"Surround this area and ensure no citizen is harmed," Bastion said as he walked out of the crater he had formed with his fall.
"Yes, your grace," the Arbiter in charge answered before turning around to order his men.
As he approached the cathedral, he could see fear creep into the Inquisitor's mind as her expression changed and her body subconsciously did its best to avoid him.
"Don't fret, Inquisitor. You were only doing your duty," Bastion said as he tapped her shoulder before passing by.
He truthfully couldn't care less that she was behind this attack... he had survived it, so what more could be needed? Besides, if he attacked her, he would lose more than he would like.
He may not like the Inquisition, but even he understood that an organization like them had good reason to exist. For the Emperor to create such an organization that answered only to him, there must be something else going on in this world that he had yet to figure out well.
He was sure that it had something to do with the Warp. It was the center of the magical side of their universe, an underlying realm existing alongside the material universe. Whatever would force the Emperor of an interstellar empire to create such a secret police was definitely important.
So he couldn't wipe them away no matter how much he wanted to. Rather, he would have to help them and streamline their purpose because it would seem their autonomy was getting to their heads.
As he approached the Medicae hovercraft, he could see them wheeling Selene into it. The girl was still unconscious, but he didn't need to worry too much as his scans with Dermopathy had proven that she was alright and only needed to rest.
"She will be alright, right?" Bastion asked.
"We will do our best, my lord," one of them answered with a bow.
"I know you will. Thank you," Bastion said as he issued a command to the Fabricator General.
Since she would be out of commission for a while, it was the best time to reverse her augmentation and equip her with relevant cybernetics that would make her job easier and better.
"My lord, please follow us. We'll escort you back to the spire," a guard said as he approached him.
"Let's go," Bastion replied, since the schedule for the day was already spoiled.
A few minutes later, he was back in his palace. Sitting inside his office, Bastion stood looking at a group of people. Each one looked rugged from whatever it was they were facing; their faces alone told tales of hardships endured.
In comparison, Dresk was looking fine, which reflected her position... she was the head of the Inquisitorial orders on the planet. In simple terms, she was the one they reported to, the head of the secret police.
"Your grace, please..." Dresk began.
"I didn't call you here for an apology. You were merely doing your duty. However, I would like to understand the thought process behind your actions," Bastion asked.
Truthfully, he could understand that she didn't trust his status as a Living Saint, and amongst all, it made sense that she and her team would be the ones to question it. They were the Inquisition after all, charged with keeping the Imperium pure.
However, he couldn't understand the idea behind sending an assassin against him... well, he understood it but somehow hoped that it wasn't what he was thinking.
"Well... we thought that if you truly were a saint of the God-Emperor, then the assassination would fail in one way or another," Dresk replied as Bastion sighed.
It was exactly what he thought. These people really sent an assassin hoping that some divine miracle would happen and he would be saved. Thankfully, his absurd evolution had granted him a body that he had yet to see an equal to.
Besides, he wasn't truly a saint, and if he were to call himself a saint, it wouldn't be of the so-called 'God-Emperor'—it would be of YHWH. The Christian God was the one who had responded to him.
"I was hoping for something else, but Lady Dresk, I would like you to answer a question," Bastion asked.
"If it is within my power, then I will help."
"Since my resurrection, have I ever once stated or claimed to be a Living Saint?"
"No, your grace..." she replied as their expressions immediately twisted.
"Don't misunderstand. I am merely trying to understand, why now?" Bastion asked as he rested on his seat