Even with the Brethren destroyed, we hadn't seen the last of people from on high. Once the dust settled and the gang's territory was fully pacified, the nobles and guilds vanished back home.
But with them gone, we were inundated by the priest of the Ecclesiarchy. Hundreds of priests arrived, spreading their holy oils and incense across the city, picking over the ruins and claiming any artefacts for themselves, all the while performing their odd arcane rituals. Supposedly cleansing the area of taint or chaos. Whether it actually was doing anything, I didn't know. One day, I was sure I'd put a point into it to see if it was hogwash or served a real purpose. But from the outside, it looked ridiculous.
Then again, there was space magic, so maybe I was being too harsh and should keep a more open mind. But for now, I was staying well away from them. No need to tempt fate and get executed as a heretic.
As the Ecclesiarchy finished their search and rituals, things started to settle back into the new normal. With the entirety of the Glow Gate now under the Court's control, there was a lot to do. My role mostly involved carefully negotiating disputes as part of the Red Corsairs.
Turns out that when everyone speaks the same language—violence, it made it quite easy to get your point across.
Other than that, I did the occasional patrol, but as part of an elite unit, there wasn't too much of that, thank the Emperor. I was surprised and very pleased to still be with the Red Corsairs, half expecting to be moved to another unit now that the war was over.
There were some definite downsides though. I got to skip most of the grunt work I'd been doing before, which was great. But most of the missions I now went on were far more dangerous, be that tracking a new monster that had set its den nearby or crushing rival gangs trying to sneak in.
This did leave me with a lot of spare time. Aside from training and sparing, I could finally get back to what I loved, tinkering. I also began to work through my backlog of items I hadn't had time to touch during the war.
Some items I kept, since their owners were no longer around to reclaim them. The rest I slowly worked through over the next few weeks, as the gang reorganised and restructured itself.
There was a massive influx of new blood. With the gang controlling so much territory now, they needed as many people as possible. There were also plenty of promotions. At first, this was mostly those working in the newly claimed areas, setting up lieutenants and captains. But over time, the changes filtered down through the rest of the ranks.
After weeks of waiting, finally, I was given a list of the spoils I could claim. I still hadn't received my promotion, but with the Red Corsairs badge on my shoulder, my reputation amongst the upper echelon of the gang and my connections through my repairing work, I didn't really feel I needed one.
Not yet at least.
Looking at the list, I had to say I was impressed. Aside from various weapons, which I mostly passed over, there were rarer armours, components and oddities. With so much time having passed, they'd basically given us credit to spend in the gang stores.
In my case, I'd gained more access to gang resources, which meant I could buy rarer items than I normally would be able to. Going through the options, I had more or less finalised my list. Most of it went towards snagging a fully sealed, though damaged, carapace armour, which I was hoping to fix up. Alongside that, I got many of the parts I needed for the repairs.
I was just glancing through the rest, having pretty much spent my credits, when something caught my eye near the very bottom of the page. A dog, or rather the option to buy a dog. One of the puppies bred for the cyber-mastiff conversions. They had a whole litter you could claim. Not a popular choice by the price. But that wasn't too surprising. Most hivers thought short-term, not planning for years down the line, when you could have a loyal ally at your side, just thinking of the here and now, with another mouth to feed.
Still, seeing them surprised me; I was under the impression none had survived. I almost stuck with my original pick, but a fond, long-forgotten memory of a golden retriever changed my mind. An animal companion didn't sound like a bad idea, and I'd seen how strong they could be. I figured I could at least go and have a look.
Storing the list, I wandered over to the Fortress, eventually finding the person in charge of them. It didn't take much to convince them to let me take a look. They were just a captain of the gang, newly promoted at that. They showed a surprising amount of deference towards me, which felt weird but useful in getting what I wanted.
He directed me to the two people now running the programme. A creepy old man, definitely the mad scientist type, with a wild white beard and hair to match.
It was actually the second one that creeped me out more, an attractive, well-dressed young woman. It was her eyes; there was something wrong about them. They seemed far too old for her face. That, and the almost manic glee with which she spoke about the old breeding programmes. Throwing the young pups into pits, letting only the strongest survive, replacing damaged limbs with 'blessed metal'.
