Chosen

Gabriel Ziad smiled when he saw the boy he was looking for. A prideful boy, walking off to protect the Imperium. He was taller than the boys his age and bulkier than most. His brown hair was cropped short, and he had a clear complexion. His green eyes were focused and hopeful. His shoulders were squared like he meant business, but his step showed his excitement. One could tell that this child had been waiting all his life for this day. He knew this boy, although he had never met him. His file said he would be perfect for the Chapter. The boy would be a great addition. What made him special was subtle. His devotion to the Emperor was perfect. His desperation to leave this world and find an honourable purpose, to protect the Imperium of Man from heretics, Xenos and Chaos, was excellent.

His parents supported him completely and watched as he walked away to live his father's dream, Ziad assumed. This child had worked hard on his father's potato farm. That made him physically superior to other children who had picked berries and other crops. This child was a risk. His mental capacity was superior to that of most of his new recruits. The boy respected authority which would make him a good choice. If his mental prowess proved to be an issue, they could simply erase it, thought Ziad. Hopefully, he was right.

The advantages of having him in the Chapter outweighed the risks. They could deal with the risk, but losing this boy would disappoint him. Usually, they could either bring the Marines back into the fold or just use them in Delta squad. It would be highly disappointing to lose this one to Delta squad. Ziad had high hopes for him.

The boy's parents walked away when they lost sight of their eldest son, leaving this forsaken planet for a better life. They were likely returning to work as their daughter watched their other son. As the parents saw their precious boy leave to become a hero, they beamed with pride. There was no better honour than that of becoming an Astarte.

Ziad started walking casually toward the boy. Instructor Ziad loved recruitment. He thought that these children would be wasted on the Imperial Guard. The Verum Illuminate could use these children to their full potential. The Verum Illuminate served the Emperor with honour and pride. Discovering traitor Marines, stopping them before they turned. They would purge or apprehend the traitors before their rot infected the rest of the Chapter. By the time the Inquisitors were involved, it was usually too late. Most of the damage was done. The Verum Illuminate got to them before they infected others. They stopped the plague of heresy from spreading.

From time to time, The Verum Illuminate would receive orders to stop Xenos invasions or work on other high priority cases, but what they lived for was purging traitors. New blood, keeping the numbers up, staying behind a veil of secrecy, under the Emperor's orders.
The scroll dictates that they must keep the secret of their true mission. These Astartes were the Chosen, the Few.

Ziad approached the boy as he got in the line to sign in as a new recruit for the Imperial Guard. I spoke to a few kids ahead of him, introducing myself as Instructor Ziad, which was true, in a way. There was no need for them to know more at this point. I also had no intention of recruiting them. I was here for the boy. I asked some questions and jotted down some notes, and thanked them for their time. Finally, I got to my target.

"Hello, I am instructor Ziad. Would you mind answering some questions for me? Name?"

He straightened up a bit and answered: "Vek, Alessander Vek, sir."

"Well then, Vek. Would you prefer to join the Space marines over the Imperial Guard? If so, what are your qualifications? Just a bit of pre-screening. We are always looking for the creme de la creme to join our special division."

"Oh, Sir. It would be an honour for me to join the Marines. I want to make a difference, fight for the Emperor, serve him and eliminate any and all threats to the Imperium. I am a strong man, I am not afraid of hard work, and I would like a chance to die for the Emperor."

Ziad arched an eyebrow. "Interesting...and you are not just here to get off this miserable planet and because you were selected to join the guard? That is what most people your age reply to that question...but not you? Why is that, Alessander Vek?"

Vek let the question sink in, evaluating and weighing my wording, which may have seemed strange to him, but that was the point.

"You read me well, Sir. I just want to serve, fight and die for the Emperor. I want to help his light reach every corner of the Imperium and perhaps see Holy Terra with my own eyes. If it is not his will then, I will stay behind and do my duty here."

