In the airless void, my boots crunch down on the layer of frost of the hunk of ice and rock that has Cry Havoc restrained. The gunnery crew of the Argent Drake has done their jobs well. Just a few meters of ice separate us from the starboard hull. I had Delta-A3 bring along the Thermal Lance. Baldos is going to see who can make a tunnel faster, his Multi-melta or the Lance. I study the hull through the ice. AME's sensors, and my Auspex easily pierces through the layers of obstruction. One thing immediately sticks out: each airlock and potential point of entry that I can see from my current location is locked open in the emergency purge position. "Did they vent the entire ship?" I wonder as the teams start the process of boring through the ice. Several teams are using saws to cut out massive blocks and gather them to take back to the Argent Drake for purification and use. I look over and squint through the massive clouds of vapor pluming up as Delta-A3 and Baldos dig. The Argent Drake has continued to refine her scans of the Cry Havoc. While also getting readings on the rest of the… comet hulk? It's still technically a space hulk, I suppose, just with an unusual base material. The Cry Havoc has several glaring issues. Mainly her engines, that are completely ruined. The shot from whatever Titan that cored her internals hit one of the propellant reserves and the secondary explosions nearly blew out the entire aft end. The ship's hull armour is outstanding, she has Battlecruiser-grade plating, and her prow is further heavily reinforced. Finding replacement plates is going to be a little bit tricky, but I recall that there is a derelict chunk of a Mars-class Battlecruiser, one that didn't look totally picked over by the Hollow Men. We can swing by and snag the plates once we get Cry Havoc to a towable state. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a few rounds for the Nova Cannon. I am pulled from my reprieve as Baldos gets to the hull. "I win!" He rumbles, almost floating upwards when he forgets to clamp his feet down. "You did. Though I am unsure if using your combat claw to remove large portions of the ice counts." I say playfully, "Also, Baldos, your egress point is also full of ice for another fifty meters. Would you like to use the one Delta-A3 has opened up instead? The ice is far thinner." Baldos takes a moment to confirm my statement with a scan of his own before he lumbers over. "Yes." As I step onto the ship, I feel a brief, overwhelming sense of melancholy and loss. I take a deep breath and steady my mind against any lingering phenomena the Processional tries to conjure. It feels as if I am the first living individual to step inside in millennia, and that could very well be the case. One thing that immediately strikes me is the interior space; the towering corridors have vaulted, gilded ceilings that seem more appropriate for a planet-bound cathedral than a voidship. An unusual design choice in my opinion, but one that does provide a certain atmosphere. The corridors are all dark. A quick check confirms the closest one is the one I need to take. I walk slowly and run into the first set of remains a few minutes later. There are a few voidsuits rotten from the inside out, and long-decayed corpses slumped along the walls. Hard to say if they were the lucky or unlucky ones. All the bulkheads are locked open just like the exterior doors. When we encounter our first console, I use my dataspike to access the system, procure a schematic, and check the logs. The system, to my mild surprise, immediately accepts my credentials with minimal fuss. The teams following me deploy several servo skulls to sweep the ship while I sift through messes of error logs and jumbled code for anything comprehensible. "Mild data corruption in the ship systems, not warp-based or scrap code. It appears the command for the purge originated in the ship's secondary command and control center. Those chambers are also designated as the ship's backup bridge. Approximately two kilometers from here. We'll start our investigation there." I inform my team. The deeper we get, the emptier the ship feels. Her interior has not felt the touch of atmosphere for millennia, just cold, sterile vacuum. There are faint signs of conflict, but nearly all the bodies of the crew seem to have been ejected. That is, until we reach the command and control center. The mummified corpses of almost a hundred people crowd around the single sealed security door, which is punctured with holes from a plasma cutter and covered in various dents and scratches. "I sense a small amount of warp taint on these bodies. See that they're purged." I say as I walk past them to the door. It's so warped