137 Chapter 19 Part 2

Chapter 19: Kronus: Consequences

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Part 2

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Gryphon

Dictator class cruiser

high orbit above Kronus

My wings stretched and flapped impatiently, while I was trying to wrap my mind around how I got myself in this position. All I did was answer a few questions honestly. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake. However, once the topic of my goals came up, it was like a dam breaking, and I simply couldn't stop talking. Besides, it wasn't like what I wanted should have been some stunning revelation. The Imperium was in sore need of fixing before it crumbled under its sheer bloated weight. Beginning a technological renaissance ten thousand years too late was a good starting point considering what we might yet gain on Kronus! It was logical really.

My fellow Inquisitors didn't seem to agree…

"I have no intention of moving against the Adeptus Mechanicus as a whole anytime soon if ever." Granted, doing so was something that should have been done almost as soon as the Great Crusade ended, right after the Emperor was done with our Webway Project… And why was that relevant at all?

"That's a relief." Amberley kept looking oddly at me.

"Now if you can keep yourself from voicing any sentiments that might indicate such plans, it would be great," Chandra added.

Seriously, what was their problem? It wasn't like I intended to start a civil war for the fun of it! Somehow unfucking the Mechanicus was going to be a long term project anyway! And I needed to go to Kaurava anyway…

"I can keep my mouth shut when it counts, thank you very much!" As soon as I said this, both Inquisitors gave me incredulous looks. Anteas shook his head as well, which was telling. "What? Seriously? What the hell?"

"Inquisitor, do you not recall what you told the Priests? Or the conversation which we just had?" Anteas asked warily.

"Either that, or it doesn't register as an issue, which is going to be a larger problem." Chandra rubbed his forehead and kept looking at me strangely.

"I'll like an explanation. Like right now. Please, someone, start making sense." I looked at the three of them, who glanced at each other.

"Inquisitor, Veil," Anteas began, "if I didn't know better, I would swear you were doing your best to lay the foundations for a Crusade, by setting up the Ecclesiarchy against the Mechanicus. What we heard in that room wasn't merely an Inquisitor stating long term goals. It was a Living Saint sharing his vision and firing up the faithful. Crusades have started over less. This isn't the first time we've got such a misunderstanding, however, it certainly is the worst."

I brushed a few stray locks away from my eyes, noting I needed a haircut, and thought hard about what I told our Ministorum contingent. Get the Imperium up and running, by reversing the decay killing it, my hope for a shining future… dealing with the Toaster-fuckers if they turned out to be an obstacle instead of a net positive. That might have been a bit much, I'll admit. I certainly couldn't recall anything else inflammatory, and there must have been, otherwise, we wouldn't be getting this conversation, right?

"I'll try my best to latch my words," I repeated.

"However, you're still unsure what's the bloody problem." Chandra nodded. "Inquisitor Veil, we need to get you out of the immediate reach of the Conclave, so you can straighten your head and get to grips with your status as a Living Saint."

"I'll need to watch a recording of that conversation, complete with running commentary of what went wrong, won't I?" I muttered to myself. "It was recorded, right?"

Amberley and Chandra glanced at each other and nodded.

"Good. We'll do it ASAP. How do we defuse the Priests, if I accidentally set them up on Crusade mode?"

"Let us do the talking when we get back and back up our ideas," Chandra said. "Then we'll be having a proper debriefing about everything."

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The little abomination stared at Palatine Weber with soul-sucking curious eyes. Being stuck in a room with the Blank would have been a particularly unpleasant experience on the best of days. This… child, who showed no fear when facing a hell-spawned Daemon, was something else, Wolf decided.

The senior Sororitas' was cut off from a different cloth as well, he decided. The woman put a strained smile on her face and leaned towards the Blank, Selene.

"Hi, there!" Weber waved at the child, who kept staring at her. "Do you like the armor?"

To give credit where credit's due, Weber's voice sounded almost conversational.

The Blank responded with a slow, shy nod. It almost broke the spell, making her feel less of an unholy abomination. Wolf closed his eyes and uttered a prayer. The Emperor's own Angel of Death was right. This was a test of faith, and he wasn't going to fail it. If the Saint could tolerate this child, then the Missionary was going to do his best to follow suit, no matter how he felt! Besides, abomination or not, Selene did help smite down a Daemon, so she couldn't be all bad, right?

Just mostly…

The prayer did help, a bit. While it didn't make the Blank's presence easier to endure, it helped Jacob reinforce his mind and spirit against her presence. His fellow Priests followed suit, praying and no doubt thinking over the Saint's words.

This changed things. It was a beautiful vision, one worthy of a Living Saint, and something only a direct representative of the Emperor could ever bring to fruition. Jacob had no illusions; realizing the Saint's vision was going to be a monumental task, one that might take more than a lifetime to accomplish. If that was the case, then he would be eager to help laid the foundations for a brighter future!

A gasp tore Wolf from his reverie, and he looked to the right, to see the Blank on her feet and standing in front of Weber. The Sororita's was the one to utter the surprised exclamation, and the reason was obvious. Selene was entranced by the stylized rose engraved on the thick armor protecting Weber's knees and was tracing it with a finger.

While from where he sat, Wolf didn't find the Blank's presence much harder to endure, he wasn't sure how he would react if he had to actually touch her.

It was a test of faith indeed, and so far, Weber was the only one passing it, he thought.

The door opening was more of a relief than it should have been. Jacob's head snapped to the left, and for a moment he could glimpse a few rays of the Emperor's own power before they vanished in thin air, perhaps sucked in by the little abomination.

"Making new friends, I see?" The Saint chuckled.

The abomination turned around and ran to him, forgetting her fascination with Weber's armor, to the Sister's obvious relief. He picked the Blank up and put her in his lap after he had sat. The Saint's wings closed around them, only leaving his head visible… which was now crowned by a much longer and wilder black hair.

"We need to make a few things clear." Inquisitor Chandra spoke in a firm, no-nonsense tone. It was saying something, that he got everyone's attention, despite the presence of a Saint and the Blank in the room.