Luka controlled the Inquisitor's chess piece and inspected the alien ruins' artifacts in Olivia's warehouse. Only seven items, covered by a stasis field, were present.
Three were Necron body parts: a head, an arm, and half a ribcage.
The ribcage showed weathering but had fresh blade marks, indicating recent damage.
Curious, Luka asked, "Sage Olivia, did you make these marks?"
"No, they were like this when found. I modeled them and speculate a claw-like weapon caused it," Olivia said, projecting a foot-long curved claw with her mechanical arm.
Luka cursed, "*￥@%@! Flaying Curse!" He recognized the mark.
Olivia ignored the curse, asking, "Flaying Curse? A psychic spell?"
"No, worse than psychic power," Luka said, examining the ribcage. "How old are these marks?"
"About eighty years, before Rostov II transferred from Rogue Traders to the Ministry of the Interior," Olivia replied.
"Now I know why the Rogue Trader sold this planet," Luka said, rubbing his head, considering reinforcements.
Olivia, confused, asked, "Please explain."
"My bad, you don't know Necrons," Luka apologized. "Sixty million years ago, Necrons were enslaved by Star Gods, who turned them into machines. The Necrons rebelled, shattering the Star Gods into fragments and imprisoning them. But one Star God's death cursed the Necrons with the Flaying Curse, twisting their bodies and minds, driving them to crave blood. They tear victims' skin, draping it over themselves, quenching their thirst temporarily. The curse spreads across mechanical bodies, even in stasis fields."
"A curse infecting machines? Incredible," Olivia said, her circuits overheating with research excitement.
Luka cut in, "It's tempting, but Star Gods are dangerous. They embody physical laws, distort reality, modify constants, and wield endless energy. Necrons use their fragments to power their forces or destroy planets. I forbid further exploration, Olivia. A Star God fragment could be beneath us."
"Can I study a fragment if found?" Olivia asked, eyes burning.
"You'd need to convince the Emperor and win a war first," Luka said, not mentioning the Void Dragon fragment sealed under Mars' Mechanicus headquarters, the source of their tech and worship.