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Chapter 18: Kronus: Aftermath
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Part 1
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His Holy Light
Dauntless Class Light Cruiser Temple Ship
en route to Kronus
As soon as news about the Imperial Guard moving in force towards Kronus reached Cardinal Maxwell Lin, the Sector's spiritual leader, the old man moved the heavens themselves to get an expedition underway. It was long known among the Ecclesiarchy in the region that the Cardinal opposed abandoning Imperial worlds to the despicable Tau at every opportunity. Cardinal Lin was also a loud voice for reclaiming lost systems. More importantly, the citizens left to the Xenos' terrible whims. Unfortunately, opportunities to fix such wrongs failed to materialize for decades.
Until now that is.
That was how Missionary Jacob Wolf found himself sent to Kronus with utmost dispatch as soon as he returned from his last mission – bringing a feudal world into the fold. That had been a relatively straightforward and simple affair. The locals loved the Imperial Creed. That was especially true when it came with a semblance of passable technology improving their lot in life. Tech-priests exiled from Stygies VII for being too vocal in their interpretations of Mechanicus Doctrine saw to that with the inimitable passion of people who had something to prove.
Jacob crossed his large arms in front of his chest and gripped his elbows, a habit showing his immense frustration.
"You'd think we're flying straight at Holy Terra!" Steel-like muscles shifted and Wolf's hands formed the Aquila, before returning to gripping his elbows.
A few years ago, just before leaving for Jackman's World, Jacob had the utmost privilege of meeting Saint Anais, the newest Living Saint serving with the Order of the Sacred Rose. The blessed woman had just arrived in their corner of the Ultima Segmentum to aid in smiting the Emperor's enemies along with Canoness Selena Agna and substantial reinforcements all the way from Pacificus.
There was no mistaking the soothing radiance of the Emperor after you experienced it once. It was Divinity. It was Humanity's Faith made manifest for everyone to see and bask into!
What the Navigators of the small Ecclesiarchy fleet described, along with the raving words of the handful of Sanctioned Psykers on board, pointed at a simple conclusion. Something momentous happened on Kronus. Perhaps the Emperor agreed with Cardinal Lin and sent one of his rare Saints to bring the faithful back into the fold and save them from Xeno predations?
For days now, everyone on board not busy running the ship or guarding critical areas had been praying reverently to the God-Emperor for guidance and salvation.
Despite his faith, Wolf found it hard to believe the Emperor answered all the way out here when there would be so many more important places across the Imperium deserving His attention more. Of course, such a thought was presumptuous in itself. Jacob certainly didn't dare consider himself an expert on what the Emperor might deem valuable enough for His attention!
The large black man smiled mirthlessly. His lips moved in silent prayer, revealing two rolls of golden teeth etched with holy symbols. A much younger Jacob got them thanks to a particularly vicious Ork who sucker-punched him twice, while he tried to explain to the brute the Emperor's light.
In hindsight, trying to convert a half-dead burning Ork might have been a bit over-zealous. Even the Confessor in charge of purging the greenskins' incursion had agreed, before dousing the brute with even more holy flame.
He often thought about that nameless Confessor. The old man had forsaken his name after retiring from the Imperial Guard. The Confessor lived only to safeguard the faith and souls of the citizenry under his protection. The Confessor taught Jacob several important life lessons. While there was a place for zeal and blind faith, occasionally, you had to temper them with reason. The Imperium was large, and the God-Emperor usually had more important things to do than help young fools with an overly inflated sense of importance. That was especially true when those same fools didn't stop for a moment and think, using what little sense the Emperor might have blessed them with.
Jacob didn't consider himself a particularly bright man. If he was, he might have joined the Adeptus Mechanicus, serving the God-Emperor in his Omnissiah guise. Instead, it was the Faith that drew him in, rose him from the streets, and showed him the way.
The Missionary never regretted his chosen path, even if many of his colleagues were a bit too in love with burning incense. That was especially true over the past few days, resulting in thick clouds of white smoke carrying through the great ship's corridors. At least they had access to the tolerable incense this time around.
Armored boots clacked over the deck, and a tall figure clad in power armor joined Jacob near the entrance to the bridge. Jacob's nose twitched at the sharp smell of holy oils and freshly applied purity seals.
