Fear Incarnate

Fear Incarnate Portion 6

"Our latest military offensives have been going well my queen." Sunder said as the Rebellion's varied members clustered around the holo map. Sunder then began to explain how she and Innoak had pushed back the horde in many places, Innoak considered adding to the conversation but soon changed his mind. Eyes wandering over to the still and very bored face of Adora, he still found it strange how a child was given the power of Etheria's "god." Or was it not a god? Innoak decided he would ignore the problem, she had proved useful and her combat training was not lacking. Innoak wondered if she may have been a Special Forces unit of some kind, Innoak decided he must know whether or not the Horde possessed a nasty surprise. Reaching out he found Adora's bright reflection in the warp, he took hold and began to influence his will. Pushing past emotions and memories he cared little for Innoak found the remnants of her past. They were fractured and mostly pushed away, but those that remained were of a small child. A mutant, he dug deeper and found a name, Catra.

Adora was bored. Bored and tired. She hadn't slept since her encounter with the horde in Plumeria, and to make matters worse she felt something in her head. Like when Shadow Weaver did her mind reading thingy, but it was worse. And cold too. Adora decided to ignore it,  probably just another side effect of She-ra doing She-ra things. Then she made the mistake of looking at Innoak, she noticed the huge thing was looking at her. Intently. Orange eyes made of pure fire and spread purple wings flashed in her mind, along with other inscrutable images. "Quiet your mind Adora, I can not sift through here if you throw up so many thoughts." Her mouth fell open, "Whu-Wha-Why?" she said out loud, perhaps a bit louder than originally intended. She received some weird looks from Queen Angella and her friends but they quickly moved on from her outburst. "I am judging you. Your worth." the voice said again, which she now realized was the ethereal Innoak. She hadn't talked to him, and from what Bow said she didn't want to. Bow shaking while he recounted what Innoak had done to the horde still fresh in her mind. Why my brain, go find another! She thought, expecting a response. Even though she received none and didn't receive another for the remainder of the briefing.

The Queen was angry from what Innoak could tell, her face was more cold than usual and her posture was far stiffer. "Stop poking around in Adora's mind, she has enough stress as it is." Innoak cocked his head at her statement, realizing it was her who blocked him from Adora. It was of no matter though, she still couldn't prevent him from finding the information he seeked. "Becalm yourself. I only wished to find information on the Horde." Angella didn't believe him, this he could tell. "I don't trust you." she said after a minute. "Good." Innoak said, eyeing the guards. They were large and well trained, but they no doubt had little clue how to deal with a Space Marine. Much less a Librarian. "Adora requires training, she has little clue how to utilize her power and weapon." Innoak lifted his own sword, drawing cursory glances from the guards. "I however, do." 

Angella laughed, "You know how to use the She-ra's sword? How?" Innoak sighed and let his sword fall, he outstretched a hand and opened the mind of the Queen. Filling her with visions of the things he fought in his time as a Librarian, the damage to her brain and soul would not be small. But if he was to make his case it would have to do.

Deathless legions of alien androids capable of annihilating entire races in a week, fast moving and lethally graceful dancers of death. Green skinned beasts in the millions, corrupted warriors teeming with foul gifts and blessings from dark gods. Hordes upon hordes of blade limbed horrors and mutated shadows crawling through the underhives of massive continent-cities. Then there was the Imperium, ranks on ranks of blindly faithful and loyal soldiers backed by armoured vehicles that ground planets to dust. Starships with cannons capable of annihilating continents and the size to block out even the largest sun. The endless march of men and war machines, shook Angella to the core. But she finally understood why Innoak was such a dark soul. Innoak was a weapon forged to fight things far worse than even him, and here on Etheria he was so out of everyone's league it made Angella laugh. She laughed uncontrollably and didn't stop until Innoak himself grew somewhat worried. "I-I-I understand. Why would you join us? We represent all that you hate. 'Mutants' are welcome everywhere on Etheria." Innoak nodded, and when he spoke it was a low growl. "I know. But this is not your fault, your planet morphed you to be this way to survive. Just as this galaxy morphed humanity into the cruel but still breathing Imperium. Still it is difficult for me to leave behind what has kept mankind alive for so long. Do not expect me to give mercy to the mutant scum under the Horde. They will suffer at my hand, this you cannot change." Angella shook her head, "I doubt I could stop you even if I wanted to. Go, train Adora." Innoak nodded and left the queen, she was shaken by what he showed her. He chuckled, that was only the surface of the true darkness of the galaxy.

"Where in the Emperor's name is he?" cursed Lieutenant Bunk as he stared deep into the augur of the Despondos system. The system in question was a long warp trip away, but the Soul Haunters didn't leave any man behind. Much less an Epistolary who fell taking down a daemon prince with him. Bunk had been granted a strike cruiser and a miniscule force of only 4 squads of Astartes to find the Librarian, but the more they had searched the less they found. Only able to pick up the Innoak's lead by his wavering psychic signature. The astropaths were hard pressed to find him, and many had succumbed to fatigue. But they had finally guided Bunk to the Despondos system, a sub sector on the south eastern fringe. The records of human civilization there were spotty, and could have only dated back to the tail end of the golden age of technology. Otherwise, no rogue traders from the 41st millennium had entered the abandoned system. "We will find him brother, you saw the portal open just as I. He is not dead. Epistolary Innoak lives still." The harsh, machine toned voice of Reiver Sergeant echoed from Bunk's left. The Sergeant's voice was made all the more distorted because of the vox inlayer within his throat. The piece of technology put there to assist the Astartes's voicebox after it was slit by a Howling Banshee, though the Reiver lived, the Banshee was swiftly put down for her disturbance. "This system is the last place he could possibly be in our time, otherwise he is lost." Bunk said, turning to the shuttered windows of the bridge. "I pray it is not true."