Special thanks to user Stabr OpSihg, who made me aware of various plot points I could improve or clarify. As well as TechJammer, my co author.
Being that things are diverging ever more from the canon of Darling in the FranXX. I'm going to warn you that this is where I try to blend it more seamlessly into the universe of 40k. Thus each chapter is taking longer as TechJammer and I are busy deliberating events.
In case you all don't know. The Forge world tied to the Knights of Avalus are from a Forge World the same system called Volund. Volund is the Germanic name for the Weyland, the mythical blacksmith that forged Excalibur in some versions of the Arthurian legends.
Great Rift at this point is still in the process of ripping the Imperium in half, why wasn't this planet consumed? You'll soon find out.
+ 001. M42 +
+Ark Mechanicus: Faber Ferracius +
+ High orbit +
The passage of time was near impossible to perceive in the void. High Queen Artra squeezed her eyes shut. How long had it been since she had gotten any sleep? Too long, according to the last time she checked the Chrono worn around her wrist. That was hours ago now.
Emerald green eyes opened one more to the poorly lit space of Faber Ferracius' Strategium. She stood with two others around the Holo-table, her company being the Shipmaster of the Ark Mechanicus, Zetros. The cables linking him to the mighty vessel snaking across the deck from the neighbouring bridge section. Along with the newly appointed Fabricator-Locum of the Mechanicus, Erias Curio, his predecessor having perished during the fall of Avalus.
The man… or what she assumed was a man. With the children of the Forge world of Volund, gender often becomes a moot point past a certain age. Erias being one such case. Six and a half feet tall in robes of gunmetal grey and bordered in the rust red teeth of the divine cog. Bulky and bearing the outward appearance of being muscular, Even though his body bore no trace of his human flesh. Everything had been replaced by blessed myomer musculature.
His thick metal arms hosted numerous secondary servo arms tipped in tools moved every now and then. Mechadendrites wrapping around his body to a brass plate embezzled with the icon of the Cog Mechanicus across his chest. Under his robes there were doubtlessly even more. Weapons limbs, tools, armour, and if the rumours about him were true, a rare personal shield generator. Even his face had been replaced by mask with a vox-grill and a smooth green armourglass visor where his eyes once were.
Only a century old, Elias was young for the position, much too young for such a position. However, he and his master led the spirited defense of their forge and their valiant attempt to recover their Forge World's fallen God-Machines. Proving his worth, and with no other higher ranking tech-priest alive; as his successor, Elias inherited the title as the new Fabricator-Locum.
Artra inclined her head in respect, forming the Cog Mechanicus with her fingers. They returned the gesture in earnest with their Mechadendrite tendrils.
"Greetings, High Queen." Erias nodded back, his vocalizer switching to a deep High Gothic from Lingua Technis.
Artra nodded. "Greetings Fabricator-Locum, congratulations on your promotion. Though I wish it were under better circumstances, I am sure you will do your predecessor proud."
He nodded. "Yes. May the Omnissiah watch over those which we could not save. Let us proceed, we have a duty to further his will."
Shipmaster Zetros motioned to the Knight Queen with a skeletal bionic arm. "How goes our efforts?"
Artra released an exasperated sigh. Suddenly feeling every minute the sleepless hours she had spent.
"Vague. The locals government, A.P.E, as they call themselves. Have given us free reign to build and operate as we see fit but so far have refused us permission to their mobile hive cities besides staging grounds for joint operations. Though they did…'appreciate' our efforts."
"Their 'appreciation' lacks sincerity!" Elias, hissed. "They should be grateful! They are holding something from our eyes! Hiding knowledge from the Omnissiah's blessed!"
Despite having purged most of the emotions along with most of his flesh brain, his biometrics registered chemicals releases connected to agitation and frustration in what few biological organs he has left, and it showed even in his synthesized voice.
Artra's shared his sentiments but her glare silenced him. "Nothing less than we expected Fabricator. Time will tell if their secrets would benefit the Imperium. Or if duty compels us to scour it clean off the planet's surface."
Elias looked down for the briefest of moments. Processing precious micro-seconds to formulate the proper response through simulations in his process cortex to achieve the best results from the Queen to meet his demands. From emotional cues, inflections and words, he has formulated his next sentence in the time it takes for one's eyes to blink.
"High Queen, if you may forgive my impertinence but having been elevated to my current position, I am now responsible for many new tasks and responsibilities that come with my role to serve the Omnissiah."
Arta nodded at the simple reasoning but no less waiting for the actual reason he's bringing it up.
"Your point being, Fabricator?"
Elias's visor glinted in the low lighting of the chambers. "I would like to propose a staging ground on the planet with an orbital spire."
Artra laughed aloud, such a request! He might as well have asked for a new Titan while they were here.
Her good humor died down eventually, and her piercing eyes drilled a hole into Elias hoping that he better have a good reason for such an endeavor.
"We cannot sit idly by in defense, we must gather resources to secure our power here." Elias held out his hand to explain. "We make a proper station here, hastily built, and undermanned, but it will grow once we have resources. Once we set up supply lines, the efficacy of our dominance will develop; security, standing, and exploration will ultimately be beneficial."
Artra was silent to take it all in. "Tell me Fabricator, is this one of those simulacrums that you inherited from your master?"
Elias responded accordingly "If it is true, and it benefits all of us. Is there any reason to complain?" A spark of amusement flashed through him. Intriguing, he would have to fix that.
She rolled her eyes in disgust, but no less true.
"Write up your plans, I will expect it on my desk in twelve hours, or you're not getting your station. Fabricator-Locum or not, do you understand?" Artra raised a finger.`
"I will have it done in six, High Queen." Elias was far from cowed, however, in fact he was practically in glee. A feeling rushed back into him, an excitement he had not felt since getting his first bionics and witnessing a Titan up close for the first time.
"Moving on" Artra directed her sights to the Captain. "Status report?"
Shipmaster Zetros was first to answer her. Receiving updates through the ship wide communications to which he was linked to in mind and soul. "We have been processing the capabilities of all refugees from Avalus and Volund. They are being distributed for training as we speak."
Artra sighed, at least the refugees from their home planets could serve as to relieve their manpower deficit. "The tally thus far?"
Elias drew the information from the vox-net throughout the ship. "Over a million have been assigned and distributed for training equivalent of the Imperial Guard. Those blessed by the Omnissiah have been given over the the adepts and are being thought the way of the blessed machine as we speak."
Artra nodded. It was good that remnants of Avalus was adjusting to their circumstances well. More than one suicide on the ship had ended with them being thrown into the recycled and reused as corpse starch. Though it alleviated their food issue somewhat, their manpower deficit was still extensive. Servitors were filling in the blanks, but even the Mechanicus elements were spreading their cast of Techpriests and Enginseers to oversee their operation thin.
"We have begun mass fabrication and sanctifying blessings of transports, scouts, and dropships. As well as deploying Vox stations in both the void and on the planet below. Full vox networks should be available within the next two Terran days." Zetros followed.
Artra sighed, nearly forgetting their deafened Astropathic choir made them reliant on vox-communications. "Very good. If that's all to report, this meeting is adjourned."
With her return to her quarters, a larger room than most aboard that served as also her office when rifling through the nightmarish amounts of bureaucratic documents, requests, and messages or petitions from various different parties under her. A task that was consuming the vast majority of her time.
Practically collapsing on the padded chain that she worked from and groggily rubbing her exhausted eyes. That is, until beep and a flash of light from the holo-pict projector on her wooden desk notified her of a recorded report from Casten of their battle. Pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she decided to play it. Though she would miss out on more much needed rest; it would be time well spent to listen to what he had to say.
As the recording played, her finger hit the activation rune upon her holo-pict desk. "Set reminder: Summon Casten upon operational stage of the Fortress."
+ Later +
+ Plantation #13: Cerasus +
+ Squad #13 Barracks +
Ichigo paused the door frame that led into the lounge. Almost everyday since the battle with the Gutenberg, Casten had woken before anyone else in the squad and spent his time in the library, training room, or here in the lounge. His routine was predictable and everyone knew where to find him at any given time unless Zero-Two dragged him off somewhere. Speaking of which, said pinkette was sleeping on his lap despite having just woken up.
"...Morning." She greeted him.
The Freeblade looked up from the dataslate he seemed so engrossed with and nodded in return. "Well met, Ichigo."
Pleasantry greetings now concluded, she settled herself on one of the vacant seats to wait for the others. A peaceful silence prevailed in the room, with only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner and the the sound of birds chirping in the dawning day as company. Idle curiosity caused her to glance at Casten's way; still withdrawn and quiet, but a significant improvement from his more defeatist and brooding mien when they first met.
He ran his fingers idly through Zero-Two's hair, breezing through the message displayed on the dataslate. Yellow digital letters scrolling down to end with the Imperial Aquila, and the Cog Mechanicus. Ichigo leaned up hoping to catch a peak of whatever he is reading, but the gibberish written on the device was in his native language of High Gothic.
"What's it say?" Ichigo asked, her curiosity finally voiced itself.
When the Freeblade read; it came out as his native High Gothic. "Invitatus sum. Vestri 'etiam invitari-"
The pistil gave him a deadpan stare. "You're doing it again."
Casten's eyes widened and he looked down, seeming to search his thoughts before clearing his throat. "Apologies, I at times forget that I've removed the translation cogitator."
"It's fine," she waved it off. "What does it say anyways?"
"I am summoned by the High Queen to the newly operational Omnis Bastion. You are all cordially invited as well." He said, almost dismissively.
Ichigo's expression widened with surprise a mix of curiosity and excitement present on her face with a gleam in her eyes. She had never ventured anywhere beyond the Garden, Misteltein and the Cerasus. None of the Parasites have known or have ventured anywhere else, those places were their sole reality, and all that they ever knew. The sound of leather shoes shuffling against the rugs approaching them greeted their ears, as the rest of Parasites followed in. Goro looked the freshest out of all of them and seemed fit and ready for the day after throwing a smile to the trio on the couches.
"Morning…" Miku greeted with a yawn before plopping with a tired sigh and rubbing what sand still remained even after their shower. "You know, is it just me? Or do always wake up before us?" giving their Imperial guest a stinging look, since he seemed no different in their day to day, couldn't he at least pretend to look exhausted?
In truth Casten was well aware that he often woke earlier and slept later than the others. So he cross referenced the chrono cogitators responsible to estimating differences between the time of day here with those of Avalus. The results were unsurprising, still, they led to him having a very different sleeping cycles to the rest of the Parasites.
"Avalus had shorter days and nights than your planet. I have yet to adjust to it. I doubt I ever will," he explained. They just took his explanation as it was, not really understanding the sun cycles or orbital differences between solar bodies.
Ichigo waited a for a few more moments so that everyone can settle as chatter began to fill the room. Ichigo took this small blessing that everyone is still here and alive. Speaking of everyone…
"So about this invitation-" Ichigo eagerly resumed her conversation with the knight.
Zero-Two was now listening in and now part of the conversation. Wide awake with the noise of everyone present. Regardless she was now part of the conversation, she remained lying on his lap while he spoke with Ichigo with what could possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Parasites.
"-You said something about all of us being invited to somewhere," Ichigo trailed off trying to remember what Casten called they were being invited to, but the language and the name was lost on her "What's it called again?"
"The Omnis Bastion." Casten repeated. "The Ferracius has recently finished construction of an orbital Battle fortress tethered to the ground side fortress base. The High Queen would like for all people of import to attend a banquet to commemorate the first step for this world to return to the greater galaxy."
Everyone was stunned into silence as the implication 'orbital' of began to really sink in. Goro was not alone to the implication; wonder was awash all over him. Miku, Zorome and Futoshi's eyes twinkled like tiny stars, as their mouths were agape in where they could be going. Not even the stoic Mitsuru or Ikuno were immune if the invite was what they think they were going.
Kokoro found her voice after the stunned silence as she was the first to come out of their stupor. "Orbital, do you mean we're being invited to…" she trailed off wanting Casten to answer even if she already knew what it meant.
Casten obliged them by pointing a sole finger skyward, its meaning going beyond the confines of the plantations. He did not share their excitement; void travel was the norm for him and his people. Even so; he would not detract the experience of going into space for the first time. He was young once after all; when he saw with excitement of how his world looked from eyes beyond the heavens. How he imagined humanity looked to the God-Emperor above.
"Yes a... party in space, if you will." finishing her train of thought.
The room exploded from the humble chatter to a bonfire of optimism as Zorome's exuberance cut through the air with by distilling the ambient excitement into one simple sentence.
"WE'RE GOING TO SPACE!"
The once tranquil room transformed into one of energy and excitement, as they will be going to a place where no other Parasites will have gone before.
The sound of a groggy moan from the sleeping pistil on the Freeblade's lap. Roused from her slumber by the commotion, Zero-Two yawned, raising her arms high over here head and arching backwards to stretch. The parasites, already too engrossed with their excited exchanged among each other that they had almost failed to notice her entirely.
"I assume you've heard all of that?" He asked, though he had a feeling that he did not need to.
Releasing another yawn, the pinkette stretched once more. "Enough to know, darling."
"Well, it would be for naught if your caretaker doesn't allow it. "Casten sighed, rising from his seat."
+ A short time later +
+ Plantation #13: OCC +
Nana was surprised to receive a message from Casten on her dataslate. Unlike the parasites, the young Knight was usually quiet until spoken to. So his request to meet her at the Command Center came as an unexpected surprise.
He was already there when the doors hissed open. Standing at the center of the podium that Hachi and herself usually commanded from. The other A.P.E staff seemed to ignore the fact that he was watching them as they worked. Paying special attention to the maps and projections from their satellites until Zero-Two pulled his hand to notify him of Nana's arrival.
The Freeblade lowered his head to her as a sign of respect. "Greetings caretaker."
"Good morning, Casten." She smiled to him, pushing a lock of auburn hair behind her ear. "Why did you call?"
Nana took the fact that he was speaking to her fluently in her own language in stride. Though she did note that he sounded much more pleasant with his natural voice than when it was filtered through the static tinged translator. His deeper voice had a certain gravity to it when he did decide to use it.
