Speculum Enigmate Chapter 15
"I don't see what the fuss is," Sergeant Yones proclaimed to the room. The Primaris was leaning on a wall in their quarters, his arms crossed before him. The Storm Heralds had been assigned a luxurious suite, filled with golden furniture and with a stunning vista of the city and the soaring monument to Reunification, casting a long shadow as the dawn light filled the sky. The Space Marines had promptly cleared the useless chairs and tables, preferring hard walls and stone floors to the flimsy furniture.
Persion shook his head in denial as he corrected the Primaris, "It is an alien, here on an Imperial world. It is an offence!"
"Still, its only one Eldar," Yones protested, "Not a threat."
"Don't underestimate the Eldar," Jediah hissed from the corner, where he was keeping close to Sergeant Gotram.
Sergeant Zeax was pacing irately up and down, swinging his Thunder hammer as he added, "We've fought those scum before, they are a dangerous foe."
Yones snorted, "Grit in the Cogs, one elongated humanoid is a threat? It's pathetic."
Memnos was standing at the window, staring out at the city as he probed, "Showing Sympathy for the alien Yones?"
Yones frowned the accusation as he retorted, "Hardly, but I've fought Orks and K'nib and Fra'al. The Eldar are nothing compared to that. I've never understood why people get worked up over those flimsy weaklings."
Persion lifted his augmetic arm and snapped, "This was the work of an Eldar. Do not be fooled by their appearance, those aliens are as much a threat to the Imperium as the savage Ork or the rapacious Tyranid. Only a fool would trust one, only a dead fool turns his back on one."
Sergeant Gotram spoke up, "Then why would an Inquisitor ally herself with one?"
Zeax answered, "Vevara is a sly one, pushing others around like pieces on a regicide board. She is a treacherous viper, always looking to manipulate others to fulfil her goals."
"You've met her before?" Yones asked.
"Once," Persion muttered, "I preferred Inquisitor Zerban, at least he was honest about his hatred. Vevara, you can never tell where her loyalties lie. She got us to kill him for her and then took off."
"What?!" Yones exclaimed, "You killed an Inquisitor?!"
Memnos stepped in to explain, "They were at war with each other. Zerban was a heretic, trying to plunge the Imperium into more wars. Vevara is an Amalathian, they preach a creed of keeping the Imperium's order of being intact, resisting change in any form. The two of them fought a proxy war with us caught in the middle. Zerban ended up dead and Vevara took off for the stars."
"Good riddance," Jediah muttered.
"What of the Governor," Gotram asked, "Is she partnered with the Inquisitor?"
"If not directly then by association," Persion muttered, "She tolerates an alien upon her world, it is inexcusable."
Memnos' head turned fractionally as he stated, "Our mission is to support her rule, an objective we already fell short of with your outburst in the ballroom."
"Frak that," Persion hissed, "I give no consideration to an alien sympathiser."
"Our orders are clear," Memnos sternly reminded him, "You do not have any authority to defy them."
"Our orders didn't include cosying up to an alien," Persion snapped, "I can't imagine the Chapter Master thought we'd encounter one. Hellfire, if I shoot that fiend in front of everybody he'd probably give me a medal!"
Persion stopped his tirade as a soft knock came at the door, making everybody freeze. Jediah was at the door in an instant and threw it open, grabbing the figure outside by the neck and heaving him inside. It was some lowly servant in a gaudy outfit and the man's eyes went wide as he was hoisted off the ground. His hands beat at the cage of a gauntlet wrapped around his throat but Persion snapped, "Don't kill him!"
Jediah glared at the intruder and snarled, "Speak quickly if you value your life."
The terrified man looked like he was about to piss himself but stammered, "I… I was sent to bring you to the Dominus. She demands your presence immediately."
"She demands?!" Jediah growled in a menacing tone.
But Persion said, "Leave it, he's worthless. I want to talk to Aleys anyway. Sergeants with me, everybody else stay here. You man, take us to the Governor this instant."
