986.M41 Aurorum III
Michael frowned as he sat cross-legged in his living room, his brow creased, and his jaw clenched. Lucius hadn't been much help, as the former chaos champion only seemed to tell him what other psykers did to focus their power. With Jarod gone and Elirom preoccupied, all Michael could do was sit in his living room and meditate.
While he was doing so, his thought's wandered to Kiara and the ensuing conversation that followed her calling the Exarch a Tsundere. It had been hilarious that the little girl had picked up on the meaning of Tsundere as quickly as she did, and had even assigned it to someone.
The implications of the person she assigned it to were a bit less hilarious.
At first, she had assumed it was some kind of Mon'keigh insult that Michael had put into the little girls head, but those thoughts were soon eliminated what Kiara -- Emperor bless her soul -- explained what it meant. Naturally, Salah almost castrated Michael then and there, but… well, you don't become the Exarch of the Howling Banshees for having no self-control.
Salah eventually got around to explaining the situation to Kiara, to which the girl's response was to hide behind Michael's leg. Michael did his best to explain that no, this wasn't going to keep them from seeing each other, and yes, Salah was doing a very bad job of explaining that.
Kiara eventually -- but with no small amount of reluctance -- agreed to go with Salah. The Exarch left, barely muttering out a 'thank you' to Michael as she and Kiara walked off.
With that done, and Michael feeling slightly empty inside, he returned to his room. Two long days of nothing to do, and he'd gotten frustrated and decided to try and work on unlocking the psychic powers that Lucius seemed insistent on.
"You need to be doing something, even if it's as simple as meditating. If you can truly unlock your power, then you have the potential to be very, very powerful." Lucius chuckled, "Even more so were you to accept the gifts of the gods."
At the mention of the chaos gods, Michael sighed and got up, "Lucius, how many times must I tell you. I frakking hate chaos. Yes, certain elements can be used for positive effect, I mean part of Khorne's whole shtick is him being incredibly honorable, and I would be lying if I didn't think a slightly more restrained Tzeentch would probably do some good, but as of right now? Chaos is only destructive." he explained.
"Tsk, well, clearly you have not enjoyed the sheer… sensation, that the dark prince can provide."
"And I'd rather keep it that way, thank you very much."
His meditative state thoroughly destroyed, Michael decided to go for a walk. If nothing else he could go check up on Kiara.
Walking through the streets of Aurorum III was an odd experience for Michael, no matter how many times he'd done it. The architecture never formed in the way you'd expect, it would always turn or shift in a different direction depending on where you were looking. The sounds of people talking or grav-vehicles driving around made it almost sound like a major city.
There was always something off, however.
Wraithbone was a weird material, and the fact that almost everything wound him was made of it didn't help Michael's senses at all. It always had this frayed look at the edges, as if reality was trying to catch up to whatever was there. The effect tended to disappear when one got closer to the object, but when Michael viewed the massive buildings from a distance, he always thought that it looked as if reality was fraying at the edges.
Regardless, once he crossed over from the city area and into the parks, things became a lot more serene. Tall trees branched out, covering the whole area in a cool shade, green grass was all over, never seeming to grow as it did 38,000 years ago. Flowers and bushes dotted the area, and it all radiated a calm warmth that made him relax.
All of that relaxation collapsed when he heard the sound of crying.
His head perked up and he looked around, trying to find the source of the crying. It wasn't a loud anguished wail, it wasn't a cry of terror, instead, it sounded like a heavy sob, as if that person were trying to be as quiet as possible -- and failing.
Looking around, he spotted the Eldar equivalent to playground equipment, along with the Eldar children and parents scurrying off as his attention was drawn towards them. He quickly located the source of the tears -- little Kiara, sitting underneath the slide. She had a bruise on her cheek, and tears were streaking down her face.
Michael rushed forward, scooping the girl into his arms and wrapping her in a hug. Kiara reciprocated the gesture, wrapping her own arms around his neck. The pair sat there for a few moments, Kiara bawling her eyes out and Michael trying to calm her down.
