Fires
Ricardo Illusmar was not used to this feeling.
He was an Inquisitor. His very presence was enough to make grown humans across the galaxy tremble. He had done things and seen things that would make most of said humans wet themselves and then go completely and utterly mad. He knew his strengths, his weaknesses and to within a millimeter how far he could push himself and those around him.
He was no stranger to fear, but it was always something he could control. This? No. He wasn't in control.
He knew that was what he was feeling as the Valkyrie lander touched down on the decks of the Void ship he called home. The fluer-de-lys markings all over it would make any citizen of the Imperium at the very least a bit wary. Everyone knew the markings of the Ecclesiarchy and everyone knew the servants of said group. The most fanatic of all the fanatics that served the church state that was the Imperium of Man.
The Adeptas Sororitas. More commonly known as the Sisters of Battle.
The rear hatch fell with a thunderous crash and he kept his face expressionless as two forms in power armor marched out onto the deck to take up station at either side of the end. Their bolters were in hand and if he knew anything about them? Both were off safe and had rounds chambered. They might or might not be able to puncture his own power armor, but that wasn't the point. One was a typical Godwyn-De'az pattern boltgun with a vicious looking blade attached, the other was a storm bolter. The two barrels of that weapon could put out a hail of rounds that only a dedicated heavy weapon could match. Neither weapon was aimed at him, but both power armored women were watching him. Both wore full helms.
The next pair of power armored beings down the ramp carried weapons that were far more worrisome. The flamer was the stereotypical weapon of the sisters, purging the unclean through righteous fire. They had done so throughout their history, putting entire worlds to the torch. The woman carrying that weapon held it almost negligently, but a careful observer like Ricardo would notice that her finger was not on the trigger and the igniter at the end of the barrel was glowing red hot. It was ready to fire.
The other woman held a meltagun and her entire posture was of barely controlled rage. That weapon would tear through his power armor like it wasn't even there. Hell, it was designed to kill tanks. Personal armor was a joke to such raw destructive power. Again, it wasn't aimed at him, but if she decided to fire? He was toast. Literally.
The weapons were expected. What was not was the colors of the power armor. The convent he had spoken to had been affiliated with the order of the Martyred Lady. Their black and red power armor was distinctive and well known across the Imperium. These sisters, however, wore red armor with white accouterments. His eyes narrowed as he tried to place the Order they belonged to. He wasn't familiar with the heraldry they showed, but it was obvious who they were. No one impersonated Sisters. No one. Well, no one but Kay. If she really was lying about that.
"You are welcome aboard the 'Fat Chance', Sororitas." Ricardo said as another power armored form appeared at the top of the ramp. This one had no weapon in hand, but a bolt pistol and power sword hung at her sides. She was bareheaded, but her helmet hung at her hip. "I am Ricardo."
"We know who you are." The bareheaded woman said as she strode to face him, her face severe. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't cut you down where you stand." Not an idle threat. Her hand was on her sword hilt.
"The girl is alive, whole, sane and we have recordings of all of the questions we asked her." Ricardo held out a scroll to the sister who eyed his hand as if it was venomous.
"'That girl' does not exist." The other declared.
"I agree." Ricardo said mildly. The Sister bracing him did not react and the Inquisitor fought hard to keep himself under control. "Whatever my past with the Sororitas, the current situation is what needs to be focused on, no?"
"Only a fool trusts anything you say." The Sister snapped. "Inquisitor. Your kind warp the truth as it pleases you."
"Truth varies from person to person." Ricardo did not flinch. He knew Sisters. He had dealt with them many times before his 'education' of Sister Superior Wicks. Yes, these were angry, but they were also obeying their orders. "What I did saved that world and countless souls on it. Was that worth a sister's pride?" He shook his head. "To me? It was. If I could have done it a different way and been listened to, I probably would have."
"Probably?" What had to be the leader of this team all but pounced on the word.
"I have never claimed to be all seeing or all knowing." Ricardo stood his ground gamely as the Sister in front of him gripped her sword hilt to tight it squeaked. "She pissed me off."
"Well, well, well." To his amazement, the Sister in front of him smiled and stepped back. She released her sword hilt and the other sisters relaxed their tight guard stances. "An honest answer from an Inquisitor. Will wonders never cease?" She took a deep breath and nodded to him. "We needed to be sure. I am Veteran Sister Karne Liorima of the Order of the Lost Rosetta. I and my team have been sent to collect your guest." She snapped her fingers and another armored form appeared at the top of the ramp. Ricardo stared. This one was very different. "This is Sister Georgia. She was seconded to our team by her order."
The armored woman walked down the ramp carefully, as if expecting to trip and fall. Or as if she wasn't used to her armor which was different from the others, not as heavy or powered. She was from the Order of Serenity if he wasn't mistaken. Not a militant order. She made her way to stand in front of him and her visible face was pale. Her eyes however were clear and focused.
