Chương 10: Breach in the Hull

I spent the entire day undergoing training and meditation under Zerbe's supervision, taking only a few short breaks. The Inquisitor was a very good teacher, capable of identifying all my mistakes at a single glance, showing me how to breathe properly and clear my mind. He understood, of course, that I had been practicing this for a long time, but he could still offer some useful advice. Moreover, Zerbe continued to dole out highly interesting information.

"We will drop you and Atreus off on Lehida Ten, after which we will introduce you to your future teacher. Lady Jaya may be old, but you won't find a more experienced instructor in the psychic arts in the entire sector. Her temper isn't the best, but her knowledge is boundless. She is currently on a well-deserved retirement, but in the past, she trained countless psykers for the Inquisition, none of whom have ever fallen to the Ruinous Powers."

Due to the golden mask, I couldn't see the Inquisitor's face, but even so, I could feel his deep respect for this woman. And that spoke volumes, serving as a good sign. However, I still had one question upon which a great deal depended.

"Excuse me, but is it safe to talk about my abilities? If other Inquisitors find out about them, there could be problems, couldn't there?" This was the part that still caused me a bit of anxiety. Yes, I managed to survive the encounter with the cultists and even meet a reasonably rational Inquisitor, but what should I do when someone more zealous and devoted to dogma crosses my path?

All Inquisitors are more or less equal, and someone could go against Zerbe's will, sending me to trial or simply executing me on the spot. And the mere knowledge of this fact made me very nervous, as it was unpleasant knowing I was still walking on a razor's edge.

"Do not worry, your secret is well guarded. Only Saviy, Maria, and I know about your psychic potential—my most loyal Acolytes, to whom I can entrust my life and who would remain silent even under torture. Aaron, the leader of the Blood Angels squad you met earlier, also knows. He is a close friend of mine, and we share a century-long history of cooperation, so trust me, he will not tell anyone. As for Atreus, you will find out for yourself later, and as for Khoron...

let's just say I have a way to influence him and ensure his silence." I merely nodded, silently analyzing all the information. It was quite interesting that he didn't just order them to stay quiet using his authority, but treated them like friends and cared about their opinions. It was somehow unexpected to hear this from such a serious, even harsh man who held power over entire planets and star systems in his hands.

And now it also made sense why he had to hide me from the ship's crew and assign truly important people like Maria and Khoron as my babysitters.

"Still, I advise against telling anyone else about your abilities. You were simply lucky to meet me and not Rykhus, for example, who would not have listened to you and would have simply sent you to the pyre. As long as no one knows about you, you are safe. Formally, I should report you, but I see how useful you can be, so I will be able to provide the necessary protection for some time." He spoke of my fate in a casual, passionless tone, while I maintained a calm face, as if nothing important was happening.

It was a reminder that the Inquisitor was fussing over me not out of personal desire, but simply for future gain. And I was particularly unsettled by his clarification about protection "for some time." I was very curious about what would happen when this protection ran out. Most likely, that would be the time when I would have to pay for the protection and training.

"Lady Jaya used to carry a rosette herself, but her influence is still so great that few would dare touch her or go against the old woman's will. One of her former students currently sits on the High Lords of Terra, so she has connections at a very high level. She will teach you how to use your powers, and once we arrive, we will decide what to do with you next. And now, it is time to begin practicing a new technique..." I spent the next several hours in training, after which I had to go eat dinner and go to sleep.

The next day, I had no psychic lessons, as Zerbe was a very busy man with affairs even on the ship, meaning he could only study with me a couple of times a week. We still had about fifteen days of travel to the designated planet, he said, giving me plenty of time to work with my other teacher. And he was a much more difficult case entirely.... I was now in a different room. From what I understood, it was a sort of training hall, though clearly not designed for an ordinary human.

The room itself was incredibly massive, containing hundreds of meters of open space and just as much filled with various mechanisms and devices unknown to me. This was my first lesson with Atreus, and honestly, I was very interested in what he would teach me. However, he had no intention of explaining anything, so we just sat in silence, staring at each other. Even after a few days, he continued to search for something in me, as if trying to find a resemblance to someone.

