Welcome to the Guard!

Game Master Swordwhale

**The cleaning**
Thudd and the rest of the squad rush to get cleaned up and fixed up. The disinfectant hurts like a million bees, but he knows it's the last step and needed for not dying. Mommy-Leni tells him so.
When that's done he manages to change into a fresh uniform before almost literally collapsing into the corner and passing out for as long as he can.

**The Reporting**
Thud both loves and is depressed by two separate parts of his life for opposite reasons. In battle his purpose is clear. Communication is usually better. People don't use so many big words when they're getting shot at. But battle often means death of friends in horrible ways. After the battle the words come out and then Thud is faced yet again with just how much me must be missing out on. But nobody he likes is dying messily. Usually.
This debrief was a tour de force in the method of the latter. With so many big bosses in the room everyone puts on their big words and Thud finds that he's in a room where everyone is effectively speaking a different language. He recognizes some words, but he understands next to nothing.
Instead of particiapting, Thudd stays in the corner and struggles with his own debrief. One of rememberance. Of fire and screams. Of where he got the strip of metal that used to belong to a certain someone's promethium tank, now held tight in his left hand.
He doesn't cry. Notch wouldn't allow it. Instead he quietly goes through a ritual of what passes for Rememberance for an Ogryn.
He very quietly mutters to himself in his own exceedingly simple (by imperial standards) tongue, Notch, brother un-blood. You me stand. You me fight. You me brother bloody hand. You fire. Me deep-ice inside. Emprah Protek. Emprah call. Brother un-bloood go whoosh. Now with Emprah.

**The Awards**
Thud is shocked at the proceedings and has to be practically herded around as he stares wide-eyed at the assembled men and women. The fact that his squad mates are getting honored makes him more happy than getting his own. The only word he really understands is Bon'ead. Thud drops from attention and points to himself. Me? Bon'ead? He slowly stands back to attention, a look of awe on his face. He never imagined the day could even come. Thud'dr the Bon'ead! He almost couldn't believe it! His mind buzzes with the possibilities. A few ideas for the future even came two at a time!

During the briefing, Cormaeg ponders a few things to say, his inner nature slightly at war with itself, a new trait slowly forming.

"Permission to speak sir?"
Doesn't do to show anything but perfect courtesy to your regimental commander after all, especially not in front of a general that seems to dislike me and mine for some reason...

"Some credit should go to the survivors at the Administratum building, as they were instrumental in guiding us to the proper location.
Most of them gave their lives as well as can be expected of any imperial citizen.
If at all possible, they should be evacuated as soon as possible."

When Cormaeg's first son had died, his personality had hardened and become deeply pragmatical, and every personal tragedy thereafter had only served to double down on those traits.
But now, having stood shoulder to shoulder with his squad, Cormaeg's previous humanity was slowly reappearing, slowly putting him through the fire to reforge him into something a bit better.
Pure pragmatism was making way for enlightened self-interest.

By talking the survivors up, he was give the appearance of being an honorable person, but at the same avoiding seeming weak or soft.
Even better, this also played into Paragraph 234, Subsection A45.

"In time of war, a regiment can accept applications from local civilians to train for the purpose of replenishing the ranks whilst waiting for their next scheduled reinforcement allotment.
In addition, competent military leaders can be conscripted to swell the ranks of command."

The captain was the real prize there, and Cormaeg would make sure to talk her up in his written report, mentioning that she had managed to lead a gaggle mostly made up from civilians for several years, civilians that lacked even the rudimentary discipline for the PDF.
He couldn't outright state that in front of what he suspected was her family though, that would seem callous.

And talking them up, and mentioning the Captain might build some good will with this PDF Major as well...

"Also sir, I would like to formally present these artifacts we recovered from the clutches of one of the Ork warbosses we encountered."

Here he presented the Cap, skull and bolt pistol.

"I do not know much about ork psychology, but taking a trophy like this seems to indicate the Commissar died a hero's death, the bolt pistol merely holding four spare shells."

The fact that it had held SIX shells, and after emptying four of them into the skull of Bigbull before palming the remaining two on the ride back to base didn't need to be said of course.

"I believe the machine spirit was glad to be put back to proper use, and it's shell struck true against Bigbull."

Again, the fact that Bigbull had been helpless, lacking his legs at the time didn't need to be said.

Might have earned some goodwill with the Commissariant as well now...Talking up one of them like that.

Anyone skilled in linguistics might recognize that Thud is using his hands and body to add in grammatical markers that are missing in his words. Apparently his native tongue is a lot more complex than the words alone may indicate.

**After fight**

The sudden movement from the angels catches Simmins off he guard. He's pretty sure he shot one of them point blank with Thudr's gun as he swept through his assigned flank in a blur of red death. Simmins falls back on his butt in shock. The angel doesn't even seem to notice though as he eviscerates the remaining hoard so Simmins decides never to mention it ever again.

When Leni comes over he winces when she pokes him and then sighs as she shoots him full of merciful painkiller. What this thing..? I can carry it around all.. he tries to shift the Ripper with his good hand and finds himself completely unable to even budge the thing. It was like a tank! Emperor burn me.. he mutters to himself.

