Chapter 14 Part 8

Chapter 14: Diplomacy is not a dead art

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Part 8

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General Alexander's HQ

Victory Bay

Kronus

"You know," Amberley said while nursing a cup of amasec, courtesy of General Alexander, "now I can almost understand what you were up to. Almost."

I looked at the table between us, more specifically, the half-empty bottle laying innocently there. My new state of being might have come with a few unexpected trade-offs. Besides a pair of damned wings with a mind of their own. I couldn't get even a buzz from any normal quantity of alcohol. Draining the rest of the bottle in one go wasn't the best of ideas, no matter how tempting it was.

There was a reason for my odd mood. Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't going to get shot for the foreseeable future. The only question was if this stay of execution was going to be a temporary affair, or of a more permanent sort.

I was still trying to get to grips with that little fact. Everything was so much simpler when you knew your survival didn't matter because of a death sentence hanging over your head. That led to clarity and options that otherwise would be insane, suddenly becoming palatable. And to everyone's great surprise, those options worked much better than expected.

Now it was time to pay the piper, just in no way I anticipated.

"It was stupid, suicidal, borderline heretical, and treasonous at best." The bloody woman smirked at me. Then she jabbed a finger at my wings, which twitched in irritation at the continued disrespect. "Obviously, it only worked because, for some unfathomable reason, you had the Emperor's blessing. Now, I have to make a presentable imitation of a competent Inquisitor out of you. We can't have people figuring out you've been improvising and winging it this whole time. It wouldn't be proper. It might give the citizenry the wrong ideas, especially when a potential Saint is concerned."

Yep. On second thought, I might have preferred to get a shot.

"More importantly, we have to figure out how not to get purged by our fellow Inquisitors when they arrive. Or how to avoid stirring up the Ecclesiarchy in declaring a Crusade or two when there is no need to. Those can get messy."

"So you've told me." I pointed out, winning myself a withering glare.

Vail drained her cup, looked longingly at the bottle, and shook her head.

"I'll keep it for later. With you around, I'll need it." She decided. "First things first. Tomorrow morning, we'll be negotiating with the Necrons. They requested your presence. How do you suggest we play it?"

"You're the experienced Inquisitor. What can we get away with the offering? You saw the Pylon. Your Psyker is currently taking a nap below it."

"That way she isn't raving about your Pariah. How you managed to stumble upon her…" Vail shook her head in disgust. "Anyway, the Necrons."

"Play it straight. Do not try any usual political games you might be accustomed to. I don't believe they would take kindly to such shenanigans. While they're advanced, frighteningly so, I'm unsure if they could replenish their numbers at all. From what I saw, and we have a lot of records, they can repair and rebuild many casualties that would be permanent losses for practically anyone else. Despite that, numbers are going to be their greatest issue."

For the time being anyway. We didn't know how many Tomb Worlds they had. For all we knew, we hadn't seen even the tip of the iceberg. On the other end of the scale, there might not be many of them left. Unfortunately, that wasn't something we could afford to plan around.

Amberley gloomy pointed that out.

"As far as offers go, we're Inquisitors. Technically we can offer what we have to."

I heard a 'but' in there.

"In practice, usually, our Ordos' dealings with aliens are viewed with universal suspicion. If we offer too much without compelling proof for the people in charge on the Segmentum level, they might write us off as compromised and subverted with all that entails."

"Said proof being?" So much for the theory that Inquisitors could do whatever they wanted. While technically true, in practice there were obvious limits and obstacles to overcome.

"Limited to moderate scale field testing of the Pylon technology away from a Necron stronghold for one. Test carried out by representatives from multiple Forge Words at the very least. We're talking about a potential game-changer, with who knows what hidden nasty surprises."

"Kaurava. It would be a good starting place for a limited test." I suggested.

"You said so before. At this time, I can't authorize you to go rogue again. We're both going through Malleus and Hereticus investigation when the relevant parties arrive. Being cleared by them," or not remained unsaid, at which point we would be as good as dead, "will strengthen our case. I'll send Astropathic messages and requests for information on the system the moment it becomes feasible."

That was less than ideal. I hadn't noticed it until very recently, however, there was a slowly increasing need within me to get to Kaurava. It was like an ever-present itch or a thought that wouldn't leave the back of your mind no matter what you were doing. Needless to say, that didn't fill me up with confidence about the future.

"Now, we're going to get through the plan for tomorrow one last time and then a bit of rest wouldn't go amiss…" Amberley trailed off.

A keening wail grew more and more, even though we were in a secure room. As secure as the Cogboys could make it.

It didn't say good things about me that when a painfully familiar lighting discharge lit up the room I didn't react, just blinked the emerald glow away from my eyes.

"THIEEEEF!" Screeched the Necron who just teleported inside. It was one of Selene's bodyguard. It missed its right arm too. "THE THIEF IS HERE!" It screeched again. "Raise the alarm! Find it! Shoot it! Stab it! Blow it up!" It added aloud, almost roaring. This wasn't the voice of the bodyguard, but that of our local Necron Lord.

"Can you elaborate?" I asked while Amberley's retinue pilled in, aimed all kinds of weapons at the Necron. "But first tell me, where is Selene and if she's all right?" I demanded.

"It's Trazyn! The THIEF!" The Necron screamed at me and I nodded.

The name jogged something in my mind. However, whatever it was, I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Elaborate, please," I asked through gritted teeth. My temper spiked, and the power of the Warp filled me.

"I'm blaming you for this, just so you know." Amberley deadpanned. "You're just as bad as Caiphas if not worse!"

"Your little Pariah is all right. Lur got her away." The Necron finally gave me some good news using its usual voice. "Because of this incursion, Lord Herald of Victory and Amarkun the Gatherer request that you conduct the negotiations now before the Thief has the opportunity to steal one of you for his collection or otherwise disrupt the alliance. Necron forces are on high alert and hunting for him."

I looked at Amberley.

"I'm unfamiliar with that entity. That said, we're ready to negotiate, however, we'll require a proper explanation."

"Granted." A new voice added just as darkness engulfed the room. A moment later it was gone, revealing several heavy-armed Necrons with very impressive chassis. "We shall negotiate now." The same unfamiliar voice proclaimed. "Our guard is here and hunting. Let me tell you about the greatest and most cursed thief in the history of the galaxy, human. The one who just tried to steal your Pariah…"