A Quick but Softly Done Recap, Skull to Skull...

Not every day one got away at telling HIM where to get off and get away with it, but then today was NOT the usual run of the mil days, eh?

And there was much muttered questions in the ranks of the Palace Guards as they watched it all. Frankly, recent turn of events left a lot of questions within their minds with few answers. Lot of those questions stemming from this miraculous event today.

Lots of things just do NOT jib up with what they’d been taught in church, frankly, and those who were now not on duty, guarding the bedroom the Emperor and his unexpected guest. Warmaster Horus not only alive and well (thanks to the ministrations given by none other than the Emperor’s own hands), but not having actually fallen to be seduced by the the Powers of Chaos?!! Who WERE those other strangers who’d accompanied the Trait . . . Escorted Warmaster Horus and that one blue haired #$%#@ had DARED condemn the Emperor for his rough handling of Horus?

What gives here?

But their duty was not to question but to keep their God Emperor from harm after his recovery and THAT was what they’d do, even IF they didn’t understand all that was going on here. And not them or anyone else (including some increasingly

Their Emperor still had questions and the EMPEROR would have his privacy to get his answers, High Lords of Terra--those lovable chaps who’d ruled the Imperium (and basically ran it into the ground almost--while he’d been indisposed on the Golden Throne--then the Emperor of Mankind was gonna get his privacy. Even IF a few chaps were going to get a bolter round to the face or three to make it happen...

“Now that I am off of the . . . Golden Throne and done with being in something of a snit and acting like a fascist barbarian,” the Emperor paused and gave Rei a slightly sour look. Some of the things she had muttered (and he’d overheard due to the acoustics of the Crypt . . .er . . .Golden Throne Room), had been something along those veins.

Some of the insults had been downright INSPIRED how graphic they’d been. Rei apparently had the face and wings of an Angel, but the tongue of a sailor. Or maybe an angry . . .Space Marine? A very SALTY one, once her dander was up apparently?

Some of the things she’d said about what he and his Palace Guards could do with themselves was well nigh anatomically impossible, anyway.

If it hadn’t been for some of the OTHER things she’d and her companions said under her breath (as well as before she’d gone stomping off) hadn’t . . .goaded him into action finally with shame.

That and the anger he’d felt towards Rei and her companions had finally snapped the then somewhat dazed Master of Mankind (in more ways than one . . .coming back from the dead can take a LOT out of a soul) out of it and into action.

So, after seeing to Horus’ wounds and getting one of his long unused (but still VERY secure) bedrooms, here they all were. A lot of questions still remained, despite having gotten some answered by that rather . . .brutal assault he’d done upon his son’s . . .

No, he cannot really cannot call Warmaster Horus here his son, can he? This particular Primarch had been the product of the genetics of an analogous version of himself in another universe, somewhere in the quantum foam.

Someone who’d called himself Bond. James Bond. 007, license to kill in a country called the United Kingdom, from old Earth (back before this world became known as Terra).

While HE’D done the same thing in his timeline (and even called himself by that name). He’d gone that route during the 20th century because back then it had been one of the better means to influence and guide humanity to their destiny amongst the stars. That and eventually he’d hoped to being safe and secure from the powers and influence of the Chaos Gods.

What better way to do it (albeit indirectly) from the shadows AS a shadow agent, picking and choosing what to reveal to his superiors to influence them and national policy (in a round about fashion). That and get some much needed practice on developing other skills that did not rely upon his Psyker power alone. Oh, he’d used them to get out (and into) tight positions, but those skills he’d learned as a spy!!

Useful in later days and times. Even times like today. So did his counterpart, by what glimpses he’d seen from Horus.

But it seemed that his other self’s life and plans had deviated drastically around the time of the “Moonraker” incident. Something that had caused the Other to actually make his Primarch be on the alert for “Champions” of some rather . . .unsettling entities that seemed to be (believe it or NOT) personifications of the underpinning of reality itself.

....

Sounded like utter rubbish, but then again similar sounding figures in various prophecies and such which had been uncovered (and subsequently destroyed) by overly zealous Inquisitors had spoke of similar things. He’d seen it in their minds, those overly zealous fools. Things that made him. . .curious about these young people before him, being that something about them somehow struck him as being similar to what he’d glimpsed inside those fool Inquisitors’ minds as they prayed after having destroyed those “Forbidden Scrolls and Prophecies”.

Maybe they had some kind of knowledge or something else

Besides, it had been good practice to bone up on his

“So Lady Rei,“ the Emperor of Mankind finally said after a pause (and with more than a slightly ironic tone to his voice). “As civilized people shall we finally learn who exactly you all are? Why you are here and how? Maybe?”

Being that the Emperor had opted to treat his unexpected guests . . .better than he’d initially planned. That meant treat them like landed Imperium aristocracy, for the moment anyway. As a courtesy (perhaps a bit overdue he admitted, if only to himself).

However, this was also an order in the form of a command. Painfully obvious that he wanted answers, and answers PDQ!

And considering the rather . . .convoluted explaning Rei would have to do to get even the basics acroos (much less not accounting for arguements and shouts of non-belief interrupting things), she did it by one of the few "safe" means at her disposal.

Do not ASK how they'd gone about figuring THAT one out. Had something to do with a lot of "theory" about other forms of ESP and such back when Horus had been learning things while under the Emperor's . . .HIS Emperor's tutulage and Rei clicked on something and vula!!

Not exactly two way radio but more like sending telegrams back and forth. It works, anyway.

Still, working or not this kind of mind to mind was kind of . . .painful between herself and a Primarch, but safe enough. No real big backlashes from Mindspeak, even IF Mindspeak from Terra Prime was . . .magical somewhat in nature. It was "close enough for government work", as the old cliche goes to work so . . .it worked!

1. "Excuse me?" the Emperor blinks, once getting over this unexpected turn of event. "Let me get this straight...."

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