I was woken by a flashing red light in the corner of my room. No alarm of any sort sang, but that light flashed as if an alarm had been triggered, and it was irritating enough to be impossible to ignore. I sat up in my extra large space marine bed, wondering what this was all about. Nearby, I "felt" Alberich also wake up, who inquired, Are you awake? to me in mind.
Yeah, hold on, I responded, crawling out of bed and quickly dressing myself in still damp clothes. I opened the door to my room, and discovered that the red light was blinking through the entirety of the bolt-hole. To my left, I saw Alberich emerge from his room and shake his feathered head like a dog, his eyes still sleepy.
"What's this light?" he asked me.
"Not a clue," I answered. "Lian probably knows. He's probably awake already." I stretched and walked down the metal corridors of the bolt-hole toward the medical bay. Behind me, I heard the sound of a metal door opening and closing, followed by clanking footsteps tramping on the floor. I was briefly frightened until I remembered that Null and 77-X both had metal feet, so it was probably just them. Either that, or I'm about to get disintegrated by Necrons.
The Tzaangor and I walked into the medical bay, and found Lian in the process of having his armor placed on him by the metal instruments on the ceiling. He was standing with his arms outward as each piece descended from above, locking into each joint upon him. He saw us come in, and asked, "Where is the tech-priest you traveled with?" in a tense tone. Uh oh.
Far behind me, I heard Null call out, "He's right here!" as I continued to hear him walk to us. An image in my mind flashed of Null and 77-X making their way to us, but the servitor was carrying something very heavy. I got a sense of extreme danger from whatever it was on his back.
Lian looked at us with a furrowed brow as a metal arm fixed a pauldron on his shoulder. It was emblazoned with the very recognizable symbol of the stylized winged sword, and his armor had a battered black finish, suggesting that it had once been dark green, and that it had been painted over. The flashing red light made this scene appear very dangerous along with Lian's severe expression. It was really incredible seeing a space marine like this in person, vital and alive; they had absolutely huge presences, and he set off some sort of visceral danger sense because they appeared so overwhelmingly strong. He was taller than Alberich and Null, easily well over two meters in height, and very heavily built. The marine had pale skin, short-ish wavy dark blond hair, and green eyes. The Fallen Angel did not seem weak or delirious any longer, and held himself like a restrained powerful predator. The poison in his body was likely entirely cleared by now. "This alarm is indicative of a security breach of the lower levels. I pray muchly that no one has not gone exploring," he informed us, he indicated one of the flashing red lights.
"I'm here, I'm here," the tech-priest said as he joined us. "Ah, I see you're awake. Astartes are most formidable."
"Were you here this whole time, tech-priest?" Suspicion gripped Lian's tone as more pieces of armor descended from the ceiling, attaching themselves to the Fallen in fluid motions.
Null waited before responding. "I needed to visit the lower areas," he replied curtly after glancing at the Fallen, obviously not telling the entire truth.
Lian's jaw dropped in surprise, and I saw a muscle in his neck clench with tension. "Aya, disable perimeter alarm," he said coldly, not taking his eyes off Null. The blinking red light stopped. "I do not know what to say to this, tech-priest. This action may have endangered us all. What is that which your servitor carries?"
"You went downstairs already? Why didn't you tell us?" I asked him, genuinely alarmed.
The tech-priest did not answer either of our questions, and started attempting to explain himself. "It was an absolute need, I assure you. There is n-n-nothing to be alarmed about."
A warm white light rose in the bunker. "Perimeter alarm disabled. Check status on perimeter," the female mechanical voice announced.
Lian was now fully armored up with the exception of his helmet, and looked considerably more threatening now that he wasn't sick. His intense green eyes glared into each one of us, as if sizing us up while also trying to be intimidating. When he got to me, he flinched, unable to sustain eye contact.
"I will now hear who exactly you people are, and how you found this place. Do it quickly. While I am grateful for your assistance with the great beast outside, I must know these things before I am to decide whether or not to kill you. You have committed a terrible sin that has damned the security of Hunter's Repose. Visiting the lower levels when I explicitly warned you against that reveals to me that you are untrustworthy."
What, really? Are you serious? We saved this guy and now he's deciding if he's going to kill us now because Null went on a walk? That's ridiculous! I cleared my throat, and the Fallen turned toward me. He was still having difficulty looking me in the eye, but did so reluctantly. "We are not enemies. We are three people fleeing a Warp rift where Levant used to be, over a thousand light years away. Our vessel is an old piece of archaeotech that we need to repair before it can fly again. We weren't sent here by the Imperium, if you were worried about that. You seemed to be happy that we found you before."
Null interjected, a cut of brazeness in his mechanical voice, "Yes, what she says. We are three individuals and one servitor working together for survival, not by choice." I heard Alberich snort with amusement nearby as he turned around and walked away from the confrontation.
I am retrieving Valkyrie, the Tzaangor whispered to me in mind. Keep him talking until I return. I didn't respond, and watched as Null began to admonish the perfidious Fallen.
"We happened upon your dying body in the canyon, and you should offer us thanks for saving you. You were far more grateful when laid out half dead on the table while I was administering your antitoxin, saving your life."
