986.M41 The Emperor's Boot
Karev stood eye to eye with the Eldar that had been aiding Jarod for a good long while now, examining him to the best of his ability. Farseer Elirom did the same, though his lack of helmet showed how much trust the Xenos put into Jarod's judgment. If the inquisitor had been so inclined, he could have shot Elirom and been done with it. However, he did not feel such action was necessary.
"I see Jarod has indeed been recruiting even more allies, just as predicted," Elirom spoke, nodding to the Inquisitor.
Karev returned the gesture, "I must admit that I did not expect him to have allied himself with an entire craftworld, and to know the location of one no less."
Elirom smirked, "Many of my kin do not believe in Jarod's ability, but I have seen into the distant future, and I can say without a doubt that he will be instrumental in destroying the ruinous powers and bringing peace to the galaxy."
"Then I suppose we are in agreement. I am Inquisitor Karev, of the Ordo Xenos."
"And I am Farseer Elirom, of Craftworld Aurorum III."
The two shook hands, and not for the first time nor the last, a deal was struck between the Inquisition and the Craftworld Eldar.
[-----]
Jarod rubbed his eyes as he tried to take in the sight before him. As soon as he had landed a foot on the craftworld, he had booked it to Michael's hab. What he had not expected was to find Michael standing in the kitchen arguing with the howling Banshee Exarch.
Micheal stood at the fridge digging through it frantically, while Salah was digging through the cabinets.
"How do you not have any equivalent to milk!?" Michael asked frantically as he pushed several bottles and cartons around.
"I'm sorry, but my taste buds don't exactly work the same as yours! We've never had any of you to feed!" She said despondently, "And we're out of kor!"
Michael groaned, "Great, the only thing savory you have and we're out of it."
Kiara soon came out of a hallway carrying… was that a toaster?
"I finished fixing the toaster! It shouldn't burn the bread this time!" She announced.
Jarod blinked as he witnessed what could only be called a family frantically trying to get dinner cooked. Once Kiara had put down and plugged in the toaster, Michael pulled out a loaf of white-yellow… what Jarod thought was bread, as he started cutting it.
"What have I walked into?" Jarod muttered, just loud enough to be heard over the constant talking and arguing.
As one, everyone in the room halted in an instant and turned toward him. Michael dropped the knife he was using to cut the bead-like substance as a massive grin formed on his face. Salah paused pulling a sack of… something, out of the cabinet. And Kiara tilted her head to the side with a confused look on her face.
"You're back!" Michael said, before his smile fell, "Dang, I meant to have the pancakes done by now…"
Salah sighed, shoving the bag back into the cabinet, "I told you we shouldn't have even tried, we only got a half hours notice!" she chastised him.
"Yeah, yeah you did…" Michael admitted, before turning back to Jarod, "So… you're back! How'd it go?"
Jarod, for his part, tried to ignore the fact that Michael and Salah had been arguing like an old married couple, and were both in the same room together without trying to kill each other… and seemed to be used to the situation… and were cooking… ok, yeah, this was a bit too much to ignore.
"I… well… see, my mission went well, I got a couple more ships, a few thousand more men, Karev's here, and I'm a sensei… ok, when did you two get married!?" he asked, giving up on trying to make sense of the situation.
Michael and Salah both blushed, and Kiara seemed to giggle slightly, "They're not married!" the little girl informed him, saving both of them from a great deal of embarrassment.
"Kiara you little angel…" Michael muttered under his breath.
Salah sighed, "For your information, I have been spending exorbitant amounts of time here due to Kiara's inability and refusal to go elsewhere." she explained.
Jarod blinked and turned to Michael, who simply shrugged, "Apparently she has nightmares whenever I'm not nearby. So, she's been sleeping over here most of the time while Salah comes in to check on her when she's not busy."
"Wait, when did Salah become a factor?" Jarod asked.
Michael blinked, before facepalming, "Oh, duh! That happened after you left. Well, long story short the council made her Kiara's official caretaker, so, officially at least, she's supposed to be living with her. Aside from that though, she's pretty much just been living here while Salah does her Exarch stuff." he explained.
"Well, I guess that explains all… this. Is that a toaster?" Jarod asked, pointing to the object Kiara had set on the counter.
"Uh, yeah. So, Kiara's lessons with Matthias actually did a lot more than we expected. I mean, she's basically become a mini techpriest, building and repairing all sorts of stuff." Michael said, giving Kiara a head pat. Kiara beamed.
"Huh. Whadda you know." Jarod remarked, "In any case, Michael, we have a lot to talk about."
Excusing themselves to a private room, Jarod went on to explain everything that had transpired on the planet of Raxis Prime. From the greater daemon, the chaos space marines, their newfound allies, to his meeting with the Emperor of mankind. Not much had phased Michael since he'd killed Lucius and survived, but hearing that Jarod was actually a Sensei made him go bug-eyed.
"So wait… doesn't that mean your like, a daemon prince of the Emperor? Or can become one at the very least?" Michael asked.