"Shhh, it's alright. It's ok, I'm here. What happened?" He asked, trying to figure out what had gotten Kiara into her current state of mind.
She sniffed, looking up at him with tears in her eyes, "They… they said I was…" her face twisted as she tried to find the right word in gothic before she just gave up and switched right to Aeldari, "They said that I was unintelligent for being looked after by you, that I was weak for needing help from a human. Then today when the Exarch came to drop me off, all of them were terrified of her. And when she left they all started making fun of me and… and…" she broke down again, bawling her eyes out.
Michael sighed, holding her close. He didn't understand every word she said, but he'd gotten the gist of it. Of course, Eldar kids would bully each other, what playground didn't have that kind of crap?
"Alright Kiara, listen to me. You are not weak, alright? You stood up to a traitor space marine, that's not something a lot of kids -- heck, even a lot of adults can say they've done." he said, getting a sniffle and nod in response, "Tell you what, why don't we go get something to snack on?" he asked.
Kiara nodded hesitantly, and the two of them went off to go get something to eat.
[-----]
Salah cursed under her breath as she rounded the park for the third time looking for the girl, trying desperately to find her. She told her to stay put! Was it so hard to listen to authority? Salah shook her head as she continued looking. A thought managed to worm its way inside her head, saying that perhaps she could ask the Mon'keigh to help find her.
She snuffed the thought as soon as it came, but it kept rising back up. She didn't need the Mon'keigh's help, she could handle raising an Eldar girl… it was simple, really, why else would the council have given her the responsibility?
Salah growled in frustration but continued looking.
For another hour.
Finally, she gave up and went to find that stupid, arrogant, sassy, smart-aleck Mon'keigh. She called him on what the Mon'keigh called the 'vox' channel, via a bead she had been given by someone after the battle. She had almost discarded the device at first, but the Farseer had advised against it. Though she would never admit it, she was thankful she didn't throw it away.
"Yello? This is captain Michael." his shrill, cheery voice answered as her line connected.
"You stupid… gah, nevermind. Where is Kiara?" she asked firmly.
Michael seemed to chuckle before responding, "We're both here at my hab. She was being bullied by the other kids and you weren't around, so we went and got something to eat. Was wondering when you would come to find us."
Salah growled at her own oversight, of course, the other children would act uncouth towards her! She had been spending the better part of three months being looked after a human for Isha's sake! The only reason they hadn't bullied her till now was them being scared of the Mon'keigh warrior that seemed to follow the girl like a shadow.
"... Fine. I will be at your hab momentarily." she finished, shutting off the vox before he could retort.
She spent a mere five minutes power-walking towards Michael's hab, and when she opened the door -- without knocking -- she walked in on a peculiar sight. Michael sat on the floor with his left arm detached and laying in front of him, bits and pieces of metal having been removed and placed neatly on the floor. All the while Kiara was fiddling with the parts inside, asking questions and examining the parts. They didn't even register Salah's presence until she cleared her throat to announce her arrival.
The two of them looked towards where the Exarch stood, and Kiara immediately adopted a frown. Michael chuckled and instructed Kiara to begin putting his arm back together while he talked with Salah.
Salah's brain meanwhile had screeched to a halt somewhat. She looked at where Michael's shoulder had once been, but now there seemed to only be a piece of a metal joint where the arm connected to his body. It dawned on her that it was because of her -- through no fault of her own mind you -- that he bore such an injury.
"So, what exactly happened? Why'd you leave Kiara alone like that?" He asked, leaning against the wall on his good shoulder.
Salah blinked herself away from her earlier train of thought to the present, "I have other duties outside of being a caretaker for her. I was simply relying on a girl her age normally being capable of looking out for herself, but evidently I was wrong." she explained.
