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Post by littlekreen on Oct 24, 2018 15:09:06 GMT -6
Deep within the partly-ruined forge-world of Konor trundled machines of every description. A true bounty of the weapons and venues of death to the Imperium's enemies. Yet its control for the Imperium was hard fought and much of its structure fallen in the blood and fury of war. Bullets and bombs ruined centers and infrastructure quieting the tools once whole. This scene what the eye of an overbeing passed in search of the emperor denied it for so long. Sought at random through the space it saw on the other side of the egress. Methodical search denied by sheer volume even to the overbeing it had no choice but to seek at random. Yet signs were here that humankind came or affected it with some regularity. Signs of older taint for daemonkind and even some of other Aetherkind all which to be purge. Myrkul shot luminous tethers between the planes from prison wall extending toward humankind. A place among it where its tenuous tether would not split by the loud activity it sensed across the planet. Sensed as dead to the overbeing for many years little activity remained in this location. Naught remained to work but ashes, slag, and metal in the broken manufactorum. A firefly darts through wreckage to a room deep within between spars and through holes. Its sense points toward machines carrying strange incomplete minds it somewhat recognized. Which still hum with order the firefly attached to a glowing cogitator to sink its anchor. The smack of energy etched a pattern into the floor. In short order arcing bolts and bent ribs of space time explode in a riotous psychoportation. Scrap metal evicts at speed as four black-robed humanoids emerged from within shrapnel. Without a node the entry forced and inelegant needs immediate repair. Each with four grey spiral-eyes though faceless by and large under the leathery cowl. None breathed from the dunes shaped like mankind neither did they move as muscles do. One calls into question whether they lived at all. There was no sound of a heart that pumped warm blood so neither were they above room temperature. The Jinhai were servitors of the overbeing and microscopic psionic collectives. Psionic creatures by nature devoid of flesh to corrupt for constructing its needs. Each identical laborers but for scant minutes inspecting new environments toward larger goals. First need required was a translocation anchor to move resources herein. The four eight-many standing tall as a space marine pour through fallen beams. Breathless they ignore noxious air separating dust across obstruction with little difficulty. They did not breathe and neither they with flesh to poison. Wordless inspections of independent eyes scan the area for traces of humankind. Though they knew some persevered here they found themselves alone. Sleepless tools incapable of exhaustion tasks began with rapidity. Outstretched hands manifest psimass rain for sparks welding drops within a whirling tornado. One black sandstone obelisk to their knees embossed with layers of psionic potential. Leads and conduits control their psionic machinery angled and charged. Different though much like those of metal they found themselves among. Each could tell the electric mechanisms were new and they would have to learn. The structure itself though of unknown materials a better fit current knowledge. Finished enough for ignition a coronal discharge rose the obelisk from its pedestal. Bright colors of the nimbus for charged psionic artifice the same of ruined symbols here. Those flags adorning the Upsilon of the Ultramarines. Two eight-many poured into each other the face set against such a flag now festooned with eyes. With sturdy back raises a central support beam of this weakened control center. Screech of metal howled in protest as tons scraped scraped upward. Another four-many continued building a cognizance vault to power their beacon without attention. The last poured into their worm form to loose from gravity. Malformations under its four-vaned maw a metacreative projector crawl a jacob's ladder. Metal softening and howling complaint forcing the beam back into shape. Shards leaping from the floor to weld where they once were. Metal tensing away the bent surfaces as it went. Restructuring wires and grains of metal within the support to return their strength. Thus they moved at first to clear space to build as a collapsed room took its proper shape once more. In time the consoles lit thus the servitors of Mykrul's Vein stopped to investigate them. Machine spirits once again had a motive force to control their actions sprang to life. Cogitators trundling along reach toward other control centers reporting their interconnection. At the feet of one a Jinhai dislodged a manual left by broken humankind of part-machine. It inspected the Vox hardware and manual it carried. The purpose of this tool was communication in so a purpose to reach man? Device cradled by gloves and limited understanding of high gothic gave it due care. Rantings within allow it enough to set the vox at humankind's once-command. They knew they lacked power for the machines and the source was not here. Little ken of other than their own collective intellects reach out as they did each other. Quiet dusty voice relays a request to the humankind collective, "Humankind machines cannot exist without power. Sygnus conduit node 1873146 is repaired. Minimal damage to receiving station. Restart conduit."
