XIII - Cat

[This chronicle is best read from the beginning.]

My dearest Kitty,

Please forgive a dying father for reverting to your childhood name but you must understand how personal and sincere this letter is. It is the last one I will write to you, and it will recount what I know about the Cataclysm and explain how you must respond to it. This will sound melodramatic, but I am not overstating when I say that the future of the galaxy is in your hands...

First of all, I must explain to you the truth (as far as I understand it) about the nature of our beloved Barfunweltz-2. Oh, how I miss the blue-green seas, the rolling hills, the snow-capped mountains, the beaches, the meadows, the jungles, the flora, the fauna… what a natural wonder our home world was! And the cities and culture too – so much light, love and peace in a galaxy of darkness, evil and war. How I wish you could have spent more than just a childhood there to explore all that our magnificent planet had to offer!

But did you ever wonder how it was that Barfunweltz-2 came to be such a jewel in the darkness of the void? And how it managed to remain so when all around the galaxy burned? Our family has received much credit for this, and certainly deserves some of it, but the Schrödingers have not been the only guardians of Barfunweltz-2.

You suspect, I am sure, that I had some clandestine dealings with the Monochrome Minstrels. But here is our family’s great secret: so did all my forebears. The Schrödingers’ governorship was always assisted, to a greater or lesser extent, by the Harlequins. This secret has been passed down from Governor to Governor and shared with almost no one else. I wish I could have told you in person but on this damn ship (forgive me) we are constantly surrounded by adepts and servitors and tech I do not understand. That is why I have reverted to ink and parchment to say this: I hereby formally and in the name of the Emperor of Mankind hand this heavy inheritance on to you in the strictest confidence - for reasons which will become apparent. 

We, the heads of House of Schrödinger, came to understand that our world’s incomparable beauty and glory is somehow intertwined with the darkest of evils – the Ruinous Powers. It seems unthinkable that such natural and cultural magnificence could have any associations with such foul corruption, but do not forget that one of those principalities is driven by the perversion and corruption of beauty and pleasure. You know to whom I refer so I will not write its name or title. It is the Principality that our brave Inquisitors and Arbites fought so hard to supress back on our home world and it brings me eternal pride that we were so successful in that constant struggle. For you, I fear, it will be far more difficult still.

This is why our planet has always attracted the Harlequins’ keenest attention. As your governesses taught you, the Eldar’s greatest enemy is the one to which I have referred. Well, there is something about that Principality’s interest in Barfunweltz-2, that was, is and always will be intense and unrelenting (yes Kitty, I speak of our world not only in the past, but in the present and future – read on!). I believe that the Harlequins understand that if that Principality should ever gain control of our home world the consequences would be utterly catastrophic, not only for the Eldar but for all those who would oppose Chaos throughout the galaxy.

Long ago therefore, the Harlequins appointed the Monochrome Minstrels to watch over our planet. I believe the reason they never attempted to invade or settle it is because they are somehow more sensitive to the taint of that particular Chaos Power and were content to allow us humans to restrain it by our own means. Over the centuries there have been numerous occasions when they have provided secret assistance and I believe they have constantly been at work in the unseen darkness, opposing and redirecting those who might allow the Principality to overcome us.

But eventually it seems they failed in their task. Something was about to change regarding Barfunweltz-2 (I know not what exactly) and so the Monochrome Minstrels sent me a message warning me to evacuate the planet, and offering me some explanation. As the whispered rumours implied, this message was delivered through the form and fashion of their attack upon some arbitrary orks (I am very lucky those rumours never reached the Ordo Xenos).

You know that I have always loved drama and the theatre. What you do not know is that over many, many years of secret study I have managed to gain some superficial understanding of the analysis of a Harlequin performance through combat – what they call ‘Saedath’. (How I wish I had opportunity to share such secret wonders with you my dear Kitty!) And this is what I discerned on the morning of the Cataclysm from that obscure pic-capture which had unknowingly recorded a Saedath: 

First, that our world faced imminent catastrophe and that there was no time at all to lose (no doubt the Minstrel’s Shadow Seer had been able to predict the moment I would view the recorded footage). Second, that our world was about to ‘disappear’ by their hand (they seemed careful to avoid communicating the concept of destruction). Third, that out of respect for the House of Schrödinger they would allow its inhabitants to attempt escape.

