Retinue

The confines of Inquisitor Hawk's assault shuttle were cramped with equipment, retinue and by the fact that all were already vacuum suited. The atmosphere had been evacuated from the craft to ensure no delay during an assault debarkation when the craft touched down.

His retinue were strapped into crash couches welded to the floors and bulkheads of the craft. Directly ahead of Hawk, Blou Max, the pilot positioned at the apex of the chamber was massively cybernetically augmented. He appeared to have been melded with the controls he used. His rewired hands played a flight of harmonies across the keys surfaces. Data inputs were wired directly into his skull. Framed as if windows the visual map displayed on the bulkheads around Max seemed to show the void around the ship. In fact they displayed Max's visualization of the data fed into his skull. Hawk approved. At least here was someone whose thinking he could see clearly.

Behind Hawk were his three massively augmented combat servitors. Their limbs and reflexes mechanically augmented to make them impervious fighters capable of slashing rending and crushing their way through maxsteel without needing tools or weapons. They responded to the names of Ironhand, Shannar and Drutt respectively. Beside hawk were his two autosavants. These although not suited for combat were his most powerful weapons in his long struggle against Chaos. With their massively enhanced cognition and eidetic memory they were friends, advisors and libraries. Three of his acolytes also accompanied him. Hammerhand his Interrogator was heading for his designated position on the planet below. The three Explicators had armed themselves with close combat equipment including power armour, storm shields and chain swords. They answered to the names of Snap, Crack and Pop. His familiar a psychically enhanced flobber worm curled at the foot of Hawk's crash couch.

Outside flashes of light and hurtling debris from the spasmic vicious detonations of assault pods caused Max to make the shuttle slip, weave and dodge as it powered down to the surface of the Hulk.