Sister Superior Alexandria had told Sarah very little regarding
indoctrination. There had been tests of course, so many test that Sarah
could no longer remember where she had begun. The days were filled with
physical tests of every nature, from marksmanship to simple endurance of
what ever Alexandria could think to throw at her. The nights were
consumed in the library of the shrine, pouring through the reading
Alexandria had explained was integral to sisterhood.
The nightly journey to the Library was indeed a daunting test in and of
itself, as the shrine was crafted from the remnants of the Imperator
Titan Cerebus, and the library was placed high up in the fortress of
it's body where the other sisters made their home. The only way up was
by way of a spiral staircase which she had been forbidden to use, yet
Alexandria had made it clear that should a morning come in which she was
not found sleeping in the library it would be counted as failure in her
training. Left to her own devices, Sarah had made a pattern of how to
climb up the old Titan, until it had become intuitive.
Still, throughout all of the reading and all of the tests, never had a
single word been dropped about just when the actual indoctrination would
be.
On a balmy summer morning, after five months of pain and learning and
struggling to prove herself, there was a subtle shift in the pattern.
Alexandria had not taken her out to the training course for the morning
rigors. Instead, Sarah had been led to a new room inside the shrine, and
instructed to read from a scroll that was left for her. For nearly six
hours she read from the document until her eyes were sore and it hurt to
sit in the heavy oak chair any longer. It was nothing more than an
account of the hardships a sisters life entailed, one of absolute
devotion to the emperor, of giving up ones social life, of denying
oneself all pleasures of the flesh, of rejecting the slightest hint of
deviancy with ruthless zeal. The scroll was unending. Soon it tumbled
into the vows of sanctity, and the rites of martial prowess.
Alexandria arrived sometime around noon, giving her a good blow across
the head for falling asleep after finishing. Then, she had been led to
the bathing rooms, and instructed to make her body and her mind clean.
When this was done she found herself stuck in the dressing room,
discovering that at some point Alexandria had taken her clothes and left
behind an ornate cloak in it's place. Not knowing what else to do, Sarah
put on the cloak and modestly wrapped it about herself, waiting on the
bench.
"Have you fallen asleep again child?", Alexandria snapped, swinging
open the door to the bathing chamber.
"No Sister Superior!", Sarah blurted, hopping to her feet.
"I see you have found the mantle I left for you?"
"Yes Sister Superior!"
So, it had been her. This wasn't a mistake. With her first sight of
Alexandria it became apparent the importance of what was happening.
Alexandria was for some reason clad in a different set of power armour
than usual, every steel panel polished to a high reflective sheen, the
leather portions clean and unscuffed, adorned in her many purity seals
and merit awards. Slung from her hips was a ceremonial bolter and a
pristine blade This was not the hard nosed veteran image Sarah had
become accustomed to at all.
"You will come with me child. You will answer all questions asked of
you, and you will not speak out of turn. Do you understand, after all I
have showed you?"
"Yes, Sister Superior.", Sarah answered more solemnly.
Alexandria led her from the bathing chamber down a long corridor into
the heart of the shrine. With every step Sarah struggled to hold her
tongue, every piece of her soul, every fiber, begging to ask the Sister
Superior what it was they were doing. Eventually they came to two
immense doors , one decorated with a carving of Sebastian Thor, the
other of Saint Praxedes.
"You will enter before me child, and I will follow. Go."
The door did not open easily, and Sarah had to push with all her weight
just to force it open wide enough to pass through. It occurred to her,
as she slipped into the room beyond, that the door had been designed for
someone clad in power armor.
Before Sarah lay a great hall, nearly fifty feet in length. Overhead
between the geodesic supports the ceiling was covered in epic paintings
of famous battles of faith. On each side of the long black carpet stood
the other sisters of the Shrine Cerebus. They were lined up in rows,
clad in the decorative armour Sarah had seen on Alexandria, each one's
personal achievements displayed visibly on the leather sleeve of the
left arm. They stood with Bolters ready, brought up to the shoulder
stiffly. They remained like statues, while Sarah slowly made her way to
the other end of the hall.
There at the end of the carpet stood Abess Alexis. She looked much
younger dressed in her armour, not the frail old woman Sarah remembered
seeing in the shadows months ago. Beside her stood the imposing form of
Inquisitor Kaufman, who had forgone his Tactical Dreadnought armour in
enhance for a silken ceremonial robe similar to the one Sarah was
wrapped in. His presence sent a chill down Sarah's spine. Since his
arrival three weeks before whispered rumors regarding the Inquisitor had
nearly dwarfed the rumors coming from the Eldar front. Just seeing him
meant she was in the middle of something very, very dangerous.
"Step up with us child.", Abess Alexis directed, motioning to the empty
space in front of her.
Sister Superior Alexandria stood behind Sarah as she stepped onto the
low platform with the Abess.
"Who speaks for this child?", Abess Alexis asked.
"I do.", Alexandria returned.
"And do you find her ready, and proper?"
