Fragment of Destiny
Chapter 22 - The Watcher

High Inquisitor Dolan watched from atop a small rise along the snow-covered rim. The malravian horde stretched out to the ends of the eastern horizon as they continued their relentless assault on Shallows Point. From the slopes above them, small black skimmers fled down the incline and cut a path across the snowy plains. It seemed Under Marshal Fin had a change of heart. On the surface, ordering a retreat against the malravians while he had the most powerful guns the Imperium had ever produced and more scores of enforcers at his disposal would appear an act of cowardice.

Yet Dolan knew better. He had orders from the overseer to monitor the migration, and monitor only. Orders he followed grudgingly as the migration had turned into a bloodbath. Being connected to every Imperium network he had noticed the flaw in Under Marshal Fin’s defenses the moment the assault began. He had wondered when fin would notice. Just in time, it seemed as the outpost collapsed a moment later. It erupted in a pillar of fire followed by a second explosion as the ammunition stores ignited. Chunks of flaming wreckage rained down on the malravians who now showed no semblance of organization. Instead of pursuing the fleeing skimmers they continued on with the migration even as dusk blades pelted them with rockets from above.

With the battle over Dolan turned his attention to the video log on his heads-up display. He sat on his perch unmoving as he examined the battle from every angle. Watching the battle again Dolan could not believe that the malravian attack was just a matter of territorial aggression. They had shown organization and even planning with the way they deliberately attacked the structural integrity of the facility. It was like they knew in advance where to make their holes to cause Shallows Point to collapse under its own weight. Summoning an impulse keyboard Dolan began compiling his report for the overseer.

Not only had Fin been warned of the danger to the superstructure, he had ignored it. It was not until a confrontation with two enforcers from team seven that he changed his mind. Flagging the feed Dolan searched the records for the names of the two insubordinates. Both recruits, Team leader Seth Coramoth, and a Halsinion Samuel Spector.

Dolan read through the personnel files of each. No previous accounts of insubordination from either of them, but the circumstances surrounding this Halsinion’s assignment as an enforcer aroused his interest. He mentally added Samuel Spector to the growing list of things he intended to investigate about this winter’s migration. The foremost of which, was the appearance of this new generation of humanoid malravians.

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