Chapter Text
A man approaches me on the balcony I have chosen for a moment of reflection. His mind is as cool and unreadable as his politely smiling face.
"An excellent place for contemplation." He addresses me. "One has the best view of the cathedral from here. Mesmerising, wouldn't you say? An impeccable manifestation of the God-Emperor's sublimity."
"Yes, it is an excellent place for contemplation indeed. I was just taking the opportunity to look back on the path that has led me here." I reply.
"Ah yes. The past few weeks must have been quite extraordinary for you, from what I've heard. It's almost as if fate itself had a hand." Before I can wonder how he seems to know what's happened to me recently, he continues.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Kunrad Voigtvir, Master of Whispers in the employ of Her Ladyship Rogue Trader Theodora von Valancius. At your service. I haven't had the pleasure of speaking with you in person before..." The look on his face is rather bemused, as we are both aware he already knows my name.
"My name is Lavinia, Astropath, formerly of relay station Iris-XIV." I indulge him.
"My regards, Astropath Lavinia." He gives me another playful smirk. "Or should I say, Lavinia von Valancius, scion of a blessed Rogue Trader house in the service of the Imperium? Perhaps this kinship came as a shock to you. Understandably so, given that all evidence of the connection was lost in the generations separating you and Lord Captain Theodora. It required no small effort on the part of Her Ladyship's servants to discover and verify this blood tie, which has now made you one of the heirs of this dynasty."
"Actually, I had always knew that my father was someone of high status. I suppose I was far more correct than I ever knew." I say with a wry smile.
He chuckles, his laughter as buttery-smooth as the rest of his persona. I've met his type before. Many of the men important enough to dictate a message to an Astropath directly share his suave confidence.
"Anyways, I have come to invite you to a meeting with Lady Theodora. I imagine you have many questions for your patroness. And I'm sure she has just as many questions for you. It is regrettable that you haven't yet had an opportunity to speak - it has been an ardous voyage thus far."
I know that better than most. My usual nightmares have only intensified the longer the Patient Fortune has remained in the Warp. My memories of peaceful, dreamless sleep feel so distant now, even though it has not even been a month since the Warp disturbances began.
"The Lord Captain and Master Edelthrad von Valancius are conversing on the observation platform. Let us join them there."
I follow Master Voigtvir closely through a mess of menials, tech-adepts, and impatient petitioners. I feel the familiar mental tug of dozens of self-important, insecure minds, each one unconsciously trying to nudge reality into a configuration where the Lord Captain grants their request. Unfortunately for them (and fortunately for the Imperium), none of them exceed the baseline psychic potential for humanity.
We cross the threshold into a grand trophy hall. Pedestals along one wall display a wide variety of exotic mineral specimens, and the other wall is dominated by a Leman Russ main battle tank. Despite its excellent state of repair, it bears the scratches and dents of many battles, some of which appear to have been embellished with an antiquing glaze to emphasize the history of the vehicle.
My attention is drawn away from the admittedly impressive exhibit by a sudden spike of panic ripping through the quiet murmurs of the servants' idle thoughts. With a slight exertion, I project my awareness down the hall, and identify the source of commotion.
Blood sprays through the air as a maintainence servitor tears open a man's chest cavity with a drill fused to its hand. His screams are nearly drowned out by the grating whine of the diamantine drill bit turning rib-bone to powder.
The rest of the workers scatter, but one unfortunate man's leg is caught by another servitor with a large vise for a hand. I hear his bones break as the device clamps down.
I instinctively reach out for the servitors telepathically, but their lobotomized minds are awash with rage, the last dregs of animal instinct that the tech-priests couldn't remove now overclocked to the maximum. Unable to command either to stop, I direct the full force of my will upon the one with the vise. Its head immediately erupts in an electrical fire, and its body spasms wildly, nearly wrenching the poor man's leg off, before it collapses into a sparking, burning heap on the blood-spattered floor.
I hear the signature sounds of lasgun fire and shift my focus away from the burning wreck of the first servitor, only to find the second one uncomfortably close. The sole guard between me and it now lies on the floor with a gaping hole where one of his eyes once was, and the berserk servitor brandishes the brain-splattered power tool as it shuffles forwards wildly. Before I can gather myself enough for another psychic attack, Voigtvir takes his shot.
The hot-shot laspistol blast sears clean through the knee-joint of the servitor's augmetic leg, causing it to faceplant on the polished upper deck floor. Before it can scrabble to its feet, Voigtvir puts several more shots into its head and chest until it finally stops moving.
Master Voigtvir wastes no time taking control of the situation. He issues rapid-fire orders to the surviving enforcers and his vox-caster alike, his silky voice taking on a sharper tone of urgency. Then he turns to me, and it's back to the polished decorum of before.
"I'm afraid I must remain here, Lavinia - for Lady Theodora's safety, I have to oversee the execution of these orders personally. I hope you will have no difficulty reaching the observation platform on your own - it is just at the end of this corridor."