Herald of the Stars: Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight

The interior of Obsidian Emporial is far less colourful, with every wall and pillar covered in black obsidian, and shaped like a serpent's scales. The stonework has been damaged in some spots, gouged by claws and melted with fire. It feels more like we’ve entered the lair of a mythical dragon than an auction house.

The reception hall is lit with burning torches and hidden yellow lights. A faint haze of incense and smoke wafts through the air, covering up the harsh scent of bleach and other chemicals.

Three, gene-wrought women, and one, well-crafted man greet us. The man, Mahyar Etemadi, wears a black and gold suit. He looks like a stage magician and is, somehow, looking down his nose at Alpia and I, even though we tower over him.

The women have fixed smiles, wear tight dresses, and show minimal emotions. Whatever personality they may have once had has long since eroded from excessive hypno-indoctrination and unethical body modifications. 

Alpia and I use our additional minds to make polite conversation with the four tour guides while secretly chatting to each other with telepathy.

I send, “That wasn’t too bad. I was expecting hundreds of slaves wearing nothing but jewelry and loincloths. Maybe a choir and a priest flagellating themselves to a rhythm, their screams pitched in song and praise to the Emperor. These dolls just bow, point, and murmur platitudes.”

“That wouldn’t really happen, would it Dad?”

“We’ve only encountered non-conformists out in the Koronus Expanse, renegades, and the odd near heretek. I’ve never been to a Shrine World before, but no display is too extreme should a Saint grace them with a visit. Everyone always wants something and the loudest voice gets the most attention, like exotic birds calling for a mate. A rare few will be genuinely faithful and think we might want to see such extravagant displays, but that doesn’t make them any less weird.”

“Dad, your bias is leaking. Maybe you should check your oil pressure.”

“Ah, I’m not boring you am I?”

“No, but I want to talk about what I’ve been up to!”

“Go ahead, Sweet Pea. I’m listening.”

We enter the first hall of goods. This one is all jewelry. Some of the precious stones are rare, and many are of impressive size. They are more curiosities than anything truly valuable, however. Neither Alpia nor I are impressed and we move on.

Alpia sends, “Right, so you know that the purpose of Void Skin is to improve survival against extreme temperatures and vacuum?”

“I do.”

“Well, what with absolutely everyone having it, a lot of research has gone into improving it. Our first efforts went into improving the time one could function in a vacuum without a void suit. 

“An unmodified Human gets about two minutes. Depending on implants and other modifications, that can change drastically. Sacred Blood and artificial blood vessels have one of the largest effects, as does a bionic heart, as they can have an added temperature moderator. Trying to improve the length of time a person can act with just Void Skin though didn’t get far and we couldn’t replicate the Mucranoid or its effects.”

“Sweet Pea, you are copying my way of explaining things. Can’t you just tell me the good news?”

“Nope! This is far too much fun. I can see why you do it all the time.”

“I won’t deny that. Go on. Tell me what you’ve learned.”

“There was some success in improving the resilience of Void Skin with flexible ceramics, carbon, and flesh compatible alloys. However, the subdermal armour aspect was considered an unnecessary expense and Mum won that argument as our crews already wear undersuits and flak weave uniforms at minimum. That doesn’t stop people from paying for it themselves though as the increased temperature resistance is valuable in dangerous industrial environments and our people like to prepare for disasters as much as you do.”

Brigid’s reasoning didn’t stop the Barghests from requisitioning the improved Void Skin either.

Our guides take us up to a mezzanine overlooking the mundane jewelry. The sheer amount of bling below us is a spectacular sight and, from high up, the display is more appealing.

We are shown several technical pieces, including digital weapons and rosarios, as well as their equivalent examples from both the Necrontyr and Aeldari. There is one piece of Necron technology, one Eldar device, and four Drukhari objects.

Alpia points out four inferno pistols, crammed into rings by Jokaero artisans, and declares that she wants all of them so that she and her brothers can have matching rings. I confirm that none of the jewelry are one use items. 

I also purchase the six xeno-tech artefacts. Machine-God knows what stupidity someone else would get up to with a Necron Nebuloscope, let alone the arcane devices of the Eldar and their broken cousins.

Unfortunately, neither Alpia or I spot anything suitable for Annette, Quaani, or George. Perhaps I could grow and craft some Nalwood beds and toys? Every child needs quality blocks and a wooden train for a proper childhood!

Mahyar Etemadi somehow manages to look more smug than before. His emotions suggest that he believes he is cheating us in some way. Annoyed by his behaviour, I decide that I am going to insist on paying him in Bytes, not Thrones or goods.

Alpia continues, “That left working out ways to survive being frozen.”

“Oh! I think I know where you are going with this.”

“Silence in class! We already have Human compatible drugs for cryostasis, so our Void Skin was modified to include packets of these drugs that burst open when Void Skin reaches a low enough temperature. This fills the body with chemicals that stop cells from rupturing when they freeze, thaw, or die from lack of oxygen and energy once circulation stops.

“Heralds and Aeronautica crew are already outrageously tough. It takes a head shot, or destroying both hearts and their Vitae Supplement to actually kill one. Even with headshots, depending on the injury, brain damage can be fixed with implants.

“Now, the Class 3 D-POT holding the Heralds that was taken out, was absolutely shredded by anti-armour weapons, stripping away the armour and shooting up all the infantry inside. Lascannons and sorcerous weapons penetrate carapace armour with relative ease and even power armour is not guaranteed to turn aside their blows. Luminen protections help, but can be shattered by enough fire in quick succession, which is what happened. An expected outcome when 5520 strike craft shoot everything they have at 16 titan sized shuttles in under five seconds and concentrate most of that on three of them.

