The bomb which exploded among the citizens following the Holy Procession flung bodies and parts of bodies in all directions. Blood disfigured the brightly painted walls of a nearby house and one of the Ikons of the Emperor was toppled from its pillar and fell into the street, breaking into several pieces. However, such was the absorptive effect of so many close packed human bodies that the fragments of shrapnel traveled only a few yards and, when combined with the dense cloud of incense, other citizens only ten to twenty yards away were largely unaware of the attack. The same could not be said at the head of the procession. The missile warheads slammed into the censer bearers, hot metal fragments and fragments of priests causing casualties in a wide circle. White robes were suddenly stained red and black. Another bomb exploded among the choir behind the altar. More noise, death and destruction. The aim of this bomb had been slightly faulty and it also blew the front out of a shop adding flying knives of glass to the deadly mixture.

In the short space of time between the explosions and the realization of the attack, ten figures, heavily armed and armored in strange bulky black power armor with odd designs engraved into it, materialized next to the altar. The short and broad guns sprayed the priests with what appeared to be a fine mist, but everywhere the mist touched blood flowed and skin, limbs and robes were torn away. One priest swung his censer as a weapon, but it was easily batted aside and his eviscerated body joined the others lying bleeding on the street. One of the enemy reached into the altar and grabbed the Ikon case. With a final mist of blood and death, the ten attackers disappeared.

Panic filled the crowd as another two bombs detonated. Many of the priests and the faithful and even the crowd who had gathered to offer their Devotion to the Ikon where knocked down and trampled. Here and there knots of priests, strong in their faith, kept their prayers going. Even two of the choirs managed to continue with their hymns. In a minute or two it was mostly silent again except for the moans of the wounded and crushed and the fainter sounds of prayers and hymns. The gongs were silenced forever.

Scattered about were tableaux of death and destruction. An altar bearer, white as parchment, propped against the altar, vainly trying to hold his entrails in place through his lacerated abdomen, a citizen, too badly wounded to identify whether Spartan or Teuton, the skin stripped off his face by an explosion, his robes covered in blood, his eyes blasted from his head, unintelligible prayers gurgling in his throat, past his shattered teeth, a child walking slowly, almost majestically down the street, head high, both arms torn off, the blood joining with the blood of so many others and forming a rivulet trickling through the cobblestones.

Then the women started screaming, screaming in pain, screaming in fear, screaming in grief. People rushed back, like a wave dashing on the beach, to attend to the wounded, many privately disgusted at their own cowardice. High-Deakon Croton had survived the attack mostly intact. He had suffered some minor blast damage and his glorious robes were shredded and soaked in the blood of two of his Under-Deakons who had taken the full force of a missile blast. His first thought was for the souls of his followers, but as he turned to survey the damage, he could see the altar tipped on its side. As if waking from a deep sleep, he forced his way through the dazed crowd and made his way toward the altar, its bearers cut to pieces, dead or dying at their post. He fumbled under the cloths and tipped the altar unceremoniously to one side. Then the true enormity of the situation hit him, like a sledge hammer to his chest, and he fell to his knees, the prayer of Righteous Retribution on his lips. The Ikon of Pella was gone!! Taken!!

**********

The Inquisitor was at his evening meal when he though he heard several explosions in the distance. They were not very loud, and might well be fireworks discharged to honor the Holy Procession. Several minutes later his error was corrected by the sound of several distant alarms and Scriptor Karpus who rushed into the room without his normal warning. The guards instantly adopted defensive poses until they recognized the Scriptor and the Scriptor recognized the danger. If the Inquisitor had been closer to the door, the guards might well have cut the Scriptor down before he was identified. It was very dangerous to dash into an Inquisitor’s presence unannounced. The Scriptor stopped and bowed.

“Forgive me, my Lord. There is a flood of messages coming in to the People’s Guard headquarters. Unidentified forces have attacked the Holy Procession. It appears that the Ikon of Pella has been stolen. Many have been killed and injured. There are fears of a general Spartan uprising. This building may be attacked at any moment.”

The Inquisitor though about this for a moment. The Ikon of Pella was indeed a Spartan artifact, but it was a homage to the Ever-living Emperor. To take it by force from the Ecclesiarchy was a desperate and profane act. Nothing he had seen or knew about the Spartans suggested that such an action was likely. The main Spartan power base on Norcross was in the Ecclesiarchy. The Ikon of Pella was a symbol of their power. It was more likely, but still very, very unlikely, that the Teutons would perpetrate such an act to weaken Spartan power. However, such an act would also weaken the influence of Norcross itself and bring a great deal more Imperial investigation than anyone in their right mind would want. No, it was more likely that the defeated Cultist would perpetrate such a terrible act. However, the Inquisitor’s own investigations indicated that the Cultists were a spent force, broken and scattered, running for their lives. An attack on thousands did not seem the work of the one or two still at large fanatics. Random destruction was always possible, but a large scale attack was very unlikely.

“Prepare for defense in any case. Things will be very confused for a while. Leave this matter to the civil authorities, but keep a close watch. If there is an uprising, we will be ready.” The Scriptor was dismissed and returned to the outer office. Just in case of serious trouble, Inquisitor Brake sent a brief report to High-Inquisitor Sigismondo. He would doubtless receive reports from other sources, so the Inquisitor made sure that his kept to the facts as he was aware of the and contained no unsubstantiated and hysterical or paranoid speculation. His duty done, the Inquisitor returned to his meal. Action would await further information.

Within a few more hours, the horrible truth was confirmed. There were over a hundred dead and six hundred injured, some Spartans had been lynched and some businesses looted and burned in retaliation. There was no uprising and the Ikon of Pella was indeed missing, perhaps stolen. By nature, Inquisitor Brake preferred to act on the small scale, saving souls one Citizen at a time. It was for others to cleanse whole worlds with fire and sword. However, this did not mean that the Inquisitor could not recognize Duty when he saw it. Given the lamentable record of the local civil forces and the rampant in-fighting, any local attempt to deal with the situation was likely to end in an unthinking massacre and actual rebellion. To allow this to happen would be a dereliction of Duty and Treason. There had been enough Observation, now was the time for Action. Inquisitor Brake went over to his personal Ikon of the Emperor and ran through all fifty-three verses of the prayer of Divine Guidance and added the shorter version of the prayer of Implacable Retribution. Thus fortified he summoned Scriptor Karpus and started to draft the first of many Inquisitorial Edicts. Now the citizens of Pleasant Hill, and indeed all Norcross, would know the true power of the Inquisition.

**********

Inquisitor Brake first established a complete cordon about Pleasant Hill and, to a lesser extent, around Suwanee Province itself. Space vessels were moved in their orbits with orders to destroy any ship that would not stop and be impounded. The Norcross Navy had orders to board and capture any vessel of any sort trying to leave Pleasant Hill. The Zeppelin service was halted and the city itself was surrounded by a ring of steel provided by Colonel Haygood’s 95^th Cadian Rifles and the 33^rd Jorja Armoured Regiment. The Jorjan tanks were not much use, but their presence served to remind all of the power arrayed against those who sought to flee. Just to make a point, two small detachments of the Adeptus Astartes Lightbringers and Storm Lords were set to patrolling the streets of Pleasant Hill. A complete curfew was established over the city, and all residents were ordered to remain in doors until further notice. These measures had been instituted some hours after the event, but locals would not have anticipated such a response. No local commander had the authority.

Next, Inquisitor Brake sent out Arrest teams to bring in the Guilty that he had already identified. The accommodations in the People’s guard headquarters would be strained, and the Examination chambers would be working right around the clock, but in times of emergency, all must make sacrifices.