Michael scoffed, "Come on, you can't honestly say you didn't expect the other kids not to bully her could you?" he asked, getting a blank stare in response. His eyes widened and his jaw went a bit slack, "... Frakk you actually didn't think that far ahead."
Salah sighed, "Much as it pains me to admit it I am rather new to being a caretaker. The experience has been… enlightening." she offered.
"Sure, 'enlightening,' let's go with that. Still, what made you think it was a good idea to leave her alone in the first place? Even if she wasn't an easy target for bullying, she's still only four freaking years old!" he chastised the Exarch, all sense of self-preservation seemingly absent from his mind.
Salah growled at his remarks, made even worse by the fact that he was right. Much as she may not admit it, she really shouldn't have expected as much out of the girl as she did. She was only a few passes old, nothing even reaching the warriors under her command. It was a sobering thought somewhat, but any positives were immediately sapped away when Michael opened his mouth.
"I mean yeah she'd smarter than most of them, but even humans have a tendency to pick on the smart ones," he explained.
Salah sighed, her posture weakening. It was humiliating that on Human was able to pick apart and understand a situation so easily when she herself couldn't put it together until he'd pointed it out. Was she so self-absorbed that she couldn't see the effects of her negligence?
"I must admit, I was not aware of such things. I have… not spent much time around children, and I believe you have broadened my awareness somewhat. Th… Thank you." she said. She frowned slightly, wondering why it had been so difficult to thank him. It wasn't as if she was admitting defeat, was it?
Michael chuckled, "Don't think anything of it. All things considered, it wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, I found her didn't I?"
Salah looked toward Kiara, the young girl putting the last few pieces of Michael's arm back together, "I suppose you did." she admitted.
Why had the girl gotten so attached to Michael, she wondered? He was strong, yes, but he was also reckless, stupid, and…
Salah hesitated in imagining her string of insults, realizing that for all of his faults, it was because of them that he had saved her life. He had pulled her out of the clutches of a servent of She-who-thirsts and had pulled her away from the battle when her injuries had kept her from going on. He had saved her twice, both times by putting himself at risk. He had prioritized her safety above his own.
Had that been what drew Kiara to him? The knowledge that no matter what happened, he would protect her? She had heard the stories, from the other soldiers to Elirom's briefing. He had found Kiara in the clutches of a group of cultists in the process of violating her mother's corpse and destroying her mother's spirit stone. In response to the situation, he hadn't left the girl to her fate like any other human would have, instead, he'd saved her.
And when Michael stood facing Lucius the Eternal, Kiara had fought to save him, to repay her debt to him. And when Lucius turned to face her, Michael had once again done the Impossible. He had killed Lucius the Eternal out of no other drive than to protect the young girl.
He protected people. Nothing more, nothing less.
"It's finished!" Kiara announced, struggling to lift the arm into the air. Truth be told, the augmetic probably weighed almost as much as she did.
Michael laughed at her antics, walking over and reattaching the limb. The limb slid into place with a hiss and a loud click, and Michael flexed the limb experimentally, raising an eyebrow, "Oh? You didn't happen to do anything to it did you?" he asked.
Kiara shuffled her feet in response, looking mildly nervous, "I… I fixed the nerve lines, they were all connected to one cable, instead of spreading out as they should be. I-it supposed to make it move more fluidly." She explained, making Michael chuckle.
"Well, I'd say it worked," Michael said as he flexed his metallic fingers.
Kiara beamed, happy that she could help. Salah wondered where she had learned to work on human tech with such proficiency, but she simply chalked it up to her spending so much time around Michael.
"Guess those lessons with Matthias actually paid off."
And for what felt like the thousandth time that day, Salah couldn't help but wonder why Cegorach had seen fit to make her the butt of his joke.
"I'm sorry… what?" Salah asked, all sense of manners completely lost.
