Seven days pass by slowly as the Ignis continues to load the last of her cargo. You keep track of Chaplain Danus as he works his way through the ship, cleansing and blessing each affected area in turn. The Navigator's Vestibule is one of the last items on his list, so that the blessing will be as strong as possible for the next Warp Transit. You quietly arrange to be blessed right alongside your workplace the following afternoon. While you are making those arrangements, You notice an orange cassock'd figure moving about the Ignis. Not having seen him before, you decide to put your stealth to use and track him the next time you see him.

Just after lunch, you see him coming down the hallway from past your quarters in the officers row. Before you can attempt to hide, he notices you and approaches. You get a decent look at his face, and recognize the preacher from before. Short, standing perhaps an inch over five feet, with brown hair and eyes. He would be a nameless face in a crowd were it not for his cassock and the silver presence-crown of an ordained Bishop. He does not hesitate to take your hand, and bow to kiss it by way of introduction. "Navigator Dannan, I cannot thank you enough for your advice on the trip here, nor for making the time spent in the Warp as short as possible."

You free your hand and tilt your head slightly. "I recognize you, but do not know your name Mr...?"

He actually blushes. "Bishop Allen Ducarin. I was only elevated to the orange" he gestures to his cassock "three days ago, and assigned as the Ignis' Bishop only yesterday. I had hoped to see you again, truth be told. Your faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind is almost as strong as mine."

You can't help but shake your head with a grin. "You say you just came aboard?"

Bishop Ducarin nods slowly, suddenly wary at your tone. "Yes, why?"

"And did Shipmistress Von Sebastion or the Executive Officer brief you on the Ignis?"

Ducarin nods slowly again, "No, but Shipmistress Von Sebastion did request my posting. At least the paperwork was in her name, and affixed with her seal among others. Again, why?"

You shake your head. "Not my secret to tell. But you may learn something if you visit the bridge tomorrow afternoon."

Ducarin nods again. "It would be my pleasure. I was asked to keep an eye on your health, actually, and was heading to the Medical Bay to be briefed on your case."

"Oh? By whom?"

"Medicae Tottle, though I understand my duties will mostly be ones of mental health. If your faith is still as strong as it was on my last trip aboard the Ignis, then I have no fears for your mind or soul."

Now you can't help but laugh. "Tomorrow morning, we should talk on that matter. You may be surprised, but not dismayed I should hope, on that score."

Bishop Ducarin bows and kisses your hand again. "After breakfast, in the Officer's mess then?"

You extract your hand from his grasp. "That would be acceptable. I'll see you then." As he vanishes down the corridor, you wipe your hand on your robe. This must be the 'confessor' Bedard had mentioned earlier. The sooner you break him in and get him to leave you alone, the better. You wander back into your quarters to pick up reading you book again, marking time until tomorrow. Your reading is interrupted about a chapter later by a distinctive ringtone on your microbead. You answer at once. "Uncle Pyrus! You are coming aboard?"

Pyrus' deep bass resonates across the communications link. "Of course, little lantern. How could I not, after what you have been through."

"When? We have much to talk about."

"This night. Get some rest, we'll talk in the morning."

"Over breakfast? I should warn you, the Ignis just took on a new resident preacher."

"Still irritated at them?"

"After they shit they pulled back on Dagda? I'm thinking you'll stop hating Dusk Raiders before I forgive them."

"Long time to hate, lass. What did this new preacher pull already to drive you up the walls?"

"Try attempting to pull rank by setting up a breakfast meeting without even asking me? And then just assuming I'd show up? And being totally ignorant of what the Ignis is, despite being permanently stationed aboard her?"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Oof. Well lets gatecrash him at this 'meeting' he arranged. Should I bring Hellheim?"

"Ehh, probably Apothecary Bedard to keep him from going totally off the rails."

"Smart call lass. I see you've grown up some since I saw you last."

"Well, he's at least marginally smarter than Oasis' new Bishop, and under the illusion that I saved his ass by advising him to pray when we made Warp on the way here. So I figure throwing him to the Wolf right out of the gate would probably be a bad idea. He might even flip out over you."

"Hrm, who is this new Bishop?"

"Of Oasis, one Rynald. Never got his last name. Of the Ignis, one Allen Ducarin."

"I've already seen Rynald. Not worth the breath to argue with his stupidity. This Ducarin I haven't heard of before."

"You'll meet him in the morning then. Good night uncle Pyrus."

"Good night lass."

You close the connection and start turning in for the night. Ducarin is in for one heck of a surprise tomorrow.

