[Combat detected]

[Cogitatio Acceleratio auto activated]

[Auspex auto activated]

My powers activated in response to dangers that I was not even aware of. As the thought acceleration effect took over, the world around me froze in time as my sensor net expanded outwards.

I was being attacked? Who? How?

I looked around and quickly located some suspicious individuals. First target, one o’clock, three metres behind the first officer, a pilgrim with a gun drawn. Second target, ten o’clock, five metres behind the third officer, another man with his weapon out. Their posture, the position of their weapons, the way they were looking straight at me, no mistake about it, they were targeting me.

While the assassins’ threat against me was very low, Welminah was caught between the firing arc from both of them. As an unaugmented human, the risk of her being fatally shot from the cross fire was quite high. Unacceptable. Calculating solutions, calculating…

As the time dilation effect wore off, I cranked my concentration to the maximum and executed my plan. Time marked. I kicked a grape-sized pebble next to my right foot and sent it flying at the first assassin. That done, I then snapped the same foot down onto the baton on the ground, launching it upwards and grabbing it with my right hand.

Before Welminah could fully express her surprise, I grabbed her shoulder with my left hand and pulled her into an embrace. I spun around to switch our positions, and halfway during the spin the baton was flung at the second assassin. Time since marked start: below two seconds.

The kicked pebble flew straight into the face of the first assassin with astonishing speed, knocking him out. The baton also hit its mark but the second assassin barely blocked it with his gun. The impact knocked the weapon out of his hand, but not before firing a single shot into the air, sending the crowd around into a panic and gaining the attention of the other two officers.

Just as the situation was about to get under control, the officer who had called me a mamzel pointed his gun right at me, and in a split second I could tell he was about to shoot.

I flinched, had no choice but to push Welminah down and covered her with my body knowing full well my transhuman physiology would definitely survive small arms fire. The officer fired twice, people screamed, I expected bullet impacts. Instead bright flashes together with loud cracking sounds erupted twice in quick succession near me.

The reinforced refractor field from my pendant did its work and stopped the bullets. A quick mental note on the trajectory of the bullets told me the officer's shots were avoiding Welminah while another part of my mind analysed the whole situation. The kicked pebble flew right past the officer, he must have confused it as an attack.

To avoid further escalation and possible fatal accidents, I reluctantly decided to play the halo card. I stood back up for the halo light show, but felt a strange, sudden surge of power when I tapped into the ability. Wait, what is going on?

Instead of the expected result, my halo was unleashed with blinding intensity. I was dumbfounded by the unexpected spectacle and the chaotic scene that was on the verge of losing further control went quiet.

The brief silence was broken by one of the pilgrims crying out loud, ‘by the Emperor! It… it is the real saint!’ As soon as those words were exclaimed the crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer. The tangible surge of emotional energy from the ecstatic pilgrims seemed to fuel my already over-charged halo further, and new phenomena manifested. Spectral doves of pure light appeared, the angelic birds flying in and out of existence at the edges of my halo, leaving delicate feathers that slowly melted to the air in their wake. The extraordinary sight only served to elevate the pilgrims’ exaltation further, and many started religious hymns and knelt down to pray to me.

Despite being amazed by the scene, I looked up to assess the situation. Most pilgrims were down on their knees, two of the officers were halfway apprehending the second assassin while the guy who shot me stood still, looking totally shocked. I then heard a shaking voice behind me struggling to overcome the crowds’ chorus, it was Welminah talking frantically into her vox. ‘The Holy Daughter was shot! Send emergency first aid and a suppression force to my coordinates!’

‘Welminah?’

‘You were shot!’ After dropping a quick death-glare at the officer, she stood up, looked at me with unconcealed worriedness. ‘Where did they hit?’ she asked, her tone bordering on hysterical.

‘I am fine, look at me. I am fine.’ I assured her.

Under the full illumination of the risen sun and my halo, Welminah appeared a bit dishevelled and rough around the edges. She just stood there and looked at me without blinking, her eyes slightly too red to be natural. She had been crying? Not really knowing what to do, we just stood there exchanging stares, I felt her mind unfold to me like an open book. Underneath that charming face struggling to stay neutral were boiling emotions of disbelief, relief and veneration.

Veneration?

I was hit with the realisation that while Welminah was like a friend to me, she viewed me not purely as a person but something bordering divine. If this was not managed carefully it could go down the path of some ugly one-sided personal worshipping, as no normal interhuman relationship could ever be established with one side playing god. So after quickly confirming there were no more immediate threats around, I turned off my halo.

Ignoring the sounds of disappointed gasps from the crowd, I asked the still motionless scholar, ‘Welminah, are you alright?’

Instead of answering my question, tears started flowing down her cheeks. What the…? Now what did I do? She then stepped forward, her arms outstretched to embrace me. Not expecting this from her, time slowed down for me as I automatically ran a short burst of auspex scans on the seemingly emotionally unstable Welminah. No signs of chaos taint nor explosive detected.

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With my speed, I could easily sidestep to avoid her attempt to bear hug me but in the end decided against it. Welminah caught me and actually started bawling. With all the people surrounding us, this was getting really awkward.

