Many thanks to ArchMagosAlchemys, who posted this nearly 15 years ago. I thought it would be awesome to share - there has been a lot of changes to the lore of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial Knights since, but you can see where they took inspiration from old fluff. Like Electro-priests actually showing up here, the Holy Orders of the Logi, Lexmechanic, Artisan and Genetor are also mentioned, and Legio Cybernetica too! Oh, and under the Centurio Ordinatus section, you even see Squats! Holy Emperor, I bet they'll bring back this old lore and Golgotha in the new Leagues of Votann codex or something. Anyway, it'll be a long read, so enjoy!
Liber Mechanicus
A History of the Servants of the Machine God
Gleaned from years of study of the STC
High Inquisitor Sigismondo
INTRODUCTION
Today, there are no towers as high as the spires of Mars, no cities greater than the hive of Mars, and no men more devoted to the pursuit of knowledge than the Tech-Priests of Mars.
Mars is the greatest and most populous world in the entirety of the galaxy-spanning Imperium. Sprawling hives climb miles into the Martian sky and their foundations delve hundreds of miles into the core of the planet itself. In many ways Mars is less of a planet and more of the greatest space vessel ever. Orbital factories circle its globe, their ceaseless industry forming a glowing halo around the red planet.
Above the equator vast space docks float in geo-stationary orbit, for this is the home of the mightiest fleet in the Imperium, the Battlefleet Solar. Untold tens of billions of human souls live on the ancient world. They are the people of the Cult Mechanicus and the devoted servants of its technarcane Machine God.
Mars is the homeworld of the Tech-Priests, the ruling class of the Cult Mechanicus. Throughout the galaxy there are many other worlds that belong to the Tech-Priests, planets whose people also form part of the huge and powerful organization. These other planets are called Forge Worlds and Knight Worlds, and though none are as ancient of powerful as Mars, each has its hives and factories, its industries and its cavernous temples to the Machine God.
Each of these worlds is a colony of the Tech-Priests, controlled by its own Techno-Magi and responsible for its own affairs. However, the ultimate loyalty of all the cult members is to the Cult Mechanicus itself, and to its masters on the planet Mars.
But this was not always so.
HISTORY - THE AGE OF STRIFE
The planet Mars has been changed enormously since man first set foot upon it two hundred centuries ago. Using a technology long lost, Mars was converted from a red desert into a fertile pale image of Earth using arcane terraforming procedures. Vast amounts of water and air were brought from who-knows-where to accomplish this transformation and the network of graviton satellites with their associated force shields were set up to protect the planet from solar radiation.
Once terraformed, Mars was settled by industrial cartels and their work forces, and soon this activity grew into the first human hive world. Unlike Earth, the planetary core of Mars has long since cooled and congealed so that its abundant riches can be mined directly, so the true wealth of Mars has always been its abundant gems, minerals, ores, and native metals. Mars thus became the center for industrial production and research, and its very name became synonymous with technical expertise and scientific advancement.
With the coming of the Age of Strife to Mars the process of disintegration began as it did on Earth, but because of the unique conditions on Mars events were to develop entirely differently. Because of lack of maintenance the planet’s atmospheric radiation shields soon broke down. Solar radiation poured onto the surface, destroying the fragile ecosystem and wiping out sparse vegetation which had taken millennia to cultivate. Plagues caused by high radiation levels slew most of the population. Of those that survived most became deranged by sickness, many turned into mutant zombies or gibbering cannibals. The destruction of the entire planet seemed likely, however this was not to be, for a new idea began to spread among the survivors, a religion of survival - the Cult Mechanicus dedicated to the Machine God.
The devotees of the Machine God saw technology as their path to salvation. They sought out the now scattered technology needed to build temporary radiation shelters. The cult demanded absolute devotion from its followers, for only by selfless dedication and often personal sacrifice could machines be recovered or the planet be saved. Under the direction if their Tech-Priest leaders, the cultists set about restoring order to the world. They built shelters to protect themselves from the radiation storms, and oxygen generators and food processing machines to enable them to live behind the enclosed shielding.
There were few shelters for even the Tech-Priests and none at all for unbelievers. Marauders and mutant raiders tried to force their way inside the hurriedly constructed buildings. Many of the cultists died defending their shelters and some early shelters were destroyed, but the survivors emerged all the stronger and more determined. A some sites, the Tech-Priests used the equipment at their command to build terrible and efficient weapons of war and cultists were formed into units of Cult Warriors to use these weapons. This development represented the birth of the College Cults which have lasted to this day.
The people of Mars interpreted their survival in the face of tremendous odds as vindication of the Cult Mechanicus. Their resolve and devotion to the cult became unshakable. Whilst rival warlords battled over the remains of Earth, the Tech-Priests rebuilt Mars in the image of their inhuman god. On red sands there rose the first temples of the Machine God and the people came to worship at the High Altar of Technology. It is believed by the Adepts of the Machine Cult that the first words of the Prayer of Preparation
STOP!! Read this before proceeding further.
date from this time.
The Tech-Priests scoured the ruins of Mars for surviving machinery which they enshrined within the Temple of All Knowledge. Within the temple’s plasteel shell shining pistons held the vaulted roof almost a mile above. The shafts of each piston were so constructed that they moved to raise and lower the roof, altering its acoustic properties to accentuate the hymns of praise sung to the Machine God.
The High Altar within took the form of a vast database containing the whole knowledge of the Tech-Priests. Even today every new discovery is dedicated to this altar. Every temple on Mars and throughout the Knight and Forge Worlds is connected to the High Altar by means of a living Transmat link, a psychic Servitor whose mind co-joins all altar of the Cult Mechanicus into one holy machine entity. At this time too arose the belief that when the High Altar was complete and contained all the knowledge of the ancients which had been lost, mankind would transcend its mundane existence and achieve a state of eternal paradise and omniscience. The leader of this transformation would be the Omnissiah, an all-knowing, all-conquering Lord from off the planet.
When the Cult Mechanicus had restored order to Mars, its leaders looked to Earth and beyond, hoping to find remnants of human knowledge on other worlds. The Tech-Priests were appalled at the destruction on Earth and judged there was noting worth saving. Instead they turned their attention to the wider galaxy. However, their spacecraft were unable to break through the warp storms that raged throughout the galaxy, isolating our solar system and many others besides.
The Tech-Priests studied the warp barrier for many centuries, observing the nature of the warp storms and the energy patterns within, treating the whole problem as a test of their worthiness by the Machine God. After many lifetimes they were able to predict when the storms were at their weakest and made preparations for an expedition beyond the solar system. At last an opportune moment came, the warp storms abated as predicted, and a massive fleet set out from Mars. The spacecraft of the Cult Mechanicus new that this might be a one-way journey and so took everything they needed to seed a new colony including thousands of Servitors and Tech-Priests, and an entire Titan Legion for conquest or protection.
After a few short days the warp storms regained strength once again and all contact was lost with the fleet. The Tech-Priests waited for a sign from their Machine God and faithfully started to prepare another expedition.
Over the next thousand years many similar expeditions were constructed and launched into the void. Some were lost or destroyed, but others were successful in their mission. Slowly at first, throughout the galaxy new colonies of the Cult Mechanicus were founded, each a replica of Mars with its temples and hives, its factories and its hierarchy of Tech-Priests. Each new world was protected by its Titan Legion and then by its Tech Guard as well. These new worlds were called Forge Worlds.
Whilst the storms persisted the Tech-Priests of Mars could only guess how many of their space fleets had survived passage through the tumultuous warp. During moments of relative calm broken messages were down-loaded into the High Altar in the Temple of Knowledge, fleeting reports from the Forge Worlds, data from recovered machines, confirmations of new discoveries or desperate pleas for help. But there was little the Tech-Priests of Mars could do to aid individual worlds, and it was not until the time of the Great Crusade in the Age of the Imperium that the Forge Worlds were to be permanently and finally united with Mars.
The Tech-Priests’ spacefleets found an anarchic galaxy where the ancient confederacy of interdependent human planets no longer existed. They discovered that the Eldar too were facing social degeneration. Many of the Eldar had taken to the worship of the Dark Gods of Chaos, and everywhere the Eldar worlds were falling into ruin. Some Eldar had already chosen to abandon their homeworlds and set up new colonies of Exodites untainted by the evil of Chaos. The Tech-Priests also found that wild Ork warbands rampaged throughout the galaxy, looting and destroying, causing unrest everywhere.
The human worlds discovered by the Tech-Priests retained little of their old technology. They had devolved into feudal states ruled by aristocratic nobles who welcomed the Tech-Priests as long awaited saviors. Those that did not welcome the Tech-Priests did not survive long. The Tech-Priests settled amongst these feudal empires, or Knight Worlds, choosing planets that were mineral rich where they could rebuild their industries. The established contacts between the Knights, trading with their worlds and investigating the ancient ruins where surviving technology could still sometimes be found. The Knights provided manpower and security against enemies such as marauding Orks and land-hungry Eldar Exodites. In return the Tech-Priests provided technical expertise and help rebuilding their planets.
Over the millennia the Forge Worlds became powerful and the Knight Worlds flourished under their wing. The Tech-Priests and Knights became mutually dependent and each Forge World became the hub of an empire consisting of the forge World and its surrounding Knight Worlds. The Knights learned much from the Tech-Priests and their societies were gradually transformed into technically sophisticated cultures. Many of the Forge Worlds were successful in maintaining sporadic contact with each other, and the Tech-Priests’ obsession with knowledge ensured that discoveries on one world were down-loaded to altars throughout the galaxy.
