His Will Be Done - Interlude 1

Figured I'd just get this out there this month.

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In a well-appointed chamber deep within the Stone Overturned, four of the most powerful individuals in the Cadia System gathered to decide the fate of a single soul.

Lord Admiral Quarren sat across an oaken and ornate table from Lady Inquisitor Strasbourg in what he wagered to be the most comfortable chair he’d ever had the liberty of sitting in. In his hands rested an elegant porcelain mug and saucer, filled with perhaps the finest tea in the sector. The Lady Inquisitor had offered the three of them a sampling of her preferred tea. He himself had courteously accepted, but to his surprise his two companions had accepted as well. The tea was delivered to them by silent servitors, clad in obscuring robes adorned with the Inquisitorial sigil.

To his right sat Archmagos Sorrik, carefully sipping the offered beverage. The Archmagos seemed to almost disappear into the chair, a combination of her tiny frame and the chair’s oversized and padded red upholstery blending with her robes. To his left, Logan Grimnar, The Master of the Wolves sat to his left upon a throne, and he had forgone a porcelain cup in favor of a more substantial tankard. Considering his armor’s bulk and size, it was an understandable choice. Though privately, Quarren found the mental image of the Wolf’s massive power armored gauntlets carefully holding such a tiny object to be a little amusing. Grimnar took a swig of the tea, before giving a nod of approval. Quarren presumed it was an approval, though he dimly recalled something from somewhere that some Astartes favored brews that would be lethal to mortals.

“So,” The Lady Inquisitor spoke. “Your thoughts?”

“In a word, Inquisitor? Impressed,” The Great Wolf stated matter of factly.

“Agreed,” spoke the Archmagos. Sorrik had pulled back her hood, letting her golden hair fall to her shoulders. “I myself however would prefer the word mystified.”

Quarren shrugged. “From my interactions with her, I can echo those sentiments. Equal parts in awe of her accomplishments and confused by her actions and mannerisms. She is at once fantastically skilled and atypically immature. One moment she carries herself as any flag officer would, and in the next lapses into almost childish behavior. In a way, she’s something of a contradiction, a mystery to me.”

The Lady inquisitor sipped her tea before replying. “Mysteries. Lord Admiral, people like myself have little time for mysteries.” Strasbourg set down her cup on the table before her before addressing the room. “My authority may be limitless, but my patience for such is not. Whoever or whatever Miss Will may be, we can all understand one thing. The one thing she happens to represent.”

“She’s powerful,” Quarren answered.

“Indeed. And bold of the Navy to lay claim to her.”

Quarren suppressed the urge to chuckle at the statement. “My number two was ready to challenge her to a duel. I was merely de-escalating a situation. And at the time, I was operating on a lack of information.”

“Oh?”

“I didn’t know about the… artifacts, that she had laid claim to,” Quarren explained, doing his best to keep the conversation amicable by avoiding mention of such unpleasantries. “Or, dare I say, the… little people.”

That immediately got him looks from the other three. And not the pleasant, sort of surprised look. The Lord Admiral sighed, “Who do you think made the recording?”

“She… has a crew?” Sorrik asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

“Perhaps.”

“Perhaps?”

The sight of the tiny ‘fairy’ clad in the robes of a Techpriest, that had skittered across his conference table to deliver a message to him? It had been unsettling, almost as much as the sight of that sword she had taken from the Arch Heretic, now seemingly held in her possession. Recalling yesterday evening still did to an extent, and he was at least thankful that the strange creature, and presumably the legions of its fellows, were all apparently loyal to Will.

Quarren was also aware he had the room’s full attention. “In her own words, she calls them ‘fairies.’ She has also made the claim that these creatures act as her crew in lieu of people. I bore witness to one such example of their kind, delivering to me the very pict-cast you all bore witness to.”

He felt the yes of the other three boring into him, and considering what two of the three around him were capable of… “Can you describe this fairy to us?” Strasboug asked. It 3waws less a request and more of an order.

Quarren readily complied. “It looked humanoid, but the features were, how can I say it? Simple, almost. Like some sort of child’s toy that had come alive. It wore the garb of a techpriest, and from the way Lady Will described it to myself and von Saeger, she has many more, perhaps a full crew’s equivalent.”

