Ermine walked beside Mikah through the ship, it was a long way to the hold where they were keeping the dark eldar prisoners. "Why are we doing this?" asked Ermine.
"To introduce Pantaleon to the pleasures of Slaanesh."
"He's not going to just throw himself upon an eldar, I don't get it."
"It's more complicated than that, my brother" explained Mikah, "Reptile knows what he is doing; if it does not trigger the lust in his heart, it will act as a provocation."
They walked in silence for a moment, with only their feet on the floor making a sound, "How long have you been a part of this chapter?" asked Ermine.
"I have served the Mourning Maiden for two centuries, and I have never looked back. You only became a brother weeks ago, how are you finding it?"
"It's strange."
"Strange? How?"
"It's the little things."
"Like what?" asked Mikah.
"The main thing for me would be the servitors," said Ermine, "Back with the Silver Griffons there were hundreds of servitors; and they used a whole team just for battle preparation. Here you use human slaves."
"Better don't you think?"
"Servitors were slow, but they didn't make mistakes, I felt like I could trust them with my armour."
"You don't trust the slaves?"
"I don't think they can do as good a job as a servitor," said Ermine.
"They have never made a mistake with my armour," explained Mikah, "You're looking at this in totally the wrong way; think about it this way, what would you rather have touching you after a battle? A cold machine or willing servants that will please you in every way you desire?"
"Why not have the servants tend to you after the servitors?"
"Servitors are cold, soulless machines. Why would you want any contact with them at all?"
"So there aren't any servitors here?"
"No need for them, my brother," explained Mikah, "they would only spread unhappiness anyway. The thought of being alive and not able to feel anything would drive most of us insane, to be one with Slaanesh is to be one with your sensations. To lose your sensations, would be like being cut off from Slaanesh, I for one would rather be dead than be like a servitor."
Ermine was beginning to understand, he moved to the side to let a group of slaves run between the two marines.
"What do you think of the eldar we picked up?" asked Mikah.
Ermine thought back to when he had seen them last, after the battle, on the ground. He cast his mind back to the moment a scourge broke free and nearly escaped. The moment her white wings were open in all their glory will stay in his mind forever; they were pure white in a landscape of dust and war. "I remember the scourge with the white wings," he said, "she was…"
"I know," interrupted Mikah, grinning, "Quite exquisite, she kicks like a titan though. If you're lucky, you might be able to get more intimate with her."
"Intimate?"
"Yes," said Mikah, "I know you've been thinking about it." They turned around one more corner, "They are in here." Turning the lever, he pushed open the door to reveal the the nine dark eldar prisoners, some looked untouched and unharmed, while some were bloodied and used, from either battle or their stay with the Knights of Ecstasy. The room they were kept in was totally featureless, there was no way for them to escape.
Mikah walked in first, "What do you think he'll prefer? Male or female?"
"You think it matters?" replied Ermine.
"Everyone has a preference. What do you prefer?"
Ermine looked around and made a quick and natural response, "I think I prefer the females."
"Really," remarked Mikah, "I always prefer the males, myself, but I can totally understand the draw of a good eldar woman. They are a really tight fit, you know."
Ermine didn't know; a life of celibacy meant that he had no idea what Mikah meant. Ermine spotted the eldar woman with the white wings; the corner of his mouth curled up into a smile at the thought of seeing those wings in their full glory again.
"There's your favourite," said Mikah with a grin, "You can come and get her later if you like."
Ermine continued to watch her, she scowled back and turned away from him, but this just gave him a better view of her magnificent wings.
Mikah interrupted Ermine's thoughts, "Brother Pantaleon strikes me as one who would prefer the eldar women."
"How do you know?" asked Ermine.
Mikah stood and pondered a bit and he shrugged, "Just a guess. She looks like a good one," he said pointing at the second nearest one.
She stood up immediately and started moving to the far side of the room, "Fuck you, space marine freaks, go and rot in hell with your god."
The dark eldar scattered. Were they not like battle brothers? Not one of them wanted to stand with with the one that had been nominated by Mikah.
Ermine stood by the door as Mikah pulled his bolt pistol from his side and walked up to her with his gun pointed at her head. "If you don't come with us, now I will shoot you, and you won't be going anywhere." Eldar are clever, maybe she will work out that she has more chance of surviving if she cooperates, even just for a little while.
Mikah got close and put his hand on her shoulder, he lowered his gun and like lightning, she reacted, slapping his arm away, then vaulting over the marine's head, and delivering a quick series of jabs to the marines lower back, perhaps looking for a weakness on the unarmoured torso; but none could be found. Mikah turned and rammed his knee into the stomach of the woman, buckling her over. He then grabbed her head and held her in a headlock as he forced the barrel of his bolt pistol into her mouth.
