by Joey Konyha
After Vandire's death, Sebastian Thor struggled to
rebuild the Ecclesiarchy. Due to the restrictions placed on him
by the Decree Passive, Thor could only keep one force under his
direct control, the Daughters of the Emperor.
Unfortunatly, they were still burning
with shame from Vandire's perversion of their purpose and
beliefs. Despite this, members flocked to the Daughters. Thor
reorganised them, molding them into the Adepta Sororitas.
To protect them from Administratum meddling, and prevent any
reoccurence of Vandire's treachery, Thor split
the Sororitas into two Convents, Prioris, which would remain on
Terra, and Sanctorum, which would move to one of the biggest
strongholds of the Imperial Cult, Ophelia VII. During Thor's
reign as Ecclesiarch, the Daughters grew from four thousand, to
well over 10,000. Later, Thor's successor, Alexis XXII, further
split up the Convents into the smaller Orders.
Alexis XXII gave them names from old Imperial Cult legends. The names the Orders Militant were given were the Orders of the Argent Shroud, Ebon Chalice, Valorous Heart, and Fiery Heart. Each recieved about two thousand hardened warriors to form the core of the Order.
The Orders of Valorous Heart and Fiery Heart were based in Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII. Ebon Chalice and Argent Shroud remaned on Terra. Alexis XXII also created a myriad of other Orders, so that the image of the newly created Adepta Sororitas would not just be of gun weilding religious fanatics. He also formed the Orders Hospitaler, responsable for hospitals and caring for the sick, Orders Dialogis, to spread the Emperor's word to all through translation to the lower languages of the Imperium, and the Orders Famulous, who served with the families of the Imperial Lords, so that the Ecclesiarchy can keep a close eye on them. There were also an assortment of smaller Orders created, spread throughout the Imperium in order to spread the Emperor's Light.
After the death of Vandire and the end of the Reign of Blood, the Imperium remained in turmoil for centuries. The damage done by Vandire's neglect and brutality was immence. Because the warp storms that divided the Imperium continued for many more years, Imperial law was absent on many worlds. One of these was the agro world of Barataria.
In 572/ M36, with disorder still gripping much of the Imperium, the Imperial Lord on Barataria, Lord Zynder, taking advantage of a sudden warp storm that isolated the system, declared that the Imperium had collapsed, and that he was the Emperor of the New Imperium. The storms in the warp meant that it would be a long time before Terra would learn of this treachery.
Lord Zynder moved to crush all opposition. His first step was to eliminate the biggest threat to his power, the Thunderbirds chapter of the Space Marines, based on the desert world of Lapalco, located in the same system as Barataria. His plan was to move with his Imperial Guard regiments and storm the Thunderbirds fortress-monastary, destroying all of their relics and gene-seed bio-tanks, thus basicly destroying the chapter.
However, loyalists learned of this, and managed to warn the Thunderbirds. The loyalsts were discovered and killed by Zynder's troops.
They are, so far, the only non-Space Marines honored wth a burial in a Space Marine fortress-monastary anywhere in the Imperium.
Their sacrafice enabled the 2nd, 6th, and 9th companies to escape, along with all the gene-seed and relics of the Chapter. This is known as the "Night of Sorrow", and the escaping Chapters were called the "Remnants".
When Zynder attacked, it was a brutal
bombardment from orbit. The monastary was demolished, and many
civilians were killed. The suviving Space Marines surrendered
when they learned that Zynder threatened to
virus bomb the planet. The Chapter calls this the "Time of
Fury".
They were taken to Barataria, and
marched through the streets. During this event, remembered by the
Thunderbirds as the "Day of Shame", a lone voice spoke
out.
A small group of the Order of the Fiery Heart was on the planet,
selecting new members from the Scola Progenium on Barataria, when
the storms isolated them. The Canoness who was in charge of the
recruitment party, Katherine, spoke out against the ill treatment
of the Marines. Zynder was awed by the beauty of the Canoness. He
decided he wanted her as his Emperess. Telling her that he would
negotiate the release of the Marnes, Zynder invited Katherine to
his palace, ordering her to come alone. Katherine suspected a
trap, but still agreed. When she arrived, she was shown the
corpses of the Marines. Zynder told her that they were traitors
to his New Imperium, and thus was the fate of all traitors. He
then showed Katherine a vast treasure, collected from the
Thunderbird's coffers, and from around Barataria and the
Imperium. He promised it allto her, if only she would marry him.
