Visiting Hours
Kotek, in all his time around mortals, still found them to be… interesting to say the least.
Granted, the Throne was where most of his time was spent, but the few times he left the confines of the Palaces' walls as a part of the Aquilan Shield, the behaviours of the regular men and women were interesting at a minimum and view changing at best.
From the Guard to the average civilian, they showed the best and worst humanity had to offer in a variety of ways and intensities. It was something to behold in the end, just how different they were from the rest of the Custodes and even Astartes.
There were so many different environments that affected how they would act was quite a thing to study. The way they would go about their lives and basic tasks would differ from person to person, but always with the same outcome in mind.
Atlas was much the same in that aspect as he stood in a park, observing the milling families having their meals or playing fetch with their pets. They all had one goal, a simple one at that; spend time bonding with their families and animals, but they were different in their approaches.
Some held a picnic and talked about their work and schola, others chased each other while a few just lay on the grass. A couple of people sat at a set of chess boards. One pair were playing haphazardly, uncaring for the rules and barely stuck to them while another pair was the exact opposite. Silent, careful moves were made only once all outcomes were considered.
Regicide was common in the Imperium, countless lords and governors played it. But chess, the original Regicide? Maybe some other of his kin knew of it and actively played it, but even then only three others were known to him and have versed him.
His thoughts were broken by the giggles of children approaching rapidly from his side before they chased each other around and between his feet. His grip on the Guardian Spear tightened in case one of the children ran into it and he stood stock-still.
One ran into his leg and fell with a cry of surprise and pain. The second child ran back around and tended to them. A moment later, they were back up and chasing each other to the other end of the park.
"I would have never thought you to be a people watcher, my Lord,"
He gently turned to face Celestine, "it pays to just watch,"
Celestine stood uncomfortably next to him and shuffled her stance when more and more people stopped to stare at them, only now realising he wasn't a statue to take pictures of and with.
"Why's that?" she gulped at the question she asked,
With his free left hand he gestured to the people, "this is not something I get to witness often," he briefly let his eyes roam the park before he settled back on Celestine, "these people are what we protect, I wish to witness them in the calm we create by getting bloodied,"
Celestine blinked and faced out into the park, "is this not… surreal to you? The scenario we are in?"
"No," Kotek shook his head, "there are differences, yes, but I see this as performing my duties somewhere else and I will not fail again,"
She looked back up to him in puzzlement, "Again?"
"I have told Greyfax this so I am amazed you don't know," before Celestine could speak he continued, "I was with the Emperor when he was placed on the Throne,"
No one would need to look hard to watch Celestine's mind freeze and stumble over itself. The shock should have been expected.
He placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "breathe."
She took a breath and flicked her eyes up to him, "you were there?"
Kotek nodded, "yes, it was our greatest failure to allow Him to be wounded so grievously,"
Celestine didn't respond immediately, not that he expected her to when her gaze moved to the grass as she thought. The woman shuffled and the debate inside her came to a close, "You would have done everything asked and more,"
"We did not. We are His protectors, and we failed." the response came instinctually,
"No, my Lord, He plans for all eventualities, all outcomes," Celestine stood a tad more confidently as she got lost in her words, "failure should not define the rest of a life, work back from it and fix the failure. Would the Guard have succeeded in any battle if every failure was their only legacy?"
Was she- "Are you giving me a morale boost?" he let faint amusement colour his words,
Celestine's face warmed to a bright red in a split second, "um…"
He placed his hand on her shoulder again and was sure the smallest smile was heard in his voice, "I have had ten thousand years to come to terms with the failure, however, the attempt is appreciated, Celestine,"
That seemingly didn't help as she blinked widely and stared at the ground, "I-it's a habit,"
He chuckled, "your duty is not limited to being a warrior, I know, you also inspire when morale is low. But I am fine,"
"Right…"
He stood tall once more, "Why are you here?"
"The Emperor wills it," Celestine answered without hesitations and Kotek sighed,
"No, I mean right now,"
"Oh," Celestine scratched her head, "Emerald is with Hesperax and, well, I decided to come find you,"
Kotek tilted his helmet to the side slightly, "boredom?"
"Yes," she nodded, "I have nothing for the rest of the day,"
Kotek took the Guardian Spear in both hands, "I am going to speak to Jacques over his film, you may follow if you wish,"
Celestine gestured away from them vaguely, "lead the way, Lor- Kotek,"
He walked past her, "You remembered this time,"
"Of course," she nodded, "I apologise for forgetting the other times,"
"No need to apologise, no wrongs have been made," he held the Guardian Spear so its tip was away from any civilian, "any developments with Ilia?"
Celestine flicked her gaze up to him, "Were you aware she is an Abhuman?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"What should I do with her?" Celestine questioned, "she is Abhuman and close to Emerald,"
Kotek looked down at her in a bit more than the literal sense, "were you not in the company of a Faunus in the town?"
Celestine nodded, "yes, but she was in my direct line of sight, and didn't have much to do with Emerald,"
He sighed, "you asked what you should do. Do you want my opinion on the matter?" she nodded and he continued, "she is a child, not a threat. She may not be human, but neither are the Ogryn, Rattlings and even the Felinids to name a few. Do you know what they do?"
"No," she answered with a small shuffle, like a child scolded by a parent, "I do not…"
"They fight for the Emperor as well as you and I," Kotek readjusted his grip, "I do not care if one is an Abhuman or not unless they pose a direct threat, you should think the same,"
Her brows narrowed as she looked down at her moving feet, "that goes against everything He stands for,"
"Who would know what He stands for more?" Kotek questioned, "you, or I?"
