- prologue - 

Ever since the "Sin of Damnation"-incident efforts were beeing made to avoid simular events.
Spokesmen of the Empire assured the people that all means available were taken to make sure
that no more derelicts would invade the Empire. Warningbeacons were placed in the outskirts
of the rim to detect any unwelcome visitors and it wasnt even two months after installation
that the first detection was made.

The new hulk was visually spotted by a scout vessel, doing a routine patrol on the edge of
the area of warp and real space overlap known as the Eye of Terror. The scout ship, called
"the Ceremony" broadcasted the hulks location back to their home world, from where the
information was passed on to the Empire. The majority of the empiric forces were away,
fighting a costly campaign against Chaos Renegades on the other side of the known galaxy.

As one of the third companies prepared for mobilisation of a new attack from the Chaos
forces, the chapter received a message from one of the empires tech-crew, who had just
arrived at the space hulk. He reported that the situation looked pretty grim and that they
were in dire need of well-trained soldiers to explore the gigantic vessel. Because of the
uncertain nature of all communication, the third chapter had received the message two weeks
before it had been sent.

Commander Vecko Borgia, leader of the third company defence forces passed on his command
to another field captain and chose to follow his third company investigating the newly
arrived hulk. As a child he had heard stories about this giant coffins and could not pass
over the opportunity to see it with his own eyes, even less lead an operation examining one.

Vecko Borgia gave the hulk the name 'Spawn of Execreation' as tradition stated that any
commander leading a operation had the privilidge to name the object of the operation.. 





The massive derelict was so huge it dwarfed the Imperial crafts that gathered round it. 
Also the hulk seemed to be a compacted mass of old spaceships and space debris.

Incredibly, scans revealed the thing was still powered, possible by a onboard reactor, 
and registered scanners were unable to penetrate much further than the outermost layers. 

This worried the commander but even more concern gave the weak registrations of lifeforms.
It would be logical to assume the lifeforms were Genestealers, but this close to the Eye 
of Terror the presence of other occupants could not be ruled out. There was only one way 
to find out, the Space Marines would have to board the hulk and investigate. 

No matter what evil lurked aboard this floating wreck nothing would be allowed to stand 
against the might of the chapter's Terminators.
.
