REVELATIONS

A sword crashed against another.  Sparks flew.  One armoured man swung his sword around in a swift arc, then reversed at the last instant, catching his opponent off guard.  The sword smashed through his opponent's rib cage, tearing through armour and cables with ease.

The man he struck fell to his knees.  That man looked up at his opponent, and suddenly his face changed.  Where once there had been anger now there was only sadness and regret.  Before tumbling forward, he looked over, to see his son standing in the shadows.  Then his eyes closed and he was dead.

I awoke with a start.  The dream had been so real, so vivid, like a half-captured memory.  But I wasn't sure who the people involved were, except that I was the child who had just seen his father die.  It was my father, of that I was sure.

Feeling disturbed by the dream, I got out of bed and decided to shower and eat before heading off to the HQ to get my next assignment.  The time spent doing this seemed to dull the ache left in my heart from that dream.  I had no idea how my father died, and no one would tell me.

On the way to what was jokingly referred to as the "dispatch office", I watched the people of Ghevin as they went about their lives.  People walked up and down the streets, some of them happy, some of them looking down.  I spotted a man feeding some birds, a woman looking dismayed while quickly glancing back and forth at a piece of paper and some shopping bags.  Oh, what it would like to lead a normal life, with normal concerns, I thought.

And then I saw a man with his son, who was sitting in a swing and enjoying himself.   My mind flashed through memories of doing the same with my own father.  Just as quickly, it flashed through a dozen more memories of longing for him to return home and then learning he had died while on assignment.

Oh, to lead a normal life...

I walked into the dispatch office and saw Master Inquisitor Ferrus Danth staring at his datacomp screen with much interest.  I cleared my throat to get his attention.   He remained distracted by the screen.  Finally I tapped on the wall beside the door.  The sound of my knuckles rapping on the metal finally brought him out of his trance.

"Ah, Tal, how are you?" he said.

"As fine as I can be," I replied.  "Something important?" I asked, nodding toward the datacomp.

"Some news from Terra, that's all."

"Have you got an assignment for me?"

"Always the same eager Tal, ready to work."  Danth turned back toward the datacomp, then pressed a few keys and touched the screen with his pointer.   "As I matter of fact, I do."

I leaned forward.  "And?"

Danth laughed.  "Impatient, aren't we?"

I smiled at the remark.  "No, just a worker wanting to get his job done as soon as possible."

"Fair enough.  You seem to have been picked as the perfect candidate to do a job on Hurn II.  Seems there's a smallish cult starting, but it may get to be large if left alone.  They have a bit of an anti-Imperial slant to them."

"Nothing we can use?"

"Not so far as our agents on Hurn can tell.  This cult also looks similar to one that showed up twenty or so years ago on Sudin.  Looks like we missed the leaders of that cult."

"Well, guess I should be going.  No time like the present to stop another Imperial hating trend."  With that, I turned and walked from the office.

Danth laughed out loud as I walked down the hall.

"You must always remember that your duty to the Imperium comes first.   You cannot have feelings for these scum."

"But Mandius, sir, what if they're right?  What if they're really being oppressed?"

"Criminals and dissidents are never right.  They are only trying to undermine the Imperial government.  Your father knew that, Tal."

"My father...  How did he die?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

"Can you at least tell me where he died?"

"Yes, I suppose.  He was on assignment to Sudin..."

The navicomputer beeped at me incessantly, letting me know I was at my destination.   Hurn II floated in the cosmos before me, a large ball of green with a very small amount of blue and brown, all of it partially obscured by misty white clouds.

I swatted at the noisy machine, turning off the alarm.  I was annoyed at myself for having fallen asleep.  I was also distracted by a dream, but I couldn't really remember what it was.  To take my mind off of it, I brought up the information packet on Hurn II.

A lot of it was basic information, not useful to me.  I made mental notes of several bars and nightclubs.  The young are always eager to belong to a group, and very rebellious too.  They would make a perfect target for a cult.  As would those who try to drown their sorrows in a glass of beer.

The data I was given stated that the cult was currently situated in Trenton, a large city that also had a large underground.  Not much information was listed about the various members of the underground, except a few notes on "friendly" gangs that may be of aid to me.

As I descended through the atmosphere, I got my first look at the true beauty of Hurn.   The planet was wonderful, covered in sweeping forests with grand rivers winding through them.  It was truly an awesome sight.  I nearly missed Trenton as I flew over the landscape.  I was expecting to see a city standing in the midst of the woods, with few trees to be seen amongst its shiny metal and glass structures.   Instead I got a pleasant surprise.

