Chapter 03: Pilgrimage to the Temple
Olympus Mons
As much as Rex wanted to ask how he got here, he was 99% sure that these priests didn't know anything about his situation. If anything, they'd probably take his appearance in this place as 'Your presence is a divine gift to us. The Machine God's will is beyond comprehension' or something like that.
The streets of the forge-city stretched endlessly ahead, a labyrinth of towering factories. The crowd began to part, creating a clear path leading toward the distant temple. Xenthos rose to his feet, gesturing with one of his servo-arms. "The way is clear, Omnissiah. We will lead you to the holy ground."
Rex glanced at the Tech-Priests and the chanting crowd, then at the glowing spires of the Mechanicus temple in the distance. "Fine," he said, revving the hover bike. "Let's meet this Council."
He leaned forward slightly, and the bike glided smoothly. The Tech-Priest's own transport, ornately adorned hovercraft adorned with glowing cog emblems and ceremonial banners, was ahead of him, setting the pace.
Rex should have known better, but the procession began to move with him. It felt like the world's weirdest parade. The Forge City was anything but quiet. It was clear that the factories were working at capacity with steam and smoke stacks filling the sky. Rex had to double take because he could have sworn he saw a flying skull pass by overhead.
As they moved, hundreds of robed figures had fallen in line.
Rex glanced over his shoulder, his unease growing with every step.
"Okay, seriously," Rex muttered, turning to Xenthos. "What's with the crowd? Did you guys put out an announcement or something?"
Xenthos's nodded. "The faithful are drawn to you. Word of your arrival has spread through the city's Noosphere. I have no doubt the machine spirits sing of your arrival. It is only natural they would follow."
Rex raised an eyebrow. "Right… Machine Spirits" He sighed, rubbing his temples.
Veltris tilted their head. "Through prayer, the faithful strengthen the spirits of the machines and honor your arrival."
Xenthos slowed his steps slightly. "You arrived when we needed you most, Omnissiah. The forges grow restless, and the machine spirits cry out."
Rex stayed silent as he observed the city around him. The streets were filled with seemingly normal people as well, but there was little joy in their faces. Many of them seemed thin, hunched, and weary, wearing tattered clothing and hollow expressions.
His grip on the hoverbike's handlebars tightened as they passed a group of workers hauling a massive piece of machinery across the street. They struggled under the weight, sparks flying from joints that were clearly overdue for maintenance. None of the Tech-Priests in the procession so much as glanced in their direction.
"This place is…" Rex muttered under his breath before trailing off, shaking his head.
A Tech-Priest turned toward him. "You spoke, Omnissiah? What concerns you?"
Rex frowned, gesturing vaguely at the surrounding streets. "Was it always like this? The city, I mean. The people. It looks bad. I mean, they're barely getting by."
The Priest inclined his head slightly. "The forge-cities have endured for millennia, Omnissiah. What you see is the toll of time."
Rex seemed to freeze. He wanted to ask something, but he was afraid of the answer. "Hey, quick question," he said, glancing at Xenthos. "What year is it?"
Xenthos turned his hooded head. "The current date is recorded as 254.M29, Omnissiah, in the sacred chronology of Mars."
Rex's stomach sank. "M29? You mean Millennia 29?! Wait… the 29th millennium?! The year 29,000!" This was the reverse of what happened to Van Kleis only much much worse. What the hell happened?! Rex froze, his eyes widening. He let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Did you also say Mars? You said this city was called Olympus Mons, right?"
The Tech-Priests froze for a moment. "That is correct, Omnissiah. Olympus Mons is the most sacred Forge City of Mars, the holy domain of the Cult Mechanicus."
Rex's jaw dropped. "No, no, no. That's not possible. I was just on Earth! You know, blue skies, oceans?" In fact, the people of Mars didn't know. Such large bodies of water were foreign to them. "It was, I don't know, the 21st century! Humanity hadn't even colonized Mars yet! How the heck did I end up here?"" Rex looked up at the red sky and the red soil. 'That's starting to make more sense now…'
The Tech-Priests exchanged glances—or perhaps silent data transmissions—before Cylara spoke. "The Omnissiah speaks of an age in early humanity, when humanity had not yet ascended to the stars. Do you hail from the birth planet of Humanity? Terra?"
Rex groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Back then, we called it Earth, but that's not the point."
"Earth?" Cylara hummed. "A strange yet fitting name."
The Tech-Priests exchanged glances. One stepped forward, bowing deeply. "The Omnissiah is divinity from both worlds.".
Zorath's heavy frame shifted. "To think that the Omnissiah has come to bless us in our time of need."
Rex resisted the urge to fly out of there, but he needed answers. "Hold on, I didn't come here! I woke up here! No spaceships. I'm not—I can't—ugh!" Rex threw up his hands. "Fine, whatever. Look, I don't know how I got here.
The surrounding chants resumed, this time filled with even more fervor. Words like "Omnissiah," "Terraborn," and "Savior" filtered through the binary praise.
Rex groaned and rubbed his temples. "Great. That's exactly what I needed—more chanting. Just perfect." The EVO slouched. "This is all insane…"
One of the Tech-Priests closest to him raised their head with reverence. "The Omnissiah has descended from the sister world of Terra, the birthplace of humanity, to grace Mars with his presence. Truly, this is a holy day."
