Thaberus disembarked from the Flameraven with a small crowd in tow: Niandra, Psyker Yeehai, Welminah with Solace, Magos Balpradus, a squad of stormtroopers with some non-combat specialists and Sister Hospitaller Veritta who I had not seen for a while now. I soon learned Canoness Diadinah had already set off to the vault with a contingent of Battle Sisters and would be meeting us there.

  ‘So, not one but two new miracles today?’ Thaberus dropped the comment upon learning what had transpired. Though his tone was neutral, an unmistakable “not again” sentiment was seeping through. Unlike him, Welminah and Veritta could barely hold their awe, both kept asking Zarphia questions while pestering the Seraphim Superior to show them her helmet’s pict-recordings.

  As for me, having a glimpse of what was supposedly Sanguinius might be the only real miracle that had happened. However, that brief event was so difficult to explain without sounding unhinged that I decided to keep it to myself. The wings and revival though were just psychic powers and medical improvisation from my point of view.

  ‘They were hardly miracles,’ I answered absent-mindedly and immediately noted everyone’s flabbergasted reaction, almost facepalming myself for that casual statement. If the Church caught wind of it, there was no way in hell they would not be trumpeting these as more of the Emperor’s miracles. What usually followed will be a period of intense reporting, resulting in the creation of more diehard pilgrims.

  I could see them now, their ranks ever swelling at the gate from the view of my room.

  Desperate to minimise the inevitable furore, I decided to voice up. ‘I would like to avoid another commotion, please help keep things low profile for me.’

  ‘Low profile? Pardon the expression, but somehow that kind of sounded like a battle Titan trying to be subtle on a battlefield.’ Thaberus answered without skipping a beat. It never occurred to me inquisitors might make great stand up comedians; despite clearly appearing bemused under his stern facade, Thaberus’ serious expression remained flawlessly intact. His statement however tensed up both Zharphia and Veritta, whereas Welminah immediately voiced her disagreement.

  ‘That remark was uncalled for, inquisitor,’ the scholar protested before turning to me and voiced her question, ‘Lady Syrine, spreading news of the God-Emperor’s miracles should be a blessing to all the faithful, may we know why you would wish otherwise?’

  I managed a more reasonable response. ‘It is just… I don’t want my abilities to be public knowledge. Can we at least keep my wings under wraps for now?’ The inquisitor and sisters nodded on that and they quickly sorted out on how to proceed.

  We rounded up all the Seraphims present and with the help of Balpradus backed up all pict-recordings of me with my wings captured on their helmets before deleting them. Thaberus then went through with his standard non-disclosure briefing with the Battle Sisters. While that was happening Balpradus switched out my damaged jump pack with a standard Sororitas power backpack that he had carried over.

  ‘I am sorry for trashing the jump pack in less than two days,’ I told the Tech-priest.

  ‘Think nothing of it, my lady,’ Balpradus replied, ‘my data archives hold ample records confirming that the Sororitas always gladly pay such a price to preserve one of their own. I must admit, the record log of your jump pack is intriguing, your ingenuity in executing the rescue is most impressive. The Omnissiah favors such resourcefulness.’

  ‘Your praise for ingenuity surprises me,’ I said, knowing full well in the lore that some Tech-priests were known to treat creativity like a sin.

  Balpradus produced a mechanical beep that almost sounded like a chuckle before responding. ‘There are times I have contemplated assignment on a major Forge World, to be able to constantly bear witness to the grand works of the Omnissiah fully operational in person.’

  ‘Oh, and what is stopping you?’

  ‘The exchange of endless regulations in research flexibility on such places would be a significant limitation for my work. Some mysteries are best pursued beyond such rigid confines. See where I ended up? Having the honour to meet and serve you is the greatest blessing the Omnissiah has bestowed to me.’

  Well, I’ll be darned, for a Tech-priest fella can really sweet talk.

