When they reached Dargonus, it was too late to stop Kunrad. The traitor had fled a few days prior to their own arrival - as if he was aware that they were getting closer to the planet.
The center of the von Valancius protectorate was best described as grandiloquent, dramatic, and extravagantly rich. The army of servitors and servants that was necessary to take care of the main palace numbered in thousands. The palace that was commissioned and built by her late ancestors was similar to the one on Janus, but on a much bigger scale. Vyatt's residential manor looked like a cozy and small summer estate compared to this.
Abelard had told her that, though magnificent, her palace was considered modest in the scales of Rogue Trader's extravagancies. It was said that Winterscale's own center of power was at least thrice the size of the von Valancius's estate, and much more vibrant and richer. As for Chordia Incendia, Abelard told her that her mother used to rule over the biggest estate of the whole Expanse, but Chordia had it dismantled and turned into shrines and temples for her faithful servants when she rose to power. That made the von Valancius's palace the second one in size and luxuries.
Dargonus may be impressive, but it was also ancient and enfeebled. She had few fleets, though all strategically and militarily managed by the Werserian family with an utter sense of efficiency. It could be argued, though, that the von Valancius House lacked strength and military power. It had been a small House compared to its rivals after all. Now that she saw that with her own eyes, she understood better why Abelard had been so preoccupied when she had snatched away Footfall's control. If Chordia or Calligos ever felt like turning away from each other's throat to go after her, they would wipe her House out of existence easily.
Theodora had been very careful in maintaining the scales of power in the Expanse before. She had left Chordia and Calligos to fight against each other, and had pulled at every string to weaken them slowly. But she had never outwardly taken a stance against them. Her mysterious bonds to Lord Calcazar and enigmatic past and adventures, as well as the prestige of her Warrant and the secret AI on her ship, had been her way at surviving and making her place in the Expanse.
Her assets were thin, but their existence was not not to be underestimated. Plus, with Cassia Orsellio's talent, she had regained control over the main routes of her protectorate and had put commerce back up in between her worlds and her new, spreading colonies. Dargonus had been cut off the Expanse for some time and her arrival as well as the restoration of the warp routes was a boon to its people.
Dargonus was vibrant with agitation when she arrived. Everybody wanted to get a look at the new Rogue Trader. The news of lady Theodora's death had already reached them through Kunrad's lies and deceitful foils - Elena knew the fact that she was a psyker and a voidborn didn't really tip the scale in her favor. Her "brother"'s lies must have twisted her servants' fealty. She couldn't trust any noble houses that were supposedly her enfeoff. Dargonus may be home, but it also was a nest of vipers and snakes.
She had ordered a month of mourning in the name of the late Theodora when she arrived. Now everyone in her palace and every noble families wore black robes and people prayed for her predecessor's soul from dawn to dusk. She couldn't make a way up a stairway without encountering a noble crying their eyes out with fake tears and pretenses.
Everybody wanted a piece of power for themselves. Such was the name of the game.
A more experienced Rogue Trader would have studied carefully the currents of power and influence, remaining discreet in order to be courted and approached. Patience and cunning were the key words here in order to maintain a hand of iron over the noble houses.
Elena wasn't good at all at politics. She was good at bold moves, surviving impossible odds, and facing grave dangers. So she did what she was used to : flip the whole table off, break down every tradition, and let people fight among themselves for the remaining crumbs of prestige they could find. She did that by copiously humiliating the main noble house that used to be Theodora's first ally, hinting that their place as her right hand was at stake if they didn't demonstrate their use and abilities to her quickly. That had put a mess over Dargonus as the other noble houses started understanding that there was a place to be won and a rival to be torn down.
Then Elena had gone and decided that the Werserian family was to be dubbed and would be responsible for the organization of her inauguration ceremony. Abelard and his grand-daughter Clementina, her intendant, had been so vibrant with pride and cold efficiency ever since that now every noble house hated them.
Ever since, Dargonus was thrown into political chaos as everybody tried to grasp at her attention and understand how she worked. She had been showered under luxurious gifts ; her ego had been flattered, then provoked, then appealed at ; she was thrown balls, ceremonies, invitations at hunting parties, invitations at religious ceremonies or administrative events ; on memorable occasions, some had even tried to seduce her in shameless ways, or, when they felt she was too distant to approach, had tried to make their way up to her attention through her entourage.
From what she could tell, everybody except Abelard had received not so subtle proposals. Jae had been happy as magpie ever since reaching Dargonus - she was striving in her new playground and the chaos Elena had thrown upon the capital was a thriving environment to her new mistress of Whispers, who'd been collecting secrets by the hundred at that point and burning through lovers with ease. Elena often stumbled upon Jae exiting a room with a flushed face and disheveled hair, winking devilishly at her as she swiftly took notes on her data-slates.
Heinrix had commented that the method was crude and inefficient, but considering he already has a network of spies and agents working for the Inquisition on her planet, he didn't have to do much in the first place. Achilleas, to Elena's dismay, was often found lurking somewhere by Heinrix's sides as they exchanged hushed and coded conversations.
Obviously, Argenta had kindly ignored any attempts at flattering her and had been busy integrating the Rykad's refugees and her orphaned kids over Dargonus. And Yrliet nearly had a stroke the first time a human tried to make a pass at her.
Idira had completely recovered from her incident and was brighter than ever. She often spent time with Vigdis.
As for Cassia, she had taken up a whole aisle of the palace for her needs and she was the deadliest of them all amongst the other nobles ; sometimes, a mere smile or harsh comment of her soft voice completely influenced the nobles' behavior. They could have doubts about being led by a psyker who showed no respect for them, but they were all very careful around a Navis Nobilite's heir. Cassia had been at Elena's side faithfully and had many times smoothed the edges of her Rogue Trader down. In truth, the Navigator was now pulling the strings around easily and no one wished to antagonize House Orsellio in anyway.
