# The Awakening(PLEASE REVIEW)



## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

*CHAPTERS 1-3 REVISED, CHAPTERS 4-6 ADDED.*​
*Prologue​*
And as I looked at the shadow in the dim light, seeming larger than the Mechanicus Titans from my place crawling on the floor, I knew this must end. I dipped my being into the warp one last time, letting it embrace me and enter me…and I brought the ceramite bunker down around us. I felt warm blood escaping my nostrils from the psychic burst of power, and as it stained my teeth, I mocked the shadow’s screams with a grin. In my final breaths, I rasped “Game over.”

*Chapter 1
Appropriately...​*

_5 years earlier, in the snowy backwaters of Cadia..._

I concentrated on the screen of the auspex in my hand, scanning the deserted field for any sign of security or life. The soft beeps eased my boredom and my worries.

“Damn this snow! It will get into my servos and rust them, and then what use will I be? None at all, just a pile of scrap metal and human flesh! Vixus, what are you picking up on the auspex?” 

I looked behind me at my companions. I was traveling with a tech priest named Quint, almost a walking stereotype. Hunched over and more machine than man, he was exactly what I had expected. I was surprised Inquisitor Gausen had taken him on. Sitting on a rock and looking out at the small shack in the field was Krell, a hulking beast of a man, unaffected by the cold. “_All that hair must be warm..._” I thought to myself.

We were acolytes of Inquisitor Gausen of Ordo Hereticus, on a standard kill-and-acquire mission. At least, this would have been a normal mission, if I had not been instructed to not use any of my psychic power. As it was, it would be a challenge for me.

Quint stopped trying to keep snow from his cybernetics, and then looked at me. “Gausen.”

I nodded, tapping my helmet vox-link to establish a connection with the Inquisitor. “Field is clear; we’re ready to move in sir.”

“Go. Remember, keep it *simple*.”

I flicked the kill setting on my las carbine, and shot two fingers towards the shack. We sprinted across the field, and took our positions by the door. Krell lit the pilot light on his flamer, and kicked the door off its rusted hinges. We moved into the shack, to find nothing except shelves full of jarred organs, and a ceramite door and code-pad set into the back wall of the wood shack. Quint holstered his plasma pistol, taking a look at the door. He took off his gloves, pressing the electro-graft in his palm against the codepad.

A few moments later, grey was replaced with black as the door opened with a spark from the codepad. Krell took point, the pilot light of his flamer lighting the way. As we went down, we began to hear loud chanting, and the smell of incense wafted up the stairs. 

The stairway ended in a corridor, from which we could smell the sour copper of long-ago spilled blood mixing with the woody earth aroma of the incense. Signs were carved and written on the walls, the sight of them putting an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The main attraction was undoubtedly the appalling display by the cultists. They chanted and prayed as their leader repeatedly sunk his blade in and out of a screaming man. The leader gleefully laughed as blood spurt from the wounds, spraying across his robes. The man squirmed and writhed on the stone altar, his screams fading away a moment later. 

Krell soon recovered from the shock of the sight, and the back line of cultists was drenched in burning promethium in retribution for the man. I crouched, took aim and fired a blast into the crowd as they began to turn.
Quint fired several blasts from his plasma pistol into the crowd, hitting one of the cultists in the side of the head. As his brain superheated and exploded from inside his skull, the leader tore his ceremonial blade out of the sacrifice and threw the body at us, running down a side passageway and abandoning his followers as they burned.

“Fight through! We have to get a hold of him before he gets away!” I emphasized this with a blast from my lasgun into the horde of cultists. 
Another swath of fire and the cultists were burning, but they were not dead. They ran toward us, a screaming and cackling mass of crazed wretches. Quint launched a fragmentation grenade into their midst from his wrist-mounted launcher, and those who did not fall fled to the side passageways. 
I leapt over the smoking heaps and ran down the corridor, to find a gas grenade rolling at me. I kicked it backwards, motioning for Krell and Quint behind me to move quickly. We ran to the end of the hall, making a quick turn right directly into three cultists holding autoguns. I threw myself to the floor to avoid the shots, and to avoid Krell’s devastating flame. I stood, and nodded to Krell in thanks, then looked down the corridor.

“Emperor damn this place! How many of them are there?” I exclaimed, breathing heavily. We ran down the hallway, finding a dead end. We turned around just as we heard a scream, a cultist with a grenade belt worn like a necklace running toward us, two more coming behind him and firing at us with autopistols. Krell denied his own death, kicking the maniac back towards his fellows. 

He went up like an overcharged las power pack, giving his comrades pauses as they shielded their heads with their arms. “Leave one alive!” I yelled out, luckily before Krell opened up with his flamer. Quint killed the one nearest the turn with a shot from his plasma pistol, and I ran to the other one, slamming the stock of my lasgun into his head.

I grabbed him by the collar, slamming him to the floor. “Where did he go?!” I yelled. The cultist looked dazed, and I shook him, and repeated the question. “Who?” he asked, confused. “The man slicing open one of your “friends” on the altar, you throne-damned fool!” “H- He went to his quarters...down the hall.” I hit him with the stock again, knocking him out, and ran down the hall.

We went to the other end of the hall, and as I kicked open the door I saw five guns already aimed at me. I dodged to the outside doorframe as las-fire shot through the doorway, hitting Quint in shoulder. I ran forward, grabbing him and pulling him to relative safety, and looked for Krell. I saw him down the corridor, turning an adjacent hall into flame as cultists tried to overwhelm him.

I unclipped a hallucinogen grenade from my belt and tossed it in, pulling the respirator mask attached to the side of my helmet over my mouth and nose and going in. They were screaming, some writhing on the ground while some shot invisible targets. I brought my lasgun up and shot each through the chest.

As I began to look for other targets, I heard an angry buzzing, then a high-pitched squeal as the front halve of my lasgun was cleaved through by a chainsword. I dropped the useless hunk of metal, and rolled to the side, and stopped briefly to look at my attacker.

It was the one who had sacrificed the cultist, alright. A flak vest had been pulled on over the robes, but I could tell it was him. I reached to my waist, drawing my chainsword and flicking the ignition switch. I could see his eyes narrow, and I raised my blade, just in time to stop his. Sparks of fire shot from the strike, our chainswords whining.

He backed off, raising a hand. The next moment, I was slammed into the walls of the bunker, sinking to the floor. I fended off another psychic attack with one of my own, pulling a glow lamp off the wall and slamming it into his head. I took the moment he was dazed to charge him, swinging my chainsword in an arc that would rip his head from his shoulders, but at the last moment he raised his sword to block.

We broke the sword-lock and swung again. Our chainswords nicked each other as they passed, slowing and re-directing both. My swing went wide, grazing his legs. Metal shards began to pepper my face as his chainsword sawed through my helmet and respirator mask. My roll to the side saced me from certain death.

I tore my helmet off, my hair falling around me, black as my opponent’s soul.As he struck with his sword again, I ducked under the blow, thrusting up under his ribcage. As the teeth chewed through his armor, then through him, shards of bone and wet globs shot out. I twisted my wrist to the right as I ripped it out, slicing through his heart and tearing the entry wound further. With his last breaths, he took one last feeble swing at me, which I instinctively and foolishly attempted to block with my hand. It sawed through my right arm, just below the shoulder. As my fallen limb spasmed on the floor, I remember hearing a scream form somewhere.

