"Alright."
Marlena nodded and reopened the star map, double-checking the location of Star System A-068.
Nareth had a key reason for choosing this destination, as it appeared on both the Vostroya's Altar-18 star chart and the Fra'al maps.
While this system held little interest for the Cult Mechanicum, the Fra'al frequently raided it.
One of its planets was known as the Crystal Mirage, named for the vast quantities of crystalline deposits found there.
Switching to another comms channel, Nareth sent a message to Bukayo, instructing him to guard Chamber A-001.
"I'm ready."
"Begin. If you encounter danger, I will sense it immediately."
Nareth didn't establish a direct psychic link with Marlena; no one enjoys their mind being watched, but he was confident he'd sense any threat to her through their spiritual resonance.
Marlena sat cross-legged and entered meditation.
She lacked the third eye of a Navigator, so her method was closer to divination.
Her consciousness extended toward the "tides" she sensed, slipping into the Great Ocean, a formless blend of colorless hues, nameless emotions, and undefined dimensions.
The psychic turbulence created by Nareth's powerful mind, the emotions of warriors, and the primal impulses of the crew propelled her forward.
Bathed in aetheric energy, Marlena felt renewed, but she resisted the temptation to bask in it. Her focus was on locating their destination.
During her normal divinations, she would try to glimpse fragments of fate within the tides, brief, flickering flashes of the future.
But this time, she needed to find an island within the Warp, a real-world planetary destination.
While that seemed like an easier target, it wasn't. The Warp ignored physical laws. A single planet might make less of a psychic ripple than one deeply emotional person.
Moreover, she had to translate the symbols and layout of the star chart into equivalents that aligned with her warp icon, or internal vision of the Warp.
She controlled her emotions tightly, both to avoid drawing predators from the Warp and to prevent destabilizing her surroundings. Patiently, she searched.
Patiently, she immersed herself in the vast ocean. Time lost meaning until, at last, she sensed something familiar, a shimmering ripple of blue, oscillating endlessly.
It was the Symphony of the Sea, the aetheric projection of a place she had felt countless times in the Sea of Souls. The Mother Sea shimmered within it.
With that as her anchor, Marlena locked onto Vostroya, which appeared to her as a metallic sphere. Like a spider weaving its web, one by one, the other stars aligned around it.
Suddenly, she spoke aloud into the comms channel:
"Engage the warp drives!"
The four ships activated their warp engines. Reality began to distort, and the boundary between realspace and the Warp grew thin.
In the Great Ocean, waves rippled outward from their transition. Marlena waited for the storm to settle before giving the next command.
"Turn to heading 3-8-8, inclination three, proceed."
Aetheric tides roared around the fleet, slamming into their void shields.
The Chief Helmsman took the controls personally, carefully adjusting the trajectory according to Marlena's instructions.
The three escort ships followed in tight formation behind the Pride of Vostroya.
As subjective ship-time passed day by day, Marlena would stop in calmer currents to eat and rest.
After twenty-five days, she finally locked onto A-068's anchor point in realspace, allowing her to safely guide the fleet back.
Nareth sensed the shift in environment and knew at once:
'We've made it.'
"Malena, you've done well. Return to your quarters and rest. Chamber S-001 is yours."
"Understood."
Though her expression remained composed, Malena felt the exhaustion weighing heavily on her. She needed deep meditation to recover.
Nareth, having rested intermittently, was still energetic. He had grown restless from being confined to Chamber A-001, but ensuring Malena's safety was paramount.
Now, finally "free," he stepped out of the chamber, his steps lighter, and issued an order to Wojciech:
"Activate the Auger Array at full power. Scan the entire system."
"At once, my King."
Returning to the bridge, Nareth sat on the command throne while Wojciech stood by the tactical table, manipulating a datapad.
"My King, the A-068 system contains six planets, only one of which shows signs of life."
He highlighted a planet on the holomap.
"It has a diameter of 15,384.02 kilometers, making it the system's second-largest planet."
"A destroyer-class vessel is currently in orbit."
Nareth reviewed the scan and immediately identified the world, the one the Fra'al called Crystal Mirage.
"Transmit a message in multiple languages, ordering that ship to stand down."
"Assume combat formation. Ready weapons, target the enemy vessel with the Aether cannon."
Wojciech relayed the commands immediately.
The Master of Vox transmitted the message in Techna-Lingua, Vostroyan, and other tongues.
"My King, they are not responding, but their ship's energy readings are spiking rapidly."
Hearing this, Nareth abandoned any thought of taking prisoners for interrogation.
"Starboard Aether Cannon, fire."
"Light Lance, standby."
Wojciech ordered the weapons officers into action via the comms.
On the gun deck, crews operated the control panels to activate the Aether Cannon's core.
The deck rumbled. A deep hum resonated as arcane runes and lights flared across the weapon.
Then, at the Chief Gunner's command, Nareth, Marlena, Bukayo, and other sensitive souls heard a roar that defied reality.
A radiant pulse lanced through the void, shattering the destroyer's void shields and tearing straight through the hull.
The shield overloaded instantly.
The ship's armor vaporized under the blazing beam.
Nareth watched the detonation on the holoscreen, the blinding white flash, and savored the overwhelming superiority of advanced firepower.
'Using an Aether Cannon on a destroyer… complete annihilation.'
After a moment's thought, he gave the next order:
"Wojciech, engage the Auger Array at maximum power. Scan the planet."
"Bukayo, your regiment will land with me."
The Pride of Vostroya entered orbit around the Crystal Mirage.
Nareth boarded a shuttle, heading toward the life-sign clusters identified by the Auger Array.
Standing at the shuttle's window, he scanned the surface below.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted.
He saw hundreds of humans pursuing sixteen ape-like creatures with orange fur.
'Space Apes?! Their light carvings are key materials for producing 'Briber' potion!'
He issued an order:
"Follow them!"
Moments later, Nareth leapt from the open hatch.
Wind roared past his ears as the ground drew near.
Below, the pursuers looked up, and a shadow fell over them, followed by a thunderous roar.