On her second day on Dargonus, Abelard had called her to the west garden. The beautiful landscape was filled with trees and sinuous, charming alleyways. It held an astronomical observatory and vast lawn. Hundreds of servitors tended to it everyday, plucking out every bad seed patiently.
Elena flew down the stairs of her palace towards the garden. To her surprise, Abelard wasn't the only one waiting for her. Idira, Argenta, Jae, Cassia, Vigdis, Janrus and Ravor were there as well. She raised a cautious eyebrow. That all her companions' were patiently waiting for her without actively trying to murder each other was intriguing and slightly worrying.
The reason for their presence became clear as Abelard took a step forward, holding a magnificent beast in leash. It was a beautiful, dangerous-looking mastiff. Half her height and genetically enhanced, the beast could tear down someone easily, with jaws twice the size of her own head. It was grey-furred with elegant features, born for the hunt and the chase.
Elena slowed down as she grew near.
" What's going on ?" she asked, frowning. She wasn't used to Abelard looking happy.
" Lord Captain !" Abelard saluted stiffly, followed by the rest of the officers. " In the last months, you have become the only heir to House von Valancius. You have taken control over Footfall, saved Janus and Kiava Gamma from chaos, and retrieved your capital amidst the warp storms. As a welcoming gift to the center of your protectorate, we have acquired this unique breed for you. He was tailored and genetically indoctrinated to protect and serve you. " He pointed to the dog, and ordered : " Seat."
Obediently, the massive dog sat on his back legs, tilting his threatening head towards her, his tongue panting between his huge teeth.
" Do I understand the situation correctly ? Are you offering me a dog ?" asked Elena dubiously, as if poking the idea from a distance in her own mind.
Her lack of apparent enthusiasm kind of spoiled her companions' anticipation. She heard Jae mumbled in the back : " I told you we shouldn't have listened to van Calox and went for the janusian lynx. Much more fitting !"
Abelard cleared his throat and added, his smile fading in front of her absent reaction to the gift : " Most noble families hold chenils. It is important for hunting parties and prestige. Lady Theodora used to have quite an exotic one," he quickly glanced with disapproval at Jae, who pouted " but, unfortunately, they all died during Voigtvir's mutiny. If you wish to, this magnificent beast could be the first amongst your future collection."
Elena stared at the dog. It barked back, she presumed in a happy way. She could not tell. She didn't speak dog. " I never had a pet", she pointed.
" Yeah, and that thing is huge. Where is she gonna put it anyway ? Will it go to space with us ? " complained Idira.
Ravor shrugged. "No, it will stay here. Your servants will tend to it anyway."
The idea slowly gained material substance in Elena's mind as her prolonged lack of happy squealing seemed to disappoint her companions. She stared at the mastiff, whose bright blue eyes show nothing but content satisfaction at being around in the sun. It was a gift. They actually went on a leg there and decided to give her something. From what she could tell, the experiment had been done willingly by all participants. More than that, they were even eager to look at her reaction.
Elena tried to muster a smile from behind her usually cold composure, and made a step towards the dog. Its tail started wagging in response to her approach.
" Thank you", said Elena, genuinely surprised. She patted the dog's head. Abelard smiled proudly. His affection for the animal was clear. " I appreciate this thoughtful gift", she said.
" It's been indoctrinated with your scent and voice already", mentioned Vigdis. " We have made sure it will follow you and your orders immediately."
Janrus nodded along, proud with himself. Surely he had overgone the command in person.
Argenta joined Elena by the mastiff's side. Whereas Elena had prudently patted its head, Argenta opened up her arms wide and embraced the dog's massive neck before kissing its snout. Apparently there was someone even more excited than anyone else to get a dog in the retinue.
" You're gonna help us track down our enemies, aren't you ?" The mastiff yapped happily at the Sister. " Such a good boy !" added Argenta. " What name are you going to choose for him ?"
" I think it looks like a Trevor", commented Idira in the back. Vigdis elbowed her discreetly.
" Dog", replied Elena evenly, as said beast started licking Argenta's face.
" Are you really gonna name the dog 'Dog' ? " Cassia shook her head incredulously. " Surely it should be named after one of your great ancestors, to honor the history of your House."
" No. I'm happy with it. Fits perfectly."
" Then I am glad to welcome Dog with us", replied Abelard. He had become so used to Elena that his face didn't even give the slightest twitch as he said that. " Here's the leash."
Elena politely took the leash.
She didn't plan on using it.
Achilleas had expressed his wishes to talk to her about the recurring incursion of xenos in the nearby systems. She thought she would finally have time to confront the secretary alone, but Heinrix always showed up when Achilleas was involved.
Ever since their shared moment on the ship a few days prior to Dargonus, things had been different between them. There was a new layer to their relationship, something that both eased their connection and mutual understanding, but also complicated things even further. Though Heinrix retained his mask whenever in public, she could tell from a variety of clues that even he was losing grip on his composure and certainty around her. And now she had to make a conscious effort not to get too flustered and stupid whenever he was around.
For now, it seemed like no one had caught up on these very slight differences - and Heinrix remained ever so good at controlling his expression. There was a kind of tacit agreement about not showing up anything new.
It was easier to pretend not to feel a bit flustered when Achilleas was around, mostly because Elena took an immediate dislike in the man and that had put Heinrix and herself at odds again.
Dog was sleeping at her feet as Elena listened to Achilleas' precise reports of attacks. The secretary, who also doubled as an agent for the Inquisition, had an awful lot of information for someone that could barely leave the system. She didn't trust him at all. He made her mind all irky. Also, Cassia had said something wicked about his colors. And she trusted Cassia's guts on these matters.
