Chapter 17.3: Another perspective.
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(Just before Hannah fired the first shot)

Data log #5764719: It has been four (Earth) days since I left a message for one "Joseph" and "Hannah" to see me at the northern slums, and it seems that "Hannah" is the one to come along with her "Skitarii" as she has called them, though some are called "Explorators" and I have logged the before with a sort of recording equipment...

The locals within the district seem to be hostile towards "Hannah" and her people. (Side Note: Unable to give her people a collective name)

Weapons wielded by them are advanced by a magnitude that rivals the greats back on Earth. A weapon able to harness plasma of all things, but I can tell that "Hannah" does not seem able as a front line soldier, she is fit as a commander from what I've seen or heard, she is fit for maybe a rear line command and is clearly nervous about leading from the front.

Bu-!


The AI log taking was stopped as Hannah spoke, "Flesh is weak. Flesh rots while metal is eternal. If the Spirit is pure then one day you may join your holy machines!" It could hear her voice no matter even though she said it in a low mutter.

What does that mean?! "Flesh is weak." Yes that is true, "Flesh rots while metal is eternal." Yes it does, but metal does rust and decay. The AI was stumped on the last line, "If the Spirit is pure then one day you may join your holy machines."

What does that mean though, what "Spirit" is she referring too, and "holy machines" is she religious? No all its files said that she has a non-religious or atheistic view. But had logged her people talking about an Omnissiah.

Not long after the rest of the Skitarii and Explorators started repeating until their is a chant of it, which seem to spook the crowd but didn't stop them from taking slow steps forward.

"Disperse now or die!" Hannah shouted and after ten seconds fired, the AI sensors said that the weapon was firing at a far greater volume then it seems to be meant to handle, but still seeing plasma being used as a primary fascinated the AI to no end as it was designed to locate new worlds for Humanity.

It's recorders logged as the ball of blue plasma impacted the crowd and the heat vaporized those it hit but unlike what the AI expected once it hit as if a small star went supernova it expanded to encompass a half meter area and for another meter burned those with the scorching heat and a sharp whistle as air rushed to filled in the small void that was created.

But it didn't stop the crowd who charged and with nearly perfect timing the Skitarii fired, each shot tore through several people before running out of penetrating power, the recoil hammered into the shoulder of the wielders but it didn't seem to affect them as they fired again and again, but despite this the crowd had the weight of numbers and entered melee with the Skitarii.

Several of them fought with their Arquebus to shove them back and only two putting them aside and drew combat knives the handles of which was emblazoned in a martian red and a Cog Mechanicum at the hilt, those two being Kulian and Mujra... but Hamilton?

"DIE MEATBAGS!" He bellowed in a deep binary as his halberd crackled with electricity and the skull near the blade glowed a low blue as he brought it down onto the top of a poor man as he raised a shoddy built shield, both it and the man behind it didn't survived the impact.

The AI watched in wrapped fascination as it had not seen something for many years, not since the appearance of the mages was something able to caught it's attention so. It's processors worked in overtime to as it accessed it's main data drive, annoyingly much of what was newer was corrupted but many of the older items were clear as day... but to it's annoyance a feeling it gotten to often recently could not find anything similar to what Hamilton was wielding. Just like the Guardsmen of Joseph, Hannah's people was just as anomalies. 

"FIGHT! FOR THE MECHANICUM!" Shouted One of the Skitarii as she kicked onto her enemies knee and firing her weapon into the face of her opponent. "RAAAAA!"

They fought, speaking in binary. Shouting warnings, open targets... and so much more. It was as if they were all one well oiled machine working together, or more closely like an ant colony defending the Queen. With every so often a loud hiss would from Hannah's weapon as she used her coolant.

A new shout 'awoke' the AI from it's internally as this call came from a Explorator as he shoved Hannah aside, "PSYKER!" As a ball of fire flew at her, but thanks to the intervention of the poor soul it didn't hit it's target but instead killed the one that saved her and another that was too close.

Both where reduced to molten metal and burnt flesh.

Hannah raised herself and fired the ball of plasma vaporizing the mage.

Then something confused the AI for a moment, it watched Hannah ready to fire but the way she looked at her weapon as if it had warned her of something... which led to the AI to wonder why she throw her weapon at a oncoming crowd just to watch as someone picked it up and tried to use it.

The AI instantly reentered a log taking mode as this was completely new.


"Hannah" has just now been observed to have almost heard something from her Plasma weapon before throwing it, with a "Sorry" as if the weapon could understand her. While this has been observed before her speaking to her weapons and unaccountable abilities to dissemble weapons on their own.


Before the AI knew it as the majority of it's processing went to making the log it missed Hannah and her people fleeing into an nearby home and the only thing the reengage it's attention was a wolf's howl and the sound of tearing flesh with a rapidly snuffed out scream. The rather unhuman speed made the AI jump from it's hiding spot and looked to see a large wolf.

The wolf's fur was almost dark grey with a lighter if slightly silvery that went from the tips of it's nose towards along the spine and with most of the tail being the same color, but outside of that. It's jaw was covered in the deep red with a set of intestines leading down to the man below it.

The AI was always confused by it. It matches a normal wolf in many ways and yet, it was to perfectly trained or tamed to where even stuck by someone it wouldn't attack without his master's order... but the AI couldn't see Joseph or any of the guardsmen that have been seen feeding him.

The AI looked back up the road but didn't see anyone coming. It was just the wolf alone against this mob.

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