Disclaimer: I don't own Warhammer 40k or Puella Magi Madoka Magica
It was not easy for Madoka to remain quiet. Throughout the telling of Mami's past she physically had to fight the urge to speak out. The effort required to process the condensed narrative of her experience with the girl, Charlotte, lay like a brick in her throat.
When, finally, her speech was finished, silence crept in between them. The Inquisitor had her eyes closed, head tilted down with a tired air, as if bringing up her story was draining to the point of being exhausting, though no signs of grief, anger, or other emotional responses were present on her face.
When the impasse had gone on for long enough, Mami let out a small breath before turning to look her in the eye.
"Tell me something, Madoka." She prompted, her voice solemn. "Do you know why I shared this story with you now? Why I brought this up, and what relation it has to your own situation?"
She wanted to speak up. To say something profound and insightful about the exchange that she could interpret, but words failed her. She knew the base reason. Showing the dangers of Chaos, and how quickly things could turn on their heads, but she also knew that wasn't what Mami wanted out of her question.
So she remained silent, casting her eyes to the floor with a touch of shame as she clenched her hands in her lap.
"It is not simply to frighten you." The Inquisitor explained, seeing that no answer was coming. "I take no pleasure in recalling these events, and I don't believe you need any further reminder that these forces are dangerous.
"The reason I told you this was so that you might learn from my mistakes. Chaos is a seductive and terrible force. It will deceive you with everything you could ever hope for, all while letting you believe your motives are pure. Bebe never thought what she was doing was evil. Until the end, I never thought it was either. As far as she could see, she was building a future for the both of us that was promised to her by a higher power. By the time I was there to deny the promises of sin, she was too far down the path to care anymore.
"This is why I need you to understand. You say that Homura is fighting for you, I can see it even now in your eyes. You may believe it. She may believe it herself. But I can tell you with the utmost certainty, that she is not. The game she plays is one that innumerable people, young and old, weak and powerful, mortal and immortal, have all lost themselves pursuing, each believing they controlled their own fates.
"The beings she gambles with are not human. They are the very manifestation of evil given form by the impossible power of the Warp. They are Gods. Foul, blasphemous, murderous Gods, but Gods all the same. Against them, individual mortals are little more than pawns to be played and discarded when they are no longer entertaining. I have seen great men, devout and holy followers whose eyes burned with pious belief in the God Emperor fall to the whispers of Chaos many times over. I have had to kill countless faithful Imperials for the crime of simply being too close to the corrupting power of the Warp.
"This is not a matter of will, Madoka. You do not infiltrate the ranks of Chaos. It infiltrates you. A single moment of allowance can damn entire star systems to a fate infinitely worse than death. I understand your faith in Homura Akemi, and your desire to see her in a positive light, but whether she truly wishes to help you or not, this isn't a battle she can hope to win. It is an impossible fight against impossible foes."
There wasn't any response that Madoka could have made to that. No counterargument which she could rightly express. To even attempt it would be madness, because she did understand. Perhaps not in the same depth that Mami wanted her to, but she knew full well that these insidious powers Homura was using could only end in tragedy. But, instead of simply falling into quiet acceptance, she did something that surprised even herself.
She smiled.
Just a quick upturn at the edges of her mouth, faltering, but present. The sight must have looked quite unfitting to Mami across from her, because the blonde appeared almost affronted by her reaction.
"I get what you're saying." Madoka said before a misunderstanding could take place. "It's just… this is so familiar to me. I want to thank you, because I think you've cleared things up in a way that I wasn't able to see before."
The tension between her mentor and the Time Magi. Homura making a deal with the devil to face down an impossible foe. A fight with absolutely no hope of victory. Everything she knew and loved hanging in the balance. It was all coming around again. In some grand cosmic joke of an opera, her final days were repeating even here, in a galaxy so devoid of light.
And when faced with such total, overwhelming, darkness, all she could do was smile.
She couldn't rightly say what it was she'd been thinking in that moment, but something of it must have stuck out to Mami, because instead of the stern reprimand she was expecting, the blonde simply closed her mouth with a quiet look. She examined the girl for several long moments before shutting her eyes with a small sigh.
