Chapter 68: Chapter 9 Part 6
Chapter 9: Storm-front
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Part 6
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Victory Bay
Kronus
Awareness came back slowly, dubiously doubly so because I didn't even remember blacking out, neither a reason for it. This was more than a concerning state of affairs; a couple of familiar voices my clouded mind could barely make out were cold comfort under the circumstances.
"This was an unforeseen event!" That was the Magos Biologis I went to examine me.
The same one I wanted to be part of my retinue, I was sure. By the Emperor, was that a bad call on my part…
"Both Hypothesis Alpha and Beta were wrong, despite supporting evidence!" Was that a whine I heard in the techno-cultist's synthesized voice?
"We've checked the Inquisitor for Chaos corruption multiple times over the past days, he's as clean as any Psyker stuck on Kronus could be, if not more!" Anteas' voice boomed, clearly announcing the Librarian's displeasure. "There's no Eldar influence I could find in his head, Magos and you're sure he hasn't been drugged!"
"Hypothesis Beta was a logical conclusion!" Karom attempted to defend himself, however, Anteas wasn't buying it.
"Then you knocked out the Inquisitor with drugs just to make your life easier and so you could examine him at leisure! You know we can all get shot or worse for this!" Anteas' thundered.
"That sounds like a great idea from where I'm lying…" I croaked, my mouth running off before I could even think about it.
"Inquisitor, you're all right!" Charles exclaimed, and a moment later his relieved face appeared above me. "I've got this place surrounded and locked down right proper! What are your orders?" He asked and eagerly looked at something I couldn't currently see.
"Sit-rep…" I croaked again.
"Certain parties decided that drugging you for in-depth examination was a good idea and in the process almost restarted the infighting, My Lord!" Weber explained hurriedly. "We've got a whole mechanized Battalion surrounding the building, your new Ogryn friends want to beat whoever harmed you to death and then some, elements of our Mechanicus contingent are declaring you either blessed by their Machine God or Heretek in need of purging…" Weber blurted out.
"Whut?" I blinked at him in disbelief. This had to be a bad dream or a hallucination.
"Someone let it slip out that you might not be in your right mind, My Lord and all hell broke loose as a consequence!" My favorite Commissar explained with clear exasperation in his voice. I saw him throw a particularly dirty look at someone out of sight, probably Karom.
"Water, stimulants, proper explanation, in that order…" I croaked in a hoarse voice.
"Here, My Lord!" Weber offered me his canteen and I greedily gulped water, not caring that some spilled over my chin and chest. It was cool, had a slight metallic taste and it was one of the best things I've tasted in a long time.
Weber moved aside and a Guard Medicae approached, then jabbed my neck with something sharp and I almost immediately felt the stimulants racing through my blood, giving me a sorely needed kick-start.
"Now, someone explain to me the newest disaster we have to deal with and make it good!" I snapped in a voice that finally vaguely sounded like my own and slowly got up on the examination table I found myself laying on.
An awkward silence fell over the room and I took the opportunity to look around. It was the same room I went to for the check-up by Karom, a very bad idea that. It now appeared positively tiny, because it was packed with people with the only kinda free space being around me.
There was Karom-Beta-whatever, likely soon to be known as an example of what happens when you cross His Imperial Majesty's Inquisition, two more Tech-Priests and I only vaguely recognized one of them, a whole Stormtrooper squad ready for war and two Astartes… perhaps someone else too, squashed against one of the walls.
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"Explanation, well…" Charles looked around, trying to figure out a proper way to explain recent events to the Inquisitor. Nothing in his experience so far prepared him for this kind of insanity.
Not seeing any aliens around, Weber decided that their part of the unfolding disaster might be a safe point to start.
"As far as I know, events went out of control where our Xeno…" Charles had to bite off a curse, just in case the damn green tin-cans were listening, because infuriatingly enough, angering them even further might not be a prudent idea, "Sent a delegation to uphold their part of the bargain, bringing technology to give us along with schematics or something like that. Things that our exalted Tech-Priests might find useful if they decide to reproduce said technology." The Commissar explained in a hurry, while carefully watching the present red-robed cyborgs.
"That should have been a good thing." The Inquisitor interrupted Charles in a tone that that would have given even an angry Ogryn pause. "Extrapolate, Commissar."
"A hurriedly set up demonstration showed that the equipment worked as advertised – General Alexander's Psykers and two Adeptus Astartes Librarian found it almost impossible to touch the Warp in the vicinity of the devices…" Weber nodded at the Inquisitor's Blood Raven shadow.
