Warhammer: In the Name of the Emperor

The hot red light of the welding ray hits the armor plate, and the mechanical arm behind the Mechanic-Priest operates with a clear creaking sound. His mechanical eyes are locked on the huge engine in front of him, and the servo skull is suspended beside him. The scanning beam is also swept over the engine repeatedly to feed back the structural parameters to the priest in real time.

His blue mechanical eye rotated twice clockwise, and the coaxial focusing ring creaked. The priest concentrated on the engine assembly in front of him, and the ancient Mechanicus requiem hymn was muttered in his mouth.

His robotic arm placed the data board on the engine instrument. As the sparks of the minimally invasive welding chip burst out, the prayers to appease the manic machine soul were recited and sang in an orderly manner, like the torrent of thousands of data in his mind. In that way, there is not even a single mistake in the extremely complex syllables and poems.

Every qualified Mechanicus priest can do this. They can sing the complex Mechanicus hymns and melodies at the same time, without a choir, without any accompaniment or assistance. Their already mechanized voices and electronic lungs can do it. He can perform hymns by himself that are no less impressive than those of a choir, with everything from accompaniment, melody to verses.

As the poem sang, the micron-level crystal pins of the CNC chip were connected one by one. As the minimally invasive welding points were closed one by one, the entire engine control system was installed.

The priest turned his head slightly, and the servo skull beside him also flew to the other side. The scanning light quickly completed the engine scan. After getting the data to support his calculation, the priest was ready to start the next operation.

But when his robotic arm had just approached the exposed fiber-grade data pipeline, when he had just begun to sing comforting hymns, another burst of singing interrupted him, and the priest raised his head and looked at the engine in surprise. Opposite him, he saw the man who was humming and walking among the priests of the Mechanicus.

Vito hummed songs and strolled and danced in the aisles. He walked briskly and his upper body danced along with the melody of the lyrics. He just hummed and walked from between the work areas of the Mechanicus Priests on both sides. He walked over and sang the cheerful melody as he walked between the machines and the hanging mechanical arms.

This area is a comprehensive area for R\u0026D, scientific research and maintenance on the Infinite Frontier. Simply put, this is the territory of the ship's Mechanicus. The oil guys will work on their own research and inventions here, and occasionally work part-time as a part-time engine driver. A repair shop or something like that, helping marines and battleship maintenance teams repair some important parts.

Generally speaking, each member of the Mechanicus has his own journey of seeking knowledge. Even if their main responsibilities on the ship are maintenance workers and engineers, everyone still has their own research projects, and they are different, such as biology, mechanics What to learn about weapons, etc., depends on each person's research direction.

Like most Mechanicus believers, they hate other people, that is, non-Mechanicus members, wandering around in their "hall of knowledge", but it is obvious that Vito is not on this unpopular list, or at least they Can you tolerate this guy singing, or to be precise, singing and dancing while walking by?

Vito hummed and walked to the end of the long and narrow corridor in the center of the wide research workshop on both sides. He passed between the jingling maintenance area and the engineering area and came here. This large door was branded with the red mechanized skull of the Mechanicus. in front of the door.

Vito hummed and placed his palm on the scanning interface on one side. As a green light swept across, the indicator light above the door lit up, "No. i-0001, Grand Inquisitor Vito Constantine." Authorization passed.”

The door slid open to both sides as Vito hummed. He turned around and walked in behind the door. He walked through the laboratory while humming and dancing, while Caul and Omega were both beside him. Looking at him, the two Mechanicus sages looked at Vito as he walked by like a fool.

Vito walked briskly to a workbench. He picked up a wrench from the table and turned it twice in his hand before pointing it at the two of them. Two irons? I don’t know, can members of the Mechanicus still be called human beings? I mean, they probably don’t have a few pieces of meat left on them, right?

But well, Vito obviously didn't care about this issue that would allow the Ecclesiarchy and the Mechanicus to debate for decades. He asked another question meaningfully.

"Have you eaten?"

Omega looked at Vito, his mechanical eyes moved, and the brief data flow on the curved glass window was interrupted. He stayed there in silence for a long time, as if thinking about how to answer this question.

"Is this your problem? Or is this a problem?"