Then the pain hit, racking my body.”Throne help me my damn arm my arm my arm I can’t feel my damn arm where is my arm cultist bastards whore-sons of chaos motherfrakker…” It felt like my arm was asleep, pins and needles at first. Then it just wasn’t there, and as the air hit it I felt it slice through. I could feel the muscles pumping out blood. Soon I was in a puddle of it, the smell was horrible, and it was everywhere. And it was mine.

I knew I must disobey my master at this point, or die. I dipped my mind into the warp, letting a hand rest on the spurting stump. I found myself immersed in the Warp, and desperately yanked myself out with what energies I could grab. Skin and bone were mended, but it was still a stump. Blood loss and more power than I had ever used had left me overcome, and I fell unconscious to the sound of Quint’s servos whining as he rushed to me, and cultists screaming as they burned.



*Chapter 2
An Awakening​*

I woke up later, my head bouncing on Krell’s back. We were apparently leaving, as I saw stairs beneath us. I started to struggle, so he put me down. Quint stopped up ahead and looked back to see the cause of delay, looking very shaken up. “He awake? We need to get out there, the Inquisitor is waiting for us, need to move, need to move...”

Krell looked at me, and nodded to my stump. “I’ll be fine, I can walk. Thank you.” He nodded once more, and kept going up the stairs, me in his trail. As I stumbled out of the shack, the cold winds hit me like a slap in the face, even more than the sudden appearance of Inquisitor Gausen standing with a squad of soldiers, a woman in a black body glove and feudal plate standing beside him. The squad moved in after us, most likely to eliminate any remaining cultists.

I saw Quint hand Gausen the book, a small black journal covered in strange blood-red symbols that it hurt to look at. Approaching Gausen, I felt enraged at his sub-standard intel on what to expect. “‘Light Resistance’? There was a bloody garrison in there! By the Throne, it’s like a maze once you get to the tunnels! The leader was a damned witch! We almost died in there!”
He glanced at my stump, mostly covered by the ragged remains of the tattered robe I had been wearing. He then struck me across the face, sending me sprawling in the snow as if I had been hit by a Thunder Hammer.”Remember your place, Acolyte. This was a test.” He got on one knee, grabbed what remained of my arm, and dislocated the shoulder of my already ravaged arm, grimacing at my scream. He whispered into my ear “You failed.”

I was dragged by one of the troops onto Gausen’s personal Dauntless-class ship, the Sol Invictus. As I was dragged up the ramp where Quint and Krell looked on in anger and amazement at the Inquisitor’s brutality, I spat blood into the trooper’s face. I would spend the night in the on-ship medical center, having a cybernetic arm attached after they fixed my shoulder. We then took off on a journey to the hive world of Scintilla in the Calixis Sector of Segmentum Obscurus.

The next day, I was sitting in my meager room aboard the ship, cleaning my chainsword meticulously of bits and pieces from the cult leader. The door opened, light flooding into the dim room. I squinted, looking up to see the woman I had seen with Gausen earlier standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a black bodyglove with a dark jacket, her hair black with streaks of red through it. 

She considered my new arm for a moment. I wasn’t surprised; I had chosen to have it coated in protective substances, but left bare of fake skin.

“Vixus Kragov, correct?” She asked.

I nodded. 

“Come with me.”

I stood, pulling a weather-worn sea-green trench coat on over the black shirt I had been wearing. She tossed me my sword belt, and I sheathed my chainsword and strapped it on.

We left my room and I followed her down the brightly lit corridor, the walls furnished with glorified depictions of Gausen’s victories. I scowled at it, much to the amusement of the woman, who chuckled at my expression. 
We stopped outside of Gausen’s room. I looked at her, confused, but she simply smirked and reached into her sleeve, taking out a thick black cord with a reflective circle at one end and a small wafer-sized screen on the other. She tapped the screen, and the circle’s lens opened up, revealing it was a small camera. She slipped it under the door, and I watched the screen with great interest.

It showed Gausen at his desk, a single desk lamp on, shining on a book he was reading. She thread more of the wire under the door and angled it so his desk could be seen. He was examining a book with a black cover and...It was the book from the cultist base! He was reading it with great interest, translating its words on an opposite page. The screen turned black as she tapped it again, and slid the wire back up her sleeve. She grinned viciously at me, to see me echoing her expression.

“So good ol’ puritan Gausen’s turned out to be a bit of a radical, eh?” I looked at the woman, examining her and giving a brief psychic push to “convince” her to speak truthfully. “Why are you showing me this? Who are you?”

“I show you this because we both want him to fall out of the power he’s granted himself. My name is not important, but you can call me Seraph.”

I gave a joking sigh and with a mental push said “Is there really need for the cloak and dagger act?”

“I suppose not. My name is Sophia Lanin. Charmed.” She said with a wink and a smile.

I began to speak, when we heard a chair scraping back inside the room. She whispered in a quick voice “You have to steal the book and his translations, for evidence, lest he suspect and destroy them. Do not read either, however. We can’t have two heretics on this ship.”

I nodded, and then we sprinted off in opposite directions, me to my room, her to Emperor knows where. That night, I did not sleep, thoughts of what to do running through my head.

The next day, I was called into Gausen’s office.






*Chapter 3
Odd Occurrences*​I walked through the doors to find him sitting at his desk. He seemed startled by my presence, and quickly stashed several sheets of paper inside a drawer of his desk. He turned to me, and the circles underneath his eyes and his worn expression, he had spent the night with the book. 

“Yes? What is it, I am incredibly busy.”

“You called me, Inquisitor.”

He seemed confused for a moment, then nodded.

“The incident on Cadia. You were instructed to not use your…abilities. “

“Sir, I would have_ died._”

He muttered under his breath sarcastically, “Another psyker gone...oh no!”

“Sir?”

“Nothing. I’ve read your file. It has some…gaps. Where were you born? And when?”

“Why do you need to know?”

“Remember your place.” He hissed. I sighed under my breath, and hesitantly told him.

“I was born aboard my father’s ship, the Emperor’s Outcast, while in warp travel to Gudrun for trading. That was approximately twenty four standard years ago.”

“Void born…interesting. Who were your parents?”

“My father was a Rogue Trader named Matin Kragov, born on Cadia. My mother was named Izahbellah, born on a Shrine World, I’m not sure which. She died giving birth to me. If I may ask, sir, what do you need this information for?”

His expression had shifted from one of slight interest to surprise and…satisfaction? He was trying to find something about me, or my parents. I just had to find out what. 

He stood from the desk, going to his liquor cabinet and getting two glasses and a bottle of some thick, brown liquid. He poured out two drinks, looking deep in thought as he did so. As he handed me one of the glasses, he knocked back his own.

“When we reach Hive Tarsus, you will accompany me throughout the city and serve as a bodyguard. You are dismissed.”

