Chapter 33: Putting on a Good Show
Seeing the unfamiliar weapon on Jacob's hip, Omega and the others were immediately on alert.
"Praise the Omnissiah," Omega said, signaling with his eyes for everyone to play along with Jacob's performance. "We should, of course, follow the Temple Magos's instructions."
Louis immediately understood. With a catch in his voice, he cried, "At last, the light of the Machine God guides us once more! This hellish existence is finally coming to an end!"
"Yes, an end to this shameful, blasphemous life," Paul added with a fawning tone. "Boss Jacob, what are the Magos's orders?"
"The Magos plans to directly kill those blasphemous priests, severing any possibility of the mob cooperating with the Grand Manufactorum," Jacob announced.
Rhea cackled like a wicked witch. "Heh heh heh, we'll turn all those mobsters into Corpse Starch blocks and feed them to their own kind, heh heh heh."
Women are truly master actresses, the other men thought simultaneously.
While Omega and his team were acting their parts, the Temple Magos was receiving data from the spy device planted in the relic weapon. This data included not only the content of their conversation, but also information about their environment and their body language. Convinced that Jacob had not lied to him, the Temple Magos finally relaxed.
It was a good thing Omega and his team had rehearsed. It takes a cog-head to know a cog-head. They knew all too well what Magi with access to forbidden technology liked to do. Omega himself didn't know, but Rhea did. After all, her own father was a Magos who enjoyed a bit of spying.
Omega's thought: I knew that old fox Laust was spying on me! I suspected it was him who planted that Ecclesiarchy reliquary. Now I have proof! Laust the Peeping Tom!
Omega's plan was not perfect; it had many flaws. But as the "boss" of this settlement, he had ways to ensure that the people he was deceiving didn't have time to think about those flaws. For example, he could blow up a few warehouses that were already scheduled for demolition to create the illusion of a worker riot. He could arrange for two groups of men to fire at each other from a distance, and lob a few "stray rounds" in the direction of the "guest house" to frighten its occupants. He could have people carry the bodies of those who had been injured or killed while hunting past a location visible from the "guest house." He could organize a crowd to chant "We want food!" in front of the "guest house," armed with various weapons.
He created the illusion that the settlement was chaotic and out of control, making the visiting Magi and priests feel as if they could be dragged out and torn apart by the "mob" at any moment. These Magi and their guards were indeed powerful, but they were no match for the overwhelming firepower and absolute numbers that Omega had at his disposal.
Who wouldn't tremble with a few dozen cannons pointed at them? Omega's goal was to make them lose their judgment in a state of fear, and then to cut the Gordian knot and make them fight each other. If they didn't follow his script, his "cannons" would help them fight, force them to fight. The moment they stepped into the settlement, their fate was sealed.
The purpose of all this "performance" was simply to create a plausible excuse, to avoid a direct confrontation with the two largest factions. After all, one of them was destined to rule Teyedan in the future.
Just as Omega was losing his patience and was about to resort to "force," the food promised by the Grand Manufactorum finally arrived. But the Manufactorum Magos was no fool. He only sent a small portion of the food into the settlement. The majority was kept outside, under guard. He wanted to see the "mob's" good faith, to cut off their retreat, before sending the rest.
What he didn't expect was that the moment the food entered the settlement, the attack on him began. What he also didn't know was that at the same time, the location where the food was stored outside the settlement was also being attacked. Omega had "dispatched" his most powerful force—the "Magos Task Force."
How did Omega convince these Magi, who were busy "seeking dragons and dividing the gold" underground, to come out? The reason was simple: he told them that with this food, they could free up more people to help them with their "archeological digs." Of course, they couldn't refuse.
At the food cache, there was no sign of a battle. The moment the "Magos Task Force" was spotted, the datasmith commanding the Skitarii guards had his brain fried by a combined scrap-code attack from several Magi. The remaining Skitarii were quickly neutralized. The entire "battle" was over in a fraction of a second.
"Sigh, to think that at my age, I'd be reduced to taking orders from a little brat," one of the Magi grumbled as he efficiently disassembled the dead datasmith.
Another Magos, who was eyeing the mountain of food while keeping an eye on the "disassembler" to make sure he didn't pocket any spoils, said, "Hah, you'd better watch your mouth. Don't let that little brat hear you. Otherwise, you might end up like the two in the 'cage'."