"Alright, Alessander Vek, if you would kindly come with me. There is no need to wait here. The Imperial Guard seems to be beneath your qualifications. You may want to join the Verum Illuminate, a Chapter of elite Space Marines whose speciality is to purge the traitor and capture the heretic. We tend to be called in on sensitive cases. You can join the Imperial Guard to serve the Emperor or join us. The Elite, the last defence against the forces of Chaos. Unfortunately, the offer stands for as long as I stand here." He paused for a moment and continued. "Or I could find another candidate, but with your answers and dedication, I do believe I have found my man. What say you?"

Vek did not answer as he considered his options. The Verum Illuminate sounded great. His parents would be so proud, and it would be an honour to serve the Emperor. He observed Instructor Ziad. The man shrugged and turned on his heels, and walked away.

"Have a nice day M. Vek."

Vek grabbed his bag and ran after Ziad.

"Sir, it would be an honour to accept your offer. Verum Illuminate, that means the Enlightened truth. The Emperor's light, the Emperor's truth. There is only one truth, and I will lay my life down for the Emperor. I will do my best not to let you down. I will not let the Emperor down."
"Glad to hear it. It will not be easy. Some days you will want to quit, walk away. You will think that you've had enough that you can't do it anymore. Sometimes the enemy will try to make your faith waver, but you must stay strong and remember that The Emperor Protects and guides you. You are a Chosen Son of sorts. Your brothers will stand with you and die with you."

Instructor Ziad was kind on the recruitment day. However, as soon as training began, he started being incredibly strict, especially with me. I wanted to prove that he had not made a mistake by choosing me, so I worked harder. Every day was the same, except for a day, near the end of training. Soon it would be determined if I was good enough to be part of the Elite. Some days, I was sure that I would be chosen for Echo Squad. Other days, I thought I would go to Delta.

My life before becoming a trans-human felt like it was a dream. I did not dream much anymore, but sometimes I had...visions or hallucinations. I kept those to myself. I didn't want them to think I was defective.
Time! I checked the time and quickly snapped out of my thoughts. They would arrive for inspection shortly. Everything was spotless, not a speck of dust on a dresser or a wrinkle on the bed. The trick was sleeping on the bed. All you had to do in the morning was smooth out the wrinkles. It was so much faster than making the perfect bed.

I focused and reached out with my thoughts. I joined my battle brothers and imagined their breathing patterns. I calmly waited in the corridor for the inspection to be over. Everything went fine, as usual. We had been doing this for years at this point. We had yet to see any action or serve the Emperor. We were getting close to the end of training. Soon we would be out in the real world, ridding the Imperium of traitors. In three weeks, the worthy would be assigned to Echo Squad. Some of our Brothers had already moved on to other training units, and some had ceased training. Others had been selected for Delta Squad. Those Marines were like robots; they only had one thing on their minds. Follow orders. They never spoke.

I really didn't want to end up in Delta Squad. No one did. I had gotten away with a few minor stumbles but nothing big enough to earn me Delta. I was going to keep my nose clean, and nothing would stop me from reaching Echo. Every day was the same. We marched to the auditorium and were greeted by the Chaplain.

"What is death?"

"It is your duty."

"What is your duty?"

"To serve the Emperor's will!"

Our voices echoed in the great hall. Not a sound, not a breath was taken, not a move out of sync. We were soldiers. We were family, brothers of the Verum Illuminate, Servants of the God-Emperor, Enforcers. We will accomplish and honour his will and follow his orders. This was our training. Training for the real world, our battlefield. Every day, we will seek the truth, victory over the forces of Chaos by capturing, detaining or destroying traitors. Ridding the Imperium of the impure. There were hundreds of us, all lined up, in the parade, wearing our power armour, standing, ready, waiting for our orders. The Chaplain repeated loudly once again.

"What is death?"

"It is your duty."

"What is your duty?"

"To serve the Emperor's will!"

Instructor Ziad turns and looks at us, inspecting us. He hit his chest with his first, and the sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the great hall. We counted to three and did the same. We then counted to three again and marched out of the great hall. The training was rigorous. We had to be mentally prepared for anything. Destroying any creature who vowed allegiance to the force of Chaos. Ridding the worlds of the evil that threatens the Imperium. We marched for hours, reciting our vows of serving the Emperor. We did not stop for food or drink. Once, we had marched for four hours straight.

