novelraw Chapter 226: A Deal
Chapter 226: A Deal
"What kind of abomination are you? How can you possibly be a Blank?"
Soshyan offered nothing but absolute silence in the face of Sevatar’s interrogation, continuing his steady, inevitable advance toward the traitor.
"Halt!"
The Prince of Crows roared, gripping his chain-glaive with both hands and leveling the revving, tearing teeth directly at Soshyan.
"This is your final warning!"
"Sevatar, you have absolutely no way to kill us both simultaneously."
Sol was advancing upon him as well, casually twirling his twin blades.
"But you are entirely welcome to try."
Just as the tension reached a lethal crescendo and a desperate battle to the death seemed utterly inevitable, the Astropath sealed within the stasis-pod suddenly spoke, her voice strained with pain:
"Those monsters... they are about to breach the entrance."As she spoke, a display screen integrated into the side of the pod flickered into life. Soshyan was suddenly presented with a live visual of Armin’s squad engaged in a desperate, bloody melee against a surging tide of Genestealers amidst a ruined landscape of shattered rockcrete. He could immediately tell that several of his battle-brothers were visibly wounded.
"Armin and the squad are in critical danger!"
Sevatar cast a brief glance at the screen before letting out a cold, contemptuous scoff.
"They brought it upon themselves."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Those wretched bugs haven't found this place a single time in over a century. Altani had camouflaged the entrances with psychic wards, but today, they followed your scent right to the door."
Soshyan quickly shot Sol a worried look. He was deeply concerned for Armin and the others; the Chapter simply could not endure the loss of an entire squad right now.
Sol, conversely, appeared extraordinarily calm.
"They followed you down here."
He stated matter-of-factly.
"From the very beginning, this entire incursion has been a trap they laid specifically for you. Realizing they were incapable of dealing with you themselves, they sought to manipulate an external force into either destroying you, or at the very least, flushing you out."
"You've grown slightly more intelligent, but still not intelligent enough."
Sevatar took a step forward.
"They have already rigged the surrounding rock strata with explosives. At any given moment, they can bring an oceanic deluge of subterranean water and crushing stone down upon this entire cavern, drowning you all. Had I not immediately dispatched someone to sabotage their efforts... but he won't be able to stall them indefinitely."
His tone then shifted entirely, adopting an aggressive, domineering edge.
"Make your decision quickly. Do we continue this pointless fight, or do we go our separate ways!"
"Sevatar, even if we walked away right now, do you honestly believe you could continue to hide here indefinitely?"
"That is absolutely none of your concern, Sol."
"If certain 'old acquaintances' of yours—say, the Dark Angels—were to learn that you still drew breath, what exactly do you suppose they would do?"
"I never feared the Lion's whelps during the Heresy, and I certainly don't fear them now."
"Perhaps, but you could still at least consider my proposal."
"What proposal?"
An enigmatic, knowing smile bloomed across Sol's face.
"Why don't we strike a deal? You require a secure haven and a vast amount of resources to simply keep this Astropath lingering on the brink of death. While we... happen to require a destination, and a specific item. The precognitive talents of the Eighth Legion would prove immensely beneficial to our cause."
Sevatar narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing this warrior he hadn't known particularly well ten thousand years ago, before saying with dark amusement:
"Are you truly Saul Tarvitz of the Emperor's Children? I can't shake the feeling that you're an entirely different entity merely wearing his flayed skin."
"So, what is your choice?"
"I'm profoundly sorry to disappoint you, but I am no Farseer, nor have I truly inherited the full breadth of my miserable father's 'gifts'."
"But you do know where to find a prophet who truly inherited you Primarch's precognitive abilities, and you know exactly how to reach him. Correct?"
"He is a traitor!"
Soshyan's sudden, furious interjection shattered their conversation.
"Instructor Sol, this is an absolute matter of principle. Forgive me, but I refuse to compromise on this."
"It would appear your little friend is less than enthusiastic about your proposal."
Sol didn't appear remotely surprised, as if he had entirely anticipated this reaction.
"Trust me, Soshyan, securing the precognitive aid of the Eighth Legion is absolutely critical to our survival."
"We cannot depart from orthodoxy and embrace heresy merely to achieve a goal!"
"How does this equate to departing from orthodoxy?"
Sol shrugged nonchalantly.
