Chapter 16 – The Faith That Moves Us

City of Tismator, Cathedral of Saint Alexia

"Canoness Karamora, will you allow that man to treat you with such disrespect?" A battle sister asked, quickening her pace to keep up with the Canoness who was leading the group.

"Palantina Ania, how long were you appointed to my commend exactly?" Canoness Karamora asked as they both passed through the main entrance of the cathedral, receiving admiring looks from all the faithful present.

Ania was silent for a few seconds, with a look of doubt and hesitation on her face, before slowly replying, "Less than a year."

"Hm... That means you recently became a Palatine." Canoness Karamora responded.

"Yes ma'am." Palatine Ania responded with a nod.

Moving away from the altar where the priests continued their religious ceremony, the group of Sisters of Battle climbed the stairs towards the upper floors of the cathedral.

There the group divided, the Sisters took up positions on the balconies on the upper floors, overlooking the ceremony taking place below, while Karamora and Ania continued climbing the floors of the cathedral.

"I understand, the teachings of our order dictate that we must use the fury in our hearts as a weapon against the Emperor's enemies, but you must understand, we will not allow that fury to consume us. A small misunderstanding like the one that occurred in the courtyard is no reason to get angry and start trouble." Karamora replied as she continued on her way.

"Thank you very much; I think I understand what you meant. I'm sorry if my previous words were hasty, but I've had doubts on my mind lately." Ania replied, looking away at the architecture of the cathedral.

The Palatine noticed that the cathedral became more decorated as they advanced through its interior, leaving the stone and metal corridors behind and approaching a white marble staircase with scriptures on each step.

"Let me guess. You're nervous about your new rank, you're not sure you deserve this position and you're unsure if you'll do a good job, you're worried about disappointing your sisters and that you won't be able to meet the expectations placed on you. I got it right?" Karamora asked with a small smile.

Ania remained silent, opening and closing her mouth in surprise, but taking a deep breath to compose herself, the Palatine spoke "Yes, exactly! How do you know?"

"I know this because I felt the same way when I received the position of Canoness Commander. Although it was never said directly, I knew my sisters had high expectations for me, and I had my doubts whether I would live long enough to meet them."

"Seriously? And how did you deal with it?"

The sisters finished climbing the staircase and at the end of it, they found a large metal door. Canoness Karamora took out a medallion with the symbol of her order from her armor.

Bringing this medallion closer to a scanner next to the door, a red light came out of the device, scanning the object in front of it. With a beep of confirmation, the large door opened to the sides with the click of mechanisms and squeaks of metal.

"Each of us deals with pressure differently, some seek answers in scrolls and tomes, others seek advice from those who have been through similar experiences, and while others seek to numb their minds in the hope their problems will disappear. In your case, I can offer some advice. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes please!" Ania responded eagerly, following the Canoness into the extremely decorated hallway.

Ania looked in awe at the colored light that entered through the stained glass windows, reflecting on the extremely polished floor, and on that same floor, Ania saw the reflection of the paintings on the ceiling.

"In short, take it easy. No one here expects you to become a master of strategy and combat on the first day. This will come with time, and experience is the best teacher. However, until then, I am here to teach you, as Canoness, it is my duty to teach and care for my sisters so that they reach their true potential and pass on their teachings and experiences, for now, leave the biggest worries to me. Are you listening to what I'm saying?" Canoness Karamora asked irritably, raising an eyebrow at Ania.

"What?!? Yes! Yes! I'm listening, Canoness Karamora! It's just that this place…" Ania said, looking around with wide eyes.

"Hump! Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes. What place is this?" Ania asked as the two approached the large metal door at the end of the hallway.

"This, Palatine Genevine Ania, is the place where one of the greatest saints of our order rests." Karamora said seriously, as she placed an armored hand on the door, trailing her fingers across the High-Gothic embellishments.

"You mean…" Ania asked dumbfounded.

"Yes. Saint Alexia Veridella is behind these doors." Karamora said with a small smile, which turned into a face of confusion upon seeing Palatine Ania with her mouth open in a perfect, fish-like "O".

"Don't faint, please." Karamora sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"No! No! I would never dare to make such a shameful display in such sacred place." Ania said nervously, wiping the sweat from her forehead with one hand.

"Excellent. If you had fainted, I would have thrown you from up here, and it is a long fall to the courtyard." Karamora said with a grumble.

Ania cleared her throat nervously as she cringed at her Canoness's statement "Canoness Karamora, if I may ask. Why did you bring me here?"