The most important innovations that the Tech-Priests brought to the Knight Worlds were the fighting machines called Knights. These machines were one-man versions of a Titan, much smaller and less powerful than a real Titan, but far more suited to the mobile style of warfare prevalent amongst the nobility of the Knight Worlds.
Today these Knights fight alongside the Titans and form a reserve of troops which can be called up into the Titan Legions when required. Each machine is piloted by a noble of the Knight Worlds, a Knight warrior within a Knight machine, for these worlds have maintained their feudal societies over the millennia. Indeed, the acquisition of technology and the active support of the Tech-Priests enabled the warrior nobility to strengthen its position of power on their worlds.
THE AGE OF THE IMPERIUM
It is now ten thousand years since the Age of the Imperium began, It was at the start of this glorious age that the warp storms finally ended with a single massive storm of unbelievable destructive power. The warp is formed from psychic energies which affect and can be molded by the minds of psychically sensitive mortals. As a result of the final collapse of the storms many humans were killed as a psychic shock wave spread throughout the galaxy.
The Eldar worlds were at the center of this shock wave, spelling the end of planet-bound Eldar civilization. Some Eldar escaped by means of massive space arks called Craftworlds. The Eldar Exodites who already distanced themselves from the hub of their civilization also survived. Other Exodites arrived among the Knight Worlds looking for places to settle, seeking planets seeded by their ancestors thousands of years previously, the Eldar Maiden Worlds. Many of these worlds were now already settled by the Knights and wars broke out throughout the Knight Worlds as Eldar tried to oust the Knights. The Forge Worlds and Knights managed to prevent the Exodites settling nearby. Over the following centuries the Exodites and Knights would fight many long and arduous wars.
On Earth, the lifting of the warp storms signaled the beginning of an age of rebuilding and resurgence. From the battling warlords of Earth emerged one far-sighted visionary, a man of mysterious origins whose knowledge of past technologies astounded all who spoke to him. History does not recall his name only the title he came to assume in later years - the Emperor. This great leader united the warring people of Earth and prepared the way for the reconquest of the galaxy by his Space Marine Legions.
On Mars the Emperor was recognized as the long awaited Omnissiah of cult legend. A frenzy of popular uprising swept through the entire Cult Mechanicus as word spread of his coming. When the Emperor arrived on Mars in person he was hailed as the Machine God Incarnate and the Tech-Priests and Techno-Magi alike came to acknowledge his leadership and marvel at the technical secrets at his command. Some of his essence was united with the High Altar of Technology and he survived the experience, proving that he was indeed the Omnissiah.
Not all amongst the Cult Mechanicus were happy with this turn of events. Many of the senior Magi resented the disturbance of the status quo threatening, as it did, their own power base. A few of these malcontents led a rebellion and seized the Temple of All Knowledge from where they called the faithful to a holy war against the Emperor, the false Omnissiah. The conflict that followed was short and bloody, and ended in the defeat of the reactionaries and triumph of the Emperor’s followers. Mars and Earth were reunited after millennia of separate development.
With the massive human resources of Earth and the colossal technical power of Mars the Emperor began the re-conquest of the galaxy. This might enterprise is known as the Great Crusade and it lasted for two hundred years. The emperor’s forces spread out from Earth and Mars, searching for surviving human worlds and driving out alien usurpers. Many long forgotten planets were liberated during the Great Crusade and many worlds were settled anew. Gradually the Imperium expanded throughout the galaxy.
Forge Worlds throughout the galaxy were able to establish secure communications with Mars following the end of the warp storms. Many Forge Worlds were able to contact the High Altar or Knowledge, and many technical advances and discoveries were spread as a result. The position of Mars and the Cult Mechanicus as the leader of the Forge Worlds was reaffirmed and spacecraft began to travel between the worlds regularly.
Many Forge Worlds found themselves at war with alien invaders, especially Orks, now that space travel was viable once again. Although the Forge Worlds were able to help each other to some degree, they were everywhere forced onto the defensive. Some Forge Worlds were destroyed, and many Knight Worlds were devastated. As the Great Crusade advanced it was able to free the Forge Worlds from these attacks. Many an enemy, anticipating slow but eventual victory was totally destroyed when caught between the forces of the Forge Worlds and the forces of the Great Crusade. The liberation of the Forge Worlds was a great military advantage to the Imperium, because their considerable military might could be added to that of the Great Crusade itself.
As the Emperor’s forces pushed further and further into the galaxy, the Forge Worlds were able to supply arms and equipment, weapons, spacecraft and other essential munitions to the advancing spearheads. Titan Legions form the Forge Worlds joined the cohorts of the Space Marines to extend the borders of the Imperium still further.
As the Great Crusade reached the edges of the galaxy the Cult Mechanicus founded new Forge Worlds to act as forward supply bases. These new planets soon grew and established their own Tech Guard forces and even Titan Legions. Surrounding planets were colonized from the Knight Worlds, replicating the long-established pattern of the other Forge Worlds.
Final victory was close, all knowledge might be recovered, the Omnissiah was here to lead mankind onward, but it was not to be.
As the Great Crusade reached ever outwards, encompassing almost the whole galaxy, a new and unthinkable threat emerged to challenge the resurgence of humanity. This was the rebellion known to later ages as the Horus Heresy.
HORUS HERESY AND AFTER
This is not the place to describe at length the fierce battles of the Horus Heresy. The galaxy was torn asunder as Space Marines fought Space Marines and Titans battled Titans. Horus’ strategy was to move against the Emperor directly, attacking Earth with as much speed and as many troops as he could muster. Earth’s defenses were weak and reinforcements were weeks behind Horus’s fleet. On Mars, the Tech-Priests did little to intervene directly, knowing that the Omnissiah would prevail. There was considerable division within the Adeptus Mechanicus, and many of the Forge and Knight worlds were wracked by civil war within the Cult Mechanicus. On Mars, the Fabricator General sided with Horus. Civil war there raged between factions of Tech-Priests. Ancient forbidden weapons were deployed. Viral plagues killed millions. Many installations were scoured from the face of the planet. It was because of this in-fighting that the bulk of the Adeptus Mechanicus was unable to aid the Emperor, but the loyalist forces kept the majority of the rebel Titan Legions in check.
The Emperor appointed Kane as acting Fabricator General on Earth, and there Kane was responsible for the rapid design and construction of war machines used to defend the Imperial Palace itself. These forces failed to throw back or even halt the attacks, but their failure bought valuable time for the Emperor.
In the final event the war was to be won by the Emperor, but only at the cost of his own life as he battled Horus in personal combat aboard the Warmaster’s own battleship. From that day forth the Emperor has lived only as a spirit sustained by psychic energies, his life force inhabiting a corpse held together by stasis field, the bulk of his spirit integrated by the essence of him contained in the High Altar of Knowledge on Mars.
Following the defeat of Warmaster Horus the Imperium of Mankind was re-established afresh. The organizational basis for the Imperium of the 41st Millennium was laid down in the years following the Emperor’s incarceration in the Golden Throne. At the time Imperial organizations were instated in forms which have endured broadly unchanged for ten thousand years. Institutions created by the Emperor to serve his Great Crusade became the ruling bodies of the sprawling empire. Their chiefs became the most powerful men the galaxy has ever known. These individuals are the High Lords of Terra, a conclave which includes the chief military and administrative officials of the Imperium.
The new ruling body of the Imperium as a whole was known as the Adeptus Terra, the Adepts of Earth, a term which included not only the High Lords but all the organizations under their control. Over a period of time the term Adeptus was formally adopted as the title for all officials of the Imperium. During the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy the Cult Mechanicus had taken a leading part in all the triumphs and failures of the Imperium. Now the Techno-Magi prepared to play their role in the rebuilding process too.
To establish their place amongst the new rulers of the Imperium, the Cult Mechanicus became the Adeptus Mechanicus, and its cult leaders became High Lords of Terra, taking the title Fabricator General of Mars. Over the following millennia the people of Earth and Mars would march forward together, welded into one mighty Imperium, yet distinctly different societies with their own governments and institutions.
Since that time, the Adeptus Mechanicus has kept aloof form the politics and administration of the Imperium, except where dire necessity has made this essential.
During the early 36th millennium, and increase in frequency and severity of warp storms made interstellar travel much more difficult. Because of their studies during the Age of Strife, the Adeptus Mechanicus were much less affected by these storms than other institutions of the Imperium.
AGE OF APOSTASY
This became a time known as the Age of Apostasy. Goge Vindire, 361th High Lord of the Administratum, first controlled the appointment of the Ecclesiarch Paulis III and then ultimately over threw him to take control of both the Administratum and Ecclesiarchy. At the same time, the Council of the High Lords of Terra was reformed and the Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Astartes excluded . Using the then considerable wealth and military forces of the Ecclesiarchy, Vindire managed a Reign of Blood for over fifty years. Whole worlds were declared heretic and destroyed and the Imperium itself was almost brought to its knees. It is also from this time that the first of the Brides of the Emperor or the Adepta Sororitas were raised.
Eventually the weakness of the Imperium became so great that, to their eternal credit, the Fabricator General of the Adeptus Mechanicus issued a summons for the High Lords to account for themselves and indict and execute Vindire as a traitor. They were supported by most of the Adeptus Astartes. In response to this Vindire disbanded the Council of High Lords and ordered his forces to attack the Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Astartes as heretics. Those who refused to attack were condemned and burned as heretics themselves, and this was also the fate of those who lost, or did not attack with sufficient vigor.
