?
"Are you a damned idiot?! I made you! I am the one who built your network, and I'M the one who put you and your twisted little freaks in place for your damned plot."
"NO! Don't you dare take that tone with ME! Pretending you have things under control, you clearly don't have anything under control! The SORORITAS got to Grothard, and if he was nosy like an idiot, he's got something connecting us. And might I remind you that IF WE are connected, then YOU are the one damned, while I can slip by relatively unscathed?
"And you're certain..."
"So the timescale is being accelerated. We need to act before the investigation starts making the connections."
"No, doing that..."
"Will you listen to me, you ideologue! If you just claim the investigators, it'll..."
"Yes, subterfuge is coming into play here. My spy in the Arbites will sabotage the investigation as best he can. Meanwhile, you need to start cleaning shop; the better a front you put forth for the foreseeable future, the easier time we will have as the Warlords either give us their support or withhold their support from our enemies."
"Yes, everything will proceed as we have prepared."
Vylerine eagerly awoke from her rest. Excitement rushed the Sororita's prayers, something she could already feel her guilt eating away at her for, and thus she chose to don a sackcloth tunic to wear under her garbs. The rough material bringing her discomfort and even pain under her usual garments would be penance enough.
However, even suitably dressed, the Canoness couldn't hide her excitement from an experienced eye. She couldn't keep her excited haste from accelerating her past the Adepts and Acolytes still putting the finishing touches to nearly a year's worth of labor. Indeed, a year since the Heir-Elect of Governor Hector had opened up the resources that the Canoness needed to upgrade her mission facility to a full Commandery. And with the full support of the planet's cults, including the fervent support of the Church of the Divine Will, the Commandery had been completed within the year.
The grounds had been expanded from the small shrine that had stood before. The main structure had been expanded into a single square complex with the original main door now being the entry to the Commandry's main courtyard. The main building now stood three stories tall, with still another story under construction. The Fourth Story would house the main battlements, complete with servo-skull-operated anti-air and automated heavy bolters to screen any incoming hostiles.
Beyond the main structure was open space for nearly fifty meters in each direction; at the end of the clear ground was the first wall. Three stories tall, the main wall was the main defense of the compound. Thick and covered with automated Bolter arrays and servitor-mounted multi-meltas, and entirely within the protective barrier of the shield protecting the facility, the wall would be nearly impenetrable to any of the forces currently on the planet, effectively allowing but a few Sororitas to hold the compound by themselves. Lastly, at the bottom of the hill, and standing only slightly taller than the main wall, stood the outer wall. While the wall was thin, it marked the outermost reach of the main wall's defenses and blinded enemies outside the fortress from seeing the defenses within.
However, the structure meant little to Vylerine; a fortress was just a fortress to the Sororitas, and next to the value, which was the devotion to the Emperor and the purity of faith, the building meant nothing. No, the young canoness was instead reduced to being little better than a child on Emperor's day by the truth of what this morning brought. Today the Sororitas of the Commandery were due to arrive; nearly three hundred sisters would soon crowd this sanctified land, filling it with the echoing sounds of countless hymns and devoted service. To be surrounded by true sororitas once again, sisters who understood the field of battle and the power of the divine Emperor, filled Vylerine with excitement.
With an energetic pace, Vylerine made her way outside the fortress, personally overlooking the field she and her sisters, along with the serfs and devoted servants sent by the ecclesiastical cults of the planet, had cleared for the coming dropship and its precious cargo of Sororitas. Only fifteen meters distant from the clearing, the expectant canoness used a small mirror, one she often used for a multitude of purposes ranging from medicae or checking around corners during particularly lethal engagements to the occasional bout of vanity. At this moment the vanity was allowed to win as Vylerine used the mirror to inspect herself.
Her armor, covered in golden scripture and gold-inlaid artistic depictions of the iconography of the Imperial Saints and the Emperor's loyal sons, gleamed in the light. The various purity seals on the armor, their parchments covered in both unintelligible Lingua-Technis and divine scriptures, drifted slightly in the gentle wind sweeping the open rock-filled fields. While the items best denoting the Canoness rank held by Vylerine, the Mantle of Ophilia embedded into her pauldron and her blessed cloak, struck an imposing image behind her.
