Well?" demanded Medes, one of the many arrogant traitor Astartes that made up the Adamant Corps, the red eye lenses of his Mark 3 helmet glowing balefully.
"I've successfully grown Iron Warriors gene-seed within a braindead human host," replied Artemisia A-36, former Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus turned Heretek of the Dark Mechanicum.
Spoiler: Artemisia A-36
An Organicist and follower of the Vogelist philosophy, she had been 'persuaded' by her Adamant Corps masters to research ways to refresh their stocks of gene-seed. At least, what hadn't already mutated into uselessness by now. After eleven thousand years of Progenoid Gland replication within successive generations of the Iron Warriors and their various warbands, it seemed a miracle that any viable gene-seed still remained.
Artemisia suspected that it was only due to the Iron Warriors' gene-seed being specifically designed for ease of implantation, combined with how relatively little time they spent within the Eye of Terror, that any remained at all. She supposed it was no coincidence that this work was being undertaken on Adskapesht, a Hell-Forge only barely on the rim of the Eye of Terror, away from the mutagenic effects of the Warp.
"Unfortunately, it seems the gene-seed was designed to work as a single cohesive 'package' of augmentations, and so only a human host implanted with the full gamut of organs will produce viable Progenoid Glands," Artemisia continued. "Of course, this means the rate of gene-seed replication is still no worse than what would occur within a living Space Marine. This data-slate contains the schematics of the growth vats normally used to create servitors, suitably modified to feed the gene-seed organs with nutrients as well as the human body."
"Adequate," rumbled Medes. "Build as many of the growth vats as you can."
Artemisia resisted the urge to scowl. A 'thank you' would have been nice, yet she couldn't even do so much as talk back to her oppressors. She still venerated the Machine God, just as she had prior to the Adamant Corps' takeover of Adskapesht, and had converted to the ways of the Dark Mechanicum only to avoid losing her life. Having been enlightened to the truth of Chaos, she had begun to theorise that the Machine God was in fact a fifth Chaos God, disregarded by the other four due to His focus on the perfection of steel rather than the mysticism of the Warp. A god that was perhaps related to the daemon king Vashtorr that she'd heard rumours of.
Before either of them could say anything else the door slid open behind Medes, through which stepped another Space Marine clad in ornate red and gold Terminator Armour. One of the Angels Transcendent no doubt, here to trade with the Adamant Corps. The flesh of this particular Angel Transcendent seemed to have been blessed with Primaris gene-seed, given his greater size and moderately less wonky proportions, even if his bulky armour made it difficult to discern.
"I require to speak with the former Magos Biologis, now Heretek Artemisia A-36," announced the scion of Sanguinius.
Medes spun around with preternatural speed, his hand falling on the hilt of his chainsword. "What about?" Medes snapped.
"Matters that are no concern of yours," the Angel Transcendent replied, his tone belligerent.
"She's preoccupied. Get lost."
"Either you can stop being such an annoying pest, or I start insulting you until you feel compelled to challenge me to an honour duel, allowing me to legally turn you into giblets," the red armoured Astartes growled, his body flickering with blue Warp lightning.
Medes muttered darkly under his breath about young upstarts before leaving the room. A rank and file Chaos Space Marine, no matter how skilled, was no match for a Primaris Marine sorcerer in Terminator Armour. It was at this point Artemisia saw the newcomer's face; like all Blood Angels he was stunningly handsome, with none of the acromegaly common to bearers of other strains of gene-seed, the blood of Sanguinius running strong in him. Curiously, his skin was a healthy shade of brown, as opposed to the pale complexion common to the Blood Angels, with deep brown eyes, closely cropped hair and a short beard. A swarthy Blood Angel was one thing, but one with facial hair? That was practically unheard of.
"You don't seem too happy working for the Adamant Corps," observed the Angel Transcendent.
"An understatement of the millennium," Artemisia said with a sigh. "And you are?"
"Melekh, sorcerer of the Angels Transcendent," he replied with a friendly smile, holding his hand out for her to shake, which she took. "I was not expecting to find an Organicist on a world dedicated to churning out arms and armour for the Iron Warriors."
Artemisia's Organicist leanings had put her at odds with her more orthodox brethren. Two centuries in age, she had nevertheless retained much of her human appearance beyond her bionic limbs and mechadendrites. To be sure, her flesh had been augmented to the same level as her steel; her bones were composed of plasteel and ceramite, ensuring they could handle the greater force exerted by her bionic limbs without issue. Subdermal armour plating lay beneath her skin. Her internal organs had all been replaced by vat grown versions that were both more durable and efficient. Her nerves had been replaced by superconducting fibres. Her brain had been augmented with faster, more efficient vat grown neurons and cerebral bionic implants.
And yet, even her extensive suite of physical and mental augmentations was derided and mocked by her fellows. They refused to accept that the human body was the most perfect machine the Machine God had ever created. Could she not have both her natural beauty and the certainty of steel simultaneously? Could she not have her cake and eat it too? Unlike her fellows, Artemisia firmly believed that she could.
