Chapter 17: Gnashing Laughter

"I really would rather not stay in Sargon. It's really hot down here, to the point I'd rather freeze to death in Ursus than melt. I mean, we did just fly through actual sunbeams and… do I really have to record this right now, Delta? Can't we do this someplace else? No? Fine… well, the Sargonians are split into two areas. Some of it is desert wasteland, the other is just jungle. I mean, you must've seen it while we were flying here, right? Anyway, they're kind of split into factions. Let's just hope you didn't anger the one back in Zeta-B" —Voxlog recording by Katya Kerenov. Error: Voxlog data unable to be distributed through noosphere. Try again in approximately 6:44:09 hours.

"Sah?"

Faust stirred from his slumber, gripping at the seat he had dozed off on. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes, grumbling as he put away the luxury blanket he was using—preferring that as a cover rather than uncomfortable void armor. Yawning, he straightened himself out.

"Yes?" Faust asked.

Brogg crossed his arms, nodding his head to the open bay doors. "Uhh, well, ya ain't gon' like dis."

Faust let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his eyes, groggily standing up. "What happened this time?"

Brogg furrowed his brow, scrunching his face up when something was too complicated. "...Hm, betta' let Delta say it roight. I fo'got half the gruttin' words already. Too fanci-ful for mah tastes. And lots, too. She's uh… not happy."

Of course it was Delta… just what did she mess with now? Faust thought to himself.

As he walked outside, he first heard the sounds of a furious tech-priest and what sounded like metal clanging repetitively. Then, he saw the absurdity of Delta hammering away at a portion of the wall with her mechadenrite tail, denting it as she cursed in garbled Lingua-technica. This didn't seem like a usual mess up, considering she looked about ready to execute someone.

Katya was standing right by the entrance of the lowered doors, scratching her hair with one hand and holding her helmet with the other. Surprisingly, so was Octavia, hanging with the Ursus rather than its master.

Faust soon stood next to Katya, asking with a raised eyebrow and a silent frown for an explanation.

"Beats me. Something about some of her buddies' communications being cut off. I… really don't know if I should approach her. I'd rather not get whacked."

"...How long has she been like this?"

"She just started a few seconds ago. I only saw her get more angry as time passed. Feranmuts know what made her that angry."

Faust cracked his neck, stretched the muscles in his jaw, and then grumbled to himself some more. He was more interested in details than speculation, and so he was going to go calm her down. Easy enough, yet the problems would arise after it was done.

The Lord Captain walked towards Delta without a fear in his mind at being obliterated by the Xenobiologist's tail. He continued moving towards Delta until he was in range of her tail, where she was about to accidentally strike him.

Faust halted in his movement, the tail almost grazing him until all momentum was cut off in a second. The giant mechadendrite fell, the tip sliding down his shoulder all the way to his boots. Delta, now hunched over on her Omnissian-Axe, gave a single glance to Faust before lowering her head in shame. As her tail lowered, it gave way for Faust to get closer.

They stood together in the silence, the echoes of the landship's beating no longer resonating in the open air. It was clear she was in one of her guilty mindsets again, not daring to face him and preferring to hide her own.

"Delta," Faust asked softly.

"...Sorry. I… lost myself. Of all the probable theories I calculated, I decided on venting pent-up steam on ancient technology. It should be revered, not beaten…" She shook slightly, "Impractical…"

Faust said nothing, allowing for her to truly speak her mind.

"...Such a mess… this is why I don't bother with other tech-priests… I can't even get underlings to listen to me… how pathetic…"

"Delta…"

"What a failure…"

Faust grabbed her shoulder firmly. "Enough, Delta. If you're going to sulk, do it after we fix whatever you're frustrated about. And with me, preferably, in order to console your mind afterwards." Faust let go, before lightly yanking her hood off.

Her snow-white hair fell beautifully, like a fluorescent light in the shaded part of the ship. She tried to place her hood back on, only for Faust to grab her hands.

"Don't you get tired of that line of thinking whenever something goes awry? It's 'inefficient,' as you've said before."

There was a light blush on her face as her hands were in his, causing her to smile nervously. "W-Well…"

"Especially when you face them on your own. You do realize I was right there, right?"

"Y-You were sleeping… I wasn't going to bother you…" Delta muttered, her tail slowly coiling around one of his legs. She stood taller, bolstered by his presence and her regaining mentality.

"I've been bothered for less and you know I don't mind your company. Now, I was originally going to reprimand you for a huge mistake, but it seems you did my job already—and I'm not convinced it was your mistake, either. Now, will you tell me what went wrong? Where exactly are Rho-Q's tech-priests you brought along? I'd have thought they'd be working on repairs."

Delta groaned, her hands clenching her axe as she leaned backwards. "Those damn fools…" she muttered. After a brief pause, she straightened herself with a frown. "Because of differences in opinion, as well as ignoring both your and my orders, those two rust-brained, arrogant, tech-hungry deficient cogheads have ventured off on their own! They 'take orders only from Rho-Q and not a defunct Xenarite,' to which I almost vaporized those… those…"

Delta shook her fists angrily, cutting her anger off in an instant and cooling down, "Excuse me. As I was saying, they decided to travel deeper inside to search for salvageable technology and data recovery. While I am not opposed to such a thing, there are too many unknown variables to count for; my words did not reach their deaf ears. I suspect they tuned me out to converse on a private channel. They didn't even leave a servitor for One-O."

