Present
– Dargonus –
They were back on Dargonus, for the time being ; Elena has had news that the envoys of House Orsellio were soon coming to meet with her, plus she still needed to see the Mercatum Tabula Official for Jae through. On top of that, she had to honor her promise to Yrliet to try at finding her people using her divination.
For now, she was standing in her office, sitten informally on her sofa. Dog was laid next to her and she rested her hand upon the mastiff's massive chest peacefully to pet it. Two servants were busy scraping her plate of armor clean while five others, accompanying some sort of prestigious stylist from the nearest hive city, were showing her various dresses and jewels, each one more horribly corseted than the other one.
After they'd gone and delivered her from the scourge of people roaming around in her office with fabrics, she worked for a while, cutting through the amount of reports and data-slates that she received every day.
One of her servants shyly manifested her presence in the backroom and fell to her knees in front of her, kindly informing her that Lady Heydari, Lady Orsellio and Sister Argenta were waiting at her door and asking permission to come in.
That was a surprising trio. Elena could only wonder what this strange partnership was about. She invited them in, asked her servants to deliver them appetizers and refreshments. It was getting late. Also, no meeting with Jae involved would unravel without cocktails of rum appearing out of nowhere, whether willingly or not.
Jae entered with her usual, sultry stride, instantly brightening up at her sight. " Rogue Trader ! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes", she said flirtatiously.
Cassia, trailing behind, grimaced at that. " Distasteful", she commented. Argenta looked as if she had no idea what she was even here for and casted a dubious look around.
Elena lifted her head up from her reports, eyeing at the obscure trio. It was clear to her that Jae was leading the group. Which only meant that the motives behind this enigmatic womanly gathering were most possibly obscure and devious. There was going to be trouble for her.
She purposefully tidied her slates and got up to open up her balcony's windows, leaning to sit over her desk. The wind was refreshing during this midsummer night. She tried to find enjoyment in the nightly breeze.
" A surprising visitation. To what do I owe the pleasure of receiving you ?"
Argenta saluted the Rogue Trader with a warm gesture, and then proceeded to throw herself at Dog, scratching its ears as it barked delightfully.
Cassia cleared her throat, taking the lead. " Lord Captain, since you have named me to be by your right side the day of your inauguration, I wanted to make sure that everything is going well with the preparation. Of course, I have arranged for Clementia Werserian to oversee the small details, but there is some matter that we feel we have to settle together."
" Together", Elena repeated in a cold tone, raising an elegant eyebrow. " I take it that means all three of you. I must say, I am more than curious to know more about the reasons behind this…unlikely association."
Jae advanced towards her and purposefully sat seductively upon the armrest of her sofa. Though if the posture was intended for her or for Argenta sitting nearby in perfect obliviousness was unclear. " We are referring to the very important matter of your outfit for the inauguration ceremony. Clementia told us the artisans were here today. So. What are you going to look like, shereen ? Shall you be dazzling us with an outfit worthy of a queen of the stars, or swoon us off by a dashing dress worthy of the best explorer of the Koronus Expanse ? "
Elena looked back in silence. Though no muscles of her face flinched, the prolonged silence was filled with a sense of uncanny incredulity that could only bring unease to those caught in the path of these glaring dark eyes. " I'm sorry, I must have missed something here. Are you really visiting me…to talk about chiffons and dresses ? "
Argenta looked as lost as she was. " This isn't what I have been told", she defended herself, casting a suspicious look at Jae.
Jae sighed. " I knew she wouldn't understand. Lady Cassia, please tell her."
Cassia took a step forward and tilted her head, as if reciting a lesson : " Lord Captain, the moment of your inauguration will be witnessed not only by your faithful servants, but by all sorts of remarkable guests, your rivals to begin with. Everyone will turn their eyes to you. Artists will carve your face out of the marble to eternalize this moment forever. Your portrait will hang in the dynasty's hall. Prospects for marriage will assess your compatibility and the likeliness of producing heirs for the depleted von Valancius's line. So, yes, the way you choose to appear will have consequences ; it is the opportunity to play with cunning symbols to push through a message about the leader you are. Colors, fabrics, styles, cuts, all those are a coded language to those that will come to see you. My education in the Navis Nobilite has provided me with ample gifts for comprehending the tenants of these sorts of things most deem trivial out of naivety. For instance, a certain type of jewel placed over the left clavicle signifies bravery ; the color indigo is that of the ruler caste, but its shades and hues indicate delicate variations to the knowing eyes and demonstrate the level of ambition of its wearer ; there is even a certain type of earring that women used to signify their readiness at accepting proposals. All those things are to be thought through carefully for that day."
Elena stared in silence, surprised at the length of Cassia's knowledge. There truly was no domain her Navigator had not learned about.
" With all the love and appreciation I can muster out of this beating heart, shereen," said Jae, placing a hand to her torso theatrically, " this means that you can't go there in your specialist armor. And frankly, after the Fidelio thing, I am surprised you still use it at all. "
Elena turned her towards the Sister, incredulous. " Sister, you cannot tell me you are in on this nonsense."
Argenta shrugged, petting the Dog's head. " Lady Heydari asked me to come but would not say why. I'm still unsure how I can serve you in this…uh…topic. I don't get Lady Orsellio's idea. You should present yourself with authenticity, as no gaze upon you is more important than that of the Emperor. Your armor shows who you truly are : a fighter of the Imperium. Isn't that what people should see in you ? "
Elena gestured her hand in an approving way towards the general direction of the Sister of Battle. " See. My old armor is not so bad."
" I can understand your point of view, Sister Argenta, but Rogue Traders are not mere soldiers ; they're the tip of the spear of Humanity, exploring the paths no one else explores, spreading the boundaries of the Empire beyond its frontiers ; some do make the choice of wearing a martial outfit to signify their intentions at war, but I'm unsure if that's the message the von Valancius heiress wishes to spread", replied Cassia.
Jae made a dismissive gesture at Argenta's words and grinned at Elena. " So, what would it be, shereen ? Will you confide in us the arcane and secrets of the main attraction of the day ? "
Elena took a moment to think, then relaxed. She swayed off her desk and advanced towards her bedroom, retrieving the corseted dress her servants had delivered her earlier in the day, and threw it all away in the center of the office for Cassia and Jae to see.
" You were right to come along. This thing - " Elena pointed at the clothing " - is horrendous. Help me with it."
Cassia looked down upon the uniform. It was grey with patterns of blues and white. The fit was certainly more dashing than expected. It could have been an outfit worthy of some kind of fantastic pirate or explorer, maybe, and it could certainly suit someone like Jae ; but she had trouble imagining Elena, with all her etherealness and gravity, wearing that.
" This looks much better than I expected", commented Jae, raising an appreciative eyebrow.
" I don't like it", repeated Elena stubbornly.
Argenta tried to take an interest in the unlikely conversation and was the one to pierce through the secrets of the uniform :
" Oh, I recognize the color and geometrical pattern. Lady Theodora used to wear those sorts of things all the time. "
" Then it is an elegy to the glory of your predecessor. I fail to see where's the issue …?" said Jae.
Elena crossed her arms and then said sharply : " The issue is that everything here reminds me of Theodora all the time. I live around her things and you have no idea how it's triggering my psychometry. Even my bloody clothes are tailored after her !" Elena's sudden outburst of anguish and frustration against a piece of fabric startled the three women. They weren't used to seeing Elena express feelings, especially ones so childish. " At least I own a dog now", she finished with annoyance, patting the head of the agitated mastiff in distraction.
Well, that emotional outburst was certainly awkward, and the three women glanced at each other uncomfortably.