**Flight**
The angel's transport was overwhelmingly impressive from the outside and a major letdown inside. Being very very light on gear was a blessing but having a completely numb arm was not forcing Simmins to hang on to a strap for dear life as they were knocked about.

**Landing and debriefing **

Simmins attempts to salute as well as he can with his right arm being in the state he's in. The precision of the motion was probably not noted thanks to the ridiculously awe inspiring fact of having been escorted back to base by the Emperor's own archons!

The debriefing was frankly a releif compared to the mission itself. He wasn't getting shot at.

Yes sir, it was some sort of ork ooze thing. Witch stuff. Then it exploded.

No, we went up a bit, then down, then up again, through some pipes. It was pretty confusing sir

Yes ma'am the tunnels were full of orks, they did try to board train to train train which made 'em pretty easy to shoot but it would have been bad when they got across if Thud'r hadn't punched 'em off.

There was some... hazy shield thing when I shot him ma'am. Took a full load in him to bring him down.

Yes sir I did lose it. A building fell on it sir, and us also.

Leni'd be a better judge of that ma'am, but I think I almost died... three.. times? give or take ma'am.

**Medal ceremony**

Getting recognized for their achievements is so gratifying that even Cort is smiling. Later Simmins nudges him You realize this means they'll be sendin' us to even WORSE places, yeah?

Cort's smile disappears so fast it was like it was never there.

After his little service and then report to the bosses And assuming someone doesn't pick a fight by insulting Notch's memory, Thud settles back down into his corner and takes out his Picture Scripture. It survived remarkeably well with only a bit of browning on the edges of the pages to attest to the events it had seen. Thud opens it carefully and seeks to drown his sorrow and grief in the pretty pictures of He upon the Throne in Terra and his Holy Saints.

*** Medical Procedures ***
Krish and Thud'dr make their way to the Enginseer Prime of the regiment together. Krishs bad leg has turned out even worse and slows him down considerable, which is painfully obvious walking beside the long strides of the Ogryn, who seem to be out of his mind eager to get to their shared location.
Enginseer Primaris Deltarus Vi has taken residence in a prefab rockrete workshop/bunker close to the edge of the forward base of operations. Several badly mauled tanks are ranked below a extendable, foldable metal ceiling dotted with glow globes, dangling cables and other machinery. A chattering host of lesser enginseers, manial workers, heavy duty servitors and crews are working hard to restore the tanks to an operational capacity. You notice that a lot of the manials aiding the enginseers have extensive display of augmentation and scarring.

Asking your way through, you finally enter the central laboratory of the Enginseer Primaris. It is visibly subdivided into two sections: the left part is all polished metal, brass, wiring cabling, cogitator banks and half finished weaponry, servitors and varying augmentic limbs. The righter half of the room is all clinical white, with three medical beds with hardwired medical servitors, flickering hololithic monitors, flesh-growth chambers, tubes and large flasks filled with various colored fluids.
Deltarius Vi mirrors her workspace although you might guess that it is in fact the other way round in this case. Her left body half is nearly entirely mechanic, including a brass faceplate covering exactly 50% of her face, a single augmentic eye, mechanical leg and arm. Instead of the iridescent blue hair on the biologic part of her head, the left part sprouts an entire hosts of snake-like mechadendrites. Her right, still mostly human part is the reason why your mind goes with the female pronoun and you are left with the expression that she was once a quite stunning woman with turquoise-colored eyes a rather dark-hued skin and well proportioned body.

She looks up from her current work - a complex looking mechanical leg - as the two of you enter her working area. She rises and calls out to you, her voice a bizarre mix of human voice and artificial formed words:
"Ahh, you must be today's leg and the slow brain appointments.
Which one of you wants to go first?"
Her hands are pointing to the medical beds, while a lot of her mechadendrites are extended above her head and scan you, top to bottom with various artificial senses.

Thud thought for sure that he wanted to be first. But now, seeing all this and with the Unknown staring him in the face, he hesitates. What if being a bon'ead was bad. And hurt? What if he didn't like it?
These concerns cloud all other thoughts for a moment. His life as he knew it was about to be over.

But he must be brave. He is always brave.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he steps forward.

Krish pats Thudd on the shoulder, having to reach up a considerable way to do so, and just a heartbeat after Thudd moves forward to one of the beds, Krish moves to the other, "Greetings, Engineseer Primaris. We are, indeed, your leg and brain appointments. Given that each Engineseer I have met is unique in their own way, I will ask this question: do you prefer to keep communication confined to that which is necessary, or do you still appreciate small talk?"

*** Medical Procedures ***
Deltarus Vi looks sidelong at Krish while her appendages show Thud'dr the bed to lay down on.
"My biologic components appreciate idle talk during work.
It has been experimentally proven that my total efficiency increases by zero point seven nine percent.
I shall begin preparing the abhuman for the procedure, then free you of that affront to the Omnissiah slap-dashed onto you."
She steps to Thud'drs side while talking, removing some of the bandages and clamps still wrapped and fixed to his huge head, snaking sensor mechandrites bending to scan him from every angle. The flurry of apendiges are so distracting, that Thud'dr has no chance to notice the small medical mechadendrite unfolding on her back and injecting a powerful anesthesia into his left leg. You feel your thoughts go slow, numb and sluggish within seconds, with barely enough time to register the tiny, tiny pain of the injection itself...
(@Thuddr: Toughness-40 to fall unconscious from the first shot.)

vs 20: 1d100 ⇒ 82
Saying a ogryn's thoughts are sluggish is like saying the snail took its time. Thudd has to fight back an instinctive rush of panic as the tech priest's metal arms start flailing around and the adrenaline keeps him aware. The metal man looks very much like the children's monster She-Beneath-All-Wants right now.
Then, very suddenly, the drug reaches Thud's head and he goes limp like he's been shot. He was still breathing though, so the Tech Priest must have gotten the dosage right.

