Deep within the underhive of the Hive World Talon I, a Tech-Priest known as Vick observed the strange device in the middle of a place referred to as a Teleportation Hub.
Each time someone entered or exited the underhive, a rift would briefly open on the plaza, and a person would step through as if appearing from thin air.
It was a marvel. Vick had never seen such a stable and publicly accessible teleportation system before.
Floating beside him was a heavily modified human skull, his Servo-Skull, once a loyal servant in life, now reduced to blessed function in undeath. Its optical lenses burned red as they scanned, projecting a fine auspex beam, recording data while a built-in tiny brass cogitator wheels and parchment-scroll dispensers clicked and whirred as the skull spat out neat strips of vellum, each line printed with binary glyphs of data.
After another round of observation, Vick retrieved the sheet and examined the recorded energy fluctuations.
The only discernible conclusion? Immense but uneven energy surges manifested each time the hub was activated, powerful enough to fry a lesser machine-spirit if not properly shielded.
Scientifically, this was useless, confirming only what was already obvious.
What intrigued Vick far more was not the readings, but how this device functioned, what powered it, and whether it was merely a terminal or a component of a larger network. Was this hub a gift of the Omnissiah… or a corruption of His truth?
But, as expected, these questions would remain unanswered.
To Vick, this Teleportation Hub was as enigmatic as the Black Orbs, Automated Constructs, and Voidships of the Talon System. No one in the Hive World would explain their inner workings to him, not without authorization from higher command.
"Commence survey log." Vick transmitted the order through binary cant to his Servo-Skull.
"Observation: Survey of the lower hive yields no identifiable research personnel or facilities. This raises a troubling question: who is responsible for these technological marvels None of the three planets within the Talon System should possess the scientific capability for such advancements. At this stage, I cannot draw definitive conclusions. However, analyzing the available data, I can infer the following: There is a significant likelihood of an STC template existing within the Talon System. I will endeavor to locate and secure these STC fragments for the glory of the Omnissiah."
As Vick dictated his report, countless underhive citizens passed by, casting wary glances at the robed figure, a being more machine than man.
Yet none could comprehend his words.
Even if they saw the Servo-Skull transcribing data, all they would recognize were endless strings of binary, meaningless to those unversed in the Cant Mechanicus.
"Commence encrypted log."
Unlike the previous log, this time the Servo-Skull did not print onto parchment but instead activated an internal encrypted recording mechanism, ensuring these words would only be deciphered by authorized Mechanicus personnel.
"Log: The Archmagos was correct to send me alongside the Inquisitors. I have discovered something… intriguing. A small fraction of the Hive World's population has begun worshiping an entity they call the Angel of Creation. They revere the Black Orbs and the machines he create, considering them sacred. Observation indicates that 98% of the population embraces cybernetic augmentation, though this belief system remains in its early stages, having yet to spread on a large scale. I have attempted to question the Governor of the Talon System about this Angel and the origins of his technology. However, he refuses to answer. Hypothesis: Lack of trust. Further investigation may be possible once a higher-ranking Magos arrives."
Vick was mid-sentence when he suddenly felt the faint displacement of air and the prickling of electrostatic charge across his cranial augmetics.
Without hesitation, the servo-assisted mechanisms in his neck whirred, rotating his head a full 180 degrees.
Standing there was the very man who had authorized his investigation, Qin Mo, the Governor of the Talon System.
His attire was an anomaly among governors, no ostentatious silks or gaudy finery, but sober robes threaded with faint circuitry, the cut of which suggested an unsettling familiarity with Mechanicus design.
"What have you learned?" Qin Mo asked, his gaze fixed on the Teleportation Hub.
"Energy readings around the device are abnormally high. Nothing else of note, yet." Vick answered truthfully.
Qin Mo merely smiled and nodded.
Vick did not understand the reason for this expression. Nor did he particularly care. Emotion was a variable unworthy of his computation cycles.
"What is the operational principle behind this device?" Vick pressed.
"I authorized your investigation so long as all findings are submitted to me first, before being shared with the Inquisition. You are here to survey, not to study." Qin Mo shook his head.
When Inquisitor Rena had first arrived in the Talon System, her approach had been aggressive, threatening immediate military action.