Cassia gently piped in : " I must admit that the palette of this thing truly does not suit you. You have nothing grey in you. Jae, please dispose of this piece of scrap."
" Gladly. I'll take care of that for you, shereen." Jae snatched the outfit worthy of a planetary governor's wages with an innocent look of glee.
Argenta added, in a somewhat unusually cautious tone : " In truth, Elena, I think you're right to strive at being your own person and not to mimic Lady Theodora's ways. I now understand what Lady Cassia tried to mean before. Symbols are important. Seeing you wearing the signature of Lady Theodora would certainly be flattering to your subjects, but…you're not who she was."
" Exactly", sighed Elena with a sense of relief at being understood.
Cassia tactfully deviated the topic. " Let's not speak about it anymore, then. Still, we have to order something better suited to you. If you are so inclined, I'd like to share an idea I had with you."
Elena gestured for Cassia to keep going, and the Navigator flashed a brief, knowing smile. Her talons twitched with a hint of anticipation.
" Have you read the book I gifted you, Lord Captain ? About the history of your dynasty ?"
" Yes", replied Elena. She was not a complete idiot. She read lots of boring books in her spare time.
" Good. Then you shall know what I am referring to. It is expected in those sorts of events that the heir somehow wears something symbolic of her dynasty. If honoring Lady Theodora isn't to your liking, maybe we could go for some other prestigious ancestor of your bloodline ? I must admit, Lord Captain, after all the time I have spent with you, that amongst all your ancestors, I feel you bear a likeness to Lady Dargona von Valancius the most. As you very well know, Lady Dargona was both the founder of the capital city of Dargonus, and the first explorer to discover and then tame Janus ; she was also behind the deal that allowed the Administratum Main Center to be localized on Dargonus. Through this turn of events, she managed to bring civilization to the whole sector of the Expanse. Because of her heroic deeds, many people's lives had improved and the beacon of mankind shone brighter for her courage. She is often depicted as a conqueror of unknown and dangerous world. She was bold and thrived in the face of danger, just like you."
Argenta looked at Elena nicely : " It does sound more like you."
" Fine ; that's a nice analogy ", said Elena, flattered, " but what about it ?"
Silently, Cassia extended her talons over her desk and took hold of a piece of paper and pencil. As if giving a lesson to an ignorant children, she sketched up a portrait of a elegant-looking woman wearing an ethereal and assertive outfit whose design was completely out-fashioned, but still quite efficient in its symbolism. Wordlessly, she held out the sketch for all to see.
" That was the outfit Lady Dargona ordered for the ceremony she held as she took control of Janus. She is often depicted like this in portraits and artworks. I shall order Clementia to see that your outfit is stitched to the likeliness of the one worn by Lady Dargona herself. She favored gold and dark blues. I think you would like that much better."
" It sounds perfect," agreed Elena, glad that the matter was settled.
It was the day after that the envoys of House Orsellio manifested themselves in the city.
The encounter has led to a massacre, as traitors inside the envoy had tried murdering Cassia herself, rebelling against the Rogue Trader in her own palace. The remaining members of House Orsellio had flatly apologized for their kin's behavior and, with no other options, had agreed to let Cassia Orsellio remain with the Rogue Trader for as long as she'd liked. Truth be said, Cassia had shone through that moment, pledging a contract between her House and the von Valancius in exchange for letting the envoys go peacefully, despite their treachery.
Elena watched wearily as her servants were disposing of the bodies of the renegades of the Navis Nobilite that now decorated her hall. Servitors were ushered in to wash the blood clean off the white marble. She refrained from the urge to kick the decapitated head of one of those fools that tried to murder Cassia. She marveled at the extent of their fear and hatred towards Tisiphone - and, deep inside her, felt a shiver of fear at the thought of her name.
" Cassia," she said, approaching the young Navigator.
Cassia had sitten down in front of one of the paintings adorning her hall after seeing that her House had departed safely. Her radiant expression at succeeding in finding a way out of war between their Houses had ceded way to something more melancholic - and Elena could feel the bittersweetness in her heart as if it was hers. Yet again, she had to remind herself that those were not her feelings. Abelard was sitting next to Cassia. The other members of the retinue had wisely decided it best to let the First Officer and the Navigator alone for now. They'd been quietly discussing, the Seneschal's usual stiff expression ceding way to something kinder.
Seeing him keep watch over Cassia like that, Elena wondered how he'd look younger. The thought had never crossed her mind before ; but probably Abelard would have been a handsome man in his youth. Her Seneschal looked different, speaking to Cassia. He allowed a spark of attention and pride in his attitude that Elena had caught before, when he spoke to his grand-daughter, to Lieutenant Avrilla or even referred to his late wife. It was strange to superimpose that impression with his usual stern attitude, especially considering he had never expressed that side of him towards the Rogue Trader.
As Elena grew near, both of them started getting up, Cassia smoothing her bloodied dress ; Elena gestured for them to stay where they were. The Navigator hadn't let the treason in her family get to her regal composure ; yet there was a hint of sadness in her red eyes. Cassia rested the top of her chin over her talons.
" I apologize, Lord Captain, for this…mess. I hadn't thought that my House would go to such lengths to try to impair me."
Abelard shook his head. " There is nothing more important to a noble House than its heiress. " He glanced meaningfully at Elena as he said that. " I should have seen that coming."
Elena sat down on the bench. " My condolences for your loss, Cassia… Maybe we should talk about the Starway Atlas ?", she said politely.
Cassia sighed wearily and put a talon to her chest. " The artifact that Tisiphone, the rightful Novator, has bestowed upon me. In truth, I know very little about it. It is one of the most-kept secrets of House Orsellio…if its nature is a gift or a curse, I cannot say. Though, from the way it had led my life and turned my people against me, I fear it may be the latter. Do you think the Atlas is the reason behind who I am ? I mean…am I the way I am because of me, or because of it ? I feel many authors have written about this question, but I had never thought about it for myself before. "
Elena tried hard to toy with the question in her mind. What made people the way they were in the end ? Nature or nurture and all that.
" Your House seem to think so anyway ", said Elena soothingly - wondering what kind of object was able to give a baby such great psykana-, and added "When I met you…the stone I used against you…it calmed you down. Is it functioning still ? Do you feel anything related to it ? You never brought the subject back up again."
Cassia flinched. " It makes the colors fade away, so I would say it is still in function", she snapped. " But…maybe that is for the best. I have been mastering my powers more and more, taking inspiration after your kind words, Lord Captain…but I cannot deny I don't know how they would have affected you if not for that thing that tampers with me. "
" Maybe it is impairing the Atlas somehow ? " Elena wondered, frowning. She did not understand the reason behind Tisiphone's actions and what she had hoped to achieve with creating Cassia.
" I don't know, Lord Captain", whispered the young Navigator, her long white hair falling upon her anguished expression. " In truth, I am scared. What if Tisiphone comes back for it one day ? They said she had disappeared, but would not say where. What if she was still alive ? Will she try to recover what was once hers ? "
Elena didn't have an answer for that. She flashed a worried look at Cassia ; sensing that the Rogue Trader had no idea what to say, Abelard gently intervened, quietly pressing Cassia's right hand between his in an almost fatherly gesture :
" Worry not, Lady Cassia. Whatever happens, we will be in this together. After all, you pledged contractually and officially to be our Navigator for as long as you see fit. This is a great honor for us. We will defend you at all costs."
Elena nodded, relieved that the Seneschal had found the comforting words that had eluded her. Cassia tilted her head with a brief smile at Abelard.