He only spoke after about three minutes, when a tech-priest entered the room. It was not Saviy, but someone of a significantly lower rank. Saying nothing, he handed the giant an info-slate, after which he left just as silently. Atreus immediately held it out to me and finally began to speak. I took it and immediately started reading the text. It laid out a daily schedule, with almost not a single minute of free time.

"I want to state right away that my job is to protect and train you. I do not care what you have imagined about your future; I will complete my mission no matter what." I quickly raised my head and met the giant's gaze. He looked at me sternly, his eyes holding an arctic coldness. Time seemed to slow down as I tried to figure out what to do. Obviously, arguing with a giant transhuman carrying a meter-long blade on his back was a very bad idea.

And given his strange resistance to the Warp, I definitely had no chance. So I would have to play my part again to avoid dying. Although Atreus did not look like a cultist, it was still hard to call him sane. And you must always agree with crazy people, be polite, and try not to anger them.

"Do not worry, I have no intention of dying either. And training is always good, because you never know what information might come in handy. However, every mission has a deadline, doesn't it? That means your guardianship will eventually end, right?" For now, I needed to play along and try to carefully extract as much information from him as possible. True, Atreus was definitely smarter than some Chaos worshippers. He grunted upon hearing me, but answered anyway.

And he sounded surprisingly energetic, even somewhat cheerful. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"You will know when that moment arrives. I will leave when my protection becomes a hindrance to you. In other words, as soon as you can defeat me in a one-on-one duel." For the first time since I met him, a smile appeared on his face. A very unpleasant one, which clearly boded nothing good for me.

"That is... an interesting condition." I didn't try to joke around and merely thought seriously about whether it was even possible. On the one hand, he was a transhuman, with every physical attribute significantly enhanced. On the other hand, I am also a mutant, so to speak. And a hell of a mutant, considering my psychic powers. In theory, if I develop a sufficient level of control, I will be able to defeat him even despite his unknown psychic resistance. The only question was when that would happen.

"I will teach you how to wield weapons of every kind and the methods of using them to eliminate opponents. You possess impressive psychic abilities, but relying solely on one aspect of your powers is a path to nowhere. Even the Emperor Himself, who possessed the greatest power in the galaxy, perfected his martial arts until he became the embodiment of the ideal warrior." It was hard to notice, but when he mentioned the Master of Mankind, Atreus's voice betrayed his emotions. He felt awe just mentioning His name.

Not the rarest reaction, as even some Space Marines believe in the divine nature of the Emperor. I, however, treated the Emperor not as a god, but rather as an outstanding individual who determined the fate of the entire galaxy. But sharing such an opinion is a very bad and dangerous idea, as fanatics see no difference between me and heretics. And even if I say that the Emperor himself was an atheist and denied his own divinity, it would change nothing.

"Furthermore, I will teach you other things necessary for life. Mathematics and other sciences, oratory, etiquette, and general politics regarding the balance of power in the galaxy. I have already arranged things with Zerbe, and there is a good and suitable place for your education on the planet where we will be dropped off." He continued to explain all the details of my future while I weighed the pros and cons of my situation. Essentially, everything he mentioned sounded very interesting and appealing.

I was sure his knowledge was vast and that he was a source of incredibly useful information, but he sounded so unpleasant and threatening while delivering it. The very fact that my fate was being decided for me deeply annoyed me, but I couldn't ignore the obvious benefits. Objectively, this would all be very useful to me. Therefore, I would study under his supervision for some time until I became strong enough. After all, it's unlikely to be so bad that...

"But for now, to start, we will begin with history lessons. I will give you a short, three-hour lecture on the history of your home planet and the causes of the Angevin Crusade. But so you don't just sit there bored while listening, drop to the floor and hold a plank while I speak. We need to check your endurance. And I advise you to give it your all, because if you fall, we will start all over again. I have no intention of cutting you any slack." I sighed tiredly and closed my eyes for a moment.