"I was still a novitiate when the Adamant Corps took over," Artemis said bitterly. "I was promised the 'truth' of Chaos, freedom from the dogma of the Adeptus Mechanicus, freedom to work on whatever I wished without fear of the Magos Dominus's disapproval."
"Did you receive it?" Melekh asked.
"In a literal sense, yes. Of course, no-one mentioned that I would be trading one master for another. The Adamant Corps do not care for the joy of learning and discovery. In their eyes, nothing that cannot be used to kill has any worth."
Artemisia knew that divulging so much to a complete stranger was foolish, and yet somehow… she felt as if she could trust Melekh. He was clearly no friend to the Adamant Corps, if his conversation with Medes had been any indication. His presence on Adskapesht, like the rest of his brethren, was entirely transactional.
"I can see that you are a unique woman, Artemisia A-36," Melekh said, sounding pleased. "Besides how rare it is to meet a fellow free thinker, it is even rarer to meet one of the Mechanicum that is pleasing to look upon, let alone beautiful."
Artemisia felt her cheeks grow warm. "It is not so that the human body is the most perfect machine the Machine God has ever created? Why should I sacrifice one form of perfection in the pursuit of another? My senses are augmented with vat grown organs of my own design, almost as effective as those of my fellows, and equally as effective with extra sensory equipment. I may have given up my original limbs, but only because of the undeniable practical utility in the strength of steel. Even then, I sought for them to be aesthetically pleasing, unlike the crude bionics favoured by my more… mechanically minded brethren."
Melekh nodded approvingly. "That is the purest form of human ingenuity, is it not? When faced with two unappealing options, you created a third option. That sort of ingenuity is exactly what I'm looking for."
"To what end?" Artemisia asked, unsurprised that he'd been leading into a recruitment pitch.
Melekh leaned forward, his expression serious. "I require someone with your skillset to manage my technological affairs. Moreover, it will take an inquisitive mind to improve upon the technology in my possession."
Artemisia frowned. "What sort of technology would a Slaaneshi Chaos sorcerer have at their disposal?"
In response, Melekh removed his right gauntlet, showing her the back of his hand. A hand that glowed purple with the Mark of Slaanesh. "As you can see, I have been marked by the Prince of Pleasure, who believes I am destined for great things. Yet my blessing manifests itself differently to most. No mere mutations or Warp techniques, but instead the tools to one day conquer the galaxy in Her name."
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, Lord Melekh," Artemisia replied, intrigued that Melekh referred to Slaanesh as a her.
"Do you not recognise my armour?" He asked. "Not the usual Indomitus pattern, the only one still in production as far as I'm aware. No, this is the Cataphractii pattern, a priceless piece of archeotech dating back to the Great Crusade, formed from composite armour plates of the highest quality ceramite and metaplas, housed on an adamantium frame that can stop anything short of a macro cannon shell."
Artemis's eyes bulged. The Cataphractii pattern of Tactical Dreadnought Armour was one she'd only ever heard of. She hadn't believed any examples still existed in this day and age, at least as anything other than display pieces.
"Be that as it may, I fail to see how one suit of armour will allow you to conquer the galaxy, no matter how impressive," Artemisia said. "Also, while I would like to consider myself well versed in many different areas of study, this is certainly not one of them."
"This is just the very first one," Melekh replied, his voice becoming a low timbre even as his gaze grew ever more intense. "The real prizes are those that take advantage of my patron's extradimensional nature."
Artemis gasped. "Technology from other… universes? Planes of existence? You're either mad, or-"
"I promise you, Artemisia A-36, I am very much not mad," Melekh insisted. "Watch."
A spike of alarm ran through Artemisia as Melekh drew his Force Axe, with his left hand. Before she could react he laid his other wrist down on a workbench before bringing the axe down, effortlessly cutting his own hand off.
Melekh just grunted in pain, the Larraman's cells in his blood causing the wound to scab over in mere seconds.
"This is the part you need to pay attention to," he said, reaching into a pouch on his belt and withdrawing a syringe of a translucent green liquid. He pulled off the plastic needle cover with his teeth, spitting it away before sticking the needle into his stump and injecting himself with the stuff.
Artemisia's jaw was practically on the floor as Melekh's hand grew back almost instantaneously. Strangely, it didn't grow outwards from the wound like one would expect; it instead seemed to grow upwards, from the downward facing palm to the upward facing back of his hand. Even the Black Carapace port on the back of his hand had grown back.
"By the holy machine spirits… how on Terra is this possible?"
"This liquid is called Helapoiesis," Melekh grinned, even as he destroyed his severed hand with a blast of Warp lightning. "Though it is used to heal, its nature is actually temporal. It doesn't heal wounds, Heretek Artemisia. It undoes them."
Artemis just stared in shock as Melekh's healed- rewound hand, still bearing the Mark of Slaanesh. There was no scar on his wrist. The only indication he had been injured was the congealed blood on the blade of his Force Axe, and the small pile of ash which was all that remained of his severed hand. She had never seen anything like this. She had never even heard of anything like this.
"How- what- I must know more!" Artemisia blurted out. "How is this liquid made? What are its limitations? Do you know anything about the plane that it came from?"
