The Multiverse Project: Warhammer 40,000

"They're not running away," Henry lowered his binocular.

"I can see that," Damien nodded, the HUD of his awesome Space Marine helmet zooming out from the phalanx of grey clad Antebellan standing at attention ten kilometers away, guns and turrets trained eastward on the pursuing Immortal Spirit battlegroup and Adepta Sororitas. Behind the Confederates, black smoke painted the western sky. According to Akecheta, a great Ekkaroqian settlement stood just beyond those hills, nothing but piles of ashes now if the latest satellite images and drone reconnaissance was anything to go by. Predictably, the Wind Walkers were less than happy about this development.

"Okay everybody, group huddle!" Damien bellowed, summoning Tangmo, Henry, Laura and the main characters over, the men and women forming a loose circle around the Ultramarine. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"We kick their asses, duh," Tangmo stated the obvious.

"Well that goes without say," Damien rolled his eyes, "but how?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, those Confederate redneck bastards actually know how to fight," Henry said with clear distaste. "We must engage them with care, because I doubt they'll break easily. Beside, we don't know how deeply Chaos had corrupted those inbred hicks so we better not take any chances."

"Henry, love, please tell me you got the amulet on," Laura glanced at him exasperatedly.

"Yeah, it's here," Henry yanked the chain above his awesome general coat before stuffing it back inside his shirt. "Just one look at those assholes is enough to get me riled up, with or without Khorne help."

"Keep a clear head on your shoulders love, you're a general, you can't afford to go off the rail," Laura swept her gaze at the canonesses. "What about you lots? Still got the amulet on?"

Glaring at Laura, the canonesses held the amulets up for inspection before letting it fall to dangle between their armored cleavages.

"Very nice," Laura nodded and Damien traded a knowing look with Tangmo. "As the lord general had said, the Antebellan PDF cannot be treated as some motley band of dissident, so tread carefully."

"Any update on the satellite reading?" Damien asked.

"The smoke is obscuring everything," Henry said. "It's too thick for the Immortal Spirit to get a clear reading and too low for us to risk the Valkyries, but from what the drones managed to gather before getting shot down, it looks like we're dealing with at least three divisions."

"Are our artilleries in place?" Laura asked.

"Everything's ready," Tangmo waved amicably at the Sisters of Battle. "And we have the Sororitas's Exorcists joining us today. Those bad girls are going to raise some hell, right ladies?"

"They will decimate the traitor PDF, lord commissar," Heloise said confidently.

"What are the enemy's vanguards comprise of?" Morelia asked.

"Leman Russes, mostly of the Conqueror and Vanquisher variants," Henry said. "The King Ghidorah, along with the Nynaeve, the Thorin and the Evangelion will lead the Cadian, Mordian, Krieg and Tallarn armor column in opposition. The Megumin, the Undertaker and the Elsa will be deployed in supporting roles."

"And I'll be right behind you," Damien held out his fist and Henry bumped it with a grin, Tangmo and Laura quickly joining in, the quartet sharing a laugh at the display of camaraderie.

"Damn, this is some serious SHIELD moment yo," Tangmo chuckled then glanced at Laura. "You're coming with us?"

"Mate, I never miss a good fight," Laura turned to the smiling Amberley, "coming Amberley?"

"I'm afraid I have to decline Laura," Amberley bowed politely. "I still have considerable amount of data to sort out."

"Your lost love," Laura was making a pouty face when an Ekkaroqian scout shouldered his way into the circle and came to stand before Akecheta, bowing low as he gasped for breath.

"War chief," he managed after a moment. "The northern forest stirs, a great host moves amongst the tree."

"Really? Because the forest looks too thick for an army to maneuver properly," Henry said. "Hell, the canopy was so dense that not even our drone can get a good look."

"They said the same thing about the Chinese crossing into Korea and look what happened," Tangmo's history lesson made Henry paused for a moment before nodding.

"Can your Wind Walker scout the forest and engage the hostiles?" Henry said.

"Of course lord general," Akecheta nodded confidently.

"I'll go with you laddie," Bruce strode up and tapped Akecheta friendlily on the shoulder. "Hills and woods are Grey Watch's territory, we got your back."

"So will we," Lingxin gave the Ekkaroqian a Chinese bow. "The Dragon Blood are expert at navigating through difficult terrain, the Antebellan will never get pass us."

"See, Chinese crossing the Yalu," Tangmo smirked.

"Thank you colonels, your help is greatly appreciated," Akecheta was genuinely grateful, the wholesomeness of the Immortal Spirit battlegroup have that kind of effect on people.

"Okey dokey, now that we got the boring parts out of the way, let's go kick some ass," Damien cackled as he saluted the main characters. "Good luck, and may the Emperor be with us all."

A hearty hurrah answered Damien as everyone scattered to do their job with familiar enthusiasm, all except the canonesses who walked away with heavy steps, faces grimmer than usual. Damien let his gaze lingered on the Sororitas for a moment before heading off toward the staging area, Laura and canoness Galatea joining him.

"Hi ya love! Mind if we tag along?" Laura was all smiles and sunshine while Galatea cast a forlorn gloom over the bubbly radiance. What the hell?

"Sure!" Damien tried to be chirpy, but Galatea's despondent spirit was really making him worry. "Canoness, are you alright? You look kinda down."

"I am fine, Brother Sergeant," Galatea recovered quickly enough, but Damien didn't need his awesome Space Marine helmet to see that she was far from okay. Something was really bothering her, maybe it's the Chaos Sisters?

"Are you sure about that?" Damien's concerned remark was met with a sharp, agitated look from Galatea.

"I am clear of mind for the battle to come, Brother Sergeant," Galatea said tersely before storming off, leaving Damien and Laura in her dust.

"What got her knicker in a twist?" Laura asked.

"I haven't a clue," Damien shrugged.

"Honestly, seeing the canonesses like this is putting me on edge," Laura observed. "At least when they went total aggro we have an idea of what to do. Now it's like waiting for something to snap."

"I know, that shit's scaring me too," Damien concurred before turning to Laura, his awesome Space Marine helmet hiding the broad grin behind it, "so, you and Amberley?"

"What?" Laura glared at him.

"Already on a first name basis? Damn, things are moving fast," Damien said.

"I'm just being friendly you daft prick!" Laura growled, her Scottish accent seeping through.

"First Verity, now Amberley," Damien sighed dramatically. "What would Yuki think?"

Laura threw a punch at his torso, realizing too late that he was clad in a freaking Space Marine armor, her fist connecting with a comical metallic bonk. Damien's mechanical laugh drowned out Laura's torrent of curses as she jumped up and down in pain.

"Prepare yourselves sisters the enemy is upon us. Make ready."

At Miriya's command, her squad went about making the final preparation for the imminent battle, checking ammos and reciting battle prayers for the Machine Spirit residing within their sanctified war gears. Around her the guardsmen readied themselves for the clash to come, some prayed to the God Emperor for protection and victory, others simply made small talks with their comrade in arms. Behind them the field artilleries were quickly set up by the Death Korps, the barrels rising skyward while the crew stood at the ready, waiting for the command to engage. It was rare to see guardsmen, of many different regiments, working in such harmonious concert. Perhaps the Sororitas can actually count on them this time.

"Everybody ready?" Miriya turned back to her squad.

"We are," Cassandra said but Miriya attention was elsewhere.