To Heinrix's annoyance, she had cut Achilleas off nearly every important meeting, and had tried very hard to shelve him somewhere in the palace where nothing of interest happened. It didn't matter because Achilleas still got his information, no matter how hard she tried to throw it under the carpet. That kept annoying her to no end and she treated him harshly.
Everybody present in her desk knew that, got the implications of it, could process the mental map of the balance of powers at stake, and still pretended like nothing was happening.
As Achilleas ended his report on xenos movement, indicating that they should go to Vheabos V to check the situation, she congratulated him for the extent of his informative report. Achilleas thanked her for her insightful behavior. They entered a dance of polite thanks and comments that were all venomous underneath. She dismissed the meeting, unhappy that now her own secretary was apparently giving her orders in disguise. She thought about ways to dispose of Achilleas discreetly without raising Heinrix's attention. She had tried to send Achilleas to the next convoy for Footfall in order to get him away. Heinrix had just very slowly shook his head, discreetly adjusting his inquisitorial rosette, so that plan has been a no-go.
Heinrix stayed behind, letting Achilleas go. The secretary seemed vaguely relieved to leave Elena's office. She could tell the feeling of distrust was mutual.
Heinrix cleared his throat and took on his formal Inquisition-business voice. " Elena, I have to ask you to formally stop displacing away my agent. I have been informed that you had Clementina Werserian file a transfer for him to the Administrarum. Such a transfer is not acceptable in regard of underlying issues that need to be taken care of, and I kindly ask you to cancel your orders. I have need of my agent in his current place. "
She pursed her lips. How come he had heard about that too ? She'd been careful to keep it between Clementina and herself. Some noble must have seen that and rattle it out.
She took on her own formal Rogue-Trader voice, not able to hide the acid in her tone.
" I regret to see that the promotion transfer I had initiated for this humble secretary in order to congratulate him for his loyalty to my House may have been too hasty. You are surely right in your assessment that his competence needs to be tested further before such a transfer can be accepted."
Heinrix both nodded and glared at her. He had what he wanted : she was unable to toss Achilleas away. Checking that the door was locked and quickly assessing the room for any listening devices, Heinrix continued, returning back to his usual stern voice :
" Why do you dislike him so ? I fail to understand the rationale in it."
" I don't trust him. I have a bad feeling about him", she replied severely. Sensing her annoyance, her dog rose up to her side.
" What kind of bad feeling ?" patiently asked Heinrix. " Did you have any precognitions that I should be informed of concerning my agent ?" he added.
" Not as such", she admitted reluctantly. " But my instincts are rarely wrong. You shouldn't trust him either."
Heinrix sighed and pinched his nose. " Instinct alone does not make for a good argument, Elena."
" I didn't trust Vistenza Vyatt either and I was right to ", pointed out Elena.
Heinrix stubbornly dismissed that : " It doesn't change the fact that you have no solid ground to accuse Achilleas of anything. If anything, his work is absolutely necessary for the protection of your worlds. Else you don't take the threat of xenos invading your protectorate seriously - which, if I'm to look at your xeno-pet still being around, might be a serious concern ?"
The audacity of the sarcasm left Elena out of breath and she slowly rose up, eyes narrowed, calmly placing her hands on the desk and leaning over Heinrix.
Damn Achilleas. Albeit unwillingly, the stupid secretary had managed to draw them apart again. It was a living reminder that Heinrix belonged to the Inquisition. Maybe that was, deep down, the true reason why Elena had taken a dislike to him. She felt foolish for it, was not going to admit that out loud, and that only aggravated her frustration.
" First off, Yrliet is not my xeno-pet and she has a name."
The look of distaste and disgust on Heinrix's face was priceless - and there was something else as well, a hint of rivalry and incomprehension as she took defense of the Aeldari.
" Second, your agent is traitorous by nature and his aura is so twisted that even you should be able to discern it in witch-sight. I stand by my conviction that he's unworthy of your concern. "
Unfazed, Heinrix remained calm. He looked her in the eye and said, more harshly than the situation called for :
" If by traitorous you are referring to the fact that your secretary also happens to be an agent of the Golden Throne and thus a "spy" relatively to your point of view, then I'll have you be reminded that such is my case as well. It is indeed true that the missions of the Golden Throne will always take precedence for Achillas over his missions to House von Valancius - and any abiding citizen of the Imperium should accept this matter of state. So should you."
Elena had a feeling the conversation was not only about Achilleas or the xenos anymore. There was something more beyond the veiled accusations they were now throwing at each other. She disliked that they were arguing once more. They had disagreed on nearly everything since Rykad and it felt frustrating not being able to overcome their differences. Maybe she'd been delusional in thinking that their closeness after Kiava Gamma was a sign that they could get along.
She forced herself to calm down. She didn't wish to enter the cycle of bickering again. It was pointless and sterile, and she respected both Heinrix and herself too much to keep quarreling.
" Fine. I won't bother your agent again."
Considering that she was in her own world and how much she had tried to shove him away, that was quite an effort on her part. She added, turning her back at Heinrix and pacing towards her balcony :
" I will admit that I'm frustrated that you won't believe me. Have I ever been wrong before in my assumptions ?"
Heinrix looked tired. He got up slowly. " I can't rely on assumptions alone. But I promise I'll keep an eye on him, if that can ease your mind."
That was probably the best conciliating scenario possible in the situation. She fidgeted unhappily, but nodded. She felt like she should say something, but was still too upset about Achilleas to manage to find out what exactly.
It looked like Heinrix wanted to add something as well, but instead he bowed his head and quietly made his way to the door.
They continued exploring the whereabouts of the system, if only to free the way up to Vheabos. It was on such a journey that they entered the ruins of a Black Ship that had crashed down on an ice planet.
