The following section is an extract from The Chronicles of Jade and Silver by Asajev L. Halcyon. I have taken care to edit and expand the works in this archive to give a more accurate representation of the events that are described in this records as a great deal of the material has been under the Seal of the Ordo Hereticus and might be of use to others in the Inquisition.
--- Inquisitor Iolis Xanaphar, Ordo Hereticus
The Chronicles of Jade & Silver
The Prelude by Asajev L. Halcyon
I recall a different life other then the one that I have been given. In those days I was an Acolyte of the God-Emperor and a faithful servant of the Imperial Creed. My name is Asajev Lednera Halcyon of Gunmetal Hive, Scintilla, Calixis Sector and I have been given the honor to record my experiences so that others may learn from those things that I have seen and done in the field in the name and service of the God-Emperor. This experiences that I have gained are for the future of the Acolytes of the God-Emperor so that they may know what were the elements that reshaped the Corvidae Expanse.
When I attempt to recall those early days when I was an Evangelist of the Imperial Creed. All I can still remember is the excitement that I had when my mentor at the Shola Progenium told me that I was to accompany him and some senior acolytes to a missionary trip into the Underhive of Gunmetal. The High Priest of the Schola Progenium had decreed that we were to have an expedition into the Underhive of Gunmetal and that we would reinforce the Will of the God-Emperor in the lowest levels of his great city. I would never have imagine that the Will of the God-Emperor had a sense of humor when guiding his acolytes and at the same time provided a conduit for a higher calling.
The day before our expedition was scheduled for I attended to my normal rutine of meditations on the Will of the God-Emperor. That morning while reading the prescribed texts and meditating on the Will of the God-Emperor I discovered a sign that guided me to what his will was for me. In the meditation I was revealed to have this fate, "To War is Human". My personal interpretation of this insight is that the essence of a human being can only be define by his actions in the crucible of war.
With those thoughts I attended to my morning Martial Training with Drill Abbot Hadrik Long a grizzled retired veteran from the Hesperus White Stars 18th Drop Infantry Regiment. The Abbot mostly focused us in the use of chainswords and basic training of bolt weapons. As I ran through the drills that day I recalled how I managed to arrive at the Schola Progenium. I was found by the Clerics of the Schola one stormy night at the gates and was raised as an orphan by the ecclesiarchy.
I was trained in the art of reading and writing and in martial disciplines. I am grateful for my family of adopted brothers and sisters. I do not blame my parents they most of had good reasons to have given me to the service of the God-Emperor. My mentor once told me that the only thing that I was was a silver chain with a silver bolt casing with the inscription "In his will I trust".
That afternoon I went down to the Vaults of the Schola to check out the Grimoire of St. Corvidae. This great tome of inspiration is one of my personal favorite sources of inspiration as it illustrates the Will of the God-Emporor in the simplest things that humanity can observe. I finally spent the rest of the afternoon reading the devotional texts in the Schola's Grand Plaza that overlooked the landing fields.
While I was reading the devotionals my senior and fellow acolyte Geth Morrow a youth that was but a few months older then I was had came to talk about the details of the expedition. I found from him that our mentor had planned to intervene in the Lower Cartel wars and attempt to save some of the souls of the gangers that resided near the district of Yruk d'rem.
As we talked about the expedition we could see that an Arvus Lighter was landing at the landing platform. From the looks of the tiny shuttle it had seen some action and I noticed that the Commissar and his Cadets had made it back from yet another "On the Job Training" classes that the Commissar is so well known for. I thought that I might as well start heading back to the main hall and have dinner as night was falling rapidly and even though we were relatively safe inside the Schola Progenium compound nights in Scintilla were not the safest especially at Gunmetal.
When I finally arrived at the main hall the arrival of the Commissar has his cadre of cadets has already spread like wild fires. The main hall seemed to be buzzing with energy with the tales of the Commissar and his Cadets and as is to be expected rumors of our own expedition the following day were already circulating and some of them seemed particularly interesting to say the least.
The rumor about the "On the Job Training" mission from the cadets that bought my attention is of how Cadet Litia Auvan managed to hit a head shot at extreme range killing the boss of the local gang they had exterminated. They said the termination orders were do to extreme illegal activities against his Holy Majesty the God-Emperor.
