Dim lights flickered in the enclosed underground space, like dying candles veiled by clouds and mist. The silent underground parking garage lay in utter stillness. Countless cars were parked there, like an aging galaxy of extinguished stars, drifting toward its final, eternal silence.
But suddenly, a sound from the edge of that silence broke the stillness: tires crunching over the rough concrete. The sound drew nearer, little by little, breaking through the eternal silence.
Bright headlights poured into the garage from the exit ramp, beams of light cutting through the entire space as if shot from the void. A black car drove down the ramp and came to a stop in the empty center of the parking garage.
A folding door swung open, and a boot stepped out—a boot fitted with silver plates.
Vito stepped out of the car, bracing a hand against its glossy black roof as he stood beside it. Marshall climbed out of the driver's seat and steadied himself against the door, instinctively adjusting the position of his lasgun.
Vito held out a hand and helped Olivia out as well. He straightened his collar and looked around, eyeing the silent parking garage with an amused expression.
But before Vito could offer any comment, footsteps interrupted him. He looked toward their source. A man in a high-collared coat like a Commissar's strode through a gap between the parked cars. Several others appeared with him, men and women alike, all of them armed to the teeth.
The man in the coat stopped directly in front of the car. His face was as cold as the depths of winter. Beneath his coat, he wore a bulletproof breastplate with a striking leather holster strap running up beneath his arm.
Vito gave a helpless smile and walked over to him. "Really? A parking garage? Isn't this a clichéd place to meet?"
"I only care about security. No one will disturb us here," the man replied.
As he watched Vito approach, the latter stopped a few steps away and flashed him an amused smile. "This is our first time meeting, Lord Arbiter Sher, but I've known about you for a long time."
Lord Arbiter Sher's face remained stern, not even hinting at a smile or friendliness. He stared coldly at Vito as if he meant to pierce him with his gaze.
"Before we discuss anything, I need to verify your identity, Vito Constantine," Sher said.
Vito gave an awkward smile and glanced at Marshall. "I assume Marshall told you about me?"
"Yes, but I have to make sure for myself that you're not lying, outsider."
"And what happens if I am?"
"Then I'll have to dig a grave tonight."
Vito looked at the armed men behind Sher—the officers wearing Adeptus Arbites badges. Every one of them regarded him with murderous intent, even the women who might otherwise have been called beautiful.
Vito's enhanced hearing picked up the click-clack of an entire row of safeties being switched off. He smiled in satisfaction. It seemed there were still things worth admiring in the Victoria System.
Vito raised his wrist. The communicator powered on, a tiny light blinking to life. "Cole, Olaf, are you free?"
"Of course, Inquisitor."
"Good."
The young Vito Constantine unclipped the communicator from his wrist and set the small device on the ground. Lines of refracted light appeared in the air, weaving two humanoid silhouettes into existence in a matter of moments. As the threads of light crisscrossed and grew denser, their features gradually came into focus.
Arbites Judge Sher looked at the figure beside Vito, a man formed from threads of light. He stepped out of the void and stood beside Vito. His Navy captain's uniform was so conspicuous that a single glance was enough to identify him.
On the other side, Sher and all the law officers present began widening their eyes. Even Marshall and Olivia behind Vito looked utterly shocked.
Everyone there stared at the giant, whose immense size exceeded the limits of the holographic projection.
His enormous Power Armour was on full display before them. His face flickered amid the light strands at the edge of the projection, impossible to make out—like an angel descended from Heaven to walk the earth.
One of His Angels of Death.
Vito smiled faintly and clasped his hands behind his back. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Vito Constantine, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos of the Imperial Inquisition."
"I am Rear Admiral Cole Macharius, formerly of the Imperial Navy and now attached to the Inquisition's fleet. I command the Mars-class Battlecruiser Infinite Frontier," the Navy captain said.
The towering giant beside him spoke, and his voice drowned out everything else. It was so deep and rich that it seemed to belong to The Emperor Himself.
"I am Chaplain Olaf Torlz, son of Leman Russ of the Space Wolves Chapter, and a member of the Deathwatch. My Chapter brothers and I follow Inquisitor Vito."
Everyone stared at the giant in utter astonishment. None of them had ever seen an Adeptus Astartes. Even as a mere projection, the existence of one of The Emperor's Angels of Death was enough to inspire both fear and awe.
Vito gave Arbites Judge Sher an amused smile. Sher quickly forced himself to regain his composure, then nodded in confirmation. No one could doubt Vito's identity now.
"You arrived quickly, Inquisitor," Sher said. His voice still carried a slight tremor. The shock of seeing one of The Emperor's angels clearly hadn't quite worn off.