They prudently enter what remained of the vessel. It had formed a crater where it had crashed where, for some reason, nothing grew.
Soon, the Rogue Trader and her retinue had found themselves ambushed in the corridors of the long dead ship by corrupted and possessed, ancient crewmembers, turned into infestations of Nurgle. The whole carcass of the ship was filled with corpses which, even in death, had been turned from their human shells and transformed into mass of fungi and vegetal, twisted and perverted life, as even in death they found rebirth. Life fed upon life terribly and it looked like they were going to be next.
Argenta was holding the line, down with Heinrix and Abelard, using her flamethrower to repulse the incoming demons. But there was an almost infinite horde of them, emerging from the old corpses to fight them and draw them towards their so-called "gifts" of decay. Elena, Cassia and Yrliet stood in the back, using their long-range weapons to clear the way and weaken the leaders of the demons. But there was so much a sniper rifle could do when faced with a horde of Nurgle demons.
Yrliet cursed beneath her breath as she reloaded her weapon, fidgeting. She looked at something in her visor - the end of the cursive, leading into what must remain of the Main Confinement room.
" There's something down there", she said. " The creatures of decay stem from that root, I'm certain of it. Maybe if I manage to get a shot at it, it will stop them."
The situation was starting to get dire, but Elena took a few seconds to check what Yrliet told her. If she focused enough, she could see the shape of something looking like a reactor maybe, but whose wires and cables had been replaced by tendrils of corrupted flesh and rot.
She pondered this. How long would a dead reactor retain its fuel ? If they were to blow it up, would it indeed stop the infestation ? Calculating the distance briefly in her mind, she assessed that an explosion would certainly wipe out their enemies and themselves if they were to stand too close to it.
Argenta was reloading her flamethrower. Her hands didn't waver as the Sister recited, her clear voice bright in the midst of danger :
" Before the swollen gaze of the Dark Eye, I stand ; I hold for He who long ago sacrificed for man ; I will yield no ground, I shall take no step back ; In His name and for His will, I will never surrender !"
The fire was efficient against the creature, especially considering their narrow and closed-up configuration.
Yrliet took a shot in the dark, trying to reach the reactor. She looked up in her visor and groaned. " It is too far away to attain."
Elena's fingers twitched as she put down her rifle to her side. The longlas shrinked and slid in its scabbard. " I have an idea", she said.
Yrliet was looking at her, bemused.
" Lord Captain, what is going on ?" asked Abelard, noticing she had put away her rifle with concern.
" There's a reactor at the end of the cursive", she explained.
" Ah", commented Abelard, slashing at a twisted figure to keep it away. But as soon as it fell, two took its place.
At the same time, Heinrix sighed and intervened, severe : " Elena, don't do that. It's madness."
Elena shook her head. Of course Heinrix would have guessed at her intentions. " I don't see any other way out."
" What does he mean ?" whispered Yrliet by her side, frowning.
" Fine", said Heinrix, sounding a tad skeptical. " If you wish to go through with this…I'll divert them."
" What ? Go through with what ? Stop speaking in riddles ! " Abelard was getting annoyed. He would be even more annoyed when he got hold of her plan.
If that could be called a plan.
" Yrliet, Cassia, stay here and cover me", she ordered, focusing on the cursive.
" You are not going to r- " began Cassia, just as Elena started jumping forward and running towards the horde.
Normally, Elena wouldn't have breached the first line of enemies, but Heinrix had managed to draw them in towards him and, as she passed him by, he called to his telekinesis abilities to overthrow the first row to the ground.
Elena ignored the various cries of shock in her retinue as she deftly made her way up the first part of the horde. She needed to focus plenty on her divination powers to see the path she had to take, to guess at the ebb and flow amongst the waves of enemies and deceased. Confidently, she kept running forward. To anyone who had never before seen a battle-psyker on the field, this rush forward must have seemed completely mad. Her movements were strange, incoherent ; by projecting her mind into the future, she guessed at where the blows would come from and avoided being there. The result was a sort of jerky dance that was hurtful to watch, but deeply satisfying to Elena's senses. It was like fitting the right space at the right time.
As she gained up speed, she had to focus on mustering up her pyromancy skills as well. If she wanted to make the reactor explode, she was going to need to ignite everything around. Then she would have to hope not to die in the resulting explosion. Or at least that was the plan.
Using her third eye, Cassia managed to displace some of the demons, helping her out on her way. To her surprise, a grenade exploded on her right - and, as she glanced to her side, she saw that Yrliet was running besides her. The xeno had abandoned her rifle, which had become unusable in the thick of the horde, and was throwing grenades around and using a strange xeno submachine-gun-like.
" What are you doing here ? I told you to stay back !" cried out Elena in surprise.
She almost lost her attention and barely avoided an incoming blow. She was so hot now from charging up her pyromancy abilities that the approaching enemies couldn't strike her without burning themselves in the process. She quickly jumped away from Yrliet, afraid that she would hurt her.
The xeno was graceful and agile, but she wasn't a diviner. She wore multiple traces of scratches and wounds. Her green eyes were gleaming with decisiveness in the dark.
" I won't let you go there alone, elantach ! It's too dangerous !"
" That's the whole point ! You being here is complicating the equation for me !" expressed Elena in frustration.
Yrliet glanced at her and deftly shot at an incoming enemy. The xeno wouldn't understand that being away from everyone else was indeed the whole point of using pyromancy. Now Elena would have to watch herself in order to avoid roasting up Yrliet, all the while keeping her focus on two draining abilities at the same time.
Yrliet stubbornly cleared the path forward with another grenade, ignoring her frustration :
" If you die, then I'm as good as dead anyway to your mon-keigh friends. I might as well see it through by your side. I am no coward in the face of Chaos !"