It was at this moment the monastery erupted with high pitched sirens, the sounds of war from the megastructure instantly chased away any last semblance of morning tranquillity. Accompanying the sirens was a message that was broadcasted over the whole field, ordering everyone to stay put. Up in the skies I noticed many flyers quickly appearing and the air itself was filled with vox transmissions. Much further away I heard the sound of the gates opening, followed by the distinct trembling of tracked vehicles rumbling forward.

Soon a few flyers zoomed past high above us. I looked up and saw many shiny things dropping down. Reflecting the morning light and shining like silver angels, the armoured form of many Sororitas seraphims descended from the heavens.

To the awe of everyone present the seraphims dropped down at breakneck speed before expertly firing up their jump packs’ retro boosters at the very last minute, the white livery under their silver-coloured power armour fluttering gloriously to the roar of jump packs as they gracefully descended all around us.

A seraphim superior skillfully touched down right in front of us just seconds before a whole squad of the elite sisters landed to form a protective circle around me and Welminah. Many more seraphims descended around the pilgrims with weapons drawn. As if on cue a few immolator tanks entered the area, their massive twin heavy bolter turrets turning menacingly while their laud haulers repeated the order of telling everyone to stay still.

Yeah, my out-for-a-walk stunt definitely went too far. Internally I was sweating bullets at how the events had escalated. Externally, thanks to [Regalis], I looked calm and was cool as a cucumber.

Despite the arrival of a whole detachment of battle sisters, Welminah was still sobbing away on my shoulder. The seraphim superior eyed me up and down, after seemingly satisfied with my unscathed condition she knelt down to me. ‘Holy Daughter.’ Her voice was distorted by the decorated helmet, but still recognisable.

I gently pried the crying scholar away from me and said softly, ‘Welminah, Sister Superior Zharphia is here.’ Zharphia stood up, sent a brief report on her vox before taking off her helmet and tucking it under her right arm. She gave Welminah an incredulous stare before saying, ‘Sister Dialogus, I was around the area and rushed over after receiving news of an emergency. But never in a million years I would have guessed it was one of our own who is assaulting Lady Syrine.’

While I was utterly amazed by how the stern-looking Zharphia could deliver such a joke with a straight face, her jest worked as Welminah quickly retorted with her still jerking voice, ‘that was not funny! There was an ambush and Lady Syrine was protecting me when she got shot twice by that Arbites over there.’ She then pointed accusatorily at the now hapless-looking officer and in response a few seraphims immediately pointed their weapons preemptively at the man.

While I snickered internally at the officer’s expression through his half mask, two hovering open-topped speeders similar to the ones utilised by the space marines entered the scene. This was new to me as the Sororitas did not employ such units in my knowledge. The colour scheme and emblems on the speeders indicated they were ambulances. Hovering easily across all obstacles, the speeders soon reached us. On the leading speeder were a few familiar faces.

Alicya, Veritta and Kira with a skull probe orbiting her got off from their speeder just as squads of battle sisters freshly disembarked from the immolator tanks joined in. The place was now filled with the familiar low humming of power armour backpacks.

The skull probe floated over and communication was established with a familiar voice speaking in my head.

While I was having a quick chat with Kryptorer, Veritta and Kira were checking on my condition while Alicya started securing the area. Being the highest ranking Sororitas in the field, Alicya gave a quick glance at the situation and started giving out orders. She was efficient and clear-cut, her no-nonsense demeanour with an air of militaristic authority were completely at odds with her appearance of a young lady who was just slightly over half my mental age.

Alicya had always been cordial when interacting with me, and the fact that she was a palatine of the Sororitas, an elite military Order in a universe always at war, had not properly registered on my mind until this point. This was the first time I saw her in this light and it made me grimace inside.

What the hell was I doing with my life when I was her age?

When Alicya was done she turned to me, looking stunning in her polished silver war plate and practically glowing in the morning sun. When our eyes met, an almost unperceivable smile formed on her face and she bowed respectfully. Her unconcealed thought came through to me, thank the Emperor you are finally back.

Just then a third speeder appeared and quickly approached from the distance, my eyes picked up two of its passengers to be Palatine Dominae with that archdeacon dude, the latter seemed to be struggling to keep his high hat staying put in the open-topped vehicle. As the third speeder reached us and the archdeacon disembarked, there was another small uproar from the pilgrims. Apparently he was an important figure to the religious folks.

In his elated state the archdeacon was babbling away while approaching me. ‘Thank the Emperor! You have finally awakened! Such a miraculous day, such joy! Come my lady! We must speak of His revelations, and there is much great work to be done!’

I winced inside at the incoming headaches. A quick peek at the non-reaction of Alicya and Dominae told me they could not help me with this. The Ecclesiarchy was supposedly the “civilian” organisation their Order served after all.

It was then Veritta who was talking to her vox turned and took out an inquisitorial rosette. She held it high and announced, ‘by the order of the inquisition, no one is to further bother Lady Syrine before her final clearance by medical examination.’

I was saved, for now.