"What am I going to do with you, Madoka?" She questioned.
"The same thing you've been doing, I think." The younger girl replied. "You're going to help me, so I can help you stop Walpurgisnacht."
It seemed like such a simple statement. So terribly unfitting given all they'd been made to endure so far in this constant battle for survival. Yet it still held some odd sense of rightness that she couldn't deny. It was a strange feeling. A sort of lightness that had no right to be there, and yet, here it was. She couldn't say how or why, but suddenly, things didn't seem quite so complicated anymore.
Maybe she had just lost what was left of her sanity. By this point in time, she was prepared to accept that possibility.
Mami wasn't particularly amused.
"You realize what strain this 'plan' for the future puts on me, don't you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I am no longer in charge of this operation anymore. Lord Inquisitor Octavian outranks me, and the warriors who come with him don't answer to either of us. Things are not going to be as easily passable as they've been, and the fact that you've been into direct contact with a Chaos entity will only make things worse.
Speaking of which…"
With one flowing motion, Mami rose to her feet, sweeping her arms wide to stretch after having been seated for so long.
"You'll need to come with me right now." She said, holding out a hand to Madoka. "We need to have you examined. Honestly, I should have had you checked over as soon as you said that you'd been near Chaos at all for your own safety."
"Um… examined by who?" She asked tentatively, taking the offered grip and stepping up.
"By who, you ask?" Mami questioned back. "By the most skilled force at repelling Chaos in all its forms."
"We're going to ask a favor of the Ordo Malleus."
Kyoko was pissed.
Very, very, pissed.
So pissed, that the word pissed didn't even do it justice, but since she was too busy being pissed to actually think of a better way to describe it, pissed would have to do.
Her hands were clenched at her sides, and her lips drawn back in a snarl that would have made the sons of Fenris proud. Her body was trembling with barely controlled rage so hot that those nearby would later swear that they had felt the sweltering waves of her anger cooking them in their suits. None of them dared to get close for the superstitious fear of bursting into flames, and the much more practical fear of receiving a fatal case of boot-to-groin diplomacy.
None, that was, except for one.
"Geeze. I never thought I'd see the followers of the Omnissiah looking excited over something." Sayaka remarked, causing Kyoko's blood to boil even further. "They look like Orks in the middle of a heavily guarded armory."
Her descriptions weren't far off the mark, as the normally steely soldiers of the Mechanicus had been reduced to a state that could almost be described as youthful glee. Almost. They were still oversized metal-augmented veteran soldiers after all.
For Kyoko, it was anything but a joyous sight. In the massive open lot that had been cleared out for Ophelia, she could do little more than sit on the sidelines and watch in horrified outrage as the red-robed warriors pounced on their obvious opportunity.
The Knight was wounded. Badly. Far too badly for Kyoko to patch up on her own as she normally did. With battle looming in the near future, she needed Ophelia repaired into some semblance of working order as soon as possible, and that hundred-times-damned Magos had taken to the job like a pack of Tyranids to an overcrowded Grox ranch.
Bastard hadn't even stopped to get himself repaired before he was on her back. Neither had his boys for that matter. Two of them had already collapsed from blood loss, or whatever the feck it was they had instead of blood, and they were still refusing to break for medical treatment. Kyoko would have thought it was a hilarious show, if it weren't for the fact that they were operating on her Knight.
"So. How long do you plan on sitting here glaring at them?" Sayaka asked, poking her in the side. "Because I don't think you're likely to distract them. I don't think even an orbital bombardment would do that."
Again, she was right, not that the Freeblade would ever let her know that. But pride was a fickle creature, and hers was demanding that she make every effort to convey just how very, utterly, indescribably, unhappy she was about this whole situation.
"I hear that some of the Guardsmen have been handing out recaf over by the temple." The Harlequin prodded further, not deterred by the fact that she was getting the cold shoulder. "You want some? Mon-Keigh like that kind of thing, right? I mean, it's bitter, tasteless, and likes to kick people in the mouth. You're practically identical."
Slowly, like a battle cannon shifting into position, Kyoko tore her gaze away from the horrific sight of her Knight being molested by red-robed fanatics to spare a withering glare at the girl beside her.
