Author's note: Sorry for the late installment, guys, but it's the time of the year where I'm loaded with classwork and church at the same time, so I didn't have a chance to work on this for about a week-and-a-half. This story is still being worked on, but I should clarify what I'm going for with this. I think a lot of crossover fanfics go overboard with the drama; many of them are the length of major novels like LotR and a couple run as long as Leo Tolstoy's masterpieces. The length of this story is going to be more like a short story of novella. There will still be a lot to come, but it's not going to be a perpetual thing that runs for a years' long cycle.
Chapter III
The preparations for the landing on the Citadel had reached their peak. Inquisitor Avaakum, Custodian Varro, and thirty Inquisitorial Stormtroopers were making the final approach to the station, each armed, trying to maintain the premise of being on honor guard, but hoping they could maintain the element of surprise when the time came to become a strike force. "Noble Custodian," the Inquisitor inquired, "I sense an emotion I didn't think Custodians were capable of. Not fear, but anxiety. What's wrong, I thought such heroes didn't feel anxiety before battle?"
"Just because someone is anxious, Inquisitor, doesn't mean they are anxious for their own sake." Aurelianus spoke in a somber tone. "Already on our mission, over one million Guardsmen and naval personnel have been lost. That is over one million who died before ever being able to serve their Emperor in combat. What a fate, to perish before martyrdom can be achieved. I fear nothing, Inquisitor, but my heart aches for comrades lost."
The Inquisitor was clearly taken aback by what the Custodian had said, stunned by the thought that the Emperor's greatest angels would show such sentiment, perhaps even pity for those so much lower than himself.
Aurelianus saw this and seized on the moment. "Inquisitor, did I tell you what happened to the great Custodian Maximimus Thrax?" The Inquisitor indicated the negative. "Before the Battle of Terra in the Thirteenth Black Crusade, he was one of five-hundred Custodians who still lived from the time when the Emperor walked the Earth. In his life, he embodied those virtues the Emperor instilled in us, which is why we were shocked when he went missing as the forces of Chaos approached. He was nowhere to be found, and we nearly struck his name from the records as a coward."
"Why would a Custodian desert his post? I thought you were all loyal without question." The Inquisitor gasped.
"I'm getting to that, Inquisitor," Aurelianus continued, "When the battle had ended, we began hearing tales from the survivors of the clash at a civilian shelter located some hundred kilometers from the Imperial Palace. They said that an unknown Custodian had arrived during the battle for the shelter and instructed the Imperial Guard to evacuate the women and children while he held back the forces of Chaos. For thirty hours he held the entrance to the compound until he had fallen, having accomplished his mission. When we investigated, it was as the survivors told us. Maximimus was found dead at the entrance, with the corpses of fifty Fallen Astartes at his feet. Almost all of those he saved are dead now, either past their earthly lifespans or died in service of the Emperor. Do you know why he did it, Inquisitor?"
"Perhaps he was oversentimental? He could have been of greater use elsewhere or have gone on to render thousands of years more service to the Emperor." Avaakum balked at the tale of heroism.
Aurelianus finished his lesson, "No, Inquisitor, it is because he knew that the Emperor created his greatest warriors as a bulwark against terror, and as defenders of humanity. Those who are greater than human must remember to not forget their humanity. We fight just as much for those who cannot fight as we do for the Emperor. This is what the Emperor wanted. The Emperor loved humanity enough to entomb Himself on the Golden Throne, to be tortured for over one-hundred centuries for the sake of those He loved. By taking command, you have placed a great burden on yourself and if you take it all upon yourself, you will fail. You have at your command experienced men whose advice you must trust if we are to succeed.
Inquisitor Avaakum replied with a humility in his tone the Custodian had not yet heard from him, "You have my word that I will do everything in my power to save this fleet and the men in it. Not only for the Emperor, but for their own sakes as well. Over a million men have already died in His service here. I won't let that number increase." Aurelianus smiled in his helmet at the sincerity of the Inquisitor. He could tell that his dedication to his purpose was a firmly-held belief, and not merely an occupation.
