Zali stood outside the door jittering with nerves. Understandable, given that last time she was choked, tossed about and then injected with some horrible stuff in her womb that she hadn’t been able to remove or even know why it was there. The door swung open before Zali even stepped up to knock, and the woman was there with a smirk on her face. That all-knowing look on her face and the undeniable, absolute control of the situation was terrifying, and Zali found it hard to resist being oppressed by her.

“What, no curtsey?” the red-clad woman asked. Zali’s eyes went wide and immediately she grabbed for a dress that wasn’t there and enacted the worst curtsey in the history of the Imperium. “Heh. I was joking, kiddo. So, you come here for a reason, or did you just love what I did last time?”

Zali took a step back as the woman stepped forward, but really needed to talk to her, and so gathered her head.

“I-i-i-i-i-have-have-f-found…….found evidence of Chaos corruption in the city. The Stormtroopers are going to come in and raid it, but I don’t want the Emperor’s Faithful to be caught in the crossfire. So, could you take them in while the cleansing happens? Inquisitorial Stormtroopers are not gentle and they would think nothing of burning out the Chapel and killing everyone there if one of the heretics tries to hide in it” Zali asked, stuttering at the start but getting hold of her tongue towards the end.

“Hmm, how surprisingly forward thinking for an Inquisitorial Acolyte. But fine, bring your Faithful to me, I have need of many hands recently. I can put them to work” The woman turned to a large table and then projected a holographic map onto it. “You can go now, Zali. Unless you want another session with my mechadendrites” The woman gave a warm smile which did not fit in with what she was offering at all, and then looked to the map she was projecting, scanning it for something. “And send your Inquisitor here, if you can. I want to talk to him about his retinue”

Having been dismissed and told that she sucked at her job - in uncertain terms, at least - Zali retreated and headed back to the Chapel. Emia had a meteoric rise in status, maybe she could help her get the people out of the Chapel and to this strange and terrifying creature in woman’s clothing.