There was something comforting in the idea that the Seneschal had overcome his feelings of distrust against the Navigator since her first incidents onboard. It gave her high-ranking officers a firmer sense of unity and reliability.
" Thank you, Seneschal. Your words…they honor me."
Elena quietly got up, leaving the two of them to discuss on their own, seeing that Abelard had the situation under control. The servants had nearly finished throwing out the remaining bodies. She spotted Heinrix on the other side of the hall, eyeing them from afar. As she headed towards the exit, he silently caught up with her, falling in formation naturally.
" How is Lady Cassia ?" he asked politely.
" She is handling it well. Still, I worry for her", Elena replied softly, measuring her volume. The halls on this part of the palace were usually crowded with eavesdroppers and passer-bys. Some of them turned towards her with a stiff salute and smile. They breezed past the crowd in silence, Heinrix waiting for them to enter an apparently empty room to continue :
" Do you ever wonder in what part exactly she is manipulating your emotions and ideas about her ?" he asked.
She pressed her lips together in a stoic expression. " All the time ", she confided slowly.
Heinrix considered her gravely. His dark eyes lingered more than necessary on her face and lips, in a reverie that she knew was unwilling. " I am relieved the question has crossed your mind. I suppose there is no way to tell for certain for now anyway", he said, suddenly looking away and finding interest in the nearby wall.
" What do you think ? " she asked, crossing her arms and tactfully ignoring his temporary embarrassment.
Heinrix raised an eyebrow at that. " I didn't realize you cared much about my advice on anything you did, considering how often you just ignore them ", he commented ironically, and added in a more formal tone : " I think Lady Cassia is unlike anyone and anything I've seen. But the fate of House Orsellio and that of House von Valancius is important enough in the eyes of the Inquisition to justify bringing you any help necessary to protect the future Novator and current Navigator of your flagship."
" Thank you. I'm glad I can count on you", she replied befittingly.
" Naturally, Elena", replied Heinrix with a formal bow, before leaving the room.
After an awfully long time spent in the hallways of the Administrarum Palace back on Dargonus, Elena had managed to obtain the Mercatum Tabula Official for Jae, the final certification that would enable her to expand her commerce virtually unbounded.
Considering the sheer amount of wasted time that had cost her, and how it has sorely tested her patience, Jae had decided to sweep by her office on Dargonus on the next night with one of her finest bottles of rum in toil.
Elena had accepted the invitation - there wasn't much to do while waiting for Achilleas to find out where the drukhari had gone next.
She rarely drank alcohol at all ; she didn't like the feeling of dizziness associated with ebriety. Psykers tended to stay away from anything that could lower their vigilance and acuteness to the Immaterium. You didn't want to get possessed by a daemon only because you had too much to drink. She recalled at least one old classmate whose life ended abruptly because of a hangover. She had accepted to toast Jae's new status, though, and now she was having tea while Jae was ciphering down her own bottle.
The smuggler had taken place in one of her sofa, her legs swayed suggestively over the armchair. Elena didn't take it personally. Jae was like that with anyone that would accept to talk to her for more than two minutes. As for Elena, she sat in her own chair, her head resting backwards, looking pensively at the ceiling. It was late in the night.
Jae was busy playing with her glass, making the golden beverage turn in circle with her metallic arm.
" Who would have thought, shereen, that one day a mighty Rogue Trader such as you would share a toast with a lowly, delightful merchant such as me ?" Jae flashed her a wicked smile. " I do not even know how I should demonstrate my infinite gratitude towards you. You have obtained for me the seal ! You are certainly a woman of your word."
" I am glad you're happy", replied Elena calmly. " I was wondering, Jae, have you found out anything interesting on Dargonus ?"
" Ah, well…you stirred up quite a mess there, shereen. It was a bold move, to cast down the traditional order of the noble houses…though, if I may so, maybe it would have been better handled with a touch of subtlety. Do you remember that time on Footfall when I brought you along to negotiate with this antic collector ? Do you remember what I told you then ?"
Elena frowned, searching her eidetic memory to relive the episode. " Hmm. You did try to tell me that negotiating didn't have to involve threatening people's lives."
" Exactly !" said Jae, opening her palm. " Subtlety and honeyed tones can bear better results than coercion and menace. Do not worry, esteemed one, you can rely on this cunning cold trader to smooth out your edges. Anyway, to answer your questions, your vassals are either busy plotting against each other or against you right now. I'll give you the list of those that pretend to defy you. " Jae sipped down on her glass. " Maybe you could execute them or use them as target practice the day of your inauguration ceremony ? The crowd love it when you can shoot at a traitor in a cage", she suggested.
Elena sighed. " Yes, sure. You can arrange for that." She dismissed the topic. " Though my main concern now lies with the fleet. Pacing around the Expanse, waiting for the next move from the xenos…I dislike the idea. I'd rather lead an offensive or defend my world than go running in circles in the dark. Maybe we should go over Kiava Gamma and check the situation there. I can't wait to drop the Cenobium there and have the forgeworld build ships again. I feel my assets are running thin patrolling between Janus and Footfall." Now Elena was thinking out loud.
" Yes, well", commented Jae, switching position, " one thing at a time, shereen. Maybe we should stabilize Dargonus' politics before starting to build up a fleet. Especially considering that would only extend the influence of the Werserian family, that you plan to elevate to nobility…making them the most powerful of your vassals, and adding humiliation and powerlessness to the current turmoil. A recipe for disorder."
" Maybe", admitted Elena reluctantly. Her training was lacking in the politics area. She'd have to learn fast.
Jae poured herself another drink. " There had been something else on my mind, shereen. You have been true to your words to me, and for this I am grateful to you. However, there is something you have kept from me as well. You didn't reveal to anyone the secrets about my past…but you didn't tell me either exactly how you knew my brother or my secrets in the first place. I have been thinking about it ; what with all your visions, I thought you might have seen something interesting in me. Is that it ? Did you see all that in one of those episodes you call precog ? "
Elena focused harder on the ceiling. She had delayed telling the truth to Jae about her brother for a long time now. Of course, the smuggler had patiently waited until getting her official seal to come back to the topic…
Time to wrap up the dead-ends, then. She had to tell Jae about her brother's death. Though admitting to her part in it…deeply disturbed her and brought bad memories to mind.
" When I met you on Footfall, Jae, " she began " I did have a vision of you. You were walking with me in what I now recognize as Dargonus. The palace was empty and littered with corpses of the people living there. As I walked over them, I saw your form by my side, bound to me with a crimson thread that hooked into my flesh. I looked at your face and you wore the attire of a guardswoman and the symbols of your brother's regiment. Truth be told…if I hadn't had this vision, I don't know if I would have taken you into my retinue. I wasn't much impressed by your behavior on Footfall…I am glad that my instincts pushed me to take you in my crew. I would have lost your talents otherwise. "
Jae tilted her head, listening to her. " Uh-uh…so I was right, you did pierce through my secret in a vision of yours. Still…you said you recognized the symbols of the regiment…so I infer that you have met my dear old brother when you were yourself in the Imperial Guard. It must have been after my…departure. I want to know, what has become of him ?"
Elena grimaced, and changed position in order to face Jae more formally. Her change of behavior alerted the smuggler, who frowned and quietly put down her glass.
" I have a feeling I am not going to like this", Jae whispered to herself, and Elena had never heard such bittersweetness in Jae's cheerful voice before.
" After your desertion, your brother was demoted and sent back on what most consider to be suicidal scouting missions. The commissar kept a careful eye over him, believing him to have…facilitated your desertion. He was one slip away from the chainsword. "
Jae said nothing, her eyes getting somber - but she neither confirmed nor infirmed the accusation.
