A/N: Sorry about the extended cliffhanger, everyone! I was very busy, in addition to being violently ill.

Special thanks this chapter goes out to 'Reads by Lamplight', who recc'd this story on TVTropes. Thanks again dude, you're the best!

Without futher ado, here's Chapter 11!

Book Two: Corruption's End

-Chapter 11: The Shrouded Beacon-

"There's nothing feeble about my moral line. I value life. That is why I fight to protect it. I mourn every man I lose and every sacrifice I make. One life or a billion, they're all lives." Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt

Yang's eyes went wide when she saw the Inquisitor. No. No, that was impossible. The scar over her left eye was gone, but the glacier-melt eyes and snow-white hair did not lie… Weiss Schnee stood before her, clad in the regalia of the Imperium, resplendent in the armor of an Inquisitor.

Her teammate.

Her sister's partner.

Her friend.

Weiss Schnee screamed.

Instantly, dozens of weapons whined and hissed, waiting for the Inquisitor's word to wipe Yang from existence. Recovering from her surprise, Weiss panted and heaved, staring at Yang under her wide-brimmed hat.

"Say the word my Lady, and we shall leave her but a cinder." Darron growled.

"Don't. Touch. Her." She spat. "Begone! All of you. Unbind her and begone!"

"But my Lady-" The red-robed man started.

"LEAVE." Weiss roared. With her breath caught fast in her throat and unable to think, Yang felt the chains that had bound her slip off her skin and clatter to the floor. With extreme haste, the guardsmen, Ros, and the Colonel bolted from the room, shutting the door tight behind them.

"Emperor be praised." Weiss whispered. "Yang… Yang is that you? Or have I gone mad? Tell me Yang, are you a ghost?" Tears welled in her blue, blue eyes.

"It's me, Weiss. It's really, really me." She wiped away the tears that were spilling from her face, blinding and unrestrained. "I promise."

They embraced, holding each other as tight as they could. No words passed between them, just tears and a crushing hug. Weiss was the first one to pull away, beaming and red-faced from her joy. She took Yang's face in her hands.

"I-I don't believe it!" She cried. Yang wiped away the salt rivers that streamed from her violet eyes. "It's really you!"

"It's really me, Ice Queen." Yang wrapped her in her arms again. They laughed and wept, reunited by a miracle of time, space, and perhaps the nebulous realm of the Empyrean. She pressed Weiss' head into her shoulder, shushing her friend's sniffling. "It's ok, Weiss." The Schnee scion laughed.

"Yang Xiao Long! I truly cannot believe it!" She exclaimed with a brilliant smile, one that fell almost immediately after it appeared.

"Weiss… what's wrong?"

"Yang… you died."

"I… died?" Weiss nodded. "I couldn't believe it when I heard… It was two years after Ruby passed. They found you in an alleyway, surrounded by White Fang corpses. They…" She took a deep breath. "They found you with your neck slit open. Oh, Emperor." She whispered, pressing her face into Yang's shoulder again.

Yang was speechless. The words coming from her friend were astounding. Fantastical. I… died? She focused, trying to remember everything about her arrival on Woadia… dimly, she remembered a few details.

"I know how… after Ruby died… you…" She couldn't bring herself to say anymore. A deep, rattling breath.

"I know. I regret it already." Every day since arriving in the Imperium. "The last thing I remember doing was drinking in some old dive bar in a bad part of Vale."

"The Wooden Chestnut." Weiss breathed.

"Yeah, that's it."

"That's where they found your body. You killed your attackers Yang, but… Golden Throne of Terra! I've seen some fucked-up things in my life, but you brutalized those faunus. There was this one… a deer faunus I think…"

Yang's half-remembered dream came back in full force. The faunus at the bar! He'd led her out and his buddies fell on her when she was drunk! Holy shit!

"I… I died." She said, not believing the words that came from her mouth. Weiss nodded,

"And yet here you stand." This is insane. I died. She fell into the nearest seat, panting. Her hands seemed far away. Remote. Like puppet-arms, the strings that bound them unseen but suffocating nonetheless. A realization struck her.

