TEN

I had long since exceeded my capacity for dealing with the Inquisition for one week and so I was more than relieved when I saw neither hide nor hair of the Inquisitor or any of his lackeys for the next several days. Rumours of their presence, however, persisted amongst the troopers. The favourite around the mess hall was that Commissar Cain was being tasked by the Inquisition to hunt down a dangerous Eldar witch (or rogue psyker in some variants). Speaking of the Eldar, they became remarkably quiet over the next several days. Occasionally a patrol would return claiming they had seen Eldar scouts lurking amongst the ruins but never any reports real confrontations with them. It was almost as though they decided that we simply weren't worth their time or consideration. For a while I could not decide whether this was a positive change in our fortune or merely the calm before the storm. Recalling what Cain had told me earlier about the probabilities of good fortune on the battlefield and my personal relationship with Lady Luck, I expected the universe suddenly appear with a thunderhammer in hand the moment I dropped my guard. Likewise, Major Broklaw was not going to take any chances either and he used the lull to squeeze in more combat drills and training in anti-Eldar tactics. Even though Cain and I had debriefed the Major on our little conversation with Kael, minus the 'me saving the Eldar' part, Broklaw was not prepared to dismiss the Eldar threat. Plus, there was little extra preparation that the regiment needed in dealing with heretics other than making sure they had a ridiculously excessive stockpile of power cells to deal with them all.

After dodging gunfire, rockets, and a collapsing building, I had no complaints about spending a few days in my little office toiling over a mountain of paperwork that had been redirected to my desk. At first I didn't notice the extra volume and it wasn't until Watz asked why I had spent seven uninterrupted hours at my desk that I began to realize that there was an unusual excess of paperwork than usual. My first instinct proved correct and I was informed that Commissar Cain had been redirecting all his paperwork to my desk. I would have asked Cain why but when I tried to find him, I was informed by his malodorous aide that the Commissar was 'indisposed at the present moment.' I would have no better luck in subsequent attempts as I later received a message from Cain, stating very little other than that he would be 'indisposed for several days,' which I assumed was just a subtle way of saying he had been made the Inquisition's pet. I did not envy Cain and his immense reputation – if being a hero meant having to run errands for the Inquisition then I was more than happy to remain in relative obscurity and I took comfort in that.

It was a nice feeling while it lasted.

I got the impression that Cain's 'recruitment' into the Inquisition's service was as sudden for him as the rest of us. I had to have Spike leave a sign on Cain's office door to redirect all inquiries to me and I spent a good portion of those quiet days explaining Cain's absence. Unfortunately, telling people he's 'indisposed' (we certainly like using that word in the 597th) didn't help quell the constant rumours about him working on behest of the Inquisition on some highly classified, secretive assignment that only a hero of the Imperium could successfully complete. I mean let's face it; if I was given a task by an Inquisitor, everyone would assume that I was desperately needed to take notes or brew a pot of recaf or move furniture. Cain getting a task could only mean it was a difficult, demanding, nearly impossible assignment. A hard man for a hard job.

Cain's departure did have one benefit, however, as it made me the acting Senior Regimental Commissar. It would have meant more if there were any commissars for me to reign over but it did mean that I was now required to have frequent meetings with the regiment's CO to address personnel issues, discipline reports, and all the other little odds and ends that came with being the regiment's morality police. As I said, these meetings were routine between senior commissars and commanding officers but they were usually held only once or twice a week and were as popular with command as the next Black Crusade. Despite repeated insistences that things were to remain professional between us, it was difficult not to look forward to having time to speak with Broklaw away from the prying eyes of the other officers.

And we might have scheduled our meetings during dinner hours…

And had them every other day…

And we usually ran out of 'official business' to discuss within the first ten minutes…

I'm certain even the God-Emperor himself would've rolled his eyes at us.

Of course, that's not to say those meetings were entirely self-serving. We occasionally discussed the Eldar and potential heretics but it was often just wild speculations or Broklaw would recount his previous experiences with the Eldar. His views on the Eldar were exactly what one would expect from a seasoned officer – his first choice of communication with them through the mouth of a lasgun. Despite my trust in the Major, I was reluctant to confide my true thoughts on the Eldar, or more specifically Kael. Mainly out of fear that it would damage his opinion of me. How could I explain that I actually trusted Kael without sounding naive, idiotic or, worse, a blasphemer? He wasn't entirely convinced that the Eldar were the primary threat on Erebus, he was willing to entertain the thought that there might be other forces at work, which is more than most officers. To be fair to the officers of the 597th it was hard to think that the Eldar weren't the main problem when they were the ones who just recently tried to kill your CO.

