by S P Cawkwell
‘We do not mourn the deaths of those who are lost in service to the Emperor,’ said Kerelan. ‘We celebrate their lives instead. They will all receive their honours in the Halls of Remembrance, of that you may be assured.’
‘You return to Varsavia, then?’
‘Only to rearm and resupply. The armouries of the Eighth and Ninth are much diminished on the back of this campaign.’
The inquisitor hesitated for a moment. ‘And the matter of Sergeant Ur’ten’s defiance?’
‘The Lord Commander gave me leave to address that matter myself. It was with regret earlier that I advised Sergeant Gileas Ur’ten that he will not be returning to his home world, but will instead be returned to the Eighth Company battle lines.’
Kerelan’s face was completely expressionless. ‘I am sure you can imagine how this sat with him. A terrible punishment, being turned away from the fortress-monastery.’
Her smile became broader. Gileas had told her how he had yearned to return to his brothers of Eighth Company.
‘A harsh punishment indeed,’ she said, seriously.
‘Quite so.’
‘In time, I suspect, first captain, Gileas Ur’ten will rise through the ranks. Perhaps one day he will fight by your side as your peer rather than your support. He would make a formidable Terminator.’
‘Djul would not let him within fifty metres of a suit of Terminator armour. I have no concerns in that regard.’
Argentius had been pleased to hear of the uneasy truce that Gileas and Djul had formed, however tentative. Kerelan did not mention this. Nor did he mention that Vashiro had once again denied a recommendation for Gileas to be considered for a captaincy. The sergeant had acted with integrity and honour and proven that he was more than worthy as a leader of men. The first captain’s recommendation was the highest accolade that Gileas would likely ever receive. But he had been denied.
His time is not yet come.
Six words. That had been all Vashiro had had to say on the matter and they had sent a shudder of anticipation through the first captain.
A silence fell between Kerelan and the inquisitor whilst those who were departing for the planet’s surface boarded the transport. When she was certain that she was the only one remaining on the hangar deck, she nodded.
‘There is one last thing,’ she said and from within the depths of her dark coat, she withdrew a data crystal. ‘A transcript of a coded astropathic message I sent an hour past. There are things contained within that I feel…’ She offered the item and Kerelan took it. ‘Sometimes, words are not enough. But by way of gratitude…’
She shook her head and thrust her hands back in the deep pockets of her coat. Her artifically youthful face took on the stern expression he had come to recognise on her. ‘Of course I have never given you this.’
Kerelan raised an eyebrow quizzically, but she offered no further explanation. He looked at the crystal, then at the inquisitor. ‘While we speak of gratitude, perhaps you could answer a question for me. While Valoria was indeed in dire need of our aid, did you have ulterior motives for choosing to travel in our company?’
She gave him another mysterious smile by way of response. ‘We all do what we must,’ she replied neutrally. ‘The Silver Skulls will prevail against overwhelming odds, First Captain Kerelan. Of that I am sure. In the Emperor’s name.’ She bowed, briefly, and made the sign of the aquila across her breast.
‘In His name.’
Kerelan returned the gesture and the bow and watched as she strode up the ramp of the vessel. The door slid shut on grating hydraulics that had seen better days and the engines began whining as they cycled for launch. The first captain of the Silver Skulls Chapter turned and walked from the hangar as the inquisitor’s ship prepared to depart, the airtight hangar door sealing closed behind him.
‘And she gave this to you freely?’ The Prognosticator studied Kerelan carefully, but the first captain’s face did not change. His voice, though. It was all in his voice.
‘Yes,’ replied Kerelan grimly. ‘She did. And whilst I am sure that she has not disclosed all that she could have and that I should forget what it is that I have seen, there are some things that are impossible to unsee.’ His fingers wrapped around the data crystal in the palm of his hand and he opened them out again. ‘This is one of them.’