"Verity?" Miriya approached the hospitaller who was tightening the Medicae around her right forearm.

"Yes, sister superior?" Her cold professionalism was void of any warmth.

"Is everything in order Verity?" Miriya softened her tone, but Verity's countenance refused to thaw.

"All medical supplies are in order and ready for distribution once the battle is join," Verity attempt to sound militaristic would have been endearing, even amusing, in other circumstances. Now, it was nothing short of irritating. "Will that be all sister superior?"

"Verity, stop that," Miriya said sternly, not pleased with the petulant display.

"I do not understand sister superior, do you want me to stop with the preparation?" Verity said innocently. "Or do you wish me to begin my task anew?"

"Enough!" Miriya growled and stomped up to Verity, a sharp look stopping Cassandra and Isabel from interfering. "You will stop behaving so obtusely at once!"

Miriya was aware of the guardsmen watching them warily, while the sisters of the other orders gawked with naked mockery. She ignored all of them and honed her attention on the unmoved Verity.

"I am but a hospitaller of a non-militant order," Verity held Miriya's gaze unblinking, "I apologize for not being able to live up to your standard of what a Sister of Battle should be."

Miriya was about to grab the girl and shake some senses into her when an ovation went up amongst the guardsmen. Tearing her eyes away from Verity, Miriya glanced at where the cheer was the loudest and saw Brother Sergeant Damien and his Ultramarines squad marching down the frontline, accompanying them was inquisitor Laura, the woman appeared stricken and was constantly massaging her right hand. Parting through a sea of guardsmen, trading jokes and greetings, Damien came to a stop beside her squad and coughed loudly to settle things down, bringing the men and women to attention.

"A good day for a fight, isn't it?!" An enthusiastic huzzah answered Brother Damien. "And a fight you shall get! Now listen up ladies and gentlemen, those grey wearing bastards across the field, the glorious army of Tera-Antebella," that drew condescending snickers and jeers from the guardsmen, "fancied themselves professional soldiers." Another round of laughter followed, only to end when the Astartes continued solemnly. "And maybe they are. Maybe they're good at their job, and maybe they can back their words with action of equal worth. But we are the Immortal Spirit battlegroup! We have faced down heretics, orks and skavens and triumphed over every last one of them. So if these traitors think they can square up to us, let them! Because when the sunset today, none will survive!"

Booming roar answered the Astartes, the guardsmen thrusting their weapons to the sky in powerful salutation, imbued by courage that lifted the spirits to soar. Miriya and the other sisters were less moved. Their faith in the Master of Mankind was more than enough to carry them through the battle to come. Such wasteful words were not needed for the Sororitas. Miriya sealed those thoughts when Brother Damien turned to her.

"Morning sister Miriya," he waved companionably and she returned it with a crisp salute. It appears that commissar Tangmo's heedlessness of protocol is contagious.

"Well met, Brother Astartes," Miriya stood at attention.

"At ease, and please, call me Damien," the Astartes went on conversationally. "Is everything ready? It's gonna be a big fight today, I can feel it."

"The enemies of the Imperium will feel the wrath of the Adepta Sororitas," Miriya declared proudly, her sisters in arms nodding in agreement.

"Hopefully not too wrathful," Brother Damien shared a laugh with his squad but went silent after Miriya shot him an unamused look. "Sorry…so you guys got your protection amulets on?"

"We do," Miriya said curtly, and that seems enough to satisfy the Astartes.

"Great! Because I'm dumping her with you," Brother Damien pushed the wide eye Laura forward, the inquisitor almost crashing into Miriya. Great, beside commissar Tangmo, the last person she wanted anywhere near her squad was his inquisitor friend. The woman has taken a keen, one would say inappropriate, interest in Verity. The inquisitor was definitely up to something and Miriya will not allow her to hurt Verity. Still, she couldn't possibly be as bad as the commissar.

"Why in the bloody hell are you leaving me with nuns?!" And just like that, Miriya was swiftly proven wrong.

"Because I'm not taking you with me, besides," the Astartes removed his helm, revealing a handsome boyish face with a close cropped blonde hair and, in the most conspicuous manner, started whispering into her ears. Miriya traded look with her squad, all of whom shared the same incomprehension. Were they plotting against the sisterhood? If so, why the overt display? Was this an act to throw them off guard? Before she could ponder any further the Astartes and the inquisitor broke apart, shared a strange hand gesture where they touched each other fist, before going their separate way. The inquisitor waved the Astartes squad goodbye then spun around and approached her.

"Hello loves!" The inquisitor's greeted them sunnily. "Guess I'm stuck with you guys!"

"It appears so," Miriya answered curtly. "Stay close inquisitor, we'll keep you safe."

"Oh, that's not necessary love, I can take care of myself," the inquisitor reached for her hellpistol, gave it a flashy twirl before slamming it back into the holster with a pained grimace. "Shite, that hurts!"

"Are you injured, lady inquisitor?" Miriya asked as Laura started jumping up and down, left hand cradling right.

"I punched Damien," the inquisitor said. "But I forgot he was wearing bloody ceramite, yep, silly me."

"Please inquisitor, let me have a look at your hand," Verity walked up to Laura, her kindly expression returning like the sun after a thunderstorm. Miriya couldn't believe Verity would stoop to such an underhanded tactic, more shocking was it effectiveness in making her blood boiled.

"Your hand is bruised," Verity gently checked the inquisitor's hand then reached for a healing spray at her belt. "This should elevate the pain, but you need to be careful not to over exert yourself."

"I see you two are still fighting," Laura nonchalant observation drew a swift incredulous look from both Miriya and Verity.

"That is none of your concern, inquisitor," Miriya said tightly.

"Tangmo already told me everything," Laura shrugged as Verity finished applying the healing balm, her earlier cordiality replaced by a hurt look. The inquisitor flexed her hand, pleased with the result. "Top job Verity, thank you. Anyway, just take care of whatever it is that's going on between the two of you. Trust me it'll do you both a world of good."

"I will keep to my business, and you will keep to yours," Miriya warned her lowly while Verity went to stand with Ananke and Danae.

"Okay, jeez, I'm sorry, I was only trying to help," the inquisitor said sheepishly. "Right, so as a peace offering, I'm gonna tell you why I'm here."

Miriya stared at the inquisitor then said, "go on."

"We think the canonesses are hiding something," Laura said. "That includes Galatea."

"The canoness is privy to her own secret," Isabel now said.

"Not when it could mean trouble for the rest of us," Laura pressed on. "We have reasons to believe that they know more about the Chaos Sisters than they are letting on, maybe they fought them before or something."

As much as she wanted to deny the inquisitor's assumptions, Miriya had to agree that Galatea behavior, after receiving the protection amulet, have been rather strange. The canoness appeared solemn, melancholic even, emotions Galatea never allowed to surface. Something was wrong, and Miriya feared that the inquisitor might be right in this regard.

"I know you two go way back," the inquisitor continued. "So if you find anything, maybe you can let me know?"

"We'll see," Miriya was turning toward the frontline when the Death Korps artillerymen bellowed their warning.

"Let's go," Miriya lead her squad and Laura forward as the barrage begins.