that Baldos has to wrench it off its track to get it open. I take a single step inside and freeze. This chamber likely had air much longer than the rest of the ship. The few crew members inside are little more than skeletons, but the one skeleton that catches my eye. They have an extensive full-body MIU implant, their spinal umbilical is still attached to the main console, and they're slumped down facing the door with a las-pistol resting in their hand. They're wearing a tattered uniform bearing a Legio symbol that I recognize. Her MIU tag indicates the individual was female. "Legio Interfector," I whisper as I approach the console and power it on. There is a single partially damaged audio file in the recent logs. I work carefully with AME to restore the file as best we can. I allow the file to play over my team's Vox network. ++ Vox-recording: Princeps Sorn, L_gio Int>rf*ctor ++ ++ Time5tamp: F#LSZ@*^4.M30 ++ ++ Sec{}rity Clear%nce: VermiJJion ++ ++ Trans(ription Enco6ing: St@rt of F!le ++ Transcription fragment – partial clarity restored "...this is Princeps Sorn of the Legio Interfector, pilot of the Lupus Fidei… recording what may be my last words. To whomever finds this… please listen so that you may know the truth of what has befallen us." there is a long and drawn out sigh which stretches further, like the speaker is having hard time to put their thoughts into words. "We swore our loyalty. We bled for it. In return, our oaths were twisted into chains. The Warmaster called, and we answered. We committed ourselves fully to his cause, and found only damnation waiting. Many of my Princeps brethren rejoice in it… they call it freedom, revelation. But I see only rot gnawing at their spirits and twisting their souls. It is a curse. We never should have answered." "They are not themselves anymore-my own brother, who has stood at my side for years. He slaughtered our Navigator in his chair while we were mid-jump. I had to watch the security recording three times to acknowledge it was real. He laughed as he did it. Before I realized that he was no longer himself, he had gone for his engine. Something had slithered in and twisted the once noble machine; it was changed and felt foul. Nevertheless, the blame still lies with me. I hesitated before consigning his corrupted maniple to the void. His parting shot has crippled our engines, we barely survived thanks to the incidental and total sacrifice of The Crimson Verdict do we yet breathe. Now we are adrift in the Immaterium, sightless, blind-a coffin drifting on tides of madness. The irony that some call our ship a Coffin Ship is not lost on me." She chuckles softly, though there is no joy in it. "The crews hear whispers in the metal. Some… have started to answer back. I have resisted the voices-for how long, I cannot say. But the corruption seeps like oil through sand, into every mind and every heart. I am not immune, the madness lingers even now waiting for weakness. My Engine calls to me, her voice is growing frantic. The risk of the taint getting into her machine-spirit is too great. I will not lose another engine. I will not allow it. I will not become what they are." She growls. "So in the face of death or damnation. I choose death. Better the silence of the void than the lies of these... daemons. Better nothingness than a cursed eternity. I have command locked the life-support systems and the engine cradles. In a moment, I will open us all to the void. I will vent every deck, every hold, every chamber. The void will take us, and this contagion will end here. My only regret is that I know not the fate of the rest of the Legio." There is a loud series of frantic bangs on the bulkhead, the faint sound of furious screaming, and twisted howls. Sorn sighs, her voice tired and weary. "Forgive me, Omnissiah… if you still care for us. Forgive me, Machine God, though I know not which of you listens. Know that I remained loyal, even as my brothers fell. Know that I chose this." "Princeps Sorn, Legio Interfector, the Lords of Valor… signing off." The recording ends with a repeating burst of static-the remainder of the file is corrupted and beyond recovery. I bow my head for a long moment in respect for Princeps Sorn. I forward the log to Master Doll. "Master Doll. We require a recovery team for a fallen Princeps. She died loyal and deserves to be buried with full honors." "Team dispatched. Log Archived." Master Doll replies respectfully. I extract the Cry Havoc's command codes. The ship systems give them willingly with my Titanicus credentials. Registering me as the ship's new owner. The only other document of interest I find in my initial perusal is the ship's manifest. It holds my attention