"…So is that a yes…?" She ventured.
"Read. The. Mood." The pilot hissed through clenched teeth, jabbing each syllable with a venomous tone. "As in, I'm. Not. In. It."
"Oh come off it." Sayaka replied, shaking her head and gesturing out at the display before them. "They're fixing her. If anything, you should be grateful. It's not like they're kidnapping your ride."
She couldn't argue that, which only made her all the more infuriated. Despite everything, the assorted Skitarii and Techpriests were going to great lengths to ensure that the Knight was repaired with the absolute minimal alteration made to her basic frame and workings. Uzzaiel himself was even going over time-lapsed pict recordings of the spot-welds and comparing them to those of Ophelia from prior recordings to ensure that everything was as close to the original state as it could possibly be.
But that wasn't the point. The point was that someone else was tampering with Ophelia's inner workings. She was the only one who was supposed to do that.
"Piss off." Kyoko growled, earning her an annoyed noise from Sayaka.
"You know, there's two other words I've been waiting to hear from you." She said, choosing to ignore the redhead's bitter mood. "Ones that might, oh, I don't know, have something to do with the gratitude you should feel, seeing how a certain someone might have helped you keep that Knight standing in the first place. You have anything like that…?"
"Die." Kyoko answered.
"…That's only one-"
"Slowly." She added.
Sayaka just sighed in disappointment, laying back on the ground as the din of mechanical whirring and welding swirled in the air around them. It was difficult to pretend that the bumpy asphalt was anything resembling comfortable, especially given that she couldn't hide behind her mask's impassive front until she got a new one, but she made do.
"How many?"
The question was so unexpected that it took several moments for her to realize it had been spoken at all. When she did, she sat back up with a start and asked "How many what?"
"Tanks. Troops. Heavy hitters. All that shit." Kyoko offered by way of explanation. "I've heard there's a whole fecking Warhost here to 'reinforce' us courtesy of your Craftworld pals, but that don't tell me much about what they're bringing. How much actual help can we be expecting?"
Sayaka merely shrugged.
"Don't know." She answered honestly. "I'm not familiar with the makeup of Yme-Loc's military forces beyond their reputation for Titans and super-heavy tanks. Why? Are you hoping they'll be doing the heavy lifting in the next battle, or are you worried someone might steal your spotlight?"
Kyoko snorted derisively at the remark, giving her a look of disbelief.
"Yeah, sure." She goaded. "I'm real scared of some pansy-ass pointy eared fecker with their brightly colored paper armor making me look bad on the battlefield. That's it all right."
Sayaka just shook her head with a knowing smile, lapsing into silence for a moment and regarding the Freeblade from the corner of her eye.
"I wouldn't put too much weight on their support." She said finally, her tone turning more serious. "Recent years have been hard on them from what I've heard, much of it courtesy of the Imperium themselves. I doubt they're pleased to be here. Their forces should have power, but they won't have the numbers to back it up, even by our standards."
"Feck me, I'll take it over going alone." Kyoko sighed. "Ain't even started taking on the big bad directly, and we've already been punched in the throat. Traitors one one side. Chaos on the other. Orks coming down the middle. Too much Emperor damned scheming. Makes me wanna throw up just thinking about it."
"It is a pretty big mess we've found ourselves in, isn't it?" Sayaka chuckled, gazing up at the clouds. "But darkness can't exist without light. So long as she's here, we have a fighting chance."
"What makes you so sure of that anyway?" The redhead questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You've been practically worshipping the ground that pink-headed girly's been walking on this entire time. Why do you think she'll be able to stop all of this? Is it more prophecy bullshit?"
Sayaka gave her a playful glance, holding a finger to her lips.
"As a servant of the Laughing God, I am privy to information that the rest of the galaxy can only guess at." She said conspiratorially. After a moment though, her expression turned more serious. "But no. Prophecy is never clear, and it rarely says how anything will end with certainty. The reason I believe in Madoka has nothing to do with visions or promised futures."
"Why then?" Kyoko questioned, perturbed by her far off expression.
