POV: Lord Cornelius Aarark With a trembling hand, Cornelius slumped back in his chair and reached out to grab his lukewarm cup of recaf. Zeta 9-Kane had gotten the berths ready but it was clear from their chat the Voidwright was explicitly furious with him. That he could smooth out over time, the Magos could hold a grudge but he just needed to try and work at it a little at a time. The Honorable Rogue Trader had been informed of the reason for the delay in response, said Inquisitorial reason had thankfully been over in Cycladon for nearly a week and reports of incidents had increased drastically. He had been remanded but he was no longer about to be on the angry side of a small armada led by a Grand Cruiser. The celebration was almost ready and Halo Alphos was pacified and had been informed of the upcoming visit. The guest wing was pristine. As he glanced out the large window he could see one of the servants polishing the marble pavers on the landing pad by hand. Had he told them to do that? Eh, it looked like they were nearly done by now. The two other ship captains docked at the Halo had been informed of the imminent arrival. The local subsector trading ship had come from the capital but had decided to wait for the Inquisitor to leave before trying to unload his goods, a prudent man. The system hauler that bought them materials and food from the mining and agri worlds respectively was content to quietly refuel and get ready for their next circuit. Both Captains had expressed interest in attending the dinner he arranged. His lovely wife had a new gown and hadn't stabbed him in his sleep. Cornelius felt visit might actually go well. He kept those positive thoughts right up until his dataslate received the full transmitted list of potential VIPs from the Argent Drake. He had expected a few dozen from the main ship and maybe a dozen or so from the supports, not the monstrosity that sat before him. Just the Mechanicus section had multiple pages! He scrolled and scrolled feeling the urge to curse his hubris. There were so many titles and family names mixed in here he didn't know where to begin! Cornelius started with the Rogue Trader's immediate family which consisted of a couple of individuals all of whom would get invitations. Cornelius nearly choked when he noticed an addendum marking one as the daughter of the Drakios Heir Apparent who would be bringing personal armed security. Cornelius made a note to warn his wife and the nobles he liked that messing with that child was explicitly forbidden. Throne forgive whomever young drunken noble idiot son tries to impress or court her. The Archmagos and Magi, of course, just to be safe Cornelius included their direct disciples. He silently screamed when he saw one of them was also marked for having mandatory personal security in addition to the Magos's own. He didn't recognize the house name, but he figured this "Disciple": Lady Nicole Cavalerio Pr…" must be a noble of some sort. He moved on not bothering to expand the list of individuals to check titles when there were so many people to inspect. One of the Magi was marked as a Venatorii which was just… fantastic, better ensure there's no Tech Heresy anywhere! Cornelius wanted to cry but pressed on. The Astartes officers, The captains of the two support vessels, and the Navigators all marked to get invitations even if he anticipated the Navigators would refrain and hold their own gathering with the local Navigator house. Cornelius knew the noble circuits decently well and marked various ranks of nobles for invitations. Certain individuals would be permitted plus ones, while others were not. "Millie… Please inform the chefs that the number of guests has doubled and extend my apologies… tell them they will receive bonus pay for this. Prepare the grand hall. We'll try to break the other nobles into clusters in the various rooms by rank." "Bethany, I think we should prepare an extra seat at the head table if our Inquisitor swings back for the party. Just in case." "Della I…" a shadow passed over Cornelius and he looked up watching the large majestic vessel temporarily eclipse the sun on its way to dock with the massive structure of the Halo. The Halo was larger but the nearly eight-kilometer ship was still clearly visible and dwarfed all the other vessels presently docked at the ring. "They're here." He whispered knowing he was now on a strict time limit he rushed to get back to work. —----------------------------------------------------------------- Arken sat on his Throne as they got within visual range of Halo station. The station had a spindle shape, a large ring system with a small vertical cylinder in the center which connected the station to the orbital elevator system that connected it to