The crimson and pale hues of Pluto slowly turned, occasionally revealing sporadic flashes of white light in its atmosphere, a testament to the planet's robust defense systems.
Six massive satellites, responsible for transmitting and receiving signals, orbited Pluto. Thousands of lights blinked continuously, each representing a signal from a different star system.
Amidst the sea of lights, one seemingly insignificant light blinked to life, quickly caught by the Astropathic Choir stationed on Pluto.
The returning voyager had arrived.
The Webway gate blossomed open, revealing a portal to the warp. Psychic tides ebbed and flowed, producing magnificent blue-violet waves, from which a magenta light surged.
A small ship emerged first, followed by the massive silhouette of a transport vessel.
+05-97qe, welcome back to the Sol System.
Please proceed to Mars following the trajectory provided by the Astropathic Choir.
From the massive transport, smaller ships descended like grains of sand from a whale, each carrying countless goods. The behemoth hardly noticed these minuscule entities.
Red landscapes sped past the window, an endless expanse of red wastelands with brown-red windswept sands. In the distance, there seemed to be patches of green, but they were too far for Hades to discern clearly.
Occasionally, small mechanical creatures dotted the endless red. Compared to the neatly organized tech-priests, these creatures seemed like wild grass on a barren land. Exposed cables and leaking limbs made Hades wonder, what were they?
The ship moved swiftly, the scenery changing rapidly, leaving everything behind.
The city built within an active volcano, the Magma City, passed by. Then came towering plateaus, fractured rifts, and sunken canyons. The silvery industrial behemoths consumed the red.
Dark waste zones clung to the city's edges, where the sporadic mechanical creatures were seen earlier.
Factories, all around. Tiny tech-servitors climbed the silver structures, their ant-like appendages touching and adjusting circuits.
The city's outskirts were filled with warehouses stocked with weapons, ammunition, and raw materials. The city's ports were here, with countless ships taking off and landing, chaotic yet orderly, reminiscent of a school of migrating sardines.
A straight golden road ran through the city, with geometrically trimmed trees lining both sides, providing scant shade for the bustling crowds.
The silhouettes of Titans occasionally appeared, these aesthetically pleasing war machines serving as a reminder of the city's rulers.
A few obelisk-like structures broke the city's skyline, looking down upon it with disdain. Crowds thronged around them, kneeling in reverence.
These were the Temples of the Machine God, the Halls of Technological Sanctity, or perhaps the Shrines of the Engine. The faith that held Mars together was centered here.
Pilgrimage ships prayed above, with golden priests chanting in binary hymns.
Praise the Omnissiah!
Praise the embodiment of truth, the bringer of hope's flame!
The chants faded, and the ship, ignoring the fervent believers, proceeded to an isolated building on the city's edge.
Mars, Techmarine Training Facility.
Hades swore this was the most bizarre tech-priest he had ever seen.
Countless cables formed a towering, curved spine, standing two heads taller than Hades. Under its crimson robe, geometric shapes pulsed rhythmically. Compared to its massive body, two eerily slender main limbs extended, holding the recommendation letter Hades had just handed over.
After a brief glance, the tech-priest looked up, its eyes glowing a faint blue, and said, "Greetings, Hades of the Death Guard."
The shrill yet clear synthetic Gothic voice echoed, "Praise the Omnissiah. As an individual, I congratulate the XIV Legion on the retrieval of another Primarch."
The Primarch, the most intricate machine created by the God of Machines. Another one found, and Geor Jordan felt the dopamine release in the remaining 12.7% of his organic components.
The Great Crusade will triumph, and truth will walk among them again.
"You may address me as Sage Jordan. My apprentices and I will oversee your training for at least thirty standard Terran years."
"Initiate Techmarine Hades, your biometric key has been logged into the facility's system. Currently, you have access to Gamma-level rooms and knowledge."
Jordan eyed Hades's left brain. If it could adapt to the Sigma-309 communication protocol or its variant, the 309k, Hades's training could be reduced by at least 23%.
He should directly transmit the upcoming learning materials to this Techmarine. However, a quick check revealed that direct binary transmission was forbidden.
"Initiate Techmarine Hades, for the remainder of the Martian day, you may rest. The curriculum you need to master has been sent to your quarters."
"Our journey begins tomorrow, where we'll glimpse the greatness of the Omnissiah and feel the pulse of truth."
"Our first lesson is reverence and faith."
"Praise the Omnissiah."
The room echoed with the tech-priest's fervent yet calm voice. Hades, unsure whether to echo the sentiment or remain silent, was relieved when the tech-priest chose the latter. A servitor opened the door, signaling Hades to leave.
In an unknown underground forge,
"He's here."
Binary whispers passed, overshadowed by agonizing screams.
There was no need for soundproofing; the tech-priests wouldn't waste their precious time here.
That deceiver! He will pay.
The marked prey had walked into the trap, a blessing from the Machine God.
A cruiser, ready to depart, was urgently halted.
Whether in war or deception, none could escape his calculations.
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Note: In the Mechanicum, tech-priests' understanding and devotion to the doctrine vary. Also, expect a lot of fabrications when writing about the Mechanicum because the original system is intricate.
Special thanks to Bilibili uploader, Belisarius Cawl, for his compiled Mechanicum data, which greatly aided this chapter.
Another side story will be released tonight, but don't wait up.