Cohort Intelligence Files: As Yet Unsent is a short story set in The Locked Tomb Universe written by Tamsyn Muir. Released on 21 September 2021 with the paperback of Harrow the Ninth, As Yet Unsent chronicles Judith Deuteros, Coronabeth Tridentarius, and Camilla Hect's time with Blood of Eden directly following the events of Gideon the Ninth. It can also be found on reactormag.com.
Introduction[]
In accordance with Cohort procedures, the contents of "Cohort Intelligence Files: As Yet Unset" are a report assembled by Captain Judith Deuteros during her period of captivity with the insurgent group known as The Blood of Eden (BOE). The report is coded and stored in a subdermal implant.
Plot[]
Untitled Entry (1)[]
Five months into captivity, Judith Deuteros, Coronabeth Tridentarius, and Camilla Hect are taken off a shuttle and moved to a ground encampment allowing Judith to begin her log. She describes the area as "temperate," noting green foliage, animals, birds, and a distant ringed planet.
She recounts a lengthy treatment and recovery from the wound she suffered at Canaan House, including multiple infections, faux-bowel and stomach appliances, severe reflux, and a surgical procedure (in which Judith attempted to use necromancy on herself to attach an appliance to her esophagus).
Judith notes that the corpse "has still failed to rot".
Entry: Camilla Hect[]
Sometime later, Judith states her concerns for her fellow captives, primarily Sixth cavalier Camilla Hect. Camilla and Corona have been given a fair amount of freedom by the BOE—controlled by a security anklet with a disabling but not fatal shock. Camilla received a shock that hospitalized her for a week (when she refused to relinquish Palamedes Sextus's bones), but Judith worries she is being "converted."
Judith recounts Camilla's "conversion," explaining that the BOE Commander, known as We Suffer, claimed to have ownership of something called Source Gram which originated in the Sixth House around six thousand years ago. BOE's knowledge of Sixth House secrets and insider information, though now outdated, won them Camilla's attention. Judith laments Camilla's willingness to listen to propaganda and tries commanding her, chiding her, and pleas for her to stop, but Camilla refuses.
Judith recounts playing chess (mentally, without a board) with Camilla, and the two reminisce about playing chess with their respective late necromancer-cavalier partners.
Entry: Coronabeth Tridentarius[]
An unknown amount of time later, Judith states that Corona has been radicalized. She recounts Corona as a youth, claiming she "cries over every sob story and her blood boils at any perceived injustice." Judith also remarks that she has been let into the secret of Corona's lack of necromancy and states her belief that the ruse would have been Corona's idea. As Judith is being nursed, she and Corona have several conversations about BOE.
Judith outlines the two main grievances of BOE. First, the "resettlements" (necromantically killing a planet and moving its inhabitants to a Nine Houses installation), which BOE claims to be "unprovoked war." And secondly, BOE business contracts—originally signed with the understanding that they would end upon the Emperor's death (who then failed to die). Judith dismisses these arguments, but they cause considerable arguments between her and Corona.
She defends Corona's radicalization as a result of the trauma she suffered at Canaan House (the death of Naberius Tern, the abandonment of her sister, Ianthe, and the general stresses of combat). Judith claims that Corona's lack of experience in the field and how BOE targeted Corona as the primary convert doomed her. She notes Camilla's disagreement as well as her assertion that Corona's intervention saved both of them. At the end of her entry she questions which interpretation of Corona is correct.
Untitled Entry (2)[]
Judith reports that the corpse remains unchanged, despite the Edenites encouraging predation by local animals.
Against Judith’s will, she continues to live in a disabled state, being cared for by Camilla. She mourns the loss of her former good health, but appreciates being taken outside in a wheelchair, even though Blood of Eden handcuffs her for these trips. Coronabeth takes advantage of these outings to employ various methods of persuasion to tempt Judith to her cause. The princess offers to kill an animal, or even harm herself to generate thanergy for Judith to heal herself. Another time, Corona threatens to kill Judith. On a different occasion, Coronabeth appeals to logic, explaining that the Nine Houses’ slash-and-burn method of shepherd planets is not economically sound. Judith does not give this any credence, noting that the princess is “too easily moved by her passions, whatever she says about the theory.”
Untitled Entry (3)[]
Judith reflects on the relationships between the three prisoners. Camilla’s grief over the Warden is foreign to Judith, who considers Cam’s cavaliership to be obsessive. Captain Deuteros establishes that her own cavalier taught her very early in their relationship that there are limits to the amount of devotion a necromancer-cavalier pair should share.