I scoffed internally at that; the rusty and clunky bionics certainly weren't blessed.
She also spoke with clear disappointment at the newer methods. They weren't much more humane, but they were a step in the right direction at least, so it wasn't needlessly cruel now.
Stepping into the breeding rooms, the smell of dog was unmistakable, mingled with the soft murmurs and low growls of animals. As I moved deeper into the room, a sudden clang rang out from my right. Jumping in surprise, I spun round. A massive dog was snarling and frothing, desperately trying to bite me through the metal bars.
"That's Brutus, isn't he magnificent?" she said with a creepy giggle. "One of the few survivors of the old programme. Far superior. He's almost ready for the conversion."
Ignoring her, I followed along to where the younger dogs were kept. As we passed each room, more like cells, the dogs got smaller and younger, until we got to the end. These ones couldn't have been more than a few months old.
Stepping into the room, the dogs circled me. Some of the braver ones came closer, sniffing at me. But it was clear they were already corrupted by this place, when I put my hand out, they snapped at it.
None of the curious innocence I remembered from my memories. My heart clenched as my emotions rose, with tears threatening to fall. The room disgusted me.
Proudly the women said, "This batch is particularly good; they all have a killer instinct. Well, all but the runt of the litter, but he had already failed, so he will be recycled soon.
"Runt?" I asked.
"Yeah, at the back." she said, pointing to the far end of the room. And sure enough, right in the very corner was a tiny dog, far smaller than all the others, curled up shivering. Its fur was matted, dirty and I could see its ribs sticking out through its thin coat.
With all the grime on him, some of it blood, I couldn't even tell what colour his fur was. But I moved over to him anyway. As I got closer, he turned his head to me, watching me suspiciously, with big expressive eyes. Feeling my throat start to close up, I held the back of my hand out for him to sniff. Up close, I could see just how bad he was. He was skeletal thin, ribs pushing through paper-thin skin, patches of fur missing or torn away entirely. What remained was matted and filthy, and in the bald spots, raw, weeping flesh glistened in the dim light.
Ever so slowly, and obviously scared, he did. When I moved my hand closer, he flinched, but when I just held it near him, he tentatively leaned in and gave it a small lick.
Already completely in love, I slowly picked him up. He immediately started squirming and whimpering, but I held him close to my chest and whispered softly to him. Before long, he calmed, snuggling up to me. I could feel his body shivering.
Mind made up, I turned to leave.
"Really? That failure?" The women scoffed. "There are far better ones. Just give it over, and I'll get rid of him now. It's long past the time, and you can get a proper dog."
I don't know what she saw in my eyes, but when I turned to look at her, she flinched and backed away. Good thing too, because I was barely an inch away from ending her.
Striding from the room, I didn't look back. It was only halfway home that my mood started lift, and it was thanks to the new pup. Now away from that cursed breeding room, he seemed to perk up. Squirming until I moved him so he could peek out from my arms as we walked.
Back in my room, I settled him on my lap and opened my list again. It clearly had to change.
First, I needed to get items for him. Food, toys, or anything that could be used as a toy. Feeling the grime and bone as my hands stroked him, grooming supplies and supplements were a must.
I could still have got my armour, but with the pup in my arms, I wanted something different, but I couldn't see it on the list. I eventually had to ask and was pointed at Lanto, who was both easy and hard to get a hold of. Hard compared to normal, but in the context of the rest of the gang, it was incredibly easy; all it really took was a vox call, and a meeting was set up.
Passing his guards, I entered his office. "Aleric, survived I see. Some close moments I hear."
Surprised and a little touched that he had kept track of me, I grinned. "Yeah, a few closer than I'd have liked. But none since I joined with Zardelle."
"Nothing but compliments from what I hear. Well done, very well done."
"Thank you for the opportunity." I said, feeling the need to acknowledge his part in it all.
"You're most welcome. You've certainly paid back the trust I place in you. So, how can I help? Some supplies that need my sign off?"
"Yes, I wanted the hardcase cyber-mastiff body, if it is still around. I didn't see it in the list."
