# The Emperor's Blood Chapter I-III.



## Beaviz81

Just my fiction about the Warhammer 40.000 universe taking place on the death-world of Freudakia, a place once of lush jungles and such, but now increasingly under the thumb of the industrial planet Ciralix and the Adeptus Mechanicus due to the planet's riches in mineral wealth. Freudakia is a Deathworld were camouflage is everything while visibility means exposure and plain death even the commissars have learned that lesson and embraced it with camo-cloaks and other items of misdirection.

The Emperor's Blood.

Chapter I

The Catachans were stealthily taking up positions in the Freudakian jungle. The hunt for the dreaded Warboss Draznob had gone on for quite a while. The losses had been astonishing on both sides, yet they knew even as they sat up their position they were likely doing their last ambush as they were low on anything. Many of the heavy weapons were without ammunition or had simply been overused and had malfunctioned. Even their simple lasguns was starting to show an immense wear and tear.

Even so the battle in the jungle was imminent, a huge horde of Orks were swarming in on their position. Colonel James Stremm gave his last commands. The Ogryn-sized big-jawed fellow with greyish crew-cut and huge muscles even for a Catachan retrieved his Heavy-Bolter Big Bertha for the final time loading it with the run-strap magazines and exited the camouflaged tent.

The Orks came swarming at the thin Imperial line, booby-traps and precise lasgun-fire leveled the first wave. The second wave was of tougher more heavily armed Orks. They shrugged off any but the best placed lasgun-shots. Even Big Bertha had problems whittling down the members of the Warboss’ retinue that slowly was charging towards his squad, having already cut a platoon to ribbons.

Two of the creatures were remaining charging towards Stremm and his bodyguards. He resigned himself to his fate looking at the immense mega-armoured Warboss and the almost as large Ork Nob just a few meters infront of the hulking creature in clanky black armour, yet a shadow intervened planting itself a few meters infront of the command-squad. The head of the Ork Nob came flying off, the body just ran off in a random direction with arms flailing to the sides dropping the crude yet highly advanced Ork weaponry, before it stumbled at some sandbags having no virtual control of how it ran around anymore just like chickens getting beheaded. While the head continued to insult Stremm who merely stomped on it to shut it up.

The shadow revealed itself. From his commissar-cap jutted golden hair, he was of average height for a human, though the Catachans would be much taller than him, as he turned they saw the well-known facial features of the Primarch Sanguinius while he span around making the mud splatter around him. Yet the way he carried himself, dignified, yet no way he was the beloved Primarch the Catachans had filed past so many times watching golden statues and beautiful paintings of in the churches and cathedrals they had been forced to visit by the Ministorum Priests which was mostly evident in his sadistic grin that was not the smile of the benevolent Primarch. 

He stood there with his chainsword running as it spat out blood, clad in a non-spectacular blackened-out commissar-uniform with a furry greyish cape draped over his shoulders that seemed to devour the shadows as he moved making him hard to spot at even infractor-ligts. Yet he was in serious trouble because right behind him towered an Ork Warboss of epic proportions. “Another scumsucker bites the dust.” The commissar voiced it with gratification like he weren't aware of the threat right behind him, yet he spun around avoiding the hail of bullets the Ork fired after him as he jumped into a low ditch.

“How but me ooomie!?” The Ork gargled as it jumped after the commissar, who miraculously managed to dodge the Power Klaw-blow which he managed to make whistle past him, just barely grazing the black armour as he side-stepped bringing the Ork spiraling out of balance as it slid in the slippery brown mud. They started their deadly dance both beast and human. 

Then the commissar attacked the plasma-weapon the Ork carried in his free hand. He let the chainsword tear into it as it flickered. The Ork tried to to fire it at the commissar but it promptly exploded pulping three of the five green fingers. The Ork rapidly regained it's footing striking after the commissar who just ducked and tore through the mighty mega-armoured knee-pad with his chainsword going through tearing a large chunk of the knee making a loud screaming noise getting the mighty Ork to unleash a mighty roar in shock and pain. 

The commissar didn't even stop despite the bone-chilling cry of the Warboss as he then plunged his chainsword into the chest of his opponent before quickly ducking out of the way with his chainsword just having left an open wound there as it pumped blood out. The Warboss bellowed in pain, trying desperately to land a blow only to find the commissar gliding away from it while the chainsword tore into the arm of the beast while he narrowly escaping the gout of flame from the flamer of the Warboss. 

Draznob tried yet again to land a blow with it's Power Klaw against his fleet-footed opponent despite the grounded fencing-stance he practiced as he slid under the Power Klaw coming up with his chainsword pouncing at the Power Klaw's more vulnerable back unleashing a small explosion as he disabling it with the spinning and hissing chainsword. Yet the free Ork-hand slammed the commissar into the nearest Freudakian hardwood making the low-peaked commissar-cap tumble far into the jungle as Draznob struck the commissar.

“That you shouldn't have done!” The commissar roared just as the Ork tried to raise the kombi-flamer attached to the Power Klaw towards him, though the Ork's wounds were slowing it down. The commissar was faster dropping while deactivating his chainsword to the ground and getting up his clanky dark-grey meltagun from his side in a chain. 

The hissing meltagun immediately disabled the weapon as it vaporized the arm of the Ork. Yet the commissar made his first mistake in the duel buoyed up by seeing an easy kill, he ran closer to the Warboss roaring. “Now you die you beast!” He pulled the trigger again with the weapon aimed straight at the torso of the beast with only about a meter between them, but a forcefield erupted around the Warboss neutralizing the blast.

The one-armed bandit didn't let an opportunity go from him and pounced at the commissar who for once reacted too slow and got bodyslammed, only the protective power of his Rosarius saved him in a glitter of gold from having his intestines pulped and his bones broken due the force involved as half a ton of Ork Warboss encased in mega-armour hit him like a runaway freight-train with a loud crash as metal met metal. As they collided the Warboss snatched the meltagun away from the commissar tearing it off it's thick dark adamentum-chains while the commissar flew away in the opposite direction.

The man smashed into a large pine making it sway leaving a gaping wound on it as once more the Rosarius in a shower of gold activated cushioning the impact. A dangerous hairy spider immediately landed at the commissar's right black shoulder-epaulet, which immediately was thrown straight at Draznob, who caught and squashed it mid-air with his remaining hand while he snarled at the commissar that have proven to be be much more of a challenge than the Ork anticipated or liked. Next he felt a burning pain in his remaining shoulder and saw two poisoned knives the commissar doubtlessly had hidden in his black epaulets jutting out of his remaining shoulder. Just as he sped towards the huge Ork in the mud which splattered everywhere, he brandishing two new monofilament knives from his cerapace-encased torso as he had several more knives strapped to it menacingly with the knife-handles jutting out, though the cerapace by now was getting seriously cracked as the commissar moved rapidly in the mud despite the internal injuries he was beginning to feel. The commissar then jumped on Draznob with cat-like grace, all intent on finishing the job despite substantial injuries inside of him.

The knives slashed at the throat of the Ork while they went though the armour of it like cottage-cheese though it prevented the knives from going deep enough for a killing-blow as the commissar tried to avoid the huge fist of Draznob. It got him. It clenched hard around the struggling human. It was not enough for Draznob he was intent to finish this man once and for all thrashing the commissar around with a tight grip of his huge Orkish hand, and a surprising head-butt from the human brought the eye of Draznob into finger-distance of him. He slammed home an armoured finger tearing right into the eye it hard, hard metal tore into the soft tissue of the eye. The pain made Draznob ease his hold of the commissar who then got up his Uplifting Primer from inside his greatcoat.

That he brutally showed into the other eye, then came the las-chisel up, it was ignited. Draznob stopped. He stood there as a statue just leaning, with a burning small book inside his skull.

The commissar was anything but graceful now as he with a big goofy grin stumbled towards the Catachans, knowing full and well they likely would just butcher him for his trouble of saving the command-squad. He giggled like a small boy watching an Ogryn firing a Heavy Bolter in the distance, he knew his wounds were mortal.

He finally fell stumbling at an exposed root he dead-drunk wouldn't hit. He now tried to think about the Emperor. Instead visions of his life flashed before him. He saw his proud tutors at the Schola, how he himself advanced to become one, he saw his friends, he saw the good times and most of all he saw his fiancé and the children they had together.

Infact he saw only her as he landed face down in a puddle of mud, no more than an inch or two deep. He laid there dreaming letting go of life just seeing her sweet face. He knew he should focus on the Emperor yet her lure were stronger. He passed out trying to whisper her name with his last breath.


----------



## Serpion5

This isn't a bad effort. A few points where there is a bit of comma overuse but that is an easy habit to break. I did enjoy the read, thanks for posting to Heresy.

However I'm going to move this over to Original Works, as this section is more for Background development than outright fiction. 

Moved.


----------



## Beaviz81

Thank you for the read and glad you liked it, I will look into the comma abuse.


----------



## Beaviz81

What the commissar lying dying in the mud didn't realize, was that he was dead-wrong about the Catachans. His teachings that the Catachans were some sort of Ogryns had been all misinterpretation and lies as he had taken their physique and guttural dialect to be related to Ogryns. Yet they strove forward meeting the overwhelming number of Orks at the quagmire they called a battlefield. Even huge Freudakian hardwoods toppled after badly aimed Ork bolter-shots and other heavy ordinance tore into them as they tried to hit the surging and swift-footed Catachans.

The first over to the commissar was a tall dark-skinned muscular man in his late teens with the name Julius Cavenaugh. He swiftly turned the commissar over saying. "Damn, man you did a-" He didn't come farther before a bolt tore off half his right hand. He fell back screaming, knowing he was dying as he screamed in shock and pain. 

Suddenly he saw her a lithe, very pretty commissar in her early twenties come out of the shadows just infront of him. She was dressed in a blackened-out commissar-outfit with a greyish fur-cape being draped around her shoulders that seemed to swallow the light around her making her very hard to spot, also of note was the longlas she gently left at the messy jungle-floor gently which was almost as long as her. "Bite this!" She put his Catachan combat-knife in his mouth while she spoke in her broken, hoarse yet pleasant voice with a slight cling of aristocracy. Then she drew her laspistol and cauterized the wound.

"Impressive. Not a whimper, and that's pain most screams like hell over." She said as she stared into the dazed brown eyes of Cavenaugh. Then she realized he was going into shock due to the loss of limp. She smacked him in the face, while she hissed. "Stay awake!" Quickly she got the adrenalin-syringe up from her jacket-pocket. She rapidly ripped the t-shirt of the guy open. Then sat the syringe. He came convulsing back to life, as she sternly said. "Stay awake boy!!! That's a frakking order soldier!" His eyes shone with defiance as he gargled. "You don't order me around commissar." He gargled weakly then said. "What's your name commissar?"

She had already turned her attention to the other commissar, starting to administer first-aid to him. Cavenaugh could hardly see her even as she was only mere steps away from him, but she still responded with. "Michelle Ionza, Deathworld sniper, commissar and Drill-Abbess of the Schola Freudakia, and this is my fiancé and fellow Drill Abbott Zachary Carrus. Your turn soldier." She smiled almost motherly towards him as she continued to work at her fallen mate. Then she hissed into the vox. "Commissar Ionza here, call-sign 52 Alpha-Lima-Delta, where are those reinforcements? Over."

Cavenaugh just saw her press her ear. Now he realized those were not normal humans as he saw under the gash of the male's forehead was shiny metal underneath the blood and flesh. While setting shots of stabilizers in her beloved, she worked rapidly not noticing a huge Ork approaching her, then savagely kicked her as she turned to face it. 

She hit a Freudakian hardwood with a snarl several meters away, she immediately dragged out power rapier, blackish, not very pretty, yet quite sleek and up came her bolt pistol as well. It was of an elegant black design, sleek yet finely crafted with an oddly bulky magazine. She fired a few rounds at the Ork that harmlessly bounced off it's thick armour. Next she took cover behind a Freudakian hardwood as the Ork returned fire. Then Cavenaugh attacked the Ork with his blade. No sooner has he lunged after the Ork, he laid on the ground clipped in two by the Power Klaw of the Ork. Yet the distraction allowed Ionza to get closer. The Ork missed at her both with the bolter and also with the klaw as she with cat-like grace managed to get up-close and personal.

Knowing her bolter likely would do zero damage against the hulking creature she left it unceremoniously in the mud getting a monofilament knife from her right jacket-sleeve. while she dodged the savage attack of the increasingly enraged Ork as she ducked down and cut the Ork's foot off with her powered sword. The creature hit the ground with a snarl, then it laid a savage hit on Ionza sending her reeling into a bush.

It was too late for the Ork, Stremm rushed in and smashed the face of the Ork with his powered fist before picking up the wounded commissar and running away with him while the Catachans gave the old really muscular man covering fire forcing the Orks into cover. Then the line of the Orks lit up as fire from over a dozen Leman Russ Demolishers rained down over the hapless Orks blasting many to smithereens.

Stremm even had to dodge a falling Freudakian pine as he saw the dark contures of a Chimera with twin-linked bolters just driving one down. The grey-green jungle-pattern camouflaged vehicle stopped right in front of Stremm and from the back out first came a giant of a man in all black powered armor. The massive fists were sparkling with energy, clearly powered fists, a Rosarius was crested around the neck of the man and a little behind the fists were two stormbolters. Right behind two Inquisitorial Storm Troopers moved quickly with a stretcher towards the two.

Carrus was rapidly laid down on the stretcher. The Inquisitor removed his helmet, showing it a face of a rather young man, in his thirties, but with already almost completely grey hair, and a nasty chainsword-scar running parallel with his left eyes which was a bionic one of exquisite design.

"Who are you?" Stremm was tall enough to look the man straight into his eyes as he had just asked the man. He just smirked as he answered. "Your salvation obviously." The voice was soft and enthralling in sharp contrast with Stremm's voice which was about as pleasant to listen to as getting a fist to your ears, then he said with the same fluid slippery voice. "Inquisitor Kelkaris here *Stremm made a stiff salute at the spot* might I inquire who you are soldier?" Stremm swallowed heavily before he gasped out. "Colonel James Stremm of the 184th Devil Dogs here." The Inquisitor waved dismissively making Stremm break the salute.

"What are you doing here?" Kelkaris said as bored his eyes into the eyes of Stremm, before he continued with the mood-changing. "You frakked up the plan by being here." He looked far more aggressive now. "We are here because we were assigned to by Munitorum Inquisitor." Stremm said as he sweated under the gaze of the Inquisitor as Ionza came up to them, exchanging a nod with the Inquisitor making Stremm realize she was indeed in the retinue of the one now addressing him. "What about the retreating Orks Inquisitor, shall we pursue?" 

She looked worried up at him as the Inquisitor answered. "Negative, Commissar Carrus told me he has booby-trapped the area over the vox Commissar Ionza. So we will just fall back to the Schola Freudakia and interview the Catachans while the Manticores and Basilisks will flatten the area." Noticing Stremm tensing up where he stood he then said. "Commissar place colonel Stremm and the Catachan regiment under Inquisitorial arrest." He turned to go as Ionza aimed her bolt pistol at Stremm who immediately surrendered, halfway on the way he stopped, turned back to Ionza. "I do it myself, go see to you fiance commissar." She saluted and ran off to get into the Chimera that razed off through the jungle at breakneck speed being the last person into it.

He glanced right at the despairing eyes of Stremm, who saw the Storm Troopers having surrounded the Catachans disarming them, treating them as prisoners not allies. Stremm was quickly disarmed, then he was handcuffed and forced to lie face-down by the Storm-Troopers not taking any chances. That was not pleasant as the ground shock from the shock of artillery-bombardment while he heard the Inquisitor vox in instructions for Valkyries to evacuate them in the background.

After less than half an hour the Valkyries came landing in a hastily prepared LZ by the flamers of the Freudakians. Stremm and his other guys noticed that the privates at least were young, early twenties and younger. Yet they had competence as they without a hitch had disarmed a Catachan squad, and managed to keep it civil with the Catachans as no-one had butt-ended anyone and no savage kicks to the head of prisoners were dished out. They were merely goaded onto the waiting Valkyries and tied up there with the guards beside them.

"Seems you frakked up again James." The voice was well-known to Stremm despite it being nearly eighty years since he last heard it. Immediately he turned his head gazing into the brown eyes of Latiffa McLandi. A rather tall and bulky woman with an olive perplexion. He looked in shock at her with a very confused look prompting her to say. "Hey stop looking at me like that James." She then giggled. "Don't you remember the good times we had?" The scarred face of the Catachan woman opened up in a wide grin.

"You are supposed to be dead, not teaching your skills as a sniper to kids." Stremm merely growled back at his jailor. Sitting across from him was Kelkaris who leaned forward with a sadistic grin on his face, the cut seemed to make it into a half-moon, his voice was needlessly sweet. "Interesting a connection, tell me now captain McLandi, what was it?"

"Married for 24 years Inquisitor." She tersely reported back to him. Eyes tried to avoid the prying eyes of Kelkaris that sat feeling their thoughts bubbling up. Memories, mostly happy to his surprise, but also some sad as he said. "Hm you had a son." He saw both Catachans get tense. "Inquisitor, if you don't mind, I rather not want to discuss our son." Stremm said that feeling far less courageous than he sounded.

The Valkyrie was meanwhile streaking through the skies towards the Schola Freudakia in the rain-forest. The Catachans saw it, it looked more like a black prison than a place of learning with trenches and artillery-positions, tall walls, anti-aircraft-systems adjourned it. It was a sprawling military metropolis of pure blackness, ugly as hell, their hearts sunk as they watched it come closer. First beginning like a black dot in the horizon.


----------



## Beaviz81

The bewildered Catachans walked out from the Landing Zone of the Schola Progenium. Monstrous Skitarii patrolled the streets, which was strict and regimented. They stood there guarding at the corners tirelessly on their threads, with advanced weaponry all visible in the gory detail. Their humanity were at best just a faint memory. Most likely the hulking hybrids of man and machine didn't remember anything, and they were a horrific reminder of the prize of failure at this Schola Progenium, nevermind that of being in business with the Adeptus Mechanicus. An organization inhumane extraordinaire, yet so important for the survival of the Imperium of Mankind. The shocked Catachans realized one by one the fact that the Skitarii was infact disgraced students of the Schola Progenium there they rolled around as heavy weapon-platforms and whatnot. Still that was far from the most grotesque figures this Schola had, but that the Catachans didn't know.

That they soon saw that on the inside. There Skitarii geared up for close-combat were standing guard. Monofilament knives and power swords had replaced the arms of all most had many more of that placed at them, they all packed at least one boltgun, though many had jutting out of their chests meltaguns. The Catachans looked upon them in horror as they were locked into their cells with the Skitarii silently standing vigil outside their cells.

The cells were clean, though extremely solid, as they had been Ogryn-tested (they had thrown in an Ogryn there and made it gone berserk in each cell with the interior tackling it, i.e. no sinks or toilets being used at weapons). The white beds were uncomfortable and hard as they where just small mattresses on brinks. One prisoner per cell was the law of this black complex with this huge prison attached to it.

Still Stremm was taken straight to interrogation. He was escorted by two Storm Troopers in jungle camouflage garb and heavy cerpace armour. Behind them trailed the Inquisitor and his ex-wife. One of the Skitarii a thing with a meltagun jutting out of the chest and two large powered fists had a key coming out where the stomach used to opened the door and to the dull surprise of Stremm managed to pull open the two ton adementum door without a strain. Still just looking at it make the hair stand on his back due to the unnatural look of the former woman standing there clad in metal, red eyes scanning everything.

The interrogation-room was sparsely decorated with just some chairs and a metal-table that showed it had been used for torture more than once. Stremm got seated with his back to the wall, the Inquisitor and McLandi sat down on the two other uncomfortable chairs. Kelkaris licked his small lips as he flicked a small flick at his side of the table while he said. "Inquisitor Kelkaris of Ordo Xenos starting a First Action with...." Kelkaris trailed off, McLandi spoke up. "With Captain Latiffa McLandi Drill-Abbess of the Schola Fruedakia." He then turned his gaze of Stremm while saying. "Now you shall speak you rank and service-number as well as all other relevant facts colonel." Stremm noted there were oddly no disdain in the voice of Kelkaris, not even in the voice of McLandi had he detected anything but neutrality.

"Colonel James Stremm, service number 107-997-117-811 of the Catachan 184th Devil Dogs." He said as he looked at McLandi. Then he glanced over at the Inquisitor stating. "Shall I state my military-history as well?" A mere nod came from the Inquisitor and Stremm spoke up. "Have been colonel for this regiment for 23 years, was a major for five before that, lieutenant colonel for two years, captain for four, lieutenant for eight before that, sergeant of differencing seniority for 18 years before that, and before that private for four years." He now noted the techno-scribe in the room, it was once a woman, now it was rooted in it's place just taking notes the face was metallic and hideous. Another serrvitor-thing this place already had too many of.

"Who sent you and your regiment to Freudakia colonel Stremm?" The Inquisitor's eyes peered into the depth of the soul of Stremm, voice all calm. Stremm answered "The order was signed by Adept Maximilian of the Departmento Munitorum Inquisitor." He sighed then said. "Is that thing logged on to the warweb Inquisitor?" He saw the eye of the Inquisitor get narrow. With a contained rage he said. "That thing is a scribe-servitor and of great service to the Inquisition and the Adeptus Mechanicus colonel." Stremm said apologetic. "Apologies Inquisitor." Humbly Stremm looked into the eyes of Kelkaris as he saw a slight smile at the face of McLandi.

She got up saying. "Permission to get the files on colonel Stremm Inquisitor?" Only a small nod was his answer. She plotted in the requests on the grotesque wall-servitor who clicked and clacked as it worked through the files of Depertemento Munitorum, eventually it printed out the files detailing the Catachan regiment. She handed them to the Inquisitor who removed his powered fist. He glanced on the powered fist of Stremm it was attached to the elbow, it was a crude metallic construct with a hose with electric nerves which the Tech-Priests had disabled.

"What I mean by you frakking up colonel is that you hindered the capture of living orks with your interference." McLandi explained as she got seated. Kelkaris just nodded as he read through the files she had given him. The interrogation wore on, it lead nowhere as Stremm divulged his limited knowledge and shared the information freely.

Eventually Kelkaris decided the interview was done stating. "Inquisitor Kelkaris of Ordo Xenos is now concluding the the First Action of colonel James Stremm of the Catachan 184th the Devil Dogs, captain Latiffa McLandi you are to escort the prisoner to his cell." He got up knowing full and well the drama between the former lovers. He anyway knew he likely would call the Catachans into his Inquisitorial Storm Troopers, but first he was to get off his suit of powered armour. He was feeling tired of it, and worse he hated being spoon-fed in the field since he had poor control of the powered fists. He sprouted out a hymn to the Ommnissiah in High Gothic as he hurried towards the armory looking forward for the Tech-Priest to remove this suit of armour from him.


----------



## Myen'Tal

Very good, it read pretty fluidly, but I do have a suggestion or two for future writing. 

1) I don't know if you simply didn't notice(because heresy does tend to clump all text together when posting), but your dialogue for everyone is jammed into the paragraphs together. Dialogue is usually separated into individual lines for whoever is speaking, it is confusing when you cram dialogue for multiple people into the same paragraph. 

Let's say Kelkaris decides to address someone, you write out what he says, if want to capture a moment with him doing something while he speaks, incorporate it in the same paragraph(or series of paragraphs if his dialogue is long enough). 

If you want someone to reply, begin a new paragraph before doing so, then continue onward. 

Hope I explained that well enough and helps you(or if you were just unaware of the dialogue clumping)

2) This is a background/lore issue with the Skitarii. Now it's been a while since I've read the background for 40k, but if I remember right, the 1st Night Lords novel Soul Hunter Aaron DB portrayed the Skitarii as the elite infantry of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They were embattled against Warmaster Abaddon's armada of renegades and were in fact effectively stalling his conquest of a Forge World he wanted. 

The point that I'm getting at is that you have Skitarii portrayed as automaton machines built for menial tasks and security. That is a job for a lowly servitor, not fit for the elite infantry of the Mechanicus. The way I saw them and the way they've been portrayed in multiple novels(I believe Know No Fear had them also), is they're still very human, of course still a great deal machine, but retaining arms and legs like a humanoid would and not moving around on treads or having entire limbs replaced with deadly weapons( especially the melta guns sticking out from the chests). 

The simple fix is simply changing the name Skitarii to servitors, since they are much more suited to the roles you are using them for than anything else. 

Of course, it has been a while sense I've read these books, so I might be wrong, but I don't think I am. I'm not trying to criticize you, just letting you know my honest opinion. 

Other than that, I like it, not too big a fan of Catachans, but I'll still read about them:grin:. Keep up the good work.


----------



## Beaviz81

Yeah, I guess you have a point, but then again few people actually write like that for your first point. And my main inspiration are the books of Cain and Gaunt, and with regards to Gaunt I often find myself confused in who is doing what, so I makes that abundantly clear.

For your second, well the Skitarii varies from world to world, and I actually abit deliberately strayed from fluff with the recruits being the Skitarii, as that's from the Catachan POV and are left to the Tech-Priests to decide how the Skitarii is to be recruited. Some have the Skitarii as barely modified humans, others have them as monstrosities which only link to humanity is that they once were human. This Schola have induction in the Skitarii as the latter. And everything is not yet revealed when it comes to the true nature of the Skitarii at this place.

I'm thankful for the comment, as it's sound advice.


----------



## Beaviz81

The Chimera speeding through the jungle suddenly got a surprise coming it's way. "Ma'am." The gunner of it voxed through the internal vox. Ionza hit the repeat-button. "Speak your mind gunner." "I see a Catachan Ma'am." The gunner replied. Ionza quickly almost screeched in the vox. "Stop the Chimera immediately!" The Chimera slid to as it tried to break going from over 100 kilometers per hours to a perfect standstill, but Ionza had opened the hatch and jumped out of the Chimera, making a roll as she exited the vehicle before landing on her feet, with her longlas trained on the wounded Catachan. Her eyes were scanning for any hidden traps as she slowly arched forward towards the Catachan.

"Are you okay soldier?" She cried out while getting close enough to touch the man as the Chimera screeched to a halt hitting a Freudakian pine who showered it with heavy Freudakian pine-cones denting the top of of it. The man answered in a faint whisper. "Water please." Ionza instead removed her right black leathery glove, opening a pocket at her greatcoat getting out a syringe. She injected the man with some sedatives as in the nook of her eyes she saw a brace of medics exiting the Chimera at full tilt with a stretcher they unfolded as they ran.

"Are you boobytrapped in any way soldier?" She asked as she gestured to the medics to stay back as the man shook his head as she asked. "You don't lie on a grenade so I would be hurt?" She looked tersely at the wounded man, finally noticing the missing leg, blasted off right under the knee. He also had a few stab-wounds as well as he groaned. "No commissar, I-I ain't a boobytrap, just a wounded man." Ionza not buying it carefully got up her knives and started to cut open the uniform of the man, treating him more like he was a dangerous explosive than a human being.

Eventually she was sated, waving the medics forwards. They swiftly lifted him onto the stretcher. One of them looked worried over at the commissar. "Excuse me Ma'am." He coffed out. "Speak up medic." She replied scanning the environment for danger as they spoke with her longlas.

"We don't have room for both of you inside the Chimera commissar, so maybe we should-" He stopped abruptly as he felt the harsh stare of the small woman in his eyes. "Should what soldier? Leave the brave wounded behind? No sir, I will walk and he will get medical treatment." Her voice was serene and calm, like she talked about walking from one end of the Schola to the next, not like she was gonna be alone in a jungle teeming with dangerous animals like the Shadow Tiger which claws and teeth could break through cerapace like it was cottage cheese, extremely poisonous snakes and spiders, packs of Dire Wolves, Orks, feral Ogryns with a serious taste for human flesh, and that just just some of the many threats in this jungle that gave the famous Death Worlds of Phyrr and Catacha a run for their money. Being alone in it was akin to suicide.

She rapidly restocked inside the Chimera. Even planted a kiss on the mouth of her comatose lover as she left the Chimera while the wounded Catachan was tugged in there as the medic frantically worked on the limp body. Ionza left it with a glum smile at her face as she saw the Chimera roar off. Not before she had seen it speed off she felt a presence behind her in the bush. She immediately spun around going onto one knee, she took immediate aim. Just to see a Catachan standing there weapon trained at her. Soon more Catachan emerged, lasguns trained on her. Leading them was a huge scarred fair-skinned fellow, a powered sword was drawn. It was placed the throat of Ionza.

"Give me a reason I shouldn't just slit your throat now commissar!" The Catachan captain hissed with particular malice at commissar. "I saved the life of your soldier, Catachan." She said back relaxed, actually sounding happy. A grizzled veteran stepped forward. "That longlas, I think i have seen it before." The voice of the old man was gnarly, almost reminiscent of nails scratching at a chalkboard as he grabbed Ionza's longlas from her hands. "Shut up old man." The captain growled back.

"It's a McLandi, special-" Longer he didn't come as the huge Catachan snarled. "I said shut up-" The momentary distraction gave Ionza the tiny opening she needed as she kicked the legs out of the much larger captain, then she drew her hidden monofilament knives from her jacket-sleeves, before she jumped atop of the sprawling large Catahan, one knife at the balls of the Catachan the other at his throat. "Here at Freudakia we respect our elders, especially when said elders are Deathworld Snipers!" Ionza snarled out the words, her eyes displayed an odd fiery rage rarely seen in her.

"That sounds like McLandi even." The old sniper said as he smiled at the young commissar laying over the hulking brute. She smiled back at the frail-looking old man standing with her elegant sleek longlas in his hands. "Insulting Deathworld Snipers also mean you get hurt where it hurts the most when you take a leak...*She glanced at his dog-tag* captain Thomas Smith." The oldtimer said with a smile. "Yeah you know her." The old black man extended his hand from under the gill-suit, Ionza grabbed it, letting him help her onto her feet.

"Michelle Ionza. Deathworld sniper and commissar." She made a stiff salute at him as she said that. He smiled back with his brown teeth, age certainly hadn't played nice with that old man saying. "Tarik Brumby, Deathworld sniper." Another Catachan picked up her commissar cap a low-peaked black very plain cap at that with the traditional skull at. "P-p-p-p-p-" The young man tried to read the inscription of it. Ionza merely walked over to him, then she asked with a sweet voice. "I assume you name begins with a P private." As she gently took the cap from him, shaking it a few times as it was full of mud.

"Yes commissar, Patrick Eaves, might I inquire how you knew?" The bearded heavily muscled fair-skinned man replied, hair in a short black mohawk. "Educated guess, the inscription is the commissar creed of Schola Freudakia Plumbum ex Umbra, High Gothic for Lead from the Shadows." She said with a slight chuckle. The Catachans murmured amongst themselves about it. The bravest finally stepped forward, he had lieutenant-chevrons as he said. "Ehm you fur-coat, ma'am, is it of the fur of a Shadow-Tiger?" He touched it gently feeling the softness of it. "It is indeed, only four people have ever bested them as far as I know." The thumb on her right hand got up. "Me." The index-finger got up. "My fiance." The middle finger got up. "Lord Commissar Nathan Harken."

Then she turned to go. The lieutenant looked surprised at her, the young rather unscarred man then asked. "And number four?" Ionza just cast her head back laughing. "Try a guess lieutenant, we just spoke of her." She walked a little distance before turning, raising her voice addressing them all. "I understand you are hesitant to come with me, you have the choice of not coming with me, you might even reach Panarix far on the northern side of this continent, but then you must pass through the kingdoms of blood Ogryns which crave human flesh and various cults that sacrifices and nevermind Orks, millions of Orks."

She knew the speech was good enough to convince them to come with her as she began to walk. The first person that followed her was Brumby, the lieutenant then followed. Smith on the other hand was flabbergasted as he said. "Why the hell are you following this bitch, we should just slit her throat, and be-" She had came upon him and slapped him hard. Next she drew her bolter aiming it squarely at Thomas Smith while she calmly stated. "Want to see what damage a political officer can do? Here it comes. You captain Thomas Smith is no longer in charge of this outfit." With her monofilament knife she cut off the the captain-chevrons from the shoulders of Smith as she said. "Now you are private Smith." She looked over at the bulky lieutenant asking. "Lieutenant what's your name?" He replied. "Mark Evans ma'am." Ionza smiled as she said "Good you are in command of this outfit, and if private Thomas Smith does anything mildly annoying, shot him and make up a particularly stupid reasons later."

She handed Evans her bolt pistol, and began to walk as she heard he say. "Ma'am." She turned looking at the Catachan standing there with his large sausage-fingers and hands far to large for such an elegant weapon-handle as she expressed. "Right, a pistol custom-made for a lady fits badly in the hands of a bulky warrior." He quickly gave her back the pistol while saying. "That's a damn fine bolter Ma'am." He looked at the mastercrafted item with wonder. She smiled gracefully. "Thank you it was made for an ancestor of mine Marielle Ariendi a famous commissar from the 35th millennia, but lets get moving as I want to put as much distance between the Orks and us as possible with as little said as possible."

The Catachans followed her lead as they were secretly relieved the petite woman had outbullied the hulking Thomas Smith who not only had had the drop on her but managed to lose badly against her. They traveled for a few hours, with Ionza and Brumby first doing a tactical rapid leapfrogging as she lead them south towards the military base there at quite the pace.


----------



## Beaviz81

At one of the few points of rests while she was drinking up all the water in her bottle before refilling it while scouting with Brumby, Ionza noticed him lookin at the sun. "What are you looking at sniper?" She asked a bit pensive. "The sun Ma'am, you are leading us southeast following these tank-tracks, mind you if I ask you why? As we have no anti-tank weaponry with us." He looked worried over at the young commissar refilling her bottle at the stream as he said that.

"Drink up, I will tell you." She answered calmly. As the old man emptied his own canteen she talked. "We are following the tank-threads to observe whatever is driving that tank, at least that's what I plan to do. I will wait for lieutenant Evans and discuss the matter with him." The sniper wiped his mouth with the brown-green sleeve of his gill-suit as he said. "Makes perfect sense for me ma'am. So we shall just wait here for them, like at the other streams?" He turned around knowing she nodded and refilled his own canteen.

They waited for a short while until the Catachans arrived. Evans looked skeptical at Ionza. He strode towards her as his troops finished their canteens, and got the water from the stream. "Commissar." He said loudly. "Yes lieutenant." She turned towards him as she answered, making a quick salute which was equally sloppily returned. "You have us go southeast following tank-threads, why?" He looked accusingly at her, pointing to them while he spoke.

"That I intended to discuss with you lieutenant, I want to know about what has an Imperial Leman Russ battle-tank going that way, as if it's friendlies we can join with them. Enemies and we will collect data." She looked uncertain as she spoke while she ate the rest of the grasshopper.

"We will follow the threads, I agree to your suggestion commissar. Refill and move out." As he said that Ionza and Brumby both started with the trot they had done the past few hours, leapfrogging with one taking aim covering the track for the other that were sprinting between cover.

Smith finally arrived, he was furious of his demotion. Eyes burned with hatred against him. Every soldier looked at him like he was the lowest scum on the planet. Evans stepped forward his lasgun trained straight at Smith as he announced. "Private Smith we need to talk!" If Smith was angry before now he got even worse. He screamed. "Private I'm a frakking captain, that bitch won't survive-" He was interrupted by all his former officers and sergeants training their lasguns and pistols which was either bolter or las at him. "We have had a little chat." Evans began with. 

"And your survival depends on the commissar's, if she dies you dies." Evans said it flat without any emotion, Smith calmed down slightly as he said. "So even if I'm a mile away? You will kill me?" Smith said in total disbelief. "Yeah chup!" Came it from a sergeant behind him. "Especially then." Another voiced in. "See you have no support anymore." Evans said. "I will put in the transfer-request of you tomorrow my former CO to another part of this regiment. Understood private?" Smith straightened up, giving Evans a good salute. "Yes sir."

Eventually they stopped behind some fallen logs. They saw that their enemy the orks were in possession of the tank, and luckily the tank was the rear-echelon. "See that Acidspitter over there?" Ionza pointed at a huge black hairy with yellow glowing eyes, about the size of a human head. "Unfortunately I see it yes." Brumby answered as he shrugged a little watching the hideous spider. "We are in luck we can re-capture the Leman Russ." Ionza said seemingly pleased. Brumby just scratched his head stating. "With that spider? With all due respect but that's insanity ma'am."

The other Catachans arrived, Ionza explained her plan to them, and soon she was speeding towards the spider, she grabbed one of it's legs chucking it forward toward the tank as the Catachans followed a short distance behind her. Then she avoided the acid-spit of it slinging it high into the air, and she dodged the acid rain it unleashed against her. Eventually she reached the Leman Russ and she kicked the Acid Spitter inside relishing the screams of pain and terror as the spider went berserk inside spitting acid around.

Trooper Smith ran up and looked oddly on Ionza who just stood there glaring at the tank. "Why ain't you taking cover behind the tank?" He growled. He got his answer the Acid Spitter had found a way out by the top-hatch after dispatching the crew, and now came jumping out of the tank. Ionza shot it in mid-air with her bolter. It exploded and shards of acid rained over Smith, who soon was rolling on the ground in pain as acid burned his left shoulder badly. Ionza holstered the bolt pistol and brought up her laspistol instead, then shot a shot that grazed the wounded shoulder of Smith. "That's why, it was coming back for seconds."

"You bitch you shot me!!" Smith screamed, but before he could say anything more, Ionza kneeled down before him, power sword at his throat. "Sh you moron, I shot a grazing shot to your shoulder to cauterize the wound, and if you ever call me bitch again I will impale you on the spot!!" She hissed out the comments, then rapidly turned around, yelling. "Heyh guys secure the tank!" Then Smith got on his feet. The look on his face said that he wanted to throttle the little woman, yet he said. "Yes commissar and thank you for saving my life."

Still the Orks laid down a devastating fire and worse there seemed to be some sort of a huge ork with a teleportation gun there sending a Snotling splattered against the armour of the Leman Russ. Ionza quickly hit the vox at her ear saying. "Sniper Brumby there? Commissar Ionza Over." He calmly replied as he laid in cover a far distance as he replied after adjusting his own vox-beads. "Yes ma'am, I read you over." She gently said into the vox. "Take out the large Ork bullying the small Orkoids. Commissar Ionza over and out." Not long after the sentence was uttered the Runtherd fell with a lasbolt from a long distance to the the spot between his eyes.

Still the Orks charged on and several of the Catachans rushing for the Leman Russ was cut down in the hail of badly aimed bolts. Ionza at times popped out from behind the tank a few times with her laspistol popping an Ork or two, but they were too many and she knew she would be overwhelmed soon so she just wrapped the cloak tightly around herself disappearing, yet now the Catachans had reached the Leman Russ battletank, they were throwing out the Orks, and one by one the guns blazed back to life of the injured giant.

The heavy bolters cut a bloody swathe through the orks caught in the open. The lascannon infront of the tank vaporized anything that looked menacing, and the battle-cannon simply roared to life as the orks were forced to take cover, which in turn meant Michelle came leaping in with blade and laspistol. The Orks tried as best they could to take her out but their rounds tended to hit eachother instead of Ionza as she dodged and ducked away from their shots, more akin to the skills of the Death Cult Assassins than her job-description.

Yet the primary target was still up and running, he fetched everything he could find, including other Orks the Mekboy fired at Ionza again and again missing by scant centimeters while she closed in at high speed. One Ork even tossed a grenade at her, then came charging in at her confidently screaming. "Waaaaagh!!" That expression was quite changed when Ionza kicked the grenade back into his mouth and he swallowed it as he dropped his weapons with hands going for the head. Ionza was in the midst of the Orks disemboweling, beheading and dismembering as she moved forward, but closely behind her a very protective squad of Catachan veterans moved in for the kill massacring the Orks with their back turned with ease but not without danger as at least one member was hit by Orkish bolt-shells and promptly exploded.

