Chapter Two: Shadows of Corruption
The summons came on encrypted channels, an ominous message from the High Lords of Terra. Eversight Soulflayer studied the communiqué, red eyes flickering with mild irritation as he read through their orders. Xeno infiltration in the ranks of the Imperial Navy was not to be taken lightly, but the High Lords had attached a hint of mistrust to their instructions, as if Eversight himself was some leashless beast in need of supervision.
Eversight leaned back in his quarters aboard Faithful Death, idly tapping his metallic fingers against the data-slate. "Of all the rotten places to send us…" he muttered.
"Problem, sir?" Brother Kaelen Voss asked, leaning in with a grin that was equal parts curiosity and bloodlust.
"Just another Imperial mess," Eversight replied, standing. "The High Lords think some slimy xeno filth has wormed its way into the Imperial Navy. And of course, they expect us to clean it up."
"Sounds like they need a reminder of what the Inquisition does best," added Brother Daedric Thorne, a rare gleam of satisfaction in his cold Ultramarine eyes.
Eversight grinned darkly. "Exactly what I had in mind."
They arrived on the orbital shipyard Glory's Heart, an immense, looming structure floating like a grim titan against the void. Frigates and warships dotted the space around it, and every vessel seemed to watch Faithful Death's arrival with silent trepidation. The Navy had sent one of their more decorated captains to receive them—Captain Severan Brask, a grizzled officer with a mouth set in a permanent scowl.
"Welcome, Inquisitor," Brask said, eyeing Eversight's retinue with a mix of distaste and unease.
"Captain Brask," Eversight replied, his voice as cold as the void outside. "I don't have time for pleasantries. I've been sent to sniff out the filth hiding within your ranks, and I intend to be thorough. Now, where's your damned officer roster?"
Brask's jaw clenched. "With respect, Inquisitor, we handle our own affairs on Glory's Heart."
Eversight's red eyes gleamed beneath his hood. "Then consider me a new addition to 'your own affairs.' Or should I start my investigation with you, Captain?"
The threat hung in the air like a thundercloud, and Brask's scowl deepened as he handed over the data-slate.
The investigation began swiftly, and Eversight quickly found that the shipyard's officers were less than cooperative. Tensions simmered as he prowled the corridors, Eversight and his retinue striking an imposing figure, their black-armored forms like a walking omen of death.
Their search soon brought them to Engineering, a sprawling, dimly lit level filled with the hum of reactors and the stench of burning oil. Here, Eversight sensed something amiss. His Eversight ability sharpened, revealing faint, nearly imperceptible warp traces—a xeno presence hidden among the machinery.
"Eyes up," he ordered his retinue. "We're not alone."
The Deathwatch Marines moved in sync, weapons raised and scanning the shadows. Suddenly, from behind a stack of supply crates, figures leapt forth—pale, sinewy xenos with elongated limbs and sickly gray skin. They moved with unnatural grace, their eyes burning with alien malice.
"Drakar'va parasites!" Brother Raxus Ironmaul spat, snapping his Void Lash forward. The whip crackled as it sliced through one of the creatures, cutting it cleanly in two, its green blood splattering across the walls.
"Give these worms something to remember!" Eversight barked, his arm morphing into a shuriken cannon. He unleashed a hail of razor-sharp discs that shredded two of the xenos, their screams echoing through the bay.
Captain Brask, who had followed them against Eversight's orders, staggered back in horror. "Emperor's mercy! How did these things get aboard?"
"Seems your 'own affairs' were a little less under control than you thought, Captain," Eversight sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Brother Garran Striker fired his Fury Spitter, the weapon's explosive rounds tearing through the xenos, sending bits of flesh and bone spraying across the floor. The sight made Brask pale, his bravado crumbling as he watched the Deathwatch unleash pure carnage.
One of the Drakar'va lunged at Eversight, its talons extended, but he sidestepped with brutal efficiency. His right arm shifted into a long, serrated blade, and he drove it through the creature's torso, twisting as he absorbed its life force. Knowledge flooded into him—the Drakar'va had been smuggled aboard through the personal quarters of one Lieutenant Gaelen, an officer in Brask's own command staff.
"Found our rat," Eversight muttered with dark satisfaction, pulling his blade from the creature's corpse.
They stormed into Lieutenant Gaelen's quarters with all the subtlety of a tank charge. Gaelen was there, his face twisted in terror as he raised a las-pistol—a laughable attempt. Eversight's greatcoat hardened, deflecting the shot as he moved forward with predatory calm.
"Lieutenant Gaelen," Eversight said, his voice low and venomous. "You've been hosting a party without the Emperor's permission. I'm here to correct that."
Gaelen tried to flee, but Brother Kaelen Voss intercepted him, smashing the lieutenant to the ground. "Go on, squirm," Voss hissed, his plasma gauntlet glowing with anticipation.
Eversight's arm shifted into a clawed hand, gripping Gaelen by the throat as he activated his Soulflay ability. He forced his way into Gaelen's mind, tearing through layers of lies and cowardice. The images were brutal—hidden caches, communications with xeno agents, bribed officials. The corruption ran deeper than he'd suspected.
"Well, well," Eversight sneered, tightening his grip. "It seems you were a busy little traitor, Gaelen. Too bad you won't be around to see the mess I'm about to make of your friends."
With a final twist, he crushed Gaelen's windpipe, absorbing his last gasping breaths as the lieutenant's knowledge seeped into his own mind. Gaelen's secrets became Eversight's ammunition.
The next few hours were a blood-soaked purge as Eversight and his Deathwatch tore through Glory's Heart, hunting down every xeno sympathizer and exterminating every trace of Drakar'va filth. They left nothing but death in their wake—bodies shattered, heads caved in, entrails splattered across bulkheads. The Navy officers who had watched in horror before were now numb, their spirits broken by the sight of Eversight's relentless brutality.
Back on the bridge, Captain Brask was ashen-faced as Eversight approached. "Your shipyard has been cleansed, Captain," Eversight said, his voice laced with disdain. "Next time you think of 'handling your own affairs,' remember what happens when you fail."
Brask, humbled, could only nod, the weight of shame dragging his shoulders down. Without another word, Eversight turned, leading his retinue back to the Faithful Death, leaving Glory's Heart scarred in more ways than one.