Lost Archeotech

08/21/2020

For more than a Hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. His is the Master of Mankind by the Will of the Gods and Master of a Million Worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is the rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium, for whom a thousand souls die every day, for whom blood is drunk and flesh is eaten.

Human blood and Human flesh-The stuff of which the Imperium is made.

To be alive in such times is to be one amongst untold trillions and trillions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable; this is a tale of those times.

Act One

Hennessy McGraw sat at a table in the Guide Hiring Hall and watched the door while pretending to not watch it. Like all the other guides in the hall he was sipping rot gut waiting for a big score. His last trip to the Underhive had gone well and he was currently out of debt and had some new equipment. He could probably make what he had made last a couple weeks before looking for another client.

That was not his way though. He needed to be on the go and heading back to the Underhive and soon. Staying in Hive City would make him lose his edge and then his life. No finding a new client should not take too long but he needed to find the right client. One that could pay up front having the Guide Guild hold it until they returned. They also needed to listen to what he told them. Otherwise they would be dead clients and dead clients had balance kept by the Guide Guild and he would not get any.

Still Pool flashed him a sign and Hennessy put his mug down. The Ratskin and he had worked together for years. They had several signals worked out, so they did not need to speak and alert others. Right now he was telling him someone special was about to enter the Guide Guild Hall. How Still Pool knew this Hennessy could not figure out but since it had saved his life several times, he didn't question it.

Hoping it was not some uphive noble brats looking for some cheap thrills and was a merchant looking to make a big score bringing some luxury items down below. Maybe even some offworlders looking to visit some of the fight arenas would work for him. Easy to keep them alive since they were only interested in watching violence not making it.

What did come through the door barely fit through the door. It was one of the Adeptus Mechanicus cyborgs and this one had plenty of augmentations. Hennessy did not know much about the order of priests that controlled almost all the technology in the Imperium. Most of the technology he used was made in the Underhive and not that complicated. There was only one thing he could think of that would interest an Adeptus Mechanicus Priesthood in the Underhive. Archeotech.

Everyone knew the Hive was millennia old. All that time it had built up on top of the old hab domes and other architecture. In all that building many times whole domes were sealed off with everything and many times everyone cut off from the outside. These were great sources of items of old technology. At one time old technology meant outdated and inefficient technology. After so many hundreds of centuries of warfare the sad fact was current technology was the lesser and old technology the better.

If a Priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus wanted to go to the Underhive, in person no less, than the reward at the end of this would be great indeed. Hennessy's mind raced as to how to he could be the one selected. His reputation was solid. He had the added bonus of having a Ratskin for a partner. Ratskins were not only born far down in the Underhive that some of the Upper Hive thought they were a myth, but their religion was based on worshiping the old things down there.

Still Pond was an exception. He was a renegade who had been run out of his tribe for some reason he never discussed. Still his skills and knowledge of the Underhive were a big part of why he had been so successful. That and Hennessy was an exceptionally good judge of character and instinctively knew what contracts to accept and which ones to turn down. More than a few guides had been betrayed and left behind by clients who did not want to share what they found.

Now a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus could try and back out of a contract but then the Guide Guild would no longer take any contracts from any member of the Priesthood and that would be bad news for one who caused that problem. Sure there were plenty of non-guild people who would take anyone who paid down there. That meant trusting your life to someone you could not verify was trustworthy. Only the desperate did that.

While all this ran through his mind the Tech Priest stopped just inside the main room. This allowed two smaller cyborgs with drawn pistols of a type Hennessy had never seen before to come in and take positions on either side of the blue robed Tech Priest. Some of the other guides had started to leave their tables and bar stools to see if they could secure the contract. The volume had already gone down to almost nothing, but it was still a shock when the Tech Priest spoke in such a booming voice.

The Tech Priest said, "Members of the Guide Guild do not remove yourselves from your current position or my guards will fire. All of you have been scanned and categorized. The one we wish to have dealings with, has been identified and no others will be queried."

The Tech Priest had not moved at all during their speech. Hennessy could not even see where the voice had come from. He did take notice when the Tech Priest started moving and came straight to his and Still Pond's table. The Tech Priest did not make an attempt to sit down. From what he could see of the amount of metal under the Tech Priest's robes they must have weighed at least 200 kilograms and would have smashed the chair flat.

