I remember being sad, all the time. I remember looking towards the vast plains, when I was 9, watching the machines come and go, tending to the crops with other thousands of our vassals collecting the ripe wheat with small scissors. I remember my tutor, the old Felix, teaching me that Grion IV, our world, was covered with crops to feed the armies of the Holy Emperor. Our system was far from the sector's capital but was in a good distance of the biggest provider of the sub-sector – Epirus – and we were a viable way to increase its food output through realspace transports. It was the last day I looked out towards Grion IV.
My Father, Hildebrant De Clare, Planetary Governor, moved my mother to Holy Terra before I was born, so I could be born a Terran. Family traditions. I moved back when I was 5, and I barely can remember who frightened I was on looking the Ship getting bigger and bigger as our transport got closer. I remember him talking about being compliant with the law and about paying his debts and tithes, and how far could an honest man reach, if he was cautious and intelligent. Long years after his death I could know more about him, a figure that I saw so few times.
I remember the hurry which we fled when the vassals turned against the imperium, and the horrible sweet smell of daemonic parfum. I remember the tall, dark figure who followed us until the ship. I remember the several questions, the headaches, the old bald woman looking at me, her eyes a silver blank.
I remember the station where Father find us a place to stay. Floating in the borders of nothingness, using distant oaths and favors to the Adeptus Mechanicus, we lived in a place where we were but strange guests. I remember crying when I couldn't sleep, due to the constant humming noise that the augurs made in my head. I remember my Father insisting that I should learn all that I could from the Techpriest who became my tutor, when I was 11. Udator Ilx, of Gripphone IV, told me many things that I still know, and was the one who started to prepare me for what would become my career.
I remember that Father sent me to the navy when I was 13 with a letter to his friend, Captain Lucian Thoss of the Gothic - Class Cruiser Harbinger. Soon I discovered his fame of being a hunter across our sector, feared by all those who made the Imperium as their enemies. A master of patrols, he knew where to lay waiting for slavers, raiders and corsairs. A legend, usually hunting alone and against all the odds. He was a tall, gaunt man of dark skin and blue eyes. He seemed happy to read the letter, by briefly showing his bone white teeth in a discreet smile. Probably a jungle worlder, his skin was covered in ritual scars.
Life as a midshipman was harsh. Nothing as beautiful as our world once was, I've saw in many years. Drills, reports, exercises, chart reading, constant scrutiny. I remember one time a colleague was flogged due to his incompetence. The example made got me adequately. I slept less, studied more, and almost never got a reprehension.
By following the manuals and never skipping the gymnasia, I became strong. By studying hard, being precise and dependable, I became noticed. At 15, I started to assist third lieutenant Carter in his press gang. I remember how excited I was just to wear the armor, and how ashamed I was that my holster wasn't heavy with a gun. I remember the first time I was ordered to wrestle a veteran crewman of a merchant vessel. His body felt like pure rockrete while I tried my best to put him under control, preventing his escape through the corridors. My teeth felt loose for several days after.
Through several occurrences we engaged and were engaged in fierce battle. The Gothic-Class wasn't the safest vessel in the Navy, so Captain used his tactics and hard-earned experience to ensure we were in advantage most of the time. "Lone Cruiser, dead cruiser" our crew said. The truth was that Captain Thoss knew the Harbinger just like he knew his prosthetics and neural implants. I had plenty of opportunity to learn how to be cool under stress, in its majority by trusting that bigger vessels could be domesticized and subdued by the Harbinger legendary surprise attacks. I remember an occasion where a scarred first-lieutenant told legends to the younger colleagues about how some of the ratings believed the Captain as a saint, capable of confusing the enemy and bending the space to his will.
I remember how observed the way that Lt. Carter acted, how he talked, how he looked over the crew manifesto of the merchant ships we boarded and knew just how its captain was blatantly lying. I took mental notes of everything I saw and heard, so I could be of use if asked something. One day we found hidden crew aboard the Xerxes, a vagabond-class merchant vessel in his way to Myre, and that was the first time I really saw how crude and ruthless we could be as humans in the human-taming business.
I remember how I looked at my reflection one day. The noble boy now had scars on his face, bruises, expression marks. His chest was wide, his shoulders strong. He was experienced in crowd control and knew well how to bring a man down, even if it was a seasoned voidsmen on the run. The noble boy became respected by the armsmen who served with him in many boarding operations, viewed not anymore as the paper boy, but as another man-at-arms.