"I can only fight the enemy that's standing in front of me," Broklaw explained while we were chatting over a pot of tanna. I would have preferred a glass of amasec but even I could recognize that liquor would have been a horrible idea given the situation. "I can't waste resources chasing speculations. If Cain and Inquisitor Vail can drag the heretics out into the light, then I'll be glad to unleash the Emperor's fury upon them but until then I have to focus on the enemy that's actually here…which is odd since it's usually the Eldar that are hiding."

"Whatever they're after, it must really be motivating them," I said, pretending to be indifferent to whoever the focus of our wrath was.

"Their motivation may be running out if the patrol reports are anything to go by."

"Yes…it would be just like them to run off just as quickly as they came running in. But somehow I doubt we'll be that fortunate."

"Clearly they were frightened off by the success of their assassination of the Magos and his administrative staff," Broklaw replied jokingly, prompting a quiet chuckle that made me feel a little bad about laughing over somebody's death.

"Has there been any word about receiving some support from the other provinces?" I inquired.

"The far north has been really quiet," Broklaw said with an indifferent shrug. "The Mordian 33rd Iron Guard is likely going to be redeployed to this location by the week's end. That should hopefully bolster our numbers but they're a light infantry regiment. I'd feel more secure if we had some heavy armour support in case the Eldar deploy more wraithlords."

"Mordians?" I repeated bemused. "That will be interesting to see." I had never had contact with the Iron Guard before and I had heard little about them other than Watz once referring to them as a bunch of 'upper-class twits.' I doubt the average soldier of the Iron Guard was any better off economically than a Kriegan but their parade-style uniforms gave the impression that they were more concerned about their appearance than their efficiency. I dismissed Watz's opinion as his usual cynicism towards anything not of Krieg and was simply grateful that we would soon have extra bodies to plug all the holes in our lines. Still, I had the same concern as Broklaw about our lingering issue of anti-armour capabilities. We had plenty of lascannons and the Mordians would be bringing more with them but lascannons were gun emplacements – ideal for defensive operations but their practicality declined the more mobility the fight demanded. And given the Eldar nature to run and hide, mobile firepower was essential. Alas, the few armoured regiments on the planet were deployed to protect locations that Segmentum Command had deemed to be far more important than our location. Granted, the starport and functioning forges were crucial for restoring function to this world but they did not have giant robots tearing through the walls. In fact, the worst threat facing them were potholes the size of small cars. The brass in charge of planetary operations merely expressed 'their confidence in our ingenuity in overcoming these obstacles and faith that the Emperor would provide' as if happy thoughts alone could break down the energy shields of a grav tank. Wraithlords we could hold against with our lascannons but if Junayd had a fire prism grav tank ready to go we would be in for a world of hurt. Intelligence officers assured us that there was no evidence to suggest the Eldar had any heavy armour deployed but our intelligence officers could stand out on a sunny day and still claim it would rain. I once heard a general officer proudly claim to an audience 'The intelligence community had some of the best minds of the century available to analyze and resolve an issue.' Then immediately added, 'but sadly, not of this century.'

Our pot of tanna was soon running dangerously low, which usually marked the end of our conversation (or at least a convenient moment to call things off before our brains shut off and we lost our better judgment). A young lady can only stare into that man's eyes for so long before her thoughts drifted away from uniforms infractions to how quickly I could get his uniform off. However, before I could send the Major away with all his clothes, a knock came from the door. I figured the Major would be on his way out I was not worried about appearances so I did not think twice to call the person in. When I saw Inquisitor Hakim walk in, however, I was soon wishing I had hid under my desk and pretended I wasn't in.

"Inquisitor Hakim," I said, slightly surprised. "We haven't seen you in a while. I was beginning to think that Inquisitor Vail had locked you up." Really, there are times when my mouth shouldn't do what my brain tells it to do. Talk about going from bad to worse.

