Tzarine carefully slid a foot into the armoured boot, and felt the seals tighten.
They would arrive within the hour, and she could feel the tension running through her body. How could she approach the Tau? How could she frame a deal that the xenos would accept, while still providing some freedom to investigate? Not to mention one that would let her keep some self-respect.
Thirty Sisters and half a dozen rogue Guard. Not that she trusted Karis or her team. Karis' defection had been too sudden, too neat, and her troops had initially been brainwashed zealots of the Word Bearers – or so it seemed, anyway. Whether that made Karis a chaos disciple, or an Inquisitorial mole, she didn't know… and she wasn't sure which was worse.
Even ignoring the trust issues, it wasn't much of a force. Not least as there were a lot of injuries that would reduce the effectiveness of the unit. And speaking of trust… there was Rhia. Someone she had once trusted her life to, and now… was a liability.
The Soul Venom had a decent amount of supplies, but they wouldn't last forever. Short of peaceful retirement – the thought made her snort – they would need to find some way to replenish them ammunition, fuel, equipment…
So here it was. Mercenary work. What could she offer that would encourage the Tau that she was a good investment?
The answer made her stomach clench.
Slowly, she picked up the red gemstone necklace, and slipped it over her head.
Come.
The door slid open as she was sealing her breastplate, the faint hum of the reactor warming up from dormancy vibrating in her bones. She did not turn, sliding a hand into her gauntlet. She knew who it was.
"You called?" the demon purred.
"How powerful are you?" Tzarine asked bluntly.
Llthaanhir's voice became coy. "You fought me in the warp."
"That was a test of fortitude," Tzarine snapped. This was not the time for games. "I'm not stupid. I know you didn't throw everything you had at me. Give me a straight answer. How powerful are you?"
The servant of Slaanesh stalked into view, a toothy grin on her features. "At the moment, not very," she admitted. "Only the gemstone binds me to this reality. I can kill any human, but if you intend to send me against armies… I would advise against it. For now."
"For now?" Tzarine challenged, her heart thudding. Anything the daemon said could be a lie, but… if Llthaanhir at her prime was that dangerous…
"Every life I take, every soul I consume, every sensation I experience or inflict will strengthen me for a time. Mass death or suffering, or the souls of psykers will be much more effective and long lasting."
"And if you get your psyker souls?"
"Then a dozen Space Marines would be so much bloody meat in as much time as it takes to say it. The brighter I burn, though, the quicker I fade."
Tzarine was silent, digesting this. Then she abruptly turned away from the cat-like eyes, testing the movement of the armour before picking out her weapons. The reactor felt sluggish, but it was sufficiently powered for basic tasks. She took her time about it, checking the bolt pistol carefully. Feeling the daemon's gaze upon her. Waiting for the next little slip, the next use of the thing's power.
"What would happen if I smashed the heart?" she asked suddenly.
Llthaanhir shrugged. "I would fade and return to the warp, unbound and free of your will."
"Then you claim to be subject to my will now."
A silent nod.
Tzarine locked gazes with the warp-creature. "Then tell me your name."
"Llthaanhir." Her eyes gleamed. "Or do you mean my true name? Not even the gem will make me reveal that to you if I do not wish it."
"I'm not a fool, daemon. I saw what your armies did to Senaav, and now you admit yourself to be so dangerous that you could probably take out the ship yourself. You let me win inside the Gate. You allowed yourself to be bound to me, if bound you are. Why?"
"So sudden, so direct!" Llthaanhir giggled, making Tzarine's skin crawl. "You expect me to reveal all on the second date without even a kiss?"
The Sororitas' fist rammed into the daemon's solar plexus, and she fell hard. "You repel me," Tzarine snarled.
"Liar." Llthaanhir's voice had become low, sultry. "You want what I represent. You crave it. The gods of Chaos are capricious, vengeful, but their rewards are great. And then there's what else I represent, what you desire… from a certain lieutenant…"
Tzarine snatched the necklace, wrapping fingers around the gemstone as it cleared her gorget and squeezed it hard. Llthaanhir mewled, falling from her half-sat position as she writhed and spasmed in pain.
The Sororitas kept the pressure for a whole minute before releasing. "Remember your place," she said coldly. "Whether your servitude to me is real or an illusion, I will not tolerate that kind of insolence. Get up."
The daemon slowly rose, still twitching. "Yes, mistress," she said quietly.
"You will accompany me to meet the Tau commander, and you will assist us in the war effort as I see fit. If you cross the line again, I'll ensure you regret it. Get out of my sight."
The daemon fled meekly, and Tzarine relaxed, satisfied.
It was only as she was preparing to leave that she realised that she had been goaded into using the daemon after all.
