Dies Irae

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

​Dies Irae

For millennia humanity ruled the stars; an empire that stretched the entire galaxy. However, civil war and forbidden technology ended humanity's imperial dreams, leaving the human race broken and fragmented. From the ruined city spires and techno-slums of Earth, the progenitors finally rallied and began the great galaxy-wide mission of unifying their lost colonies.

Author's note:
I wanted to try my hand at some science fiction stuff, inspired as I am by many of the stories here, as well as many other games, stories and movies. It'll be a collection of short stories, vignettes and one-shots, sometimes in a themed collection, sometimes not, but all in the same universe. The stories can essentially be read in any order and I'll be posting a 'sourcebook' and a glossary for people to read first, to familiarize themselves with the key aspects of Dies Irae. There is a chronological order of the stories, but I'm still working that out and some dates may be subject to retcon. But Tales of the 171st takes place in, what is in my mind, the current period of the universe. Requiem and Palanquin are somewhat contemporary, but other stories may well be set decades, if not centuries in the past.

Tales

Tales of the 171st Stories from an imperial regiment during a desert siege. I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII Requiem (complete) A conversation between a sergeant and his Steelseer. I II III IV V Palanquin Sergeant Tsij embarks upon his Pilgrimage. I II III IV V VI Liberation

Glossary

A Age of Steel: the previous period of galactic history, ending with the Fall. Age of Gold: the current period of galactic history, beginning after the War Under One Sun. Auxpair: a veteran steelseer in command of multiple units. C Cog-crone: soldiers' slang for a steelseer. E Earthborn: imperial soldiers born on Earth, most of whom fought in the War Under One Sun. Eastern Drift: a sector of the Outer Arm. Eff-tee: see Forbidden Technology. F Fall: the Fall of Humanity. The name given to the civil war that destroyed humanity's galactic empire. Forbidden Technology: dangerous technology outlawed after the War Under One Sun. ForTech: see Forbidden Technology. G Golden Queen: see She. H Her: see She. I Information Pulse: an electrical pattern sent to a mnemo-cycle. Inner Arm: a cluster of gas and dust closer to the galactic core, mostly re-conquered in the War for the Lost Ones. K Kadin: a title of Earth nobility. L Lost Ones: former members of the human empire, cut off during the Fall. M Mnemo-cycle: an implant in every human with multiple functions. It records, recreates and allows for electrical patterns - pulses - in the brain. Mnemo network: a network between mnemo-cycles, used both to control and administer groups of soldiers, as well as civilians. O Outer Arm: a cluster of gas and dust further from the galactic core. P Pilgrimage: a journey undertaken by a solider to return the corpse of a deceased steelseer back to her homeworld. Pulse: see Information Pulse. S Seershock: a soldier's term for a steelseer's electric shock via pulse to the pain receptors in the brain. She: a mysterious and unknown woman who led humanity to victory in the War Under One Sun Steelseer: a female officer commanding a regiment of soldier in the imperial army. Uses her mnemo-cycle to coordinate her unit. W War for the Lost Ones: a galactic war to absorb humanity's former colonies back into the empire. War Under One Sun: the climactic battle of the civil war that destroyed humanity's empire. Fought on earth, it finally ended with the empire's victory and the prohibition of forbidden technology.

Sourcebook

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

I

They sang Her name. Veterans of the War Under One Sun, they filled the sand-strewn trenches, keeping vigil in the light of foreign stars. Some sang in rich tones, their natural voices yet to be hollowed out and cast aside, whilst the raspy metallic screech of others sounded out in schizophrenic parallel. Yet despite their deformities and differences, they all sang Her name.

She who had risen to reclaim their glory. She who had preserved her flesh when all else was machine. She who had taken up her sword to forge a new path for humanity. She who had allowed them to once again see the light of many suns. She who had ushered in the Age of Gold.

The War Under One Sun had ended many centuries ago now, yet they still remembered it as if it were yesterday; slaughtering their kin in the blackened slums of Earth, all the while choking on the thick smog emanating from the factories that churned out mechanical war-hosts for both sides. Then She came. Oh how they loved Her. As a private pleasure, many soldiers would secretly fire up their mnemo-cycles in lonely or desperate hours, just to rewind to their first memory of seeing Her.