Her head snapped back up to him, confusion was written over her face, "you…"
"Exactly, Celestine." Kotek sighed, "this is not a crisis of faith I am trying to instil, you asked a question and I answered, do with that information as you will,"
She frowned to herself before she met his helmeted gaze, "I will need to think on this,"
"I trust you weighed out the consequences if you remove her from Emerald?"
"I have, it is what led me to ask you this," Celestine wrapped her arms around herself, "I do not know what to do; I care for her, but…"
"The dogmatic beliefs of the Imperial Cult restrict you to one choice; kill her," Kotek said, "this is why I prefer a more pragmatic thought process,"
Celestine remained quiet as she followed a step behind him. It was strange to see her like this; that the usually confident and tall woman now walked with her wings folded in as far as they could go and her arms wrapped around herself.
He slowed to her side, "if you care for her, let her be. Ilia is not a corrupting force nor is she a threat to her life. Hundreds of thousands of abhumans fight and die in His name each day, but yet the Astartes turn more often than they do without cause or due to a single influence,"
She flicked her eyes up and he saw the need to fight back, but who he was held her at bay.
Kotek stepped aside to allow a frightened civilian pass, "I may not follow the Ecclesiarchy but I am more than aware of the hoops of logic, fallacies, hypocrisies and straw-man arguments they instil in the populace and followers. You are a perfect example,"
Curiosity overtook the anger in the Saint, "how?"
He sighed audibly. So this is what thousands of years worth of blind faith and indoctrination got; ignorance to even ones self… "Hesperax is allowed to exist in the presence of Emerald because you know what she is capable of, but the Abhuman child is not? Do you not see the hypocrisy? While you do not say it, you are running through arguments based on speculation in your mind, all of this to justify why she is allowed near a Succubus, but not an Abhuman child,"
The Saint blinked and frowned, "we hold her life over her so she doesn't act out, Ilia is different,"
"Different how?" Kotek demanded, "Hesperax is a killer, Ilia is a child. One needs the threat of death to stay in line while the other doesn't. Which one is dangerous? Which one has the abilities and skills to kill an entire room full of Astartes?"
Celestine sighed in resignation and her shoulders drooped, "Hesperax…"
"Exactly," he nodded in agreement, "so what harm is a small child that can change skin colour compared to a Succubus? You are actively coming to me out of boredom in your spare time instead of watching over Emerald alone with Hesperax, but yet your trust in Ilia is based on what is deemed a defect, not the practical threat she poses?"
The more he spoke the further the Saint shrunk into herself like a scolded child, a rightfully scolded child that is- there was much more to worry about than the influence of a Abhuman child. Let alone that the book her beliefs were founded upon came from the single worst source possible…
"But the-" her brows furrowed and she blankly searched the air in front of her, "this- I-" a sharp sigh of defeat left her- "fine, I see what you're saying, besides, Emerald is not particularly happy with me after forcing her to tell me more about the Cult,"
"Oh? What has she said?"
"She barely remembers the towns, but that in of itself confirms they used them," Celestine answered with a small amount of emotion he couldn't name, "outside of that, not much else was revealed by her,"
Kotek hummed, "we can't rely on a child for all our information, but that alone makes hunting them easier to a certain degree,"
"We're on our own, so that negates whatever upper hand we should have," Celestine lamented and whispered to herself, "I'm just glad she doesn't hate me…"
"Ammunition is sparse," the Custodian agreed, ignoring her last sentence, "I am unwilling to let Dust anywhere near the weapons we have, for if they are destroyed in an accident we'll never get them repaired nor replaced,"
His eyes flicked to Celestine in thought and he flexed his grip on the Guardian Spear, "your teleportation, could it get you to the nearest Imperial world?"
"I don't know where we are, Kotek," she looked at him in a mix of puzzlement and resignation, "even if I could, I may just appear in the void of space and die,"
"Have you tried?"
She shook her head, "no… as far as I am aware I can only go a small distance at a time, frankly, I'm amazed I can do it so regularly here,"
Kotek let a puff of air out his nose, "we can't stand around and hope for a random vessel to find us, Celestine. How exactly does it work? Do you have to envision the location you wish to go to or something else?"
"I don't know," Celestine shrugged, "I have faith the Emperor controls where I end up, and I will end up where I need to be by His will,"
"And anyone else, can you take them?"
She shook her head, "only my Geminae Superia can follow,"
He nodded sharply and unclipped a smaller, sheathed weapon off his side and held it out for the Saint to take, "good, try and make for Throne World if possible,"
She stared with wide eyes at the weapon, "what?"
"My Misericordia, a symbol of office within the Legio Custodes and to the higher echelons of the Imperium," he used two fingers to pull up Celestine's hands and placed the Misericordia in them, "a select few will know of its importance save the Emperor Himself and His Lions; Guilliman, Dorn, Vulkan and Valoris. They will wish to check its validity. Only hand it away to those I named and no one else."
Celestine stared at the weapon and clutched it to her chest, "why do I require it?"
"We are not here by coincidence, that much I know," Kotek revealed, "and it guarantees with no doubt that we get what we ask for. How much can you carry?"
"I don't know…" Celestine scratched the back of her head, "I only carry what I own; armour and Ardent Blade,"
"Well now you will carry a Misericordia, a Guardian Spear and my helmet to the end of the street and back," he ordered her as he handed the items over to her.
