"By the Omnissiah, what in the name of the Machine God was that?!"
The glare of the void-ship's final detonation in orbit illuminated not only large swathes of the planetary surface but also the scarlet-robed figure standing atop the spire of the immense hive city.
"Magos, we detected a catastrophic energy spike," reported a figure, equally clad in the hooded robes of the Mechanicus and bearing a bulky vox-pack upon his back. He stood humbly, bowing low in the vast, echoing chamber. "A colossal installation launched an energy beam, which struck and obliterated the orbital voidship, the Plague of Benediction."
The chamber's archways, richly adorned on one side, opened onto a colossal terrace that overlooked the entire hive. Standing at the center, watching the disintegrating wreck in the void, was a figure whose body was almost sixty per cent replaced by mechanical augmentations.
"Enough, Alonas. My optical systems are fully functional; I can perceive the massive beam and the resultant conflagration of the heretic vessel. Do your duty. Dispatch a team. Morlan will lead the expedition. It is time we paid a visit to this 'neighbor' that has appeared from nowhere." The abrasive, metallic voice of the augmented man carried clearly from the terrace into the interior.
"Yes, Magos," Alonas replied, executing a respectful salute before turning and departing the ornate hall.
Though the Magos's tone was less than pleasant, it did nothing to diminish Alonas's reverence. The individual was a great Magos, a high-ranking overseer of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and as a commander in the Skitarii, his sole duty was to serve the Machine Cult.
To serve a great Magos of this rank was an honour he had never imagined. After all, he was merely the commander of a hive's Skitarii cohort, not a General. Magos are typically tasked with the administration of an entire Industrial World, possessing a complete, self-governing forge-world. It was understandable that this one should express discontent at being confined to this single, minor hive city.
…
"To soothe the machine-spirit, anoint with sacred oils."
"To offer incense, intone the canticles."
Inside a colossal manufactorum, Alonas found Morlan Roe, presiding over a ritual of machine-spirit appeasement for several ancient, inscribed holy relics.
Alonas waited patiently as the Enginseer, continuously pouring sacred oils until the floor was slick and viscous, strode about and intoned the holy binary canticles.
"...In the name of the Sacred Binary, we exalt the Omnissiah! From the mediocrity of thought, Omnissiah, save us! From the lies of the heretic, Circuits, shield us! From the wrath of the beast, Steel, guard us! From the temptation of the flesh, Silica, purify us! From the ravages of the Destroyer, Machine-Spirit, shelter us! Omnissiah! Omnissiah!…"
As a nearby Servitor struck the massive bell hanging high within the chamber, Morlan concluded the day's labor. He carefully placed the two ancient mechanical holy relics back into their reliquaries, then motioned for the waiting Servitors to place them in the dedicated vault. Other Servitors immediately began to clean the spilled sacred oils from the floor, while Morlan changed into a fresh, clean crimson Mechanicus robe.
"Alonas, is the procession assembled?"
Morlan's voice, unlike the Magos's metallic rasp, was recognizably human, with clear inflections and fluctuations in tone. Any listener, however, could sense his present displeasure. Before the Magos's arrival, Morlan had been the highest authority here. The sudden imposition of a Magos not only failed to provide him with any guiding knowledge but had also usurped the majority of his power and assigned him the tiresome duty of appeasing the machine-spirits of the sacred relics every three days.
Worse, the relics themselves had been brought by the Magos and would likely be taken away when he left. As an Enginseer, Morlan could only perform the rites of appeasement; he was forbidden to research the holy artifacts privately. Faced with such unknowable technology and guarded knowledge, Morlan's heart cursed the Magos with silent fury after every ritual.
"Revered Enginseer, I have sent the vox-command. The team is assembled at the hive's perimeter. Shall we depart immediately?" Alonas inquired, bowing his head in a posture of near-humility.
Faced with the unfamiliar Magos, this Enginseer concerned Alonas more. After all, a Magos would surely not remain long in this small hive. Enginseer Morlan, however, was a permanent fixture, and Alonas, being merely a Skitarii commander and not a general, was not likely to depart this world with the Magos.
"We depart. Commandeer a Triaros transport from the armory as my conveyance, and activate the Tech-Thrall Guard detail." Morlan commanded as he walked through the manufactorum doors, addressing Alonas behind him.
"Are you certain you wish to requisition the Triaros? That may require the Magos's direct authorization."
Alonas hesitated. Since the Magos's arrival, these unique Mechanicus vehicles had been placed under exceptional lock and key. Activating a heavy vehicle without explicit authorization might result in his final fate being conversion into a Servitor.
"I have already secured authorization through the internal channels; the Magos approved it. Go. I will not cause you undue hardship."
Alonas's body, despite undergoing significant mechanical augmentation and possessing limited, device-free vox-capability, lacked the necessary clearance to contact the high-ranking Magos directly, nor would the Magos deign to communicate with him.
Saluting, Alonas turned and headed toward the mid-hive armory. At the Cogitator terminal in the armory, Alonas cautiously checked the authorization codes, and only after confirming the full integrity of the command did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He immediately activated the Tech-Thrall squad and maneuvered the Triaros out of the depot.
This conveyance was of extreme antiquity, rumored to have been designed by a Magos from the earliest days of the Machine Cult. It possessed formidable firepower and potent life-support systems, and legend held that not even the Emperor Himself had succeeded in obtaining the design.
Leveraging the Mechanicus's unique knowledge repositories, this type of transport had been secretly manufactured here, in a hive less than a thousand years old, and supplied to several core Mechanicus sectors. It was far more than a simple transport; in a pinch, it could be utilized as a full battle-tank, and rumors persisted that on some secret battlefields, it achieved a one-for-one casualty ratio against the traitorous copies of the Leman Russ Battle Tank.
The Tech-Thrall Guard were a specialized, unique corps of the Mechanicus. In addition to their high combat effectiveness, they possessed field maintenance capabilities, their augmented brains containing sufficient knowledge to repair temporarily crippled technological equipment. When necessary, they could even serve as specialized research Servitors or assistant research personnel.
As Alonas guided the Tech-Thralls to bring the transport to the hive exterior, Morlan's unnaturally tall frame stood out prominently amidst the assembled Skitarii and armed Servitors.
The Skitarii formed two lines, escorting the transport between them. As the rear ramp descended, Alonas's face was revealed within the cabin.
"Enginseer!"
Morlan observed the halted Triaros, instinctively reaching out to gently stroke the vehicle's hull. He then lit the censer in his hand and circled the vehicle once, quietly chanting a canticle.
Finally, he glanced back at the towering gates and walls of the hive, then fixed his eyes on the colossal gun barrel that still rose high in the distance. A complicated emotion flickered in his eyes.
"May the Omnissiah protect us."