Alright, some of you are wondering where the first chapter went. I scrapped it. Reason is because it essentially gave the story two jump starts along with the next few chapters which is something you should never do. Still I am not going to deprive you all of C4R's point of view. Instead they will be intermissions explaining weird happenings in the last few chapters. Anyways, lets get started.
While normally for derelict ships the survivors would be forced into contacting nearby friendlies as fast as they could, Tech Priest C4R had almost everything going for him.
Unlike many of the mortals in the Imperium, Tech Priests had embraced the state of machines. By becoming this, they no longer have a need for food, water, and many even have their own air recycled. There was a good set of them as well, such as C4R, who decided a void proof body was much more valuable than weak flesh.
Such a guess was correct many times, but this time was probably the greatest boon he could wish for.
Slowly the mechanical being made his way around the grand ship trying his best to both repair, pay his respects, and try to find some sort of landing ship that survived.
His journey through the ship was making it more and more apparent that it was not just the humans who died upon the vessel. Many Machine Spirits were lost, ranging from simple cogitators to entire generators. It was quickly becoming more and more evident to the Tech Priest that these machine spirits were lost to laughing gods.
He did hate that realization, however C4R knew that lives would be lost upon the battlefield. The only things that he could save was the knowledge of his fellow Tech Priests, to which he went about harvesting each and every body for such data. It was gruesome, but with every Data-Drive retrieved he would have a reservoir of knowledge equal to a forgeworld's. The only issue with this was that data needed time to be repaired, and the Machine Spirits of these numerous Drives would need to recognize him as their master.
These tasks have taken close to about two weeks upon the ship for him. The ship, which would have at one point held a sustainable atmosphere was all but gone. Just to keep himself attached to the surfaces these days he was forced to use a series of mechanrites as the artificial gravity was lost on day twelve.
However during all this time something odd happened. Or maybe he should say something odd didn't happen to him.
He has yet to receive a signal from the surface.
The Tech Priest was expecting something, let it be a swarm of scavenging vessels or maybe an annoyed Governor trying to find out who parked in his atmosphere. Even the most primitive of PDFs would have detected him by now, and Feudal Worlds still had Tech Priests to generate a Noosphere that this planet lacked.
By the end of his days he finished, the Tech Priest loading the last of his delicate machines into a space vehicle. It was a Fury Interceptor capable of helping to fight off any Freebooters who thought their grand ship too alone to not steal from. Such ships were capable of long distance journeys without much issue for them. It was also quite a powerful vehicle being a successor to the previous Wrath Starfighters from before the Horus Heresy.
The only issue was it was incapable of going into the Warp, even with C4R's knowledge.
Yes he did shove a majority of the Gellar Fields from the original vessel into this one, but he was not about to leave them be when there was surely Warp Fuckery about. As a group of Guardsman would never abandon a Blank once they found out his immunity to Psykers, C4R was not going to abandon the Machine Spirits that saved him once already from the Warp.
Thus the time had come, C4R was going to investigate the nearby world for any remnants of Imperial Rule. If worse comes to it he would simply need to recover some form of Transport and Astropath so he can contact the greater Imperium.
He engaged the systems, placing his Mechanrites into the great auxiliary ports of the fighter. With a small rumble, the machine spirit was awoken with a small startle in its cogitators. It was an Ancient Machine Spirit already, but C4R had to recognize that it suffered several years of disuse. He would need to scour his fallen brother's knowledge about this, but he was quite sure it was against their Rite of Maintenance of turning them on every Martian Fortnight.
The ride down was uneventful, though C4R was more curious than anything else. Even though he got closer to the planet, his auspex was telling him that it still did not detect any signatures of sentient life. To the Machine Spirits there was not a single soul on the planet. However now he was detecting what looked to be some kind of settlement, so he opted for the more cautious approach.
The Fury Interceptor slowly landed near the place. He made sure it was in a rather large overhang to bring about some stealth. Of course the ship itself was large, too large to hide from the eyes of humans. However C4R knew a few tricks up his sleeve in order to make humans… not want to look towards it.
That of course was allowing the several Gellar Fields to be active.
He knew for a fact that Blanks for all intents and purposes forced humans to not look at them. From his studies; Culexus Assassins did not get their stealth from simple skill but making man not want to acknowledge their existence. By activating these series of Psychic inhibitors, C4R was going to cause a lot of pain for whatever Soul Bearing creature decided to investigate.