Jarod shook his head, "Not quite. The Emperor, much as the rest of humanity would disagree, isn't a god. Though he's close, if what we know of Chaos is correct. Regardless, he gave us a mission, and I intend to see it through, as we were kinda on our way to doing it anyway."
Michael raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Our mission is to wipe the Chaos from existence."
[-----]
Matthias didn't hate xeno-tech. Quite the opposite, actually, he found it quite fascinating. Being surrounded by no other technology than the aforementioned xeno-tech, however? That was a bit much.
The craftworld of Aurorum III was definitely an interesting place, but Matthias found himself stifled by it on more than one occasion. The Eldar had no respect for the Machine god, though that was to be expected he supposed. The Machine god was a deity that it seemed only the members of the Mechanicus truly venerated, as even others in the Imperium saw the machine cult as something distasteful.
Besides, if his information was sound, the Eldar had their own version of the machine god, as heretical as that may sound. Vaul, a mere name to Matthias, but a venerated god among the Aeldari. He was supposedly the creator of all technological and architectural wonders that the Eldar were capable of, though Matthias himself was ignorant of many details. Jarod had attempted to explain the Eldar pantheon but admitted he wasn't all that knowledgable himself.
Michael had actually been of more help on that front.
Somehow, the augmetic bearing soldier had found out quite a lot of information on the Eldar pantheon and explained a great deal for the techpriest. Essentially, when the Eldar birthed the chaos god Slaanesh -- a fact that repulsed Matthias to no end, and made him even more disgusted by the ancient Xenos -- their pantheon was almost completely consumed by the dark prince.
The only remaining gods of the Eldar were Isha, who remained in the gardens of Nurgle as his captive. Cegorach, the god of laughter, who remained in the black library commanding his Harlequins in some twisted performance. And finally, Khaine, the Eldar god of war and bloodshed. The techpriest had almost mistaken the Khaine for his chaotic mirror, Khorne, but Michael was quick to point out that despite the similarities, the two were different beings.
These revelations, along with the long tale Michael had explained to him, made Matthias oddly… sympathetic, to the dying race. Their great empire had been torn asunder, and by their own mistakes no less. They simply wished to return to the glory days, in some vain hope that they could somehow rebuild their empire and claim their place as the dominant species in the galaxy.
"They're arrogant fools, there's no arguing that," Michael had explained, "But… in the end, it's not their fault. Their ancestors were the ones that disagreed with the debauchery that their people had sunk into, and so they left."
Matthias couldn't help but find that he agreed with that last statement. He had a hard time blaming little Kiara after all. What part of her races fall was her fault, when she wasn't even alive to see it? It was like asking why the Horus Heresy could be his own fault. Which was why he stood where he did.
"Matthias… you are aware of what this entails, are you not?" Elirom asked as the two of them stood outside a massive building.
"I am well aware, Farseer," Matthias admitted, before muttering in binary. He may have a full human face, but he still had a vox-caster embedded on his neck, "Were I within Imperial borders I would be committing heresy of the highest order. Omnissiah forgive me, I might still be, but I am determined to show your people what they are blind to. Besides, it's not like she would be unprotected."
Elirom sighed, nodding at the techpriests logic. Much as his pride would deny it, he would admit that even the best of their race was blind to many of the things happening around them. Perhaps, should his idea work, Matthias and Michael could bring their two races one step closer to… well, not peace, he supposed, but something akin to it.
Matthias stood rigid, his red robes hanging off his form in the formal fashion of Mars, and his hood lowered, revealing his pale skin, auburn hair and grey eyes. Silver and black lines ran through the left side of his jaw, a clear sign of the augments he had willingly received.
Stepping forward, he opened the doors in front of him, Matthias following close behind. The room he found himself in was large, much like an amphitheater. A long walkway led to the center of the room, surrounded by seating all filled with high ranking Aeldari. Above him, seven seats stood, with each of them housing one member of Aurorum III elected council.
It felt as if a thousand pairs of eyes were watching his every movement, silently judging everything he did and forming a structured opinion of him before he spoke a single word. Elirom had all but outright said that was what each of them would do, and that Matthias had to be extremely careful.
Taking the Farseers advice to heart, he stood stock straight and kept a neutral expression on his face. Even then, the Eldar in the room could probably still read him like an open and shut book. Regardless, he kept his head held high and his mind focused. He was here to acquire an apprentice, nothing more, nothing less.
When he stood upon the platform, silence reigned. It almost felt more like a courtroom, more than anything else. He wondered if that was indeed what it was meant for.
"Matthias. Techpriest of Mars. Human." One of the council members spoke, his act of using Matthias' own name and race instead of the Eldar equivalent of 'animal' showed either a great level of respect or an even greater amount of self-control.
"You come to us with a request. You seek to take on the child Kiara as an apprentice."
Matthias held back the urge to grimace, his face instead remaining completely neutral. He knew that the council had ways to find out his request long before he'd even made it. Be they mind readers, fortune tellers, or something else, he didn't know, but in the long run, it really didn't matter, save for the fact that they knew of his request long before he'd made it.
