Hellknight
Asindesa di Vir throughout her life knew mainly war, in all its aspects. She was actually born in the war. Her name used to be Asindesa Cartak, but that was all she remembered from her former life. For thirty-five years she had believed it was the Dominion of Black atacked her homeplanet, until recently she had learned the truth, but it had not changed anything in her life. Enemies might have different names, but knowing how to defeat them was all that mattered. Empires will fall and rise, and adversaries will put on new masks, and the order of the eclipse will continue to serve its cause as always. There were only two exceptions. Servants of Darkness Among the Stars and a Hunger That Can't Be Satiated. The former lasted from the beginning of the universe, the latter may lead to its destruction. That's why the Order had to face this threat... And now a new threat has arisen and the lictor, her adoptive father, have sent her to deal with it, and to hell, she will fulfill this task.
She was going to her second meeting with Lord Admiral Antares wearing the plate armor of a hellknight. The armor of the Order of Eclipse was quite harmless looking, covered only by two spikes on the shoulders. Of all the hellknights orders, the Order of Eclipse was considered the most heroic because its opponents were those who were a threat to the existence of entire civilizations. In the past, they usually fought the servants of the Old Ones or the Dominion of Black, and often made enemies of those they protected. But since the Swarm invasion, they have become the protectors of the galaxy. Asindesa has even participated in several photo shoots to encourage the Galactic public opnion to unite in the fight against a common enemy. In truth, she hated it, though she understood how important it was to the success of the entire War. She was aware that she was well suited to represent the allied forces. Tall, with a pretty face not even disfigurd by an acid scar, with long red-gold hair. She was forty years old, but she knew that with modern medicine, she would face at least twice as many years of fighting and bloodshed, if she did not die on the battlefield, as most of the knights of the order would do
The loud footsteps of three pairs of armored boots echoed through the brightly lit corridors. At her flanks were two other knights who were her retinue and protection, though she doubted Antares would be ready to attack her openly. On the left was Camalia Sendes, an Aasimar with white hair and a cheerful smile, who was the direct opposite of what people expected from hell knights. She was beautiful, though she did not share the Lady of Blades' preferences. She was a devout follower of Iomadae, which also surprised many who expected the HellKnights to fanatical devotion to Asmodeus. On the right was Grimbern, a black-haired man, a man who had been Asindesa's protégé and trained by her to be her successor. They were the most loyal of her subjects, and they knew the secret of her sword.
She looked at the hilt protruding from the new scabbard. She didn't know what the weapon actually was, but she had been told what it was called. "End of Eternity - Blade of Vengeance". She shivered, though she was a warrior unafraid to face the innumerable hosts of the Swarm. She didn't know why she had been chosen to wield this weapon, but she felt that she could not oppose this mission. It had to do with the White Demons. The ones who attacked Minitar and turned her into a hell knight.
The Lord Admiral was waiting for her on the bridge of his flagship. Commander Reese and Lady Ka were also here. The Commander bowed to her politely, if a little stiffly.
- We are glad to see you, Ansidesa Di Vir, Lady of the Blades of the Order of the Eclipse - he said in a serious but genuinely polite tone.
- So the most unsmiling of the knights has arrived. - Indeed, it is a great honor for us - said Lady Ka with undisguised sneer, bowing almost halfway down.
Lord Admiral Anatares turned away from the holographic star chart.
-It's good to see you, Asindesa - he said, bowing politely but without exaggeration, like a king greeting an envoy from a foreign country. Actually, there was nothing unusual about it. Before he became a mercenary, he was a ruler.
- Why specifically have you summoned me here, Lord Admiral? -she asked in a hard voice, not taking her eyes off the expedition commander.
- Ah, those hellknights, they are discussing as if they were charging into fortified positions - said Lady Ka sneeringly. The Lord Admiral ignored his left hand, but did not rebuke it either, which eloquently showed how the relations in the expedition command look like. Only the commander gave the masked woman a contemptuous look.
- I want to talk to you about Lady Caly Grayskull - he asked in a strong and resonant voice. She supposed he'd practiced its sound for a long time, especially after being shot. She wasn't sure if it was vanity or perfectionism, probably both.
- And about my time at Castle Grayskull - she asked in a grim voice. Well, she should have assumed someone like Antares would find out. "I haven't done anything wrong, so why am I nervous?"
- Pre-emptive strike, hmm smart... However, my job is to gather intel on potential enemies... and allies which is basically the same thing. - The visible part of Lady Ka's mouth twisted into an even more sneering smile than usual.
