Ch-20.

Rip and Tear until it's done pt 2

Location: Unknown Location, Nova Arcadia

The Valkyrie's landing gear scraped the soil as its ramp opened and Inquisitor Gerhart Enoch emerged from the shadows of its passenger hold into the sun. Following him, five Inquisition Stormtrooper Guards pulled three prisoners out by their shackles; the other four were still unconscious from being stunned during the insertion action. Interrogation had proved fruitless, since they spoke a language none of Enoch's forty-four dialects could understand (though he suspected that a Tech Priest might be able to).

Surveying his current spot, Enoch saw an open area with white paint markings on flat grass-likely some type of playing field-and a set of bleachers smashed to pieces from when a 300-ton Command-Baneblade had driven through them. Three Tauros Assault Vehicles and two Taurox transports sat near the edge of the field, their turrets rotating back and forth. In the center sat the Command-Baneblade, shut off but humming softly with electricity in its eleven turrets.

Enoch was impressed with the Kislevite military strategy; most regiments wouldn't deploy such powerful weapons for the initial waves of a planetary invasion, yet they weren't afraid to do so. In front of their equipment stood a commander clad in a black leather combat suit and coat. She was accompanied by her command staff, including a Vox-operator, three standard bearers, and a squad of personal guards wearing the flak armor, tunics, and helms of the Winged Lancers, one of the elite units of the Kislev Regiments.

"My Lord," she said as she saluted him. "I am Katarin Bokha from the 1752nd Kislev Guard and I am in charge of all forces operating in this sector."

"Where is the rest of Kislevite Command?", asked Enoch.

"Unfortunately, we have lost contact with Field Marshal, who stayed aboard our Dreadnought Serpentor to manage our fleet and ground troops, it's certain he is currently with Lord Admiral Vallin as I can see the rest of Battlefleet Scolaris from here in the Atmosphere" replied the woman.

This loss of contact proved to be just the beginning of their troubles. The continents were so much different than what had been in their data, hell even any data at all. Moreover, there were natives who seemed unaware of the Imperium or Gothic or His Holiness The Emperor - something that could have earned them an immediate sentence though Emperor be merciful. After analyzing their speech and salvaged materials from one of their local leadership buildings, they confirmed that these texts were written in an ancient language. not spoken since the Dark Age Of Technology.

Enoch arrived at a single conclusion: the Warp anomaly that they had encountered during the drop had, somehow, transported them through time. It was a shocking conclusion - or would have been to most people; but from his experience in the Inquisition, Enoch had learned to always be prepared for the unexpected. He knew of stories of Imperial soldiers appearing in an unknown System after being sent to pacify it during Horus' Heresy, and that they were awarded ten thousands years of back pay, allowing them to purchase a new planet since their original homeworld had been lost. Such events fell within the Ordo Chronos' jurisdiction, though even Enoch knew only part of what they got up to. He'd also heard of a lot of other rumors, (like a certain blue police box with the ability to time travel)

"This could be Nova Arcadia at an earlier stage in its history," he suggested soberly. "The misalignment of the continents could be attributed to terra-forming over the last ten millennia since the Great Crusade." The commander managed to conceal her confusion, though barely; still, Enoch's keen eagle eye caught on her twitching lips. "My Lord," she asked with uncertainty, "Do you believe this rebellious governor was working on a warp-based chrono-displacement device?"

"It does not matter anymore," Enoch said calmly. "Our focus must shift now to consolidating our forces, secure our foothold in this place, and get back in touch with the Imperium." Assuming it still exists."

Enoch pondered for a moment. But what if they really were going back before the Great Crusade? He discerned both the issues that could arise as well as the potential advantages of such a possibility. Of course, if all this was true then the first task would be to figure out when and where exactly they were. That would take some time. Right now, priorities...Right next to the field, there was a small two-story brick building. Nearby was a lengthy yellow vehicle - an autobus - overturned on its side and burning, with "Gracemeria Public Schools District" legible on its side. As General Bokha guided him further, they curved around the structure and stumbled upon about three hundred prisoners, all sitting or crouching in the grass while approximately two dozen Kislevite guardsmen kept watch.

