Rosetta frowned as she saw herself in the mirror. She saw her wings of white fire, flapped them and even reached around to feel them. She felt the touch of her hand upon them like a tinkling new sensation, the warmth of her own soul upon her hand.

She looked at her sword which floated where she left it. Such strange, impossible things. Perplexing in nature and mysterious in purpose. She wondered why the Emperor granted her such power on his golden throne.

She denied him, turned away from his light, consorted with daemons and lead to the ruin of her sisterhood.

'Why has it come to this?' Rosetta asked herself as her face grew long with worry.

Such an angelic form of fire and faith yet her heart was black with doubt. By all means, the only sentence for one such as her is death lest the emperor suffer a coward like her to exist. Here she stood, a testament to Aura's power and avatar of the Emperor's will.

Rosetta's eyes grew cross. If there was justice in this universe, it should be Aura in this place, not Rosetta. If there were justice in this world, she should have died with the woman she failed drawing her blade from her chest.

However, neither was what had come to past. Rosetta doubted whether she will ever feel comfortable in this new angelic form. She wondered if she was even worthy; what was seen in her that brought about this fate.

A commotion rumbled outside as women began to bark and scream at each other. Rosetta took one last look at the image of herself in the mirror. She sighed and took off in search of the source of trouble.

Outside, in the royal courtyard, the women rounded up those among them who bore the white armour of the order and dragged them before Rosetta on their knees. With a broken blade in hand, one approached Rosetta and stared at the angel, face to face.

Her eyes burned with righteous fury and rage. Like a predator drawing first blood she rejoiced in the merest taste of her vengeance. She did not speak for she remembered what she was; a repentia, the lost and redeemable among the Emperor's flock.

With the blade, she pointed to the eight armoured sisters among the twenty that survived. As one eight from the repentia approached. Each one walked up a Sororitas, removed her helm and pulled on the Sororitas' hair to force their head back and drew their own blades to the Sister's necks.

They hissed, some even grinned with grim excitement as they stared at Rosetta and awaited some order to strike. Rosetta found them repulsive, animals even. All with broken minds and near-naked bodies soaked in blood and gore.

Redemption

The word echoed quietly in her mind, yet its meaning shone brilliantly with the strength of a sun. It was an idea. I concept she craved as much as love itself. She began to see them, all of them in a new light.

They weren't begging for vengeance they were crying to the heavens for redemption. Then it struck her. How many Sisters across the galaxy could be crying out just like they were? Just like she did once.

This petrified her as all their voices began to echo through the realm of souls. Their weeping souls were crying out for redemption and salvation. All the suffering, all the madness she witnessed it all in but one moment.

Her soul trembled as the cries of so many others flooded her mind. She tried to hold it in, but the full horror of it all was unstoppable. The terror, the emotion it seemed to utterly consumed her with the suffering of untold billions.

"NO!" She barked into the air in rage and sorrow.

All around her people shuddered as her wings burned bright with rage. She looked around as she flew to the prisoners. Her eyes glowed white with burning flame. She summoned her sword into her hand in a flash of light.

She held it up in the air inspiring awe and reverence in all who beheld her. She flushed her power into her wings and body, making a majestic display of power. The rumble of burning flames roared into the sky, the air almost burned as she overwhelmed the world all around them with her psychic might.

"Never again! Never again will repentant souls suffer such ill fate! By the Emperor's will, there shall be no more heretics among Sisters. No woman under my watch shall suffer the fate of the Repentia ever again!" This Rosetta decreed.

"I think not, Daemon." Answered Theodosius.

It was not long before Mordians flooded into the ruins. Forming ranks, they raised their guns at the remaining Sororitas. Theodosius appeared, barring the entrance with his own presence. Intent on delivering his own justice to Helios V he stepped into the courtyard.

Rosetta armed herself with her sword. Ready for a fight, she held it at the ready. Theodosius walked up to the front, clad in his red robes. He confronted Rosetta, her wings, her power, her nature repulsed him.

His glowing red eyes betrayed no emotion; his lips showed none. His mind was blank. It was as if he were dead inside. Such a man was a disturbing creature to all around him. Ever unpredictable and full of secrets.

Rosetta hoped it was an anomaly in his mood, but Theodosius was himself. An unsavoury man at the best of times. Rosetta viewed Theodosius with disdain. A man, unproven in battle, presumes to command all? Such an offence should not be taken lightly.

"Ah, Gwen'thalas is it not?" Theodosius responded.

"She is dead. I am Rosetta."

