Secret War Warhammer 40,000 part 2

I emerged through, into the living quarters, quickly glancing around. It was a much smaller area than I at first thought, ten metres in width, fifteen in length. The crimson red walls lined with gold. Placed nicely in the room's epicentre was a tasteful beautiful, white (with gold lining) marble water fountain with three wide, red couches around it, a small table set at each arm rest, all covered in expensive liquor bottles. The couches were arranged three metres away from the fountain but otherwise the room was completely and strangely, empty.

I did note, far more prominently the door at the opposite end of the room, the adamantine, intensely thick reinforced door that was such a contrast to the rest of the decor, it was quite interesting that Taryst did not seem to even bother hiding it, a fake door perhaps? Or perhaps I was looking into it with far too much detail.

"My friend!" yelled out Taryst as he leaned back on one of the couches, "come! Take a seat I have amasec of the highest quality and cigars! Relax, we have much to discuss!"

I didn't move an inch, "no, but I would castrate someone for a smoke of Lho."

"Sorry?" Taryst's eyes widened.

The corner of my mouth twitched, Idiot.

"Hmm, sorry do you have any Lho to smoke?" I rephrased as smoothly as possible.

Taryst's look of shock disappeared, "Yes young Attelus come, sit I have plenty."

I sighed and hunched in defeat, beginning to approach, I really didn't want to move an inch but saw little choice in the matter, Taryst's over friendliness was quite frankly getting on my nerves.

Taryst leaned over his couch and opened one of the draws on his table, pulling out a rather fanciful box.

"Here, take as many as you want young Attelus," he said, sliding the box open and holding it out to me.

My jaw set, why did he have to continually call me "young" Attelus? Attelus would just do, I knew that I was young, I did not need to be constantly reminded buy someone else besides Glaitis, who still called me "child" a rather dated title seen as though I was twenty three frigging years old.

Keeping my annoyance once again silent, I nodded thanks and drew out two, meanwhile pulling out the lighter in my flak jacket pocket.

I smiled to myself, finding it wholly ironic that the guards outside would make me give up my lhos but forget my lighter, which I could potentially do far more damage with (but obviously allot less than both) I was skilled in that aspect, my father had taught me how to turn anything into a potentially lethal weapon, even lighters, especially lighters, he was an equally avid smoker of Lho as well.

"You still stand young Attelus, come and sit."

"Thank you sir, but I would rather stand." I said, trying for the softly forceful tone that Glaitis had taught me.

Taryst shrugged, "if you wish it rather."

I slid one of the Lhos into my mouth and light it, drawing the smoke deep, "yes, thanks, but now might I ask why you called me here?"

"Ahh yes my young friend," said Taryst as he suddenly got off of his seat and moved to one of the tables, opening a draw, "I have been studying into your records, your curriculum vitae."

My eyes turned into suspicious slits, 'and how exactly did you get your hands on my "curriculum vitae"?'

"I had a young friend of yours look into it for me; you know the one, the young friend under my employ, the young friend who you had secretly hired to look into my past for you."

I winced, "Vex-"

'Vex Carpompter' confirmed Taryst as he pulled out a data slate from the table's draw, "the young ingenious hacker, how very audacious of you young Attelus to try such a trick under my very nose, you would have gotten away with it as well, but for-."

My jaw set yet again, "reasons you will not divulge?" I finished.

"Exactly!" he grinned, "you are smart young Attelus, too smart for your own good it seems, using the very person who inspects the system to check the information."

I was not sure what to do, was Taryst going to kill me?

Vex, he even had almost unlimited access to the cogitator systems of Taryst's whole corporation, actually I had completely forgotten about my under the table agreement with the infamous hacker, it seemed like such a small request and seemed even smaller after the pathetic results.

"No young Attelus I am not going to kill you if that is what you are thinking," then his eyes turned into evil slits, "I was tempted to before though."
'Very tempted.'

My brow furrowed, I was beginning to really dislike were the hell this was going, "you were tempted to until you saw into my files right?"

"Answer me this young Attelus," said Taryst, "did you act on the volition of your teacher, or your own?"