"Hospitallar." The Inquisitor nodded to the newcomer, noting that two of the battle sisters moved to flank her protectively. "You will be safe on this ship."
"She better be." Sister Karne's words were not ambiguous at all. If anything at all happened to the Hospitallar, bad things would happen to the ship and its crew.
"I have a former Arbites in my retinue whose specialty is warding those at risk." Ricardo said quietly. "Would you like me to assign him to her for the duration of her stay?" Sister Karne looked at Georgia who shook her head. Karne growled something. The Hospitallar jerked and then nodded.
"It would be appreciated." The courtesy fell strangely from the Veteran Sister's mouth, as if she was unused to uttering such.
"Mace!" Ricardo called and a hatch slid open against one wall. Mace strode in, his armor gleaming in the light of the bay and his shield immaculate. He walked towards Ricardo. He wore his full armor and helmet, but from his posture he was tense. Hard to blame him. As per Ricardo's orders, he did not have his shock rod in hand and all of the sisters were ready to fire. "You may relax, Mace." Ricardo commanded. "These sisters are not here to purge us."
"Yet." Came from one of the helmeted sisters. Veteran Sister Karne spun to glare at the offender who straightened and then gave a tiny nod.
"Courtesy where courtesy is due, Sister Rinas." Karne's voice was mild, but the rebuke was clear. "His methods may not be ours, but he does the Emperor's work. If that cult had been left to fester, that whole planet would likely be gone by now."
"For what it is worth, I know I was wrong. I should have picked a less public venue to show my evidence." Ricardo allowed. "I freely admit that humiliating her in public was a mistake."
"I would have shot you for that." Karne might have been discussing the weather. Ricardo nodded. "I was ordered to inform you that she was chastised for ignoring your warning."
"That is neither here nor there." Ricardo said as Mace moved a bit closer. "Mace? You are ordered to protect the Hospitallar until she leaves the ship." The huge human nodded and moved to stand by Georgia who stared up at him with wide eyes. Even in armor, she was half his size. Ricardo turned back to the Veteran Sister and frowned. "The girl's story checks out as far as I have been able to determine. She was found on a derelict ship that was attacked by Eldar Corsairs. She was one of two hundred and six survivors."
"Taken to the medical facility and put to work here?" Karne asked. Ricardo nodded. "Hmmm. There are no unaccounted for Sororitas teams in this area. You really think she is one of ours?" She asked, curious.
"I honestly do not know what to think." Ricardo admitted. "She says she is a psyker, but she is not showing any signs of psyker abilities." He would not have missed the sudden tension in the all of the Sororitas if he had been blind. "We have every scanner that the ship possesses aimed at her. Nothing."
"Do you have a psyker aboard?" Karne asked quietly. Ricardo shook his head. "Really?"
"My team's psyker died on our last mission." Ricardo replied. "The only psyker currently aboard is the ship's navigator who at last report was locked in his quarters trying not to wet himself." A snort came from one of the other sisters that both Ricardo and Karne ignored. The Sororitas view on psykers was well known across the Imperium.
"And your detectors show nothing?" Karne asked, concerned. Ricardo nodded. "That is…" She paused and shook her head before continuing. "Much as I dislike much of what you Inquisition people do, you are generally not fools."
"You have scans?" Georgia's voice was calm and assured even with her face so pale. Ricardo held out the scroll to her, but Mace took it first. The human swept it with something before handing it to the sister who stared at him, eyes even wider. "You didn't need to do that." She said weakly.
"He said to protect you." Mace said firmly. "I will protect you." Karne looked at him and nodded, a faint smile gracing her face for a bare moment.
"Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a very long assignment?" Georgia asked nobody as she slotted the scroll into a reader and started scanning it.
"Quit whining, girl." Karne said flatly and Georgia stiffened before nodding to the elder sister.
"First time out of the convent?" Ricardo asked the Hospitallar who nodded. "Why you?"
"I am a specialist in odd matters of biology. The report you sent showed a number of oddities." Georgia said softly, most of her attention still on the scroll she was scanning. "And yes, I see the confirmation here. She is unaugmented."
"That was a shock." Ricardo agreed.
"I don't think she can be." Georgia said softly. "Did she...exhibit anything out of the ordinary?" Ricardo looked at her and she winced. "Um..."
"Did the girl do anything weird?" Karne clarified.
"She managed to undo restraints that were both code locked and physically secured." Ricardo said quietly. Karen and Georgia both tensed and he continued. "I put her in stasis."
"That seems safest." Karne said with a frown. "Was she hostile?"
"No." Ricardo shrugged. "She seems distraught, but I find it hard to separate truth from lies with her."
"I am not surprised, if what I believe is true." Georgia said quietly. "She has likely had a long, long time to learn how to avoid telling the whole truth while telling it. The scan you sent matches another. From ten thousand years ago."
"What?" Ricardo pause and then stiffened as realization struck. An ancient woman who was pure human and not augmented like all of the current humans? "No..." He breathed. "She cannot be."