Bruce held up his fist, bringing the forward elements of the Grey Watch, Dragon Blood and Wind Walker to a stop, the guardsmen got into a crouch and braced their lasguns. The bombardment has commenced, sending a jarring tremor reverberating through the forest of pines, the rolling thunder unceasing. He watched the trees and waited for the shifting of shadows or rustling undergrowth, anything to pinpoint the enemy. No luck in that regards, the forest was undisturbed. Either the intels were wrong or the Antebellan were really good at their job. Bruce hoped it was the former. After about five minutes, Bruce signaled for the companies to press forward, the Krieg's guns muting their approach.

"Anything?" Lingxin crept up beside him.

"None lass," Bruce shook his head.

"The Ekkaroqian are pretty spritely though," Lingxin nudged her head at the Wind Walkers and Bruce grunted in agreement. The natives didn't move as conventional army does, instead of advancing in coordinated regiments and companies they broke off into independent groups, the smallest about five and the largest twelve, and went about doing their own businesses. Some scouted far ahead, while others prowled the forest like wolves on a hunt.

"Sure you don't want them close Akecheta?" Bruce turned to the Ekkaroqian colonel on his left, the man was directing his regiment with hand signals and whistles. It was an extremely impressive display.

"The grey ones are close," Akecheta's words were hushed. "I can feel it in the winds and the earth."

"If that's the case, your men should at least be within our line of sight," Lingxin said lowly. "Your scouts could get ambushed if they ranged out too far."

"We are the one who performs the ambush, colonel Lingxin," a small grin answered the Buxiunese, who scoffed in response. Bruce was about to make further comment when two successive sharp whistles sounded from the tree line. A heartbeat later three Ekkaroqian youths emerged from the shadow, back hunched as they sprinted silently toward Akecheta, all of them wearing black war paint for camouflage.

"They're beyond that ridge," a boy pointed at an upward slope about seven hundred yards directly in front of them. "The vanguard will be upon us soon."

"Prepare yourself brothers and sisters," Akecheta unslung his lasgun, a decrepit model that looked a few centuries passed its expiration date. "Stay low and wait for my command."

The youth nodded then leapt away with his fellows, blending into the surrounding shadow.

"Contact imminent, heavy guns forward," Bruce tapped his earbud and got into a crouch amongst the foliage, the Grey Watch and Dragon Blood forming a firing line behind the suddenly dwindling Ekkaroqian. They moved like ghost in the shaded twilight, dark specters of ephemeral mist that glided across the forest.

"Bloody hell, those lads can move," Aileen came to his side. Major Shen, Lingxin's second in command, close at her heels.

"What in the Throne is that?!" Lingxin's eyes widened on the large blocky lasgun Aileen carried. The major grinned mischievously as she stroked the rectangular barrel lovingly. A new model from the Jigugeum STC, heavier and bulkier than your average lasgun, it fires a concentrated beam ten times more powerful than the Zetton model. The downside was that it drained energy quicker and the recoil rivaled a stubber gun.

"It's the new gun," Aileen smiled chirpily.

"What's it called again? Zodd?" Bruce asked.

"Aye, that's what the commissar, the general and Brother Sergeant named it," Aileen nodded.

"No surprise there," Lingxin braced her Zetton lasgun and trained it forward, holding up a fist to stop Aileen from talking. "Be quiet, here they come."

Staying still, Bruce watched as a wall of grey clad infantrymen emerged from the forest, tight ranks and weapons lowered, moving in trained synchronized steps, their footfall muted by the heavy fighting beyond. Smaller squads ranged out from the main battle line, carefully sweeping the way ahead for any threat. The general was right, this was a professional army. So he will treat them like one.

"Hold your fire and wait for optimal range," Bruce whispered into his earbud, finger coiling around the trigger as more Antebellan emerged. By the Emperor, it looked like a few brigades worth of soldiers. Bruce was about to issue more command when the Antebellan scouts got cut down by a salvo that looked like it came from every direction at once.

"For the Sky Father's eternal glory! Attack!" At Akecheta roaring command a wild barrage erupted across the forest, lasbolts cutting deep into the Antebellan's ranks, felling many. Then the hidden Ekkaroqian emerged, from above, from below, amongst the trees, within the shadow, the Wind Walkers charged the Antebellan, lasguns flashing, bayonets and tomahawks gleaming.

"Give them supporting…"

"No," Akecheta looked sharply at Bruce and Lingxin, "hold your fire and remain conceal, wait until the tide turn before adding your guns to the fray."

Bruce traded looks with an annoyed Lingxin before nodding firmly to Akecheta's request, the Buxiunese cursing nastily in her native tongue. Despite the casualties suffered during the initial ambush, the Antebellan swiftly mended their ranks and retaliated with accurate, concentrated barrages. Many Ekkaroqian fell, but courage propelled them onward until both sides were locked in a savage melee, the emanating hatred was a physical thing, the violence and cruelty unrestrained, every punch, kicks, stabs and slashes fueled by contempt, not satisfied with only killing but also hurting. This fight held a more personal reason for the Ekkaroqian, and Bruce respected that, but it was clear that the Antebellan were disciplined enough to effectively counter the Wind Walker wild assault. Soon the Ekkaroqian's attack broke and they fled back to Akecheta's position under the mocking hollers and cheers of the Antebellan. Predictably, the grey coat gave chase, never breaking formation, gunning down the fleeing Wind Walker with impunity. The center of the Antebellan's line parted suddenly and pouring forth was a column of galloping cavalry, sabers blazing and sweeping as they plowed into the retreating Wind Walker. Akecheta whipped his head at Bruce and Lingxin, nodding quickly.

"Return fire!" Bruce yelled and the Immortal Spirit's line unleashed hell, the salvo making short work of the horsemen. Realizing that the Ekkaroqian were not alone, the Antebellan closed ranks, present arms, took aim, and fired at where the Grey Watch and Dragon Blood were hunkered down, the lasbolts chewing nastily into their cover. Rapid-las, anti-personnel rockets and grenades answered them, crushing the pristine wall of soldiery.

"Rally! Rally!" The surviving horsemen were cantering up and down the disoriented line, flags and swords waving in encouragement. One in particular, a pale woman with flowing blonde hair, was bellowing loudly. "By the grace of the God Emperor, stand your grounds! Do not falter!"

"Alright lads and lasses, let's show them how we highlanders win our battle!" Bruce slammed a new magazine home and emerged from cover, his Grey Watch mustering around him, bayoneted lasgun lowered. "Forward! Chlanna nan con thigibh a' so 's gheibh sibh feòil!"

The Grey Watch let loose their war cry and charged up the gentle slope. But instead of breaking, trumpets sounded and the Antebellan's sally forth to meet them, howling 'yeehaw!' with booming gusto.

"Wansui! Sha! Sha! Sha!" Lingxin and the Dragon Blood was suddenly on his left, while Akecheta and the Wind Talker rushed passed him and threw themselves with renewed vigor at the Antebellan, turning the entire right flank into a bloodbath. Things were less messy on his front, for instead of immediately engaging the Antebellan, Bruce and his men softened them up with a well-aimed full auto barrage before making the final sprint. Bruce easily deflected a bayonet thrust to his midsection and stabbed his attacker in the gut. Seeing how things were getting a little crowded, Bruce let his lasgun fall with the impaled boy and drew his basket hilted claymore, honing it at a group of grey coat charging straight for him. A single blood red lasbolt tore into them, the beam sundering the lead woman's torso in half and decapitated the two men behind her. A second lasbolt killed another line of people, four scorched corpses folding on each other like dominoes.

