Solvexa pinged Techseer Ar-60e3.
<76.43% complete. Projected time 00.12.34>
she replied.
The vault was one of her primary targets of the expedition. They had not found much of worth so far. Hopefully that would change here. The lexmechanics had found no references to it in any past expeditions, so there was a chance it was untouched.
Unsurprisingly, for such an old vault, her access codes didn’t work so required Ar-60e3, with Aleric's support, to open. They had forced open dozens of locked doors by this point. Most doors now refused the holy access commands she possessed.
The delays proved sufficient for Ar-60e3 to accept Aleric to support without complaint.
As she was turning away, she received another tight beam from the techseer.
She took a micro second to think of a reply. She had no intention of voicing her suspicion.
She moved away, turning what Ar-60e3 said over in her head. They synced very closely to her own thoughts. It made sense that the Techseer had noticed. Any deviation from predicted outcomes would be extensively tested.
The machine spirit they were working on was a cantankerous one, although not the worst they had run into. It took them several hours to get the door open. When it did, it opened onto a new section of the facility.
The walls were almost entirely uneven rock, with glowing algae coating the walls.
They walked for a few minutes, coming to a huge circular cavern. A narrow path traced the cavern’s circumference, overlooking a crystalline pool 23.78 metres below them.
Checking her map, she led the party around to the left to leave through a door on the other side. While walking, she investigated the reading coming in from the auspex. The orbs initiated a controlled descent to map the area below, maybe even entering the clear liquid to search for hidden passageways.
However, mid descent, they stopped, warning sigils flashing across the network.
It only took Solvexa a moment to realise why. It wasn’t water resting in the pool.
A clatter came from behind her. One of the few remaining servo rats moved too close to the edge. The ledge gave way, sending it tumbling down. Thankfully only it went, and it didn’t cause a chain reaction. She updated the servitors to stay away from the edge regardless.
They watched as the servitor started to smoke; its fur caught fire. Only for a moment before plopping down into the clear liquid.
The liquid instantly started to hiss and fizz, the servitor visibly dissolving. It wasn't water, no, it was highly concentrated acid. It looked as though it would dissolve entirely, but one of the sparks from its fur caught, sending the entire pool ablaze.
Smoke poured off it, quickly filling the cavern, climbing its way up the walls toward their walkway.
Swearing, they double-timed it towards the door. They kept formation with the servitors, but she sent her Sketarii, the Techseer and Aleric ahead to open the door. She was already calculating if they could make it back to the door they came from in time.
Probability of successful retreat: low.
Getting to the door would be touch-and-go already.
She urged the formation to pick up speed. Many of the servitors failed to keep up, although the two BFGs, which were amongst the heaviest servitors, kept pace and were able to maintain the same speed as the young adepts.
A pulse from ahead let her know the door was opening.
Good. If it hadn't, they were likely dead.
Senior adepts and magi might survive the fumes, but were unlikely to survive the corrosive gas.
Solvexa reached the door. She kept one of the auspex orbs behind to keep an eye on the gas's progress, and commanded the rest to move ahead.
She commanded Ar-60e3.
He had anticipated this and was already on the other side, standing over the door controls.
The adepts and magi were through, but a third of the servitors were still within the chamber when the gas bubbled over the lip of the path. With no time left she commanded Ar-60e3 to seal the door.
With the door closing behind them, they moved away, down the metal corridor. The door would close slowly enough that some gas would make it through.
---
They closed in on the T-junction. A large, closed door was ahead of them, and like the surrounding corridors, still in good condition. Only visible through bionic eyes as the lights were in the ultraviolet range. They had lost a few more servitors in the last few days, but otherwise had had no conflict.
The area was supposedly a long-forgotten forge, left to slumber when it became to radiated to be used.
All telemetry and environmental readings indicated safety.
However Solvexa was on edge. She wasn’t the only one. Sygex-X had mentioned several times that something wasn’t right. None of the telemetry data had picked up anything. They had even paused for a time to allow for a more detailed scan, but still nothing.
None of the others had noticed anything, although Aleric too appeared tense, standing much closer to his servitors.
She had alerted everyone else, but without anything actionable, there was little they could do but keep moving forwards.
The closer they neared the next turn, the faster her heart thundered. She was forced to regulate it, but she didn’t ignore the feeling.
They reached the junction and turned left.
They were several kilometres off the coordinates of several missing expeditions. They had all reported unstable tunnels, and that was the assumed reason for the party losing contact. However… all the tunnels they had been in for the last few hours were in perfect condition, casting doubt on that hypothesis.
The first few servitors had started on the next tunnel, with the main party just turning onto it, when several things happened at once.
