Leman exited his temporary lodgings the next day, slipping in to check on Admu after last night's… festivities. He found her lying in bed, her face buried in the pillow and snoring loudly just as she had been 8 hours ago. He figured it was best to leave her be for now, better her to sleep in than suffer what could have been the worst hangover in galactic history. He met Dóri waiting outside.
"I thought I'd check up on you two before goin' to prepare the shuttle for tomorrow. Is your friend Tia comin', Enoch?" Dóri said.
"Eh… no. She's still sleeping soundly and frankly I'm not feeling brave enough to wake her just yet." Leman said.
"Fair enough. If I drank enough unfiltered draught to kill a Hive Tyrant last night I'd probably still be in my bunk as well. Since you're here, you might as well help me requisition some premium transport. After what happened last night at the Bazulûnfest, you two've earned yourselves quite the reputation." Dóri said.
"Sorry Dóri, but we've got maintenance orders backed up until next cycle." a female Kin said, hefting an over-sized, oil-stained wrench over her shoulder. "None of the shuttles are prepared for another journey so soon, and we just don't have enough Kin to handle it all."
"But… can't you make an exception? This is an urgent mission! The survival of the Dunmyre depends on it!" Dóri said.
"The parts we need for the next shuttle are held up by a repair order for a sanding belt in Sector B-3, which is delayed due to a radiation leak in the aft hold of Sector G-6, and we can't fix that until the Ehrzkolm brothers return from their salvage mission with the exo-suits. Sorry Dóri, it's just not possible. We're stretched thin as it is, sometimes it just feels like everything's falling apart around us." The woman said.
"I understand the feeling." Dóri said, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
"What kind of shuttle do you need?" Leman said.
"Just somethin' to get us to the planet and back. Why?" Dóri said.
"Well, I just happen to have a Stormbird parked in the Celeste's cargo hangar that's designed for transport between the void and atmosphere. Come, I'll show it to you." Leman said.
"You know, I've never heard of an Imp shuttle called a 'Stormbird' before." Dóri said as they approached the Celeste's hangar.
"It's an… older model. I doubt you'd see any others in service." Leman said.
"...How old are we talkin'?" Dóri said.
"Well… about 10 millennia." Leman said, rotating his hand from side to side. "Give or take a few centuries."
Dóri let out a hearty laugh.
"Ha! And I thought we Kin were sentimental about our machines." Dóri said.
They turned a corner, the aged transport ship coming into view beneath a bright floodlight.
"By the ancestors… you weren't kidding. Did you fish this thing out of the Immaterium or something?" Dóri said.
"...something like that." Leman said.
Dóri gave him a deeply concerned look, then lowered his head in surrender.
"Well, I suppose a beggar can't be choosin'. As long as it flies straight, it'll do for our purposes." Dóri said.
The Primarch and Kin climbed aboard the ship, still full of Leman and Admu's various possessions. Dóri ran his hand along the slightly tarnished metal walls, conducting a superficial examination of the ship's structure and internal systems. He opened various hatches and compartments, most of which Leman had no idea existed. He climbed into the cockpit and began analyzing the dashboard and control panels, reading various measurement gauges and dials that Leman similarly had little insight as to their function.
"Hmmm… seems similar to the standard Imperial dropship control layouts that I'm familiar with. It could use some polishing and tuning up here and there, but she'll fly nicely after that. Seems like it's been barely maintained for centuries… yet its internal subsystems are barely touched. That's one thing about Imp equipment that you've got us beat on. Practically everything you make is idiot-proof." Dóri said.
"A fitting descriptor for the current state of the Imperium." Leman muttered.
Dóri pulled the toolbox from out of his backpack, setting it down and beginning to lay out his tools.
"I can manage a simple tune-up on my own, should have these engines singing by the time we leave tomorrow. You're free to spend the rest of the day preparing yourself, or just resting. There's no knowing what kind of challenges we might be up against, but a good rest can never do you wrong." Dóri said.
"Truer words, Kin…" Leman said.
Leman disembarked from the Stormbird, making his way through the Miriam Celeste and back to the Kin's Hearthship. As he passed through the bridge connecting them, he noticed the High Kâhl Dòmhnagh waiting for him.
"If you wish to challenge me to another drinking contest, I'm afraid I'll have to decline, High Kâhl." Leman said.