I clearly touched a nerve as he frowned for a brief instant before forcing himself to retain his stoic composure. It was like watching a cat that had just been declawed - a once proud animal now rendered harmless. It took a lot of effort not to let a smirk slip out but I managed to keep a straight face. "I imagine that if Vail had it entirely her way I would have been locked up," Hakim replied as calmly as one would report the evening weather, though one could detect a faint hint of bitterness in his voice. "However, she seems to be content with just locking up all of my staff. Due to the security breach, Vail has her people going over my entire staff with an amplivisor to ensure there are no further security risks. A process that will likely take many, many weeks..."

"Sorry to hear that," I replied, mustering all the sincerity that I could fake. I did feel a little bad that N'hila was probably undergoing some intense scrutiny as a result but there was nothing I could do for her. I had hoped that this meant that Hakim would be out of our hair but just because he had no underlings at the moment, doesn't mean that there wasn't a large pool of qualified sycophants standing by. I quickly got the impression that Hakim hadn't come all this way just to relay the good news and it was a fear that was soon realized.

"I'm sure you both are," replied Hakim with total apathy. "Frankly I would rather have nothing to do with any of you but Vail's actions have left me in the uncomfortable position of having to ask for your assistance." I could tell he was trying to be diplomatic (though he was doing a piss-poor job at it) and I was forced to continue pretending that his presence didn't put me on edge. I had managed to avoid the consequences of my reckless compassion but I still felt like I was standing before the guillotine.

"The Imperial Guard is always ready to serve His Majesty's Holy Inquisition," replied Broklaw but the Inquisitor was utterly indifferent to his presence. Alarms began going off in my head when I noticed that Hakim was staring at and speaking to me directly rather than addressing the Major. The Inquisitor had no interest in Broklaw or, as I suspected, the 597th. Indeed, there was a reason that the Inquisitor had come to my office and my office alone.

"I will keep that in mind Major," Hakim replied, glancing to him for a brief instant before focusing his sights on me once again. "As we speak, Inquisitor Vail and Commissar Cain are continuing the investigation following leads that have arisen as a result of the recent events."

"And let me guess, she left you behind without so much as a vox channel to reach her," I speculated with great, concealed amusement. From what I could understand of Inquisitional protocols, Vail didn't have sufficient justification to bar Hakim from continuing his operations on the planet. However, without a team and having been left in the dark meant that it would take forever for him to catch up on his own. Most people would've taken that as a hint to sit back and take a short vacation but Hakim was clearly ignoring the memo. His pride was obviously making the decisions as he didn't strike me as a flag-waving idealist like Heilmit.

"How astute," the Inquisitor murmured, his pride taking another hit as the insult to his honour was practically pinned to his lapel in bright fluorescence letters. "I would have preferred to seek out Commissar Cain but Vail seems to have a monopoly on him...in more ways than one. Cain, however, did speak highly of you Miss Abel. And since you are the foremost expert on the Eldar Kyriese available to me, you are the most logical choice. Will you assist me?" Now remember, an Inquisitor doesn't have to ask for anything. Even the Adeptus Astartes and the Adeptus Mechanicus must yield to the demands of an Inquisitor (though politeness and respect are still advised unless one wants to be tossed out the nearest airlock). As a mere commissar, I had no real choice other than how enthusiastically I agreed to the request.

"Of course, I am ready to serve His Majesty's Inquisition in any capacity," I answered with as much feigned enthusiasm as I could muster.

"Excellent. And you can bring that aide of yours along...Warts or whatever his name is. N'hila said he was competent and dedicated." I imagine Watz would have had a chuckle if he heard how Hakim described him. Watz never considered himself anything more than an opportunistic lay about who only really worked hard to either keep alive or avoid other kinds of work. He was dedicated to me because working as an aide kept him far away from the frontlines and I was one of the only commissars in the galaxy that would put up with his attitude. As far as he was concerned, that alone was worth dying to protect. I, of course, saw things slightly differently - I saw an indispensable aide whose blunt honesty was a welcomed change and whose courage had saved my arse time and time again. I knew if I asked him to, Watz would tag along but he wouldn't like it either and I would not hear the end of it. Still, short of a squad of space marines there were few people I would trust to watch my back.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Inquisitor but wouldn't it be more prudent to pursue the threat posed by the heretics? You are of the Ordo Hereticus after all," I asked in an attempt to garner an idea of what the Inquisitor's plans were...if any at all.