Halo Alphos. The station had once been a large hollow asteroid that had been devoured for materials and turned into the base of the station. The whole station was thirty kilometers long and the ring being the widest part reached eighteen kilometers in diameter. Most of the station aside from the cylindrical core and the outer ring was not continuously solid other than four main connecting corridors that link the main shaft to the ring. Various bits that had accumulated throughout the ages were connected to the stations with a spider web of solid metal connecting gantries, semi-rigid pressure corridors, and massive chains. Three of the Isolde-pattern Bulk Clippers were under construction on the far side of the ring. One seemed to be in the final stages of completion, one in the middle stages of construction and the last was just having its hull laid down. Arken wrinkled his nose when he realized the default weapon configuration for the transports was using older and nearly outdated Thunderstrike Macrocannons. Whoever had commissioned that particular transport had obviously tried to skimp on their credits. A few small system defense ships were escorting them in. The Argent Drake and even the Hunter's Lady dwarfed the little kilometer-long craft. The station only had four of the defense ships active at the moment, several appeared docked in one of the repair yards. The station itself boasted a competent mix of Macrocannons and Lance arrays. Mars-Pattern Macrocannons dotted the ring facing outward on all sides. The central spire sported a Sunhammer Lance Battery and a transplanted Sunsear Las-Broadside which were the only weapons with decent ranges. There were a handful of other mix-and-match components that had likely been traded for or salvaged. Arken idly considered if he could take the station with just The Argent Drake and the answer he arrived at was almost certainly. Luckily the Magos running the station was much more amenable and had informed them that he had only been informed of their presence two weeks ago. He had gotten the berth ready in time which was impressive. "Halo Station this is Admiral Drakios, docking procedure initiated for Hunter's Lady and Adamant Hammer in Bays G2 and G6. Argent Drake requested permission to dock in Bay G4." The newly remodeled berth G4 looked like it had eaten bay G3 and G5 to make room for them. "Lord Drakios this is Halo traffic control. You have been approved for docking. Will you require assistance?" They asked. It was not unheard of for larger Grand Cruiser or battleship-sized ships to need a tugboat-like vessel to help guide them into narrow docking spaces. "No, we do not." Arken replied with a small smirk cutting the call before he looked towards the helm "Lucius you're cleared to take her in. Feel free to show off if you like." "Aye aye, Sir!" Lucius said with an eager grin. The Argent Drake fired her main thrusters, maneuvering jets and grav repulsors springing to life as they knifed through the void parallel to the outside of the ring. The ship approached the station at speed before abruptly the ship rotated on its X-axis doing a full 180-degree spin, changing the vector of its forward momentum, and going into the berth sideways. The thrusters fired once briefly as the ship rapidly slowed down. The ship settled smoothly into the berth without so much as a ripple of energy transferring to the waiting docking clamps. "Docking complete!" Lucius declared proudly. Arken stood slowly and nodded "Standard shore leave protocols. Officer rotations for the bridges no more than a third ashore at once. Mechanicus visitors are to be screened and must give three days prior notice should they wish to visit and only when one of the Magi is here to oversee them." Once he was certain things were squared away he made his way towards the primary docking ramp. There was a lot of pomp and showboating to do whenever he arrived somewhere new. It was simply an ingrained part of being a Rogue Trader. The Mechanicus facility would normally not raise as much of a fuss, but Doll's presence flipped that around funnily enough. Doll was an even bigger guest than Arken when it came to the Mechanicus. —-------------------------------------------------------------------- Zeta thought he was ready to lay eyes on the Argent Drake. He had been mistaken, the display of control and precision the ship had performed made his soul ache with longing as a shipwright. He wanted to build something so magnificent. Shaking his head he swiftly moved to his personal transit vehicle. A handful of Skitarii and a few of the other higher-ranking Tech Priests joined him. They arrived at the edge of bay G4 with just enough time to array themselves properly before the main ramp descended. Zeta