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This is a small beginning to a story I have been working on. Thanks for reading dakkaites!

D.I.G.

Storm of Ice

Chapter One:

Valhalla. The coldest planet in all of Ultima Segmentum throws it’s fury at the sheets of ice and mountains of snow just as it does every day. The perpetual winter of this planet makes it one of the harshest environments in all of the Imperium second only to the Catachan death world. Where as the death world are hot humid and teeming with ill mannered beasts Valhalla is frozen and void of life, save the large hives that have been constructed in the name of Holy Terra. Plavas III is one such hive that towers hundreds of feet above the planets surface and burrows even deeper into the crust. This particular hive is the target for the landing shuttle launching from orbit.

"Plavas III docking platform this is shuttle Justice inbound from the Senator" the voice crackled over the comm., "do you copy?"

"Justice this is Plavas III docking platform four-one-one-five, you have been cleared for landing on level twenty-two" a similar voice replied.

"Copy that four-one-one-five, estimated touch down in seven. Please advise Cardinal Gideon that the techpriest is to see him immediately, over."

"Roger that Justice, the Cardinal has already been notified of your arrival."

"Thank you four-one-one-five, Justice out."

     The shuttle bucked and groaned as it entered the atmosphere greeted by an immense storm. The pilot had already switched to the machine spirit’s sensors as visibility made a manual landing impossible. The spirit of the shuttle was a strong one as it was the personal shuttle of one of the most gifted techpriests in all of Mars. It was almost as if it was alive and could feel every flake of snow or drop of freezing rain that struck the hull. It wasn’t too long before the blinking lights of the Plavas III docking platform finally began to show through the storm as the shuttle entered the landing zone. Two massive doors began to slide apart to allow the craft into the inner hangars and a brilliant light began to shine through the pounding clouds of snow. The shuttle softly touched down as deck hands, officer and guardsmen scurried about in their daily duties. As the doors closed two sentinel power lifters could be seen attending to large canisters of fuel in preparation to refuel the shuttle. With a loud *thump* the doors sealed tight and the shuttles’ under belly door slid open, a large squad of guardsmen standing at attention waiting for the passengers to disembark.  

     At the head of the guardsmen stood a tall figure wearing many badges and medals as the techpriest strode down the ramp. His markings showed the rank of a colonel, even though his outfit is a simple dress uniform. A decorative cloak draped over his right arm while he rested his hand on an ornamental saber. His left shoulder was covered in the assorted medals and badges of office and rank with one very long and priceless purity seal denoting the many years of service and campaigns this seasoned warrior has served. His left arm ended in a cybernetic replacement that is grossly out of proportion to the rest of his human form. It emitted a soft hum as the power coursed through the internal components. Though it showed many scars and thick gouges in its metal hide it still held a polished brilliance as if it were new, a true sign of honoring the equipment of the Machine God.

     The techpriest smiled, though no one could see it through the rebreather mask covering the lower half of his face. He is not as tall as the Colonel but he is still a large man. His bulk made up largely by implants and a cybernetic harness attached to his back. The harness clicked and whirred as four additional limbs slowly moved to keep in pace with the constant motion of the techpriest. He wore long red robes covering most of his body with the hood pulled up over his scarred head. These are the standard robes of his order adorned with intricate symbols of the Machine God woven into the cloth along the bottom of the robes and the edges of his cowl. He walked with heavy footsteps using a long power glaive as a makeshift cane. This glaive was yet another tool for the follower of the Machine God, one with a more sinister use as its top held a large blade with a skull inlay and power conduits running from his forearm to the power generator at its base. The bottom of the glaive clicked after every other step as it connected to the metal floor. The techpriest turned and faced the colonel and they regarded each other with a slight bow as the remaining guardsmen stood at attention.

"Welcome to Plavas III Techpriest Tarius," the colonel said. "The Cardinal is waiting for you in his chambers at the top of the spire. I have been directed to escort you personally to his office."

A bionic eye, one of hundreds of modifications he has created himself, shuttered open and looked at the colonel from top to bottom.

"Ah yes, Colonel Sang. It has been a long time since we have talked," Tarius replied "I trust your assignment out here has been fulfilling?"

They began walking to the end of the hangar away from the shuttle, followed closely by two servitors, part man but mostly machine designed to tend to the techpriests every whim. They were in turn followed by six of the guardsmen.

"Indeed my old friend, it is not as hectic as our last campaign aboard the Senator but I have enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere"

"I see that you have treated your powerfist with great respect. The Machine God is pleased with your attention to detail."

