One of the main criticisms I get for my works (yes…ALL of them) is that the chapters are way too damn short. Well, time to rectify that.
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Greetings, Inquisitor
File Reference: Sayda IV
The Sayda system is located in the far Galactic North, isolated from major shipping routes. However, such isolation has not caused the system to be uninhabited. The 4th planet in the system is an Agri-world famous for its exquisite vintages of wine. Such is the quality of the produce that the system governor keeps a large standing garrison of troops on Sayda IV to discourage pirates and to ensure that supply is kept up to the Imperium's elite, with Sayda vintages travelling even as far as Holy Terra, and to the palates of the High Lords of the Imperium.
Chapter Six: Resolution
The room was dark, and more importantly, empty. Hikari quickly stepped inside, closing the warded adamantine door behind her. The only illumination in the pentagon-shaped chamber was the brazier hanging beside the entrance, the embers within nearly dead. Hikari bent down underneath the dull golden artefact to retrieve a piece of sanctified coal, which she added to the small pile of faintly glowing lumps in the ancient relic. She blew softly on the pile, sprinkling holy oil over the newly placed fuel, and was soon gifted by a small flame. Satisfied, she picked up a taper from a pot on the other side of the doorway, and plunged the scented wood into the flaming brazier. Once it caught alight, Hikari carefully walked around the room, lighting a large candle at each of the five points of the room. Lighting the last candle, she carefully blew out the taper, and stepped into the centre of the room. Now that the chamber was dimly lit, she could make out the finely embossed pentagram on the floor, made up of thousands upon thousands of tiny lines of script, words she knew came directly from the Codex Malleus, the great tome in which all knowledge of Daemons was kept. For the teen, the words inscribed on the floor gave a sense of relief, that she could practise controlling the fickle energies of the warp relatively safely within the confines of this room. Even so, she had to be careful. One's own power can be as dangerous as all the Daemons of the warp.
Pushing such thoughts out of her mind, Hikari closed her eyes and kept her mind clear and calm, quietly searching for a source of power. There! It was a little brush against her mind, like a weak beam of sunlight in a dark room, so faint as to make the viewer wonder if they saw it at all. Concentrating, Hikari bent all her will towards that point, that tiny little opening into the Warp. Pushing with all her might, she could feel the barrier between her and power began to weaken. Redoubling her efforts, she began to feel fatigued, as she used up her own spiritual energy trying to make contact.
No! I will not fail! She mentally screamed, and put every ounce of her being to the task.
With that, the wall cracked, and energy flowed through the opening, bursting through like water from a dam. First a dribble, then a flow, then a huge surge of energy came through, shattering that barrier between her mind and the Warp. Every happy feeling she had ever felt was as nothing compared to this. She could imagine the power flowing through her, filling her body and overflowing through her eyes and mouth. Opening her lips, Hikari yelled in triumph, unaware her body was floating several feet above the ground.
xxx
Shinji lay on his bed. Staring listlessly up at the ceiling, he thought of his home, his friends, his family. All he would most likely never see again. He wanted to run, run far away where the Inquisition could never find him, somewhere where he could do what he wanted, and not be relied on by anyone.
Sighing, he rolled over onto his stomach, closing his eyes to sleep.
Just in time to feel a scream cut through his mind.
He leaped up, eyes wide in confusion. His mind was throbbing; the screaming continuing long after any human would be able to hold. He could feel the pain of another soul tearing through his being, causing his gut to heave. Fighting down the bile and his rising sense of panic, he clearly saw in his mind's eye the location of the spirit from which the power was emanating. With rising dread, Shinji ran towards the Ward Chamber.
Pelting up the last flight of stairs, Shinji sprinted the last few meters to the heavy door. Ignoring the 'In Use' indicator in the wall beside the entrance, he slammed his palm onto the emergency lock override panel. The doors shot open, and Shinji halted, halfway into the chamber.
Before him floated Hikari, her arms stretched out and her head back, her mouth open in a silent scream. Her hair floated freely behind her, and blue light shone out of her wide eyes, reflecting off the dull adamantine roof of the chamber.
