Author's Note: There are currently three advance chapters on P-atreon (remove the spaces and dash): p-atreon/ SkySage24
For anyone interested, here's also an invite code to my Discord: KatEUYZG
Lord Commander Taymon Verticorda was a veteran of war.
For a century, he had been a Knight of House Taranis. His first battles had been among the petty border conflicts and grudges that so frequently popped up across Mars. Never anything to truly threaten anyone, but the various sects were forever feuding, and the times when such feuds turned to physical conflict were more common than one might expect.
As he had risen through the ranks and honed his skills, he had fought in increasingly more important battles. Dealing with dangerous experiments gone rogue, in campaigns against sects that had truly earned enough ire to be eradicated, even against other Knights who had turned against the Mechanicum.
And as Kelbor-Hal had solidified his control over the Red Planet through a mixture of guile and force, Verticorda had distinguished himself in his service through many a campaign, until he had become the Lord Commander of House Taranis.
Verticorda had always served faithfully, loyal to the Machine God and its adherents…but as he stood on the highest deck of the Blade of Victory's strategium, he could not help but question the wisdom of this war with Terra.
He would never voice such thoughts aloud, of course, but he truly did not see why so many of the Priests of Mars were so eager to go to war with Terra.
+This is a waste of time+ A robotic voice said in a burst of binaric cant next to him, echoing his own thoughts. Verticorda turned to Magos Commodore Alanna, commander of Nike Squadron.
The Lord Commander simply raised an eyebrow at his colleague, letting it speak for him.
Alanna huffed in annoyance. She was a fairly typical example of the Martian Priesthood, cloaked in heavy robes that concealed her augmented self, mechandrites poking out of her sleeves. The only thing that differentiated her from others was the fact that her robes were marked with silver runes, distinguishing her as a Commodore in the Martian Navy.
She bore little resemblance to Verticorda, a man who appeared as if in the late portion of his prime, tall and muscular, with dark hair streaked with grey, and piercing eyes. Yet, anyone who looked closely enough would be able to see how youthfulness was artificial, clearly induced by rejuvenants.
+You know I am correct.+ Alanna said waspishly. +If Augustus has gotten himself into trouble, why is it our duty to pull him out?+
"Those are our comrades you speak of, Magos," Verticorda said sharply. "Furthermore, this mission was given to us by the Fabricator-General himself. We must see it done."
Alanna subsided into mutinous silence, but truth be told, Verticorda agreed with her more than he would ever admit.
Terra was a barbaric place, and though this Emperor was undeniably capable and dangerous, he was not the first warlord who had come close to taming humanity's homeworld only to be toppled in the end.
For that reason, it was hard to imagine any strategic gain from engaging this self-proclaimed Emperor. Terra was a barbarian's playground. Throughout the centuries, powers as impressive as the Selenar Cults and Venusian Conclave had sought to tame its unruly wastes. None had succeeded.
This so called "Emperor of Mankind" would be no different, even if he had discovered some secret technology of the Ancients as so many in the Mechanicum were convinced he had.
Even if he had, surely it would not be too difficult to bribe him? Mars had many secrets and resources of its own, and the Mechanicum had offered their patronage to Terran warlords before.
This war was unnecessary, a waste of time and more importantly, of lives, but the Fabricator General seemed committed to it.
And as a loyal knight, it was Verticorda's duty to follow his lord's wishes, even if he thought they were folly.
+We'll be there, soon.+ Alanna said next to him. +We should arrive over Luna momentarily, and then we can deal with this nonsense quickly.+
Verticorda suppressed a sigh. He knew Alanna was annoyed at being sent to deal with this, and she would have much preferred to be dealing with more important matters such as taking advantage of the recent lull in the activity of the Jovian pirates, but she should at least try to hide her obvious disdain for this mission from her subordinates.
But reprimanding her in front of her subordinates would only serve to undermine her authority.
"That is good," He replied instead. "Bring up a holo-display of Luna," He ordered one of the command crew. "We are close enough that our sensors should be able to see it in real-time. I don't want us walking into any trap."
That was another thing to be annoyed by, the supposed alliance with the Selenar Cults. Verticorda trusted those lunatics as far as he could throw them, and everyone knew this would end with them stabbing one another in the back. But for the moment, they all had to grit their teeth and smile, pretending they trusted each other.
To say he was dreading having to engage in diplomacy was an understatement.
His train of thought was interrupted as a holographic display appeared in front of him. Instead of Luna, however, what appeared in front of him was a grey orb with a large patch of blue and green at its' centre.
Verticorda directed a slight glare at the adept whom he had instructed to bring up the display. "Adept, I requested a display of Luna, not a record of some ancient planet outside of Sol."
"I'm trying, Lord Commander!" The adept protested, frantically typing commands into his cogitator. "This should be the sensory feed, I don't know why it's bringing up this."
Minutes passed and the display refused to change, and Verticorda's annoyance mounted with every passing second.
So did Alanna's, as she began manipulating the display herself. +We will see about putting you through retraining later, Adept+ She snapped at her subordinate, who flinched. +For now, leave this to me.+
But even as Alanna began working on it, the display refused to change, remaining a shining blue and green rather than the grey orb that Verticorda expected.
"Is something wrong with the systems, perhaps?" Verticorda ventured after several moments. He dreaded Alanna's response to the implication that her precious ship might be malfunctioning in some way, but it had to be said.
+No.+ Alanna said, but her tone lacked the rancour Verticorda had expected. Instead, there was shock and almost…fear. +The systems are working perfectly. That is Luna, Verticorda."
