The lead Sister of Battle, a stern woman named Elizabeth, arched an eyebrow at the remark. Her cold, anding to through the air. “They disembarked earlier. You must be Marlbh. Let’s find a private room to talk. There’s much we o discuss, Deputy ander.”

  While this was happening, far away in the jungle, Kayvaan and Darius were carrying out their mission. Earlier, the Valkyrie transport had hovered just above the treetops. The moment the hatch opehe two scouts leapt out, disappearing into the dense opy. By the time their boots hit the ground, they were invisible, thanks to the advanced camo-cloaks they wore. These holy garments, paired with their bck bodygloves, made it almost impossible to spot them, even if someoood a few feet away.

  “Captain, are you there?” Darius’s voice came through the vox-link, low and steady.

  “I’m here,” Kayvaan replied. “Switch to the new variable frequency band for our unication. I’ve sent the el details to your link.”

  “Got it.”

  “Good. Switow,” Kayvaan instructed. A brief burst of static filled their earpieces before the e stabilized again. “Testing, testing. you hear me?”

  “Loud and clear,” Darius firmed.

  “Perfect. Let’s begin. Check your equipment,” Kayvaan ordered.

  Darius pressed his back against a rge tree trunk, pulling the camo-cloak tighter around him for additional cover. Carefully, he began a meticulous iion of his gear, piece by piece.

  Kayvaan, ever the pragmatist, was obsessed with equipment. He believed that the defining trait of humanity wasn’t just intellige the ability to wield tools. For him, superior equipment could pensate for any disadvantage in strength or skill. He often referehe Meicus creed: “The flesh is weak, but the mae endures.”

  Every mission demanded ized tools, and Kayvaan ensured ail was overlooked. For this particur operation, he’d equipped Darius with a Stalker-pattern bolter, modified for le es and fitted with a high-powered scope. The on, while simpler than the armaments used by veteran marksmen, was still a challenge for an inexperieneophyte.

  Darius had been trainilessly with it, spending hours each day disassembling and reassembling the bolter, practig his aim on the range, and running simutions under Kayvaan’s watchful eye. Despite his dedication, he was still struggling to master its full potential. The bolter’s effective raeo over a kilometer—far beyond what Darius was aced to.

  was a bck-painted carbon steel bat knife, razor-sharp and capable of pierg fk armor. Darius also carried a pact med-kit taining silk sutures, a small tool hook, and a box of spray-on coagunt agent. The kit also included stim-pens and three detoxification phials—rare and valuable items that could ralize most toxins.

  Additional gear included spare power cells for their stealth systems, three remote-trolled det-packs rigged to release a potent gas capable of sedating a grox, and a silenced autopistol loaded with toxin-coated rounds. Each tool had been chosen with care, ensuring they were ready for anything.

  “Iion plete. All equipment is w perfectly.”Kayvaan chuckled, his tone rexed. “A good start is half the battle, as they say. And we’ve got a good start. Now, stiy instrus and head southwest. Stay low, watch your step, and leave no trace. Remember, we’re dealing with an Eldar Ranger here. They kill you before you even realize they’re there.”

  Darius moved cautiously through the dense jungle, but it was far from easy. Every step seemed to betray him—branches snagged his gear, brittle twigs ched underfoot, and the rustling grass left an unmistakable trail. Even startled birds fleeing into the ade him ge.

  Kayvaan’s voice came through his vox-link, half amused and half exasperated. “Darius, you might as well carry a big, bright bahat says, ‘Here I am! Please, shoot me!’ ’t you move a little quieter? And watch your feet! What was that? Did you grow ogry ht? Breaking a branch like that in a jungle is like firing a fre—it’s loud enough to wake the dead. Even a half-deaf scout could find you.”

  “Sorry, Captain,” Darius replied sheepishly. “I’ll try harder.”

  “Not just try harder,” Kayvaan said, his voice turning cold. “Try to stay alive. The Eldar Ranger isn’t just some shey’re an expert. And they love pig off amateurs like you.”

  Darius swallowed hard. “Do you think I’ll have to fight?”

  Kayvaan snorted. “Fight? You’ve been training for what—a month? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Don’t uimate the enemy. Just because they aren’t huma mean they’re stupid. On the trary, they’re far more ing than you imagine. You’re not ready for bat—especially not sniper warfare. For now, just watch, listen, learn, and ask questions. That’s your mission this time.”

  “I uand, Captain,” Darius said, pressing forward. “But… I have a question.”

  “Then ask it. Don’t waste time.”

  “Is it really safe for us to talk like this?”

  “Do you think your full-face helmet vox is some cheap knockoff? Don’t worry. As long as we’re not directly in front of the enemy, talking quietly won’t get us killed.”

  “Got it.” Darius hesitated before tinuing. “What exactly is oal? Are we just here to attack the Eldar from behind, capture a few, and leave?”

  Kayvaan’s voice held a note of approval. “Good question. I’m gd you’re thinking ahead. I already expihe missioails—so, tell me. What do you think? Should we help the Inquisitor capture a few Eldar, scare off the rest, ahe Meicus magi get back to their archaeology?”

  Darius frowned. “I… I don’t know. Something feels off about all this.”

  “More than just off—it’s dht strange,” Kayvaan muttered. “What are the Eldar really up to? If they wahis phey wouldn’t just send a few Rangers. A few dozen of them couldn’t hold this pce even if they wiped out every Imperial soldier here. And if they’re trying to lure reinforts, their bait is pathetic. A border world like this? No one important cares about Faln. And the Rahey’ve just trapped the defense forces ihout doing anything hy. So, what’s their endgame?”

  Darius asked quietly, “Then… what’s our pn?”

  “We find out,” Kayvaan said firmly. “Making the right call depends on solid intel. Without it, even the best strategist is just guessing. That’s our job as scouts—to gather intel. Now let’s figure out what those Eldar are up to.”

  With a clear objective, Darius felt a little steadier. Soldiers were traio focus on the goal, and ohat was set, the rest boiled down to execution. “To figure out what the Eldar are doing, we have a few options,” Kayvaan tinued. “First, we grab one and interrogate them. It’s simple and effective—when it works. The problem is, Eldar are stubborn, aing them to talk usually takes someone like Inquisitor Elizabeth.”

  Darius hough Kayvaan couldn’t see him. “What’s the sed option?”

  “Trae of them,” Kayvaan said. “If we follow them long enough, we’re bound to learn something. But that’s easier said than dorag an Eldar Ranger is like chasing a shadow in a hurrie. Still, it’s worth trying. If we succeed, the intel will be far more reliable than anythi through torture.”

  Kayvaan paused before adding, “And then there’s the easy way.”

  “What’s that?”