"I see… I assume you know where they traveled to?"

"More than that, I put a tracker in one of their servitors. Though… the signal went dark an hour ago. I assume they found the device, or so I hope. Omnissiah knows what lives in ship wreckage, no matter how small."

"...I suppose we'll assemble a search team. I'll ask One-O when the repairs will be done."

"Search team? No, I was thinking of an execution squad." Delta said, her smile turning into a frightening grin.

"...I'll let you punish them in whichever way you see fit after your head has cooled down. Plus… I was hoping to get an excuse to explore these halls, anyway. This place has to be as large as an escort class voidship—or half of one, considering the other side is torn off." Faust said, looking at the other piece of the landship in the chasm. "There's bound to be something notable inside its walls."

Delta nodded sagely, "Of course. Shall we leave someone with One-O?"

"Probably Katya. She's not that suited for guarding, but I'd rather not have her get ambushed with us. Too important to have our guide be eliminated. Especially when we get back to Zeta-B."

"That statement is contradictory to previous actions. You brought her into danger before," Delta whispered, gently squeezing Faust's leg. "...What is stopping you from acquiring a replacement later? Not that she's detrimental nor bothersome; I only wish for your personal data on the matter, if you do not mind."

Faust gave a hidden glance to the Ursus, who was in the middle of their own conversation with Rulk. It sounded like their usual playful bickering.

"Rulk has taken a liking to her, same as I. She fits well enough into the group without making much of a fuss, and because of that, it'd be a waste to have her die so early in her training. To put it in your words, it'd be a waste of resources when I know how much I could invest and later gain."

"...I see your point. Yet, wouldn't a highly skilled individual be much more… effective?"

"They would, but that's an eventuality. We've barely had the chances to interact with other Tellusians, and to those we have, well…" Faust shook his head, "Whatever the case, she's a stepping stone of progress that'll one day turn into a mighty road for which we can use, but only if we make sure she becomes one. Even the lowliest servants can become worthy leaders in their own right, can they not? But I digress. How can we gain the trust of these abhumans if our actions become untrustworthy?"

Delta scratched her chin. "Do you really think that will work? 'Kindness' has a documented success rate of only 32%. We both understand it is a commodity for the foolish, yet we continue on this course of action. I still do not understand why you continue to pursue such a thing, Faustie. More so when you know you'll be burned by it, quite literally in some cases."

"Haven't I already said this before to you? Humanity can never truly be at peace if all we know is dominating through force. We must be balanced in both the carrot and the stick, as the ancient human adage goes. And though our galaxy is perpetually at war, peace has to start from somewhere or else humanity will never rise again… it may as well start through me. If the Ogryns can do it often enough, then you know I will try on those who agree with my ideals. And to those that don't, well, they will meet the end by my blade." Faust crossed his arms. "Besides my 'foolish' ideologies, haven't you benefitted the most from it?" Faust asked slyly, giving a small grin.

Delta looked away, her eyes narrowing in slight anger and deep regret. "Please don't remind me…" She wilted slightly. "That failure has permanently burned into my memories, and again, I am forever grateful you saved me from such a fate. Though, I suppose it has been more pleasant to be around you compared to that stuffy planet of cold gears and overwhelming scrutiny."

"I still remember that. It feels like only a short while ago when you accidentally destroyed countless—"

Delta grabbed Faust's mouth quickly, silencing him as she squirmed. "I said don't remind me! Please!" After a minute of staring sternly, she slowly let go of his mouth—and his leg. "Can we please move on from this? I'd prefer prioritizing our search than privately speaking."

"That's a first."

"Oh hush, you know what I meant. Now, I shall wait patiently. I would rather not become impatient."

Faust rolled his eyes. "It'll only be a short while."

After finishing their conversation, Faust strolled towards the two bickering, now listening in to their conversation. While Octavia was floating over to its master, Brogg was nowhere to be found—strangely enough.

"And so what if I am?" she growled, shaking her fist.

Rulk snorted. "I foresaw this, but to hear it from your voice? Why, I am pleased."

"Why you…" Katya growled.

Faust chuckled, announcing his presence to cut off the rising tension between the two. "I see the both of you are enjoying your stay here. Might I know what you were talking about?"

Rulk waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing important, Lord-Captain. Merely… personal issues."

Katya's side glance was more of a scornful glare, but she said didn't respond to his words. She instead crossed her arms, focusing on Faust. "Looks like you calmed down Delta, right?"

"Yes. But we have another task ahead of us. I fear we'll have to go searching for those wandering tech-priests."

Katya frowned. "Great. Exploring an empty landship. Well, not like I have much better things to do. I'll get my stuff."

Katya had put a foot forward as she turned, only for Rulk to stop her. She looked up at the Navigator, then back at the Lord-Captain, who hadn't finished speaking. "Oh, you weren't done."