"You look for guidance, and I have done the same in the past, but not in the way you would expect. I come here to pray at the feet of our saint, looking for advice and guidance; sometimes I feel as if Saint Alexia is talking to me, I feel her presence involving me in my moments of greatest doubt. Maybe you feel the same; would you like to join me?"

"I-I, I am not worthy of such an honor!" Ania exclaimed, taking a step back.

"As my second in command, I believe you are."

"I... I..." Ania stuttered.

Unfortunately, the Palatine was unable to respond, as her conversation with the Canoness was interrupted by the door they passed through previously opening and a cardinal accompanied by a series of guards entering shortly afterwards.

This cardinal was known as Ridonius Meroch, the governor of Hidrus Quartus. Ridonius was an old man over two centuries old; his appearance was a sign that the rejuvenation treatments were losing their effect.

With gray hair and a few strands of black visible here and there, pale and slightly wrinkled skin, the cardinal waved to the sisters with his bionic hand with thin, pointed robotic fingers, with an autoquill in place of his index finger.

The cardinal wore finely sewn white robes adorned with symbols of the Ecclesiarchy, and carried a golden staff with a lit torch burning incense on top.

Although the staff served more as a cane to keep the cardinal's old, hunched form upright.

"Cardinal Meroch." Both Sisters of Battle responded in a respectful tone, making the Imperial Aquila symbol in the presence of the cardinal.

"Now, you two don't need to be so formal with this old cardinal, after all, your order has diligently contributed to the protection and maintenance of the peace of Hidrus Quartus, not to mention, of course, the saint who saved this planet centuries ago." Cardinal Meroch responded with a friendly smile.

"Your words are kind, Cardinal Meroch." Palatine Ania responded, bowing slightly.

"Haha! You can't imagine how happy I am to hear that, unfortunately I'm not here to talk. I need to speak to Canoness Karamora about an important matter." Cardinal Meroch said with a knowing look.

Canoness Karamora returned the look in a similar tone, nodding positively at the Cardinal, knowing what he was talking about.

"Palatine Ania, you can go and stand with our sisters, I have a lot to discuss with the cardinal." Karamora said to her sister.

With a wave, Ania withdrew from the hall at a hasty run, and giving a respectful bow to the cardinal, she descended the marble stairs towards the lower floors.

"Let's go?" Cardinal Meroch asked the Canoness, making a gesture with his robotic hand.

The Canoness nodded in confirmation, then the group consisting of a Sister of Battle, Cardinal and his armed escort walked through the corridors of the Cathedral until they reached an elevator.

Entering the elevator, one of the Cardinal's armed guards pressed a button on the panel, causing the elevator to rise. It was a quiet climb, the only noise being the hymns and prayers coming from the speakers inside the elevator.

The elevator went up to the hundredth floor of the cathedral, when its doors opened, the group entered a long marble corridor, decorated with tapestries and religious symbols, at the end of this corridor there were a pair of large wooden doors.

These doors were opened by a pair of servitors, their blank eyes showing no sign of emotion or consciousness, and with robotic movements of their bionic parts, they stepped aside, out of the way of the group.

Inside the room on the other side of the door, which turned out to be the cardinal's office, Cardinal Meroch sat in a large, comfortable velvety chair, just behind a large wooden desk.

The cardinal's escort took up guard positions around the office, while the canoness sat in a chair facing the cardinal.

Before the two could start a conversation, a Cherub flew close to the two, carrying a silver tray with two porcelain cups filled with a steaming liquid.

The bizarre creature built in the shape of a winged, deformed, wire-covered baby let out a childish laugh as it placed the tray on the table, before returning to its fellow creatures that flew around the cardinal's office, burning incense, quoting litanies or cleaning the place.

None of the humans present seemed bothered by the sight.

"Tea?" Cardinal Meroch asked with a smile, as he picked up one of the cups and blew it before taking a sip.

"Cardinal Meroch, with all the respect you deserve, I have the duties of my order to fulfill, and sisters to lead. Can we get straight to the point of why we are here?" Canoness Karamora said irritably.

"But isn't that one of the biggest questions in the universe? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Where do we go after death?" Cardinal Meroch joked, but let out a disappointed sigh when he saw the serious look that the Canoness was giving him.

"Well, from your reaction, I'm glad I chose a religious career and not as a comedian. So straight to the point, I'm retiring and it's time to choose my replacement." Cardinal Meroch said seriously, as he ran his organic hand over his tired old face.