Lieutenant Azyn was one such culprit. However, his favourite memory to rewatch was not of his first meeting Her, but instead the last battle of the war. To see Her storming the breach of the rebel’s final stronghold deep in the Urals, a figure of pure gold against a world turned black by machinery. It was a sight he was thankful he could always replay behind his eyes, yet no neural image could ever capture that feeling of seeing her in person; fighting alongside her and basking in her immense gravity. Now, thousands of light years away from Her, he could only remember. Yet even a memory was enough to keep him fighting.

The War Under One Sun had ended. The War for the Lost Ones was now raging across the galaxy. In the desert trenches that night, so far from home, those few who remembered the last war on Earth sang. They sang of Her who had given birth to a new humanity, who had saved them from themselves and unleashed them once again upon the stars. They sang of Her who was pure in a galaxy of filth, Her who was flesh when all else was machine, Her who was human when all humanity had faltered.

[Alwyn]

I read science fiction (I recently enjoyed Andy Weir's The Martian and Anne Leckie's Ancillary Justice, both of which I recommend) - and I like what I see in Dies Irae. A grand vista of time and space, mysterious history and culture (who is She and what happened/is happening in these wars?) and questions about the nature of humanity (...flesh when all else was machine", She was "human when all humanity had faltered") - all suggest that this is going to be good.

[McScottish]

I too like what I see- seems like an inverted Adeptus Mechanicus (from a 40K point of view ) -but I too wish for more. Carry on , sir!

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

I read science fiction (I recently enjoyed Andy Weir's The Martian and Anne Leckie's Ancillary Justice, both of which I recommend) - and I like what I see in Dies Irae. A grand vista of time and space, mysterious history and culture (who is She and what happened/is happening in these wars?) and questions about the nature of humanity (...flesh when all else was machine", She was "human when all humanity had faltered") - all suggest that this is going to be good.

Thanks A lot of it is really just an amalgamation of lots of different sci-fi settings and I don't think I've really broken original ground with it yet. But it's a lot of fun to write and I'm over 7,000 words deep with it; mainly just little world-building scenes. Enough to post daily updates for a while at least

I too like what I see- seems like an inverted Adeptus Mechanicus (from a 40K point of view ) -but I too wish for more. Carry on , sir!

It's actually a much more 'Geno Five-Two Chiliad' kind of vibe, but with machinery instead of psychic shenanigans, as I'm not really down with that. Legion was by far and away my favourite HH book though, so a lot of Dies Irae has been shamefully lift...I mean inspired by that

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

II

“I don’t understand why though?”

Sergeant Kovaskisk sighed, a sharp, piercing sound as the primitive mechanics that replaced his throat tried to match such the erstwhile organic movement. The sergeant looked at the boy beside him – one of the Lost Ones recruited from the liberated colonies. Fresh faced and wide eyed, his weak, fleshy form bore no resemblance to Kovaskisk’s heavily augmented body. Aside from the top half of his head and perhaps just over half of his torso, the sergeant was as converted as they came – all limbs replaced by iron and steel, with nano-cycles coursing through his oily blood, constantly repairing and improving muscles that should have long since failed him. The only evidence the boy had of augmentation was a small stitch just shy of his left eye.

“The mnemo-cycle?” Kovaskisk rasped, as the metal in his throat attempted to imitate vibrations once conducted by a voice-box. A true Lost One, the boy before him was. All flesh – a sick reminder of their failure an age past. As these children of the stars were re-absorbed back into humanity’s great empire, the Lost Ones – the descendants of the colonists humanity had left behind in its spiral into chaos – were augmented in the same way as the Earthborn. The mnemo-cycle, a small chip inserted into the brain, was the first and most important upgrade.

The boy – Kovaskisk did not know his name – nodded. He stood beside the sergeant in the trench under the beating sun, sweating in his fur-lined greatcoat. Sweat. If Kovaskisk had still retained a mouth he would have smirked. What greater sign of weakness was there?