immediately after a quick perusal. I inform my team. "We will head for the main hold. We'll let the recovery team come for her remains." Once we exit the module, I call in, "I need temporary power routed to the ship's prow sections. I'm heading there now with the command codes to unlock the cradles," I call in my voice tinged with excitement. I move with haste and ignore the other team as they open the ventral hangar and find an empty Coffin Ship, a Drop-Ship with a large slagged mass in its main hold, and a Heavy Lifter. The lights flicker on across the section a few minutes before we arrive at the massive sealed doors as power is restored. I place my hand on the mechanism, and with a grinding screech of tracks and gears long unused, the doors shudder open, and we enter the first circular drop chamber of the four sections. The lights flicker on and one explodes in a shower of sparks, the interior of the drop Cathedral is composed of Engine cradles arrayed in a circle facing outward. We look upon the first cradle. Standing there proudly in the colors of pre-Heresy Legio Interfector, black with a red trim and white flames, is an intact Dire Wolf Titan. I stare up at the slumbering Engine and smile. my eyes move to take in the other four cradles, and my smile widens. Each one was filled with a massive looming shape. "Three Dire Wolves and two Reavers. This is an entire Ferrox Light Maniple." I say with an excited squeal. Lupus Velox - Reaver Titan Lupus Dominus - Reaver Titan Dira Alpha - Dire Wolf Titan Canis Ferratus - Dire Wolf Titan Canis Magna - Dire Wolf Titan The three Dire Wolves are almost factory new with barely any battle damage. While the two Reavers have both suffered a considerable amount of wear and tear. I try to temper my excitement since this was just the first chamber. The second chamber, the one purged by the late Princeps, remains sealed. I feel a sharp pang of loss in my chest as I glance at the manifest. An entire Corsair Battleline Maniple - five Reavers, now lost forever. The third chamber doesn't have an entry in the manifest. Simply marked as 'stowage'. I approach the massive doors, and the moment they start to creak open, AME beeps a shrill warning as the ambient radiation levels jump up. Inside the third chamber all the Titan cradles sit empty, or rather, they should all be empty. Instead in one of the cradles is an Armiger Warglave, hanging upside down, tangled in the security straps several meters above the floor. Instead of finding even more God Engines, unsecured material and parts have been strewn across the chamber. Titan parts, some in protective cases, some just lying about, are everywhere. Amidst the plethora of Warhound and Reaver parts, I spot a few mixed Warlord parts: a poor Quake Cannon sits awkwardly, its barrel bent at almost a ninety-degree angle, and there is even a Warmaster Icconoclast Krius Siege Drill dangling from a loading crane. It looks like they loaded it all in a rush and simply took whatever they could in the time they had, even if they lacked the engines for the parts. They didn't even have time to collate a proper manifest for it all, a stark contrast when compared to the other three chambers, which have meticulous documentation. The source of the radiation becomes apparent the moment we enter the chamber proper. Six Armiger Pattern Knight Moirax lay in a pile in one corner. Two of them have cracked housings and are leaking from their Rad Furnace reactors. There are three more Armigers, two Helverins lying on their backs, one stuck under a cargo loader, and the dangling Warglave. All are pretty dinged up, but they're all salvageable. "I need a recovery team in chamber three. Full radiation protections. Six Moirax Armigers, two have cracked Rad Furnace casings. Numerous pieces of unsecured Titan-grade equipment. Three additional Armigers. One is precariously dangling in cradle two. I want a full catalogue after sterilization." I call in as we retreat from the mildly irradiated chamber. The fourth and final chamber fills me with trepidation. According to the manifest, inside is a full Precept Battleline Maniple. I put my hand on the console and open the doors. They slide open with slightly more ease than the last three. The lights fail to flicker on as we enter, and the fuse box in the corner erupts in a shower of sparks. The first cradle has a Warhound, the second has yet another Warhound, the third has a Reaver in it, and the fourth holds a glorious sight, a Warbringer Nemesis Titan, the late Princep's own Lupus Fidei. The fifth cradle that is supposed to house the maniple's leading Warlord sits empty. I let out a small sigh of disappointment. "Master Doll, I have the final tally from