"Thank you Tarius, your creation has served me well."

     They continued to a large door that slid open as they approached. Inside was a hallway carpeted in the colors of the Cardinal, red with black borders. Along the walls hung large paintings depicting epic battles with each one centered on a larger than life view of the Emperor himself. As each painting was passed the guardsmen all said a small prayer to the Emperor asking for his blessing, such was the tradition in the halls of the Cardinal. Finally the hallway ended at two large wooden ornamental doors each side engraved in the image of the Cardinal himself. On each side stood one of the Cardinals personal guard carrying large halberds that shimmered with coursing power. They stood there silent and still as the Techpriest opened the massive doors. The burning smell of incense and exotic perfumes assaulted everyone’s senses as they strode into the room. The room itself rose fifty feet into vaulted ceilings adorned with hand sculpted images of cherubs and angels. At the center of the room was a large black iron desk upon which laid a large book being tended to by a scribe who furiously penned word after word. The Cardinal sat in a large throne like chair at the far end of the room. The throne, equipped with anti-gravity engines, slowly drifted towards the group as Tarius gave a slight bow out of respect.

"Ah, Tarius it has been too long. What brings you out this far from Holy Terra?" Cardinal Gideon’s voice sounded cracked and dry as he spoke. His flesh was pallid and his grossly obese form caused the throne to struggle to keep itself in the air. His double chin quivered as he spoke, his teeth yellowed and rotted after years of gluttonous abuse.

"As you are no doubt aware, a large unidentified object was discovered in the polar region of this planet." Tarius quickly replied "I am here at the request of your council administrators to oversee the extraction of the artifact."

Gideon’s face turned into a bloated scowl as Tarius finished speaking and he sternly replied, "They were too hasty in that their request is ill timed. We have decided to leave the object alone as the polar region is too hazardous to keep a team out for the time it would take to explore the area. I am afraid you have wasted your time and energy in coming here."

"So you are saying that you will deny me, even under decree of the Inquisitorial council on Terra, access to your current records and the excavation site itself?"

With a cowardly smirk Gideon spun around and waved off the scribe and his attendants who before now had been taking down every word being spoken. The light sound of a door closing was heard before the Cardinal turned and faced Tarius once again.

"Your idle threats and condescending tone will not work with me, Mars Adept. I know that you hold no real power over the Administration of Terra. Your worship of a ‘Machine God’ and not the holy plight of the Emperor is borderline heretical and I will not tolerate your insubordinate, heretical speeches!" the Cardinal’s face now turning a dark shade of red.

Sang quickly came to his friends aid, "Heretical? How can you say that? He has on more than one occasion proven his loyalty to the Emperor!"

"YOU DARE speak to me in such a tone," Gideon turned to Sang "you forget your place, Colonel, and I shall be mindful of that in assigning your next task."

Tarius stepped forward, "Cardinal Gideon, that is quite enough. There is no need for this to escalate even further. If you will excuse us we shall take our leave." Tarius gave a slight bow and turned to Sang who was staring at the Cardinal with his powerfist clenched. Tarius placed his hand on the shoulder of the colonel.

"It is not worth it old friend, you would be branded a traitor and set upon by the Inquisition and tortured until you repented of your sin."

Sang relaxed and together they left the Cardinal without uttering a single word. The large wooden doors slammed shut behind them and the guard moved into position in front of the doors blocking any further disturbances to Gideon.

Sang looked at Tarius who showed no signs of any emotion from under his hood. He wondered why he gave up so easily, was this indeed the same person he had fought with so many years prior? Tarius seem to read his mind as he stopped and looked Sang in the eye.

"Inquisitor Stryder was already worried that this would happen. They had been sent word of the Cardinal’s worsening condition months ago."

"I, I don’t understand, worsening condition?"

"Yes, the Cardinal has dismissed the last two attempts to collect tithes and had imprisoned the last collector who questioned his loyalty and threatened an Inquisitorial investigation. That collector was summarily executed as a traitor before the trial had even been scheduled with the Terra High Council. Needless to say the Office of Tithes is quite upset and put in a formal request for investigation." Tarius glanced around quickly, "Come, we cannot finish this conversation here in the hallway."

     Tarius led Sang back to the shuttle and ushered him into his personal quarters inside. There he sat in a large chair that quickly and methodically removed his back harness and rebreather mask. The equipment was neatly stored in a compartment above the chair. The two servitors made there way into the room and poured two large cups of steaming tea. Sang took a long look at Tarius not sure what to do with the information he had been given about his local governor. The servitors brought in an additional chair and Sang sat down and began to rub his eyes with his fingers as if trying to hold back the inevitable migraine.

