Acolyte (40k)
Acolyte (40k)
- Thread starter Hiver
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User Total Hiver 44 Threadmarks Reader mode
The dark tunnel was silent other than the faint sound of dripping water somewhere in the distance. I didn't like that, I didn't like that even a little.
That just meant every single movement I made seemed to echo all along the tunnel, at least to my ears. I slowly moved along the tunnel, the slight light filtering in through grates high above wasn't anywhere near enough to navigate by, but I didn't dare to try to light my lamp again.
It was too dark to see anything, so I had to navigate by touch and hearing. Which made the entire thing incredibly claustrophobic, even if there weren't horrors in the dark of the Undercity.
Letting the fingers of my left hand trail along the moist rockcrete wall, my right holding the laspistol tight enough that I could almost hear the handle creaking beneath my fingers.
My right foot hit something small that went clattering across the floor and I froze as the sound echoed through the tunnel.
I listened hard as the sound slowly died out, holding my breath.
I couldn't hear anything over my heart pounding in my ears. I stayed still for another couple of seconds before I closed my eyes, not that I could notice much, and took a slow and deep breaths.
I couldn't stay here, I had to keep moving.
Moving on may get me killed. Staying here would get me killed. Taking another deep breath, I pushed the image of men being disemboweled and ripped apart from my mind.
Move.
Move.
I had to move. If they aren't here now, they are coming! Move!!
Swallowing, I forced myself to take another slow and deep breath before I continued slowly along the tunnel, making sure to lift my feet more this time. How did they walk on TV? Those special forces and ninja types?
Feet high, almost knee level.
Okay. Okay. Slow. Slow.
Breath in, breath out.
I kept my left hand against the wall next to me, slowly moving along the tunnel, my right hand with the lasgun raised in front of me.
Step. Breath. Listen. Step.
Each step took a million years. Nothing. I heard nothing in the darkness. I had no idea where I was, where everyone else was. If they were even still alive.
I had only seen some of them die. I was lucky to get away but now I'm not only lost in a labyrinth of pitch black tunnels, but they were also filled with…
...Things.
I froze and listened hard. What's that? There was a slight scraping sound somewhere in the distance, but I couldn't tell where from. Behind? In front?
How far?
It stopped. If it was ever even there. It was the hundredth time in what felt as many centuries that I had stopped, hearing or imagining hearing something.
I don't want to be here! I want to go home! I want to go home! I want to go ho-
Scrape. Shuffle.
I stopped breathing, even the pounding of my heart in my ears stopped for a second.
It was a sound. It was a sound and I didn't imagine it and I didn't make it something is here!! I didn't even dare to breathe as I strained my ears against the darkness. My eyes were less than useless in here.
There.
Behind me. They're here. They're coming!
Move.
They'll hear me!
Move!
They'll hear me! They'll kill me! Eat me!
MOVE!
I started to move again, clutching the lasgun as if it was a talisman against the darkness. I could hear them behind me. Scrapes of claws against the rockcrete. No running, no screams.
But they were there. Faint sounds. Sounds in the darkness.
My left hand suddenly felt open air and I moved that way, ducking around the corner and without thinking about it, my back hit the wall and I froze.
Holding the laspistol close to my chest, I did my best to keep still and not move. The darkness was silent and dark, the dark tunnel only lit by grates to the world or more likely the tunnel above a few hundred meters apart, not nearly enough to see anything.
Even with my eyes having adapted to the dark during the hours down here, it was almost completely pitch black, the dark pressing in from all directions. Suffocatingly dark.
I couldn't see them. But I could hear them..
But it was here. They were around the corner, getting closer. I knew it was with the surety that gravity was pointing down.
Trying to swallow my terror, my heart beating hard in my chest as I tried to keep my breathing as silent as I could.
Not that I couldn't imagine it helping with how hard my heart was beating, the sound seemed to fill the tunnel.
Gripping the weapon tight enough that I could imagine my hand creaking, I slowly let my head rest back against the cold rockcrete behind my back.
What could I possibly have done to deserve this?
I didn't belong here. I didn't belong here at all. I'm a technerd, not a soldier! I want to go home!
Emperor, Him on the Throne of Holy Terra. Please. I was in that tube for so long for a reason. It can't be because I was meant to die here.
Please.