"Bloody hell this thing is powerful!" Aileen leapt into view and fired two more shots at a thicket of Antebellan. "Kicked like a mule though."

"Horseman!" Bruce pointed at a rider galloping straight for Aileen. The major knelt down on one knee and pulled the trigger. It clinked empty. Cursing, Aileen was reloading her lasgun when Lingxin dashed for the cavalryman. Within the span of a single breath, Lingxin used Aileen's shoulder to launch herself at the rider, the Dragon Blood colonel soar above him and swung her dao downward, cleanly decapitating him. The horse veered away, its headless rider flopping off the saddle, and Lingxin landed softly on the ground, the grass barely stirring.

"Thank you!" Aileen slammed in a new magazine and gave Lingxin a thanking nod.

"You are most welcome," Lingxin grinned, the bloody dao draped across her shoulder.

"How did you do all of that?" Aileen pointed at the dead horsemen, "all the leaping and jumping?"

"Practice," Lingxin winked cheekily.

"Think I can do that too?" Aileen asked with a quirked brow.

"Maybe," Lingxin teased.

"How about we save the chit chat for later lass?" Bruce interrupted them and nudged his head at the very active firefight raging just a hundred yards away. "We still got a battle to win."

"It's already won," Lingxin announced proudly. "The Dragon Blood have them pinned, our heavy guns will grind them into dust soon enough. I could use the Grey Watch's help to speed things up though."

"Say no more lass," Bruce tapped his vox caster. "Move five companies up to support the Dragon Blood, we're ending this."

Hearty ayes answered him. Bruce was retrieving his lasgun when he saw the blonde horsewoman from before not twenty paces from where he stood. Closer now, Bruce was able to see that her uniform was more lavish than her peers, with golden embroidery etched across the hems and flowery laces decorating sleeves and cuffs. She was surrounded, Grey Watch, Dragon Blood and Wind Walker guardsmen had formed a bristling circle of bayonets around the cavalrywoman, they know a high ranking officer when they sees one, but her saber was a vortex of steel that deterred any would be captor.

"Want to see something really impressive?" Lingxin sheathed the dao over her shoulder and effortlessly climbed up one of the tree. Then, with a dancer grace, the Buxiunese colonel started leaping from one tree to another using the trunks and branches. Aye, it was truly impressive.

"Show off!" Aileen yelled after Lingxin the moment she reached the branch above the cavalrywoman. Bracing her knees, Lingxin leapt down and struck the rider with a straight kick to the chest. With a loud gasp, both of pain and surprise, the cavalrywoman flew of the saddle and crashed roughly to the ground, her horse bolting off in another direction. Lingxin landed not far from her, hands on hips in a gloating posture. Coughing, the Antebellan staggered up to her feet and was getting into an en garde stance when she noticed her predicament. She was on her own, her allies fled or slain, and surrounded by the Immortal Spirit battlegroup.

"Choose your next action wisely," Lingxin reached over her shoulder and teased the grip of her dao with delicate flicks of her fingers.

"And it seems I am lucky enough to be given that choice," the cavalrywoman sighed, sheathed her sword and handed it to Lingxin. "I surrender to the Immortal Spirit battlegroup."

"Kill her!" Lingxin was reaching for the saber when major Anaba, Akecheta's little sister and his second in command, stomped up to the captured colonel, her bloody, polished stone club pointing at the woman.

"It's good to see you again, Anaba," the Antebellan smiled sadly. "It's been too long."

"Shut up!" Anaba shouted then turned to Lingxin and demanded. "Don't just stand there, kill her! Use your sword, quickly!"

"Do not forget your place, major," Lingxin growled and Anaba backed away. The Buxiunese eyed the Ekkaroqian for a few heartbeats longer before taking the Antebellan's sword. "I accept your surrender. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

"Colonel Joanna of the 84th Rifle Regiment," the woman saluted crisply, graceful even in defeat. "I hereby submit myself to your mercy…" Joanna's voice trailed off when Akecheta emerged from the ring of guardsmen, the blood drenching his face was not able to hide his surprise. A happy kind of surprise too, Bruce noted.

"Joanna?" Akecheta stepped forward. The man looked like he was moving to…embrace her?

"Akecheta," Joanna apparently had the same idea, for she strode forward to meet the Ekkaroqian colonel while the Immortal Spirit battlegroup traded look of collective confusion. Weren't these two supposed to be enemies? The intimate look in their eyes told Bruce that these two, besides knowing each other, were involved romantically. Star crossed lovers, interesting. Hopefully this will make her interrogation more amiable and spared the poor girl from Emily's ministration. Bruce can only groan at the girlish interest sparkling in Aileen and Lingxin's eyes, seems like no matter which part of the galaxy they came from, women always have the same fantasy. Akecheta and Joanna were closing their distant when Anaba stepped in between them, a dark looming mountain that forced them apart.

"Look at what her men did to our people," Anaba snarled and waved at the casualties sprawled around them. "See how they take joy in making us suffer. Open your eyes and grow up brother, the Antebellan never cared for you."

"That's not true!" Joanna countered desperately. "These were not my men. Mother forced me to take command of Joshua and Nicholas's regiment while the 84th were sent to engage general Henry. Please Akecheta, you have to believe me!"

"I do," Akecheta nodded firmly much to Anaba charging. "I know you will never allow your soliders to behave so disgracefully. These lots were thugs, that much is obvious, their fighting style is telling enough."

"You still take orders from mommy dearest, colonel?" Bruce spoke up.

"My mother is Steelwall Janet, one of Tera-Antebella three great general, second only to supreme commander Tiberius," Joanna said. "I cannot disobey her, in both maternal and militaristic capacity, the fact that I am here and not with my regiment was the result of an earlier transgression."

"I see," Bruce nodded. "It's good to see that you are in a talkative mood colonel Joanna, it will make what comes next easier. If you cooperate with our questioning, I promise that you will be treated well during your incarceration. Failure to comply will result in your custodianship be transferred to major Emily of the Praetorian Guards, is that understood?"

"…Yes?" Joanna nodded cautiously.

"I shall be the one to take care of her," Akecheta said and Anaba's visage twisted unpleasantly.

"Sorry lad, she surrendered to the battlegroup, she belongs to us," Bruce said apologetically then turned to Lingxin. "What's the situation with the retreating Antebellan?"

"Shen's reporting a complete rout," Lingxin said. "Our job here is more or less done."

"Put half the men on maximum combat readiness, they are to remain at the edge of the forest and make sure that every last Antebellan vacates the area," Bruce gave his command. "The rest are to tend to the dead and wounded."

Crisp salute from both the Grey Watch and Dragon Blood answered him, while the Wind Walker quietly went to work.

"Follow us then colonel, we will take you back to our camp," Bruce ushered her toward the Immortal Spirit's line.

"Thank you," Joanna bowed and was taking her first step forward when Aileen and Lingxin moved up and flanked her, squeezing the Antebellan between their shoulders.

"So, what's the story between you and Akecheta?" Aileen grinned wickedly, "something forbidden?"

"I don't see how that is relevant to anything!" Joanna huffed, her face turning red despite the forest mild weather.

"Oh trust me, it is quite relevant," Lingxin draped her arm over Joanna's shoulder and Bruce can only rolled his eyes. Women.

"Well, this went beyond excessive," Tangmo glanced at a tall skeletal white tree sandwiched between two smoldering tipis. Dangling from the twisted, slender branches were Ekkaroqian children, boys and girls, none older than twelve, the noose around their necks creaked softly to the smoky wind that blew its haunting song across the settlement.