The final part of his plan was to start an exhaustive cordon search of the entire city, one building at a time. It would take time, but with the full resources of the 95^th, not too long. Recognizing the enormity of the task, Inquisitor Brake set into motion two plans which he hoped would make things easier. A cordon search is quite simple. The area to be searched is isolated, then a moving line is established which slowly sweeps through the area, searching everything. Those with something to hide can advance in front of the line and hope to avoid it in some way. The very clever can try to break through the line and escape either out of the area or into the searched section. The Inquisitor had plenty of experience with this. There were several Elite Arrest teams put into the uncleared area of the city with orders to arrest anyone they saw moving in the streets. They were already in violation of the curfew, but they were looking for those trying to evade the cordon. A second line was established behind the searchline, making it difficult indeed to pass through. This left only one possible avenue for escape, the cities sewers. These were all blocked off and guarded at the cities edges, but in the city itself they could be used to evade the search parties. Norcross officials kept excellent maps, the better to protect themselves against rebellion, so Inquisitor Brake was aware of all the routes. He had search parties blocking off all the sewers except the two oldest, now unused, ones which dated back over two thousand years. These he forgot about, except of course for the sensors and the Retribution teams he had waiting. Give the rats an escape route, and they were much easier to catch. The Arrest teams would probably catch only citizens who had other reasons to hide from a comprehensive search. They would doubtless be Guilty of course, but probably not of this crime. No, it was in the old sewers that he placed his greatest hope of success.

Now all he had to do was wait for results.

**********

Inquisitor Brake was hard at work reviewing the reports of the Examination chambers. Many Guilty had been identified, but no information had been discovered about the attack. He was a little annoyed when his concentration was broken by Scriptor Karpus.

“My Lord, there is a delegation from the Provincial Council asking for an audience.”

The Provincial Council? What were they doing here? It was very early in the day for them to be about. There was also a complete curfew. No one was supposed to be out anywhere unless on one of the Search or Arrest teams. It was time that the leaders of Pleasant Hill learned what an Inquisitorial Edict meant.

“Send Proctor Paramedes in with two more guards, then send in the Delegation in half an hour.”

Inquisitor Brake went back to his work and shortly after, Proctor Paramedes arrived.

At the appointed time six Provincial Councilors were ushered in. The Inquisitor was pleased to note that all six were supporters of Governor Jaeger, and all were Guilty of numerous crimes of omission and commission The Inquisitor also noted the perfunctory nature of their bows and salutes. Only one, Councilor Speer, in the uniform of a Storm Leader of the Department of Safety, offered the Inquisitor the respect he was due. The other five were dressed in their robes of office. This was an ‘Official’ delegation, or at least that’s what they thought. It would be a waste, but sometimes it was necessary to waste a little for the greater good. Inquisitor Brake got no chance to speak before Councilor Graf Brun spoke.

“I demand that you raise this curfew. No business is possible, people cannot get food, nothing can get done. You are ruining the city. Your thugs are causing great damage in their search. Those peasant Cadian foreigners have no respect for the locals. They even search the women. It must stop.”

His associates nodded in agreement.

“I was the Governor’s Deputy. I have taken over his responsibilities until I can be elected Governor. Here…” He reached rather too suddenly into his robe for something, and found himself staring at the bright end of five hell pistols, all pointing straight at his head, drawn as one with terrifying speed from the guard’s holsters. Only the Inquisitor noted with pleasure that after less than a second the aim of four of the pistols changed to other parts of his body, just in case. Graf Brun hesitated for a moment but then continued and produced a document from his robes. He placed it with some force on the Inquisitor’s desk.

“Here is an Official Proclamation from the Provincial Council ordering you to cease your search immediately and ordering the withdrawal of the 95^th Cadian Rifles and all other forces from the city. Copies have already been sent to the troops’ commanders and the Imperial Commander. Any searches will be performed by the Department of Safety and the Peoples Guard. We know who the Traitors are. We will make them suffer.”

Inquisitor Brake ignored this tirade.

“Storm Leader Speer. Why are you here? You should be advising your Search Team.”

Storm Leader Speer might be Guilty, but he was not stupid, and unlike the others had instantly read the true situation. He knew AUTHORITY when he saw it.

“My Lord, I have permission to join this delegation so long as I am back on Duty by Mid-day prayers.”

“Don’t worry Speer, once the Inquisitor stops the search, you will have plenty of time. Now Inquisitor Brake, are you going to stop turning our city upside down, or are we going to have to order the People’s Guard to stop you?” An unsubtle reminder that the Inquisitor was sharing his quarters with several thousand People’s Guard troops.

Before he left Norcross, Inquisitor Brake would do what he could, but he made a note that a comprehensive education program be instituted across the whole planet. Everyone here seemed to need a powerful refresher course on the Power and Authority of the Inquisition.

“Storm Leader Speer. Come here please.”

The Storm Leader hesitated briefly, then approached the Inquisitor slowly and with great care not to draw the attention of the red-armored guards. He stopped a short distance away and like a snake striking the Inquisitor grasped the Storm Leader’s left hand in his own. The Storm Leader had no time to react before his body was wracked with almost intolerable pain and he fell to his knees, and then the floor, his limbs writhing uncontrollably. The Inquisitor spoke quietly, with no tone of emotion in his voice.

“Storm Leader Speer. You have orders from the Inquisition to aid in the search for the Ikon of Pella. I find you in dereliction of those orders by coming here. Obedience is Duty. You have been Admonished.”

The Storm Leader moaned a little and licked the blood from his lips where he had bitten into them. The other five members of the delegation had taken an involuntary step backwards. Storm Leader Speer managed to haul himself to his feet using the Inquisitor’s desk. He stood more or less to attention, occasional spasms jerking his limbs, especially his left arm which almost seemed to have a life of its own. The delegation showed no signs of fear but rather signs almost of amusement.

“Councilors. You are civilians. You are in violation of the curfew established by my Inquisitorial Edict, by your own admission. I am the direct representative of the Ever-living Emperor. I am bound by no Imperial Law, much less any petty planetary law such as you. Accordingly I find you Guilty of Defiance of the Inquisition. You are hereby sentenced to Death. Guards, execute them by pistol immediately.”

The words had hardly made any impression at all on the Councilors. All of them were very surprised when they died. Arrogance and self-importance provided no protection at all from hell pistol fire. Proctor Paramedes went over to each body and, with a shot to the head, made sure that they were indeed all dead. The Inquisitor intoned the Prayer for the Dead while the Storm Leader looked on, frozen in pain and shock.

“Storm Leader Speer. Return to your unit. Proctor Paramedes, have these bodies taken out and displayed in the courtyard. I will provide a list of their crimes to be displayed with them.” He left it up to the Proctor to choose the best method of display. He was a local and would be sure to choose the most effective method. As the Storm Leader staggered out of the room and the Proctor started moving the bodies, Inquisitor Brake went back to work. He had always found it far more effective if such demonstrations started at the top. Leaders never seemed to learn from the fates of their subordinates. They did learn from their colleagues and superiors.

**********

The Inquisitor now had a more serious problem. He was running out of room to hold all the detainees. Even after execution following minimal Correction, the Guilty were arriving faster than they left, and there seemed no end in sight. Eventually, the Inquisitor decided that he had no choice but to order the People’s Guard to take up field positions around the Capitol, to make more room for prisoners. As a military organization, the People’s Guard understood the necessity of Obedience. The sight of the five bodies, clad in the formal robes of Provincial Councilors hanging by their feet from the windows of the Inquisition’s tower provided a powerful reminder of their Duty. Even so, the extra space would not last for long. For every prisoner there needed to be additional guards. Accordingly, the Inquisitor made plans to house more prisoners in the courtyard itself.

The Arrest teams had brought in the expected number of more or less serious criminals, but there was no sign of the Ikon of Pella. It was not until later in the afternoon that he was summoned by Interrogator Grauman. The message expressed urgency and, knowing the Interrogator, Inquisitor Brake hurried to the Examination chambers where he found an Interrogation in progress. The subject appeared to be the leader of a group caught trying to escape through the sewers. In their possession were many items which indicated that they were senior members of the Destiny of Mankind, the cult which had conspired with aliens, heretics, deviants and mutants to overthrow the government and take control of Pleasant Hill and all Suwanee Province. Interrogator Grauman discussed the Examination and Interrogation records of those captured and the Inquisitor had to agree that this subject was the leader and must have much valuable knowledge. The problem was the time factor. Every hour that passed allowed the Ikon to get further away if it had already left Pleasant Hill. As much as the Inquisitor would like to save this one man’s soul, the Inquisitor wanted the Ikon back more, and he instructed Grauman accordingly. Interrogate the subject In Extremis. There did not need to be any possibility of Correction.