gripped his Mars-pattern Omnissian Axe and stood tall. An entire regiment of power armour-clad house guard marched in formation down the ramp holding the banners of House Drakios as they crisply pivoted and moved to line themselves up on one half of the bay. Following them was a small legion of Skitarii that made his units look lacking in comparison. They arrayed themselves on the opposite side and stood at attention. The vast array of troops was not just a show of force but a display of wealth and capacity. "Introducing his Lordship Admiral Arken 'Dragontooth' Drakios! Rogue Trader and Patriarch of House Drakios and company!" The crier took a breath and then continued. "Hailing from The Great Lathes! Introducing Archmagos Akellonon Doll, Master Fabricator, Enginseer Prime of the Argent Drake. Leader of the Levelists!" Lord Drakios was dressed in a layer of finery that gave the impression of wealth without looking overdone. His entire outfit was master-crafted and he walked confidently down the ramp. An ornate sword sheathed on one side and a pistol on the other. His cape billowed as he made his way down. Keeping pace with Lord Drakios was the hulking form of Archmagos Doll. As soon as he stepped onto the ramp Zeta 9-Kane received a data packet verifying Doll's credentials along with subsequent requests for access to the systems of the station. Zeta 9-Kane approved the request almost immediately. As an Archmagos Doll could have demanded or forced his way into the system, asking permission was a polite formality and a show of face for Zeta 9-Kane. Most high-ranking Mechanicus individuals knew not to make demands of a man in his own forge. Once the pair and their trailing retinues were close enough Zeta bowed low. "I, Magos Zeta 9-Kane, greet the Archmagos and the Rogue Trader." Holding his bow for the exact amount was appropriate according to his social protocols. "I bid you welcome to Ur-Haven's Halo station. Your request for repairs has been approved." "Well met, Magos" Arken spoke as he gave Zeta a polite nod. "I would like to grant the crews leave while we are docked. Many will be traveling down to the surface with us later. I am aware that there may be individuals in your order who wish to visit the Argent Drake. They will need to request permission days in advance and be subject to strict screening. I hope you understand." "Acknowledged." Zeta 9-Kane replied and he quickly filled out the request for a visit himself. "Lord Drakios, I have been requested to inquire if you wish to use the elevator or shuttles to descend for the reception prepared by Governor Aarark." "I will use my shuttles. Though I may send some materials down via the elevator." Arken answered curtly. The trio performed a few more formalities before Zeta 9-Kane offered them a tour of the facility. "I will pass." Lord Drakios said curtly. "I would indeed like a tour of the facilities. Your profile indicates you were trained on Mars?" Doll asked a moment later. "Indeed." Zeta stated proudly. Just behind Doll stood Xor decked out in his armor. "As would I." "Zeta, would it be alright if some of our disciples go and explore the station on their own?" Doll asked with an odd amused tone in his voice modulator. Zeta blinked and processed the request "That is permissible. Will they require an escort?" Doll chuckled "No. She has her own. Nicole." Zeta was puzzled as one of the smaller figures moved away from the Magi. She had a beautiful Omnissian Axe but as she moved aside a portion of the guards went with her. Zeta did a double-take Thallax, Skitarii, four Scyllax Automata, and what looked like a solar Auxilia? Zeta felt extremely confused. It was like he was looking at a museum display from Mars. Then one of the Astartes in the back moved to follow her as well!? Then Zeta pinged Nicole for her credentials and he stared at the displayed data uncomprehendingly for the brief moment it was visible to him. Nicole Cavalerio, Matriarch of House Cavalerio. Zeta knew that name from his studies into Martian history. Rank: Princeps. High Enginseer. Artifex. Datasmith. Titles: Machine Touched. Living Relic. This child had more titles and ranks than most Magi he had met. "Archmagos, What is the meaning of this!?" Zeta hissed as he turned to look at Doll who was eyeing Nicole considerately. "Nicole, you may want to censor your identification." He said, chastising her gently. "Oh! Yes, Master Doll!" Nicole adjusted the information she was displaying so only her ranks of High Engineseer, Artifex and Datasmith were visible. "Archmagos, please explain. Machine Touched? Relic?" Zeta pleaded in techna-lingua. "We cannot simply let a Princeps wander around!" "Calm yourself, Zeta 9-Kane. I will explain while we proceed with the tour. We will