Hadalpelagic Golem

Since the construction of Calypso Deep it has required external upkeep. The golems that mine the rich serpentine are too alien in shape to move through the corridors of the facility's main arteries or aid in new construction. One such example is the mainland connecting tunnels that have been in development for over seventy years. Prone to flooding with waters that could fold steel or make flesh and bone indistinguishable from rock.

The Hadalpelagic Golem is a mass-produced worker standing over nine feet of hulking primordial clay. Using internal clay muscles reacting to external stimulus, embedded clockwork erases and etches paragraphs of Gematria in real time, creating an artificial creature capable of changing its behaviour between multiple programs. The level of sophistication the Bureau has pushed the science of golems is perhaps the most alarming technology to both the Church and Sultanate alike. Their ever-changing instructions further claw territory from God's domain.

The nature of clay is a golem's biggest weakness. No more durable to bullets and cuts than the flesh of man. Yet it is not only the mimicry of God's creation of Adam that makes golems possible. Clay is flexible and cohesive, and it is why the primordial stone must be pulverised and slaked. For this reason the Hadalpelagic workforce is given suits of armour made from Hiram's brass, an alchemical alloy designed to endure the corrosive salt of the deep while resisting the crushing pressures. The brass gains strength from sustained depths and as such its submersion to the Hadal Zone is a critical part of the quenching process, which takes eighteen months. Something rudimentary that protects the clay from the deformation of rocks and fauna, while maintaining a full range of motion.

The Bureau is selective in what it automates with golems. Some tasks are too dynamic and nuanced to be viable for the instructions of a golem. As sophisticated as the technology has become, it still pales in comparison to God's craft.

For this reason, when a Hadalpelagic Golem develops damage, wear, or even an impedance of barnacles, they are reassigned to surface missions. Their clockwork drum of slugs replaced for one designed for No Man's Land, containing a mixture of caesium and thermite.

Hadalpelagic Golems can only fulfil a supporting role. Although golems can be designed to listen to the commands of one voice, the complexity and risks of this are too great. The Hadalpelagic Golem cannot be ordered, commanded or coerced. It cannot be reasoned with. It has only two modes: follow, or kill. The golem only activates its threat response when it witnesses the wounding of those under its care. Once triggered, it will charge anything it perceives as a threat. At just under two metric tonnes, the golem can still build to a respectable sprint speed of fifty-five kilometres per hour, running headlong into the fray with whatever oversized hunk of metal it has been given to swing. Calling it combat would be far too sophisticated a word. It is feral, primal destruction of anything and everything it deems as a threat. It will not stop until even twitching pulp ceases motion. The squads under its care must then determine if they engage, or use the distraction to slip away. The Bureau has little desire to preserve the golems which constantly roll off its production lines; the value of human life is significantly higher given their population bottleneck. That said, accidents of friendly fire have not spared Mezokkkim or even Qliphah from automated wrath.

Hiram's Brass, while benefiting from its abyssal quenching, is not immune to harm. Small arms fire will likely do little more than dislodge barnacles, but explosives and piercing rounds are proven effective. Any clay separated from its torso will return to inert clay now devoid of its primordial quality. Despite this, the golem is perfectly capable of maintaining mobility and combat effectiveness with a single limb. Yet should the internal drum be penetrated, or opened by curious hands, the chemical reaction slags the proprietary mechanism and whatever unfortunate soul happens to be standing close by.

Hadalpelagic Golems are seeing more frequent use as the new phase of war ramps up and the Bureau's hands grow more covetous. While the Bureau constantly churns out these tireless workers, not every mission warrants their use. The Gen Bureau functions best when it is unseen, working in shadows and between lines of communication of the great powers. Yet as No Man's Land grows ever more dangerous, a titanic brass brute or three can make the difference between success or failure.