"Forty-eight hours left."
The group was at a complete loss. None of them had ever dealt with an Inquisitor before. For those from the dregs like Ilia, it went without saying, but even the Fallen Angel Hermit had never encountered an Inquisitor. After all, when he served in the Imperial military, the profession didn't even exist yet.
"Have the powers of these mortals grown to such an extent? Truly... pathetic."
Hermit wiped down his power sword. Yuki had spent considerable effort finding a hidden Tech-Priest of the Dark Mechanicum to repair Hermit's gear.
"Yuki, if you need me to, I can go and deal with him," Hermit offered.
"If you can consistently defeat the assassins of the Officio Assassinorum, then I don't mind," Yuki replied.
"How strong are those assassins?"
"The Assassinorum killed Curze."
Even though that happened because Konrad Curze had given up and welcomed death, the fact remained that they were an immense trouble for any standard Space Marine to handle.
"Hmm..."
Silence fell over the room again. Yuno never offered her own solutions for these kinds of matters. To her, there was nothing that couldn't be killed. Her style was simple: if an army comes, crush it; if a flood comes, dam it.
"We need another way," Yuki said. "We can't actually become lapdogs for the Inquisition."
"Boss," Eleven spoke up. "If that guy is really that dangerous, aren't we being watched right now?"
"It's unavoidable. Eleven, did you notice any strange people while we were away?"
Eleven's mastery over her psychic powers was becoming increasingly refined. Perhaps through Yuno's subtle influence, she was even starting to partially tap into the Hive Mind's psychic network. Of course, this was mainly because Yuno wasn't actively attacking her; if Yuno harbored any malice, Eleven would have been erased long ago.
"Strange people? Boss, we have countless strange people coming and going every day. I wouldn't know which one you're referring to."
Yuki gave a frustrated laugh and shook his head. There was no helping that.
"We'll take it one step at a time. Tell the men to be ready. Also, notify the Cult of the God-Emperor. On the surface, they must maintain that they have no connection to us, but tell them to be prepared for an early uprising. If we can't hide this time, we'll have to take over this planet early, despite the heavy casualties."
"So your ambition is to become a Planetary Governor? Interesting," Hermit remarked. "I saw things like this happen back during the Great Crusade."
Hermit seemed to be recalling something from the distant past. "I heard stories from my elders about my gene-father unifying Caliban. Before, I would never have compared a mortal to him, but now I'm starting to look forward to your future achievements."
"You make it sound like you're about to leave."
After the others left, Hermit stayed behind. It was clear he had something to say to Yuki in private. Yuki could sense that his thoughts were in disarray. Over the past year, Hermit had been a good ally and had helped him accomplish a great deal.
"What's wrong?"
"My brothers have found me."
Upon hearing this, Yuki took two steps back, warily scanning the surroundings to ensure no Dark Angel was about to leap out from a corner. He found it hard to believe. "How so fast? Are you sure?"
"Ever since I arrived in this era from the Warp, they have been hunting me. This time, I might have to say goodbye, Yuki."
Yuki felt a surge of irritation. Hermit was a rare and valuable asset who could train his enforcers, and his personal combat strength was formidable. "How can you be sure?"
"Bloodline. My gene-seed tells me they are nearby, and they will find me soon."
Yuki was convinced. It was an argument he couldn't refute. It seemed the Dark Angels had indeed infiltrated the planet. And given the nature of those Inner Circle supermen, they would surely be keeping their actions as secret as possible.
Dammit. Now on top of an Inquisitor, I have to deal with the Dark Angels?
"Hermit, leaving won't help. Because we've had contact with you, your genetic brothers will purge us too. The only thing we can do now is try to mislead them as much as possible."
It sounded simple, but deceiving the Inner Circle was nearly impossible. They were masters of lies themselves, and they would do anything to catch a Fallen...
Yuki looked at Hermit. An idea began to form in his mind.
...
Somewhere in a tavern in the Underhive.
An Ogryn wearing a black robe finished his day's labor and ordered a cup of alcohol tainted with industrial waste to refresh himself. Everyone in the tavern knew him. He had arrived recently, worked extremely hard, and desperately wanted to work in the Yuki Gang's territory.
The boss of the Yuki Gang was generous. Working on his turf meant your life was safe and you didn't have to worry about food or clothes—it was so good that even a smart Ogryn wanted in. Unfortunately, the requirements for competence were strict, making it hard for a big dummy like an Ogryn to get accepted.
Nevertheless, the patrons shared many wonderful rumors about the Yuki Gang with him. For instance, a few years ago when the Yuki Gang fought other factions, a thick fog supposedly descended upon the Hive, and two gargantuan figures were seen brawling within it. Or that Yuki was actually a special envoy sent by the Ecclesiarchy to control the Underhive, holding an incredibly high status.
And recently, there was a new rumor. It was said that many tall, agile masters were wandering around the Yuki Gang's territory. They came and went like ghosts, seemingly searching for something.
The black-robed Ogryn enjoyed listening to these stories, chuckling foolishly after each one. Today, they were discussing yet another rumor.
"I'm telling you," a man lowered his voice. "Lately, a small library seems to have appeared in Iron-Face's territory. There are many legendary stories inside, and a few are particularly interesting."
The man leaned in closer. "And they're all written in High Gothic. None of us can read it, but we caught one word: 'Fallen'! They say it's already caught the attention of the people upstairs, and they'll be coming to collect it soon."
The black-robed Ogryn listened quietly like the others. When he heard the word "Fallen," he quietly moved toward the only exit. The exit was only large enough for two people; it could easily be blocked with a table. There were fewer than thirty people in the tavern. He could deal with all of them in five seconds.
Ansel, a member of the Dark Angels' Inner Circle, knew he had just heard a piece of incredible intelligence. The priority of this information was higher than all his current missions combined. This was a principle he had understood since his scout training and had etched into his soul when he was accepted into the Inner Circle after long years of combat.
The honor of the First Legion must be defended! The First Legion never betrayed! The First Legion has no secrets!