"Inquisitor," the pilot broke in on the intercom as the assault boat shifted in its position, "We're here."
As they exited the lander, they noticed that there was less pomp than they had expected from such a xenophilic culture and knew that something was amiss. It wasn't that they had walked into an ambush: the welcoming party was only twenty strong, including the four that had met them in the hanger aboard the Littorio, with the others in combat uniform.
Citadel
Shepard and her team were still the welcoming party on this mission, but they had been given a platoon of C-Sec officers to help with any necessities. The Council still wanted this kept under wraps, and her mission was to escort the diplomatic party to a dormitory near citadel tower to prepare for the formal reception. She wondered, though, how it would be possible to escort them to the apartments unseen when one of them was three meters tall and they had brought at least two-dozen heavily armed soldiers as an escort.
Shepard introduced herself to the new arrival, the Inquisitor, he was styled, and, judging from the religious garments, it may have something in common with the Inquisitors that terrorized Spain earlier in human history. "The Inquisitor, I presume?" Avaakum nodded his head confirming her suspicion. "I'm commander Jane Shepard. Your friend there has already met myself and my team: Dr. Liara T'Soni, Garrus Vakarian, and Urdnot Wrex. We will be your briefing team for your upcoming meeting with the Citadel Council. First, we must escort you to a secure location for your briefing. Do you have any questions before we begin?"
Avaakum stirred with disgust. By the Emperor! The aliens are even more hideous in person, he thought. And, the horror, one in cruel imitation of the human form. Most of the foreign creatures in the party were most likely only treacherous to an ordinary standard, but there was something particularly vile about an alien that could imitate the human form. Perhaps this species are shapeshifters, lulling their enemies into a false sense of security with a familiar shape?
"No, Commander, I have no questions, you may proceed with your objective." Though the Inquisitor's instincts told him to suspect heretic and xeno treachery at this juncture, his psyker abilities detected no malice. The thought crossed his mind that they might be able to hide their feelings if they were also psykers, but if that were the case, he should be able to feel the effort they were going through to do so. It also occurred to him that such a liberal confederation of alien species might simply be extremely naive about the workings of the universe, and not expect to be killed at the end of their usefulness. If they were willing to go so far as to unreservedly treat with servants of the Emperor, they might even be willing to submit to humanity. When he had the chance, it would be imperative to impress them with Imperial propaganda.
"In that case, we'd like to get moving so we can get started with the interview as soon as possible. If you don't mind, follow us please. Oh, and try not to make much commotion. We want to get this done with you being seen by as few people as possible." Shepard knew that would be the hard part, one thing they had on their side was that it was "night" on the Citadel. Not night as in being dark, it was never dark on the Citadel after all, but simply the time where most shops and businesses on the citadel weren't open, with the obvious exceptions of bars, pubs, nightclubs, and other such institutions. Because there was generally so little to do at this time, most people went home and slept until the station was more active again in the "morning." Another thing their team had on their side was that C-Sec had cleared the streets for most of the walk. However, Shepard was still certain that there would be rumors all over the extranet about the giant and heavily armed men walking the Citadel at night with a C-Sec escort. Either way, thankfully, they had made it to the Citadel tower complex within twenty minutes, only noticing a few people peering through their windows and taking pictures.
The Imperials took in their surroundings, noting that the architecture and interior design of the building they were being lodged it was very different than what they were used to. Unlike an Imperial chapel or ship, which are darkly lit, dreary places adorned with religious motifs, the rooms of the Citadel were bright and clean, and lacking ornamentation of almost any kind, with the style's blandness being an intentional attempt to create a space which didn't try to assault the eyes into submission. "Well, Inquisitor," Shepard began, "If you'd like to make yourself comfortable, we can begin whenever you'd like to." Avaakum did as she asked, but the request was somewhat awkward for Aurelianus, given that none of the furniture in the room was large enough for him to sit. It mattered little, though, he was used to standing from his time in the Imperial Palace.
