"So, what did you find out?" Silver Snake asked. The beauty with silver-gray eyes sat with her legs crossed, her long legs exposed beneath the soft orange-red lights. Her bright blue evening gown shimmered like the stars of a dazzling galaxy, its layers of sparkling, gradient blue making her figure seem dreamlike.
Silver Snake sat on a barstool. There was no denying that she looked stunning in the gown. When she wore it, you'd never doubt she was a governor's daughter—or the daughter of a duke from some feudal world of the Imperium.
Her delicate gray-green hair still fell over her shoulders, with a small braid resting against her cheek. Across from her, Vito leaned on the bar, chin in hand, watching her with interest.
Silver Snake sighed and swirled her glass. "Had enough staring? Can you answer my question now?"
"No, but sure, I can." Vito smiled and took off his black trench coat. He hung it on a nearby coat rack. Underneath, he wore a shirt. Curiously, he had no flak armor. Given Vito's usual approach to combat, going without it seemed a little overconfident.
Vito returned to the bar and leaned against it, rolling his neck. Silver Snake arched an eyebrow when she spotted the two holsters beneath his arms. They held two lasguns.
"How many more guns are you carrying? Three on one person?" "Darling, you can never have too many weapons. You never know when you'll need a second gun."
As he spoke, Vito poured Silver Snake a drink. "You're a good shot, too. One head per shotgun blast. That's impressive, considering where you come from."
"Where I come from? This is the Lower Hive. People learn to shoot before they learn to walk." "Darling, we've been through life and death together. You don't have to lie to me."
Silver Snake stopped drinking and looked at Vito with those dreamy eyes. She held his gaze for a moment, then took another sip.
"Then where do you think I'm from?" Silver Snake asked in her melodious voice. Vito shrugged and poured himself a drink. "The Upper Hive."
"Why?" "You always wear a respirator. Those are used to filter toxic gases. I fought alongside the Death Korps of Krieg, and saw all sorts of respirators, so I can recognize one at a glance."
"You only take it off in the bar because the air here's been purified and filtered. Believe me, I've smelled every kind of gas there is. You won't take it off once you go outside."
"The reason's simple. People born in the Upper Hive breathe clean air from childhood. Even people from the Mid Hive grow up breathing polluted air and some toxic gases. They can come down here and breathe without much trouble, even if it's uncomfortable. They don't suffocate or struggle to breathe."
As he spoke, Vito glanced at her half-face respirator. "You didn't grow up here. You spent some time in the Upper Hive before coming down. Even after all these years, your lungs still haven't adjusted to the air here."
As he spoke, Vito grinned again and leaned to one side, eyeing her leg. "Besides, I've never seen a woman with a figure like yours in the Lower Hive."
Silver Snake pushed his head upright, an exasperated smile on her lips. Vito grinned and folded his arms. The two lasguns beneath his arms swayed with the movement.
"Darling, I'm an outsider too. I'm not even from Victoria. You can tell me who you are. Maybe I can help." "Help me? I'm not so sure, dear Vito." "Then let's find out."
Vito vaulted over the bar and leaned beside Silver Snake. He nodded slightly, signaling that he was ready to hear her story.
Silver Snake sighed softly and silently swirled her drink for a long while. But at last, she spoke.
"My real name is Olivia. Olivia Caan-Johnson." "An aristocratic name? Hm. If I remember right, the current system governor's name is Luwen Caan-Johnson."
"That's right. He's my uncle. I liked him well enough before he staged a coup, killed my parents, and got ready to kill me too." Silver Snake—or Olivia—gave a rueful laugh and turned to look at Vito. "You don't seem surprised, dear Vito."
"Darling, I've seen plenty of messes like this. You see, the Imperium is vast. There are always people who think they can take matters into their own hands without informing the Imperium."
Vito smiled and glanced at Olivia. "I'm sure some of my colleagues would react more strongly, but I won't. By the way, that's a lovely name." "Thank you."
Olivia smiled charmingly. "You see, I grew up in the Governor's Palace, just like you'd imagine: servants, a huge house, and a comfortable life. My family had ruled Victoria for generations, though that didn't matter to me. When I grew up, I'd just be married off to form some political alliance or other."