be allowing my disciple to go off and explore. There is a reason for this. Nicole has some… peculiar qualities that should be beneficial to your forges." Doll said, his tone amused. "Unless you believe something on the station is a threat to her safety?" "... No Archmagos. There should not be any such thing to my knowledge." Zeta admitted with a wince. His dendrites undulated as he looked to Magos Xor who simply nodded at Zeta. Zeta helplessly watched as the little figure and her cadre of guards departed the bay. "Let us proceed, Magos Zeta. We will be evaluating you. Should you pass our scrutiny there is a special project we would like your expertise with as a Voidwright." Doll's words were enough to pull Zeta from his worried musing. "I… of course. I will answer any questions but I would be grateful if you would permit me to ask some of my own?" Zeta asked as they made their way towards his shuttle vehicle. —---------------------------------------------------------- I eagerly left the primary bay after obscuring my noospheric identifier. Sure if someone got close enough to see the markings on my robes they might recognize them but with all my guards around it shouldn't be too difficult to obscure them with some subtle positioning with my limbs or dendrites. The air of the station had a metallic tang to it, it seemed to linger on the tongue, that failed to compare to the pure air of the Argent Drake. I was already parsing through the local network at a rapid pace now that we had permission to do so, which was a bit patchy in the ring section of the station. It didn't take me long to access the system logs and find a rather large list of pending maintenance requests from across the entire station. I expected a lot of them given the size of the station but somehow I was still surprised to see several thousand of them. I pursed my lips and paused, orienting myself. I had planned to tour the station for as long as I was allowed. The Argent Drake was amazing but this was my first time off the ship and I intended to see as much of it as I could. I made a detour to a nearby scribe station. There were all sorts of shops and various places for business scattered around the main thoroughfare that went around the ring. An ancient-looking man sat at the counter. He was mostly skin and bones with a large typewriter sitting in front of him with several autoquils scribbling away on either side. There was a small line when I first approached but then the first individual saw my red-robed figure with my axe and a retinue of armed guards. They practically threw themselves out of line the rest of the local workers followed suit. "I require a ream of paper, three wax sticks, a pen, and an inkwell." I tell the old scribe. "Do you have your station identification?" He asked me without looking up. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "No." I answer politely. He finally looks up and adjusts his spectacles. He blinks once slowly before his eyes gaze from me to my axe, then to my guards. "Pardon me!" He coughs "Ship of origin?" He asks, realizing I am a visitor right away. "The Argent Drake." I tell him getting a few nods as he fiddles with his device. "Credits, Service or Trade?" He asks as he removes the document he had been working on and adds it to a small pile. "I have an account with credits, however, I have inspected the logs. You placed a maintenance request five years three months twelve days nine hours and thirty minutes ago that has yet to be fulfilled. I am willing to perform said maintenance in exchange for the items I have requested." I inform him. "I did indeed! The main cogitator and printing press has been out of operation since then. I would certainly appreciate such a service. I apologize but I must ask for your rank to confirm you are qualified." He says, bowing his head. "Any of my ranks? Well, I hold the ranks of High Enginseer, Artifex, and Datasmith. Will one of those suffice?" I ask with an amused smile. "Absolutely, High Enginseer. Please give me but a moment." He flips a little metal sign from open to closed on the counter and shuffles over to unlock the door and allow me inside. "This way if you please. I shall procure your requested items after I show you the machine." I follow him into the back past various piles of paper and old gear. The cogitator in question is an old boxy thing. I start to scan and examine it as he gestures. "Do you think it can be fixed?" he asks tentatively. I hum and circle the device using my Auspex to look for faults. I don't notice any glaring issues besides some wear and tear. A few bits need to be replaced but nothing that will take long. "I am going to attempt to turn it on for a moment." I warn him and he nods. When I flip the large handle