Strasbourg’s eyes narrowed, the woman looking to be lost in thought. Grimnar’s expression seemed to turn cold as well, and a muffled scraping of metal on metal clued the Lord Admiral into the Wolf’s grip tightening on his axe’s hilt at his side. “Daemons, Inquisitor?”

“I don’t know,” the woman replied. “I would have to see one of these creatures for myself to pass that sort of judgement. Though if the Daemonic is at work here, it would be the ruse of the century.”

“For what it’s worth, I did not get the impression that it was such a vile creature,” Quarren said. “It came off as an extension of Will herself, if that makes sense.”

For a brief moment, the Lady Inquisitor was silent as she ruminated on his words. “Perhaps, perhaps not. I don’t doubt your observations, Lord Admiral, but when it comes to matters of the Immaterium, one does not take chances, and one does not make assumptions. Tell me, Archmagos, how many souls normally crew a vessel of the class of warship that Lady Will claims to embody?

“A question that I have an answer readily available for,” she answered. “On average, about two hundred thousand souls.”

“Two hundred thousand?” she answered. “That many?” Quarren instead wanted to say that few: the Legacy had almost thrice that number, over a half million souls across three shifts of crew. And he knew of warships that carried crews even larger. A literal horde of men and women, composed of bonded ratings and labor and guided and guarded by enlisted servicemen and armsmen. All were overseen by an Officers Corps, and the ship itself overseen by a small army of techpriests and enginseers. Not to mention the civilian crew such as the stewards and such.

“Indeed,” the Archmagos stated, taking another sip of her tea. Quarren realized he’d almost forgotten his now cooling beverage, and took a healthy swig himself. “I do not have access to the crew accounts of the ship that was lost in the Armageddon sector, but that number should stand as a safe estimation. The exact number of course can vary greatly, depending on a variety of factors.”

“Such as?”

“The degree of automation of the lance batteries and weapon systems, the total number of crew shifts, the count of additional defensive personnel and ratings, not to mention officers and staff. An Apocalypse class also tends to carry a greater number of techpriests, due to the intricate and fickle nature of its primary armaments and power systems. As many as three thousand perhaps, with multiple Magos overseeing the vessel’s technical needs. If she really has a complement of techpriests or some strange equivalent, I hope it is understandable as to why I would like to meet a member of her ‘crew’ myself.”

“Armsmen,” The Great Wolf spoke. Does she carry as many as I suspect?”

“The number varies between ship to ship, but easily enough to field multiple regiments of light infantry,” Sorrik smiled at the Wolf. “Certainly enough to give a company of Astartes pause, however temporary.”

Quarren grimaced. While what constituted a regiment varied dramatically across the Imperium. However, a thousand men was a full strength Guard infantry regiment by the standards of Cadia. Thousands of those diminutive creatures would literally bury a defensive force in tiny bodies, And assuming that any weapons that they could hypothetically field were as relatively potent as Will’s own weapons? He considered the arms his ship’s own crew had access to, and the thought of thousands of tiny lasguns, plasma guns, meltaguns and flamers all potentially bursting from one person was disconcerting, to say the least.

Quarren was also reminded of digital weaponry. Rare and valuable, they were miniaturized, single shot weapons that packed the equivalent punch as their full-sized counterparts, albeit at the cost of being finicky single-shot contraptions. Examples often found their ways onto the hands of those with the wealth to afford them, or the power to claim them. His augmetic eye was an unusual example of such a weapon, carefully concealed within a fully functional optical prosthesis. He regarded the signet ring the Lady Inquisitor herself wore on her right hand, and held no doubt as to the object’s true nature and potential.

“By greater and greater degrees, this woman continues to surprise me. And to a degree, that is concerning.”

“Lady Inquisitor, I would like to point out that Lady Will herself might be suited to providing those of us interested with exact information regarding the makeup and count of her… crew, if I dare use the term. I fully intend to request any and all information from her once I return to my ship, specifically for a detailed report regarding her current crew complement, as well as arms and equipment.”

“That would be acceptable,” Strasbourg said. “The how of her capabilities may remain a mystery for the moment, but perhaps the nature of what can be more properly illuminated.”

“We’ve lost ourselves in conjecture, Inquisitor,” The Great Wolf spoke.

“Indeed.” The Archmagos set her empty cup down on the table in front of her before resuming. “Disregarding what-ifs that have answers a mere question away, I advise delving into what we do know. Namely, the capabilities that Lady Will had demonstrated. Lord Admiral, you may be able to enlighten us as to the capabilities of the warship that she claims to embody?”