"Because that's what I've chosen." She replied, matter-of-factly. "We, as individuals, have a choice. We can hold to the things we cherish and believe in, or we can abandon them to a more pessimistic outlook. Neither is right or wrong, but it's almost impossible to experience both at once. I've known the latter in her world, so I've chosen the former. I don't want to fall out here, so I choose to believe that, if I fight hard enough, my prayers will come to fruition. Madoka is a friend who has transcended the barrier between realities and come to us in a time of need, so, really, who could be better to put my faith in?"
Kyoko stared off into the distance, digesting the little monologue with a sour expression before turning back to the Harlequin.
"That's a load of shit." She accused bluntly.
"…"
"You got a whole lot of words that don't mean nothing." She went on. "All that fancy phrasing amounts to is you saying you don't have an actual reason. Isn't that right?"
Sayaka rolled her shoulders, giving a non-committal noise in the back of her throat.
"Damn right that's what it means." Kyoko stated, folding her arms with a frown. "That's the problem with you feckers. You never just come out and say it like it is. If you don't have a reason, say you don't have a reason and that you just do. It's a lot less pretentious than having to listen to a bunch of flowery nothing."
Sayaka just sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't really have an argument to that. Surely someone else, the Athair or perhaps Tseranis, would have come up with a witty and harrowing response that brought undeniable truth in its wake, but all she could think of were a few cheesy puns. Perhaps wisely, she decided against using them.
"But anyway… thanks." Kyoko grumbled after a while. "For gettin' the Orks off 'a me, I mean. I woulda been fine, but they were a pain in the ass anyway."
Sayaka had to actively restrain herself to keep the brilliant smile from breaking out across her face, instead settling on a small grin and a sidelong glance.
"Sure thing." She replied. "And you have my gratitude for braving the tempest when you were trying to track me down."
The pilot muttered something unintelligible as an answer, but that was fine. The two of them fell into a silence that was oddly comfortable as they sat back and watched Ophelia's repairs come under way. In some ways, it was familiar. In others, utterly unique. In either case, Sayaka was content to just enjoy it while she could.
After all, these kind of moments were exactly what she was fighting for.
To say that Madoka felt out of place would have been an atrocious understatement. She was used to being towered over by just about everything at this point, but even as accustomed as she was to the gargantuan size that seemed to be the norm in the forty-first millennium, she couldn't help feeling woefully small under the gaze of those around her.
"Keep focused straight ahead." A robed man to her left urged, his voice strained, yet strangely soft. "Hold to the purity of your mind, and recite the tenants of the God Emperor in your head to steady yourself."
That was easier said than done. Being seated in an odd looking chair and having some unidentifiable piece of machinery latched around her head in a room that made even the normally bleak and lifeless galaxy look cheerful by comparison was bad enough, but the figure standing directly in front of her inspired anything but comfort.
Brother Captain Roeric was how he'd been introduced, but the memory of his name was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. All she could truly focus on was the fact that he was gargantuan, almost as large as the Ork Warboss had been, and practically overflowing with raw psychic power held in check by an inhuman strength of will. She could feel his mind orbiting her own like a roiling planet, reaching out through the Warp to examine her consciousness with a level of care that belied his overwhelming presence.
The leader of the Grey Knight detachment had agreed to have her looked over at the request of Lord Inquisitor Octavian, who in turn had arranged the whole thing by Mami's word. Strangely, the blonde had taken measures to keep the exact nature of Madoka's contact with Homura a secret between the two of them. She didn't know the reasoning behind her withholding the information, but she was immensely grateful for it. There was little doubt in her mind as to how these warriors would react to such news given their reputation, and she wasn't sure if she'd have survived the exchange.
Fortunately for her, Mami had taken great lengths to ensure that they knew it was important to keep her intact and healthy, and the Brother Captain was doing just that. His mind was steady but restrained, washing over her own only when necessary to assess if she was damaged or corrupted in some way and keeping away from such personal things as memory or the deeper portions of her consciousness.
So far, the only thing he'd found that had given him pause was the sliver of darkness that had resulted from her earlier transformation. He'd spent a fair amount of time simply examining the substance, which had admittedly made her rather uncomfortable during the process, but seemed to have passed it over afterwards, either deciding nothing could be done about it at the moment, or choosing to ignore it in favor of hunting down any lingering traces of the more immediately dangerous Chaos corruption.
