Ok, here is the start of a story I wrote quite a while ago and it's my first proper foray into the world of
40K fiction writing. I'd really appreaciate comments on what you all think of it, although I do apologise that it is not yet finished. Had a bit of trouble motivating myself recently, mostly due to too many other commitments getting in the way of writing. Who knows, if I get enough positive feedback it might encourage me to pull my finger out and give it an ending.
So again, apologises it is not finished yet, but I hope you enjoy 'Machine'.
Inquisitor Nathanor Gorsch stood at the top of the shuttle landing ramp, robes billowing in the strong Martian wind, hand raised to shield his eyes from the thick dust that seemed to permeate the planet. The dust was made all the worse by the globe spanning industrial complex which churned out ash and waste into atmosphere. He looked out at the vista before him and in spite of even his normally grim features he managed to pull a face even more indicative of dissatisfaction. The shuttle had landed in one of the areas of Mars deemed relatively undeveloped by the standards of the Adeptus Mechanicus, which meant that the factories were only a few hundred feet high and merely penetrated the Martian crust by one thousand feet. For Gorsch this was one of the most industrialised places he had ever been to, but as his escort from the Mechanicus Administorum pointed out it was the least active area of the planet. He showed evidence of this by pointing out that ten of the fourteen hundred foundry exhaust vents were dormant, whereas the others belched out viscous emissions high into the sky.
"But no need to worry Inquisitor" the escort stated "we have plans to re-develop the whole area once your business here has been attended to. Efficiency will not be compromised for long. This way please."
The escort led the way down the ramp, his heavy red robes dragging on the floor behind him. Gorsch took another look at his surroundings and then set off down the ramp. Where as the Mechanicus Administorum escort walked with the humble air of servitude, Gorsch strode down the ramp as if he were master of all he surveyed. As an Inquisitor his baring was naturally proud and noble, but Gorsch brought with him a grim almost gothic brooding which made him all the more imposing. Not that he was a slight man to begin with. Gorsch had been fighting the Imperium's good fight for nearly a century and he had long ago learnt the benefits of genetic enhancement and physical training. As such, he was renowned within his Ordo for being one of the more physically capable of his fellow Inquisitors. It was a matter of personal pride to him that he had once been mistaken for one of the Adeptus Astrates by a particularly naive initiate to the Ordo, although had he been stood alongside one of the mighty Space Marines it would have been obvious that he was still far from their level of physical stature.
As Gorsch walked his ornate walking cane clicked on the steel flooring in time with his steps. He had no actual walking impairment and it was used as a badge of office and prestige, rather then a walking aid. It was comprised of a thick obsidian shaft, capped at the lower end in silver pressed adamantium for durability, whilest the hilt was crafted into a jawless skull with the Inquisitorial sigil emblazoned on the forehead. Around the top of the shaft where it met the skull, was another band of silver upon which where etched the words;
EXTERMINATUS XENOS
He followed the escort across the landing pad and came to a large set of ash and soot stained doors, but with no visible sign of how to open them. A few feet from the doors the escort stopped and turned to face Gorsch.
"Please wait here one moment sire and I will procure your safe entrance. It may take a few moments."
Gorsch raised an eyebrow.
"Safe entrance? I am an Inquisitor. What danger would there be for me in a place such as this, at the heart of the Imperium's bosom?"
"No direct danger sire, but since the unearthing we felt it best to activate domestic security in this section. As a result the defences that are possessed by the glorious Machine Spirit will turn on anyone who they have not been informed to allow access."
With that the escort turned and as he did so, brought out one of his hands that had so far been hidden beneath the folds of his robe. Gorsch could see that the hand had been heavily augmented with cybertronics leaving only the man's little finger still organic, yet the skin was a bluish grey, as if it were no longer living tissue. The escort then extended his hand and inserted the cybernetics into some hitherto unseen access port. For a few moments there was nothing, then the escort withdrew his hand and the doors began to draw apart in an impressive display of venting steam and noise, as the pressure seals relented. The escort then turned back to Gorsch.