Most of them were children aged ten to fifteen standard Imperial Years, with some adults interspersed among them. Enoch noticed the myriad of different skin tones amongst them; people on most Imperial planets had turned to same shade after centuries of interbreeding."Hostages?" Enoch asked her.

"Yes my Lord," she answered, "we think this building is a school, so we attempted to appease their families."

"Fuck you!" shouted one of the children, standing up - a boy wearing glasses. He stared at one of the captives from the spacecraft which Tarkien's troops were escorting, evidently recognizing her. "Be quiet, scum!" yelled the nearest guard, and he walked up to the child and slapped him hard across the face, knocking him off his feet.

The boy wailed and the other kids around him yelled out in alarm; an adult rose to their feet in objection, but the guardsman shouted back at them and brandished his lasgun warningly. Inquisitor Tarkien watched the scene without expression. Although it seemed cruel, all measures were necessary to uphold Imperial Order. If a Kislevite guard couldn't even make a child obey, how could they stand up to the Ruinous Powers? Outside the school building stood a single flagpole, where two Kislevite guardsmen were busy taking down the original banner and raising two new flags in its place: one bearing a golden Aquila, gray against a black background, and the second presenting a blue background with the distinctive white polar bear head emblem. As Enoch passed by, he noticed the discarded flag lying in the muck; it was made of white and blue fabrics in a single line division with fifty little white pentagrams. Interesting.

The Stormtrooper Sergeant then approached Enoch and bowed deeply before addressing him: "My Lord, we have received an urgent call over our secure channels - code Romeo Plus Delta Plus Sierra Break Break Echo Hotel Victor Two Bravo Four."

Enoch recognized this code immediately as one used by the Inquisition; it identified that a Temple Assassin was present. He didn't need to give instructions for his retinue to know what to do next – his expression told them everything they needed to know. The sergeant handed Enoch the long-range vox caster while another trooper gestured for the Kislevites to leave him alone.

"Inquisitor," spoke a flat voice from the vox.

The voice was artificial, not unlike the communicator signals of Orbital Defense Grid stations or vox broadcasts from Imperium-controlled planets. The sound had been run through a dozen vocal filters to remove even the slightest chance that its speaker could ever be recognized in person.

"Operative Ala'niya," replied Enoch, consulting his dataslab as he spoke, "you are supposed to be on assignment in the Ultramar Sector under Inquisitor Robyn Vallace at this moment, if I recall correctly."

"There has been a... displacement of sorts," replied the voice, its inflection never betraying a single emotion or infliction.

"Explain," he commanded.

The agent's voice continued: "my drop pod sensors registered a Warp anomaly as I entered the atmosphere. Next I knew, I found myself on this world."Imperial forces from two separate operations, a sector apart, finding themselves on one world simultaneously."

There was more going on than meets the eye, though Enoch had to first find out what exactly was this operative up to. "Kindly explain your mission," ordered Enoch, "Inquisitorial Override, Code X-Ray Three Two One Alpha Romeo Zero; Authorization: "

"Override Inquisitorial Overrade, Code Five Five Three Seven Eight Zero Zero Eight; Authorization: R. Vallace."

Enoch was annoyed but was not surprised; he would absolutely have done the same in Vallace's position. Still...

"We will discuss this matter later. For now, our priority shall be to secure our planethead on this world."

"No conflict with my prior orders," replied the assassin, "awaiting your directives."

"The Scouts report that a town located roughly 150 klicks north of our positions appears to be an enemy capital," said Enoch. "I believe Protocol Beta Delta Zero is appropriate for ths situation. Terminate all enemy leaders."

"It shall be done," replied the voice, curtly and without question.

Adeptus Mechanicus Facility

Cancer Tropicus Sector

Planetside Nova Arcadia

Archmagos Delphias Decerio had relented, no he had asked for some very, very specific reinforcements. 5 operatives of the officio assasinorum, a Culexus, a Vindicare, an Eversor, a Vanus (who was typing away in one of the rooms), and a Venenum assassin. The Callidus assassin was instead his Callidus assassin. Decerio surveyed the assembled Officio Assassinorum operatives with detached interest. They were just more components in the experiment now unfolding within the facility's depths.

