The Lost (30k Primarch Quest)

XXXII. The Home Stretch

You jump, lunge, dodge and at one point even roll (throwing and catching Dalnim in the process) your way through the maze of corridors, the lances of emerald light and tiny scarabs all around simply not able to catch you. Those that get ahead, you punch or vault over, laughing all the while.

Dalnim lays over your shoulder like a pile of cordwood as you run, and while she initially can't stop screaming, you soon figure out how to tell the difference between a 'this is terrifying' scream and a 'oh shit it's coming right for us' scream. Either way it's hurting your ears but at least you can tell when enemies are coming. A mechanical spider about as long as you are tall wanders around the next bend as lasers fly past your head that doesn't seem to realize you're there until you've leapt past it, slamming your fist down as you go.

"IT'S STILL COMING!!" Dalnim screams.

Of course it is. You bring up your gun and fire without slowing down or checking. It probably didn't work anyway.

Lances of light fly from the walls, machines begin to hum and glow with life, and you rush past all of them, compass guiding your every step.

As you run, you see a sudden flare of shadow, and skeleton men in ornate armor step forth from it. You crash through the first of them, metal bits flying all around you (you also toss and catch Dalnim, triggering louder screams). You expect to be shot from behind as you go, but the strange robots only walk.

Rude. At least take potshots.

Finally your compass points straight into a flat, featureless wall you had completely ignored your first time through. You hold the compass up, dodging green laser shots in place and trying to determine how to open the wall. The compass glows for a few moments, and with a loud click the wall slides open. You see a large semi-circular frame in the center of a room just barely large enough to hold it. The alien archway is made not of the strange black stone of most of the structure, but of the silvery living metal of the Necrons you've encountered previously.

For whatever reason, the room doesn't appear to be active and isn't shooting at you, though the door slams shut behind you immediately upon entry. You make your way over to the frame, frowning.

The compass insistently tugs you towards the frame, and though you hesitate, you do ultimately move forward. The compass hasn't lead you astray so far and while you're not sure what exactly it's pulling you towards, you're certain this is your best chance to escape. The compass hums and haws for a few more moments until, with a jolt, the portal comes to life and the emerald energy you've come to associate with the necrons begins to swirl.

You don't have time to consider the implications as you throw yourself into the newly swirling doorway.

-



Messages sent between Magos Interiot of the Legiones Astartes vessel Dying of the Light, and Captain Domitianus Willhelm of the same vessel.

+++ Damage Report +++

To the good Captain Willhelm of the Dying of the Light

Warp-squalls forced an emergency transition to real-space.

There was a breach in the Gellar field on deck 12 that has resulted in 8% loss of essential crew, 14% non-essential across the entire ship (voiding deck 12 likely saved the vessel, thank you lord). The machine-spirit writhes in agony and the physical vessel has sustained serious damage.

With the utmost respect, captain, the machine spirit of this vessel requires time to calm, and the body of the vessel has sustained serious damage. We have material to repair most of it, but the warp core's stability is now in question, and I cannot in good conscience recommend rentry. I understand the Legiones Astartes are loathe to cease crusade, but for the moment I would recommend a pause while we attempt to restore full functionality to the warp core.

In the meantime, we appear to be in a stable system. There appears to be human life on the 5th planet in the system. Though I am uncertain, it appears to be both oceanic and possess a technological level consistent with a Knightworld. (similar scans were found at Intertius and Collia)

Attached you will find results from our passive scans, potential threat assesments and all information I could find on this world.

Magos Intertiot.



+++ Acknowledged +++



To Magos Intertiot

Pass my thanks to the enginseers for our deliverance.

The Iron Hands understand duty, and the skill of the Mechanicum. They will pause as long as the recommendation comes from you.

So please, send your recommendation directly to Chapter Master Orion, because he will not listen to me.

I have passed word along to the Choir to inform the main fleet of the delay. Perform what active scans you can without potentially alerting anyone on the world to our presence in orbit. Our guns work well enough. Inform the quartermaster of what you need as well. The fleet will not wait for us forever.

Navigator Aske informs me that the currents of the warp are strangely quiet here, and she believes they will remain so. So you have some time, but please do not delay more than you must.

Make sure the warp core is stable, and then check the Gellar field.

Captain Domitianus Willhelm



-

You go through the doorway, tumbling over yourself and dropping your tech monk friend. The ground is hard as steel, yet warm like flesh. You groan as you pull yourself to your feet, shaking the spots out of your eyes. "Dalnim?" you ask. "Still breathing?"

