(New story, while I wanted to get started on Inquisitor Evangeline Marie Bellerose of the Ordo Hereticus, I have hit a snag in developing that story. So this one will continue to deal with Nathaniel, specifically his battle with Farseer Marltona I am sure you have been wondering about, though I do plan to use it to flush out his retinue some more, it will be much shorter than my first story.)
Analysis of the Byzantine Inquisitorial Conclave
Overseeing an unprecedented 11 sectors, this is sadly a necessity considering how spread out their charges are. They sit on the western edge of the Eastern Fringe, and is the largest concentration of humans outside of the Realm of Ultramar in this treacherous area of space. They share their border with the ever expansive Tau Empire, including the Farsight Conclaves on the contentious Damocles Gulf, two dangerous Necron Dynasties, the Horkhesh and Sautekh, the Craftworld Paratain which has become increasingly hostile over the years, as well as being within striking distance of the remnants of the Iyanden Craftworld. There are surrounded by various xenos empires, deemed trivial by the adepts of Terra but an ever present danger to the Inquisitorial forces stationed here. They lost many of their neighbors during the invasion of Hive Fleet Kraken, barely avoiding the same fate. It was only the sudden appearance of a deceptively sized Hive Fleet classified as Roc that got the Imperium to scramble its forces into a disastrous campaign that saw the defeat of this hive fleet, but at a much higher than needed cost. This spread out area of Imperial space is also favored hunting ground for Dark Eldar raiders who know that the Imperium can't react quickly enough to their raids. Oddly enough, Ork presence, while present, is minimal, thankfully. Free traders have a high presence here and will often work hand in hand with the Inquisition, aiding in the security of the Emperor's subjects, as long as they get something out of it. Needless to say the Ordo Xenos has the highest presence and most influence in this region of space. After them comes the Ordo Hereticus who have a respectable presence, dealing with the necessary heretic/witch/mutant purgings. The Ordo Malleus is the smallest of the three major Ordo's in the region, though they have a talent bordering on omniscience when it comes to finding daemonic activity. Any investigation into the use of ancient artifacts have been met with heavily implied death threats. Due to the spread out nature of this Conclave, the Inquisitors are more heavily organized. While some Conclaves have a looser organization, in the Byzantine Conclave all Inquisitor's report to their assigned Inquisitor Lords, who report to their Masters, who then report to their Grandmaster. This heightened accountability helps prevent Inquisitors from going rogue and painting a larger picture of the regions current situation. The Ordo Xenos has 13 Inquisitor Lords, who roughly overseeing 10 Inquisitors each. The Ordo Hereticus has 7 Inquisitor Lords, roughly overseeing 8 Inquisitors each. The Ordo Malleus has 3 Inquisitor Lords, roughly overseeing 5 Inquisitors each. The Minor Ordos have roughly 40 Inquisitor present when they are all added together, plus the Masters and Grandmaster. All in all, there are roughly 286 active Inquisitors, plus their retinues, Blackship's, Stormtrooper Regiments, a fully staffed Deathwatch outpost attached to Byzantium, a Sisters of Battle chapel belonging to the Minor Order of the Vigilant Eye, and whatever unlucky saps they have recruited for a mission. Collected in one spot this would be a terrifying force to behold, but since they are spread out across such a wide region, in practice it isn't nearly as effective. Fortunately the Byzantine Conclave has an entire forgeworld dedicated to their needs. Byzantium itself, the Great Fortress of the East, is a ancient wonder. An ancient star base dating back to the Dark Age of Technology, it was discovered and repurposed by the Imperium. Many of the bases defenses and weapon systems from that era are still intact, including a terrifying substance merely labeled "Hellenic Fire", a compound that tears through enemy shields and latches onto the hull of an enemy ship, quickly consuming it with no chance of it being stopped. When it latches onto a ship it looks like it sets the ship on fire. Sadly the secret to this substance has been lost and their supply is limited, only to be used for the most desperate of situations. They hope to save it for a possible Tau Expansion or Necron Incursion, but even then they don't know if they will have enough to make a difference. They are close to the Ultramar Conclave, though they believe that their Ultramar brethren have it too easy and are soft and spoiled.
