A Reasonable Crusade
Part IV: Lux Fractus
Chapter I: Changes
"Can I go play Call of Duty now?" Asked the Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes. He had just lost another round of Pocket Daemons.
"NO!" the red, winged mass sitting across from him bellowed. "WE ARE NOT FINISHED YET, TEASPOON!"
"Aww, but this game is even worse than Paradox Billiards Vostroyan Roulette Four Dimension Hypercube Chess Strip Poker,"
"SILENCE!" Kitten sighed as he picked up his deck. They were all terrible cards. Not a one above 100hp.
"We should be getting close to Nocturne by now. Then we'll have three Primarchs back."
"Yep. I just hope he doesn't freak out when he sees me. He was always nice, but those are ones you have to be careful about." The two sat in silence for a few moments, playing the card game. A few turns later, Kitten spoke again.
"I wonder what is in that package the Emperor wanted us to deliver."
"And why would he want us to give it to some random Inquisitor. I know he said it could determine the fate of the galaxy, but I honestly do not see what's so important about this Remnant. It's just one planet, after all."
"Whatever it is, it must be important."
"Yes! Yes, we done it!"
OH, YOU'VE FINALLY GOTTEN US THROUGH THAT FUCKING WALL, FAGGOT?"
"This… maybe the case."
"Wonderful! I can't wait to spread my love among these people. Who are we sending in first?"
"I know just what we should send. I always have had a fetish for their kind."
Weiss threw herself down on top of her bed. She had just gotten off the plane from Vale. She did not want to be here, but try as she might, she was unable to convince her father to let her stay. 'Insufferable man!' He hadn't even given her the chance to say good-bye to her friends. Apparently, she was "above that" or something. There was a knock at her door.
"Who is it?" Weiss mumbled through her pillow. The door opened.
"It's just me, Ms. Schnee. I came to see if you would like something to drink." Weiss flipped herself over and forced herself to sit up.
"Thank you, Klein. Some coffee would be nice."
"As you wish," Klein said as he bowed out. Weiss got up. She still had to unpack everything. She opened her suitcase and stated pulling out clothes, some to be laundered, some to be hung up, others to be folded away. Within moments of starting, there was another knock at the door. She raced to open it, expecting to find Klein waiting there.
When Weiss opened the door she was disappointed to find that it was not Klein who had knocked, but rather, her younger brother Whitley.
"What do you want?"
In a mockingly innocent tone, Whitley responded, "I was just checking in on my dear sister,"
"You're never this nice unless you did something. What did you do?"
"Well, if you're going to be that way. Father told me that he's meeting an Imperial delegation and he wants you to be there, it's group of engineers or something. They should arrive in about thirty minutes."
"Fine. Tell him I'll be there." 'It's "Enginseers" dumbass,' Weiss thought. She didn't bother correcting him out loud though. Better to let him make a fool of himself. Whitley gave a mocking bow and walked away. Weiss watched as he left, making sure the little sneak didn't try anything. She was about to close the door again when Klein arrived with her coffee. She took the coffee and thanked Klein. Setting it on the bedside table after taking a sip, Weiss began to get clean up. Thirty minutes passed quickly, with the rest of the coffee, and Weiss was walking down the hall.
Weiss arrived in the main hall of Schnee Manor right as the doorbell rang. A servant opened the door to reveal seven short, heavily beaded men, just as her father came down the stairs. 'They kind of look like Dwarves,' Weiss thought.
"Greetings, beardlings! We're here to meet with the owner of the Schnee Dust Company," one of them said.
"Who are you?" Jacques Schnee said, offended at the unkempt men on his doorstep. "And what business do you have with me?"
"I'm Urist McDoctor, and these other six are Urist McDopey, Urist McBashful, Urist McGrumpy, Urist McSneezy, Urist McSleepy, and Urist McHappy," said Urist McDoctor, pointing to each of the Urists in turn. "We're the representatives from the Engineers Guild you're supposed to meet with."