I nodded, finishing my drink and setting the empty glass on the desk as I left. As I walked out of the room, I could feel him watching me. After a quick check of my chrono, I went to the common room to look for Quint and Krell.

As I walked, thoughts and suspicions raced through my head. Why was he appointing me as his bodyguard? It made no sense. 

As I entered the common room, I saw Krell and Quint sitting in a corner table, their backs turned to me as if they were in discussion with someone. As I drew nearer, I saw they were speaking to Seraph. They turned and nodded to me, and I sat at the table, looking at the group with a confused stare. 

Seraph turned to me with a serious expression on her face. 

“I saw you going into Gausen’s quarters. Do you have the book?”

“You’re watching me now?”

“Answer the question.”

“No. He called me in, appointed me his bodyguard, dismissed me.”

She sighed, and then nodded. “Shame the chance didn’t present itself. Yes, they have been made aware of what is happening. He appointed you as his bodyguard? Odd… he either trusts you, something I very much doubt, or you are a weak point to his plans. Friends close, enemies closer, right?”

“I suppose. Who is it you’re working for? Why are you doing this?” As I spoke, I layered my will over my voice, only to be met with a mental wall.

She responded with a smug smirk. “ Nice try. Since you’re so insistent, I’ll tell you. I work for the Emperor and his Imperium of Man through the Officio Assassinorum, with the Venenum Temple. I was sent to investigate your Inquisitor’s odd actions lately, and to determine whether this is heresy apparent within the Inquisitor or his followers.”

“You saw the same I did yesterday, why don’t you turn him in now?”

I heard a mechanic click from Quint’s throat. “ Because, Vixus. She doesn’t have any evidence.”

“Not only that, I want to see how far this may go. Not to mention direct involvement from the Imperium, especially the Officio Assassinorum would throw him off, might make him run.Each of us will play a part in this. Vixus, you’ll steal the book, since you can hide yourself in the shadow of the Warp, and watch his movements on Scintilla through your new position.Krell will hide the books and the translations in his own quarters, since he would be the last to be suspected.Quint will watch the data-nets for suspicious messages. I will try and determine his plans. He believes me to be an ambassador from Luna, and will try to keep me out of his affairs. You may have to do some meddling, Vixus, and try to keep me there as often as possible.”

“Hold on.I’m being put in the most risk here.Since when did I agree to this?”

“Since he beat you down in the snow.”

I frowned, looking down and falling silent.

Seraph rose from her seat, making a short bow. “I must take my leave. If you have need of me, I am residing in the Ambassador’s quarters. Knock thrice to signal it is one of you. Vixus. You must take the book tonight. If he has lost his prize, he will become hasty and desperate in his actions on Scintilla. I can not stress enough that you are not to read any of his writings. Just a glance of these kinds of texts can turn someone to do unspeakable things.”

I nodded, and watched briefly as she left. Afterwards, Quint stood, frowning, and shuffled out of the common room.I looked to Krell, who was staring at the table and scowling. “What’s your take on this?” He looked up from the table, and sighed. “Too risky. This is an Inquisitor, a servant of the Emperor. His methods are harsh but…heresy? Acting on little more than a rumor is unreliable… This could cost us our lives.”

“I agree. But it’s our duty to weed out any hint of heresy.We have to at least investigate. “

He nodded reluctantly. 

“So…do you think we can trust her?”

“I’m not sure. She seems to mean well enough, but she is from the Officio Assassinorum. I find it more likely than not that we are part of a bigger game we aren’t aware of yet.”

Hearing him speak was surprising. I expected him to sound angry, ready for battle. Instead he just sounded tired, and worried. For him to be the voice of reason made me feel ashamed, for some reason, like I had been scolded. I hadn’t expected him to be so logical…never hearing someone speak can mislead you. He was right, though. I left to do my task conflicted, but know this was what I must do. As I walked, I thought of the past.


*Chapter 4
Somewhere in the Immaterium, 24 Years Ago.*​The pilot focused on his screens, trying not to look up at the viewports where the Warp lied beyond. Even though the ceramite blind-screens had risen up from inside, he shuddered to think of the swirling chaos and confusion. He began to think of his younger days, and his younger self.

He thought of his first day in service with the Imperial Guard, uniform crisp and gleaming, confidence and pride soaring.

He thought of his regiment’s first victory, a small rebellion crushed on the hive world of Mastus IV. The gangers had been taken down with little effort, and the nobles put back in power.

He thought of Ferok, where he had encountered psykers for the first time in battle. They had gone rogue, driven mad from the Warp. They had first turned the lower hive levels to their cause through wealth, then the middle hives by false promises. Those who resisted were murdered, and the hive rose up against it’s masters, slaughter and crime filling the streets. As his regiment had attacked the hive along with the Volpone Bluebloods, fire had rained down from the psyker’s combined power, wiping out two-thirds of his regiment.

He thought of three months later, when the hive was finally taken back, and as his Commissar came out of orbit to gain the glory of executing them. He had nightmares of them rising up and finishing him for months.

He thought of Xankime, where the regiment’s commissar had sealed himself inside a bunker with his lieutenants to hide from an aerial bombing by the rebelling forces, leaving his soldiers to die.

He thought of Valmeth, where an entire planet’s innocent citizens had been butchered by him and his comrades because a Xenos artifact was found and they were infected. Later examinations of the corpses revealed there was never any disease.

He thought of his desertion, his desperate flight to Gudrun,fleeing the horrors of war, stowed away on a ship with 5 criminals escaping capture.He remembered getting off the ship as the planet celebrated the creation of it’s newest regiment.

He thought of his first time meeting his now-wife, 7 years ago on the day he arrived on Gudrun. He thought of their unborn child, resting within her womb.

At that moment, the intercom signal went off, yanking him away from his thoughts. “Matin..the baby is coming!” He could hear his wife’s frantic panting as she spoke, and was already turning on the autopilot. He rose from his chair, rushing to their rooms onboard the ship.

As he entered the room, he saw his wife laying in bed, sweating, pain on her face. “You know what you’re doing…” he muttered to himself, though he knew it was just a comforting lie. Over the next hours, he would swing from panic to denial as his wife went through birth.

Finally, the baby came, crying and screaming at this new bright world. It was the most beautiful sound in the world to him.”It’s a boy!” He said, tears of joy rolling down his face. He wiped the baby off with a cloth and wrapped it, and held his son for the first time, smiling.

His wife, breathing heavily, smiled. “Let me see him too, Matin.” She laughed softly as he was reluctant to let go, and reached out as he handed it to her. Gently rocking it, she soothed the baby’s crying. As the baby reached out to her face, pawing at her chin, she said “Let’s name him Vixus. Vixus Kragov.”

Just then, she smiled, but her eyes dimmed, and began to close. Her arms started to fall from her chest, her grip on Vixus loosening. The last she heard was her son’s crying, and her husband screaming. 

“Izahbellah? Izahbellah!”

The ship jolted as they came out of warp travel.