"The way is safe now sire, if you would care to proceed down the corridor. Do not deviate and you will be met at the end by the venerable Arch Magos, he awaits you even now."
The man then began to walk past Gorsch and away back towards the shuttle.
"Where are you going? Are you not to escort me to your master?"
The humble escort turned back the Inquisitor and gave a look of pleasant disbelief.
"Me? Oh no sire, I am not permitted to gaze upon the Arch Magos with my own eyes; they are too impure to sully his grace. Besides I do not have the Machine Spirits' blessing and would be disintegrated should I pass the bulkhead. May your business here be naught but successful."
And with that he began his way back to the shuttle from which the groan of engine prepping was already audible.
Gorsch moved up to the bulkhead and looked inside the corridor. He took a careful study of the nearby walls and ceiling, straining his genetically enhanced vision to check for signs of the automated defences. But only smooth steel plates were on show, he couldn't even make out the lines between the plates, so tight and perfect was the construction. Hoping that his escort had indeed
de-activated the defences, he stepped inside.
After five minutes of walking, Inquisitor Gorsch arrived at the end of the corridor, only to be met by another seemingly impenetrable bulkhead door. So with little else to do he stood and waited.
…and waited.
…and waited.
After thirty minutes he became impatient and gently rapped the steel with his cane head.
"Knock knock, Inquisition calling!"
At this there was an almighty release of gas and noise and the door began to part. As the area beyond became visible through the haze of escaping gas, Gorsch saw a lone figure awaiting him. Whoever they were, they were clearly as tall as Gorsch but certainly broader at the shoulders. The figure was bedecked in thick, deep red robes, leaving no part of his anatomy on display apart from the opening in the hood, but it was pulled so low that the face was lost in shadow. But there was something else about the figure that demanded the eye's attention. Around him were eight snake like forms, which rose up from behind the figure's back and hung out from the body. Some were swaying gently, bobbing as if in an invisible breeze.
"You are late."
The voice spoke with a mechanical rasp, as if spoken through an audio speaker. Gorsch paused for a second before replying.
"Late? I came straight from the landing pad and was told to expect the Arch Magos awaiting me. Instead I find myself waiting half an hour before the door was opened."
"You are late. We calculated your average walking speed when you came onto Mars. It was derived that you would reach the end of the corridor in 3.983 minutes. When you did not arrive in time we turned our attention to other matters. You are late."
"Arch Magos Loki I presume then?"
There was of course no one else it could be, but Gorsch had heard tell of Magos Loki's ways. He was nearing the stage of almost total mechanisation and like all Arch Magos of the Machine Cult who were augmented to this level, he had become detached from what could be considered normal human behaviour. Magos of this rank begin to think almost virtually in the ways of the machine and when together with another of their level within the order they sometimes communed in the mystical language of the Machine. Gorsch had heard this language once before and as far as he could tell it sounded just like comm static.
"Your presumption is accurate. Come with me and I will inform you of all new data uncovered since we informed the Administorum of our discovery."
Thirty days ago, a servitor slave team excavating under the area sanctioned for re-development came across a protrusion in the Martian rock. At the new depth of three miles down it was highly likely to have been an ore deposit, but the excavating equipment, which was more then capable of boring through any known minerals given time, had failed to even scar the surface. The Tech Adepts in charge came and surveyed the situation and it was decided to excavate around the deposit and remove it whole once totally free from the rock. As the days past it became apparent that this was no ore deposit, but an artificial creation. What was more bizarre, was that all the equipment that the Legio Mechanicus had at its disposal was unable to scan the object and whatever possible interior it contained. As the days turned into weeks what was assumed to be a sealed entrance was discovered in the form of a recessed portal outline, sunk into the side of the object. Around this were hieroglyphs of unknown origin and configuration, which were for the most part indecipherable. In an attempt to translate as much as they could, it took the most advanced computer the Arch Magos' had created, the Master System. The Master System had access to almost every single shred of information ever stored by the Imperium and could scan through forty tera-blocs of information a second, but after three days and nights of constant processing it too failed. It did, however, manage to shed some light on the origin of the object. The Master System, while not able to translate the writings directly, found that the hieroglyphs bore more then just a common similarity with samples taken from ruins on dead worlds, known once to have been populated by the Necrontyr. Immediately the Adeptus Mechanicus followed protocol and alerted the High Lords of Terra and the Inquisition, while also mobilising one full company of the Legio Mechanicus Guard, the Skitarii, to stand vigil over the object until the matter was resolved.
