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'Ha! Now you lecture me, Garviel,’ sighed Sinderma
'And you are not just an iterator?'
'No, I suppose not,’ nodded Sinderma
'What things?' asked Loken. You mean Keeler?'
'Perhaps,’ said Sinderma
'Part of what?'
'You heard what happened in the Archive Chamber?'
With Euphrati? Yes, there was a fire and she was badly hurt. She ended up in a coma,’
'I was there,’ said Sinderma
'Kyril,’ said Mersadie, a note of warning in her voice.
'Please, Mersadie,’ said Sinderma
'What did you see?' asked Loken. 'Lies,’ replied Sinderma
'How?' asked Loken.
That's the part where I run out of rational explanations, Garviel,’ shrugged Sinderma
'Well, what do you think happened?'
Sinderma
Hearing Kyril Sinderma
'But Kyril,' she said, 'there must be another explanation. Even what happened to Jubal wasn't beyond physical possibilities. The Warmaster himself told Loken that the thing that took Jubal was some kind of xeno creature from the warp. I've listened to you teach about how minds have been twisted by magic and superstition and all the things that blind us to reality. That's what the Imperial Truth is. I can't believe that the Iterator Kyril Sinderma
'Believe, my dear?' said Sinderma
so huge and noisy that everyone would hear it. He simply replied that we are born with that noise all around us, and that we are so used to hearing it that we ca
Mersadie sat beside the old man and wrapped her arms around him, surprised to find that he was shivering and his eyes were wet with tears.
'I'm starting to hear it, Garviel,’ said Sinderma
Mersadie watched Loken's face as he stared at Sinderma
Now, before her very eyes, that was unravelling.
Yarvarus was killed,’ said Loken at last, 'deliberately, by one of our bolts,’
'Hektor Varvarus? The Army commander?' asked Mersadie. 'I thought that was the Auretians?'
'No,’ said Loken, 'it was one of ours,’
'Why?' she asked.
'He wanted us... I don't know... hauled before a court martial, brought to task for the... killings on the embarkation deck. Maloghurst wouldn't agree. Varvarus wouldn't back down and now he is dead,’
'Then it's true,’ sighed Sinderma
'There are still a few of us left,’ said Loken, quiet steel in his voice.
Then we do something about it, Garviel,’ said Sinderma
The sound that cut off Sinderma
His face was thunder and anger seemed to bleed from him.
'Loken,' he said, 'these are civilians.'
'Kyril Sinderma
Maloghurst spoke with Horus's authority and Mersadie marvelled at what it must take to stand up to such a man.
'Perhaps you are unaware of the Warmaster's edict, captain,’ said Maloghurst, the pleasant neutrality of his tone completely at odds with the tension that crackled between the two Astartes. 'These clerks and notaries have caused enough
trouble; you of all people should understand that. There are to be no distractions, Loken, and no exceptions,’
Loken stood face-to-face with Maloghurst and for one sickening moment, Mersadie thought he was about to strike the equerry.
'We are all doing the work of the Great Crusade, Mai,’ said Loken tightly. 'Without these men and women, it ca
'Civilians do not fight, captain, they only question and complain. They can record everything they desire once the war has been won and they can spread the Imperial Truth once we have conquered a population that needs to hear it. Until then, they are not a part of this Crusade,’
'No, Maloghurst,’ said Loken. You're wrong and you know it. The Emperor did not create the pri-marchs and the Legions so they could fight on in ignorance. He did not set out to conquer the galaxy just for it to become another dictatorship,’
The Emperor,’ said Maloghurst, gesturing towards the door, 'is a long way from here,’
A dozen soldiers marched into the training halls and Mersadie recognised uniforms of the Imperial Army, but saw that their badges of unit and rank had been removed. With a start, she also recognised one face - the icy, golden-eyed features of Petronella Vivar's bodyguard. She recalled that his name was Maggard, and was amazed at the sheer size of the man, his physique bulky and muscled beyond that of the army soldiers who accompanied
him. The exposed flesh of his muscles bore freshly healing scars and his face displayed a nascent gigantism similar to Loken's. He stood out amongst the uniformed Army soldiers, and his presence only lent credence to Sinderma
'Take the iterator and the remembrancer back to their quarters,’ said Maloghurst. 'Post guards and ensure that there are no more breaches.'
Maggard nodded and stepped forwards. Mersadie tried to avoid him, but he was quick and strong, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and hauling her towards the door. Sinderma
Maloghurst stood between Loken and the door. If Loken wanted to stop Maggard and his men, he would have to go through Maloghurst.