"I think so, so have you eaten? Yes, I know you guys like us won't eat like us, but you have to put something into your stomach."

Vito pointed at Omega's belly with his wrench and shook it twice, as if he was really thinking about this question, "Seriously, what do you eat? Gasoline? Is there any difference in taste between 39-octane gasoline and 51-octane gasoline?" ?”

"No, we don't drink gasoline. If you are really asking this question, we will drink a special energy liquid, which contains the fuel part that supplies the mechanical parts to operate. There is also a remaining part that has not yet been modified to be absorbed by the flesh and blood organs. and nutrients for digestion.”

Omega said as he used his robotic arm to grab a can from the table on one side. The oil barrel-like can was grabbed by the flexible robotic arm and picked up. His robotic arm sent the oil barrel to Vito, and then The reporter took the oil barrel and looked at it in surprise. He raised his eyes and pointed at Omega.

"Is this the thing?" "Yes, there is energy liquid in it."

After Vito came close to the oil barrel and smelled it, his expression immediately twitched. He threw the oil barrel on the table aside and rubbed his neck. He was silent for a moment with a strange look on his face, "Wow. .Your taste is really unique.”

As he spoke, Vito took out the reagent given by Bell from his arms. He shook the thing, and Omega's mechanical eyes immediately locked on the thing. His scanning circle slid to the right several times.

"This is?" "An unknown alien creature that Bell and the others discovered on the bottom deck. It can speak human language, is intelligent, and can imitate human appearance, although it is still ugly as hell."

Vito said as he waved the potion in the air twice, and the flesh slices in it were turned upside down. "Bell said he couldn't analyze it. Please handle it and see what the hell it is."

After Vito said that, Omega's mechanical arm stretched out from behind him. His slender mechanical arm stretched out in reverse like a steel snake, and the triangular mechanical claw at the end grabbed Vito's hand. The reagent was quickly grabbed by Omega as Vito let go.

"You said they have intelligence?" "Yes, they can talk, and they can imitate them very well. They also know how to make the most basic weapons and confuse the enemy. So yes, they have intelligence, although I don't think it is very high. "

Vito shrugged as he spoke, while Omega's mechanical eyes looked at the thing carefully. The scanning data quickly rolled on the mechanical eyeballs. He watched the biological slices and walked to an instrument not far away.

"Your descriptions are really interesting. Let's see if they are satisfactory." Omega said and inserted the reagent containing the biological slices into the hole on the side of the instrument. As the test tube was inserted into it, a The indicator lights of the series lighted up, and the data interfaces all started ticking.

One of Omega's robotic arms dexterously rotated the three-edged claw. The claw was as dexterous as a windmill as the end of his wrist rotated. He raised the claw and then inserted it into the data interface on the surface of the instrument.

Omega's eyeballs began to scroll with a stream of data. The dense data scrolled rapidly along with the calculation array on the instrument interface. Omega's mechanical fingers quickly clicked on the touch screen, following the icons one by one. Dancing between his fingers, other robotic arms behind him also started working on the surrounding instruments.

Vito watched the dexterous mechanical arms clicking on the surrounding instrument keyboards. As the mechanical keyboards clicked, the instruments in front of Omega also projected a three-dimensional image, which was composed of several data modules and computing arrays. Pictures from heaven, Vito can say with confidence.

He can not understand.

Seriously, who except those from the Mechanicus can understand this shit? There is nothing on it except a bunch of scrolling data and letters with unknown meanings. There is not even a part that can be spelled out in human words. Who can understand it except these engine oil guys.

"What were you talking about before? Before I came in." Vito walked to Caul and asked in a low voice. The Great Sage's Gundam body stood aside, and his head deftly turned to Vito, half of the human face He looked at Vito with his eyes, and then raised his eyes to look at Omega who was rapidly operating many calculation arrays in front of him.

"The research topic of Space Marines' gene seeds is really interesting. Did you know that Omega is also researching the knowledge of gene seeds, and the progress is amazing."

"Gene seed? I really don't know." Vito said, crossing his arms and looking at Omega in front of him. Vito looked at him and narrowed his eyes slightly. He tried to understand how much Omega was hiding from him. , a "sensitive" research topic, but it was obviously useless, and he had no idea what he was still studying.

