The Iron-Father's bellow cut through all who heard it like a chainsword.

The magos hesitated for a moment and then said, 'Magos Thule came to us a matter of weeks ago from the Hekla system. To my knowledge he is still on this planet, though I don't know where.'

'The Hekla system?'

"You know it?'

'I have come across its name before.'

Gdolkin's mimetic memory implants actually remembered precisely where he had come across the name of Hekla - it had been in a twenty-three collected volume work concerning the myths of those Adeptus Astartes Chapters whose domains bordered the Ocularis Terribus, and in particular legends surrounding the lost thirteenth company of the Space Wolves. As an Iron-Father of his Chapter it was his sacred duty to minister to the souls of his brother Marines just as he administered to the spirits of their wargear, and so he needed to be aware of the belief systems of other Astartes Chapters and be ever vigilant for the weakness of heresy, lest it lead to the total corruption of a soul.

'What was he doing there?'

Ludd laughed. The sound was hollow and tinny, and utterly humourless. You were the one who said that the devotees of our sacred Machine Cult are clandestine in their practices. Grand Magos Thule did not deign to tell me his business here, only that his work was vital in bringing an end to this war against the Despoiler's hordes.’ Magos Ludd made the sign of the Blessed Machine at his own mention of the Chaos lord's name, 'and that it was this same work which brought him to Fornax. That it was for the benefit of all and could bring us salvation from the servants of the Fell Powers.'

'You have spoken to him then.'

'Yes,' Ludd confirmed. 'Briefly.'

'So what is his reason for being on this world? Am I to take it that it is not primarily to help defend Fornax Orbis Majoris from the Chaos invasion taking place here?'

'Not primarily, no.'

‘Then why?' Gdolkin was becoming frustrated by Magos Ludd's reluctance to reveal details to him. 'Tell me.'

'He did not spend long here at Ferroturitus Prime command.’ Ludd elucidated. His tone suggested to Gdolkin that either he held a contemptuous opinion of his fellow magos, or the Iron Hands and their brutal leader, or both. 'Once he discovered that the enemy were focusing their attentions on the Argen-tum Mountains he left with his own personal entourage of adepts, tech-guard and servitors. And a mismatched lot they were too. Of course the situation here has not improved since.’

'So what is the situation here exactly?' Gdolkin asked sourly.

'Here, let me show you.’ Ludd said, leading the way across the command vault with tapping footsteps ringing on the rockcrete, taking the Iron Hands to the holo-projection sphere.

'Our surveyors and calculus logi have been assessing and matriculating the information culled from a variety of sources: the Imperial fleet in orbit, ground scanning devices, as well as drone-probes and augur satellites in geo-stationary orbit.’