Chapter Two
Chapter Two
‘And in His divine wisdom and all-knowing psyche did our most Holy God-Emperor decree: “Go forth across the galaxy, and spread word of My glory and the glory of Mankind.” And we did as so, marching across the galaxy in mighty frigates for our Crusades against our many foes. His Children, glorious Primarchs without flaw, set forth to command His Legions, His Angels of Death, to take what is rightfully ours. His Sons took to Ullanor and quelled the Xenos threat with sanctimonious fire, bathing the infested planet with His unbridled wrath. Roboute Guilliman spoke to the God-Emperor, and said to him-’
A billow of smoke flooded the compartment and filtered directly into Yamira’s eyes and nostrils, immediately causing the Commissar to break into a coughing fit. She quickly shut her pocket book and pressed it to her chest, waving the smoke away from her face.
“Corr blimey, how are you doing that?” Devon exclaimed. Yamira blinked her watery eye clean and glared daggers at her ward. For the duration of travel through the depths of space (for all that Yamira loathed about the Merodi and their Xenos leadership, their innovation of FTL travel that did not involve usage of the Warp was a blessing in disguise), the Captain of the Armageddon 805th had been gawking at Cage Jameson like a child watching an Astartes parade on Sanguinala. Apparently the smoking layabout had a knack for blowing shapes with his lho-sticks (or ‘cigarettes’ as he called them). They ranged from standard smoke rings and semi-amorphous shapes to far more interesting complexities, like gemstones and ambiguous ponies, even human beings in full motion. While it was impressive, the smell was a continuous bother that Yamira could do without.
“Years of skill and a lil something extra,” Cage said, reclining on his seat with his hands folded behind his back. He lowered his sunglasses and caught Yamira’s less-than-friendly glare. “Woah, didn’t think that could get any nastier. Apparently mellowing out ain’t a multiversal trait.” Yamira huffed and re-opened her book, searching for the passage she had been reading prior, tuning out whatever inane conversation Devon and Cage were having.
“You’d be as pleasant as acid rain yourself if you had her position,” Devon said. “Still, she’s one of the better high-ranking officers I’ve served under. And my platoon’s been jumped around a lot.” He nudged Cage’s shoulder with an elbow and a smirk. “Stuff-shirt commanders drop faster than aristocrats when the wine runs out, eh?” Cage shrugged and resumed his smoking, while one of the two Amethysts standing guard by the cockpit chuckled.
“Still super weird that you guys treat death so casually in this place,” she said in a gruff, semi-masculine voice. Yamira had heard that one was called ‘Buster’ due to the apparently large gloves on her hands, while the other was ‘Gab’, though she had not spoken a word the entire flight. Yamira hardly cared regardless, they were Xenos guards, nothing more.
“With so many things trying to kill you, you just sort’ve get used to it,” Devon casually said. “Speaking of getting used to things, she’s a green one, isn’t she?”
“No duh she’s green, she’s a Peridot.” Buster chuckled. Gab, in response, slugged her fellow Gem in the shoulder.
“He’s talking about Ambassador Dust, clod-head,” Gab said. Yamira spared a glance from her book and saw that, on the center of Gab’s tongue, was an elegantly cut purple gemstone, similar to one she had seen directly in the center of Buster’s back. ‘That explains much,’ she thought, returning to her scripture.
“Yeah, Ms. Dust has only been at this for a few months,” Cage said. “At least as a Merodi rep. She apparently was a big shot back in her universe and took on this job on recommendation by the Overhead herself.” Devon whistled, but Yamira scoffed. All eyes fell upon her, waiting for her to give her full thoughts. She rolled her eye and closed her book once more.
“If she truly is a novice in her field,” Yamira said, “then she’s liable to be eaten alive out here. This galaxy is an unforgiving place, the slightest sign of weakness can lead to an abrupt and immediate end.” She opened her book again, thumbing through the pages. “... And I mean what I say literally. Orks will bite your damn heads off if you let them get close.” Cage rubbed the base of his neck almost reflexively, while Buster and Gab just shared off-put glances. Devon simply laughed.