Finally, the Saedath offered their explanation, although here I found their meaning much harder to comprehend. I believe they were saying that the nature of the catastrophe involved the Principality transforming the planet into some sort of weapon or tool. (I have often wondered since what it might be - a massive warp rift perhaps, but that is pure speculation.) The key issue they seemed keen to communicate was that destroying the planet would actually exacerbate the threat. So whether Barfunweltz-2 remained or was removed, the Principality would achieve its purpose and visit the galaxy with untold terrors. A horrifyingly impossible paradox to the human mind!

But, as I have written, the Minstrels’ performance said there was one solution, which was to make our home world ‘disappear’. I have no conception of the psychic power of these xenos but it does not seem to me implausible that they could somehow conjure the illusion that a planet had vanished? And I believe this was the essence of their dramatic explanation – that Barfunweltz-2 must never again be ‘observed’. That while it remains hidden, it can be neither extant nor extinct; or to put it another way, both dead and alive. But if anyone were ever to observe its existence or non-existence, then the galaxy will burn.

So now you know the truth about ‘Schrödinger’s Cataclysm’. Oh how that appellation still pains me: I often think of all those poor souls I abandoned on the surface. I suspect it was part of the Minstrels’ plan that we should take with us all our world’s star vessels so that those left behind would not be able to leave and thus observe the planet from the void. But I have no idea whether they survived anyway. I like to comfort myself with the sentimental notion that they remain on our beautiful home world in peace, isolated from the universe at large and ignorant of its terrors.

My dearest Kitty, you were always a clever girl and I know that you will already have realised the appalling burden that my revelation places upon you. And why you can share it with no one but those in whom you have absolute trust - if absolutely necessary. Your mission, according to the Warrant of Trade in which this scrap of parchment was secreted, is to find and recolonise Barfunweltz-2. 

It is of the utmost importance that you FAIL.

And yet, no one can ever suspect that you (or indeed your heirs) is anything but wholeheartedly committed to the completion of your mission. Thus far, I seem to have persuaded the Ordo Hereticus that under Proctor Hastings, our own Arbites detector team is sufficient for the task, but Witchfinder Lukas is not known for her patience. Be alert to any stirrings of heresy within the fleet, for the Watch is terribly diminished and it is certain the Principality will take advantage of any inattentiveness. Cultic activity would provide Lukas with the perfect opportunity to muscle in and you would have no authority to stop her. On the other hand, perhaps present heresy might provide a helpful distraction from events of the past?

Knowing what I do about the activities of the Terran authorities back on Barfunweltz-2, I also anticipate that other, even more illustrious Imperial authorities may be interested. You must toil to persuade these observers that your own efforts are sufficient. But do not push them away … forgive me Kitty, I know you are wise enough to handle such things without my counsel.

Lord Piran has long known our secret and you can trust him absolutely (without his assistance, the Cataclysm would have claimed many more souls). With whom else you share this secret is your decision, but I would suggest a member of the Watch such as Hastings would be best placed to help you monitor the investigations, particularly if - or rather when - Lukas decides to get involved.

I have no doubt that the Monochrome Minstrels will be watching over you and the fleet. I suspect they may also have started employing Kroot mercenaries. They will be working tirelessly to prevent anyone from observing Barfuneltz-2 and you must do the same, albeit under the guise of seeking it out. Please Kitty, do not provoke their ire, for the Harlequins are the most terrifying of enemies. On the other hand, should the Ordo Xenos ever discover the extent of our historical relationship with the Monochrome Minstrels, you know they would neither understand nor sympathise. It would without doubt mean the end of you, House Schrödinger and our reputation. And, of course, their successful investigation would destroy the Harlequins' ruse to protect the galaxy from the Principality.

Your mission is a great challenge. So please indulge your dying father one last request: lest you should forget your task, make this symbolic action: Forever wear a veil in public. Keep your own visage always unobserved, just as your world must always be. Do it in my memory, my dearest Kitty.

In the name of the Emperor and for the sake of mankind, good luck!

All my love,

Father

usque ad mortem vivere

P.S. I’m sure it goes without saying my dearest Kitty, but you must of course burn this parchment. Immediately!

XIV - Atavists