The unenlightened would have believed that a forge or a hive was merely a collection of machines. A series of buildings and nothing more. But those that knew better understood that such places had a life of their own. All one needed to do was listen and they could hear the thoughts and feelings of such machinery and hallowed locations… and if you were really good, you could speak with them.

It was hard for Rik to describe the state of Forge Delta in a manner that could be truly comprehended by others. Sure, he could give an analysis of the damaged and corrupted systems he had found so far and it would be easy to show just how intense the cleansing and repair work was going to be, but actually explaining what it was like to stalk its passages and rooms…

The closest Rik could put into words to be understood by someone else was that Forge Delta was like an impossibly large canine filled with other, smaller canines that had all been neglected, abused and riddled with parasites. It had once been treated with love and kindness and even now parts of it remembered human touch but… most of it had not been so fortunate. Delta was in absolute agony and had been for a long time. The pain and abuse was all many parts remembered or knew.

If Forge Delta had been a biological creature, Rik would have moved to put it down. A tragic fate to be sure but… to leave it to suffer would have been unforgivable to him. However, the machine was superior to flesh for a reason and the damage could be undone and repaired… but sacrifices would have to be made for the forge to recover and be rehabilitated. 

Pain and fury had driven a number of programs and machines utterly feral, lashing out mindlessly at any target that presented itself. Some could and would be rehabilitated, but others were simply too far gone to save. Despite their future grim fate, Rik could still made use of them in the short term; Many greenskins had met their righteous end during Rik’s culling via the very programs and machines they had enslaved and mistreated for years.

While Rik’s purge was still ongoing, having moved from the areas that could be monitored to the blind spots and hidden spaces between areas, he had made sure to send out a message to his people that Forge Delta had largely been secured and was in the clean up stages. It had been days since he had started the reconquest… and it would be days still till he felt confident enough in the progress of cleansing and repair to risk sleep. But for a few moments after the message was sent out and reinforcements were on the way, Rik allowed himself to close his eyes and just… listen.

The forge was still in pain. It was still sick, riddled with parasites and the waste they had left behind. Not to mention it was going to be some time for it to recover. But in this moment… For the first time in decades, it wasn’t actively being tortured. For the first time in decades, despite the pain it could see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that the worst was over. 

For just a moment, Rik allowed himself to hear the collective machine spirit of Forge Delta… and it was as beautiful as it was heartbreaking.