Without even thinking, he launched himself across the ten feet of distance separating them, and tackled the slim girl to the ground. The instant her body touched the floor, the blue glow winked out, and the mental scream Shinji felt in his mind turned into a physical one of anguish, then degenerated into fits of uncontrolled sobbing. Sitting up, Shinji picked the girl up by the shoulders and held her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his body, and continued to cry on his shoulder. Shinji just hugged her tightly; unsure of what he was going to do with her.
When Captain O'Malley and two marines, all fully armoured and wielding their heavy Force Halberds, burst into the room a minute later, she was still crying. Shinji turned his head, and gave them a slight, confused shrug.
Feeling him move, Hikari looked up at the Grey Knights with tear- filled eyes, and tried to compose herself, her words punctuated with sobbing.
"I…I…I just w..w..wanted to make you p…p…proud of me, sir." She explained to the large man towering above her. "But I wasn't careful enough," she began to break down again. "I n…n…nearly killed myself!" with that, she buried her face into Shinji's shoulder, and kept crying. Shinji suddenly felt afraid for her. The captain had been very specific about what would happen to those who were too weak to control their powers.
"Sir…" he began, with an edge of fear in his voice. O'Malley held up his hand.
"I know what you're going to say, son. So don't."
"But…"
"Just because she lost control once means absolutely nothing." He growled, intimidating Shinji into silence. "Help her up, and get her to bed." He ordered, and strode out of the room, his two warriors following him stoically.
Sighing, Shinji hoisted the young woman up onto her feet, and slid an arm under her shoulders to give her support. Half guiding, half carrying the trembling girl, Shinji and Hikari slowly moved down to their rooms.
xxx
"My lord, our last assault was a complete failure. All attempts to gain a foothold on the surface of Sayda IV have been completely repulsed." The Imperial Navy commander's voice grated over the Vox-link harshly, the background static making it somewhat difficult to hear the man's voice. "However, we have established a complete cordon around the planet, if anything tries to escape, we will blow them back to the surface."
"Excellent, commander. When we are ready for our own assault, we will inform you. Brother-Captain Idaeus out."
Switching off the communicator, the heavyset marine sat back in his command chair, and ran his meaty hand across his closely shorn hair. His own Chapter's home system was only four light-years away, so the Swords of the Emperor had been able to respond swiftly to the panicked plea for help that had been broadcast from the fleeing system defenders seven days ago.
Idaeus looked up and gazed across the command bridge of his flagship, the Golden Blade. As far as he knew – and that said much – no ship in the entire galactic segment could outgun the Blade. This theory had been put to the test thousands of times over the millennia it had been serving in the Swords of the Emperor's fleet, the ancient Battle Barge having fought almost every enemy conceivable in its millennia-long lifetime, the massive armoured hull even showing scars from battles fought during the Horus Heresy, ten thousand years ago.
Larger and more powerful than more recently built Astartes Battle Barges, the Golden Blade was the pride and joy of the entire chapter, in whose hands it became a pure weapon of terror, allowing the Swords of the Emperor to launch assaults against worlds heavily interdicted and otherwise unassailable.
The Golden Blade hung in space above the contested planet, its stocky form seeming out of place against the shining jewel of Sayda IV. Surrounding the Battle Barge were two smaller warships, their weapon systems scanning the void uneasily, as if an attack were due at any moment. The Strike Cruisers were closer in mass to an Imperial battle cruiser, but were designed more for planetary bombardments and blockade-runners than for naval warfare. However, both the Eye of Judgement and the Deathhammer also held the scars of thousands of years worth of combat, and together with the Golden Blade and her half-dozen destroyer and frigate class ships, created a force able to take on any rival fleet head-to-head.
Idaeus stood, and flexed his muscles, feeling cramped from sitting down for too long. The captain itched to get planetside, so he could swing a power sword at the foul daemons infesting it, but he knew patience was needed. Irritated at his own lack of mental self-control, he flicked one of the ship's intercom switches.
"Brother-sergeant Kiel, report troop status."
Knowing Kiel as he did, Idaeus was not expecting to wait long for an answer, and was not disappointed.