"Do you truly think you serve him by counteracting his word? What would his holy ecclesiarchy think of that?"

"You know nothing of him. I? I have seen him and heeded his divine call. Within me, he has instilled his blessed will!"

Rosetta felt her soul burn bright with passion. Her heart thumped within her breast with the pious fervour of heroes. The purifying firestorm of faith flooded her mind. It was glorious. Her very body trembled as her fiery passion overcame her.

"I am the avatar of his will! The flesh of his hand! By his graceful embrace, the repentant will know redemption!"

"It is the Emperor's Holy Inquisition that casts judgement, not you. You think me ignorant? You think me a fool?"

Theodosius stabbed his long, bony finger at her.

"I know of this Aura. I know Gwen'thalas' past. It is from a daemon's heart which she was forged, millennia ago. It daemon that stands before us men! Such a claim from one of your kind is blasphemy!"

"It is not!  Aur- Gwen'thalas died amidst the chaos spawn. She is gone, dead, cast into the void, never to return! I have taken her place not as one of the wretched and vile beasts of chaos but as the living flesh that is his will made manifest. Let the church decide! They are the preachers of the Emperor's word are they not?"

"If you have taken her place then suffer her fate."

For Rosetta, the world slowed down to a crawl. As Theodosius' thin lips moved to bellow out one damning command, Rosetta made her move. She flushed her power throughout her body and ignited the air around it.

In that split second, Rosetta unleashed a mighty firestorm. It immolated wood, grass and scorched stone yet no harm came to the men and women around her. A shining halo shimmered into visibility for a few moments above Rosetta's head before fading away entirely.

Before anyone could react, she was already standing before the silenced Theodosius. She stared into his mechanical eyes and grabbed him by the throat. With teeth gritting she lifted him up off of his feet.

"I am the avatar of his will! The flesh of his hand! By his graceful embrace, the repentant will know redemption!" She growled into his face before tossing him aside.

Coughing and straining for air, Theodosius struggled back onto his feet only for his legs to give way in a storm of pain. He fell to his knees. Before he could speak, Rosetta already faced him.

"This a matter of faith that is to be ordained by the Ecclesiarchy. Go back to fulfilling the duties of your office witch hunter. I will answer to no other." Rosetta proclaimed.

"So it is... I shall notify the Ordo Malleus. You will see judgement. Soon enough." Theodosius warned as he waved at the Mordians who fetched a stretcher to take the wounded man away.

In short order, the rest of the Mordians followed suit and marched on out of the fortress. Rosetta led her Sisters with clarity and vision through the ruins of the city. Digging through the endless piles of scorched rubble, they found all manner of discoveries.

Death and destruction were the ubiquitous scenes of tragedy that followed war wherever it went. However, through the darkness diamonds shone in the dirt. Surviving sisters, civilians and the rediscovery of the reliquary.

Contained within were the many heirlooms of the order. Ancient weapons, relics and armours, all decommissioned and put on display to commemorate with pride the history of the Adepta Sororitas. Rosetta didn't even know they had set this up in their time on Helios V.

She learned many things from the survivors who hailed her as a divine hero. A title she bore with no pride nor pleasure of her own. This she will use to spread faith in the lord and master of mankind.

Armed with fame and power, she set out to finish what the Imperium had started. She will reunite the wayward world of Helios V with the Imperium of man no matter the cost lest the forces of chaos plague its lands once again.

-//-

With Theodosius gone and Rosetta's fame growing it was not long before the imperial conquest of Helios V came under her defacto command. Her mere presence made entire cities capitulate without so much as even a demand for one.

Her legend spread like wildfire. In the absence of both the Emperor's Children Legionnaires and the Guardian Knights, it was merely a matter of weeks before Rosetta had won the northern hemisphere.

Weary of what happened to the north, many southerners gathered their armies into one grand coalition. Their goal was to stem the tide of Rosetta's worshipers and restore the status quo in the north.

What followed was the final month-long campaign that reached a climax at the Battle of the Ulburn Plains. There the coalition forces gathered for one last decisive pitched battle and were crushed.

Coalition lines crumbled against a disciplined Imperial onslaught. Rosetta Immolated hundreds with every second of combat. Her Sisters fought around her and sung praises to the Emperor as they wailed into battle amidst Lady Rosetta's firestorm.

It was in the wake of the war, Rosetta accepted the surrender of the nobility and offered lenient terms. Word spread and even when not yet canonised she was hailed as a living saint among the people.

All hail Saint Rosetta Redemptor, Patron of The Repentant.

-//-