An unassuming warehouse on the edge of the city, far from the fires of war surrounding key strategic locations on Sangua Terra.

Through the mist, a dirt bike skidded to a halt. The rider dismounted, heading for the side-door of the ominous warehouse, wary of the blue light seeping out the window. The door was unguarded. It should have guards. This was the secret entrance to the Vault.

“Better to be safe than dead,” Stella muttered to herself. She scrolled through the speed dial options on her Vox-caster, glancing at their status:

• Rogue Trader Emberlyn Driftwood: Offline
• Inquisitor Fiona Vas Neuven : Offline
• Watch Master Prerogativitus: Busy (purging xenos)
• Saint Belestine the Living Idiot: Online
• Canoness Clair: Do not Disturb (praying)

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Saint Belestine, otherwise known as The Living Saint You Probably Don’t Know About, Not to be Confused with Celestine, Belestine the Barbarian, or the Lethal Power Weapon, was a blunt instrument of war at a time where Stella needed finesse. She would have to do.

Buzz, buzz. No answer. So be it. Inquisitor Stella burst through the door without hesitation, guns blazing. Too many times had caution lost her the lead. As the shots sang through the air, every bullet from her combi-rifle was blocked by an etheric barrier.

“By the Ordo Hereticus, you’re under arrest,” Stella said, feeling that tingly sensation in the brain you get when you enter the same room as a more powerful Psyker.

“How rude, Inquisitor,” a Chaos Astartes Sorcerer with trimmed blue power-armour, said. “As a servant of the Emperor, thrice Curse upon him, I expected you to be more refined.”

“Heresy!” Stella j’accused, dropping her gun in favour of her Power Sword.

“Heresy is very subjective, Stella. I’ve had my eye on you for some time,” the chaos sorcerer said, taking tentative steps around her intruder. “A Psyker surrounded by the blind. A leader surrounded by imbeciles. A missionary losing faith in her mission. Honestly, it’s quite refreshing to see this situation happen from the outside?”

“Shut up, heretic. Are you going to talk all night or are you going to fight,” Stella growled.

“Fight? Alone? There are rules of warfare, Stella. My brothers are at the Vault entrance and yours… have been sent the coordinates of our future engagement. We’ll not be alone for long. However, I grew impatient to see you in person.”

“Like what you see? You seem to know an awful lot about me, but your reputation does not precede you,” Stella replied.

“Kalophis Fate-Stealer.”

“Finally an answer in place of a riddle. Who do you serve?” Stella interrogated.

Kalophis smiled and circled their prey. “Well, there was Abbadon and his legions, and my own, the Thousand Sons, but at the moment it is the Heralds of Tizca. We’ve got something big planned that you might enjoy – as a fellow Psyker. But something else I know about you is that you love spoilers almost as much as you love secrets. So I’m just going to tell you. We’re going to s-”

The roof collapsed and Belestine the Living Saint descended in all her glory, swinging her Holy Eviscerator around piously.

“You rang, Inquisitor?” the Saint shouted over the collapsing rubble.

“You didn’t answer!” Stella shouted upwards.

“Seems like idiots can fly nowadays, how unpleasant. See you at the Vault, Stella,” Kalophis said, before vanishing in a burst of flame.

This set the floor on fire. Runes, painted in blood and invisible in the dead of night, suddenly illuminated in hex-wreathed flames. The air grew cold as a vortex of energy spewed forth from the center, taking the entire warehouse into the sky. Clang, clang clang. Belestine protected Stella from debris with her wings. There was a roar as the detritus and rubble hit something high above. A daemonic engine with a wing-span that put Belestine to shame. 

A Helldrake.

Stella and Belestine locked eyes, both with completely opposed expressions.

“Don’t even th-”

“FINALLY, A WORTHY OPPONENT!”