The thought of my so-called Patron having feelings for me made my blood run cold(1). That sort of fear was just as good as recaf for keeping me awake, and since I really didn't want to go back to the Warp, I decided to busy myself with paperwork. Jurgen, ever-helpful, sat down nearby and helped out. It must have been half an hour or so of busywork to keep my mind off of Jurgens wild and outlandish claims of Slaanesh actually having FEELINGS, and then Broklaw knocked on my door.
"Commissar? You're being called. There are some people waiting to see you." He explained, glancing over my new uniform after Jurgen got up and opened the door. I'd have done it myself personally, but Jurgen was as always insistent upon doing all of the small bits of work he saw as being beneath my dignity. Potentially insane in his seeming belief that the Dark Whore was some misunderstood maiden or not, I really didn't deserve Jurgen.
"Is Jurgen allowed to meet with these people?" I asked, looking up from the reams of parchment I was going over. The supply lists filled me with concern. Was 'Cainwater' what I THOUGHT it was? And if so, why did the 609th have nearly three hundred gallons worth of the stuff?! It seemed as though I'd need to have a word with Divas about the former 12th's procurement practices upon Perlia.
"No, sir." Broklaw admitted to my question. I got a chuckle out of that response.
"You know you don't have to call me sir, right Major?" Broklaw just grinned sheepishly and shrugged, but in truth I appreciated the gesture. It meant a lot that the 609th and its officers held me in such esteem. Still, if people wanted to see me, best not keep them waiting, or at least that was my thought as I stood from my desk and began to make my way out. "Very well. Jurgen? Take a break." I heard the booting up of one of his pornoslates before I had even closed the door, and made my way to wherever Broklaw was leading me. It wasn't a place of opulence and degeneracy; on the contrary, there were strong flickers of faith and a sense of duty permeating what I realized was a conference room in the Guard's headquarters. It warmed my heart that the commanders were faithful to the God-Emperor, and not faithful to whatever would earn them more glory(2). Donali was leaning on the wall beside the door I'd just entered through, Broklaw remaining behind.
"Ah, Commissar. It's good to see you." The worn-out looking diplomat said, yawning. I doubted he'd gotten any sleep, as he was still wearing the robes I'd seen him in last night. "Please, come in." With that, he led me into the briefing room. I was assaulted by the sloth emanating from the area, not from laziness but from exhaustion. It seemed as though Donali wasn't the only one that had been working through the night to keep things from becoming completely frakked. There were several high-ranking members of the Imperial High Command here, with more rank insignias and medals than I'd ever witnessed before. But then I felt it, a 'scent' in the Warp like a tasty morsel hidden behind a spiny shell. A Psyker, much like the young boy I'd hopefully saved. My hands went to the Aquila, ensuring it was still there; Illric had said he felt unease around me, but it was masked by the Aquila. Hopefully the Psyker would be similarly affected, as I didn't want them screaming their head off about a daemon in the midst of all these high ranking Guard officers. I followed the 'scent' trail, and eventually saw her. She was surrounded by minor daemons, likely only visible to her. Honestly, I didn't much care for the presence of others of my kind, and didn't much want them playing 'Poke the Psyker' in an effort to make her lose control while I was around. Hand around my Aquila, I marched up to her, staring at the daemons that were staring right back at me in fear.
"Be banished in the Name of The Emperor." I growled, locking eyes with them, which confused many of the people around me. The daemons got the memo, however, and ran screaming as if The Emperor Himself was after them. The Psyker stared at me in confusion, even as she sagged in relief from no longer being tormented by the Warp entities.
"Why do you Glow with His Light, yet still my soul feels fear?" She asked me, voice soft and eyes cautious. I ignored her, and turned to look at the man with all the medals and service ribbons, Lord General Zyvan. He was the supreme commander of this expedition, and thus the one all of us answered to, not to mention one of the best generals in the sector. He was currently turned away, talking to someone. I turned back to Donali.
"How bad was it after my exit?" I asked, dreading the answer. Based upon his sour look, I was right to anticipate the near worst.