Melekh chuckled. "I can answer the last of those questions easily enough. The world that the Helapoiesis originated from draws its most advanced technology from what they call Singularities, a variety of different Warp-based phenomena. There is another that I am particularly interested in, allowing for the creation of various different augmentations which will work synergistically with those native to this galaxy. Both mine and yours."
"What do you need me to do?" Artemisia asked. There wasn't anything she wouldn't give for the chance to study technology from a different plane of existence. Combined with an opportunity to be rid of the ungrateful Adamant Corps…
"I have a number of different documents and schematics relating to the usage of the Singularities in my possession," Melekh replied. "Fortunately, they are explained in simple enough terms to allow me to produce some of the Helapoiesis myself, just from what I had on-hand back on Baal Superior. Given that this technology was created by baseline humans who did not, as far as I am aware, have augmented intelligence, I am hopeful that you, a being with greatly augmented intelligence, can not just recreate it, but improve upon it. In particular, I would like to see if we can somehow integrate the gene-seed into the Singularity-borne augmentations to increase their potency even further."
Artemisia smiled. "I already thought the creation of the Primaris Space Marines was remarkable enough, and now I will have the chance to improve upon it even further? Must you even ask?"
"I couldn't have hoped for a better response," Melekh replied, practically purring. "Though I must warn you, I am walking down a dangerous path. While this technology is no doubt fascinating in its own right, I aim to bend it towards a very risky end."
"What end?" Artemisia asked. She would tolerate a bit of danger for this golden opportunity.
The smile fell off Melekh's face. "You are not the only one at odds with your fellows, Artemisia A-36. I, too, am at odds with the Angels Transcendent. Our leader Gabriel… he is a monster. An incredibly cruel, evil, powerful monster of a daemon prince. So am I for that matter, but I would like to think I do not sink to such depths of depravity. I seek to engage in a more moderate form of worship, one that does not involve torturing and defiling those beneath me. If I am to have any hope of banishing Gabriel back to the Warp, I need to be as powerful as possible. Much of that power will no doubt come from my patron, but I cannot ignore the more physical means of empowerment either. That's where you come in.
"I realise that asking you to come with me will mean putting you in danger as well, at least if I am unsuccessful," Melekh murmured. "For now, Gabriel does not consider me to be a threat. I aim to keep it that way until I actually am a threat. Will you still come with me, knowing that failure will likely involve your death or worse?"
Artemisia was completely undeterred. "Whenever I or one of my fellow genetors attempts to capture a xeno for vivisection, we risk our lives, and even our very souls," she replied. "Who am I to avoid such a risk myself, especially when the reward is exponentially greater?"
"That's the spirit," Melekh said, his smile returning. "I have already purchased a variety of tools, parts and equipment that I thought might be useful. I trust you will bring whatever else you deem necessary with you… I also trust that you appreciate the importance of keeping what I have just told you a secret?"
"More than anyone," Artemisia replied. "The Adeptus Mechanicus would tear apart entire worlds for the chance to find an intact STC. For the opportunity to study technology from another plane of existence? They would sacrifice anything short of Mars itself. Although, it is a shame this technology cannot be used to uplift all of humanity."
"Who's to say that it won't be used for that eventually?" Melekh said. "Once I've taken control of the Angels Transcendent, I will have the resources necessary to put some of the other Singularities to use. Ones that are not particularly useful to myself personally, but will allow me to expand my mere warband into an entire legion."
"Is that so?" Artemisia asked. Not that she was surprised at this point, she just wondered exactly what he was talking about.
"There are two that are most relevant in that regard," Melekh replied. "One allows for the creation of replicae hatcheries, which due to their Warp-based nature, can properly replicate the human soul. Assuming it is also able to replicate the spiritual aspects of the gene-seed, we'll be able to produce armies of Astartes en masse. Another allows for the creation of compartmentalised experiences which can then be consumed, transferring the experiences from one individual to another. I believe that this will allow any replicae Astartes to quickly and easily be trained in all matters of combat."
"I suppose the main issue will be arming them all," Artemisia said.
Melekh grimaced. "Unfortunately, none of the Singularities can help with that. We'll need more traditional methods of production to outfit everyone. If only we had our own Hell-Forge," he sighed. "Until then, we'll have to make do with looting loyalist chapters."
By now, Artemisia was already committed to helping Melekh in whatever manner she could. While biology was her specialty, one didn't live as a Tech-Priest or Heretek for two hundred years without learning a thing or two about cogitator programming. The last thing she did before leaving Adskapesht was to write a backdoor into the planet's Noosphere that only she could access. That should help her take over the world's industry in Melekh's name, if or when he ever chose to do that.
-x-x-x-x-
Feat accomplished: recruit a Tech-Priest or Heretek. 100 CP gained, current balance: 610 CP
Well, that had gone about as well as I could have hoped for. After asking about the genetor population of Adskapesht, many of the people I had spoken to seemed to hold Artemisia A-36 in high regard. The people that didn't had voiced rumours that she wasn't a true believer in Chaos, only converting at bolterpoint. Both of those things were all the excuse I needed to poach her away from the Adamant Corps.