Casten pulled the small handheld dataslate from his pocket and allowed her to see it. Noticing her confused expression, he once again translated the contents of the message. "You are cordially invited by the High Queen to our new fortress, the Omnis Bastion. I must go as I was summoned to an audience, as is my Sacristan beholden to meet the Fabricator Locum."
"No."
Nana's immediate response didn't seem to shock the Freeblade. "We can't leave the Plantation undefended. You know that."
"I do. Which is why the High Queen already affirmed that should you give permission to go, the Knights of House Coltan will take over the defense of this Plantation until our return."
Nana mulled over this for a moment. "Still, No. I can't let-"
"Let them go." Hachi's voice joined the conversation.
Nana scowled at the approaching Plantation commander. "Who said so?"
"I did." A voice Casten shouldn't be surprised to hear, but is to nonetheless, answered.
Dr. Franxx approached, perhaps only the fourth time Casten had seen the old man in the six months since his arrival. He did not trust this man one bit. He may walk and carry the eccentricity of other such Technoclasts Casten had met in his still brief life, Casten's instincts told him that he could trust the doctor as much as one could the chances of an ork retiring from the life of fighting to take oil-painting on a paradise world.
Where the local people held him in reverence of his contributions, Casten could always feel the the unfathomable hatred Zero-Two held for the doctor despite her otherwise neutral stance with him. A story that she will hopefully see fit to share sometime in the near future.
"Doctor…" Nana began.
He seemed to be in the middle of examining something Casten couldn't see. Utterly ignoring Nana's disapproval with such nonexistence; leaving Casten somewhat impressed of such dismissal.
"Everyone from A.P.E. Myself included, encourage the children to be invited. After all Squad 13 is an experimental squad. It would defeat the purpose for gathering new data. Further interaction with the Imperials would only benefit us. We're being handed quite possibly an offer of our lifetimes!"
"You realize I am standing right here? Your lack of subtlety to know more about us does you no merit." Casten hissed.
"And...so what?" He could practically imagine the smug look on his face even if his jaw was not capable of it anymore. Alas, he had nothing to retort as this was expected from both sides.
He simply begrudgingly admitted this celebration was as much as showing off as it is the Imperium's first stage of enlightening the locals to the glorious Imperium of Man. Thus, it was best he held his tongue. Not even the life of a Freeblade escapes the invisible noose of bureaucracy.
"The matter is not up for debate Nana. I don't need to tell you that you will be chaperoning the children." Doctor Franxx firmly ordered.
Nana reluctantly nodded, knowing the normally frivolous Doctor was being serious for once. "Understood."
"And under no circumstances will you impede them of their actions for anything" he added.
"Wait a minute!" She burst out. "How can I look after their safety if I am supposed to let them have free reign in an unknown facility…"
The old man was adamant. "Isn't it obvious? You aren't. You mission is to observe."
Intrigue and anxiety flowed through Casten throughout this back and forth exchange. This briefing is without a doubt easily the longest conversation he had with the A.P.E premier head of tech-arcana. Yet it also filled him trepidation the longer the doctor was talking, like a rancid stench in the air but you don't know where the source is.
+ Later +
+ Plantation #13: FranXX garage +
The parasites gathered within the FranXX garage with their caretaker, Nana. They were dressed in their familiar formal garments that were worn over their uniforms, with shoulder-length capes and large cloth caps. Brigid was with them; alongside her servitors and Skitarii guards in tow, having been summoned by the Fabricator Locum to report her findings personally.
Casten stood apart from the group, moving up on the raised gangway in his piloting armour with Zero-two. The Freeblade insisted on taking his Knight walker rather than the incoming transport. After all, what kind of Knight would he be if he was distanced from his armour? Zero-Two, predictably, chose to follow him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sitting upon his lap. Both disappearing into the cockpit as he engaged the link to his machine and the Throne Mechanicum descended.
Nana of course knew that was only partly true. The Imperium, as well as Casten, wouldn't want A.P.E's hands defiling the holy secrets hidden in the sacred Knight walkers.
The klaxons of the alarm sounded as the garage doors opened, allowing the burning desert sun to beat on Nana's skin.
The sound of creaking mechanical rumbling and the roar of a powerful engine filled the air, vibrating their very lungs. By the time her eyes had adjusted to the light, a silhouette casted its oppressive shadow. Boxy, inelegant, robust, and of course well armed. Four elongated weapon barrels in barbets; two at the front and another at each side in sponsons. This is to be their ride; what the Imperials called the 'Crassus armoured transport' had arrived.
Stomping metal foot pads shook the deck as Ave Rubrum quickly awoke from his slumber. The air around the Imperial Knight seemingly jubilant at a chance to be in a forge fortress of Knights and be among kin once more. It had been long since it strode into an Imperial city. It wasn't Avalus, however, still as good as any for a semblance of home.
As thoughts not entirely his own wandered about his mind, Casten didn't even notice that Ave Rubrum's optics were staring down at Nana just ahead of him until a pinch on his human skin stung him.
"Ow! Zero-Two stop it! I wasn't looking!" The Walker's head suddenly jerked back.
Nana raised an eyebrow whilst beside her, the parasites seemed amused. They could guess the retribution the Freeblade was facing inside the walker's cockpit.
"Proceed," a mechanical voice droned.
It was one of the Skitarii, only the Imperials seemed to be able to tell the near identical cyborgs soldiers apart. He motioned towards the rear of the Crassus, where a ramp had lowered to expose the interior. A darkened space lined with rows of harness seats bolted the the ceiling.
Ushered along by the Skitarii and Brigid; the parasites and their caretaker were strapped into the seats. Capable of transporting up to thirty five Imperial Guardsmen at full capacity, the Crassus transport easily fit the ten Skitarii, Brigid, her numerous servitors and all of Squad #13 with ease.
"You kids have fun! Ho ho ho~!" Dr. Franxx waved to them from the closing ramp before a the last ray of daylight vanished as it closed.
As compartment slowly became bathed in red light and the Crassus began to move with the ratcheting sound of creaking tracks and Ave Rubrum's earth trembling footfalls outside. They were on their way with the sheer shift in balance from the transport exiting the metal ramp and crushing the dry earth of the desert.
+ Later +
+ Desert wasteland +
Ave Rubrum's cockpit opened with a hydraulic hiss. From within; A head of pink hair poked out, staring out into the barren desert. Her hair flowed out behind her and flowed with each step of the Imperial Knight. Zero-Two looked back into the cockpit at her darling, strapped down with metallic clamps.
Falling back onto his lap, the pistil leaned to the side and drew an arm across his broad chest. Her teal eyes fell upon the dark grey helmet and peered into its slit at Casten's closed eyes. Yet his eyes still moved under his eyelids; his expression still shifted ever so slightly. It was like he was dreaming.
Was that how she looked when controlling Strelizia?
"Freeblade!"
The voice from another Vox speaker drew her attention to the outside world. Pulling her torso over the lip of the open hatch. Zero-Two saw the approaching forms of other Imperial Knights. These ones painted in maroon and silver; the heraldry of house Coltan. Their armour painted in their traditional house sigil, the Imperial Aquila with the feathered wings replaced by a row of arrows, a representation of their preference for ranged combat.
Knight Armiger-Helverins with their long barreled Armiger Autocannons and Carapace mounted Meltaguns ranging ahead of their lords. Passing Ave Rubrum with a respectful lowering of their heads mid-stride. Following them. Two Questoris Crusaders followed behind their lord; who also clad in a Crusader. The Knights of House Coltan bore pride in their reputation as dispensers of Imperial firepower upon the field. Each cannon barrel ringed with sculpted golden wreaths glinted in the sunlight, their Avenger Gatling cannons' eight barrels proudly ringed with golden sculptures of winged skulls and eagles in flight. The pride and care taken to maintain and decorate their arms clear in theirs strides.
"Hail, Lord Artreus." Ave Rubrum's vox speaker returned.
Unlike Ave Rubrum's Barbute helm-like visor, Lord Arteus' had his knight's head fashioned similar to the pot-like sallet helmets of ancient Terran knights. The walker's many decorated gun-barrels serving only to enhance the visual spectacle as he drew closer. Though odd, Casten remembered his grandfather mentioning how the garish colours of their house is such as to attract foes and ensure they had plenty of targets purge.
House Coltan were known to jovial and friendly. At least in comparison to the other Knightly houses of Avalus. Often ones to host feasts that gathered even rivals together in celebration. It is agreed that whilst House Regis has always been the bind that held the Knights together under the crown, House Coltan are the very spirit of the chivalry that all Knights knew.
"So this is the famous crimson-horned lassy who's entranced the wee son of Zelius's clan?" Arteus hummed, leaning in to take a closer look a the pink-haired girl that sat over the lip of Ave Rubrum's cockpit.
Zero-Two stared down at the large mechanical head in a mix of wonder and curiosity. Taking in the vast differences in design, paint, and minute detail that this walker, despite obviously being of the same base design as Ave Rubrum, was so different. It seemed every Knight's armour was different in some subtle way, from personal kill markers, helmets to the wreaths, and sculpted idols to their Imperium on every one of them.
Ave Rubrum leaned back as Casten's surprise set in. "Gossip I assume?"
"Aye lad. Ye know, the favorite leisure sport of nobles young Freeblade. News spread quickly. Especially if it's from Nathaniel's House." Before Casten had a chance to ask, the Knight moved away towards Plantation #13.
"Well, I shan't keep ye from your journey. Best not keep her majesty Artra waiting. Fare thee well, Freeblade."
Ave Rubrum gave the fading form of Lord Arteus and his court a final look before his stride resumed to catch up to the Crassus transport that had passed him.
+ Later +
"Are we there yet?" Zorome sighed.
It was the fifth time in the past two hours that the Stamen had asked that question. The constant clatter of the Crassus's treads and the heady stomps of Ave Rubrum echoed through the hull. This time, however, his answer would not be an irritated grunt.
He sighed. "You are aware that there is nothing stopping you from exploring the vessel, you are a guest not prisoner. Just don't bother the sponson gunners."
"Well how was I supposed to know that!" He yelled at whatever speaker he could. Uncaring how he could see them in another section of the massive armored transport before unbuckling the numerous safety belts. Taking advantage of the freedom he was not aware of being allowed. Compared to the stifling transport spheres he was familiar with.
"Omnis Bastion is not far ahead. You may ask the driver to open the hatch and allow you all to view it from the roof. I assume you do not need me to state the obvious to NOT fall off."
Following Zorome's lead, everyone started unbuckling their own safety harness since they all agreed that the otherwise sparse and spartan troop carriers was otherwise underwhelming, making no wonder their Freeblade wanted to ride his own knight, their seats being simple folding seats, had next to zero thought for ergonomics.
Goro felt a crick in his vertebrae popped in relief as their monstrous carriage's vibration carried everywhere leaving a less than stellar first impression of function over comfort. He sighed in envy as he looked to where Nana was seated; next to one of the gunners that Caten had mentioned. Manning his weapon, the man had odd white markings that adorned his green armor. He had given their caretaker some semblance of comfort. Giving her what appeared to be his folded green cloak.
"Always carry a blanket, you'll never know when it can save your life! Oh! you get used to it after a few days riding this bucket!" The man said, his voice raised over the racket of the Crassus's engine and rattling treads.
It was pretty much redundant to put it gently and not come off rude to their hosts. No matter how much his aching backside wants to file a complaint.
The rush of open wind flooded their compartment along with natural morning sunlight. Goro followed right behind Zorome before everyone wanted to see with their own eyes the place of their destination.
Goro was the second to come out, the wind muffling the driver's voice through an intercom to not crowd around the hatch. He deftly grabbed hold of the maintenance rails that were bolted conspicuously along the hull surrounding the hatch relieved from their bumpy journey as Goro followed Zorome's gaze towards the fortress.
Goro had read stories of such design in the books. Saying it was a theory that the people before the Klaxosaurs never had the means to construct, nevermind maintain. Seeing one in use is a wonder in and of itself. He could see strange conical craft rising and lowering into the city from the clouds. Some departing the Omnis Bastion towards some destination elsewhere on world.
"Devourer Dropships. The only common Imperial Dropship design that can ferry proper formations of our Knight armour." Casten explained.
Though in truth, the first thing that Goro has set his sights on was the massive spire that reached endlessly into the clouds. The sheer scale of the length that traveled upwards was beyond his understanding since the "tower" long disappeared into the the blue where he could barely see a vague shape that it was connected with.
Lowering his sights back down to their world his sights were set on an equally impressive -though admittedly not as grandiose- building that serves as the tower's base. If the tube elevator's architectural wonder inspired awe this one shared a more recent and familiar awe in its ability to be outright terrifying without even trying too hard.
Red. Was the first word, a giant rusty Mars red wall was the first to greet his sight followed by the spine-shivering silver skull cradled in the cog glaring at anyone foolish enough to charge its gate. The cybernetic skull of the Omnissiah glowered in their direction, daring them or their enemies to attack its gate and prepare for their own doom. If they thought the Garden was an impressive fortress; the Imperium made it look a feeble joke by comparison.
Zero-two was the last to emerge, opening Ave Rubrum's hatch. She recognized the familiar architecture of the Imperium from the castle of her Darling's home. She had some idea of how the people of the Imperium built their homes, so while she had an inkling of what she was expecting, the physical aspect of seeing such a place is another sensation altogether.2
This is where Omnis Bastion stands, and in the future, the gateway to the Imperium's reclamation to this world.
The Imperial definition of a fortress clearly differed from what the visitors of Plantation 13 were expecting. They initially assumed the fortress to be something similar in size and field to their mobile cities or the spartanly bleak nature of the Garden. The Imperials version utterly, completely, and excruciatingly begged them to update their understanding.
Following upward from the hill of the mountain that would lead to the shining silver skull icon that decorates it gates. The mechanicus made themselves home upon the rock formation. The space that once served as the mountain's peak is now home to the base of the space elevator, where despite the the telltale signs of scaffolding in place the machine spirit is otherwise operational and currently performing its duty. Massive blocks as shipping pods travelled up and down the myriad of cables connecting the orbital facilities to the ground.