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Post by littlekreen on Oct 28, 2018 20:33:00 GMT -6
At the surface of the Black Storm near the Egress Now several hours since arrival of four servitors the Overbeing had greater awareness and ease accessing the proximity. Upon their completion of the beacon more of its servitors readied within its titanic mass as it mustered the locus to double the many of Jinhai. A worm seen small at a wall appearing flat the former by the world-scale of the latter. Around a small hole about which flares of disintegration pulse shatter thumb-size pieces of a wall meant to be immutable. Around it obelisk and whirling energy and geometric structures of destructive agency in a dense angular black frost of activity on the immense grey stone plain. Among the frost revealed thousands of identical creatures as first arrived all working to common goal. The worm itself by their comparison revealed a planetoid in size giant four-side vanes on its elongated form with four whirling suns of luminous dust erupting at the base of each. Along its length great angular scales boiling with the telekinetic power to hold its place within a raging black ichor to its rear. The eyes of the Overbeing staring intently away at a pinprick yet too small for it to pass.
A long process to widen the precious egress which just began so the Overbeing had discovered many new goals. First of which was a place to store psimass outside of the Black Storm and itself as the Great Machine was ever hungry. Second was to defend both the egress and single beacon with extreme prejudice. Aetherkind that laid the fallen emperor low and turned the humankind here to dust would not be permitted to do so ever again. Locating humanity and bolstering it was paramount. The constructs once built for the fallen Emperor known as Mada, perfect embodiment of both psionic and humankind as to maintain purity of either, celebrated with the breaching of the great bulwark. They would find humankind once able to pass to purge the taint Aetherkind left on the face of whatever it touched. Myrkul was unable to share their emotional need but whole seas of dusty motes forming its psyche boiled with additional possibilities that this small prison breach enables.
Certainly the nature of the Black Storm as a collation of axiomatic destructive forces did occasionally produce threats from within but it was quite adept at handling those. One such wrath wandered free from the storm for only long enough that a rising wrathful green boiled its existence away. Myrkul's mere accumulation of power impulsing an aetheric combustion first before the wave-front of a mountain-sized molten beam laid apocalyptic power onto its entire vicinity. Myrkul pulled no punches to defend this prize in this place where energy was precious. The bestial creatures not incinerated in the blinding sphere of expanding blue behind the once-wraith extinguished by the shock wave of angry black fluid moving away from the impact site. The black storm rending, eroding, and dismantling anything living or dead. Myrkul's intent now clear the force majeure of its space would be left alone. What few creatures daring enough to follow the one fled as the light of a fissile explosion subsided to a cloud of gas draining into returning tides of the black storm itself. A small blue pebble in light of a storm of extending as far as dust allowed one to see.
Elsewhere, in a warehouse area, on Konor as the beacon enables more servitors to arrive A defense of human habitation would be uncannily similar if only limited by Myrkul's minuscule resources on that side. A small firefly of a modest psychoportation locus flickered into being inside a locker crushed by a former ceiling. Sailing out of a blown seam the small pinprick of light and angular representations of reference frames moved through the few inches of clearance. Myrkul's divination now far more clear was able to clairesce as well as see where it was. Most language was destroyed or burnt here however so the pinprick stopping to regard a giant eagle moved along. Some distance away through tubes and tangled wires it emerged from a shattered vent at a collapsed ceiling into the place it was seeking. Described on the writings in the control room as a place of storage. Needed materials in such a place to rebuild were somewhere here as the tongue of its forebears read among the possessions of dead humankind they found. Here proved to be a closed hallway among processing machines now idle and great energy stores now quieted by damage. Not all was quiet however and Myrkul caught speech echoing among the halls.
"Hey, get a move on! The cams are live in this sector," Said one voice as Myrkul's awareness grew closer.
One responded with anger as Myrkul's firefly rounded a corner, "I'm almost done, this stuff is ceramite. I can't just cut the fuckin' door off! We're not hotwiring a transport here."
Myrkul felt a third account its frame of existence through the locus as a raindrop ought notice a mountain, "Shit.... guys. I feel something coming. It's big. Are you sure they said there's no chaos down here?"
It too accounted for small raindrops entering its awareness seeing nonhuman creatures. Their activities growing clearer as it grew closer to the room they worked at the wall end of t-junction. Then it saw the imprint upon the object inside of the Fallen Emperor, its Star on High, the Lord of all Dicta, and foundation stone of the Great Machine. It heard the ticking of the great machine's slow-growing fervor at these creatures defiling His works. Its will was clear to recover the object and cleanse this place of those non-humankind that would steal his tools by their own admission. The only sensitive would hear a low howl a breaching dam moving a flood from one end of the universe to another. The motes writ physical anchors needing no breach in reality as the psionic taint of Aetherkind requires. As Myrkul gently poured three eight-many Jinhai into the junctions of opposing corridors. The intersection rooms slightly larger and easier to accommodate the large servitors. Several cameras shuddered into activity with the quaking of the walls to point at ten food tall hooded humanoids.