*** Medical Procedures ***
The Magis looks down at the sleeping Ogryn.
"My calculations showed a twenty percent chance for the Ogryn to resist initial drugging. He clearly was tired already.
Now then, shall we begin to enlighten this sleeping brute?"
She hands Krish a white cloth chapped in a way that makes it obvious for it to be put over nose and mouth.
"Please put them on.
I do not want to risk you inhaling bone dust."
While you mill over the meaning of that, Vi pulls down a host of wicked looking tools from the ceiling, one of them clearly a high-power, high-focus las-cutter.
She steps around the desk for Thud'drs head to rest before her. The mechadendrite with the injector reappears and injects several doses of a yellow liquid right into the upper part of the large head. Her metallic arm grasps for the las-cutter and brings it down until it is right before Thud'drs head then steps back.
For a moment, Krish is left puzzled why she stepped back from the desk, then notices a tiny connector mechadendrite snaking out of a region where there once had been a human ear. The connector extends and rises, then plugs into a data port hidden in the las-cutter.
Vis voice, now the human part only, speaks up with a slight slurr.
"You may want to consider turn away.
Many soldiers, despite knowing the cruelties of war, find it unbearable to watch surgery..."

+++ Back in the Debriefing, Cormaeg +++
The PDF Major is replaying quickly to your mentioning of evacuation.
Her manner of speaking is clipped short and matter-of-fact like, although a faint strained and concerned undertone can be noticed by careful observers.
"Following your reported encounter with the group, we sent a few squads of PDF after you.
Their last reported position was one click south and several levels below the Administratum Spire.
I pray that they survived the orbital bombardment and following collapse of the upper Spires.
If they did, they should be able to link up and prepare extraction of any survivors within the next eight hours."

Col. Hui Daan replies to the presented cap and bolt-pistol.
"My adjutants have lookup up the name and serial number of the gun.
It seems to be belonging to a Commissar of the 12th Mortian Mechanized.
The Officio takes note of your effort to return the belongings of one of their numbers.
A representative will collect and return the items to the Schoolas armory to be passed on."
Honesty sometimes pays off - and sometimes it does not.
This is one of the later cases.

"Then I shall attempt to engage you suffieciently in converstation to help you achieve peak efficiency." Krish smiles a little at her obvious disdain for his augmetic leg, "I do not know the words to clearly express how much of a relief it will be to have this anchor replaced. Will my new leg be from one of the forge-worlds, or was it made by one of the adepts here?"

Krish places one hand on Thudd's shoulder before the tech-priest begins working, "Be at ease, Thudd. All the extra metal bits let you know that this person is highly skilled, and I will be here the whole time."

Krish slips the mask over his nose and mouth with a casual motion, clearly practiced, "To be honest, he suffered enough damage in our last mission to kill an entire platoon of human guardsmen. I am not sure what kept him alive this long." Krish applies a disinfectant to his hands and steps up to the other side of Thudd's operating table, standing where he will not interfere with any of Vi's motions and close enough to easily assist if needed, "I have never witnessed surgery, so I do not know if it will cause me undue distress. But I am the Medicae Auxiliary for my squad's medic so I can be of assistance if another pair of flesh hands would help."

*** Medical Procedures ***
Vi acknowledges your presence beside her and your readiness to assist.
"Ohho, a mind ready to learn, good for you, guardsman.
But I fear this surgery is far removed from field aid you were trained for."
The las-cutter activates with a high-pitched whine that pains the ears and strangely vibrates in the bones. An incredibly focused las beam springs into existence a moment later and slices into Thud'drs skull, cutting hair, skin and flesh with ease. A tiny string of smoke rises into the air, marking the passing of the laser, as it steadily travels along the Ogryns head on a perfectly circular path. Then, after cutting out for a few seconds, it goes for another round.
"My, my, this exemplar has a bone density exceeding that of an average exemplar of his kind... Interesting. Commence recording."
After the laser has took another five rounds, it does remain inert at last and Vi unplugs from it, switching to wicked looking surgery-multi-limb instead. Clambs reach for the circle-cut area and remove a hand-sized portion of the upper-right skull casing, revealing the spong-like brain below, which seems to be swimming in that thick yellow liquid Vi injected before.
With the hint of a smile, the Magos takes up the three-finger-thick bone which is blackened at the edges from the las-cutter and hands it to Krish.
"Wanna keep it?"
Using an utility mechadendrite, Decimus Vi pulls a complex looking device from a close-by desk. At first it looks like just another las-cutter but this one has a double-tip that looks a bit like an electric connector. What draws the yes more, are the seven metal clambs that snap shut around the Ogryns head in an incredibly uncomfortable looking way.
"The subject must not move during the activation process, you see."
A moment later, an instantaneous electric discharge connects the double-tip with the revealed brain area causing it to contract ever so slightly. You can actually see the electricity continuing within the brain, splitting and subdividing over and over again, like an incredibly complex networks of roots. A heartbeat passes, then this repeats.
Clapping her hands together, Vi steps back and fully turns to Krish.
"Now then, shall we start with that leg of yours?
The activation process will take about seventy minutes, thirteen seconds to complete.
That should be well enough time to free you of that anchor and replace it with one of my own design.
I predict your satisfaction."

