Entr’acte Part Two – The Interrogation

The pair of dark green Thunderhawks settled on the floor of the hangar bay, as the Pride of Caliban closed its hangar doors behind them. As the bay re-pressurised, the landing crew ran into the room and began attaching fuel cables and making the gunships ready for departure at a moments notice. Around them walked red-robed adepts of the Machine God, supervising the execution of the work, ensuring that the proper incantations and rituals were observed.

As the Dark Angels disembarked, two technical servitors walked forward to transport the “cargo” to a predetermined location. Following them closely was Codicier Marxus, guarding his prize. As they walked down the grey painted corridor, they arrived at a large circular room. In the room stood Master Ciaphas, along with Interrogator-Chaplain Boreaus, both looking grim. As the servitors placed their cargo on the floor, they chained it securely with large adamantium chains. Master Ciaphas looked at the prize that Marxus had brought back with him. The craftsmanship and technology never ceased to amaze him. Though it was functional, he disliked it still. It seemed entirely to flimsy and light to be called weapons. Even their so-called Pulse Rifles would be a poor substitute for the blessed bolter.

As he stood there watching the Crisis Suit, he noticed that there was a faint banging coming from it, as if someone was trying to get out. Smiling, he realised what had happened. Marxus had shorted the circuits of the suit, trapping the commander of the Tau forces within. Drawing his dagger, and pressing the runic activation button, Ciaphas jammed it into the opening lock, springing open the hatch. Almost instantly, the Tau bolted from the confined space in which he had been. He didn’t get far; as soon as he had stood up, Boreaus stepped in with a right hook that connected loudly, laying the Tau out cold. Standing back up, Ciaphas nodded and smiled at his old friend “Scrawny things, aren’t they?” At that the Chaplain merely smiled.

When the Tau eventually came to, he found himself lying in a dark, silent room. On his wrists and feet, black iron manacles shackled him to a cold, stone table. The room was so dark that he could not see the walls. Above him hang a single lamp, with only enough light to illuminate the table he lay on. As he lay there, looking around the room, a figure suddenly loomed into his field of vision. It was a grim-looking Gue’la, clad in black power armour, wearing a bone-white robe. “Hello, little one…” he said, walking around the Tau. In his hand, the Commander could see he held a number of tiny, serrated blades. Evil looking blades, pristine and well maintained reflecting coldly in the light from the lamp above him. Stopping at his side, his captor leant in close “Adnachiel” he whispered “Tell me what you know, and I will set you free…” The Tau turned his head away, biting his lip. He was shaking with fear. Never in his entire lifetime had he been so threatened. His master, Shas’o Mal’cao had taught him that fear was the mind-killer, a great paralytic that prevented one from serving the Greater Good. And indeed, he was almost paralysed with it. Placing his mailed hand on the Tau’s forehead, the Interrogator-Chaplain forced the head back to face him. Fear shone from the eyes of the captive, as he brought the tiny blades into its field of vision. “These,” he said “are laced with neurofibres. A tiny cut from them will bring pain such as you have never felt. The cut will not be lethal, and I am well skilled at keeping scum such as you alive. Now tell me what you know. Tell me about Adnachiel.” Again the Tau struggled to escape his manacles, but to no avail. The briefest of sighs came from the Interrogator, as he brought the blade down, drawing it across the Tau’s hand. Instantaneously the world lit up in bright, all encompassing flares of pain, before darkness and unconsciousness claimed him.   

When he came to, the black armoured man was gone. The Tau knew not who much time had passed, and his mouth felt dry. His head still throbbed from the pain, and raising it to look around the darkened room, brought flashes of agony across his field of vision. As he looked up, he saw another gue’la in the room, standing against the wall on his left. The man’s dark blue armour was ornate, and like the torturer before him, he also wore a bone-coloured robe over it. Walking over to the Tau, the librarian said “I am Daedalus. There is no need for the blades. You will tell me everything that you know regardless.” The approach of the man filled the Tau with dread, and he desperately tried to tear himself loose from his shackles. The skin on his wrists broke, and his blood started to run freely down his arm and into his hand. Yet, it was to no avail. The manacles would not give. Halting at end of the table, Daedalus placed his hands on the Tau’s temples, and closed his eyes. “Now…” he whispered, “show me everything…” The temperature in the room suddenly dropped a few degrees, and the Tau started to scream in agony, as the librarian commenced his psychic probe…

Three hours later, Epistolary Daedalus walked into the Strategium room, where Ciaphas and Boreaus were discussing the newest attack by the PDF against the Tau lines. The destruction of their advancing troops, and the capture of the local commander, had thrown the Tau into confusion, and the armoured regiments of the PDF seemed to be making a good advance, though they would soon be overextending themselves, leaving their flanks vulnerable. Daedalus gently cleared his throat, so as to gain the other two’s attention. Without turning away from the map, Ciaphas merely waved his hand “What did he know? Was there anything useful inside that head…?” he asked. The librarian nodded “Yes. Though he has not met Adnachiel in person, the name was familiar to him. What is interesting is that the line of advance along which they were attacking had been suggested to them by the Eldar. An Eldar warlock, by the name of Mel’thion, had been at their camp. It is from him that he heard the name Adnachiel, and it was to him that he gave the pendant.” Ciaphas nodded “But how did the Tau come by the necklace…?” Daedalus smiled and continued “They didn’t. Mel’thion gave the pendant to the Tau, so that their imprint on it would show, or at least, that is my guess. The warlock had enhanced the Tau imprint to shield his own, and that is what Marxus detected. The Eldar wanted us to go after the Tau…they are not as benign as they seem to these young upstarts.”

At that moment, the ship intercom started beeping. Through it, the voice of Captain Vetruvian was heard “My lords, the Eldar have flanked the PDF lines, and a scything through them. The advance of the armoured regiment has been cut off and has been all but annihilated. General Bruslk is requesting our help.” Ciaphas snarled and looked at Daedalus. The Farseers of Rhiadan were far too adept at laying webs and stratagems. How they did, he would be damned if he knew. “Daedalus” he called as he marched for the door “Assemble the men, we go to fight these heathen aliens! And who knows…perhaps we’ll run into this Mel’thion whilst we are down there…”