"Missionary Wolf, I'm glad to report everything seems in order. All vital areas of the ship are secure, and there are no problems reported." Palatine Andrea Weber offered crisply.
The older woman bore a beautiful face marred by burn-scars. Her right cheek was a mess of scar tissue, which stopped right before it could touch the Sororitas' tattoo she wore proudly. Her calm hazel eyes systematically scanned everything in sight, searching for anything out of place.
"That's a relief. Shall, we, sister?" Wolf offered a courteous nod and waved at the armored door leading to the bridge.
"After you, Missionary Wolf."
Jacob nodded graciously. While not exactly a pious thing to do, watching the Sisters of Battle strut around in their combat regalia was a beautiful thing to behold both on the best and worst of days. It might be better if they were doing so out of their power armors. However, by now Jacob knew better than to ever suggest something like that aloud.
What little original teeth he had left after that Ork nearly caved his face in, a Sister of Battle removed at the end of his foolish youth. The sight has been almost worth a shattered jaw and nearly ending as a human torch.
Almost, but not quite. It certainly wasn't worth the penance the Confessor made him endure as a consequence. After those days, he had been a very respectful lad and kept his eyes and thoughts to himself. It was much safer that way. Besides, if a Sister of Battle showed an interest in him, then who he was to refuse? And it was safer that way because it helped avoid unfortunate misunderstandings.
They entered the bridge together and were surprised to see the Navigator outside of his alcove. The middle-aged woman had a huge smile on her face. Her two blue human eyes cried tears of apparent joy, and the third was freshly seared shut.
One of the two other regular Sanctioned Psykers on board was present as well. That troubled young man was on his knees near the Captain's throne, praying with surprising fervor.
"We saw Him!" The navigator bounced on her heels. "His light is covering everything around us! It burned the Daemons away! Their screams of pain, a terror, were something to behold!"
"I don't know what I should pray for." Jacob quietly observed. "That something so momentous happened on Kronus that required His attention twice in less than a week? Or that the Navigators are mistaken." And potentially compromised.
The Palatine's gaze merely flickered to the squad she had stationed on the bridge. It was made of her most experienced, devoted, and level headed sisters. They all wielded blessed weapons and were ready in case of treachery, no matter the source.
She still prayed their intervention wouldn't be necessary. The Navigators might be mutants, however, they were sanctioned by the God-Emperor himself. They were vital for the functioning of the Temple Ships as well.
"Right now, the Warp is the calmest we've ever experienced. We should arrive in the system within the hour." The Captain explained. "We no longer have to plow our ways through Daemons. Nothing is assaulting the Gellar Field anymore."
"I told you!" The Navigator skipped around happily, like a fresh novice during the Sanguina's celebrations. "It was the Emperor!" She pointed at the still praying Psyker. "We're Sanctioned Psykers bound to the Emperor Himself. We've felt his presence back on Holy Terra. There is no mistaking it! This is His power surrounding and protecting us! It was His presence we felt descend upon Kronus! You'll see!"
"Get that eye checked up and calm down." The Captain rubbed his forehead. "Your thoughts, Missionary Wolf?"
"This is too good to be true. My Faith is strong. I pray and hope for the best. However, we must be prepared for the worst." Jacob firmly stated.
The Sisters of Battle nodded in agreement. He was sure they were busy praying under their helmets.
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Part 2
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Victory Bay
Kronus
Two Inquisitors And a General met at the hospital… which was like the start of a bad and worn-out joke.
We were still in the hospital, and this time, I wasn't the one stuck in bed. That was progress, right? Still, everything, including pieces that shouldn't be there, hurt. I was able to more or less function, however, the pain was a reminder that I got myself fucked pretty bad once again.
Those hit by the plague the Daemon unleashed upon Kronus were less fortunate. The Emperor did use me to strike down the Warp component of this particularly nasty little horror, which by itself saved countless lives. Unfortunately, getting rid of it wasn't that simple. Among other things, a part of the disease was a parasite of all things. Many of those tiny bastards were still stuck in the bodies of hundreds of thousands of victims.
