The energies and horrors of the warp push up against the Gellar fields of the cruiser as it travels through the Immaterium. The cargo bays are filled with all the transports that safely escaped Grael Secundus and their human cargos all praise the God-Emperor for safely seeing them off that nightmare world. But while the civilians thank the God-Emperor, the guardsmen and other soldiers all sit around their equipment quietly. They all know that they only managed to escape the Orks and it was not much of a victory after all the troops they lost. But more significantly was that they lost a forge world. However hope remains among the guardsmen when they look towards the one source of light inside the bay that gives a small illumination. While only a small light, it is enough for the guardsmen to know they are not alone as the bluish glow of the Frost weapons encourage them to be ready to stand and hold the capital world against the Orks. To fail in this task would be more shameful than normal as they would be failing before the eyes of one of the legendary Vlka Fenryka. Lauf knows that his presence was a great morale boost for the guardsmen, but right now he was not thinking about this. Instead he was trying to remember anything more about the fight he witnessed between Ramses and the strange Eldar. He did not understand why that xeno had stepped in and stopped Ramses from killing him.
This confused him to no end. The Eldar were always enigmatic and tricksters who would gladly sacrifice billions of human lives to save a few hundred of their kind. So why would one of these xeno risk its own life to save a single human? Shaking his head Lauf brings his hand against his head as it starts to ache. He was overthinking again. Grabbing one of the food pellets he keeps in his armour he tosses it into his mouth and swallows it, following it with a swig of water from a canteen a voidsman had left for him. As the water slides down his throat he thinks back at the battle with Ramses. This fight had been different from his first fight. Ramses had been on the defensive for most of the fight, unlike when he had attack his pack 20 years ago. He had gotten stronger. But he still wasn't strong enough. The minute the Sorcerer had unleashed his powers, Lauf had been knocked aside like an annoying fly. Gritting his teeth, Lauf calms himself from smashing the floor in frustration. Instead he thinks about the actions and what he needs to do to kill Ramses next time he fights him. Focusing on the battle he can feel his body twitch as if his muscles are moving the same way as when the fight occurred, memorizing the movements of each attack, parry, block and counter he had to use during the fight against the cowardly Sorcerer. Lauf had a habit to help memorize his fights by closing his eyes and sinking into a form of meditation. Instead of trying to let everything around him fall away as the astropaths do when they're trying to send a message, Lauf keeps his mind focused on the world around in case someone tried to sneak up on him. He keeps still as he feels his body finish twitching, letting him know that he will be ready to react if Ramses tries the same tricks next time he fights. He smiles as he thinks about hacking Ramses' arms off his body and cutting his legs free of his frame before he finally took his head to bring it back to the Aett to show that he had avenged his pack in the eyes of his Jarl and lord of the Space Wolves, Logan Grimmar.
His daydreaming gets interrupted when he feels a tap on his shoulder pauldron but he knew who it was before he opened his eyes and gave a small smirk to Ashe as the young Celestian looked at the Space Wolf,
"My lord? May I sit beside you?" Ashe asks and Lauf nods without saying a word. Ashe slides down onto the ground and settles in beside him. Once she is comfortably in place she breathes a sigh of relief,
"We're going to suffer for losing the Forge World. Not just from the Orks ransacking the manufactorums. But our Canoness-Superior is not going to be pleased about the losses we took in failing to defend the world." She admits with shame, "Astra, Cassidy and I are going to have to answer for it." Lauf snorts in a dismissive tone at the comment,
"If your Canoness-Superior cannot see that you and the other forces currently alive here were not able to hold back this Ork invasion. She's a bigger fool than an Administratium bureaucrat." He grumbles disgusted by this story. In the short time he's known them these three Sisters have demonstrated a clear sense of duty and honour which reminded him of fellow Space Marines. Even with Sister Cassidy's love of explosions and violence, they are better warriors of the Emperor than the pyromaniac radicals that dominate the Sisters of Battle. His fists tighten as he remembers that one day years ago when he crippled those Sisters who had attempted to slaughter innocent civilians he had helped save. He had left those Sisters crippled and badly humiliated, but still alive. That felt like a lifetime ago as he looks at the Sister beside him who is looking up at his golden-amber eyes with her light green ones. Looking into those eyes Lauf feels a strange urge: He would not let anything or anyone harm this young woman or the other two with her even if he had to tear them apart with his fangs,