" We met on one such mission. My abilities made me a rational reinforcement in those desperate missions. In addition to the squad being successful, we were engaged towards more and more dangerous missions, mostly assassinations of key-targets or sabotage. In time, your brother regained his promotion and old regiment. But I fear the years he had spent on death worlds had…deranged him somehow. He began to…have doubts about his missions. He began…straying away from the letter of his orders. Disobeying to some. I…at the time, I couldn't turn a blind eye to it. "
She was having trouble picking up the right word. Jae was looking at her intently - but the smuggler had already understood where the tale was heading and the grim realization harshened her features. " I had to report his behavior to the commissar. He was rounded up and executed", she finished abruptly. She had no idea how to phrase it differently. Someone with a less kinder nature would have gone straight at accusing Jae's brother of treason and feel satisfied at that. But, knowing the truth of it, Elena didn't quite feel comfortable with this. The truth was that Jae's brother had been trying to save civilians and that Elena had to put them all down to clean up the mess. She had changed so much since then. She couldn't think about it without feeling a pang of guilt weighing her stomach down.
Jae said nothing for a while. Without her flirtatious smile, her face looked different - older, wiser.
" Shereen, there is something I need to clarify. I saw how you use your sniper. I recognized your techniques, for my brother had taught the same ones to me. What was the extent of your relationship ?"
Elena tried to remain unreadable, but she knew she failed as Jae's eyes narrowed, noticing the way her eyelids had fluttered with unease.
" Do not bother," said Jae, cutting in more harshly. " I can guess. No one can resist a Heydari, hey ?" Jae leant back on the sofa slowly in desperation.
" I cannot believe this, shereen. You, who lifted me up to a life of luxury, also happen to be the one who abused my brother's affection only to snitch him out to the executioner ? O, how the irony of fate lies deep. "
Elena's cheeks flushed. " He had strayed away from his orders and from the Imperial creed. It was unacceptable and I merely rectified the mistakes that had been done," she replied stiffly as a spark of the old Elena ignited within her - so, it wasn't just all gone, to her own surprise.
" Straying away from the creed : Isn't that what you're doing everyday, shereen ?" snapped back Jae. She gulped down her glass in a movement of anger, her fingers fidgeting. After a second or two, Jae's eyes widened in shock at the realization of what she just said - and the danger of provoking a Rogue Trader.
Elena gained back her haughty composure, straightening in her seat. She snarled back : " You're prone to judge me, considering you used him for your own selfish interest. You abandoned him to pay the price of your cowardice. I hope that this is not how you wish to behave with me or my retinue in the future. I will not be so forgiving. "
Jae's hand quivered slightly in a mixture of anger and anguish around her glass, her eyes fluttering with - to Elena's surprise - was the hint of a tear. In a moment, Jae pressed her mechanical hand harshly against her forehead, hiding away the traces of emotion, and inhaled sharply. " Yes. I am aware of that. You are perfectly and painfully correct, as usual, shereen. I suppose I cannot blame you for what you did…considering I didn't do better myself. In a way, we both did wrong by a good man. And yet…" Jae lifted back her head, her expression unreadable. " You knew all that from the start, shereen. You knew my brother was dead all this time. I…don't understand why you didn't tell me."
Elena remained silent, unable to come up with a satisfactory answer.
" I don't know", she finally whispered, troubled. " I just knew…I had to look after you. That I owed it to him."
They stayed like this for a while - the time for Jae to process the information.
" Fine. This is the way it is. I apologize for pestering you with this lowly story. It was a long time ago. You are a completely different person now. " Jae straightened, grasping at another drink. " So am I. Maybe I owe it to my brother to be a better one, too."
" I'll toast to that", said Elena softly.
" At least that explains where your unusual sense of humanity comes from. Orlon Heydari has always been such the naive, heroic kind…but his flame was infectious, eh ? ", Jae sighed mournfully.
In silence, the smuggler slid her a glass and they toasted pensively, Elena quietly putting the glass back without touching it.
– von Valancius flagship, exploring unknown system –
" Approaching an unknown snow planet, Lord Captain," announced Helmsman Ravor on the vox comm.
On the bridge of command, officers and enginseers throttled around, whether to appease machine spirits or to command reports. The bridge was crackling with life around the Rogue Trader, who was watching the planet through the enormous, cathedral glasses of the starbay.
" Initiate scanning procedure", ordered the Rogue Trader calmly.
" Augury scan initiated…" replied Vox Master Sigtis, as hundreds of augurs along the ship started probing and deciphering data on the planet.
" …and completed. File transferred to platform."
Elena turned to face the large holo-table in the center of the bridge. Images and information obtained from the augury revealed an inhabited snow planet, with no signs of resources or technologies. As the flagship languidly circled around the planet, some of the crew began to whisper amongst themselves - "look at this landscape ! Isn't it beautiful ?"
Abelard, standing to attention near the platform, frowned his eyebrows in fury and snarled angrily at the chatting officers : " You two ! Back to work and silence ! Or do I need to remind you that the book of regulations strictly forbids idle chatter ?"
The Rogue Trader let her Seneschal do the scolding, to the horror of the two officers that nearly got demoted on the spot. Without any resources, analyzing the planet further would prove a waste of time but something caught her attention.
The pict extracted from the scans were indeed beautiful. The central mountain of this little planet was made of a type of ice that captured light in beautiful fashions. The white, pure snow evoked fresh air and the landscape, mountainous and natural, seemed to have never been touched by any living being. It was indeed a beautiful place.
Helmsman Ravor's voice crackled on her private channel in her vox. She took the small engine to her ear. " I'm listening", she said.
" Lord Captain", saluted Ravor, " This world is completely inoffensive, and devoid of any commercial interest. However, it's been some time since the crew last had off-shore time ; ever since Footfall, I believe, and the mourning of Lady Theodora prevented most of the ship from enjoying it. The images of this remarkable mountain have inspired some of the crew to stop and visit the place. What is your decision ? Should we let the men take some off shore time and enjoy themselves, or shall we not waste time and press forward ?"
Elena paused to consider the question. They were awaiting for new instructions from Dargonus considering the future attacks of the Drukhari. She supposed there was no harm done in taking care of the morale of the crew.
" Fine. We'll go see this scintillating mountain and give some off shore time to the crew."
At her side, Abelard crossed his arms and sighed dreamily. " Lady Theodora loved snow planets," he recalled. " She would find any excuse to go down there and explore one."
Elena glanced at her Seneschal, at the slight, nostalgic smile upon his lips. " Would you usually go with her ?"
" Naturally."
" Then come with me. I want to have a look, too. Vigdis", Elena said, turning to the vox master, " let my retinue know that they are kindly invited to take some off time down on the ground if they wished for it. We'll stop there for two days, while we wait for Dargonus's insights. The repair crew can get to work on the hull while we're down there. "
A few hours later, some three thousand crewmembers had made camp upon the snow planet, in a valley at the middle of the icy mountain.
The Rogue Trader had exited the shuttle transport reserved for herself and her retinue earlier on, and had let her entourage scatter away. As the night came into the valley and the sky of the planet broke down into aurora borealis, the crew gathered together even more. On Abelard's suggestion, the Rogue Trader held a speech that many found inspiring, mainly because at this point of the night anything that anyone said sounded inspiring to the crew.
