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"With respect, M'lord, 'The road to Heresy is paved with good intentions.' Verse #47, Chapter #3, The Book of the Emperor."

The golden Iron Man let out a groan of despair...

“I take it you believe that by extension, the road to virtue is paved with evil intent?”

Kruger shot a withering glance at the Iron Man. "The Emperor personally pulled humanity out of the Dark Age of Technology by it's bootstraps, machine. After your kind had fractured pre-Imperium civilisation, no less."

“Oh yes. Good retort. And look what you guys have managed to do in ten millennia since. Mass defection, Age of Ignorance, Technological Backslide, Towering Incompetence…” a look from the Lord Inqisitor finally shut him up.

"The Iron Man only further proves my point, M'lord. The Emperor is the glue that binds the Imperium together, for good or for worse. Consorting with beings that go against the very word of the Emperor himself can only serve to weaken it, and Him."

“As I have previously said,” Taran replied, “the emperor did not forbid machine minds. Else why did he sanction Land Raiders, Titans and Starships to possess them? He created a government in which Man’s creations would never again displace His rulership, but He did not demand that they be destroyed on sight. Especially not if they can be made to serve His aims.”

"Well, regardless of the Iron Man's - evidently rather low - opinion of the present Imperium, my colleague quite correct. Intentions are ultimately irrelevant; results are what count. And the potential consequences of what we do here today frighten me beyond measure. On the one hand, there is the potential for humanity's salvation; if all of our armies could be equipped with such things as this device can reveal, none could stand before us, and I'm sure there would unnumbered ways of improving the lot of our citizens as well.

"On the other hand, if we make a mistake, the results would be truly horrifying. And that's what I'm concerned with; what, exactly, do you plan to do with this device? How do you intend to introduce this technology to the Imperium? How will the device and the information it contains be prevented from falling into the hands of the Imperium's enemies?"

Kruger nodded his thanks to Adivan. "Thank you, Inquisitor, for reminding me of my original point. The numbers of Imperial citizens who have ultimately betrayed the Imperium although they firmly believed they were doing nothing but good is nigh uncountable."

“Now you raise a valid point. Dissemination in secrecy and safety is the issue here. We face a great peril. Oft it seems that there is nothing the Imperium can have, that the Fell Powers cannot take away. Even the Primarchs, sons of the Emperor himself, were stolen away from their very incubation chambers on Holy Luna itself.

“I wish to avoid that risk by ensuring that the Enemy cannot take this information from us. I wish to start by forming a new Ordo of the Inquisition, here – which is why I have arranged for you to be here – whose sole purpose shall be the long, and likely difficult task of employing this find to the Imperium’s benefit.

“This is also why I had the Iron Men constructed. I fear that, through whatever depraved sorcery, the forces of Chaos may learn of the location of the Archeotrove, and send their Traitor Marines,” he seemed to be physically restraining the urge to spit, “to take it.”

Jolan observed his colleagues reactions to Taran's display with concealed amusement. It was nothing new to him. His own experiments at Schola had long ago lead him to take a similar view and Chou's cynical appraisal of Imperial society had merely reinforced it. But they were now asking the important questions, as he had done earlier. But that was then. Jolan Gix's mind had alreay raced ahead and he knew what was coming up next. I might as well do as expected, he thought. Play the game and learn the players, in Chou's words.

"That isn't all you have planned. You would have approached reliable people, people you knew for a long time if that was all there was to it. We're not those people. There is something else to this matter. What do you need us for? What is so urgent that you need to bring us in?"

“I need you, because I most certainly do not trust myself with the power I currently wield. It is harder to corrupt twenty men than it is to corrupt one, Emperor Excepted.”

"As difficult as it is to corrupt half of the Astartes?" Whispered Kruger, almost to himself.

“We can only hope that by the Emperor’s grace, and the more secretive nature of the Inquisition,” he said, “as well as the loyalty I hope you all have, such does not happen to our group. If it is any consolation, my friends here,” he gestured toward the Iron Men, “have orders to kill anyone showing signs of chaos subversion regardless of who they are. Including myself.”

Kruger sat down in a vacant chair. "Very well." He said. "Tell us more of your new Ordo. We can get back to discussing Chaos later."

