Inferno!: Инквизиция / Inferno!: The Inquisition (сборник)
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| Издательство | Black Library |
| Год издания | 2021 |
| Подписаться на обновления | Telegram-канал |
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| Экспортировать | EPUB, FB2, MOBI |
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Тематический сборник рассказов, посвященных Инквизиции. Концептуально оформлен в виде отчета неизвестного подчиненного Торквемаде Котезу, вследствие чего каждый рассказ сопровождается кратким вступлением.
Вступление:
FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE MOST VENERABLE LORD INQUISITOR TORQUEMADA COTEAZ OF THE
ORDO MALLEUS
CLEARANCE LEVEL: VERMILLION
Most revered lord inquisitor,
I trust this communication finds you well in these troubling times, and that it arrives in a reasonably timely fashion, astropathic correspondence being what it is in this blighted age. As per your request, I have scoured our archives in search of pertinent reports regarding the deeds of certain agents of the Emperor’s Inquisition. This was no mean feat, as many of these reports were sheathed behind several levels of security, containing as they do extremely sensitive material regarding the Holy Ordos and their heinous and diverse foes. Many of our scribes, I regret to say, have lost a large portion of their sanity in the attempt to retrieve the requested documents, although this is a small price to pay, I have no doubt. I am hopeful that you are able to find time between your righteous persecutions of the [REDACTED] in the [REDACTED] sector to peruse the reports, so that their suffering will not have been in vain.
Within the attached dossier are eleven such reports, collating information regarding the movements and actions of your fellow inquisitors and their acolytes, gathered from all four corners of the Imperium. All of the most prominent ordos are accounted for, and noted figures such as the puritan Katarinya Greyfax, the radical Otto Dagover, and even an agent of the [REDACTED] Gregor Eisenhorn makes an appearance. Also featured are several lesser-known but no less remarkable inquisitors, and their daring exploits will doubtless be of great interest to my lord.
While I am assured of the veracity of these mission reports and transcripts, I must confess to a degree of scepticism. When reviewing them, I found much that was too fanciful to be truly believed: tales of inquisitors fraternising with aliens; employing the use of sorcery and other foul means. I am conscious of the fact that it borders on heresy to question the word of His mightiest and most faithful servants, but given that the radical nature of many of the individuals concerned also borders on the profane, I hope I will be forgiven for my doubts. I would urge you, my lord, to take the enclosed with a pinch of synthesised seasoning powder.
I trust you will find the reports enlightening, and that my co-operation in this matter will be remembered at such a time as when my position and placement within this great institution is to be reviewed.
It is my honour to remain your obedient servant,
[REDACTED]
Содержание:
Mindshackle (Роберт Раф)
Inquisitor Greyfax of the Ordo Hereticus needs no introduction, but for completeness’ sake I shall provide one regardless. A confirmed puritan, she is known for her pragmatic and merciless approach to hunting witches, and her expertise has proven invaluable in the dark days since the fall of [REDACTED]. However, many of our colleagues have expressed concern about her centuries-long disappearance before returning out of nowhere to take part in the defence of that doomed world. This long absence has been an enduring mystery – until now. While much of this report strains believability, it answers many questions regarding Greyfax’s whereabouts, and speaks of a feud between her ordo and another…
***
The Book of Change (Дени Уэйр)
The next report, my lord, concerns an inquisitor of your own ordo by the name of Marissa Khorvayne. If I might be so bold, she appears to be of the breed that seeks to wield the power of the [REDACTED] against them, and since it is not for this humble scholar to say whether this is heresy, I will leave this to your judgement. More troubling is her misguided belief that the ‘voice of the Emperor’ travels with her, and speaks to her directly; a dangerous delusion, as I’m sure my lord will agree. Despite her shortcomings, I must confess that her zeal and prowess make her a staggeringly effective asset in the persecution of the Emperor’s enemies, as my lord will soon see. Leading her retinue in pursuit of a forbidden tome, she wields faith as a weapon against unimaginable horrors.
***
The Tear of Selevia (Майк Брукс)
My lord, the following report takes the form of a sequence of excerpts detailing the pursuit of a semi-mythical relic of xenos origin by an Inquisitorial agent. The development of this endeavour proves intriguing in the extreme (heretical implications aside), and I believe it may form part of a wider mystery. You may of course draw your own conclusions, but it seems to me that the so-called Tear of Selevia is a key to a greater understanding of Mankind’s galaxy; knowledge that could prove dangerous in the wrong hands. I would advise my lord to keep a watchful eye on this particular agent, as her rise to prominence seems assured.
***
Нечистая вера / Tainted Faith (Дэнни Флауэрс)
Ордо Ксенос известен тем, что оттуда появляются многие из наиболее радикальных инквизиторов, каких только можно найти в Империуме – люди с нетвердыми моральными устоями, применяющие запретные технологии и не видящие ничего зазорного в сговорах и развлечениях с теми самыми чужими, охота на коих является задачей их ордена. Один из таких индивидуумов – инквизитор Ортис Атенбах: опасный радикал, которого, несомненно, уберегли от дальнейшего пристального внимания привилегированное происхождение и «эксцентричность». Данный отчет касается расследования Атенбаха в промышленном шахтерском комплексе, где пустил корни некий культ [ОТРЕДАКТИРОВАНО]. Эта тревожная история также во многом раскрывает неортодоксальные методы коварного ордоса Атенбаха.