"You're here too. Weiss… how did you die?" The Inquisitor sat down as well, pouring herself some wine with trembling hands.

"I… Emperor, I don't remember. I must have though. Is that how this works?" Half of her drink disappeared, throat working as she slurped at her glass. "The last thing I remember was preparing for an expedition before…" she waved her hand around, her fingers trailing aimlessly through the air. "Blackness." They were silent for a moment, before another thought came to Yang.

"Ruby." Yang whispered. Weiss' head snapped up, her eyes locked squarely with Yang's. "Ruby could be here. She could be alive, Weiss."

"I-" Her lips worked, trying to find purchase. The hum of the air filters was almost deafening. "Holy God Emperor and the Thousand Saints of Terra. You're right." She downed the rest of her drink.

"Weiss…" The Inquisitor removed her hat, resting it on her high-backed chair. Her eyes were red and wet, shining under the hateful lights. "We-"

"No." She replied, regretfully absolute.

"No what?"

"We can't go looking for her."

"Weiss-" Yang tried, fingers tightening on her armrest.

"We can't. We have responsibilities. A Crusade to defeat. I know how much you want to see her again, and I promise you, I want the same thing. Perhaps even more desperately than you." This gave Yang pause. She knew of Weiss' affections for her sister. At the time she'd discovered them (their second year of Beacon), she thought it was cute, if a little odd given the age gap and all. But now, the memories gamboled in blood, wallowing in self-pity and fruity drinks.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"We will find her. After. Even if it takes the rest of our lives, we will." Yang nodded, a small grin on her face. Weiss was soon smiling as well. "It's good to see you Yang."

"It's good to see you too, Ice Queen." Weiss chuckled at the old nickname, pouring herself more wine.

"Now you have to tell me, how'd you get to be an Inquisitor?" This was unbelievable. Weiss Schnee, that bratty, entitled, powerful, wonderful woman was right here. Within arm's reach. And to think she'd given up on ever seeing her friends again.

"I should start with the basics. But know we are short on time. Our 'chat' will not be beyond my retinue's suspicion. It is best if we keep this short."

"The basics then." Weiss nodded, leaning forward.

"I'm a hundred and twenty years old, Yang. At least, I think I am." Her jaw dropped. Impossible, was her first thought. But the fact that she was even speaking with Weiss was something she'd have thought impossible ten minutes ago. Never mind the whole 'suddenly appearing in the Imperium' business!

"Shut your face, Ice Queen. You can't be a day over thirty." She said. Weiss turned the glass around in her hand.

"Rejuvenation treatments and other assorted techniques have kept me in a very slow aging process." Yang took this in, her breaths slow and measured. "And I… cheated, in a way."

"Weiss… what happened to you? I mean, what the fuck?" She took a deep breath.

"Yang, I didn't just appear here, garbed in the finery and power of an Inquisitor… I awoke in a pile of rubble on Tanith Nova after a raid." Her eyes locked with Yang's. "I was ten… or close enough to it. The last birthday I remember on Remnant was my sixty-first. Almost fifty years of life had been returned to me at the drop of a hat."

"You're shitting me."

"I most certainly am not. I was found by the local PDF. I was lost and disoriented and I demanded to be taken back to the Schnee Dust Company's Headquarters." Yang laughed a little. She could picture a ten-year-old Weiss planting her feet on the ground, ordering around guardsmen twice her size.

"They assumed I was the survivor of some famous family, so they packed me off to the Schola Progenium."

"Bless you." Yang said.

"It's a school, dolt." Weiss said, rolling her eyes but smiling all the same. "It was brutal. The punishments were horrific, and the lessons were challenging beyond measure." Yang tried to suppress another grin and failed.

"So you were right at home." Weiss snorted, a so very typical Weiss reaction. It warmed her heart. She was no longer the only Remnant citizen in the Imperium. She was no longer alone.

