A Rebirth

one of the knights charges one of the kraken, firing its thermal cannon into its cockpit point blank, melting it into a pile of slag
the infiltrators continue their work, single minded as ever

*It's torn apart by the other mechs and strike craft. Meanwhile, a colossi barrels into a knight using its thruster packs, knocking the Imperial mech over. The Consortium infantry finish butchering the skitarii. No prisoners were taken, and the Tenders make displays of them with the aforementioned crucifixions as symbols of the "fate" of those who allow technology to overcome their humanity.*

the position these were all defending...detonates

*Noting this, the Consortium forces finish off the AdMech troops in the area and regroup. The presence of the knights is reported to Jorkun who authorizes the use of thermobaric weapons if need be.*

the admech have pulled back all their still considerable forces to one hive, which btw has millions of civilian workers in it

*Consortium forces are allocated to siege the hive with more artillery being brought in and the fleet stars scanning for strong points. Meanwhile, relief supplies are starting to be given out to civilians while servitors are being scrapped, tech priests interrogated and...surgeons are being assigned Skitarii for vivisection.*

its a ranger on the operating table then
she struggles, testing her restraints

*A surgeon approaches with her team. The woman is dressed in the colors of Yutega.*

Surgeon: Don't bother struggling. Those restraints are rated for Orks and if you somehow do break them, the guards will eliminate you before you get anywhere or do anything of meaning. *To her team.* Let's see what gives this monster of Frankenstein life, shall we?

*They don the needed surgical masks and other equipment and starting to cut through the Skitarii's armor.*

she struggles, her breathing getting erratic
"what are you doing...."

*The surgeon ignores her and instead dictates her observations to an aide.*

Surgeon: The armor appears to be made of ceramite, possibly of a higher quality compared to that of the average Guardsmen but proper lab and engineering tests can wait. Standard cutting tools are effective in removing the armor. *The surgeon removes several sections of armor she had cut from the skitarii, setting them on a medical tray.* Initial armor incision was a success, note the time. Moving on to full armor removal.

struggling continues

*The surgeon eventually removes the entirety of the skitarii's frontal torso armor.*

Surgeon: Subject shows signs of extensive cybernetic augmentation. The lower legs are completely robotic in nature, as are most of the mass of the subject's arms. The armor shows signs of some sort of mechanism allowing for it to, for lack of a proper term at the time, "fuse" with the user, although the same mechanism also appears to allow for the removal of the armor. Moving onto the torso proper, the subject shows signs of extensive augmentation with some signs of possible recent repair or further augmentation. Preserving the cybernetics so that we can observe how they function in a live subject is paramount. *She searches for organic tissue.* Possible incision point found, note the time. *She starts to make an incision into the skitarii's organic components.*

she screams in pain as the incision is made

*The Yutegan surgeon ignores this, but a Templum one appears concerned.*

Templum Surgeon: Ma'am, didn't the reports say these things weren't human anymore? The troopers reported that they didn't appear to feel any pain.

Yutegan Surgeon: Yes. The scream is probably basic response in the subjects reptilian part of the brain. Continuing with the incision. *She does in fact continue, the Templum surgeon looking more concerned.*

Templum Surgeon: Ma'am, it asked a question when you started the operation. Doesn't that show some form of intelligence?

Yutegan Surgeon: From what we know of Adeptus Mechanicus soldiers, they're lobotomized drones. This may be some sort of preset program designed to delay us. *She's still cutting.*

she keeps screaming and struggling
"please!...stop!"

*The lead surgeon ignores this, but the Templum surgeon, along with the rest of the surgery team, which includes a lower ranking Yutegan surgeon, go from concerned to realizing they're not dealing with a lobotomized drone very quickly.*

Yutegan Lead: Subject is displaying pain responses despite reports from soldiers in the field. The torso appears to be mostly organic externally, current incision is not expansive enough to properly reveal internal cybernetics.

Templum Surgeon: Ma'am, we have to stop. We're not dealing with a cybernetic combat drone.