This generated a look of surprise from the Canoness.

"Truly? Will you leave your position? From what I understand, you have been governor of Hidrus Quartus since my grandmother's time." Canoness Karamora exclaimed.

"Exactly, it must come as a surprise to you and everyone who knows how long I've been in power, but honestly, I'm getting old, tired and bald." Cardinal Meroch finished with a laugh, and smiled waiting for the Canoness's reaction, but made a disappointed face when he saw that Karamora continued to look at him irritated.

"And who exactly will be your replacement?" Canoness Karamora asked, raising her eyebrow above her organic eye.

With a sigh, Cardinal Meroch removed a parchment from his desk drawer, and wrote something, then handed the parchment to the Canoness.

Karamora accepted the parchment with a wave, but before she could read its contents, the entire cathedral shook, and the sound of screams could be heard in the distance.

BOOM!

"AAAHHH!"

"What was that?!?" Canoness Karamora exclaimed, standing up quickly, knocking her chair to the floor.

"Allow me." Cardinal Meroch spoke, pressing a button on the cogitator on his desk, which ended up opening a series of holographic screens where the Cardinal and Canoness saw the source of the commotion.

"By the Emperor!" The Cardinal exclaimed, leaning against his desk with a surprised face.

"Stay here Cardinal Meroch. I will deal with it." Canoness Karamora said seriously, putting on her helmet, and drawing her Chainsword and Bolter.

On the way out of the office, her feet pushed aside the parchment with the name of Cardinal Meroch's replacement. Quickly a Cherub approached and retrieved the parchment, returning to Meroch's side shortly afterwards.

"Be careful!" The Cardinal shouted, but the only response he got was the Canoness closing the wooden door with a loud thud.

Letting out a tired sigh, the Cardinal grabbed his imperial Aquila necklace while muttering a prayer, then he approached the large windows of his office where he saw smoke coming from different parts of the city.

"Did this have to happen right when I was about to retire?"

-XXXXXX-

Palatine Ania returned to the entrance of the cathedral, and standing close to the end of the stairs, the Sister of Battle observed the movement of people in courtyard, it was another ordinary day, the sun was shining in the sky, people were entering and leaving the cathedral, children were playing close to their families.

Ania smiled at this sight, but that smile soon turned into a thoughtful look, trying to take her mind off what was worrying her, Ania decided to do a quick review of her weapons.

Her Plasma Pistol was in perfect condition, her Chainsword was as sharp as ever, and her Combat Knife was ready to spill the blood of Heretics.

Ania paused for a moment, studying her reflection, her obsidian-colored skin and glowing red eyes, a legacy of her home planet.

"Calm down Ania, your Sisters are counting on you, a great responsibility has been placed on your shoulders, but it's like Canoness Karamora said, no one here expects you to become a master on the first day. Take it easy, take it easy." Ania repeated this mantra to herself, breathing slowly.

The Sister of Battle quickly recovered herself, with her hands on her hips and a big smile on her face, the Palatine exclaimed to herself "Yes, that's right! I just need to take it easy and... Hm..."

The Battle Sister stopped her speech and tilted her head in confusion at what she was seeing. Three trucks approached the cathedral, but instead of making their way along the road, the trucks passed the Order Hospitaller mobile clinic and went up into the cathedral courtyard, moving towards the aforementioned building.

It didn't take long for Ania to realize something was wrong, as the trucks continued to move faster and faster.

Wasting no time, Ania got into a fighting stance, took out her Plasma Pistol and shouted "EVERYONE, INTO THE CATHEDRAL, NOW!"

Unfortunately, her scream only generated confusion among those present in the courtyard, and that moment of inaction was enough for everything to deteriorate. The drivers jumped out of their respective trucks, allowing the large vehicles to run over everyone in their path and explode in a ball of fire shortly thereafter.

The people affected were reduced to charred pieces of flesh; those who were further away were knocked off the ground by the shock wave or by the shrapnel and fragments resulting from the explosion.

A specific truck was heading towards a group of people near the fountain in the center of the courtyard, the group of people noticed the truck, the one who was sitting on the edge of the fountain got up, but Palatine Ania's view was blocked by the group of people who finally decided to follow her orders and enter the cathedral.

There was another explosion, this one strong enough to knock Ania to the ground, disorienting her, a few seconds passed, Ania remained on the ground with her vision blurred and ears ringing as the feet of desperate people passed by her side.