I sucked in air through my gritted teeth, I hesitated in my reply, seeing that my very life may be depending on my next sentence and so I chose my words very carefully and told the truth.

"No, Glaitis did not ask me to do it, not directly anyway, I was acting under her teachings."

"And does she know of your attempt at espionage?"

"Again, no, not that I know of anyway."

Taryst smiled and fiddled his data slate with a large thumb, "I see young Attelus, your answers confirm what your records state, I can see that you are nothing like your ally, young Elandria, she is a blunt instrument, she knows very little besides how to kill people in a very gory, all be it, very pretty fashion, you on the other hand are a far more subtle instrument, infiltration, espionage, assassination in your very, very short career you have done it all have you not?"

All I have done very well, I shrugged, trying very hard to sound nonchalant and keep the welling pride from my tone. "Yes and no, I have been on many missions but Glaitis has always been with me in the more subtle asks, constantly guiding me, but if it's mindless mercenary work," I barely kept the words "like this" out of my sentence, "she lets me work alone."

"She doesn't believe you ready yet?"

"Yes," I answered, knowing full well that I should not be divulging such information, but my instinct for self preservation was overwhelming my usually extremely strong instinct for keeping secrets and also that Taryst may already know it anyway, "I did not start my training of the "finer arts" of the Assassin's trade until my employ into mamzel Glaitis' mercenaries."

"I see, how about a test young Attelus, the ultimate test to see if you are finally ready, I would like to employ you."

I raised an eye brow, this I actually saw coming, "tch! You want me to spy on Glaitis dont you?"

Taryst raised his own eyebrow, "you seem surprised despite your forward guessing."

I'm surprised that you're so damn predictable, I wisely thought than said.

"Young Attelus, do you truly want the life of an assassin, one living always in the shadows, one of only death and thanklessness? Or would you rather a life of meaning, a life of profit, a life of happiness? I can get you that, a way to escape, a way to get away."

I glared up at Taryst with extreme suspicion, was this coincidence? Just as I am beginning to have doubts, Taryst here comes to me with this request and giving me such incentive.

I did not believe in coincidence.

But also I could not help remember that conversation with Glaitis' before, "trust nothing, suspect everything."

Did she guess that Taryst would pull such a stunt? Or did she already know that he would?

If either was the truth there would be no way in hell I could hope to keep it a secret.

Was it again, potentially a coincidence?

I genuinely hoped that it was.

Taryst looked at me with an expression that was almost sympathetic, "I know what it was like to be your age, to not know who or what you are, it's hard young Attelus, take your time in your decision, but I have to ask that you make up your mind before you leave, though my indecisiveness was of a completely different subject the struggle is still the same."

I sighed, could I betray her? The woman, who had saved my life, took me in, cared for me and taught me everything she knew and potentially destroying six years of hard work and struggle?

It was for freedom, which I was not sure would be worth it, this was a harsh universe. I was beginning to believe that the term "freedom" was a word that could only be used with irony, that it ever being literal of use, was forever lost.

"No."

"Excuse me?" asked Taryst, seeming almost bemused.

"No I can't do it, I-I just can't."

"Why?" carried on Taryst, beginning to sound forceful.

"I have my reasons," I said, sounding more timid that intended, not expecting such a change in Taryst he sounded almost childish, almost sulky.

"No! I know why!" he snarled, "I have heard of how you act around her, like some little, pathetic, love struck puppy! Can't you see that she is using you like some mindless pawn! Like a slave!"

"What?"

"You have two ears and are smart. Apparently, you know exactly what I said."

"You- you think I am in love with her?"

He just glared at me.

I scoffed, "don't be ridiculous! She's three times my age! And Like a mother to me, that -that's disgusting."

Then he grinned, "to be honest I don't blame you young Attelus, I would be head over heels for her as well, if she was my type of course, beautiful, intelligent, confident, deadly"

"Sh- shut up!" I meant to snarl, but rather whined and I felt my face flush.

He shook his head, "so can't you see this is unhealthy? That it is all the more reason to do what I ask?"

