Susan's mechanical arm gripped the edges of a ventilation duct, its hydraulic joints groaning under strain. Half an hour earlier, she had witnessed her husband being dragged off by the Chaos Marine and was now following the trail of acidic residue left on the ground.
"Warning: Neural link overload," the holographic display on her prosthetic flashed red. Gritting her teeth, Susan tore open a panel, revealing circuits entwined with crystalline filaments—her long-held secret. Three years ago, during a mining accident, her natural arm had been consumed by purple crystals. The Mechanicus had replaced it with a prosthetic, embedding an Eldar memory crystal within its core.
"Find him…" The crystal suddenly projected a hologram of a younger Aeslyn teaching human children how to carve astral maps. Susan's temples throbbed, and warm liquid trickled from her nose. She realized, to her shock, that she could now read the Eldar script.
A wet, slithering noise echoed from around the corner. Susan tightened her grip on a stolen plasma pistol, its surface already coated with the purple mucus secreted by her prosthetic. She knew the journey's end would either reunite her with her husband or claim her life.