"No. I was not. You'll be staying here for the time being to protect One-O from any unsavory creatures. Meanwhile, we will go track down wherever those ad-mech fools have up and gone."

"Oh, what?" Katya raised her arms up. "I'm not coming? Why not?"

"Mm," Rulk hummed. "I agree with this course of action."

Katya glanced at Rulk with slightly offended, "Y-You too? This isn't fair! I shouldn't have to wait for you guys!"

Faust crossed his arms. "But you will. My orders are absolute in this circumstance. Uninhabited voidships are far too dangerous for you to explore, and though we are not in such a vessel, our current location is an equally comparable location. We're experienced dealing with such explorations, but you aren't—not as much, at least."

"That's…" Katya looked down, sighing, "...true, I guess. But how else will I learn?"

"Through experiences in other environments. You'll come to appreciate these lessons in time, but for now, guard duty is what you'll be getting."

"What if you encounter something I only understand?"

"Ha!" Rulk barked a laugh out. "As if that has ever stopped humanity. We will be fine, Katya. Your expertise is much appreciated, beastie, but you would slow us down in the case of injury. Instead, focus more on making sure nothing crawls out of this desolate wreckage to attack One-O." Rulk glanced at a door, rusted shut. "I would not wish for a nightmare to devour you in your wait."

"Fine… I'll stay. But bring a—what's the word—souvenir? Pick one out for me, will you, Rulk?"

"Of course." Rulk turned to Faust. "Lord-Captain, I believe I'll wait by Delta."

Faust walked past. "Go ahead. Try not to mess with her too much."

Katya grumbled in her language as Faust walked into the ship again. He was expecting to find Brogg or One-O, but he instead found the Ogryn conversing with Otto.

Faust looked away for a moment, completely forgetting he brought Otto along. He hadn't thought of himself as an absentminded person, but having forgotten a friend made him second-guess that. He shook his head, walking over to the two.

"That true?" Brogg said with a few crossed arms. "Hmph. S'not good. Don't think Sah Faust will like tha'."

"Will like what?" Faust asked, tilting his head.

Brogg and Otto turned towards their Lord-Captain, both giving their respective salutes. They relaxed a moment later as Faust dismissed it with a lazy wave. "Ah, Sah, jus' who I was 'bout to go find. Otto 'ere says the halls are too gruttin' small fo' me. It'd be cramped if I went with ya, but I wanna make sure you stay in good cund-co-contid–grah! In good shape! I don't know what ta' do."

"Is that true, Otto?"

Otto merely nodded his head, flourishing his hands to crush an imaginary cube. It was the sign for cramped passageways and tight squeezes. While an Ogryn could smash his way through such a problem, more silence would be an advantage in the unknown.

Faust rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright… well, it seems you'll be staying with Katya too. I know what you can do… set up our Harvestman Turret. Do you remember how?"

Brogg nodded confidently. "Think I do."

"If you don't, ask One-O. As for you, Otto, we're going on a brief trip. I'm somewhat annoyed you didn't run a scouting venture request through me, but I'm more pressed for other matters than to scold you. Go ask Delta where we're headed and maintain a twenty-feet distance in the front. You can scout ahead immediately. I know you're capable of such a task."

Otto gave a single thumbs up as he briskly jogged out to the Melior, but Brogg had stayed behind for one last thing. "Sah?"

"Yes, Brogg?"

"Otto said to give ya this. Not sure wha' it is, really."

Brogg grabbed something from a strange pouch, one Faust knew he did not own, before handing him a pristine azure gemstone. It was triangular, but other than that, looked more like a bauble than anything else.

Faust looked up at Brogg, "Where… did Otto find this?"

"Well, abou' that. He said for me to keep quiet abou' the specifics, but you know how I am abou' secret stuff. He just doesn't wanna get into any more trouble."

"I don't believe he'd get into trouble for picking up something priceless," Faust said, putting the gemstone away in a pouch.

"Oh, well, is 'cuz he took it from one-a-'em admech folks 'fore they left. They were bein' sneaky, something about it having energy 'nside it. But, 'course, he overheard 'em!" Brogg chuckled, shaking his head. "Poor coggers nevuh knew they got stolen from, bet they don't even know one of their data-plates is missin'. Well, that's abou' it, Sah. Stay safe, Sah!"

As Brogg left, Faust felt the slight bit of a dilemma forming in his mind. On one hand, he thought he'd have stopped Otto from taking things without express orders, as well as likely starting a small conflict with Rho-Q. Yet, this technically fell into doing tasks for the good of his House, and these admech had disobeyed them in the end, so it's not as if he minded it much.

Faust shook his head, going to pick up the stray pieces of his void armor and attaching them to himself where they should be. There was a lot on his mind at the moment, but for right now, he'd occupy himself with this. It would take longer since he was alone, but he didn't mind the quietness.

Finally, he made his way up to the pilot chamber, where he had last seen One-O. As he stepped up, he could hear the harsh buzz of a combi-tool and the reverent chants of One-O in Lingua Technica. He entered the cockpit, seeing the tech-priest deep in his work underneath the pilot's instrument panel. Lit candles were strewn across the floor, not allowing the Rogue Trader to take another step forward lest he disrupt the process further.

