Chapter 25
Negotiations
The planet chosen for the meeting was considered neutral ground by both sides, just discovered by the Alliance a month ago and unknown to the Imperium until the coordinates was given the world didn't even have a name, simply a long reference number for any future star charts. It was a planet of a single continent, surrounded by a vast open ocean, its centre dominated by a desert wasteland, surrounded by vast plains of grassland and thick brushes of jungle.
The place for the meeting was situated on a long stretch of grassland, a plateau. Perched on opposite ends were the transports utilised by both sides. On one end was a Lambda-class shuttle, wings folded and immobile. On the other was the bulky form of a Valkyrie-class Gunship. Surrounding both vehicles were guards, both Alliance and Imperium, all of them tense. In the air were a trio of X-wings, slowly circling around the plateau, a move which was being mirrored by a trio of Imperial jet fighters, their larger atmospheric carrier not far off.
The tent was agreed upon by both sides, the Alliance supplied the tent while the Imperium supplied the furniture. Both sides were allowed a maximum of one chief negotiator, an advisor and no more than two guards.
"It seems you've had a rough time here, Admiral."
"That is putting it mildly, yes."
Halos studied the man closely, but Lord Inquisitor Silvermane was a difficult man to read, tall and old, he held the air of a person with serious authority and experience. His advisor was the complete opposite, a youngish woman dressed in black, introduced simply as Vallace. His two guards were well equipped and dressed in black armour, chips and burn marks worn like badges of honour, completely different from the gleaming and well kept armour of his own marines.
"I apologise in advance, however with the enemies we have accumulated you must understand that we have learned long ago that shooting first and asking questions later is usually the most prudent response." The Lord Inquisitor clasped his hands together as he spoke. "The few times we did open up negotiations with another power very rarely ended well."
"So that gave your forces the right to open fire on my vessels without warning, to massacre thousands on a whim?" Halos asked measurably. "Everywhere we have gone we have found ourselves on the business end of a weapon, Lord Inquisitor, a weapon which was usually held by your own forces. My Captains have strongly urged me that allowing this meeting was a terrible mistake."
"Then why did you decide to attend?"
"I wonder that myself, advice from a good friend."
"The events which transpired on Topaz were unfortunate, and believe me Admiral the commanding officer has met his ultimate fate." Silvermane said. "I understand your reluctance to trust anything we might say, however I believe we may be able to see eye to eye."
"Oh and how is that?"
"During the battle I was able to infiltrate several of my own agents into the hierarchy of the defenders. These agents were able to hijack a transport, a transport carrying a few thousand Alliance prisoners." Halos eyes widened ever so slightly, the expression was quickly schooled, but it did not go unnoticed by the ancient Inquisitor. "They are in reasonable health, although my medical teams are unfamiliar with the biology of some so cannot say this with absolute certainty."
The Admiral was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "What do you want in exchange for these prisoners?"
"Right to the point, I like that." Silvermane leaned back in his chair, hands clasped on the table as he looked Halos directly in the eye. "I am willing to return these prisoners to you Admiral, as a goodwill gesture and to initiate negotiations with your side. However I must ask you certain questions, and if I am happy with the answers then the prisoners will be returned. You must answer me truthfully and honestly, and please do not lie Admiral, for I will see through it immediately."
"I see," Halos replied slowly, turning his attention to his own advisor, Jaden Korr looked right back, the same look of trepidation on his features. "It will depend on the questions. You understand that there will be certain things which must be kept secret."
"The questions I will ask do not concern your Alliances secrets, but mostly basic information."
"Then I will answer as best I can."
"Why are you here, Admiral? What is your purpose?" Silvermane began. "There are many amongst the higher echelons of the Imperium who believe your force is the precursor to an invasion of our soil. That your actions to date is evidence to the vanguard of something much bigger, your actions on Kronus and the sightings of scouts in centres of strength across the region, outposts, dockyards, naval and military facilities seem to strengthen this opinion."