Raising her head, Ania saw a masked person running towards her; this person was wearing makeshift leather and metal armor and running towards Ania with a fire ax in his hands.

Quick as lightning, all of the years of training and combat came into play. Jumping to her feet, Ania drew her Chainsword and with a fluid movement, struck a blow towards the masked man.

The Chainsword's engine roared, its teeth running in a silver flash, what came next was a wet sound of flesh being torn and blood being spilled, this sound was accompanied by the crack of crunching bones and the masked man's screams of pain.

"AAAHHH!" The masked man roared as both of his arms were separated from his body and sent flying, the pair of limbs falling onto the stairs of the cathedral where they rolled to a stop on the courtyard floor, still holding the weapon.

The masked man didn't have to worry about the pain anymore, as before he could react, his head was separated from his body and sent flying away in a splash of blood.

Palatine Ania swung her Chainsword, removing the blood from the blade, and with a look of contained fury, scanned the courtyard with her glowing red eyes.

The courtyard was covered in flaming wreckage from trucks, dozens of people were lying on the ground, dead or injured, and taking a quick look at the fountain, Palatine realized that the group of people was missing.

Ania breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of bodies; they must have escaped long ago.

Unfortunately, this was not the end, as from the same street where the trucks came from, a series of modified cars and trucks approached. With metal plates serving as armor, bars on the windows, covered in metal spikes and with weapons mounted on top or behind, the vehicles approached quickly.

As if that wasn't enough, masked and armed people accompanied these vehicles, these people came from everywhere, from inside buildings, alleys, sewers, and slowly they moved to surround the cathedral.

A series of footsteps caught the Palatine's attention, taking a quick look back, Ania felt relieved to see her sisters approaching and leading them was Canoness Karamora.

With a sharp look from beneath her helmet, the Canoness scanned the environment, analyzing the situation, the number of wounded, enemies, Sisters and chances of victory.

Then pointing her Chainsword high in the air, Canoness Karamora shouted, "Sisters, provide cover fire! Palatine Ania and the rest will recover as many of the injured as possible and bring them to the cathedral!"

"Yes ma'am!" The Sisters of Battle shouted as one.

"And don't forget to put on your helmets!"

"Yes ma'am!" The Sisters responded again, carrying out their superior's orders.

"Sisters! Show these heretics the wrath of our order. For Hidrus Quartus, for Saint Alexia, for the Emperor!" Canoness Karamora shouted, firing her Bolter at the cultists.

Moreover, her Sisters did the same; taking up firing lines, the first kneeling and the second standing, the Battle Sisters provided cover for those rescuing the wounded.

Although this did nothing to deter the cultists.

"Show those bolter bitches how foolish their actions are!" The cultist leading this small army shouted from behind a heavy machine gun mounted on the open roof of a truck.

With a series of screams driven by the energies of chaos, the cultists raised their weapons to the sky before taking cover behind vehicles, buildings or statues near the cathedral and opening fire on the sisters shortly afterwards.

Then with a hail of bullets from both sides, a battle began in front of the Cathedral of Saint Alexia, a cacophony of weapons firing, war cries, madness and pain took over the once peaceful place.

The Battle Sisters' Power Armor proved more than capable of withstanding the projectiles from the cultists' Autoguns, bullets from pistols, shotguns and machine guns merely ricocheted off the armor, barely slowing the sisters in their run, although one or two bullets did lodge into the joints of the armor, slightly injuring the sisters.

However, that wasn't enough to stop them; after all, they went through worse during their training.

Seeing that the first salvo of gunfire did nothing to stop the sisters, the cultist leader ordered the heavy weapons to be used, the cultists inside their vehicles prepared to fire the heavy machine guns, but before this was possible, bolter fire rained down on the vehicles in a mix of sparks and explosions.

The cultists who did not take cover inside their vehicles in time were torn to pieces, the bolter shots hitting their bodies and exploding shortly afterwards, creating a rain of flesh and bones.

The bodies of the dead cultists were pulled into their respective vehicles, and thrown into the street shortly afterwards, freeing up space for new cultists to operate the heavy machine guns.

"Advance!" The cultist leader shouted.

Slowly the cultists advanced towards the cathedral, using their armored vehicles as a shield for the troops right behind, unfortunately the bolter was not the most appropriate weapon to deal with armor, but that does not mean that the advance was easy, as many of the vehicles had their drivers killed by shots that eventually went through the armor.

Strangely, all this carnage served to agitate the cultists even more, increasing their thirst for blood, as with screams of madness, part of the cultists left the protection guaranteed by the vehicles and ran towards the battle sisters who rescued the injured.