"One-O."

"Busy."

"I can see that. Most of us will be taking off to find the rest of the admech who had stopped helping you." "Unnecessary. I can accomplish bare-minimum repairs without such a crew. Especially when such nuisances do not follow orders."

"That's not what I mean. We'll be leaving the Ursus and the Ogryn with you to help guard the ship. Please help them set up a Harvestman Turret, when you finish up here, of course. I'd rather you not get ambushed while you're busy."

A few sparks emitted from underneath the console, but One-O had continued his work without a moment's delay. However, he didn't answer for a long time. "Compliance," he finally replied, unimpeded at his work.

Well, that settles things. Faust made his way outside, auto-pistol in hand. It'd be a group of four, unfortunately, but they'd make do. After all, exploration into the unknown was their specialty.

It'd been hours since they left, as Faust's group was exploring the halls to their heart's content. They were going through corridors and dilapidated structures slowly, carefully, and hopefully silently. After all, they had to have been incredibly knowledgeable if they had gone with little trouble.

Or so Katya thought to herself.

Here she was, bored out of her skull, while they were off on an adventure through derelict tunnels and forgotten halls. So what if the role she had was important? This was still too dull.

The air was also kind of steamy, but not inhospitable. She had to thank the deep canyon for that, as well as the very top of the landship's hull. Thanks to that, she wouldn't feel the full force of the heat, but it was still just enough to be bothersome.

At least she wasn't alone. She looked over to their pilot, who was currently setting up a machine of some sort. It almost looked like a famed Columbian turret, but with much more… Imperialness to it.

Its base, like most things in their culture, showed the usual bulky Imperial design. It also had a flat head, with a few circular systems she could only guess to be how it saw things. It had six lanky legs that made it taller, but they seemed like they wouldn't budge from their place easily. Rather than a gun emplacement on the sides such as the turrets found at Enduring Vigil—to which Katya felt it was an odd name for an army base—the main armaments were movable stand. From what she learned in her brief time studying Imperial vehicles, it looked to be a small, rectangular rocket pod that could fall directly behind itself—looking like a backpack or maybe a mortar. She wasn't sure what kind of rockets they were, but they weren't the larger variants strapped to sentinels.

Katya walked closer to the skitarii… or was he a tech-priest? She couldn't tell. They all had some type of mechanical replacement for body parts or distinct robes. Maybe it was the lack of an axe that made them a skitarii. Whichever the case, she had gotten closer to the pilot of the Melior.

"So… One-O, right?" Katya asked, pointing a finger at him.

The skitarii hadn't acknowledged her, his mechanical fingers inspecting each and every rocket. Right before Katya was about to ask again, he spoke.

"Affirmative," One-O droned out mechanically.

"Oh. Uh, alright, I was wondering what you're doing, exactly? I saw Brogg bring that giant mechanical… thing out earlier for you, but you told him to keep watch while you set it up." Katya then glanced at the Ogryn, who was squinting at the nearby tunnels with his shield out. He was ready for a fight should one come, but Katya doubted it would happen. Though the creepy stillness of the air made her a bit more paranoid. "This one is making sure the blessed machine's frag missiles are in functioning order. It would be a shameful display to the Omnissiah's will to have it break. Conclusion: Make sure it does not."

Katya was about to ask about why One-O called himself as "This one," but she quickly dismissed it because the Imperium at large was strange. It was just another footnote of peculiarity compared to what she actually wanted to know.

"How often does it break?" Katya asked.

"Each Typhoon missile pod has a calculated failure rate of 2.56%. Possibility decreases to 0.02% after properly checking each missile is placed correctly and undamaged."

One-O's fingers retracted, causing the Harvestman to raise its missile pod directly above its head slowly.

"This one has completed the necessary procedures for protection. Please, do not bother me as I focus on repairing our ship."

The skitarii bowed, before slowly making his way towards the ship's wings. Brogg took that as his call to come back, lumbering his way over. Katya could only frown as the reclusive pilot focused on his own tasks.

"Nothin' like some ol' guardin' to keep me roight busy," Brogg chuckled, placing his shield down. He mimicked the same frown Katya had on. "Whus got you upset, Katyuh?

She sighed, "I don't know. I thought maybe I could make some small talk with One-O, but he doesn't seem interested."

Brogg nodded carefully, "Tha's cuz he ain't much a talk-ur. Very pre-sice, he is, buh tha's just how them mecha-mec–mechanicah folk are. But he's 'eliable enough; don't think too hard 'bout it. Hurt me brain when I did tha'." Brogg said, poking at his forehead.

"I guess…" Katya shook her head disappointingly, before looking at the tunnels.

"When do you think they'll be back?"

"Dunno. May-be an 'our. May-be all day. Always different, buh long as the nosh is good, I don' complain much. Don' think I can fit inside them 'alls anyhow. 'Sides, Otto said I can't, and he's fraggin' good at findin' out things."

"Otto? The old guy that never talks?" She repeated in confusion. "That guy?" Katya looked up at Brogg for an answer, to which he plainly nodded. "He's spoken to you?"