Surrounding the elevator lay the beating heart of Omnis Bastion, where what they expected a somewhat impressive command center of some worth. They did not expect the edifice that singularly on its own was magnitudes greater than the plantations themselves. Walls upon walls, layers upon layers, were hablocks and buildings all with the singular purpose of defense through the weight of the walls, manpower and absolute firepower that the Admech has to offer. For Nana and the squad it looked like a city in the making. For the Imperium? This was just standard process.
Yet, the fortress was far from colourless. Slabs of golden Adamantine armour blocks forged in the shape of the Aquila some meters thick seemed to have been sunk into the very rockcrete spanning the entire outer perimeter. Turrets housing Aquilla-pattern Macro Cannons sat upon their gargantuan mounts behind the walls each of themselves bunker towers with connecting secondary walled tunnels. Each weapon so large that it seemed their Crassus armoured transport could be fit inside their turrets with room to spare. Surrounding each of them, giant stone icons some fifty meters tall depicted icons of hooded angels clutching swords in their grasp.
Yet for every macro cannon, the coiled barrels of two Plasma Obliterators sat between them. They were a dull copper colour for now, but Casten knew within a minute they could project the white-hot fury of a microscopic sun should any attacker dare approach the Omnis Bastion.
Casten's whistled. "Plasma Obliterators. Not even my home Keep could boast these venerable defenses."
"Wow…" Goro gasped.
Nana swallowed the saliva built up at the back of her throat and clenched a fist over her breast to steady its beating heart to a more controlled stable rhythm. While she may share the wonder for the children at such a sight, for her line of work, there is always the strong possibility that tomorrow can be your last. She was not at all comfortable being on the receiving end of the static defenses.
There was the instinctive fight or flight response in the back of her mind. A feeling that something was watching her and the children even if they don't immediately see it. This show of force made the message clear: that whatever armaments they may boast about their plantations; they were nothing compared to the Imperium's
In the days following this she would be grateful that she never knew how right she was to trust her instincts for the turret servitors and his cohorts had long locked on their reticles to Nana and the Parasites the moment they left the confines of their transports readied to render them to ashes if there was even a hint foul play.
The transport grew ever closer to their destination, its wall looming before them like the armoured carapace of a living being. As the space between grew ever shorter the walls stirred slowly the growling, shifting gears, and esoteric mechanisms shifted and wound as weapon arrays respond to the incoming object. Heavy Bolters cocked with loud racks of their bolts and ammunition feeds, Lascannons hummed, priming their deadly energized payload, Arc weapons crackled in the air their powered lightning with directed hostile intent, and the ominous bass of the grav cannons ready to turn an enemy's weight against itself.
For a brief moment the Parasites plus Nana felt the shiver of fear wondering that they might be fired upon.
The clank of a hatch opening startled them. Goro recognized the same man who lent Nana his blanket leaning the portal open to urge them back inside.
"Come on back inside ladies and gents, the guns are locked on to anything that's not in their mainframe. Don't want the more trigger happy cogboys inside to get funny ideas."
Everyone followed in an orderly-if not entirely calm fashion. Whether by their own volition or simply being cautionary as to not to get fired no one will ever say, with Zero-Two ducking back inside the Knight's cockpit whilst everyone returned to their less than comfortable seats.
+ Later +
+ Imperial Fortress: Omnis Bastion +
It wasn't long before the convoy eventually reached their destination: before the gates of the fortress itself. The vox operators from within the compound casted itself over to the respective vessels requesting identification.
The sound of a vox-speaker echoed as the woman at the intercom spoke. "Access granted, welcome to the Omnis Bastion, Freeblade Zelius. Praise the Omnissiah."
"Hail," he replied.
The sound of heavy mechanical ratchets, rattling gears, clanks, and hissing of hydraulics from a myriad of locking mechanisms retracting reinforcing Adamantine bars. Split down the middle did these mighty gates open to them. Rockrete and adamantine doors parted before them permitting their entry their through the whim of its gatekeeper.
Where Zorome, in his enthusiasm bolted to the hatch. Everyone looked to their leader to go first; an act that went unsaid. She was already by the door with everyone following more sedately contrasting their previous excitement. Goro followed after closely before the rest started to file out of their compartment to join their friend and leader. The children with the obvious exception of Nana -the last to join them-. During their time in the Plantation they've seen, or at the very least glimpsed at the city they knew that resided underneath Misteltein that is under their protection. For the first time in their lives experienced what this must be like to see and be a part of a city.
The fortress that the Freeblade have told them must have been understated to be a humble fortress. Because the Omnis Bastion was nothing like the darkened, empty and somewhat lifeless facility that was the Garden.
No. The Imperial fortress city radiated life and energy that befitted a city they would hope to see back at the Plantation. Sights, sounds, smells, and color assaulted the senses of the Parasites with new sensation with every barking and clanking of the buildings and the innumerable number of adults and children that lined the roads of the hulking scape that made, no, conquered the mountain into their home.
One thing stood out like a bolt of lightning to the children that despite their new surroundings would warrant. Something more immediate and close to them than they realized; the people here wore no masks. Sure on a technical level some wore masks to shield themselves from the bright sparks of construction welding or the Mechanicus with their odd cybernetics that have replaced their faces, but such thoughts did not register to them so much as finally looking at people like them.
The children could count on one hand the number of adults they have seen without their masks namely: Nana, Hachi, and . Instead of the clean masked masses that dictated their lives, the vigor that shone in the eyes of these strangers stirred something them that they were not aware were lacking.
Humanity.
Every person differed and numbers lose all meaning when they tried with futility to count the different number of people that scored throughout the sprawl that is the Imperium's recently built but formidable fortress city.
From the vantage of her Darling's Knight Titan, Zero-Two shared in Squad 13's attempt to catalogue every single shapes and sizes of every individual that caught their eye with some even sharing eye contact. Many who eyed them in turn with varying degrees of emotions regarding their presence. From the ratlings that took post on the vantage points of the tallest buildings, the huge stocky Ogryns that waved at them with their giant toothy grins, to the Guardsmen that saluted to the venerable Freeblade that passed them in their patrols. Each doing their duty to the Emperor and each other.
Casten gave brief nods to those he could see with through Ave Rubrum's optics.
As the transport rolled slowly along, they passed the outer defenses. Under the shadows cast by the massive Macro cannon and Plasma Obliterator turret bunkers.
Banners hung from poles in each building lined the roads: the clenched black gauntlets over fields of bone white of House Caelum, maroon Longbows of House Colten, green of house Targus and white and gold of House Regis interspersed with banners of the golden Aquila and the rust red of the Mechanicus.
"Uwaaah~ look at that!" Miku gasped. Everyone's attention shifted towards an impressive sight indeed. It was a parade of green and steel, the sound of marching boots married with the heavy rumble of the tank treads that marched in an orderly file of machine and sinew.
Armoured in plates of green armour over their torso, shoulders and shins over khaki fatigues, Goro pieced together these men must be the same as the people transporting them. Clutching boxy rifles against their shoulders. Some glances were met by the Parasites and the troops, quickly returning their gazes forwards when the Sergeants at the head of the formations barked at them to focus.
Kokoro and Futoshi in particular were enraptured by the main cannon of a passing Shadowsword, reminding them of Genista's cannon albeit scaled up by a factor of two and mounted to an armoured chassis. Only difference to make up for the quality, the Imperials had far more than one of them.
As the main bulk of the marching men started to move into their line of sight, the Parasites began to express some mixtures of aghast and bewilderment. They thought that they'd seen the strange sometime and outright ugly aberrations when they first entered the city as the only ones they will be seeing, the oddities to separate them from everyone else unwanted and out of sight. They sorely did not anticipate the actual fighting force that would be marching alongside their 'normal' human guardsmen.
The hulking Ogyrns lumbered, and strutted with purpose as they formed a box formation surrounding a Leman Russ tank commanded by an ornately dressed man with an embroidered jet black coat and an equally impressive hat. The Bone'ed at the front occasionally barking at the other Ogyrns following him, and answering him with howling and occasional chest beatings.
Contrasting their oversized friends, came the less imposing but equally intimidating troopers of Ratlings. Where the Ogyrns showed their stuff in bulk, these men were downright hairy. Barefooted and light on their feet they held rifles twice their size and seemingly without trouble. When they passed by the transport one drank deep from a hip flask, and belched loud and proud earning some chuckles from everyone barring their commissar that gave him a sidelong glare. Except his breath was such a foul stench that everyone recoiled and held their noses from the odd stench; Ikuno being the worst on the receiving end by nearly fainting if not for Nana catching her.
Casten too noticed the formation. An Imperial Guard regiment raised already? No, these looked raw and were likely still being trained; their at times uneven march was clue to that. These troops were fellow lost children of Avalus, now being trained and equipped in the manner of the vaunted Cadians by what actual members of the Guard they had been able to rescue.
The Freeblade drew Ave Rubrum's optics to look at the vehicles, specifically their weapon sponsons. Lascannons, Multi Melta, and Plasma Cannons fitted to the lot of them. Unsurprising that Admech is fitting almost everything with the Klaxosaurs Xenos in mind. Eschewing the use of Anti-infantry weapons such as Heavy Bolters and Heavy Flamers entirely.
Though many stole glances at the rumoured Freeblade, and by extension the girl that sat perched upon the Cockpit ledge with expressions torn between awe, respect, disgust, and even curiosity. Though they quickly snapped their attention forwards, lest they incur the wrath of the Commissar and his Ogryn retinue. They have learned to fear how creative he can be when he orders his Ogryns to exact his punishments.
"Are those that 'Astra Militarum' you mentioned before?" Kokoro's question broke Casten's trance.
The Knight's armoured head swayed side to side. "Not quite. Officially they are, but not in the spirit of their title. When they are put on the battlefield and stand when all other enemies have fallen, only then can they truly be called the 'Hammer of the Emperor'."
Though tilting her head quizzically, she nodded nonetheless.
Futoshi cut in, pointing towards some pedestrians enjoying sticks of glazed meat. "What're those people eating?"
"Glazed Grox meat strip-"
"Hey! Hey! How many adults are there here?" Zorome cut in.
"Um… I'm not entirely certain. Perhaps some three hundred thousand or so here?" He was honestly unsure of the number simply calling out his closest approximation.
"Hey, what's that weird looking rock over there?" Miku asked, pointing to an erected statue of His most holy Emperor. It struck a nerve at how she called a statue of the Master of Mankind some rock.
"That 'rock' would be a statue of our most holy Emperor of Mankind upon His Golden Throne" He answered puffing out with pride in his devotion to the Emperor.
"So he's sort of like Papa then?"
He could feel a twitch starting to take hold in his eye, manifesting in Ave Rubrum as the optical shutters contracting wildly before he discreetly turned off his vox caster. Reining in control of his emotions and Ave Rubrum's outrage that threatened to destroy his soul's equilibrium.
"By the Emperor's Throne... where's the Ecclesiarchy when you actually need them? When you don't want them they stick to you like stench on an Ork." He sighed.
Zero-Two giggled, grinning down at him from her seat at the edge of Ave Rubrum's cockpit. Even though Casten couldn't see her, he could feel her amusement at his expense through their Communion.
"No. He is nothing like your 'Papa'." daresay he cringed vehemently and making plans to pray in penance for such vileness of comparing someone as lowly as Papa to the Emperor. "The Ecclesiarch will fill you in the details. I should warn you, do not try to argue with the Ecclesiarch or their sermons will never end."
They periodically bombard the Knight with questions of common knowledge to him. Some of which he could answer, some he didn't. In truth Casten was more annoyed by their barrage, but the utter sincerity in their questions just could not sway years etiquette training and simple common courtesy. His attentiveness however was still quite broad so even while he was holding a conversation, his attention did not miss the growing number of fellow Knights passing them by..
Each one gave the passing Freeblade a long stare. Though he tried to ignore them, Zero-Two received stares as well. At the very least these seemed more like looks of curiosity than the poorly veiled scorn. Time has given the lost children of Avalus what was needed to heal; prayer and purpose in service to the God-Emperor has given them the strength to push on in this new world.
He was proud of that. Proud to be part of a species that would pick themselves up from the depths of darkness and despair. Time and time again all manner of foe would conspire against humanity but inevitably, they would rise again. Not the Dark age of Technology, Age of Strife, Horus Heresy, nor Reign of Blood extinguished them. This time was no different.
Zero-Two remained deathly silent, staring out at the glimmering fortress city of gold and stone. She watched at its inhabitants living their lives. Passing Hab blocks of families, specifically she saw them living their lives and felt a pang of jealousy at the couples that walked with their children. Children that played and chased each other laughing, fighting, and playing… They were free.
Ave Rubrum's sights shifted upwards. Though Casten couldn't see the girl on his carapace, he could feel her. However, what he could feel worried him. He could feel an overwhelmingly crushing emptiness emanating from her along with a chilling palpable envy that sent shivers down his spine, he almost forget at times that her emotions are much much stronger than much as he would like help balm her current ailment, other things have to take priority.
It took nearly half an hour of travel to get to the innermost wall. Passing two additional layers of defense similarly armed to the outer walls in order to reach the base of the orbital elevator. With each passing wall. The number of Knights going to and fro increased as well. As did the number stares he received.
Curiously, many of the Knights that strode by were damaged. Scarred from gauges in their armour from giant blades. Craters from impacts and scorches from what he assumed to be energy blasts. From the streaks of blue blood that coated their melee weapons and stained their livery, it seemed that his compatriots have been busy dispensing the Emperor's justice upon the Klaxosaur hordes.
It was almost enough to make him feel left out.
Much like she took her own stock of the so-called fortress, if they called this a fortress, she probably couldn't begin to wonder what a city would be like.. "You Imperials never do anything halfway do you?" huffing at her internal joke at at themes she seems to pick up on Casten and his Imperium's seemingly need to go over the top with everything. Made her think they were compensating for something.
"A task unfinished to the standards of the Imperium is His will unfulfilled. " Casten's response prompted an exasperated sigh from the caretaker. "Believe me, educator, if you think this place is impressive. The stories of the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra are unmatched."
