The Wayward Son

Avenger of Terra, Guardsmen Quarters

Daniella held up the cultist pendant to the librarian, "Do you know what this is, Seiras?"

"A necklace with some type of cult symbol on it?" he answered.

The woman looked fearful and was visibly shaking as she took in every last bit of his reaction. With as much willpower as he could muster, Seiras feigned a curious expression lacking any hostility, "What is it, Danny?"

She bit her lip as tears fell down her face, "Please...please understand, Seiras. I'm not like the others...I just..."

"It's alright, Danny...just tell me what it is and why you're so scared of me seeing it?" he asked as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him shaking fearfully, "I'm an acolyte in the Cult of Slaanesh..."

The woman closed her eyes and flinched half expecting Seiras to murder her on the spot for admitting her heresy. She opened her eyes after a few seconds confused and looked at the space marine, "I'm a heretic, Seiras...I can understand if you want to kill me."

He trained for half a day for what he would say and how he would react to the inevitable reveal. Seiras was rather surprised that he got her to spill the beans so early, but now he was in deep. One misstep could ruin the entire plot to uproot the heretics.

Reaching out and repeating the embrace she had done from the other day, Seiras hugged her gently, "Calm down, Danny...it's okay."

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and disbelief, "B-but, I'm a heretic...you kill heretics. You're part of the Inquisition...and you're a Space Marine!"

"If you didn't think I would understand, then why would you tell me? What did you think I was going to do?" Seiras asked genuinely curious.

Daniella looked up at him sadly, "I...I guess I wanted to hear it from an angel. To hear how pathetic I am. Why aren't you killing me right now? I'm hive trash...I turned my back on the Emperor. I guess I hoped that if you didn't understand then you could save me...or kill me. I'm so worthless..."

She was getting hysterical and upset now. Seiras honestly felt bad for her for a brief moment, 'Did she hope that I could save her from the chaos taint? Maybe that's what she meant when she thought I had renewed her faith in the Emperor?'

"Just calm down, Danny...let's talk about it. Why did you turn to this?" he asked curiously.

The woman practically went limp as she leaned into him and spoke, "There was a chaos cult uprising on Meridian...after the Tyrannid War and before the Exterminatus Fleet wiped out Typhon Primaris. I guess I just got pulled into it. You saved my life years ago, but my entire family died. I was an orphan...a young girl with no money, no family, and no faith. I used to be a worthless hive whore...selling my body for my next meal. I had nobody until they took me in. The things I've done in the Cult of Slaanesh...the things I've experienced. They're so amazing compared to the shitty life I had before. They make me feel happy, empowered, and important despite being a nobody in the Imperial Guard. I know everyone says it's evil, but being in it is the only thing that keeps me from hating myself...and from hating this life of mine. It's the only thing that makes me happy."

"If you hate the guard then why did you join it?" Seiras asked curiously.

She shook her head with tear-filled eyes, "I already told you that before. Part of me wanted to do my part for humanity...part of me thought that maybe one day I would see you again. It sucked for a long time being away from the cult...being away from home. I considered suicide many times...until I met my mentor."

"What did your cult think about you joining the Imperial Guard?" Seiras asked carefully. He wanted to make sure that he did not ask her about the mentor, or if she had fellow cultists on the ship. It would no doubt arouse suspicion and cause her to shut down.

Daniella frowned, "Well some of them did too. A lot of us spread to the far stars, but I've befriended a lot of likeminded people thanks to my mentor. There's even some of them on this ship. We're not bad people, we just aren't the cut and dry machines that the rest of the Imperium is. Chaos worship isn't all about daemons and sacrifcing people. That's just what the Inquisition wants everyone to believe. It's got benevolent, good-intentioned people who practice it as well. Chaos isn't evil...it just has evil people who practice it and make the rest of us look bad. The Inquisition is so afraid of people knowing that there's more to life than just endless sacrifice. They want to keep us little people down and deprive us of any dignity."

"Did your mentor teach you that?" Seiras asked as non-condescendingly as possible. It was extremely hard for him to do so as he wanted to punch her head off for thinking something so stupid.

The woman nodded, "Yes, so what do you think, Seiras? Am I a terrible person? I still love the Emperor...but I've found so much fulfillment in this Cult of Slaanesh. My mentor says that it's okay to believe in both. Is it though? What should I have done, Seiras? Am I pathetic for giving in to a reprieve from my suffering?"

Seiras was not used to seeing this type of vulnerability in other people. The female guardsman looked completely lost and sad. Seiras could genuinely detect an uncertainty in her feelings and quickly began to realize that she wanted him to justify whether she was morally right or wrong.

'This is pathetic...she doesn't wholeheartedly believe in one faith or another. She feels bad about turning her back on the Emperor, but is trying to justify her sins by saying that her cult isn't evil. It can't be easy though...I remember how depraved the lower hives of Meridian were when we found Thaddeus. I wonder if I would have felt the same in her situation? She truly has no sense of self-worth and needs something to validate her pitiful existence. It's a shame she found that fulfillment in a chaos cult. She might have been a decent person if she had been raised under a different set of circumstances. Maybe if I was faster that day I could have saved her family...is her fall to heresy my fault?' Seiras thought to himself distantly.

