Jorn had left the Thunderhawk at the PDF base, and taken a military speeder to the Convent. As he approached, he could see through the viewport that there was no special preparation for his arrival at the gates of the structure. The Marine smiled. It would be good to see Katherine again, and if it was a surprise, so be it.
As the craft landed, he stepped out of the passenger bay, ducking under the low -for him- roof, and began to walk towards the gates of the Outer Courtyard, and looked around for some sign of Sororitas.
"Hail!" A Crimson-armored sister called from the barbican. "Identify yourself, Astartes."
Jorn laughed, more of a rumble than anything else, and shouted back, "What age is this when a Brother Astartes is greeted with such disrespect? I am Brother-Captain Jorn of the Black Templars Chapter!" He looked closer, his auto-senses penetrating the dark barbican. "Who are you, sister? You seem too young to be warding the gates of a Convent."
The young sister ignored the comment on her youthfulness and asked, "What is your business with the Adeptus Sororitas, Brother-Captain Jorn?"
Jorn frowned at the continued impudence. This was certainly not the welcome he'd expected. He called back once more, a hint of irritation tinging his voice. "I have come to see Katherine. I am a Marine, that should be explanation enough!"
In a puff of white smoke, a golden-armored Seraph landed at the top of the wall. Eve looked down at the black garbed Marine, "I'll take it from here, Sister Hannah." She dropped down and floated to him, "This is a surprise, Brother-Captain Jorn. I hope you'll forgive the sister's terse questioning, things have been tense here upon Byzantium. All precautions are being taken to protect the convent."
"All precautions, including, it seems, turning away Astartes at the door." he said gruffly. However, after a moment he smiled. "It is good to see you so well, Eve. Is your canoness here?"
"She is, and she will consider your arrival most auspicious," She turned and waved her arm, "Open the gate!"
Jorn strode though the slowly opening gates, the creaking of gears matched by the clanking of his power armor. Stopping just inside to wait for Katherine, he turned back to Eve. "Why are there so few sisters here, Eve? Have you dispatched patrols?"
"Our security situation here is desperate," She sighed. "Most of the Sororitas are...gone. There are less than fifty of here at the moment, and over half of those are freshly-graduated Acolytes." She led him across the small courtyard to the main structure. Even still the deacons were at work repairing damage to the great hall caused by the firefight from a few weeks ago. Down the right branch of the cruciform temple they passed, to where the Canoness' offices lay. There, she activated her microbead link, "Bethany? Tell the Canoness that Brother-Captain Jorn is here." After a few seconds she nodded and opened the door.
The office was not a large or ostentatious affair, with a simple wooden desk in the center and bookshelves lines with volumes of theology along the walls. Katherine stood as they walked in, extending her hand, "Jorn, this is an unexpected but welcome surprise."
Jorn's eyes lit up at the sight of the woman before him. He grabbed her forearm with his hand in the Astartes way and nearly pumped her arm off. "Katherine! It is good indeed to see you again. I have traveled far to speak with you and I am glad my trip was not in vain."
"To be honest, I did not expect you to come personally," Katherine endured the energetic handshake. "It was merely my intention to warn you should Gaius come seeking revenge against you. This is a blessing from the Emperor."
The marine gestured to the rosary about his neck. "I gave my word to aid you in your hour of need, and if ever there was such an hour, this is it." The marine stepped back. "Besides, I needed a worthy task. I have spent too long finding ancient knick-knacks and not enough doing the Emperor's work."