"That is correct," he stated in a completely monotone, emotionless, toneless voice.
The Eldar that had spoken glared at him, but he did not give in to intimidation so easily.
"What gives you the gall to even ask such a question?" a different councilman asked.
Matthias looked him dead in the eye before delivering his answer, "I am capable of teaching the girl more in the span of a year than your teachers could in a decade, or perhaps even a century." he explained confidently.
The crowd was sent into an uproar, yet the council remained eerily silent. Many called in loud voices, their beautiful language marred by the obscenities they were speaking and the demands they were making.
The head councilman simply raised a hand, silencing the crowd, "You believe you could teach her better. Yet she is Aeldari, and you are human. What could you teach her that we cannot?"
Matthias smiled within his own mind, "Mortality." he said simply.
The crowd, which up to that point had still been murmuring and discussing the situation passionately, went dead silent.
"Explain."
"I, as well as every other human she has been in contact with, has been and will continue to teach her mortality. She has had to face such a thing already, even at her tender age. She has stared into the eyes of death itself, not just as we humans do, but in a far worse fashion. She faced being devoured by she-who-thirsts." he explained, being careful to use the Aeldari name for the god of perversion.
The crowd once again erupted into murmuring, but this time it seemed as though it was more in awe than anything else.
Matthias continued, "She has faced ultimate damnation, the likes of which even we mere humans have trouble comprehending. But because of this, she has already learned more about mortality than much of your race will ever know."
The councilmen remained silent. The air was tense, and the crowd was deafeningly silent. As one, the council stood, raising their hands forward. They spoke something in Aeldari, something that Matthias thought sounded like a verse, prayer, or proverb.
When they finished, they set their arms down, and all but the center councilmen sat down.
"We have come to a decision. You, Matthias, are to take Kiara as your apprentice, along with Michael Eden as her guardian alongside Howling Banshee Exarch Salah," he announced.
Matthias, with one slip of self-control, smiled.
[-----]
986.M41 The Warp
The clanking of armor was the only announcement the mortal's and space marine's alike had of the arrival of their lord, Magnus the red. Standing at almost four meters in height, the daemon Primarch towered over anyone and everyone he passed as he walked down the halls of his warship. It felt… good, to do this again.
To stand over those who served him, to actually do something rather than just sit around and merely study the warp. Perhaps it would do him some good to get out more… it would certainly be a change of pace, pun oh so intended.
Magnus blinked as he halted his own train of thought. When did he become so… cheerful? Yes, there was the arrival of the Sensei, but that was something that would more than likely be more of a nuisance than anything else. What was happening, was Tzeentch trying to alter his own mind?
In the back of his head, he could hear the giant squid-faced moron laughing, and in such a tone that communicated he was indeed not the one altering Magnus' mindset. It made him wonder what in the warp was going on.
Changing his course, he headed toward his personal sanctum in order to converse with the god of change. He could of course simply teleport there, or simply speak with Tzeetch where he stood, but he was feeling nostalgic. He entered the glass pyramid that formed his sanctum, similar in structure to his sanctum back during the great crusade. Perhaps he was getting sentimental.
Entering the sanctum, he closed his eyes, and let his power flow through him, let his soul be barraged by the collective emotions and energies of the warp. He soon found himself standing in an open, blue plain, with the squid himself floating not ten meters away.
"So… I see you've noticed." The blue daemon stated, his voice a shuffled collage of sounds, all forming into a single voice.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't know what you were talking about. What exactly have you done? Or if not you, then what is causing the changes to my psyche?" Magnus asked plainly.
The shifting mass of tentacles, eyes, and limbs twisted about for a moment, before finally settling on a form that was… not exactly pleasant to look at
"Ooooh! So you really have no idea? Or maybe you do, and you just came to me for confirmation? Or perhaps you have some idea, but want me to clarify?"
Magnus grimaced, "I know better than most that you of all beings would refuse to give me a straight answer even if it was in your best interest. All I want to know is what. Is. happening to me."
If it was possible for a god to smile, then Tzeentch just did.
"Ohohohoh, but then what fun would you and your nephew have left?"
Magnus' eyes widened a bit at the implications. Was he going to come into contact with loyalist Astartes in the near future perhaps?
"Not quite."
Magnus glared at Tzeentch but took note of his answer. So, if not the Astartes, then… he idly considered the possibilities of his siblings having offspring of their own, however, Tzeetch's burst of mocking laughter quickly dispersed that line of thought.
Was it possible that the Sensei was involved? Did they have children of their own perhaps?
The fact that Tzeentch had gone deathly silent made Magnus crack a smile, "So, they are involved then."
"Hmmm… you're beginning to catch on, but you're not quite there yet…"
Tzeentch's form began to fade, his last cryptic words making Magnus ponder just who this Sensei could be. The fact that they had revealed themselves to the Imperium, but to an Inquisitor no less, meant that they might be ignorant of their own existence, or perhaps they had some kind of power move in place.
It was impossible to tell, but Magnus smiled at the challenge.