"The Commissar is correct. With that device operational, the barriers between reality and the Immaterium are incredibly strong and it is almost impossible to touch the warp or use it. Such devices would be invaluable if the Adeptus Mechanicus could safely reproduce them in numbers."
At that point, angry Binary came from two close-by sources, and a moment later, a third one joined the fray, creating a deafening racket.
"SILENCE!" The Librarian thundered, the sheer power of his voice rattling Weber and every other normal human. Fortunately, it gave the red-robes a pause too.
"Explain yourselves!" The Inquisitor's quiet hiss echoed like a cannon shot in the following silence. At that moment, Charles was happier than ever that he wasn't one of those machine worshipers.
"I owe you no explanation, Heretek!" One of the Tech-Priests let out an electronic scream and a moment later, half-a-dozen weapons aimed at him, or her. It was honestly very hard to tell between the robe, full face-mask, and all the metal bits and pieces on display.
"Some of our brothers and sisters mistakenly believe that the deal you conducted with the Necrons is a high order of heresy and an offense against the Omnissiah himself. They also believe that even attempting to study alien technology, unless it is for the express purpose for its proper destruction, is a heresy of the greatest order, thus they deem you and those of us who see the potential boons for the Imperium at large, as Hereteks…" The reasonable Tech-Priest explained.
"What our red-robed friend forgot to mention is that the Aliens asked for your presence to confirm they've upheld their part of the bargain and in the middle of that we heard rumors that you've been either killed, critically wounded, or worse, compromised…" Weber continued his explanation, glaring daggers at the Tech-Priest who betrayed the Inquisitor's trust. "Those rumors led to the present troubles. Without you around, the Xenos aren't trusting the rest of us to uphold our… alliance," and didn't that word taste odd in his mouth, "the Ogryns, who I still don't know how they heard, are up in arms, some Tech-Priests are causing all kinds of trouble, and even at least a few Astartes are making sounds indicating that our cease-fire might no longer be in effect…"
Honestly, Weber had no idea how the situation could deteriorate so much so fast…
"Captain Thule is making sure there would be no misunderstandings whatsoever." The Librarian added sheepishly. "There should be no real issues from our side, I have his word on it. This leaves us to deal with 'only' the other clear and present dangers in our midst."
"Like certain Tech-Priests engineering the next best thing to outright mutiny and treason!" Weber glared murderously at the closest offending cyborg, who was in dear need of swimming in blessed flames as a method of a proper attitude adjustment.
"Fuck me sideways!" The Inquisitor uncharacteristically exclaimed, though, given the circumstances, Charles couldn't find in himself to blame the man. In the past few hours, he thought of and said a lot of things he wouldn't utter under normal circumstances...
"First things first. Anteas, inform the Necrons that I'm alive, kicking, not compromised by Eldar or Chaos and that I'll be in contact as soon as practical. The last thing we need is to fight on yet another front when the planet is swarming with traitors in sore need of proper purging!" The Lord Inquisitor growled with his face twisted in an impressive, very much not amused, sneer. "Second, someone inform our Ogryn contingent that I'm up and about, and that I'll speak with them soon as well to reassure them, preferably before they begin to break things and people."
With their marching orders given, the Librarian and one of the Stormtroopers made their way out as fast as the gathered crowds allowed.
"With these issues out of the way," The Inquisitor focused his furious eyes upon the Magos Biologis. "What do you have to do with this, Magos?"
The Mechanicus Medicae had the good grace to shift uncomfortable, and augments or not, he did look like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Serves the bastard right…
"I merely did as you bid me, Inquisitor!" The Magos Biologis attempted to defend himself, and it was a very feeble attempt at that.
"Then this is one of the most spectacular fuck-ups I've ever seen or heard about, the Horus Heresy included. Bravo!" The Inquisitor clapped once, derision dripping from every word.
"How could I know your mind have been both physically and Psychically scrubbed of various memories accounting for your issues, Inquisitor?!" The Magos Biologis proclaimed in defense, making everyone stiffen.
No one in their right mind wanted to know what kinds of memories would be bad enough for an Inquisitor to get them removed with extreme prejudices. On the other hand, this indicated that the Lord Inquisitor might not be as green as he wanted people to see him as, which made sense when you thought about it. He did survive that glorious charge against the Orks, and in hindsight, that might have been more than mere natural skill to be nurtured and luck.
Still, this wasn't the kind of information you just blurted out in front of such a mixed crowd… Weber glared at the Tech-Priest, while reflexively placing his arm on the hilt of his chain-sword. By his expression, the Inquisitor wasn't too pleased about the public revelation either…
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