"Indeed you are correct," Hakim nodded. "While the Eldar remain a major concern, I believe it is the heretics who pose the greatest long-term threat to this world." Of course, it wasn't just Hakim who thought this but Inquisitor Vail as well. And while all Orders of the Inquisition were technically equals, there still existed a sort of rivalry between them. I doubt a member of the Ordo Hereticus liked the idea of losing a heretic to a member of the Ordo Xenos.

"Then why do you need me?"

"A precaution. Kyriese is still a player in all this and so long as his motives remain unknown, his actions or potential actions could influence the outcome." Which meant I remained the viable counter to him, though whether Hakim planned to use me as a lure or a shield he did not specify. As expected, Hakim was not prepared to rule out Kael as a major threat despite the Eldar's insistence otherwise. And I was definitely not feeling confident enough to try and argue the point with the Inquisitor. Fortunately, so long as the threat of heretics doesn't lead to a dead-end, then Hakim will remain focused on them.

"So what's our first move?" I asked in order to get an idea of how much work I had to look forward to.

"If it is true that the heretics have managed to maintain a foothold on Erebus despite our efforts then it is likely that there have been details we have overlooked in our pursuit of the Eldar that need to be re-examined," Hakim explained. However, all that he said was a fancy way of saying that he had no goddamn clue where to begin so he was starting over completely. He was definitely determined to say as little as possible. And I didn't want to be lashed to a sinking vessel given how badly this particular captain wanted to go down with it.

Despite the conversation having nothing to do with him, Broklaw had remained in his seat in contemplative silence. His refusal to depart, however, I would quickly be thankful for as he spoke up suddenly. "I just had a thought," Broklaw said, addressed more to me than to the Inquisitor. "According to Kyriese, the Eldar started the war in order to stop the heretics from becoming too powerful. And they did that by provoking a schism in the Adeptus Mechanicus. Now we've been operating on the assumption that the Eldar are now attacking Imperial interests...but what if they are still targeting heretics?"

"Interesting theory Major," I replied, "but one of those giant Eldar robots tried to stomp me flat and they've been blowing up our stuff."

"True but only because we showed up. We've been standing squarely between them and the Adeptus Mechanicus."

"If you have a point, Major, please make it," Hakim insisted with obvious impatience.

"What if the war didn't expose all the heretics? What if some have remained hidden on our side of the battlefield? I mean, how certain are we of the tech-priest around us? The entire Mechanicus could have been corrupt and would have willingly sacrificed half their numbers just to ensure their continued survival. We could be protecting a whole slew of heretics this whole time without realizing it."

"If there had been heretics hidden amongst our numbers we would have noticed," Hakim insisted.

"And how long did that heretic spy remain hidden amongst your own retinue?" Broklaw quickly countered with great efficacy. The Inquisitor fell silent, withdrawing his objection and taking a moment to consider the Major's words.

"Listen, we all assumed that all the heretics showed their true colours when the war broke out but they're ruthless enough to sacrifice their own in order to further their plans," Broklaw continued. "For all we know, Magos Aureus could have been a heretic and that was the reason the Eldar assassinated him. How certain are you of the tech-priests here?"

"I am an Inquisitor - everybody is suspect..."

Now while Hakim had the luxury of operating with the assumption that anyone and everyone was guilty of something, it was hard for the Imperial Guard to operate without some idea as to who were the baddies and who were our allies. We had been operating on the assumption that all the remaining tech-priests were on the side of the Emperor by simple fact that they had won the war. The idea that there were heretics on both sides of the conflict hadn't crossed our minds and until the Major brought it up, we had no reason to think we had been protecting anyone other than Emperor-fearing servants of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Now that the possibility of deception at a grand scale was up for discussion, it did offer a valid explanation for the Eldar's behaviour...though one could say that trying to explain Eldar behaviour in human terms was a fool's errand in itself.

Nonetheless, in light of Broklaw's suggestion, Hakim and I agreed that our best starting point was to speak with the tech-priest in charge to get a better account of the events that led up to the war. Well, I said we should speak with him; Hakim wanted to interrogate him. I managed to convince him otherwise by explaining that a full-scale interrogation would reveal our hand to any heretics in hiding. Our best bet in catching them was to allow the enemy to keep thinking they held the advantage. I was surprised that a logical and well-reasoned argument was so well-received by the Inquisitor. Perhaps Miss Vail had left some sense of cooperation behind like the haze left over from a bombing run. The downside to my brilliant plan, however, was the tech-priest in question.

