and ready for use. They were twitchy, shadowing even senior officials like me until they were sure I was not some simulacrum sent to deceive them. They weren’t entirely stupid to think that – reports were rife of body-wearers infiltrating the Palace then opening fire and slaughtering dozens. No one trusted anyone, and every order was checked and counter-checked before being followed. That made us slow to react. We were living in a fog of confusion, something no doubt intended by our enemies.
The first meeting I had that day was with Representative Arx, the mistress of the Inquisition. I had barely made myself comfortable when she entered, gliding into the chamber like a black swan.
Arx was a strange one, and I did not know her well. I always found inquisitors hard to deal with – they were intense souls, driven by forces that I didn’t fully understand. The Representative was drawn from the ranks of the Ordo Malleus, the daemonhunters, a fact that I found gave some rare comfort during that hard time. Of all the High Lords, she was amongst the most composed just then, having been exposed to malign phenomena throughout her long career in the Imperium’s service and thus inured to its worst effects.
‘Cancellarius,’ she said, bowing slightly.
‘Representative,’ I replied, gesturing towards a low leather armchair close to the fireplace.
In times past we might have indulged in small talk, asking after one another’s staff or relations, musing on the absurdities of life in the Administratum, but no longer. She came straight to the point.
‘There are daemons on this world,’ she said, flatly. ‘Consider that. No planet has had more scrutiny than this one. The merest hint of heresy was punished without pity. And now there are the foulest creatures in all eternity capering within sight of the Palace.’
I knew it. I’d seen the classified documents, and heard the testimony from those brave enough to venture into the restive hives. I’d even seen them myself, unless that mirror had been a hallucination.
‘Can it be contained?’ I asked, feeling groggy and wanting more sleep, knowing I had hours of meetings ahead of me.
‘I’ve mobilised all my inquisitors in-world. Dozens more are being pulled back from stations elsewhere, but we can’t go beyond the Sol System. I dread to think what’s happening outside.’
‘Titan, then,’ I said.
I was not supposed to know about the Grey Knights. Only a few of the High Lords were, plus the highest echelons of the Ordo Malleus. It’s funny what you pick up, though, over the centuries. For all its undoubted efforts, the Imperium’s never actually been very good with secrets.
Arx knew the score, of course. ‘The request’s already been made,’ she said. ‘Valoris spoke to me. You credit that? Our golden protectors, those whom you wished to send off into the grinder of Cadia, are already asking for help.’
I could have done without the sarcasm. It was bad enough to see my hopes dashed so publicly without a reminder that my proposal would also have stripped us of our most capable defenders.
‘And what was their response?’
At that, Arx laughed. I’d never seen her laugh before, and I never wish to again. It was entirely without human qualities – a cynical expression of bleak amusement that exposed more of her soul than I think she’d intended.
‘Their response? They’re sending forces to Luna.’
I was momentarily taken aback. ‘I’ve had no reports of disturbance on Luna.’
‘No. That’s the point. The Grey Knights have… capabilities. That’s where they think the next move will play out.’
I rubbed my hands over my eyes. Throne, I was tired. ‘Then we’ll need to reinforce the dockyards–’ I began.
‘No,’ she said. ‘No, we’ll need our forces here. They’re sending what they can spare. Grand Master Anval Laraon has divided his forces three ways – a standing defence on Titan, a major attack group for Luna, and a reserve detachment for Terra. The latter will be the weakest of the three – little more than a sop for Trajann Valoris, to keep relations sweet.’
I couldn’t help my smile – it slipped out, a sly one, released through exhaustion. ‘I’d like to see those two meet,’ I said.
‘I wouldn’t,’ Arx said, primly. ‘So here it is. We’ll have minimal Grey Knights support. The Palace is the priority. That, and the Fortress of the Astronomican. We can plausibly keep those secure. The rest…’
She trailed off. It took me a moment to realise what she was suggesting – abandon the planet to ruin and confusion. If I’d heard