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== Insert Title Here... ==

Insert Title Here... is a bit of writefaggotry by  '''The Thin Fa/tg/uy''', documenting the investigation of "Jim the Imperial Guardsmen" by an inquisitors retinue.

==Chapters==

===Chapter 1===

I smiled at the guardsman standing before us. The way that a man stands at attention can tell you a lot about him. Despite who we were, he held no fear in his eyes. He felt he had nothing to fear. His uniform was in pristine condition, his medals worn proudly. His chest was puffed out; the man was a proud guardsman. Even still, the recent battles still shown on his face. It wasn't in the eyes like some, nor was it in scars. It was the face of a man who had lost a lot of weight recently.

"At ease," I said in a reassuring tone. Instantly he was at parade rest. "Please, have a seat. I'm sure that you're wondering why you were brought before this council... Do you mind if I call you James? Or is that too informal for you?"

Most members of the Inquisition rely on the fear associated with them in order to get their jobs done. On occasion, we made use of it. Sister Catherine, who sat to my right, took the central seat for most of those inquests. However in situations like these, where we believed that we could get more with honey than vinegar, my own skills were brought to the forefront.

The soldier smiled a little as he sat. "Not at all, sir. You can call me anythin' that you want. Even the Commissar calls me Jim."

"Excellent." My smile grew a little wider, a sign of approval. So did his. A good sign. "Jim, I'd like to ask a few questions if that's alright with you."

"These are just formalities. Your career serving the Imperium of Man is well documented, of course, but we'd like to hear your thoughts. Where are you from?"

"Hygar III, sir. It's an agro-planet."

"I see. Tell me about when you joined the Imperial Guard."

Jim took a deep breath. "Well, sir, it was durin' the attacks. It wasn't anythin' like a warp storm or nothin' so we didn't have no warnin's. One day, everythin' was good, an' the next, we was under attack. Ugly, filthy creatures o' Chaos." He looked like he wanted to spit. "I wasn't in the Guard yet, but they got hit pretty bad. It wasn't even the Guard who came to where we lived askin' for volunteers. It was the planetary government. I thought about it for a moment, an' realized that what they say is true. Better ta die for a purpose than live without reason, you know? Musta been about ten seconds after he asked before I stepped forward. Next thin' I knew, I was on my way. I was gonna be a Guardsman, fightin' in the name of the Emperor." I thought that it was funny how he slurred his words, yet spoke the Emperor's name clearly.

He paused, but I raised my eyebrows for him to continue. He was starting to relax and open up. "I was kinda sped through, you know? They needed bodies out there until the Adeptus Astartes arrived. We were told some were on their way, but until then, it was just us Guardsmen to keep the planet from fallin'. So there wasn't much in the way of trainin'. Basic march, basic lasrifle operation, that sort of thin'. Three days, to be honest with you. I heard that the governor got inta a bit of trouble after it was all over for forcin' that through." The soldier's lip sneered for a moment, but he quickly relaxed again. "Still, that ain't what you asked, now is it?"

"No," I admitted, a well-practiced laugh escaping me. "But I share your sentiment." Confusion crossed his face only long enough for to open my mouth. He nodded and smiled again; catches on fast. "Please, continue. I'd like to hear your account of what happened. It's very interesting so far."

That touched on his pride. Another good thing to get people to open up. Make them feel more worthy than they really are. Compliments are good for that.

"Well, see, we ended up bein' stationed near the line. It wasn't easy, you know? We all knew that eventually those mutants would break through, destroy the town, then head our way. The lieutenant... he wasn't too good about keepin' secrets like that. He was scared, and let thin's slip."

"Were you scared, Jim?" I had to work to make myself sound as pleasant as possible. Just curious about his story.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "Yeah, I was. But that made me mad, too. I saw guys more scared than me, and they weren't even recitin' the fear incantation. That's what made me mad. I said it out loud once and only once. That's all I needed. The other guys... They didn't know, you know? After that, I set myself to work. I ain't no heretic, and if the guys in charge aren't gonna give me somethin' to do, then by the Emperor, I'm gonna find somethin' myself." He paused for a moment, lookin' like he had just caught himself. "Now, I ain't sayin' that the Commissar wasn't doin' his duty, mind you. He was givin' speeches, marchin' through the ranks, makin' sure everybody knew that we were fightin'. For the Emperor, for our homes, for humanity. Those that looked like they were gonna change their minds about bein' guardsmen... Well, they were found wantin'."

"I understand," I said reassuringly. "There was a report from that Commissar, however, that a young recruit showed an aptitude for defensive fortification."

"That," he said in his drawl, ducking his head. "Wasn't nothin'. Idleness breeds heresy, right? Like I said, I ain't no heretic, and I wasn't about to let the lieutenant let us sit on our thumbs. He was new as us, so he didn't really know what all he should set about us doin'. Yeah, we had a nice bunker line, but it was still new. A mess, too. Artillery shells when we didn't have none. Fuel when we had no vehicles. Ammunition that we couldn't use... Nobody had even put up flackboard yet. When I found out that we had plenty, I guess I... kinda asked if we could put it up." He glanced at me and guessed my next question. "Then, as we was settin' that up, I noticed the field outside. Got to thinkin', we'd have more time to shoot 'em if it took longer to get to us, you know? I mentioned it, too, and we got the go ahead to start diggin' trenches. Not so deep that they'd be able to use 'em for cover, but enough to slow 'em down. Got the idea from the primer. Dig deep and the Emperor provides, you know? Honestly, I don't know why he mentioned it. I ain't that smart. It wasn't nothin' that nobody else wouldn'ta thought of once we started doin' somethin', or once the lieutenant got ta that part of the Tactica Imperium, so I never saw what the fuss was about."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sister Catherine's eyebrow raise. Humility. Most soldiers would brag about that sort of thing.

"Besides," Jim continued, "the good idea wasn't even mine. One of the other soldiers came up with a good idea. She was a thinker, that Lyssandra. She got to thinkin' while we was diggin'. Thought, we got all this fuel that we ain't gonna use since we got no armor, and wouldn't it be kinda ironic if they ended up burnin' themselves tryin' to get to us?" Something that Catherine could appreciate, no doubt. Jim laughed a little and continued. "Liked her, Lyssandra. She was like me, liked to work but also liked to smile. Knew some good jokes, the kind that take the edge off. 'Course, the Commissar didn't like the idea, thought it was wastin' fuel, but it wasn't like we was gonna line the trenches with it until the mutants were headin' for us. The lieutenant liked the idea, though, so the Commissar didn't say nothin'. I think he was happy we was keepin' ourselves busy. He only had ta find one more person wantin'. Good man, that Commissar."

"Anyway, we'd gotten the word that the line had broken and they was headin' our way. Be there within the day. We prepped our lasguns and got to chantin'. Every prayer and litany you can think of, we said it. When it was my turn to sleep, I tore through my primer. The Commissar caught me, though. Demanded to know why I wasn't restin'. I tells him, 'The enemy's comin', sir, and I wanna be ready for 'em. Gotta know my stuff to be ready.' He just looked at me for a moment, then nodded once. 'Ten minutes, then try and sleep,' he says." Jim paused, smiling sadly. "He was a good man. Good Commissar. Commissar Vanderkampf. Coulda punished me for that, and I wouldn'ta blamed him. I was supposed to be gettin' some last rest and instead, I was readin'. He knew I was right, though. We were all under trained and shakin' in our boots, so havin' somebody who knew their stuff would come in handy. He knew when to be firm, and knew when to give. Seen too many that were one way or the other. Wish he coulda come with me."

I forced a sympathetic expression onto my face as he lost himself to his thoughts. I gave him a moment before prodding in a gentle voice. "From the reports, the combat was brutal."

He chuckled weakly, but talking seemed to break him out of the past. "Yeah, it was. 'Course, I didn't realize that at the time. All I knew was that I had to keep alert, like the Primer says. Alert for the heretics, alert on my own mind, alert on the others. It was actually kind of a relief when I saw them; there wasn't the question of when any more. Focus on the front line, line up a shot, litany of the lasgun and of accuracy, shout the incantation of battle... The Commissar, he bellowed fire the moment they was in range, and I pulled the trigger. Just kept right on pullin', too. Soon as I sight one, pull. Sight one, pull. They made it to the trench, we lit the det-tape, and they started burnin'. I grinned and glanced up. That's when I saw it."

"The daemon," Catherine muttered.

"Yeah," Jim said with a weak chuckle. "Way in the back, like a coward, pushin' the mutants forward. Fear is naught, for my faith is strong." He made the sign of the Aquila over his chest. "I didn't know what else they was bringin', so I just went back to shootin' anythin' that was within range. I... I wasn't good at prioritizin' targets back then. If I could draw a bead, shoot it. If it didn't die, shoot it again. Keep on shootin' until it dies, then start over again. We'd slowed 'em down but good, you know? Ended up wearin' out my battery. I was just doin' the litany of loadin' when I dropped the fresh one." He paused for a moment, then gave me an innocent smile. "See, I know that the Emperor watches over us because of that. I know that he caused me to drop it. I know that he was helpin' me, because he knew that I was faithful, and because I'd learned every single prayer, litany, incantation and chant in the Primer. I know, because I'd just crouched to grab it when the rockets hit."

"I didn't even know what kinds of rockets they had, or what kinds of mutants were carryin' it. All I know is that when they hit the trenches, those rockets musta cooked real good, because they started poppin'. Well, when I could hear again." He laughed. "Blast knocked me about but good, you know? Glad we put up that flakboard, for all the good it did. Still tore through the bunker, but kept us from gettin' hurt worse. When I remembered where I was and where I was, I sat up. So much for cover. Jammed the reload in, started firin'. Like I said, though, I wasn't too good at prioritizin' targets, so one got up to me. Went to spear him with my bayonett, but he knocked my thrust to the side. Got a Catachan kiss for his troubles, too." Another laugh escaped the soldier. "Though, I think I hurt my head almost as much as it hurt his. Either way, gave me a chance to stick him good. Just like the good book says, got him two more times, too. Just to make sure."