Enraged by what he saw, Gastaph Hedriatix, The Fabricator General ordered the regiments of the Martian Skitarii or Tech-Guard to transport to Earth. The forces were soon joined by the Space Marines of the Imperial Fists, Fire Hawks, Soul Drinkers and Black Templars Chapters. After much hard fighting, and with his bodyguard of fanatical women warriors down to a few thousand, Vindire was killed by the leader of the bodyguard after she has been given an audience with the Emperor himself by the leader of the Adeptus Custodes, guardians of the Golden Throne.
After his death, the Council of the High Lords of Terra was reformed, the guilty punished, and the Ecclesiarchy itself reorganized to prevent anything similar happening.
CURRENT SITUATION
Today in the forty-first millennium, the Emperor has endured for ten thousand years, his living spirit continues to guide the fate of mankind even though his body is inert. On the world of Mars the Techno-Magi celebrate the rites of the Machine God and his divine manifestation, the undying Emperor. Throughout the Imperium there are countless forge Worlds devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. The Titan Legions and Tech Guard armies of the Adeptus Mechanicus protect and expand the territories of the Machine god. In conjunction with the Space Marines and Imperial guard, they form the fighting armies of the Imperium. The most potent force in the galaxy.
The Forge Worlds and Knight Worlds remain fiercely loyal to their Martian masters. Their industry and their tithes are to the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Techno-Magi of the Cult Mechanicus. Where other human worlds in the Imperium are part of the feudal empire controlled by the Administratum of the Adeptus Terra on Earth, the Adeptus Mechanicus retains direct ownership and control of all its own territories. Thus the Forge Worlds and the Knight Worlds owe no obligations to the Adepts of Earth directly. They raise no regiments for the Imperial Guard and they pay no tithes to the treasury. Only the Inquisition has jurisdiction in their territories, and there are no worlds in the Imperium where the Inquisition’s Warriors of Righteousness may not walk freely.
The Cult Mechanicus acknowledges the Emperor as the Master of Mankind but does not recognize the authority of the official Imperial Cult or the Ecclesiarchy. Instead, the Adeptus Mechanicus follows its own dark and mysterious rites and strictures.
There has been constant conflict between the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Adeptus Ministorum since before the formation of the official Imperial Cult, when Fatidicus first began preaching on Earth. Both organizations are rivals in power like any Imperial organizations, but more importantly their beliefs differ at a very fundamental level.
According to the Adeptus Mechanicus, knowledge is the supreme manifestation of divinity, and all creatures and artifacts that embody knowledge are holy because of it. The Emperor is the supreme object of worship because he comprehends so much. Machines which preserve knowledge from ancient times are also holy, and machine intelligences, shunned by most of the rest of humanity, are no less divine than those of flesh and blood. A man’s worth is only the sum of his knowledge - his body is simply an organic machine capable of preserving intellect. Thus their veneration is based on knowledge, intellect and reason.
The Ecclesiarchy bases its worship on Faith. True knowledge and reason weaken faith, so technically the entire Cult Mechanicus is Heretic. The desire for communion with the Machine God through knowledge and comprehension is also seen as a sign of lack of Faith in the Divinity of the Emperor.
An uneasy compromise has been reached over the millennia which can be summed up as an agreement to differ. The Ecclesiarchy does not send its Confessors and Missionaries to the Adeptus Mechanicus worlds and the Adeptus Mechanics does not interfere with the Adeptus Ministorum. When Missionaries or other explorers find new lost worlds, any technology found there is turned over to the Adeptus Mechanicus, who in turn promise to make that technology available to the Adeptus Ministorum, thus it was that the Adepta Sororitas was the first to be equipped with the Inferno Cannon when the STC for it was discovered. Also, the Adeptus Mechanicus manufactures the technological component of the Rosarius, and performs the necessary repairs an maintenance on the holiest of Adeptus Ministorum relics when required.
Today the Adeptus Mechanicus is driven by the quest for knowledge, to complete the High Altar of Knowledge, and usher in a new great Golden Age of Mankind lead by the living Emperor, reincarnated as the Machine God. This quest for knowledge takes many forms, but its ultimate embodiment is the search for ancient STC systems.
STC systems were created during the scientific high-point of the Dark Age of Technology when the technological development of man was at its greatest, but the Spiritual development of man was at its least. During the Dark Age of Technology thousands of human colonies were founded on distant worlds. Many of these colonies failed to survive, some were lost, and of those that survived most achieved only a subsistence level economy, such was the weakness of their spirits. Yet almost all of these colonies managed to retain a high level of technology thanks to the huge data base of computerized information carried from Earth. This massive computer data base was known as the Standard Template Construct (STC) system.
The STC are often said to embody the sum total of human knowledge. This is probably true as far as technical accomplishment goes. Although most colonists required little more than designs for agricultural machinery, information was included for all sorts of advanced constructions such as planetary core taps, fission reactors, and high-powered phased graviton planetary defense webs. However, the early colonists’ needs were simple and were met by conventional energy forms and relatively low technology.
Today there are no known surviving STC systems, and only a few examples of first generation print-out. On some worlds information about the ancient STC systems is regarded as holy and design copies are guarded as secret and sacred texts, housed inviolate in the inner sanctums of temples.
For over ten thousand years first the Cult Mechanicus and now the Adeptus Mechanicus has pursued all information about the STC. It is their lost Bible, Holy Grail and Cup of Knowledge. Any scrap of information is eagerly sought out and jealously hoarded. Any rumor of a functional system is followed up and investigated. By the efforts of the Adeptus Mechanicus much information has been retrieved or can be reconstructed by the vigorous analysis and comparison of copies. Yet the most technically advanced knowledge eludes the Adeptus Mechanicus, for the early colonists were mostly simple folk whose needs were practical. Only rarely did anyone bother to take copies of the theoretical and advanced work which the STC contained.
ADEPTUS MECHANICUS RESOURCES
The Imperium of Mankind today includes over 10,500 worlds. According to Cartographer-Xenologist Seth Bartomelos, adviser to the High Lords of Terra and Magos Xenologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, 5,500 of these worlds classified Alpha, Delta, Delta Tau, Mu, Phi Lambda and Rho, have a total population not exceeding 800 billion. The remaining three classes of worlds, Gamma, Nu, and Phi, numbering about 5,000, account for the vast bulk of the population of the Imperium, estimated to be about 500,000 billion of which 90% live on the 1,400 hive worlds. These numbers have been collected by the Administratum for the purposes of determining Imperial Tithes. The 1,000 acknowledged Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus have a total tithable population base of 1,000 billion. These represent Imperial citizens, advisors, Imperial Guard regiments, Imperial bureaucrats, and other non-Adeptus Mechanics living on those worlds.
Not included in these figures are the approximately 1285 worlds controlled by the Adeptus Astartes. With a few exceptions, each Adeptus Astartes chapter has a homeworld given to it by Imperial Charter, and free of tithes. The Adeptus Astartes are not required to provide population and resource information to the Administratum. It is possible that individual chapters may have extended their control and facilities to additional worlds. The exact accounting of the number of worlds under Adeptus Astartes control and their resources is a suitable subject for further investigation.
The Adeptus Mechanicus and their territories are exempt from Imperial tithes. Mars, believed to be the most populous Hive-forge World in the galaxy has only 5 billion tithable citizens. It is known for a fact that Mars has about 500 billion Servitors working in the factories and mines there. The Knight Worlds are not included in the number of Forge Worlds and may number as many as 7,000, with a total population exceeding 100,000 billion. From this data it can be seen that the Adeptus Mechanicus is both much stronger and more populous than generally known. It is because of this hidden strength that the Adeptus Mechanicus has managed prodigies of military might in the defense of the Imperium of Mankind. It is known for a fact that one Tyranid Hivefleet was destroyed by the Adeptus Mechanicus, largely in secret, without the need of outside assistance and without disrupting their normal operations.
ADEPTUS MECHANICUS MILITARY FORCES
The armed forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus consists of three branches, the Skitarii or Tech Guard, Titan Legion and Explorators. The Tech Guard are the oldest force of the Adeptus Mechanicus, formed in the early days of struggle as the Cult Mechanicus fought of it’s very existence against the deranged and mutant marauders of the Martian wastelands. Small groups of desperate defenders of the shielded shrines fought to preserve the last remnants of technology. As the followers of the Machine God grew in number, the first permanent forces were raised, the Tech Guard. There were ordinary cult followers whose duty it was to protect with their lives the shrine’s Altar of Knowledge and whatever technology and machines had been recovered. From among the Tech-Priests came the leaders of the Tech-Guard, usually inspiring figures with some advanced weaponry at their command. Gradually, the Tech-Priest warriors grew into squads of Cult Warriors, squads of Tech-Priests fighting in a style of high-tech death based on their own Altar of Knowledge. It is believed that the Cult Technicus Mechanicus was the first of these Cults within a Cult.
TECH GUARD (SKITARII)
With the completion of the High Altar of Knowledge, the Tech Guard was organized on a more formal basis, and the Cult Warriors were organized into Colleges based on the technologies used in their weapons and style of fighting. As new discoveries have been made, and in the desperation of defense of distant Forge and Knight Worlds over the centuries, some new College Cults have been formed and recognized.
