11: Morning in Zion

Octus was the first to wake the next morning. Dreary eyes slowly blinked open to the back of a short bob of pure white hair. His mind puzzled over the sight for a couple of seconds. He recognized the hair as Sabine's but his sleep-addled mind was struggling to put two and two together. As much as he tried, he couldn't figure out how he'd come to wake up like this.

He quickly decided that it wasn't worth freaking out over. He shrugged and clutched the warm body in front of him tighter to his chest. He was still half asleep and too comfy to move. His arms wrapped around an impossibly toned abdomen, enjoying the way the muscles there flexed under his touch. Soft, smooth skin slid against his own and Octus had never felt more content.

If he had noticed his usual morning 'issue' was poking Sabine in the back, maybe he would've been more worried… As it was though, he barely realized that it was Sabine in his arms. It seemed that Octus' self-preservation instincts had disappeared in his current woozy state.

Octus shifted slightly, unconsciously trying to find a more comfortable position for his morning wood. It poked itself in between Sabine's legs, sticking out a good distance from the front of the fleshy crevice. The change in position pulled a sigh from Octus and a sleepy moan from Sabine.

That's how Sabine began to stir. She was utterly comfortable, warm, safe, and secure. She couldn't remember how she'd come to be in this situation. Everything from the night before was hazy, unblurring slowly as she came back to awareness.

A strong body was behind her but Sabine couldn't bring herself to be alarmed by that development just yet. Something hard as steel and hot enough to burn was stuck between her legs, grinding against her core. She pressed herself further into the warmth behind her, seeking cozy and fluffy feelings she didn't quite understand.

"The Emperor holds me tight…" Sabine said with a contented sigh.

"Emperor ain't 'ere right now," Octus mumbled sleepily in reply.

Sabine stiffened in Octus' arms. His familiar voice was all it took for her brain to kick into high gear. With a racing mind and a tense body, Sabine tried to slowly disengage herself from Octus even though every fiber of her being was telling her to do the opposite. He grumbled and didn't let her go anywhere.

"Octus?" Sabine asked nervously, giving up on her attempt to get away.

"Mhmmmm?"

"Is this wise?"

"Nnngh, don't care. No thinking. Too comfy…"

"While I… agree…" Sabine said slowly. "I still believe we should talk about this…"

"What's there to talk about?" Octus grunted.

"I… I did not do this on purpose. You must realize that! I would never infringe upon your agency like that. I must have been too tired last night to notice what I was doing. I'm sorry…" Sabine was trying to justify her actions to herself just as much as she was trying to justify them to Octus.

Octus could practically feel Sabine's heart aching at the idea that she'd done something without his consent, "Yer thinkin' too much. It's just cuddling. I don't mind. Also, I'm pretty sure we didn't do anything else. I woulda remembered laying with someone like you."

"O-Oh?" Sabine stuttered. "S-Someone like me? Am I truly that special in your mind?"

"That's a stupid question," Octus snorted.

Sabine's heart raced when he left his statement at that, "I-Is it? I must admit I do not have much experience when it comes to this sort of thing…"

"What sort of thing?"

"I-Intimate matters…"

"Well, neither do I but I reckon it ain't that complicated," Octus said.

"Oh?"

"Yup, we're both adults here. And friends on top of that. A bit of naked cuddling doesn't have to mean anything."

"Oh… What if I wanted it to mean something?…" Sabine whispered softly enough that Octus didn't understand her.

"What was that?" Octus asked naively.

Sabine's denial came roaring back to the fore, "N-Nothing! Nevermind! We should get moving! Yes, those heretics won't kill themselves!"

"They might…" Octus grumbled.

"I suppose you're right," Sabine giggled. "Still, you need to let me go so we can both get dressed."

Octus groaned, clutching her tighter and unconsciously bucking his hips. The length of his shaft ground against Sabine's clit, making her gasp and shudder at the sensation. Octus didn't even notice. Eventually, he let her go with obvious reluctance.

Sabine immediately rolled off the bed. She gathered up her power armor in a hurry and fled the room, trying to ignore how her loins were pulsing with a heat she didn't want to identify at the moment. If she did acknowledge the lust she was feeling, nothing would have stopped her from getting back into bed with Octus and riding him into the mattress.

