MTL - Warhammer Inquisitor-Chapter 573 trial
Chapter 573 Trial
When Vito walked into the hall, it was full of discussions about today, but when he walked in, the whole hall fell silent instantly.
All the Space Marines Astartes in the great hall looked up to him and bowed to Vitor who had ascended to the dais and seated himself on the chair, where he sat on a snow-white throne of granite, carved on either side. It is a symbol of justice and justice with a ring of swords and a serpent.
Vito put on the Marshal’s robe after a long absence, with red cloak, gold ornaments and honor chain shining on his chest. He sat on the throne, “Let’s start the trial, the priest will bring the trialee up.”
He looked at Asmodai, who nodded silently, raised his hand to signal to fellow priests in the distance, and soon the door there opened, and Luther walked out of it.
His armor was taken off, revealing his old face. Wearing handcuffs and heavy anklets, he entered the hall accompanied by the interrogation priest behind him, and the soldiers on both sides watched him.
There are only members of the Dark Angels here. Ragnar and the Space Wolves were invited back to their battleships, and Bell and Eisenstein were also sent away together.
Azrael stood on the side of the road with his sword in his hand and watched him. The other fallen angels were placed in advance, not far from him, standing in the trial seat, wearing shackles, holding a spear symbolizing order Veterans of the Dark Angels 1st Company stood guard there.
Luther walked up to the trial seat, and the door closed behind him. He raised his head and looked at Vito, who was sitting on a high place. He looked down at him from a high position, and his face was hard to see clearly under the light behind him.
"Luther Ars, former member of the Knights of Order, former member of the Dark Angels, you have been accused of committing a crime, today we will try you and your accomplices, do you have any objections?"
"No, my lord."
"Then, please tell Fang to come in." Vito said.
The side door of the hall was knocked open, and Ryan walked into the hall alone. When he passed by, the dark angels around him all paid tribute to him. Some people knelt on one knee, kneeling on both sides of Ryan's road.
But he looked straight ahead and walked straight to his place. The tall Primarch stood there, out of place with the fence and table in front of him, but still full of majesty.
"Lian Al'Jonson, the king of the First Legion, the lord of Caliban, someone called you the Lion King, today we are here for a fair trial, do you have any complaints?"
"I have, my lord."
"Then please speak, I will listen." After Vito said, he put his hands on the armrests, and Ryan nodded.
"I declare once again that Luthor and his allies have committed the crime of treason. They shamefully betrayed the Knights, brothers, father, and the Emperor and his empire."
Lian said loudly, and the voice echoed throughout the hall, "They made an oath, but they broke their promise and chose to betray."
"Do you have any objections to what Ryan said?" Vito listened silently, and then asked Luthor, who shook his head, "No."
"Then you plead guilty?"
"My treachery is real, and I will repent, but not to the Emperor and his Empire." Luthor said as he stood there, his grizzled head held up.
"I have never regarded him and his empire as my country, so how can I talk about betrayal?" Luthor said eloquently, "I am a Caliban, born and died."
"But your king is loyal to the Emperor, and you are loyal to him, and you are also obliged to be loyal to the Emperor's country." Vito responded.
"I am a member of the Knights. I am loyal to my leader, but my oath also requires me to defend my people, my homeland and what I believe in."
Luther looked at Ryan, and his tone was still firm, "I was born in Caliban, I grew up in that forest and grassland, I am not a nobleman, I was raised by farmers, I worked hard with them, and for this reason I Swear to protect them, take up the sword, and become a knight."
"Hasn't the Emperor? Didn't he defend the people of Caliban, and the people of the Empire, as he swore?" Vito asked.
Luther shook his head, which attracted some discussion, but soon the sound of the gun percussion subsided. Luther didn't speak immediately until Vito signaled him to continue.
"He may have protected others, but he has deserted my people, and when he came, reunited with Raun, and called the knights to his crusade, I departed from my home, as I swore, Fight with my king to the end of the universe."
"But as time went by, I witnessed the degeneration of the Knights." Luthor said, Ryan frowned, but it was Vito who finally asked, "What kind of degeneration?"