"Hiss, to decide the fate of two high-ranking Magi with a snap of his fingers... it's truly terrifying. We used to try to curry favor with them, and they wouldn't even give us the time of day."
Another Magos chimed in, "Isn't that the truth. On my way out, I took a look. From the heavy weapons surrounding them, it's clear the kid never intended for them to leave alive."
"I really don't know where Laust found this little monster."
"He was assigned from the Grand Manufactorum," Magos Laust said.
"..."
"Do we need to falsify the scene?"
"No need. Once the food is transported back, Omega will have someone blow this place up."
"Hah. I don't think that kid is a Tech-Priest at all. He's more like one of those Imperial nobles."
"No wonder there's a rumor that he's Veyl's kid."
"Laust, is he really not?"
"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Laust snapped.
Meanwhile, Omega was filming the battle at the "guest house" with a camera. The sheer firepower unleashed by the high-ranking priests made even him, watching from a distance, feel a thrill of fear.
"The Temple Magos is a true warrior," Louis marveled, observing the scene through a pair of magnoculars. "I never thought our power axes were more than just symbols of office."
"The Manufactorum Magos is no slouch either," Aedus added. "I counted at least six different weapons he's used in the past few minutes."
"Boss, you have to give us a few of those when this is over," Paul said, wiping drool from his chin. "I still don't have a single decent weapon."
Jacob, stroking the relic pistol at his waist, felt that he didn't like it as much as he used to. "The gap is too vast. How many priests go their entire lives without obtaining a single one of these?"
"Don't just look at the things on the outside. The real treasure is the knowledge in their data-slates!" Rhea reminded them. As expected of a Magos's daughter, she immediately identified the most valuable spoils of "murder and robbery." The others had a collective epiphany: That's right! If I learn their knowledge, I can become a Magos too!
As they were watching, the battle between the two Magi reached its climax.
"Die, you blasphemer!" the Temple Magos roared, swinging his power axe at the Manufactorum Magos's mechanical head.
The Manufactorum Magos dodged, firing back with the exterminator, graviton gun, and volkite blaster on his back-mounted mechadendrites. "You despicable traitor! All you know is shameless sneak attacks and betrayal! Just you wait until my men get here! They'll tear you to pieces!"
"Your men? You don't mean that mob, do you?"
"You!"
"Don't be surprised. You who know only of profit could never understand the greatness of faith, the weight of piety! Taste my axe!"
The Manufactorum Magos cried out in pain as the power axe severed one of his bionic limbs. The Temple Magos, who had also lost a mechanical arm but showed no reaction, pressed his attack. "Those who indulge in pleasure can never grasp the true meaning of 'the flesh is weak, the machine is eternal.' The flesh you preserved for your own pleasure will be the abyss that buries you."
"Hmph, just you wait! Listen to the sounds outside! You should know you're finished!"
The Temple Magos didn't respond. He had already heard the sounds of battle outside, the cries of "For the Omnissiah!" as priests opened fire, the shouts of the mob as they charged to "protect the Magos." He knew, with a sinking feeling, that the "Magos" they were referring to was not him. He had made his decision. The time had come to play his final card and end this.
The commotion outside was, of course, also arranged by Omega. You have to put on a good show. What if they had stopped fighting halfway through? He would have had to trouble himself to intervene. A single, uninterrupted video evidence was much more convincing.
"For the Omnissiah!" Omega shouted, firing his exosuit's cannon at the "mob" behind cover. Of course, he wasn't the only one defending; Jacob and the others were with him. But he was the only one who seemed to be enjoying shooting at his own people.
"Open fire! Put on a good show! It's fun!" Omega complained to his half-hearted companions. He was very busy, after all, firing at the "mob" with one hand while filming the battle behind him with another.
"Omega, you..." Rhea looked at Omega, who was acting like a destructive child, and didn't know what to say.
"The 'mob' on the other side isn't even trying. So unprofessional," Omega continued to complain. "Their slogans are so half-hearted, and their aim is so high they're practically shooting at the stars."
Just then, Jacob, who had been keeping an eye on the "guest house," shouted, "It's over!"