I swallowed, "I-I can't I just can't Taryst, do you know what you exactly ask? What the consequences will be if I'm found?"

Taryst nodded, "I do, I did research into your employer before I hired her services and your death would be...Very painful indeed, but if you succeeded, the reward would be worth it!"

"How?"

"I would make you rich! And you could go back to your home planet, live an easy life of luxury and wealth, a life of freedom and meaning."

I gritted my teeth and grimaced in anguish "trust nothing, suspect everything" the meaning of that motto was double jointed to say the frigging least, Glaitis I knew meant herself as well, she could in all truth never be trusted, ever.

I knew why Taryst would ask me to spy on her, he was a paranoid, psychotic but from time to time I could not help suspect that Glaitis had some hidden agenda that was far, far bigger than me, bigger than even Taryst's corporation.
I could only hazard a guess how large that goal truly was. that I was only some pawn in that plan, yet every time a strange, strong feeling in me had made me deny it, some feeling that was foreign and strange to me.

Was that feeling...love?

"Take your time young Attelus," said Taryst, "it is hard favour to ask, I understand completely."

"No!" I stepped forward, "I have made up my mind!"

'And?'

And I answered without hesitation and with truth, it felt good to be real, to be genuine for the first time, in a damn long time.


I left Taryst's quarters, trying hard to mask my haste. On the way out I had almost forgot to retrieve my Lhos, lucky for the guard I didn't.

I caught the elevator and twitched in impatience the whole ride down, tapping the tip of my boot on the floor.

I had told Taryst, no.

The rogue trader had taken the answer in due course, not trying to convince me otherwise again. Perhaps he had known that he could not change my mind, or he didn't care. The look in his eyes almost exclaimed the former, seemingly accusing me of foolishness and cowardice all at once.

Perhaps I was a coward and a fool, but I was not about to risk my life for what could easily be a lie. There was no guarantee that Taryst would keep his end of the bargain, the odds would not at all be in my favour.

Afterwards, I had tried to levy some information of Vex's fate from the rogue trader, but to no avail, Taryst was too smart to be coerced into slipping on his words.

As much as I hated to admit it I liked the little nerd, I did not wish to see him dead over such a trivial matter.
Actually, why I was still alive was a wonder in itself, Taryst had more than enough reason for shooting me, just on the grounds of trying to infiltrate his systems and even more for flat out refusing his request. Letting me live would make sense if I found Vex dead, it would send the message: "do not cross me again young Attelus, or this will be your fate."

It would certainly, I would not be crossing him ever again.

Despite myself I could not help smile my evil smile, the sentence went through my thoughts as a perfect recording of Taryst's voice, everything from tone to demeanour.

When the elevator had reached my intended level, I slipped out the sliding double doors and ran down the corridor, heading to the northern side of the building that was where Vex's office was; nimbly I dodged and weaved my way through the many of Taryst's employees on the way.

It took me only five minutes to reach the cogitator workers section. I had earlier learnt the layout of the lower floors (the ones I had access to anyway) like the back of my hand, the quickest way to get here or there, just in case.

I fast walked through the lines upon lines of cogitator banks, each having a thin, decrepit serf sitting, typing madly; the clicking sound turned into a crashing as thousands upon thousands of fingers pressed keys. The noise enveloped the entire two hundred by three hundred metre cavern in its near deafening cacophony.

I fought the need to cover my ears and started to approach the door to Vex's office.

I paused near the door, I was cool, calm my face set in determination, if Vex was dead in there, it would make little difference, just another death and one more did not really matter in a galaxy this vast. It really wasn't my fault, Vex had accepted the bribe; it was his own fault for going through with it. If he was truly as smart as he claimed he was he would have told me to shove it.

But maybe it was my fault, how old was Vex? Fourteen? And if so maybe it was his youthful ignorance that had made him take the job, and then it would truly be my fault.

I sighed and reached for the door, but again hesitated as I realised something that made my guts churn. I wasn't armed! Who was not to say that someone wasn't standing over poor Vex's corpse, a silenced gun trained at the door way, just waiting for me to step through. I glanced about. They would not need to silence the weapon; I doubted that even the roar of a bolter could be heard over that racket.