"By The Emperor's grace, the astropathic message you sent crossed the void. Inquisitor Hegart received your request, so he sent me and my companions to deal with the situation."
"And, as The Emperor willed, we've already completed the first step. The Inquisitor found the location of the Imperium's great enemy, and my brothers and I destroyed the Xenos traitors' foul factory today."
Olaf clenched his iron fist. The tiny holographic device couldn't reproduce the exact clanking sound of his fist tightening, but the Angel of Death's gesture still made several people instinctively step back.
Cole raised a hand slightly, the sleeve embroidered with golden thread denoting his naval rank swaying with the movement. "Our tests and analysis at the Crimson Essence factory showed that the local Genestealer Cult used Crimson Essence to alter its followers' minds, allowing them to bypass the process of genetic infection and evade scrutiny by the local Adeptus Arbites."
Sher furrowed his brow. Vito raised an eyebrow at Cole, who smiled faintly. "You guessed, didn't you?"
"Ha. Pretty much."
Vito cleared his throat to draw Lord Arbiter Sher's attention. "Arbites Judge, your world has been infiltrated by Tyranid Genestealers. I believe it's been going on for centuries. They call themselves the Devout Society, pretending to be a branch of the worship of The Emperor. They've spread their followers across this planet, hiding in the shadows until they emerged onto the stage a few decades ago."
Vito turned to point at Olivia. "She is the daughter of the former Governor, Dylant Kaon Lion, and the rightful heir to the governorship of this planet. Her father wasn't killed in an assassination by Chaos Cultists. He was assassinated by the traitor Ruwen, who currently holds the governorship, in collusion with the Devout Society—the Genestealer Cult."
Sher's expression twitched. Only now did he focus his attention on the woman in the distance. After examining the silver-haired young woman for a moment, he looked genuinely surprised.
"Olivia? Is that you, child?" Sher asked in astonishment, taking a few steps forward.
Silver Snake merely nodded slightly without saying a word.
"The Emperor preserve us! We thought you were dead. General Livov and I searched for you for ages but couldn't find you. Why didn't you come to us?" Sher asked urgently, clearly troubled by it.
Silver Snake merely sighed. "I had other things to take care of back then. After that, I didn't dare go back up to the Upper Hive."
Sher clearly wanted to ask more, but the towering Olaf stepped forward. Though he was only a projection, his heavy footsteps still transmitted digitally from the other end. "Lord Arbiter, I don't believe now is the time to dwell on Olivia's past. We face a much more urgent threat."
"I'm sorry, my lord. Let's return to the matter at hand," Sher said, stepping back.
The towering giant nodded slightly, his image flickering.
"The local Genestealers have sent a signal to the Tyranid Hive Fleet, and our enemy has received it. The space station on the edge of the system wasn't destroyed by Chaos or pirates. Genestealer cultists aboard it received a psychic signal from the Hive Fleet, and the astropaths there received it too. They destroyed the station to prevent it from sending a warning."
"Now the Hive Fleet is on its way. Lord Arbiter, in the name of the Father of All Knowledge, we must prepare."
Olaf's words made Sher's eyes widen. The officers, who looked so formidable, unexpectedly let a trace of fear show. Ordinary people of the Imperium might not understand what that meant, but those at the forefront of the Adeptus Arbites, fighting the Imperium's enemies, clearly did.
Sher turned his head and fell silent for a moment with his back to them. Then he slowly turned around. "The Hive Fleet. How long until it arrives?"
"We don't know, but our estimate is that it won't be long," Cole replied, speaking as the Navy captain.
"Our astropath observed a shadow drawing near in the void. She couldn't determine exactly when it would arrive, but based on our experience, it should be soon."
Sher fell silent in thought for a moment. "Captain, have you fought the Tyranids before?"
Cole nodded firmly, one hand resting on his Chainsword. "Yes. We fought a splinter fleet alongside the Catachan Jungle Fighters. It was a hard-fought battle."
"I've fought Chaos Daemons and Orks. I know what that means, and I also know we'll need support from the Astra Militarum and the Imperium's forces." Sher turned around. His weathered face was clouded, but he remained composed.
He was a true warrior, one who wouldn't lose his head to fear.
"Yes, we've already sent out a call for help. So far, Astra Militarum regiments and Imperial Navy fleets have answered. They're on their way, but we still need to prepare."
Sher nodded and looked toward his officers. They had already regained their composure. Truth be told, the local Adeptus Arbites were impressively capable.
"When I fought Chaos, I learned that whenever a daemon invasion was imminent, the Cultists would start riots and uprisings to weaken and divide our forces. I imagine the Genestealer Cult is no different."
Vito patted his empty belt. "Exactly. So we need to deal with this internal threat before we can face the destruction coming our way."