"The knight's faith was lost. When we became knights, we made an oath to defend the weak and protect the common people. But as the expedition progressed, the knights became **** executioners. Without any explanation, they wiped out every world because of the emperor's words. , no investigation, no inquiry, no fair trial."
"There is only slaughter, like a butcher."
After Luthor finished speaking, there was a burst of whispering among the space warriors present. Ryan frowned, but said nothing.
"My brothers, they were once a noble knight, but they killed innocent people on his orders, because the Emperor said they were not innocent."
"Astarte is a weapon, and it is the responsibility of the sword bearer to think whether it is necessary to kill the enemy. They only need to follow the order to wield it." Vito retorted.
"Then who is to think? Knights? Knights? Or just him, the Emperor." Luther said solemnly, unmoved, "Our leader, the king I swear allegiance to, and Ryan has become his tool, Carrying out his orders and never questioning them, even the wrong ones, slaughtering those he calls our brothers."
"Did you tell Ryan? Discuss with him."
"I did, we fought over it, and in the end he made a choice."
"What choice?"
"He exiled me, and those warriors who, like me, were unwilling to give up the glory of being a knight and had independent personalities returned to Caliban."
"Is what he said true?" Vito turned to ask Ryan, who nodded silently.
"Fine, go ahead."
"As you wish, my lord." Luther nodded, he was silent for a moment and sighed, "I went back to Caliban, the place where I was born and raised, but found that it had been destroyed long ago, and there were dangers everywhere. Smokestacks, pipes spewing toxic waste, and mines hollowing out entire planets."
"My people, the people of Caliban, were brought into the depths of the earth to mine our planet for the Emperor and his people, and day after day countless people died in the mines and many more fell ill , but was ruthlessly abandoned by outside supervisors, and eventually died of illness at home."
Luthor's words were full of sadness, "They hollowed out our planet, the forests were flattened, the villages were occupied, they used our homes as fuel, and its people are the oxygen needed for combustion."
"It violates our oath, the knight's oath, and we are ashamed of my people."
"So you chose to betray."
"To you, it's betrayal, but to me, it's just redemption." Luther said solemnly, "Just like the oath I made when I became a knight, no regrets, I'm done."
Luther fell silent, but in exchange for more silence, no one spoke, and the entire hall was silent. Vito looked at Luther for a while, something revealed in his eyes, and then turned to Ryan.
"Do you have anything to say?"
"Yes." Lane said.
"Luther, the Emperor may have been ashamed of the people of Caliban, but he saved more people, the whole of humanity, just as when we were in Caliban, we would not abandon the entire region because of the death of a village , your selfishness and behavior cannot be tolerated."
"For me, my people are only on Caliban." Luther said calmly, raising his head, "I will not be his executioner, I am a knight, and I will be when I die."
Lane looks at him, "And you ruined Caliban."
After Ryan finished speaking, Luther didn't speak. After a moment of silence, Ryan looked at Vito, "I've finished my words, make a judgment, Marshal, make a fair trial, and I will obey."
The soldiers present all looked at Vito, not knowing what they would think about after hearing what he just said. They looked at Vito, waiting for his judgment.
Vito sat on the throne, watching Luther silently, it lasted for a long time, but finally he stood up slowly.
"You betrayed the empire and all mankind, this is a fact, no matter what the reason is, betrayal is betrayal, and it will not change." He said, standing on a high place overlooking Luther, and his eyes met.
"I condemn you, Luther, and the punishment is death."
After Vito said, Luthor's face was only calm. He sighed and nodded silently.
"Press them down, and the execution will take place tomorrow."
As Vito said, Luther and the fallen angels were taken down, and their figures disappeared into the darkness behind the door, but they were more powerful when they left than when they came.
Lian watched them leave, and then he also left. In the salute of the soldiers, after he walked into the door, Vito watched his back and brushed his robe away.
And behind him, on the balance above the throne, a crow stood there, making a shrill cry.
(end of this chapter)