Tight office corridors gave way to expansive halls with hardly any transition as I was hurried along the bowls of the ship by the scent of cooking meat. Suddenly murals appeared with little fanfare upon the walls. Iconography of the Imperium and detailed images of men and women, battles and congregations. Here at the edge of a warehouse and office complex sat a cathedral complex. A maze-like series of halls surrounding a single large area of worship. One that extended down to lower decks and much higher.

 

There were alcoves with candles taller than me lit and small stools to kneel and pray at places without any real regularity in this section. Staircases and elevators dotted about and obscured by privacy curtains as if the designers were ashamed to have any utility to these halls.

 

There were also barricades here. Men and women again in rags hunched over crates lined up to block entry into this section of the ship with desiccated corpses curled up at the edges of the halls, pressed up against statues of saints and other icons of worship. People had tried to defend this place, and had come here likely when this section of the ship was locked down.

 

I could hear singing now, along with the smell of burning incense and the overpowering taste of meat in the air. I passed over the dead and towards the scent of food, it led me to a large chamber. Grand and resplendent. Silk and incense abounded at this cathedral of the Imperial cult. I was at one of the upper levels, a balcony that allowed me to overlook the pews far below me. My heart skipped a beat at the huddled mass kneeling before a figure in golden robes.

 

Chanting, led by the figure and followed by the huddled masses of humanity. I watched as several large men in rags stood watchfully around the golden clothed figure holding pipes and axes. Two of their number however clutched rifles to their chests and stood slightly behind the, i assume, priest. 

 

In the middle of the cathedral there was a large pot of bubbling water tended by a tall and strong man using what was closer to an oar than a ladle to keep the stew broiling. The singing continued as I considered my options here.

 

I felt no small trepidation about approaching a gaggle of religious zealots when I had no real idea how they would respond to me. But I was practically drooling and my stomach was letting me know just how ravenous I was. I played scenarios of my approach over in my head and came up with more questions then I would like.

 

Why had I been able to approach this place unmolested? Surely any competent defence of this little bastion of humanity would mean manning the various barricades that protected the cathedral? Or perhaps the defenders had been called back to the cathedral proper during meal time to keep the starving attendants at bay. As I watched the masses singing there were more than a few quick and longing glances given to the cauldron cooking what I presume to be dinner for everyone. 

 

The next question that came to mind was how did a religious figure not have the direct support of the rest of the ship? Surely a priest would be evacuated from a beastman infested cargo hold first and foremost? Why did I only see people in rags, likely slaves and not any workers, officers, soldiers.

 

The more I mused on this the more I distrusted this congregation. Baselessly perhaps, but a thought occurred to me. Surely that bubbling cauldron would not be the only source of food this group had? As I watched a figure again in rags came out from an open door at the rear of the cathedral carrying a large wooden plate filled with finely cut meat and without much fanfare dumped it into the cauldron as the singing continued. The man attending to the mixing took some time to adjust his stance before continuing his slow and careful task. 

 

The food storage must be behind the cathedral then. Deeper within the complex. Putting my hunger aside for the moment I began to explore the upper floors of the temple complex finding various halls that connected back to the warehouse hallways. I went up and down stairs slowly forming a mental map of the place and finding little resistance to my movements here and ever more bodies and signs of battle long past. 

 

Strangely I did not find any corpses of beastmen about, nor did I find anyone with symbols of chaos. The only dead looked to be defenders, left as they fell and positions that had been abandoned but seemingly with little consequence. 

 

I felt an odd melancholy fall over me as I observed the unattended dead. I knew I was sheltered to a degree but I had seen death before. Bodies themselves did not bother me much. And the little that they did bother me I considered rather healthy, being utterly indifferent to the dead seemed to be an indication of some form of mental illness. But I had to admit that the sheer masses of bodies here were getting to me somewhat.

 

Setting aside the growing tension in my gut, the emotions that could compromise my ability to objectively make decisions in the interest of my survival, I reached the bottom floor of the Religious Complex. 

 

There was a road, a paved road with walls decorated with golden skulls leading from the great Cathedral hall to the Rotunda. Here there was again an unmanned barricade with several vehicles that somewhat resembles trucks without a roof on the drivers cab. A long flat section at the back large enough for a container to fit indicated the purpose of the vehicle. 

 

There were four of them. Lined up next to each other and facing towards the Rotunda. Taking up each lane of the paved road and allowing only a small area either side of the road for a person to squeeze through to the tall barricade itself. 

 

It seemed that the Beastmen would have a hard time moving though this roadway in a group. With some of the humans in the Temple carrying guns that meant any attack here would be very costly. Perhaps that was why the other barricades for this section on the upper floors had been abandoned. If the Beastmen could not find an effective way to navigate to the upper floors and attack from there then they would need to attack along easily defended areas like this.

 

No, no that can’t be right. There were corpses on the barricades on the upper floors. There must have been efforts to breach into this complex via the upper floors at some point, effective or not. 

 

Resigning myself to ignorance at the defensive structure of the humans in the Temple I slowly creeped about the bottom floor of the Cathedral. Keenly aware that there were actually people down here with unknown dispositions and intentions for a starving woman sneaking about. 

 

I came across several smaller halls that looked to have been converted into several barracks rooms. Sleeping mats and beds lined the halls with small bundles of personal possessions bundled up in places. I felt the call of loot but thought better of it and moved along. Keeping an ear out to the singing and dreading when the chanting would end. 

 

Bathrooms. Library, several storerooms that looked ransacked. The Complex was truly massive but I found little of importance until I came across a hallway that had again been barricaded. This time however there was activity on the other side. I glanced about conspiratorially before I snuck closer to the stacked crates that made up the majority of the barricades I had seen on the ship and looked through a gap between two of them. 

