41K RPG : Into the Eye

[Josh]

"As do I," he said. "It is, after all, our role in His great vision. Nevertheless, he sensed that there was more than the regular suspicion of the role in your earlier meeting. He rightfully points out that we must operate with a certain level of harmony in order to complete this mission. We are not the naive children we were at Adraxis."

As much as the bloody-handed butchers that they were then could be called 'naive children', but in their terms, that was precisely what they had been.

"But if we had been mired in internal suspicions, we would not have achieved our goals then, and in all likelihood the Adraxian subsector would be mired in war still as the Imperium attempted to resecure it from the heretics. If there is any matter upon which Gix is to be suspected, I will hear it and participate in his prosecution as needed. Otherwise..." he gestured toward the map. "Otherwise, the Emperor bids us to function as a unit once more."

[Pcm979]

Pater looked honestly puzzled. "He was incorrect. I do not know what gave him that that impression. I anwsered his questions candidly and offered him information he did not request, some of which I have not told anyone outside my circle." He cocked his head, one of the last vestiges of his old self he had not eradicated.

"I fail to comprehend the situation." He admitted at last.

[Josh]

There was a deep irony in this. In the time he had been away, as more pieces of him had been cut away, leaving only scant remains of the original Prius, he had learned more of being human. It appeared Pater had gone in the opposite direction, to an extreme.

Or at least, it was the appearance he sought to project.

The appearance of innocence is the greatest mask of heresy.

And so, had Jolan overreacted or misunderstood the transition he'd undergone? Was Pater playing a game to maneuver the two greatest threats to his new fiefdoms? Was Jolan attempting the same? Both?

Perhaps he should sit the two of them down and tell them to play nicely with each other. Then purge them both as unsound when he had them in the same room.

"The matter must be resolved between the two of you with frankness and candor," he said. "Now, before we commence our operations. We are old comrades, and so long as we all place our obedience before the Throne, then we must allow nothing to impede us."

[Pcm979]

"I would prefer that." Pater nodded. "I am ill suited for this variety of intrigue. The sooner the air is cleared the better."

[Josh]

He nodded his assent. "I propose we meet in my quarters to resolve this, then," he said.

[Cynical Cat]

Jolan's fingers flew over the cogitator's holographic keyboard. His operations were running smoothly, but there now that he had to summarize and elucidate his plans for every contingency there seemed to be just one more thing to add or clarify. He stopped and rubbed his fingers. That seemed to be it. "Melina, could you look this over. See if I've missed anything?" She was involved in all of his plans, save the most secret. She was too good a manager and manipulator to let her talents rust.

"Certainly," she said, striding forward with sensual grace. Jolan smiled slightly at the memories that her movements brought back. She looked over the screen as he fished into his pocket for a battered leather case. He opened it and and extracted the contents.

The cards were mostly unchanged after all these years, looking only slightly more worn than they had been the day Kyra had given them to him. The Emperor's Tarot. Black leather on one side, the other coverd by a layer of psycho active crystal. He stroked the cards, shuffled and touched the warp. Time and space were different there, what could be the future could connect with the past. Once he had been an amateur reader. Now he was a master.

The Maelstrom was ascendent, no surprise. The Tech Priest was over the Alien, symbolized this time by a Tyranid warrior armed with bone swords and a death spitter. The Tower, a besieged fortress representing danger, was just beneath the Maelstrom. The Hermit flanked the Tech Priest. Other cards followed.

The Magus flanked by the Trickster and the Daemon. The Soldier flanked by Heretic and the Hight Priest. The High Priest wore Vandire's face. Another Alien, this one off to the side. An Eldar Harlequin. And that was all.

Danger. Danger from the mission and from . . . . . misdirection. That was the unifying nature. Suspicion, fear, misunderstanding.

He picked up the Hermit. Jolan Gix had spent much of the last fifty years dealing with inquisitors. It was abundantly clear that Pater had not. He would have either been purged or changed. How in the Emperor's Name had he managed to get such a free range? An inquisitor as junior as he was should have a lot more contact with colleages and superiors within the Inquisition.

But maybe that was Jolan's prejudices talking. Pater was Xenos, not Hereticus or Malleus. He spent much of his time on the galactic fringe. His superiors may have been far too busy for oversight, councils, reports, and assignments and far more interested in results. That Pater was alive today certainly meant that he could deliver those results.