"Some of the others were gettin' back up, but it almost seemed like they were fallin' back down just as quick. 'Bout this time, though, the fires was goin' out and they was comin' faster. I'll be honest, I thought I was done for. I wasn't gonna go down without a fight, though. Took cover behind what was left of the wall and started chuckin' my grenades, all two of 'em. Didn't think about grabbin' any from the body I was practically standin' on. Like I said, I was new. Young and stupid, you know? The daemon was barely within range now, but I wasn't thinkin' about that. Forgot what the Primer said, I guess. I was takin' out the little guys. I had this crazy notion in my head that if I took out enough, then the next line could take out the daemon. Still, I thought... I knew I was dead as they rushed what used to be our nice bunker."

"Is that when reinforcements arrived?"

"Yeah." Jim grew uncomfortable over that. "The Primer, it don't say nothin' about it, but I wasn't breathin' so I missed them comin' in."

That made me lean forward, curious. "I don't understand."

He scratched at the side of his face thoughtfully. "Well, it's somethin' that I've noticed. Little differences between the new guys and us, you know? The new guys, they don''t breathe. I mean, they do, but they forget to do it a lot when thin's get thick. Start holdin' their breath. When they do that, they forget what's goin' on around them, like they can't see it. They only see what's, you know, right in front of 'em, no matter how downrange it is. Like lookin' through a scope. Personally, I think somebody should make mention of it somewhere, but I'm not gonna question how we're taught or what's put in the Primer." He shook his head. "I ain't no heretic.

"But, see, that's the only way that I can think of that I didn't notice them. I think back, and every time, I'm just fightin' for the Emperor, and then they're shootin' every one of those guys." He shook his head a bit. "Don't remember anythin' after that, though. I only knew they was Adeptus Astartes because the Commissar told me so after the fact. I hit my head, see, and was out for it all. Wish I coulda seen 'em in action.”

“That's a lie,” Sister Catherine hissed. Jim sat back, fear entering his eyes for the first time.

I held up my hand to ward off her accusation. She didn't like it, but she settled down. Returning my attention to the guardsman in front of me, I offered him a sympathetic smile. “Jim, please. We know that you must have seen more than that. Just... be honest with us. You're no traitor, are you?”

He shook his head firmly. “I ain't no heretic.”

“Exactly,” I said in a soothing voice. “You've nothing to fear from us at all, then. Please. Tell us the truth.” The fear was still there, along with... conflict? I could see the troubled look in his eyes. Maybe I was using the wrong tactic. He was a good soldier, after all. “If it might make you feel any better, I could make it an order.”

That got him to relax a hair. A look of hope entered his eyes as he nodded to me.

“You're a good soldier, Jim. You always follow orders, and you obey the chain of command. It says so in every report about you.” I smiled sympathetically. “I order you to tell me the truth about what happened.”

It was like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. His smile returned slowly, though it was a little uneasy. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“See, when you see a blast like that shoot straight through a guy you're aimin' for, you sorta realize that somebody else is there no matter how deep you are. So I looked up and seen them.” He paused again, smiling almost childishly. “When I was a kid, I used to dream a bein' an Adeptus Astarte. That some chapter would come and choose me to go through the trials, so that one day I would wear that holy power armor. Childish dreams, you know?

“So I looked up and I saw them. Silver armor that seemed to reflect the sun. I couldn't see the sun, but it shined on their armor plain as day. There were five of them, but that was all that was needed. They were the Emperor's wrath, to purge the heretic and mutant from my homeworld. It didn't matter that the remainin' force outnumbered them so. It didn't matter that the daemon was approachin'. They would end this. I knew it in my bones. The Emperor had heard our prayers, and in His infinite wisdom, deemed us worthy of savin'. When they opened up on those heretics, I felt that I could die in the Emperor's grace with no regrets. But I didn't, of course. I put my head down and got to shootin'. Just because the Adeptus Astartes were here didn't mean that the fightin' was done. They was fightin', so I had to as well, you know? 'Course, I wasn't important no more to the heretics. I was only killin' one or two here and there. The Adeptus Astartes, they was mowin' through 'em. I kept prayin' and fightin' though. Bit by bit, those heretics fell, until only the daemon remained.”

He chuckled a little. “You know how I said I was scared before? Wasn't nothin' compared to when I realized that it was the only thin' I had to left to shoot. I don't think it even realized I was shootin' it, tell you the truth. It just went strait for the Emperor's mailed fist, you know?”

Jim grew quiet again, not quite seeing us anymore. I'd seen the look on the faces of plenty of soldiers. He wasn't sitting before us – he was firmly locked in the past. Reliving those events. “I... I can't describe the battle with it. I mean, I got the words, I just can't use them right. Brutal, really. It's the only thin' that I could think of to describe it. I never knew one of the Adeptus Astartes could be hurt, but he proved me wrong. Seein' them fall and not get up... I don't know when I stepped out behind of cover, but I just sort of started walkin' towards them, shootin' at it as if my shots might somehow take it down. The Captain, or maybe he was a Sergeant, I'm not entirely sure about their ranks, he got into melee with it. His glowin' sword flashed swung an the daemon attacked. The two connected at the same time and... he fell, and it staggered. It almost kinda... I don't know, flickered, you know? Just... It was hurt bad, I know that much.

“That's when the one screamed and fired a shot. Didn't come close to hittin' the bastard, but he was alive and tryin' still. I looked and... Well, I kinda wished that I hadn't. His helmet was gone, along with most of his face. Bleedin' out pretty bad, and there wasn't a chance of him hittin'. Kinda hard to shoot when you don't got no eyes any more. The daemon turned and staggered, and I knew what was gonna happen. That's... That's when I decided to do somethin' about it.”

He was lost in the past, so I dared a glance behind me. The sanctioned psyker was silent, his face unreadable underneath his hood. He'd let me know if he felt any taint coming from the guardsman before us. For now, he was silent.

As Jim began to talk again, I focused my attention back onto him. “I ran up to the guy and... Well, I can't say that I grabbed that cannon he held, but I put my hands on it and heaved. Yelled, let me be your eyes. Praise be to the Emperor, he might've been blind, but he could still hear. He moved that big gun for me as I tried my best to aim it for him. I yelled fire, and he pulled that trigger. Didn't hit, though. Missed by that much. So I wrapped myself around the gun so that I could sight better, closed one eye, and guided it towards center of mass, whisperin' the chant of accuracy. The daemon was so close to us now, I really had to crane to get it aimin' right. With my head on that big thin', I yelled fire again... and everythin' went dark.

“Next thin' I know, the Commissar's slappin' me in the face. Hurt like I was gonna die, but I was still breathin'. The Emperor Protects, right? The recoil from the gun got me right in the face.” Jim laughed, coming back to the present and smiling at me. “Knocked me clean out. The Commissar found me underneath that big guy. He'd crawled on top of me blind, propped himself up so that he wouldn't crush me when he died. I can say that they all died protectin' all of us, but he died protectin' me."

“The Commissar, he got me to tell him the whole thin'. He wasn't lookin' too good. One arm wasn't workin' right and he'd lost an eye, but he was still as powerful a man as ever. He's the one who ordered me to keep quiet about it, see? Tell that version of the story, that I'd got knocked out before I saw anythin'. Ordered me to promise it. I ain't no heretic, when a Commissar gives you an order, you follow it.” He paused to bite his lip for a moment. “But I'm happy you ordered me to tell you. You deserve to know what really happened down there.”

Little did the man know.

“Anyway, after that it wasn't anythin' too much. Dig people out of the rubble and apply first aid. Wait for people to show up. The Commissar made sure that nobody could see the Adeptus Astartes. Never did find out why, never did ask. He had his reasons, I guess. But he made me promise, and I kept it.

“A week later, I was restin' up when a request came for anybody who was leftovers to volunteer for a mission. Needed guardsmen on another planet nearby, a week ago. Maksim and me, we was in pretty good shape, except for the shiner on my face, so we both stepped up. And that, really, is pretty much all there is to that. That's how I joined the guard.”

My smile was genuine. Already, we were getting to the heart of the matter, all without having to ask him directly.

===Chapter 2===

I knew that I'd have to tread carefully to direct this investigation now. While I could show my hand, let Catherine handle everything from here on out, I wasn't quite ready to relinquish control quite yet. No, I still felt that I could get more from the subtle route than the direct.

I produced a tin, shaking my head. “That's quite the story, Jim. Quite the story indeed. And then to go straight from that to the warp? A lot of people would have cracked.” Opening the tin, I offered him the contents. Somehow, I found his hesitation amusing. “You don't have to accept if you don't partake.”

“It's not that, sir. I...” I followed the dart of his eyes to Catherine. Her disdain was evident on her face.

“Go ahead,” she grumbled softly.

That was all that Jim needed. He carefully took the lho stick out of the tin, rolling it around between his fingers. Good man. I put one between my lips and lit it before offering him my fire. “I think you'll like it. One of the advantages of my position is that I have access to a better supply than the guardsmen.”

He took a couple of puffs, savoring the flavor. “That is good,” he mused, wavering a little.

“Don't smoke them often?” People who didn't smoke them for a while usually reacted like that.

“No sir,” he confessed. “Maksim don't like it when I smoke.”

Catherine came up with a shallow metal bowl for us to put our ashes into. I had no clue what its real purpose was. Maybe she was just getting used to my methods enough that she had started anticipating it. Jim was watching our trails of smoke playing up towards the light overhead. “Fascinating, isn't it?”

“Yes, sir. The way the air moves it about. You don't realize how much air moves until you see it. I'd do it more, but... Like I said, Maksim don't like it much. The Officio Medicae said that it can hurt the lungs and stuff, and he likes to keep both of us fit.”

I pushed my amusement to the side. Good and distracted now. “You know, you mentioned this Maksim fellow earlier. I take it that you and he were... friends?”

That got a chuckle out of Jim. “I guess you could say that. I've known Maksim since... Actually, I can't even remember when we met, to be honest. It's been that long.” His smile slowly faded, and he gained an intensity to him as he stared at me. “He's a big man. Not Ogryn big, but still massive enough. He knows more about tactics, xenos and heretics than I do, and I try to stay informed. He's got a swagger to his walk, but not like he's cocky. More like he only puts his legs together when he's standing at attention. But he and I keep each other alive. Not that he doesn't spend more time protecting me. He's the only one to stay with me all this time since Hygar III's been in trouble. Since the daemon attacks. We've sworn that when it's time, we'll go back there. He's a good soldier. The best guardsman I've ever seen.”