*Chapter 5
Warp Shadows*​I stopped in front of Gausen’s door. Reaching into the warp, I filled the area around me with static, disrupting any cameras or bugs in his room, and clad myself in the warp’s shadows. I put my ear to the door, listening. Nothing.
I slammed my boot into the codepad beside the door, sparks and colored bits of electronic falling to the floor. The door juddered open, and I crouched inside, going to the desk and flicking on the lamp, and began to search through it.

I tossed papers out, pulled drawers out of their rollers, and rifled through every cranny of it. There was not time to be neat. Finally, I found the book. Now that I saw it closer, it was a truly awful thing. The cover was blackened skin, Chaos symbols written all over it. It seemed to tremble with the power it contained. In the center, there was the title: Ahzek’s Donum of Scientia.

I felt a powerful temptation to read it, to gain the forbidden knowledge hidden inside. I opened the cover uncontrollably, and saw the translations tucked inside, reminding me of what I needed to do. I tore myself from the book’s grasp, feeling as if my mind had been torn as I did so. I slammed the book shut, tucking it in my coat, feeling it’s icy touch still.

I turned towards the entrance to leave, but backed to the wall as I heard someone walking outside.The sound stopped, then intensified as they ran to the room. Inquisitor Gausen burst into the room, frantically looking about for an intruder. He ran straight past my shadowed self, to the drawer where the book had been. As he began to desperately search, I slipped out the door. 
I began to ran down the hallway, Gausen’s incoherent screams of rage echoing behind me, chasing me. “Too close..too close..much too close..” I told myself that I was talking about being caught by Gausen, but I knew that wasn’t the truth.

My sprint ended as I reached Krell’s room. I slammed my fist on the door three times, letting my focus drop as I did so, revealing myself just as Quint opened the door. He rushed me inside, looking both ways down the hall and closing the door.

Krell was sitting on his bed, and from his expression, he and Quint had been echoing I and Krell’s conversation earlier. I ripped the book out of my coat, letting it fall to the nightstand. I sank into a chair, exhausted.

Quint looked at it. “Is that..you actually…”

“Yes.”

Krell shot me a look of disapproval. He stood from the bed, reaching up to the ceiling and pushing up. One of the tiles went up, then recessed back as he slid it away. He picked up the book, holding it like it was his death, and put it up in the ceiling.

“So..it is done.”

“It was the right thing to do. His translations were there. He is a heretic.”

“How can you be so sure? We don’t know how powerful it is. It could be a bloody ledger of the cultists for all we know!”

“It has power. I could feel it, enticing me to read it. I can still feel the pain from tearing myself from it. I couldn’t fight it, I even-“ I stopped, cursing myself. 

“You even what? By the Golden Throne, you didn’t read it did you? You did! You damn fool!”

“I didn’t read it! I was going to…but I restrained myself.”

“The thought shouldn’t even cross your mind.” He glared at me, I returning it, until Quint broke the silence.

“You should tell her about this.”

I nodded and stood, my legs still shaking a bit.

Quint opened the door for me, gesturing to go. “Omnissiah grant you luck. Come to my quarters afterward. We need to combat-outfit your arm before we reach Scintilla tomorrow.”

I nodded at Quint, buttoning up my trench coat and leaving the room.



*Chapter 6
Interrogation*​As I began making my way to Seraph’s rooms, I wondered about her. Why was she here? Was she really doing this for our benefit, or were we just tools, to be discarded and detained with Gausen when she was done with us? Why did she even need us?She was a Callidus assassin. Deceit and trickery was her temple’s trademark, she should have been able to handle this alone.

Arriving at her rooms, I hesitated before knocking. What if she was waiting in there with Gausen? I scolded myself for my silly thinking, knocking thrice on her door and waiting. A few moments later, the door was cracked, then swung open. I entered the room, and a quick skim revealed that being an Ambassador surely had it’s benefits over an Interrogator.

“You’ve acquired it?” She said from behind me.

“Yes.”

She went to my side, smirking slightly. “Did you sneak a peek?”

“Of course not. I read nothing.”

She grinned wickedly, circling me like a cat waiting to pounce on it’s prey. 
“But you wanted to.”

I hesitated, watching her as she circled. “…Yes.”

“The psyker wants forbidden power for himself..but cliché don’t you think?”

I scowled. “It was the book’s power that enticed me, not my thinki-“

“LIES! You can convince yourself otherwise, but not me. I can see it in your eyes. The desire for power, to crush your foes with the force others dream of. You wanted to read it. You wanted what it offered.”

I fell silent. She was right.

“Yes! You can’t deny it, because you know it is true.”She stopped in front of me, still wearing that wicked grin plastered over her face.”It’s okay, you heretic. As long as you keep your traitorous self in check, I won’t detain you…yet.”

She opened the door, and I turned and left, speechless. I walked back to my rooms confused, and ashamed of myself. I was ready to sleep after the eventful dead, to just fall into bed and be lost in my dreams.

But not this dream. Gausen waited in front of my open door, and from my view inside he had already searched it.

“Hello, Vixus. Returning from a stroll of the ship?”I took some delight in his manner, hate hidden under a mask of innocent questions. “How has your day been? Fun? Busy?”

“Not too busy, but it has been a good one considering my new position, sir.”

“Yes, a bodyguard to an Inquisitor now. Tell me, should someone in that position be a heretic? Would they make a good bodyguard?”

“No sir, absolutely not. I don’t quite understand your direction though.”

“The book you retrieved from the psyker scum on Cadia. It’s been stolen. Who would have use of such a text but a psyker?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know it’s contents so I can’t-“

“Cut the shit, Vixus.Empty your pockets.”

I did so, dropping a small bag of thrones onto the floor, my ID, several scraps of paper from various places,a small utility knife, a personal auspex, and filtration plugs.He took special interest in the scraps of paper, reading each carefully. He tossed them to the floor in disgust.

“I know you have it somewhere. I will find it. And when I do..” He thumbed the hilt of his power sword intimidatingly, then walked off, scowling.”

I loaded the contents back into my pockets, going into my room and straightening the worst of the mess before locking my door and falling asleep.



((This is my first time writing, and very much a rough draft. As the story continues, I have some idea of the plot and how the characters will develop, which I can tell you if your are interested. Please review this honestly, and give any tips for a beginner you can.))

Spaced paragraphs to aid readability - DTH


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## MaxDemone (Feb 9, 2012)

God.
Damn.
I love it!
I'm definatly gonna be waiting for more on this


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

An engaging beginning: I am looking forward to more.

I have a couple of comments on the style:

Firstly, as he fails the test for healing himself, should this line:

_"This would have been a normal mission, if I had been instructed to not use any of my psychic power. As it was, it would be a challenge for me."_​be:

_"This would have been a normal mission, had I not been instructed to not use any of my psychic power. As it was, it would be a challenge for me."_​
as it seems contradictory at the moment.

Secondly, many of your sentences have multiple clauses separated by commas. For example:

_I slammed a fresh magazine into my las carbine, gestured to the shack with two outstretched fingers, and we sprinted across the field, taking positions in the doorway._​
Sentences, especially in high-tension situations such as assaults, often work better if they are shorter and cover smaller amounts of detail. For instance:

_I slammed a fresh magazine into my las carbine and gestured to the shack with two outstretched fingers. We sprinted across the field, taking positions in the doorway._​


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

VixusKragov said:


> Prologue
> 
> And as I looked at the shadow in the darkness [surely you couldn’t see a shadow in darkness], seeming larger than the Mechanicus Titans from my position, a broken heap [this is a little cliché] lying on the floor, I knew this must end.
> 
> ...


