There was silence over the line for a few short, uncomfortable moments. Likely due to the trio deciding to have a private conversation regarding what the outworlders have said.
"The guy in the short beetle-like mech is insane."
The pilot of the blue mech, a girl with short lavender hair and eyes as brilliantly blue as her machine stated to her wingmen. At the same time, Valrin would note that there was a hue of apprehension and distrust coming from her soul, all due to what he had said to her. Speaking of, her soul was as flat and inert as the typical human, so she is utterly ignorant of his telepathic scrying.
"Errr... That's not a very nice thing to say Chigara, but... He really does sound a bit... Ok, he's speaking spooky monkey talk."
Asaga responds in a somewhat reprehensive tone.
"But who are we to judge? What he has said sounds familiar to how certain things were from where I hailed, uncomfortably so..."
The third member of the element finally speaks, the only male of the team and unlike his wingmen, spoke with a deep, mature voice, his tone measured and firm, his accent betraying a hint of nobility.
"I know, Vicious... But something just tells me that these guys aren't what they seem. And it's not just because they have 4 heavily armed non-Ryder mechs with them..."
"Understandable. Hopefully, they value their lives more than whatever they may believe in."
Soon enough, the girl in the blue mech responds to the survivors.
"No, not really, this is our home planet. Well, the home planet of the people currently employing me and my friends, Planet Cera for your information. Anyway, the ship that had crashed here was something we were utterly unprepared for, as it had appeared well within the Planet's gravity well before anything could have been done; but events like this sadly aren't unheard of. We will ask about the details of what exactly caused the ship to crash and why it blew up later, but for now, evacuating any survivors is our top priority."
The aforementioned survivors were all looking up at the trio of new mechs from behind Valrin and his strange companions with a mix of curiosity and guardedness and from the way they were crowding around, it seemed as if they were protecting, hiding something. Something that Asaga noticed as her red and white mech was leaning forward a bit to get a better look at the crowd.
"What do you think they're hiding down there Vicious? Looks sus."
The older pilot responds with a particularly dry tone.
"Their injured. Clearly."
For the first time, I almost regretted my deep psychic link to Ignus.
It was times like these that the willpower of a Scion or a Princeps was needed most: Ignorant idiots insulting an Avatar of the Machine God
As soon as the words "Beetle-like" were said, Ignus's full attention was brought right back. I had to flip the physical weapons off switch on my throne. Twice.
Hearing another Human call a Human an Eldar slang was a new one. It just made Ignus even worse, but now I had him under control. With his dramatics passed, I flipped the weapons on switch back as a line that guaranteed I couldn't trust a single one of them while they still drawled breath was uttered.
"Understandable. Hopefully, they value their lives more than whatever they may believe in.""
Disgusting.
But now the Scryed responded.
Evacuation may mean they split up the remnants of the crew, Imperial Citizens and Agents of the Ordos all, to currently unknown fates.
Unacceptable.
Planetary Government most likely wouldn't like that, but considering their lack of psychic wards and defenses to their vanguard and scout military units, running against them should be fairly simple in any terrain that wasn't vast open flat deserts. I knew Ignus could even do sustained submerged operations, in combination with the air elements of the other Knights, and the remaining Crew and Tech Priests, we could possibly conduct long term guerrilla operations, almost certainly avoid a large scale confrontation. The biggest ask I could see is the required maintenance and blessings of their machines, but certainly an Inquisitor's crew would have enough people gifted enough with the Omnissiah to perform at least field maintenance to those machines not piloted by their apparent and claimed creator.
Furthermore, the large Golden Statue I knew I could not allow to fall into the hands of people such as these, even if I knew not what it was.
So the plan had to be straff out until we build enough resources and influence on this planet to create a secret hold. From there following up on any other possible rips would be possible, and general knowledge of the world could be gathered in time with agents or crew sent out to gather intelligence. If this planet doesnt have a particularly nationalistic and unified government and populace, we could possibly even carve out and found a state to the Omnissiah and establish an Inquisitorial stronghold in this new dimension in time.
The bigger question was now how to respond. I doubt we had enough time between now and when they would have split us up to have a plan to mass uprise and take over the ship if I accepted evacuation, even assuming our crew could interface with their ship at all to effectively pilot it. Also assuming we would outnumber their own crew, and that they could get out a distress call before we silenced their communications.
The solution was simple. Reject the offer, ask for supplies and directions instead, tend to our wounded ourselves. Use my psychic scrying info to target the one call "Asaga". The one that had claimed to recognize the terms I used. If she happened to be from the same, or parallel Imperium, the fear of the Inquisition and questioning that which you ought not to know was best targeted at her.
"An evacuation will not be entirely necessary, we can tend to our own wounded well enough and we do not fall under your jurisdiction in that matter. Water, food and directions to an outpost would be more appreciated if you are willing to part with them."
With that said, I pointedly turned Ignus in the direction of the one called Asaga. Then, I spoke.
In Vox
In War horn
and in Soul to all so that they could never forget or assume only a trick of the mind, even if I spoke in truth to one in reality
I stretched my will so I knew I was heard by all, Knights, crew, and the ship above. I thought it would hurt more, but it didn't. It ... It felt like a stretch that wouldnt end, then a tension as if that of flexing as I spoke to all.
"If what I say is familiar to you, then you should know some things are not meant to be known. That is what I am here for as a member of the Holy Ordos of the God Emperor's Inquisition. If you know that, then you know my next words to be true: use your vessel to obliterate what few remnants of our Vessel that is left. Then forget this happened. "
I let the tension go, and my mind snapped back to only myself and the purple haired one. Should Hostilities ignite, she would be a good show of force.
I was exerting myself psychically, but not yet to exhaustion on the scale of affecting only a few people. The Systems of Ignus drew far more power than that required of more basic Psykana.
That memory drew my eye to the one thing hanging in the cockpit of Ignus: the only thing ever to dare desecrate the sacred cockpit and interface of Ignus.
What I once knew as my trump card when confronted with Imperial Forces after a mission. There hung my Lord Inquisitor's rosette: entrusted to me as a badge of faith to show me as an Interrogator. Or more likely, to make sure Ignus got back to him.
It would serve as truth should "Asaga" truthfully knew of which I spoke, but with my demonstration, I think I at least drew their consideration to my suggestion.
