Contents

Cover

War of the Orks – Extract

Warhammer Adventures

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Chapter One

Aftermath

Hinterland Outpost was a wreck. Smouldering cruisers littered the landing bay, once-precious cargo scattered among the wounded and dying. Inquisitor Jeremias marched up to a medic who was doing her best to tend to a wounded docker. One glance told the inquisitor that the injured man wasn’t long for this world. Jeremias had experienced many battlefields and knew a lost cause when he saw one.

‘What happened here?’ he asked, and the medic jumped at the unexpected question. She turned, her eyes widening as she took in Jeremias’s Inquisitorial rosette and the servo-skull floating at his epauletted shoulder.

‘There was an attack,’ she said, turning back to her patient. ‘The Tau.’

Jeremias’s mouth curled into a snarl. ‘The Upstart Empire. Here. And you fought them off?’

The woman didn’t answer.

‘Well?’

She glared up at him. ‘Look, I’ll answer your questions, but only after I’ve treated this man. His wounds are serious.’

‘His wounds were terminal,’ Jeremias corrected her.

She looked back to the docker and sighed. The man had gone.

Jeremias watched as she pulled out a cracked data-slate and recorded his time of death. The woman was impressive. Not many citizens would stand up to an inquisitor, even in such grave situations. She had spirit.

The medic closed the man’s unseeing eyes and stood to address Jeremias. ‘Yes,’ she said, wiping blood from her hands onto a rag that looked decidedly unsanitary. ‘We fought back, for all the good it did us. The power grid is on its last legs, and most of the station’s occupants are dead or dying.’

‘But you didn’t fall to the xenos scum,’ Jeremias pointed out. ‘Praise the Throne.’

She repeated the oath, although her words were hollow. ‘Is that why you’re here?’ she asked. ‘Is the Imperium sending aid?’

He raised an immaculate eyebrow, and the woman scowled.

‘I mean…’ she stammered, her expression hardening, ‘I realise that’s not what you people do…’

‘“You people”?’

‘The Inquisition. I just thought… seeing what happened here…’

Jeremias looked around the wrecked landing bay. ‘Hinterland Outpost has long been a cesspool of villainy and heresy, operating outside the Emperor’s law. It is good that you fought back against the Tau, but even if supplying aid was within my duties, I see little worth saving.’

Her mouth dropped open. ‘How can you say that? People are dying here. Humans are dying here.’

His eyes paused on a nearby corpse. It was a Kroot, its alien tongue lolling from a beaked mouth. ‘Was that one of the Tau’s retinue?’

She glanced at the fallen alien. ‘No. That was Skrann. He worked here, unloading cargo. He was a decent sort.’

Jeremias saw her flinch at her own words, and for good reason.

‘Xenos working alongside humans,’ Jeremias said, his tone judgemental. ‘And you don’t see a problem in that?’

‘All I meant was–’

He raised a gloved hand to stop her. ‘I know what you meant, but the argument is moot. There’s an old Terran saying – “You dug your trench, you sleep in it.” This is your problem, not the Imperium’s.’

‘So if you’re not here to help…?’ The medic left the question hanging. Her insolence was beginning to grate.

‘I am looking for survivors of a recent tragedy in the Segmentum Pacificus. Three children. A girl and two boys.’

Her eyebrows shot up. ‘Segmentum Pacificus? But that’s–’

‘A long way from here – yes, yes it is. I have reason to believe that they travelled here.’

The medic’s eyes narrowed. ‘To Hinterland. Why? How?’

‘It is forbidden to question an inquisitor’s methods,’ snapped Corlak, Jeremias’s loyal servo-skull.

He waved away his familiar’s outrage. ‘Have you seen them?’ he asked the woman.

The medic laughed bitterly. ‘Have I seen children? On Hinterland? I tell you what I’ve seen. Bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. And that number increases with every hour. Our medical supplies were destroyed in the attack. I have nothing to work with. And you’re asking me about children?’

This was getting him nowhere. He turned away, looking for someone else to question.

‘No… wait. Please.’

A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The woman had actually touched him! He swung around, pushing her away. She stumbled, falling onto the body of the man she had tried to save.

‘That was your last warning,’ he barked at her. ‘I suggest you stay down.’

‘I’m sorry…’ the medic said, visibly shaking. ‘I just… all this… it’s too much. The Emperor…’

‘The Emperor will protect you from darkness,’ he interrupted. ‘Now go about your work.’

She nodded and started picking up her supplies. Jeremias watched her for a moment. Was she right? Should he help? Could he? No. This was not his mission.

He turned, aware of Grimm – his cyber-mastiff – watching from the ramp of his ship. The hound looked ready to charge, to attack the woman for daring to touch him. The inquisitor raised a hand and the mechanical beast stalked back up the ramp, cybernetic eyes glowing red.

She had learned her lesson. She would do as he said, helping the survivors of the battle. She had her duties… and Jeremias had his.

The inquisitor looked around. The tech-savants had vanished, no doubt spooked by the altercation. Jeremias sighed. He would have to venture deeper into the station to find someone to question. The children had come here. Of that, the visions had been clear.

‘Looking for the kiddies, are you?’

The voice was gruff, unrefined. Jeremias turned to see a goat-faced Beastman sitting beneath the wreck of a skimmer. The abhuman smiled, showing uneven brown teeth. ‘I can tell you about the kids, if you can get me off this dump.’

Jeremias’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’m listening…’

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Warhammer Adventures

First published in Great Britain in 2020.
This eBook edition published in 2020 by Warhammer Publishing,
Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK.

Produced by Games Workshop in Nottingham.
Cover illustration by Cole Marchetti.
Internal illustrations by Cole Marchetti & Magnus Norén.

War of the Orks © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2020. War of the Orks, GW, Games Workshop, Warhammer Adventures, Space Marine, 40K, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, the ‘Aquila’ Double-headed Eagle logo, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Stormcast Eternals and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world.
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ISBN: 978-1-78999-869-6

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