"This is barbaric," Evangeline seethed.

"It differs little from what the Sororitas did at Taranta," Alistair observation drew immediate ire from Evangeline.

"And that excuses them?!" Evangeline raised her voice.

"It does not," Alistair squared his shoulder and puffed out his chest. "But can we please not pretend that we hold the higher moral ground? Civilians will always suffer, whether through our direct or indirect action. It is a sad truth of war that I do not condone, however it is foolish to believe that such atrocity is exclusive to the enemy."

"You will never see me or my men commit such heinous brutality," Evangeline looked sharply at Tangmo. "Not even I am ordered to do so."

"That's one order I will never give," Tangmo said firmly, Evangeline countenance softened at the heavy sincerity in his words. "But Alistair's right, this kind of shit happens on both sides."

"I am not at peace with this sir," Alistair made his stance clear.

"I know dude," Tangmo said. "You simply voice the unspoken truth of humanity, no shame in that."

Alistair nodded gratefully while Evangeline lifted her chin haughtily.

"Anyway, let's get a move on," Tangmo waved his entourage to follow then turned to a squad of Kolasian Fire Guard standing at attention. "Get these people down and take them to the sisters for proper burial. With dignity please, find a ladder and cut them down gently, that's the only decency we can offer them now."

"Yes sir," the Kolasian sergeant saluted and went about the grim task, two of his men running back down the street to find a ladder.

"How are you holding up?" Tangmo turned to Evangeline.

"I won't start weeping like Korri, if that's what you're asking," Evangeline offered him a brittle grin before sighing. "But no, none of this is sitting well with me."

Tangmo can only nod with a grunt, they haven't even reached the center of the Ekkaroqian settlement and they were already seeing the worst part of the history books. It was one thing to see all the black and white footage of a Nazi concentration camp or pictures of the Ku Klux Klan many escapades, it was another to walk through it for real. Tangmo was trying not to look at a mound of broken corpses when he spotted Leilatha and Kenshin standing above Al-Rahman, the Tallarn colonel was seated on a charred stump, head held low in his hands. Hovering at his shoulder was a sympathetic look Salahdin.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" Emily rushed passed Tangmo and went to kneel beside the distressed Al-Rahman, the Praetorian taking the Tallarn's shaking hand into her own, stroking it gently.

"We dug them out," Al-Rahman muttered, the young colonel was sporting a thousand-yard stare. "It was like watching the dead crawling out of hell, screaming and writhing…God Emperor mercy, they were still alive!"

"The Antebellan buried the Ekkaroqian's civilian alive," Leilatha told Tangmo before he could ask. "There were six pits, all filled with women, children, the elderly and the invalid. But the dirt was soft and the people inside started crawling out. We saved all we could."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Tangmo hissed, unprepared for all the fucked up shit he was heading into. "How many did you guys managed to save?"

"Six hundred people sir," Kenshin said. "The Antebellan were hasty in their deed, which was what made the rescue possible. These lots were lucky, unlike those beneath them."

"Why did they do this?" Al-Rahman asked wretchedly. "Is killing them not enough? What can the Antebellan gain from such cruelty?!"

Tangmo had an answer to that, but Al-Rahman wasn't going to like it. He cast a look at Salahdin, who nodded weakly for Tangmo to tell the young colonel what he needed to hear.

"Some people are just born asshole dude," the incredulous look Al-Rahman gave him was heartbreaking. "Look, it's easy to say that Chaos made them to this, and that is a valid factor, but this is just human being human. We are cruel and need only the vaguest reason to hate and hurt each other. What happened to the Ekkaroqian was a product of generations' worth of dehumanization. To the Antebellan, there's nothing wrong with this, hell, they probably encourage it. And this goes both ways, because now that the Ekkaroqian are fighting back, they're doing some really sick ass shit to the Antebellan. Basically, you're looking at one of humanity's purest facets."

Tangmo was actually glad Al-Rahman didn't immediately flip his shit and started denying everything with teary, dramatic sobs. Instead, the Tallarn colonel's expression hardened and said, "I refuse to believe that, lord commissar."

"Good, because we always need a nice guy to make the galaxy a better place," Tangmo held out his hand and Al-Rahman took it, allowing him to be hurled up to his feet. "Never change my dude."

"…Thank you sir," Al-Rahman was admittedly confused by the outcome of the conversation.

"Don't mention it," Tangmo gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Now chin up, we still have to check out the entire settlement, and there's probably worst shit waiting for us."

Tangmo barked a laugh when Al-Rahman's face went a shade paler as he led his growing retinue onward. After a couple of minutes, and passing more mounds of corpses and lynching trees, they came upon a large circular square that was probably the main gathering place where the Ekkaroqian socialized and mingled in better days. At the center stood a large, soot covered totem, where Henry, Damien, Laura, the other main characters and the Sororitas were gathered.

"What's happening?" Tangmo and his entourage joined them.

"We're trying figured that out," Damien nudged his head at the naked, battered Ekkaroqian woman chained to the base of the totem. Despite being dead, the woman was kneeling on the ground, back erected, hands clasped together in a praying gesture, the chains dangling from her shackled limbs hung loose, rising up to wind around the totem like wings of bondage.

"That's fucking weird," Tangmo stated the obvious.

"Magic," Henry deadpanned to Damien nodding assent.

"That's the one thing nobody wants to hear," Laura grimaced. "Since the word 'magic' is synonymous with Warp fuckery, I think we should set the entire thing on fire."

"Like the freaking wicker man," Damien turned to the six canonesses gathered around the kneeling corpse, and it was then that Tangmo noticed how stiff they were. If he didn't know any better, Tangmo would have thought they looked scared shitless. "Ladies, if you please?"

None of them responded to Damien's words, their unblinking gazes fixed on the macabre display, locked as if in a trance. Tangmo found his hand drifting unconsciously toward his holstered laspistol.

"Canonesses?" Damien asked again, worry seeping into his voice, but the sisters did not stir.

"Galatea?" Miriya and her squad strode up to the Martyr Lady canoness. After a moment of hesitation, Miriya grabbed her shoulder and gave it a quick shake, "Galatea?"

The canoness blinked then slowly tore her gaze away from the corpse, the look she gave Miriya was one of resignation and sorrow, a heaviness of the condemned facing her sentence.

"Miriya I…" Galatea choked on her words. "I…I…"

"What's wrong?" Miriya pressed on. "Galatea, please tell me what's wrong."

"Yes Galatea, tell them why such a mundane display of violence unsettle you so," Galatea gasped in abject shock when a feminine figure strode elegantly out of the shadow of the totem, a woman clad in a Sororitas power armor of gleaming sapphire trimmed in gold, her immaculate silver blue braid hung down lazily over her right breast. It was Syrathel.

The main characters and the quartet raised their weapon at the Chaos Sororitas, who only snorted in response.

"Oh please, put those away before you hurt yourself," she grinned at Damien. "As the Brother Sergeant can attest, the gesture is futile."

Groaning, Damien was the first to lower his bolter, prompting the other main characters to do the same, albeit reluctantly, "she got a fucking forcefield around her, nothing can get through."

"I am glad to see that you've manage to learn something during our time together, Brother Sergeant," Syrathel warm smile faded when she saw Tangmo, the instantaneous change to a sneer made him laughed out loud. "We meet again, lord commissar."

