His beloved Zalthar, for she had suffered terribly, though if he could do what needed to be done, what he knew he had to do, then that suffering may soon be over.
So with steady hand, if a heavy heart, he dictated the next scene in the play, an Alpha Clearance Communiqué to Terra, disclosing the finding of a man who should-not-have-been. A man who should have perished in glory with his Loyalist Kin on Istvaan III, not be ingloriously “snuffed-out” on some Galactic back-water, an “Un-known”. Samuel was no fool, he knew there was only one way this would end, only one way it could end, and it was not great and noble, but seedy and necessary. Even theMount Necros Grand Cycle, could not take away his distaste.
A tap at the door grabbed his attention,
“Enter !”
“Captain Barceló Lord”, said the Captain as he entered
"My Lord, I have re-called the PDF envoys, cancelled all leave, called-up all reservists and made good the Moon-House in readiness !”
“Very good Captain, have my transport stand by, and I trust our, the “reunion” has been stood down ?”
“Yes m’Lord.”
“Very good Captain, now, I want you take command of 7th Company personally, I want you with me at the Moon-House, but first I want you watching my back when I meet with the Envoy from Terra, any word on who ?”
“Not yet my Lord, but word has it it will be Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex.”
“Why Hector do you suppose Captain ?”
“Because you have . . . . ., History ?. M’Lord ?”
“And he hopes to have opportunity to repay the favour you suppose Captain ?”
“That’s not for me to say m’Lord. “
“The Salamanders will be pissed when their man dies, and there is that would be splinter group, those Dragon-Kin. Strange they should appear right now. What say you, you have fought them am I right ?”
“Yes my m’Lord,”
“Well ?”
“They certainly employ Imperial Tactics m’Lord, though some of their dead show considerable mutation. But there’s been no sign of the Octoid, just some strange “Eye” symbol.”
“Unfortunately, the same could be said for the Legion of the Warmaster at the time of his greatest betrayal ! What‘s needed is for the Inquisition to…..”
“Excuse me m’Lord. Barceló here, what gives, . . . . .really, when . . . . . OK, keep me informed, Barceló out !”
“Words official m’Lord ! They have just appointed Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, and he will be here in 3 cycles my Lord !”
“My, my, now he’s a keen egg.. We‘d best be sure we are fully prepared for such an auspicious arrival. Have the casket bought here, he will expect us to greet him at the Crystal Chamber and I have no wish to travel twice.”
“Very well my Lord.”
“You are dismissed Captain !”
“M’Lord”, answered Captain Barceló, before departing with his duties clear.
So, mused Samuel, how will this play-out ? The stage was beginning to fill, enter stage left, Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, an ambitious man for an ambitious job, and this one he would perform admirably ! Under direct Imperial Edict, the Salamander will be pronounced “Audis Imperator”, and summarily executed without being re-awakened. There was a chance however that Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex would not be satisfied with that, for as Captain Barceló foresaw, they had History. He was an angry man, and a dangerous one for even another Lord Inquisitor, even on of Samuel’s character to have made look even a tiny bit foolish.
Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, may want to look a little more closely at Zalthar's recent past, and if you dug, it would not take a genius to find dirt, not on a Mining Colony ! Especially one so recently subject to a massive Chaos Incursion orchestrated by two of the most feared and powerful Primarch’s living ever to serve the Ruinous Powers. Then there was the riddle that was the Dragon-Kin. Declared Loyalist’s, but with no Imperial Sanction, seemingly willing to “assist” a poorly Defended Imperial Mining Colony, an extremely wealthy Imperial Mining Colony that declined their Aide and had to fight to keep them clear ? But how hard had the PDF fought to keep them clear, had his PDF fought hard enough ? Hard Enough ? HARD ENOUGH !
Well, there were one or two still standing, maybe a couple missing limbs on some crappy disability pension ? Or, maybe only when they are all dead would that constitute hard enough for the Hector F^%king Rex’s of this Universe ?
No, all Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex would need, would be to look a bit closer and he was bound to find something to make just the kind of “debacle” necessary. To create just sufficient doubt in an already paranoid Imperium, that he could call into question Zalthar’s true compliance. Next, he would cease to look at the validity of their claim, but he would place the Dragon-Kin under “Quarantine”, that they might be “further investigated“.
This Hector-Rex would use to attempt to severely embarrass him, and whilst he sought to demonstrate his Planets True Compliance, he Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, would have free reign, carte-blanch to carry out his dealings with the Dragon-Kin however he saw fit ! To further ensure he got things his own way, he would also probably go to great lengths to suggest that any Inquisitor placed with the Dragon-Kin Legion and not by now have proof positive of their “Taint”, be either incompetent or corrupt. Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex would then proclaim by the Authority vested in him, by the Inquisition of Terra, their imbedded Inquisitor be excommunicated and another obstacle is cleared from his path ! He would then follow the “Disease” back to its source and seek to eradicate the infection entirely, “Exterminatus-Extremis!”
If power corrupts, then absolute power corrupts absolutely.
All this was nothing new to him, nothing he, Lord Inquisitor Samuel had not foreseen on that first day home in his beloved Crystal Chamber. It was far from ideal, but Lord Samuel had a Duty to Zalthar and its people. People who had endured a Tyranid Horde, then a powerful Chaos Incursion that had not long passed, when there was the “Accident” at the Sigma Mine, triggering the biggest Natural Disaster in Zalthar’s recent History ! He would not see his people, people who looked to him for guidance in times of peace and to be their courage in times of adversity, suffer further. And suffer they would, were he to defy the Inquisition. They were being steered blindly by the petty jealousies of one man,Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, but unfortunately, this was a man who’s star was in the ascendant, their Golden-Boy who, for now at least, could do no wrong.