Thomas Smith the disgraced was instrumental in rallying the platoon of Evans after Evans caught a bolt-shell to his forehead, head pulverized. The platoon was wavering, two guys tried to run. Smith gunned them both down for their cowardice. Then he roared. "You have seen that little bitch fight, are you men or shits?!" As he swept forward with his laspistol and powered sword he broke through the weapon of an Ork boss that were winning against one of the sergeants that had toppled his rule of this platoon. The sergeant a man in his mid-forties, casual Catachan build, fair skin, blonde small mohawk, plenty of scars running across his heavily muscled body closed his eyes expecting Smith to kill him next. Smith instead growled. "Stop acting like I would kill you, I don like you sergeant, but you won't die by my hand. Now go frakking take the Ork the commissar is after, this is our glory, not her's!" He led his roaring men forward as the attack on the Mekboy became a two-pronged one.

Ionza would later think the two-pronged attack was a bad idea, but it saved her life as she and the other Catachans were about to be overrun by the Orks and the Leman Russ battletank had to hold fire to avoid hitting friendlies and instead concentrated on driving back the orks on the other side, while the three other Catachans covering behind it took out stragglers with the help of the Deathworld sniper.

Ionza finally got to grip with the Ork Mekboy after he fired yet another Snotling at her that missed her, but it didn't miss completely, as the ruthless Smith sensing it coming dragged the helpless Eaves infront of him, making the Snotling hit him instead and didn't even care that he was devoured from the inside by the frantic Snotling. Though he was a tiny bit impressed when Ionza narrowly dodged the Shokk Attakk Gun then the Mekboy threw it at her. Then the Mekboy grabbed the last Ork who tried to flee near him, and lunged at Ionza smashing it against a Freudakian hardwood. That gave Ionza the opportunity to make a strike herself at the exposed right leg of the creature. It his, she severed the leg.

Now the rest was simple for Ionza who quickly dispatched of the arms and legs of the flailing creature. She finally stood over him wiping off the sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her jacket. Then Smith came at him. "You shall die!!" He screamed at the Ork, she roared back. "Noooo! Don't kill him!" She parried the blow, the powered rapier came dangerously close to her due to she forcing herself between the much stronger man and the Ork as Smith looked confused at her before relenting as he said. "Why not commissar?" She grunted as she managed to push him away a little as she said. "Because the Inquisition wants to interrogate an Ork leader."

Smith then growled. "Hope you are happy with your victory commissar, I certainly ain't." She looked around at the bodies of Orks but also at the bodies of the fallen Catachans, of the squad that had followed her only two battle-shocked and wounded men were alive. She had to shoot one twice in his legs to stop the bleeding, he died an hour later of the shock since she was out of tranqulizers. She then were on the way to the Leman Russ, she stopped as she saw Patrick Eaves the promising youngblood. He was devoured from the inside. She reloaded her bolter as she stated. "I'm sorry I won't get to learn you to read private Patrick Eaves." With a loud bang she pulled the trigger despite he trying and failing to speak and warn her about Thomas Smith.

Going into the tank she saw why the tank had been so inactive of the several members that had entered it only one remained alive he had his left arm blown away. Ionza gave him the Emperor's peace the next day when he caught gangrene as a mercy-killing.

They didn't even have the power to sabotage the Leman Russ or bury the bodies. Instead the few remaining Catachans and Ionza shambled through the jungle being chased by Orks, losing even more people as they had run-ins with a pair of Shadow-Tigers which they left to their fate and just retreated from as the shadowy beasts ripped them apart.

Eventually they reached the military base. They met one of the deep jungle-patrols, headed by none other than Carrus. He ran towards Ionza as he saw her, as he reached her, then she passed out in his arms. Carrus immediately went for master-voxer, and made a vox-cast. "Commissar Zachary Carrus here, callsign: Forager. Found missing personnel in section Beta-Delta-Bravo, requests immediate medivac now. Over and out." Still Smith came lurking as he was basically dragging the smelly but still living body of Brumby.

"Commissar Zachary Carrus, sir, captain Thomas Smith reporting in." He said that as he made a stiff military salute but made sure he didn't drop Brumby as he saluted before he continued with. "Might I suggest a change change to the orders commissar?" Carrus gave a nod where he stood carrying Ionza over his shoulders using one hand to stabilize her while the other holding the master-vox as Smith then said. "Northeast of here there is a Leman Russ battletank that fell into the Ork-hands." Carrus made a new vox-call still requesting the medivac, but as he did McLandi and her snipers having heard the message came out of the forest. She ran straight for Brumby.

"Tarik, are you okay?" She cradled him in her arms as she spoke. He woke up a little and whispered to her. "I had always loved you Latiffa." With that his words trailed off, his will to live was spent, he died in the arms of the woman he always loved yet never could have. Tears trailed down the cheeks of McLandi, most of the Storm Troopers were shocked over that the stern and strict Drill-Abbess showed emotion. Carrus however had more initiative as he roared out. "Anyone breathing a word of this will be re-commissioned as an officer of the Skitarii so sayeth me Commissar Techriarch Carrus the reigning authority of the Adeptus Mechanicus on this planet!" Smith noticed the scared impressions of the Storm-Troopers around him, making a mental note of not mentioning this ever again.


----------



## Beaviz81

The Valkyrie arrived within minutes to save the soldiers that had spent over a week injured in the bush fleeing from the orks and other dangers in the Freudakian jungle. They were given shots of syringes to calm them down from the nightmares they had just by the Freudakian soldiers each carrying his or her own batch of syringes and being perfectly able to give medical care. Carrus did so with Ionza, Smith got a pair of girls treating him. Then the Valkyrie landed, Smith was seated next to Carrus who let the care of Ionza be carried out by the professional medics accompanying each Valkyrie at Freudakia.

"Why did commissar Ionza demote you captain?" Carrus said with a dangerously low tone. Before he whipped out a monofilament knife from the sleeve of his jacket, he immediately put it to the throat of Smith as he spoke before Smith even could react to the knife to throat. "You are a brave man captain Smith, you didn't even blink when I put the knife to your throat." Smith merely looked tired into the eyes of the commissar over twenty years his junior as he said. "I had an inkling you would do that to test my resolve, and commissar Ionza demoted me for wrong decisions at the field of battle commissar." 

His glare then met Carrus' eyes as he removed the red bandana from his head while saying. "Tell you fiancé she has passed the test of Catachan womanhood.” Then he handed his bandana to the very surprised commissar. "This is for Spider-Charger, I meant commi-" Carrus immediate interrupted. "I know what the honor means when a Catachans officer hand you his or her bandana, as I have been personally trained in jungle-warfare by one of your best, Drill-Abbess Latiffa McLandi." He then continued the long talk. "Why do you name her Spider-Charger, did she grab an Acid-Spider and charge a tank or ork dreadnaught?"

Smith then answered. "Yes she did, she picked up an Acid-Spitter, tossed it into the air a few times, then she kicked it into the Leman Russ battletank through a hole just behind a sponsor of the left side of the tank." Carrus relented his hold of Smith. "Go on what happened next?" "We followed, but we were badly led as she had me demoted and had a yes-man in my stead, but my demotion is my fault, I was rude to her and a Deathworld sniper so I'm just glad she spared my life." He saw how Carrus' eyes darkened as he told the tale. "I hope you won't execute me for this tale commissar." Smith finally coffed out. "That's not my decision to make as she have spared you thus far." Carrus responded, yet Smith didn't feel any relief by that statement as he looked at the chilly mark of the Adeptus Mechanicus on the low commissar-cap perched ontop of Carrus' head and he remembered the order Carrus had barked out when McLandi broke down.

"You are a servant of the Ommnisiah?" Smith said as he glanced at the commissar-cap of Carrus. "Yes. I'm the Techriarch at this planet with commissar Ionza as my deputy when I'm not available, but I lack the ear for the finest music of them all the sound of the Machine Spirit, which is why I will never be and never can become a Tech Priest." He closed his eyes thinking of how sweet the music of the Machine Spirit ought to be. "But that's just as well, lest I would risk having a sudden urge to replace my holy human body with that of the machine." 

He carried on. "The Techriarch is a hereditary position I have gotten from my home-world Ciralix, an ugly industrial world were people pray, dance for the Emperor and doesn't even have gladiatorial combat to appease me." Smith looked as if Carrus were joking as he pried. "Dancing for the Emperor, doesn't sound like much fun commissar." 

Smith scratched his jaw in an amused fashion as Carrus responded with. "No and me drinking wine to pass the time during one such eight hour session and then falling asleep and snoring loudly was apparently a major scandal." Smith only smirked as he said. "I bet drinking ain't allowed there." Carrus just yawned and stretched while saying. "Nope it's an offense punishable by death. Which is why I can't ever rule that place even as I'm the only surviving child of the previous Planetary Governor the blessed Arturus Carrus as the public would basically rise up in rebellion if the prohibition is lifted. So I let my regent Zachary Carrus the 89th rule in my place as I only sat on the throne for eighty-eight days. He is my uncle."

The aircraft were approaching the Maritova military-base Smith saw large numbers of tank rolling out into the jungle. Leading them were Leman Russ Demolishers, behind them came Hellhounds and Rhinos with men riding atop of them with sandbags as cover. What surprised Smith the most was seeing Tech-Priests and commissars amongst the members sitting there with the men and women there being amongst the people keeping watch. "They should wear body-armour." Carrus called out tersely as they saw the many men and women sitting atop of the Rhinos making an effort to sunbathe even as the tanks slithered into the jungle. The returning tanks looked different. Men and women were still sitting atop of the Rhinos, but many of the tanks were towed and each showed having been hit with all sorts of weaponry in the arsenals of Ogryns and Orks.

"I don't know commissar, armour has always slowed me down and is damn in the way at long-term missions." Smith answered back. "Yeah you have a point captain, and I have always let people choose if they want to wear armour or not though I recommend it of course." Carrus mentioned in a consenting way. "Oh ain't they beautiful?" Carrus pointed at the skies as Maurader bombers and Lightning fighters flew in formations as he spoke with more enthusiasm. "Ciralixian produce the finest aircraft and tanks in the whole galaxy." Carrus said with pride. Smith just replied with a smirk. "So you are done bashing Ciralix now commissar?" Carrus merely laughed as the Valkyrie landed.

They went off with Ionza rapidly being carried off. Carrus glanced over at McLandi and the bodybag containing Brumby coming off another Valkyrie. He knew she was sad, though nobody else could really tell. "Commissar Carrus." He heard the voice of Smith which snapped him out of his chain of thoughts. "Yes-" He didn't come further as he saw the Catachans being all mustered at the airport standing there in formation. Carrus then whispered to Smith's ear in the communication they were so used to do in the jungle when they had to speak. Mouth to ear, hand between mouth and ear in a cylindrical shape. "I didn't know Catachans could be mustered in formation." Smith hissed back. "Me neither commissar." McLandi joined them, whispering to both. "I'm as surprised as you two are, captain and commissar." They both saluted her who saluted back.

The trio went along the lines of the Catachans, they were clad to enter the jungle and fight. They looked at Carrus, to his surprise they weren't looking at him with the cold hatred he expected, instead more along the lines that a great Imperial hero was gazing at them. Eventually they reached the center of the gathered Catachans. 

Kelkaris the Iqnuisitor stood on the right of Stremm now just in a simple black robe not at all displaying him being an Inquisitor, especially with a gigantic golden Inquisitor-inscription on it. At the left of Stremm were a mountain of a man, with shoulder-long black hair, brown merciless piercing green eyes, looked at the three approaching officers of the Imperial Guard. He was almost reminiscent of the Emperor himself standing there with the dull black commissar-uniform on, blackened epaulets like Carrus and Ionza, the furry coat on his made him partially invisible, He was the dreaded Lord-Commissar Nathan Harken. Head of the Commissariat of Freudakia. He glanced into the Eyes of Carrus who strode right up to him giving him a stiff salute.

He saluted back, and also saluted the two captains following Carrus. "Why are the Catachans gathered sir?" Carrus spoke first. "Simple you have been assigned to them commissar." Harken said expecting Carrus to protest, but instead was taken totally by surprise as the young man said. "That would be an honor sir, I assume commissar Ionza will be with me on this assignment Lord-Commissar." Both Harken and Kelkaris looked at Carrus with stunned surprise, as Carrus got up to Stremm he said. "Thank you colonel for saving my life." He made a deft salute at him, which much to his surprise handed him his red bandana, to the cheer of his troops with the words. "No commissar me and my men is the one thanking you, as you saved the life of everyone under my command by going up against those Orks." 

Even the Inquisitor were surprised by the roar of the Catachans as Carrus removed his cap, giving it to Smith and let McLandi tie it to his head. They heard the words "Sharp Knife!" being shouted. Carrus merely pried McLandi. "I assume they are referring to me for my knifework captain?" She answered rapidly. "That's no small honor for an off-worlder to get his own name from the Catachans means you have passed their passage of manhood and receiving the bandana of the CO is virtually unheard of commissar you should indeed be proud." He watched the cheering Catachans, before he shouted. "Silence!!" The Catachans fell silent. "Thank you for that nickname. It frakking rocks!" He waited and then it came roaring back to him as they yelled. "Sharp Knife!" He then roared. "That's a fine nickname, and I will replace Forager with that as my call-sign!" The Catachans cheered at him.

As the cheers fell silent Carrus addressed Harken. "Lord-Commissar permission to take the Catachans to the armory and show them what they have been missing?" Harken immediately answered. "Permission granted, but you are dismissed, go see commissar Ionza, captain Smith will handle arming the scouts as he is your new CO, McLandi you will handle arming the snipers and selecting them." Carrus just ran towards the hospital hell-bent on seeing his beloved again, while the troopers filed over to the armoury where a grotesque-looking Skitarii with twin-heavy bolters unlocked it for them, opening the gate of the huge building. 

Harken headed over and hit the flick. The lighting-rods in the ceiling of the huge building came on one row at a time, showing an impressive stockpile of hot-shot lasguns, heavy flamers, longlases, boltguns, bolt pistols and meltagun. He turned to the men brawling out with his deep thundering voice. "See that Catachans, that's why you have commissars, it's because they can contact the Munitorum and get you all the good stuff you need to win wars." Stremm then asked. "Where are the heavy weapons, I have a few heavy weapon teams." 

Harken immediately answered. "The heavy weapons we here attach to the Skitarii, and did you really think being in the forces of Inquisitor Kelkaris mean you are anything but the swift-footed jungle-infantry that will strike in deep with Valkyries and be air-lifted to every operation?" Stremm swallowed and shut up. Then came Freudakian grenadiers filing by, and soon the Catachans went from an undersupplied unit to a unit bristling with close-range fire-support with meltaguns and heavy flamers being the weapons of choice for the special weapon-teams. Even Smith got himself a meltagun, mostly as he wanted to appear as loyal as possible to his new commissar.


----------



## Beaviz81

Chapter II.

Meanwhile at the massive black-gray military-hospital at Maripovska, Carrus had just arrived at the entrance, he quickly discarded the armour along with the heavier weapons as he was far from fit having actually done a good job hiding how injured and weak he was from Thomas Smith. A brace of nurses then changed his torso-bandages as they dressed him down changing the bandage covering his torso. Most men would be screaming in pain. 

Carrus stood there with just a slightly pained expression as he asked one of the young hospitalliers. "Where did you lay commissar Michelle Ionza, serial-" He was cut off by a cheery answer. "Commissar, we laid commissar Michelle Ionza not far from here. We will take you to her when we are done redressing you own wounds as you are not fighting fit and I will personally give orders for you to be detained if you try such a stunt for at least four months." The answer from the nun was tersely, she let her bedside-manner slide a little due to Carrus going off into the jungle even as he was far from fit enough.

"How long will I be out of commission Sister?" He looked into the eyes of the woman, then at the hair. He thought to himself. "Damn that dyer must be a bloody expert making the hair so white, and maybe the legend is true, maybe they are so holy their hair turns white." As he could see no trace of the coloring. He was snapped out of the line of thought by the answer. "Four to five months commissar, you aggravated your condition, she tightened the bandage tight around the heavily muscled torso of the man making him grunt in pain. "I will let you see your wife commissar before taking some scans of you to see for the internal bleedings.

"Sorry Sister, she is just my fiancé-" He was immediately cut short by the other Hospitallier blurting out. "What? Immoral! Indecency! Lewdness here at our hospital." The nun shivered with silent rage. Realizing how young the second Hospitallier was Carrus immediately spoke out. "Look child, I agree with you, but my family didn't allow me to marry commissar Ionza yet. Infact I had to wait ten years for that to happen." He smiled tersely as he explained.

"Why not?" The younger quite large woman in the black and red fatigues asked with excitement. Before Carrus could answer the older nun bellowed. "Sister Hospitallier Miranda *she immediately bounced onto her feet, over two meters tall towering above Carrus.* How dare you pry into the personal life of the commissar? That cost you seven lashes!" Carrus glanced shocked at the older nun. "Actually Sister Hospitallier, I didn't mind, and if you don't mind I will be happy to tell the story." He was quite shocked about the mood-swings of both the Sister Hospitalliers.

"My apologizes commissar, you might indeed go on." The older replied as the applied pressure-bandages to the leg of Carrus. "My family is the richest and most prestigious in this sector. With me as the richest member as I'm the owner of most of CrassCorp. My homeplanet Ciralix Primaris was given to my illustrious forefather Zachary Carrus the first by the Emperor himself." All three of the religious fanatics made the aquila as Carrus said the Emperor. He then continued. "My father died bravely defending myself alongside my heroic mother when i was a small boy in my cradle from forces of the ruinous powers. Their sacrifice saved the planet and my life while a Sister Famulous whisked me away for me to land here, and I was inducted into the Storm Trooper-program, before I became a commissar, thought I have since received training as a Death Cult Assassin for reasons known only to the Inquisition." He knew he traveled a bit off the track, so he continued.

"Back at Ciralix when I was eighteen my uncle Petrus was suggesting that I were to go under an arranged marriage, and have commissar Ionza as a concubine-" He was immediately cut off by Miranda, the fanatical young nun. "What an infidel, I hope you butchered your uncle...." She trailed off under the harsh glare of her superior. "No I took him outside and put the fear of the commissar into him, by dangling him out from the terrace until he said the right words. Which was, or maybe not." As he said the last thing Carrus grabbed his throat making a comically scared expression making the youngest nun giggle, then stop as the older one glared at her.

"Sister Miranda you are dismissed, report to the Confessor, and self-chastise yourself." The older nun spoke up, making Miranda leave the room. She had a worried expression. Mumbling. "What shall I do with her?" Carrus then spoke up. "Hospitallier if I may *She gave him a short nod.* Maybe she need to be-" She interrupted. "Laid?" Carrus' eyes opened wide and he just said. "Noooo, I meant been shown the wetwork in battle and actually kill some xeno-filth, that I have seen many times as a Drill-Abbott then they get less gung-ho about killing stuff." The nun nodded then replied. "Sound advice my child, you are wiser than your age suggest, and I have heard that advice from commissars more than once." She noticed the shocked expression of the Carrus who then responded. "Hope you bitch-slapped them, and what do you mean by calling me child? You can't be much older than me Hospitallier."

"I'm over 300 years old young commissar." She noticed the epic jaw-drop of the commissar that realized who he had been talking to and daring to advice then Carrus blurted out pointing directly to her. "You are Sister Hospitallier Mistress Nana Grace the savior of over a million souls of the Order of the Torch." He then blushed. "But Mistress ain't you supposed to be an old crone?" She gently giggled. "I was until three years ago, then I came here, I was dying and the Magos Biologis which I have permitted to take care of the most gravely wounded soldiers here restored my youth and gave me 300 more years, and it's all on you commissar Zachary Carrus." She grinned as she saw how his face changed colors.

"I-I didn't know you were supposed to smile Mistress." He tersely replied, eyes downcast. She only sighed as they both sat down in chairs in the sparsely furnished exam-room, right across from eachother in sturdy metallic chairs of a greyish color with a table between them. "You are half-right commissar Carrus. The Orders Militant doesn't smile much, neither do the other Orders, yet you can think how being angry would affect survival at bedside-manner." He coffed as he laughed a bit from the pain the laughter induced.

"Yeah that wouldn't be a good idea Mistress Grace." He saw she giggle in the small exam-room much to his shock. "We are allowed to be cheerful, as we doesn't focus on the fact that the Emperor is suffering from our sins, and dying soldiers often want to get anything off their chest to travel to the Emperor in peace, without it, you wouldn't be able to function young commissar." The old yet extremely beautiful Sister Hospitallier responded. He looked in a way suggesting he was totally startled, they both made the aquila every time the Emperor were mentioned.

"I-I actually have a friend who happen to be an Inquisitor Mistress Grace." Carrus eventually coffed out before he continued. "He can grant Miranda a free access to a battlefield, and I wonder was the commissars really vulgar enough to suggest getting laid Mistress?" He looked abit worried over at the nun, who simply responded. "No young commissar, they suggested marriage, but this organization is one of celibacy, so the suggestion is one that is an afront to us. Infact the last commissar I broke the jaw of was the Lord Commissar Nathan Harken." The answer came extremely casual from the woman like she was discussing a simple meet and greet, yet Carrus laughed and smacked his knee before he complained. "Man you are a cruel Mistress, you mean you punched out Lord-Commissar Harken?"

"He was not Lord-Commissar then, only commissar Nathan Harken, just another commissar too big for his britches suggesting marriage for us. *she sighed* I have long ago forgiven him for the transgression." Carrus laughed. "He described you as a cruel woman, he haven't forgiven you for that slight. Heck-" She interrupted him. "Then it's time for me to beg for his forgiveness young commissar, don't you agree?" Carrus was astonished by the words coming from her. "Ehm I suppose so Mistress." He responded as he got dressed despite the pain.

"That happened over two hundred years ago young commissar, it was during one of his campaigns, you dad actually was present there, I can still remember him." Carrus immediately shuffled forward in the chair. Eyes glistening with interest. "Tell me how was my father like, do tell me Mistress." Grace responded. "We met, pure and simple, but I see you in him, he defended commissar Harken's ignorance in a way that convinced me I was in error and I was just a headstrong young nun barely having seen battle back them." She sighed and closed her eyes before continuing. "Your father was maybe the finest man I have ever known young Carrus, and he would be proud of the man you are today, and that's a grand price from one that has fought beside Space Marines." Carrus looked flustered at her as the old nun continued the tale.

"This has likely been revealed to you, your dad was also educated here, he was the first one to win a cape of a Shadow-Tiger, and he with his rebellious yet conservative nature re-shaped the commissariat here. Before they were all just sniped away, your father hindered that, but he wasn't the meltagunner you were, he liked bolters and things that said bang making him known a mile away, you don't like even the sound-suppressed one of commissar Ionza." She looked at the twitching commissar under her bright green-eyed gaze, knowing full and well she was right. "You like to stay in the shadow, as it's your environment, and I knew the first wife of Artutius Carrus, also a commissar, brave as they come. I will always admire their bravery in facing the Space Marines of the ruinous powers, they delayed them long enough for me and Aagoth to make our escape with you, and later I recovered your chainsword, as I also have a pelt of a Shadow-Tiger young commissar, I was the second to get one, your father was the first." She laughed a soft, mellow laughter as she saw the shock of the young commissar, so used to regale everyone with warstories, here he was out-regaled.

"Hm, maybe when I'm fully recovered I should spar with you Mistress, as you sound like a challenge and from your physical form I see you would have a good measure of speed and strength, when I'm fully recovered, if I may." The commissar responded watching and measuring the large hulking woman who of course were quite larger than him, even taller and bulkier than Miranda as he saw her truly massive frame seated in that chair.

"I would be honored sparring against both you and commissar Ionza, when you have regained your strength, and I suspect you could both give Miranda a serious run at abilities from what I have heard about both of you, already you are Imperial heroes. So one year from now when you both have recovered you will both face me and Hospitallier Miranda in sparing and trust me neither is going to be a good for you as Hospitallier Miranda spar with me daily and she have beaten me even at occasions." Carrus looked shocked at the honest answer, knowing he had brought down hell at himself. Yet he smiled as the combat-techniques his many mentor had lopped on him had forged him into a very deadly and well-rounded fighter which could stand well even against the onslaught of Nana Grace, or at least Carrus thought as much.

Carrus changed the subject again. "You know the Inquisitor I was talking about can make Miranda pass that test by assigning her to my unit." Carrus sat not facing the door. Grace replied. "I didn't expect the Imperial Inquisition to be knocking at my door about this issue." Seeing Kelkaris entering the room. He immediately caught the joke, puffing out his chest hands on his hips he proclaimed with a loud and high-pitched voice. "Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!" Making Carrus jump sky-high giving a very stiff salute to the amusement of both the Inquisitor and the Sororita.

The Inquisitor quickly declared. "Relax commissar Carrus, we are off-duty now and I'm amazed you knew that piece Mistress Grace." The Hospitallier merely responded. "A classic never dies and unlike the rest of the Sororitas we can have a cheerful disposition due to our bedside-manner as I have already explained to the commissar." He chimed in. "Yeah an angry bedside-manner wouldn't suit it and they hear much crap from dying soldiers, which means they serve as priests as well. Simply put they are vessels of faith with medical knowledge." The last reply earned Carrus a salute from Grace. "That young commissar hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head commissar, and you young Inquisitor can elect to take me and Sister Hospitallier Miranda into battle at the next possible opportunity if you see fit to do so." She pointed straight at Kelkaris who was standing infront of Carrus.

"Look Inquisitor this is advice you should heed." Carrus hissed to him. "This is Nana Grace the Angel of Mercy, she can advice even our master High-Inquisitor Selpid to do her bidding and now she is here as a lowly nun treating my injuries, I think she is out for something." He spoke to the shocked Inquisitor who looked far from the commanding essence he was used to as he was shocked beyond belief as the Orks had taken a heavy toll of his two closest friends Carrus and Ionza, two people the grey-haired Inquisitor in his early thirties loved had been injured.

"You mean I shall accept Sororitas as a part of my retinue commissar Carrus?" The Inquisitor responded as he made himself as comfortable as he could in the blank steel-chair. Carrus just responded with a nod. "Agreed, they would make a wonderful addition to my team, and you are right Mistress Grace can strong-arm High Inquisitor Selpid to do anything she want him to." Both men shuddered thinking about the power Grace actually had, and worse for Carrus he had actually agreed to duel the Mistress, that he left untold, yet the Inquisitor felt it, he didn't voice it as they both headed to the room where they heard Ionza awaken.


----------



## Beaviz81

Ionza awoke not to find the embracing presence of her beloved Carrus to be the first thing she laid her eyes upon, but instead she felt her blood freeze to ice as she looked straight into the yellow gaze of the Master of Shadows, the Master of the the local Death Cult the Shadows of Death peering into her soul almost unseen infront of her.

She remembered the cruel teachings he had lopped on Carrus, telling him how bad his combat-technique was. Even at the first meeting the Master of Shadows had insulted Carrus, getting him provoked enough to actually attack him. She remembered clearly how the goldenbrown-skinned man with the white finely tailored beard and wily white eyebrows had insulted her boy. Yet every attack Carrus had made was futile. The man had even at one point stood at the tip of Carrus' chainsword, before making a swirl while kicking Carrus brutally in the face, sending him flying. With that Carrus was disarmed as he hadn't yet learned the trick of having half a dozen hidden blades on himself, and after a barrage of blows from Carrus easily dodged or parried by Syan Lian the Master of Shadows had Carrus kneeling exposing throat.

Instead he was taken into the Death Cult for further training along with her. She saw the Mistress of the Shadows Janice a tall, artificially young-looking fair-skinned blonde female with a pretty shapely body, not looking a day over sixteen, despite being over four centuries years old. As had Syan Lian been the teacher of Carrus teaching with harshness and insults, Janice had been the opposite always a kind word, which made it so much harder for her to face her in the Ring of Death as unlike Carrus she felt lots of love for the Mistress of Shadows her own teacher.

The young female commissar was laying in a white sheeted bed, with a white hospital-dress on her, she felt woozy from the chemicals in her bloodstream as the tranquilizers were wearing off. "Why are you seeking me out Master and Mistress? Any problems with Annika our adopted daughter which we put under your protection?" Ionza asked with a very worried look, as if she had smelled the trouble from the Imperial Assassins.

A voice sweet as sugar, delicate as air answered her. "Yes young commissar, there have been problems with Annika, the child is rebellious and wild. Not unlike two commissars we were training a few years ago." Janice responded, her eyes fastened into a glare into the brown large eyes of Ionza. She was clothed in a shadowsuit showcasing her feminine shapes. The male was dressed in a nice bathrobe-like attire, in a shadowy material that should stand out in the white hospital-room, but didn't.

"Had there been any sexual exploits involved? The girl is seventeen now she is almost an adult now." Ionza asked as she scratched her jaw with a worried look at her face, feeling for the first time the bitter taste of disappointment in her own children, a taste she already feared she would taste many times in her children due to she being away a lot. "Yes there have been sexual contact." The male responded with a harsh yet silky voice. "She have had relations with no less than three boys." He glared into the eyes of Ionza, displeasure not hidden in any way whatsoever.

"Annika!" She called out. "Place yourself next to my right!" Annika came out of the shadows from behind the Mistress and Master, looking almost like the twin of Janice, brown eyes downcast, kneeling before Ionza in her bed. Ionza slapped her hard on the cheek as she yapped. "How dare you dishonor the Death Cult, yourself, myself, the Master and Mistress infront of you, your adopted dad commissar Carrus' heart will weep hearing these news." 

She looked at the teenager recovering from the slap, chin on the left side glaring red from the backhand slap of her displeased adopted mum. She then spoke again. "What will your warden Lord Commissar Harken say. He is the man that raised after your noble father Lord Commissar Michael Stravinsky died in the arms of Carrus, and the foolish boy gave a dying man a promise of raising you. Your equally noble mother Lady Commissar Nicole Stravinsky would join him in spinning in their graves had their remains not gotten cremated." Ionza was furious as she spoke. "Now go stand in corner and be ashamed, very ashamed." She pointed to the corner near the window. "Yes mum." Annika whispered while she got up and scurried over to the corner eyes downcast.

Ionza meanwhile fetched the black bathrobe of her hanging on a hook beside the bed, wrapping herself in it as she got up from the bed. "This is grave news indeed Master and Mistress, commissar Carrus will not be pleased, come we must see him."

They ran into the three Imperial representatives in the room adjacent to the one they came out from. "Commissar Carrus, we must have words." Syan Lian voiced as he laid eyes on the commissar rapidly getting himself dressed with a a black bathrobe given to him by Mistress Grace, hiding the goosebumps he felt as his harsh mentor once more laid eyes on him.

"Yes Master so we shall." He glanced back with his own blue eyes, looking into the eyes of his own mentor, though unlike Ionza he didn't love his teacher, he merely respected him. Stepping aside with him the commissar said. "I managed the Cut." He saw the puzzled bemusement in the face of both the Master and Mistress of the Shadows of Death. "You managed the Cut?" Janice sounded skeptical. "Yes I did Mistress." Carrus answered truthfully. "Did the ork survive?" Syan Lian then asked sounded a bit in suspense of belief. "Negative Master." Carrus sounded dejected as he said the sentence. "Any proof of that you beheaded an Ork and it stayed alive?" Janice asked with skepticism thick in her voice. "Over one thousand Catachans, then I got into it with an Ork Warboss Master and Mistress." The little pride Carrus had in the duel was apparent in the voice and the very neutral look of the face of Carrus.

"You slayed an Ork Warboss and place more pride in making the Cut commissar." Syan Lian voiced with disbelief. "Yes Master, cause I didn't stay hidden in the shadows like you had me learn." Carrus said calmly. "Seems like the commissar is more assassin than you thought possible Syan Lian, or what?" Janice voiced in teasing way, while looking over at her husband Syan Lian with a smirk on her face. "I always thought the commissar was an assassin, I merely polished an already fine assassin into the fine servant of the Imperium he is today." Syan Lian responded, voice without emotion, face quite neutral as well.

"You always did well even when I first insulted you, and the insults made you less hot-headed and more of the calculating beast you are today, yet you are not satisfied with you victory over the Ork are you young commissar?" The 763 year old Master Assassin glared into the eyes of the commissar. "Negative Master, I would rather have blasted him from afar with my trusted melta. But in the end your teachings saved my life, you teaching me to always have many monofilament knives on me." Carrus took a pause to breathe then continue. "The duel went like our latest duel, me getting thrashed about drawing knife after knife and slashing at my opponent, just with me actually hitting something this time around."

"You have always been a dirty fighter young commissar, I just beat out the last ounce of humanity and honor in your fighting up close, and neither me nor Janice managed to do the Cut before we passed one hundred years of age." The old assassin flipped at his thin beard as he spoke with amusement. "But marveling over your skill is not the reason we are here, the reason is much more serious than that I'm afraid." Carrus then responded. "Speak up Master."

"Your adopted daughter have brought dishonor upon herself and the Shadows of Death." He saw Carrus twitch and bite his lower lip as he spoke. "How so?" He saw the pained expression of the face of the commissar. "Premarital sex commissar Carrus." The Master Assassin knew the commissar was in physical and emotional pain, he had no doubt which pain was the worst as he spoke the words.

"Dammit! What about the frakking, excuse me Master, I meant what about the boys?" Carrus asked in a tone suggesting he barely was able to suppress his rage, though his expression only showed mild annoyance. "The were sent on a difficult mission with Annika, only she survived, and I guess is your problem now." The answer was flat from Syan Lian. "Annika get over here right now!" Carrus then yelled out. Seconds later eyes downcast she stood infront of the commissar and assassin, whispering. "Yes dad."

"You are no daughter of mine, you shall from this day forward address me as Commissar Carrus and nothing else." He voiced out, even Syan Lian and Janice was shocked over the rebuttal of the young man. He then turned his head to Janice. "Say me Mistress of Shadows, the mission to the middle of the Freudakian jungle to mark out the Orks, take out their leaders, shall you two go ahead with it?" She tersely answered. "Yes commissar, we just happened to be here because of it when we received news you both had been injured in combat."

"Consider the mission transferred to Annika, she will mark out the Orks." Carrus gave his answer, Syan Lian concealed his shock, his wife was less fortunate in her efforts. "Commissar, that's a mission for a Master or Mistress of a Death Cult, not a..." Janice stopped speaking as she saw the stare of the young man. "Shadow-cultist Annika Stravinsky!" Annika immediately tensed up straightening herself with hands on the side. "Yes, fath- *the disapproving glare of Carrus stopped her, she swallowed heavily* Yes commissar Carrus."

He then called out. "In order to regain the love of myself and the Emperor in the process, your mission is to get the Orks mapped out across the continent and to hopefully even kill a few in the most horrendous way possible. If and only if you returns I will have a marriage arranged for you since you show inability to resolve the matter yourself. Now go stand in corner until called upon." Annika turned she avoided getting tears in her eyes until she passed Ionza, then she couldn't anymore. The female commissar immediately embraced the young assassin. "Dear, dear, it's not so bad." She patted and stroke the back while the teenager sobbed on her shoulder as she gently said. "Carrus will one day be your dad again, as you will be successful in your mission and your younger brothers and sisters need their big sister to come home." She then lead her into the room.

"Having children seems like a nightmare at times." Kelkaris whispered to Grace as the two young females passed by them on their way to the room. "Yeah, having children is a source of both joy and sorrow Inquisitor Kelkaris." Grace whispered back, and as they entered the room. "And this time it's sorrow, in the form of you never know who your kid might go to bed with at night and parents disapproves." She sighed as she spoke eyes closed.

"That's why I stay celibate Mistress Grace." Kelkaris whispered back to the Sister Hospitallier. "Maybe....no just forget it Inquisitor." Grace responded sounding pensive. "Maybe what? Speak up Mistress Grace, it's an order." He hissed back at her, then she said. "Maybe you would be a match for her Inquisitor." The Inquisitor reacted with headscratching saying. "She is too young for me Mistress Grace." She then said. "Two years in the jungle will harden her, and your maturity would be a help for her." With a worried look in his face he then responded. "But I'm a psyker, we might have such children." He looked worried as he knew how dangerous untamed psykers was. "Psykers can be an boon Inquisitor, and many of the greatest heroes of the Imperium of Mankind have been psykers, without them we wouldn't get anywhere. To be honest Inquisitor I think you are putting yourself down." She said as she calmly took the pulse of the Inquisitor on his arm.

"You are sounding like two commissars I have serving under me Mistress Grace." He said a bit amused. "They also advocate marriage, and producing offspring from time to time." He said with a sigh. "What about your left eye Inquisitor? Was that commissar Carrus?" She asked, the Inquisitor jumped at the question but answered with a strained voice. "When I first met the commissars I was a very arrogant Interrogator under High Inquisitor Selpid, and I ended up managing to offend him enough for him to challenge me to a duel, not knowing of his prior contact with the High Inquisitor." He explained matteroffactly before continuing.

"I assume his chainsword damaged your eye Inquisitor?" Grace asked, Kelkaris immediately answered. "Confirmed at the very first attack he made, then I spent my time trying to survive the onslaught of a pissed off commissar." He then paused before asking. "Mistress Grace, might I inquire how you knew?" He looked amused at her who merely smiled then she said. "Simple, the damage is exactly the same as my own chainsword would cause by just a glancing blow to the head of anyone."

"I was lucky to survive the duel as I spent it fending off a much better and dirtier fighter than myself, I only got spared by lasting a full minute against the then eighteen year old boy. Had he not spared me, he would have died, and same if I had won not sparing him." He closed his eyes thinking of the time, he remembering telling Ionza to shut up. And then Carrus coming forward, punching him with Selpid right next to him, and asking for permission to first kill, then beat the crap out of him, and finally duel which to his surprise was granted by the High Inquisitor. Then as he was about to raise the bolter to the insolent young commissar's face he instead got a mental note from Selpid saying yes to the duel.

The duel itself was a nightmare Kelkaris remembered well. Every attack he made with his powered sword was turned back. Carrus' first attack took his eye, leaving a hideous scar in it's place, that he later had replaced with the unblinking stare of a las-eye. He remembered the humiliation as Carrus kicked and punched him multiple times while he couldn't even get to attack the much more skilled fighter. It ended with Carrus disarming Kelkaris, turning off his chainsword standing behind the man who felt the rough edges on his throat, just staring at Selpid. Out came hand, thumb being held to the side. It went up. He was ordered spared, Carrus relented his pressure and then after he holstered his chainsword helped him up.

He also remembered the following dialogue. "Now you shall be friends when you have been patched up young Inquisitor and commissar." Selpid had told them both before he left with the rest of the personnel of the Schola. He then asked Carrus. "What do we do now?" Carrus retorted. "Do you like Freudakian Finest Red Inquisitor?" He answered tersely. "I can drink a bottle of the blood of the Emperor commissar." As he let Carrus use his laschisel to patch up the injury.

The commissar and Inquisitor were soon joined at the Drunken Commissar by Ionza, and became fast friends that night. That laid five years in the past. His chain of thoughts were cut as Grace shook him asking. "Inquisitor. Are you okay?" He opened his eyes and stopped thinking on the past. "Of course Mistress Grace, I just faded out a little thinking about memories." He noticed the other Imperial servants they were discussing the details of Annika's assignment. He knew the two commissars would slot in for him at the Schola Freudakia while him and the Lord Commissar would be on the jungle-patrols for months on end as they were at least a year away from field-duties.

