Byzantium Inquisitorial Records
Name: Antonia Maria Ortega Sanchez (Toni)
Age: 28
Ordo: Xenos
Rank: Techpriestess
Homeworld: Dardanelle
Social Origin: Techpriestess
Classification: Forgeworld (Dedicated to Byzantium Conclave. Due to the extent of Byzantium's jurisdiction, and its location on the edge of Imperium Space surrounded by Xenos, it's easier just to let them have their own forgeworld.)
Expertise: Adeptus Mechanicus Rites
Assignment Level: Pi
Specialties: Maintenance, Xenos Tech (She hates it but she does know and understand it.)
Combat Proficiencies: Adeptus Mechanicus Tech, Secutor Training
Philosophy: Cult Mechanicus
Reputation: Talented if eccentric young Techpriestess
Operational Methods: Maintain equipment, technical support in combat situations, and destruction of all enemies of the Omnissiah.
Physical Description: The only part of her that can still be considered human would be her forehead and eyes. She is often seen enveloped in her red robe with covers up all of her implants. She is unusual in the fact that she is so heavily augmented at such a young age.
Bio: The daughter of two high ranking Techpriests, disaster struck early on in her life when her father went insane and began ripping the implants from his body, ranting about a dragon on Mars controlling them. The father was put down, with his very existence stricken from the records. Since Toni bore such a strong resemblance to him almost all of her body was replaced to cleanse her of his weak flesh. The experience strengthened her faith in the Omnissiah and led her to excel in her studies of the Omnissiah and his wonders. She impressed Nathaniel enough for him to take her on.
Personality: Complete devotion to the Cult Mechanicus, with absolutely no tolerance for Tech Heresy. She has a purely academic interest in Xenos technology, which she promptly destroys after studying and documenting it. She can be quite stubborn and even emotional for a Techpriestess, getting into heated arguments with her retinue members. She is annoyed and in turn annoys the members of her retinue, but they do care for each other. She will most often butt heads with Nathaniel, especially when it comes to the disrespect he will occasionally show his equipment.
Tsubaki now found herself in Byzantium's armory, watching as the Techpriestess scoured every inch of what she had been informed was a Dardanelle Pattern Chimera. Tsubaki was actually fairly creeped out at how she was caressing the machine.
"It truly is a beautiful piece of work isn't it; personally I believe that my homeworld builds the best Chimeras."
"Why is that?"
"Chimeras are fast moving troop transports that can travel through any environment. The Dardanelle Pattern keeps that versatility, while adding a little extra durability."
"Wouldn't adding extra armor on a fast moving vehicle slow it down?"
"That is where our Chimera's truly shine, the Dardanelle pattern has a special engine that is far more powerful than the engine of other Chimeras easily compensating for the extra armor."
"Then why isn't the Dardanelle pattern seen throughout the Imperium?"
"They take much longer to make, and Dardanelle is the only forgeworld with the capability to construct the engines. That is why the Dardanelle Pattern Chimera is only used by the Byzantium Conclave."
"Why don't you share the method of how to use the engine with other Forgeworlds?"
"We don't know how to replicate it, the STC used was destroyed. We could take apart the equipment we use, but there is no guarantee we would be able to put it back together, it's too complex for us to safely do, we might lose access to the Dardanelle Pattern forever."
"Isn't it worth the risk?"
"No it isn't, like I said the creation of the Dardanelle Pattern takes longer than other patterns, its construction speed is appropriate for the Inquisitorial forces, but would be a liability for normal Imperial forces who need vehicles fast. When the logistics are involved there is simply no point to risking losing the Dardanelle Pattern forever, since it would only hurt Imperial war efforts. Plus I should bring up the fact that Dardanelle is the only forgeworld with the facilities capable of making the tougher metal the Dardanelle Pattern is made out of. Just like the engine we can't take it apart out of the risk of losing it forever, and that would undoubtedly be a sin against the Omnissiah. Our STC and facilities are quite limited; we have to make do with what we can. We have lost so much, we simply cannot lose anymore."
"What have you lost?"
"Knowledge, throughout the Millennia our knowledge has been lost. First the War with the Iron Men destroyed our knowledge, then the chaos of the Age of Strife destroyed even more, and when it looked like thinks were going to turn out okay, half of the Adeptus Mechanicus went rogue destroying much of what little we have left. It is our divine duty to preserve what little we have, and to rediscover what we have lost, by discovering the lost STC's." There is a tone of deep sadness to Toni's mechanical voice.
"How did you meet the Inquisitor?"
"It was 12 years ago; I was only 16 years old and already proving my worth. I was well ahead of my class, memorizing all the rites and performing them perfectly while my peers struggled. My mother is a Magos who is in charge of Dardanelle. When the Inquisitor asked for a young talented Techpriest who was not afraid to work with the Inquisition, my mother immediately volunteered me. It helps that I have always had an academic interest in Xenos tech and how to counter it. My mother has always had trouble dealing with me, ever since the incident when my father went crazy."
"What do you mean by go crazy?"
"When I was eight, he burst into our home one day, ranting like a lunatic, stripping his implants from his body. He was screaming about a dragon on Mars that was connected to us all, that not only fed on our souls, but resided in every piece of technology built by man. That the Adeptus Mechanicus, no, that the entire human race, was just its pawns, that this dragon was the true Omnissiah. He fell to the ground crying like a baby and he had to be dragged out. While carrying him away, he threw himself off of one of our catwalks into a series of gears; I heard he made quite the mess with his body." Toni was completely monotone telling this story.
The color had drained from Toni's face, especially at how casually she had talked about her father's death. "But isn't the God-Emperor just another form of the Omnissiah?"
