Checkout the beginnings of the Martian’s Adeptus Mechanicus empire divided once again.
Adeptus Mechanicus – The Broken Cog Fan Fiction
Chapter One
A Snake in the Dark
The airlock door hissed open, as metal tendrils spiral into the hall. A dark figure cloaked in a blue robe slowly enters the ship. His rebreathers pulling in the acrid air around him, this was most definitely a cruiser of the Adeptus Mechanicus. He had been tracking a relic of mars for well over 10 years now, and had finally narrowed it down to this very Gothic Class Cruiser. As he enters his sensors go into alarm letting him know that there are three kataphrons up ahead. Gul’Krux ready’s his power axe preparing for the upcoming fight. Quickly and quietly he moves towards the kataphrons. As he gets closer he starts to commune with the machine spirits of the ship. He finds the spirit in control of monitoring the halls. All this happening within seconds, the kataphrons turn out to be destroyers and turn to meet the fast approaching tech priest. Gul’Krux can now see from every angle, he can see himself in the hall and the kataphrons in front of him. The destroyer closest to him was just not quick enough; as Gul’Krux brought his axe down into the fleshy parts of the destroyer cleaving it almost in half. He sees that the kataphron behind the one hes currently embedding his axe into preparing to fire its flamers. Dropping the axe he ducks behind the third destroyer causing it to be engulfed in flame. Saying a quick chant to the machine spirit in his macro stubber he puts it right to the head of the flaming kataphron and pulls the trigger smearing the still human parts of the kataphron across the wall. He hears the slow spurt of the flamer running out of fuel. This is his chance he swiftly moves between the two dead destroyers closing on the last. As he grasps ahold of its throat he garbles an ancient binaric code causing the kataphron to go limp.
The destroyer moved past row after row of servitors yet to be activated. Working its way through the halls looking for the room that holds the relic. No one realizing that the kataphron is now being controlled by Gul’Krux. He knew where the room was as the machine spirits had told him he just needed to get there; and why risk your own life when you can use a servitor. He finally approaches the door to the relic room. The destroyer powering up his heavy grav-cannon as the door slides open. Two tech priests are in the room working on something. It appears to be a multi-limbed backpack, this is it the Anzions Pseudogenetor. He has caught the tech priests unaware but that surprise wont last long, using it to his advantage he fires a heavy grav shot behind the first tech priest, just close enough for it to pull the tech priest in but not hurt the relic. The tech priest is pulled backwards into the center of the grav shot and then crushed to death under the weight of his own mechanisms. Glix watched in horror as his brother priest was crushed before his eyes. He didn’t quite understand why a servitor had gone rouge but he also didn’t care as he was ready to kill it as soon as it had fired. This was his mistake as the anger clouded him to the fact that the room had changed. The machine spirits no longer listening to their previous masters, but host to a plague brought about by Gul’Krux.
Glix looked quickly around the domed cathedral like room, it was not only a lab but also the storage room for many of the admechs relic weapons. He grabs a melta off the wall and with a single shot of blazing hot heat melts the servitor till theres nothing left but a molten pile of metal. Still confused as to why the destroyer had attacked in the first place, Glix tries communing with the machine spirits. Instead of hearing the normal voices, and psalms of the spirits , he hears a loud almost nails on a chalk board kind of sound. So loud and deafing is the sound that it cripples him to the ground. Glix shuts off his receptors immediately. “if the machine spirits are this upset, someone must be altering them” glix thinks to himself. He takes a few breaths to calm himself and prepares for the hunt. Just as he does, all the lights in the ship go off. “Wonderfull” glix thinks as he sets his augmented eyes to see in night vision mode “just wonderfull”.
He attaches the melta to his mechadendrite harness and heads for the door. He peers out through into the hall using one of his many tendrils. Nothing, just a long dark hallway with servitors lining the walls. As he steps out, he can hear his own metal claws echo down through the ship. Without the calming sound of the machine spirits or the constant hum of the motive force moving through the ship this was the quietest it had ever been. For most that would have been soothing but to Glix this was highly uncomfortable. He was now really worried, only a Tech Priest and a high ranking one at that could get the machine spirits worked up the way they were. But why would a Tech Priest be attacking a holy ship of mars.
Gul’krux moves swiftly through the ducts and inner workings of the ship. Moving ever closer to his prize. As he approachs the reliquary, he sees the second tech priest in the hall, still holding the melta. Not wanting an open fight with another tech priest, Gul’krux scrambles through the duct into the closest room. As he enters the room his augmented senses take in all around him. The scent of annoiting oils still hung thick in the air. Standing before him are four still slumbering Kastelan Robots. He places his hands on the closest one mumbling something under his breath to it. As he does the robots lights and sensors all flicker into life. Gears grind as the ancient machine leans down in response. “Awaiting commands lord Gul’krux” it bellows loudly.
Glix hears the voice of a robot come from down the hall. He turns to face the direction he had heard it come from, just in enough time to see white phospher coming right towards him. As he dodges back into the reliquary, the door slams closed. For a moment he almost felt safe knowing the only entrance to the reliquary was the door that had just locked behind him. That was until he relized he didnt close it. He could hear the robots heavy footsteps in the hallway getting ever closer to the door. Until finally they stop just outside. Glix takes a deep breath and readys the melta at the door. Suddenly theres a huge crash as the robot rips it from its hinges, glix fires several melta shots at the sillohuete. Two of the three shots bounce off the repulsor grid bounding into the room. One just missing Glix himself. However the third shot burns through wounding the robot and knocking him backwards off his feet.