"Wait, Engineers Guild? I thought Imperial technology was maintained by the Mechanicus," Weiss interrupted.
"Normally, yes. However, due to the Guild's well-established reputation by the time we were discovered by the Imperium, the Mechanicus saw fit to leave us be. A more detailed explanation can wait for later; right now we're hungry!"
"Yes, yes, come with me then. The dining hall is right this way," Jacques lead the strange men away and Weiss followed. "If I remember correctly, you wanted to take a tour of one of our facilities?"
"Aye, tha's correct, beardling. But business later," the group entered the dining hall. The table was already set, and the nine sat down. "For now, we feast."
Jacques, somewhat put off by the directness of his guests, called for drinks. "What would you gentlemen like to drink? We have some of the finest wines-"
"Wine's for fucking pansies! Give us your strongest ale, now 'at a real drink!"
"Urist! Hold your temper, lad! Ye cannae just go insultin' our host like that!" Urist McGrumpy only gave an agitated noise in response. Urist McDoctor turned to Jacques.
"Sorry about that. It's just how he is. Although we would prefer ale if ye have it. If not we can settle fer yer fermented ploin-juice."
"Unfortunately, we do not have such, ahem, coarse drinks. Wine will have to suffice."
"Ah well. What's on the menu then?"
"It is lunch, so we will be having a salad, followed by a soup, and finished with roast, with bread and butter being served throughout the meal."
"But I'm allergic to salad-" Urist McSneezy muttered under his breath.
After finishing the meal, and waking Urist McSleepy up so he wouldn't drown in his soup, Urist McDoctor finally broached the subject they were gathered for.
"Alright beardling," Urist McDoctor began, while waking Urist McSpleepy up again, "As ye know, Remnant is being brought into the Imperium." After getting a nod from Jacques he continued, "and ye all are a tech company."
"Of course,"
"meaning ye'll either be brought into Mechanicus or us, the Engineers' Guild."
"What? I won't stand for this!" Jacques began, enraged by the what the short men were telling him.
'Why are they so short?' ran through Weiss's mind again.
"It's not what ye'll stand for. It's what will happen. Technology ain't exactly a free industry in the Imperium. Which leaves ye with a choice. Either us or the Mechanicus, who put the spiritual aspect of technology before the practical aspect."
"Technology has a spiritual aspect?" Jacques asked, starting to become skeptical about the authenticity of these Engineers.
Unexpectedly, it was Weiss who answered. "Yes, I remember. P. Fletcher mentioned something about machine spirits. I don't remember much, since it was a while ago."
"So ye've spoken with the Inquisitor, have ye, lassie?"
"Not much. He was a teacher at Beacon." Thinking of Beacon brought back memories of the Fall. Weiss struggled to keep her pain from her face. "Is he alright?" she asked, recalling he was at the top with Pyrrha.
"Ach, he'll be fine. Takes more 'an 'at to kill an Inquisitor," Urist McDoctor said. "Now, since ye didn't know about the Engineers' Guild, I'm not sure what he told ye about the Squats and how we handle technology-"
"Squats?" asked Weiss.
"He didn't even tell ye about us?" Urist McGrumpy exclaimed. "We keep the Rose's engines running and this is how he repays us!"
"And by keeping the Inquisition off our backs," Urist McHappy pointed out. "Something I'm rather grateful for,"
"We dinnae come 'ere to discuss the Inquisitor." Urist McDoctor broke in. Turning back to Jacques, he got the discussion back on topic. "Should ye choose us we'll let ye stay in charge, and if, for some reason, we need to get rid of ye, ye'll be compensated. I can't say the same for the Mechanicus"
"You understand that I can't give a definite answer now,"
"Of course, just be sure to tell us your decision before the Mechanicus get ye,"
"I'll think on it."