The city was built within the woods, using the trees to provide natural elegance and beauty.  While there were a few skyscrapers, they were surrounding by tall trees.   The city seemed to be designed so that it was a part of the forest, not an intrusion in the middle of it.  There were dozens of parks and clearings, and trees lined every street.

I landed after a couple more fly-overs of the city.  The landing pad was wide enough for a Class C yacht, but still seemed to blend in with its surroundings.  I greeted the port master and went through customs.

I found myself wandering the streets after leaving the space port, admiring the looks of the town.  Not only was the landscape amazingly bright and clean, but the people of the town walked with an aura of constant happiness radiating from them.  Not many people had long faces, and none of them looked angry for any reason.  It was an odd contrast to what I had envisioned while reading the info packet.

After a few hours of wandering the streets and locating some of the places I'd visit in my investigation, I finally decided to turn in for the night.  I chose to sleep at a lovely hotel that was made of a material resembling wood in appearance but closer to plasteel in strength and endurance.  The hotel had a grand view of the city from its east facing, and a magnificent view of the forest from its west facing.  I chose to take a corner room facing both east and south.  It allowed me to see both the city and some of the forest.

The price for a suite was not so beautiful.  Neither was the price for room service and the grand venison they served.  But I wasn't worried.  The Inquisition was footing the bill, and they never asked questions.

After a warm meal and a small shot of the local scotch whiskey (which had a nice, crisp flavor that reminded me of hickory), I felt like getting some rest.  With my laspistols laying at my side and the rest of my equipment nearby, I quickly fell asleep.

"Who killed my father?"

The older man spun around and stared at the boy, surprised at the question.

"I want to know," the boy pleaded.  "Who did it?"

"I can't tell you, Tal."

"You never tell me anything!  Why won't you let me know?"

"Some secrets are best kept as secrets.  Come, you must continue your arms studies."

I awoke in the morning ready to check out the town. I felt it was best to try to blend in, so my first stop was going to be a department store where I could get some clothes to match the local wear.

After an hour of wandering the store, which was already busy with shoppers scampering about to fill their daily needs, I had managed to pick up six changes of clothes that would help me fit in. I had also been able to grab some extras such as a palm datacomp and assorted pens and markers, along with a couple of small pads of paper. These would allow me to take notes as well as have something to fill my pockets and make me look like an average middle echelon worker, trying to fit in his work whenever possible.

Once again stopping by my hotel room, I changed into an outfit that combined a close fitting light blue long-sleeved shirt with a pair of brown slacks. Not the most dashing outfit I'd ever worn, but then I'd found that you shouldn't look too exciting if you don't want to stand out. My pockets overflowed with the items I'd picked up. A laspistol was placed in a small sheath around my ankle, hidden by the loose pants legs. My Inquisitor seal went into a small compartment in my shoes.

My face was next for fixing up. I combed my hair so that it mostly swept backward, but let part of it fall to either side of my face. A pair of sunglasses completed the look. I looked in the room's mirror to see how I looked.

Not bad. Modest and self-loving at the same time.

I then left the hotel and made a trip around the city, stopping by the local zoo (which had some rather interesting specimens of bipeds on display), a large mall, an arcade (reliving my youth and kicking at least one machine to give a show of buried bitterness), and a wonderful garden that somehow managed to blend flowers and trees in a dazzling exhibition. My last stop was a lightly populated diner that served wonderful meat sandwiches and fried potato wedges.

While I was eating, I was approached by a young woman who sat down on the other side of the booth from me. Not having been briefed on any operatives that might know I was there, I was a bit surprised. Thankfully I still had my glasses on to hide the surprise.

"New around these parts?" she asked, folding her arms and leaning across the table.

I swallowed a bite of food and took a moment to compose myself, which, looking into her green eyes and long brown hair which fell across he shoulders, was not an easy task. "What makes you ask?"

"Nothing, really," she said. "Just wondering. I've never seen you before, and most of the people that visit this place are regular customers."

"So you greet everyone you don't know who comes in here this way?" She laughed and shook her head. "And is that some sort of local greeting or something? 'You from around here?' Most places, people usually say, 'Hi, how are you, I'm so-and-so.'"

"Sorry," she said. She held out her hand. "I'm Shannon Noritake. How are you?"

"Fine, I suppose. I'm Tal Zhent." I looked down at her hand. "I'm not sure what to do. Most place, you kiss a woman's hand, or shake it. Is there a different custom here?"

