Prologue

Alright, it's official.

"God. Fucking. Hates. Me!" I screamed out into the open air, causing the augmented populace to turn to my direction, eyes squinting, some barely containing their laughter. Had I known where I was going to be sent to, I wouldn't have signed the damn anti-suicide clause. That rat bastard.

I had arrived at some place, that's for sure. Smelled like feces, death, and toxic waste. I could barely get the words out before barfing out yesterday's lunch. Still, I was somewhat familiar with this place, and I didn't like that fact one bit. If lore videos have told me anything, I didn't want to be anywhere near this place.

"Joseph? The fuck's gotten into you, man? You seem to be a bit under the weather."

Of course, I was, jackass, I internally shouted, my left fist clenching to the point it turned white. Who wouldn't feel despair after being sent to 40k!? No matter how much I wanted to say it out loud, I knew it would only seek to bring more unwanted attention to myself than was necessary. Even if I wanted to start life over again, it would be a shame to die in a dumpster like this.

In response to the query, my head shook. Clicking my tongue, I stood up from my initial position and sighed. That was all I could do in a situation like this. Sloth exuded from my body like sweat, while my ears ignored the passing words of those around me, the laughter and ridicule they threw sliding off me like water to a raincoat.

There were better things to do, and this place wouldn't provide them. What I needed was information, whatever I could gather. Every morsel of knowledge would prove beyond useful at a time such as this. If I wanted to play by some God's rules, then I needed to know what sort of game I was playing first.

Based on my surroundings, I'd say the Detroit sewers. And by that, I mean, this place was a shit hole. Plumes of smoke sucked into my lungs with each breath, pungent enough for me to have initially thought it was a skunk. Though, perhaps I wouldn't be too far off knowing the world. Maybe it could even be a new bioweapon, I chuckled at the idea.

I'm going to die here, aren't I?

"Wait up you dick munching bitch!" The same voice from before made its presence known, an unfamiliar face approaching me from behind. "By the emperor, what's gotten into you?" He repeated his question from before, receiving nothing but silence in return.

The air grew stale, beads of sweat forming along my body as the two of us stared at each other. A man staring at another man. His brown hair swayed in the damp wind, a passing chill blowing through us. "I can't say-"

"Bullshit!" He immediately fired, both his hands latching onto my shoulders, pushing me to the tar-like floor below. "You act like a damn fool in the market, and for what? Attention? What use will attention be when this could very well be the most important day of our lives." His teeth grit, nose flaring as my eyes locked onto his, blankly staring into the brown void.

Like with all things, the circumstance of my reincarnation was bumpy, to say the least, I wanted to answer. The urge to utter the words rose with each passing second, a grin eclipsing my face as the man on top of me pulled on my shirt. He raised me up off the ground, eyes sharpening with definition by the second, glimmers shining through them.

Couldn't I have been transferred at a better moment? Oh wait, that would be awfully hopeful of me, wouldn't it? My teeth grinded against one another, the cycles of my breath becoming uneasy, as the air in my lungs blew out, my back slamming against the ground.

"Alright you fucking greasy fuckwit." I snapped, my nostrils flaring as my fist made contact with his cheek. "I've had it up till here with you! What the fuck I wrong with you, eh? Going up to someone and beating the shit out of them won't help get your point across, you'd only look like an asshole."

"Because when you start acting like a clown, it's best to expect you to get treated like one." His voice turned solemn, as if a switch had been flipped in his mind. "It's quite humorous, you know? For someone like you to suddenly break down in such a manner. It's almost as though this city's finally got you. Then again, it would only make sense."

I don't even know you! Thoughts bubbled in my mind like a powder keg on the verge of exploding. Just a little bit more and I would have smacked the shit out of him, who did he think he was? The blasted protagonist?

"I don't care, get on with what you had wanted to do. Couldn't give enough of a shit anyway." I retorted, all the while shaking my head. His expression washed with apprehension, but I cared little for what next he had to say.

Pushing him off me, I dusted away the stray pieces of gunk that had gathered on the sleeve of my clothes, stepping away from the stunted man, not sparing him a glance. I walked, walked away from my troubles. However, it would appear as though he wasn't done with me yet, the booming thuds of his footsteps ringing loudly in my ears.

A pair of arms to latch onto my shoulders, squeezing them under their tight grip. "And what can I do for you today? Though I suppose we aren't done yet?"

"No, 'twould be an incorrect notion." He dismissed, flipping me over to face him, hands sliding down my chest. "Something went wrong, I just know it. From the mere way you carry yourself, it just isn't the same, not anymore."

"Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?"

"Leave." His voice echoed in my mind, repeating several more times as if to send a message. "However much I regret it, I know a lost cause when I see one. And at this point? It's better to split off than to force you to join me."

"Before you go!" The words left my lips without thinking, a burning desire lighting up inside me. "I want- no- need, where are you going?"

To this, a chuckle burst from his lips, his previous disposition slipping away like water under a bridge. "The guardsmen, I wish to serve under the guardsmen. After all, joining the fight against those filthy xenos is better than dealing with the dregs of the underhive.