The subject was already strapped onto the Altar of Truth, all vital signs monitored, apparently unconscious. With great delicacy, to avoid nerve damage, Grauman inserted a Pain Lance into the lower spinal column. Two of the Psyko-Examiners were brought in and the Inquisitor could see that Grauman planned a Soul Dump. By carefully increasing Duress to the point of death, at the very last moment, the subject’s soul would be exposed, naked to the world. In that instant, between exposure and death, the Examiners would be able to feast on it. As they did so, almost all the essence of the soul and the memories of the host would be transferred into their own minds. This procedure was used only rarely because the Examiners were irrevocably corrupted by it. Some would ultimately survive, but their minds would need to be reprogrammed further, and they would become Servitors or their brains would be interfaced to machinery of some sort. They could never be trusted by the Inquisition again lest some part of the corruption remained. This was an emergency. There were always more Examiners. There was only one Ikon of Pella.

Interrogator Grauman was a virtuoso. He played the controls to the Altar of Truth like he was composing a Hymn of Pain to the Emperor himself, which in a sense he was. The subject screamed and moaned, twisted and spasmed, but such was the care that Grauman took, no permanent damage was done and the subject found no escape in death. Drugs were injected to enhance the senses and loosen the shackles of the will upon the soul. However, the subject was very strong in spirit and body, a clear sign of the corrupting influences of the cult. A normal subject would have surrendered long since. Twice the Inquisitor thought that the time had come, but Grauman knew better. The subject had merely withdrawn his mind within its own defenses. The drug dispensers were activated on one of the Examiners and even the Inquisitor, no psyker himself, could feel the tension in the Warp. He had recently experienced the healing touch on his own mind. He could imagine the forces being brought to bear.

At last Grauman gave a slight smile and muttered a prayer of Thankfulness. The drug dispensers were activated on the other Examiner, and in a few seconds both it and the subject were limp, apparently dead. The subject was indeed dead, although the Examiners made certain by hammering the golden Holy Prayer Spike through the head before they carried it from the room.

**********

Once the Altar of Truth was cleansed and reconsecrated by one of the Interrogator’s assistants, the Examiner was placed on it. Inquisitor Brake remembered his days many years ago when it was he who reconsecrated the Altars of Truth. In many of the Ordos, involvement in the Examination, Interrogation and Correction process was looked down on as menial work. In fact, many Ordos did not bother with the process at all. They relied on prayers post-mortem to save the soul. The Ordo Veritas knew better and had ten thousand years of practice and experience. Each soul that they save strengthened the Ever-living Emperor a little more.

Using a leech contact the Inquisitor was able to monitor Grauman as he probed the mind of his own Examiner, carefully separating the weak threads of the Examiner’s mind from the stronger web of the subject’s. At last it was all laid bare and the Inquisitor was filled with despair. The Ikon of Pella was gone. The Ikon had been stolen by Eldar mercenaries whose leader operated under the pseudonym of Montigue. His forces had fought on both sides during the recent uprising, raiding Cadian and Jorjan supply lines, but also inflicting serious damage to the Eldar pirates. It was Montigue who had spirited the infernal Portal into Pleasant Hill to assist in the arrival of the pirates. A typical Eldar, totally inscrutable motives. The most important information was that the attack had been lead by the fanatic Cult Warriors known as Warp Spiders. They had access to short-range teleport technology, and had used it to escape from the city within minutes of the attack. The surviving cult members had helped in revenge against the Ecclesiarchy and because they owed a debt to Montigue. This one knew nothing more, but the Ikon was probably already off the planet.

At first the Inquisitor mentally castigated himself for not acting as soon as he heard the explosions, but then the analytical part of his mind cut in. Even if he had drafted Inquisitorial Edicts immediately, there would have been some time before ships could arrive over Pleasant Hill and there was only a primitive orbital defense system. In that short time the Ikon still would have disappeared. Although the subject believed all this to be absolutely true, there was always the possibility of Eldar duplicity. Inquisitor Brake instructed Grauman to concentrate on the cult members and the information extracted from the subject to confirm all that had been discovered. The Inquisitor might have been tardy once, but it was not a mistake he would make again. He hurried upstairs to his office to compose a report for High Inquisitor Sigismondo. He had to be informed. Until the information was confirmed, Inquisitor Brake allowed the search to proceed. Other Guilty would doubtless be discovered and, as an example of Inquisition power, it would be a lesson for the people of Pleasant Hill. He had some time in hand, so he composed a message asking Arch-Bishop Kosmedes for a private audience. He must be informed of the disaster too.

**********.

Little High Inquisitor Sigismondo did surprised Inquisitor Brake anymore, but there was always the next time, and that time was now. Inquisitor Brake had been prepared for Admonition, recall to Buford and even Condemnation, although the High Inquisitor was not generally the sort to Condemn subordinates who failed in spite of their own best efforts. He was not prepared for the message he received. In two days time High Inquisitor Sigismondo himself was coming to Pleasant Hill! The High Inquisitor was a high Imperial official. Duty took him to Norcross, but he did not like to be so far from Terra. Out here, so far away, the High Inquisitor must have felt a little like a man made temporarily deaf and blind. Duty brought him here, but inclination would endeavor to get him back to Terra as soon as possible. As the Planetary Capital and the location of the Imperial Commander, Buford had the best Imperial technology and communications that Norcross had to offer, and that was not saying much. By comparison, for all its size, Pleasant Hill was a village in the wilderness. Great indeed must be the Duty to bring High Inquisitor Sigismondo here. If the High Inquisitor had any weakness, it was his desire to remain in close contact with Terra. As the leader of the Ordo Veritas, who could even claim this a weakness?

It was Inquisitor Brake’s Duty to prepare for the High Inquisitor’s arrival and Obedience is Duty. However, there was still much to be done in Pleasant Hill, many Guilty to be Examined, Interrogated and Corrected, the murderer of Provincial Governor Jaeger to be discovered, the last of the Destiny of Mankind to be hunted down and the provincial government as a whole to be investigated. Much time and effort would need to be spent preparing for the High Inquisitor’s arrival and security. As the leader of the Ordo Veritas, he could not simply arrive like any normal citizen. There must be a Reception. With a brief prayer of Patience and Forbearance Inquisitor Brake put aside the files he was reading and started making plans.

If Inquisitor Brake was surprised by the message from High Inquisitor Sigismondo, he was positively astonished by the message from Arch-Bishop Kosmedes, or rather High-Deakon Croton on his behalf. The Arch-Bishop, it appeared, was engaged in a complex Rite of Reconsecration and could not be disturbed for the next two days. Bishop Komnenos and the Patriarch were also occupied. In other circumstances Inquisitor Brake might have taken this as a deliberate attempt to avoid him. Even a Cardinal Palatine would think twice before making excuses when an Inquisitor of the Ordo Veritas requested an audience. For a Cardinal Astral, like Supreme Patriarch Basil, a two day delay was most unusual, Rites of Reconsecration or not. The timing was interesting too. An audience would be granted, but not until after High Inquisitor Sigismondo arrived. To confirm his suspicions, Inquisitor Brake made a priority request for communication records from Inquisition headquarters in Buford and, sure enough, there had been a message from the High Inquisitor to the Patriarch. The fact that the record of the message was not under Inquisitorial Seal meant that the High Inquisitor had chosen not to hide it from Inquisitorial inspection. Since Roberto Brake was the only other Inquisitor on Norcross, as far as anyone knew, then only he would be able to track down the record of this message. The High Inquisitor had obviously intended him to find the record if he looked. This was doubtless to prevent Inquisitor Brake from taking any direct action against the Patriarch and his subordinates. Or course it would have been MUCH easier for the High Inquisitor to have told Inquisitor Brake what was going on, but doubtless he

“didn’t want to prejudice the Investigation.” Inquisitor Brake could hear the words as if the High Inquisitor were in the room with him.

More would be revealed when the High Inquisitor arrived, he fervently hoped. Until then, Inquisitor Brake had arrangements to make and Guilty to Correct.

**********

Most of the time in his investigations, the Guilt of the victim was in doubt. In this case, the Provincial Governor would have been amongst the first to be Condemned. That fact and other distractions had lead Inquisitor Brake to spend less effort on determining the Truth than he might normally have done. When High Inquisitor Sigismondo arrived, the fate of Provincial Governor might well be important. Of course anything might be important. It would be a lot easier if the High Inquisitor explained what he wanted.

