"Honestly, I don't think I've ever done an actual inquisitorial job since joining the battlegroup, most of the time I'm on the frontline with Yuki killing things. Hell, I'm more Sororitas than inquisitor at this point."

"Since the battlegroup is a Militarum orientated organization, I am not at all surprise that our inquisitorial duty was lessened. I must confess surprise though, given the rampant fraternization between human and Aeldari I thought my service would be greatly needed, yet I found no heresy and corruption. And I was extremely thorough."

"So was I, and I'm from the Ordo Xeno. But once in a while, through the providence of the God Emperor, we've been given the opportunity to pursue our true calling, isn't it fun?"

Fun was not the term Laura would use. Tedious and boring would be the correct description of their current predicament, because going through Somnus Mare's several thousand years' worth of records was as soul-draining as any perilous battlefield. Amberley was enjoying herself as she poured over the many scrolls and vellums and ancient data-slates, the enthusiasm was not shared by Laura and Greyfax.

"I rather the investigation be done inside the Hive," Greyfax slid the parchment she had been reading aside and picked up a data-slate, groaning when the machine refused to turn on in a timely manner. "Then again, the monotony is relaxing."

"Personally I'm bored out of my mind," Laura scratched her eyes after finishing another useless tidbit of the Hive's history, this one concerning the bloodline of some highborn arsehole. "Fuck, how many more of this shite is left?"

"Plenty more Laura," Amberley smiled cheekily at the annoyed Laura while Greyfax snorted. "At least our workspace is rather ostentatious, I'm sure the mural can provide an entertaining respite to the documents."

In that regard the blonde was completely correct. Laura, Amberley and Greyfax currently occupied the tallest pagoda situated at the nexus of Hive Somnus, the apex rising a good kilometer above the ocean, granting them an unobstructed and enviable view of the surrounding landscape. Despite the Latin name the four sided spire was starkly of Southeast Asian artistry, more specifically a combination of the late Khmer Empire and Burma's Pagan Kingdom according to Tangmo. The three lady inquisitors were inside the pagoda's archive and library, the top ten floors having been converted into a spacious room of towering splendor. One seamless pane of glass comprised the four walls, the tapered triangular ceiling held up by six great pillars. Upon these columns were carved intricate friezes, the iron rendered with depth and dimension, the uninterrupted plane revealed scenes of joy, majesty and piety. But the piece de resistance was the glass walls themselves.

"The sun is setting," Greyfax looked westward, eyes narrowed on the deep crimson burning across the horizon. "Bring up the mural again please. I can't concentrate with this glare in my eyes."

"Your wish is my command," Laura got up from her seat, stretched her arms up with a satisfied moan and walked over to a lectern situated beside one of the pillars. She pressed the diamond shaped button and the transparent wall turned opaque, but instead of an encompassing hazy blur shapes and lines and flowing geometries started emerging from the translucent expanse. Within a minute the pane was rendered into a vast crystalized mural, a great canvas of unimaginable artistry that stretched from floor to ceiling. Laura was awestruck by the excellent manifestation of human creativity and ingenuity, every inch tells a story, each unique and beautiful landscape flowing seamlessly together until they combined into a greater panorama. The vastness was humbling in magnitude, and Laura had little doubt that she can stay here for a year and will only be able to comprehend a sliver of the mural.

"The inhabitants of this Hive are truly masters of artistic pursue," Greyfax's dispassionate utterance wasn't successful at hiding the gleam of awe flashing across her eyes. "I wonder how many generations toiled to reach such sublime perfection."

"Do you not mean former residence, Katarinya?" Amberley glanced up from the scrolls she has been reading and swept an indulgence gaze across the glass mural.

"No, for the people of the Hive still reside in their homes," Katarinya crossed her arms over her chest and leaned into the plush chair she was sitting on, fixing Laura and Amberley with a commanding look. "Despite the apparent desolation, Somnus Mare is well maintained. Not a dust to be seen, every bulb of light shining to maximum capacity, all amenities functioning perfectly, the populace cherishes the Hive and took great care in its maintenance. And let's not forget that they are willing to kill for it, as we've seen from the army worth of dead heretics."

"How can we be sure that it's the original populace who committed the deeds?" Amberley asked. "As I've mentioned earlier this Hive have been lost for many millennia, cut off from the rest of the Imperium, their Astronomican call lost to the roiling current of the Warp. Who's to say that human still retain dominion over this planet?"

"And have you uncovered any proof of xeno infiltration?" Greyfax might've been one of the hottest women in the battlegroup, in the strict professor kinda way, but bloody hell she doesn't put any effort into being likable in the least. The flinty regard she gave Amberley, sprinkled with just the right amount of condescension, was almost enough to crack the blonde's mask of civility.

"Not yet," Amberley shook her head. "But I'm sure with you here to help us, we'll soon uncover the enigma that is Somnus Mare, your diligent and singlemindedness will be a great asset to us."

"Now, now Amberley, be nice. You too Greyfax," Laura chuckled and stepped in between the two. "We are all women of the inquisition after all, I'm sure together we'll crack this case open."

"Have you found anything of use?" Greyfax now turned to her.

"Not yet, but I do have updates from the boys and girls below," Laura responded perkily and was very pleased when Greyfax sat up straighter, like Amberley she was hungry for more information. "I'm sure you've heard about the depressed Chaos Marine Damien found?"

"There are more?" Greyfax asked and Laura nodded. "Alive or dead?"

"Dead, all of them," Laura went on. "So far fifteen had been found, including the first."

"That's a disproportionately large number of Chaos Astartes," Amberley joined the conversation, her visage taking on a sharper dimension. "How did they die? Was it suicide like the one Brother Captain Damien found?"