“Put the proper fear of the Emperor in ‘em, Lady Commissar,” he remarked. The door to the cockpit slid open and Amber trotted out, coughing as she walked head-first into a cloud of Cage’s second hand smoke.
“Do you really need to do that in here?” she asked amidst coughs. Cage shrugged and rolled his cigarettes to the other side of his mouth so they’d trail elsewhere. The Earth Pony coughed again and turned to the other two humans in the room. “We’ll be making one more stop to pick up another passenger, then it’s straight towards Celestia City and get you to meet with the Overheads!” She swung her hoof at an attempt at enthusiasm. The half-melted glare from Yamira and the lazy thumbs up from Devon diffused that quickly. Amber meekly smiled and trotted to the vacant seat next to Yamira, unfortunately on the side of her scars. Silence permeated the room as Yamira returned to her reading, while Amber fidgeted in her seat, trying best not to stare. The extent of the woman’s injuries was nightmarish. Her skin was a mixture of exposed red muscle and dull brown burnt sinew, the barest hint of exposed bone around the jawline jutted out just enough to be noticeable, and her ear was just gone. Amber felt queasy looking at the strands of flesh hanging from the gaping hole where her cheek once was, moving in and out like limp red noodles with every ragged breath the Commissar took. When the pale, nigh-lifeless eye rolled in its socket and looked directly at Amber, she had enough and screamed, startling everyone in the room.
“Wow, didn’t know ponies could get that loud,” Devon said, picking at his now ringing ear with his pinky finger. Amber unbuckled herself and threw herself onto the floor in front of Yamira, prostrated and pathetic.
“I’m so-so-so-so-so-SO SORRY!” she cried. “I didn’t mean to stare, I really didn’t! It was just so hard to take my eyes off your face and how messy it is and how it looks like it’s going to fall apart and - AAAAH!” She covered her face with her hooves. “SHUT UP, AMBER, SHUT UP!” As the apparent ambassador had a breakdown on the floor, Yamira just simply… read her book. The noises this Xenos horse was making were annoying, distracting her from the litanies and scriptures from within. She contemplated briefly just kicking her to make her shut up, like she would a snippy Guardsman or blubbering menial. It would get her some brief satisfaction, nothing more, to say the least.
“Jeez, ‘If looks could kill’, am I right?” Cage said, glancing over to Devon. Devon, for once, wasn’t laughing, he was just staring at the crying pony on the floor. He clicked his tongue in disapproval and removed the flask he had on his person.
“Emperor’s teeth, it’s like watching a recruit in Schola realizing that bullets hurt,” he said. He popped the lid off the flask and blew a small whistle. “Hey, little pony.” Amber sniffled and turned her head towards Devon, her large eyes puffy and red. “Here, have a swig. It’ll ease your nerves.” Amber wiped her tears and runny nose with her hoof and stood up, looking at the flask carefully.
“Wh… what’s in it?” She asked.
“The good stuff, now drink.” Amber lightly licked her lips and accepted the flask with a hoof. Yamira had to wonder how a pony was capable of grasping something with a hoof. They don’t bend that way on horses she’d seen prior, nor did they have some odd suction to them. Once more, these Xenos were weird and Yamira felt filthy just by sharing a room with one. Amber brought the flask to her lips and took just the lightest sip. Her eyes immediately went wide and she spat onto the floor, nearly dropping the flask in the process.
“EUGH!” She exclaimed, waggling her tongue in a futile effort to get the taste off her tongue. “Mother of -pbbtt! That was horrible! It’s like licking the sweat off a cragodile’s backside! By the Tower, IT BURNS!” Devon shrugged and offered the flask to Cage, who politely declined while still watching Amber attempt to cleanse her tongue.
“I guess amasec is an acquired taste,” Devon said, taking a swig of his own. “Better than the nutrient paste, at least.” Cage and the Amethysts laughed for a small bit, while Amber huffed and sat back down in the vacant seat, tongue still lolling out of her mouth with a pout. “Hey, at least you’re not crying and making an arse of yourself in front of dignitaries.”