She rose a delicate brow as he once again mentioned this revered Emperor "How? I mean I expect it to be well defended but isn't it more of a temple palace?"
A booming laughter erupted like a gunshot, startling everyone when Casten inadvertently let out a chortle that translated into avalanche like thunder from the Knight's vox-speaker. His laughter died down just as quick as he composed himself. "Pardon my manners, but to refer to His most holy domain as such is quite laughable. It is not just a where He simply resides, but is the seat of humanity's Imperium in every way imaginable."
He continued his explanation glee bleeding into his tone at the opportunity to talk about the Emperor and the legendary story of Holy Terra.
"The city that we tread and lie before you is nothing compared to legends told by fortunate pilgrims who spent entire generations sailing the stars to Holy Terra's ground and walk its halls."
His hand waved towards the horizon hoping they could follow his imagination of the Emperor's home. The motion mimicked by Ave Rubrum casting his Reaper chainsword in a wide arc.
"Imagine a palace, a denizen where it could be visibly seen from space. An entire continent of gold and weaponry as vast as the greatest ocean. The Imperial Palace is a place like no other, fortified by one of his sons Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists, its walls and its people have stood standing for ten thousand years; guarded by the Ten Thousand and Titan Legions walking its halls, it is where the Emperor through his might sees us, protects us, and fights the Great our prayer 'The Emperor Protects'."
While the reverence was not lost on Nana of the others, she asked a question that everyone was thinking. Zero-Two included.
"So have you ever been to the Imperial Palace?"
Casten flinched.
"No..." He mumbled truthfully "No I have not."
Miku piped in wanting to know more about the current conversation "Then how would you know what it's like? Don't you think you might be exaggerating it abit?" She stated.
Sigh. "My home, Avalus. Was fortunate to be one of the worlds at the edge of the Ultima Segmentum. We were under the protection of Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines Chapter of Space Marines on Macragge. Our worth as a Knight World while not unique held value for simply being a knight world. Unfortunately the journey between there and Holy Terra is so vast that it would take months or years to reach; not to mention the treacherous journey itself. We knights are constantly needed elsewhere to aid in wars or crusades, we cannot simply travel as we wish whilst the enemies of mankind still besiege us."
"Huh," Zero-Two thought aloud. "Too bad."
Casten took it in stride; he saw that everyone did not share interest in knowledge that they could not comprehend or see for themselves. While despondent at the lack of reaction in talking about the most reverent place in the Imperium, he could understand the skepticism and lack of interest as his telling was only as good as they books they read in the library.
"Chin up darling," Zero-Two shot a smile.
Built to appear like a castle of old and constructed of white rockcrete walls, marble flooring, and Aquilas of gilded gold recessed into the walls. It served as the base of the Omnis Bastion's orbital elevator also served as the nothing short of fortified palace for all the Imperial Knights in the burgeoning fortress-city.
Though the defenses here were no less; towers topped with automated triple barreled las-turrets and various other emplaced weapons scanned their surroundings with restless vigil. Tall spires rose high to surround the rings of the orbital elevator shaft. Each one housing the orb of a Void Shield dispersal node that would crackle with lightning when the Omnis Bastion's void shields were activated. Even more lined the rings at intervals, the entire length could be energized to protect the vital pillar should the augers detect even the hint of a threat.
Roadways from across the city seemed to connect to the palace as a hub, numerous vehicles laden with parts, fuel cells, and ammunition for the Walkers rumbled in and left empty in an endless procession. Driven by workers and overseen by the many adepts of the Mechanicus, they went without pause. The sight of the people that worked about the courtyard shocked the parasites as they passed them. As they entered the courtyard, Knight walkers in various states of damage entered as freshly repaired left large hangar doors, elevator hatches, and ramps. Repair bays and hangars bustling with Sacristans, Servitors and Servo Skulls that droned out the litanies and prayers to the Omnissiah.
"A shared Sanctuary…" Though Casten was speaking to the parasites, he seemed more like he was thinking aloud. "Back on Avalus each House had one for each keep. Having to share like this… I'm surprised no duels have taken place."
The children showed little interest in Casten. Instead directing their attention to the numerous Techpriests and Sacristans that walked the grounds. Grotesque mixtures of organic and mechanical beings.
"Look at them" Zorome gaped.
Miku nodded. "Gross…"
Unlike Brigid, these more senior of the Cult of Mars sported the most extreme bionic enhancements. Servo arms lifting heavy loads, tool-tipped Mechandentrite tentacles making fine adjustments or manipulating equipment. From plasma torches to drills; such inhuman appendages unseen before by the locals.
"I'm not hungry anymore…" Futoshi looked like he was about to throw up upon seeing them.
Brigid scoffed. "Only the ignorant cling to their flesh. One day the bodies you call temples will rot and fail, the replacement of the organic with the mechanical is the will of the Omnissiah. Blessed be his great works, we are blessed in function regardless of how you view our forms."
Casten ignored them, knowing firsthand how… obstinate the devotees of the Machine Cult could be.
Ave Rubrum stopped before upon a platform at the foot of the elevator, an upward slope of rockcrete that with a central slit led up the the opening of the orbital elevator shaft. Four other platforms on each cardinal directions had their own cargo of crates and loading servitors, their glassy eyes staring dead forwards.
On theirs however, pylons rose from the around the Knight Titan as it stepped aboard. Large manipulator arms lining up with the walker's limbs and clamping them in place.
"Driver. Stop here." Casten's voc-enhanced voice ordered.
"Aye my lord! Here we go kids, watch yer heads!" The Crassus' driver called, the vehicle lurching to a stop and opening its hatches to allow their passengers to dismount.
A curt nod from Ave Rubrum followed. "My thanks, Guardsman, may the God-Emperor's blessing be with you and your crew."
"To you too lord knight." He smiled.
With a final fold of his hands into the sign of the Aquila, the Crassus's driver disappeared into his vehicle.
Brigid and her entourage of Skitarii, Servo Skulls and Servitors were the first to descend from the ramp. Reciting prayers and litanies to soothe Ave Rubrum's Anima The parasites followed suit after Casten's Sacristan, Goro and Mitsuru watching as the exchange whilst the others took the chance to look around. Noting the curious stares they received from Knights, Guardsmen, and Adepts bulky moving box of armour that had transported them turning on its axis and retreating down the courtyard to disappear into the streets of Omnis Bastion.
A Vox-corrupted female voice drew the parasites to attention. "Do not stand on the edges of the platform. The Emperor protects; but not from one's own hubris." It announced.
Handrails rose from the edges of the platform as a Ave Rubrum's glowing red gaze dimmed to a lifeless black. The ratchet of joints within the cockpit followed the entire Throne Mechanicum rising from the Knight Titan's open cockpit, revealing the comatose Casten. Shackles that secured the Knight to his Throne clicked open to release the slowly rousing young man.
He stumbled for a moment. Zero-Two reaching out to hold her darling's arm and steady him when nauseating sensation that followed every separation from the Throne Mechanicum assailed his mind and body once more. Muttering a word of thanks to Zero-Two and the Emperor, they climbed down the ladder attached to Ave Rubrum's carapace to join the Parasites.
If the structure was a sight to behold when they could see it in the distance, then looking upon this wonder of masterful engineering was nothing short of a magical experience for the Parasites. The 'elevator' was a colossus of design where it showed nothing but a pillar of steel breaking through the skies. Inside the station it was a hive of activity that buzzed incessantly all around them with the passengers passed the thick aquila emblazoned plasteel and adamantine layered door.
Their first thought when they beheld the interior was that the 'inside' looked massive compared to the outside. Stories and passing knowledge told them of an insect called 'bees' where they are a type of animal that worked in their homes called hives.
If there were a comparison to be made, this must have been what it would be like to be in one such a hive.
There was not one person idle within the structure. A dizzying array of people Admech or otherwise moving to and from places they do not understand or know. Que to board, servitors unloading cargo, vehicles driving off all around them. The noise of activity was almost deafening before their senses adapted to their new environments.
The orbital elevator as the Imperials aptly named it, was connected with a central cable built around rings of smaller cables spanning kilometers from space and to the ground. Anchoring both sides parallel to the rotation of the planet beneath it.
The foundation spire was surrounded by an inner and outer spire. The larger 'inner spire' held the maglev platforms dedicated to the purpose of transporting personnel. Its base, a hexagonal station where each side had one train that could house at maximum capacity several hundred individuals with relative comfort. Even more so if taking for the more draconian Admech's need of efficiency by holding them in compartments for such individuals.
As for the 'outer spire'; it was a heavy duty platform for cargo and vehicles. Where Casten could see scores of Admech praying to his armour to appease Ave Rubrum's Anima, tending to him all the while securing the walker to a grav conveyor. These surrounded the helix, and through the use of grav technology that went beyond Casten's knowledge, these belts use its aptly named gravity technology to propel supplies and cargo back and forth from ship to station and station to ship in but moments.
"Its kinda scary…" Kokoro mumbled.
"H-Heh! It's just a little dark is all!" Zorome confidently declared, puffing up his little chest.
The other parasites remained silent. Save Mitsuru, the seemingly endless length of the Orbital elevator reminded them a little too much of their disastrous mission in the magma-energy mines. Still, they followed the Knight as he strode over to the personnel maglev train and entered as the cargo section carrying Ave Rubrum and Brigid's entourage followed.
The shaft itself was dark, lit only periodically where there was a floor dedicated to the rings of Void shield projectors and the dim blue lighting of the maglev platforms themselves.
"Departure imminent, all passengers assume seating. Thought for the day 'It is better to die for the Emperor than for yourself.' " The vox caster droned.
Each member took a seat upon the personnel platform. The parasites next to their respective partners whilst Nana, who took a seat beside Casten. Harnesses lowered to hold them in place when the Machine Spirit of the maglev deigned itself to move. A soft hum of power fueled its body dedicated to its designed mandate as acceleration begun to move its charges towards its destination.
Acceleration was not something the Parasites were unfamiliar with, but the physics of acceleration trying to escape the grasp of gravity was an unpleasant experience as they felt at any moment they would be crushed under their own weight as vertigo started to set in as their sight dimmed slightly.
"Ngh…" Futoshi, the heaviest set of them grunted.
Feeling the worst of the experience as his chunky physique threatened to smother him feeling as if his life was being sucked out of him.
Casten and Nana weren't too bothered by it, neither was Zero-Two. The former had made many trips such as this growing up; the latter two had prior experience to such means of transportation, albeit rarely.
The experience was mercifully fleeting. The higher they ascended so too did the planet's grasp upon them alleviate and weaken. They began to experience their first experience being in a zero gravity environment.
The first to grasp the foreign sensation of weightlessness on their bodies was from Ikuno who saw the novelty of her glasses floating away from her; to see what should have dropped to the ground float away like wisps of air, such a simple thing was alien and bewildering.
Futoshi and Zorome, too distracted to notice their friend's plight, simply gaping at their weightless legs. The two shared each other a look of joy at such new feeling of freedom
Miku, Kokoro, and Ichigo too joined in their awe at the experience of being devoid of gravity. Kokoro and Miku especially serving as examples to the wonders of zero gravity as their respective long locks of hair started to entangle around their heads, every stand becoming difficult to manage as they floated about.
Unfortunately for Ikuno, the novelty began to fade the moment she remembered that her glasses were floating away.
She whipped out her hand to snatch her fleeing eyewear; but the unknown environment that she had no experience to proved an error as the moment her fingers collide with the temples, sending it bouncing further away. The glasses now spinning uncontrollably and out of her reach. Before long, her glasses disappeared over the vantage of the seats in front of her.
Giving up, she slumped back against her seat defeated, settling that that she will have to make a search for her glasses when the train stopped and hopefully find it before departing and the tram going back to the surface in accordance to its schedule.
"Here child, allow me." An unfamiliar voice called, knocking it back towards her.
She looked up from the floor to see her glasses and breathed a sigh of relief when returned to her. Though she kept them clipped to her collar just to be safe.
Not noticing that Mitsuru and Goro were trying to lean as far away from her despite the restraints. She was too focused on keeping her eyes on the arch of her glasses so that she can grasp it firmly in her fingers before settling it back properly on her head, tugging it further inwards to keep it planted in the folds of her hair and ears.
"Thank y- AAAAHHHH!" she screamed in terror, registering that what should have been the back of her seat was actually someone's head!
A head that was looking at her where the 'neck' was a mass of black cable cords in a boneless parody of muscle. Facing her was a 'human' whose entire upper head was a black bionic machine that parodied a skull where its eyes were replaced by four circular green lenses in each socket. Their cranium was a mass of plugs and data-ports attached to a brass coloured metal plating.
The head started to speak. Joyfully even, with a smile on the still fleshy half of its face despite the angry scars on the inhuman metallic bionic upper half which swivelled its eight rotating cameras in every direction each shutter taking in every microscopic detail. It just served to be even more horrifying to look at and a violation of her personal space…
"Instead of relying on such temporary devices as well as the inefficiency of the flesh. Would you not like to receive the blessing of the Omnissiah to replace your eyes with superior visionary augmentics?" The Mechanicum Adept asked.
She blurrily shook her head , not caring that the zero gravity not only almost dislodged her glasses but the free floating locks of her hair almost getting into her eyes.
He sighed, disappointed that he failed to entice another soul to the ways of the Machine God.
"A shame, very well. May the Omnissiah be with you." Her benefactor's head retracted like an undulating snake and disappeared from view back to his body. It only caused her to shuffle as far back as she could knowing that such a freakish thing was seated in front of her.
The bewildered locals expectantly recoiled at such an unsettling slight. Only now looking around the cabin to find a mixture of individuals wearing such robes.
Just when she thought they understood these Imperials, the more she began to realize that whatever society that they had was vastly more complex than it appeared on the surface. She knew such things were expected but she noticed that there were some extremes that disturbed her. Their recent scare being a prime example of such extremes.
"Casten, I know that I might be a little late to ask but who is the Omnissiah, and what does it mean to be a Tech-Priest?" she asked their Imperial delegate.
