Sextus Pompeii panted heavily, his head resting between the girl's shoulder blades, their sweat mingling to pool in the hollow at the small of her back. His lust sated…for now, as it seemed his lust could never truly be quenched for long…he lifted himself off the girl, Baebiana. She let out a tiny whimper as his weight was raised off her buttocks, her wrists tugging at the bonds that pinned her. Her sobs, muffled with her face pressed into the mattress, had ceased. The Senator had hurt her, as he always did, but he was careful. A rogue psyker with the talent of an Astropath was rare…so he had to be cautious not to damage her unduly.
Standing next to the cot, he slipped his toga over his head, mindful to smooth out the gathers and folds properly. He watched Baebiana's irregular breathing for a moment, then reached down and tugged on the free end of the knot that held her left wrist. She slowly pulled her arm to her, curling her legs up against her body. Not bothering to free her other hand, she lay in the fetal position, her whimpers quieting. She was perilously thin, her ribs and hips too prominent. Her hair was a wild tangled mess even before he had ravaged her. Her appearance was unlikely to arouse lust in most men…
But it wasn't her body that he lusted for. Baebiana was a symbol…a talisman. For years now, she was the voice of her Lord and Master. Her mind reached out across the void to the Eye of Terror. When his Lord spoke, it was through her lips. She was his vessel.
So in Sextus' mind, when he was violating her…he was touching his Master. To him, it was as though he had enjoyed sexual congress with his Lord. The mere thought of it aroused him again, but he closed his eyes and asserted his control. The Senator was a busy man…he had important things to oversee.
And…there was always tonight…
He closed the cell door behind him, locking it with an ornate silver key. At the end of the narrow hall in the deep cellars of his estate, the stormtrooper guarding the entrance stood at attention as he passed. Sextus considered his plans for the ritual that would finally bring forth his Master from the Eye of Terror as he wound through the maze-like subterranean corridors.
Stepping through the cellar door into the mansion proper, he turned for the main stairwell. On the third floor was his office, frosted windows looking over the city…his city. He sat at his desk and enjoyed the view for a moment, the hills surrounding the city blushing with the colors of autumn. He couldn't help but smile, Symbolic…it is autumn for the Imperium as well. Time for the long winter and a new spring…Our spring…
He spent some time seeing to his normal affairs of state. There was an upcoming appropriations bill in the Senate that he would need to lobby a few more votes for. There was a communiqué from a corrupt Judge that caused him some concern. The Arbitrators were already considering Lucius Scaevola's disappearance as suspicious. An investigator named Delphias Fedarsi had been assigned to the case. That will need to be nipped in the bud. He played through the dozen messages recorded by his vox-unit. Most were mundane business save one…
" S. Pompeii, this is Decimus Ovidius Malleolus, I have need of your assistance regarding a one Manius Lucius Bibaculus. He apparently has stuck his nose entirely too far into places he should not, and it would seem most interesting for him to disappear from this area having made two visits to my personal abode on two successive nights. I was wondering if maybe you could use your considerable influence to schedule a grand dinner in the Carthago Nova district. If you can do this for me, I will owe you a great debt. May the God-Emperor be with you."
Sextus snorted at the farewell on the message and leaned back into his chair. Decimus. Hmmm…perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone. He rocked forward and withdrew a paper and quill from his desk. This note couldn't be sent over an unsecured transmission.