"Sup bitch," Tangmo greeted her.

"Vulgar as always," Syrathel said lowly. "Then again, manners can't be taught to those of the baser sort."

"Bitch, you tased my bro," Tangmo continued. "You can forget about manners."

"Not that you have any to begin with," Syrathel rolled her eyes.

"Heretic!" Miriya leveled her bolter at Syrathel. "You dare show your face?!"

"Sister Miriya, a pleasure," Syrathel bowed respectfully, drawing a snarl from Miriya. "You have quite a reputation amongst our sisterhood."

"Do not dare defiles those words!" Miriya spat.

"Rest assured that I uttered them with the utmost respect, sister Miriya," Syrathel went on pleasantly.

"Respect? What would a servant of Chaos know of respect?" Miriya pressed on. "You murdered sisters from our orders, robbed them of their armaments, desecrate it with the unholy images of the Dark Gods and where them as your own. You are nothing but a defiler, deserving only of absolution by fire."

Syrathel giggled as she turned to regard the gathered canonesses, none of the women had brought their weapons to bear, "still cowards I see? And here I had hoped the six of you would be more honest with those under your command."

"Watch your tongue, heretic!" a Bloody Rose sister yelled, her warning echoed by the other sisters. The canonesses remained silent.

"This is your last chance to speak the truth," Syrathel's offer was met with shameful downward glances.

"What truth?" Miriya turned to the downtrodden Galatea, "Galatea, what's going on? What are you not telling us?"

"They've fought together before," Tangmo put two and two together, "as sisters in arms."

"Sharp as always, lord commissar," Syrathel smirked viciously, reveling in the shock that rippled across the Sororitas ranks.

"Lies!"

"You were a Martyr Lady?" Tangmo ignored Miriya's outburst and asked Syrathel.

"Please, does it look like I came from such an uninspired order?" Syrathel snorted. "No lord commissar, I came from the Order of the Silver Flame, I'm sure you never heard of it."

"Yeah, never heard of it," Tangmo drew his data-pad from his awesome commissar coat, flipped it open and quickly tapped the screen, "Silver Flame?"

"I doubt you will find anything in the Imperial database," Syrathel went on.

"Won't know until we try," Tangmo continued to type as Henry, Damien and Laura came to stand with him, watching the glowing surface. After a moment, bright dangerous red flashed across the screen, Tangmo flinching from the sudden change in color.

"Nothing I presume?" Syrathel said.

"I'm getting redacted and expunged on everything relating to the Order of the Silver Flame," Tangmo said, "with Ministorum and Inquisition grade warning blaring up all over the place."

"And here I thought the Imperium would be more thorough when purging such information," Syrathel observed.

"Bureaucratic incompetence is a universal thing," Tangmo shrugged.

"Those files are sealed for a reason," Krillen glanced at Tangmo warily.

"Because the shame hidden within them will destroy the lies the Sororitas have been perpetuating since the Age of Apostasy," Syrathel raised her voice.

"Silence!" Miriya shouted.

"Oh sister Miriya, I expected better from you," Syrathel shook her head, a motherly disapproval. "Have you already forgotten about Oleande and how the Valorous Heart tried to hide the fact that she willingly turned to Khorne?"

"Shut your mouth!" Miriya and the sisters were totally losing their cool.

"Like Oleande, I was to be destroy to preserve the infallible façade of the Adepta Sororitas," Syrathel began but turned to glare at Tangmo who was nosily tearing open a protein bar wrapper. "What are you doing?!"

"I haven't eaten anything since breakfast and I'm hungry," Tangmo took a bite, damn, the chocolate was really rich. "And you're about to start monologuing, so I'm having a little snack." Tangmo took another bite but Syrathel just stood there, unable to comprehend his behavior. "Well, get to it then, tell me where the bad Sororitas touched you."

"You think this is a joke?!" Now it was Syrathel's turn to get pissed.

"I don't know, you haven't told us shit," Tangmo shrugged and took another bite.

"I was loyal to the God Emperor!" Syrathel roared, hurt and anger making an unpleasant cadence as she pointed an accusing finger at the six canonesses. "We have fought together through the Talokavian crusade and shared triumph at the liberation of Edevan. We were young and innocent then, believing that we serve a righteous cause for the Imperium. The six of you were like sisters to me, and my thanks for that loyalty, for saving your wretched lives, was betrayal, torture and annihilation."

"You were a heretic," Bellona spoke up.

"My only crime was being a psyker and using my power to save you!" Syrathel seethed.

"Wait, a psyker Sororitas?" Henry spoke up, himself munching on a blueberry protein bar. "How the hell did that happened?"

"The galaxy is a big place, lord general," Syrathel continued. "The aspirants of our order are chosen into the militant ranks specifically for their sensitivity to the Warp, the sisters are expected to wield both bolter and psyker power with equal proficiency. With this gift, we have brought peace to our sub sectors and beyond."

"Did you miss the memo about how much the Sororitas hate psykers?" Laura asked incredulously.

"Our convents have limited contact with the Imperium at large, but this fact did not escape us when we were called to muster for the Talokavian crusade," Syrathel said. "We hide our gift and fought alongside the others, our courage and cunning were of the most renowned."

"But you ended up using it anyway," Tangmo threw the empty wrapper away.

"Do you remember that ambush, Galatea?" Syrathel said sweetly. "It was you who led us into that trap."

"Do not blame her," Heloise spoke up in defense of Galatea. "Our intelligence was compromised by the PDF."

"I see your memory remains as cleared as ever Heloise," Syrathel's grin was mocking. "Surely you remember how the Khornate horde cut us down until only the seven of us remains. And in that moment when annihilation was assured, I destroy them with a powerful psyker blast, saving all of us."

Syrathel chuckled mirthlessly before continuing.

"I remembered how those look of admiration, love and understanding turned into blind hatred. Before I can even explain myself, the six of you fell upon me, beating me until I lost consciousness. I awoke to find a null collar around my neck and the sisters of the Silver Flame leashed and incarcerated like little better than animals."

"You are an abomination," Morelia seethed. "You and the rest of that accursed order tainted all of us!"

"But you were not content with killing or handing us over to the Black Ship, no," Tangmo was stunned by the tears brimming in Syrathel's eyes. "You had us tortured during the six months Warp transit back to the Silver Flame's homeworld."

"We tried to save you," Crestienne was almost pleading when she spoke. "We tried to bring you and your sisters back into the warmth of the Emperor's holy light."

"All you did was made sure that we suffered," Syrathel waved her gauntleted hand harshly at the prostrating corpse. "Every waking moment we were propped up in this posture and forced to recite the Litany of Repentance, that or we were placed under the cruel care of the hospitallers, confessors or Mistress of Repentance until restless darkness claim us."

"We did what we thought was best for you," Amaryllis's words were leaden with guilt.

"Best for me?!" Syrathel shrieked, a powerful gust of Warp energy surged outward from her staff like a freak tide, the impact almost throwing Tangmo off his feet. "Do you know what they did to me?! To my sisters?!"

"We thought you could be brought back from the taint," Galatea now spoke, and Tangmo sincerely wished that the canonesses would just shut the fuck up before Syrathel goes nuclear.