"I see." Halos allowed. "I suppose from the perspective of the outside looking in that would be what we were trying to do, but you needn't worry, our goals are not what your superiors expect."
"Please go on."
"The purpose of our scouting is more to find places to steer clear off rather than targets of attack. As for the events on Kronus we simply found ourselves at the right place at the wrong time. Our goal there was not to take Kronus but to link up with a lost vessel of our fleet." The Admiral assured. "You see the events which brought us here were not planned. We were testing a new method of faster than light travel which went wrong, and so we came to be here."
"A new method of faster than light travel," Silvermane pondered. He knew that the Alliance used technology far different to their own in faster than light travel, they did not seem to utilise the warp as they did. From what little he knew the methods of this Alliance was faster and more stable than their own. "I suppose you can tell me no more on the issue."
"You would be correct." Halos replied smoothly. "My fleet found ourselves in uncharted space with several vessels missing, at the time presumed destroyed during the accident. The early sightings were simply us mapping out the surrounding star systems, trying to find any signs of civilisation and, if we did, determine whether they would be friendly enough for us to initiate first contact."
"And Kronus?"
"We gained information that one of our vessels was there, and our fleet was sent to take it back. Our actions on Kronus were because of a lack of knowledge, and also mainly on gut instinct. Your vessels threatened and fired on us, so we threatened and fired back. We gained some help from the Eldar in exchange for helping them destroy the Necron threat."
"So it was your forces that aided in the escape of Farseer Taldeer," Silvermane stated, a little accusation in his ancient voice.
The Admiral shrugged, "We figured that since the Eldar had helped us before it was only right to return the favour."
"And have you been keeping contact with the Eldar since?"
The Alliance commander's eyes narrowed, "Our relationships with other nations would be considered confidential."
"Off course," the Inquisitor allowed a small smile. "My apologies, you are correct."
The old man turned to his associate, who after a moment of hesitation nodded her head.
"Is the interrogation over?" Jaden asked, looking to the Admiral with a thoughtful frown. Although the information he had given was negligible it still seemed like he was putting too much trust into the Lord Inquisitor far too early for his liking.
The Lord Inquisitor did not respond right away, turning his head to look the Jedi Knight in the eye. "Yes, young one, the interrogation is indeed over. Robyn my dear can you get in touch with the transport and have it dock with their vessel."
"Jaden, contact the Guardian and inform them that an Imperial vessel will be inbound, it is full of Alliance personnel. Have medical teams and security standby, and do not initiate any hostilities with the crew." Halos ordered, watching as the Jedi Knight nodded and reached for his comlink.
"Thank you for being truthful, Admiral." Silvermane said simply, smiling. "As promised your people will be returned to you, and there will be no surprises on the transport. I only ask that the crew be allowed to leave unharmed."
"Off course, once the prisoners have been unloaded the transport will be allowed to leave unhindered. They will be placed under constant guard by our security details, is that understood."
"Completely," the Inquisitor replied with a nod before turning back to his advisor. "Please, relay that information to the crew."
"Off course, my lord," Vallace replied before relaying the information.
"Now that the nagging little details are out of the way we can get onto business." Silvermane reached into the folds of his robes and procured a dataslate, turning it on and inputting the password before handing it to the Admiral. Halos raised a brow as he took the device, noticing that the information was in Imperial script.
"I am afraid I am not literate in Imperial languages, Lord Inquisitor." Halos said wryly, handing the device back.
"I apologise." Silvermane replied, immediately realising his mistake. "I am offering your people an agreement, signed for by the Fabricator General of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Inquisitorial Representative of the Inquisition and the Master of the Administratum, all members of the highest council in the Imperium of Man, the High Lords of Terra. These are the men I represent."
"What are they asking of us?" If Halos was right in his assertion then the representatives this man spoke off carried the same authority as the Interior Cabinet of the Chief of State, some of the most important and powerful individuals in the Galactic Alliance.
"Within this dataslate is an official pardon for all aggressive actions partaken against us by your own forces." Silvermane explained. "It also lists a set of terms and conditions. I can have it translated into your own language, although I think it will mean officers from both our forces working together."