Elena was now reunited around a banquet table with her high-ranking officers : Abelard, of course, stood to her right. Idira Tlass was lurking nearby, picking away at her food. Vidgis and Ravor stood side by side, recounting tales between themselves of times past. Janrus was having a discussion with Jae, who now counted as an officer ever since replacing the late Voigtvir in his function. Elena could swear that there was a hint of a blush over Janrus's cheeks as he spoke to the smuggler, but of course that could just have been the cold. Pasqal, as the Chief Enginseer, was here as well, though the mundanities of the night eluded his interest and he spent most of his time working on his own slates. The Chief Medic was desperately trying to have a conversation with the Magos, and failing miserably at it. Cassia, as the Lady Navigator, stood to her left at the banquet. She found the vulgarity of the crowd upsetting and was not having a good time.
Because of her high awareness and psychical senses, Elena perfectly knew where the other members of her retinue were. Yrliet, for instance, had hopped off the climb up the mountain on her own, presumably to get away from the crowd of mon-keighs and admire the view from the peak. Heinrix had been spending his night merging with groups of people, in a pattern that would allow him to keep the xenos in his line of sight. Argenta had been taking care of her orphans and holding ceremonies and prayers all night.
Elena wasn't a talkative leader, but even she could see that her officers were having a strangely good time, tightening their furs and coats around themselves as they laughed about past or recent reminiscences. Abelard tilted his head to the side, clearing his throat to get her attention.
" We have come a long way since you first stepped foot over the ship, Lord Captain."
" That we did, Seneschal", she agreed.
She reminisced about her first few days as a Rogue Trader. It seemed so far away now.
" I often find myself thinking back about the day you took care of this low-rabble revolt on dock 7, with Lieutenant Avrilla." Abelard's gaze grew distant. " You humbled me that day. To be honest, I hadn't exactly thought of you as Rogue Trader at the time - barely as an unexpected heiress that I had to cater for while you grew into your position. But the way you talked back to me - then I knew there was something in you. That you had what it takes. And I wasn't wrong."
He paused and gestured for her to let him go on, the time for him to think through his words.
" Lord Captain, in the span of a few months, you have saved us from oblivion more times than I can count ; you inherited the status of Rogue Trader through trials and fire, and persisted despite impossible odds and numerous enemies. You restored the protectorate when we had lost our warp routes. You made tough calls, one that I am not wise enough to pretend to discuss. In this endeavor, you even pledged Footfall to you, settled new colonies, and managed to enrich the dynasty in considerable new ways. You brought terror and wrath into the hearts of the Archennemy's servants that had infected your worlds. And you elevated the Werserians to nobility. I used to think that I had to cater for you - but I was wrong. You didn't need any catering. You've done all that on your own and despite everyone questioning your decisions at every step of the way - including myself. "
Abelard inclined his head respectfully. " I'm honored to serve you."
Elena tightened her fur around herself and considered her Seneschal gravely. " I'm glad you're there, Seneschal. Things wouldn't be the same without you around."
They shared a few seconds of amicable silence, before Elena added in a whisper :
" Seneschal, there is something I have to talk to you about. I have been thinking…in the absence of any other suitable heirs, and even though I still stand, the dynasty appears fragile to me. Wouldn't you agree ?"
Abelard raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but nodded silently. " Unfortunately, it is."
" I have been thinking, Abelard…when you made that list of heirs…you looked for experienced adults. For some reason, Theodora picked two psykers for the role…an intriguing choice. But surely there must have been infants on that list. I mean, Rogue Traders are known for frolicking around the Expanse. Surely there must be some agri-farmer boy with a touch of von Valancius blood somewhere I can just pick up and raise properly. "
Abelard took a pensive expression. Upon a common agreement, they stepped back from the table to hold the rest of the conversation in hushed tones and secrecy.
" There were some," he confirmed. " Lady Theodora did not mark them as interesting enough, because, in her words, "she didn't have time to babysit infants." All of them are very unremarkable and were born after the lowest members of the von Valancius line. Traditionally, the dynasty has proven to bear few children…in contrast to that of Winterscale, known for his…expansiveness ", said Abelard in a somber tone. Abelard's distaste for Calligos was blatant.
" Fine. I want you to pick two of those unremarkable younglings. Arrange for one of them to be sent to the ship into the flock of Sister Argenta's orphans. Send the other one to Dargonus, to be trained by the Administrarum for now. Let it not be said that I don't have a kind heart when it comes to looking for the future and well-being of my kin. "
Abelard nodded. " I shall. If you don't mind me asking, Lord Captain, surely you're not planning to name them your heir ? They have no ties to you at all."
Elena chuckled at that. " No. They're a contingency plan. I plan to bear my descendants myself, but that's some strategy for another day, I fear. Nevertheless, we are indeed facing dangerous odds…don't you agree there ought to be someone to carry the dynasty's line if I die ?"
Abelard's eyes widened in shock at the idea of her death. " Your Ladyship, I cannot let you speak of such an ill-fated hypothesis without reaction ! You are certainly not going to die any soon. Not under my watch, that's for certain", he replied severely.
Elena sighed, and replied with tact and softness : " I now hold the future of the von Valancius in my hands, Seneschal. I have to have a plan for every possibility. My death in the coming future is… a likely one, though I have trouble asserting its probability. Just execute my orders and keep that to yourself. I shall want to meet my distant cousins when the time comes."
" It shall be done."
Elena relaxed, now that this subject was closed. " Look on the bright side, Seneschal. I'm starting a family ! That will make for quite some troublemakers to look after, wouldn't you agree ?"
Abelard looked up at her with a most concerned expression, and Elena had a sweet chuckle before heading back to the main table.
As the night turned into dawn, Elena made her way back to the flagship. Abelard had stayed behind. Her Seneschal would not admit it, but he was drunk, and so was Ravor, and the two fellow Navy officers had been busy quarreling about some famous space battles against random famous pirates for some time now. Idira had left with Vidgis some time ago, both of them nowhere to be seen. Pasqal had fled away as soon as possible, careful to avoid the Chief Medic who was for now enraptured in a conversation with Janrus. Jae had disappeared at some point of the night.
Somehow, Heinrix had met with her on the path back. His appearance had been a welcome surprise. The implications that he'd waited for her was even more delightful. The way that his expression was closed-up and unreadable wasn't. That was his "only-business-face. "
They stepped into the shuttle together. They exchanged some formalities on their way back to the ship, befitting in front of the pilot and the wardens. As they got back on the flagship, they found themselves lingering behind in the shuttle while the wardens got back to wherever they went when not on duty. Elena checked the door was closed, sensing that whatever was going on with Heinrix right now, it was going to require some discretion and time.
Heinrix was more tense than usual. There was a certain absence of expression, like a mask, that had returned to his pale face - Elena inferred that, unfortunately for her, he wasn't lingering around for pleasantries.
" You've been talking to Scalander. Have you got any new information about the next xenos raid ?" she asked, trying to guess at the source of this agitation.
Heinrix pressed his lips into a thin line. " Unfortunately, no. I have no doubt that we shall soon have more information for you." He crossed his arms, leaning over the wall of the shuttle. He looked tired. " Elena, how long has it been since I first set foot on your flagship ?"
She frowned, unsure of where Heinrix was heading at. Something in his body language irked her the wrong way. Ah, yes. He had that vigilant and unpleasant attitude he always had when preparing for interrogations.
" A few months. Why ?" she asked.
" I remember the first time you came to me. You told me about the circumstances of your predecessor's demise. Ever since, and with getting to know you more and more, I can say with certainty that you are hiding things from me, and maybe even from your closest companions. In between your eidetic memory and your ability to see past and future, I guess you know much more about the death of Lady Theodora than you let on. Am I wrong in this assumption ?"