The Tech Guard is primarily a defensive force, deployed to protect the Forge Worlds, Knight Worlds and Adeptus Mechanicus facilities throughout the galaxy. In times of emergency, the Tech Guard may be strengthened by units of Knights, the one-man smaller Titan-like fighting machines of the Knight Worlds, College Cult warriors, elements of Titan Legions, and altered fabrication Servitors and other factory workers and machines. In the defense of the factories on Armageddon during the first campaign against Ghazghkull uruk mag Thraka, over 100.000 Servitors were equipped with crude combat implants and deployed within two days. Their sacrifice to a large and unrecognized extent stopped the initial Ork assault.
While the Tech Guard is a defense force, the Adeptus Mechanicus believes in preemptive defense, so to keep a Forge World safe, all nearby planets must be secure. To keep all Knight Worlds safe, all nearby threats must be neutralized.
The actual size of the Tech Guard is unknown, and very difficult to estimate because unlike the Imperial Guard, when not actually in service or training, the Guard polices the Forge World factories, and acts as additional workers and supervisors. It must be noted that in the First Campaign for Armageddon, the Adeptus Mechanicus was able to mobilize 4 million troops in the first week, seventy-five percent of which were modified servitors. Their total casualties during the campaign may have exceeded 20 million Tech Guard and Adepts excluding Servitors. It must also be noted that their factories continued to produce munitions at an increasing rate until the very moment that they were over-run by the Orks, when the factories self-destructed. It is blasphemy to allow knowledge of the Machine God to fall into the hands of heretic and aliens.
The Tech Guard is organized in a manner similar to the Imperial Guard, the better for the two to operate together in mutual defense. Because of the high number of Tech-Priests in the Tech Guard they have access to advanced and sophisticated weapons which could not be operated by ordinary troops, or the secret nature of which cannot be allowed outside the control of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The Adeptus Mechanicus calls the Tech Guard the Regiments of Skitarii. The term Skitarii refers to the regiments as a whole, but the individual types of troops that make up a regiment have their own ancient and distinctive names which refer to their battlefield role and their position within the Cult Mechanicus. The Hypaspists form the standard infantry squads and are armed with lasguns or hell guns. Heavy weapons specialists have the title Sagitarii, while tank crews are called Cataphractarii. Finally there are the Ballisterarii who often field large, experimental weapons, designed to smash or cut through heavy armor or enemy strongholds.
The Hypaspists are ordinary humans, and not Adepts of the Cult Mechanicus. The Sagitarii must be initiates of the Cult in order to get the cyber-implants necessary to control their weapons properly. The Cataphractarii are respected not only for their battle skill, but the close cyber-link relationship with the machines in which they fight and can never leave.
Then there are the Praetorns or Praetorians, biologically and mechanically enhanced warriors, with brain stem implants, neuro-linked processors and alloy reinforced skeletons. Unlike the Adeptus Astartes Space Marines who are genetically altered from an Early age, the Praetorns are fully grown humans who act as walking test beds for the rediscovered technologies of the Imperium. They are fearsome, if erratic, fighters whose complete devotion to the Machine God makes them zealous combatants. They are the terror troops of the Skitarii, enforcing the will of the Adeptus Mechanicus wherever they are deployed.
As well as its partially human warriors, the Adeptus Mechanicus maintains cohorts of mighty Robots. These are built using a technology similar to that of Space Marine Dreadnoughts, except that they usually have either two or more heavy weapons or two close combat weapons and one heavy weapon. Robots are a terrifying sight on the attack, However, it is as defenders that they excel, protected by their thick adamantium shells and force fields, the can pour shot after shot into their attackers with no real pause while simultaneously absorbing fire which would destroy three ordinary dreadnoughts.
As well as standard Chimera transports, Leman Russ battle tanks and other fighting vehicles, The Adeptus Mechanicus also fields the mighty Knights and Castellans. The huge walking machines, between the size of a Robot and a Scout Titan, provide a mobile, well armored gun platform to lend heavy firepower to the mobile elements of ht Skitarii. The walkers are protected by a directional power field. Since this power filed is focused on a small area they do not burn out like conventional Void Shields, but they provide no protection of not deployed in the proper fashion. Castellans are fitted with larger guns and no close combat weapons for raining even more heavy fire onto the enemy.
TITAN LEGIONS
Once the Tech-Priests had built their first temples on Mars and established the Tech-Guard to protect them, they also laid the basis for an offensive military arm for the Cult Mechanicus, the Titan Legions. They created weapons capable of functioning in the hostile environment now found on their planet. The vast fighting machines they built were Titans. These vast constructions are unlike anything ever seen on Earth, vast humanoid shaped weapons of destruction powered by plasma, or fusion, reactors and carrying mighty engines of destruction. On a world as barren as Mars now was the Titans could stride effortlessly over the hostile landscape where mere troopers of the Skitarii would be engulfed in the poisonous wastes and choking dust of the Martian deserts. Since that time the Titan Legions have formed the backbone of the armies of the Cult Mechanicus. Now, as a part of the Imperium of Mankind, they serve the Emperor.
Of all the galaxy’s fighting machines none can match the sheer size and power of a Titan. The largest Titans bristle with weaponed turrets and carry potent guns capable of destroying entire cities. Inside the Titan’s armored shell countless crew busy themselves with their duties. Some operate the throbbing engines that propel the machine enabling it to walk over the battlefield. Others direct its potent weapons of destruction, guiding its turrets and aiming its lethal missiles. A Titan is a ponderous battleship of the land. A machine of such size and complexity that it is accompanied by infantry and tanks so that it can deliver its substantial firepower in the most effective way. Some Titans carry troops into battle, their towering leg sections form mighty bastions from which squads of troops attack the enemy.
The construction of a Titan takes many years. Centuries of endeavor lie behind a single machine. The largest and oldest Titans of all are held to contain a spark of the Machine God’s divinity. They have a holiness invested in them by virtue of their antiquity and technical complexity, and the knowledge contained in their many machine spirits. The Tech-Priests bedeck the Titans with banners proclaiming their divine nature. On the eve of battle they anoint the machines with blessed holly oil and perform the Mass of the Cult Mechanicus before the entire legion. The sacred names of the Titans are chanted amidst readings from the Manual Technicanum Titanicus. To the Tech-Priests a Titan is more than a fighting machine it is an aspect of the Machine God, a holy and worshipful creation of Technology. To serve aboard a Titan is to serve the Machine God in person. To die there is to be joined unerringly with the spirit of the Machine God forever. Service aboard a Titan is the greatest that a mere mortal can perform.
When the Cult Mechanicus first started re-exploring the galaxy and establishing new Forge Worlds a complete Titan Legion of sixteen machines was sent to protect the new colony and crush its enemies. When the Emperor led mankind on the Great Crusade the Titan Legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus marched alongside the Space Marines. As the Imperium expanded the Adeptus Mechanicus took many worlds for themselves, planets which they settled and turned into the Mechanicus Forge Worlds. The became bases for the Titan Legions throughout the Galaxy, so today the Titan Legions are spread across the Imperium where they defend the scattered Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The exact number of Titans or Titan Legions is unknown, but as a minimum it must be conjectured that each of the over 1,000 Forge Worlds has a complete Titan Legion of sixteen machines. Demi-Legions are often dispatched to aid Imperial forces against great threats and, in times of emergency, whole legions may be sent to fight. In the recent Third Campaign for Armageddon the Adeptus Mechanicus dispatched four full Titan Legions, Ignatum, Invigilata, Tempestor, and Victorum. The Demi-Legion Crucius and the Quarto-Legion Magna were already on planet from the Second Armageddon Campaign, and the Demi-Legion Metalica represented the survivors, repairs, and new construction of the original Legio Metalica which was present on Armageddon at the time of the First Campaign.
A simple calculation of strength is not enough however. The Legio Ordo Sinister is the most elite and senior of the Titan Legions and consists of only twelve Imperator class Titans. Under the command of its renowned Grand Master Ferromort, the Legio Ordo Sinister has been used exclusively for inspiring terror and obedience in those who are in danger of disobeying the Pax Imperium. In this respect the Legion often works in conjunction with the Adeptus Arbites, the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy. The carefully planned assaults of Grand Master Ferromort are famous for their precision, ferocity and flawless execution. Great pains are taken to use the Legion as an example of implacable and faceless Imperial efficiency. The Legion remains an instrument of precision for the Imperium - a well-honed saber rather than the sledgehammer of planetary bombardment or the broadsword of Space Marine intercession.
On the other hand, the Legio Destructor is probably the largest titan Legion, comprising over a hundred machines of all classes. This is not surprising since the Forge World it defends lies only a hundred light years from the Eye of Terror and on the edge of the Ork empire known as Charadon. Led by their eccentric Grand Master Thaedius Wilson the Legio Destructor have fought off numerous Ork Waaaghs! and eruptions of Chaos from the Eye of Terror. It is rumored in some areas of the Adeptus Mechanicus that the constant exposure to Ork attacks has made the Legio Destructor increasingly unorthodox in its outlook and behavior, particularly in its attitude to battle and combat. The Princeps and crews of the Legio Destructor hunger for battle with an unusual exuberance. So far this thirst for battle has been viewed as a useful attribute, especially against foes other than Orks who find the Legion a highly unsettling opponents. But even the Fabricator General himself is believed to have expressed surprise on hearing that the Titans of the Legio Destructor are now fitted with sonic amplifiers so that the Legion can reply to the Orks’ howls with their own battle chant: ” big death, Big Death, BIG DEATH!”