"Oh, that's right you didn't know. Well, I managed to convince Matthias to come down to the craftworld to do maintenance on my arm. When he was down here, Kiara took an interest in what he was doing and asked if she could help, and while I'm pretty sure he was a bit freaked out at first, it didn't take to much convincing to get him to let her at least watch." Michael explained with a laugh, "Eventually it got to the point where he was teaching her how the whole thing worked outright. When I talked to him about it later he'd explained that she had the mind of true Tech Adept. He started coming down from then on to do maintenance and has been teaching Kiara every time he's down here. Heck, she's basically taken apart and put back together every piece of machinery in the hab, along with anything Matthias brings with him."
Salah was struggling to comprehend what was being told to her. Kiara had taken a liking to human technology? When? Why? How? It made her mind spin, and she wasn't sure she knew what to make of the situation. When she looked t the young girl, she saw Kiara blushing furiously at Michael's praise.
"And… you say that she's actually good at it?" Salah asked.
"Heh, she'd more than good at it. Matthias said that if she were human he'd take her on as an apprentice. He still might, if he can build up the courage to ask Elirom and the council doesn't get in the way." Michael explained, "He was surprised when I told him she was only four. I swear it was like he had stars in his eyes."
Salah, whether from frustration, confusion, exhaustion, or some combination of the three, decided that she had been through enough of humanities nonsense for one day, "Well… I suppose I cannot fault her curiosity. With that out of the way then, I suppose it is time we leave. Kiara, I would like you to take whatever belongings you have here and pack them up, alright?"
Kiara hesitantly nodded but didn't move.
"Kiara?" Salah asked curiously.
"Is… is it alright if I stay here? J-just for the night…" she asked fearfully.
Salah blinked, unsure of what to say. When she looked into Kiara's eyes, she couldn't shake this… unknown, terrible feeling. The girl's bottom lip trembled, and tears had begun forming in the corners of her wide, adorable eyes. Kiara's heart felt like it was slowly, ever so painfully being ripped apart. That look on her face… she would have to be worse than a twisted Drukhari if she said no to such a look.
"I… suppose that would be alright, if only just for the night."
The genuine smile that broke out on Kiara's face warmed Salah's heart in the way only a child's smile could, and the warm embrace that came from the sheer joy Kiara felt made Salah feel she made the right choice.
[-----]
986.M41 Raxis Prime
Jarod smiled as he read over the forces Karev still commanded. Twenty thousand men, ten regiments. There were only a dozen artillery pieces that could be salvaged, and only one dedicated tank regiment, but it was still more than enough for Karev to declare it his own personal army.
The Commanders hadn't been all that happy at first, but the fact that it was an Inquisitor that was requisitioning them was more than enough to convince them. Officially they were branded as the 1st Inquisitorial Raxis Army, with each regiment bearing its original planet and number. Of the five ships in orbit excluding Karev's ship Reverent Purity and the Emperor's Boot, only one of them was requisitioned, a transport ship with the title Golden Path.
Each of these ships would be for the 1st Inquisitorial Raxis Fleet, while the rest would leave to go back to continue fighting.
When the time was right, he gathered the ten commanders of the 1st Inquisitorial Raxis army, as well as the captain of the Golden Path together to discuss the future. The room they all sat in was heavily decorated, with a red carpet floor and tan painted walls. Red curtains with gold embroidery hung from the walls framing pictures depicting military commanders and the height of their greatest victories. A long wooden table stretched the length of the room, with the commanders sitting on either side and Karev at the head of the table.
The commanding officers talked amongst themselves, some hoping to ignore the Inquisitor outright. Much as they might try, however, that was simply an impossibility. Despite Jarod's flippant attitude towards Karev, the man did radiate a sense of dread.
His black trenchcoat and white gloves made him look like a noble, and the golden chain that hung from his shoulder and coat was only outshone by the inquisitorial rosette that hung from it. His green eyes would stare into anyone's soul as if he were somehow judging you. His blonde hair and clean-shaven face made him appear far younger than he actually was, often allowing him to surprise those around him with his intellect and experience.