"Anything useful Jolan?" Melina asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Quite useful actually. Now applying that knowledge, that could be tricky."

[Josh]

Prius returned to his quarters, voxing a simple request to Jolan's quarters requesting his presence as soon as possible.

"I have sent word requesting that he come as soon as he can," he informed Pater. He gestured to the water dispenser. "I do not maintain so fine a stock of drinks as you," he said. "But if you desire..."

[Cynical Cat]

Jolan smiled as he received the message. "It appears that Inquisitor Ristani has excellent timing. I'll be at his quarters." He hesitated. "It would be best if you stayed. Things are still unsettled."

Melina nodded. "And Lydia?"

"No," he replied. "Same reason. They have enough problems trusting me at the moment. Let her know that its due to their weakness, not a lack on her part."

"Why don't you tell her?"

"I'll be busy and she needs to a reminder that she's my student, not my right hand. Find some way of conveying that nicely."

"You know she'd probably be a lot less prickly if she got laid regularily."

"That's nice. Are you offering?"

"She's nice looking, but the fact that she thinks I'm some kind of poisonous reptile is something of a barrier. While we are at it, you could use with some company in your bed."

"We aren't having this conversation now," he responded. "Give me your thoughts on my will when we get back." With that he left his room, passed through the main suite, and departed for Prius's quarters.

[Pcm979]

"No thank you. I do not require it." Pater said, standing behind the main table, arms crossed.

[Josh]

Unfortunately, the lack of hard data input limited their ability to discuss the plan of action, with either the Eldar or the Tyranids. They would have to simply wait for it to arrive. He clasped his hands behind his back and studied the magnificent painting once more.

[Cynical Cat]

Jolan triggered Prius's door bell.

[Josh]

He pressed the wall switch, irising the door open. "Jolan," he said politely, stepping back to allow him to enter.

[Pcm979]

Pater bowed his head briefly.

[Cynical Cat]

Jolan inclined his head. "Pater, Prius." He entered the room. "Have your discussions been fruitful?"

[Josh]

"As fruitful as can be without further firm details," he said. "It is time to resolve this matter between us." he said, plowing ahead without preamble. "We must strive to return to some form of the unity we had at Adraxis."

Which was highlighted by that vicious argument between the two over asteroid bombardment of the world, but while they may have disagreed over policy, their committment was pure then.

[Cynical Cat]

"Agreed," replied Jolan. "I had a very interesting reading of the Emperor's Tarot just before I received your invetation. It showed many things threatening us, as to be expected, but notable among the possible enemies were our own suspicions and paranoia. This is the first enemy we must defeat."

[Pcm979]

Pater stepped forward. "Jolan, until Prius informed me of your concerns, I was unaware that I was giving you the impression that I suspected you unduly. Rest assured, I fully intend to cooperate to the best of my ability. As far as I am concerned, any disagreements we had fifty years ago are just that; Disagreements we had fifty years ago. I consider them dead and buried."

[Cynical Cat]

"Good," replied Jolan. "I too considered it part of the past. Perhaps the years I have spent clashing with other inquisitors has made me overly sensitive to nuance, seeing trouble where there is none."

[Josh]

"We have each sworn our lives and souls into the service of the Emperor," he said. "Let us, here, now, once again reaffirm this."

He extended his hand forward between the two of them.

[Pcm979]

Pater placed his mechanical hand on top of Prius's. "The Emperor." He intoned.

[Cynical Cat]

Jolan extended his hand. "For the Emperor."

[Josh]

"For the Emperor," he concluded. It would be a childish ceremony if not meant sincerely.

But no one took such affairs lightly in the presence of Prius Ristani.

"Now, we three have much to discuss, both in the current affair and in terms of our larger operations."

[Pcm979]

Pater stood back and crossed his arms, waiting for Prius to continue. He would now apply more of his runtime to the chore of social interactions, as annoying and essentially pointless as they were.

[Cynical Cat]

"Where do you prepose to begin?" asked Gix. "We all have various projects and assets to be set in some degree of order, beyond that I will not presume to comment on your affairs. For myself, that has already been done. What forces Lena intends to commit to the affair remains nebulous at this point and thus what assets we should tap to reinforce the mission is also unknown."

[Pcm979]

"As I have already intimated, I cannot rally much in the way of manpower or equipment at the present time." Pater noted. "However, I will be able to gather additional resources, the number and quality of which depends on our timeframe."