Jim leaned forward, and I felt Catherine twitch slightly... But the guardsman only flicked his lho stick in the ashtray. With a wince, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his forehead. “Sorry, I... I get protective of him, you know? He's been through a lot, and... You know how every unit has that big, paranoid guy who hardly talks to anybody? The one that nobody really likes? Ever since he got injured, he's been that guy.”

“Did that happen on that first trip?” I asked hesitantly. More hesitantly than I wanted.

Jim's brilliant smile returned at that, though. “Nah. I mean, I didn't really deal with him much back then. Well, I kinda did, but... It's hard to explain.”

“Please try.”

The Guardsman thought for a moment. I could see the gears turning in his mind, no doubt searching for words. When he finally started to speak, he looked like he'd given up.

“Okay, see, my first time in the warp was... Well, it was kinda scary. I mean, we were on a ship of leftovers. Not just us, but people from other worlds, too. So not only were we the low men, but we were low men with people who didn't even know each other on our first time into the warp. Not a good idea."

“Anyway, we was hunkered down when I started hearin' Maksim chantin'. After a moment, I realized that he was doin' the litany of warp travel. So I pull out my Primer and start readin' myself. We kept goin' from that to the prayer for safe return and back again. Just start repeatin' them over and over again. Each time, I get a little less scared, you know?I really had to thank Maksim for that. We just started goin' over prayers. After a while, I knew that we'd make it out okay. I mean, so long as I watched everybody else and kept faith in the Emperor's light, you know?

“Unfortunately, somebody must not've been keepin' too close to the faith, if you know what I mean. I started to hear a quiet little giggle from a nearby bunk. That got me thinkin', you know? I double-checked the Primer, and that's what it said. Anybody acts odd, you go tell somebody. So I went a-huntin' for the nearest Commissar. He was busy lookin' over somethin', so I just stood at attention until he noticed me. Demanded to know what I wanted. Couldn't blame him. I was interruptin' his work. So I says to him, 'Sir, there's somebody I think you should-' And that's all I got out. I hear laughter down the way from that one girl, and suddenly somebody else joins in.”

Jim chuckled. “You know, I always heard my momma talk about righteous fury before, and I thought she was talkin' about herself when she got angry. Lookin' at that Commissar's face, though, I knew I was wrong. He looked pissed. Heard him growl 'not again' as he reached into a locker. Presented me with a shotgun, even, pullin' out his own pistol. 'Guardsman,' he barks. 'Guardsman, you're gonna help me quell this madness!' Well, I wasn't about to argue, you know? I ain't no heretic.

“So we start up and down the halls, him blastin' away anybody that'd gone warp-mad. Some of them were in pretty bad shape. Clawin' out their own eyes, gibberin', that sort of thing. Some of them, they even started tryin' to attack the Commissar. I had to put a round in those ones on occasion. He'd be so busy dealin' with one that he couldn't see the other. Never once complained, no sir. He'd just look at the body, nod to me, and keep right on goin'. I heard Maksim sayin' the prayer for the lost and the endangered at one point, and decided to join in. Dunno why, just felt right. Soon, a lot of people who wasn't taken by the warp started joinin' in. Made things a lot easier for the Commissar.”

“What a thing to live through,” I said was an admiring smile. “So soon after combat, to be forced to kill your own comrades.”

“Nah,” he said uncomfortably as he put out his lho stick. “A few of them, they'd started to, you know, mutate. Twist under their uniforms, you know? Figured we was doin' them a service, you know?”

“Did the Commissar ever say anything to you about it?” Sister Catherine asked.

“Just that I did a good job,” Jim said with no small amount of pride. “Another good Commissar, him. Good to say thin's about you if you did a good job in his eyes. Spoke real good, too, and was good with his speeches. He's another one I miss.”

“You seem to go through a lot of Commissars,” Catherine mused. Jim just shrugged and lowered his head. “There have been... rumors of some guardsmen taking a dislike to their Commissars and granting the Emperor's Benediction early.” I was proud of the sister. She was starting to pick up on my tricks. “Have you ever seen something like this?”

Jim took an uncomfortable time to respond. “Yeah,” he said at last. “I... I had to do it once.”

My heart seized in my chest, but Jim was pushing on. “Wasn't by choice, mind you. Just... had to be done, you know? See, this was a few years after that, when Maksim and me had started really to bondin', fightin' side by side. We'd just been put on this planet... I can't even remember the name no more, to be honest with you. Happens with a lot of worlds, for us.

“Anyway, I do remember that it'd been pretty much on lockdown for some time. Cult had risen up to pretty high power, coverin' most of the planet. Even out in the wastes. Apparently, they'd found somethin' there right after the fightin' started. Dunno what, didn't ask, but it was enough that they weren't willin' to exterminatus the planet.”

Asellus IV. I'd read that much in his service history, which was more like an encyclopedia than a report. The world had contained a Standard Template Construct, which was unfortunately damaged during the fighting.

“Anyway, since we was leftovers, we got attached to a regiment already down there. Immediately set out to kill us some heretics, which I don't mind in the slightest. But after a while, we started noticin' somethin'... We ain't fightin' no heretics. We ain't fightin' nothin'. That got the hairs on the back of my neck standin' up. The vox officer, he'd get orders for us to go somewhere, but when we got there, no heretics. So we start takin' a hard look at everythin' goin' on. Slowly, bit by bit, we start seein' that the outfit we're hooked up with, who's been so chummy with us, you know... It ain't right."

“Maksim, he saw it too. So we start investigatin'. Emperor protect us, everywhere we looked in their ranks, heretics. Even... Even the commissar.” Jim sighed softly. “So, we get the rest of the guys together, those of us from the ship, and we let 'em know what's up. We're kinda in a jam at that point, you know? Orders say to take care of it, but when the vox officer and the commissar are in on the heresy, it's kinda hard to follow proper procedure. So we did the only thin' we could do.”

“You purged,” Catherine guessed.

Jim nodded, smiling a bit. “That's what we did. I ain't no heretic, and the people with me weren't either. Figured out a time, changed our positions, then... opened up on 'em. Didn't go down as easy as we'd hoped, but you get used to that, as a guardsman. Sh... Thin's don't always die like you want. Anyway, to make a long story short, I shot one guy down just as my battery went dead for my las. Middle of that, didn't have time to reload, so I switched out for my auto-snub. Just got it in both hands when the commissar turned to see me. You know how sometimes thin's just seem to... I dunno, slow down? This was like that. We both raised our guns, we both pulled the trigger. 'Course, I learned how to doubletap my pistol a long time ago, unlike him.”

Jim laughed and patted his side. “I got real lucky. He took one in the throat and another in the forehead. Meanwhile, I only got a glancing shot off my armor. 'Course, the heat from what he was carryin' caught me on fire. Maksim saved my life for, like, the hundredth time. Tackled me to the ground, made me roll about in the muck, cursin' me out for takin' unnecessary risks. Don't remember too much of it, to be honest with you. It hurt somethin' bad, and after a bit, I guess I passed out.

“When I woke up, I'd found out that another regiment had found us, and just reported it as that we'd encountered heretics and had taken unnecessary losses, you know? Called in the Officio Medicae and got me sent back. That's how I finally got me my Medallion Crimsion, where I shoulda gotten my second Triple Skull, and apparently earned my Order of Peace.”

“Order of Peace?” I asked. I'd seen it on his service record, but wasn't familiar.

“Given out when you're injured killin' heretics, but can return to duty. Planetary award, 'cause of the heavy casualties. They patched me up real good, they did. Hardly any scars no more.” He paused for a wry grin. “Kinda wish I was with the Cadians, to be honest. Woulda gotten me my triple storm by now. Heck, them and the Tanith First and Only, the Catachans, the Mordian Iron Guard, they all get a ton more recognition than us. Either way, I ain't complainin'. It was Silon who found us, and he pushed for us to join his Scrappers.”

I couldn't help but laugh over that. “It's a source of pride for you, isn't it?”

“Yes sir!” He puffed his chest out again. “Silon's Scrappers got some pretty good standin' with the other guardsmen. They say, the Scrappers get there late in the fight, but they make sure that the fight gets done, you know? That we herald the end of fightin' somewhere. 'Course, they don't realize that we normally get stuck doin' the hard final pushes into the areas where the enemy's bunkered down for their last stand. Our squads get it done. We got ourselves a reputation, and we live up to it. Not everybody can say that.”

“You've amassed an impressive set of medals with them,” Catherine said approvingly. “The Eagle Ordinary, Hathor Laureate, Order of the Eagle's Claw, Hathor Star, Steel Aquila, Ribbon Intrinsie, Administratum Medal, Order of the Scarlet Wing, Crimson Skull, Macharian Cross, and the Binding Aquila. And yet, you were only promoted to the rank of sergeant a few years ago.”

Jim was blushing now. “Wasn't just me, you know? Everybody was involved with most of that. I was only doin' my part. Heck, after Lyssandra hooked up with us, she was a big help. Her augmetic leg gives her problems now and then, but she's stuck by me almost as much as Maksim has. So, yeah, I may have am-assed all these medals, and all of these service pins, but it's not like it was just me. Never woulda made it this far without everybody else doin' their jobs, too.”

There was that humility again. I got out another lho stick, offering him one. “Nah. Don't wanna push the recyc system on my account. I don't know the first thing about how they work, but judgin' by the looks of the people chantin' over those systems, it's gotta be hard enough.”

“Understandable,” I said as I lit mine up. That's a necessary trait for inquisitors; we can't care about anything other than purging heretics, at least officially. Which Jim was making increasingly difficult. He was just plain likable. Probably reminded me too much of my old life.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. “Enter,” Catherine and I called out in unison, which seemed to amuse Jim to no small end. Timidly, Venris entered the room we were using, carrying a pitcher of water and cups for all of us.

