Just as Rei and her group linked up with the Omaticaya escort detail to continue their advance toward the new sanctuary, a section of the void in the high orbit of planet Pandora warped slightly, like ripples breaking across a watery reflection.
A colossal spacecraft maintained its optical cloaking, concealing its menacing silhouette.
This Predator vessel was vastly larger than Celtic's small reconnaissance craft, stretching over three hundred meters in length. Shaped like a deep-sea leviathan coiled and ready to strike, its hull was heavily scarred from past battles and reinforced with armor plating. Innumerable thick energy conduits pulsed like blood vessels, faintly visible across the ship's exterior. It hovered there silently, radiating a cold, lethal aura that stood in stark contrast to the vibrant, emerald sphere of Pandora below.
Inside the primary hall of the ship, the atmosphere was solemn.
A battle-hardened Predator Elder—his face covered in deep scars and his helmet adorned with precious gemstones and the skulls of exotic beasts—stood commanding the center stage before a holographic star chart. On the map, planet Pandora was highlighted in a brilliant glow, with several red nodes blinking across its surface. One of these nodes marked the exact sector where Celtic's final signal had originated.
Behind the Elder stood over a dozen Predators.
Five among them were fully blooded, mature warriors whose armor was exceptionally refined and whose weaponry felt substantially heavier; the murderous aura radiating from their bodies was practically palpable. The remaining seven or eight individuals were relatively young—they were the Unblooded young bloods accompanying this voyage, their armor somewhat austere, but their eyes filled with a desperate yearning for combat and the chance to prove themselves.
"Celtic, a budding sprout of the Blood-Blade Clan, has fallen in this place," the Elder's voice was low and raspy, carrying a texture like grinding metal as it echoed through the hall via the translation system. "The telemetry indicates he did not perish within the honorable jaws of a great beast, but fell to a despicable ambush. This is a stain upon the honor of our clan!"
His sharp gaze swept across the young bloods: "A disgrace must be washed away in blood. The Vengeance Hunt commences immediately. This, too, shall be your trial ground."
Suppressing their internal agitation, the young bloods clenched their fists, their knuckles emitting faint, popping cracks.
A veteran warrior stepped forward, his shoulder guard etched completely with hunting records: "Elder, according to the combat telemetry and data transmitted back by Celtic before his demise, multiple sapient lifeforms exist upon this planet. One is a blue-skinned indigenous species, and the other consists of offworlders utilizing energy weapons—both possess a baseline threat level. It is highly probable Celtic perished at the hands of the latter."
The Elder gave a marginal nod: "Lock onto the final coordinates of the signal source. Dispatch reconnaissance units to gather intelligence. We must acquire a detailed profile of the prey upon this planet—their numbers, their technology, and their... value."
He paused, his gaze anchoring onto the young bloods: "Young bloods, your primary directive: infiltrate the planet. Without compromising your concealment, evaluate the capabilities of the primary prey. Collect their biological samples, or... seize the trophies they take pride in. Prove through your actions that you are worthy of the Blood-Blade Clan's crest!"
"For honor!" the young bloods roared in unison, the fire of the hunt burning in their eyes.
"Move out," the Elder waved his hand. "Remember, hunting demands patience and wisdom. Do not permit rage to cloud your judgment. We shall remain here, watching over you."
Swiftly, several small landing craft featuring superior cloaking profiles were quietly deployed from the underbelly of the mothership. Like venomous serpents tracking prey, they glided silently into Pandora's atmosphere.
The vengeance hunters were now in position. And their objective extended far beyond simply executing the "killer" who had slain Celtic. The entire planet of Pandora, alongside every form of life upon it deemed "worthy of the kill," had become prey and a stepping stone in their eyes.
At the Hell's Gate facility, inside the core laboratory of the Pioneer mobile base, Osiris stood before an analysis console. The monitors displayed fragments of data parsed from the wreckage of the Predator spacecraft.
Suddenly, the portable terminal strapped to his wrist emitted an exceptionally faint vibration—one only he could perceive. A flashing red icon popped up on the monitor; it was a maximum-priority alert transmitted by the disguised auspex arrays deployed across the base perimeter and near-Earth orbit.
He immediately set aside his current task, clicking into the alert details.
A complex spectrum graph of energy readings materialized before his eyes, superimposed over an orbital model of planet Pandora. A blurred yet massive energy signal source had been logged. Although the adversary had activated some manner of cloaking field, the auspex arrays' high sensitivity to warp fluctuations and specific high-energy responses had still captured telltale traces of its presence.
"A displacement profile vastly exceeding Celtic's ship... a homologous energy signature... advanced cloaking technology, but not entirely untraceable," Osiris instantly formed a judgment within his mind. "The Predators' mothership has arrived."
Without a shred of hesitation, his consciousness plunged into the depths. Utilizing that trans-dimensional connection, he transmitted this critical intelligence to his original body far away on Necromunda.
[A massive target has manifested in orbit. The energy profile is homologous to the previous wreckage. The cloaking field is advanced, but it failed to entirely evade the auspex arrays' capture of specific mass distortions. Their capital ship—the avenger—has arrived.]
The feedback from his true self was cold and efficient, like a precision logical circuit activated in an instant, a massive data stream pouring directly into the second avatar's core consciousness.
[Confirmed. Threat evaluation upgraded. Current assets insufficient to guarantee absolute control over the tactical matrix and secure maximum yield. Reinforcements mandatory.]
A brief pause ensued, as if innumerable variables were being weighed and adjudicated within the primary processor core.
[Resources coordinated. The primary teleportation array of the Death World Base will cycle online in 12 standard hours. Elendire will accompany the deployment.]
[The insertion manifest is as follows: A Knight squad from the Nearl family, commanded by Margaret and Maria, supplemented by the necessary attendant mechs and maintenance crews. Additionally, a tactical squad of twelve experimental Astartes who have completed baseline adaptation and arming protocols will be deployed. They are equipped with a new pattern of power armor optimized by the STC database; they require active operational validation.]
[Command authority is transferred to you. The Knights will operate under the Nearl family's autonomous command, while the Astartes fall under your direct operational control. Elendire will serve as a special advisor. You hold theater command.]
[Factoring in potential high-intensity engagements, an enhanced exoskeleton based on the Tartaros-pattern Terminator blueprint has been prepared for you. It should interface adequately with your current physical envelope.]
[Primary objective: Protect and expand our interests within this dimension. The Predators' complete technological chain and biological samples constitute maximum-priority objectives.]
[Secondary objective: Counter any escalating armed conflict, and if necessary, demonstrate a threshold of force sufficient to sober all factions present in this theater.]
[Prepare for reception.]