Casten opened his mouth, but closed it back and stopped. He shakes his head on where to start such an explanation that involves more than ten thousand years of Imperial history when the Emperor reclaimed Mars back into the fold in the early days of the Great Crusade.
"It's… a long story Educator. I can't quite explain it here. Not with the Scions of Mars around, they might try to enforce corrections on any mistakes or simplifications I may say, we can discuss this 'safely', when we reach the station."
Nana nodded at the consent as she too noticed that when she spoke her question, those with the red robes were suddenly paying very interested attention to what she honestly believed was a simply benign question.
Filing it away she reclined, and aptly enjoyed whatever comfort the cushion offered. Their destination was still a ways to go. So she settled on closing her eyes, listening to the sounds of the children chatting and the thrumming sounds of engines before drifting to sleep.
+ Some time later +
+ Omnis Bastion Orbital Dock +
Nana was the first to step out of the maglev train, her heeled shoe clacked against the floor of the station. The Parasites and the Knight followed closely behind her as they followed the crowd leading out of the terminals and into the station hub that will lead them to the inner facilities.
The platform carrying Ave Rubrum was lifted up from the cables with heavy mechanical conveyors, disappearing into the depths of the station's network of conveyors. Whilst the personnel trains returned to the base of the elevator, all cargo moved in this constant procession of production to fill the endless quota.
The drums of machinery hissing pressure vents, and prayers all mixed into a messy chorus of Imperial industry that churned out every infantry weapon from lasgun to flak armour. It was not a proper forge facility by any means but it was a good start as anything.
Yet ironically, it was not the sounds of machinery that attracted them. While the Imperial Knight along with Sacristan Brigid disappeared from view, Casten guided the group down the halls of adamantine, marble, and stone. It took something simpler and more dedicated to the arts. When they reached into the station's atrium on foot the first thing they see is a giant wall of colored mosaic where the artist and his servants were adding the final touches in the corner to his masterpiece.
For the uninitiated Parasites, it was the picture of a golden armored man holding a flaming sword stabbing at a serpent, while a red and gold winged man spread his wings outward to frame the picture with four other people standing next to him on each side.
For the loyal servants, this was a picture dedicated to the Emperor's eternal battle against his enemies with his loyal primarchs; His generals and His sons. From the way it was framed Casten guess that this picture was about Sanguinius standing in front of Eternity Gate where he single handedly fended off an ocean of traitors from even touching one corrupted finger on it.
It was slightly off as records on Avalus stated that the Primarch Guilliman, Lion, Russ and Corax, were unable to aid in the Battle for Terra holding back or occupied by Chaos forces whereas Ferrus was long dead before the siege happened.
"Who're they?" Mitsuru asked. Though she would never say, it she was actually talking about the one in gold and the one with the wings since they were the prettiest to look at.
Casten was more than happy to tell them the story behind the mural.
"Well, we start off with the most important piece of this picture." He pointed towards the Emperor "That is the Master of Mankind, our Holy Emperor who even now on Terra sits upon the Golden Throne for ten thousand years. This depiction symbolizes him and his endless struggle to fight for humanity. We honor him by doing the same; fight against the enemies of mankind."
"Who're those enemies?" Goro asked. Thinking about Klaxosaurs, their current foes. Simply unable to imagine who or what else could be out there.
"Anyone not us, or against us. Xenos, rebels, and Heretics." Casten continued pointedly, gesturing to the rest of the primarchs that acted as a framing device to the entirety of the mosaic art. "Surrounding the Emperor are the Imperium's greatest generals, the Primarchs. His sons."
They could not understand it, but for a brief moment, his words and the dazzling array of lights refracted off the stained glass artwork touched them in a way they could not entirely describe. Seeing that his words getting through to them, he resumed his regaling.
He then gestured towards the Great Angel in the center "At the center of his nine sons, is Sanguinus. Primarch of the Blood Angels Space Marines Legion-another topic for another day- and hero of the Imperium."
He then started listing off the Primarchs on his right "Then we have Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists, Jaghatai Khan of the White Scars, Vulkan of the Salamanders, and Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines."
He switched to the left and everyone followed "Leman Russ of the Space Wolves, Lion El' Johnson of the Dark Angels, Ferrus Manus of the Iron Hands, and Corvus Corax of the Raven Guard."
He turned towards the group, hoping in his heart of hearts that they want to know more. Even with the appointed meeting time, they had plenty between now and then to ask some questions that would illuminate them to the Imperium. To sway them back into the fold of its true rule.
"Now, I know some of these names and terms wont make any sense to you, but we have archives that can get into further detail about each of them. We have a brief window to look around and answer any questions you might like to ask before the appointed meeting. Anyone have any to speak of?"
From the looks he was getting from the Parasites, they held confusion and apprehension. As if they had questions in minds forming but too nervous to convey them. This was good, more than good, it was sign that they were taking interest in their rightful heritage. The more they questioned, the better. Nana paid rapt attention to Casten when he began lecturing about the mosaic. Her hand under her chin in deep thought about the individuals painted as they symbolized obvious significant importance to the Imperium.
"Darling…" Zero-Two's finger and eyes fixated on Sanguinius on the person and more intensely his wings. "Can you tell me more about him?"
Casten's thought back on the stories repeated time and time again of the Great Angel of Baal. As he recalled the tales. "We must speak at length of the origins of the Imperium first."
With a wave of his hand, he directed their attention to the numerous arched windows of stained glass. Each depicting the scenes enshrined in those stained windows of battles long past.
He pointed to the window that marked the beginning of its silent story, first was the icon of the Emperor leading a vast army of armoured giants and walkers of the Legio Titanicus against savage green figures. The Ullanor Crusade. "In the beginning, The Emperor had eighteen sons, each a leader of their own Legion during the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago. The domain of the Imperium was vaster than even the roughly million worlds of today. The Imperium was at its height of power, no xeno did not fear us, no heretic escaped. None could stop the march of His sons and His armies in reclaiming worlds thought lost during a period known as the Age of Strife."
Reverence and pride flowed through the Freeblade's tone rising in intensity with every word. Zero-Two felt his feelings clearest; just as the time moment they shared in the bath. There was nonequivalent respect, deeply rooted veneration, and yet also bitter sorrow. "Sanguinius was perfection outmatched only by his father. His great wings brought hope to the liberated humanity and brought fear to our enemies. Among all his brothers, he was most beloved by all."
"Yet in this cruel galaxy, such a being of course would be silenced when the worst happened. We were betrayed." Casten's mood darkened with every syllable when he touched the glass mosaics of the civil war with his gloved hand. The Dropsite Massacre, The betrayal at Calth, The Death of Innocence. Brothers against Brothers, the hope of mankind restored, then shattered by the corrupting venom of the Dark Gods.
"Our master's favoured son, Horus, had turned half of the Astartes Legions against the Imperium. The 'Horus Heresy' as we call it…"
His hand returned to the Mosaic of the Siege of the Imperial Palace of Holy Terra and beside it, another mosaic of The Emperor and Horus doing battle over the fallen from of Sanguinius. "It all ended here, the final battle. The details have been lost to time, however, what we know is that the Warmaster made a last attempt to sway Sanguinius, but The Great Angel held firm to the Imperium and was slain in way so drawn out and painful that it gave the Emperor time to strike down his once favoured son."
Casten looked to the parasites,all of them listening to the story and wrought with imagination that such a conflict existing long before they were even born... "By the end our God-Emperor was mortally wounded and interred on the Golden Throne His psychic presence watching us, His light shining bright throughout the galaxy. Ten thousand years have happened since that day. Many terrible things. Still we are here, doing the best we can in his absence, its not perfect, but we endure still and wait one day a sign of deliverance that marks His return to us."
"Let us be off. High Queen Artra is expecting us." The Freeblade finished, armoured boots thumping along the marble flooring once more.
Nobody seemed to question him as they followed his lead through halls leading to the external ring of the station. From the Armourglass panes that made up the skylight of the dock, they could see the various lance battery turrets standing vigil for some unseen spaceborne enemies. Passing corridors decorated hung banners of the Knightly Houses. Tall arches, icons of skulls, wings, gears and knightly helms, seemed to be the governing architecture of the Imperial space station.
"Cool!" Zorome gasped suddenly dashing to look out of a window.
Casten saw what had drawn the small Stamen's attention, one of the Shipyards. Specifically they were watching an army of spaceborn Servitors, workers, Adepts of the Machine Cult, and robotic arms assembling prefabricated sections of a Defense Monitor Ship. He stopped to let Nana and Zero-Two enjoy the view as well.
"APE headquarters is quite impressive itself," Nana commented
"You must have an impressive engineering workforce to be able to build this installation and build more ships." She pointed to the half-finished ship.
Casten nodded the A.P.E woman.
"The Mechanicum do their duties well." he followed "Their creed is to seek knowledge and worship the Omnissiah by building his instruments."
"So they worship him through…" Nana trailed. "Building machines?"
"In a manner…" Casten paused to find the right words. "They covet knowledge and strength. What is a better representation of that than building the works of the Omnissiah?"
Nana sighed as that was probably the most outlandish thing she has ever heard, religion of old as far as she knew denounced science and technology. Not icons or tenets of worship How was that even possible made her more worried about knowing it, rather than being ignorant about it.
She simply saved herself the confusing logic behind and back to more familiar interests. Specifically the section of the station that the ships were being built.
"So which one is the ship?" Nana looked at the array of ships and none of them seem to be space worthy let alone housing and transporting all the resources necessary for their now continued presence on their planet.
"Pardon?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The ship where we are supposed to meet." Nana reaffirmed "The logistics for your fleet must require quite a ship to hold an outpost on the planet. But don't see it at the drydock anywhere. Is it located in another section of the station?"
Zero Two nodded equally curious as to where the fabled ship she and Nana kept hearing Sacristan Brigid yammer endlessly about.
Casten blinked in confusion, glancing at her general direction.
"I think you have been mistaken Educator Nana." Casten replied. "The Omnis Bastion's port cannot dock it. It is what anchored the Omnis Bastion during construction."
She lifted a brow.
"You'll see what I mean soon enough." The Freeblade picked up the pace to get them to their destination and let them see the ship speak for themselves. "Come. The observation and hub platform is not much further."
Their brisk pace continued, each member confused and yet enriched with questions. Cultures have been exchanged, and the youth's yearn for new things grow ever stronger. Their walk was eventful in its own placid way, where the boys and girls chatted and came out with new knowledge. Mitsuru commentating an interest in the arts and smithing while Ichigo and Zero-Two shared a brief fond beauty watching the stars in the vastness that is space.
Eventually, they came upon a door. Nothing remarkable, a hydraulic blast door like the others. Yet it was they would see a true shining vessel of the Imperium, a testament to preserved ancient knowledge of the Golden Age of mankind's lost past repurposed by the descendants of Mars.
The gates opened, and they all witnessed the ship in all its glory.
The Ark Mechanicus. The Faber Ferracius.
Nana understands now why Casten would say they didn't need or have one. The ship itself is its own dock.
That did not mean she could comprehend such a structure built by human hands. She knew that if things go as planned 's apex creation would be a testament of his genius and human engineering.
This…
This was just obscene!
It was huge! Gigantic! Completely and utterly ridiculous!
The large viewport gave everyone a good look at their destination, stunned into silence as they rushed to the safety rails to see a true blue starship before their very eyes. Not just a starship to traverse the local system, but a genuine ship meant to sail the void of space, to see and go beyond the cradle of their star system and into the places where the light of their star can take years to reach.
An Ark Mechanicus was a wonder in and of itself. As much as it is a formidable ship; but also has the production capacity to be its own Forgeworld. These ships long before the Emperor reunited Mars sailed the stars and established planets that suited their needs. While not proper ships made for battle, these ships have survived throughout the ages, carrying their creed and hoard their knowledge to recover even a shadow of what was lost during the Age of Strife.
The Faber Ferracium was one such ships whose hallways have crafted instruments of wonder where entire generations of families have been born and passed in its hallways. From a hundred thousand lasguns to the mightiest of engines, its history is seeped into its very walls. Its generation of captains, and the machine spirit has seen everything the cruel galaxy could throw at it, and plans to exist until the stars fade and the universe itself implodes.
The armorglass that separated them from the vacuum of space was wide; structurally formed into a circle, so that one half faces the planet the other into space. The ship was a monolith of steel and engineering, the expanse of its twenty kilometer design swallowed their field of vision. Like looking at a black, grey, and red mountain, where just the size of one broadside Macro cannon is so large they can engulf a plantation in a single shot.
Nana will always admit to the rule of seeing is believing, it is easy to be skeptical in believing the idea of humanity ruling a galaxy spanning empire taken at face value. This ship however, adds and cements the enormity of the undertaking. She honestly cannot imagine such an ordeal, much less Casten's word of how a single human being is or was so mighty that he enabled the reconquest of the galaxy.
It made her feel small, and very conflicted. She had never felt such majesty to behold a relic of mankind's past. Yet, she also feels so insignificant in the unimaginable scale that is the galaxy. As the Faber Ferracium is a testament to that by its grandeur alone. So small, and so feeble that compared to their efforts trying to push back and eliminate the klaxosaurs, what is one planet over the millions and billions of others…
Her line of thoughts is currently treading on dangerous and self-destructive overtures. She started thinking of how for all their efforts all their sacrifices, all the children she had to see be killed...were they in the end worth nothing...
Where if they lose their battle here, and all of them died even if they won, would that mean they would be left behind, unremembered, and passed over like dust.
"Ugh!" Nana clenched herself tight on the railing to keep herself from falling over. A wave of nausea, static and ringing filled her ears; images, sound and color, blurred together throbbing at her temples. She sees the images, and...remembers some of these flashes.
The sounds of laughter that were not her charges, mannerisms and quirks that did not match with anyone she knows. Tears, sadness, rage, joy. There was too much! It hurts! Make it stop!
Then it came just as it appeared.
Her world spun, her orientation in disarray. She slowly regained her senses and her bearings, before the world returned to focus, and saw her current state. She felt two pairs of firm hands holding her standing taking in from her momentary episode. Nana finally could see that Casten and Zero-Two were away from the Parasites still looking in awe, but were held tightly and painfully in their grip. With Zero-Two holding the small of back and right shoulder, where Casten held tightly on her under her ribs. SHe looked around as thankfully they were ignored by the rest of the Imperials deeming the matter unimportant and moved on.
