Chapter Text
The Line between Heresy and Hope
He had approached Heinrix many a time about the forbidden knowledge he held and pursued as an Inquisitor, and had slowly whittled down his resistance enough to where the man could trust him. Now… now they were simply playing a game of regicide, speaking of matters that would make his former self condemn his current self of heresy. And indeed, Heinrix too, had accused him of walking a very fine line indeed – but he knew he was on the right path.
Heinrix: “An excellent move.”
He nodded at Heinrix, moving his own pawn up to blockade the bishop.
Koruschev: “Heinrix… Have you ever wondered what distinguishes us, the heralds and enforcers of the Imperial Creed, from those who worship the Chaos Gods?”
He watched Heinrix ponder whether to take trade knights to open up a position on the left flank, or to develop his position in the center.
Heinrix: “I cannot say I have. Allowing yourself to have such thoughts is precisely why we must fight fire with fire.”
He smiled as Heinrix took the more measured approach of developing his position. He countered by destroying his right flank, forcing him to choose between defense and offense. Of course he already knew Heinrix would choose defense. He always did.
Koruschev: “It is our duties as Archdeacons to worry about the logistics of the Ecclessiarchy, to dole out wealth where it is most needed, yet I often found myself speaking with others close to Cardinal Praxam. Did you know it was the belief of the greatest traitor of all, Lorgar Aurelian, that became the foundation of the Imperial Creed. It made me wonder: how different, truly, are we?”
He watched Heinrix hesitate for a moment, before retreating with his knight to fortify the center. A simple strategy, yet one that would easily come undone in a few turns. He proceeded to ram another bishop into the injured left flank, leaving himself exposed on purpose to deal a devastating blow later.
Heinrix: “Where did you even hear of that, Lord Captain? I didn’t take you for a historian.”
Sure enough, Heinrix refused to take the bait, instead making a non-committal move by having his two knights protect one another in the center. Koruschev opened it up by sacrificing his own knight to take Heinrix’s.
Koruschev: “My talent was recognized by Cardinal Praxam when he called me to service from Sepsyn, and later it was he who pushed me to join Arch-cardinal Ignato’s call.”
With Heinrix, a raised eyebrow said more than several tomes could ever reveal, and his move to take Koruschev’s knight was confident despite this.
Heinrix: “I had not heard of your history as an Arch Exorcist.”
The small smirk, the anger in his brow… All the while missing that by taking his knight Heinrix had opened him up to be flanked on both sides. He took the man’s rook and toyed with it as he spoke, waiting for the counter move.
Koruschev: “The Ordo Malleus thinks it has a monopoly on hating daemon kind, that they are the only ones worthy of fighting and exorcising the daemon – we merely proved them wrong. And to answer your earlier question – I found out about it delving into the archives on Scintilla, looking into one of the first canonised Imperial Saints: Euphrati Keeler.”
He could almost watch the man’s will fold in on itself in real time as he noticed he had been had on the board, and that he was mere turns away from destruction. Still, he defended amicably, entrenching himself further, forestalling the inevitable. Masterful move.
Heinrix: “Sometimes the depth of your knowledge scares me, Lord Captain. Your knowledge both of the Creed Temporal and its history, as well as your knowledge on daemons… in another life you would have made a fine Inquisitor. A fine superior.”
He could feel the sadness, and knew its source – Calcazar. The man too incompetent to finish the job himself, turning to Xenos technology of ancient origin to fix his own mistakes, all the while parading as a paragon of virtue. He took Heinrix’s deep pawn, finally opening up the center properly.
Koruschev: “To fight daemons is to know yourself. You must stay true to who you are, lest their temptations lead you astray.”
He had, of course, hidden the Daemonblade he had taken as his own. He had long mastered it, and had used it to banish Uralon and Aurora with frightening ease. He watched Heinrix break out of his formation, taking an insignificant piece and knew he had recognized that it was now simply a war of attrition. Well he could certainly oblige.
Heinrix: “Is that why you were able to pull me back? Are you accusing me of not knowing my own heart?”
He struck back at Heinrix by beginning to purposefully dismantling the defence, initiating a set of trades that would go on for several turns until Heinrix would be defeated on the board. Perhaps their battle of words would end before then.
Koruschev: “I would never dare accuse an Inquisitor of being untrue to themselves. That is the role of heretics and those that would seek to bring the established order crashing down around us. But the similarities truly are frightening and its only the many factions of the Inquisition keeping each other in check that has kept us safe. That and their otherwise exquisite work.”
He had quite admired the methods Heinrix had employed, and had discussed many times how similar they were to some of the things they had done on Sepsyn to make Heretics find redemption in His eyes after their transgressions. They continued to trade pieces as Heinrix thought about his response.
Heinrix: “Tell me Lord Captain, why do you bring this up? You have upheld the Emperor’s order at every turn, have executed heretics wherever you found them, have uprooted cults by the dozen, and have slain every daemon you have come across. Why then do you wish to discuss the similarities between the Imperial Creed and the … what did you call it?”