"Do not question the orders I have been given. I am here only as an observer for the Inquisition, I am not here to over throw the Cardinal. That is not a power I shall ever wish to have." Tarius took his cup of tea and slowly took a deep breath taking in the aroma of spices. "Ahhh the finest Catachan Girill Tea."

"I am sorry, but I don’t understand…" Sang sank into the back of his chair, "what does this have to do with the artifact at the pole?"

Tarius took a sip of the tea, "Mmmm yes, the discovery of the excavation area happened at about the time that the Cardinal started to ‘change’ his, attitude, for lack of a better word." Tarius took another sip and set the cup down on the table next to him. He touched a small remote and a recorder hologram dropped down from the center of the room.

"File 776.5532, begin playback."

     With a slight buzz the hologram sprang to life and a three dimensional map of a snowy peak appeared. It slowly began to zoom into the base of the mountain, which only brought up a closer view of snow and rock. The zoom finally stopped at the very base hovering a few feet above the ground. There in the snow a large black sheet could be seen in the rock. It was roughly thirty feet tall and half as wide with a smooth jet-black surface that had a slight shine to it.

"What is that?" Sang asked now thoroughly confused.

"That my friend is the unknown excavation site that we are not being allowed to investigate. As you can see by labeling it as an ‘artifact’ Gideon is avoiding all queries as to what was found. He has been denying all requests for investigation claiming that there is nothing to be seen. His denying of the tithes is merely something to give cause to Terra to force an investigation. You see, an artifact can be shipped, but an entire site must be searched."

"So, if they are going to investigate the tithes why are you here asking about the site?"

"I am here more for the Enginseers of Mars in that regard. I merely used the threat of the Inquisition to see his reaction. Inquisitor Stryder, who should already be here, has already granted my request. I am worried that the Cardinal has not been removed from his office yet as he WAS to be arrested and confined until Stryder had completed his investigation. Now he cannot be reached, as he has not been heard from in two standard days. He did arrive, his shuttles id signature was traced to this very hangar."

"I do remember a shuttle landing within the last couple of days but it left almost as soon as it got here."

"Yes, we located it at the excavation site through our orbital imagery. That’s another reason why we need to get to the site and probably the reason why Gideon is so hesitant to allow us near it. Our attempts at communication with the shuttle have been unsuccessful, we fear something has happened to Stryder and his team."

Just as Tarius finished his sentence the hologram changed to show that he was receiving an incoming transmission from the Senator, the cruiser that now orbits Valhalla. The image of the ships commander appeared and began speaking to Tarius.

"Sir, the Cardinal has ordered the Senator out of the orbit of Valhalla claiming that you have made a series of threats against the sanctity of his administration."

Tarius sat upright in his chair, "What?"

Sang too looked rather surprised at the message and stood up. "What is the Cardinal thinking?"

"He is obviously attempting to make it look like I came to take over so he can justify an attack against us with the council." Tarius looked back to the hologram, "Commander, withdraw out of their long range orbital defense cannons, I shall make contact with the Inquisitorial Council and then I shall contact you with further orders…"

"It shall be done sir, Senator out." With that the hologram blinked and faded out.

Sang walked to the door and stood for a moment. He dropped his head down and slowly turned to Tarius. "I am truly sorry for this, I have been blinded by my duty to my men here and did not see any of this occurring. I assure you that you have my support and the support of my men if need be."

Tarius smiled slightly, "I thank you, I hope that this hasn’t gone as far as Stryder feared, but time shall tell. Time shall tell."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-end chapter-

Chapter Two:

…Tick… darkness swirling all around…
…Tick… cannot see, only feel…
…Tick… cold… pain… Am I awake? Am I alive?
…Tick… that sound, a clock?
…Tick… nothing, just that sound.
…Tick… awake,
“Louder”
…Tick… AWAKE!

The last word echoing now through the darkness as the confusion started to drift away. Light began to flood his brain as Stryder strained to open his eyes. It took moments for them to adjust to the light all the while the incessant ticking ensued. His head was pounding relentlessly as he struggled to sit up. His body even though numb with pain shook violently in the freezing air. He tried and tried but found that he could not move, bound at the hands and feet to what he believed is a table. He closed his eyes and squeezed them tight in order to refresh his vision quicker and began to look around.
The silence was broken with a hiss,

“Ah you have awakened, good,” the voice, said, “I have been wondering how long you’d sleep.”