I only have time to go through the first chapter, but I've added my notes.

It's good, but there is a lot of "telling" in there. You say it's a first draft, so a lot of that stuff is subconciously there to remind _you_ what's going on. But, we as the reader would prefer this information delivered over time and in a more interesting manner.

Keep it up!


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## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

Thanks for all the reviewing. Special thanks to immortal reaper, do you edit books for a living? Would love it if you could review the rest(if you want!) because your help is awesome xD.

I did struggle with how to portray the pain of getting his arm cut off. Any suggestions?


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## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

VixusKragov said:


> Thanks for all the reviewing. Special thanks to immortal reaper, do you edit books for a living? Would love it if you could review the rest(if you want!) because your help is awesome xD.
> 
> I did struggle with how to portray the pain of getting his arm cut off. Any suggestions?


You're most welcome. 

I'm a writer too, just finishing up my degree (had a little published) But I am a stickler for editing, do a lot of editing for friends and such.

I will take a look over the rest tomorrow for you. 

I think a break in the structure, for example:

la la la i'm running around all happy and merry and everything is fine with the world and I just took my dog to the parlour and it was awesome he's so cute and I have a dragon his name is bob and he likes - 

- description of the pain.

Try and relate it to average pain. So maybe mention it _sort of_ feels like his arm has gone to sleep below the cut. That sort of thing :S


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## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

> As my fallen limb spasmed on the floor, I remember hearing a scream form somewhere.
> 
> Then the pain hit, racking my body.”Throne help me my damn arm my arm my arm I can’t feel my damn arm where is my arm cultist bastards whore-sons of chaos motherfrakker…” It felt like my arm was asleep, pins and needles at first. Then it just wasn’t there, and as the air hit it I felt it slice through. I could feel the muscles pumping out blood. Soon I was in a puddle of it, the smell was horrible, it was everywhere. And it was mine.


How is that? I tried to put some average pain relation in it, and threw some disbelief that it had happened in there too. I tried to break the structure when he talked, and threw in a good measure of swearing like most people do when they get hurt badly.

Another issue I've had is that I don't really know how to describe how he uses psychic powers. I can describe the effects, but now how he gets the energy and all that. "Dips his mind into the warp" seems sub-standard to me. Anyone have any suggestions?

I revised Chapter 1 and changed one or two things in Chapter 2, and added Chapter 3 for those interested.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

The dialogue following Kragov's meeting with Gausen seems too calm and trusting; Kragov is being asked to betray an Inquisitor by someone he does not really know so it feels unrealistic that they all talk openly and calmly about all being part of the conspiracy. I believe it would work better if the conversation was more stilted, with hesitation, evasion, and a lack of trust.


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## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

Okay. Revised their convo, tried to make it look better.Thanks Dave!

Chapters 4-7 Added


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## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Howdy bud!

First off, good start to your story. You have quite a bit of the basics down (which made this a good read) but there are some small bits and bobs you could work on. I didn't get to this until much later than I had expected so I'll be brief. Don't expect much. I'm neither a professional nor well-versed in the intimacies of the English language and all its wonderful little subtle nuances. In other words, don't expect the level of proper detail as voiced by the others. I can only tell you what sounds right to me and how I do it. 

I recommend pretty much the same thing I mentioned in the PMs bud. While you have the basics down, it's in the way you execute them. At the moment, I really can't go into detail over your work. Also, it may be a day or two before I get the time. However, if you can bear with me, I will get back to you, either here or in PMs if you prefer. I am sorry about that one but I will do my best to let you know exactly what I think.

Good luck and good gaming,

Nate


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## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

My dreams were feverish, filled with the slaughter of long-forgotten worlds, the unholy book opening and telling me of power unimaginable. When I woke, I could feel the images burned into my mind, calling out to me. It would take all my willpower to resist the bastard's call.

The ceramite blinders of the viewport raised as we pulled out of Warp travel, the sun's light reflecting off the planet and illuminating my room. I reluctantly pulled myself from my cot's warm embrace, beginning to pull on my clothes. The door slid open as I finished buttoning my trousers. I turned to see Seraph standing in the doorway, a slightly shocked expression on her face. As she began to turn away in embarassment, I picked up a nearby shirt, pulling it on over the mass of raised white scars running across my chest and arms.

"What is it?" I asked, irritation giving an edge to my voice.

"I... we're about to land."

"Thanks for the mention, _Ambassador_."

She looked to my chest, as if she was remembering the sight of the scars. "What happened?"

"The Astra Telepathica are not kind in their Indoctrination of psykers. Why are you surprised? You've certainly seen worse in your work for the Officio Assassinorum."

"I specialize in poisoning. Mostly for political killings. I don't see my work...or do anything like that."

"Get used to it. Stick around the Sol Invictus and you'll see much worse than a few scars."

"Why are you angry with me?"

"You mean besides the heretical accusations and tendency to enter my quarters without the courtesy of knocking?"

She frowned, and turned away, facing the hallway. She glanced at me, the ship rocking as we made contact with the surface of Hive Tarsus' landing pad. "Krell, Quint, and Gausen are waiting in the landing bay. "

As I finished buckling my sword belt, I went into the hallway, to see her turning a corner. I sighed in irritation. Who would think the Assassin would get her damn feelings hurt?

********
"Are you sure you want to accompany us Ambassador?"

"Yes, Inquisitor. I'm curious to see how you operate."

"Very well."

Each of us walked down the dirt road, residents casting threatening glares our way. The heat of Hive Tarsus' upper levels was unbearable, and we weren't doing such a good job of blending in with the ragged beggars and tattooed gangers.

One of these types stumbled out of the nearest watering hole, going up to Gausen with the scent of cheap piss-ale on his breath.

"Sho you think yer special, with yer fancy clothes and guns? You ain't nothin to da boss! Ain't nothin! There's a tax fer walkin in his territory. Thwenty thrones, pay up!"

Everyone's eyes turned to us, waiting to see how Gausen reacted. He was already moving his hand towards his belt.

I put a hand on Gausen's shoulder. "Sir, he's clearly intoxicated. Let's keep moving and go on with the mission."

He pushed me away. "It is not your place to decide, _psyker_."

"I know, but-"

"Shut your heretic mouth."

"Look at the old married couple bitchin' at each other! You'sh ain't gunna do nuthin'. You scared o' da Blood Spillas cuz we're da baddest in the whole damn system!"

A chorus of grim laughter went up among the gangers.

In one fluid motion, Gausen drew his Inferno Pistol and shot the man through the head, flames rising and making the already hazy air distorted with heat.

Metallic clicks and angry muttering went up around us. I sighed, my face lined with grim determination."Damnit Gausen."

I barely had enough time to throw up a protective barrier around us before they opened fire. The blue bubble around us rippled and shook as the bullets impacted, the force steadily increasing to withstand the barrage.