"No, and that's the scary part," Laura sat on the edge of the desk Greyfax occupied. "Preliminary autopsy showed no outward sign of trauma. Beside the decrepit and ancient condition of their power armors, everything was intact. None of the damages were recent."

"Fifteen Traitor Astartes," Greyfax stroked her chin thoughtfully. "From what legions do they hail from?"

"All of them were from the Black Legions," Laura said. "We carbon date them too, and these guys were veterans, as in they were thousands of years old."

"A squad of Astartes can topple civilization, a single Marine against a city is extravagance," Amberley intoned, "but fifteen veteran Marines for a single Hive? This transcends the grandiose into the realm of moronic wastefulness."

"We currently have forty Astartes deployed across the lower level of the Hive, what does that make us then?" Greyfax chuckled and Amberley grinned, Laura very much enjoying the camaraderie, "and the other heretics? Have we made a headcount of the corpses?"

"We're still counting," Laura said. "Currently the number is just shy of twenty thousand."

"And those are the ones we've found so far," Greyfax grunted and tapped her fingers slowly across the tabletop, the tune grim and agitated. "A great Chaos warband has been wiped out on this planet, yet there is no evidence of a battle fought. The manner of death seems to indicate that it was inflicted in close quarter combat, by both subversive and overt means. This tactic has proven effective enough that it prevailed against traitor Astartes, and so far these elusive dealers of death have evaded our detection." Hand balling into fist, Greyfax stood up and swept the library with a critical gaze. "The sun is setting and I doubt the dark will be empty."

"I agree, the sooner we find an answer the better," Amberley squared her shoulders. "What is the nature of the STC again? And where is it sequestered?"

"At the lowest part of the Hive, inside an Ecclesiarchy cathedral at the bottom of the ocean according to the scan," Laura said. "As for the content, this STC is religious in nature. More specifically knowledge of the esoteric and forbidden sort, you know, shite the inquisition bans and kill you for?"

"By the holy Throne," Greyfax shook her head in disgust and made the sign of the aquila. "What kind of fool procures such dangerous texts? What can the Imperium hope to gain from such heresy?"

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Me and my mates already said this before, right?" Laura quoted Sun Tzu, this time without Yuki's derisive snort and constant detraction of anything Chinese. Greyfax was about to make a counterargument when Laura's eyes fell on the row of books behind the lady inquisitor, the leather-bound spines messily placed courtesy of her earlier investigation. "Hang on a minute Greyfax."

Laura strode passed the desk and approached the twenty feet high book case, the metallic construct was fashioned with exquisite flowing curves and swirls, mimicking the never ending cresting waves. Standing on the tip of her toe, and a bit annoyed that her fellow inquisitors did not lend a hand, Laura snatched at one of the books.

"Here we go," Laura placed the large tome on the table and swiftly flipped through the pages as Amberley and Greyfax took their places to either side of her. The proximity made Laura very giddy. "Okay, it's the right book. This, ladies, is the detailed account of the founding of Hive Somnus. We got everything from the head foremen's names, the amount of bolts and screws used, and the time spent before each section is completed."

"And there are useful informations in this ledger?" Amberley asked. Her tone intrigued.

"I think so," Laura swiped through a few pages, stopped, traced her finger over a neat handwritten table of content, and stabbed at a particular line. "Here, this chart listed all the valuable ores and minerals discovered during the initial excavation, things that can later be used to turn a profit. It seems that beside unrefined irons and such, the original settlers also found items classified as relics."

"Did it say what kind of relics?" Amberley asked and Laura slid the book toward her, the blonde nodded her thanks and started reading through the list. "By the Throne, there must be hundreds of the thing."

"This is just one page too," Laura said. "As for what kind, it didn't specify. But I don't think they're holy reliquaries."

"No, they are not," Greyfax reached over to one of the data-slate she was reading earlier, turned the ancient thing on with an effort, and swiped the screen until it reached the display she wanted, "this is the official report from the Bishop of Somnus Mare."

"Were the relics heretical in nature?" Laura scooted closer to Greyfax to get a better look, and realized then how the battlegroup's advance technology had spoiled them badly. Holy hell, the Imperium standard tech was dogshit.

"The Bishop believed so, but later recanted his earlier prognosis," Greyfax tapped the glowing data-slate agitatedly when the digital picture refused to display properly. "The prevailing belief amongst his congregation is that the relics were of alien origin, xeno artifacts."

"Xeno artifacts that were discovered at the bottom of the ocean," Amberley placed the ledger back on the desk. "And not only trinkets too, according to the official manifest the relics varies greatly in size. The smallest being the size of a ring, while the biggest rivaled a residential hab."

"Where are these artifacts now?" Laura asked, liking the intels less and less.

"The same place as the STC," Greyfax continued to tap the uncooperative data-slate with increasing force, but stopped after the screen flickered a bit. Tossing the ancient machine back on the table, Greyfax drew the Condemnor bolter and held it up at the ready. "But one of them is in here with us."

"Where?" Laura and Amberley reached for their sidearms. They were lightly armed for the moment, lacking their heavier and more lethal gears.

"This way," Greyfax took the lead as she walked down one of the six central lanes that bisected the library, all of them meeting at the center of the pagoda, directly under the sky piercing spire. In hindsight Laura should've known that the tall creepy arse cabinet of curiosity stabbed in the middle of the library was a huge red flag, alas the grandeur of the interior had distracted her. Now that she, Greyfax and Amberley was approaching the six meter tall obelisk of gold, etched with exquisite rippling scales and filigrees, Laura couldn't help but feel off putted by the looming construct. The beatific display of smiling faces and frolicking people looked wrong somehow.

"That is very obvious," Amberley shared a goofy look with Laura. "Rather shameful on our parts for not noticing earlier."