The Medicaes could remove them safely. A round of two of powerful drugs could burn through them as well, buying some time for extraction before their corpses could begin to rot people from the inside.
The issue was there were too many patients and not enough Medicaes to go around. Even when the Naval ships in orbit offered for everyone with the relevant expertise to come down here and help, it simply wasn't enough.
The most optimistic projections from our surviving Mechanicus contingent pointed at tens of thousands of deaths over the next two weeks. Perhaps a hundred thousand, or more, if we dropped the ball.
I found both Vail and Lucas stuck in the same room under heavy guard. They were getting VIP treatment, just like I did courtesy of my wings and sparkling aura. The rest of the hospital was chock-full with troopers. Most of them could barely stand, and many laid in the corridors, using sleeping bags. Those were the lucky ones brought in for priority treatment, receiving the best of the quickly shrinking medicine stocks.
Many of them were Officers, Commissars, decorated and veteran NCOs, and other personnel deemed more vital than the poor common infantry.
"We'll be preparing them for an operation soon. Please be brief, Inquisitor!" Karom buzzed past me on his way out of the room.
"I'm glad to see you two are still alive and expected to recover." I greeted.
To be honest, both of them looked like death warmed over – they were pale, sickly looking, and covered in sweat. They were hooked to various machines as well, which constantly beeped and whistled, though all the lights were green, which should mean everything was as well as it could be expected.
"It figures, you go charge a Daemon again, yet you're already on your feet." General Alexander rasped. "I didn't believe it fully, you know. That you are a Saint I mean." He chuckled. "Blessed by the Emperor? That much I could buy easy, after all, you did for my soldiers and Kronus. An actual Living Saint on the other hand?" He chuckled briefly and gasped for air.
"The Emperor kept me safe," I said, even though it was still hard to wrap my head around it. "Selene kept a few others safe from Nurgle's dubious 'gifts.' The rest of the city…" I grimaced. "General, you're still the Military Governor of Victory Bay and in charge of Kronus. Amberley, you're not only the senior Inquisitor but a fellow member of Ordo Xenos…" I trailed off when I saw the pointed looks they gave us.
"What did you do this time?" Amberley asked in resignation.
"Nothing yet. However, I had a few thoughts after the Medicaes had apprised me of the situation. We don't have enough of them to save everyone, even if treating people is supposed to be relatively straightforward. I've been thinking, there are Medicaes and people with similar training not too far away from here."
"The Tau?" Amberley got it first. "We can't trust them!"
"Everyone they treat will be separated and put under quarantine until we can get ahead of this mess. Then our Medicaes could screen them for any unpleasant surprises left. I'm considering making an offer to the Tau – safe passage for those of their people who wish to leave Kronus in exchange for all the medical assistance they could offer the citizens of Victory Bay."
"You do have the authority to do so. As far as I'm concerned anyway." General Alexander stated in a neutral tone. "Inquisitor Vail?"
"The Ecclesiarchy and our colleagues would scream bloody murder. They might try to purge everyone here as tainted, or at least those touched by the Xenos." Amberley warned me.
"I'll deal with them when they arrive." My wings fluttered at that. "It will be inevitable."
Amberley looked at the unruly feathery menaces with a contemplative expression on her face.
"After what I'm experiencing, it would be hypocritical of me to condemn thousands to die because only the Tau might save them. Just be aware that there will be repercussions if you decide to walk this path."
"I doubt it would be much worse than allying with the Necrons. Our Propaganda Department is even considering showing them in a positive light for local consumption." Which was only logical after so many people saw them fight the Daemon.
That, in turn, was another can of worms that I would have to deal with sooner rather than later. Inquisitors would gleefully purge everyone who saw the battle for the cannon on general principle. At least a few of those were likely en route to Kronus as we spoke.
"You never know." Amberley cracked a mischievous smile.
"If you two lack outstanding objections, I'll be contacting the Tau shortly. They still haven't answered the ultimatum Captain Thule and Colonel Amudsen sent them." Offering the Tau better terms might get them to leave without a fight. That in turn would spare vital infrastructure and not adding even more bad blood that would have to be expunged if my long-term goals for the Tau could come into fruition. "On a related note, how does it sound to have access to Tau wargear for Inquisitorial Retinues at large?" I smiled at Amberley, before focusing on the General. "How do you feel about having a few of your regiment field test some recovered and properly sanctified weapons, armor, and vehicles?"
