The Fall of Calliope VI - Prologue

7/31/2019 The Fall of Calliope VI - Prologue.

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In a pitch black room, a man lays prone, motionless in prayer to the divine immortal

Emperor of mankind. His forehead pressed to that of the cold marble floor, whilst his

hands formed the sign of the Imperial Aquila on his chest. A seemingly unremarkable

man, save for his impossibly tall frame, the garments that adorn his body being ones

fit for a pauper, they were made of a coarse hessian and littered with tears, but this

mattered little to him, wearing them as if they were the finest of Eldar silks.

For all of the cells lack of width and depth, it was disproportionately high, the full

extent of which was only shown when the illum-globe flickered into being high in the

rafters. The light it offered was of little help in reality, both its distance from the cells

floor and the shimmering of the ancient fitting, barely reaching the man in prayer

below, yet its light was enough to distinguish his face. His features were ones of age

and wisdom, lined with scars both decades old and fresh, but all of this was in direct

contradiction to his body, which was perfectly toned. His physique was one of a man

nearly a fifth of his age; it was littered with scars, but also bore the distinctive signs of

black carapace implants just below the dermis. The skin was also punctured with

numerous relay ports and connection points that would allow power armour to be

fitted to him almost like a second skin.

Outside the mans cell, the footsteps of heavily armoured soldiers could be heard,

increasing in volume until they ceased outside the door. A vox-broadcast broke the

palpable silence;

Step to the back of the cell and assume the positionsaid the terse static-

filled electronic voice.

The man knew The position all too well from his life in service, now it was his turn

to be on the receiving end, the irony was not lost on him in the slightest. Silently he

rose from his prayers, stepping to the rear of the room he placed his feet on the

marks on the floor and leant forward matching the ones on the wall with both his

forehead and hands. From behind him, the thunderous clatter of the cells locks

disengaged, the door hissed as it was pried open by the mans gaolers. The room

instantly flooded with the scent of sickly-sweet incense, breaking the stale dry one

that had preceded its entrance. It was one the man knew all too well from his

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childhood in the monasteries that had played the part of his parentless home. Two

men stood in the doorway, eyeing the man up before one of them finally entered.

The pair of gaolers could have been described as average, were it not for the

resplendent armour and weaponry that both of them carried. Their gold armour was

of the highest quality, masterly crafted by artisans long since passed into time

immemorial, bedecked in jewels and engraved with images of battles and events

unique to the order the men served. Each bore a halberd which incorporated a large

calibre firearm, their heavy look belying their actual lightness. For all that the gaolers

armour was unique they shared a commonality, that of the symbols which decorated

their chests, an Imperial Aquila with an embellished I central to the double headed

birds chest. Lacking any courtesy for his detainee, the gaoler hurriedly and brutally

fastened shackles to the mans limbs and neck, trapping skin in the locks and

hinges, the man never even flinched at his rough treatment. Promptly and still

lacking in regard for the mans existence, they pushed and cajoled the man from his

cell with their halberds, for no reason other than their own amusement. The man

would have gone willingly given the chance, as he knew there was no just cause in

his captivity, so why aggravate the situation, he thought to himself.

For some time the man was prodded onward down gloomy chasm-like corridors,past rooms of prayer and ones of torture. The sounds of both glorious worship and

agonising screams spoke to him on a profound level, stirring long forgotten

memories within. A wry knowing smile had appeared on his face, being one of

nostalgia at the remembrance of events long gone, but the feeling didnt stay long.

The gaoler who earlier had manhandled him, struck out with the back of his heavily

armoured fist, wiping the look clean from it;

You dont have the right to smile here!snapped the guard tersely.

Instantly the man righted himself from the heavy blow, but quickly he forgave the

guards actions and bowed in forgiveness towards him, for he knew it wouldnt do to

provoke anything further. As they carried onward, he realised for the first time the

difference in height between himself and his gaolers, almost being a full head and a

half above them; His guards were by no means short, being the statutory height for

men of their rank and position, which was a good few inches above that of the men

in the Imperial Guard. Suppressing his amusement he strode onward towards the

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knowledge that the Emperor sees and protects all! Passion and faith poured forth

in every word spoken.

You assume too much!snapped an altogether new voice from the shadows.

You are a radical in the extreme,he continued, with little or no regard for your

peers, nay your betters!The aged voice began to lose his train of thought and

trailed off into mutters under his breath.

A whisper could be heard in the direction of where the old mans voice had come

from, and it seemed that he had been brought back into line with the others in the

room, his voice now markedly calmer.

Before this court can bring judgement on the crimes laid before us, we

must, as tradition dictates, hear your testimony of the events in question.

The man stood silently for mere moments before offering some overly apologetic

words,

My Lords, I humbly defer to your collective wisdom, please forgive my

earlier rashness?

It is forgiven.Said the first voice monotonously, You may begin your

statement when ready but for the record, proceed with your rank and name

The man nodded in reply and began softly;

I am Lord Inquisitor Huginn Black of the Ordos Xenos, charged with the

Protectorate of Calliope VI and its outlying system. This is my testimony of the facts

as I see them and what happened, there short of three Terran years ago.

So the arduous process began.

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Documents

The Fall of Calliope VI - Prologue