Eye of the Warp

A Ghost from the Past

by Justin Ho

 

The tiny valley nestled deep within the immense Worldspine mountain chain was sheltered from sensor detection by the strong magnetic fields in the surrounding rock.  It had taken many years of hunting down ancient fragmentary clues and finally manually searching the rugged mountains to find the site.  It was to be the crowning achievement of Tech Priest Strephon Duvalk’s life.

The immense doors were large enough to accommodate an Emperor class Titan.  Their surfaces were of a gleaming metal utterly unknown to Strephon. Despite more than a week of drilling, the equipment carried by the Servitors had been unable to flake off more than the tiniest sliver. Yet, the doors had buckled from some unimaginable force in the ancient past, opening up a man-sized hole the expedition could slip through. If not for that stroke of good fortune, it would have taken perhaps years to drill through those thick doors.

The floor beyond was covered in a layer of dust and fine sand. Strephon motioned at the Servitors; the lights on their mechanical arms flicked on and the team moved deeper into the complex.

 

<...Integrated Sensor #627A-94D to Strategic Command Cluster 34...>

ITEM: Heat and seismic signatures conforming to human patterns detected within Bay 346

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34...>

Reactivation of processing nodes 40-60: COMPLETE
All systems: ONLINE
Power consumption: NOMINAL

Elapsed time: 15462 years, 180 days, 3 hours, 45 minutes, 19.67 seconds, Local Sidereal Time

ITEM: Human heat and seismic signatures from Integrated Sensor #127A-94D

ESTIMATION: Chance of intruders being Combine personnel: Unable to compute. Insufficient Data.

ESTIMATION: Chance of intruders being hostile: Unable to compute. Insufficient Data.

CONCLUSION: More data needed for any meaningful analysis.

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34 to Regional Command Cluster Delta-Sigma 84...>

ORDERS: Reactivate Mark V Ogre unit #B456, aka Arcrazor.

ORDERS: Ascertain identity of human intruders and transmit data for further analysis.

 

The beams of light provided small comfort from the heavy oppressive darkness.  They were in some vast space, its full dimensions still unknown.   Heavy machinery and gantries were revealed briefly as the lights swept over them.   Strephon could guess at their function; they were not unlike those used in servicing Titans.  Evidently they were in some sort of repair bay.

Light suddenly flared and Strephon fell back a step in shock.   The bay lights glared down with a brightness undiminished for all the eons they had lain unused.  Revealed in the harsh light was a huge vehicle unlike anything Strephon had ever heard of, let alone seen.  Two bulbous turrets on the machine’s front each housed a deadly looking barrel.  A trio of more slender barrels jutted from each flank and smaller weapons studded the rest of the hull.  The entire vehicle was made of the same almost indestructible material found on the complex doors. For a moment nothing happened and Strephon almost started to believe they had just triggered the lights by accident when the machine spoke.

This is the Mark V Ogre Arcrazor speaking. You are in the Vindemiatrix Strategic Command Center. You are in territory owned by the Combine of Stars. Produce proof of Combine authorization or citizenship immediately. Failure to do so will result in termination.

Strephon stumbled back, mumbling a hoarse prayer to the Machine God.   The other Adepts likewise invoked the Machine God to protect them.  The machine had spoken!  In no less than an unbelievably ancient and archaic version of the language used by the Adeptus Mechanicus!

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34 to Cryptological Cluster 34.1...>

ITEM: Extreme linguistic shifts have occured.

ORDERS: Devise translation program.

ITEM: Processing partition for this task increased by 250%


<...Cryptological Cluster 34.1 to Strategic Command Cluster 34...>

ORDERS received and acknowledged.

ESTIMATION: Completion of translation program in 37.89 local sidereal seconds.

 

Half a minute had gone by and the machine had not spoken again.   At the urging of his fellow Adepts, Strephon edged forward again.  No sooner had he taken the first step then the machine spoke again.

This is the Mark V Ogre Arcrazor speaking. You are in the Vindemiatrix Strategic Command Center. You are in territory owned by the Combine of Stars. Produce proof of Combine authorization or citizenship immediately. Failure to do so will result in termination.

This time it was understandable!  Strephon felt another wave of awe and ecstasy sweep over him.  A living machine!  Desperately reining in his emotions, he straightened, adjusted his bionic eye and addressed the machine.

"Great Ogre, if that is what form of machine you are.  You who hail from the ancient Dark Age of Technology, hear us.  We are Adepts and Priests of the almighty Machine God which has imbued you with its essence.  We serve the same master!  We are representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus, itself a part of the great Imperium of Man!"

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34 to Cryptological Cluster 34.1...>

QUERY: Accuracy of new translation program.


<...Cryptological Cluster 34.1 to Strategic Command Cluster 34...>

ESTIMATION: 99.99% translation accuracy.

 

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34...>

ITEM: Imperium of Man is a new interstellar state.   Adeptus Mechanicus is a subunit of Imperium of Man.  Strong religious overtones and behaviour observed.

NOTE: Data transmitted to Intelligence cluster 34.2 for further analysis.

ITEM: All Regional Command Clusters except Delta-Sigma 84 unreachable.

ITEM: All orbital satellites and platforms unreachable.

ITEM: No Combine signals received for 15312 years, 80 days, 6 hours, 29 minutes, 58.81 seconds, Local Sidereal Time.

ITEM: No current signals detected on standard Combine frequencies

CONCLUSION: Imperium of Man is hostile.

CONCLUSION: All other Combine assets and forces have been rendered inoperational. Planet is under occupation of Imperium of Man.

NEW DIRECTIVES:
1. Re-establish contact with Combine High Command.
2. Pending further orders, destroy the Imperium of Man.

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34 to Mark V Ogre unit #B456, aka Arcrazor....>

ORDERS: Eliminate the intruders.

 

Strephon’s bionic eye caught the tiny almost imperceptible swiveling of one of the small turrets on the machine’s hull.  The blood drained from his face, and even as he turned to shout a warning he knew it was too late.  The Servitors moved to shield the Tech Priests but they provided protection for no more than a fraction of a second, before the hiveloc rounds tore through their mechanized bodies.   As Strephon collapsed to the ground in a firestorm of searing pain, regret and despair flashed briefly through his mind before the darkness took him.

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34 to Regional Command Cluster Delta-Sigma 84...>

ORDERS: Reactivate all forces in preparation for immediate offensive operations. All Forces requiring crew are to refitted to allow for unmanned operation.

ORDERS: Establish bases for exploration of local resources and construction of additional forces. Construct defences as necessary to secure perimeter.

ORDERS: Construct Silencer class missile facilities and Vigilance class orbital defence lasers

ORDERS: Eliminate all Imperium of Man ships in orbit.


<...Regional Command Cluster Delta-Sigma 84 to Strategic Command Cluster 34...>

ORDERS received and acknowledged.

 

<...Strategic Command Cluster 34 to ALL FORCES...>

ORDERS: Until countermanding orders are received from Combine High Command, all Imperium of Man forces are to be considered hostile.  Eliminate with extreme prejudice and take no prisoners.