"Yeah," Brogg nodded again, only to look away for a second, and look back. "Oh, ya mean in words. Nah, he don' talk at all. Somethin' to do wit' his tongue. Nasty stuff happened to 'im back in the day. Now he can' do it no more. Buh he talks in uh-ther ways—like 'is hands. Makes all sorta movements. A bit hard tuh under-stand, buh he makes it real simple for me noggin."

Katya mentally noted it down for something to ask the old man more about—or Faust, since he seemed to have a history with everyone on the ship. She hadn't interacted with Otto enough to know more, but that's because he was just elusive to find. He always disappeared at the right moment, only to reappear again. She could've sworn he was using some type of arts or maybe he had advanced Imperial technology, but honestly, he was just odd. It even felt a bit strange being near him, but she couldn't quite place the feeling of why it was.

A groan reverberated throughout the landship, immediately causing her to tense up in fear. It sounded alien, almost alive, but surely that was just the old metal of the ship, right? Brogg hadn't tensed up in the same way, as his eyes searched the surroundings for the noise.

The groan started again, but this time like it was coming from below, much more rapidly. Like a thundering storm, it continued until it passed the group by. All was quiet again, but internally Katya's heart beat like a drum.

"The hell was that?" Katya said to herself in Ursus, bringing her lasgun up.

She looked around only to see the Skitarii's hands creeping towards his belt for the pistols, inching himself towards the two.

"Recommendation: Stay silent," he whispered. "Internal scanners picked up rapid movement directly below us. No creatures. Unknown variable."

That immediately set off alarm bells in Katya's mind as she felt her heart rate spike up. Her gun was now trained on the tunnels, her barrel swapping from one to another. Brogg had brought up his pistol as well, gripping his shield tighter.

Another ghostly moan reverberated from the ship before it became deathly silent. It was as if the landship itself was alive, speaking to them, telling them to leave. To get out.

One-O had arrived to meet them, dual pistols that had a blue ring around them as they glowed in the dark. He looked at the Harvestman and pressed a button on his chest, causing the turret to let out a tiny beep as one light turned red.

A chitter immediately responded to the beep, causing everyone to turn in that direction suddenly. It had come from one hallway, the entrance on the side of where Faust and his group had gone.

Then another chitter, and another, until silence again. Katya turned her head to meet Brogg, who looked back with the same wariness. They focused in on the tunnel as a chitter spoke again, this time like a cackling sound.

She could feel their glaringly malicious presence, watching them from the darkness and crevices. Another chitter came from a tunnel to their left, causing One-O to shift a pistol in the direction.

The various cries of the unknown creatures continued to laugh as they surrounded them, their footsteps near silent but able to be made out—like claws tapping against metal. She couldn't make out any eyes in the darkness, only their slavering voices.

The chitters had now become numerous, drowning out the sound of her beating heart. They were seemingly everywhere.

She felt a chill run down her spine just the same as her nervous sweat, her eyes frantically glancing at each entrance way. She wasn't paying much attention to One-O or Brogg, but she guessed they had the same readiness to shoot whatever monster came out of those forgotten halls.

The harsh alien chattering coming from everywhere suddenly stopped before a loud screech of anger came from all of them at once. Katya's finger moved to the trigger as the groaning of the ship began, ready to defend her life.

But none of the lurkers came, as their stomping suggested they were rushing towards something else. Just as quickly as they had come, they left, cackling in the inked crevices of the landship.

It took a significant while before anyone spoke, as they all kept their weapons focused on the various empty corridors now deathly still. Finally, Katya sat down as if a load of bricks had suddenly weighed her down to the floor. She felt like she wanted to cry at the terrifying encounter. She felt it was cowardly of her to do that, as she hadn't even seen what had stalked them.

"One-O… I-I think we should tell Mr. Faust we're not alone…"

There wasn't a response.

"...One-O?" Katya asked again, turning.

One-O was statuesque. Not a single muscle moved since the creatures had passed. "Problem: Unreachable."

"U-Unreachable?"

"Repeat. Problem: Vox-communication is currently unreachable. This one cannot reach them. Their vox-communication is static. This one cannot speak to them. This one cannot reach them. Unknown reasoning. Unprepared result. I cannot–" One-O's head suddenly jolted left, before returning to normal. "Apologies. Next course of action: repairs must increase in efficiency by 150%. Now continuing repairs at rapid speed. Must be enough to leave."

"What a-about Faust?"

"Conclusion: We will wait for them. If communication is not established within the next 48 hours, we will detonate a hole in the landship to reestablish vox-comms. Request: Buy as much time for me as possible. Turret will remain online, but shall only attack after you two do so. Make it count."

Katya nodded as she gripped her lasgun, standing up. She shook herself before kneeling and holding her weapon out. "I really hope Faust wasn't the one to spook them."

Brogg shrugged, "'Ope so too…"

They both looked at the halls.

"...Rock-paper-scissors for the first watch?"

Brogg looked at her strangely. "I don't see how rocks and pape-uh and that last thingy can be used for watching the halls?"

"What? No, I meant the game."

"It'sa game? Strange name for tha'."

