Hermit gazed at his genetic brothers from a distance, an indescribable feeling swelling in his heart.
He was actually quite lost. He had set out from Caliban, endured countless hardships, and finally earned his power armor. He had once dreamed of the Great Crusade's victory and fought to stand by his Primarch's side. But the Horus Heresy had destroyed everything. It had taken him a long time in the Warp to identify the true culprit.
Lion El'Jonson had made mistakes due to his stubbornness, and the Dark Angels of Caliban had faltered because they distrusted their Primarch. Yet, the root of it all was Chaos. They were the ones who seduced Horus; they were the ones who destroyed humanity's hope for greatness.
The years he had spent in the Warp were barely a century, yet the Imperium had crossed ten millennia. His armor was still the heavy, simple Mark II, but these Dark Angels looked entirely different. What had humanity been doing for these ten thousand years?
"Hermit, do you think we should leave it at this and let the Inquisitor and Dark Angels fight it out, or should we push a bit harder and fan the flames?" Yuki asked for his opinion.
Hermit had not lived or fought within the Legion for many years. The only Astartes he had encountered recently were Fallen like himself. However, something encoded in his genes made him realize that the Dark Angels would never let any Fallen or anyone associated with them go.
"Expand the impact," Hermit said. "As long as the commotion is big enough, we can better watch the fire from the other shore."
"Understood."
Yuki and Yuno moved into action. Justice's escape route was clear: he was heading back to the Spire. If the Dark Angels continued their pursuit, they would be exposed before all the high-ranking officials of this planet. At that point, hiding their secret would become nearly impossible. Only in that scenario would the Inquisitor and the Dark Angels have a chance to talk.
"Looks like you're in trouble, Lord Inquisitor," Yuki said, appearing beside the Inquisitor with a smile, running in sync with him.
"Yuki! Why are you here?"
"My subordinates reported that my ally was in trouble, and then I saw you on my turf. Did you think I wouldn't come to take a look?"
"Dammit, Yuki! I need you now. Escort me to the Spire immediately!"
Hearing this, Yuki gave a soft snort and stuck out his foot, tripping the Inquisitor.
"Still putting on airs at a time like this, Justice? Did you really think I was a pushover?"
"Heh, Yuki, you understand nothing! Those hunting me are traitor Astartes, the Emperor's Angels of Death! Do you think your half-baked psychic powers can handle them?" Justice pulled out his pistol. The power of a bolt pistol might not match an Astartes', but it was enough for an Underhivedweller.
"Justice, what are you doing? How did you offend the Space Marines?" Yuki feigned surprise. "I heard the Emperor's Angels of Death are symbols of death who kill all fallen enemies without hesitation. My God, you provoked people who could drop an Exterminatus on us?"
Justice was speechless. Yuki's words unintentionally revealed a harsher truth: if he used the threat of leaking the secret as leverage, the Dark Angels would not hesitate to destroy the entire planet. They might already be calling for their parent Chapter; those warships could already be on the way...
"Dammit, Yuki. Escort me to the starport immediately. Leave everything you have here behind. You will become my assistant, and in the future, I will recommend you to the Inquisition to become an Inquisitor! It's far better than being a gang leader in the Underhive!" Justice still had his frigate. Once he boarded it, everything would be fine.
"Well, for most people, that is indeed an escape. But for me, it's a bit too dead-end."
Justice sensed something was wrong. Those Dark Angels had been in constant pursuit, yet he had lingered here for several minutes. Why hadn't they caught up?
"Justice, I will send you to the starport, but not in the way you want. Let's begin."
Yuki grabbed Justice's head, giving him no chance to resist as psychic energy was injected directly into his brain.
"Guh, what are you..."
"Don't worry. This is something new I learned from my beloved. Oh, and as a final clarification: the Dark Angels hunting you are currently searching for an exit inside my beloved's psychic labyrinth."
Justice's soul was torn apart, his consciousness dismantled. No defensive measures worked. An Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos had ultimately met his end at the hands of a xenos.
...
Something was wrong.
The Chaplain was the first to notice. He and his squad members were repeatedly passing the same intersection. He and his Battle-Brothers were likely trapped by some psychic artifact of the Inquisitor. This mission lacked a Librarian, but that didn't mean they had no way to deal with psykers.
"Brothers, stay close to me." Based on experience, this kind of non-aggressive psychic illusion meant only to stall was the easiest to break. "Chant the names of the Emperor and the Lion, and charge out in a straight line."
"Understood!"
Yuno was hidden atop a building, watching the Dark Angels. She had merely used her psychic powers to interfere with their cognition, blurring their perception of the route. If they realized they were on the wrong path, such a petty trick would rarely work. But Yuki's task was done. Let them go where they wished.
Yuno watched as the Dark Angels charged out of the block, heading toward the location where Yuki and Justice had been. So the matter of the Fallen makes the Dark Angels this crazy. Maybe I should design something like this again in the future?
...
At the Spire Starport Outpost, a transit station where shuttles shuttled people between the ground and orbital stations, Justice arrived. He possessed the highest clearance. However, he now had no attendants, looking panicked and disheveled.
"Lord?" The Inquisitor's deputy noticed something odd about his superior, but it was normal. Which Inquisitor wasn't odd?
"Prepare the ship immediately. We are leaving."
"Now? We..."
"No questions. The situation is urgent."
Justice boarded the shuttle to the starport. Yuki watched him disappear into the crowd from a distance. To be precise, Yuki was controlling Justice's body. With a bit of psychic skill, one could erase an individual's soul and take over their body. It was far more convenient than a disguise; to outsiders, he looked exactly like the original person.
"Go on then," Yuki thought. "Take your struggle into space."