“How could I fet?”

  “The root cause of this mess has been firmed: a leak within the Far Eastern cve. Cssified information was promised, exposing the identities of numerous inquisitor aing in their deaths. How else could the Eldar have assassinated us so easily, or targeted our key military facilities so effectively? The damage was far-reag, leaving us at a disadvantage on every front—military and intelligence alike. We’ve been scrambling ever since, always a step behind.”

  Elizabeth felt a knot tighten iomach. “And you think the Istvanians were behind the leak?”

  “I don’t think—I know,” Randall said, his tone unwavering. “Five years ago, during the operation to secure Eden V, the Istvanians were already pulling the strings. They leaked our information to the Eldar to provoke flict. Why? Because they wanted a war. To them, pitting us against the Aitoc Eldar was a necessary step toward their vision of human glory.”

  Elizabeth’s fists ched. “You’re saying this war was orchestrated by our own people?”

  “Yes. The Istvanians turned us into a vulnerable target, leaving us exposed. The Eldar didn’t just stumble upon our secrets—they were hao them. And now, reatest enemy isn’t the Eldar—it’s the Istvanians hiding within our ranks.”

  Elizabeth was silent, abs the weight of his words. After a moment, she said quietly, “So you’re saying we fet about Kayvaan for now?”

  “Yes,” Randall said. “Kayvaan wait. Right now, we o focus on dealing with the real threat.” Randall paused, then shifted gears. “By the way, Elizabeth, this isn’t your first enter with a daemon. Don’t you find it odd that we keep trying to elimihem? You ’t kill a daemon iruest se best, we banish them. If that’s the case, what’s the point of all our efforts?”

  Elizabeth frowned. “That’s a fwed way of looking at it. Just because you’re always hungry doesn’t mean you stop eating.”

  Randall chuckled. “Fair enough. But sider this: Why not use daemons to serve us? The Imperium already relies on the for navigatioe its i dangers. Early nuclear energy was the same—risky, votile, capable of disaster. But humanity learo harness it fress. Couldn’t the same be true for Chaos?”

  Elizabeth recoiled slightly. “That’s… preposterous. The power of Chaos isn’t something we trol. It’s far too dangerous.”

  “An a man, Zaranchiko Santos, was an inquisitor mentor from the 32nd Millennium,” Randall began. “He was the first to propose this cept. Of course, this mentor was ter accused of worshipping the Chaos Gods and was bur the stake by his fellow inquisitors. Despite his protests of innoce, he met his end in fmes. While I approach his views with caution, there is a kernel of logic to them.”

  Randall leaned back, his voice taking on a reflective tohink about it. We already use Chaos. The allows us to navigate vast distances, psykers serve the Imperium faithfully, and ielr unication depends on this very power. If we harhe for such critical purposes, why not Chaos itself? Guns aren’t ily evil—it’s the hands that wield them that determiheir morality.”

  Elizabeth frowned, staring at the witle in her hand. “Humanity is like a child, and Chaos is far too dangerous a on for children to wield. We’re not capable of trolling such power.”

  Randall smiled faintly. “But could some individuals ma? Someone like you—a warrior trained rigorously, tested by fire, and possessing an unyielding will. You already trol your psychic abilities with ease.”

  “I… I don’t know,” Elizabeth admitted, her voicertain. Her gaze remained fixed otle, and after a moment of silence, she asked, “Why are you tellihis?”

  Randall waved a hand dismissively. “Just idle versation. Fet it. For now, avoid the cve offices and don’t e near mine. Meet me at Secret Point Three—I’ll reset the codes and grant you access to the facilities there. I’ll also provide you with detailed information about the Istvanian fa. The ehis time is within the cve itself, so tread carefully.”

  “I uand.”

  “Good. Now, what are you waiting for? Hoping for an invitation to dinner? Get going—I’ve got work to do.”

  Elizabeth stood, bottle in hand, and began heading toward the door. As she reached it, Randall’s voice stopped her. “By the way, you haven’t shown that report to anyone else, have you?”

  Elizabeth turned, her expression mildly annoyed. “Of course not. I’m not an idiot. I know the rules—fidential dots don’t get shared.”

  “Does anyone else know about the tents?”

  “No,” she replied firmly.

  “Good,” Randall said, nodding. “Keep it that way. Don’t mention the report to ahout direct orders. Now go.”

  Elizabeth left, her footsteps fading down the corridor. Once he was sure she was gone, Randall exhaled deeply, reached into his desk drawer, and pulled out the report. For half an hour, he marked and annotated it meticulously. Therieving a psychic ser, he swept the room, ensuring Elizabeth hadn’t hidden herself using her abilities. Satisfied, he closed the curtains, checked the hallway, and dialed a special number on his desk phone. “Master Edward?” Randall said, his tone suddenly formal. “It’s Randall. I have somethiraordinary that needs your attention. It’s too sensitive to transport, so I need you to e here. Yes, it’s urgent.”

  After hanging up, Randall retrieved a bottle of wine from his office’s hidden et, uncorked it, and took a long swig straight from the bottle. The warmth steadied him. A knock came at the door. Three precise taps. Randall crossed the room in three quick strides, straightening his robes before opening the door.

  A t figure entered, standing at least 2.3 meters tall. The man was a bck robe adorned with gold and silver crosses, esoteries embroidered in dark silk threading through the fabric. His stern face was framed by a golden psychic headband, his mouth lined with steel dehat gleamed as he spoke. “Randall, you know my time is precious. I hope this is worth it,” Master Edward Jenner said.

  “It will be,” Randall assured him, handing over Elizabeth’s report. “This is something you o see.”

  Edward began flipping through the report dismissively at first, but his casual demeanor quickly shifted. His hands started to tremble as he delved deeper into the pages. “Holy Emperor on Terra,” Edward muttered, pag the room as he read. “If this is true, this is a blessing for humanity—a breakthrough we’ve long awaited in the Xanthism fa. This could be the opportunity we’ve needed.”

  Edaused, visibly struggling to tain his excitement. After a moment, he exhaled deeply, his toeadying. “I must see Chapter Master Kayvaan myself. I o firm this report with my own eyes. Who else knows about this?”

  “Only the one who submitted the report—Inquisitor Elizabeth,” Randall replied.

  “Elizabeth? Who is she? Never mind—that’s irrelevant. Which fa does she belong to?”

  Randall shrugged. “None. She’s unaffiliated.”

  Edward frowned, a trace of disbelief crossing his face. “Unaffiliated? Impossible. Every inquisitor has their own beliefs and opinions. And as soon as they have opinions, they align with fas. No one is truly ral in the cve.”