{oOo}
Laer's inhabitants had long been reduced to mulch, its temple bombed to molten glass. But it had not been alone in the sector. There were still other planets of xenos similarly tainted, and Beryl had known it.
That was part of why she'd come with Fulgrim, after all.
So when she caught sight of the information they'd managed to collect on the newest planet, and saw how similar it was, to Laer, to its natural beauty, its alien inhabitants' strength, she was already on guard.
And working. Even as her Lord began to make the plans to take the place over, Beryl contacted the Embodiment of Chaos she'd bound and gave him the order... To go in there first.
And kill all the goddamn inhabitants, for biomass. Bugger all that sentimental shit, the sooner the universe was clean of possible threats to Fulgrim, the better.
"If you find any temples of the Ruinous Powers there," Beryl kept her hand fisted in the soft silks of Ruin's robes, "Slag them. Immediately. Harvest the inhabitants for Biomass. Let nothing sentient survive."
Ruin grinned, wide, feral, insane. His exquisitely expressive voice was lifted up in vicious, angelically sweet glee. "A whole planet for me to Ruin? Oh, dear little bird, you spoil me so much."
As he gave in to mad laughter she dragged him down to eye level. "No property damage just..."
"Just the inhabitants, I know, little bird." Chaos felt so damn proud. A proud father, coaxing its child to eat of the flesh of the enemy. "Have I ever told you I love you yet? If not, I'm telling you now. You make me so proud!"
Beryl resisted the urge to facepalm. "Just... Go. Finish it quickly, I desire to give it to my master unspoiled."
"As you command." Chaos' grin was shark-like even as he vanished into the dark.
Fulgrim was grateful for an opportunity to send his Legion into war again. The situation was tense after he was done with reorganizing. Not everyone was happy. In itself it was not unexpected, but his Children needed to something to vent their frustration on. Xenos would be a perfect target.
The reports indicated the world would be beautiful and for this he was glad. For every world like Chemos that was brought into their fold, he hoped to find one's that would be able to give something as soon as they joined. Even if it was just beauty.
It was odd though—he hadn't been nearly as loath to think of Chemos as he had been when he was young ever since he finished reorganizing. Maybe it was because he had to draw on skills he had gained so long ago? They weren't so useless after all.
He peered over the holomap, carefully considering how to best approach it. Drawing a plan would take some time.
He nodded at Vespasian, when his Lord Commander indicated he wished to speak. Julius, newly promoted, looked ill at ease still. Hopefully, he would grow accustomed to his role soon—Fulgrim did not want to go through another Eidolon anytime soon.
"I suggest we draw the populace into the cities," Vespasian spoke. "Then we can bomb them from orbit."
Fulgrim frowned. It would take time to act on this plan. It would be so costly. Minimizing costs was good, he could not help but to think. Perhaps risking some collateral damage was worth reducing the costs.
How odd. He was starting to think in administrative categories again.
Still…
Beryl closed her eyes beneath the visor and tried to relax as her lord began to hash out battle plans. It was hard. Her nerves were so far on edge that she felt as if she'd lash out at anything that moved... and all she could do was hope that Ruin wouldn't be too damn blatant.
It turned out to be lost hope.
"Milord." An aide said hesitantly, bringing a sheaf of papers to Fulgrim. "It seems one of the cities has been.. obliterated. Its inhabitants have been exterminated."
'Well, shit.' Beryl thought, furiously. She was about to get reamed sideways because the moron hadn't gone with quick and silent and instead had gone with explosive and blatant!
"Well," Fulgrim said, blinking. "Hopefully we'll get our job done without having to lift a finger?"
He was not nearly as amused as he suggested, but the attempt at humour was the only thing that kept him from snapping. Damn it, he needed this war—his Children needed to go into action and focus on something else than the recent rough period.
"Do we know what is going on exactly?" he asked.
"The xenos are fighting amongst themselves?" Vespasian suggested, though he did not sound convinced. With a war fleet in the system, such a course of action was unwise to put it charitably.
"Er." said the aide. "We can send in cameras?"
Beryl fought the urge to scream, and hit Ruin. Again.
...It did not help her, when the cameras were actually sent in, and... As she half expected, they had managed to get footage of Ruin. Happily singing as he carved his way through aliens, like they were wheat. Angry, angry wheat with blades.
Fulgrim watched, his head tilted to the side. "Somebody, please tell me I'm hallucinating?"
Vespasian, his expression serious responded, "My lord, your hallucinations are so bad, we are experiencing them too."
"I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Oh, you'll probably go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride!"
Ruin sang gleefully as he proceeded to blow up three buildings, and went in to decapitate the inhabitants, tossing the bodies behind him to stack up in a pile like cordwood. Only messier and more gory.
It was, Beryl noted distantly, quite well done. Very flamboyant. And the gestures were very apt, really. The timing of the next several slaughters was so good it could have been a music vid.
...And it was infuriating her master. Goddamnit.
Beryl facepalmed.
"I... think we'd best just bomb the whole sector," Fulgrim said in a far away tone. "Whatever is going is not something we should attempt to understand."
Beryl slumped farther down, formal posture forgotten. WHY? her mind wailed miserably. Why did he have to choose now to troll her? WHY?
"For glorious genocide!" Ruin cheered happily as another set of buildings exploded. Then he actually noticed the cameras.
...And a slow flood of dread began to fill Beryl even as he actually turned and waved at the goddamn thing.
Fulgrim's eye twitched. "We're glassing the whole damn sector. This cannot be inflicted on human settlers."