"Hmm. It is still in storage but has been offered to the Fortress fleshweavers." Disappointed, I started nodding, understanding the value of that kind of bribe. "Hang on." He added, tilting his head. "If it's between giving it to someone within the gang, someone who has made a name for himself and giving it to an outsider, then it stays within. What do you want it for?"
Feeling a flicker of hope, I said, "I want to take it apart, savage what I can. I have my own dog now and someday want to convert him."
We sat in silence as he looked off into the distance in thought. "Alright, you can have it. But any parts that you don't use, you sell to the gang, not outside, understood?"
Grinning I nodded.
"Good, this will cost a lot, though." Wincing at the figure, there goes my carapace armour, but I wasn't deterred. This wasn't just amazing for my new pup but also for me as well. With my new fragment, I'd learn so much by taking it apart. It was more than worth it.
"Thank you." I said sincerely.
"Ah." he said, waving it off. "It's deserved. And if you are anywhere near as skilled as I have heard, it might be better off with you anyway. Now, anything else?"
I shook my head; no point wasting his time and burn any goodwill I had built up.
"Okay then, this will be shipped too… yes, a workshop near the Red Corsairs barracks."
"Not mine?"
"No, the workshop will be yours. Think of it as a bonus." That was good, great even. I'd had no idea how I was going to fit the thing into my room, if I could even get it through the doorway, for that matter. Leaving his office, I hurried home, confirming my selection on the way.
I was told it would take a few days to get sorted, and they'd let me know when it was ready. I was most of the way to my room when I had a thought and took a small detour to get some treats for the as-yet unnamed pup.
Stepping into my room, I paused. The pup wasn't where I'd left him, curled up asleep on the bed. A flicker of concern started growing faster by the minute. I started to search through the room, only to sigh with relief when I heard him whimper. I found him curled up in the far corner, tucked away, out of sight.
As I approached him, I noticed him shaking even more. Stopping a few paces away, I sat down, pulling out one of the dog treats. I placed it a short distance from me and then waited. It took a while, but he caught the scent, his nose twitching and his head slowly raised from under his tail.
He wavered, clearly torn, but finally the smell won out. Ever so carefully, he crawled toward the treat. I didn't dare move, fearful that it would startle him. As soon as he grabbed it, he scurried back to his corner to eat.
Putting another treat out, I again waited for him to get it. The first few, I kept the same distance, but over time, I began placing them a little closer to where I was sitting. Gratifyingly, each time he came for one, he hesitated less and was a little bit slower in running back to his corner.
Even so, he looked so scared that it broke my heart. The last treat I placed was just beside me, so this time I kept it in my hand to see if he would take it from me. He looked incredibly unsure, shuffled back and forth just out of reach, until finally plucking up the courage from somewhere and took the treat.
More promisingly still, he didn't run all the way to the corner this time. Just well out of my reach.
Smiling in quiet victory, I didn't push it any further, just kept up the small treats. I had been breaking them in half, not wanting to give him too much food at once and make him ill. I had no idea when he'd last eaten.
It must have been hours before I tried for the next step. As he came close for the treat, I gently brushed my hand down his back, slowly and carefully, so as to not hurt him. He froze, still as a statue, rigid in fear.
I kept up the very slow, gentle strokes, hoping he would relax. To my quiet satisfaction, he did. It took a while, but he must have decided that it was okay as he moved and took the treat once more.
Holding out the treat, I actually managed to coax the little ball of fur to crawl into my lap to take it. Stroking him as he was there, I could still feel him shaking slightly, but as time went on, I could feel him beginning to relax into me.
And before long, he snuggled into me, and a soft, almost inaudible rumble escaped as he drifted off to sleep.
Not quite what I had in mind, and I had a very uncomfortable night's sleep, not moving from that spot. When he woke the next morning, he started fearfully, but stroking him soon calmed him down and a few treats later, he was back to almost purring in my arms.
Now, the next challenge… cleaning him.
