Imotekh gazed over Manric's report, feeling mildly confused.
He wasn't particularly upset by what Manric had done. He had obeyed the spirit of the instructions, accomplishing what the Stormlord wanted in every particular. It was just not in the manner he had imagined and that was deeply concerning. Manric had offered no explanations in this data dump, merely sending the information and Imotekh decided that he wanted more. A full conversation was required.
Two way FTL communications were energy intensive and difficult, but sometimes they were needful. Imotekh carefully prepared it – they could go to the wrong location and have to be redone – before releasing it. Then he waited patiently for Manric to take the communication. With an actual Necron, it could take some time, but one great advantage of former-humans was that they were always exceedingly punctual by Necron standards.
(with Necrons who were habitually late, it was not unknown for them to be a full year late to engagements)
Sure enough, Manric soon took the communication and Imotekh saw he was in his room, taking this privately. Good, Zahndrekh's lack of concern sometimes worried him. All of his Overlords didn't need to know everything and often shouldn't.
"I have your report. Explain why you have altered by instructions," Imotekh said, aware he would present a very intimidating image. And so far away, Manric would be unable to detect his lack of actual anger. It amused him, to put the pwi-Necron under duress, if only a bit. Manric bowed deeply.
I apologize most humbly for my actions. I can only say in my defense that I acted loyally in your interest. Yes, Imotekh expected he had. May I describe my impressions of the Ethereal Caste of Tau? That was interesting. Imotekh knew next to nothing about how Tau society was structured, and had assumed the Ethereal Caste were just hereditary rulers like the Silent King and his former bloodline. Manric seemed to be implying something else.
"Continue," he said and Manric did, describing the feelings he had about the Ethereals. Imotekh felt a prickling of unease, although he wasn't sure how much stock to put into it. Then, however, things became far more concerning.
I have since been gathering as much information about the Tau as I can… they are a very young race. Yes, he was aware of that, although Imotekh had not thought it was strange. Technological revolutions happened very swiftly at times. It seems the Ethereals suddenly emerged and united their culture, bringing it together. Also, Ethereals live much longer than regular Tau. Really… That was interesting. Either this is natural, or they are keeping rejuvenation style technologies purely for their ruling class. However, I have found some evidence that this is natural and being deliberately obfuscated.
"Oh? What sort of evidence?" This was really fascinating. Imotekh would swear that Manric had been unnerved by the Tau Ethereals, which was very much unlike him.
The first Tau Ethereals should not have had access to any kind of rejuvenation technologies, but they lived a surprisingly long time. Also, I noticed the first Dynastic King's son had the same name. I wonder if it was his child at all, or a subterfuge to hide his longevity. Interesting… It could just be cultural but in the ancient records, this was common. Hm.
"I see. And what else?" Imotekh asked and Manric continued.
The Ethereal Caste seems to exert an unnatural degree of control over Tau society. There is no biological mixing of the sub castes, nor do the Ethereals breed with them. Imotekh tapped his fingers on his staff thoughtfully. He could not clearly remember the Flesh Times, but he didn't need to, to know that would have been incredibly bizarre for necrontyr. Many records had been lost, but some had been preserved and there were Dynasties with members who were known to be bastards, children of the Phaeron and some lowly commoner. As full Necrons, that distinction mattered little and was mostly a matter of pride, that a bit of gold could be applied to the necrodermis. There was one Phaeron he even knew of who had a whole Phalanx of Immortals, all with that tiny bit of gold inlay to state that in life, they had been his sons. We really need the services of a xenologist like Nuhkes but I cannot help but feel what I am seeing here does not indicate a naturally evolved race. That set Imotekh back on his heels for a moment.
"Tell me, Manric. What do you feel is the most innocent explanation for all this? And what is the worst?" Imotekh already had his candidate for the worst. They did not actually KNOW that the Old Ones were dead. And the elevation of the Tau rather suspiciously coincided with the ending of the Great Sleep. Oh, they had no ability with the Warp, which had been characteristic of the Old Ones creations but so what? Perhaps they'd learned from past mistakes.
The most innocent explanation I have is that what I have sensed is something the Ethereals created to defeat human and Eldar psykers, because they felt a need for it. Perhaps it was meant to defeat telepathy but has an odd side effect of making their emotions seem false, even if they are real. And the historical records could in fact be children. It is possible this is all a misunderstanding, generated by how repulsed I am. Hmm, possible, but was it plausible? Also, repulsed? That was a strong word. The worst… well, I have no evidence of anything. But if we eventually found out the Ethereals are actually some kind of monster from the Ghoul Stars, attempting to prepare us for a full invasion of our reality via the Greater Good, I would not be shocked. Imotekh snorted a bit internally. His own idea was far more likely than that! The entities from the Ghoul Stars had never been noted for seeming to understand sentient beings of their reality.