"An angel does not concern himself with the comings and goings of mortals," Lian said with a sniff while looking at Null. "I see that you traffic with a mutant of some kind, and you are a tech-priest that seems very well decorated and modified for being a simple rogue."
I was getting really tired of this Fallen's arrogant bullshit, and I was also now starting to get angry. I sensed Alberich picking up his daemon glaive, and walking back to the medical bay. Don't run in here ready to fight just yet. Let me see if I can talk to him, I said quickly to the beastman, alarmed.
"So, maybe I'm missing something, but why do you even care?" I dared. "You are a Fallen Dark Angel, right? Why are you even concerned with who we are and what we're doing as long as we aren't directly attached to the Imperium? We saved you!"
Lian's face was now lined in anger. "I care because I am still a Dark Angel, if only a wayward one. This is our hideaway, and our secrets here are our own, and not to be dealt with by outsiders. Even if what you say is true, and you are all simply wandering pirates, the Imperium could find you and torture this information out of you. Your tech-priest has proven to me that you cannot follow instructions, nor respect the space of others. All those unworthy who pry into our secrets must be dealt with."
I sensed great danger in this conversation as Lian contemplated our fate. This Fallen was absolutely thinking of killing us! This was definitely more grimderp than grimdark. Who the fuck wrote this in the lore? Matt Ward?
Behind me, and at the worst possible moment, I heard Wolfie bark as I tried to come up with a response. I had told the dog to "stay" in the Warp, but apparently, he wasn't having that. The dog walked ahead of me, and curiously sniffed at the marine.
Lian's attention was drawn to the astral hound. "And now, I see that the psyker woman is followed by a parasitic Warp beast. I need no more further judgment on your character, strangers," he said as he removed a long hidden dagger from a compartment in his boot. With a flick of his wrist, it began to softly cackle with electricity, and it extended to the length of a short sword. The marine wore a contemptuous scowl as he regarded each of us. "My apologies, but I will now need to kill all of you. For your help, I promise to make it quick and painless. While I again give thanks and appreciation for your aid in battle, you must understand," he said dispassionately as he began to advance, holding his weapon out. "Some secrets need to be kept, no matter what."
I felt energy blaze through me once again. Nope, fuck this.
The next events happened so quickly that I wasn't sure what exactly had occurred. In a flash, Lian moved to lunge at Wolfie with his weapon, and the next thing I knew, the marine was now on the ground, his back against the metal cabinets of the medical bay. The Fallen had fallen. I realized that my right hand was held up, and it had felt like I had slapped something. Lian was laying stunned, half sitting up, and his eyes madly affixed to mine as I held Wolfie in my left arm.
"Shame on you!"I boomed at the Fallen. Once again, I felt energized, and a halo of warmth enveloped me, emboldening me further. I was dimly aware that I was floating off the floor, glowering down at Lian as he cowered. My loose hair hung about me as if I was in water. My next words came from a strange hidden place of strength deep within me, and my words didn't entirely feel my own. "Shame! We saved you, we healed you, only for you to try and murder us as soon as you were able! Why, you're nothing but a great big coward! Aren't the Dark Angels known for their bravery, their honor? I see no honor here, only a dishonored son, killing evidence that he was ever afraid so that his brothers never know his shame! No wonder they call you Fallen!"
Wow, where did that come from? I waited for the marine to respond. The Fallen flinched as if he had been smacked in the face.
Lian didn't move to stand. His eyes were wide in shock. Unexpectedly, the marine on the floor then actually began to shake. I kept my eyes on him, battering his psyke and bullying him into submission. Fuck this cowardly lion. He was going to kill us after we saved him. Fucking grimdark.
Will you kill him? I heard Alberich softly ask behind me. I took a breath, and pulled the energy back within me, causing my feet to find the floor again. Wolfie vanished in a puff of smoke from my arms, running back to the Warp in fright.
"I...I..." the Fallen sputtered, unable to compose himself. I kept my eyes on him, psionically bludgeoning him as he began to break down. His next words came out in a tripping deluge of involuntary near-hysterics as I dredged his deepest feelings up to the surface. "You... you're right. I...I am a coward. I ran from battle and allowed my brothers to die. My brothers, they named me Lian the Cowardly because I had run before! To redeem myself, I set forth on a hunt. We encountered the screaming beast. I am only alive because I broke and fled battle, leaving my brothers behind again. It poisoned me and took their bodies away, men I had fought with for many years. I knew it would be back, but you came. Strangers! A sensei! You... those eyes! I've never... I've never..." As a side effect from my intimidation, Lian had now begun to weep, which felt incredibly wrong to me. I broke eye contact. I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding. It could be my lack of sleep, but I realized that felt considerably fatigued after this. Using greater psyker powers definitely had a refractory period, I noted.
"I hate to be rude in interrupting this tender moment," Null said. "But, I suggest we take our leave of this world."
I turned around, and behind Null, I saw 77-X carrying something large and heavy on his back.
"Uh, what exactly is he carrying, Null?" I asked. When I studied the weight on 77-X's back, I again felt a keen sensation of danger.