  With a final twist of his primary servo-arm, Balpradus smoothly completed the switch of my backpack. ‘Better make haste, Dominus Cykell mentioned we should not delay.’

  So we parted with Zharphia and her Seraphims and our journey towards the vault started. It was considered a short distance for the gunship. On board Flameraven, I was seated in the comfortable cabin with Welminah beside me. She was cradling my helmet while Solace hovered nearby. This was the first quiet moment since the hectic morning, and I went into deep contemplation about the very nature of this world. Psychic powers, Chaos gods, daemons, living saints, miracles… unlike my old world all these exist here.

  Am I really in the far future or is this a different universe where the fundamental laws are different?

  Thinking back on my initial reaction of arriving here, I spent a long while believing everything was but a vivid lucid dream before eventually accepting my new reality. That fleeting glimpse of Sanguinius had jolted my questioning about everything again. I sifted through my mind, trying to gain more insight by examining the uncanny stories woven throughout the known lore.

  Assuming that everything I knew about the grimdark universe back home holds true here, this place certainly hides a lot more than meets the eye. I recalled certain details in the Gaunt’s Ghosts stories where there was a reincarnated living saint who was an ordinary human girl by all accounts, yet with nothing but a sword she could cleave through a Super Heavy tank. Then one time the legendary Commissar Gaunt got lost in secluded woods, he eventually received help from a mysterious Battle Sister, only to find out later she was supposedly a prominent figure of the past from hundreds of years ago; all that and many other examples seemed to be pointing at something deeper at play, it made me wonder if Big-E was still pulling strings from his golden throne.

  Am I also just another pawn in the God-Emperor’s grand plan?

  As I pondered that existential conundrum, Thaberus appeared from the cockpit’s direction with a large data-slate in hand, he eventually stopped and simply stood across from me.

  ‘You look like you have seen a ghost.’ The inquisitor’s remark pulled me back to reality. I stared at him, wondering not for the first time if he could read minds despite not being a psyker himself.

  ‘Not that you should fear anything supernatural,’ Thaberus said and showed me his data-slate, it was running a recording collected from one of the Seraphims’ helmets. On the screen was an angel in silver power armour with her vast wings of divine light stretched wide, she was carrying a wounded Battle Sister while being surrounded by a swirling flock of ethereal birds. The scene appeared almost like it had been lifted straight from the stained glass panels of an Ecclesiastical church, looking otherworldly in every sense of the word. At first, my mind struggled to accept the truth, yet it was undeniable—that I was watching a video of myself.

  No wonder Zharphia acknowledged me being a legit living saint.

  Seeing that I did not respond, Thaberus spoke again. ‘I just received an update, Cardinal Paudinith IV’s starship just entered the system not long ago. His Eminence should be back in another few days.’

  The Baron Pope is finally back?

  ‘Is that why Maylin is not around?’ I asked, and instantly noticed my mistake.

  Welminah, whose eyes were glued to the divine display on the data-slate, turned her head to me and answered. ‘My lady, Preacher Maylin did mention about having a meeting with the Church higher ups this morning, but she wasn’t supposed to be joining us in the first place.’

  ‘Ah, that was silly of me,’ I quickly corrected myself. ‘They are not even in the loop.’

  ‘Are you not feeling well?’ Thaberus asked, a tiny hint of concern actually crept into his otherwise movie-perfect stoic voice.

  ‘I am fine. I was… just contemplating the implications of my new found powers,’ I told both of them with a brave front. In truth I would be lying if I said this didn’t concern me, the Sanguinius experience had shaken me and my mind was off balance.

  Thaberus said nothing for a short while before switching topics. ‘I have been staying in contact with Canoness Diadinah, she is already in position. Sister, I trust you have your rebreather ready?’

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ Welminah replied while taking out a sleek rebreather, it was the type that covers half the user’s face, usually depicted on the miniature of a Sororitas that wielded a heavy flamer. I was reminded that the place we were heading to might be hazardous, not that it would affect me. A transhuman clad in hermetically sealed power armor is impervious to all but the most extreme environmental conditions.