"I can already hear the Mechanicus screaming for your head. Veil, please, do us all a favor, and stop while you're somehow ahead!" Amberley groaned.
"Just think about it! I'm going to play diplomat."
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Or'es Tash'n
Kronus
The starport was a mess. The last band of Orks to reach the place trashed it something fierce. They even managed to steal a transport, which they drove up to the mountains before it got shot down. The barbarians looted valuable tools, trashed expensive machinery, and ignited fuel stocks. The fierce fighting necessary to remove the last trace of the Orks saw all structures in the area damaged to some extent. The only reason everything wasn't leveled was the nature of the facility. It was built to survive heavy transport crashing during lift-off or landing due to accidents, or battle damage.
It was still a terrible mess and a particularly sore offense against the Greater Good.
The smell was very offensive as well. The Ork couldn't even burn without stinking up the place.
"We won't be able to get everyone out in time." A flustered Captain from the Air Caste apologized from her ship in orbit. "We lack the necessary landing craft, and the damage to the port isn't helping matters." She continued.
She was pretty Kais, concluded. The shade of her skin, and the form of her face, and that voice… He bit his cheek. It has been too long since he had any time for something other than war. Or could appreciate a female of his species not wearing power armor. While his rank had its privileges, sometimes they were a double-edged sword.
"I didn't expect you to, Captain. There is no blame to share." Shi'Ores said soothingly.
There was a lot of blame to go around, beginning with the Imperials who had to invade, then the Orks, not to mention the treacherous Eldar. Kais should have said something, damn it all! By the Greater Good, if they had preserved their mobile forces…
"Commander honored Ethereal, we're receiving a transmission from the Humans. An Inquisitor Veil. He claims to have a proposition for us." A technician ran to their makeshift command post set up in the shade of the control tower.
What has left of it anyway?
"Veil?" Shi'Ores turned around with surprising haste. He wasn't exactly a young or the fittest of men.
"Yes." The technician nodded.
"Patch him through. Let's see what the humans want." Shi'Ores ordered.
"This is Inquisitor Delkatar Veil. I'm speaking with the authority of all Imperial forces in this system. After recent events," the human began. He had two very large and obvious wings twitching and moving on his back.
They also glowed with oddly fascinating light. What did the human do to himself?
"My offer is simple. Safe passage off-world to all of your people who wish to leave. In exchange, we require the attendance of all medical personnel you have to aid the citizens of Victory Bay who were exposed to a pathogen of Warp origin. While we've been able to remove the taint with the Emperor's aid, there are hundreds of thousands infested by a parasitic organism. We can treat them, however not fast enough to avoid a significant loss of life. If you accept the exchange, say so now. If not, then we can't allow a hostile force to exist on Kronus any longer. Our Navy and the ships of our allies will remove your presence with extreme prejudice. Make your decision, now."
There was no trace of the usual bluster coming from the Imperial humans. No frothing at the mouth belief in a false god, no sneers and casual contempt. The delivery was cold, a matter of fact, and almost emotionless. Including the part about killing everyone from orbit, something that a typical Imperial would have been obviously looking forward to.
"Ethereal?" Kais inquired politely after Shi'Ores simply stared at the Inquisitor for too long without even twitching.
"I'm considering our options Commander."
The Ethereal said.
"Your options are very simple, and my patience is not infinite. You are well aware that many elements within the Imperium would consider a few tens of thousands, or even a few hundred thousand civilian deaths well worth it." Veil paused. "That would be a small price for the Inperium to pay for the eradication of your presence on Kronus and the destruction of your remaining assets. My generosity and ability to negotiate have their limits. You will either accept this deal and leave or refuse and die."
The human kept talking calmly as if discussing what the mess hall might offer for dinner. Actually, it was much calmer than the last such discussion Kais overheard.
"I'll ask our medical personnel for volunteers. What equipment and medicine do you require?" Shi'Ores eventually asked.
Kais let out a breath he didn't notice he held back. They both knew everyone would see such a "request" both as order and honor they couldn't refuse.
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