"Navarre, break off at once or we will be forced to fire upon you," the communication servitor grated, relaying the transmission from the approaching destroyer, complete with an attempt to render a static crackle with a human voice box. Camilla stood with her arms spread to manipulate the holographic inlays of the actuality sphere. The Hound of Perdition was boosting hard to close the distance, coming in from above and to starboard.


"They are powering up their lances," Jocasta reported, running back and forth between consoles to furiously tap out commands. 


"Light the void shields and inform Jagermeister Caldwell to prepare his wing to launch," Camilla responded, twisting slowly to roll the Navarre onto her side so she could present her port weapon batteries towards the onrushing destroyer. The ventral and dorsal lances would also bear which reserved the starboard batteries for the corvette. Despite the numerical advantage the Navarre was an older, larger, and more powerful vessel which went someway to evening the odds. Unfortunately the lack of bridge crew meant that her fighting efficiency was severely compromised.


"Terra to Camilla, you could try to talk to them!" Jocasta called.


"I can't talk to them unless I'm..."


"Ware and tek heed! Ye have the absolute pleazsher of addressin' Camilla Seraphina Lucretzia Fiamenta Belladona de Trantio Dechess of Cabreze, Hierophant of Colton's World, Cap'n General of Spinward League, Hereditry Colonel of the Coldface Dragoons, Laird of Breka, Cemmedure of the Illiadyen Argosy, by the Grece ef the Immertel Emperer, Cap'n and Rogue Trader! Ye'll shew proper respect." Alcander boomed the words out in an appropriately impressive tone. There was a noticable pause as the incoming ships digested that.


"You have impeded the passage of my vessel unlawfully. Break off now or you will be fired upon, I warn you that I am not in the best of humors right now," Camilla instructed. Her hands flew across the actuality sphere, furiously tapping out the orders of several bridge officers. Jocasta continued to sprint about, her robes flapping in a most undignified manner.


"Rogue Trader, Thyrum is a penal world under the jurisdiction of the Adeptus Arbities, I must insist that you..." The vox went to hash as Camilla touched her firing control. The entire Navarre from prow to engines lit up as her lances and macro cannons opened fire. The ship thrummed with the discharge and continued to rumble with the roll of fresh shells up the ammunition lifts. Pin pricks of light flared as both Imperial ships were struck almost simultaneously. In both cases their void shields collapsed as they overloaded and shorted.


"Fer Terra's sak mist we fire on our o'n people?" Alcander demanded.


"Sensors report, shields down but no serious damage," Jocasta reported breathlessly.


"Gentlemen, I consider honor to be satisfied, alter course and I shall not feel the need to destroy you. Any trouble I have with the Arbities is mine by right of my warrant of trade. Be advised that I can and will destroy you and that I do not bluff," Camilla declared.


"You bluff all the time," Jocasta declared from the side lines, but it wasn't picked up by the vox. A minute passed, then another. Camilla arched an eyebrow at Jocasta who was watching the sensor outputs.


"They are breaking off," Jocasta reported triumphantly. Amber runes on the control boards began to blink back green as active weapon locks faded.


"Captain Trantio, we are complying, but must protest this heavy handed behaviour, we will be..."


"Navarre out," Camilla said, closing the link and stepping back from the actuality sphere. She watched the sensor screen for a few seconds, making sure that the ships were indeed breaking off. She wondered if it might be possible to subvert some of their officers with the correct plugs. That would be so much easier than what she intended but there was no way either of the Imperial vessels would come anywhere near her after the punishment she had just unleashed upon them, and no captain on a backwater like this was willingly going to give up trained crewmen. Camilla resumed her seat in the control throne, rotating it so she looked down at Alcander.

“I suppose there is something to be said for a dramatic entrance, if not a timely one,” she observed archly. Alcander opened his mouth to respond but Camilla was already rotating her chair back to face the viewport.


“The good news is we are going to see some friends of yours…”


Thyrum was an icy hell. Massive ice caps reached from both poles to grip at vast forested taiga regions. Ice sheets covered the oceans most of the way to the equator and there was only a narrow band of open water. There were few settlements, only a handful of mines strung around the equatorial belt. According to the Navarre’s records, dreamstones were produced here under Imperial license. The labor was provided by prisoners from all over the sector. The guards didn’t put enormous effort into controlling their charges. They had a monopoly on heat, food, and the weapons needed to survive against the fearsome predators which inhabited the icy wastes. That didn’t stop prisoners from running and there were numerous semi-barbaric societies living in the wilds. Sometimes starvation drove them back to the mines, sometimes as raiders, sometimes as supplicants. Mostly they just died of weather, disease or wildlife.


Camilla dressed in a white and gold thermal body glove. A cuirass of gold etched silver ceramsteel was fitted over it, glittering with inlaid scrollwork. A pristine white fur cloak was slung over her shoulder, balancing her weapons belt.

“Are we ready?” Camilla asked as her team assembled on the shuttle deck.