"The guards couldn't hit the broad side of an Apocalypse, and half their guns didn't even work." Donali replied, scowling. Considering that no soldier worth their salt would willingly carry such antiquated weaponry as I had seen wielded by the palace guards, with such gaudy ornamentation and gilded but otherwise useless armor, I wasn't surprised.
"That bad, huh?" I commiserated with a wince.
"Worse. Thank goodness you got the ambassador out…" He grumbled, rubbing his tired eyes in agitation and exhaustion in equal measure. "The PDF barely managed to get to us in time." It looked like he'd have continued on, but now the Lord General was looking at us.
"Commissar Ciaphas Cain." He said, staring right at me with a measured look.
"Lord General." I replied, saluting him. I may not have technically needed to salute him, but from what I was feeling off of his soul, Zyvan was a man deserving of every scrap of respect he was owed and more. He kept his eyes on me for a long minute before nodding, seemingly satisfied with whatever he'd seen.
"At ease." The Lord General replied gently, and I dropped the salute as commanded. He smiled crookedly, looking me in the eye. "I have heard a great many things about you, Commissar."
"All of them good, I hope." I replied somewhat cheekily, returning his smile to show good humor. Zyvan seemed the sort to appreciate setting the formalities aside whenever possible. I could appreciate that in a leader of soldiers.
His crooked smile grew into a smirk. "Well, there's the Eldar and the number of fronts that their joining the Imperium has closed. And much more recently, I received a request for commendations for you from the Tau over, and I quote 'Willingness to risk life and limb to prevent the spillage of innocent blood'."
"Oh." Was all I said, flushing in embarrassment over the praise. "Thank you."
"Your actions last night almost certainly prevented an open war for the planet from breaking out." Zyvan stated plainly. "I shudder to know what would have happened had you not been there."
"His fate is unbound. There is no action unopened to him. There is no direction he cannot take." The Psyker interjected, as if her ramblings made perfect sense(3).
"That would be Rakel." Zyvan explained apologetically. "Forgive her. She's a Psyker, her mind is strained from what they have to deal with."
"The Perils of the Warp." I replied. "I hoped to alleviate her pain. Did I?" I asked her, turning briefly from the Lord General. She nodded, still confused, and I nodded back in satisfaction before turning back to Zyvan. "Good. Are the Tau still willing to negotiate?"
Zyvan nodded, in a good mood; it was natural, as nobody appreciates avoiding an unneeded fight quite as much as an experienced man of war. "Absolutely. This puts us in a positive position, and prevents us from being stuck in a quagmire here. Though I doubt that this was just the action of some misguided Loyalists."
"What do you mean?" I asked the Lord-General, feeling my palms begin to itch. In response he inclined his head towards the woman who was still staring at me in confusion.
"Rakel here is part of an Inquisitor's retinue. We were informed that the rumors were accurate when she showed up with an Inquisitor's Seal." As if to remind us all that she was present, said Psyker began mumbling again.
"There is a conspiracy afoot. You will know when we have found it. Do you have cake?" Zyvan pointed towards the refreshment table, and Rakel immediately skipped over to go gorge herself.
"As I was saying; the simple fact of the matter is that none of the Loyalists would do this, save for perhaps the most fanatical. A war for the planet wouldn't do much good. The planet isn't worth the blood we'd have to pay for it." He explained grimly. Another Commissar might have protested that every inch of the Emperor's Domain was worth fighting for, but I happened to agree with Zyvan. He pulled up a map of the nearby systems. "As you can see here, the Tau surround us, and the only supply line is this thin stretch of planets." The Lord General elaborated, pointing out the areas which were helpfully marked in different colors. "If war broke out, we'd have to secure those supply lines."
"What of the Webway?" I asked, curious. The other man just stared at me blankly.
"The what?" Zyvan asked, thrown off by the unfamiliar term. Right, while he'd no doubt worked with the Oathsworn in the past year, he likely hadn't had the chance to sit down and talk with one at length. I was reminded once more of how fortunate I was to have Illric along explaining everything about his people and their culture and technology to me.