And if he guessed correctly, Omega, like most mechanical priests, did not disclose his research to anyone. Only he knew what the dangerous contents of his research were.

"His research on the genes of Space Marines is very outstanding, and I have benefited a lot from many conjectures and hypotheses. He is indeed an excellent priest with a bright future." Caul's comments were full of appreciation. It turned out that he liked this young man very much.

"How's it going? Have you told him about the Primaris plan?" Vito asked looking at Omega, while Call shook his head slightly.

"No, not yet, but I am indeed considering recruiting him, if you allow me." Kaul said and looked at Vito, as if asking for his permission, which made Vito laugh. Then he walked forward and walked to Kaul's side to look at the complex calculation interface.

"So have you researched anything? Something that can be translated into human language."

"Indeed, my analysis shows that these aliens have human genetic characteristics mixed with them. After comparative testing, I can confirm that they are hybrids of humans and aliens."

"Hybrid creature? Like Tyranids?"

Vito asked in surprise. Omega clicked on the data node in front of him. As he clicked, the holographic interface in front of him also instantly switched to the Tyran data interface. The data was compared with the aliens on the bottom deck now. And Omega has indeed been optimized, and now Vito can understand the meaning of the data.

His eyes kept jumping between the two columns of data for comparison, and he soon knew the conclusion, "These creatures are not as smart as Tyranids, right? And their ability to evolve their minds is also weaker."

"Correct, the intelligence of a single creature in the Tyranid swarm is limited, but it can be connected to the Hive Will through node creatures and tyrants, and can greatly improve its intelligence through centralized thinking calculations similar to parallel connection, so ordinary war beasts can also use it. Complex tactics to become a truly intelligent beast."

"Even the hybrids of gene stealers are significantly more intelligent than the new alien we discovered. I think this alien belongs to a low-end parasitic species. They infect an original individual , mutate its genes and become the host of the alien, and then spread the population through hybridization with humans or other organisms. The purpose is purely primitive biological instinct."

"Wait, you mean, these monsters are the carriers of some kind of virus? What's in their bodies is the true nature of these monsters?" Vito asked in surprise, while Omega nodded slightly.

His finger clicked on the screen, and soon a small, wriggling creature appeared on the holographic projection. "Your judgment is very accurate. These creatures are just carriers for the population spread and movement of these cellular organisms. The real core is these fungal cells."

"They will infect the host's genes and then merge into the gene tree of the organism. Then they can control the host's gene spread within the population. They do have some basic survival instincts, such as through the memory and thinking of the host's brain. Learn and apply some knowledge of this group.”

"Then this kind of thing is pretty strong, almost as good as Tyranx." Vito said with his arms folded, while Omega shook his head and pointed at the data that appeared in front of him.

"But the intelligence of this kind of creature is, as you said, very limited. Their learning process is extremely slow and they rely more on instinctive reflexes. Just like the evolution of primitive creatures, they only learned the basics after many generations of reproduction. Language, and simulated host population physiognomy.”

"If I guess correctly, they should have reproduced in the lower decks of the Rogue Traders' merchant ships for many generations. This is a small part of the population. Under the instinct of gene diffusion, they landed on our ships in an attempt to reproduce and infect. There should be more aliens on merchant ships."

Vito snorted softly, "As expected, there are always a lot of such dangerous things on the bottom of those merchant ships."

As he spoke, Vito looked at Omega aside and pointed at the holographic projection in front of him, "Can you solve the threat of this creature? Although their learning speed is slow, if left alone, they will still be a huge threat given enough time. , especially when they jump to a planet where local government management is loose, and no one cares about them.”

Omega nodded, his fingers jumped quickly on the interface, and a new data array appeared in front of him, "I can develop a killing virus, use their genetic characteristics to make genetic missiles, interrupt the relationship between "To kill these alien fungi and their hosts, simply release the virus in the area where the organisms are active."

"Well done. After it's built, let's test it on our ship. If it works, tell the Ultramar sector government and ask them to disinfect it in the merchant fleet as well." Vito said, patting Omi. Jia's shoulder, the latter nodded silently.