“Yes, perhaps I am. For those of us present who are less nautically minded, I’ll explain what Lady Will is presumably capable of in detail, if her claims are to be believed.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and weaving his fingers together, his hands partly obscuring his face as he began to explain. “A Mars-Pattern Apocalypse class battleship. Their chief armament is a total of seventy-two Lance Cannons of varying yields. Each broadside fields a total of thirty Lances, twelve of which are Heavy Lances in fixed casements intended for orbital bombardment or usage against stationary targets. The remaining eighteen are grouped in six triple-linked batteries, designed for void combat and mobile targets. A further four of these Lance batteries are emplaced along the vessel’s dorsal ridge, and are fully traversable between port and starboard. As you all bore witness to, she employed these weapons to great effect against the fleeing heretics.

“Next, a complement of torpedo launchers. Four apiece on each of the aft wingspars, for a total of eight. Just one torpedo can be considered a devastating weapon in its own right, and it was a spread of eight fired at point blank which utterly crippled the Arch Heretic’s flagship. Next and perhaps most devastating of the ship’s arsenal is the Nova Bombardment Cannon, a weapon capable of destroying whole fleets in a single shot or even razing worlds. A pair of shots from this weapon acted as the coup de grace against the Arch Traitor’s ship.

“The remaining armaments are myriad. Dozens and dozens of point defense batteries intended to engage and destroy incoming torpedoes and missiles as well as destroy enemy fighter and bomber craft alike. Finally, multiple flights of its own void craft, plus support craft such as interplanetary dromons and the like.” The Lord Admiral paused in his speech to pan his gaze across the three seated around the table. “And one young woman, through incredible, impossible means, has access to all of this firepower.”

“Sobering,” the Wolf replied. “A single maiden, wielding such power.”

“I should add that her armament appears to be at least identical from what I observed of her, as she put it, ‘rigging.’” The Archmagos was lost in thought for a moment. “An archaic term to say the least, albeit thematically appropriate considering how she wears it.”

“And that sobering thought leads to the next consideration,” Strasbourg stated. “What would it take to stop her, should she turn Traitor?”

So that was what it came to. “With respect Lady Inquisitor, I very much doubt that could happen,” Quarren was quick to defend his subordinate.

“That sentiment has been shared by a great many people over the millenia, Lord Admiral. Many who were forced to eat their own words as men and women they thought to be incorruptible proved very much otherwise. They got to eat their words if they were lucky, as those that weren’t ate bolt shells and chainswords.” She leaned forward in her chair, her gaze panning across the room at the other three. “Make no mistake, there’s no such thing as someone incorruptible, save perhaps for the Emperor. And if there were anyone else, I would be keenly aware of them. So again I ask you all, what would it take?”

The room was quiet for a moment, as the three pondered the question. “Everything we have,” Quarren was forced to admit.

“Nay,” The Great Wolf spoke. “I doubt everything would even slow her.”

“I agree. I’ve studied the telemetry from yesterday’s battle, and what I could garner from the output of her weapons is concerning.”

“Archmagos?”

“What those weapons of hers are capable of…” She trailed off, lost in thought for a brief moment before resuming. “Her Lances were firing at peak efficiency, almost as if they came right out of the shipyard ten millennia ago. It’s no secret that the output of those kinds of weapon platforms has waned over the centuries, but…” The Archmagos went quiet for a moment, and a grimace marred her features. “I would not want to be on the receiving end of one of her salvoes, as those Lances of hers would make short work of even the best void shields and defenses. No, not even the combined weight of every void-capable vessel in this system, not, this sector would slow her down. She would loiter beyond your own ships’ firing arcs and pick them off at her leisure.”

“And in single combat, that young lady may be one of the best duelists in the galaxy.”

“Lord Grimnar?”

“You saw it, didn’t ye?” He asked Strasbourg. “She was toying with the Despoiler, like a cub playing with a stick. She could have killed him at any time if she wanted to. She viewed him as a toy, not as an enemy.”

“Oh? And what do you make of his last second escape?”

“During that fight, I have no doubt he came to the same conclusion regarding Lady Will. The Despoiler is a slimy one, and it wouldn’t be the first time he fled a battle in cowardice.”

“Well, most of him,” Quarren added.