“The mnemo-cycle serves many purposes boy,” the sergeant began to explain gruffly. “Chiefly, it allows the Steelseers to monitor you through information pulses. Through a constant relay of your vital signs, as well as your thought processes and sensory experiences, they can monitor and maintain companies, battalions, even whole populations. It’s also a two-way feed. Although we have our own commanders on the field, during large scale operations Steelseers can relay battle information through these pulses to the mnemo-cycles of squad leaders and even individual soldiers in some circumstances.”

The boy scowled at the aged veteran. “I know about the Steelseers,” he spoke petulantly, although there was a glint of fear in his eyes. Everyone feared the Steelseers. “I mean, why does the mnemo-cycle allow us to re-watch our own memories? I don’t understand.”

Kovaskisk paused to think upon this. “I’m just a soldier, so I don’t understand all of it,” he cautioned the boy. “The mnemo-cycle can imitate and reconstruct electrical patterns it has mapped, hence how we can view our own memories should we so wish. As to why? You’ll find out.”

Another sharp, rasping sound as the sergeant laughed. The younger soldier continued to inquire, but Kovaskisk just kept wheezing out laughter from the metal mask that had long since replaced his mouth.

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

III

Her vision swam in the oppressive sun, as the heat conjured many a mirage before her. Wincing, she retreated back into her pavilion, far above the trenchlines of her soldiers.

The tent was sparse, for she had no need for possessions. Only a spartan bed and a low writing desk occupied the shady interior. Kneeling at the latter, she began to pour over her papers. The Auxpairs would need to know the strength of her regiment this day.

“Can I speak with you?”

A mousy voice lilted through the tent and the woman at the desk glanced up. A young girl, barely a teenager, was awaiting entry at mouth of the pavilion.

“Come in Kana,” the kneeling woman spoke, returning to her paperwork. So much to do, so little time. It was only mid-morning, but her task would take most of the day.

Her protégé, Kana, bounced into the tent and knelt at the table. “Thank you mistress Nii,” she bowed her head respectfully. A young girl from the colonies, Kana was very much the image of Nii in her youth; dragged from her home and sent off on an adventure across the stars with the human military. Exciting of course, yet the young girl knew nothing of how arduous her task would be. Nii herself had not known at that age. She was thankful for that, in her own peculiar way.

“What’s the issue Kana?” Nii asked her apprentice, still absorbed in her work. “Your lessons are not until this evening.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nii saw the young girl bite her lip. “It’s just…well…I heard some things last night…”

Nii sighed and placed her quill down on her desk, finally giving Kana her full attention. “It can be strange, even sickening the first time,” Nii reassured the girl. “It doesn’t last though. They will fear you in due course, just as they fear me.”

“But they’re beasts!” the girl cried. “How can they think of me that way? I’m just a girl!”

Nii flashed her subordinate a sympathetic smile. “They’re soldiers Kana,” she spoke slowly. “Testosterone fuelled men, locked in a perpetual cycle of war. They have needs and urges. They will never dare act on them, but they cannot help but fantasize about us sometimes, for we are the only women they ever really see. Yet as you learn to control your powers as a Steelseer, you’ll be able to tune out those kinds of thoughts. But if you’re really insulted, you’ll be able to…let them know.”

Kana smiled and thanked her mistress, before turning to leave. Nii returned to her paperwork, but couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the young girl. Being a Steelseer meant having the information pulses from the mnemo-cycles of over a thousand soldiers pumped into your brain, every second of every day. Even with training, experience and neural implants, it was a difficult job. She would be lucky if her brain didn’t burn out by her thirtieth birthday.

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

IV

The boy beside him collapsed to his knees, screaming. Kovaskisk laughed in his usual raspy, metallic tones. “I told you it wasn’t wise to think of her in that way,” he reminded the boy.

Clutching his head, sprawled across the dusty trenchfloor, the boy whimpered. The worst of it was over. “What…how did you know?” he asked weakly, still wincing from the pain.