"No." She looked at me and smiled. "Kissing will do fine."

And so I took her hand in mine and kissed it. Then I released it and looked at her face again. "So, do you talk to everyone new in these parts? Or did something about me gain your interest? My dazzling outfit, perhaps?"

"Actually, it was the contrast between what you're wearing and what you're carrying. Come on, casual clothing and you're carrying around your work? I just had to find out what was behind a man who strikes that much of a contrast. Plus," she said, her eyes wandering, "your looks didn't hurt."

At this time, I wasn't sure how to react. I couldn't talk too much, for fear of giving myself away or saying the wrong thing. Yet at the same time I wanted to talk, to open up to someone else.

She leaned back and looked at me, probably sensing my hesitation. "Hey, I could give you a tour of the city later. Maybe you could get a bit more comfortable with talking by then."

"What makes you think I'm uncomfortable?"

She reached forward and touched my lower lip with a finger. "Your lip quivers."

"Well, you certainly know how to read a person," I said. "Alright, I'm game. Should I meet you somewhere?"

"You seem to know how to find this place. So, maybe here, about five o'clock?"

"That works for me."

"Well, then, I'll see you at five," she said, standing up. I saw hesitation in her eyes, just for an instant, then leaned down and kissed me. I was lost for a moment as our lips touched, then she drew away and ran her hands down her outfit as if she were composing herself. "Take care of yourself, Tal." Then she walked from the diner.

I finished my food in silence, then left the diner and began walking down the street, wandering the city.

I couldn't deny that I had felt something in the diner, but I knew I was forbidden by the Inquisition's code to have any intimate relationships. But I had just met this woman. Ten minutes, and suddenly I'm having thoughts of intimacy?

"Get ahold of yourself, Tal," I mumbled. It was her looks, I told myself. It's just a natural physical reaction.

Or was it? Something about her just made me feel intoxicated. Was it something love? Or was it something else?

I stopped for a minute and place my head in my hands. If I were anyone else, I wouldn't question what I was feeling. But being an Inquisitor, I had to question everything. I had to be wary of people who would try to take advantage of weakness. MY whole life revolved around stopping people who would bring down the whole Imperium if they could. Suspicion was a way or life, a tool to keep yourself alive. But it had a hell of a negative effect on trying to start a relationship.

I lifted my head again and began walking forward. Tonight, I'd meet her again at the diner and let her take me around the town. If she was trying to get to me, I'd find out then.

But that would be later.

"Time for your targeting practice, Tal. But first, I have to give you something."

"They belonged to your father."

The sound of a door closing and bells chiming snapped me into consciousness. Not really certain why, I reached down and pressed my hand against the side of my ankle. Through the pants leg I could still feel my laspistol in its sheath.

I looked up and toward the door of the diner. There Shannon stood, looking around. I shouted in her direction to get her attention, then stood and walked over to her.

"Are you ready to see the town?" she asked.

"Lead the way," I said, and she did. I opened the door for her and held it as she walked out, admiring the way she moved as she passed by me. For a moment my eyes wandered between her clinging black shirt and her short crimson skirt that did a good job of showing off her shapely legs. Then I brought my attention back to the fore and hurried to catch up with her.

"You should get more rest," she said as I moved beside her.

"Why do you say that?"

"It was obvious you fell asleep back there. Your eyes are a bit red around the edges - well, what I can see around your sunglasses - and you're moving kind of hurriedly, like you were almost caught doing something you shouldn't have."

I didn't even try to hide my surprise. "You're good at this. There seems to be more to you than meets the eye, Shannon."

"As there is with you, Tal," she said.

We spent the next few hours checking out the town. She showed me all of the most beautiful locations in the city, some of which weren't listed in any official records, and took me to the shopping district to show me where the best places to get different goods were. At one shop she bought a camera and insisted on having me take pictures of her. The most wonderful place she took me to was a hill overlooking the town. By then it was dark, and the lights of the town mingled with the trees to create one of the grandest sights I had ever seen.

"Enjoy he view?" Shannon asked.

"It's beautiful," I replied. Then I turned and looked at her eyes. "Not truly comparable to your own beauty, but close."

I could barely see her blush in the darkness. "Thank you."

We both sat and looked at the city for a few minutes, then Shannon spoke again. "Will you take off your glasses, Tal? I want to be able to see your eyes."

"Alright." I took my sunglasses off and looked into her eyes.

"You have lovely blue eyes," she said. Her right hand moved to my cheek and brushed aside a few strands of my hair that had fallen in front of my face. Then her hand moved to the back of my head as she leaned toward me.