And to absolutely no surprise, tech-priest Zalanskos was about as thrilled to entertain our questions as a priest would be on taking questions from an ork. Were it not for the assistance of his Administratum aide, Anagyros, we probably would never have found his personal workshop, where he apparently spent most of his hours like some kind of xenophobic mad scientist.

"Oh for Cog's sake! Who in blazes let you two tubers in?" greeted the tech-priest, the epitome of cheerfulness as usual. He stood on the opposite side of a worktable from us with his glowing, beady optics just visible over the dismantled heavy bolter he was working on. The air in his workshop was thick with smoke and fumes and the stench of grease and oil hung like soiled linen on a clothesline, promptly making me grateful that I had my gasmask handy.

"Your secretary let us in," Hakim replied having been barely deterred by the harsh tongue of a cog-boy.

"Of course he would," Zalanskos murmured before adding bitterly, "Have to cooperate with the Inquisition after all. Well what is it that you want?"

Since the Inquisitor had all the diplomatic grace of an unguided missile, I quickly intervened before he ruined any hope of getting useful information out of the tech-priest. If he was a heretic and we provoked it from him, there was no telling what mechanical surprises lay hidden beneath his robes. "We've hit a bit of a brick wall so we're retracing our steps in hopes of finding evidence of Eldar activity we may have overlooked." Being the highest ranking tech-priest available, he would have access to the most information plus I knew how to deal with him despite how irritating he could be. There was always the chance he'd lie straight to our faces but sometimes the lies could be just as telling as the truth.

"So why bother me? If you want info you're better off talking to Anagyros...he's the one who keeps track of most of the shit happening around here," Zalanskos replied.

By the look on Hakim's face, he was seconds from pulling everyone's favourite Inquisitional trump card so I once again decided to cut in to keep things civil. "True...but who wants to spend their time talking to a dull, recaf-slurping Administratum drone who doesn't know his arse from a solenoid?" I explained while trying to sound as flattering as possible. "We need fresh perspective, not somebody reciting after-action reports verbatim. You know...somebody who actually knows what he's doing and not just following the other tech-priests around like electric sheep."

The butter had been sufficiently applied and Zalanskos became a lot more agreeable, at least when I asked the questions. "Oh very well," the tech-priest said reluctantly. "What exactly is it you wish to know Commissar Abel?"

For a brief moment, I was uncertain if I should continue with the questioning. It was Hakim's investigation after all and I did not know which question exactly he wanted answers for. However, when I casted a sideways glance to the Inquisitor he gestured for me to continue. He must've recognized that Zalanskos was more responsive towards me, which was odd since I had always considered myself to be the least charismatic of any group. Perhaps spending so much time around Commissar Cain had caused some of his diplomatic skills to rub off on me. "We suspect that the Eldar played a significant role in instigating the recent civil war," I began. "We were hoping that you could run us through some the details of the events leading up to the war. Figuring out where the Eldar exerted their influence could help us decipher their motives."

"Normally I'd say that's a question better directed at the scrapyard rejects that made the mess in the first place but Aureus was the last of them still kicking around," Zalanskos replied. Despite answering my question with minimal fuss, I noticed that his mechadendrites were still toiling away on the heavy bolter even without his eyes being focus on it. Our whole conversation was interrupted by the occasional high-pitch whirl of his mounted drills and the flashes from his arc welder and laser cutters made it hard for my eyes to stay fixated on the tech-priest. Most people were polite enough to stop their work when engaged in an important discussion but that made the erroneous assumption that tech-priests were like the rest of us. Most that I've met tended to view organic 'analog' conversations as slow and inefficient, thus unworthy of their full attention if there were other pressing matters at hand. Few exemplified that viewpoint like Zalanskos.

"All the ruling Magi at the time are dead?" I asked for clarification. I would not have been surprised if most had been killed but for the entire senior ruling body of tech-priests to have been replaced in such a short time had worrying implications. Hasty promotions in order to fill vacuums in the command structure has a notorious reputation for putting people in charge who would normally not be considered fit to lead a parade. Once again, Zalanskos provided a prime example as he seemed completely uninterested in the responsibilities that came with such authority.