“That’s what they do,” Kovaskisk shrugged, knowing full well just how normal this event was. “I told you the mnemo-cycle was a two-way feed. If you think about Lady Nii in that way, she’ll know, as she knows all your thoughts. If she’s in a bad mood, she’ll send you a little present in return.”

“My brain…what did she…”

Kovaskisk laughed again, the thick, sharp sound cutting through the ochre air. “Just a little pulse to trigger the pain receptors in your brain. We call it a ‘Seershock’. Nothing that will kill you.”

“Is she that offended?” the colony boy asked, finally rising to his feet. “She’s a good looking woman.”

Kovaskisk looked at the Lost One pointedly. “I’d advise you to stop your train of thought right there, unless you want another one,” he advised, before answering the boy’s question. “There are many reasons. Perhaps she’s genuinely insulted. Perhaps she doesn’t like you. Perhaps she wants to keep you sexually repressed so you’ll fight more savagely. Perhaps she wants to remind you who is in control. Perhaps she just wants you to hate her. A Steelseer can act for any reason on the information she receives from our mnemo-cycles, yet we trust them to always take the right action. The Steelseer always knows best. How can she not, when she knows all?”

“I’m not sure I like this new mnemo-cycle,” the boy grumbled.

“Just wait until the next time you see her,” Kovaskisk warned the boy, his mechanical voice failing to capture the arrogant joy in his eyes. “She’s going to make you replay that memory of you writhing on the floor the entire time you’re in her company.”

The boy immediately paled. “So that’s what you meant by why we can access our own memories?”

Kovaskisk shook his heavy head. “No, that’s just a fun game Lady Nii enjoys playing. You’ll pray that was the only reason why when you finally find out.”

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Now complete with some suitably atrocious pictures by moi. Don't laugh. Well, I mean, try not too laugh too hard. Well, just at least do it behind my back, okay?

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

V

“Update from sentry post sigma sir.”

Lieutenant Azyn glanced up at the messenger, a barely augmented colony boy who had come sprinting down the trench. Azyn quickly tapped into his mnemo-cycle to pull up relevant memories of sentry post sigma. The north-eastern perimeter. Staffed by Sergeant Kovaskisk and a Private Noyln. Everything within normal parameters. No notable reports.

“What is it private?” Azyn asked.

“Large shadows to the north, just outside of the City. They couldn’t get a clear sight through the dust clouds, but they report definite activity.”

Where the natives finally mounting an attack? Azyn dismissed the boy. Lady Nii would already know of this, but he was likewise entrusted to devise his own plans. The City. The only stronghold on the planet and their objective in this siege. Administered by a colony of Lost Ones, but with a significant alien presence also. Large shadows… Azyn did not know what that heralded. He knew the City still possessed technology from before the fall of mankind; perhaps a handful of the same mechanic constructs that had ushered in humanity’s doom in the last age. That was why they remained here in this siege, biding their time whilst they calculated the best course of action.

He hoped this latest activity would transpire to be nothing. Still, he would have to consult with the colonel first.

[Merchant of Venice]

Having no idea of what 40K is, I'm viewing this with fresh eyes and I like the world you've created.I like the idea of mnemo-cycles and the steelseers being the ones in power and I hope you explore the idea of humanity losing its humanity with all these augmentations. And who is this Golden Woman????

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

If you did know 40k you'd know just how much of this is totally unoriginal But I'm having a ton of fun with it and I have like 20+ 'chapters'/tales already written. A lot of it is just mini-world building scenes, since I've forgotten how much fun it is to simply create 'original' universes.

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

VI

It had been difficult at first, especially in her childhood. Kept sheltered away from the soldiers, she was brought up and raised behind the lines of battle by a cadre of nurses. Yet attuned to the minds of an entire regiment of soldiers, even such a shelter could not protect her from the constant stream of information. War was imprinted onto her mind from birth and images of death were what defined her upbringing.

The first step was to simply grow accustomed to the constant stream of information – to let it flow through her, instead of trying to understand it all at once. She had to learn how to exist with this feed of information, whilst also being able to think and act independently of it; learning to treat it as background noise. Her youthful, intelligent mind had survived this first hurdle – something many young Steelsteers failed to do, losing their sanity within their first few years.