After a few short moments of impatient waiting, Vylerine could sense a familiar presence join at her left side. The cold brooding of Vylerine's Palatine, Chrana, was palpable, the air of seriousness radiating off the fully armored woman making her easily the most recognizable presence Vylerine had ever felt at her side.
"Took you long enough, Canoness. Though you do make a more dignified and pious pose than what Bellolla claimed you would." The second commented from her canoness' side.
"As if I would ever stoop so lowly as to give the wrong first impression to our covenant. Though speaking of Bellolla, where is she? I would have thought she would have also liked to have taken to greeting our new sisters." Was Vylerine's dignified response, after the canoness had taken a moment to brush off Chrana's comment.
"Bellolla wanted to inspect the compound. The gardens, chapel, and defenses needed a personal touch, so she volunteered. She should be here before the dropship arrives, though."
"Actually, I am here now!" A risen voice declared as Bellolla raced to her canoness' side, her armored robes slightly marked with dirt from the Mission's gardens. Her short and soft gasps of breath revealing the hurried and exhausting pace their sister must have been using. The sight of the brown-haired sister gave Vylerine a smile, as the woman's typical, almost constant smile was instead replaced by a light panting.
"Careful, Bellolla, if you give our sisters an impression of lax rules, I will have to punish you severely." Veylerine joked.
"If you were going to come out dressed like that, you shouldn't have come at all." Chrana's sneer could be felt through her helmet.
"Leave her be, Chrana, today is a day of celebration and success. She holds the right to be here alongside us; if anything, she's earned her chance to stand covered in dirt." Vylerine admonished the stern sister.
"Understood, my Canoness; if you command, I'll flagellate myself in repentance tonight." Chrana stated, her polished armor giving away nothing of what the sister might have been thinking at the moment.
"Minimally, Chrana, there wasn't enough flaw with your logic to warrant anything more than minor reflection. Besides—" Vylerine's response was cut short as a large ship broke the sky. The vessel was massive, a work of Imperial might more than capable of carrying the three hundred Sisters of the Sororitas and entirely suitable for carrying the sisters, the Mission's vehicles, and the entire reliquary.
The pressure displacement from the carrier's engine thrust stirred up a great wind. The buffeting pressures causing Vylerine's cape to fly back, almost pulling her back a step. Beside the Canoness, Chrana and Bellolla both shielded themselves from a dense dirt cloud.
Beyond the dust, the vessel began its landing procedure. Mechanical legs lowered and bore the weight of the mighty vessel. As its forward ramp descended, facing toward the Canoness and her companions, the dust was broken. Immediately Vylerine could see the sisters inside gathering into orderly rows with their superiors standing in front of them, and before all of them stood the Sister Hospitaller of the Sororitas order of the cleansing water, her medical garb easily distinguishing her from the others.
It was only after the Sororitas began marching down the ramp that the Canoness began to suspect something was amiss. The faces were too young; the Sisters movements, while certainly parade-ready, did not in any way, with the exception of the Hospitaller, hold themselves with the certainty nor awareness common for a veteran of war.
It was only after the Canoness laid eyes on the first of the 'superiors' that she realized the reality. She had been sent not some or even many of the newest Sororitas of the Order; rather, she had been assigned them all, and the first face, the first eyes she could meet, were a grave reminder of her past... of the one sin she could never forgive herself for even if the Emperor himself had.
The girl walked forward; only the Hospitaller marched ahead of her in the procession. Beside her, the Militant Advance of the rest of the detachment marched; each of them was clearly younger than their typical counterpart. No, not only did a ghost come to haunt the canoness, but the entire force was nothing but children. Inside her armor, Vylerine could feel herself trembling; fear, rage, or excitement, she could not decide, for while before the idea of meeting her new command, her new sisters had made it difficult for her to sleep, she had been so excited, ready to share prayers with them all. Now she was also overwhelmed with trepidation as her failure and past personified approached her.
Finally the procession reached the canoness, and the hospitaller stepped forward, announcing herself and the lower-ranking sisters with her. "Canoness Vylerine, may the Emperor guide and bless your leadership. I am Zoie of the Order of the Cleansing Water, of the Covenant Prioris. I thank you for your hospitality and have taken on the honor of introducing you to the Sororitas of your command. My Canonness, may I introduce you to the new Sororitas of the Keyan Mission? Each sister has been handpicked by the prioress or the archdeacon assigned to support her."