"Those that had turned away from the Emperor had been given their punishment as required by Imperial law," Hakim answered. "Those not killed in the fighting, I hunted down personally."

"I guess it's too much to hope for that you kept a few of them alive enough to talk?" I asked rhetorically.

"If I had thought there to be anything worth hearing from them, I would have," he explained in quick defence. I suspected that the Inquisitor simply didn't care in his overzealous enthusiasm to purge every heretic within a quarter-mile radius. "Besides, it is unlikely that they would have realized who their true masters had been." The last part rang true for both the Eldar and the Ruinous Powers. The heretical tech-priests would probably have answered 'Merari' anyways since that had been the answer from every other heretic questioned.

"Of the twenty-two Magi forming the ruling council, only eight remained faithful to the true will of the Omnissiah," Zalanskos added. "Frankly, I think The Inquisition should've executed the whole lot of them. Of the remaining faithful, only three survived to the war's end. As you know, Aureus was killed by the Eldar and the other two were killed in accidents during recovery operations...which, now that I think about it, probably weren't accidents."

"Sounds like somebody was cleaning house," I remarked. Now it could have been the Eldar attempting to hide the evidence of their manipulations but I suspected that it had more to do with their current strategies. If there was still heresy within the tech-priests, then the Eldar could have been attempting to remove the corrupted influence. Of course, there was absolutely no evidence of what their ultimate goal was and I could have spent all day writing a dissertation on the subject.

"Kyriese said the heretics were deliberately interfering with his ability to foresee the future. The Eldar could be attempting to disrupt the heretic's command structure but have no idea who specifically to target," I whispered to Hakim when the tech-priest was momentarily distracted by his work.

"If that's true, then it would explain why they need the Imperial Guard to remain focused on the Eldar," Hakim agreed with a nod.

"Focus on who?" Zalanskos spoke up, clearly having caught Hakim's last few words.

"He said it was important for the Guard to focus on protecting the major figures of the forgeworld's operation since that's what the Eldar seem to be focusing on," I quickly replied. I probably said more than what was needed but my over-embellishment proved to be most fortuitous.

"Heh, maybe this Eldar nonsense is what's got Mr. Sinstre so spooked," he commented with a slight chuckle.

It was likely just an aside but since I only heard half of what was said due to another high-pitch whir, I had to inquire, "I'm sorry...who?"

"Evandar Sinstre, last of the so-called 'nobles' of Erebus," Zalanskos explained, briefly using his mechadendrites to make an air quote gesture to signify what he thought of the title. "He's a sleazy bald-headed merchant who made his fortune in commercial shipping. Whole slew of these money-worshipping meatsacks came in after a failed Ork invasion back in M32, invested in reconstruction efforts, set up trade routes, and have basically entrenched themselves into the political landscape ever since. The fighting during the invasion left the forgeworld in almost as much of a mess as you guys have. Their money and fleets helped speed up the reconstruction by centuries...but there was a catch to their 'help.' Now, nothing leaves this planet except on one of their cargo vessels. It's been a love-hate relationship ever since. They rarely saw eye-to-optic with the Magi but Erebus wouldn't be where it is today were it not for their assistance. Hell, a part of the reason the Magi council got its tendrils in such a twist was because those sycophants wanted greater control over what was produced on Erebus. They said 'the demands should dictate the supply.' Aureus and his supporters were adamant that only the will of the Machine God can dictate the course of a forgeworld."

"They started a war over that?" I replied.

"Not just that - there was a number of other issues involving economics, tithes, production schedules, forge access, and compensations. Overall, though, the merchant-nobles wanted more control and they had enough magi in their pockets to get it," Hakim explained to me. I had hoped for something a little more interesting but sometimes wars broke out over the dullest of reasons. I wondered for a moment how a disagreement over policies could end up with a war but then I reminded myself that the Eldar were involved and that they likely poked the situation with a giant, hornet-covered stick. "I don't recall seeing that name coming up in my investigations though."