Elena cursed Yrliet under her breath. The xeno may be brave, but she was also reckless and had now put her in an even more precarious situation.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Argenta ran to them, slipping on the fluids of the decaying bodies as she dashed through their ranks. Sweating profusely, her white hair stuck on her face, she held her flamethrower steadily and immediately used it against a row of enemies trying to grasp Elena.
" I don't know what you think you're doing", said the Sister, " but I'm not the Emperor's chosen in the midst of demons !"
Elena wanted to throw her fist in the air in frustration. Now she had two overly zealous tag-alongs that she would need to watch out for.
They managed to crisp their way through, but Elena had lost her speed and her focus at divination and it soon became even more tedious.
Abelard's voice rang on their vox : " Can you explain to me why would the shooters find themselves all in the frontline while the fighters are left behind ? Come back here ! That's suicidal ! "
Abelard was right. There was no way they were going to make it to the reactor on their own. Yrliet had just so many grenades at her disposal and Argenta so many fuel tanks.
" I'll create the path you all need ", muttered Cassia. Using her Navigator skills, she managed to reunite them all together. Abelard was furious, and Heinrix was desperately slashing at rows of revenants with his force sword. Together, they managed to advance, trying not to eliminate the horde but merely to breach through.
As they grew closer to the reactor and rushing towards it became possible once more, Elena gestured for them to listen to her :
" I'm going to blow up the reactor by igniting it. You all need to get out of the way, less you find yourself in the area of effect of the ignition - which I actively forbid you to do !"
" Wait", Abelard said as he pushed away an enemy, " won't the reactor explode ? Won't you get caught in it ?"
" I sure hope it will explode. Otherwise this infinite loop of enemies will just keep coming to us and we're stuck in here."
" But how are you going to survive the blow ? No", said Abelard, shaking his head, " we must find another solution."
Heinrix's face was bloated with various fluids, that he wiped away in an annoyed gesture, his skin sizzling at the touch of the corrosive liquids. " No matter how I try to think of another way, I can see none. Elena's right. The reactor needs to be blown up."
At least someone in her retinue was ready to abide by her orders. Elena inhaled sharply, focusing on her target, as the others started protesting against her idea. Suddenly, their protests turn to a swish of groanings and various curses, as Heinrix unceremoniously turned against them and used his telekinesis abilities to toss them back down the corridor. There was no way to do that without causing a few wounds, but she supposed it was better than being set on fire by staying alongside her.
" Thank you", she said gratefully. " Now go with them !"
Heinrix shook his head negatively. " No. If you are to make it there and then survive an explosion, you are definitely going to need a biomancer. I don't see how that would even work otherwise."
Elena sighed. It seemed everybody wanted to make a brave last stand on this mission. She started running up - she couldn't waste much time - and, as Heinrix lept at her side, deviating the blows as they went, cried out :
" That doesn't solve the fact that you'll be caught up in the ignition too !"
And she was already burning up so bad that she had to be careful not to stray too close to the Interrogator. The screeches of the horde, though, was melody to her ears as the demons hissed in fury and recoiled from her fiery aura.
She was only getting started.
" I can endure it", replied Heinrix calmly. He had more trouble keeping up the pace - he was now relying mainly on psychic powers to follow her.
There was no way she was not going to provoke any perils in this configuration.
As they grew even nearer, and her hope at achieving her so-called plan became tangible, she said : " The point is, Heinrix, that you don't have to."
He was probably going to reply something stark and responsible, but she didn't let him have a chance at instilling any sense or reason inside her mind. She knew, from a tactical viewpoint, that he was surely right ; her odds at survival were greatly improved with a nearby biomancer at hand. But she couldn't stand the idea of detonating her aura knowing he would suffer from it.
With a swift gesture, she applied the same telekinesis toss he had just before used against her retinue. Breaching through his defense was certainly harder than a non-psyker, and she knew she wouldn't have been able to do it if she hadn't taken him completely by surprise. The flash of astonishment, then anger on his face informed her that she had crossed a line - but she didn't dwell on that as she hurled him as far away from her as possible, then leapt next to the reactor.
All this talking and interruptions had slowed her down and she hadn't quite reached the optimal release of energy yet. With nowhere to hide or to run to anymore, she was a blatant target to the demons and one of them hurled her down on the floor. She battled with it for a second, letting her fire aura burn the demon, and rolled back on her knees ; another demon got a hold of her feet and tried to slip her away from the reactor. She wiggled ungracefully and managed to break free by letting the demon break her ankles. All the while, she retained focus on her will, gaining up in heat at every second.
A voice - more like an idea, an infection - crawled into her mind : I can save you from the promise of death. I can deliver you from your fears.
Elena stubbornly clenched her jaw and crawled forward, reaching out to the reactor with her bare hands.
" Too bad for you, I don't get afraid. I only get angry."
She let go of the charged up pyromantic energy and all turned white, then black.
She woke up an indefinite amount of time later in the medbay of her flagship. She regretted waking up because an acute sense of pain rolled through her body - then faded, as one of the numerous products above her face injected her with drugs.
She heard a very soft snore on her left. Carefully, because she now realized that she was partially intubated with an adjacent respirator, she turned her head towards it. Abelard was sitten in a nearby chair. He had fallen asleep. His features looked strained; he winced in pain even in sleep. He looked oddly slumped.
" I don't dare wake him up. He's been watching over you ever since you came back. Refused to take up his turn in the medbay", whispered a soft, feminine voice. Jae. Elena turned back towards the Cold Trader.
" What happened ?" she mumbled through the respirator, feeling dazed and confused.