It was Vick, constantly flying between the Inquisition's warship and the Talon System's orbital station in his personal skimmer, who had worked to de-escalate tensions.
That, however, was only one of the reasons he was granted investigation rights.
The true reason?
Vick was one of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's subordinates.
Qin Mo had a vested interest in promoting Dimensional Engine Technology among humanity, reducing the Imperium's reliance on the Warp.
If there was one individual within the Mechanicus both powerful and open-minded enough to embrace new technology, it was Belisarius Cawl.
After all, Cawl had engineered the Primaris Space Marines and would, in the future, cooperate with the Aeldari Ynnari to resurrect Roboute Guilliman.
His methods bordered on heresy, yet his results were undeniable.
Unlike the more orthodox Tech-Priests, Cawl embraced progress, even when it defied the Imperium's dogmatic stagnation. He experimented with AI constructs, modified STC blueprints, and openly questioned the inflexibility of the Machine Cult.
His philosophy was simple: The Omnissiah's will was infinite, not chained to the limits of current human understanding.
To many in the Imperium, this was dangerous thinking. But to those like Vick? It was the only path forward.
While Cawl did not represent the entire Adeptus Mechanicus, he wielded significant influence within its hierarchy.
"Have you considered the worst-case scenario?" Vick suddenly asked. "A high-ranking Inquisitor may soon arrive, one who answers to no one, who embodies the ruthless nature of the Ordo Hereticus, and who will bring war without hesitation. You must understand, the Inquisition is no one's puppet."
Qin Mo pondered this for a moment.
Vick had a point. Someone like Rena, who wasn't even a fully-ranked Inquisitor, could still be restrained by political maneuvering.
But if a Lord Inquisitor decided to purge the Talon System? There would be no diplomacy.
After careful consideration, Qin Mo finally shook his head.
"This system will not have its fate dictated by outsiders. At least, not yet. War will only come if you people insist on making an enemy of us."
"You people?" Vick analyzed the phrase.
For a moment, he suspected Qin Mo was already plotting rebellion.
But upon deeper reflection, he realized that if Qin Mo had truly intended to rebel, he would have long since allied himself with the various heretical factions that had once plagued the Talon System.
In the end, Vick concluded: This man was no traitor.
But to him, there was a clear distinction between the Imperium and humanity as a whole.
Vick processed this new data, recalling fragments of ancient history.
The Talon System, in some ways, resembled pre-Compliance Interex, a formidable yet troublesome civilization during the Great Crusade.
Before the Imperium, Interex had been an isolated yet technologically advanced society, resisting compliance not out of defiance, but because they had no need for Imperial intervention. Like many non-Imperial human civilizations, they rejected the religious dogma and rigid hierarchy of the Imperium, preferring a more meritocratic or even technocratic society. They had achieved remarkable technological advancements, including non-Warp-based FTL travel and independent cybernetic innovation.
Their technological prowess allowed them to resist xenos threats and maintain a thriving, independent human culture.
The Imperium, however, did not tolerate human civilizations beyond its control. A brutal compliance campaign was waged, and despite Interex's ingenuity, they fell. Their technology was either destroyed or assimilated into the Adeptus Mechanicus, and their leaders were either executed or forced into servitude.
Though Talon was far beneath Interex's power, the same could be said of the modern Imperium compared to its past glory.
Vick came to a decision. His mission parameters required adaptation.
If he wanted his investigations to continue, he needed to adjust his stance, ever so slightly.
But there was something else. Something far more important than the mission Cawl had given him.
"This Angel of Creation your people worship… may I learn more about it?"
Qin Mo raised an eyebrow.
"I have no objections, but first you must answer one question."
"What is it?" Vick asked.
Qin Mo's gaze locked onto him.
"On your Inquisition vessel, currently detained at the Mandeville Point, where does Rena spend most of her time?"
Vick hesitated. For one flicker of a moment, his logic-engine debated between secrecy and compliance. Then he spoke, offering Rena's usual haunts.
Qin Mo never needed Vick to answer that question.
With Shapeshifter Illusion realm, Qin Mo already knew exactly what Rena was doing at that very moment.
But by answering, Vick had just revealed his own leanings.
And Qin Mo?
He had grander plans in motion.
Removing Rena? That was a mere side task.
Vick and Cawl? They were far more valuable.
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