(Thank you so much for the wait, these past few weeks has been hectic. I have also had some trouble with writing this chapter, with it going over many revisions during the process. Hopefully I have worked out the problems I saw earlier. After looking at new fluff from the 6th edition Tau codex, some minor retconning is in order for this story. The Third Sphere Expansion has recently come to an end a few years ago, shortly before Nathaniel took in Melissa, with the Imperium now happy that they can focus on other battlefields. The Tau are still infiltrating Imperial worlds using their recent acquisitions from the other side of the Damocles Gulf. Inquisitor Clark is busy stamping out the Tau influence as fast as he can, but he is getting more desperate as time goes by and the Tau influence is growing. The Sautekh Dynasty has moved westward, cutting off the Realm of Ultramar to its direct connection with the Tau Empire. A merc regiment of the Imperial Guard originally conceived by Marticuss will make a verbal cameo, their own story will come in time.)

Byzantium Inquisitorial Records

Name: Deepal Clark (Adopted last name from Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark)

Age: 26

Ordo: Xenos

Rank: Sage/Savant (A unique natural born Sage, no imperial meddling involved in development of abilities.)

Homeworld: Kali (Renamed after St. Kali, martyred during the Age of Apostasy fighting against Vandire's minions in the Ultima Segmentum.)

Social Origin: Untouchable Caste (Discarded from Kali's Brahmin (Religious Nobility) caste for what was perceived as an unacceptable mutation.)

Classification: Shrine/Agri World

Expertise: Information Storage, Research, Battlefield Calculations

Assignment Level: Omicron

Specialties: Extensive knowledge of various Xenos, Logistics, Strategy and Planning

Combat Proficiencies: Tianese Martial Arts (Taught by the Inquisitor) Basic proficiency in Inquisitorial Weaponry (Taught by Margaret, uses her innate abilities to improve her aim and timing of attacks.)

Philosophy: Seculos Attendous (Only Radical in Nathaniel's retinue, under his supervision.)

Reputation: The most mistrusted member of Nathaniel's retinue to the Conclave at large. Her usefulness, and protection granted by Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark, has led to her getting away with saying quite a few blasphemous things. The girl is otherwise quite naturally talented, and thus a legitimately valuable asset.

Operational Methods: Usually stays next to Nathaniel, predicting enemy movements alongside Jasmine's divination. She can easily hold her own in combat, calculating her attacks perfectly to cause maximum damage to the enemy.

Physical Description: Very light brown skin with long black hair, her most distinguishing feature are her silver eyes, which are seen as a mutation, albeit a very minor and insignificant one to most Imperials. Out in the field she wears carapace armor, while usually wears a long dress, while going barefoot.

Bio: Initially born into her planets ruling caste, she was cast out when her mutation was discovered. Relegated to the mutants of the Dalit caste, her first years of life were very hard. The only reason she survived was because her family guaranteed she stayed alive to properly atone for her wrongdoing in her past life. (Ecclesiarchial teachings on Kali deviate substantially from Imperial norm, though not enough to be deemed heretical. They believe humans are born into various castes based on their deeds in their past life. When they have lived a virtuous life as a member of the Brahmin caste they finally join with the God-Emperor.) Her life completely changed when she and her natural savant nature was discovered by Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark. Believing that he had discovered someone with a divinely created mutation and miraculous ability, her inborn savant nature, he took her in. To him she is proof that the Emperor has spread himself throughout the entirety of humanity. She became a critical part of his retinue, growing and perfecting her skills under his tutelage.

Personality: Friendly to those she is close too; she is sarcastic and condescending to everyone else. She is never afraid to speak her mind, or share her beliefs. If it wasn't for the Inquisitors protection she would have been burned as a heretic years ago. Being branded as an unholy abomination by her family and subjected to protracted suffering as a child, she had gained serious doubts about the divinity of the Emperor, even though Nathaniel assures her that the Emperor made her the way she is for a reason. While she doesn't really get along with his Ardentite beliefs, she is deeply loyal to him. She spends most of her free time reading and writing.

Deepal and Tsubaki were in Byzantium's Cathedral, Tsubaki was taking in the beauty while Deepal just had a bored look on her face.

"This cathedral has such beautiful imagery, and that dome above us is so huge. The temples and shrines on New Kyoto were quite beautiful, especially in the capital, but they were nothing compared to this grandeur." Her voice was echoing in the massive room. "Who are those babies being held by the women?"

"The babies are the primarchs, and the women represent the worlds that served as their mothers." An old priest had snuck up behind them. "Who are you with child?"

"I am an apprentice of Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark. It is an honor to meet you sir."

The old priest gives her a warm smile which fades away when his attention once again turns on Deepal, recognizing her signature silver eyes. "That must make you Deepal, the natural born savant of Nathaniel's. I have heard some interesting things about you. Your master may tolerate your heresy, but you better watch what you say while you are in this holy place."

"What, will the Emperor smite me where I stand?"

"I would not tempt fate if I were you girl." The old priest turns to Tsubaki. "Pay no mind to what she says child, keep your faith in the Emperor pure." With that he walks off to his own private quarters.