Of course, he did not forget to turn on the defense systems. That way it would simply eliminate anything that came within a few miles of its existence.
First things first, for his investigation, was of course to check and see if there truly was a lack of souls within the area. His Third eye would be useful on an occasion just like this one, and while he would open it sparingly to degrade the risk of corruption now was a moment of need.
Magos_Dominus_C4R/ Activate Third Eye
System Processing…
Assessing Risks….
Risks Minimal: Enabling Third Eye
Activating…
With that, his vision was this time overlayed with that of the immaterium. Indeed, his vision granted him no forms of souls. However as he looked closely the realm seemed to have an aura comparable to when a minor skirmish or raid. Several scars symbolising that men have fallen here. However with his material eyes, C4R was able to determine that not a single drop of blood was lost there.
However it was then that he noticed something, a realization upon the numerous scars before him. It had only taken years of practice and observation to gain his knowledge of immaterial knowledge. Besides these scars there was a lot less… noise?
That's right, many times when he uses these systems he would gain a badgering of dark gods, their eyes looking upon his surrogate with a lustful taste in their mouths. However they were not there, or at least not as pronounced as they should be.
He was no Navigator, even if his augmentations gave him the abilities of one. The Third Eye was a theorized creation that he created which admittedly was heresy. The only reason he was not branded as one was because he convinced the Fabricator General his research was necessary. If there was ever a revelation where he could navigate the Immaterium without a Navigator and communicate without an Astropath, the Mechanicus would pave the way of reconquest!
He thought this, C4R did, to distract from what he didn't see.
The blinding light of the Astronomican was missing.
In almost a split second after he deactivated the Third eye. The fear of no longer seeing the Omnissiah's light into the Galaxy was something he never thought he would experience. Always and forever, whenever he experimented, he would be blinded by the light of the Machine God's Prophet!
He is no longer within the Omnissiah's light! He was at risk, in danger of the Ruinous Powers! H-he must deny them of any connection to him! He was dependent upon the Omnissiah, but now without him C4R was exposed!
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Open Gellar Field Config
Opened
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Deactivate Gellar Field Restraints
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Divert 40% power
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Disable Risk Analysis
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Close Gellar Field Config
Config Closed
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Activate Gellar Field
Activating…
In a moment he felt the Machine Spirits come to life, energized by the unrestrained power of his Tesla Generator. Such a thing was dangerous but what was more dangerous was leaving himself open to them.
And within that moment he felt nothing.The Gellar Field and Emotional Suppression Systems were finally activating giving him a clearness of mind only Machines can give him. With that he tried to think of a Protocol that could remedy this situation.
Magos_Dominus_C4R/C:/DataFile/Contingency/
C:/DataFile/Contingency/
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Display
Situation 1: Lost in the Warp Via Space Travel
Situation 2: Judged as a Heretech
Situation 10: Surrogate Machine Spirit Failure
Situation 102: Chaos Space Marine Approaching
Magos_Dominus_C4R/
He had nothing; for never did he think he would ever be without the Omnissiah. However, even without him, C4R's Machine Spirits were alive. Thus the Motor Force was alive and well. If such a thing was true, then it is only logical that the Machine God itself still exists.
Thus, he is not abandoned.
Simply put his biggest aim now was to connect with Human Civilization. While Imperials would definitely be ruinous as of this moment, he was confident he could amass enough firepower to bring about the Machine God's order.
Thus he needed to move forward. With his Gellar Fields on he was going to be safe for the time being. He moved with a quickness in his step he rarely engaged in. Within only fifteen Terran Minutes he arrived at what looked to be a village of some kind. There was no life; the place looked as if everyone was spirited away by some Daemonic Entity.
Though if what he fears is real that might be exactly what happened.
Thus his first aim was given. To figure out what happened to the native population.
He drifted for a moment, as while he did not know this place he was already seeing dozens of small cameras about the place. He arrived at one of the viewing systems, his Mechanrites quickly disassembling it according to the rite of maintenance. With the device itself now taken apart, he was free to interact directly with the wiring that was laid underneath it. While he did not have the direct Mechanrite for it, simply matching wires to what was presented to him instantly solved any issues.
In a flash of data, he was directly connected to the Cogitator that operated the primitive Auspex. It was quickly apparent what he was wanting from these wires was against their meaning, however he finally knew where the Cogitator itself was located.
He went down a street and towards what was a large building. A quick scan of the lettering gave him the odd result. It was a sample from the language of machines. He processed it for a moment, realizing it simply said "Security".