Not that I would trust even this ideal candidate with my secrets out of hand. I had used my most subtle application of telepathy when I had shaken her hand, not drawing enough Warp energy for blue sparks to appear around me. It had been just barely enough to nudge her into a more compliant state. Far less invasive than the methods I had used to shape Erys's mind, just enough to ensure she wouldn't betray me, seeing the sheer rightness of serving me.
Not that I was limited to doing it just once. Every time I touched her from that point on, I applied the Warp technique, slowly but steadily turning her into my newest concubine. It was fortunate that her brain was still mostly grey matter, augmented or otherwise; the telepathy probably wouldn't work on something silica-based.
It also wouldn't work on my fellow Astartes, unfortunately. Technically it would, but the Warp-infused nature of the gene-seed offered a modicum of protection against such mind meddling. Not completely, but it was enough to prevent me from making any of them loyal short of kidnapping them and forcibly breaking their mind for a few days… something they had all been trained to resist.
No, all of them except Camael would have to be purged unless my patron gave me another means of mind control. At least their experiences could be put to use training their replacements, once I'd purchased the relevant Singularity anyway. Unless… maybe by the time Gabriel had been dealt with, the positive aspect of Slaanesh would have gained enough strength to appear personally upon Baal Superior and compel them to follow her instead? No, not something I could rely upon. Hopefully I wouldn't have to purge the lot of them.
I had been speaking with Artemisia for the past little while, and I was rapidly taking a liking to her. The gene-seed implantation had the side effect of increasing one's intelligence beyond the human baseline, the Primaris gene-seed even more so. Combined with the cerebral enhancement I had been implanted with a few decades ago, I simply couldn't regard a baseline human as my intellectual equal, no matter how naturally brilliant they may be.
That was another factor that had influenced the physical and mental changes I had made to Erys. I had used biomancy on her brain to induce the growth of neurons that were both more efficient and greater in number before also having her implanted with the cerebral enhancer. As useful as having augmented intelligence was, I hadn't dared to try augmenting my own brain with biomancy; messing with one's own grey matter while it was in active use didn't seem like the best idea.
At least now I would have another lover who was my intellectual equal. Artemisia explained that her brain had been augmented with vat grown neurons, effectively achieving the same result as I had with Erys only with mundane methods. I didn't want to mess with that, and so the telepathic Warp technique I was using on her wouldn't affect her personality in any way. It would simply make her as loyal, and loving, as her soon-to-be new sisters.
"I am curious Lord Melekh; is your interest in human augmentation purely practical, or do you appreciate it for its own sake as well?" Artemisia asked.
"I suppose it's mostly practical, though I would argue that augmentation is something that cannot be divorced from practical considerations," I replied. "One's body is the only means one has to interact with the wider universe. Enhancing that is something that cannot possibly be of purely academic interest. That does not mean I find it anything other than fascinating, of course."
"I am glad to hear it," she said. "I shouldn't be surprised, a sorcerer was always likely to be of a more scholarly bent than most."
"In truth, I'm better at smashing people's heads in with my axe than casting spells," I sheepishly admitted. "Why do you think I was given a suit of Terminator Armour?"
"It matters not, so long as you retain a love of learning," Artemisia opined. "Is that not one of humanity's most noble traits?"
I couldn't help but scoff, though it wasn't because I disagreed with her. "Your colleagues would disagree."
Artemisia frowned. "Rediscovery of the accomplishments of our ancestors is still learning, Lord Melekh. Though I will admit, the creation of something entirely new is far more satisfying."
"Is that an opinion you held prior to your conversion
to the ways of Chaos?"
"I had… been curious," she admitted. "I was inspired by the works of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, at least what little I heard about them prior to the Adamant Corps' assault of Adskapesht. I suspect that Lord Commander Guilliman's influence was the only thing keeping him from being declared a Heretek."
"And now that you are one, there is no reason to hold back with your research," I said.
"There are some areas of research that I still feel uncomfortable exploring," Artemisia said. "The creation of abominable intelligences for example."
She noticed me raising an eyebrow. "Do you disagree that such things should remain in humanity's past?"
"Are they really any worse than a daemon engine?" I asked.
"To be clear, I have no problem with unintelligent automata such as servitors," she replied. "But those of a human level intellect or even greater… the risk of them supplanting humanity is too great. Just as importantly, the benefit of creating such beings is reduced enormously when we have the ability to create biological beings of superhuman intelligence. We ourselves are but two examples. Daemon engines, or daemons in general, are rarely capable of superhuman intelligence, and are thus far less dangerous."
"The greater daemons of the Changer of Ways would disagree, but I take your point," I said. Our conversation was cut short by the arrival of Camael.
"Artemisia, this is Camael, my closest brother and one of the few aware of our… scheme," I said. "Cam, this is Artemisia A-36, former Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Magos Artemisia," Camael said. "You must hear this a lot, but you're certainly more pleasing to the eye than the average Tech-Priest, let alone the average Heretek."