Krish nods respectfully, and a wry smile toys with thei corners of his mouth, "Oh, most certainly this is far removed from field treatment. It is clean for one. And as good as Medic Tivnan is, she is not a Mechanicus trained surgeon." His voice goes kinda distant, "She did keep a lot of us alive, though. We would probably all have died without her."

His attention snaps back to Vi as she finishes excising the skull and he automatically reaches out to take it from her.

WP vs 50: 1d100 ⇒ 23.

Watching her perform surgery was one thing, but holding a piece of the Ogryn's skull in his hand is another entirely. For just a moment, Krish's stomach begins organizing a revolt, but his will clamps down on his rebellious stomach and he turns to set the skull fragment on a side table, "I think I would like to keep it. I think I know someone that might consider it a good luck charm..." When he turns back, she is holding the implant device and he watches with fascination as she applies it to Thudd's exposed brain, "Fascinating. This makes him smarter?"

Krish turns to the other bed and eagerly lays upon it, "Yes, please. I very much look forward to a leg that serves me well. And, Enginseer Primaris, Thank you for tending to my squadmate and I."

*** Medical Procedures ***
Following Krish remark about the procedure, Vi replies with an actual chuckle.
"It will - for him.
It would reduce a baseline human to less than a servitor.
You see, homo sapiens gigantus use less than 13.4 percent of their brain volume. The entire right hemisphere is completely synaptically inactive. This external electric stimulation will trigger spontaneous synaptic growth and thus massively increase the potential for mental capabilities."
During the conversation about Ogryn brains, it is Krish's turn to be swarmed by the swarm of Mechadendrites of the Magos, inspecting and scanning the bionik and the little that remains of your original leg.
A sound like an entire bucket of nails falling down a long metal staircase (angry binaric) erupts from her and the human part grimaces.
"I have built Servitors that would have been able to craft a better one!
Who would use resources to couple together something like that."
Again, the patient had no chance to see the anesthesia injector coming as it is injected mid-rant. This time though, it seems to be a local anesthetic only as Krish does not pass out.
(more to come as I have the time)

Krish chuckles with a painful memory, "We had several mobile engagements in our last mission, and more than one pitched battle. I lost count of how many times I fell because this .. this .. sorry excuse for a paperweight could not keep up with my remaining natural leg. I am certain that more than one of my squad took a hit because I was slow getting into position." If the Vi is skilled at reading the body language of the .. relatively .. unaugmented, she will have no trouble recognizing guilt and a towering frustration. The two threaten to actually spill over into tears for a few seconds until the anasthetic floods in.

Krish lays patiently, waiting for Vi to be done, "Will you have to replace the entire prosthetic, or will you leave the socket and pelvic portions there?"

*** Medical Procedures ***
First things first, Vi is cutting through the old, dented and battered bionik with a plasma cutter attached to one of her utility Mechadendrites, a hands-width below your hip - answering half your question there and then.
With a resounding *clonk* the metal leg crashes to the ground, making Krish feeling very one-sided all of a sudden.
"Maybe I can use that abomination to ...", she seems to think about it, "... No, it will be melted."
To add insult to injury she kicks the cut-off limb with her own augmentic one, causing it to cardwheel into a distant corner of the room, brimming with discarded metal objects.
"Now to the complex part. Let me see what that incompetent thought a neural link should look like..."
With that, she begins to carefully strip back the remaining layers of the former bionik one by one. Twice, she emits that burst of sound from before, clearly a sign of annoyance and anger.
Finally and with a sudden unexpected jerk that nearly causes you to fall out of the bed, the socket embedded in your hip comes loose - answering the rest of it.
"No wonder you experienced severe hardship with this.
The socket, [I]motion mechanism and neural interface[\i] was nothing but primitive!"
A blurt of sound like a half-filled box of nails slowly rolling down a staircase follows this. Still thinking what that should have meant, you hear a repeating *clonk*-*clonk* from the left side of the room, closing in on you.
Looking over, you see a cybernetic leg hopping towards you, all on its own...

Krish tries to keep up the casual conversation, but it is increasingly difficult when he is the patient. As she starts to cut through the augmetic, Krish feels an irrational sense of loss once more as the leg that had been his for many years is sliced off in a fit of professional pique.

He feels an strange and heady mix of relief, loss, and fear, as if he would be left with only one leg. Though he knows better, it is hard to fight irrational emotions.

Finally, about the time his old leg is severed and falls to the floor, he finds that he needs to talk to distract himself as much as to help Vi focus. He props himself up on his elbows, being very careful not to change at all the way his hips were laying on the table, "I do not know who built the leg, but the one who installed it was not a Tech-Priest. She referred to herself as a Technomat. Is that an actual rank among the Mechanicum?"