She refused.
For many years, Katherine was
imprissoned in a tower of the palace, while every day Zynder
offered to free her if she married him, and everyday she refused,
saying "My love is saved for only the Emperor, for He is
truely my Protector, my Father, my Shield. No telling how long
this would have lasted if there had not been a break in the
warpstorms.
News went out from Barataria. Soon reinforcements would be moving
into the system. With the break in the storm, news could flood in
from beyond the system, and the people learned of the treachery
of Lord Zynder. When a mob tried to storm his palace to force him
out, they were masacred. 350,000 people were slaughtered. When
news of this reached the HQ of the 23rd Baratarian Regiment, it
was decided the time for force was at hand. Having harbored some
of the escapees from the Thunderbirds, the 23rd was truely a
powerful force. However, the Royal Guard, with hundeds of tanks
and thousands of warriors behind adamantium walls, were stronger.
For weeks on end, the 23rd and the Remnants bombarded the walls,
attempting to breach them and find Zynder.
Zynder, meanwhile, had been driven to near madness by Katherine's refusals. Deciding pain might convince her, he ordered the slow torture of Katherine. The cruel wounds, deep, jagged cuts that rended her skin inflicted tremendous pain on her, but she never waivered, never cried out. Prayers to the Emperor were all that passed her lips.
After nearly 7 months of constant bombardment and battle, the 23rd and the Remnants were nearly spent. With reinforcements still several hours away, they readied a last ditch attempt to take the Palace. They prepared to charge the High Gate, and attempted to storm the Palace. To their horror, nearly an entire company of tanks rolled out to meet them. They were outnumbered nearly 4 to 1. Regardless, they attacked with a ferocity unparalelled.
However, soon the numbers began to tell, and gradually they were begining to be thrown back. The 23rd and the Remnants prepared to fall back, lift the seige, and go into hiding as the sun started to dip below the mountains.
Suddenly, a blue glow flodded the battlefield. All seemeed to stop, time seemed to freeze. A vision formed in the sky, one of a beautiful woman. All recognized her. She was Katherine, clad in a white robe, with black armor. She brandished a sword, a blood red shield at her feet. In a boomng, yet calming voice she spoke.
"Fear not, warriors of the Emperor. As my spirit joins Him, I beseech you! Go forth and conquer His foes!"
Inspired by the vision, the 23rd and
Remnants charged forward. As surviving traitors stated after the
battle, they saw the same vision, but it had warned them to give
up their fight. Many did, and most turned their guns on their
former comrades. Soon, the loyalist forces breeched the walls,
just as Thunderhawks bearing some of the Remnants plunged from
the sky, landing inside the Palace walls. More Fiery Heart
Sisters joined the battle, swarming out of Thunderhawks borrwed
from the Thunderbirds that the Remnants were not using. The
reinforcements were landing. They stormed the palace, and found
Zynder, alone, caressing the bloodied body of Katherine.
The final tortures were the worst.
"If I could not posess her beauty, none would," he whispered, staring at her skull.
The skin had been flayed and peeled from her face. Blood glistened on her body, the floor and the table. A dozen bolters leveled on Zynders head. A Battle Sister strode in, stared at the body of Katherine, then turned to Zynder.
"I am Canoness Maria. I am the commander of the Sisters sent here to liberate this planet from your Heresy. You are charged with Murder, Heresy, and Treason. I find you guilty. The punishment is death."
Several of the Remnants approached Zynder, forcing him down to his knees, bending back his head as Canoness Maria prepared to make the death blow with her power sword. Zynder began to sputter
"You can't kill me! I am the..."
Canoness Maria silenced Zynder with a savage kick in the throat. All watched as Zynder slowly died. Turning to the Canoness, one of the 23rd's Commisars said,
"There is a place in the Mausolium of Remembrance for this Martyr. She will have a place of honor."
The Canoness' voice seemed to thunder. "No. She is our Lady. Her service and faith to both our Order and the Emperor was without flaw. We will honor her in our way. Her homeworld was this one. She belongs here."
The Order did honor Katherine. When she was named a Saint, the Order changed its name to Order of Our Martyred Lady, and the icon for the Order was changed to the Cross of St. Katherine, depicting her as she was when found after Zynders defeat. The Orders cathedrals, banners, and shrines all feature images of the Miraculous Vision, which is Katherines most enduring miracle.
