Hubris

Ricardo managed to keep up with the trio of running Space Marines, but his team were not able to maintain the punishing pace. A silent order had them fanning out to search the facility.

"How many of you on planet?" Ricardo demanded when the scouts paused to regroup and check a map they had made.

"Two squads." The spokesman replied, not looking at Ricardo. "We were ordered to find her. We have been on the hunt for two years."

"Only two years?" Ricardo shook his head "The Emperor guided you."

"We have advantages." The scout did not elaborate. "She is much faster than we are and sneaky as hell. She has subverted a good half of the Mechanicus defenses, hence why they fled."

"I would too if she was that angry with me." Ricardo admitted. All three of the Space Marines nodded. "She is not happy with you lot."

"She has a right to that." The scouts started off again and Ricardo kept up easier this time. They were moving carefully and Ricardo had all of his armor sensors online now as well. "We didn't know." The Dark Angel slumped a little. "When we found out, when we realized who she was… Our Chapter Master was unhappy."

"What the hell did you do?" Ricardo demanded and then paused as another green armored form joined the group. This one wore a white robe over his armor and had two pistols holstered at his sides. Team leader? Those pistols seemed familiar. Like Ricardo, the marine used a bolt pistol and a plasma pistol. He made a motion and all three of the scouts vanished. Ricardo started, but the newcomer shook his head.

"We need you, Inquisitor." The newcomer said flatly. "We need you to speak to Kay for us. We earned her rage. We didn't know who and what she was until much later. Our Chapter encountered her on a dead world called Getlrica V. Our orders were to purge the place of a heretical warband. We didn't know there were sisters of the Order of the Martyred Lady fighting there until we landed. We were too late, they were overwhelmed. By the time we arrived, only Kay still breathed, but was mortally wounded. We saw what she does and to our shame, we did not realize who she was. We believed her spawn of Chaos or tainted, so we shot her every time we saw her. We used her as a distraction to flank the Chaos horde every time her scavenged vehicles approached us. We refused to listen to her pleas over the vox. We thought them simply more Chaos tricks. Then we left her there when our purge was completed. We thought she was Chaos spawn, not… what she really is. None of us cared that she was trying to surrender. To explain. Our shame knows no bounds, Inquisitor. If she demands our lives, we must give them to her."

"She said you left her to 'Him'." Ricardo said flatly. "What 'Him'?"

"Kay was stuck on planet with no way off. No coms. As part of our purge, we bombarded and destroyed the sole surviving long range vox facility." The Marine shook his head. "She is immortal, but that does not make her invincible. Far from it. As soon as we realized what had happened, who she was, we returned to the planet in force. To recover her, to beg her forgiveness. To offer our lives if needed. We were too late. We found a newly wrecked Leman Russ tank that she had apparently gotten running from the wrecks on planet. It had been stepped on. We found a partially destroyed log. Kay's rage at us, her totally understandable rage at us, shone through that log."

"'Stepped'" Ricardo had thought himself beyond horror. He wasn't.. "A Titan."

"And not just any Titan." The DarkAngel seemed to wilt. "We left her there and the Chaos Lord Rachinos who controls the Traitor Titan 'Facta Impia' found her. She fought as best she could, but he took her prisoner and it took her some time to escape."

"Emperor!" Ricardo snarled and his hands were on his pistols. "You bastards!"

"We did not know who she was." The Marine said sternly. "What would you have done? We had little time to finish our purge. Our Chapter Master was very annoyed with us when he discovered the truth." He trailed off. "We keep secrets. Our record keepers knew who she was as soon as the team described her. The Chapter Master deployed the entire available Chapter to recover her and we were too late. We searched that planet, but the Titan was gone and so was Kay."

"And you are here, now… because…?" Ricardo didn't believe in coincidence.

