Karmen awoke, and her gaze found the ceiling above her that was encased in darkness. The light hung only about a metre and a half above her bed. She sighed and rolled over in her bed to view the rest of the mattress of her queen-sized bed as empty as it was before.

She sighed and sat up, allowing the mouldy sheets to slip off her and her black bodyglove. Karmen usually liked to sleep naked, but in these shitty beds, she didn't dare, especially with the sickness infecting the city.

Karmen was beginning to regret her earlier treatment of Attelus; she'd finally had him; it was...great to finally be with the man she'd harboured such strong feelings for so long. But now she didn't, and Attelus had only done what he believed was right. And they'd needed to know Kalakor's history more than they needed to learn about the "Imperial Truth" She still had no idea what that was despite trying to research the term on the cogitators and the Librarium during their travelling in The Audacious Edge. She even had to put up with interacting with little miss-perfect Adelana, although she made damn sure not to tell them exactly what she was looking for.

She frowned and checked her wrist chron on her bedside table; it was 2 am, and it wasn't quite time for Enandra to update them of Attelus' status. Karmen just hoped he was okay. She looked at the empty bed again; she'd considered re-igniting her relationship with Arlathan but decided against it. If Attelus was still interested when he returned, she felt it could seem like cheating if she got with Arlathan if this turned out to be a break.

Also, having sex in these beds would be damned disgusting, to say the least.

The micro-bead on the table next to her chron piped. She took it and checked the calling code to find it was...

Speak of the devil; she thought and accepted it.

'Arlathan?'

'Enandra's called. She wishes to speak with you,' he said.

'Okay, fine,' Karmen sighed and climbed out of bed. 'I will be there in a minute.'

Karmen entered the lounge with a newly made cup of caffeine. Arlathan stood over Vex, gazing into the glowing cogitator monitor.

'You're here,' said Arlathan. 'Vex has got the two-way visual calls up and untraceable.'

Karmen nodded, having already guessed that and walked around to face it. Enandra was on her command throne and nodded to Karmen.

'Sorry to wake you up, Karmen,' she said.

Karmen shrugged. 'I had woken up just before that anyway. You heard from Attelus then?'

'I did,' said Enandra. 'He's fine now, got himself captured by Sisters and a member of Soloton's warband, but he managed to work his magic and convince them to free him, as I thought he would, and they called me. I thought you would like to know.'

Karmen smiled. That was Attelus; he really had a way with words. 'Good to hear. How did he manage that?'

'He promised Soloston that I would come down the convent and speak to him in person, so I am going down very soon. Soloston will only tell us of what happened on Gurtar if I speak to him myself. I have also yet to receive any word of backup coming. I am just hoping that we aren't subjected to the presence of a regiment of Scintillan Fusiliers, damned pompous aristocrats.'

Karmen stopped herself frowning, Enandra yet again forgetting Karmen was an aristocrat, a "blue blood" as Estella Erith; Karmen didn't know why she was taking exception to it now, the positions of their former lives didn't matter any more, and Karmen knew well how infamously up themselves the Scintillan regiments were.

'I am bringing Selva down with me,' said Enandra. 'As well as Relcreth, but I want you to make sure to be ready, Karmen. Ready to go incorporeal the second you get a communication from me.'

Karmen and Arlathan exchanged glances. 'Yes, of course, mamzel,' said Karmen. 'You suspect this Soloston could be an agent for the enemy or something?'

'It's likely,' said Enandra, and she pursed her lips and shrugged. 'But it's more just because of a powerful gut feeling, Karmen. Also, if the enemy makes their move, it'll likely involve an all-out assault of the convent.'

Arlathan smiled. 'Which enemy, might I ask, Inquisitor?'

Enandra smiled back. 'All of them naturally, Interrogator. Good luck, all of you, over and gone.'

Then she cut the link.

Karmen looked at Vex. 'The Judge accessed his cogitator yet?'

'Nah, uh,' said Vex. 'According to Torris, the Judge won't begin his next shift until 5 am.'

'What are we going to do next?' said Karmen, looking to Arlathan. 'We still need to infiltrate the main governmental building.'

'Yes, I'm aware of that, Karmen. But I think I've got an idea.'

Karmen raised her eyebrows. 'And what's that?'

Arlathan grinned. 'You remember that stealth drop ship we inherited from Inquisitor Draven...?'

While fighting to keep his eyes open, Attelus stood on the landing pad as he watched Enandra's personal Guncutter descend. Much to his annoyance, they'd kept his manacles on as much as he understood their reasoning. Goruan stood on Attelus' left, and the Throne Agent in overly elaborate power armour on Attelus' right. The armoured man hadn't told Attelus his name yet, but Attelus didn't give a frig, in all honesty. A metre behind Attelus was a ten-woman squad of Sisters of Battle. The rising dawn sun was peeking over the forest-covered horizon far below.