  ‘Good. We will touchdown soon, is there anything you would like to add?’ Thaberus asked, looking straight at me.

  ‘Nothing, thank you.’

  ‘Very well.’ He nodded and returned to the cockpit.

  Having some time to spare, I decided to just close my eyes and unwind while digging into my mind to review what was known about the vault. From the information gathered from the library, ten thousand years ago when the Imperium discovered Nusquam, it was a lifeless world despite having almost identical basic parameters to Earth.

  A decision was made from the very top to terraform the planet’s atmosphere, and a massive automated machine was built to facilitate the process. The project was handled by the Mechanicum, the previous iteration of Adeptus Mechanicus. The end product was dubbed the Cradle Bastion, a colossal self-sustaining fully automatic marvel that would toil endlessly to alter the very nature of the world itself.

  Constructed deep within a mountain, it housed titanic atmospheric processors powered by advanced generatoriums to facilitate its long term operations. The bastion took in the world’s acrid air, subjecting it to countless catalytic reactions before exhaling it anew, reshaped to nurture Earth-compatible life. A few thousand years later, the planet’s transformation was a success and the colonisation of the planet began. Lush forests now covered the land and human cities thrived in what was once an empty husk.

  It was deep inside this station where the secret vault and psychic beacon was located. Local legends tell of the time when the founder of the Order of Shining Beacon first arrived on Nusquam, the Cradle Bastion had long ceased its operation and was suffering from constant looting and vandalism by nefarious forces. Guided by holy visions, she rallied the people to eventually put a stop to those activities.

  Upon founding the local Sororitas Order, she declared the Cradle Bastion to be under their protection, forbidding its access to casual outsiders. According to Welminah, the founder has witnessed visions that convinced her the Emperor himself might have at one point in time stepped into the terraforming station, potentially making it sacred ground. Despite this groundbreaking information, she recognised that such a bold claim without proof would be met with extreme scepticism from the Church, so instead she had kept it to her most trusted associates, believing it was part of her calling to protect the place. Thus the Order has been guarding whatever was left of the relic bastion since their foundation, their fortress monastery was even built on the main mountain road to the station.

  As I reviewed all this information in my mind, a feeling informed me we were getting very close to our destination. Silently I went psychically active. Despite still having my eyes closed, a titanic silver beam materialised into my view, its presence cut through physical barriers and almost obscured another bright soul seated at the cockpit. Primaris Psyker Yeehai immediately noted the activation of my power and sent me a telepathic nod, which I replied in kind.

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  Out there the silver beam speared the heavens, a flawless column of radiance invisible to the mundane masses. From the point of view of my extraordinary senses, it looked to be a single unbroken pillar. As the distance between us rapidly shortened, its perfection slowly fractured into impossible complexities of lights and hues.

  The very air shimmered with an energy that reminded me of the God-Emperor, and it felt as if reality itself was bending to accommodate something that should not exist. Within the beam, layers upon layers of light coiled and twisted with trapped silver and golden lightning. Particles of light rushing upward in an endless tide, each shimmered with impossible colours before dissolving into nothingness. Despite its psychic brilliance, the otherworldly beam cast no shadow in the real world, only gradients of brightness that pulsed in silent rhythm for the gifted to witness. Strangest of all was a perplexing sense of familiarity emanating from the beacon itself, filling me with a sense of unease and prompting me to cut off my powers.

  We eventually touched down in a designated open area where a mixed contingent of Mechanicus and Sororitas were waiting for us. Canoness Diadinah herself led the Battle Sisters. Accompanying her were Markeylla, Palatine Selisa and a small squad of Celestians. The group of Skitarii Rangers were led by Kira Heptrix, the Skitarii Alpha who I last saw on the deciding battlefield with the rebels.