Emperor, give me strength...... The next ten days were probably the hardest of my life. My routine consisted entirely of endless training and performing the most insane exercises. Although I had fairly good endurance, even it began to fail under the space marine's endless tasks. And Atreus didn't care; every day he simply came up with something even worse. I trained from morning until evening, going many hours without a single break.

I went to bed completely dead, of course, but fortunately, sleep at least managed to put me back together. There was one upside: because of this, I noticed that my body got used to and adapted to the inhuman trials quite quickly. But Atreus saw this too, which meant the difficulty increased every day. There were short breaks when I finally collapsed from exhaustion, but during them, I still had to listen to his speeches.

Atreus told me about the history of the Calixis Sector, the causes of the Crusade, and how it unfolded. Quite entertaining information, especially considering he didn't shy away from explaining the real state of affairs rather than Imperial propaganda. He spoke about the High Lords of Terra's need to spread news of a loud and grand victory, and the actual genocide orchestrated by Angevin on disloyal worlds that had rebelled due to unbearably harsh living conditions.

These were good lessons, sadly diluted by incredibly grueling physical training. It was obvious I couldn't handle them, yet that didn't stop Atreus in the slightest. The only relief were my sessions with Zerbe, who didn't pressure me and simply explained the fundamentals of manipulating psychic power. No new spells or abilities, as such serious interference could disrupt the Gellar Field, but he didn't skimp on the theory.

"Besides standard manipulation of psychic energy, there is another way to influence reality. It is far more dangerous, but it can be used even by individuals without the psychic gift. Sorcery is the art of rituals and working with otherworldly forces, which are often connected to the Damned Gods. It is a path that grants a fraction of power for an enormous price. You do not even need to be a psyker to use it; often it is enough simply to draw raw Warp energy by making the veil between our worlds thin enough."

"It is easiest for a psyker to do this, but there are not actually that many of them among sorcerers. Sorcery involves secret knowledge and forbidden rituals, which the absolute majority of people know nothing about. A cultist can also try to put themselves into a special trance to attune their mind to the movements of the Warp, but this path is also too difficult and requires considerable experience.

Most often, such 'enlightened' individuals simply get hooked on narcotics and arrive at the wrong thoughts, causing the Immaterium to burn their brains. Do not forget that Chaos is dangerous not only to ordinary people, but also to the traitors themselves. Therefore, they most often resort to classic human sacrifices..." I was listening to him, continuing to meditate, when something very bad happened. Something resembling a rising whisper appeared in my head.

It was like waves, growing louder with every crash, then fading away again. Although I knew little about being a psyker, even I understood this was bad. So I didn't hesitate and immediately interrupted Zerbe, informing him of what was happening. And judging by how he froze, this was a truly major problem.

"That is strange, as what you describe sounds like the one thing that absolutely should not happen. But if you are right... alright, stay here, I need to issue some orders." The Inquisitor quickly stood up and began transmitting something to the cruiser's crew via the ship's vox-net. Although I poorly understood all the terminology, the phrase "check the Gellar Field generator" was clear enough to me. Atreus was also in the room, and even now, he remained an unbending monolith.

However, he stepped closer to me anyway, having miraculously already drawn his sword. Only now did I notice that it wasn't an ordinary piece of iron, but a true work of art, a blend of highly advanced technology and glowing blue runes. The blade even emitted a very subtle, barely visible glow in the Warp, which would be practically unnoticeable under normal conditions.

"Do not worry, the necessary personnel have been informed and the chances of our Warp shielding failing are minimal..." Zerbe continued speaking in a calm and emotionless voice when a new wave hit us. This time, even the Inquisitor swayed slightly, so strong was it. I simply heard an incredibly loud, inhuman scream in my head, which vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"This is a very bad sign. We need to move to my quarters; there are blockers installed there for just such an occasion. We also need to notify the Acolytes and the Blood Angels, or else..." I didn't know what else Zerbe wanted to say, as reality shuddered and another, final devastating scream echoed throughout the entire ship. I felt that for a brief moment, just a thousandth of a second, the barrier between the cruiser and the Warp flickered and vanished, before the Gellar Field snapped back into place.

But that was enough to let Chaos inside.