In addition, one of the first sisters in the cultists' path was Palatine Ania who supported an injured man on her shoulder.

The first cultists to approach attempted to slash the Palatine with a large butcher knife, but with a quick movement of her hands, the Palatine aimed her Plasma Pistol at the cultist.

Moreover, with the pull of a trigger, a release of gas, and a blue flash, the cultist's entire upper body was reduced to molten goo on the floor. Quickly standing up, with the injured man resting on her shoulder, Ania retreated towards the cathedral while opening fire at the cultists.

A cultist with a sledgehammer attempted to crush Ania's head, but soon the entire right side of his body disappeared in a blue glow, leaving behind incinerated flesh and organs.

Another cultist, this one holding a homemade weapon consisting of a circular saw at the end of a metal pipe, approached. In addition, squeezing a mechanism on the pipe, the circular saw spun with a high-pitched whirring sound.

The cultist laughed maniacally as he swung his weapon towards Ania, but before the Palatine could fire or be hit, another battle sister got in her way, parrying the cultist's blow with her Chainsword, and slashing the cultist in the chest right away, almost splitting him in two.

Nodding to her sister, Ania looked around, her sisters easily dealt with the cultists who tried to engage in hand-to-hand combat, with quick swings of their swords, the sisters of battle tore the cultists to pieces, painting the courtyard of in red.

Meanwhile, the rest of her sisters carried the wounded into the cathedral, one sister carrying a pair of children, another a woman lying on her shoulders, slowly everyone was taken to safety.

"Sisters, retreat! Our objective is almost complete!" Palatine Ania ordered.

With a series of shouts of confirmation, the Sisters of Battle disengaged from their fighting, quickly eliminating the cultists and retreating towards the cathedral while opening fire with their bolters, providing cover for those carrying people.

Taking one last look at the cultists, Ania glared at a cultist approaching her, driving a truck, and the cultist seemed to notice the sister's gaze, as he let out an angry scream behind his mask.

The Palatine aimed her Plasma Pistol at the cultist, but soon lowered the weapon, preferring not to waste another precious shot; instead, she took a grenade from her belt, removed the pin with her thumb and threw the explosive towards the vehicle.

She then turned back towards the cathedral, not paying attention to the cultist's frightened screams before the explosion that silenced him.

"Save ammunition; use grenades to disable the vehicles!" Ania ordered, walking past her sisters.

Complying with the order, the remaining Sisters threw their grenades, covering the courtyard with explosions, but stopping the cultists' advance for the time being.

Soon all the Sisters of Battle returned inside the cathedral and the large doors closed, blocking the shots and screams of the cultists.

Inside the cathedral, the Sisters of Battle laid the injured on the wooden benches, meanwhile, the people who were already in the cathedral or managed to escape the cultists muttered and argued in fear, looking at the cathedral doors hesitantly.

Soon the entire place was filled with a cacophony of voices mixed with the muffled sound of gunfire outside.

"You! Take care of the injured! You! Calm the civilians!" Canoness Karamora ordered; and the Sisters of Battle divided into groups to carry out the orders.

"Canoness Karamora, what is happening? Who were those people?" Palatine Ania asked her superior, as she handed the injured man she was carrying to another sister.

The Canoness was silent for a few seconds, pondering her response "Heretics who have turned away from the Emperor's light, nothing more, and nothing less. However, that doesn't matter now, what really matters is that we need reinforcements, the cathedral is surrounded. I want you to contact the rest of our sisters." Canoness Karamora responded slowly.

The Palatine stared at the Canoness for a few seconds, not satisfied with the answer, but preferring not to question her superior, the Palatine complied with the order, but in the moment that the Sister of Battle opened her communication channel, a distorted and deafening roar greeted her.

"RRROOOAAAARRR!"

With a cry of surprise and pain, Ania abruptly removed her helmet, throwing it to the ground. The Palatine took a few steps back as she grabbed her ears, unfortunately this left her distracted to what was happening to her helmet.

The Battle Sister's helmet rolled from side to side on the ground, multicolored lightning ran across the metal, making the helmet struggle as if it were alive, with metallic cracks, suddenly the helmet stood upright and with a sharp screech, it jumped towards the Palatine, with a mass of tentacles accompanied by a circular mouth with rows of teeth in the place where the Palatine would place her head.