Tsubaki has a sunned look on her face, "You don't believe in the God Emperor?"

"I believe he was a very powerful man who existed and formed the Imperium, I believe he is the focal point of the astronomicon, but I don't believe he is a God, even more importantly, I think that belief in the God-Emperor is holding mankind back. I don't believe that the Emperor plays any part in mankind's evolution, like our master believes, but I do believe that his servants have too much power over the lives of those deemed different."

"How can you believe this?"

"When I was a young girl, I was born into the ruling castes of my world, the religious ruling elite. My unnatural silver eyes, deemed a mutation, got me thrown out of my family and my castes into the lowest levels of society. Even worse, it was deemed that I had been such a vile person in my past life, which my family had to go out of their way to punish me in this life, for my own good. So not only did I grow up with the social outcasts, but my family routinely showed up to increase my misery and remind me that I was worthless."

"Reincarnation isn't a part of ecclesial teachings."

"Normally no, but on my world they practice an approved variation of Emperor Worship, where reincarnation is featured heavily, live a good life in the Brahmin caste, you join with the Emperor upon your death. Since I was a mutant born into the Brahmin caste, it was deemed that I had done unbelievably wicked things, to be born into the nobility only to have it taken away from me. My world may be different, but all across the Imperium you will find such corruption and cruelty rampart amongst the God Emperor's priests."

"But the harshness is necessary to guarantee the survival of the species."

"You may believe that, I know the Nathaniel believes that, but I don't, there has to be a better way."

"My world also had a caste system, which oddly enough I was never a part of. We Shinobi performed a vital function on my world; we are the secret police who hide in the shadow to deal with threats to Imperial rule. In a society that valued honor we had none, doing what was necessary to ensure Imperial rule, we didn't even have family names in order to prevent bringing shame upon our families with our acts. But we did what we had to because it was our duty to the Emperor, the duty he had given us. I am sure the Emperor has always had a plan for you."

"I don't share your faith kid; I don't think there is any grand plan. This universe is just filled with senseless cruelty and hardship, the only thing that keeps me going is my loyalty to Nathaniel."

"How exactly did you two meet each other?"

Eighteen years ago, on the planet of Kali

As usual, Deepal was scrounging around trying to find food in the slums of Kali City. The other mutants of the slums did their best to ignore her, since association with her often brought unwanted pain. She got a little food a day but it was never enough. Using her abilities she decides to analyze the area to see if there is any chance to find something to eat. Realizing that there is nothing to scrounge up, she heads on down to the creek on the edge of the slums to beg for scraps, perhaps there would be someone there who would take pity on her. Making the necessary calculations in her head to avoid a confrontation she manages to reach her favorite spot on the bridge leading from the spaceport to the city, she could often garner the pity of off worlders, especially if she played her cards right. She gets in her favorite spot, and puts her best sad needy face on. It wasn't difficult, she was quite needy, and she just had to get some food before her daily beating. She noticed that a big cloud of dust was being stirred up down the road, indicating a large group. They were being carried in open top trucks; she saw many men and women in uniforms with a stylized I and skull symbol on their armor. They were wearing masks over their faces. One man stuck out, wearing a fancy suit favored by off worlders, with a wide brimmed hat. On his neck tie was the same symbol she saw on the soldiers uniforms. He looked very uncomfortable, that suit must have been very uncomfortable in this heat, and she couldn't even imagine how the soldiers would be feeling. One of the man's distinguishing features was his collection of scars, which covered his face and hands, and presumably were spread out across his entire body, he must have been tortured sometime in the past. Thinking him to be some important official she immediately set out to grab his attention, pretending to have a lame leg and holding out her begging dish letting out a pathetic whimper. The man stops orders the vehicle to stop, once it does he gets out and walks over to her, he holds out her begging dish with an expectant look on her face.

"You leg is not lame, you might be able to trick gullible merchants and bureaucrats but nothing can get past an Inquisitor."

"If you knew I was faking, why did you stop?"

"Because there is a lot more to you than a starving urchin." He gets down to eye level and looks her directly in the eyes. "You know child, they say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and you have some pretty silver eyes."

"I have never heard anyone call my eyes lovely before, and obscene mutation definitely but not pretty."

"That's not the only thing different about you, you see the world differently than others, you are always analyzing your surroundings and making calculations in your head, mentally multitasking when many humans need to focus completely on the most simplistic tests."

"How do you know that?" This genuinely caught Deepal off guard. The mysterious man gives her a warm smile.

"Technically speaking, like you I am a mutant, though my abilities are different than yours. You are the rarest of rares, a natural born savant. It would be a waste to leave you to wallow in persecution on this world, when your talents could be put too much greater use."

"Will you take me away from this hell?"

The man chuckles at this, "Believe me child, this is hardly hell. And if you come with me you will face hardships and horrors you could have never imagined before, terrors from your worst nightmares, but through it all, I will watch your back, in the same way I know you will have mine."

Deepal now has tears in her eyes, "please, take me with you, I don't care what nightmares await me, I have no future here."

The man smiles at her, "My name is Inquisitor Nathaniel Clark, what is yours?"