"The Emperor must have been watching over us. How else could it be that you have come to this Sub-sector to help us against these xenos monsters?" Ashe says with the resignation in her tone replaced with hope. Lauf sighs. He'll have to tell her the truth, but right now he just smiles and lets her believe that was the only reason why he was in this sub-sector. She relaxes against his shoulder when Astra and Cassidy poke their heads out from the side of the transport and smile at the sight. When Cassidy goes to speak Lauf shakes his head to tell her to keep quiet. The two of them look as tired as Ashe. Lauf motions with a small smile for them to join him and Ashe against the side of the transport,
"You both look exhausted. Come. Sit with us." Lauf offers as Cassidy looks at Astra who starts coming around the transport, causing Cassidy to fall down from having been using Astra's back as support. Casidy shakes herself out as she stands up and walks around after Astra. She settles down next to the older Sister as she rests on Lauf's other side. Cassidy looks at the Space Wolf as her sisters have already fallen asleep against him,
"Didn't think I'd see a time when a lord Space Marine would be used as part of a bedroll." Cassidy jokes, "Guess it's just another example of how you are unlike anything I've ever seen my lord." Lauf looks at her and grins,
"My brothers and I are unique. We are Vlka Fenryka, the Sons of Russ and guardians of Humanity. You hear tales of the Ultramarines and Blood Angels. Over-glorified snobs and strange blood-lusters." He spits on the ground, "They do not compare to my chapter and our dedication to the Emperor and his people." His proud boasts remind him of a speech Logan Grimnar had said to him before he had left, to remind him that he was first and foremost a Space Marine of the Emperor, not some warrior to be ordered around by an Administratium bureaucrat. Or some pup to be kicked about by an Inquisitor determined to slaughter innocents to protect against the 'infection of Chaos'. His speech makes Cassidy giggle slightly,
"Well my lord. If what we saw you achieve is an indication of your chapter as a whole. I shudder to imagine what it's like when all 1000 of your brethren gather together in a single battle." Lauf's grin only grows larger, causing Cassidy to look at him confused,
"You think there's only 1000 of us?" He leans closer and whispers the true number in her ear, causing her eyes to widen in shock and awe. She finds herself unable to speak as she looks at Lauf, causing him to laugh. The deep and cheerful laugh shakes the bone talismans embedded in the braids of Lauf's beard, making an almost eerie noise as the bone talismans rattle against each other and off his chest-plate. While Cassidy closes her eyes to the noise, Astra is awoken and she reaches up and gently holds one of them in her hand,
"You've gotten more of them since I remember Wolf." She smiles as she admires the one talisman in her hand, carved like the open mouth of a creature that resembles a hairy human, a Fenrisian ice fiend, "Where do you find the bones to carve these?" She had wondered where Lauf got the material for the talismans, or where he had the time to carve them. Astra looks up from the talisman to see Lauf grinning at her,
"I take the bones from dead enemies who were particularly memorable enough to allow me to remember my homeworld and all those I left behind." Lauf explains as he looks down at the talisman Astra had been examining, "This one came from an Ork freebooter who had thought that the freighter I was on was an easy target. He didn't realize that an entire contingent of guardsman abhumans were also on the ship heading to their new warzone. When the Orks locked their vessel to the freighter's hull it wasn't the Greenskins that rushed out into the freighter. It was the short guardsmen who rushed into the Ork ship. Never thought I'd see anyone have so much hatred for xenos as those guardsmen had for the Orks. Their captain charged in after his boyz trying to rally them. He was very determined but so was I." Lauf's grin grows as he holds the talisman up,
"This was taken from part of his neck where my axe separated his head from his body. Not much of a bone I know. But it was amusing to take this chunk of bone from that wound and carve this ice fiend to remind me of that day. When short humans actually made Orks appear gentle and soft in their love of violence." Lauf explains as he looks from the talisman to Astra while he lets the braid fall back down onto his chest plate while Astra adjusts her seat before resting back against him. As the three sleep on him Lauf looks down at his talismans. It had been awhile since he really thought about them and what they were. His fingers run along the surface of two talismans. One has a howling wolf carved on the front, while the back has the same wolf siting proudly. He had carved that one after the first battle he had during his hunt for Ramses. A time when he thought he