I clutched the lasgun tighter and looked down at it in the pitch dark. Nobody was coming to save me. They were all dead. I was all alone.
If I was to survive this, it was on me. But I wasn't going to survive, was I? Not against those. But I'd be damned if I'd go down without a fight.
What was it Imago taught me? I traced my fingers along the handle of the laspistol, my others trailing across the small sigil of the Priests of Mars he had stamped into the metal after going through the rites of upgrade on it for me.
Swallowing, I licked my dry lips before I whispered, "Omnissiah, blessed be your gifts to humanity. Please bless this machine-spirit, let its aim be true and its power strong. Let it smite the xenos and preserve your knowledge that we seek."
Only way I'm getting through this would be with literal divine intervention… and right now, the machine-god seemed like a better bet to get my hide out of this.
A hiss around the corner filled the air and I turned quickly, raising the laspistol as I triggered my shoulder mounted flashlight.
The world seemed to explode.
AN// Welcome to a new story everyone. Sorry, no Star Wars this time.
That just meant every single movement I made seemed to echo all along the tunnel, at least to my ears. I slowly moved along the tunnel, the slight light filtering in through grates high above wasn't anywhere near enough to navigate by, but I didn't dare to try to light my lamp again.
It was too dark to see anything, so I had to navigate by touch and hearing. Which made the entire thing incredibly claustrophobic, even if there weren't horrors in the dark of the Undercity.
Letting the fingers of my left hand trail along the moist rockcrete wall, my right holding the laspistol tight enough that I could almost hear the handle creaking beneath my fingers.
My right foot hit something small that went clattering across the floor and I froze as the sound echoed through the tunnel.
I listened hard as the sound slowly died out, holding my breath.
I couldn't hear anything over my heart pounding in my ears. I stayed still for another couple of seconds before I closed my eyes, not that I could notice much, and took a slow and deep breaths.
I couldn't stay here, I had to keep moving.
Moving on may get me killed. Staying here would get me killed. Taking another deep breath, I pushed the image of men being disemboweled and ripped apart from my mind.
Move.
Move.
I had to move. If they aren't here now, they are coming! Move!!
Swallowing, I forced myself to take another slow and deep breath before I continued slowly along the tunnel, making sure to lift my feet more this time. How did they walk on TV? Those special forces and ninja types?
Feet high, almost knee level.
Okay. Okay. Slow. Slow.
Breath in, breath out.
I kept my left hand against the wall next to me, slowly moving along the tunnel, my right hand with the lasgun raised in front of me.
Step. Breath. Listen. Step.
Each step took a million years. Nothing. I heard nothing in the darkness. I had no idea where I was, where everyone else was. If they were even still alive.
I had only seen some of them die. I was lucky to get away but now I'm not only lost in a labyrinth of pitch black tunnels, but they were also filled with…
...Things.
I froze and listened hard. What's that? There was a slight scraping sound somewhere in the distance, but I couldn't tell where from. Behind? In front?
How far?
It stopped. If it was ever even there. It was the hundredth time in what felt as many centuries that I had stopped, hearing or imagining hearing something.
I don't want to be here! I want to go home! I want to go home! I want to go ho-
Scrape. Shuffle.
I stopped breathing, even the pounding of my heart in my ears stopped for a second.
It was a sound. It was a sound and I didn't imagine it and I didn't make it something is here!! I didn't even dare to breathe as I strained my ears against the darkness. My eyes were less than useless in here.
There.
Behind me. They're here. They're coming!
Move.
They'll hear me!
Move!
They'll hear me! They'll kill me! Eat me!
MOVE!
I started to move again, clutching the lasgun as if it was a talisman against the darkness. I could hear them behind me. Scrapes of claws against the rockcrete. No running, no screams.
But they were there. Faint sounds. Sounds in the darkness.
My left hand suddenly felt open air and I moved that way, ducking around the corner and without thinking about it, my back hit the wall and I froze.
Holding the laspistol close to my chest, I did my best to keep still and not move. The darkness was silent and dark, the dark tunnel only lit by grates to the world or more likely the tunnel above a few hundred meters apart, not nearly enough to see anything.
Even with my eyes having adapted to the dark during the hours down here, it was almost completely pitch black, the dark pressing in from all directions. Suffocatingly dark.