"I've already looked into some of it. You don't need to worry about the Lower Hive; I've convinced the Hammer Gang and the Syndicate to handle it. You and your officers need to purge the upper levels with overwhelming force."
"What about the loyalist forces here?"
"I know the loyalists in every department. They're good people, all of them capable. But the powerful men we once thought were merely greedy bureaucrats—and now know to be Xenos traitors—have kept them under their thumb and suppressed them."
"General Wolf can take command of the Planetary Defense Force. Bishop Rapt can ensure the Ecclesiarchy remains loyal. Minister Kadi can keep the Administratum running as best he can. I also have contacts among the loyalists in the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Astropathic Choir, and the Merchant Guild."
"We've been planning to eliminate these greedy traitors if they ever betrayed The Emperor and Terra. But it seems we still underestimated just how far they'd go."
"That's right. They sided with alien enemies who would devour everything on this planet. It's clear that in the face of greed and desire, a few little lies and promises were enough to beguile them," Vito said helplessly, giving a slight wave of his hand.
"I can confirm that the current Planetary Governor, Ruwen, is one of them. Olivia's parents weren't killed in retaliation by Chaos Cultists. Ruwen worked with the Genestealer Cult; together, they assassinated them and put Ruwen in the governor's seat to ensure their own survival."
"All these years, Ruwen has tacitly allowed them to preach and covered up their existence. He even had the Archbishop under his thumb and bribed him, making His Grace betray his faith and The Emperor."
Olaf clenched his fists in anger. "He must be punished."
"He will be, my friend. He will," Vito said, still watching the Arbites Judge.
Sher was clearly surprised too, but the surprise soon passed. It wasn't difficult to understand, after all, and they'd probably already guessed some of it. They'd likely thought it was Chaos Cultists, but in the end, there wasn't much difference.
Olivia rested a hand against the car door and lowered her eyes in silence, as if a flood of memories had resurfaced. She muttered a curse under her breath and leaned back against the hood.
Vito glanced at Olivia. Cole seemed a little surprised; he'd never seen Vito lose focus at a time like this. But the Inquisitor quickly returned his attention to the matter at hand and raised his chin toward Sher.
"We still don't know how many other Imperial 'dignitaries' have betrayed the Throne, and there's no time to investigate. We can't carry out an indiscriminate purge at this critical moment and cripple ourselves."
"Soon they'll accept me as a member of the 'family.' They'll probably inject me with an infection and draw me into the Genestealer family. That means they'll summon me, and I'll soon find out who their leaders are. You and your people will have to eliminate or arrest them."
"My friends and I will storm the initiation ceremony led by their Patriarch. A great many Genestealers will be there, and we'll wipe them out and deal them a heavy blow."
Sher thought for a moment and nodded, but soon raised a new question—an important one. "The Cultists are numerous, especially the infected. We have no idea how many are among the government's upper ranks. We can't search everyone at once, and if we let even one of their leaders escape, it'll pose a huge threat."
Indeed, if even one leader escaped punishment, he would quickly organize an uprising. Even if it was a hopeless uprising, doomed to fail, they would still fight to the death. That would severely weaken the planet's defenses, leaving them helpless against the Tyranid fleet.
Vito smiled and clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at the Arbites Judge. Cole and Olaf stood behind him, as if the might of the entire Imperium stood at his back.
"I have a plan, Arbites Judge. For now, contact the loyalists and get everything ready. We don't have much time."
"Indeed. I'll make preparations as quickly as possible. Marshall will continue assisting you, Inquisitor. Please excuse me; we have much to do."
Sher wasted no time, which Vito appreciated. He must have had many questions, especially about Olivia, but he only glanced at the young woman in the distance before leaving with his officers. They disappeared at the far end of the parking garage.
Yes, now wasn't the time to dwell on all those questions. Now was the time for one last fight for survival.
Vito looked at Cole and Olaf.
"I'll meet up with you and the others as soon as I can, Inquisitor."
"I know, Cole. Keep track of the reinforcements, and start organizing the evacuation of people and supplies from the other planets in the Victoria System to the Hive World. Move quickly."
"Understood, Inquisitor."
"Then good night, and good luck to you all."
"May the Allfather protect us."
"May The Emperor protect us."
The two projections vanished in a tremor of light particles. Vito picked up the communicator and clipped it back onto his wrist. He walked over to the car. Olivia slowly lifted her head and gave him a tired smile. "I—I need a drink."
"Me too. Marshall, take us back."
Marshall nodded. Vito took Olivia's hand, his face showing a hint of fatigue.
"There's a bunch of traitors and madmen under our feet, ready to kill us, and a nightmare horde is bearing down from outer space. That's my everyday life. Just another night for me."
"Tonight really has been too long."
Before you continue