The hangar bay of Watch Station Vigil was a cavern of cold, unforgiving purpose. The air smelled of sanctified oils, promethium, and the metallic tang of weaponry. There were no welcoming parties here, only sentinels. The black-armored giants of the Deathwatch stood as silent as statues, their very presence a declaration that this was a place where hope came to be interrogated.
The Deathwatch Captain in his hulking Terminator armor took another step forward, his scarred face a mask of grim authority. His eyes, cold and cybernetically augmented, analyzed Rimuru with the detached focus one might give a new specimen in a vivisection chamber.
Before the Captain could repeat his demand, Librarian Corvus stepped between them, his blue Ultramarine armor a stark contrast to the sea of black.
"Captain Arken," Corvus said, his voice ringing with formal authority. "I am Librarian Corvus of the Ultramarines, Kill Team Cassian. My report was irregular because our encounter was unprecedented." He gestured respectfully towards Rimuru. "This is Rimuru Tempest. He is the sovereign of the Jura Tempest Federation. And he is our ally."
The word "ally" caused a dangerous ripple through the Deathwatch marines. A few shifted their grip on their weapons. Captain Arken's lip curled into a sneer.
"An ally?" Arken's voice was a low growl, like grinding stone. "We do not make allies of the alien, Librarian. We hunt them. We study their frailties to better purge their kind from the Emperor's galaxy. You, of all people, should know this."
"The circumstances were—" Corvus began, but Arken cut him off.
"Your full report will be logged during your debriefing." The Captain's gaze snapped back to Rimuru, who had been watching the exchange with a patient, curious expression. "The asset will be secured separately."
"He is not an 'asset' or a prisoner, Captain," Corvus stated, his voice hardening. "He is an honored guest who single-handedly saved my entire kill team and ensured the success of our mission."
"Your 'guest' is an unknown xenos of immense power," a new voice cut in. It was smoother, quieter, yet it carried an authority that made even Captain Arken subtly shift his stance. A man in the dark, high-collared robes of the Inquisition stepped out from behind the Terminator Captain. He was lean and pale, his face sharp and intelligent, his eyes holding a piercing, analytical light. "And the Ordo Xenos does not leave such things to chance. I am Interrogator Kael. By the authority of Inquisitor Varrus, I will be handling this."
Kael's gaze fell upon Rimuru, and for the first time, Rimuru felt he was being truly seen. Not as a threat to be neutralized, but as a puzzle to be solved.
"The Ultramarines will come with me for their debriefing," Kael stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Captain Arken, escort our… visitor… to Containment Chamber Scythe-7. Use all prescribed security protocols."
Captain Arken nodded once. "You heard him. Move."
Two Deathwatch Marines, one from the Imperial Fists and another bearing the wolf-pelt of the Space Wolves, moved to flank Rimuru. They did not touch him, but their proximity was a clear threat.
Rimuru simply smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't want to be a bother." He gave Corvus a reassuring nod before turning and walking calmly with his escort, leaving the Ultramarines to be led away in a different direction.
The walk through the Watch Station was an education in the Imperium's soul. The walls were grey, unadorned adamantium, hung with the banners of fallen heroes and the grotesque trophies of slain xenos: the massive skull of an Ork Warboss, the elegant rifle of an Eldar Ranger, the chitinous claw of a Tyranid Carnifex. It was a museum of death, a testament to an eternal, galaxy-spanning war.
They arrived at a heavy, circular adamantium door marked with the icon of the Ordo Xenos. The door irised open to reveal a stark, hexagonal chamber. The walls were seamless and featureless, glowing with a faint, suppressive blue light.
"The chamber is equipped with a null-field generator," Captain Arken stated from the doorway. "It will dampen any psychic or warp-based abilities. A precaution."
Rimuru stepped inside without hesitation.
<
Good to know, Rimuru thought. He turned, gave the heavily armed super-soldiers a polite smile, and sat cross-legged in the center of the room as the door sealed, plunging him into the blue-tinged silence. He was not their prisoner. He was simply waiting for the next meeting to begin.
Meanwhile, in a sterile debriefing chamber, Corvus stood before Interrogator Kael and Captain Arken. A holo-table between them displayed a map of the Space Hulk.
"You claim it destroyed a Necron Tomb Warden and its cohort without effort?" Kael asked, his fingers steepled before him.
"It did not destroy them," Corvus clarified, his voice steady. "It disassembled the warriors with a precision I have never witnessed. The Warden did not even engage. It calculated the being's threat level as 'infinite' and initiated a tactical withdrawal. It mentioned a 'Silent King'."
Kael's eyes sharpened at the name. "And you believe its claims of being a 'king'?"
"I believe it is far more than it appears," Corvus said. "It showed no malice. No deception that I could sense. It acted with honor. It wielded powers that did not feel of the Warp. It was… orderly. It spoke of a nation built on peace and cooperation between different species. A concept I know is heretical, but I am reporting what I saw and heard."
Kael was silent for a long time, his gaze distant. Captain Arken scoffed. "Peace with the alien is a fool's dream. It is a weapon, Librarian. A new one, perhaps. But it will be understood. And then it will be dismantled."
Kael ignored the Captain. His focus was on the puzzle. A being of infinite power that preaches peace. A monster king who is polite and reasonable. A xenos who wields power that is not of the Warp.
"The interrogation is complete, Librarian," Kael said abruptly. "Your testimony has been… illuminating. Return to your squad and await further orders."
A few minutes later, the door to Containment Chamber Scythe-7 irised open. Rimuru looked up from his meditative state to see Interrogator Kael standing there, flanked by the silent, imposing form of Captain Arken.
Kael stepped into the room, his dark robes sweeping across the floor. He regarded Rimuru with the same piercing, analytical gaze as before.
"The Ultramarine Librarian, in his admirable but perhaps naive sincerity, has told us a great deal about your power," Kael began, his voice a silken, dangerous calm. "But he knows nothing of your nature. He tells me you are a king."
He stopped a few feet from Rimuru, looking down at the seated figure.
"The Imperium has known many kings, tyrants, and gods in its ten-thousand-year history. Their power is always measured by the strength of their domain and the conviction of their will." Kael tilted his head, a faint, predatory smile touching his lips. "So, tell me, Rimuru Tempest, King of Monsters from another world… what is your soul worth?"