Stay calm. Those two words repeated themselves on a constant loop in her head. Having experienced similar things at the hands of both Maximillian and Tseranis, she knew how harsh these treatments could get if the subject was not cooperative. As it was, the exchange was uncomfortably revealing, but otherwise painless as her psychic examination was carried out.
Finally, blessedly, the Captain withdrew from the perimeter of her mind, and the pressure on her chest lightened.
"How is she?" Mami asked, having watched the entire process from the other side of the room.
"Trace amounts of residual Warp energy." He boomed in response, his voice almost strong enough to rattle the glass in the room. "No signs of direct contamination. Chances of long term damage are minimal, but further examinations may be required. I have expunged as much of the taint as I was able under the circumstances. What little remains should dissipate naturally so long as there are no further complications."
Mami let out a breath, bowing lightly in his direction.
"Thank you sincerely, Brother Captain." She said. "Your assistance is greatly appreciated, and has been an excellent help in ensuring the well-being of our people."
"To serve the Emperor is all, lady Inquisitor." He replied, nodding in affirmation. "It is by his will that we claim our rightful place among the heavens."
With that, the giant figure turned and departed through the doorway, managing to slip through the portal with surprising ease despite how small it was in comparison to his daunting frame. Madoka watched him go with a small amount of relief. She was finding it more and more exhausting to be in the same room as other powerful Psykers recently. Or maybe she was just more conscious of it now. Either way, it took something out of her.
Mami gave a gesture, and the robed figures made to depart as well after unhooking her from the various paraphernalia that had been arranged in cryptic patterns for what she could only assume was important reasons. Their movements were slow and careful, barely seeming to put their weight on anything as they gingerly removed all the equipment from the room.
When they had gone, Mami let out a small sigh before turning to her with a smile.
"It's best if we don't linger too long." She said, offering a hand. "There is still much to discuss, and the meeting for our next battle plan will be soon. Will you be able to manage?"
"I will." Madoka replied, taking her gesture and rising to her feet unsteadily. She felt a tad dizzy after the mental scouring, but otherwise she knew she could handle things. "I want to be there. Do you know what's going to happen when we go?"
Mami led her out, stepping into the grand hallways of the cathedral. The structure appeared even larger on the inside, with winding corridors and stepped platforms that looked as though they'd been built to maximize the firing points a defending force would have on any encroaching enemies. She felt a modest mixture of both pride and unease at the fact that she was starting to recognize those things.
"I can't say for certain." Her mentor replied, taking the lead. "But I would imagine that it will call for immediate action. Most of the soldiers set up here have not fortified their positions as much as one would expect a standing force to do."
"They don't intend to stay?" Madoka questioned, looking up to her. "Does that mean we're going to be leaving again? On another ship?"
She knew it may be childish of her to feel that way, but she was in no hurry to return to space. After the travesty of their last boarding action, and the loss of the man who'd been acting as her instructor, the far reaches of the void no longer inspired a curious interest in her.
"That may well be the case." The Inquisitor said. "Or it may be something else. I believe we'll know more when we've spoken to both the Lord Inquisitor and the Craftworld Seers who have been helping him. With the Grey Knights supporting our push, we should have little to fear going forwards. What I'm most concerned for is our rear guard…"
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I mean the remaining Orks." Mami clarified. "You destroyed a very large portion of their ground forces, and I am to assume that the ones in orbit were dealt with by our reinforcements, but they still have a presence here. It is dangerous to leave greenskins unchecked. Routing them alone will only serve as a temporary measure. If we want to prevent them from returning, all traces of their army must be hunted down and put to the torch, or they'll begin spreading."
She paused briefly, biting her thumb as her mind worked over the details.
"And then there's the fact that we have no confirmed evidence that their leader is dead." She mused. "If he's still alive out there, he may be every bit as threatening even with his depleted forces. A bull Ork leading a minor war band is infinitely more dangerous than a legion of leaderless greenskins."