When she almost pulls Krish off the bed, he draws on a tiny bit of the warp to strengthen himself, causing his skin to take on a bit of that metallic sheen, and lays back down to brace himself better so that she can work, "It always felt like the leg was reacting a fraction of a second or so after I tried to make it move..."

And then .. the leg comes hopping over ..
Krish is not totally comfortable with this, though he can recognise that it must be well made to be able to move under its own power by hopping. He tries to speak twice before swallowing hard and simply staying quiet.

*** Medical Procedures ***
"Technomat is no rank of the Mechanicum at all. It is a term for a non-inductee performing basic maintenance tasks he was trained for not due to understanding but simple by repeating actions by rote. You are lucky you survived the procedure at all then."
As Krish draws on his warp powers, Decimus Vi steps back from the surgery with a sudden red glimming eye, the offending socket still in her hands, little droplets of blood dripping from it.
"You are homo sapiens psykana."
The full-metal voice states. And a few tense moments of silence drop over the room, with only the regular sound if electric discharge from Thud'drs operation audible.
"Please refrain from calling forth that which does not obey the universal logic."
She smiles at you, but you can tell it is a forced one this time.
She steps back in close and chimes a few more nails-down-a-stair sounds, causing the leg to come to an rest right beside the desk.
Mustering it, you cannot but marvel at the plesant, aesthetic shape of it, looking much, much more like a leg than your old ever did. It has a sleek, polished surface and is overall much sleeker than the bulky old one. It ends in a foot fashioned to resemble a standard-issue Munitorum boot, with the binding replaced by snaking cables and a massive metal ridge running all along the 'sole'. Whatever complex machinery resides within and facilitates moving is completely hidden within the all-metal casing.
Vi lifts the leg onto the desk so that it lies in parallel to your remaining biological one, then starts to work on the socket. She is working incredibly fast, adding metal joints, gelly-shielded circuitry, cabling and other metal parts in such a quick succession that three new parts are added and fixed in between blinking. Soon, your hip is all but sealed, ending in a perfectly oval bionik connector, lined with tubes and electric sockets.
"See, this is how a Standard Bionic Connector Port should look like. You can easily switch between standard-conform prosthetics now, should the need arise, without your body struggling with nerve interface differentia. Prepare yourself for interface calibration. I have to counter-inject you to end the anesthesia for doing so."
She pulls a massive cable from the ceiling which fits perfectly into your new hip port with a satisfying *click-whirr-chunk* and simultaneously inject you with the counter-anesthesic.
Feeling returns quickly into your hip. And that feeling is a searing nerve pain worse than you have experienced it for a long time. Probably not worse than when you first lost the leg, but that was a long time ago and the worst pain is that in the present...
"I am sorry for this pain, but I assure you it will pass soon.
Try to move your toes in the leg - yes the leg you no longer have. Your nerves will translate that intent into electric nerve impulses. I am measuring their strength and variances to calibrate the interface ports. You will not have to learn walking anew with a bionic from Decimus Vi."
You find that following her advise and try to move an imaginary leg and toes does make the pain to spike once for a particular move but then to lower considerably. While you lie on the bed, thinking about more movements to attempt, three Ecclesiarchy priests enter the room and make the sign of the Aquila.
Decimus Vi mentions you to continue, then walks over to the arrivals in a slow, measured step - totally at odds with the swiftness you witness her moving around before. During the entire exchange, she is only using her full-metal voice, which echoes louder than you came to expect. Not that the exchange took long. A data slate is passed from priest to Magos, followed by a official looking paper with a large signet stamp at the bottom. Then, Vi is already mentioning the Priests to leave again, which they (obviously reluctantly) do after a last gaze at the motionless shape of Thud'dr.

"Technomat is not a..." Krish pales slightly in ways that he did not while watching his own leg severed and discarded. "Him on the Throne had me in his thoughts that day! It is a good thing for that Technomat that I am not in his unit any longer."

Krish winces in apology, "My apologies, Enginseer. You caught me off guard when you removed the socket and it was a reflex to brace myself." As he speaks he ceases concentrating on the strength and durability of steel, and the power fades as abruptly as it came.

Krish looks down at the hip connector and nods, "Enginseer, I apologize for every time I called that sorry excuse for a one-armed, deficient, narcotic-addicted baboon's sorry excuse of your art a cybernetic leg. There is no comparison."

And that is when she plugs in the cable, and the anasthetic begins to wear off.

They say that memories are stored in the body as well as in the mind. And only one other time in his life has Krish felt this kind of pain. For a short time, he hears little that Vi says and sees only the ghosts of the past. The Tyranid towering over him, holding him up by his one remaining arm. A gaping wound where his right arm used to be. The horrible tearing pain as the creature seems to enjoy slowly pulling his leg out of its socket...

Willpower vs 50: 1d100 ⇒ 22.
For a moment, Krish teeters on the edge of madness, and only the fact that the anesthetic wore off gradually allowed him to stave off the encroaching horror in his memory. His jaws clamp down on a scream, and only a high pitched groan ascapes his lips. Through the pain, he can finally hear her instructions. This is unlike his previous experiences with augmetics, but he tries to do as she asks as she walks away to deal with the priests.

