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"A Higher Plan in Mind" by Skye Knighton The acrid smoke of burning bodies drifted across the field. The once lush grass had been stomped into bloody mud. The faraway rumble of machinery was the only reminder of the brutal soldiers that had fought here. Nearby, bodies were lying in piles, awaiting a burial sanctified by the Emperor. The soft sound of digging could barely be perceived in the distance. Robert Williams, the former preacher of Ursa squad, worked slowly, bringing up deep spadefuls of earth. He was an ancient man, his tattered robes fraying and yellowing. While he worked, he slowly mumbled hymns of praise to the Emperor, asking Him for guidance. This was the grave he was digging for his companions. At the thought of them, Robert gripped his rosarius close to his chest, and remembered the preceding days with a sigh. The events leading up to the terrible battle had their start with the Canoness's arrival on Therus III. She came with great fanfare, aboard a great starship. She brought with her several of her elite bodyguard, and great desires to end heresies throughout the Therus system, starting with Therus II. It had long been known that a heretical cult had sprung up in the mines of Therus, and now manpower from the Ecclesiarchy had arrived to crush it. The Canoness marched down from the platform surrounded by preachers and hierophants, flanked by her ever present guards, the Celestians. She headed straight for the podium near the platform, as thousands cheered her arrival. She tapped lightly on the microphone, then turned it off. "Much like our Emperor turned from technology to rely on His own considerable spirit, so I turn from technology to rely on my own abilities," her voice boomed out across the crowd, "In this time of difficulty for the Therus system, we will not know who our allies are. So that we do not betray the Emperor's trust in us, we shall burn all that are heretics. We cannot stay our hand, for to do so would be to show a weakness in our faith, and that would be worse than death." As she concluded her speech, the crowd cheered loudly, and the Planetary Defense Forces began to unload equipment from her ship. The Canoness climbed into a Rhino Armored Personnel Carrier, and went down the street in her motorcade, towards the Cathedral of the Emperor of Therus III. Preacher Robert remembered this vividly, as he had sat in front of the Cathedral that day, awaiting the Canoness's arrival. She had come to Therus III before, when he was just beginning to gray with age. She had been younger then, but already possessed a wisdom greater than a mere preacher. "Remember, Preacher Williams, that the Emperor's plans include you as well. You may view yourself as nothing but a backwaters holy man, but he can see greatness in the most obscure places. Even I, an ordinary human, can tell that he has marked you for something great." Her words, which had seemed so flattering when he was younger, rung true with him then. Surely, someone that could see the Emperor's mark was a fine leader indeed. The motorcade bearing the Canoness crawled closer. Celestians, beautiful in their armored glory, hung off the sides of the Rhino. Each one carried her weapon expertly, watching for assassins or heresy among the crowd. The motorcade pulled in front of the cathedral, and the Canoness stepped out and walked up the marbled steps. This was where Preacher Williams met her again. "Ah... I remember your face, Preacher. Let me see if I can connect your name. Williams, was that it? The bright spot of my previous campaign here..." The Canoness fumbled among her robes and armor for a moment, drawing out a cloth package. Carefully unwrapping it, she handed a bulky ankh on a beaded chain to him. "This is a rosarius, blessed in the great church of Terra itself. Wearing it blesses you with the Emperor's divine protection. " Robert was delighted that she remembered his name, though he did not show it. That she remembered him at all was definitely a sign that the Emperor had chosen him for some special task, and the gift of a rosarius proved it. She swept into the church, flanked by hundreds of followers. Williams stood immovable in the crowd, transfixed on this precious gift. Later, he heard she had given a moving sermon on defeating the terrible pangs of tolerance and crushing heretical thought. She had named the members of clergy that would be accompanying her in her crusade and Williams had been listed as preacher of Ursa squad, part of the Canoness's Celestian bodyguard. Williams was honored at this discovery, and carefully gathered together his meager belongings in preparation for his first battle. Her company assembled at dawn on the tarmac of the spaceport. Robert