Early 36th Millennium, Reign of Blood
High orbit over Abalus, just beyond the Abalatian Pass and within the Abalatian Reach
Interrogation Room of the Veiled Strike, Inquisitorial Strike Cruiser

In a room of darkness, a single bright light shone down upon Basil. He squinted from the light in his eyes and stood at attention, dressed only in his smallclothes. Basil was lean, but too young to have developed much musculature. He felt naked, but that was due to the missing familiarity of his Wyrdvane Staff rather than his minimal clothing. No wounds or scars were visible on his body. I've got a few questions, he decided while contemplating his wound-free body. But something tells me I won't be asking any, he decided with a smirk.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," snapped a voice.

He immediately complied. The voice came from a man standing in front of Basil in the darkness, making him difficult to look at. A tall man in a black tunic with black pants. Designed to further the darkness, the boy quickly decided. The man's long white hair was the only thing that stood out from the darkness. And a contrast to concentrate on.

"Apothecary Fynn kept you in a medically induced coma until you were fully healed…and fully tested for corruption," the man said in a calm and steady voice.

At least that question got answered, Basil thought while contemplating his lack of wounds or scars. But what's an Apothecary? He focused on the man in front of him. He's a psyker too, I can feel it, Basil noted in his head while considering the man questioning him.

"You were recovered far from the rest of the Wyrdvane Psyker squad you were assigned to," the man said. "That recovery was far from the Rus 105th Infantry squad you and the other psykers were seconded to. How did you reach that location?"

"After everyone else was killed, I was instructed to complete the mission by Guardsman Lerriksen," Basil answered. "I used the position tracker on Commissar Valkina's combat knife to lead me to the coordinates noted at the end of her journal."

"You have not fully answered my question," the man snapped back.

"I don't understand," Basil answered.

"How did you break the code?" the man asked, his voice sharper. "When did Commissar Valkina give it to you?"

What is he talking about? Basil asked himself. Then the images popped into his head. The symbols reforming and rearranging themselves until he could read them. "I don't know. The code just reformed before my eyes and then I could read it. I figured it was some sort of psychic trigger," he added.

The man simply blinked a single time then stared at him.

"Are you Inquisitor Matthias?" Basil asked, seeing his chance. "And what is an Inquisitor?" he added, then smirked. Ha! I got two questions in, he laughed to himself, then quickly smoothed out his face.

"My name is Matthias Rasine," the man answered. "And I am an Inquisitor. But for now, you will refer to me as Master Matthias."

Master? Basil asked himself. Thoughts raced through his head. Am I a slave or an apprentice? Is there a difference? Fearing retribution for not answering, he quickly added, "Yes, Master Matthias."

"And what do you remember of the clearing?" the Inquisitor asked.

"Everything," Basil answered. "Everything til I dropped from the bullets I took," he added looking down at his bare chest and stomach.

"Go on," the Inquisitor said. "And leave no detail out."

Basil proceeded to explain his recollection of the event to the best of his ability. Entering the clearing. The female Aeldari and the children. Sensing the 'wrongness' in the entity controlling the Rus soldier. The words exchanged between the entity and the Aeldari as well as the fact that he understood their words. Shielding her and the children. Joining his power to the Aeldari and being shot many times. The words he shared with the Aeldari after the entity was banished. Falling unconscious.

"Aiding the Aeldari against other humans is a sin punishable by death," Inquisitor Matthias said. "Do you repent your sin?"

Basil thought for a moment, then made a decision. "No," he said. "I would do it again." He made himself stand a little taller and then asked, "Are you going to kill me now?"

"No," the Inquisitor answered as a matter of fact. "But others would. Remember that and tell no one."

"Yes, Master," Basil answered.

"The Warp entity you faced is another matter entirely though," the Inquisitor said. "Knowledge alone of its existence is sufficient cause for termination, though some cases may be remedied with a mind scrub." He paused and stared at the boy for a moment, "But a mind scrub typically leaves the individual less than he was before and I cannot settle for that. Individuals with your potential must be used to preserve Humanity for it to have a chance to last another five millennia."

I'm not sure I'm gonna like where this is going, Basil decided, yet bit his tongue.

"Humanity faces threats from without and from within," Matthias said. "At no other times in the history of the Imperium has that been more evident than during the Horus Heresy, the War of the Beast, and now."

Horus Heresy? Basil asked in his head. I've heard of it but don't know anything about it. War of the Beast? Now?

"I can see the struggle in your face," Matthias said, his stern face thoughtful for a moment. "We are far from Holy Terra and, after putting aside the time spent in stasis during transits for fear of your power, you are barely a decade old, a child. You have barely had the opportunity to hear whispers of such things in passing, much less in study."

Basil remained quiet in anticipation.

"Five millennia ago, half the Emperor's Space Marines declared allegiance to powers greater than you faced alongside that Aeldari. And the galaxy burned for it," the Inquisitor said. "In that hour of need, the Inquisition was born to combat the foes of Humanity in secret and given great power to do so by the Emperor himself."

"I'm in," Basil said. "I figure that's where this is leading and I don't get to make too many choices." He smirked. Even if I don't have a choice now, I can still pretend to.

"Do not treat this is a game, boy," the Inquisitor snapped back. "Your life is not the only thing at stake here," he added. "Your very soul is, as well as the lives and souls of countless billions more. This is a fight for the very soul of Humanity and, from your actions today, I know you recognize the danger of our Great Enemy."

The boy kept quiet, humbled and ashamed.

"There is much for you to learn," the man added. "In the end, you may fight at my side, or as an equal, but that day is not now. It is far more likely that you will be killed serving me, as your predecessor was." His dark eyes bored into the golden ones of the boy.

"But first, the ground rules must be put into place," he said. "You will not touch the Warp without my permission," the Inquisitor began.

"Yes Master," the boy answered.

"When I command you to surrender your power to my control, you will do so immediately and without question," he continued in his calm, steady voice.

"Yes Master," Basil answered again. Focus, he snapped in his head. Do not let him lull you into a stupor.

"There will be times that you have access to the tomes and datamodules of my collection," Matthias began. "Do not view their contents or so much as touch them except on my direct command."

"Yes, Master," the boy answered.

"Breaking of these rules makes you subject to termination," Matthias added. "Termination if you are lucky and your soul and body have not already been lost to Damnation."

"Yes Master," the boy added one more time.

"Now, follow me," the Inquisitor added. "You will get dressed and then we will go to the hangar bay where you will meet Apothecary Fynn and we will wait for our new guests."

The Inquisitor turned around and vanished into the darkness. Basil listened to his footsteps and followed despite being unable to see the Inquisitor. I could just latch onto the Warp, he thought. I could see him real easy then. He thought better of it. A moment later, a light abruptly appeared a few metres in front of him and Basil saw the Inquisitor passing through an open doorway.

As he reached the door, Basil quickly assessed the restrictions he now faced. He then compared them to what he had been held to in the training program of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica as well as to what he had experienced of life while serving as a Wyrdvane Psyker and reached a conclusion.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.