It was once called the Eternal City and was the capital to one of man's greatest empires, virtually ruling the entire western world for over a thousand years. In time, it also became the seat of power to one of the world's most influential religions, creating an institution that had survived to its present day. Although its role in the 31st century was somewhat diminished, many from far-flung planets still looked to it as a source of inspiration and veneration in a galaxy gone mad with war and conflict.

  The time was midmorning, in between the services as the shafts of sunlight shone through the stone archways and illuminated the paintings of the Sistine Chapel. The effect was somewhat timeless as he walked alone amongst the relics of history.

  He was tall and well built. Although now entering his middle years, he still possessed what many military men would call Command Presence. His very occurrence would inspire the other, lesser members of the Order to achieve greater works for his very reputation bordered on the mythical. The tall man walked around the marble floors of the basilica, staring upwards and admiring the works of previous artists from antiquity. He had a fondness for these things for he could feel a kinship from the people that once existed in this part of the world so long ago. It was almost as if he could touch their very spirits and commune with them, talking about matters of faith and devotion to one's cause. How he wished that he could have done that.

  Precentor Martial Cameron St. Jamais would often make these long walks when he was preoccupied with pressing matters. It was a form of therapeutic catharsis for him; contemplation of his problems and comparing it with similar issues from earlier epochs did much to calm the storms in his heart and renewed his faith in the cause. And since he loved the classical arts, it was a pleasure as well. Looking at the ornate paintings of a Renaissance master who labored to paint the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Cameron St. Jamais could not help but reflect on the parallels between the efforts of the master artist and the cause of the Word of Blake.

  When the first Star League had been destroyed between the war of Stefan Amaris the Usurper and the SLDF over two centuries ago, the Council Lords of the Great Houses decreed that a lowly technician named Jerome Blake be given the task of restoring the HPG communications system that had once been ravaged by war. The Hyper-Pulse Generator was a technological marvel, a communications system that could provide the relay for nearly instantaneous contact between far-flung worlds all across the Inner-Sphere. Within several years, Blake and his subordinates had created an organization called ComStar, an institution that pledged to not only operate the communications system but to also safeguard its technology from the destruction of war and the predations of other men. With one bold stroke, ComStar seized Terra and it became the cornerstone for its blessed order. Blake's successor, Primus Conrad Toyama, then forged ComStar into a mystical Order based on the literal worship of technology and transformed the written works of Jerome Blake into godlike status. Within a few scant years, members of the Order began to pray to the very machines that they were maintaining.

  As the Clans then began to rampage across the Inner-Sphere, ComStar first colluded with these Star League exiles with the possibility of exploiting them for the Order's needs. But when the Order realized that the true goal of the Clans was to occupy Earth and set up an empire based on their own image, ComStar then challenged them to an all or nothing battle on a backwater farming planet called Tukayyid. The largest single battle of the Clan Invasion, Tukayyid was a bloodbath that hammered both sides as ComStar ultimately emerged victorious. The Clan invasion had been stopped but the acting Primus at that time, Myndo Waterly, then staged an attempted takeover of the entire Inner-Sphere in order to bring ComStar to absolute preeminence. Waterly's plot failed and she was killed by her own Precentor Martial, Anastasius Focht.

  Focht then began something that ultimately caused a schism within the Blessed Order itself, he decreed that ComStar needed to get rid of all the mystical trappings and reestablish itself as a secular institution. This angered many of the more traditional loyalists within the Order and a splinter group called Word of Blake was created by this disaffected faction as a counter to Focht's reformations. The Blakists began by cementing an alliance with the Free Worlds League, allowing them to have secure bases with which to build up their forces without molestation. Both sides maintained an uneasy peace until Operation Odysseus, when elements of the WOB militia, disguised as mercenaries, invaded and successfully occupied Terra, the very seat of power for ComStar. With this resounding success against for what many in the order perceived as reformist traitors against the teachings of Conrad Toyama, many ComStar units defected over to the Blakists.

