Book Two: Corruption's End
Chapter 84: Prudent Joy and Wounded Pride
"She spoke of the glory that we had become / and I felt forgiven in all that I've become." - The Lady Highest on [REDACTED]
The Lady Highest saw Corruption's End awaiting her, a tsunami of muscle and firepower. It would be the largest force she'd ever commandeered. She felt the anticipation broiling in the troop holds. Felt the occasional pocket of resentment, of questioning, of longing for homes never to be seen again.
They did not know their name yet, nor why they had been summoned, but once they paid their price in blood, they would understand. What is the currency of knowledge, if not blood? A dark and turbulent thought.
One interrupted by an unfamiliar and unsettling ping that bounced incessantly against her witchsight - a psyker. Their thoughts were well-guarded, but she could still feel the uncertainty that spilled from them, cognitive dissonance warring in a debate over a newfound power.
A face flashed through their mind, a warm memory of Yang. It was Amat.
She has given him an aura.
The Lady Highest felt mad laughter boil in her throat, but she did not give it voice. I have missed too much. Recongrator plotting and preparations on Kastile Secundus still clung to her like a thin film of sweat.
I want to see Yang. Everything else seemed far away, irrelevant.
"Prepare my shuttle for a brief visit to the Ascendant Dawn," she commanded Chung over her microbead.
"Yes, Lady," came the response.
She ordered relevant information forwarded to her commanders. The new name they'd be operating under. Additional clarity regarding their mission. Stressed the importance of swift action and cooperation.
Frustratingly, it seemed as though the Explorator fleets hadn't rendezvoused with the transports yet. I must wait a little longer. Every delay cost them dearly, but hurling troop transports and their limited escort ships at White Horses would be a death sentence. More firepower was necessary for the endeavour to survive. She could feel Josephus prodding at her, taunting her.
Or perhaps that was simply paranoia.
Boarding her lander, she reclined within and waited to be delivered. The Mechanicus fleet could return at any moment, but she found it difficult to care. I miss Yang. I miss Ira.
Were she in her armor, she could at least disguise her visit as a final inspection of her personal Regiment. But what purpose would that serve? They would serve ably, as they always had. She would simply go unseen. The hopeful glint in the Woadians' eyes when they saw her was better left avoided. That glint is what killed Ira.
The excitement that colored Corruption's End was more prominent on the Ascendant Dawn. A sense of rightful vengeance and piety suffused the lunar-class freighter. She waved off Israfel's welcome, declined to speak with the new Major. Her feet took her to the Warp Observation deck, where a familiar face was waiting.
For the first time in a long while, the Lady Highest smiled.
Weiss looked like shit.
"You look like shit," Yang said.
"You gave Amat an aura," Weiss replied.
"Your fellow Inquisitors sent eldar to us," Yang said. The Lady Highest blinked, and they embraced. "I missed you," Yang said, holding Weiss tight. "Some serious shit went down while you were gone."
"Ozpin founded my Inquisition order," Weiss said flatly.
"I met up with Pyrrha," Yang shot back. "She's shacked up with the eldar."
They shared a disbelieving laugh, one that grew more uproarious by the moment. Eventually they were in tears.
"Who goes first?" Yang asked, wiping her eyes as she pulled away. "I mean, what the fuck, Weiss? What the hell happened?"
Weiss's smile wavered. "I was promoted. I learned too much. An assassin tried to kill me, and Ira paid the price."
"Oh shit," Yang said, pulling her close again. "I'm sorry Weiss." She could feel the Inquisitor's grief in her shaking shoulders, in her gentle touch. "I'm glad you're okay." They'd parted on uncertain terms, but being together again felt… right. Normal. Or what passed for it in the Imperium.
"Thank you, Yang. I'm sorry too. For the way I treated you, for… everything."
"An apology?" Yang asked, aghast. "From an Inquisitor? Don't let it get out, or your reputation will be ruined."
The Lady Highest nodded. "A grave secret between us." She folded her fingers together. "Pyrrha? Really?"