“Forgive me for taking so long to fufill your request,” he said with a bow, “however the Admiral wished for me to bring you a report while I was at it.”

I glanced at the sealed papers on the tray. Three dots were at the folded corner – there was no need to look at it immediately. I looked up to Venris as Catherine set the report to the side. “Don't let it happen again. Go in the Emperor's grace.”

With a bow, Venris made his exit. Jim watched him go with narrowed eyes. Only after the heavy metal door was closed again did the guardsman address us.

“Hey, listen... I know you all are busy and all, but while you're here, that new guy there, you might wanna look into. I mean, he's kinda aimless, if you know what I mean. Always wanderin' around. His flack jacket, it's a little too clean. I know he's not a grunt, you can tell by the way he walks, but it's kinda like he just grabbed all of his gear off the shelf. And he's askin' a lot of questions, too. I mean, a lot of people when they first join the leftovers, they're curious. But he... He's a little more than just curious, you know?”

“We'll look into it,” Catherine said. She couldn't hide her smirk as well as I could.

“Actually, back to what we were talking about for a moment. With your service record, Jim, do you know why you weren't promoted until now?” This was a question that we'd actually debated off and on for a while, so I thought it fair to ask.

“Course,” he said with a loud chortle. “See, I wasn't ready for it yet.”

“And who decided that?” Now I was curious again.

“Me.” He said that with almost too much pride. “Sergeants, they gotta be smart, right? I ain't all that. Can't talk good like a lot of them, never went to school like plenty of them, and didn't get the basic trainin' that most of them got. So I had to work to make sure that I knew what I was supposed to. Keep my squad ready for any job we're given, and if they don't know how to do somethin', be able to talk them through it. Silon liked that, so he let me hold myself back until I thought my trainin' was done.”

“What all did you feel that you needed training in?”

“Oh, shucks...” Another chuckle. The man liked to laugh. “A little bit of everythin'. We don't always got armor, but when we do, we try and make it last as long as possible. While I ain't no techpriest, I kinda figured it might be wise to know how to operate one. Same with pretty much all the equipment.”

“So you wanted to be able to operate anything that you might have to?” I couldn't keep the incredulous tone out of my voice.

“Well... Yeah, but that's not all. See, I also thought I should, you know, read up on the Tactica Imperium and-”

“Wait.” I held up a hand as I tried to grasp it all. “Your commanding officer let you look at the Tactica Imperium?”

“Well, yeah?” Jim shifted uncomfortably in his metal chair. “I mean, he was waitin' to promote me anyway, and he likes getting opinions. Plus, he says I got a good mind for it. First, I didn't believe him, but then I got a medal for that kind of thing, so there's gotta be some sorta truth to it, right? Plus, he knows that I'd rather swallow my own tongue than be captured by the enemy.” He paused for a moment. “Besides, not like it didn't come in handy, right?”

Inwardly, I smiled. Time and time again, he was walking me right to the things that I wanted to question him about the most.

===Chapter 3===

Cassandra surprised me by taking the initiative on this one. “James... Jim. Do you know why we called this inquest?”

Jim looked confused. “Well, no. I mean, I was curious and all, but I didn't want to ask. Did... Did I do somethin' heretical?” He paused for a moment, then leaned forward, his brow furrowed. “Did one of the other guys do somethin' heretical?”

“You seem more concerned about them having done something than yourself,” she observed. “Why is that?”

“Well, I reckon that it's because I ended up in charge of all of them. If they did somethin' wrong, then I shoulda seen it. Reported them. If I was the one who done did somethin' wrong, then all I need to know is what it is I done, and that's that.”

“Jim.” I smiled a little. “I, we need to know about that. Tell me about what happened.”

He did. I could see it in his eyes – he knew the basics of what I wanted to hear, and he didn't want to talk about it. But, in his own words, he wasn't a heretic and would obey my request. His shoulders slumped and his eyes focused on the floor.

“Silon's Scrappers, the outfit I'm hooked up with... You know the story about them?” I lied. “Good folks, them. Bad lot that happened. Planet under siege by Chaos, just like mine was. Only the reinforcements got there decent season. Due to the strength of the assault, though, everybody was sent down pretty fast. Turns out, that's what those buggers wanted. Their twists came out of warp then, ended up taking one of the ships. Commander Silon and his boys had been guardin' the outskirts, kinda near the capitol. Since they weren't immediately needed for defense, and kinda not liked, they got sent up to retake it. Heavy losses, but they did. Finished the fightin' just in time to watch the exterminatus order go through.

“Tanith, of course, gets all the glory and stuff. Not that I ain't sayin' they deserve it! No sir, they earn their fame, believe me. Seen 'em, once. Real savvy folk, them. But they do all the sneaky stuff, and we just go for the final push. Not quite the same, right?” He bit his lip, trying to find the words. “We're a lot like them, except for operation style, so we kinda look at it like bein' overshadowed by a big brother."

“But they also got more of their original guys than we do, I think. We only got five or six, other than Silon himself. All of them aren't no higher than guardsmen, too. So, you know, all us sergeants are leftovers. You should know that, before I say anythin' more.”

He remained silent for some time, his eyes focused on the floor. No, past the floor. I was getting impatient, but Catherine's glare told me to let him tell it as he needed. I deferred to her judgment on this one. I could hear the heavy breathing of the damn psyker behind me in that silence.

I couldn't stand it any more. “Jim. What do you remember?”

There was a soft gagging noise out of him, but finally Jim began to speak. “We were dug in pretty tight, bein' the last pass. With us being uphill and havin' had plenty of time to prepare, we was tucked in pretty tight indeed. Four lines of trenches, each connected at the ends, and furrows dug into the walls of the pass for snipers. We'd put up armor that the orks had worn to protect 'em just a little bit more. Nice and tight. We'd broken up squads so that the front line was half las, half flamers and meltas. Behind us was what was left of the tanks, with the few Cadian and Armageddon pattern Sentinels we had. The Catachan ones were dug into the walls up past the front line, with the only Hellhound brought from the other pass set up between them. With the Catachans hidden from open sight, the Hellhound acted like a decoy until the xenos got close. We'd covered the legs of the Catachans with pretty much everythin' we could to protect them a little more. Between the tanks was turrets and mortars. Had more tucked in at the corners of the front lines, where we'd set up cover for them."

“I'd just come out of my own bit of rest. Medic'd cleared me to fight again. Dawn was comin' up, castin' a bit of light in the sky. The snipers were tellin' us that the greenskins down on the other end of the pass looked like they was gearin' up for one last big push. Said it looked like some of them bigger ones was fightin' with each other. Commissar decided to wake up the sleepyheads, let the snipers take a shot at any of the big ones they could draw a bead on. Didn't have to tell them twice. Everybody woke up when we heard the reports of them guns. Apparently it made the xenos scatter a bit. Heh. Woulda loved to have seen it, but I was busy. Pourin' recaf for the guys on turrets up near the front. I'd come up with the idea to get the sleep out of my own eyes, and decided to share it with the troops. We had to be ready, bright eyed and bushy tailed. They was comin' our way, and we knew it. Had to last until reinforcements arrived, had to keep the last pass.”

“What happened to the other pass?” I asked.

Jim blinked for a moment, but didn't come out of the memories. His hands worked at his knees uncomfortably. “That, yeah. That was way before. Only after the first six hours of fightin', after the first wave. I was takin' stock of damage done. We'd lost more men than I'd liked, but I didn't know the half of it yet. So far, I'd kept my eyes downrange and on my squad. The pass, it was littered with corpses, both human and xenos, along with the wreckage of their bikes and trucks. But we'd made it, and they'd turned tail and fled. Probably goin' to meet up with more of them to bring back."

“Since my squad was okay other than Lyssandra takin' one to her cybernetic leg, I hiked my sorry ass back to where I saw the vox officer standing with the Commissar, lookin' over the maps. Only took me a few minutes to realize what was goin' down. Change of orders, hold the pass. Commissar asked for reinforcements, but we got bad news on that one. 'All available units are engaged with objectives elsewhere,' the man on the other end of the line said. The Commissar, Commissar Ulrik, we shared a glance and I got to lookin' at the maps. After a minute, I saw another nearby pass marked Regiment 8-13A. I moved to the Commissar, chewin' my lip.

“'Listen,' I said. 'They're holdin' pass Bravo 912. It ain't much of a pass, real narrow and thin, with really high walls. If they blow those walls, the xenos can't make it in. Then they can come and back us up a little, you know?' That got a grim smile on the Commissar's face. 'The xenos can't take a place if it's destroyed, can they? Plus, it puts more of us in one place to hold the line.' So he gets on the vox again, callin' back to command. My stomach was doin' flip-flops the entire time that he barked back and forth with them. Said things that... Well, I'd never say somethin' like that to them myself. But he said them, all right. Just kept barkin' and barkin'. 'We need reinforcements,' he raged. 'Otherwise, both passes will fall!' After a little bit, they finally got to talkin' again, and told us that all surviving members of 8-13A would meed on our position. I threw my hands up into the air, singin' the praise of the Emperor. Commissar shut me up quick, though, tellin' me and the other sergeants to start plannin' out how we'd dig in."

“I was glad they came to back us up, though. We needed it. Two days after they'd gotten there, the greenskins came back with a vengeance. Of course, we was told that more reinforcements was on the way, but that it'd take four days for them to reach us. By the mornin' of the third day the remnants of the 8-13A was with us, the greenskins were makin' their big push. I was glad that we had collected everythin' up off the fallen. I was havin' to switch out packs on my lasrifle more often than I woulda liked. We was all pressed really tight, though. Lyssandra, every word outta her mouth don't need said in polite company, and Maksim, he was mean quiet as he was shootin'. Even worse was the boys mannin' the turrets. They was startin' to look real pale, getting' jittery. Course, the xenos were targetin' them bad, but that's no excuse.