"Oh this is depressing, really!" I exclaimed in frustration, so loud that even a few of the nearer serfs looked up from their work and glared at me in disapproval.

I grinned as an idea hit me.

"Hey everybody! You know who is a damnable frig wipe!" I yelled even louder and was met with even more looks of anger, "Oh come on! Can nobody can guess!"

"Shut up!" said one as he got off his stool.

"Shut up huh?" I grinned at the man, "huh! Shut up really? He must be a really big frig wipe if he beats Taryst!"

Now that got more attention and that was exactly what I was looking for.

Then I stepped through the door and found.

Vex standing alone, completely and utterly unharmed, inspecting one of his many Cogitator units with an intense expression. Turning to look at who had intruded his space his intense look was quickly vacated by one of surprise as he saw it was me.

"Hey Attelus I didn't- Gak!"

Bang!

The "Gak!" was him getting cut off mid sentence by me, grabbing him by the collar of his tunic and the "bang!", me slamming his back against the wall.

"Wh-what did I do?" he whined in his pitiful tone, well as whiny and as pitiful as one could be when being suffocated, but Vex achieved it better than most would.

"You little bastard! You frigging little bastard!" I snarled, accompanied by another violent slam, "you damn well told them!"

"I don't know what you are talking about," he gurgled back, "told on you about what?"

My anger turned in on itself as I pulled him from the wall, spun him about and smashed him hard against the nearest Cogitator.

"Were you born an idiot or did you lose the brain cells along the damn way!" I snarled, "our agreement, remember? The one where I paid you one thousand throne gelts and you would check the systems to look into Taryst's past, remember? Remember!" each "remember" was accompanied by a violent shake, which threw around Vex's head like whiplash.
Vex could only gurgle back, his face almost turning blue.

I quickly let off a little pressure, a little.

"I don't know!" he hoarsely managed and then tears started to well in the kid's eyes, "an agreement that I look into the system I don't remember it by the Emperor I swear! I swear!"

Then the tears started to flow freely down his face, "I swear."

It was then when the realisation hit me and guilt followed and I let go of Vex's collar. Still crying the young hacker slumped onto the floor and curled up in foetal ball, whimpering pitifully.

I stumbled back; Vex's mind had been messed with! His memories of the whole incident erased by some warp touched freak! I should have realised it damn it! Taryst had psykers place the blocks on our minds! Of course he would have them for other uses!

And I had just strangled and hurt an innocent person who had no knowledge of why and even if Vex had remembered the agreement it would have been plucked out without any knowledge of it ever happening.

I cursed, this was all my idiocy, my fault; I should have remembered that Taryst had psykers, how stupid was I to forget-

I cut myself short as my eyes widened in epiphany, but one reason why I had done it was because of the blocks! Vex had told me that they had done it to him as well! I was no expert on those touched, with their knowledge of how they had placed the block as far as I knew they could have just bypassed it. That is, assuming Vex had even been blocked at all.

I looked down at the whimpering and shuddering form. My brow furrowed heavily. I started to feel a strong and almost intoxicating mix of contempt and rage begin to well at the pit of my gut, how utterly pathetic! I felt the powerful urge to kick the kid while he was down.

Teach him to toughen the hell up.

Don't make this any worse than it is, if Glaitis finds out... I thought, forcing down the rage, the contempt.

Then I turned and stormed out the door, leaving the pathetic foetal form of Vex to writhe in its self pity.

It would also explain how Taryst knew I was having second thoughts.

I was right, the damnable Rogue Trader had left me a warning and through Vex also! An even worse one than if I found him dead. I winced as the words echoed through my thoughts, "do not cross me again young Attelus, or that will be your fate."

But this time the ominously similar sounding voice of Taryst laughed.


I sighed; I stood in my shower, the high pressured water crashing against my thin, pale but solid body.

My usually rigorous, daily training lasted at best five hours (though with a quick fifteen break between each hour) It was disciplined and harsh like my father had taught me, it seemed my daily training was the only thing I kept consistently disciplined on.