- Lady Cala and her maps are one of the pillars of this expedition, so as its commander it is my duty to know how much we can relly on her. - He looked questioningly at her entourage. They instinctively stepped back, but she signaled them to stay. The Lord Admiral did not recall his guardsmen, the famous Void Orphans, so neither should she recall hers.
- I have not met the young Lady in person. My ship was damaged, and it took most of my time to arrange repairs in Carurystal, where no one is ever in a hurry. I only spoke to Miss Daisy. Her… - she tried to remember what her official position was.
- For all I know, she's probably something like her right hand , Lady of Blades. - Commander Reese interjected. Mrs. Ka just snorted softly.
- Second in Command maybe right away? Seriously, this girl lets her own governess run her fortune? - said the head of Antaresa's intelligence service.
Asindesa pursed her lips.
- Miss Daisy is a multi-talented person and a powerful sorceress. she said briskly, and then realized she had fallen into a trap set by a woman with a mask on the right half of her face.
- Yes, we know that, and that she brought her from the Pact Worlds on her journey five years ago... I guess the girl wanted to celebrate her coming of age in this way... Lady Daisy is definitely not from the Pact Worlds.
The Hellknight shrugged.
- Like most of the people here. I was born on Minitar, Lord Admiral is from Tarak, Commander Reese is from Amran and you Lady Ka are from Atrax, I can recognize that accent very well" said Lady of Blades, feeling joy at seeing Lady Ka's smile fade.
- What I'm saying is that no one knows exactly where she comes from, which is understandably uncomfortable for those of our position, but truth be told, we don't care much about her. We want to know how much truth Lady Cala tells, because we know that all intelligent people lie - said Lady Ka slowly and, for her, exceptionally gently.
- I'm not lying… - She bit her tongue as she realized she get into trap.
- Undoubtedly… - Lady Ka continued her taunt, but the Lord Admiral motioned for her to be quiet.
- There's no point in teasing each other like children. Please tell me one thing. Is Lady Cala someone who might have maps from thousands of years ago? - asked the Lord Admiral. His living eye glowed a cold blue. Cybernetic lens glowed red. How strange it was to talk to someone with such different eyes. She thought for a moment.
- Castle Grayskull was built thousands of years ago, and in its vaults... They stretch across the entire peninsula and may contain treasures from before the last wave of colonization, so these maps may... - As she spoke, she saw an image on the monitor behind the Lord Admiral that she knew from information she was provided by Liktor Janos Di Vir. The face of one of the White Demons, quite unusual, wearing a strangely colored shirt and colored hair, but still one of the creatures that attacked Minitar...
- Yes? - Antares asked, raising one eyebrow.
- These maps may be real. - she said. The image was gone, she wasn't even sure if it wasn't all just a phantasm.
- Well, apparently that will have to suffice. You can leave, I have no more questions. replied the Lord Admiral.
She bowed politely and was already turning away from the expedition leader when he asked her.
- I'm sorry I forgot to ask. I hope your wound, the one you take on Carurystal, has healed properly by now?
She resisted the instinctive urge to reach for her shoulder. She could almost see a sneer spread across Lady Ka's face.
- Almost completely. So is your gunshot wound. - she smiled and left.
They did not discuss the meeting until they were aboard her cruiser Necessary Measures.
- It went reasonably well - Camalia said.
- It went very badly, he found out a lot about us without revealing anything he didn't want to reveal himself - said the hell knight.
- You're a terrible pessimist, and you see conspiracies everywhere. - said the follower of Iomadae
- I am the Lady of Blades, that is my duty. - Asindesa said.
They walked in silence for a while.
- But you have to admit, Commander Reese is sweet. - Aasimar said.
- You know he's…- Grimbern interjects
- I know, but I like him anyway. Asia, and you like Lady Ka?
The Lady of Blades rolled her eyes.
- Really, I don't want sleep with every woman I meet, I'm very picky. Besides, going to bed with her is like going to bed with a scorpion.
- This sword, are you sure it's not cursed? - Grimbern asked
- It's not even fully magical, and something tells me it's very important - Asindesa said quietly.
- And these inscriptions? You guess who might have made them and what they mean.
Only she saw them. She managed to trace them and enter them into the database, she didn't learn much.
- They are made in the language of the First Ones, who built the cities of Aballon and created the Anacities. But no one can translate them. But the First Ones are no more. - she said, remembering the words spoken to her.
"This is End of Eternity. Vengeance Blade. Take them, for the day of vengeance draws near. Punishment Day"
"Too bad you didn't see him. Maybe you could give me some advice" - thought the Hellknight.