Chapter 3

Engineseer Sophia Teranachus.

Sophia wondered at the emotional reaction the Sororitas was having at the image she had produced.  Her biological responses were obvious and her flesh eyes went wide.

“I assume this is indeed the image you saw?”  Sophia asked.

“How did you know?”

“We have found this mark painted on several of our sacred images at our fabricorum.” 

“You’ve experienced desecration as well?”

“Someone has smashed a few of our holy Cog symbols on the outside of our walls.” 

“Any suspects?”

“None.”

The Sororitas shook her head, her white chin-length hair swaying about her like useless wires.

“We assumed it was anti Mechanicus zealots,” Sophia said. 

“Apparently not.” 

“We discovered the vandalism too late and weren’t able to detect any evidence.”

“Evidence?  What kind?”

“Chemical readings mostly.  They leave no DNA or fingerprints.”

“But if you found a fresh sacrilege, you might be able to get some kind of reading?”

“That is correct.”

Sister Axilla sat back and rubbed her chin with her flash hand while tapping on the counter with her cyber hand. 

The cyber arm the Sororitas had was an older model, one reserved for low ranking soldiers that were too valuable to simply let retire.  It was an older design but one that Sophia respected.  It was reliable and easy to maintain.  That meant she spent less time maintaining such limbs and more time with the truly important things.

She looked over her workshop at the mountain of projects she had yet to complete.  Several out of commission vehicles, weapons and a Penitent Engine that was having problems with its machine spirit. 

All the other Engineseers were off with the Sororitas Order on campaign.  She was left here due to her ability to enter the convent.  They attached meaning to biological terms such as “male” and “female.”  The flesh didn’t matter.  Only the metal was strong. 

It was irrational and against all logic, but she resented staying here.  She was a better engineer than most others of her rank, yet she was left behind to work in the shop. 

It was beneath her.

Then the Sister leaned forward with a feral grin.   

“Sophia, how about we go out tonight and look for recent desecration?  Perhaps we can gain evidence if we’re timely enough.”

“That is not my duty.”

“It’s everyone’s duty to protect against heresy.”

“It is not this one’s function to investigate.”

“I don’t have the sensors that you do.  If you can find evidence I need you.”

The sororitas spoke logic.  Her limited flesh faculties could not detect trace chemicals, heat or DNA. 

“I will ask permission,” Sophia said.

“Very well.” 

The Soroitas slapped the workbench and laughed.  Then she got up and left. 

Sophia finished her work that day and left the convent.  The convent was unusually quiet now that the Order was gone.  It felt almost abandoned. 

She left through the arched gateway and into the streets of the Imperial city.  She reminisced on what had taken her from Mars to this lowly backwater planet far from the Holy world of Mars.

Her master was disgraced and she, by association was disgraced. 

But she would earn her way back to Mars.  She would not spend the rest of her life on this miserable rock. 

Her metal feet clicked pleasantly on the pavement of the city street.  Even the sound of her walk separated her from the flesh humans that surrounded her.  Everywhere she looked she saw mindless people going about their daily lives, completely oblivious of the true glories of the universe.  They had never peered into the inner workings of a plasma reactor or ran a diagnostic on a Dreadnaught’s machine spirit.  They didn’t see the Noosphere and its infinite information that surrounded the followers of the Machine God. 

Sophia stopped at the gate of the manufactorum and slipped one of her mechadendrites into the slot.  The security computer read her ID codes and the metal door beside the enormous vehicle bay doors opened.  She walked in and her cyber eyes switched to low-light settings. 

All around her she could hear and feel the humming of the manufactorum machines.  It was a sweet feeling that reminded her of Mars. 

She made her way to the office of the Chief Artisan of the manufactorum.  Her noosphere told her that he was here and she sent a request for a meeting. 

His reply was almost immediate.

“Yes. Now,” the message said.

The door opened and she stepped through.  His office was covered in screens of scrolling information.  He stood in the middle as his dozens of eyes scanned everything that happened around him.  The hood of his red cloak was down, revealing the array of sensors and communication devices that made up the Artisan’s head.

“You wish to speak?”  Artisan Dominarus said in machine cant. 

“The recent desecration of holy symbols.  Sororitas are concerned.  Imperial shrines destroyed.  Sororitas requests that I accompany her to scan for evidence she does not have the capability to detect.”

“Your work in the convent facility?”

She sent a data burst of everything in the repair bay of the convent. 

Two of his eyes turned and focused on her. 

“That is a lot of work for one Engineseer.”

“I have time. The Order aren’t scheduled to return for two years.  I estimate it will take me fourteen months maximum to finish repair work.”

“Do you approve of the Sister’s plan?”

“It has logic to it.”

“Permission granted on basis that you arm yourself.”

She bowed with respect and left. 

Next she went to the Tech Guard’s armory.  The world had a militia but the manufactorum had its own defenses.  Gun-servitors and Tech Guard outclassed mere planetary militia. 

Another Engineseer managed the armory.  His six servo arms were busy repairing a plasma gun. 

“Can I help you?” He canted without looking up from his work.

“The Artisan asked that I arm myself.”

“Reason?”

“An investigation outside.”

“Not your usual task.”

“No, but necessary.” 

His flesh hand pointed over to a wall where weapons made to fit on modular servo arms were stored. 

Sophia walked over and looked over the selection.  There were dozens of each type of weapon, some she didn’t recognize and assumed they were creations or modifications by the armory’s Engineseer.   

She used her two cyber arms to detach the claw of her bottom right servo arm and put it in a container for safe keeping.  Then her servo arm moved up and attached itself to the rear of a melta gun.  She did the same with her bottom left one and attached a multi barrled laser that didn’t fit the standard template.  As it attached she opened the data packet that appeared in her noosphere.  The information said that it was a modified multi laser with a higher output but shorter battery life.  The targeting program downloaded into her brain. 

Red dots appeared in her vision showing where her guns were pointing.  She had had basic combat training and knew how to fight if it was unavoidable.  She would prefer not to.  Even if victorious she might receive damage to her glorious machine body. 

Once equipped she made her way back to the convent to inform the sister superior that she was ready. 

“Not yet.  At night.  The cowards only come out at night,” Sister Irena said. 

The internal chronometer told her she had two hours until the sun set.  She went back to the repair bay and worked as she waited.