Ambrose's Diary

Tuesday - Ferrus was dragged in by the neck, still thrashing like a netted boar. He came at my men with that great axe of his, as though my command were nothing and the Fusiliers mere playthings. He is now bound, and I made sure he understood that this was personal - that attacking my men is attacking the order I enforce, and by extension, the Empire itself. I shared the news of his capture with his wife, when I took my pleasure with her this evening. Wednesday - The swine refuses to plead or show fear, as if his insolence could undo the shame he has brought upon me and my command. I apply measures to remind him who holds authority here. The tapping of nails, the controlled pressure, the screaming - all serve to reinforce his place, to make him acknowledge the affront he has committed against me personally. Thursday - He refuses water and food, and his eyes, red and defiant, still stare. I cannot abide that gaze. It is as if he believes he has done nothing wrong, as if his audacity elevates him above all law, all order. Every response enforced is a correction of that conceit, a lesson that no man may mock the Fusiliers or the discipline they embody. Friday - Ferrus continues to play brave, and I admit a grudging respect. But every swing of the hammer, every method applied to him, is to punish not just the crime, but the impertinence - the insult to my person, to my station, to the chain of command. I am enforcing authority, yes, but also reclaiming dignity. Saturday - Regrettably, his wife succumbed today after her treatment by the men. Her death was unfortunate, yet in the service of men who serve the Empire, such losses are sometimes unavoidable. When I told Ferrus of her fate, he merely stared at me. I felt compelled to remove his eyes, so that I need not endure that insolent gaze. Sunday - He resists still. I take care to calibrate each action, each method of restraint, each applied pressure, so that he feels the weight of his affront. I do not act out of mere cruelty - though the acts are undeniably severe - but to ensure he recognizes the consequences of daring to place himself above the natural order. Monday - The Captain of the Voltigeur has disappeared, beyond the sight or reach of my men. No doubt it is to escape true judgement after we were compelled to deliver the Emperor’s justice to his Command. However, Ferrus remains in my custody, chained in the Pit, stubborn as ever and showing not the least remorse for his offences. I ordered the Cutter’s Hamlet set to the torch and reduced to ashes. If the man has grown insensible to bodily suffering, perhaps the knowledge of his kin’s ruin will yet reach him.