"The test subject has proven quite...durable," he explained to them in a clinical tone. "I require him taken alive for further study. Condition is irrelevant - simply subdue and contain."

The blank-faced assassins showed no reaction to his instructions, merely nodding in acknowledgment. Except for the Vanus psych-infiltrator, still silently tapping away at a console and doubtlessly already worming into the meager defenses of the primitive AI accompanying their target.

A ligt whoosh of air signified his Callidus assassin entering behind them. The Imperium-sanctioned killers regarded her warily, even the emotionless Venenum. Rumors and unease clung to Decerio's pet operative like a shroud.

"She will accompany you to provide lethal solutions should the subject prove...resistant to conventional methods," Decerio explained, a touch of dark amusement in his vox-augmented voice.

The Callidus inclined her head silently. Beneath the featureless full-face mask, he knew she was as eager as the others were wary. An exquisite pairing of assets.

"Bring the subject to me intact for vivisection and cerebral interrogation," Decerio instructed as they filed out on their hunt. "Damage is acceptable, so long as neural and cardiovascular function remain intact."

When the chamber stood empty save for his skittering attendant servitors, Decerio allowed himself a moment of anticipation. Such fascinating possibilities! Either his assassins would succeed, delivering the extraordinarily gifted test subject for direct study, or they would be eliminated in turn, providing a wealth of combat data against a potent enemy asset.

Truly the Omnissiah provided rich gifts to those who observed closely and rigorously. Now to monitor the coming clash and bear witness to which variable prevailed in this live-fire field test. Glorious!

Viktor Friedmann

Viktor continued planting charges around areas he considered important. He had one charge left and was currently trying to make some small talk with Ouroboros.

"Anyway OB, you seen Star Wars?"

"No Vik, I haven't seen any Concordian Space Operas"

"Star Trek?"

"No Viktor, I haven't seen any Cascadian TV"

"Alien 2, Terminator?"

"Viktor, I swear to fucking God if you even name a another media from the North Liberian continent, I'll hack everything you own"

Viktor chuckled at OB's exasperated response. "Alright, fair enough. No more 20th century sci-fi references."

He paused to examine the location for his final explosive charge. Some kind of reactor or generator room by the look of the conduits and humming machinery.

"But you're really missing out buddy," Viktor continued, priming the adhesive. "So much crazy imagination went into those old stories and movies. Killer robots, evil empires, teleporters, lasers, you name it."

He secured the charge and stepped back, syncing the detonator. "I mean, look around us! We're living the dream here - fighting through a high-tech alien base, cutting down robots with future weapons."

Viktor swept his chainsword around with a dramatic flair. "This is some straight up Terminator or Aliens action! All we're missing are xenomorphs bursting out of people's chests."

OB sighed wearily. "I do wish you wouldn't sound quite so enthused by that prospect."

"Ah don't worry, we can handle anything they throw at us," Viktor said confidently. "Though gotta say, some alien mouth-tongue shooting out and latching onto my face might be crossing a line."

He headed back out into the stark metal corridors, ready to find a safe observation point. "Anyway, once we blow this place, what do you say we see if we can find a hoverbike or spaceship to hijack too? Go out in style!"

OB made another electronic groan. "Let's just focus on getting out of here alive first, shall we?"

"You got it, party pooper." Viktor laughing, hefting his chainsword. "Now get ready for the fireworks!"

No turning back now. Time to light this place up like the 4th of July the north Liberians were so fond of.

Alcove, 31 meters above ground floor,

The Vindicare assassin lay prone on an alcove. He had spotted the target first and was staring at him through the scope of his Exitus rifle. He didn't look like much, wearing grey coveralls with a small blackish-brown belt. Underneath the overall he could see a grey sweater, and he was also wearing black jackboots. He looked more like a fancier version of a factorium worker, and he had that strange glove.

He checked his zone, it was a perfect area for a killshot. He took a breath, and waited for his heartbeat at the required intervals…

Viktor Friedmann

Viktor crept silently through the shadowy complex, alert for any sign of movement. His senses strained for the telltale glint of a sniper scope or the soft whine of powered armor motors. He knew they had sent their killers after him now.