Corona flirts with Camilla, despite knowing that Camilla won’t respond. Still, Judith asks Corona if she’s interested in Camilla. Corona is surprised by the question and tells Judith “one half plus one half is only ever half.” Then she turns the question back on Judith, asking if the captain is interested in Camilla. Judith responds that they should not form connections that BOE could exploit, which upsets Coronabeth.
Corona tells Judith about a BOE belief that necromancers have harems of House citizens (alive and dead), though both captives agree that it’s a false belief.
Untitled Entry (4)[]
Handcuffed, sedated, and temporarily blindfolded, Judith is taken to one of BOE’s vessels. It is outdated, but of Cohort make, and Judith suddenly realizes why BOE has kept her alive. She recognizes the ship as a Gorgon-class vehicle equipped with a stele, which requires necromancy to operate. At the sight of the stele, Judith attempts and fails to free herself by using necromancy. The Edenites demand to know how to use the stele, and Judith refuses until they bring out Camilla and put a gun to her head. Judith acquiesces, telling them that the stele requires thanergy-enriched blood from at least three necromancers. The Edenites confer with their commander, We Suffer, then apply deoxygenated blood to the stele in an attempt to use it. When that fails, they violently question Judith, but she maintains her ignorance.
Once she is removed from the ship, Judith wonders where BOE is getting their intel from, as it seems apparent that they don’t have any other live necromancers in captivity. She despairs that they have a stele-capable ship, and she resolves to die before they can use her to operate the stele.
Untitled Entry (5)[]
Judith asks her fellow captives to kill her. Camilla refuses. Corona says she’ll think about it.
Untitled Entry (6)[]
Judith’s condition is deteriorating, despite Camilla’s best efforts. Judith resents Camilla, though she knows that it’s unfair. She reports that the Edenites hate Camilla because she carries wizard bones. We Suffer has tried to protect Camilla, but We Suffer’s command is tenuous, and the other Edenites quarrel with her. In an attempt to temper the wrath against Camilla, We Suffer and Coronabeth both ask Camilla to stop carrying the bones. Judith wants to do the same, but doesn’t want to pull rank on Camilla, so she tries a different tactic.
She tells Camilla the history of her eight-year partnership with Lieutenant Dyas. Marta, top of her class and five years older, had garnered hero worship from Judith and the other trainees. During a training exercise, Marta and Judith were paired together, and instead of shattering the illusion, Marta exceeded all Judith’s expectations. They even discovered that they liked the same books, though Judith confesses to Cam that she had feared her knowledge of the books to be inadequate, so she rushed home to reread them all after that first conversation with Marta. Camilla says “That’s the first human thing you’ve ever told me about yourself,” which surprises Judith, but not enough to derail her story.
When Judith’s father gave her a list of potential cavalier candidates, Judith suggested Marta instead. Her father, in his position as the Fleet Admiral, was skeptical that a promising soldier like Dyas would throw away her career on cavaliership, but Marta agreed to a one-year trial. Judith expresses the joy she experienced that year, and all the ways she admired the woman who would go on to become her cavalier. Then Judith decides to drive her point home, telling Camilla that in the younger years of their partnership, Judith made a mistake. She misinterpreted the love between them, and she fell for Marta. Cam guesses what happened next: Judith propositioned Marta, and she was turned down. Judith says that “it was the best and kindest, most honorable thing Marta could have done.” A necromancer-cavalier relationship should be complementary, not codependent. At Camilla’s prompting, Judith testifies that Camilla’s obsession with the Warden’s bones will kill her. After composing herself, Camilla cuts off Judith’s explanation of Camilla’s wrongdoing, thanks her, and leaves the room.
Later, Coronabeth visits, demanding to know what Judith said to Camilla. Judith explains that because she had a healthy relationship with her cavalier, she is obligated to help others less fortunate than herself. Corona expresses surprise that Judith had made it out of the conversation alive.
Untitled Entry (7)[]
The BOE soldiers are prejudiced against Judith, and after she failed to operate the stele, BOE has forbidden any further treatment for Judith’s failing organs. We Suffer argued that she should live, and receive treatment for the pain at least, but the Commander was overruled. Judith is relieved, as she still wants to die.
Camilla has been barred from entry, to prevent her from treating Judith, but Coronabeth is allowed to visit. She orders Judith to live, saying she always imagined that Judith would become the Fleet Admiral. Judith rejects such ambitions, though she knows the princess will not understand. Where Corona is a king, Judith is just an administrator.