"Inaction and idleness is the cause of all physical and mental deterioration," ever the serious one, Greyfax voiced her gloomy observation and pointed the Condemnor bolter at the richly carved cabinet. "Stand back I'm breaking this thing open."

"How about you bloody don't?" Laura stepped in front of Greyfax, face scrunched up to nonverbally communicate her annoyance. "We need to identify the artifact, so maybe not blow it to kingdom come at the first opportunity?"

"Better for it to be destroy," Greyfax shot back but nevertheless lowered her bolter. "The artifact could be the source of the oddity permeating this place."

"You have a point Katarinya," Amberley spoke up, her tone shifting from the pleasant carefree demeanor to one of granite heaviness. "But we are members of the inquisition. Not the guardsmen, not the commissariats, not the Astartes, and not the Sororitas. We are neither hammer nor sword, we are the scalpel that reach into the darkest abyss and cut out the cancer that infests humanity. The artifact in that cabinet will be destroyed, but it is our duty to first understand, process and calculate the scope of the threat."

"Not so deteriorated after all," Greyfax smirked wolfishly and Amberley rolled her eyes. Laura had noticed that although there was no personal ill will between the two women, Greyfax seemed to regard Amberley as being a peg below her, seeing the blonde as one of Ciaphas Cain's many colorful lackeys. "Well then Amberley, how should we proceed?"

"I have some idea," hands on hips, Laura sauntered up to the cabinet of curiosity to get a closer look. Yep, now that she was standing an inch from the thing the happy artistry had morphed into something a hell lot more ominous. Smiles became snarls, limbs stretching and twisting at grotesque angles, and the bipedal forms started to look less and less human. But amongst the uniform wrongness Laura was able to pinpoint several anomalies where the pictures don't align correctly. Seeing the many deliberate abrasions, Laura gave an annoyed groan. "Fucking hell, I hate this fucking Resident Evil puzzle bullshit."

"A puzzle you say?" Amberley leaned in closer and smile when she saw the pictorial irregularities. "Ah yes, I see it now. Got to say, it has been a while since I've indulge in such activities."

"What puzzle?" Greyfax narrowed her eyes on the cabinet then shot Laura and Amberley a suspicious look. "I'm not seeing anything that indicates a hidden mechanism for the cabinet."

"Come over here and get a better look Katarinya, you'll see," under more cliché circumstances Laura would've been snarky and condescending toward Greyfax, belittling the lady inquisitor with funny quips for not seeing such an obvious detail that she herself had so easily found. But for all her childish tendency, Laura wasn't a cunt. Therefore she friendlily took Greyfax by the arm and guided her closer to the cabinet, pointing at a spot until the lady inquisitor's eyes widened in realization. "See that? The carved scenes are not aligned properly with clear deliberation. And if you look closer you can see the little separating lines that I'm sure can be move around."

"Yes Laura, I can see it now," Greyfax nodded her thanks and politely extricate herself from Laura. She then placed her hand on the cabinet's surface, fingers tracing the delicate curves and angles. "I admit I'm not attuned to solving puzzle of such nature, I would greatly appreciate both of your help on this matter."

"We'll be happy too," Amberley bowed and with Laura at her side joined Greyfax, the three inquisitors standing shoulder to shoulder. "Let's us start with this piece first before moving on to the rest, shall we?"

Despite her earlier reservation of having to waste her bloody time with something as banal as a puzzle, Laura had to admit that the activity became a lot more fun when done with others, Amberley and Greyfax were very companionable and intellectually invigorating. After about half an hour Laura, Amberley and Greyfax finally converged on the last misaligned picture. In that time the sun had set completely and the starry canvas was blazing to life.

"Oh look, a little mermaid," Laura observed with a smirk, "no seashell bra, this I support completely."

"I seem to recall coming across a xeno species with similar physical attribute," Amberley chuckled as she rearranged the carving. "Nothing so gaudy or beautiful I assure you, because I recall how those things looked more like mutated primate."

"A shame that," Laura went to help Amberley with the other pieces, Greyfax pitching in a heartbeat later and together they untangled the watery vista of the cabinet of curiosity. "What happened to them? Please tell me you didn't eat them with Ciaphas."

"Alas I was denied the opportunity of dining on such an exotic morsel," Amberley winked cheekily at Laura. "During the terraforming the ocean they inhabited was boiled into a desert, nothing but bleached bones remained when I made planetfall, although I believe a few survived in a zoo in the Ultramar system."

"We might have just stumbled upon the cousins of those xenos," Greyfax was turning the last block of iron but stopped a few inches shy of completing the picture. Her hand never leaving the cabinet, Greyfax turned to Laura and Amberley with a steely gaze. "Prepare yourself. The artifact might not be the only thing inside."

"Say no more," Laura drew her laspistol, twirled it pretty around her finger and pointed it forward. Amberley swiftly went to stand on Greyfax right, sidearm pointed unwavering at the cabinet. "The moment you complete the carving jump back immediately. I think an unlocking mechanism will be activated before the cabinet opens. When you're ready, love."

Greyfax nodded and turned the last few inches. Just as Laura anticipated loud clicks of locks falling into places resounded from where the carving were correctly aligned, the artistry of the cabinet melding seamlessly until none of the abrasions remained. Stepping back from the towering construct, Greyfax pointed her Condemnor bolter forward when the twinkling tune of a music box rolled from the cabinet.

"Creepy, but not unexpected," Laura stiffened when the front panel of the cabinet, after the ghostly lullaby ended, parted a sliver and a line of soft yellow light bisected the façade right down the middle. Trading looks with Amberley and Greyfax and finding the pair firm in body and countenance, Laura holstered her laspistol and reached for the opening. "Can you two pray for me a bit? In case there's a daemon waiting inside."