Although he himself was very busy, the Inquisitor had found time to send Proctor Paramedes to go and question the Governor’s personal staff. The Inquisitor had decided that Proctor Paramedes was a real find on such a backward planet, and his upbringing amidst constant treachery, power-plays and threats of assassination made the Proctor an ideal guard and leader of guards. However, there were so many Guilty and so little time. It was the Inquisitor’s habit to make the most of the talents of his servants. If the Proctor was only a good guard, so be it. If he could be trusted to do more, then so much the better. It would be interesting to see what happened as the Proctor investigated himself. Inquisitor Brake needed no example better than Scriptor Karpus. He was a servant, but also a trusted assistant who could be relied on to work on his own, anticipating the Inquisitor’s requests. This resulted in greatly improved efficiency. The team of the two of them could do the work of two or three Inquisitors and take care of administrative duties too. Of course this was probably for this reason too that High Inquisitor Sigismondo made such use of him.

Inquisitor Brake reviewed the report that the Proctor had produced. He had made some mistakes and done things in a very different manner to the Inquisitor. However, it was also obvious that he had observed the Inquisitor’s own methods and learned much from them. Each told substantially the same story, either the truth or a well orchestrated conspiracy, something not unknown on Norcross. The Provincial Governor had summoned Councilor Hauser, Proctor Paramedes and High-Deakon Croton for a late meeting. No one knew why. Within the space of half an hour or so, all three had arrived. They were each shown into three separate but adjacent waiting rooms. As far as any one knew, none had been in to see the Governor. The door to his suite was closed. The Governor had not been seen out of his suite. High-Deakon Croton had been seen in the corridor looking for the Lavatorium. The guards which brought Councilor Hauser had gone to the Refectory. Proctor Paramedes had been seen looking out of his waiting room. No one was exactly sure when the three had left, but the guards had orders to take the Councilor back after three hours, the High-Deakon had left after about two hours and no one had seen the Proctor leave.

The information was still incomplete and the guards needed to be interviewed, but after only a few minutes of thought Inquisitor Brake put down the report and grunted to himself. Well that was one less problem to worry about.

Who killed the Governor?

Proctor Paramedes, the vengeful noble

High-Deakon Croton, the arrogant churchman

Councilor Hauser, the political rival

Staff-Captain Woltz, the brow-beaten aide

The Assassin?????

Governor Jaeger, the desperate politician

Supply reasons and evidence and any likely motives.

See if you can solve this before the Inquisitor reports to High Inquisitor Sigismondo.

**********

Life had begun to return to normal in Pleasant Hill. Inquisitor Brake had lifted the curfew, so commerce could begin. So could the preparations for the arrival of High Inquisitor Sigismondo. At least this was a known event. The Inquisitor had done this many times before. Already a cutter load of the High Inquisitor’s own guards had arrived to handle the security measures, so that was one less thing for the Inquisitor to worry about. Also, the High Inquisitor would be staying on his launch, so there was no need to provide accommodations or food. All that was really required for the Inquisitor to organize was the Ceremonial. Something he did as Duty, but with no great Joy.

It was also a sign of things returning to normal that Inquisitor Brake received a complaint from Arch-Bishop Kosmedes. Of course it wasn’t worded as a complaint, the Inquisitor’s education program was beginning to show some results, it was worded as a very respectful request, full of praise for the Inquisition and the Inquisitor himself.

Could the wonderful and terrible Inquisitor Roberto Brake please manage to attend to some small item. The stench of rotting corpses was interfering with the Rites of Purification, Reconsecration and Rededication at the Shrine to the Emperor as the Savior of Mankind.

The corpses in question where those of the five Provincial Councilors that the Inquisitor had had executed for defying his Inquisitorial Edict. At Proctor Paramedes’ suggestion the bodies had been moved from the People’s Guard headquarters to the Agora. There they would be seen by everyone at the market and most going to pray at the Shrine to the Emperor as the Savior of Mankind, something that nearly everyone would do as a part of the Reconsecration ceremonies. The Inquisitor also knew, again thanks to the Proctor, that the Agora was the traditional Spartan place to display the bodies of traitors and vanquished enemy leaders. Traditionally, they were hung by the neck or feet, depending on the severity of their crimes, or their bravery, until decomposition caused their remains to fall to the ground. After only a day of display, admittedly in the full sun, decay could hardly have even begun properly, much less reached the sensitive noses of those deep in prayer.

Since this was part of an education program, Inquisitor Brake sent back a very polite message expressing regret that the corpses of traitors should interfere with Ecclesiarchy’s prayers and that indeed he would take action. He instructed Proctor Paramedes to go and cut the heads off the bodies and throw the remains into the Suwanee River, guaranteeing nothing left to be buried in the family sepulchers, then take each head and impale it on a bronze spike and set it up, with a list of the crimes committed, outside one of the main entrance doors to each of the major shrines in Pleasant Hill The heads to be left on the spike for ten years, by Order of the Inquisition. Since there were only four such shrines, the Shrine to the Emperor as the Savior of Mankind got two heads. The stench of a rotting head would hardly penetrate far! The Inquisitor hoped that the lesson would be learned, both by the Arch-Bishop and the people of Pleasant Hill. He attached the plan for the Reception Ceremony of the note, so that the Ecclesiarchy would know that was expected of them. Additional orders were sent to Planetary Legate, Colonel Haygood, and the commanders of the Adeptus Astartes forces in Suwanee Province. The marines all had positions to defend and enemy to pursue, so only token representation would be required. The High Inquisitor was big on Ceremony, but in such a place as Pleasant Hill and under these circumstances, following the uprising, the 95^th Cadian Rifles and 33^rd Jorjan Armoured, supported by the Department of Safety and the People’s Guard would be impressive enough. Besides, Inquisitor Brake had his own ceremony in mind, and the Agora was only so big.

The only area where things were not as impressive as they might be was the Civil Presence. Normally, there would be the Provincial Governor and the forty Provincial Councilors to represent the province and greet the High Inquisitor on behalf of the loyal subjects. Unfortunately Provincial Governor Jaeger was dead, his deputy, Councilor Brun also dead, along with seven more of the Jaeger faction and a further four were in the custody of the Inquisition, following unsatisfactory answers in the Examination process. Councilor Hauser was very much alive, but Condemned and in the Inquisition’s holding cells, along with four of his colleagues. Three more were dead, two killed in the uprising, and one killed in the attack on the procession, his soul at least was saved by dying a Martyr’s death. The Paramedes faction too was much reduced. Councilor Paramedes himself had been killed and two others had died in the uprising, one more had been killed in the procession and another who had survived the procession had been lynched by angry Teutons. One councilor was being held for Interrogation. That left merely fourteen councilors to represent the province, and nothing could be done about it until the Reconsecration of the Capitol.

Inquisitor Brake had done his best in the circumstances. He might have done better if he knew what was required, or knew the High Inquisitor’s purpose. However, in the past he had often been just as much in the dark, and the High Inquisitor had rarely shown any displeasure, and even that was many years ago. Inquisitor Brake could sleep tonight knowing that he had done his Duty.

**********

In such was the favor that High Inquisitor Sigismondo was found by the Ever-living Emperor, that the new day was cool and crisp and clear, with only a few clouds, rather than the more normal overcast and high humidity of Suwanee at this time of year. The conditions were ideal, the crowd comfortable, and crowd it indeed was. Except for the prohibited areas, the whole Agora was packed with citizens. Not counting the many in the Arcade, operating stalls selling food and drink to the hungry and thirsty, religious scrolls to the humble, Blessings to the impure, and Lavatorium space to the full or queasy, there were over fifty thousand people in the Agora itself. The steps of the Shrine to the Emperor as the Savior of Mankind were also packed, but in better order. There were awnings covering the various contingents representing the Ecclesiarchy, the Administratum, the Adeptus Astartes, the Adeptus Mechanicus, other Adepts and the Imperial Guard. There were also representatives of all the powerful families, Hausers, Coburgs and Anhalts to the fore, the lesser families behind. Even the Spartans were represented by the Paramedes, Panathenaikos, and Demikos families. At the front, in the place of greatest honor was the dais of Supreme Patriarch Basil, the Patriarch himself almost invisible behind the Holy Scrolls and Prayer Banners draped all over his throne. To his left was Arch-Bishop Kosmedes and his retinue, two of this Deakons prominently bandaged, to the right was the space reserved for High Inquisitor Sigismondo. To Inquisitor Brake things were going as planned, but it seemed that the locals had turned this into much more of a religious event than he planned. It was now much clearer that the Ecclesiarchy was the true power here in Pleasant Hill and Suwanee. The Inquisitor also noted that the crowd was encroaching into one of the prohibited areas, well they would soon learn their lesson. The other prohibited area was almost self-policing. In spite of the crowd, there was a space of almost a pace between the throng and the few guards marking the perimeter.

