Korvane's mind raced. He knew nothing of such weapons, for the majority of human vessels used either high explosive projectiles or energy-based laser weapons. He knew the other space faring races fielded a wide range of exotic weapon types, but with the exception of those of the eldar such weapons were rarely of undue threat.

He looked once more to the banks of nearby screens, seeking some clue as to the actions of the Oceanid and the Fairlight. He quickly saw that his father's vessel had disengaged and was manoeuvring away from the orbital. Beyond, his stepsister's vessel had yet to separate fully from the docking arm.

The monotone voice of the servitor at the comms station intoned, 'Incoming ship-to-ship transmission. Source: Oceanid

Korvane stood. 'Patch it through.

Angry static filled the air, interspersed with random clicks and pops.

'Korvane, Brielle? His father's voice cut through the static.

'Here, Father. he replied, hearing his stepsister do likewise after a short delay.

'Listen carefully both of you. I'm transmitting jump coordinates. A glance at his screens told Korvane they were being received. We scatter here, and make the jump as soon as we're clear. Understood?

Korvane scanned the coordinates scrolling across his screens. They indicated the destination as the nearest inhabited system, Arris Epsilon. They gave an outbound jump point only two astronomical units out.

'Father, are you're sure it's safe? he asked.

A small delay was followed by his father's reply, 'No, but my augurs are showing that we're not just up against the orbital. Check near space tracking'

Korvane called up the long-range augur returns. 'What the…?

He stared for a moment as a group of signal returns appeared at the extent of his augur range.

'I don't know who they are Korvane, but I'm not prepared to sit here and find out the hard way. We jump as soon as we're dear.

'Understood' replied Korvane.

'Good luck, the pair of you. he heard his father say, before a howl of feedback screamed from the speaker grilles, and then silence.

The Master of Ordnance spoke up, 'Sir, another surge.

'All hands' Korvane called, preparing himself for the catastrophic damage he knew was about to be done to his vessel, 'brace for impact'

None came.

He looked to the bank of screens, seeing that it was not the Rosetta that had been the target of this attack, but the Oceanid. Having manoeuvred his vessel away from the docking arm, his father had not ordered her away, but had come around to engage the station in a deadly broadside.

Cataclysmic energies played across the Oceanid's dying shields, secondary fires raging across her port as atmosphere bled into space. Korvane stood from his command throne and crossed to another viewing port, from which he could make out the epic confrontation unfolding only a few hundred metres distant.

He watched in awe as fire blossomed across the Oceanid's side, the discharge of her port weapons batteries unleashing a fearsome broadside at extreme short range. The orbital station was wreathed in fire as the devastating attack struck home, and several docking arms sheared off as explosions gutted the central core.

Yet the station was far from dead, despite the terrible damage done by the Oceanid's broadside. Korvane winced as another, blinding flash indicated that the station's deadly projectile weapon was still operational. Though the projectile itself was invisible, he saw its passing etched upon the smoke and fire billowing into space from both the Oceanid and the station. It struck his father's ship a glancing blow to a dorsal augur array, the structure shearing off and spinning into space.

Stunned by the ferocity of the battle raging before him, it took Korvane a moment to realise that he was hearing his father's voice addressing him over the communications system.

'…peat, get moving the pair of you, now! Good luck'

Korvane opened an intercom channel to Adept Mykelo, his Navigator. 'Awaiting your order adept. You have the vessel'

A pause, before the adept replied. 'This is against my better judgement sir, but given the circumstances I shall undertake the manoeuvre. Pray for us all'

Korvane closed the channel and leant back in his command throne, watching as the bridge crew made the final preparations for the emergency warp jump. This was the second time the vessel and her crew had undergone a warp jump recently, and it appeared as if Mykelo would reject Korvane's order. It was entirely within his rights as a Navigator to do so, Korvane knew, for any and all matters relating to a vessel's passage through the warp were entirely the province of its Navigator, by ancient decree. Mykelo had considered the situation, realising that they had little choice if they were to avoid a confrontation with the unknown vessels, which were bearing down on them with obviously hostile intent.

A mournful peal sounded from the ship's address system, the signal that a warp jump was imminent. Korvane knew somehow that this would be a bad one, although he had no idea in what way. He had heard the tales.

The signal ended and all of the lights on the bridge died. Korvane could hear his own pulse thundering in his ears, and he gripped the arms of the command throne all the tighter.

A distant sound became audible, an atonal drone, building in volume to the scream of a billion, billion souls adrift upon an ocean of pain and chaos. Korvane's own voice added to the terrible din, as did that of every man and woman onboard the Rosetta. They were joined together in a terrible communion, sharing the damnation of the denizens of the abyss.

Then there was silence.

Korvane opened his eyes, and then vomited. The bridge lights flickered back to life, one by one. He heard coughing and moaning from the bridge crew. Having painfully voided the contents of his stomach, Korvane looked around his bridge, breathing heavily as he fought to make some sense of what had just occurred.

Something had gone terribly wrong, that much was clear. His crew was scattered around the bridge, or slumped over consoles, groaning or silent, unconscious, insensible, or worse. Only the servitors appeared to have escaped unharmed. The Master of Ordnance sat up and looked towards Korvane with madness in his eyes. Korvane saw with a start that the man's hair was now entirely white, while it had been merely grey-shot before the jump. Litter shock threatened to overwhelm him, and he strove to maintain control of his faculties in the face of what had happened.

'We pray for those lost in the warp. Korvane mumbled, the words of the spacefarers' prayer coming unbidden to his lips. The prayer gave him some comfort, and he felt himself calming. He glanced at the banks of screens surrounding his command throne. All were dead.

Realising that he would need to take visible control of the situation, Korvane stood, shakily at first. A junior officer appeared nearby, offering aid, which he waved away.

'Bridge crew, listen to me. I need a full situation report and I need it now. He straightened as he spoke, feeling confidence return as he played the role for which he was born and raised — that of leader. Then I need to know where the hell we are'

'Aye sir' came the mumbled replies from the crew. Men straightened themselves out, smoothing creased uniforms as they returned to their stations. Within minutes, the bridge bore some resemblance to its normal state — men, and mostly servitors, going about their business. Yet still the screens were dead.

He turned to the junior officer hovering nearby. 'Find out if Adept Mykelo is in need of help' The man nodded and hurried away.

Korvane crossed to the forward viewing port. Looking out, he was confronted with unfamiliar constellations, but at least, he thought, it was space out there, and not somewhere else. He shook the thought off and studied the view, a nearby star glowed white through the halo of a comet's debris, yet he had no clue if it was Arris Epsilon, or an entirely different system.