"I prefer to put my faith in las and bolts," Amberley gave Greyfax an apologetic face. "No offense meant Katarinya."

"None taken Amberley. Despite what Celestine might say, I'll always put more stock in firepower than prayer," Greyfax flicked off the safety of her Condemnor bolter. "When you're ready Laura, I got your back."

"Alright, no more stalling," Laura hyped herself up with quick rolls of shoulders then grabbed a partition and drew it back. Warm pleasant light greeted her, the illumination bright enough to reveal the object inside while not being a bother on the eyes. But fucking hell, Laura did not like the centerpiece at all. "Oh fucking God Emperor, you can't be bloody serious."

"What is it?" Amberley stepped forward as Laura grabbed the small statue and drew it out of the cabinet of curiosity. The greenish black idol was rough in dimension and coarse to the touch, but beside the physical irritation she felt nothing out of the ordinary. "Ugly looking thing, I don't believe I've ever seen anything like that before."

"I have."

Okay, that was the last thing Laura expected to hear from Greyfax.

"Really?" Laura held the statue up to Greyfax. It was a grotesque thing of blasphemous design, a rendition conjured by a mind that had forsaken sanity, for only the most abhorrent can mold clay into a horrid amalgamation of man, dragon and octopus. "You've seen this?"

"Yes," Greyfax relieved Laura of the idol, turning it this way and that in her palm. "And so have you I presume?"

"Oh yeah," Laura wiped her hand on her trouser then waved at Greyfax. "But I'm a lot more interested in what you have to say. The floor's all yours Greyfax, I wonder if our knowledge will align."

"I sincerely hope it would," Greyfax narrowed her eyes on the abominable statue. "It was many years ago, before my imprisonment at the hand of Trazyn. I was call to investigate an emergence of a heretical cult, the modus operandi unlike anything previously recorded by the Imperium of Man. The star system my inquisitorial taskforce entered was called Volec."

"The one in the northern reaches of Segmentum Ultima," Amberley started in alarm, the blonde clearly recognized the name, "just ten light years from the Ghoul Stars."

"Indeed," Greyfax nodded coldly, her eyes betrayed nothing by grim recollection. "When my retinue made planetfall everything appeared mundane enough, the lord governor greeted us with the correct ceremony and the service conducted at the temple of the God Emperor went without a problem. But the beatific veneer cannot fool me, for beneath the smile I can see the lurking rot seeping through every pore on their faces."

"I almost feel sorry for those bastards," Laura was reminded then that Greyfax was a psyker in her own right, although not anywhere near as powerful as the Aeldari or Lydia of the Antari Rifle. Her perk being that she can tell when someone was lying. "What did you find when you got to the bottom of things?"

"The cult had successfully and completely infested the Volec system," Greyfax went on. "In the end we summoned the Adepta Sororitas and the Deathwatch to help purify the system. After the populace was eradicated I personally ordered Exterminatus on every planet."

"What was the nature of the cult, if such severe response was needed?" Amberley asked. "Were they aligned with one of the four Chaos Gods?"

"They were not, which was why the Deathwatch was summoned, because this cult was of alien nature," Greyfax said. "The cultists worship an entity known as the Gate Keeper. They also have another name for the creature, it's…"

"Yog-Sothoth," Laura entered the conversation and Greyfax nodded slowly, "he who is the gate and the key and the guardian of the past, the present and the future."

"Correct Laura, down to the very letter of the heretic's scripture," Greyfax was impressed and Laura beamed from the compliment, even if it was tinged with a healthy serving of suspicion. "So you have encountered this blasphemous religion before?"

"On a much smaller scale," Laura folded her hands behind her back and affected a look of deep recollection, topped off with a weary sigh that bespoke of bad memories. She had always been proud of her acting skill. "It was one of my first inquisitorial assignments, a mining colony on some backwater planet. It was a graceless affront to the Imperium, an uprising that bathed the earth in crimson as opposed to the Volec system more nuisance approach."

"And this is what Yog-Sothoth looks like?" Amberley inquired and leaned closer to take a look at the statue in Greyfax's hand. "Ugly bugger, isn't he?"

"That's not Yog-Sothoth," Laura shook her head. "Yog-Sothoth is but one of many in a pantheon of eldritch gods. No, the one in Greyfax's hand is called Cthulhu."

"When I was conducting my purge in the Volec system, this particular deity was prominently found on an ice moon and the surrounding asteroids. If I remember correctly this Cthulhu is associated with water in one way or another," Greyfax turned to Laura. "I presume your operation went similarly to mine?"

"Oh yeah, the characteristic of the cult was identical. The Cthulhu worshippers I killed were inside a flooded cavern," Laura's face went grim then, the gaze she cast across the library was no longer of awe and admiration. All she saw now was corruption and abhorrence hidden beneath veneer of gold and light, a flimsy mask that was already losing its allure. "And we might have just stumbled upon a nest that is bigger than our two operations combined."

"And the heretics still eludes us," Greyfax coiled her hand tight around the Condemnor bolter, her body taut and ready for action, "any idea on how to proceed?"

"This library must be secured and occupied immediately," Amberley spoke up sternly and with authority. "The knowledge in here is valuable to the battlegroup."

"The knowledge in here is heretical," Greyfax shot Amberley a dangerous look. "To even waste a single second more on these blasphemous texts will only drag us deeper into the mire of corruption."

"Have a little faith Katarinya," Greyfax's eyes twitched irritably from Amberley's not so subtle barb. "We have faced challenges greater than this, and I thought you of all people would understand the concept of purity."

