Chapter 169: The Bishop's Vanguard
"Warrior of the Throne," the Canon-Preceptor said, his voice echoing through the vaulted chamber, "I must prepare the Sacred Relics. But tell me—do you possess the coordinates for the Alpha Filtration Hub?"
Kian Voss adjusted his tactical vest. "I don't have them on my slate, Lord Canon. But I have a 'Logistics Proxy' in the Water Guild. I'll extract the location and return for the rendezvous."
The Canon offered a stiff, armored nod. "Then move with the speed of a bolt-round. I shall gather the Purgators. We meet at the Altar of the Sword."
Kian exited the Cathedral, hopped into his Survey Crawler, and tore through the Mid-Hive transit gates. He descended to the Underhive via the private lift, his mind already calculating the tactical risks.
[SECTOR 0 - THE NEUTRAL ZONE]
The Sump had not escaped the "High Purgation" chaos. The streets of the Neutral Zone were a graveyard of shattered stalls and smoking debris. The shopfronts were sealed with heavy plasteel shutters. No one was out.
Interestingly, while the Spire had collapsed into a giggling nightmare of Poxwalkers, the Underhive was merely experiencing a "High-Intensity Riot." The Sump-rats lived every day on the threshold of biological and social collapse; a bit of psychic static and Warp-taint was just another Tuesday to them. They were too mean and too miserable to be easily "converted" by the promise of a happy garden.
Kian drove straight to the Mercator Aqua precinct. The shop was closed, the walls pockmarked by fire-bombs and the floor littered with the shredded remains of rioters who had tried to charge the Guild's shotguns.
Kian hammered on the blast door. "Reno! Open the taps! It's your auditor, Kian!"
A small viewing slit slid open. Reno's bloodshot eyes appeared. He looked at Kian and let out a curse of relief.
The heavy door groaned open, and Kian was yanked inside. Reno and a dozen enforcers were standing in the lobby, full-carapace on, holding drum-fed shotguns.
"Are you insane, Voss?!" Reno hissed. "The Hive is eating itself! There are lunatics in every pipe! Where have you been?!"
"Saving the world, Reno. It's a full-time job." Kian pushed past him into the office. "I need the exact grid-coordinates for the Alpha Filtration Hub. The Spire's water system."
Reno froze, his shotgun lowering. "The Alpha Hub? That's high-security Spire infrastructure. Why do you want to poke that nest?"
"Because the Alpha system is the source of the plague," Kian explained, leaning over the mapping table. "I'm leading a strike team to sanitize the vats. If we don't kill the rot at the source, the whole Hive gets processed into sludge."
Reno stared at him, his expression shifting from suspicion to absolute disbelief. "Voss, I know you're a scavenger who wants to play Warlord, but you don't 'save the world' unless there's a massive payout or someone promised you a seat on the Governor's council. Who's the client?"
"The Canon-Preceptor. A man named 'The Pious One'."
Reno's hand began to shake. He actually started to vibrate, his "Spire-noble" composure dissolving into a state of religious shock.
"The... The Pious One? Voss, do you have any idea who that man is?!"
Kian shrugged. "A local priest with a gold-plated ego and a nice staff. Why?"
Reno grabbed Kian's shoulders, his voice a frantic whisper. "You idiot! He isn't just a priest! He was the High Bishop of Tenebris! He held the highest seat in the Ecclesiarchy on this planet!
"He walked away from the Cardinal-Tip ten years ago because he believed the nobility had grown too 'deaf' to the Emperor's word. He chose to live in the Mid-Hive slums to be among the cogs. Every noble house in the Spire still fears his name. If he's calling for a Purgation... then the Throne is truly speaking through him."
Kian blinked. Throne's teeth... I've been calling a former High Bishop a 'neighbour' and 'old man'. No wonder he could call in a Macro-Cannon strike.
Reno turned to his ten guards, his eyes shining with a sudden, opportunistic zeal. "Load every slug-round we have! Fuel the crawlers! We are joining the Purgation of the Sainted Bishop!"
Kian stared at him. "Wait, what are you doing? I just wanted the map."
Reno slapped Kian's back, a manic grin on his face. "If a Saint is going to save the world, the Water Guild is going to be the one to hold his bucket! Think of the reputation, Voss! Think of the favors! I'm making myself a 'Good Man' today!"
[THE CATHEDRAL - DEPLOYMENT PHASE]
Kian's war-band had grown. He returned to the Mid-Hive with three Survey Crawlers and a combined force of twenty-seven men: fifteen of his own Voss Guard armed with Lasguns, and twelve of Reno's elite Water Guild enforcers.
They entered the Cathedral's grand hall. The Canon-Preceptor was ready.
Behind him stood forty Battle-Priests. Every one of them was encased in silver-filigreed plate armor inscribed with holy litanies. They wore high-peaked hoods and Avian-Pattern Rebreathers—long, beaked masks that made them look like the plague-doctors of ancient Terra. These were specialized environmental suits, designed to filter Warp-spores and toxic rot.
The Canon saw Kian's reinforced squad and nodded. "The vanguard is assembled. I perceive a sharp edge in your ranks, Sergeant. The Light of Terra is strong with you."
The Canon waved his hand, and several acolytes brought forward a crate of beaked rebreather-masks.
"Don these," the Canon commanded. "The Alpha Hub is a garden of shadows. These filters are infused with the ashes of martyrs. They will keep your minds whole while we perform the work."
Kian watched his soldiers pull on the long-beaked masks. They looked like a squad of mechanical vultures, their grey-green PDF gear now adorned with holy vellum.
Kian snapped his own mask into place, the scent of martyr-ash and ozone filling his lungs. The Voss Syndicate was no longer just a gang. They were the spearhead of a Holy Purgation.
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