"Of course! But I must ask, what are you dragging me into this time Faunia?"

"Hopefully nothing much. Helheim and Pyrus seem to be on top of things, so we should just have to play diplomat. I'm also sending Ducarin down, to try and play the Piety card if Ekhi needs to."

"I'm dressing for trouble then."

"Probably smart. Shuttle departs in an hour."

You set your book aside and head for your wardrobe. You pull off your comfy robe and put on your Xenomesh armor. It fits tightly against your frame, bulking out your curves with armored padding. The cowl drapes over your head and down the back of your neck. You stretch, flexing out the few kinks in the material. Satisfied, you don a light-weight battle-robe, its mottled grays and blues helping to break up your outline. It also provides a bit more decency, given that your armor hugs all of your curves rather tightly. You put your charm back on before raising the hood of your robe, and gather up your full suite of weapons: Hellpistol and Archeotech Laspistol riding your right hip, Miotal Scahthanna slung across your back.

Satisfied with your load-out, you head out into the hallway, only to encounter Bishop Ducarin. He seems much more withdrawn, having lost most of the bluster that made him seem so large the last time you met. "Navigator Danann..."

You hold out a hand to stop him from leaving. "What's wrong Ducarin?"

He breaks out into tears, his shoulders heaving. "I... I want to go home..."

You sit him down there in the hallway. He curls up, his knees pressed to his chest. You sit across from him, cross-legged. "Why?"

"There is so much more out away from Viking. I have sailed the infinite void between worlds, and seen the demons that lurk in their depths. I have met His Angels of Death, and found them human. I feel so... small. So insignificant. So helpless."

You can't help yourself. You laugh. "How do you think I feel, every time I bask in the light of the Emperor's Will?"

Ducarin sniffles, rubbing his nose. "Is.. that what the Astronomicon is?"

You pat Ducarin on the shoulder. "Yes."

His head drops to his knees and he cries even harder. "Now I just feel even smaller."

You reach out and grasp his chin, raising his head up to make him look into your veiled eyes. "There is a price for standing ever-closer to Him. You spread His word, and so must travel far from home and risk your life among the stars. The Astartes fight the worst of His wars. Their life is one of endless battle and it will eventually claim their lives as it has already claimed their bodies. I must guide a ship of the Imperium through the Void, and it stares back. It has already claimed some of my vision. It will eventually claim more, or all, of me." You let his head sink back down. "We all must end someday. But as we stand closer than most to His light, we are measured by what we do, what legacy we leave behind. As the Ignis serves the Deathwatch, much of what we do will never be known to the masses. But we will know it, as will those that come after us, and those after them."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Ducarin continues to weep, but nods. "Still, there is so much heresy... so much disbelief... how am I to make a legacy?"

You ponder that for a long moment. "You were never a war-priest, were you?"

Ducarin shakes his head. "No, I never left the cloisters. Never served with the Imperial Guard or PDF."

You shake your head at his innocence. He has never known undue hardship, never seen man nor beast blown apart or carved to pieces by uncaring gunfire. "Then don't try to be one. Be instead a good shepherd, a light for others to follow. Out here on the frontier, among the fringe-stars, there are many that could use such a light."

You stand Ducarin up. "Now come along, we need to fetch your armor and wargear."

Ducarin scrubs at his face. "Why? We're just along to bulk out the XO's party, make him look sufficiently important."

"Vrenna is a frontier world, and there is something going on down there dire enough to draw a Deathwatch team to it. We're getting your wargear and armor... don't tell me you don't have any?"

"No..."

“Shit. Alright, stay behind me or an armsman if everything comes apart down there. Hopefully you won't need to learn on the fly."

An hour later, you regret ever speaking those words. The Dark Voyage launched on schedule, but came under Anti-Aircraft fire as it approached the city of Landing. The starboard engine took a hit as the Pilot tried to divert away from the city. The crash-landing ruined everyone's day, but Ekhi, Ducarin, and you all managed to walk or crawl away from it. Well, to be accurate, you half-walked and were half carried considering the massive lump on your head. Ducarin collapses to the ground and starts digging through the medkit he salvaged from somewhere.

Ekhi is hopping mad. "Who the hell shot us down? That was auto-cannon fire, Imperial auto-cannon fire! And we were a clearly announced shuttle carrying Imperial visitors!"

Ducarin starts pressing a ice pack against your lump. You thank him and answer Ekhi. "Who said that those were Imperial gunners?"

Ducarin almost drops a bandage in shock. "Surely an Imperial world wouldn't turn traitor that quickly?"

Ekhi shakes her head. "I know a couple of ways it can happen. The Great Enemy taking a hand is one example, but the Deathwatch being called in would indicate Xenos, probably Genestealers. Which leaves me wondering if the Tau are going to put in an appearance?"

Ducarin looks alarmed. Ekhi laughs. "Relax Bishop, the Inquisition sanctioned the contact long ago. I suspect they are using it to learn more about the Tau, wagering that they will learn more than the Tau will."

You raise your free hand to point at a blob on the horizon. "I think someone found us..."

That last thing you see is Ekhi waving down the unfamiliar shuttle as it approaches.