Chapter 0: Before the Dread Gate IC

The Magos led the young Lord over to the Halo barge, and into the secluded, but open, area in which he'd had the cogitator placed. When they arrived, he turned to his potential co-conspirator and, after a moment to mentally re-edit his words, he spoke.

"This Is not a mere cogitator, Lord Torian. This is the most powerful cogitator that I currently know to exist. The Adeptus Mechsnicus had only previously theorized the existence of cogitator arrays of this level. With it, the economy of a forge world could be managed. Firing solutions at extreme ranges could be calculated, accounting for gravitic drift. It may have applications that I cannot imagine."

"If we present this cogitator array to the archmagos, he will demand it as the whole of his share of the endeavor, though it is worth many times the other artefacts we discovered, combined. And then it would likely be sealed away, supplicated with prayer, and eventually forgotten, as so many things are."

"I believe that it is through the use of a.machine, that understanding, and eventually comprehension, may be achieved. That is what allowed me to survive the ruin of the Iron Law. But keeping this machine, in order to use it, would require a significant deception to make it appear less powerful than it is. I believe I am capable of enacting this deception, though your assistance would be helpful in that endeavor."

"Of a higher priority, I would be in violation of my oath to your family if I were to undertake this deception without the family's agreement, as it would put the family at risk. As a member of the Filiantius family in good standing, you meet the minimum requirements for that agreement."

"Therefore it is your decision how we should proceed, and whether the other inner circle officers should be involved."

Torian's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he took in this new information.

"Certainly this prize must be secured for our family! Yet I hesitate to pursue such drastic action without the consent of our fellow officers. I believe they will agree this is a necessity, but must secure their blessing if we are to commit this act of deception. I will do what I can to advise your work here, but quickly, before I ask the others of their view."

Torian shared the knowledge he had gained over a long career of back-alley deals, blackmail, smuggling, and under-world activity on how best to blend in something large with the background, where the mechanicus patrols tended to search, which scans tended to be used on which items, etc...

He then left Ignatio to begin the process, and quickly marched over to the rest of the party. "Ignatio has recognized one of our cargo as of exceptional, unique value: a cogitator of incredible power. It could be the difference between life and death in a void-battle, between whole profit factors. He knows it would be taken from us, and sit rusting in a vault somewhere useless to the Imperium and to Family Filiantius. The opportunity sits before us to claim this prize as our own, if only we are willing to take the opportunity. Ignatio has begun disguising it to avoid the gaze of the archmagos and his servants. He believes he can succeed in this, and I believe the same. Come with me to the cargo barge, so that you can share your thoughts as we rise, and so that I can lend a hand to Ignatio's endeavor. Let us hurry, what think you all?"

Torian beckoned the party over to the cargo barge, awaiting their thoughts.

*Edited*

Roderick considered the plan that the new man was proposing. A cogitator that could make their ship more powerful? That was definitely worth keeping. He stuck out his hand.Roderick MacCoinneach.After they shook hands, he continued. If even half of what you suggest is true, I would be keen to keep that gem on board for our own use. We're going out past the gate, and we'll need every bit of tech we can get to help us. Keeping it in our hold rather than locked in the Magos' vault has my vote. He looked at the others in the group before scanning the sky above them. He squinted in the light and shielded his eyes before an ear piercing whistle. It was answered a moment later by a screech above. A shadow descended on the group as Haast swooped low to hover above Roderick. Content that his companion was close by, Roderick looked back to the others. I'd be interested to see it, and perhaps get off this platform. He cocked a bushy eyebrow in question before making his way to the barge where it was located, trying to beckon the others to follow

Alexium had bunched up with the group and listened intently when Torian spoke. The child regarded the man with a silk blindfold wrapped around the eyes, though Torian was seen easily through preternatural means.

"It is ours; nothing so valuable should be left to sit and rot lest it be damned by the foul forces. If that is not the case, then we should do everything we can to keep it and put it to good use."

As Alexium's sweet, sing-song voice filled the air, the Astropath briefly grew frustrated. It knew that if only this sector hadn't been dampening its powers that it could easily sway the Magos' disposition toward the party, making the overall progress of the deception that much more within reach.

Fuck this fucking place, it thought to itself.