Awareness vs 48: 1d100 ⇒ 12.
Krish latches onto the words being exchanged as a way to distract himself from the constant spikes of pain. Sermons? For Thudd? I mean, he is devout, but sermons? Is he a priest now? An Ogryn priest?

The pain begins to ebb and he looks up at Vi as she returns.

*** Medical Procedure and Ogryn Reprogramming ***
Having returned from her short exchange, Vi plugs in one of her trailing mechadendrites into a data-port on the huge cable plugged into your new bionic socket.
"Ah, you make good progress indeed.
I think ... yes, that should suffice."
She unplugs the cable from your socket and lifts your new leg into position, half a hands-width from the socket.
"Now then, let me show you the connection progress.
There is a tiny activation rune at the socket.
No, a bit more to the left, yah, right there.
Now then, don't be shy, press it."

Once pressed, four equidistant spaced metal clamps jump forth from the socket and lock into holes within the leg. One moment later, you feel a curious pulling feeling as the socket draws in the leg until it audibly snaps home with a sound not too different from an ammunition clip being snapped home.
"Very good. Connection established. Synchronization in progress..."
You feel a rather faint tingling sensation as if your (no longer present) leg was asleep and now blood is slowly returning to it.
"... completed. Try to lift it."
And it does lift, just as high as you wished it to.
Vi smiles broadly and is chirping away like a bucket-of-nails happily dancing down a staircase.
"Now, that is how I like it.
Now that the basic functionality has been established, let me show you the special features.
Just, visualize digging your toes deeply into the ground...."
It takes you a moment to follow, but as you do a faintly audible humming sounds builds up, clearly coming from the artificial foot. A moment later, you feel your leg being pulled down onto the metal desk with unresistable force. You cannot lift it from there.
"See? The leg has a strong electromagnet build into it, allowing you to magnetize the sole if the need arises. Useful in Zero-G environments or for climbing metal surfaces.
To deactivate, just visualize your toes spreading far apart....
Correct, just like that.
Now, what do you think, do you want to stand up and follow me over to your homo sapiens gigantus?
Oh, and your new bionic has a secret.
Pull it close to your chest, a little closer, yes and then visualize your great toe rolling anticlockwise."
As you do, a sections, about a handswidth long and four-fingers broad, where the shin would be pops open, revealing a concealed compartment, big enough to store a small item. Maybe a single charge pack, a knife an injector or something of similar scale.

Decimus Vi snickers at that final revelation, then heads over to the lying Ogryn, plugging her data-mechadendrite into the 'activator', then nods and deactivates it.
"He has reacted well to the treatment. I measure an increase in neural link activity beyond average. More than enough to complete the augmentation process."
With that she removes the device and fetches a heavy looking thing from a vacuum-sealed contained bearing the sign of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It looks a bit like a half-helmet, with a bundle of wires, spooling and capacitors. Vi lowers the cybernetic a few centimeters above the hole in Thud'drs head, low enough for the dangling cables and connectors to nearly touch the brain matter. Unfolding several nimble utility mechadendrites, Vi starts to perform tiny cuts into the brain (making you gasp for breath) and embed the various cables seemingly at random.
"The thing with Ogryn brains", Vi tells you with her all-human voice, "is that it would return to its inactive state if not permanently artificially stimulated. That is why one has to embed neuro-electric stimulation nodes, which will regularly fire tiny electric charges to keep the entire thing from slowly shutting down again."
Several minutes into the surgery, Vi has finished connecting all cables and lowers the device fully until its lower part perfectly fits into the laser-cut hole in Thud'drs skull casing.
"Now for the auxiliary memory core..."
She produces the data-pad from her robes, unscrews its casing and removes a tiny, tiny memory crystal from a slot. With a swift, precise motion, accompanied by a lengthy chirping in that strange machine language, she inserts the data crystal into a slot in the middle of the cybernetic.
"And that's it. The only thing left to do is to close him up."
Her heavy duty mechadendrite pulls a large carapace plate from the same box she took the implant from and places it over the surgical area. It overlaps by several fingers width, covering half the forehead, the better part of his upper and rear head and everything above the ear.
It now looks as if Thud'dr is wearing a half-helmet.
Three utility mechadendrites with fast mechanic drills appear from the ceiling and starts drilling into Thud'drs skull with a sound, which you instinctively know you will never forget, mercifully short as it may be.
A score of long, thick screws later and the plating is fixated very permanently to the Ogryns head.
Decimus Vi unplugs from the ceiling-mounted multi-tool and walks around the bed, scanning her patient all around.
"Now, this was a very cooperative patient.
Zero complications are rare during brain surgery.
Are you ready to meet your all-new homo sapiens gigantus?"
With that, she hits Thud'dr with her injector, right into the temple extracting the thick yellow jelly from before (now slightly reddened) and follows up with a second injection, of most likely an anti-anesthesia drug...

There you go, Thud'dr v2.0, delivered as ordered!

Thud'dr floats in a sea of darkness. It's just him. No war, no dirty hot planet. No Orks. No Army. For a long time he just floats, completely relaxed for the first time in ages.
A flash lights up his closed eyes. Lightning? Again! Lightning! But clouds? Where? Lightning with no clouds?
How very odd. A comment from him comes from his right.
Confusion, that familiar friend, settles in him. Who be you, me?
What are you talking about? I'm you!
Huh? Me sounds different.
Never fear. I'll be subconsciously integrated soon.
Thud'dr understands this.
Wait... I understands! How?
Welcome to being a Bon'head.