"I see. Well, I sent you because I trusted your judgement, and I will trust it now." Imotekh was sure that was a great relief to Manric. "We will continue with your plan for these Tau, and also engage the xenologists. I will need to requisition that Cryptek of Rahkaak's." It was vexing, but true xenologists of that caliber were really quite rare. It was just such a low-status specialty.
Nuhkes… I would suggest being careful how you use him. He could learn the most directly interacting with the Tau Ethereals, but that is also the position most likely to lead him to danger. Oh yes. Imotekh didn't actually believe the Tau were being engineered by the Old Ones but if they were, well. A mind as keen as Nuhkes would be a danger to them and they would be able to arrange something quite fatal, like what had happened to Yantek. That suddenly brought another thought to mind. Could the C'Tan be involved in this?
"I will put him to examining the captives first." That would be quite safe. "Once he knows their culture, we will see." Perhaps Nuhkes could serve as a kind of ambassador, but with more of an agenda of learning more. If so, Imotekh would make sure he had a very fine bodyguard. "You are dismissed."
Thank you Phaeron. Imotekh nodded before ending the connection. As he did, he was quite thoughtful.
The Tau Empire was still well below the Tyranids and Chaos on his list of threats, but they might be on the same tier as the Imperium of Man.
(the Silent King was in a special tier of personal enmity, outside of tactical considerations)
Bellora Yamadia exited the troop transport on the planet of Hope, looking around alertly.
Her current body, and name, was Devon Mackay. The real Devon had met an early end on the planet of Luminous, before she'd taken his place. She had specifically targeted him because after careful study of all the men, she had learned he was an orphan. His mannerisms were also fairly easy to duplicate and his fellow soldiers had no idea he had been replaced with a Callidus assassin.
Bellora was truly impressed with Hope. A Civilised world that apparently had the culture of a Knight world, the technology she was witnessing just from this brief glimpse rivalled Terra. Great monorails flew by and Bellora paused to examine a schedule, finding it difficult to read. She had been picked partly for her fluency with High Terran but to her annoyance, it looked like Necron characters were creeping into this language. It certainly was with names. Perhaps they thought the Necron names were avant garde?
Fortunately, other troops were a bit confused by it. Apparently, plenty had changed in five years. They got themselves sorted out and while plenty of the men left with their families, she was able to follow the other singletons to the barracks.
Bellora would concentrate on learning the nature of this society and fitting in before she continued with her mission.
Bellora could not know, but her mission was in dire straits from the moment she set foot on Hope.
The reason for that was something most of the population were completely unaware of, a very intense web of surveillance. The reason they were unaware of it was because it was run by the STC and Coreworld AI, employing a carefully engineered network of AI nodes. Designed by the Necron and pwi-Necron Crypteks, it was made to increase the processing power of the STC and Coreworld AI's without actually giving them true access to that increased power. That was important, for the stability of the AI's. To do that, they had made lesser AI's and slaved them to the greater, creating a vast network.
This resulted in a level of surveillance that was dystopian in the extreme, yet considered necessary. Somehow, a single Genestealer had made it to Hope and almost caused chaos. They had rooted it out before it could truly take hold, but it could have set back the progress of Hope by decades. To Phaeron Rahkaak, such a setback was simply unacceptable. Also, as the forces of the Ruinous Powers started to notice them, Chaos cults were starting to appear. So far it had just been a few random cults of Khorne, among the mentally damaged and deranged, but there could be more subtle things.
Hope was not interested in hosting their own version of the Inquisition, so instead the trust had been placed in two twin AI's of the planet and Phaeron Rahkaak. It worked surprisingly well, as the AI's did not care about the vast majority of what they witnessed. They were not an adjunct to the police and nothing was reported to them, not even evidence of murder. They looked solely for evidence of Genestealers, Chaos cults, and outside saboteurs.
When that was found, they acted without mercy.
After nearly a year of patient work, Bellora identified what she needed to strike at.
Taking the form of a young woman, she had flirted with, dated and seduced many powerful men. That had given her information about many things, but the one she had arrowed in on was the biotransference project. It was exactly what Guilliman needed to have destroyed.
And Bellora knew exactly the way to do it. The biotransference project was deep underground, surrounded by Blackstone and had explosives ready to detonate in case of demonic incursion. That was sensible enough, as a full demonic incursion would be insanely dangerous to this planet. But it meant she had what was needed in place, she just needed to set it off. Bellora was confident she could do that. So she assassinated a researcher, a young woman, and dumped her body in the sewers before going to take the elevator down.
