The grand chapel of Watch Station Hesperus, which moments before had been a stage for a potential schism, was now the site of the galaxy's most awkward and tension-filled truce. The kneeling Sisters of Battle had risen, their expressions a mixture of ecstatic awe and disciplined restraint. They looked upon Rimuru not as a xenos, but as a sacred mystery, a living test of their faith.
Lord Inquisitor Varrus, ever the master of the moment, saw the fragile peace for what it was: a temporary ceasefire. "Canoness," he said, his voice a smooth baritone that masked his own profound shock. "Your wisdom and faith are a credit to your Order. It seems our purposes, for now, are aligned. I propose we retire to my strategium to discuss the… logistics of this holy escort."
Canoness Celestine gave a stiff, formal nod. "The Ecclesiarchy will, of course, cooperate with the Holy Ordos in the stewardship of this… divine instrument. But we will not be relegated to a mere escort, Lord Inquisitor. We will be its conscience."
The walk back to the Obelisk was a procession of two opposing realities. Varrus's entourage was one of shadows and secrets—robed acolytes, grim-faced soldiers, and the stoic, black-clad form of Captain Arken. Celestine's retinue was one of blazing, public faith—silver-armored Celestians, their banners held high, and priests who chanted quiet litanies of veneration. The two groups mixed like oil and holy water, a silent, ideological war being waged in the space between them.
Rimuru walked in the center, flanked by Varrus and Celestine, feeling less like a king and more like a prize asset being squabbled over by two immensely powerful and deeply unstable corporate divisions.
<
So, basically, I'm stuck between the galaxy's most dangerous secret police and its most fanatical religious army, Rimuru thought with an inward sigh. This just keeps getting better.
In the strategium, the first council of this unholy alliance convened. The mood was glacial.
"My objective remains the same," Varrus began, gesturing to the star chart. "To provide King Rimuru with the resources necessary to chart his path home. The Black Ship Silent Vigil will provide the power. My contacts with the Eldar will provide the knowledge of the Webway."
Canoness Celestine's eyes narrowed, her expression turning to one of profound disgust. "Lord Inquisitor, surely you jest. You propose to fuel this holy being's journey with the tainted souls of a cargo of witches? And you would ask for aid from the treacherous, godless Eldar? This is blasphemy! His path should be paved with faith and righteous battle, not heresy and xenos-craft!"
"His path," Varrus countered, his voice dangerously low, "is a matter of arcane science and dimensional theory, Canoness. Matters that are the purview of the Inquisition, not the pulpit. Your faith is your strength, but it will not power a dimensional array."
The two glared at each other across the holo-lith, the ancient, pragmatic spymaster versus the fiery, uncompromising crusader. The alliance was about to shatter before it had even truly begun.
"Perhaps," Rimuru interjected, his voice calm and reasonable, "we can do both."
Both Varrus and Celestine turned to look at him.
"Canoness," Rimuru said, addressing her directly. "You wish to test my nature in a crucible of war. You wish to see my power used to aid the Imperium and inspire the faithful. Is that correct?"
"You are a sign from the Emperor," she affirmed, her voice ringing with conviction. "Your purpose must be to serve His divine will. And His will is the reclamation of this galaxy from the heretic and the alien."
"And Lord Inquisitor," Rimuru said, turning to Varrus, "you need me to reach certain spatial coordinates, locations of stellar phenomena that can act as anchors for my journey." He then looked between the two of them. "What if the Emperor's enemies, whom the Canoness wishes to fight, just so happen to be located near the places I need to go?"
A deep silence fell over the strategium. Kael's eyes widened slightly as he grasped the simple, brilliant genius of the proposal.
Ciel was already displaying a new map in Rimuru's mind, overlaying the locations of the dimensional anchor points with the Imperium's active warzones. <
"There is a great crusade, is there not?" Rimuru continued, as if the idea had just occurred to him. "A war to reclaim worlds lost to darkness. Surely such a crusade would benefit from a 'divine instrument' to aid its cause. And surely its path would take it through many strategically important and scientifically interesting star systems."
He had offered the perfect compromise. He would join their crusade, but it would be a crusade that followed his map. Celestine would get her holy war and her chance to witness his deeds. Varrus would get to keep him moving towards his goal, all under the guise of a righteous military campaign.
Canoness Celestine considered the proposal. To bring a living Saint to a struggling warfront… the effect on morale would be immeasurable. It would be a sign from the Emperor himself. It was a perfect fusion of faith and purpose. "The Emperor's will does indeed work in mysterious ways," she conceded, a look of pious satisfaction on her face. "The Penitent Crusade into the Ghoul Stars is a worthy cause. We shall join them."
Varrus gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod of agreement. He had lost sole control, but he had prevented an open conflict and kept his primary objective on track. It was a masterful recovery from a disastrous situation.
"Then it is decided," the Lord Inquisitor declared.
The fleet, a bizarre and unprecedented combination of the Inquisition's black, silent predators and the Ecclesiarchy's soaring, cathedral-like warships, altered its course. It was no longer a small, secret flotilla, but a grand, holy armada, preparing to plunge back into the Warp.
Rimuru stood with Varrus on the bridge of the Obelisk, watching the Sororitas flagship, Divine Right, take up a position of honor beside them.
"Behold, King Rimuru," Varrus murmured, his voice heavy with the weight of history. "The unholy alliance. The two most powerful, opposing forces within the soul of the Imperium, united only by their mutual obsession with you."
He looked from the silver-and-white warship of the faithful to the infinite darkness ahead.
"I truly do not know whether this is a sign of the Imperium's salvation," he whispered, "or the beginning of its next, and perhaps last, great civil war."