Katya shook her head. Maybe explaining the game would pass the time long enough for everyone to get back. She just hoped they wouldn't encounter whatever those things were, or that they hadn't made them run off like that.

Faust continued to look at the metallic doors before him. Delta had wired herself into the system, but she couldn't force it open no matter what. He wagered that something had to have been blocking the gears.

He sighed. They'd been following a cold trail ever since the tracking signal suddenly cut-off, and to make matters worse, they couldn't reach One-O. These admech had to be rebellious little cogheads if they thought jamming them was a good idea. Worse still, they had traveled towards the upper areas, where the heat was becoming increasingly dangerous. And much more cramped for anyone burly to enter.

The landship felt more akin to a deathtrap, as the corridors felt like tunnels of pure metal more than anything civilized. This place was truly abandoned, to the point he was unsure why that was. Surely, someone would have searched for them—or were the sunbeams truly that dangerous?

Whatever the case, when they found those defying imbeciles, he'd make sure one of them was stationed to monitor the garbage lake in the lowest pit of the voidship. Or, as he had discussed earlier in the day, let Delta deal with it.

He looked at the tech-priest, still fiddling with the controls as she hummed in annoyed concentration. The Lord-Captain suppressed a shudder at whatever other ideas were in her mind at the moment, especially in the time that had passed.

"Lord-Captain, if I may," Rulk asked.

Faust turned to face him, as well as seeing Otto far off, covering their rear. "Yes, Rulk? What is it?"

"I believe it is time for us to find a better access point, unless you wish to chance for anything living on this wreck to learn our whereabouts. We've been stuck here for long enough, and if we are to leave this wretched ship faster, then I would much rather walk than have Delta hit her head against a wall."

Delta's tail tapped at the floor irritably. "Are you suggesting I cannot hack my way through this primitive cogitator? I take offence to that assumption!"

"And you will take much more time if we continue on this path. Let us find an alterna—"

Delta growled in frustration as she wiggled her giant mechadendrite into the narrow space of the broken doors before cracking it open. The metal door ear-piercingly scratched against the floor, the sounds reverberating into the halls, before being placed in its internal hatch. She turned around. "There. I am finished."

"Yes, and now that sound will travel for any xenos, daemon, or otherwise to follow towards. Well done, you've truly outshone yourself this time."

"Good. Maybe I'll have something to release my anger on before I choose you as the subject," Delta threatened, coiling up on her servos.

"Enough, you two," Faust grumbled, moving through the door. "We are not here to beat each other, we are here to beat those foolish dissidents into following orders. Now, keep close together."

The both of them mumbled hushed threats to each other before falling in line. Rulk gave a wide berth to Otto as he made his way forward, before the resident sniper skulked into the halls ahead. The old man disappeared once more, with nothing but a flashlight.

"Mm…" Rulk groaned out, his hand softly clutching his helm.

"Headache again?" Faust asked, jumping over a small gap in the ship's hull.

Rulk nodded, "Yes, in a sense. There's something within the walls that continues to mess with my mind. Nothing psychic, mind you." Rulk jumped over the gap, while Delta simply slithered over it. "It is more like that blasted Originium. Or perhaps I have stayed too close to Otto, the cursed man."

"My calculations regarding Otto being the cause is… unlikely," Delta said. "There is another factor at play here. There have been too many strange occurrences for me to ignore such a sentiment."

"Exploring abandoned wreckages lost to time always has something odd going on in the background. They're abandoned for a reason, after all."

Delta shook her head, and then tapped Faust's shoulder, motioning him to stop and look. "I understand that, yet signs of battle are here. Dents and damages in the ship, yet no biological or material residue left behind? Either the scavengers here are very meticulous or they have cleaners for abandoned cities. However, what caused the fight in the first place?"

Delta slithered towards a wall, her hand gliding over the frame. "Rho-Q's tech-priests would have left an indicator behind to guide them back should their equipment fail. Isn't it strange that we have found zero signs? I firmly do not believe they would go as far as hiding from us, risking actual punishment, to conclude their findings. They are not path-finders to have moved so far ahead without some reasoning for it."

"...we should have found something by now." Rulk voiced, his head glancing towards the darker parts of the surrounding area.

"Precisely. Their signal going dark, the jamming of the vox, the emptiness of their trail—I don't believe they were moving away from us."

Faust moved towards where Otto had stopped, overlooking a large chamber with his rifle in hand. He was looking inwards on the scope, causing the rest of them to hold their weapons out as they approached the railing. In the middle of the area was a Servitor, or at least the upper half of one.

"...Any signs of life?"

"Octavia has picked up nothing in the nearby vicinity, other than us," Delta whispered.

Rulk shook his head, clenching the railing. "The flow is smooth here, no presence of entities disturbing it."

Faust unsheathed his power-sword, putting away his pistol. "Move inward. You too Otto, even if this vantage point is well suited. I'd rather have you by our side than alone."

Otto nodded as they all made their way down. An access ladder nearby provided them the ability to climb down, before slowly making their way towards the body.

"Delta, if you would."

"Certainly," she cooed, before narrowing her eyes. She silently hummed, before shaking her head as a mechadendrite slithered its way into an access port. "I am unsure as to what is stopping me from accessing the noosphere here, but I will have to do this manually."