I couldn't see them. But I could hear them..
But it was here. They were around the corner, getting closer. I knew it was with the surety that gravity was pointing down.
Trying to swallow my terror, my heart beating hard in my chest as I tried to keep my breathing as silent as I could.
Not that I couldn't imagine it helping with how hard my heart was beating, the sound seemed to fill the tunnel.
Gripping the weapon tight enough that I could imagine my hand creaking, I slowly let my head rest back against the cold rockcrete behind my back.
What could I possibly have done to deserve this?
I didn't belong here. I didn't belong here at all. I'm a technerd, not a soldier! I want to go home!
Emperor, Him on the Throne of Holy Terra. Please. I was in that tube for so long for a reason. It can't be because I was meant to die here.
Please.
I clutched the lasgun tighter and looked down at it in the pitch dark. Nobody was coming to save me. They were all dead. I was all alone.
If I was to survive this, it was on me. But I wasn't going to survive, was I? Not against those. But I'd be damned if I'd go down without a fight.
What was it Imago taught me? I traced my fingers along the handle of the laspistol, my others trailing across the small sigil of the Priests of Mars he had stamped into the metal after going through the rites of upgrade on it for me.
Swallowing, I licked my dry lips before I whispered, "Omnissiah, blessed be your gifts to humanity. Please bless this machine-spirit, let its aim be true and its power strong. Let it smite the xenos and preserve your knowledge that we seek."
Only way I'm getting through this would be with literal divine intervention… and right now, the machine-god seemed like a better bet to get my hide out of this.
A hiss around the corner filled the air and I turned quickly, raising the laspistol as I triggered my shoulder mounted flashlight.
The world seemed to explode.
AN// Welcome to a new story everyone. Sorry, no Star Wars this time.
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- Location
- sydney australia
yay more hiver fics hiver fics are best fics 
- Location
- Scotland
So tech priest build eh? Well it's the only other path to power that doesn't involve enormous risk. Still risky but what isnt in 40k?
Stratagemini
Totally a Fire Ferret.
- Location
- Central Park
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
Praise be to the Omnissiah! I don't think I've seen a tech priest story before.
- Location
- united states
Nothing so far has indicated that Hiver is going to be a techpriest, he's just been taught the same sort of prayer that many guardsman are given to ask their weapon's aid. The sort of thing cogboys give out to end users.
Acolyte probably refers to working as an Inquisitor's minion, as that is what PCs are called in Dark Heresy.
I assume the stasis tube is the method that he was inserted by, the way a modern human is around in 40k.
Acolyte probably refers to working as an Inquisitor's minion, as that is what PCs are called in Dark Heresy.
I assume the stasis tube is the method that he was inserted by, the way a modern human is around in 40k.
- Location
- Scotland
Being an acolyte for an Inquisitor is way more risky tbh.
Talking about risk in 40k is like talking about water on the ocean.
- Location
- Error 505: pending move
Well.....THAT was an Interesting start, can't wait to see what comes next.
So is this Hiver or some other OC?
So is this Hiver or some other OC?
MangoFlan
Cold... I feel cold...
Depending on where you drink from, the water could be saltier or dirtier.
- Location
- Error 505: pending move
Or filled with face biting, mutated, six eyed, two mouthed, cursing Trout.
- Location
- a nice place
aaaaand watched. quick hide your jeans!
MangoFlan
Cold... I feel cold...
That's part of the dirty part.
You may be wondering how I ended up there?
Pretty simple really. Went into the hospital once for something simple and there was an accident. I think. I'm honestly not sure and will likely never find out.
But somehow, I ended up in a cryogenic pod. That somehow ended up halfway across the galaxy some thirty eight thousand years later.
Waking was a small surprise.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The woman missing half her face and with six mechanical arms poking out from beneath her red and white robes took a step back and screamed back at me, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
She sounded more like Microsoft Sam than anything else.
What in the actual actual fuck!?"
I scrambled away from it, raising my hands for protection. Or rather tried. What I actually did were more of a little flop with my arms.
The mechanical monster beeped and said something to me I couldn't really understand as she started to poke and prod at me with her mechanical arms.
It took a while until she managed to make herself understood. With "understood", I meant with lots of pointing and holding up pictures.
The language was completely impossible to understand. But it became clear they had extracted me from a cryopod. A very old one.