"I will like to have these translated," The Admiral nodded, turning to Jaden to see his advisor allow a small smile and a nod. The orders had been relayed and acknowledged. He turned to see the Lord Inquisitors own advisor leaning forward, whispering into her superiors ear, most likely the same thing Jaden was noting to him. He had faith in Captain Flore to see to it that nothing happened, but what about her Imperial opposite?
"And copies will be sent to your people," Silvermane placated. "Would you like me to give you the basics?"
Halos nodded.
"The agreement states that the ships and personnel of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances are hereby pardoned forthwith from any past aggressive action made against the Imperium of Mankind, her vassals, allies and subjects. The ships and personnel of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances are hereby to be given Letters of Marque, allowing them free movement and independence in Imperial territory so long as they continue to aide Imperial worlds in matters of defence and piracy. That is the basic terms of the agreement." Silvermane spoke these words with surety, eyes closed as he explained. "In basic terms it means that you and your people can continue doing what until recently you have been doing, except without the need to look over your shoulders for our own forces."
"You're giving us free reign?" Halos asked, eyes narrowing and brow furrowed as he attempted to make sense of the situation. "You're allowing us complete freedom of movement?"
"But off course, although there are conditions to this." Silvermane allowed.
"Why would you give us such freedom?"
"For starters those I represent truly believe your story, that you are simply a lost fleet who wishes nothing more than to return home." Silvermane began. "You understand that what they are doing is considered an incredible risk, with our own culture and opinion on first contacts. They simply wish to deal with you quietly, hopefully send you home and permanently close the Pandora's Box before it can ever be fully opened."
"Close the Pandora's Box?" Halos asked, frowning.
"We could just hunt you down and destroy you, which would be the easiest option I will admit." Silvermane said, noticing the soldiers behind Halos tense, and a sudden glint in his advisors eye. He knew for a fact this man, dressed in flowing brown robes, was not a simple advisor. "However the ones I represent are thinking ahead of time. What if a much larger force comes looking for you? What if they find us? We were able to gain some information from that disaster on Topaz Admiral, mainly from what information the interrogations supplied."
Halos remained silent, waiting for Silvermane to continue.
"An Alliance of several hundred thousand nations and worlds all united together, humans and aliens who have worked and lived together through thousands of years." Silvermane stated simply, eyes sharp and focused. "The Imperium of Mankind has no wish to begin a war with such a power, especially with what we are dealing with at the moment."
The problems facing the Imperium were many and numerous, whole sectors seceding in civil war, whispers from the Eye of Terror of a new Crusade by the Forces of Chaos, an insatiable hunger was slowly encroaching from the Segmentum Ultima, Orks rising on dozens of worlds. Yes, the Imperium can handle all of that; it has done so for countless millennia, but to suddenly be in the eye of another galactic nation, to have to fight a force which could raise an army and navy which would match theirs, there were many who wished for such a conflict, but there were some, including those he represented, who did not. They may win such a war, but to fight and defeat such a force could potentially cripple the Imperium.
Then there was the potential social mayhem of knowing of such a place existed. Humans and xenos living and working together would cause anarchy, chaos and civil unrest. The masses would cry out to make the humans of that nation see that what they were doing was sinful, a heresy against the Imperium and the Emperor of Mankind. There would be demand for a grand crusade which would dwarf everything else in history since the great wars of the Horus Herest ten thousand years before. Attention would be firmly on that and not to more pressing threats.
Silvermane knew the Imperial hierarchy, he knew how the Imperium of Mankind operated, and while a great Crusade to bring enlightenment to heathen humans from another galaxy was a grand and noble ideal, it was also something they could not afford to do. He was a realist, and the forces of Chaos were coming, their whispers in the warp grew stronger with each passing day. The Thirteenth Black Crusade was coming, and with all of their forces held up in another galaxy, far from home and fighting a nation which rivalled their own. This was a recipe for annihilation.