"You've earned my respect after last night, outsider… Enoch." Dòmhnagh said. He stepped closer towards Leman with a grave look. "That's why I've come to give you a word of caution. Dóri… Ykkhí… Vêlyma… they all know what's on Thrain. Why we left… why we were forced out of our home. It's forbidden to speak of it, even to other Kin… but we remember. Just know this, outsider: It can't be reasoned with, it can't be fought, and it can't be destroyed… not by anything of this world. Just protect Dóri and the others then make it out alive. Dóri's Cloneskein's a good, strong lineage… we'll need him in the times to come."
"I will heed your words of warning, Kin." Leman said.
Though you may be surprised by what we are capable of. Leman thought. Say… that reminds me, Fen has not shown himself at all to these Kin.
I grow weary of these cramped tunnels and voidcraft holds.Leman heard the wolf spirit's voice say in his mind. Besides, I am still recovering from our previous outing. I was not used to manifesting myself into the Materium for so long… it was rather taxing.
Very well. Admu and I will manage on our own. Leman thought.
You may call on me if you must. Just… please, find a planet with some open fields for our next stop. Fen said.
Admu awoke the next day with a pounding headache. She groaned and rose from her bed, gripping her head tightly. Her eyes slowly blinked open as they adjusted to the blinding light.
"What… what happened last night?" Admu said.
"Last night?" Leman said, waiting patiently by her bedside. "You were asleep. Two nights ago, you drank enough spirit to power a Baneblade for 500 kilometers."
"Wh… you mean… I slept through… the whole day…?" Admu said.
"You didn't miss much. Come now, we've got to prepare for the mission. We're leaving in a few hours." Leman said. "I thought to wake you earlier but… well, it looked like you needed the rest." he said with a sly smile.
"That's… that's right!" Admu said, awakening from her drowsiness. "The mission! It's up to us to save all of the Kin!" Admu leapt out of bed, scrambling to her feat. She looked down, and with a queasy expression realized she had been wearing the same clothes for three days in a row. "...but first, perhaps I should clean up a bit."
"While you're doing that, I'll get all of my battle gear ready. I have it on good authority that we may encounter some… resistance. Nothing we can't handle, no doubt. Still, be prepared for anything." Leman said, making his leave.
Admu and Leman arrived at their Stormbird to greet the awaiting Kin, Leman fully geared in his artificer power armor and enchanted weaponry, and Admu fully refreshed and dressed in her travelers' clothing. While Ykkhí was busy loading the repair and salvaging equipment onto the Stormbird and Vêlyma calibrated her lascannons, Dóri came out to greet their new bodyguards.
"Say, lass… are you really goin' in dressed like that?" Dóri said.
"Hm?" Admu said, looking down at her clothes. "What's wrong? Is there a stain? Am I missing a stitch?"
"N-nevermind, I won't question yer judgement. I saw what you did to all those Gaunts, armor or no." Dóri said. "I've got the shuttle tuned, fueled, and ready to go. Ykkhí and Vêlyma are just makin' some last-minute preparations before we depart."
"The equipment's all loaded up!" Ykkhí shouted.
"I am also fully calibrated." Vêlyma said, rising to her feet. "After you, Far-spacers." she said, extending her hand out and letting Leman and Admu board first with Dóri.
The doors to the Stormbird slowly winched shut, although with much less grinding and hissing than before. The Stormbird's engines roared as it began to take off. Admu took a seat and began making friendly talk with the other two Kin, which seemed to be a natural instinct for her. Leman made his way to the cockpit and sat next to Dóri.
"So, far-spacer. How'd it feel?" Vêlyma said.
"What do you mean?" Admu said.
"I mean drinkin' half the bloody supply of draught in a single gulp!" Vêlyma said, with an electronic chuckle. "I've never seen anyone ingest that stuff like that."
"You should've seen the look on the High Kâhl's face, it was exactly like this!" Ykkhí said, pulling open his eyelids and sticking his tongue out.
Admu began to giggle and laugh in an infectious manner, with Ykkhí and Vêlyma joining in soon after.
"Well, truth be told I don't remember much after I started drinking…" Admu said, wiping tears from her eyes. "It tasted sort of… bitter, but smooth. With a bit of a tangy aftertaste."