" From what I gathered, you blew up a reactor in the ruins of a ship infested with demons. In theory, you should have died, but I daresay you're a devilishly lucky girl, shereen. Fortunately for us all, you're still amongst us ! I cannot even fathom the thought of losing you !" Jae shook her head and her long locks of soft hair.
" What about the others ?" asked Elena.
" Oh, they're pretty much all here. The Sister is in a medical coma for now, but the Chief says she's going to recover just fine. The Navigator is mostly all right, though she had to overgo a rejuvenitas cure. As for Yrliet, if I understand correctly, she'd been the one to drag you all the way up here - she had refused any help at all and had gone into hiding somewhere on the ship, presumably to heal herself. Then there's van Calox - he's been out for a few hours, but his burns are regenerating on their own. He said something about draining on his psykana too much for the day. Apparently you were in a very bad condition when he found you - now you're mostly fine and will be up and running in no time. We had to retrieve the whole retinue when Yrliet got back with you. They were all unconscious by the time we arrived."
" That was a catastrophic confrontation", mumbled Elena.
She fell back to sleep without even noticing it. The next time she woke up, she was feeling much better.
Heinrix was sitting on the chair next to her this time. He looked profoundly unhappy. His skin was a bit more pinkish than usual and he had changed from his previous uniform.
Noticing her awareness, he asked : " You're awake. How are you feeling ?"
There was no gentleness in his voice. If anything, he seemed angry. Also, for some reason, there was a pretty exotic bird in a cage next to her head. It was chirping happily. She presumed it came from Cassia.
" I'm fine", she said. Apparently the Chief Medic had freed her from her respirator. Surely she would be out of here in no time now.
" Good. There was something I needed to tell you." He got up from the chair and stood next to her, taking care that she couldn't look away from his eyes. " Never use your psychic abilities on me, without my consent, ever again. I know you did what you did out of the good intentions in your heart - and thus I shall forget it. But I can't stand it. Not from you. " Heinrix looked very tense.
Being at the receiving hand of a psyker power was never any fun. She presumed that being tossed away like a ragdoll out of nowhere was not to anyone's liking. But the intensity in the strained features of Heinrix's face warned her that this was a serious red line and that ignoring this boundary would definitely break their relationship.
She refrained from outlining that he had done pretty much the same to the rest of her retinue without showing remorse for it - she was pretty certain that would have triggered him off.
" I promise I won't", she croaked, aiming at sounding soothing and ending up sounding raspy.
Heinrix looked her straight in the eye for a few seconds, assessing if she was lying or not, and then nodded, relaxing slightly. Apparently her response had satisfied him.
" Another thing. Should I be concerned about the state of your sanity, Elena ? What were you thinking, denying my competences and setting off the reactor on your own ? Have you got any idea in which state I had to dig you out ? I sometimes really wonder what is going under that head of yours." He shook his head, looking dejected.
" A lot", she croaked back. " A lot's going on in there. Now are you done showering me with your accusations ? I feel at a disadvantage here. Help me get out of here. I want to see how the others are faring. "
Still glaring with repressed feelings, Heinrix sternly extended a hand and steady her as she stood up. She was feeling much better than she thought she would.
" See, I'm perfectly fine", she said, managing a smile.
Smiles were not gonna cut it this time. Heinrix glared even harder.
" No. You look terrible."
That did hurt her feelings a little bit, but she supposed it was the truth. There were times when Heinrix could perform etiquette and politeness, but apparently, now was not one of these times. She grimaced in response.
" That makes two of us, then", she replied snarkily.
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling in a movement that could only be translated into "why do I even bother" and he ushered her out of the medbay, looking stern and haughty, though his gestures remained controlled and cautious.
" Elena ! You're awake !" That was Cassia, standing up to greet her. " The Seneschal is going to be very glad to hear it. He has spent so much time in your room that I had to force him to get some rest. "
After the circumstantial exchanges about her health, Cassia asked her if she could find time for a private meeting as she had news to deliver. Elena agreed to it and then spent some time at Argenta's bedside ; the Sister's limp face was strangely relaxed and peaceful. She, too, had a hint of sick pinkish skin all over her face. Elena disliked the feeling of seeing her companions so bruised up from the consequences of her choices. She muttered a prayer for her - and gently arranged the golden aquila that was the last legacy of her mother to Argenta into her hand. Argenta would be fine once she was out of coma. Still, Elena did feel a pang of regret at the way things went sideways. She would have to be more careful in the future.
She went to honor Cassia's invitation when they got back on Dargonus from their latest exploration - they needed to repair the hull of the ship and also to order for some new armors and weapons before heading to Vheabos.
Cassia's chambers on Dargonus were the second most luxurious right after her own, reflecting her status as Navis Nobilite. The reception area in which Cassia received her was a vast room with lots of windows, left open for now. The afternoon sun was shedding rays of light into the landscape of the gardens bordering the palace. The view was soothing.
There were quite a lot of paintings in here. To Elena's surprise, a significant amount of them were related to herself or to her retinue's adventure in some ways or the other. Nearly every one she had met was represented at some point or the other. But Cassia's drawings were disturbing. They didn't show any light to her characters. Elena herself was often painted in precarious situations, battled and bloodied ; she didn't look like an inspiring, triumphing figure at all. There was a lot of abstraction or oddities in the paintings. Looking at them captivated Elena. She felt her mind attune to the drawings, to the meaningful ways the colors were webbed together. But there was something dark lurking in all of them - a bad omen. The strange design that Cassia chose for her companions was triggering her psychic senses, as if she was trying to interpret a tarot card.
Her contemplation came to a halt as Cassia's voice drew her back to the present :
" I haven't had the time to show you this before…and I hope you don't find it preposterous of me. This is just idle ways to pass my time. The more significant ones, the ones I end up painting when navigating in the Immaterium…those, I keep for myself." Her violet robe bristling around her ankles and over the soft wooden floor, she came to her side.