Yang nodded. "Really."
"Can I see her?" Weiss asked, the note of hope in her voice ripping at Yang's heart.
"She's left for Il-Kaithe already," Yang replied. She remembered Pyrrha's final message. Relayed it to Weiss.
"I suppose that's fair," Weiss said, sighing. "Honestly though, I don't think I care about what she chose. It would have been nice to see her one last time. Damn," she breathed. "I just don't know how to feel anymore." She sat back in a nearby chair, staring out at the task force. "So much has changed. I find myself looking back and... not liking what I see."
"Same," Yang replied. "I had a really shitty attitude towards you for a long time. All the secrets, misdirections, lies…" she shook her head, and her hair shone in the dim light. "I think I learned a little bit. I may have broken your assassin in the process though."
"And fallen for him," Weiss pointed out. Yang did not bother denying it, nor did she ask how she could tell. "What happened?"
"You want it from the top?" Yang asked with a weak laugh. "It's a long story." So she told the Inquisitor everything that had happened since they parted ways. Gartenwald, the Webway, the Black Library, Pyrrha's offer, their near escape. She pulled back her cheek to display her missing teeth. She omitted only Amat's vision. Weiss listened in absolute silence, drinking in every detail. When Yang was finally finished, she had the lingering, incessant notion that Weiss could recite it all from memory weeks later.
"I think a conversation with Darron and Chera is in order," Weiss said eventually, sighing. "I do think it was irresponsible to mention Remnant so casually."
Yang shrugged. "It was a miracle that they didn't kill any of the eldar. I decided to press the advantage while they were off-balance. If I hadn't, they might have picked up their guns again."
"I suppose," Weiss said. "I can't give them the same treatment as Amat. They are kasrkin, they weren't built to be overly... flexible. They will simply have to trust me."
"They want to," Yang replied, "deep down. I've never seen a more dedicated or capable group of soldiers."
"You have yet to meet an astartes," Weiss replied.
"You heard about the Iron Hands, right?" Yang asked, leaning forwards conspiratorially. She wasn't even conscious that she'd lowered her voice. Weiss frowned.
"It's likely they won't be any help," Weiss said. "They launched independently from the task force. If they show up too early, they might not be able to stand alone against Josephus and all his forces. If they show up too late… there's little we can expect them to help with."
"Maybe fortifying the Chariot?" Yang asked.
"Perhaps," Weiss allowed. "In any case, there will be blood shed on White Horses. And we're landing first. The Sisters, the Woadians, the Eloadian armor, and myself. If we decapitate Josephus and his leadership, we can prevent thousands of deaths."
"We're up to it," Yang declared proudly, grinning. "We have some new recruits, and everyone's pumped."
"I'm glad to hear it," Weiss said warmly. "I think leadership suits you well."
Yang's grin fell, and she accepted the compliment without comment. You've been inside my mind, Weiss. Shouldn't you know that's a lie? But her lying was better, if she were lying at all. She seemed... different.
"Again," Yang tried, changing the subject, "I'm sorry about Ira. He seemed like a good guy. Everyone in First Company still tells stories about Chung's rescue mission."
"I suppose they would, wouldn't they?" Weiss asked. Unscrewing a canteen, she took a swallow. "Ira… he died to save me."
"So did Ruby," Yang pointed out. Weiss took another drink.
"Yes. And I wasn't worthy of her sacrifice either." The Inquisitor sighed. Standing, she made her way over to the window to observe the task force. A handful of landers near Gartenwald spat small wicks of flame as they returned to their parent craft. The final collection of soldiers and officers returning from leave. "I pray that one day I will be." She turned. "I suppose you want to know what happened?"
"I heard Ozpin was involved?" Yang asked.
"From the very beginning," Weiss said. "In retrospect, it was blatantly obvious. But here…" She shook her head. "In the Imperium, I can't fault him for following his nature. He called for change and Imperials by the hundreds came running. And not just simple layfolk, but Inquisitors. Hardened men and women, jaded cynics and pyrophantic zealots. They all want the same thing." She smiled. "For the first time since I accepted my task, I feel… conflicted."