would find the Sorcerer in under a year and return to the Aett proudly carrying his head. Instead he has been hunting for twenty years across the entire Imperium and now he is so close. His thoughts move from the wolf to the second talisman in his hand. This one was made from the finger bone of an Eldar who tried to get the jump on him. To remind him to always watch out for such tricks in the future he had carved the face of a Fenrisian Ripper fish on the talisman. It helped him remember to watch his back and never take anything for granted because even the calmest sea hide nightmares. He smirks slightly as he runs his finger around the bone talismans before letting his hand drop down to his leg while he lets his own mind slip into sleep as his head droops forward while the three Sisters keep sleeping against him. As his mind drifts to sleep he has another strange dream.
In the dream he stands on an open field on Asaheim as wind blows snow in front of his face. While it blows he can see figures approaching him. They appear to be Space Marines and he prepares to grab his weapons on his hips. He calms down when he can smell that they are fellow Space Wolves even with the howling wind blowing across the land. He smiles when he realizes the scents from the Space Wolves approaching are the scents of his pack-mates. When they get close enough Lauf is surprised to see they are just the outlines of their bodies, appearing like ghosts of old Terra,
"Brothers….." Lauf says sadly as he looks at all of them. The dead men smile, "Don't go sobbing like some Dark Angel sop Lauf." Bjarke says as the big Bloodclaw folds his arms over his chest, "We're all gone and you won't be bringing us back. But we are still with you, even with Morkai coming to bring us to the land of the dead." He says while Lauf looks from Bjarke around to the other Bloodclaws standing before him. All his brothers smile at him even if they cannot actually greet him truly,
"I have tried to find vengeance for you all. Your murders were without honour and your murderer still walks free. I'm sorry I haven't put him in the ground yet." Lauf admits as his brethren all shake their heads,
"You try to do this on your own brother. But you're a Lone Wolf chasing a Bear. You know what happens when the wolf takes on the bear." Destin says in his philosophical way. A little too talkative for most Space Wolves, but Lauf tolerated his battle brother's philosophical quotes as he looks at him,
"Well brothers. I am all I have now. So there is no one else to hunt down the witch except me." "Not anymore Lauf." Destin's ghost smiles as the former Bloodclaws move around to leave some gaps. When the last gap is fully open some figures shorter than the Space Marines begin to come out from behind them. Before Lauf can see who the figures are he is awoken by someone shaking him,
"My lord. We're about to leave the Warp." Ashe's voice comes from beside him as he opens his eyes. Lauf sees Ashe, Astra and Cassidy all looking much better and well rested,
"How long have we been asleep Sister?" Lauf rubs one of his eyes as he starts to stand up letting his muscles stretch fully out,
"Several hours my lord. We were all quite tired it seems." Ashe admits. She had been surprised by how Lauf looked while he slept. When they had woken up the Sisters had all thought at first that Lauf had been awake the whole time they had slept. His steady posture and relaxed breathing had made them think this way until they had checked his eyes while he slept. It had surprised them how steady he was even as they fiddled with his eyelids to see his eyes,
"How long have you been awake Sister? See anything important?" Lauf asks as he stands up and stretches out the rest of his muscles. When he stands up Ashe blushed a bit thinking about how much the three of them intruded on Lauf sleeping. She hopes he does not know somehow about them flipping his eyelids open to see if he had been sleeping. It was a bit of an embarrassing thought that they had intruded in such a way on Lauf. But if he knew he did not show it. This just made Ashe blush a bit more in embarrassment while she shakes her head,
"No my lord. There hasn't been anything important that I've seen around here." She explains while she begins to walk around their sleeping spot back into the transport that will take them down to the world below. Lauf follows her when he can feel the cruiser begin to exit from the warp. The shift is always clear when the ship shakes and strains from the change between the Immaterium and material planes even with the Gellar fields active and protecting the ship. The cruiser stopped when it fully exits the warp, hovering above Grael Major while the captain communicates with the planetary governor over a vox channel on the bridge. While the captain is explaining why they have come here the hangar is a flurry of activity as the transports carrying the survivors of the battle on Secundus are reloaded for departure from the ship. The captain has no interest in keeping these soldiers on his ship any longer than he has to so they move as quickly as they can to get into the transports and leave the ship.
