Editing The Tales of the Emperasque: Part Eight (section)

==4-030-001-M42==
Chapter Master Tu’Shan of the Salamanders, for the second time in the bizarre two weeks he had been having, found himself at a loss for words. An astropath had approached him that very afternoon, and informed him that Lord Vulkan had been waylaid, and was recuperating on a Cardinal World at the far side of the galaxy. The Primarch was comatose, the message had read, and was in desperate need of rest. Tu’Shan had been so surprised that he hadn’t even composed a response.

That in and of itself would not have been so utterly astounding, but what the astropath was saying now – through a series of agonized gasps – was even more flabbergasting. The astropath was relaying words from the Emperor Himself!

“TU’SHAN, LOYAL SON OF VULKAN, IT IS GOOD TO SPEAK TO YOU IN PERSON. I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT VULKAN WILL RECOVER, I’LL SPEED HIM ON HIS WAY TO YOU AS SOON AS HE’S FULLY AMBULATORY AGAIN.”

The relatively young Chapter Master, alone in the Astropathy Temple save the psykers themselves, took a reverent knee, though of course he was only listening to a message that had been bouncing around the warp for who knew how long. The astropath continued.

“YOUR MASTER IS UNEQUIPPED, TU’SHAN, AND REQUIRES ARMAMENT AND ARMOR, HIS OWN HAVING LONG SINCE FAILED. I EXPECT YOU TO HAVE CREATED REPLACEMENTS, AS ONLY A SALAMANDER CAN.”

Tu’Shan’s heart leapt at the compliment, and he couldn’t suppress a grin. “HE SHALL ARRIVE WITHIN TWO WEEKS, PROBABLY VERY MUCH SOONER. IN ADDITION, HE WILL, I AM SURE, HELP YOU FIND THE OTHER ARTEFACTS. I HAVE TO GO, BUT I WILL GET IN TOUCH SOON. FAREWELL.”

The astropath gasped and pitched forward. Rubbing his temples wearily, he directed his own words to Tu’Shan. “There is no more message, my lord.”

“I gathered, sieur,” Tu’Shan said. He rose to his feet, and glanced out the viewport at the nearly-invisible Chalice of Fire. “It seems I have work to do.”