on the side the machine groans and sputters. I quickly isolate the issue and find a devious little fault in one of the circuit boards. "Yes." I tell him as my Mechatendril appears from under my robes and I start taking panels off to get to the internals. The old man blinks and perks up as he shuffles off to collect my items. It only takes me ten minutes to get to the board, fixing it takes less than five and I have it all put back together in less than half an hour. The machine is now softly humming and running well with none of the earlier grinding or angry chugging sounds. "Elder Scribe. Maintenance has finished. If you would pass me the pen and sheet." I ask. I fill out the sheet of instructions in Low Gothic so easy a Tech Adept could follow them. "I have written down the maintenance rite preferred by this machine. In six months get a Tech Adept or Tech Priest to ensure it remains satisfied." I stamp the document with wax at the bottom and then imprint it with my Mechanicus ring. I sign my rank but leave out my name. "Make sure they are aware that should I still be in the system I will come back to check and be very… displeased if the instructions were not followed." I pass the scribe the document and he takes it gingerly. "You have beautiful handwriting, High Enginseer." He comments while reading the document and nodding "Everything is in order. I shall ensure this is on hand and schedule the appropriate maintenance. Thank you, my Lady" He bows even lower this time. I think my handwriting gave away my noble background which is good to know for the future. "Good!" I scoop up the supplies he prepared for me. "I bid you a good day, Elder Scribe. May the light of the Omnissiah be with you." I turn to leave and the Scribe glances at my back. Luckily I'm already on my way out when he spots the multitude of Icons embroidered into the collar of my robes and his eyes almost pop out of their sockets. I have already picked out my next target now that my supplies have been acquired. "I'm going to tour the station but as I do I'm going to stop and perform repairs." I inform my escort. The work was easy for me and it just felt good helping out even if it was minor. It was fun and I got to get to know the local machine spirits a bit better and make it less awful for the people here. "As you wish, Lady Cavalerio." Delta-A3 replies while the Thallax all salute me and Lael nods. Brother Silverwalker is doing his best to not look conspicuous as at least half the people who see him start muttering prayers to the Emperor. He had worn a Cameleoline cloak over his armor covering his head and back but hadn't activated it yet. "Alright let's move on before people start bothering Brother Silverwalker." I say playfully before I check the list of tasks I compiled and plot a new route to the next one. —----------------------------------------------- Updates are released by n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net "Oh no." Whispered Tech Acolyte Ceil as he looked at the flickering display on the monitor attached to the large bank of cables in the wall. "We are so dead." his friend Rock whispers. "They're gonna scoop our brains and turn us into those servi-things." "You mean servitors?" Ceil asks him. "It could not be broken… maybe. I don't think they'd do that if we didn't even do anything! I was just trying to access the network." "I should have stayed in the docks." Rock said with a groan. "I don't know what happened!" Ceil whines. "It looks like you had a power cascade that shorted out the primary terminals and overloaded the breaker system causing a looping feedback error." I say as both boys go rigid. Ceil is the first of the two to work up the nerve and slowly turn and face me. He catches a glimpse of my gold-trimmed red robes and Axe. Ceil immediately prostrates himself. "I'm sorry, honorable Magos!" Rock follows suit, not even looking up at me. "Magos? That's close enough I suppose." I mutter before it sinks in that they might have only seen the magi wear gold-accented robes. "Well, you certainly have made quite the mess here." I say as I step past the two to examine the terminal. Rock sneaks a look up once I am past and unfortunately makes eye contact with one of the Scyllax and immediately faints. "Tell me, Tech Acolyte Ceil, has this problem persisted for long?" I inquire. "No ma'am! It had been getting worse but this is entirely new! Not like some of the other issues." He replies immediately from his place on the floor. "Oh? You know of other locations on the station with issues ?" I ask as I cut power to the workstation. "Y…yes?" He admits his voice cracking. "I see. I will fix this. In exchange, you will be acting as my guide to these other troublesome locations. Do well and I