Her eyes went wide but she nodded anyway with compliance before she vanished in a literal flash. Many of the civilians came to an abrupt stop at the spectacle and spun to the other end of the street once another flash appeared with the Saint and all the gear she held. From where he stood, he could see the satisfied grin the Saint wore before she reappeared before him,
"Well, we now know what I can carry," she said as Kotek took the Spear and helmet back, "is there anything else I need to get?"
"If possible, an Execution Blade," something for close quarters for Alexea would be ideal, "a Beacon will be too large wouldn't it?"
"They're just over an Astarte's in size, so, uh, no I don't think I could," Celestine said, still clutching the Misericordia to her chest, "and the Mechanicus won't be willing to pull one apart for no reason,"
"Then go, I have an idea on what to do to make it easier for them to find us but it will take time. We need the ammunition first. Store the ammunition in the apartment and take the Execution Blade to Alexea,"
"Very well," Celestine bowed with the weapon clutched to her chest, "Is that all?"
"No. Go,"
Celestine vanished to the puzzled spectacles of standers-by.
"And of the supply chain through the northern corridor to Segmentum Tempestus?"
The Ministorum representative struggled to keep up with the Primarch, "thin, but holding, Regent,"
Guilliman nodded and the math ran through his head, "production will have to increase on all Forge Worlds by twenty-five per cent to accommodate for the supplies and to fill the gaps. From the twenty-five per cent, allocate fifteen per cent increase to the vessels required for transportation,"
The Ministorum Representative nodded, "very well, Regent,"
Guilliman dismissed the man and turned to one of the few dozen people surrounding him, "Lord High Admiral, is the gathering of the fleets for Indomitus following the timeline?"
The woman nodded tersely, "of course, Guilliman, within the next few months we can begin following the vanguard,"
He nodded appreciatively to her despite knowing how little she care for his position. There was a certain frustration in knowing who your enemies are but not being able to rid them, Pereth was one of them. Only time would allow for the true allegiances of the High Lords to show.
"Good, good," he raised his voice to address the rest of the group, "Is that all of the dealings for the day?"
Not a soul answered and he took it as the cue to dismiss them.
How many more people would need convincing and swaying to follow before it failed and violence was left? The end of diplomacy was coming faster and faster with each minute-
"I do not like this,"
Guilliman glanced up to his brother, "I am aware, Rogal, I am aware. Do you have a better plan?"
"No," the man's voice rumbled like thunder as he critically gazed at passing Primaris Marines, "these are not father's work, Roboute, how can you allow this?"
"Because the First Born are flawed," Guilliman sighed at having to go into the discussion again, "they have problems with their Gene-Seed that make creating them a time-consuming project and liabilities on the battlefield. The Primaris have no such flaws,"
"You did it without anyone's input, Roboute, that is my problem with them," Dorn grumbled loudly, "Russ, Vulkan and I were still around to be counselled on the matter, but you did not,"
Guilliman took a breath in and a syllable barely left his mouth as a flash of gold engulfed himself and Dorn. A distinct clatter of armour on rockrete flooring was heard.
"I distinctly don't remember being able to do that," an all too familiar voice grumbled with a groan, "I'll live…"
Guilliman side-eyed his brother and caught the surprise on his face before it was covered up with hard indifference. The Regent focused back on the Saint, "do not remember doing what?"
The Saint sprung up at his voice, "Long-distance teleportation, Lord Commander,"
His brows rose, "what forced you to test this… ability?"
Celestine's blue eyes flicked to Rogal Dorn and she nodded in greeting before she returned her attention to Guilliman, "an ordered transit by Hetaeron Guard Kotek,"
The Emperor's sons glanced at each other and back to Celestine and Dorn stepped forward with his hammer held tightly, "he went missing a month ago according to Valoris,"
"Yes, Lord Dorn," Celestine nodded and Guilliman noted a flash of fear towards his brother in her eyes, "myself, Lord Kotek, Inquisitor Greyfax and Oblivion Knight Vennoris found ourselves on a Death World,"
"Greyfaxs' ship was lost near Necromunda," Guilliman's brows narrowed, "and your vessel was said to have been lost crossing over to Ryza,"
Celestine's confusion in turn confused him, "I was on the way to Ryza?"
"Yes, do you not remember?" Guilliman asked and his brows furrowed further at the shake of her head, "do you require an Apothecary, or would you prefer a Hospitaller?"
The Saint swallowed, "I am fine, thank you, Lord Commander,"
"That wasn't an option,"
"In that case, whatever you deem necessary," Celestine backtracked with a light blush of embarrassment, "apologies,"
Guilliman waved her off politely and faced his brother, "do you know the current status of Ryza?"
Dorn slowly relaxed his hammer and the light spurring of the servos in his Centurion armour filled the hall as he turned to Guilliman, "no, Ryza is still contested by Mechanicus, Militarum, Ork and Chaos forces. If that battle has changed over the last week, I am unaware of it."
Guilliman hummed and turned back to Celestine, "and you ended up on this Death World how?"
"He willed it,"
Both Primarchs repurposed the energy from frowning into a long, drawn-out blink and Guilliman sighed, "Father is still catatonic, as he has been since I died,"
The words felt odd to pass his lips, and it was even stranger to say an Aeldari revived him. He could vividly picture the chuckle Vulkan gave believing it a joke, but the widening of his red eyes in shock at Yvraine appearing next to him was more than amusing.
At least the Salamander took it in strides unlike the brother next to him.