Thudd is suddenly aware of being on the surgical table with bright lights over head. He attempts to move and a spike of pain shoots through his empty head.

Him on the Throne! Thudd mutters as he starts to move. He puts his hand on his head... and feels metal. Thats where his surgery was then.
Me head! Ow.
He looks up at the Tech Priest and Krish and smiles his signaure horrifying smile. I be ok, Emprah willing. Emperor willing? Nah. Emprah feels better.

The Tech Priest looks at you with a calming smile.
"The pain should recede within the next two days standard.
You are not to engage in heavy labor or the pain will not go away."

Thud looks confused. I'm Ogryn. How do you mean "Heavy Labor".

Decimus Vi turns to Krish.
"You take care of him.
Make him read and do basic calculus.
That should increase the effects of the augmentation process."

What be read? What be calculus?
He tries to stand up and stumbles, catching himself on the (thankfully heavily reinforced) table.
Whoa...

The smile that spreads over Krish's face as his new leg mates with the socket and comes online, as the leg responds to his wishes even better than his natural leg, and as he explores the hidden capabilities that Vi built into it, well, Vi will have no trouble whatsoever interpreting the pleasure and gratitude Krish is feeling at the new limb.

He looks up at the tech-priest as he lowers his feet over the side of the bed and gets ready to stand. For a few moments his eyes are near tears, "There are no words that I know to adequately convey my appreciation. If there is ever anything that I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask."

When he stands it is clear he is instinctively expecting to have to learn how to use the leg, as he had done with the first prosthetic, but this time the leg is as natural an extension of him as his flesh leg is. If anything, the new leg is even more responsive than his other!

Grinning like a boy after his first kiss, Krish follows Vi over to Thudd and watches with rapt attention as she finishes the surgery, wincing involuntarily as he watches the incisions in Thudd's brain. Even though he knows that Thudd normally does not even use that whole hemisphere of his brain, Krish has seen too many guardsmen suffer catastrophic brain injury to observe such a procedure with no reaction, "His brain would just shut back down? What if he suffers an injury that disables this augmetic? How long will he have before it starts to atrophy?"

As Thudd wakes, Krish is completely floored by the massive change in the Ogryn. He is an entirely new abhuman. Krish had never had Ogryn in his lat unit, and he therefore had no experience with them outside of Thudd. This Bon'ead augmentation was even more miraculous than his new leg! "I will ensure that he is kept on light duty for the prescribed two days. Thudd, reading and calculus are things that nearly every standard guardsman can do, and now you will be able to do them also. They will make you an even better Guardsman. We will practice. And since you will be on light duty for two days, it is the perfect time for that kind of brain-practice."

When Thudd stumbles, Krish reaches up to help steady him, and almsot draws on the warp again for more strength, but with a flicker of his eyes in Vi's direction he just uses the natural muscle with which the Empreror saw fit to bless him.

Vi answers Krish's question after a couple of second, probably spent reviewing available data and calculating.
"It obviously depends on the amount of brain damage.
In case of an unexpected cybernetic failure, I would estimate a significant loss in neural activity after twelve standard hours and a complete recertion to inert base activity within a week."

Thudd's regains his balance and actually listens to Krish's whole explanation without going cross eyed. It takes him a moment to realize this. Then his eyes get huge. He looks over to Vi and says with a hand raised in blessing, The words of the faithful are the mountains. But the deeds of the faithful are the world.
He stares at his hand for a moment. Why I did that?

Krish shrugs at Thudd, "Probably has to do with the Bon'ead implant. Come on, we should let Enginseer Decimus Vi get on with her day. We should get back to the squad."

Thud nods again and stumbles toward the door. Thanks, Vi! Hey! I remembered her name!

*** Farewell, Decimus Vi ***
As the leg and brain appointment of the day turn to leave, Decimus Vi addresses Krish a final time.
"I am performing an ongoing experimental probability study with inter-social correlation effects with the Captains of the regiment.
It would be most illuminating to witness and compare the mind of a psyker in said environment.
Only, if your duty allows, of course."
No less than seven mechadendrites wave a goodbye to the odd couple leaving the workshop few moments later ...

+++ From: Admiral DuGaul
+++ To: Lord-General Amsel
+++ Concerning: Junathan III
+++ Timestamp: 248.837.M41

+++ From: Colonel Hui Daan
+++ To: All Commissioned Officers of the Serenus 1st
+++ Concerning: Redeployment
+++ Timestamp: 262.837.M41
Prepare your men for imminent redeployment.
Active missions are to be finished within 12 hours, any assignments beyond that grace period are to be declined by the Order of Admiral DuGaul and Lord-General Amsel.
You will soon receive Imperial Guard Primer Appendix 1373:6392. Commence drills as described upon reception. Any and all personal is required to thoroughly read through the Appendix and be tested once finished, using the contained VCT.
Troopers or officers failing to hand in or pass the test, shall be punished for (light) Neclectance of Duty during Combat Preparations by the responsible COs or Commissars.

At some point when the squad are alone, Cormaeg reads through the new orders.
He frowns a little before turning to the others.