"We await your decision, Admiral." He said at last. "We will send our own officers to reconnoitre with yours, translate the information and give me your response."
"We will, and thank you for bringing my people home."
Silvermane was surprised, although he didn't let it show. The man thanked him for returning his people to him, something which no Imperial commanders would ever do. This man had fought wars, but he had fought wars that ended and he still felt a need to care for his people, his crews. It was an admirable quality, something which Silvermane knew the Imperium had lost. It was also a weakness which could be exploited.
"You are welcome, Admiral." Silvermane allowed. "How long do you need?"
"Just a few days," Halos replied. "We'll remain in position over the planet, if you would like to do the same."
"We will." Silvermane replied, before a sudden thought hit him. "Perhaps we can use this time to understand each other better, Admiral."
"What are you proposing?"
"Just a temporary exchange of personnel, perhaps my own advisor with your own," the Lord Inquisitor replied. "Consider it another gesture of faith, for the duration of these negotiations Inquisitor Vallace will remain on your vessel, under guard off course, to better understand your alliance. At the same time your own advisor will accompany me aboard the Royal Oak, learning more about our own people and culture."
"A cultural exchange?" Halos asked.
"Why not, as you said we will remain here for the duration of the negotiations," The Lord Inquisitor smiled what he hoped was a disarming smile. "Why not try to understand each other better, if not as allies then as temporary partners until you and your people are able to return home."
Halos frowned, turning to Jaden. "What is your opinion of this?"
Jaden looked slightly confused by this, "It is your choice Admiral."
"Don't give me that, Master Sabbath would have my head if I did something like this without your permission, and I consider council from a Jedi to be as good as that from my most trusted military advisors. What is your opinion?"
So this one was what is called a Jedi, Silvermane realised, although he had already given away information himself by calling Robyn an Inquisitor. It interested him however, were these Jedi similar to the Inquisition, or something else entirely. The Lord Inquisitor admitted that he was deeply intrigued.
The Jedi, Jaden, took a breath and looked right into Silvermane's eyes for a long moment. The Lord Inquisitor felt something then, something foreign but not entirely welcome, the warp, no, something else. This intrigued him even more. The Jedi broke eye contact after several seconds before turning back to the Admiral. "I will agree to such an exchange, but only if the agreement is mutual."
"Robyn?"
The woman with raven hair looked to her superior for several moments, and then her eyes turned and locked with those of the Admiral. Finally after several tense moments she turned back to her superior and flashed a nervous, but trusting smile. "Sure, could be fun."
"Very well," Silvermane rose from his chair, followed by Halos a moment later, "How about a leap of faith, Admiral?"
The two of them shook hands, deal completed, "A leap of faith sounds good, Lord Inquisitor."
They were ready.
Razorwing Jetfighters screamed as they soared overhead, circling around the assembly grounds like a flock of hungry carrion birds ready to strike, twin contrails of flame from their rear engines leaving thin trails of black smoke in the low light.
On the high hills surrounding the flat land were groups of Reaver Jetbikes and light transport Venoms, the thrum of their engines filled the air in the absence of the nightmarish screams of their aerial support. Within the natural protection of the small valley were ranks of Kabalite warriors, armed with splinter weapons and black armour gleaming. Wyches huddled in circles and Hellions dismounted from their skyboards, beastmasters keeping their own hordes of flesh eating alien beasts under tight control, waiting for the bloodletting to begin.
They were ready.
All they required was the arrival of their master.
The portal of the dark webway flickered and sparked, and finally he arrived. The Archon arrived at the stem of a sleek Ravager gunship, long black cloak billowing like a writhing shadow behind him as he exited the webway. Behind him on the deck were a unit of elite Incubi warriors, his own personal guard, standing to attention yet ready for anything.
The Ravager finally exited the webway, yet the gate did not close, for its purpose was not yet complete. Another crackle of energy signalled the arrival of another Ravager, then another, followed close behind by smaller but no less deadly forms of heavily armoured Raiders. The anti-grav war machines settled on solid ground, and the small army of elite Dark Eldar crack troops boarded without hesitation.