the cradles," I call in using the public Vox channel. "Nine. Engines. Five Warhounds, of which three are Dire Wolf heavy variants. Three Reavers and a Warbringer Nemesis!" "By the holy grace of the Omnissiah!" Master Doll exclaims reverently. "They all need considerable work as they've been neglected for millennia. Thankfully they've been stored in a vacuum. They'll all need extensive repairs and, of course, be repainted." I say wistfully. "Transmitting data now." Lupus Velox - Reaver Titan: Arms: Laser Blaster and Gatling Blaster, Carapace: Apocalypse Missile Launcher Lupus Dominus - Reaver Titan: Arms: Reaver Titan Chainfist and Volcano Cannon, Carapace: Turbo Laser Destructor Dira Alpha - Dire Wolf Titan: Arms: Ardex-Defensor Mega-Bolters, Carapace: Neutron Laser Canis Ferratus - Dire Wolf Titan: Arms: Ardex-Defensor Mega-Bolters, Carapace: Conversion Beam Dissipator Canis Magna - Dire Wolf Titan: Arms: Ardex-Defensor Mega-Bolters, Carapace: Volcano Cannon Precept Battleline Maniple Lupus Fidei - Warbringer Nemesis Titan: Arms: Reaver Laser Blaster and Melta Cannon, Carapace: Mori Quake Cannon Eternal Howl - Reaver Titan: Arms: Laser Blaster and Reaver Titan Power Fist, Carapace: Warp Missile Support Rack Ashpaw - Warhound Titan Arms: Vulcan Mega-bolter and Turbo Laser Destructor Iron Fang - Warhound Titan: Arms: Vulcan Mega-bolter and Plasma Blastgun "I'm sealing the two chambers containing the Engines. We can do further scans once we get the Cry Havoc out of here. The only chamber that requires immediate attention is chamber three due to the loose equipment and radiation leaks." I say as I move to close the chamber doors behind me. Anyone who wants to come gawk at the Engines can do so after we get the ship back to the Emergency Repairs III. "Cry Havoc is going to need a total engine overhaul, so we'll need to scan for a suitable replacement. A number of her components could be replaced; Life Support, Engines, Void Shields, Point Defenses, and we really need to find some navigational or operational aids. These are the high-priority items. There is plenty of unused space in the upper decks for more if you find something useful. A secondary priority is a replacement drop cathedral, a potential prow weapon, and a new Medical Bay, the blast that took out the engines went right through it. If we can't find a suitable replacement, we can use the Archeotech Star-flare Lance from Ur-Haven." I say as I process the multitude of data streams coming from all across the vessel with AME's help to form a comprehensive picture of the ship. "The Argent Drake is scanning for suitable salvage. We are evaluating several potential candidates. We can discuss them further once we extract Cry Havoc and get underway. Will you be remaining aboard until then?" Master Doll inquires. "Yes." I spend a moment studying the readouts on the dorsal weapons. The missile batteries are of a much finer make than I first thought. Interestingly, all the Jovian parts are. "Leave the dorsal missile and laser batteries for now unless we find an Archeotech equivalent to replace them. Low priority." I say, but before I can continue, I receive a priority transmission from the Argent Drake. "Lady Cavalerio, this is the Argent Drake. Lord Drakios asked me to inform you that the Hollow Men are making another push towards us. The bulk of them appear to be targeting the Argent Drake. Additionally, only one of the two other Heresy Era hulks adjacent to your wreck has been identified; the other is of Xenos origin. Some of the teams scouting that quadrant have reported some anomalous activity." The Vox Master called in. I let out a tired sigh. "Of course they did. Any specifics on the activity?" "Some reported seeing strange lights around certain crewmembers, followed by said individuals suffering days' worth of memory loss. Forwarding the reports now. One individual implanted with a cybernetic eye with recording capacity also reported that the data was wiped." I consider the information, even if it's not much to go on. "A datavore of some sort?" The report also mentions minor energy damage to the individuals who lost their memories, which rules out something strictly mnemonic. "Oh no… Did any of them report seeing strange crystalline spheres? They'd be large, person-sized, floating, moving in clusters." I wait, tapping my foot while they check in with the teams. "Yes, one of them has eyes on such a cluster currently. We have a visual for you." I glance at the picture and curse, "The spheres are called Crystalwisps, they are hostile, they can be killed, but they're heavily armoured.. Their presence indicates the Xenos ship is likely Yu'Vath, a species that the Imperium exterminated back in M39 - one with a penchant for creating vile constructs that persist even after their creators are long dead. It's best if we leave them to rot." I growl out. While we could purge the ship, the scans show it's not worth the time or the risks involved. