Argenta"If Thou seest a flaw in me — smite me..." Argenta's hoarse whispers are nothing like the usual clear, almost mellifluous voice that she uses for prayer. "Smite me..."
ArgentaShe looks up at you. Her dark eyes gleam anxiously. "Rogue Trader. You find me at prayer. Darkness surrounds us, and we will require all the spiritual fortitude our ravaged hearts can muster."
YOU"Are you distraught because of Vigastes's fate and the deaths of those betrayed by the Commissar?"
ArgentaArgenta hangs her head. "Yes. I am. I was the one... who found those people, I brought them to the Commissar, I prayed for them, and I gave them hope. And he... he sent them to an abattoir! To die for those monsters' amusement! They might have... In their final moments, they might have thought that I, too, had betrayed them!"
Argenta"I once more failed to see wickedness where I should have seen it... I failed those people, loyal and brave. But it is not only that. I thought, naively, that faith and perseverance had helped us — helped me — cut through the schemes of the foul xenos. That we were on a path to freedom. In truth, though... it was all just another part of the act, and the vile monsters must have been cackling with glee as they observed my foolishness."
YOU"Are you distraught because of Vigastes's fate and the deaths of those betrayed by the Commissar?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Remain steadfast. We will break free from this darkness."
Argenta"Thank you for your words of solace, Rogue Trader."
ArgentaArgenta pauses, contemplating something. A shadow crosses her face, followed by a flash of unreadable emotion. "Tell me, Rogue Trader, do you trust me? Please, look into your heart and tell me what you see!"
YOU"I trust you with my life."
Argenta"But what if I am... undeserving of your trust?"
Argenta"Rogue Trader. To lose hope is to err in the eyes of the Emperor, and I am drawing closer to erring than ever before. The darkness all around me thickens... and the clutches of our captors are strong. If I am to give myself fully to the battle ahead, I will need all my strength. And to summon such strength, I must purge my soul. Tell me, will you hear my confession?"
YOU"Of course."
Argenta"I killed Theodora von Valancius."
Argenta(sequence)
Abelard"What?"
end of branch
HeinrixHeinrix nods to himself.
end of branch
Jae"Ha! We're all wearing masks, even the most righteous." Jae shakes her head in disappointment.
end of branch
YrlietYrliet raises her head slightly and looks around, clearly not fully understanding what is wrong, but sensing the shift in the mood around her.
end of branch
Argenta"Yes. It was me. Not your treacherous kin Voigtvir. Not the cultists. Me." She speaks with a strange blend of pride and horror in her voice.
Argenta"I remember every last detail. The ship was under attack. I grabbed my weapon and ran to her side, because I thought it was my duty to protect the Emperor's chosen. And what did I witness when I burst into her study? Theodora von Valancius, a Rogue Trader, holding a sinister sorcerous artefact radiating with profane light!"
Argenta"It was a lens like the ones we saw in the Rykad System, except it was smaller and far more potent. I instantly knew it to be a weapon of the Archenemy. I had seen objects like it before... on Salis Prime, the planet where I had sought the sacred relic and where I had nearly died at the hands of cultists! So many things were made clear to me in that moment. So piercing was the revelation, so obvious the answer to how those heretics had found their way to a planet known to none but those of House von Valancius!"
Argenta"I fired before I could even fully comprehend what I was seeing. Terra's light must have guided my hand, for one shot was all it took. The autopistol's burst destroyed both the Archenemy's artefact and its owner's black heart. But..."
YOU"But?"
Argenta"I did not regret killing her, nor do I regret it now. Theodora had succumbed to the Archenemy and its dark sorcery. The entire attack on the ship was merely the result of her and Voigtvir feuding over their spoils. And I realised it in my heart the moment I saw the artefact in her hand."
Argenta"But standing in that same room was the honourable Arch-Militant. A devout servant of the Emperor, and the reason I had made it off Salis Prime after the cultist attack. When he saw me firing at Theodora, he instinctively rushed to protect her. I killed him too." Argenta lowers her gaze for a moment.
YOU"You kept this secret all this time."
Argenta"I did. And I despised myself for doing so. Sisters of Battle are taught to laugh in the face of lies and intrigue, but instead, I... I feared that I would face immediate execution for the murder of the Rogue Trader. I hoped that people would think it was Voigtvir or the cultists who killed her, and I was right. But that lie... it burned in my throat. And here, in this horrific reality away from Terra's light, I realised that I could keep my silence no longer."