Littorio
While the Inquisitor prepared the way, the plan was still being formulated. "Agreeing so hastily to a summit was reckless, Agostino, we don't fully know what their ground forces are capable of." Lord-General Wrangel expressed his dismay with his usual frankness. Several campaigns with Lord-Admiral Barbarigo, had made them not only comrades, but also close friends, and little was hidden between them. "Having such a small force on the ground could be a liability in battle. We'll need to closely monitor their movements to make sure we can protect them. What I propose is, once we are combat ready, to use our capital ships to engage as a diversion, while our screens move in close to the station and fire boarding torpedoes to quickly overwhelm their defenses. We cannot have the ground team fighting on its own on that station. If we have fifty men on each torpedo, with heavier weapons on board some others, we can create several formidable bridgeheads aboard the station in a short time. This would distract and divide their forces, firstly allowing the ground team to reach their target mostly unmolested, but also minimizing casualties when attacking the station directly. We don't have many men, so our best strategy is a powerful first strike so that, when we meet resistance, it will only be brief."
"I think you might be getting ahead of yourself," Agostino replied. "We still have a mission to attend to, and starting a war with a xenos confederation is a considerable departure from that mission. I think we should refrain from an all-out attack unless we find it necessary."
The mechanical voice of Magos van Leeuwenhoek chimed in. "It may not be our decision to make, unfortunately. We have tried to determine our location using every method available to us, but even if we were to discover our location, we would need to occupy the station. While not as powerful as the Astronomicon beacon, the station does carry a powerful warp signature that could theoretically be used to light our way through the warp within a maximum distance of twenty-five thousand light-years. We must first occupy the station to seize its star charts to discover our location, then we will need to be able to ensure that the station continues to project its warp signature, so we can use it to navigate."
"That doesn't make hostilities certain. We can still negotiate and make demands without starting a war," the Lord-Admiral replied, confident in his reasoning.
Pyotr responded with a compromise, "You're right, we can still accomplish this goal and not attack, but you know the saying: 'hope for the best but prepare for the worst'; even if we aren't going to attack, we need to be prepared to attack in case hostilities are necessary. We don't want to be caught with our pants down by a potential enemy."
"Of course," Barbarigo explained, "I wasn't saying you couldn't proceed with the planning, but let's not go so far in our preparations that we can't steer away from the course if it's possible. You said yourself that you want to minimize the possibility for casualties. It follows from that, that no casualties is the most preferable situation. That's all I'm asking that we consider. You know that there are protocols forbidding individual fleet commanders from attacking Eldar craftworlds, yes? We are not required to exterminate all xenos we come across, the Emperor and the High Lords give us the right to use our discretion, and we have a more important mission at play here that takes priority."
"How can we trust heretics and xenos to treat fairly with us when we make our demands?" the Magos inquired skeptically.
"We can't trust them, but we do have a psyker with us." Wrangel spoke of course of the Inquisitor, "as long as we have him, we can tell what their intentions are, and respond accordingly. If he tells us they have peaceful intentions, we go along our way and report this confederation to the Ordo Xenos, if they are perfidious, we go with Plan B. Is that a compromise we can all live with?" Those in the room responded in the affirmative, but doubts lingered in everyone's mind.
Citadel
"Before we get started with the cultural questions," Shepard started, "We want to know the question that's on everyone's mind: what is your purpose? You showed up with a large military fleet, but you haven't seemed very hostile, what gives?"
Avaakum and Aurelianus were annoyed. Shepard had asked this question at the first meeting. Despite their annoyance, they weren't surprised, and had to recognize that her concerns were reasonable and well-founded. "As the Custodian explained, we are simply lost. As to being a military fleet, we are on campaign, but not against anyone you know. The Imperium of Man is currently embroiled in a counteroffensive to an invasion and has marshalled an immense force of which we are only a small portion. Our intent is to repair our ships and return to our mission, and we would hope to receive some degree of help in doing so. Our star charts are of no use here and our navigational abilities are significantly limited." The Inquisitor answered, partly truthful. That was the best kind of lie to tell, as it didn't cause as much mental stress as a bold-faced lie.