The Great Wolf merely grunted in acknowledgement, and Quarren almost imagined he heard a chuckle. “If it’s anything to the rest of you, I would prefer to not make an enemy of her. And after everything we’ve witnessed of her, it would be us in the wrong, not her.”

The Lady Inquisitor sighed. “I am forced to agree with that. Especially with that glow, and that Writ she holds. I’ve seen that kind of aura, that presence before. It’s hard for even someone like myself to argue with.”

“The Omnissiah walks with her,” Sorrik spoke.

Quarren himself nodded in agreement. He had personally borne witness to Will’s apparent divine nature as all of them have, how she glowed with that subdued golden light, how she could manifest physical objects with but a thought. Quarren had heard of men and women whom some said were to be divinely blessed and empowered by the God Emperor, Living Saints as they were often called. He, as a mere man, was in no position to judge Will to be such, but he knew that Will in all likelihood fit the bill of being one to some extent. And all of that was without taking into account her Writ, itself a literal Emperor-given missive as inviolable as His own word.

“Yes, I suppose he does. And for now, I feel Miss Will belongs right where she currently is.” Quarren felt a brief moment of relief at hearing the words, less for himself and more for Will. It was an unfortunate fate people suffered when they wound up the personal plaything of an Inquisitor. Although if he was honest with himself, that fate was likely inevitable for the young woman now under his command. “While my subordinates would be quick to try and interrogate her, she’s done nothing to warrant such in my opinion, save being a vexing enigma. And I’m old enough to recognize a folly when I see one. Besides, I prefer to learn from a distance. There’s another matter regarding her: she will need a retinue, and a personal guard at the very least.”

“A retinue?” The Wolf asked.

“Indeed. People to protect her.”

“That is an… Inquisitorial approach to such a matter. And she doesn’t seem to be the sort to need protecting.”

“Perhaps, Master Grimnar. But Lady Will, regardless of who or what she is, is powerful, if in her own way. That power is not something easily understandable at the moment, and people are oh so very quick to fear what they don’t understand. Case in point, many of my colleagues might have different opinions regarding her. No, that’s a guarantee they will. Not to mention how the Ecclesiarchy will react.”

“That is something we can agree on,” the Wolf said.

“Indeed,” Sorrik echoed. “Although considering what she purports to be, assasination attempts are unlikely to succeed.”

“And if I may ask Archmagos, what if one were to be successful?”

A beat, as she contemplated the question. “That is an eventuality that is nigh impossible to comprehend. And if possible, one too terrifying to comprehend.”

“Agreed.” Quarren had borne direct witness to the sheer levels of destruction Will had wrought against the enemies of the Emperor, of Mankind. And if there was someone or something could defeat her, even, dare he say, kill her? What hope did the rest of humanity have? “I will instruct my second, Vice Admiral von Saeger to see about arranging a retinue for Lady Will,” Quarren said. “I suspect my hands will be full in the coming days.”

“Such is the burden of a lowly Lord Admiral,” she replied humorously. “Well, I’ll volunteer a number of the Battle Sisters under my command. I suspect that they will very much be chomping at the bit to work with her, especially after some of their number witnessed Lady Will’s little spectacle.”

“I would be most grateful.” Quarren was, but he couldn't help but feel a sudden degree of trepidation. He had little doubt that the Sisters Sororitas would act as the eyes and ears of the Lady Inquisitor.

“I have a minion of sorts that I will second to you, Lord Admiral,” The Archmagos smiled. “I trust her with my life, and I hope you will too.”

“And there is one I would trust with safekeeping Lady Will,” The Great Wolf spoke. “In this case, I feel he would be best suited amongst his brothers for this task.”

“Excellent,” Strasbourg said. “Now that we’ve concluded the matter of Lady Will for the moment, we arrive at the last, and perhaps the most important topic that I wish to discuss with all of you. One that I suspect will concern everyone in this room, and a great many more beyond its walls. Especially you, Archmagos.”

“Me?”

“Indeed. Half a day ago, my chief astropath received a missive from Holy Terra, concerning a matter of grave importance. And as a matter of rank I was allowed this knowledge, knowledge I am now sharing with all of you. It is information that pertains to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and to a lesser degree the Imperial Navy. And, to an altogether different degree as I am coming to suspect, Lady Will herself.”

“Speak, Inquisitor,” Sorrik demanded.

“A day ago, there was an attack upon the Forge World of Mars.”