Jediah dropped the servant, who half-collapsed but recovered his stance. Seeing several angry Space Marines glaring down at him the servant hastily retreated, almost fleeing before them. Persion, Memnos, Zeax, Jediah, Gotram and Yones didn't bother to run to keep pace, the man's nervous skipping was no match for their customary stride. Persion followed the servant with ease but his hand was never far from his Friction Axe, ever wary of betrayals. This supposed diplomatic mission was quickly turning out to be a cesspool of intrigue and scandal; he wouldn't put anything past one who would tolerate an alien.
Memnos spied his grip and muttered, "Are you planning to use that?"
Persion growled, "I hope I have a chance to."
Memnos glared at him and hissed, "Weren't you listening, we are here to assist the Governor, not slaughter her."
Persion muttered, "You would have me spare an alien sympathiser?"
"I would have you keep to mission parameters," Memnos retorted.
Persion's lip curled but he muttered, "Damnation... very well. Everybody, no killing. Gentle maiming only."
Within a few minutes they reached a sealed chamber, which was opened to them as they approached. The six Space Marines strode within only to find themselves entering a bunker. The walls were thick Ferrocrete, reinforced by plasteel girders. It was totally at odds with the refined artistic styles of the rest of the Jade Citadel and one glance informed Persion this was not part of the fortress most guests would see. It was a hardened panic room, designed for defence not aesthetics. Inside there was no furniture save for two gurneys laid out before them, with corpses draped in white sheets upon them. There was also the Governor in her mechanical throne, with her First Secretary and guards, about a score all armed with long staves.
The six Space Marines drew to a halt before this strange display and Persion drew in a breath to speak but was interrupted as Aleys spat, "What have you done?!"
Persion's eyes narrowed as he growled, "You better explain that remark."
"Don't play games with me!" Aleys hissed, "I invite you into my home, treat you with all dignity and honours. My family has supported the Imperium ardently for thousands of years and this is how you repay me?!"
Persion's augmetic hand was hovering over his Friction axe as he snarled, "Are you accusing us of something specific or is this a general rant?"
Odrin stepped forward and declared, "The Dominus' heir has gone missing! Kidnapped from his quarters in the night. His guards were found dead in the lower levels and one of them bore this!"
Persion saw him brandish a scrap of cloth, bearing an Aquila, and cocked his head to reply, "And you immediately guessed we were involved."
"No one else could have done it!" Aleys shrieked, "No soul of Pascum would dare touch my heir, no one would have the temerity. All my life I proclaimed the cause of Terra, calling for the people to cleave to the Imperium and you betray me! I should have you cut down like vermin for this!"
"Don't threaten us," Persion hissed.
But Aleys bawled, "Seize them!"
The guards tensed to attack but before they could move the Space Marines were upon them. These mortals had never seen a Space Marine in action, never witnessed the blinding velocity genhanced muscles could produce, especially when backed by power armour and so were taken completely by surprise. One second the Storm Heralds were standing still, the next six blue-clad giants were amongst the guards, fists and weapon hafts swinging. Following their orders they did not use the cutting edge of their blades but instead brought blunt force to bear, breaking bones and shattering limbs. Persion launched himself at two men standing between him and the Governor, the first he floored with a punch to the face that left the man gagging on blood and shattered teeth, the second he downed with an elbow to the clavicle, shattering the shoulder. He left them in his wake as he drew his Friction Axe, advancing two more steps to place the burning edge against Aley's chest as he snarled, "Don't move."
The Governor's face fell as her elite guards fell and she gasped, "You… you took them apart like it was nothing."
"You only outnumbered us three-to-one, you never stood a chance, Persion sneered, "Your planet has not witnessed the footstep of an Astartes in centuries, it seems you have forgotten what we are capable of."
Around them the guards lay moaning and bleeding, clutching their wounds as they rolled about in agony. Persion ignored their mewling as he said, "Now, explain again how you lost your son."