“... Yeah…” Amber pulled her tongue back into her mouth and glanced over to Yamira. She was again lost in her book, but only now did Amber have a closer view at the cover. It was a simple thing, a leather-bound book with a symbol of the same two-headed eagle that appeared all over the Imperium’s iconography, with a few small words written in High Gothic that Amber couldn’t exactly make out. She cleared her throat and looked up expectantly at the Commissar, who barely regarded her with a nod. “So… good book?”
“The greatest book ever written, Xenos,” Yamira said. Amber’s ears flattened against her head. First words that the Commissar had spoken to her aside from ‘Don’t touch me’ and they had more bite than a rabid dog. “The Lectitio Divinitatus, within are the edicts and prose brought on by the God-Emperor of Mankind and His Sons. It is by His word decreed in this that humanity has achieved that which it has in the span of a few millennia.”
“By His word,” Devon repeated.
“I am never without my personal copy,” Yamira pressed the book against her chest, closing her good eye while fetid remnants of her burnt socket tried to close. “It reminds me that the God-Emperor is always watching me, guiding humanity to a brighter and well-fought future.”
“So like the pocket bibles that Reverend Glimmer has at her Church,” Cage said. Both Devon and Yamira turned to the smoking man with a show of surprise. “What?”
“You have holy grounds in your territory?” Yamira asked, a bit of relief in her voice. “Good, then the suggestion of the Ecclesiarchy expanding to the heathens has reached the High Lord’s ears. About time those doddering old fools did something correctly.” Cage glanced over to Amber, one of his cigarettes hanging limply from his lip. Amber just shrugged, that bridge would be crossed at a later date. “Perhaps you might consider attending a service with me when off duty, Captain.”
“Of course, Lady Commissar,” A toothy grin came across Devon’s face. “Been a while since I’ve listened to the holy edicts from a Chaplain, especially with so many deployments. Never enough time to properly set up when we’re being bombarded by heretics and xenos threats at every turn.”
“A pity, usually that’s alpha priorus after establishing a proper base camp and fortifications. Laborers in your unit must have been getting sloppy.”
“We get the shrines up after a few weeks in the muck! You try and recite the proper blessings and sanctifications while being caught in the middle of lasgun fire. It’s not easy!”
“Wow, all this for your Emperor. Guess he really is as great a guy as they say.” Amber piped up. All eyes fell on her, most in disbelief, one in embarrassment, and another that may have been more at home staring down a sniper scope. “What? Overhead Evening says she has interesting conversations with him.” The glare from Yamira simply intensified, the half-burned woman leaning over the pony, while Devon’s right hand seemed to trace towards his holster on his hip. “A-after all, the Merodi n-need to be in p-p-proper contact with the leaders of people, and he just seems like an interesting conversationalist. Even though he apparently… doesn’t… really… um…”
“Hey Amber?” Cage said, after taking a rather long drag of his cigarettes. He pulled them away from his lips as a large grey cloud escaped. “I’d suggest shutting up before you end up choking on your freaking hoof, alright?”
Amber gulped and nodded. “Yeah, I-I-I think that’s a good idea.” Yamira grit her teeth and opened her book, though her scowl never left her face. The next hour of travel went on in relative silence, save for the crackle of Cage’s cigarettes, the din of the ship’s machinery, and the crisp turning of aged pages in the Lectitio Divinitatus. It was an uneasy silence between the lot of them. Buster and Gab glanced between both sides of the room, watching for any further movements. Devon nursed his drink, while Cage whittled down another trio of cigarettes. Yamira had continued further in her reading, and Amber’s eyes had yet to peel away from the floor. It was a silence not entirely welcome, but it was one they were compliant to.
