Inquisitor Gaius Saevitiae walked across the battlefield, mumbling darkly to himself. His Valkyrie transport had been shot down, and until one of his others locked in battle at Point Phobos could be sent, he was on his own. His retinue followed in his wake, Imperial Guardsmen clearing the way for his procession. Gaius saw the massive Baneblade tank said to be the command vehicle for the architect of this defense. As he approached, he called out, "I'm looking for Commissar Lazarus!"
Commissar Lazarus stood and oversaw the post-battle tasks of repair and recovery when he saw an Inquisitor and his retinue approaching him and his Baneblade tank. He recognized the Inquistor from earlier, who was among the Grey Knights that took on and defeated the C'Tan. Feeling the weight of the obligation to see the Inquisitor, the Commissar made his way over to the Inquisitior, albeit slowly with his wounded leg. "Commissar Ezekiel Lazarus, reporting as requested, Inquisitor." Lazarus greeted with a salute with as much strength as he could muster.
Gaius returned the salute casually, unconcerned about such military courtesies, "So you are the one in command of this mess?"
Commissar Lazarus immediately noted the Inquisitor's attitude toward him and the Imperial Guard in general. He disliked the way the Inquisitor had referred to his troops who had fought and died for the Emperor, but the Commissar had no intention to start a quarrel. "Yes, Inquisitor. I'm in command of these men, alongside Colonel Mountgomery and her troops." Commissar Lazarus replied with pride, or at least as much of it as his exhaustion allowed.
He stopped very close to the Commissar, his ice blue eyes looking deeply into those of the guardsman. "Who placed you in command of this force, Commissar? That is outside your purview. Why isn't this Mountgomery in charge?"
Commissar Lazarus seemed little intimindated by the Inquisitor. "Colonel Mountgomery is in charge of the 734th, Inquisitor, while I am in command of the 801st. There was a mutiny aboard the ship my men and I were transported in, and Colonel Rizer had been killed during the chaos. As his last will, Colonel Rizer had placed myself in charge of the 801st."
"A mutiny...curious," Gaius raised an eyebrow. "And the alliance with the Eldar? Was that your idea?"
"Ah, yes, the truce with the Eldar, you meant?" Commissar Lazarus replied. "I can assure you, Inquisitor, that this is not my idea at all. I don't know how exactly it happened, because I was coming back from reinforcing Major Phidori's defense against a massive Ork attack. But when I returned to Point Phobos, I was shocked to find that Brother Captain Thale of the Ultramarines Chapter had accepted the truce with the Eldar, upon which I had also learned of the Necron threat. The only reason I agreed to it is because I see the strategic benefits, looking with the interest of victory in mind." Commissar Lazarus said, truth in every word he spoke.
The Inquisitor found no dishonesty in the Commissar's words, his eyes never leaving those of Lazarus. "Brother-Captain Thale. I will need to have words with him." He turned to the Sister Dialogus behind him, "Find his location. Have a vox-wave sent to him, ordering him in no uncertain terms to come here at once." He turned his attention back to the commander of the 801st, "Well, Lazarus, I must admit you've done something very impressive here. To hold the Necrons back with this...rag-tag collection of forces is nothing short of miraculous." He gave him a smile, "You are my kind of man, Lazarus. I think we need to find a way to legitimize your command here. Perhaps we can arrange for a commission. Say...rank of Colonel?"
Commissar Lazarus stood back a bit at what he had just heard from the Inquisitor. "I don't know what to say, Inquisitor. On one hand, I can truly command my troops, yet on the other hand I may lose my power as a Commissar. But, looking at the current situation here, I'm strongly convinced that direct command over them would be in their best interest. It will take some getting used to, for certain." Commissar Lazarus spoke, the last part was refering to how many he had summarily executed in his duty.
