Not knowing what I may run into I loaded up my Frigis Frozen Dream with the coordinates and set off for the edges of Shogunate controlled space. It took a few gate jumps, and a chartered freighter to drop me on the dead mud ball of a world in the ass end of nowhere. This world had no real designation other than K4978. I set Frozen Dream at a run upon touch down heading towards the designated area. The landscape was barren, the skies ravaged by storms, and blinding lightning lit my way as I headed ever closer to my destination. Frozen Dream plowed on through the rain and muck for a couple of uneventful hours until at last we came to a large cliff face. I started up the scanners and saw that the cliff was actually an armored hanger door. Not knowing how else to gain entry I powered up Frozen Dreams weapon systems and made a door for myself.
Inside was a lab of some sort just like the files from the Regis said there would be. Large machines whose function I couldn’t even begin to guess at adorned the walls. I made a quick check of my environmental suit, and got out of my mecha to explore. There were beakers congealed with unknown goop, long dead specimens in cages, and equipment everywhere you looked. On the far left wall was what looked to be a storage unit that still had power going to it. I figured this must be the X that marks the spot, and set about cracking the unit.
It didn’t take that long to hack the security protocols as Wocky had given me a skeleton key program she had found along with this location in the files we uncovered. Once I got through the security the lab itself went nuts. Power came on to the entire lab and everything started up. It was a chaotic assault on the senses after the total silence that had reigned here for untold centuries. Ignoring the commotion for now I looked inside the storage unit. Sure enough there it was. No bigger than jewelry box, with specks of niobium weave running through the ferronite shell, a real Forerunner thought box. I reached in to claim my prize which is when the trouble started.
Defense drones detached from the ceiling heading right for me, about twenty of them. I had nowhere to run, and knew my sidearm wouldn’t be able to stop them all. The drones seemed intent on the thought box given the way their optics were following the movements of my hand. So figuring it would probably be best to put it back and reassess the situation, I slowly put the box back in the storage unit. They seemed to lose all interest in me at that point which allowed me to back up and get out of the way as they all converged on the unit. They formed a wall of sorts cutting me off from the thought box while one went into the unit and actually grabbed the box, only to fly off down the corridors of the lab.
I gave pursuit of course I hadn’t come this far too lose my prize now. I came upon the drone a few minutes later as it was putting the box into some kind of machine. Huge generators stood to either side of a central chamber which held odd symbols, blinking lights, and what looked like a large Tesla coil. As soon as the box was in place the generators started to hum as they powered up, energy arced from them to the coil, and the air was alive with the static thrown off from this machine. Towards the top some kind of containers filled with an odd fleshy looking substance started to depress like some large needle giving the machine an injection. Steam began to hiss and pour out from seams in the side of this thing whatever it was. I stood there fascinated trying to work out the purpose of all this when suddenly the machine simply stopped.
It was as silent as a tomb in the large cavernous room until a door started to hiss on the side of the contraption and opened up. Curious I walked forward and peered into the haze trying to see what was in there, I was brought up short when a large brownish grey hand that shot forward out of the murk and grabbed me by the throat. I was lifted up off my feet as the being inside walked forward; I was soon staring into a pair of cross shaped pupils. “Hello human, I have slept for long and long, you have awoken me so I won’t kill you yet there are things I must know. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kellek reborn.”
To be continued…
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534