"I do."
"Is her mind and spirit prepared?"
"As any sister who now watches us."
Abess Alexis appeared satisfied with this, and dismissed Alexandria
with an absent wave toward the ranks of assembled sisters. Quickly the
Sister Superior took her place with her own battle Squad.
"Child, to whom do you serve?", Abess Alexis asked.
Sarah began to answer, but stopped herself. She remembered the scroll,
the exact quotation the scribe had put down.
"To my Sister Superior, to my Abess, to my fellow Battle Sisters, to
the loyal citizens of the Imperium, and above all to the divine Emperor,
who watches over us even now."
"Do you choose to do so freely, as a loyal citizen?"
"I give myself to the Emperor fully, as there could be no other way. "
"Why do you give yourself?"
"Without the Emperor there would be no life, and there for my life is
the Emperors. To do otherwise would be to defy life and embrace death
and corruption. It is his will, and thus it is mine."
"You swear then, that from this day on, you will embrace only the
service of the Emperor, forbidding yourself from a private life or the
rights entitled to a citizen of the Imperium?"
"I take such considerations eagerly."
"And should you ever fail in your duty?"
"I will not fail. I may die, but I will not fail."
"Very good."
Abess Alexis stepped back, allowing the Inquisitor to take her place
before Sarah.
"Hello Sarah," the haggard old man smiled weakly, "Do you know who I
am?"
"You are the Inquisitor known as Kaufman."
"Yes, I am. You are lucky you caught me here on Eden, typically it is
years before an Inquisitor may come to a given planet to welcome a new
sister, yet you find me here none the less. The Emperor does work in
mysterious ways. Do you agree?"
"With your heart open to the Emperor, his will is manifested.", Sarah
answered.
"A perfect answer, I am impressed.", Kaufman nodded, "And do you
recognize my authority as a representative of the Emperors will?"
Sarah had to think for a second. Was this a challenge, to see if she
recalled the lesson of Van Dire? Or, was he simply reiterating her
obedience?
"I believe you act in his best interests, in the best interests of the
citizens under the Emperors protection. There for, your will and his are
the same so long as you continue to act in this way. I accept this."
One of the Inquisitor's servants pushed out a wide hassock, covering it
with a sheet of black silk similar to what the Inquisitor himself was
clad in. The Inquisitor knelt down beside it.
"Very good Sarah, I want you to remove the mantle, and lay upon this
with your stomach facing the floor."
Too frightened to blush, Sarah disrobed and carefully laid herself on
the soft hassock.
"Ten thousand years ago Sarah, our Emperor ascended the golden throne.
In his divine foresight he realized that one day he could not physically
guard us, and so he attempted to split his will among the men we know as
Primarchs. This you know Sarah, but what I am about to tell you, no one
but those in this room must know."
The Inquisitor reached into his robe, and drew a bolt pistol, placing
it's wide bore against the back of her skull.
"You now must accept my request as an act of the Emperors will. What
ever I am about to say, you will never share with anyone lest you defy
the Emperor and spit in the face of the faithful. If you choose to
respect my divinity, speak now. If not, I will execute you here and now,
and you will go to the Emperor knowing your faith was never questioned.
All sisters are given this choice, and now I give it to you. How say
you?"
Sarah could hear the click as Kaufman brought the hammer of the bolt
pistol back.
"I will carry what ever knowledge is given here to my grave and
beyond."
Kaufman carefully closed the hammer and returned it to his cloak. He
spoke nothing more of it.
"Ten thousand years ago, the Warmaster Horus turned on our divine
Emperor. He became the opposite of the Emperor, he became a monster, a
demon, a heretic. And with him, so went many of the Primarchs. Even of
those who remained faithful, many of their own offspring, the Adeptus
Astartes, had questionable loyalty and had to be killed. Some remain
unforgiven to this day, routing out their cursed kin in a desperate
attempt to prove themselves to our almighty Emperor, but they are
forever tainted. All of the Astartes are. For, while we respect them as
the Emperors children, they have lost our unconditional trust. They have
proven they can be bent against the Emperors will. As such, we now
maintain a tight watch on the Astartes."
While the Inquisitor went on, several more servants came forth,
bringing medical tools and vials.
"You see, all that separates the Astartes from a normal man are the
divine glands of their Primarchs. These glands make them superhuman. We
take a sample of these glands, and we study them. We ensure that each
successive generation of each Astartes chapter remains free of heresy
and taint."
A doctor had come, and he now knelt beside Sarah. For only a moment she
had managed to see him, just long enough to see the symbols of the
Adeptus Mechanicus.
"So, with the coming of Sebastian Thor, so too came a concern. If the
Astartes had turned on the Emperor so quickly without a hint of warning,
could they do it again? Worse, if they did, what chance would an unarmed
Echlisiarchy stand against them? So, the Sisterhood was maintained. Not
only to guard the faith, not just to spread the good news of the
Emperor. The Sisterhood is a thin black line. You are the weapon kept
oiled and ready should the dogs ever turn again on their master. You
will respect them, but should the need ever come, you will be sent to
fight the Astartes."