Her predictive-matrix arrays spiked, warning her. Which, when linked to the Skidarii ones, triggering her to duck. At the same time, she noticed Aleric, tense and move to hang off the side of one of his servitors. Metal plates sliding out to hide him from sight.
The power of the servitors surged and Snuffles status rune changed to active conflict.
Her duck was not a moment too soon. A flash of light whistled past where her head had been a moment ago. The las bolt, a far brighter colour than normal, would have killed her. But she had no time for that.
Her mind accelerated to full war-processing capacity. Highlighting threats, priorities, and blind spots. Synchronising deeply with her Sketarii and remaining servitors. Pulling all the data she could from her surroundings.
Through the noosphere connecting the entire party, she pulsed her command sequence.
There was no time for mistakes. All who heard it would obey, even the magi.
Ro had already sprung to action. Issuing orders and trying to counter the ambush. They were dead if they were overrun.
The expedition moved like a well-oiled machine, perfectly in sync. But it wasn’t enough. In the opening volley, not everyone had been fast enough.
Her close friend, Enginseer Draxus, was thrown forward, his arm blown off, several of his servitors threw themselves onto him. It saved him from the follow-up shots. Even hit, his vitals were steady, so he would live. For now.
Dominus Prios, her close ally and Sek-2ce76, the adept she had saved from the Thuldral, were not so lucky. Their vitals flatlining from the damage.
Techseer Ar-60e3 was taken completely by surprise by the Skitarii springing from concealed doors, their head atomised before defensive subroutines could initialise.
They were beset from all sides. More Skitarii sprang from concealment all around them, falling from sliding panels high in the walls. A dozen in total. The large doors they had passed slid open with surprising speed, and from within hundreds of servitors poured out. Gun servitors and close-range Pugnis-class servitors leading the charge.
Many were of decent quality and moved with fast, jerky movements towards them.
The magi were also targeted. The Magi Dominus slipped through the attacks with deadly precision, moving to engage the Skitarii that landed near him. Magi Greg-420 was slower, but his shield held strong, protecting him. His powerful bionics then propelled him forward far faster than even she could move.
She dove deeply into the noosphere, assessing all information as it came in, directing the flow of battle in conjunction with Ro. All the while, her body danced forwards, constantly moving. She had too, powerful las bolts continued to blast wherever she was.
She ducked behind the BFGs and their shields for a moment of respite.
Now behind the shield, she turned to fight the Skitarii that was close on her heels. In short, economical movements, she jabbed and twirled her Omnissiah's axe, never overextending, with each movement designed to conserve momentum and create micro-openings. The Skitarii facing her was a Veteran Ruststalker, the assassins of the Skitarii Legion and almost entirely bionics. It moved with incredible speed and precision. It used all her skill to not let its transonic blades adapt and slide through her armour.
She was pressed back, like she planned, until they entered the range of the BFG. They were still raining shots on the approaching servitors. The light blue shots sparked as they connected, shorting bionics and circuitry.
She made a note to investigate that later.
But she hadn't commanded they turn for a reason.
The arm from its shoulder snapped out. Its powerful claw slammed shut with a loud thump, narrowly missing the Skitarii. But it was enough. With the distraction, she feinted and cut one of its legs off. It was far from out and would have kept fighting but the BFGs armoured legs slammed down, crushing its chest.
The Skitarrii neutralised, she turned her attention back to the wider engagement.
There was a constant pulse from Magi Tech Lord Greg-420 and Magi Dominus Dimuaas.
++Identification code: DMefD-DM-246345Gyad674lm121++
++Command: Omega++
++Override: Shutdown++
She almost stopped, the override string should have cascaded through the control architecture, forcing immediate compliance from all constructs.
That almost killed her. The enemy servitors and Skitarii fought on, ignoring the command from the magi.
The combat servitors had reached them by now and were cutting through their servitors with ease. Their numbers helped them push through the resistance, even with the las fire, especially the BFGs, cutting through the approaching servitors incredibly effectively.
She would need some of them for herself. Their effectiveness far exceeded her predictions.
The Skitarii squad they were fighting were good. There was no identification on them, but they were experienced. They had already killed several more adepts, thankfully those from Greg's faction. With the Dominus Magi, cutting one down.
Another was clamped within the jaws of Snuffles who had appeared behind her without warning.
But they were losing.
From the door, the auspex telemetry highlighted several magi commanding the servitors and skitarii. Three auspex orbs had penetrated through the engagement zone to secure scans of them.
Flagging them as priority targets, she tracked the heavy las rifles of the BFGs, twisted and locked on. A high-yield bolt lanced out to slam harmlessly against the lead figure. The conversion shield protected her from the las bolt. Without direct instruction, the BFGs cycled weapon-patterns autonomously, something she needed to learn from it, and fired another bolt. This one looked closer to a grey cloud and splashed against the shield once more.
