Sta.sh
Ophilia Midkiff - Dark Heresy
by *ChristinaGleasonOphilia Midkiff came from a respected noble family in Hive Sibellus on Scintilla. Her parents were loving and generous, and they sponsored many charitable efforts in the hive. As a child, Ophilia grew up wanting for nothing, but she was also taught to be generous with others, for such things were favorable to the God-Emperor. Her father was a jovial man, but he was also quite faithful. He retained an advisor from the Adepta Sororitas, Sister Regia of the Lesser Order Famulous of the Opening Eye. Her influence kept the family from becoming involved in some dark intrigues that had swept up some of the other nobles over the course of time, and some of their former friends were outraged at the insinuation that their intentions were anything but pious. The less pious their intentions were, however, the greater their outrage at the apparent - yet true - affront. House Midkiff did not lack enemies who might throw a gala if the entire household suddenly and mysteriously dropped dead.
As a trusted member of the household, Sister Regia spent a lot of time with young Ophilia, teaching her about the glories of the God-Emperor and how everyone could aspire to serve him in her own manner. When she became old enough, Ophilia asked Sister Regia how she could become an Adepta. Once Sister Regia had satisfied herself that the girl was not clouded by the perceived glamour of her position, and that she truly wished to serve the Emperor in this way, she advised Ophilia on how to approach the subject with her parents. As the Midkiff family had several ancestors and uncles who had joined the Ecclesiarchy, her parents were proud to send their daughter off to the Abbey of the Dawn on Iocanthos, where Sister Regia had trained.
The life of a novice was difficult for Ophilia, who had grown up in rather comfortable surroundings thus far. But she had a head start on her histories and her copying, as she'd learned both from Sister Regia in the nursery, and she took her new studies in stride. She thoroughly enjoyed singing hymns of praise with her fellow novices, and she was quick with a smile and words of encouragement when she saw her classmates struggling in any way. Ophilia was, in all, a delightful young girl, and many a Sister was hard pressed not to crack a smile when she beamed after completing a difficult task she'd been assigned.
In shocking counter to her affable personality, Ophilia turned out to have a deadly grace when a weapon was placed in her hands. In one notable drill situation, she was observed to go from laughing with the Sister, who was standing in as a suspected heretic, to pointing a las pistol at the woman's forehead in the blink of an eye when the Sister/heretic exposed her true nature with a stray remark. The Sister admitted she didn't even see the girl's hand reach for the weapon. Not only that, but Ophilia could ready her flail in the attack position faster than most men could place a hand on the pistol at his belt. The Mistress of Novices had originally expected that the girl would follow in Sister Regia's footsteps as part of the Order Famulous, but the girl showed remarkable promise for the Order of the Ebon Chalice.
Because of her noble upbringing and her battle proficiency, Ophilia was marked for specialist training as a bodyguard for honored adepts of the Ecclesiarchy who visited the Calixis Sector. Because she would be dealing with threats from the outside world, she was schooled in both charm and deceit. She seemed to understand where flattery was appropriate for getting her charge out of a tricky situation and when it was best to bend the truth for her charge's protection. She was drilled in keeping a look out for anything suspicious while appearing quite ordinary, and getting out of the way quickly if she were to be attacked.
Once she attained the rank of full Sister, Ophilia began a series of assignments that took her to various planets in the Calixis Sector, accompanying many an aging cleric or bishop on some journey or another. She had thwarted two blatant assassination attempts and gotten her charges out of harm's way in multiple scuffles that had nothing to do with them by the time she had received her latest assignment.
Ophilia had indulged herself in a sigh of contentment when she arrived at her birthplace. In the several hours between the time she landed and the time Bishop Tybalt was scheduled to arrive, she had been able to arrange for a brief visit with her parents. Their chests swelled with pride, and she saw tears in her mother eyes as they gazed upon their daughter - a Sister of Battle. She greeted Sister Regia and exchanged news before she left for her appointed meeting.
Bishop Tybalt turned out to be a doddering old man who was in the area to attend the funeral rites of an old friend. Rumors of trouble in Hive Sibellus had earned him Ophilia's watchful company, though the Adepta had run into no real trouble herself during the assignment. Her superiors had granted her several days respite on Scintilla before her next assignment, which had yet to be established. For the first time since leaving home, she was truly able to relax and enjoy herself. Her parents were only too happy to have her stay with them for a few days, a pleasant distraction from local politics.
Her father shook his head when describing to her how House Borella had recently taken to snubbing them from their celebrations when he had expressed distaste over what he referred to as "that scandalous choir group" Lady Borella was a part of. She was surprised to hear his description of the group, since it sounded like something he might have generally enjoyed. He muttered something about "what happened to that Strophes girl," but she belonged to a family that Ophilia was not familiar with. How much had changed at the hive, and how much had she simply forgotten?
Days passed, and her inquiries as to her next assignment were met with a simple, "We shall let you know when more information becomes available."
So there she remained until, one day, she received actual news. Sister Flavia had fallen. She had been here, on Scintilla, operating as an Acolyte of the Inquisition. Ophilia's orders had abruptly changed. Instead of being shuttled to another planet to guard the back of another old man, she was to rendezvous with the Inquisitor's Acolytes. "You have served us well, Sister Ophilia," she'd been told, "but we believe your talents can better serve the Inquisition now. Go with the grace of the God-Emperor, Sister. You are an Acolyte now."
Ophilia said a prayer for Sister Flavia's soul and informed her family that her visit had come to an end. She said her goodbyes and headed off to her next meeting, the start of another new life.