"Alright, that's quite enough out of the both you for fuck sake," Laura stepped in between the two women, because this was seriously not the time for a catfight, no matter how hot the prospect might be. "There could be fucking cultists watching us this very moment, so can you please put a break on the tits measuring contest?!"

Unlike the Sororitas and Aeldari, Amberley and Greyfax disengaged from the confrontation, clearly ashamed by the very unprofessional outburst.

"That was very disgraceful of me," Amberley pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head in self-reprimand. "I'm sorry Katarinya, I should've had a better grip on myself but I make no excuses. I humbly beg for your forgiveness."

"There is nothing to forgive Amberley. I wasn't blameless either, I know how my temperament grate others," Greyfax waved her off friendlily. "Save those frustrations for your showdown with lady commissar Raine, I've already put some credit into your name."

"She'll win love, I trained her," Laura chuckled, pleased that the confrontation ended amiably with laughter and smiles, a very rare thing in this universe. "Now that you two aren't gonna start throwing hands, I suggest we go to Celestine and Isha. This is the kinda intel they need to know."

"I agree," Greyfax shoved the Cthulhu idol into her awesome inquisitor coat and followed Laura down the corridor of bookshelves, Amberley matching steps beside her. The lady inquisitor then narrowed her eyes on the surrounding books. "What is to be done with this place then?"

"Amberley is right, the library is too valuable to destroy," Laura said. "The best thing we can do is station a few squads of Battle Sisters and a cadre of Farseers and their bodyguards here. They can squeeze more info from the place and use them to help us kill the heretics."

"Now that you put the plan into context, I found it very agreeable," Greyfax nodded at Amberley. "Again, I apologize for dismissing your advice earlier."

"We can't all be perfect," Amberley winked as the trio reached the glass elevator situated on the south facing side of the spire. She pressed the button, fashioned into the likeness of a naga eating its own tail, and waited for the elevator to ascend. "Where is Celestine and Isha at the moment?"

"Fifty stories below us," Greyfax was very quick with her answer, "in the garden temple at the base of the pagoda."

"Have the Sisters of Battle and Aeldari found anything yet?" Laura asked. "What have they been doing in the mean time?"

"Celestine has been performing sanctification sacraments on holy sites across the Hive," Greyfax answered. "So far she, Isha and the canonesses have detected no anomaly."

"Yeah, when does that ever last?" Laura made a very punchable face as the elevator arrived, the transparent door slid soundlessly open to reveal a circular interior of seamless crystal. The massive cylinder of flawless glass gave the illusion of floating in the air. "Come on, we better get there before something bad happens."

"A grim but very healthy mindset," Amberley said and the trio stepped inside. The elevator closed and descended, the speed pleasant with no discomfort to the ears. A gasp escaped the blonde inquisitor's lip, her visage one of unhidden awe. "This place may be heretical, but there is no denying that the view is magnificent."

Amberley wasn't kidding. Even Greyfax cracked a faint smile as the trio beheld how the night had transformed the ocean of Somnus Mare. What in day time had been an infinity of rolling turquoise merging with the perfect cerulean sky has changed into rippling velvet black that moved with silken softness. The ebon was not absolute for it shared dominion with the great silver moon and the gossamer canvas sparkling with uncountable stars. Laura felt as if she was floating in a dream, where ocean and sky merged into a perfect whole, an ethereal sanctum of stars and planets. With a simple mechanical ding reality reasserted itself. The sudden return to mundanity was so crushing that Laura honestly felt angry, the ephemeral wonderland shattered to reveal nothing but bleak dullness.

"I'm actually upset an elevator ride came to an end, bloody hell," Laura adjusted her awesome inquisitor coat and snorted when Amberley and Greyfax grunted their agreement. "I suppose we can go up and down several more times before heading to Celestine."

"We are not children Laura," Greyfax stepped outside the elevator with a groan, blatantly ignoring the giggling Laura and Amberley as they fell into steps behind her. Unlike the library, the pagoda open air ground floor was bustling with activity, pillboxes studded with heavy guns and military tents can be seen at frequent intervals. One such tent was occupied by a group of Martyred Lady and Ulthwe Guardians. The nuns and elves stood up straight at the sight of the approaching inquisitors.

"At ease," Greyfax held up her hand and the tent relaxed, but not by much. The lady inquisitor's hardarse reputation preceded her. "The library has information that can help us with our operation, but the books and tomes are heretical in nature. I want the Sisters of Battle and a retinue of Farseers to oversee the data collection. Document everything that can be found, we'll send more instructions later."

"Yes mam!"

The Battle Sisters and Guardians announced heartily and ran in the direction the three inquisitors had emerged from.

"It's nice to see humans and eldars working harmoniously together," Amberley observed with a smile then glanced at the many corridors and archways around them. "Should've asked them where Celestine and Isha were."

"Down this passageway over here," Greyfax took the lead, the trio entering a spacious corridor bathed in comfortable orange light that lit up the uninterrupted murals adorning the two walls. Laura remembered pictures of Wat Prakaew and the Ramakien mural Tangmo had shown her, and the artistic rendition flanking her was near identical to the famed landmark of Thailand. It was a singular canvas filled to the brim with lively and colorful characters and vistas, and as Laura walked down the passageway the inanimate pictures appeared to dance and carouses, an illusion of movement that was both awe-inspiring and eerie. So enraptured by the mural that Laura almost bumped into Amberley as they entered a large area of refreshing green, and holy shit did everything in this freaking Hive had to be so fucking pretty? It was a garden of manicured lawn and flowers and orchids of startlingly bright color, here and there stood statues of alluring maidens, while tiny streams of twinkling crystal clear water flowed into large waterways which separated each patch of green into their own private islands. The canals were big enough to accommodate a gondola or two, bridges of red and gold arched over the still water.