I am inclined to think that the Cadets were exaggerating and telling the crowed what they expected to hear from them. As I listened to the rest of the rumors that floated around in the main hall I started to think that now that the cadets were back the total sum of reported infractions to the Headmasters Office might just increase while I am away front he grounds. Some of the final snatches of conversation I can recall hearing had to do with the successful raid the Cadets had executed, this I was able to interpret as key information for tomorrows expedition. They said the cadets took out a local Hive Cartel and the Purification of the Manufactrium they had occupied.
In the end it always pays to listen to those around you, you never know when valuable information may be dropped in your lap. I thought that was wise counsel that was given my my mentor Missionary Ezra who would be accompanying us tomorrow as our leader in the expedition.
Editorial Note:
It is my personal impression that Asajev is writing with a frame of reference of things that he at the time did not know were starting to move in the shadows of the Underhive of Gunmetal. Though records of the incidents that occurred in his expedition to the Underhive would not come to the light of day for many more years I feel that his personal account of the events might be the most accurate contrary to the official and more popular account of the events.
The expedition departed early the next morning, I was accompanied by my mentor Missionary Ezra D'Vince and a couple of my seniors including Geth who had gone on previous expeditions to the Underhive of Gunmetal. The journey to the sub levels of the Hive were relatively uneventful. We transited from the Inner-Mid Rim of the Hive down to the Gateway Spire of Upper Yruk d'rem and passed your standard security checks that the Enforcers perform as you cross the layer boundaries of a Hive.
When we arrived at the level that was designated as the Underhive the Enforcers were in high alert and a very heavy level of kit was in display. I could see the Rhino and Chimera units ready to repel any assault by the citizens of this forsaken region of Gunmetal. It had never occurred to me that those guns would be pointing in my direction in a few days.
Our congregation of acolytes made its way to the local abby in the District that was once known as Underhive Yruk d'rem. I do not recall what the words mean but from what I could tell the place did not look any better then a primitive world's hamlet. The area was lit by chemical fires and the smell of unknown chemicals hung heavily in the atmosphere of the place.
If you have never been to an underhive before let me tell you that you are a lucky individual. Underhives do not have a typical day and night cycle as you would expect. The subterranean communities of most hive cities dwell in eternal darkness. Most habitable zones of the underhive keep a day and night cycle by having powerful laminators from the ceilings of the superstructure. This helps them simulate a normal day but I would say that it does not compare to the real thing and has made some of the residents a bit weird.
Yet with all the hardship that this poor souls have suffered on a daily basis you can manage to find signs of life and a subtle form of peace and prosperity. It would be prudent for me to say that the days I spent in this forsaken place were the best days of my former life. I always carried by trusty Stormchild. I know what most of my fellow acolytes say that the Stormchild is a heavy and blunt gun lacking in elegance and charm. I feel the weight and size is reliable for any street fight as the gun can double as an improvised weapon for close combat.
Editorial Note:
The District of Underhive Yruk d'rem is one of the Gateway Districts into the Underhive of Gunmetal. The local Enforcers of Gunmetal have made a strong display of force in this region for many decades. From the official records it seems that the reason is to prevent the Underhive Cartels from invading the upper sections of the hive. In my personal opinion it is only a containment protocol that has largely been ineffective.
I awoke to the sound of high calibre guns in the middle of the night cycle a few days after we arrived and settled into the local abby. It was not unusual for the area to be punctuated by gunfire after all it is a hive that is called Gunmetal. What brought me into focus was the low sound of wailing and a heavier scent of burning chemicals.
In an instant I realized that tonight was different as I got up and grabbed my chainsword and my stormchild I checked the load on it and grabbed some extra bullets just in case things went south fast. I headed into the common room of the abby. I was mildly surprised that I was not the only one that was awoken by the sounds of the night.
I was informed that rival cartels had started a firefight over rights for the district. This of course put the citizens of Underhive Yruk d'rem in more danger then normal. It was decided that the expedition would go out into the district and help the enforcer units evacuate the civilians into the abby until the enforcers could settle the matter. I found myself surging with energy from the adrenaline rush, I would finally see the work of the God-Emperor done.
The smell of chemical fires and the barking of high caliber stabbers and auto guns made the environment a very confusing and sensory rich place to witness.