A cough answers you.

"Good," You groan, pulling yourself to your feet. "Another happy landing."

Dalnim groans. "My legs hurt…"

You grab Dalnim and pick her up, giving her legs a brief glance. Bleeding. But they don't look broken.

"We'll find somewhere to bind you up," you say, looking around. The area you've found yourself in seems to be a tunnel, made of a material you know you've seen before but can't quite place. It's organic, almost like bone, but you can see that it's moving. Too slowly to tell what exactly it's doing, at least at first, but its movements quickly accelerate, and you quickly see why.

The gate you just entered through sticks out of the wall like an open sore, without even the metal frames that held its light. You see the bone sliding over the newly made hole, and as it does, you see the walls are closing in as well.

"Oh that ain't good." You groan. Going back isn't an option, so you dive deeper into the tunnel, moving faster than you ever have before.

Sudden pain shoots through your limbs, and with a yelp you fall to the ground, your injuries catching up to you. You swear like the sailor you are for a few moments, trying and failing to stand, but after a few moments of not dying you realize that wherever you are seems safe, at least relatively. You glance behind you only to see a solid wall of the organic bone material, where a moment ago you and Dalnim were running. You get the distinct impression that staying would've killed you both.

"Sun?!" She yells, concerned despite falling in pain.

"I'm fine!" You lie quickly. "Just… need a moment. But it looks like we're safe for the moment. Nothing's shooting at us."

And yet, despite being safe, now that you have a moment to consider and take in your surroundings, you feel the storm all around you. Dark clouds that have followed and circled around you all your life are just past these arterial walls, and even within the tunnel you feel something pressing against you. Just at the edges of your hearing there's the sound of the waves, in a place where none should be. Disconcertingly, they remind you of Delai's beach, and you think you see her face in your mind, if only for a moment.

You stand and brush dust off your coat, and her image with it. You don't know where you are, but you'll be glad to be rid of it.

"Mon'keigh!!"

You turn, pistol in hand, to see tall and slender beings in sleek black and bone armor... the same material that's in the walls. And on each of them, you see the same sorts of stones that you collected from the cult in the storm. You realize where you've seen the material on the walls before.

"Belathala." You say immediately. "I know Belathala."

Their weapons stay up but at least they aren't firing. Yet. The moments stretch on, until the moment stops feeling like you're being held up and more like the most awkward standoff in human history. Dalnim, unfortunately, seems to be terrified from start to finish even as you get bored and try to hold back a yawn.

Gods you hope that they understood you. Or that they're as friendly with her as you are.

It's hard to judge the acoustics of these strange and winding tunnels, but you hear the repeating SMACK of bone against bone as several somethings run towards you (or one something with like a dozen feet). As Bel turns the corner, you see that she's with a half dozen or so of her people in similar garb to the others.

"You're late," You smirk.

"You're early," Bel says dryly. "And your jokes are still bad."

You shrug. "Can't tell good jokes if you don't tell a bunch of bad ones first. Any chance you know where we are?"

"The webway." She says, standing a little straighter as she says the name.

"Okay. Any chance you know a path back home and would be willing to guide us there?"

She sighs. "I was planning to anyway when you made it here. This place is not for mortal ken."

Dalnim glances between you and the space elf, completely confused. "I… do you know each other?"

"Ah of course. Dalnim, this is Belathala of the Aeldari. Belathala, this is a lay-sister of the tech monks. She doesn't have a name."

Dalnim scowls. "You did that on purpose!"

"Probably."

"… right." Bel raises an eyebrow at you. "… To be quite honest I wasn't sure you knew my name. You never used it."

"Of course I knew," You grin. "And now when I call you Bel for the rest of the trip you'll know I'm doing it on purpose."

She scowls. "Stay downwind from me."

"Well that's just mean," You grumble

"Is there even wind in here?" Dalnim asks one of the soldiers. He backs away from her.

-

Voting

Bel is willing to take you back to your own world, though where you get spit out is its own question.

[] – Shang

Your home port, where mother has her fleet and many of your fellow pirates make port. You'll have quick access to reinforcements.

[] – Back at the temple

You find yourself in the town beneath the temple you just left. Your crew is nearby.

[] – The Empress' Palace

You emerge in the forbidden palace of Tabgach's empress. You'll be in the home of your enemy.

[] – Write in

From @Negation
[] – The Command Post of the Imperial Forces assaulting the Temple
(note: this is Tabgach imperial, not IOM imperial)

From @SpacePaladin
[X] – Write in
-[x] The Rebel stronghold