Liber Milia Verborum - Chirality pt.2

[Erasus]

Second part of Chirality, hope it follows smoothly from the first half

 

 

Chirality

 

Vardess’ voice went quiet, no doubt understanding on some level what was happening, now she would know the true nature of Baptiste’s work, what the Somnium Speculo really was. Antius was giving her this opportunity in lieu of being able to stop the madman himself.

 

Baptiste grinned, the kind a child has when allowed to share a secret. He dropped to his knees, as if he had been awaiting the invitation to join the kneeling Sergeant.

 

‘Good, good. You will understand, you will know,’ he said with a sly wink, ‘I did it marine, I made the gate. The Chirals, I can make them now, make them obey, make them fight. Simple really, once I knew how. Reflections. Do you know the Warp, marine? Yes, yes, you know, you’ve seen its spawn. Like a sea, a sea of dreams, a sea of madness.’ He smiled, as if Antius should have reached some epiphany by this point. When the Sergeant remained quiet Baptiste frowned, but continued, ‘seas have waves, seas have a surface. You can see yourself in the surface, the reflection gazing back. The Warp has waves, the Warp has a surface. We all have reflections too. Chiral copies, reflections, spiritual isomers. They are us, but not us. You see? I captured them. Like a pict,’ he gestured to the gateway standing in the chamber, ‘bring them to our realm, make them be. You see? The imprints of our souls now join our ranks, fight for us. You see? You don’t see yet do you marine? That’s ok, let me help. The Somnium Speculo is like an imager, click! Pict-recording done. Now we can take recordings of our reflections in the sea, in the Warp, now we can bring them to us. Imagine what we can record!’

 

<What does he mean Sergeant?> Inquisitor Vardess’ voice seemed pensive, her agile mind already stepping down the road to the possibilities Baptiste had envisioned. The tone of her voice suggested she would not like where it led.

 

‘What can we record, Inquisitor?’ Antius breathed, the wound sending sharp pain through his body as he talked. Something loosened in his side, the pressure lessened. Had the blade faded?

 

‘We can record everything! Even daemons! I know, I know, how can water reflect the water? Daemons here are different, like ice, hard and condensed. Given form. Ice reflects, so daemons do too. Imagine! Armies of daemons brought down by Chiral copies! Beautiful. I can give form to those who need it. I can make them be, make them among us. The mirror can be used for good. To make the weapon we need to end the War. He will see!’

 

<Does he mean to bring back the Emperor?!>

 

‘I will bring them here!’

 

‘Who?’ Antius moaned, the blade was definitely gone, he could feel his strength returning, the sick warp-taint fading.

 

‘The Gods! Chaos! If we bring them here, to us, to be, then we can capture them. Capture their reflections, make gods fight gods! We can end them forever! Torn apart by themselves!’ Baptiste laughed at the notion.

 

<Throne. Antius, this is far worse than anyone thought. He plans to bring the Ruinous Powers into realspace. We cannot allow that, I beg of you, with whatever you have left, end this.>

 

Antius smiled, he would have given his all regardless. Now he was able to do so. Baptiste was still laughing maniacally. The Sergeant lunged forward, clasping his hand around the radical’s neck. Baptiste gagged as his airways were suddenly cut off, his eyes bulging in their sockets. The shock of the space marine’s sudden recovery was clearly written all over the Inquisitor’s face. Antius rolled his shoulders and stood, lifting the hapless Inquisitor into the air. It felt good to rid of that damned blade. ‘Inquisitor Charleman Baptiste, you have been found guilty of heresy of the worse kind. With the condemnation of the Inquisition and the Emperor upon you, I hereby end your life.  I cannot allow you to use that abomination again.’

 

Baptiste squirmed in Antius’ grip, burbling words such as ‘cannot see’ and ‘doomed’. Antius looked into the bloodshot eyes of the radical Inquisitor one last time, and then closed his fist. Baptiste stopped squirming. Antius dropped the corpse to the floor.

 

He breathed deeply, still recovering from the strange effects of the warp blade. No doubt he would submit himself to Inquisitor Vardess for verification of his soul’s purity, her psyker powers able to see if he was still tainted. It was not worth keeping such things a secret, even if it was such a small lingering thing. He had seen the consequences of such reckless and selfish behaviour. Only death awaited such fools.

 

<Antius?>

 

‘Yes Inquisitor.’

 

<Destroy the device, it cannot be allowed to exist, even under the auspices of the Inquisition. The possibility for corruption is too great.>

 

‘Of course Inquisitor.’

 

<Antius>

 

‘Yes, Inquisitor?’

 

<You have done your Chapter proud this day. I know the Conclave ruled this mission to be against the will of the Emperor but we have been proven right in our suspicions and truly done His work this day. I offer my condolences for the fallen brethren of your squad.>

 

‘They are by His side now Inquisitor, do Nerileus and Vartho still live?’

 

<They do Sergeant, your brothers are awaiting your return.>

 

Antius nodded to himself, at least someone survived. They would collect the geneseed of the others, let their legacies live on in those yet to come.

 

The Sergeant approached the Somnium Speculo, the gate quiet and still. Strange coils could be seen in the gaps of its external plating, no doubt some nefarious technology to harness the Warp. He spat in disgust. Pulling a melta bomb from his side he began hunting for the perfect weakspot, the point that would cause maximum destruction and eradicate all trace of this device’s construction. If even a shred were left then there was a possibility that another would restart the work of Baptiste. Antius stopped, his fingers running over a groove in the metal. Words had been carved in a neat, flowing prose. He read the words and a hot anger strangled his innards. Inquisitor Vardess muttered to herself over the vox. ‘Inquisitor, I have found something. The situation has changed.’

 

Vardess’ tone was clearly irritated, she was eager to finish the hunt and bring word to her superiors, vindicated by events here. <What is it?>

 

‘There is an engraving on the side of one of the arches, High Gothic.’

 

<What does it say Sergeant?>

 

‘It reads Somnium Speculo Secundus.’

 

<Meaning?>

 

Antius clenched his fist in frustration and anger, ‘there is another gateway.’

 

wc = 1,106