Next to combat training. One on one. Show no mercy! The session would only end when the Instructor would call the battle over. We took turns. As the combatants battled, we stood, unmoving, breathing in unison and watched. After a three hour session, we had 30 minutes to sit together and talk, laugh and eat our rations. We then convene at the Cathedral, where we started prayers and the readings of the will of the Emperor. Every day, we recited the words of the Sacred Scroll, word for word. We are reminded of the time when it had disappeared for so long without a trace. We speak our vow to never lose the Word of the Emperor again. We studied and were taught the will of the God-Emperor. We were an elite Chapter.
We were chosen by the Emperor. Handpicked. The most promising youth of the system.

On the day we thought we were to join the Imperial Guard, we were questioned and chosen for more.

The Verum Illuminate were called in when everyone else failed. We might not be very many in number, but our efficiency is quite impressive. Most other Chapters did not know of our existence. The records did show a few of our accomplishments. Unfortunately, there were never many details, and most of the information was redacted. Our mission was to find heretics and eliminate them. We were also called upon to discover traitors within Chapters and purge them.

//The recruiters and instructors were guided by the Emperor in their choice of potential Astartes. We were the best at what we did. Our Chapter tended to turn out an unusual amount of Librarians that we called Seekers. The Seekers looked like other Marines hiding among the masses was to our advantage. If a chosen one refused to join the Verum Illuminate, they were encouraged to continue the Imperial Guard. Unfortunately, their life expectancy always seemed short for some unknown reason.

Most of us were between sixteen and twenty-four at this point in training. We were recruited between the ages of 8 and 14. When we were chosen, we were physically fit, smart and we had a strong faith in the God-Emperor. As always, this part of the day went as planned. We integrated the lecture, asked no questions and prayed for the God Emperor's light to lead us in the fight against Chaos.

Today, we learned of the History of Holy Terra and the actions of the servants of the Emperor and priests that had come before us. From what we were told, the greatest failure of the servants of the Emperor came almost immediately after the Horus Heresy. Apparently, the servants had thought up a way to eliminate the greatest threat to the Emperor's psychic power, even as his body decayed on the throne.

They decided to force Psykers to self-sacrifice to keep the Emperor's power over Chaos and the warp omnipresent. These Psykers' sacrifices were never proven to be necessary to feed the Emperor. Hundreds of millions of psykers were sacrificed without confirmation of the need for their death. Although we were not meant to react emotionally to any teachings that we underwent, the air was filled with a feeling of indignation and uncertainty. No one said anything, and we all calmed ourselves and kept our breathing at the rhythm as our fellow recruits. We tried to integrate this information as truth. Suddenly, one of our own stood. We all turned, slightly alarmed at why he would break rank, and he spoke.

"With all due respect, Sir. I was taught that the sacrifice of these psykers was the Emperor's will all my life. Most psykers welcomed this duty, their own death, the ultimate sacrifice. Why would they not? Is that not what we are taught? Every morning, we answer your call. You ask: "What is death? It is your duty!! The psykers, it is their duty to keep the Emperor alive, is it not? "

"What you were taught, all your life, was a myth, tainted by Chaos. What I tell you now is the Enlightened Truth. Name one evidence in the scriptures that states that this is false. That this is made up, and I will be ready to listen. You cannot refute the fact that this is what happened. Our goal is to stop this useless sacrifice and save these poor psykers from the chaos gods' will. The Emperor tells us so. Do you defy the Emperor's will? We will gladly grant you mercy if you do."

The recruit, Roth, looked down shamefully and apologised for voicing his thoughts. He then knelt and prayed for forgiveness, but we all knew what would come next. Well, I knew. I checked my emotion and rejoined my team in body and mind, hoping the Instructor had not noticed. I could do better; I was sure of it. We are a team! Get back in the fold, I told myself.