She might have thought it ineffective as well if her auspex hadn’t detected the spike of energy from the shield generator. The adapts turned to retreat to cover when the next two shots struck, shorting the shield.
Not one to miss an opportunity she fired her las rifle. She wasn’t the only one.
Seven las bolts slammed into the retreating figure, killing her instantly. The other two made it behind cover.
She had wanted to kill all three, but one was enough. A section of the approaching servitors hesitated before fresh command-cants reasserted control. In that moment, dozens more were cut down, the constant barrage of blue energy bolts flashing overhead, lighting up the tunnel.
The large flashes of light from the las rounds and the conversion shield flaring whenever it was hit, would have been enough to blind organic eyes. She had no such problem, her bionics eyes compensating.
The flow of battle had shifted, still not in their favour, but they were rallying. Bursting from cover she linked up with Ix and Sygex broke to the right. They needed to clear up the enemy Skitarii.
Another of her adepts went down. Magi Kael-77 was skewered by a Transonic dagger, slicing through his armour like butter.
Together, the three of them engaged the isolated Skitarii, managing to pick off two more before they adapted. A third was darting to join the others who were now amongst the combat servitors. Before he could get far, Snuffles lunged out once more from seemingly nowhere. The Skitarii contorted himself to avoid a fatal strike, but his leg was still ripped off.
Ix pounced, finishing it off.
With the enemies now consolidated, it allowed their formation to shift, focusing on the doors where the servitors were still pouring out. Ro was already on it, redistributed assets and reorienting the formation to face the door. She was pleased he kept several servitors in reserve to cover their rear.
He had also cast a wide net with the aruspex orbs. The BFGs with their effective weapons were moved to the back centre of their formation, providing a strong fortification to pivot around.
Many of the adepts had grouped around them, making it a sort of temporary base of operations.
Their shields were the only thing keeping them in action. They had been targeted several times now by the enemy, with the Skitarii dying in the attempt.
She pinged their noosphere and was not happy with the results.
++Skitarii: Sygex-X - Active++++Skitarii: Ro-44/em28 - Active ++++Skitarii: Chomach - Active++++Skitarii: Ix-XVX- Injured: Active++++Adept: Aleric-007 Active++++Adept: Techseer Ar-60e3 - Terminated++++Adept: Dominus Tiberion - Active++++Adept: Dominus Prios - Terminated++++Adept: Dominus Felondus - Active++++Skitarii: Gamma-291 - Active++++Skitarii: Gamma-10X - Injured: Deteriorating++++Skitarii: Gamma-137 - Terminated++++Skitarii: Gamma-14X - Terminated++++Adept: Dominus Artel Varnis - Active++++Adept: Enginseer Draxus Malor - Injured: Stable++++Magi: Dominus Artel Varnis - Active++++Adept: Draxus Malor - Injured: Stable++++Junior Adept: Sek-2ce76 - Terminated++++Junior Adept: Ferran-IX - Terminated++ ++Magi Tech Lord Greg-420 - Active++++Magi Dominus Dimuaas - Active++++Adept: Hal-9 - Terminated++++Adept: Malphas - Terminated++++Adept: 3dd4g//23 - Terminated++++Magi: Kael-77 - Injured: Stable++++Magi: Lector of the Seven Circuits - Terminated++++Junior Adept: Junior Adepts - Terminated++
++Servitors:++++Total Active: 28%++++Combat Operational: 39%++
They slowly gave ground. Leaving a trail of servitors in their wake. Mostly the enemy but some of theirs as well. With their optimal scanning, they could clearly track the Skitarii and the more powerful servitors, allowing them to plan around them. To predict them.
They were still a threat. As seen when several of their limited servitors were cut down by a Skitarius. But they could now match them.
Magi Dominus Dimuaas used this to great effect, darting out intercepting a Skitarius as it tried to charge through their line. His powerful plasma welder burned through its skull, killing it with ease. He fell back under the cover of two of Felondus skitarii. Protecting him from the attempted retaliation.
She noted that Ro had assigned them to the Dominus as support. A wise choice. The Magi Dominus was still being targeted.
Her cognis rifles continued autonomously targeting enemies while she surveyed the chaos. Her audio and visual feeds automatically adjusting to filter out distractions. ++Draxus: Fallback++ Along with the message she sent him the coordinates of his fallback point.
Solvexa also issued a recall-cant to the mastiff. He was effective, but not as much as he once was. The Skitarii were aware of him now and had adapted, forcing the mastiff to retreat several times lest it be cut off. It would be far more effective at their rear, protecting their flanks.