"I was. I excelled at all of my classes, and I was marked as a psyker when I was seventeen." Yang sat up. This was the whole reason she'd been brought here in the first place. Weiss didn't notice her friend's alertness at first. "Can I tell you how much it sucks suffering through puberty again? Yang?"

"You're a psyker?"

"Yes. Psykers are not well regarded in the Imperium. You know this, considering how you arrived and all." She gestured at the chains. "I was packed off to Holy Terra, where they hooked me up to the Golden Throne and soul-bound me, protecting me from the perils of the warp."

"Wait… the actual Golden Throne?" She knew Terra was real, but assumed all the mumbo-jumbo surrounding it was distorted legends, lost to the veils of time and religious zealotry.

"The very same." Weiss replied. "They plugged so many needles and wires into me, I didn't think there'd be any bare skin left. I still have scars from the bigger ones." Her eyes snapped shut, remembering. "I have never felt pain like that before in my life. I never have, and I suspect I never will again. I felt him, Yang. The Emperor." She did not reply at first.

"You worship him as well." A brief silence.

"How could I not?"

"And do you follow their disgusting faith too? All that horrible shit about killing everyone not exactly like them?" Yang said, knuckles turning white as her fists clenched. The Imperial brand of zealotry never failed to rile her. That Weiss had fallen for their dogmatic philosophies... it did not bode well. Weiss took a long drink.

"Relax Yang. Not to the degree of your compatriots, but yes, I do. There is reasoning behind everything the Imperial Faith espouses." She held up a hand before Yang could retort. "This is a galaxy of unremitting brutality. I have taken countless lives. I have done things that make my father look mild and tame in comparison. Right and wrong as you knew it have no place in the Imperium. Only strength, and the cold weight of numbers. Do I like it? No. Golden Throne, I hate this place. But… I push on. Because I think I can change things."

"Can you?" Yang asked, trying to make sense of her friend's words.

"At first, my hopes were dashed completely. Inquisitors lead long and lonely lives, Yang. We are often corrupted by the very things we hunt, and are exterminated in due time. I learned this as an Acolyte, before… well… I cannot say more. Not yet." Her eyes flitted about the room. "But I will say this: there is a brief spark of hope in this dark and twisted galaxy, and your arrival has made that spark catch flame." Her words set Yang's fingers to unwinding, but questions still roiled in her mind.

"I'm still trying to process the fact that you've killed so many people." Yang said. "And your creepy guards said you were a mind reader? Is that true?" Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Each decision I make is weighed against more lives than Remnant could ever hope to hold. None of them are easy." She took a drink. "None of them wasteful." The words came slowly, as if they needed to be fought for, gained through perilous battle. As for the mind-reading? My kasrkin told you no lies, Yang." She said. "I am indeed a telepath. One of the most powerful to grace the Imperium in centuries." This conversation certainly took a turn. Yang thought, now sweating in her seat. Weiss… what's happened to you? "I still have my glyphs, of course. But now, my telepathy has become my greatest asset, far more so than my semblance." She placed an armored hand on Yang's shoulder, looking deep into her eyes. "It is a blessing like no other. Yes. I have killed countless people. But I do so only if they are guilty, or pose an astronomical risk." She tapped her temple with her other hand. "Because of this, I know if they are guilty. I protect every innocent I can, at every personal cost. The values of Remnant still live in my heart, even if the Imperium has… changed them." Her words set Yang's troubled mind to ease. Not entirely, but enough to keep her chest from heaving. There had been a simple, sad honesty in Weiss' words. Honesty that reminded her of the brilliant, struggling woman she'd known on Remnant. "I don't know how or why I've been granted this power, only that I have, and I'll use it to its fullest extent."

"I'm… relieved, Weiss. I was afraid this galaxy had gotten to you." Weiss poured more wine for herself.