"It's what the Eldar use for transportation. It's much more secure than Warp travel, a labyrinth of tunnels and passages walled off from the Warp. At least that's what my regiment's assigned Ranger, Illric, tells me."
"...I don't know whether to laugh or to lunge across this table and kiss you on the lips." Zyvan said in a complete deadpan. Fortunately he seemed disinclined to carry out the latter, as I still had a certain blonde with the most beautiful singing voice on my mind. "That would certainly help with the supply issues. But we'd need to make sure that this planet is accessible by this… Webway."
"I'm sure that the Eldar would know." I said, shrugging at my lack of knowledge. I'd be sure to ask Illric if there was a Webway gate or something on the planet once I got back. "But this would still be a protracted war that would be too costly, considering everything else the galaxy has to throw at us."
"Indeed. Though again, the urge to embrace you for freeing up all of the resources that were used to fend off Eldar incursions is nigh-overwhelming." Zyvan replied jovially, before scowling. "Though the damn clown-elves duct-taping my uniform to the ceiling of my quarters can be annoying…"
I had to snort at that. "Better than assassinating you, sir." I replied drily. Zyvan just nodded, good humor restored.
"Indeed, indeed… Another reason I wanted to meet you is that you saw Governor Grice. What do you think of him?"
"Incompetent, inbred, and is constantly making things worse." I replied without a hint of hesitation. This seemed to shock most of Zyvan's hanger-ons, though the Lord-General nodded in agreement.
"Do you know what he did after you saved the Ambassador?" He asked me.
Was this a trick question? "He declared martial law?"
"He tried to have you arrested for dirtying his palace." Zyvan deadpanned.
"...You cannot be serious." Donali whispered in shock, as even he with his low opinion of Grice couldn't believe the Governor would be THAT petty and stupid.
"I have the warrant right here." Zyvan replied, handing it to me. Sure enough, it was a warrant for my arrest for vandalizing Imperial property. "I told him to pound sand." Zyvan happily added, taking the piece of paper back and tearing it to shreds.
"Is that going to get you in trouble?" I asked, relieved that I wasn't facing arrest but also concerned for Zyvan. Technically, as the Governor of this world, Grice was the highest authority upon it and could theoretically command even a Lord General. That was, assuming the Lord General wasn't someone actually worth the title like Zyvan.
He smiled, seemingly touched at my show of concern. "Well, Rakel told me that the Inquisitor sent him a strongly worded letter, which helped to shut him up."
Oh boy, if the Inquisition was involved with this as well, then I didn't envy the Governor. "Define… strongly-worded."
"A brochure on the Assassinorum(4) and its duties." The Lord-General replied with a snicker. "You must have made quite the impression on them(5)."
Well that didn't bode well, as the last thing I as a literal fount of heresy wanted was to draw the attention of the Inquisition. "Do you know who the Inquisitor is?" I asked.
"No. They haven't given me their name." Zyvan admitted, frowning once more thanks to such a concerning topic as the Emperor's Pet Psychopaths. "Most don't lead from the front and out in the open. And I've heard… horror stories about the ones that do."
I nodded. I had also heard rumors of one from my time at the Schola, a bearded fanatic who was seen as insane even by Inquisitorial standards. I watched as Zyvan zoomed the map back onto the city, or rather tried to. The map flickered, and seemed to not be working. I sighed, and put my finger to my commbead. Maybe I could save us from having to call a Techpriest in.
Taking a moment, I dialed my commbead onto the frequency used by our regiment's unique Enginseer. "Felecia?"
"Yeah Ciaphas?" The tech-priestess asked, cheerful as ever.
"I require Maggy's help here." I whispered that part, so no one could pick it up. Felicia paused just a moment before affirming my request; she was becoming increasingly comfortable in letting her 'friend' borrow her body to communicate with the rest of us.
"One sec…" The next thing I heard, whispered over the commbead, was in the Void Dragon's much deeper tone.
"WHAT'S UP, CAI?" The C'Tan inquired. Oh Emperor, he'd picked up that abhorrent nickname from Felecia hanging around Divas no doubt. Still, I tried to keep to the purpose of my call.