The sixteen machines of Legio Metalica were on Armageddon at the start of the first campaign against Ork Warlord Ghazghkull uruk Mag Thraka. After the assassination of the Legion’s Grand Master, Princeps Senioris Kurt Mannheim was ordered by the foolish and erratic, and now Traitor, Overlord of Armageddon, Herman von Strab to go out unsupported and destroy the Ork invaders. By Imperial law, Princeps Senioris Mannheim was compelled to obey, and the almost complete destruction of Legio Metalica forms an exemplar of duty and honor in the face of adversity for the entire Imperium of Man. Although outnumbered three to one, the Legion destroyed many more than its own numbers of Ork Gargants and many of their supporting troops. Titan Steel Hammer commanded by Princeps Senioris Mannheim destroyed three Gargants before becoming seriously damaged, but even then he pressed on into the heart of the Ork army before his plasma reactor exploded. The attack and explosion, and a flank attack by Servitor forces from Armageddon’s factories enabled some wrecked machines to be recovered, and the damaged survivors to withdraw. At the end of the campaign Mannheim was posthumously awarded the Emperor’s Star for his bravery and loyalty to the Imperium. The Legion has been rebuilt and has won acclaim in the subsequent campaigns for Armageddon.
During the Horus Heresy a number of Titan Legions were corrupted or co-opted by the Warmaster’s forces. The most notorious of these was the Legio Mortis. The Legio Mortis was in direct support of Warmaster Horus before his daemon-possessed treachery against the Emperor. The Legio Mortis followed him willingly. When the Horus Heresy began by the virus-bombing of Istvaan III, it was the Legio Mortis which made the landings to scour the corpse-packed hives for the pitifully few survivors. Some say that it was mutated strains of this virus which brought about their final corruption. When the Legio Mortis landed on Earth to besiege the Emperor’s palace they were warped and mutated almost beyond recognition. The adamantium skins of their Titans were pocked and bubbled with foul effluvia, great tentacles of flesh and metal lashed and their titan heads had been transformed into drooling daemonic visages.
The remnants of the Legion fled to the Eye of Terror following the collapse of the rebellion, and from time to time, Chaos titans bearing the tattered banners of the Legio Mortis have attacked human planets to wreak terrible vengeance on all living things for the defeat of their beloved Warmaster.
From the above examples it can be seen that the fighting power of the one thousand known Adeptus Mechanicus Titan Legions must easily exceed that of all the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes combined, and that with only the forces we know about. The numbers of the cohorts Knights and Castellans cannot be less than the number of Titan Legions, and the number of their machines cannot be less than ten times more than the number of Titans. These forces spend most of their time protecting the planets of the Adeptus Mechanicus and so their true strength and numbers are not revealed.
EXPLORATOR FORCES
The Explorators are the most mysterious and secretive of the regular forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Titan Legions stride their way mightily into battle raining death on their enemies from all weapons. The great regiments of the Skitarii are often seen fighting alongside the Imperial Guars or even Space Marines in the defense of their factories and shrines. As a coherent force, the Explorators are almost never used in pitched battle.
The Explorators are the elite of the Adeptus Mechanicus, sent on only the most important mission, the quest for knowledge. It is the Explorators who are tasked with the recovery of STC information and other lost or alien technologies. It is often easier to take such technology from the other alien races than it is to spend the necessary centuries deciphering the incomplete STC texts. The Explorators also perform the important function of tracking down and eliminating all those who perform heretic research, not dedicated to the Machine God and under the auspices of the Techno-Magi and Tech-Priests.
The work of the Explorators is as much a holy quest as it is a military mission, and so the Explorator forces combine the functions of the Inquisition, the Adepta Sororitas and the Adeptus Astartes within the Cult Mechanicus. They travel the galaxy in their unusual black ships, mounting prodigious experimental weapons of destruction, awaiting word of STC rumors or discovery of ancient technology. Then they swoop in to claim what there is for the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Machine God.
The origin of the Explorators dates from the time of reconstruction on Mars when parties of Tech-Guard and Tech-Priests, supported by Cult Warriors, would venture out to retrieve lost technology. Many times it was necessary to take this technology by force. In some cases the technology was worshipped by those who held it, in other cases it was responsible for their very survival, so they would fight to the death to protect it.
A typical Explorator force consists of three components. First there are the Cult Warriors of the College Cults, all Tech-Priests of one of the research Colleges and an expert in the forms of high-tech death practiced by that College. The College Cult warriors are usually lead by a Rune-Priest Warrior whose whole life is dedicated to the use of his technologies in the art of war. The most common Colleges which produce Cult Warriors are Thermodynamicus, Alchemys, Physic, Technicus, Aeronauticus, Graviticus, Mechanicus Technologus, and of course the famed and feared fanatic Cult Warriors of the College Electromagneticus, the Electro-Priests. There are many other Colleges who produce small numbers of warriors and still more Colleges whose technologies are not so easily turned to the sharp end of warfare. However, without the Lexmechanics of College Lexicanus, the Transmechanics, Genetors, Artisans, Logi and Engineers nothing the Cult Mechanicus does would be possible.
Secondly there are the Scholars themselves. These are organized much like the Hypaspists of the Skitarii, but because of the holy nature of their works, they must all be Adepts, dedicated fully to the Machine God. Scholars form the bulks of most Explorator forces and many of them are preparing for admission to the mysteries of one of the College Cults. Only the most worthy are elevated to the ranks of the Scholar Retrievers or Cleansers found in Explorator forces. Like Hypaspists, the Scholars are supported by a variety of anti-grav heavy weapons platforms and heavy weapon bearing walkers including Robots.
Thirdly there are the vehicles of the Explorator force. These are maintained by the College Cult Graviticus, and because of the rapid strike nature of the Explorator forces, they are all skimmers of one sort or another. The College Cult Graviticus warriors fight on the last remaining Imperial Jetbikes in common service. Jetbikes were once common, but unknown changes in the universe have made it much harder for the Litanies of Levitation to produce grav plates suitable for jetbike service. The resulting jetbikes require much maintenance and so they are restricted to the Cult Graviticus, and Explorator forces. This is also true of the Thunderbolt tank and Rapier Laser Destroyer Tank, and the Jaguar attack transport. Land Speeders are quite commonly used by Explorator forces, and it is also not unusual for them to use new and experimental weaponry, recently rediscovered, or undergoing trials before being made more widely available.
The exact number of Explorator ships and the forces they contain is unknown, but each vessel or small fleet can deploy up to about 1,000 troops of all sorts, making its strength similar to that of a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, although with considerably less endurance and resilience as a fighting force, but possessing a punch not much less powerful. It would be foolish to assume that there is fewer than one Explorator ship or small fleet for each Forge World. Accordingly, it can be estimated that the strength of the Explorator forces approximate that of the Adeptus Astartes.
In addition to the regular forces of the Titan Legions, the Tech Guard and the Explorators, there is another irregular force of the Adeptus Mechanicus, in some ways more terrible that all the rest. These are the giant and unusual war machines of the Ordinatus.
CENTURIO ORDINATUS
These huge engines of destruction are not attached to any specific force. Instead, all of the Ordinatus war machines are under the direct control of the Centurio Ordinatus. It is the Centurio Ordinatus who decide if these highly specialized machines are to be made available, since many of them are ancient indeed and require a large amount of devotion, preparation and maintenance to ready them for war.
The Ordinatus themselves are amongst the strangest machines ever to be constructed by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Almost all of them were originally designed and built for a particular battle, campaign or purpose, and some have never been powered up for conflict since. One example of this is Ordinatus Priam. This huge tunneling machine was assembled during the siege of Priam, a city overrun by the traitor forces in the Horus Heresy. The immense creation was designed to tunnel through the planet’s crust and then navigate through the white-hot mantle underneath. This rendered it undetectable to Priam’s defenses and allowed four companies of elite Imperial Guard troops to storm the city’s Generatum Vulcanis, breaking the siege. However, the Ordinatus Priam was irrevocably damaged in the attack as parts of its shielding gave way to the heat of the molten rock.
Other Ordinatus have weapons and capabilities which see more general use, and demand for them is high. Only in the most important battles or campaigns are the Ordinatus sent to war, and even than only for specific operations. Amongst the enemies of the Imperium, the names of the Ordinatus are spoken with reverent fear, their devastating capabilities displayed on thousands of battlefields since the Emperor’s ascension to the Golden Throne.
The Cult Mechanicus revere the Ordinatus as avatars of the Machine God, creations of such cunning and power that they could never be improved or outdated. Thus they have been carefully maintained, and when sent to war they are inscribed with sacred runes, anointed with the most precious oils and unguents, and blessed by the Lord of the Centurio Ordinatus. Their crews are the most highly trained of the Skitarii, warriors who fight with the zealous fanaticism of those who serve a living god.
The Ordinatus are renowned for their relentless advance towards the enemy, trailing havoc and destruction in their wake, shrugging off blows mighty enough to incapacitate a Titan. Ordinatus are powered by immense plasma generators which drive their propulsion systems, energize their weapons systems, and activate their shields and defense systems. Such great power is packed into a relatively small space, and if the Ordinatus is destroyed, it destruction in a vast ball of roiling plasma may yet accomplish its objective.