Meanwhile Ionza, showed Annika the pictures of her sets of twins. four toddlers, no more than four and two years of age. The boys had golden hair like their father and sparkling blue eyes, the girls had Ionza's mellow brown eyes and her raven hair. "See there that's your kid-siblings, they are the reasons for your to survive, and for the forgiveness of your dad and the Emperor." She spoke softly stroking the hair of the the girl she minutes earlier had slapped. "Yes mum, I want to live and see them grow up to be good Imperial citizens just like you and dad." Ionza giggled a bit, thinking about how they were not good people as they had done horrible things to get where they were.

"You know the jungle daughter?" Ionza asked softly, still playing with the hair of her adopted daughter. "Yes mum, my warden Lord Commissar Harken learned me a lot of the jungle, so did Master and Mistress." Ionza smiled bitterly. "Good the Lord Commissar also taught my beloved the ways of the jungle. And you don't find finer teachers than the Master and Mistress of the Shadows of Death. You will do fine child." She sounded optimistic, yet she was anything but knowing the likely fate of Annika facing certain death on behest of her fiancé and her adopted father, yet the Harken she knew could have executed the girl on the spot for this indiscretion.

Eventually Carrus and the two assassins made their way over to the Inquisitor and the Sister Hospitallier. They discussed the case. The two assassins was dispatched back to Matrovska half a world away, Annika was flown close to an Ork city, with mission of finding the center and mark it down while she was forced to scrounge for supplies while crossing the jungle from one end to the other of the Freudakian continent, as Carrus had altered the mission-perimeters to go on for more than a year without contact with any humans except the cannibalistic Roamers.


----------



## Beaviz81

Days later after Carrus had had surgery Nana Grace came into the room of him and Ionza. She had a serious look in her eyes. Both the commissars were quick to get their black bathrobes on, then they sat down at the steel-table in the room, settling down in the steel-chairs inside the white, clinical room.

"I have something I want to discuss with you commissars." Grace said, she was sitting in a steel-chair herself on the opposing side of the commissars. "Sure Mistress Grace, we are open for anything on your mind." Ionza gave the answer. "It's about the arranged marriage for your adopted daughter commissars." Grace said matteroffactly. "You have suggestion Mistress Grace?" Carrus asked wondering showing in both facial expression and tone of voice. "Yes, Inquisitor Kelkaris has shown interest *she saw both commissars reacting with very badly hidden horror* I assume Inquisitor Kelkaris has held back on me." She sighed as she tersely said the last part.

"Yeah he has held back on you Mistress Grace. He helped raise Annika when we were absent being receiving training from the Death Cult." Ionza voiced in a concerned way, little did they know Kelkaris had been absent from the planet even during the time-period due to intrigues within the Inquisition. "Yeah he is like a surrogate father for the girl, though I shall ask him about why he is entertaining such an insane idea." Carrus voiced like he had just heard someone tell him a really insane story. "Appologies commissar Carrus, the fault is mine." Grace replied, with both the commissars giving her weird looks. "What do you mean the fault is your Mistress Grace?" Ionza said looking confused at Sister Hospitallier.

"I planted the idea in the head of the Inquisitor commissars, but I did it in good faith not knowing their prior relationship which might not have been that close." Grace had no inkling about how true her statement was as Annika had been the replacements for both Harken and McLandi during the long absence of the two commissars from the Schola Freudakia. They who once had been bitter enemies as before McLandi had Ionza who merely got drafted to the commissariat by Carrus prompting Harken due to their very badly hidden relationship even the Headmaster James Natrax knew about, but could do little about since High Inquisitor Selpid had set it up with them living together in opulence inside the prison.

Their entrance into the commissariat began with the High Inquisitor Selpid. First Selpid met Carrus. It started when he was 12 and the High Inquisitor Selpid visited the Schola Progenium. There when he passed through the ranks of the pupils he had seen a short, squat boy with lively blue eyes, golden hair in a rather long fashion for a soldier, with a 16.9 kilo heavy meltagun 39 centimeters long without the gunstock, having it's butt at his boot-clad feet, standing at rest with the rest of his squad of budding Storm Troopers at the parade-ground. The High Inquisitor sensed both the triumphs the boy would do as a man but also the many costly errors his lapses in judgment and rash nature would bring for the Imperium of Mankind. But from what he sensed the good clearly outweighed the bad.

Carrus was then commanded by Selpid himself to show him around on the Schola. Carrus led the way politely talking about the varying functions as he led the High Inquisitor through the heavily decorated hallways showing brave, but rather unrealistic scenes of battle, which was almost an universal fact of Scholas. Either the hallways were grey and claustrophobic or they were expensively fitted with the finest marble money could buy, this Schola was the latter. Eventually Carrus lead Selpid to a laboratory not in use. He opened the door saying as they both looked inside. "Ehm this High Inquisitor is a lab, here we learn how to operate on small creatures that's hopefully is dead, want to step inside?"

"Sure we can do that alumni Carrus." Selpid said as he went first then followed the thin rather nervous-looking boy. "Might I inquire why you have selected me and not the millions more ripe for the Inquisition High Inquisitor?" Carrus closed his eyes just as he said that, expecting a violent answer from Selpid. He heard no answer he opened his eyes eying the grey face under the black hood. Eyes closed. Selpid was seeing the futures of Carrus. 

The first one was him as a simple Inquisitor, that brought an ironic smile to his face. Carrus was cowardly ordering a Nemesis battleship for himself so he could hide. The next future was darker, Carrus as a Tech-Priest, eventually taking the mantle of Fabricator on Mars, showing the corruption and misery he would bring. Then came an even worse vision. Carrus being both an Inquisitor and a Tech-Priest. The vision was even worse, billions of people screaming in pain. It got worse, far worse. He saw a brown-eyed fair-skinned temptress in the future for him. A Vindicare Assassin, body more looking like that of a pleasure-slave than that of an assassin. He saw their love for each other bringing down the Imperium of Mankind. Her name was Michelle Ionza.

Then came the final vision. Carrus as a commissar. He saw great and terrible things. Atrocities committed in the name of the Emperor by him. He saw the scores of children he would bring, filling the halls of a Progenium in Heaven with great warriors. Inquisitors, generals, assassins, Tech-Priests, they were all women. The males were much fewer as they were Space Marines of the Imperial Fists Space Marine Chapter. He then saw the wife, Michelle Ionza. Now a source of light in his life. Deathworld sniper and fellow commissar, but most of all a mum. He saw them being good parents. He saw Carrus leading his forces to victory after victory hiding in the shadows. Worlds falling to him and the Adeptus Mechanicus ushering in a golden age. He saw lush Jungle-worlds converted to Industrial worlds. He smiled. The smile freaked out Carrus.

"Are you okay High Inquisitor?!" Carrus grabbed Selpid and shook him violently while he spoke with a quivering voice. The fire in the eyes of Selpid blazed as he looked down on the boy as he answered. "I'm fine, just had a daydream." He stood pondering for a while to snuff out the lively young flame standing infront of him. He elected against it saying instead. "Look boy, you will likely not understand too much about this meeting, or what alumni Carrus?" Carrus answered. "A High Inquisitor having interest in a boy at my age means my life is changed forever and I doubt this is our final meeting High Inquisitor." 

Selpid merely grinned, strangling a chuckle as he stated. "You are correct, we will meet again, our next meeting will determine if it's our last of the second of many. Just remember to obey my commands." As Selpid spoke his hand went into the pocket of his robe, showing to Carrus Selpid was encased in his powered armour. Up came his seal, and a psymirror, a rather pretty round thing with a small golden shaft while he hissed to the scared cadet. "This is a psymirror, it's psychially linked to me. You can rub the surface when the need is at the greatest and I will make contact through the mirror. Also don't let your superiors get a hold of it."

Carrus looked in wonder at the mirror while he said. "I understand, I will make contact with you when the need is great High Inquisitor." Selpid smiled at the idealistic young boy. "Now you are dismissed cadet, but be weary in the future of a girl your age named Michelle Ionza, she is about your age." The way Selpid said it had Carrus wondering if he was to seek her out or not, especially as the High Inquisitor winked at him.

Selpid meanwhile made his way over to the Progena-part of the Schola Progenium. He passed through the finely decorated hallways. The guards were rapid in usher him through the various checkpoints. Eventually he passed through to the area the snipers were placed. They weren't many. Only about 30 in the class, all dressed in black-gray robes. He easily spotted Ionza she already was pretty for a budding teenager, with raven-black hair and mellow brown eyes standing next to their Drill-Abbess a tall dark-skinned woman hulking with muscles, attractive yet beastly he recognized his assassin again. She opened her mouth talking. "High Inquisitor I'm happy to meet you again as the over two meter tall Inquisitor walked past her stating. "Sorry my finest Deathblade, I'm not here for you." He got down to face Ionza, glaring into her innocent large brown eyes. He made a silent note of her courage as most kids her age at least tended to get twitchy when he did that, heck most adults tended to flinch just by seeing him.

"You are Michelle Ionza are you not?" Selpid asked voice made deliberately sweet. "Sniper-cadet Michelle Ionza." The girl barked out, surprising Selpid even further as even adults tended to be quite fearful in his presence. "Do you fear me girl?" He asked, voice needlessly sweet. "I fear the Inquisition, I fear my superiors, but most of all I fear the Emperor!" She barked out turning her head looking the High Inquisitor straight in the eyes. "Excellent cadet, now follow me. And you can leave your longlas with the Deathblade." Selpid said that as he started to walk. "Excuse me, but who or what is a Deathblade High Inquisitor?" Ionza asked, not moving yet.

"My error cadet. I used the wrong title about the Drill-Abbess. When she worked for me she was an assassin, and a member of the Death Cult the Deathblades, you can leave your longlas with her by the way." He spoke softly, giving a salute which McLandi rapidly returned. Ionza handed the longlas over to McLandi and followed Selpid through the lines of female progena standing at ease with weapons at their feet. Selpid felt visions of the different versions of Ionza flashing past his eyes as he walked. It was the same as with Carrus, just now he saw even more paths to damnation. And without Carrus in the vision he saw scores of lovers, even in the visions where she had become a commissar. It flashed before his eyes as they made their way through the throng of female cadets standing at ease, presenting arms.

Eventually they made their way to an unused classroom. Chairs was atop of the desks. Selpid opened the door. "Beauty before age." He muttered as Ionza went in first. The visions of the paths of damnation faded. He for a short while considered killing her, but the vision of the marital bliss she had with Carrus. Seeing the many men and females in the Progenium in Heaven. The same vision he saw with Carrus. Brave warriors all of them. He saw their great and terrible deeds. Everything he had seen with Carrus came back just even stronger. "Are you okay High Inquisitor?" He snapped out of the visions. "Yes I'm just reading your aura cadet." Ionza looked at herself. "My aura, I hope that's not too bad." Selpid licked his lips with his black tongue then he said. "There are many paths a human can take, some leads to damnation others to greatness."

"Yes High Inquisitor, I tries now to please Drill-Abbess McLandi with my skills as a sniper, in close combat and to make her proud of my intellect." Ionza said with idealism in stark contrast to the cold sniper she was to become no matter the vision. "Yeah I guess so cadet, what about boys? Ever thought about them?" He asked gauging her look as she answered. "This Schola practice segregation, so I don't think much about boys High Inquisitor." She answered honestly, though Selpid sensed she was holding back a little on him.

He saw the hidden monofilament daggers she had on her under her robe. "I guess you are good with those knives cadet." She immediately barked. "I frequently spar with cadets four years my senior! I have no match my age!" Baring his shark-like teeth Selpid grinned. To his surprise Ionza didn't even flinch. "You are indeed fearless." He voiced not even managing to hide how impressed he was. Ionza immediately answered. "The Emperor leads us through fear! Fear of the Emperor is my light." Selpid coffed out a harsh laughter. "I know one boy your age that can be your match, in more ways than one." Not before Selpid had said that Ionza eagerly snapped. "Which one High Inquisitor?" Selpid calmly said. "Storm Trooper-cadet Zachary Carrus." Ionza immediately answered. "That's a challenge I will seek out."

"I have no doubt you will but before you are dismissed to present arms with the Deathblade, there is something I want you to have." Selpid tersely said, hand going in pocket. He brought up his seal and an identical mirror of what he had given Carrus. "This is a psymirror, rub it with the palm of your hand whenever you want to speak to me, especially if you have met Zachary Carrus." Ionza giggled. She saw a sweet old man where everyone else saw a very scary dogmatic High Inquisitor. "I will." She answered cheerfully before the High Inquisitor retorted with. "Good, dismissed, and hide the items from prying eyes." Then the High Inquisitor went on to select a few almost graduating acolytes before he left the system.

Carrus and Ionza met a year later. Carrus was hosing down a Chimera in the baking sun outside getting a tan as he washed it. The tank was standing on the grass, and Carrus was whistling a merry tune the Tech-Priest had ordered him to whistle. Harken came up to Carrus also getting a tan. "Looks like you have cleaned the Chimera good my ward." The Lord Commissar said. Carrus turned off the water, then span around 180 degrees saluting Harken, then he said. "Thank you Lord Commissar, but it's not up to us mere mortals to say if the Machine Spirit of a Chimera is happy or not, but it's up to the venerable Tech-Priests of the Omnissiah." Harken stood there, upper body absolutely ripped with muscle, with a good brown tan, not that Carrus looked bad for a teenager either.

They saw McLandi and Ionza walking by with their longlases. "Who is that?" Carrus pointed to them saying. "That's Drill Abbess Latiffa McLandi with her ward Michelle Ionza." Harken patiently answered while Carrus got a competitive glint in his eyes as he asked. "Permission to approach them Lord Commissar?" Harken just answered while he was about to turn around and go back to getting his tan. "Permission denied Storm Trooper-cadet, continue washing the tank to the pleasure of the Tech-Priest. As you will have little to do with that Catachan" Carrus returned to his duties, while the Lord Commissar returning to sunbathing while enjoying a lho-rod.

McLandi and Ionza meanwhile on the dusty road came out of the forest. "Who is that?" Ionza pointed to the Chimera and Carrus washing it as she asked. "Zachary Carrus the ward of Lord Commissar Nathan Harken sniper-cadet." McLandi answered patiently, just for Ionza to immediately ask. "Permission to approach and grapple with him Drill-Abbess?" McLandi grabbed her longlas as she retorted. "Go and show the ward of the Lord Commissar what you are made off." Ionza immediately charged down the grassy hill, though Carrus not by all blind to her foiled her assault with the waterhose. Soon they were both grappling on the ground. Harken walked over to McLandi. She made a quick salute to him which was answered.

"Hm your budding sniper do herself honor in grappling against the much stronger Storm Trooper-cadet Drill Abbess." Harken said watching Carrus getting his ass handed to him by the much smaller girl. "Thank you Lord Commissar. Your cadet is not without talent, but he lacks killer-instinct which is why the sniper-cadet is winning." McLandi retorted not even looking at the Lord Commissar who scratched his jaw saying. "Maybe so." Finally looking into his green eyes Mclandi said. "There is no maybe so, your boy haven't killed anyone yet, so he is holding back."

Carrus and Ionza finally noticed the adults looking at them. They had been laughing trying different grips at each other while often wiggling out, though Ionza were clearly the victor due to her killer-instinct kicking in whenever Carrus had the upper hand. "Ehm hi Drill-Abbess." Carrus voiced, then Ionza immediately quipped. "Hi Lord Commissar." They both rushed to get on their feet making stiff salutes to the superior officers.

The salutes were answered by both, then McLandi said. "You did well yesterday Storm Trooper-cadet Zachary Carrus by winning the obstacle-course with your meltagun and your chainsword." That was actually an impressive performance as Carrus was striking up against boys up to three years his senior, and was weighed down with both of the heavy weapons, though the Machine Spirits of the weapons was insanely close with him which lightened the load considerably in regards to how they allowed him to function with them or at least that was what he thought. 

"Thank you Drill-Abbess." Carrus cheerfully answered. "You did acquit yourself with honor last week sniper-cadet Michelle Ionza by killing that heretic." Ionza immediately said. "Thank you Lord Commissar." Then McLandi said. "You two are dismissed, now run along and have some fun." The two teenagers ran off. Harken looked at her with a serious face saying. "Is this wise Drill Abbess? Having the two kids running around together?" McLandi just laughed stating. "Lighten up Lord Commissar it's summer let them enjoy their youth."

They both went down the grassy knoll. "You meant that about the lack of killer-instinct Drill-Abbess?" Harken was scratching his head under the black square-cut hair. "McLandi looked straight at him. "Cadet Ionza is willing to cheat, Carrus is not. Ionza wins." Harken nodded in agreement, but he still remembered the blood-oath he had given the father of Carrus, Arturus Carrus to not turn Carrus into a commissar and train him as a Planetary Governor. 

That Carrus had shown absolutely no aptitude for. Sport and things about war, quite much, but Carrus was anything but a theoretical person. He then said. "If you want you can join me on the Drunken Commissar Drill Abbess." McLandi immediately responded. "I don't wanna to be caught dead at that place." Harken then said. "I know, I just was polite." They didn't say anything further to eachother, just made salutes and went on their merry way.

Meanwhile Carrus and Ionza got done playing, and settled down in the grass. "Why do you win when we grapple?" Carrus asked as he sat down in the grass right next to Ionza. She merely glared into his eyes. "Simple, I'm a killer you are not." Carrus looked worried back at Ionza. "You have killed people? How's that like?" She still held his gaze while she calmly said. "It's like, I don't know. I remember shooting them. One second they are there, click, the next they are just dead meat." 

Carrus glared perplexed into her eyes. "Wow I could never do that murder somebody in cold blood." Ionza looked shocked back at the boy. "That's not a good attitude Storm Trooper-cadet, and very unexpected for one being raised by a commissar, you might have to do your duty tomorrow and execute someone. Plus you are approaching the age were every progeni must execute a heretic so you have little chance for that." Carrus looked mortified into the eyes of Ionza, she visibly scared him.

She then leaned forward kissing him gently. "Relax one day you will kill someone, and I find you kind of cute." Carrus accepted the kiss. Then he quipped back. "I shall teach you kind of cute!" overpowering Ionza starting to tickle her, though he soon again had his ass handed to him by the vicious girl.

Meanwhile Harken instead of visiting the bar, got dressed and went up the the office of Headmaster Natrax. He traveled through the elaborately decorated hallways (showing overblown and unrealistic scenes of battles), going through huge metal-door after metal-door by Storm Troopers standing guard. They freely let him through until he reached the weapon-room. There he surrendered his chainsword, a rather ugly-looking black thing with a blade of about 1.20 meters, weighing in at over fifteen kilos, his boltgun was also surrendered along with his laspistol to the guard who laid them in a metallic locker. Then another, a female with a rather loud commanding voice entered the finely furnished office of Headmaster Natrax. She barked out. "Lord Commissar Nathan Harken demands entry Headmaster!"

Natrax just gave a nod with his bald head, and the woman roared. "Let him in!" Harken immediately entered stepping on an expensive rug from some exotic striped animal. The office was wondrously decorated with rows of bookcases, all in fine dark Freudakian pines, full of reports of every cadet and Driller on the Schola encases in red bookcases for the cadets and blue for the Drillers. Near the middle of the office was a finely crafted alabaster-desk. Huge with a pod-caster on it, a sign in gold had Headmaster James Natrax spelled across it. Behind the desk in a jade-green robe sat the bald, dark-skinned man, he looked straight up at Harken. He slowly got up waving Harken to approach. "Make yourself at home lord Commissar." He gestured towards one of the three deep leather-chairs infront of his desk, his voice was surprisingly pleasant for such a large man as he rivaled even Harken in height. Elegantly built of burgundy Grox-skin and Grox-bones with alabaster encasing the bones.

Harken got into the chair, face serious. "I have something I want to discuss with you Headmaster." Natrax looked tired at Harken. "Name it Lord Commissar." Harken licked his lips. "It's about Storm Trooper-cadet Zachary Carrus sir." Natrax responded. "I granted cadet Carrus the use of two weapons, I don't plan to change that." Harken then said. "Why not? Sniper-cadet Michelle Ionza can pack whatever weapons she see fit." Natrax sighed. "Sniper-cadet Michelle Ionza is dangerous to pat down. The last one that did that lost several fingers, and punishing her would be an awful idea as Drill-Abbess Latiffa McLandi wouldn't like it one bit." 

Harken then scratched his jaw. "I can whip Drill-Abbess McLandi into submission sir." Natrax simply shrugged. "No I'm not leaving this Schola to that psycopath, first she would kill you, then me, then install herself as Headmistress. And try killing her and a certain High Inquisitor would arrive at the Schola out for our blood." Harken looked perplexed at Natrax. "Why riding the rule so hard? Cadet Carrus is an excellent Storm Troop-cadet sir."

"That's the case, I promised his dad that we wouldn't train him for combat." He looked desperately at Harken. "He was originally trained for the Administratorum sir, but he had extremely low grades for that, same with him training to become a Planetary Governor or a member of Departemento Munitorum." Both men smirked as they discussed their favorite student after the words of Harken who continued. "He is not a good officer either, his suggestions always include the word strike, and it seems like a waste having him as a mere Storm Trooper with his bravery *He saw Natrax shrug and continued.* At least given the right equipment and he is willing to charge the Eye of Terror itself." Harken explained it bluntly. "What about Inquisitor?" Natrax called out. "Inquisitor Carrus would be holed in a Nemesis battleship for five hundred years while coming up with hilarious excuse after hilarious excuse." Harken said, and both men bellowed out in laughter.

Gasping for air and wiping a tear Natrax then stated. "Just joking I don't think cadet Carrus would like that, no action at all. And think if cadet Ionza becomes an Inquisitor?" Both men fell silent with shared looks of horror about how the already brutal girl would become as an Inquisitor. Then Harken said. "Speaking of her, she and cadet Carrus actually interacted today." Natrax looked nervously at Harken saying. "How many teeth did Carrus loose?" Harken just smirked. "Zero, they seemed to get very well along. They play-fought and I must admit I sought Drill-Abbess McLandi's counsel about Carrus losing." Natrax gestured for Harken to continue. "She meant he needed to execute a heretic." Harken tersely said. "Agreed, let him execute one today, he will likely not walk ten paces before throwing up, and then have him speak to cadet Ionza to calm him down. Maybe her motherly side will come up and calm her down." Natrax said looking at the mortified Harken.

"I'm worried about Ionza actually seducing Carrus." Harken voiced concerned. "If she does then Carrus have learned a lesson about women and would likely accept the arranged marriage his family wants for him." Harken looked skeptical at Natrax as he lit up a lho-rod. "I don't think Carrus ever will accept an arranged marriage, and if he marries Ionza he will end up dangling a relative out from a porch for the mere mentioning of that." Natrax just smirked thinking of the tender boy Carrus was dangling a guy from a balcony, and especially such a guy marrying her. She was street-trash, her parents had been conscripts in a PDF, only the fact that Harken had been impressed in that they ran themselves to death to save her. Though it was a legitimate claim as they gave warning of a Chaos-incursion to him, so he inducted her to the Schola. Then they got a servant to serve them some exclusive Freudakian Finest Red.

The following day Harken brought Carrus to the execution-square. Carrus was dressed in the Cadian-styled flak-armour favored by the Freudakians. Harken just wore the blackened-out commissar-uniform the Freudakian commissars tended to go with. He saw how nervous Carrus was. "As mentioned cadet you draw your sword, holds it with one hand on the shaft of the weapon the other on the hilt. Then you close your eyes and strike swiftly." As he said that they passed under a black arc of the Schola Progenium in the same black-grey colors as the rest of the Schola. In the middle of it sat a man bound and gagged, signs of torture was obvious. Carrus exchanged looks with him. Harken leaned in whispering. "This man is a paedophile show him no mercy." Carrus just nodded.

He drew his chainsword, a black rather ugly bastard chainsword. The guard showed signs of heavy use. Carrus flicked the switch of the chainsword, and swung with the grip as Harken had described for him. Head came lopping off. Fountain of blood right away. Carrus took five steps then threw up. Then Harken patted his back, promising him tomorrow as a new day sending him over to Ionza. She took him in with kindness letting him sob and moan about having taken a human life, then they sparred with she learning him things he hadn't yet learning i.e. how to cheapshot. That process was rinsed and repeated the next nine days as Carrus alternated the weapons in messy executions until he walked away feeling nothing after he executed a serial-killer. Even Ionza felt worried then alerting McLandi, but it petered out to nothing.

Having killed and the influence of Ionza and McLandi made Carrus a far more dangerous guy. The dangerous world they had was more thrilling for him than the safe world of Harken and Natrax. Ionza changed the other way, being deeply fascinated by Carrus' world were she liked the politeness, and especially she developed an early taste for the fine wine and lho-rod, something Carrus as well soon were well into. Carrus grades in theoretical tasks got a bit worse, but he aced in every physical-thingy he was involved in as he moved from being a mediocre finesse-player into a brawling enforcer in scrumhockey. His physicality went up in scrumball as well, were people starting to avoid him because his vicious tackles tended to injure a lot. Even at football he was known as a dangerous player to be around and telling him that turned out to be a bad idea as Carrus' answer to that slight was trying to throttling the fellow, and that was a teammate. Harken and Natrax was just mildly bemused, thinking it was a change for the better as he get a bit of spunk at him as he was now angelic only in looks and not even that when he smiled a rather cruel smile.

Ionza went the other way, she became a model-cadet. No-one was more shocked over that fact than McLandi. She aced every subject, both theoretical and physical. Though as a sparring-partner, only Carrus was relatively safe as an opponent, and McLandi of course.

Ionza and McLandi also learned Carrus to become a pretty good scout. He started hugging the ground, disappearing into the shadows and the vegetation. Even on incursions by Harken Carrus started more and more to ferret out outside the established troop order. Harken was a good enough commissar to see Carrus not misbehaving but actually rapidly becoming a pretty good scout. He eventually managed to find food on the most unbelievable places and soon he went by the moniker Forager. It also helped Carrus bulking up from merely 60 kilos when he met Ionza to over 70 kilo, and his height also went up along with his aggression over the following year.

Yet on one of these training-missions in a supposedly safe position Carrus managed to stumble across a Gretchin literally, he stumbled at it just as it was about to fire it's sniper rifle at Harken, the shot missed wildly as were the creature's reaction to Carrus. The creature immediately got it's jagged knife out, spitting and swearing as Carrus in desperation drew his chainsword even at the last second from his back. At first the small creature dominated Carrus who just were mortified facing it. It slashed and hacked against him, yet his training took over. He started moving the chainsword in the defensive-move pattern Harken had taught him. The small Gretchin eventually overextended itself. The savage response from Carrus lopped off it's head as he screamed. "And such were the fate of the green gobbo!" What he didn't expect was what happened next as he turned, watching the Gretching body starting to run through the woods with blood spraying up like a geysir for a short while. Slightly amused over the sight. "Green goobo, being alive yes, green gobbo killing ooomie oh yes." Carrus stopped as he heard the thin voice. He turned. "What the hell! Didn't you just die?!" He screamed to the head laying on the ground.

"Gobbo still alive, gobbo kill oomie." The head screeched. Carrus stood there just scratching head. Then he heard the bushes behind him move. He spun around landing on one knee, meltagun at the ready. All he saw was Harken and the rest of the cadets. "Right reaction, wrong audience, remove the melta from pointing at me ASAP cadet Carrus." Harken quipped as Carrus was aiming the meltagun right at his chest. Carrus immediately lowered it, then pulled it onto his back before giving a salute. "Don't salute me in the free, and explain to me please what a headless Gretchin running past us happened." Carrus swallowed heavily then said. "Excuse me Lord Commissar I think the gobbo was after you so I engaged it and should have killed it, but it seems to not yet have expired."

"What the hell! Have you gone insane cadet?" Harken looked over to the Gretchin-head, that suddenly awakened to life, making everybody but Carrus jump two step back as the whiny thin voice screeched. "Ah target, green gobbo kill target." Carrus just responded. "Green gobbo Lord Commisar Nathan Harken, Lord Commissar Nathan Harken green gobbo." Harken stood like a living question-mark in the forest before he almost roared. "Why the hell ain't that thing dead yet cadet Carrus?" Carrus just shrugged saying. "Green gobbo wanting to live? Your guess is as good as mine." Harken even removed the commissar-cap scratching his head as Carrus weary of the Gretchin-head talking went over to it and shuffled a mixture of earth and leaves into it's mouth muffling it. Carrus then turned to the Lord Commissar worry at his face saying. "Can I make one request of you Lord Commissar?" Harken looked confused as he answered. "Sure anything within reasonable limits." Carrus then voiced. "That you never leave your shadow-tiger-cloak at home again, you were almost sniped Lord Commissar." He looked skeptical at the teenager as he said. "Any proof cadet Carrus?"

Carrus looked incredulous at his mentor saying. "Gretchin calling you the target and sniperrifle of orkish design." Carrus picked up the latter showing it to Harken. Before Harken answered the squad of McLandi's snipers entered the scene. "That's pretty damning evidence Lord Commissar, what more do you want? A written confession Lord Commissar?" McLandi said as she turned back the head of her gillsuit. "Good points Drill Abbess." Harken retorted. She looked angrily at him. "I also dislike you not wearing the cape cadet Carrus mentioned. That's the best suggestion yet. I hope you ain't taking out any lingering anger at me on the boy Lord Commissar." Harken nodded not liking one bit what the tall Catachan woman said. "Yes, apologies cadet Carrus." Carrus just mumbled accepted. "Where is the Gretchin-captive Lord Commissar?" McLandi then asked. "Just follow me." Harken went over to the Gretchin-head, McLandi saw it it move eyes and try muttering.

"Hm you managed The Cut Lord Commissar, my compliments. Only Master Assassins manages that forbidden technique." McLandi said with a slight sound of being impressed in her voice. Harken turned around looking confused at McLandi as he said. "Excuse me I don't know what The Cut is, and this ain't my kill, it's cadet Carrus'." Immediately McLandi turned over to Carrus who had been inching his way towards Ionza. She grabbed him by both shoulders bringing her face right infront of his as she visibly was both impressed and freaked out by something this young managing such a feat as she said. "You managed The Cut? How? What happened?" Carrus squirming as she held him just said. "I'm sorry if the Drill-Abbess is upset, I will try to figure out what I did wrong and not do that again." McLandi let him go, smiling as she said. "My apologies cadet, the Drill-Abbess is merely astonished by the fact that you a fourteen year old boy has managed a move it often take hundreds of years of training just to achieve once." Carrus glared at her in disbelief before he said. "I have never heard about The Cut until now Drill-Abbess, I'm sorry and apology accepted."

She then went over picking up the head, chasing away the Storm Trooper-cadets that were poking it with sticks and such, then she praised Carrus with these words. "I always knew you were a special one cadet Carrus, but not how, I mean your first combat-kill is even done performing The Cut. That's pretty damn good as you one day will stand amongst the legends as their equal." Carrus asked as she was pocketing the head. "Who shall get it Drill-Abbess?" McLandi finished pocketing the head into her backpack, he continued. "The Inquisition?" She looked quizzically at him as he said. "What about sending it to the Xenos Biologus at Ciralix Drill-Abbess?" McLandi then answered. "Negative cadet Carrus, return to duties." With that the episode with Carrus making the Cut ended with McLandi refusing a request from Carrus something she rarely would do in the future when their relationships were cemented.

Something that was unknown to Carrus, but not Harken and Natrax was that McLandi struck a deal with the Death Cult the Shadows of Death, for Carrus and Ionza after Carrus had botched his first kill by having the Gretchin surviving despite decapitation. She was away for three days oddly enough Ionza was trained by Harken as her influence helped Carrus cope with his clumsiness with the chainsword. He also became less of a bully as he found even adult Drill-Abbotts to flinch when he gave them the glare, a glare he had seen many times in the eyes of his warden Harken who made serious amends for him being a bit on Carrus lately as he saw Carrus more and more grow into a commissar. The deal was quickly made as both the Master and Mistress of Shadows were extremely curious about Carrus' ability although accidental with the chainsword, so after he had botched being a Planetary Governor at Ciralix he was to be transferred to them for further training at the age of eighteen.


----------



## Beaviz81

Later that year Carrus' best friend Ryan Crispus, were discovered to be a psyker by Carrus as he came into the barrack where they slept, black marble-floor, walls and roof. Lots of light-rods at the roof hanging there. Bunks of steel with excellently tucked in duvets and pillows tight enough for the Lord Commissar to make a coin bounce. There in the middle of the place stood the rather tall for his age boy, dressed in jungle-fatigues levitating his bed as Carrus entered dressed in the same way. To his horror he saw his second best friend in the whole world standing there levitating the bed.

Carrus immediately snatched a pitcher of water made of clear glass from one of the the steel night-stands. Crispus saw Carrus, not the pitcher as Carrus was holding it behind his back. "Heyh Carrus see, ain't this cool?" Carrus just smiled calmly as he approached. "Yeah it's awesome. Check how high you can get the bunk to fly." He got closer. "I shall do that." Crispus got the bunk high then sensing the malicious intent of Carrus. "Heyh wait-" That was as far as he got as Carrus smashed the pitcher into the back of his skull as he muttered. "Frakking psyker!" The bed crashed down with debris coming everywhere. Carrus made himself sparse.

He got the psymirror and contacted the High-inquisitor inside the toilet. He gently rubbed the mirror. Then he saw through time and space before the face of Selpid appeared, Carrus even let out a small yelp as he saw the face of the terrifying man. "Yes cadet Carrus." Selpid voiced, he glared sternly at Carrus who rapidly shook his head before saying. "High Inquisitor, I have found a psyker. I-I thought you wanted to know." Selpid grinned showing his shark-like teeth. "Good what did you do to the psyker?" Carrus immediately hissed. "I clonked in the back of the head with a water-pitcher High Inquisitor." The High Inquisitor laughed, then said. "Excellent."

"What are my orders High Inquisitor?" Carrus asked. "Take control of the situation, do not under any circumstances allow the others to kill the cadet, I'm routing my Black Ships to your planet, and start the pogroms of Freudakia. Until I arrive your title is Inquisitorial Representative and no-one is above you remember that." Selpid knew the bombastic title would alienate Drillers used to Carrus deferring to them inching him closer to the commissariat. Carrus himself heard the order with horror, it was customary to just execute psykers, not call the Inquisition, he sat still at the toilet for a little while then heard people arrive inside the barracks. He immediately made it out, brandishing the seal of Selpid. He saw one of the senior Drill-Abbotts standing over the fallen body of Crispus with a laspistol ready to fire.

"Stand down Drill-Abbott Rien." Carrus barked looking at the confused look at his teacher as he saw Carrus suddenly holding the seal of Selpid in hand. The large, fair-skinned male, also in jungle-fatigues looked shocked at Carrus. "What have you done cadet Carrus?" He looked straight at the boy who answered right away. "Caused a million people to die in agony, I have called the Inquisition to the planet, but former cadet Crispus will survive." The eyes of the man widened in fear he then spoke. "Have you lost your mind? Calling the Inquisition here, do you want us all dead cadet-" Carrus interrupted the man. "I'm not to be addressed as cadet right now Drill-Abbott Rien, it's Inquisitorial Representative Carrus on direct orders from a High Inquisitor until he comes here. And I did as I was ordered by the High Inquisitor, so please refrain from questioning my sanity." Carrus spoke with annoyance, his whole body tensed.

Rien holstered his laspistol, saluted Carrus who saluted back, then hit the voxophone. He dialed the number to the hospital at Schola Freudakia. "Drill-Abbott Stephane Rien here, I requests ambulance for Barrack 92 for the Storm troopers born in 81 ASAP have sedatives, psyker must be taken alive." He looked at Carrus who stood right behind him. "Now we must visit the villages nearby Drill-Abbott." Carrus said, seeing the fright of the Drill-Abbott. He licked his lips before saying. "This is only the beginning of the Freudakian pogroms, come now, you will organize snatch-squads to go out and grab psykers, and requisite a long-range Valkyrie for me, I need to head for the Maripovska and kick off this bloodbath." The Drill-Abbott made a stiff salute which Carrus returned before both made it off in different directions.

Carrus went to the armory first. He got himself armed and armoured. Chainsword, meltagun and his Cadian-style flak armour, badge showed he was just a cadet. He knew he might have to execute a general or maybe even the Planetary Governor if his orders weren't obeyed. He then made it over to the section of the Progenas. He was quickly ushered through due to his amazing ability to flash his Inquisitorial badge like many Judges in the cop-dramas he was so fond of which he happily showed to the Storm Troopers standing guard at the Schola.

Finally he approached the quarters of Ionza. He hadn't been there before, she had to his surprise her own room. The barrack for the girls looked just like his own barrack. He smiled as he saw her best-friend Tifa Apprendi. A tall, golden-brown skinned girl, with a flat nose, not very pretty with her hair in a bun. She immediately spoke up. "Cadet Carrus, you are not-" Carrus flashed the seal. "Today I'm Inquisitorial Representative, go alert Drill-Abbess McLandi. The Schola must be mobilized for the pogroms." Carrus said it tersely as he knocked on the door. Not long after Ionza opened it, Carrus locked inside, for him the small flat was a luxury-apartment. It had furniture, including a 42" pictcaster, couch, plain but solid in brown, the bed was far wider than his bunk, window with girds infront of them. The room was also decorated by a mixture of posters, some of psychedelic design, others of half-naked male models.

Ionza smiled at him saying. "That is bold, sneaking over here, she looked surprised at him." Carrus showed her the badge, she immediately dragged him inside stating eagerly. "Wow how cool is this, I also have one like that. Think Selpid have contacted you as well. How cool isn't that?" Ionza spoke with excitement in her voice, Carrus looked on her in horror saying. "I don't think me instigating a genocide is cool. Arm yourself we might have a general to execute." She wrinkled her nose saying. "Heyh I'm of same rank as you-" Carrus interrupted her. "It's better that you follow me as my adjutant, then you will be spared if I'm executed for doing this." She looked horrified at him as he said. "Arm yourself cadet, we might have a general or two to kill." The girl giggled slipping into her battlefield gear, which to Carrus' surprise she had in a grey metal-locker. He saw she slip on her belt of monofilament knives, then her gun-belt which she slipped her laspistol into. She then slipped a brown duster that had hung beside her gillsuit. She smiled at Carrus as she quipped. "I don't like my weapons being bared."

Carrus grinned back, saying. "Wow you are allowed a lot of weapons. I'm only allowed two." Ionza giggled then said as she checked her longlas. "We have more than mere generals to maybe execute, the Provost of the Arbitrators and the Planetary Governor must be pressed as well." She then kissed him on the mouth looking into his eyes saying. "If you are lucky you might even getting this planet for executing the Planetary Governor." Carrus just said. "I have my planet, it's not this. Come now."

She followed him as they chit-chatted to the airport where Drill-Abbott Rien had ordered a Valkyrie standing ready for a long-range mission, beside it stood six Storm Troopers of the Schola. The two fourteen year old cadets walked with the black ugly buildings of the Schola in the background. They looked at the bulky, square-jawed Storm Troopers, all in their twenties standing guard with hot-shot lasguns, then Carrus and Ionza exchanged worried glances. They were just mere cadets, yet here stood six fully graduated Storm Troopers at their service. Carrus gave the order. "Get inside gentlemen, we have a long trip infront of us." The Storm Troopers immediately got inside followed by Carrus and Ionza, they were chatty the whole trip, the Storm Troopers not so much as they felt the humiliation of being the support-squad for two teenagers playing Inquisitors.