***
Knife Flight (Рич Маккормик)
The world of Hedoro has long been blighted by the attentions of [REDACTED]. However, hope remains thanks to the efforts of the most holy Inquisition as well as the Navy’s Aeronautica Imperialis fighter pilot division. The following report details Thunderbolt pilot Nokori Palan’s role in the fight against the forces assailing her world, the development of her nascent psychic abilities and her integration into the retinue of the ruthless Inquisitor Kenesta Graz. It is a tale that is at times disconcerting and at others inspirational; on the whole I find it bolsters my faith in the Imperium and the sacred institutions that protect it, no matter the cost.
***
Реконгрегатор / Recongregator (Дэвид Аннандейл)
Another radical from the Ordo Xenos, Inquisitor Otto Dagover is a figure whose reputation precedes him. His relentless and obsessive pursuit of the so-called ‘Heretic Saint’, Ephrael Stern, has led him to some benighted corners of the galaxy, as this report will affirm. Here he is seen battling in the void against forces from a rival ordo as well as the twisted aliens known as the drukhari, and employing most controversial and unorthodox methods to thwart his foe and continue his pursuit of Stern. My lord may find the way Dagover directly addresses his quarry disturbing, and a cause for further examination of Dagover’s movements.
***
The Last Crucible (Ной Ван Нгуэн)
The Ordo Militarum, as my lord is surely aware, concerns itself with overseeing the efforts of the Imperium’s many military organisations to ensure that the purging of the Emperor’s enemies is conducted with brutal efficiency. Kataryn Moloth is known as one of this ordo’s most renowned and formidable inquisitors, and leaves no stone unturned in her investigation of the protracted conflict against the implacable necrons on Eleutane. While the Astra Militarum regiments involved appear to have employed sound strategy and fought valiantly, Lady Moloth’s scrutiny reveals that there may have been more to this battlezone than meets the eye. She aptly demonstrates that in the business of smiting the Imperium’s foes, there is no room for faint-heartedness.
***
The Carbis Incident (Виктория Хэйвард)
This disturbing report covers an expedition to the uncharted world of Carbis by the venerable Ordo Xenos inquisitor Venicii and his protégé, Interrogator Esme Mzinga. Following the rambling journal of a vanished rogue trader, they seek to uncover the secrets of this strange, wild planet and its bizarre denizens. It strikes this humble scholar, once again, that these secrets are often better left alone, for Mankind was not made to understand them. The fate of Venicii’s retinue serves to provide further proof of this theorem.
***
The Roar of the Void (Роб Янг)
Another agent of the Ordo Militarum, Inquisitor Callida Rohm, features in the following report, which details her investigation of the combined Tallarn and Ventrillian regiment known as the ‘Dust Devils’ in order to ascertain its loyalty to the Imperium following an encounter with [REDACTED]. With the able assistance of Commissar Loren Poole, Rohm must contend not only with rank upon rank of tight-lipped Guardsmen but also a ticking chrono, as a voidship rapidly ferries the regiment to its next deployment. I consider this report to be a cautionary tale, warning against the dangers of [REDACTED].
***
Outpost (Том Тонер)
At the far fringes of Imperial space lie the Ghoul Stars. Cold, strange and uninviting, only an unlucky handful of souls watch over the forbidding cluster of worlds whose inhabitants were vanquished by the Black Templars centuries ago. Horrific things still linger upon these darkened planets, however, and in this report my lord will learn of Inquisitor Vaine Aldredict’s efforts (along with those of the Death Spectres Chapter of Adeptus Astartes) to purge one such world of foul xenos breeds such as the deadly cythor fiends. A warning: this tale is harrowing and haunting in the extreme, even to a hardened mind such as your own, and I would recommend that you steel yourself before reading, my lord.
***
Лепидоптерофобия (Освобожденная Медея) / Lepidopterophobia (Medea Unbound) (Дэн Абнетт)
My lord, at last we come to our final report. This concerns Medea Betancore, an agent of the infamous Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn, as she pursues her mission to obtain a tome of lost and forbidden knowledge in the city of Queen Mab. In doing so, Betancore comes face to face with her greatest fear, as alluded to in this report’s title (as my lord is a learned man, I am certain you will know to what it refers without the need for a cogitator search), and must meet this challenge in order to fulfil her notorious master’s request.
I trust that you have found the contents of this dossier informative, and that my lord now has a clearer picture of the Inquisition’s operations in the present millennium, regardless of the questionable veracity of the reports held within. Once again, I thank you for your patience, and would ask you to bear this undertaking in mind during future reviews of ordo personnel.
NOTE: THE ADEPT ASSIGNED TO COMPILE THESE REPORTS WAS TERMINATED UPON TRANSMISSION, AS PER THE LORD INQUISITOR’S ORDERS.
***