"I am continuously impressed by the grandeur of this Hive," Amberley commented as they headed toward the Southeast Asian style temple situated on the largest island at the center of the garden. As they crested the bridge Laura saw Celestian Battle Sisters and Howling Banshees patrolling the perimeter, the nuns and elves clashing greatly with the palm trees and blossoming Dendrobiums. "Celestine and Isha must be nearby."

"I don't like it," Greyfax marched across the cobblestone path, the red slit glares the Celestians cast her way were decidedly unfriendly, "there are too many people."

"The safety of both Celestine and Isha is paramount to the battlegroup," Amberley quirked a confused brow. "I thought you of all people would be happy with this arrangement."

"Nah, I understand why Greyfax isn't really digging the set up," Laura said, nearer to the temple they could hear conversation drifting from the archway entrance and the many high windows. "This is basically announcing to the enemies that someone important is in the area. Please attack if you happen to be passing by!"

"The enemies must be foolish to the extreme to attack such a fortified position," Amberley commented as they stepped through the entrance and into a brightly lit pillared hall. The place could easily accommodate a few King Russes but currently entertained only a handful of occupants. Those in attendance were Celestine, Isha, Isha's retinue, the canonesses, Miriya's Celestians and Firnera's Howling Banshees. And the two godly women were arguing. "Oh my, not at all what I want to see."

"What has happened?" Greyfax announced as she approached the verbal confrontation, prompting Celestine and Isha to stop quarreling as they turned to face the lady inquisitor. The canonesses offered Greyfax varying degrees of annoyance and derisiveness. "Have there been trouble?"

"Apparently that depends on perspective," Celestine shot Isha an unfriendly sideway glace.

"I'll stand by my words," Isha retorted snappishly, unwilling to back down from Celestine.

"Settle down ladies, this is absolutely the wrong time to be having a spat," not one to be beholden by politeness, Laura stepped into the conversation before the nuns and elves can start flinging wasted words at each other. "Right, now, what has gotten both your knickers in a twist?"

"Isha believes that our prayer to the God Emperor harbors ill portent," Celestine spoke up and Isha consented to letting her go first with a sharp nod. "Ever since arriving on this planet the blessing of the God Emperor had never felt so potent, the light from Holy Terra shinning brighter than a newborn sun."

"And that is what worries me," Isha now pressed her case, and a sharp look from Celestine silenced the canonesses from voicing any protest. Although currently standing on opposite divide, it was clear the respect between the Living Saint and the Aeldari goddess was undiminished. "It should not be this easy to invoke blessing from the God Emperor."

"You dare to question our faith?" Being the only person not cowered by Celestine's wordless warning, Bellona made her counter remark. "To know the warmth of the God Emperor is not something you would understand."

"I am a goddess, canoness Bellona. On matters of divinity I know a great deal," Isha's posture might be stiff but her tone was iron, surprising many within the audience. "And I am not questioning your faith, what I am questioning is the state of the Immaterium itself. When had the Warp ever been so calm?"

"Wait a minute, hold up," Laura stepped forward with a raised hand, right on time too because the bloodthirsty canonesses were about to open a barrage of admonition on Isha. "What do you mean the Warp is calm? As in, it's a not a hellscape filled with daemons and shite?"

"That is what I'm saying, more or less," Isha fidgeted uncomfortably from Laura's colorful vocabularies. "I have existed since the War in Heaven, I have survived the birth of Slaanesh and the subsequent millennia, and I have never seen the Immaterium so peaceful, no lurking hellish entities or roiling current of madness. All I feel is serenity."

"You made it sounds like a bad thing," Laura quirked a brow, because like everyone who was listening she was rather confused by Isha's trepidation. Even the Aeldari were perplexed by the goddess's statement. "I mean, I might not be Warp savvy like Lita, but shouldn't a calm Immaterium be a good thing? Unless I'm missing something here."

"This is not a serenity that invites contentment," Isha locked eyes with Celestine, her gaze was unyielding yet at the same time pleading. "Please Celestine you know that I speak true. The Chaos spawns had fled from this part of the Empyrean, something had chased them away. I beg you Celestine, this is the truth."

Celestine narrowed her steely eyes on Isha but the Aeldari goddess refused to back down, both uncompromising in their positions regarding the Immaterium current peculiarity. After a tense minute Celestine exhaled heavily and closed her eyes, easily falling into a meditative trance where her mind went into the accursed plane of the Warp.

"I found nothing," Celestine spoke up after a few minutes, the sternness from before lessening somewhat as she looked at the expectant Isha. "All was clean and empty, the horror of the Immaterium nowhere to be seen. But I'm willing to concede that the encompassing tranquility was strange, such phenomena warrant a closer look. I believe the blessing of the God Emperor can help us get to the bottom of this."

"Could this have something to do with the gods that infest this place?" Amberley spoke up and instantly became the focus of attention, grim silence answered her announcement as everyone waited for the blonde to continue. "The reason we are here is because a significant discovery has been made pertaining to the nature of Hive Somnus."

"We found this in a reliquary," Greyfax reached into her awesome inquisitor coat and withdrew the Cthulhu figurine. Celestine and Isha's reaction was immediate, the Living Saint summoned the Ardent Blade while the Aeldari goddess slipped behind her with a squeak. "This thing is a god."

"Put that down Greyfax, now!" Greyfax flinched from the booming command but complied and placed the idol down on a nearby table. Seeing the usually collected Celestine shouting was extremely alarming. Before Greyfax can say anything Celestine suddenly seized her head, the gauntleted grip glowing white bright. No one dared uttered a sound, few forgetting to breathe as the minute stretched painfully on, until finally Celestine let the startled Greyfax go with a relieved sigh. "You're clean, thank the God Emperor."