The Soul Venom lurched as it made its crackling re-entry into the material world. Tzarine tried to surreptitiously clutch onto the display table and close her eyes as the translation occurred. No matter how many journeys, how many weeks and months she spent in the warp… the translations always made her queasy.
The sharp intake of breath from Syndragar brought her attention back to the moment, expecting an Imperial squadron to be bearing down on them.
She took in the sensor display, and whistled. "I guess we won't be negotiating after all."
The space around Shondar Majoris was a graveyard. She counted the flickering icons, came to a total of twenty drifting hulks, both Tau and Imperial, amidst a vast field of wreckage.
"The initial transmission indicated seventeen heavy Tau warships," Syndragar remarked, echoing her thoughts. "Based on the amount of debris, it looks like the entire force was all but destroyed. They took the whole Navy reinforcement fleet with them, though. No battleworthy ships in the area."
"Convenient," Morgana said dryly. "We get free reign. Until the next relief force arrives."
"Is there anything still working out there?" asked Tzarine, glancing towards the viewports, and the drifting silhouettes.
"A single Tau warship. There." Syndragar pointed thoughtfully. "Still has power and life support in some sections. Engines are gone, warp drive is a dead loss, and if its guns are still working, I'll be surprised." He looked at Tzarine, waiting for her response.
"We should board it," she said. "There'll be supplies we can salvage, and there's a chance we can get some ground information."
"I agree. I can supervise salvage operations in the area afterwards as well. You'd be surprised what people will pay for chunks of warship."
Tzarine breathed an internal sigh of relief. With the man so hard to read, she hadn't been sure of his intent.
"That's decided, then," she said aloud. "Zekka, Ysabella, you're with me. Morgana and Helga will stay in reserve."
She hesitated, glanced between her assembled commanders. There was no putting it off, though. "We'll be a woman down. Rhia's being relieved of duty until further notice."
Looks were exchanged. "What are you going to do with her?" asked Zekka finally. "You can't just lock her up on the Venom indefinitely."
"Let her go." Karis shrugged as eyes locked onto her. "She wants no further part in this. She can't give away any vital information. Boot her off the ship when we leave and let her find her own way."
Tzarine's eyes narrowed. It was a reasonable suggestion, and from anyone else, she'd have agreed immediately. But coming from the suspected traitor… "I'll consider it," she said aloud. "For now, we've got other priorities. Captain, I want you to liaise with Morgana to see if there are any signals or traces of the Mission. Dismissed."
Zekka, Ysabella and Helga left immediately, Morgana drifting off with Syndragar. Tzarine turned to leave herself, and almost ran into Karis.
"You don't trust me an inch, do you?" the stormtrooper remarked.
Tzarine stopped, unsure of how best to respond.
"I know a lot more about Tau and their workings than you do. I saved your ass on Senaav, and I sold out my principles and self-respect on your say-so to deal with that Chaos scum. You were going to leave me to burn with the rest of the planet, and you barely give me the time of day here. What do I have to do here?"
Tzarine's lip curled. "Not here," she said curtly, stalking off the bridge.
They walked in silence until they reached a deserted corridor, and the Sororitas spun. "You've got a lot of nerve. What in the name of Holy Terra makes you think you can storm up to me and demand my trust? You've done nothing to earn it. Every time you've backed me up or done something to benefit us, you've been saving your own damn skin. Maybe I did intend to leave you behind. It would've made my life simpler, and the Warp knows it's complicated enough."
"I make it complicated?" Karis snapped back. "What about that abomination you keep around? Llthaanhir is a threat, and a serious one. You don't even keep it contained, the thing goes where it pleases and it takes a gun to persuade it to leave."
"At least I know what to expect from a daemon," Tzarine shot back coldly. "I don't know you, Karis. I don't know what you're capable of. What I do know is that you're no fool, and that you're a self-serving bitch. Go ahead. Push me harder. See what happens."
Karis shrunk back a little. "I… I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to go out of line." She bowed her head. "But… with respect, I can't prove myself if you don't give me a chance."
Tzarine said nothing. Her hackles were still raised, and she didn't like the sudden switch in attitude. The stormtrooper had a point, though. "You said that you're familiar with Tau?" she said finally.
"Yes ma'am." Karis paused a moment. "I was under Inquisitor Gharr's command for some time, but one of my first assignments was at a Xenos outpost in the Damocles Gulf. I grew quite familiar with Tau procedure; even learned enough of their language to be reasonably fluent."
Tzarine looked away, and finally nodded. "Fine. Get your team ready. You're with us. You wanted a chance, I'm giving you one. Go."
Karis saluted smartly, and left swiftly. Tzarine paused, watching her go for a moment.
Relying on Karis and Llthaanhir, while dealing with likely hostile xenos on a broken and burning wreck.
This felt like a recipe for disaster, she thought wryly.