The Hospitaller continued to speak, though the eager young eyes and the almost nervousness of the youth behind her already gave away the reality. While these girls may be talented enough to be skipped past the Constantia Advance stage of their training and made directly into Sisters of Battle, none of them had the experience-born skill Vylerine was hoping to see. And in front of all of them still stood that aggravating face.
"And now, my Canoness, if I may introduce the sisters assigned to lead your new Sororitas under the guidance of yourself and the current acting superiors. First is Sister Ogina." The Hospitaller gestured to one of the ten leading sisters, a dark-skinned girl with steadfast steps. From there the Zoie continued to name off the Sisters; each was unremarkable besides their youth, almost forgettable. "And Canoness, if I may, I introduce the three lead Sororitas of the unit, who have each been encouraged to seek your own divine mentorship. First is Sister Katira, who earned the envy of the Tempest Scions."
The girl was only remarkable in how unremarkable she appeared, someone who could be easily mistaken for any of the other sisters on the field. Afterwards the Hospitaller gestured to an incredibly short Sister, standing maybe to the chests of the Sisters around her. "And if I may introduce my Canonness, Mirael, who is noted for single-handedly directly engaging a fortified heretic position, complete with heavy ordnance, in a headlong engagement and returning successfully having killed or captured each of the thirty heretics on her own."
After displaying these sisters, Zoie walked to the final of the battle sisters, the one with that face that aggravated Vylerine. Before Zoie could speak, the girl stepped forward and spoke for herself, "Battle Sister Adala, my Canoness, promoted to Elohiem Advance due to service with the Ordo Hereticus while still an acolyte and for taking emergency command in combat against forces of the Arch-enemy and successfully driving back a unit led by a traitor marine." The self-identified Adala stated, while bowing and making the sign of the Aquila.
Vylerine immediately responded, the back of her armored hand connecting to the face of the arrogant youth. As Adala sprawled on the ground, caught by surprise and in pain, Vylerine allowed herself a sneer of contempt before returning to her absolute neutrality. "Sister Zoie was granted the blessing of your introduction. You, child, were not given the license to speak. As Canoness of the Keyan Commandery of the Jade Rose, I will not tolerate this. Speak without our consent and without necessity again, and I will see you removed from the order militant or even executed." Vylerine growled with a heavy dose of inevitability.
Those eyes, the offense in their presence, and the look of them even as they glared back at Vylerine. Adala wouldn't defy her canoness that much; that was certain. No, the glare was one of offense and pain, one that had an understanding of her own fault that most fools never held. Vylerine did not know if she could feel proud of a sister so clearly already broken of any form of arrogance despite youth's achievements or if her revulsion would win out, preventing her from seeing a sister who might have a promising future.
"Stand," Vylerine ordered. As the young Adala quickly snapped up, Vylerine's fist met the other side of her face. "I said stand, not spring." With that statement, Vylerine cast her cold gaze at the gathered young Sororitas. "To disobey your Cannoess is to display apostasy against the Emperor! I will not tolerate any such disobedience from my mission. Understood!" A chorus of assent immediately answered Vylerine.
Vylerine cast her gaze at the Hospitaller already at her knees next to the now heavily bleeding Adala, "Zoie, she is to be at the front of the choir tonight. I never struck her; if we see any sign, I will find a punishment for you. Adala I think you might look decent with some make-up; see me after the final prayer." Vylerine forced a tender smile.
After spitting out some blood, and with Zoie struggling to check the girl's jaw, which was almost certainly dislocated after two blows from a powered armored fist, the girl answered. "Yes, my Canoness. How much should I flagellate in repentance for my insubordination?"
"Twice what you ever did as an acolyte and twice again for your failure as a leader. Nothing more, nothing less. But not until after we speak." Vylerine answered before the sound of a thick, tight voice rose behind the Sororitas. "Cannoness Techpriest Imm3s has sent a summons for you!" A Mission servant cried out.