"Probably the Methanol." Ykkhí said.
"I started to feel… woozy, and a little wobbly… and the next thing I knew I was asleep." Admu said. "Now that I recall, I also had the strangest dreams…"
"LIke what?" Vêlyma said.
"Well, it was… hard to describe. Like I was in several places at once, at the same time. I only remember flashes, snapshots of the whole experience… it was hard to take in." Admu said. "I remember seeing some… guardsmen, I think they were. They were charging up a muddy hill, fighting Orks. There were many wounded, and I saw men and women in white armor trying to heal them. Somewhere else, I saw an old man in a large, white bed. He seemed ill, and there were what appeared to be nurses and also his family members at his side. Then… I saw something even stranger. It was… a warrior. His armor was worn and rusted, but also overgrown with roots and moss. He was in the center of some kind of ritual, surrounded by others like him."
"That's… quite strange… and oddly specific." Vêlyma said.
"I would have thought them all to be nothing more than random, but there was one thing that tied them all together."
"What was it?" Ykkhí said.
"...in every part of the dream, It felt as though… I could hear people calling my name." Admu said.
The trio grew silent, an ominous feeling filling the air around them.
"That… is strange." Vêlyma said, unsure of what to make of her words.
"...Vêlyma, do you dream?" Admu asked.
"Wha… me?" Vêlyma said, taken off-guard. Admu nodded in affirmation. "W-well… I don't know if you could properly consider it dreaming by… your standards. However, sometimes when I'm in low power states for maintenance or recharging, my cognitive engines begin pulling and assessing leftover data from my subconscious memory modules. In a crude manner of speaking, I can… see the data being processed, and the things inside of it."
"What kinds of things?" Admu said.
"Well, usually…" Vêlyma said, pausing for a moment as if unsure to continue. "...I see Thrain. Before it was abandoned. Bright, bustling, alive… like it was in the past, like Dóri and I remember. Ykkhí was too young… he was still in his gestation pod when we fled. Yet… in these visions… the three of us are all there, around the great hearthfire. I can also see… my brethren, the Ironkin. Only, they aren't…" Vêlyma said, her voice wavering and cutting out. She was silent for a while, choosing not to voice her thoughts in front of the outsider no matter how fond she had become of her. She looked up at Admu and was both shocked and confused to see she was struggling to hold in her laughter.
"I'm… sorry… I just…" Admu said, trying not to laugh as best she could.
"What's so-" Vêlyma said, before turning to see Ykkhí right next to her, doing an even more exaggerated impression of the High Kâhl behind her back, bulging eyes and all. "Why, you little-!" Vêlyma elbowed him in the gut, sending him reeling backwards with a pained smile. Admu burst into uncontrollable laughter, and Vêlyma began to laugh as well with Ykkhí attempting to laugh between his groans of pain.
The sounds of the three laughing and conversing echoed throughout the ship, reaching the cockpit as muffled noises. Leman turned to listen, and then looked at Dóri who was busy flying the ship.
"Kin Dóri… I have a question." Leman said.
"Ask away, far-spacer Enoch." Dóri said, his eyes remaining on the cockpit's display.
"Vêlyma… what is she?" Leman said.
"Huh? You mean… an Ironkin?" Dóri said.
"Ironkin…" Leman said, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "You know, in the Imperium they have strict laws concerning the use of robotics. They aren't a product of religious dogma either, they've persisted since its founding 10,000 years ago. Above all else, the use of Abominable Intelligences is considered a grave and serious crime."
"Abominable…" Dóri said with a confused expression before his eyes lit up with realization. "Oh… you mean the Staghlem?"
"Staghlem?" Leman said.
"I believe the Imps call them 'Men of Iron'. We Kin have never encountered them, but we heard the legends… of the great machine horde that ravaged the galaxy, extinguished the stars, and drove humanity into darkness. We Kin were safe held up in the galactic core, thankfully spared of their scourge. We would never keep such a thing in our holds." Dóri said.
"Then what exactly is the nature of these… Ironkin? What makes them different from an Abominable Intelligence?" Leman said.