YOU"You kept this secret all this time."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do you at least regret doing what you did? Your hands would not be covered in the blood of innocents had you not acted on impulse."
Argenta"I regret the deaths of innocents every waking moment! But how could I avert my eyes from heresy? That goes against my very nature!"
Argenta"I am glad I have revealed the truth to you, Rogue Trader. This dishonesty has been driving me out of my mind."
end of branch
YOU"You should have told me the truth. I see no reason to condemn you. Theodora deserved to die for her treachery. As for any other victims... it was acceptable collateral damage."
Argenta"I suppose... I suppose you are right. I had to punish the heretic — and punish her I did!"
Argenta"I am glad I have revealed the truth to you, Rogue Trader. This dishonesty has been driving me out of my mind."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What's done is done. I hope you will learn from this. Right now we need to think about a way to escape."
Argenta"Learn... I don't know what I am supposed to learn. Must I spare a heretic in order to save innocent lives? Must I try to reason with them? I have pondered these questions a thousand times, and I still do not know where the truth lies..."
Argenta"I am glad I have revealed the truth to you, Rogue Trader. This dishonesty has been driving me out of my mind."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You murdered my kin and hid the truth from me. That is unforgivable. Leave my retinue. May Commorragh take you."
Argenta"I... expected this outcome. So be it. Farewell, Rogue Trader!"
end of branch
YOU"Do you at least regret doing what you did? Your hands would not be covered in the blood of innocents had you not acted on impulse."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You should have told me the truth. I see no reason to condemn you. Theodora deserved to die for her treachery. As for any other victims... it was acceptable collateral damage."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What's done is done. I hope you will learn from this. Right now we need to think about a way to escape."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You murdered my kin and hid the truth from me. That is unforgivable. Leave my retinue. May Commorragh take you."continues where this line first appears above
Argenta(sequence)
Argenta"Do you remember the orphans I once asked you to meet with, Rogue Trader? One of the boys was the son of the man I killed. My whole life, I had sworn I would not allow villains to orphan children of the Imperium, and then I did so myself..."
end of branch
Jae"This is what 'true' faith is really about. Shooting first and asking questions later. Sacrificing the innocent without thinking of the consequences. Where is your humanity, Sister? The world is not divided into black and white."
end of branch
Abelard"Lady Theodora... Mort... fell at the hand of the one meant to protect the servants of the God-Emperor. I never doubted the security of the von Valancius bloodline when you were close, but now the very foundations on which the power of the Rogue Traders rests seem to have been violated." Abelard looks at Argenta with a visceral loathing in his eyes, uncovered by either courtesy or respect.
end of branch
Heinrix"In any other case, I would recommend that the Sister of Battle be tried before a high court... but given the circumstances — and the voluntary confession — we can make do with a trial by the deceased's direct heir. You." Heinrix looks directly at you.
end of branch
Solomorne"You did not have that right." The Proctor regards his former comrade with the heavy gaze he reserves for the condemned. "I believe that you saw what you say you saw, but you had no right to act the way you did. None in the Expanse may judge the Rogue Traders. You put yourself above the letter of the sacred Warrant, and in so doing, above the Lex Imperialis!"
SolomorneA shadow of horror passes over Solomorne's face. "If I were her, I— no. I cannot pass judgement on Sister Argenta. She only transgressed the letter of the law, and it is up to no one but you or the Emperor to determine the degree of her guilt."
end of branch
Idira"You HAG!" Idira descends upon Argenta with the intensity of a hurricane. "Two-faced void rat! Killing Theodora right when the ship was in peril, right when she was doing everything to save us... You won't walk away from this!" The air around her is vibrating, electrified by the power of her sorcery.
YOU[Do nothing to stop Idira]
IdiraWarp presence floods everything around you, and darkness falls over your eyes. When it retreats, you see a lifeless Argenta lying on the ground. Idira is standing over the body, breathing heavily. Then she spits on it. "Scum. Stay here and rot."
Argenta(sequence)
Heinrix"Sentence passed and carried out."
end of branch
IdiraWithout saying another word, Idira turns away.
end of branch
YOU"Do your duty, Idira. The von Valancius blood will be avenged."