"Do me next! Me, me, me!" Celestine awarded Laura's enthusiasm with a quick touch to the forehead that lasted for a paltry five seconds before repeating the same ministration on Amberley. "That's it!?"

"None of you are tainted," Celestine nodded sharply then pointed the Ardent Blade at the dragon octopus idol. "You were lucky the power inside that statue is dormant."

"And in low quantity too, the energy inside is comparable to a candle, enough to illuminate but achieving little else besides," Isha slipped away from the safety of Celestine's back and approached the Cthulhu statue, her movement was of a scaredy cat who couldn't stop her own curious compulsion. "I've…never seen anything like that before."

"Neither have I," Celestine joined Isha. "But the power inside it is hostile, and curious."

"What is this idol?" Canoness Galatea turned sharply at the three inquisitors, the gilded bolter already in her hand.

"It is an eldritch god known as Cthulhu," Laura told the canoness and clasped her hands behind her back, striking an appropriately intimidating inquisitorial pose. She almost cracked a smile when Galatea remained silent. "Me and Greyfax had run afoul of their likes before, but in smaller capacity."

"To which of the Ruinous powers are they aligned with?" Firnera the Banshee spoke up, hand already clasping the grip of her Aeldari katana. The eldar's enthusiasm to confront this new foe earned her grunts of respect from the Sororitas. "She Who Thirsts? Khorne? Nurgle? Tzeentch?"

"This batch of evil god holds no allegiance to the Chaos Gods," Laura shrugged apologetically. "They are an independent collective so to speak."

"Then their eradication should be an easy affair," Morelia of the Valorous Heart piped up and the room was quick to agree with her.

"I would advise cautious, lady canoness," Greyfax spoke up much to the ire of the gathered nuns. "Laura and I have fought them before and they are formidable. And let us not forget that they've just annihilated a Black Legion warband and had remained elusive to the battlegroup's scrutiny."

"Could this cult be related to Isha's earlier concern?" Amberley spoke up and this latest observation made Laura extremely nervous. "Are they responsible for this anomaly within the Warp?"

"That is a possibility," Laura gave herself a mental pat on the back for managing to hide how ungodly freaked out she was right now, because Amberley totally hit the nail on the head and enlightened her on how fucked the situation truly was. See, the first edition of Warhammer 40,000 came out in 1987, but the first cosmic horror story written by Howard Phillip Lovecraft, entitled Dagon, was published by the Vagrant magazine on a dark November night of 1919. Being the progenitor of the cosmic horror subgenre and an inspiration to countless other literary works, the pantheon of abominable deities created by HP Lovecraft were some of the most powerful motherfuckers across the multiverse. In hindsight it should not come as a surprise at all why the Warp in this particular area was calm and devoid of eldritch abominations, because the great granddaddy of all eldritch abominations was operating in the area. For the love of God, the Chaos Gods themselves were heavily inspired by Lovecraftian horror, Tzeentch especially with all the creepy tentacles and eyeballs and shite.

And now the Immortal Spirit battlegroup was about to go up against the OG gods of cosmic horror, fucking great, almost made her missed Godzilla by comparison.

"I found that to be very unlikely," Isha had a thoughtful look on her face as she contemplated the hypothesis put forward by Amberley. "If this is some minor unaligned deity like the skaven's Horned Rat then they shouldn't be able inflicts such a significant influence upon the Immaterium. Even at the apex of our power, we of the Aeldari pantheon were not able interact with the Warp to such a magnitude."

"Nor did the God Emperor," if anybody beside Celestine had said those words the canonesses would've given the poor individual an extremely long and painful death. As it stands, the Living Saint's statement was met with solemn, reluctant nods from the nuns. Exhaling heavily, Celestine placed her free hand on her hips and glanced around the temple. "Since the discovery of the dead Chaos Astartes I have been perturbed. In all my years of fighting and dying for the Imperium I have never once seen such clean death administered upon the Traitor Legion. The peculiarity of the conflict that had occurred before our arrival, and now the discovery of these new enemies, has changed the scope and goal of our mission. The cult that infests Somnus Mare must be found and destroy with extreme prejudice."

"I agree," Isha nodded firmly but couldn't stop a shiver of fear that followed a few heartbeats later. "This new foe is an enigma to all of us, and it is not a mystery I wish to learn in depth."

"It is a good thing we have experts on this subject then," ibhubesi Naledi of the Golden Pride grinned toothily at Laura. "I'm sure you and your companions are already aware of this development?"

"That reminds me, where is Yuki and Nikki…"

"Here."

Laura leapt off the ground with a shrilly squeal and would've entered orbit if it wasn't for Somnus Mare's gravity. Breathing heavily, heart hammering faster than a Death Metal song, Laura rounded on Yuki and Nikki who had silently appeared behind her. The Japanese and Ukrainian exarch's shit eating grins were like gigantic flashing signs that say 'punch me in the fucking face!'.

"If things weren't about to go tits up, I would've socked you two bastards," Laura growled and folded her arms over her chest. "Where were you two anyway?"

"Checking the defenses around the central Angkor Wat pagoda," Yuki explained. "Everything is in tiptop shape in case you're wondering. If things spiral out of control, as it always seems to do, we'll be ready."

"Confidence is half the battle won," Laura knew her nervous smile was not inspiring confidence in the least. "Did you happen to catch our conversation before jump scaring me?"

"We just heard Celestine declaring that she would kick some serious ass," Nikki spoke up and narrowed her eyes on Laura. "What did we miss?"

"Eldritch gods," Laura did not beat around the bushes and got straight to the point, Yuki and Nikki articulated their shocks with wide bulging eyes. "Yep, eldritch gods, in this part of the Imperium, localized entirely within this planet."