"And that is why my father was just insane; everyone knows that the God-Emperor is the physical avatar of the Omnissiah, there is no dragon involved whatsoever. Now come, I need to instruct you in some of the various equipment you will be using."
Meanwhile on the Miss Liz, Methuselah is having a lunch with his Slann protégé. He is enjoying a cheeseburger and fries, a delicacy he had learned to enjoy on ancient Terra. Meanwhile Mara-Potek is having the same thing, with Nathaniel trying to teach her how to blend in human society when she is human form. It would also cut back on the amounts of insects and live small mammals she preferred, feeding the Saurus and Skink crewmen was enough of a hassle to feed.
"Why do humans cook their meat, it takes away the flavor?"
"It also purges their food of bacteria."
"Humans have weak stomachs." Mara-Potek reaches out with her long tongue and pulls it all into her mouth at once. "It doesn't even taste that good."
Methuselah just smiles, "I guess we all have different tastes, by the way there is something you wanted to ask me?"
"Yes my lord."
"Please don't call me lord, despite what your people have come to believe over the millennia we Old Ones are not gods, or at least we shouldn't pretend to be gods."
"What about those who ascended to godhood in the warp?"
"They are no longer Old Ones; they have become psychic manifestations subject to the subconscious thoughts of all living beings, but especially humans. The Old One's I knew long ago who ascended to godhood long ago are long gone; the abominations that now sit in their place are cruel mockeries of what they once were. God's cannot be created from nothing, there must first be a base being that becomes the receptacle of their emotions, dreams, and thoughts. It may take millennia but eventually all will be corrupted by the chaos that resides in the hearts of all living beings. That is, unless, you slowly ascend to Godhood, manipulating the beliefs of those who will be your followers. That is the gambit the Emperor and I have currently put into play, hopefully his method will help him to pull it off without being corrupted. But I am on a tangent right now, what was your question?"
"I was reading in the texts you gave me about the C'Tan, and how they were ultimately betrayed and shattered by their Necron pawns. But there was one footnote that intrigued me about the C'Tan known as the Void Dragon, and how parts of him were able to escape being sealed up. One of those shards found its way to ancient Terra, how did you deal with it."
"I should have expanded upon that in those texts I wrote, but I did have to deal with it. However, I did not deal with it alone; most of the work was done by the Emperor in ancient Libya. After defeating and sealing the shard, I was able to seal it up in my laboratory underneath the Himalayas. With that shard under our control, we were able to boost mankind's technological development. We were foolish to believe we had defeated it. Every piece of technology mankind created and used fueled the Void Dragon, allowing him to grow in strength, exceeding his shard status. He absorbed a little piece of their souls with his technology, not enough for us to notice and kill the humans but enough to empower him. When he had gathered enough strength he broadcasted his Song of the dragon across human space, turning the Iron Men completely against humanity. The Emperor entered the labs, which he would soon claim as his, and pummeled the beast into submission, but by then it was too late and the deed had been done. I was able to do damage control, being away from the planet at the time, and I managed to save a few of the Iron Men, who would become the first Mechanatites, giving them the souls necessary to fight the manipulation of the Void Dragon, severing his control of them. I brought them to their current location and hid them there, ordering them to not reveal themselves until the time was right, and mankind had calmed down after the horrors of the uprising. To be completely honest, I am impressed that the Imperium is being as open minded as it is with them at this point."
"But what about the Void Dragon?"
"Well, after the Emperor had beaten him into submission, we realized it would be too risky to keep him on Terra. The chamber we had him in couldn't contain him anymore and as the Emperor took over my labs as his base of operations, having the Void Dragon right next to him would only cause problems. So during the Age of Strife we brought him to Mars and buried him deep within the Noctis Labyrinth in a specially sealed chamber. He still exerts some control over human technology, and the Adeptus Mechanicus in particular, but he is no longer a threat. Most Techpriests believe that the Emperor is the physical manifestation of the Omnissiah, and while they believe that the Void Dragon's influence is weakened. Though we have come to an understanding with the Void Dragon."
"Really, what understanding is that?"
"While he has regained a lot of his strength and intelligence, he is still just a shard and vulnerable to Necron attack. The Necrons have not forgotten that there were two shards of him still on the loose. Fortunately one was destroyed by Ferrus Manus, ironically a son of the Emperor who had defeated the Terran shard. But basically, we provide him with protection on Mars, and he continues to aid with human mastery over technology. The fact that a group of Necrons were obliterated while trying to trap him is proof enough that he needs us. And I do think he is happy with the arrangement. He no longer devours soul's whole, everytime a piece of flesh is replaced with machine; he gets a piece of a person's soul. This is more than enough to sustain him considering how large the Adeptus Mechanicus is, and how prevalent these prosthetics are in the Imperium."
"But isn't that dangerous for the humans?"
"As long as they don't completely give up all of their flesh, they are fine and safe."
"It sounds like you and the Emperor have this all planned out."
"For the most part, we still have had a few surprises along the way, and our current plan is plan B, especially since he wasn't able to fully reconnect Terra to the webway, but we're getting there. I am still upset with Magnus for his idiocy, his little stunt stranded me in a difficult to navigate portion of the webway as the Heresy broke out. By the time I got out it was too late to make a difference."
"Who severed Terra from the webway in the first place?"
"That would be me, the webway was infested with Necrons and Enlsavers, and I had to save myself on a backwater world no one cared about. Since I was stranded on Terra, I devoted my free time in slowly pushing the evolution of the primates I found there toward their current form, but that is another story for another time.