Apprendi reached the office of McLandi, two Storm Troopers were at the brown heavy wooden door. They immediately let her inside as she professed having important information from the Inquisition. McLandi was sitting in a comfortable office-chair, working her computer setting grades on the sniper-cadets under her command and venturing through files. Her sparsely decorated office didn't have the luxury of Natrax's office. Her desk was old and battered in brown pine. Metal-lockers lined the flanks of the room. Three chairs were infront of her desk. Comfortable, but not nearly the quality and class of the furniture of Natrax. McLandi looked up as Apprendi entered the office, she immediately quipped. "This better be bloody important, sniper-cadet Apprendi." The girl made a salute. "Out with it girl, I'm quite busy at the moment." McLandi said, not at all looking pleased at the girl.

"Inquisitorial Representative Carrus has ordered me to bring words that he has began pogroms, and ordered me to tell you so the Schola can be fully mobilized ma'am." Apprendi said. McLandi snapped immediately up from her chair, pointing to Apprendi. "Swear silence about this matter." Apprendi answered on the spot. "I swear silence." McLandi passed her. "Good, you are dismissed." They both got out of the office with McLandi closing the door. Then she went to the office of Natrax, through the stylized hallways, she was rapidly ushered through the checkpoints. Eventually she arrived there. She walked into the office, it was like previously described, immediately the three Imperial Officers made salutes to each other as Harken also was present.

"Glad you came, I was about to send for you Drill-Abbess." Natrax said concern was written all over him. Both him and Harken was in full combat-gear. Natrax was dressed in a plain brown robe, bolter slung over his back with Eviscerator, Rosarius hanging around his neck, laspistol and a few combat-knives in his belt. "I will get my gear Headmaster." McLandi said calmly. "Wait, we have something to discuss with you Drill-Abbess." Natrax said he exchanged a worried look with Harken. McLandi came closer looking at the file on the computer. "You are making cadet Carrus into a commissar Headmaster and Lord Commissar?" McLandi said without pleasure in the voice.

"You know cadet Carrus has suddenly been acting all Inquisitor today, even drawing rank at Drill-Abbot Rien, and clobbering cadet Crispus for being a psyker before he begun brandishing the seal of Inquisitor Selpid all over the place yelling about pogroms, carnage, bloodbath, dragging cadet Ionza with him and such. Plus he ain't half as good in hiding the stuff as he thinks as I found the psymirror and Inquisitorial seal three days after the High Inquisitor visited Drill-Abbess." Harken said plainly glancing over at the rough but attractive body of the Drill-Abbess. "Yeah cadet Ionza has told me about their budding relationship, the things your mentioned Lord Commissar and the fact High Inquisitor Selpid himself told me that the fearlessness of cadet Ionza made her an ideal candidate for the commissariat *she sighed* so I quickly resigned myself to the fate that cadet Ionza would one day be commissar Ionza, and with her talent she would one day be Lady Commissar Ionza *the voice was tense, she smiled bitterly* the irony of a commissar trained by a Catachan."

"I'm sorry Drill-Abbess." Natrax said looking her right into the eyes, voice bearing meaning. "No need to apologize Headmaster, I could have kicked her out of the sniper-program, but she is hands down the most talented of any sniper I have ever trained. Infact I'm convinced she would wind up as a Vindicare Assassin hadn't it been for High Inquisitor Selpid's advice." The woman spoke tersely about the matter, it was clear it weighed on her mind as the strain on her face showed.

"Yeah I didn't know you had a commissar under your wing all these years Drill-Abbess." Harken voiced, visibly concerned. McLandi mere shrugged before she stated. "I realized I had either a commissar on my hand, fanatical and fearless. *thumb went up saying that* A Vindicare, her marksmanship is extraordinary. *pointerfinger went up* Or a budding Inquisitor, *middle-finger went up* she is one of the most intelligent and inquisitive individuals I have ever known, plus where everyone myself included sees High Inquisitor Selpid as something to be scared, very scared of, Ionza sees a confidant. That she have confided in me. And that was when I met her at age seven, she became my ward shortly afterward." Harken looked at her scratching jaw before he said. "So you don't mind we planning to transfer Ionza into the commissariat Drill-Abbess? I don't mean to be insulting or anything."

"Go ahead, it's the logical thing to do if you don't want rumors that commissar Carrus is forcing her into a relationship with him. Also I plan to with your permission to put things into motion so they think Catachans are commissar-murdering scum as neither of us want the risk of them coming into one of those units, or what Headmaster?" McLandi said as she glared straight into the eyes of Natrax who nodded. Then she looked at the Lord Commissar, he said. "No protests whatsoever." They then proceeded to organize the pogroms of the nearby cities costing the lives of millions of people as they found people generally to be uncooperative as they didn't like one bit military forces rifling through their belongings while ferreting out wayward psykers. Most people allowed it peacefully to happen, but enough resisted for Harken to organize firing-squads.

A few hours later the Valkyrie with the Inquisitorial Representative and his retinue arrived at Maripovska a huge military base and the headquarters of the Freudakian PDF. The black concrete and plasteel fortress had cannons everywhere. The forces relied much on infantry in contrast to the force who ten years later were one of the best supplied in terms of APCs and Valkyries in the whole Segmentum. But for now it was an average PDF. Nothing special about the men and women in it. They wore Cadian-like armour supplied by Crass-Corp. They stepped out of the Valkyrie being greeted by the general Marcus McCoy, middle-aged man at least in looks, black-grey hair, looked like a Freudakian skunk in mind of Carrus due to the skunk-stripe, he was dressed in a fine general-uniform, white with a red sash and dozens of medals, including a Star of Terra, the man was of average height, quite muscular under the uniform. At the side hanged a powered sword, his face was criss-crossed with many scars and he had a bionic eyes. He walked towards the small group.

He stopped making a stiff military salute that was responded by the group being led by Carrus. Then McCoy spoke. "Greetings Inquisitorial Representative, the general-staff of Lady Marshall Natasha Zuma are waiting to see you." Carrus responded as he walked over to him with the squad. "My thanks. Who alerted you officer? And what is your rank and name please." Carrus looked right into the eyes of McCoy, who was surprised to see the a gaze like that of Lord Commissar in the sparkling blue-eyed boy, McCoy said. "General Marcus McCoy of the Freudakian Planetary Defence Force Inquisitorial Representative. The man alerting us was Lord Commissar Nathan Harken over the vox." Following him they made their way into the hallways of the fortress from the airport. PDF-ers equipped like Cadian Shock Troopers were standing guard everywhere. They were quickly lead to a strategy-room.

Hitting both cadets like a fist was the realization that they weren't gonna do anything heroic as soon as they were outside the last checkpoint before the place were the generals was. Despite Carrus voicing. "An Inquisitorial Representative ain't gonna be disarmed." The female captain leading them responded. "We have orders to pat you down Inquisitorial Representative, so sorry." The squat, short woman said with her metallic voice making it audibly clear to the horror of the two teenagers it was an old battle-injury as when they looked closer they saw the scarred face of a once beautiful female who had got too close a look on a flamer, without the medical resources to buy herself an all-new body. Instead she like trillions of others in the Imperium of Mankind had to sate with second-rate surgery with metal replacing skin. McCoy saw with some gratification the horrified expressions of the cadets. Yet the metallic voice of the female continued. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience cadets, now you are allowed entry into the strategy-room."

McCoy whispered to the two cadets seeing how dejected they was. "If I was either one of you two I would relax and be glad for not being a hero of the pogroms, that's the worst fate anyone can get to be a hero in." Ionza hissed back. "How comes general?" He smiled as they got ushered inside. "People will always say you didn't deserve it then. I mean you are just bashing unarmed civilians." He saw the faces of the two teenagers lighten up a little as they got ushered into the strategic-office were PDF-commissars much to their surprise was waiting in blackened-out uniforms, generals in rather nice colorful outfits of all sizes. Ranging from almost Ogryn-sized males to a rather small, black woman about the size of Ionza. Both the cadets immediately sensed she was the true authority in the room, making stiff salutes and naming both rank and name to her.

She smiled at them, remembering the many children she had had both adopted and naturally, despite the majority being black she saw much of the more prominent of them in the teenagers saluting infront of her. "You are Lady Marshall Natasha Zuma, ma'am?" Ionza said with a mixture of wonder and excitement, which was prominently displayed in her face. "Correct child, the one and only Sniper-Cadet Michelle Ionza." The voice was more like that of a mother than a stern commander. "How did you know her name Lady Marshall Zuma?" Carrus looked perplexed as he glared not at her but Freudakia as a world on holographic display behind her. She saw the teenager was far more interested in the combat-simulator than anything else, and barely managed to hide his excitement as his glance passed from wonder to wonder in the room filled with wonderful things he a few years in the future took for granted, but for now was a miracle for him as he glanced towards the black strategy-table with the holograms spinning above it.

Zuma laughed a little. "Your names are known to us, along with your profiles Storm Trooper-Cadet Zachary Carrus. Now to the business at hand." She said, pausing a little. "Insert the seal of the High-Inquisitor there." She pointed a t a slab just beside her as she pushed a button making it come out. "This will set off the Carrus-Pogroms." She saw how Carrus' face shifted through a few colors as she said that. "Do not fret young cadet, this is an Inquisitorial order, signed by High Inquisitor Selpid himself." As she spoke Zuma got out a black metal-drawer from the desk. She then dug up the paper. It was signed in blood, the gravest of any order any Inquisitor could give. She saw Carrus' shoulders sagged as he read the cruel news, the bronzed face got pale with worry and fear as he said. "Do you know what this will do to me?" Even as he said that he still had the presence of mind to insert the seal into the slate, inserting the slate into the computer. Seconds there after sirens went out loud and flashing lights ignited. The Freudakian Pogroms were at their start. Soon jackboots sounded all over the fortress, orders were barked out, shuttles were going in every direction loaded with troops. Zuma tersely responded. "I know what the pogroms will do for you cadet Carrus, you will learn to live with the consequences, you two are dismissed." Zuma waved both Ionza and Carrus away.

The general-staff assumed talk about strategy, way over the heads of both teenagers, who only looked bored through the windows. Eventually Zuma with McCoy approached them, she smiled warmly to them, again any other place and uniform and they would have been given home-baked cookies with cacao by her. Instead she said. "Looks like the two cadets should rather be anywhere else than here or what general?" Before McCoy could answer, both cadets not noticing her jumped sky-high before throwing stiff salutes, and growling in choir. "Apologies ma'am, we didn't notice you approaching!" McCoy smiled, his scarred face almost cracked in the smile as he said. "No apologies necessary cadets, you are both to follow me. I have orders to take you to Matrovska for much the same, except you are to stay with the Planetary Governor. Now come with me cadets, that's an order." The two cadets sheepishly followed him, even out of the room towards the airport. They didn't even protest about their weapons being confiscated as they knew their place.

The process with the Arbitrators was rinse and repeat. They ended up at a party thrown by the Planetary Governor's slutty daughter Renata Knuud. Carrus didn't like her much, but let her be as he realized Ionza and her had much in common, he was mostly silent at the party knowing Matrovska and Freudakia burned because of him. Ionza was more into the partying, but declined the few comers as most just looked at the muscular, rather tall for his age fourteen year old boy who already was a war-vet, and they knew he would likely be the kind that assaulted first, then pissed at the one he had just beat down just for the act of humiliation, then finally asked why.

This was the start of the Fredaukian Pogroms, kicked off by a fourteen year old boy finding a psyker and alerting the Inquisition. Over one billion people would die in the atrocities during the pogroms. Carrus was to be promoted to the commissar-program when he was sixteen so he could retain his meltagun, though Harken assigned commissar-cadets about to graduate to him as mentors.


----------



## Beaviz81

Even so Carrus thought his role in them was over due to this marginalization, but that was far from the case. He was involved in a few captures of wayward psykers as a guard on the outside not being involved in much action, but that changed when he was part of a squad assigned to exterminate the small village of Trevlinska a rumored holdout for Genestealers due to the fact that the military was over-extended due to the pogroms. A tall lanky commissar-cadet was leading the Storm Trooper-cadets. He was dressed in the blackened out outfit of the Freudakian commissars, minus the sash. He was twenty years of age almost of graduating age at 21. Name was Liam Donal, they were standing outside the village covering eachother with guns in an established defensive perimeter, main armament for the troopers was lasguns. Carrus was the designated killer of anything large and horrible with his meltagun.

The streets were deserted, the buildings looked derelict in an ugly brown-grey color, all showed signs of disuse, the streets were dusty with grey-brown dust at it, dustballs came jogging by in gusts of wind. Carrus walked over to Donal the cadet-commissar who was dressed in the blackened-out outfit the Freudakian commissar tended to wear, it was an ugly uniform blending well with shadows yet noticeable, he towered over Carrus who at 1.7 meter who tall was less than ten cms off the height he would achieve as adult as they saluted eachother. "Permission to talk freely cadet-commissar." Carrus voiced out, he was dressed in green and black jungle-fatigues addressing the heavily facially scarred cadet-commissar. "Go ahead cadet." The answer came patiently back. "We should vox in for permission to just bombard the village, and just surround it shooting anything that comes out." The cadet-commissar looked at Carrus shaking his head. "Negative Storm Trooper-cadet Carrus, we are too few to take the Genestealers on in that way, lets just leapfrog in, investigate and hopefully find nothing."

The students started leapfrogging from building to building or rubble to rubble would be a more accurate depiction of how they ran from cover to cover already with a firm gasp of Storm Trooper-tactics, as they almost without a sound took the surface of the village. Finding the amazing number of one Genestealer. Carrus and Donal was soon standing over it. "I think I know who have shot it cadet-commissar." Carrus said spitting on the body. "Who is that cadet?" Donal asked sounding more puzzled than anything. "A certain girl I know, or her mentor." Carrus shrugged before continuing. "They have the same longlases, and it's evident in the burn-marks, which you know are individual for each lasgun. Nevermind longlases"

"I suppose so." Donal answered, seeming not so calm at having the commissar-killer Latiffa McLandi covering his back. Knowing full and well she was rumored to have killed over 100 commissars in the aftermath of her son's death. As if Carrus had read the mind of the budding commissar he said. "I don't think Drill-Abbess McLandi will snipe you commissar-cadet Donal. She haven't sniped any commissars in over fifty years, so if I was you I would sleep easy with that in mind." Carrus walked away setting his sight on a church in the middle of the village it looked like it hadn't been used for hundred of years.

Yet a fresh body was inside, the Genestealer Magos. Hole in head, same burn-mark as the Genestealer. Carrus immediately raised the alarm as a Genestealer charged him. It died as he shot it with his melta turning it into sludge along with a few wooden benches inside the dusty church, which turned to ash. Seeing more Genestealers coming out of the cellar Carrus gave himself a head-start taking out the support-pillars of the church, collapsing the church above the onrushing Genestealers, then he quickly darted out. Screaming. "Genestealers! I have found Genestealers!" As loud as he could bringing everybody's attention to it as he darted out the open huge brown oaken doors.

The Genestealers followed the young boy rapidly as he had darted towards the safety of the other humans, yet the Genestealers being faster than him meant Carrus had to turn and face the monstrosities chasing him. He didn't even run more than 25 meters from the church before he turned around in the dirty, dusty street firing his meltagun point-blank evaporating numerous Genestealers. Plus many expertly planted longlas-shots whistled past his head often with just mere centimeters to spare hitting a Genestealer Carrus missed, and the squads led by cadet-commissar Donal didn't fire at due to the risk of hitting Carrus who held his ground well as he had his melta on full auto pouring fire onto the onrushing Genestealers and frequently reloading it while Genestealers charged in, more than a few were just about to jump him when they fell to the sniper's longlas. Of course Carrus knew that by design and bellowed "Reloading!" for every time he was about to have spent the ammunition inside the meltagun, making the sniper shoot closer to him.

He continued to back off firing his melta gun at the Genestealers while his comrades advanced and las-fire began to sweep the onrushing Genestealers while Carrus was in the open, slowly backing away, throwing frag-grenades whenever he had to reload, though from time to time he leapt a few paces back while reloading the meltagun in flight. Then suddenly out of the rubble exploded a huge Broodlord charging right for Carrus.

He planted his feet. Bellowing. "Take care of the small ones as I take care of the big one." While he fired his meltagun at the creature, blasting away it's right knee, while sweeping lasgun-fire held the rest of the genestealers from overtaking Carrus. Though a few shots sailed far closer to Carrus than the rest, the sniper was active in protecting Carrus from any straying Genestealers coming at him. He had to reload, the creature advanced. He unleashed the canister making it bop on the dirty ground beneath him, his hand went to his belt. He grabbed a canister of meltagun-prometium in his belt. As he got it onto his weapon he spoke. "You are *he screwed in halfway in* one ugly *screwed it all in* mother-frakker!" He shot the meltagun point-blank range right in the face of the Broodlord vaporizing the ugly head of the creature. It slumped dead by his feet. A few shots later and he was out of ammo. Hand went for his chainsword across his back. A Genestealer charged him, Carrus just sidestepped bringing his chainsword to bear.

The Genestealer launched furious strikes at Carrus who parried and side-stepped the Genestealer's blows with desperation. The Genestealer stuck with rabid fury at Carrus who with a mixture of luck and skill managed to cut one of the hands of the creature who then lunged forward. With a hiss Carrus' chainsword sliced off some of it's face spraying ichor around Carrus who proceeded to jump out of the way just before the now three-armed juggernaut could kill him by biting him.

Carrus dodged the jaws of the Genestealer with mere centimeters even feeling the breath of the Genestealer, again his chainsword hissed as the Genestealer fell into his defense loosing yet another arm with the chainsword sending the claws spinning. Only a swift duck from Carrus made sure he wasn't impaled as the claws dug into the asphalt behind him.

The Genestealer lunged at Carrus yet again, he dodged. The Genestealer became unbalanced and stumbled. Carrus didn't yet have the experience or courage to press such an advantage. The Genestealer just hissed getting up, and darted towards Carrus who spun his chainsword in the defensive moveset Harken had been teaching him. That was not needed. The sniper shot the animal mid-air. It was dead before it landed at the feet of the rookie warrior.

"Can someone please give me a pistol of any kind?" Carrus called out just as he changed position making his sword jutting where he used to stand. Nanoseconds later the head of a Genestealer impaled itself on the sword as Carrus rapidly withdrew it miraculously avoiding it's claws. Making a defensive posture towards the onrushing Genestealers. Bellowing out. "Wanna take me out creeps! Come on I'm just a boy you maggots!" Though his facial expression was far from the defiant cry he let out as a Genestealer almost slipped past his slippery defense just to fall ass over head after the sniper shot it in the face which melted right before the eyes of Carrus.

Donal charged in rapidly. "Take it!" He growled throwing to Carrus his bolt pistol who caught it mid-air, just before he at point-blank range fired his hot-shot lasgun into the mouth of an onrushing Genestealer who suffered terrible, terrible damage as the head just melted. Carrus got to use the bolt pistol himself at another Genestealer rushing him and Donal. He wisely fired it at point-blank range sending the Genestealer to hell in a spray of ichor hitting both himself and Donal with it as the bolter snapped forcing his hand all the way up in the air due to the heavy recoil of the heavy pistol. The cadet-commissar made a few curses yet the momentum was changing. The Genestealer-horde mostly laid in a heap by the church, Carrus and Donal was standing about fifty meters from it. A Maurader bomber finally came flying by as the boy carrying the master-voxer threatened to bring the wrath of Lord Commissar Harken to the vox-operator at Schola Freudakia screaming quite frantic into it that Genestealers were about to overwhelm them all.

The bombs fell down, making both Carrus and Donal dive for cover in rather undignified ways as Carrus managed to even use thrash-bins for cover rapidly building a make-shift bunker of them, while Donal elected to bury himself in debris. Reinforcements were coming in. In a matter of minutes the remaining Genestealers were hunted down and killed. Including one that had ran and was over 5 kilometers away, that one the sniper took out, back of the head yet again.

Eventually a Valkyrie landed. Out came Harken and Natrax with honor-guard. Donal immediately went up to the two headmasters, and made a military salute which they also did. "Sirs, permission to speak freely." He asked with his hoarse a bit loud voice. "Granted." Natrax answered. "I would like to nominate Storm Trooper-cadet Zachary Carrus and Drill-Abbess Latiffa McLandi for Obscuras Honorifica. Storm Trooper-cadet Zachary Carrus for valor in battle and for unaided killing over a dozen Genestealers and he had two in close-combat. And Drill-Abbess Latiffa McLandi for saving the life of Storm Trooper-cadet Zachary Carrus and taking out over 100 Genestealers including the Magos."

Harken scratched his chin listening to it. "Give a fourteen year old boy Obscuras Honorifica, that can't be a good sign." Meanwhile McLandi came out of the Valkyrie. "Why shall I get a Obscuras Honorifica cadet-commissar?" She asked looking puzzled at him. "Sorry ma'am, I was convinced you were the sniper due to the skill of the sniper in this battle." Carrus then approached made a salute before he said. "May I speak freely sirs and ma'am?" He also handed Donal back his bolt pistol.

"Go ahead Storm Trooper-cadet." Natrax spoke up, eyes fastened on the wiry boy with the golden hair jutting out from under the helmet. "Can I have my laspistol back Headmaster Natrax?" He looked right into the brown weary eyes of the bolter-bearing Imperial Missionary with his sparkling blue eyes. "And I don't think of myself as deserving of the Obscuras Honorifica, all I did was using my meltagun when they rushed me, I ordered the guys to shoot at the small one while I took out the big one. And the Genestealer I faced in close combat I just held at bay until the sniper could shoot it, and the one I killed was just luck, I just moved placing my chainsword where I once stood and the Genestealer charged right at it, impaling itself. The final one I shot with Donal's bolt pistol after he had thrown it to me at my request, and I shot that Genestealer at point-blank range getting both me and commissar-cadet Donal showered with ichor."

Just as Carrus said the ichor-part the Lord Commissar grabbed him. He looked him straight into the eyes, Natrax did the same to Donal. "You look fine for now alumni, but to be certain you will be mind-scanned and your DNA will be looked at, plus in your own words you have proven you deserve the Obscuras Honorifica for your actions this day." Harken said as he stripped Carrus of his weapons. Ionza was also brought over. As the guard was a bit rough with her Harken barked. "Yeah right manhandle a candidate for the Obscuras Honorifica that's exactly what I would do you frakking moron. Just take her weapons and treat her as nice as you can or I would do a full 39 on your sorry back." He pointed at the rather worried guard showing the ire of a commissar for all to behold.

Natrax then grabbed Carrus. "You are sure you don't want a bolt pistol, a hellpistol or a hot-shot laspistol, you can request either and get the the weapon as a candidate for the Obscuras Honorifica." Carrus just shook his head. "I would rather have a Rosarius, than any of those, I already want my pistol, it's a family heirloom, and I would request a Rosarius for sniper-cadet Michelle Ionza along with her pistol of choice." He voiced, embracing the perks coming with being a candidate for such a prestigious award at such a tender age. "Granted, if you receive your award you will get your Rosariuses, dismissed." Natrax said, watching the soldiers march them to a waiting Valkyrie.

"Is that wise Headmaster? Granting them Rosariuses?" Harken voiced with concern on his face. "Well we can just wait to Carrus turns sixteen and watch him award himself one, and one for Ionza as well. I'm just glad he didn't want a Baneblade or powered armour." He then looked at Mclandi. "Drill-Abbess McLandi follow the three prisoners and make sure no-one molests them." She answered quickly. "Aye sir." Then darted over to the Valkyrie barking orders to the guards. "Shall I also accompany them Headmaster?" Harken asked looking wondering at his superior.

"Negative Lord Commissar I want everyone alive and I'm not about to put my favorite commissar in the same plane as a Catachan with a kill-count of over 100 commissars." He gestured to Harken to follow him to a more secluded spot, lowering his voice in a dramatic fashion he said. "I have been given instruction from High Inquisitor Selpid himself to make sure the cadets Carrus and Ionza is close, it's all Selpid, he has brought cadet Carrus from obedience to disobedience just to make him a commissar." They walked along as they saw the Progeni gather things to burn the Genestealers with gathering them in a heap pouring Prometium at them.

Harken and Natrax continued to discuss the fates of Carrus and Ionza going past several ruined buildings, shutting up every time someone came close. Meanwhile at the Valkyrie which was flying back to the Schola Freudakia. "Nice work for both of you cadets getting nominated for the Obscuras Honorifica and especially you Storm Trooper-cadet Zachary Carrus for getting away with requesting Rosariuses." Drill-Abbess McLandi voiced, with no small amount of pride. "Thanks Drill-Abbess." Carrus said. Ionza also said the same seconds later.

Sharing the good feeling was not what cadet-commissar Donal was. Instead he with annoyance heavy in his voice, which was shared by his expression said. "Excuse me Storm Trooper-cadet, but why the hell did you say the stupid crap about not deserving the Obscuras Honorifica? You did a damn good heroic job there, I mean there is a time for modesty and that wasn't it, and I don't think I could even have done what you did today, and you still acts with modesty, what the hell is that about?" He looked straight into the eyes of Carrus who came flaming back with life. "You should have asked me before nominating me commissar-cadet. The whole incident bears my name, and my family's opponents feel I have sat it in motion in order to make a name for myself, so think they gaining the Obscuras Honorifica for valor in combat. I know I acted like a hero commissar-cadet." Carrus voiced back, he showed a worry which many would heap on him as he was one of the youngest candidates ever to receive the award and worse he was the instigator of the event.

"Apologies Storm Trooper-cadet, I didn't know." Donal looked perplexed at how Carrus had acted not like a too modest hero but a boy afraid of his own reputation being tarnished. "Apology accepted commissar-cadet, you only erred on the side of good, now lets get our blood scanned and our minds probed to prove we ain't Genestealers." Carrus laughed harshly as they were being treated far from any heroes. What's up with the helmet Storm Trooper-cadet?" Donal asked quizzingly. "Ehm it protects me from harm?" McLandi with both Donal and Ionza laughed harshly. "Like hell it doesn't." Ionza said. "Give it to me!" McLandi said camly. Carrus removed his helmet from his head handing it to her. She brought her longlas to bear on it, from point-blank range she fired on it. The shot went clean through like knife through butter infront of a mortified Carrus. "Looks like you believed a little much in the armour you are wearing young Storm Trooper." McLandi responded sardonically.

Carrus nodded. "Yeah, you are right. I'm still thankful for the many shots as only an expert could manage to get shots going so close to my head." He glared straight at Ionza. The tiny but already very shapely-formed girl responded. "I could have easily hit you, but the Emperor guided my shots along with my training by the Drill-Abbess. And I'm very thankful for you yelling reloading when you were out so i knew when to place the shots really close." McLandi then spoke. "Not many men would have dared standing the ground with shiper-fire whistling past their head, while Genestealers came charging in intend on ripping you to pieces. Though you are no less deserving of your award sniper-cadet Ionza, placing shots close to cadet Carrus saving his life many times. But why did you wish for Rosariuses Storm Trooper-cadet Carrus?" Carrus answered tersely. "Simply, it's better that I receive them as a gift than me gifting one to myself the day I turn sixteen, as the story of the rivals of my family already have me starting the pogroms just on a whim. Now it will be that I started the pogroms for a medal and a reputation as an Imperial hero so I could just as well get something good out of this awful situation."

"But that's not what's happened cadet Carrus." McLandi said. Carrus just laughed. "I know, maybe I should have pleaded for a Baneblade, or command of a regiment or maybe a nice title." Carrus' face lit up as he spoke. McLandi strangling a snicker just said. "I don't think Headmaster Natrax would have granted you command of a regiment or a Baneblade, but maybe a nice title." Almost everyone inside the Valkyrie at least snickered as Ionza said. "I also want a Baneblade, we can all have Baneblades, even cadet-commissar Donal, that can be painted black so he can shoot our Baneblades in the back if they show cowardice." Donal smirked then spoke up as he just had taken a zip of water from a canteen. "How do you gauge if a Baneblade is cowardly sniper-cadet Ionza?" His green eyes were transfixed on her. She grinned back. "I don't know, maybe you can do like in the computer-game Vindicare Commando. That was fun."

"Yeah I played that game as a kid as well, I loved that the Vindicare Commando could get to drive Landraiders and Titans, it was fun stomping around as an Emperor titan. Isn't it your family that have produced it cadet Carrus?" McLandi asked Carrus who yawned and stretched seated at the uncomfortable seat inside the Valkyrie. "Half-truth Drill-Abbess, my family own Crass-Corp the company that have made the game, but that company produces everything from toothpicks to Nemesis battleships on Ciralix on behest of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Infact every one of the excellent weapons we are using here comes from Ciralix." That sat off Carrus as he spent the rest of the trip bragging about how everything made on Ciralix was gold, and anything made elsewhere were crud made by inbred Tech-Priests despite the obvious hole in the truth Carrus professed.


----------



## Beaviz81

Eventually the Valkyrie landed, it was night already. It rained over the black shuttleport they landed at. The landing-zone's black tarmac was hit viciously by the heavy downpour. This was the start of the Freudakian monsoon, now eight months of almost unbroken rain was expected. The prisoners were marched off the Valkyrie led by McLandi. They all looked tired. The procession made it towards the black prison-complex. Selpid greeted them there at the entrance of the huge black building.

"Take the Storm Trooper-cadet and Sniper-cadet to the luxury-cell." Selpid called out. He quickly scanned all three as clean from taint of the Genestealers, he then smirked. "Deathblade McLandi escort the commissar-cadet back to his quarters." He smiled baring his shark-like teeth unsettling pretty much everyone present except Ionza who dared smiling at him even when they saluted him and the rest of the general-staff. "Come with me commissar-cadet." Mclandi said, voice devoid of feeling as were her expression, she glanced nervously over at Carrus and Ionza standing near the towering presence of Selpid her old mentor. She shuddered silently, knowing full and well nothing good would come from the attention of the High Inquisitor.

Selpid took it on himself to guide Carrus and Ionza to their quarters. They continued inside the black building, through well-lit corridors in the black plasteel with guards posted everywhere, equipped in the Cadian style so common across the Imperium of Mankind. Doorway after doorway with black adamentum doors was passed as they were rapidly ushered through any checkpoints. Eventually Carrus coffed. "What is is cadet Carrus?" Selpid stood still with his back turned at him, though his head had spun around for him to glance at the boy. "I'm sorry High Inquisitor, but do you know what this event have done to my good name?" He said, he looked pale and shifted as he said it, as he expected a violent reaction from Selpid. Instead Selpid with a soothing voice said. "I'm aware of the predicament cadet Carrus with your family's enemies thinking you caused this pogrom just to award yourself the Obscuras Honorifica." He saw Carrus getting baffled as he spoke.

"Yes my enemies think that, what shall I do about it high Inquisitor?" Carrus asked his voice didn't contain the well of emotions he was under. Smiling the High Inquisitor answered him, just as he walked away. "Bide your time young man, just bide your time." He left them as they were locked into a luxurious prison-suite, complete with living-room, exercise-room (complete with an area for fencing-training in addition to the usual complements of weights and treadmills), all was finely furnished for a prison. The black walls actually complemented it nicely making it almost into a paradise for the two young cadets who awestruck looked around.

A day later Carrus having received his chainsword back was shadow-fencing in the training-area. He were dressed in shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt, blackish in color. Ionza entered dressed similarily though with a training-bra under her top as well. Carrus called out to her with a teasing smirk on his lips. "Heyh wanna spar Michelle, your knives against my chainsword?" She grinned back. "Of course Carrus." Then she turned tail retrieving her monofilament-knives. Carrus had meanwile taken center-stage standing confident with his chainsword purring in his right hand as Ionza entered. He waved her to come at him with his left hand, saying. "Come now Michelle and I shall show you how I bet the Genestealer." Voice teasing, hiding the brutality he had in store for her as she charged him.

That went easy for Carrus, soon Ionza was laying sprawled on the floor as Carrus capitalized on the increased reach and power of his weapon as Ionza tried to duck under his sweep just to be met by a punch. "Try charging me more intelligently Michelle, this is the way of Harken, Natrax and McLandi, all of them have three times your mass and at least double your strength." Carrus said with voice clear, he felt great which showed in his arrogant, yet very good fencing-posture. "Now come at me more carefully this time." Ionza once more launched herself at him. Carrus parried any attempts she made, eventually going on the offensive. His sweeping advances with the crude chainsword at Ionza who only desperately could parry and duck away. Until he cornered her. Only the fact that he deactivated his chainsword spared her life. He grinned sadistically. "Know why I won over the Genestealer Michelle?"

"No, how did you, that was quite a feat." Ionza replied rubbing a shoulder after an awkward landing. "Was I better prepared than it? Hell no. Was I stronger than it? In my dreams. I had one advantage, the superiority of the human mind and the ability to counter what it did to me." Carrus said in a bragging tone. "You need a sword as even a mediocre sword-swinger can hold a knife-fighter at bay if he has room to maneuver." Ionza twirling her knives replied. "Yeah but usually I get to sneak up on opponents and kill them from afar or behind." Carrus didn't show any emotion. Instead he with chainsword in hand said. "I prefer to shoot at my enemies while they are running away from me, or even better when they haven't seen me. But often that's not the case like with me and the Genestealers. There I had to either try to run or plant my feet and gun them down. I planted my feet and ended up going mano a mano against one. And that was only after I executed the Broodlord with my melta."

Ionza smiled as she got over to the rack with the bottled water, throwing one to Carrus who caught it in the mid-air before taking a good sip himself from it. "You were damn brave planting your feet Carrus, but might I inquire why so intensive against me? I haven't offended you have I?" Ionza asked looking anxious on Carrus, who just smirked while he said. "Almost two years ago you learned me to fight without honor and humanity, I'm returning the favor." He took a new zip of the bottle before he said with his face in a questionable wrap. "Or do you want me to stop Michelle?" She smiled as she said. "Bring it on bucco, but next time warn me before going nasty." Not before she had said that she charged him, yet he quickly recovered, then gave her a punch, snarling. "Weak attack, I saw that coming from a mile away!" Ionza continued her relentless attacks.

After a few parried stabs Carrus elbowed Ionza in the back of the head sending her reeling. "Weak, you let your guard down too early." Carrus said, looking all serene as he stood there with his chainsword emitting a soft whirr. Ionza just snarled and launched herself at Carrus. More stabs getting blocked, then suddenly Carrus grabbed her throat and chokeslammed her to the grey training-mattress. "You didn't follow up your attacks darling." Carrus said teasingly, face centimeters from Ionza's. She coffed and gargled on the floor. He got up immediately. "I'm not falling for the wounded gazelle-routine Michelle, get up and lets continue the sparring." He said that as he held his weapon in a defensive posture. That turned out to be a smart choice as Ionza twirled her feet landing on her feet, she immediately threw both the monofilament knives at Carrus who struck them down with his whirring chainsword, then she bodyslammed him making him loose balance and his chainsword. They tumbled to the ground with him eventually getting on top. He laughed. "Well now I hope you don't-" He expected a headbutt from her, instead he got a sensual kiss. He withdrew looking a bit scared. Ionza was more assured. "What's wrong honey, didn't you like it?"" She said with a teasing smirk. Carrus just looked scared back.

"Ehm I-I know why you lost to me." He said as he got up. Ionza giggled. "Oh why Storm Troopers-cadet?" Placing herself nose to nose with him looking up at him, chest pressed against his. Carrus swallowed heavily under her gaze. "Ehm, you lack a sword, as I had a definitive reach-advantage, and you saw you could not penetrate my defenses." The voice of Carrus was thick, he looked visibly worried under the gaze of the stunning young girl. She responded smilingly. "Maybe I should get myself a sword." She went and picked it up, deactivating it before gently feeling at the rugged chainsword Carrus owed. He snatched it back from her. "Good idea Michelle, we can visit the armoury and pick out a powered sword for you after we have showered. *Ionza tried to lead him to the shower* Separately of course." She just nodded with a giggle seeing he was not at all as neutral as he sounded to her advances.

After the shower they got dressed in the grey-black robes of the Schola. Ionza immediately noticed Carrus tugging on himself a sword-belt, brown, the long sword was strapped down in the long black sheath. "Not across the back anymore Carrus?" She sounded as pleasant as always. Carrus responded sounding flat. "It's quicker this way to draw the sword." Ionza toyfully showed Carrus a bit. "I bet it is." Carrus just laughed nervously as they got on their way to the armoury after a quick chat with Selpid who granted them full access to the armoury.

They quickly made their way over to the low grey bunker-like complex. The seal of Selpid was more than enough to let them in, and soon they were going deep inside the cellars of it. The hallways were full of combat-servitors and maintenance-servitors milling around. Ionza felt anxious as they delved deeper into the bunker. The servitors got less and let human for every level. The Tech-Priests became rarer and rarer to see, eventually they disappeared altogether. Carrus and Ionza had descended down to a level were not even the Magos Tech-Priests accessed, soon the seal of Selpid was worthless.

They stood in the dimly lit hallway infront of a huge door with the logo of the Adeptus Mechanicus covering it. Ionza looked nervous at it as a stiff metallic voice all but screamed. "Access denied." As Carrus inserted the seal of Selpid. Carrus shrugged while saying. "Seems like I have to do everything myself." He said that voicing confidence, Ionza was far less at home here, where the servitors had more in common with Necrons than actual humans. "Maybe we should go away from this place, I don't feel safe here." She looked nervously on a combat-servitor who rolled by, scanning the environment with it's undead las-eyes. Carrus looked at the servitor as well, but with a smile across his face. "What are you talking about Michelle, we are amongst friends here." As he said that he pressed the palm of his hand on the computer-scanner letting it scan his fingerprints. Then a horrid loud clanking-noise followed causing Ionza to dive for cover behind the closest rack of weapons.

Carrus stood put as he recognized the sound as being the door opening. But soon the noise broke down his resolve as he whistled and gestured a few combat-servitors over, with him and Ionza covering on the other side of the room in case they encountered something nasty. He also opened a weapon-cabinet, though the only wepons there were some ancient lasguns. Carrus whistled as he handled one, removed the magazine, checked the primer and firing-mechanism, then he loaded it and cracked off a shot to the wall. "This one is in prime condition." He said as he handed it to Ionza, then he rinsed and repeated on another of the ancient lasguns in the vault as the two teenagers felt a bit more secure with ranged weapons in hand as opposed to just weapons they could just go in at close-combat with. Then they leapfrogged to hide behind the hulking servitors who stoutly stood guard with their lasguns aimed at the doorway ready to fire at anything that came through.


The huge doors finally slid open. The smell of dust and age fermented the room. The combat-servitors slowly drove into the room followed by Carrus and Ionza who proceeded to fumble after the light-source along the walls. Eventually Ionza found it. She flicked the switch on the dark wall. One by one rods in the ceiling went ablaze with light, showing the teenagers a tomb for Imperial heroes where they rested with their equally legendary weapons. They read the plaques of what they had done. Compared to them the things the living legends that had raised them were all but pale echoes. As Priests laid there with their Rosariuses and Eviscerators. Deeds of fighting and converting world after world. Even Inquisitors were buried there. Brave and horrible deeds were notched down on the runed boards describing their actions.

They got deeper into the tomb where the dead martyrs of the Emperor were resting. Eventually they stopped it was before the tomb of a long dead Lady Commissar. Her name was Marielle Ariendi. From the image Ionza breathed the dust away from, they saw she looked very similar to Ionza, blonde instead with striking green eyes. Yet the resemblance was not to be mistaken. After getting a nod from Ionza Carrus whistled happily, before pressing the palm of his hand into a depression in the grey wall. That deactivated the stasis-field. Ionza entered, she greedily looked at the extremely fine bolt pistol there, a very lithe and fine laspistol, but the gear catching her attention was the black eagled Rosarius and a brutal, yet exquisitely crafted powered rapier, black with the imprint of a human skull as the guard. She immediately grabbed the weapon, unsheathing it. Immediately she felt soul and Machine Spirit melding. She let out a pleasant yell over it.