"It has certainly tried. While I try my best to protect everyone I can, my Inquisitor comrades…" She shuddered. "I murdered that Inquisitor, the other one who was visiting Elodia. He was a sick and brutal man, one that abused the absurd amount of power bestowed upon our kind. While I am plagued with nightmares over my deeds, he slept soundly, without a single care in his small, dim mind. This galaxy champions people like him, Yang. Gives them power, accolades, glory." She stood, drawing to her full (and laughably, still miniscule) five-and-a-half-feet of height in her magnificent midnight armor.

"Yang… will you help me? Will you help me fix this horrid Imperium?" Her hand extended outwards, reaching. Pleading. Yang took it, her reservations thrown to the wind, if only for the moment. She drew her friend into a crushing hug.

"Of course, Weiss." Changed or not, Weiss was still her friend. And changing the Imperium was a goal more worthy than any she had tackled before.

"I am glad. We have much to do." She sat down again, a small smile on her face. "And even more to discuss. I wish we had more time!" Sighing, she shook her head. "You look ridiculous with that purity seal, by the way." In all the excitement of seeing Weiss again, she'd forgotten about the mess of wax and paper stuck to her chest. Weiss giggled as she pulled at it.

"You just giggled Weiss. Should I tell your guards?" Yang felt relief surging through her. Despite everything, despite what she's done and who she's become, she is still Weiss Schnee. "How many people can fear an Inquisitor that giggles?" Weiss grinned.

"I'll get it off in five seconds if you never mention it again."

"Deal." She snapped her fingers, and the room felt colder for a moment before the seal froze into ice and melted away, running down her front as pure, clean water.

"Guardsmen wouldn't know a proper purity seal if it jumped up and bit them on the ass."

"Weiss, that was amazing!" She shrugged.

"A parlor trick. You'll learn similar techniques. You are a psyker, as I am. You reek of power, Yang. You have extreme potential, and I'll not see it twisted or corrupted."

"Glad to hear it. Although, I'm really not sure what all this psyker businesses means…"

"Imperial protocol demands I take have you sanctioned, but now, with Abaddon here…" Weiss turned in her seat, looking out the window at the grey orb of Elodia IX. "I'm afraid we don't have the time to use the traditional methods. But There's something else I can have you do."

"Kill Abaddon?" Weiss gave her a cold, gleeful smile, one that Yang had seen many times on Remnant. The Schnee scion had acquired her target, locked on, and was about to deliver a truckload of pain. No doubt, this is the last sight of many heretics, Yang thought.

"Kill Abaddon." Weiss agreed. "In order to start healing the Imperium, Abaddon the Despoiler must die. That might not happen now, but in a century, maybe. Maybe even two centuries. But it will happen, and we will do it together." Yang's fist met her palm, her teeth gleaming with a predatory shine. A short laugh escaped Weiss. "You'll do no one any good spending six or seven years receiving 'proper' sanctioning. In that time, Abaddon could seize Cadia. For now, I need you on the battlefield. With your semblance and training, you can turn the tide of almost any battle."

"Oh, I can do that." She cracked her knuckles. I want to do that, she thought.

"But first…" Weiss whirled around to face Yang. "I need to know if you're free of corruption. An unshielded mind such as your own is subject to extreme peril."

"Believe me, I want to tell you I'm not, but I'm not sure if I can." She paused. "I don't even know what kind of corruption you're looking for. You're an Inquisitor, is there anything you can do?" Weiss nodded, her visage solemn as the grave.

"I can look into your mind." Yang stared at her friend.

"You... understand what you're asking, right?" She nodded, apologetic, but without relent. Yang shuddered. The thought of anyone –even Weiss– rifling around in her brain sent cold knives dancing along her spine.

"I do. If we had more time, such a thing would be unnecessary. I am sorry. I don't always ask people Yang… but I am asking you." Yang sighed.

"Hurry up, then." Weiss stared at her for a second.

"You are mostly pure." Yang blinked. Was that it? That couldn't be it! "Chaos has trained its eye on you, and you've faced the dangers well. Tell me, do you suffer during Warp travel?" Yang nodded. Weiss stood and approached her, resting an armored hand on her shoulder. "This will be extremely painful, but you must bear with me. For Ruby's sake."

