(Sorry for the tardiness of this chapter, but life is getting crazy. More of Achilles' back-story, more mythological references, with appropriate deviations for this story.)

Byzantium Inquisitorial Records

Name: Margaret Cromwell Churchill

Age: 36

Ordo: Xenos

Rank: Inquisitorial Bodyguard/Stormtrooper Liaison

Homeworld: Albion

Social Origin: Factory Worker

Classification: Hive World

Expertise: Leading Stormtroopers in the field, strategic advisor, training retinue, protecting Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark.

Assignment Level: Rho

Specialties: Imperial and Xenos Weaponry, Xenos weaknesses, Xenos strategies and tactics

Combat Proficiencies: Expert knowledge of all Inquisitorial Stormtrooper equipment and vehicles, Stormtrooper hand to hand combat, Albion Fencing, Demolition

Philosophy: Amalathian

Reputation: Dedicated and zealous Stormtrooper

Operational Methods: Protecting Inquisitor Clark in the field while advising him, leading squads of Stormtroopers on his orders to engage the enemy. Keeps up the attack and will only grudgingly retreat if she's the only one left.

Physical Description: A tall and well muscled woman, she has long red hair, emerald green eyes, and very pale skin with freckles, often mistaken for being from Alba by those who know Inquisitor O'Peak. She is often seen wearing stormtrooper carapace armor, even when off duty. She burns easily and will often keep her helmet and mask on when she lands on a world that is hostile to one of her complexion.

Bio: Born into the polluted and smoggy hive world of Albion, she decided from an early age that her future awaited her amongst the stars with the Imperial Guard. At first things went well, with her serving with distinction during the Falklands System Crusade against the Tau, until she killed her Commissar for cowardice. On the day of the execution she had her life pardoned by Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark who was aiding in the Crusade against the Tau. Impressed with her nerves of steel and dedication to the Imperial cause he decreed that her penance would be to join the Inquisition as a Stormtrooper and serve in his retinue. She easily passed the Stormtrooper training and has been by his side ever since.

Personality: Margaret has a short temper, a sharp tongue, nerves of steel and unswerving dedication to the Imperial Creed. She can test the patience of those in her retinue at times but they do care for each other. She has a love of battle and of killing the enemies of the Emperor, which has often led her into very dangerous situations where she has nearly died due to carelessness. Somehow she always manages to come out on top relatively unscathed, even if everyone around her is killed. She is a health and exercise nut, often seen running laps around five in the morning, ships time, trying to get people to join her. When it comes to training she has a very hands on approach, bordering on madness, unashamedly shooting at her students in order to motivate them and simulate a live fire exercise at the same time.

Tsubaki was running for her life on the obstacle course, it wasn't too difficult, a lot of jumping, running, climbing, and dodging of obstacles, it was what she had been trained to do since birth. Her problem came in with the crazy woman with the lasgun shooting at her trying to "motivate her". Margaret claimed that the weapon was on a very low setting, meaning the worst thing it could do to her is give her a nasty burn, but Tsubaki wasn't taking any chances. She completed the course by rope climbing up a three story wall and pressing the button on top.

"Excellent work kid, I didn't have to singe you once, I got Melissa several times when she first joined our retinue."

"I have trained from an early age to handle athletic endeavors, though we usually don't use weapons to motivate us."

"You would have been fine, just a few burns here and there, nothing too bad. Now come on down, let's take a break you've earned it." They both grab a glass of water and sit down.

"Margaret, so far everyone has told me how they met the Inquisitor, how did you meet him?"

Margaret smiles at this, "Well, it happened a few years back, during a Tau invasion of the small and isolated Falklands system."

18 years ago

Margaret and the 182nd Albion were pinned down by heavy Tau firepower, they had brought out their crisis and broadside suits, along with a giant monstrosity identified as a "riptide" battlesuit. From the sky Tau bombers are raining death from above. The firepower they were unleashing was blasting apart their tanks, artillery, and their trenches, the Commissar overseeing them was getting nervous. Margaret is in the trench right next to her commander and commissar.

"We need to withdraw now, staying here would not do the Imperium any good, we need to move to a better more defensible position." He's yelling this at the commander.

"But I thought our orders were to die standing and hold the line, that's what we do best."

"It would be wasteful to die here; we can die standing somewhere else and have it be more productive and useful to the Imperium."

The commander thinks about it for a few minutes as the incoming fire becomes fiercer, getting dangerously close to the command trench. "I will trust your judgment in this Commissar, if we cannot accomplish anything meaningful for the Emperor, there is no point in staying around here.

In a furious rage Margaret turns her lasgun upon the Commissar and blasts him in the skull, killing him immediately. "Don't listen to him commander, can't you see he's actually a Tau spy? Come on, we can beat them back, we just need to be more aggressive." The entire regiment looks horrified as Margaret grabs the regimental flag, climbs out of the trench, and begins waving it around. "Over here you blue skinned pansies, come and face the might of the God Emperor." With that she holds her flag in one hand picks up her lasgun with the other and begins firing away at the Tau, who suddenly stop to gawk at the strange sight. The distance and armor of the battle suits made her weapon useless, but she still kept firing away. "Come on you cowards, can't you see that the righteous fury of the Emperor has stunned them, now is our chance to strike them down, for the Emperor." The regiment is just as perplexed as the Tau at her behavior, not able to do anything but stare at her. Finally, the Tau commander decides to handle this, broadcasting his voice out, he tries to make her see reason.