 

It was a well lit room with long metal tables. Men and women in aprons were moving about carrying large chunks of meat and processing them with the dull proficiency that came with long standing repetition. I stepped away from the barricade and continued my exploration. The area was likely barricaded as it represented an inner citadel for the human defenders of the Temple. 

 

(Objective accomplished, Find a food supply +50XP) 

 

That counted? Well I was hardly going to reject more experience points. That was the last of my ‘starter’ missions accomplished aside from the survive 100 days mission. That meant I now had 110 XP, enough to pick up the Psyker Aptitude and finish up the aptitude selection. I would only have 10 XP left after I did so, meaning that I pretty much had to accept one of the missions to grow in power or find out how I could reliably ‘farm’ experience. 

 

I was currently doing something extraordinarily risky however so having 100 XP saved up to spend on a boon in an emergency was likely the best thing for the moment. That and while I was no longer limping the cut on my foot still throbbed painfully every time I took a step and I was still worried about an infection developing. I resolved not to spend any XP for the moment.

 

It still confused me as to why exactly there was still a human presence in this part of the ship. The entire section was under lockdown after all. But then again when I cast my mind back to my first moments in this new life I very clearly remember the sounds of some monster roaming about on the other side of the barricade separating this section from the rest of the ship. 

 

There was little doubt then that whatever caused the breach that had allowed beastmen to roam freely in the Rotunda had caused, or had been caused, other disruptions to the ship that still echoed out. With only public terminal reports to go on I had no way of even guessing at what kind of response there was to these incidents. Perhaps crew and slaves retreating to temples across the ship was standard procedure for these kinds of things. I had no way of knowing and I could not remember any Games Workshop lore detailing this sort of thing. 

 

I came across another barricaded archway, this time without any activity on the other side. It was trivial to clamber up the side of the boxes and shimmy through the gap between the boxes and the ceiling before slipping down into the ‘inner sanctum’ of the temple. 

 

As I moved about the area I was given more of the impression of a tastefully decorated mansion rather than a temple. Rooms opened up to spartan but pleasant bedrooms with adjoining bathroom facilities. Halls had religious iconography but with carpets and calm, subdued colours. The lights overhead were a warm yellow rather than a harsh pure white. This place was a living space first and a place of worship second. 

 

Having stalked my way through an entire residential wing of the inner sanctum of the Temple Complex I came across a metal and glass door. Windows obscured by fog and a strong smell of wet grass emanating from within. I slipped through the door only to find myself in an airlock of sorts, another glass door likewise obscured by fog that despite being tall and heavy opened smoothly as I pushed at it and slipped within. The massive barriers opened smoothly and silently and I was assaulted by birdsong, warmth and the sound of running water. 

 

It was a botanical garden of some kind. A huge room by normal standards but small compared to the massive Cathedral chamber I had seen before. I walked along a gravel path reaching out to touch the starkly vibrant plants all about me feeling like I had suddenly stepped into wonderland.

 

There was a structure to everything, from the placement of trees to the arrangement of bushes and flowers and the winding paths and rivers that filled the place with vitality, life that thrived despite hurtling through the void. 

 

There were lizards and flying insects too. As well as dozens of colourful and distinct birds sitting upon rafters or on trees and peering down at me curiously or fluttering about as if my presence was hardly worth consideration. The hunger and no small amount of growing helplessness at my situation faded as I took in the character of the garden. A weight I did not know I was holding slipping off my shoulders.

 

I approached a gazebo surrounded by thick and brightly coloured bushes in the middle of the garden. There was an ornate brass table and chairs inside of the Gazebo as well as a kettle sat in the middle of the table and several power outlets neatly incorporated into the table itself. I took a step forward before I heard the crunch of footfalls on the gravel path just out of sight, obscured by the overgrowth about me.

 

In a panic I shuffled behind the Gazebo and crawled into the bushes and pressed myself against the ground. Two figures were approaching the Gazebo along the garden path. The familiar golden clad priest followed by one of the rifle armed guards. Now that they were much closer I could see that the Guard was not covered in rags like most of the people I had seen but was instead in a full bodied dark purple set of coveralls with knee and elbow pads sewn into the outfit.

He was tall and broad shouldered carrying a plate of food and a baguette while his rifle was slung over his shoulder. He was following shortly behind a giant of a woman, the priest in the golden robes more clearly a priestess at this distance.

 

She must have been at least seven feet tall, perhaps taller, with greying hair and a face showing signs of graceful ageing. One of her eyes was a stark piercing blue while the other was a mechanical gold cybernetic. The robes that hung from her body looked heavy and thick, with various books and icons and bottles of incense hanging from bright golden chains.

 

She walked with purpose however, as if the encumbering clothes she carried hardly weighed a thing. She settled into one of the seats in the Gazebo as the guard set down a plate of food in front of her. I felt my mouth water as I noted that her plate was filled with vegetables and cheeses but no meat. He then set the kettle to boil, beginning to set out a cup and measure out tea leaves into a metal contraption.

 

“That shall be all Ivin, please take a moment for yourself, I shall contact you when you are required.” The giant priestesses voice was melodic, a confident and husky tone that oozed confidence. Ivin, for his part, looked surprised that he was being dismissed before he bowed his head.

 

“As you wish Mother.” With that he glanced about and left, following the garden path away from the Gazebo.

 

The Priestess reached over to the kettle and the teaset and began to make herself some tea, and well after the last of Ivin’s footfalls faded in the distance she set down two cups before reaching into her robes and producing a Las-Pistol. 

 

“Come out now child, show yourself. Now.” I felt my heart skip a beat as her golden and pale blue eyes turned towards me, her expression severe.