Soloston, the Canoness and the Palatine waited a couple of metres to Attelus' left, their eyes plastered on the landing guncutter, and another ten-woman squad of the Sisters surrounded them.

All the Sisters had their helmets on, so Attelus couldn't help but wonder if any were Satiristine. After escorting him to the Inquisitor's quarters, now hours ago, Satiristine had been dismissed; Attelus hoped she hadn't been punished too severely for helping him.

The legs of the Guncutter extended from the belly, and it finally touched down, then the ramp began to lower slowly. Attelus wondered if the ramps on ships were made to be so slow to seem "intimidating" or something. It just bored him, in all honesty.

Finally, the frigging ramp landed on the rockcrete, and the familiar clanging of armoured boots echoed from its depths.

Enandra, resplendent in her power armour, led her witch hunter's hat on her head; much to Attelus' surprise, Hadrel walked on her left flank, Selva on her right. And following them were two ten-man squads of Stormtroopers that fanned out in perfect discipline when they stepped onto the rockrete. Lurking in the darkness of the guncutter was the blank, Relcreth.

'Well, well, you must be Inquisitor Jelcine Enandra,' said Soloston. 'It is good to finally meet you. I have been told so much about you.'

'Some of it good, I hope,' said Enandra, grinning her charming grin and seeming to ignore the irony in Soloton's tone. 'You are Inquisitor Soloston, I presume.'

'Oh, yes, and yes,' said Soloston. 'Your failed little spy here sang your praises to such an extent he made you out to be the second coming of Sanguinius himself!'

Enandra pursed her lips and stole a glance at Attelus, to which Attelus replied with a rabid shaking of his head.

'I do hope not,' said Enandra. 'I do not like my people kissing my proverbial, but admittedly nice, rectum. You, by contrast, I haven't learned much about.'

'Indeed, but I did not need to have this boy here tell me anything about you for me to learn much about you.'

'Oh? What did you learn about me?'

'You are mistrustful of, at the very least, the Ecclesiarchy, despite how they are the most Holy of all organisations dedicated to the God-Emperor's service. Mistrustful enough to send in this little fool to spy on Holy ground.'

Enandra didn't bother to hide her rolling eyes. 'I am mistrustful of all organisations dedicated to the Emperor, even those some would deem the most holy. That includes the Inquisition itself, as you should be too, as an Inquisitor.'

Attelus couldn't help but smile, and Soloston seemed to bristle ever so slightly. Despite how amusing this was, this was, foremost, now a diplomatic mission and such bluntness wasn't a good idea.

'I...understand,' said Soloston. 'But you cannot deny that sending in this little fool in this way might cause a level of animosity?'

Enandra pouted. 'Yes and no, Soloston. Yes in, that is something I would expect from the Sisters of Battle. An Inquisitor might appreciate the nuance of such a move. But it largely depends on the Inquisitor.'

'And I am not one of those Inquisitors,' said Soloston. 'You are lucky I have not executed this boy already. I have been tempted, I can say.'

'I am sure,' said Enandra. 'Especially after he spilled his guts, Attelus Xanthis Kaltos has a bad habit of doing that.'

'I dunno,' said Goruan. 'He kept back just enough to make himself a bit of a mystery, mamzel.'

'Good to hear,' said Enandra.

'I'd also say you can't be too hard on the boy for gettin' caught, mamzel Inquisitor,' said Goruan, and he looked at the Canoness. 'Just like you shouldn't be too hard on the young lady Satiristine. The boy was good at his sneakin'. He was just outdone by someone better. He's still got a lot to learn.'

'Indeed,' said Enandra, grinning. 'And with all due respect, when I was informed it was you who found him, I knew that was the case.'

Goruan sniffed and nodded.

Enandra turned back to Soloston, her face was suddenly hard, and everything became all business.

'Okay,' she said. 'Let's go talk this over in private somewhere better.'

They entered what the convent might've thought was the guest room. It was large, at least fifteen by seven metres. Laid out in the middle were three long padded couches and two seats set around a long as frig caffeine table. Three ancient cabinets lined the left, right, and the wall facing Attelus. Soloston opened one and began taking out bottles of amasec and other alcohols and glasses. The room had no windows; the stone walls rose a good five metres high and loomed over Attelus, making the place feel more like a prison than the actual dungeon beneath the convent. Another hardwood door was on the right-hand wall, which Attelus guessed led to a bathroom.

Enandra sat on one of the seats, and Attelus took a seat on the couch next to her, as did Selva and Hadrel, respectively. Attelus wanted to talk to Enandra, ask her what was happening with Karmen and the others and even ask how Adelana was coping. But he didn't dare.