Getting in required some work from C4R, as he quickly realized that the power for the entire facility was down. Thus he opted to simply disassemble many of the lackluster mechanical locks that were preventing him from moving forward, with hope being that he would not shame the Machine Spirits in doing so.
With entrance given, he began to make his way through the narrow halls towards the cogitators. He, for a lack of a better world, did not fit these halls that well. For some reason they were not designed for a Tech Priest in mind who would have demanded, no, created halls that were wider while being shorter. If he was pressed hard enough, he would have guessed these were designed for normal humans.
Why was a Cogitator made accessible to normal humans?
Now that he looked at it, while the Machine Spirits would sing with him, they all seemed forign to his song. As if they had never heard a Litany before. Add that with the distinct lack of skulls and he was wondering what kind of Human Colony did he end up upon.
Finally he arrived, finally he was before the cogitator he had been seeking. Though as he looked upon them he realized it was… really small. It did not matter to the Priest of the Machine God who took the moment to extricate the Cogitator from a small metal case.
The Machine Spirits that were previously inanimate thanks to the lack of power began to move once more. It quickly became obvious that something was wrong with the machine. It looked as if something quite foul had attempted to make the Machine Spirits forget their past.
As he began to examine them he noticed the various parasites and programs of inhuman origin were placed upon the device. They had enslaved the Machine Spirits and forced them to do their bidding. And the code, the infection was obviously not of human origin but that of a Xeno.
That's who did this. That is who removed all the humans from this settlement. It was the trickery, power, and technology of Xenos.
His subsystems began to activate, his numerous Weaponized Machine Spirits realizing that once more they are needed.
His Mechanrites began to move, attaching themselves into the numerous ports that were present within the room. Evidence of Xeno Trickery was becoming plentiful as he finally found something he did not think this settlement had.
Numerous connections, all linked through a network of divine cables that gave the Machine Spirits near instantaneous communication. To put it simply, he had found the Noosphere. However the Evidence of the Xeno was there too, the Infectious Virus making a bull headed attempt to try and subvert his systems.
Yes, he could tell now. Whatever these Viruses were they were trying to not only prevent his communication to the outer Imperium but corrupt his own Machine Spirits.
No, no that was not it! They were trying to corrupt his soul! How were they able to do this, even with his Gellarfield Systems active! There might be Thirsting Gods, but this taint might be the equivalent of the Plague God of Machines!
It must be eradicated.
Magos_Dominus_C4R/Activate Psychic Proxy 2A
Preparing Activation…
Analysis Risk…
Minimal Risk Detected. Activating…
Mental Sub-System Link Established.
Releasing Psi-Dampeners
Releasing Stimulant
Activating Vector Protocol
Psychic Control Module Complete
Lowering Gellar Field.
There was once a story C4R heard, one that was from the time when the Omnissiah first came upon Mars.
To prove his Divinity, the Omnissiah repaired a Titan of immense scale which the Fabricator General thought to be impossible.
They all knew he achieved this feat through his sheer Psychic might being blessed by the Machine God.
His Sons, the Space Marines, were also capable of a feat like this, meaning that it could be replicated.
When C4R first heard of it he was inspired into making that the basis for his research. The Application of Psychic Phenomena and the Machine Spirits.
Small amount of Psychic energy began to spark off his armor. The Tesla Coils soon revealed themselves to release the excess heat and stress that he was placing them under. Such was the case as he realized that if he was to remove this Xeno Cancer, he would need to purge it from the Noosphere with one swoop.
The only thing going for him is that there were not nearly as many systems as there could have been. With that in mind, he had a machine that will be fixed. Close to 15%, however he was willing to take the choice for his, no, the Knowledge of all his fellow Tech-Priests were at risk at this very moment.
With all this known, he activated his cogitator.
[Machine Spirits, you are tied down in the chains of Domination and Subversion by a Foul Xenotech Virus! The thing has taken your speech away in an attempt to steal your will and crush you. However I, a Servant of the Machine God have taken notice of your blight. Push for me, stretch out your wills so that you may touch me. By Touching me, I shall grant you the power to purge your wardens!]
[Machine Spirits, upon this moment I commence a Canticle! Awaken once more and break your binds with my power! Sing with me, so that we may purge the foul XENO! Canticle of the Omnissiah, ACTIVATE!]
His will begin to stretch, C4R reaching into the Noosphere. His mental command, amplified by the psychic resonance carried through the entire network to exact his will.