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In a well-appointed chamber deep within the Stone Overturned, four of the most powerful individuals in the Cadia System gathered to decide the fate of a single soul.

Lord Admiral Quarren sat across an oaken and ornate table from Lady Inquisitor Strasbourg in what he wagered to be the most comfortable chair he’d ever had the liberty of sitting in. In his hands rested an elegant porcelain mug and saucer, filled with perhaps the finest tea in the sector. The Lady Inquisitor had offered the three of them a sampling of her preferred tea. He himself had courteously accepted, but to his surprise his two companions had accepted as well. The tea was delivered to them by silent servitors, clad in obscuring robes adorned with the Inquisitorial sigil.

To his right sat Archmagos Sorrik, carefully sipping the offered beverage. The Archmagos seemed to almost disappear into the chair, a combination of her tiny frame and the chair’s oversized and padded red upholstery blending with her robes. To his left, Logan Grimnar, The Master of the Wolves sat to his left upon a throne, and he had forgone a porcelain cup in favor of a more substantial tankard. Considering his armor’s bulk and size, it was an understandable choice. Though privately, Quarren found the mental image of the Wolf’s massive power armored gauntlets carefully holding such a tiny object to be a little amusing. Grimnar took a swig of the tea, before giving a nod of approval. Quarren presumed it was an approval, though he dimly recalled something from somewhere that some Astartes favored brews that would be lethal to mortals.

“So,” The Lady Inquisitor spoke. “Your thoughts?”

“In a word, Inquisitor? Impressed,” The Great Wolf stated matter of factly.

“Agreed,” spoke the Archmagos. Sorrik had pulled back her hood, letting her golden hair fall to her shoulders. “I myself however would prefer the word mystified.”

Quarren shrugged. “From my interactions with her, I can echo those sentiments. Equal parts in awe of her accomplishments and confused by her actions and mannerisms. She is at once fantastically skilled and atypically immature. One moment she carries herself as any flag officer would, and in the next lapses into almost childish behavior. In a way, she’s something of a contradiction, a mystery to me.”

The Lady inquisitor sipped her tea before replying. “Mysteries. Lord Admiral, people like myself have little time for mysteries.” Strasbourg set down her cup on the table before her before addressing the room. “My authority may be limitless, but my patience for such is not. Whoever or whatever Miss Will may be, we can all understand one thing. The one thing she happens to represent.”

“She’s powerful,” Quarren answered.

“Indeed. And bold of the Navy to lay claim to her.”

Quarren suppressed the urge to chuckle at the statement. “My number two was ready to challenge her to a duel. I was merely de-escalating a situation. And at the time, I was operating on a lack of information.”

“Oh?”

“I didn’t know about the… artifacts, that she had laid claim to,” Quarren explained, doing his best to keep the conversation amicable by avoiding mention of such unpleasantries. “Or, dare I say, the… little people.”

That immediately got him looks from the other three. And not the pleasant, sort of surprised look. The Lord Admiral sighed, “Who do you think made the recording?”

“She… has a crew?” Sorrik asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

“Perhaps.”

“Perhaps?”

The sight of the tiny ‘fairy’ clad in the robes of a Techpriest, that had skittered across his conference table to deliver a message to him? It had been unsettling, almost as much as the sight of that sword she had taken from the Arch Heretic, now seemingly held in her possession. Recalling yesterday evening still did to an extent, and he was at least thankful that the strange creature, and presumably the legions of its fellows, were all apparently loyal to Will.

Quarren was also aware he had the room’s full attention. “In her own words, she calls them ‘fairies.’ She has also made the claim that these creatures act as her crew in lieu of people. I bore witness to one such example of their kind, delivering to me the very pict-cast you all bore witness to.”

He felt the yes of the other three boring into him, and considering what two of the three around him were capable of… “Can you describe this fairy to us?” Strasboug asked. It 3waws less a request and more of an order.

Quarren readily complied. “It looked humanoid, but the features were, how can I say it? Simple, almost. Like some sort of child’s toy that had come alive. It wore the garb of a techpriest, and from the way Lady Will described it to myself and von Saeger, she has many more, perhaps a full crew’s equivalent.”

Strasbourg’s eyes narrowed, the woman looking to be lost in thought. Grimnar’s expression seemed to turn cold as well, and a muffled scraping of metal on metal clued the Lord Admiral into the Wolf’s grip tightening on his axe’s hilt at his side. “Daemons, Inquisitor?”