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Acknowledged. We will recall the scouts. We appreciate the information, Lady Cavalerio." They end the call, and I shake my head. There were enough rocks to turn over that it wasn't worth dealing with every horrible thing that scurries out. The scans indicate the other vessel is an old Imperial Lunar cruiser. While the engines from that might work for the Cry Havoc, it wouldn't be ideal. Worse, the Lunar is on the side of the ice ball facing the Turbulent Star. The Hulk is a barely recognizable mess. "Master Doll, I think we should expedite the extraction. Lingering this close to the end of the Inner Sea and the start of the Carrion Deeps is hazardous." I say as I make my way back towards the bridge. "I was thinking the same, Nicole. We are in the middle of compiling a plan to use carefully placed explosives to free the Cry Havoc from the ice sheet. Tethering her will be trickier, we may have to tow her backwards." He muses. "The majority of her internals look good, so she should be able to handle that. If we can spare some generators to power her Shield and Field Bracing, she can be towed however we want." I suggest with a small smile. There is a lot of work to do, but I can't help but feel pleased with the find. —-------------------------------------------------------- Arianwyn walked slowly through the dark, vaulted halls of the Cry Havoc. This was her first excursion where it was just herself and her retinue - not hanging on the heels of her grandfather. She had elected not to shadow Nicole, who was running around, talking to, and telling the ship she owned it now, and that through some kind of Mechanicus technosorcery, somehow totally worked. She knew she had only been permitted to do this because it had been deemed safe. Still, it felt like her own mini-adventure. She had no specific destination in mind, just following her gut. After an hour, she ended up amidships. She had found a balcony that overlooked the main landing bay. It was massive, while the bays on the Argent Drake were similar in size, they were compartmentalized. On the Cry Havoc, it was one huge internal space for holding three frigate-sized ships that were already crawling with Mechanicus personnel. "What are those?" She asked one of the two Tech Priests in her retinue. "The vessel on the left is a Super Lifter, one of the specialized ones, Ma'am. It's used to lift the large drop cathedrals or engines from a planet. The other two are a Coffin Ship and a Maniple Drop Ship, respectively." They replied. She looked between the two Frigate-sized vessels. "What's the difference? They look nearly identical." "The Coffin Ship is two hundred meters longer than the Drop Ship. The Coffin Ship is one point seven kilometers long and is warp capable, while the drop ship is not. Both can carry and deploy a maniple of Titan Engines." They explained. Arianwyn leaned on the railing and tuned into the local Vox network. From what she could hear, the Tech Priests down there did not like what they had found, whatever Warp Engine the Coffin Ship had been equipped with was unacceptable and apparently required immediate violent removal. She shook her head and chuckled, "Still strange to think of such big vessels as nothing but support craft." "It's all a matter of scale, My Lady." One of her guards said politely. Arianwyn turned her gaze towards the nearest wall, where there was a massive faded but barely visible mural. The huge depiction was one of several of the God Engines in combat. "That mural… is it to scale?" She asked softly. "Wow." It was all she could say. She stood there for a while just taking it all in. So many people, all working to check the ship over. Some of them had brought over several massive generators, which they had hooked into the ship's power systems. Arianwyn knew enough to recognize that this find was absurd. The initial relic repair ship had already been absurd, but this was somehow even more so. The sheer value of the ship and everything on it, if it could even be tabulated, was likely absurd but this entire excursion was absurd. The ship itself, Titans, support craft, parts, and who knows what else was tucked away. Eventually, she spotted Nicole cutting through the main hangar and towards the Drop-Ship. The work teams parted around her group respectfully. It was easy to notice the lumbering blue form of Baldos. After a few minutes, Nicole got close enough to wave