He, however, Lord Inquisitor Samuel, despite his best intentions, had been away whilst the mice did play. At best an absentee Land-Lord in their eyes, any protestations from him would make him appear the petty and jealous one, and risk Zalthar being wrestled from his stewardship for keeps. That would leave the likes of Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex to treat the Planet as his own personal plaything, precisely the type of behaviour that ensured dear Hector and he had, what was the word Captain Barceló used ? “History”, that was it, the last time their paths crossed, Samuel and Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex had given the pair a History, and Samuel smiled.
The Dragon-kin’s faith in the Imperium of Man in tatter’s, their one option would be to attempt to get word of this travesty to the one Chapter they had left to place any hope in, The Salamanders. But this would be anticipated and their Communications’ would be jammed prior to the Inquisition making its first direct move by launching a full-scale attack upon their remaining forces here on Zalthar !
Lord Inquisitor Samuel sighed a deep, empty sigh. Where was his beloved Emperor in all of this ? What had become of the Empire he cherished, the Empire he fought for and would lay down his life for ? Samuel felt no pride in what would occur, the death of the Dragon-kin so he could save Zalthar having to endure yet another War ? And then there was the part he‘d tried not to think of, the last whisper he had heard that day in the Crystal-Chamber.
“My Dearest Meg, I am so sorry, but tell me Megan, tell me, are they worth it Meg ? These people, are they really worth it?”
He stood on one of the fire-steps of the Moon House, gazing out across Zalthar’s Western Desert, as the sands tugged at another sunset. The sky once more was a visceral red, and though common sense told him the copperiness in his mouth was the Ironstone sands from the Desert, it still tasted like blood.
No, all Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex would need, would be to look a bit closer and he was bound to find something to make just the kind of “debacle” necessary. To create just sufficient doubt in an already paranoid Imperium, that he could call into question Zalthar’s true compliance. Next, he would cease to look at the validity of their claim, but he would place the Dragon-Kin under “Quarantine”, that they might be “further investigated“.
This Hector-Rex would use to attempt to severely embarrass him, and whilst he sought to demonstrate his Planets True Compliance, he Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, would have free reign, carte-blanch to carry out his dealings with the Dragon-Kin however he saw fit ! To further ensure he got things his own way, he would also probably go to great lengths to suggest that any Inquisitor placed with the Dragon-Kin Legion and not by now have proof positive of their “Taint”, be either incompetent or corrupt. Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex would then proclaim by the Authority vested in him, by the Inquisition of Terra, their imbedded Inquisitor be excommunicated and another obstacle is cleared from his path ! He would then follow the “Disease” back to its source and seek to eradicate the infection entirely, “Exterminatus-Extremis!”
If power corrupts, then absolute power corrupts absolutely.
All this was nothing new to him, nothing he, Lord Inquisitor Samuel had not foreseen on that first day home in his beloved Crystal Chamber. It was far from ideal, but Lord Samuel had a Duty to Zalthar and its people. People who had endured a Tyranid Horde, then a powerful Chaos Incursion that had not long passed, when there was the “Accident” at the Sigma Mine, triggering the biggest Natural Disaster in Zalthar’s recent History ! He would not see his people, people who looked to him for guidance in times of peace and to be their courage in times of adversity, suffer further. And suffer they would, were he to defy the Inquisition. They were being steered blindly by the petty jealousies of one man,Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, but unfortunately, this was a man who’s star was in the ascendant, their Golden-Boy who, for now at least, could do no wrong.
He, however, Lord Inquisitor Samuel, despite his best intentions, had been away whilst the mice did play. At best an absentee Land-Lord in their eyes, any protestations from him would make him appear the petty and jealous one, and risk Zalthar being wrestled from his stewardship for keeps. That would leave the likes of Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex to treat the Planet as his own personal plaything, precisely the type of behaviour that ensured dear Hector and he had, what was the word Captain Barceló used ? “History”, that was it, the last time their paths crossed, Samuel and Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex had given the pair a History, and Samuel smiled.
The Dragon-kin’s faith in the Imperium of Man in tatter’s, their one option would be to attempt to get word of this travesty to the one Chapter they had left to place any hope in, The Salamanders. But this would be anticipated and their Communications’ would be jammed prior to the Inquisition making its first direct move by launching a full-scale attack upon their remaining forces here on Zalthar !
Lord Inquisitor Samuel sighed a deep, empty sigh. Where was his beloved Emperor in all of this ? What had become of the Empire he cherished, the Empire he fought for and would lay down his life for ? Samuel felt no pride in what would occur, the death of the Dragon-kin so he could save Zalthar having to endure yet another War ? And then there was the part he‘d tried not to think of, the last whisper he had heard that day in the Crystal-Chamber.
“My Dearest Meg, I am so sorry, but tell me Megan, tell me, are they worth it Meg ? These people, are they really worth it?”
He stood on one of the fire-steps of the Moon House, gazing out across Zalthar’s Western Desert, as the sands tugged at another sunset. The sky once more was a visceral red, and though common sense told him the copperiness in his mouth was the Ironstone sands from the Desert, it still tasted like blood.
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