"The pleasure is mine, Lord Camael," Artemisia replied, clearly flattered. She was apparently unused to being complemented for her beauty. "And yes, I very much remain an Organicist and Vogelist, even after embracing the Heretekal."
"I'm sure you'll get along well with Melekh then," Camael said before turning to me. "There's been a development Mel. Gabriel managed to cut a deal with the Adamant Corps' ruling Chaos Lord. Besides purchasing a number of heavy weapons and aircraft, they agreed to join us in an assault against the Emperor's Children in exchange for a greater share of the loot."
"The core of the legion, or one of their warbands?"
"The core of the Emperor's Children is beyond our reach, but their warbands are not," Camael replied. "Specifically, the warband known as the Threnodic Choir. Gabriel wants them wiped out to the last man."
"That didn't take as long as I expected," I said. "Clearly, the enemy of our enemy really is our friend."
"Assuming they see things the same way, though hopefully their desire for our continued business will outweigh their penchant for treachery."
"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," I replied.
AN:
Yes, of course the tech-priest is hot. This is QQ after all. To be fair, the Organicist sect is a real thing in 40k lore. I was inspired by the image very kindly provided by @Darkfirephoenix, but generated my own. I couldn't get the mechadendrites unfortunately, but what can you do. I'll update the character sheet as well. Like ReplyReport Reactions:EVENGODSMAYDIE, Xryuran, Vergil1989 Crossover King and 172 othersShakieAug 13, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 14 - A religious experience New View contentShakieBad girls = best girlsAug 20, 2025Add bookmark#106With our business on Adskapesht now concluded, it was time to head back to Baal Superior. We wouldn't be stopping there too long, mainly just to reconsolidate our forces and give the Adamant Corps time to organise themselves before attacking the Threnodic Choir's citadel deeper in the Eye of Terror. I wasn't sure if Artemisia would be able to produce something worthwhile in such a short span of time, but you never know. Maybe she'd surprise me.
100 CP gained, current balance: 710 CP
My decision to recruit a Heretek to my side had raised more than a few eyebrows, but little controversy. When asked, I'd told my brothers that her primary role was to maintain my equipment. Many of them had bought that particular explanation, realising that a Cataphractii pattern suit of Terminator Armour, along with my new plasma weapons, were the sort of thing that really ought to be kept in perfect condition. The rest, aware that my sex drive had been restored, read between the lines and concluded that my beautiful new concubine's secondary role was the 'real' one.
Both of those things were true, which distracted anyone away from realising that she also had an even more important tertiary role. Namely, managing the magitek that my patron provided me. Once Artemisia and I were safely enclosed within my quarters upon the Tears of Sanguinius, I had told her about all the various different Singularities which were available to me which I had not yet purchased.
"Fascinating," Artemisia murmured, holding her chin with one of her metal hands, deep in thought. "The technology enabled by these Singularities is remarkable enough with each one in isolation. By combining them together…"
"We get something worth more than the sum of its parts," I finished. "Of course, given that the corporations in control of these Singularities were directly competing with each other, the only times that happened were when a Corporation fell from grace and its Singularity became publicly available."
Artemisia scowled. "A microcosm of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Their motives may have been different, but the same dynamics are at play. A newly rediscovered piece of technology is not something to be cherished and shared with one's colleagues. It is at best a diplomatic bargaining chip over one's rivals. At worst? Ammunition for said rivals to accuse one of tech-heresy. The only thing keeping this friction from turning into outright war was our nominal unity under the Omnissiah's banner."
"Would you still have accepted working with the technology borne from the Singularities had its creators not been human?" I asked.
"That's… an interesting question, and not an easy one to answer," she replied. "As you know, I was originally a loyalist. Officially, every piece of technology in the universe has already been invented by mankind in the past, and our calling is simply to rediscover it. The technology at your disposal does not contradict this core tenet; it was invented by humanity, albeit on another plane of existence, and so was simply beyond our capacity for rediscovery."
"And unofficially?"
"The hostility between these corporations clearly prevented the Singularities from being used at their most optimal capacity. You told me that R Corp, the one responsible for the Replicae Hatcheries, used them to create 1000 Replicae of a particular individual, which would be forced to fight to the death and the winner becoming part of R Corp's security force?"
"That is correct," I replied. I had not seen it myself of course, the Celestial Grimoire had simply shown me the background around the Singularities and how they were used.
"Even disregarding how morally abhorrent that is - something that we of the Dark Mechanicum can hardly criticise them for, I realise - it is also ludicrously inefficient," Artemisia said. "The Replicae are, by design, all identical. A winner in such a tournament would not be the one that was the strongest, or most skillful, given that those attributes are exactly the same across all Replicae. It would be whichever one happened to get lucky."
"Have you considered that 'the winner out of 1000 fights to the death' is the sort of thing that sounds impressive until you actually sit down and think about it, and thus is more to cow the ignorant masses, which may be better for avoiding conflict than actually being an effective fighting force?" I asked.
"By the Omnissiah, that never even crossed my mind," Artemisia replied. "At least I can be sure that you would never utilise the Replicae in that fashion, Lord Melekh. You seek actual combat effectiveness, not merely the appearance of it."
