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Chapter 15: Our enemies bring us together

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Part 5

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Victory Bay

Kronus

The moment of hesitation cost Katarinya dearly. An abomination moved in front of the traitorous Commissar, shielding him. She gritted her teeth, cursing herself for allowing such weakness to creep within her! She should have shot him already! That way at least she would have rid the galaxy of one more traitor, even if it was the last thing she did!

Because right now? When abominations and traitors surrounded them on all sides? The absolute best they could achieve would be suicide, and the abominations weren't merciful enough to let them die!

"Charles, I need answers, now. What little patience I had left is now an exhausted resource." The Daemon hissed.

"This is Inquisitor Greyfax. Apparently, I'm a traitor now for working with aliens and upholding the alliance you brokered, sir." The traitor answered promptly. "By all accounts, the Lady Inquisitor has been a captive of the entity that assaulted us in an attempt to kidnap Selene. There are indications that she and her retinue are compromised. Despite the way they appeared and possessing many reasons to consider the Necrons hostile, they didn't fire a shot."

"Ah, hypocrisy, mental subversion, or plain stupidity, which is it, I wonder?" The Daemon taunted.

"That's interesting." One of the abominations declared. "I'm detecting Mind-shackle scarabs in them. Further, my scanners are highlighting an anomaly with the woman. She bears traces of long-term stasis technology exposure, much longer than the rest. They've been exposed for about four to five centuries. Without more invasive scans or specialized scanners, I'll have to guess. She's been in stasis for about nine thousand of your years, with an error margin of ten percent." The abomination lied. "There are anomalies, she might have been released for short periods before being frozen again."

"Inquisitor Greyfax, I'm Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos. Even without the input by Herald of Victory, the way you arrived at Kronus puts your mental integrity in question. I'm compelled to request your surrender for medical examination and interrogation. If you don't comply, we'll have to subdue you."

"Preferably non-lethally, That thief caused enough chaos. We'll be doing him a favor if we kill each other while he is running away." The Daemon wanted them alive to torture them. Typical.

"Inquisitor, I request you stand down." The Astartes demanded as well.

Katarinya's arm shook, while impotent rage made her see red. She wasn't compromised! Her mind was the only thing that abomination hadn't destroyed! She put everything she had into pressing the trigger while aiming at the face of the Xeno shielding the traitorous Commissar.

Her flesh betrayed her! Was this the Daemon's influence or the abominations'?

"Inquisitor, we can't shoot at them! We're trying!" Her chief bodyguard whispered, distress and hatred coloring his usually stoic voice.

The obvious conclusion crashed over Katarinya. She was compromised. They all were. The only question was by whom, but it didn't matter now.

"There is only one way left for us, Sergeant. We live and die for the Imperium." In one quick motion, Greyfax pressed the barrel of her bolter under her chin. The Astartes were already moving, but they wouldn't make it in time. Her finger caressed the trigger once again, and to her immense frustration and fear, she couldn't pull it!

The Blood Raven was upon her then, and her world became an approaching red fist, before winking out.


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"This happened," Veil grunted. "Seriously, fuck my luck. Now, Charles, please go retrieve Karom from where you and Scipio stashed him. He might be unable to keep his mouth shut to save his life, but he still is the best Magos Biologis we have left. Consult with Scipio and get us whoever else among his boys and girls have experience with mind control devices and have them report to where you'll put the prisoners."

Amarkun observed the unfolding situation with interest. At the same time, he gleefully dedicated a part of his awareness to watch again and again a recording of recent events. The Pariah child hitting the Thief on the fingers when he tried to steal her, was deliciously ironic, not to mention glorious. The little Pariah deserved a gift for that alone. And a permanent security detail. While unlikely, they might just catch Trazyn while trying to take her again. At worst, they might be able to keep foiling him, which would be its own reward. If the Thief managed to get the Pariah anyway, then Amarkun knew how Veil would react. He was sure that Inquisitor Veil would do his best to deploy as many Human forces for a raid on Solemnace as he could arrange.

That was a win-win situation, no matter how you looked at it. The recording of a primitive child foiling Trazyn with a melee weapon was going to be priceless!

This was a very good day, despite the Thief's appearance.

The only downside was that now they had to offer even more concessions to the Humans. All because that never sufficiently damned thieving wretch took the Necron's honor, stabbed it in the back, shot it in public then landed a Monolith on it! At least watching Trazyn's fingers shatter was kind of soothing. It was really nice all things considered!

A brief exchange with Herald of Victory ensured they were on the same page as far as the Pariah was concerned. Now it was time to continue the negotiations and begin repairing the damage the thief caused.

"We're ready to provide Cryptek support in removing the Mind-shackle scarabs from your fellow Humans as well as find out any present mental conditioning and reverse it." Herald of Victory said.