Conclusion: The Byzantine Conclave does not need any outside interference at this point; they are a tightly knit and highly efficient operation. Any meddling from Inquisitors outside of their territory would be treated with hostility. Care must be taken, however, to guarantee they do not start a war we cannot afford to fight with all of the other problems we are currently facing right now. Regrettably, being in range of two Craftworlds, two Necron Dynasties, and the Tau Empire, war may come to them whether we want it too or not.
Nathaniel was in one of the holding cells in his ship, messing with his Tau prisoner. She wore nothing but a plastic medical gown. He was trying to get her to talk by slowly lowering the temperature in her holding cell to freezing levels, only to suddenly turn it back up when she was on the verge of serious harm.
"Tell me, what do you know about the Tau/Horkhesh alliance, the move against the Farsight Enclaves, and a colony of hybrids." Nathaniel could have just penetrated her mind telepathically, having no natural defense it would have been laughably easy, but he found that he got more satisfaction out of this method. Or he could just be venting his hatred for Aun'sal unto her.
"Our alliance with the Horkhesh Dynasty is a recent development; they have given us anti-psyker technology to protect us from your powers, which is all I know. We don't really trust each other, the Ethereals assure us that we are just using the Necrons to achieve our own ends, but if they decide to embrace the Greater Good we would not be against their inclusion." The water Tau is on the verge of a complete and total breakdown at this point.
"At least you aren't trying to pretend that you are all buddy buddy, what about my other questions?"
"I honestly know nothing about O'Shovah other than that he is a dangerous deviant whose weakness led him away from the Tau'va, there have been stories circulating about O'Shaserra finally bringing him to justice. As for the colony of hybrids, I don't know anything about that."
"Oddly enough, I believe you; they wouldn't waste valuable information on a pawn like you."
"Why are you doing this, according to the recent Talman Treaty all prisoners are to be treated fairly and then returned?"
"Talman, what organization do you think you're dealing with? I am not some spineless xenos loving Imperial Guard officer or honor obsessed Space Marine. I am an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos; your treaty doesn't apply to me. To me mercy is only to be shown on repentant servants of the Emperor who have deviated from the true path, you filth only deserve my scorn. I don't want to hear any more complaints out of you, this little weather adjustment is nothing compared to the nightmares I dealt with in Commorragh."
"Those twisted monsters tortured you and now you torture me, what makes you any better than them?" The tau summons as much defiance and fierceness into her response as possible.
Nathaniel is actually flustered at this, and storms out while giving off one last parting shot. "At least you can tell the difference between the various Eldar, that's definitely an improvement over you're my first encounter with your kind." He walks out of the holding cell area and heads to the medical bay to visit Amara; he finds her taking stock of her medicines, materials, and poisons to determine what she will need to restock in Byzantium. "I need you to keep that Tau alive; I have plans for her involving a Callidus assassin."
"I understand, I would also prefer to keep alive in case we need to harvest her body parts and attach them to the assassin, I am not sure if polymorphine will be enough for a Tau impersonation, I will make sure to look up any previous operations like this. With operations like these the fresher the body parts the better; most likely we will need to replace the assassin's legs with the Tau's legs. If you don't mind me asking, who is the intended target?"
"The chief bluish gray raisin himself Aun'va."
Amara nearly drops the jar of Rortan Venom she is holding in her hands. "That is quite bold of you Nathaniel, to assassinate the head of an empire like that."
"Then I will have the assassin impersonate Aun'va, taking over the empire and leading it into a ruinous war with the Imperium. We will finally deal with the Tau threat once and for all." There is a wild and mad look in Nathaniel's eye.
"Nathaniel, you always were ambitious, I just hope you know what you are doing. This could easily blow up in our faces, leading to you being thrown from the Inquisition and the Tau gaining point blank direct knowledge of the Callidus assassins."
"It's a risk I am willing to take, now if you'll excuse me I want to get a bite to eat before we arrive and dock, docking procedures at Byzantium take way too long."
Nathaniel heads up to the kitchen and discovers Tsubaki there, drinking a glass of juice with an ill look on her face.
"I take it Melissa showed you the introductory video log on Warp entities."
"Introductory, you mean there's more to them." Tsubaki sounded apprehensive.
"Yes there is, but I will wait till you're a bit older to see them. It isn't even that important considering we mostly focus on Xenos, but I thought you should at least know what we Inquisitors go up against and what threatens the Imperium."
"Have you encountered daemons before, Inquisitor?"
