*Intro
*Prologue
The weapon created a dim amber light , faintly illuminating the darkness with a menacing glow. The plasma chamber of the pistol, now full, clicked, indicating the weapon was hot. The man beneath the covers grimaced at the sound in his sleep, he instinctively recognized the sound for what it was. The pistol was not an assassin’s tool, but neither was the man holding the gun an assassin. Commander Kireg, being a man of ruthless efficiency, and would not hesitate to use the weapon while the man slept. He knew what was about to transpire tonight, not because of premonition, but because every night the same nightmares would come, and it was his job and duty to make sure nothing crossed the void between dreams and reality. Tonight though, of all nights would be dangerously different.
Kireg had once been part of the Imperial Guard, and in some circles was considered a brilliant military tactician. The secret of that truth was, he was very single minded, focused into only being able to see the objectives before him. Although a powerful strength, it was a weakness Kireg knew would someday be his downfall. His victories in the name of the Imperium were numerous, but were worth nothing to him. He achieved his objectives, but there was no means to an end, he was simply a machine without a purpose. That was until Lord Inquisitor Faeit, the man lying before him, discovered him and focused his talents into a purpose that would become a shinning beacon of relentless faith.
He was taken to the Ordo Malleus; here he had learned of humanities covert war against mankind’s worst enemies, that had pushed mankind time and time again to the brink of collapse. For ten thousand years the inquisition of the Ordo Malleus had been vigilant, and had battled the physical manifestations of chaos. They are the daemons, hungry for the souls of the innocent, promising eternal life, power and riches, to corrupt the weakest of man. Kireg had left the military, becoming an acolyte to Lord Faeit, and pledged every living moment to purge the daemonic and the wicked from our midst by whatever means was necessary.
The man beneath the covers stirred, his brow and jaw clenching as his nightmare was about to play out. Sweat formed on his forehead and face. The small jerks and twitches of the man’s body told of the progression of his tormented dream. Inquisitor Kireg had been there that fateful day, and knew the horrible events that took place that day, and of what was left behind.
Suddenly the man’s face convulsed, unnaturally bulging just beneath his eyes. Blood welled up in the corners of his eyes and trickled down his cheeks. Coughing, he sprayed heavy drops of blood over his face and chest. He struggled for breath, nearly drowning in his own blood, but unable or possibly unwilling; to break free of the terror he was laying witness to.
He raised the barrel of the plasma pistol to Faeit’s blood soaked face, the light of it revealing the terrified eyes of a child-like cherub, that stood over top the head board of the bed. The psychic connection the cherub shared with Faeit meant the creature could see everything seen in the nightmare, becoming an extension of the man in the bed. Finger on the trigger, he watched and waited.
The imminent scream pierced the room, both man and cherub screaming in unison. The cherub’s voice was feminine, that of an angelic woman Kireg knew all too well. The scream echoed through the bedchamber, and when it finally ended, left a deafening moment of silence. Kireg's said goodbye in that moment, and pulled the trigger of the gun.
The cherub let out a gasp of air, whimpering frantically the breath of the woman’s voice, “Catch me, I’m falling”. The bright flash of a plasma round filled the chamber.
Faeit 212 continues here