“I don’t know,” the woman replied. “I would have to see one of these creatures for myself to pass that sort of judgement. Though if the Daemonic is at work here, it would be the ruse of the century.”

“For what it’s worth, I did not get the impression that it was such a vile creature,” Quarren said. “It came off as an extension of Will herself, if that makes sense.”

For a brief moment, the Lady Inquisitor was silent as she ruminated on his words. “Perhaps, perhaps not. I don’t doubt your observations, Lord Admiral, but when it comes to matters of the Immaterium, one does not take chances, and one does not make assumptions. Tell me, Archmagos, how many souls normally crew a vessel of the class of warship that Lady Will claims to embody?

“A question that I have an answer readily available for,” she answered. “On average, about two hundred thousand souls.”

“Two hundred thousand?” she answered. “That many?” Quarren instead wanted to say that few: the Legacy had almost thrice that number, over a half million souls across three shifts of crew. And he knew of warships that carried crews even larger. A literal horde of men and women, composed of bonded ratings and labor and guided and guarded by enlisted servicemen and armsmen. All were overseen by an Officers Corps, and the ship itself overseen by a small army of techpriests and enginseers. Not to mention the civilian crew such as the stewards and such.

“Indeed,” the Archmagos stated, taking another sip of her tea. Quarren realized he’d almost forgotten his now cooling beverage, and took a healthy swig himself. “I do not have access to the crew accounts of the ship that was lost in the Armageddon sector, but that number should stand as a safe estimation. The exact number of course can vary greatly, depending on a variety of factors.”

“Such as?”

“The degree of automation of the lance batteries and weapon systems, the total number of crew shifts, the count of additional defensive personnel and ratings, not to mention officers and staff. An Apocalypse class also tends to carry a greater number of techpriests, due to the intricate and fickle nature of its primary armaments and power systems. As many as three thousand perhaps, with multiple Magos overseeing the vessel’s technical needs. If she really has a complement of techpriests or some strange equivalent, I hope it is understandable as to why I would like to meet a member of her ‘crew’ myself.”

“Armsmen,” The Great Wolf spoke. Does she carry as many as I suspect?”

“The number varies between ship to ship, but easily enough to field multiple regiments of light infantry,” Sorrik smiled at the Wolf. “Certainly enough to give a company of Astartes pause, however temporary.”

Quarren grimaced. While what constituted a regiment varied dramatically across the Imperium. However, a thousand men was a full strength Guard infantry regiment by the standards of Cadia. Thousands of those diminutive creatures would literally bury a defensive force in tiny bodies, And assuming that any weapons that they could hypothetically field were as relatively potent as Will’s own weapons? He considered the arms his ship’s own crew had access to, and the thought of thousands of tiny lasguns, plasma guns, meltaguns and flamers all potentially bursting from one person was disconcerting, to say the least.

Quarren was also reminded of digital weaponry. Rare and valuable, they were miniaturized, single shot weapons that packed the equivalent punch as their full-sized counterparts, albeit at the cost of being finicky single-shot contraptions. Examples often found their ways onto the hands of those with the wealth to afford them, or the power to claim them. His augmetic eye was an unusual example of such a weapon, carefully concealed within a fully functional optical prosthesis. He regarded the signet ring the Lady Inquisitor herself wore on her right hand, and held no doubt as to the object’s true nature and potential.

“By greater and greater degrees, this woman continues to surprise me. And to a degree, that is concerning.”

“Lady Inquisitor, I would like to point out that Lady Will herself might be suited to providing those of us interested with exact information regarding the makeup and count of her… crew, if I dare use the term. I fully intend to request any and all information from her once I return to my ship, specifically for a detailed report regarding her current crew complement, as well as arms and equipment.”

“That would be acceptable,” Strasbourg said. “The how of her capabilities may remain a mystery for the moment, but perhaps the nature of what can be more properly illuminated.”

“We’ve lost ourselves in conjecture, Inquisitor,” The Great Wolf spoke.

“Indeed.” The Archmagos set her empty cup down on the table in front of her before resuming. “Disregarding what-ifs that have answers a mere question away, I advise delving into what we do know. Namely, the capabilities that Lady Will had demonstrated. Lord Admiral, you may be able to enlighten us as to the capabilities of the warship that she claims to embody?”