"I've encountered chaos many times in my life. It's always been strange to wonder why my own battle brothers fell to something like it. One brother of mine described it quite well to me. He said that chaos was the natural state of existence. Unpredictable...Unstoppable...and free of all control. He claimed that it was in our nature to be indulgent, bloodthirsty, and to seek our own glory. He said I was a fool to suffer needlessly, and die forgotten, when the ruinous powers offered so much more. For years I thought it was simple blasphemy, but when I think about the time before I was a space marine back in the deserts of Calderis...it just makes me wonder how differently I would have viewed it from the bottom of human society. It's easy to think that dying for the Emperor is completely righteous when you're one of his holy warriors. But when you're suffering in squallor and nobody seems to look out for you or care...it's hard to think the same way." Seiras said faking empathy. The story itself and his understanding of the human condition was true, but Seiras did not feel that way at all. He knew chaos was evil from the depths of his soul, and the people of his homeworld were fiercely loyal to the Imperium.

The woman looked at him smiling, "That's exactly how I feel...I didn't expect you to understand it so well. In fact I'm amazed a space marine would ever understand..."

'The only thing I understand is how stupid you are...' Seiras couldn't help but think.

"We're more alike than I thought...the only real difference between us, Danny, is that I became a space marine. I probably would be just like you if I didn't. Maybe Slaanesh does have an answer to this emptiness I feel inside of me," Seiras lied. It physically hurt his stomach to lie about something like this, but he ignored the feeling as best he could.

'C'mon heretic...take the bait,' Seiras thought to himself seriously.

"Slaanesh can offer a lot. She can make desires a reality...a prayer to Slaanesh could reverse your hypno-indoctrination and free your desires. True freedom and true pleasure could be yours too. And we could...make love. That is assuming you'd even be interested in someone like me," she said distantly with an insecure expression.

He was trying his best to sort through all of the courtship advice that Viggo gave him in this situation. He remembered the space wolf talking about how to respond if a woman started getting insecure.

Seiras thought for a moment on the best way to reply to the woman before finally speaking, "A girl who thinks like me is the kind of girl for me."

The Blood Raven directly stole that line word for word from his Space Wolf brother. The Fenrisian would often say it when referring to the women from his home planet. Seiras never really understood the entirety of it until this very moment.

"A-are you saying you would be interested in me?" the woman asked desperately.

"Maybe, but I think we should get to know each other better," Seiras replied. He could barely believe how wrong this conversation felt to him. Even more so because he was lying and decieving her into trusting him.

He stared at her trying to maintain an empathetic expression, 'This is the most dishonourable thing I've done...I actually managed to convince her to trust me? Commander Silvina was right. These cultists are delusional lunatics. I can't believe this is actually working.'

Daniella's face was flushed and her eyes were bright with happiness. She placed a hand over her chest and stared at him, "You really are perfect, Seiras..."

'Only the Emperor came close to be perfect you blind fool,' Seiras thought as he faked a smile.

Seiras knew it would probably be suspicious if he asked about joining her cult or meeting her mentor, so he figured he would have to make her feel like she was inviting him into her dark little world. For that to work he would have to act distant...but not too distant.

"I'm not...but I appreciate your sentiment. This has been a pretty interesting talk, Danny. I've always wondered if chaos is truly as bad as my leaders say it is. It can't be completely evil if such a nice person like you is a follower," he said looking into her eyes.

"It's not, Seiras. I'm glad you're open-minded about it," she said smiling.

'An open mind is like a fortress with its gates unbarred and unguarded,' Seiras remembered a popular quote spoken in his chapter. 'This nonsense is all heretical evil...I don't care what she tells me. People like her are the reason chaos is such a huge threat to mankind...they're gullible fools.'

She seemed a lot more secure that Seiras was trustworthy now and was reverting back to her lustful state from earlier.

'C'mon, heretic...make me the offer already,' he thought to himself.

"I...I can show you if you'd like. Nothing crazy or evil...just a little taste of my world. A little bit of pleasure never hurt anyone," the woman said lustfully.

The man pretended like he wasn't sure, "I don't know..."

"C'mon, Seiras...you hate the Inquisitor. You feel trapped and unhappy like me. Just trust me like I trusted you. I can make it worth your while. You'll experience pleasure like you've never felt before. It makes life so much better. You and I could share something beautiful," Daniella tried to convince him.

'Forgive me Emperor for going along with this heretic's offer...I don't want this. I just have to do it so I can help the Sororitas slaughter these degenerates,' Seiras prayed in his head.

"You're right...I want to know what it's like," Seiras said in acceptance.

'Hopefully she'll tell me where the other traitors are. One of them has to be a witch...that's the only explanation for the psychic interference. I'll bet it's their leader. Most likely her mentor too,' the man thought.

"There are others on this ship...I-I should talk to them and see what they say about your interest. If they agree, then I'll take you to them," Daniella said hopefully.

"I should go back to my quarters then...how long will you need?" Seiras wondered.

Daniella thought for a moment, "About a day or two...give me time to ask some of my other friends. We can all meet up and talk about it together."