Feeling like it was the most natural thing in the world, I took her face in my hand and leaned toward her. Slowly our faces met and our lips came together. My arms moved her back, holding her in a wonderful embrace. She pulled me closer to her, and there we sat for a long time, enjoying the embrace.

And just like that, it was over. She leaned back and looked at me, her face a mix between surprise and worry and excitement, all at once. She quickly turned away. I decided not to say anything. There was already enough tension in the air.

After a couple of minutes, she turned back to me. "You said you wanted to see the nightlife," she said. "Let's go."

I stood up and took her hand, helping her to stand. She kept her hand in mine as we walked back down to the city, then into the 'entertainment' sector.

We moved from street to street, as she showed me the best places to have fun and get a drink. Then she turned to me and excitedly said, "You know, I bet you'd love The Retro."

"What's that?" I asked.

"A dance club, it plays older music. Let's go," she said, and pulled me by the arm with both of her hands. We quickly walked down the street. As we did, we passed many bars and clubs, some comfortable and homey looking, others exciting, and some downright seedy.

And as we passed by an alley between two buildings, I suddenly felt a heavy blow to the back of my head. I fell to the ground, then managed to get back onto my knees. I used one hand to steady me while I felt at the back of my head with another. My hand came away sticky and wet. I could barely see, but the red on my hands was very recognizable as blood. I heard Shannon scream, then a thud and she fell silent. I felt more than heard her body hit the ground, and then another blow came down right on my back. A large crack was the last sound I heard before my knees gave out and I fell to the ground, succumbing to the pain and letting unconsciousness overtake me.

"There is something you must always remember, Tal. As an Inquisitor, we sometimes are forced to do things we do not want to. Things seem different than they truly are."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"You may one day be forced to take a friend's life, or destroy an entire world to stop the spread of evil"

"But... doesn't that hurt? I mean, to do something so bad, even to achieve something right..."

"Yes, Tal. We all carry around the scars of having to do something we didn't want to do..."

"Agtoth!"

I jerked my head up, looking forward. I was bound to some kind of pole, in a darkened room that appeared to be in an old apartment building that had already been partially reclaimed by the forest.

My captor was an odd sight. He wore dark blue robes loosely fitted over what appeared to be a ragged sweatshirt. His hair, brown with a touch of red, flowed behind his head and down past his shoulders. His eyes were dark green, the whites of them being the only brightness in a dark face.

When he spoke, I felt a strange sensation in my mind. I could understand the words, so that his initial cry that brought me to consciousness translated instantly in my mind as "[Wake!]"

I stared at him as he moved around me, then to my back. I couldn't view him for a moment, then he moved back around to my fore.

"[Were you hurt much?]" he asked.

I decided to respond, since that seemed the best course of action for getting knowledge at the time. "My head took a pretty hard blow, split the skin. I'm not sure if I have a broken vertebrae or two, but my back sure hurts."

"[It is that overeager fool Jith. He wants to prove himself so much. I told them, do not hurt the guest. But they bring you here injured and tie you up?]"

At this point I was slightly confused, and I had a ringing headache anyway, and so chose not to respond. I watched as he moved to the side and turned toward another room. "[Grem! Untie this man! He deserves our respect, not to be treated like this.]"

A man came in quickly, dressed in black and yellow (an awkward contrast, but somehow fitting), and removed my bindings. He stepped backward as I moved away from the pole I had been tied to. I rubbed at my wrists for a moment; they were very raw.

"[Excuse the hired help.]" the robed man said. "[I would introduce myself. I am Kheln. My people are the Lok'teth. We are trying to free this world from the oppression of the False Emperor.]"

Suddenly I tensed. 'False Emperor' was a phrase often used by agents of Chaos to refer to the True Emperor. Kheln saw me tense, but seemed to dismiss it in an instant.

"[You are the prophet who will lead us against the False Emperor and destroy him. Not like the other prophet, who was false yet wore your face. You are the true prophet, the messenger of the true Emperor, who will pave the way for victory against oppression. You are the Yurl'tesh.]"

Suddenly something snapped in my mind. That last word, whatever its meaning, meant something to me. I felt a flood of emotions, memories, and seemingly hardwired thoughts trying to fight their way into consciousness all at once.

Then suddenly, from another room, I heard the sound of a bolt pistol rapidly firing and screams rising before abruptly cutting off. I reached down and found my laspistol still in its sheath. I pulled it out and aimed it at my captives while they were distracted.