“It got to the point where one quit firin'. I was down there to drop off some reloads for the meltas and flamers, so I looked over and realized, it wasn't cause they was out of ammo, it was cause the shooter was hidin' for cover. I slung my rifle and ran up to him, lickey split. Grabbed him by his flack and hauled him up to his feet. I knew he wasn't gonna listen to words, so I put my auto snub right under his nose. 'You're gonna man that gun,' I hollered. 'You're gonna man that gun and kill those xenos, or your brains is gonna decorate the ground and I'll find somebody else who will!' Course, I didn't get the chance to see either. Maksim grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled. I spun as I fell back into the trenches, takin' the gunner with me. Moment later, rocket hits right where we was standin'. Didn't make me stop, though. Grabbed a rifle from a dead guy, shoved it in the soldier's hands, and ordered his miserable hide to the front line to protect those flamers.”

“Wait,” Cassandra cut in. “Explain to us why you were giving orders yourself. Where was your commander?”

I was surprised that Jim could even hear her. His eyes were glazed over, not even focusing any more. The last time I'd seen that, the soldier couldn't even talk. But Jim was stronger than that one; his eyebrows furrowed tight as he spoke. “Commander Silon, he's a good guy. Leads from the front. It wasn't until after we drove the first wave back that I found out what'd happened. Towards the end, when he'd noticed that we was gonna win, he decided that he was gonna lead a charge to wipe 'em all out. He and the Lieutenant got up to lead the charge, when the greenskins noticed 'em. Commander Silon, he took four to the gut, and the Louie, nothin' was left of him but a stain on the ground and wall. Silon, though, he's a tough guy and was still alive. Wasn't getting' orders till we got a medical evac, but he was still breathin'.

“When the reinforcements arrived, we thought that they'd be bringin' with them another Commissar. Turns out, they'd lost him and their command staff at the start of their fight. Some of the xenos bikes and trucks had gotten by the main line and the command got the axe. Left the Commissar in a tough place. We saw their armor and transports comin', and got real anxious. We was hopin' that they woulda brought some more artillery, but their Basilisk had bought the big one somehow. We could use their sentinels and their tanks, though. They even had a Hellhound, which ended up ' worth every Throne spent to make it."

“Commissar Ulrik, though, he was lookin' mighty grim as he watched them come. Finally, he called over me, Lady, Hack, Flair, Tybalt, and Flavia. Then he had everybody else, both us and the other guys, line up in columns so that they all could hear him. That's when he starts to yell out. 'By the grace of the Almighty Emperor, our forces stand on Sucon soil -- soil consecrated in the blood of humanity. We have come, dedicated and committed, to the task of destroying every vestige of His enemies, and of restoring, upon a foundation of indestructible strength, the humanity of the people here. The hour of your redemption is here. You Guardsmen have demonstrated an unswerving and resolute devotion to the principles that challenges the best that is written on the pages of human history. I now call upon your supreme effort that the enemy may know from the temper of an aroused and outraged people within that he has a force there to contend with no less violent than is the force committed from without.

“'Rally to me. Let the indomitable spirit of the Imperial Guard lead on. As the lines of battle roll forward to bring you within the enemy, rise and strike. Strike at every favorable opportunity. For your homes and hearths, strike! For future generations of your sons and daughters, strike! In the name of your sacred dead, strike! Let no heart be faint. Let every arm be steeled. The guidance of the Emperor points the way. Follow in His Name to the path of this righteous victory!' I couldn't help myself. I bellowed out to the Emperor, followed by everybody else. But the Commissar, he wasn't done yet."

“As soon as we got done cheerin', he squares his shoulders back. I could feel his eyes borin' through the crowd as I stood next to him. 'These brave men and women before you, they stand as my voice. They will move amongst you, issuing orders. You will follow those orders as you would follow mine. Together, we will fight those accursed orks, drive them from our planet, and end their mindless slaughter of our people. They will fight for this pass, and they will fail! We will rise up and look across to the horizon, and see nothing but their corpses. We do this for the Emperor!' He raised his chainsword into the air, and we all bellowed again and he nodded. 'Those of you who have already been assigned tasks, get to them! Those of you who have just arrived, send your sergeants to me, and I will see to it that you are not idle.'

"Ulrik, he ain't been with us for long, but he's been a good Commissar. They teach them real good speeches nowadays. Whenever he'd hold up that chain saber of his, got a real rile out of the guys. May not be as heavy as those ones the Adepts Astartes use, but it's still a mighty handsome weapon, enough to inspire just about anybody. Everybody got to movin'. Lyssandra strutted up to me and slugged me in the shoulder."

“Lyssandra,” Catherine cut in again, checking her pad over. “She was from your original unit, wasn't she? The one who thought to set fire to the trenches?” Catherine wasn't being as hostile as she usually was. Apparently Jim was rubbing off on her, too.

He didn't so much as nod, though. He barely heard Catherine. “Don't know if I woulda made it this far without Maksim and Lyssandra. Only two from Hygar III with me. She's a scrapper, a good soldier. That augmetic leg she got when that bunker blew, back in our first fight, you think it'd slow her down. Gives her trouble on occasion, but nothin' slows her down. She can take anythin' that anybody can throw at her and dish it right back. She can be playful, done her share of practical jokes, but she can be real mean, too. Hangs around me a lot. I think it's cause I keep her laughin' so much.

“Anyway, she slugs me in the shoulder hard enough to make me rock. 'Oi! Voice o' the Commissar, eh? An' comin' up with emplacements? Don't let it get to your noggin' now.' I laughed, cause I knew what she was sayin'. I gave her a playful swat and got back to thinkin' about how we could best use the men and equipment those reinforcements brought. Didn't have the artillary like I was hopin', but had a Hellhound. Set that bad boy up front with the Catachan Sentinels, so that they could have convergin' fields of fire. Literally. If the greenskins had to fight through a wall of flame, made things that much easier for us. Besides, the slope we was diggin' the trenches into was steep enough that we could shoot over it. The two enginseers we had wasn't happy about how hard we was workin' them. We'd taken quite a pounding, and it wasn't like the other boys had come in perfect shape either."

“Still glad they came. It was like every greenskin on the planet ended up singlin' us out. The night... We'd turn the lights off most of the time, and regularly turn 'em back on to see if anybody was comin'. We'd take turns sleepin', eatin', you know. One time, the lights come on and we all see a bunch of different-lookin' greenskins out there, tryin' to sneak up to us. I knew that I wasn't assigned it, but I had a plasma rifle on me; more guns than bodies, and there wasn't much sense in lettin' it go to waste. Wasn't like I didn't know how to use it. I can fire any weapon we have, and drive and pilot just about anythin'. Anyway, I fire off, and they see me. Nevermind all the other people firin', they all start shootin' at me. Naturally, I get into do-or-die. Kill them or else I'm dead. I got careless, quit payin' attention to my weapon. I got one, heard Maksim bark out 'watch it,' went to target another one, and next thing I know, everythin's black.

“Woke up a few hours later, grittin' my teeth in pain. The rifle'd overheated, burned straight through my uniform and burned my left arm pretty bad and chest a bit, too. The medic, one of the reinforcements, had dragged me back behind the tanks and treated me. Good man, that one. Got me out of harm’s way and patched me up but good. Little on the foggy side, though, cause he kept tellin' me that I wouldn't be able to use my arm. Almost yelped in surprise when I lifted it. He must not've seen my chest too clearly. I've been through a lot, you learn to grin and bear it eventually. Might've had somethin' to do with the painkillers he'd given me, in all honesty. Usually go without them."

“By day, though, it didn't much matter. My arm was screamin' at me despite the painkillers. Fire until the battery runs dry, replace it. They was pushin' us hard. Even took out the Hellhound and one of the Sentinels. We could all feel it in our bones. It's somethin' that you just learn to see over time. When it's the last big push, all or nothin'. Just as badly as we needed to hold them back, they needed to push through us. Fightin' had eased up on most of the rest of the planet, but reinforcements, they never get there when you want them to.

“We'd worked the pass so that they couldn't come up straight, which helped kinda. Their trucks and bikes couldn't make a straight line, had to keep on movin' this way and that. Gave guys with rockets a better shot, once they got the hang of them. But it also gave the greenskins more cover for their ground pounders. They'd gotten two of our snipers, one of them was still smokin' in his hole. The other two were just poppin' out to take a shot whenever they could. Even the tanks up top were takin' good damage. Occasionally I could hear the voices of the enginseers, chantin' up a storm as they worked. You could hear the stress in their voxes. Even worse, they was out of servitors, so it was hard for them. Hard for all of us.

“Little after midday, My lasrifle went dry again, and I realized that the guy I sent up to grab more spares wasn't back yet. We was up in the fourth trench, my squad. Met him halfway up, and he asked if he should take some down to the first trench, seein' how they was squawkin' about runnin' low. Thought that a good idea myself, so I took a bunch and went down to do it personal-like. That way he could get back to shootin' and I could see if I could whip those boys and girls into a better frenzy."

“I was about halfway through the line when I heard the boys start concentratin' fire. Felt the ground rumble, too, real regular-like. Fearin' the worst, I poked my head up just in time to see him before he jumped in. Big greenskin, bigger than the rest of them. Helped that he'd replaced a lot of his green with metal. Used the trucks and even our own Hellhound for cover makin' his way up. Now he was inside our trench, and started swingin' that over sized cleaver of his. Guardsmen in the other lines, they knew better than to shoot down. Him so close, they was just as likely to hit one of us. They was focused on keepin' the rest of them from getting' to us. My rifle bein' out with a dead pack in it, and me bein' so close, I did the only thin' what made sense. I charged him, hearin' Maksim yellin' at me the entire time. The ork saw me, though, and swung. Ain't the first time I've been up close like this, though, and I learned a few things. Ducked and went for the lunge. Didn't figure I'd kill him, but hoped I'd slow him down a bit with my rifle stuck in him. He backfists me, though, sendin' me flyin' and makin' the world go all fuzzy and sparkle.

“Didn't stop Maksim from yellin' at me over the com bead. Took me a bit to get myself together enough to hear him, but when I did, he was hoppin' mad. 'Get up,' he was growlin'. 'If we don't get this guy, we're all dead. Now get. Up.' Then I hear a clunk nearby, like metal hittin' rock, and force my eye open. It was hard, like my body didn't want to move. First, all I saw was blood on the ground. My blood. Hand didn't want to move, but it came to my helmet, pullin' away chunks. Forced my eyes up, though, and saw somethin' that amazed me."