A sudden metallic groan alerted them, causing Faust, Otto, Delta, and Rulk to tense up. They each looked at the four corridors before them, seeking an answer to what had made that sound, but nothing had come.

"I believe the paranoia is grasping at our minds. Ships naturally make that sound, Lord-Captain, just the same as ours," Rulk reasoned.

"As if it's ever just that. Stay vigilant."

"...Done." Delta announced quietly, retracting her mechadendrite. "They had gained information about some artifact far above. However, they were interrupted by some unsightly creature. I cannot make out what it is, as the recording lens was damaged in their ambush, but… they are numerous. They left this one behind as bait, moving that way," Delta pointed towards the hall behind them.

Faust nodded, taking one step forward.

…and then a near-silent chitter emitted from above, near the railway where they just were.

Faust had brought out his pistol, same as how Delta's tail had raised itself to point in the general direction. Otto had his rifle trained there too, but his eyes were focused on the other halls.

Silence invaded the space again, as not one of them had moved.

"Delta?"

"...Octavia's Auspex still denotes nothing. Unusual"

Rulk growled, "But I feel their presence. They… they are everywhere. How did they move so close…"

Faust glanced at Rulk, his hands clutching his staff. "So many… too many. They… they are the cause." Rulk suddenly grabbed his arm. "We must move, Lord-Captain. Now."

Rulk tugged Faust to the corridor behind them, moving away from where the admech had gone.

"Time to go!" Faust announced, running just as quickly. Delta immediately scrambled towards them, picking up Otto in her mechadendrites. The single chattering at the top then turned into a chorus of clicks and hisses, as others now joined in.

Faust muttered a curse at the idea of being chased like prey, but he wouldn't allow themselves to fight in such an open space. "Why this way?" The Rogue Trader shouted, looking behind himself to make sure Delta and Otto were following. They were, with Delta speedily behind them. Otto, meanwhile, was still covering their rear—even in Delta's grasp. His rifle was pointed towards their behind, steady as can be.

"We would have encountered those xenos in any other hall. I could not feel their wake in the warp! It was as if they emerged from nowhere!"

They turned towards another hall, its doors wide open. Endlessly, the rooms merged seamlessly with each other, as their only mindset right now was to run. The cackling of these creatures followed them in the shadows before they reached a dead end.

"Door!" Delta yelled, before immediately diving towards the cogitator panel. It was busted, but her mechadendrites were already prying away at them. Faust turned to cover Delta, only to see the arm belonging to one of the missing skitarii right under a pipe.

These creatures hadn't just chased them, they led them to a dead-end. They were cunning. But Faust would not die here today. No, he would face them, sword in hand, and take down all–

The mechanical hiss of the doors sounded out, causing Delta to squeal. "Did it! In! NOW!" she ordered, before grabbing something under her cloak. She smirked as she chucked a bundle of plasma grenade at the halls, ushering in Faust and Rulk, before working on sealing the doors from the other side.

Faust could hear the grenades explode, the small silence that followed, and the numerous screeches as their hunt began. Their screams were then muffled as the pneumatic doors closed, tightly latching shut.

"By the warp… I didn't even have the chance to see them, yet I know I do not wish to." Rulk muttered, shaking his head.

"And you said I couldn't work on these primitive doors." Delta snarked.

"You got lucky just this once!" Rulk hissed.

"In either case, you should still thank me, right, Faust?"

Faust said nothing, staring at the room's interior before them. It was a beautiful room, bedecked in gems, sparkling gold, and other priceless items. All virtually worthless considering where it was located. Around the room were a few scattered corpses, some but bone, while others seemed to have been the remains of guards. Other doors of the room were not only shut, but blocked off by furniture they had arranged. There was a stairway directly at the end, and at the very top was a coffin, guarded by the same dead.

Sat right below them was the last tech-priest, his body crouched over. They were alive from the looks of it, but completely still.

"Delta, it seems we found one of your men."

There was banging on the doors, but it seemed the metal would withhold against the xenos bloodlust—for now, at least.

Delta sighed, making her way over to the stairs with Faust. The tech-priest hadn't noticed them yet, and seemed to have been in an inactive state of mind.

The Magos finally stood before the tech-priest, before her tail came up and smacked the tech-priest across the head, harshly. It snapped him out of his slumber as he looked up. "M-Magos Delta 71-002-Emilonus-484 Orion?" He said aloud, much to the dismay of Delta.

"...Joriel Shuron, seeing as we are in terrible circumstances, you will provide an appropriate explanation for defying orders—along with where the rest of your team is—as the sole purpose of not turning you into scrap metal. Unless, you wish to be thrown back out to face whatever is on the opposite side of the doors."

Joriel stood up on his three legs immediately. "W-With all due respect, I am still not under your authority. I was tasked to join your expedition, not to be under your command, by Rho-Q 22/4. I was not defying orders when my task included researching the surroundings, and therefore, I have appropriately complied with the orders given to me."