The group of reviewed the haul. Most of it was very valuable, as Jakobi could likely see. The cogitator-even disguised-was fairly valuable. The other items-mundane to the ancients, but exceedingly rare for you-where worth many times in gold. Even the unidentified goggles where clearly intricate, filled with circuits and strange lens-elements of surprising resilience that the mechanicus was incapable of reproducing. Perhaps the archmagos's adepts could identify the goggles; your sensors could already detect their shuttles, tens of thousands of km away, coming to inspect the haul. They wouldnt be there for hours, but they where coming.

On an arbitrary value scale, it was a mix of general items, personal items and drugs. Each container contained effectively a lifetime supply of each drug for a small group such as your own.

General Items:
-Servo-hauler & tug: 5 units/each
-Prensio hauler: 8 units/each
-Disguised Cogitator: 40 units

Personal Items:
-Miniaturized power core: 11 units
-Goggles: ~9 units
-Com device: 12 units:
-Hoverboard: 13 units
-Long-view: 11 units

Drugs:
-Barrage: 5 units
-White void: 5 units
-Spanner: 6 units
-Wideawake: 1 unit
-Slaught: 4 units
-Stimm: 3 units

Lethia had been content to stya quiet and out of everyone's way. She cared little for what they had acquired from the ancient outpost, the terror of actually getting it had horrified her.

She hoped the willingness of Filiantis to gamble with their lives was a one time thing, and that in the future, he would be more hesitant to toss such valuable resources dirtside for a few baubles he woulld decline to do so.

She gives the others a warm, empty smile to mask the pain her fear had caused her.

Sebastian was pre-occupied as he ran back over what had happened in the complex, they had all made it out alive and everyone was whole at least in body. He wondered what he would have done differently, had he and his companions made mistakes that could have made the trip less profitable?

He did keep half an ear on the conversation though. "I agree we should take what is most valuable to us, the Cogitator certainly. However, do we really think what amount to common drugs will be acceptable to the magos? I certainly wouldn't accept them if I were him."

Hearing the unanimous consent, or at least abstension, Magos Pulsanos turned to the cogitator and began implementing the modifications he had been putting together, making it appear both a less powerful unit, and somewhat damaged.

"The Pharmaceudicals will allow, if nothing else, the Mechanicus to test their composition and effects against current products. It is not uncommon for products from the Dark Age to be manufactured more precisely than our current capabilities allow, or to include ingredients that have been lost to us."

He carefully altered the insignias on the cogitator's casing.

"Though indeed, it may be a matter of some negotiation to secure the items we would prefer to keep."

As the Magos went about his far too complex Mechanicus deception mechanisms, Alexium sat back and decided to help with something the child was very good at: cryptology. The machine's power was evident in how user friendly it was even or someone tens of thousands of years after its production. The child is able to encrypt access to the machines more complex secrets rather easily, all things considered.

Once it was done, Alexium gave Pulsanos all of the encrypted codes. "This should help keep the fuckers' eyes off of it," the blindfolded Astropath said with a mischievous grin.

The modification to the data was a thing of beauty. With Alexium's help, Pulsanus managed to break through the system encryption, creating a perfect simulacrum of a lower-quality cogitator.

As for the disguise itself, it was competent. While Torian was able to help with some elements to distract from the cogitator's true nature, he was more of a hindrance than anything else. The cogitator would likely pass muster unless a high-ranked adept took the time to inspect it.

The proposed exchange was sent to the Archmagos, alongside the recorded data from the expedition. You impatiently awaited the answer from your current sponsor.

As soon as Alexium's contribution had been made successfully, the child stood, bowed to Magos Pulsanos, and began dancing erratically. They had just scored a major victory. It was time to boogie.

Sliding its feet as though they were walking forward, even as the body moved back, the moonwalk was exquisite. And fitting.

The Magos' gaze was drawn to this display, and he watched it for several moments as he put the finishing touches on the cogitator's interface. Then he turned to Lethia.

"Navigator, can you please confirm that our astropath is not possessed?"

Within 30 minutes, a shuttle docked with your primary Halo Barge. Through the dockin umbilical came an imperious tech-adept with 4 claws rather than legs, trailed after by several enginseers. His face, hidden under a hood, looked like a skin mask stretched over a metallic skull. A harsh, artifical voice projected out from a speaker hidden somewhere on his twisted body, that appeared to have a malfunctioning volume control.

I AM MAGOS TECHNICUS BALEARIN. I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR PROPOSED DIVISION OF THE RECOVERED MATERIAL, AND CONFERRED WITH THE ARCHMAGOS. ASSUMING THE INSPECTION REVEALS NO IRREGULARITIES, WE WILL PROCEED AS PROPOSED.