Another Tech-Priest clasped their metallic hands together in a gesture of prayer. "The Omnissiah will bring enlightenment to man and machine spirits alike."
Rex stared at them, exasperated. 'You're really not listening to me, are you?'
Dravon nodded. "For the Omnissiah, nothing is impossible. It is a sign of the Motive Force. It works in mysterious ways."
Rex groaned in defeat at a line seemingly out of Star Wars. 'Yup. Insane. Completely insane.' As the chants swelled again, Rex sighed, deciding to let them finish their moment of worship. He looked ahead as the towering Temple of All Knowledge came into view.
"Since the fall of the Dark Age of Technology, and the rise of the Men of Iron, the Mechanicum has labored to preserve what remains."
Rex tried to calm himself to get more info. They mentioned this Dark Age before, but these Men of Iron were new. "How much damage did these Men of Iron do?"
"It was humanity's golden era. Stories tell of advanced teleportation, personal force fields, star harvesters, and terraforming. But humanity grew hubris and created the The Men of Iron. Those were the apex of our creations, designed to serve humanity. But the Abominable Intelligence turned against us, and plunged the galaxy into chaos."
Rex stared at him, processing the words. "Abominable Intelligence… AI? Do you mean Artificial Intelligence?" 'Am I in a future where the robot apocalypse happened?'
"Those soulless constructs betrayed us. In the war that followed, much of our knowledge was lost."
Rex glanced back at the city. The procession slowed as they entered a packed district packed. Many buildings belched black smoke into the sky. People stopped to watch as they passed. Some knelt in reverence while others simply stared, their faces a mixture of curiosity and wariness. The decay, the struggle, the tattered remains of what might once have been greatness—it all made more sense now. "And you've been in decline ever since?"
"Correct, Omnissiah. The forge-cities endure, but they are shadows of their former glory. The sacred machines grow weary."
Rex bit the inside of his cheek as he saw a group of children. They stared at him in wide-eyed wonder before disappearing. The closer they got to the temple, the more Rex noticed the poor living conditions of the people. Most of them seemed thinner than they should be, their faces hollow and gaunt. Their clothes hung loosely on their frames, patched and re-patched with scraps of fabric. What little skin Rex could see was either tanned to a leathery texture or painfully sunburned, a sign of long hours spent exposed to the harsh Martian elements. "Why didn't anyone try to fix it? Rebuild? You're all supposed to be caretakers of technology, right?"
The Tech Priest's tone remained steady, but there was an undercurrent of defensiveness. "We maintain what we can, Omnissiah, but much of what was lost cannot be recovered. Resources are also scarce. All available materials and food are on a need basis. The labor force is given the minimum needed to function."
His heart clenched. 'They're near starving…'
"Is there nothing you can do?" Rex asked.
"We tried our best to restore the underground agriculture sectors, but excavation and construction aren't meeting the expansion needs."
"But you're here now, Omnissiah. You will raise us up!"
"Perhaps the mythical waters of Mars may flow once more!"
Rex sighed. As much as he wanted to get home ASAP, he couldn't leave these people living in squallor. Maybe he could fix what's broken and make things better. Rex swallowed hard, his gaze lingering on the dilapidated streets and weary faces. He didn't have a plan yet, but one thing was clear—these people needed more than prayers and rituals. They needed change. And somehow, he had to figure out how to give it to them.
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The group turned a corner, and Rex's jaw dropped slightly as they entered a massive plaza. At the center stood an enormous structure that looked like a hybrid between a temple and a factory.
'Somehow, I'm not surprised this technocult designed it like this.'
Gears and pipes adorned its exterior. Its towering spires were capped with massive antennae that crackled with arcs of energy. Banners bore cog symbols and intricate circuitry patterns. Surrounding the structure were massive statues of mechanical figures.
'I correct my earlier statement. I'm basically meeting the Pope of these people.'
The Tech-Priest leading the procession gestured toward the structure. "You stand before the Temple of All Knowledge, where the Fabricator General and the Arch Magos preside. "
Rex whistled low. "Okay, I'll admit, that's… impressive. Over-the-top, but impressive. So, they're gonna 'discern' my nature, huh? Sounds like a fun chat. What happens if they decide I'm not this Omnissiah guy?"
The Tech-Priests fell silent for a moment. "The probability of such a conclusion is negligible."
Rex decided not to push further. "Well, if nothing else," Rex muttered to himself, "maybe your council has some actual answers. Because right now, I feel like I'm in a really weird sci-fi movie, and I'm not a fan of the script."
As they approached the massive doors of the temple, they groaned open. Rex took a deep breath. "All right. Let's get this over with. Here's hoping they've got some answers—or at least a snack. I'm starving." Whatever awaited him here, Rex could only hope it would start to make sense.
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AN: Special thanks to Seana, Jebest4781, OmegaDelta, Henry Stickman, fearmegu, Kitsune Robyn, Dragon lord, Shooter1344, Ajax Roranson, trey, Asaf, DJC, Alex, nighnight, Roswell, SpeX, Giorgie Baramidze, Professor Xivass, AF360, Adam, yosief, Primordial, Author Of Purpose, VaneixusPrime, Dragondragon, Bowsmen, Jeremy, JamPoe81, Lord McDeath, Alex, Mystbornwolf, A Nameless Hobo, BigTyson, Andr, A Vlogs!
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