There - a flicker in his periphery vision, sunlight reflecting off glass. Viktor dove behind cover just as a hypersonic crack split the air, a bullet drilling the wall where he'd been standing.

"Sniper!" OB reported unnecessarily. Viktor stayed low, scrambling to flank the hidden shooter. Another bullet richocheted off his shield, buying him time to close the distance.

At last he spotted the sniper, prone on a high alcove and lining up another shot. Viktor surged upwards, boots clamping onto the vertical wall as he defied gravity. Before the assassin could adjust his aim, Viktor's chainsword was revving through his torso in a spray of gore.

"Yeah, not today pal," Viktor quipped, wrenching his blade free. He crouched to examine his kill - some type of special forces he guessed, judging by the advanced rifle and bodysuit. Viktor stowed the weapons along with extra ammo and magazines.

"Alright OB, crack that fancy rifle for me would ya?" he asked, hefting the sleek gun. "Let's see what makes this bad boy tick."

OB swiftly interfaced with the weapon's security system, bypassing its genetic locks and decrypting its machine code. After a few moments he reported back.

"Right, you should have full access now. It's loaded with custom high-penetration rounds, so aim carefully."

Viktor peered through the scope, admiring the enhanced optics. "Nice...we'll put this to good use soon I bet."

Stowing the rifle, he pressed onward warily. One assassin down, likely more to come. But Viktor was just getting warmed up. They wanted a fight? Oh, he'd give them one alright.

Central Control Room

The room was deathly silent, except for the sound of fingers skillfully typing away, the Vanus at work. Archmagos Decerio watched the vidfeeds. Most of the facility was under lockdown. Key elements of his research was already being evacuated back to the fleet. He looked at the massive screen. His current experiment was 50 , and he could feel the excitement simmering within him. He would have to thank the Callidus assassin for a job well done. The test subject was proving to be more resilient than anticipated, but that only made it all the more interesting.

Decerio turned to the Vanus operative, "Report," he ordered.

The Vanus operative clicked a few buttons and brought up a holographic image of the facility layout. "We've located the intruder in the eastern quadrant, near the reactor room," he reported in a monotone voice.

Decerio's lips curled upwards in satisfaction. "Good. I want it locked down. Use whatever means necessary, but I want the one with the chainsword alive. Bring him to me."

The Vanus operative nodded and turned back to his console. Decerio watched as the assassin teams were dispatched, confident that they would succeed.

As he waited for the results, Decerio couldn't help but think about the possibilities that the test subject held. If his experiment proved successful, he could change the course of the war. He could create an army of unstoppable soldiers, loyal only to him and the Machine God. It would be the ultimate triumph of technology over flesh.

But first, he needed to secure the facility and eliminate the intruder. Decerio pressed a button on his console, activating the intercom.

"All personnel, this is Archmagos Decerio. We have an intruder in the eastern quadrant. I repeat, we have an intruder in the eastern quadrant. All security teams, deploy immediately and apprehend the target. Failure is not an option."

He leaned back in his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips. This would be the ultimate test for his creations. And he had no doubt they would succeed.

Viktor Friedmann

Viktor entered the service elevator quickly. He quickly connected OB as the ai preformed it's task. He quickly keyed in his earpiece, a wonder his captors hadn't noticed it during his servitude. Please work he thought to himself. There was a tense few minutes, the longest in his life.

Finally, a beep was heard-signaling the encryption was set. "Can you here me? This Viktor Friedmann, FSSB Chain code 21ПЩ. Codename-Hoffung"

There was silence and static on the other end. Viktor's heart rate plummeted; had they been taken out by the invasion?

A voice answered finally. "You're supposed to be dead" it said tersely. Viktor perked up a little bit. The death part, he understood as these invaders probably took no prisoners.

"Well, I'm alive…requesting..."

"What's your real name, c'mon tell me, we all know Viktor Friedmann is an alias, very carefully constructed"

Viktor groaned. Of course his superiors would be paranoid. "Sorry, can't tell. Standard Federal State Security Bureau protocol. I'm stuck in a goddamn facility in the middle of the fucking Padarian Rainforest!"