"Yes, Brother-captain. The drop pods are just being blessed by the techmarines as we speak, and the squads are assembling. Are you coming to join the party, Idaeus?"
The last part brought a wry smile to the captain's face. Few marines could speak with impunity to him in that manner, and Kiel was one of them. They had fought together for well over two hundred years, starting when they were placed into the same scout squad. Since that day, they had been inseparable, being inducted on the same day, gaining honours side by side. When Idaeus had been promoted to the rank of brother-captain, he had chosen Kiel to be his second in command, a choice he had never regretted.
"Of course, Kiel. Someone has to give the orders around here, so that means I don't get to put on my armour as early as you do."
A low chuckle sounded through the speaker system.
"If being promoted means I get to kill less scum, then thank the Emperor they chose you instead."
Idaeus laughed quietly, drawing some strange looks from the bridge crew. He quickly composed himself.
"I'll be right down. Make sure you save me a spot in the drop pod." He quipped, and then turned off the microphone.
The heavyset marine leaned on the command console, sweeping his eyes across the room. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, he turned and made his way down to the armoury.
xxx
Straining with exertion, Shinji felt relieved as he recognised the two figures running down the hall towards him.
"Touji… Asuka…" he grunted out in greeting.
The heavyset jungle fighter reached them first. "What happened?" he asked worriedly, staring at Hikari's limp form.
"Tried controlling too much power…nearly killed herself."
"And O'Malley didn't shoot in her head?" asked Asuka incredulously, following closely on Touji's heels.
Shaking his head in the negative, Shinji shifted the girl's weight into a more comfortable position.
"No, but he wasn't happy."
Nodding in understanding, Touji moved over to Hikari's other side, and put his arm around under her other shoulder.
"C'mon, lets get her to bed before he changes his mind about letting her live."
As they slowly made their way towards the dormitories, both Shinji and Touji gave silent prayers to the Emperor for the safety of the slim girl whom they carried between them.
Dumping himself into the chair behind his desk, O'Malley closed his eyes, disliking what his duty entailed of him, uneasy about the coming meeting.
Sighing, he bowed to the inevitable, and flicked on the vox system.
"Open a secure line to Inquisitor Katsuragi on Mars. Priority Alpha Plus." He barked into the comm.
Leaning back, he was granted a few moments to compose himself before the holographic image of a purple-haired woman appeared in midair over his desk.
"You called, Captain? I will assume this has to do with the project?"
"Unfortunately, yes. We just had an incident with one of the children."
The floating head's holographic eyes narrowed.
"The fourth subject, Hikari Hokari, attempted to open her mind to the warp whilst in a warded room. She nearly burnt herself out, and her psychic scream could be heard across the entire fortress."
The image of Misato looked surprised. "Her psychic backlash could be felt outside a warded chamber?"
O'Malley nodded.
"Such power…" The Inquisitor whispered. "This is excellent news! Have all the children push their powers in such a way… in a far more controlled manner, of course."
Stoically refusing to show surprise, he nodded. "Very well, Inquisitor."
After the connection severed, the veteran marine of countless battles against unspeakable horrors felt something he had not experienced in centuries. He felt queasy.
xxx
Prepare for landfall in 3…2…1…A sickening crunch accompanied the loud scream of the Drop Pod's landing rockets as the heavy re-entry vehicle slammed into the soft earth. Secretly still appreciative of the adrenaline rush that a Drop Pod provided, Idaeus grinned covertly within his ornate helmet. Knowing the jet-black adamantine faceplate hid his momentary indiscretion; the young captain began barking out orders as he quickly unbuckled the restraining straps holding his ornately armoured form in place.
"We make a combat sweep to nav point Alpha, and secure the landing facilities located there. Once reinforcements arrive, we purge this city in flame!" he roared, his voice nearly drowned out by the explosion of the blackened doors blowing outward. Raising his Power sword, Idaeus led the rest of his command squad as they piled out of the now-useless Drop Pod.
Expecting fierce resistance, the squad had quickly fanned out, their Bolters raised and ready. However, the landscape that greeted them was a desolate wasteland, broken permacrete scattered on the ground, the burnt-out husks of buildings towering ominously into the sky. But by far the most unsettling part of the scene was the silence, the only noise being the light breeze playing on the fluttering pennants set onto their armour and weapons.