"Very well. We'll be leaving now then." The Squats all got up, Urist McDopey waking up Urist McSleepy once again, and walked with Jacques and Weiss to the door. Once the door closed behind the last Squat, Jacques turned to Weiss.
"What do you think about them?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh, the Squats? They're, um, interesting,"
Jacques chuckled. "Yes, I don't think I could find a better word for them. What do you think we should do?"
"From my little knowledge of the Mechanicus, I think they're right. The Mechanicus won't take kindly to us being separate from them, but at least if we join the Engineers' Guild we'll have protection,"
"You don't think we can protect ourselves?"
"Not against the Mechanicus. From what P. Fletcher said it sounds like even the Inquisition is afraid to mess with them. If we don't choose them or the Engineers' Guild they'll likely have us removed and seize the company,"
Jacques considered what his daughter had told him.
Salem grinned as she watched the dark waters. As Malice's strength grew, the barrier between this world and the others gave her such opportunity to create new forms of Grimm. Already she had made something she called "Umbrans," and soon they would be sent out. They were just one of a few. She had yet to finish her masterpiece, what would be her greatest creation, but she was close. So very close. Nothing would be able to stop her when she did. She nodded to herself contentedly as she saw the back of one of her newest creations break the surface of the water and sink back under, swimming off in the direction of Menagerie.
Blake watched as the boat drew away from the dock. She was standing in a small hole in the crowd on board. The white stripe in her hair marked her out as a skunk Faunus, the only people who wore their hair as she did. Quite frankly, she understood why they tried to stay away from her. Even ones whose trait wasn't the self-defense mechanism had a reputation for being rather gassy. Unfortunate, as she wasn't actually a skunk Faunus.
As the boat pulled out of shouting distance of the dock people began to drift below deck, to get set up in their various cabins. Blake wanted to stay above to savor the fresh salt breeze. She chuckled at that thought. She wandered over to the bow of the deck and looked over as the ship sped through the water. They were out of sight by now, and Blake just relished the feeling of breeze. She stood looking over for many hours, and the sun was starting to sink before she roused herself from her waking dream.
She made her way to her cabin, her bags set neatly inside where one of the crew members had left it. She unpacked and got ready for bed. She pulled out a book, Ninjas of Love, and set it on the table. She pulled out her pajamas and went to the en suite bathroom. It was small, but it was nice. Towels lay stacked on a rack above the toilet, and the shower curtain was pulled back revealing an empty shower. After undressing and showering, she put on her pajamas, leaving her day clothes where they lay. She would deal with them later. She left the bathroom and surveyed her cabin one last time before turning in. Lying down on the bed she sighed. She was finally going home.
"She should count herself blessed to have received such a gift from the Omnissiah," said Zora.
Ruby shook her head. "She doesn't see it that way. To her you violated her by putting that arm on her while she was out. We don't have the same, uh, attitude, about technology as you do."
"I don't understand why she's still so mad about it, even accounting for cultural differences. There's no reason for her to want to only have one arm." As she said this, Zora caught a glimpse of Yang walking down the hall, her red eyes seething like a Khornate's. Under her gaze, even Zora's metal bits shivered. Yang passed further down, out of sight.
"That's the thing. It's really not a big deal. In fact I kind of wish I could lose an arm if it means getting one of those. I suspect there's something else." It took Ruby a moment to realize exactly what she said. "Oh Omnissiah, I didn't mean it like that!"
Zora placed a comforting arm on Ruby's shoulder. "It's alright, we all do something similar."
"No it's not! Normal people don't want to lose arms! Especially not after seeing a family member lose one!" She was starting to tear up from the guilt of being so callous to Yang's condition.
"Who said you were normal?" Zora said in an attempt to comfort the girl. "You're special, just like me, just like every one of my colleagues." Ruby sniffling started to stop at this.
"Really?"
"Yes, Ruby. You belong in the Mechanicus. You could join, if you wanted."
Wiping her eyes, Ruby said, "Thank you, Zora. I'll consider it, but I don't think I'm ready to make that sort of decision. Not yet."
