maron ordered an advance on the Zone of Silence, deploying operational groups towards the Paradise Zos Shentai and Vertigos systems.
As the commanders advanced, they reported a deep sense of anxiety gripping their soldiers. Navigators, astropaths, and sanctioned psychers struggled to grasp at forces that previously came as naturally as thought. The Magi of the Mechanicus sent warnings about the increasing energy required to operate warp drives. It was as if the fleet’s vessels were Martian Dune Yachts, their silken glass sails barely feeling the faintest whisper of wind.
The corridors of the ships ‘Unyielding Hatred’, ‘Imp’s Fury’, and ‘Merciful Emperor’ echoed with panic as their G Fields began to rupture. Yet, strangely, no demon descended upon the unprotected crews, a miracle that left some relieved, and others suspiciously troubled.
Battle Group Khedes pressed forward through each warp jump, fearing dreadful malfunctions. They scanned the void for any sign of Imperial presence. Though the systems they were headed to should have been densely populated, all they found was silence, a non-existence of void traffic, and strange energy signatures pulsating from several Imperial worlds.
The situation turned from peculiar to dreadful when ground forces landed on the first of the silent worlds. The malaise that gripped the warriors of the battle group intensified, particularly affecting the Guardsmen from the Astro Militarum regiments. Feelings of unease and anxiety soon turned into lethargy, exhaustion, and despair. The psychers suffered even more, with many going insane or committing suicide.
In response, Maron ordered vigilant bodyguards to protect the remaining psychers from both themselves and any external threat. Only the Adeptus Ares, the Scions of nightly houses, and the followers of the Omnia remained unaffected by the phenomenon. The Zone of Silence was living up to its terrifying reputation, and the Battle Group Khedes was just beginning to realize the depth of the horror it held.
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