"Heyh Carrus, how about a fencing-session?" Ionza asked Carrus overeager with her new toy in her hand. Carrus just growled drawing his brutish chainsword. "Bring it on little Michelle!" His mouth was formed in a cruel smirk as he placed himself in the opening of the room. Ionza sped towards him, their weapons met. Yet the engagement was short-lived as Carrus bodyslammed her back. "Good attack, but that move takes years to attempt nevermind accomplish." Carrus called out, impressed. Which showed in his tone of voice and posture after it. Ionza had already shifted her attention to the marble-statue of Ariendi. She gently kissed the cheeks of it mumbling as she removed the Rosarius from around it's neck. "Thank you for the gifts of the Emperor' most holy Rosarius Lady Commissar." She sighed as she felt a chill. Carrus caught it as well. He sounded worried as he said. "Maybe we shouldn't be here." He looked nervously over at the smiling Ionza, who with a very serene voice said. "I felt a chill Carrus, true, but a chill of acceptance." She grabbed the pistols, before finally picking up the sword. "Seems like I have found my items Carrus." Ionza voiced with a calm smile.

They stepped out of the tomb as a maintenance-servitor rushed past them. It was essentially a threaded vacuum-cleaner. From the mouth hanged a long elastic trunk it used to suck up all the dust in the hallway with. Carrus whistled pressing the depression in the door as soon as both were out of the room, the stasis-field were re-activated. Ionza then spoke up as the vacuum-servitor unearthed another tomb. "Carrus you should see this!" The excitement was heard in her voice. Carrus immediately spun around. He glanced right at the tomb of commissar Zephyr Carrus. He nodded and immediately made his way over whistling. Palm-print at depression, stasis-field deactivated. He stepped inside looking at the marble-statue there. Carrus just shrugged eying the price, the Rosarius around it's neck He went to grab it, even whistling.

Nothing happened, then suddenly the lid of the casket began moving. Carrus immediately darted back drawing his chainsword bellowing. "Stay back from me fiend I will tear you to shreds with the Headtaker my chainsword!" He used the bombastic statement to mask that he was too scared to even piss his pants. Out of the casket came a mummy, all decayed showing the advanced embalming-techniques used. It shambled towards Carrus who stood in the corner, chainsword activated, too scared to do anything but fight. Ionza came rushing in with her powered rapier preparred to strike. She stopped as she saw the calm moves of it. "Carrus, stand down!" She yelled at him, he loudly barked back. "What?!" Ionza calmed down seeing how the hands of the mummy went for the Rosarius around it's neck. "Stand down that's an order!" Ionza screamed it. Carrus calmed down a bit as the mummy shuffled closer.

"Beware of my namesake! Beware of my namesake!" The mummy called out to Carrus seeking him out without sight with a voice from the abyss sending chills down the spine of even the bravest of men. It shuffled closer to him falling apart at the spot. "Take my Rosariussssssssssss..." The s hanged in the air as it mixed with the hiss of the mummy disappearing into dust as the spark of the Emperor left the creature. Carrus still caught the Rosarius in time. He realized the long-lost relative have gave him a warning and a blessing. "Now I think we have disturbed-" Longer he didn't come before he heard commotion in the hallway, immediately he had Ionza thrown behind the wall, he peaked out with his lasgun aimed straight at his teachers and idols with a certain High Inquisitor in tow.

"What are you two doing here?" The voice of Natrax boomed, he looked enraged at the two pupils. Behind stood Harken and McLandi, behind them the hulking form of Selpid. "I'm here on business as a Techriarch, what the four are doing here disturbing the honored death is beyond me teachers and High Inquisitor." Carrus said though the stress of his recent experience was present in how he voiced the sentence and his bearing as he couldn't control a slight shiver after his latest brush with death. "Lets go somewhere else gentleman and ladies and leave this place silent for the Holy Martyrs of the Emperor *then Carrus hissed* And who is Zephyr Carrus?" The expressions of the four senior Imperial servants could be said to be hilarious as Carrus noted down they looked like speared groxes for four days straight in his private diary, something which was confirmed by Ionza's diary with the addition that McLandi actually looked pale by hearing the words.

"Ehm yeah, I will speak to you *Selpid sighed a bit, knowing Carrus never in a million years would shut Ionza out* and cadet Ionza about Zephyr Carrus in ten years, cadet Carrus, is that a deal?" Carrus smiled, then replied as they hurried through the halls of the dead. "That's a deal High Inquisitor, shall we spit and shake?" Both the High inquisitor and Storm Trooper cadet then spat at their palm, then shook, sealing the deal for eternity within the hallowed halls of the dead with four witnesses the second strongest oath in that part of the Imperium of Mankind, the only one stronger was the blood-oath committed in such a place. As they got outside Carrus whistled the servitors out of the tomb. "Excuse me Headmaster Natrax can I beg you for a favor?" He looked pleading at the tall missionary in the grey-black robe.

"Anything Storm Trooper-cadet." The answer came patiently back. "How is the thing with the Obscuras Honorifica going Headmaster?" Carrus asked, he looked insecurely around. "You have been approved cadet Carrus." Natrax answered looking quizzically at Carrus. "I want you to give me the Rosarius as the Obscuras Honorifica during the ceremony Headmaster." Carrus then said handing him the Rosarius. He took it and before he got to answer the puppy-eyes of Ionza glared into his eyes. "I also want that Headmaster, can you please do me the honor?" The small girl said handing him her Rosarius as well. Natrax took the Rosariuses from them. "Ehm how does I know you haven't fabricated this, you smell like death cadet Carrus, and you cadet Ionza looks like you have graduated to advanced graverobbing." Natrax voiced with skepticism in his voice and looks.

He then was hit by the vision of what have happened courtesy of Selpid, seeing what Carrus and Ionza just had seen. "Apologizes cadets, I didn't know." Natrax then said. "Apology accepted." Carrus and Ionza voiced as one as they walked off back towards the prison. "That commissar lady Ariendi is an ancestor of cadet Ionza." Selpid finally voiced when Carrus and Ionza was gone far enough while wiping sweat off his head. Then Carrus came back, he coffed out. "Excuse me sirs and ma'am, but I have an order I would like to issue." Seeing the four mighty Imperial servants nod he then said. "I would like to issue an edict that the only ones allowed access to this part of the armoury is me and people I deem fit." He saw Harken scratch his jaw, yet Natrax spoke first. "Consider it done cadet." Selpid then spoke. "The Inquisition won't stand in the way of your request." Carrus then saluted the four, who gave stiff salutes back to him. He then hurried back to Ionza with the lasgun.

"Smart idea that they are to get their Rosariuses at the award-ceremony Headmaster Natrax." McLandi spoke out, with an unusual deference in her voice, yet her expression and posture were honest. "I concur Headmaster." The iron-voice of Harken hit home as unpleasant as ever. "Thank you both Drillers, but I would be an idiot to resist that honor, plus they are pragmatic children. *Natrax coffed then said* Neither is one for trophies, I mean both are fighting above their league and they take little accolade for their achievements. No sirs and lady they are endlessly pragmatic already. We shall do well to watch them closely." Then the four mighty servants of the Emperor went over to the bar the Drunken Commissar to discuss the teenagers and other stuff further.


----------



## Beaviz81

"Headtaker?" Ionza voiced with a crooked smile as the teenagers walked through the hallowed halls of the Adeptus Mechanicus, black plasteel, the lights from the light-rods in the roof shined down on them. Carrus was checking his lasgun as he went. "Yeah, is it bad Michelle?" He looked worried at Ionza, who giggling shook her head. "No Carrus, I'm amazed infact, you were scared witless like when you faced the Genestealers and still managed to find a good name for your chainsword." She relished in the shocked expression Carrus showed when she said that. "I considered calling it Captain Bite-You-Hard or amigo." Carrus said with a smirk, as he activated yet another metallic door with the palm of his hand as Ionza laughed.

"You weren't that brave last night with your night-terrors Carrus." She saw how Carrus changed his expression from happiness to a more angry one. She immediately came up at him laying her head at his shoulder. "Apologies Carrus, I didn't mean it-" Carrus interrupted her, patting her head. "It's alright Michelle, you were a support tonight as I dreamed about the Genestealers and the green gobbo." Ionza just stroke Carrus' cheek. "Sorry Carrus I didn't mean to strike fun at you for having nightmares, it's different for me. For me the targets are meters away and I doesn't get the pleasure of watching the life go out of them mere centimeters away." Carrus just shrugged as he said, while they were entering the service-elevator. "You have been learned in unarmed and combat with knives by McLandi, but against swords your an amateur." He spoke with a smug expression at his face, before he continued while the elevator of grey, shining steel darted up. "That's for thieves, whores and ruffians, you need to learn to fight like a lady of war, with a sword Michelle not like some common thug with just knives as anyone can shoot a person in the back."

"Yeah the preferred way to fight for me as well, but Harken trained me for when the monster is facing me not being at a distance or facing away. You are an assassin I'm a commissar. We will both learn from eachother." Carrus said it while he smirked having little to no inclination right there in the elevator about the future and what kind of a commissar he would become as he stood there in the badly lit elevator with the tiny girl while it sped up toward the night above them.

Almost a year passed as Harken encountered Ionza on the fencing-grounds. "Heyh cadet Ionza, come over here!" He yelled, she immediately ran to him, making a quick salute which was returned. "I hear you have been given private instruction by cadet Carrus cadet Ionza, is that true?" He spoke, with a smirk that looked cruel, Ionza looked a tad nervously at the black-clad Lord Commissar in her own black-grey fatigues. "I have Lord Commissar, anything wrong with that?" She spoke with her voice clear and with conviction. "Show me, draw your sword cadet." Harken answered drawing his own long cruel-looking chainsword. Immediately Ionza drew her black rapier with skull-guard. Harken grinned. "Now attack-" He didn't finish the sentence as Ionza attacked him with a flurry of blows from her powered sword sending the experienced warrior reeling back. He paused moving his chainsword defensively. "Wow girl, you are far stronger than you look." Ionza smirked back and countered with the comment. "And you are far faster than you look Lord Commissar." Then she begun a second set of attacks, all within the Death Cult-template with blades moving in fast and sweeping, the attacks were relentless.

Suddenly Harken grabbed Ionza by the throat holding her a few centimeters over the ground. "Confidence is a good thing young cadet, overconfidence is not." He gently released her onto the ground. "Apologies Lord Commissar." Ionza said fast, then she drew a monofilament knife as she continued her attacks on Harken who was perplexed as she swung both blades in different wavy motions almost taxing his full ability as when the sword landed and was parried then the knife came at him. He seemed like a stomping bull fighting a Shadow-Tiger. Finally Harken saw the flaw in Ionza and with a brutal kick he kicked the feet under her. She landed on the tarmac with a snarl. "Cadet Carrus has taught you very well indeed cadet Ionza." She reached for the monofilament blades in her belt. "No need for that cadet Ionza." Harken deactivated his chainsword sheathing it, while he held out his other hand for Ionza to grab as she got up. She rubbed her back a little wincing a bit in pain as she spoke. "Thank you Lord Commissar, and I feel I have had a good teacher in Carrus." Harken just smirked looking down on her, then he turned. "The rest of you lot, twenty kilometer-run." He addressed the commissar-cadets he had spent his day sparring with, watching as the black-clad young men just jogged off the black tarmac past them with steady thud-thuds as their boots clanked against the asphalt.

"Thank you Lord Commissar. Cadet Carrus has taught me many tricks with the sword." Ionza answered after she picked up her weapons sheathing them. "Yeah but he likes to win, look you need more than just what he can teach you." Harken made a thrust with his sword. "Try to replicate the thrust." Ionza immediately drew her sword, and replicated the move almost to perfection. "Excellent, no wonder Carrus look good as a teacher he had you as a student cadet Ionza." Harken voiced impressed. Ionza answered. "I have always been a knife-fighter, the sword is just a glorified knife." Harken smirked then looked a bit worried around. "Never say that near Carrus, he is a good kid, but he almost had Drill-Abbott Copeland convicted of Tech-Heresy two months ago for throwing his powered sword into a wall after he lost in the Tournament of Swords." Ionza smirked as she said. "I remember it clearly, then came Carrus up screaming Tech-Heresy with his laspistol two centimeters from his face, voice completely on the edge of madness due to rage and face pulsating red. *she laughed* Difficult to forget Lord Commissar." She scratched her neck as she continued to speak.

"He even contacted Lucius Carrus a distant relative of him-" Harken interrupted with a worried look in his eyes as he placed himself infront of her his brown eyes peering into her. "He contacted the Fabricator on Ciralix for that?" Ionza nodded as she said without emotion. "He contacted his distant relative the Fabricator on Ciralix suggesting that he could either have Drill-Abbott Copeland standing in the middle of the parade-ground in his boxers chanting the hymn of the Omnissiah while he walked around him throwing mud at him and whistling or the Drill-Abbott could be the newest addition to the Combat-Servitors." Harken looked worried at her. "Did the Fabricator answer Carrus cadet Ionza?" Ionza giggled. "Yeah he did, and he even wrote him that he could use the Combat-Servitor-part every time he was to make a threat." Harken scratched his broad jaw looking at Ionza, who glared back. "Ehm Lord Commissar anything wrong?" Harken laughed harshly as he responded. "That was not a bad suggestion at all. I think I shall seek permission for using it myself as that's a pretty damn good threat." Ionza smiled back as she responded with. "Can you seek permission for me as well when I becomes a commissar?"

Harken just smirked as he said while he was lightening up a lho-rod. "Actually it's the other way around, I will have you asking for the two of us, just ask Carrus he would grant us the favor." Ionza scratched her cheek, then she asked. "Can I have one as well Lord Commissar?" Harken looked down at the young woman with skepticism in both look and voice as he realized she was asking for a lho-rod. "Ain't you a little young for them cadet?" She smirked back, then said. "I'm a bit young for war and wine as well, but I already have over two hundred confirmed kills." Harken just smiled. "You know this is bad for you, but I'm not surprised that you already likes them as I liked both wine and lho at your age as well." He gave her the cigar-case, closing his eyes recollecting another thing he liked when he was at her age as well, but that he decided was none of his busniess before he snapped. "Keep it, I want you to get the lho and wine from me from now of so I have control of how much you consume." Ionza said. "Aye Lord Commissar." As she lit up the lho-rod enjoying the fresh smoke of it she said. "I wonder why Headmaster Natrax brought Drill-Abbess McLandi along to the meeting with the high-command Lord Commissar." Harken just laughed as he stretched. "Wonder no more child, Natrax doesn't want to surrender the authority of this Schola to the Drill-Abbess."

Ionza answered with a smirk. "Figures, my turn to share a secret." Harken just made a strange motion with his left eyebrow grunting. "Hm?" "You know the High Inquisitor, the Headmaster, the Drill-Abbess and Carrus went to meet the high-command of Freudakia the last couple of days Lord Commissar?" Ionza said with a smug look and satisfaction in her voice as she smoked the the lho-rod. "Yeah, why cadet Carrus cadet Ionza?" He swallowed heavily with the lho-rod in his hand closing his eyes, he already knew the answer. "Cadet Carrus accompanied all those mighty people because Fabricator Lucius Carrus demanded it, and he has been ordered to turn the entire high-command into Combat-Servitors unless they doesn't sell the planet to the Adeptus Mechanicus as payment for the crusade the High Inquisitor wants to mount." Harken looked unsurprised at her. "Makes sense, Ciralix is footing this crusade so they want payment." Ionza nodded as she said. "The Adeptus Mechanicus never does anything freely, and when it comes to Carrus that's were his loyalty lies as he would even go up against Selpid if he deemed him not to act in the best interest of the Ommnisiah." Then she said. "This have been really nice Lord Commissar you learning me a few tricks of fencing and this talk."

Harken smiled as he responded. "Yeah it has been cadet. *He noted a change in Ionza's expression to a more serious one* Anything wrong child?" She just looked down, scratching at the ground with one foot. "You know I'm to be a commissar Lord Commissar." She said looking a bit sad. "Yes I know that, how comes?" Harken answered looking at her with wonder. "Well I'm just a bit worried for my relationship with McLandi as I'm slated to become a commissar and she is a Catachan." Harken just grinned as he answered. "If anyone is a commissar it's Carrus, and she would happily lay down her life for him nevermind answer his calls as a sniper. He would be the only commissar ever that can with confidence say he has a Catachan having his back plus she was not opposed to the idea of you becoming one cadet Ionza." As they stood there they saw the personal black Valkyrie of the High Inquisitor streaking over the black complex contrasting against the blue heaven above them this sunny day. "Want to join me in hearing how the meeting went cadet?" Harken asked as Ionza just nodded. "Good, then follow me." The teacher and student walked towards the shuttleport of the Schola Progenium discussing minor things about the commissariat.

They met the Storm Trooper-cadet, the High Inquisitor, the Drill-Abbess and the Headmaster just at the checkpoint at the entrance to the shuttleport of the Schola Progenium. Carrus swiftly hissed into the ear of Natrax while he was dressed in a fine green galla-uniform common with storm Troopers of the sector. Chest was bare of any medals as he didn't like the stuff (nevermind that he hadn't achieved any except the Rosarius of course), contrasting with his teachers who wore tailored uniforms with chests full of well-deserved medals and with Rosariuses hanging around their neck. he still packed his laspistol and chainsword. "Permission to take cadet Ioza with me to the Administratorum-adepts for a bit of geneology Headmaster?" The answer came back patiently. "Go ahead Techriarch." He smiled glumly at Carrus who quickly waved Ionza with him. Harken took note of the situation, saying. "High Inquisitor what happened?" The answer came back as a growl. "Carrus proved he was a man today, he steamrolled that he would block my crusade unless he was given every factory on the planet with mines and all the stuff the Adeptus Mechanicus needs." Harken looked worried at Selpid. He then said. "You could have restrained him High Inquisitor, I certainly-"

The cold glare Selpid sent Harken shut the Lord Commissar up, he then said. "Yeah and for what? Carrus didn't even speak his own words but he did a damn fine job staring down Lady Marshall Zuma in the process. *he sighed* No sir, Carrus had orders from the Fabricator of Ciralix himself to take this, I elected to support his bid, or risk losing my crusade." He saluted Harken and walked off, mumbling. "Bah now that kid is the richest man in this corner of the galaxy. Harken looked at Natrax and McLandi, he said. "It didn't go too well?" McLandi just shook her head and walked past him. Natrax looked tirely into the eyes of Harken. "We saw the dark side of Carrus today, he claimed every factory and mine on the planet for himself and half of that is not even for war." Harken looked worried back at Natrax. "Carrus is insane?" Natrax just slowly shook his head with a depressed expression. "I wish he was, but no, he is growing into the man we have formed him to be, only Ionza can apply the breaks as not even the High Inquisitor would touch him now as his family is backing him fully." He looked at his protégé before saying. "Come with me, we have much of saying the blood of the Emperor to do while we discuss the days event." Natrax said looking his full age of over 400. Harken just nodded and went along with him. They hadn't even bothered exchaning salutes, that was the weariness of the adults following Carrus.

The teenagers got what they wanted from the scribes, and soon they were busy picking out who on the Schola was related to which legend. Then Carrus performed the necessary rituals and got them the war-gear as was in line with his duties as Techriarch and Guardian of the Dead a position he had no joy in, but did with diligence and without complaint.


----------



## Beaviz81

Over two years passed. Carrus and Ionza turned seventeen. They got their Rosariuses at a small ceremony at the Schola Freudakia when they turned sixteen. That was the only medals given for anything during the Freudakian Pogroms, but that had by now been called popularly the Carrus Pogroms due to the boy setting them off and getting medals for it. That rumor was mild at first, but after Carrus ended training at the Death Cult a little under a decade later and had many of the rumormongers just disappearing in the meanwhile, they came back in full force as news came out that they had him as the sole inheritor in their wills, but that's a story for later. A few weeks after turning seventeen McLandi and Harken decided they were to officially pop their cherry with some experienced Storm Troopers.

Carrus was induced into a Storm Trooper-battalion attached to the Schola. He was to be a part of their commissarial structure as the newly minted commissar Donal expressively expressed the desire to have Carrus as an aide. Which was granted by the Lord Commissar without hesitation. Carrus didn't make a crucial mistake many young men in his position would, he didn't try to impose anything of the more seasoned warriors. Their introduction was with him getting the name and rank of any of the troopers he was to discipline saluting each one, and then when they were out on patrols he asked them for almost anything pertaining to the jungle. That gained him respect from the men he was supposed to discipline, though his sense of discipline tended to consist of just scrubbing toilets and digging them as his idea of punishment was quite boring, with double-taps at jungle-patrol for the more serious offenses, though always with the threat of turning someone into a combat-servitor if something really went wrong.

Ionza's terms were similar as Carrus requested her presence, but she had a role in breaking up a brawl between some of her snipers and a few squaddies over gambling-debts almost immediately of her arrival. She heard the ruckus of fighting coming from a barrack. She rapidly entered slamming the metal-door open with a bang. Looking straight at her being dressed in the blackened out greatcoat of a commissar with her pistols unholstered, powered sword-hilt grinning ugly at them were men and women at least double of her age, most who had fought for the Imperium of Mankind for longer than she had lived. She just cut an impressive scowl throwing her lho-rod away while she in the same motion pointed as she screamed. "This bed is untidy, address it!" Then she pointed at a table across the room. "Table unclean, wash it." Her finger then pointed at a locker. Raising her voice in anger she rang out. "Locker without padlock, address it!" The anger-routine worked as the older soldiers soon was milling around essentially re-decorating the barrack as Ionza soon discovered a speck of paint which she elected to throw a fit about. The rest of the night they spent re-painting the barrack while Ionza confiscated the wine. Not that it mattered much, the soldiers had already forgotten about it anyway as all they remembered was her meltdown over the state of the barrack.

Or at least that what she thought as she exited the barrack with a glum smile on her face with bottles of wine in her hands. Down the road at the squarely placed barrack-area of grey-green camouflaged buildings were Carrus and Harken coming. She immediately caught the eye of Harken who filed right over to her followed by Carrus, they were both in the black commissarial garb with chainswords and laspistols handing in their belts and only a small rank-insignia on Harken's greatcoat denounced him as a Lord Commissar. "What's that cadet-commissar?" Harken spoke, voice needlessly sweet as Ionza shifted the bottles to one hand making a stiff salute. "Contraband Lord Commissar!" She barked out. "Yes I see that cadet-commissar, why in the name of the Emperor ain't you spilling it?" Harken sounded off angry. Ionza just looked calmly on him, before she equally calmly said. "That's would soil the tarmac Lord Commissar." Harken ruefully looked back, knowing she was lying. But without any shadow of proof, he said. "Where were you gonna spill it commissar-cadet?" Ionza smirked as she said. "At the outskirts of the lair, you never know if the troopers are Genestealers or are trying to poison me."

Harken nodded to Carrus who then yelled. "Lord Commissar in place!" Making the troops inside several barracks file out and place themselves in perfectly ordered lines without any ordering from either budding or legendary commissars. They stood there in grey-green combat-fatigues infront of them as Harken accompanied by the two cadets filed down the lines. Eventually Harken stopped infront of one of the Storm Troopers, looking at his fresh blackeye. "Seems like you followed my orders a little too literally soldier." He said that while he let his unglowed hand press on the budding swelling making him wince. "Commissar-cadet Zachary Carrus, what should be the punishment for brawling?" He called out. Carrus winced as well upon hearing his first-name, before he cleared his throat and coffed out. "Two weeks of field-duty for all parties involved." The answer came diligently, yet Harken showed no pleasure in the answer instead his face just hardened. "And commissar-cadet Michelle Ionza?" He said layering his voice with sweetness Carrus normally would have caught wind off. "She is innocent in the matter Lord Commissar." Carrus said trying to sound like he meant it. "You both earned yourself a tour to the Hell Pit with the members involved in this incident. Enjoy the wine, it's clean for tomorrow you will decide who is in charge of your unit." Harken voiced disappointed as he turned to leave. He just lazily gave the hand-signal for the troopers assembled to be dismissed as he walked.

"This could have gone better." Carrus voiced looking concerned. Ionza just stretched and jawed while igniting a lho-rod just said. "Bah, that was arranged, anything you would say would get us into trouble." She handed a bottle of wine to Carrus as she took a sip from her own bottle, continuing. "Harken wanted us to find this, as this was arranged. Now how do we go at the veterans? I want them protecting my backside not firing pot-shots at it." Carrus looked skeptical at her. "Are you sure it's arranged I mean..." Ionza lifted her hand so he trailed off. "He sent me here beforehand, knowing I would find the brawl." She said standing there enjoying her lho-rod. Carrus sipping the wine just said. "Better share that wine then, something tells me these people have hefty discipline-records and not even serving with Imperial heroes is likely to impress them." Ionza just giggled, having trouble keeping the wine from spilling out of her mouth. "Yeah say that we are Imperial heroes and we end up being buried under the barrack, also I don't think you threatening them with becoming combat-servitors would be good." Carrus himself smirked as he said. "This is a learning-experience, I mean we can learn a lot from these people as all have been warriors longer than we have been alive."

"Agreed, shall we go inside commissar?" Ionza's answer sounded amicable, as Carrus just nodded obviously grinning, and both went inside the plasteel that was the barracks. The troopers had returned to the card-game and were happily arguing about it. Carrus just coffed and they sprang to attention, making despite their shabby exterior stiff salutes which was returned by both cadets. Carrus took the five men and three women in with his eyes. They all looked war-weary at him. A look he for his part returned. One man coffed. "Speak up soldier for the love of the God Emperor." He said calmly. The man came with a metallic voice, clearly augmented by bionics which visibly shook Ionza, but not Carrus. "You slayed Genestealers in close-combat, right?" Carrus could taste the skepticism in the voice of the man with cold dead eyes which has seen to much battle, he was of average height, hair rapidly turning grey. Carrus responded. "That's something I'm loathe to discuss with anyone except cadet-commissar Michelle Ionza." The man smiled, and retorted. "Good, now I knew you ain't lying. But that I can see in your eyes, you both already have thousand meters stares." Carrus and Ionza exchanged worried looks. A woman with a gravely voice Ionza in her private diary noted had smoked far too much much lho then spoke. "That's a good thing because it means you are not FNGs."

Carrus instead responded. "But we are because we are here to learn from you, and the last thing I'm gonna do is roll over you with my claim as a commissar or Imperial hero." They settled down for tonight, forming a surprisingly easy mentor student-relationship if not friendships as Carrus and Ionza were aware of the protocol they had to be following. They slept in their own quarters, it was evident that members of the battalion had used the bed for sexual meetings. They rapidly got themselves a new mattress along with change for the bed. The quarter was small but comfortable as they had been sharing bed at least since they were sixteen and it was a badly hidden secret even known about on the home-world of Carrus Ciralix without any protests if only because the fearsome teachers of the Schola Freudakia were rumored to be close with Imperial assassins. Which was not a far cry from the truth as Syan Lian and Annika had often visited to see Carrus and Ionza, and they were beginning to show more interest in Ionza than Carrus now because she had a flashy combat-style which relied upon speed and agility while Carrus mainly just went for his combination of strength, agility and speed which few could match the combination of. Plus he was one of the premier defensive swordsmen already at that tender age in the sector due to how he practiced with his tutors and Ionza.

The following morning they easily roused the troops, ate and headed to the armory. They quickly discovered that the troops had much special equipment just as themselves especially the guy nicked the Priest, a tall, muscular fellow, with an impressive collections of scars running across his body as he had both a Rosarius and an Eviscerator as his wargear in addition to the more conventional lasgun and laspistol plus his camoline cloak as had Ionza. Carrus and Ionza immediately spotted that he wasn't a true priest of the Ministorum, but elected to do zero about the issue as that likely would destroy morale in this outfit and get either or both shot in the back. Plus he was the most popular member so they made him the leader due to his rather excellent prayers and speeches neither teenager could hope to match. They on the other side was puzzled over the amount of armour Carrus put on. Toppling well over forty kilos, also they were puzzled about both cadets having specialized weapons. A tale they used to regale and strike an even deeper accord with the Storm Troopers as that what Carrus were, though they had two snipers in the grouping which was Ionza's description to a d.

They soon were out in the training-lanes used by the Storm Troopers, where Carrus and the lead-scour a squat middle-aged man named Louis McHendrix with an unruly stock of red hair and beard with a gravelly voice dressed in the standard gear of Freudakian Storm Troopers stumbled across ork munitions and booby-traps. Carrus was the first one to notice, he immediately hissed into the vox. "Heyh McHendrix over here to my position." McHendrix was there like a stroke of magic. He saw the cleverly hidden mines laying there at the jungle-trail. Carrus voxed to the base. "Cadet-commissar Carrus here, override the order of colonel Jaques Desrali hostile munitions found, suspend all training and get the frakking scouts out here ASAP. Cadet-commissar Zachary Carrus over." He then turned to McHendrix, saying. “Now McHendrix, can this thing be disarmed or shall I just blast it away with my melta?" As he said that while standing on one knee beside McHendrix, who just said as he with a monofilament knife up. "Let me some distance from this one laddie, I can't see any reason to take on this." They put a bit of distance between themselves and the mine before Carrus blasted it.

As that happened Ionza came with the snipers. They didn't throw salutes, instead they just covered behind a big log. "I heard the order you gave." She said with a worried look on her face. "Orks have pierced our lines of communication again?" She looked anxious at the Valkyrie flying in with the most senior personnel that were landing, then she said. "Snipers take up position." The snipers including her took up positions as the Priest gestured everyone else into a defensive perimeter with only Carrus and McHendrix remaining in cover behind the log. The senior officers lead by colonel Disraeli a pale-looking muscular fellow with a sleazy beard and a crooked nose, and plenty of wargear on him, making Carrus note down that he likely did something as absurd as working in it even when on office-duty. The officers made salutes to both Carrus and McHendrix, who didn't return the favor. McHendrix spoke. "I'm not about to reveal you as officers incase the orks has snipers posted." Then both him and Carrus dragged the officers behind the log for cover. Carrus now spoke, he looked incredulously into the eyes of Disraeli. "Where is the Lord Commissar and commissar colonel?" Disraeli looked back at Carrus with disdain over his young age, yet wonder about the tired sparkless eyes of the youngster who nodded so the major ordered everyone out in a star-formation and got herself a part of that formation after receiving another nod from Carrus.

"Both went back to the Schola Freudakia to teach students cadet-commissar." The weight the older fellow said cadet with was loudly audible. McHendrix spoke. "Excuse me colonel but the cadet was the one finding the ork boobytrap, I would address him with a little bit of courtesy." The colonel nodded as he had ample of respect for McHendrix abilities as a scout, then Carrus spoke. "Prepare the defenses, the orks are about to attack, do not let this place be overrun. Your life depends on it sir" He looked the colonel straight in the eyes as he said the part with a scowl. Then they heard Ionza on the vox. "Ork sighted, taking him out now." Small moment of silence. "Ork still alive, second try, ork down." Then the vox woke up with almost every sentry saying similar things as ork kommandos attacked them. Usually they managed to cut down at least one ork with lasgun-fire, but two were overwhelemed and were heard chopped to bits by the orks. "Get to the Valkyrie at once colonel, the major will take charge of the operations and don't go to your office." Carrus growled, before he cast the colonel aside taking down a charging ork with his lasgun, leaving the hulking monstrosity with two holes in the breast and one in the head just like the good manual said it should be. He was then seen mounting his bayonet on it, a shimmering black obsidian blade no more than 15 cm long. He then started evacuating the colonel towards the Valkyrie, he went first, the colonel in the middle and McHendrix followed last as he blasted down two orks himself with his lasgun, shot in the same way as Carrus two holes centermass, one cauterized hole in the head.

Carrus almost threw Disraeli into the Valkyrie, shouting. “Go now!” Before he span around. He landed on one knee. Bayonet was embedded in an ork who had just narrowly missed Carrus with his cleaver. The young commissar sliced the bayonet around inside the ork ensuing it was very dead before he kicked it off, and roared. "McHendrix were are you?" Instead he heard some fighting behind a bush. Instantly Carrus leapt for the bush setting the lasgun on full auto. Instead he was treated to the sight of McHendrix in the process of taking combat-souvenirs at a very grisly scene of dismembered and disemboweled orks laying in pools of blood in the mud. "Mchendrix, you are supposed to watch my back, not let the orks almost have it." Carrus bawled out, repressing the revulsion he felt over the scene. "Apologizes commissar, but they were about to take up firing-positions at you and the colonel." Carrus nodded without expression. "Fair enough, where is the major at, it's time to bring some order and ordnance into this battle." McHendrix just made an ugly grin with the scars across his face making a disgusting puzzle most people felt compelled to look away from as he said. "This way commissar."

They then began to leapfrog. But it wasn't long until McHendrix bumped into an ork who sent him reeling to muddy floor of the jungle. With a roar the monstrosity broght it's cleaver up in the air preparing to split open the head of the human laying sprawling in the mud. Then Carrus came out just behind McHendrix. The ork lashed out towards Carrus who just ducked under the sweeping blow of the brute then at pointblank range pumped it full of bolts from his lasgun making the ork just a mass of cauterized holes. He then reached an arm towards McHendrix, with concern on his face as he asked. "Are you okay scout-trooper?" McHendrix just grinned and said as Carrus helped him up. "Only my ego is bruised commissar." Carrus just snorted and gave him a crooked smile before they continued over to the major. A pudgy middle-aged woman dressed in grey-black combat fatigues, who was screaming into the vox for artillery-support. She didn't notice the ork sneaking up on her and her command-squad until it's powered klaw tore apart two members of her squad to bloody chunks. But Carrus came to her rescue as the ork Nob in mega-armour attack was interrupted by Carrus simply vaporizing it with his meltagun, before turning and doing the same to the other orks coming charging in just leaving bubbling goo where threatening huge orks once had been.

He turned to her. "Get some order into this battle major. McHendrix protect her. I will take care of the ordnance." McHendrix saw Carrus dialing the command-overrides of a Lord commissar at the master-voxer as he pried the voxophone free from her hands leading the voxcaster into a small ditch where he covered up before he went globally. "Commissar Zachary Carrus requesting, no ordering in everything you can spare at the Jamatrian Storm Trooper-base. Give me everything you got perimeter fifty meters from the base. Commissar Carrus over and out" Seconds after Carrus had uttered the words the jungle lit up around the base. Artillery-shell after artillery-shell pounded the jungle killing droves of orks. Ionza and her snipers started taking out Orks piecemeal and Ionza herself started targeting Gretchin snipers. The major Carrus had saved was proven to be in vain, a Gretchin sent her without glory to the afterlife as her head exploded due to a bullet hitting her in a place her helmet didn't protect. Yet her effort on the battle was substantial as swift ordering of people to arrange fire-teams and setting the perimeter at twenty-five meters from the base. Carrus voxed over to Ionza. "Carrus here the major is down, suggestions? Over" Ionza calmly answered on their very private vox-net. "Brevet the lieutenant commissar. Over and out" Answering calmly as she sniped her seventh Gretchin sniper, the same one that moments earlier had taken out the major, as she unlike Carrus didn't hide under a rock to deliver orders for the artillery, instead she hid bravely under a rock sniping orks and Gretchin left and right completely at one with the environment ordering in air-strikes instead from the Maurader bombers that were flying over the military base in support.

Colonel Disraeli was preoccupied as well ordering in reinforcements. Then he heard Carrus hiss on a private-channel. "Commissar Carrus here. Why the hell are you not ordering in the PDF? We are about to be overrun here. Over." The colonel hissed back. "I'm waiting the situation out. Colonel Disraeli over and out" Carrus simply went on the the global vox-net. "Commissar Zachary Carrus to Maripovska, I'm ordering in immediate help with everything you got. Commissar Carrus over and out." Just as the battle took a turn for the worse, despite Carrus' general artillery-strikes and the air-strikes more and more orks were penetrating to the perimeter where only intense lasgun-fire combined with other guns were holding the orks off. And it didn't help that the orks were beginning to shell the Imperial defenders. "Commissar Zachary Carrus to Schola Freudakia. Declaring SOS send me all you got over and out." The vox-cast was quickly received by Harken, McLandi and Natrax who were about to have a finer dinner. They just ran off and mobilized the soldiers of the Schola into the Valkyries even the Arbitrator-adepts were mobilized due to the urgency in Carrus' message, which by the time it was sent was theatrical and downright disobedient. But by the time the reinforcements came it was one of the finest decisions he had ever made as the orks kept coming as a never-ending green onslaught.

Meanwhile on the battlefield Ionza saw the first orkish dreadnaughts. She immediately hit the private vox of Carrus. "Metal on the move Carrus. Ionza over." Carrus abandoned the vox-caster and sped over the open ground to her with the few orks shooting at him not hitting anything at all. He had to grab his binoculars to even see them as he crouched next to her. His view showed him a flat zone where nothing could penetrate due to fire on both sides. "I'm not going there that would be suicide." Just as he did he saw a number of Storm Troopers being led onto it by a rather stupid gloryhound of a sergeant. "Commissar Carrus to stupid Storm Troopers in the no man's land. Fall back to secure locations dying pointlessly have no glory. Commissar Carrus over and out." With that order Ionza hit the vox as the troopers tried to straggle back to Imperial lines, none survived the hapless assault as imprecise ork firepower cut them down. "Lieutenant Jensen bring order to your troops or I will. Commissar Michelle Ionza over and out." With that like a stroke of magic the Storm Troopers stopped taking stupid risks as lieutenant Anita Jensen started to bark out orders of how to keep the cohesion that even the commissars obeyed, because they laid in an ignored advanced position the orks couldn't quite comprehend they were at.

Suddenly an ork biker-squad roared through the beaten zone. All but one were taken out by autocannons and heavy bolter-fire but one had course directly for the position of Carrus and Ionza. The huge ork with the smoke-billowing motor-cycle came at them. Carrus just stepped out from behind the rock when the ork came near enough for him to smell his bad breath (about 5 meter) and pulled the trigger, the motor-cycle exploded in a spectacular fireball sending the ork sky-high. Carrus witrhdrew behind the rock again while Ionza watched it rise. Eventually they lost eye-contact with it so they had to use binoculars. Ionza grinned as she said. "You have launched an ork into orbit, well done Carrus." Carrus snickered as he responded. "I have always wanted to be the first human to launch an ork into orbit Michelle." Then they got snapped back to they were in a battle by an artillery-barrage striking too close for comfort causing both to charge for cover underneath their already beloved rock.

"Metal closing in." Ionza said calmly as the aforementioned Killa Kan was edging closer to their position. "Acknowledged." Carrus equally calmly responded as it came within range for his melta. He didn't even pop out of cover just shot and it exploded in a spectacular fireball setting a surprisingly large amount of orks that had covered behind it on fire which was evident as they charged forward only to be met by the firestorm only the Imperial Guard could whip up at their perimeters. Valkyries with reinforcements were coming in from the Schola Freudakia. Colonel Disraeli ceded command to James Natrax. Still the battle was raging hot and heavy. While the Imperial Navy now had joined the fray sending torpedoes into the jungle. Seeing the known shape of the party of an ork Warboss Ionza voxed at general setting. "Commissar Ionza here, requests immediate backup by Leman Russ Battletanks, commissar Ionza over." The answer came back as a hiss in her vox-beads. "Negative, all Battletanks are preoccupied at the moment. Tank-commander Alexander over and out." Carrus just calmly stretched where he laid saying with a smirk hiding how afraid he really was. "Looks like it's my turn darling." He readied the melta he had dismounted from his back along with his lasgun in order to act as Ionza's observer as he whistled a joyfull tune while reloading and generally checking his clanky dark gun.