Ro could also use him for reinforcements if needed.
That done, she let Noospheric Command Lattice fall away and sprang forward, joining the battle once more. Coordinating with the other adepts and Skitarii, they whittled down the hostile Skitarii, who were the main threats. Any especially dangerous gun servitors or pugnis servitors were picked off before they reached their line.
Their superior tactical aruspex data proving valuable.
After several minutes of this organised retreat, they had thinned them out enough. Five more of the hostile Skitarii fell for two of theirs. Unfortunately, Chomach was one of them. His head would make a perfect vessel for a new auspex servo skull designed similar to Aleric's.
With the pressure on them dropping off, Ro asked.
Putting the pressure on they finished off the last of the corrupted Skitarii, only losing another of their adepts for them. With them dead, the remaining servitors posed limited threats and, at her urging, they sped up their advance. She wanted those two heretik adepts.
It was no use. Through the auspex telemetry, she watched as the two hereteks retreated. The doors shutting behind them, just as they entered the chamber.
The door shutting cut off the reinforcements for the servitors. Thirty-nine more were killed and silence fell. The fighting over.
Of their party, less than 20.8% of the party remained.
She didn’t disengage combat-readiness protocols. She had used that tactic too many times to fall for it. Keeping formation, she dived into the battlefield-calculus functions once more, inspecting them. She was pleased to see many of the adepts were already moving amongst the wreckages, performing rapid battlefield repair rites on the salvageable servitors units.
Engeenseer Draxus was kneeling over one of her servitors, repairing it, whilst around him several of his own were patching him up. He also had her Medicae Servitor hovering over him.
Ix-XVX had lost a leg during the fighting and reported reduced functions.
++Ix-XVX++++Capacity: 62%++
She moved towards him, but saw his capacity rising rapidly as Aleric knelt before him. Already replacing his leg with one scavenged from another skitarii—the ID stated it once belonged to Chomach.
He bio-readings remained remarkably unharmed.
As she moved amongst the battle, she activated a sub-process and inspected his movements. The overriding word that came to her was caution. He had stayed with his two servitors, climbing on its leg for a better angle and providing firing support.
Effective fire support at that.
Once more, the thought crossed her mind. When she advanced to magi, maybe he could join her holdings as support. Both in creating and upgrading her Skitarii, but also in his excellence with machine spirits.
She would need to run a comprehensive risk–benefit analysis. Thoroughly analysing any constraint, blockers or complications. She wouldn’t have his full attention of course, she would not have enough work or authority to have him full-time.
But it would get him working amongst the Skitarii, which was a prestigious and sacred duty. Many of the Mechanicus dreamed to work such a role, even if it would be a step back in authority for Aleric. She had little doubt he would accept her request.
She would ask Archmagos Telok to investigate Aleric's ties to Fabricator Locum Viel and if the Locum would be opposed to the lateral promotion. Theoreticly he had little say in the matter, but that didn’t always hold true.
Nodding to herself, she turned from that and started to assess the rest of the battle. She crouched down next to Magi Dominus Dimuaas and Tech Lord Greg-420, both of whom were interfaced with a corrupted skitarii.
A noosphere connection brushed against her which she allowed, and she connected with their thoughts as they flashed through one theory after another.
She had one overriding concern.
Greg replied.
At the same time, Dimuaas said the opposite.
She felt their minds merge closer together before Greg came back once more.
That was far higher than she would have liked. How did they even get on the planet? They were eradicated during the Great Schism. A thread to follow later.
Dimuaas and Greg's minds were still closely linked so they answered as one.
Decoupling from their shared mind link, she linked to Ro.
They had been communicating faster than thought, so only a few seconds had passed from when she connected to the Tech Lord and Magi Dominus. <0H 2M 34S for 82% combat readiness.>
---Imperium: Hive Cities Scavenger (Tier 2) - IIWarrior (Tier 3) - VIImperium: Hive Cities Danger (Tier 2) - IIIHuman: Hand to hand (Tier 2) - IIITerra Federation: Technician (Tier 3) - XTerra Federation: Software (Tier 3) - VSharpshooter (Tier 3) - VISelf (Tier 3) - XIReverse Engineering (Tier 2) - IImperium: Canine Handling (Tier 2) - IVAkashic Throne (Tier 1) - IBlade Mastery (Tier 3) - VIIPhysics (Tier 1) - 11Glyphcraft (Tier 2) - IIBlueprints (Tier 3) - IIIActing (Tier 1) - IMathematics (Tier 1) - XIBiology (Tier 1) - XTeaching (Tier 2) - IIMachine Spirit (Tier 1) - IChemistry (Incomplete) - VII (needs 1 more)