Inquisitor Stella gasped for air, ears ringing, half buried in the blood-drenched sands of Nott’in-Gamma-7. She had very recently suffered defeat at the hands of a dozen Space Marine Intercessors, after gaining a well-deserved reputation as ‘The Space Marine Killer.’ Adeptus Astartes were the vengeful type.

“Ohhhh, shit,” Stella said through a parched throat, and piercing pain – noticing a space marine’s chainsword buried deep in her torso. By all accounts, she should be dead. In fact, for a short while, she had been dead.

Around her, the battlefield was empty and silent – who knew how long it had been over. Dozens of dead Kroot warriors and Imperium Voidsmen surrounded her. They’d even killed the cyber-mastiffs, the bastards. It looked like the battle had been a resounding defeat for the Inquisitor’s former partner, the Rogue Trader, with her old Voidship now a burning wreckage on the distant mountains.

As she understood the situation, Stella didn’t have a way out of her ticking mortality timer. Her vision was already going blurry and that chainsword wasn’t going anywhere. This brief moment of consciousness had at least given her closure, albeit not the sort she wanted. Before the dead planet could claim her last breath, a ray of light burst forth from the heavens. A miracle.

Within the ray of starlight, an angel descended from the sky – a Living Saint. By the Emperor, was the Inquisitor dreaming? The Living Saint reached out her arm, her figure illuminated by a holy halo above. Stella reached out…

Instead of grabbing her hand, the Living Saint yanked out the chainsword embedded in the Inquisitor, with a squelching pop.

“Perfect,” The Living Saint said – imbuing the chainsword with holy energy, somehow transforming it from a standard Imperial Chainsword, into a Holy Eviscerator, its teeth glowing with an aetheric hue of blue.

“Excu…use… me,” Stella croaked.

“Oh, I thought you were deceased,” The Living Saint replied. “I am Saint Belestine, Daughter of the Emperor and guiding light for the Adepta Sororitas.”

“I am… Inquisitor Stella… Holy Ordos of the… Emperor’s Inquisition,” Stella said through raspy breaths. “I – wait… are you crying right now?”

Saint Belestine wiped away her tears and flicked them at Stella. “I’m not crying. You’re crying… check your wounds.”

“What?”

“Canoness Clair will be delighted to meet a resurrected Inquisitor,” Saint Belestine said.

Stella looked down at her mortal wounds in shock – the bloody wound was closing and feeling was returning to her legs. “What miraculous sorcery is this?”

“The healing kind from my saintly tears. You are welcome,” Saint Belestine answered. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a saint, not a thief. Well… I’m keeping the chainsword.”

“Fine by me,” Stella replied.

Saint Belestine stood straight, her golden hair flowing in the twilight. “Now, come with me if you want to live – if you want to truly serve our God Emperor once more.”

“How can I say no to one of the Emperor’s Daughters?” Stella said, miraculously standing back up with the help of the Living Saint. “What the hell, I can do one more Crusade.”

Belestine beamed with a smile that could heal anything. “Miraculous! I believe my fellow Sisters are rendezvousing with Inquisitorial forces on Sangua Terra soon.”

“Another Inquisitor?” Stella asked.

Saint Belestine nodded. “More than one, I was not privy to the details. Something big is going down. I hear they have already requisitioned the Celestial Lions, whoever they are. I hope they are as ferocious as they sound.”

Stella’s eyes dilated as the memory of her last crusade battle flashed before her eyes. They were the Space Marines who had recently killed her, retribution for the squads she had mowed down with Psychic Shockwaves, while defending her Rogue Trader partner, conspirator… friend.

“Oh,” Stella answered, already planning to radically change her hairstyle and appearance. “I’ll get through this. By order of the Holy Ordos of the Inquisition, I am officially taking command of your Order of…”

“Order of the Prayer Obscur,” Belestine filled in.

“Yes, that one,” Stella grabbed her Force Sword, half buried in the sand and began plotting in her head – yes… she could salvage her absolute trainwreck of a quest yet, for Sangua Terra held something she could use, deep within its vaults. “Take me to your leader.”