"That is rather unlikely," Dorn spoke and his massive sabatons footfalls resounded off the walls as he stepped a bit closer,
Celestine pulled her lips taught, "I respectfully disagree, Primarch; I know it was He who sent us there, for what ends is still unknown at this time,"
Dorn's response was cut off by Guilliman's raised hand, "the semantics of how you ended up there is irrelevant at this time, what I want to know is; why do you have a Misericordia?"
Celestine knelt down in a bow as she held the weapon out, "you may verify it's wielder, Lord Kotek, as it is he who handed it to me as evidence to my claims,"
The Ultramarine's Primarch carefully picked the weapon out of Celestine's hands. He turned around and sure enough, a Custodian Shield Host was standing at attention behind him with Valoris in the centre. Guilliman held the weapon out to the Captain-General, "I believe this may belong to one of your own,"
The man passed through the crowd of Custodians to take it and leant the Watcher's Axe on his shoulder. His thumb pushed the clips off and the blade out of the sheath into his other hand, from which he examined it for a solid minute before he slid it back in, "it is. And he gave it to you, Saint?"
With her still kneeling with her head bowed she nodded, "yes, Captain-General,"
"And the location of this Death World?"
"Unknown," Celestine dared to raise her head slightly, and when she was not met with scolding she lifted it completely, "and we do not have a way to signal a fleet from Indomitus,"
"Indomitus has yet to pass the vanguard stage," Dorn stated with furrowed brows, "the World Eaters and Word Bearers set it back by a month and a half,"
"Oh…" Celestine sighed, "when does it set off?"
Guilliman gestured for her to rise as he spoke, "in the next month, however, Vulkan is out there pushing already," he waved to Dorn, "as will Rogal,"
The Imperial Fists Primarch nodded and glanced to Guilliman, "Terra is to be left in your hands, yes?"
"As are the logistics of the Crusade and defences of Sol in general," Roboute said with a sigh, "I do not know how I would handle all this without you,"
"With Iron will and stubbornness," Dorn turned to the Captain-General who now stood next to them, "what is the importance of this Custodian?"
"He witnessed the Horus' betrayal," Valoris handed the Misericordia back to Celestine who took it gently, as if she was scared a touch would shatter it, "and spent the time when he wasn't an Aquilan Shield or guarding the Throne searching for a way to bring Him back,"
Guilliman's surprise was shown through Celestine's shocked gaze, "he believes Father can return?"
"We all do," Valoris said with a glance up to the Primarchs and back to Celestine, "get me star maps of from your Death World and bring it to me,"
Celestine bowed her head, "it will be done,"
Guilliman placed a hand on his hip, "how do you think he will bring Father back?"
"Towards the opening of the third war for Armageddon, he disappeared for a week before appearing in the lower Hive's outside the Palace," Valoris frowned, "he returned to his duty and none of the Companions remembers him leaving,"
"Do you think we have something to do with it?" Celestine asked quietly,
"Perhaps." Valoris' voice was even, not sceptical nor hopeful. Just a void of emotion, "you are with an Inquisitor and an Anathema Psykana, correct?"
Celestine nodded, "I am… though we have one outlier," she shuffled, "a Drukhari…"
"And it isn't dead because?" Dorn demanded as Guillimans brows narrowed to match his frown,
"She told us she is with the Ynnari now,"
In a blink, all eyes turned to Guilliman. The man sighed, "I may be able to confirm if this is true right now. Name?"
"Lelith Hesperax,"
Of all the things to make him impressed, the Queen of Knives' presence was not expected to be it, "her allegiance with the Ynnari is tentative at best, that much I have been told by Yvraine when we last met, but she is one of them. Specifically for her own goals, though I do not know what,"
There was a sigh of relief from Celestine, "thank the Emperor…"
"Why are you here?" Valoris finally cut to the question that was on all their minds,
"We require ammunition and weapons," Celestine stood taller, "Bolter rounds for a Guardian Spear, Condemnor and, forgive my ignorance, the Bolter the Anathema Psykana use,"
Dorn silently stepped away with his finger on a comm-bead before he left down the hall and, a second later, the comm-bead in his own ear was alive with chatter from the orbiting watch stations. The Phalanx was departing.
"And the weapons?" Guilliman questioned with the hope it wasn't much, then again, it was only five of them so the supply demand wouldn't be high enough to sway the logistics of the crusade too much, if at all.
"An Execution Blade," she paused for a moment, "and a Las-pistol,"
Guilliman nodded slowly, "I can arrange the supplies whilst you see the Hospitaller, it isn't anything difficult,"
"Aleya!" Valoris called to someone behind Guilliman, "Bring an Execution Blade,"
The Sister of Silence nodded and took off down the massive hall of the Palace, bound to return with the requested weapon. Valoris looked to Celestine, "I will direct her to you at the Hospitaller,"
Celestine bowed her head, "thank you, Captain-General,"
"Come, I will show you to her," Guilliman gestured for her to follow at his side and gave a nod of thanks to Valoris, "what makes you believe Father sent you?"
Celestine glanced up at him, "there are too many valuable assets to Him for it to be a coincidence; a Custodian, Sister of Silence, myself and an Inquisitor all on the same world at the same time as a cult makes itself known? He had to have had an idea of what is going on there,"
"A cult? Chaos or Gene-Stealer?" Guilliman frowned at the information, "and strength?"
