The Mansion of Zachariah Renovicci, An Ambitious Official, and Servant of Emperor Gregori
1 Week ago
Sunset
"Amastov perverts the title of Emperor. Cavorting around with xenos filth, declaring himself heir to the Golden Throne. He's the biggest heretic of the lot." Zachariah Renovicci shouted, spittle flying from the old man's mouth as he screamed at his guest.
"Perhaps, but what can we do? He is well-protected, and rumor has it that any who too brazenly speak against him disappear.""Then we must beat him at his own game. I know a man, his family had ties to the Officio Assassinorum for centuries. I'll give him a call. Discreet, quick, quiet. A single shot, straight to the-" Whatever the ambitious official had been planning to say was lost, as his face exploded in a spew of blood and gore that covered his conversational companion. The other man was no stranger to combat, however, and reacted in a way that surprised the shooter. The man rose, and looked directly at him.
On a cliff overlooking the mansion, Syvarrus' eyebrow furrowed as he stared through his Long Rifle's scope at the man in the room, so far away, yet so clearly aware of his presence. Suddenly, he felt a groping in his mind, then a seizing. A psychic attack. So, the man was more than he appeared. Syvarrus grunted as he attempted to resist the assault. He was no warlock, and he didn't have much in the way of psychic defenses, aside from the usual base familiarity of his race. However, the man likely couldn't have known the shooter was an Eldar, and ancient at that. The man below continued to grasp for Syvarrus' identity so Syvarrus, with a smile, let him have it. All of it at once.
As nearly ten thousand years of life flooded the man's mind, he stumbled and staggered, steadying himself on the chair he had been sitting in. Not willing to risk his mind, the psyker below released his mental assault, and turned to make for the door. Too late. The Ancient Eldar outcast didn't need more than a second. He had three. As the kinetic pulse round detonated in the man's stomach, he exploded in a cloud of viscera. By then the guards had heard the shots, and subsequent gory explosions, and were heading up the hill toward Syvarrus' position. He rose to a kneeling position, peering 'round for his best escape route, then stood, stepping closer to the ledge. He activated his wings, the gracefully feathered wings of the Swooping Hawk Aspect Warriors fluttered into the wind behind him, and the anti-grav engine began to whir and thrum with energy.
Syvarrus activated his Holo-field emitter, and took another step toward the ledge, just as a few guards started taking pot-shots at the cliff. A lasgun beam struck the wall behind him, and he decided it was time to go. Just as the guards started crashing through the underbrush behind him, he leapt from the ledge, his image exploding into a thousand shimmering shards as the holo-field's distortion took effect and he shot off into the sunset, further obscuring the view of his would-be pursuers. He had a report to make, and pay to collect.
'Saint's Chariot'
Present Day
Syvarrus walked down the opulent corridor unhooded, a rarity for him. His left ear was missing it's tip, his hair, despite his age, was still quite dark, his eyes sharp and acute. A hawk's eyes. Usually he covered his features, prefering to move unnoticed, or at least unremembered, but Gregori's guards didn't appreciate hooded figures wandering the corridors, especially this close to their Emperor. Not surprising, and quite understandable. If they actually knew who he was, he didn't know, but they knew
what he was. With humans, that was often enough. Many of the guards scowled at him, snickered as he passed, or grumbled something at him incoherently. This stopped as he got closer to the chamber he was to meet Gregori and the others in. With the eye of a master infiltrator, Syvarrus noted that the discipline of the guards seemed to increase as he grew closer to Gregori. The man was no fool, and surrounded himself with only the best.
Perhaps even I would have trouble getting past all of them, were I so inclined. Syvarrus thought to himself.
He reached the double doors leading to the meeting chamber just in time to see the scavenged Tau battlesuit enter. He approached the door, and noticed a retinue that he hadn't seen before. They weren't the Guard of this vessel. Perhaps the retinue of one of the others he Gregori had sent for? Giving those guarding the door a brief nod, and a sidelong glance to the others, he passed quietly through the door. He took note immediately of the human female. Having shed her scavenged armor, he could see her for what she was. At the very least, she was an addict, but he had heard stories of her. Stories that, if true, would make her his mortal enemy, current allegiances be damned. Still, if he found out that there was any truth to the rumors, he would need to act very carefully, so as not to upset the current balance with Gregori. For now he would watch this one, and wait.
The other man's reputation proceded him as well. This explained the men outside. Perhaps one of the biggest threats to Gregori at the moment, was this Inquisitor, and his forces. If handled correctly, however, perhaps a most useful ally. It remained to be seen whether SYvarrus would have this man in his sights, or at his side. With a nod to Gregori, Syvarrus walked silently to a wall nearby, leaning his back against it and fixing the woman with his hawk's eyes.