It slowly got my brain moving. Very slowly.
Apparently being tv-dinner for almost forty millennia has a bit of a detrimental effect on your entire thinking thing.
When I recognized the tech priest for what she was, I started screaming again.
I didn't really stop until she sedated me.
XXXXXXXXXX
Language was a big problem. There is a bit of a language drift after almost forty thousand years. To say the least. It sounded to me like a mix of French and Latin.
The tech-priest seemed to take it as a personal insult that I couldn't understand her droning at me. So, she did her best to teach me.
And with her best, I mean staying away from me and having an old guy in a brown robe teach me. He was remarkably good at it.
Methodical, practiced and very patient.
By the time that I could move under my own power with only a bit of a knee wobble, I could form simple sentences in what they called Low Gothic.
But just because I had stopped screaming externally didn't mean I had stopped screaming internally.
Forty thousand years into the future. On an Imperial vessel. In the Warp. Going who knows where. Well, the Astrogator knew. Hopefully.
I actually thought of taking one of those sharp little knives and putting it through my jugular a couple of times. But it wouldn't help.
Because I knew what was out there, or at least I had enough of a hint to know that dying would only be the start.
There were gods out there. They were far, far from anything being close to good. Where I was, was horrible.
But not the worst out there.
Being terrified might be my new normal state of mind. But at least I can't be more afraid.
Using the medical bed for support, I stood on my legs, adjusting my glasses as I slowly let go. I could stand. Barely.
Progress. I could do this.
They didn't seem like they would hurt me, sacrifice me to some dark god or turn me into a servitor.
They wouldn't be bothering being nice to me then. Not everywhere in the Imperium is a horrible murderpit of nothing but War.
I'm sure there were plenty of agri-worlds or something where I could keep my head down and live a long and boring life. Away from alien monstrosities wanting to eat my face.
The door of the medi-bay opened and a tall man with gray mane-like hair walked inside, a chain hanging from his chest to his hip, a cloak on his shoulders and wearing a dark uniform beneath the thick furred cloak, a sword riding on his hip. He was a large man. I'm 1,83 meters tall and he was at least half a head taller than me and wider at the shoulders.
Everyone else turned to him as he entered. There was a certain air about him, he walked in like he owned the place.
The stylized 'I' with a skull at the point where the chain attached to his chest armour showed why.
I thought I couldn't be more terrified.
Turns out I was wrong.
It would not be the last time I proven wrong on that account. Far, far from it actually.
Pretty simple really. Went into the hospital once for something simple and there was an accident. I think. I'm honestly not sure and will likely never find out.
But somehow, I ended up in a cryogenic pod. That somehow ended up halfway across the galaxy some thirty eight thousand years later.
Waking was a small surprise.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The woman missing half her face and with six mechanical arms poking out from beneath her red and white robes took a step back and screamed back at me, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
She sounded more like Microsoft Sam than anything else.
What in the actual actual fuck!?"
I scrambled away from it, raising my hands for protection. Or rather tried. What I actually did were more of a little flop with my arms.
The mechanical monster beeped and said something to me I couldn't really understand as she started to poke and prod at me with her mechanical arms.
It took a while until she managed to make herself understood. With "understood", I meant with lots of pointing and holding up pictures.
The language was completely impossible to understand. But it became clear they had extracted me from a cryopod. A very old one.
It slowly got my brain moving. Very slowly.
Apparently being tv-dinner for almost forty millennia has a bit of a detrimental effect on your entire thinking thing.
When I recognized the tech priest for what she was, I started screaming again.
I didn't really stop until she sedated me.
XXXXXXXXXX
Language was a big problem. There is a bit of a language drift after almost forty thousand years. To say the least. It sounded to me like a mix of French and Latin.
The tech-priest seemed to take it as a personal insult that I couldn't understand her droning at me. So, she did her best to teach me.
And with her best, I mean staying away from me and having an old guy in a brown robe teach me. He was remarkably good at it.
Methodical, practiced and very patient.
By the time that I could move under my own power with only a bit of a knee wobble, I could form simple sentences in what they called Low Gothic.
But just because I had stopped screaming externally didn't mean I had stopped screaming internally.
Forty thousand years into the future. On an Imperial vessel. In the Warp. Going who knows where. Well, the Astrogator knew. Hopefully.