'Under normal circumstances I would suspect a trap, but she doesn't seem the type smart enough to pull it off. I could easily slaughter them, so I doubt they'll try to kill me...especially while we're traveling through the warp still. If they agree then I'll have them cornered,' Seiras thought to himself.

"Okay then...i'll be here this time tomorrow," the man replied.

"N-no...it will be kind of dangerous if people see us walking together. Those Sororitas have been snooping around for some reason. Considering you're you, I wouldn't doubt if they suspected you of something. Just meet me at the mess hall corridor we spoke at the other day. Try meeting me there in two days at this time and I'll let you know what my mentor says," Daniella replied.

"See you then, Daniella..." Seiras said as he thought he was about to leave.

"One more thing Seiras, if they agree then you have to do a rite of initiation to prove your interest," She said seriously.

"What does that involve?" he asked.

"It's a secret...but everyone who joins in our circle has to do it. They might be a bit frightened when they hear about you since you're a space marine. Your initiation might include extra rites just to make them actually trust you," Daniella explained.

"I suppose if it's nothing crazy I might consider it," Seiras said carefully.

"It won't be anything evil. Our cult isn't like that. I promise you that it's not bad," Daniella tried to reassure him.

Seiras nodded, "Alright, well I will meet you in two solar days then."

"Give me one more kiss before you go...Seiras," the woman said as she ran over and tried to jump up on him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as she extended up to kiss him again. It was just as feral and unnatural as the previous one, but Seiras was at least getting better at it now.

After it was over, she dropped down with a proud grin. Her eyes lit up as Seiras turned to leave again, "Oh...one more thing. I need something of yours as proof I talked to you and that you trust me. It'll make them feel better about trusting you in return."

The man pulled one of the purity seals off of his armor. Ironically enough it had the words, Always faithful written on the bottom of it and had the Blood Raven symbol. Seiras always liked this purity seal as it had been personally given to him by Davian Thule many years ago.

Daniella took it eagerly, "That will do nicely...see you in two days,"

'If anything happens to that purity seal, I'm burning her alive. She's a complete idiot for actually thinking a space marine would be interested in joining a cult,' Seiras thought as he left the room.

As he left and began walking back to his quarters in hanger 5, he noticed one of the sororitas halfway down the hallway. She nodded at him as if she knew what was going on.

Seiras looked at her but made no gesture as he passed on his way back to the hanger. He knew that they were going to watch him, and had no reason to blow his cover yet by addressing her.

Upon returning to his quarters, he noticed all of his fellow Kill Team members training and doing some form or another of mission preparation. They all perked up at his return, but didn't question where he had been.

Space marines were well known for pacing around a ship while in warp travel...librarians even more so.

Avenger of Terra, 6 hours later

Seiras was currently on his way up to the bridge of the ship. Atia called for his arrival for some unknown reason, and he had no choice but to respond.

As he came up an elevator and into the beautiful command bridge of the Emperor Class Battleship, Seiras took a few turns and made his way down towards the officer's quarters. It wasn't hard to locate Atia's quarters as she had Stormtroopers outside of it holding rifles.

"I'm here to see the Inquisitor Atia Castilla by her order," Seiras explained immediately as he approached the Tempestus Scions. Before they could even reply or do anything, Atia exited her room as if expecting him at that very moment.

"Ah, Seiras...you wasted no time getting here. That is good to see," Atia spoke in a calm and approving way.

"How may I help you, madame Inquisitor?" he asked respectfully.

She stepped aside and held a hand up, "Come inside, I want to talk to you in private."

The stormtroopers all seemed a bit confused at her actions, but Seiras chose not to think about it as he simpy obeyed her command and walked inside. Atia was quick to seal the door behind them and lock it after he entered.

"What did you want to speak about?" Seiras asked after an awkward silence. He was not interested in spending any more time around Atia than he needed to.

"Commander Jessenta Silvina...what is your impression of her?" Atia began.

"She's surprisingly tall for a woman and seems like an aggressive sister of battle," Seiras said calmly. He was not entirely sure what the Inquisitor wanted him to say, and chose to simply state the obvious.

"That's not what I mean, Seiras, and you know it. What is your impression of her? Does something seem off about her to you?" Atia asked.

Seiras shrugged, "No more than any other Sororita I've encountered. Why are you asking me?"

"This is why," Atia said sternly as she pressed a button causing her servo skull to play video footage.

The footage showed Jessenta stalking Seiras down various corridors from the other day. He immediately recognized it as right after Atia sent them both to their quarters. Luckily there was no footage of Daniella or of him and Jessenta interracting, but Atia's paranoid awareness had noticed the Sororita following him and probably knew about them crossing paths.

'She was looking at video footage of us after sending us to our quarters...' Seiras thought to himself as he stared blankly at Atia.

"The cameras don't show when the two of you cross paths, but her last location would have been in your way. Considering she was following you, I was just wondering if you two spoke at all?" Atia asked inquisitively.

"We ran into each other. She wanted to ask me if I've ever fought daemonettes before. I told her no and she gave me some lecture about how experienced she was and why I needed to obey her orders," Seiras told half of the truth.

"Hmm...Is that all she wanted?" Atia wondered with a suspicious tone.

