Word Brothers

 “Ever since I could comprehend the taste of metal , I knew my flesh to be weak. It wasn’t the simple practice of using tools, nor the worship of the machine through physical touch, but the literal taste of metal pressed on my tongue. It was the way in which the blade hit my taste buds, that delicious metallic flavor that made me feel in contact with the God of the Machine. That was a taste of divinity, but it was also a show of my weakness, the desires of the flesh that made me think of bliss when I should have considered the danger to my life. When the thugs of the inquisitor made me savor their blades in mockery, before the holy Tech Adept saved me from their corruption, I was enraptured in divine bliss when I should have understood my position. The flesh is weak, my brothers, so make sure to remember-”

“Too wordy.” Malacheus turned around, seeing his brother and underling shaking his head. “Get to the point.”

“The point?” He could have strangled him, stabbed him through his still functioning throat. It would have felt good. “The point is the weakness of the flesh, brother. To re-tell the story of my chance encounter with our faith, before my indoctrination began and with it, my salvation.”

“And it is too wordy.” He replied in a way that Malacheus knew was made specifically to infuriate him.

They had been practicing their low gothic as of late, for the campaign to follow would require them to speak to the lowest of the low ranks of the Astra Militarum. Therefore Binharic would be reserved for those words that only they would share, in secret. 

His brother Azhareus was to be the one of the new Enginseers of the company and while the job would demand a lot of him, what would the so-called mechanic know of “wordy” speeches? Meanwhile he himself was to be their newly appointed “Tech Priest”. 

“I notice your cortisol levels rising, brother.” Continued the Enginseer. “Have I upset you with my words?”

Neither of them could smile, as Azhareus wore a mask over his face and Malacheus had replaced most of his head with the blessings of the God of the Machine, communicating through a vox in place of what used to be his mouth. Yet he knew his brother would be smirking with delight.

“It would seem that between us, Azhareus, you are most adept at weaving words.” For he had said exactly the combination of those that would irritate him the most.

“Apologies, Tech Adept. Or Tech Priest, as you’re soon to be called.” It was an honest apology, even if the Enginseer did not regret what he said at all.

“I will be, yes.” Malecheus turned back, studying the speech he had been writing on his pad. “It is the custom of the lower ranking soldiers of the Astra Militarum to use such a title.”

“Applicable to Enginseers like myself as well, yet they should call you Magos instead. I am surprised, Malecheus. That you would accept such an inaccurate term for your new, and well earned position.” The praise was also honest and a continuation of the previously given apology.

But he knew better than to expect more from his brother, their friendship had lasted for decades. Such praise would not occur often, and it would have felt off putting if it did. In fact, to Malacheus it would have been a sign of his brother having technical issues with the wiring within his cranial structure, an influence by xenos forces or even worse, the ruinous powers. So he could rest easy knowing this was his friend, much as it would pain him.

“It would be foolish to ignore or chastise the soldiers on such matters.” He moved his cold, metallic fingers over the data-slate, manually correcting the speech. “An adept of any kind must find the way to his congregation, their spirit as well as their mind. No use in speeches that will reach only willingly deaf ears. Better to let them see me as one of them, to a degree.”

“You are a hovering contradiction, Adept Malecheus.” Said his brother making a motion to the modifications to his lower body that allowed him to hover on the ground. “You speak of the weakness of the flesh, yet you do such basic things that are not of the machine.”

He then started enumerating them, to prove his point. “You accept their basic terms that contradict the classifications given by the Archmagos of Mars, you use your hands to edit your texts instead of doing it through a console installed in your cranium. And you dare call our partnership something as emotional as a friendship.”

There was the teasing again, and Malecheus did not anticipate any praise to follow it. Good.

“The Archmagi may have well or ill earned positions amongst the First of the Forge Worlds, appointed by the Omnissiah himself even, but that doesn’t make them flawless. The use of my hands is as much a matter of practice with the analogue, as a measure of precaution, for when the motive force ceases to fill the digital it’ll be the motive force within me that shall serve our needs. And as for that which you call emotional…” He turned to see his friend, mechanical eye to mechanical eye. “I call a pain in my chrome buttocks.”

In another life where they had not replaced their lungs and plenty of their muscles with metal, wires and oil they might have laughed. In this one they simply nodded, understanding each other perfectly.

“Still too wordy.” Was all that Azhereus said.

“Leave me, Enginseer. I’m sure there is some machine spirit out there begging for you to come rescue it from the dreaded ways its soldiers treat it.”

“If you insist. I will see you later, Tech Priest.” The sound of heavy footsteps indicated that his brother was leaving. As all of him was heavy.

Once alone again Malecheus had a good look at the text on his slate. He felt the instinctual need to sigh, which of course he wasn’t able to do. It was disappointing to feel the need to do something so basic, and it would have to be corrected over time. Instead he simply erased the whole speech with one motion, starting over.

“Too wordy…”

 

• Another WH40K fanfic! I've been having so much fun with this world again, yaaaaay. Once again I've provided links for everyone to be situated and get to writing more if they'd like! Enjoy!