Kabalites, Wyches and groups of mercenary Mandrakes boarded the vessels as Hellions threw their skyboards before them and took to the skies with shouts and whoops of bloodthirsty glee. Their roars of ecstasy were soon drowned out by the howls of Jetbikes as the surrounding horde gunned the throttle and exploded into life.
Standing on the bow of his lead Ravager, Archon Deathstrike pulled his lips back into a feral smile of razor sharp teeth as he raised his war helm and placed it over his head, ancient sensors activating. He placed his hand on the smooth hilt of his Huskblade, most prized of his weapons, a spoil of war taken when he defeated and killed the last Archon of the Kabal of the Dead Sun, his Kabal.
"Kaleen," he said simply, rasping voice barely heard over the thrum of the great gunships engines.
"My Lord," the Wych appeared kneeling behind him, head bowed.
"Order the advance."
"It will be done."
"Letters of Marque?"
"That is what he is proposing to us," Halos nodded as he sat on the command chair of the shuttle, cup of caff in hand as he looked at the small blue hued figures of Vice-Admiral Rosso, Captain Flare , Captain Blue and Jedi Master Sabbath, though the Masters slightly distorted image showed his location in the wilderness of their haven world. "In essence he is proposing that we be granted a full pardon and, for the duration of our stay, continue on as we have until now."
"Continue as we have?" Rosso frowned noticeably even with her small stature.
"Continue to operate in the region as a scouting and anti-piracy defence, though if there are any serious threats in the region we are to report it to the central naval hub." The Admiral explained as he took a sip of his caff. "Other than that they have promised us complete independence so long as our actions don't bring us into confrontation with their forces."
"Do you believe this?" Flare asked.
Halos shrugged, "Everything seems fairly legitimate, though I will withhold my assertion until the documents have been fully translated and read over."
"So how long do you believe the negotiations will last, Admiral?" Gabriel asked.
"A couple of days, a week tops." Halos replied. "Rosso I want your taskforce to remain near the star system, but keep changing your position in case this is a ploy. I don't want my ships backup to be blindsided. Until these negotiations come to an end Master Sabbath and Captain Blue are in charge of our forces and the protection of Haven."
"Yes, Admiral." They all said in unison, Rosso, Blue and Flare saluting while the Jedi master nodded.
"I also want your personal opinion Master Sabbath," The Admiral continued. "The lead negotiator has proposed a sort of cultural exchange between our two forces, and Jedi Knight Korr has volunteered."
"How trustworthy would you say this representative is?"
Joseph Halos was silent for a moment, "I believe he is a man who keeps his word."
"I have complete faith in Korr's abilities and judge of character. If he agrees with this exchange then I have no issue with the matter." Sabbath replied.
"Understood, I will inform Jedi Korr that you agree with the proposal." Halos nodded before turning back to Blue. "Have there been any issues with Haven?"
"All quiet on our front," Blue replied. "I've taken the liberty of granting the crews shore leave in intervals, if it can be met with your approval?"
"Off course, I give you my approval so long as you can keep your half of the fleet combat ready." The Admiral nodded in agreement.
"Yes Admiral."
"Good, you're all dismissed."
Rosso, Blue and Flore both saluted, their holographic images fizzling away, but Gabriel's remained, blue hued image flickering and distorting. The Admiral did not reply, simply waited for the Jedi master to ask his questions.
"Are you sure that these guys are trustworthy?" Gabriel asked, even through the distortion Halos could see his frown.
"Are you feeling anything to the contrary?" Halos asked.
"I feel something, something... disconcerting, but that is all." The Jedi replied, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe I've been here for too long, I'm jumping at shadows."
"Same can be said for me," the Admiral replied. "And yes, I don't completely believe what the Lord Inquisitor is telling me is true. They've been trying to eradicate us for the last several months, why put forward this peace proposal now?"