"I'm sorry Weiss." Yang said, approaching her friend.
"Ira died defending me from a Culexus Assassin," Weiss replied evenly, still focused on the spectacle before them.
"You mean like… Amat's temple?" Yang asked.
"No," Weiss replied. "Something far worse. I can take a small measure of relief in that my… enemies did not send an Eversor. Either way, I have made powerful enemies."
"Hey," Yang said, punching her shoulder. "We had the habit of doing the same thing on Remnant, you know."
"We did, didn't we?" Weiss asked, wearing a half-smile. "Although Cinder nor Salem had the power to wipe planets from existence."
"Do I need to be worried about you?" Yang asked. "Anything can happen in a war zone. I mean, Throne, on Uriel…" she tripped over an unwelcome memory and fell silent. Recovering, she pushed onwards. "I know those eldar came for you, and you beat 'em down like they owed you lien… but I'm not sure if you can handle the Officio Assassinorum on your case."
"I cannot," Weiss said simply. "And neither can you. I was lucky…" she shook her head. "No, I was blessed that Ira and the Sisters spent their lives to save me. I cannot ask you to make the same mistake. Or mire yourself in the swamp that is Inquisitorial politics. If I am killed, all I can ask is that you carry my dream forward. And tell Ruby - should you find her - that I love her dearly. That I'm sorry she had to go so soon. That she saved Remnant from total destruction."
"Are there any other cliches you'd like to take from generic war movies?" Yang joked, pushing past how poorly Weiss' words sat in her synthetic stomach. "Got a pict of your beloved that you're going to show around?"
"No such pict," Weiss answered. Instead, she held up a small engraved medallion. Though no more than a tiny disc, Yang felt safe in its presence. Warm. Almost like it was imbued with aura. "Only this. A sacred relic. In what little spare time I have, I've looked into its history. Frustratingly sparse. I only know it is holy." She wrapped it in crimson silk and returned it to her pocket. "It has brought me some comfort as of late."
"We'll beat him," Yang reassured her. "Once we pound Josephus into pulp, it's onwards to Cadia, right?"
"Right. There's…" Weiss hesitated. "There is to be a meeting on Terra before, though. Inquisitor Lords are meeting to discuss the fate of the Imperium. I have a feeling that the master of my order will turn it into a bloodbath. I must go to prevent it. But after that, assuredly, we will go to Cadia."
"Your master seems like a piece of work," Yang snorted.
"He is misguided," Weiss said simply. Angrily. "I once thought the Imperium of him, but now…" She shook her head. "Like me, his patience is tried. He wants results. He never stops to think what they will cost him."
"Hey," Yang said, taking her friend's canteen. "We'll deal with it together. Once Josephus blabs about Ruby, we'll have her tag along too." She took a swig of the canister's contents. Stale recaf. "Have you slept?" She asked.
"Not recently," Weiss answered. "My dreams have been troubled."
"Get some sleep," Yang said, tossing the canteen back. "Bad dreams are worth the rest. Speaking of which…" She trailed off. "Um… could you talk to Amat? He's going to need a lot of help managing his psychic powers. I don't think Garnet was much help, and he'll probably respond better to your teaching style than I did."
"Rest assured, I shall be speaking with him," Weiss said. "I will be sure to give him some protective seals as well."
"Please do," Yang pleaded. "I knew it was reckless to activate his aura, but I couldn't watch him suffer."
She didn't tell Weiss what she'd seen. What they'd seen. That was a private matter.
"In all my experiments with aura in the Imperium," Weiss said, "in all my efforts… I never attempted it with someone I cared for. Shared a bond with. Is that all it takes?"
"I don't know, Weiss," Yang replied. "I knew the risks, but… fuck. I don't know. I couldn't watch him suffer. Everything that happened afterwards just came to me. I barely knew the words I was saying. But I know… I know they helped."
