Two sisters from a modest industrial world, driven to improve their family's life, worked tirelessly to become Mechanicus apprentices, transforming their destinies.
An inspiring tale, at least in its early chapters.
When young Orvillea and her close sister left home with dreams, they never imagined they'd one day stand as adversaries. Back then, they were fresh apprentices, passing their local Machine Temple exams and sent to the sector's Forge World to study. Through dedication, they rose from worker families to Mechanicus apprentices—a monumental leap. Their parents became minor nobles, factory overseers, with lives unimaginable before. Orvillea even secured a basic life-extension procedure for her parents with her apprentice exam reward, granting them an extra decade.
This seemingly small choice caught the eye of Belisarius Cawl, making Orvillea his apprentice. It sounds improbable—why would the great Archmagos notice a girl for filial piety? Yet, it was true.
Cawl, unlike typical Mechanicus clergy, was unique. At ten thousand years old, he outlived all other Sages, who rarely survived a millennium without death or madness. His existence was a miracle. A veteran of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, Cawl heavily modified himself, yet early in his career, he was a humanist, rejecting the overt mechanical augmentations favored by tech-priests, even as he enhanced his mind.
Cawl was a maverick, a techno-heretic whose actions, if exposed, would draw the wrath of both Chaos and the Imperium. He despised his Mechanicus peers as slaves to the Omnissiah, blindly following rituals without innovation. He valued those who broke convention.
Thus, a seemingly unorthodox apprentice like Orvillea became his student—likely under a clone of Cawl, but still learned enough to train a Sage. Her sister wasn't so fortunate. While Orvillea neared Sagehood, her sister languished as a fabricator, nearly demoted to a regimental tech-priest. Orvillea, with Cawl's tacit approval, ceded an academic project to her sister, securing her a path to Sagehood.
Though grateful, her sister felt humiliated by the aid—a slight on her abilities. This fractured their bond, turning them into rivals. After Cawl left the Mariupol Sector, Orvillea faced political persecution from Forge World factions seeking Cawl's forge and knowledge. She lost everything, nearly dismantled and sealed in stasis as a living statue. Her sister, now her rival, orchestrated this.
Yet Orvillea knew this was protection. By aligning with the Forge World's Fabricator-General and acting first, her sister ensured Orvillea's survival. Orvillea couldn't confront her about it but now saw a chance to reclaim her legacy.
"Take my token to her. She'll help you, but don't reveal I sent you," Orvillea told Luka, outlining her plan. "Connect with her, 'sell' her these xenos artifacts, and secure resources for my comeback."
"You'd part with these artifacts?" Luka asked, surprised by her generosity.
"Not all—just enough to pique her interest and secure her investment," Orvillea clarified. "One Canoptek Spyder, one Wraith, a few scarabs, some Necron Warrior remains, and maybe two gauss flayers."
Luka nodded. "Sounds feasible. What's the trade, and what's my cut?"
"Those should fetch a small forge, a standard bio-lab, and some Astra Militarum gear," Orvillea said, wincing. "What you get depends on your skill and if you can catch the Fabricator-General's eye for investment."
(Chapter End)