She could feel her legs returning, and recovered her balance, her headache lingering and throbbing, but manageable prompting to the pair to let go once she is stable.
"What happened?" Casten whispered in worry.
"I-I think…" rubbing the sides of her head to ease away the throbbing "I am seeing… something from. I-I can't remember."
"Hmph" Zero-Two scoffed, knowing exactly what Nana means "Typical... that bastard."
Casten did not understand the look Nana and Zero-Two were currently sharing but this was not the time to worry.
"We can get you to the Medicae immediately when we conclude our business Educator Nana," Casten stressed while rubbing circles on her back to relieve any echo of her nausea. "But. I must stress you cannot show weakness at such an important appointment at this juncture. If you show a weakness to the queen and her court she will I cannot predict how she will deal with you going forward. Please, stay strong."
Nana nodded to the two children, testing her footing and her balance, the world still seems slightly dizzying, but she could feel it passing every second.
"Thank you, you two." Zero-Two smirked in response preening at her good deed, while Casten let out a breath as the emergency passed and nothing worse came out of it. She turned back to the Freeblade "Lead on then."
Casten did so.
Docked to the station with a series of personnel transfer tubes, and seemingly endless conveyors of containers to and from the Omnis Bastion. The forges and fabrication facilities worked in full swing they could see asteroids being towed and broken into pieces for their ores by swarms of Arvus Lighter worker ships.
"The Faber Ferracius is a sacred and ancient ship, records of her go far beyond before the dawn of the Imperium. She is truly blessed by the Omnissiah and deservedly venerated by the Adeptus Mechanicus. She is the mighty forge ship responsible for the creation of the Omnis Bastion, the very reason we are here to begin with." He explained.
Eyes remained glued to the forge ship through the windows even as they walked towards one of the docking rings. Their minds struggling to comprehend a ship larger than any plantation, transporting more people than they had seen in their lives. Slabs of red and grey bordered in gold, weapon batteries and turrets that dwarfed even the Knight walkers… yet this ship that seemed could reduce planets to lifeless husks was not a destroyer, but a builder.
So engrossed were the parasites that they only noticed that they had reached one of the docking rings when Casten cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"All aboard." He smiled, waving to urge them in.
The docking quarter that connected Faber Ferracius to the Omnis Bastion was less of a tunnel and more of a cross between an elevator and a tram station. Open platforms on rails came and left with a push of an activation rune and a whisper of the Litany of Locomotion. Traffic was sparse, many of the manpower needed had already been transported to the Omnis Bastion.
Moving swiftly over their path lit by lumen strips along the sides of the metal tunnel. A pinprick of golden light was all they saw at of the docking tube. The Parasites stood in silence Trepidation, expectation, and excitement practically choked the air. The closer they got, the larger and brighter and larger the light became. That same light blinded them as they entered the ship.
+ Ark Mechanicus: Faber Ferracius +
The group did not know what to expect, and they all had differing thoughts on what it would be like to be inside this behemoth of a ship. Alien was the common idea they all shared, only that it would match with how the Imperials have shown themselves so far; from their designs, their war machines, their city, and even how their people dressed.
Would it be claustrophobic? Would it be be bigger on the inside? When will they see get the chance to touch and play with the nifty gadgets that must come being in a giant spaceship? Especially if the ship could practically transport entire fleets of APE's mobile cities.
The transition from the eerie almost serene, if busy calm of the station towards their ship was almost overwhelming. Like they were germs going about to invade the innards of a giant. Feared that they would be treated like an infection ready to be destroyed at first sight or bugs ready to be squashed under its ironclad boots.
The closer they neared, the louder the sound of industry traveled from the ship to the umbilical cord. So when they entered into the shadow of the Ark's bowels. Darkness was all that they could see. Darkness and the broiling thunder of the Ferracium's industrious body at work.
Dim lights silhouettes them in the near darkness, once the doors leading to the void closed behind them. At first it was muffled rumbling sounds, but then the noises grew louder the deeper they went unaware of the sheer thickness of the ship's armour that they traveled through.
Their trip through the darkness, was thankfully short with the resounding thud of the transport jostling from the claustrophobic and smothering blackness of the unseen. The doors opened, and Casten felt a sigh pass through him. For he has returned to what has been his home since Avalus's destruction. He can only imagine the state of the greater Imperium, he shudders for the worst and only hope that something good came out of such catastrophe. That was all they can do at the moment.
Once everyone has officially boarded the Faber Ferracium with their first steps pict-capture devices registered the party in their databanks, the tram resumed its duties and made the return trip back to procure more awaiting passengers.
Boots thumping against the metal floor, the Freeblade led them out of the passage that will take them into what is essentially the 'belly' of the ship. Where in this stomach of iron brass and incense, is where this mighty ship has produced countless armaments and numerous venerable Titans in its ten-thousand years of service where every name of its crew and their Titans is forever etched within its factory walls to eternally honor their deeds and memory. These names have gone far back as when the Emperor still walked among mortal men.
A shadowed city of gold and steel surrounded them from all sides; a temple of pistons and and plasma forge fire. It was dimly lit, light reflecting off the metallic surfaces like perpetual twilight. Banners of the Knight houses the hanging off palisades and walkways hung between the buildings. Their tram was moving as one of hundreds on separate tracks. Below them, above them, from every direction there was conveyors moving some manner of product, from stacks of ingots to weapon limbs and entirely new Knight walkers that hung from harnesses and clamps overhead.
From one section of the 'ground' a bow section of Defense Monitor starship was being built, along with what they could recognize as entire sections of buildings prefabricated for transport and assembly. Buildings that they had seen in the fortress on the planet below.
Zero-Two's gaze darted around everything, seeming to take interest in everything new she could see. Every banner, Aquila, sculpture, and painting sparked a childish glee in the pinkette. Her mood had quite literally an infectious effect on the young man whose hand she still held. In a way she had seen glimpses of this ship before but seeing and feeling it all around her was something else entirely.
Nana was first to speak to Casten, breaking the moment he was sharing with his partner. "So this was how you built the fortress so fast..."
"Yes, six months approximately." He nodded, watching as Zero-Two left his side to lean on the railing and look around.
Squad #13's caretaker gave an impressed hum and nodding with appreciation.. The woman stepped forwards to stand beside him, watching the children under her care with him. Like two guardians watching children play, only, one was very much the wrong age.
She looked to him. Noticing how how much bigger the Knight is compared to her. He wasn't quite as tall as Hachi, and the look on his face certainly would never belong to the emotionless plantation commander. When her moss green eyes met the Knight's Navy blue, their stare lingered; a moment that gave the two if not kinship, an understanding at least.
"Casten?" Goro asked. "What's that?"
The Freeblade looked to where the Stamen pointed. A tall building at the center emblazoned with the half-bionic skull of the Cult Mechanicus. "That is a temple of the Omnissiah. One of several on this ship."
"I thought you worshipped the Emperor?" Mitsuru pointed out.
Casten nodded. "The Emperor is not just the Master of Mankind. He is also the Master of Machines, the patron of the Mechanicus of Volund. The Omnissiah is just another name for him. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning as well as the end."
"Uh...Why does the track go into a wall?" Zorome nervously asked, interrupting Casten and his partner's exchange.
Casten turned to see wall of silvery Adamantine wall where all track seemed to end.
Miku immediately began to panic, holding her head between her hands in a vain attempt to brace herself. As if doing so would help her in any way if the tram smashed into the bulkhead at their velocity and the following fall hundreds of meters to the lower deck.
"We're gonna crash!" She cried, panic stricken.
Casten sighed. "Be at ease, we aren't. It would be unbecoming of the adepts to make such error."
Almost on cue, the 'wall' opened up to a dimly lit metal room. A pict scanner extending from the ceiling to stare at the group. After a moment of searching the lenses landed on Casten.
"Freeblade, Casten Zelius, destination locked: command sanctum. The Omnissiah knows all." It droned.
A series of loud mechanical clanks signaled that some internal mechanisms were moving things behind within the wall. It was switching tracks; rerouting them not unlike those of a train back on the Plantation. As the platform moved into the darkened elevator shaft the other parasites turned to face the Knight.
+ Later +
+ Faber Ferracius Command Deck +
"That elevator took forever…" Miku groaned, leaning against the elevator, trying to get some hideous black grease off the white of her cape after sharing space with a particularly oily drenched Enginseer the Freeblade called them.
"Do not spurn the blessings of the Omnissiah." Casten admonished. "That journey was a blissfully short ten kilometers."
"I don't think you have a say to whats 'short' by your standards." Miku grumbled. Annoyed and surrendered that the stain won't be coming off anytime soon. The smudge taunting her clothing with its inky color and will be a source of endless frustration.
Casten just grumbled back while muttering akin to 'spoiled philistines' under his breath. Zorome all the while snickered like a pesky rodent at Miku's expense, looking positively livid and would like nothing more than to throttle the monkey's grin off his face.
He led the group through the hallowed corridors, tall arching windows and doorways. Past Tarantula turrets mounted on the ceilings and servo skulls floating overhead wafting incense from a thurible chained to each of them. Chanting litanies and singing hymns from vox casters in low monotones to soothe the machine spirits within the the ship's ancient halls.
There was a haunting beauty to the hymns that were sang, but they found no comfort in them. If anything, it disturbed them. The could not understand a word of the verses, but to its people they mean something. It made them realize that the deeper they went the more out of depth they actually were. A testament to their tightfisted controlled and sheltered lifestyle, where they knew nothing else but their purpose.
"Here," the Freeblade said. "We have arrived."
Standing before them stood a massive armoured door. Their approach scrutinized by the ship's automated defense system and sentinel servitors. Whether for the sake of appropriation or personal taste, the wooden carvings on the door serves apropos to any would be invader: a pair of clockwork knights, their swords crossed, judging any before allowing them entry.
The parasites fidgeted with excitement, that they were going to meet this High Queen the Freeblade follows. The one that holds supreme command over this vessel. Nana fortunately... or unfortunately hid her discomfort well. Meeting superiors of foreign powers, she has no problem with that. The lingering throbbing that persisted in her head was not.
She might have an idea why this happened, but not exactly what triggered it. It was like waking up from a dream, one may experience something like a lifetime in a dream. Yet only able to remember flashes of them and not the whole picture.
"Keep steady." He said as he placed his gauntlet covered hand on Nana's shoulder, drawing her attention. "The High Queen is not of foul temper and quite amicable. There is nothing to be feared of her."
The caretaker nodded and smiled a pained look of thanks. A hololithic display in High Gothic flashed next to them as the biometric auger panel ejected a cable from its open panel. Pinching it, Casten attached the cable to the MIU implant behind his head.
Metallic rattles drowned out the sound of litanies and cants to the Omnissiah when the cogitator confirmed Casten's synaptic patterns and the encryption keys within his implant. Sanctified and reinforced adamantine bolts thundered through ancient locking mechanisms startling the Parasites in their places as the doors slowly parted with a moany creaking echo, urging them to enter.
The room inside was just as dimly lit as much of the bleak gothic architecture of the Imperium tended to be. Golden yellow light from Lumen globes on the ceiling being centered on three thrones. Arranged in a semicircle around the massive hololithic Strategium table. Banners of every House hung in great lengths from the wall. Even the black, gold and silver of Casten's own fallen House Zelius.
Twin grey robes shifted their attention to the interlopers disturbing them. One shifting his form, revealing a brutish hulk of augments, artificial musculature and bionics. The other tall, but was draped in a mass of black spindly cables with multiple metallic the center of this cadre, lies the only pure human form of the small cadre present in the room. Tall and fair of skin. Her emerald green eyes piercing as the light that glinted off her gold circlet crown and the rich fabric of her long flowing blue dress. The same dress that she wore when they all escaped the doom of Avalus.
Casten took a step forwards and folded one hand into a wing of the Aquila and the other into half the Cog Mechanicus. Bowing his head respectfully to the three figures of authority.
"High Queen Artra, Fabricator-Locum Elias, Shipmaster Zetros. By the Emperor's grace, I have answered your summons." He greeted, falling back into familiar court mannerisms. "I present to you my guests and current companions in our holy endeavor."
Zorome exuberant raised his arm to greet them"Yo! I am Zorome the grea-OW!"
He held his eye in pain as his left vision stung by a blast of green light, a teardrop threatening to spill as Miku held on to his shoulder.
"Hey! You jerk!" She yelled at the brutish mass of metal.
The hulking Fabricator-Locum stomped his metal foot hard onto the floor silencing their protest in their throats. Immediately extinguishing any retort or insult she may have had.
Shipmaster Zetros' interjected with a growl like chainsword, his vox-caster amplifying his volume that betrayed his skeletal form. "You dare speak out of turn whelps? The queen has not given you permission to speak!"
Miku watched as Zorome was cowed into silence and looked to their caretaker for support. Sadly they found none of that. She just stoically stared straight ahead, not breaking eye contact with Artra the moment they stepped past the doors. Arta also did the same.
An unspoken conversation flashed between them and Artra smiled. She approved of whatever earned her favour; no one in the room besides those two will ever know. An approval that let Nana's previous tension in her shoulders leave her and back to a more sedate stance.
Arta raised her hand to calm the captain before she spoke to the assembled guests "Proceed."
Nana made her own bow, albeit with her hands at her sides. "High Queen Artra, my name is Nana of Plantation #13. The official caretaker to Squad 13 Parasites Plantation corps. We are honored to be in your audience."
Satisfied with the formalities and greetings Artra released the tension as proper introductions have been established. "At ease, everyone."
She looked to the boy still rubbing tears from his eyes. "I apologize for the honoured Facricator-Locum's candour, he means well and assumed you are aware of proper conduct when addressing someone of higher station."
"We apologize for our rudeness, and we will not repeat it your Majesty." Nana apologized, bowing low.
"Think nothing of it-" Artra paused. "I'm sorry but do you not have surnames?"
"No , High Queen, we don't."
