After departing from the world's most grandiose forge, Vik boarded an ancient transport aircraft destined for a place designated by the Dominus Sage.
The transport craft, clad in heavy armor and equipped with intelligent heavy machine guns, was indispensable within the forge world, its design enabling it to withstand varied atmospheric conditions.
As Vik ascended the ramp, the pilot greeted him immediately, "With you on board, Sage, we'll certainly reach our destination without a hitch."
Vik gave a resigned nod.
Had this been two months prior, he would have corrected the pilot, clarifying that he wasn't a Sage. Yet with so many calling him thus, he no longer bothered.
Continuing inside, Vik found his designated place and surveyed his fellow passengers.
Several dozen Rangers.
A vanguard of the Ecclesiarchy's military forces.
This vanguard numbered ten: nine regulars and one Alpha Vanguard. They wore the characteristic red robes over fortified armor, each bearing a rad-carbine, though their mechanical enhancements varied, with the Alpha's modifications more extensive and costly.
Vik noted that both they and their immediate surroundings registered extreme levels of radiation, necessitating their confinement within a transparent enclosure at the craft's rear to prevent contamination.
Perhaps this transport was not solely for armed personnel but also for visitors to the forge world, meaning the vanguard couldn't stand freely within the cabin. If true, it signified the forge world's dire situation, using whatever resources were available.
As Vik pondered these thoughts, the Alpha Vanguard offered a salute, to which Vik responded with a nod.
The transport ascended swiftly, heading toward the forge world's southern sector.
"Pilot," Vik addressed him, approaching the cockpit. "Who commands the south?"
"Priest Sevin," the pilot replied respectfully.
At the name, Vik exhaled in relief—Sevin was not only an old friend but an ally in spirit.
Sevin, a Tech-Priest, held a broad title encompassing roles from commanding armies to maintaining forges and even archaeological excavation. Sevin, specifically, commanded military forces.
With Sevin overseeing the southern front, completing the Dominus Sage's mission seemed achievable, though Vik's thoughts extended beyond.
Reflecting on the broader picture, he surmised that Sevin's significance surpassed even the Sage's mission—a judgment made from the perspective of a staunch believer in the Omnissiah.
"Plague ravages these lands," the pilot said suddenly, glancing at the sky as he maneuvered. "The fleet is gone, reinforcement from the Mechanicum uncertain, and plague runs rampant... May the Machine God shield us."
Vik considered that the pilot's hopefulness might be unwarranted; if orbital control were lost, the forge world would face outright invasion, making the plague-ridden corpses seem trivial by comparison.
Their transport soared over sprawling industrial complexes, eventually nearing the forge world's southernmost reaches. From above, all appeared silent—a foreboding sign for a forge world, where silence was the greatest threat.
Vik knew that Sevin and his forces fought a relentless war underground against plague-infested undead—a conflict that began long before the Imperial Navy lost control of the Agripinaa Sector and only worsened with time.
As the transport approached a tower within the factory sprawl, Vik's cranial implants detected multiple distress signals, originating from the depths of the ancient factories below.
Amidst the signals, a communication line opened, and a visage wholly modified by machinery appeared in his vision—it was Sevin, the Tech-Priest.
"Should I address you as Priest or Sage now?" Sevin's icy tone resonated.
"Call me Vik, as I call you Sevin," Vik replied, equally aloof.
Though devoid of emotion, they were indeed close friends, each finding warmth in the other's words.
During their exchange, Vik transmitted the Dominus Sage's orders to Sevin.
"Understood. I will allocate what forces I can spare," Sevin responded after reviewing the command.
With formalities complete, Vik looked toward the ancient factories from which the distress signals emanated, forwarding the alerts to Sevin. "Why haven't you responded to these pleas?"
"The plague has plagued this sector for decades; the dead are beyond cleansing," Sevin replied. "Better to conserve our forces for defense against any enemies descending from orbit."
Calculating quickly, Vik conceded that his friend's judgment was, indeed, the best choice.
Yet calculation was one thing, action another.
Since his journey to Talon, Vik believed himself tasked with a mission—to salvage all that could be saved, to preserve all that could be preserved, and to prepare for a greater purpose.
After a moment's thought, he issued a command to the pilot. "Take me here instead of the tower."
He transmitted open coordinates, and the pilot instantly altered course, directing the craft toward the nearest distress signal.
Turning to the others in the cabin, Vik asked, "What are your destinations?"
"The tower. We are to garrison it," Alpha Vanguard replied, pausing briefly. "But for now, our destination aligns with yours."
Vik looked to the Rangers.
"With you," they answered in unison.
He nodded, waiting in silence as they approached their destination.
The vanguard and Rangers couldn't follow him without Sevin's permission, which, without hesitation, he granted.
"Is plague present in the Talon Sector?" Sevin suddenly inquired.
Vik had recounted his experiences in Talon upon arriving in Agripinaa, piquing Sevin's curiosity.
"Yes," Vik replied tersely.
After a moment of silence, Sevin hesitated. "What kind of enemy do we truly face... Have you had any revelations?"
"The only revelation I have is that the forge world of Agripinaa shall endure, for the Machine God and the Omnissiah stand with us," Vik answered firmly.
"I'll continue fortifying our position. Call upon me should you encounter trouble against those plague-ridden abominations." Sevin, satisfied, closed the communication.