"There's no need to make a decision yet. Just keep it in mind as you continue your training."
"About that," Zora tilted her head questioningly, "me and the rest of JNPR were thinking about going to Mistral to enroll in the academy there. I'm not saying you can come along, but if you just happened to stumble across us as we left tonight, I won't make you go away."
Zora would've smiled if she still could. As it was, her eyelights reflected her emotions. "Thank you, Ruby, I just might take the chance to convince you to finally join the Mechanicus."
"Heh, it's going to be a while before I make a decision either way." They sat for a short while.
"Well, I suppose I should be going. I still have work to do. But give me a call if you need anything, and I'll see what I can do," Zora said, rising to leave. Ruby got up with her and walked to the door. Saying good-bye one last time and giving the techpriestess a hug as she left, Ruby closed the door. She flopped back down on the couch and turned the television on, hoping to find something other than the Fall on. There wasn't. She went to her room and started to pack what she could. It would be a long journey to Mistral.
Pyrrha gasped as she woke. She was surrounded by a bright light, and she couldn't see. She tried blinking to make the brightness go away, but no, it really was that bright. She could feel something under her, something soft. It wasn't quite like grass, but it was similar.
"Carpet," she realized. The aromas her nose detected reminded her of home, but something was off. The scent of flowers from the garden, and fresh baked cookies from the kitchen were there, but there was something extra, something more that was foreign, yet familiar. It all came together to make her heart beat a little faster. As she sat up her eyes began to get used to the brightness around her. It looked like her living room back in Mistral, but everything was golden. Everything with the exception of a noodly blonde boy standing in the corner with a bunny hoodie. That's when she recognized the extra scent.
"Jaune. It's the smell of him. How did I not recognize it earlier?" As she struggled to her feet, Jaune walked over to lend her a hand.
"Tell me, what do you remember last?"
Pyrrha was startled by Jaune's abruptness, but did as asked anyways. "Um, well, I was at the top of Beacon Tower, on my hands and knees. Cinder was about to shoot me, but a form I couldn't recognize flew in front just before it hit. Then there was a bang and everything went white."
Jaune shook his head. "That was Jan Strzałkastwórca. You know him as James Fletcher. He saved your life, Pyrrha."
"Oh," she looked down at her hands, the weight of Jaune's words weighing on her.
"What is this place? Why is everything gold?"
"You are in a coma Pyrrha. The events of that night put too much strain on you. And everything's gold because I like gold. It's a good color."
"This isn't real then. This is a dream?"
"Real is what you make of it. This vision can help if you accept it as real."
"If this is a dream, then you aren't really Jaune. You're just part of my subconscious or something."
"Not quite. I'm not Jaune, but I'm not your subconscious either."
"Then what are you?"
The Jaune-figure shrugged. "I am. Different cultures call me different things. Carrion Lord, King of Those That Must Be Killed, Human Leader, Da Flash Boss. What you call me is not important."
"What do you want with me?"
"This world is bright. But for long it has had the taint of Chaos. Daemons freely prowl the surface, and humanity hangs by a thread. I want your and your friends' help in cleansing it."
"You mean the Grimm? We all want them gone. The Huntsmen and Huntresses dedicate their lives to exterminating the Grimm."
"And yet, it is not enough. But now there is a chance. One of my Inquisitors has been stranded on your planet, with no way to get a message through. I want you to tell him that even so, help is on the way. Tell him I send great winged warriors to aide him, accompanied by my Custodians and the most power psyker at my disposal."
As the Jaune-figure said these things, Pyrrha began to understand. She was speaking with the God-Emperor of Mankind himself. She could tell, by looking into those deep blue eyes, eyes that had seen millennia. In them she saw a great, profound love that she would never be able to explain. She did the only thing that occurred to her. She dropped to one knee and bowed before him.
Shakily, she said, "It will be as you command, my God."
"Don't call me that."