Chapter 1 Part 6

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Inquisition

=ATBS=

Part 6​

Diomedes residential complex

Elysium District

Victory Bay

"Boys, if I was going to suddenly turn into a daemon, I would have done it already. In that case you should have started shooting a minute or so ago." I deadpanned and brushed off the blood on my face. "Besides is this the thanks I get for risking my very soul in order to help you guys?" I glared at them.

"How is this helping us?" Santos waved at me with his gun.

"You're well aware what the Astartes would do once their patience runs out, right? The sooner we find the Inquisitor the less of your buddies will die." I didn't add that we might not find him in a state to help anyone but the Emperor.

"Corporal, he actually makes sense." Dole muttered.

"Yeah, but the Inquisitor get the rest of our squad killed when he sent us after that Eldar." Valencia added.

I should have asked what exactly did the Stormtroopers did for Requista before requesting them as my bodyguards. I made a mental note to seek such information in the future if I got out of this snag alive.

"He's right though. If someone doesn't talk some sense to the Marines we're fucked like Slaaneshi cultists after an orgy." Dole nodded sagely.

"How do you know that?" I asked pointedly

"We had to clean up that nest of cultists on Bendix's World before we deployed here." I could clear the disgust in Santos' voice clearly.

"Yep. Nasty stuff." Valencia nodded.

"You're lucky that I'm not a paranoid member of the Ordo Hereticus." I sighed. "Are you going to shoot me or can we go? I could really use some painkillers right now."

"What do you think boss?" Valencia asked.

"Well… He isn't growing tentacles or extra limbs; besides, he sounds sane."

"Saner than most of our commanders before we got assigned to General Alexander's regiment" Dole added.

So the Sarge was right. Showing that you care about the lives of the troops could save your life. Unless they were going to shoot me anyway.

I wondered if I could channel enough Warp energy to save myself, before my head blew up, because it already felt as if Titans were marching through it.

I had no illusions that I could draw my laspistol and shoot before being gunned down, much less use my chainsword. Perhaps now it wasn't the best moment to mention what might happen if I fucked up using the Warp to save myself. Such an explanation was all but guaranteed to get me shot just in case.

"Let's go see the medic… sir. You look like shit." Santos lowered his weapon and his men followed suit.

"I feel worse. Thanks for not using me for target practice."

"Day's still young." Valencia snorted.

=ATBS=​

Saint Hortensia's Highway

Deimos Peninsula

We left a squad to secure Requista's apartment and calm down the locals. The medic started checking me up after we piled up in the Chimera and went on our way to meet the Astartes.

Some painkillers, a bandage and an order to try and get a bit of rest was his conclusion. While he couldn't find anything permanently wrong with me, the medicae didn't have the equipment at hand for any in depth scans so I had to hope for the best.

The rest on the other hand was out of the question once we neared our destination. Even without the Warp feeling particularly hellish and pissed off here, I would still be racing to find Requista anyway. With the Immaterium's state, that just became even more important.

Still, there wasn't a thing stopping me from getting a nap while we drove through the countryside. I did sleep, dreaming of dark, formless shapes.

It didn't do much to rejuvenate me, before Santos shook me awake, earning himself a bleary-eyed glare.

"The Astartes is in sight, sir. We'll reach him in a few minutes."

I gave him a nod and stretched, cursing the lack of caff on the Chimeras. That should be a vital feature for the functioning of the troops.

Then I looked outside through the nearest gun slit. There were fields all around us, covered by a blanket of waving yellow plants. Something to do with feeding the local populace, no doubt. I could see a handful of people and machines tending them, though not near enough I would expect.

A five-cornered war might give the locals other things to worry about beside the harvest, no matter how important it might be. Considering that the fields around Victory Bay were starting to resemble a lunar landscape, because of the constant skirmishes between the Guard, Tau, Ork probing attacks and Eldar incursions, that might turn out to be a problem long term.

As we got nearer, I dared take a peak at the Marine waiting us through the Warp and recoiled back.

He was the strongest presence in the Immaterium I had yet to meet! I frowned. That very thought sounded somewhat wrong in my head.

The convoy ground to a halt when we reached the Astartes. It was time to meet him and see if he was going to be actually helpful.

I was first out once the ramp lowered and headed towards the large Warp presence.

Damn. He was big. More like really huge. He was an armored behemoth at least a head over two meters tall, clad in a pristine power armor that was covered with purity seals, which shone in the Warp with the power of the blessing they carried. He was leaning on a large assault bike, which had built in a pair of auto-cannons. A golden platted warhammer could be seen sticking out of a side compartment of his ride.

"Welcome. I'm Brother Librarian Anteas." The Astartes turned his helmet my way. His voice boomed, carrying over the nearby fields.

"My Lord!" I bowed and the Leftenant, who joined us then followed my example. What the hell was a Librarian doing out here by himself?!

"So you're the one that made Thule listen to reason." Anteas studied me for a moment. "I expected you to be taller."

I just stared at the supersoldier. Did he just make a joke?! Then his first words hit me. So not everyone in the Blood Ravens was totally on board with slaughtering loyal Imperial citizens because of conflicting orders. That was good to know.

"Do you know where we should start seeking the Inquisitor? We should retrieve him before the Captain gets impatient again."

"Ah. Yes, My Lord. I scryed his destination from a map in his quarters."

"Good, good. You've noticed the state of the Warp then?" The Librarian asked.

"It's the nastiest I've ever felt." I told him the truth, yet those words rang hollow too. I had the feeling that I've experienced even nastier parts of the Immaterium though I couldn't recall it.

"It's quite unpleasant, isn't it? It heralds nothing good for any of us. We should hurry with finding Requista." With those words he turned around and got on his bike.

"Let's go find the Inquisitor." I nodded to Pickos, who was staring at the Librarian.

I think that the Astartes joking broke her and it was something I was still trying to wrap my head around.