Another sigh. "It's not fast enough," Weiss said. "But… I'm glad you managed what I could not. We shall need him in the trials ahead. I pray that we encounter further success in this matter."
"I don't know, Weiss," Yang cautioned. "This psykery stuff is ripping him up inside. And he's Vindicare. I really don't know if the common Imperial citizen will fare any better. I think it's best to let it lie for now."
"Perhaps," Weiss allowed. Her fingers kneaded the bridge of her nose. "You're right. Success still isn't confirmed. We should wait. Observe."
"Oh, I can handle that."
Weiss chuckled. "I am sure. Take care of him in this trying time."
"You're not just waiting on getting your super-assassin back, right?" Yang asked.
"I am worried about him," Weiss admitted. "I hope he isn't taking the loss of his leg too harshly."
"It's an adjustment," Yang said. "But you'll get him a new one, right?"
"I have his genetic data on hand," Weiss assured her. "I'll have Magos Prexius grow a new one immediately."
"No aug?" Yang asked.
"No. I am not certain his suit will work with one, I refuse to take any chances that might hamper his operational integrity."
"I'll let him know." Yang said. "He won't like being on the bench."
"It is better than being dead," Weiss replied. "Do be careful with him. He is in a fragile state. And I can hardly go to the Assassinorum for a replacement, can I?"
"They might take offense," Yang shot back with a smile, a grin that tried to mask the fear. "Now, when can we expect to move out? Delaying on this White Horses thing any longer might cost us."
"As soon as we can," Weiss allowed. She told her about the Explorator fleets. "The instant they're in the system, everyone's jumping to White Horses' coordinates."
"They're not going there directly?" Yang asked.
"If they did - and cleared away all orbital resistance - Josephus would simply scuttle the Chariot rather than have it fall into the Imperium's hands."
"He's waiting for us." Yang said.
"Yes," Weiss replied, piercing her with a wide-eyed stare. "I have felt him. His mind travels the Empyrean freely. It is ruled with elation and blasphemy in equal measure."
"For now," Yang said, her fist meeting her palm.
"For now," Weiss agreed.
They talked for another hour, sharing their experiences and reminiscing about Pyrrha. About Remnant. Yang appreciated the opportunity, asked Weiss for pointers about spearheading the 111th, though she was very curious about unlocking Amat's aura, and asked no end of questions. Regardless, for the first time since they'd reunited, it felt like she could see Weiss again. Ice Queen, she thought with a smile. But it could not last. The Inquisitor departed shortly afterwards, heading back to the Scythe of Morning to pray and prepare.
Three days later, the Explorator fleet arrived, and Corruption's End left for White Horses.
The Lady Highest once thought isolation to be her truest companion, the spectre of lonesomeness that had haunted her from the Schnee manor to the Schola Progenium to her chambers aboard the Scythe of Morning. When team RWBY was whole, she had abandoned her solitude slowly, inch by crawling inch. When Ruby died, it embraced her once more. It had always been there.
She had found peace in it, serenity.
But that had always been a lie. A constructed falsehood she built in her mind, brick by sordid brick. Now that she was alone once more, the quiet seemed overwhelming. She did not hear the hum of her servo-skulls, the gentle creaking of the Scythe of Morning as it tore through the Warp.
The Lady Highest heard only silence - Ira's absence was deafening. All-consuming. Unbearable. She could focus on her work no longer. The Sacred Flame sat before her, the Hallowed Inquisitor's proposed edits impatiently awaiting her input. The Sacred Flame. What an awful title. What an awful plot. Yang Xiao Long was her friend. A dear one.
And I'm trying to make her a Saint.
The dataslate scraped against her desk, pushing over the progress reports from Magos Tyrham. A stack of data slates with notes, diagrams, picts. It all seemed so foolish now. Yang deserved to be happy. She deserved a few months on a pleasure world. Making her a Saint…
"I'm a Throne-damned idiot," the Lady Highest said, slumping in her chair. And a heretic, a part of her whispered. "No," she said to an empty room. Never a heretic. I thought that she'd… rise to it.