She only stopped once she was alone in the hallway outside the guest room. She collapsed against the door with a conflicted sigh. She knew she could no longer ignore everything she felt for her Guardsman. Not after sleeping beside him and waking up in his arms. But… she didn't know if she was ready to accept what could only be love.

For the first time in her life, Sabine felt… scared. Despite all of her conviction and her belief that the Emperor was pushing her and Octus together, she couldn't stop the worry that blossomed in her heart at the tiniest possibility of Octus rejecting her. And there was so much going on. Could she really dedicate herself to romance when His enemies needed purging and Octus needed protecting?

Her worries were suddenly interrupted by Diana's voice, "Good morning, Sabine. It is truly wonderful to see so much of you this early in the day~"

Sabine didn't jump but it was a close thing, "Ah! Diana, good morning! It is good to see you as well. I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by your second comment though…"

Diana raised an eyebrow, looking Sabine up and down. Sabine tilted her head in confusion until she looked down at herself. Ah… She was still naked… And Diana was looking at her with an admiring, almost predatory gaze…

Sabine raised her head imperiously, "I see… My apologies for my crassness, Diana."

"No, no," Diana waved off her apology. "It's a welcome sight. You are a beautiful woman, Sabine. I almost find myself jealous. I take your state of… undress to mean you had a productive night?"

Sabine blushed, "I don't see how that is any of your business."

Diana tutted, "Now now, Sabine, I'm on your side here. I wish to help you conquer your Guardsman as much as you want to conquer him. Even if you probably haven't admitted that to yourself yet…"

"Why?" Sabine asked suspiciously as her blush intensified.

Diana's replying smile was as arousing as it was dangerous, "Call it something of a… selfish indulgence. I think we will all benefit from the two of you getting together. And it is what the Emperor intends, isn't it?~"

Sabine nodded, choosing to latch onto the last thing Diana said because it was the only thing her mind was willing to process at the moment, "Yes, of course. It is the Emperor's will that Octus and I will be together… Not that I wish to be with him more than anything else in the world and-!… Ah… You will not tell him, will you?"

Diana's smile softened and she reassured the confused, vulnerable Sister, "Sabine, once again, I am on your side. He will not hear a word of your true feelings from me unless I deem disclosure the best course of action. I will aid you in your quest. Not in the least because I know you will do the same with mine."

Sabine smiled brightly in return and asked a question that just came to her mind, "And what is your quest? I find myself curious. You mentioned it before when we bargained for your information but you have kept your cards remarkably close to your chest…"

Diana sighed, "Honestly? I don't think you are ready to hear what I want your assistance for. Maybe you will be after we ensure you and Octus get together… Just know that we want something very similar…"

"Very well. I shall respect your privacy. I trust you will tell me when the time comes."

"Thank you, Sabine," Diana said before changing the subject. "Now, you should get dressed. Miko sent a runner to find me with word of the developing situation around the heatsink. The cultists seem to have decided to siege the entrance that our people are guarding. Thaddeus, Yoshikaze, and their people are defending well for now but I figured you would want to know as soon as possible."

In an instant, Sabine was all business. She nodded, not saying a word but already donning her power armor. She prepared to do her duty in stoic silence. Diana watched on, marveling at Sabine's efficiency and composure. She went from fretting over her crush like a love-struck teenager to a paragon of the Emperor's will in less time than it took to blink.

When Sabine was fully suited up, she turned to the door behind her and knocked on it firmly, "Octus, get up. The Emperor calls!"

Diana heard groaning and shuffling from the other side of the door. Less than a minute later, Octus emerged in full uniform. Diana barely restrained an appreciative whistle. He cut a rugged figure, from the bolter in his hands to the scuffed paint of his Flak Armor. Sabine was certainly a lucky lady and hopefully, Diana would be just as lucky soon enough…

"Will you be comin' with us, Lady Diana?" Octus asked, uncharacteristically serious.

Diana nodded, "Yes, both myself and Violet. I'd feel dreadfully useless if I stayed here while others fought my battles for me."

"Then I'll make it my duty to ensure you both return safe and sound," Octus promised.

"I doubt that will be necessary," Diana smirked. "I can be quite dangerous when I want to be. And Violet even more so."

Octus paused, "… For some reason, that doesn't surprise me."