The noble boy now knew well how to wield a knife, how to flick a shock baton and how to proper operate a stub gun. Vessel's corridors were cramped, as were alleys and filthy pubs, and I learned very well about moving through these environments, zapping those who seemed stronger amidst the confusion, and leaving them to be picked by the Lt.'s crew responsible by the chaining. Those two years made me strong by the day.
At 17, I became an Ensign. It was also when the Orphean War broke out. Also, my Father was still in Harrow Watch when it was hit. I received this news in some days' time. All of them shook me in a different way. Abruptly, I had a tremendous sum of coinage and assets, and influence somehow. The last of my family's Servants was Roderick Bardolph, who was sponsored as a merchant by my Father, and lived on Ophelia VII. Bound by contract, he was to keep and invest all the riches from my father's death until I completed 21 and became an adult, as goes my family's tradition. I'm glad he kept his part of the deal, even with some convincing being needed.
We were detached to Bakka to regroup, refuel and fill the decks to the brim with whatever munitions and supplies, and then to Amarah Prime, by order of Imperial Governor Calibron Laan, with many the sector's vessels. After some news of planets being razed by the day and of worlds being left defenseless, there was some talks of insurgence between the ratings. I remember the order of a communication blackout between the ranks. I remember the sound that the Emperor's Mercy did while the commissar administered it somewhere close.
I was at my post when I saw the first Officers hurrying themselves while dressing or checking their sabers and pistols. A few seconds later, the alarm went off. All hands on deck, we were entering realspace in a weird angle. I remember the gravity feeling funny under my feet while I ran towards the Armory, bumping into almost anybody who moved in the other directions. I put on my void suit as fast as I could and grabbed a rifle. My position was in the starboard corridors, defending against boarding enemies. I remember asking a lieutenant about the status on Amarah. His face was pale, his voice cold. He didn't knew what was going on. Nobody did.
When we jumped into realspace, I remember seeing the distortions and flares on the sun through a porthole just before it was locked. No proximity alarms sounded, nobody talked anything. Men manned its posts, loaded their weapons, and waited.
Under us, the planet was dotted with the fires who managed to pierce the thick clouds that covered its surface, while the orbit was ablaze with amber and emerald discharges, fiery rubble from the stations destroyed and the confusion left in the Necrons approach. Augurs couldn't pick nothing, literally no sign of enemy ships. Voxes could barely work, due to the solar emissions. I could feel the push the engines produced.
Acting fast after the jump, Captain ordered maneuvers in order to get the Lance in a good angle. Rather unnoticed at first, the Harbinger made itself respected when it tore open a Necron Cartouche-class light cruiser. The reports, later, registered that this first contact broke a full quarter of the fleet, either destroyed or disabled. Captain Thoss somehow anticipated this, and due to our position being somewhat out of formation because of our late arrival, he could make out of the enemy's barrage.
After a superb demonstration of command and strategy, dodging some of the direct hits, carefully deflecting others with well controlled void shields, the Harbinger became crippled due to an indirect particle whip, the same who tore the Talisman of Grace in two. Our void shields, drained. Our generators, at its limit. Fires broke out throughout our Ship. I remember the tension in the air, while we passed around the las rifles to the crew who moved at double time towards the other parts of the ship. We couldn't fight and barely could run. I could hear the Lt. Carter's distorted Vox. We were to be boarded at any moment. I remember looking into the faces that surrounded me, some tense, some decided. Brute and battle-scarred voidsmen from all over the segmentum, all trying to survive another day.
We all braced when the contacts were made. We could hear the Hull being cut. Some armsmen rubbed their faces and hands against the walls, gathering strength from our beloved vessel. We all heard the magnetic clamps attaching. Ancient customs, sanctioned prayers in high and low gothic, amulets, everyone used anything available to get ready for the moment. The green discharge howled throughout the corridor while puncturing the bulkheads and blew 3 men some meters behind us. I remember the flesh and skin melted from the overhead to the deck, and the smell of burnt hair. The gravity rays from the enemy's harvest ships made menacing noises on the outside walls. It was a matter of seconds now, for we either be completely pulled apart, burnt or boarded and flayed. Then the whole fleet watched as Fidelitas Lambda rammed through the enemy's Tomb Ship.
