The Sage and the Bishop

"Omnissiah above, what happened?!"

As the ship detonated in space, the light of the explosion illuminated not only a vast stretch of the surface, but also the red-robed figure atop the Hive City.

"Sage, we detected a violent energy surge. Some enormous installation fired an energy beam that destroyed the Plague of Blessings in orbit." Another figure, also dressed in a hooded red robe, stood respectfully bowed in the lofty, cavernous hall, holding a communicator. A protrusion resembling a portable radio rose from his back.

Beyond an ornately decorated archway on one side of the hall lay an enormous terrace overlooking the entire Hive City. At its center stood a figure whose body had been almost sixty percent replaced by machinery, watching the ship disintegrate in space.

"Enough, Alonas. My optical systems are functioning normally. I can see the enormous beam and the light of the heretic ship exploding. Do your job. Dispatch a team and have Bishop Moran lead it. Let us pay a visit to this 'neighbor' who appeared out of thin air." A harsh, metallic voice carried into the hall from the terrace.

"Yes, Sage."

Alonas bowed respectfully, then turned and left the magnificent hall.

Though the Sage's tone was unpleasant, it did nothing to diminish Alonas's respect for him. He was a Fabricator Archmagos of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and as a Skitarii commander, Alonas's duty was to serve the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Serving an Archmagos was something he had never even imagined.

After all, he was merely the commander of a single Hive City's Skitarii, not a general. A Fabricator Archmagos would normally govern an entire industrial planet, possessing an Industrial World of his own. It was only natural that he should be dissatisfied with having to settle for a tiny Hive City here.

"Soothe the machine spirit. Sprinkle the Sacred Oil."

"Burn incense in prayer. Chant the hymns."

Inside an enormous machine workshop, Alonas found Moran Ro conducting a ritual to soothe the machine spirits of several Relics covered in markings.

Alonas watched the bishop sprinkle Sacred Oil until the floor became slick and sticky, pacing about as he chanted the Canticle of the Binary. He waited patiently to one side for the ritual to end.

"...In the name of the sacred binary, raise your voices in praise of the Omnissiah!

From the banality of thought, Omnissiah, deliver us!

From the lies of heathens, circuitry, defend us!

From the fury of beasts, steel, protect us!

From the temptations of flesh, silica, cleanse us!

From the ravages of the Destroyer, machine spirit, shelter us!

Omnissiah! Omnissiah!..."

As a nearby Servitor rang the great bell suspended high in the workshop, Moran finished his work for the day. After carefully returning the two ancient mechanical Relics before him to their reliquary, he motioned for a waiting Servitor to carry them into the dedicated storage chamber.

The Servitors waiting nearby immediately began cleaning up the Sacred Oil spilled across the floor. Moran changed into a clean, hooded red robe of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

"Alonas, is the team ready?"

Compared with the Sage's voice, Moran's sounded more human, with clear emotion and shifts in inflection.

Still, anyone could hear his displeasure.

Before the Fabricator Archmagos arrived in this Hive City, Moran had been its supreme ruler. Yet the Archmagos's sudden arrival had brought him no guidance or knowledge. Instead, the newcomer had seized most of his authority and assigned him the task of soothing the Relics' machine spirits every three days.

Worse still, these Relics had all been brought into the Hive City by the Archmagos, who might even take them away again later. As bishop, Moran could only perform the rituals to soothe their machine spirits; he was forbidden from studying the Relics on his own.

Faced with this unknown technological knowledge, Moran cursed furiously inwardly after every ritual.

"Honored Bishop, I have sent the communication. The team has assembled on the outskirts of the Hive City. Shall we depart immediately?"

Alonas lowered his head somewhat meekly as he asked.

Compared with the unfamiliar Sage, this bishop mattered more to Alonas. In his view, a Fabricator Archmagos could not possibly remain in this tiny Hive City for long. Bishop Moran was another matter. Alonas himself was merely a Skitarii commander, not a general, and could hardly leave the planet with the Sage.

"We depart. Bring a Skitarii Skimmer Transport (Triaos) out of storage as my vehicle, and bring the Tech-Thrall Guard (Tech Thralls)."

Moran walked out through the workshop doors and gave the order to Alonas behind him.

"Are you certain you wish to requisition a Skitarii Skimmer Transport? That may require the Sage's approval."

Alonas found himself in a difficult position. Since the Sage's arrival, these specialized vehicles exclusive to the Adeptus Mechanicus had been placed under strict supervision. Activating a heavy vehicle without authorization would probably end with Alonas being turned into a Servitor.

"I have already applied through the internal channel, and the Sage has approved it. Go. I will not make things difficult for you."

Although Alonas's body had undergone considerable mechanical augmentation and possessed a limited capacity to communicate without external equipment, his clearance was still insufficient to contact the higher ranks directly. Nor was the Sage likely to initiate direct contact with him.

After saluting, he turned and headed for the Mid Hive warehouse.

At the warehouse's Cogitator terminal, Alonas carefully checked the authorization order. Only after verifying its integrity did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He immediately activated a unit of the Tech-Thrall Guard and drove out the Triaros Conveyor.

This type of vehicle had an exceptionally long history and was said to have been created by a Sage of the ancient Adeptus Mechanicus. It possessed formidable firepower and powerful life-support capabilities; even the Emperor had failed to obtain one when he requested it. Thanks to the Adeptus Mechanicus's exclusive system of preserving knowledge, these vehicles had continued to be manufactured in secret in this Hive City, founded less than a thousand years ago, and supplied to several core regions of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

It was more than a transport. When necessary, it could serve as a tank without any difficulty. Rumor even held that on certain secret battlefields, it had achieved a one-to-one loss ratio against Leman Russ Battle Tanks stolen by heretics.

As for the Tech-Thrall Guard, they were a specialized guard force unique to the Adeptus Mechanicus. Aside from their exceptional combat capabilities, they could also carry out battlefield maintenance. Their modified brains held enough knowledge to repair technological equipment temporarily put out of action.

When necessary, they could even serve as research Servitors and act as research assistants.

As Alonas directed the Tech Thralls to drive the transport outside the Hive City, Moran's towering body, far larger than an ordinary human's, stood out starkly among the gathered Skitarii and armed Servitors.

The Skitarii formed two lines, guarding the transport between them. Its rear compartment opened, revealing Alonas's face inside.

"Bishop!"

Moran looked at the Skitarii Skimmer Transport as it stopped before him and instinctively reached out to stroke its hull. Then he lit the Sacred Incense in his hand and walked once around the vehicle, softly chanting a hymn.

He then glanced back at the towering gates and walls of the Hive City before looking toward the enormous gun turret still raised high in the distance. A complicated look filled his eyes.

"May the Omnissiah bless us."