The magos's head rotated, orienting its "eyes" towards Pulsanus. It spun oddly, as if its spine was somehow at the center of its neck.

I WILL ALSO RETRIEVE THE SENSOR UNIT AND ITS DATACORES FOR LATER ANALYSIS. PLACE THEM IN THE DOCKED SHUTTLE.

The head rotated again, a strange-looking 197 degrees, and commanded its enginseers in harsh techna-lingua.

Techna lingua:

The enginseers started dispersing, most going back to the shuttle.

WELL, SHOW ME THE ARTEFACTS OF VALUE. I MUST ASCERTAIN THEIR VALUE.

"Of course, Magos," answered Magos Pulsanos, quickly going about arranging the various devices for study. "Unfortunately these optic lenses are missing the frame component which held them in place. We could not determine from their construction how they would be positioned in such a frame, but I expect that with your skills this can be ascertained rather quickly."

He pointed out a few details of the goggles he'd noticed, trying to get the other Magos's interest in a device that needed to be rebuilt.

The magos takes the goggles. A series of lights flash out of his bionic eye and sweeps over the item.

REPAIR WOULD BE SIMPLE. EITHER INTEGRATE INTO HELM OR ADD A STRAP. I IMAGINE YOU WHERE IN SOME FORM OF ALCHEMICAL PRODUCTION FACILITY?

"Yes, the central facility seemed to be surrounded by an alchemical production plant of some kind, which may account for the significant quantities of chems we found on site. It is likely they were produced there, and awaiting export."

He glanced toward the crates of drugs. "Perhaps analysis of them would reveal new aspects of how the ancients produced them."

Pyritefoolsgold wrote:

The Magos' gaze was drawn to this display, and he watched it for several moments as he put the finishing touches on the cogitator's interface. Then he turned to Lethia.

"Navigator, can you please confirm that our astropath is not possessed?"

[While still in transit]

Alexium stopped, hands up and pointing at the ceiling of the vessel. One hand extends down until it is pointing at the Magos' face. "Oh, I am possessed. Possessed with the spirit of sweet ass moves." With one final thrust, the Astropath finishes dancing and gets ready for whatever comes next.

+++

Alexium watched the interchange from a distance that allowed it to go relatively unnoticed. The child had not found an opening yet for its services to be warranted. It wondered if it could even break through all that metal and whisper sweet nothings into the Tech Priest's mind. Alexium quickly decided that it would not rely on tapping into the Warp here unless things took a turn for the worse.

Roderick cocked an eyebrow as his friend moved strangely, then shrugged and waited for the boarding party to come and check their loot. He was hopeful the newcomer would be as competent as he appeared in haggling with the magos when the time came. For now, he would remain quiet and let the experts do their work. His time would come soon enough

Ignatio deflated somewhat at the matter-of-fact demonstration of superior knowledge. "Thank you for curing my ignorance. Now here we have..." he handed over each of the other artifacts for inspection, doing his best to downplay their capabilities slightly, though he sensed that there was little he could do to adjust the other Magos' opinions.

DIRECT MY ASSISTANTS TO THE CHEMICAL SUPPLIES AND SIMPLER ARCHEOTECH.

The magos continued his inspection.

LEVIBOARD...NEEDLESSLY DANGEROUS THOUGH EXCESSIVE RISK TAKERS SEEM TO BE FOND OF DYING ON THEM...

NO TIME DIFFERENTIAL COM ARRAY...QUITE USEFUL FOR COORDINATING SERVANTS...

LOGO-SPACIA HANDSCOPE...USEFUL MOSTLY TO HOMO NAVIGUS...

HIGH DENSITY MINIATURE FUSION CORE...IN NEED OF REPAIRS, LIKELY NEW ZIRKON SHEATHING. BUT IMPOSSIBLE TO REPRODUCE WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGY.

He placed the item down and turned back to the group.

THESE ARE IDENTIFIED AND VALIDATED. NOW, TO THE LARGER ITEM! THE COGITATOR CORE, THE EXO-SUITS. LEAD ME TO THEM.