We listened to the Instructor, no more questions were asked, and no thoughts were shared. We dutifully repeated and prayed to the Emperor before the Instructor told us that we would get our weapons tomorrow.

We were confined to quarters for the night. I took my armour off and quickly washed it, then I lay flat on my back and waited for the lights to close. Once they did, the now-familiar sound of static was heard through the speakers in the building. The voice counted down, and soon, I was asleep. I knew the morning would come and that my comrade would be gone. It is the Emperor's will. Finally, the voice reached one, and I was still thinking. I need to fall asleep quickly. There isn't much time. The crystal clear sound of a bell rang through the building, and I drifted off.
The following day came quickly. I awoke and took a breath, trying to find the appropriate rhythm and got ready for the day. I quickly got dressed, ate and donned my armour and smoothed out the wrinkles from the bed. We never slept under the covers because it took too much time to perfect the bed. I stood at attention when the Instructor came in for inspection. I marched to the hallway and waited to stare at the wall straight across from me.

As we stood outside our rooms, waiting for the Instructors to conduct the inspection, we listened to morning prayer and answered the call. In my peripheral vision, I saw something unexpected. My neighbour, who had dared speak yesterday during the lecture, was standing at attention. This was the first time someone had gone against the Emperor's will and was still present the next day. I almost forgot to answer when it was time. I gave myself a mental shake and answered, just as the Instructor walked past me. Most of us did not know each other well, but we were all connected. It is an odd feeling to be one of the many, but one slowly gets used to it. Sometimes it felt like I was one of the many, and I felt like we were one at times. My brothers and I have been training for so long, it was second nature. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nathaniel standing, just like me, cool, calm, and collected but in my mind, I could hear his thought process. It was nothing like his stoic exterior. I was likely imagining things or projecting how I would have felt. When he closed his eyes for a second too long, I saw images and heard him plead to me.

I shuffled inside my boots, unseen, how they had taught us to do so our legs wouldn't fall asleep and recited my answer to Instructor Ziad like everyone in the corridor. We had been told to report anything, absolutely anything out of the ordinary, but this was not the first time. I wondered if anyone else had this experience or if all the traitors decided to speak to me in their minds. I said nothing and marched behind Nathaniel toward the training area this time. My mind kept being flooded with images and words that could hardly reach me.

I concentrated on my breathing, trying to stay in the fold, but focused on the words more than the images. The images were fuzzy and too fast, but I got the jest of it. I needed to hear Roth's words. I only caught one sentence before Ziad stood before me and asked me, only me:

"What is death?"

"It is your duty," I replied

"What is your duty?"

"To serve the Emperor's will!"

When Ziad walked away, there were no more images or words. I snuck a peek at Nate. He was staring me in the eye. I quickly looked away before the Instructor announced over his shoulder that we would be getting our personal weapons after a battle to the death. Nathaniel Roth stepped forward. Without a look or a single word, I felt myself move forward. I was not in control of my own body. I had volunteered to die or to kill my friend. A short-lived look of surprise crossed Ziad's face. My own surprise showed by the widening of my pupils but nothing else. It was too late. I had already volunteered. Ziad recovered quickly.

"Psykers!" he spoke loudly to everyone standing at attention. They will get in your head and make you do things you do not want to do, speak words and thoughts that you do not believe. If you do not have the mental fortitude to block them out, you will not survive to enforce the Emperor's will! So before we proceed with this battle, I will make sure that none of you has been influenced by anyone but the will of the Emperor. Back in line, Vek and Roth!"

We both answered: "Yes Sir!" and stepped back into line. I couldn't help wonder why there was any reason to question why we would volunteer this time. I did not know why I stepped forward. Maybe it was the Emperor's design or something completely different, but usually, Ziad did not care. He just let whoever volunteered into battle. This was odd.

I listened, but I asked why with every word he spoke and every sentence, I wondered why? This was not good. I was going to fail as a Loyalist. I needed to get back into the fold and believe. Focus, I told myself, as Ziad turned on Roth.