"Weiss, what-" Weiss brought a knife into the soft skin of her shoulder. The tip worked like mad, inscribing words and glyphs into her skin while her lips murmured prayers and incantations so fast, they blurred with uncanny speed. Yang shrieked in sudden pain, and the wound on her shoulder flashed a bright yellow, searing her skin with a howling agony. Her mind begged her to give up, to succumb to the reeling pain. Another part of her demanded she send Weiss flying for inflicting such torment upon her. In the end, she bit back her screams and suffered the torture. For Ruby's sake.

"All done." Weiss said finally, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Weiss, what the fuck?!" Yang screeched, doubled over and clutching at the steaming wound.

"It's a purity seal, of sorts. It will help keep the worst of the warp's touch at bay, at least until we can get you to Terra. I've always been good at devising them, despite most of my colleagues encountering troubles." Smoke billowed through her fingers, and Yang dreaded what she would see once she pulled them apart.

"That was horrible! Fuck." She breathed again. Slowly, her hand left her shoulder, and words in an unreadable script stared back, punctuated with holy images and the ubiquitous Aquila. The flesh around it was red, but the inscriptions themselves were sharp and black. She sent a pulse of aura through it, and the markings shone a shimmering gold, dimming the pain and filling her with a sense of ease.

"I've combined it with my aura-based spells. It's the very best I can do, seeing as we're pressed for time." Yang stared at her blankly. "It's too much to explain at once. Now come!" Her duster swirled and flapped behind her. "Hurry! My retinue will soon assume something is amiss." Yang sprinted after her, clutching at her shoulder. Weiss' armor hissing and whirring, she took Yang to a room barred by many seals and wrought iron doors. Shouldering it open, she revealed a bevy of the Imperium's finest weaponry. After a minute of searching, she threw an Imperial Guard Pattern power sword at Yang, sheathed in a black metal scabbard.

"From my personal stores. I know swords aren't really your thing, but Ember Celica will not be enough. Not anymore." She paused, her eyes clouded and downcast. "This galaxy knows horrors you can't even imagine." Taking the weapon, Yang appraised it with awe. She knew power weapons were exceedingly rare, and Weiss foisted it upon her like it was disposable trash.

"Thank you! This is… wow!" She said as Weiss slammed the doors shut.

"You'll need it. Here." She rummaged through her pockets, producing a microbead the size of a thumbnail in her palm. "Take this as well. I'm requisitioning your regiment to be my personal guard."

"Weiss-" Yang started, but she held up her hand.

"I want you to be my… representative of sorts. It will keep us in contact, and work to allay suspicions about our talks. It's flimsy for now, but it will have to do. It has to." She wrapped Yang in a large hug. Everything was unfolding so fast, it was lot to take in. Just holding her friend though… it was wonderful. "A freak occurrence brought us together, and I will be damned if we separate again." With a sweep of her arm, she donned her hat, tucking her long white hair away. "I need you in the trenches. To keep fighting. Emperor knows… I know you wouldn't be anywhere else. Just. Don't. Die." She produced a large platinum seal, a menacing skull set in the center of an 'I' and surrounded by a white-gold snowflake. "Inquisitorial order." Yang smiled.

"As you say, Lady Schnee." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Now quickly!" She urged. "We mustn't let them think something's amiss. We still have much to discuss, and I will seek you out as often as I can."

"I missed you Weiss." The Inquisitor stopped in her tracks.

"I've missed you too, Yang. Now there's no more time to waste. Be seated." Yang took her seat at the front of Weiss' desk, new power sword across her lap.

"Ira, could you bring everyone inside? The issue has been resolved." The doors swung open, and Weiss' host of guards returned, accompanied by Colonel von Israfel and Ros.

"Holy Terra, she's got a sword!" One of the guardsmen cried.