Claiming it’s out of a sense of duty rather than depression, Judith reiterates her desire to die before being used against the Houses.
Untitled Entry (8)[]
Judith describes her feverish delirium as peaceful, wishing that Marta could’ve died with this feeling.
Untitled Entry (9)[]
Using the last of her strength, Judith urges Coronabeth, on the strength of their childhood acquaintance, to resist Blood of Eden's influence. Corona is shocked that Judith would only consider it an acquaintanceship. She reminds Judith of the first time they met, when Judith was nine and the twins were eight. Corona teases Judith, saying that she had been too uptight to play with—until Corona fell and pretended that she was more hurt than she was. Judith protests, saying that she had known Corona was faking. The princess denies this, claiming that Judith doesn’t remember how she’d held Corona’s hand and promised to stay until it was all over. Judith, who had always remembered this encounter, is surprised that the princess remembers too. She recalls that every time she had been promoted, Coronabeth sent congratulatory red and purple flowers.
Continuing her reminiscing, Corona explains that at every birthday her parents had given her control of a single spot on the guest list, and that she had always chosen Judith (who was completely ignorant of this fact). She had been charmed by Judith’s aloofness and how she always seemed like she was only at the party to fulfill an obligation, when everyone else pretended to have fun. Corona would ignore everyone who wanted to talk to her in favor of talking to Judith, and she even confesses that she had researched wars for days in preparation for those conversations, in an attempt to impress Judith. She ends the story by saying that Judith can’t die and leave her alone. Unrepentant, the Captain restates her preference for death over being used against her will. The princess breaks down in tears, telling Judith that she’s going to die talking to Corona like it’s just another obligation she has to get through.
On Camilla’s instructions, Coronabeth hunts for antibiotics, but BOE doesn’t make stupid mistakes. There aren’t any in the room. Corona tries to make Judith as comfortable as possible, before sitting next to her in silence until the Edenites come to take the princess away.
Untitled Entry (10)[]
Regaining consciousness, Judith discovers that she’s blindfolded. She hears someone demeaning the Edenites for nearly letting Judith die. Though the character is unnamed in Judith’s account, her high-pitched voice, demeanor, manner of speaking, necromantic capability, and extensive bullying of the Edenites reveal her to be Mercymorn. Still blindfolded, and not entirely conscious, Judith feels the Lyctor open her abdomen necromantically with thanergetic unstitching. Mercymorn complains the whole while, insulting BOE’s medical practices and expressing disgust at having to dig through Judith’s guts. Once she removes the artificial parts BOE had placed in Judith’s abdomen, Mercymorn heals the malfunctioning organs. She informs BOE that they need to keep Judith healthy enough to maintain a sustained thanergy field for the stele.
Suddenly aware of why she is being healed, Judith weakly protests, but the Lyctor brushes this away, returning to her instructions to the Edenites on how to use the stele. She reveals herself as the person who gave BOE the Gorgon, then implores them to follow her instructions exactly because if the ship is discovered, the Emperor will know of Mercymorn’s betrayal.
As the Lyctor leaves the room, Judith hears her demand to see the body, doubting BOE’s account of the corpse and implying that BOE is accidentally to blame for its preservation.
Untitled Entry (11)[]
With the Gorgon functional, BOE plans to leave the planet. Judith is fitted with a security cuff and forbidden from touching the object Mercymorn left behind to power the stele, but she admits that the object is so complex she couldn’t have sabotaged it if she tried. As long as a necromancer is in the control seat, Mercymorn’s device oxygenates the blood required for the stele to function.
On her last night on the planet, Judith wants to walk outside. Though she is able to walk without any machines now, BOE is keeping her weak, and she has to lean on Coronabeth as they do a circuit in the makeshift camp. The princess stops them in front of the table with the corpse of the Ninth House cavalier on it. The body looks exactly the same as it did back at Canaan House, and Judith remembers how Camilla had convinced BOE to take the corpse as well, though Judith doesn’t know why. Judith confirms that she cannot detect any necromantic means for the preservation of the corpse.
Coronabeth confesses to taking Gideon’s rapier back at Canaan House, which Judith disapproves of. Corona, suddenly desperate, asks Judith if she would accept the princess’s offer of the sword. Coronabeth begs Judith to let her become a cavalier once again, to temper her ambition by binding it to a person, to Judith. The necromancer isn’t tempted by the offer, and rejects it. Claiming to have already committed the sin of desire for one cavalier, she has no intentions of committing it again, especially considering the fact that she has already desired Coronabeth Tridentarius for “twelve long, stupid, fruitless years.”