The screams of surprise and warning from her sisters caught Ania's attention, soon the Palatine saw the mutated helmet coming towards her, the Palatine quickly grabbed her Chainsword, but before she could strike the thing, a bolter shell hit the helmet.

BANG!

With a precise shot from her now smoking bolter, the Canoness sent the mutated helm flying away, the creature, now with a piece of its body missing, stood up on its tentacles and tried to leap towards the Palatine again, but before it had the chance, the helmet was incinerated by a sister carrying a flamer.

"SSSCCCRRREEE!"

The creature screamed as its body was melted and reduced to ash.

The cathedral was silent, the Canoness looked around and checked her sisters' reaction, the older sisters gave a knowing look, unlike the younger ones who wondered what that thing was.

Canoness Karamora approached Ania, checking if she was okay.

"When this is all over, we will have a long talk."

"WHAT?!?" Ania screamed, poking one of her ears with her pinky.

Unfortunately, this was not the end of the battle sisters' problems, as from every radio, television; speaker and communication device in the city of Tismator a distorted voice was heard.

"There is only one truth in this galaxy…"

-XXXXXX-

In the rest of the city, the situation was not much different from the cathedral; the streets were taken by gunfights with the planetary defense forces and Arbites against the cultists.

The defenders did their best to protect civilians and key points in the city, but with the cultists' surprise attack, there was little time for them to organize.

Even so, one of the key points that remained standing was the Tismator Communications Center. Being a non-military building, the large concrete and metal construction wasn't exactly fortified, but the planetary defense forces did the best with what they had.

Barricading the building and using the windows as cover, the defenders kept the cultists out, while the cultists used cars, stores and alleys as cover against the hail of bullets coming their way and returned fire with fervor.

"Hey, I'm out of ammo, pass me some!" One of the members of the planetary defense force shouted to his partner as the two fired at the cultists.

Unfortunately, the only response he received was the barrel of his partner's machine gun pointed at his face, and before he could ask what he was doing, he heard the sound of a trigger being pulled and everything went dark.

This process was repeated throughout the communications center; suddenly members of the defense force turned against each other, outside, all that the cultists saw was the rain of bullets getting smaller and smaller. Brief flashes of light shone near the windows, and then everything went silent.

That is until the large metal door of the communications center opened and one of the defense force members appears.

"Don't shoot!" The leader of the group of cultists shouted, waiting for the man to do something.

The defender removed his helmet, revealing a face tattooed with the eight-pointed star.

"Brothers, the path is clear!" The defender, revealed to be a cultist shouted.

With shouts of celebration, the cultists invaded the communication center, thanking their infiltrated brothers and soon took control of the communication devices.

In addition, they did so just in time for a special person to arrive, entering the building with an armed escort, was a man wearing military-looking attire.

The man wore a bulletproof vest with ammunition and grenades, black gloves, elbow pads, kneepads, armguards and leg guards, military pants, black boots, and a belt with a pistol in the holster. Instead of a helmet, the man wore a metal mask representing a person screaming in agony, in one hand the man carried a machine gun and in the other a war flag with the cult's symbol.

The cultists treated this man with reverence, as he was the Iconarch of the cult, responsible for inspiring the troops and having the honor of carrying the cult's icon.

Without wasting time, the Iconarch entered the central communication room where he was given a Vox device, and then the Iconarch began his speech.

"There is only one truth in this galaxy…"

-XXXXXX-

In the cultists' hideout, the Demagogue, Sabathiel, and the Gray Knight entered Vox's room, where the cultists received communications from their brothers and sisters.

One of them nodded in confirmation upon receiving a message and then spoke to the newcomers "The Communication Center is ours."

"Perfect! Honey, do your part!" Sabathiel said, smiling at the Gray Knight at her side.

Without say a single word, the Gray Knight walked towards the Vox's devices while channeling his powers, with the crackle of lightning and supernatural wind, swirls of energy covered both of the Space Marine's hands.

Soon after, he touched both hands to the device, causing warp energy to flow through the machine; all devices inside the room were covered by this same energy.

Metal crackled, wires writhed like snakes, faces screaming in agony appeared on the glass screens, quickly this same energy flowed upward, finding its way through Tismator's machine systems, all accompanied by a distorted roar.

"RRROOOAAAARRR!"

-XXXXXX-

Outside Tismator, the rest of the Sisters of Battle and Arbites forces approached the city in their respective aircrafts. Even though they didn't know what was happening, everyone noticed that something was obviously wrong. After all, the cultists' strategy wasn't exactly discreet.