"Who made you speak yesterday? Were those your words, or is there a traitor within our ranks?"

Roth answered:" The words just fell out of my mouth, Sir. I cannot tell you whence they came from."

Ziad watched him for what seemed like forever and answered. He took out a device from his pocket and scanned the soldier's mind standing before him. He looked down and replied, "Your mind is weak Roth, you will be punished, but the Emperor refuses to see your bloodshed on this day. It is his will that you will live. There will be a battle but not to the death. You will report to the Evaluation room after the battle."
He then walked past us while reciting morning prayer, scanning us, one at a time. More Instructors came to do the same for the rest of the unit. By the time we were done with prayer, the Instructors were satisfied with the results. After that, a simple skills battle would take place.
We both chose a sword and walked to either side of the arena.

"Vek! Roth! Ready?! Fight!" Ziad exclaimed.

We cried in unison: "Verum Videre!" and I attacked my friend.

The other recruits cheered as we both leapt into the air, and our swords clanged together. These matches were always quite long because we could predict each other's moves. We also needed to show restraint as the goal was not to kill our opponent. We were also trying to learn to use muscle memory and clear our minds in battle. At first, no one landed much of a blow, but eventually, I only concentrated on breathing. After that, I started moving more naturally. Roth seemed to struggle more as he tried to predict my other moves. My mind was blank, and I fought. I felt as if I was watching myself from Roth's point of view. I could practically hear his thoughts, and my body knew when and where to strike. Finally, I landed a blow to the chest, pushing him to the ground. I knelt over him with the tip of my sword at his throat.

The Instructor called the win and smiled. I stood and extended a hand to Roth and helped him up. Ziad frowned and ordered us to the Great Hall for the morning lecture. Roth broke rank and reported to the Evaluation Room.

We did not see Roth for five days. After the battle, I was called to the Instructor's office. He asked me what had compelled me to volunteer for the match. He told me that I could tell him anything I had on my mind, and none of it would be held against me. I looked at Ziad and said:

"Sir, I cannot tell you why I volunteered. I felt myself step forward, but I could understand my subconscious motivations. I wanted to prove myself to you and all the recruits that I could deliver mercy to any heretic, whether or not they were my brother or some stranger, more skilled than I or not."

The words came out of me like someone else was speaking them. If Ziad found I was weak of mind, then both Roth and I would be punished. Perhaps this was a test. I was unsure, but for some reason, I felt as though Ziad himself was telling me what to say.

Ziad seemed satisfied. "You are to report to the armoury to receive your weapons. No inquiry will be necessary."

"Thank you, sir," I replied.

Five days later, Roth returned, his features were drawn, and his eyes were distant, like those of the Marines from Delta Squad. He would likely not speak his mind again. Nevertheless, they had successfully brought him back into the fold.
Once training was over, we were sent to a complete physical and psychological evaluation. Next, we were to find out which squad we would be joining. Everyone wanted to be Echo or Foxtrot, but only a select few would skip the linemen or Alpha squad. Assumptions were made that Roth would be Delta squad. He never was the same.

Physical examinations always went well. Everyone would pass. Those who would have failed had been dealt with a long time ago. Psychological assessments took place after the physical one. No one knew what would place a Marine into which squad, and there was no recollection of the examination. We all accepted our ranks with pride. It is an honour to serve the Emperor, no matter what squad we were selected to join.
I was selected for Echo squad, and so was Roth and another Marine named Somek, which was a surprise to all the recruits. We did not voice our reaction to anyone's placement but accepted our orders. Somek, Roth and I were then called to our respective Squads. The other members of Echo squad did not like us much. Somek and I were usually sent together with older, more experienced seekers in our smaller unit. Roth would be on a squad with more protectors and Foxtrot than Seekers. Perhaps because of the incident during training. Although they were willing to give him a chance, maybe they felt he was more volatile than we were.