"[No!]" screamed Kheln. "[You are not the true prophet either! You have come to destroy us like the other prophet. If you will not willingly lead us, I will make you our prophet.]"

I brought my laspistol up to aim at his head. Kheln began making gestures, and suddenly I felt a pressure begin to grow in my head. It slowly built up, and I couldn't pull the trigger on my pistol. The pressure kept building, and images flashed through my mind, images of a dark and disturbing nature, of things I couldn't identify.

And yet in an instant the pressure was gone. My mind was snapped free as quickly as it had been shackled. Kheln stumbled back, then looked at me. I saw fear in his eyes as I once again leveled the pistol at his temple.

I pulled the trigger and sent a lance of pure light through his forehead.

Kheln fell to the ground, a smoking crater now occupying the space upon his head where his eyes, nose, and forehead had once been. I quickly turned and shot down Grem and a half dozen or so unarmed cultists standing nearby, then ran toward the room where I'd first heard shots. I heard two more shots. I pressed my back against the wall, then quickly jumped around the corner and aimed my pistol at the lone person standing in the room.

And there I was, face to face with Shannon, pointing a laspistol at her face while she held a bolt pistol pointed at my chest.

I lowered my gun, and she lowered hers. I then took a moment to look her over. Only then did I notice that her face was bruised and cut, and she seemed to be shaking as she stood.

She smiled at me. "Am I glad to see you, Tal," she said, stepping forward.

As she tried to take one step, she fell. I caught her in my arms as her body went limp. The bolt pistol dropped from her arms and clattered on the floor. The sudden pressure against me made me realize how weak my own knees felt and I fell against the wall behind me, sliding down to the floor as I did so. I let my own laspistol drop, then wrapped my arms tightly around Shannon and held up her head. She was unconscious, but still breathing.

The sight of her eyes closed helped me notice how tired I was. The fight had worn out what little energy I had. I pressed Shannon's body to mine, making sure to interpose my body between her and any would-be attackers, then quickly lost consciousness myself.

"I am Yurl'tesh, blast you!"

A sword was raised and swung toward its bearer's opponent. Another sword flashed up to catch it and deflect the blow.

I opened my eyes slowly, bright sunlight making it painful to open them faster. Unfiltered by any glass, the rays of the sun stretched into the room and filled it with light.

I slowly got up, shifting Shannon's body around so that I could gently lower her to the floor. I then knelt and placed my laspistol back in its holster, but left the strap unhooked so I could quickly pull out my pistol should I need it.

I walked to the window and looked out. Trees surrounded the building, vines climbed up its sides, bushes and other growth broke up the concrete of what once was a parking lot. Beauty mixed with devastation and loneliness.

For a second I glanced back at Shannon, still asleep on the floor.

I shook my head to clear any stray thoughts, then began to walk through the building. As I did so, I noticed a number of dead cultists lying around. Many had been shot by a bolt pistol, and yet many more had been shot dead by a lasweapon of some sort. I hadn't realized just how many foes I had faced the night before, nor did I realize I had shot so many people. My memory was sort of blank for much of the night, so I couldn't remember what had happened. Still, it was a gruesome and disturbing scene.

Slowly I found myself walking toward the building exit. As I neared it, I hesitated, looking back toward the room where I'd left Shannon.

Then I turned and continued walking. It was better if I just left her there, and got away. She could fend for herself, and I didn't need to cause her any more trouble, or get into any more myself.

A voice seemed to float out of the back of my mind, gnawing at my conscience. You're not leaving her for her well-being, it said. You're just afraid of what might happen if you stayed with her. You're afraid of your own feelings. A big coward.

I swatted at the air as if trying to shoo those words away. But they stuck in my mind as I began to tread into the forest.

I turned around for a moment and looked again at the building. I was tempted to go back.

But no, that would serve nothing, save to entertain some silly fantasy. That damn Kheln, whatever he'd done, had opened my mind to a temporary weakness. I didn't have time to think about something like love.

I spent the next hour trudging through forest, heading in a direction that I judged to be north, given the position of the sun. I passed a number of other abandoned buildings of various sorts while I walked. This appeared to be an older part of the city that had long been left to the woods. As I neared the sounds of a bustling city, I picked up my pace. Soon I was back in the middle of Trenton, finding myself in the shopping district.

I knew the way back to my hotel from there, so I went back to my suite. From what I had seen back at the abandoned building where I'd been taken, the cult's leaders, and a substantial number of its members, were now dead. My job here was done.

