Back in the Underhive, Kian had the recovered haulers loaded with amasec and tinned guana-at to take back out to the soldiers on the line. He checked in on the Sanctum's production — collected what was ready, ordered new batches — then gathered Old Kae, Little Kae, and Big Kae in his wheeled chair, and made for the Alpha Filtration Hub.
Antonius was in his operations bay.
Kian pointed at Big Kae.
"Look him over. Can you fit him with two working legs?"
Antonius's optical units swept down to the stumps and back up.
"Clean amputation lines. Neural interface implantation is straightforward. chanical prosthetic legs can be fitted without complication."
"How much?"
"Basic mobility function — five hundred thousand Agri-Scrips. Combat and complex operational capacity — two million, higher-grade augtic."
The two-million figure landed in the room like a dropped weight. The Kae family went very still. Three sets of eyes moved to Kian with an expression that mixed hope and anxiety in roughly equal asure.
Kian waved a hand.
"Install the best available. I'm a Baron — I can afford it."
The Kae family looked at him the way people look at soone who has just fundantally changed their situation.
In truth, Kian was primarily curious about the augtic procedure itself. The generosity was genuine, but the desire to watch the process was equally genuine.
They proceeded to the Forge Temple. Kian paid at the entrance and Big Kae was wheeled through.
The chanicus operating table was exactly as advertised — cold iron, no evident concessions to hygiene or comfort, with what appeared to be dried blood from a previous occupant still faintly visible on the surface. The Enginseers pulled Big Kae onto it and secured him with chanical restraints. A trolley rolled in carrying two tal legs.
The surgical team produced their instrunts. Old Kae and Little Kae were standing at the bedside — no privacy protocol, no family waiting room. Everyone simply stood there.
A chadendrite drill bit descended toward Big Kae's leg stump and pressed in.
The scream was imdiate and considerable. Kian's ears registered a complaint.
He looked at Antonius.
"He's clearly in agony. Is anaesthetic not available?"
Antonius was fitting the chanical leg against the raw stump, extending a neural link wire.
"This wire must interface with the patient's biological neural tissue. The connection requires the nervous system to be fully active and firing. Anaesthetic would suppress neural activity and cause interface misalignnt.
The more pain he experiences right now, the more actively his nervous system is transmitting. Active transmission improves the quality of the neural bond. The discomfort is, technically, useful."
The next thirty minutes were instructive in ways Kian hadn't anticipated. Big Kae's voice did things that suggested the human vocal range had more capacity than normally demonstrated. Old Kae turned away twice. His eyes were wet.
When it was done, Big Kae was unconscious on the table, two tal legs attached from the knee down, chest moving steadily.
The surgical team withdrew. Antonius remained.
"The Omnissiah has granted this man stronger limbs than he was born with. He will run on better ground than before."
Kian examined the augtics.
"Military grade — what does that actually an functionally? Can he run a hundred kilotres in a day?"
Antonius gave him the look reserved for questions that revealed fundantal misunderstanding.
"Enhancing running speed requires comprehensive augntation of the entire lower body and partial spinal column. Two prosthetic lower legs cannot increase overall locomotion speed.
What he has now: extended operational endurance — the power cells require charging approximately once every six months. Vibration sensors in the foot pads — capable of detecting ground movent at three kilotres, with analytical processing to identify the source. Active emission mode — the legs can pulse a detection wave to locate buried objects in the surrounding area. Landmines, for example."
Kian absorbed this.
Three-kilotre ground vibration detection. Active mine sensing. Bring Big Kae along in the field and he becos a walking early warning system — advancing troops, vehicle movents, buried devices.
Two million well spent.
Antonius had noticed the quality of Kian's attention. He moved to the far wall and touched it with a chadendrite. A steel panel opened, revealing a display of augtic components.
"My lord Baron — have you considered a more comprehensive relationship with the Omnissiah? The weakness of biological flesh is temporary. The strength of the machine is permanent."
He began moving down the display, indicating each component.
"Iron Lung — permits respiration in toxic atmospheres, irradiated environnts, vacuum-adjacent conditions. Significant endurance enhancent.
Iron Heart — smaller than a biological heart, output capacity one hundred tis greater.
Iron Kidney. Iron Spine. Synthetic retina. Sub-dermal armour sh. Cranial interface ports for external data storage..."
The list continued. A complete human body could, in theory, be progressively replaced until only the brain remained — and even that could be partially fitted with chanical storage and processing units.
The Adeptus chanicus had a legendary figure, Belisarius Cawl, whose self-modification program had proceeded until he occupied approximately two storeys of space and resembled a mobile fortress more than a person. The standing joke among those familiar with his work was that he probably had less than two ounces of original biological brain matter left — and that whatever remained was sohow still generating a personality that was recognisably his.
Kian looked at the wall of augtics and said nothing for a mont.
[End of Chapter 222]
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