I actually thought of taking one of those sharp little knives and putting it through my jugular a couple of times. But it wouldn't help.
Because I knew what was out there, or at least I had enough of a hint to know that dying would only be the start.
There were gods out there. They were far, far from anything being close to good. Where I was, was horrible.
But not the worst out there.
Being terrified might be my new normal state of mind. But at least I can't be more afraid.
Using the medical bed for support, I stood on my legs, adjusting my glasses as I slowly let go. I could stand. Barely.
Progress. I could do this.
They didn't seem like they would hurt me, sacrifice me to some dark god or turn me into a servitor.
They wouldn't be bothering being nice to me then. Not everywhere in the Imperium is a horrible murderpit of nothing but War.
I'm sure there were plenty of agri-worlds or something where I could keep my head down and live a long and boring life. Away from alien monstrosities wanting to eat my face.
The door of the medi-bay opened and a tall man with gray mane-like hair walked inside, a chain hanging from his chest to his hip, a cloak on his shoulders and wearing a dark uniform beneath the thick furred cloak, a sword riding on his hip. He was a large man. I'm 1,83 meters tall and he was at least half a head taller than me and wider at the shoulders.
Everyone else turned to him as he entered. There was a certain air about him, he walked in like he owned the place.
The stylized 'I' with a skull at the point where the chain attached to his chest armour showed why.
I thought I couldn't be more terrified.
Turns out I was wrong.
It would not be the last time I proven wrong on that account. Far, far from it actually.
- Location
- a nice place
love it so far. god I hope he becomes a techpriest.
- Location
- Error 505: pending move
Oh by the Emperors back side, it's an Inquisitor isn't it? I would know that symbol anywhere.
Well it's to be expected, he is after all an unknown being that has been in Cryosleep for 40,000 years. Which would date him back to the founding of the Imperium of Man on what is now Holy Terra. How much you want to bet they tracked the Pod allllllll the way back to Earth?
Edit: No Autocorrect, it's Imperium of Man, not Empire of Mankind
Well it's to be expected, he is after all an unknown being that has been in Cryosleep for 40,000 years. Which would date him back to the founding of the Imperium of Man on what is now Holy Terra. How much you want to bet they tracked the Pod allllllll the way back to Earth?
Edit: No Autocorrect, it's Imperium of Man, not Empire of Mankind
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Arimai
Curmudgeon
Empire of Man is the name of the universe that the March Upcountry saga by Ringo and Weber is from.Oh by the Emperors back side, it's an Inquisitor isn't it? I would know that symbol anywhere.
Well it's to be expected, he is after all an unknown being that has been in Cryosleep for 40,000 years. Which would date him back to the founding of the Imperium of Man on what is now Holy Terra. How much you want to bet they tracked the Pod allllllll the way back to Earth?
Edit: No Autocorrect, it's Imperium of Man, not Empire of Mankind
Grey Rook
Genuine Nerd
- Location
- The Quantum Foam
It is also the name of the principal human nation in Warhammer Fantasy.
The cabin was more like a small mansion than anything else. Dark wood, scrolls in bookshelves, solid wooden furniture and rich paintings.
Inquisitor Dermand Aurelius settled down across the heavy mahogany or similar looking wooden table with a pair of glasses and a bottle of amber liquid, "Amasec? Aged fifty years."
I wasn't completely sure what to say. I wasn't one for drinking, especially when afraid, but I wasn't about to insult somebody who could burn worlds, no questions asked.
Besides, I felt like I needed a drink right now.
"Yes. Please. Sir."
That's about as coherent as I could make it. Stupid new language.
He poured about three fingers worth in each glass before sliding it over to me, "You look like you need it."
"…Yes."
I picked it up and smelled it. It seemed somewhat similar to brandy. A sip confirmed it.
"So, the Tech-Priests has confirmed it. Your cryopod is ancient. Very. You are the second oldest human in the Imperium," He said and held up his glass of alcohol, "Before the Dark Age of Technology, before the Age of Strife. You were born on Terra."
"…I was bored on dirt."
"Born," he corrected me and sipped his drink, "Terra. Or using a very, very old accent of old gothic, Earth."
"Earth. Terra."