There was a tense silence, OB even hadn't spoken. Finally, the voice (If he had a hunch who it was,) came back. "Viktor you hardass Sonovabitch, what's the situation on the ground?

"Cuzco was taken in the early days, several other cities fell hours later, including Los Dopicos, where I and an FSSB team investigating the favelas were captured." Viktor got out. OB had set the floor at some sort of maintenance shaft. He took out a grappling hook from his utility belt and began to scale the shaft. Smoke curled around them, creating a very mysterious ambience.

"Is that the sound of you climbing something?"

"Unfortunately yes" OB chimed in. "He's climbing a shaft leading to a reactor where he will place his final charge."

"Don't tell me; you're going to blow them all to hell" the voice said through his earpiece's speakers. "Can't handle the torture, eh Hoffung" he said mockingly. Viktor had to restrain himself from a crude reply. He hoped the guy wasn't too mad at him.

"You kind of sound like an old man" he commented dryly.

"I'm only thirty-four, you ass. You sound like you're dying." The voice said suddenly.

"Am I?" Viktor quipped, "Eh nope you're wrong, that's just OB. Call you later" He closed the connection before staggering up to the floor. The reactor room was only miles away. But as fate happened to work in mysterious ways, two figures appeared through the fog. A hulking black suited figure with a white skull mask, and a lithe latex suited one, female with a helmet with yet another skull, these guys sure loved their skulls.

Viktor tensed as the two figures emerged from the haze. More of their freakshow killers no doubt. He flexed his grip on his chainsword in anticipation.

"C'mon, more masks and skulls? Don't you guys have any variety?" He revved his sword, the teeth whirring eagerly.

"You'll be a lot more silent when we're through with you, Heretic" the lithe female readied her blades.

"A lot of people have tried, people who are worse than you, we'll see who comes out on top."

The hulking one merely bellowed in response, flesh rippling unnaturally beneath its suit. Viktor barely dove aside as it suddenly charged with impossible speed, cratering the wall behind him.

"Shit! OB, options?" But the lithe female was already upon him, poisoned blades scything. Viktor parried frantically, the venom sizzling as it ate into his blade.

Back and forth he strained, fending off both assassins simultaneously. The frenzied brute shrugged off blows that should have felled a fully upgraded K-Tron, while the woman flowed like quicksilver, never letting up her slicing onslaught.

Viktor took nick after nick, though his glove purged the toxins. He couldn't keep this up forever, but neither could his tireless assailants. He had to end this now.

"Getting tired Heretic?

As the hulking killer reared up for another charge, Viktor fired his sniper pistol straight into its mouth. The explosive round blew its head apart in a spray of gore.

In the moment the female hesitated, Viktor shoulder-checked her with his full might. Her blade pierced his side shallowly before she slammed into the reactor with a sick crunch.

Gritting through the pain, Viktor emptied the rest of his clip into her prone form before sagging back, his own blood mixing with the pooling ichor.

"Hell...hope that's all of them," he gasped. OB quickly administered anesthetic and coagulant to his injuries.

Viktor spat, levering himself up. No rest yet - he still had one last explosive gift to deliver.

"C'mon...let's finish this..." Limping doggedly onward through the swirling fumes, Viktor headed for the rendezvous with destiny awaiting below. Just a little bit further now.

Unfortunately, something hit him at that exact moment. Friedmann was flung forward, hiting one of the metal walls.

Looking up through bloodied eyes, he saw the lith figure dressed in tight black latex, powerwalking towards him. She had the figure of a woman but the eyes of a monster. Or were those the lenses of her mask, he couldn't really looked down, and it was right in front of him. He had no more strength to move, to fight. She grabbed him by the neck, and began to rapidely punch him. He winced as the air was punched out of him, he could not see from one eye and OB was calling out from the glove. Then he was being thrown, he could feel the wind against his back.

The ceiling was getting closer and closer, he closed his eyes. Then his body hit something solid. He coughed out blood and phlegm, as the latex clad woman walked over to him. His glove was out of tricks, and he still needed to plant the charge. He quickly stretched out his bioresonance for one final surge.