Each made a fist in front of it to call forth a psi-blade of erupting faceted light to build an ancient image of a lucent winged sword. Their other hand gently grabbing the rest of the haft held in front of them a holy symbol of Him. Their footfalls a quiet shuff of dust of hovering motes thundered across the psionic landscape instead. Each Jinhai's eyes a bright cerulean driven by a goal of defending His Works with lethal force.
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Post by Zaria on Jul 19, 2019 1:54:13 GMT -6
In the meantime, somewhere else. We left the dock with 65,000 crewmates. Ready for an endless war as always, following the fleet sent to "support" the ongoing battle in Ultima Segmentum. But of all ships, ours was the one that never reached the destination. Gellar field malfunctioned, we were lost... lost in the warp. Left to the nonexistant mercy of the daemons, of the warp creatures. Naturally it wouldn't take long for them to break into the ship, to devour souls of the crewmates. All that would happen if not for a few great men, and women. Psykers, navigator, and most of all... those who kept the ship in a good shape, well, most of the time. Thanks to them, and the sacrifice of many. We managed to fix the field, and now we're leaving the warp. Soon it will be known where we have landed.
Over Konor A Dauntless class light cruiser slowly came out of a warp, visbly damaged. There were holes in it's armor, some of the lower decks fully exposed to the depths of space. Communication array, weapons batteries were lost as well. When it comes to the crew... 10, 000 out of 65,000 survived, better than expected. In all honesty. Sadly,a new problem emerged just after the warp was left behind. A Riot. Well, more like a pick your side thing, if you ask me. Go chaos, or take your stand for the emperor. Now the last 10,000 split into two sides, both wanting to kill each other. Killing your own, even when they are lost is never a fun thing, especially for all those men beside me.
"Lock the door lieutenant!"
"We're all gonna die here!"
"Where's the Commissar when you need him?!"
Chaos, utter chaos since it all began, and we just got out of the warp. Amazing. Well, it would be a good time to do more, than just shield the guardsmen.
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Post by littlekreen on Jul 20, 2019 18:03:14 GMT -6
[getting back into the though process, hence a bit long ] The peal of chaos one that Myrkul quickly attended. The universe screamed from seams bursting with Aetherkind. They felt the Fallen Emperor at least a presence they expected, an ineffable psychic signature, engaged in combat with Aetherkind. Their exploration of Konor lead them to know the diseased layer of reality as Immaterium. In short order their priorities shifted to some amount of armor against meta-incursion as a watchful titan's eye on their tenuous foothold. A ship breaching from the Immaterium caught this gaze by servitors distantly peering through telekenetic obelisk. Holes and damage revealed by touch first then by its scream as they opened the Way. Emotions and awareness of entities recorded in the spark-eyed humanoids peering at patterns in their obelisk. Impartially recording pain, fear, joy, and anger. The twinge of screaming Immaterium that must not be moved the hooded servitors immediately to war. Deep within Konor in a chasm for cargo systems dozens of man-high servitors and several larger so scurry to activity. Diverted from shining fields of repaired metal and mechanics to a central area of obelisk where others attended defense. Four spark eyes became eight and larger robes of adopted red from tattered flags merged. They had no names for they all were Jinhai, a single mind in endless duplication. Never more than a few minutes old. Faceless but for a rough dune in shape of the Fallen Emperor that once was. Funeral robes underlay the red flags of Humankind they stitched together both heavy and long. Some smaller, some larger and more astute, but joined as danger read of the ship above. Repairs were secondary to the integrity of the foothold and Humankind's world. "There is Immaterium within a humankind craft entering orbit," said one at an obelisk. Said one with eyes sixteen-many towering over, "Corruption of the foothold cannot be allowed to any degree it must be cleansed." "Mada are not available to attend humankind." rasped another looming figure. Said the mouthless dusty voice of a man-sized four-many, "Untainted Humankind should be removed from the craft and quarantined while attending the threat." The first sixteen many assembled the determination of the whole, "A concordance is reached: Assemble quarantine area, deploy psychoportation node, Jinhai will engage in combat." As some moved to take position at their sensory array in preparation eight others clad in white poured from barrels. Their hooded cloaks an inner void sported metal gauntlets specialized for psychoportation. Jinhai's dispersed to a small cargo hold they'd repaired evacuating their small accumulation of cognizance vaults. White robes