"Because what the Mechanicus did to her daughter sent up a flare across the Warp." The Dark Angel said savagely. "We were re-provisioning at a station nearby when our Navigator started screaming about the Emperor's wrath. About 'him' coming. Our standing orders are to search for Kay in addition as our other duties. The Inquisitor Lord requested our aid in setting this trap and our navigator still hasn't recovered, so we were not leaving. He didn't say who he was trapping. Imagine our shock when we arrived and found Kay's daughter as the bait! We told him we could not aid him. He did not take that well."

"I bet not." Ricardo said dryly. "And now?"

"He ordered us off planet, but we knew she would come." The Dark Angel shook his head. "We owe her a debt of pain and blood. As she said, one hundred and six years as a prisoner of Chaos. Who knows how many times she died in that horror?"

"But her faith was strong." The more Ricardo learned about Kay, the more he admired her.

"Yes." The Dark Angel shared his awe, apparently. "They wanted to turn her to the service of the Chaos gods. Her faith was stronger than their evil."

"What does Chaos want more than anything?" Ricardo asked rhetorically. "Revenge on the Emperor. Corrupting his daughter would be an epic revenge." He slumped a bit. "Another Traitor Titan?"

"Yes." The Dark Angel started off again and Ricardo could keep up easily this time. "Imperator class."

"Emperor."

Imperator class Titans were the largest and most powerful of Titan class war machines. Their durability and firepower were the stuff of legends both wondrous and horrible. They had been known to savage entire armies all by themselves. Their firepower rivaled some void ships.

"There is one small piece of good news." The Dark Angel said quietly. "The Traitor Rashinos doesn't like or trust anyone else. His arrival on planet was apparently not expected by anyone. We have reports of widespread devastation on both sides of the lines. Apparently, he blew his way through the lines from where he landed and didn't bother not aiming at the Chaos positions. He did just as much damage to the heretics as he did to the loyalists. Maybe more."

"Small mercies." Ricardo shook his head. "So… You want me to try and talk to Kay? She just lost her sisters. If the Mechanicus or Gornal hurt her daughter… She will go berserk." He actually shivered and the Space Marine nodded.

"Her daughter is safe and as secure as the Mechanicus could make her." The Dark Angel offered. "We saw her for a moment, but there was no way to recover her without a firefight that would have likely gotten her killed. We have maintained watch since then. They have her strapped down, sedated and in stasis. They had an entire company of Skitarrii, but now? Who knows how many they have left."

"They think Georgia has powers." Ricardo shook his head. "I was going to say 'gifts' but they are not." The Dark Angel nodded. "May I know your name, warrior?"

"You may call me Ciphas." The other said with a nod. "We have little time. The Sons of Russ will defeat the two Warhounds, although it may cost them. They have little chance against an Imperator class."

"They won't care." Ricardo snorted.

"No, they won't." Ciphas agreed with a sour chuckle of his own. "Scary thing is, they might win anyway. Betting against the Son of Russ in battle is a losing proposition as we have discovered to our cost on occasion. But the major concern at the moment is this: The being in command of that Titan hurt Kay very badly." Ricardo stared at the Dark Angel, jaw falling. "She must face him and defeat him or she will never be who she was intended to be."

"You think Kay can beat an Imperator class Titan?" Ricardo demanded, incredulous.

"I know she can." The Dark Angel sounded serene now. "But she does not. She is broken from all of what she has endured. We have been tracking her for a very long time. We know how badly others have hurt her since she escaped the Chaos Lord. We know what the Sacred Rose did to her." Rage sounded deep in his tone. "Our Chapter Master was not happy with that particular Canoness."

"I cannot imagine why." Ricardo snapped. "So… We need to recover Georgia before the Mechanicus do whatever madness they have planned. And then we need to get Kay to whatever vehicle is in that depot." Ciphas nodded. "Have they excavated it?"

"Not entirely." The Dark Angel led Ricardo through another series of passages and the Inquisitor updated his map as a matter of course. "As soon as they realized what it was, they stopped short. Smart of the cogs."