Ordinatus of the Adeptus Mechanicus are protected by a massive force wall known as a dispersion field. Projectiles and energy bolts deflect harmlessly away from the crackling shell of power leaving the Ordinatus unscathed. Unfortunately the immense power needed for the dispersion filed will eventually overload the generators. This means that what starts out as a near impenetrable force field gradually weakens as the battle progresses, letting more and more enemy fire through. The force wall also extends into warp space and provides the Ordinatus with some psychic protection in much the same was as a void shield.
Some examples of Ordinatus and their use in battle include Ordinatus Golgotha, Ordinatus Mars and Ordinatus Armageddon. Ordinatus Golgotha was developed after Commissar Yarrick had defeated Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka on the hive world of Armageddon and tracked him down on the Squat world of Golgotha. Despite the assistance of Yarrick, the Squats were defeated by Ghazghkull’s horde and Yarrick was captured. In an attempt to humiliate his arch foe, Yarrick was not killed immediately, but instead imprisoned and displayed.
However, the resourceful Yarrick managed to escape and return to Golgotha with a punitive force of Titans and Tech Guard. The early battles went badly for the Imperium as the sheer size of the Ork horde overwhelmed them time and time again. In an attempt to smash the Orks once and for all, Ordinatus Golgotha was constructed in the recaptured strongholds of the Squats. Golgotha’s terrifying Hellfire missiles devastated the Orks, slaying tens of thousands over the course of a week. The Orks were routed from the Squat world and since then Ordinatus Golgotha has always been in the forefront of any battle against enemies who have strong numerical advantage.
During the Horus Heresy, Mars itself, homeworld of the Adeptus Mechanicus was riven by civil war. The traitor armies, lead by Magos Solomon Abbadon, turned against the Emperor and attempted to overthrow the rulers of Mars. From his mountain citadel of Jericho, Abbadon sent forth his rebel forces to attack the factories and installations of those who remained loyal to the Emperor. Inevitably, the Imperium retaliated and an armada was sent to annihilate Abbadon’s foul minions and bring Imperial justice to the rebel lord. This proved to be impossible though, since the fortress of Jericho was protected by an ancient alien device discovered during the Great Crusade. The Vortex field generator, thought to be an artifact of the enigmatic C’tan, rendered any attack from orbit impossible. Any vessel which approached too close was torn apart or displaced into the warp. Eventually an army fought its way to the foothills of the mountains a few kilometers from Jericho where it was discovered that the Vortex field did not cover the planet’s surface.
Castellum Jericho, as the citadel was known, boasted force field reinforced walls half a mile thick, and which soared into the sky. The central bastion was constructed of the hardest materials known to humanity and further reinforced by an incursion of the warp itself. This bastion could withstand any amount of pounding by the Imperium. Another solution was needed and the Adeptus Mechanicus provided the answer. Ordinatus Mars utilized unique technology to produce a sound wave which resonated across the battlefield. When this sonic wall hit Jericho the power was amplified by both the Vortex field and the natural energy drain from the warp, and the entire citadel crumbled to dust as the walls shook themselves apart. The infamous Tower of Steel rang like the greatest gong in the universe and then bent and crumpled like foil filling the air with the tortured shriek of twisting metal. Solomon Abbadon and his few surviving followers were summarily executed for their treacherous crimes.
Ordinatus Armageddon first shed blood during the massive Ork invasion of the planet of the same name. The Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka were rampaging across the planed, supported by numerous fighting machines, Ork Gargants. The Titan Legio Metalica was ordered to its destruction, and was unable to stem the tide. A genius of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Geronimus Undersen, devised Ordinatus Armageddon as a defense against the marauding Ork war machines. Undersen mounted a massive starship weapon, due for installation in an Imperial battlecruiser, onto a land bound chassis, giving the Imperial forces an immense machine powerful enough to destroy even the largest and most heavily armored foes beyond their effective range.
This idea was by no means original and followed the concept behind the famous Squat Titan Killer, the Cyclops. In the battle for Tartarus hive, Ordinatus Armageddon destroyed no less than ten Ork Gargants, and two detachments of supporting tanks and battlewagons. Their own support gone, the Ork attacks broke upon the mile-high walls, like the tide upon the rocks. Ordinatus Armageddon is still on that planet and has taken part in all three campaigns there against the Orks and Chaos.
The weapons of these examples of the Ordinatus bear some examination. Hellfire is the common term for a potent acidic/viral compound developed by the Adeptus Mechanicus. It burns through armor and sears flesh, eventually leaving the few who survive hideously scarred and crippled. It is a matter of opinion whether or not it is better to die from a Hellfire attack or to survive!. Golgotha carries six Hellfire missiles and can only fire one or two per hour. Each missile has multiple warheads capable of scouring almost two kilometers square of lightly protected troops. It will also sterilize the very ground to a depth of over one meter, especially valuable when fighting Orks. In addition, the extensive scanning equipment aboard Ordinatus Golgotha allows it to fire its heavily shielded missiles with unerring accuracy, even to points out of sight by friendly troops. Enemy units attacked by this horrendous weapon may be panicked by the agonized screams of their comrades as their flesh burns, and their bones melt.
The Sonic Disrupter of Ordinatus Mars affects not only buildings, bones shatter, organs burst and electronic equipment explodes as the wall of sonic energy passes over them. The frequency of the Sonic Disrupter ravages those who fall victim to it, from a subsonic rumbling that tears buildings apart to a supersonic squeal that blasts the eardrums and flays flesh from bones. Hiding in cover is no use since woods and rubble are just blown apart and walls simply amplify the sonic wave if they are not shattered. Event the weighty armor of the Titan or the reinforced buttresses of a stronghold provide little protection against the wrath of Ordinatus Mars.
The Plasma Projector fitted to Ordinatus Armageddon is similar to the Plasma Annihilator of an Imperator Titan, but rather than releasing a burst of raw plasma, the Plasma Projector can focus and control the potent energies with greater precision. This allows the crew to control the nature of the plasma discharges, producing a flood of small pulses to saturate an area, a series of powerful but rapid pulses designed to batter through the energy shields fitted to capital ships in space, and one massive discharge designed to overwhelm any known energy shield in an earth shattering blast of energy.
LEGIO CYBERNETICA
In the past there was another fifth force of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Legio Cybernetica. The Legio Cybernetica is one of the oldest parts of the Adeptus Mechanicus dating from the time of the founding of the first High Altar of Knowledge. The Legio is composed of fighting machines called Robots. There are smaller than the huge Titans and smaller even than the one-man Knights of the Knight worlds.
Robots are vaguely humanoid walkers about the same size as Adeptus Astartes Dreadnoughts. In fact, many Robot components are identical (or nearly so) to Dreadnought parts. This compatibility simplifies many supply and repair problems. In the past some Legio cohorts fighting as allies to Space Marines were cannibalized out of existence to provide spares for Dreadnoughts.
What makes Robots different from an unoccupied Dreadnought is its cortex. This is an artificial machine spirit brain which is constructed from artificial proteins and enzymes. This cortex is imprinted with simple maintenance and movement routines. Before a battle the basic cortex program is overlaid by the Robot’s combat wetware proteins. This new cortex program can be changed for every battle and defines how and where the Robot will fire its weapons.
The Robot mounts conventional heavy weapons such as lascannon, autocannon and heavy bolters and may also have close combat weapons of varying strength. The chassis of the Robot has three hard point mounts, one on each arm, and one on the back or shoulder. Each of the arms is capable of mounting one standard close combat or heavy weapon, the hard point on shoulder can mount a larger heavy weapon.
The Legio Cybernetica was organized into several thousand cohorts. Each cohort is in turn organized into maniples of three, four or five Robots plus a Legion Tech-Adept. The number of maniples in a cohort varies, but very rarely exceeds 100. However, because of maintenance and damage control, battles involving more than 4 or 5 maniples were rare. This is not to say that they have never occurred - during the Horus Heresy in particular large numbers of Robots were committed by both sides in an effort to minimize human casualties until a decisive final battle could be fought.
The last major deployment of Robots was during the defense of Terra by Goge Vindire the Apostate. His overthrow would have occurred much quicker were it not for his cohorts of Robots defending his palace. And it was because of this that Robots are rare today.
Robots have no soul and no loyalty to the Emperor. They cannot be persuaded, they cannot be Corrected. They obey their programming until they are destroyed. A relatively small insurrection can become raging rebellion if the leaders can obtain and subvert the controllers of Robots. As was demonstrated many times during both the Horus Heresy and the Age of Apostasy. Accordingly, Robots were declared Heretical Technology by the Fourth Grand Inquisitorial Conclave of Terra in 893.M36. This was ratified by the Ecclesiarchy and Administratum. The Adeptus Mechanicus also ratified the decision after some minor amendments and exceptions were made, and so to this day, the vast majority of the Legio Cybernetica lies in storage in Forge Worlds across the galaxy, inert, but maintained in a constant state of readiness.
The few Robots still in use are under direct Inquisitorial control and are found in Inquisitorial expeditionary and punitive forces, such as the Ordo Veritas, and Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator forces. Each Explorator fleet carries two or three Robot maniples from the only active Robot cohorts. The Robots are under the control of the Inquisition representative with the fleet, and their programming is subject to Inquisition examination at all time. In addition the Inquisition has final control of all self-destruct mechanisms. Lastly, the complexity of the programs which can be used is severely reduced to pass the Test of Orthodoxy.