"I am Deepal, just Deepal."

"Well Deepal, come with me, and I will help you find your place in this universe." He sticks out his hand, and wiping the tears from her eyes she takes it.

Back to Byzantium

"He truly is a great man, isn't he?" Tsubaki is tearing up now.

"Nathaniel can be a ruthless, uncompromising, rebellious, and obsessed cold blooded killer, when it comes to Xenos there is no word known as mercy in his vocabulary, but he does have genuine compassion for his fellow man, and believes that mankind's best days are ahead of it. The Brahmin of my world were practically tripping over each other trying to kiss his ass, and he just toyed with them the entire time. When they tried to beat me for desecrating their sacred space, he ordered them to repent for questioning a divinely appointed servant of the Emperor. He assured them that "the atonement of my mutation", would be in serving him. In some ways he is right, the life of an Inquisitorial retinue member isn't always easy, but it is definitely better than what I had going for me back on Kali. I may not believe in the God Emperor or the Imperium, but I believe in Nathaniel, and I would travel into the very heart of the Eye of Terror for the man who gave me a future.

Meanwhile in the lounge, Nathaniel was starting to get a bit intoxicated though still all there.

"You know, we still need to deal with those Orks in the Sentradi space, perhaps I should requisition some forces to deal with it."

"You can't Nathaniel, I mean you have the authority to try but someone will move in to stop you, saying that the forces are needed elsewhere for more important conflicts."

"Maybe I should declare every Imperial official who goes against me a traitor, up to the High Lords of Terra, and then I could get some actual work done."

"Nathaniel you could never get away with that, and even if you succeeded it would set a bad precedent, imagine if every Inquisitor killed the High Lords and high ranking Imperial officials, for treason because they got in the way of their job, we would have new leadership every couple of hours, and the Imperium already has enough problems."

"At the very least we need to deal with that Waaagh in the Sentradi's territory, how about sending in some mercenaries?"

"Who do you have in mind?"

"The Konigsberg Grenadiers, they are experts when it comes to Ork fighting. Lord Makour von Rakkonvear is always looking for some action."

"I will see what I can do, since I presume you want to get back to the border, to get the condemning info you need for a crusade."

"Of course, it's for the greater good after all." Nathaniel laughs at his joke, while Angus just lets out a sigh.

"Be careful Nathaniel, there are times when you walk a very thin line, even for an Inquisitor. You may not be a radical but that doesn't make you and your actions any less dangerous to some."

"Angus, you know me, i am careful and my eyes are always open, no one can get the jump on me."

"Nathaniel, that young woman keeps looking and thinking about you, why don't you go talk to her?" Both Nathaniel and Angus turn to see Inquisitor Lord Lankester Karras of the Ordo Malleus sitting next to them, he smiles and waves at them.

"Lankester, when did you get here?" Nathaniel is always unnerved at how easy it is for Lankester to sneak up on him, someone as large as him shouldn't be that stealthy.

"Just showed up, I talked with Melissa, she told me about what happened on New Kyoto. I can understand if you are upset you had to give your old crush the Emperor's peace, but you hadn't seen her in years, you were hardly a couple."

"Tactful as usual I see." Nathaniel was annoyed that he had brought up Chun.

"Like you have room to talk old friend."

"I remember the last time you tried to get me with a girl; you set me up on a date with Evangeline."

"I still say you two would have made a cute couple."

"You went on a date with Inquisitor Evangeline Marie Bellerose of the Ordo Hereticus? And you survived the night?" Angus was genuinely impressed at this.

"Barely, we both gave it a try, it ended with her in tears and me with a knife lodged in my left arm."

"What were you two doing?"

"It was actually going very well before she suddenly went bipolar and homicidal."

"This Jun is nothing like Evangeline, she is definitely interested in you, and I've been reading her mind for awhile now."

"Lankester, why are you reading the mind of another Inquisitor, you don't do that unless you have legitimate concerns, it's a common courtesy."

"I am reading everyone's mind all the time; call me paranoid if you want. But my perfectly reasonable safety precautions aren't the issue here, the issue is your happiness. Go to her Nathaniel, what do you have to lose? She is your type."

"Go on lad, you deserve some happiness in your life, I will make sure your data slates are sent to your office on the Captain Ahab." Master O'Peak was now getting in on the action.

"Fine, if it gets me away from you two matchmakers I will go to her." Nathaniel walks on over to Jun who is sitting by herself and slowly sipping her drink, deep in contemplation. She looks up and smiles at him. "May I have this seat?" He points to the empty chair next to her.

"Of course Inquisitor, it would be an honor to have a drink with you." A wide smile appears on her face.

An hour later, Jun is leading Nathaniel to her quarters, where she was staying until she got her own ship. They reach the door and proceed to make out. "Shall we take this into a more private setting?" Nathaniel asks.

Jun smiles as she opens the door and leads him, closing the door behind him.

(Writers note, this was a tough decision, waffling back and forth on whether or not to go through with it. In the end I decided to give Nathaniel a love interest, but love interests can be a major liability for an Inquisitor.)