"The two of us kissed too," Seiras said almost casually as he framed the truth in an absurd way hoping she wouldn't believe it. He knew Atia was going to be incredibly persistent unless he found a way to derail her interrogation and distract her. Thankfully it seemed to work because she gave him a wide-eyed stare.

"You...what?! Did you just tell a joke, Seiras?" she asked him disbelievingly for a moment.

"I guess it wasn't funny?" Seiras responded with a feigned confusion.

'She thinks I'm joking? Good...I can use this to my advantage,' he thought seriously.

"What's wrong with you? You're the first space marine who has ever tried to tell me a joke like that. You kissed a Sister of Battle? Haha," Atia couldn't help but laugh now.

Seiras gave her a blank look and spoke casually, "It was pretty absurd to imagine I take it?"

"Yes, haha! A Sororita and an Astartes kissing?! That was an unexpected joke coming from you, Seiras. I haven't heard something that funny in a long time," Atia chuckled a few more moments before regaining her composure.

'Seeing her laugh is incredibly disturbing. I didn't know she had emotions other than anger and disappointment,' Seiras thought to himself.

"If this is your way of trying to make light of the situation, then I'll accept your word for it. I just found her behavior strange and wondered if you knew anything about it," Atia stated as she eased up slightly.

"I am not the best judge of what defines normal behavior in people, madame inquisitor. I am a space marine after all," Seiras said simply.

The woman sighed, "Not a proper one, that's for sure. Commander Silvina going out of her way to speak with you personally leads me to wonder if the Ordo Hereticus is investigating you. You're quite infamous to them from what I understand...were it not for the exoneration of the Ordo Xenos, they would have likely executed you for heresy by now. I have no doubts that Jessenta Silvina is suspicious of you. Are you sure she said nothing else to you that I should know about?"

"She also said you were a bitch," Seiras said calmly.

Atia shook her head with a smirk at his comment, "Did she now? Pfft...so the pot is calling the kettle black I see."

"What does that mean?" Seiras said raising a brow.

"It's an old saying meant to express irony. It means she's a bitch and is ironically condemning me as one. It would be the equivalent of you hating someone for being a psyker, essentially," Atia explained.

"You don't seem to like the Adepta Sororitas, Inquisitor." Seiras stated factually.

"I am not fond of them. Did you know I was chosen to be a Sororita when I was younger? However, due to my Psyker talents, I was given to the Inquisition instead. I am very thankful for that. I would not want to be a bolter bitch."

"Why do you call them that? It seems immature for someone of your position to do," Seiras said confused.

"Old habits die hard I suppose. I'm not the cut and dry, by the books type of Inquisitor. I'm sure you can relate considering that you're not a typical Astartes," the woman explained as she brushed her long black hair out of her face. Atia's hazel eyes drifted down as she examined a record in her hands. There was a brief silence as she looked over it.

"Will that be all, Inquisitor?" Seiras asked bluntly hoping to speed the process of leaving along.

"You in a hurry to get away from me, Seiras? No it won't be all. You need to make amends if we are to work together. I think there's something else that the two of us need to discuss as well while we're both here," Atia spoke up halting Seiras from leaving.

'I need to get away from her. There's no telling what this is going to be about.' the Blood Raven thought to himself as he awaited her interrogation.

"I've been rereading your Ordo Xenos records, and I finally understand why behave the way you do. Every Ordo Xenos Inquisitor you have ever worked for has had nothing but immaculate praise for you. At first I found it unusual considering how much of a problem you have with my authority, but now I finally know why you were given so much free rein," Atia began.

Seiras kept a straight face and said nothing as Atia tried to gauge his reaction.

After seeing that the librarian wasn't going to comment, Atia decided to continue, "Inquisitor Jena Orichiel's writings on you are as follows: 'Seiras was accepted into the Ordo Xenos in a large part due to my request for him. Prior to his joining the Deathwatch, anonymous reports from the Blood Ravens and first company Blood Angels claimed he had the ability to read and speak the Eldar language which is the primary reason why he was recruited into my service. He was also rumored to understand Eldar technology. It came as a great blessing to me when I discovered that this was an unexaggerated truth. Seiras being a librarian and an individualistic Astartes made him even more of a lucky catch. Unlike most Astartes, he and I shared a similar interest in xenos technology and culture. For this reason I personally entrusted him with many secret duties, and used him as a personal agent of mine on the battlefield. During our years together, I had him plunder many xenos relics and weapons during missions, to which he always delivered to me with respectable secrecy. He was especially useful in looting space hulks and Necron tomb worlds. Unlike other Deathwatch marines, he did everything I asked of him even if it contradicted the Codex Astartes. He is an invaluable asset when it comes to dealing with anything Eldar in nature and is capable of recovering anything you ask him to retrieve. The insights he delivered to the Ordo Xenos about the Eldar race have exonerated him of any reprecussions to the rest of the Inquisition signed and validated by our Inquisitor Lord. I speak on behalf of many within the Ordo Xenos when I say that Seiras is invaluable to the Inquisition and the Imperium as a whole.'"

"I didn't know she thought that highly of me. I always thought she was a bit too arrogant and petty," Seiras said simply after hearing Atia read the record aloud.

"That's only a highlight, Seiras. The part at the end where you were reassigned was an interesting part to read," Atia said slowly as she took in Seiras' reaction.