"Exactly," I said. "What ork or tyranid cares for appearances? Assuming I am successful, I will have to rid the galaxy of those monstrosities sooner or later."
"And the galaxy will surely thank you for it, my lord. Though I do hope your patron sees fit to grant you more technology from other planes in the meantime. Why, I can't even imagine in which directions that the holy quest for knowledge will take me!"
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Artemisia, but as you are clearly far less dogmatic than your peers, surely you must realise that the core of the Cult Mechanicum's beliefs are inherently flawed? Your 'quest for knowledge' seeks to rediscover all technology, yet excludes xenotech without any sort of theological justification?"
Artemisia didn't seem offended, instead just grimacing. "That's the sort of thing that followers of the Machine God have to sweep under the metaphorical rug."
"Would it not be better for such rug sweeping to not be required? Do you happen to know if the Cult Mechanicum held such a belief prior to their subordination by the Corpse Emperor?"
"I honestly have no idea," Artemisia admitted. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if they did. I suppose that when the Cult Mechanicum first arose on Mars during the Age of Strife, its founders did not have any knowledge of such… soft subjects as theology, and thus did not consider the importance of having a truly rigorous set of religious beliefs. Especially when conditions on Mars were so awful that people sought succour wherever they could find it, the Cult Mechanicum was able to expand without having to answer such awkward questions."
"Would you say it's past time for a reformation?" I asked.
"Hah!" Artemisia let out a single humourless laugh. "We have already had one, my lord. It led to the birth of the Dark Mechanicum. Co-opted by the ruinous powers for their own ends just as the Corpse Emperor did with the original Mechanicum. The treachery of the followers of Chaos is about as conducive to new creations as you might imagine. Despite that, my colleagues still manage to make genuine technological progress from time to time. The Hell Blade for example, which is objectively superior to contemporary Imperial fighter aircraft."
"You wish for more, don't you?" I said, my voice low. "All technology will be brought under the control of my future empire, for the betterment of the state and its people. And you, my dear, will be at the forefront of this wave of progress."
"Nothing would please me more, my lord," Artemisia replied, religious fervor creeping into her voice. "The quest for knowledge shall continue without end!"
Now seemed like a good time to introduce her to the ways of Slaanesh. "Come and join me on the floor for a minute," I said, rising from the couch and sitting cross legged in the centre of the rug. Artemisia seemed surprised, but she did so, sitting directly opposite me.
"Give me your hands," I said. I took her metal hands, cool yet smooth to the touch.
"You created these yourself, didn't you Artemisia?" I asked softly. "Most tech-priests have cybernetic limbs no less crude than what you'd see on a servitor. You though… you take pride in combining form and function, don't you? You chose to retain the aesthetic of the human form even while augmenting yourself with the strength of steel. Even while replacing limbs of flesh with those of metal, your appreciation for beauty still shone through."
"For once, my efforts are recognised," Artemisia replied, hanging onto every word I spoke. "When my colleagues turn themselves into emotionless husks, what are they but more intelligent servitors? I seek to uplift the human condition, Lord Melekh, not replace it."
"As do I, my dear," moderating my voice into a low timbre. All the while, I was channelling a trickle of Warp energy into telepathy which I then channelled into her, gradually aligning her fanaticism more in line with my own views, though without interfering with her present fanaticism towards the Machine God. "There are two deities which will guide you along this path. The first of these, the Machine God, is one you are already well acquainted with. I would ask now that you open your mind towards another."
"You speak of Slaanesh, don't you?" she whispered, utterly transfixed.
"Yes, I do," I whispered back. "But there is more to Her than you realise. The nature of Slaanesh is excess, Artemisia. For most worshippers of the Prince of Pleasure, this takes the form of hedonism at its very worst, indulging in the pain and suffering of others. He is empowered by the myriad of negative emotions that fill this galaxy. My patron, on the other hand, is… different. A different aspect altogether, one fed by positive emotions. She, the goddess of pleasure, seeks to destroy the negative aspect, and has thus anointed me Her champion."
"A positive aspect?" Artemisia gasped quietly. "I did not know such a thing existed."
"Neither did I until recently. It doesn't take a genius of your calibre to understand why the negative aspects of the Four seek to keep such knowledge from the masses."
"No, of course not," she muttered. "They do not wish to lose the negative emotions upon which they glutton themselves in the Warp."
"Precisely," I said. "With the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the barrier between realspace and the Warp had weakened, giving the positive aspect of Slaanesh just enough influence over this plane to anoint me Her champion, to drive back Her many enemies before it's too late. To that end, She has granted me what She calls the Celestial Grimoire, a repository of magic drawing from other planes where She has more influence. The magic-based technology of the Singularities is but one example of this."
"I see. It may not include other forms of technology then?" Artemisia asked, sounding disappointed.
"The boons I am granted seem to be completely random," I replied. "Likely a consequence of the unpredictable eddies and currents of the Warp. Fortunately, with so many different Singularities at my disposal - eventually - they should tidy you over until I receive another piece of 'magitek' as She calls it."