The STC had been monitoring Bellora for some time. Facial recognition software on Hope was insanely accurate, and the AI nodes had identified her false face as completely unknow to their records. That did not necessarily mean much – the monitoring network did not extend fully to the countryside – but her seductions of many powerful nobles had been noted. That could mean she was only a young woman of great beauty and charisma, making her way from humble beginnings. It could also mean something far more sinister.
So the AI nodes caught her speaking with a young researcher and then, shortly after, that researcher going towards the laboratories on what, after a quick check, they knew was her day off. Reviewing all of Bellora's movements led them to a rather odd gap where she had seemingly vanished, but there were recordings of someone in the correct area surreptitiously entering the sewers. Canoptek Scarabs were dispatched and found the body, moving it to reveal the face and transmitting that information to the STC.
Bellora got quite close, but not close enough.
She was taking the elevator down to the laboratory when the elevator came to an abrupt stop.
Greetings. I am STC, a gentle, female voice spoke and Bellora quickly glanced around. Was there an emergency hatch? We have recovered the body of Researcher Lillian. Do you have anything to say? There it was. Bellora pulled out her blade. She would cut her way out if she had to, then make her way down via the cables. I see, that is your answer.
The STC acted with the cold-blooded calculation of an AI that had decided to kill. Jerking the elevator up and down, she battered the Callidus assassin with the precise amount of force needed to kill her, but not damage the body overmuch. They would examine it, determine how this shapeshifting was accomplished, and put in defenses against it. When the woman was safely dead, STC notified Phaeron Rahkaak and the King as she summoned security to take ownership of the body. She also notified a forensic cleanup crew that their services would be needed.
This breach of security was unfortunate, but would not be allowed to happen again.
Borin was finding that he absolutely loved Yggdrasil.
He loved a lot of things about it, but the biggest was the climate. The endless storm between the two halves of the planet caused the valley's to be constantly overcast, which suited Borin just fine. It actually recalled his childhood in the Underhive, where they hadn't even had electricity. It also rained constantly and Borin was finding he liked it. The rain was beautifully pure, carried back and forth from the cold and hot parts of the planet.
What he also loved was the fertility of the land. Borin was really learning to be a farmer now, tilling his twenty acres with the help of machines. He was growing potatoes, mostly, but rotated them with other things like a particular variety of grain. Not wheat or any grain Borin knew, he'd heard it was from the Tau and was well adapted to damp, low light conditions.
So everything was going well and two years into his five year contract, something even better happened.
Borin had been aware of the buildings the Hopians were erecting in the small town. The town served as a watering hole and mess hall, as well as distribution center for their crops. They all had little homes, but most of them couldn't cook for a damn, so they preferred to get together in the town for supper. Lately, though, new buildings were going up and Borin wasn't sure what they were for. They looked like dormitories? But that didn't make much sense.
Then the dormitories were suddenly populated and Borin had no idea what to think.
"Why do we suddenly have all these women?" He asked the other men over a beer. Borin couldn't really understand it. There wasn't really enough work for them, although they were making themselves useful at some of the farms. And of course they were working in the tavern and the mess hall. Still, it didn't make sense, why did they need so many? Borin realized, though, that the Knight worlder and Agri worlder were both looking at him like he was mentally deficient.
"Underhiver," the Knight worlder said in the tone of someone reminding himself. "Borin, these women are here for you." …What? "You are to be a commoner with good land in your pocket. Do you not see that you are a catch?" Borin paused, staring at the man in disbelief. No one had ever said anything like that to him in his life!
"He's right. And also, we're supposed to be the backbone of agriculture on this planet. How can we be that without wives and children?" The Agri worlder said and Borin still felt like it was crazy, but he did see the point. All the plans they had mentioned before were for multiple generations. Of course they needed women, so those generations could happen. Still…
For a moment, Borin thought about his life in the Underhive. No one thought about things like this there. It was mostly just a scrabble for survival and if you got a chance to have a good time, you took it. Oh, there were some real pairings, but they were pretty rare. It was mostly just everyone for himself and no one ever got married. That was for people who didn't live in the Underhive.
Now, though, he could have that? And Borin had already noticed one of the girls, a pretty little thing with a nice face. He hadn't thought anything of it because he'd assumed she'd tell him to take off. But they were saying that maybe… she wouldn't? That maybe, just maybe, he could convince her to talk to him and perhaps even more?
"Ah… I know this might sound stupid but… how do I go about doing that?" Borin suddenly asked. His knowledge of how to court a woman began and ended with buying her a drink, the stronger the better. Also, if you were desperate, you could be a shit head and stick something in it, but most women in the Underhive were too smart to fall for that. The Knight worlder laughed.
"Let me tell you about courtship!" And Borin listened intently, trying to remember everything for later.
It still seemed a bit crazy, but he definitely wanted to try.