"Guela, I am Shas'O'Sacea'Kovash'Shi'Kais, there is no point in continuing your resistance, surrender now and you have my word that you will be shown mercy."

The regiment, even the commander begins to consider the offer while Margaret keeps at it. "Surrender, children of Albion never surrender, we will fight you in the trenches, we shall fight you on the landing zones, we shall fight you in the fields and in the streets of our cities, we shall fight you from our fortresses built like the hills, we shall never surrender to the likes of you."

"Have it your way Guela, perhaps your comrades will be more open to my offer with you out of the way." The Tau aims his burst cannon at Margaret, ready to strike her down, but before he can get his shot off a heavy barrage blows him away. The 183rd Albion had arrived to save the day, with their aircraft easily handling the Tau bombers. Now with a renewed vigor, both regiments pushed forward catching the Tau off guard and shattering their line. Margaret stands vindicated in her actions."

Present

"What happened to you next?" Tsubaki's eyes are filled with wonder at this story.

"I was brought up on charges of insubordination and the killing of a Commissar, I was set to be executed at high noon."

"How did you get out of it?"

"Inquisitor Clark was on the world aiding with the war against the Tau, intrigued by the rumors he had heard about me, he came to speak to me personally. Upon hearing my side of the story, he commuted my sentence from execution to community service, alongside the forces of the Inquisition. In the end, I stand vindicated, if we had retreated our brothers in sisters in the 183rd would have seen our cowardice and most likely fired upon us. By killing the Commissar and going on that rampage and speech, I bought enough time for reinforcements to arrive and to win the day. It was at that moment I realized that the God-Emperor was always on my side, and as long as I trust in him, no serious harm shall come to me.

Meanwhile in the lounge, Nathaniel is looking over Achilles' bio with Master O'Peak, wanting to clarify a few things about what little he knew of him. "His mother Thetis was from the planet Troy, hence his lastname. She married his father, the Governor of Myrmidia, who rejected his own son because he was a psyker. He never referred to his son by his name, only calling him "it" and "that thing". His mother loved him enough to use her influence to protect him from the Black Ships of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. He grew up a lonely and abused child, whose only source of comfort was his mother. During his teenage years a group of Eldar from the Craftworld Paratain attacked his world with the sole intention of killing some of the planetary nobility. Achilles was hiding in the throne room as he watched Farseer Selena slay his father. She would have killed him but the sudden interference of Inquisitor Chiron of Centaurus, who drove Farseer Selena off before she could deliver the final blow. Inquisitor Chiron took the boy under his tutelage, teaching him how to control his psychic abilities without the need to send him to Terra. He performed admirably during his years with Chiron, and for most of his early career. He was a brilliant if eccentric and unorthodox Inquisitor, though many were disturbed by his unhealthy fascination with the Eldar. Upon the world of Troy, the homeworld of his mother, he discovered that his Uncle Priam Troy, Governor of Troy, was dealing with the Tau. He went on a bloody rampage against the traitors and the Tau, falling victim to a new kind of weapon that was meant to completely disable him, but only managed to hit him in the left heel affecting most of his left leg. No amount of Imperial medicine can reduce the damage and he has walked with a limp ever since. As compensation he took his cousin Briseis as his personal slave, with the Inquisition now believing they are having sexual relations…." Nathaniel read that line over and over several times, "He is having sex with his cousin?"

"We suspect." Angus's face is getting quite red. "Inbreeding and marrying cousins isn't uncommon amongst Imperial nobility."

"I can still find it disturbing and unnatural, but enough of this, I have had enough of Achilles' past, I will force myself to read the rest later."

"Achilles wasn't too different from you before the Troy incident, something happened there that changed him, his report on the incident was woefully inadequate."

"Perhaps, but we can deal with that later." Nathaniel looks up from the file and calls over to the barmaid. "I would like another Mojito please."

Meanwhile on the Craftworld Paratain, the Farseers of the world are in the middle of discussing their latest readings into the future.

"That Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark continues to be a thorn in the side of regional stability, his actions will cause great upheaval, we should stop him." A very old male Farseer says this.

"Nathaniel is not one you can easily manipulate, as my mother discovered the hard way. She described him as a spanner in the works, all of our plans fall apart whenever he is involved. My mother had a theory that daemon possession somehow made him harder for us to predict, especially since the daemon was a minion of she who thirsts. Right now it would be best to leave him alone, his obsession is with the Tau and their new Necrons allies, let them deal with Nathaniel, if we mess with him now our Craftworld will be put in danger. Besides, I have other plans involving him, not involving a direct attack." This is Farseer Trianna, daughter of Farseer Marltona.

"What plans do you have in mind, young one?" The oldest female Farseer asks this; soon she would go to the Dome of the Crystal Seers.

"A ranger friend of mine has begun to manipulate someone close to him, we will be able to strike at him through her."

"How is this possible?"

"He let her go off on a personal retreats retreat not too long ago, for personal research and study. She met my ranger at a Freeport, I don't want to disclose the full details about how they stay in contact, but let's just say Inquisitor Clark will never find out until its too late."

Farseer Selena is deep in thought; not even paying attention to the plotting going on, Trianna notices this. "What's wrong Selena, normally you are all for these convoluted schemes?"

"My readings are foggy and unclear; my path is hidden in darkness. Only one thing remains certain to me, an old failure, Inquisitor Achilles."