Tathe stormed toward Inquisitor Tolbik's tent. His fear had mixed with anger. They coagulated into an emotion he couldn't begin to describe. The mixture of fear and hatred was a familiar friend to him. But never fear and anger. Tathe could feel Adreen studying him as they walked, she as always knew what he was thinking and feeling. He knew what she was too. Adreen was certain that that smug young man was telling the truth. That his words had just proven the misgivings that everyone in the regiment felt toward the agents.
He had wanted to kill that smug young man for saying he was scared. No one had spoken so boldly to him since he was a cadet. But he was right and now was the time for Tathe to face that fear.
Two of the Inquisitor's agents stood guard, the tall one and the male with the curved sword.
"What are you doing here?" said the tall one. "The master did not summon you."
"I need to talk to your master," said Tathe.
"He is...indisposed," said the shorter one and as if on cue Tathe heard a crack! And a cry of pain erupted from the tent.
Tathe clenched his teeth. "What in the Emperor's name is going on in there?"
"That is none of your concern," said the curved swordsman. "Leave."
Tathe steeled himself. "No. Let me in, now."
The agents shared a glance and Tathe had to fight from wincing as another scream came from the tent.
The one with the curved sword tilted his head. "You have spoken to the prisoners."
Tathe frowned.
"No body said you could talk to them," said the tall one.
"No one said I couldn't," said Tathe through clenched teeth.
"We assumed that you would not be so foolish to risk our ire and our working relationship," said the tall one. "That you were logical enough to see it was not a good idea."
Tathe sighed. "Look, I don't know how old you are with your mask and voice modulator. You can be seventeen or a thousand for all I care, but what I have learned over the years is to follow my instincts and I'm sure you can guess with all your logic what my gut screams at me. Why I saw this Attelus Kaltos and his allies and why I..."
Tathe showed the sword. "And why I had my men scout the Sovrithan camp during the distraction."
Both agents seemed taken off guard. "Where did you get that?" said the curved swordsman.
"I believe he answered that in his implication," said the tall one and the condescension in his tone was obvious even through the modulator.
"I need to talk to your leader," repeated Tathe.
The agents looked at each other and Tathe heard the click of an activated vox link. Tathe, Dellenger and Adreen waited for a few seconds before the curved swordsman turned to them and said, "you may see the master, but you and only you, commissar. Take the sword."
Tathe frowned and exchanged glances with Dellenger and Adreen, who both gave nods. He shouldn't have been surprised they would have such limitations.
"Okay," said Tathe as he steeled himself and pushed into the tent.
What caught Tathe attention was the young woman lying on the ground. He knew it was the girl of the trio but her mask was off, revealing a pale face of remarkable beauty. Beauty which was ruined by a swollen, purple visage. Her brown hair was cut to her jaw line with remarkable symmetry.
"Put on your mask," said Tolbik who stood over her, "and get up."
"Yes master," said the young woman, her voice like silk and as beautiful as her. With impressive speed and grace for someone so beaten, she climbed to her feet, picked up her mask. She struggled to slip it back on due to the swelling.
"Get out," said Tolbik. "We will speak more of this later, your punishment is not finished, merely delayed."
"Yes master," said the young woman again and Tathe's heart dropped. Saddened just as much by the modulator masking her voice as her face being hidden. But what hurt him most was the resounding sadness and pain in her large brown eyes.
Tathe shook himself into sanity, as she past him then left the tent.
"What did she do?" said Tathe after a pause, despite knowing that's what Tolbik wanted him to ask.
"Respect."
Tathe fought back a sigh. "What did she do, Inquisitor?"
"She disobeyed me, commissar. For that, I had to punish her. I hear that you have gone behind my back too."
Tathe grimaced and showed Tolbik the sword. "This was in the prisoner's confiscated items at the Sovrithian camp. This-"
"I know what that sword is, commissar," said Tolbik. "I do not think it matters, you are being foolish. I should kill you for this insubordination. Snuff your worthless life out in a second. You know I am more than capable of it. Both physically and I am within my God-Emperor given rights."
"Yes," said Tathe. "But you won't."
Tolbik raised an eyebrow. "And how did you figure that out? Did that worthless boy somehow convince you he could defeat me?"
The Inquisitor laughed, it held no humour it echoed with smug self assuredness. "If you believe him in that regard you are even more idiotic than I gave you credit for. You are a commissar who doesn't even kill his own men. That is the allotment you were given in life and yet do not follow it. Instead you molly coddle them, treat them like equals. What a foolish thing to do."
"He never claimed that," said Tathe through clenched teeth. "You won't kill me or even punish me because you know that despite all your skill and all your influence my men will not take that lying down and they will kill you. Even after you and your agents kill dozens of us, they will keep coming and coming until you dead. That's why."