He felt around the woman's body for something to exploit. She came closer as his search turned up nothing, then finally it locked on to a little device attached to her neck beneath the latex bodyglove. He surged his bioresonance at full throttle, the woman shrieking and stumbling away. She collapsed onto the ground, unmoving.

He tried to get up, but it was OB who stopped him, "I am administering biogel and various other painkillers, you will sit and wait for it to come into affect" the ai's tone held no room for argument. He could hear his breathing, ragged and slow, his vision blurred. But he had won, he had won! The facility was doomed, and the enemy forces would follow.

"GIve some to her too" he rasped, nodding at the latex clad woman. The ai was quiet for a few seconds before speaking. "Come again?"

"Give her some too, don't want her dying on us. She was tough."

"I'll take that under advisement." OB said.

"Just do it" he managed. The ai complied, injecting the woman with a cocktail of medical substances. Her eyes opened with a gasp, the most beautiful blue he had ever seen. She was looking around, confused. She turned to him, "who are you" her voice was a bit hoarse, but was still clear.

"Just a prisoner" he replied tiredly.

"Like me?" she asked.

"You were a prisoner? You were killing me just a few moments back there"

"I was…under the control of that Archmagos" she crawled over too him, settling herself down next to him. "I was captured in a battle and my Craftworld retreated, Decerio experimented on me for years, that little metal piece of scrap. Said he never had a chance to experiment on an Aeldari farseer…where are you going?"

Viktor winced as his joints cracked. Ob tried to warn him but he turned the glove off. He staggered past the corpses of the other two assassins and grabbed the charge where it lay. Limping over to the reactor he placed the charge. He took the remote and placed it in his pocket before walking back. He could feel the medications taking effect. He walked over to the woman, and quickly picked her up in a bridal carry. In the red glow of the room, he had a distinct feeling she was blushing

"Wha..What the hel are you doing?" she stammered

"Well I'm not gonna leave a cute lady behind am i? I'm a gentleman" Viktor chuckled as he started limping. "you know this place, you can get us out of here right?"

She was still blushing and stuttering when he found a lift. They both entered it, and he let the ai close the door behind them.

"Where are we going?" the woman finally got out. Viktor grinned at her. "Up"

She rolled her eyes, "No shit genius"

Viktor struggled to stay upright as the lift ascended, one arm wrapped around the mysterious woman he'd just rescued. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him moving at this point.

"So...Callidus assassin huh? You must be good, whatever it is you assassinate. Gotta say, love the latex cat suit look," he quipped through the pain, giving her a roguish wink.

She flushed a deeper purple. "Wha...wah" she stammered, "You think i'm some damsel in distress?"

"Nah," he replied, "I'm the one carrying you, aren't I?"

He laughed as her blush deepened. "Seriously though, thanks for saving me," he said, gazing into her eyes.

"I guess we're even now," she muttered, averting her gaze.

Viktor smiled softly. "Guess so."

The elevator doors opened with a ding. The pair emerged into a spacious, cavernous chamber filled with strange devices and machinery.

"This is the...alright go right from here, hanger bay should be a few miles ahead" she ordered him. Viktor nodded, and they both began their journey.

The pair made their way through the maze of machinery, carefully avoiding the servitors and techpriests that roamed the area.

"So...any hobbies?" he asked his charge who was being carried in his arms. "You're not that heavy"

"Don't you know any girl is insensitive of her weight" she groaned, "Boys..."

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything else would do, how did you end up here, if you don't mind telling"

"Not much to tell. I'm a federal agent, I got sent on an assignment and got captured, they kept me locked up."

"What's a federal agent." she asked, he stopped, literally skidded to a stop.

"You're kidding right, like you've never heard of the FBI, CIA, KGB, MI5, or the NKVD. Those don't ring a bell?"

"No, and we don't have time for a history lesson."

"Right, sorry," he replied, resuming his pace.

"So...what about you? What's your story?"

"Hmmm wheree do I start" she said sarcastically. "I'm , no I was an aeldari, a farseer from Biel-tan."

"Aeldari, what's an aeldari?"