"Hmmhph, an admiral eh? That probably means we are going to redeploy off planet.
So we are not part of the mop up operations here.
That also means we won't have time to wait for our reinforcement allotment.
I hope they will make good use of Paragraph 234, Subsection A45 to keep us all at fighting strength."

*** Farewell, Decimus Vi ***
Krish nods to the Enginseer, "If duty allows, I would be happy to assist." Krish waves with a smile before departing with Thudd.

*** Back at the squad barracks ***
Krish leads the way into the barracks. He seems to be moving much more easily than before, and where he used to be always accompannied by clunking, hissing, groaning, and a whole uncomfortable symphony of noise, now there is nothing. He seems to be trying to restrain it, but a smile keeps spreading across his face and threatening to break into a full blown grin.

Krish comes to a halt in front of the serge-, No, he is a Lieutenant now. Krish snaps a crisp salute only slightly spoiled by the smile that is even now tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Sir. Primaris Psyker Stammatis and Trooper Thudd reporting for duty."

Cormaeg looks up and returns the salute before gesturing to the chairs.
"Have a seat, our new orders are in.
I had expected we might get some time off, but it seems like it's not to be.
Our regiment is being redeployed, and unless I miss my guess, it's going to be off world as well.
And you know what that means, possible months of warp transit.
Since we do not have any specific orders, I'm going to make this my first official one.
Head to your bunks and pack up, then you have what is left of 12 hours to do whatever you like.
But don't get too drunk if you have a mind to, we'll be drilling within those 12 hours, so do NOT show up drunk or hungover!"

Thud still looks very confused. Huh? We goin'?

Cormaeg looks up and really takes a look at Thud.
Now the transformation WAS remarkable, but it was also very subtle.
Yes, he had very obvious metal implants, true.
The real change was the sudden light of understanding in his eyes however.
Before Thud had been, lets be charitable, dumb, dumb even for an ogryn.
Now, he was looking around with understanding of what he was seeing, like he was seeing things for the first time, and taking note of what they were.

"Yes, yes we are. No information on WHERE, but then again, that is probably above the pay grade of a mere freshly baked Lieutenant."

Thudd nods. He doesn't understand all those words, but something in him knew it was only a matter of time. Maybe that "reading" drill would help. The thought of reading sat in his mind for a moment without a companion concept before bouncing toward the only other bit of information his mind had on the subject. Uhh, Sarge. I can't be liftin' heavy stuffs. Tech Priest orders. She says I gotta do a practice... readin'... and... calkluukess... for my Bon'ead.

So, the memory might not stretch back BEFORE the augmentation then?

"Not Sergeant anymore Thud, I'm a lieutenant now, remember? You were there when they promoted me.
Better not forget, the commissars won't like it."

"As I said though, after you've packed your belongings, you are free to do what you like for the next 12 hours.
After that, we'll have to see what the drills entails."

Oh ya! I thinks... So, no sarge... Thud scratches his metal plate. What I call you then, Sarge?

"You call me Lieutenant, or LT for short. Rule of thumb, if any other officers are around, use Lieutenant, if we're alone like this, LT will do.
Also, remember, you have a rank yourself now. You have a right to demand anyone of lesser rank call you Bone'ead."

Thud tries the new name out. Lutennet. Lootentant. Loutinit. He nods. ELTee. I like that one. Bon'ead. I like that one too! He then wanders off and goes to pack. It takes just a few seconds. He doesn't have much in the way of personal effects. Most of his belongings he keeps on his person. Notch's plate is tucked in shoulder pocket and his Picture Scripture hangs from a chain at his waist, as usual. He then passes out in a corner (the beds are nowhere near strong enough to support him) and is out in a handful of seconds. The building makes him hunch in his sleep and he snores something fierce unlike when he's able to stretch out.

"That's...one way of following an order. Bone'ead has not reduced his capacity for directness when it comes to orders, clearly."

Thud sleeps, and the healing process in his brain continues. The Bon'ead implant continues to stimulate and reorganize Thudd's brain. This is not always pleasant for Thudd.
He's back in the room with tall, crystal trees. Bullets from the Ork guns whizz and ping around him as he beats one of the Green Foes into bloody oblivion. He sees another and charges! His Evicerator Roars in response, and Thudd closes the distance in just a few massive strides. He raises it up as the Ork raises a Flamer to meet him. Suddenly, the Ork isn't an Ork. It's Notch! And his arms are Green!
Flames and burning penetrate to his very soul. The holy promethium scorches away his flesh and cracks bone as Notch explodes in a ball of fire...
He wakes with a start, slamming his head into the ceiling and leaving a Ogryn sized dent in the premacrete. The newly fashioned metal isn't even scratched. His breath comes in shallow gasps as he panics for just a moment.
His head clears quickly enough and he gains the sense to look around. Then down. A man and a woman in red, orange, and yellow robes stand in front of him, wisely just out of reach.
Thud'dr the Ogryn. You are ordered to report to the Chapel. High Priest Occelent III requires your presence.
He stares at them. He does what?
They look at each other and exchange a knowing look. Emprah's man for this area is here. You will follow us now. He says so.
Thud shakes his head to clear the cobwebs and waddles his way out of the Barracks behind the priests until he's outside where he can stand comfortably.

More to come later