“Yes, perhaps I am. For those of us present who are less nautically minded, I’ll explain what Lady Will is presumably capable of in detail, if her claims are to be believed.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and weaving his fingers together, his hands partly obscuring his face as he began to explain. “A Mars-Pattern Apocalypse class battleship. Their chief armament is a total of seventy-two Lance Cannons of varying yields. Each broadside fields a total of thirty Lances, twelve of which are Heavy Lances in fixed casements intended for orbital bombardment or usage against stationary targets. The remaining eighteen are grouped in six triple-linked batteries, designed for void combat and mobile targets. A further four of these Lance batteries are emplaced along the vessel’s dorsal ridge, and are fully traversable between port and starboard. As you all bore witness to, she employed these weapons to great effect against the fleeing heretics.

“Next, a complement of torpedo launchers. Four apiece on each of the aft wingspars, for a total of eight. Just one torpedo can be considered a devastating weapon in its own right, and it was a spread of eight fired at point blank which utterly crippled the Arch Heretic’s flagship. Next and perhaps most devastating of the ship’s arsenal is the Nova Bombardment Cannon, a weapon capable of destroying whole fleets in a single shot or even razing worlds. A pair of shots from this weapon acted as the coup de grace against the Arch Traitor’s ship.

“The remaining armaments are myriad. Dozens and dozens of point defense batteries intended to engage and destroy incoming torpedoes and missiles as well as destroy enemy fighter and bomber craft alike. Finally, multiple flights of its own void craft, plus support craft such as interplanetary dromons and the like.” The Lord Admiral paused in his speech to pan his gaze across the three seated around the table. “And one young woman, through incredible, impossible means, has access to all of this firepower.”

“Sobering,” the Wolf replied. “A single maiden, wielding such power.”

“I should add that her armament appears to be at least identical from what I observed of her, as she put it, ‘rigging.’” The Archmagos was lost in thought for a moment. “An archaic term to say the least, albeit thematically appropriate considering how she wears it.”

“And that sobering thought leads to the next consideration,” Strasbourg stated. “What would it take to stop her, should she turn Traitor?”

So that was what it came to. “With respect Lady Inquisitor, I very much doubt that could happen,” Quarren was quick to defend his subordinate.

“That sentiment has been shared by a great many people over the millenia, Lord Admiral. Many who were forced to eat their own words as men and women they thought to be incorruptible proved very much otherwise. They got to eat their words if they were lucky, as those that weren’t ate bolt shells and chainswords.” She leaned forward in her chair, her gaze panning across the room at the other three. “Make no mistake, there’s no such thing as someone incorruptible, save perhaps for the Emperor. And if there were anyone else, I would be keenly aware of them. So again I ask you all, what would it take?”

The room was quiet for a moment, as the three pondered the question. “Everything we have,” Quarren was forced to admit.

“Nay,” The Great Wolf spoke. “I doubt everything would even slow her.”

“I agree. I’ve studied the telemetry from yesterday’s battle, and what I could garner from the output of her weapons is concerning.”

“Archmagos?”

“What those weapons of hers are capable of…” She trailed off, lost in thought for a brief moment before resuming. “Her Lances were firing at peak efficiency, almost as if they came right out of the shipyard ten millennia ago. It’s no secret that the output of those kinds of weapon platforms has waned over the centuries, but…” The Archmagos went quiet for a moment, and a grimace marred her features. “I would not want to be on the receiving end of one of her salvoes, as those Lances of hers would make short work of even the best void shields and defenses. No, not even the combined weight of every void-capable vessel in this system, not, this sector would slow her down. She would loiter beyond your own ships’ firing arcs and pick them off at her leisure.”

“And in single combat, that young lady may be one of the best duelists in the galaxy.”

“Lord Grimnar?”

“You saw it, didn’t ye?” He asked Strasbourg. “She was toying with the Despoiler, like a cub playing with a stick. She could have killed him at any time if she wanted to. She viewed him as a toy, not as an enemy.”

“Oh? And what do you make of his last second escape?”

“During that fight, I have no doubt he came to the same conclusion regarding Lady Will. The Despoiler is a slimy one, and it wouldn’t be the first time he fled a battle in cowardice.”

“Well, most of him,” Quarren added.

