The procession that moved through the cavernous, echoing corridors of the Space Hulk was a study in contrasts. At its head walked Librarian Corvus, his blue ceramite armor a beacon of Imperial order against the chaotic decay. Flanking him were his two remaining battle-brothers, their bolters sweeping every shadow, their every movement a testament to a lifetime of brutal warfare. Behind them, his posture stiff with distrust, was Sergeant Cassian. They were giants of purpose, faith made manifest in steel and fury.
And walking calmly in their midst, his fine clothes utterly untouched by the grime and filth, was Rimuru Tempest. His footsteps were silent, his golden eyes taking in the cyclopean scale of the derelict with an air of profound curiosity, not fear.
They reached a junction where three corridors, each large enough to drive a tank through, diverged into oppressive darkness. Corvus raised a gauntlet, halting the squad.
"Brother Valerius, deploy the Auspex," he commanded. "Scan all vectors. I want to know what filth awaits us."
The designated battle-brother unslung the handheld scanner and began the ritual of calibration, its screen flickering to life with green, grainy data. Sergeant Cassian watched the device, his hand resting on the hilt of his combat knife. This was their way: the slow, methodical, and bloody clearance of hostile territory.
"There's no need for that," a calm voice interjected.
All three marines turned to look at Rimuru. He was pointing a slender finger down the left-most corridor.
"That way is a dead end," he stated plainly. "The passage collapsed about a kilometer in. There's also a large nest of those creatures hibernating in the wreckage. The middle path seems to be the main thoroughfare, but it's heavily patrolled. The one on the right, however," he shifted his finger, "is an old service conduit. It's much smaller, but it's completely clear for at least five kilometers and bypasses the main hives. It's our most direct route."
Sergeant Cassian took a threatening step forward, his distrust boiling over. "And how would you know that, xenos? Do you commune with the spirits of this cursed place?"
Rimuru met his hostile glare with an unflappable smile. "You could say that. My senses are just very good. It's like I can see a map of this whole place in my head."
<
"A map in your head?" Cassian scoffed. "Witchcraft."
"Sergeant," Corvus's voice was a low warning. He looked at Rimuru, then at the Auspex in Valerius's hands. "Confirm the xenos's claim. Scan the right corridor."
Brother Valerius directed the scanner. The screen whirred, resolving its data. "Librarian… the device reads clear for its maximum effective range. No life signs. No structural blockage." He then aimed it down the left passage. The scanner chirped erratically. "Heavy metallic interference… readings inconclusive. But… I am detecting faint bio-signatures. A cluster."
A tense silence fell upon the squad. The xenos was right. Corvus looked at Rimuru, a new level of awe and dread dawning in his mind. Their most advanced technology was a child's toy compared to this being's innate perception.
"We proceed down the right corridor," Corvus ordered, his voice betraying none of his internal turmoil. "The xenos will take the lead with me."
As they began their journey down the cramped, dusty conduit, the air grew thick with a palpable sense of age. This section of the Hulk was ancient, part of a vessel that must have been lost long before the current Age of Imperium. The metallic walls were covered in verdigris and frost, and the air carried a psychic chill.
Rimuru, ever the curious traveler, decided it was the perfect time for questions. "So, this Space Hulk… it's made of many ships?"
Corvus, walking beside him, seemed to appreciate the distraction from the unnerving silence. "It is a cosmic scavenger, a ghost ship formed from the wrecks of vessels lost in the Immaterium. It drifts through that hell-realm for millennia, fusing with other ships, asteroids, and forgotten stations, growing like a cancer. When it returns to realspace, it brings only death."
"The Immaterium… Is that the chaotic energy I'm sensing?" Rimuru asked, his expression turning more serious. "It feels… wrong. Unhealthy."
Corvus's head snapped toward him. "You can feel it so clearly?" He paused, his tone becoming a grim lecture. "That is the Warp. The realm of souls, the sea of chaos. It is the home of the Archenemy, the Great Betrayer, and the daemonic legions that hunger for the souls of all mankind. It is a poison to be endured, a hell to be fought. Never trust it. Never listen to its whispers."
As if on cue, a faint, insidious sound echoed in the chamber, a sound that only Corvus, with his psychic attunement, could truly hear. Faint whispers slithered at the edge of his hearing, promises of power, knowledge, and forbidden truths. He gritted his teeth, his mental shields flaring as he recited a silent litany of protection.
Rimuru tilted his head. "I don't hear anything. But I do feel it. It's like… a billion voices screaming in a hurricane, but they're all very far away." He focused for a moment. "And there are four… particularly loud ones."
Librarian Corvus stopped dead in his tracks, his massive armored form rigid. He stared at Rimuru, the red lenses of his helmet glowing with a terrifying intensity. No one, not even the most powerful psykers, spoke of the Ruinous Powers with such casual, analytical clarity. To name them was to invoke them. To acknowledge their number was a heresy of the highest order.
Before Corvus could demand an explanation, Rimuru himself froze. His normally placid expression was replaced by one of deep concentration, a frown creasing his features.
"Hold on," he said, his voice losing its kindness and taking on a sharp, cautionary edge. "Stop moving."
The Ultramarines immediately halted, their combat instincts taking over. They formed a tight defensive circle, bolters raised, scanning the oppressive darkness ahead.
"What is it, xenos?" Cassian hissed. "More of the beasts?"
"No," Rimuru replied, his golden eyes staring intently at a large, sealed bulkhead fifty meters down the corridor. "It's not them."
<
"It's something else," Rimuru said aloud, his voice low. "Something ancient. Something that was sleeping." He turned to Corvus, his expression utterly serious. "And whatever is behind that door… is waking up."