The next day comes soon enough, And after your usual morning routine, you have Canala bring out one of your new dresses. Not the formal one that you never got to wear to the Founding Day celebration, but a deep green one with a black vest, veil, and kerchief. You take a moment to look at yourself in the full-length mirror, and you admire the Seamstresses' handiwork. The dress and vest make the most of your graceful form and movements, covering you from neck down in elegant costume without bothering to hide the fact that you are a mistress of your craft. Ducarin may think it's because you are trying to impress him, but you couldn't give a damn about what he thinks. You haven't seen uncle Pyrus is about ten years now, given how much time you spend in the Warp, and that realm's tangential relation to reality at best. Plus getting blessed is something of a formal occasion, and a comfy casual robe just doesn't feel quite right for the occasion. You pick up your Bolt Shell Charm and hang its golden glory about your neck before heading out.

You run into Bedard in full armor as you approach the officer's mess. His raised eyebrow at your appearance draws a curtsy from you, and a bit of a grin. "Lord Pyrus should be by soon, to help us enlighten the Ignis' new Bishop."

"That's why I'm waiting out here. Play nice with him, would you? He's the best fit for the job that we could find."

"That's the plan. I'm just hoping to get him to realize that not everything on the Ignis is what it seems, and that poking around blindly is probably a bad idea. If we happen to stretch his mind a bit, that couldn't hurt either." You finger the charm around your neck. "Particularly if it'll stop him from trying to frag me for 'heresy'."

Bedard thinks this over, then nods. "I do need to remember that we Astartes have our... differences with the Ecclesiarchy, the Salamanders and Space Wolves particularly so."

Pyrus looms out of a side corridor in his battleplate. "I arranged a private dining room for this meeting, just in case. How are we going to spot this Ducarin? I don't want to just guess."

You shrug. "He was elevated four days ago, so is probably wearing his orange cassock and presence crown."

Pyrus nods. "If he's there, we'll sweep him into the private room and call for food. If he's not, Bedard and I will head in there, and you'll bring him in when he arrives."

You nod, take a calming breath, and make your Entrance into the officer's mess. It goes exactly how you hoped. The various officers look up at your entrance, note the presence of Astartes, and go back to their food. They've seen Helheim's squad often enough that they aren't a totally new sight. They also know much better than to pry into the affairs of the Deathwatch. Bishop Ducarin however jumps to his feet and starts to come to attention before realizing that he's the only person to be doing so. You smile a bit, and nod at a server as you cross the mess towards the private rooms. The server comes over, takes your orders, and scurries off to fetch the food. You gesture Ducarin to join you as you enter the private rooms.

Ducarin gathers up his tray and joins you. "My lords, I didn't expect such an honor! What crusade is the Ignis bound for, to have representatives of two Space Marine chapters aboard?"

Pyrus looks at you. "You weren't kidding when you said he was new." He looks at Ducarin. "Alright then, if you are to be permanently stationed aboard the Ignis, then you need to learn some things..."

Several hours later, you leave a stunned and shaken Ducarin behind with Bedard as you make your way to the bridge. Pyrus has already gone ahead of you, to meet with Chaplain Danus and ensure the Navigator's Vestibule is properly re-sanctified. When you enter, they are both ready and waiting for you. You seal the vestibule, just in case, and the ceremony begins.

Five minutes later, it is completed. Your Oaths to the Emperor are renewed and confirmed by a Chaplain in His name, and an Epistolary in His will. Most people are content with a priest or similar fulfilling the 'in His name' half of the confirmation, and skip out on the 'in His will" half. This isn't really an option for you, given how close you skim to the Warp on a regular basis, and having Astartes doing the confirmation should help solidify the blessing nicely. You re-seal the Vestibule behind them as they depart and open your Third Eye to double-check their work.

Everything carries a soft white-orange glow, like minute candle flames flickering along edges and pooling in crevices. You recognize the glow of a fully faith-blessed area, even if all three humans involved believe in the Emperor as a man, not a God. It's a small doctrinal point that has resulted in a few hundred thousand dead Astartes and Ecclesiarchs down the millennia, but it doesn't bother you overmuch. You rely on the Psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will every time you guide a ship through the Warp, and its heartbeat illumination 'tastes' distinctly human to you, unlike the endless hunger and emotions of the bigger Warp-denizens and outright Daemons.

You dismiss your Sight and close your Third Eye. With the scheduled departure date tomorrow, you decide to start thinking about your course ahead of time.