"Stand down, Captain Darron!" The man's eye twitched, but he obeyed. "There has been a grave misunderstanding. Trooper Yang Xiao Long is no psyker at all." Yang swallowed. Whatever Weiss had up her sleeve, it was ballsy. Longinus stiffened. This is the closest I've ever been to our Colonel, Yang thought absentmindedly. "Despite Trooper Ros Sigfriedottir's valiant attempts, Trooper Yang was merely suffering side effects of combating a Traitor Marine during the assault on Woadia. I have since rectified the issue. Trooper Yang? Your seal?" Yang obeyed her friend, pulling back the sleeve of her tunic. The inscriptions were not shining, but still drew shocked stares from the assembled parties. The grimm-masked guards relaxed when they saw the tapestry of symbols. Slowly, the barrels of their hellguns fell to face the floor.

"I heard of her exploits on the field, Colonel." She said, turning to face him. "She is an exemplary warrior, upstanding in her conduct at all times, and fiercely pious. She's slain a Traitor Marine single-handedly, and helped rout the ork horde only a few weeks ago. For these reasons, I've deemed it prudent to purify her, instead of resorting to the easier path of killing her. I have also given her a weapon of incredible might. Use her wisely, Colonel. You have a powerful asset under your control." He nodded, adam's apple working. Yang wasn't pleased about the mind-reading thing, but she gave Weiss a grudging respect. Her manipulation of events and information was simply masterful. Truly, she makes an excellent Inquisitor. The thought left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Now, I must speak with Colonel von Israfel. Trooper Ros, I must also applaud your critical thinking and swift action in this situation. We were all deceived, but nonetheless, I am exceedingly grateful. You did the right thing." Ros bowed low, unable to form words. "Trooper Yang, Trooper Ros, you are excused. Darron, Ira, stay with me. You must heed my coming orders."

As black-clad guardsmen escorted them from Weiss' office. Yang was still in shock, barely holding on to her new weapon. A maelstrom of emotions whirled within her, surging and brawling for dominance.

I died.

I'm a psyker.

Weiss is alive.

Weiss is an Inquisitor.

She read my mind.

I died.

Weiss is an Inquisitor.

I died.

"I must thank you again, Colonel. Even though the results of our hunt were unexpected, they were nonetheless favorable."

"It… um…" He stumbled, looking for the right words. "It was a pleasure, my Lady."

"I'm glad. I expect great things from our future cooperation." His fingers bounced off each other, nerves aflame with worry.

"Ah… future… cooperation?" The Lady Inquisitor beamed.

"But of course, Colonel. The incident with Trooper Yang has given me a brilliant idea. I'm very impressed with your Woadian Rangers. They've managed to defeat an ork horde with minimal losses, and sniff out the barest scent of corruption with speed not even my fellow Inquisitors can boast."

"You honor my humble Regiment, my Lady."

"And for these reasons I have decided: I am requisitioning the 111th Woadian Rangers as my personal task force for the duration of Abaddon's Black Crusade. Taint and blight fester and grow like weeds in the chaos of war, and my humble retinue cannot serve me as extensively as may be required. You shall be my hammer and shield, to protect me and my presence and strike at my numerable foes, wherever my duties take me." He fell to his knees.

"My Lady… I am… I am unworthy." You are not unworthy, nor particularly exemplary, no matter what I've told you, you are simply… adequate.

"On your feet, you humble fool. I am doing you no favors. The road ahead of us is fraught with dangers. Even so, we shall do our best to bring victory to the Imperium." He stood. "Have your regiment paint their armor black, and redesign your standard to feature my personal rosette."

"Of course, my Lady. It will be done."

"I've commissioned Trooper Yang to be my personal representative in the regiment. She is to hold no special office, given no extra honors. Instead, she is to serve as my eyes and ears within your rangers. I will call upon her frequently."

"Yes my Lady." His mind roiled at this, but he bit down his protests for now. Good.

"I will give you further instructions as we near the front. Gather your men, Colonel. We are off to war." He saluted and started to stride away.

"Oh, and two more things before you make your leave. One, Commissar Daniloft has had a frightful accident."

"Anton?" Longinus said in a small voice.

