The Search Delayed
Inside the confines of the command Rhino, sister Diodona stared in unflinching silence at the picto-screen before her. A box of lightweight metallic material was fused to her back and connected to the circuits in her head and arms by various wires penetrating skin and vanishing behind greasy unkempt brown hair. Her eyes were covered by goggles that allowed extremely quick browsing of encrypted data displays, while her ears were augmented to understand thousands of different languages cataloged in the vast libraries of the Imperium.
Flashes of strange lettering skittering across the vacant screen came at such quick intervals a regular person might mistake them for mere flashes of light emitted from a faulty monitor, but Diodona was intently digesting the message appearing before her. As her mind deciphered the message an aged box whizzed and shuddered from her pack. A bit of parchment was slowly pouring forth, the words of the message appearing on it.
The woman reached back with her lanky arm and snatched the sheet free of the print mechanism. With her other pale hand she reached toward a small green button on the console and pressed it with an incredibly thin finger. A short scratch of static pierced the silence and opened a channel to the drivers chamber at the front of the vehicle.
“Sister Clement, please and by whatever means necessary, make it possible for Palatine Caterina to return here immediately. There is an urgent communiqué from the Canoness commander.”
“Acknowledged.” Came the curt reply from the speaker. Sister Diodona pressed another button to close the channel and leaned back over the screens before her. As a sister of the Sacred Word she was built for communication operations and knew the exact frequency and rate of sync with which to reach the Palatine directly. This course of action would be the most direct but oddly enough not the preferred method. The sisters of the Burning Blade were a military Ordo of the Ecclesiarchy and adhered strictly to the chain of command. To contact the Palatine directly would not be prudent and circumvent the sisters operating procedure. She stared at the screen and turned a dial several spins clockwise, increasing the bandwidth she screened and listened intently for some trace of a signal.
Several valleys away from the command Rhino the wind was thrashing dust against the dark red ceramite plating of Palatine Caterina’s power armor. The gale winds ripped and tugged at the lone figure perched atop a rocky slope. The woman glanced up at a rocky ledge and knelt. With a thought engines blazed to life and she propelled herself upwards, leaping from jagged rock and smooth rock face until she landed dexterously at her destination. The winds were harsh for maneuvering jump packs, years of combat missions and lightning fast reflexes allowed Caterina to avoid danger.
The sound of a channel opening in her helmet registered above the heavy groans the billowing winds created through this desolate place.
“Palatine Caterina, this is Tamara” It was the sister superior of the seraphim jump squad checking for caves and openings at lower altitudes of the mountains.
“Go ahead, sister.” Replied the Palatine.
“Diodona says she decoded a priority communiqué from the Canoness commander .” The message ended and the woman paused to think. They were under a comms blackout while searching this area to restrict knowledge of their presence. Many of the sisters knew the Inquisitions hand played a part in their travel to this world. Another hunt to root out witchcraft and heresy. Unlike those sisters, Caterina knew more of the story, though she knew it was far from the complete version. They were here searching for secrets hidden from the Imperium by a specific Adeptas Astartes chapter. It was not her place to question orders, even the most revered battle brothers have had comrades turn to the taint of chaos. If the taint was here it will be purged, regardless of who or what gets in the way.
“Tamara, recall all of our units to field command. Once all units return I will advise based on the new orders.”
“As you command Palatine. Emperor protect.” The net went silent, leaving Caterina listening to the planetary winds howl and moan through the gorge. After a moment she thrust herself into the air and the fire of the jump pack was lost in the dust.
....more to follow
The woman reached back with her lanky arm and snatched the sheet free of the print mechanism. With her other pale hand she reached toward a small green button on the console and pressed it with an incredibly thin finger. A short scratch of static pierced the silence and opened a channel to the drivers chamber at the front of the vehicle.
“Sister Clement, please and by whatever means necessary, make it possible for Palatine Caterina to return here immediately. There is an urgent communiqué from the Canoness commander.”
“Acknowledged.” Came the curt reply from the speaker. Sister Diodona pressed another button to close the channel and leaned back over the screens before her. As a sister of the Sacred Word she was built for communication operations and knew the exact frequency and rate of sync with which to reach the Palatine directly. This course of action would be the most direct but oddly enough not the preferred method. The sisters of the Burning Blade were a military Ordo of the Ecclesiarchy and adhered strictly to the chain of command. To contact the Palatine directly would not be prudent and circumvent the sisters operating procedure. She stared at the screen and turned a dial several spins clockwise, increasing the bandwidth she screened and listened intently for some trace of a signal.
Several valleys away from the command Rhino the wind was thrashing dust against the dark red ceramite plating of Palatine Caterina’s power armor. The gale winds ripped and tugged at the lone figure perched atop a rocky slope. The woman glanced up at a rocky ledge and knelt. With a thought engines blazed to life and she propelled herself upwards, leaping from jagged rock and smooth rock face until she landed dexterously at her destination. The winds were harsh for maneuvering jump packs, years of combat missions and lightning fast reflexes allowed Caterina to avoid danger.
The sound of a channel opening in her helmet registered above the heavy groans the billowing winds created through this desolate place.
“Palatine Caterina, this is Tamara” It was the sister superior of the seraphim jump squad checking for caves and openings at lower altitudes of the mountains.
“Go ahead, sister.” Replied the Palatine.
“Diodona says she decoded a priority communiqué from the Canoness commander .” The message ended and the woman paused to think. They were under a comms blackout while searching this area to restrict knowledge of their presence. Many of the sisters knew the Inquisitions hand played a part in their travel to this world. Another hunt to root out witchcraft and heresy. Unlike those sisters, Caterina knew more of the story, though she knew it was far from the complete version. They were here searching for secrets hidden from the Imperium by a specific Adeptas Astartes chapter. It was not her place to question orders, even the most revered battle brothers have had comrades turn to the taint of chaos. If the taint was here it will be purged, regardless of who or what gets in the way.
“Tamara, recall all of our units to field command. Once all units return I will advise based on the new orders.”
“As you command Palatine. Emperor protect.” The net went silent, leaving Caterina listening to the planetary winds howl and moan through the gorge. After a moment she thrust herself into the air and the fire of the jump pack was lost in the dust.
....more to follow
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