Oh. So they were back at grilling her apparently. Elena raised an elegant eyebrow, her expression unimpressed.
" Pardon me if this interrogation is a source of surprise for me. I thought we were over this sort of pleasantries…?"
Heinrix casted her a stern glance. His reply was cold, but there was a flicker of conflict in his eyes : " This is never over", he said, with a hint of bitterness. "And, though I relent the thought, it had become obvious to me that there are still unclear parts about this mutiny that had you, in a twist of fate, become a Rogue Trader. For instance, why did Lady Theodora choose to retire to her office in the middle of a fight ? Who murdered her ? What transpired exactly between Kunrad and yourself ? What is the origin of the sorcerous wounds that do now react to artifacts of the Cult and nearly killed you on Rykad ? If indeed your blood is connected to this, as said by the servant of the Archenemy on Kiava Gamma - then how ? You did say Kunrad was after you specifically for that. Those are all questions left unanswered by you, maybe out of ignorance, or out of ruse. What's more, I often find myself thinking, the more I know you…" he casted her an appraising and suspicious look. " …that something more happened on that fateful day. I can see how your eyes get at times when your divination triggers. You had that glint in your eyes when you first spoke to me about it. "
" Fine", said Elena after a while. " That's an awfully long list of questions." She felt weary and tired. Did they really have to talk about this now, she thought ? She sat down on one of the seats of the shuttle, looking over to the ceiling. " I'd prefer to warn you that a lot of those questions are mysteries to me as well. But it is indeed true that I haven't been the most forthcoming with you. However, I am not without questions either."
She turned her attention back to Heinrix. Still leaning over the other side of the shuttle, he was evaluating all her expressions in a calculing way.
" For instance," she added in honeyed tone " I do wonder if this sudden urge to precise the events of this fateful mutiny is born, perhaps, out of any recent contact you would have had with your mentor….? Has his Lordship manifested any interest in elucidating the fate of Lady Theodora ? I wonder what prompts this sudden attention. Should I be expecting something ?"
The question mark hung in the air, met with silence. But by now, she knew Heinrix enough to guess at the answer, only by evaluating the quality of the silence. His expression grew somber, warning her not to push the topic further - and yet, she asked, tilting her head to the side :
" Now it is you who are hiding something from me, van Calox. "
" Nothing that concerns you, Elena, I can say that ", dismissed Heinrix in a strained voice. " Let's go back to my original question."
Elena's lips tugged in an ironic, tired smile. " And I am still waiting for explanations concerning the extent of your quest concerning the Cult."
That earned her a cold glare. She knew she was grating over his nerves. Yet he remained composed. He rarely lost his temper.
" I have no doubt one day I'll be able to tell you more about that. For now I am not at liberty to discuss this topic." He sighed, and pinched his nose. " You see, Elena, this is exactly why I've told you on Dargonus that whatever is going on between us…it cannot work. You cannot understand all the why and therefore of my work for the Golden Throne."
" You're not exactly making it easy", she commented, annoyed by his patronizing tone.
" I guess I am not," he admitted. " Now. Will you stop deviating from the topic ?" He went to sit down on the seat across from her, with blessed patience.
She rested her chin over her resting arm, considering Heinrix with gravity and pondering her options in her mind.
Let's see…how would the conversation go if she went with something like 'oh, by the way, Heinrix, did I forget to tell you about the massive daemon that came out of nowhere to save my life and my ship ? Sorry, I just seem to keep forgetting to mention that to anyone' ? She toyed with the idea of letting him in on the truth for a second, imagining what the consequences would be. Not good. Not good at all.
At the same time, she couldn't think of someone better placed to help her understand what had happened. In all likelihood, it was probably even connected to the cryptic words of Ularon on Kiava Gamma ; she had no doubt they served the same Lord, just as Kunrad did. And she guessed that the artifact he had used against her and which had scarred her with this unnatural wound belonged to the same cult. But she couldn't confide in anyone about that - the consequences were too unpredictable.
As with every time she thought back about the apparition, she felt her heart tightened with anxiety in her ribcage as a looming sense of bad omen encased her mind.
" You're right about one thing. It is impossible for a diviner to stay that long in Theodora's office without grasping a good idea of how she truly died. I can safely say that I know who killed her and that I have kept that information for myself. "
She was throwing him off the scent of what she considered most important - she cared, in fact, little about Theodora and much more about the giant daemon speaking in her mind. But considering Heinrix had no means to guess at that, it should prove easy to keep it low for now. The thing was to keep quiet about it.
However, the subject of the identity of Theodora's murderer was still sensitive. There was a reason she had kept it to herself for so long and was not planning to reveal that to anyone, including her own Seneschal…or to the one that did it.
Heinrix processed the idea, but didn't seem much surprised. " I thought it might be so. I presume you are not going to share the murderer's identity to me officially ?"
" No."
" You do realize I'm asking the question very nicely and it could go a whole different way ?" he asked with annoyance. He had no need to remind her of his inquisitorial rosette. Tactfully, he didn't expose it. They both knew it was here, and they both knew it was also not here as long as it wasn't explicitly mentioned. Such were the delicate intricacies of guessing where the boundaries of each of their powers began or finished.
" Last time I checked, it was my name on the Holy Warrant of Trade, not yours. So pardon me if I do as I please on what I consider to be strictly dynastic business", she replied dispassionately, leaning back in her seat.
" I am very well informed of that fact. Your First Officer, who seems to think old age is contagious and that I'm tough of hearing, likes to remind me of it every day", he replied with irony. " Still. I cannot comprehend you, Elena, as always. Why tolerate the presence of someone who murdered a Rogue Trader in your own retinue ? No one in their sane mind would do this. "
" Maybe I think of it as a safeguard guarantee ?" she ventured ironically. "It keeps me on my toes."
" Or you just have very poor taste in choosing your allies. I tend towards that hypothesis myself."
" Ouch. Hurtful."
" The truth often is."
They fell silent, and, after a while, Heinrix had a brief smile. "Anyway, the list of possibilities is quite narrowed down. From your attitude, I infer that there is only one logical culprit that could fit the role of a "safeguard guarantee" for a psyker, and that eliminates Tlass and Werserian off the suspect list. I would be interested in knowing her motives. Knowing her, I presume they would be righteous. Which, on the downside, means that your predecessor must have done something quite…undesirable to attract this ire upon her. It would be interesting to know what. And now you have a way of knowing why Lady Theodora retreated to her chambers. "
Yes, Elena had thought about it as well. What would have pushed Sister Argenta, for in her mind it was clear that she was the culprit, to turn back on the Rogue Trader that had saved her life ? There was only one domain in which the Sister had been adamantly uncompromising, and that was dealing with Chaos and its worshippers. The logical implication was unpleasant and worrying, but also explained a lot.
Elena sighed. " You're really too smart for your own good, Heinrix", she mumbled, stretching wearily. She was glad that the distraction had worked and that she would get to keep her daemon-y secret for now. " There certainly was a good reason. But I have the feeling this honored member of my retinue will not make a confession until she knows for certain that I'm trustworthy. Interesting, in a sense, that she didn't come to you either. "
She flashed him a sweet smile. Heinrix looked annoyed by her comeback. " State what you're implying clearly " he said.
" You may be good at interrogating others, but maybe you should interrogate yourself a little bit more. You have your own shadows to deal with. I'm sure she can perceive them and that is why she hasn't confessed to you yet." Heinrix pressed his lips unhappily, something irritated flickering in his eyes. They sure didn't sugar-coat their interactions anymore. " Now, are we done ?" she asked.