Once I returned to my suite, I packed up all of my gear and other 'luggage'. I moved swiftly, almost hurriedly, sometimes shoving things wherever they'd fit rather than neatly placing them in their bags. Within minutes I was done, and I placed all of my bags and suitcases on a roller. I went down to the reception desk to pay my bill and return the key to the suite.

Soon I was at the spaceport and back in my small shuttle. I talked the port master into giving me clearance to leave sooner than I would have normally been able to. Without hesitation, I lifted the shuttle into the air, turned its nose toward the stars, and ignited the thruster.

Minutes later I was in space, Hurn II behind me. After a couple of minutes of setting my navicomp, the shuttle entered the Warp, destined for Ghevin.

Space distorted around the ship, twisting into what looked like an odd parody of itself. Colours flowed between stars and planets, a menagerie of colour. I closed my head and leaned forward.

A series of images flashed through my mind. Sitting with Shannon in the diner, opening my eyes to see Kheln for the first time, the body of a young man in robes who'd chosen to be a cultist and lost his life to my pistol, my father in his power armour swinging a sword at an armoured opponent, Mandius telling me my father was dead while trying to force back a flood of raw emotion, Kheln's body laying on the ground with his face disfigured and burned horribly. Behind it all, a low chant of "Yurl'tesh, Yurl'tesh..."

A thousand emotions hit me at once. Pain, sadness, rage, anger, lost innocence, lost love. My face put on a grimace as I tried to fight back the emotions, not knowing why I was even feeling them. Finally I lost the battle. My fist slammed down on the shuttle's control panel. I leaned forward, resting my head on my left arm. I began to feel tears running down my cheeks.

I stayed like that, weeping and shaking, for half an hour, at which time I fell asleep. And while I slept, my mind began to remember...

The boy crept slowly to the edge of the wall, peeking around it to see the two men in the next room. He had recognized their voices, and now he recognized them by sight. The two men arguing were his father and Mandius, his father's friend.

"Something happened to you on Sudin, Kevyn. They did something to your mind," Mandius said.

The boy's father snarled his reply, "Nothing happened. I've merely become enlightened about my destiny."

"But it's a false destiny!" Mandius shouted. "You can't bring down the Emperor, you swore an oath to him."

"It is my fate to destroy the False Emperor. He is oppressing people."

Mandius shook his head slowly, sadly. "Look, Kevyn, they changed you, they did..."

"I am Yurl'tesh, blast you!"

"No, you are not. You are Kevyn Zhent."

"I am the Prophet, the Chosen!" screamed the boy's father. He then raised his sword and swung it at Mandius.

Mandius' sword came up swiftly to block it. The two swords met between the men, throwing off bright orange and blue sparks as their fields intermingled and the blades touched.

"Don't do this, Kev!" Mandius yelled.

"I have to. You're standing in the way of my duty." The father swung his sword once again toward Mandius, trying to catch him in his lower torso.

Mandius spun around and placed his sword in a position to block the other man's sword. More sparks flew, and the bright light of the swords clashing reflected off of the two men's armour. "Your duty is to the Emperor."

"He will destroy us all!" Then he ducked and jumped up, trying to swing his sword at Mandius from above. Mandius ducked, rolled, and came up behind his friend, swatting at his side with the flat side of his sword. Zhent stumbled, then caught his balance and turned around. Enraged, he lunged forward and swung his sword at Mandius in a wide arc, but again was blocked.

Further angered, Zhent pulled his sword back quickly, then swung it forward with an inelegant swing meant to tear Mandius' torso  apart.

Mandius swung his sword as if to catch the sword aimed at his torso, then spun at the last moment. In one fluid motion he stepped to the side, out of the sword's path, and continued the reversed swing of his own sword.

It caught Zhent in his rib cage. This time it was the blade of the sword that made contact, tearing through armour, cables, flesh, and bone with terrible ease.

Zhent fell to his knees, dropping his sword. He looked up at Mandius, and his facial expression changed. Where a minute ago there had been pure rage, now there was only sadness and guilt. "Forgive me, Mandius," he whispered. "They made me do it. The Lok'teth, they messed up my mind."

The boy began to cry, his sobs silent but still loud enough.

Zhent glanced over at the door. Regret was evident on his face. His boy had seen what he'd done. He turned back to Mandius. "Take care of Tallonius, Mandius. One day he will be a great Inq-..."

Zhent's voice cut off abruptly, and he gasped. A handful of seconds later, he fell to the ground at Mandius' feet. A pool of blood began to collect.