"Yes I have, it was not a pleasant experience. It is my sincere hope that you never have to deal with any warp entities, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."
"Do you think that I will be able to handle this profession?"
"If properly trained, you should do well enough. This is a dangerous profession, though not too different from your Shinobi upbringing, we are all servants of the Emperor, doing whatever is necessary to protect his realm and his subjects. It just so happens that the Xenos you will be dealing with are far more dangerous than any dissidents on New Kyoto."
"Those Tau are responsible for the death of my mother and father, they're the ones who revealed them to the Shogun's men. Their spirits will not rest easy till all those responsible are dead"
"I promise you, the Tau will pay, they might believe they're safe but the day is coming when they will face the full might of Imperial retribution."
A few hours later, they arrive at Byzantium and finish docking procedures. Nathaniel sends his retinue off to a lobby while he leads Melissa and Tsubaki to the portion of the fortress dedicated to the Ordo Xenos. The internal structure of Byzantium is downright labyrinthine, winding and twisting. Fortunately the office of the Master of the Ordo Xenos was easy to find, being one of the main rooms in the upper levels. Right as they get to the door they see a mysterious woman walk out, she had pure platinum hair and dark blue eyes, with no blemishes to her. She looks at them and in an oddly metallic voice says, "Nathaniel, it's been awhile hasn't it, you have grown so much." This is when it hits Nathaniel that he is talking to Galatea, her voice finally giving her away.
"Galatea, you look so human, I didn't even recognize you."
"Thank you, this is the latest model of my humanoid form, it's an almost perfect replication."
"What are you doing here, do you have some business in Byzantium."
"I have good news; the High Lords of Terra have decided to hear my people out for official membership within the Imperium. I am going in with the full sponsorship of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Inquisition, and the Chartist captains. I am being opposed by the Ecclesiarchy, the Navis Nobilite, and a faction of Space Marines led by the Salamanders."
"It would appear they are still upset by what happened on Tian." Even Nathaniel was still a little upset about that.
"I will make the case for my people, and acknowledge my mistake, they have a right to suspect me and my people, even I was horrified by how callous I had been with my actions, a true human would have felt regret. My people and I went into deep introspection after that incident, with me sharing my experience with my people. We have come to the conclusion that we should not lose ourselves in battle like we used to. It may be more efficient, but it is hardly human."
"You would be surprised, at least you understand enough to know regret for your heartlessness, I would suggest bring up the Marines Malevolent and their attitude, that may lead to the Salamanders taking a second look at you and your people."
"Thank you Nathaniel, now I must be on my way, I have a long trip ahead of me and I am being given passage on a Grand Master Agatha's personal Black Ship, the Gengar."
"Have a safe trip, and may your plan be successful." With that they part ways, and Nathaniel and his entourage walk up to the door and knock.
A large booming voice shouts out, "Come on in, I've been expecting you." They enter to room and find it decorated in the fashion of an Alban clan feasting hall. Master Angus O'Peak of the Ordo Xenos rushes up, wearing his trademark kilt and grabs Nathaniel in a bone crushing bear hug. "It's so good to see you lad, congratulations on your success at New Kyoto and your killing of that Archon from your childhood, though I have had Administratum bureaucrats busting down my door complaining about you giving over that world to the Crimson Sun space marines."
"The planet needed new management, and the space marines needed a new world, and it isn't like they didn't earn a right to that planet."
"Perhaps, but that still won't shut up the Adepts of Terra, I had to threaten a few of them with being executed for obstruction of an Inquisitor if they didn't leave me alone." He turns to Melissa and gives her a bear hug. "You have been growing so much lass, soon enough you will have enough experience to go out on your own."
"Thank you Master Angus, but I won't go off on my own until you and Nathaniel believe I am ready." She is on the verge of being crushed when he finally lets her go and turns to Tsubaki.
"Who is this little lass here?"
"Her name is Tsubaki; she is an orphan I have taken as my second apprentice."
"Wonderful, come here lass, give Uncle Angus a hug." Angus embraces her in one of his fatherly bone breaking bear hugs; Tsubaki is barely able to breathe.
"Angus, you're crushing my young protégé." Nathaniel is genuinely concerned; there were times when Angus forgot his own strength.
Angus lets go of Tsubaki who can finally get a breath of fresh air. "Of course, Melissa why don't you take this young lady to registration, Nathaniel and I have some issues to discuss."