The Saint shuddered briefly as they passed a group of Anathema Phsykana, "neither, Lord Commander, they're worshipers of the world's creatures, but no less dangerous from what I have seen of them,"
The Primarch hummed, "If Father did send you all there, there would have to be a threat to the Imperium at best and a tool for the Ruinous Powers at worst,"
"But what one that is, I do not know, Lord," Celestine sighed, "we are trying to establish a foothold there so a proper investigation can begin, but it is taking time,"
"All things do," Guilliman said as they turned down a corridor to the left, "time is the biggest factor in everything now, get it done as quickly as possible but do not cut corners. Once Indomitus sets off and starts making headway into Imperium Nhilius, I will send a small fleet out to find you,"
Celestine nearly ran into him as he stopped outside a door too small for him to fit through, "but how will you find us?"
"Practical; Valoris asked for all star maps from this Death World. Theory; he will crossreference them with our own to locate the Death World,"
The Saint's eyes widened slightly, "that could take years…"
"It would, yes," Guilliman nodded, "I will help when I can, but expect to be there for a long time,"
The large, armoured index finger pressed a hailer on the wall next to the door and a moment later a Sister Hospitaller opened the sliding door. She hid the surprise and awe well enough to maintain the professional demeanour at the sight of the Primarch, but when her brown eyes met Celestine's she fell to a knee,
"Revered Saint, it is an honour and privilege by His grace!"
"Please, stand," Celestine pulled her up, "there is no need,"
The interaction was an interesting one to watch for him; from Mcragge to Luna, Saint had been stern, if a tad aloof to both the Inquisitor and Yvraine, but now she was less so in general. Change meets us all, for better or worse.
"She is here for a full physical, Sister Hospitaller," Guilliman interjected, "but focus on head injuries,"
The Sister bowed, "it will be done, My Lord. Is there anything in particular I am to look for?"
"Do your job as you would anyone else, Sister," Celestine said, "you are the professional after all,"
"Symptoms?"
"Memory loss, I do not remember Ryza," Celestine answered, though there was a reservation to her words, "at all, however, I remember everything after,"
Stiffly, the Sister held an arm out into the room, "Please, enter and I shall take care of you, Revered One,"
Guilliman placed a hand on Celestine's shoulder, "I will meet you back here in an hour with the supplies requested,"
Celestine bowed her head and gave him a small grin, "I thank you, Guilliman,"
"No need," he waved her off and stepped away, "if you are correct with Father's involvement, then there is more than we know involved,"
The Saint bowed for what felt like the umpteenth time and followed after the Hospitaller, leaving Guilliman to wonder how exactly this Custodian wanted to revive his Father.
The building was as ornate as he expected it to be, but the snowflake motifs were beyond 'on the nose' for his taste. The staff paused what they were doing to stand and stare as he made his way up the long driveway to the front doors of the Schnee manor.
He supposed it would be impressive, the size of the building that is, to regular humans. Even if the left wing of the manor was still in the final stages of construction.
As he came to a stop at the large, ornate doors he glanced around for a buzzer of some type, finding none, he settled for a rhythmic knock and waited.
Then when a single door opened, he expected an average human adult to be on the other side, but when he lowered his gaze the was only a girl no older than Emerald standing there staring up at him with a craned neck and wide eyes.
"I am here to see Jacques Schnee," Kotek kept his voice as relaxed as possible, "by any chance, do you have a relative in the Academy?"
The girl nodded slowly, "M-my sister, Winter,"
"Ah, I have met her," with the girl standing still, he gestured inside the manor, "may you take me to your father?"
She nodded rapidly and stood to the side to let him barely pass through the single door gap, "W-welcome to the Schnee manor, Sir,"
"Thank you," he said as he took in the oversized foyer and stairs. The family had a streak for extravagance, that much was obvious by the massive statues of what appeared to be ancient Terran armour. Interesting. Then again, armour had so few ways to evolve in the primitive stages that it tended to come full circle.
"Oh, my, I am so sorry, Sir," Kotek looked to his right to find a balding man with a moustache, "I thought it was the construction workers making noise,"
"An understandable mistake," there was the odd noise from the left wing so it made sense.
"Weiss, my dear, please return to your practice sessions, I will take care of this gentleman," he spoke with a surprising kindness for a serf. Yet another reminder things were not the same.
Kotek glanced down at Weiss with a nod, "Thank you for your service,"
"Y-you're welcome, Sir," she muttered, not quite meeting his helmet's eyepieces and took off up the stairs to the left.
"Apologies, I am Klein, the Head Butler of the Schnee manor," Klein stood with his hands clasped down in front of him, "If I heard correctly, you were wishing to see Master Jacques, yes?"
"I am, yes,"
Klein nodded, "ah, he has no meetings today, so I believe he may be free. What is your name, Sir?"
"Kotek, member of the Hetaeron Guard and Commander of the Atlesian Specialists,"
Klein nodded politely, though both know he barely understood what he said outside of the last part, "Ah, yes, Master Jacques mentioned you in great esteem,"
Funny, considering he never met the man, nor knew this world existed in the first place…
Kotek took a small step forward, "please take me to him, I wish to have this meeting over so I can return to my duties,"
Apparently being high in the military made you available for teaching roles in the Academies combat classes, which was bound to ruffle feathers putting him as the replacement teacher for the First and Fourth Years. Creating classes had a surprising satisfaction to them, and he had an idea why; for the first time in a long time, a direct impact through his actions was being made even if it was teaching mortals how to fight effectively.
"Ah, the military rush I see," Klein smiled and turned up the stairs, "follow me, please,"
Kotek followed a step behind the man and made sure his sabatons didn't damage the stairs too much with each step he took. First impressions were a major thing after all.