The only person that was completely unaffected by his stare was Jarod Carolinus. He at first attributed this fact to his status as a Rogue Trader, as they were known to be… eccentric, at the best of times. He soon learned just how different Jarod was. A man such as him would have no difficulty staring into the eye of terror itself, and Jarod had no qualms in proving that fact.
He sat at the opposite end of the table, holding what Karev assumed to be a vox-bead in his left hand, examining it idly. His bored expression hid what was truly going on in his mind, and Karev sometimes wished he were psychic if only so he could see the inner workings of Jarod's mind. Regardless, the room fell silent as Karev cleared his throat.
"I thank you all for attending this meeting, as we will all be working closely together in the near future. I feel it appropriet to introduce you all to our new… benefactor, of a sort." Karev explained, gesturing to Jarod.
Jarod nodded, and set the vox-bead on the table, "I'm not sure how many of you saw me during the battle, but my name is Jarod Carolinus, Rogue Trader and captain of the Emperor's Boot. As of relatively recent knowledge, I am a significantly powerful psyker, though I am yet to be sanctioned or tested, I believe myself to be of Alpha level… or perhaps higher." He explained.
Many of the commanders tensed, with the exception of the oldest among them -- Jerimiah, "You were the one to banish the greater daemon, were you not?" the old commander asked.
"I was. And though my memory is… scattered, at best, I am aware of my actions afterward." Jarod confirmed
Jerimiah nodded, turning to the rest of the room, "Well, considering his prowess on the battlefield, and the amount of restraint he has shown, I do not believe any of us have anything to fear. You, Captain Jarod, have shown that carry the Emperor's light in one form or another, that much is obvious. I for one have no qualms in this venture."
A handful of other commanders asked some questions about Jarod's abilities and origins, but he kept himself fairly tight-lipped, not revealing anything about his dimensional travel, communion with Tzeentch, his status as a sensei, or his relationship with the Necron's and Eldar. In the end, all of the commanders finally agreed to fight under Karev's command.
Karev sighed as the commanders began leaving the room, with only himself and Jarod remaining.
"That went well I think," Jarod remarked.
Karev chuckled, "I think my self-confidence has taken a hit since I started working with you. I'm used to people cowering before my title as Inquisitor, whereas you simply shrug it off. I suppose given what you are that shouldn't be a surprise though."
"True enough… I have to ask though, have you ever heard of Sensei?" Jarod asked.
Karev leaned back in his chair, trying to recall any mention of the name, "No, I do not believe I have. Why do you ask?"
Jarod frowned, "That's good I suppose, but it does mean I will have to educate you. The Sensei, which is what I am, are the biological descendants of the Emperor himself." he said.
Karev's eyes went wide as dinner plates, but Jarod continued before he could ask any questions.
"I'm not sure how many of us are left in the galaxy, or if there are any. However, I am sure of who my enemies are. The Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus, as well as many others, are known to hunt us down. They fear us as threats to their Imperial canon, that we are dangerous mutants that must be destroyed at all costs." he explained, "I personally disagree vehemently, but that is neither here nor there. We are completely incorruptible by chaos, and if nothing else that explains quite a lot." he said, rolling his eyes.
"I happen to be the great-grandson of the Emperor. And while I may only share an eighth of his power, I am by no means weak." He smirked, "I might even be able to keep the astronomican lit, were I to have access to the golden throne."
Karev attempted to wrap his mind around what Jarod had just explained. The Rogue Trader had been giving him bits and pieces of information ever since the battle, but up until now, he had never explained it so thoroughly. The revelation that Jarod could keep the astronomican alight in the absence of the Emperor was a startling one, as well as something that Karev was not equipped to deal with.
"What do you intend to do, then?" Karev asked, "You have an army at your back and the authority of an Inquisitor at your side. Quite frankly, you are now one of the most powerful people in the Imperium."
Jarod smiled, "Well, first, I believe I need to introduce you to some of my other allies."