" Not quite", he said, shaking his head. " I realize that trying to put any sense in you may somewhat look like a fool's endeavor, yet I have to try. Your Seneschal may be right in his assumption that Rogue Traders have been allowed in the past to form…brief partnerships with xenos, when it was necessary. However, it seems to me the necessity of putting Janus back on track is behind you now. What are you planning to do with Muaran in the future ? The idea of a world belonging to the Imperium being ruled by xenos is…preposterous and unacceptable." His gaze steeled.
She was surprised he even tried to change her mind again - which meant he still cared enough to hope for her to redeem herself on that. In any way, with or without her consent, she presumed those xenos had to go now that their presence was known to the Ordo Xenos - except if Lord Calcazar himself turned a mercifully blind eye to this, and that would be a hard pill to take with a lot of consequences. That's how these things worked.
What was most surprising was that Heinrix suddenly felt the urge to bring back the topic. She wasn't sure what his motives were behind this. He acted as if he knew something she didn't - but then, he always did that. Was she to understand that, if she didn't take actions on Janus soon, someone else would ? Was he trying to prepare her for something ? She tried to assess him, but could not pierce through his mask. It was unnerving.
" Reunite them with the rest of their people over the remnants of their Craftworld, wherever it may be, and send them away wishing them "farewell, thanks for all the provisions, here's to hoping we never meet again" ?" she mused out loud, being abruptly sincere in her answer. " I'm pretty sure this is the only peaceful way to get them out of Janus and out of my protectorate. So in my eyes, the necessity of this partnership has not reached its end yet."
Heinrix gave her a concerned look. " You cannot seriously tell me you plan to help xenos find their vessel and release them to realspace peacefully."
She shrugged. " Why not ? That is pretty much the reason why I keep Yrliet around. All part of a plan."
Heinrix responded by a low, disapproving groan of consternation, and fell silent, apparently giving up on trying to reason with her. He looked up to the ceiling, ruminating what she said with a look of profound concern. Elena deemed the exchange satisfactory enough. It could have gone a lot worse.
Carefully, she extended her legs up to the seat next to him, pointedly brushing against his legs as she did. There was a hint of tension in his jaw at the purposefully calculated contact.
" You're too bold for your own good, Elena", he said, though if he reacted merely to her physical touch or to her overall attitude wasn't clear. He didn't move away, slowly looking back to pinpoint her under his gaze. The look of concern hadn't quite gone away.
" I'm bold, you're smart. Maybe the two of us can amount to something in the end", she replied sarcastically.
That gained her a brief, strained chuckle, as Heinrix pinched his nose and rubbed his eyes.
" Maybe. Maybe not. " Hesitating for a second, he then carefully rested his hand upon her leg, tapping his fingernail over her calf as if thinking something through. Elena felt a rush of adrenaline at the fact he had returned her contact. The tapping grew more impatient.
" I don't know what I'm going to do with you", he admitted finally with underlying tones of frustration, though it sounded more like he was speaking to himself than addressing her.
She replied nothing, contemplating his face with an innocent expression, and slowly pushing her leg against his. She could tell that had an effect on him. He looked as if he was searing on the inside, conflicted on whether to push her away or go with it. His fingers stopped tapping, sinking into her flesh more firmly. She knew it wasn't quite right to tease him this way, not after everything they'd already said to each other. But also, it was thrilling, and new - disconcerting. Elena wasn't used to being disconcerted. She was the one to disconcert others, not the other way around. The changes in his expression - the tightening of his jaw, the sharpness in his dark eyes - fascinated her.
" You have that knowing look in your eyes", he said accusingly. " Tell me. Have you foreseen anything about our…connection in the future ?"
She swayed her legs back to her seat again. Heinrix let go easily, though with a hinge of regret. Elena got back on her feet. She tried to force herself to gain back her distant attitude and not tease him any further, but found out she wasn't quite able to stop herself completely.
" I ran some iterations in my mind about you, and I'd say it will take you some time to come around. We do end up together quite a lot. I guess you could say I have a pretty solid idea of everything there is to see. Nice tattoo, by the way " she replied with a knowing and taunting smile.
The look on Heinrix's face was priceless. She would put this image right in the top moments of her eidetic memory if only for that intensity of incredulity. " How did you even know I had…" he stopped. " You could not have foreseen that. "
" You know, in the end, I think you're just really very sentimental on the inside. Who would have thought ? "
The expression of incredulity gave way to astonishment at the boldness of her playful mockery. He sure hadn't been expecting that. Well, Elena was of the opinion that you didn't ask diviners about things if you weren't ready to handle the answer. She actually felt quite delighted at the various hues of incredulous struggle over his face.
" Oh, no, you didn't just say that. That was way out of line. I can not tolerate being spoken to in such a disrespectful way. I will not…damnit. You're impossible to handle. "
He mumbled curses under his breath before falling silent, looking her dead in the eye. The incredulity was gone now, leaving as an aftermath an air of smug fierceness and control. In a swift, feline movement, he got back up to face her.
" Maybe I should stop wondering about what I'm going to do with you, and start considering what I shall do to you instead ", he added confidently and, without missing a beat or pacing down, assuredly grabbed the back of her neck with his hand and pressed his lips against hers. She was taken aback by the swiftness of it. She would have never presumed Heinrix to be capable of such impulsiveness.
She remembered his hands being cold, but his kiss was warm and fiery. Now that was spiraling out of her control real fast too. Actually, she had thought poking him around would just end up in Heinrix extracting himself from such an irrational situation with an air of fake indifference, as he always did, and would not give way to consequences. She was wrong. Now it seemed there were a lot of consequences going on and she hadn't quite prepared for it.
They fumbled a bit around the shuttle, as their kisses grew more intense and pressing, until knocking down over a wall. That seemed to jolt some common sense back in both of them.
" Hmmm ", was all Heinrix could manage, disengaging and looking away for a second, confused by his own actions.
" Didn't go according to plan, did it ?" she asked with a hint of irony, referring to his initial objectives of interrogation and considering his conflicted expression. He glared back at her. She readjusted her hair and corset purposefully. He glared harder.
" Didn't see that one coming in your iterations ? " he asked back, gesturing at her as she was catching up her breath, flustered.
" No ", she admitted reluctantly.
Heinrix straightened. " I see that as a point that you shouldn't rely on your precognition too much ; no one can perfectly predict the future after all, as I just demonstrated to you."
Now it was her turn to glare. The smugness of the man was profoundly irritating. Her expression gave him a brief chuckle. He rested his hand over her cheek gently, his thumb caressing her lips.
" I will admit to this weakness : I love proving you wrong."
With an unusual look of devilish satisfaction about him, as that of a cat that just stole the milk under the eyes of its keeper, he swifty backed away and pressed the button to open up the shuttle door.
She remained astonished by the gall of the man. Not only was he going to waltz in here and talk to her like that, but apparently he was also planning to waltz out of the room as if nothing had happened, which was somehow worse. The look she gave him only seemed to make him cheerier, which was a weird thing to see as she'd never seen van Calox displayed such bright satisfaction ever. He bowed to her, as he always did when ending the conversation, though there was a shadow of a not-so-protocolar smile on his face.
" Always a pleasure, Rogue Trader. I remain at your disposal ", he said flatly, recovering in a second his mask of cold etiquette, though the double meaning was not lost to her. If looks could kill, van Calox would have been roasted to death on the spot by Elena's piercing glare.
He stepped away in the ship, mingling with the flow of agents and servants as if nothing happened.
Elena headed back to her room, fuming on the inside about what had just happened with the Interrogator, and trying to calm down.
Her servants welcomed her happily, until she chased them away to retreat back to get some rest.
