Ancient structures of blackstone emerged under starlight, buried for tens of millions of years due to geological shifts.
With Donia's advanced excavation machines, Alex's team quickly carved a path to the Necron tomb's gate.
A large-scale operation made the previous crevice route impractical, especially after Alex's earlier melta bomb detonation. A wide road to the main gate was simpler.
Though the Necron gate was sealed and challenging to open, Donia and Ovilia's tech teams swiftly breached it, revealing the tomb, dormant for sixty million years.
Facing the dark, cavernous entrance, Alex turned to Donia and Ovilia. "Have you prepared scout units?"
"I've got a team of Ruststalkers—perfect for this," Ovilia said, summoning Skitarii who were more machine than man, their limbs replaced with mechanical prosthetics and sonic blades.
Alex nodded. "Send them in to scout. Our last visit may have triggered defenses."
"I've got Infiltrators. They can go too," Donia added, deploying her own Skitarii.
Ruststalkers and Infiltrators, Sicarian units of "recycled" Skitarii, were once standard soldiers. Rebuilt after near-fatal injuries, their sleek, agile frames and specialized enhancements made them lethal in stealth and close combat—the Omnissiah's daggers, ruthless and precise.
They could handle scouting if needed.
"Send them together. Focus on finding and destroying the tomb's reanimation protocols," Alex instructed. "That'll make things easier."
Having been briefed on the tomb, Donia and Ovilia knew the reanimation protocols. Earlier scans with the forge ship's augur arrays pinpointed possible locations, making scouting a priority.
As the Skitarii vanished into the tomb, Alex, the Sages, and their team ventured deeper.
Entering through the main gate felt vastly different from the prior crevice route.
Though not a massive tomb, the blackstone structures exuded the Necrons' ancient glory.
Compared to the cramped passage last time, this vast, silent tomb-world felt like a city square versus a sewer.
Alien architecture and devices, steeped in Necron aesthetics, resembled a crypt more than a city.
Alex approached a stone pillar etched with intricate Necron runes, dormant and unlit. "Just a black pillar for now."
"These xenos creations are mysterious! Surviving sixty million years without decay is unthinkable," Donia said, examining a metallic, lamp-like device, her eyes alight with research fervor.
"Only the xenos themselves could explain it, but we shouldn't give them the chance," Alex replied, scanning warily despite the tomb's dormancy.
"The structure's complex, but the air composition matches the surface," Ovilia noted, puzzled, reading her data-slate. "These metal xenos don't breathe. Why design ventilation?"
"You forgetting this tomb's been breached for years? Flayed Ones escaped—it's not sealed," Alex pointed out.
"No, I mean the air flows. It has a full ventilation system," Ovilia clarified, analyzing data from deployed servo-skulls and probes.
Alex raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Gutrez, accompanying them, chimed in. "Maybe they once needed to breathe? They were flesh before becoming metal."
"Can they still do that? Could we find that tech here? Turning flesh to machine—that's the Omnissiah's blessing!" Donia's excitement matched Ovilia's.
For the Mechanicus, mechanical ascension was the ultimate goal. Such tech would drive them wild.
Alex and Gutrez exchanged helpless glances.
"Trust me, it's not glorious ascension—it's soul-crushing despair," Alex sighed, cautioning them. "Focus on the task. Clear the tomb's threats, and you can take everything."
(End of Chapter)
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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