The librarian stared at her blankly, "Why is that?"

"It says the Lord Inquisitor personally took you away from her and reassigned you. Her writings on the matter are rather...personal. Would you care to hear what she thought about losing you?" Atia asked.

Seiras shook his head, "I could care less what she thought about me. She was a bit too friendly with Xenos for my liking. I was glad to be reassigned. She was always more interested in working with Xenos than understanding how to better kill them."

"Yet you obeyed her every command without question. Judging by the way she wrote this record on you, it would seem you were possibly her favorite Astartes that she ever worked with," Atia remarked.

The Blood Raven gave Atia a careless look, "So what?"

"You do realize she's the reason you weren't executed for heresy right? Had any other Inquisitor not in the Xenos Hybris taken an interest in your skills, you would not be alive right now. Essentially what it sums up to is you are well liked by many Inquisitors because you will do anything they tell you to...even if it's immoral and heretical. You will do anything to stay on their good side because you know they're the only thing keeping the Ordo Hereticus away from you. Am I right?" she asked.

"You are," Seiras simply answered.

"I thought so...in that case you should know that I also have the authority to declare you a heretic should you ever disobey me. You are completely at my mercy here, Seiras...which is why I found it strange that you don't respect my authority. I believe you and I can get along quite well if we start over from the beginning. You can start making your amends by apologizing to me," Atia said darkly.

"You have my sincerest apologies, Inquisitor Atia," Seiras said somewhat respectfully.

Atia narrowed her gaze, "Try again...that did not sound very convincing."

"I'm sorry madame Inquisitor," Seiras decided to give her a more plain apology.

"Hmm...are you? Actions speak louder than words. Kneel, Seiras," Atia said with a slight grin.

The Blood Raven slowly knelt down with a blank look on his face. Mentally he was a bit annoyed that Atia was being so petty, 'What is her problem? Why is she forcing me to do all of this?'

Atia smirked as she walked around him, "I want a real apology now."

The librarian gave her a somewhat disapproving look, 'I've never dealt with an Inquisitor that acted this petulant before. How in Holy Terra did she become an Inquisitor? What does she want me to do?'

Seiras simply stared at her confused for a full thirty seconds. Afterward her face soured into annoyance. She held up her foot to him, "Show me you're really sorry...I won't accept anything short of some humility on your part."

He stared at her confused and did nothing for several seconds. Atia got more annoyed and pressed against his chest with her foot, "You know what I want you to do...don't act like you don't."

'Is she serious?!' Seiras thought disbelievingly as Atia pulled her leg back and wagged her boot in front of him.

"Take it, Seiras...lick my boot," she said seriously.

The librarian could barely fathom how ridiculous the situation had escalated to. Atia actually wanted him to lick her boot as an apology? Seiras had seen and done many strange things in his time, but this had to be up there as one of the most bizarre. He could barely believe this was actually happening.

Reluctantly he grabbed a hold of Atia's boot causing her to grin, "That's it, librarian...show me you're sorry, and I'll forgive you."

"Is this really necessary, Inquisitor? Belittling my pride won't make me any more sincere. Is there nothing else I can do instead?" Seiras finally spoke hoping to avoid the humiliating act.

"This is a lesson in humility. Obeying my commands should mean more to you than your damn pride. Remember when I told you what would happen if you disobeyed me again? Would you like me to execute you for heresy and bring shame to your chapter? I don't think the Blood Ravens can afford another stain on their honour can they?" Atia asked darkly.

'Jessenta was right...she is a bitch,' Seiras thought to himself as he remained motionless. He looked up and examined Atia's face which was flushed with a childish and gleeful amusement.

'I hate this damn Inquisitor...she's enjoying this way too much. She knows I have no choice but to obey her. I just can't believe an Inquisitor would actually do something this petty and unbecoming just to prove a point. There has to be some way I can get out of this situation...I am NOT licking her boot! I'll sooner face the consequences of refusing,' Seiras thought bitterly.

"Be thankful we're doing this in private. I could have made you do this in front of your Kill Team, but I'm being merciful right now. You have three seconds to lick my boot...prove to me you're sorry or else," she gave him an ultimatum.

'Are Inquisitors allowed to do this to Astartes? Damn it...I wonder what Commander Jessenta or her sororitas would do in this situation? Wait...that gives me an idea.' Seiras thought to himself as he stared blankly at Atia.

"One," Atia said glaring daggers at him.

He looked at her uncertainly, 'I wonder if it will even work on her? There's no telling how she'll react if I do something like that. It could very well backfire and get me into an even deeper mess. Still, either way, I'm never licking her boot...so I would be in trouble regardless. This is the only real option other than retaliation or acceptance.'

"Two," the Inquisitor spoke darkly and even more threateningly.

'This is hardly a better alternative though. There's no doubt in my mind I'm going to regret this later. Emperor protect me...' Seiras thought as he dropped Atia's foot and stood up.

She seemed shocked by his actions, and could barely react in time as Seiras picked her up off the ground.

"What are you doi-" before Atia could even finish her question, Seiras interrupted her with a simple kiss very similar to how Jessenta did it. The Inquisitor was stunned by the impossibility of the moment and could only stare in disbelief as Seiras put her down and stepped back.