The halls were as overly large as they were sparse, yet paintings, photos and windows tried to make every hallway seem more onate than they actually were.
Klein slowed to a stop at a door, "Please wait here for a moment," and he entered with a knock.
A few moments and a hushed conversation later, the Butler came out and stood to the side, "you may enter. If you require anything I will be on call,"
Kotek nodded in thanks and squeezed himself through the door into the office. As he stood, he caught the shocked look on the face of the man behind the desk inside as he was recovering to a business-like smile.
"Ah, Custodian!" the dark-haired man clapped his hands once in pleasure, "I see my request got to you!"
"Jacques," Kotek tilted his head politely, "I have come to discuss the terms and locations of what is happening and when,"
"Ha-ha, very good, very good," Jacques came around his large desk down to the smaller coffee table by Kotek's right side and sat. He poured himself some whisky and reset the pieces on the board, "care for a game while we discuss business?"
A distraction tactic. Kotek nodded and gently placed the Guardian Spear against the wall-built bookshelf, "I do not see why not,"
He received a strange look as he moved the single-seat chair away from the table, but Jacques didn't question it as he knelt on both knees and removed his helmet.
Jacques coughed and sipped from his glass, "do you have as much experience in chess as you do with combat?"
Kotek nodded, "I do, yes. It, along with other games, was a pastime of mine when the chance arose between duties,"
"Surely you aren't that busy," Jacques sat forward a bit and held his glass in a relaxed manner,
Kotek nodded, "I am more than you know, but that is for another time." he gestured to Jacques's white pieces, something that the man most likely used out of ego, "You may make the first move, however, may I play white?"
His theory was proven correct as Jacques' lips frowned minimally for a split second before the mask went back up again and he turned the board around, "of course, of course!"
Kotek nodded in thanks and Jacques moved his first piece, "so, you are probably here to see why I wanted you in the first place, correct?"
"That, and I want to know what the payment will be," Kotek decided to try and see if he would fall for a simple move…
"Ah, well, the payment will be in Lien obviously," Jacques laughed condescendingly, "I've yet to figure out how much,"
"A man of business such as yourself should have had it figured out already," Kotek moved a piece,
The Schnee laughed as he played his turn, "name your price then, and I'll be happy to see what I can do,"
So do nothing and try to lower it, naturally. Kotek feigned a moment of thought on the game and price before he moved a pawn, "I will not be alone, I have a colleague of mine who is good at hunting down any threats; speaking of which, what threats do you expect that requires my presence?"
Jacques hummed as he sipped his drink, "why the Grimm of course,"
"There are Hunters from the Academies for that," Kotek took a pawn of Jacques as the first kill of the game, "I am not one of them,"
"Oh? You're not?" Jacques frowned at the board and moved a piece to compensate for the loss, "then what are you?"
Kotek flicked his eyes up to meet Jacques, "someone with more combat experience than even the oldest veterans,"
He moved a piece with blinding speed and precision enough that it startled the man, "I can't say I'm familiar with your type,"
"No one is," Kotek responded as Jacques finally made his turn and killed a knight, "back to the topic at hand…"
"Yes, yes," Jacques sniffed, "you said someone else will be joining you?"
"I did," he muttered with false distraction as he made his move and took a rook, "she is apt at hunting down threats of both human and other kinds,"
"I heard there was a new woman in Atlas," Jacques shuffled in his seat, "to think a peer of mine would commit murder, let alone his mother,"
"Oh, you knew the man?" Kotek questioned,
Jacques nodded, "vaguely, he was my own accountant before he moved on, his current case makes me wonder how much money he took from me,"
"That is for other Arbites to deal with,"
"Arbites? The police you mean?" Jacques shook the confusion off and returned to the game, "it matters little, is the woman who put him away accompanying you?"
Kotek shook his head and moved a piece further into Jacques' lines, "no, Greyfax will not be, I was referring to Vennoris,. The Inquisitor is a specialist in a different field to hers,"
Which said a fair amount to her abilities to act as an Arbite, then again, quite a few Inquisitors come from those sections of the Imperium after performing to a vastly higher standard and catching an Inquisitor's eye.
"What exactly is she a specialist in?" Jacques shuffled and mindlessly moved a piece,
"Greyfax is of the Inquisition, that name alone should tell you what she is capable of," if this world even knew the word or had something similar that is.
"The Inquisition is returning?"
Kotek paused briefly at his question before he made his move, "you can say that, yes,"
Jacques sighed, "it has to do with the barbarians running around out in the frontiers, doesn't it?"
"The cult, yes," Kotek watched as Jacques made a gap in his defences, "now, back to the payment; does thirty-four thousand sound too much?"
"It does, yes," Jacques pulled himself out of whatever his mind was in, "that sounds closer to hazard pay to me,"
Kotek nodded, "fair enough, if this cult or Grimm make a show, that will be the amount we are paid each,"
For the first time over the hour and a bit, Jacques laughed, "they wouldn't dare attack anything involving Atlas after Mountain Glenn. But you have a deal I suppose. As for how much you will be paid if things go smoothly, ten thousand Lien,"
Still a decent amount to cover nearly any potential future expenses, "that sounds reasonable. Is there anything about the locations I will need to know about?"
