Thien spat the tallic powder onto the deck and leaned back against the dical bed, looking regretfully at Axion.
"I cannot digest this. While our standard rations include substantial mineral and even tallic components, and chewing on raw steel in a pinch is not an issue, this tal exceeds the limits of what the body can process."
Axion nodded with a flicker of regret, then picked up the canister, preparing to dispose of it.
Outside the observation port of the dical bay, two voyeuristic chanicus Magos practically convulsed with excitent. Seeing Axion casually toss the container down a ship-grade refuse chute, they imdiately dispatched two Servo-skulls to retrieve the discarded material.
The Inquisitor, who had been observing everything covertly, furrowed his brow further in contemplation.
Clearly, any artifact originating from this ancient machine held imnse appeal for the Adeptus chanicus, and the machine's apparent depth of technological knowledge would exponentially increase that attraction. As an Inquisitor, he had traveled vast reaches of the galaxy and dealt with every strata and power bloc.
The Adeptus chanicus was undoubtedly one of the most troubleso factions to deal with. Once these 'chanical heads' developed an interest in sothing, they were virtually unstoppable. If one wished to avoid being secretly converted into a Servitor or having their biological components repurposed as wetware for so chanism, one needed either robust political backing or overwhelming physical force.
Alas, this unremarkable Inquisitor possessed neither. He was rely an ordinary operative dispatched to determine the truth of the situation. Against xenos or daemons, he could call for aid; against rebels, he could also call for aid. But against the chanicus? If you didn't wish for a Machine-Spirit to suddenly beco 'unruly' and send you to et the Emperor ahead of schedule, it was best to hold your tongue.
Perhaps, by deftly navigating this situation and offering the chanicus a political favor, he could gain so advantage. The title of the Imperial Inquisition was terrifying, but its power was relative. Sotis, the truly terrifying elent was not the Inquisition itself, but the reputation of a few legendary Inquisitors.
Having clarified the critical path in his mind, the Inquisitor's mood improved considerably. He then motioned for the two Magos to follow him into the dical chamber.
As the automatic doors hissed open and the Inquisitor appeared, all occupants of the chamber imdiately regained their composure. The two Dark Angels lying on the other dical beds rely opened their eyes for a brief assessnt before returning to their ditative state.
Of everyone present, these two Astartes were the most unfortunate. They had undertaken a simple mission only to be nearly cleaved in half, armour and all, on arrival. Now, they were dependent on others while their severed limbs were reattached.
Because re-implantation of severed limbs was a rare surgical procedure, Apothecary Ousen had prioritized them, practicing on them first and placing Thien last. The two Dark Angels were unaware of the situation but felt a degree of gratitude. Fortunately, the trial run was successful; within re minutes, both their arms regained sensation. They only needed a few more hours for their superhuman self-healing to simply stitch the wounds shut. Their damaged Power Armour had been handed over to Techmarine Farien for imdiate repair.
The two Marines knew the mission had likely failed; they possessed no ability to forcibly seize Axion. Its reaction speed far exceeded the limits of a regular Astartes. Should it choose to strike again as it had before, they would be unable to evade the blow.
The two Magos, following the Inquisitor, rushed forward imdiately upon entering the chamber, converging on the prosthetics Axion had placed nearby. They laboriously held up the unnervingly heavy limbs and subjected them to continuous scans, clearly attempting to reverse-engineer the technology within.
However, the final tallic casing applied by Axion obscured all minute details. No matter how the two Magos utilized the scanners and probes incorporated into their bodies, they could not extract any specialized information. They could only decipher the general chanical structure.
Yet, even this basic comprehension of the exquisite and complex chanical structure was enough to drive the two Magos into a state of zealous excitent. Staring intently at the prosthetic interface, they conferred in detail.
"This does not appear to be any known prosthetic interface?"
The two Magos repeatedly manipulated the limbs in their hands, but Axion made no attempt to intervene. On the contrary, their display of fervor and excitent made Axion distinctly confused.
The Adeptus chanicus had existed for tens of millennia, their history predating the Imperium itself. Based on their robes and appearance, Axion could easily identify them as Magos, even without speaking to them. But why were these priests of the Machine God so intensely interested in such simple chanical structures?
According to the data stored in its mory banks, the Magos of the chanicus were all masters of chanical design, their capacity for creation and fabrication supposedly exceeding its own. Furthermore, the chanical devices being used as prosthetics were of a very low specification. They were not even equipped with any auxiliary weapon systems or transformation chanisms, their function being strictly rudintary.
However, the reality was entirely different.
Over the long millennia, vast quantities of technology had been lost. Countless surviving relics had beco 'Black Boxes'—impossible to analyze and impossible to reproduce. Although the thought of restarting true scientific developnt had occurred, the Emperor had blocked that path. The malevolent forces of the Warp could influence and distort the material universe, making it impossible to ascertain whether the physical laws underpinning new technology were true or rely a Warp-induced disaster waiting to happen. The past calamities of the Iron n rebellion and the Dark Age of Technology were testant to this fact. The Emperor knew the source of all such existential threats.
As the dical chamber's automatic doors opened once more, the tall, Power Armour-clad figure of Farien appeared in the doorway.
"Sirs, I was just finishing the repairs on the Dark Angels' Power Armour when I was notified to report here imdiately. What has occurred?" Farien asked, slightly taken aback by the crowded state of the chamber.
Axion promptly snatched the prosthetics from the hands of the surprised chanicus Magos and thrust them into Farien's grip.
"I fabricated these two prosthetics for Thien, but my technical data does not include biological augntation installation procedures. Thien stated this falls under your purview, so they are entrusted to you."
Farien stared blankly at the two incredibly refined prosthetics in his hands. He looked uncertainly at Thien lying on the bed, then back at the two chanicus Magos who were still bewildered by the sudden seizure of the limbs.
"Biological augntation? Wouldn't these two Magos be more proficient at that? Why specifically summon ?"
Speaking, Farien held the prosthetics up for a closer inspection. Looking at the completely unfamiliar prosthetic interface, he turned pleadingly to the two Magos, who were already engaged in a heated debate over their private vox-channel.
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