The days of flesh are something few know anything off. Even among the necrons, memories from those days were scant. In spite of this one still slumbering necron dreamt of those times. As much as one could dream in a necrodermis shell. The dream was more the fantasy of the necron, going through fields, walking on warm stone and smelling flowers. Hugging her children when they were still little. Breathing in sweet air on a beach. Eating some sort of soup she barely remembers from childhood.
Her experiences as a necrontyr defined much of her identity. So she dreamt what she wished to have. Though eventually after many years the greater awakening reached her sentience. She awoke. Her ornate sarcophagus opened itself for her. As she stood up she felt out of place. The usual tired feeling after waking up wasn't there. Her feet clanged when she climbed out of her tomb. Soon memories of the biotransference and war in heaven flooded her mind. Her immersion in her fantasies made her ever so briefly put away those memories. Now coming back.
Dread filled her non-existent soul. Suddenly becoming aware of her mechanical form made her go through each thing she enjoyed about her previous form. The touch was gone. Manual breathing caused by being aware that you're breathing wasn't there. There wasn't any breathing. No movement of the ribcage. No smell either. She felt empty due to her lack of organs or flesh. Like a black hole had eaten a part of her and left. She was briefly simulating a panic attack. Heavy rasps of breath being simulated by her voice box before she realized she was only instinctively doing those things. The simulation of that stopped with the realization. She still felt empty, out of place. She could still emote her feelings but felt as if she couldn't allow herself in her current situation.
She realized as well that her garb had already been decided for her in spite of her status as head of the dynasty. Even that slipped her mind in the sudden attack on her identity her new form gave. She was a phaeron of her dynasty. As she went through everything in her mind, clanking was heard from far away. That of multiple lych guards and a hunched over technomancer. She walked down the stairs from the pedestal her sarcophagus was on. Meeting the group
"It is good to see you, my phaeron. Once again awake." — The technomancer said — "I am greatly sorry for not being ready for your walk out of your tomb. We were busy dealing with pests"
"Don't worry yourself Gon'jkar. I was … having a moment for myself at the start either way." — The phaeron replied as she was still at least internally dealing with her new necrodermis body — "How many have awakened in this world?"
"Not many. The response of the system once it detected an incursion was to awaken a few dozen necron warriors, a few stragglers of different types and five lychguard. Along with myself." — He replied to his superior — "Though it seems that the time for our dynasty's re-emergence is soon seeing you awake mistress"
"So a few decades and we'll venture out into the void once more." — She said finally feeling positive about something since she awoke — "Also you can use my name not just mistress"
"I will oblige mistress Imiskae." — The technomancer answered causing his leader to sigh internally
"Have my kids awakened? I'd love to see them once more" — The phaeron asked. The question caused an internal wince from Gon'jkar. Creating a moment for Imiskae to take in her surroundings. The corridors under roofs that reach heights of mountains from the base level. An ocean's floor visible through the sturdy glass of one part of the roof far lower down. This section being ahead of them showed small animals near the ocean floor. That had evolved to the light given off by the tomb world over millions of years. A lot not leaving the confines of the given light. Pillars reached the roof ornate in the imagery and runes of the necrons. The tiling was neat and tidy. Though one of the fish took her attention. It was likely no bigger than her head despite that it had green eyes likely as a consequence of the tomb's light. It had four gills on each side and had eight fins. Allowing it to run circles around a predator chasing it. Though it was eventually caught in the tentacles of a bigfin squid. Its tentacles reach six meters down. Imiskae looked surprised at the squid tentacles a good six thousand meters below sea level. But she was pleasantly surprised.
"Yes but only your eldest son. He uhh" — The cryptek said, breaking the brief silence.
"Oh wonderful. He was the only one of them to like void craft as much as I did. He was so eager to fight against the flayer, never talked about what he saw though. I respect the other's decision to-" — The phaeron said a bit excited to see her sweet boy again before getting cut off
"He left after getting infected by the flayer virus" — Gon'jkar informed her
"The what now?" — She said concerned and disappointed by him leaving and getting this weird thing that the cryptek mentioned
"His mind wished for him to consume flesh from sentient beings. Made him go mad. Before he left for the dimension of those infected by the virus" — The technomancer explained as Imiskae's necrodermis turned her face into one of distraught as best it could
"When you mean flesh do you mean like cooked or?" — She asked
"No. Clawed out of a being. Using skin as a weird way to cover himself. His nails elongated and his posture hunched" — He continued to explain to his superior
The abject horror hit Imiskae like a truck as she was lost in thought for a brief moment for asking a question
"What were the pests you spoke of earlier?"
"Ah yes. The sentient species that resides on this world. Part of a larger interplanetary empire. Though the ones that came were pests due to their… unsanitary look." — The cryptek told her. — "Though whoever built their city went quite deep. We're kilometers deep and in spite of that the lower parts of their settlement reaches incredibly deep. Their state is likely the dominant one in the galaxy. Making the thieves likely criminals in not so good situations."
"Poor primitives. We will have to deal with the fundamental issues causing them to come over to our tombs to try and steal." — Imiskae replied — "Just guarding won't be enough. Send deathmarks to scout out the city and planet if we can awaken enough. The dynasty needs to awaken in ideal circumstances"
The cryptek nodded. He sent out the command as Imiskae asked a question that had been bugging her for a bit
"As I awoke. I nearly had a panic attack over my lack of flesh. I don't feel right. Like a part of me has been eaten away. I abstain at my lack of touch, smell or taste. Replaced by scans and information feeds. My feet clang heavily as I walk and that feels… off. All of it. Is this something encountered elsewhere or is my code out of order specifically" — She explained and asked causing the cryptek to reply after a bit of processing
"Yes. The dysphorakh. It is something dealt with at least a bit by everyone called a necron. Disliking how their ribcage is ornamented, their height being off, feeling like their hands are too thin due to lack of flesh, Imotekh the stormlord is rumored to have a phantom feel of a bruised knee, some legitimately simulate panic attacks under stress. But it seems you're dealing with an extreme version of it. Tied to identity I presume?" — Gon'jkar asked out of curiosity
"Sadly yes. My life as a mother, going to the fields to see peasants work in the fields, feeling the crop ahead of time as a giddy kid. My mother's soup and the feel of the breeze on the beach. Touching sand or some unique creature. It has shaped me. I feel as if I am stripped of it. I can't even bring myself to express emotion from this emptiness"
The cryptek thought for a moment as his phaeron spoke, paying attention before she simulated sighing audibly. Continuing her train of thought
"Is there a treatment to this?" — She asked directly as the technomancer
"Anything short of reversal of biotransference. Which no one has succeeded in yet… without making the body infertile." — The hunched over necron explained. — "Not even the triarchs have figured that one out."
"What of Szeras?" — She asked out of curiosity — "Isn't half his quest using biology to figure out his ascension? He'd be more than overqualified to help"
"He doesn't give a single electron's worth of energy to that concept" — The technomancer explained
"Then we must bribe him with a specimen he can't refuse." — She pondered — "Do we have anything that could be rare enough or unique enough for him?" — Her question giving Gon'jkar something to think on
"Many species that went extinct on the pest's homeworld are on this world. Accidentally being able to survive around our tomb's glass roof" — He answered causing Imiskae to perk up
"Then get in contact with him while I try and see what the situation on the surface and settlement above our tomb is" — She told her cryptek, causing him to nod. From there the two split up. The hunched necron goes to the dolmen gate on the western side of the tomb with 4 lychguards. The highest ranking noble went to a few dozen awakened death marks and gave them the command to explore and scout out the hive city. To not be seen as much as possible and kill any pest that notices them.