---
I stood near the officers, on a slightly raised platform at the edge of the crowd that filled the courtyard. It was packed with hivers and gangers alike, all looking up to the Bishop as he gave his sermon from a cracked balcony several floors up. Clad in heavy Ecclesiarchy robes, the iconography faded from heavy use, although the purity seals were meticulously cared for. Under this deep red with gold trim robe, I could just about see the thin ceremonial carapace armour, not full armour, but enough to stop a round or two. The Book of Litanies hung around his neck on a golden chain, while a servo-skull hovered nearby, venting incense in steady puffs that wreathed the Bishop in an almost angelic haze. Clasped in one hand, held aloft was his Rosarius, swinging wildly as he gestured during his speech.
"Brothers. Sisters. Warriors of the Imperium.
I know what they call you down here. Cutthroats. Hive-rats. Killers for coin. But I say this: today, the Emperor called you, His Hands. Some will say it was chance. That the bloody war, all this destruction, led to this cult's uncovering. That your battle was not born of faith, but of survival.
But I do not see coincidence. I see providence. The Emperor does not only use saints and scholars to do His work. He uses all who act when others stand still. Even the storms of war can carry His fire. And sometimes, when the righteous falter, the blade is placed in the hand of the condemned.
Perhaps you did not set out to purge the unclean. But you did. Perhaps you were driven by fear or necessity. But still, you were in the right place, at the right time, to deliver His justice. That is the Emperor's will. Not clean. Not pretty. But divine.
I say this with the full weight of my office: you have done holy work. You have brought light into the dark. The Emperor sees you. I see you. Some of you may never have set foot in a chapel. Some of you may not speak the prayers. But I tell you now, you have lived them."
He pauses, gaze lingering on each gang member in turn, letting the weight of his words sink in. Then he lifts a worn, iron aquila over his heart, voice deep with conviction.
You are not saints. I do not pretend otherwise. But in the darkest hour, when the cult rose, you stood between them and the innocent. You acted. And through you, the rot was burned away. That is holy work, whether it began in vengeance or violence.
And for that… you have my thanks, my blessing. And the Emperors.
---
Shifting the tools in my arms, I punched in the code to the workshop, the door opening with a tortured squeak. That would need some oil, another thing to deal with. Stepping inside, I dropped the last of my tools onto a cluttered workbench before sinking onto a rickety stool with a sigh. It had been a surprisingly long journey to move all the tools I'd acquired over the years.
But that was the last of them.
Finally taking a proper look round the room, it was more or less what I expected. A large metal box, but it had more than enough room for all my tools, and when I could be bothered, my scrap as well. I was already envisioning which part of the workshop would do what.
Watching Snuffles explore the room, nose to the floor as he took in the new smells, I grinned, pleased with how far he'd come. He was still the scared pup, still far too underweight, but he was growing in confidence when we were alone. In fact, he'd fully relaxed with me.
Just the other day, he rolled onto his back for belly rubs.
His fur, a light brown, was finally clean and starting to regrow in patches. It would still take time for him to fully recover, but he was already looking so much better than he had just a few weeks ago.
Once I'd caught my breath, I moved over to the large shape covered by a tarpaulin in the middle of the room. Pulling it off, I took in the magnificent machine hidden beneath.
Even dead, it was intimidating. When I'd sniped it, I hadn't appreciated just how massive the hardcase mastiff was. Even slumped to one side, it was taller than me, more bear-sized than dog. Even scuffed and starting to smell as the organic parts decayed, it was a thing of beauty and power.
Staring at its bulk, I was very glad I had a new workshop; I was almost positive that it wouldn't have fit through the door. And the location of the workshop was not bad either, very near the Red Corsairs HQ, which was very nice.
Rubbing my hands together, I got stuck in, first removing the external armoured plating and putting it to one side. Unless I was mistaken, it was ceramite and auramite layers, which, if it was, was some of the best armour you could get.
Only adamantine topped it, though I didn't know enough to say why one was used over the other. For now, all I needed to know was it was some impressive stuff, and I'd definitely be making use off.
With the plating removed from the exposed side, I set to work on its internals. Much of it was as I expected; motors, servos and actuators, along with the miles of cables to link it all together, sending signals and power throughout the body.
This was where my new fragment really shone. As I disassembled it, I learned, understanding why things were built the way they were and giving me hundreds of ideas to try. I also started to see the cyber mastiff's design more holistically—how it all fit together.