There were a few moments of silence with an air of disappointment in the air, Shepard was the first one to break the tension. "So, you don't intend to stay and learn more about the Council?"
"There are more pressing matters at the moment; however, it is possible that I will alert my colleagues who specialize in alien life to return here." Avaakum explained, leaving out what it was his colleagues might do once they arrived. "There's just too much at stake with the war to be distracted, even by first contact events."
"As disappointing as that is for us, I understand, I've been fighting war for much of my life, so I know how hard it is to have to stand by while a battle is raging." Shepard was famous for the battles she fought, but it was no less mentally challenging to not fight while others are dying.
"Or to be the survivor of a battle that was lost." Shepard winced at Avaakum's remark. The Inquisitor had often thought it to be amusing to use his powers as a psyker to tell people things from their past, so he had to stop himself from chuckling as Shepard and her companions shared a look of bewilderment.
"Well, I think that's enough on that issue for now." Shepard said with an expression that almost made Avaakum regret bringing up what had happened to her unit. "Liara, would you like to get started on the cultural part of the briefing?" The blue humanoid's eyes lit up like a child being asked to pick out a toy at a store as she took out a list of questions she had hastily prepared for this moment.
The giddy alien took a few seconds to compose herself before beginning. "To start things off, Inquisitor. In human history, Inquisitors were religious figures who investigated accusations of religious unorthodoxy. Before I go onto questions about your people's religious beliefs, I think it would be prudent to ask if you're a religious official and could answer such questions."
"The position of Inquisitor," Avaakum answered, "Is a mix of secular and religious authority. I've certainly studied religion and my work involves religion quite a bit. I would say, though, that the primary purpose of an Inquisitor is to ensure public safety by making sure that everyone stays within their ethical guidelines, as well as to quash cults and ensure loyalty to the Imperium. So, yes, I think I could answer questions about religion."
Liara responded excitedly, "Excellent! I have many questions about your religion. Your God-Emperor, is he the incarnation of a deity, or is he a deity himself? Is he a creator deity, and, if not, what are his origins? Your companion mentioned that he created sons, 'primarchs' as well as legions of super-soldiers. Are any of these still in existence?"
Avaakum, in spite of his abilities, was rather shocked to find an alien would be so interested in the Imperial Cult. "Well, as far as the Emperor's nature –"
"The God-Emperor of Mankind is a living, flesh and bone man, coursing with power stemming from the aether. He is not an incarnation of a god, He is a god Himself. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies." Aurelianus spoke with unbridled passion in his voice that was moving to his listeners. "The Primarchs were his greatest creations. Unfortunately, all but one remains missing, but he lives. I know this because I have seen him. Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines legion, who currently leads the Emperor's armies in battle in the Emperor's stead."
"In the emperor's stead? So, the emperor is no longer living?" Liara asked, excitedly writing down the details of what the golden giant had said.
Aurelianus shook with anger at the implication that the Emperor was dead. "The Emperor is confined on his Golden Throne after suffering a wound at the hands of his traitorous son, Horus, but make no mistake, He is still alive, and his power is immense. It is by His will alone that the Imperium survives against endless onslaughts, as His power allows our fleets to navigate through the warp and delivers our forces willpower beyond that of mortal men. His Astartes save the lives of trillions of souls. I have seen His power with my own eyes, and I have heard Him speak in His throne room. You ask if the Emperor still lives, I tell you that He is deathless."
"Liara, maybe it would be best to switch topics to something less touchy than religion." Shepard was worried at what the Custodian could do if incensed to religious fury. "In fact, let's all take five. It's been a very stressful day, and I'm sure we could all use a little rest. Inquisitor, we'll see you again in thirty minutes."