up at her, and she waved back. Nicole took a minute to examine the massive blobby object, and Arianwyn overheard the report. "This explains the discrepancies in the internal damage from the weapons discharge. This poor Warmaster ate most of the energy from a Plasma Blastgun and a Volcano Cannon, both completely unshielded. It's totally slagged - you can even see the marks from where they dragged it into the Drop-Ship in a hurry afterwards. Poor Engine didn't even have it's arms equipped at the time. Thank you, Crimson Verdict. You unknowingly sacrificed yourself to save the ship." Nicole softly told the dead engine. "Reporting. We have located the remains of a Warmaster in the Drop-Ship…" She snorted, "Flattener of Hills? Engine destruction: Total. No Machine Spirit response. I'm flagging it for recycling." She waited for Nicole to break away from the Drop-Ship and get closer before she called out over the Vox. "Hey!" "Oh! Hey, Ari! Small update! Since we're stuck, we have decided to blow the ship out of this icy hulk. Want to come watch the explosions from the bridge?" Nicole's now chipper voice came through her earpiece. "Absolutely." She replied with a bright smile. She turned around and left the hangar bay and headed for the bridge. As she sat on the bridge next to Nicole, watching quietly as the wall of ice outside the viewports cracked and shattered. As the ship gently shook and the explosive charges went off one after the other, Arianwyn wondered what her friend had in mind for the final vessel. She found herself both anticipating and dreading just what surprises might be in store for them next. Nicole reached out and keyed a sequence into the main console after the detonations stopped. "The main engines may be ruined, but the Retro-thrusters work just fine," She said with a wink as the ship groaned and then rose out of the embrace of the icy hulk. Sheets of ice exploded off in all directions as clouds of frozen particulate scattered around them in a wondrous display. "Argent Drake, we're floating free and ready for tethering." Nicole chirped into the Vox. "Affirmative, Cry Havoc, we have you. Brace for tether." The ship lurched backwards as the tether locked into place. "Tether secure. The structure is stable. We are good to go. Get us out of here." "Cry Havoc, be advised we have drastically altered the return route and will be passing through a major debris field. It is recommended that all personnel remain aboard for the next few hours before we resume use of the landers." "Acknowledged." Nicole replied. Arianwyn looked over at Nicole, who had that playful little twinkle in her eye as she turned to meet her gaze. "Well… it sounds like we have a few hours to kill… so… want to see the Titans?" she asked coyly. Arianwyn could have played coy, but instead, she just nodded "Yes, I would like that very much." Nicole just laughed and stood up. As her little hand grabbed Arianwyn by the wrist and led her out of the bridge, Arianwyn decided that today was a great day to be best friends with a Princeps. —----------------------------------------------- POV: Venatorii Magos Xor-XXVII In all his years of service, Xor never foresaw himself in his current situation. While the Princeps and the Archmagos combed over the new ship acquisition, it fell to him and the Magi to cherry-pick the targets to procure the parts required to replace the damaged or subpar systems the Princeps had identified. He circled the holotable, hands clasped behind his back as he plotted adjustments to their course based on the constantly updating Auspex data from the Argent Drake and the various probes. Over a dozen had been lost, but the rather simple networked servitor probes were working well enough for their purposes. The Cry Havoc had a basic Repulsor Void Shield; he had located two suitable replacement options; a much stronger Repulsor Shield Array or a Voss "Glimmer"-pattern Multiple Void Shield Array. Another Casellan Array would have been ideal, but those were rare Archeotech. In the end, the power savings from the Voss were not worth the lower coverage potential, especially with the potent Jovian reactor the ship was equipped with. He tapped the hull in question. A Chalice-class Battlecruiser. In addition to the shields, they could salvage some of the point defense systems along with another Abacus, and a Warp Antenna from an adjacent vessel. Then they could pick up a set of Shield Capacitors and an Ancient Life Sustainer system a little further along from a particularly old-looking Imperial transport. As much as he was loath to admit it, he also had to consider the possibility of certain Xenos components. The gravity sails for the Emergency Repairs III and the