As their magazines emptied, I broke the barrier, turning it into a shock wave of Warp energy, knocking the gangers into the buildings. They fell unconsious, and I fought to stand correctly.

Gausen paid no mind to me, only looking towards Seraph. "Are you injured Ambassador?"

She stood, brushing hair out of her face with her hands. "I..I think I'm alright. Those distasteful brutes!"

I had to hand it to her, she played the part well. Gausen went up to one of the beggars huddled in the alley to safety, grabbing the man's torn collar and slamming him against the wall. "Where is the one whom you call Brahn?"

The beggar seemed to become uneasy at the very mention of the man's name, though he may have just been frightened. He pointed with a shaking, bony finger to a small shack on the eastern horizon. From the decrepit wood and rusted window latches, it had been abandoned for quite some time. Gausen turned, heading towards the shack, hand firmly set on the grip of his Inferno Pistol.

I turned, tossing a few thrones to the beggar before following Gausen reluctantly, the rest beginning to follow. Gausen turned to look at the Ambassador. "Miss, stay here, out of danger." She pouted, shooting me a knowing look. I nodded nearly imperceptibly, drawing my chainsword as I moved with the group.

The door creaked open, a flickering light coming from the only other room, accompanied by an oddly joyous hum. Gausen took a position by the side of the door, I on the opposite. He waved Krell and Quint forward to point, Quint tossing in a photon flash grenade.We quickly turned our eyes away, except for Quint who simply readied his weapons.

Ears ringing, Krell ran in, and we followed. Inside was the man we were looking for, though he was a man no longer. His legs had fused together into a single worm-like appendage, scales running over his entire body except for his over-sized constantly blinking eyes.

He was squirming on the floor, his tail hitting the small pot over the fire, boiling stew splashing over the walls, adding a new stain. Krell grabbed him, slamming him against the wall and holding him while metal cords shot from Quint's elbows, wrapping around the mutant and binding him.

Gausen strode to the gurgling monster, grinning at his prize. He placed his Inferno pistol to the mutant's temple, and began to recite. "By order of the Emperor and His Holy Inquisition, you are detained under my charge until I deem you worthy of death."


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## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

We had moved down to the underground levels of Hive Tarsus, the homes of nobility surrounding us. As an Inquisitor, Gausen had used his influence to gain a temporary room from one of the finer hostels of the area.

Muffled gurgling was the only answer Gausen was receiving as he shocked and beat the mutant. We stood on the sidelines, all except for Seraph, who Gausen had insisted "should not see these things".

"I won't ask again, you disgusting mutant worm. We know you are in possession of a heretical text. Where have you hidden it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Even his voice had a slimy quality.

As Gausen raised the electro-baton again, the mutant gurgled, and began speaking in it's slithery way. "Wait! Stop, please, have mercy!"

"No mercy. Last chance, Brahn."

"I don't have the book anymore. I sold it to some dueler in Gunmetal City. I think his name was Mikhael."

"Thank you..."

The electro-baton went down. Blood splattered over the walls and Gausen's face. He wiped the blood from his eyes and lips, and smiled. "By order of the Emperor and His Holy Inquisition, I deem you worthy of the Warp, scum."

I left, disgusted. The door slammed behind me, and I heard the sizzle and wet slap as Gausen gave a final blow. Even for a mutant...he didn't care about killing. About murder in the name of the Holy Emperor. If anything, he seemed to enjoy it. It was wrong..a disgrace to the Immortal one. As the door slid open, I saw Seraph waiting. "Follow me, Vixus."

I followed her to the luxurious room she had been given, watching the corridors around is for people. The warp-static I had conjured should blot out the cameras, but if we were seen it could be reported to Gausen. Suspicion was something that would only hinder our progress.

We entered the room, and she turned on her heel, a burning curiosity in her eyes. "What happened?" 

"We interrogated Brahn. Gave us a lead on another text in Gunmetal City."

"Who's the lead?"

"No-one important."

She scowled. "If you don't inform me of what is happening, I can be no help against Gausen."

"You'll forgive me if I'm wary of an _Assassin_."

"An Assassin who is attempting to help you."

"An Assassin nonetheless, and one who could be leading them down the path of being charged with heresy. One who also has yet to give me any reason to trust her."

"I could have killed you twenty different ways since you entered this room, and set you up for my gain innumerable ways since I arrived on this ship. That I have restrained myself only means I still have use for you. If you refuse to be an informant...you are useless."

The tip of a finger hinged open, a needle touching my throat. She grinned wickedly. "So. Who is the lead?"

Her hand froze, turned, went to her own throat, poking the throat, the skin slightly breaking. A thin drop of blood ran down her throat. "Mikhael. A duelist. Beyond that we have nothing, and we are planning to investigate the local archives for info on him." I released my psychic grasp on her hand. " I do not enjoy being threatened."

I left, and however much she wanted to retort, her jaw could not move, just as the rest of her. Her eyes burned into me as I left, and she only blinked when I had left the room and released her.

******************

Gunmetal City. Dominated by the great silver spires rising to the heavens and the rock walls of the volcano it is built into. Smoke dominates the air, clean air reserved for those in power. Shots rang constantly throughout the city, and those areas not used for gun factories are reserved for dueling. It was no wonder Gausen had insisted that Seraph remain on the ship.

Two men stumbled out of a nearby building, each drawing pistols. No mind was paid to them as they began firing, except for a single man on the steps of the building.

A lucky shot winged one of them, but an immediate retaliation struck down his attacker. He stood, the well-dressed man nodding, handing over a bag of thrones and walking away. As the well-dressed man entered the building once more, a crew came out and collected the body.

"What was that?"

"Duels are quite common in Gunmetal City. It's the most prized, and the most deadly, of all professions. For many it's a choice between dying from factory fumes or chancing at earning glory and riches as a gunfighter."

"I always thought that was an urban legend, glorified tales of risky criminals."

"Then you were wrong."

_Really, I couldn't tell. Asshole._

Gausen turned to Quint. "Where are the archives?"

Quint's eyes changed to a digital blue as he scanned through his memory banks and scanned the area. After a moment of silent technological deliberation, Quint's eyes returned to their natural colors. "They're on the Northern side of the city."

"Where are we?"

"....the Southern side."

"Damn..we need that info on Mikhael now! If we don't hurry this up he'll jump city!"

" I *wish* he would jump city."

As I turned to see where the voice was, he was already stepping towards us. He wore military-issue combat fatigues and boots, but by the torn sleeves that were now used as a headband to keep the long brown hair out of his face, he hadn't been deployed for quite some time.

"Who are you? And how do you know of Mikhael?"

"My name is Recton Serval, ex-infantry, 21st Elysian. Anyways, who doesn't know of Mikhael? He's earned a reputation around here. Best damn duelist on the Eastern side of Gunmetal. Backed by some of the nobles, even."

"Are you sure of this?"

"He's been shooting me into 2nd for the last five years so yes, I'm sure."

"Any idea where he might be?"

"My guess would be the Thollos Arena, on the Western side. Good luck getting tickets, they're sold out to the nobles hiding behind glass."

"Let's get a move on then."