Atia had never been this caught off guard in her entire life and could only gawk in silence as Seiras stood there.

'I definitely should not have done that...' Seiras immediately regretted his actions as Atia started walking towards him.

He stood there stalwartly awaiting the consequences as Atia reached up and slapped him as hard as she possibly could. A large red handprint decorated the side of his face for a moment, before quickly fading. It didn't hurt him at all, but Seiras could tell Atia put some force behind her slap because her palm was completely red as well. He had no doubts that slap would have sent a normal man to the ground out cold.

Atia growled furiously at him, "What the fuck!? Have your lost your damn mind, Seiras?! By the Emperor, did you seriously just kiss me?!"

'What was I thinking...of course she was going to lose her mind over this. Everyone tells me I'm attractive...I guess not to her. What do I do now? I'm not just going to let them kill me...but if I manage to escape and get branded a heretic, I'll have nowhere to go. Plus we're in the warp right now...there's no escaping this ship. I'm really pinned here aren't I? Should I have just licked her boot and moved on? I screwed this plan up badly' Seiras was already brainstorming on his available options as Atia got more heated.

"Why the hell did you kiss me, Seiras?! Answer me, damn it! Do understand what that means you fool?!" Atia hissed.

'I wonder how she would react if I pretended to like her the way I did with that Daniella woman? It's worth a shot I suppose...this situation couldn't possibly get much worse,' Seiras thought.

He looked at Atia calmly, "Who wouldn't want to kiss you? You're a beautiful woman, Inquisitor."

"What the?! Are you...attracted to me?!" Atia deadpanned with utter shock.

Seiras said nothing as he looked away, 'How am I supposed to answer this? Let me think here. The goal is make her think I like her and seduce her into letting me off the hook. Should I just say yes, or is better to deny it? I wonder what she would think if I actually managed to make this plan work?'

"I thought it was more sincere," Seiras replied as he looked away. It was the only thing he could think to say while stalling for time.

"More sincere?! Oh...now I get it! This is the real reason why all those other Inquisitors liked you so much isn't it?" Atia said shaking her head.

"I've never kissed another Inquisitor before. You're the first," Seiras said honestly.

"Oh really? Well you certainly seemed to know how to do it...I wonder was that joke earlier about kissing the Sororita meant to butter me up or something?! Hmph...I don't even know what to say. I don't know whether to feel flattered or horrified. Tell me seriously, Seiras, did you enjoy that kiss?" Atia asked him with a less angry tone.

"It was certainly better than licking your boot would have been," he answered honestly.

Atia paced around for a moment as she examined him up and down, "You're not getting out of that by the way. You've just dug yourself a deeper hole. But how about instead of licking my boot, you kiss my feet...come and do it! I mean if you're attracted to me then you ought to enjoy it right?"

Seiras could only watch with pure disgust as Atia pulled her foot out of her boot, "Kiss my foot, Seiras...last chance to apologize to me. Do it and I'll pretend like you didn't just fail in your attempt to seduce me."

'I have no choice. She's not going to get over this until I show complete subservience to her. If I refuse now I'll get branded a heretic and killed. Damn it...that means I just kissed her for nothing. How repulsive,' Seiras thought as he knelt over and grabbed Atia's bare foot.

Slowly he pressed his lips against it causing Atia to practically giggle at him, "Lick it too...I want it nice and clean."

'I should have just let them kill me...this is the worst punishment ever,' Seiras thought to himself as he licked Atia's foot.

"Are you enjoying this, Seiras? I certainly am," Atia said almost wickedly.

'At least nobody else is around to see this...' Seiras took some solace in the fact that his dignity would at least be preserved for everyone else.

He continued for a good minute until Atia was finally satisfied with his humiliation, "That's enough for now, Seiras...apology accepted."

'Thank the Emperor...get me out of here! I'd rather be mingling with those heretics right now. If Jonah could see me now...he's disown me from the librarium,' Seiras thought to himself as he stood up.

"Now that I've had time to think about it, I'm flattered, Seiras...truly flattered that a handsome Astartes like you is attracted to me. That being said, I'm also a bit disturbed that you are interested in things like this. You're definitely the weirdest space marine I've ever met. You better act right or everyone is going to know about this...and don't you ever fucking kiss me again without my consent! Is that understood?!" Atia spoke strongly.

"Yes Inquisitor...may I leave now?" he replied.

'Just let me go already...' Seiras thought impatiently. Currently he was trying to fathom how he felt more uncomfortable with Atia than he did around a cultist like Daniella.

"Now that you've apologized, we can start building our trust up together. How would you like to do something to get on my good side?" Atia said with a slight grin as Seiras inched his way towards the door.

The Blood Raven and the Inquisitor stared at each other for a long moment of silence. Atia was thoroughly reading his every expression and movement in anticipation.

Seiras took a moment to actually ponder her question before answering, "I would prefer staying in your good graces if only to avoid unnecessary...problems in the future. What do you want me to do?"

"Excellent, now you're starting to understand how things work here. There is something you can do if you want to be friends with me, Seiras. Since you're apparently good at keeping secrets and doing unconventional 'dirty work', I have a special assignment for you..." Atia said with an almost anxious look

"What might that be?" he asked somewhat curiously.