"Considering what happened to them the last time they tried to dismantle one of Kay's vehicles, small wonder they turned a bit cautious." Ricardo stumbled a bit as the floor under him angled up, but he still kept up with the Marine as Ciphas led the way to an armored hatch. A quick command and it opened to sunlight.

"The Emperor kept his secrets secure." Ciphas said sternly as the mismatched pair exited the facility.

The area around them was untouched by war. In another time and place, Ricardo might have noted the beauty of the surrounding area. Now? He started off for the coordinates that flashed on his HUD. Thunder that had nothing to do with weather sounded in the distance and flashes lit the horizon. Man made lightning.

The Marine made a gesture and Ricardo paused for a moment, sending a quick message. He was ordering his people to catch up when they could. They would likely need the Valkyrie to catch up in time however and flying right now might be a very bad idea. He warned them about the new Titan and closed his com.

"Kay said she set a trap." Ricardo started running and the Space Marine paced him. Both had drawn their weapons. A quick glance at the Marines showed his were just as ornate as Ricardo's but they looked ancient. Well used and well maintained. "Any idea what she meant?"

"Probably something to do with the Sisters." The Marine wasn't even breathing hard. Small wonder. After all of his modifications, he wasn't human anymore and Ricardo still was. "That scum will rue the day he killed Kay's students."

"No joke." Ricardo skirted a pile of brush and was only somewhat surprised when it rose and joined the pair in running. A hidden Dark Angels scout.

"Report!" Ciphas snapped.

"No sign of Lady Kay." The scout said firmly. "Recon team reports the Mechanicus crawler has reached the depot. Sniper and strike team are in position, but we cannot guaranteed the child's safety, sir."

"I know." Ciphas said heavily. "Whatever madness they plan cannot be allowed to prosper. They cannot take Hospitallar Georgia to Mars. If Kay follows them there, we will go after her and I know other Chapters will as well along with any number of Sisters."

"And trigger an Imperium wide civil war." Ricardo said with a grunt. "Which is the last thing we need right now."

"We mined the approaches." The scout said quietly. Ricardo stopped in mid-stride and the scout continued. "Stun mines only, but they don't know that."

"Good. That will slow them." Ricardo started off again, both Marines pacing him. "Kay is angry, but she is not stupid." Both Dark Angels nodded. "She will pick her time and probably subvert as many of the Skitarrii as she can."

"If she wasn't who she was, we would have to purge her for that ability alone." Ciphas said darkly. Ricardo shrugged and the Space Marine subsided.

"I doubt the entire Mechanicus is involved in this." Ricardo mused. "Even if they do know, they will distance themselves. Both from your wrath and from Kay's."

"She has cause to be angry." Ciphas said quietly. "We were moving in to recover her when she escaped from that Mechanicus lab. She blew it to hell and took Georgia away."

"How long have you been chasing her?" Ricardo asked, confused. "That was what? Twenty years ago?"

"My team? Two years. The Deathwing was in the area on another assignment when we discovered that the Mechanicus had her." Ciphas allowed. "Half of the team continued the assignment and the other half went after Kay. They were rather annoyed when they got there and found it a shambles. They tore the place apart for intelligence and when we discovered what Magos Rebekah had done? It took the Chapter Master himself to keep the Deathwing from marching on Mars."

"They might have won." Ricardo had heard lots of stories about the First Company of the Dark Angels.

"They might have." Ciphas agreed. "We hurt her, the Sacred Rose hurt her and then the cogs hurt her." He shook his head. "Small wonder she is so angry, but she must face the Chaos Lord if she is to get past it. Only then can she be who she must be."

He broke off with an 'urk' as the vegetation nearby erupted and Kay came out of it, her blade leading her charge. Ricardo and the scout backpedaled, but the Dark Angel who led the team just stood as Kay's sword descended. He didn't even raise his pistols! Her blade cut deep into his side and he stood there, looking at her as she cut deeper.