The schedule was this; the first two hours were dedicated to swordsmanship, the next two on unarmed combat and if I had the time I went over to Taryst's shooting range, spending the last hour practicing firing drills, both Garrakson and Torris would almost always be there and so I would go for the company as well.

That was before poor Torris got maimed of course.
I physically winced as I remembered that yet again I had forgotten to visit my comrade in arms at the medicae. That would be, what, the fifth day in a row? I couldn't even recall that either.

Throne did my limbs ache! Today was certainly not the first but hopefully the last were I would neglect my regime, not saying I didn't train, I did, but a little too hard, and I hadn't stretched before either. After I had retreated from my crime scene, I had retrieved my weapons from security and went straight home to my habitat block. Immediately when I was through the door my sword was out and I was slashing the air in a blind and rusty rage, my years of training and discipline thrown out the window and sent crashing to the ground. I had barely lasted half an hour before I was gasping for breath and weak from exertion.

But my anger was all but spent.

I was an idiot, a complete and utter idiot; I had no excuse to beat up on Vex, even if he had willingly told on me I should have seen his treachery coming and planned for it in advance, "trust nothing, suspect everything" those words could not ring any truer right now.

No, I had to lose myself in my anger, I've had that problem ever since I was a child something would happen that would anger me and I would hurt people, badly.

"A blind rage" I had heard it being called once, I could not recall who had said it exactly

It was as if something had taken over me, I would lose all control and all I would do is hurt the one who had done me wrong, no matter what.

My father had taught me how to control that side of myself, how to curb it if it occurred and he had taught me this well but with Vex I had slipped and fallen into that abyss, that was the first time in along time, going on six years now.

That I did remember and that I remembered well.

Poor Vex Carpompter, he did not deserve my wrath, all of my repressed anger from the last six months was almost taken out on the kid, he was lucky I didn't kill him.

No, I thought, I was lucky that I didn't kill him.

I shuddered at the thought and the soothing feeling of the constant stream of hot water disappeared entirely as the horrible sensation of sickening guilt welled at the pit of my stomach.

Taryst was right! Sudden rage over took me and I punched my fist hard, against the tiled wall, blood intermingled with water and pain erupted through my hand.

I am a coward! A bully who takes out his anger on those weaker than him because he is too scared to take it out on those over him!

The very definition of cowardice.

Sighing, I turned off the faucet, trying hard to ignore the agony of my left hand and that of my dull, aching limbs, but I could not ignore that both were entirely of my own volition, of my own idiocy.

It was quite depressing really.

I walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my waist, my face foul.
I caught a glimpse of the form standing in my room and that was all I needed to see, in the blink of an eye, I snatched up a nearby knife, about to let it fly.

But stopped in mid movement, and felt my face flush madly as I saw that the form was Elandria, who was also aiming an Auto pistol at me.

"Drop it," she said.

I immediately did as told.

"Now kick it over to me."

I looked at her with hooded eyes, I had bare feet damn it! But gingerly I kicked the knife to her, which bounced and rolled over the carpet.

"Mistress Glaitis wishes to speak to you," she informed in her emotionless voice, her mask was off so I could see her just as emotionless, pale and attractive heart shaped face. The gun still pointed at me.

My embarrassment disappeared as my eyes widened in fear, I felt the palms of my hands turn clammy with sweat. I had guessed that my teacher would want to talk to me but I was not at all prepared for it.

"J-just let me get changed," I stammered as I scrambled to gather some clothes from that of the many scattered pieces of clothing lying about, and could not help be embarrassed that Elandria was seeing the messy state of my living quarters.

"You have three minutes," she stated.

"Okay, but, uhm, can I, uhm, have some privacy, please?"

"No."

I sighed, then the sudden and impaitent twitch of the Auto pistol made me jump and search all the faster. She had me hook line and sinker or for want of better cliché, I was caught out in the cold, never in my life had I felt so helpless and exposed, that was why Elandria was a true assassin and I was not, though she lacked my training of deception and espionage, she still knew bloody well how to catch those at their most vulnerable and she certainly had succeeded with me.