Skarphos, High Inquisitor Sigismondo’s personal pilot chose his approach well so that the arrival of the launch was concealed by a large cloud. The first the crowd knew of the High Inquisitor’s arrival was when the launch burst through the cloud, thrusters screaming at full as it prepared to land. Rather than make a more normal preparatory pass, Skarphos drove in for an immediate and very fast landing, thus minimizing the time available to lock-on missiles or other weapons intended to kill the High-Inquisitor. Those who had trespassed into the landing area scattered in all directions, one or two being trampled in the rush. The launch descended on a pillar of smoke and fire. The Inquisitor knew that this was not absolutely necessary, but he also knew that much of the smoke was artificial and intended for effect and to screen the launch from weapons in its most vulnerable landing phase. Slowly the cloud dissipated.

The High Inquisitor’s launch was converted from a Thunderhawk. It stood on the ground black and menacing. The only ornamentation being three Imperial eagles and the three larger Insignia of the Inquisition. The crowd nearby felt a terrible dread and sense of unease and instinctively moved away, thanks to the sub-sonic psyko-projectors built into the hull. The sense of menace was further enhanced by the weapons turrets. Their many barrels appeared to scan the crowd, a little like an animal sniffing for prey, periodically stopping to target suspicious individuals. Those who noticed the weapons pointing at them and their immediate neighbors cringed reflexively. The launch made a powerful statement. I am the Inquisition, fear me!!!

The launch disgorged fifty guards, clad in black power armor, and from the Shrine another thirty similar guards and two squads of Space Marines emerged. The crowd parted miraculously in front of the guards as if it were the Rouge Asteroid Belt in front of Admiral Mosos. A wide path was cleared. A company of the 95^th Cadian moved in to fill the gaps. Finally, Inquisitor Brake, Scriptor Karpus, Interrogator Grauman and their guards advanced slowly to greet the High Inquisitor. This gave any nervous fanatics in the crowd plenty of time to leave, or decide to make a premature attack on Inquisitor Brake. This had happened three times in Inquisitor Brake’s long career, but most of him had survived these attempts. Unfortunately Scriptor Alvin had not been so lucky last time. Inquisitor Brake understood his Duty and embraced it willingly. Of course the Blessing of his Rosarius helped. The Inquisitor stopped well clear of the launch’s ramp, and only the most astute observers would have noticed the plasma cannon trained on the Inquisitor and his party. There were many benefits to being Guards to an Inquisitor. However, the price of Failure of Duty was very high indeed.

From a door in the ramp, another ten guards emerged. Heavily armed and ready for anything. Their leader, High-Proctor Barakus, checked the weapons seals on the Inquisitor Brake and his party. No one was allowed into the High Inquisitor’s presence with weapons, except other members of the Inquisition, and even their weapons must be sealed. However, it was a sign of special favor and a further test of identity that Inquisitor Brake’s seals were not effective. Only the Inquisitor, the High Inquisitor and Barakus knew this. Any impostor would get this detail wrong and that would be the end of them. If some other came to check, Inquisitor Brake knew to prostrate himself, again confirming his identity. Satisfied, Barakus made some signal and the armored ramp slowly lowered, revealing an inner shield which opened upward. The High Inquisitor’s guards retreated to cover the ramp, and when all was ready, High Inquisitor Sigismondo appeared.

**********

High Inquisitor Sigismondo was very old indeed, and it showed on what little of his body was visible. His face was sunken and his skin wrinkled and spotted. Many different implants entered his head and chest and abdomen. Some to enhance his considerable powers, others to sustain his life. There were rumors that the High Inquisitor had known the Emperor before he was elevated to the status of Ever-living God. Those rumors were of course false. However, the High Inquisitor was a senior member of the Ordo Veritas before the Age of Apostasy, over four millennia ago. Inquisitor Brake had read the reports then Inquisitor Sigismondo had written warning of the great accumulation of power by the Ecclesiarchy, even as only several hundred years ago he had warned of the great accumulation of power by the Adeptus Mechanicus. In both cases he had been ignored. There was also some discussion as to how much High Inquisitor Sigismondo remained, and how much was machine or bionics. Wherever he went he was almost venerated by the Adeptus Mechanicus, who recognized the Runes of Prayer to the Machine God adorning his equipment, proclaiming to all who could read them the Holiness of the Technology, and they also could tell how far along the road to becoming one with the Machine God the High Inquisitor was. The High Inquisitor very carefully cultivated his relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus. Others may choose to ignore it, but he knew the true threat that they represented.

The High Inquisitor did not walk, he hovered. His throne, for throne it was, was mounted on the weapons platform of an ancient Attack Jet Bike with Skarphos riding the bike and driving. Once in the distant past, Jet Bikes were common in Adeptus Astartes service, but even then Attack Jet Bikes, mounting heavy weapons were rare. Today, there were almost no Jet Bikes in the field at all, except in a few forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Inquisition. Inquisitor Brake had never seen another Attack Jet Bike in functioning condition. The High Inquisitor moved slowly down the ramp as his guards kept pace. Inquisitor Brake advanced slowly and prostrated himself, offering a prayer to the High Inquisitor’s continued Vigilance. At the High Inquisitor’s command and greeting, Inquisitor Brake returned to his own party and lead the High Inquisitor back toward the shrine. As they passed through the crowd, the High Inquisitor’s guards fell into their protective formation surrounding him, so by the time the he arrived at the steps of the Shrine he was protected by seventy very hard men, backed-up by the unknown, but doubtlessly powerful weapons of his launch. A fine example of the power of the Inquisition.

Such was the power of the High Inquisitor, that even here at one of the holiest shrines outside Terra, Barakus and two guards were permitted to approach the Supreme Patriarch and search his dais and scan his followers. The fact that this took place in public surprised Inquisitor Brake. Of course he had already searched the Patriarch in private himself. To allow a public search was a very surprising concession. The Patriarch was a Cardinal Astral. A small portion of Inquisitor Brake’s mind considered this. Something was going on. Much of what was happening had been pre-arranged between the High Inquisitor and the Supreme Patriarch. What had that message from the High Inquisitor said?

Once the High Inquisitor had taken his position of honor, the prayers and hymns commenced. Once again Inquisitor Brake was most surprised. These were not the prayers of Save Arrival and Blessings of Vigilance that he had arranged. These were prayers of Thankfulness and hymns of Glory to the Ever-living Emperor. They were longer than the normal short form used by most citizens, but still far shorter than the full formal version. The Inquisitor would have thought this a concession to the crowd, but High-Deakon Croton had gone through all eight hundred and forty-seven verses of the prayer of Eternal Thankfulness only a few days ago. Besides any one of the crowd who died of natural causes during such a prayer was assured of the Emperor’s Blessing. Inquisitor Brake had carefully scripted this event, and yet the High Inquisitor had chosen to make alternate arrangements, and without warning him. Quickly Inquisitor Brake reviewed his recent actions. He had been impaired, but had he done something to raise the High Inquisitor’s suspicion? The friendly greeting at the launch meant nothing. If he was suspected, the High Inquisitor, who knew every facet of the gem that was Inquisitor Brake, would be sure to give him no warning. It was Duty to Obey, and the Truth would be discovered. Inquisitor Brake had little to be ashamed of. When the High Inquisitor was ready, he would tell Inquisitor Brake all that he wanted him to know, as usual.