will not pass on what happened here to your superior. Or I can inform them now. Do you have a preference?" I ask him. "It would be my great honor!" He responds looking up only to shrink back as he spots Delta-A3 looking down at him from a meter away. "Wonderful! Then you see that wall conduit? I want you to take your container of oil and polish the whole thing while I appease the machine." I tell him and he nervously scoots over to grab his little bucket of oil and a cloth. I ignore him and focus on the wall. Either someone did an extremely shoddy job repairing it or someone did so intentionally. I compile a list of the few Tech Priests that have logged time servicing this part but the logs could have been tampered with. This repair is going to take far longer than any I performed so far today. I end up having to send for a few specific parts. This was the first repair that was of real concern. Should it have gone unnoticed, entire sections of the station would have been cut off from the noosphere, and eventually, communications would have gone down and the cascade would have built up and eventually spread to the local power nodes. This level of damage is impossible for a simple Tech Adept to cause. The Machine Spirit for the device is also far weaker than expected, almost as if it was weakened intentionally. The spirit couldn't even flag the accelerating failure in the system. "Acolyte Ceil, I believe that is enough. Please attempt to rouse your companion once you do so, you'll both lead us to the next area that requires my attention." I say as he finally stops polishing the conduit. I already checked with my Auspex the worker Rock just fainted and then fell asleep aside from signs of exhaustion they're fine. Ceil gives the dozing laborer a shake which rouses him. "Rock wake up we have a job to do." He whispers not that it hides his words from me or anyone in my retinue. Rock flinches as he spots the Scyllax again but at a distance, he manages not to freak out this time, he gets up and nods "Work? Work. Right sorry." I lift my axe and then make a small clang, lowering it to get their attention. "Lead the way, please." I tell them in a firm but gentle tone. Ceil drags Rock along, trying to whisper and fill him in on their temporary job. "Ceil" Rock hisses in a whisper "There's an Emperor's Angel following that Magos! What the heck did you do?!" "I saw and I don't know! Just shut up and help me remember all the wonky and broken places. You know what old Greg says." He mumbles softly. "Don't ask questions." Rock takes a deep breath and shudders "What are those skull-faced things?" He asks as they walk ahead of me. "Some kind of automata I'm not sure what kind. The armored ones are Skitarii… I think." Ceil whispers as he turns left down a side route leading us to a malfunctioning panel. "This is the next one Ma'am! This console broke a year ago and no one could figure out how to fix it. It cut off access to a portion of the station further down from here." I step forward and examine the device. I frown and purse my lips in displeasure as I get closer. "This didn't break. It was sabotaged." I state with a small growl making the two boys flinch. I slither my Mechatendril over and start to pull the panels off the barely functional console. There is only one function still working on the device which seems to control the doorway further down the corridor however there was a nasty little bit of hostile code that tried to reject the first generic command code I gave it. I overpower the code isolating it and then obliterating it to open the door. According to the digital map, this path is supposed to go on for a ways and lead to a small industrial workshop that is listed as abandoned. I stand up and stare down the hallway. The minor machine spirits nearby are whispering oddly, they're acting afraid of something. "Come." I tell everyone as I walk through the now open door. Something about this situation stinks. It takes about ten minutes before we reach a large industrial bulkhead door. I step up to it and freeze, my hand tightening on the haft of my axe with enough force to make my knuckles whiten. "CEIL, ROCK" I round on the pair "Have either of you ever been inside this area?" I demand from them. "No!" Both of them yelp. "Swear to me! Swear it on the Omnissiah and the name of the Emperor." I growl as my guards having picked up something is off and ready their weapons. "I swear to the Emperor I haven't!" "I swear to the Omnissiah I haven't!" They say and when I can detect no lies I step back from them. "Good. You will both sit over there and not move. You get to live." I hiss and they both pale and go to sit with their backs against the wall. I turn back to the bulkhead door. I'm seeing red and