Tolbik's eyes glazed with rage.
"That 'worthless boy' as you call him said he was your son," said Tathe, seizing the initiative. "That-"
The high pitched whine of a speaker's activation erupted through the air, it eclipsed all other sounds.
It caused Tathe and even Tolbik to wince. Tathe knew about the system of speakers that littered the entire city. Once used by the Ministorum or the city governor like countless cities across the Imperium of Mankind.
Tathe had thought them beyond repair, apparently not.
The incessant whining and screaming went on and on before it finally, briefly turned into static and a voice all too familiar to Tathe echoed.
"This is the general," said Tathe's father. "This is your general, men and woman of Velrosia, Maranger, Galak Heim and Despasia."
Even still the confidence in general Tathe's voice was beyond belief, the strength, the projection was that of a man who had spent decades as a war hero and leader. Delan Tathe had always envied that. As did every other leader of the Elbyran contingent, even colonel Vonlet, the leader of the Velrosian regiment a great leader and tactician of the ages himself, but still overshadowed by Tathe's father.
Vonlet like most of the regiment's upper echelons had been killed when most of the Elbyran contingent followed general Tathe in damnation and joined the ranks of the Resurrected. Why Tathe's father had turned traitor, Tathe had no idea, but for months before they came to Sarkeath Tathe could see that something had been weighing on his father's mind. Something that had got to the implacable general.
"Many of you believe that I am a traitor and a heretic," said general Tathe. "That I have turned my back on the golden throne and the Imperium of Mankind."
There was a pause.
"This is somewhat true, I must admit," said general Tathe. "But-"
"What the hell is this about?" said Hayden, struggling in his bonds.
Attelus didn't answer, too busy listening to the broadcast.
"-But would you really call me a traitor and a heretic when the society I have, we have fought for and died for, for so long is so weak it cannot even defend itself.-"
"That's general Tathe!" said Adelana.
"Yeah, sure as hell sounds like him," said Attelus. "But never be so sure, it could be any one with a voice modulator or someone who's excellent at mimicry."
Like the Mimic, Attelus reminded himself.
"-This society, this Imperium of Mankind is corrupt," said the general. "It is dying. It is upon the cusp of extinction I know this, I have seen this-"
"Heresy!" said one of the guards, a Marangerian male. "The Imperium of Mankind will last forever!"
Attelus frowned, he wanted to tell the guardsman that nothing lasts forever, that what the general claimed was actually true. The Imperium of Mankind was over the Millennia slowly, but surely withering, dying. But wisely held his tongue.
"-The Emperor is nothing but a corpse, a shadow who was and never will be a god. He is a liar and his power is nothing compared to that of the gods-"
"Here we go," said Karmen Kons as she gazed out the window. "The same old spiel of the heretic and traitor trying to qualify themselves, heard it all before."
No one replied as they stood in the makeshift medicae room, they'd been in the midst of talking with the Space Marine, when the broadcast started. It'd taken them off guard, but Sergeant Kalakor had fallen into combat mode. He glanced about with such intensity Karmen couldn't help fear he might attack them.
"-the gods of the warp are our only hope! Our only hope for the survival of the human race is to embrace their power! Their strength will allow us to destroy the xenos encroaching on us!-"
"Foolish words," said Verenth. "Devoting ourselves to the Ruinous Powers would lead to our destruction in only a few short decades."
Karmen nodded. Chaos was a cancer and like a cancer if it was allowed to consume the host, the host would die.
A thought hit Karmen. What would happen to the cancer if the host died? Would the cancer then die too?
"-over generations the Imperium have been brainwashing you! Lying about the dangers of Chaos. I have embraced their power. They have given me their gifts, I command those whom you call the Resurrected. A fitting title.-"
"The Resurrected?" said Helma as she sat up from her cot. "Are they the traitor guardsmen and the cultists we fought earlier?"
No one answered.
"-I am giving you that still claim to be loyal to the false Emperor, even my own traitorous son the opportunity to join me. To join us in the light of the chaos gods, willingly-"
Tolbik and Tathe had stood in silence, listening to the general's rant.
"-you will be granted my favour. If you do not! I will send the Resurrected against you enforce. You will die at their hands, it is inevitable and once you do you will join us as one of the Resurrected! You will fight glorious battle after battle, dying again and again to strengthen you so you may one day leave this world and fight amongst the stars in the name of Khorne!"
The signal cut off.
Tathe couldn't help laugh.
"What is so damned funny, commissar?" snapped Tolbik.
"He didn't even bother to tell us how to do it," said Tathe.