An Inferno! magazine classic given the e-short treatment, Andy Chambers’ Deus Ex Mechanicus sees an Adeptus Mechanicus explorator mission delving into the supposedly dead world of Naogeddon. An expert in cryo-stasis, Lakias Danzager joins the mission just as the unusually charismatic Magos Egal succeeds in finding a way into a necron tomb complex. With his suspicions already roused by absent members of the mission and the eerily regular attacks by the tomb’s strange, metallic defenders, Lakias reluctantly joins Egal in exploring the tomb and facing its many horrifying dangers.
This is clearly an early depiction of the necrons, complete with exploding scarabs, slightly generic necron warriors, and naive Mechanicus characters blithely unaware of just what they’re facing. It’s no less enjoyable for that, and the Mechanicus in contrast are equal parts similarly old school and eerily prophetic – the Praetorians, for example, are remarkably like Kataphron battle servitors despite predating them by over fifteen years. Strip away the story’s age, however, and it’s nicely paced, well plotted and full of character. It’s essentially a 40k equivalent of a Mummy story, complete with booby traps, plenty of deaths and a creepy sense of tension, and while it’s not the most original of stories, it’s nonetheless thoroughly entertaining.