Jacques shrugged, "not really, no. The final one is built into ruins left over from the Great War, but that is about it, I'll be giving you and my security a more detailed rundown of the layouts in the next month anyway,"
Kotek nodded and moved his queen diagonally, "I believe the game is mine in either a draw or checkmate,"
Jacques looked to the board in shock that was covered with a smile and held his hand out, "so it seems. Good game,"
Kotek took it with a bit more strength than required and rose, "in that case unless there is anything else I have to return to the academy,"
"Uh, I don't know how to swim…" Emerald glanced at the mute woman and back to the pool, "like, I could float… as a dead body, but I could…"
Alexea made the motions of a snort and rolled her eyes, "well, you get to lean how not to be a corpse,"
"I think you mean 'learn', right?" Emerald questioned the obvious typo and got a nod from the woman.
Emerald nodded. Well, she's nowhere as pushy and mean as Lelith, so how bad could it be?
She screamed as the world turned sideways and she was engulfed in water and the world became a hazy sting on her eyes before she was overcome with nausea and pulled up to the surface.
She looked into the dark green eyes and coughed unabashedly into Alexea's face, "Y-you tried drowning me!"
Two things were learned at that moment; one was that communication was hard with a mute in a pool when sign language wasn't something she couldn't understand. And the second was swimming wasn't as hard as she thought it was, well, that came about two hours later filled with being taught.
"Not that hard now is it?"
Emerald frowned at the woman seated on the edge of the pool as she clumsily trod water, "you pushed me in!"
"And pulled you up a second later," Alexea rose a brow, "would you rather Lelith do this?"
"She's an asshole, but she wouldn't hurt me that bad," Emerald let herself float to the edge so she could pull herself out, "would she?"
"Probably would," Alexea puckered her lips, "then again, for once being a Pariah isn't fucking with me since she hates being near me,"
Emerald wrapped herself in a towel, "but you're not that bad… sure I feel sick sometimes, but you can't help it,"
Alexea silently sighed, "not to her; I'm worse than hell itself to her," she gave Emerald a look, "who said we're done here?"
Emerald smacked her lips, "oh, uh, I thought we were because you're sitting here…"
"Oh, no. I may not be a bitch most days, but you're not leaving till I get fifteen laps of this pool out of you," there was not an ounce of sympathy on Vennoris' face as Emerald groaned,
"But why? I already got stuck with Lelith after Celestine ran through swordplay~" Emerald whined,
Alexea pointed to the pool with a snap of her fingers, "the quicker you do it, the faster you'll get to go,"
"Ugh," Emerald tossed her towel off, "fuck you,"
"Mature."
"I'm nine, I can me immature,"
"Acknowledging that doesn't help your case. Now, quit stalling and get in there,"
Emerald grumbled until she got into the pool, "backstroke or what?"
"Don't drown." was the answer Alexea gave as payback for her whining and ignored her protesting until the girl started on her laps of the pool. The girl was spunky enough to deal with what she was put through, though it probably helps they were taking it easy on her for the moment.
Can't exactly have her hating them now could they. All because a Saint got attached…
Where the hell even was she? One moment a fleet was fine, then the next it was rammed by Spacehulk and now she was here… great. At least it wasn't as bad as it could be…
And a break was nice, even if she had to help Kotek in his tasks most days.
Her thoughts were broken by the clinking of metal on the tile floor and she turned to find the Saint. She rose a brow at the weapon in her hands.
"And here is something for you," she huffed as she hefted a sheathed Executioners Blade out for Alexea, "from Valoris and another of your order, Aleya,"
Alexea's brows narrowed and she stood, "I'm the only one left from my order. Unless you mean the Anathema Psykana as a whole," the Saint's words sunk in, "from Valoris? The Captain-General?"
Celestine nodded slowly, "yes, I have become the runner for my newfound capabilities… believe me, I was surprised to have made it to Terra as well." she sighed tiredly, "I also meant the order as a whole… Is the Silent Sisterhood not structured like the Sororitas?"
Alexea 'snorted' at both responses, "no, our organisation dates back to the Great Crusade, even then there are only three chambers- think Orders- and then split into Vigils and then Cadres, unlike the dozens of Orders of the Sororitas,"
"Huh," Celestine shook her head at herself, "apologies then,"
The Sister of Silence waved her off and took the blade and pulled it out of the sheathe to give it a test. After a few moves of varying complexity, she returned it to the sheathe and nodded in thanks to an impressed Saint,
"You're good with the blade," Celestine nodded in approval,
"It was my primary weapon before we were recalled by Valoris and the Custodes," Alexea shrugged, "though the Bolter served me well enough for me to like its proficiency,"
Celestine laughed despite looking a bit sickly, "it's the kick of recoil and the satisfying burst of the target, though a blade of some type is more elegant,"
"You, liking aesthetics, who would have thought?" the blank look betrayed the sarcasm in the written words,
The Saint shook her head with humour, "how's Emerald?" Alexea glanced back at the girl in the pool and waved a hand with an exaggerated wince. The all too well know 'iffy' sign and Celestine sighed, "I'll talk to her later tonight about forcing her to talk,"
"It seems less at you and more at that she has those memories to tell,"
Celestine tilted her head, "How'd you know?"
"Kotek told me of what you were going to pry out of her," Vennoris released a puff through her nose, "and we all have memories we're pissed we have… to be honest, it's a guess, but an educated one at that…"
Slowly, Celestine swallowed, "you have a point, but I'll still talk to her,"
"How's Indomitus?"
"Stalled. Traitor Legions pushed back the launch dates and forced Vulkan and Dorn to join the vanguard to keep pace with the timeline," Celestine sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "it'll be moving by the month's end though, and Valoris will be looking for us… speaking of which, I must complete a task he set for me,"
"Need a hand?"