Diana chortled in a slightly condescending but good-natured way, "That's because you can be sharper than you think, darling~"

Octus tried his best to ignore the shiver of something that Diana's 'darling~' sent down his spine. He turned to Sabine, missing Diana's smirk entirely. Sabine noticed it but filed it away in a portion of her brain that wasn't ready to acknowledge its implications yet.

"Have you armed yourself?" Sabine asked instead.

Diana smiled, flashing a series of rings that Sabine hadn't noticed before. Sabine nodded, recognizing the digital weapons for what they really were. The miniaturized weapons hidden within those rings would pack a nasty surprise for anyone who got close enough.

Still, she felt the need to inquire more, "Will those be enough?"

Diana lifted one side of the slit of her dress, revealing her milky thigh and a hidden holstered laspistol, "They're just my second to last line of defense. They'll run into red-hot Las first. And if they somehow manage to get past both of those, Violet will… take care of them…"

Sabine gave the statuesque noble a satisfied nod. Octus looked confused and curious about the rings, "Sorry but what are those?"

"Digital weapons, darling," Diana explained. "This one is a concealed lasweapon. This one is a needler. And this one… is roughly the equivalent of a melta weapon…"

Octus let out an impressed whistle, "Daaammnnnn… Ya could take out a Space Marine with that level of firepower."

Diana's laughter sounded like ringing chimes, "Haha~ I very much doubt that but your confidence in my abilities is inspiring, darling~

"Now, shall we go? Violet is waiting for us."

The trio left Diana's apartment with the noble in the lead, picking up Violet on the way. As they ventured into Zion proper, both Sabine and Octus couldn't help but notice the difference between the city last night and this morning. While more people were walking the streets and passages, that wasn't the only thing that was different.

There was a sense of energy and purpose infused into the city now. People moved this way and that, visibly arming themselves as if they were preparing for war. Which in a way, they were. Word of last night's conclave must have spread quickly. The time to finally purge the cultists from the Hive had come and the people of Zion seemed to know that.

The quartet received respectful nods and glances from those they passed. People stayed out of their way and they made good time reuniting with Miko. Greetings were exchanged and Sabine looked over the makeshift troops that Miko had put together overnight.

Like all things in Zion, the 'army' Sabine now had at her command was put together like patchwork. There was almost no uniformity to be seen. Made up of the various gangs and clans and guilds, the whole population of Zion seemed to be represented there. The weapon and armor selection was diverse and varied but all the 'troops' there had one thing in common. They all wore looks of conviction and faith on their faces that said they were ready and willing to fight and die for the Emperor and their homes.

"You do good work, Miko," Sabine commented to the woman who had taken up the role of her left hand.

"Thank you, Sister Sabine," Miko said, exhausted but preening at the praise.

Sabine noticed the exhaustion in her voice, "I think you've earned a rest."

"But, Sister!" Miko tried to protest. "T-There's no time! We've gotta break the siege!"

Sabine nodded firmly, "And we will. But your fatigue will only make you a liability on the battlefield. Rest, Miko. Your contribution will not go forgotten. You've served the Emperor well today."

Miko looked to Diana for support but only got a minute shake of her head from the noble. Miko seemed to collapse then and there, "Okay, Sister… Y-You're right… But you best believe I'll be joining you later!"

"I would not expect any less from you," Sabine reassured. "Any reinforcements you can manage will be greatly appreciated."

With that, Miko slunk off to see if she could find some sleep. She wasn't happy with being relegated to the sidelines but she also knew that Sabine was right. She wasn't in any condition to be fighting at the moment. She had faith that Sabine would prevail over the cultists' siege but just in case, she called one of her siblings and asked them to see if they could gather anyone else while she slept. If the Sister wanted reinforcements, Miko would not let her down…

Sabine rallied the troops behind her with a single pointed look. That was all that was needed for them to fall in line. When the group finally began their march, it was less of a march and more of a disorderly clutter. Individual gangs stuck together. They were united under a common purpose but they weren't organized like a regiment of the Guard or Sabine's Sisters.

The sight of Sabine and Octus leading the pack of Underhivers was the main thing that kept the troops from straying. That the pair were joined by Lady Diana and her pet only furthered the Underhivers' sense of loyalty and duty.

Even just Octus was more a symbol to them than a person. He was one of his Emperor's soldiers. Someone who'd traveled the void and come to their planet to liberate them in His name. And the less said about what a Sororitas like Sabine represented, the better. She was His daughter. One of His most faithful servants. She commanded not just respect, but awe.