The board became emptier and emptier by the second as he smiled and looked up at Heinrix. Oh… there were days, before he had found himself that the man would have made him swoon.
Koruschev: “The Lectitio Divinitatus. I have not been able to find a single copy, so you needn’t worry about me being corrupted by its substance. Nonetheless, it is the foundation of the Imperial Creed, that which upon all else was built, by which the worship of the God-Emperor is founded. I take it you have learned the Dark Tongue?”
He had never so openly asked Heinrix about it, but their trading of pieces was coming to a close and he could see Heinrix slowing down, savoring every remaining move despite knowing he had been thoroughly defeated. The fight had moved from the board to the drawing room, so to speak.
Heinrix: “I have. It was a necessary part of our training, despite being with the Ordo Xenos. We must be ready, after all, to bring all, in equal measure, to justice.”
He nodded, likewise now taking his time with every trade. He didn’t want the discussion to end yet since it was so difficult to get Heinrix to sit down for any extended period of time. The man was quite taking to brooding in places he couldn’t be found, sending information to his Lord Inquisitor.
Koruschev: “Then you too understand … their sermons, the ones they use to spread their heresy – they are much like those of the Imperial Creed. They tell the people that they can find strength, wealth, whatever their heart desires if only they submit to the will of the Dark Gods. We preach salvation through the Emperor, through self-sacrifice, yet only those who have delved into the depths of hive-cities, or have fought on the front lines of death worlds like Sepsyn know that there are those who have sacrificed enough. There are those who wish for a reward for their work, insisting that toil in and of itself, is not reward enough.”
He was glad Heinrix seemed to be … well, ALMOST, enjoying their conversation. He took Koruschev’s final remaining knight, sacrificing his rook, and brought the game to a slow crawl leaving only a rook and two pawns to put the king into checkmate. This would take a while.
Heinrix: “Working and dying to benefit the Imperium is enough if your eyes reach far enough. Are you saying the difference between the Imperial Creed and Heresy is … scope? I had expected something more grand.”
He smiled, beginning the long, drawn-out battle between pawns, a single rook, and two kings. Instead of progressing the board state, he moved up his own king, making for the center of the board.
Koruschev: “There are, of course, more differences than similarities, but when you really break it down to its its most elementary building blocks, yes. Take for example the Cult on Janus. The nobility had become isolated, both from the Calixis sector losing contact with the Imperium, and the death and absence of Lord Captain Theodora. They lived on a planet where they had more resources than they knew what to do with. Intoxicants and stimulants are valuable goods, with legitimate purposes, yet they are developed, primarily, by the studious minds of the Adeptus Mechanicum.”
Heinrix stayed silent, preferring to listen as he made one of a few legal moves he had. Koruschev had made sure, by moving his king, that Heinrix wouldn’t lose to a repetition of moves.
Koruschev: “But… the Priests of Mars were once also mere humans, their minds are not so unlike those of the nobility, so it is only normal that they might see if the goods upon which their health relies could be improved. They do this both to curry favor with the Rogue Trader they serve, and to rise above one another – it is a method that has been employed for millennia to pit nobles against one another in such a way to maintain control over important planets and systems.”
He moved up his king, looking Heinrix in the eyes as he pretended to consider where to move his King as if the game hadn’t already been decided.
Koruschev: “To achieve this, they would need to experiment with these items, they would need test subjects, and would be able to observe its effects. Some, fearing they might be found out if too many people started disappearing, would levy tithes of human resources, and siphon those off quietly. It is why I ordered the Administratum to use some of the funds from the Imperial Tithe we recovered to build independent administrative citadels on Janus and Kiava-Gamma.”
He watched Heinrix make his moves, and made his own moves, letting the silence stretch.
Heinrix: “And you think this is how they were called by the Arch Enemy? By not following proper protocols, trying to enrich themselves? It is not a strong argument, Lord Captain.”
He smiled, moving up his king further before leaning back in his chair. He took a sip of the nearly untouched amasec, letting only a single drop hit his tongue before replying.
Koruschev: “No, I think they made perfectly sound decisions. What got them in the end, was someone leading them – Governor Vyatt. She encouraged the vulnerable, playing them against one another, all while dragging them into a game she loved. It was her love of excesses that felled her, but she was cunning. She preached only the absolute minimum necessary, and even at the end, if it hadn’t been for the Daemon by her side, she might have redeemed herself.”
Heinrix hovered for a second. He had been there when the Lord Captain had exposed the governor, had brought her to her senses, and had watched the Daemon reveal itself to kill her rather than risk losing her.
Heinrix: “Lord Captain, you know I must report this conversation to the Lord Inquisitor – why then do you insist of speaking so flagrantly about the heretics making sound decisions? Why insist on speaking of the Dark Gods and the Dark Tongue, of your past as an Arch Exorcist… You know he will use it against you.”
Still, Heinrix moved his pieces, and so did Koruschev. He was slowly driving Heinrix to a corner of the board, moving his pieces to protect one another while chasing the enemy king around the board. Cowardly, in a way, but he wished to draw out the conversation they were having as long as he could. And it seemed Heinrix agreed.