The ork Warboss and his squad of mega-armoured Nobs waded closer, the bolts from heavy bolters, lasguns and autoguns proved to be of little use. Even krak-missiles hitting them had little impact. Then Carrus fired his meltagun. One of them suddenly had it's torso evaporating. The rest got more urgent. Again Carrus fired at the fast-moving orks. He missed. he turned the setting of the meltagun at maximum power, while the orks were pouring in badly aimed heavy bolter-shells towards where him and Ionza were covering. Another ork nob fell to the blast of Carrus' meltagun, it even managed to explode for no good reason. Carrus reloaded quickly as one of them had a flamer. He whilted a rapid tune before he brought the melta to bear again. The ork with the flamer was almost in range. Carrus shot it, square in the torso. It sat fire to the ork Warboss, which only made it angrier as Ionza fired a blessed bolt from her bolt pistol disabling it's heavy bolter. Another mega-armoured nob were felled by Carrus before he leapt on his feet with chainsword and laspistol in hand. He was lucky to sidestep the first savage attack from the power klaw of the hulking brute which was the ork Warboss. Green-black skin, almost black mega-armour from head to toe it towered over Carrus.

"Damn you are ugly!" Carrus said with a crooked smile as he took several shots with his laspistol at the monster infront of him with absolutely no effect. "Waaaagh!! Me grind you into fine dust oomie!" The orks snarled as it savagely attacked with his powered klaw. Carrus narrowly avoided the klaw as the heavy bolter of the ork came through the air with Carrus just in the nick of time dodging as he took up another defensive posture with his chainsword held in the precise position of that of a master swordsman. The ork snarled again and attacked Carrus who managed to shoot it a few more times for negligible damage in the head one shot even hit the eye of the beast. His footwork paid off as Carrus managed to parry yet another assault of the ork. His boring defensive style on display as unflashy but effective as ever.

Ionza then tried using Carrus' meltagun at the ork. No effect it was dry. She then bid her time and waited to the ork had his back turned to her. Then she darted out with powersword and monofilament knife in hand she thrusted the powered sword through the centermass of the ork making it bellow loudly, then she flailed with her monofilament knife for it's throat. She missed it but slid it into the shoulder of the creature who proceeded to throw her off. It turned from Carrus to face her. And only she leaping away from the power-klaw in the last second prevented her from being smashed into a fine paste.

"Don't you turn your back on me boyo!" Carrus then roared as his chainsword entered roughly where Ionza had inserted her powered sword. He then pressed the activation-rune to full power with grisly effect as it was long enough to impale the ork and jut out on the other end spewing out blood, bones and other stuff usually inside an ork. Then came the spine of the ork went spit out the former ork Warboss' chest by the chainsword of Carrus who just jerked it free. The duel had been over in the space of under a minute. Yet now the orks started fleeing, and both the commissars proved they were indeed Imperial heroes as loud howls of victory came from the Imperials witnessing the two teenagers who so bravely had defied the odds and taken down an ork warboss. Taken in by the moment Carrus beheaded the Warboss holding the above himself like a gladiator who had just defeated a particularly dangerous opponent in the ring of the arena which he so loved to watch. He was snapped out of it as his Rosarius activated negating a bullet from a Gretchin sniper. Then he quickly ran back to the rock retrieving his guns then he zigzagged back to the Imperial position. 

Ionza did the same, but shot the Gretchin first. It had been in a position where she had shot other Gretchins. "Eight Gretchins." She mumbled for herself. Carrus heard it over their personal vox. "Come in again Ionza?" He voiced with concern in his voice having just reached the trench of the Imperials. "Just my kill-count, nothing else Carrus." Carrus smiled as he was welcomed to the trench like a hero. Everyone wanted to shake his hand which he did as the orks were running in the other direction. He was soon joined by Ionza shaking hands with the Imperial Storm Troopers who had seen them for about a minute in battle, battling like true commissars.


----------



## Beaviz81

The lair of the Imperial Storm Troopers were rife with jubilation despite the war just beginning. But that often is the fate when wars begin, when everyone are buoyed up and they saw an ancient foe being schooled by two teenage commissars. Everyone ignored the years of training and the fact they already were grizzled war-veterans. The Planetary Defense Force took the lead in the battles as Natrax ceded command to general McCoy as Lady Marshall Zuma was another place leading High Inquisitor' Selpid's vaunted crusade. Yet he was not to be aware that the two unruly commissarial cadets would ultimately indirectly affect his crusade by suddenly igniting a full war in the garden of Freudakia (a dreadful jungle teeming with wild-life nastier than on most planets), and that explained why the Freudakians were so average jungle-fighters. Their doctrine were to pour as much fire as possible if something moved.

Carrus and Ionza meanwhile were blissful in their ignorance as they headed towards the headquarters ever so slowly, the stream of troopers who had just seen them came to look and even shake hands with the two budding commissars. Eventually they reached the headquarters, outside stood Lord Commissar Harken and captain McLandi in their drab wargear. Powered swords hang from their combat-belts, both had their own Shadow-Tiger-cape on. For everyone but Carrus and Ionza they looked like proud superiors. For them they looked like proud parents which kids just had brought home the Freudakian scrumhockey-trophy (an insanely difficult achievement especially considering Ionza being a girl and everything). "You did very well today." Harken said it as he made a stiff salute to the two kids which was immediately done by McLandi as well. The kids immediately imitated the salutes with Ionza saying. "Thank you, but we only did our duty Lord Commissar and captain." Harken just gestured so they all went inside the concrete-blockhouse. The palate there was spit-roasted Grox. For most people the meal would be a delight, for Carrus and Ionza it was a step down from what they usually ate, but that was not evident at all when they sat down to eat at the officer's mess in chairs that were made of serviceable steel rather than the more comfortable and expensive stuff they were used to. But again that made zero difference as they both soon had their plates full and ate with a ravenous appetite.

"I see you have had a full day?" McLandi asked, smiling at the two teens. Carrus coffed a little as he mumbled "The Emperors blood" taking a good sip of the nice red wine on the table. He finally swallowed. "Yeah Drill-Abbess *she shot him a stern look* I meant captain Latiffa McLandi." Ionza chewed and swallowed as well before she butted in. "So that's what you want to discuss, nothing else?" She sounded a little disappointed which she showed. Harken then said. "Right now it's so brevetted commissars. You acquitted yourself today and I don't only mean when you slayed that ork Warboss." Carrus looked peeked at once burping out. "Ehm lord Commissar I didn't mean to-" Harken interrupted him before he could finish and say something stupid. "You didn't mean to do what? Act like a commissar? You did that today, especially with the take cover-bit to the Storm Troopers and the way you called for reinforcements using my call-signature." He saw Carrus visibly squirm in his chair as he answered. "It's the only call-sign I know, and I identified myself just like commissar Sebastian Yarrick bravely did at Armageddon those score years ago." Harken leaned forward looking challenging at his pupil. "So you now pertain to compare yourself with the legendary commissar Sebastian Yarrick brevet-commissar Zachary Carrus?" He spoke voice needlessly sweet, but a taint shade of bile could be picked up by how he said Zachary as he fully knew that Carrus resented his first-name.

"Only in action, never in prowess Lord Commissar, as he did also call for help despite a superior he was outside the chain of command told him not to doso. Just as the Emperor guided him, so was I guided by him." Carrus true to form recovered from his mentor's question with grace and looked so honest about it as he allowed himself a hidden smile as he sipped the wine. McLandi saw that, and with everyone else she made the aquila as Carrus said the Emperor. "Well he beat an ork warboss in close combat." She said it loud. Carrus' eyes hardened at her. "No I kept it desperately at bay until brevet-commissar Ionza stabbed it in the back. Then I used my chainsword to finish the dying best off using in broad stokes the same hole she had already made, but Ionza was the killer of the beast I only finished it off and kept it at bay." He sounded so grounded and matter-of-factually as he said that as for him it's was the undeniable truth, yet most people saw him as a hero to be respected and feared, especially the latter after the hammering he had delivered to the Storm Troopers. Not that his consort was any less feared. A commissar rumored to be able to turn invisible was a scary concept for most troopers.

Ionza looked back at Carrus, she raised her wine-glass. "A toast to the Emperor and soon to be commissar Zachary Carrus. Emperor's blood my Drillers." The toast was repropriated by the three other people present who clanked glasses. "The stay in cover order shall stay just to make that clear my Drillers, no matter what anyone else says about the matter." Carrus whispered to the Lord Commissar who nodded in consent. The rest of that night they spent toasting the Emperor and drinking their hearts content while the war raged on without them as for these few hours they were untouched by the war as they all had a really good time in eachothers' company joking and carousing especially over the matter Carrus had said during his duel with the Warboss, but they also discussed the more serious things especially the coming war and how the PDF had broken down at Hell Pit which Carrus especially but also Ionza jockeyed for the execution of the general letting the place get overrun. He was Executed by Donal five months later for dereliction of duty and general incompetence. Carrus and Ionza had minor roles in the war as they were to continue their education and serve as poster-persons for the war-effort despite their obvious skill in infiltrating.

Still they managed to both get stuck on an assassination-mission a few months later. It didn't go after the plan despite Carrus quickly utilizing some Freudaukian pines to hurry his decent and bayoneting the first ork sentry he came upon to death silently and savagely. Then he ran over a rotten pine, it gave away and he fell down several meters eventually landing on a Shadow Tiger who broke it's back due to the weight of over two hundred kilo of Carrus with wargear crashing down on it. Then he spent the next week living off the Shadow Tiger and chewing at it's hide hiding in a cave. Carrus had killed an animal about as dangerous as a Lictor just by falling on it, which rankled both McLandi and Harken who had fought hard for their fur-capes. Carrus on his side was just glad the animal broke his landing and cared as little as always as how victory was achieved. The assassination-mission petered out without Carrus as they didn't have anyone skilled enough in stealth to sneak in and eliminate the Warboss. Eventually a contract was signed with the Shadows of Death and Annika murdered the Warboss Carrus had failed to reach years later.

Ionza gaining her pelt was in a much more spectacular way. The beast attacked her squad due to a member killing one of the pups of the monster. Suddenly Ionza heard her squadmates on the vox one by one getting ripped apart by something unseen. She drew her powered sword with her right hand, her left instantly had drawn her monofilament blade. The animal she could barely sense nevermind see then charged her. A lucky backflip got her out of the way of the berserked animal which teeth and claws was sharp like monofilament knives which scraped at the closest Freudakian hardwood making quite the marks on the steel-hard wood. She managed to hold it off and didn't call out for help despite the proximity of Carrus and his squad that she didn't even vox for help as the animal pressed her back. 

The animal attacked again yet the jumpy Ionza dodged it's deadly claws in the last nanosecond more sensing where it struck from than anything else as she begun to strike back at the furious animal. The animal redoubled it's attack on the lithe woman who only managed in the last millisecond to do yet another evasion, but now she spotted something in the moonlight, like a shadow. She struck at the shadowy glimmer she thought she saw with her powered sword. Immediately she heard a roar of pain and fear and she saw the claw swipe towards her. She brought up her monofilament knife for that, in a clean swipe going under the claws managing to swipe the claw off it's paw. The animal roared in pain and tried to tackle the budding commissar, but Ionza was swifter as she darted to the left while she took the head of the animal off with her powered sword.

She panted heavily while ginning widely, standing there with the headless animal at her feet, then she looked over at her squad. She saw their mangled remains. Each had been a personal friend of her since they entered the sniper-program together. She saw Tifa Apprendi, torn into shreds, not even her plain face was whole, and the rest of the snipers shared her fate. The heartbeats of Ionza increased, she felt tears and an intense emotional pain roll over her as she pressed her vox-bead after dropping her monofilament blade in the mud, as she whimpered into it. "Carrus."

Carrus immediately responded. "I'm here Michelle. Over." She then heard he gave an order for the squad to proceed without him. "Could you come to my position for a minute?" She sounded oddly melancholic, Carrus immediately got the dial on where she was and was already on the way over there. "Of course Michelle. Over and out." He answered then minutes later he came at the scene. He saw her standing there with body-parts of her squad everywhere all bloody from the gore the beast had showered her with. "Mother mercy." He muttered seeing the carnage. Ionza immediately rushed to him. He embraced her. For the first time he saw her composure crack, tears ran down her cheeks as she cried on Carrus' shoulder. "There, there darling you won." He stroked her head as he said it. "It doesn't mean nothing Michelle, you owe it to yourself." He said starting to recant the Litany of Nothing. He got her into the clapping of hands as they as one said it. "It don't mean nothing, not a thing." They started to chant that in the jungle as Carrus snapped Ionza out of her haze. Eventually Harken and a squad led by him. He saw the carnage for himself muttering. "Emperor's mercy." Making the aquila which was made by anyone that heard him as well. 

He saw Carrus and Ionza chanting the Litany of Nothing. He approached looking quizzically at them as he said. "The litany of Nothing?" He smiled at them, while the squad-leader with hand-gestures spread the squad around. Carrus just smiled still comforting his consort looking at his mentor on the approach saying. "Yeah the Litany of Nothing which my illustrious ancestor Lord Commissar Zephyr Carrus came upon over eight millennias ago. He heard a trooper named Drusus Drusius saying it, he executed the trooper on the spot for heresy. Almost thirty years later he used the Litany to snap himself out of having lost thousands of men in a single action even being lucky enough to see a vision of the Emperor himself." While Carrus said that Ionza kept muttering the litany clapping hands with Carrus. Harken just smiled as Carrus recited lecture even out in the middle of the jungle before he said. "We will mourn and bury the dead." He turned his head to the leader of the squad as he continued on. "Get this gear and some shovels, and vox in a priest we need to give them a good funeral as servants of the God-Emperor on his Golden Throne deserves." Immediately the squaddie was on the vox voxing in for a priest to sanctify the place for the honored dead.

Harken then saw the creature Ionza had just killed. "You did that cadet-commissar Ionza?" Ionza just nodded as Harken removed his backpack, and started to rummage through it for the tanning-oil. "Here." He finally found it giving the flask to Ionza, who stopped chanting rapidly shaking her head. The sharpness of her brown eyes returned as she said. "Thank you Lord Commissar." One hand had a handkerchief which she had just used to wipe her tears for her fallen squad. Each a personal friend of her. Carrus on his side was his old snarly self. He barked out. "Everyone takes a wow of silence for this or they will be inducted into the legion of my Skitarii." Harken just nodded confirming the order, both exchanging a glance before they went over to the dead Shadow-Tiger and dragged it to a nearby cave in the jungle just stopping infront of it with Carrus just sweeping through it. He came out having found just a one-step snake. "It's clear." He said with a neutral voice looking at the the two persons who meant the most to him in this world smiling at them. He went on the vox to McLandi. "Captain, commissar-cadet Carrus here over." She responded. "Speak your mind cadet-commissar. Over" He then said. "Commissar-cadet Ionza killed a Shadow-Tiger, shall I get the sarge to order a perimeter? Over" She answered. "Yes that's a good idea and bring the cadet-commissar my congratulations unless she also fell on it. Captain McLandi over and out." With that hiss the vox-channel went dead in the ear of Carrus.

He helped Harken getting the beast into the cave, then went out of it. Over to the sergeant which had lead the squad Harken had been a part of. They didn't salute as Carrus just said. "Give the orders to set a perimeter around the cave sergeant McMillan." McMillan immdiately hit the squad-vox ordering the perimeter to be set. For the next few days Harken, McLandi, Carrus and Ionza prepped the fur of the fallen Shadow-Tiger into a classy and practical cape with the added ability to turn her invisible. Just like Carrus, Harken and McLandi had draped over their backs.


----------



## Dave T Hobbit

Good to see some longer narrative arcs on the Forum.


----------



## Myen'Tal

Wow, I've had a head start, but still much to read through. I'll read on till the end before I'll say more .


----------



## Beaviz81

Thank you both. I take the long perspective here. Telling the life and crimes of the people in question, you sort of get to see them with warts and everything. 

And it is a story about a boy and girl coming of age as Imperial heroes.


----------



## Myen'Tal

Had fun reading through this, kind of surprised by the very thorough back story behind the Carrus and Ionza. So is this where the story ends, or you just haven't gotten around to adding to itk:? Just like true Imperial legends, there's some over-the-top moments to make them shine :grin:.


----------



## Beaviz81

Thank you for the kind words fire.

They are barely at the cusp of their careers. I have written more at another forum (an empty one where I can get time to think when writing plot-twists), I shall write some more, at least sending them off to space.

And if you read back you will see that I have followed your advice when it comes to writing-style and made it less cluttered.

And yeah they do some over the top stuff. My favorite is when Carrus sent the Ork Biker into orbit for no good reason.


----------



## Beaviz81

Chapter III.

The war was just getting started the Hell Pit was recaptured after a bloody battle led by general Raffi Luongo. The Freudakain PDF lost scores of soldiers in the bloody fighting there, but that was nothing compared to the ork losses. Human firepower prevailed in the jungle as attached commissars from the Schola Freudakia made sure the vox-lines were open to the artillery and the Imperial Navy which made sure bombing-run went smoothly. Many heroes were made there often charging in and killing orks when their ammunition were spent mounting bayonets. but usually the humans trying to go toe to toe with the orks were brutally murdered by the orks which superior strength and toughness meant they could take punishments the humans couldn't.

The war in Hell Pit had devolved into bitter closeup fighting inside the dead volcano. Every inch was fought for. The ground was bought with blood and artillery-shells. The Freudakian PDF soon had their own heroes, but they had changed. Before the war they relied on drafting with the nobility as their officers. That changed as Harken made his reforms of the training of the soldiers. Now merit not contacts meant how you climbed. The Storm Trooper-battalion was disbanded and every Storm Trooper were given a commission in the PDF instantly transforming the officer-core from one very average to one of the better at least for a PDF-force which was the backbone on this planet.

Another facet of the war was for who to have the overall command. The commissariat at Freudakia led by Harken wanted general McCoy to be in charge, but his position was hampered with his closeness to Carrus who all knew had his own agenda. General Luongo the other candidate for Lord General was the brother-in-law of the Planetary Governor, and far from a friend of the commissariat as he was vary of Carrus, especially as Carrus had a fondness of turning soldiers misbehaving into mindless combat-servitors just as examples. And more gruesome he had managed to get the traditional death-penalty changed into drafted into the Skitarii which numbered millions of men and women already. 

That was an influence he was gonna fight and he used his connection with the Planetary Governor for all it was worth. Luongo won out mainly because the main generals felt Carrus and the Adeptus Mechanicus had enough influence there. And despite both Carrus and Harken being present at the meeting and bristling with their weapons and personalities they were forced to concede defeat in that area as the generals overlooked the recommendations of the commissariat at Freudakia.

Luongo was not a bad choice, and for Carrus too much were at stake to let the petty rivalry prevent Luongo from having the equipment he wanted. Especially tanks were wanted by Luongo. Where McCoy's tactics were more infiltrate a unit, then have them call in artillery and air-strikes which was the staple in the tactics Harken had indoctrinated into his commissars who used their unimpeded lines in voxing to contact the artillery-regiments or airstrips with Maurader bombers getting them to bomb their targets back to the stone-age and ambushes with plenty of booby-traps sat by elite jungle-fighters. Which only the Schola Progenium there produced due to Harken and McLandi being of the very elite there. Which was evident as jungle-patrols were part of the schedule there. Were every driller was an experienced veteran from jungle-fighting knowing full and well the dangers of beasts like Shadow-Tigers and acid-spitters and the dreaded one-step snake. And also the orks in the jungle, an unholy blend of traditional orks and their feral cousins. Luckily they were at war against eachother so the oomies coming in was not the biggest priority yet. And the Ogryns and Roamers were there. 

Plus something new that was popping up in the jungle. Cults dedicated to Chaos. That was especially jarring as more than one good soldier were corrupted after cleaning out a temple after their insane brethren had been taken out in the aftermath of the fighting, but that's getting before myself. First came the story of the battle for the temple where the Imperials at the Schola Freudakia or rather the Astropath Janus Jarcar had picked up an unnatural warp-presence through a rather vivid nightmare. The man blind, deaf and mute once. Though crude augmentations now had replaced them got up from his metallic bed. He knew one person would listen. He had seen her many times she was beautiful both in and out out the warp as he got dressed in his spartan quarters. His robotic eyes looked around, he smiled thinking of her. as he retrieved his army-boots and staff of the Astronomican. He was of average height, his head was metal, black plasteel. Ordered by Carrus himself on Ionza's request. He rapidly summoned his guard of four guards. They never spoke to him. That was their duty. He observed they were are square-jawed as he strode forward on the marble-floor accompanied by them ubder his dark robes of the Astronomican with his staff in had. They were as unsmiling as ever as no sane soldier talked to a psyker.

He eventually reached the prison. The black disgusting building jutted out as pleasant to the landscape as a sword spearing through a body. His warp-vision held an even worse suggestion of the place as he could count the suffering deaths of millions through the ages there. Monstrous servitors were standing guard, unlike the Storm-Troopers just a couple of years earlier proving that Carrus indeed was gaining influence. Why the hell they lived at the prison was beyond him, he beat the thoughts aside as he strode towards the luxury prison-cell Carrus and Ionza called home, passing doorway after doorway, checkpoint after checkpoint. All with so-called Skitarii as guards, glancing at them through the warp was no better, all he saw was their memory of brutal torture with mind-scrubbing mixed in with a focus of Carrus waterboarding them. That was even more unpleasant than anything else, the fear Carrus had them have of him. He rapidly turned off the warp-vision as he saw the creatures with his augmented eyes. They were transformed to mindless automatons obeying his slightest gesture, they stood there ugly as hell. Weapons were protuding from openings in their bodies often melta-based weaponry on the poor threaded creatures. Jarcar let his pity go. He had also been tortured by the Imperium of Mankind. it was for a greater good he concluded just as an unnatural female with twin bolters jutting out of her chest welcomed him with a metallic voice to the quarters of Carrus and Ionza.

"Commissar Ionza, Astropath Jarcar is here to see you." The metallic voice hissed through the combeads attached to Ionza's left ear. Ionza smiled given the punching-bag a few extra punches as she was just dressed in a black top, shorts, socks and shoes as she was just training. She finally put a finger gently to her ear pushing it to be at their personal channel. "Let him in Skitarii Joanna." Just as she said that Joanna sailed around to the key-marking on the wall, extending out of her belly came the key which she inserted into it making the metallic door swing open. She let Jarcar in with the guard waiting outside. Jarcar stepped into the finely cell Carrus and Ionza called home. Under his combat-boots was a fine velvet-carpet. He saw pictures on the walls, mainly works of arts with landscapes as both but especially Carrus hated works of arts praising war. He then saw Ionza coming sweating like a pig from the training-room, she was wiping herself with a towel as she grinned while she said. "I heard you wanted to see me Astropath Jarcar." The voice was cheerful as the small teenager sprayed herself with water from the bottle making the clothes cling to her. Jarcar answered in his almost human baritone voice. "Yes commissar, I bear grave news I'm afraid." He looked like he expected her to hit him, worse she changed expression, from pleasure to seriousness.

"Do tell Astropath." She said that as she headed towards the kitchen waving the Astropath to follow her, she turned on the blender mixing up her self an orange-based protein-shake in the black blender inside the futuristically modeled kitchen with blank steel-kitchen-chairs , and a well-polished kitchen-table of stainless steel. She dragged out a chair, motioning to the Astropath to take a chair, while she turned around, getting to the recaf-maker making it make them two cups of recaf. Soon she served him that taking a seat herself sipping from the white porcelain-cup herself as she said. "As I said Astropath do tell." Her merciless brown eyes peered into the robotic eyes of Jarcar. She smiled, but it was tainted by worry. "I felt a disturbance in the warp commissar." Jarcar said without emotion, he watched the smile evaporate from Ionza's face, she then said. "Show me." She removed her Rosarius from her neck, placing it on the kitchen-table. Jarcar showed her the nightmare. She looked shocked at him, taking a deep sip of the boiling hot recaf, not caring one bit that it burned her tongue. She rubbed her left earlobe gently until she hit the personal channel of Carrus.

"Carrus, Ionza here, this is important over." She spoke quickly no emotion. Carrus were in the middle of a fencing-session with Natrax. They had both been milling around with hard looks on their faces for the last few hours. He immediately sheathed his sword, instantly getting Natrax to forget the vicious training-session they had just gone through making a sort of bow to him as Carrus said. "Ionza is hitting my personal vox, it must be serious headmaster." Carrus then hit the vox, adjusting the bead until he captured their personal channel. He were clad in black-grey robes just like Natrax inside a small sparring-room made of black adamentum with light-rods in the roof. "Carrus here, report your case Michelle. Over." He was calm. "Ionza said without feeling into the vox. "Astropath Jarcar has found a disturbance in the warp. Immediate action must be undertaken. Ionza out." Carrus was not calm after he heard it as he looked worried at the headmaster. "The blasted Astropath has felt something in the warp Headmaster." Natrax looked equally worried back at Carrus as he hit the vox-net himself. "Red alert, I repeat red alert all personnel on alert including myself and the cadet-commissars Carrus and Ionza are to immediately to report to the shuttleport. Headmaster James Natrax over and out."

Soon Carrus was in the prison-cell with Ionza, they were both showering together, which had become a common practice for them by this point. Even though both were joking as they scrubbed the back of eachother the jokes were hollow. They both knew something bad were lurking in the warp. Eventually both got out of the shower and started dressing into the combat-gear. The black camo-gear both were so familiar with. Ionza helped Carrus slip into his armour tightening the straps of it as she got dressed herself in her own black jungle-gear. They were not looking forward for this by any means. As was demonstrated as Carrus just as he slipped his cape on said. "Do you think Headmaster Natrax will accept for once that we can just send a Vortex-torp Michelle? While we can just hug the edge of that ruined city sending it all to hell?" Ionza giggled then answered. "Hardly, Natrax want to find out more about this. You are likely to have to head the grab-team and infiltrate the temple-ruins darling." She slipped into her own commissaral garb. Carrus looked bemused at her as he exited the prison with her. They walked through the black corridors together double-checking then triple-checking their weaponry both anxious about the mission in the jungle knowing one false move would be their last. Eventually they made their way to the war-room of the airport.

The black room with hologryphs and holograms was full of Storm Troopers all standing there with hard faces. Carrus and Ionza were the last of the people of the mission to step into it. They looked weary around as they saluted the members there. Storm Troopers-captains stood there flanking Natrax who had this operation planned in detail. It was to be a grab then bombard-action. Carrus to his horror found himself being the actual grabber. Immediately he dragged Natrax aside. He with worry inscribed across his face looked his mentor straight in the eye as he said. "Headmaster is this wise? Can't we just have me calling in the Vortex like last year?" He looked anxiously up at Natrax who just shook his head as he stood in the side-spot of the war-room where he let Carrus drag him whenever he had an issue with a plan. He was used to Carrus protesting whenever his hide could be risked as he preferred to just hide under a rock, set a perimeter and order in torpedoes from the Imperial Navy using his commissarial overrides. "Negative cadet-commissar, we for once need to learn what we are fighting." Carrus bristled as he heard the words from his mentor, he tried one last ditch effort. "With all due respect Headmaster the psyker needs someone to keep an eye on it, and you know cadet-commissar Ionza is a bad choice due to her partiality with the psyker. I mean who shall keep the eye on the psyker Headmaster?"

Carrus looked worried at his Headmaster which features just hardened. "I shall cadet-commissar." Carrus' eyes opened to a funny degree as he said. "With all due respect Headmaster the Astropath is the most easily corrupted member of this plan of yours. Please just call it off with me at execution-range of him as you know I won't shrink from my duties and I have already taken out two Sanctioned Psykers when I judged they to be failing in the field." Carrus looked skeptical at the Headmaster his whole body-language showed he anticipated a mission from hell, which the Headmaster just said. "I hear your points cadet-commissar, but I'm still your superior, points overruled." Carrus groaned under the rejection of his ideas from his superior. Then he handed Natrax the reports of his executions. He looked straight in the eyes of his superior. "To execute a human being you have called comrade is not an easy task Headmaster, I hope you are up for the task." Natrax looked a bit worried at Carrus as he said. "Point taken cadet-commissar." Carrus smiled to his superior as he said. "You will adopt my plan Headmaster?" Natrax just shook his head. "Negative cadet-commissar, but we can wait." That answer was even worse for Carrus who said. "We will take the mission now, less risk. I trust you can do it sir, just read the reports about how to kill Sanctioned Psykers and exchange it with Astropath." Carrus saluted Natrax.

They rejoined the war-room with Carrus under surly silence for the rest of the meeting. His weary blue eyes spoke for him, he was not looking forward to this mission. Ionza approached Natrax, whispering as they stood infront of the war-table showing a hologryph of the temple-city. "You have sent cadet-commissar Carrus into the city with the first wave Headmaster?" Natrax just nodded then signaled to Carrus who himself irked over to McHendrix saluting him, he then just waved McHendrix to come with him. The pair were soon going down the dark hallway of the airport. Carrus whispered to McHendrix. "Give me the report on the squad scout-captain." McHendrix immediately said. "Top condition and have worked together all their life." Carrus just looked weary at McHendrix swearing for himself as they went down to the airport where the suqad was mustered. They both saluted the squad who saluted back before getting into the Valkyrie. Carrus then said. "If you are wise you might pray to the Emperor *a few started to pray with loud mutters as Carrus snapped.* Silently." He let his weary eyes settle on each individual member of the team, he couldn't see their faces as they were dressed up like Karskins, all with hotshot lasguns and special knives, two women, the rest of the ten persons outside him and McHendrix were males. He saw their attitude the complete opposite of his own. They were looking forward to this and to serve with an Imperial hero.


----------



## Beaviz81

Ionza on her side quickly got her squad mustered as well, within ten minutes they were following Carrus and his squad. She unlike her mate was cheery as she joked with her crew while she again and again re-checked her war-gear for any issues. Carrus was a forthcoming as could be expected by any commissar during the trip, only exchanging word with McHendrix and they were scant few at that and only mission-oriented with him taking point and their general plan of rushing through the complex as Natrax briefed them on the onboard computer with the pictogram spinning showing his face as he talked. Eventually the Valkyrie came at the brown temple overgrown with jungle, Carrus was rappelling down even before it was fully descended to the landing-zone hitting the ground from about three meters making it crack underneath him as he landed due to him weighing in at over two hundred kilos with all his gear. He stood there for a moment on one knee while he mounted his bayonet. Then Carrus zipped along towards the main temple of the desecrated city which once had been built to the honor of the Emperor, now it was desecrated by the foulness of the worshipers of Slaanesh. 

Carrus just snorted lowly with disdain as he got onto the approach of the temple, he saw the desecrated statues of the Emperor everywhere with the insane worshipers of Slaanesh dressed in pink and gold milling around it, often putting small idols before the statues while they lowly chanted praises to Slaanesh the Prince of Pleasure while their clingy sensual clothes was draped around their bodies. In general they were ignored, but at times Carrus waited to the rest of the squad caught up to him as they gathered at corners beneath stairs and such quickly taking cover sliding into the shadows. Carrus whispered into the ear of McHendrix with one hand being held like a cylinder against it as he pointed to the worshipers of Slaanesh with the other hand under a six-armed statue of the Emperor or at least what had once been of his likeness. Now it resembled more a Keeper of Secrets with six breasts and tail and such though for unclear reasons the face of the Emperor was not defaced, it was complete much to the disgust of the encroaching Imperials. McHendrix gesticulated back to the commissar how he meant they were to take out the dozen or so kneeling members placed infront of it. Eventually the Imperials attacked. deadly silent. Each trooper got their mark with knives and bayonets striking the lung-region of them as the attack went forward just as planned by the Imperials under the statue of the Emperor.

To the disgust of the Imperials they realized the cultists climaxed as they died. The pain of death rippled through their bodies, faces locked in sick pleasure. The Imperials heaped the cultists together in a mottled heap in the corner they had just been covering in before striking. They then approached the large cathedral in the middle of the city, brown marble covered it. Ruined statues of the Emperor and Imperial Saints stood all having six arms in mockery of the former masters of the cathedral. Carrus took the lead as he sprinted up the grey concrete-stairs with his cape wrapped tight around him. concealing him from the worshipers of Slaanesh on guard as Ionza and her snipers got themselves in positions perched at rooftops near the cathedral ready to pour in supporting-fire. One by one they his the vox-net silently telling Carrus and the Storm Troopers they were in position. Then they rapidly got individual targets amongst the pink jumpsuit-clothed guards with faces deformed and having an oddly large mix of genitals, though some had one hand replaced by tentacles. They stood there with golden helmets and military-grade jackboots.

The snipers quickly communicated on the vox, the sergeant leading them designating the targets as they laid in at the rooftops or had just snuck into a building bypassing any occupiers utilizing their camo-cloaks or dispatching one or more occupants of rooms with silent ruthlessness. Just knives slicing throats or being pressed into the lungs of the Slaanesh-worshipers from behind hindering them from making any noise as they climaxed into death, which shocked even the experienced snipers. They had seen the brutality of war before, but this was madness.

Carrus lead the charge up the stairs as the guards were sniped. They fell before him, not that they could even see him, one shot to the bridge of the nose who was burned away in one cauterized wound no more than a thumb thick going all the way to the back of the skull. The men didn't even climax as they just fell dead having been caught absolutely by surprise. Carrus blasted open the large black oak-doors with his meltagun and his Storm Troopers came up, the man with the flamer , a large burly fellow within his massive suit of cerapace doused the entire weapon-room with the red-hot death. Then McHendrix waved Carrus in who leapt over to the brown-yellow wall, then he swung around from cover at point-blank range he shot his melta into the faces of desperate cultists, which clothes consisted of fireworks of color. They didn't even react to the death he sprayed into the crowd as they all melted quickly and those that was just outside the narrow lane of fire caught fire with siren shrieks of joy while they milled around setting fire to other people in the crowd. The flamethrower took the other side, but he soon screamed as he suddenly was turned to a Chaos Spawn. with Carrus just reacting in time to execute the trooper with his meltagun blasting apart the former Storm Trooper alongside several more of the congregates there who melted rapidly into bubbling goo with sensual smiles forming in the nanoseconds that followed as they were vaporized from the surface of the earth. The resulting explosion collapsed the doorway the trooper was standing at.

"Ain't these blasted grenades coming soon?" Carrus growled as a trooper with a grenade-thrower came running up to him. The muscular large fellow even took several shots on his cerapace bodyarmour from within the cathedral, something Carrus never let happen to him. With a slippery voice he said. "Coming right up commissar." Then several explosions followed with more screams of pleasure and joy. He grinned as another grenade was flung in, while another lassho blasted against his thick bodyarmour, causing Carrus to pull him into cover. He smiled as he launched in another grenade. "Commissar that ain't necessary, the Emperor protects." Carrus firing again just screamed to the man. "The Emperor protects the brave and cunning soldier not idiots standing in the open." He then roared. "Take cover that's a bloody order for the Emperor's sake." He yelled it high enough to be heard by his entire squad, even though the order was hardly necessary as the rest of the squad was in cover firing into the mob who was thinning fast from every discharge of the meltagun of Carrus.

Carrus then heard a howl of intense pain from the trooper. His shape began to twist and turn, tentacles flew out from his skin, extra arms and legs raptured from his body, Carrus and his squad saw another of their squadmates being turned into a twisted parody of something living. Immediately Carrus drew his brutal black chainsword pressing the activation-rune to maximum, then he almost split the Chaos Spawn in two, before he snarled and started to run through the mob infront of him with his chainsword maiming and killing. For once his brutal fighting-style worked against him as he indiscriminately hacked and slashed through the mob, sending limbs flying through the air and eviscerating as he strode forth. He was hindered by Slaaneshi cultists screaming of joy as his chainsword brought the Slaaneshi-cultists ecstasy through the maiming it dished out. Volleys of lasgun-fire also ripped through the ranks Carrus faced as he charged through the mob in a way many a commissar had done before him, though he hated to do as shot after shot was negated by his Rosarius and heavy armour.

The Storm Troopers under the screaming orders of McHendrix poured in a steady rain of lasbolts covering the charge of Carrus as he trotted through the throng facing him. Time and time again they hindered attacks from the rear by shooting a cultist in the back just in the nick of time. For Carrus himself he saw Ionza hurling bolt after bolt of doom at him only to be negated by the jealous Rosarius guarding his soul. He struggled forward finally coming to her as he stood before the desecrated painting of the Emperor and an alter once who had been used by the Ecclecharichy as a shrine for the holy bones of a Saint, now they were splattered around in golden chalices there while a vile pink tablecloth covered the table with the symbol of Slaanesh woven on it in a purple very exquisite weave. That mattered not one bit for Carrus who with his chainsword still spraying blood screamed while he pointed the chainsword and shot her several times to little effect with his laspistol as her magical protection negated the shots. "You are not Michelle! Michelle is a nice person, and that's not you Slaaneshi filth!" Then he roared and his cruel chainsword swept towards the lithe woman in a strapless, extremely form-hugging dress that varied between several colors as the light shone on it.

To Carrus' shock and horror he found his savage attack easily parried by the woman. She giggled gently as she said while forcing Carrus back on the defensive. "Think of what we could do together commissar. All the love we could have down the ages while Slaanesh mutated us and gave us endless pleasure in the arms of eachother." She swung her sword easily, and just a last second dodge from Carrus prevented her from running him through with the sword, while he saw visions of the Emperor on the Golden Throne, just a corpse. Machines doing the life-supporting functions for him. Carrus rapidly shook his head. "That's a lie!" He roared as he again was forced back as a near-perfect stroke was parried by him in the last nanosecond as the lithe woman laid weight on it causing Carrus' chainsword to scrape against his belly. He rapidly sprawled as she spoke again. Even more seductive than Ionza could, and that's saying a lot. "Come-on now Zachary Carrus, don't you want to have an eternity of-" Carrus interrupted her kicking her back as she moaned with the moan of sexual gratification as his chainsword scratched her skin.

"Guess what error you just did." He said as he spun around with a savage backhanded blow, the Slaaneshi priestess moved her slender blade up to parry. Yet the force of Carrus' blow shattered her powered sword like it was glass. Her head was lopped off in grisly faction as the body just before his eyes changed from Ionza to that of a wrinkled old hag in a dress absolutely not fitting for her as she dropped her sword, arms flailing and then she ran with a fountain of blood into the crowd. Carrus covered behind the alter. He hoped to hear cries of repentance, but they were far and few between or none were forthcoming which was the truth. Instead almost to a roar of a massive chorus almost deafening him he heard the cry. "Revenge the priestess!" And. "For the Prince of Pleasure!" As the mad followers surged forward seeking to obliterate the commissar who had just spoiled their day. He in return hacked several of the followers to bits as they fell in ecstatic pleasure with screams of joy as the sweeping chainsword sheared through their clothing and armour to their howls and whoops of immense pleasure as anyone jumping on his back was quickly and brutally killed by the young commissar who ran towards a corner in the cathedral. where he knew he could hold off the flow of Slaaneshi-cultists for many minutes before he would succumb to his wounds and things would penetrate even his armour.