"Yes. Bring him to me at your first opportunity, and ignore everything he says. Second, I expect absolute obedience. Any sign of hesitation or doubt will be swiftly excised. Just like dear old Colonel Crassus." Longinus' face lost all its color, and his eyes went wide. He backed away from the Lady Inquisitor, nearly tripping over his own feet. He sprinted from the room, coattails fluttering behind him. Her kasrkin chuckled, before stifling the noise with a cough.

"I suppose that was a bit harsh of me." The Lady Inquisitor sighed. "Now go, prepare for Warp travel." She kicked her vox-caster, stomping on the transmitter pedal.

"Captain Barnes?"

"Yes, my Lady?"

"Ready the engines. We make for Cadia!" Her kasrkin roared, hoisting hellguns high into the air.

Later, when her guards and acolyte had left her, the Lady Inquisitor pondered the day's events. Weiss Schnee… how long since that name has passed someone's lips? Yang's arrival was complicating beyond measure, but a gift without compare. She opened so many doors previously thought closed, and carried on her shoulders the wherewithal to aid her quest in fix the rotting Imperium of Man.

Personally, however, seeing Yang had disturbed the Lady Inquisitor's sense of balance. She had not wept once, not in her fifty years in the Imperium. In mere seconds, she had been crying like a swaddling babe over the arrival of a friend she had once thought long dead. She scanned her friend's mind the second she saw her, to be certain it was not a masterful work of witchery. Forces beyond my comprehension are at work, she thought. I must tread with care.

However, besides the telepathy, she had not lied to her old friend. A reminder of her true home had shocked her to her core. Yang was a reaffirmation of everything she sacrificed for. She was grateful for the rush of pleasant memories and reminders of her life on the quaint world of Remanant. It brought a glowing warmth to her heart, one that she long thought lost in her life.

And the possibility of other Remnant citizens living in the Imperium… Her heart seized tight in her chest.

Ruby.

Ruby.

Ruby.

The thought was a prayer, a constant thrum of hope that coursed within her. Ruby. I loved you so much it hurt, and when you died… The Lady Inquisitor's face fell in her hands. It had been years since Ruby Rose had visited her mind. She'd locked away the memories to shut away the grief, but now with the possibility that she might yet live, lost in the vastness of the Imperium… the thought ripped the old wound open, to bleed anew.

I will find you, Ruby, at any cost. The thought was so fierce and so strong it lashed and writhed within her mind. It was unsettling. There were other matters to attend to, no matter how desperately she wished to drop her duties altogether and scour the galaxy for her lost leader. That she had even considered doing so brought her pause. You are an Inquisitor, damn it!

"What's the matter with you?" She whispered. Weiss. Your name is Weiss Schnee, and you are from Remnant. You fell in love with your leader, and she died. Her sister became a drunken outcast, and fell prey to the knives of terrorists. Now, she stands before you, poised to change history. Yang. Yang Xiao Long.

Yang was an interesting individual. Disrespectful, fiery, flirtatious, and wielding an unhealthily belligerent disposition, she was a blessing, but a risky gambit. And the Lady Inquisitor did not take risky gambits. She prized efficiency and surety above all else. Every day, her life was balanced upon a razor's edge. One mistake, one miscalculation, one erroneous assumption, and her life's work, the work of her recongregationalist brethren, centuries of patience and labor would all be lost.

In this matter -even if the matter involved friends from her forgotten past- there would be no errors. Her excitement and joy over their reunion and thoughts of Remnant faded away, replaced by the frigid reality that beset her. Yang was a friend. A good friend. Maybe the first one she had since arriving in the Imperium. She regretted what she must do, and feared it would be necessary, but practicality demanded it. Too many lives were at stake. Her decades spent sacrificing and agonizing would not be undone thanks to a rediscovered sentimentality.

"Come." She spoke into her microbead. As she waited, she pondered her actions today. If Yang performs as expected, however…

A being of shadow slunk into sight, borne on the backs of stealth and inhuman patience. Lithe and powerful, her Ace in the Hole appeared. Amat the Vindicare Assassin stood before her, exitus rifle clenched tight against his shoulder. His knee sank to the metal floor, a perfect killer bound by humility and deference.