For now though there were still issues regarding secrecy. As per the orders of the Ordo Xenos, all personnel and servitors present at the initial discovery were terminated, so as to maintain the height of discretion and secrecy. The Ordo then dispatched their most experienced Inquisitor in Necrontyr studies.
Gorsch and the Arch Magos made their way through the cavernous industrial warehouses and dormant construction lines of the evacuated Mechanicus complex, on their route towards the excavation site. Though the dust and ash that permanently blew across the surface of the red planet did not enter the interior of the construction, Gorsch found the atmosphere inside was just as much to his disliking. The floors of the empty factory buildings were covered beneath a layer of oil, metal shavings and micro optic cables, the afterbirth of mechanical creation. There was also a thick almost choking density to the air and in what light shone through the high arched cathedral windows, Gorsch could see the glittering effect of waste particulate. Even with his enhanced biology he found his throat becoming irritated and he had to resort to coughing to clear it. Magos Loki merely continued with his recount of events prior to Gorsch's arrival, seemingly unaware of his discomfort.
"We have excavated further since you were ordered here and have determined that the object is some form of structure resembling Necrontyr monoliths seen on pict files from battlefield encounters."
"Has it shown any signs of activation?"
"That cannot be determined. The structure is comprised of a more resilient form of material as has previously been encountered in battles with the Necrontyr. We are unable to pick up any emissions, energy spikes or scan whatever interior there may be."
"What about psychic probing?"
"That has also been tried, however attempts by sanctioned psykers to probe the structure met with considerable failure."
"How so?"
"Their heads exploded."
Gorsch and the Arch Magos exited the main factory floor and prepared to enter the assembly citadel. However, at the entrance the Arch Magos stopped and turned to face the Inquisitor.
"You are about to enter a holy place, a womb of gods. You will not speak while in this chamber, you will not look up while in this chamber and you will not touch any wall, pillar or object in this chamber. Failure to follow these rules will result in severe punishment."
"I am an Inquisitor."
"You say that like it should mean something here. Be under no delusion, the Inquisition is no higher in authority then the blessed Adeptus Mechanicus, no matter what the Inquisition may itself think."
Gorsch was tempted to recount the numerous articles of Imperial decree, which state that in matters of demonic, heretical or alien infiltration the Inquisition has no higher authority then the High Lords of Terra. But he knew he would have been wasting his breath. Loki no doubt knew the decrees already and probably had several of his own that would nullify Inquisition authority on Martian soil. Gorsch therefore merely returned Magos Loki's reply with a subtle nod of his head in acknowledgement, upon which the Magos turned and continued forward.
The Magos was leading Gorsch to an impressively ornate and intricately carved section of wall. Two huge panelled sections rose high towards the ceiling to such a height that when stood before them they seemed to almost never end. As Gorsch neared he could make out the designs that were low enough to be seen. They seemed to represent many millions of servitors, tech adepts, servo equipment and Magi involved in some great machination. It appeared to Gorsch as if they were the hieroglyphics on an ancient tomb, detailing the life of a long gone civilisation. In the centre however, there seemed to be some reference to a giant being that was in some way linked to all the work of the other characters. Due to the size of the panels Gorsch could not see the whole figure, in fact all he could distinguish was a pair of enormous feet from which (as he assumed it must be with the whole body) was emanating what he perceived to be a divine radiance. As they arrived at the base of the wall the Magos turned to Gorsch again.
"From here on you must follow the rules specified. Refrain from averting your gaze from the floor. You will be monitored."
"How am I to see where I am going if I cannot look around me?"