Madoka gripped the edges of her shirt at that, wringing her hands nervously. She recalled the features of the Warboss in vivid detail despite the hectic atmosphere of their meeting. Technically speaking, he could have perished in whatever calamity had erupted in the Manufactorum after her brush with death, but given that neither she, nor Sayaka, nor Tseranis had been killed in the storm, she didn't hold out much hope that such a monster would be felled by it.
"That is a problem, isn't it…?" She wondered out loud.
"It is." Mami agreed. "And sadly it's not even half of the problems we have to deal with in the near future."
Madoka nodded glumly, once more feeling the familiar weight of impending danger settling on her shoulders. The brief respite had been pleasant, but it was irresponsible of her to put off the burden any longer. She had a duty to fulfill, both to these people as well as to herself.
Seeing the shift in her charge's attitude, the Inquisitor turned to her with a modest smile and said "Are you ready to face the congregation? If you're not feeling well, we may put it off for a short while yet, but-"
"But it would be better to show up sooner, right?" Madoka finished for her, earning a nod in response. "I'm ready. Really. I'm prepared for whatever comes next."
For the first time she could remember, those words felt like the truth.
The air was heavy. The mood; grim. All had gathered for one purpose and one purpose alone, to shape the path to battle in what could very well be the deciding moment in the war against Walpurgisnacht.
Lord Inquisitor Octavian stood at the head of the table, flanked on either side by Brother Captain Roeric and Mami Tomoe. Beside the younger Inquisitor was Commissar Gilliam and Madoka, who held herself with more resolve than she was used to.
To the right, the Eldar had stationed themselves. Navarre, Tseranis, and Sayaka taking the lead seats for the Troupe. Next to them, a female Eldar with sharp features and heavy battle armor who had introduced herself as Autarch Elryuin stood next to a richly adorned figure in long flowing robes. Farseer Althiwyrre of Craftworld Yme-Loc. Madoka could hardly pronounce half of it, but his station sounded quite important.
On the other side, Captain Redric had descended from his orbital perch to attend the meeting personally, sided with Lord Marshal Gregor Milenhelm, Magos Uzzaiel, captain Remius who had appeared in person for the briefing, and Kyoko.
The tension in the room was palpable, with even the normally playful Harlequins taking on a more serious mood in the presence of the assorted leaders. Introductions had already been made, and all were aware of the sides which would be fighting in the upcoming battle, and the stakes that lay in store.
For Madoka, it was momentous. It was a gathering of warriors, who, after having been pushed to retreat time and time again, were making preparations for a genuine offensive. One which may well give her the opportunity she needed to stand against the Grand Witch face to face.
Her heart was racing, but her breath remained steady.
The Farseer of the Eldar stood to speak, and his voice sweeping through the room like a cold mountain river, flowing and smooth, yet so very distant. It was vastly different from the members of the Troupe as she'd grown used to, and Madoka could see from his speech alone that this man knew little of the word peace.
"Our Rangers and Seers have been tracking the Witch's progress through the Warp." He explained, addressing the assorted leaders. "Up until this point, she had been focusing the majority of her efforts on breaching the inner sanctum of our fallen cousins, and gaining access to the feast of anguish within. Despite the joint efforts of numerous Kabals and several Harlequin Masques, she appeared to be making steady progress, until a recent burst of power alerted her to the presence of the girl here. She has since abandoned her attempts to break open Commorragh, leaving it damaged, but intact."
"More's the pity…" Madoka heard Milenhelm mutter from the far side of the room, but his remark went ignored.
"As of this moment, she races through the ether in search of her prey, drawing closer at an alarming rate. To flee now would be all but impossible. A stand must be made against the tide of darkness. For that reason, our Warhost is prepared to lend all the aid that we can muster in the coming storm."
"Thank you, Farseer." Octavian replied, nodding his ascent. "To those gathered, I'm certain these appear as a dark cloud encroaching on our worlds, threatening to sweep us aside should we be found wanting, but I can tell you with certainty that we have taken extensive measures to prepare for this battle along the way. Even before arriving here, our battle plan has been taking shape. For the purpose of clarification, we shall all share our projected roles in the fight to come. Lord Marshal. Seeing as your men are preparing to take the initial assault, please begin."
Milenhelm cleared his throat, stepping up to speak.