The two, warrior and psyker, sat in the strategium. The light levels had been reduced to the bare minimum, the simulation of shipboard night, and a hazy mauve swathed the vast area. The small amount of light thrown out by a data-slate’s screen was the only other form of illumination in the room. The human contingent aboard the vessel may have required light, but the two Adeptus Astartes did not. Beyond the ship, the Geller field held back the roiling madness of the warp, an uncomfortable reminder of the skies over Valoria and how close they had come to catastrophe.
Once they had left Anaximenes IV, Kerelan had retired to his personal chambers and viewed the contents of the data crystal. What he had read within its contents had disturbed him deeply and he had been unable to rest. He had turned to Bhehan for advice. The Prognosticator was many centuries his junior, but the boy was wise beyond his years.
‘She put herself in a dangerous position allowing you to see the contents of this crystal,’ observed Bhehan. He reached and took the object from the flat of Kerelan’s hand. ‘Why would she do that, do you think?’
‘I have asked myself that question over and again,’ said Kerelan. ‘And every time, I come to the same answer. Because she felt she owed us this much. And perhaps because she sees to the heart of our Chapter’s issues more clearly than we do ourselves.’ He shook his head. ‘Perhaps she did it for some other reason that is beyond our comprehension. The ordo moves in mysterious ways, after all. I do not like feeling as though I am a pawn in some greater game of the Imperium.’
Bhehan rose from his seat, feeling the damning weight of the data crystal in his hand. He stared out at the muted, raging energies of the warp. He had rarely had reason to consider why it was that humans did anything. Their behaviour patterns were erratic at best, unpredictable at worst. He had been conditioned to expect inquisitors to behave in a certain way and Liandra Callis had broken that pattern.
‘Do we divulge its contents to Vashiro? To Argentius?’
The first captain’s voice contained a note of uncertainty and Bhehan let his mind drift lightly over the potential ramifications of bringing this information to the attention of the Chapter’s most influential adviser. What he sensed there unsettled him more than he already was in the wake of reading the inquisitor’s words. He foresaw a time of upheaval and great change; just as he had predicted in the rune casting before this mission had deployed.
Bhehan knew that he was gifted with genuine foresight. Too many things had come to pass that he had envisioned for it to be a mere coincidence. The visions, if that was the right word to describe them, were not always accurate, of course, and he had come to learn in the past few weeks that there had to be room for interpretation. Otherwise, the majority of the Silver Skulls would willingly follow the guidance of the chosen few until disaster occurred.
For the first time, Bhehan genuinely questioned the manner in which his Chapter operated and the divergence of his faith and loyalty left a hollow in the pit of his gut that he did not like. Not one bit.
‘I do not honestly know,’ he said in time. ‘I am unsure that it would be wise to bring this information to Vashiro’s attention. The inquisitor has given us a warning and we need to consider long and hard the outcome of sharing this knowledge.’ He turned from the viewport and looked at Kerelan, his young face lined with concern. ‘We can ill afford a schism within our Chapter and this is where the road leads.’
‘Do all roads lead to that ending? Is it something that we must accept and confront openly, armed with what we know?’
‘You would fight your own brothers over this
matter? First Captain Kerelan, would you really set aside the millennia of tradition over the contents of a single crystal that may not even be truth? Had you considered the possibility that the inquisitor’s report is a carefully constructed ruse? There is a certain ambiguity to the words. She does not name the…’ A scowl marred his features. ‘The ones who made this claim, after all.’
Kerelan looked ashamed. That very thought had indeed coloured his reckoning. He had served the Silver Skulls for centuries, boy and warrior, and the thought of change was alien to him. But he had truly seen how he and his battle-brothers were perceived through the eyes of others for the first time. He had been awakened to the realisation that beyond the impenetrable walls of Varsavia’s fortress-monastery, the Silver Skulls were sometimes considered in a less than favourable light.