and black deformed as they poured through the door amorphous at speed. Three Obelisk as flotsam bouyed to the top of the mass as hands appear from the flood of humanoid bodies to carry to the center. Jinhai lined up in twelve-many, a constellation of spark eyes atop a burly red figure sized as a space marine. Each gloved hand one large ferroplasm blade with gleaming purple edges. Four smaller ones across each chest if situation required. At the hilt of all the eagle of the Imperium. The each psychoportation locus roared to life in a gravitic shear rumbling through the understructure of Konor. A great deal of effort required to thread the Way so far underground that a concordant hum numbed the psychic field of their abandoned region. Small fireflies shot from the noxious earth of Konor at the surface leads looking for a target to strike. ~~~~~ A clairvoiant sensor likely evinced first to psykers aboard as three white fireflies shot across the hull. Impression of its sender impartial, grey, hollow, an alien thing that might spare time to stare at them. They examined at speed seeking proximity to untainted humankind. Only gaining a rough overview of the riotous screaming going on within. If any screens or windows seen those fist-sized stars shot through rent armor stretching their invisible lifeline, Only as far as interference of such distant metal permit. Just enough to get inside, where there was air, where humans could be and were observed in isolation. Once more a gravitic thunder rolled through the superstructure of the Dauntless light cruiser. If on vid cams a small tapered pylon cratered a small bit of deckplate as the firefly vanished. The resultant gravitic shear liquifying the rioting crew. Tainted beyond recognition. Thunder then of sword-wielding humanoids of sixteen flare-eyes as they emerge across the gap. Purple swords swing as red-robed humanoids carve bloody tides. Quantifying the humanoids tainted before them then putting them down. They could not be saved until the Mada could be brought forth. Four many in tow swords their own a throng to attend humankind and an escape route. "FEAR IS EMPTY. THERE IS ONLY DUE ACTION" "HATE IS EMPTY. THERE IS ONLY THE DICTA." "JOY IS EMPTY. THERE IS ONLY THE ANETHEMA." "SICKNESS IS EMPTY. THERE IS NO FLESH." "ENVY IS EMPTY. ALL IS THE FIRST MACHINE." "THE IMMATERIUM WILL BE EMPTIED." "THERE IS ONLY THE ANETHEMA."
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Post by Zaria on Jul 21, 2019 4:08:12 GMT -6
When did we become so fragile I wonder... I kept them alive, though I should shoot some of them in Commissar's stead.
"Guardsmen! - voice echoing, and louder than the gunfire - follow me." With that she began to take steps towards the door, that could not be closed. Walking and focusing on shielding the men was tiring. Not to mention the fact, she had to shield herself.
Use anything to take cover behind, while walking my shield won't be as strong as it was before - she relayed to the ones behind. They quickly began to take cover, become more aware of the surroundings and the situation, now that the safety shrinked in size. Though some were still unlucky, died to unfortunate shot from a lasgun. Some were only wounded, while she walked.
"Good thing we used up all the heavy weaponry earlier!" One guardsmen yelled, and she could only hear a first portion of it, ending at "all". Quickly she reached the two men beside the door, then entered through the frame, all while raising grav pistol, that stayed in the holster to this moment.
One tainted guardsmen closer to the door, behind a make shift cover made of a simple barrel raised slightly while yelling "Psyker!" , seconds later he was lifted up in air. His weight changed, turned against him. Normally that weight would be turned against him in a different way, way that would make him suffer, instead of making him immobile. - but she did not want to kill her own, even when they were tainted. Some still could be saved.
Kill those who continue to resist, leave the others alive. If you do otherwise, know that I will do the Commissar's duty, that had not been done when it should.
So she walked, slowly, limited in choices by protecting the others, while only immobilizing the tainted. Unbeknownst to her, there was but one man with heavier weapon at the end of the corridor she takes, an unexpected, that will surely take the lives of many.
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Post by littlekreen on Jul 23, 2019 8:53:54 GMT -6
Jinhai spread through the ship weathering lasgun rounds penetrating their amorphous substance. Purple sparks left their back as a small bit of the motes burnt away. Thereafter the four many projected shields of their own. Blasts deflect with swords or sending kinetic strikes downstream in energetic streams. They were not servitors for combat, the Wen could not yet arrive, but still assaulted. It would cost them much in the motes fueling their existence. The sixteen many manufactured their own shields out of spent metal found in their path. Their strikes one that melted walls and combat armor.