"That's because he was the only one of them smart enough to run the hell away. He was arguing alongside all the other nobles but suddenly changed his mind at the last second and sided with Aureus. When the bolts started flying, he made sure all his assets were well out of harm's way. When the Imperial Navy showed up, they made slag out of all the private fleets belonging to the other nobles, leaving Sinstre the only man with money and ships...so you can guess who's going to profit the most once Erebus is back up and running. Or at least he would if he would respond to our messages...haven't been able to get a hold of the bastard for weeks, which is strange considering how much he likes to hear himself talk." The more Zalanskos described the man, the more suspicious he became. Why would a man who was likely as obsessed with wealth as any other noble suddenly change colours and clear out? Noblemen, self-proclaimed or otherwise, were about as likely to change their position on something as a seawall, at least not without outside influence. Perhaps an influence that had the ability to foresee what was to come. This Evandar Sinstre had quickly become a person of interest and judging by the contemplative stare on Hakim's face, he had reached a similar conclusion.

"Well, perhaps I will send a few troops to see if we can find him and offer some protection," I replied in order to keep up the pretence that we were concerned for the man's safety. "Hopefully his absence isn't because the Eldar found him first."

"Indeed...as much as I hate everything the man stands for, Erebus will be in a bind if he's dead," Zalanskos replied with a mixture of reluctance and contempt. "Well, if you find the bastard, tell him to contact my secretary...frakking weasel won't stop pestering me about it."

"We'll be sure to pass on your regards," Hakim said. "I believe we have all the information we need. Thank you for your assistance tech-priest."

"Yeah yeah, when the time comes just don't say I didn't help," Zalanskos said dismissively with a wave of one of his free mechadendrites. The Inquisitor and I turned to leave but just as we reached the exit, the noise in the room suddenly fell silent. "Wait a second!" shouted the tech-priest before ushering us to return to his worktable. "I almost forgot, I was going through some records the other day and I found out that 'Hounds of Erebus' reference you asked about earlier. I was going to send a message to that Major fellow but since you're here you can pass it along."

"So what are the Hounds of Erebus?" I asked.

"It is an old nickname belonging to the Legio Infernus of the Adeptus Mechanicus Collegia Titanica" he answered with a hint of pride.

"Erebus has a Titans legion?"

"Of course we have one!" Zalanskos snapped back. "Every self-respecting forgeworld has one. That particular name hasn't been used in a long time but then again I don't really follow the chest-thumping that goes on between the legions. Needless to say, they are a force to be reckoned with."

"And where is the Legion now?" I asked with growing concern. Anything to do involving Eldar, Chaos, and titans was not going to be a small-scale affair. The possibilities were terrifying to think about and it served as good motivation to do something while all players were still people-sized.

Unfortunately, Zalanskos shrugged his shoulder and many mechadendrites. "Somewhere near the Eye of Terror I presume. They were supposed to be returning to Erebus for overhauls and repairs in the near future so hopefully we'll have enough of our facilities up and running again to get the job done. So please make sure you and those damn xenos don't blow up any more of our stuff, okay?"

"I will do whatever is necessary to serve the Emperor's will," Hakim said, dismissing the tech-priests concern as we headed out. Of course he didn't care about collateral damage; he didn't have orders from Segmentum Command stating that the production capacity of the forgeworld was to be protected at all costs. And he most certainly wouldn't be among those stuck listening to some neck-bearded old general give a scolding lecture when Erebus was reduced to rubble, followed by a round of summary executions for good measure (and 'the Inquisitor did it' is never a valid excuse). Perhaps, though, I was being too selfish with my possibly heretical desire to not being executed and I reminded myself that the Inquisition had to take into account an even larger picture that a commissar. If destroying a forgeworld and depriving an entire sector of eighty percent of its industrial production was needed to deprive the Ruinous Powers of their prize, then who would suggest otherwise? Aside from the hundreds of billions of lives that would suffer as a result. I wondered how anyone could make such decisions and still keep going the next morning. Alas, that would be a question that would plague my life years in later years.

"Well, I'd say that was enlightening," I remarked once Hakim and I were alone in the hall. "Do you think the Legio Infernus is the heretic's intended target?"

"The corruption of an entire titan legion would be a considerable prize for any heretical cur seeking to curry favour from the Dark Gods," Hakim confirmed. "But I can prevent that with a single message...so, no...this can't be the only goal of theirs. We must press on and find this Evandar Sinstre."