"…Can I see them?" Yuki asked and made a pretty good effort at affecting nonchalance.

"That's the problem, we don't know where they are," Laura shrugged then waved at the temple's beatific interior. "But if I was to make an educated guess they're close, so close they could potentially be watching us right now."

"At least they'll get to see something pretty before they die," Nikki smirked and the room full of pretty women chuckled lowly, but the Ukrainian exarch became solemn a nanosecond later. "Are you sure it's the eldritch gods? What are we looking at right now, Cthulhu?"

"Oh yeah, it's Cthulhu," Laura pointed at the table and Yuki and Nikki closed in on the abominable idol of greenish blasphemous stone. The Japanese and Ukrainian exarch made disgusted faces but was otherwise more composed than Celestine and Isha. "Straight outta of Providence, I swear to the God Emperor."

"Yikes, not the kinda update I want when walking in here," Yuki wasn't happy in the least, frowning as she backed away from the idol and placed her palm on the pommel of her Aeldari katana. "And here I thought it was some splintered esoteric Chaos cultists, like Malal or some other goddamn things we're more familiar with. Shit, I'll gladly take on the Four Bitches instead of this. We haven't seen them in a while."

"Perhaps Syrathel and her cohort were attached to this warband and their corpses are somewhere under the sea," Galatea said poisonously. "One can dream."

"If I've learned anything since joining the battlegroup, it's that things won't ever be easy for us," Laura rolled her eyes good-naturedly and tapped her earbud. "Yo Tangmo, you there dude? Have the crushing thalassophobia made you go insane and kill everyone yet?"

"I'm getting there," all things considered Tangmo sounded mentally hale, but there was a very clear uncomfortable edge to his voice. "So far I'm able to keep my shit from falling apart, I'm a freaking commissar for fuck sake and I have a reputation to keep. And if I lose it Cain and Raine are gonna laugh at me, can't have that, no fucking way."

"What about Leilatha?" Laura continued with her teasing.

"I just shook my head in annoyance and disappointment," Tangmo's girlfriend made her deadpanned reply. "He won't let the current malady interfere with our mission. You have my words on that."

"Leila's making sure I take my meds on time," Tangmo chuckled, his timbre moderately concerning.

"That's a joke right?" Laura needed to be sure and pressed her question. "Have you been taking drugs?"

"No I'm not, that's a joke dude relax," Tangmo waved her off and dropped his voice to a more serious octave. "Thanks for checking in on me Laura, I really appreciate it, but I have a nagging suspicion that this wasn't purely a social call. What did you find?"

"I need you to strap yourself down and hold on to your butt mate, this one is a doozy," Laura turned to Yuki and Nikki, continuing only after the Japanese and Ukrainian exarch nodded the go ahead. "We just found out who were responsible for killing the heretics and the Chaos Marines. It's a cult dedicated to the eldritch gods, more specifically a cult dedicated to Cthulhu."

Tangmo went radio silence and Laura felt every muscle in her body going taut, the sentiment was shared around the temple as everyone held their collective breath and braced for the Thai commissar to go completely berserk from the news. The canonesses and the Celestians were starting to make bets on how badly Tangmo would react when he spoke up, "who else?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Okay, so, Laura honestly thought Tangmo would spontaneously combust and unleashed an uninterrupted stream of English and Thai curses so vile that it would make Malcolm Tucker wept with pride. Seeing the Thai commissar calm and collected was a very welcomed surprise. "I need you to clarify things a bit mate, what do you mean who else?"

"Cthulhu isn't the only eldritch god dude, and usually when you find one others will follow," Tangmo pressed on. "Who else is here? Father Dagon? Mother Hydra? Yog-Sothoth? Shub-Niggurath?"

"Only Cthulhu so far mate, me and my inquisitor girlfriends found his creepy arse idol in the library," Laura winked cheekily at Amberley and Greyfax. "But you're right, more will be revealed in the coming hours."

"How can I help?" Tangmo asked.

"Put everyone on high alert and be ready for anything," Laura stared outside and just now noticed that despite the glittering starry cosmos dominating the sky, Somnus Mare was darker than fucking Hades. "The sun just went down, and we all know how creepy shite get when night comes."

"Couldn't agree more," Tangmo was nodding on the other end. "I'll tell the troops to double the patrol and double the manpower. Good luck up there Laura."

"Thanks mate, you too," Laura terminated the transmission and spun around to face the main characters. "Tally ho ladies, time to get busy. Isha will remain in the temple and we'll triple the defenses in this area." Laura locked eyes with Isha. "Can your power be used to perceive things of the paranormal nature?"

"It can," Isha stated firmly, the posture she adopted was queenly and stern. "I'll warn you if any anomalies occur."

"Much obliged your eminence," Laura tipped her awesome inquisitor hat then addressed the main characters. "Our mission is clear, kill anything that's not us and be ready for an imminent attack. These eldritch cultists might get cocky after taking out the Chaos warband, but they're not facing some shitty heretics this time. Oh no, they're facing us! And we're gonna make them extinct!"

Laura very much enjoyed the ovation the nuns and elves were giving her, even some of the canonesses were joining in.

"That's what I want to hear! God Emperor and Isha speed ladies, let none survive!" With the expected vigor the Sororitas and the Aeldari went to task with conviction and speed.

"I love it when you got all inspirational," Yuki sidled up beside Laura and threw a loving arm around her shoulders. "What's next for us though?"

"Contacting Lita, Damien, Henry and Erik, they need to know what kinda massive fuck we've just stumbled into," Laura took out her data-pad and typed quickly across the screen. "Something tells me the deeper you go, the scarier things are gonna be."