“With their armour and bodies broken, our people quickly froze, entering suspended animation. The initial recovery efforts focused on those with power and a heartbeat. My operation grabbed every body, every scrap of metal, and every beacon spinning in the void.

“Overall, we recovered 70% of the lost Aeronautica crew and 40% of the Heralds. They’re being placed in temporary Servitor frames as we speak. By comparison, no additional Penitents were recovered from the other two destroyed Class threes. The Barghests did much better. Their power armour, Vitae Supplement and Sus-an Membrane meant that all five Astartes were recovered from their Thunderhawk. The 25 accompanying Auxilia were less fortunate. Only 18 were in a state where we can restore them.”

Absolute joy bubbles up from within me from Alpia’s words. I reach over and squeeze her hand.

“If we weren’t in public I would break out into a little dance! Well done, Alpia. That is the best news I could have hoped for. You and your crews did a phenomenal job. You have no idea how much of a relief it is for me to finally see our people surviving when they should not after all the effort and expense I put into protecting them.”

“When did you suddenly grow a sense of shame?”

“Right this moment when I was so impressed by you.”

“Thanks, Dad. It’s nice to see you all happy and silly again.”

We cross the mezzanine and enter the next hall. This time, we are standing on a armourglass floor. Below are multiple terrariums, filled with xenoflora. Up top, along the walls, are hundreds of small wooden drawers, each with a holographic depiction of the plant and its seeds within. Several large catalogues and a dataslate are available and I also detect a noosphere connection that leads to an extensive flora encyclopedia.

Alpia and I halt our private conversation and I say, “Oh! This is a lovely room. Are all these samples exclusive to the Koronus Expanse or did you go further afield for this collection.”

Mahyar says, “Magos, this living collection is the work of centuries, gathered from passing Rogue Traders. They keep their sources secret, so I could not tell you where they are from. Only a few are from well known sources.”

If I couldn’t read this man’s emotions, I would have no idea he is lying. He’s good enough to make my Rapid Decision Engine have trouble reading him.

I run a search through the noosphere encyclopedia. Much to my disappointment, they do not have proper tea. They do have some plants that produce rejuvenat drugs and other medicines, including toxin based medicine. There are nutritious plants and fungi that grow in a variety of conditions. I am especially interested in the extremophiles, regardless of their use. One plant was even recovered from a Space Hulk, allegedly, and requires Warp energy to grow. 

I mark all of the practical plants for purchase. I am confident that I can use my own catalogue of Aeldari compatible plants in trade if needed, let alone my ‘English Soap Collection’ from Old Earth. Looking at these preliminary prices, I am sure that there is room for significant trade and negotiation, even if I wasn’t planning on paying in Bytes.

Alpia touches the dataslate and zones out for a moment, then taps the screen. “Look here, Dad. Mum gets super emotional over flowers after some stunt you pulled that she likes to show off about. Maybe you can pull off a repeat?”

I walk over and look at the screen and laugh, “That’s a fungus. Called Widowmaker. You scamp.”

“Then what about this one?”

“Eurycoma? The bark of that tree is used in an aphrodisiac cocktail called Mama Juana. I’ll have you know, young lady, that your father is not so old that he requires assistance to perform his marital duties.”

“Ewww.”

“Two can play at ‘pick the weird plant’.”

“Then how about this one? Weren’t you complaining about Inquisitor Lyre’s nalwood table? They have three viable cuttings in storage. Throne, this tree is weird. Apparently they can move and they grow absolutely huge. You’d need a planet to cultivate it, or maybe hollow out a small planetoid if you couldn’t find a location matching Tanith. Still, it might be worth it. The fruit is edible and the wood can be used in psy-weapons as well as anything else that needs a decent hardwood.”

With a fresh sample, I’ll be able to add it to the database and print it, but I’m not going to say that while Mahyar can overhear us. I’m not sure why Alpia is playing up its value though. Is she trying to beggar me?

I chuckle, “I already added it to my list, but thank you for checking. I doubt Brigid will be interested in it though.”

“Now you are just being difficult. How about the Cadian Chrysanthus? Maybe a Fenrisian Iron Pine? It would make for a good beating stick.”

“Alpia, your mother is not some violent haridan. Stop implying otherwise. We’ll take the Cadian Chrysanthus too. I’m sure she will love it. I might as well grab the Iron Pine for my own collection as well.”

“Finally, let’s try the next room!”

“What’s the hurry?”

“I’m excited and you are slow! I want to look at everything.”

“We have all the time in the world, Sweet Pea. If we rush, we might miss something good.”

“You should just give in and buy one sample of everything.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You’re not going to go around reading every sign again are you? You used to take forever to show us around the archeotech museum on Iron Crane.”

“I promise to scan everything at range and process it as fast as I can.”

“Your offer pleases this princess.”

I laugh, “Lead on, Mahyar and friends.”

All four of them bow and gesture to the next room.

“This way, Magos,” says Mahyar.

The next room contains aquatic plants. This is followed by an aquarium and a zoo. Rather than letting the fauna roam within a habitat, each creature is locked in stasis like a taxidermy display, or living sculpture. 

Mahyar and the dolls are as flabbergasted as I am when Alpia reaches through the frozen time to pet the animals and tickle the fish, leaving trails of translucent, silver energy wherever her fingers pass and enhancing the beauty of the displays.

I do as Alpia suggests and mark samples of everything for purchase, rather than whole plants or animals. I also slip through their security and download all the data I want. With a secret smile, I add an ‘Alpia accidental miracle’ discount and edit their price catalogue. They’ll make back the loss. Eventually.