Lauf takes his seat again while Ashe, Astra and Cassidy all sit beside him as guardsmen load inside the transport. Lauf looks at the men and women of the guard. Their faces are worn, but their eyes still have the fire of resistance and determination in them. They may have been beaten, but they are not broken. They will stand and hold this world if they must give up their lives to do so. The looks they give him in return show respect for the Space Wolf, which he returns with an amused smirk while the transport's doors close shut as it lifts off the hangar floor. As soon as it was up the transport flies out of the cruiser with the other ships carrying the soldiers to Grael Major. Lauf watches as the guardsmen shake a bit from the travel through the atmosphere while he hardly moves from the rocking motion,
"Used to this my lord?" One of the guardsman asks as he tries to avoid being thrown out of his seat even with the restraining belts across his chest, "I have had a few trips on rough, shaky ships guardsman. Administratium bureaucracy is like that." Lauf's reply makes all the guardsmen in the transport burst into laughter as they all know the truth of his statement,
"They wouldn't know how to use everything they keep shoving in our faces. Even if it does occasionally helps us." One guardswoman says as she strokes the side of her plasma gun a little too happily. Her action gets a grin from Cassidy as she rubs the side of her own heavy bolter as the transport passes completely through the atmosphere and breaks through the cloud cover of the world. On the screen above them everyone in the transport is able to see the surface of Grael Major.
Grael Major, a world of several billion humans and abhumans. Capital and the most populated planet in the sub-sector. Despite having such a high population the world was a bit of an oddity. While it has three hive cities where the majority of the population dwells the rest of the planet is dominated by cities similar to 21st century Terra mega-cities and the remaining surface is still somewhat habitable due to not enduring the centuries or millennia of industrial output the Hives produce. A regular citizen of the Imperium would still be able to find sources of fresh water and farmable land outside of the cities. But within a few centuries that would likely change as the Hives grow ever larger and their demand for space to discard their waste increases. For now the guardsmen look as the vid-screen shows them one of the Hive cities rising into the clouds while spreading out to the south of its base is the true capital city named in honour of the Primarch Sanguinius and his sacrifice, Angel's Stand. The white and gold buildings of the city stand in stark contrast to the gritty and dirty hive behind it on the vid-screen. The gates of the city are protected by two giant statues in the shape of proud Space Marines with the emblems of the Blood Angels on their armour. Lauf does not know much about the world or its history, but from everything present he can imagine that it must have an important relation to the Blood Angels chapter and its Primarch. While none can compare to his gene-father Leman Russ, even Lauf has to admit that the Blood Angels are brave and noble warriors of the Imperium. He had encountered some of their chapter in his travels and he had been honoured to fight beside them.
