CATAE had promised him the role of Gaurdian of the South and transport to the North of Empyrea and protection.
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It has occurred to him that the headline of, “𐐊𐐿𐐰𐐼𐐲𐑋𐐨𐑆 𐐲𐑂 𐑄 𐐈𐐼𐐯𐐹𐐻 𐐿𐑊𐐬𐑅 𐐮𐑌 Vorantis 𐑁𐐫𐑉 𐐲𐑌𐑌𐐬𐑌 𐑉𐐨𐑆𐐲𐑌𐑆 (Academies of the Adept close in Vorantis for unknown reasons)” could only mean that the election of the Chancellor would be held soon and the nominees would be informed. The Adeptus Sociological know that Proctor Alma would have the Coalition Against the Æbyss nominate him. He had to move quickly
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So he began his plan by fetching Captain Hugo Stalwor of the Directorate Guard. The mechanically enhanced man nodded at him and followed silently.
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The door to Limos' office was quite ominous but opened like any other door.
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Needless to say, the Technocrat was not amused by the Scholar-Captain duo barging into his office unannounced.
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Limos’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he glared at first the Adeptus, and then the Captain. “What do you want?” he growled, his voice laced with enough metaphorical venom to kill a hundred men had it been real toxin.
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The Adeptus Sociological smiled calmly, his eyes never leaving Limos’s face. “I think you know that we have come to discuss your... situation, Technocrat,” he said, his tone was steady and firm like a stone pillar.
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Limos grimaced and then sneered, his eyes still darting between the Adeptus and Captain Stalwor. “I was not aware I had an appointment, in my own office!”
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Stalwor aimed his arm at limos, and a steam-powered wrist gun popped out. The Technocrat and Controller of the Technates's eyes widened as Stalwor pointed the gun at him.
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“Ah, ah, ah,” Limos said, his voice rising in panic. “I think you shall find that is definitely not necessary to ensure my cooperation, good sirs.”
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The Adeptus held up a hand, staying Stalwor’s readied weapon. “Let him talk,” he said. “We should at least listen before we kill him. It is the decent and respectable thing to do.”
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Limos swallowed hard, his eyes pleading. “Please... let me explain. But who put you to this Adeptus?”
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“Eirlys Ravyn-Valtor extends his warm regards and regrets that he can not be here in person.”
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“The Shield of Empyrea? You should not trust CATAE. At least the Covenant of the Void is honest in its malignant intentions.
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And then he began to speak, his voice trembling with every syllable. “You see, I was Controller of Blix, Ekholm, and Ravillion shortly before my death... and I had this remarkable experience. A giant moth appeared before me in a vision, morphing into the most beautiful woman I had ever had the luck to lay my eyes on. She told me I would die soon and that she would help me later on. And then... and then she did exactly that. She brought me back to life.”
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The Adeptus nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. A blank face told no tales, nor did dead men, for that matter.
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Stalwor spoke up, his voice flat and emotionless. “And that is your excuse as to why you became an Anchor for Æcordia?”
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Limos nodded furiously. “Yes! Because she resurrected me! And I swear to you, Anti-Dysgenism is healthy for Vorantis! It’s the only way to ensure our survival! Those dirty inferiors would strangle the intellectual brilliant from the South like a weed starving a red rose until it withers away.”
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The room was silent for a moment as Limos’s words hung in the air.
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“So you believe,” Stalwor said finally, his voice heavy with scepticism.
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Limos’s face reddened with anger. “I know it is true! You are just blinded by your own ignorance!”
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The Adeptus raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps we are blind to some extent,” he said. “But we’re not alone in our doubts about your methods.”
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Limos’s eyes narrowed further. “What do you mean?”
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Captain Stalwor stepped forward, his eyes cold and dead – they may have been replaced with artificial versions. “The evidence says otherwise, and numbers speak no lies. You put thousands in death camps for not being good enough according to your standards, you suppressed unions trying to strike for better pay, used my knowledge of societies to manipulate the citizens of Vorantis and commited the grave offence of ordering a Trainee Adeptus killed.”
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“Adeptus Sociological, you are being unreasonable. I feel that I have been very fair and benevolent compared to my fellow Ætharchs. Let’s see...Supreme Meritocrat Berote forcefully imposed Berotian Meritocratism on Aquiloria by suspending the Meritocratic Council of Aquiloria before he began rounding up anyone that disagreed with him to put in camps of his own where they were tortured to death! My camps were merciful, the condemned were treated well, and were killed painlessly with drugs after a last meal, leisure, and the chance to write a will. We gently lowered them into the embrace of death, unlike Berote, who hurled the unlucky souls into the jaws of the Æbyss.”
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The room waited with bated breath for Limos to continue.
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“Earl Malum brutally stabbed his parents to death because Æonex whispered in his ear and told him to. When the Æbyss came knocking, he incinerated any and all opposition with Thermobaric weaponry. He was even beastly to his own siblings! Celeste was forcefully married off to Gur Khan Temji, Lyra was executed publicly as an example because she refused to allow the same to happen, Victorine he mistreats despite her fanatical devotion and love for him, and he desperately searches for Valerie who ran away to escape his evilness.”
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Again, there was silence.
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“Great Khagan Xantè butchered one-fifth of the East in his Invasion - one in five people! – and then smashed the Executorship to replace one dictatorship with a worse one. He has committed atrocities at every turn. The man is evil. His first child was a devil in himself form, and his second appears to have some hidden problems of his own. His wife, Khatun Xarai, was seventeen when Xantè forcefully abducted her, married her, and indoctrinated her into unwavering loyalty to the Covenant of the Void.”
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“And yet, I am the monster. That is not fair.”
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Suddenly, the door burst open, and a woman entered the room, her unnatural glowing blue eyes fixed on Limos with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.
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“Limos..” She said simply.
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