"I have a machine spirit not cooperating, it's a map." I could hear the eldritch Xeno abomination that just so happened to be the Omnissiah and the God-Emperor's friend, and was using the young Techpriestess' body to communicate, hum thoughtfully before responding.
"GOTCHA. MOVE YOUR HEAD TO THE DEVICE." I did so, angling my head so the commbead in my ear was touching the mapslate, trying to look as if I was examining the device closely. "AHEM." The map started spazzing wildly and the machine itself started creaking; obviously the Machine-Spirit was terrified, recognizing its master's voice and touch upon the device in my ear. "I DO BELIEVE YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO. PLEASE DO IT." The map cleared up immediately, displaying the city in perfect form. Around me there were expressions of surprise, and I silently sent thanks Maggy's way.
"There we go." I said, raising my head. I then took a closer look at the now perfectly displayed map, noticing some hotspots. "I thought the city was secure." I mused, eyeing the points of conflict.
"For the most part, it is." Zyvan replied. "The civilian rioters have either gone home or been arrested. Those spots? Those are under the occupation of rebel PDF forces."
Which meant they were reasonably well-armed, and supposedly had some small idea of how to fight. Well frak, that was a situation that could easily blow up if left to fester. "Can't the loyalist PDF do anything?"
"Half refuse to fire on their comrades, and the other half is completely inept." Zyvan spat in contempt, even beyond that which most Guardsmen held the majority of PDF forces in. "The Governor has authorized the usage of the Guard, and has not-so subtly 'requested' it."
"Is he TRYING to start a war?!" Donali exclaimed in frustration, echoing my own thoughts and feelings. "The Tau will undoubtedly mobilize their forces if we do so!"
"Not necessarily." Zyvan replied, a smirk on his lips that set my palms to itching fiercely. "Donali. Inform the T'au that Ciaphas Cain will be personally overseeing this deployment. Since you saved their ambassador, Commissar, I am sure that out of all of our officers, you will be the least likely to cause the T'au any offense."
"I am honored by your trust, Lord General." I humbly replied, bowing my head respectfully while trying to hide my fear. Of course my fraudulent reputation and selfish actions would land me in the middle of a fight against entrenched rebels! Now I had to find a way to weasel my way out of this…
In the end, I had no real choice in the matter; the Lord General had commanded me(6). Thankfully, the response from the T'au to Donali's message was much better than I anticipated(7), so I was able to claim that I should stay back behind the lines so as to have a better tactical overview of the situation. One of these days I should just go to the front and see if that's actually safer than what usually happens… Anyways, I was able to make sure that I could hand the reins to Kasteen, Broklaw, and Divas for the more dangerous parts. Even so, I couldn't help the feeling that we were missing something. Something important. Since the remnants of the 12th only had a couple of light artillery pieces left other than our copious supply of mortars, there wasn't going to be as much shelling as I'd have preferred. Even still, the way the rebelling PDF were linking up was offering a very tempting target. Almost too tempting. Then, my palms started itching. This was too easy. I thought that they must've had fortifications that could withstand a barrage, so I began to look for a place to be out of the action while still being seen as doing something useful. Then Broklaw pointed to a perfect spot for me.
"What's this here?" He asked with a curious expression, not quite a frown. I followed where his pointing finger led, and saw that it seemed like the loyalists had cordoned off an industrial area.
I looked over the map, and pondered it. It was close enough to not look like running away while probably nothing serious, the perfect little bit of busywork. "I think they're not sure what to do with the buildings there. Maybe there are stragglers…" I mused aloud, laying the groundwork for my makeshift errand. "I could go and give them ideas?" I suggested, seemingly carelessly.
"Are you sure, Cai?" Divas asked with a pout, obviously looking forward to me heroically leading the troops straight into the enemy's gunfire in person.
"Positive." I replied. "If it stays there and isn't dealt with, there's a chance that it could strike us in the back. Maybe there are tunnels underneath. Maybe it's a fallback point. I think that rallying the forces there should be a good tactical choice. And don't worry, I'm sure I'll be back by the time the Earthshakers are done."