Delta's frown turned into a gleefully bloodthirsty smile as she towered over Joriel. "So what I am hearing is that you have a death wish? Is that right?" She asked, her tail tapping at her Omnissian-Axe.

"L-Lord-Captain, surely y-you must see my perfect reasoning here?"

Faust tilted his head in fake confusion with a frown. "I'm sorry? Who are you again? I rarely remember those not important to Delta."

Delta gripped her axe, her swarm of mechanical tendrils beginning to emerge from all the pockets in her cloak. "Tell me exactly what I wish to know, and perhaps I won't turn you into a servitor when we survive this. I'd access your noosphere, but I believe we both know that's impossible at this moment."

The tech-priest took a step back, before nervously nodding, and beginning to converse in Lingua-Technica. Meanwhile, Delta had calmed down, the end of her axe resting on the floor. Octavia floated away from her master, now scanning the room on her behalf.

From the looks of it, they might be at it for a while, so Faust walked away from them to observe more of this area. He climbed the steps, moving past a dead guard with a curved sword sticking into his gut, reaching the very top of the sarcophagus. It was arranged in a way to look humanoid, with a carved face where the head would be. Faust could see how pristine it was too, with only a light coating of dust covering the coffin.

He glanced at the large, beautifully-made humanoid statue just behind the coffin, as if it were a guard. Octavia hung around the face made of pure gold, scanning it up and down with Faust. Its marble-like "skin" was oily, while the clothes were encrusted in jewelry and shining in gold. The head had rounded, gold ears, much like a Zalak's—if Faust remembered his Tellusian races right—with a stringy tail attached to its behind. In its hands, it held a large curved sword, along with a tiny, round shield. Oddly, something was missing from the chest, with a divot right in between the pecs.

Faust made a mental note to come back for this and take it for himself. It would look nice next to the other statues he had. This area was also a good vantage point to see everything around them. Just enough to see the more interesting things in this area. Namely, the statues on each side of the doors, encompassing every entrance. There were always two standing beside the blockaded doors.

Whoever died here was of noble birth, that much was certain. So then, why did the actual guards end their own lives, and more importantly, why hadn't this area been breached yet?

Faust looked at the door still being scratched at, with Otto and Rulk preparing for it to breach. It could last, yes, but from the looks of it, not forever. New dents were being made, and it was only a matter of time before it broke down.

Which brought back more questions. Why now? Why hadn't they attacked the people here before, or did they not need to because they were dead? Especially since the other doors seem blockaded, but not a one breached.

He sighed, as he knew some things couldn't be answered, yet he had a duty to uphold. Faust clenched his sword before letting the tip tap at the floor, gathering everyone's attention. "Compatriots, if I would have your attention! Currently, nefarious xenos lurk outside this room, seeking to breach through and rip us to shreds. But have we ever faltered under such dark times before? No! We have conquered! We have paved our path in blood in the name of the Emperor, the Omnissiah, and whoever else you follow. What is one more passage?"

Faust slowly made his way down the steps. "We are not doomed here. We have the advantage! They think us cornered, but it is we who have them funneled! They have but one entrance, and it shall be through there!" Faust pointed his sword at where they had entered from. "Otto, get to the very top of the stairs, and make sure not one foul xenos gets past that door. Delta, as much as I despise the prospect of delaying punishment, take Joriel to reinforce the other doors. Make sure they are doubly reinforced shut! Rulk, help me make a makeshift barricade."

Rulk shook his head as he slowly dragged a body towards the front, while Otto climbed the stairs effortlessly. Delta looked at Joriel immediately, speaking one last time and nodding towards a barricade. Joriel nodded and rushed towards a set of doors, moving the furniture out of the way to get a better hold on, reinforcing it. She moved towards Faust, slumping on her axe.

"Well… I believe I got the necessary information out of him. They were split up in the ambush. Erojen Serival ran in the opposite direction from Joriel, taking the other two skitarii. She may yet survive if these creatures are only focused on us at the moment, but the chances are still at 22.7%. Annoyingly, it seems these two cogheads overlooked that this artifact they were searching for was not an actual important artifact, and was instead a historical one. They didn't even find it."

"What was it supposed to be?"

"A piece of garment belonging to the dead 'Padishah' that lies here. Truly, a waste of time."

They both looked at the screeches coming from the other side. Rulk slightly jolting and shaking his fist at them.

"It will be bothersome to kill so many xenos."

"We've faced worse before. They can't even get through that door."

There was a resounding clang and noticeable dent before they continued to scratch at it.

"For now." Faust added.

"May I take one home after the slaughter?" Delta asked.

Faust nodded before putting away his weapons. "If we have the time and space for it." It was time to make sure they wouldn't die here, as Faust grabbed one body to drag over.

...Hey guys. Been a while. I'm not dead I just uh... well, I had a very, VERY, busy month with finals, vacation, stuff like that. This chapter has been in the works as well, and... my goodness, look how the time flies. Ugh. I honestly had wished for this to be out earlier, but this one's totally on me. Well then, I'll try and finish up these last few chapters before my break (Not New Years. No way am I finishing that before it, I misspoke my bad) but no promises because... well, look how that turned out last time. Anyhow, Roseblade out (and hopefully not for longer).