The Search for Cypher

by Brother Claudius

The battle barge Retribution eased itself through the Warp with all the grace of an enraged rhinoceros. The tremendous structure bristled with guns designed for planetary bombardment, and the hull was scarred in several places from previous encounters. Emblazoned across the front of the massive craft, a winged sword was the only insignia visible.

The ship's brig was located in the lowest decks of the battle barge. Marines in dark green armor went about their business in the halls of the starship, but the area around the brig was closed off to all but a few marines who either wore bone white tactical dreadnought armor, or wore a white robe over their powered armor. The brig itself was heavily guarded, with a full squad of Terminators stationed inside. A Dark Angel clad in ornate powered armor and wearing a white robe waited nervously by one of the cells.

Michael glanced about the outside of the cell briefly before looking back at its occupant. He met the gaze of the abomination for a moment, then looked away. This was highly unusual, and most unsettling. A traitor marine such as this (who called himself Eradicus) should be dealt death and allowed to rot under the open sky, not interrogated. The Inner Circle, however, was sure that this traitor had knowledge of the Fallen, and such knowledge was more important than procedure. Besides, they could always execute "Eradicus" after he had been mind probed. The traitor wasn't going anywhere; not only was he imprisoned in the stoutest cell on the battle barge, he was missing both legs and an arm as a result of a melta-blast. The chaos marine could do little except rant and glare menacingly at Michael and the white-armored terminators standing watch outside of his cell.

The door to the brig slid quietly open and a white-robed marine strode purposefully into the brig, his blue armored boots clanking on the adamantium floor as he entered. He faced Michael and saluted smartly.

"Epistolary Marius reporting, Master."

Michael nodded slowly, tearing his gaze away from the cell. "Are you sure you are capable of this, Epistolary? Your wound.."

"It has been tended to, Master Michael. Brother-Apothecary Sariel has mended my body."

"That is well. Now respond to my original query: are you capable of performing a psychic probe?"

Marius paused uncomfortably. "Master Michael, I feel as strong as I have ever in both body and spirit. However, I feel a. presence."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "Will this affect the probe?"

"I cannot say, Master. May I begin?"

The Dark Angel commander nodded. "May the Emperor be with you, Epistolary."

"And with you, Master," answered the Librarian, who haltingly approached the cell.

Epistolary Marius knelt in a meditative position at the entrance of the cell. The cell's occupant seethed at him, "It comesss! Yes, my sssweet Dark Lord, I am lissstening!" Although the traitor had been stripped of his armor, his body had been covered in obscene tattoos. Most prominent amongst these was the fiery daemon insignia of the accursed Word Bearers.

"Do you know what I seek?" Marius asked levelly.

"Cy-pher!" exclaimed the traitor, and then he burst into insane laughter.

Marius peered deeply into the eyes of the crippled marine. He felt himself falling. falling. into infinite darkness, a place of cold oblivion. The Epistolary tried to take the contradiction that was the chaos marine's twisted mind and crystallize it into something he could manipulate. A library, yes, that would do. The chaos marine's mind would be a library, and each memory would be a holo-crystal. Marius began to browse amongst the shelves of crystals, looking for the one which held the information he sought.

Cracks began to form in the walls and floor of the library as the traitor marine fought against the Epistolary's will. Icy blue flames burst from the cracks and licked hungrily at Marius' robes. Marius pushed back the flames with an exertion of his will, but the effort left him slightly strained. With a sense of urgency, the Librarian went back to sorting through the chaos marine's memories. Suddenly, he came upon the crystal he sought! Yes, the accursed Cypher had been leading two squads of the Fallen against some of the aliens known as the Eldar. why, of course, was unknown. The Fallen had joined forces with the Word Bearers in order to crush the aliens. Ultimately, the Word Bearers had turned on the Fallen, and Cipher had fled. There might still be some of the Fallen present on those worlds, though!

Suddenly, the blue flames burned colder, engulfing him. The accursed heretic must have found a psychic counter measure of some sort! Marius found himself suddenly cast adrift in the very stuff of the warp, consumed by darkness. In a near panic, he sought for the Light of the Astrononicon, the Emperor's psychic beacon. Seizing upon a few stray beams of psychic energy, he dragged himself back towards Reality. With the speed of thought, he sought out the battle barge, located the brig, and his kneeling body. With a final burst of energy, Marius leapt into his material self. only to be torn away at the last moment by a glistening shadowy form.

"Didst thou enjoy thy journey small one? Exhausted as thou art, thou shalt still keep me amused for some time to come!"

Titanic forces seized the Epistolary's spirit, and he was drawn inexorably into the bejeweled eye of the Lord of Change, who chuckled before soaring off on the currents of the Warp.