  Upon seeing me stepping out from the gunship. The sisters formed the sign of the Aquila and bowed deeply. Kira and her Rangers greeted us by forming the signs of the Cogwheel. She looked different now, spotting a dull chrome human face plate under her hood in what must have been a Martian attempt to humanise the Skitarius. I recognised her by the distinct minor scratches on her battleplate. No sign of Kryptorer himself though.

  I waved to the crowd. ‘At ease, everyone.’

  ‘My lady, we have heard of your new deeds,’ Diadinah said, beaming with her religious zeal.

  ‘I am sure Welminah will fill you in with the details.’ I nodded and turned to the Skitarii Alpha. ‘It is good to see you again, Kira. Where is the Arch Dominus?’

  Kira bowed and replied with her synthetic voice. ‘My lady, Dominus Cykell awaits you at the vault entrance. He apologises for not receiving you in person.’

  Immediately some emotions of dissatisfaction could be sensed rising from the sisters around me.

  ‘Did he encounter trouble?’ I asked but strangely did not receive an immediate response from Kira. Instead she looked at me blankly, her chrome mask silently reflecting our surroundings.

  I recalled how the Skitarii functioned in an old novel. It was said all their senses and bodily functions were at their master’s mercy at all times, essentially making them literally tools. I would not be surprised if Kryptorer was remotely viewing and controlling her at this moment.

  Switching tactics, I changed my question. ‘Do you need me to reach the vault quickly?’

  Kira nodded on that, it could have been a direct consent from Kryptorer himself.

  ‘Lead the way.’

  ‘Please follow me.’ Kira bowed before turning to walk, her squad marching behind their leader with inhumanly perfect synchronisation.

  As we moved, I heard an exchange between Thaberus and Diadinah.

  ‘You brought enough?’ the inquisitor asked.

  ‘As you have requested.’

  I briefly wondered what they were talking about but decided to leave it at that. As we stepped through the rocky mountain wall and into the outer perimeter of the Cradle Bastion, I started noticing a low and constant humming in the air.

  What is that… wait, I know this feeling.

  I went psychically active, and as expected the dim light of many souls appeared up in my view. As we entered into a great space, my hunch was confirmed as a large group of Battle Sisters with Alicya standing in the middle came into view, the combined numbers of active backpacks filled the air with the resonance of power armours at combat readiness.

  With just a glance my superhuman intellect counted multiple squads of standard Battle Sisters, Dominions and Rebributors. There were even a few Sister Hospitallers present. Together with the Celestians accompanying Diadinah, about a full company’s worth of Sororitas was here. All the squads present were maxed up on special and heavy weaponry, with various simulacrum imperialis standing tall throughout their ranks. A few censers were silently burning incense, filling the place with the scent of a monastery.

  While stunned, I immediately understood the situation. The Sororitas had come in force as a deterrent against betrayal. Despite how the Imperium was usually presented as a unified front to the masses, more often than not the internal backstabbing between factions was a much bigger issue than most would dare to imagine.

  I recalled stories of how even Space Marines weren’t spared from the infighting, there was that case of how the Soul Drinkers of old were betrayed by some Tech-priests over a relic. The Soul Drinkers with their Astartesian pride fought back in an escalating series of battles, eventually leading the whole Chapter to be declared traitors.

  What would stop Kryptorer from killing everyone else should he decide not to share? To think I somehow had never considered such a possibility made my blood run cold, but for Thaberus, such active precautions might as well be as mundane as Taco Tuesday. Alicya walked up to me and bowed deeply with her squad. I recognised them to be the first group of sisters I met in this place. Now I even wore the same armour as them, we had come full circle.

  The journey continued as the whole group moved further into the bastion and eventually we reached the place where I first met Alicya. It looked different now, a few huge pieces of machinery that reminded me of a Hades drill were at rest on the side. Groups of Skitarii and a few Kataphron Destroyers stood guard while a horde of servitors busied themselves moving earth and stones from the inside. From the condition on the ground it was apparent a lot of material had moved through the area, and due to the earth works there were heavy dust particles in the air, forcing everyone to put on their rebreathers and helmets. I put on my helmet, the tactical system went live and a large number of virtual name tags appeared in my vision hovering over the Battle Sisters. It reminded me of an MMORPG event from a simpler time.