He then as he fought the cultists roared into his vox. "Commissar Carrus to the Storm Trooper-squad evacuate the premises and order in a torpedo from the Imperial Navy while I die. Commissar Carrus over and out." As he said that numerous cultists were cut down or simply shot with his laspistol. Immediately hitting the squad-vox was the voice of Natrax. "Belay that order, mount bayonet and charge, Missionary Jamer Natrax over and out!" Just as that happened Storm-Troopers smashed through the windows of the galleries running over the cathedral. They blasted the hapless lasgun-toting Slaanesh-worshipers into humans with caturized holes in their backsides as they entered. As did the Storm Troopers with McHendrix leading them as he himself splattered numerous cultists with the new powered sword he employed as he entered the main room of the church almost slipping due to the blood and gore under his feet. At the distance they saw the commissar just about to be overwhelmed by enemies. Then suddenly with a barbaric howl landed the huge Headmaster just infront of him pulping several enemies as he did so, Eviscerator sat at full as the chainsword tore apart numerous opponents who died screaming as their limbs, guts and bones were scattered around Natrax while the sword made an angry whirring sound as it entered body after body, destroying and tearing apart, armour, clothes, bones and flesh with equal ease.

Carrus on his side rapidly deactivated and sheathed his chainsword with his laspistol suffering the same fate then he grabbed his meltagun, rapidly reloading it grabbing one of the twenty black canisters on the front off his armour screweing it on. Just as Natrax swung his Eviscerator pulverizing and gutting several opponents. Then Carrus with little room to maneuver smacked Natrax aside before he again discharged his weapon once more incinerating and instantly pulping any man or woman caught in it's blaze. Carrus mumbled a sorry but there were zero sincerity in his voice and Natrax saw from his expression that the horrors he had just faced had scarred him deeply. Yet he fought on barbecuing yet another few cultists while the Storm Troopers but inside the cathedral-room and up on the gallery mowed down the cultists. The last few remaining tried to surrender. But Carrus just knew they wanted to face the torture from the Imperials. So he immediately drew his laspistol and executed them. A Storm Trooper tried to stop him. He just growled. "These freaks only want pain so lets give them death." Around twenty were executed in that way by the irate young commissar with no mercy in his heart.

Then as he executed the last one Natrax came over to him. They exchanged salutes. Natrax then said. "You didn't follow orders commissar, you were supposed to capture the priestess alive." Carrus looked tired back at Natrax. "That was impossible Headmaster.” They walked a little as Carrus pointed to the Chaos Spawn laying split in two at the doorway. "That woman was a powerful psyker, only my Rosarius prevented me from sharing that fate. She was at least Gamma level sir." Carrus looked sad at the former Imperial he had slain. Natrax nodded as he said. "Makes sense I didn't know she was that strong, I hope you can forgive an old man for that mistake." He looked at his student who did a simple nod as he were getting up a lho-rod, igniting it, closing his eyes enjoying it.

Ionza and her snipers had also been highly active taking down many of the enemies as they tried to get to the cathedral leaving scores of humans with cauterized holes in their faces, mainly at the bridge of their noses. As Carrus and the Storm Troopers came out they saw lots of worshipers of Slaanesh laying in that way often shot from behind shots expertly placed at places like the neck or other unprotected places of the bodies of the humans laying there. Their looks varied but they were all dressed in the colored fireworks so commonly used by the followers of Slaanesh. A couple of them were still alive by some miracle. Carrus made sure the miracle stayed short-lived as he got over to a Storm Trooper with a vox-caster, as he grabbed the voxophone dialing in the callsign of the Lord Commissar. "Commissar Carrus here, general order given. Take no prisoners. I repeat. Take no prisoners. Commissar Carrus over and out." The message got to every Storm Trooper in the area. While the Valkyries flew over them providing the firepower the Storm Troopers lacked as they when in any situation where they were bogged down by cultists could just call an Valkyrie on the vox-net. Often not even a minute went before the Valkyrie was there with heavy bolters tearing the cultists apart.

Ionza was particularly active on the vox-net voxing in Valkyries all over the town, but she being perched at one of the highest buildings meant she could do so anyway. A few Slaaneshi-cultists laid slain a few places in the building usually stabbed in the lung-region by her as she stopped them from screaming, then she had dragged them away, hiding them from being see immediately. She carefully lined up a shot on a Slaaneshi leader. Mutated large fellow with a Catachan build. He was carrying a heavy bolter and a power fist. Ionza saw him using the powered fist on one of the cultists a young boy, hardly more than in his early teens, yet he was heavily mutated with rather useless mutations like a cock where his nose was and still were and such stupid mutations were commonplace here in this city. The boy was simply splattered, and the squad was showered in the innards of the young cultist forcing them to break from cover and run towards a company of Storm Troopers holed down in a building nearby. She pulled the trigger. The large man fell. A burned hole the size of a thumb stood where his nose was. He was dead before he hit the ground. The rest of the cultists tried to flee, but two Valkyries swept down, heavy bolters going full auto. People ended up exploding coloring the brown-green jungle-buildings red with the gore of the humans who were massacred on the narrow streets of this place. That happened all over the city. Every time a squad of Storm Troopers was in trouble a Valkyrie or two swept in from the skies and just slaughtered the cultists as this was an uncomplicated military operation with the vox-network working perfectly. Friendly fire was kept to a minimum with just one single soldier who lost an arm due to a hot-shot blast that went through a wall, and the cauterized wound meant the medics had little trouble in bandaging and sedating the man while they saved the arm of the soldier.

Carrus saw Jarcar the Astropath at the distance, he was having four men as a guard, yet to his dismay he saw Jarcar having a lasgun. He could hardly be distinguished from the men guarding him except for his bionics. He looked at Natrax with suspision as he said. "You gave the Astropath a gun Headmaster. Is that wise?" Natrax didn't look back at Carrus who continued to smoke his lho-rod as they stood there answering him. "We needed all the guns available and ask commissar Ionza, it was she that put him through the basics young commissar." He waved Carrus with him as they soon found themselves approaching the psyker with his squad. They were standing idle by a Valkyrie. As they walked Carrus said. "I'm glad you at least bothered assigning a squad to the psyker. Headmaster" Natrax just glared at the smoking commissar. "I'm compassionate, not insane commissar." Carrus just grinned mercilessly from the comment. The smile cut a cruel gash in the face so reminiscent of Sanguinus. The angelic Primarch. Carrus looked like him, but he was a far cry from him with his viciousness. 

The duo got over to the Astropath. Natrax then asked the psyker. "Is the disturbance in the warp still present Astropath." Jarcar answered quickly with he computerized voice. "The disturbance in the warp is still present Headmaster." Carrus looked worried at Jarcar as he said. "Can we take care of this with a melta or Vortex torp Astropath?" Jarcar just shook his head. Carrus looked dejected as Natrax said. "Commissar Carrus take a squad underground and go with the Astropath." Immediately Carrus said. "Can the Astropath have the Rosarius and your purity-seal sir? I don't want to shoot my third psyker in under a year if I can help it, and you will not see anymore battle being on the surface Headmaster." Natrax looked skeptical at the young commissar. "I can lend him my Rosarius, but the purity-seal was painfully put in place on my uniform by Tech-Priests." Carrus just smirked. "You forget Headmaster my operating title is Commissar-Techriarch and I'm the senior representative of Adeptus Mechanicus on this planet." He whistled as he snatched off the purity-seal from the green armour of Natrax then used his laschisel to attach the seal on Jarcar's metallic head while the waxin the wax in the seal made a hissing noise like that of an egg in the pan.

Then he pressed the com-bead at his right ear, going on the private vox-channel he had with Ionza. "Carrus to Michelle, it seems we are going tunneling. Over." Ionza carefully lined up a shot with her longlas, destroying the beautiful face of a Slaaneshi psyker who had just managed to take out a whole squad of Storm Troopers with her magic gift. She looked so pleased with herself walking out of the building after sending out torrents of pain to the hapless men inside. Then Ionza's shot hit her. Just the size of a thumb at the nose hole burned to the other side of the head. "Third psyker." Ionza whispered as she heard the voice of Carrus. Immediately she gently rubbed the vox-baed at her right ear setting it on their personal channel. "Ionza here, coming right away." She sounded as cheerful as always.

With cat-like grace she jumped down several building in her elegant manner before landing infront of Carrus, Natrax and Jarcar. She smiled at them, straightening up immediately and saluting them. "We are in a war-zone we are trying to avoid getting sniped." Natrax said. Ionza just snickered. "With that Eviscerator hanging from your back, or for Carrus his meltagun alone should make him a target for snipers. I mean I'm one and the officers are the first i look for at the battlefield." She then laid eyes on Jarcar seeing him carrying the Rosarius of Natrax around his neck. "I see you take this seriously commissar Carrus. Good, shall we go now?" Carrus despite the very temptation it brought seeing Ionza's last jump was a salto with landing being quite attractive as well just grunted. "We will take care of this problem, then take a long vacation." With that they were rounded up by their squad and with Jarcar in tow they soon were approaching the catacombs hoping that whatever were down there would sleep to they arrived and preferably never fully wake up.

They rapidly descended down below the surface into the catacombs. All of the Storm Troopers had at least one augmented eye which meant only Ionza actually had to rely on her scope while the rest with Carrus included just turned on their inbuilt. Carrus spearheaded them as he was directed by the more experienced Storm Troopers down the narrow corridors as few men were finer walking point than him. Any time he came across a flamboyantly dressed guard he was quick to sneak up on it and with a muffled groan he slid his monofilament bayonet into the lung-region of anything that came along, leaving it to the Storm Troopers to clean up anything, though they had a nasty tendency to make the guard seem alive as a cruel masquerade as they postured it as if it had fallen asleep on duty.

He also had to scan carefully for any traps. Including one time when a Storm Trooper stepped on a mine at a corridor Carrus had just cleared. Carrus heard a hiss on his vox. "Commissar, this way ain't clear." He heard it, heart started to go faster, he scanned quickly, then with quick gestures ordered everyone out of the way. Everyone moved except the trooper who stood calmly at the cleverly hidden mine. Carrus just glared at it. It gave no signature he could recognize, yet he had his bayonet in his hand as he carefully kneeled taking a closer look. With a not very happy look on his face he then barely audible to the trooper whispered to himself. "Dammit, it's a Jumping Jack." He got up, hefting his meltagun. "There goes you right leg, but in the name of the Emperor and Ommnisiah you shall get a new private Andrews." The fanatical Storm Trooper then whispered. "Amen commissar." Next he laid unconcious on the ground with a syringe sticking out of his neck, which he just seconds ago had removed the neck-collar of giving the young commissar free access to his veins. Carrus was already on the further into the complex having saved the life of the armoured man laying on the ground behind him injured but not fatally as he had just shot the leg of the trooper away.

Yet he without hesitation continued down the narrow badly-lit hallways made of dirt mainly though more and more were slowly becoming of the green-brown buildings above the ground and the resistance got stiffer. Which Carrus noted as he often had to prick at his vox and wait for Storm Troopers as they approached a room with a gilded door, a few dozen heavily armoured guards stood there. They knew they would take causalities as only Carrus carried a weapon that could take care of the autocannon-turrets. Carrus took point again after a quick conference with McHendrix. He were to advance to one of the turret, destroy the other then position himself at the other. That was achieved through their wordless conversation. He jumped up from the ditch where they had hidden, then raced over wrapped in his cloak turning him nigh-invisible. Finally he reached the flamboyantly dressed guards with masks of golden formed in golden pleasure. Carrus grabbed one of them intending to pull the mask off. To his horror he realized the mask was a part of the flesh. He instead snapped the neck making the head go 180 degrees where the head ended due to the forces involved and the desperation of Carrus as he tried to control the writhing cultist that did all he could to resist him. The next turret-guard came charging in, but Carrus stopped him easily by shooting the flambyantly clad thing down with a few las-bolts from his laspistol. Then he shot the opposing turret with his meltagun after he holstered the laspistol making a spectacular fireball, as only his instinctive dive for cover meant he escaped the inferno he suddenly created.

The opposing side unleashed a hailstorm of las- and bolter-bolts towards where Carrus was hiding. Only his cloak which he was tightly wrapped in as he crossed the marble-paved no-man's-land prevented Carrus from getting hit due to the opponents relying more on just firing randomly than anything else. It also helped Ionza were very active as well taking out any worshiper of Slaanesh exposing him- or herself with a shot just at the bridge of the nose, calmly mumbling to herself as she counted yet another kill. The Storm Troopers also poured in a precise hail of fire as well covering Carrus as he surged forward eventually he rolled back getting his melta into position, he saw over one hundred cultists covering near the tower. He opened up and it a casket of prrometium in the middle of the lot, it promptly exploded with the blast slinging Carrus away from the blast that then followed. He then saw over one hundred human candles screaming with ecstasy as they died on the marble-floor all with the twisted golden-masks who seemed welded to their faces in grotesque grins as well as being dressed in the usual flamboyant style Slaaneshi-worshipers did have so much pride in.

Carrus landed in the their trench spraying the inhabitants first with mud, then a split-second later he goaded his melta on to the hapless worshipers of Slaanesh, all melting in cries of ecstasy. He then threw the meltagun away. It clattered unceremoniously against the stonewall he had just jumped. He drew laspisol and chainsword in the shadow he was hiding in. Behind him he knew his loyal Storm Troopers were following him as a lasbolt from Ionza's longlas whizzled past his head too close for comfort hitting an opponent right in the throat with a hiss penetrating the armour with death almost painless. He just snarled as he saw more heavily armoured Slaaneshi worshipers coming down the trench. Immediately he was amongst them, striking like a shadow. They shot wildly more often hitting eachother or nothing as he took the full advantage of his cape while he butchered them with snarls of insults which nobody heard due to the noise the defenders made trying to catch him. More close up fire was poured in by both Ionza and the Storm Troopers who had thanks to the confusion Carrus had sown slinked into the trench-complex.

Everywhere laid the resulting slaughter the young man had carried out. Luckily for the Storm Troopers they couldn't see the twisted smiles of joy and pain under the golden masks. Carrus meanwhile continued inward often just turning up, butchering one or two Slaaneshi-followers in a party then disappearing into the shadows while the cultists began to fire wildly around while screaming in ecstasy and agony. Then came the Storm Troopers and mowed down the shattered remains which the young man had left behind. Carrus himself got deeper into the complex. Occasionally he came across opponents in the hallways leading to the trench, but those were rapidly dispatched with usually a fast shot from his laspistol or by him just closing the gap and eviscerating the foe with a rapid slash of his chainsword. Following him was the Storm Troopers who also was adept at close-combat with Ionza guarding the rear as their sniper.

Which came into play as she discovered Carrus' discarded meltagun. She whispered a few curses as she lifted up the heavy weapon before she handed it to a nearby Storm Trooper who just took it behind his shoulder as he was not wearing any ammunition for that weapon though he cut a face under the helmet as it was very heavy. Then he walked right before Ionza deeper in the hallway which quickly formed up despite the trench infront of it. The marble quickly reappeared and lined the sides with sparkling colors everywhere. Everyone had to concentrate just to walk in a straight line. The geometrical shapes on the walls, roof and floor was so beautiful, and only the slaughter Carrus had produced marred the beauty of the place.

Eventually the Storm Troopers made their way over to Carrus who had busied himself trying to open a large decorated black adamentum door. It was finely decorated in the well-lit corridor, with guards which Carrus had just quietly dispatched by sliding monofilament-knives into their throats, murdering them all without setting off the alert at that place. Immediately he got over to the bulky Storm Trooper carrying his meltagun. He rapidly recovered it, cradling it. Then he reloaded it and fired a few times at the door. Nothing happened. Just a few blast-marks appeared. "Looks like we must get a few meltabombs here. Commissar Carrus over and out." He entered the vox. Immediately the Storm Troopers with meltabombs started to rummage through their backpacks ringing up the bombs and before long time had passed they were at the door arming the bombs as the rest of the squad including Carrus rapidly was taking cover. He was right next to Jarcar. "Do you still feel the flow of the Warp behind the door Astropath?" He asked tersely. Jarcar merely nodded and Carrus showed in his expression he was not surprised, but he had hoped not to be involved further.

The Storm Troopers lined up the explosives, and not long after McHendrix gave the signal and the explosion shook the ground they stood upon, nevermind the loud bang it made. Almost as soon as it had happened Carrus leapt through the gap made by it, and entered into what could only be described as a beautiful garden with pretty flowers everywhere, the walls, was of exquisite marble draped in strong colors and full of sexually pleasing visions. Carrus on his part paid little heed to these pictures, but some of the Storm troopers had to be reminded by Ionza that they were to fear the commissar and psyker more than the temptation of Slaanesh by her presence as she for once choose to move relatively openly rather than remaining hidden in the shadows she loved so much doing. She looked closely at the psyker pushing aside her own liking for him. She watched him carefully for any signs of corruption like any commissar would despite the misgivings of her lover, Carrus. Yet she saw nothing that made Jarcar shifty in her eyes there he covered with his lasgun covering Carrus' back. Rather the opposite he conducted himself bravely and even with skill as he played part in the covering-game they elaborately exploited in order to cover the ground Carrus left exposed.

Carrus rapidly entered the room which the gigantic door had concealed. Soft colorful cushions adorned the sides of the room. It was brightly, yet not unpleasantly lit. Though no-one could determine the light-source. Everything was of fine quality, walls, floor, roof, even the purple carpet his combat-boots softly stepped on were of the finest quality. in the center of the room stood a naked woman. She was the prettiest human Carrus had ever seen. Purple hair to her buttocks, she smiled at Carrus, a smile that on the surface was warm and welcoming, but that filled the soul of any man watching it with nameless dread. Her eyes were golden. Then she turned totally to him. It was revealed she was a Daemonette. "Welcome Zachary Carrus and-" She begun her voice was like honey dipped in sugar, but Carrus just raised his meltagun and sent her back to the warp. "Psyker!" He roared. "Are there any more of these things here?" Just as he asked his instinct got him to sidestep. The Daemonette was back. Her claw was in the place he had just stood. He frantically yelled. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" While he scrambled to draw his laspistol and chainsword since his meltagun was at best a clumsy weapon while he dodged another strike from the Daemonette while he stood infront of the squad who equally desperately tried to close the gap against the daemon.

Carrus finally got his chainsword up, just in time to parry a blow which otherwise most likely would have impaled him. The Daemonette screamed as if she climaxed as the chainsword hissed and tore apart a large chunk of the claw. Yet Carrus being an inexperienced yet skilled fencer swiftly took up another defensive position, so he managed to dodge a savage kick from the two sharp claws on the daemon's feet. He immediately loosened off a few shots with his laspistol but even the ones that hit did little damage. The Daemonette charged in again now trying a hypnotic glare on him. The Rosarius expelled the spell in a shower of gold while he once more took up a defensive posture waiting for the daemon moving his chainsword in his boring defensive way. He then yelled. "Is that all you got foul being? I expected an actual challenge not some fumbling thing!" He cracked off a few more shots with his laspistol, most hit the Daemonette to little effect, but one opened up the gullet of the creature who just hissed in return, charged him just to be swept off it's feet by a counter-strike from Carrus' chainsword which he expertly moved in a broad strikes putting distance between himself and the enraged daemon. Yet he didn't dare do anything than to shoot some more at the Daemonette, but now gave Ionza a clear shot at it with her bolter. A golden flash flashed before the eyes of Carrus as Ionza pulled the trigger of her bolt pistol and shot the daemon with a blessed bullet.

She came up beside Carrus. "Watch out it will come again! Commissar Carrus, get your melta up, we will dispatch it with silver and fire! The bane of the daemon!" Ionza yelled it as she came up to Carrus who readied himself for it carefully taking aim at where the Daemonette last had been seen. It didn't go long until the daemon came sizzling back to life again. Carrus and Ionza pulled the trigger of their guns as one, and the Daemonette screamed in horror and pain as she got banished back to the warp for a really long time due to the potent combination silver and fire has in fighting things magical.

He turned halfway around to the squad of Storm Troopers with a crooked smile. He then yelled. "Psyker, are the energy you sensed gone now?" Before the psyker could answer a hidden door opened. Out stepped a wild-haired rather old woman, her wrinkled face was formed in a scowl. In her hand she brandished a boltgun. She fired a shot at Carrus who immediately was sent flying. Then she took a step into the room clad in the usual skimpy clothes that were customary for all priestesses of Slaanesh. She screamed. "Back to the pit of Hell you came from!" Carrus coffed up blood as he had just hit the wall. She took aim at him a second time. Immediately Ionza and the rest of the Storm Troopers opened up at her. Her body was convulsing in the storm of lasgun-fire it faced, while Ionza's bolts blasted off limb after limb. The Imperial Guard-personnel kept up firing until Carrus roared out. "Cease fire- *He interrupted himself coffing up some blood.* Cease frakking fire, she is dead now!" Just as they stopped firing the body dropped to the ground. While he kneeling opened up his jacket and quickly examined if his cerapace armour had been penetrated. Ionza immediately rushed over to him. Hand went into jacket-pocket as she rummaged through it for the right syringe.

Carrus just smiled. "No need to-" That was as far as he got before Ionza sat a syringe with some sedatives into his neck, as she snapped. "Evacuate Commissar Carrus immediately! Medivac" She then headed over to the vox-caster as more experienced medics handled Carrus over onto a stretcher. "Any contact with the outside down here Master-Voxer?" She threw a salute as she asked as McHendrix was heard giving orders in the background. The salute was answered, and the voxer just shook his head where he stood towering over her. She just said. "Master-Voxer go to the surface and vox in a medivac-Valkyrie ASAP." He just saluted her and walked outside with two other members. She then went over to the Astropath. "Do you sense any more of that presence Astropath?" He smiled weakly at her as she wasn't as harsh to him as Carrus who always worried he would turn against them. "Some Commissar Ionza." She sighed and blew her hair from her eyes as she shifted her weapons from bolt pistol and powered sword to her longlas. "Anything you can do Astropath?" He shook his head. "I'm not that kind of psyker Commissar Ionza, maybe that High Inquisitor could do it."

She looked a little dejected, then nodded to McHendrix who through the vox-set roared. "Everyone out of this hole now. Captain McHendrix over and out!" With that they all started the long way up with Ionza leading the way as Carrus already was on the way out guarded by the vox-caster and his two guards.

Finally the squad led by McHendrix reached the surface. They all showed hushed sign of relief as they saw the Imperial Guard in all it's glory had conquered the forgotten city in the jungle. Ionza just waved the squad with her and headed over to the remainder of the squad and Natrax who stood with other high-ranking officers of the Freudakian PDF, in their drab camouflage-uniforms, yet their advanced war-gear meant they would be easily spotted by any sniper. She immediately waved them on to follow her as well as in the corner of her eye she saw the medivac-Valkyrie fly away against the clear blue skies. She then went forth to greet Natrax who was in a discussion with the officers. She just barged in, throwing a quick salute. "Commissar Michelle Ionza reporting in and using commissarial overrides." She barked the command right in the face of Natrax. "Everyone is to be evacuated from this city in T minus fifteen minutes, perimeter set at five hundred kilometers from the outskirts of the city." Natrax jumped and looked startled at her who came with the Astropath at her side. He then said. "Have you gone mad commissar? We can't do that-"

Ionza just cut him off. "This is to be done ASAP, I have used commissarial overrides, the Inquisition will be called for this one, I'm calling Code Red Alert. I repeat Headmaster James Natrax, I'm calling Code Red Alert. All personnel is to evacuate ASAP by order of commissar Michelle Ionza!" She roared the order. Then she said to Natrax. "Make sure this is followed, I'm gonna order in a melta-torpedo in T minus thirty minutes." She turned to walk away. But before long she turned saying as she relinquished her weapons to the closest Storm Trooper-sergeant. "Everyone who has been underground are to be suspended from active duty and disarmed right now, including myself. Quarantine is in effect, exposure to the Ruinous powers have happened and we are to be investigated and if found impure, purged." With that the Storm Troopers pointed their weapons on the team that had been underground and they soon found themselves lying on the ground with Ionza face down, hands handcuffed on their backs. She smiled over the harsh measures even herself went through as she saw the city rapidly getting evacuated, and heard Natrax order in melta-torpedoes to finish the job off. Ten minutes later she was with the rest of the squad including Jarcar on the way home to the Schola Freudakia with harsh guards denying them even the right to speak as they sat pretty much chained up in the prison-Valkyrie.


----------



## Beaviz81

Days later Ionza was shackled up as she in a loose orange prison-uniform was being guided to the interrogation-room by the Skitarii or the Inquisitorial prison at the Schola Freudakia. The glum hallways with many locked metal-door grinned menacing at her, yet she walked down the corridor with absolute confidence as she was all but certain she would pass any tests of purity since the Rosarius and her own formidable willpower should be enough to contain even that exposure to the warp. At the door she recognized the servitor. She was a former classmate of her. Carrus had ordered her getting drafted into the Skitarii for tech-heresy, which most likely meant she had frakked up somewhat with her weapon infront of him since he hadn't put her to death on the spot. Which was basically treating the weapon a tad roughly when not on the field of battle. She smiled without pleasure at her former friend as she passed her. All she got in return was a blank stare. There were no recognition in the dead eyes of the teenage robot-girl.

She was goaded into the cell, then the Skitarii attached her hand- and footcuffs to the table. The dark-grey table was cold to feel at. She looked over at Harken, Natrax and McLandi. Normally sitting with those three would make her very easy of mind. Now not so much as she peered up at their hardened faces and immaculate uniforms. They looked more like they were going on a military-parade than conduction a potentially violent interview with one of their favorite students. McLandi hit the switch at the servitor attached to the wall. The robotic thing came back to life. Ionza saw it draw breath and the machines inside it hissed a bit. It was hideous, black with red glaring eyes just activated. Parchment strewed out from where the belly of the human once were.

Pressing a button at the chest of the servitor McLandi said. "Captain and Drill-Abbess Latiffa McLandi is present at the First Action regarding Operation Storming Jungle City." She stopped speaking as the harsh voice of Harken opened up. "Lord Cpommissar Nathan Harken is present to the debriefing of commissar Michelle Michelle Ionza." Then Natrax spoke as he straightened his fine colorful robe spoke. "Headmaster and Missionary James Natrax am also present." Then he paused a little. "State your name, rank and service-number commissar-cadet." Ionza gave him a short nod. "Cadet-commissar Michelle Ionza. Service-number: 993-887-122. Shall I state where we are as well or will you do the honor sir? *She glanced up at the stern black man sitting in the gold-rimmed robe. He gave a slight nod.* We are at the Inquisitorial Prison at Schola Freudakia."

Then the interview continued as Natrax said. "State your actions and intents commissar Michelle Ionza." Surprisingly there were no warmth in the voice of Natrax, which baffled both Ionza and McLandi visibly. Harken then shot in. "Wow Headmaster, you managed to sound neutral during that." He was equally baffled, which showed in his own expression in the depressingly lit room. Natrax just nodded then gestured to Ionza to continue talking. That she did as she said. "I assume you have read my combat-report. *All three of the senior officers nodded as she without chaning expression or tune continued.* I wrote down what I did, including over one hundred kills of worshipers of the Ruinous Powers. And our actions in stopping the demonic influence underneath the Jungle-City." She looked blankly into the eyes of McLandi as she then said. "I guess you will soon have a psyker testing me for taint of the Ruinous Powers sirs and ma'am?" Natrax answered. "That's the procedure commissar Ionza." She nodded then turned to Harken who sat in the middle of the three officers in his brightly colored commissar-uniform completely unlike the bland black uniform he liked to wear in the field. Calmly she asked. "Could I at least get a lho-rod Lord Commissar?"

He smiled sad back as he reached into the jacket, and presented a rod-case. It was made from fine silver. He opened it and she plucked a lho-rod out from it noting the engraving of the Emperor on the cover. That was in gold, it was of exquisite quality. She lent forward letting her mentor and suprior light her lho-rod. She looked worried at the three officers. "How many of the squad have died sirs and ma'am?" Ionza asked not even changing expression as the answer came. "Three including scout-captain McHendrix have been found tainted and been purged." The answer from Natrax was flat and calm. Ionza looked at him. He was calm on the surface as he said it, but she knew him well enough to know he didn't at all relish this situation, especially as the Ruinous Powers were a growing concern with the madness it caused. "Jarcar the Astropath passed the test?" She halfway asked and halfway stated. "With flying colors commissar." She sighed and took a good long smoke of the lho-rod as she sat on the uncomfortable steel-chair leaning on her elbows on the table. "I'm glad he passed, as an Astropath is hard to come by and a valuable asset for the Emperor and we his servants."

Harken smirked. "Yeah an Astropath is indeed a valuable asset for the Emperor on the Golden Throne. *They all made the aquila as Harken mentioned the Emperor.* But so is a commissar-in-training, and we will mind-probe you as gently as we can with two Astropaths right now if you permits cadet-commissar." Ionza just nodded, and Harken got up, she shuddered a little as she saw the large chainsword and unholstered laspistol realizing that McLandi and Natrax also had weapons they were prepared to shoot her with if she was found to be impure. Then she saw Harken open the black metal-door and in came two misshapen Astropath with artificial bug-eyes. They were dressed in the green robes of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. They shambled forward leaning on their staffs. Ionxza knew they likely were only twice her age, yet they looked like they were twice that age with their wrinkled and strained faces, their hands were already showing signs of gout as they shivered a little and had the customary slowness the ailment brings.

"Lets get this over with then." She said it, trying to think of the Emperor in his glory on the Golden Throne. Instead she managed only to think about her boyfriend wounded as he were. The pair of psykers then concentrated on her and gently probed into her mind searching for corruption. After a little while the tallest one said with a bit of strain as Ionza was not the most cooperative target. "She is clean as far as corruption from the Ruinous Powers are concerned." The voice was metallic from his voice-box. Harken and McLandi walked around the table, placing themselves on either side of her, while their hands fumbled up keys to the cuffs. Soon they were releasing her getting off the heavy plasteel cuffs which fell to the floor with loud clanks. Harken looked sternly at Ionza, then he gave her his laspistol while he glared into her eyes. "Take the Astropaths to the medical ward and check up on commissar Carrus commissar Ionza." She looked back into his eyes saying calmly. "Yes sir." Then she waved with her the two Astropaths and started heading towards the infirmary with the Astropaths in tow.

They headed down the well-lit dark walled hallways, going past the inhuman combat-servitors positioned at key junctions occasionally supplanted by human guards. Though they were slowly being phased out for the conforming nature of the less human servants of the Emperor of Mankind. They unlike the men and woman of flesh didn't mind the tediousness of standing guard. They didn't need variation of their daily routine. A smile played across the face of the petite woman as she produced a hallway-pass to one of the few human guards, that rapidly checked her as he was suspicious of her still in prison-garment running armed in the hallways. A nervous looking rather large chap in the grey-green cerapace-uniform of a Storm Trooper-sergeant stood guard with a few combat-servitors which had bolters jutting out from where they bellies ought to once have been, with powered fists displacing the arms of the once human hosts. Ionza smiled bleakly at the machine-things. Only Carrus felt completely at ease with the half-human cyborgs on metal legs which looked faintly like Necrons. "H-halt there commissar." The large man said with kind of a shuddering voice.

Ionza just smiled at him, as the combat-servitors took aim at her and the psykers. "Commissar Carrus has given specific orders that the psykers under no circumstances shall not have a guard of four men each as escort commissar Ionza." She stretched as the unblinking bionic red eye of the Storm Trooper scanned her. "Don't you scan med sarge!" Ionza snapped. "No commissar." The sergeant quickly answered where he stood with his hotshot lasgun at the ready as he looked down on the curves which even the baggy prison-uniform couldn't conceal. "Do you mind if I call for the squad now commissar?" Ionza sighed. "I was under the assumption that they were already called, and mind you the psykers are being watched by a commissar and for my clothing, just been relieved from suspension." The sergeant nodded then headed over to the voxophone, he dialed quickly to the Storm Trooper-facility. "Sergeant Igon Freygar here, I need two squads for escorting a psyker at Checkpoint Halden at the third floor in the Inquisitorial prison. Over." The answer came back with a hiss easily audible for Ionza and the Astropaths. "The escort will head out ASAP sergeant Freygar, just tell the psykers to keep put."

Ionza then turned to the two psykers. "Looks like we have some waiting time lads." Before any of them answered Freygar blabbed. "You-you actually t-talk to the psykers?" Ionza looked back at him while she played a little with her long black silky hair. "Sure I do. They can be actually be nice to chat with." Freygar looked perplexed back as he mumbled. "Commissar Carrus doesn't say-" Ionza cut him off, secretly relishing in watching Freygar squirm under her gaze. "Commissar Carrus ain't here, and he has a very different experience with the psykers." She then smiled softly making Freygar relax. "Of course, chatting with psykers are only permitted for NCOs and up, never let a private chat with the psykers." She saw him be a little less tense at her presence as he said with slightly less strain in his voice. "Ma'am, both commissar Carrus and Lord Commissar Harken have said in no terms that are uncertain that the psykers shall not be addressed by anyone not a commissar." Ionza merely scratched her chin as she stretched a little still holding the laspistol, then she said. "I guess you are right sarge. You have served alongside commissar Carrus on occasion, right?"

"That is correct ma'am. He is a fine soldier if I might say so and have saved my life once already." The sergeant said flustered, even blushing a little. "What happened sarge?" Ionza looked pensively at him as she said that. Then he said as he pointed to his bionic laser-eye. "I took a too close look at an orkish chainaxe, and the commissar came up from behind and killed the ork in a grisly fashion with his chainsword ma'am." Ionza nodded as she said in a low voice. "That sounds like commissar Carrus." She closed her eyes remembering back to the dreadful battle against the orks. It was no glamour in it. Just cruel death at both sides, she shot so many Gretchin that day that she had to settle for a regular lasgun which she snatched of the body of a dead Storm Trooper. She remembered how she ended up falling back for days in the hellish jungle when the Storm Trooper snapped her out of her chain of thoughts with his enthusiastic. "Commissar Carrus is a true Imperial hero and a very modest one at that as he like any true hero of the Emperor refused any medals instead caring for the injured men under his supervision." Ionza swallowed heavily and then pretended to be coffing getting her hands up concealing her smirk as she didn't want Freygar to know her own thoughts about Carrus' modesty.

"Are you alright commissar?" Freygar asked with a concerned look on his face. Ionza just coffed then she said. "I'm fine Sarge, i just swallowed wrongly." She glanced at the white wall-clock. Only minutes had lapsed. Then to her surprise she heard. "Do you think commissar Carrus would be up for a fencing-session commissar?" She closed her eyes. "Ehm...he fights with a chainsword, that's a completely different beast than a powered sword sarge." She saw the disappointment the Storm Trooper had across his face, though she made a mental note that he had an excellent poker-face as she then said. "I shall check with him, maybe he has time for it." Then she lighted up her bright cheery smile as she said. "I would be happy to spar with you as you doubtlessly have sparred with Drill-Abbess McLandi sarge." He smirked at the lithe woman infront of him, then he said. "Of course commissar that would be an honor." Ionza nodded as she heard the heavy boots on stone, she knew the escort was approaching. It has been an honor speaking with you sarge, but I must get going. See ya around." She threw a sloppy salute his way, which was stiffly returned.

The Storm Troopers that were gonna escort the psykers arrived. A broad-shouldered woman stepped forward with a barely visible corporal-ensigma on her heavy cerapace shoulder-pad, Ionza looked a her metallic face, metal had replaced over half her face as instead of eyes she had two lasers gleaming menacingly. She was of average height for a woman, yet still was tall compared to Ionza, who saluted them sloppily with a crooked smile as she said before the woman could bellow out her part of them having come and she was reporting in. "Glad to see you guys." She waved them with her as she walked past the checkpoint trailed by the two Astropaths. "Follow me." Several of the Storm Troopers didn't even get time to return the salute she had given them which made sure nervous whispering and glances for the subordinate males happened as they walked to the prison-infirmary with the Storm Troopers trailing Ionza and the psykers.

Looking a bit nervous Ionza turned to the closest and tallest of the Astropaths, she thought it loud enough for the Astropaths to sense that thought even though they weren't currently in screening-modus. "What is the odds of Carrus being corrupted?" The answer came back very quickly telepathically. "Exceedingly small commissar, he has a strong mind and a Rosarius to protect him." None of the Storm Troopers picked up anything of course, and had they Ionza knew they would be mind-scrubbed. She was glad the baggy prison-uniform hid that her hairs stood on edge as she thought of how brutal a procedure mind-scrubbing were. She closed her eyes for a moment vividly remembering her first mind-scrubbing where she ended up shooting the subject of it. First the man, a heroic officer of Schola Freudakia was put in under at the harsh orders of Lord Commissar Nathan Harken. Then he was sedated and cryo-frozen in the cryo-freeze-facility under the prison. She hated the place. People were kept alive in cryo-sleep until the time to wake them up had come. The place was dark with combat-servitors covering everything. It was Carrus' doing all of it. Then with the cooperation of Adeptus Telepathica the Astropaths was involved.

Two of them came, cyborgs. Half man, half machine. They entered in the green robes of the Astropaths. She followed in her full regalia as a commissar, laspistol unholstered, her sleek powered rapier ready to been drawn and to strike down the tainted if he or she resisted. The subject was fastened to a chair, preliminary brain-washing had already been in effect, she remembered the blank eyes of the subject, dried blood had dripped down from the ears of the subject. He was a man in his early thirties, not unattractive, maybe a little on the round side, though he didn't look bad where he sat chained to the metal-table, a gigantic pictcaster was infront of him. He had been tortured severely for getting too much knowledge. Psykers had already been inside his head, changing things, distorting memories, making things not even remotely involving including the Ruinous Powers muddled. He mumbled, something incoherent. Something about his daughter and wife. But he had them confused, she saw it in his eyes he was dead inside, then she looked at the monstrosity they called an Astropath. He knew what she meant, giving her a short but sharp nod. Hand went onto the laspistol. She drew it without effort. Then she said. “I will do you a favor soldier. I will give you the Emperor's Peace.” Then she shot him squarely in the heart.

She smiled, it was a good death, the death of an officer. He couldn't help it that he once were an Imperial hero, then stumbled upon something he shouldn't see. She remembered his face clearly, and his name. She knew of worse ways to go, far worse than a shot to the heart. She also remembered when Harken tried to assign Carrus to execute the officer. Lieutenant Lionel Daniels. He was thirty-four. A highly decorated member of the Schola Freudakia Storm Troopers. And a personal friend and teacher of Carrus. She and Harken was sharing fine wine when an adjutant came up to them. he squirmed under their fellow gazes, She always found that funny how most people squirmed under her gaze alone, nevermind the gaze of two commissars. She remembered he stuttering a little as he announced with his harsh baritone voice while he looked a little pale at them both in his Storm Trooper-outfit. "Commissar Carrus is here Lord Commissar. *He saw Ionza shift a little in the comfortable leather-chair she was seated in* And ma'am, of course." She smirked at him as the sweat-pearls were dripping down the chin of the man. Harken answered with his harsh bass. "So send him in then for the Emperor's sake."

The man looked down into the red, golden-frilled silk-carpet. "The commissar was very insistent on talking to you alone Lord Commissar." He shivered a little, as if he expected to have the snot kicked out of him now. Ionza picked up the vibe immediately making her voice needlessly sweet. "Relax soldier, good messengers are hard to come by, and commissar Carrus confesses everything he experiences to me anyway. So send him in." She immediately turned to her her superior who was busy pouring himself fine Freudakian Red. "Right sir?" He just grunted as he didn't even bother to answer the question just giving something that resembled a nod. She crossed her legs as she sat there infront of the fine, oval-shaped glass-table with gold furnishing, wine-glass in hand. "Just bring us the commissar anyway soldier. *She then turned to Harken.* Have you assigned commissar Carrus to another psyker-squad Lord Commissar? *She stretched and yawned a little where she sat in her colorful uniform with medals adorning her chest.* You know he hates that Lord Commissar." She spoke with her voice low and reasonable. Harken answered, his words were a bit slutty. "I have assigned commissar Carrus to be the lead commissar in the task of mind-scrubbing lieutenant Daniels."

