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In front of Marie's guardsmen are a group of humans in piecemeal armor, civilian fatigues, and outdated cybernetics, and among them is an ogryn that does nothing but drool and remain vigilant. One of the men glances from the guardsmen to the princess. "You're a long way from home."
"I'll have you know..."
"I'm not talking to you," says the man and before Marie can do more than open her mouth in shock, he continues. "It's Kess, ain't it?"
Marie looks at her guardsman captain. "You know this man?"
"Oh, he might not remember me but I know him. Your captain led the invasion, I mean the liberation, of Fossa. Gabriel Brieger, PDF first class."
Kess takes an exaggerated look at the horizon of derelict buildings. "How's that planetary defense force working out for you?"
Gabriel takes a step toward Kess. Both sides raise their lasguns behind the two men. "We protect the downtrodden of Fossa. Not like Bastius has ever been any help."
Marie sees their words coming to a head and speaks. "That man, the one with the eyes like fire..."
"Saw that, huh?" The man smirks at Kess and jabs a thumb toward Marie. "You bring this one along as a spotter?"
"How dare you!" huffs Marie. She cannot help but feel her cheeks redden as the man's smirk turns on her.
"Take a look at that one," he says with a nod toward one of the dead gangers. Marie nods angrily at Kess, who nods at the two guardsmen closest to the corpse. One of the guardsmen hooks the body with the barrel of his lasgun and turns it over, and both men gasp.
Marie steps forward and as her gaze crawls across the corpse her eyes begin to sting.
Carved into the dead ganger's forehead is an eight-pointed star.
Marie gasps and looks at Kess.
"Beg pardon, yer, uh... we're not equipped to deal with something like this."
The princess looks back at the corpse and when she sees the mark a second time she shudders and drags her eyes away toward Kess. "We're going to Feltrov. Burn those bodies. To cinders, Captain."
"Taking off without so much as a thanks?"
Marie glances at the man in the piecemeal armor and looks away, but when he doesn't break his gaze upon her she turns her face back at him. "Thank you for assisting us, Private Brieger."
"I wasn't talking to you," he says, and when Marie's face begins to fold into a frown he adds, "but I wouldn't mind talkin' to you again sometime."
The engines on her attack shuttle activate on the first attempt. "Captain!" calls the pilot from the cockpit. "I don't know what..."
Marie is grateful for the distraction and orders her men back into the shuttle as she leads the way. "Take us back to the Columba Dei, Guardsman," she calls to the fore and straps herself into her chair. She glances out the scratched window and Gabriel is still smirking at her from the smoky rooftop as the shuttle alights.