  With its growing influence in both the Periphery and the Chaos March, many governments now began to take the Word of Blake seriously. WOB militias were growing in strength as time passed as many new recruits began to eagerly flock to the banner of the one true Order. Cameron St. Jamais smiled as he remembered the eagerness of the new graduating class of Adepts at the various military academies that had been revitalized all across Terra. The WOB military was now growing in leaps and bounds, soon they would be able to completely pulverize all of their enemies. Mercenary units were being hired at an astonishing rate and their ever-growing warship fleet was getting more and more powerful by the day. But what the rest of the Inner-Sphere did not know about was their hidden bases in the Deep Periphery, safe places in which to store their most powerful weapons, devices that had not been seen since the War against the Usurper. If any of their enemies knew what they were up against, they would be shuddering with the utmost dread.

  As the Precentor Martial stood while absorbed in his thoughts, a younger man walked into the grand archway of the Sistine Chapel and made his way towards him. Cameron St. Jamais immediately recognized who it was and turned to face him as the younger man bowed in supplication. The Blakist Precentor Martial then grinned as he hugged his brother.

  "It has been many months, brother." Cameron St. Jamais said. "What news do you have for me?"

  "Readiness reports for my unit." The younger man handed him a file. "We could use another few weeks to fully coordinate armor and 'Mechs into a more cohesive force plus the ARCLIGHT system needs more work but we are good to go, Precentor Martial."

  "Then we need to commit now." Cameron St. Jamais said. "The last batch of delegates will be disembarking for Tharkad within the next few days. ROM reports all assets are in place."

  "That is wonderful news. I shall immediately place my unit on full alert and begin deployment."

  "Brandon," Cameron St. Jamais said. "I know that this will be your first combat mission as Precentor. Even though it would seem routine, you should nevertheless be careful. This is one of the most important missions ever for us."

  "My thanks." Brandon answered. "I will not fail our Blessed Order."

  "I know that." His older brother said. "I have every faith in you. Just before mother died, I made a pledge to her."

  "A pledge?" Brandon St. Jamais was but a child when their mother died so this was news to him. "What kind of pledge?" He asked.

  "I swore on her deathbed that I would take care of you." Cameron St. Jamais said. "You are my only surviving brother, you are family. If anything happens to you, I will become vengeance personified."

  "Nothing will happen to me." Brandon smiled. "This unit is the best I have ever seen."

  "One piece of advice, brother." Cameron St. Jamais said. "You are still inexperienced but I know you will learn quickly." He handed back the files to his younger brother. "Although you have many raw recruits, the core of your unit is composed of the Light of Mankind. Trust in your subordinates, they are highly experienced and will be of great help to you in your operational planning and command. Don't let your ego get the better of you."

  "That is sound advice, brother." Brandon said. The Light of Mankind was the nickname for the Blakist Special Forces. Culled from ROM and defectors of ComStar Special Forces, the Light of Mankind was a highly lethal, elite cadre of fanatical killers.

  "One more thing." Cameron St. Jamais touched his brother lightly on the shoulder as the younger man began to walk away.

  "What is it?" Brandon stopped and turned to face his older brother.

  The Precentor Martial had a stern look on his face. "Explain your relationship with Duchess Kali Liao."

  "What?" Brandon was stunned. "What relationship?"

  "Do not lie to me, brother." Cameron St. Jamais said. "I was not born yesterday. Our order has eyes everywhere and as Precentor Martial, I have every right to know of such things, especially when it concerns my own brother. How long have you been seeing her?"

  "S-several years now. Since I met her at your birthday celebration." Brandon stammered as he explained. "I-I had no intention of having an affair with her. I know that you have been intimate before and I beg for Blake's forgiveness." He said as he looked down at the marble floor.

  "You are absolved, brother." Cameron St. Jamais patted his younger brother on the shoulder. "She is a free woman and she is entitled to make her choice."

  "My thanks." Brandon said. He was off the hook.

  "But be very careful about her." Cameron St. Jamais added. "She borders on lunacy every now and then."

  "Words of wisdom, Precentor Martial." Brandon breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. At least he didn't find out about the vidtapes.

  "Enough of that." Cameron St. Jamais had a knack for moving on once he had made his point. It was what endeared him to his men. "Remember your objectives: make sure that the datadisk is recovered and destroy any copies. No one must learn of the heresy."

  "The datadisk is as good as ours, Precentor Martial." Brandon vowed.

  "May blessed Blake watch over you in this most crucial undertaking." Cameron St. Jamais uttered a short prayer as his younger brother departed.