"I'm sure Magos Biologis Karom-Beta-31 and the other Medicaes will appreciate the offer." Veil said. "They'd better." He added quietly.

Amarkun found himself agreeing with the Human.

"Further, because of this kidnapping attempt, we're ready to provide a permanent security detail for the Pariah Child Selene. They'll attempt to capture or neutralize the Thief Trazyn when he makes another attempt to steal her."

The odd energy readings surrounding Inquisitor Veil spiked, and the golden glow surrounding him became almost blinding for a few moments before subduing. It was an interesting phenomenon, one which revealed that their sensors needed a bit more hardening and calibration against trans-dimensional energies.

"I can provisionally agree to such an arrangement. We'll have to discuss the details later." Veil kept proving he was surprisingly wise for a primitive.

"On a related note, there is a standard offer of a reward to anyone confirmed preventing the Thief Trazyn from conducting another successful robbery." Amarkun continued. "Through her actions, the Pariah child Selene earned herself one such reward. We'll offer appropriate compensation as soon as feasible." That should win back some goodwill surely. And there were indeed many standing rewards aimed at foiling Trazyn, even if they weren't appropriate in this case.

"I'm certain Selene would appreciate a gift or two." Veil bargained well.

"I'll see it to it that Inquisitor Greyfax and her retinue are properly secured." Inquisitor Vail came back to their group. "I propose we continue negotiations later this evening after tempers cool down, and we've taken a proper stock of the situation. Besides, we do need time to consider your generous proposals."

"What she said." Veil agreed.

"That is acceptable. I'll have Cryptek Zaa of Tomorrow available for consultation."

"I'll have my best Crypteks ready to assist a well. Foiling Trazyn is its own reward!" Herald of Victory added.


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Part 6

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There was one dubious benefit to incarceration. It left you in peace and quiet to run simulations on the topics that interested you. While not as good as actual hands-on research, it wasn't like Karom had the free time for that. There were too many busy-bodies around, not to mention, all the people who got themselves torn up and someone, like him, had to put back together. That at least wasn't that bad. There were so many interesting wounds and other assorted injuries caused by exotic alien weaponry, radiation, toxins… Combat and its aftermath could be precious sources of data. And when you were one of the persons putting the Guards back together, they tended to appreciate it and do more than usual to keep you alive.

That was as good a deal someone like him could get these days. Such arrangements had saved him before, and imprisonment notwithstanding saved him again. Karom doubted that if he hadn't been vital to patching the Inquisitor up, Veil would have been merely content to leave him to his own devices. Instead, he might have had Karom shot when the Magos tried to share what he learned.

The typical arrangement proved useful once again. Just after a few days of peace, the guards let him out. People needed his expertise, as expected.

Karom dutifully followed and stretched his electronic senses around. The noosphere, as pathetic as it was on Kronus, was abuzz with news. An alliance with the Necrons was in the making, one of a more permanent sort. While it was unlikely they had to offer much that would interest him, the prospect of getting his hands dirty did make him happy. The more new technology, alien or not, there was to distract his colleagues the better. That way, the other Tech-priests, would be even more likely than usual to leave him alone!

Karom's guards led him to a field hospital with heavy security – there was at least a regiment busy digging in, along with a lot of heavy equipment. Swarms of the Necron Drones filled the sky. A large number of their Warriors patrolled the area scanning for threats as well. That was enough to confirm what he already deduced – someone important got themselves blown up or worse, and he would have to stitch them back up. Doing so was usually trivial but still important.

The Magos Biologis passed by several choke-points and under the searching eyes of many scanners. Finally, he reached a large, mostly empty operating room. An unfamiliar human woman stood by the operating table flanked by three colorful and very large Necrons, who barely fit into the operating theater. A man in blue-tinted carapace armor laid strapped in securely on the table.

Perhaps he had to keep a prisoner alive for interrogation? He hadn't done that lately.

"Karom Beta 31?" The woman demanded.

"Yes." He answered simply and to the point.

"Inquisitor Amberley Vail." She raised an arm that was hidden by her body, showing her symbol of office.

Karom sent an inquiry and got back valid codes.

"Lady Inquisitor." He bowed. "How can I be of assistance?"

"We have a group of soldiers and a fellow Inquisitor under the influence of alien mind-control technology. They might have been subjected to further mental conditioning."

Brainwashing she meant.

"You want my aid to reverse the process?" Karom perked up. This was new and exciting! He already liked this Inquisitor!

"Inquisitor Veil recommended your talents, and here we are."

Karom had to concede that the young Inquisitor might not be so bad after all, even if he overreacted over the Magos merely doing his job.