Upon hearing this cry, Vylerine could only feel her temper flare. "Bellolla, lead them and assign chambers to our new sisters." And as the canoness turned to return to the commandery, she could feel Chrana fall into step behind her.
"You think this wise, Canoness? They've only just arrived; their discipline might be lax, but even we were lax." Chrana tried to advise, her voice always sharp, even when coming from the vox-grill of her helm.
"No, it wasn't wise, but it was still my decision, and I will stick to it. They clearly have potential, but I'm to be their canoness, not some mother to them. As such, I must be harsh, and we must remain pure; any kindness should only come after our service to the Imperium, and even that comes after our most important task of upholding the Emperor's divine rule. "
"Ave Imperator"
Vylerine slammed the door to her chamber before sitting in her seat, the reinforced chair bearing her and her power armor's weight easily. Elbows on her desk, Vylerine clasped her face and groaned. She had lost control of herself, acting on emotional impulse rather than through the conviction of her faith, the dogma of the creed, or the convictions of her militant chamber. And she had dared to mask her failure behind a facade like a heretic hides from the gaze of the faithful. She needed to be punished, but how much could she do without calling upon another to bring this punishment upon herself?
Even the basic assumption of doubling the punishment she had placed upon ... That Sister was inadequate, as she didn't know how much flagellation these acolytes had been expected to inflict upon themselves for their failings. Did the schola still teach proper self-flagellation? She had heard rumors that the newest Drill Abbots were daring to suggest such horrors as relaxing discipline standards, and even in some of the most outlandish rumors, allowing the younger, less indoctrinated students such easily corruptible and misguided luxuries as privacy and choice.
Should she watch? To ensure the Drill Abbots had properly instructed Adala in self-flagellation. To see that… that the punishment was properly inflicted. No, that would set a precedent, and it was far too soon for her to be able to give such private attention to her sororitas, especially after her display during their first parade ground inspection and introduction. No, she couldn't learn how much Adala self-flagellated that way; she needed to allow some time to pass before she could try that.
Granulated fingers clawed at Vylerine's face. How could she allow herself to spiral out of control so much in so little time? Surely Canoness Kathais never failed like this, never allowed emotions other than her passionate devotion to the Emperor to drive her actions. Why would anyone have ever seen anything of worth in her, let alone engage in this accursed joke to make her a canoness? She was barely worthy of being a Sororitas; her faith wasn't yet worthy of standing beneath an Imperial Saint or challenging an Ecclesiarch's own devotion and loyalty to him on Terra.
"Evening, Canoness!" Came the cry from outside the door just before Bellolla knocked on the door itself.
With a sigh and an uncertain feeling, a mixture of frustration and relief, Vylerine called out. "Enter." And immediately the other Sororitas obeyed, entering with a spring in her step and a smile as bright as a sun.
Vylerine had never seen Bellolla so excited; the woman seemed to radiate joy, while her slumped shoulders and eyes exposed the exhaustion that she felt. While Vylerine had secluded herself to her office, the Seraphim had guided each sister to their chamber, and seeing the other woman now, Vylerine could simply be lost in Bellolla's good mood. The Canoness feeding off Seraphim Super's radiating joy.
However, such simple moments could not be allowed to last, as holy duties needed to be performed. "Bellolla, enough; take yourself to the showers and report back once you've fully armored yourself." Vylerine ordered the Seraphim while grinning at the woman's antics.
Vylerine watched as Bellolla immediately snapped to react, saluting with the Aquila and then turning to leave. "Wait." Vylerine ordered her considerations for building both unit cohesion and testing her new Sororitas. "Order Katira, Ogina, and Mirael to don armor before you leave to shower. I have an errand to perform after tonight's choir, so also inform the Sororitas that choir shall be hosted early tonight, and send Adala to me now."
"Yes, Canoness." And as such, Bellolla was gone, her Canoness' orders her highest priority for the immediate future, outside of, of course, maintaining the Emperor's faith.
Vylerine was not afforded much time to herself from when Bellolla left and the inevitable arrival of Adala occurred. In the time alone, Vylerine was capable at least of selecting tonight's venue, a song of Vostroyan melodic heritage, 'The hymn for the Primarch's Fury,' written by the devout noble Basil Poledouris. Simple enough at first, but with some changes in tone and with the tinting of the Vostryan's low gothic to make what should be a simple song far more complex.