"We haven't actually committed any transgressive acts."
"You literally just proposed extending sanctuary to a traitor! A traitor who should be summarily executed on sight! Every single second he continues to draw breath is a profound insult to loyalty itself!"
"Ah, now that sounds exactly like the self-righteous lapdogs of the False Emperor I remember."
Sevatar sucked in a sharp, impatient breath.
"We have wasted more than enough time already, wouldn't you agree?"
"My thoughts exactly."
Soshyan replied, his tone dark and threatening.
The lethal tension crackling between the two Astartes was palpable. Even though it was only the three of them present, the stifling atmosphere was exactly like the agonizing calm immediately preceding a catastrophic hurricane.
"There were days..."
Sol suddenly abruptly shifted the topic.
"...when I truly believed that every single action we took was destined to be cursed, regardless of our intent."
"Cursed? I never pegged you Loyalists as possessing souls capable of harboring genuine doubt."
"I never did in the past. But recent events have forced me to reevaluate certain fundamental truths."
"Yet the core dynamic remains entirely unchanged, doesn't it? After He abandoned you, what has your millennia of unwavering devotion ultimately earned you? You'd rather blindly follow suicidal orders and embrace martyrdom than actually confront the grim reality of your situation."
"That is the burden of duty. The moment we were elevated to Astartes, the illusion of choice was permanently stripped from us."
Sevatar offered a mocking, utterly unsympathetic smile.
"You see, that has always been the fundamental flaw of your kind. Even the Primarchs suffered from it... completely blind to His every mistake, refusing to ever take a single step backward, never daring to question or oppose. Think critically about it, search your own souls—is such blind fanaticism truly wise?"
His massive, heavily callused hands tightened their grip on the haft of his chain-glaive.
"But He has fallen completely silent. Are you finally capable of independent thought? Because that is what's desperately required right now."
Yet, when Sevatar finally raised his eyes to meet the noble visage before him, he saw no indignance, only deep, quiet contemplation.
"We are all bound by our loyalties."
Sol replied softly.
"I offer you honesty now, because you have been honest with me. To this very day, I still spit upon you traitors. You elevated the flawed will of your Primarchs above your own conscience and judgment. So, I will pose your own question back to you: is that truly wise?"
Sevatar's sneer vanished entirely.
"I cannot answer that."
He stated, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Ever since the very first time we crossed paths, Captain of the Eleventh Company, you rarely, if ever, tainted your words with overt contempt. Oh, you are profoundly polite; I've never encountered a soul quite as courteous. But courtesy doesn't wound."
For the span of a single heartbeat, the two warriors simply stared into each other's eyes, engaged in an invisible, silent test of pure willpower.
"Regardless, the current reality remains unchanged."
Sol finally broke the deadlock.
"I came here to negotiate, not to engage in pointless debate. The storm winds that have lain dormant for ten thousand years are beginning to howl once more. My presence here is entirely devoid of coincidence, and I strongly suspect the same applies to you. When this hurricane inevitably engulfs the entire galaxy, neither of us will be able to escape the vortex."
Sevatar stared at the deck plates, clasping his hands together as if deep in thought.
"I have three absolute conditions."
He finally raised his head, but his gaze was locked directly onto Soshyan.
"First, I will pledge loyalty to no one, and I will fight for no one, up to and including the Carrion Lord. Furthermore, when I decide my time here has concluded, I will simply depart; I will not seek your permission or bid you farewell."
Soshyan offered no verbal agreement, merely staring back at him in stony silence.
"Second, I will assist you in locating the prophet. But whether or not he chooses to aid you is entirely up to him; I refuse to be responsible for acquiring his cooperation."
Sol nodded.
"Acceptable."
"Third..."
Sevatar briefly glanced back at the humming stasis-pod.
"She never betrayed your precious Imperium. If... if a day comes when I am no longer here, I demand that you protect her. Trust me, she will undeniably prove to be the single most extraordinarily powerful Astropath you will ever encounter. Her value will infinitely exceed whatever meager price you pay to safeguard her."
"Jago—"
After a prolonged, heavy silence, Soshyan finally offered his vow.
"Very well, I agree to your terms... However, Jago Sevatarion, Traitor to the Throne, hear my oath: your judgment may be delayed, but the Emperor's justice will eventually find you."
"Then I shall wait for it."