Chapter 34: Either the Marshal or the Priest Must Be a Little Mad

"Greetings, Brother Romulus."

The Chaplain behind Orlando, evidently finding this negotiation painful to watch, stepped forward without hesitation.

"Before we reached the Little Pierde sector, two companies of the Nemesis Chapter lost contact at Pierde and have since fallen completely silent. The Emperor’s Tarot revealed the extreme peril of this mission. As our expedition fleet only deployed three hundred brothers, we must secure any assistance available."

The Chaplain spoke with far more grace, calmly explaining the situation. He then produced his divination records to show the group. The Emperor’s Tarot, a divination tool used by those who hold faith in the Emperor, allows the devout to seek omens through ritual—a practice typically reserved for those whose faith is deep enough to receive the Emperor’s guidance.

"The omens reveal we are walking toward death, yet there remains a glimmer of light in the darkness, one that requires the aid of powerful reinforcements."

Arabella translated the message for the ancient saints. After all, the current Ecclesiarchy only rose to dominance during the Age of Apostasy; before that, the Imperial Creed was far from systematic.

"..."

The Chaplain sensed something amiss. An Arch-Sister holds authority equal to a Chapter Master, and her ability to mobilize Imperial forces often far exceeds that of a Space Marine. Given that the Deathwatch is a melting pot of disparate cultures, stubborn personalities, and unorthodox methods—often dealing directly with xeno artifacts—he expected, at best, cold indifference.

Yet, was this Arch-Sister being perhaps too respectful toward these Deathwatch brothers?

"Understood."

Romulus nodded, mentally elevating the importance of securing this combat strength. After all, when dealing with a Chapter as scrutinized by the Emperor as the Black Templars, the credibility of their divination was high.

"Thank you for the interpretation, Sister Arabella."

Though he had finished reading the somewhat outdated files on the Carcharodons and had gained a fresh perspective on the sheer absurdity of the Imperium, Romulus held no prejudice against the Sisters of the Ecclesiarchy. He understood that the current state of the Imperium could not be blamed on them. Everyone knew that if one could set things right and make the Imperium great again simply by executing a few people or even a few High Lords, those lords would likely throw themselves off the nearest ledge before anyone else had to lift a finger.

As for the time-travelers, they intended to keep a close watch; they would not allow their future Chapter homeworld to descend into such a state of abstraction.

"It is my honor."

Arabella bowed in salutation. What she appreciated most was that while these ancient saints did not identify with the modern Imperium, they never sought to forcefully deny it, choosing instead to respect the faith and sacrifices of humanity over the past ten millennia. If the Emperor’s successive manifestations had earned the travelers the Sisters' awe, then it was the travelers' attitude—'I may not understand, but I respect it,' and 'One cannot blame these victims who fight against all manner of horrors'—that easily won their heartfelt reverence.

And perhaps, it was more than just a little.

The Chaplain carefully scrutinized these Deathwatch warriors, bearing the heraldry of the Ultramarines and Blood Angels. Something about them just didn't sit right.

"So, you intend to invite us to deal with the Drukhari in order to secure the assistance of the Explorator fleet, correct?" Romulus asked, clarifying his thoughts.

"But Inquisitor Aglaia forced us to accept the Archmagos's harsh conditions just to keep the Explorator fleet in tow. We lost twenty-seven brothers for it, and now, we have nothing to show for it." Orlando interjected, glaring at the Inquisitor. "You will answer for the brothers who died because of your psychic sorcery."

"It was the Emperor’s revelation given to me!" Aglaia argued back.

"That was merely a hallucination granted by your sorcery! If not for the seal the God-Emperor bestowed upon you, you would be nothing more than another witch to be purged on the spot." Orlando glanced at Aglaia, his disgust undisguised.

The Chaplain, about to intervene, watched helplessly as the Marshal—who was even more extreme than he was—fell back into a heated argument with the Inquisitor. He led the others a few steps away and offered an apology.

"My apologies."

"Understandable," Romulus replied dismissively.

They were Black Templars, after all. Every expedition fleet’s Marshal and Chaplain seemed destined to be obsessed with something.

"So, is there a disagreement within the Black Templars regarding whether to assist the Explorator fleet?"

"The Black Templars support the Inquisitor's decision; the Emperor’s revelation dictates that we should secure any help we can, so the addition of the Explorator fleet is naturally a good thing." The Chaplain looked toward the Archmagos, his tone tinged with indignation. "However, Archmagos Cawl’s demands are truly harsh."

"What do you mean?"

*Click.*

A servo-skull flew over. The Chaplain inserted his mission log into the slot behind the skull and began describing the attack.

"The Archmagos and the expedition fleet reached a consensus on entering Pierde, mediated by Inquisitor Aglaia. The Black Templars would ensure the Archmagos's safety upon landing, and upon mission completion, he would provide us with ships based on the findings."

When mentioning the ship models, the Chaplain was deliberately vague, gesturing instead to the star map displayed before them.

"We agreed to rendezvous in the Little Pierde system before proceeding to Pierde. But when the Explorator fleet arrived, before our own fleet could provide support, a Drukhari fleet that had been lying in ambush attacked them."

"Those Drukhari were clearly hired by someone to intercept the Explorator fleet in the Little Pierde system. After the naval battle failed, over five hundred Drukhari seized the furnace core at the stern of the *Steel Soul*, using it as a beachhead to occupy a large portion of the aft section."

The hologram displayed the silhouette of the Ark Mechanicus, with the red area at the stern marking the Drukhari-controlled zone. The Chaplain drew a smaller circle within it using a marker.

"The objective of these Drukhari is clear: they want to delay the Explorator fleet in this system, even at the cost of an entire fleet."

At this, the Chaplain’s voice, distorted by his skull mask, carried a note of helplessness. He gestured toward a Tormentor-class cruiser floating outside the viewport.

"The Magos is clearly constrained; he even left a cruiser for them after the naval battle and allowed us to depart early."

"But the Inquisitor still insists?" Romulus looked at the Inquisitor, who was currently shouting red-faced at Marshal Orlando.

"Indeed. She insists that the psychic omen is the Emperor’s guidance and demands the Archmagos accompany us. Meanwhile, the Archmagos demands that the Drukhari inside the Ark be cleared within five minutes, or the ship will suffer damage he cannot accept."