"Do you know what this is?" he said calmly as she struggled for freedom. He waited for a slight nodding movement before continuing through gritted teeth. "This is my bolt pistol, it fires a self-propelled round though the air, which will explode just after it hits flesh. At this angle, when I fire, the shot will travel down the length of your body. Where do you think it will explode, your chest, your guts or will it just find its way through your body and out your cunt?"
The eldar woman kept darting her eyes from looking at the bolt pistol to looking at Mikah.
"I'm curious," said Mikah, "Shall we find out the answer to this mystery?"
Mikah flexed his trigger finger and made a small clicking sound with his gun, and this brought a whimper and a look of terror to the face of the eldar woman. He smiled and quickly changed his position to release the eldar from his grasp and shoved her into the arms of Ermine.
They walked out of the room with the woman slumped over Ermine's shoulder.
After walking for a few minutes the eldar woman regained her original feistiness. "Let me go, you sick, twisted piece of shit. You're worth nothing and you worship a whore god."
"I don't think you're in a position to say things like that," commented Ermine, holding onto her legs, keeping her in place.
"You are a piece of shit, you're a fucking scum bag, you're scum!" she screamed.
Ermine glanced over to Mikah who only shrugged.
She continued, "You're overgrown apes that worship a whore god. You disgusting creatures fuck each other as well. Who has the cock and who has the cunt in your bed. No, you probably have both, you sick…" there was a bang and the slew of insults came to an end.
It took a few moments for Mikah to catch on, "What happened?"
Ermine looked round to the eldar woman's head. She had stopped speaking, and her struggles had slowed to a stop. He pulled her of his shoulder and held her in front of him to see her face. It was covered in blood from her nose.
"You hit her head on the door, you fool," said Mikah while inspecting the damage to her features.
"It was an accident."
"Accident or not, we can't give this to Pantaleon now, it's ruined."
"What do you suggest?"
"Come on," sighed Mikah as he trudged back the way they came, "let's get another one."
They arrived in Pantaleon's room and Ermine dropped the second eldar woman onto the bed.
"Close the door," ordered Mikah, and Ermine did so. Mikah crawled onto the bed and got close to the woman. She scurried backwards but Mikah grabbed her leg and kept her in place. He caressed her face, and she spat on his. She was quieter than the previous eldar woman, but her hatred was still great. Mikah responded to the spit with a backhand to the eldar's face. He then grabbed the shoulder pad of her armour and ripped it off. He then slipped his fingers under the fabric of her wych suit and tore it from her. Now topless, she scrambled to get way, but this didn't stop Mikah from disrobing her further.
Ermine could feel shivers crawling up his spine when he saw her naked form; she was stunning, a beautiful life form. He wanted her, but he remained still. This eldar was not his.
Mikah pulled the straps off the wych suit, then proceeded to roll up the rest of the fabric that had been removed from his victim. He wove the straps and bolts of fabric and leather around the rails of the bed and the limbs of the eldar. He kept going until it was impossible for the woman to escape and she lay there, open for any advances that may approach her.
Mikah ran his fingers up her crotch and drew his tongue across her breast. The eldar woman looked away in dread. "Sorry," said Mika, looking her in the eye, "couldn't resist." He moved to lie beside her and positioned himself so he could speak to her directly. "You are not going to be mine today," he said softly, "a sergeant of terminators has the pleasure of your company this evening," he eyed her body up and down once more, "You should feel lucky, he's a very important astartes."
Ermine was feeling an extreme desire to be in Mikah's position, with his armour off, and close to the naked body of the eldar. It looked comforting, smooth, and soft. The beauty of it only made it ever so much more enticing. But Ermine remained still and kept his temptations at bay.
Mikah spoke to her again, "When our brother, Pantaleon comes in, I want you to give him a message."
"Fuck you," said the woman plainly.
Mikah slapped her across the face again; he was holding back, the last thing he wanted was to damage another prize for Pantaleon. "I want you to relay a message for me, will you do that?"
The eldar woman hesitated; then nodded.
"Good," said Mikah with a smile, "now repeat after me; I am a bitch."
"I am a bitch," mumbled the eldar.
"Speak louder."
"I am a bitch," she said through gritted teeth.
"How do you want me?" continued Mikah.
"How do you want me?" repeated the eldar.
"On my back or on my knees?"
"On my back or on my knees?"
"I am a whore, have your way with me."
"I am a whore," said the Eldar woman, a tear coming from her eye, "Have your way with me."
"I am a gift of noise."
"I am a gift of noise."
"I am all yours."
She paused for a moment; she looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, "I am all yours."
"Very good," said Mikah with a smile. He got off the bed and walked towards the door, "Come, Brother Ermine, it's time to go."