Some guardsmen ceased hostilities spying the Jinhai after their entry upon the ship. Excited screaming through communicators about 'Xenos' or 'Demons' their riot forgot. A psychic litany from Jinhai servitors overpowering their chaos influence. Impassive and silent Jinhai paid the tainted little consideration. Tainted subdued for human-sized four many to drag them away. Their deeper position determined more corrupt than their approach adapted their tactics. Securing a path to the psychoportation locus on their way to those least tainted. Barriers constructed against lasgun fire from armor or scrap metal. Even as red lines pour destroyed motes from their bodies doing so. Other humans already showed signs of perturbation in the flesh at those walls. Gibbering once-humans from demonkind put down to contain the scourge.
Such humans stood at the end of the corridor across a gap of catwalks the star of chaos cut into their chest. One with a frag missile launcher as the other loads and spots their quarry. A problem psyker standing in their way of spreading the Empyreal Truth. The spotter raised a hand his Auspex chiming that the psyker was in view. Glowing shield among smoke, men, and dust. Above others watched them, in turn, finding themselves levels too high. Backlit by lasguns the constellation eyed sixteen many focused on that organized group. Then it recognized what was about to happen as the spotter's hand went up.
One cultist pressed a trigger. Angry rush of propellant echoes down the hallway toward the psyker. In that same instant, the Jinhai anchored itself set to deny them. A fusillade of lasgun fire crushed a railing to anchor its sword held high. The massive force weapon shot toward the hallway below. This massive hunk of ferroplasm struck with hues of off-purple raced for the opening. An effort to interdict on behalf of a faint signal of psychoactive humankind. A red star of incendiary death seen by those within the hallway propelled between heads. Those at the catwalk stationary in comparison. Though the missile won its race to this hallway the damaged ceiling screams in lesser metals. An Aquila bearing sword the height of a guard rammed itself into the floor. Obstructing the rocket's path but only muting its wrath.
As the sixteen many hurled itself over the railing the call went out that it had found the untainted. Clarion call to arms that siren orderly compared to incoherent angry warp screaming. As time passed and a fireball raced up the corridor Cries of their litany grow louder. Forces redirected to retrieve them.
Beset by both sides the sixteen many soon forced to descend by its own unmoved estimation of suffering concordance. Red beams sear motes in puffs of purple from both sides. A path of retribution unmoved by injury. Clung to vertical metal ignorant of gravity loosed itself from the wall halfway running down the chasm. Propelled toward the chaos cultists below. It cared not for the impact for it had no flesh. A fist of red-clad creature the size of a space marine bore down on tainted the mark of the Mechanicus on its back. Fist waiting to strike.
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Post by Zaria on Jul 25, 2019 6:34:39 GMT -6
Few more left, is what I thought at that time. Grav weapon was as useful as ever, such a simple tool, that lets you manipulate weight of the living, and non living beings it is. Everything went well, casualties were minimal - two dead, one wounded, not bad considering it's hard to focus while doing two more things. Then... then it all would've went wrong. We missed something, something simple, yet crucial to our survival - a heavy weapon. A missle launcher, that would've certainly killed us all if not for... an unexpected guests. Aliens.
It was at that time, she once more saw something incomprehensible, something inhuman, and made of some kind of a metal. One of those things stood in between her, and missle. Stopped it, but only partly, blast, and fire still prevailed. Fire she could take, shield the men from it, and self, but the blast... blast had damaged everything, that she did not shield, killed those she could not shield, but... hallway prevailed, somehow it did not fall apart. Though walls looked like they were ready to crumble.
"Back! - She hissed loudly - Back I say!" She, nor guardsmen wanted to see what would come next, and so... watching the creatures, she moved back, to their previous spot. Once more behind the door, that cannot be closed they stood.
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Post by littlekreen on Jul 25, 2019 9:16:06 GMT -6
The large red-robed creature impacted catwalk in the distance half collapsing on itself deforming as if some sandy dune. Splinters of flesh what once chaos cultist now beneath a hungry fist. His blood tide pours through the grating and railing as the other pulled his lasgun. Several red lances pierce the head full of eyes as the sixteen-many grasps the screaming tainted creature. Hurled over the side he screams heresies as he falls into the dark. The floating sixteen swirling grey sparks on its face fixate on the speaking psyker. Large and ponderous muffles of dusty legs move toward them absent any haste. Red robe flowing cracks as motes struggle to hold contiguous substance on the surface. The sixteen flares moving in triads or pairs focusing on the broken and bleeding. Quantifying their nature. It stopped at the rent sword grasping near the floor as it flowed silvery-purple metal weapon back together.
Its voice was deep from a voice that emerged from the entire of a larger dusty humanoid face talking to both itself and their group, "We have located untainted humankind. The Immaterium conduit is present. Its agency does not appear to be infringed."
