'I think it very likely.’ Strake confirmed. 'Although the energy wave from the blast on the forge world knocked out our systems temporarily at the time, 1 have entreated the ship's central cogitator to extrapolate the course of that energy-wave and it too could have culminated at the anomaly'

'By why? How? What do we know of Warpstorm Araken already?' The Iron-Father was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

‘Very little. More myth and rumour than anything else. The Imperial record states that a greater than usual number of ships have disappeared within that area of space, but such a thing is not uncommon in the presence of a warpstorm. The resultant disturbance in the empyrean can cause Navigators to lose their way, ships to become lost on the tides of the Sea of Souls, be torn apart by the unnatural forces at work there, or to more readily fall foul of the denizens of that unreal universe.'

Gdolkin surveyed the image on the giant pict-screen in silence for a moment as he considered the implications of this discovery.

'So everything about our mission comes back to this anomaly, to Warpstorm Araken?' he sumised.

'It would seem so.'

'I wonder what the tech-priest would make of this?' Gdolkin mused. 'Has anyone seen the magos since we boarded?'

'He and his entourage returned to their quarters.’ Strake informed the Iron-Father.

'Ah, yes, his entourage.’

The tech-priest had brought his not inconsiderable entourage aboard the Ajax on leaving Fornax and they resided even now within an adapted hold in the bowels of the vessel. As well as a small army of adepts and servitors created for every conceivable purpose, there was also a contingent of Mechanicus tech-guard soldiers, many requisitioned from the forge world of Fornax where - no matter how much Magos Ludd and the other Mechanicus representatives there might not have liked it - Grand Magos Thule had certainly held some sway. His party had been swelled further on leaving Herod.

And this small tech-army was not resting idle down there in the hold. Thule's servants were preparing for something, slaving away every hour of the day, although Gdolkin and the other Iron Hands knew not to what end.

No one had seen or spoken to the magos since he had reboarded the Ajax. He had not had anything to say for himself as the Iron Hands left Herod but anger rose from him as a tangible aura.

'You said that activity within the warpstorm is increasing but that at the same time its density is decreasing.’ Gdolkin said, coming back to the matter in hand.

‘Yes. It would appear that the warpstorm is dissipating, that it is actually blowing itself out.’ Strake verified. 'But that isn't all.’

‘You have more revelations for me, Strake?'