superb point defense lasers used by the Argent Drake were both stark examples of such technology being properly appropriated for human use. His eyes strayed further along the projected route. He was sorely tempted to deviate to procure a rare Jovian-pattern Nova Cannon. That area, however, was saturated with the strange Hollow Men creatures. More importantly, they had nowhere to fit it unless they replaced the Mars-pattern they had already sourced for the Emergency Repairs III. Instead, he had spotted an Imperial Guard transport with an intact hold and radiating some interesting signals - possibly Atomics or Nova Cannon shells that they could secure with minimal time loss or effort. With their current course their return trip avoided the Void Kraken's territory by a wider margin, the route would net three more Abaci. However, he still needed to find a suitable set of replacement engines, which was proving quite vexing. "Master Xor." Magos Altair spoke up from across the table. "What if we use these engines?" He asked and highlighted an Astartes Strike Cruiser that was missing her prow half, near the transition point between the inner and outer sea. "That…" His initial rebuke died in his vocalizer as he studied the readout. "Is an excellent suggestion. If I am reading that correctly, that vessel also has a Teleportarium?" "Affirmative. You want to risk trying to salvage a Teleportarium?" Altair looked surprised, and their tone was dubious. "Normally, that is to be avoided, however, I believe it is worth the attempt. The component itself is small, and if we fail to recover it fully, the parts will still be of some use. Their Medicae Deck looks intact as well. "Xor replied as he forwarded the route and the suggestions for salvage to the bridge and Archmagos Doll. —----------------------------------------------------------- POV: Carrion Outcast Randolph Cross, inside the remains of Watch Station L-996 "These people are insane." One of his officers said as they studied the Auspex readouts. "They've only been here two weeks!" Randolph hadn't heard from the Rogue Trader's fleet since his surprise chat with the man himself. They had fired a few of the working thrusters to push the station closer to the area where the newcomers had set up the massive repair ship they had pulled from the sea of hulks. None of them had expected they'd pull out a second vessel so soon after, and another fairly large one at that. "What is that new ship?" He asked. "That's one of them there… Titan Tuggers… No wait that ain't it, uhh… Titanicus Hauler? It's a fraking God Engine transport boat." The old sailor said as he eventually gave up trying to remember the official designation. "They did say they were Mechanicus - a relic repair ship and a Titanicus vessel are straight up their modus operandi." Another officer remarked. "I'm just surprised they dove so deep into the inner sea." One of the technicians said softly. "I hope they reach out soon. A lot of our more valuable intel is becoming redundant when they're just rolling over a lot of the problematic hulks." Randolph said with a sigh. "Any sign of the Carrion fleet?" "Not a single peep. Pretty sure they've hightailed it to the other side of the system after seeing what they did to that battle barge that spooked em. What do you think it was? Daemon? Xenos? They obliterated that thing." The old sailor chuckled wryly. "They've been cherry picking through the good wrecks they pass by for those Abaci and components. They're quick and efficient about it, too." One technician said while sounding impressed. Just as they were getting off-topic, the Vox hissed. The robotic voice of a Tech Priest spoke. "Station L-996, this is Drakios fleet. Your rescue has been approved. The Adamant Hammer will be by to begin salvage operations on your station. Please note that every individual will be subject to strict biological, mental, and soul-based screening. It is in your best interest to be truthful when speaking to your interviewers. Any items you wish to claim must also be screened and tagged. Your weapons will be confiscated and only returned to you post-screening, provided you meet our standard martial requirements. Physical cleaning, food, and fresh uniforms will be provided. You will be assigned where you are most suited. Individuals wishing to remain together and work as a unit may put forward a request. Debriefings are mandatory." "Well, you heard him, boys. Spread the word - best behaviors! Someone please tell old Paul to leave his contraband behind before he gets himself shot." Randolph said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. The screening was just as bad as Randolph expected from a thorough Mechanicus