  We pushed further in, passing a giant blast door and into another area, following a line of working servitors we eventually reached a spot where a huge tunnel was made into the side of a solid-looking rock face. A conveyor belt was delivering dug out materials from the tunnel, these were then picked up by the servitors waiting at the end point. Canoness Diadinah split her forces here, putting half her Battle Sisters guarding the entrance of the tunnel under the command of Palatine Selisa.

  Kira led us into the tunnel that was wide enough for a truck, the place was lit by industrial grade glow globes with super-heavy duty support pillars placed in intervals. Experiencing the place through my helmet, it was an eerie world that yawned ahead, a gleaming throat of rocks and earth with glow globes casting harsh halos. I was in the leading group with Diadinah, Thaberus, their retinue and Magos Balpradus. Behind us marched half a company of Sororitas, their boots struck the ground in a steady, unyielding rhythm. The sound of their marching merged into a relentless drumbeat that created layered echoes that seemed doubled, even tripled in the confined space, reverberating like a distant army moving alongside us. We progressed through breached rocks and sediments, then passed a layer of black obsidian stones known for being totally inert to psychic powers.

  Eventually a group of figures appeared to greet us. One could easily tell they were the VIPs of Mechanicus by the small swarm of servo-skulls hovering around their inhuman silhouettes and the presence of heavy battle servitors behind them. Kryptorer’s soaring stature stood out from the bunch, he was flanked by a few other individuals, chief amongst them was his assistant Dataliad and another prominent-looking female Tech-priest who I did not recognise. Her duty done, Kira and her Rangers joined the other side along with Balpradus.

  Mentally I quickly assessed the balance of power between the forces and concluded we were about evenly matched. Thaberus certainly had accurate intel on the place.

  Surrounded by his many servo-skulls, Kryptorer led the Mechanicus group forward with his Omnisian axe held high. The deep resonant clicks produced with every step served as a stark reminder of the weight of his mechanical frame. The elite Celestian squad instinctively stepped forward, acting as the first line between both factions. The Arch Dominus stopped right in front of us, his many glowing optics taking in everything.

  I tried to discern whether he was displeased by the throng of Sororitas present, however both his posthuman visage and mind betrayed nothing. For a brief moment the towering Dominus just stood still, and the air itself seemed to get tenser with every passing second until he finally spoke.

  ‘Inquisitor, Canoness.’ Kryptorer acknowledged both with a nod before turning to me. For the merest moment, I felt the impact of many sensor waves—an almost imperceptible sensation, like a faint tingling breeze stirring the surface of distant still water—washing over me. Just as I was surprised by my ability to feel the waves, Kryptorer lowered his massive form and bowed.

  ‘Lady Syrine.’

  Sensing no immediate threat, I walked past the line of Celestians and came face to face with him.

  ‘Krypto.’

  The Tech-priest rose and instantly dominated my view with his sheer size. I was reminded of the fact that despite sounding courteous when addressing me, he was by all definition a cybernetic monstrosity.

  ‘My lady, it has been more than six hundred hours since we last met.’

  ‘... it is good to see you again.’

  ‘By the Omnissiah’s blessings, we are but one step away from completing our quest. Your presence here will ensure it.’

  ‘So, complications?’

  ‘It is as you have foreseen. We encountered a formidable barrier.’

  Well d’oh, I’m quite sure he would have otherwise gone into the vault himself first.

  ‘And how did that stop your drills and melta cutters?’

  ‘That alone wouldn’t be an issue, but it threatened to detonate multiple devices that had become active.’

  ‘Devices?’

  ‘Affirmative,’ Kryptorer continued with his synthetic flat tone, ‘more specifically from our readings, Exterminatus grade Cyclonic Torpedo warheads.’

  By all that’s holy—