"And what makes you so sure you'll get in? I mean, they have billions of other people to choose from, and I'm just not sure they'd pick some random joe from here, a backwater part of the galaxy."

"Then, you truly must have forgotten, what a pity." He grieved? Sounding as though he had lost a frien- "Well, when you survive this place for long enough, it toughens you to face damn near any adversity. But, I think I just found something tough enough to break that idea. So long, Joseph. May your future endeavors be as fruitful as our brotherhood was to me. I bid you adieu." Without another word, he turned around, and walked off in the opposite direction. A hand in his pocket, and the other waving me goodbye.

Godspeed you glorious bastard, Godspeed. Frankly, it was odd how my opinion of him changed on a dime. Perhaps it was because I was angry at the god who sent me here, taking the blame out on him. Or maybe I was influenced to hate him by some higher being?

Only for me to pause along the train of thought. I had a reason for doing all of this, right? My feet came to a screeching halt, left to ponder for what felt like several eternities. I was in what was undoubtedly one of the worst universes imaginable, and there barely seemed like a way out. Not unless I broke through the warp using some bullshit.

However, that left with it many holes, holes which could be poked into later on. First off, if a method did exist for that exact purpose, one of the factions would have already used it to get the hell out of dodge. So unless I wanted to accept the reality of my situation, it was best to get comfy, lest I attract another crowd to my location.

Following the smoke trail from earlier, I eventually happened upon a decent-sized dirt hill, the gravel beneath my feet shifting as I took one step after another, my balance shaky as each step pushed the grains of sand further and further down.

With much grace, and a good deal of willpower, I soon made it over the slope… and over the horizon was definitely not a pretty sight. Standing before me were several cathedral-like structures with black smog blowing out of the tops like train's exhaust. The view was quite unsightly, easily earning my ire with little more than a glimpse.

Still, it answered one of my questions, however dreadful it might be. I was in some sort of Mechanicus hive world. Certainly better than starting with a priest's dick down my ass, but that wasn't something to brag about. Though, in an undercity, I suppose it wouldn't be the worst way to kick the bucket-.

"Hey, you got any food?" From behind, a feminine asked me with much curiosity. Turning around, my eyes glanced over their figure, keenly watching their every move. Her body obscured by a forest-green cloak with several points jutting out from the back. "I swear I'll pay you back… eventually anyway."

Shuffling through my pocket, I found not a single coin nor bill within my clothes. "Sorry man, it doesn't seem to be your lucky day today." I shrugged, leaning my posture back as my gaze shifted between the gigantic manufactorum and the poor sod. "There anything else I can help you with in the meantime? A small favor for a small favor?"

Immediately, she perked up, jumping into the air with a loud cheer. "That seemed to have-" I muttered under my breath, only to come to a halt, all for the wrong reasons. Her cloak parted, dragging against the humid air of the underhive, revealing a buxom woman underneath.

Her hair shone a brilliant orange, and her skin was fairer than anything I've seen on earth. If I had to guess, she wasn't one of the usual suspects to find here, far from it. A traveler from beyond the stars seemed like the more likely option, I would be hard pressed if anyone that lived in this place actually cared about their hair, let alone hygiene.

"Murder! I will kill anyone you ask, and in return, I get food!" She proclaimed, her tone far too cheery for this to have been a one-time occurrence. Concern blinked across my eyes, fluttering as I stared at her for a few seconds longer. "If you ask me, that sounds like a wonderful deal, don't you think? Eh? Eh?"

Like an eager puppy, her eyes gleamed, the edges of her cloak parting to unveil the pointed tip of a spear. Concern took over my nerves, nearly jumping at any opportunity to bag it and run. This was no ordinary bitch, she was fucking crazy!

Nervousness trailed along with my movement, jitters spiking with every twitch. Lore videos hadn't prepared me for this shit. Then again, what video out there could prepare anyone for this? Certainly not Bear Grylls, that's for sure.

Twirling the weapon in her left hand, she spun it with much dramatic flare, putting me on the back foot as the air around her kicked up, blowing away the grime that had gathered on the floor. "Ceobe's Assassination Services, ready to take any job for the right price. How may I be of service?"

_________________________________

[A/N: Horny, I want story with arknights characters. There will be tons of expys because I know little about 40k, but that's alright, you guys can help me, right? There will be other characters, they can't all be from arknights, so I'll be putting them up to a vote. And who gets to decide which characters enter the world? You lot. OH right, beta read by: Spank and Alex, wonderful work those two. Copy and paste stuff below.

Anyways, if you find anything wrong in the fic, let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and what I could have done in place of what is present.

I'm mainly active on 2 discord servers, you can find me on them when I have the time. Come and chat, I like interaction a lot. Channel name is #ball's pit for the servers that aren't mine.

SGO: discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd

Mine: discord . gg /eTb2kPab4z

I'm not telling you to join it, but it would be nice.

I also have Kofi and at "kofi-/balls1124" and "pa-treon-/ balls1124" respectively. Send money to get faster chapter, I take commissions, I'll do anything.

people want.

With that being said, I'm going to die for a bit.]