Early 36th Millennium, dawn of the Plague of Unbelief
Void between Dacian Cluster and the Mittani Drift
Exorcism Chamber of the Veiled Strike, Inquisitorial Cruiser

Bright light filled the entire chamber, shining down upon an enormous hexagram inscribed in gold upon the deck and upon the naked figure curled into a fetal position in the middle of the mark, with hands covering its face. The figure was pale and its head was shaved, but its youth and size made one thing certain, the figure was but a boy no more than eleven or twelve years of age.

Words filled the chamber.

The boy writhed on the ground, then sprang to his feet impossibly fast. He stepped toward the edge of the hexagram then froze. Malice and anger filled his face. Sadness replaced it, then he pursed his lips as if for a kiss. The boy struggled against whatever was holding him.

But the words never ceased.

"Emperor, hear us," said a voice with perfect clarity and the boy's body froze, clenched. A voice that came from Basil standing tall at one of the six points of the hexagram, dressed in a white tunic with hexagrams and wards stitched throughout with gold thread. His Aquila topped force staff was held in both his hands.

Words followed when Basil's mouth closed.

"Emperor, give us your Grace," rang out voices in perfect harmony. Words spoken by two Void Spectres, Ansgar and Fynn. Each standing at one of the hexagram's six points in their power armour with wards freshly painted in gold onto their surfaces. Words spoken by Matthias standing at one of the six points in a white tunic with wards stitched in gold thread that matched those Basil wore. Words spoken by the Astropaths Sirsay and Moneka who had dropped their green robes, replacing them with ones of white that bore the same wards stitched in gold as Basil and Matthias, and who were standing at the remaining two points of the hexagram. In Moneka's hands was an open book she read from, The Book of Exorcisms.

"You will all lose in the end. Embrace your desires," said a voice that came from the boy's mouth, yet was seductive in a manner that no boy or mere mortal could manage. "My Dark Prince is only seeking that which rightly belongs to him and he has almost found it. Three pieces he seeks. Give them to him first, and all your desires will be fulfilled."

"Be gone!" Basil shouted as he stepped forward and struck out with his staff, struck the boy on his forehead.

The boy froze in place as if transfixed by the Aquila touching his forehead. Basil slowly lowered the staff and the boy slowly collapsed to the deck as he did so. Basil glanced to Sirsay as he kept the tip of the force staff on the boy's forehead.

"The Daemonette is gone," she said. "The Exorcism is complete." Soft moans and sobbing began to fill the chamber, coming from the boy lying on the deck.

"A job well done comrades," Basil said with confidence, and pulled his staff away from the boy's forehead. "Adept Fynn, see to Jorik. I need the test results immediately."

The Apothecary's helmet turned to Basil for a moment, then turned back toward the boy lying in the center of the gold hexagram. He broke the hexagram by walking into it and kneeled beside the boy, then picked him up and walked over by Ansgar.

"Adept Ansgar, you may return to your duties," Basil snapped and the two Marines immediately turned and headed away from the hexagram on the deck. "Moneka, bring me the Book of Exorcisms, then remove the ward from the deck," Basil added. Moneka immediately closed the book she had been reading from and walked to Basil. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, streaming down from the scars on her face that had left no ducts for them to come from. After he took the book from her hands she walked to a table against the bulkhead and picked up a brush and a vial. She returned to the hexagram then went down on one knee and began wiping away the ward.

"Walk with me," said a voice over Basil's shoulder. He turned his gaze from Moneka to find Matthias beside him. Without another word, the Inquisitor turned and headed toward the open door through which the Marines had left, with Fynn carrying Jorik's limp form. Basil immediately followed and quickly caught up to the older Inquisitor, matching him stride for stride. Sirsay remained in the Chamber with Moneka.