The Lord Commander jerked. "What? You can't be serious, Luna doesn't look like that-"
+I'm telling you the truth.+ Alanna hissed at him. +Somehow, a large part of Luna has been terraformed into this since Enyo Squadron was sent here!+
"Impossible," Verticorda breathed as he stared at the orb. No, how? Had the Emperor truly unearthed an STC? Was that how he had done this?
Verticorda could hardly wrap his mind around the concept before Alanna spoke again. +There's something else. Something near Luna.+
The blue and grey sphere that was supposedly Luna shrank a little, and more things popped up next to it. A small squadron of ships, arrayed around a larger golden vessel.
The flagship (or at least that was what Verticorda assumed it was) was large and ornate, clearly designed to evoke the image of some kind of bird of prey. Its golden surface glittered in the void, and even though Taymon had seen far more impressive vessels on Mars, the sight of the ship evoked a sense of dread in his heart.
"What are our readings on the ship?" He asked, doing his best to shove away the sudden sense of fear.
+It's advanced. Very advanced.+ Alanna replied grimly. +And it's bristling with weapons.+
Verticorda swallowed, but he pushed aside his shock and doubt to focus on the most important question at hand. "Can we fight it?"
+We can, but I don't know if we would win. The sensor readings are…+ Alanna hesitated. +Obviously, I can't determine the full capabilities of the ship without a close-range scan, but even so, the data we are receiving is worrying. It reminds me of Ancient technologies I've studied before. That ship may be some sort of Golden Age relic. I would estimate that the most likely scenario is that engaging the vessel would lead to mutual destruction.+
Verticorda swallowed again, though this time it was a little harder to do so as his mind began whirling through the implications.
Golden Age technologies? Was this the Emperor's vessel? It was not that no Terran warlord had ever built spacefaring vessels before, but it had been over a thousand years since any Terran spacecraft could match Mars, much less an entire squadron.
More than that, it supported the theory that the Emperor had found an STC, which was a far more troublesome prospect.
But before he could say anything, there was a soft ping.
+...We have an incoming transmission from that ship.+ Alanna said after a moment. +Should I take it?+
"...yes," Verticorda said, forcing the word out.
The display of Luna and its ships was replaced by a rectangular 'screen', displaying a frankly ostentatious-looking strategium decorated in gold and crimson.
But Verticorda was more focused on the man lounging in the Strategium's command throne.
A true giant of a man with long fair hair and piercing golden eyes, and features that looked as if they had been sculpted by the finest Magos Biologis, the Emperor of Mankind was every bit as impressive as Verticorda had heard.
He smiled, and despite the fact that this man was an enemy, Verticorda had to resist the urge to smile back, finding his tension easing, his fear vanishing.
"Lord Commander Verticorda, Magos Commodore Alanna," The Emperor said, steepling his fingers. "I have an offer to make you."
+And what offer would that be?+ Alanna asked warily, but without the hostility that Verticorda would have otherwise expected.
The Emperor smiled, baring pearly white teeth. "I wish for a meeting of parley, upon Luna's surface. I understand you are here to represent the Fabricator-General, and I wish to speak to the Mechanicum."
"Why should we accept this offer?" Verticorda asked, even though his instincts said it was the best option.
The Emperor seemed amused by the question. "Lord Commander, please. Let us not dance around the subject. Your Mechanicum has launched an assault on my world and people. That is why you sent Magos Augustus and Enyo Squadron here, to ally with the Selenar Cults. However, I have no wish to war unnecessarily with the Mechanicum. If there is the possibility of peace, I would like to open talks."
Verticorda hesitated. "I do not have the authority to speak for the Fabricator-General," He said finally.
"I understand that, but surely a meeting of parley is not too much to ask for? I really would rather not have to kill you all."
Everyone in the strategium froze, and the dread that had momentarily vanished came rushing back at the threat.
Verticorda could not have said why. The Emperor's vessel was worrying, yes, but it was not as if even odds were that bad. Every person aboard the vessel was a veteran of war, whether from the petty conflicts on Mars itself or clashes with the Jovian pirates. They had all faced death before, and more than once. They knew the risks every time they went into battle.
So why could this Terran warlord inspire such fear from them without a few words?
+You think you can kill us so easily?+ Alanna demanded, though Verticorda suspected the bravado was only a mask. +We are the children of Mars, Terran. We are not so easily defeated.+
"I am sure," The Emperor said, with the indulgent smile that a parent might offer to a child. "Nonetheless, you are only one squadron of ships. You are no match for my Aetos Dios, and you are too close to flee quickly. I know you are here to back up the Enyo Squadron, but I assure you that they are all unharmed. I simply wish to talk."
Verticorda analyzed their options quickly. He could either order the Nike Squadron to attack and take the gamble that they could win against the Aetos Dios…or he could take up the Emperor's offer of parley and obtain more information.
Perhaps even find out how he had terraformed Luna.
"We have your word that you will not harm us?" Verticorda asked. "That this parley is truly a parley?"
"You have my solemn oath," The Emperor said, placing a gigantic hand against the breastplate of his gleaming golden armour.
The Lord Commander took a deep breath. He did not doubt that the Fabricator-General would be enraged he was even considering this, but Verticorda was responsible not just for the mission, but for the lives of all the men and women aboard the ships of Nike Squadron.
And something told him that if he refused the Emperor's offer, he would be condemning every single one of them to death. Verticorda could not have said where that bone-deep certainty came from, but he knew it was true.
"Very well. Tell us where to meet you."
Author's Note:
Lord Commander Taymon Verticorda is from the novel Mechanicum by Graham McNeill.