Look to the sky for your Salvation [Open]

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

Erhart had been stalking around the Hangar for quite some time. The various ships interested him, as he went from ship to ship, analyzing each with the augmented mind of an Astartes. But then... he saw something strange. A flash of red. Something obscured by other ships, but now found to him. His hearts pound, and he runs toward it, clambering up the side of a larger mass-conveyance ship to find the half hidden thing.

A gunship, in the colors of his artistic brothers. The blood Angels. Heavily armed, and with a certain ferocity to it, like that of a predatory bird. He stares at this wonderful fruit of the Omnimessiah, unsure of what to do with it, who he should call. What he should do. Indeed, if he can do anything with it.

It was like a Thunderhawk, the steed his chapter rode to war in, only smaller, more agile. But so heavily armed it could only be a form of gunship. He crossed to it, touching the heraldry of the Blood Angels blazoned on the side with a reverent hand. "Dorn's blood!"

Comments

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

"Language," Soren said absently, figuring this to be some manner of curse. Exclamations like that usually were. He glanced over at Erhart, saw a hulking man in heavy armor, and figured him for a knight.

"I've found that many of the owners of the vehicles here are particular about who touches their things."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi knew that voice. He was nearby anyway, so when he heard Erhart speak, he made his way over to see what the fuss was.

"Good news, I guess?"

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"It's an Imperial Vessel, my brother chapter would not gainsay my reverent...."

He turns, looking at Soren.

"And who are you?"

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Indeed. A gift from the Omnimessiah, it would appear. This is some sort of gunboat or assault craft, Imperial in origin though the standard pattern is not known to me. Clearly not heretical, for it bears the Mechanicus seal."

He gestures to a bisected skull, one half bone, the other half metal, which has been engraved onto the Stormraven.

"It is similar to, though smaller than, the Thunderhawk that is the primary assault ship of my Chapter. It bears the Heraldry of the sons of Sanguinius."

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

Soren looked up at Erhart coolly -- he had to look up, because Erhart was approximately 3.5 feet taller. "It is customary to introduce yourself before demanding it of someone else, is it not? My name is Soren. I'm an Archmage from Tellius."

Not that that would likely mean much to anyone who wasn't from Tellius.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"Lucky for you; maybe you can fly it into combat." He frowned as he looked at the bisected skull insignia and also he had no idea who Sanguinus was.

"Implying that some technology is heretical, I suppose."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"I am Erhart of the Eternal Crusade. And I do not follow custom. I am Astartes."

Which means he's an arrogant bastard of a knight, but that was fairly obvious to begin with.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Indeed. Heretical and dangerous, both to the user and humanity as a whole. Apocalypse weapons, Chaos-tainted machines... and worse. Many xenos-tech things have caused disasters in worlds where they are trafficked, or used by humans."

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

That look of disdain was just for you, Erhart.

"How wonderful for you." Yep. Bonehead knight, or so Soren thought. At least Gatrie had the sense to know when he was being chastised. "A lesson in manners, and perhaps your crusade will be complete."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"And you will be the one to administer it? I think not." He rumbles.

"But no, as long as humanity is threatened by the dark, I shall endure and attempt to bring light into a benighted universe."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi waved a hand in dismissal. "Any piece of technology can be useful or dangerous, depending on who develops it and what it's used for. It's not inherently good or evil."

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

Now Soren's expression had a hint of disgust to it, as well. It was really becoming a subtle, tasty blend of condescension. "Believe me, I'm not in the practice of taking pupils. And even if I were, I'm sure there are less pungent ones I could accept."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"I must disagree with you. The Necrons are a race comprised of xenos archaeotech that exist for no other purpose than to annihilate every living thing in the galaxy."

"There's also the case of the bloodtide, a sentient being of Nanytes that destroyed an entire subsector in one night."

"Some things are too dangerous to use, or too inherently corrupting."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Pungent, what do you mean?"

Erhart has never, in 200 years, thought about the epic stank of his body odor.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"I find it difficult to believe that the scientific principles those inventions were based on couldn't have been applied to cause positive change, rather than destruction. Nanomachines, for instance, have wide-ranging applications in construction and medical treatment. If they are used incorrectly, it is only because they're in the hands of someone irresponsible."

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

"I mean you smell like a platoon of wyverns that just spent the last year or two wallowing in bog filth. There are baths on the ship, and they are free of charge."

Soren: meen.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"What are Wyverns?"

Erhart, the master of missing the point.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"There are nanomachines in my blood. I know they have positive uses. The problem comes from when.... man created machines to rule him. And forgot his own existence as anything other than a slave. Becoming a technocracy ruled by giant cogitators that disposed of them as biological parts. "

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"Well, there's your problem right there," Zouichi said dryly. He didn't have a lot of sympathy for people who created horrific death-technology, whether mechanical or biological -- especially if it contributed to the downfall of an entire civilization. "Perhaps if they created something a little less virulent."

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

"They are winged, scaled beasts whose odor bears great resemblance to your own."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"So I smell?"

He was unaware of this.

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"And so it was that we had the tech-priests of Mars guide us. They understood what was useful, and what was too dangerous to be used, or even conceived. They sequester it... because some times require the use of things that normal circumstances preclude. Does the word Ordinatus have any meaning to you?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Orrrr humanity could just learn to decide for themselves which technology should be developed. Trusting one group of technocrats with all the decisions wasn't any better than trusting any other interest group.

Zouichi shrugged. "It's Latin. It means 'ordered' or 'appointed'. Other than that, no."

[facepunching.livejournal.com]

Soren was thinking Erhart was pretty dumb at this point.

"Let me put it this way: you could be promoted to Daein's fifth General on the virtue of your stench alone."

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

"Ah. Knights like myself give little thought to this, but... perhaps I could spare some time from training and prayer for some washing."