"You really are ignorant" she sighed, "we're an ancient species, the first ones to colonize this galaxy."

"Newsflash, none of our probes actually found any aliens."

"WHAT?" she shouted, he nearly dropped her, "With the level of technology I've seen, gloves with ai's, energy weapons, and all that you guys should at least have mastered basic spaceflight. What year is it?"

"1995?" he said

"You're joking, there's noway this is 1995, it's way too advanced. Are you saying battlefleet Scolaris, travelled from the 42nd Millenium, to a whole new Dimension!"

"I mean yeah, you guys came into our orbit on june 2nd"

"Is the entire planet under Imperial control?"

"It's june,5th. 4 days and we're still kickijng"

"You are joking" she was in denial

"Nope"

"You are telling me, the entire planet is still resisting. Against a fully equipped Imperial Battlefleet"

"Last time I checked, we were the only ones in the galaxy before you came so yeah ." she looked so cute when she all hot and bothered. he hugged her close in the bridal carry causing her face to turn crimson.

"Put me down"

"Nuh uh, you haven't healed yet" he gave her a light peck. She froze. her thoughts exploded, "Error 404, does not compute" She looked back at him and they continued the rest of their journey in silence.

They finally reached the hanger bay, where a few ships were parked. The sound of alarms and sirens filled the air, signaling that the facility was on high alert. Viktor quickly made his way to the nearest ship,

"Stop right there" a synthesized voice said, the archmagos scuttled out, the woman's eyes widened.

"Kill me" she whispered, "I don't want to be his mindless pet killer please"

"I see you've met my Callidussssss" he rolled the s like a snake. She whimpered and for the first time actually pulled herself closer to Viktor as he carried her.

"It's almost touching seeing you two. Who knws, I might let you two see eachother from time to time"

The woman let out another pitiful whimper. Viktor's grip on her tightened, and he took a step forward. "You're not laying a finger on her," he growled, his eyes narrowing.

The Archmagos chuckled, his voice distorted by the wires and mechanical implants that covered his body. "Oh, but I already have," he said. "She's my property, just like everything else in this facility."

Viktor gritted his teeth. He knew he wouldn't be able to take on the Archmagos alone, not in his current state. But he had to do something. He looked around the hanger desperately, he realized he still had the Exitus Rifle, as OB had said from the translation of "Low Gothic"

"He is a Psyker. And since he slaughtered my brothers, we shall kill him" The massive black armoured individual said.

"High Marshall Helbrecht" the archamagos droned "He is most certainly not a Psyker, he doesn't take his abilities from the warp..." A quarrel had begun over Viktor's fate. He really couldn't understand half of what was being said, like Warp or Chaos.

He spotted a massive transport sitting there, painted blood red."Thats a thunderhawk," the woman said. He had a plan now. "OB, launch smoke." there was a bang before white and grey smoke covered the area.

"Find them!" the Archmagos shrieked as the two snuck out. Taking advantage of the confusion, the two entered the massive ship. He deposited her safely into the co pilot's seat. Then he quickly began to turn on the engines. "Hang on tight" he warned and the ship hovered before shooting out of the hanger into the blue sky. Below them, Helbrecht and Archmagos Decerio argued. That mattered little to them.

"Your planets...beautiful" the aeldari woman whispered, staring at the lush green rainforest below.

"This is just Padaria. There's 7 continents and 11 biomes, speaking of which here, you do the honors" he handed her the charge detonator"

She took it eagerly, fingers slamming the button. Below them the Mechanicus facilty went up in flames, taking everything with it. She watched the sky, it was beautiful, marred only by the imperial ships in orbit

"Viktor, what just happened? Padrigan Air Force F-16's are reporting an explosion just occured in the rainforest, have you escaped?"

"Yup" Viktor replied, "And I think i'm going on a vacation now, bye."

"Viktor...you can't do..." the connection was shut down as Viktor smiled. He turned to the aeldari woman, "Well, looks like we're off to a good start. What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know," she replied, "I'm not even sure what's going on anymore. I don't even know where to go from here."

"That's all right," he said, "We'll figure it out together." He reached over and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "But first, we need to get you some proper medical attention. That wound looks pretty bad."