A victory, they said.
The Harbinger was towed to Amarah Prime's high orbit, for whatever repairs could be made at haste. We conducted impressment on the surface as fast as we could, to suffice the losses caused by the fires and decompression. Three thousand conscripts and five hundred crewmen were needed in the Harbinger to make it operational at nominal levels, and migratory masses fleeing the destruction were easy prey for us, I remember. In fact, it was the easiest impressment that I ever made. When we were ready, we departed carrying Necromundan troops and supplies towards Laymon, the rest of the population left to their fate. There my first real life nightmare begun.
As we docked, a group of arbites boarded, asking for me directly to the captain. I was called and sent with them, and I didn't make no questions and surrendered my weapon. I was conducted to an Arvus Lighter who bore the arbites Symbol in its hull. When it took flight, I was zapped, then three of then jumped onto me, trying to put me in cuffs. I struggled the best I could, until a cold voice said that I was being arrested by order of the Holy Inquisition. As I heard it, my body stopped promptly, and I offered my hands.
I remember the blindfold. The rag smelled like old sweat and dried blood. I walked through halls and corridors, climbed steps and then entered an elevator, downwards, 5 floors according to the different sound it made in regular intervals. Your ears become very sensitive to height and width changes, and the simplest noises become easy to listen in the huge vessels of the navy. I was sat at a chair, my hands chained between my legs. After the door closed, Silence. It was hours until I heard another noise. All those hours, I felt my head being messed with by psykers, looking for corruption and buried secrets. I remembered the feeling. It's strange how you feel their rummaging through your head, some of them more discreet, some more aggressive. They try anyway they can to make possible traitorous thoughts to surface. I've recently acquired the transcription of my… interview.
[+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ =][= +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++]
[++++++++++++++++++++INTERROGATION OF SUBJECT 14481837-Sigma++++++++++++++++++]
Day 1
[+ Instructions, By Interrogator Katia Mitrovic:]
[+ Escalate through the interrogation levels as fast as possible, by order of the Inquisitor. Refrain from staying on level 9 for periods longer than 5 minutes.]
[+ Subject's health must be kept at recoverable levels. Major mutilating procedures are to be absolutely avoided.]
[+ Rubric of Protocol is to be looked upon to further guidance on procedures and tactics of interrogation.]
[+ Time is a luxury but wearing down the Subject will grant his future compliance.]
- Ensign Augustus De Clare, of the Harbinger, I'm Judge Alaric Thomas. You've been brought here to pay clarification on your planet's destiny, by order of the Holy Inquisition. I hope that you'll cooperate.
- I thought that it was a kidnapping, and I resisted. I'm cooperating, Sir.
- What do you remember? We are fully aware that you were but a child, but try your best.
- I don't remember much. I remember that one day there was smoke on the horizon and explosions. We fled, Sir
- What about your mother?
- Pardon, Sir?
- Where she was at that time?
- I don't know, Sir.
- She was at the ship with you and your father?
- I don't remember, Sir.
- What do you remember of her?
[+subject kept silent for 0 min 13 seconds. Bodily Temperature rising. Heart Rate: Nominal. Eye movement: Up/Right]
- Well, Mr. De Clare?
- I can't remember, Sir.
- What was her name?
[+subject kept silent for 0 min 11 seconds. Bodily Temperature stable. Heart Rate: Nominal. Eye movement: Up/Right]
- I can't remember, Sir.
[+Judge Alaric shows the subject a pict-capture of a human female, young, in a yellow dress of high standard, custom made. It is known that the female was the subject's mother, Anastasia De Clare]
- Do you remember this face?
[+Subject kept silent for 0 minutes 14 seconds. Bodily Temperature stable. Heart Rate: Nominal. Eye movement: scanning steadily, left to right movement]
- I don't know this woman, Sir. Nobility, I tally, Sir, by the pic-capture standards.
- Tell us about your Father. What do you remember of him?
- He tended to his businesses all the time. Tithes, crops, investments. We talked some very few times, the same ones where I saw him. He seemed to care about me when we moved to Harrow Watch. He arranged my commission into the Navy, Sir, and the best education available at a Mechanicus Station. Once he told me to be honest and careful, and that it made men go very far in life. I live by it, Sir, as our traditions demand.