As the robot crashes to the floor its carapace mounted heavy phospher blaster continues firing white hot spheres of phospher into the room. Glix dodges shot after shot as he lines up his melta with the blaster and unloads two shots of his own. They find there mark destroying the weapon once and for all. Glix now sure of his win against the ancient machine approachs it to remove the datawafers, but as he lifts the chest plate he sees there are none. Before he could even try to understand what had happened the robot grabbed one of his tendrils with its powerfist and started pulling him closer to it. Sheer panic set in as he realized he couldnt get away. The robot dragged glix across the floor until he could wrap his second powerfist around the center mass of the tech priest. As it started to crush the life from him, glix frantically whipped his tendrils at its exposed core. Hammering at it over and over till the kastelans grip finally relinqueshed.
Glix now exhausted and bloody, stands silent over the dead robot. His victory short lived as a second kastelan came crashing down the hallway towards him. He attempts to raise his melta, but is to slow as the robot lifts him off the ground and smashes him into the nearby wall. Out of the corner of his eye Glix sees a blue robed figure approaching him, the robot no longer tightening its grip.
“who… are……..you” Glix choked out.
“I am Gul’krux, Dominus of The Broken Cog” the figure said.
“The Broken Who” Glix stammered.
“Soon all of mars will fear our name.” Gul’krux laughed.
“what do you want from me” glix asked.
“I want what is rightfully mine. The Anzions Pseudogenetor” Gul’krux said as he pointed into the reliquary where it had been sitting. The robot tightening his grip again as he swung Glix around to the open doorway. “Tell me tech priest how do you operate it” Gul’krux said. Glix looked him dead in his lenses, “and why should I tell you anything”. Gul’krux chuckled “You have one of two options here priest. One you can tell me how to operate it and I can give you a swift and painless death; or two, and I love option two, I can pry that information from you forcibly and burn out your brain in the process, leaving you alive but forever a vegetable. The choice is yours”. Glix struggled to get anything loose just one tendril and he could maybe get out of this. However Gul’krux also saw this and before Glix could utter a word Gul’krux rammed his dataspike into the side of Glix’s head. Glix feels the searing hot pain of the spike being driven deep into his skull. He had hoped that was all he would feel but alas he had to also feel the pain of his memories being ripped from him one by one till nothing. Nothing not even a name, who was he, where was he. Before any of these questions could be answered he was tossed into a dark hallway by a big metal monster. The dazed tech priest wandering further into the depths grasping for knowledge that wasnt there.
Gul’krux looks up at the kastelan “you did well my friend now slumber.” With that the giants lights extinguish as he slumps back into a resting position. Gul’krux now turns his attentions to the Pseudogenetor. His many snake like limbs taking it from the table, scanning it, soothing the machine spirits, and then attaching it to his metal spine. Once attached it immediately starts sending information to his brain, telling him where it came from, how it worked and then finally becoming one with him. Now bonded Gul’krux feels as though each arm of the Pseudogenetor has a mind of its own. One of its arms going about disarming the Cruiser, while another shuts off the life support systems. Gul’krux himself checks to see if there is anything else of value on the ship. The rest of the ship is full of servitors that are being transported back to mars, theres a few crew quaters, and several more tech priests in the bridge. Seeing nothing else of value to the broken cog he decides its time to get out of there.
Moving through the hallways as fast as his tendrils will take him. No longer needing stealth as the tech priests couldnt access their servitors even if they wanted to. Gul’krux moves towards his boarding vessel. Thresh had awoken to the sounds of alarms going off everywhere. He attempted to commune with the machine but was blocked by a horrible squelling. “This is a great way to wake up” He thought to himself. His local vox bursting to life “Are there any tech priests in sector 8.” He piped in “yeah Thresh here whats going on.” Thresh was a low level tech priest barely allowed to be left in charge of maintaining the servitors. “Thresh, there is a rouge tech priest moving your way he has shut down all life support systems and outboard weaponry. You need to stop him before he gets off the ship or well all be dead.” Thresh didnt know what to do he had never been in a fight before let alone with another tech priest. However he also didnt have a choice.
Thresh hadnt reached the crux mechanicus yet and therefore still had his original two arms, his torso, and most of his head. With only one augmented arm carrying a heavy bolter. He stumbled out of his barracks still groggy and barely awake. “does anyone know where he could be” he said into his vox. “all we….know……sect…..wall……” The vox crackles out. “well he has to be here in sector 8, and theres only three airlocks in this sector I guess Ill check them all” He thinks to himself. As he rounds the corner to the first airlock he notices that its open. Grabbing his heavy bolter tight he peers down the hallway with his one augmented eye. He is able to just make out a fast moving blue blur coming towards him. This has to be the rouge priest, all the priests of mars where red robes. He levels off his heavy bolter and lets loose with a barrage of bolter fire.
Gul’krux moves ever faster towards the tech priest shooting at him. This was nothing like the one he had just fought. He had precision and tact, this tech priest was firing blind. Wildly spraying bullets into the dark with not one hitting its target. This would be over quick and what better a test for the Pseudogenetor. Thresh didnt know what hit him as tendril after tendril spiraled out of the blue robe tearing him limb from limb, blood being splattered onto every nearby wall. All Thresh could do was scream as he watched his lifeless limbs being thrown to the side. That was enough thought Gul’krux as he finished off the tech priest with one mighty swing of his power axe sending his head rolling down the hall.
Happy with his spoils Gul’krux boards his vessel. As the airlock doors seal closed behind him; The admech aboard the cruisers fate sealed with it. Not one communication made it out, not one soul left alive, No one would hear of The Broken Cog, or of Gul’krux. But this is how it had to be. They had to work in secret. Gul’krux sets the ships flight pattern to take him home.
And that’s just chapter one!