"They shaved us!" Syrathel continued. "I remembered when my brown locks were shorn from my scalp, but that was a blessing compares to what comes next. Hundreds of needles bored into me, puncturing my brain, my spine, my nipples, my womb, injecting me electricity and chemical that put me in a never ending state of agony. When I was freed from that bondage, it was only to endure the whips or the scalpels." She rounded on the quartet then. "Do you know what it feels like to have your skins and muscles parted from your bones and left to hang like a gutted fish?! Then at the end of every session they stitched me back up and fastened me to the needles again, my body healed as if a blade had never touched me."

"That…sounds really unpleasant," Henry was getting a little pasty from the gory detail.

"Then came what passes for night on that ship," holy shit, Syrathel was sobbing now, damn. "In the sparse moment when we were allowed to sleep, the canonesses and their Celestians would come into our cell and satiate their lust. They were never gentle, every one of us were only meat to them, something to simply be use. They took their turns, or runt me two or three at the same time for hours until they were satisfied."

"For the love of God, please tell me she's making this up!" Tangmo stomped up to the canonesses, his demand for an answer was met with shameful silence. Jesus fucking Christ! Mouth hanging agape, Tangmo stabbed his thumb back at Syrathel. "Did you…?!"

"No!" Galatea shouted at him.

"Really?! Because I'm really having a hard time believing you people!" Tangmo shot back. "I mean, I know priests do these kinds of shit, but nuns?! What the fuck!"

"Their sin was compliance, lord commissar," Syrathel steadied herself, but tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "They knew what the Silver Flame endured and did nothing."

"And that's what turned you to Chaos?" Damien asked neutrally, devoid of judgement.

"I prayed until only wordless blood and spits poured from my mouth, yet the God Emperor took no heed to my plea," Syrathel wiped her eyes harshly. "But another voice answered me, and through his blessing the Lord of Change opened my eyes to the rot and hypocrisy that was the Imperium. I wept with joy from the beautiful enlightenment. He gave me a purpose, to rid the galaxy of the lies spread by the False Emperor. And I gladly took it."

"Then you killed everyone, escape with what's left of your order and turned your homeworld into a daemon world?" Laura finished the tale for Syrathel.

"My world died when the hammer of the Exterminatus fell upon it," Syrathel said. "Me and the seven hundred Silver Flame survivors fled into the Warp after we took over the ship of our tormentors."

"So how did these six got away?" Laura waved at the canonesses.

"Tzeentch and his humor," Syrathel giggled. "Their companies were reassigned elsewhere only days before my ascension. But now fate had brought us together again, and what a happy reunion have this been."

"And the rest is history, am I right?" Laura said.

"Indeed, lady inquisitor," Syrathel winked. The silence that followed the Chaos sorceress's little story was one of the most uncomfortable thing Tangmo had ever have the displeasure of enduring. No one spoke. Only the ambiance of destruction left behind by the Antebellan provided the acoustic while derisive and outright hateful glare passed between the Immortal Spirit battlegroup and the Adepta Sororitas, their mutual distrust reaching a new low. The canonesses themselves remained silent, gazes cast at the ground, shame weighing heavy on their shoulders.

"What's the point of this again?" Tangmo couldn't take the suffocating, crushing silence any longer.

"My point, lord commissar?" Syrathel looked at him.

"Yeah, your point," Tangmo pressed on. "I mean, besides shaming the Sororitas did you, what, expect us to turn our guns on them?"

"Are you?" Syrathel asked hopefully, Miriya and her friends turning to stare at Tangmo.

"Hell no," Tangmo said.

"After everything I've just said, you would still take their side?" Syrathel glowered, the grip on her staff shaking dangerously.

"Um…yeah?" Tangmo went on nonchalantly, "as opposed to what, joining you people? Fuck that shit I'm not gonna side with literal fucking daemons. And the idea of getting mutated into some ugly ass monster sounds unappealing as fuck."

"So instead you choose to languid in a sinking ship heading straight into a raging storm," Syrathel sneered in disgust. "Do you not see the rot that is the Imperium? The stagnation? The decrepitude? Are you blind to how woefully outmatch you are against the enemies arrayed against you?"

"Woman, we're Imperial Guardsmen!" Tangmo bellowed. "We know we're outgunned and outnumbered, but in the end we will always hold the lie. We stared death and annihilation in the face and tell it to go fuck itself. So no matter what kind of shitstorm come pouring down on us, we will gladly lay down our lives for humanity. Yeah, we know it's not perfect, but it's light-years better than that crap you're selling."

A hearty roar of approval went up amongst the guardsmen, even the Space Marines were joining in with a polite nod. The Sororitas however, watched them with pompous consternation.

"You are no better than them," Syrathel's sharp sneer brought the cheering to an end. "You walk amongst murderers, rapists and torturers. I am but one of the countless victims that had suffered at the hands of the Sororitas, do you ever wonder how many more were forced to endure the same indignity? Perhaps you do not care. Perhaps you yourself indulged in the same crime."

"Bitch, are you seriously guilt tripping me?!" Tangmo shot back. "And to answer your question, I don't condone rape, I fucking punish it. Severely. As for murder and torture, well, we do a little bit of torture from time to time, and we murder people all the fucking time."

"So they are to live their lives free of punishment and guilt?" Syrathel pressed.

"They didn't do anything to you, they just didn't help," Tangmo went on, knowing that he should have been more suave when it comes to the interpretation of the law and its application, but he didn't binged watch The Good Wife, How to Get Away With Murder and Ally McBeal with the girls. "Even if they actually did something to you, we'll let them go because they're all our side."

"Pathetic," Syrathel shook her head, flaunting disappointment like a CEO who had just witness her star employee throwing away an opportunity of a lifetime. "I had dared to hope that you would aspire for greatness, instead you chose stagnation and degradation."

"Are we done here?" Tangmo went on snappishly. "Not that I don't enjoy your little story, it was truly horrific, but I'm sorry to say that none of us will betray the Imperium. So can you maybe, I don't know, fuck off back to your little Confederate friends? That, or we fucking shoot you dead on the spot."

"Now commissar, that is no way to treat a guest," Syrathel said haughtily. "Rest assured that I also tired of your company, but I will not leave until I get what I came for."

"Say what now?" Henry spoke up.

"A fair trade, wouldn't you agree lord general?" Syrathel said. "A compensation for the information I had just given you."

"Get to the point woman," Damien groaned.

"You have captured colonel Joanna of the Antebellan army, her mother is beset with worries," Syrathel went on. "You will return her to us."

"Alright, sure," Laura shrugged easily to the very verbal protest of the boys, who bombarded her with passionate rhetoric.

"Dude, what the fuck?! We can't just give her what she wants!" Damien cried.

"We haven't even interrogated her yet!" Henry added.

"Yo, I know she's pretty and all, but hitting on a Chaos girl is seriously inadvisable…"

"Shut the fuck up you fucking knobhead!" Laura put Tangmo in a headlock and dragged him away from Syrathel, ending his smartass comment, before lowering her head down and whispered into his ear. "There's no point keeping the colonel here."

"What do you mean?" Tangmo asked, very well aware of Laura's ample breast mashing against his cheek.

"We already know everything, there's absolutely nothing new she could add," Laura continued.

"Seriously?" Tangmo glanced up at her.

"Yeah," Laura nodded with a grin. "I'll tell you all about it later."

"Okay," Tangmo agreed. "Now can you let me go?"

"Aww, don't tell me you didn't miss these busty twins?" Laura squeezed him tightly, and damn it felt good, like sinking into a pillow.