**********

Inquisitor Brake was pleased to note that the revised prayers and hymns were timed to conform to his schedule. The content might have been changed, but the plan was still adhered to. Ever since he had arrived on Norcross, Inquisitor Brake had noted the minimal respect given to the Inquisition. Having seen how Teuton and Spartan society worked, he could now begin to remedy this deficiency. Norcross was too isolated. The Inquisition did not visit here often enough. Accordingly, the locals treated the Inquisition just like any other political faction, giving it as little respect as it demanded. The more forbearance the Inquisitor exhibited, the less respect he received. His first demonstration of the nature of the Inquisition had started to produce results but, even so, something stronger was required. This he was ready to provide. He would demand a great deal of respect indeed.

The other prohibited area on the Agora contained twenty-seven Pain Frames. Inquisitor Brake was sure that the symbolism would not be lost on the locals. There were twenty-seven companies in the original 666^th Regiment of the Teuton Penal Legion, the first garrison of Norcross following Reunion. It was from the officers and men of this regiment that almost all the Teutons on Norcross were descended. By some strange coincidence that only the Ever-living Emperor would understand, twenty-seven was also the number of Lord-Councilors to the Spartan kings before Reunion. Symbolism was important here.

Once the prayers and hymns were completed, Inquisitor Brake gave the signal for the Admonition to commence. In the interests of an effective demonstration, the Inquisitor had decided to expend nine souls. Examiners and Interrogator Grauman’s guards lead eighteen of the Condemned out of the Shrine and onto the Agora. The naked bodies of the other nine were carried out, unconscious, on stretchers. Inquisitor Brake had chosen the twenty-seven from among the Condemned held at headquarters with great care. Each group of nine represented as broad a cross-section of Norcross society as he could manage. Teutons, Spartans, high and humble. The first nine where the least Guilty. They were minor criminals or dupes of the Destiny of Mankind Cult. They were not truly evil, though very Guilty. Their Correction had been very simple and they were all eligible to receive the Emperor’s Blessing. If the Inquisition only had to deal with such Guilty as these, the Imperium of Mankind would be a great deal better place. The second nine Condemned were a great deal more Guilty. Not only where they corrupt themselves, but the worked hard to corrupt others. Even so, the Correction had been reasonably straight-forward, although considerably more lengthy. In the end, they had all made full Confessions and were also thus eligible to receive the Emperor’s Blessing. The last nine were the most Guilty. They were Heretics and Deviants through and through. Two were even Mutants as well, which was why they were all to be displayed naked, so that the disgusting nature of these mutations, an anathema to the Perfection of the Ever-living Emperor, could be seen by all. Interrogator Grauman had assured the Inquisitor that even these souls could be saved given sufficient Correction, but there were so many Guilty and so little time that Inquisitor Brake had decided to sacrifice their souls in the greater cause of the Inquisition. No attempt had been made to Correct them, their Interrogations had already consumed far too much time and too many resources.

The burble of conversation that passed through the throng in the Agora was silent as the Condemned were bought out, accompanied by Examiners, guards and a contingent of priests. A few waves of conversation rippled through the crowd as some of the Condemned were identified. With due ceremony and appropriate prayers, each of the twenty-seven was strapped to the Pain Frames, the nine unconscious ones hanging limply. When all was ready, Inquisitor Brake and his retinue proceeded down to supervise the final Admonition.

Stopping in front of the first nine, Scriptor Karpus read out to the crowd a list of their crimes and a summary of their Confessions. The sonic amplifier in his vox-box allowed his words to carry over the entire Agora. When he had finished, the Inquisitor gave the sign, and with a brief twitch from the Condemned, their souls were drawn from their bodies. As a sign of their lack of Guilt, Inquisitor Brake himself intoned the Emperor’s Blessing over their bodies. He did this at a measured cadence which allowed the crowd to follow along. At first his words were echoed only by his guards but by the second verse, the whole crowed was following along.

The second nine were more Guilty and required more Admonition. They were dealt with one at a time, so that the last observed the fate of the first eight. The Admonition process lasted between five and ten minutes before the soul was withdrawn. This time it was the Ecclesiarchy delegation which intoned the Emperor’s Blessing, their prayers and gongs clearly audible over the silence of the crowd. Finally there were the most Guilty, the whole object of this demonstration. At the Inquisitor’s signal, Interrogator Grauman activated the drug dispensers and, as the sedative-antagonist took effect, the Guilty all awoke from their sleep. Some tested their bonds with bulging muscles suggesting super-human strength, but their restrains would not give. One started to intone Blasphemous prayers. At the Inquisitor’s signal, he was sedated, his tongue cut out and then awakened to gurgle unintelligibly. Again the charges were read out, but there were no Confessions. Their guilt was in no doubt, however, because they had all been named in the Confessions of others. This was not necessary but, in keeping with Norcross tradition, this was as much a political statement as it was an Inquisition ceremony.

At last the Admonition process was started, the list of crimes was very lengthy. Some of the Guilty were very strong in body or spirit, but Interrogator Grauman had anticipated this. Additional drug dispensers were activated to weaken flesh and will, to enhance the sensitivity of the nerves, to neutralize the mutants’ defenses. The Admonition continued unit the last of the Guilty had expired. It took just less than two hours. During this time, all present watched the Guilty thrash and writhe, scream and howl, foam and bleed. Their bonds would not break and they could not escape, even when one of them tore off his own hand in a particularly violent spasm. Finally, and secretly, Interrogator Grauman activated the dispenser to inject acid directly into their brain, to ensure their actual death. Then the Examiners hammered the golden Holy Prayer Spikes into their heads. There was no Emperor’s Blessing, no prayers for their soul. To complete their utter destruction, Examiners with flamers came forward and completely incinerated the bodies. A melta-grenade was used to fuse their very bones. Finally, Prayers of Exorcism were spoken over the spot, to re-sanctify the Agora itself.

When the Inquisitor returned to his place on the steps of the shrine, he was very pleased. He had made a powerful statement, but he had done it very economically. So far, only fourteen souls from all the many hundreds of Guilty had been sacrificed to the greater needs of the Inquisition. The silence of the crowd was almost deafening.

**********

It was now the turn of High Inquisitor Sigismondo to speak and yet for some time he remained silent, letting the gathered crowd think upon what they had seen, to begin to fear for the future, to fear what the High Inquisitor might do, his power so much greater then a mere Inquisitor. While he waited, the High Inquisitor listened as the silence broke up into ice-flows of muted conversation as neighbors spoke to each other. At the psychologically most effective moment he began to speak. His voice was amplified, but it’s tone was metallic and mechanical, as if an old recording was being played. There was no detectable emotion, all sub-text was expressed through cadence, not inflection.

Not surprisingly, the High Inquisitor had not provided Inquisitor Brake with the text of his address, or even an indication of it’s subject matter, but the Inquisitor expected that the High Inquisitor would build further on the substantial foundation already provided. In many ways the Inquisitor was wrong, and yet again surprised by the High Inquisitor. There was a warning and a reminder of the Duty and Loyalty owed by all to the Ever-living Emperor. There was also a reference to the importance of cleansing souls so that they could be ultimately reunited with the Spirit of the Emperor. He also repeated the parable of the Severed Hand, a common subject for the Inquisition when addressing relatively primitive societies, and however advanced Norcross might appear, in the areas of Duty and Loyalty, it was very primitive indeed. The modest bulk of the speech dealt with the inspiration that the Miracle of Saint Basil provided for the rest of the Imperium, a clear nod to the Ecclesiarchy and the establishment on Norcross. The High Inquisitor must need the support of the Ecclesiarchy in one of his schemes, thought Inquisitor Brake to himself. He then recited a prayer of Forgiveness, silently, for his base thoughts. The High Inquisitor continued on rather longer than usual, and Inquisitor Brake could see definite signs of restiveness in the crowd. Normally the High Inquisitor went for short sharp speeches, like a gleaming phase-knife. Again, however, the High Inquisitor was manipulating the emotions of those present. At exactly the right moment he produced the Ikon of Pella from under his robes, and displayed it to the crowd!!!!