Once I got through all that, I finally reached the good stuff. Much of the organic wetware had broken down into a slimy goop, but it left behind the marvels of technology that were far more valuable than the motors and actuators I had been looking at so far. The first of these systems was a complex auspex sensor suite.
Having seen how well it worked in action, I immediately put it aside to keep. Even a courtesy inspection showed how advanced it was, far above everything I had come across so far.
Then, while I was digging around the brain, I found a thing of beauty. It was a tightly woven bundle of technology that seemed to have three distinct sections, most of which I didn't recognise. What I did spot immediately was the incredibly advanced impulse unit.
Far above what I had and at the very upper end of what I could even build, even if I had all the resources and tools I could ever want. Honestly, even then, I doubted I could make something to match it… yet.
The next section I thought was a vox system, again far above what I had ever seen. The small ones, like in my helmet, could reach maybe a kilometre in good conditions, but deep within the hive, you would be lucky to get a few hundred metres.
The larger handheld units could go further, but only up to five kilometres. Hell, the military ones, the kind that came in a full backpack, could only go up to twenty to thirty. But this one… I'd need to run some tests, but unless I was badly mistaken, it could go for hundreds of kilometres even deep within the underhive. Linked to that was some kind of system that I couldn't identify, but it looked like some sort of booster, maybe to punch through interference and possibly an encrypter too.
Regardless, they went straight to the keep pile alongside the armour and auspex suite.
The last major item of note was the batteries and power source. The batteries were, as ever, incredibly advanced, so much so that it may as well have been magic for me at this stage. It was also very well contained. Not quite black boxed, but it was still very hard to break it apart to learn about it without risking it blowing up in my face.
The fusion reactor was more of a mixed bag. The core of it, like the battery, was incredibly advanced, but the connectors and the other components were awful in comparison. Not to mention, it was incredibly badly optimised.
It looked like someone had just slapped it in, with little to no idea what they were doing. The connectors and settings were all wrong, limiting the power flow. They might have been right for a different machine. But the mastiff could've handled so much more.
It was like it had been carefully optimised for something else and then just shoved into the dog. The closest I could think of was putting a 1000-horsepower lorry engine in a sports car.
Sure, it had power, but it was completely the wrong sort.
I lost myself in the nuts and bolts, becoming completely engrossed in my work, with time flying past. Only broken apart by playing with Snuffles, getting food and the occasional cuddles with Snuffles when I needed a break or if he was begging for treats, which I was a sucker for and always gave to him. In the short time I'd known him, I had already grown deeply attached to him.
By the time I had finished stripping most of the mastiff, the workshop was littered with piles of parts scattered about the room. Much of it would be sold to the gang, like the motors and cabling. Some I kept in case I needed them, but most of it would go. In the corner was a much smaller pile, but many times more valuable than the heap of components. These I would be keeping, many I hoped to play with and then upgrade Snuffles with in the future.
The organic parts had long been disposed of.
The beeping of the door as it screeched open distracted me from my tinkering. Looking up, I saw Zardelle stepping in, a frown on her face.
"There you are. I have been looking fucking everywhere for you. Keep your fucking vox on you!"
Surprised, I patted my side, not finding it, I glanced around and spotted it on one of the workbenches. Picking it up, I saw it was dead. "Sorry." I said slightly sheepishly.
Grunting, she started to turn around and moved back out the door. "Come on, quick." she said over her shoulder.
Picking up Snuffles, I locked the door behind me and fell into step with her, nearly jogging to keep up with her long strides. "So, what's this about? I haven't heard anything about a mission."
"It's your promotion."
"Promotion?" I said, slightly confused. That shouldn't need her, just a quick word to let me know I was a soldier now, maybe a trip to the quartermaster for the armband. Nothing urgent. Nothing worth her tracking me down.
"Yes promotion. If I hadn't spent hours searching for you, I might have explained. But now? It can be a surprise."
I was getting a little nervous by this point. Still, it was a promotion, so it should be a good thing, right? I tried to wheedle more information out of her on the walk, but she was having none of it. Before I knew it, we were standing in front of a heavily guarded door.