After the selection of the night's song, Vylerine had just enough time to collect some of the necessary vestments to remind the pompous tech-priestess exactly whom she dared insult. To ignore the summons of the Tech-priestess was tempting, but the canoness knew that to ignore the priestess was likely to only cause the heathen to behave more exorbitantly. Vylerine could imagine the mechanicum's tech guards being sent to demand an audience next.
Even as the last of the sigils was carefully placed onto her armor, Vylerine could hear the chime at her door. With a simple command, Vylerine brought Adala into her office, and the young Sororitas immediately kneeled before her canoness, the sign of the aquila made over her chest, silent and waiting.
With a gesture, Vylerine made Adala rise to her feet and inspected the Sororita. To Zoie's credit, between the, albeit obvious, makeup and her medical attentions, one would not realize how brutalized Adala's face had been and instead might mistake her for a young, inexperienced woman trying to impress a suitor.
"Have you come to understand your position, Adala? Do you comprehend why I must strike you?" Vylerine demanded, willing her presence to dominate the younger woman.
"Yes, my Canoness, I behaved above my rank and without your consent." Adala replied, long practiced humility in her voice. Humility, which Vylerine knew was not satisfactory to her demands. Humility that those eyes could never have enough to satisfy Vylerine. It took harsh self-control for Vylerine to not strike the girl again for her lack of true, proper humility. A proper apology for the crime of her existence.
"I have need for you, and unfortunately I currently see no possibility of replacing you. So until you make your next grievous error, you will retain your position. However, for now you are confined to the compound, and your sisters will take your position and responsibilities in the field until you prove yourself." Vylerine commanded, her voice and glare challenging Adala to respond in any way, to defy her and give her what she was looking for.
"I am not worthy of such mercy, Canoness. I shall seek to honor the Emperor and bring myself to be worthy of your kindness." The girl responded, her voice sparking memories that filled the canoness with more disgust.
Vylerine allowed herself to glare at the youth for a moment. "Go, you have choir to prepare for."
The main chapel now was a still small but worthy place to worship the Emperor, and despite nearly two hundred Sororitas within it, it still felt spacious enough to hold more. Vylerine, of course, took a seat while in her armor on an elaborate wooden seat meant to hold her in her armor but which could also be quickly padded to give comfort to the unarmored. Bellolla had taken her own place, ready to conduct the instruments and Sororitas. Chrana, meanwhile, lurked towards the back, keeping watch from where Vylerine could not see and listening for imperfection.
To the side stood Zoie, the hospitaller, casting a motherly gaze over the assembled Brides of the Emperor. In a group to the side stood the trio of Orgina, Mireal, and Katira, who stood in their armor, likely feeling slightly uncomfortable, and just ahead of them, looking shamed, stood Adala. Though through her shame the girl still looked ready and eager.
Vylerine gave the opening rites, then named the song and gave Adala the signal to begin. With some low, deep notes, the song began while the few instruments built into the chapel provided the backdrop for the sisters, eventually setting a slow pace as the voices of the Sororitas began to build. Their chorus eventually breaking into an almost celebratory-sounding praise of the Emperor's majesty before settling into a uplifting but more solemn retelling of a fictional tale of faith and service to the Emperor while in the cold of space and facing unfeeling horrors, always circling back to the driving glory and inevitability of the Emperor's victory and the Imperium's might.
As the song concluded, Vylerine delivered the final rites of the night before finally delivering her order of the night, sending the new Sororitas back to their chambers, where they would engage in final prayers, reflection, and lastly rest.
After minutes of the Sororitas exiting the chapel in orderly lines, only the Canoness, her Palatine, Seraphim Superior, and the three Sororita superiors remained. Vylerine gave the assembled Sororitas a quick glance over. "We're prepared; do not let the Mechanicum whore fool you; whatever she has to say is of little to no consequence. I will meet her, reject her absurd offers and ramblings, and then we shall return for our needed rest." Vylerine stated flatly, to which the elder two Sororitas answered with their own bemused praises to the Emperor. Thusly, Vylerine set out to the Astropath's spire located in the capital, setting in motion the events that would see worlds burn.