Though, I could not help but wonder what would happen if I had actually thrown the knife? In fact I may have got her; she had not reacted to me until a full second after I had stopped the throw.
If it was anyone else beside her and Glaitis I would have let it fly, without hesitation, perhaps that was why Glaitis had sent Elandria, she knew I had a weakness for the fairer sex, a weakness that she could exploit, a weakness I needed to eliminate.

It took me two minutes to hurriedly slip on my clothes, a taken from the floor, smelling, day old tunic, I had tried exceptionally hard to hide myself as I put it on and had succeeded with admirable grace.

I nodded to Elandria and walked out the door, but she followed me down the apartment building's corridor.

"Where are you going?" I asked over my shoulder.

"With you."

My jaw set, "to escort me right?"

'Yeah.'

Barely, I kept the fear from my face, if Glaitis was having Elandria guard me, the master assassin was meaning business.

I swallowed, really meaning business…


It took us twenty long minutes to arrive back at Glaitis' base of operations and all the way I had Elandria holding her auto pistol in my back. Every single step made me dread more and more whatever Glaitis had in store for me. I struggled to hide the fear I felt from Elandria even with my back to her the stress of suspense was almost overwhelming as my heart thudded in my chest. I had never bothered to try garner any information from Elandria knowing full well it was futile I doubted that Glaitis would have told her anything and everything I tried to say to Elandria was answered with mindless mono syllables, for her it was not entirely out of character but it was doing nothing to help my nerves.

We rode the elevator up to Glaitis' office. Taryst had given the master assassin the top floor of one of the rogue traders many separate buildings that surrounded his main tower. Naturally she being the leader of a very professional and well off company of mercenaries, she only got the best for her living quarters.

The elevator arrived and the doors slid open, immediately I was prompted out with a shove of Elandria's pistol. My teeth on edge I hesitantly complied and we entered into the foyer beyond. It was no more than six metres wide, a corridor. At each side and lining the stark white walls were long, black leather couches and our boots echoed over the polished, back marble tiles as Elandria and I walked toward Glaitis office. The contrast between hers and Taryst's quarters could not have been much more obvious.

Glaitis never kept any guards, which showed her arrogance in her abilities, an arrogance that was quite justified, she surviving for this long and I also have seen her abilities first hand and they are quite, breath taking. I gritted my teeth as Taryst's words echoed through my thoughts. I was not in love with Glaitis! And he was a fool for ever thinking so.

A woman sat at the end of one of the couches, her smooth, long legs crossed together as she reclined back. Her high boned, youthful and attractive heart shaped face was on profile as her large eyes studied a data slate intently. Her long, violet coloured hair pulled back into a pony tail and relief washed over me as I saw who she was.

Castella Lethe didn't look up as Elandria and I approached her, "Tsk, tsk Attelus what that you have done now?" she sighed with an amused smile as she bounced her crossed leg.

Despite my anxiety I could not help but grin. I liked Castella, she was always charismatic, always friendly and she had a fun, dry sense of humour I could appreciate. If any woman I would be accused of being in love with I'd rather it be her than Glaitis. She was also confirmed to be Glaitis' successor if ever the master fell and I agreed. Castella was an excellent choice she was extremely extroverted, confident and held almost everyone's respect in the company. Except Elandria who seemed to despise Castella for a reason that I could not, or cared not enough to comprehend.

"Completed yet another assignment I see," I said, trying to slow my advance but Elandria was intent on not letting me.

Castella snorted, "of course Attelus, would I be here if I hadn't?"

I shrugged, "goes without doubt Castella. I was actually making sure that you were not some fear induced mirage."

"Wow Attelus if you really are that scared shall I say a little prayer for you?"

I frowned and furrowed my brow, "I was actually hoping for a more, proactive form of help."

She shrugged, pouting her full lips. "What could be any more proactive than the divine intervention of the Emperor mankind himself? Ohh wait you don't believe in that thing do you? Oh well, never mind you're screwed then. Bye!"

Before I could make a coherent reply I was shoved through the glass double doors and I could not help wonder. Why the hell she was just sitting out there?