“Right in front of my face was the Commissar's chain saber. He was just... starin' at me. He'd been hurt but bad by the look of him, but he kept his cool. Just sorta gave me a glare that told me that I had to do what needed to be done, you know? Still, my body, it wasn't movin' so hot. That backhand busted up my helmet, cut a good gash up in my hair, rattled me about pretty good. But the Commissar and Maksim was right. I was still a guardsman, and I was still in it. Besides, I still had my ace. They'd given us stimms for a fight... I don't remember how long ago. Didn't use mine, but they told me to keep it. Figured I'd save it for a do-or-die time. Time had come.

“It was strapped to my leg, but my left arm didn't want to grab it quite right. I'd say it felt like it was chopped off, but that woulda hurt less. So I prayed as I got around with my right to grab it and jam it in. 'Oh Emperor of Mankind, Send Your gaze to me with benevolence, Watch over Your servant and soldier, And protect me from peril.' Jammed myself in my arm with it, and then... Well, it was like fire ran through my body for a second. Every muscle seemed to bulge, and I could feel my chrono diggin' into my wrist. After the fire, though, my head cleared and the pain went away. Officio Medicae, they'll tell you it was the drugs, but I think it was that the Emperor, he took pity on me. Saw that I was fightin', tryin' to do His work. Saw that I wasn't no mutant. Saw I ain't no heretic. I like to think that it's cause of Him that my arms started workin' right and I got my strength back. I ain't one to squander his blessin's, so I hauled my sorry self up, grabbed that chain saber, and started haulin' ass."

“The ork, the big one, he'd made it back to the second trench. They was puttin' up a fight, but it wasn't goin' so hot. Gotta give credit to the other lines, though. They did their jobs, keepin' the others at bay. I hauled my sorry ass up to the second line, and saw Malcolm's unit firin' away at the third. Good unit that one. When we do boxing matches, I hate goin' up against Malcolm. So I yell at him, 'Your unit with me, we're slammin' that greenskin!'

“Malcolm, he's been with us for a long time. Another good sergeant. But when I said that, his eyes lit up like fire. I got a reputation in the regiment. People listen to me. So I wasn't the least bit surprised when they all came down to the second trench. I just gave out a cry, no real words, just noise to motivate them in the charge, and they was right with me. The big greenskin, he turns around as we get close, probably from all the screamin' we was doin'. Swung with that big cleaver of his, and we all ducked. Lucius, he didn't duck fast enough, but he didn't feel no pain. Quick death.

“We all slammed into him, the bulk of Malcolm and his boys doin' just what I figured it would. Knock the damn xeno off his big metal feet. I kinda clung to him, and skidded so hard when he landed that my head hit that big metal jaw of his. Didn't take him but a moment to try and pull us off of him. Grabbed Arl and lifted him right up into the air. Not that we was just gonna lay there and let him. I felt a bayonet clip my leg as they started stabbin' any fleshy bits they could find, or even just a tube or somethin'. That's what saved Arl; the augmetic arm the ork had lost power."

“They was doin' their part, so I did mine. Hauled myself up, looked right into the greenskin's eye, and raised the sword. My howl, it was about the same pitch as the chain was spinnin'. Brought that sword down right into the bastard's eye, yankin' it this way and that. After a moment, he quit strugglin' all together. I stood up, raisin' the blade into the air and bellowed 'He's dead!' That got a huge cheer out of everybody. Everybody but the greenskins, that is. Some of them turned and started to run. I think thin's was gettin' a little too stressful for them, that their command was startin' to fall apart before even this, cause some of them turn and start fightin' each other. Just crazy. Made it far easier pickin's, takin' the rest of them out. Well, most of them.”

Jim looked up at us and smiled a bit. “Yeah, that's... That's pretty much how it went. After that other regiment joined us, we had been at about a regiment and a half. End of that battle, we had about a half a regiment. Virtually no armor left, despite how hard the Enginseers was workin' on them. We was still fightin' leftovers when the real reinforcements came three days later, but it wasn't nothin' like before. Lyssandra, she made sure that the squad didn't leave my side after that, though. I'd lost plenty of weight, and my knee was givin' me trouble again, not to mention my arm. For a few days after, I'd have moments where my strength would just leave me."

“Still, I don't see why people are makin' such a fuss about it. I didn't do that much. Just barked some orders, came up with ideas for how to dig in, and killed an ork. Heck, if the other lines had lost it and started shootin' him, I wouldn't have lived to try and kill him. The other greenskins woulda made it into the trench and killed me. Killed all of us. And I couldn't have knocked him down alone. Malcolm and his boys, they had the weight behind them. So, really, it's everybody else who saved the day, right? Teamwork and all that.”

Jim smiled at us, firmly in the present now. Personally, I was still digesting it all. There are some soldiers who embellish things, but I got the distinct impression that Jim wasn't one of them. I'd spent all this time listening to him drawl out his story, separating what I needed to know from what I didn't. Now that it was done...

I offered him another lho stick. He took it, but didn't light. I needed one to compose my thoughts, and he needed to ground himself in the present. I needed him in the present. I still had a few unanswered questions.

“That's quite the impressive story, Jim.” I took a deep breath, letting it out with an impressed sigh that was more for effect than anything. “Quite the impressive story indeed. That said, there are a couple of things that I need to ask you.” I picked up my datapad, scrolling through to the personnel roster. “There's a problem with my copy of the squad listing. Can you give me the first name of everybody in your squad?”

“Huh?” Jim blinked, slightly confused by the question. Good. “Well, in alphabetical order, there's Bruk, Callida, Gob, Klightus, Lionus, Lyssandra, Maksim, Octus, Shiv and Zek. Oh, and myself of course.”

“Ah, Zek. He was at the bottom so I didn't see him.” I set the datapad to the side. “Your regiment is known not only for being the remnants of other regiments, but also for carrying an odd tide of superfluous gear with you, such as your stimms. Is there anything else that you carry?”

Jim scratched his cheek with one finger as he thought. “Well, I used to have a spare grenade, but I just used it. There's my blessed Aquila coin. A couple of extra pouches of water purification tabs. I used to carry a harmonica, but it got too beat up to use a few planets back... Really, all that I carry are the extra odds and ends that are assigned to me that I'm told that it's okay to keep. Other than the coin, the harmonica, and the signal mirror I picked up for shaving.”

“I see...” I made a mental note of that.

“I have a question for you,” Catherine said slowly. “This is from before. How old are you?”

Jim blinked and started to think. One could virtually hear his mind plodding away. “I can't really say. I'm sorry, but I don't pay attention to things like that...”

“Or were you ordered not to say?” Catherine's jaw was set now. I'd hoped not to approach this subject, or to keep from bringing it up all together.

“No, not that at all.” Jim had that conflicted expression on his face. “I mean, I'm not lying to you in the slightest. No orders or nothin'. I honestly lost track.”

“But you know how old you were when you joined.” Jim looked down at the ground and said nothing. Catherine was really pushing the guy. “You know the rules and regulations, Jim.”

“Yeah, but I didn't back then. Heck, I didn't even think that they'd take me. One guy asked me how old I was, and I told him, but he just told me that I was older.”

“Was it a member of the Guard, Jim?”

He sighed and shook his head. “No. No, it wasn't. The government boys handled all of our paperwork. I just... I never said anythin' about it because... Well, I was afraid that they'd make it hard on my family. That and nobody ever asked. I was tall for my age, real tall, and workin' the farms made sure I wasn't too skinny. So nobody ever questioned, nobody ever said a word.”

“We figured as much,” I said, not wanting Catherine to yell at him over it. “In fact, you aren't the only case of this happening, but we just wanted confirmation. The planetary governor has already been... disciplined for his involvement in the matter.” It had been his idea, from what I read in the reports, but no need to push the issue.

“Now, there is one more thing,” I continued. “We just need to scan you for a moment.” I gestured to the sanctioned psyker behind me. “It's nothing too important. Just a check for corruption and loyalty. While I believe you when you say that you aren't a heretic, there are still regulations that we must follow. Much like your own paperwork, as a matter of fact.”

He didn't look like he appreciated the thought of a psyker dealing with him, but he nodded.

“Thank you, Jim.” I waited a moment before looking at the psyker behind me. The damn fool was just standing there. After a moment of glaring, though, he got the hint.

He approached slowly, almost hesitantly before touching the soldier's face. Almost immediately, he jolted, but Jim didn't so much as twitch. The guardsman stared up at the psyker with eyes that burned with... almost hate. Severe dislike would be a better phrase.

The psyker, however, was seeming to have trouble. Catherine's hand was on her gun again as blood began to dribble out of the psyker's nose. That... wasn't normal. “Jim,” she said slowly. “Relax. If you relax, it will be over that much sooner.”

Jim sighed, closed his eyes, but he did relax. Immediately, an expression of relief washed over the psyker's face. In a way, it wasn't too surprising to me. Still, I took the moment to glance at the datapad with Jim's service history on it.

After an eternity, the psyker released Jim and returned to his position behind me. Meanwhile, the poor guardsman was blinking rapidly. Probably trying to clear his head. I found myself vaguely sympathetic towards the man, a dangerous thing in my line of work. Thankfully, Cassandra was quick to put on the act while I was pushing my emotions away.

“I know that we previously ignored your questions about this inquest,” she said with a rare smile. “However, we wanted to make sure of some things before we said anything.”

My own smile came back, easy as ever. “I'm sure that you can understand, we must assure ourselves of the purity and faith of somebody who has been nominated for the Merit of the High Lords or the Honorifical Imperialis, let alone both...”

Jim just about choked on his own tongue at that. “You mean, just for doin' my part I got nominated for those two?”

I had to fight to keep from laughing. “Yes, indeed. Those two medals and... Well, there were others, but I think they were regimental...?”

“Planetary,” Catherine corrected. I was amazed by how into the lie she was getting...

“Planetary, yes. Thank you. Of course, being such a fine, upstanding Sergeant such as yourself...”

Jim shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. “I dunno what to say... I was just-”

“You were just doing your job. Yes, we know. That is why we handle such cases. A braggart is undeserving of such merits, as he could lie to get them. No, I think that I speak for both of us when I say that, barring a few minor details that we still need to investigate, we will be approving the application.”