Stryder turned his head looking for the source of the voice but could not see it.

“Show yourself,” Stryder’s voice dry and cracked from dehydration and the chilled air came out as barely a whisper, “why do you have me here… where… am I?”

“Ah yes, where are you… that is the inevitable question now isn’t it.” The voice gleefully replied, “You are here… and you are there but you are nowhere… that you will find on your maps. You are in between the very fabrics of time floating adrift in an ocean of nothingness within your so called reality in between the Warp and the Webway.”

“That makes no sense, such a place does not exist!” Stryder exclaimed.

“Exactly!” The voice hissed ever so proudly, “this is where I have been for countless millennia studying, researching, learning and weaving the very fabrics of time for my... father"

“So you are human? Xenos? Or a thrice cursed spawn of the Gods of Chaos.” Stryder spat in disgust.

“HA HA HAAAA” the voice boomed, “I am not a spawn to anyone inquisitor, I was not created in a tube from the likes of your worthless God Emperor of Man for I am bred from the very essence of my father. I am his first born, the most exalted of all of his children…”

Stryder smiled, “If you are so exalted, if you are so pure in his power then why are you imprisoned here in this so called fabric of nothing?”

“Can your simple mortal mind comprehend anything other than physical power?” the voice mocked, “I am not a marked champion nor am I a daemon spawned within the Eye. I am not a mindless pawn that is to be expended at his whim. I am not a corrupted husk of man no astartes, I am something more, much more. I am not imprisoned here but rather being kept safe and secure doing my father’s bidding. My role is far greater than any of those weak mortals who thrive on power, the same power that makes them delirious in their foolish quests to prove themselves to my father. Indeed I have no need to prove anything! I AM… THE exalted! I am kept here to read the fabric of time changing it ever so slightly, recording every meticulous detail. The very fabric of your pathetic existence flows through these halls… this my, beautiful, library.” His voice trailed off into a stale echo.

The sound of soft footsteps grew ever closer to Stryder as he lay upon the table. He strained to turn his head around in order to get a glimpse of his captor but to no avail.

“I have studied all the races from the young to the old, from the powerful to the fallen and I have never come across a specimen such as you… so pure and without augmentation of an aging technology.”

“Without augmentation?” Stryder asked, puzzled.

“Yes, your body does not have any enhancements added to it. Your psychic abilities are yours alone and not enhanced through the use of such arcane devices. You are pure.”

Stryder could remember a time when the High Lords took exception to his decision to not have any implants during his training. He felt they would weaken his humanity and therefore weaken his abilities. It was only after Tarius intervened on his behalf that the High Lords agreed to let Stryder finish his training without the implants. Tarius testified that his case was ‘rare’ and that the devices used to augment his power would actual hamper it. He never did tell him if that was the truth or a fabrication used to protect him. Every time he asked Tarius if this were true he always managed to change the subject or had something mysteriously ‘come up’ to which his attention was needed. He wasn’t sure but he believed Tarius was protecting him from these implants. Being a Techpriest of Mars one is to ‘worship’ the devices and the technology and never question it. But Tarius was different, he was skilled and followed his codes to the letter but he never seemed to fully rely on his machines, he always seemed to have more of a mutual respect with the body and the machine.

“I have had no use of such devices.” Stryder replied, as a hunched figure finally shambled into view. Hunched over wearing nothing but brown and grey rags covering every inch of his tall frail form. A staff clicked on the floor as he moved closer, his ancient and decaying hand grasping it firmly, his fingers ending in long metal syringes that scraped against the metal of the staff. A single point of light came from under his hood emitting from a mechanical eye that was also the source of the ticking. As the eye rotated in place, every rotation ended with a ‘tick’, that now had grown to spear through Stryder’s skull like a blast from an earth shaker cannon.

“You see, Stryder, I am the Ruiner of Dreams, the greatest of the Three Evils and the Keeper of Time.”

“You seem a bit on the small side for one with such power and such a grand title.” Stryder mocked.

The figured hissed its displeasure, “This is merely a form I take to put my subjects at ease, if you were to gaze upon my real form your blood would freeze instantly in your veins as you tried to claw out your own eyes while screaming for all eternity, for I, human, am Pa’Thogen the Exalted.”