Beside the throne Odrin was being held up by Jediah, whose knife was laid across his throat, but the First Secretary stammered, "He… he disappeared in the night, his guards were found dead along with evidence of fighting Imperials. They tore this off an attacker, we assumed it was your men."
There was a scuffle behind them as Memnos strode over to the bodies on the gurneys and lifted the sheets. He bent over the corpses then declared, "No Astartes did this."
Aleys glanced at the burning axe hovering over her breast and nervously said, "You're certain?"
"Cause of death was las-shots to the back of the head," Memnos replied, "Bolt rounds wouldn't leave enough skull behind to examine anything."
Odrin dared to propose, "It may not have been you directly, but Imperial Guard regiments are being founded across the planet. This cloth may have been torn from one of them."
Yet Memnos countered, "No defensive wounds, no bruising or scarring. Look here, under the fingernails, no blood traces or cloth fibres. If he had been fighting there would be evidence of it on his hands. These men weren't killed in a fight, they were taken unawares, shot from behind… by someone they trusted."
"This was an inside job," Persion declared, "Someone in the Palace did this, one of your people tried to frame us."
"Can you tell who?" Odrin asked.
"Sadly no," Memnos replied, "Not without a genetic scan of the cloth, the killer may have left biological markers upon it."
Aleys swallowed then said, "It seems I misspoke, I offer my sincere apologies."
Persion sneered, "Don't let it happen again."
"Do you mind?" the Governor asked nodding fractionally to the axe.
Persion reluctantly clamped the axe to his hip and stepped back. The others did the same and the air of danger dissipated. Yones looked at the bodies and asked, "How bad will the fallout be?"
"Catastrophic," Odrin replied, "The loss of the heir destroys our plans to secure peace via marriage. Without that wedding our Government is thrown into anarchy."
Aleys elaborated, "We can't keep this suppressed for long, when news leaks out the people will riot. Forget paying the Emergency Tithe, it will start revolts planet-wide."
"Over a cancelled wedding?" Persion asked incredulously.
Odrin explained, "We are counting on Viscount Proam's wealth to balance our debts. The people are at breaking point over the Tithe laid upon them, they are being gouged to the bone already. They were expecting more than a festival, they were told this would relieve their burdens. There is nothing so offensive to the masses than to be offered hope and then to see it snatched away."
"So we need the boy back alive," Memnos concluded.
"You're helping us?" Aleys asked incredulously.
"Our orders were to support you," Persion reluctantly agreed, "Any leads to follow?"
Odrin sadly informed them, "The trail went cold at the undercity, it's a maze down there, a thousand guards could search for a decade and not find anything."
"They aren't Space Marines," Persion declared, "We will go into the depths and find your lost heir."
Memnos interjected, "Let me take that cloth, I may find revealing traces on it if I can examine it with the proper equipment."
"You want to go back to orbit?" Persion asked.
"Actually I was thinking of the Genic councils facilities," Memnos stated, "I have a standing invitation to visit."
Odrin sounded dubious as he said, "The Genic council's reach is long, if this was an inside job there's no guarantee they weren't involved."
"I can be subtle," Memnos countered.
Persion was satisfied with that but Jediah spoke up, "What of the Inquisitor and her pet alien?"
Aleys shook her head and said, "Vevara can't have been involved, she left before nightfall to investigate the slums of the city."
"Never underestimate an Inquisitor's treachery," Persion muttered, "But I can't see how it would benefit her to kidnap the heir. I reluctantly place her low on the suspect list, but we would be well-advised not to trust her."
Aleys looked up at him and said, "We cannot waste time, I'll send a hundred guards with you."
"They'll only slow us down," Persion deflected, "Keep things under control here; we will be back with your heir and the name of whoever did this."
Odrin bowed his head and said, "I wish you good fortune, I am relieved to know Pascum's future is safe in your hands."
"Save it till we get back," Persion snapped as he stepped over a groaning guard, "Secure your gates and stand ready for anything, something tells me this treachery is only the tip of the iceberg."
And with that the Storm Heralds departed, on the hunt and eager to find their quarry.