He does not let his mind wander for long as he sees the vid-screen showing them approach the landing strip in the centre of Angel's Stand alongside the dozens of other transports from the cruiser. Lauf looks from the screen to the Sisters beside him. As they approach the landing he notices they all seem very tense and nervous. What was going on? Where they worried about suffering consequences for failing to protect Secundus? Surely their Canoness could not lay the blame for a defeat of multiple Imperial forces at their feet alone? Then again in Lauf's experience, too many of the Sisters of Battle are brutal fanatics who will burn a million people because they have not said the Emperor's prayer enough times in one day. The thought makes his blood boil, even more than when those Sisters had attempted to purge innocent civilians before his eyes. He was not going to let these girls suffer for that defeat,
Not if I can help it. The Sisters' leaders will learn one very important thing: You do not go threatening those a wolf cares about. Lauf thinks to himself as the transport finally sets down on the landing zone in an open spot. When it finally sets down the doors on the transport open on both sides letting the guardsmen and Sisters step outside. They all gather their equipment and walk out of the transport following Lauf as he leaves and looks around at the strip. Lauf sees the guardsmen gathering together to go see the local commander to join his or her forces. The rest of the strip is filled with labour battalions gathering the supplies from some of the transports and start loading them on chimeras waiting on the far side of the strip,
"So I suppose this is goodbye my lord?" Ashe asks as she comes up beside Lauf as she looks around for some Sister chimera or rhino to take them back to their convent,
"So quick to get rid of me Sister?" Lauf asks before flashing all three of them a fang filled grin reassuring them that he will not be leaving them so quickly. This small action seems to make them all relax and a weight lift off their shoulders. As soon as they all relax they finally notice a rhino on one side of the strip with a pair of Sisters seemingly waiting for them,
"There's our ride." Cassidy comments as she lifts her heavy bolter up onto her shoulder while Ashe starts walking with Astra on one side and Cassidy on the other side of her. Lauf walks a bit behind the Sisters as they all head towards the waiting rhino. As they cross the strip a group of guardsmen walk in line beside them heading towards some chimeras parked in a line not far from the rhino while their sergeant makes comments about how they are walking, where they are looking and other minor things to keep their minds focused instead of wandering. Lauf smirks a little at the behaviour as they finally cross the strip and approach the rhino. As they do the two Sisters wearing the armour of the Order of Our Martyred Lady standing around the rhino approach the group,
"Celestian Ashe. You were not expected here for another few days. What is going on?" One Sister asks while the other looks at Lauf with her hand dangerously close to her bolter's trigger. Lauf glares at the sister as his hand rests on the hilt of his frost-sword warning the Sister to not even try to attack him or those with him. The standoff seems to last several minutes before Astra comes up to the other Sister,
"Lord Redclaw here helped us survive the withdrawal from Grael Secundus when the Orks conquered the world." Astra explains as the Sister glares at him before lowering her hand away from the bolter's trigger,
"Very well….. Lord Redclaw…. Thank you for aiding our Sisters against the Greenskins." The Sister who had been speaking with Ashe says, "Come with us. The Canoness will want to speak with all of you about what happened on Secundus." The way she speaks to Lauf about what will happen makes the back of his hair stand up while his hand grips the hilt of his weapons tighter. As the two sisters walk into the rhino towards the front Cassidy mouths to Ashe, "Another pair of fanatics from our convent coming to pick us up." Lauf read Cassidy's lips as he understands even these three Sisters recognize fanatics in their own order while all four walk into the Rhino and sit down. Once they are all inside and sat down the back of the rhino closes up and the engine revs to life. The Sister drives the rhino away from the landing area while the two talk with each other too quietly for Ashe, Astra and Cassidy to hear. Or for a regular Space Marine to hear them. But the geneseed of Leman Russ allows Lauf to hear the conversation and he feels a growl try to escape from his throat. To keep his eavesdropping quiet he holds the growl back as the Sisters continue talking,
"….Over two hundred Sisters from both our Order and the Argent Shroud went to Secundus. Barely forty return. And three have to thank a Feral Space Marine for their survival? How much of his savagery has rubbed off on them? Perhaps we should tell the Canoness?" "Don't say such things. The Canoness will decide their fates without input from you. But we should still watch and make sure that they don't start shitting all over the Convent and eating raw meat like the savages do. If I had my way this feral marine will be let out in this waste and can find his own way back to the city. But the Canoness will be displeased if we don't present him to her with this story." It would be so easy for Lauf to come up and break both of their necks for these comments. But he restrains himself from doing anything right now. But he memorizes their scents. When it came time to reckon their fates, he would remember them and would ensure that they did not escape.