Null looked at the hysterical Fallen for a moment before continuing. "This is the replacement battery for the Divine Retribution. I was successful. I went below, and retrieved a battery from one of their sleeping ships in the Tomb. I have not t-taken anything else."
Lian stopped his emotional breakdown and looked upward at us in shock. "What have you done? I had hoped that you had not been so foolish as to actually steal from the xenos!" He scrambled to his feet, looking down at all of us from his height. "The areas below here host their dormant ships, and no one is bidden to go there, lest they wake them! I am stunned by your audacity, tech-priest!"
All the heads in the room turned toward Null, who stood ahead of 77-X as he held his plunder. The tech-priest crossed a pair of his arms in front of himself defensively, and chuffed, "Yes, I took it. I have actually made quite a career of it, really. And I've never woken a Tomb in my two thousand years of living. I wouldn't be alive here if I wasn't any good at salvaging. Are there currently any Necrons killing us all right now? No? Then they aren't awake!"
There was a heavy pause as Lian stood collecting himself after his breakdown. I could see (and feel) that he was experiencing conflicting feelings of shame and anger. He was distraught over the events of the last day, and now, also embarrassed that he had actually cried in front of mortals. "Give them time, tech-priest," Lian said ominously while putting his dagger back inside his boot. With a faraway look in his eyes, the marine shook his head, and said, "You all should go. Do not say anything to anyone about what you have seen here. This is the end of Hunter's Repose."
The atmosphere was heavy with tension. "Null, I'm sorry, but is it possible at all that you woke that Tomb up?"
"Like I said before, I have made a career out of my study of a-ancient t-technology, and I have never-" Null paused, his animated eyes glitching green for a moment before flickering back to his normal grey.
"What, what is it?" I asked. The marine pushed past us all, seemingly on a mission.
"One moment p-please, this is just some interf-"
His eyes glitched green again, and the tech-priest froze. After a few seconds, I heard an electrical shocking sound come from within Null's body, and his eyes flickered black for a moment before settling back to grey. He blinked a few times, and straightened his back. "Yes, yes, we really should be getting back to the ship. It appears to be just before dawn, so likely all the night creatures have gone to bed. So, let us pack up and be off already." Null made some indication to 77-X, who turned around and began meandering toward the exit. His gait was odd, and every so often, I could hear crackling, sparking sounds from the tech-priest's chest. The buzzing was accompanied by the smell of ozone. The servitor carrying the battery (which I honestly didn't think would be that small) followed Null wordlessly, so I couldn't ask him what had happened downstairs.
"Something feels wrong here," Alberich said, saying exactly what I was thinking. "I have a sense of foreboding. It is the same feeling of dreadful premonition I would get as a man before experiencing danger, and it is quite strong. Something is very wrong in here, and not with the unstable giant." Distantly, I could hear Lian walking with rushed purpose to and from different parts of the bunker. That wasn't a good sign.
"We should leave, yeah," I said, watching Null. In my worry, I pushed my senses deep below us to see if any disaster was incoming. What I sensed was strange, and difficult to describe. It felt akin to a rubber ball made of energy and information bouncing relentlessly off of every surface in an expansive hollowed-out area under us. While I saw nothing move, the feeling I got from "seeing" this bundle of information ricochet across vast distances inspired a terrible sense of dread. In response to this action, I felt a dull ache pound uncomfortably in my head, and for a moment, it felt difficult to think. Can't keep using psyker powers for everything all the time, I guess.
"Did the games and stories in your world speak of such things? How dangerous are they truly? The metal man is acting as if he is malfunctioning. There is something terribly wrong," Alberich inquired, all the feathers of his ruff on edge. As we both watched, Null began to wander aimlessly, and turned away from the exit. It felt as if something was indeed very wrong with the tech-priest, but he wasn't telling us. I could hear Lian stomping through the bolt-hole, reeking of shame and self-hatred.
I thought for a moment, digging into my 40k lore knowledge. I honestly didn't know too much about Necrons, but I knew a little bit. Waking them usually requires a certain signal to be sent, acting as their wake up call. Tech-priests that wake up Necrons was definitely a trope with Warhammer 40k authors. That is what I sensed, I firmly realized. The Necrons below Kolch were waking up, and the signal below was bounding across not only the space beneath us, but all across the entire world of Kolch. We needed to get the hell out of here!
In exasperation, despite all the terrible danger, I sighed. It's not like anyone ever saw any of this coming in any 40k story concerning tech-priests screwing around on Tomb Worlds, I thought morbidly. Of course, something like this would happen. Since we also found a "Cowardly Lion" just now here, I'm totally blaming Tzeentch for all this.
"Well, time to run for our lives again," I said to Alberich, who curtly nodded. The daemon glaive that the beastman held briefly flared to life with bright cobalt flames.
Overwhelmed for a minute, we both watched as the tech-priest froze and turned to us, his eyes a bright neon green. What definitely surprised us here was the unnatural voice that resonated through Null's body, directed at us.
"Thieves located," Null screamed before collapsing into a pile of metal.