Artra put a hand on her chin contemplating such reasoning "How curious." She waved it off, unimportant for now. "I welcome you to our sacred vessel, may it serve us well in the restoration of humanity's glory here as it has served elsewhere throughout the millennia."
Nana bowed once more. Off to the side, Casten, nodded approvingly at how Nana was carrying herself. If he were honest, amazed even at how well she is doing despite her previous affliction.
"Defenders of your realm. you may present yourselves." Artra beckoned them to stand beside Casten and their caretaker.
The Parasites followed and mimicked the best they could from Nana's lead. Each introduction the parasites made carried their characters with them. At the end of their introductions, Artra was satisfied. She processed and committed their names to memory before continuing to discuss their reason being here.
"As you all know you are invited here on behalf of not just the construction of our fortress, but to celebrate your finding of humanity once lost to the stars, reunited once more under the Emperor's light." Artra cast her hand out in a wave. "This gala serves not just for merrymaking but also cementing the honour of our cooperation. As you have so graciously hosted our Freeblade, we extend the same courtesy to let us host you for the duration of your time here. Before you continue your crusade to purge the xenos from your planet."
She rose from her throne her shadow highlighting the illusion of her regal bloodline as she is joined by her equals. "You will be provided quarters as honored guests and you may explore the ship to your heart's content."
Nana nodded and accepted with thanks. Catching the underlying meaning that while they may do as they please, they must be on their best behavior and not overstep their boundaries.
"Are there any terms of this arrangement you wish to address?" The High Queen asked.
Nana of course had none, and was satisfied with the arrangement. Someone however, spoke up before she could deliver. "I do, your Majesty."
Mitsuru stood silent even after he introduced himself and raised his hand out of habit to ask his question, hoping that the Imperium shared similar gestures.
"Speak then." She urged him
"Does this ship have a library?"
Artra smiled. "We certainly do, and extensively so. I can confidently say"
Mitsuru was satisfied that there was such a place and he really wanted to know more about the Imperium's history and the heritage of humanity's long hidden history.
Artra gestured to Zetros to aid in Mitsuru's request. He dragged his cabled body himself over to the young pilot and loomed over him like a specter. Mitsuru stared back at the living mechanical mayhem and hid well the nervousness and fear he was actually feeling. His fingers pinching the palm of his hands hidden from view to stop his legs from shaking at such a visage.
Zetros eventually relented, and pulled back. Reigned his posture to cloak himself in his thick grey robe; now he stood tall and is indistinguishable to how an ordinary man might look from the outside. While it did no favors since everyone present now knew what he looked like beneath the garb, it did lessen the image of his seemingly inhuman form.
A pair of metallic hands extended from the robes, and formed the Cog Mechanicus when he bowed. Mitsuru followed the bow hoping not to offend the Shipmaster "May the Omnissiah gift you with the knowledge you seek, and bless me with knowledge gifted in return"
Mitsuru was at a loss how to reply, but the words left his mouth before he could think "Uh... right."
Zetros nodded appreciatively "Now. Young seeker, as my body is tied to this blessed vessel. I always know where you all are, our servo skulls will guide you to your destinations and back."
Zero-Two watched the two and decided to chip in piggybacking on Mitsuru's request and raised her hand looking at the queen.
Artra looked over at her and out of reflex curiously glance at her horns before looking back at the pinkette's eyes.
"Yes Zero-Two?" She asked
"Do you have any picture books?" Nana shot a glance in her direction but she ignored it, in favor keeping her eyes on Artra for her answer.
Artra curiously raised a brow and wondered at such an odd request. Her mind processed quickly at the seemingly benign question as she rapidly deduced that her request was not in the same vein as Mitsuru who wished to read tomes.
Picture. Book. Picture Book? A tome with only picts? Or rather more sensibly a tome primarily with images that can tell a tale. Then if that's the case then sadly she was in for disappointment.
For such books have been abandoned to the Warp in favor of rescuing of the irreplaceable archives of the Imperium and Avalus's long history than children's pict tomes.
"I am sorry, we do not have those." She apologized and saw the bitterness well in her eyes. Artra takes note of it to and files her away to be watched. A glance to the side saw that Casten silently apologized with his eyes, and she dismissed it though she did.
As much as she wants to entertain herself with the new guests she has humored long enough, she still had her duties before the day is done.
"I must apologize for my abruptness, but I have taken too much of my time already, and I have matters that need my attention. You are all free to explore the ship with your caretaker while we have words with our Freeblade." Artra nodded to Zetros, prompting him to unseal the chamber door to let them out.
"Eeeh~ but we've only been here for a few minutes." Futoshi moaned as Kokoro shared the sentiment, saddened that they didn't get a chance to ask. Goro looked nervously between them, and the hulking mass of metal of the Fabricator who the former failed to notice giving the pair friend a scathing look at such disrespect.
The parasites looked to their companion knight curiously but said nothing, chalking it up to some Imperial business. Zero-Two however lingered, meeting Casten's gaze as they exchanged a moment. Finally, the Knight gave his partner's hand a gentle squeeze.
"Go ahead. I'll find you when matters are concluded here." He said, convincing her to leave with the others.
As he watched her back disappear behind the closing doors, Casten's attention returned to his superiors. "I suppose things are not well as they appear to be?"
His former charge nodded, features turning grim. "You speak rightly, my friend. The past few months have improved our situation, but it is still precarious."
She pointed to the Strategium table as Zetros brought up several hololithic graphs along with a planetary map of the system. It wasn't good.
"As you can see," Facricator-Locum Erias continued, with a thought new images displayed. "The system we are in is completely surrounded by the storms of the immaterium. We can neither send nor receive messages from our Astropathic choirs, thus we have put them into stasis pods to for now."
A number of icons appeared as the hololith projection zoomed closer to the system. Several Cog Mechanicus within the rings of a nearby gas giant. Icons of the heraldry of each knight house across their planet and the Imperial Aquila above the Omnis Bastion. Artra spoke next, gesturing to the many icons.
"Our forces are stretched thin. Knights of all houses have been forced to take long term missions far below recommended periods for resupply in support of the Explorator and survey teams. Fending off the Klaxosaur Xenos has proven an… interesting endeavour."
Casten agreed. "Magos Biologis Marik has said as much. In his observations he noted me that this Xenos breed seems to follow a strange evolutionary route. One seemingly not bound to any natural process."
"That, while curious, is currently the least of our concerns." The High Queen drawled.
The Freeblade cast her a puzzled expression. One that she happily obliged him.
"The local rulers… A.P.E, have been difficult. The miserable schemers have oh so kindly…" she emphasized it with very thick sarcasm "-rejected any aid or even anything that we could offer their people. Our pursuit to reintegrate them into the Imperium has either been met with rejection, silence, or keeping the door closed."
That was troubling, more than he wanted to admit. If that's the case then he truly feared what grand plot A.P.E means to achieve if he and his fellows were allowed only on Plantation #13. It left a cold feeling in his stomach; like he was holding onto a krak grenade about to off at the slightest twitch.
"Do You think conflict is imminent?" He said, giving voice to the dreadful thoughts.
Artra raised an open hand to stop him from jumping to the conclusion they all feared. "Immediately? Of course not. The likelihood for the matter is however a foregone conclusion unless something is changed. We know not of their agenda if it was simply exterminating the xenos..."
"If I may," Elias raised a thick metal finger. With a nod from the High Queen, the Fabricator-Locum shifted the hololith projection to a graph. "I calculate the possibility at 63% based on the Imperium's previous dealings with similarly advanced branches of humanity. Thus, while you remain our only line of direct contact, the High Queen has deemed it prudent to prepare you with the blessings of the Omnissiah for every eventuality."
A series of whirring clanks echoed. Unseen mechanisms within the walls, Locum gestured for them to step inside the hidden chamber, before the dim lumen globes helped illuminate the arms that were stored inside. All fit for any personal combat should the need arise; there was even a set of rings in an fine plasteel box that Casten would bet his chainsword were digital weaponry. An impressive hidden armory. They all stopped at a series of black boxes each with a different numeral with Locum scrolling through each one at a leisurely pace.
"Ahhh lets see number V, number X...Ah! Here it is number XIII." The Locum hovered his palm over the cog mechanicus, before it started to split open to reveal its contents. "I do hope that you and the machine spirit within will be appeased. For the Omnissiah has truly blessed me in aiding its recovery."
Mounted upon a stand; he stared into the glowing red eye slits of the Barbute visored helm. Unlike his current set, which was a basic set which protected only his lower limbs and body that he had worn since training. This covered the wearer's entire body, and so resembled the signature armor of his fallen house...
"Emperor above…" He whispered, awe evident in his voice.
Thrice blessed plates of overlapping Armaplas over a black bodysuit. The spinal column featuring additional support hydraulics under the scale-like plates. A sliding plate behind the helm covered the MIU port and spinal connector. Yet it was not just the strength of plate; the armour was one of faith; a trio of purity seals hung from the plate. The pair upon his right pauldron bore the waxen seals of the Questor Imperialis and Mechanicus. On the chest lay the a plate bearing the seal of the Laurels Fidelis; the symbol of Freeblades.
Painted in the metallic black of House Zelius bordered in rims of silver. A golden gorget shaped in the spread wings of the Aquila protected the neck and a black tabard covered its lower abdominal; on it, the embroidered icon of House Zelius, a golden weighing scale balanced on the tip of a silver blade upon a field of black. The golden laurel surrounding the sigil was new, however, marking his status as an Errant out.
He took a step closer to the stand, running his fingers across the gorget. A gentle, almost imperceptible hum traveled up his fingertips. He knew what this meant. The armoured collar had a refractor field built into it, designed to plug into his MIU, powered by the excess energy of his bionic implant. A rare feature that could only mean one thing; he was expected to be in danger.
Artra gave him a smile. "My predecessors have always been prudent to always be guarded no matter what."
She took a step back to pierce him him a lion like strength that invigorated his spirit and immediately drop to a knee.
"I order you, Freeblade Casten Zelius to continue with your duties into securing our place in the Plantation."
The young Knight immediately drew his sword. The flat casing resting against his chest as he grasped the handle in both hands. "Your will shall be as if it were the Emperor commanded me."
Artra snickered at such zeal. Remembering their family's admirable if sometime hassling quirk of loyalty. "Careful Casten, that is grounds for heresy."
Just as he was about leave, a thought crossed through his mind. "Though I have a… request. If I may." Casten began, sparking the Queen's curiosity. The boy she grew up with never asked for anything in his duty.
She nodded. "Speak."
"The reliquary of my House, I wish make use of one of its contents. With the Fabricator Locum's permission." He said, looking up to Erias.
Running the young man's speech pattern through his behavioural cogitator, he detected unusual stress patterns in his voice. Though calculated no harm in it. "Permission granted, Freeblade."
The two clockwork Knights crossed their swords behind him with a mechanical whirr and the slamming of its internal bolts, sealing the command sanctum once more. Casten was pleasantly surprised to see his Sacristan waiting for him outside.
"Well met, Sir Casten." She greeted.
She sported some new mechadendrites, waving her new bionic tendrils in place of her main metal hands.
The Freeblade nodded back, slipping his new helm, lowering the visor with a hiss. Immediately rudimentary display flashed to life. The feeling of the helm's interface plug jacking into his MIU port triggered a taste of copper in his mouth and his sight began to tint red, activation runes calibrating to its wearer. Diagnostic feeds on the armor and his life support systems were green, and the machine spirit willing.
"How long were you waiting out here?" He asked
"Enough." the vague answer did little to assuage him. That did not stop him from noticing the new additions to his Sacristan.
"I deemed it prudent to return to my forge and reacquire my tools if odds are the times of harrowing are upon us." She emphasized with clanking snaps of the two mechadendrites on her power pack
"If the Machine God wills it, then I deemed it necessary that I need all the hands I could spare." She emphasized the black mass of coils that slithered like snakes with each end tipped with a variety of esoteric tool wares.
Shrugging at his longtime aide's reasoning, he muttered the litany of activation and awakening to appease his new armour's machine spirit. He heard Brigid recite it with him in the language of the Machine cult. It was strange. Walking with her, complete silence other than the drone of prayers from passing servo skulls and their own footsteps echoing down the ancient stone halls.
"Brigid?" Casten started, gaining her attention. "Your name, I find it, how do I put this...uncommon. It does not resemblance or familiarity to the nomenclature to the scions of Mars."
She paused, turning her head to look at him as they walked. "What brought this about Sir?" she replied nonplussed by his sudden desire.
"I would like to know more about the woman that chose to stay by a Houseless knight." He shrugged. "Would make a good tale to tell one day."
She scoffed. "You were always too fond of the tales that the Grand Master Aidan spun."
"It is tales that inspire others to great action and faith." Casten smiled under the helmet's visor. "He always said that- Wait… how did you know?"
Brigid looked forwards blankly. Seemingly to reminisce; though Casten knew roughly that what she was actually doing: retrieving memory files from an internal cogitator bank. Because of this most Techpriests had perfect recollection of events, without the vulnerability of the flesh-brain misremembering details and rotting with time.
"If you wish to be indulged." She paused "Once upon a time, I was the daughter of the Gotha family."
Casten's eyes widened and his head snapped to stare at her. "Gotha? The Gotha? You mean the nobility of the Voidfarer's council?" He exclaimed.
"Yes" she answered "Surprised?"
For certain, his mind was thrown aspun at such news. "That would be an understatement."
They were the premier council whose members managed the commercial trade affairs with the wider Imperium. Isolated as their once home system was; their services granted them considerable compensation for the risks. For Brigid to have once been a daughter of one of the major noble families was… incomprehensible, to say the least.
"Yes." She repeated, stretching the singular answer. "Brigid Gotha... Daughter to Lord Heinrich Gotha and Lady Vivian Gotha." She sighed wistfully. "Has it been that long…?"
He kept his silence to the rhetoric. Their steps echo the halls, their destination now put into the background. Her voice dominating all other sounds while he listened.
"I was as you would expect of a noble of the Voidfarers. I was born into a rare and miniscule few who could live in comfort, be educated, and most importantly in this cruel galaxy..." She caressed the hall with the hand that had her still human fingers, seeing herself in her mind's eye the flesh of her strong yet aged fingertips could physically feel the ship's beating heart.
