((Written for a shortstory competition for Black Library Day in Edinburgh, May 2008. I later expanded it beyond 500 words, as that was a bit too tight for the story to really shine. Read and enjoy. The one that turned out to become my favourite character in this one, by the way, is so awesome to me that I'm going to have to write more about said character.))
Break the Silence
The silence hadn't lasted long. It never lasts long, thought runepriest Lynere. A chance of prying loose an ancient battle barge from an unregistered space hulk had made the Rogue Trader vessel brave the silence surrounding it. They'd run into the odd ork enclave, some other strange xenos and a lot of dangerous rubble, but the big ship should be able to break loose now, if only they could get the old, idling engines running. Lynere had been working on it for a week, together with the other techpriests and enginseers, ever since they got here, and now the spirits should be awake and willing to cooperate again. Something was still missing, despite all her efforts, and she could not, for all her years of training and experience, come to think of what it might be.
"Runepriest! Runepriest, get back here, there's no chance we can fight this one out, we have to run!"
Her vox was filled with the wailing klaxons of the Secernere and the cursing of captain Ha'Draif, along with urgent machinespeak messages and reports.
"I'm close now! I can get this to work. I don't need much more time; can't you just hide?" Lynere said this absentmindedly, her fingers were dancing over the main control panel and she tried again to access more than just the emergency lights through the many cables directly connecting her and the ship. The captain sputtered at her impossible request and cursed over the vox.
"Ly-NERE! Damn techpriests, you always..."
She shut it out. She was so close, so close... Eyes darted here and there, an energymeter showed normal readings, a logo-scanner was idling. Whatever is wrong?! Lynere closed her eyes and with a low voice intoned an incantation in perfectly measured syllables; what she was about to do was a special secret among the unconventional Adeptus Mechanicus grade known as runepriest. She had trained long and hard, and she didn't like resorting to this, but it was her last chance.
"...and in His name, wake this dormant spirit!" With that, she drew back a booted foot anointed with holy oil and slammed it into the panel door as hard as she could. Some dust rose into the air, then began a slow descent. A sharp pain from her toes told her she had hit hard and well, but that was immediately blocked out by an even greater pain, inside her head and her mind.
"Who... wakes me? Who would have me live again?" The words alone almost shattered Lynere's mind, the presence overwhelmed her and she collapsed to the floor, clutching her head in agony. "Ah... such a young one. This is most unusual... It has been that long? A Rogue Trader, indeed... and you, runepriest, alone left, trying to wake me. I see... we are attacked. I would serve again. I need a captain. You will do."
Blood burst from Lynere's nose, she gurgled something incoherent, then shook her head. After a short moment, her hands relaxed their grip. Slowly, her senses returned, along with much more.
The screen on the battered Secernere blipped, and showed Lynere's face, eyes burning with more than her own consciousness.
"+ Captain Ha'Draif + I have awakened me + Stand out of my way +"
The engines roared, lights lit up all over and aeons-old weapon systems came to life. The attacking ork ships were vaporised in instants, and from their dust emerged a giant battle barge. The Lux Dei was alive again.