The three of us would stay together during downtime and laugh at jokes and mess around, but everyone stayed away from us. We were like the outcasts. On a mission, we were precious, people to be protected. We just theorised that it was jealousy or perhaps fear. Did they think we would do something to them? They are our brothers. We would never hurt them. If we had to fight, wield our weapons, that meant that everyone else was pretty much dead. Maybe they thought we were spoiled? One thing was sure. They were envious and irritated. They thought we were the favoured Marines, Instructor's pets. It was luck that we had become Seekers. It was rare to have a mutation that gave this gift. We did not ask for this. It was the Emperor's will.

Perhaps we were, in fact, a little spoiled because we were considered high-value assets and got the protection detail, but it was not like we did not know how to fight. We were good fighters and encouraged to practice battle without using our minds as weapons, but we also had the extra training that the other Marines did not have. We trained our minds to block psyker attacks and control other people's thoughts and actions.
All members of the Verum Illuminate were trained to resist a certain amount of Psyker probing, some were highly successful, and some were less. While the other squadrons were out in action, we would only go on specific missions most of the time, and we needed to stay on top of our abilities. We often got guard duty in the vaults of the Fortress Monastery. One day, Somek and I stood guard in front of the chamber where the sacred scroll was kept. Every time we stood guard there, we both felt like something was amiss, but we couldn't put our finger on it. On that particular day, Instructor Ziad decided to visit the vault. I needed to know that nothing was amiss.

I signalled to Somek my intention and slipped in behind the Instructor while Somek held the illusion of me, standing guard. I hid from view. Ziad was not as perceptive as the seekers. He never knew I was in there. I looked around. There was nothing out of the ordinary. I really wanted to see the scroll, and I knew that my being here was wrong. I would be mind-wiped and reconditioned, at best if I was discovered. The closer I got to the scroll, the more unease I felt. There was definitely something wrong here. I felt like that time I was sent to find a witch. It was almost exactly the same. Ziad approached the scroll and started chanting. I did not recognise his words, but the more he chanted, the eviler the room seemed, and Ziad smiled as if he had received a message. I feared being revealed by whatever warp energy Ziad was communicating with. Now I knew that Roth had been right when we were aspirants. The Emperor's truth was not available in this Chapter. Traitors, we were traitors. When Ziad left the vault, I quickly exited also. Once he was out of sight, I took my place, guarding the traitor scroll.

Once we were off duty, I carefully informed Somek and Roth of my findings during our free time. Both of my friends stared at me for a moment. I worried that they would turn me in. Roth was the first to speak. He believed me. Somek needed a little bit more convincing. I reminded him of our feeling every time we guarded that vault. That was a warp presence. I told them about the chant, I explained that we had been tricked into serving Chaos. Eventually, Somek agreed that this was the likeliest of explanations. Together, we vowed to serve the Emperor of Man and discreetly create a resistance. We would fight the Chaos within but quietly, and until then, it would be business as usual. If we thought a mission was wrong, we would fail to find the target. If it was legitimate, we would acquire our targets. We needed to be successful to not be demoted to linemen.

At best, those of us who could not maintain the highest standards in our abilities were demoted to linemen or Delta Squad. We were trained by the Chapter Master himself. Roth was always the best at resisting our combined mental attacks. Perhaps his mental resilience was impressive because of his time reconditioning after his lapse of judgment during training. He had even managed to make me...the memory is painful, I don't think I will disclose. I became stronger after that sad episode. Somek was actually reduced to tears once when Roth and I teamed up on the offensive. He was not penalised, nor was I, but Somek was also reconditioned, in the same manner as Roth, but I was not. We were told it was to increase his mental fortitude. I always wondered why I had not been reconditioned even though I had failed to resist Roth.

We went on a few missions under the supervision of veteran Seekers. Eventually, Roth and I were both called on a mission to retrieve a dangerous psyker from a planet called Zephyr. We were very excited about our very first mission. However, we found out that two more senior Seekers would be coming with us. We looked at each other and understood that this was not a simple mission. It was either a test, or our first mission was very high stakes. High enough that four Seekers were necessary on Echo squad.