"Of course, come Tsubaki, we need to get this out of the way." With that they leave the room.
"Come on over to my desk Nathaniel, we can have a drink of Alban Whiskey." They walk on over, he pours a glass of Alban Whiskey, and hands it to Nathaniel. As he does this the smile fades from his face. "Nathaniel I got your message about the Tau/Necron alliance, their interference with our colonies, and the move against the Farsight Conclaves. Sadly Segmentum Command has made it quite clear that we are not to waste any of our precious resources on the Tau Empire at this point, they are happy with the Talman Treaty and the Tau threat is not considered that significant for Imperial interference. As for the Horkhesh Dynasty, they aren't causing us any grief so they don't see any reason to launch another disastrous campaign against them."
"What about the Farsight Enclaves?" Nathaniel is quite annoyed at this point.
"The Farsight Enclaves are not our concern, the Ordo Malleus seems to believe that the Dawn Blade is a chaos artifact so they have laid claim to any and all action against Farsight."
"The Dawn Blade is not a chaos artifact, I have done proper research. The Dawn Blade was the personal weapon of Prince Mortek of the Horkhesh Dynasty, it's a Necron artifact and that's why Phaeron Cleandra Wei is cooperating with the Tau, she wants Dawn Blade back, she just doesn't want to be obvious about it. The true power of the legendary Dawn Blade is hard to comprehend and understand, Farsight is nowhere close to harnessing its true power, it almost led to the destruction of her dynasty by the Triarch when they discovered its creation, that's why she is working with the Tau, they're interests cover up her own in the face of her fellow dynasties."
"Can you be sure of this?"
"I am always sure when it comes to my research, I don't make mistakes. I have seen the Dawn Blade and it just screams Necron."
"Regardless, I don't believe it will convince the Ordo Malleus, not even our Ordo Malleus, these Inquisitors are coming from outside of our conclave. Even worse, they have decided to work with the Tau, and now the Necrons to secure their "Chaos Artifact"."
Nathaniel can only let out a low growl at this, outsiders never understood how the Byzantine Conclave operated, and more often than not they only made things worse.
"I also have found out another piece of disturbing information, from a rogue trader friend of mind, info about a Tau/Human hybrid colony. Led by an ethereal who had endured the horrors of Commorragh and her hybrid daughter. The girls Tau name was irrelevant, but it was her human name that really caught my attention. Her name is Sarah Clark, named after the sister of her human father, a Mantanyan boy named Nathaniel." Angus has a dark look on his face as he finishes.
Nathaniel has a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he finishes. "How did the trader learn all of that?"
"The hybrid girl loves to tell the story of the unlikely romance that blossomed between her mother and father; she says that it is a symbol of how the two species can find understanding. She particularly loves to tell how her father sacrificed himself so that she and her mother could escape."
"That is a bold faced lie; Aun'sal raped me and then abandoned me when I refused to go with her to the Tau Empire." Nathaniel's rage is too much and he blurts the truth out, it's only when he is done venting that he realizes his mistake, but Angus just smirks and gestures for him to sit back down.
"I know of what happened in Commorragh, Huian shared the truth with me years ago. Your part in the hybrids birth is unfortunate, but I know it wasn't consensual, and that you are a loyal servant of the Emperor. The problems will begin if this information becomes common knowledge; I have raised you to the rank of Inquisitor Lord, meaning your political enemies will look for any bit of information to discredit you."
Relieved that Angus isn't turning against him, he then asks the most pertinent question. "What will we do to prevent this from becoming common knowledge?"
"So far I am the only member of the Inquisition, who knows this, and I have even killed the trader and his crew to silence them, but sooner or later this colony will become common knowledge. The outrage of that discovery will launch a crusade of terrifying proportions. What we must prevent is the discovery of your connection with the Ethereal and the hybrid girl. I have already sent a message to the Tau telling them that I know of their little secret, and that if they don't want the full might of the Imperium to descend upon them, they better shut that girl up. I promise you, when the time is right you will have my sanction and my blessing to destroy that colony, but now is not the time. What I need you to do now is root out the Tau infiltrators in our territory."
"Thank you Angus, you are a true friend, now if you don't mind I intend to undergo a rejuvenation treatment and think about all that has transpired."
"I have your back lad, we will clean up this mess in due time, I promise you."