Vito looked at Omega and smiled. He patted his shoulder again, turned around and leaned on the analytical instrument, folded his hands and looked at Caul's hand. "The Great Sage wants to invite you to join the research project, Caul, tell me he."

Omega stopped what he was doing in surprise. He turned around and looked at Caul who was walking behind him. He was very big and moved like a giant wriggling steel octopus. Several of his mechanical tentacles were in the red robe. Moving up and down, he supported Kaur and walked to the two of them.

The Great Sage looked down at Omega in front of him. The mechanical eyes under his red robe clicked and turned to look at the priest in front of him. His fingers holding the priest's scepter were slightly raised, and the mechanical arm of the other hand slid out from under the robe. Lifted up.

"As the marshal said, Father Omega, your knowledge and insights into genetic knowledge are impressive. You have just demonstrated your knowledge and talent again. Even other biological priests cannot do this. Complete the analysis and response weapon development in a short period of time, and your success is astonishing.”

"Thank you for the compliment, Great Sage." Omega nodded modestly and replied. Kaul also nodded in approval. His other hand also held the Sage's scepter. He looked at Omega in front of him. Turning the mechanical eyes.

"Your humility is also admirable, so I would like to formally invite you to join the "Primaris Project" to participate in the experiments, improvements and follow-up research of the new generation of Space Marines."

After Omega was stunned for a moment, he showed the shock of a normal person for a moment. He fell silent and continued. A large amount of data rolled over the mechanical eyeball. After being slightly surprised, he quickly regained his Mechanicus-like calmness. , and conducted a centralized calculation and analysis of the invitation.

After a moment, Omega raised his head and nodded to Caul. He bowed slightly to the Great Sage modestly, "I am flattered by your invitation, Great Sage, but I am a priest under the orders of Marshal Vito Constantine." , I must seek the Marshal’s permission before I can accept your invitation.”

Vito leaned to the side and laughed. He patted Omega on the shoulder, "Your words are really touching and gratifying, Octopus."

"Do you allow me?" Omega said, standing up and looking at Vito, who looked at Call with a smile on his arms, and then turned to look at Omega beside him.

"Of course I allow it. The Primaris project is not only a rare opportunity to seek knowledge, but also a vital plan for the entire empire. Any help that can effectively promote the Primaris project cannot be missed."

"So yes, Omega, I allow it. Go and go to Mars with Caul and get the Primaris Space Marines out. This will not only help the Empire, but also help me a lot. You will have an unprecedented opportunity to seek knowledge. I We also get a viable force, a win-win situation, why not?”

Vito pressed Omega's shoulder and said with a smile. The latter nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Marshal. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity. I also promise you that if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you will need me." For your help, I will go through fire and water for you.”

"I'm very grateful, Omega, thank you." Vito said with a smile. He turned to look at Caul. Just as he was about to say something, the communicator on his wrist rang. Vito looked at the thing in shock for a moment and then clicked on it. Turn on the communicator.

As the communicator was turned on, Cole's bust immediately appeared on the projection. He looked at Vito and said, "Vito, there is a ship approaching us. The other party asked to board the ship and asked to meet you by name. "

"In subspace? Meeting me?" Vito raised his eyebrows in surprise, while Cole nodded, "Yes, it's very suspicious. What should we do? Open fire and sink them?"

Vito fell silent, and his mind suddenly recalled what Slaanesh had said, an old friend coming back to see you?

Vito touched his chin and was silent for a moment, then raised his head and looked at Cole and nodded, "Let them board the ship, notify Colonel York, take his boys, and take the guys to the deck to be on standby in case of any eventuality."

"Also, notify Eisenstein and the three of them to come up. We will need the presence of the Space Marines." "Understood, I will be on standby on the bridge."

After Cole said that, he disappeared from the holographic image. Vito looked at the disappeared image and smiled. He looked at Call and shrugged.

"Wow, it looks like the recruitment ceremony has to be postponed a little. We have guests."

"What kind of guests? Enemies, and friends." Omega asked in surprise, while Vito smiled mysteriously, stood up and walked towards the door of the research room.

"Who knows? Not all of my old friends are "friends."