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Luccor Halhoug took in a deep breath and inwardly prayed for the battle to come. The priest-captain had placed his faith in the goddess that the battle would succeed in the favor of the followers of the true faith, the Pius Dea, for the Goddess always blessed those who placed their full confidence in her. However, something intruded his sense of peace and calm, he was filled with a sudden rage and hatred for the heretics who abandoned the order and decided to ally with the alien cretins who infested Contispex’s holy domain! How dare they!
HOW DARE THEY
!
Cap. Halhoug almost shouted those words but was fortunate not to. Halhoug could not appear so uncouth in front of such loyal and pious followers in his midst. In fact, one of them approached even now. This follower was a commander on his ship.
Halhoug quite liked this commander. She was not only perfectly subservient to him, she was also a.. delicate piece of flesh. He had promoted her after she had proven her worth to him several times, but he yearned for her to show appreciation to him in a more…
private
setting.
“Father Luccor,” she kneeled. “Shall we prepare to jump to the Alsakan system? My men are growing eager to take the fight to the heart of our enemies.”
Halhoug gave a small nod. “It is time that we put them down like the dogs they are!” Halhoug could not contain the wide, hideous grin that formed on his face. “Activate the hyperdrive!”
When the priest ordered the command, the ship rattled and everyone on board lost their footing and fell to the floor. It had taken too long for the priest to regain his own footing and climb back on his feet, despite using his altar to balance himself. “Wha- What’s going on,” the priest-captain groaned loud enough for others to answer his query.
“I’m sorry my Father,” one of the navigators responded, tapping furiously at the commands.
“T-There’s an issue with the nav computers,” the navigator stammered, “they won’t accept any of our input commands!”
This could not be happening. Now, of all times– the Goddess’s vengeance had to be denied! There were too many thoughts and emotions swirling within him. Too many sinful thoughts, too many. He closed his eyes and whispered prayers of forgiveness. HIs musings were interrupted by his subordinate commander.
“Orders my Father?” Her voice had been pleasingly dainty and demure which woke him up from his stupor. He flashed a grin at her, tenderly trailing his palm down her arm.
“Yes my dear,” he purred. “Tell the technicians to fix whatever’s wrong with the computers or they will be flayed for their ineptitude.” She bowed reverently before leaving to fulfill his orders.
All the navigators stirred in their seats as new information was displayed on their screens. Coordinates had been punched in, but not by them. The coordinates did not point to Alsakan or even any system within the galaxy if their information was correct. The navigators frantically tried to correct this course but their computers wouldn’t accept any other commands.
Halhoug grew more impatient by the second. If the Goddess’s will takes longer to enact– he will make good on his promise for the technicians. The ship whirred, bright streaks of light overpowered the previously black expanse, coalescing into a tunnel. The ship was dumped near an unremarkable gas giant colored with a drab orange-brown. The ship was silent for a good minute. Everyone collectively felt that they weren’t where they were meant to be.
“STATUS REPORT!” The priest’s command echoed through the halls of the cathedral and killed the silence stifling the ship.
One of the navigators, a thin lanky man, stood up from his seat. “It seems that we have made a jump in an unknown system.” Luccor Halhoug went over to certify his statement. The computer apparently verified what the navigator said. The map showed the ship,
Folly of Sin
, as a blue circle alongside the nearby celestial body marked as “Unknown planet”.
“Can you pinpoint where we are in the galaxy?” The navigator followed through with the command, trying to locate the region they were stranded in. However, the nav computer gave only one response…
NO DATA AVAILABLE
.
“Is this true?”
“What do you mean Father?”
Luccor Halhoug slowly turned to the navigator. Anyone who had spent long enough in this ship recognized the look he made when there was no room for any humoring. It was a glare that truly promised life or death for the recipient of his wrath. “Are we no longer in our own Galaxy?”
The navigator’s heart beat quickly, sweat perspiring on his face. “I-I d-do not-” The priest grabbed him by his collar, pulling him with strength that the navigator never knew he had. Their faces were separated by merely inches between each other.
“Did you do this?” Halhoug growled with more ferocity than a rancor.
“I d-didn’t do anything! I swear to the G-Goddess it’s true! Please have mercy Father!”
The priest shoved him aside, letting him drop to the stone-cold floor. “If not you then who else?”
“Who’s fault is it for marooning us in this galaxy? WHOSE IS IT?” He stood in front of his altar, peering at everyone in the room. Their heads dipped a little downwards when his gaze fell at them.
“Hmmm..” A humorless smile etched on his face. “You do know the consequences for denying the will of the Goddess,
do you
?” Everyone remained silent, frozen in fear.
“No one?” he chuckled. “Is there a
Renunciate
in the room with us?” The crushing tension in the room was like a bubble barrelling towards a needle. “If no one will answer… then I hereby declare EVERYONE in this chamber a heretic! SECURITY!”
Silence was replaced by chaos as navigators and others jumped out of their seats; all of them shouting or screaming as the sentinels crossed the nave.
“Take them to the execution chambers!” The security squadron split as each one chose their target. Several of them tried to fight back against the sentinels to no avail. The scapegoats were dragged to the lift while their backs burned and scraped by the friction of the stone floor.
“Wait! Stop!” cried a navigator. “It was not our doing! I have
proof
!”
The chaos in the room quieted as Luccor’s attention was drawn to the navigator that made the declaration. That same lanky man, Stiren if the priest remembered right, pointed towards the screen. Blue triangles surrounded the
Folly of Sin
in the thousands and hundreds more joined every second. Seeing
friendly
ships belonging to the Pius Dea faith placated him a bit.
Priest-Captain Halhoug took time to ponder what this meant. Maybe the Goddess’s intention wasn’t to strike the anti-Republic alliance in retribution. The more he thought, the more the truth slipped away from him.
“My Father,” Stiren addressed. “Our scanners have picked up high energy usage readings from the second planet.”
Halhoug perked up at the news. “Is that so?”
“There’s no mistaking it father. This is definitely the work of sentients.”
Halhoug could feel the truth coming back to him like an old flame. “Stiren.”
Halhoug had his immediate attention. “Yes Father?”
“Take us closer to the planet for a deeper scan. I want to know what’s on the surface.”
“Yes Father!” Stiren wasted no time following his orders.
Halhoug could feel it now– the truth had embraced him tightly with the passion of a blessed lover. Now he knew
why
the Goddess brought them here. The truth had given him an unshakeable conviction and it had to be shared with his followers. Halhoug strode over to his alter, gazing at everyone.
“Rise my children. Rise!”
Those who were caught earlier by security were let go and rose to their feet with the rest of the crowd. Halhoug now held everyone’s eyes on him. He exhaled deeply before beginning his grand oration.
“Brothers, sisters, children of the Goddess. Those of the true faith have all gathered here today, and I say with pride that it is because we have been given a new purpose. The Goddess has deposited us inside a new galaxy, one ripe for the taking! Our order stood stalwart over a millenia of war against the impure and we shall reign a millenia more! The durasteel blood of the Pius Dea had been forged in the crucible of war, and it is time to make our enemies bleed; for the Goddess WILLS IT!”
Halhoug roused the audience in a rapturous cheer! His followers roared the chant,
Goddess wills it
! Halhoug’s speech was announced through the intercom in all sections of the ship; all of them repeating
Goddess wills it
.
Halhoug had never felt a moment greater than this. In this moment, he could feel the shine of the Goddess’s holy light upon him. For the Goddess wills this entire galaxy be brought to heel.