He keeps this thought to himself and away from his face as the three Sisters chat happily around him. They are clearly happy to be back with members of their Order and they can give valuable information to their Canoness about what will be coming and how they can better prepare for it,
"Judging by the types of Orks we faced on Secundus. This is not yet become a full scale WAAAGH just yet. But if we give it time and allow it to conquer more planets. It will take substantial effort by the Imperium to completely destroy." Astra explains as she checks over her bolter. She was thinking on what she remembered from lessons they were all taught at the Convents in regards to Ork WAAAGHs and how they developed, "Please. All it'll take is my heavy bolter shredding the Ork warboss with a good burst of shells." Cassidy responds as she cleans and performs the proper rites of maintenance on her own heavy bolter. Both women are persistent in making sure their weapons' machine spirits are pleased with their devotions so that they will never fail them in battle. This devotion does cause Lauf to smirk slightly at their actions. The focus at least keeps them from knowing what the two Sisters in the front are talking about and preventing bloodshed from erupting within this Rhino.
While the two work on their weapons and the drivers mutter amongst themselves still thinking they are not being listened to Ashe opens a hatch on the top of the rhino and pokes her head out of it to watch the ground around it. The transport travels along a well-worn route that runs beside one of the few land-train rail-lines that go between the cities on this world across the worn terrain. She can see some pockets of green and 'undamaged' natural environment spread between the slowly growing ash wastes from the three Hive Cities. She admires the little green in between the gray and dull browns on the landscape. It stands as a nice reminder of what she feels all warriors of the Imperium should be fighting for: the beauty that is the human spirit in the galaxy. She blushes as she thinks how silly she is being by thinking about such things. It sounded like something an entitled noble discussing poetry with other entitled friends would say instead of a warrior such as herself.
Shaking her head to put such thoughts into the back of her mind where they currently belonged Ashe focuses instead on their destination, the Convent of the Order of Our Martyred Lady present on the world. The Convent serves as more than a barracks for the Sisters of Battle present on the world. It is also the centre for all operations of the Adepta Sororitas in the entire Sub-Sector. It has a large medicae where the Sisters Hospitallers treat the wounded of both the world and the Imperial Forces currently on the world. Thousands of wounded guardsmen have been sent there to get help from the Sisters there. That and the large barracks for the direct combat oriented Sisters make it a valuable fortress if and when the Orks arrive at Grael Major. Ashe smirks as she thinks on how the Orks will lose a lot of their number if they try to conquer the Convent. Her smirk remains while the rhino drives along the road towards the capital where the Convent is located. She is almost sure she can see the tower at the top of the Convent inside the city. Its sight makes her heart skip a few beats. It was home for her even if it had originally not been her choice to become a member of the Adepta Sororitas.
Ashe feels a small wet trail coming down the front of her cheek when she snaps herself out of her second little daydream. Lifting a finger up to stroke the wet trail Ashe brings the water up to under her nose where she can smell the tiny amount of salt every tear has. How long had it been since she had cried about what had happened? She had almost forgotten that fact as she focuses on the approaching city walls and her home Convent. She could not wait for an opportunity to show Lauf the whole inside of the Convent. Perhaps she could show him how not all members of the Sororitas are radical fanatics and can be responsible for incredible feats of humanity in their Convents and other actions around the Imperium. While her own Order of the Argent Shroud did not have its own Convent on the world, she and other members of her Order have been allowed to live within the Martyred Lady's Convent in their own section. When the rhino begins to enter the city and head towards the Convent her smile grows as its walls begin to rise up from between the buildings around it, standing out like a glittering jewel with its multiple colours of reds, golds, and blacks against the dull greys, browns and white of the various structures that surround it.