"Greetings, glorious leader!" Ruin grinned. He could literally feel Beryl's fury, her incoherent screaming outrage. "As you can see, the conquest's going just great. This place will be bug-free in..." He took the time to decapitate a native. "...oh, I give it three hours and thirty minutes. Just sit back and relax."
Beryl's free hand curled into a fist from holding back the sheer amount of bloodthirsty rage she felt... And she knew he could feel it too. Ruin's grin grew wider.
"Oh, and no worries, I blew up the temples first. No hallucinogenic drugs here!"
"What the fuck is going on?" Fulgrim hissed. His body tensed, as watched the creature. It was addressing him
...Apparently? It was looking in his general direction? No, wait.
Some of the Space Marines were looking her way. Her cover was blown.
If it was blown anyway, she'd maul Ruin at least once before she died.
...The obsidian crystal of her gauntlet had just shattered in her hand as she hissed.
"Ruin, you utter, utter bastard, stop trolling me in front of my master and do your goddamn job!"
The creature grinned that sharklike grin and saluted her, a crisp Imperial salute. "As my glorious leader commands! I think that master of yours will like this place after I clean it up a bit, eh?"
"No snappy comments!" she hissed. "You were to do the job quick, clean and silent!"
It grinned right back. "Glorious leader, I should point out to you, I AM doing my job. When that precious master of yours gets here, the roaches will be gone, the place spick and span. Just as you wanted."
"I did not pay you to disco." The words were ground out between clenched teeth.
"Hey, it's not my fault he picked this place to ah... what's that term again? Pluck like a chicken." Ruin said affably. "It's just bad timing, that's all. That said, boss, seriously, you need a... what's that term again? A chill pill. You did your job, I'll do mine."
Rage. Rage and hate and.. oh it was glorious. Ruin loved her so damn much.
"You can feed me my spleen later, got people to obliterate, 'kay? Oh. And if he hurts you, I'll be right up there quick to maul him."
"You maul him, I maul you." Beryl hissed.
"You have to survive his mauling first." It pointed out mildly as another building blew up.
"I'll survive if only to tear you apart."
"I love it when you say that!" Ruin grinned.
"Beryl?" Fulgrim said, his voice taking on that worrying far away quality. "Could you be so kind and explain, please?"
Secrets. Just as he thought he was done with Bile and the whole mess, he run into more secrets. He had thought she intended to help him. Now, he felt strangely calm and numb, unlike the white hot fury he had experienced when he found Bile had betrayed him
Beryl was about as on edge as a spitting cat. "We have a contract, he and I. Signed in blood. Very Archaic. He was supposed to have been done with this sector earlier. It was supposed to be a gift." Utter embarrassment.
"For you." Humiliation of the worst kind. "And now he's ruined it, like he ruins a lot of things and I will feed him his spleen."
"No. You will not," Fulgrim said. "You will do nothing until I understand exactly what is going on."
Beryl facepalmed again, "As you wish, Milord."
She was going to maul Ruin. Not that he'd die from it. He'd regenerate. She knew he would.
Approximately three hours later, after an epic battle with a Keeper of Secrets, Ruin made his way over to the shuttle. He grinned, in his disquieting way, all the way up. "Heeee~ey!" He grinned at Beryl. "I see he didn't maul you."
...It was only her severe desire to please Fulgrim that spared Ruin from having to eat his own balls.
"Well?" Fulgrim said, still sounding a bit too polite. "Can I have an explanation now, or do I need to write a formal request?"
"I work for her." Ruin grinned toothily. "She likes you."
Beryl facepalmed. "I told him to take over the planet, and clear out the inhabitants. Sir." Beryl said, keeping herself from mauling Ruin through sheer force of will.
"Likes me?" Fulgrim asked. "You put quite a lot of emphasis on this word."
He was feeling tired. The whole stupid fight—he didn't care about it. He just wanted to know if he'd been betrayed again or not
"Likes you. As in, will obliterate anything that would get in your way, hoping to get your approval." Ruin grinned. "I like working for her. She's got a ruthless streak eight miles wide and sends me on interesting missions. Speaking of which, I was sent here 'cause we had info the natives had something capable of mind control."
Another goddamn possessing sword.
"I slagged it first go."
"I see," Fulgrim said. "Please shut the fuck up now. I want to hear her explain why she had never told me this. Or about you."
Oh God. Beryl prayed silently. Ruin is an ass. An Asshole. Why did you make him again? Is he to be a permanent threat to my wellbeing, my sanity, my very wish to exist?
Beryl flinched at her master's words. Like a whipped dog, one might guess.
And then she forced herself upright, drew the pathetic shreds of her composure around her and stated, as stoically as she could manage (though that was not much) ,"I did not wish to inform you of this because the moron I am pacted to is certifiably insane, Sir."
She took a deep breath, went on "He has plenty of firepower, psychic and otherwise. He's useful in extermination of an enemy's forces. But he's destructive, vicious, childish, and an utter embarrassment to me." She took a breath. "And worse, we're related."
"Why should I consider any of this enough to excuse you?" It was so hard to forget Bile's notes. It claimed to like him, but she had... There was one moment, but how could he even be certain it was true?
"You shouldn't, sir." she said honestly. "You should..." oh but this hurt, it hurt. She was going to kill Ruin for ever making her say this. "Dismiss me immediately before I become a liability to you."
"It will meet my Father as soon as possible," Fulgrim said after a moment. "Then we will talk."
"As you wish, my lord." Beryl said, bowing, though it was more of folding in half due to pain and the urge to maim a certain moron.
{oOo}