"We won't know until and unless we do a series of tests." Georgia said flatly. "We need to make sure she is secure. If she is a Perpetual, then there are all kinds of people, both human and other, who will start closing in on her."
Perpetual. Humans in all every way that mattered, but not. Immortal. Powerful. The Emperor of Mankind had been one. Others had been known throughout the millennia as both forces for good and forces for evil.
"Holy Emperor." Ricardo managed to find his tongue first. More than one of the Sisters made religious signs as well. "You say you have a scan?"
"Um, sort of." Sister Georgia said a bit sheepishly. "It is very old and very hard to decipher, but it is a genetic scan. That part is clear and it matches the girl."
"My orders on finding such a being are clear." Ricardo said flatly. "I have to report it."
"We have to report it." Karne agreed. "But first, we have to prove she is who we think she is."
"And how do we do that?" Ricardo asked and then shook his head as Karne patted the bolt pistol holstered at her side. "Really?"
"There are other ways!" Georgia protested. "You can't just shoot her!"
"Actually, she can." Ricardo said slowly. "If she was pretending to be a Sororitas, then the penalty for that is death."
"She is not!" The Hospitallar nearly exploded and then froze as everyone stared at her. "Um..."
"Sister Georgia. Be silent." Karne might have been carved from stone now.
Ricardo slowly laid his hands on the butts of his pistols. Mace hefted his shield, but paused when Ricardo shook his head. They had served together so long it took no audible commands for Ricardo to order Mace to protect the Hospitallar and keep her from fleeing.
"You know who she is." Ricardo said softly. No one moved and he continued. "And if I press this, you will kill me and likely everyone else on this ship." None of the Sororitas seemed to be breathing and Ricardo slowly shook his head. "My life is the Emperor's and if it is my time, so be it. You know that if you do gun me down, none of you will leave this bay alive."
He hadn't chosen this bay for the sisters to land in at random. The hangar had hidden heavy weapons emplacements both manned and automated set up in bunkers for just such an invasion. The Inquisition protected its assets.
"Am I your enemy?" Ricardo asked the Veteran Sister who glared at him, her hand on her sword again. He sighed, readying himself for death. "My life is-"
"STOP!"
The voice was impossible. There was simply no way it could be here! Not here, not now! But yes, that was Kay that ran into the hangar bay, her gown gone and replaced with coveralls suitable for a crew member. How had she gotten out of stasis? How was she…? Ricardo reeled but then recovered.
"Glad you could join us. We were just discussing you, Kay." The Inquisitor fought for equilibrium as every Sister aimed at him and Karne finally drew her sword. "That is your name, yes?"
"Yes." Kay came to a halt at Georgia's side and shook her head. "Georgie, you moron!"
"Good to see you too, Kay." The Hospitallar said sourly.
'Georgie'? Ricardo filed that way for later. He slowly shook his head again and then very slowly and carefully removed his hands from the handles of his weapons. "I should have realized. That insult was not in any current language. Who else would know such but someone who was there?"
"You are very good at what you do." Kay had changed, or an outer persona had sloughed off like a Callidus assassin shedding his or her skin. "We need him, Sister Karne."
"Lady Kay..." Karen started to protest, but a glare from Kay shut her up. "Yes, Milady." She actually bowed!
Lady? Ricardo reeled anew at that. Sororitas bowed to their superiors and the Emperor. No one else. He stared at Kay and she sighed deeply.
"I never intended the Inquisition to get involved." She said with a sigh as the other sisters moved to flank her. Protectively? "Much as I detest a lot of what you do, it is needed. You neither need nor want to know who I am. I am not excommunicate because to your masters, I do not exist."
"That way you can move freely." Ricardo nodded. "And the medical ward?"
"The Eldar attacked me." Kay said quietly. "The ship I was on paid the price for our conflict. When I woke, I helped the survivors and then I was working on an ex-filtration plan when that fool started spouting gibberish and slaughtering everyone. Shooting him was the easiest way to solve the problem."
"And then you were unmasked in the middle of a highly secure facility. That painted a big red target on you." Ricardo said sourly. All of the sisters nodded along with Kay. "So,… I have to report this." He said softly.
"Yes, you do." Kay allowed. Karne made a noise of protest, but Kay shook her head. "Sister Karne, he has to. Thing is… What do you have to report?"
"We can fight our way out of here." Karne protested sourly. Kay glared at her again and Karne winced. "Apologies."
"Shooting people is not always the answer." Kay said sternly and the Veteran Sister took the rebuke. "Even Alicia knew that." At that name, every sister crossed themselves.
"Alicia?" Ricardo swallowed hard. The only Alicia whose name alone would have every sister act that way would be Alicia Dominica. The leader of the Brides of the Emperor and the founder of the Adeptas Sororitas. This woman Kay spoke of her as an equal. Oh shit.
"Yeah." Kay said sadly.
"We need to talk."