[+Subject's left leg shows signs of minor involuntary contraction, signs of discomfort. Retract the hypodermic injector by 4 degrees, keep injection at minimal levels. Temperature Stable. Heart Rate: Nominal. Eye movement: Up/right]
-What were your Father's deals with the Adeptus Mechanicus?
-I've been told that he provided Myre with ore for the Forges, and the Techpriests tended to the engines who regulate better the atmosphere and tended to the crops more efficiently.
-Who told you this?
-Udator Ilx, my tutor while I was in Harrow Watch, Sir.
-He was?
-A Lexmechanic, from Gripphone IV, Sir.
-What exactly he taught you about?
-He showed me how to proper operate data slates and cogitators, and he knew much about the Imperial Cartography, having told me how to read star maps and identify possible hazards on navigation. He instructed me on Naval Law and about the ancient customs. He knew so much I admired him.
-I presume that you take joy in acquiring knowledge, Mr. De Clare?
-One's must study and prove its worth in order to serve well His Will, Sir.
-Are you a religious man, Augustus?
-As any good citizen should be, Sir, but a mere sinner.
-How was your service in the Harbinger, Mr. De Clare?
-My grades were above standard, Sir, and I recently got promoted to Ensign. I work for Lieutenant Ephraim Assefa Carter, on the 56th press gang, Sir.
-Your records show remarkable numbers. 91 boarding operations, honorable mentions to action under danger. "Outstanding physical capability proven against more than one opponent", says here on the report of the 72nd boarding operation, on the Flambeau.
-My satisfaction is to Serve, Sir.
-You can now drop the façade, Mr. De Clare.
-Sir?
[+Judge Issued Command 31: Double dosage]
[+Subject reaction+]
[+Full hypodermic injection, double dosage: Left Leg contraction.]
[+Temperature: Rising abruptly]
[+Heart Rate: High]
[+Eye movement: Erratic, noticeable pupil expansion]
[+Subject reaction evaluation: Nominal]
[+Taint evaluation: Inconclusive]
- Your mother was one of the leaders of the cult who razed your planet, Augustus. Do you want to keep hiding your secrets?
[+Judge Issued Command 1: Taser]
[+Hypodermic injector at 0 degrees. Command executed]
[+Subject Reaction: Full body contraction. Clear signs of pain and confusion. Profuse sweat on the brow, neck and hands. Involuntary contraction follows.]
[+Subject reaction evaluation: Nominal]
[+Taint evaluation: Inconclusive]
-Sir, I know nothing of this! It must be some misunderstanding, Sir!
- She was from the people, as your traditions demanded. She used your father's riches to spread the word of the ruinous powers and to corrupt a whole planet!
- Sir, I don't know about this! I answered these questions when I was a child, just after it happened!
[REPORT]
[+Sister Amanda, Hospitaller, Order of the Eternal Candle:]
[+Subject Evaluation: Possible mind cleansing.]
[+Neural readings show no sign of directed efforts.]
[+Neural activity: nominal. Subject in exposition to a heavy dosage of psychotropics.]
[+No signs of struggle.]
[+Facial analysis shows frustration and confusion]
[+Subject reaction evaluation: Nominal]
[+Taint evaluation: Inconclusive]
[+Suggested action: Further questioning, reintroduce psychic mind reading to test and compare neural responses. Grievous Physical Harm is discouraged due to subject's general evaluation. Electroshock is suggested if the subject shows signs of mental strain or unresponsiveness]
[+Judge Issued Order 53: Begin Mind Scan]
[+Order Received.]
[+Requesting Sanctioned Psyker.]
[+Scholar Arcanum Odilo Dorais answered.]
[DATA EXPUGNED]
Day 12
[Judge Alaric, through Vox Caster]
- Mr. De Clare, how are you today? Are you ready to cooperate?
[+Subject is silent. Minor facial movements are noticeable, but no sound is produced]
[+Judge Issued Command 6: Request Subject Evaluation]
[+Physical evaluation: Subject is diagnosed with advanced dehydration. Clear signs of sleep deprivation. Significant weight loss. Noticeable rashes on the face, torso and arms, with probability of infection due to Subject's induced unsanitary conditions. Temperature: Above nominal. Eye Movement: null. Vital signs: Bellow nominal. Survival Probability: 1-2 days. Suggested course of action: Administer Vitamins through I.V. injection, suspend questioning for 6 hours.]