The ship briefly rocked, as everyone felt themselves jerk to the side. Amber’s eyes and ears immediately perked up. “Oh! We’re here already!” she said. All the woe in her voice from earlier was replaced with eager jubilance. She unhooked herself from the chair and fell to her hooves. “Buster, Gab, come with me please.” The two Amethysts nodded and walked out of the room towards the boarding ramp. She turned to the humans with a kindly yet reserved smile. “Please wait here while I go meet with the Por’o. Thank you.” Amber couldn’t get out of the ship fast enough, trotting out of the room and leaving the three humans behind. The instant they were aware it was just them alone in the room, Yamira closed her book shut with a forceful slam.
“‘I guess he is as great a guy as they say’,” Yamira said, mockingly. Her impression of the Merodi ambassador was far from perfect, but the sneer on her face was evident. “Heretical sacrilege.” She spat a gob of spit onto the floor, staining the pristine silver metal plating. “Were I not under orders to exercise restraint, I would have placed a bolt between her eyes for such disrespect. Treating the God-Emperor as a mere human, truly these Xenos are ignorant.”
“Okay,” Cage leaned forward in his seat, bits of ash falling from his lit cigarettes. “I get that religion and worship is a big thing with you Imperium types, but lay off the mare, will ya? She’s just trying to do her job.”
“If she aimed to do it well, then she would be compliant and stay her tongue,” Yamira snapped. “Lest one far more fanatical than I take greater offense. Were a Sister of Battle here in my stead, or one of the God-Emperor’s Chosen, that Xenos would be torn to pieces for such brazen disrespect.”
“You were probably just as spooked on your first big assignment as she was,” Cage stood up, a crease forming in his brow as his knuckles clenched. “So why don’t you bend over, clench really tightly, and get that golden metal rod out of your ass, huh?” Yamira set her book aside and stood up abruptly as well, her anger flaring up like an oil-soaked bonfire.
“If I were as fearful like an infant mewling when I first set foot on the battlefield, I would have been shot and someone far worthier take my place. You and your bloody Merodi society of Xenos sympathisers and ignorant savages don’t know anything about the way we do things. The right way we do things. And furthermore, how dare you speak to a Lady Commissar that way, you Underhive ganger grox-smear!”
“I have zero idea what the hell that means, but I’m taking it as an insult!” The smoke from Cage’s cigarettes seemed to trail behind him of their own volition, swirling in a thick mass of grey and black behind him in an amorphous shape. “You wanna go, Crispy-Creep? C’mon, me and C.D. can help fix it so the right side of your face matches your left. You won’t even see it coming.”
“I will lance your tongue and use your blood to paint the Imperial Aquila across this heretical piece of machinery!” Yamira’s sword flew free from her scabbard, the blade glowing a light green as it hummed with a Warp-powered electricity. “See how you manage with a tongue caste from actual silver, you swine!”
“HOLD IT!” Devon shouted, breaking his silence. He had risen from his seat and now stood between the quarrelling two with both his hands raised in some form of futile defense. “I am breaking so many edicts in the Book of Judgement right now, but I need to speak, so sit your frakking asses down and SHUT UP!” Yamira stood at the ready with her sword, one motion and she could run the damned heathen through and sizzle his heart on the fields of her Power Sword. It’d be easy, too, nearly thirty years of service against Xenos and heretic threat had improved her swordsmanship immensely. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to move another inch forward. Not with the Captain standing so brazenly right there. Cage, on the other hand, had already made his decision. He stuck two new cigarettes in his mouth, lit them up, and plopped himself back in his seat, while the smoke behind him faded into the air. Yamira closed her good eye, slowly sheathed her sword back into the magnetized sheath, and sat down just as she heard the click. “Thank you.”
“What is it you wanted to say, Captain?” Yamira curtly said. Devon thumbed the tube of his gas mask and returned to his own seat.
