Trying my hand again. Roboute and Emps talk about Cain. Please note that I'm using she for Slaanesh.
Roboute had made it to Terra. He had pushed past an incursion, and found that his Father had requested a meeting with him. This had both made him happy, and terrified. What if his Father approved of this bloated mess? This… utter abomination that was the Imperium? He strode though the doors to the Golden Throne, as several Custodes watched him. He slowly ascended the steps to where his Father's corpse rotted, fueled by the sacrifice of thousands… no, millions… no, it was probably over a billion psykers over ten thousand Terran years. He knelt before the Throne.
RISE, SON.
That had been Father's voice, all right. He rose. "Father. I am returned."
YES… ROBOUTE. YOU HAVE RETURNED. There was… relief, yet sadness in his voice. RETURNED TO AN IMPERIUM… AND AN EMPEROR… WHO DOES NOT DESERVE YOU.
"Father, I was made to serve you. Why do you not deserve me? Would you wish for-"
I DO NOT DESERVE TO BE LOVED BY ONE SUCH AS YOU, ROBOUTE. NOT AFTER HORUS' BETRAYAL.
"Horus' betrayal?" Roboute scoffed. "That's what you call it? Look at what his betrayal has wrought! Can you not see it?! Everything we fought so hard against has been flipped on its head! Logar's teachings are second only to yours, save the Imperial Truth! And the Inquisition!" There were no words that needed to be said about THAT.
I ASSUME YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT A 'KARAMAZOV'?
"Heard? More like seen!" Roboute spat. "Apparently his dogma surpsasses even a Chaos cultist's, and was so powerful it created a warp-plague among the Inquisition that turns them into him in form and thought! What happened to him?"
HE TRIED TO EXECUTE AN EXTERMINATUS ON THE PLANET THAT HAD RIGHTFULLY REBELLED AGAINST THEIR RULERS.
"Rightfully rebelled?!"
DO YOU KNOW HOW BAD A PLANETARY GOVERNOR'S LINE HAS TO BE THAT ALL BUT ONE OF THE PARASITES OF THE WARP ALL AGREED WITH ME THAT HE HAD TO DIE?
"...What?"
THANKFULLY, SALVATION APPEARED IN THE FORM OF CIAPHAS CAIN, OR AS HE IS KNOWN TO THEM… CAIN THE LIBERATOR. OR, TO THE INQUISITION, THE BLACK COMMISSAR.
Roboute had heard of him. A Chaos Warlord that had carved out a not-insignificant piece of the Eastern Fringes. He had apparently caused the cults of Khorne, Slaanesh, and Tzeentch to unite. He had been appalled that one had been allowed to fester for almost a century. "Salvation?! He turned Slawkenberg, and dozens of other planets, to Chaos! Why would he be our salvation?!"
HIS LOVER, A DAEMON PRINCE, GIFTED THEM A SPACE HULK. UPON THIS SPACE HULK WERE STANDARD TEMPLATE CONSTRUCTS. ONE OF THEM WAS THE PANACEA. I ASSUME YOU REMEMBER ME TELLING YOU ABOUT THAT ONE.
Roboute had. His Father had waxed poetic about it, declaring that if they could find it, then Angron could be healed- or at least, suffer less.
"Do you wish for me to… bargain with him for it?"
THERE IS NO NEED. HE FREELY GAVE IT TO THE IMPERIUM. UNFORTUNATELY, THE BUREAUCRACY HAS MADE ITS DEPLOYMENT SLOW.
"He… he just… gave it?"
HE STILL SEES HIMSELF AS ONE OF MY… WORSHIPPERS. HE PROMOTES FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN HIS DOMAIN… THOSE WHO FOLLOW LORGAR'S TEACHINGS STILL EXIST THERE. AND THEN… THERE ARE THE ANSIBLES. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE?
He did.
"Do you want me to launch a Crusade for them, Father?"
NO. BARTER WITH HIM. OFFER HIM ANYTHING.
"Anything?"
ANYTHING. A FULL PARDON. A GUARANTEE OF INDEPENDENCE. A MUTUAL DEFENSE PACT. THE ENTIRE GULF. WHATEVER IT TAKES.
"It… it will be done. Is there anything else?"
CIAPHAS CAIN IS ON THE VERGE OF ASCENDING.
"To daemonhood? Then why…"
NO. NOT DAEMONHOOD.
GODHOOD.
"W-what?"
THERE ARE ASPECTS OF THE PSYCHE THAT HAVE GONE FOR TOO LONG WITHOUT A PROPER AVATAR. FREEDOM. JUSTICE. COMMON SENSE. HUMILITY. LOVE. THEY HAVE BEEN ROPED INTO THE GODS OF CHAOS. BUT HE IS SLOWLY RELEASING THEM INTO HIS BEING WITHOUT KNOWING. WHEN HE DIES, HE WILL ACHIEVE APOTHEOSIS, POWERED THROUGH THE FAITH HIS PEOPLE HAVE IN HIM, AND THE POWER THE PARASITES AND I HAVE GIVEN HIM THOUGH ORU FAVOR.
"What?"
TZEENTCH, SLAANESH, AND KHORNE ALL FAVOR HIM ABOVE ALL ELSE, ABADDON INCLUDED. THEY EAGERLY AWAIT HIS ASCENSION, AND DO NOT CARE THAT I HAVE GIVEN HIM POWER AS WELL. THEY THINK THAT HE WILL BE THE MOST POWERFUL DAEMON PRINCE EVER CREATED… AT LEAST, TZEENTCH AND KHRONE DO. SLAANESH HAS SEEN THE TRUTH THROUGH EMILI, A DAEMON PRINCESS THAT CAIN ACCIDENTLY HELPED ACHIEVE DAEMONHOOD. AND SLAANESH HUNGERS FOR HIM TO BE HER KING TO HER QUEEN, SHARING HIM WITH EMILI. A ROYAL MARRIAGE, IF YOU WILL.
"I… I think I see… so it is important that we keep him alive?"
YES. ANNOUNCE YOUR VISIT, BUT BE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT YOU DO NOT GO IN VIOLENCE.
"Is there anything else, Father?"
ABOUT HIM? NO. THERE ARE OTHER THINGS… SPECIFICALLY, THE ADMINISTRATUM.
"Oh do not get me started on them!"
Thus, Father and Son were reunited, and plotted how to best bring the Imperium back on track.
Across the Galaxy, corrupt officials, incompetent bureaucrats and generals, and the combination of all of the above (Namely, the High Lords) felt an icy chill go down their spine.