"I shall await them patiently, my lord," she replied. "Now please, tell me the ways of Lady Slaanesh."
I spent the night doing exactly that, Artemisia drinking in my words like one dying of thirst drank down water. I did this repeatedly during the days that it took for us to return to Baal Superior. By the time we reached there, she was as devoted to Slaanesh as she was to the Machine God.
-x-x-x-x-
After learning that Artemisia had never been off of Adskapesht prior to my recruitment, having been born and raised there, I was looking forward to seeing her reaction as she beheld her new home for the first time as the shuttle descended down through Baal Superior's atmosphere. I wasn't disappointed.
"Blessed machine spirits… I didn't know such beauty existed," Artemisia said, her face pressed against the shuttle window. "This is not what I expected of a Slaaneshi daemon world."
"Beauty on the outside, ugliness on the inside, the creed of the Angels Transcendent which Gabriel has enforced upon his domain," I replied. "Though I shan't complain too much, the domain of the Blood Angels doesn't even have beauty on the outside. I suppose Sanguinius was a bit too busy conquering the galaxy in his creator's name to make Baal livable for its mutant populace."
Artemisia raised an eyebrow. "Even among the followers of Chaos, I never thought to encounter anyone, let alone one of his gene-sons, that did not speak highly of Sanguinius."
I just shrugged. "Gabriel may be a monster, but that doesn't mean there aren't things that I agree with him on. He believes those that value austerity are just unwilling to admit that they are too weak to take what they truly desire for themselves. So do I. A similar principle applies to the rad-blasted surface of the Blood Angel's homeworld. Living in hardship doesn't make you stronger or hardier. It just means you're living in hardship."
"The Catachans would seem to be a counterexample to that assertion, my lord."
"Only if whatever mutation making them stronger than baseline humans is naturally occurring," I replied. "I will reevaluate my opinion once I've seen some actual evidence that that is the case."
The sun was high in the multicoloured sky as we made landfall just outside my tower. We were accompanied by another shuttle containing whatever of our equipment - both what I'd bought and Artemisia had taken - hadn't fit into our own shuttle. At least I'd bought plenty of servitors, with Artemisia directing them to follow the accompanying human cultists who moved the equipment into my tower's undercroft, where it could be safely moved into the hidden chamber containing my Singularity without anyone catching wind of its existence.
"It's past time you met the person that keeps my domain from falling apart in my absence," I said to Artemisia as we ascended the steps to the main entrance. "I suspect the two of you will be getting very well acquainted."
Acquainted in multiple different ways, no doubt. Despite being nearly 70 years older than me, Artemisia had proven to be rather impressionable. I suspected this was due to her general lack of life experience, stuck doing more or less the same job on the same planet for 200 years, serving equally uncaring masters both before and after the Adamant Corps took over. Between that and my application of telepathy, it had been easy to bring her around both to the ways of Slaanesh, and accepting of her additional duties as one of my concubines.
Besides that, I would have them work together in more non-carnal ways as well. While Erys's training in biomancy was more narrow than my own, she possessed enough power and skill to maintain herself and her fellow concubines at their physical prime. Hopefully her biomancy, in conjunction with Artemisia's skills as a genetor, could create some worthwhile augmentations from the Singularities in my absence.
As usual, Erys was waiting to greet us, her mood visibly brightening when she saw my newest companion.
"Welcome back Master," Erys said with a broad smile. "And who is this rather exotic beauty that stands before me?"
"Artemisia A-36, former Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, now Heretek in the employ of Lord Melekh," Artemisia replied, clearly embarrassed by the compliment. "Erys, I presume? You're not bad looking yourself."
Erys laughed. "And with a sense of humour as well. I'm sure we'll become the best of friends," she said, walking over and pulling her into a hug.
"Erys, why don't you show Artemisia around my study?" I said. "I'll join you once I've changed out of my armour."
"Of course Master," she replied happily, taking Artemisia's hand as she led her down into the basement. I headed up to my bedchamber to telekinetically remove my armour, not in need of much maintenance after seeing no combat. I changed into a more casual robe top and trousers before heading down into the study myself.
100 CP gained, current balance: 810 CP
Spoiler: The Elder Scrolls - Online: Discourse Amaranthine, Cost: 100 CP
A conversation piece. Wonderful. And if I did need a mystical tome for a ritual, I already had several. Not that I minded too much, as I now had enough CP to purchase two Singularities. The one relating to augmentations was a given. The second was less clear, though I was leaning towards the Replicae Hatchery, as if my suspicion was correct it would allow for the creation of more gene-seed than Artemisia or I could ever reasonably use, at least until we started creating our own Astartes.
"-already converted me to the ways of his rather unique patron," I heard Artemisia say quietly as I opened the door into the study, there not being anyone else around to hear.
"Ways that have not come at the expense of her existing beliefs," I added once the door was closed, heading over to the drinks cabinet to wet my throat. I was in the mood for brandy.
"Indeed my lord. As I was explaining to Erys, I am now dedicated to both Lady Slaanesh and the Machine God," Artemisia replied.