Ionza looked at him with a crooked smile. "Again? And you surely know how close they are. *She smirked as she raised a finger* And if memory serves, didn't he protest the decision Lord Commissar?" Harken smirked as he got seated in the comfortable burgundy-colored leather-chair, the medals across his barrel-chest momentarily blinding Ionza as he was wearing his full colorful commissaral regalia. "That's indeed right commissar Ionza. He protested giving actually good professional ground like the merit of the soldier in question, that he is a stable family-man, is very committed to the Emperor. *At which point they both made the aquila.* And he is a Drill-Abbott, so he has passed some stringent tests commissar." Ionza looked flabbergasted at Harken, as she said. "By the Emperor, he left out the most important thing-" She was then interrupted by Harken. "What is it, spit it out commissar." Ionza looked smugly on her superior as she calmly said. "I was getting to it sir. Lieutenant Daniels is a close associate of commissar Carrus and one of his main teachers." Harken rose just as Carrus walked over to them, also in his brightly colored commissarial regalia with the usual chestful of medals most Imperial officers were so found of wearing.

Harken arose, pointing an accusing finger. "Commissar you have been holding back on me!" Carrus just threw a stiff salute to him which was returned. Then he said. "What do you mean Lord Commissar?" Harken then said, still standing, his eyes boring into the eyes of the young cadet before him. "The part where you had that close personal relationship with lieutenant Daniels." Carrus looked surprised back. "Sir, I sent you the file of my teachers to you at the start of the this for four months ago. You approved every single Drill-Abbott and Abbess." Harken's face went through a few colors before he regained his composure. "Apologies commissar, the error is mine then, but you should still have pointed this out as I'm the principal of thousands of commissarial cadets." Carrus looked at his superior as he said. "With all due respect sir, but you are still unfair. You personally told me to never mention the personal relationships when it regarded myself to you as you perceived that as unprofessional. *He then took a breath and quoted from the Tacticia Imperalis* Article 555 Officers cannot demand their subordinates to disobey a direct order when the officer knew or should have known about the facts in question."

Harken got seated scratching the back of his ear. "I guess you are correct commissar. *He then sighed* Amazing what you kids know today. You quoted that article perfectly. I remember it." Ionza took a sip from her wine-glass while she motioned to Carrus to get to the cup-board and get his own wine-glass. Then she said. "You know how diligent commissar Carrus is to the Imperial Creed Lord Commissar." Carrus meanwhile went over to the nicely decorated oaken cupboard, opening the engraved door to it, getting out a ice crystal wine-glass, then he joined Ionza and Harken by pushing a third rather nice chair into position at the table, then he sat down at it. "Thank you for the compliment Lord Commissar, but I wanted to discuss my workload. *The Lord Commissar made a gesture for him to go on, and he licked his lips before he continued.* I want to discuss the amount of work I'm having to do here. I mean you are seriously considering sending me out on a three month long jungle-patrol with Drill-Abbess McLandi Lord Commissar?" Harken looked a bit surprised at Carrus. "I was sure it was only two weeks commissar and you can bring commissar Ionza with you." Ionza then said. "We are seeing much action and we still have education to catch up on. We have already large holes on theoretical matters sir. I suggest you should suspend us from participating in any military matters for a full year."

Harken made a cruel smile. "I know you have a heavy schedule commissar, so I denied the request even as it were from McCoy personally. I will sic commissar Donal instead. *Then he stretched, mumbled "The Emperor's blood." and took a sip of the wine-glass* You will be in the field from time to time. The Storm Troopers requests you and you are Imperial heroes commissars, but I shall see if I can suspend some of the more extreme and time-consuming operations." Carrus mumbled "The Emperor's blood." as he took a good sip from his wine-glass then he looked straight at Harken. "Yeah we are Imperial heroes and everyone feels a bit safer with me and commissar Ionza around as not long ago a squad of Storm Troopers thought my presence alone would stop a Squiggoth in it's tracks-" Ionza cut Carrus off. "But you stopped it commissar Carrus. I was even there where you heroically stopped it by drawing it with you into that ravine." Harken then butted in. "Remember you got that medal for that effort, and it takes guts getting a Squiggoth to chase you." Carrus just looked incredulously on his mentor and girlfriend, he did a good job hiding his true feelings as he said. "I guess you are right. *He got up his wine-glass.* The Emperor's blood commissars." They calmly returned the favor mumbling "The Emperor's blood." As they toasted.

"But what about the mind-scrubbing of lieutenant Daniels Lord Commissar? Who do you want doing it?" Ionza looked pensive at Harken, who looked smugly over at her as he said. "You will commissar Ionza." Carrus meanwhile looked anything but pleased as he ignited a lho-rod. Ionza twisted a little in the luxurious chair. "I will do as the Lord Commissar commands." She deliberately said it with as little joy that she could muster in her voice. Carrus picked it up as he said. "You don't have to hide your excitement over performing an execution from me commissar Ionza." The voice was surprisingly cold to her. Ionza immediately looked shocked over at him. "You know I don't look forward to executing anyone. We have had cadets like that at this Schola they ended up as combat-servitors." Harken then cut in. "I think you should apologize to commissar Ionza commissar Carrus, though I choose you as my favorite executioner because you treat it as a religious ceremony." Carrus immediately said. "I'm so sorry commissar Ionza, I didn't mean to wound your feelings." Ionza smiled as she said. "No harm done commissar Carrus, and I don't look forward to the execution, and I plan to give him an officer's death and tell that to his family if he should be deemed unclean in the eyes of the Emperor and his most holy Astropaths." As usual they all made the aquila when the Emperor was mentioned.

"That sounds like a good idea, and what I would have done commissar Ionza. *Carrus then turned to Harken.* I support Ionza as the commissar to oversee the mind-scrubbing of lieutenant Daniels Lord Commissar." Harken smiled as he said. "Thank you for the support commissar, but I'm afraid I must dismiss you both now. I have important things to discuss with Headmaster Natrax." He got up, and handed Ionza the bottle. "You have a week's vacation from your official duties commissars, enjoy it." Then he made a stiff salute both returned with wide grins just like he himself smiled. Ionza herself smiled over this happy memory just as they made their way into the true infirmary inside the Inquisitorial Prison at the Schola Freudakia. A passing nurse-warden was stopped by her. She looked squarely into the eyes of the much taller woman. "I'm commissar Ionza and I demand to know where commissar Carrus is being held. The answer from the coarsely voiced woman came quickly. "He is in the Cellar." Ionza looked flabbergasted on her. "You put him in the Cellar where all the extremely dangerous people are put?" The woman tersely answered. "Doctor Hamilton thought it was for the better, and commissar Carrus is indeed a serious threat if he goes rogue if I might say commissar Ionza." Ionza just shrugged and showed the sign of dismissal to the nurse-warden.

Ionza with her entourage went towards an elevator, they had a solemn mood as Carrus was an Imperial hero and they knew they might had to kill him. Ionza tried her best to keep the spirits up while she cracked a few jokes as they went along, but little laughter followed as they entered the black rather murky looking elevator. Interesting everyone of the party fit into it, though it confines was quite cramped as Ionza entered it last and punched in the clearances so it descended to the Cellar where the most dangerous prisoners were hold. Just as the elevator stopped and the door opened stood doctor Max Hamilton with about a dozen Storm Troopers and a few Skitariii, though not in an offensive manner. Ionza stepped out of the elevator giving him her customary death-glare. To her surprise he didn't flinch at all, instead the pale, scrawny-looking middle-aged man with glasses and a receding hairline said. "Nurse-Warden Kelly has alerted me to your presence commissar. And also about your reservations about my decision of having commissar Carrus in one of the the Space Marine-cells." Ionza looked extremely surprised at him. "You have my boy in the Space Marine-lockup doctor?" She showed herself angry which was evident in her voice.

Hamilton responded in his bland baritone voice. "Indeed I did, as I consider commissar Carrus more dangerous if going rogue than even an Eversor due to he has actually taken out Genestealers and Ork Warbosses in close combat." They walked together as he continued. "I would do the same to you, the Lord Commissar, Drill Abbess McLandi and Headmaster Natrax as well if any suspicion was there." Ionza nodded and changed her tune. "Apologies doctor Hamilton, I didn't think commissar Carrus was so dangerous." They walked with the Storm Troopers, Astropaths and Skitarii in tow through the murky passageways where the most threatening inmates of the Inquisition were held on Freudakia as Hamilton answered. "That's okay commissar Ionza, I actually expected as much from you. But regarding Carrus, he has been good and patient with the situation." Ionza smiled as she said. "That's good doctor, and I'm glad that was cleared up, but a Space Marine-cell doctor? Isn't that a little overkill?" Her voice were cheery again. Hamilton looked tersely at Ionza as he said. "No commissar, commissar Carrus is lethally dangerous so he will stay in such a cell until you and those psykers of you have cleared him."

"Okay, well he is a free man, and have been clean of physical taint I assume doctor?" Ionza asked the tempestuous doctor. He sent her an icy stare saying. "I know it's a tempting question to ask young lady, but you just asked if I was incompetent. Was he found tainted I would personally have put him down." Ionza shrugged as she said. "I guess so, but I had to ask. Every commissar nevermind military officer would have asked the question." Hamilton just shrugged and grunted. "Get this over with, it's too crowded down here anyway." As he drew his key-card from his doctor-coat and pressed it into the chest of a combat-servitor guarding a huge black adamentum-door in the black cellar with tracked combat-servitors everywhere with their inhuman forms on tracks, weapons in the chest pointing inwards towards the inmates. The door slid open. More combat-servitors of inhuman design were there, they were geared for close-combat with powered fists and power swords replacing hands. The lights from the ceiling blinked down on them high above them. It was built for Space Marines, not humans which dwarfed even the combat-servitors there. Hamilton and Ionza continued forwards as Hamilton said to Ionza.

"Commissar Carrus is laying in the inner-most sanctum of the Cellar-Hospital commissar." His voice was emotionless as always. Ionza merely answered. "Okay doctor." As they walked forward towards it in the black halls lined by black adamentum doors. Monstrous combat-servitors were lining the walls down there displaying much and many heavy weapons of every kind. Jutting out from their chests just like they jutted out from the walls were heavy bolters, lascannons, multimedias (though they tended to be placed close to the entrance and exit) and other assorted heavy guns. This was where they kept the truly dangerous Space Marines (had they had any), even Ionza didn't feel too good about this place, but that she didn't show as Hamilton drawing a third key-card activated the monstrous servitor outside Carrus' cell with it saying. "The commissar and the psykers enters, the rests waits here." Ionza noted how the Storm Troopers who had been with Hamilton expertly took up positions covering eachother just in case Carrus had been corrupted. With a simple hand-gesture she signaled her own Storm Troopers to join them which they did taking up positions of mutual cover often behind the combat-servitors ruthlessly using them as cover.

Ionza with the two Astopaths entered the simple black cell with the lighting casting long shadows since the light-bulbs were behind thick plasglass. She saw Carrus laying there on the slab covered by a duvet and with his head on a pillow. She knew he was fed intravenously as he had needles jutting out from his arm with vials of unknown liquid in them and tubes led from his underbody. He looked with a slurred glance at Ionza as he said with a sleepy voice. "Hi darling, you didn't need to bring any friends, you know I can frak your brains out on your own." He giggled in a dull manner. "Curses, that quack has spiked your food." She got onto the large slate Carrus was laying upon, she gently caressed his cheek, then she hissed to the Astropaths. "Get to work, mind-probe him and report your findings to me." They did that immediately, Carrus screamed as his mind was penetrated. But in his drugged state he had little resitance to offer to the Astropaths. A few seconds later the tallest one said with his metallic clanky voice. "Good news commissar, commissar Carrus is clean." Ionza smiled briefly. Then she said. "Did you hear that doctor, Carrus is clean?" The doctor pressed a button on the combat-servitor and then said. "I canceled the drugs as soon as I heard the psyker say his piece. commissar."

Ionza then replied. "Good, I assume you will arrange for him to be transfered to the regular hospital doctor." The doctor sounding as blazed as always responded with. "Of course commissar. I will arrange it immediately, so you two can share the same bed tonight." Ionza with the psykers in tow walked out of the cell. She turned to the doctor as she was about to enter the elevator. "Thank you for the treatment of commissar Carrus doctor Hamilton." He shrugged. "He was a patient, but I'm glad he was clean, but you see my case, I have to assume the worst in any case, and I hope I don't have to see either of you again unless it's official business commissar." He then to Ionza's surprise made a military salute just as the elevator-doors closed.


----------



## Beaviz81

A few hours later Ionza entered the white marble-walled complex that was the hospital of the Schola Freudakia, though that was on the inside. The Outside was a black bunker-like complex with blast-doors of adamentum just like everything else at the depressing place. Rain was splashing down at the windows as she entered it in a skimpy red pvc-tubedress, with a big smile across her face. She straightened the skimpy dress a bit as she went to the desk. "Can I please get the location of where commissar Carrus is held?" She asked pleasantly the reception-guy. The barrel-chested guy who Ionza took a mental note of served better as a handsome actor than anything else said calmly with a low baritone voice. "Commissar Carrus is interned at the fourth floor at the detox-facility." Ionza then said. "Thank you." And swiftly made her way to the grey elevator. Here the combat-servitors were fewer and farther inbetween. White-coated doctors and nurses milled around the place often mumbling important diagnostic things to themselves. Ionza just straightened her skimpy dress as she made it towards the steel-grey elevator. Then she suddenly met McLandi, dressed in her dress-uniform. Medals was chestful as would be expected for such a lady of war. She looked surprised down at Ionza, thought with a little smirk as she said.

"Commissar Michelle Ionza, you are totally out of uniform." Ionza wiggled a bit under the gaze of her mentor blushing a little, then she shook her head violently before she said. "I so didn't expect to see you here ma'am." McLandi looked quizzically at her as she said. "What do you mean commissar?" Ionza just let her hands wander over her shapely figure under the skimpy dress saying. "What do you think ma'am? I thought I would get commissar Carrus for myself." McLandi finally got what she was thinking of saying. "Oh I'm sorry commissar Ionza, I will leave and give you a day-" Ionza cut her off. "Make it two, as I need time with my boyfriend ma'am." She smirked, which was returned along with a deft military salute which Ionza clumsily returned. She then entered the elevator still straightening the red clingy dress. She closed her overly makeup-laiden eyes hoping Carrus wouldn't mind her in the sexy outfit where she stood with thigh-high boots and everything in the elevator straightening the skimpy dress. The doors opened, and she strolled past teams of doctors and other medical staff, all darting out of her ways in the brightly lit white-marbled corridor as she as fast as her high heels could move her in the small clothes she were wearing could move her.

She finally reached the room Carrus was in after asking a nurse that pointed her in the direction. She knocked on the door, Carrus was sitting in the bed reading The Commissar Weekly. A magazine full of useful tips and winks for commissars. He was grinning over the latest tip as he heard the knock. "Enter!" He called out. In came Ionza, she smiled at her boyfriend then she said. "I can't believe doctor Hamilton treated you in that disrespectful manner, having you confined to the prison-ward and souped up on drugs." Carrus looked calmly back at her as he laid the magazine on the steel night-table next to the hospital-bed. He replied. "Doctor Hamilton did what he thought was for the better, and remember he has over one hundred years of experience handling dangerous things." Ionza pouted as she got next to the bed. "But he didn't even flinch when I gave him my death-glare." Carrus just snickered as he said. "The man has stared down traitor Space Marines and Eversors, our death-glares only scares the easily intimidated." Then he smelled at Ionza. "Mmmm I like your perfume and your dress as she sat down on the bed and kissed him.

"I don't know if we should do it now. You know the secret-thing." Carrus sounded a bit nervous as Ionza gently kissed him more. "Everyone knows we are together even in the whole system nevermind at the Schola." Carrus grinned over the comment as he said. "My head is still spinning darling, just wait a little." He took her hands gently and put in her lap, while he said. "Plus we must talk about something dear." Ionza looked a tad disappointed as she said. "Sure talk away, but can't we combine a good shag with talking." She smiled at him saying. "It worked in the past." Carrus shook his head stating. "We will soon go home to my home-planet Ciralix, and we need to maybe formalize our relationship since I'm slated to take over control of the planet and avoid an arranged marriage." Ionza giggled as she said. "Yeah I can imagine your happy reaction, dangling the bride to be out from the porch." Carrus just shrugged as he replied. "I won't dangle the poor bride to be. The moron suggesting it on the other side..." Ionza heaved her head backwards closing her eyes as she laughed a pleasant laughter, which Carrus rapidly picked up on as he said. "Yeah you would like that, wouldn't you Michelle?"

Ionza responded with. "Oh hell yeah, I always like you defending me." Carrus just made a wicked smile as he leaned forward kissing her while he let his muscular arms caress her she while he groped her tits said. "We have much time on our hands, I just talked to Drill-Abbess McLandi and got us two days of vacation." Carrus stopped groping her though his hands stayed in place on her tits. "Sounds nice, but I want to go home, hospital-food really ain't good for me." Suddenly there were a knock on the door. Carrus rolled his eyes as he mumbled while removing his hands. "This better be good." Then he raised his voice to almost a yell as he snarled enter just as Ionza got seated in the steel-chair besides the night-table quickly crossing her slender legs with a disgruntled grin on her face. In came Harken and Natrax. Harken even to both the commissar-cadets surprise had his hat in his left hand as both Natrax and him made stiff salutes, which was sloppily returned by Carrus and Ionza. "Apologies commissars for disturbing your peace." Harken said. Ionza's eyes bored into him, yet Carrus responded with a cheery voice. "No problem Lord Commissar and Headmaster, what do you want from us?"

Natrax pulled a little on himself as he said. "Nothing much, your verbal battle-report, then we will get out of your hair commissars." Carrus answered. "Pure and simple, we went to investigate something psykers had picked up, I first had to charge through a bunch of deranged worshipers of a certain god and kill a witch in close-combat before my entire squad was turned into Spawns of evil, and then we went into the catacombs. *He gestured sitting in the bed as he spoke.* There I had to shoot the leg of a trooper to save his life when I screwed up, then I stormed the lines of worshipers of a certain god and eventually sowed chaos and destruction before I finally encountered a daemonette which I killed. Then i was shot." Carrus looked tired at his mentors as he said. "Is that enough or must I get into details sirs?" Natrax smiled as he responded. "That sounds fine, we will give you the two days Drill-Abbess recommended, so you can plan your graduation and leaving this Schola and planet with your girlfriend commissar Carrus." Carrus looked flabbergasted back as he said. "Headmaster, you were not supposed to know about me and commissar Ionza." Both the senior officers and Ionza laughed heartily over the comment from Carrus.

Harken even wiped a tear when he was finished laughing saying. "If we weren't supposed to know then you did a horrible job hiding your relationship. No commissar, we have known since when High Inquisitor Selpid ordered you to share room and labeled you Inquisitorial Inmates." He drew breath as he saw Carrus and Ionza give eachother confused glances before he continued. "We had orders from the High Inquisitor to not come between you, and think about it. It brought a Catachan and a Lord Commissar together as co-workers, but don't flaunt your relationship infront of the troopers. That would be a sign of weakness." Ionza said flatly. "Well we already do that, but from the point that commissar Carrus is a scout and I'm a Deathworld sniper. We all know I'm promoted to be a commissar just so our relationship should look professional enough and certain rumors about us not being equal would evaporate" Carrus then shot in. "Honestly Lord Commissar when psykers ain't around I tend to take care of the scouts, while Ionza disciplines the snipers. The line-infantry we let the regular commissars deal with, and mostly it have been you Lord Commissar, and for obvious reasons, we are not questioning your decisions Lord Commissar." Harken smirked over the comment as he then said. "No that would have been very unpopular commissar."

All four of the mighty Imperial servants laughed over the implication that Carrus of all people would disobey an order from Harken. Then Natrax cut it off by saying. "Insubordination is not a laughing-matter young commissars." Ionza violently shook her head shaking off her smile, and then said. "I would never go up against your orders unless I'm ordered by lets say an Inquisitor or you are committing heresy Headmaster." He smiled and nodded saying. ""That's exactly as it should be commissar, always question the order, get the reason, look for what can be changed. But in the end you do the order and keeps the soldier disciplined so they perform the orders without fault." Carrus then asked. "I'm sorry to derail the talk, but what happened with the Storm Troopers, how many was purged, and the psyker, did he survive?" Ionza looked a bit annoyed at her lover as she said. "The psyker, survived and he has a name Jarcar and is a most holy Astropath." Carrus mumbled out. "Sorry then. *Then raised his voice somewhat.* What about our soldiers, did anyone perish?" Harken coffed, then with his deep voice said. "McHendrix was found to be impure and was purged by me after consulting the Astropaths."

Carrus then said. "Do we have to purge the minds of our soldiers? One third of everyone that are mind-scrubbed perishes from it, and it doesn't help much mind-scrubbing and executing anyone that by accident stumbles over something they shouldn't know about." Natrax shook his head as he said. "You know perfectly well commissar that ignorance is power and knowledge is danger. We must keep much between only a very few individuals per planet, less we risk uprisings or worse young commissar." Harken then said. "Commissar Carrus has points, but I'm loathe to change the methods that have worked for so long." Ionza smiled as she said. "Even so commissar Carrus you are soon home at Ciralix with me, and there we will rule a planet and change whatever we don't like to whatever we do like. *She saw Natrax's eyes harden.* At least within reasonable limits." She shrugged and looked a bit insecurely back on Natrax. Harken tugged the shoulder of Natrax as he said. "Maybe we should get going and leave you two to your business Headmaster?" The voice were compelling yet, the tug contained a challenge. Natrax looked a bit angry into the eyes of his former pupil as he said. "I guess so." He did a good job hiding his irritation as they both turned in the doorway, closing the door, which almost immediately was closed behind them.

Then they walked down the hospital-corridor, as Natrax without hiding the irritation in his voice said. "I can't believe commissar want desperately to change how things are working Lord Commissar." Harken shrugged as he said. "Young people will not always listen to advice of even old masters, and mind you I was a headstrong youth once as well. Did me, Michael Stravinsky and Arturus Carrus do what you wanted all the time Headmaster?" Natrax scratched his chin slowly as he replied. "You heeded my advice in the serious things, like how to deal with the Ruinous Powers." Harken looked a bit shocked at Natrax prompting Natrax to say. "What?" Harken said. "With all due respect Headmaster we are walking in a hospital, people can overhear us, and then I would suddenly be forced to execute someone because of your loose lips." Natrax reacted shocked as he said while they walked past a few nurses that rapidly scurried out of the way of two of the three chiefs of this Schola Progenium with eyes downcast. Natrax decided to change subject as he said. "How do you think commissar Carrus would fare as a Planetary Governor Lord Commissar?" Harken smirked as he said. "Commissar Carrus is not equipped for that kind of job, commissar Ionza is equipped for it."

Natrax smiled himself as he said. "Agreed, but I don't think they would last long." Harken looked uneasily back at Natrax as he said. "Why not Headmaster?" The old Missionary just laughed a soft laughter as he said. "Commissar Carrus can do ballroom-dancing, but do you think you can envision him Dancing for the Emperor?" Harken smirked responding with. "They do that Headmaster?" Natrax nodded, and then said. "And can you imagine the happy reaction of either commissar if they are told drinking alcohol is not allowed?" Harken giggled as he said. "They would change that law." Natrax cast the Lord Commissar a serious look, his voice was changed from amusement to grave seriousness. "Then they will have an uprising on their hands, and there ain't no bloodsports on Ciralix which commissar Carrus so fancies." Harken just scratched his head as he said. "Can't they just change that law, seems a bit arbitrary that bloodsports shall be banned." Natrax responded with. "You know little of Ciralix Lord Commissar. *Harken nodded despite how hurtful and insulting the statement from Natrax was as Natrax continued.* Ciralixians are intolerant fanatics for the most part as commissar Carrus has shown that streak when it comes to Adeptus Mechanicus-stuff."

Harken nodded as he said. "True commissar Carrus is very protective of things regarding the Adeptus Mechanicus." Natrax looked without pleasure at the Lord Commissar saying. "Yeah and all the Ciralixians do is work twelve hours days, worship the Emperor for two hours and dance for the Emperor for two hours." Harken heard the description as he licked his lips while they were still walking in the hospital with doctors and nurses scurrying out of their way, then he said. "Doesn't sound like much fun for the commissars." Natrax shrugged as he said. "I predict calamity, they are home here again in anything from a week to a few months." Harken looked at the Headmaster as he said. "Agreed, lets just pray to the Emperor that they don't frak up too much Headmaster." Natrax smiled a little making the aquila hearing upon hearing the Emperor as did Harken then he said. "Yes lets hope they don't do too much damage there Lord Commissar, and praying we most certainly shall do." They both gained strides as they started to hurry towards the hospital-chapel. Harken looked a bit uneasy as he said. "I don't like praying to the Emperor Missionary as I serve him out of abject fear, but I will be at your side as you pray if you permits." Natrax responded with a small nod and Harken. "Then so shall it be Headmaster." Just as they arrived at the small hospital chapel's oaken brown doors with various religious items on the outside with images of the Emperor in all his holiness adorning the walls on the outside of it.


----------



## Beaviz81

Months passed, the eighteenth birthdays of both Carrus and Ionza came and went with minor celebrations since both were very busy passing exams and finishing off their rushed commissar-training. They had the battlefield-experience, but lacked somewhat as for the theoretical stuff, but that were a mere afterthought as the day came for them to get their sashes. First it was an endless stream of thousands of troops filing past the booth them and most of the senior personnel were standing at in their finest dress-uniform with all their medals on display. It looked like a band of high-ranking Mordian officers were standing together with several Lord Commissars as even the uniforms of Carrus and Ionza were crested with medals, even though they lacked the full chest of the other officers, they still stood there in stiff salute-postures as the troopers in the blue dress-uniforms filed past them in the never-ending down-pour. Then after many hours standing in the downpour under a tent they filed in to the white marbled-floored, massively decorated chapel at the Schola Freudakia. Priests and other Ecclesiarchial figures standing there at the golden overly decorated Altar of the Emperor, the most holy place on the Schola Progenium, and a place commissars and commisarial cadets of this Schola rarely visited due to their principal, Lord Commissar Harken.

Now on the other hand the place was teeming with commissars and commissar-in-training. They filed in packing the large cathedral to the rafters with their exquisitely tailored uniforms making the place a sea of black, golden epaulets and finely decorated greatcoats as far from the blackened out outfits they used as battlegear they could ever be. Carrus and Ionza went forward through the throng of seated people on either side. They were closely followed by the Lord Commissar, and just behind him walked the Headmaster and the Drill-Abbess for the snipers. They only had the most rudimentary weaponry on themselves, chainsword and laspistol for Carrus, Natrax and Harken while Ionza and McLandi wore their powered swords with laspistols. They slowly went forward where the Priest stood with a golden chalice in one hand, over his left shoulder rested the broadside of a massive sword, the priest and old, rather unhealthy-looking fellow with a scrawny goatee, and eyebrows way too overgrown stood in his finely decorated white robe where quotes from the Emperor were woven into the fabric in gold, while a colorful cardinal's hat was balancing on his head. Beside him stood more Eccleciachial members dressed similarly, though not as fine as he was. Carrus and Ionza went forward towards the cardinal with secure steps and soon kneeled on low pillows infront of the altar.

The old man recited the Oath of the Commissar with his gravelly harsh voice as Carrus and Ionza also while kneeling infront of him repeated what he said without even blinking. It went on for a while, mainly being about things to hate like heretics, mutants, psykers and of course fear of the Emperor. The last bit took almost an hour of how the Emperor were to be feared as the one true god. Eventually the ceremony winded down as the cardinal said addressing Carrus. "You are now offered mastery of the known universe, or will you serve the Emperor of Mankind until your dying breath?" Carrus looked up at him with sparkling eyes saying as solemnly as he could. "I serve the Emperor until my dying breath, and damn the temptations of the known universe." The cardinal then said. "Good then you can drink the Emperor's blood commissar-to-be." Carrus looked straight at the old man saying with clear voice. "I will drink the blood of the Emperor and let it cleanse my soul." He then was handed the chalice by the cardinal, and took a good sip of it. Then he emptied it before handing the chalice back to the cardinal, who immediately handed it to a similarly dressed member, almost as old as himself, who with a clean white handkerchief cleaned the chalice, before pouring it almost full of wine. Then he handed it back to the cardinal who now went over to Ionza.

"You are now offered mastery of the known universe, or will you serve the Emperor until your dying breath?" The old man asked in a gravelly tone to Ionza who just sat her merciless brown eyes upon him, as she answered. "I serve the Emperor until my dying breath, and damn the temptations of the known universe." The cardinal then said. "You can now drink the blood of the Emperor commissar-to-be." Ionza still staring at the old man said with equally clear voice as Carrus. "I will drink the blood of the Emperor and let it cleanse my soul." She needed three large sips before she had gobbled down the altar-wine in the chalice, before she handed the chalice back to the cardinal who placed it on the Altar of the Emperor. Before he turned to Carrus. He placed the broadside of the sword on the left shoulder of Carrus saying. "For many years you have endured the training of the commissariat and the Schola Freudakia, you have been weighed and you have passed. *The sword went to rest on his second shoulder.* Arise Commissar Zachary Carrus." Carrus winced visibly as he heard his first-name, then he got to his feet, turning around to face Harken who stood with a scarlet sash infront of him.

Harken handed him the sash, saying. "Now you are a true commissar, Commissar Zachary Carrus." Carrus strapped the sash on himself as the cathedral erupted in cheering from the commissars present as Carrus made a stiff military salute to the Lord Commissar, who repeated it to him. Carrus still stood in that position as the cardinal moved to Ionza, the massive black sword laid on the epaulette-clad shoulder, contrasting with the gold as the cardinal said. "For many years you have endured the training of the commissariat and the Schola Freudakia, you have been weighed and have passed. *The sword went onto the other shoulder.* Arise Commissar Michelle Ionza." She arose turning around to face Nathan Harken, who towered over the tiny woman as he handed her the sash saying. "Now you are a true commissar, Commissar Michelle Ionza." Then she strapped the sash around her waist, and after that massive cheering erupted from the present commissars and future commissars.

Hours later. Ionza entered the interrogation-room. Shackled to the table sat one of the soldiers that had been involved in the raid on the jungle city. Growing out of his forehead was a cock, Ionza walked over to the bulky man sitting in his prison-uniform. The sloppy orange greatcoat they were forced to wear. She got a pepper-shaker out of her greatcoat-pocket, then walked over to him as she then took it up to his face. He started spewing out how stuff about how Slaanesh was great. Ionza cared little for the babble as she got him to sneeze instead by utilizing the pepper-shaker again and again to his face, while she sat there with an odd grin as she saw the cock and balls shake every time he sneezed. Eventually Carrus entered the room. "You have left the party honey." Ionza said it matter-of-factly not even turning to facing him. He just grunted. "I don't think we should be interviewing people under the influence of the Ruinous Powers while we are under the influence of alcohol commissar Ionza." Just as Carrus said the Ruinous Powers the man started to chant about the love Slaanesh provided. Ionza just said. "I suppose so, but it's fascinating watching this." She utilized the pepper-shaker again making the trooper sneeze.

Carrus just got out his laspistol, though he grinned a little saying. "I think this mutant has lived long enough darling, and he is extremely dangerous being allowed to be alive." Ionza looked over at the laspistol Carrus now was aiming past her head right at the mutant sitting across the table. Again she used the pepper-shaker making the mutant sneeze. "I suppose you can fire now Carrus." Just as she said that, he fired killing the former Storm Trooper with a shot just between the eyes. He plopped dead onto the table with his brain fried. Carrus then dialed a number on the wall-servitor. He then said. "Commissar Zachary Carrus here. Calling from Interrogation-room 101, we have a situation with a prisoner that was just executed, and shall be taken to the power-plant for cleansing." Commissar Zachary Carrus over and out." Ionza smirked in the background as she got up. "I suppose we should get to the party now Carrus offering her arm to him." He smirked as he glanced over at her while he said. "Of course darling." Then he grabbed her arm gently and they exited the black-grey interrogation-room just as they saw a few servitors coming with body-bags and such for the just deceased former ally of them.

After a quickie in their place, they both made it back to the party at the central of the Schola. The elaborate place was finely decorated and with the most expensive furniture imaginable. The white marble-walls was crested with golden decorations of the Emperor and his Primarches in all their glory. At the tables stood rows of bottles of Freudakian Red, the fine wine so prized by the well-to-be at Freudakia, which the commissars often counted themselves as. Carrus and Ionza went straight over to Harken who were having a chat with light lho-rods with some of the more senior commissarial Drillers. They passed several commissars, and from time to time they heard from the muffled sound of speaking. "The Emperor's blood." What Emperor-worshiping Freudakians used to say when drinking their famous red wine. That had smitten over to the Schola. "You went away commissars?" Harken laid his eyes on Carrus and Ionza. Ionza replied. "Yes Lord Commissar, we had some personal business to take care of." Harken looed skeptical at the lithe woman as he towered over her. "Commissar Carrus, what did you do? You were away for almost half an hour." Carrus didn't even blink as he answered. "We finally executed Storm Trooper Al Johnson Lord Commissar."

Harken looked over at Carrus. "He is treated to the power-plant I assume." Carrus just nodded. Harken smiled as he grabbed a bottle of wine, then poured it into a glass which he then handed to Ionza as he said. "Who did the execution?" Carrus as he poured himself a glass of wine himself replied calmly. "I did it sir, after commissar Ionza gave the okay." Then he turned around made his voice louder. "Emperor's blood ladies and gentlemen!" He almost roared the cheer as lot of glasses came up being held by men and women in fine commissar-uniforms with the usual chestful of medals who all with a loud cheer said. "The Emperor's blood!" Then the wine was getting drunk from the fine crystal wine-glasses that sparkled in the lights while commissars both to be and present toasted Carrus and Ionza in the name of the Emperor. The party continued into the night, but was oddly civilized due to the influence of officers like Harken being present which prevented the younger members of the commissariat drinking too much as everyone drank civilized amounts and Carrus and Ionza soon retired mainly due to their mutual interest in eachother. The next day they stood at the shuttleport watching servitors strolling by with large crates in the forklift-arms.

Both the newly minted commissars stood watching the servitors roll by, threads had replaced the feet of the inhuman creatures. Many they knew from the Schola, but most were criminals that had gotten a raw deal and was sentenced to death, which was commuted to getting to be a servitor in the service of Freudakia. But that was of little consequence as they now saw the servitors drive up the ramp of the grey, square shuttle which stood in the middle of the pavement of the shuttleport. "The name of the craft taking us home darling is Heriage." Carrus said it while he embraced and gave Ionza a kiss while she giggled and then said. "It's a good name, as that's what you shall do. Claim your own heritage in the name of the Emperor." Both made the customary aquila as the Emperor was named. "Yeah the name of the cruiser is a fine name, and it's what I must do, it's both my duty and my reward, claming my heritage in the name of the Emperor and Ommnisiash." Carrus said it calmly making the appropriate signs as he said Emperor and Omnissiah while he cuddled up near Ionza while they both were dressed in colorful dress-uniforms which identified both as commissars. From behind also in fine dress-uniforms came Natrax, Harken and McLandi.

Carrus and Ionza rapidly turned on their heels making stiff military salutes under the battleship-grey skies threatening to bring down a hailstorm of rain on them. The salute was rapidly answered by the three senior Imperial officers. And then Harken asked with a broad grin going across his face. "How are your heads commissars." Ionza answered with a smirk, still standing very close to Carrus. "The head is fine, we didn't drink too much last night, other business came in the way Lord Commissar." Carrus just nodded. And then McLandi spoke. "We want to wish you a happy journey commissars, and congratulations from the sniper-cadets and their Drillers commissars on your recent promotions." Ionza spoke again. "Thank you Drill-Abbess, and thank your staff on our behalf on both issues." Carrus then shot in. Nevermind your students as well drill-Abbess, but we will soon be back." With that they made a last salute to eachother and the two commissars boarded the shuttle, which were to take them to Ciralix as they checked their weapons again and again as they both were armed with their full arsenal of weapons. As the shuttle took off. Natrax said to his two smirking subordinates. "They will be home in a month, keep their place of living in order as the kids will be home soon to assume their duties as Drillers and commissars here at Freudakia."

"Yeah, and in my opinion they have earned some rest Headmaster as we have lopped much upon them." Harken said, scratching his jaw as he continued. "Too much, we must see to reduce what they are doing as that Death Cult is encroaching." He turned to McLandi who stood there supporting herself on the longlas which butt was by her feet as he said. "What are the news from them captain McLandi?" She stared mercilessly back at him. "The Shadows of Death have a vested interest in the two commissars. That is all the information I care to share about them matter Lord Commissar. *She turned to the Headmaster while giving a sloppy salute.* Headmaster." He nodded and she walked away. As she gained some distance Harken leaned in and whispered to Natrax. "I don't think she like my uniform Headmaster." Natrax sneered as he lit up a lho-rod. "I don't think she like you as a person Lord Commissar. So just leave it at that. That's an order." They looked up at the sky where the shuttle had taken off, a white gleam seemed to mark the spot where it had flown. Harken looked a tad dejected as he lit his own lho-rod, and then said. "Aye Headmaster, I shall not do anything regarding Drill-Abbess McLandi."

Natrax smiled looked fatherly at the man he had been a personal mentor of for so many years as he said. "Drill-Abbess McLandi is an Inquisitorial plant, we must just roll with the punches Lord Commissar. *He waved Harken with him.* Come now Lord Commissar, let have a better dinner with some fine wine while we discuss the potential futures of the different progeni we have here." Harken followed Natrax as they also left the shuttleport while the shuttle containing Carrus and Ionza gleamed across the skies, out of the planet and entered space where the Dictator-class cruiser Heritage was in orbit near the planet awaiting their arrival.


----------



## Myen'Tal

I see you've been working a lot lately , I'll start catching up this weekend.


----------



## Beaviz81

The Emperor's Blood will follow at Chapter IV here http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=139473

And I have done a rewrite of some major parts of the posts at this thread. Cleaned up the language and such. Changed some events and added bits and pieces where they were missing or I felt they could be worded better.


----------



## Myen'Tal

Liked what I read, had trouble realizing whether you were still using a flashback or going with the present timeline at the beginning of the story. Aside from that, our two heroes seem to be progressing nicely, story-wise. If I can make a suggestion, though, I've noticed that there isn't really much back issues or tension between the characters except for fighting an enemy. I understand that Ionza and Carrus are lovers and will have each other's backs till the end, but a problem or two to strain the relationship couldn't hurt. 

Did notice Natrax's last words at the end of the chapter, "She is an Inquisitorial plant", interested to learn what exactly he means about that :grin:.


----------



## Beaviz81

I considered briefly adding more tension between Carrus and Ionza. But then again they are very prone to blurt out. "Apologies commissar." Which they do that a lot. Plus they are not an even couple by any means as Carrus' standing within the AdMech is similar in power to an Inquisitor which I will show later as commissar is just his running-title.

Also Ionza is more a pillar of support for Carrus so he is wise not trying to push her buttons. I sought sort of to avoid having either one being too snarky towards eachother even through it sap some excitement out of the story, but harmony is God in my story as I wanted them not to bicker much as the usual teen-couples (I have added some arguments later on).

Also I elected to use a common technique from Henrik Ibsen. First I show present day. Then after a while I show the detailed past. Though I attempted to surpass my mentor with adding it later on and much harder than he does in the Wild Duck (I think it's called that in English if not it's the wild goose). So I induced a massive flashback (which is still happening). I shall edit it to show that part more clearly.

And thank you for the kind word Fire.


----------

