"What do you know about this Grey Knight?" asked Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos's to his escorting Terminator guard as they passed through a metal doorway and into a fully sized docking bay aboard the Litany of Fury. This Terminator, Vudrus, had served his Chapter Master for the better part of a decade and was considered not only a capable shield when his Master was confronted in battle, but also a rather notable scholar. The later attribute was what pleased Gabriel Angelos's pragmatism.
Steamy mists was descending from several pipes as the chambers oxygenation cycle completed its rotation creating a fog against the perfectly silver Grey Knight Valkyerie as it sat within the docking bay of his Battle Barge. The Chapter Master watched in anticipation as the metallic hatch at the rear of the aircraft opened with a hydraulic whine. Two eyes, both a mystic blue color, greeted him from within the aircrafts transportation hold.
"He's supposedly a former Ultramarine, an odd pysker found by the Inquisition a while back during an Ork Incursion upon a forge world. As to his former rank or name, those records have long since been sealed and the Grey Knights are refusing to give us any pertinent details. They did say; however, that you would remember him from The Battle of Erebus.
"Erebus Secundus was a long time ago…" said Angelos as he smiled and nodded in approval while reflecting fondly upon his memories of combating some Eldar pirates.
His escorting Terminator snapped to rigid attention as the Grey Knight started to step forward from the Valkyrie. "There is more my lord," he continued as their guest slowly approached from within the shadows, "They say that he is a Passive Blank and a skilled Biomancer. Apparently, he's been using his latent pysker abilities as a Battle Brother for many years without being detected or without knowing of his abilities."
"A Passive Blank?" asked Chapter Master Angelos, genuinely surprised and apprehensive, "Do those really exist? How can one possess yet not possess a soul? Better yet, how could one be unaware that they possessed such a power, and more to the point never be detected by a Chapters' Librarian?"
The Terminator continued to stand at attention as the armored silhouette of the Grey Knight started to emerge from the Valkyrie's darkness, "He is a Passive Blank, his power prior to training never manifested as a constant. Rather than, his power only manifested when his life was put into direct and unavoidable danger at the hands of Pysker energies. As a Battle Brother, his life was always in danger, but only when he was confronted with the surely certain corruption of Chaos did his powers fully manifest. Thus, he remained undetected by the Ultramarine Librarians until a fateful operation where the taint of Chaos threatened him specifically and directly."
"Still… this is odd. The Ultramarines are just like the Blood Ravens when it comes to potential taint by Chaos. They handle things like this internally. How and why did the Grey Knights obtain him?"
"He was betrayed," said the Grey Knight flatly, "And the Inquisition abducted him. Later when he was acquitted of heresy and due to his abilities as a Passive Blank, he was then inducted into the Grey Knights."
"So he doesn't remember anything of his past?" asked Angelos with a hint of pity.
"No, he remembers everything. The Grey Knights did not attempt to erase his memories out of fear of altering his latent abilities as a Passive Blank. For the most part, a Pysker would have had his memories erased, but Blanks are totally different. Their abilities are dependent upon their minds maintained isolation. There are cases where Blanks have even been infiltrated telepathically by Pysker Mirrors, only to lose their capabilities."
"Really? I've never heard of this?" said Angelos, turning briefly to face his Terminator escort.
"I did some brief research into the matter. The Grey Knight known as the 'Blade Breaker' actually managed to alter a Blanks capability after successfully infiltrating the Blanks mind. Thus, we know that they can be corrupted by Mirrors, but such events are extremely rare. Still, the Grey Knights were not willing to risk losing a valuable anomaly like a Passive Blank by deleting his memories."
"I can see the benefits here," said Angelos, nodding in approval, "As a Passive Blank he is undetectable by the Warp Spawn and can interact with the Warp freely whenever he so desires. He has literally the best of both worlds by possessing the capability to activate or deactivate his powers as he so chooses. For an Eldar Farseer or foul Warp Demon, he is the worst possible foe, an undetectable anomaly that changes everything he comes into contact with without any warning whatsoever. He is invisible until he chooses to be seen… such a thing… such a creature… would be very dangerous… if it wasn't an Astardas."
Gabriel watched as the Grey Knight started to walk forwards, his metallically colored power armor clanking with each boot step down the disembarkation ramp. This Knight, his armor shone brightly within the Battle Barges hold, but there was something else… something… strange about him. His presence gave off a very familiar feeling and not the typical unsettling feeling like that of a normal Blank.
"Brother?" asked the Chapter Master, smiling, extending his gauntleted hand.
"Hello Chapter Master, it has been a very long time… I trust that the Second Company fares well… my absence has been… unfortunate." replied the Grey Knight with a hint of personal familiarity.
Gabriel went pale as he shook the Grey Knights open hand, both Brothers bracing themselves at their wrists. That voice, it couldn't be, but it was… The Chapter Master didn't know what to say. He was literally incapable of speech as this… ghost… stood before him.
"You…" he finally managed, "You are suppose to be dead. They even erected a statue on Macragge."
The Grey Knight released a slight chuckle, "You will find that many things are not always so simple, as black and white, as they might always appear." The two Battle Brothers reflected upon those words with Gabriel Angelos slowly adorning a slight smile across his lips.