“I dunno what to say.” The tears were about to fall, and the man was starting to slur his words a bit. Suddenly, he was on his feet, saluting us again. Probably the only way that he knew how to show what he was feeling.

“Don't say anything. Not a word to anybody, Jim. You know how these things are. It could be some time before the application is approved and the medals are awarded, and you don't want to be thought a liar on this sort of matter. And that... Well...” I smiled. “However, if you could do me one favor...”

“Anythin', sir. Say the word.”

How sweet. “If you could go to the chapel and give thanks to the Emperor properly...”

“Of course, sir. I was already thinkin' on doin' that anyways, soon as you told me.”

“Good! Then you are dismissed, Sergeant.”

Jim saluted one more time for good measure before making his exit. He was so happy that he was fit to burst. As soon as the door closed, I reached for the report that Venris had delivered, only to discover that Catherine had already snagged it. Damn. I reached for another report on Jim's military career. We only had so much time to give our own reports, and the inquisitor is nothing if not adamant about our preparedness.

===Chapter 4===

I glanced over at Sister Catherine once again as she read, biting back my usual snide remarks. We'd picked her up some time ago when we were asked to investigate her. Though a Sister Hospitaller, she had been identified as being fond of the Emperor's Benediction and for pursuing heresy. Instead of finding her guilty of heresy, we'd decided to take her aboard our own retinue, replacing Sister Odessa. Though I rather missed our fallen Sister Famulous, I couldn't deny Catherine's skills as either a warrior or a chirurgeon – neither could my arm. That didn't stop me from idly wondering if she wasn't violating her vows somehow.

“He's planning on going on a pilgrimage when he retires,” she said without looking up from her reading.

I went back to reviewing my own reports. “James seems the sort, yes. Let me guess, he's also planning on becoming a cleric as well.”

“Mmm. Quite.”

My eyes flicked to one battle report. “Pity. There's at least one noble house that most likely would appreciate his services. Several evacuation ships crashed and his squad, along with four others, were dispatched to secure the survivors.” A note caught my eye. “Doubly interesting. Looks like we just missed him, too.”

That caused her to glance up at me. “What do you mean?”

“It was before you joined us, on Ascendant. We'd gotten on planet to investigate the planetary governor after a series of uprisings that the guard helped quell. We cleared him of it but got a couple of cults in the process.” I paused as I noticed something else. “And it seems that his report was buried underneath other ones. Because he had pulled some strings to get all non-planetary guardsmen off world as quickly as possible.”

“Saving face tactic, right?” Catherine was catching on fast.

“Right. Had did the same with the Guard reports.” I did a quick cross reference. “And it appears that we might have gotten to this investigation sooner if he hadn't of called in those favors.” I made a quick note before burying myself in the reports aga

“Lyssandra seems to be quite protective of both Jim and Maksim,” Catherine noted. “According to this report, Venris ended up having to play an avoidance game in order to question people.”

“Unsurprising,” I muttered softly. “She probably keeps a close eye on Jim. She's probably been covering for him for quite some time. Might even be willing to put a bullet in him if need be. They'd been through hell together, and were from the same homeworld. That tends to form tight bonds. Dangerous bonds.”

“Yes, well. The clerics speak highly of him. Faithful, pure, and dedicated, they say. Other people indicate that often he can be heard muttering the litanies. Many times he says that he is reading through them with Maksim. Though there seems to be some degree of divergence, however. Some of the men describe him as 'able but stupid,' while others consider him highly intelligent.”

“They're both right in a way.” I set my report aside and hunted for another. After a moment I tossed her one before resuming my hunt. “Go ahead and take another look at his education. I'll give you a hint – it's virtually non-existent. Only two days in training. He was never taught to read, he simply learned on his own. Or maybe his parents taught him, it doesn't say. Regardless, he went on to read and comprehend the Tactica Imperium. He also wasn't kidding when he said he could fly or shoot anything; he's qualified to use any weapon and vehicle within the Imperial Guard. It also says that they often give him access to medical supplies. There are multiple reports of his field expertise being used to save life and limb where otherwise the Emperor's Benediction would be granted.”

She glanced over to me curiously. “Was he trained as a medic?”

I smiled a little. “No more than the Primer indicates. In Commander Silon's own words, 'Show him something once, and he'll be able to do it a hundred times without fail.' It's not often that you see one like him.”

“Mm. If that's true, then I suppose he should be happy that he's never accidentally stumbled into techno-heresy.” She paused for a moment. “All in all, though, it's mostly what I've expected.” She tossed down the report and reached for another.

I quickly skimmed it myself. Venris had decent enough script; nothing compared to my own, naturally, but still legible. True enough, it did say mostly what we had expected. Of course, what it said to Catherine was completely different to what it said to me.

I dared a glance to the psyker, noting that he was sweating profusely as he wrote his own report. It was our way; I'm not sure about the rest of the Inquisitors, but we left a paper trail explaining our decisions and how we came to them. Catherine thought that it was being compiled in order to instruct future Inquisitors and their Acolytes, but I thought it was just our way of covering our asses.

As soon as the psyker finished his report, I snatched it from him. Time was of the essence now, and I still had thoughts to confirm. This report would either prove me right, or completely humble me next to my peers. I barely noticed the psyker lean against the wall, breathing heavily. As I began to delve into his writings, I began to understand why.

I was halfway through the report when the door opened. I had thought maybe if I prayed on it hard enough, the Emperor would keep him from coming in until I was done. Alas, such selfish prayers are never answered.

Inquisitor Guilliman was an imposing man. Working under him had taught me much; mostly how to keep from being unnerved by anything. Though his face was gaunt, your eyes never focused on his thin lips or his hollow cheeks – instead your eyes were drawn to his. Those bulging gray-blue eyes seemed to pierce your very soul. Most would prefer to stare at the servo-skull and cherubim that accompanied him. This was a man adept at being feared. He smiled at us.

I hated that smile.

“Your opinions?” he asked as Venris stepped in behind him, closing and locking the hatch. My eyes quickly went back to my report, so Catherine began.

“James is a capable man, and one that under other circumstances I would respect greatly. He has purposefully withheld his promotions in order to be better prepared for the roles he would serve. While some would gauge this as being foolheardy, there's a wisdom to it. I've treated many soldiers who were injured because somebody was either promoted before they were ready, or because somebody wasn't confident in their abilities. The Emperor protects those who steel themselves.

“However, his witnessing of the Grey Knights notwithstanding, I believe that he may be tainted by the Warp. The reports that lead to our discovery of him aren't the only instance of his taint in my opinion. His highly-lauded Commissar was killed a full two hours before the ork warboss assaulted the trenches. As well, his corpse was heavily crushed in the assault – his head was completely destroyed under the warboss's metal feet. His hallucinations of the dead are signs that Chaos is attempting to influence his actions, perverting his mind and will. As well, his joining of the Guard was in direct violation of regulations. Even with the dire circumstances behind his conscription, such youths are ill-suited to fight the forces of Chaos and emerge with their minds intact.

“He is twenty-three years old, and set to be promoted to Lieutenant. If this were to come out, there would be riot in the ranks. I believe that he must be put down for his own good, and the good of his fellow Guardsmen.”

There was a pause. My eyes were glued to the report, and I didn't dare look up to see what Guilliman was doing. Probably digesting her report.

“Understandable, Sister Catherine. Quite understandable. However, there are things which I believe you are not aware of. And judging by the look of your compatriot, I would guess he has figured many things out. After all, he only has that particular smug grin whenever he knows something that somebody else doesn't.”

I held up a finger as I read. Furiously now, my eyes absorbed the words in front of me, sending my mind churning faster and faster. The pieces of the puzzle, the few things that didn't make sense from my own conclusions, were falling into place at such a speed that I could barely keep up.

Finally I tossed the report to the side and leaned back in my chair, a wry grin crossing my face. “I'm sure that it's nothing that you can't guess at, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway to fill Sister Catherine in. First, I'll start with my initial suspicions and conclusions.

“James is indeed quite the formidable force. He has countless kills against unknown horrors, leading whatever unit with which he's been attached to victory against countless of horrors. He's survived countless situations that would crush lesser men. Worse, he's proven himself highly intelligent, and intelligent people often reflect upon the horrors they've witnessed. Often, this leads men down the path of corruption. James, however, has held firmly to his faith.

“Still, we have to look at the regiment to which he's attached. Silon's Scrappers, as they're commonly called, fluctuate in size constantly, continually filling in losses with remnants from other squads, regiments, whomever they can get their grubby little mitts on. There are three instances where they have left a planet with approximately a regiment and a half, only to arrive at their destination with a barely full force. Most of these deaths are marked as 'found wanting,' however these numbers lead towards figures that are relatively new to the unit."

“Commander Silon may have the favor of some, but he also has many enemies. It's for this reason that his regiment is constantly driven from one war-torn planet to the next, why they are constantly assigned to make the final horrible push. It has lead to the hearty reputation that the Scappers have earned. It has also lead to another reputation. Many spread rumors that the unit is cursed, and that everybody within it is driven mad.”

I mimed putting a gun to my head. “Boom. Many people are found wanting by their own hand, and take their own lives. The can't cope with what's happened, what they've seen, what they've done. At least, that's my theory on the matter. Continuing on with this, however, is the fact that James is an intelligent man. Intelligent men often try to find ways to survive, to keep from doing things that will shorten their own lives. The fact that his bravery under fire is without question, then perhaps he's found other ways to survive. To keep the horrors from clawing deep at him.

“If a man survives, then one does not mourn his loss. Jim simply sees that somebody is dead, and doesn't register who. He then hallucinates that the actual person is still alive. This would explain how he believed that the Commissar tossed the sword to him as well as other irregularities. Simply hallucinations, his own private way of keeping from falling to the warp.”

“But you abandoned this theory,” Guilliman said slowly.

“Naturally. First, it left too many questions unanswered. Too many coincidences that don't quite add up. The most blasphemous of which being the fact that these coincidences didn't come to our attention sooner. The moment that I read the first paragraph of Garvel's report, one sentence in particular, everything began to click into place.”