That blinding light I saw on Elodia.
It was too quiet in here. She sat up, straightened her back. Proper posture, now.
Haltingly, hesitantly, she tried a few notes, her voice scratchy and off-key from disuse. She hadn't spoken aloud since a frank discussion with Amat before the departure of Corruption's End. The Lady Highest cleared her throat.
How long had it been since she'd sung? It felt like a century. It might have been.
The old songs flared in her mind, songs from Remnant. They were so different from the hymns she knew from the Imperium, the endless dedications, benedictions, supplications. They were infused with life and vivacity and color. Some seemed naive now. Childish. The lamentations of a imprisoned princess, the entitled cries of a spoiled heiress who had never known true hunger. True agony.
The Lady Highest tried once more - the first refrain from one of her own compositions. Her singing voice had changed since her performing days. It was lower, crooning. A polished glass mezzo-soprano that filled her chambers with a fragile longing.
It felt good.
A blip on her witchsight interrupted her. The kasrkin stood without. Darron and Chera,, frozen by the sound of their Lady's voice reaching their ears. Sighing, the Lady Highest waved her hand.
Her chamber doors opened. The Cadians looked better than when they'd debriefed her on their mission. They had rested, eaten, refreshed themselves. But they still wouldn't meet her eyes.
"My Lady," they said together.
"Captain. Lieutenant. On guard duty? Even when I ordered you to rest?"
"N-no my Lady," Chera said.
"I would hope not," the Lady Highest said with a small, wan smile. "You don't have your hellguns or armor."
"Right," Darron said, boots shuffling.
The Lady Highest's smile faded. From within her desk, she retrieved two glasses and a bottle of wine. Pouring her most loyal guards a drink, she tapped her finger against one, letting the sound ring clear and true.
"Your performance on your latest mission was exemplary," she said. Rays of artificial light fell upon her, brilliant spears of a false sun as white as her hair. "Yang told me of your uncommon courage and discernment."
Neither moved to take the wine.
"It is not poisoned, if that's what you think," the Lady Highest said. "You know of Remnant. The truth of who I am. As do a handful of your comrades. I am not so callous and wasteful to kill you over such knowledge. Even if it is a frightful, dangerous knowledge."
"Why?" Chera asked, stepping forwards. Eyes wet. "Why… lie?"
The Lady Highest turned to face her, eyebrow raised. "You would ask an Inquisitor why she lies?" A pause. "When was I supposed to tell you?" the Inquisitor asked. "When you first mustered before me? You would have thought me a raving lunatic. Weiss…" The Lady Highest paused. "The truth of Weiss Schnee was supposed to die with the Lady Inquisitor. A penance earned after lifetimes of sin and futility. Fate - and perhaps even the Emperor - have dashed that hope."
They considered that.
"I didn't tell you not because I didn't trust you," the Lady Highest reassured them. "It is because it is irrelevant. Who I was… where I came from… they don't mean anything. Not here. I serve the Emperor now."
"And what about Ruby?" Darron asked. A question that slipped between Weiss' ribs.
"What about her?" the Lady Highest asked, rime spilling gently from her lips before she willed it away. A deep breath. "She is dead and gone."
"You saw something of her though," Chera insisted. "On Ranshu. I've... " She shook her head, bared her teeth. "I've never seen you lose control like that. Yang told us about her. What… what happened on Remnant."
"A deeply personal failure," the Lady Highest answered. "I was caught off-guard. Much like when I laid eyes upon Yang for the first time. Remember your own. Remember Karlich." A fallen kasrkin, felled by the heretical Xanthous Inquisitor Galatia. "Imagine him standing before you now. As a psyker, such sights are dangerous. They could be temptations, or worse yet, signs of encroaching madness."
The karskin were silent for a moment, considering her words. It hurt.
"So," the Lady Highest tried carefully. "Do you understand why I didn't share my past with you?"