We went through our checklist and had a briefing session with Ziad, the mission leader. He informed us of our mission. We were to apprehend and secure powerful psyker who had eluded capture by multiple Chapters of Marines. We were called upon because of the unique abilities that Echo team possessed. The other heretics that had helped him escape were of no importance and should be eliminated on sight. Brentley was captured and returned to the Fortress Monastery, Dara Sands. We were informed that if we came into contact with any other Imperial forces, whether it be Sisters of Battle or others, we were to keep the details of the mission secret. We would do as we were told. This was a very high stakes mission, and failure was not an option.

When we left the briefing room, we prepared for the trip to Zephyr. We encountered Somek before we left. He was disappointed to be left behind. He wanted to fight, be on the field, do some good, but we were the lucky ones, according to him, off to serve the Emperor's will while he stayed here, on Stygian, guarding a building. We clapped him on the back on the way out.
Aboard the ship, we found our quarters where we left our personal items. Then we went to the armoury to have a look around. We made sure our weapons were cleaned and well oiled and put our personal power armour and other weapons in their designated areas. We then headed to the Captain's office for a debrief.

The objective was to capture the witch Brentley alive and get him back to the Dara Seans. The other heretics should be destroyed as per the Emperor's will. We were heading for Zephyr, a planet that held a small population of humans. The climate was temperate, there would be forests and Mountains, oceans...similar to Holy Terra, but it was very turbulent there because of frequent earthquakes. We would likely find our target in the western hemisphere. We were to get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible. If we contact the locals, we do not disclose the mission and turn them away. If any other Chapter or organisations are present, we should default to protocol, and a leader will be determined among the seekers at that time.

Roth and I were a little nervous. The pressure of this test or high stakes mission, whatever it was, was getting to us, so we decided to mess around to decompress a little. Roth and I were friends. We had been on smaller missions together before. We tended to gravitate toward each other. We got along and understood what the plan was before the other person spoke. All we needed was one look. We were Brothers, but we were also friends.

"If I ever get lead. I'll tell leadership that you're a bit slow, and I keep you with me so I can keep an eye on you." Said Roth.
"Pfft...they would never choose you. Clearly, I'm the smartest one here, plus, I've never been reconditioned, so I'm officially smarter than you too."

"Touché." Roth stood up rigidly.

"Yeah. I know," said Vek.

A look passed between Roth and me as we grabbed our gear and stood at the gate, waiting to make landfall. I reviewed my checklist. Everything was ready, and nothing was missing, and Roth did the same. We waited, focused and serious, for the rest of Echo and Foxtrot to join us. As the gate lowered to let us down, Roth got tapped on the shoulder by the leader. He turned his head and gave me a smug look. I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips as the Verum Illuminate advanced onto this planet, already seeking our target as our minds were being guided by the evil of the witch Brentley.

As I walked with Roth, my weapon raised, I cleared my mind and focused though a smile tugged at my lips when we approached the hive city. There appeared to be more than one powerful witch, but we were looking for Brentley. I spoke to the commander.

"They split up."

"Follow Brentley. He's the main target," he said to Roth and me. "We'll take half of Foxtrot with us, and the rest of you are going to hunt the others heretics."

The team separated. Roth and myself heading to the West and the second team heading North. Soon we came upon a small group of Sisters of Battle. It appeared Roth would have the honours this time. The Sister Superior walked straight toward us with purpose. The Sisters were excited about something.

"Sister Superior Mila of the Order of the Dawn. I believe we are supposed to work together on the Brentley capture. We have orders to interrogate."

Roth spoke. " Nathaniel Roth, Seeker echo squad Verum Illuminate. We have orders to capture the heretic. Once he is in custody, you can interrogate him."

A feeling of both hope and excitement passed over me as the Sister superior spoke.

"We would like to join you on this hunt. Study how you work and perhaps be of assistance."
Roth seemed confused for a moment. We were supposed to work alone, but he was in charge, and these were Daughters of the Emperor. Roth looked at both of us quickly. I nodded slightly.

"Only a small group, Sister. As long as you don't get in the way."