Catherine pursed her lips and raised a questioning eyebrow. I couldn't help but smirk. “The sentence? Simple. 'James is a psyker.' Read the report for yourself, it's true. Just as I'm sure our patron can attest.”

Catherine snatched the report, but Guilliman was nodding slowly. “It's not often that I find myself unable to sense when a man is a psyker, especially one so powerful, but James did manage to mask his presence immaculately. Until he started telling his story.”

“Precisely.” I was on a roll now, reveling in the moment. “An extremely powerful psyker... Of course, dear Catherine, you'd be curious as to how he managed to hide himself so perfectly. One half of the answer is that he was whisked away from his homeworld before he could be properly questioned by the Inquisition. A sad thing, this, as it would have solved all manner of issues. The other half, however, is well-detailed in the report.”

“By the Throne, cut to the chase,” she growled under her breath.

I winced a little. While she wouldn't hurt me, she had all manner of ways to make my life more difficult. Best to appease her. “Back on his homeworld, he participated in a great battle, and ended up assisting a Grey Knight in destroying a daemon. With the final attack that spelled the daemon's doom, however, he was knocked unconscious. As the demon began to... die, I suppose, it showed its great arrogance. The only person conscious at this time was a lone Knight, who would bleed out very soon. It laughed mockingly at him, informing the Knight that this daemon, this entire attack, was only the forerunner of greater evil. A greater evil that would come to that planet, rise up, and destroy it. That would use the planet as a launching post for greater conquest, lead by an even more powerful daemon.

“As it died, it said that the invasion being pushed away was only part of the plan. What details it gave were scant, but it was enough to foretell doom for multiple worlds.”

“Wait,” Catherine cut in, looking back at me. “How do you know all of this?”

Apparently she wasn't reading the report as fast as I had. Not that I was complaining, of course. I loved moments like these. “Ah, that's the tragedy. The Knight was unable to communicate what he'd learned due to his injuries, and knew that his time was short. So he turned to the only person he could – the young psyker who had so bravely aimed his weapon for him. He forced the message into the youth's mind, imprinting it, if you will. He knew that Inquisitors would come, so he prepared as best he could."

“But he also wasn't sure that the fighting was done. He knew that it wouldn't be safe to just leave the boy like that, so he imprinted more. As much as he could, as much as he dared to before his own life was snuffed out. And once that was done, he curled his body over the unconscious boy, hoping that it would keep him from being injured.”

“So you're saying that he died protecting Jim?” Catherine asked slowly.

A harsh laugh escaped me. “Don't be stupid. Battle Brother Maksim did no such thing as try and save James himself. No, he was protecting the message, which he felt needed to be known. That's why he imparted so much onto him. He needed to be sure that James survived long enough to give the message.

“Unfortunately, James was whisked away from the planet before the Inquisition got there, and sent on a long trail of bloody campaigns. The imprinted knowledge, however, remained. This is only conjecture on my part, but I believe that at first it was nothing more than how to steel himself against Chaos, protect himself from danger as well as his own mind, that sort of thing. However, as time went on, it changed in his mind. Such a large imprinting of will and personality is bound to have a lasting effect, especially when the mission isn't completed.”

“So, what you're saying is, the hallucinations of Maksim are a direct result of the imprinting?”

“Why Catherine, you catch on fast.” I was avoiding looking at Guilliman. Even still, I could feel his eyes boring through me. “In a way, it's perhaps the best way to keep our intrepid guardsman alive was to have a second set of eyes watching over him. Somebody to see the things that he didn't notice himself, to shout warnings, and to give advice. The imprinting, along with the abilities within James, created Maksim.”

“You still didn't say how you knew this.” Catherine's expression was... odd, to say the least.

“Oh, that? Once he started explaining, apparently Battle Brother Maksim appeared in the room, visible only to psykers... such as our sanctioned friend, or an Inquisitor. He explained his message, plain and simple. Perhaps he was tied into those suppressed psyker abilities so that James projected him. I'm not sure. I'm no psyker myself, so such details are beyond me.

“Now, as for the other hallucinations that James has conjured within his own mind, I'd like to remind you of what each of these hallucinations are: people that he views as being superior to him, giving him orders and directions that lead to his survival. James doesn't realize these people are dead, as him knowing so would be cut off from his ability to take orders from them. Their supposed orders lead him and his men to victory. Victory means survival. Survival means that he will eventually give his report.”

Guilliman cut in. “In your opinion, Jim only received his medals because of Battle Brother Maksim's interference.” He said it like a statement, but I'd long since come to understand his questions. There was a reason why I held my position.

“No,” I corrected quickly. This was a moment of elation to me, correcting my Inquisitor's assumption over something that was obvious. “The Adeptus Astartes are rather linear in their tactics and methodologies. Silon's Scrappers are effectively an irregular regiment. Though they retain the standard ranking structure, they fall back on many forms of irregular tactics. They've been known to make use of skirmishing, harassing, cutting supply, ambushing... all tactics that Adeptus Astartes are frowned upon for using. Or, at least, the Grey Knights. And he relies on the thoughts and opinions of his squad to come to decisions, a skill that the Astartes aren't well-known for. No, James excelled in these areas by his skill alone.”

My eyes darted back to Catherine. “You read the report by Venris. James trains almost constantly, and pushes his entire unit to do the same. When not training, they're studying the word of the Emperor. And when James isn't doing either of those, he's telling stories. These stories have an important effect on people, however – they share combat experience, explaining things to do, and things not to do. This is where I think Battle Brother Maksim's interference comes into play the most.”

I looked back to Guilliman. The bastard's skin was taut around his face, and he wasn't quite focusing on any of us. He was calculating again. Plotting. Planning. The servo skull was focused on me, the cherubim focused on Sister Catherine. I was glad they were on the other side of the room – they made me sick to look at.

“Anyway,” I continued. “For my own advisory, I'm voting that he be terminated as well. He's an unsanctioned psyker, and he's not only seen but interacted with a Grey Knight. In fact...” I pushed my notes across the table towards the Inquisitor. “I've taken the liberty of preparing a list of people who should be terminated as well, for hindering the investigation of an Inquisitor. I even included a list of their crimes, from the Commisar who hid the fact that James witnessed the Knights in action, to the arrogant nobles who ensured that James was gone before we reached a planet.

“Of course, you'll notice that I didn't include Commander Silon. That's the only ounce of leniency that I'll give on this matter. By the Throne, he must know that so many of his men have a tenuous grip on their sanity. Though I would never doubt that he keeps a close eye on mutation, heresy, or taint; I also know that since his men must suffer due to his own political standing, he must allow some give on the parts of his men's mental states.” I withdrew a lho stick and lit it with a smug grin. “What do you think?”

“I think I want to change my vote,” Catherine said suddenly. She looked to me. “You've always talked about figureheads and how sometimes doing something for the sake of appearance is for the best. In this case, I think that his termination would be devastating not only to his unit and regiment, but to the ship and others that he has come in contact with.”

She turned to Guilliman. “Jim is a charismatic man who inspires loyalty. He's also a capable soldier, with a sharp mind and good reflexes honed through over a decade of combat. A decade of combat, and he is still in his early twenties. He also was able to notice the suspicious behavior of Venris, and I'm willing to guess that he told Lyssandra to keep an eye on him. Since your bodyguard has died, sir, and we have not yet secured another... I suggest that we add Jim to your retinue. Failing this, he should be loaded onto a black ship and sent back to Terra for proper processing.”

I was impressed. Not only had she changed her opinion on James, she was willing to add him to our number before he run the risk of becoming a sanctioned psyker. Still, I had my own objections. “Once again, I'd like to remind you that he forms his opinions based on those around him. I don't think we need somebody who will just reflect back our own thoughts.”

Catherine shook her head. “He doesn't just use their opinions, you silly twit. He consults his squad's thoughts and opinions to see if he can get new ideas and weigh his own. By taking that into consideration, he can come up with the answer that he's looking for. Much like we already try to do.” Her eyes flickered to our benefactor.

“Interesting,” Guilliman said in a tone that somehow reminded me of fingernails scraping across a bulkhead. “A very unusual investigation indeed. We would do well to remember this incident in the future, to aid us in preventing circumstances like these from arising in the future. I am only glad that the Administratum detected such discrepancies so we could interview James. It was truly an event that was guided by the Emperor himself. We now have advanced warning of a major Chaos invasion of a planet. Though only a few scant years before it is set to occur, it gives us time to prepare the planet.

“As for the people involved...” Guilliman leaned on his staff, not that he needed it. “I accept your proposal that the people who obfuscated the situation be punished. Ignorance is no excuse! Those few who moved him on purpose, or ordered him to lie... They will be made an example that none shall forget. Those who claim ignorance will simply be lashed and killed.

“As for James...” A chuckle escaped him. “For now, we shall see that he gets the medals that you told him he was due.” That caused my mouth to dry. It had been just a lie... “He will receive the Honorifica Imperialis, as well as the Merit of the High Lords. He is eligible for both. I've already confirmed that there are a good number of planetary awards which he could receive. He will receive as many as we can possibly influence. I want his chest so shiny that a sniper would see him before he sees the commander. After that, he will stay within the command of Silon a little while longer.”

I could almost feel the hatching plots ebbing from his mind. The dark glint in his eyes was the same as when he'd ordered the purge of an entire hive... and then supervised its repopulation. “Besides, I want all eyes on James. Just receiving one of those two honors would be enough to earn him quite the distinction, but both? From the same battle? One of them traditionally earmarked for officers? No, all eyes will be on him for quite some time.”

Guilliman smiled as his hand reached out to the table, pressing a few buttons. I didn't recognize the planet that appeared on the screen set into the wall, but I could tell the designation: death world.

“I have plans for James. I have plans.”

With a frown, I snuffed out my lho stick. I hated that smile. And even more, I felt something that I hadn't felt in a long time – sympathy for the poor bastard. Nothing short of an order by the Emperor Himself could get me to want to switch places with James now.

==Original Threads==

Chapter One:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2600504/

Chapter Two:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2620824/

Chapter Three:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2671674/

Chapter Four:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2791200/