That's when she felt it in her mind. A presence lurking by. She had been inattentive, distracted by thoughts of Heinrix ; but there was someone else stalking her private chambers right now. She tensed, reminded in a second about the various assassination attempts that had been going on against her lately. She had removed her weapons on arrival ; but she didn't technically need them.
She turned to witch-sight to scope out the aura of the stalker in the Immaterium, without giving any notice or sign that she'd sensed their presence. This person was a fool to even think it could sneak up on her.
Calm and steady, she waited for the exact second the lurker made a move to pivot in their direction with uncanny accuracy, as a fire beam erupted out of her arm to slash at the lurker.
Yrliet shrieked and barely dodged, rolling on the ground as the fire ended its trail on the nearest wall - lighting up some random artifact that had been Theodora's before. For some reason, Yrliet had been lurking around in her "treasure" room, where Elena had put away all of Theodora's possessions.
The Aeldari's left arm had burned up and she was frantically tapping her arm with her cape to extinguish the fire. But its empyrean origin made it persistent.
" Yrliet ? What in the warp are you doing in my private room ?!" exclaimed Elena, defensive.
The Aeldari clenched her jaw from the pain, and added : " This is not what you think it is, elantach. I am not here to do you any harm. If anything…I am here because I wanted to see you and talk to you. But your stupid mon-keigh servants keep driving me away and preventing me from approaching you ! I had no choice but to sneak my way in here and wait for you ! "
The concussion and shriek had alerted her wardens. Two men had rushed into her room, weapons at the ready. Yrliet gave her an afflicted look, purposefully not going for her own rifle that she had stashed away in her back.
The wardens drew the logical conclusion that their Rogue Trader had been attacked and began aiming at the xenos, while the liaison officer contacted Abelard.
" Still your weapons, now ! " ordered Elena swiftly, before her enforcers had time to shoot at Yrliet, who was standing very still.
The enforcers obeyed, though a glint of hesitation flickered in their eyes. Soon enough, her vox came alive with the voice of Abelard crackling through : " Lord Captain ! I'm heading back to the ship. I've been told that the xenos scum tried to murder you. Are you all right ?"
Yrliet scoffed. " I didn't try to murder your leader, mon-keigh," she said loudly, so as to be heard on the vox. " Your men jumped to that conclusion on their own, projecting their own filthy, rotten thoughts over me. I was here to talk !"
Elena cursed under her breath. The situation had gotten out of hand really quickly and Yrliet's skin was still on fire, the xenos flinching from pain as she tried not to move, so as to avoid any wardens interpreting that as an attack. " Seneschal, join me as soon as you're here, but don't worry. I feel this situation is a regretful innuendo. No harm is done."
She ordered the enforcers to leave them, which took all her authority as the men were quite reluctant to let their Lord Captain be alone with a xenos.
Elena casted Yrliet a strained glance. " Come", she said simply, gesturing for the xenos to follow her.
She entered her bathroom and forced Yrliet to shower her arm under cold water. The proud Aeldari was looking really unhappy, which was just as good because that altercation had certainly put Elena in a bad mood as well. Still, remaining silent so as not to say any words out loud she would regret, she took care of Yrliet's wound as best as she could.
" What were you doing here, Yrliet ? I don't understand. You do realize people have been trying to kill me for months now. In fact, how did you even fool my warden's vigilance ?" She shook her head in disbelief.
" Your people are lacking focus and concentration. It was easy to sneak past them", replied Yrliet stiffly. There was something strange in her green eyes, emotions Elena couldn't quite define. A mix of distrust, anger, denial, and bittersweetness. That was new.
Elena sighed. What was she going to do with Yrliet ? The xenos was unpredictable, reckless, capable of anything - and yet there was something drawing her to care for her, something telling her that she was somehow important.
" What did you want to talk about, Yrliet ?" she asked patiently. " And what were you doing here ?"
" Waiting for you, as I said." But something had changed in the tonality of her voice. " You said you were going to help me find my kin ", added Yrliet.
Ah. Yes. She had promised that.
" I did. And I'm going to. But…now is not a good time, Yrliet," replied Elena.
Yrliet's expression was unreadable - so alien, though there was definitely something conflicted in the way she clenched her angular jaw. It looked as if the xenos was trying to evaluate if she was lying to her or not. Elena finished patching her up in silence.
Elena stared back quietly - the silence seemed to soothe the Aeldari down from whatever thing or thought had agitated her so much in the first place. After a while, something softened inside the Aeldari's expression, and it looked as if Yrliet was finally going to speak and explain the real reason why she was here. The air warmed up between them as a very fragile sense of confidence emerged.
That is when Abelard entered the room, his hand resting on his sword. The lingering second wherein Elena hoped to achieve some sort of revelation with the strange xenos vanished in an instant, as Yrliet straightened upon the Seneschal's arrival, breaking out of it.
" What is the meaning of this ?" asked Abelard with authority, snarling at Yrliet.
He had tensed, looking at the wounded arm of the xenos- indicative of a hostile interaction. There was no mistaking his wary and hostile expression.
" It is a private matter between me and your leader, mon-keigh", replied Yrliet, narrowing her eyes. Though she still didn't reach for her weapon, Elena could see her muscles tensed in anticipation.
Abelard looked confusedly at Elena, who gestured for him to calm down. " There was a bit of a misunderstanding", she said.
" How did the xenos slither her way through the patrols ? I shall demote immediately those that let you waltz in here unnoticed. What were you even doing in here ?" Abelard's hostility was almost tangible now.
Yrliet got up on her feet, ignoring Elena's attempts at soothing the situation. " Your guards are fickle and easily distracted. As for my motives, they are not for you to know, and I have made them clear to your leader. Elantach, I am sorry I caused such a situation. It was not my intention." Yrliet narrowed her eyes, tilting her head towards her. Something had changed in her expression - she looked disappointed. " I won't be bothering you again." Gathering all her smugness and grace, the Aeldari left the room.
After that, Elena had to convince Abelard not to kill the xenos nor speak about this incident to anyone, as she could only imagine her retinue's reaction if they learned that the Aeldari roamed freely on the ship and even lurked in her private chamber. She did not gamble much on Yrliet remaining alive for long if that spread out.
She couldn't quite understand the situation. It had seemed, for a second, that Yrliet was about to speak…that there was something meaningful she was going to finally open up about. But she guessed the repeated mistrust of her officers had made the Aeldari wary, and considering she had burnt her albeit unwillingly, Elena wasn't sure how to make things right. It was frustrating, because she tried so hard at understanding the cryptic xenos, feeling there was something important to learn, and yet all her efforts and slow progress were constantly thrown away by her own crew.
In lack of any better idea, Elena headed back to the room where she had surprised Yrliet. Indeed, it was where she had put all of Theodora's exhibitions. She pinpointed the place where Yrliet had stood, trying to see what had interested the xenos enough to break into her room.
Her attention was drawn to a piece of white, bone-like structure she had never really cared for before. She failed to see the interest of the structure. Yet she patiently stood there, waiting on her psychic senses to pick up anything interesting.
Had Yrliet touched it ? Was the xenos curiosity strong enough to have imprinted something of her feelings over the piece of unknown origin ? She did look strange when she found her, agitated and distraught, even. Those could be strong feelings, enough to leave a signature in the Immaterium. Well, there was one way to know it. Elena took off her gloves, focusing on her with-sight to grasp at the remnants of Yrliet's aura, and calling on to her psychometry abilities to get a reading of the scene. It was just recent enough to be actually quite easy to scan through.
And Elena didn't like what she saw.