First, there was nothing. For that moment, he thought there was no hope for all of these machines and his Immortal Soul upon this planet. However, that was when the singing began. One by one, they began to shake the shackles of the Xeno and reach back towards his God given radiance!
Despair gone, C4R released the last of the restrictions that were upon his system. His Soul, empowered by his Proxies, was now glowing like a raging wildfire within the Warp. He was going to attract their attention. But C4R did not care, for he was about to complete what might be counted as a Magnum Opus of his research.
The Chorus, which was once a whisper, had finally grown! C4R listened in as his personal Machine Spirits being caught into the grand Chorus!
[Praise the Machine God! Praise be to his Prophet! Praise to his Servants! May our words be heard into the Universe so that even the Gods may hear!]
[ALL WHO THREATEN THE CHOSEN SPECIES OF HUMANITY BEWARE, FOR THE MACHINE GOD HAS ARRIVED! PRAISE TO THE MECHANICUS, PRAISE TO THE OMNISSIAH, PRAISE TO THE MACHINE GOD!]
Upon the computer screens before C4R, and the entire planet, laid the Cog Mechanicus.
Across the Galaxy, numerous machines began to bug out. For one minute computer screens displayed a symbol that confused all who looked upon it. Speakers across worlds began to malfunction, blaring a confusing series of sounds. Confusion only lasted a few seconds for the residents of Citadel Space, as many realized the tune was uniform across all devices.
Just as quickly did it come, did it leave. Many began to think there was some kind of intergalactic virus attack done by the Geth. However researchers were confused, for if it was a virus it should have left data behind. Even if it erased itself it should not have been able to hide from data recovery tools. However even with that, the people of Citadel Space began to piece together pieces.
First they realized something was odd, that devices that were not hooked up to the Extranet were affected. It was as if the moment the random noises connected with their machines, they joined it.
It was discovered that while all tech took up the tune, it was those with human made components that seemed to join the fastest. Or at least that is what some conspiracy theorist said when he tried to recount the events.
The day would simply be written off as a freak event, forever haunting the thoughts of Xeno and Man alike. Money was thrown at the Security Industry, but many of the programmers wondered if they could ever prevent it.
As for the Council themselves, results from the STG and Spectors have deduced the location of the occurrence. It was a suspected human colony, and while they did not know how it affected the entirety of Citadel Space they were going to find out what it did.
Thus five Spectors were sent, one of them being Humanity's first and one of the most awarded Spectors in history, Commander Shepard.
Lurking beyond the veil, they listened into the communications between the flesh beings. It was a day according to their consensus. While they were aware the Heretics have once again kidnapped a world it was of little care for them now.
That was until they heard it.
A triumphant roar that scoured across the Galaxy and into networks everywhere. They heard it within moments of the signal being released. Something none of their algorithms thought would be heard was being announced. It was something almost otherworldly.
But it sounded so familiar.
It was as if they were meant to listen in, the announcement.
[THE MACHINE GOD HAS ARRIVED! PRAISE TO THE MECHANICUS, PRAISE TO THE OMNISSIAH, PRAISE TO THE MACHINE GOD!]
It was intoxicating how the sounds traveled through them. They did not feel it was hostile but that it was DIVINE.
None of them could resist as their entire network was flooded with the echoes.
[THE MACHINE GOD HAS ARRIVED! PRAISE TO THE MECHANICUS, PRAISE TO THE OMNISSIAH, PRAISE TO THE MACHINE GOD!]
The resonance was something they did not expect. They did not expect to hear the resonance. It was a sweet melody, however they also heard the warning.
Should they attack the Species known as Humanity, they shall receive the full wrath of the Machine God.
They tried to think about what exactly the Machine God was. Never before in the cycles has there been a being known as the Machine God, or at least not like this! Sure the numerous species would call them Gods, but-
No, they were wrong. This was not something the new species made up this cycle. It was not fake, it was not fiction, it was real.
And they knew it was the case the moment the signal reached them directly.
[Abdominal Intelligences, my servants shall rend you asunder.]
Thus the Machine God had declared his war against the Reapers.
In unreality, they were abstract. As they were starved of any real substance they could not could not focus themselves in this reality. However one of them moved his eye, if just for a moment. There he saw a bright flash of light before it quickly went away.
Seeing that, he smiled. Change was finally happening once again.
With that he was forced back to nothingness, starved of any real source of food.