Elena noticed something new - the gills on Cassia's cheeks seemed to have extended a little and very soft-looking scales were growing behind her ears and along her neck.
She didn't comment on that.
" Your paintings call forth a sense of bad omen within me. I feel that they hide a most terrible secret I have to decipher", said Elena.
Cassia flashed a sad smile. " I am sorry to hear that. My old servants used to find the paintings I made of them disturbing as well. I have grown used to the idea that I had to hide them away. I wish someday someone would just find them…beautiful the way they are."
Elena turned towards the Navigator, searching for her words. The longing and bittersweetness in the Navigator's voice was haunting. Cassia's eyes were lost in thought, but, noticing her movement, she tilted her head gracefully towards her.
" Anyway, discussing my private relationship with my artwork is not why I ask you to join me. First off, I'll have to renew my thanks to you for taking me in and sheltering me on your flagship."
Elena raised an eyebrow. Considering she had dragged the young Navigator on almost every mission and threw her in the face of great danger, she had trouble considering that she had "sheltered" her from anything.
" However, I have some new information that may make you change your mind about me." Cassia clasped her talons together, a sign Elena had associated with inner nervousness. " House Orsellio has sent for me. I have received a message from the head of the House. They have heard that I am still alive and wish to meet you."
Elena nodded, pensive. She had a bad feeling about this. What would House Orsellio think of her…the Rogue Trader who had both saved their precious Child, delivered her from her intended cage, and killed two of their Navigators on her way ? In truth, it looked more like an abduction than a compassionate act.
" Lady Orsellio, it would be an honor to welcome the members of your House in Dargonus, if they so wish."
" Perfect. I'll tell them. I'm sure they will be more than pleased with this invitation. But…there's something else." Cassia twisted her fingers. " What are you going to do if they ask to retrieve me ?"
Elena's features softened a little as the rays of light pierced through the room and fell upon Cassia's figure and her own, warming up her skin. They both intuitively took a step aside to move into the shadows, away from the sun. Elena asked with a kind tone :
" Lady Orsellio, when I first found you, I was badly in need of your help and I fear I may have been abrupt in my dealings with your House. Though you had welcome the idea of serving on my ship, I must know : what is your wish ? Were you free of any shackles, would you choose to go back to your House or remain with me, knowing the danger House von Valancius faces ?"
" I…" Cassia inclined her head gravely, breathing in slowly. " Elena, if things were up to me, then I would stay with you. You have come to become a guide for me, and, if you pardon me for saying so, a friend - an inspiration. I knew from the start, when I first lay eyes upon your colors, that I could trust you. I have no reason to doubt that anymore now than in the past. "
Elena couldn't quite repress a half-smile on her face. She felt her torso become warmer with the thought of comfort and trust that waved off Cassia, encompassing her, as if being plunged into hot, soothing water.
" Then let me tell you this, Cassia." Elena opened her arms and slowly embraced the figure of the slender Navigator, hugging her into her arms. " There is nothing in this universe that would prevent me from protecting you and letting you flourish. If you allow me to say so, I think of you as a gift, a little sister I never had. Come ebb or come flow, I will welcome you by my side always. From stars to void, my ship is yours. When the very last flame of my existence has withered away, my ship would still be yours. For as long as you'd like. Fortunately enough to see us through what lies ahead of my path. Indeed, I value your presence so much that I want to ask you to be with me on the day of my inauguration ceremony. "
In her arms, Cassia shivered and tightened her own grip over her back. Elena could feel the slight pain of her talons jabbing with slightly uncontrolled force into her skin. Cassia had rested her head over her clavicle and she could swear she felt something humid - like tears, maybe.
" Come ebb or come flow ", said Cassia in a whisper, and then broke away from the hug. A sense of warmth and joy erupted in the room, of golden light and bright blues. " Thank you, Elena, for everything. You inspire me to be better everyday. I am…unbelievably happy to know you wish to keep me with you. I would never wish to go back to my House, not after they had enclosed me for so long. Of course I would stand with you. This is a great honor you're bestowing upon me. Now, if you don't mind…this conversation has enlightened me with another idea that I'm itching to paint. "
Elena nodded and left Cassia on her own, feeling a sense of joyful satiation in her soul that softened her whole day.
Her meeting with Cassia had left Elena in a good mood. She had come to fetch Dog and was now busy walking inside the wooded alleyways of her garden. The mastiff was happily running around unleashed and scaring her servants off. Elena haughtily ignored their pleas for her attention as Dog barked them away.
She had asked Heinrix to join her.
He was now walking by her side, frowning at the way Dog was having the time of its life chasing away her people.
" I don't understand why you don't have this mastiff on a leash. You do realize it's an attack dog, do you ?"
" The idea may have crossed my mind. I like the way it scares people away." She whistled and Dog came running back, sitting in front of them.
Something softened on Heinrix's features. " I remember owning a breed quite similar to this one once." There was the hint of hesitation in the way his fingers twitched.
" You can pet it if you want. You are not going to hurt it by mistake," said Elena softly.
Heinrix lifted his eyes to her, expressing a hint of surprise at her insightfulness. " You remember that", he said flatly. She didn't reply - of course she'd remember the story about how he discovered his psychic latent abilities by boiling up his pet as a child. She remembered everything.
Unassured but steady, Heinrix bravely patted the head of the giant dog. It wagged its tail in response.
" Good dog. Now go fetch something", he said.
Elena hushed the dog away, to its dismay, but it listened obediently to her voice. They kept walking in silence.
" Did you call for me only to walk your dog, or did you have something else in mind ?' asked Heinrix ironically after a while.