"These are Crypteks Zaa of Tomorrow," The Inquisitor pointed at the largest and most ornate machine, "Seeker of Truth," that was the closest and smallest one, "and last but not the least, Cryptek Novis of Arkay. They're familiar with the technology in question and will offer their expertise in removing it. Corporal Victor Sentensa here volunteered to be the first subject you'll work on. I'll leave it to you. You'll have access to any resources you need within reason."

The Inquisitor left with those words.

"Greetings in the name of the Omnissiah." Karom decided that being very polite might be in his best interest. "What do we have to deal with?"

"Mind-shackle Scarabs." The largest Necron spoke in a surprisingly normal-sounding, not to mention polite and erudite voice.

A crystal clear hologram appeared above their patient, showing the man's insides in incredible detail. The image zoomed in on the head, briefly flickering through skin and bone until it showed a deep scan of the brain. It was a real-time projection of what was happening inside right now. While Karom had worked with blessed medical equipment with similar capabilities, it tended to be rather large, and quite rare. There wasn't a single example on Kronus. Perhaps the Astartes' Apothecaries had something like it on their ship in orbit.

What got Karom's attention, in particular, were the thousands of glowing green machines within the brain, most of them in the cortex region. They had no business being there.

"We need to get those out while keeping the subjects functional." Zaa of Tomorrow stated the obvious. "The usual counter-measures we have against them will prove messy and fatal if used on something as fragile as mere flesh and blood."

Karom nodded, while silently agreeing. It was surprising, or perhaps not, that the Necrons shared the Mechanicus disdain for mere flesh. They had discarded it, after all, he had to remind himself. Those three were prime examples of what the Tech-priests saw as the pinnacle of evolution. He vowed to ask some leading questions about how they achieved such a feat while working on the current project.

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Necron Stronghold

The Thur'Abis Plateau

Kronus

Necron facilities rose from the ground, casting long shadows. A veil of artificial clouds saturated with energy and tiny machined provided cover from aerial and orbital observation. It would also shred most airborne treats that attempted to pass through and would disperse energy weapon strikes offering additional protection.

Drones and simple-minded warriors busied themselves with clearing up the area, making it properly presentable, not that the facilities themselves were active and well defended. The sight alone almost made Amarkun content. The multiple weapon emplacements ensuring they wouldn't be taken out of orbit surely helped in that regard.

Herald of Victory phased through the ground and offered him a sphere.

"Here it is. A hard copy of the data we agreed to share."

The Nemesor would have smiled if he still could. He interfaced with the well-protected data repository. An exchange of all the necessary codes followed. Then he had to pass an additional authentication process, before finally gaining access to the data. His filters went on overdrive while he scanned the information and got a copy within his memory. While he wasn't a Cryptek, Amarkun was familiar enough with how their technology worked to conclude that everything appeared legit.

Data on anti-warp Pylon research, including the schematics and research notes for multiple models with different effects and capabilities. Data on War in Heaven Pariah research, which indicated interesting parallels between ancient Necron efforts to counter trans-dimension entities and phenomena and the Human Pariahs. Scans and a stealthily taken blood sample from the Pariah child Selene proved the commonality further. What was the relationship between the Necrons and the Humans?

That was yet another thing they had to investigate.

Next was data on other assorted Null-tech research, which would provide marginal to moderate upgrades for the Nepheru Dynasty.

Finally, he received raw combat data and military analysis of encounters with trans-dimensional entities falling under the designation Chaos Forces.

When all was said and done, Amarkun in particular and his Dynasty, in general, would profit mightily from answering the call for help. In exchange, they were going to provide military support, access to resources from orbital mining, and most importantly, naval support and transport.

It was more than a reasonable exchange for what Amarkun already gained and might yet gain from future research conducted on Kronus. A problem that had always plagued research in countermeasures against trans-dimensional incursions was the lack of willing subjects with access to abilities fueled by such energies. In the fullness of time, the alliance with the Humans might change that and offer new insights.

"The bargain is well struck, Nemesor Amarkun the Gatherer." Herald of Victory declared after Amarkun confirmed he received what the Planetary Lord promised.

"Bargained well and done, Herald of Victory." They sealed the exchange with ancient words, which while mostly fallen out of use, were still important to many. Then it was the turn for the more modern and binding exchange of digital signatures and long code sequences.

"Do you have anything to add about tonight's negotiations?"

"We have an accord about the goals we'll pursue and the restitution we'll offer. My Crypteks have the gifts finalized."

"Mine as well."

There was little more to say about tonight. The Necrons spent the rest of the early evening discussing the implications of Trazyn being active for at least nine thousand years. The number of artifacts he might have stolen in that time and their origin. It was concerning to consider what else he had taken from the Humans and how they might react if they became aware of the thievery.


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