stood with Ursa squad, its brave women looking confidently towards their leader, the Canoness. Their armor shone in the dawning sun, they truly resembled the Emperor's heavenly host. The Canoness stood in front of the company, and looked out upon her force. "Good morning my brave women, and men," she nodded towards the scattered preachers among the forces, "you are among the Emperor's finest troops. Though you may feel small amongst the stars, look at your beautiful planet; look at this wonderful city. This was the accomplishment of people like you. People like you will be responsible for making sure it stays as beautiful as it is now. Many of you do not realize it, but as a young girl in a convent, I was raised here. That is what makes this such an important war for me, as it pains me greatly to see my home tainted by heretics. I hope that you realize it is well within your grasp today to help me achieve this. I am relying on each and every one of you, as is the Emperor Himself." As she finished, she began to march towards her transport. The entire company cheered and began to climb into their rhinos. Engines started up, and fifteen rhinos drove into the mammoth cargo bay of the craft. Powerful engines began the transport's sub orbital ascent. It began a long arcing curve, using Therus III's rotation, and brought itself down towards a heretical encampment. Inside the transport, Preacher Williams was leading Ursa squad in prayer. "May he bless our weapons, that they may fire straight and sure, and always may we smite our enemies. May he bless our armor, that our foes shall not breach it. May he bless our minds, that the heretics shall never harm our eternal souls, for they are the Emperor's, Amen." "Amen," the Sisters responded in unison. The transport landed with a lurch. The crackly voice of the Canoness came over the speakers. "Good luck, Daughters of the Emperor, and may he stand watch over you." With a roar, the fifteen rhinos charged across a lush pasture towards a small, unassuming town. The town was perfectly silent, and the dawning sun was barely over the horizon. Suddenly, the silence of the town was broken by the hiss of a rocket leaping from a hidden alcove. The lead rhino, manned by Ursa squad, was hit in its front armor. Preacher Williams had never encountered a situation like the one with which he was faced. Suddenly the squad leader was shouting "jump" and the rhino's communication link had gone dead. Before he could think, the squad had leapt from the side. He hesitated, preparing himself to jump. Then he noticed with horror the nearest wall of a house had collapsing. Out of this opening leapt the most vile creatures he had ever seen. They possessed four arms, each ending in razor sharp claws. They were at least 6 feet tall, and moved with inhuman speed. Ursa squad did not falter, and fired upon the monstrosities. Several collapsed into pools of ichor, but the rest came at them. Robert could only watch, horrified, as the beasts tore through one armored Sister after another. The squad leader managed to rally her group and hack down two of the monsters, but the situation seemed hopeless. The next nearest rhino drove towards the group, and Robert saw a flamethrower nozzle emerge from a firing hole. A gout of fire spread across both human and alien. The screams of humans were just as horrible as those of the dying aliens. Robert slammed his hands over his ears to block it out. Mercifully, the squad in the rhino fired their guns, ending both. Meanwhile, the other rhinos had driven into the village and were torching fanatical follower and vicious alien alike. The nest armed with missiles was quickly eliminated, and the Canoness's Sisters quickly overcame its foes. The ragtag alien worshippers had no comparison to the well organized Ecclesiarchy troops. Preacher Williams stood over his dead squad mates, aghast at the terrible reality of his faith, and his actions. It was true that he would have been torched alongside them, but now it seemed certain that he had abandoned the fate meant for him, through cowardice. What good was a preacher who opposed the Emperor's will? Absolutely nothing, he thought, for even the heretics serve a purpose in teaching us to not take the wrong path. Yet here he stood, after failing his duty to his fellow squad mates. Guilt washed over him, both for his cowardice and for his hesitation, now, to do the right thing. Preachers, faithful even in the end, take the advice the Emperor lends them, and Robert Williams was no exception. He gave his squad mates the burial they deserved. The Canoness had spoken about keeping Therus III beautiful. So thus, he met the fate the Emperor had meant for him, and lay with them for eternity. The once green pastures shall be green again. |