"Find out why the Sororitas are really here. They're obviously here for another purpose than the one they've told us. I want you to use your talents to get on their good side and report their intentions to me. I don't like the Ecclesiarchy trying to undermine the Ordo Malleus. Do that and I'll give you a real kiss," Atia explained with a wink.

Seiras felt his insides literally shudder at the sight of her winking at him, 'Why is she all of a sudden enjoying the notion of me liking her? Emperor what have I done? She's convinced I'm attracted to her now. All of my planning and plans for getting out of this mess counted for nothing. Now she's going to hold this over me forever. I already know why the sororitas are here, but I can't exactly tell her until we find the heretics. This mission just keeps getting worse and worse.'

"I can do that, Inquisitor. Give me a few days and I'll know what they're here for," Seiras nodded.

"Eager for that real kiss huh?" Atia teased him.

He shook his head, "No, madame Inquisitor. Just pretend that never happened. I will do what you ask if we never again speak of this."

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Seiras. I'm not offended that you like me...I just don't want you forcing yourself on me without my permission. To be honest I think it's kind of funny that an Astartes has a crush on me. You must like powerful women," she said with a light smile.

"I don't have that kind of interest in you, madame Inquisitor," Seiras replied stoically.

Atia walked right up to him and grinned at the librarian and winked, "Mhmm, of course you don't. This will be our little secret. We wouldn't want you getting in trouble for suspicious behavior now would we?"

"No...madame Inquisitor," he replied slowly.

'She's completely outplayed me in this situation. I would have been better off just licking her boot,' Seiras thought to himself.

"Just call me Atia now, Seiras. You might as well since you were so interested in being on a first name basis with me." the woman grinned.

"Of course...Atia," he said slowly as he reached for the door and left as quickly as possible.

After he was gone the Inquisitor sat down on her bed and touched her lips, 'That was unexpected...getting kissed by a Space Marine is something I never thought I'd do in my lifetime. This ought to be amusing putting up with him from here on out. Now I get why all those other Inquisitors liked him...he flirted with them.'

Meanwhile after Seiras left Atia's room, he caught the attention of several Stormtroopers and officers. They stared at him with confusion as he departed as quickly as he could. The librarian was practically running to get as far away from the bridge as he could.

"He was in there for a while...I wonder what that was all about?" one of the Stormtroopers asked his buddy.

"No telling...but he's definitely in a hurry to leave. It couldn't have been good," the other replied.

As he charged away, Seiras quickly went around the corner and accidentally knocked over several individuals who were walking down the hallway. There were three of them and they all went flying in every direction as he bulldozed past.

Seiras immediately stopped in his tracks upon realizing it, and looked around at the individuals he just knocked over. One was an astropath, one was a navigator, and the other was simply their servant by the looks of it.

They all stood up after a moment much to his relief, but appeared very unhappy about getting knocked down. The Astropath looked furious as he immediately voiced his anger, "Watch where you're going you fool! I will have you whipped for th-"

It was at that moment, the astropath realized the person responsible was none other than Seiras. He immediately decided against finishing his threat as he gawked at the Blood Raven, "You're one of the space marines?! I librarian too..."

The navigator walked over with an angry face, "Hey, watch where you're going fool! I am a daughter of the Ferraci House and I will NOT be treated in this manner! How dare you knock me over!"

The librarian looked at her seriously and spoke with an aggressive voice, "I'm honestly amazed you didn't hear me coming. Power armour isn't exactly quiet. Are you deaf or just too proud to move aside!?"

She looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself after getting a good look at Seiras. He took this time to examine her and was rather surprised at her appearance. She looked like Terran royalty judging by the ridiculously fancy clothes and her regal demaenor. The woman was tall and thin, but not in a gangly way. She had long black hair, dark makeup, and surprisingly beautiful eyes. Like many navigators, the white scleras in her eyes had turned black, but unnatural and radiant pinkish-purple irises shined within them. It was almost as if her irises were the color of the warp itself. Seiras honestly thought she might have been the most alluring female he had ever seen before.

A strange mechanical headpiece which looked a lot like a crown was also on her head. It came around and blocked the middle of her forehead in what appeared to be an ocular visor. Her robes looked more like a dress and if he didn't know any better Seiras would have thought she was actually royalty.

The Astropath was also surprisingly good looking and had short white hair with light blue eyes. He had a lithe frame, but was quite tall. His clothing looked just as prestigious as the Navigator's did and the man had a surprisingly inviting aura about him despite being a psyker. A band was over his forehead and several psy cables were also attached to his head from behind.

"Forgive us my lord...we did not expect a Space Marine to come running around the corner. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Ahmeris Krassius, Astropath and psyker for the Imperium. Also nobleborn son of the Krassius family from Holy Terra. Forgive my astonishment, but I have never met an Astartes in person before. I've only seen them in the videos of the parades on Holy Terra. Truly it is an honour to make your acquaintance...I never thought I would meet a librarian." he said aristocratically and respectfully.

Seiras just gave the man a blank look, "Why do you think I would care?"