"He certainly has been having a lot of luck for someone living on a planet that is routinely getting the short end of the stick," I remarked. "Shall we go see what his good luck charm is?"

"I will need to make some calls in order to find the man's whereabouts. Meet me back at the regimental HQ's motor pool in two hours."

Despite my negative feelings towards Inquisitor Hakim, I will admit that the man got things done. Two hours later, as promised, Hakim was at the motor pool ready to head out with a destination ready. Without any staff, I had to provide the muscle in case of an emergency so Heilmit and Watz joined our little outing. I kept the numbers small since I didn't want to announce our arrival with a parade of noisy chimeras just in case we found more heretics with rocket launchers. As we loaded into the centaur, Hakim briefed us on our destination. The aforementioned calls he made were to planet's office of the Adeptus Arbites...or what was left of it after it had been hit by a 'Sweet Suzie,' the affectionate nickname of the twenty tonne bomb that was dropped through the skylight. Alas, the navy had no spare flower bouquets that said 'sorry I blew up your lobby' as those were reserved solely for nobles and high-level Adminstratum officials.

Despite missing half of their headquarters, the Adeptus Arbites were still able to provide some information on our man. As it turned out, the Arbites had files on all the wealthy merchants on Erebus. Apparently they operated on the mentality that there was no such thing as an honest merchant. Then again who wouldn't be concerned when all commercial traffic was controlled by a bunch of greedy merchant families with egos that were only outmatched by the size of the bank accounts? Firstly, the information provided confirmed what Zalanskos had said about the merchant. Evandar Sinstre stood to become one of the wealthiest men in the sector thanks to the Imperial Navy scuttling all his competitors. What survived of the competition he bought up at discount. He had controlling interests in most of the remaining starports and would likely finance the construction of new yards in the years ahead. But for such a prominent figure, he was hard to keep track of. But who could keep track of one greedy son of a bitch on a planet of billions with enough underground tunnels to build a bridge back to Holy Terra. Most of his residence was fortunate to have avoided being reduced to a pile of rubble but if he had been sitting comfortably in his den sipping on a glass of amasec then we wouldn't have had to ask the Adeptus Arbites for assistance.

Instead, they directed us to a location that was supposedly a former hotspot for him and other wealthy nobles with too much money and too much free time on their hands. It was a bar or a club of some sort with a name that doubled as slang for a woman's nether regions. In short, it was the kind of place that I would execute soldiers for even considering stepping through its doors and I took some pleasure when I saw the crater that used to be the front door. Also, Evandar was a co-owner of the place so it could have some clues as to other hideaways of his.

"If this building so much as quivers, I'm leaving," Watz remarked after he parked the centaur.

"This is the courage and stalwart dedication of the Imperial Guard?" Hakim remarked, making no attempt to conceal his disdain for the Guard.

"Corporal Watz's bravery and loyalty are without question," I hastily defended. "If I ordered him to shoot you, he would do so without hesitation."

"Who says you'd need to order me?" Watz added before hopping out of the vehicle. Short of a space marine, I don't think I have ever met a man who has engaged in a shouting match with an ork nob...and won (bolters scream louder). Hakim didn't look impressed but he didn't say anything as we headed for the club ruins. Much to our collective relief, the building looked to be structurally sound. The club was nestled between some large hab-spires, inconspicuous unless you knew what you were looking for and the only indication of its existence, a simple old metal sign, laid in pieces at my feet.

"Cesspools like these are breeding grounds for heretical cults," Hakim said as he kicked away a charred metal 'c' left over from the sign. "They attract the idle, the discontent, the feeble, and the weak-willed. They pose as harmless ways to vent frustrations or find new pleasures...slowly twisting and corrupting their desires until they have been brought completely to the sway of heresy."

"Let's hope Evandar was dumb enough to leave a forwarding address," I said with a growing sense of enthusiasm. "Watz, Heilmit...it'll be tight down there so be ready for CQC."

"Ahhh...I love those words," Heilmit said excitedly, grabbing his shotgun from the back of the centaur. Unlike all the xenos we had to face, heretics were an opponent that we could take fairly easily in a close-quarters fight. Tack on Kriegan hatred for all things heretical and a fight inside the tight confines of a building against heretics was our idea of a great night out. It was a good thing we came prepared because we weren't going to be disappointed.

I just wish I had brought more people.