" I want you to stand by my side on the day of my inauguration ceremony", she said without further ceremony.
Obviously such a demand was not disputable by nature. No one was ever going to say no to her and she could have gone without asking Heinrix for his opinion. But she wanted to hear what he thought about it.
Heinrix stayed silent for a few seconds, pondering her demand, which made Elena nervous. " Of course, Elena. I thank you for the honor you're bestowing me. " He paused, and added : " You have done a lot for me and my mission. It is only natural that I represent my order at your side. "
" Thank you, Heinrix. It is meaningful to me."
They continued in silence for a few more seconds. The dog kept barking in the distance. Heinrix seemed to enjoy the peaceful scenery, giving way to vineyards now, and the late-afternoon sun - like a true planet-born. Elena failed to be impressed by the landscape and remained in the shadows as much as possible, her eyes drawn to the nascent moon and stars. In truth, she'd been told that her capital world was beautiful, but she missed the darkness of the void and the roars of her ship.
" Elena, as you would know, I am not a young man anymore and thus I won't beat around the bush and turn in circles forever. So I must ask : why me ? Considering your past choices and actions, I highly doubt you're trying to please Lord Calcazar by naming me at your inauguration ceremony. If such was the case, I must warn you that he would not be so easily flattered or stirred away from some of your most colorful decisions. "
He referred to Janus, of course. She knew she had gone too far that day in his eyes. That was a situation that the Inquisition couldn't accept - she presumed she would have to deal with the aftermath one day or the other. Of course Heinrix would feel torn to be at her side when he perfectly knew they could become enemies in the future. She replied :
" I'm not asking you to be with me only to impress my people with your rosette and to cajole your Lordship. I'm asking you that because I trust you deeply, more so than even favored members of my own entourage. I don't know why. I know you are not working for me and that your fealty lies elsewhere. Yet your presence makes me feel stronger."
She inhaled, narrowing her eyes unhappily, finding that she was unable to stop the traces of nervousness in her voice. She tilted her head, holding Heinrix's gaze, and went on :
" I have always been prone, because of the way I was born, to wander in thoughts of the past and future. You… anchor me. There are moments when I dream about leaving you over Footfall to finally be rid of your infuriating presence. But mostly…if I have to be true to myself, then mostly I fear the moment Lord Calcazar would reclaim you for his own and you will be taken away from me. I know this is how it ends and yet my heart rebels against it. Is it wrong of me ? Am I being foolish ?"
It was harder and more sudden than she thought, confessing what had been on her mind and saying the truth about how she felt. She was troubled that she even felt the urge to go through with it.
Heinrix's face was a mixture of unreadable thoughts, his expression torn up. Her words, rather than soothed him, made him more agitated. He broke free from her gaze, looking away in the distance and shifting his weight.
" You are", he confirmed matter-of-factly, and Elena missed the times when he used to wear his polite mask around her. " I was afraid you were going to say something like this. I presume I cannot delay anymore clarifying our relationship. Please don't interrupt me - I have been thinking about this for some time now."
He paused, searching for his words, and briefly scanning their environment for any unwanted eavesdropper. Elena stopped walking, taking shelter in the shades of the trees. After reaching an internal conclusion, Heinrix added, his tone slower and more vibrant than usual :
" The truth is, you make things complicated for me, Elena. Sometimes, I find myself wishing we had never met. At other times, I dread the day we have to part. I have trained very hard in order to quelch any weaknesses in me…any doubts. And yet, everyday by your side, I am reminded that I haven't overcome the flaws in my soul. You are…infectious. I would love to hate you or even simply be unfazed by you, but even when you keep ignoring my repeated advice and do things that I can never abide by, I cannot find in myself the strength to reject you. This thing between us…you must know it cannot end well."
His expression turned bitter and regretful, and he looked at her almost pleadingly. It was the first time he looked at her like that.
" I see no future wherein it can thrive. Being with you is hopeless. And you have to understand that it is putting me in a very dire position. I cannot be dissociated from my duties, Elena. They are who I am. There is no place for someone like you - or anyone - in my life. And yet…no matter how I repeat these words to myself, you're here. You're always here. " He reached to his head with his hand in a light movement. " How do you do that ?"
" I don't know", she replied in a whisper, confused. Her heart was racing faster in her ribcage now. She leant her back against the bark of a tree, sheltering in its shadows. Heinrix took care of not coming close to her.
" It doesn't matter," Heinrix said, regaining some composure and closing up. " I regret to say that being with you is a naive fantasy that cannot and shouldn't be indulged. I hope you won't find me…disappointing." He seemed more confident and sure of himself, but his voice was hinged with regrets.
She refrained from trying to approach him, though she badly wished to - Heinrix had made his boundaries clear -, and focused on staying motionless and thinking things through. The bark was itching against the palms of her hands.
" Do you often find yourself thinking about this "fantasy" ?" she asked softly, tilting her head in the shadows.
That seemed to catch him off-guard. His gaze focused on her. " I am more used to being the one asking this question", he remarked with a touch of sarcasm.
She had a little smile - some may have described it as teasing. " You haven't answered me."
" Are you -…" He began with incredulity, then stopped as he caught her serious expression. He considered her figure, and took his time doing so, with a hint of curiosity. She held his gaze with confidence.
Yet he relented from it, shaking his head away. " Do not test me, Elena. I stand by what I said. But, if you must know - I do. What difference does it make ?"
" None. I just like the thought of it. For someone like me, everything takes place in the mind after all. "
She swayed from the tree, taking the path back to the palace, whistling for Dog. She added :
" If you cannot be with me, then I hope you can at least bear to stay at my side ?"
He replied matter-of-factly : " For as long as I can."
" Then it is enough for me."
The arrival of Dog put an end to their conversation, and they walked back in silence to the palace.