Finis Fide Chapter 4

In the forest the Storm Heralds stood looking up into the sky, searching for the first sign of their contact. The morning sun had risen above the clearing and was growing brighter by the second, yet Toran's eyes were troubled not. His organic eye was able to filter such intensity and his Augmetic one was scanning frequencies beyond normal human vision. He was certain they would see the craft before it got much closer and he eagerly anticipated the coming encounter. There was a stir from behind them and he heard the mortals waking up but he ignored them, this meeting was essential for his Chapter's future and the mortals were irrelevant.

Suddenly Novak announced, "There it is." Sure enough a tiny mote had appeared in the sky, an angular shape that was closing rapidly. Toran focused upon it and saw a black box of a hull, still glowing with the heat of re-entry. It was bracketed by a pair of down swept wings with vector thrusters set along the edges and behind was a long tail while on top was a boxy turret. The craft was covered in glimmering psychic wards and stealth baffles, making undetectable by auspex or psionic probes. Toran blinked in surprise as he recognised a Stormraven gunship, a smaller and more agile cousin to the venerable Thunderhawk. The design was radically new in the Imperium, rediscovered only a thousand years earlier and was slowly making its way into the armouries of the Imperial most elite forces. The Storm Heralds themselves could only field a handful of such craft, deeming the few hundred years of field testing they had done too short a period for proper certification.

The Stormraven dropped like a stone, diving for the planet's surface before it could be noticed by hostile parties. Lower it came until it seemed it must surely crash but at the last second it pulled up, flaring down drafting arresting its momentum to non-lethal levels. The wash of heat smacked Toran in the face, singeing his cheeks with hot exhaust but he didn't even sway in the blast. Such manoeuvres were timid by his standards, the Stormraven was straining at no more than three or four gravities deceleration, a sure sign the inhabitants were only mortal. By comparison the Storm Herald's Transhuman pilots typically thought nothing of pulling ten or twelve G's on a routine manoeuvre. As the pilot cadre was fond of saying, if their throttles weren't jammed firmly into the red notches there wasn't any point in taking off.

The howling wind filled the clearing as the Stormraven touched down, then abruptly cut out as its engines died. Toran stood firmly as the leaves fell on him like rain and he noted that the gunship had a servitor pilot and gunner. Hardly a surprise for the cybernetic slaves of the Imperium were universal, forged out of condemned criminals and vat-grown flesh they were used by every Imperial Adepta. The lobotomised cyborg-slaves could handle routine manoeuvres but he wouldn't like to fly with one in combat.

From behind came a startled yelp as the mortals were rudely awoken and Kalos cried, "What's going on?!"

Toran didn't turn as he barked, "Stay back and stay silent, this does not concern you. We are handling this."

Toran returned his attention to the steaming craft, waiting for Canesh to emerge but as they waited Novak muttered over the vox, "This is the first time I have met an Inquisitor, I'd wager she'll be a mighty warrior. Marching down that ramp in mighty Terminator plate, with arcane weapons held in her hands."

Persion snorted back, "Terminator? You dream fool. No mortal can wear Tactical Dreadnought plate."

Yet Daite retorted, "Actually they can, it just requires extensive cybernetic enhancement."

Ophelian butted in, "You are all wrong, I say she will be a wizened crone, kept alive by profane arts and black magic. What about you Halis?"

Halis hissed, "I think her appearance won't matter, she will be a cunning viper, treacherous and deceitful. She will test us, probing for Heresy at every juncture, trying to provoke us into incriminating ourselves."

Novak gasped, "You think she suspects us of Heresy?!"

Halis snorted, "Inquisitors suspect everybody of Heresy, it is their nature. The Storm Heralds are already in dangerous waters, so watch every word you say."

Finally Furion stepped in to say, "Cease your idle chatter, here she comes."

The vox fell silent as Inquisitor Canesh appeared and Toran was surprised at how normal she looked. Canesh appeared to be no more than a mortal woman, of indeterminate age and origin. Her face was pale and sallow, signs of repeated rejuvenant treatments betraying that her ageing body had required her youth be replenished. Her hair was grey and bound up in a tight bun and her eyes were cold and calculating. She wore a suit of grey power armour, appearing thin and narrow in comparison to the Space Marine's broad plate. Her hip bore a magnificent long-sword with odd hexgrammatic runes on the blade and at her belt were strange artefacts, yellowing scrolls sealed with red wax and three nondescript grenades of a type Toran didn't recognise. The only flash of colour on her person was a red rosette of office, an Inquisitorial 'I' fixed with a red skull in the centre.

Canesh trooped down the ramp and faced them and Toran realised she was waiting for him to speak first. The Sergeant stepped forward and made the sign of the Aquila, always a safe practice when one was uncertain of protocol and uttered, "Hail Inquisitor, I am Sergeant Toran of IXth squad and I..."

Canesh interrupted him to bark, "One squad... that's it?"

Toran was irked by her prim and condescending tone and he replied sternly, "One squad is more than enough for this mission."

Canesh merely snorted, "Typical Astartes arrogance, I am not impressed by such behaviour. If you think such displays will turn aside the Inquisition's ire from your misbegotten Chapter you are sadly mistaken."

Toran realised she was testing him and so did not react to the goading, instead saying, "Chapter Master Gorgall has ordered us to support your mission, we are prepared to serve the Emperor's cause."

Ophelian snorted over a closed link and whispered, "Frakking politics: Gorgall thinks he can patch up diplomatic relations with goodwill mission like this and she only needs us because the Deathwatch are too busy fighting Genestealers."

Canesh's eyes darted to Ophelian, it was the slightest movement, not visible to mortal eyes but Toran saw it and realised the Inquisitor had penetrated their Machine Spirit's comms protocols. It was the smallest tell, but Toran was surprised an Inquisitor would give even that away... then he wondered if maybe she wanted them to know the Inquisition was watching them. Games within games, every word a needle exploring their psyche. He had only just met this woman and already his head hurt trying to follow her intrigues.

Toran drew in a breath and said, "We arrived via covert drop pod insertion fifteen days ago and began stealth reconnaissance. The Psybrid menace is as pervasive as we anticipated, they own the cities and the logging communities. Only the deepest forests are outside their control. A full-scale invasion will be required to drive them from this world. Is the liberation force ready?"

Canesh stared at them for long moments then conceded, "Ten Guard regiments, support ships and two Navy Cruisers are in position and awaiting our signal. The fleet is holding beyond this planet's moons, they await safe passage to the ground. They will not proceed until we have neutralised the enemy's primary defence. It would be suicide to attack the Psybrids until that danger has been eliminated."

Toran nodded in agreement, "The Storm Heralds are ready for the battle and towards that end we have secured local guides"

Canesh raised a prim eyebrow and queried, "Native survivors, living under the miasma of the Psybrid Xenos? That is... unexpected."

Toran nodded to show agreement, "Our orbital scans are incomplete and our last charts are decades out of date. These men can lead us to their base camp and once there we can update our maps, before planning how to reach our objective."

Canesh drew herself up to her full height, but still barely came up to Toran's chest, she pronounced, "I am in command of this mission, Sergeant, I shall meet these natives and judge them for myself before we go anywhere."