"This…. Doesn't feel right, Idaeus." Growled Kiel, anxiety evident in his voice.
"Yes… something just bodes ill about our lack of welcoming committee." Idaeus scanned the area in all directions, finding nothing.
With a feeling of rising discomfort, Idaeus clicked on his communicator. "Command to all squads: situation report"
After a moment of terse waiting, a voice crackled over the vox-net.
Sergeant Illiad reporting, brother captain. There is something… unusual here. We have met no resistance, confirm continuance of mission?
Idaeus set the communicator to single-band communication, and quickly considered.
"Negative, brother sergeant. Go to ground, await further orders."
Orders received, the Emperor protects. Brother sergeant Illiad out.
Idaeus switched to another channel. "Brother sergeant Dreimen, report status."
Only static answered.
Frowning, he repeated the question, more forcefully. Dreimen's squad had deployed on the other side of the ruined city, poised to take the main barracks and armoury.
Brother Captain? Whispered a voice across the vox-net.
This is battle brother Faxon, of squad Dreimen. We have encountered heavy resistance.
The voice was weak, and Idaeus realised the marine was wounded badly.
It was daemons, hundreds of them. They came upon us suddenly… a loud explosion could be heard in the background, before Faxon continued.
The rest of the squad has been… slaughtered, and I'm holed up under a pile of permacrete. The wounded marine paused as another explosion, closer this time, was heard in the background.
And it's only a matter of time until I'm found. What are your orders, Brother captain?
"Hold to your position. Reinforcements are en-route."
Idaeus switched back to the broad frequency, his anger making him snarl as he began relaying orders.
"All units able to respond, rendezvous at nav point Epsilon immediately! Move quickly but with caution, this place is swarming with vile warp-spawn! Those who are pinned down, we are en-route. And if you have no choice, kill as many of the vermin as you can, and die like true warriors!"
Switching off the vox-link, Idaeus led his retinue at a fast pace towards the centre of the desolate ruins of civilisation.
xxx
In the shadowy chambers of Inquisitor Lord Gendo, a bowing acolyte handed his master a message baring the seal of the Ordo Malleus. Quickly opening the missive, he read the parchment in the flickering light of the few candles illuminating his desk. Upon reaching its conclusion, he gave a small smirk somewhat akin to satisfaction, one of the few emotive responses he allowed himself. And just as well, thought his companion. There are times he scares even me.
"Do you think it is time, Ikari?" inquired the elderly inquisitor standing by his elbow. While his superior in rank and ruthlessness, Gendo still bowed towards his old mentor's vast experience.
"Yes, although the old men are far more agitated than they should be. Send them word that the Ordo Hereticus will initiate the next phase of the project… quietly."
The old man chuckled to himself. "Not wanting to let the masters know about EVA yet?"
"No, that will come in due time. Let the results speak for themselves."
"Of course."
The younger man clasped his hands in front of his face, hiding both his mouth and the black goatee he grew, its colouring contrasting vividly with the almost white skin of a man who spends much of his time within torture chambers and libraries. In the glittering light of the candles, his glasses became opaque. To the retreating acolyte, he looked far more dangerous than any daemon or witch ever could.
xxx
Ooooo….. The plot thickens….
I hope that people are a bit happier with the slightly longer length of this chapter, I definitely am!
I'm also much happier with my existing chapters, which I revised to remove any potential plot holes, typos and the like. The story now flows a bit smoother (well, it does to me), so I hope you all enjoy!
'Till next time (most likely AFTER my half-yearly exams, which are looming ever closer), may the Emperor's light protect (or, if you are a Xenos, traitor or witch, burn) you.
P.S - for those who couldn't figure it out, permacrete is just a better version of concrete.
P.P.S – The 'Swords of the Emperor' are my own chapter of Space Marines, and they are my intellectual property (as for how intellectual that is, well, I miss-spelt 'intellectual' twice). If you want to steal them, go ahead, but I'll just tell the Inquisition on you…. And attack you with the giant anime version of a power sword….