The Inquisition makes considerable use of Robots. By their very nature they are utterly incorruptible. Their pre-programmed, non-biological natures make them ideal troops to use against mutants and other contaminated populations. The terror value of Robots when used against unprepared and under-armed rebels and heretics has not gone unnoticed. This, combined with their unflagging loyalty to their program, has made them valued additions to the Inquisition’s armory. Maniples attached to the Inquisition are usually staffed by Technician-Inquisitors rather than Tech-Priests. Robots may be pure and incorruptible, men are not. The Incarcerator Robots used by the Inquisition are the most complex units still in service. Their primary task involves fighting through enemy or heretic forces to kill or capture their leaders, and without souls they are immune to the effects of the Dark Powers.
In the event of a major catastrophe, it would be possible to reactivate the remaining Robots in less than a year for deployment where needed. But with the growing power of the Imperium of Mankind, this is unlikely to occur.
There are many types of Robot, but the five standard models are the most numerous. The Crusader is a light, agile lightly-armored Robot, designed to move in quickly and deliver a telling blow. It is generally used in anti-personnel mode, and forms the basis of the Incarcerator. The Crusader is very effective in mutant-hunter/killer operations. It is not used where heavy resistance or strong concentrations of enemy armor are expected.
The Colossus is primarily a siege Robot; the standard configuration combines a siege hammer for attacking fortifications with lighter weapons for use against defending troops. A few of these are still in service with the Ordo Reductor of the Adeptus Mechanicus for testing new and experimental siege weaponry.
The Cataphract is a heavily armored general-purpose battle Robot designed for use in almost all battlefield situations. It mounts a wide range of weapons. This is probably the most common of all Robots.
The Castellan is a lighter general purpose and assault Robot. In its standard configuration with two power gloves it is particularly effective in siege and anti-vehicle roles.
The Conqueror Robot is designed for use in battlefield situations where heavily-armed resistance is expected. It combines excellent firepower, mobility and armor and is designed for assault, anti-vehicle, and anti-Dreadnought roles.
SPACE FORCES
Before leaving the military forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus we must consider space forces. It is easy to forget that all of the great space fleets which protect the Imperium of Mankind and enforce the Pax Imperium are made in the gigantic floating space docks of the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds and are usually based there also.
The greatest space fleet of all, that of the Segmentum Solar, is based and is maintained in the space docks in orbit around Mars. At any time approximately one percent of the entire strength of all fleets is in dock with construction almost completed, another one percent is in dock fitting out, and two percent is undergoing trials following completion. In addition, ten percent of the strength of the fleet is in dock at all times undergoing repairs, refitting and general maintenance. Over ten percent of the crew of all large space vessels are Tech-Priests, Mechanics, Engineers and Servitors whose whole purpose is dedicated to their great and partly divine machines.
According to official records the Adeptus Mechanicus has no great war fleets or even great numbers of capital ships. It has a great many small escort and patrol vessel, it has an unknown number of vessels dedicated to Explorator service up to the size of Grand Cruiser, and it has whole fleets of transport vessels, including the largest transports in the whole galaxy. It also has over one thousand vessels described as Experimental or Research ships.
It is with its fleet of special transports that the Adeptus Mechanicus moves the Titan Legions from their Forge Worlds to the battlefields on which they are required. Special transports are also used to move the holy machines of the Centurio Ordinatus. The Adeptus Mechanicus is also responsible for the transports used by the Tech Guard, and the majority of the transports used by the Imperial Guard.
It would appear that the Adeptus Mechanicus has no great power at its command in space, but this view is somewhat misleading as this incident from the recent Armageddon Campaign shows. In the early phases of the campaign the Titan Legio Ignatum was being transported to Armageddon in its special transport. Escort was provided by four squadrons of Adeptus Mechanicus light cruisers and a number of smaller vessels. Also present was the Adeptus Mechanicus Research Vessel Arkan Land. The Arkan Land is the size of a battlecruiser and of a very strange and asymmetric configuration, mounting an Eldar like Solar Collector as well as more normal Imperial installations.
During the approach to Armageddon this force was ambushed by a large force of Ork light and medium vessels. Instead of asking for assistance, the Adeptus Mechanicus commander warned all Imperial vessels to give the battle a wide berth, and this was done. Experienced observers noted the following unusual incidents in the ensuing battle.
When in their special transports Titans and their weapons are fully effective in space. Although these weapons may be less powerful than the main batteries of capital vessels, they are still capable of causing heavy damage to lighter ships. This evidently surprised the Orks. The squadrons of escorts did not operate as individual ships, but instead functioned as components of a larger ship. One vessel clearly held the shield generators of a ship much larger, and other carried an extremely heavy main battery, and a third was responsible for close defense. Acting in concert with a degree of precision considered impossible by space veterans, these squadrons beat back many attacks. Even the squadrons of fighters and bombers launched from the Legio Ignatum operated as if under the control of a single entity, and their effectiveness was much increased.
The strangest events occurred in the vicinity of the Arkan Land where three, and presumably four unique and unknown weapons were used. During the first half of the battle, for a period of a second or so, the Arkan Land would disappear behind a mirror perfect sphere of about two thousand kilometers in radius. Any Ork vessel colliding with the surface of this sphere was destroyed or suffered very heavy collision damage. Any Ork vessel intersected by the sphere at the time of its creation was cut neatly in two, and usually crippled. It is possible that the generator for this sphere was damaged or ran out of power, because it was used in the first half of the battle only.
Many of the Arkan Land’s close defense batteries are of an unusual configuration. Squadrons of attacking Ork fightas and bomberz were observed to suddenly move together and collide for no good reason. Some sort of phased graviton pulse generator could cause this kind of effect. The Adeptus Mechanicus uses phased graviton pulse generators on a much smaller scale in the anti-personnel weapons carried by its Tele-Priest Cult Warriors.
For most of the battle, the Arkan Land fired a beam of such actinic brightness as to threaten damage even to protected eyes and viewing mechanisms. This beam could be used about six times an hour. Any vessel struck by this beam was immediately disabled, and all signs of power were absent as the vessels drifted away. One vessel recovered after the battle had every power source on board completely drained, including the biochemical energy supplies of the crew. Otherwise the ship was undamaged. The vessel could not be restarted because the area which would normally contain the engines and reactor was found to contain the junk of several different spacecraft and several engines from large agricultural machines. It is not clear if any of this damage was as a result of the use of this unknown weapon.
The fourth weapon can only be conjectured. Throughout the battle. Almost all vessels which approached within five hundred kilometers of the Arkan Land simply disintegrated, not in a fiery blast but in a quiet and slow way as if the ship were reduced to a collection of individual pieces rather than a coherent whole.
In the final stages of the battle, the Arkan Land suffered some damage, and was ultimately towed into orbit around Armageddon where it remained for a week before departing with the Legio Ignatum transport.
In the battle, the Arkan Land was able to deal out as much damage as a full squadron of capital vessels with their appropriate supports, and the Legio Ignatum transport and Titans displayed the firepower of approximately a complete squadrons of six Lunar cruisers. The Arkan Land did not have to face any heavy vessels so its resilience and ability to withstand heavy fire or heavy damage was not tested. It is clear that the Research Vessels of the Adeptus Mechanicus are very dangerous opponents and welcome assistance wherever it is offered, although their weapons may be as dangerous to their allies as to the enemy. It is likely that similar or other weapons are fitted to Explorator vessels.
CULT ORGANIZATION
The internal organization of the Adeptus Mechanicus, like any other secretive cult based society, is not easy to determine. However, on the basis of the limited information available we can be fairly sure of the following. The Adeptus Mechanicus is split vertically into two main branches, the Theoreticians and the Practitioners. The Theoreticians study and interpret rediscovered technology, scour the STC information for new interpretation and design all of the constructs built by the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Practitioners do the actual construction and put the ideas into practice. A theory without some sort of instrumentality is little use, and a device without a sound theoretical basis is an anathema to reason and the precepts of the Machine God. Magi are members of the Theoreticians, Tech-Priests are members of the Practitioners. It is unclear where Techno-Magi fit.
The lowest, and by far most numerous, members of the Adeptus Mechanicus are the Servitors. Servitors are mindless slave machines of living flesh and metal - creatures with no individual mind who obey their programming without question. Servitors make up over 95% of the total numbers of the Adeptus Mechanicus. There are many different kinds of Servitor from heavy mining cyborgs to Holomats (holographic recorders) to the psychic Transmat used to link the Forge World altars with the High Altar of Knowledge. The most severe punishment for a criminal is to be turned into a Servitor; mind-wiped and re-programmed to perform some rudimentary function. Ex-wrongdoers wear a brass plaque around their necks proclaiming their crime as a warning to all who would cross the Tech-Priests of Mars. Servitors can have their mechanical components replaced quickly, and evidence seems to show that all Servitors can be reprogrammed very quickly into basic close combat or missile troops. They are slow and without initiative, but their implacable advance and weight of numbers make for a formidable opponent.
The next level of the Adeptus Mechanicus consists of the human workers and troops who are members of the Cult Mechanicus without being Adept Initiates. These are mostly menial workers or servants whose tasks require more independence of thought and action than a Servitor provides. As troops, they form the bulk of the Hypaspists of the Skitarii regiments. These cult members all aspire to be full initiates of the Adeptus Mechanicus and occupy their present lowly position only as their first step to enlightenment and glory.
