Simia Orichalcae

The planet of Simia Orichalcae is mainly an Ice World, uninhabited except for Promethium processing plants scattered across the planet to refine veins of rare ice, deep underground, into usable promethium.¹

Map	Basic Data		Planetary Image
	Name:	Simia Orichalcae
	Segmentum:	Unknown
	Sector:	Unknown
	Subsector:	Unknown
	System:	Unknown
	Population:	Unknown
	Affiliation:	Imperium
	Class:	Ice World, Mining World, Tomb World
	Tithe Grade:	Unknown

Etymology

The origins of the planet's name remains unknown. After some research, the most plausible theory that Inquisitor Amberley Vail could produce was that, after some research, but is suspected to refer to a statue or effigy in a past epoch, but the importance of commemorating the genus Simia remains unknown.^1a

Known History

It is, however, most notably featured as the planet where Commissar Ciaphas Cain along with the Valhallan 597th were deployed to defend a promethium refinery against marauding bands of Orks^1b, and later encountering Necrons released from stasis by the presence of sentient life^1c. It is later revealed that high-ranking Adeptus Mechanicus magus, Ernulph, deliberately built the refinery exactly above the Necron Tomb to investigate it.^1d

Commissar Cain attempted to destrtoy the Necron Tomb, along with a Necron warp portal with melta bombs, but initially failed.^1e In desperation, he filled the deep underground caverns beneath the processing plant with promethium from a reserve, with the help of Adeptus Mechanicus magus, Logash; and "got the frak out of there". ^1f

The Imperial Guard, realizing that they could not defeat an endless wave of foes (noting their apparent indestructibility without the help of an Astartes Chapter) in addition to Orks in the company of a Gargant; promptly chose to evacuate the mining colonies to an awaiting ship, the Pure of Heart. ^1g

From there, they detonated the promethium-filled caverns with bombs placed by sappers originally meant for the approaching Gargant. The blast was so powerful that shockwaves were felt throughout the already spaceborne Pure of Heart, and left a kilometers-wide crater that permanently scarred the pristine icy-beauty of Simia Orichalcae.^1h

Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Amberley Vail later launched an investigation and, much to everybody's relief, found no evidence of any further necron activity. She later stated that she was none too keen to be the first to start digging holes to find out for sure.

Trivia

Simia Orichalcae is Latin for "Brass Monkey". The expression "cold enough to freeze the [blank] off a brass monkey" is a common colloquialism in M2.

Sources

• ¹Caves of Ice (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus) by Sandy Mitchell
  • ^1a: p. 295
  • ^1b: pp. 295-298
  • ^1c: pp. 352-354, 390-393, 411-418
  • ^1d: pp. 424-431
  • ^1e: pp. 454-455
  • ^1f: pp. 467-468
  • ^1g: pp. 468-469
  • ^1h: pp. 474-478