Mandius looked sadly at his sword, still covered in his friend's blood. Then a movement caught his eye, and he heard the boy's voice.

"Dad... no..." the boy cried softly.

Mandius turned toward the boy quickly, and thrust his left hand forward, making a gesture as if he was grabbing something. Suddenly the boy felt a pain in his mind. Then everything went blank, and he fell unconscious to the floor.

The navicomp's incessant beeping brought me back into the present. Suddenly, like a dam burst open, the mental block placed on my memories was gone. I knew what happened to my father.

He'd been altered by Kheln. Changed. But he could have been changed back, right? Why didn't Mandius even try that? And what if Kheln had been successful with me? Would Mandius then have to kill me? Or would he just do it anyway?

Was Mandius concerned with saving my father, or moving him out of the way for some reason?

I descended into the atmosphere of Ghevin, and then down to  the city of Tacor, where the Inquisition headquarters for this sector was located. I had to talk to Mandius, but how?

As my shuttle landed, I examined my choices. I couldn't ignore this, so that was out. Mandius had to be talked to. Maybe Danth knew something about my father's last mission and what happened to him. I'd have to talk to so many people.

I exited the shuttle and made my way to the offices, quickly finding Mandius'. Ignoring the many requests shot my way to give an oral report to Danth, I stormed into Mandius' office and slammed the door behind me.

He was sitting at his desk, his head down in his hands. His sword was laid on his desk before him.

"You know what happened now, don't you?" he asked, his voice quiet and sad.

"You killed my father," I replied. "And I want an explanation."

Mandius looked up at me, lowering his hands to his desk. His face looked older than his fifty one years. He motioned for me to sit, which I did, keeping my distance from him.

"Your father had just come back from Sudin," he began. "We heard of some kind of cult there that had an anti-Imperial slant. Not much more information was available. Kevyn - your father - was sent to Sudin to contain this cult, destroy it. He was gone for well over a week. When he returned, we assumed he'd been successful.

"However, a week later, Sudin fell to rebel forces. A rebellion spread like wildfire, engulfing everyone. Even the governor turned at some point, taking the military with him. We were left with the impression that Kevyn failed. He didn't do anything to change our minds, as he got more and more agitated over the following few days.

"The governor of Sudin, now calling himself an Emperor, had wiped out all traces of the Imperium on Sudin. Apparently the cult had succeeded. We sent a fleet and a company of Flaming Hawks to take back the planet. In the end, the fight to reclaim the planet was a bloodbath. Six Marines escaped with their lives, out of a little over a hundred. Out of sixty million people, five hundred survived, many of them breaking down soon after. Seven tenths of the fleet was wiped out. Our 'repossession' force had been decimated, but Sudin was ours again. But millions of dead littered the streets, and the cities lay in ruins.

"Kevyn blamed himself. He kept saying he could have prevented the bloodbath. After a while, he referred to himself as Yurl'tesh, the Prophet who was to destroy the False Emperor and lead the True Emperor and his followers into glory."

I interrupted him for a second. "Yurl'tesh was what they called me," I said. As Mandius' face shifted toward surprise mixed with a bit of sadness, I quickly added, "They were unable to do anything, though. Their leader, Kheln, tried to force something into my mind. But something happened that snapped his connection. He looked pretty scared right before I shot him."

"Good... As I was saying, your father seemed upset. It seemed to all of us that Kevyn had been brainwashed, and had meant to go back to Sudin and lead the cult to victory. He kept saying things that fed these fears. Eventually the others decided I should confront Kevyn, since I was his best friend.

"I tried to talk to him, but he seemed to be slipping into madness. I tried to reason, but he kept insisting he was Yurl'tesh and he had failed his people. He ended up drawing  his sword, and we had to fight. I tried not to hurt him, but he had no such worries regarding me. Out of reflex I dodged one of his swings and caught him with my sword." Mandius glanced at his sword for an instant, guilt playing across his face, then turned back to me.

"I killed him with a swing of my sword. But in doing so, I seem to have gotten through that spell cast on his mind. He knew what he'd done, and was sorry. He said he didn't blame me for killing him, that he was sorry he made me do it. Right before he collapsed, he made me promise I'd take care of you. And I did."

I took this all in. I had no way to know whether it was true or not, but somewhere deep inside I just knew it was true. "What did you do to me?" I asked him. "You gestured at me and something happened in my mind."

Mandius looked to the side, then back. "I put a mental block in your mind, to block the memory of your father's death. I didn't want you to grow up with the memory of your father being killed by another Inquisitor - by me especially - ever present."