"Well…yeah," Tangmo admitted with a goofy grin.

"How about you and Leilatha come over to my tent later," Laura's husky breath caressed his face. "I've been pretty lonely you know?"

"Ha! No way in hell I'm letting you into Leilatha's pant!" Tangmo barked and Laura planted him flat on the ground with a beautiful O Goshi hip toss.

"I bet Yuki taught you that," Tangmo got a mouthful of dirt when Laura kicked a big clump of it on to his face. Spitting profusely, Tangmo rose to a sitting position and tapped his earbuds. "Alright, cut it out! Fuck! Yo, who's in charge of the prisoner? The one we just caught."

"We are watching over her, lord commissar," Akecheta answered him.

"Umm…is she alive?" Tangmo hazarded the question.

"She is sir," Akecheta answered firmly.

"She's in one piece, right? I mean, you guys haven't, like, cut her ears off or anything?" Tangmo had to be sure.

"Of course not," there was clear annoyance in Akecheta's tone.

"Get a lock on my position and bring her here," Tangmo got up to his feet, "prisoner giveaway."

"Yes sir," Akecheta said. "We'll be there soon."

"Thank you colonel," Tangmo cut his transmission and glanced around to find Henry and Damien giving him an obnoxiously disapproving look. "What?"

"That was very insensitive and very racist," Damien declared piously.

"Yeah, just because he's Native American doesn't mean he would go around scalping, gutting and burning people," Henry added indignantly. "That's a vicious stereotype perpetuated by Hollywood movies!"

Tangmo's mouth hung open, "but they are scalping, gutting and burning people! Holy shit, I mean look at that dead Confederate over there, his tongue is gone and his entire scalp is missing. His brain is still fucking bleeding!"

"That's not the point," Damien continued sanctimoniously. "What you said was offensive and mean. You need to be more considerate about other people's feeling."

"Boo-fuckity-hoo," Tangmo made a fake hurt face then turned to the bored looking Syrathel. "They're on their way, hang tight."

"I'm a patient woman, lord commissar," Syrathel said easily.

"Okay…" Tangmo tried to remain nonchalant, but the tension radiating from the Sororitas, guardsmen and Space Marines was making it really hard to relax. So after about half a minute, Tangmo spoke up again. "…So, Ghamarhon and Zyrien, that was your handiwork?"

"I merely helped plan those excursions," Syrathel said. "But the harvest was good, wouldn't you agree?"

"Do you spend all your free time kidnapping little girls and hospitaller orders?" Tangmo said, "because that's really fucked up."

"We abduct militant orders too," Syrathel was playfully apologetic. "Some were forced to see the light, others embrace it willingly."

"So how many orders have fallen?" Tangmo perked up inquisitively.

"Nice try lord commissar," Syrathel grinned. "What is life without a little mystery?"

"I fucking hate mystery," Tangmo groaned as Akecheta walked into the ring of people with colonel Joanna. Despite having her hands tied behind her back, the Antebellan belle held her head high with dignity, the roughed up Confederate uniform did nothing to dampen the immaculate image.

"Cut her loose," at Tangmo's order, Akecheta swiftly cut the bidding. Massaging her wrists, Joanna gave Akecheta a thanking nod, the look that passed between them bespoke of deep familiarity, one could say it transcended into the intimate. Oh fuck, we got ourselves a goddamn Pocahontas situation here. This shit was so cliché that Tangmo almost facepalmed himself.

"Syrathel?" Joanna looked the Chaos Sororitas up and down. "Why are you here? How?"

"Your mother is very worry about you," Syrathel waved her hand and a door size Warp portal metalized into existence on her right. "I am here to make sure you return safely."

"What is that?!" Joanna took a frightened step back from the roiling eldritch gateway and bumped into Akecheta's broad chest.

"Your way home," Syrathel said soothingly.

"But that is a Warp portal," Joanna stammered. "It's a blasphemous thing…how are you able to summon it?"

"Your mother doesn't like it when you tarry, Joanna," a hint of sternness crept into Syrathel's voice. "Now come along, I don't like to repeat myself."

Joanna flinched, her posture bespoke of warring indecision and the urge to rebuke Syrathel. In the end, she capitulated with a weak sigh, "yes mam…"

"Good," Syrathel strode toward the Warp portal, but stop and spun around with an irritatingly sweet smile, "until next time, lord commissar."

"Our get my laspistols ready," was Tangmo's chirpy response as Syrathel disappeared into the Warp portal, leaving behind a skittish Joanna. The blonde was casting a desperate glance at the Sororitas and the Immortal Spirit battlegroup, begging for anyone to say anything that would dissuade her from taking another step forward.

"Well, go ahead then Jenny Reb, crawl after your fucking mistress," Henry shooed her away harshly, Joanna actually looked more hurt than angry at the unkind remarks. Tangmo saw a sudden tightness coming over Akecheta's visage and he himself was getting a little tired of Henry's attitude.

"But…" Joanna stammered like a scolded girl, "I thought we were fighting for the God Emperor, not some Warp sorceress."

"News flash you dumb hick, you're fighting for Chaos," Henry sneered. "Now would you kindly fuck off? Oh, and don't worry, we'll see each other again, but next time I'll be running my knife across your redneck…neck."

When it was clear that the hostile crowd wasn't going to help her, Joanna strode dejectedly toward the shimmering portal, her posture stalwart but frightful. Casting one last look at Akecheta, Joanna stepped into the Warp portal. It closed a second afterward.

"Holy shit, this is heavy doc," Damien said.

"You're goddamn right it is," Tangmo took off his awesome commissar cap and wiped his brow. "This is a lot to take in."

"We're still gonna kick their asses," Henry added.

"It's not that love," Laura spoke up. "Syrathel's damage was done."

Realization dawning, Henry whipped his head around at the main characters, their bitter, resentful gazes still honed on the silent, aloof Sororitas.

"You will return to your duty," Galatea broke the silence. "Miriya, you will lead them in evening prayer. Get moving."

Surprise, surprise, sister Miriya didn't budge. Gone were her hardened, no nonsense expression. In its place was a haunting look of a woman who just had her world, belief and faith shattered into a million pieces, the shock putting her into an almost catatonic state.

"Did you hear what I said?" Galatea stomped up to her.

"It was all a lie," Miriya glared at Galatea, the seething look causing the canoness to flinch. "Everything we were brought up to believe was a lie."

"Be careful of what you speak, Miriya," Galatea warned lowly. "Do not let the words of that heretic corrupt you."

"Tell me what she said was a lie," Miriya reached out suddenly and grabbed Galatea's pauldrons, clinging on desperately like her very livelihood depended on it. "Please! Tell me that the witch speaks only falsehood! Please!"

Galatea's wordless avoidance was answer enough, the canoness refusing to meet Miriya's pleading eyes. Fury flickered briefly on Miriya's face before it somber into a heartbreaking sadness. She let go of Galatea, staggered drunkenly back a few steps before marching away solemnly. Her squad trailed after her, followed by the other Battle Sisters, all wearing the same forlorn look. The six canonesses watched them go, none uttered a sound or made any comments. After about five minutes, they walked away in another direction, sparing not a single glance at the main characters or the praying corpse.

"Well, this is going to be fucked," Tangmo stated the obvious to the agreeing murmurs of the Immortal Spirit battlegroup.