Weyland stands tall absorbing the stubber rounds. The gunner finally sees his mistake that he has targeted a Plague Marine. Either from shock or something else the gunner violently spasms and crumbles to the bed of the truck dead.
Ethhart can't even get a grenade off before Weylands rounds all find their homes... in the cranium or chest of his targets in their cabs. The two trucks, driver-less, swerve around before colliding into one another and shower the ground in mechanical and fleshy parts.
[End of Combat]"Remind me to never get on your bad side, Astartes." Says the lead Nomad from the cab of the truck.
The two surviving trucks speed off into the wasteland leaving behind a trail of carnage.
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The trucks come speeding up to the Mekonta, one of Messia's two polar cities. The temperature is cooler and the everything is lite by twilight. Drill rigs sit at the edge of the city unloading their cargo with their escorts still standing guard.
The trucks bypass these refineries and head a little further into the outskirts of Mekonta. Every building from the outskirts to the city center is ragged and patched up. Weyland sees why starts to see why.
Half of the city is bathed in darkness and light. The side of the city in the light is broken down under the intense heat, acid, and other chemicals ignited from the light. It's like a revolving wheel of madness albeit a slow one. Parts of the city on the dawn side are being rebuilt and those on the dawn edge are abandoned or are being abandoned.
The trucks come roaring up to a massive motor pool center teaming with countless other Nomads and their vehicles. The motor pool is part auction house, mechanics shop, and leisure for the Nomads. For Ethhart and Weyland it's just a curiosity as they venture deeper into the city towards the port, whichever reconstructed one that might be.
Deeper in the city is the land of the Mekonta citizens who control their properties with ruthlessness and zeal. The slaves who fight for the entertainment of the citizens in the arenas and rebuild the city. Then the well armed pressgangs that roam the night side streets checking everyone for identification, killing those who resist and enslaving those who are without identification.
One these pressgangs descends down upon Ethhart as he turns the corner of a building. When Weyland steps around though the pressgang scurries away like rats.
Ethhart leads Weyland to the "port" and proceeds to head towards a Dark Mechanicus vessel surrounded by guards. Weyland instantly knows what the guards are,
Thallaxii. Machines he hasn't seen since the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.
They ID Ethhart as friendly but all their weapons turn Weyland. That is until Ethhart says something in a clipped and screeching language, binary chatter. They all lower their weapons and let Weyland pass.
Approaching the ship Weyland spots other Hereteks going about their business and one in particular scuttles over to you like a caterpillar. It's flanked by two humanoid machines. Each ones shells dark as the void and as tall and large as any Astartes. Each holds a power spear.
The Heretek looks at Ethhart, "Thought we lost you." The Heretek then rears up and meets Weyland at eye level, "I see Ethhart has brought a friend back." A dendrite appears from the Heretek and a red laser sweeps across Weylands figure, "Hmmm, a Death Guard Apothecary, interesting. No wonder you ran into Ethhart. Probably looking for prognoids. Did he give you the excuse that he was Hive Polix?" The Heretek laughs in a clipped computer way, "I'm Magos Ulta and Ethhart hear is one of my Tech-Priests. We are not from Hive Polix. We're from one of the asteroid-smithies out in the Ragged Helix."
Magos Ulta looks at Ethhart and the two communicate in the incomprehensible binary chatter. Ulta looks back at Weyland "Ethhart informs me you are now the sole carrier of the prognoids. I would like it greatly if you returned them."
The Ethhart starts to fire off some binary chatter before Ulta violently cuts him off with his own.