The sisters in their Thunderhawks and the Arbites in their Valkyries, unfortunately, as they approached the city, the defense systems on the walls were covered in purple lightning, and they soon turned towards the approaching aircrafts.

With a series of insults and exclamations, the pilots did their best to dodge the approaching fire. Anti-aircraft batteries and missile launchers fired their projectiles, shooting down some aircrafts, turning others into balls of fire and forcing the rest to maneuver away.

Amid the chaos, the aircraft pilots tried to contact the city using the Vox system, but were met with a disturbing speech.

"There is only one truth in this galaxy…"

-XXXXXX-

"...And this truth was hidden from you! From a young age, we are fed the lies of the Imperium! We learn that we must love the Emperor, praise the Emperor, worship the Emperor, and so in the day of our deaths, we will be taken to his side! Lies! False words from a corpse rotting on a throne!"

"Canoness Karamora, what..."

BOOM!

Before Ania could finish her question, an explosion hit the cathedral.

"Report!" The Canoness shouted to a Sister in the upper area of the cathedral, watching outside through one of the windows.

"Unknown enemy approaching! It seems to be... The Imperial Guard?!?" The Sisters shouted before taking cover on the adjacent wall, shielding herself from the lasfire that rained towards her.

"But don't worry, our eyes have been opened and soon yours will be too! All I ask is that you abandon your false faith! Stop worshiping a false god! Hear our voice, take our hand and we will show you the true gods of the galaxy!"

"Damn it! What else are you seeing?!?" Canoness demanded.

"Hundreds of guardsman carrying lasguns, I also see mortars and Leman Russes." The Battle Sister responded.

"They are preparing for a siege. Palatine Ania, I have a mission for you!"

"Yes Canoness Karamora!" The Palatine responded, saluting.

"We need reinforcements, but communications have been taken, your mission will be to go to the Communications Center, regain control and contact our sisters. You understood?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"I must stay here and lead the defense; in the meantime you will lead a small detachment of our sisters on your mission."

"Yes ma'am! But how do we get out of here?" Palatine Ania asked.

"Cathedrals like this are built on top of catacombs that stretch for miles and Cardinal Meroch know the way."

"You only need to answer one question. What is the truth of the galaxy? Chaos! That's the answer! Chaos! Moreover, those who command chaos are the true gods of the galaxy! We bring you the word of one of them, the word of the Prince of Pleasure! Don't you want to feel pleasures you've never felt before? Free yourself from the misery of the Imperium and enjoy what was denied to you? So just join us and we will guide you! We will show you all the glory and pleasure that our goddess has to offer!"

Without wasting time, Canoness Karamora and Palatine Ania, accompanied by a small group of Sisters of Battle, contacted Cardinal Meroch, explaining the entire situation to the cardinal, the group was guided by the man and his escort to a remote area of the cathedral, specifically an old, dusty library.

"Where is it, where is it?" Cardinal Meroch muttered as he removed books from shelves, throwing them away.

Until a book tilted with an audible noise, with a series of metallic clicks of moving mechanisms, the floor in the center of the library sank and retreated to the sides, revealing a dark staircase.

"This is one of the entrances to the catacombs, if I remember correctly, just follow a straight line and you will soon find one of the exits. I wish you good luck in your endeavor, and may the Emperor be with you." Cardinal Meroch spoke, while praying briefly.

"Be careful out there. Lead your sisters with bravery and wisdom, and show these heretics the Emperor's fury." Canoness Karamora said to the Palatine.

"Yes ma'am! And when I return, I expect an explanation of what is happening here." Palatine Ania replied.

"I promise, I just hope we're alive by then." Canoness responded with a small smile.

With a wave and a final farewell, the group of Battle Sisters descended into the darkness, soon the passage closed behind them, muffling the sound of the tanks and mortars shelling the cathedral.

As soon as the passage closed, the Sisters turned on the lanterns integrated into the sides of their helmets, except for Ania. Moreover, with the path now illuminated, the sisters took in their surroundings.

It was the typical catacomb you would see in paintings and history books, hallways adorned with skulls and bones, stone tombs lined the walls, each with a skeleton slowly turning to dust. Below each tomb was a faded inscription stating the individual's name, date of birth and death.

Leaving these details aside, the group of sisters advanced through the corridors covered in death.

"So, you are the new Palatine? Aren't you too young to have reached this position?" A Battle Sister asked, she was the tallest of the group and carried an Eviscerator resting on her shoulder and a Bolter Pistol on her waist.