“I think it must be agreed that regardless of what we do with the archeotech, our first and greatest priority is the elimination of the chaos cults operating on this world.”

Lena almost cheered – she was inwardly slavering at the thought of superior naval technology, but a chance to use what was already available was always welcome.

"Regardless of the disposition of the archaeotech, we can agree that any Chaos cults must be eliminated."

"Agreed."

"I don't think anyone in their right mind could find a reason to disagree."

"I don`t disagree I know what our ancient enemy is quite capble of."

Nathan looked at the others.

"The simplest way we can start is with new issue las-guns ,simply state we find a cache of them and issue them to guards men to use against the cult .We can gain insight into wether or not they are a good upgrade first hand."

"We must remeber this...the worst case scenario I can think of ,and one that SHOULD be in the minds of each and every one of you is this. When the Eldar fell THERE fall created the Eye of Terror. That was the region of space they once called home. If mankind falls in a simular fashion...the Galaxy as we know it could very well become something like the Storm of the Emperors Wrath"

He takes the Lord Inquisitor's weapon in hand, half-wondering if the best course of action would be to use it upon himself. But the task at hand pulls him back from his secret fears.

The task, and the revelations. Superstitious nonsense? The Adeptus Mechanicus has provided the muscle for the Guard to carry out the Emperor's blessed will upon countless worlds.

A new ordo of the Inquisition? Where does one draw the line between desire to serve to the greatest of one's ability and raw ambition?

He has a weapon in hand. He can shoot the Lord Inquisitor here and now, before anyone else can act, if he deems this to be rank heresy. Suddenly, he feels the Lord Inquisitor's eyes on him and looks up.

He knows.

The Lord Inquisitor gave him the weapon with full calculation, to pass judgement upon his purity in this matter. It was... perhaps even the divine guidance of the Emperor.

"It has been said," he states in a low voice. "That perhaps the time is coming for a new Crusade to unify us once more."

He'd heard instructors discussing it at the Schola, that has to count.

"Rather than fighting endlessly to maintain the territory we still control, we need to be directing the marshalled force of mankind to strike back against the darkness. Defense does not a war win."

As he speaks, he can feel the spirit of the Emperor move within him, and his voice rises, his passion becoming almost a palpable thing.

"The orks attack at Armageddon, and we defend because we must. But better still to locate the sources of their infestations and raze those worlds to the ground! Rather than suffering the predations of the tyrannids upon our worlds, we would be better served to annihilate their formations in deep space! If the Emperor has seen fit to guide us to this place, to give us the tools once more to push outward against our foes, we must follow his will!"

He realizes he is standing, and has been punctuating his statements by pounding his fist upon the table. He suddenly looks abashed and sits down again.

"My pardon if I spoke out of turn, Lord Inquisitors."

"You spoke well Commissar and the purpose of a discussion to discuss. You have said nothing that you need apologize for. It is important that we have the benefit of the views of non-inquisitors. It is in fact crucial. The subject at hand can potentially change the whole of the Imperium. A reminder of how this will be recieved by those who do not carry the blessing and the burden of Inquisitorial knowledge aids this discussion."

"My question" Chapel said, "is why I am I here? I am not high ranking enough to be able to represent any portion of the Assassinorum, other than the callow youth overly impressed with my survival. What is my purpose to be in this grand new crusade?"

He already had half an idea of what was going on, but it would be instructive to see which points the Lord Inquisitor addressed, and which he chose to evade.

After spending several moments at the origon of the Arbites vox signals, the signs of battle and lack of bodies informs them that they are alright. The Chimaera split up to give the judges a lift where ever they are.

Even before Pater entered the room the sharp smell of medical incense reached the noses of those in the conference room. Hardly any of his features could be seen, as the medical equipment replacing the ruined half of his face was bound tightly to his head with gauze; The only signs that hasty facial reconstruction had to be performed was the blue glow of an augmetic eye and 2 tubes which were connected to a device that cleaned and replaced his cranial fluids. He was followed into the room by a medical Servo-skull and a nervous Chirgeon who helped him into a chair. "Sorry sir," The medicae stammered to Kruger, "We couldn't keep him away." Kruger dismissed him with a curt nod, and he scuttled out.