Kasteen was nodding in thoughtful agreement, eyes staring at nothing as she relived some memory. "City fights are like that… Sewers can be a lifeline." I could guess she was very aware of that fact(8). "And I'd wager on you being back in time Ciaphas; I've seen how Jurgen drives." She added with a chuckle.
As it turned out, I would have made quite a bit of money on that bet, had I taken it.
The deployment went as smoothly as possible. That should've been the first warning that things were going to go ploin-shaped later. There weren't any heavy vehicles headed for where the troops were going; the ground was going to be too chopped up for such vehicles to traverse after the Earthshakers were done, which the artillery regiment Divas had noticed in our deployment had lent to us. The best they were going to get for armor support were the regiment's Sentinels, which would provide a morale strike against the defenders as a three-meter tall walker nimbly sprinting towards you while laying down fire could be terrifying. My splitting off of the convoy also went like clockwork, which really should have been a red flag. Jurgen proceeded to drive like a madman towards the location I'd selected for my busywork, as the Basilisks shook the ground, showing off how they'd earned the title of Earthshaker. They had already stopped by the time we had arrived at our destination.
I was surprised to see a PDF commander, not even a year older than the one I'd brainwashed the night before, holding up his hand to stop us. Jurgen slid to a stop, and I stepped dramatically out of the Salamander. And, as the roar of the engine was no longer in my ear, I could hear it.
Gunfire.
"What's going on?" I asked the PDF officer. His fear was palpable, and I drew a tiny trickle of it into myself simply so that the shaking teenager could get words out. His eyes were wide and he had to swallow down his remaining fear before blurting out an answer, such as it was.
"W-we're not s-sure sir! W-we were just told to secure the area until the Inquisitor's party got back…"
Oh wonderful, I'd managed to insert myself into an Inquisitorial operation. I was going to finally meet the Inquisitor in person, though I still had a strong hunch that it was Orelius. "Did the Inquisitor tell you what they were after?" I asked calmly, trying to inspire the lad to get it together; by the way he was still shaking with tears gathering in his eyes, I doubted that I'd succeeded.
"N-no sir… the group only spoke to the captain… a-and he's dead…" The poor boy was crying now, and were I any other Commissar I might have put a lasbolt through him for his display of nerves. As it was, I wished to give him a hug and pat him soothingly on the head like a distraught canid, that's how pathetic he looked. "A-and I'm supposed to be in charge now! T-they've been down there for ten hours, and we're getting-" His barely coherent rambling was stopped when his arm was severed by a lasbolt. He fell, screaming in agony as he clutched the stump. I grabbed the limb, kneeling down and holding it to the cauterized wound, and began my now familiar feast of pain. Slowly, I healed the wound, flesh bubbling and roiling as the fell powers of the Warp glided through his form. Oddly enough, that seemed to calm him, as stunned disbelief overcame his earlier terror.
"E-Emperor… Y-you're…" He gasped, noticing my Aquila as he flexed his perfectly restored arm.
"You are the ranking officer. You cannot let your men down." I replied quietly, voice comforting as I finished up the meal of pain. "For without you to lead them, what can they do but run and hide?"
"Y-you're right!" He declared, eyes glowing with new determination as my attempts to inspire him finally took root. "All of the hostiles are civvies; if they're wearing our uniforms, they're one of ours." Evidently my fraudulent sainthood and act of healing had lit a fire in his belly somewhat. I nodded firmly, giving him a reassuring smile as I asked for more information.
"Where are they, exactly?"
"The warehouse, sir." He replied, pointing in that direction with his healed arm. I drew my laspistol and chainsword as I stood from my crouch over him, striding off in the direction he'd pointed in. The young PDF commander and Jurgen followed at my heels as I was forced to race towards the fight, lest my reputation be called into question. We left the Salamander behind, but I provided my own firepower once we were in sight of the warehouse.