The troops were whipping themselves into an unwavering fervor as they marched to the heatsink. They were mere Underhivers, normally considered scum on the boots of their Hive's population. And yet, here they were being led by a Sister and a Guardsman to smite His enemies. They were the last protectors of the Imperial Creed native to their Hive. It had a powerful effect on everyone there. They wanted to prove themselves, prove that the situation they were born in didn't affect how true they were to the Emperor and Imperium.

They heard the siege for the heatsink before they came upon it. Shouts of unholy zeal bounced off the walls of this portion of the Underhive. A strange, unnatural rhythm was being beaten on what sounded like steel. A cacophony of gunfire would occasionally join the profane din.

It all sounded utterly wrong. Like the world was ending and turning in on itself in just this one tucked away area of the Hive. Like reality was rejecting those that created the sounds. Like the cultists were calling out for something impossible and so much worse than they could ever know.

Sabine's feet were thumping rapidly against the ground before she knew it. Octus sprinted at her side. Diana and Violet were overtaken as the troops also sped up their pace so they wouldn't be left behind. The noble and her pet stayed back, knowing they wouldn't be able to help as much if they were right in the thick of combat. They'd be using Violet's gifts to direct the flow battle from afar.

Sabine and Octus' weapons were raised and firing before they even fully rounded the last corner. The spacious antechamber they found themselves in was filled to the brim with heretics and cultists. Fortifications had been hastily constructed on both sides, but the cultists' fortifications were facing the wrong way to protect them from the pair's wrath.

The enemies in the room were all focusing their attention on a small passageway, only big enough for one or two people to get through at a time. The other side of the passage had obviously been barred, most likely by the Zionites that had been sent ahead to guard it. The cultists were slamming themselves against the passageway's fortifications, not dying nearly as much as Sabine would've liked in the process.

So she changed that. Sabine and Octus fell upon the cultists that crowded around a small doorway in the crumbling passageway. Even as the report of bolter fire filled the room, the unnatural chanting and beaten rhythm didn't cease. The cultists responsible for the symphony of madness barely reacted to Sabine and Octus' appearance and the pair couldn't spare them enough attention to silence them for good just yet.

Heretics exploded into guts and gore under concentrated bolter fire. The surviving cultists turned their attention upon the Sister and Guardsman as fast as possible. That attention only resulted in them charging to their deaths. Sabine transitioned into melee with Octus watching her back and the rest of the troops arrived.

The cracks of stubbers and autoguns joined the echoing booms of Octus' bolter. The battle cries of the faithful pushed back against the cultists' unholy song. Sabine's chainsword revved like the lead guitar solo to a track of carnage and violence. Flesh ripped, metal sheered, rockcrete crumbled, and the world shook as order was reasserted.

The Zionites moved with surprising coordination as if they were being pulled by unseen strings. They supported each other in spite of their differing groups, laying down cover fire for their fellows in an almost professional manner. And still, none of them came close to matching Sabine and Octus' glory in combat.

The pair were a storm of faith and fury within the room. Sabine cut through cultists like hurricane-force winds. Octus' bolter rounds pounded the cultists like relentless rain. They stood together like the eye of the storm while everything around them was ripped apart as if they truly were a force of nature.

All too soon, it was over. The cultists were slaughtered to a man, leaving the room full of makeshift fortifications and instruments of their cruel, heretical wills. The floor of the room lay littered with bodies and the Zionite troops flowed in to stand around and loot and converse now that the danger had passed.

Now that the shooting had stopped, a head poked out from behind the fortifications in the crumbling passageway that led to the heatsink. They let out a relieved sigh before the rest of the person's body followed and walked up to Sabine and Octus. They recognized the person as the wannabe Rogue Trader, Thaddeus.

Thaddeus immediately reminded them of his eccentric personality, "Honored Sister! You are surely a sight for sore eyes! Has anyone ever told you that your beauty could cure the blind?!"

Octus growled slightly and Thaddeus hurried to correct himself, "I-I mean, t-thanks for the rescue, Honored Sister and her scary Guardsman!"

Sabine tried to ignore the way her stomach did flips at Octus' display of protective jealousy but she wasn't very successful, "Y-Yes, well… Good job holding out for as long as you did. Preparations must be made though. I suspect that will not be their only assault…"