Passing Snuffles over to her, much to his dismay, judging by the whining, I turned and entered the room, nodding at the guards as I passed, recognising him. I relaxed slightly as I saw Lanto, but stiffened again when I saw Selina and another burly woman. I recognised her as the head of the techies.
She was in charge of the armoury, maintaining gear and maintenance across the gang's turf. She had a fierce reputation, incredibly protective of her team, or at least according to Vogg, she was.
"Good, you made it." Lanto said, gesturing to the empty chair opposite them. I sat, trying to get comfortable in an effort to look and feel more at ease.
It didn't work.
"First and most simply, your promotion to soldier." Selena said, tossing over an armband with the soldier symbol on it.
Smiling slightly, "Thanks." I said, tucking it away into a pocket.
"Now, as I am sure you have heard from my daughter, the final fights with the Brethren of Bones weren't kind to us. A lot of casualties. In time, we'll be stronger than ever, but for now, there are a lot of gaps to fill.
This comes with opportunities. You've made a name for yourself. So, we will be promoting you further than we would in normal circumstances." She leaned forward and tapped the table to reiterate her point. "This is a privilege and if you fuck it up, it will be taken away from you."
"Understood." I said, still unsure what exactly I was getting, but excitement was starting to course through me.
Lanto took over, "First, you will be given an official position in the Red Corsairs by Zandelle's request. As part of that, you will be given champion status."
I let out a small gasp, stunned. I knew I would be promoted, I mean, how could I not be? But to champion? That was a whole other kettle of fish. It technically wasn't in the command structure of the gang. But in reality, they held a huge amount of soft power within the gang.
Selina grinned at my gasp, "Indeed. It is an incredible honour, but you have earned it with your contributions these past few years. As a champion, you will get new quarters, part of which has already been given to you."
Given to me? I couldn't think of an... wait, I was being thick.
"The workshop is yours," she continued, " and there is a room nearby that you can move into. It won't be much bigger, but we felt the workshop would make up for it."
"Definitely thank you." I said, still trying to fully process it all.
"You will also gain more access to the gang's stockpile. As you know, being a part of the Red Couriers you will be taking part in some of the most dangerous and important missions. As part of that, you will not have to do much of the drudgery like on guard duty. This will give you a large amount of spare time.
"When you are not training, of course." Lanot said, cutting in with a smirk. "I will be very disappointed if I hear you are slacking off." He held my gaze for a moment, and I nodded in understanding. "It has come to our attention that you are very handy with a tool, and as such, when you are not doing your obligations to the unit, you will be helping our techies. Orleth, if you want to take it from here." Lanto finished leaning back in his chair.
"Thanks Lanto. If you are not aware, I lost a captain from my team. He dealt with much of the maintenance around the territory. You will be filling in for some of the gap his death left. You will be working directly for me and will get promoted to a captain within the techies. That rank does not carry over to other parts of the gang, so don't try to boss them around, or the soldiers for that matter. You have proven your skills with technical items, so I will be making use of that. And no, I will not stop you from doing work on the side, but my tasks take priority. Got it?
"Yes Orleth." I was relieved, I'd been about to protest as they got me a lot of credits and favours. I didn't want to lose them quite yet.
"Good, you won't have anyone under you, you're still too young for that, but I won't waste your time on easy jobs, but on the more complex and technical ones. Here." She said, passing me a data slate. Just holding it, I could feel the quality of it. It didn't have the cheap plastic feeling so many had. It also felt like tapping it too hard wouldn't break it.
"That's yours now; it belonged to my old captain. It has been wiped, so feel free to customise it. But don't fucking break it, as it will come out of your hide and credits if you do."
Nodding, I carried on listening as Selina explained my new responsibilities, which basically boiled down to fixing shit when I was told to. The only difference was I would not be paid, but also would not need to supply the parts.
I also got access to a cogitator, which might not sound like much, but was surprisingly hard to get a hold of. I had used them and even played with a crappy one. But the main issues were the connections. There was little to no wireless connection this deep in the hive, so everything had to be plugged in to access the hive's networks, and these were fiercely guarded.
But now I had access to one, in my new workshop in fact, I couldn't wait to have a look around.