"Let the foes of the God-Emperor perish in His fire!" I roared, activating my curse. Screams echoed out from the warehouse as pillars of purple fire erupted everywhere, and the taste of corpse starch filled my mouth. The Xenoists were sent to the gilded, safe area of my soul to await my judgment; they hadn't tried to bring daemons into reality, so perhaps some penance would do them good before possibly being taken to the Golden Throne. Then, I realized my mistake. One of the Inquisitor's members was a Psyker! "Jurgen? Go make sure I got all of them." I told him, hoping that having a Blank present would muddy the Psyker's response to me and my use of witchcraft.
"Yes, sir." He replied, plodding off to every area where the pillars of warpfire had been, the last embers dying at his approach. That should cover up my heresy. By now, the rest of the PDF was watching me with awe as I strode into the area. One of them came up to meet me.
"Sergeant Crassus, 49th PDF." He said, introducing himself to me after giving a surprised and approving look to the young officer following me.
"Ciaphas Cain, Valhallan 609th, Commissar."
"They let Psykers be Commissars?" He asked with a quirked brow, finger not leaving the trigger of his lasgun; smart man, as standard trooper discipline was to shoot first and ask questions later when it came to those touched by the Warp. Still, I didn't want him asking any pointed questions about my pyrotechnic display.
"I'm not a Psyker." I truthfully replied.
"The warpfire says otherwise." He pointed out mildly, finger still on that trigger and the other PDF watching him and myself closely.
"I was tested, and I came up negative. Standard schola practice." I explained, waving it off. The Sergeant was still suspicious, but seemed willing to give me the benefit of the doubt as he maintained his civility while lightly questioning me.
"I am aware of the Schola practice; what did they call you after the test?"
"Rho." I provided, having to think back a bit for it.
His eyebrows raised, disappearing into his helmet, as he finally took his finger off the trigger while staring at me. "Then how…?"
"Emperor's Blessing?" I suggested, shrugging. That seemed to be my go-to excuse these days, and I prayed the God-Emperor didn't take offense.
"He works in Mysterious ways…" The Sergeant replied, finally mollified as we made the sign of the Aquila together. "Thank you for saving us, Commissar."
I nodded, accepting his thanks with every sign of humility before getting back to what was important. "And the Inquisitor?"
Crassus shrugged in the way of NCO's across the galaxy as the officer I'd encountered earlier went about rallying his men. "Warp if I know, sir. They've just been down there for a while; four men, two women." He held a hand to his ear. "They're coming out now." Sure enough, there were five of them, indicating that one must have died down there. Three men, of which Orelius was one. They were confused as to where all of the hostiles were, but were on their guard. I, however, could feel their pain. If I hadn't cleared the area out, then it was likely that they wouldn't have made it. I strode forwards to the group. It was at that time that I noticed that one of the women was being carried by a man dressed like a scribe. It was the Psyker I'd met with the Lord General, Rakel. With a sigh, I decided that since the Lieutenant had seen me heal already, I would have to risk it here lest questions arise as to why I didn't heal the Inquisitor's retinue also(9). I approached the scribe, who was struggling somewhat with Rakel's limp form.
"Let me." I told him, as he laid her on the ground. She was gasping for air with blood on her lips, and I could see why; stubber round through the lung. How she had survived this long was beyond me. If I drew deeply upon my power in order to save her, she'd surely detect my nature. But I'd sworn not to let the faithful suffer needlessly. I had to prove His belief in my having some worth justified after all. "Holy Emperor, let me heal thy servant's wounds." I intoned, placing my hands upon her.
I immediately knew she saw the real me. Her eyes went wide with pure fear, her soul laid bare for me to consume. The mental screams were intense.
'Be quiet for one frakking second!' I mentally snarled, great spiritual claws covering her mouth as I drew her pain out like poison drawn from a wound. Then came the bullet and shrapnel, and finally her wound closed. 'You will tell no one.' I whispered into her terrified soul, withdrawing myself from her. It was then that Orelius came up to me.
"You a Psyker?" He asked me, eyes wide with surprise.
Great, hadn't I already had this conversation? "The Schola said I was a Rho, whatever that means." I stated drily.