"You will be shown the way"
At that, a small servo skull appeared from one of the many folds in Arch Magos Loki's robes. It moved over to Gorsch and gave him a cursory examination with its solitary cybernetic eye. After the skull seemed satisfied with Gorsch, it floated down to and took up position just ahead of Gorsch's feet. Once Gorsch had his head inclined to look at the floating skull in front of him the Magos turned to the wall. Although he could not see, Gorsch was aware that the Magos seemed to be interacting in some way with the great panel stood before them. After a short while the Magos stepped back and there followed a tremendous groan of metal upon metal and the very floor began to shake. It seemed to Gorsch as if a great leviathan of iron had awoken from a terrible dream. But it was no such beast. The panels in front of the two men groaned and heaved under some monumental force and then slowly they parted and opened inwards. What Gorsch had thought were ornate sections of wall, were in fact the hanger doors to the chamber they were about to enter.
It took a whole minute for the doors to completely open and it was not until the shuddering of their halt had died away that Magos Loki began a slow walk into the chamber. With a faint little 'buzz' of its anti-grav motors, the servo skull at Gorsch's feet began to lead the path to follow. Even though he could not look up, Gorsch realised now what chamber he was entering. It was the final assembly area for the enormous war machines of the Titan Legions, the venerated gods of the machine cult.
It seemed to be taking some time to cross the vast floor of the assembly chamber and Gorsch found himself becoming impatient. He was not generally an impatient man and indeed his work often involved careful planning and patience, but the lengthy ceremonies and rituals of the Cult of the Machine God seemed highly inefficient and unnecessary. Gorsch had imagined that followers of the Machine God would be as logical as the machines they worshipped, yet they spent the vast majority of their time in what he considered was praying to a socket wrench. How this blasphemy to the God Emperor was tolerated in the Imperium was beyond Gorsch.
The skull in front of him stopped and Gorsch then began to hear the solemn chanting of a prayer to the Machine God.
This was beginning to get tiresome.
This was the third such halt since they began to cross the assembly chamber floor and each prayer seemed to go on for several minutes. Eventually the Arch Magos ceased chanting and continued on, the servo skull then resuming it's erratic flight path behind. But after another short walk the Magos and skull stopped again.
Fortunately for Gorsch this was not for another prayer. They had now crossed the vast space that was the assembly chamber and the Arch Magos was in the process of opening another sealed door, which they soon walked through. As the bulkhead doors closed behind them Arch Magos Loki once again addressed the Inquisitor.
"You may look up now, we have past beyond that most holy ground."
As Gorsch raised his head the small servo skull buzzed across to it's master and once more disappeared into the crimson folds of his robe.
Now that he could look around him Gorsch took in the new environment. It seemed to be just another empty factory floor with another set of those huge panelled doors at the far end, though it was nowhere near as large as those previous. Looking behind Gorsch could see that they had entered through a man-sized access door, whilst ahead there was the entrance to the excavation site, covered by a temporary housing.
"If I am to study the artefact I will be here for some time. I sincerely hope we will not have to go through all that ceremony to get to and from it each day. My time is precious."
"You will go through what ceremonies we ask you to go through whilst you are here on our holy planet."
Gorsch barely managed to stifle his grunt of extreme irritation and walked forward to the entrance way with the Arch Magos. Although it was meant as a temporary cover to one of the access points to the excavation site it was still a significant structure. It appeared to be a bunker with a large blast door in the side facing them, which hissed open as the Magos approached, but once inside it became clear that it was in fact the entrance to a lift. Both men moved into the lift cab and the Magos approached the only interface terminal. Turning away from Gorsch the Magos uttered a short burst of the static like machine speech. Within a few seconds the sound of venting gas was heard and the lift began to move down at a gentle speed.
The Arch Magos spoke once more to the Inquisitor.
"The decent will take exactly 45 minutes and 3.63 seconds upon this conveyance. We will then disembark and travel the remaining depth onboard one of the transports used in the excavation process which will take 30 minutes and 36.1 seconds... approximately"
Gorsch noticed the slight pause before the Magos had finished his sentence. In a world controlled by machines, where timing and efficiency were of a religious significance, estimates and approximations must amount to heresy.
.