I nodded. That made sense. "So, what happened to the cult? How did they get to Hurn II?"

"I'm not sure. No one knows. They seem to have packed up and left soon after your father did. They disappeared for almost twenty years, then showed back up. No one really made the connection until you were on your way there."

"Okay," I said. "What about Sudin? Why wasn't the purge listed in the records?"

"Officially, or unofficially? Officially, it never happened. Unofficially, it was simply forgotten, for a variety of reason. An investigation of the cult on the planet would have turned up what happened to Kevyn. Also, it was thought to be a bit embarrassing that we had to wipe out an entire planet, and almost lost an entire invasion fleet, because one of our own messed up - even if he did pay the ultimate price for it. The whole thing was covered up. No one wanted the populace at large in the Imperium to think we'd turn loose the Marines on them, slaughtering millions on any world that had a turncoat leader. Truth is, everyone turned on Sudin. So everyone had to be cleansed." Mandius rubbed at his face as if he was tired.

"So, then, who all knew about what had happened?"

"Actually, only me and Ferrus Danth knew everything that had happened. The leaders of the fleet and the surviving Space Marines knew what had occurred, but we took care of that. A mind wipe and selective 'replacing' of crew members kept the secret of Sudin from getting out."

"The Inquisition's dirty little secret," I said.

"One of many," Mandius replied, "and the cross I have to bear for the rest of my life."

Our conversation was cut short just then. Gregori Mohn opened the office door and called into it, "Tallonius! Danth wants to see you. He wants your report right now."

I sighed, then got up. "Time for me to explain my own actions to someone else," I said. I began to walk out of the office.

"Wait," Mandius said. "I haven't heard what happened on Hurn, so I'll go with you."

And so we both left the office, walking together toward Danth's office. For some reason, I felt closer to Mandius now, I trusted him more. In my profession, trust was pretty rare, so I was a bit surprised.

A few minutes later we entered Danth's office. I closed the door behind us, then turned to Danth. He looked up from his monitor, leaned back, and said in his melodious voice, "You have something to report, Tallonius Zhent?"

I sat down in a chair and proceeded to give my report to Danth.  It took almost a half hour to fully describe everything that had happened.   Throughout it all he listened intently.  Finally I sat back and waited for his overall response.

Danth leaned back in his chair and brought his hand to his chin, resting his head upon it as if in thought.  After a minute, he straightened his back and looked at me.

"You did a good job," he said.  "Your destruction of the cult completed the mission parameters set for you."

"Thank you," I replied.

"What did you do about your... altercation?  Ms. Noritake?"

I glanced to the side, more to hide the look on my face as memories and emotions surfaced for a moment than anything else.  "I just left her."

"Nothing else?"

"No."

Danth sat quiet for a moment, then asked, "Did she know your 'occupation'?"

"No," I replied, "she had no idea who I was.   Just that somebody thought I was something I wasn't."

"Good.  No loose ends there.  But there has been a bit of a snag."  Danth's face conveyed a mixture of emotions; I couldn't tell exactly, but it seemed to be a bit of irony mixed with apprehension and excitement.

Uncertain, I asked, "What is it?"  I was annoyed to find my voice breaking slightly.  Did I do something wrong?  Not complete my mission?  What happened?

Danth glanced over at Mandius, then back at me.   "It seems you didn't clean up the big problem on Hurn."

"But I'm certain I took out the leaders of the Lok'teth..."

"That's not it.  Well, it's part of it.  The governor, Selz, rebelled hours after you left.  He declared himself Emperor and began a purge of all loyalist forces and citizens."

Inwardly, I cursed.  I had wanted to be done with the mission so quickly, I hadn't made sure all of the leaders were gone.  And now this.   "How did you find out?"

"We received a message, from a mixed band of people, warning us of the governor's turn.  The people warning us also told us that they were preparing an underground movement to retake Hurn and oust, as they put it, the False Emperor."

My gut went cold.  "Who sent the message, sir?"

"This is where it gets interesting.  The message was sent by loyalist Guard troopers..."

Danth turned to Mandius, looked at him with a bit of regret, then turned back to me.

"...and members of the Lok'teth."

My heart sank.  I looked at Mandius, found him looking at me.  His face seemed to wear his sadness upon it, lines creasing his forehead and forming under his eyes.  I knew what was next, but I didn't want to hear the words.   But as Danth said them, I heard them, loud and clear.

"And they want Yurl'tesh back to lead them."

THE END

Continued in 'Prophet'...