Things are in motion that I cannot see and neither can Sirsay. How many more opportunities will I get to instruct them? Matthias asked himself. It was a blessing to find Moneka and her skill with Theosophamy, her ability to close Warp openings. His brow knotted for a moment, then smoothed. He has learned so fast…and his mind devoured the Ritus de Exilium. He pondered his words a moment more, then spoke. "Normally, I would have my apprentice partake in the subordinate role many times before giving up the lead but I decided to try things differently this time. I brought you along faster so that I could also bring along Sirsay and Moneka."

"Sirsay should be more confident," Basil interjected. "Confidence is important when facing the daemon. She has the skill and her confidence is adequate now, but repetition will bring forth that confidence and hone it, make it a bulwark against more challenging foes."

"My thoughts exactly," Matthias answered. He has picked up on all aspects so swiftly. He is even ready to train others.

"Do you believe Jorik will recover adequately to continue as a neophyte under the instruction of the remaining Void Spectres?" Basil asked. "Volunteer or not, I have misgivings about introducing a daemon to possess another human being. He could not have fully understood the scope of what that would do to his mind."

"True," Matthias answered. "But what is necessary to do is most often neither pleasant nor something that we can fully comprehend the consequences of doing. Yet we do it because Humanity will not live to see the next five thousand years if we do not." He paused a second, then continued. "What Jorik was forced to endure is often most difficult for those who aspire to become one of the Emperor's Angels of Death. That is why I chose a servant of the Dark Prince. He allowed the Daemonette to possess him and to remain in control of his body for twelve hours. A Daemonette, a literal piece of the Prince of Pleasure, will most often try to permanently wreck the mind and soul of whoever it possesses by leading the victim into seeking pleasure in whatever manner would be most degrading to the individual. The things Jorik begged for us to do to him and begged to do to us, things most repulsive to his ego, will haunt him and are antithetical to how so many men who were in the Templars see themselves. If the boy can put that behind him, I believe his training as a neophyte will successfully lead to him becoming an Astartes…if his body accepts the implants. If not, we will be forced to terminate him."

The two continued down the corridor yet Matthias sensed his Apprentice was not finished asking questions.

"What of the claim the Daemonette made?" Basil asked. "It said that the Prince of Pleasure is close to garnering three 'pieces' that it believes is its rightful possession and that we would be rewarded for returning the pieces to the Prince first." Basil paused for a moment, then added, "The Powers are full of lies which makes me doubt the Prince is close to gathering three pieces it wants but the promise of reward for returning them ourselves makes me consider the truth of the possibility. Like an addictive desire. The closer it comes to grasping its obsessions the more desperate it is to do so."

"Such is often the way of Chaos," Matthias answered. "We also know that the Aeldari of Rubha Àird Driseig began moving when the Condenser was found. Perhaps the craftworld and the Condenser are two of the pieces the Dark Prince desires and we are chasing one down now. The third, I have no guess."

"And that is what worries me," Basil said. "While chasing to a spot that we believe will lead us to the Fires of Purgation, and with it the Condenser, we are following an Adeptus Mechanicus vessel, one which will be manned mostly by servitors with only a small number of Tech-Priests. I do not like seeing Imperial servants so tightly woven into this web."

"And smaller numbers mean the entire group is more susceptible to being turned to Chaos, or at least being caught in its manipulations," Matthias answered.

"But what of Tanais where the Omnissiah's Blessing visited prior to The Nest?" Basil asked. "What does that have to do with this, if anything? I know nothing of the planet. And Moneka's vision. Does it fit into this in any way?"

"The visit to Tanais seems relevant to our quest as Inquisitor Ipabog visited there before he traveled to the Exodite world. Too coincidental, but I do not know what his purpose there was. He left no notes on the planet and I fear we do not have time to spend there searching," Matthias said. "If we catch the cruiser at Putnik Station, perhaps we will find out then. If not, perhaps they will lead us to the world. As to Moneka's vision, I hold no faith in her interpretations of what she believes she remembers of standing before the Emperor."

"Making multiple jumps since our Navigators cannot see the Astronomican slows us down," Basil said. "Do you plan to complete the other two exorcisms before we reach Putnik Station?"

"No," Matthias answered. "I do not believe we will have time to do so."