"As you say Inquisitor, my men are readying themselves for a defensive battle as we speak." He explained. "By your directives, they've dug into entrenched positions around the city with the help of Magos Uzzaiel's Techpriests, and will form a wall to blockade enemy advances coming from any and all directions, but are prepared to uproot and reposition as soon as the order comes. We expect to absorb the initial assault from the outer trenches which are being constructed, with projected fallback options leading into the far third of the city to be used as needed. Once their momentum has been blunted, the counterattack will begin."
The Magos interjected, sharing a glance with Navarre, who nodded in answer.
"Tactical update. Prior to, and during the battle, the warriors of the Omnissiah will be joining with the forces of the Laughing God to hunt down and eliminate all remaining local threats. Greenskin presence remains at potentially dangerous levels, and hostile combatants may still hide within the city."
"Indeed! Indeed!" The Troupe Master added, clapping Sayaka on the shoulder. "We shall slay the chaff and harken back to join the grand confrontation as soon as we are able. It would hardly be fitting for one of the major players to sit out the defining performance, after all. Worry not, for we shall see to it that Miki is delivered in time for your grand confrontation."
"Our ships in orbit will remain on standby." Remius offered, nodding to himself with a jovial air despite the gravity of the situation. "It is likely some manner of fleet-like horror may well follow in the Witch's wake, so we shall be there to repel them, whatever form they may take."
At this point, Octavian looked back to the Eldar and the Aurtarch took her cue, speaking out with a voice that rang like a silver bell.
"When the Witch arrives, this will become far more than a simple ground battle." She stated. "Her presence will bend reality itself into an unholy labyrinth, which will begin to upset the very balance of the world beneath our feet. For this reason, haste will be vital, and all forces will need to march into the halls of the labyrinth and drive back the tides of monsters that lay within. Our Warhost will take the initiative and carve a path forwards once the initial fires have burned down to open the way for our own army to push forwards."
"And they shall be aided in this effort by the Grey Knights." Octavian concluded, nodding to the Brother Captain at his side. "Together, they will act as our vanguard against the enemy and establish a beachhead for us to work with. Once we break through, all our efforts will have to rest on one goal alone."
All eyes turned her way, and though she knew just how much weight was resting on her shoulders, Madoka forced herself to meet them all in turn.
"Escorting this girl, Madoka Kaname, will be the single most vital part of our operation." Octavian declared. "For this reason, Kyoko Sakura of House Sakura, all available members of the Troupe of the Broken Oath, as well as a squad of Grey Knights led by Inquisitor Tomoe will act as her personal bodyguard throughout the operation. All forces must be made aware that, without her, victory will be all but a fleeting dream. To our knowledge, she is the only one capable of confronting the Grand Witch."
A deep, powerful pause descended as he stood back, folding his arms behind himself and regarding the representatives of each race.
"I will not lie to you. This will not be a clean or easy fight. What we face this day goes beyond a single army, or even a grand warfront. We face the might of a fledgling Goddess. One born of madness and suffering, and existing for the sole purpose of spreading her insane corruption to all corners of the galaxy. Inside the walls of her labyrinth, impossible nightmares will be waiting for us, prepared to strip us of life and sanity should our resolve falter for even a moment. But we shall not falter. We shall not fail. We shall drive back this evil as we have a thousand others, and when the last shot is fired, the galaxy will be rid of yet another false deity.
"I understand that these are trying times. The allies we keep are not those we have been taught to embrace, but circumstance leaves us little other option. Both our peoples, human and Eldar alike, will suffer terribly should this creature come to its pinnacle and join the ranks of heathen Gods among their dark pantheon. For this reason, I must command, nay… I must beseech that each of you lay down your differences until the new dawn, for it shall be a necessary bond that we forge. Even the Emperor did not conquer the stars by himself. For this, we shall stand as one, and let our blades honor those who came before us, and those who shall follow in our footsteps. Once more into the breach! Once more into the fight! In the name of all we hold dear, we shall strike this evil from the face of the universe!"
A choir of voices cried out their ascent, and Madoka found that hers burned every bit as brightly as those around her.
No more hiding. No more running. She was ready.