IdiraWarp presence floods everything around you, and darkness falls over your eyes. When it retreats, you see a lifeless Argenta lying on the ground. Idira is standing over the body, breathing heavily. Then she spits on it. "Scum. Stay here and rot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Idira, stop! Now!"
Idira"Why? Why should I stop? Why should you stop me? She'll put a bullet in your head just like she did with Theodora the moment she finds the smallest reason to suspect you of heresy!"
YOU[Do nothing to stop Idira]continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do your duty, Idira. The von Valancius blood will be avenged."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Idira, stop! Now!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Idira, you are blinded by grief. Stop. None of us are perfect."
IdiraIdira is breathing heavily as she looks at you with a mixture of despair and distrust. Then she suddenly slumps to her knees and lets out a tired sob. "Everything was going so well when Lady Theodora was alive... She appreciated me, she gave me a new life! And the voices were barely giving me any trouble. But then... then... after she... I started seeing her in my dreams, and the voices started calling to me day and night..."
ArgentaArgenta looks at Idira. She frowns. Something unexpected appears in her eyes: a hint of compassion.
YOU[Nod to Argenta]
ArgentaArgenta notices your attention, then, after a moment of hesitation, calls out to Idira: "You should not mourn her. And neither should you think that she had a particularly high opinion of you. We were all just tools to her. Were Theodora still alive, it would not shield you from madness. You had better accept that and not cling to regrets about the past. Salvation always lies in the future, Idira."
Idira"I know," Idira responds with resignation. "But you're still a psychopath who pulls the trigger first and thinks later!"
end of branch
YOU"Enough. This quarrel ends here. Argenta, I have words for you."
end of branch
YOU"Stop. I order you."
IdiraWithout saying another word, Idira turns away.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Idira, you are blinded by grief. Stop. None of us are perfect."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Stop. I order you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"And you confess such a thing so casually?"
Argenta"No. Nothing about this confession is easy for me..."
Argenta"I did not regret killing her, nor do I regret it now. Theodora had succumbed to the Archenemy and its dark sorcery. The entire attack on the ship was merely the result of her and Voigtvir feuding over their spoils. And I realised it in my heart the moment I saw the artefact in her hand."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have nothing better to do. Speak, if you so wish."
Argenta"I killed Theodora von Valancius."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"No. Keep your secrets to yourself."
end of branch
YOU"I do. You are a faithful ally."
Argenta"But what if I am... undeserving of your trust?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"There is no one I trust completely. It is one of the principles I swear by."
Argenta"Perhaps... perhaps you are wise to distrust."
Argenta"Rogue Trader. To lose hope is to err in the eyes of the Emperor, and I am drawing closer to erring than ever before. The darkness all around me thickens... and the clutches of our captors are strong. If I am to give myself fully to the battle ahead, I will need all my strength. And to summon such strength, I must purge my soul. Tell me, will you hear my confession?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"No. I cannot rely on you."
Argenta"Perhaps... perhaps you are wise to distrust."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If prayer is helping you get through this, I am glad to hear it."
Argenta"Prayer always helps."
ArgentaArgenta pauses, contemplating something. A shadow crosses her face, followed by a flash of unreadable emotion. "Tell me, Rogue Trader, do you trust me? Please, look into your heart and tell me what you see!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Darkness, spiritual fortitude... Personally, I am rather enjoying my time here!"
Argenta"You take enjoyment in the strangest things, Rogue Trader."
ArgentaArgenta pauses, contemplating something. A shadow crosses her face, followed by a flash of unreadable emotion. "Tell me, Rogue Trader, do you trust me? Please, look into your heart and tell me what you see!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Remain steadfast. We will break free from this darkness."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If prayer is helping you get through this, I am glad to hear it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Darkness, spiritual fortitude... Personally, I am rather enjoying my time here!"continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 2 of 3
Argenta(sequence)
end of branch
Entry point 3 of 3
ArgentaArgenta looks at you anxiously, waiting for your reaction.
YOU"You kept this secret all this time."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do you at least regret doing what you did? Your hands would not be covered in the blood of innocents had you not acted on impulse."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You should have told me the truth. I see no reason to condemn you. Theodora deserved to die for her treachery. As for any other victims... it was acceptable collateral damage."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What's done is done. I hope you will learn from this. Right now we need to think about a way to escape."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You murdered my kin and hid the truth from me. That is unforgivable. Leave my retinue. May Commorragh take you."continues where this line first appears above