"Whoever you married would have to be worthy of your beauty. Have you considered an alliance with the High Lords of Terra?" "I'll take that as a compliment."
"But you see, every family like yours has some clichéd story. Your father's brother resented that your dad inherited the title, secretly gathered his forces, assassinated him, and killed your whole family. Then you had to flee, going from a governor's daughter to an exile and bar owner who occasionally goes out on a date to kill someone."
Silver Snake waved a finger, perfectly calm. "So I came here, before that bastard uncle of mine killed me too. I don't know what he planned to do to me, but it certainly wasn't anything good. So I ran away and came here."
"A wise choice. The Lower Hive is a lawless place. I doubt your uncle knows where you are now—or even that you're alive." "That's right. He doesn't know. No one would guess that the bar's owner and bartender is Olivia. Plenty of people from the Upper Hive flee here over problems like mine."
Vito raised his glass slightly. "So you didn't just survive in this godforsaken place. You became its mistress—and an information broker? I bet that story would make a great book."
"It would. But I'm not going to write it." Olivia rested her head in her hand and watched Vito. "So, what do you think? Now that you've heard my clichéd story."
Vito shrugged and folded his arms. "Well, how did your uncle stage the coup? Did he join forces with political allies in the Upper Hive?"
This time, Silver Snake shrugged. She casually took a sip of her drink. "Partly. I don't know the rest." "Never thought about revenge?" "Darling, I'm just a girl on my own with no one to rely on. When I came down here, I didn't even know how to survive outside the Governor's Palace. Do you think I could count on revenge?"
Vito grinned teasingly. "You can now. You've got someone to rely on."
"You?" Olivia asked playfully, a mocking smile on her face. "Who are you, that you can take down a governor?" "Would an Inquisitor do?"
The air grew still. Olivia's smile vanished, and she sat up, staring at Vito in astonishment. He gave her a wry smile. "What? Didn't see that coming?"
"No. I knew you were an outsider, but I thought you were just an agent sent by the Sector Adeptus Arbites. I didn't expect..." "That's right. I'm an Inquisitor. I'm not joking."
Vito straightened up with a smile and bowed courteously. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Vito Constantine, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos, as people commonly call it, the Inquisition."
Olivia stared at Vito in silence for a moment, then took a sip of her drink. Only after a while did she turn to face him. "All right. Did you come alone?"
"There's a Tech-priest with me. His name's Omega, by the way. He's from Mars." "Anyone else?" "Well, a battlecruiser, a whole ship's crew, and a captain." "I could tell there was more." "Oh, right. Four Deathwatch Space Marines. Four oddballs. Is that enough?"
Olivia sighed, picked up her glass, poured herself a drink, and drained it in one hearty gulp. Then she slammed the glass down on the table.
She took a deep breath. "I can tell you're not lying, but are you sure—" "Absolutely, darling. I swear on my professional integrity as an Inquisitor: your uncle's definitely up to something."
Vito wagged a finger and spoke with assurance. "The Upper Hive is clearly turning a blind eye to the problems caused by the Devout Society. Your uncle's almost certainly involved with them. So yes, if there's trouble with the Devout Society, I'll deal with him too."
"You can remove the 'if,'" a mechanical voice said. Vito and Olivia both turned to look. Omega was coming out of the back room. He stopped in front of them, and his mechanical eye scanned Olivia again.
"Your injuries are healing well, Miss Silver Snake." "Thank you, Magos Omega." "Very good, Vito. You should learn to call me by my full title too, instead of 'Octopus.'" "Well, tell me what you found, and I'll remove the 'if.'"
Omega looked at Olivia, but Vito nodded in confirmation. "Miss Silver Snake—or Olivia—is our ally now. I trust her. Go ahead."
"Very well. Combining Mosley's memories with the extracted genetic samples, my calculations show that 56.32 percent of his genes match those of the Tyranids. Based on the database, I can be reasonably certain that he was a..."
"Genestealer."
The ever-present smile vanished from Vito's face. His expression turned grave as he looked at Omega. "Anything else?"