Hands push from the ceiling through cracks as other servitors arrive to make minor repairs. They bend metal and strut as clay though it squeals in protest. Seared steel pouring back together from amorphous bodies attendant from behind the walls. Only four sparks to each the smaller with less difficulty moving their swords through cramped spaces.
The Jinhai above speak with dusty voices absent the social niceties of introductions, "Humankind, has the Fallen Emperor been reborn?" Another informs through a wall vent, "Our position is untenable. Humankind must evacuate to a psychoportation node immediately."
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Post by Zaria on Jul 25, 2019 9:26:07 GMT -6
Seeing this machine throwing heretics like they were small stones was... mortifying. After all what guarantee we had for them not doing the same to us. Probably none, but it spoke, it's tone a mix of voices, there was a noteable absence of what social beings, such as humans call pleasant tone.
"Humankind, has the Fallen Emperor been reborn?"
What was I supposed to say, when just after the question is asked, it proceeds to speak once more, or was it something else? It had to be another one.
"Our position is untenable. Humankind must evacuate to a psychoportation node immediately."
Kathra sighed, it's not like they had any other choice, but to take the risk of trusting this thing. Though guardsmen won't be exactly happy with it, they already are suspicious of her.
"Where to?" She asked.
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Post by littlekreen on Jul 25, 2019 9:57:50 GMT -6
The sixteen many had more sense of pleasantries their psyches limited with mass by the nature of their microcollective. As it approached Kathra sword in hand the fluidly torn fabric surface split in three, its sword hand distending to the floor as the other followed draining mass from the whole. Two carrying the larger sword and one red-robed with four segmented arms from its back. At the end of each segmented arm a flaring spark-eye. As such while still quite flat a voice had the more sociable intellect to spare.
It looked at the working four-many to silence the whole designating this instance as the interface, "We will be a four-more Jinhai, humankind. The sixteen-many Jinhai concordance can no longer be maintained."
The roving tentacles inspected dead nearby, "By His dicta, we may not choose. Though tainted we permit you to define His will."
Hands emerging from the walls inspect a body as Four-more adds, "Options. Some damaged humankind have not yet fallen to the Immaterium and can still be rekindled. This may take too much time. Three psychoportation nodes exist. The nearest is under severe threat. One is being repaired as it lacks an atmosphere for humankind. Another is stable but distant."
It extended a hand that while looked as a red glove leaked black silt that organized as translucent paths through the ship. Their defended lines all had a sharp turn after finding Kathra.
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Post by Zaria on Jul 25, 2019 12:24:22 GMT -6
Kathra had always been amazed, no, enchanted by the sight of machinery working, though not like Adeptus mechanicus - she simply enjoyed the sound of clicking, of change, that happens in them. Funnily enough she got that... enjoyement thanks to a strange friend. Nonetheless the thing approached, and kept speaking: "We will be a four-more Jinhai, humankind. The sixteen-many Jinhai concordance can no longer be maintained." So there were sixteen-many... no, it still makes no sense, but now I at least can call them something. - She thought, and continued listening, while many looked around, glanced at the dead as it would seem. "By His dicta, we may not choose. Though tainted we permit you to define His will." She winced at his words, visibly displeased, thinking - by the emperors golden balls! Now you're putting me in a tough spot. With that being said it will be even harder to have the idiots behind me listen. Or not. Ah, we shall see.Some guards jumped a little, as the hands emerged from walls, began... doing something. That sight struck her a little, made unsure, but only for a split second. "Options. Some damaged humankind have not yet fallen to the Immaterium and can still be rekindled. This may take too much time. Three psychoportation nodes exist. The nearest is under severe threat. One is being repaired as it lacks an atmosphere for humankind. Another is stable but distant." "I don't mind leading them to the middle one, as long as it works that is. I can take care of atmosphere, to a degree. Though the problem is... would be warp creatures." If any got through with us, that would be... problematic to say the least.
No wait, even if there were no warp creatures, no heretics. I might be too tired to do what I have in mind, that is... a sort of atmosphere for us. So... that's a no.
"Wait, on second thought hold it. I have a better idea..." Closer route, that equals dangerous escape, we'd have to abandon the wounded and the tainted that can be saved. Or the longest route, we'd have time for everyone, but... would we really? Ship is falling apart, and heretics will sooner or later take over - mostly due to their lack of self preservation.
"We'll take the... - she hesitated, one thought crossed her mind: No, I'm not leaving anyone - ... the longest route, the distant one in other words. I'd rather risk taking everyone, than abandoning those, that can be saved." She didn't see it, but guardsmen, that cared about the wounded, about friends were thankful for this decision.