Stryder scanned his memory of any readings or other writings that mentioned this ‘Pa’Thogen during his teachings but there was nothing he could find. He had read obscure reports of a triad of demi-gods that were born of Chaos but those tomes were deemed the work of heretics and confiscated into the deepest vaults on Terra. He turned as best as he could towards Pa’Thogen and drew in a deep breathe.

“Why am I here?”

Pa’Thogen’s head rose ever so slightly as his eye ticked and rotated as its gaze locked into Stryder’s. Stryder caught a fleeting glimpse of an attempted smile that immediately turned into a gross manifestation of an eternity of insanity.

“You are here for many reasons." Pa'Thogen mocked, "it gets lonely here watching time float by. I have longed to finish my research on several of my studies into the essence of life. The fabric of intellect. These studies need perfect specimens, specimens like you… You are without the parasitic inventions of man and yet you remain one of the most powerful untamed psions I have ever had in these halls. I have many, experiments… studies, if you will, that would benefit from you being the test subject. I am merely having trouble deciding which one to use you for. But we won't waste your, exquisite material”

Pa’Thogen moved next to the table, grinning a mouthfull of jagged bones that poorly mimicked teeth. He slowly pulled his hand, his needles, up and down Stryder's chest like a surgeon choosing the perfect spot for the initial cut. He then thrust his hand deep into Stryder’s chest. The pain was intense, unlike anything he has ever felt. The syringes pierced his muscle and flesh. It carved bone and tore holes in his skin as they searched for his organs. Stryder went to scream in unfathomable pain but found that nothing came out. He could see Pa’Thogen’s face under the ragged hood, smiling, his skin color fluctuating from a pale grayish green all the way to a deep violet and then back again just as quickly. His flesh eye was nothing but an empty socket from which a single tube exited. The tube extended down his shoulder and into the arm feeding black, pus like ichor into the syringes, which were now, undoubtedly being pumped into his chest. His veins burned with white hot heat, his lungs ached for a breath of oxygen and his heart began to swell as it strained to pump the black liquid through it's chambers.

Pa’Thogen’s smile grew as intensely as the pain burned through his body.

“Yes, that’s it, do no fight. The pain will pass, as will you in time.”
The image of Pa’Thogen began to fade… time seemed to slow.... pain turned to numbness...
…Tick…
…As the numbness overtook his mind…
…Tick…
...As the hatred of an eternal solitude seeped into his being...
...Tick...
...As the eye turned and twisted...
...Tick...
…And Stryder fell into the nothingness of sleep.

***

     Sang paced about his office rubbing his powerfist with a dirty rag, the same rag he has used for years. His troubles have only begun to spin through his mind, as he knew that once the Cardinal thought that Tarius and the Senator were out of Valhallan space that he would be the next target for daring to question him. The outcome will not be good as already a collector from the Office of Tithes had been executed and an Inquisitor from the council has gone missing after reportedly coming here to arrest the Cardinal! To top it all off the Cardinal, as of right now, is threatening action against a representative of Mars and an Imperial starship! Now it appeared that they were all right! The Cardinal does want to separate Valhalla and be no part of the Imperium, at least that is what appears to be true. Tarius has been alone in his shuttle for the last two hours and Sang could only imagine what he was reporting to Terra at this moment. It was now only a matter of who got to who first and he didn’t know who would come out on top. He only had his unshakeable faith in the Emperor and that he fell upon with great ease and soothing comfort. Surely the Emperor, the God of Man, He who sees all will come to his aid here and now.

     The call was a long one but with the present circumstances forcing the council’s hand Tarius deemed that it was more than necessary. The council deliberated and discussed the acts of heresy and treason that the Cardinal was accused of but in the end the council did not have enough evidence that Gideon was the sole perpetrator of those acts. Therefore it was their decision that the Council would send an Imperial Order forcing Gideon to allow Tarius into the excavation zone and to also allow the Senator back into orbit. Gideon’s actions from that point would tell the tale as to his true nature. Slightly distressed by the actions being taken by the Council, Tarius gave a meek objection, which was quickly over ruled by the senior members. "Be wary of the power Gideon holds over that entire planet," they warned over the hologram. "He could very easily incite the entire planet into revolt and force us to call for ‘Exterminatus’."

"The Cardinal has served the Emperor for many years without a single violation or event that would cause us to question his loyalty." another council member stated, "and if he is truly guilty then his actions will prove that to us, you must trust in our judgment."

Shaking his head Tarius replied, "But you are not here, you do not see the despair and malice in his eyes."

"None the less, Techpriest, the decision has been passed."

"An investigation at this junction is just too costly of a venture when the evidence just doesn’t warrant it, there are just too many risks."