"Wait- what's he done?"

"Nothing, we..want to see him perform."

"An Inquisitor just happens to show up, has to be informed who Mikhael is, then 'just wants to see him perform'? I doubt it."

"None of your business." Gausen continued on.

I followed, but looked back, and directed my thoughts to him through the Warp.

_ Gausen's an ass. Go to the landing port. Wait in the offices- I shall meet you there. Perhaps we can do something about him. I'll tell you more when we meet.
_

Recton got a shocked look on his face, but nodded from afar.

*****************
Mikhael breathed out slowly, watching his opponent. The crowd was completely silent. He could hear his opponent shift his weight, breath. His hand begin to wander, and his opponent tensed, and reached for his pistol.

Draw.* FIRE!*

To Mikhael it lasted a lifetime, as he watched his opponent move his hand, as he moved his own. He could feel the heat of the las-pistol rising to his hand. Then the rasp of exquisite Carnodon-hide against his pistol, and the tinny "pew" as it fired.

The opponent fell, was still. The weak had fallen to the strong.

The roars and screams of the crowd caressed Mikhael's ear as he slid the pistol back into it's holster. He went to his opponent, mounting his right foot on the man's back. He bowed to the audience, savoring several more moments of adoration before making his exit.

He went out the side, seeing his driver waiting by his Aquila Lander. "Get in you dim fool, let's move before some upstart tries to shoot me." He opened the door, to find an incredibly hairy and muscular arm pulling him inside like a doll.

"Good work Krell. Quint, step on it."

The Aquila lurched forward, leaving the driver in the dust. He had had a weakly-guarded mind- it had not taken much to send him into a blissful state of dreaming.

"What is going on? Who are you people?"

I looked back from the passenger seat, seeing the sight of Mikhael squished between Krell and a very irritated Gausen. I fought laughter as I began to speak, my voice laced with the Warp.

"That's not important. Where is the book you purchased?"

His eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, falling under my control...but then they cleared. Stronger than I had thought. "I don't know what you're talking about. " He started to reach for his las-pistol, only for Gausen to press the hot barrel of his Inferno Pistol against the flesh of Mikhael's hand. It jerked back, earning a smile from Gausen.

He looked towards his attacker, noticing the Inquisitorial Rosette over Gausen's heart. "Damn...the Inquisition."

"That's right. Your mutant buddy, Brahn, sold you out. Where's your Chaos blighted book hidden?"

With a relaxed manner and smug smile, he taunted me. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I leaned forward, and sent a small psychic wave to him, slamming his head back into the metal of the speeder. Blood streamed from his head.

"I could crush your skull into jelly, make your tear your flesh open until you can watch your heart beat, or open a rift to the Warp and leave you to the mercy of the daemons. Tell me now, and I might spare you."

"...."

He reached inside his coat, pulling it from a hidden pocket. He handed it to me, and i looked at it for a brief moment. "Ahzek's Donum of Scientia II." The presence that had lurked within me the entire day woke, attacking my mind, the call almost too much to resist.

"What is the title, Vixus?"

"Ahzek's Donum of Scientia. Looks like the second volume in some series."

The briefest of smirks flickered across his face. "Open it. Make sure it's genuine."

"That's not a good idea."

"You're trained to resist this, aren't you? Open it!"

Reluctantly, I opened the cover. Words in a lost language swam before my eyes, turned blue, and began to change, becoming readable. 'For the eyes of the gifted. In Tzeentch's honor is this knowledge stored.' From the corner of my eyes, I saw Mikhael and Gausen watching with the same crazed, hungry look.

"It is genuine."

"Hand it over, then."

I gave it to Gausen, and saw the thought of opening flit through his mind. He slid it into his pocket, hand resting over it through the fine material. He then opened his door, wind and smoke rushing through the Aquila and drowning out our shouts.

Quint's mechanical voice amplified over the wind, a note of fear tinting his voice. "Inquisitor, we are at an elevation of 721 feet. Opening the door is highly inadvisable."

Ignoring the tech-priest, he opened it wider, pulling Mikhael's las-pistol from it's holster on his waist. The duelist instantly lurched forward, trying to protect his most prized possession, but a quick pistol whip from Gausen dazed him. Examining the pistol, he nodded appreciatively. 

"Fine weapon, Mikhael."

Gausen then grabbed the man's collar, hurling him out of the Aquila. He calmly pulled the door closed, and slid the ornate las-pistol into his coat.

"By the Throne, Gausen, what are you-" I stopped myself. It was useless. He was too far gone.

"Back to the Sol Invictus, Quint. We're leaving this wreck of a planet."


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## VixusKragov (Feb 21, 2012)

A shadow folded out from the ones surrounding, and a man stepped into the light, warily examining the one waiting for him.

“What's all this about then?”

“We could use you as an ally, Recton. Join Gausen, so we can bring him down.”

“Bring him down?”

“He's turned heretical. We need more help, and if you so wish, you could. Your inquisitive mind and fast shot could help us, and you would be well rewarded. It's a life of adventure.”

Rectan Servol considered it, and sighed. “I wish I could help you, mate. There's other things going on you're not aware of however. I can't come with your group. If you're ever on the planet again and find yourself in need of a good shot, come and find me.”

He walked away, once again joining the shadows. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I would see him again. On the day of my death.

Focusing myself, I pulled in all the Warp energy around me. The pathways and intricacies of the air around me opened up, revealing themselves. I plucked one out, and let the Warp energy envelop me. I let the energy burst out, wrapping around me, and I vanished.

******************

I appeared again in my quarters, the sudden burst of Warp energy throwing anything loose against the wall. My legs began to give, and I sank into my cot. “Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?”

I realized that someone had been knocking rather forcefully on my door. I reached out to unlock the door, only to find my mechanical arm would not move. “Damn...”Standing up, I held to the wall with my left arm, steadying myself.

“Vixus! Open up already!”

I reached out, tapping in the code to unlock it. As the door slid up, it revealed Seraph once again.

“What now?”

“I've been knocking for fifteen throne-damned minutes! Where have you been?”

“Not important. What do you need?”

“Gausen just came up from the cargo bay. He was carrying several jars filled with some thick black liquid. Seemed in a hurry to stay hidden and get began to his rooms.”

“Let me guess. You want me to check It out?”

“Both of us. I'm tired of being elsewhere when everything important happens.”

“Let's go then.”


The glow lamp was a single light in the darkness, illuminating the weapons of war and murder, showing us the path through the maze.

“There's a trail leading off from here. Some kind of ink.”

Seraph looked over. “Ink? Odd...”

We followed the trail to a small space enclosed by crates, ink splattered in random places over the floors. Seraph bent down, raking a finger through the ink. She examined it, walking over to the light of the glow lamp, holding it up.

“Looks like what was in Gausen's jars.”

“Any idea what it is?”

“No idea.”

“Hmm. Got a vial or something to carry it in?”

She took a small clear container the size of a chrono's face out, scooping up as much of the ink as would fit into it. I took it, tucking it into my pocket.

“Might as well head back to your rooms before someone sees us investigating this.”