"Yes," Darron answered. "But going forward… if we're to do our jobs, we need to be kept informed of everything… everything…"
"Everything pertaining to Remnant," Chera finished. "If everyone from your homeworld is as dangerous as you… or Pyrrha, or Yang, I… I don't think you can keep the secret from the Imperium forever. What if one of your kind fell to Chaos? From what I've gathered, not every huntsman from Remnant was a hero."
"Too true," the Lady Highest said with a sigh. "I understand your concern. For now, believe me when I say cases such as myself and my friends are limited. Before Yang, I was certain I was alone. An oddity. Now…" She trailed off, her mind filled with rose petals. "I can't be sure."
"You're looking for her," Chera said. "Ruby." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "That song… you love her."
"Loved her," the Lady Highest said. Quietly. She sat, once more pushing the wine towards her guards. This time they accepted it. Drank. "What she did on Remnant… well, in the decades since she passed, she came to be regarded as Lord Solar Macharius is in the Imperium," she said. "But to me, she was a dear friend, and the person that freed me from the worst of who I had been. I loved her. I don't know if she felt the same way. In the end, it didn't matter. And it is no different here," she said looking up at them with glacier-melt eyes. "I told Yang the same thing. Ruby… doesn't matter. Not in the grand scheme. Right now, we focus on our duty."
"On Ranshu…" Darron started.
"On Ranshu, I was led to believe Ruby was in the sway of chaos," the Lady Highest replied. "Imagine hearing that of Chera."
That quieted him.
"Imagine losing the other. Your second half. Your partner," the Lady Highest said. "To me, it was an old wound, one that was ripped open and sewn with salt. I regret my outburst, but I must move on." She took a deep breath. "I am not looking for Ruby. I cannot. My life belongs to the Emperor. To the Imperium. No matter what world I hail from, no matter who I find from my past, I cannot waver. Neither can you."
"And Pyrrha?" Chera asked.
"She made her choice," the Lady Highest said. "She followed her heart. A fatal flaw of hers."
"You don't think she was being controlled?" Darron said carefully.
"Pyrrha?" The Lady Highest chuffed. "I doubt it very much. Ozpin manipulated her into…" the Lady Highest bit her tongue to keep it from wagging so carelessly. Dangerous, dangerous information that.
"Ozpin?" Chera prodded.
"A powerful huntsman," the Lady Highest answered. "He manipulated Pyrrha into accepting a… terrible duty." He manipulated all of us. "She accepted, and it nearly cost her everything. She was much more wary after that."
"I doubt even the most powerful huntsman can best an eldar at lying and manipulation," Darron said, crossing his arms.
"You have never met Ozpin," the Lady Highest said simply. "Pray you never do."
He didn't reply.
"Are there any other questions?" the Lady Highest asked.
"Your name is… Weiss?" Chera asked, her voice small. "Weiss Schnee?"
"Yes," the Lady Highest said, extending her hand. "Well met, Lieutenant."
A small smile. "Well met." They shook hands. Darron smiled too, though he kept his distance.
"Going forward," the Lady Highest said, "I will keep you informed of any developments regarding my heritage. It shall be your duty to disseminate what is necessary to share with your comrades. I only ask that you use the utmost discretion. Knowledge of a realm beyond our own is extremely dangerous - enemies within could use an errant word as a charge of heresy."
"Understood," Darron said.
"Good." The Lady Highest collected their now-empty glasses. "Your leave ends tomorrow. I expect you armed and standing guard by oh-six-hundred tomorrow."
They saluted. The Lady Highest acknowleged it.
As they left, she could hear the questions that boiled in their brains. They stewed and simmerd, pressing against sealed lips. It was only natural they would still have questions. Simple human nature. The Lady Highest smiled.
And began her song once more.
A/N: Three chapters left until the end of Book 2!
Holy shit! A World of Bloody Evolution just passed 2,000 reviews! I'm so honored that you guys have stuck with me all this time, through the ups and downs. I'm flattered by all the kindness and support you've shown me over the years.
Next chapter, Yang and Amat have a chat! We'll also check in on our old pal Josephus.
See what he's up to.