The Great Wolf merely grunted in acknowledgement, and Quarren almost imagined he heard a chuckle. “If it’s anything to the rest of you, I would prefer to not make an enemy of her. And after everything we’ve witnessed of her, it would be us in the wrong, not her.”

The Lady Inquisitor sighed. “I am forced to agree with that. Especially with that glow, and that Writ she holds. I’ve seen that kind of aura, that presence before. It’s hard for even someone like myself to argue with.”

“The Omnissiah walks with her,” Sorrik spoke.

Quarren himself nodded in agreement. He had personally borne witness to Will’s apparent divine nature as all of them have, how she glowed with that subdued golden light, how she could manifest physical objects with but a thought. Quarren had heard of men and women whom some said were to be divinely blessed and empowered by the God Emperor, Living Saints as they were often called. He, as a mere man, was in no position to judge Will to be such, but he knew that Will in all likelihood fit the bill of being one to some extent. And all of that was without taking into account her Writ, itself a literal Emperor-given missive as inviolable as His own word.

“Yes, I suppose he does. And for now, I feel Miss Will belongs right where she currently is.” Quarren felt a brief moment of relief at hearing the words, less for himself and more for Will. It was an unfortunate fate people suffered when they wound up the personal plaything of an Inquisitor. Although if he was honest with himself, that fate was likely inevitable for the young woman now under his command. “While my subordinates would be quick to try and interrogate her, she’s done nothing to warrant such in my opinion, save being a vexing enigma. And I’m old enough to recognize a folly when I see one. Besides, I prefer to learn from a distance. There’s another matter regarding her: she will need a retinue, and a personal guard at the very least.”

“A retinue?” The Wolf asked.

“Indeed. People to protect her.”

“That is an… Inquisitorial approach to such a matter. And she doesn’t seem to be the sort to need protecting.”

“Perhaps, Master Grimnar. But Lady Will, regardless of who or what she is, is powerful, if in her own way. That power is not something easily understandable at the moment, and people are oh so very quick to fear what they don’t understand. Case in point, many of my colleagues might have different opinions regarding her. No, that’s a guarantee they will. Not to mention how the Ecclesiarchy will react.”

“That is something we can agree on,” the Wolf said.

“Indeed,” Sorrik echoed. “Although considering what she purports to be, assasination attempts are unlikely to succeed.”

“And if I may ask Archmagos, what if one were to be successful?”

A beat, as she contemplated the question. “That is an eventuality that is nigh impossible to comprehend. And if possible, one too terrifying to comprehend.”

“Agreed.” Quarren had borne direct witness to the sheer levels of destruction Will had wrought against the enemies of the Emperor, of Mankind. And if there was someone or something could defeat her, even, dare he say, kill her? What hope did the rest of humanity have? “I will instruct my second, Vice Admiral von Saeger to see about arranging a retinue for Lady Will,” Quarren said. “I suspect my hands will be full in the coming days.”

“Such is the burden of a lowly Lord Admiral,” she replied humorously. “Well, I’ll volunteer a number of the Battle Sisters under my command. I suspect that they will very much be chomping at the bit to work with her, especially after some of their number witnessed Lady Will’s little spectacle.”

“I would be most grateful.” Quarren was, but he couldn't help but feel a sudden degree of trepidation. He had little doubt that the Sisters Sororitas would act as the eyes and ears of the Lady Inquisitor.

“I have a minion of sorts that I will second to you, Lord Admiral,” The Archmagos smiled. “I trust her with my life, and I hope you will too.”

“And there is one I would trust with safekeeping Lady Will,” The Great Wolf spoke. “In this case, I feel he would be best suited amongst his brothers for this task.”

“Excellent,” Strasbourg said. “Now that we’ve concluded the matter of Lady Will for the moment, we arrive at the last, and perhaps the most important topic that I wish to discuss with all of you. One that I suspect will concern everyone in this room, and a great many more beyond its walls. Especially you, Archmagos.”

“Me?”

“Indeed. Half a day ago, my chief astropath received a missive from Holy Terra, concerning a matter of grave importance. And as a matter of rank I was allowed this knowledge, knowledge I am now sharing with all of you. It is information that pertains to the Adeptus Mechanicus, and to a lesser degree the Imperial Navy. And, to an altogether different degree as I am coming to suspect, Lady Will herself.”

“Speak, Inquisitor,” Sorrik demanded.

“A day ago, there was an attack upon the Forge World of Mars.”

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