Five Stormtroopers and five Sisters stood around. The Stormtroopers behind Attelus, Enandra and the others, the Sisters on the other side and Attelus could help but wonder if it came to push and shove, which would win? The Stormtrooper's Hellguns would slice through the Sister's power armour like parchment, but the bolters would also be effective against the Stormtrooper's carapace armour. The explosive rounds of the bolters would be much more likely to cause an instant kill shot than the small burn-through of a hell shot. The Sisters could fire from the hip at this close range and be almost as effective as a Stormtrooper firing down his sight. So as much as he hated to admit it, the Sisters of Battle had the advantage over the Stormtroopers.

Goruan sat on another couch as well as the Canoness and the Palantine, while the power-armoured Throne Agent lingered at the entranceway. Soloston placed the saucer of drinks and glasses in front of them, indicated to them to "help yourselves" with a wave, and then took the seat next to Enandra.

Much to Attelus' surprise, the Canoness poured herself a drink of amasec and slugged it back in one go. Goruan then made himself a drink, too but sipped it more conservatively.

'Now,' said Enandra as Hadrel made himself a drink and sipped. 'Let us not "beat around the bush", as the Velrosians would say, and get this done. You know what we need to know, so let's just get started on that.'

Soloston frowned. 'For someone who apparently values subtlety, you can be quite blunt, Inquisitor Enandra.'

Enandra shrugged and pursed her lips. 'I do, Inquisitor Soloston, but after so much crap, I am not in the mood for frigging around, in all honesty.'

As she said, "In all honesty," Enandra shared a glance with Attelus and a slight smile.

Soloston licked under his lips, and Goruan laughed as he began to pour himself another drink. 'I more than understand that sentiment! Frag, I'm likin' her already.'

This elicited a glare from the Canoness. 'After your earlier foolishness, do not think it is getting that information will be so easy for you,' she said.

Enandra sighed. 'I hope this woman is not speaking on your behalf in this regard.'

'I am afraid that Canoness Rilisti is, indeed, speaking on my behalf in this regard,' said Soloston, but his small smile indicated he was anything but afraid.

Enandra clenched her jaw and shook her head. 'You do know what is at stake here.'

'I do, or at least what you and your boy claims are at stake.'

'You said you would share the information on Gurtar if I came down to speak to you,' sighed Enandra.

'I did, but I never claimed that was the only pre-requisite,' said Soloston.

'Ah, good loophole there,' said Hadrel.

'Indeed,' said Soloston. 'Something you should have seen coming, Inquisitor.'

'Hmm, maybe,' said Enandra, but she seemed undeterred. 'So what else do you want? Me to get on my knees and beg your forgiveness. I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry about everything! Please do forgive my such an egregious act of having my Agent infiltrate this place! Please! Please forgive me. I am so very, very sorry!'

Silence hung in the room, and Attelus had to hold himself back from laughing, but in the corner of his eye, he saw Selva wasn't bothering; ah, the advantage of being mute.

'I see you and this young man have much in common,' said Soloston. 'You are both mentally deficient.'

'Now, now,' said Enandra, laughing. 'There are some harsh words there, Inquisitor. Not very diplomatic of you. But now you mention it, Attelus and I do have similarities, I guess. Like minds and all that stuff. So, now you have established your Inquisitorial dominance, what do you want me to do?'

Soloston shrugged. 'My apologies, diplomacy is not my strong suit in spite of my decades of trying to master it. I am a scholar at my core, and basic human interaction is hard for me, let alone diplomacy.'

'I understand,' said Enandra. 'And I suppose I apologise for my action of having Attelus infiltrate this place.'

'You are not sorry about that,' said the Canoness. 'I know women like you. You are just sorry you were caught.'

Silence once again hung in the air like the sword of Damocles over the neck of a noble from damned Malfi. All attention was fixed on the Canoness, everyone but Attelus who watched Enandra, whose jaw twitched so much Attelus couldn't help but imagine her drawing her plasma pistol and putting a blast through the Canoness' face.

'May haps,' said Soloston. 'But an apology is still an apology, but I did not want or need an apology in exchange for my knowledge. I want to be informed on everything your people have discovered in your investigation of Quoranda. Is there more than a strange dead apex predator in the middle of nowhere?'

'Oh yes,' said Enandra. 'And you will not like it. I guarantee, Soloston.'

Enandra let her words hang in the air.

'What is it?' blurted one of the Sisters after a good half a minute, her voice barking from her helm's grill made Attelus flinch.

The smile drained away from Inquisitor Enandra's face as she said, 'Well, just to get started. My agents have found the presence of the horrid Traitor Marines of the Death Guard are on this world.'

Now that made the jaws drop of everyone in the room whom Attelus could see the faces of, anyway. Even Soloton's, and Attelus' as well.

'I need you to tell me everything,' said Soloston. 'Tell me everything now!'