Torian steps forward lightly

"Magos, I inquire regarding an unforeseen circumstance. At our deepest point in the ruins, we encountered a tech-ogre of unknown like. Although severely strained, we managed to exploit a minor flaw in its layers of armor and destroy it. Our risk to continued function was higher than expected, and accordingly, the data collected by your sensor unit is of correspondingly higher value than previously expected. Additionally, the method by which the ogre was killed is peculiar and worthy of particular scrutiny and study. Therefore, our previous agreement is ill-fitting. We deserve a higher proportion of our physical gains than previously agreed upon."

"You should likely see the cogitator core next," Ignatio said, doing his best to shunt his emotional reactions into other mental processes. "Right this way."

He led his fellow Magos deeper into the barge, to where they had stored the cogitator. The evidence of his tinkering had been carefully removed from the scene.

"A significantly powerful unit, though somewhat damaged, as you can see. I believe the ancients may have stored it in stasis to await repair."

Catching on to the subtle intonations and body language of Ignatio - something the other magos would never notice - Torian quickened his step to be slightly in front of the inspector, and launched into a diatribe against the foul tech-heresy they found in their mission, how it made him and the other party members feel, which emotions were evoked by the precariousness of their mission, how terrifying the tech-ogre was.... and on and on and on. He threaded the line between being so annoyingly-human that the tech priest would simply turn off his audio responders, and being too little a distraction that the magos would be able to easily concentrate on his valuation. Whenever the magos would attempt to halt the conversation, Torian would subtly steer himself right back to discussing in detail the exact human traits that tech-priests so thoroughly purge from themselves as wasteful and beneath them.

"My lord, while I have your ear, I simply must tell you about the horrible heresies we encountered in our mission below! Truly the most nauseating, cold-sweat creating, anxiety-inducing sights. I felt as if my eyes were crawling, my ears scratching, even my nose burning. The physical and psychological sensations are so difficult to describe, but surely I must give it my very best effort for the good of our knowledge...

... oh and the terror! That such a beast could even exist, let alone be trying to rip my very soul from my flesh!...

...If only I could stop telling you this, certainly I would. But the pain, the mental strain, the torment of my experience effuses outwards with my every exhalation!..."

The distraction clearly kept the Magos of kilter. He summarily inspected the cogitator, barely even taking the time to check each connector port.

YES, YES, THIS SEEMS TO BE WORTH THE EXCHANGE YOU PROPOSED. IT SHOULD HELP YOUR SHIP RUN BETTER. VALUABLE, BUT IT CAN BE FOUND ELSEWHERE SHOULD WE NEED ONE. LET US GO TO THE EXO-SUITS.

"Yes, the Prensio Load-Lifters were quite a find," Magos Pulsanus says, opening the cargo container into which they'd been stored. "Two are in pristine condition, and one was even operated in the field. The data regarding its performance is also available."

The magos finished inspecting the exosuits.

EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE AS INDICATED. AND THE DATA FROM MY ADEPTS SEEMS TO CONFIRM THE SAME FOR THE REST OF THE CARGO. I SHALL RETURN TO MY SHUTTLE AND SEND MY REPORT WITHIN 30 STANDARD MINUTES.

He scuttled off towards his shuttle, paying little heed to anyone else on the ship. The inspection was complete- now the next steps could start.

Torian stepped aside from the group to address one of the communications crew. "Patch me through to the Archmagos - use these authorization codes...".

Upon connection, Torian explained the updated circumstances and put forward his argument: "Archmagos, your inspector lacked the authority to make decisions of this nature, so I have decided to come directly to you. I inquire regarding an unforeseen circumstance. At our deepest point in the ruins, we encountered a tech-ogre of unknown like. Although severely strained, we managed to exploit a minor flaw in its layers of armor and destroy it. Our risk to continued function was higher than expected, and accordingly, the data collected by your sensor unit is of correspondingly higher value than previously expected. Additionally, the method by which the ogre was killed is peculiar and worthy of particular scrutiny and study. Therefore, our previous agreement is ill-fitting. We deserve a higher proportion of our physical gains than previously agreed upon."

A holoprojection of the archmagos comes out of a previously unknown projector:

This arguments seems dubious. You were expreselly warned some of the Technorog where the size of titans. You are fortunate to have left with your whole group alive. But, I am willing to offer a slight compromise; while I am capable of accepting your proposed distribution, I am willing to offer the following modification: I would take 1 additional servo-hauler, and you would keep the so-called "goggles". Do you aquiesce?

"Acquiescence confirmed, Magos"

Torian's pale eyes glinted as his lip upturned slightly in victory. This is what he lives for.

He rejoins the group and conveys the updated deal.