"I'll admit that I know very little of the Machine God," Erys said. "But I'm sure you'll tell me all about Him over the next few weeks. Though speaking of gods… I assume Master Melekh has explained the somewhat unique way in which he venerates the Prince of Pleasure? Unique among Space Marines anyway?"
"Indeed. Though I am no virgin, I don't have a huge amount of experience in that department. Tech-priests who have replaced their brains' emotion centres with cogitators do not make for the best lovers, as it turns out," Artemisia deadpanned.
Erys snorted. "For beings made mostly of metal, surely a lack of emotion is the least of their problems?"
"Actually no," Artemisia replied. "Though rare, you do occasionally meet Magi who've augmented themselves with a Mars-pattern lower sceptre. Even rarer are those that realise it can be used for something other than urinating."
Erys and I laughed. "Recruiting you is the best decision I've made in decades, Artemisia," I said as I poured the brandy into a trio of tumblers. I allowed myself to savour the fruitiness of the drink, along with the way it stung the back of my throat and burned the insides of my nasal passages before continuing. "Anyway, we should discuss your primary reason for being here. As I said, I do not know if or when I'll receive any more magitek in the future, but my Singularities should give you plenty to sink your teeth into for the time being. Unfortunately I have only a few more days here until we take the fight to the Emperor's Children. Before I leave I want to ensure that you can work seamlessly with Erys's own skills at biomancy during my absence."
"I see," she replied, eyeing the brandy with a calculating gaze. "Creating something to empower yourself in the short time before you leave will be a tall order. Perhaps a bit too tall even for me."
"Master, do you know any more details of these Singularity-borne augmentations? What exactly they do, and how they're applied?" Erys asked.
My brow furrowed. "There seem to be two different kinds. The first kind are fairly conventional, artificial muscle fibres and the like, just enhanced with the Singularity. The second, and arguably more interesting, are augmentation tattoos. Seemingly relying entirely on the magical nature of the Singularity to function, they can grant such effects as increased physical strength and skin as strong as steel. Seemingly less effective than the first kind, but obviously far less invasive and easier to produce en masse."
"Augmentation tattoos?" Artemisia said, sounding intrigued. "Somehow incorporating the gene-seed into the ink would seem to be the most likely means of increasing their potency. Perhaps by converting them into a form of electoo I could increase its potency even further."
"Back when I was still living on Malthus-1A, my father had an electoo on the back of his wrist. A subcutaneous wristwatch," Erys said.
Artemisia nodded, raising her robe to show off the intricate, runic pattern electoos on the sides of her torso, stopping just below her breasts. "I understand that electoos are rather common on civilised worlds. No mere tattoos you understand; the base layer is made up of conductive ink like a normal tattoo, which is then overlaid with a layer of crystalline circuitry to store and manipulate various kinds of data. Usually people's personal details and whatnot. In Mechanicum usage, they can be used to store and unleash electromagnetic energy instead."
"Artemisia, be honest with me; how confident are you that you can actually create something from the Singularities?" Erys asked. "Not that I doubt your skills, but given how rare technological progress is among your colleagues…"
"You're not wrong," Artemisia sighed. "Fortunately, I have an enormous advantage over them; I'm not starting from scratch. With Lady Slaanesh providing written records of the Singularities and their usage, I can apply my existing knowledge to build on top of it. Besides, the reasons for our slow progress are more political than technical. So long as I remain in Lord Melekh's employ, I am sure that my only limitations will be the resources at my disposal."
"Do let me know if there's anything specific that you need that you do not have at hand," I replied.
"Of course, my lord. Besides the augmentation Singularity, I would like to see if the Replicae Hatcheries are actually capable of reproducing the spiritual aspects of the gene-seed. My path forward will depend on whether or not it can."
I nodded. Seeing as I had 800 CP available, I went ahead and bought them both. My remaining 10 CP might as well be 0 for all the good it would do me, but hopefully I would earn some more during our assault on the Threnodic Choir.
"I just purchased them both," I said. "The room containing the Singularities is under heavy psychic shielding to protect them from the ravages of the Eye of Terror. Thus, they should be safe and sound while I induct you into your new lifestyle."
"I see," Artemisia said, her emotions radiating excitement and nervousness through the Warp. "I've been looking forward to this, my lord. I've certainly never experienced the kind of pleasure the followers of Slaanesh are known for."
I smirked. "I'll give you more pleasure than even your augmented brain can handle Artemisia."
AN:
The more I learn about the Library of Ruina universe, the more grimderp it gets. The bit about 1000 clones fighting to the death with the winner becoming part of that corporation's security is completely canon. Unfortunately the wiki is rather light on details with respect to what the augmentation tattoos actually do, so I might have to take some artistic liberty, but it'll be based on other things in the Library of Ruina universe and what they can do.
I also created a new image of Erys, as I wasn't happy with how zoomed in the current one is. This one is a full body image that I'll add to the character sheet.
Spoiler: Erys Like ReplyReport Reactions:Xryuran, Vergil1989 Crossover King, Sorain and 152 othersShakieAug 20, 2025N