The Adeptus was rubbing something foul and chemical smelling on Sarah's
back, another servant scribing her with a pen, making notations along
her spine.
"Of course, should the weapon be needed, it must be as strong as it's
enemy. Thus, we procure the loyalty of the Adeptus Mechanicus. In
reverence to the machine god they provide us with the finest of armour
for our warriors, with all that the Astartes have should we need to move
against them. The true strength of the Adepta Sororitas is kept in
complete confidence. You know of the arms and armour presented to you,
but there is one final rite, the most secret and delicate gift of all."
The Adeptus drew a scalpel, running it along a whetting stone. The
Inquisitor strode to the small altar along the wall, and picked up a
silver chalice, bringing it back with him. As he came closer, it became
apparent the chalice was more complex than it first appeared, with small
dials and tubes.
"Contained here in is a special strain of the Astartes gland, designed
to allow you the same intimate bond with your armour that the Emperor
himself discovered. A marine has his entire life to prepare for this
implantation, but with your faith you have readied yourself in under
five months time."
The Adeptus cut into the flesh on her back, two incisions along her
shoulder blade. Despite all her training, Sarah cried out.
"Don't be afraid Sarah, you will be a sister soon. The Emperor is your
anesthesia.", Kaufman smiled, almost amused by her agony.
For the next ten minutes the Adeptus and his assistants opened Sarah
up, flaying the wounds out to create pockets in her skin. All the
while, Sarah winced and screamed, feeling every cut and slice, her tears
running along the black silk to the Inquisitor's feet. Finally, the
Inquisitor opened the chalice, and with care the Adeptus drew two of the
purple organs preserved within. Each was inserted along opposite
shoulder blades, just above where the bone moved. Then Kaufman spilled
out the fluid remaining in the chalice, an ancient and potent nano-tech
brew. Quickly, it soaked into her wounds, biting into the flesh with a
billion microscopic teeth.
"On this day, the Shrine of Sebastian Thor contains a new sister.",
Abess Alexis spoke up, "A woman of the Emperor, a defender of chastity
and warrior for the Imperium of man."
The surgical adept finished his work, closing the wounds gently with
his gloved fingers. What ever the Inquisitor had poured in had already
done it's work, sealing the skin and leaving only thin red scars where
the organs had been placed.
Abess Alexis drew her sword, and held it out over Sarah's back, tapping
each wound once.
"You now bear the scars, the scars of an angel's wings. Your mundane
name is lost now, you join us as Sister Angelina, and to this name you
will answer for the remainder of your days."
Sister Superior Alexandria then wrapped the dropped mantle over the
newly endowed Angelina, helping her to her feet.
"On this evening," Abess Alexis continued, "we shall leave the guarding
of this planet to our brothers of the PDF, as all are invited to a brief
repast we shall hold to welcome this child to our order. Be proud,
Sister Angelina, on this day you serve our savior Emperor as you were
meant to."
Alexandria then led her back out of the room, to the heavy door and to
the hallway beyond. If not for the pain in her back, the reality of what
had just taken place might not have sunken in. They walked together down
a flight of steps, into an unfamiliar room filled with plain wooden
bunks.
"Rest here for now, you will find yourself very tired soon. I will come
to wake you, so don't concern yourself with rising on time."
"Sister Superior, I..."
"Please," the tall woman smiled at her, "when in private, I am
Alexandria. Save your formality for ceremony, the battlefield, and the
Abess when she is angry. It has no other place among us."
Angelina could not understand, Alexandria had never smiled in all the
years she had known her, had never suggested they had a rapport that was
anything more than that of a child and it's teacher. Seeing her
confusion, Alexandria laughed and forced her to lay down.
"Angelina, you are no longer my student. You are my sister, and as such
you may speak to me on equal terms. Perhaps I am higher in some abstract
form of rank, but we all share the same secrets, and guard the same
ideal. You are one of us."
Angelina wanted to cry, but the discipline gained reaching this day
would not allow it.
"Thank you, Alexandria. Thank you for bringing me in..."
Alexandria stood back up tall, and ran her armoured fingers across the
young woman's forehead, smiling approvingly. For all the joy Angelina
felt, Alexandria was filled with an elation that the child could not
fathom.
The Sister Superior watched as Angelina fell asleep, then headed back
to the staircase to help ready the dining hall. Funny the child would
word it that way, bringing her in'. Alexandria had struggled to save
that child for years, from the day she had wandered into the shrine with
tattered street clothes and a bleeding wound. She had molded a lost soul
into a proud warrior and humble servant. There had been obstructions,
the PDF man known as Mathius had nearly stolen her student, but the
Eldar incursion on Eden had proven quite fortuitous.
Angelina was hers now, and in some selfish way this meant she had won.
Alexandria shook off the thought, and offered a blessing to the Emperor
in hopes of dispelling the heretical thought, and resumed her work.
End.
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