[+Neural evaluation: Subject shows reduced neural activity. Possible depression of the Central Nervous System, noticeable by involuntary contractions on the extremities. Diagnostic: Further questioning procedures can permanently damage the subject's neural system. Suggested course of action: Suspend Psychotropic administration, suspend electroshock usage.]
[+ Psychic evaluation: Subject shows no signs of taint, to this moment. Religious stimuli produce thoughts of hope on the subject. Otherwise, its thoughts are of his past actions, on where he could have wronged. Subject's mind shows deep signs of strain, due to his insistence on trying to remember his mother. Subject is convinced that answering the questions are the only way to prove his righteousness. There's no sense of anger against the Arbites representative. Hospitaller suggestion on Mind Cleansing is becoming increasingly plausible. Suggested course of action: Request information on the subject to the Holy Ordos in order to ascertain any registers of the procedure. Subject should be left be for some time. Religious services are encouraged.]
[+Taint Evaluation: Inconclusive]
[+Judge Issued Command 70: Relay report to Interrogator Mitrovic]
[Report Relayed]
[+Response:]
[+Introduce the suggested measures. Information will soon be gathered within the ordos. Maintain Psychic Reading while the cares are administered, maybe his relaxation will let something slip through.]
[+Confirmed. Measures in course.]
[ [DATA EXPUGNED]
Day 14 – Religious services conducted by Confessor Quintus
-Good morning, Mr. De Clare.
-Good morning, Eminence. May I ask your name?
-I'm confessor Quintus.
-It's a delight to be in your presence, Eminence.
-How are you feeling?
- I'm grateful for the food I had, and the curatives administered to my wounds. I'm also grateful for the sleep hours and the opportunity to clean myself. I'm now fit for the questioning again. Praise be to the Holy Emperor, that I could recover fast.
-What are your thoughts today?
-I wish I could help in the investigations. I pray the Emperor to have mercy on my soul.
-Do you want to pray now?
-Yes, yes, I want.
-Any Requests?
-You said it's morning. Let's pray the Adulation, short form.
-A wonderful choice. Let's begin: O Immortal Emperor have mercy on us, miserable and unworthy that we are.
-Holy Emperor have mercy on us.
-O Master of the Galaxy: Protect your flock from the perils of the darkness.
-Holy Emperor protect us.
-O Keeper of Light: Guide our Darkened Path with your Radiance.
-Holy Emperor Guide us.
-May we be worthy of being in his service, so in our deaths we have purpose.
-O eternal Emperor, who alone watches us, and rules the tides and storms, be compassionate to your servants, preserve us from the perils of the warp, that we may be a safeguard to the domain of men.
-That's an appropriate prayer. Do you have anything to confess, Mr. De Clare?
-Yes, I do have, Eminence.
-Do you know the procedure?
-Holy Emperor absolve this wretched creature, unworthy of your grace, for I have sinned.
-How long since your last confession?
-I don't know how many days I've been here. My last confession was in the day of my requisition by the Holy Inquisition.
-Confess.
-I couldn't attend to the services and I've been unfit to sustain prayers these last days.
-Continue.
-I've remembered my worst sin. One so tremendous and so close to my soul that I couldn't see it. I was proud.
-Elaborate.
- I was a sad child. All my infancy I couldn't do nothing but study. I was being groomed to become a Planetary Governor. I needed to understand businesses, calculus, noble customs, family traditions, sector and segmentum politics. I saw the lights of the holy days, saw the processions and heard the hymns. I wished I could get myself rid of that sadness. I wish I could be part of the parties. Celebrate His grace.
-Carry on.
-When it all happened, I became afraid. Those celebrations I wanted to be part of, in fact, weren't in Honor of our Holy Emperor. I didn't knew it. I was but a boy. I've embraced sadness and asked for absolution for my youth's wrong desires ever since. I was confused in those days, because I saw no purpose to me anymore. Without a planet, what was to be the purpose of me? But when I was commissioned in the Harbinger, things changed. There, I was nobody. By being nobody, I could build myself.
-Continue.