"I think the same thing, but for some reason Canoness Karamora nominated me for this position and I was accepted." Ania replied.

"Hm... You must have been through a lot then."

"You can say so. But I mainly fought against Xenos, Orks, and Eldars…" The Palatine replied.

"Haha! I'd like to hear some stories about that. So what's it like to fight an ork? It must be fun."

"I doubt you'll say that when a Nob with a Big Choppa gets into melee range with you." Ania replied, shivering slightly.

"I would appreciate it. It would be a good chance for my baby and I to have some fun." The Sister responded, patting the Eviscerator.

"Arrogance comes before the fall, although our order encourages hand-to-hand combat, it is suggested to do so only when the chances of victory are greater than the chances of defeat." Another battle sister responded; this one carrying standard battle sister equipment, but on her waist she carried a bag with books and parchments.

"Oh! Someone here seems to follow the rulebook to the letter." The taller Sister teased.

"What can I say? The Codex Astartes approves this action." The Sister with the book bag joked.

However, she felt a little nervous when she saw the other Sisters staring at her in silence.

"It's a joke I heard on my home planet." The Sister murmured.

"We are wasting time." A fourth Battle Sister spoke, this one wearing a helmet whose lower region was an advanced gas mask that covered the mouth and nose, and carried a heavy flamer in her hands.

"Honestly I don't care as long as I can skin some heretics." The fifth and final battle sister responded as she twirled a combat knife in each hand, her armor was slightly modified with spikes and point adornments, serving as a form of intimidation.

"Well, we have a colorful bunch here. How about we introduce ourselves? My name is Gena Harrison." The taller Sister spoke, now identified as Gena.

"Silke Lea Schiffer." The sisters with the flamer responded quickly.

"Olcinia Calvina. Nice to meet you." The Sister with the bag responded, bowing slightly.

"Hump! Victoria Trandafira Tomoiaga, and don't get in my way." The Sister with the combat knives grumbled irritably.

"I think the only one missing is me. My name is Genevine Ania S'narikar. And as Palatine, I am here to lead your all on the battlefield. I hope I can trust you to follow my orders and in return I will lead us to victory." Ania replied.

"Don't worry, just point out who to rip apart and leave the rest to me." Gena responded, patting Ania on the shoulder, making her stumble forward.

"It is an honor to serve with you Palatine Ania." Olcinia said politely.

"Yes ma'am!" Silke spoke soon after, giving a quick salute.

"Just don't make me wait too long for the fight. My blades crave blood." Victoria grumbled again, not looking at the other Sisters.

With a gentle smile and a nod of confirmation, Ania led the Sisters through the catacombs, until they reached a section with one of the walls knocked down.

"What is that smell?" Ania asked as her face contorted into a grimace, once again not having a helmet proved a disadvantage, but Ania had the answer to her question as soon as she approached the collapsed wall, as on the other side was a sewer tunnel with dirty, fetid water running in the middle.

Ania swallowed hard, holding back her vomit, she and her sisters entered the sewer, their armored boots making waves in the polluted water, generating noises of disgust from the group, fortunately, this experience did not last long, as just ahead there was a manhole ladder.

Disgust was replaced by seriousness; the sisters knew that as soon as they left the sewers, they would be in enemy territory; slowly Ania climbed the ladder, leading the group. Slightly lifting the manhole cover, Ania was confused upon seeing herself covered by a large shadow, the confusion increased even more when the Battle Sister found herself facing a pair of large armored boots.

Suddenly, Ania felt herself being pulled upwards until her feet stopped touching the ground. Still holding the manhole cover, Ania found herself lifted into the air, face to face with the helmet of a large Space Marine.

"Hello!" The Space Marine said in a gentle and confused tone.

"Hey Palatine! You're… Holy shit!" Gena exclaimed, seeing her superior lifted into the air, so without thinking twice, she swung her Eviscerator towards the large Space Marine while letting out an enraged scream.

"Gena wait!" Ania screamed, but it was too late.

Fortunately, the shield of one of the Space Marines wearing terminator armor blocked the blow.

All this commotion caused the other battle sisters to rush out of the sewer, only to find a large Space Marine and twenty Space Marines wearing terminator armor.

"Well, that was rude. I think I'll have to be more professional. I am Akatosius Uthacello, the Chapter Master of the Phantom Knights Chapter. May I know why you are attacking me?" The Space Marine asked seriously.

All Ania could do was sweat with nervousness as she screamed internally.

END OF CHAPTER