The man I was now certain was an Inquisitor stroked his chin in contemplation, eyes searching. "No psychic potential… But… How?"
"You must be a poor Inquisitor then, not to figure it out." Jurgen replied blandly as he approached, having finished checking to see if there were any surviving rebels.
"Jurgen-" I cautioned, but he had already stepped too close to the Psyker. She let out a shriek of pure agony before passing out in my arms, foaming at the mouth.
"Is she all right?" Jurgen asked me with mild concern.
"...What… what just happened to her?" Orelius whispered, eyes wide.
"I don't know… Something about me being bad for those with Psyker abilities or something." Jurgen replied with a shrug.
"A Blank… how interesting." A familiar voice replied. The other woman of the group had been hooded, but now she pulled off her hood and I found myself staring in shock at Amberley.
"Y-you're part of the Inquisitor's retinue?" Oh frak, if she told him what I'd said…
She smiled, eyes sparkling with curiosity and mischief, and I found myself falling for her all over again, part of the Inquisition or not. "Not part of." She held up her hand, and an electoo flashed, showing the Inquisitorial Rosette. "Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordos Xenos. And you, Ciaphas Cain, have caused quite the pain in my wrists."
Well, frak me.
Excerpt from 'By the Saint's Hand: The Forging of the Valhallan 609th Regiment' by Lady General Jenit Sulla
"I was nervous as we disembarked from our Chimeras to confront the traitorous PDF forces within the rubble strewn streets of what the day before had been a comfortable section of Mayoh's upper class district. Before this moment, I'd been a quartermaster, concerned mostly with supply chains, not combat. And while Corania had certainly separated the grain from the chaff, and taught me how to fight and survive, this was different. This time, I was in command of women and men whom I had grown to respect and cherish. And as I'd learned from the Riot and the punishment I'd received for my unwitting role in it, any action I took could have unforeseen consequences for them."
"I was nearly paralyzed with doubt, fearful of making another mistake. But I thought of the Commissar-Saint, of the faith he'd shown in my potential. Of how he valued every life within the regiment and of those around him. But how he still carried out his duty despite caring so deeply. With that, my confidence was restored, and I knew I could lead my troops to victory."
"We leap-frogged our way through the rubble, using it as cover. We were cautious, yet bold, always advancing but never too far nor too fast. When we came to the final enemy position, I myself drew their fire in order to give my troops a chance to take the rebels out. And they more than justified my faith in them, something I told each and every one of them. Seeing the pride and respect, even the love of a soldier for their commander, in their eyes as they looked at me, was a heady feeling. I swore yet again that I would prove worthy of both the faith that the Commissar-Saint and my soldiers had placed in me. My only hope was that when he heard of my deeds, he would be proud."(10)
1: How intriguing. That idea makes my blood run hot.
2: A rarity among the Imperium, unfortunately.
3: Another example of Ciaphas' unique situation. As mentioned, even trying to see his future is nearly fatal. All that Psykers like Rakel can see without dying is, to quote her: "An ever-shifting road, bound neither by fate nor chance."
4: Us Inquisitors usually carry one for situations such as this, written so simply and plainly that even an Ogryn can decipher the meaning and implied threat behind the pamphlet. It works about half the time when dealing with Imperial Nobility.
5: He very much did.
6: Commissars do not need to listen to Lord Generals, something Ciaphas often forgets. Still, his willingness to cooperate with the officers he meets has only further increased his popularity within the Astra Militarum.
7: They offered to send in a column of their forces to get the PDF to peacefully disperse. This was politely declined due to the fear of the loyalists opening fire.
8: Corania's sewers were where a majority of the refugees and guard units lived during their entrapment.
9: The Lieutenant was on the other side of the building, making sure Ciaphas' vaporization of all of the Xenoists hadn't missed a spot.
10: Ciaphas actually was pleasantly surprised by Sulla's careful and balanced approach and caution with her troops' lives, yet equally dismayed at her willingness to risk herself. He mumbled something about how even when she was restrained, Sulla was far too excessive in her zeal. Still, the results of her career speak for themselves, I think.