The Rhino drives up the street towards the gates of the Convent. The massive rockcrete doors lined with Adamantium have designs depicting Sisters of Battle burning away the enemies of the Imperium and above them in golden metal a depiction of the Emperor shines. The image glows with light reflecting from the sun making the mosaic of the master of Mankind appear as divine as the Ecclesiarchy says he is. Ashe watches as the rhino stops in front of the gates when they begin to open. As they open the glory of the Convent is clearly shown as the more than a dozen buildings within stand out against the walls with the giant central building that serves as barracks, administration centre, and prayer centre all in one right in front of them. The Sister at the wheel drives up to the front of the building and parks the Rhino in an open spot. Ashe excitedly drops down into the seating section of the rhino and looks at the scene.
Cassidy and Astra had finished their rites on their weapons and now were sitting patiently waiting to arrive at their Convent while Lauf sat with his hands resting against his knees with his eyes closed. But Ashe can see that while he appears to be sleeping, his whole body looks ready to spring to action in a second. Ashe gently nudges all three to get their attention,
"We're home." She says to Astra and Cassidy before looking at Lauf, "Now we can show you the true nature of our Order." She smiles proudly as she keeps looking at the Space Wolf who simply grunts a 'We'll see.' As he gets up and walks out of the opening ramp at the back of the Rhino as all the Sisters exit behind him. When they do Lauf can see the rows of wounded guardsmen that have been brought to this Convent for treatment. His eyes rest on the Sisters of the Order of Serenity, members of the Order Hospitaller moving around the cots treating the wounded as best they can. One of them appears to be a young girl with short blonde hair that almost reflects the sun along with her white uniform. This sister moves around one of the cots and starts to work on treating his belly wound with clear determination even though Lauf cannot see her face fully. He does not get a chance when Astra shakes his arm, silently asking him to follow her inside the open doors of the Convent's central building. Lauf looks at the doors and feels like he's walking into a Great White Bear's den as he climbs the steps up towards the entrance.
Following Ashe Lauf looks down the halls that break off from the main hall they are walking down. In one he spots a group of young girls following an older Sister to one of their classes they will need to become fully fledged Sisters in the Orders. They stop and stare when he passes, flashing them a toothy grin when he gets a good look at the girls. They all giggle and smile back at him before their watcher gives them a quiet scolding about making so much noise in the Convent stops their noisemaking. Lauf keeps quiet even as his grin remains while he walks behind Ashe with Cassidy and Astra behind him. They continue walking down the hall until they come to a circular area where large numbers of braziers burn around the room. When they enter Lauf sees the Canoness of this Convent and several Sisters waiting for them. Ashe and the others all approach and bow to the Canoness,
"Canoness Galolis. We have returned with good and bad news." Ashe says while she stays bowing in front of Galolis. Lauf watches the Canoness closely. The woman has white hair that unlike many of the Sisters is not her natural hair colour. Instead Lauf can see from the scars and wrinkles on her skin that the white hair on Galolis is due to age instead of duty. She has soft blue eyes that give away no emotion or feelings as she looks from Lauf to the girls before her feet,
"Rise Celestian Ashe. Tell me what happened on Grael Secundus. And why you come to our Convent with a….." She looks at Lauf, "Space Marine?" Ashe looks at Lauf, "Canoness. The Forge World has fallen. Our fellow Sisters and the Imperial guard were not able to hold back the Orks. Even with assistance from the Imperial Titan and lord Lauf. If it was not for their help, we would all have died there…." "That's a change." A new voice speaks up as a scent comes to Lauf's nostrils and he growls. Eleven Sisters of Battle come out of the hallways behind the Canoness. Every one of them has a vicious scar or bionic limb. In the middle is the one Sister he has never forgotten, Seraphim Riviel. The sight of these Sisters with their weapons at the ready makes him draw his own weapons and stare at them,
"This savage has spent years interfering with the divine duties of the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition. He should be executed as the Heretic he is." Riviel spits as the Sisters all stand ready,
"Last time you threatened me you left less women than you started. This time I won't make the same mistake of letting you live." Lauf warns. He had shown mercy because he felt they had been too foolish to be blamed for their fanaticism. Now he feels that was a mistake. The air in the room feels heavy and thick when movement comes from the corner of his eye and the sound of a bolter firing breaks the silence.
TO BE CONTINUED…