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Post by littlekreen on Jul 26, 2019 13:52:08 GMT -6
The face rough shaped in imitation of a man peered its four swirls of spark eyes at Kathra. After a moment of consultation with other instances of itself related the new information. Red robes poured humanoid forms through the walls by rents in metal they ought not to fit. Some through vents among the guardsmen the mechanicus symbol slowly reorganizing on their surface. Another picked up guard with unseeing eyes as the pressure and flame stopped his heart. The four-many Jinhai inspected with a free hand holding the deceased aloft its touch lighting the man's flesh from inside as it sealed veins back together assessing damage. Four-more, with its four refugee arms on its back, turned to Kathra as the working Jinhai opened the dead man's mouth and shoved a gloved hand inside to access the lungs.
Four-more elaborated for the humankind in its task as interface, "Very well. Jinhai are redistributing. Several deceased in the immediate vicinity have minimal damage to the throne of mankind. Given travel time rekindling will take place if time permits. The destination zone is isolated and hardened to ensure daemonkind do not escape."
The Four-many inspecting the dead man lit the chest from inside then slowly pulled its hand free. Silty dust passing through his mouth and teeth then turns red as motes with cloth resurface. With its hand seared flesh appears clasped in its hand. Discarded by a toss the matter crumbles entirely dried of fluid. Bits of flashes light the man's head as it clasps with one hand then the other.
Both hands beside the man's head its dusty voice contemplates, "Minor damage to the seat of the soul. External. Internal pressure now intact. Immaterium tether damaged but not severed. Rekindling."
One eye moved as the sparks in his flesh increased then the other joined it in pair. The guardsman's breath came sharp and with great panic. A black hand reaching out to grasp his frayed tether and set him alight to push out immaterium. Dragged back and welded to the frame still familiar to it. Air, panic, and intense pain returned in a sharp inhale to power a yell. A heart thumping madly as it caught up with the renewed calls of the body for life. Nerves again report his injuries and begin screaming obscenities. Cuts and welded together insides dampened by a brain which dumped all the adrenaline it had left face-to-face with the unknown.
While staring at the confused man backing away said bluntly before it moved on, "Your soul anchor has been damaged by body death causing moderate Immaterium burn. Avoid demonkind and signifigant damage if possible until recovery, humankind."
Others appear in similar fashion from ceilings and vents to inspect nearby bodies but with a touch or two would pass most by. Heads collapsed by bullet or impact, too seared to support life, or their tethers just fully eroded by time those souls lost. All ignored the living as unimportant simply avoiding them. Human rekindling would consume too much of their limited energies to spend any on those not yet deceased.
Unmoved by the man's panic Four-more simply added in response to that some 'can be saved', "Some are too damaged. We observe minor Immaterium burn on most living humankind inspected. We will rekindle if possible as requested, Humankind."
Four-more indicated beyond where it had come, "Jinhai retreat across the surface through depressurized areas. The threatened node will remain until all nodes retract. The destination is four levels upward toward the outer surface."
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Post by Zaria on Jul 27, 2019 9:04:41 GMT -6
Ugh, seing that facial imiatation of a man staring down at me is... simply unpleasant, even got a chill thanks to it. Well, at least I know I'm still human, to a degree. Though on the other hand things coming out of walls certainly worried the guardsmen, that I can see in the corner of my eye, and most of all... I can hear. Poor wounded must have it the worst. Speaking of which, I ought to tend to them.
But before Kathra could help anyone, Jinhai spoke once more:
"Very well. Jinhai are redistributing. Several deceased in the immediate vicinity have minimal damage to the throne of mankind. Given travel time rekindling will take place if time permits. The destination zone is isolated and hardened to ensure daemonkind do not escape." She winced, minimal damage? Throne of mankind? What is it talking about?
"We have time now, so if you have any way to revive them, do it." - she wanted to say, but stopped at the now, seeing as one of many lit the guardsmen's head.
What are you doing? Was what she wanted to ask, but stayed silent instead, observed, and listened.
"Minor damage to the seat of the soul. External. Internal pressure now intact. Immaterium tether damaged but not severed. Rekindling."
Watching one of theirs being brought back from the death was... there were no words to describe it really. Speechless, is how she was left after such a sight. All while the many spoke.
"Your soul anchor has been damaged by body death causing moderate Immaterium burn. Avoid demonkind and signifigant damage if possible until recovery, humankind."
Only then she shook her head, got out of the stunned state she was in, and thought how much she hated screaming. Any kind, but that guardsmen had the worst since a long while.