"I...umm, that is to say I do not mean to waste your time my lord. Obviously, you were in a hurry. Look at me rambling on in my admiration. Please accept my humblest apologies lord librarian," the astropath bowed his head.

"Do you have any idea who I am?!" the navigator interrupted as she glared at Seiras.

"Should I?" the Blood Raven countered.

"This is the Navis Primaris of our ship my lord. She is our lead navigator...her name is Amelia Ferraci," Ahmeris introduced the woman.

"I don't care. I barely care what the Inquisitor thinks let alone some pompous nobles," was all Seiras bothered to say.

The servant looked too afraid to speak as her masters stared the librarian down. The navigator spoke up furiously, "Pompous nobles?! How dare you insult us in such a manner! Get back here at once and apologize to me!"

"I've done enough apologizing for one day," was all Seiras said in response as he decided to turn around and start walking away.

After he left, Ahmeris glanced over at Amelia disbelievingly, "By the looks of it, he just left Inquisitor Atia's quarters. He did not appear to be in a good mood."

"Good mood or not, he should at least show us some respect," Amelia protested.

"I am certain he meant nothing by it. Space marines are not the most personable individuals from what I understand," the Astropath explained.

"Masters, forgive me interruption, but I've heard rumors about the Deathwatch marines on the ship. They say the Blood Raven one almost started a fight with the Adepta Sororitas. That looked like him. I think his name is Seiras," the servant spoke up.

"Seiras?" the navigator said the name surprised.

"Something wrong, Lady Amelia?" Ahmeris asked.

She nodded her head, "I've heard that name whispered in the warp. There's something suspicious about him. He might very well be a heretic if the Sororitas dislike him so."

"You would accuse a Deathwatch Space Marine of being a heretic?" Ahmeris gawked.

"We should look into the warp and see if we can find out anything about him," she replied as she turned to walk away.

Two Days Later

After training and meditating for the majority of the day, Seiras and his brothers went to sleep again. The librarian only slept for about three hours before getting up and going for another long walk. It was also almost time for him to meet Daniella again. The entire past day, he had been dreading the inevitable meeting with the cultist girl.

Even still, he preferred her company over that of Atia's. As the librarian walked through the ship, his mind raced over the scene with Atia again, 'Damn it, I was such a fool to do something like that! I should have known better. I overestimated myself...I will not let Atia put me in a situation like that again.'

Seiras eventually made his way to the corridor where Daniella told him to meet her and as expected, he saw her waiting there. He briefly looked around for any recording devices and was relieved to see none. Apparently Daniella wanted this location for more than one reason.

As he walked up to her the woman perked up with eagerness, "Seiras, glad to see you made it. I've been here for about an hour now, and was starting to think you weren't coming."

"I wouldn't tell you to expect me and not arrive. That's dishonourable," Seiras replied.

"Oh of course. I knew you wouldn't forget about me. That's why I waited," Daniella said with a beaming smile.

'As pathetic and stupid as she is, the woman is at least tolerable as a human being,' Seiras couldn't help but think.

"You seem to be in good spirits. How did your friends react to my interest?" Seiras asked as he approached her.

Daniella's face was concerned as she looked at him, "Well initially they were a bit scared when I told them about you. Everyone said I was crazy for telling you about the cult...but when I showed them this seal and I told them about the way you understood me, they seemed a bit more understanding. I made sure to tell them that you don't like the Inquisitor and that you were...interested in me."

"I see...well their concern is definitely understandable. A normal space marine would kill them without a second thought," Seiras noted.

"That's what I told them. They were all just as surprised as I was about it...but considering how much you hate the Inquisitor, my mentor did not find it as strange as the rest of us. Obviously you would have reported us to the Inquisitor if you truly wanted us dead," Daniella whispered.

The librarian nodded, "I see...so what did they decide on then?"

"Well, they want to meet you...but they're a bit scared to. My mentor suggested that if you showed up without weapons or power armour on, then it would make everyone feel less threatened. I realize that puts you in a vulnerable position, but that's one of the conditions they want if they are to meet you. The other condition is that you do the rite of initiation before meeting everyone," Daniella explained.

'No power armour...they're hoping they can kill me if I turn out to be a threat. Granted their willingness to go this far implies that have some degree of trust for me. A normal Astartes would have already gotten an army to tear the ship apart for all the cultists. I seriously don't understand why Jessenta did not want to just hunt them down and interrogate everyone. I suppose getting inside information would pay off better in the long run,' Seiras theorized.

"So what is this rite of initiation? What do I have to do for it?" Seiras asked again.

"I can't tell you, but I promise that it's not bad. My mentor actually wants to be the one to initiate you. If you agree, then I am to bring you to one of our secret meeting places," Daniella elaborated further.

Seiras nodded, "Alright...I accept. When is this to happen?"

"Tomorrow around this time ought to work. I will let them know that you agreed. Also, please understand if a few of them will be armed. It's all just a precaution...standard procedure you know?" she said reassuringly.

"Of course...I understand," Seiras nodded, "I will meet you tomorrow then. Where would like to meet?"

"Near the lower engines on the subdeck. There aren't cameras there and the techpriests typically never patrol it," Daniella replied.

"I will see you there," the librarian replied before taking his leave.