"My Lady." He rumbled, his voice marred by the ivory mask all assassins bore. "How may I be of service?"

"We will soon be deep in the throes of war. Abaddon marches on Cadia."

"Give me the word, and he will die." She shook her head, approaching him. Laying bare his mind, she found everything in order. Perfect, unwavering focus, tempered by a spark of unorthodoxy… the same spark that lived within the heart of every member in her retinue. The Imperium breeds robotic, unthinking minds, and no progress could bear fruit in such a stagnant state.

"Your skill is unquestioned, but even your mighty rifle cannot bring him low. Your task is one of a very different nature, but no less important."

"I am yours to command, My Lady." She traced a finger up the sinews of his neck, pulling at his chin so that his hidden eyes met her own.

"Keep watch over Trooper Yang Xiao Long. She is a powerful psyker, and if she should fall to chaos, you are to terminate her with extreme prejudice."

A/N: She's seen some shit. We'll touch upon exactly what later...

Also, I realize that not all psykers are sanctioned via soul-binding, but The Lady Inquisitor's tutor made an exception.

So, questions, comments, concerns, criticisms? Writing The Lady Inquisitor is very challenging, so I understand if there's a few issues with her. For the most part, I hope this chapter goes over well.

Which reminds me: Holy FUCK! Last chapter got 29 reviews, which is more than I've ever gotten on any single chapter ever. You guys are awesome! I'll try to answer most of them here, and I'm sorry if I missed yours!

Review Replies:

Zedicus: Glad you liked it! And yes. Still a broken up about it. :(

The Walrus of Eden: I hope this chapter answered some questions! Glad you liked the twist!

RT Reader: Inquisitor Weiss was something I envisioned since the beginning, and I'm glad to see the reception has been positive. I did what little I could to honor Monty. Such a shame.

Reality Deviant: :D ... :(

Firem78190: Well... little column a, little column b.

Coolname222: That means a lot. Thanks a lot, bro. :)

Coduss: I find that to be... unlikely.

giodan: I'm glad I helped, in what little ways I could.

DanAbnettFan1997: Thank you so much!

Bear of Cali: It's amazing how diverse the response to the 'twist' was. One one hand, a lot of people were 100% correct in their predictions, and have been for some time, while some others were completely blindsided!

OmegaCloud696: Hehe. :)

Flibbly Moonbeam: I'm glad! :D

Guest: Thanks for the smile. I really needed it at the time. :)

Crimson Heresy: Woot! Mission accomplished!

OBSERVER01: Well, we'll see, won't we?

blitzxs: Well, we'll see, won't we? hahaha :D

TheSpawn117: Well we'll see, won't we? (Emperor, this is a useful comment!)

Burn2Cinderz: Nope, as you might have ascertained by this chapter. I was really surprised by how many people latched on to the 'alternate dimension' theory, both here and on SB/SV.

Graybiel: The ivory hair was a necessary evil: I knew mentioning it would tip off a ton of people, but not mentioning it left her image woefully under-done.

Snoogenz: It was resolved rather quickly, thank the Emperor!

mr I hate znt nobles kill em: It all remains to be seen!

Nemris: You can make your rules now! Yang just needed a little bit of an equipment upgrade.

CV12Hornet: Hahaha this was the kind of reaction I was looking forward to! :D

Ethorian: Is that... a good thing?

dksamuri: Thanks!

Blinded in a bolthole: Thanks for all the reviews!

the metaphysical god of heroes: Hahaha I feast upon your impotent tears! :D

Chris Adair: Check out the RWBY - Yellow Trailer to get a good picture of Yang. So glad you like the story!

exillion: Yup! :D

Shewp: Damn! I'm honored! :) I'm thrilled you're enjoying it so much!

Wow! Thanks so much for all the reviews! Keep 'em coming, guys! It only gets crazier from here on out!