Koruschev: “Let him know. I have served the Imperium faithfully since my birth. Have braved the horrors of Sepsyn, the schemes of the Ecclessiarchy, and the Daemons of the Empyrean, and have emerged victorious. If all it would take to bring that down was one Lord Inquisitor who had to resort to ancient Xenotech and had to ally himself with Xenos just to accomplish his tasks in the Koronus Expanse, I am not worthy of my title.”
They traded a few more moves, making sure that neither of them was close to winning, despite the game being over in all but name. Still, Heinrix shook his head and wore a sad smile, the smile he had worn so many times. The smile of a man broken, remade, and hardened in the crucible of loss and duty.
Heinrix: “Yet your soul is no less tainted than mine or his. We have all delved into the Forbidden, and the Forbidden has stared back at us – it is all a matter of time until we too will be hunted, and made an example of. The cycle of violence will perpetuate until naught but ashes remain. Yet Humanity will always rise above.”
He didn’t share the man’s view on Humanity, as he had seen it deteriorate in his short time in this universe. But he had faith that Humanity would continue to stand the test of time until He awakened, and returned all to the fold.
Koruschev: “Since you are familiar with the Dark Tongue, you must know that even righteous acts empower the Dark Gods.”
He would drive his point home, and he knew that it hurt Heinrix to respond. He could see it in everything he did, in his continued loyalty to a man who only deserved a shallow grave and having his corpse scattered by dogs.
Heinrix: “Lord Captain… do not do this.”
He smiled his own sad smile. He had hoped to bring Heinrix around, but he knew he couldn’t. He had given the man chance upon chance to see the truth, yet he… he didn’t refuse to see it – he simply believed there was another way.
Koruschev: “The Lord of Battle holds within his domain Strength and Courage, and the Perfect Prince wields Passion of ALL kinds, including passionate sermons. The Plaguefather draws strength from Death, including the deaths of the faithful, and the Changer of Ways draws strength even from the changing of the tides of battle. By fighting the forces of the Archenemy we empower them – this paradox is the problem with our methods.”
Moves were being traded more frequently as the match drew to a close. He could see that Heinrix was merely listening, gritting his teeth as he saw some truth in what he had said. He knew the man would never admit it, and knew that he would one day, likely soon, have to fight him, but he did not welcome it. He did not seek it. He merely wanted to give Heinrix a chance to be on the right side of history.
Koruschev: “I have grown no less fervent in my hatred of the Heretic, the Daemon, and the Witch, I simply know that every time I fight, I strengthen the enemy. My faith in Him is no less steadfast, my arm no less able to wield a blade against daemons, my voice no less loud when casting Daemons back into the warp, my gun no less able to melt away any heresy in its path, and my mind no less protected against the Witch. You have seen this. You know this. And so does the Lord Inquisitor. Yet the knowledge that my every action feeds the Dark Gods is enough to see me marked as an enemy of Mankind.”
Three moves. That was all it would take. He made his. Heinrix made his. He made his. Heinrix made his. He then waited with the last move, looking at Heinrix’s silent plea to stop. But he would not. He knew who he was. Lord Captain Koruschev Herocus von Valancius af Rados, the former Archdeacon, the Arch Exorcist – he who would bring Order to the Expanse before leaving it in more capable hands.
Heinrix: “Is there no other way, Lord Captain? Must you cast yourself into the crucible of battle to bring peace to this blasted place?”
He smiled, and made the final move that sealed the game. He looked at Heinrix, seeing beneath the facade of the Inquisitor, the Interrogator. He saw the man who knew love, who had, perhaps, loved him, the man he could have loved, and shook his head.
Koruschev: “The story of Koruschev Herocus von Valancius af Rados will be a bloody one. It will be the story of a Lord Captain who exterminated every enemy of the Imperium, who braved any horrors to bring stability and peace to the Imperium’s worlds in the Expanse. I have already ensured that House Chorda cannot recover, and have made sure that Calligos Winterscale has found peace within himself once more. He will be a great aid to you, Heinrix von Calox, and I hope that you will look after my heir until they are ready. You must survive the tide of blood I must unleash, and you must be ready to send me beyond the known galaxy once my purpose has been accomplished. Only you can do this. You and Ulfar, once he forgives me. It is the only hope we have to establish an order that will endure – heretical though that sentiment is.”
Heinrix began setting up the board for their next game, refusing to comment until he was done. They both knew there might never be another game. Once he was, he got up, and looked Koruschev in the eyes.
Heinrix: “At least you have taken precautions. I will do this for you, Lord Captain. For I know the man you are, and I know what you have done. And I forgive you.”
With that, the man left, leaving Koruschev to sit in his study with a bottle of unfinished Amasec. He would not finish it, and instead invited Maeve to have what remained in his glass before he moved to his desk. It was time to write his last will and testament. He knew his path was the right one – unite the scattered forces of the Imperium, get the right people into the right positions, and then… then he would become their worst nightmare, he would become the daemon that they could all unite against, that their righteous hatred would lead them to despise. This was the only way.