After this, one had to learn to cope with the images of war and death; gruesome thoughts and memories of the horrors of war, all praying on her innocent mind. If one could overcome this, then they were ready to begin their training.

Then there came the understanding and processing of the constant stream of information. This was when she was allowed out of her sheltered world. Joining her assigned mistress on the battlefield, she assisted the older woman in her day-to-day duties, whilst studying from her by night.

At thirteen, this was Kana’s duty. There were times when she struggled to comprehend and exercise her duties as a young Steelseer and the unwelcome attentions of some soldiers sometimes disgusted her. However, she loved every minute of her short life. Although not bred for war in the same way as the machine-soldiers under her future command, she was every bit as much a product of it. How could she not thrive?

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

VII

“Apologies My Lady,” the soldier bowed humbly as he crashed into her. He reached down with a gloved hand to assist her to her feet. Kana accepted his hand with a smile, able to feel the metal of his fingers under the glove as he hoisted her up.

“Do not worry about it…” She tried to recall his name. If she tried, she could know the name of every soldier in the regiment, where they were stationed, their combat capabilities, as well as their hobbies, likes, dislikes, secrets… everything there was to know about them, she had the potential to know. It was all inside her head, she just had to unlock it.

Unfortunately however, wearing the same crimson greatcoats and sporting similar mechanical augmentations, they all looked strikingly similar in person. “Lieutenant Azyn,” the soldier provided.

Azyn. Kana closed her eyes and tried to filter the information in her head. Lieutenant Azyn. Earthborn. Company commander in the 171^st. Veteran of the War Under One Sun. Rose to prominence in the Cathayan slumlands campaign…There was so much more and Kana struggled to tear herself away from her mnemo-cycle and return to reality. A difficult skill and one she needed to practice every day. She was accustomed to the constant stream of information from the soldiers and tapping into it, but once she had to use her mnemo-cycle to dive into her memories, it became increasingly difficult to separate the conflicting thoughts in her head again.

“Are you okay My Lady?” Azyn asked. Although his voice came from a metal box affixed to his face, Kana could see the genuine concern in his eyes. “You shouldn’t be wandering the trenches.”

Kana smiled again and waved away his concerns. “Don’t worry about me,” she spoke. All the while Azyn’s thoughts were being burnt into her head. She tried to focus on them. He viewed her as important; he was scared he had hurt her when he had just knocked her down. Not because he feared Lady Nii’s retribution, but because he considered Kana every bit his superior as he did the elder Steelseer. He was not dictated or ruled by fear of the Steelseers, like many of the re-inducted Lost Ones or the bitterer of the aged Earthborn. He was loyal, disciplined, proud. Kana immediately liked him. “Tell me Lieutenant, where are we headed?”

He was surprised as she fell into step with him, walking down the trench. Yet, as Kana learnt, he dealt with this surprise quickly. As far as he was concerned, he was hers to command and whatever she wished, he would accept and carry out. “I’m reporting to Colonel Vyan. There have been sightings of shadows on the horizon from one of our sentry posts.”

The young Steelseer scowled. This sounded like something she should have known. How had she missed it? The more people in the regiment that shared similar thoughts, the easier it was to pinpoint them in the constant flow of information. She guessed only a few people knew of this new information. “Will there be an attack? We’ve yet to see fighting on this planet yet.”

“You are correct,” Azyn replied, the rasping sound of his metal voice strange of Kana’s ears. She had spent only a little time with the soldiers since being freed from the nurses. “We faced no opposition when we made planetfall. However, from our reconnaissance we’re almost certain the inhabitants of this world possess dangerous technology from the Age of Steel.”

The Age of Steel. It was something Kana had only come to learn of recently. The last great age, when humanity had ruled a galaxy-spanning empire. Yet centuries of civil war saw the empire forced back to Earth, leaving hundreds of scattered colonies in its wake. Over time, these colonies forgot that they once belonged inside of a greater sphere. They became the Lost Ones, the objective of this new war across the stars. Kana herself hailed from one of the first colonies to be reclaimed; part of the new, reforged empire.