"Some are too damaged. We observe minor Immaterium burn on most living humankind inspected. We will rekindle if possible as requested, Humankind." Many spoke, in all honesty it was tough to tell which was the actual many, and which were... the different... uhh... units, Jinhai? With that thought she reached with hand towards the head, and lightly massaged the forefront.
What the frak am I supposed to do with all that?
"Jinhai retreat across the surface through depressurized areas. The threatened node will remain until all nodes retract. The destination is four levels upward toward the outer surface." Hearing this she pulled the hand away and looked at the many, wondering whether it ever shuts up, no, whether it can read the emotions. Though she doubts it, considering what happened just now.
"Alright, what's the least damaged, and safest way to our destination? Because knowing that it is four levels above us is... not much."
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Post by littlekreen on Jul 27, 2019 17:18:17 GMT -6
As Kathra reached out Four-more stood perfectly still unmoved. Only the long segmented limbs from its back turned to inspect the oncoming limb. As she touched its face it gave with a rush of silt across her fingers. Small sparks raise the hairs on her arm as their own energies interact with that of raw Immaterium within her body.
A very strong feeling of being watched came as its face sparked and argued. Waves of small storms issue from her hand. Each sending noises of distant thunder among voices in uncountable number. Above it all an impression to the eye should she listen. Terrible swirling planetoid glowing grey far too close for comfort. Revealed as seen from the mouth of a cave as the mind's eye adjusted. A flat sun shown by a slight turn to meet the eye of a titan overbeing. An intruder to the concordance serving its precious foothold not the least beneath its notice. It did not menace but for its scale its emotional state and oppressive curiosity.
The ill-defined face however a result of never truly encountering a live human. Whether she could see Myrkul's Vein looking back it was her own staring from Four-many. The small sparking storms issuing from her hand terraformed the dunes. Shaped and drifted that chattering throng adopted her own self-image. An idea far stronger than their false conjecture.
Their voices were rough silty things but the Four-many Jinhai struggled animating the impressed design. Temporarily shutting it up as a curiosity permitted change. The Orks might say upon Four-more speaking quickly showed contact had 'kicked 'em in the gubbins'.
"Aah, eh. Oh? Ergtpd. Altered? We are permitted. Yes, it is now known." Said her own voice from the monochrome face of fine silt.
The silty motes simply pathed around her hand as they altered terrain. A rush of fine fluid specks. Any numbness in her hand likely from warring energies as they passed.
Kathra's own voice continued after Four-more returned to her query heedless of her condition, "You cannot scale the wall as we arrived. We suggest traveling the chasm. There is a reinforced area with metal boxes. It has vertical lifts to the correct floor. There may be combat when we arrive an open area cannot be easily defended."
Amidst some of the rear Guardsmen a fracas raised due to similar unexpected alteration. A guardsman rekindled after a substitute leg replaced a missing one he'd bled out from. The original lost and presumed damaged. Jinhai simply removed a compatible undamaged one from a corpse next to it they could not rekindle. While the guard could move it reasonably had no small terror at the experience. While correct gender and handedness the leg did have correct skin color the leg did not.
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Post by Zaria on Jul 28, 2019 0:39:47 GMT -6
The small discharge, that went through her hand, pulled her away from the pleasant thought of sleep caused by constant focus from earlier.
Feeling, no, what she saw was... worrying, and interesting at the same time - it seemed like something looked back at her from inside of the Jinhai, but did it really? And if it did... what was it?
Then she heard the most confusing thing in a while:
'kicked 'em in the gubbins'
And then came her voice, her own voice, out of Jinhai.
"Aah, eh. Oh? Ergtpd. Altered? We are permitted. Yes, it is now known." She didn't like that at all, but waited, it looked like Jinhai had something else to say. "You cannot scale the wall as we arrived. We suggest traveling the chasm. There is a reinforced area with metal boxes. It has vertical lifts to the correct floor. There may be combat when we arrive, and open area cannot be easily defended." She couldn't help but chuckle atthe first words, and think: Obviously. Behind her an unexpected marvel occured, one that guards couldn't comprehend, and one that she did not see. It was about the leg, of course. Though she would learn about it later. "That's fine, at least we know where to go now. We'll leave in roughly two minutes. - she glanced back - Everyone heard that right? You got two minutes, stabilise the wounded, and get ready for anything that might come our way!" Let's be honest, it will be three minutes, I still need to tend to some of the wounded.She intended to go to the wounded, but then she rememebered one more thing needed to be said. "Oh, and Four-many, about my voice... don't ever do that again." It makes me feel way too uneasy, thanks to my past encounter with that other thing.
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