-Other midshipmen boasted their family's riches and how far extended their demesne, and how they would be captains in no time. The Progena were resolute in their discipline, taking nothing but the highest standard for everything. All I had was my name, two daily uniforms, a Full-Dress Uniform, studying materiel, a trunk with a padlock and a bunk. Nothing more. There, I had to show service and my value as a man. There, I learned the meaning of what my father said about honesty and caution. For the first time in my life, I felt happiness. But not vain bliss. I felt happiness in the service of the Mighty Navy and to His Holy Will, and my only wish was to become a better officer.
-Carry on.
-I was proud of my grades. Proud of my Gymnasia progress. Proud when I was designed to be Lt. Carter's assistant. Proud when we returned with a long chain gang to meet or even surpass our quota. I was proud when the voidsmen naturally shared their hard-earned experience with me. I was proud to pass through the trusted crew and be called 'Sir' not due to regulations or the outright fear of the lash, but due to earned respect and stories shared after the action. I regret all of this, but I'm still proud to serve in the Imperial Navy.
-Anything more?
-No, Eminence. That'll be all. I've struggled to uproot this grievous offense from my heart, but now I succeeded. May the Emperor have mercy on my soul and grant me a place in his shadow.
- May the Emperor in his infinite grace let you be worthy of his gaze at the hour of your death. Pray the absolution litany repeatedly for 6 hours, then offer graces to His Mercy.
-Thank you, Eminence. I will.
[REPORT]
[+Psychic Evaluation: Subject showed no signs of deceive in its thoughts during the confession. Subject experienced a deep sensation of relief after its penitence was laid. Its thoughts are of gratitude. For all its penitence – made long on purpose for the clear results of this Mind Scan – the Subject only had brief pauses. At those intervals, it made the Aquila upon its chest, and asked for forgiveness. After 6 hours, a priest came to warn the subject about the end of its penitence. Its thoughts were again of gratitude. Somehow, this subject appears to be a hard adherent of the Faith, and its mind shows not a single indicative of corruption.]
[+Taint Evaluation: Inconclusive/ 68% chance of being unlikely according to Psychic Evaluation.]
[DATA EXPUGNED]
Day 40
[REPORT]
[+SUBJECT'S INQUISITORIAL RECORDS ARRIVED]
[+Summary and study:
-By order of Inquisitor Arkwright of Ordo Hereticus, the Subject's Father (Hildebrant De Clare) pledged allegiance to the Holy Inquisition by offering the Subject to an Imperial Mind Conditioning program.
-Subject was heavily traumatized after mind scans and investigation performed due to the events and associations that led to the purging of Grion IV.
-Results were conclusive in showing no signs of corruption in the Subject at the time.
-Data shows that the Subject went through a mind cleansing procedure, in – DATA EXPUGNED – at order of Inquisitor Arkwright of the Ordo Hereticus.
-Subject's mother was leader of the – DATA EXPUGNED – Cult to – DATA EXPUGNED – having raised civil unrest using the Planetary Governor (Husband) influence and assets.
-Grion IV was promptly purged by the Astartes from the Black Templars Chapter, who were in their way to the Veiled Region and answered the Distress Call. After several months of righteous war, the last heretic was purged without any major entity manifestation.
-Afterwards, augur analysis predicted the acidification of the atmosphere, and the consequent death of the world. Atmospheric correction would take 40 years according to Adeptus Mechanicus diagnostic. (VIDE REPORT SIGMA-331419)
-Grion IV former Governor, Hildebrand De Clare, was found not guilty of the planet's demise. He recently disappeared – presumed dead – at Harrow Watch.
-The De Clare Family has a long story on the Segmentum, being given its planet in 830.M38. Their association with the Adeptus Mechanicus is no secret, as it's a Millenia long tradition, long before they settled at their Agri-world.
-Their only surviving vassal, Roderick Bardolph, lives in Ophelia VII. He was sponsored in its Merchant Charter by Lord Hildebrand. At the time of the Grion IV crisis, no signs of corruption were noticed after throughout examination.
End of summary and study.]
[+Judge Issued command 40: Request Investigator Guidance.]
[+Command transmitted]
[+Records duly analyzed. Notes and observations sent for Inquisitor's analysis. Maintain plain questioning and vigilant mind scan. New courses of questioning are encouraged. Wait for further Instructions.]
[DATA EXPUGNED]
-[END OF FILE]-