"No, no, I should be fine, thank you," Celestine gave a small smile though the visible disorientation being caused to her, "and I do, admittedly, feel ill,"
There was a small ping of guilt at the admission, "go then,"
Celestine gave her a brighter smile in apology and left with a nod. She felt bad at putting the blame on the woman, but at least she was polite about it… that had to count for something, right?
The Saint shrugged to herself and kept her pace down the halls till the familiar red hair of Lelith filled her vision, "what do you want now?"
"You have been somewhere, I can smell it," Lelith moved too close to her neck and sniffed. If she was being intrusive and annoying on purpose, it was working,
Celestine reflexively moved to push her face away but missed as the woman dodged her hands, "yes, Terra… you can smell it?"
"Have you not seen the looks others have given you?" Lelith rose a brow, "the acid of the putrid air is obnoxious,"
Well, that answered if she was being annoying on purpose…
"So, Ironwood decided I no longer have a room to live in and, in your Custodian's words, I am your problem now,"
Celestine took a deep breath and made the Drukhari aware of her displeasure, "how do you of all people not find this demeaning? I know I would,"
"Your distaste for me is amusing, just like the short fuse Katarinya has for me is," Lelith grined with not a care in the world, "I could easily survive on my own, you know that. This is just easier."
The Saint blinked and gave her a frown, "I wish I could let you go do that,"
"Why not do it?" Lelith whipped some of her hair back over her shoulders,
"Because despite you being surprisingly personable, you are still Drukhari,"
"Fair point,"
Celestine did a doubletake, "wait, you agree with that?"
The Succubus laughed, "no, I would rather not have my life held over me, but I would be the same in your position," Oh, more of an understanding than acceptance. Celestine said as much and Lelith nodded in agreement,
"Yes, exactly. I am dangerous, I know that. I have said it before and will say it again, I know what I am,"
Despite the words, there was an emptiness to them in her eyes, "a killer, rapist, torturer, pirate and who knows what else,"
Lelith chuckled, "it is easier to list what I am not,"
"Oh, care to enlighten me?" Celestine teased mockingly,
"No, I'd rather you fester in trying to figure it out yourself," Lelith gave a baleful smile,
Celestine shook her head at her, "I take it you're following me around for the rest of the day?"
"I have nothing else to do, or stay,"
Somehow, the Saint thought it could be worse than her being around, "in that case then, have you come across a place I can collect star maps?"
Lelith gave her a blank, but somehow disbelieving look, "really? Is looking up not satisfying enough?"
"Can it, you're the one who chases satisfaction, not me," Celestine fired back, "and no, I need one for crossreferencing with the Imperium's,"
Lelith popped her lips, "don't know, nor particularly care,"
"Helpful…" Celestine muttered to herself, "I'll ask Ironwood and go from there,"
"Lead the way,"
A/N
This chapter and 19 were originally one, but it felt- was- too long and disconnected, so you got two chapters now, lol. 19 should be released in the next week or so once I polish it up a bit more, then onto Lelith and Emerald antagonising each other because I find it amusing.
"This isn't a crisis of faith," said the man, criticising the very foundations of her faith- hypocrisy, xenophobia and bigotry- a sentence later.
Can you imagine Ozpin and Co's reaction to Celestine just popping back with her Geminae Superia? They'd have a heart attack at two more golden people materialising out of nowhere. I really want to do it now, but I don't think I should since they wouldn't add anything other than more characters to juggle in an already large cast.
I also got a bit sick of writing Emerald as someone who constantly snivels and cries all the time, so I didn't write the questioning but rather how she's dealing with it now that she's had time with the Imperials and Lelith; I.e. a bit pissed like Celestine said and more prone to telling people off like with Alexea. It'll be explored more in Chap, 19.
And finally, the elephant in the room; the Imperium is still not making an appearance any more than what you saw here. The gang sure as shit wouldn't be willing to let anyone near their weapons but they need ammunition somehow.
Titles are hard, okay? One of these days it'll just be the chapter number or something dumb…
Anyway, Review time:
Saitama1155: oh man roman is fucked if he decides to fuck with greyfax what do you do against a psyker like her someone that can make you brain dead with a thought
Oh, poor Roman. It would be a shame if you pushed all the wrong buttons…
BloodRedRoses11: finally a new chapter, was starting to get worried, so glad you're back. and about this chapter yeah, in fact Roman, nobody expected the inquisition, but the good side is that it can't (for now) carry out exterminatus in your position, ie a victory.
Jacques being an ass as usual, it really doesn't take much thought for why he wants Kotek...and now I realize there's a possibility of Roman and Neo find out about Kotek and Alexea...eh...crossovers. well, back to Jacques, Ilia and company, it's nice to know that the story isn't going to be the original, seeing the characters' existence actively interfere with the lore including what are just character background mentions, is something that makes a good crossover, not a self-insert with minimal impact on lore.
I hope you keep up the great work!
Having two jobs and then nearly tearing a nail off kinda slows down the writing process, lol. (spoiler alert, it isn't fun to do either)
While no exterminatus is a good thing, he's still got everyone else to deal with instead, so is it really that much of a win?
I honestly didn't realise the crossovers between Roman, Neo and Kotek and Alexea, which is funny considering that Alexea and Neo were met to meet in Mistral in the first draft.
And I'm never a big fan of people throwing things in that should change a story but it just… doesn't. Then again, I've probably done the same thing here so I can't say much with glass houses and all that.