In a room of darkness, a single bright light shone down upon Basil, forcing him to squint his golden eyes while standing at attention in his black tunic and black pants. It's been more than four years since I've been in this room, Basil thought. Been here in this position, he added, considering that he had interrogated a number of individuals for Matthias during that time. He contemplated the changes he had undergone since that day. He was fully dressed, plus taller and stronger, having begun puberty.
"You have been watched over the past four years," a voice said, its characteristics garbled by the voice scrambler it was run through. "Watched by the Inquisition. Watched by the Ordo Malleus. Watched by the Ordo Xenos. And watched most closely by the Ordo Hereticus."
Formulaic words, taken from a script, and generated by a machine rather than a human, Basil decided in his head. A scrambler will not prevent me from recognizing that, it is readily apparent.
"And now for the Ascension vote," the voice continued. "If you receive three Yeas, you will be accepted into the Inquisition as a full member, with all the powers and Responsibilities that entails. But, if you do not, there will be a reckoning. Being judged as a failure creates too much resentment to allow to go on unchecked. At the least, your mind will be scrubbed of this proceeding and your entire training. You might be reduced to a servitor, or in some cases, simply terminated. There is no backing out now."
Matthias and Draegoth, I have confidence in their decisions, Basil decided. But Masina, she troubles me. She always has, in ways I cannot unravel.
"The Ordo Malleus," said the garbled voice. "Your vote please."
"The Ordo Malleus casts a vote of Yea," answered a different garbled voice.
If I did not already know Matthias was the representative of the Ordo Malleus here, I would still recognize that voice, Basil told himself. My familiarity with him is too much for a scrambler to hide.
"The Ordo Xenos," said the first garbled voice. "Your vote please."
"The Ordo Xenos casts a vote of Yea," answered a third garbled voice.
Of course, that is Draegoth, Basil concluded. I do not know him as well as Matthias, but I know him well enough.
"The Ordo Hereticus," said the first garbled voice. "Your vote please."
Will Masina have me terminated? Basil asked himself while he awaited the answer.
"The Ordo Hereticus…casts a vote of Yea," answered a fourth garbled voice.
Relief filled Basil. That's not Masina's voice, he quickly realized. That is Sirsay's voice. Did they raise her first to avoid a confrontation with Masina, or did they see that she was raised long ago and keep that detail secret?
The light shining down upon Basil extinguished but he continued to quietly stand at attention in the darkness. He heard the sounds of three individuals standing and the sounds of two walking to the door. The door opened, but there was no light outside either to give away the identities of those leaving. The door slid closed.
Light filled the room.
Standing in front of Basil was a single individual, Inquisitor Matthias in a simple blue tunic and pants. He calmly stared at Basil with his dark eyes, then finally spoke. "Inquisitor Basil, we will now begin a new and important aspect of your training. The Void Spectres were created as a part of the twenty-first founding, created from the seed of the Exorcists who had themselves just been created, and their members were also inducted into the new chapter following the same Rites of Initiation as the Exorcists used. I was a part of those Rites, either as lead or as a supporting actor, for each initiate into the first company of the Void Spectres. What I am about to tell you is a Rite which you can be terminated for knowing, a Rite for which you can be terminated by the Inquisition for participating in."
"That Rite consists of the deliberate introduction of a daemon to the initiate, a forced possession of a servant of the Imperium by a daemon. A possession that you will participate in bringing about and you will participate in ending through exorcism," Matthias said. "Your training will commence as we begin our search for the Condenser. There is no hurry as Apothecary Fynn has only begun the testing of his three new recruits and has not even begun the organ implantation upon said recruits."
A/N I still do not know how long I will remain on Covid-19 lockdown (as high risk, not sick) but I may be called back to work soon to work 7-12s (every day of the week for 12 hours each day). Until then, I hope to keep putting a new part out every week or two.