As the Tech Priest stopped and spoke again in a much lower voice. Hennessy thought he heard something in the voice as the Tech Priest said, "I am Dominus Tech Priest Delta Eight Seven. You are Hennessey McGraw and Still Pond, bonded members of the Guide Guild. You will be my guide on a journey to verify the falsehood of some recent rumors regarding a horde of Archeotech. There will be no need of additional security assets or other personnel as the Adeptus Mechanicus will be providing all that is needed.

From Hennessy's experience, in order to afford a guide a person has to have or have access to a certain amount of wealth. That usually meant people who were used to getting their own way in everything. Sure merchants were willing to listen to you since they expected value for their credits others, especially those that bring their own security usually didn't and that greatly reduced his chances of coming back.

He was about to say something about a contract being forced on him with no negotiations when the Tech Priest turned around and headed for the door. Not seeing much of a choice in the matter, Hennessy stood up and followed the Tech Priest out of the Guild Hall. Still Pond was right by his side and every eye in the place followed them out the door.

Just before they reached the door someone called out in a weak voice, "May the Emperor guide you there and back."

Hennessy appreciated at least one person giving them the ritual sendoff statement. He would have preferred more people doing it and buying them the round of drinks that usually accompanied a contract sendoff. Seeing how this was going so far, he was still shocked when he went outside and saw what was waiting for them.

Standing in the street outside the Guild Hall were twenty servitors of various types. A few were combat models, but most were carrying huge packs on their packs and had various tools instead of arms. Hennessy had seen servitors, the brain wiped cyborgs used throughout the Imperium many times before. Many richer clients used them. He had never seen so many in one place before. Still this was not what shocked him.

Surrounding the servitors in a combat formation were thirty blue robed cyborgs. At least Hennessy thought they were cyborgs as he could not see any flesh on them. Only armor plating that stood out in the old and dirty Hive City by it new shine. Hennessy had heard of the foot soldiers on the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Skitarii Rangers, before. He had seen pict shows about them fighting Orks and those who turned from the Emperor's light. They were cyborgs like the rest of their faction but were geared solely for war.

Looking around he could see their effect on local populace. The street was completely empty. There were not even mutant beggars he could see. Given the fresh scorch mark at a spot he had seen one beggar at for years, they must have driven every one off. This was not going to go well on a trip into the Underhive. Not well at all.

Running up, Hennessy reached out trying to get the Tech Priest's attention. Before he could two of the Skitarii Rangers grabbed him and lifted him off the ground.

The Tech Priest did not turn around or give any other reaction except to say, "Guide Hennessy if you need to bring something to my attention you may just address me as Dominus Tech Priest Delta Eight Seven or just Dominus if you wish. My hearing is vastly superior to yours and I will acknowledge anything you have to say. You were hired for your knowledge."

As the Tech Priest finished speaking the Skitarii Rangers dropped Hennessy. He managed to stay on his feet, then straightened up while trying to think of how to say what he needed to politely. He said, "Dominus the make up of your party may prove difficult to bring down into the Underhive."

The Tech Priest now turned toward him. Hennessy got his first close up look at the Dominus' face. The mouth, nose and eyes were mechanical, but he could see pale grey flesh at the cheeks. The Tech Priest said, "This party has been calculated to be the most efficient to accomplish our goal and return. What do you think is wrong with it?"

As Hennessy tried to put an answer together, he did not notice Still Pond standing next to him until he said, "You bring a war party you will find a war."

Still Pond was as concise as ever but that was the problem. Going into the Underhive you had to bring enough firepower to show you meant business but not enough to challenge the many gangs who claimed territory down there that you crossed. This many warriors was not something any of the gangs could allow to go through their territory without taking some shots at or they would lose status with the other gangs and all-out war between the gangs would ensue with many innocent Underhivers caught in the middle.

The Tech Priest said, "Yes reports interpreted that as a possibility. That is why you in particular were contracted. You two are known for brokering deals of passage. However the few reports found on the area we are going to led us to the conclusion this number of Skitarii Rangers would be required to see us there and back. You will need to do your job and we will take care of things should you not be able to."

With that the Tech Priest turned started off again. The other fifty-five members of the Adeptus Mechanicus also started to move. Still Pond handed Hennessy his traveling pack and then put on his own. All Hennessy could think of as he started down after them was at first chance, he needed to see what the bonus clauses were in this contract because he knew he would be earning them this trip.