What I remembered… Earth. It didn't exist anymore… not like I remembered it. I didn't know what it was like now, but I knew it wasn't like I remembered it.
He nodded in approval, "Humanity has spread since then. A lot has happened, more than I could tell you."
"I seen that."
The Inquisitor nodded again, "Very different is it?"
"…Yeah."
"Your name is… unusual."
I cringed a bit, "…Don't work low gothic. Sound… rude."
That got a chuckle from him, "Might get you punched in a few places I have seen. Picked a new one?"
"No."
He hmmed and nodded, "It'll come to you in time," and he picked up the bottle, "Please, drink."
I finished the glass before he refilled it.
Sitting back down, he pulled a Laspistol and put it on the table as he settled back down, "Do you worship the God-Emperor of Mankind?"
I froze and stared at the weapon for a long moment. The fear I had not realized had faded a bit returned with interest.
What happen if you get killed while in the warp?
I really, really didn't want to find out.
But something in the back of my mind told me that lying would be even worse than telling the truth.
"…No," I finally managed to answer.
Dermand watched me for a long moment before he slowly nodded with a slight smile, "If you had said yes, I would have known you to be a liar."
I stared at him for a long moment before he smiled a bit wider and motioned towards the glass,
"Drink. You need it."
I did as he told me to.
He then shook his head and settled back down again, "No shame or heresy not to worship the Emperor if you've never heard of him. We don't burn newly rediscovered feral worlds for not worshipping the Emperor, we teach them and show them the truth. You'll learn and see the Truth in time."
You could hear the capitalisation of Truth in that.
I sipped the drink older than I was. No… not older. I was…
"Surprised?" he asked, his eyebrows raising.
"…Inquisitor. I…" I hesitated. Fuck it. It couldn't get much worse than it already was and not like somebody wouldn't pull things out of me sooner or later. The first Psyker I ran into would pick it out of my head anyway.
"…I know things," I admitted, "Back in my time… there were stories…"
I continued to explain the best I could using my broken low gothic. I explained about the games, books, what little I remember of each.
Dermand watched me for a long moment before he frowned and slowly whirled his drink in his glass as he watched it, seeming deep in thought, "I see a few possibilities."
"Huh?"
"It's not unknown for a Psyker to get glimpses of the future. It's known they were not common during your age and those that existed were weak. One may have used what they saw for works of fiction. May not even have been aware of it."
I slowly nodded. Made as much sense as anything else.
"Another possibility is that The Emperor has a plan for you. He knew you would end up here and wanted you somewhat ready."
"Not special."
The Inquisitor made a small thoughtful sound before he looked at me again, "Often not for us to decide. Another possibility is that your cryopod was not completely effective towards the end. It's possible you have weak psyker abilities and were able to pick up parts of what's happening. Your almost completely dormant soul was trying to make sense of what was happening and made things up for your mind."
"Sense much as any."
Psyker. Terrifying. Did not want.
"Makes as much sense as any idea," he corrected me, "But I doubt it's the last one, Rasek, my psyker, hasn't felt anything like that from you during our talk."
Goodbye growing sense of dread, hello terror!
AN// Merry Holidaymas everyone!
Inquisitor Dermand Aurelius settled down across the heavy mahogany or similar looking wooden table with a pair of glasses and a bottle of amber liquid, "Amasec? Aged fifty years."
I wasn't completely sure what to say. I wasn't one for drinking, especially when afraid, but I wasn't about to insult somebody who could burn worlds, no questions asked.
Besides, I felt like I needed a drink right now.
"Yes. Please. Sir."
That's about as coherent as I could make it. Stupid new language.
He poured about three fingers worth in each glass before sliding it over to me, "You look like you need it."
"…Yes."
I picked it up and smelled it. It seemed somewhat similar to brandy. A sip confirmed it.
"So, the Tech-Priests has confirmed it. Your cryopod is ancient. Very. You are the second oldest human in the Imperium," He said and held up his glass of alcohol, "Before the Dark Age of Technology, before the Age of Strife. You were born on Terra."
"…I was bored on dirt."
"Born," he corrected me and sipped his drink, "Terra. Or using a very, very old accent of old gothic, Earth."
"Earth. Terra."
What I remembered… Earth. It didn't exist anymore… not like I remembered it. I didn't know what it was like now, but I knew it wasn't like I remembered it.