*The Lead continues, revealing some of the more expansive modifications in the area of the incision.*

Lead: Internal cybernetics revealed, function is not immediately evident.

Templum Surgeon: MA'AM! We have to stop! This isn't right!

*She ignores him and continues cutting.*

Templum Surgeon: MA'AM!! *He grabs her arm and removes it from the skitarri, wrenching the scalpel from her grasp in the process. The lead surgeon draws her sidearm and aims it at the Templum surgeon.*

Lead: Give. Me. Back. That. Scalpel.

*The rest of the team freezes, for all of five seconds.*

Younger Yutegan Surgeon: GUARDS!! BREACH!

*The guards burst into the room, weapons at the ready, only to see the lead surgeon shoot the younger Yutegan in the shoulder. Before she can react, they subdue her.*

Templum Surgeon *seeing to his younger college*: Shit. Someone get trauma equipment in here. We need to staunch this bleeding and make sure nothing vital was damaged. *He hands the wounded younger man to the guards.* Brave thing there, son.

Younger Yutegan Surgeon: Thank you, sir. *He's hauled out so his wound can be treated.*

Templum Surgeon: Damn it...How did we get assigned one of the crazies?

*He starts to look staunch the bleeding the incision caused.*

the skitarii is breathing heavily, clearly in some kind of shock...possible sound of sobbing under the helmet but too quiet to tell

*She's administered a strong dose of painkillers as the bleeding is stopped. They start to seal up the incision with a laser suture of some sort, leaving no visible mark that the incision was ever there.*

the breathing slowly steadies out.

*She's eventually moved to a ward for recovering patients, still under guard, but not in danger of being vivisected.*

she stays quiet throughout

*At the edge of her vision, she can see the Templum surgeon conversing with...Someone.*

???: You're certain of that?

Templum Surgeon: Yes. We're waiting for the results from the scans, but we have good reason to believe we're not dealing with simple drones. There's a person in there, and we were killing her and the lead knew this. Please tell me no other vivisections have happened, sir.

???: No. Your group was the test run.

Templum Surgeon: That's a relief.

???: Is she conscious?

Templum Surgeon: Maybe, but given what she just experienced, an interrogation may be ill advised.

she tries to get a better view to see the other person but cannot due to the restraints

OOC So whats going on?

long story short
consortium attacking forge world
took some skitarii prisoner
assumed they were just lobotomised drones like servitors
went to vivisect one to see how it works
found out that she's actually a person not a drone part way through

ooc that probably went over porly

very much so

???: I will decide that, Doctor.

Surgeon: *Sighs* Very well. Have the....bastards that crucified those skitarii been apprehended?

???: Some. We're still hunting the others. Damn Tenders.

"c-crucified?"

*From what little she can see, they're surprised she's lucid.*

*she is only barely lucid*

*The other speaker walks up to her. She's dressed in Yutegan colors, and if the way she holds herself is any indicator, she's of some sort of command rank.*

Commander: Yes, crucified.

"wh-why?"

Commander: Tenders are anti-technology fanatics. They are as close to Luddites as they can be in an age of space travel.

"I..."

*The commander cocks her head.*

she just goes quiet

*The commander shrugs, assuming the skitarii has passed out, and begins to walk away.*

"who....are you...b-bastards"

*The commander stops, and turns around.*

Commander: WE are soldiers of the Consortium. The people who crucified your...comrades, were fanatics.

"you...tried to cut me open...."

Commander: Under the pretense that you were neither sapient nor sentient. That pretense has since been proven false.

"you...didn't think...to ask?"

Commander: No techpriests have yet to be taken alive. Further, information already available indicated you were simply a more advanced for a servitor.

"wh-why have a seperate word for us if we're just servitors"

Commander: We assumed that due to the variety of roles skitarii assume on the battlefield, that it was simply to differentiate you from standard servitors.

"we...we're just soldiers"

Commander: We were not aware of that at the outset of this conflict.

she just lays back her head

*The commander goes to leave, assuming the conversation is over.*

*i guess it is then*