When She had won the War Under One Sun, She decreed that never again would humanity suffer as it had done in the Age of Steel. Dangerous technology from that time was outlawed, save for the some of the more primitive machinery. That’s why their current war was such a hazardous one and why Lieutenant Azyn was fearful of what lurked on the horizon. Kana felt his fear and she became afraid too.

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

VIII

The Earthborn were intimidating. Private Xeq still felt uncomfortable around them. They were human; at least they claimed to be. Yet they were so much more machine than man. They were nothing like his kin on his homeworld of Typha. One of the latest worlds ‘liberated’ by the resurgent empire, Xeq still remembered the days before the invasion. They existed unaugmented and Xeq was sure no one had thought to ever enhance themselves with machinery like their strange cousins he had come to know since.

Typha had been peaceful, prosperous. After decades of war, several blocks of nation-states had come into being, co-existing without any major issue. They had no technology advanced enough then to probe the heavens, but they were still content. When the Earthborn had arrived, Xeq and his kin had no chance of resistance. He had been altered with machinery forced into his brain and pressed into service in this galactic conquest.

Perhaps if Typha had been chaotic, uncivilized, primitive, he might not have cared. He knew of other ‘Lost Ones’ in their ranks, raised from tribal barbarians to techno-soldiers in the blink of an eye. They relished it. Xeq on the other hand…he found integrating into this strange empire difficult.

As he stood vigil in the desert trenches, surrounded by his ‘saviours’, he thought back to his homeworld, wondering if he would ever see it again. He hoped not, for he dread to think what the Earthborn had since done to his once evergreen home.

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

I'm really enjoying this. The world - or rather universe - is intriguing (like Merchant of Venice, I know nothing about 40K), and so are the characters. I'm looking forward to finding out what the shadows on the horizon will do next, and what the dangerous technology might be.

[Merchant of Venice]

Some good instalments, I'm starting to really like Kana and the dialogue between her and Azyn was well done. I really want to know more about this Age of Steel and the 'Lost One's'

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

I'm really enjoying this. The world - or rather universe - is intriguing (like Merchant of Venice, I know nothing about 40K), and so are the characters. I'm looking forward to finding out what the shadows on the horizon will do next, and what the dangerous technology might be.

Thanks! It's nice to meet you and I'm glad you're enjoying the tale!

Some good instalments, I'm starting to really like Kana and the dialogue between her and Azyn was well done. I really want to know more about this Age of Steel and the 'Lost One's'

Cheers I might go back and write some stories from that era, but I also kind of like keeping it a bit mysterious, like a jigsaw puzzle to be pieced together. The Lost Ones are everywhere though. I originally wanted them to be the 'protagonists' and to actually have the Earthborn as the bad guys, but it was just really fun to write them. I'm definitely going to write about the Fall of Typha from their perspective though and I'll definitely be exploring the other side of the conflict eventually.

[Hitai de Bodemloze]

Tales of the 171st

IX

When he thought of Her, it was never in a vulgar or crude way, like he might do with the cog-crone or her virgin assistant. No, it was strange. Corporal Ylin was one of the worst troublemakers in the regiment’s first company. Although an Earthborn, he had only seen action in the last few campaigns of the War Under The Sun. A child soldier, he grew up on the battlefield, initially fighting for neither for the empire or the rebels. He fought for himself. He fought to survive on a planet long since given over to madness.

However, under the great spire cities of the Levant, he met Her. Ylin would later learn that She had been leading a campaign to pacify the last of the White Sea warlords. Yet at that time he was just a starving orphan, clutching a scavenged rifle in the undercity, living off of rats and vermin. She had simply smiled at him. He pledged then to follow Her until the day he died.

He never saw Her again after that, although he served in the army during the great Caucasus Campaign that preceded the final siege of the Ural mountain strongholds. Yet that image of Her would forever be etched onto him, mnemo-cycle or not.

[Merchant of Venice]

I wonder if She is was actually as great as everyone says she was? Seems like she is more legend than truth the way these soldiers speak and think about her.