seething at what I can sense going on behind the doorway. The machine spirits are howling in agony and begging for aid. "Brother Silverwalker, everyone, I require the individual at the workstation in the back alive. PURGE THE REST!" "Yes, Princeps!" He steps to my left while Delta-A3 steps up to my right. "As you will Princeps!" I reach down and grab my Plasma Pistol pointing the hand holding my Axe at the door mechanism "Open." I demand with the full force of my authority. The door hisses but obeys. I activate my protective amulet at the same time. As it opens an individual on the other side looks up confused "Hey! You can't be in here!" He attempts to continue but I put a bolt of plasma through his skull as I stride into the Heretek workshop. Delta-A3 headshots another off to my right. Brother Silverwalker is a blur as he rushes forward backhanding a man so hard his head explodes while simultaneously shooting another. My eyes are locked on the Heretek Tech Priest on the other side of the room. Focused on his work he only starts to turn when the sound of the bolt rounds pulping his cultists reaches his ears. I direct one of the Scyllax to fire a bolt of lightning at him as I move closer. It's enough to stagger him and force him to try and block with one of his dendrites. As he screeches in rage he tries to activate some kind of failsafe and send hostile code into my implants. I mercilessly crush it with my e-war suite and launch a concentrated stream of code that causes his motive implants to seize. My Ballistic Mechadendrite snipes a cultist going for a box of explosives lasering a hole through his neck and spine. "Your rights to your implants have been rescinded Heretek" I snarl as I mercilessly shut down his access to the noosphere and his ability to control his various parts one by one. Just for good measure once I'm close enough I have one of the Scyllax taze him. It's barely been seconds since we entered the room and the only individual left alive is the Heretek. I quickly send a high-priority message to Master Doll and Master Xor. "Heretek cult discovered. Cult purged with prejudice, Leader in custody. Iron maiden protocols in effect." In my haste, I fail to notice the thin cable connecting his back to the cogitator he had been working on, and as soon as I have his limp body moved away from the device the line snaps. Like a pin pulled from a grenade sparks start to fly and the machine starts beeping and howling ominously. Glowing blue runes on the machine itself and some carved into the floor that have been incidentally filled with blood flicker to life. The console explodes and out of it a blue-taloned limb spawns. Followed by a round blue chittering body, eyes full of fury, and a large mouth full of teeth. More limbs follow as the horror crawls into our reality less than a meter away from me staring straight at me. It screeches and I… scream like a little girl. My first encounter with a warp entity is terrifying and my instinctive reaction is to turn and flee, so that's what I do. Thankfully Brother Silverwalker and my guards are far less inclined to do so. "Daemon!" He yells and unloads his heavy bolter into the creature causing it to sputter and pop and the closest Thallax opens fire moments later. As the blue horror pops out of existence two smaller vile yellow horrors screech into existence the area fills with a horrible offensive smell. Brother Silverwalker is waiting and he swings down with a power axe and eviscerates the first creature. The second tries to throw a small ball of warp fire but Lael and two Thallex blast the little daemon with a combination of heavy las weaponry and a photon thruster cannon that leaves naught but a glowing heat stain on the floor. "Clear!" Brother Silverwalker calls out as the energy from the sigils fades away. He looks around before moving back to the entrance. I am back out in the hallway breathing hard "What the hell was that?!" I ask aloud. "A Daemon, specifically a Blue Horror… Was that your first proper encounter with one Princeps?" He asks and I nod shuddering in place. The warp spawn in the bay had been at a distance and I hadn't got a good look at it or felt it's aura. "I see. The first up-close and personal encounter is usually one of the worst. You did not faint or vomit, well done." He praises me and I shoot him an incredulous look. "THAT was a Daemon? Ugh, that was awful! We should kill them all with fire!" I yell gesticulating wildly with the arm not holding my Axe. "That's the spirit, Princeps." Silverwalker says, the Astartes is in high spirits after getting the opportunity to purge agents of the Archenemy. He continues watching me with amusement as I vent and freak out after my first up close and personal warp encounter.