The sigh from the crowd could probably be heard in Beaver Ruin. Inquisitor Brake was not merely surprised, he as astonished. Astonished and intrigued, but not stunned. He took the opportunity to hold back High-Deakon Croton as he approached the High Inquisitor’s throne, and instead advanced himself to receive the Ikon. The High Inquisitor hesitated for a moment before handing it over. Inquisitor Brake caught some fleeting emotion as the High Inquisitor’s gaze passed over him, but he was more concerned with the Ikon and its case. He could not examine it as well as he would like, but he was able to recall his exact memory of it from his electro-graft. One thing was certain at a glance, this was not the same case. This case was far more ornate, far more richly decorated, and apparently even older than the case he had seen. Even so the case had a subtle aura of reverence about. No one closely examining the case with any feeling at all for the Emperor’s presence, could fail to sense its Holiness. This was to be expected of any object exposed to the Emperor’s person for any length of time. This was far stronger than the aura of the case the Inquisitor had examined on the Grav-Zeppelin and taken from the Governor’s suite. He was also certain that this was not the same Ikon either. It appeared identical in every way, but a careful comparison with this memory revealed a slight difference in the shape of the wings. The Ikon on the Grav-Zeppelin must have been slightly deformed when used to beat the unknown Inquisitor’s brains out. However, the High Inquisitor’s word literally was law. If he said that this was the Ikon of Pella, then the Ikon of Pella it was.

As he turned to present the Ikon to the High Deakon, he was not surprised at his prostration and prayers. He had been through this all before. With more prayers the Ikon was transferred via Bishop Komnenos and Arch-Bishop Kosmedes to the Supreme Patriarch himself. After what seems a very brief version of the prayer of Eternal Thankfulness, only forty-two verses, and a hymn of Undying Loyalty, the Supreme Patriarch and the High Inquisitor retired into the shrine to return the Ikon of Pella to its rightful place at the altar, at least until it must be returned to Terra. The crowd remained, and further hymns of Rejoicing and Glory were sung, and prayers said too. The priests took advantage of the situation to collect casual tithes and sell Blessings and Absolutions.

All this time Inquisitor Brake’s analytical brain was working at full speed. The case brought by High Inquisitor Sigismondo, it seemed, was the real case for the Ikon of Pella, however, the Ikon that he had examined earlier and removed from the Governor’s seemed to be the real Ikon of Pella. The changes in his arrangements for the reception ceremony made things far more suitable for a service to celebrate the return of the Ikon, and High Deakon Croton was prepared to receive it. This meant that the High Inquisitor had warned the Supreme Patriarch or the Arch Bishop in advance, but not his assistant Roberto Brake. It was at times like this that Inquisitor Brake was tempted to curse his lack of psychic powers. Many times this lack and his unusual resistance to psychic attack had saved his life and the lives of many others. At other times, the right psychic power would have saved many lives too, and would have certainly made things much easier for him. Duty required him to make the best use possible of all the talents given to him by the Emperor. It was a minor Heresy to wish for more. It suggested that the Emperor was not perfect. Whatever had truly happened, it was clear that he had been a mere pawn, or perhaps a rook in a complex game being played by High Inquisitor Sigismondo. Obedience and Duty were a lot easier if you knew what you were supposed to be doing, and where your Duty truly lay. He had received no instructions from the High Inquisitor, so Inquisitor Brake returned to his quarters. There were still many Guilty to Examine, Interrogate and Correct and so little time.

**********

Inquisitor Brake was not surprised at the summons to attend upon High Inquisitor Sigismondo. In fact, so unsurprised was he that he had been preparing for it for several hours before the message arrived. His armor was spotless, his best robe was recently Sanctified and his own soul was purified by an hour of prayer. Scriptor Karpus had his reports ready, Interrogator Grauman had his records and Confessions prepared. Nothing more could be done.

As the Inquisitor and his party made its way toward the High Inquisitor’s launch in the Agora he noted with private pleasure that the citizens of Pleasant Hill gave him a wide berth, All of the city officials from the street sweepers to the Patrol Storm Leaders snapped to attention and saluted. Even passing priests blessed him. His education program was showing signs of success, Of course it was a little like treating a disease with drugs. The initial dose often had a strong effect, but additional doses were needed, from time to time, to keep corruption and decay at bay.

Only Inquisitor Brake was admitted into the High Inquisitor’s presence. Scriptor Karpus loaded his reports directly into the High Inquisitor’s machine spirit, and Interrogator Grauman’s notes and Confessions were filed away for future reference. As usual, the High Inquisitor spoke little but listened a lot. Inquisitor Brake had sent complete and comprehensive reports on his actions since leaving Buford on the Grav-Zeppelin, but the High Inquisitor had always received reports from his subordinates in person whenever possible, or at least that was Inquisitor Brake’s experience. At times it seemed that he was talking to a statue. The High Inquisitor showed almost no sign of consciousness, although again from experience, Inquisitor Brake knew that every word was being absorbed and dissected. The High Inquisitor made few comments. He dismissed Inquisitor Brake’s concerns over the death of the unknown Inquisitor with the words

“Willing and necessary sacrifice”, which ended the discussion on the subject.

The High Inquisitor showed more interest in Inquisitor Brake’s investigation into the uprising in Pleasant Hill and his recommendations for Correction and Admonition. Inquisitor Brake had read the records of then Inquisitor Sigismondo’s cleansings following the overthrow of Goge Vindire at the end of the Age of Apostasy. Those had been truly desperate times indeed. It had been a long time since the High Inquisitor had operated in the field in person, these days he directed others, and it was clear from his reports that he had been full of the spirit of the Emperor as he rooted out the Apostates. A good Inquisitor did not enjoy his work too much, for that was the way to Damnation. Inquisitor Sigismondo had always managed to overcome his own desires and perform his duty with unflinching ruthlessness. However, unlike some Inquisitors who were totally uncompromising, the High Inquisitor recognized the fundamental truth of the Inquisition thought:

There is no Innocence, only Degrees of Guilt.

To destroy all the Guilty would leave no one to combat Chaos, heretics, deviant and mutants. The dead cannot achieve mankind’s true Destiny.

The High Inquisitor showed some interest in the death of Governor Jaeger. Inquisitor Brake passed quickly over the investigation and chose to omit any specific reference to the guilty party. Inquisitor Brake had few ways to express his dismay at being used as a mere tool, but this was one of them. If the High Inquisitor could solve the problem himself, he would do so. If not, it would be a reminder of Inquisitor Brake’s usefulness. In this case the crime was so simple and the murderer so obvious that the High Inquisitor did not need to ask for clarification.

“So Staff Captain Woltz put the poison in the heater, summoned the others in the governor’s name, and smothered the drugged Governor when he came in the window.” was all he said.

“Yes, my Lord” was Inquisitor Brake’s only reply. Still, it had taken the High Inquisitor several minutes to arrive at this. Inquisitor Brake had suspected the Staff Captain from the first.

There was only one main change to the Inquisitor’s recommendations. Councilor Hauser was to be severely Admonished, but not executed yet, so that he could be elected Provincial Governor. Inquisitor Brake wondered how the Imperial Commander would deal with a Provincial Governor who was also a Condemned of the Inquisition. On Norcross, the Governor’s immunity to direct action, since he was technically property of the Inquisition, would make for very interesting politics indeed. Still that was someone else’s problem.

Inquisitor Brake had expected no explanation of the recent events and the miraculous return of the Ikon of Pella, but he had hoped for some information. He was disappointed but not surprised. He was a patient man. Over the next several years he would have spare time in transit. He would use this time to examine the incidents further. There would be many records in the Inquisition archives on Terra. Even the existence of Sealed records were clues. It might take him years, but he would make it his business to find out what had happened, if only to prove his powers to the High Inquisitor. Of course it was always possible that the High Inquisitor had no intention of telling him something he could find out for himself.

“You have done your Duty well”, was the High Inquisitor’s only comment on his actions, high praise indeed from someone who normally expected nothing less.

Inquisitor Brake was dismissed to complete his work. The last of the punishments would be supervised by the Imperial Commander and the Ecclesiarchy. The Department of Safety was on notice that pure reprisals would not be tolerated and the Adeptus Arbites Judge based on Caldur would spend six months every five years dispensing Justice on Norcross. Norcross would be dragged closer into the Imperium of Mankind, ready or not.