"Well I always had the opinion that the individual members of the Imperium were not so different from their opposite numbers in the Galactic Alliance," Gabriel replied. "Not so much in our case because it's a closely aligned coalition, but because of the communications technology and internal structure, many worlds would have to govern and protect themselves."
"I agree," Halos replied. "With all of the governments and planets we have come into contact with we have seen a myriad a different political structures, democracies, monarchies, oligarchies, theocracies, dictatorships, military states, even small empires... it seems that this Imperium has every kind of government under its umbrella."
"So you think the events of Topaz were an isolated incident?"
"If I said that you would call me naive," Halos chided.
"With good reason," Sabbath replied.
"I am not that naive, I've read over everything I can find about the Imperium of Mankind, its history, its culture, its political structure. I know who they are and what they're capable off." The Admiral replied. "The problem is if the roles were reversed, if it was our galaxy that went through what they have gone through then we might not be so different, fighting against aliens and monsters for thousands of years, continuously, I can see why they do the things they do."
There was silence for a moment, "But that doesn't mean that we will just roll over, right?"
"No," Halos replied. "That does not mean we will just give up and die. What happened to them over the centuries was indeed tragic, but I will not allow that to dictate my actions or my duties to this fleet, our people. The Twi'leks do not deserve to be subject to that kind of persecution and extermination, neither do the Bothans, the Wookiees, the Zeltrons, the Togruta, the Duros, the Barabels... no member race of the GFFA deserves that kind of fate, and they will not get it, not on my watch."
"I see," Gabriel allowed, though a small smile was on his face.
"Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Yeah, that's what I wanted to hear."
"Then Jedi Master, continue training your students and leave this diplomatic nonsense to me."
"That I will do Admiral," Sabbath replied. "Good luck."
"Same to you, my friend," Halos replied before ending the transmission. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling of the shuttle. The place he will be staying for the duration of the negotiations, a shuttle originally designed as a troop carrier, surrounded and protected by a small army of marines. Well at least his opposite number was in a similar situation.
"Are you comfortable?"
His captive did not reply, she simply looked up at him and glared murderously. It was a trait which was rare, an Eldar of his Craftworld kin with such a loose grasp on her emotions. It was a small miracle in and of itself that the Prince of Pleasure had not taken her.
That was fine with him, as one who perfected the craft of torture he knew there was something fulfilling about breaking his Craftworld cousins compared to that of other races. Humans were too easy to break, Orks seemed to feel nothing, but Eldar of her ilk were special, they kept a tight grasp on their emotions, so when they broke it was as satisfying as breaking through a hard outer shell to the feast within.
The Haemunculi smiled cruelly as he approached, a tall and lithe figure draped in shimmering black armour, unlike most of his trade he enjoyed jumping into the battlefield. It was the only way he could gain the prisoners he wanted for his torture chambers. His flesh gauntlet flexed with the fingers of his right hand as he reached out with his left to grip her chin roughly and make her look at him, those pretty silver eyes would look well in a jar, he revelled at her screams as he would pluck them out.
"You know what awaits you, don't you?" he whispered the words, soft as a lover, into her beautifully crafted long ears, trailing a long delicate finger along the fine line of her jaw and suppressing a smile as she shivered in revulsion. "You will be one of the prettiest things on my table in a long time, and because of that I will make you writhe, pleasure, pain, agony... you won't know what the next touch will bring."
She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened like a vice, fingers digging into her skin rough enough to bruise, yet she did not utter a sound. The Haemunculi knew that this one was going to be very special, which meant the moment when she would finally break would be both the sweetest nectar and the greatest sorrow.
She spat in his face, it was sudden and surprising, but instead of this angering him it only caused him to smile. He was getting to her, which was always good. This, however, did worry him somewhat. "By looking at you I would say that you were an Eldar, but your manners remind me a great deal of those disgusting Mon'Keigh. I hope you will not break like they do, it is most unfulfilling, little more than a cheap source of entertainment"
He slapped her across the cheek, revelling as she winced at the stinging sensation before looking at him, that fire did not dissipate, not for an instant. With a cackle he flexed the long sinewy bladed claws of his gauntlet, and turned to one of his subordinates. "Take her below, and don't you dare touch her. She is mine."