"I can't tell anyone about this can I?" asked the Chapter Master.
The Grey Knight, still with his helmet upon his head, motioned towards the cargo bays' doors, "I am afraid not old friend. This meeting, my real identity, all of it must remain a secret for the time being. But, before I start testing this demon…"
Angelos watched as several blue robed pyskers started to descend the disembarkation ramp right behind the Grey Knight. They moved in single file, a perfect straight line, towards the holds door. Neither the Chapter Master nor his escorting Terminator bothered to stop them. This was because they had already been informed of the specifics of the test that they were about to perform upon the demon in their custody.
"… I need to inform you of something important," continued the Grey Knight, regaining Gabriels full attention, "The Inquisition is not so much interested in Rin as they are interested in the direction that her investigation might potentially take her. They believe that she plans to investigate the Ultramarines, who have since been tipped off about such a possibility. Thus my former Chapter has decided to install a spy into her ranks."
"A spy?" asked Angelos with a raised eyebrow, "You mean her escorting Ultramarine? I was wondering about that. It seemed… uncharacteristic…. for your former Chapter to offer aid to a Xeno like that?"
"The aid was illusionary, even though under certain rare circumstances the Ultramarines have offered limited contact with Xenos. But, regarding this decision, it was made by Chapter Master Marneus Calgar upon being informed of Brother Leom's open invitation to transport her. As you likely surmised, the decision to transport a Xeno of any type aboard one of our battle barges is not a decision to be made lightly. Calgar was informed of the request and approved it. He anticipated that this sword matron would eventually cause some sort of trouble there go allowing him to install Leom as a potential spy."
Angelos scoffed at such faulty logic, "Even if I was to accept that Calgar approved her transport, where he assumed that she would cause some sort of trouble, why was it necessary to disgrace Brother Leom? Furthermore, the Ultramarines are not known for their espionage capabilities even in the slightest."
"Leom is unaware of his Chapter Master's plans to use him as a spy. The Ultramarines are not the Raven Guard; they do not posses any sort of dogmatic approach to espionage. Thus, they decided to approach this opportunity differently. Ultramarines have a well deserved reputation for being predictable opponents due to their heavily regimented approach to the Codex Astardas. Thus, they manufactured a situation where they could create a spy without first making him a spy. Leom was first to join Rin's crew as token aid, now he will do so as an outcast. Whereas earlier he would have been a potential spy, now he is a disgraced Astardas. This… slight against his honor… is meant to make him more trustworthy to an Inquisitor who is collecting a crew of borderline heretics. I am here to test a demon after all."
Chatper Master Angelos was taken aback by this revelation. The logic was strange… but in a way also brilliant. Chapter Master Calgar of the Ultramarines was sending in an infiltrator disguised as a disgraced Astardas because he deducted, probably correctly, that Rin would trust him more than if he was still an Ultramarine with his honor intact. Since Leom was unaware of this, he could be activated as a spy later on where the Ultramarines could then obtain information into what or why they were being investigated."
"Why so much effort to undermine Rins investigation?" asked Angelos.
"They are not undermining her investigation…" said the Grey Knight with a hint of pride, "They merely want to know the 'why.' The Ultramarines pride themselves on dutiful perfection, so for them to be investigated, it seems… like either an insult or a sudden realization towards a sudden undiscovered introspective error. In all probability Chapter Master Calgar is more interested in correcting an error if one has been made more than covering up such an error. For the Ultramarines, personal honor is at stake here…"
"So they would sabotage one of their own and force him to undergo a Blood Oath in order to satiate their curiosity?"
"There will be no Blood Oath. Chapter Master Calgar may be planning to use Brother Leom as a spy, but he is not so cruel as to enact a Blood Oath upon a fellow Ultramarine for something that was planned by himself. Instead, Brother Leom will become a… exile/token to Inquisitor Rin. His punishment for allowing a foul Xeno to disgrace his Company will be to venture forth without his Battle Brothers with this Inquisitor. For an Ultramarine… such a fate is… harsh."
"I see… well… what happens if Eldar does not create a 'situation' that would allow for Leoms disgrace? Will the Ultramarines instead fabricate one?"
"No, this is a gambit. And, as a gambit… it has already paid off. She challenged Captain Cato Sicarius to a duel as means of entertainment."
"How badly did he beat her?" asked Chapter Master Angelos with a hint of amusement.
"He…" stalled the Grey Knight, "Lost. And since this Eldar, Surtr, was Leom's responsibility, the Captains disgrace became his subordinates. Thus, Leom is now in exile from his Company and will be arriving with this Eldar shortly."
Gabriel Angelos blinked several times as he processed this information. Captain Cato Sicarius losing… to a foul Eldar Sword Matron, "If you don't mind me asking… how did he lose?"
The Grey Knight nodded and motioned towards the holds doors. Understanding the motion, he, the Terminator escort, and Chapter Master Angelos started to move in unison towards the holds exit, "This Eldar is not normal. She is well over 50,000 years old and does not possess a Spirit Stone. Thus, she will also need 'testing.'"
"You intend to duel her?" asked Gabriel.
"Yes," stated the Grey Knight with a hint of anticipation, "Because... of all her possible opponents... I will give her the most trouble."