"It isn't good news. I read his memories. While he was aboard the space station, he received a Tyranid psychic signal from the void. The station detected it too. When they prepared to transmit the signal to the capital and issue a warning, he led the Genestealers aboard the station in a revolt. They killed the station master and destroyed the transmission equipment."
"The mystery surrounding the bodies has also been resolved. At the time, a Purestrain Genestealer was with him. It was very hungry, so the surviving Genestealers brought it aboard the shuttle along with most of the bodies that hadn't been sucked into space, for it to feed on."
Vito turned and paced a few steps around the bar, then stopped and abruptly looked back at Omega. "Are you certain he received a Tyranid signal from the void?"
"I'm certain, Inquisitor." "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Olivia asked. Vito looked at the beauty and fell silent for a moment. "Do you know about the Battle of Macragge?" "I've heard of it. My dad told me about it when I was a kid. I think the Ultramarines fought a bunch of space bugs in their home system."
"Darling, they were bugs, all right. But there were enough of them to blot out the stars and extinguish the sun. They devoured every trace of matter on a planet, leaving only destruction and desolation in their wake. Can you imagine a swarm of locusts on a cosmic scale?"
Olivia froze. With her education, she understood the scale of it. She stared at Vito in shock. He sighed. "Yes, a Hive Fleet has arrived. These Tyranid Genestealers have probably been living on this planet for countless generations, and now their signal has been received."
"Then what do we do now—" Vito stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and the Inquisitor turned to face Omega.
"Did you execute him?" "There was no need. His brain was burned out." "Good. Did you find any other useful information?"
Omega nodded slightly, tilting his head a little. "I didn't find the patriarch's exact location, but I did identify the source of the Crimson Essence that affects psychic beings." "How accurate?" "The data, lacks verification. But I will return to the Infinite Frontier as soon as possible and use the Auspex to scan the surface."
Vito nodded slightly. After a moment's silence, he placed a hand on Aurelia's shoulder. "Have the four of them prepare to strike. Wipe the place out completely. Leave no survivors or evidence. Blow it to pieces. I'll accelerate the existing plan."
Omega nodded slightly and turned to leave. "Inquisitor, should we send an alert and request reinforcements from Sector Command?"
Vito smiled and rubbed his neck. "I'm not sure I'd count on those bureaucrats."
He turned around, one hand behind his back, and looked at Omega's blinking mechanical eye. His usual carefree manner was gone. He looked like a true Inquisitor.
"Send a signal to every nearby Imperial Fleet, Astra Militarum regiment, Space Marine Chapter, and every other armed force. I, Vito Constantine, an Inquisitor of the Emperor's chosen Ordo Xenos, call upon all the faithful in the name of the holy Emperor to answer the summons and come to the Victoria System to face the Emperor's approaching archenemy."
"May the Emperor guide us. End transmission," Vito said. Omega gave a solemn nod—or at least seemed to. Data streamed across his eye.
"You've got something else to say, don't you, Vito?" "Of course."
Vito smiled slightly. "Send a message to Sector Command. Tell those idiots that if they don't come help, I'll issue an Exterminatus for the entire Victoria System and every nearby system."
Olivia's eyes widened as she stared at Vito in stunned disbelief. He shrugged teasingly, and even Omega let out a strange mechanical laugh.
"That's very much in character for you, Vito. I'll carry out the planned operation as soon as possible. Goodbye." With that, Omega turned and left without a moment's hesitation, like an efficient machine. Perhaps the word "like" could be omitted.
"Let me get this straight..." Olivia said. "You're going to help me reclaim the governorship, and now you're also going to wipe out the Xenos traitors on the planet and face an impending apocalypse."
Looking at Olivia's expression, Vito rubbed his chin and grimaced. "I suppose things are a little complicated."
"Just a little?" She rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "I'd only just started to hope I could get my life back. Now I find out the entire system might be doomed. This is just..."
Vito smiled faintly and lifted two drinks, handing one to Olivia. "A day in the Imperium?"
She took the drink and smiled helplessly. "Yeah."
Before you continue