He turned on his heel and walked away, revelling as he heard her resist as his apprentices each grabbed an arm and hauled her to her feet, unbreakable glimmering chains making sure she did not try anything foolish. He ascended the black steps and grunted as a blast of cold air stung his skin and tussled his black hair. He walked across the deck of the Gunship, knowing where his lord would be without a moments doubt.
He was at the front of the ship, watching as they closed in on their destination, when on a raid he would always be there, like a symbol of his power and authority, when in battle he was always the first to enter the fray and always the first to make a kill in close quarters, this earned him the name Deathstrike.
The Haemonculi stood a full head taller than him, lankier in appearance, yet the moment the black soulless eyes of his master fell on him he kneeled and bowed his head. "Tired of your cherished prisoner already?"
"Not at all," he replied. "I simply wish to be aware of when we enter battle, and when I will get more."
"We will arrive at the settlement in another hour," the Archon replied, turning on his heel and taking a few fluid steps towards his master interrogator. "As predicted the mists have fallen from the east. They will not know of our presence until we are upon them."
"And what of their... orbital defences, won't they enter the fray once we attack?"
"Six vessels, escort class," The Archon replied. "They are far enough away that they would not be an immediate problem."
"Even so we would need to move quickly," the Haemonculi allowed. "If those vessels caught wind of us and made it back in time we will be overpowered."
"You question me?" Deathstrikes voice was low, but the words sent chills up the interrogators spine.
"No, my Lord, off course not."
"It sounded like you were," the Archon stated idly, hand on the hilt of his Huskblade, drawing it enough for the Haemonculi to see the shimmering of its blade in the low light. "Do not question me, Haemonculi. You may be the finest of your craft I have seen in centuries but that does not make you important enough to be saved from my blade, remember that."
"Y-yes, my Lord."
There were very few in the galaxy which frightened him, but his master was one such being. His animosity, his strength, his cruelty and his malice was so great that even those within their society with great power, like Lelith Hesperax, Kruellagh of the Emasculators and even the Supreme Archon of the Black Heart, Asdrubel Vect, knew of his name.
Archon Deathstrike did not command such power or influence, but with time, another century or two, he could.
Author's Note: I'm back! Damn it's almost been two years. I apologise in advance for that guys, but this update should belay your fears that, no, I have not abandoned this story and, yes, I will be updating again in the future. I'm hoping to avoid any potholes concerning this but there will be some... my Dark Eldar codex is only 2nd Edition, if anyone has the latest let me know, or better yet send it to me.
So onto questions, why did it take me so long? I had originally written a rough draft for this chapter a year ago but my computer crashed before I could tweak and publish it, which pissed me off. To make matters worse I was stuck on a roadblock for the start of the chapter until about a week ago I deleted the thing and started from scratch, so here we are.
Why jump right forward to the negotiations? That was the block, I admit, so instead of trying to force myself to write what happens before I decided to just skip to the negotiations and guess what, I got this written within a week. Why the hell didn't I think about this the first time...? University, final year, looking for a job, in a shit job with nothing to do with my degree, got into a Naruto thing for a while (2 years)... shut up!
Why with the cultural exchange? I thought it would be fun, a Jedi Knight on an Imperial vessel and an Inquisitor on an Alliance vessel, the flagships at that. Tell me you're not interested in what we can get up too with this idea.
Who is the prisoner of the Dark Eldar? I'll give you three guesses, but if you've read my last work you'll only need one.
Will Revan or a Sith Empire make an appearance? I do not know.
Will there be resurrections of deceased Jedi/Sith? God, no, I'd like to think I have evolved enough as a writer to not rely on that plot.
Any other questions let me know and I will try and answer them with the next chapter, or with the reply function in the reviews panel, depends on my laziness level.