He nodded in approval, "Humanity has spread since then. A lot has happened, more than I could tell you."
"I seen that."
The Inquisitor nodded again, "Very different is it?"
"…Yeah."
"Your name is… unusual."
I cringed a bit, "…Don't work low gothic. Sound… rude."
That got a chuckle from him, "Might get you punched in a few places I have seen. Picked a new one?"
"No."
He hmmed and nodded, "It'll come to you in time," and he picked up the bottle, "Please, drink."
I finished the glass before he refilled it.
Sitting back down, he pulled a Laspistol and put it on the table as he settled back down, "Do you worship the God-Emperor of Mankind?"
I froze and stared at the weapon for a long moment. The fear I had not realized had faded a bit returned with interest.
What happen if you get killed while in the warp?
I really, really didn't want to find out.
But something in the back of my mind told me that lying would be even worse than telling the truth.
"…No," I finally managed to answer.
Dermand watched me for a long moment before he slowly nodded with a slight smile, "If you had said yes, I would have known you to be a liar."
I stared at him for a long moment before he smiled a bit wider and motioned towards the glass,
"Drink. You need it."
I did as he told me to.
He then shook his head and settled back down again, "No shame or heresy not to worship the Emperor if you've never heard of him. We don't burn newly rediscovered feral worlds for not worshipping the Emperor, we teach them and show them the truth. You'll learn and see the Truth in time."
You could hear the capitalisation of Truth in that.
I sipped the drink older than I was. No… not older. I was…
"Surprised?" he asked, his eyebrows raising.
"…Inquisitor. I…" I hesitated. Fuck it. It couldn't get much worse than it already was and not like somebody wouldn't pull things out of me sooner or later. The first Psyker I ran into would pick it out of my head anyway.
"…I know things," I admitted, "Back in my time… there were stories…"
I continued to explain the best I could using my broken low gothic. I explained about the games, books, what little I remember of each.
Dermand watched me for a long moment before he frowned and slowly whirled his drink in his glass as he watched it, seeming deep in thought, "I see a few possibilities."
"Huh?"
"It's not unknown for a Psyker to get glimpses of the future. It's known they were not common during your age and those that existed were weak. One may have used what they saw for works of fiction. May not even have been aware of it."
I slowly nodded. Made as much sense as anything else.
"Another possibility is that The Emperor has a plan for you. He knew you would end up here and wanted you somewhat ready."
"Not special."
The Inquisitor made a small thoughtful sound before he looked at me again, "Often not for us to decide. Another possibility is that your cryopod was not completely effective towards the end. It's possible you have weak psyker abilities and were able to pick up parts of what's happening. Your almost completely dormant soul was trying to make sense of what was happening and made things up for your mind."
"Sense much as any."
Psyker. Terrifying. Did not want.
"Makes as much sense as any idea," he corrected me, "But I doubt it's the last one, Rasek, my psyker, hasn't felt anything like that from you during our talk."
Goodbye growing sense of dread, hello terror!
AN// Merry Holidaymas everyone!
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- Location
- france
Oops.
So, it is a human from Old Earth before all the 40K clusterfuck with the Games Workshop production in mind...
And he isn't a Psyker but have the equivalent of Forbidden Knowledge in his brain...
Wonder why the Inquisitor didn't vacuum his head and made him a servitor… Too short a story I guess..?
Dermand: "Of course! We need to see the complete Gothic Horror and Magnificence of my universe, after all."
Character: "I need an adult…"
So, it is a human from Old Earth before all the 40K clusterfuck with the Games Workshop production in mind...
And he isn't a Psyker but have the equivalent of Forbidden Knowledge in his brain...
Wonder why the Inquisitor didn't vacuum his head and made him a servitor… Too short a story I guess..?
Dermand: "Of course! We need to see the complete Gothic Horror and Magnificence of my universe, after all."
Character: "I need an adult…"
Lordamnesia
What are we doing again?
The answer to that is quite simple, sometimes the Emprah' puts things (people, resources, old tech) in front of the worthies that need it. And since he's been there from the 'decanting' of the MC to now, and has both scientific and psyker evidence that the MC is exactly what he appears as, no 'good' (read resourceful / savvy) Inquisitor is going to turn down what the Emprah' grant's them to use.