"I! SAID! NO!" Kay screamed.

""Countersign is..." The Space Marine started, but broke off as Kay twisted the blade in his wound.

Everything stopped as something hit the ground nearby in the small clearing they stood in. Ricardo's eyes went huge as he saw the towering thing. A Space Wolf drop pod! The doors fell and a bulk strode down the ramp. The Space Wolves Dreadnought was an impressive and terrifying sight. No, this was a venerable dreadnought, covered in gilt and the trophies of ancient wars. Even older and stronger than a regular dreadnought, the mortally wounded Space Marine inside was a relic of another time, a fearless and probably peerless warrior of a chapter that boasted many such. Its assault cannon and power fist had seen much use. Kay stared at the dreadnought, jaw falling and everything stopped again as it spoke.

"I am Bjorn, called the Fell Handed. You spoke the code 'Freya'. The countersign is 'Ragnarok'." The ancient warrior's voice held sorrow as Kay released her sword and stumbled back, leaving it buried in the Dark Angel. "I am sorry, Lady Kay."

"No!" Kay begged, tripping and falling almost all the way to her knees. "No! Not like this! I can't!"

"You can and you must." The Space Wolf said sternly. "The Emperor made you for a purpose. Will you deny his will?"

Kay screamed, falling fully to her knees and clutching her head as golden energy poured out of her. She was crying, tears of golden energy falling to evaporate before they hit the ground. Ricardo didn't know what to do. He took a step, but paused as the Dark Angel barred his way. Kay's sword stuck out of him like a grisly decoration.

"This is her test." Ciphas was quiet, reverent. "We cannot interfere."

"And if she perishes?" Ricardo asked. "Will she come back?"

"None can know." The Space Wolf was watching Kay as the woman shimmered with golden energy. Her screams had stopped, now, she was just crying. "The Emperor was interrupted before his experiments were done. Kay was his only success."

"If she..." Ricardo could not say it.

"Our chapters will remember her no matter what." The Son of the Lion nodded to the ancient Wolf. "We may disagree on much, but not this. Never this."

"She is his daughter." The Space Wolf agreed. "Perhaps not of the body, but of the mind and soul. She was his hope for the future. His shining light that he hoped would light the way for humanity to a bright future. All lost in darkness."

"Not all." Kay's voice was hoarse from crying and screaming. All of the eyes in the small clearing turned to Kay who rose, her Sororitas armor now shining golden. "Much has been lost. Much has been denied us." Her tone was odd, not quite the same as it had been. More resonant? More vibrant? More. She straightened and her blade leaped from the wounded Dark Angel to find her hand. She spun it to clean the blood off, but did not sheathe it. "I will face Rashinos. For myself. For my father. For all the innocents the madman has slain."

Ricardo relaxed, but then realized, Kay hadn't. She was glaring at Ciphas. The Dreadnought did not move either. Everything seemed poised on a knife edge.

"You." Kay said finally after a seeming eternity. "You lied to me and the Inquisitor."

"Nothing I or my men said was untrue." Ciphas replied, not seeming to notice the blood that was still flowing down his front and soiling his robe. "We are here to help you. If you wish my life, it is yours."

"Is that so, Ciphas?" Kay snapped. She looked at the dreadnought. "And your position in this?"

"I have enough problems keeping my own brothers from folly." Bjorn said calmly. "He remembered the ancient pact as I did. They are coming for him. Everyone is sending forces. Some to see you, some to try and control you." He chuckled in a mechanical way. "If I had any, I would pay good money to see them try that."

"You wolves always did have sick senses of humor." The wounded Dark Angel said sourly.

"Guilty as charged." The dreadnought replied. "Lady Kay… Emperor's Daughter. His fate is in your hands."

"I am not my father." Kay sounded resigned as she stared at the Dark Angel or whatever he was.

"You know that, Cypher."