team. His arm was covered in little pinpricks from all the vaccines and chemical cocktails the Biologis had given him to 'rectify his biological discrepancies.' Getting a bath and a shave had been divine, and the new uniforms were good material. The food was also a lot better than he expected. Randolph had expected to be put to work immediately with how active the entire fleet seemed to be instead he found himself without much to do but sit in his room, peer out the viewport, and watch them pull apart L-996 piece by piece. On the third day, things got weird. They were all gathered together and paraded in front of a little girl of all things. She apparently saw something she didn't like in three of the guys, not that Randolph felt inclined to intervene. Not when looming over them were the God-Emperor's own Angels of Death, Sisters of Battle, and an amount of Skitarii so large he gave up trying to count them. After the strange inspection, he was taken to a small side room with a desk and two chairs. A Tech Priest walked in with a small device and set it on the table between them. "Officer Randolph. Be advised, this device is recording and transmitting." Was all the explanation he was given. "Uhh… Alright." Randolph said as he tried not to fidget. "Your fellow refugees spoke highly of your capabilities as their leader. Several insisted you were the best individual to query regarding Lord Drakios's prior information request." "Yes. We did find some data that may be of use regarding the Abaci. It's a little out of date, but our records mentioned a few hulks had devices with similar descriptions. Ah! We also compiled a list of dangerous hulks and recorded anomalies. Temporal, gravitational, and such." He said with a small strained smile. "Good." The Tech Priest nodded. "Are you or anyone under you familiar with the contents of the Carrion Deeps?" "The Deeps? I think a few of my older crewmen might know a little. Even the Carrion have only ever skirted the edge of the inner sea and only under extreme circumstances. I can give you the names of the crew who might know something." Randolph explained. After giving them the names, the Tech Priest left for a few minutes before returning to fetch Randolph and move him to a larger conference room. Inside were the two men he had named. "Randolph, what the hell did you say?" One hissed at him. "They were asking about the Deeps, so I said you two might know something. You were always yapping about it before." He grumbled and sat next to him. "The Deeps? Oh damn." Old Willy whistled. The Tech Priest returned and put the device between them again. Before anyone else could say something, Willy jumped right in, leaning in and resting an elbow on the table, "What are you lot after in the Deeps? You're not after the Ark, are you? That thing is almost as fraking cursed as that ol battleship. Or that weird fraking pyramid." Follow current novᴇls on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 The device on the table beeped once, and the Tech Priest stiffened and his mechanical eyes suddenly telescoped in on the man's face. "Voidsman William, please clarify your last remarks." "You can just call me ol Willy, tech boy. Yeah, we've seen those strange wrecks floating in the Deeps. Close to the evil star. Big ones, small ones, old as heck. A few brave lads wanted to try their luck there. Never came back. One of your Mechanicus Arks is there, rusted up, covered in something vile. Metal eaten warp stuff. There's a big old Imperial battleship, spine snapped in half floating out there, too. Gives ya chills lookin' at it. Then there's the huge pyramid ship, pretty sure it's Xenos. A great big green and black thing, one of the wings torn off, trailing debris all the way into the star. What else was there, Phill?" Willy stroked his chin. "A few small ships. Everything out that way is old. Hard to tell if it's the good kind of old or the bad kind of old. Some of those wrecks ain't right, I tell ya, like that giant chunk of a ring world. I swear to the Emperor." Phill made the sign of the Aquila. "Going that deep, you start to see and hear things. Strange things, impossible things. Not hard to see why most of the Carrion went mad stuck in this cursed place." Phill whispered. The door opened, and a little girl with silver hair and Mechanicus robes walked in. Her eyes were like little pools of liquid metal as she approached the table and smiled while rubbing the back of one of her hands. With how stiff and panicked the Tech Priest looked, Randolph figured she must be someone important. "Please, tell me more about this pyramid ship and the hulks around it. As much detail as you can. Locations, shapes, signals. I need it all."