"Well, you see… Ykkhí and I, we were born from Cloneskeins. Templates of genetic DNA, imprinted with a certain pattern of warp energy that animates it. I suppose you superstitious Imps would call it a 'soul', though it's not nearly as important as that. It's just the raw material, the starting point. What makes us each who we are is our environment and traditions, shapin' us into Kin. Ironkin are just that, only instead of a genetic template we use a mechanical one. We're all Kin, each and every one of us, just in different bodies, that's all. At the end of the day, we all go to the same place… or at least we used to." Dóri said, taking a somber note towards the end.
"...I see." Leman said.
I'll have to keep an eye on that one… Leman thought. Admu seems to have taken a liking to her… though perhaps she is simply being naive. Regardless, these Kin are not Imperial citizens. Our laws don't apply to them, and I have more pressing concerns than playing sheriff here.
"Alright, we're comin' up on Thrain II. The fleet is hidin' behind the star to… avoid any unnecessary contact. The planet should be comin' into view any moment now." Dóri said.
Leman looked out of the viewport, seeing a dense cloud of dust and large asteroids orbiting a blue supergiant. They began to descend into the disk of debris, passing through the dust clouds and avoiding the slow-moving chunks of space rock. Leman looked closely for any signs of the planet. Then the dust suddenly disappeared as they entered a vast pocket in the debris field. The empty void seemed to be artificial, created by a series of immense, slowly rotating rings that swept away the gas and dust. At the center of these colossal structures was a dark, rocky planetoid covered in vast clouds of noxious-looking gas and sickly lightning. Husks of destroyed Kin vessels and satellites littered the space around it, like flies hovering around a desiccated corpse. Leman had begun to realize why they may have abandoned this place.
"Alright, I'm gonna take us on a slow and careful descent through the cloud layer and into the exhaust port. We shouldn't encounter any resistance until we get inside the Hold's megastructure but be on alert anyways. You never know what can happen out here." Dóri said.
As the Stormbird slowly drifted down towards Thrain II on its plasma thrusters, passing by hundreds upon hundreds of long-dead spacecraft, a lone surveillance drone began to flicker and spark to life. Its internal power supply had long since drained completely, and the decades of degradation had mostly fried its internal circuitry, yet somehow, against all natural laws, it came online. The half-broken aperture of its main camera attempted to zoom in on the approaching craft, the first one to venture to this doomed world in almost a century. It broadcast the visual feed back down the planet, where it was diffused into the toxic, electrified gasses that coated the moon-sized planetoid.
Back in the Stormbird, Ykkhí, Vêlyma, and Admu continued to laugh and share stories, keeping themselves in high spirits for the mission ahead.
"...So then, Dóri starts pointing at all of us and says this: If you don't tell me what happened to my socket wrench in 10 seconds, I'm gonna drop you all in the hearth arse-first!" Ykkhí said, eliciting laughs from Admu and Vêlyma. "So, you wanna know what I said? I said, I'll tell you where it is, Dóri. You're holding it in the same damn hand you just pointed at us with!"
Ykkhí and Vêlyma burst into uncontrollable laughter, filling the cargo hold with a musical cacophony.
"That's quite a story, isn't it Tia?" Vêlyma said.
Immediately, the room fell deathly silent, as if a cold, wet blanket had just been tossed upon a bonfire.
"T-Tia? What's wrong?" Vêlyma said.
Admu was motionless like a statue, her eyes wide and unblinking, staring out into the void. Her fingers were digging into the metal floor with white knuckles, and the Ironkin couldn't tell if her face bore an expression of fear, hatred, dread… or all three. Ykkhí waved his hand in front of her face in an attempt to elicit a reaction, to no avail. Ykkhí and Vêlyma looked at one another, sharing an unspoken sense of terror. Over the Stormbird's intercom, Dóri's voice rang out.
"Alright, we've just entered Thrain II's cloud layer. Prepare for turbulence, and then after that it should be smooth sailing to the landing zone."
In the darkness, somewhere inside the labyrinthine subterranean complexes of Thrain II, an immense and revolting figure stirred. Dozens of mechanical legs propelled it through the tangled web of wires and cables, planting itself into a makeshift nest surrounded by monitors and interfaces that wired directly into the abhorrent thing. It narrowed its three, beady red eyes at the one monitor that displayed something new, something unexpected.
"Visitors… trespassers…" The creature rasped. "...Fresh meat."
In the sickly green glow of the computer monitor, the creature began to lick its metal-clad maw with a maggoty, pox-ridden tongue.