“Ambassador Dust said the person she was getting was a Por’o, right?” He asked, a hard look on his face. “I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the name of a-” His thoughts were cut off by the sound of the boarding ramp lowering and the door opening. Alongside the sounds of hooves and footsteps from Amber and the Amethysts, a fourth set was joined. Light in movement, yet somewhat heavier plods compared to the pony. Yamira and Devon braced themselves for the new arrival, as it entered into the room. It was a tall, lithe thing, adrape in resplendent white and blue silken robes, pinned together by yellow metals and stones bearing runes of some sort. Its skin was blue, like the oceans of some Paradise World, speckled with deeper blue markings, with eyes of crimson like a Promethean Sun. Its face was distinctly feminine, yet in absence of a nose, a deep groove formed in the shape of a ‘Y’ that reached just above its eyes. Atop its head rested a large bowl-shaped headwear, that too featured clean silken drapes that trailed nearly down to the floor. It regarded the humans with a quaint smile and nod… and Yamira wanted to vomit.
Amber followed behind and gestured to the new arrival with a hoof. “Everyone, this is, uh…” Amber glanced about momentarily, then picked up her tablet to read briefly. “The Tau Ambassador, Por'o Bork… Bork'an... Ak-Aku'Sha… Kees? No, Kais. Por'o Bork'an Aku'Sha Kais!” She set the tablet aside and looked hopefully up at the Tau woman. “I’m sorry if I got your name wrong, it’s really pretty, though.” The Tau closed her eyes and smiled gently.
“That is quite alright, madame ambassador.” The Tau said, her voice as gentle as an autumn breeze. “But, if it alright, you may call me ‘Windmind’.” Amber breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the rest of the room. The Tau, Windmind, looked about in turn, still bearing that sickly sweet smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you all, gue’la.” She clasped her hands and bowed her head. “I look forward to helping establish our allegiance with the kind and generous people of Merodi Universalis.” As she bowed, Devon and Yamira both exchanged identical faces and identical thoughts. Both of which could be summed up in a single prayer from the Lectitio Divinitatus.
“Emperor preserve us.”
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I can only imagine how the Emperor would react to this outrage on his behalf. Not well, I would think.
In any case... yeah, this going to get all kinds of awkward. A commissar and a Tau sharing the same enclosed space? Let's hope Celestia City is close by. And that Amber learns that there's a time and place for making friends with fellow diplomats.
We are just getting started, :D.
It's going to be interesting to watch the Merodi Universalis besiege Kalov's beliefs just by existing.
So... I know very little about Warhammer to be honest. Is there a reason the humans are so horrible? Did something happen to them or did they just go full genocide when they developed space travel?
9665005
In a nutshell, a series of unprecedented disasters happened to the burgeoning empire that was the Imperium of Man several thousand years prior and a great many of the alien races in the galaxy at the time, some of which were humanity's allies, decided to turn on the Imperium in its weakened state. As a result the Emperor declared that any alien race that didn't submit to Imperial rule was to be wiped out, but those that did submit were to become protectorates. This declaration has since degenerated into "Kill ALL the Xenos," and with the Emperor a hair's breadth from death and unable to communicate, he hasn't been able to correct it.
Mind you, the Emperor may have decided to eventually declare war on the Merodi Universalis anyway due to it being a slap in the face to his rigid, unmovable belief in absolute human supremacy even if he wasn't interred on the Golden Throne and constantly at death's door for several millenia, so it's a bit hard to tell. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time the Emperor's galaxy-sized ego ruined the Imperium...
9665429
Emperor did not give any xenos a change to join their empire, it was always sou that mankind will rule over the whole galaxy. At one point was there a change given to xenos to submit. All xenos are to be wiped off that is what primarchs did and when ever there was a religion in was to be wiped off, if humans were worshipping xenos they were to be whipped off. Because galaxy is mankind's birthright. There has not been any mention in Horus heresy books that says other wise. And by suddenly imperium would just give in their whole ideology that is over 10 millennium old that mankind would not bow down to any other species because mankind is superior is against everything that emperor taught.
9665540
From the book "Mercy of the dragon"
Galaxa Immaterium is kind of a funny place in that regard that the universe's Black Library contains the universe's own source material.