‘My advice, first captain, is that we wait.’ Bhehan’s blue eyes flared with intensity for a moment. ‘We wait and we watch. What I have seen may not come to pass. The inquisitor may have given us the means to change the future of our Chapter.’ He measured the weight of the crystal in his hand. The motion was more metaphorical than anything else and he did not like the outcome of the balance. He offered it back to Kerelan. ‘This may appear to damn us, but in the same context, we are exonerated. How we choose to read her warning can be our redemption or our undoing. Whether we share this knowledge… cannot be my decision.’
Kerelan took the crystal from the young Prognosticator and looked thoughtfully at it for a long while.
‘Thank you, Bhehan,’ he said, effectively dismissing the Prognosticator from his presence. The younger warrior sketched a salute and strode from the strategium. Kerelan tossed the data crystal back onto the table and dropped back down in his seat but found he was entirely unable to take his gaze from it.
He could share the contents of the inquisitor’s message with his superiors, or he could obliterate the words. But whatever he did, the inquisitor had set things in motion. He would be damned if he brought this information higher up and he would forever wonder what would have happened if he did not. The wrong decision could unwittingly spell downfall for the entire Chapter.
The decision had to be his and his alone and he did not make it for several hours. He could only hope that he chose wisely.
Epilogue
= Priority Transmission =
From: Inquisitor Callis, Ordo Hereticus
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Security Level Maxima Ultra.
Breach of this code is considered an act of traitoris extremis.
Any non-authorised individual attempting to view these documents will be dealt with severely.
+++
Transmission Begins
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Thought for the day: Serve the Emperor today, tomorrow you may be dead.
Subject: Mission Alpha Forty Seven
As instructed, I am transmitting under separate cover my final report on the matter of the Silver Skulls Chapter as tasked to me by your esteemed selves several months ago. I have had occasion to spend a great deal longer with these noble warriors than previously anticipated and I feel I would be doing a disservice to them as a Chapter and to myself as a woman of integrity not to impart my full and frank assessment.
There are matters that must be addressed. However, let me state the positive first.
In the matter of the situation on Valoria, I feel it essential that I report that the warriors of the Silver Skulls Chapter who accompanied me and my interrogators carried out their duties with due diligence and true excellence. I have nothing but praise for their actions and their dedication in ensuring that the situation was dealt with swiftly and effectively.
The outcome of the events on Valoria has necessitated a stop at the psykana facility on Anaximenes IV whilst I ensure that Nathaniel Gall remains untainted and suitable for continued service in my employ. Should this not be the case, then I would like to request his fate be a merciful one. He has served well and risked his life to ensure my continued survival.
Returning to the matter of the Silver Skulls, and in particular the grievance stated by the Contestor: I feel that the ritualistic – and traditional – practice of consulting their Prognosticators is in many ways no more alarming than other rituals associated with the trappings of war. They pay due homage to the God-Emperor, they maintain themselves with honour and dignity and they are as fearless as true Emperor’s Angels should be. I cannot deny, however, that from an external point of view, their apparent dependency on the Prognosticators may yet require further scrutiny. I recommend the intervention of their parent Chapter as they are perhaps best placed to deal with such a matter.
I would submit this question in rhetoric, my lords. Is it right to point the accusing finger at strategic minds? If so, then there are other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes who could also be considered for deeper investigation.
I assure you of my due care and attention in all things.
Ave Imperator!
Inquisitor L. Callis
Ordo Hereticus
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Transmission Ends
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About The Author
S P Cawkwell is a freelance writer based in north-east England. Her work for Black Library includes the Silver Skulls novels The Gildar Rift and Portents, and the Architect of Fate novella, Accursed Eternity. For Warhammer, she is best known for her stories featuring the daemon princess of Khorne, Valkia the Bloody.
The Silver Skulls take on the might of Huron Blackheart and the Red Corsairs.
For Christian, who knows why, the always-dependable Lee and Alec for patiently dealing with my panicking and especially for Qui Gon Jim, for all the ‘five minute’ conversations.
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
Published in 2014 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK.
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