She nodded, and began to walk away. I turned back to the ink splatters, looking for some kind of pattern. There was none, but a cursory step revealed the crunch of broken glass. He must have gotten angry and smashed one of the jars...but why was he here in the first place?”

An idea came to me, and I began to run towards the cargo bay's exit.

**************************

“You've angered the machine spirit of your cybernetic. When did this happen?”

“I was trying out something I learned.”

“Warp power?”

I nodded. “Teleportation.”

“Well the machine's spirit certainly did not enjoy it.”

“Is there any way to fix- I mean, appease- the spirit?”

He nodded, and began pulling implements from a compartment in his forearm. Various silver-tipped clamps and screwdrivers came out, his mechadendrites operating four at one time. Tinny whirring and creaking came from my arm as he began his work. I watched, but I couldn't see what he was doing. Eventually, I could feel a shock, and began to move my fingers.

“Your cybernetics should be functional again, working at approximately 98.2134% efficiency. Some soreness may occur as the machine-spirit reiterates it's presense with yours.

I flexed the arm hesitantly,feeling it working better and faster than it ever had before. I tried to remember the name of the Adeptus Mechanicus' god, what was it's name....

“Many thanks be to the Omnissiah for blessing you with your skill, Quint. I wonder if you might be able to help with another matter.”

He turned his head slightly to the right. “Hmm?”

I pulled the small container from my pocket, handing it to him. “Any idea what this is?”

His right eye extended, breaking up into sections like a microscope. He viewed the ink from several angels, then his eyes turned to a digital blue as he surveyed his memory banks. Several minutes later, his eye retracted and turned to his normal color.

“Malkiirian Kol-Ink. An increasingly rare commodity prized and high-priced due to it's finite selection. Once used on the planet of Malkiir to decode their secret ways of writing. The planet has since been conquered by Ahzek Ahriman, of the Thousand Sons legion sometime in the last five millenia, and all records were burned away during an attack of the 13th Black Crusade.”

“Ahzek...” My mind turned to thoughts of the two books.

“This goes beyond the realm of coincidental plausibility.. Where did you discover this substance?”

“In the cargo bay. After Gausen was seen leaving with jars of the same ink.”

“This raises the mathematical probability of Inquisitor Gausen's heretical tendencies exponentially. “

“Aye.”

“I believe this calls for a discussion with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Traitor Acolytes. “

“We'll meet in Seraph's rooms. Get Krell and inform him of the situation, meet there in an hour.”

“Very well. I shall arrive in, as you say, three thousand six hundred standard seconds.”

“Standard seconds? As opposed to....?”

“Time in the Warp is relative, and the varying orbits of the many planets lead to a standard day being longer.”

I laughed. “Thanks again for the help with the arm.”

“Thanks are not required for the transaction of a favor between the relationship called “friends”.

I smiled at the man's odd ways, walking out the door and to Seraph's rooms.

*************************

“So. What are we going to do about this?” I said, looking around at the gathered.

Seraph turned to me. “The Malkiirian Ink and Gausen's earlier translations give us enough evidence to detain him.”

“So we can arrest him now? Why are we still here?”

A click sounded as Quint's vox-speaker activated. “Negative. His actions on the ship are unpredictable and we don't know how much of the crew is loyal to him.”

“What's our current destination?”

A voice like gravel sounded from the corner.” Ferok.”

“The site of the Psyker Revolts?”

I nodded. “Aye. My father served to quell them.”

“Another lead on a book?”

“Arbites raided a criminal headquarters in the area. The 'gang' had been scrawling Chaos symbols at the crime scenes, presumably to frighten off investigators and citizens. After the raid, Arbites found a copy of a page from a heretical text, and they were labeled as a cult. The remainder are being hunted down through the city of Lorkrir as we speak.”

“So we should wait until we've found the third book to detain him.”

“Seraph, we need to take him down as soon as possible.”

“Very well. Quint, how long until we leave Warp-space?”

“One hundred three thousand six hundred eighty standard seconds.”

Each of us looked at Quint with a blank stare.

“Seventeen thousand two hundred eighty standard minutes.”

“Uhm...”

He let out a long sigh. “Two hundred eighty eight standard hours.”

Another blank stare.

His vox-speaker amplified. “TWELVE STANDARD DAYS.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway..that gives us enough time to send a message to the forces of Ferok. A force of Imperial Guard will be waiting at the landing pad to detain Gausen.”

“What are we going to do with the second book?”

“Leave it. We can retrieve it after he's been detained. Taking it now will only agitate him.”

“We're just going to leave him with it?”

“What harm can it do?”

“He could open a portal to the Warp, let daemons in, corrupt all of us, do any number of horrible things with what's contained in that book!”

“All of which require psychic power, of which he has none.”

“Even still-”

“Everything will be fine. We'll just have to keep an eye on Gausen.”

“I think we should bug the cargo bay, and Gausen's rooms.”

“Agreed. Quint?”

“I can have the necessary devices prepared in approximately ten thousand eight hundred standard seconds.” He looked around, and sighed again. “Three hours.”

“Good. Krell, try to find out who's with Gausen amongst the crew.”

He nodded.

“We've all got our duties. Move out.”

***********************

Krell and Quint left, Quint already mumbling about the tech and parts, putting the pieces together in his mind. I turned to Seraph.

“So. I assume I get to see Gausen's quarters again?”

“Being a psyker's a bitch, eh?”

“You don't know the half of it.”

We both laughed. 

“So how is the scared Ambassador role working out?”

“Gausen's a pig.”

“That bad? Good we won't have to deal with him much longer, then.

She laughed. "Yes.."

".....so you've never been in real war, huh?”

“What?”

“Sure you've killed and poisoned, but you haven't seen real war.”

“And you have?”

“I've had my arm cut off by a cult leader after killing the entire cult with two people backing me up due to Gausen's horrible intel. My childhood was filled with boarding actions and shootouts when deals went bad.I've been shot more times than I can count, and I've not always been with Gausen's troops. Trust me, I've seen war.”

“...What is it like?”

“Chaotic. Terrifying. Full to the brim with death.”

“I see.”

“No, you don't. You never know war until you've been in it. It's savagery is inconceivable. Most people can't picture a thousand people, a million. I've seen as many corpses stretching across once idyllic fields of grain.”

“...”

“I'm sorry. That was uncalled for.”

“It's okay.”

I looked at her. She smiled towards me, her blue eyes shining with her smile. Raven black hair falling around her shoulders, moving ever so slightly with every turn of her head. She looked down to the floor, words whispering out.

“We're two of a kind, you know.”

“How so?”

“Both of us taken from our homes. Trained our whole lives to kill. Told we're killing machines, and nothing more. Body and mind molded for the service of the ever-so holy Emperor. “

“Molded by unholy means. Torture and brutal training. I know what you mean. We're ruled by our duty, only to end in death. Hypocrisy is the Imperium's essence."

She laughed darkly, looking up at me. “We fight for freedom at the expense of our own.”

We stayed silent for a long time, watching each other, waiting for the other to speak. 

I stood from my chair, moving towards the door. “ Come get me when Quint has finished.”

“I will.”

I smiled back at her once, and left.


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