9665540
I was partially incorrect. It was during the Age of Strife that this happened, but my point still stands; alien races that pre-Imperium humanity thought were friends screwed them over when they were at their most vulnerable, and so upon taking power the Emperor decided that alien races could either submit or die, or submit and then die if they were either deemed a threat (which happened really often) or had something the Imperium wanted (also really often). Alien races being not to be a threat to mankind and being made protectorates, while extremely rare, was not unheard of under the Emperor's rule, which is probably why the overwhelming majority of the current Imperium doesn't remember it and thus they an exceptionally itchy trigger finger when it comes to xenos.
There are some exceptions, though, such as the jokaero and the Watchers; they're active in the Imperium and are heavily utilized by two of the most trigger-happy and paranoid groups of nutters in the Imperium: the Inquisition and the Dark Angels respectively.
9666291
age of strife had nothing to do with imperium because it was before unification wars,Emperor has not once given xenos a change to submit. Jokaeros are not considered xenos, they are considered animals ho can make technology only because their basic instinct. Not because they think, and they are only used by radical inqusition meaning that what ever they do do not have imperiums approval. Same thing like they use deamon weapons, switch are completely banned, if found out by other inquisitors they will be shot. When in a book pandorax catachan jungle fighters was one they almost shot it. Emperor has not once said that xenos would be spared hell even some mutated humans were killed off because they were too far. Even ab humans are considered second class citizens. There is no mention in Horus heresy books that says that they would let them live. If they were harmless they were wiped off and replaces by human colonist, if they were too strong they were destroyed.
I even went and looked great crusade chronology and there is no mention of any protectorate switch was offered. In what book it says other wise because i have read them for years and this is first time this is mentioned.
9666291
This is the only time some thing like that was mentioned by thous ho had no actual power to any form of decisions, and Fulgrim ho had all the power to decide refused immediately because something like that was unthinkable and attack without giving them any change of diplomacy.
9666444
"He's been up to all sorts of things, our beloved father. Consorting with Xenos, resurrecting ancient technology. Don't believe that he is blameless in this..."
- Magnus the Red
In addition to the above quote, there is also the matter of Rogue Traders. The Warrant of Trade given to each Rogue Trader and their family grants them a great many permissions not available to your average Imperial citizen, including trading with and even hiring xenos as mercenaries, and the earliest Warrants of Trade came from the Emperor's own hand with those exact same permissions. The Emperor never trusted xenos, most of the time with good reason, but he knew that some had their uses, otherwise the Rogue Traders' permissions to deal with xenos would have been the same as their granted permissions for dabbling in Chaos: nonexistent.
9666590
What are you quoting is golden throne switch is xeno tech but there is no evidence that he has ever met xenos or said that they would be spared. And what comes to rogue traders. They do not represent imperium in any way.
they do it but it is still illegal to bring such technology to the imperium. There is a good example in forges of mars book.
Does this sound like it is okay to them? What was given was not alien tech it content was imperium made but the box was xenos oriented.
Another example was that of a tau emmissary in one of ciaphas can books ho wanted to talk with local tech priest hood.
He was almost shot by gun servitor when he stepped out their shuttle and was stripped out from all of his tech before he was let in their sanctuary because all tech that is not human bade is tech heresy.
9667035
Okay, I know that this an old comment and that you've probably already learned this.
But these ponies are part of a MULTIVERSAL empire, meaning that they're as numberless to the imperium as the imperium is to us.
I have read some of the original source material and...what we're seeing here is a negotiation/exploration team, which are deliberately small in size so as not to needlessly intimidate weaker universes.
But when they come across a universe so far gone that the only salvation for the innocent is death, the can, and HAVE, destroyed entire universes.
What probably happened is that a team took a peak, saw 40k and ordered universal exterminatus. But since these are Equestrian ponies, they got one of the (yes, one of the) Princesses that ascended to God-Hood to scope things out. She found the Emperor, probably pulled him off the throne like helping an old man out of an armchair, and explained the situation.
Now, Big E can either be who he's been and they'll erase his universe along with every threat contained within, or he can suck it up and accept a captain's chair in this armada.