A third council member interjected, "The disappearance of Inquisitor Stryder could be from a number of factors, it is painful that he cannot be found and an unfortunate coincidence without proof that Gideon held a hand in his disappearance. This will not hold up in any of the courts."

Tarius frowned but he understood exactly what they meant. The Priests of Mars had the same form of politics as the councils on Terra and they would not make a different choice if given the same information regarding one of their own. Tarius bowed to the hologram and softly said, "as you wish councilmen, your will be done."

"May the Emperor’s light guide you" was the last thing said by the council before the hologram switched off. Tarius sat in stone silence pondering this new information. If the council would not take action then he would have to force the Cardinal’s hand without causing a revolt on Valhalla and civil war between the High Lords of Terra and the Mars Adepts. To do this he would definitely need help and he knew exactly whom he needed.

Sang’s holocorder buzzed loudly, bringing him out of his somber mood by breaking his deep train of thought. It began to buzz a second time before he picked it up. A familiar and welcome face appeared in front of him.

"Ah Tarius, I take it you have word from the council?"

"Yes I do, but it is not good news I’m afraid. The Imperial Council will not take any further action at this point without more evidence of the Cardinal’s involvement in any of the issues presented."

Sang shook his head in disbelief, "But what of the current investigation of the tithes and the disappearance of Inquisitor Stryder? Aren’t they going to take action on that?"

"Yes they are taking action but it’s not an action I necessarily agree with. Their decision is not to arrest and try the Cardinal but instead to have myself and a small group given access to the excavation site in order to search for Inquisitor Stryder and his investigation team."

Sang scowled, "I thought that the Cardinal was to be arrested upon Stryder’s arrival? Why wouldn’t they have him arrested now? Did their nerve all of a sudden change because of Stryder’s disappearance?"

"Mind your tongue Colonel, the Council could very well be monitoring this call. Do not lose yourself in our friendship and think that Imperial protocol is a mere formality, it is your doctrine and respect need be shown. As far as the arrest, they feel that if the Cardinal did NOT have anything to do with the disappearance of the inquisitor and his team and if I detained him based on that charge, that there would be a rift in the fabric of government between Mars and Terra."

Sang rubbed his eyes, "I may not ever understand politics and I am happy for that fact, but I don’t see how this keeps us safe from the Cardinal’s temper nor do I feel that just because you aren’t a member from a Terran Council that you should not be able to arrest the Cardinal. You are here acting as the lead in an investigation..."

Tarius quickly interrupted "…An investigation into the excavation site, not into the tithes. I cannot arrest Gideon on the tithe dispute, that is only to be done be a member of the Inquisition. The council is contacting the Cardinal as we speak. If he denies their official request then he will be charged with heresy and tried as a traitor. If he does respect their wishes then all will be well, as long as we find that he was not responsible that is."

Tarius paused for a second and looked toward a screen off camera. "I see that he has received the message already. One of his servitors is crossing the hangar bay to my shuttle. Sang, shut your camera function down so that you can witness the servitor’s message without them knowing the holocorder is active."

Sang did as he was instructed and turned his camera off also muting the microphone. He watched as the door to Tarius’s chambers opened and the diminutive servitor entered and bowed out of respect. The man-machine looked up at Tarius, who was now standing, and began to recite the message given to him.

"Honorable Tarius, Techpriest of Mars and representative of the Terran Inquisitorial Council in regards to the investigation of the unknown artifact. Cardinal Gideon has authorized you to transport your team to the polar sector for two standard days. Your shuttle may leave when ready. Because of the weather patterns being tracked in this region, the Cardinal regrets that he can offer no additional assistance or provisions. You may assemble your team from any off duty members of the guard. This servitor unit will be accompanying you to promote the accuracy of your report."

The servitor finished his message and stood there at attention waiting for Tarius to reply. With a smooth movement Tarius flicked a switch on his harness and it buzzed to life. The servitor immediately turned towards it and after receiving the codes electronically went to its new station on the outside loading ramp. Tarius turned back to the camera and said,

"Sang, meet me down here in one hour, assemble a team of your most trusted soldiers and be sure to pack enough provisions for at least a week."

Tarius clicked the holocorder off knowing that Sang did not need him to repeat the orders. In fact he was sure that at that moment the Colonel was preparing his team.

Tarius allowed a deep sigh to escape him,

"I just hope we are not too late, for Stryder’s sake. May the light touch him wherever he may be."

-end chapter-

very cool - look fwd to reading the rest