**********

In the privacy of his own inner sanctum, High Inquisitor Sigismondo was very satisfied. True pleasure was something that he had not experienced for centuries, but he had learned to make do with satisfaction. The pieces of the game had been put on the board and set in motion. The plan had been modified. Only uncertainty could be predicted with certainty. With so many variables and people, it was a sign that the Emperor was with him that things had gone so smoothly. It was only at times in his life like this that the High Inquisitor could see Destiny with crystalline clarity. Only Destiny and the Emperor’s protection could explain what had happened. He, High Inquisitor Sigismondo, had lived long enough to see this day, no mean feat. Only he had the ability to engineer this plan. No one outside Mars understood the Adeptus Mechanicus as well as he. Only through his own researches was the material identified. Only he had the influence with the Fabricator-General to get the device constructed, and that was only the first step. Very few had personal access to the Golden Throne. This access was crucial. The Ever-living Emperor’s aura cannot be fabricated or simulated and nothing less would do. As the High Inquisitor of the Ordo Veritas, only he had the information and contacts within the Ecclesiarchy to overcome their resistance, and only as the Black Lord, one of the twelve high Lord of Terra, did he have the authority and influence to order the sacrifice of one of the holiest Ikons in the whole Imperium. Again, only through his contacts in the Inquisition had the information of the planned attack been reported. Only through the Officio Assassinorum, the Temple Venenum and the Adeptus Mechanicus, an almost unique yoking, had the psyko-toxin been created after three hundred years of work. The bait had been carefully crafted. Many souls had been sacrificed, but in a glorious cause. Things were now in the hands of the Emperor. He would determine the success or failure. In High Inquisitor Sigismondo’s view, the plan was already successful. The question was merely the size and importance of the quarry to be destroyed, and how much collateral damage would be done. One of the advantages of being known as an enigmatic and subtle plotter was that ones successes were rumored much greater and ones failures often unnoticed. A reputation was as powerful a weapon as action.

High Inquisitor Sigismondo opened a secret compartment in his throne and revealed his personal Ikon of the Emperor. He the withdrew his private prayer scroll and recited the Prayer of the Emperor’s Intercession, a secret and sacred prayer available only to the highest officials in the Imperium. Such was the power of the prayer that, after it was read, the scroll crumbled to dust and any recollection of it was erased from the High Inquisitor’s mind.

**********

If Exalted Sorceror Lord Mephisto Magnus, junior member of the Coven of Nine, the ruling body of the Thousand Sons Legion, had ever been more exultant, he could not remember. He had been assigned the task and he had achieved it, duping both the followers of the False Emperor and the Eldar pirates at the same time. It had been so simple and cheap. The Eldar had taken a handful of soul stones and a wooden box as their reward. It is true that the box was of great intrinsic value, encrusted in precious stones and decorated by the best Imperial artisans, but even so it was still only a box. Its substance was not even permeated by the essence of the False Emperor very strongly. Perhaps they planned to sell it back to those they had stolen it from. In exchange for these trifles he had received the object on the thaumaturgical bench in front of him, the Ikon of Pella.

The Ikon was a comparatively small statue made of precious metals and jewels, artistically enameled and finely engraved, but it was not its physical features that interested him. For the last four hundred years, this Ikon had been in the presence of the False Emperor. The Ikon was also the object of worship of billions of the False Emperor’s deluded followers. Over the years, the psychic force of both the False Emperor and the worshippers had penetrated into the very fabric of the Ikon. At this short a distance Lord Magnus could feel the aura, taste the worship, smell the very soul of the False Emperor. Manipulation of the Ikon would give his Lord, One, Supreme Sorceror Lord of Tzeentch, Ahriman, a measure of control and influence over the actions of the Emperor.

The psychic emanations were quite weak, and this was somewhat unexpected until Lord Magnus had examined the Ikon carefully. One of the gems was actually a psychic shield generator, intended to contain the power and screen the Ikon from scrying. From the leakage, Lord Magnus could tell that either the screen was not very efficient, or that the power held in the Ikon was even greater, by an order of magnitude, than he had been lead to expect. He has been given the task of obtaining the Ikon. He has sworn terrible oaths and submitted to a powerful geas before his departure. The geas could be neutralized but Lord Ahriman would sense this and retribution would follow swiftly. He had promised not to make use of the power of the Ikon before it could be returned and examined by Ahriman’s own hand. Ahriman was clever and subtle, but as in every contract, there were small loopholes. Lord Magnus smiled, wickedly.

He transferred the Ikon to his research stand and commenced his preparations. He had promised not to use the power of the Ikon, but of course he could be exposed to its ordinary effects. If he were to neutralize the psychic shield, then for the next four months, as he and his fleet made their way back to the Ocularis Terribus, he could bathe in the Ikon’s radiance, caress the subtle textures of its influence and drink deeply of its power. He would just not make use of it until the time was right. By the time that he returned, he would know everything about the Ikon. He could warn the other Seven if the Ikon were too powerful to allow Ahriman to control alone. Ahriman was One and he was only Nine, but even so, every member of the Coven of Nine was a supreme Sorceror Lord of Tzeentch in their own right, lord of many planets, Warmaster of tens thousands of troops and hundreds of ships, favored of Tzeentch. Ahriman was only slightly more equal than the others, but by no means their lord and master.

Lord Magnus activated his instruments and began his incantations. The psychic fabricators and technicians of the False Emperor are comparatively weak and crude in their technique, bound as they are to the will of the Emperor. One of the great aspects of Tzeentch, Lord of Infinity, is that he allows his servants and followers to go their own way. The weak fail and die, the strong succeed and prosper, and those that follow the Twisted Path best become the most powerful. Drawing on the power of the Warp, Lord Magnus began to examine the texture of the Psychic Shield. Its configuration was novel and its workmanship very fine and precise, for such journeymen as the False Emperor employed. The leakage was not as a result of crudity, so it must reflect the great power within. As his mind probed the mechanism, Lord Magnus laughed to himself as he bypassed and neutralized a trap mechanism. If it had caught one of his senior sorcerors, which he doubted that it would, they would have entirely deserved their fate for their weakness and poor technique. Just in case of trouble, Lord Magnus had a coven of his own best sorcerors ready to suppress the Warp connection at the first sign of any problems. It was unlikely that they would be needed, but the man prepared for the worst was rarely surprised and was disappointed even more rarely.

At last he had it! It had taken him only hours to defeat the work of years. With a simple touch of the mind the shield was deactivated and Lord Magnus prepared for the full strength of the Ikon’s aura. Unlike the almost blinding light that he had expected, its strength built up only slowly, but more and more powerful, penetrating to his very essence as he drank from the pool of devotion. There was something new there too. He could not quite make it out, but he could feel himself getting stronger, faster, able to control the Warp itself better. RAW POWER!. A tiny portion of his expanding mind noticed as his coven came into view, attempting to weave an Incantation of Containment.

NO!!!

As his gaze fell on them, without conscious though, he feasted on their souls, their petty power joined to his own in an instant. Theirs was the struggle of insects, not men. So this was what it was like to be a God!. His mind reached out through the Warp, back into the world of men. A small planet drew his attention and in a few moments he had consumed the spirit of all life upon it. The quality of the life was poor and it did not strengthen him much. He reached out and another planet was gone. This was the power of life and death! He concentrated further, reading the textures of the Warp and located a small fleet of the followers of He Who Shall Not Be Named. They too were gone. Their puny struggles and protections no match of his growing power. Again he reached out into the Warp, and with a mighty heave, dragged his entire fleet weeks onward towards home, overcoming the inertia of hundreds of millions of tons. In the Warp were many beasts, some natural, some constructs, these too he was able to absorb. They were much more satisfying.

He could not wait. He had to try his power further. If his power was god-like he must know. If he died in the attempt so be it. He reached out and absorbed everything within his reach, he would repair the damage later. He opened a portal into the Warp and launched his full being into it allowing the Warp to flood over him.

********

It was not until very many years later that the fleet was found; a large Chaos fleet, cruising the Warp. Something had gone terribly wrong. Even for Chaos vessels, many were warped and twisted into exotic and horrible shapes, some seemed even alive with reaching tentacles and gaping jaws. Within the heart of the fleet, still traveling in formation, was a gaping void surrounded by the worst of the destruction. Every psyker could hear the tormented screams of the souls trapped inside. The cacophony was incoherent, and none who heard it attempted any sort of analysis. Psychic Death and Madness were here. Those who explored further did not return. Thus the legend of the Ghost Fleet began.