"I was loved."
Casten dared not believe what he was seeing. Despite the hardware that would make her look like a mechanical facsimile of a young woman; her humanity shone through with a light that gleamed in her eyes and the smile she radiated completely turned her a different person. She looked...dazzling.
Also, apparently he has a penchant for older women he did not know possible.
Sadly that brief moment of Brigit Gotha resurfacing to enchant the Freeblade, returned to the familiar stoicness of Brigid his longtime pulled her hand back from the wall before it was once again concealed in her robes.
"We, or perhaps more accurately... I, had everything that I could ever ask for." She replayed the memories with perfect clarity "So long as I was faithful to the Emperor and my family paid their tithes, there was no doubt that I would succeed to continue the legacy that I would be stationed."
"I have long since learned that there are unfortunate souls who do not even have the option for choice and abandoned to monotony. Forever shackled to their one duty and never have the satisfaction of even being given a choice" She looked back "Apologies sir, I must sound ungrateful and came off arrogant. Demeaning those who work tirelessly for the greater Imperium."
Casten ignored it and just waved his hand to urge her to continue.
"Suffice to say, as I was being groomed into my position where even at a young age I have unofficially replaced my father as the acting head of the administration whilst he still handled the more physical and diplomatic nature of the office."
She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes filled with wonder, looking at the tiny murals carved into the roof to form an extravagant portrait hanging over them as if they could see the heavens.
"Do you know what happened to me Sir?"
The knight shook his head. "Enlighten me."
Her head returned to face forward.
"I was...unfulfilled." She answered, ignoring his confusion to give clarity to her predicament.
"I was fully aware that I am capable. That I was strong of mind body and cunning to be the heir. To take the seat that I was born and raised my whole life to do in the greater Imperium. Yet the more time it has passed, the flame of my youth faded, maturity set in giving me clearer eyes, before disdain took root and threatened to smother me in the feeling of my inadequate place in life."
With the speed of thought, she replaced the memory of her time of malaise and switched it to the most important memory where it signified the end of Brigid Gotha. Replaying the recorded memory within her bionic eye.
"It was twenty years, five months and sixteen days ago. I remembered when one of the many houses of Knights returned home to Avalus, parading their scars, their trophies. The thought sickened me at the barbarism of it. As if having scars is a sign of ones immortality, it takes only one, just one oversight and that it will be all it takes for their destruction." She eyed him critically "Take heed, for that extends to you as well even if you try to deny it, or think you don't. You, and most other knights I have met in my long life often have such problems"
The Freeblade at first felt insulted, by the criticism, and attempted a rebuttal.
Except that even on a subconscious level. She was right. He looked back on his experience with Plantation as a recent example of her input, and realized how eerie the accuracy of her analysis. Where he tried to enforce his sense of duty as a knight to the Parasites, he also came off arrogant believing that his pain and training puts himself above them. Maybe as fighters, but not as people. He suddenly felt ill, and intended to make plans to rectify his early behavior.
Brigid continued her tale.
"As a noble, or perhaps the way of thinking I was bred into, I saw the knights as magnificent defenders and not much else. They were giant hunks of metal that our warriors takes to the battle and let the Tech-priest hem and haw to their heart's content."
The image switched to one of many Avalus's age old festivities, where the nobles of Avalus sang and dance for another victory tally to the Emperor dedicated to their knights.
"The party I attended celebrated our knights in defense against a tendril of Hive Fleet Behemoth. A long time nemesis for the sons of Maccrage. Where they had the opportunity to pray to the enshrined body of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself before returning home to tell their accolades. Supporting The Emperor's own angels of death and made vows that should Maccrage calls for their aid Avalus will answer. So of course you can imagine that was something worth celebrating over."
Casten nodded, his grandfather told him that story "I remember that tale, House Gowain led the charge to destroy a Tyranid Bio-Titan that infested an Imperial colonized Agri-world. Twenty knights and a Reaver, were all that stood between the xeno and the colony, while the Ultramarines commenced a deep strike operation against the Hive-Tyrant."
"Very astute Sir" She praised "I was dulled to put it mercifully as while not all parties were the same, I have come to see these affairs as something that-" her tendril finger twirled trying to find the right words.
"-Oh… What was it that I want to say…repetitive. Let's go with that shall we?"
He nodded, fascinated by the Sacristan before him. A side of her that he never even bothered to know about before.
"If it's not mingling, I eat. If it's not eating, I drink." Spoke in an electronic monotone. "Fortunately, while I had my fair share of rivals it never escalated to the point my life was at risk. The irony is humorous is it not that I am now in a situation even more precarious than before isnt it Freeblade?"
"Definitely, though it is not exactly a comforting thought, it is as you say." He answered "So, I assume now we reach the point where things changed for you?"
"Quite" She took a breath, drinking deep from both her flesh and mechanical lungs.
"My boredom eventually got hold and with a flimsy excuse I vacated from the celebrations, I simply just started wandering around House Gowain's estate. My thoughts taking in the simple pleasures of going where I am not supposed to, of course I got myself lost not heeding to where I was going and let my fate take me until I eventually reached the holding area for Gowain's Knights."
Brigit Gotha once again resurfaced to give him a cheshire smile.
"I snuck inside to see our magnanimous protectors for myself."
Casten looked at her incredulously."How have you not been lobotomized into a servitor? I can't imagine the Tech-Priests taking kindly to your tresspassing."
The childish wonder of Brigit Gotha slowly faded away and the mournful saddened face of Sacristan Brigit returned. It was disheartening to Casten. She gave him sad smile that just made his heart wrench even further.
"Because in that room, they discovered that I was too valuable"
"The Tech-Priests?" Casten asked.
"No." shaking her head "The Knights."
Surprise came flooding over Casten. Did she mean what he thinks she meant?
"So I went inside I found them unguarded, I did not understand, nor did I take heed of the consequences of my actions." She laughed to herself at her favorite image "I looked upon the Knight that belonged Solaire Gowain, easily the mightiest and stood taller than all the other Knights. I wanted to know how strong they were, and kicked the side of its legs with as much force I could muster."
She once again laughed imagining how she must have looked like holding her foot in pain cursing the Knight and prayed that the Emperor orders it sent to the scrap pile.
Casten while not sharing her in laughter was more enraptured by this side of his Sacristan. Amazement held too strong a grip for the Freeblade.
"After some tears, and a tender foot later, I started circling the bloody thing. I did not know why but my curiosity did not leave, and I thought I was going mad, but I could swear that it looked at me, and found amusement. I honestly thought that my mind was affray back then."
"I was torn between caution and intrigue. I wanted to leave as my fears grew. Then I stopped, and looked back. I could feel it judging me and I felt it insulting me. Crazy or not as the Emperor as my witness, I will not let some glorified statue scare me."
She fast forward the pict-capture of her taking the long way around the steps to stand around the gantry of said Knight; Bellator Sol was its name. She saw herself touching the name emblazoned in gold and wreaths in honor of Terra. She remembered the sensations of the simple contact. Where they more she stayed, and the more willingly she listened. She started to feel a sense of kinship to the machine. She did not understand it herself back then, but as she listened to Bellator Sol, Bellator Sol listened back to her.
"The longer I stayed, the longer I didn't want to leave. The Knight taught me in ways I did not think possible. Then it happened."
Casten leaned in not wanting to miss a single detail.
"The Knight; Bellator Sol opened its throne to me" she revealed to him "At first I was confused, and thought it wanted me to pilot. But that was impossible since I do not belong nor have the implants. Still I went inside and sat on the throne. I sat in silence for ten minutes, I did nothing but sit, breathe, think and most importantly, listened."
"I realized then that it is not asking me to pilot, but requesting me to give him aid," she stared into the distance at the turning point that lead her to where she is now. "I touched and moved things that I did not understand. Cables, knobs and plugs that looked identical to each other, yet I knew what each one does. The night soon became lost to me while I spent the knight tending to its wounds and covered my myself in the grime of its fluids."
She closed as tears flowed out of her still human eyes. She knew right then and there, the moment she stepped inside and sat on the throne, a revelation came to her. She found her calling, and the Emperor commands her to take it.
"Eventually, dawn came and I awoke to the sound of shouting, and a sword right in my face." she scratched her nose in reflex recalling that and was worried for a moment that it would scar her visage. "I saw Solaire Gowain and the Sacristan accusing me for trespassing, which of course was true, surrounded by their guards. I feared for my life; prayed that my fate be merciful. The Head commanded his guards to escort me to his prison quarters and the Sacristan approaching me to personally handle it.
"But then…" She folded her fingers and bionics to her chest half forming the aquila and the cog mechnanicus. "Praise the Emperor. Praise the Omnissiah. He granted me a miracle."
Casten felt excitement and wonder, a feeling he thought long lost with his home and grandfather. He felt like a young boy again.
"Bellator Sol raised his fist and swatted the guards that threatened to impale me, and he held me gently in its grip. He and the rest of unmanned knights looked at me. Assuring me that all will be well."
She cut the feed, ending the memory as she finished the story that changed her life.
"The incident was contained, the guards were critically injured, but otherwise still able to return to service. The Sacristan and Solaire knew right then and there that I was of great value to the Machine God."
She looked down at her feet, suddenly interested in the sound of their tapping feet to mitigate the painful events that followed afterwards.
"Afterwards I beseeched the Sacristan to teach me his ways. I swore the oath, and reaffirmed my loyalty to Mars, to Holy Terra, to the Emperor, to the Omnissiah."
She felt a shudder pass and realized in her heart that was the extent she was willing to gift Sir Casten about herself.
"News of this did not go well of course…" She stopped. "And the rest is history."
Casten lifted his visor and smiled at her. "My thanks for regalling your tale."
She bowed gracefully, honored that he listened to her story. Better yet, took interest, and gained something from it. Knowledge was shared, thus knowledge was gained and now knowledge will be kept. Her duty has been fulfilled, there was nothing more that she could have asked of him. The Freeblade pushed the visor back into place as they arrived before a massive circular vault door of Adamantine bearing the sigil of House Zelius.
"Excuse me," Casten said. "There are things I must retrieve."
+ Later+
+ Ark Mechanicus: Faber Ferracius +
+ Legio Titanus Repair Deck +
Zero-Two closed her eyes, arms held out across as she balanced upon the support cable that held up the, blackened, twisted remains of a massive cannon. Hundreds of meters in the air with her pink hair flowing with the breeze generated by the massive ventilator fans on the walls.
She opened her eyes to see the exasperated workers upon the scaffold. Yelling, pleading and hollering for her to come to them. She couldn't hear them well. Distance and the artificial wind whipping around her made sure of that. Yet she could just about make out what they were saying. That it was dangerous. That she had so much to live for.
Did she really?
With a mischievous grin, the Pistil put her weight down and sprung from the cable. Leaping through the air and covering a distance that no human should be able to jump in a single bound. She landed perfectly upon the surface she had aimed for, the head of a Warlord Battle Titan.
It amazed her. Looking out into the repair yards where five giants stood in various states of catastrophic damage. The smaller ones had limbs torn off or twisted. All had holes in their meters' thick adamantine armour.
Courtesy of her darling, Zero-Two was well aware of Titans are. The greatest of the Imperium's planet-bound weapons. Ancient walkers of immense power, the very embodiment of the Omnissiah's might!
...Whatever that meant. The pinkette didn't know the machine's name nor the names of its smaller brethren that stood in their own alcoves. Just that looking by at their twisted, mangled, and melted forms. It was clear none of them would be fighting for the Imperium anytime soon.
To her, endless the gantries, scaffolds, cables and cranes that allowed people to swarm the giants was a playground. Her new playground! She weaved and flipped between praying Techpriests, workers engaging in busied frenzy, and automated waldoes that worked on the damaged war machines. Some worked tirelessly to plasma cut and weld temporary patches that taken abuse from enemy firepower. Others attended to the spiritual rites, chanting cants of devotion and litanies of healing to ease the pain of their wounded God Machines.
Some were too busy to bother with her presence. Others tried to stop her. None could catch her.
Now, however, she stood atop the head of the Warlord that overlooked the city interior of the Faber Ferracius. Where all could see the God-Machines and stand in awe of them. She could feel the atmosphere of this place, full of life.
Zero-Two stared out at the city. It was so different from the plantations. APE and its people could preach all they want about humanity's survival and superiority to the humans of old. But she saw those wretched places for what they truly were. Mobile tombs of cadavers filled with liars and meat vaults. She grew up around the wretched people that couldn't be called the humans like in her picture book. So when she snatched up darling since he stood out so differently she knew that she found something interesting.
This ship, they shared the same qualities to the plantation in hindsight, but this place was much, much more.. There were some things she didn't like though; it was always noisy for one, the air here was thick in how recycled it was, it was too hot in some places, too cold in others, and sometimes there were so many people in one space, she was bound to get bumped into someone.
Yet she would rather have all of that and more if she could live here with her darling instead of the horrid clean, empty, and lifeless silence that the plantations called shelters. Because that's what they have always been as far long as she could remember. Plantations, where the humans are nothing but plants to be plucked and harvested.
She watched the city within the Faber Ferracius and its people. Between the manufactorum producing all kind of wargear and supplies; there were people.
She watched a pair of men wrestling surrounded by shouting people. She watched a young man in a white robe follow a lady Tech-priest who was busy tutoring him in the rites of the Omnissiah. She watched as a mountainous man and equally physically intimidating woman guzzling down tankards of a drink she did not recognize, ending with the man falling over knocked out to the floor while the woman roared and everyone cheered for her victory where some grumbled few giving away coins to the smug looking smiling ones. She watched as a man and woman disassembled a lasgun in front of a small cluster of children and the kids paying with rapt attention.
This was it, these were the humans that she imagined would be like in her pretty thing. This is her darling's people. People that smiled, people that didn't hide their faces behind masks, people that argued over things big or small, people that prayed together to the one darling calls The God-Emperor of Mankind.
These people, are human.
This was all that she could be able to think about, during this while unconsciously rubbing a finger on one of horns.