Above these come the Adept Initiates such as the Scholars, the Sagitarii and the Cataphractarii. These members have been admitted to the initial mysteries of the cult and are fully on the path to unity with the Machine God. The members of the Skitarii aspire to become crews for a Titan Legion and the most favored may be transferred to the Centurio Ordinatus. The most favored among them may become Princeps Senioris of a Ordinatus unit, and one will become the Grand Master of the Centurio Ordinatus itself.
The Scholars will specialize and join one of the College Cults. If they like the way of the warrior, they may become a College Cult Warrior Priest, a Rune Priest or even rise to become the High Rune-Priest of the College Cult, the supreme leader of all the warriors of the College Cult. Other Scholars will follow the way of the Tech-Priest and become Practitioners. These members of the Cult include the Transmechanics, Lexmechanics and Technicians which service and maintain nearly all the technical equipment in the Imperium of Mankind. The most senior and august of these is the Technician Primus Eternal, who is responsible for the maintenance of the Golden Throne itself.
The path of the Theoretician is harder and most cannot fully master the complex rites. Those that do become Lectors; servants, associates and assistants to the Magi. Each Magos will have a retinue of many hundreds of Lectors who perform or supervise the majority of work done in the name of the Magos. Magi also have risen through the College Cults. The most senior of the Magi is the Fabricator General of Mars himself, one of the twelve High Lords of Terra, and one of the two or three most powerful beings in the galaxy. Although it is not usually acknowledged, Logi, Engineers, Genetors, and the Artisan Supremes are all of Magos rank.
Magi are the lowest ranking members of the ruling body of the Adeptus Mechanics, the Senatus Mechanicus. Theoretically they have a vote and the right to speak, but very few actually exercise this right. The Magi tend to vote in blocks based on the wishes and needs of their College. The Magos Primus speaks for all Magi of his College. The High Rune-Priests and the Rune-Priest Primus of each College are also members of the Senatus Mechanicus. The true ruling members of the Cult Mechanicus are the Arch Magi, with the Arch Magos Primus being the leader of his College Cult, a member of the Inner Council and a potential successor to the Fabricator General of Mars. Other information on the highest levels of the Adeptus Mechanicus is very hard to come by and authenticate.
If it has been difficult to determine the arcane internal structure of the Adeptus Mechanicus, it has been almost impossible to delve into their rites and ceremonies. In fact there is only one rite about which any meaningful information can be found at all and that is the Rite of Initiation. This is also known as “Knowledge is Life” or more correctly as “Knowledge is Life, Life is Knowledge”. This is the rite that admits its participants into the Adeptus Mechanicus as full Adepts, the first step to enlightenment and greater knowledge.
As its full name suggests, the Rite of Initiation consists of two parts. In the Life is Knowledge ceremony, a sample is taken of the Initiate’s tissue, and this sample is analyzed by a Magos Genetor. At some time in the distant past, probably during the Dark Age of Technology, there was thought to be some danger of losing mankind’s technology base. Using means which are lost to the mists of time, large amounts of information and knowledge were coded into the very essence of mankind. This information resides there within all of us and, to the Adeptus Mechanicus, contributes in no small part to our own value. This information is degraded by long exposure to the warp or the malign influence of the Chaos powers. The analysis of the Initiate’s tissues thus serves a number of purposes. Firstly it may reveal new information. The Adeptus Mechanicus has been reading this information for very many years and it is very rare for an Initiate to provide anything significantly new, but it happens occasionally. Secondly, the quality of the information there will show the purity of spirit and essence of the Initiate’s family. Finally, the corrupting influences of Chaos can be detected, and their bearer eliminated. It is rumored that the Emperor himself underwent this test and the results were one of the main things which convinced the Techno-Magi and Tech-Priests that he was the Omnissiah. His essence contained no hidden information what-so-ever. To the Omnissiah such knowledge was unnecessary.
The second part of the ritual, Knowledge is Life, involves the implantation of the first cyber-cerebro device into the brain stem. This allows partial communion with the High Altar of Knowledge and allows Magi to transmit information directly into the minds of their students and assistants.
The ritual is completed with the Initiate using the Prayer of Preparation, the first prayer that all of the Adeptus Mechanicus learn, to activate the new implant. The Initiate is then invested with his first crimson robe, with the Rune of the Prayer of Preparation on it. It is usual for all members of the Adeptus Mechanicus to have the Runes for the Prayers and Rituals that they know embroidered on their robes or marked on their armor. This both shows their rank and level of achievement, and also lets others in a group know what the group’s knowledge resources are.
The Adeptus Mechanicus worship the Machine God and the Emperor as the Machine God incarnate. In an effort to become closer to their God, as members rise in the ranks they have more and more of their body replaced by bio-mechanic, or cyber-organic parts, and may have additional implants to enhance their capabilities even further. To outsiders it may seem that they slowly lose their humanity. To the Adeptus Mechanicus they gradually approach perfection.
TECHNOLOGY OF THE 41st CENTURY
This discussion must necessarily use terms which will be incomprehensible to those who are not Adepts of the Cult Mechanicus, not familiar with the Litany of Information or those who do not have access to a copy of the Liber Manual Technicus. This is unavoidable in this report and analysis,
Since the beginning of history itself electricity has formed the single most important form of energy, and still plays a major role in the Imperium. It is one of the primary motivating forces in nature. Man himself runs on the Faith of his Soul and the Electricity of his Body. Electricity also has applications which make it ideal as an interface between the biological and physical worlds. The most significant advance in the field of electricity and electronics was the rediscovery of Stacked Atomic Chains, or ‘stacks’, originally invented some time during the Dark Age of Technology. Atoms with in a substance, which has been specially blessed in the absolute cold of space, are arranged in patterns and runes at an atomic level, forming the basis for all miniature complex circuitry. Using this technique miniaturization has reached its ultimate form so that the majority of electronic devices are no larger than necessitated by their controls or aesthetics. Stacks use an extremely low electron pressure, depending on perfect purification rituals performed on their raw materials, and perfect control during their operation. A stack based system will be destroyed by the touch of any human not protected by ritual garments and the Incantation of Insulation.
Phased Crystals use a purified crystal technology to transmit signals, although they provide no augmentation of the signal. The transmission medium is crystalline, and the signal exploits the way in which a chain of crystals change shape when subjected to varying thermal, pressure or energy fields. Phased crystals form the chief components of monitoring devices and act as regulators in other systems.
Photon Lines use specially blessed flexible hair-line strands made from ceramic based materials and are used to transmit amplified light signals to photon-powered actuators. A single strand can handle much information, but most systems are so complex that the fibers are bundled into cables.
Hydroplastics transmit power directly by pressure, or activate other systems by the same means. Hydroplastic lines of a suitably small bore are highly efficient, yet technically simple means of powering a system. Bore diameters are on the molecular level. Hydroplastic actuators (small motors which convert energy into physical movement are perhaps the most common type.
Sucrosol is the abbreviation for Sucrose Based Solution. This is a synthetic blood designed to feed cultured bio-tissues by means of osmotic pressure. Sucrosol is used by all mechanisms incorporating bio-engineered parts, including robots.
Crystal Batteries are based on purified and blessed crystal structures with the ability to absorb energy by modifying their internal crystalline structure. The absorbed energy can be released as the material’s structure reverts back to its original form. Units of such crystals will retain their energy indefinitely, and can be recharged any number of times. Many batteries are built so that they can be recharged from almost any source, even daylight or heat, whilst the most powerful need to be connected to dedicated electric supplies if their recharge time is to be kept to a usefully short time.
Plasma is the purest form of energy it is possible to generate - essentially the component material of the stars themselves. It is completely ionized matter maintained at incredibly high temperatures. Plasma must be transmitted along armored coils and contained by strong magnetic fields. Although it’s use was more frequent in the past, small plasma generators are little used today outside the Adeptus Mechanicus because the Purity of Purpose and Requiem of Containment require a great many specialized resources. Very large plasma generators are used to power the Ordinatus, large factory complexes, spaceships and in large power supply stations to provide the energy for other forms of power generation.
Conventional - on most worlds, electric or photon power is generated by wind, tide, photo-cell, combustion or gravity. On many remoter worlds machinery is powered directly by wind, steam, combustion, or even mechanical power.
Hydraulic actuators rely on hydroplastic pressure to power components. These are commonly used in robotic systems and to power sub-systems in vehicles, buildings, etc.
Electrically Motivated Fiber Bundles are made from a cultured fiber that contracts under the influence of an electric field, replicating the actions of living muscles. EMFB form the chief components of bionic replacement parts and are also used in many robots and cyborgs. Powered Armor and Dreadnoughts use this technology almost exclusively and it is far more efficient and faster than equivalent hydraulic or mechanical systems. EMFB are also expensive and difficult to produce reliably so their use is rare.
Gravitic Reactors are powered from a surrounding magnetic field - such as a planet. The have the ability to counteract gravitational effects and also form the basis for gravity based motors and suspensors. The technology used in their manufacture belongs to the distant past. A large supply reserve of material for their construction using conventional technology has been salvaged from dormant or non-functional graviton satellites. Unless the STC for their production is re-discovered, when this supply is exhausted, further production will be impossible. Mars has the last functioning graviton satellite system known in the galaxy, and it is this alone which makes Mars habitable to humanity.
The actual appearance of equipment is as variable as the populations of planets. With over a ten thousand worlds in the Imperium, local taste and materials will inevitably produce a riot of different forms. Many world favor an arcane pattern of instrumentation, believing that the arrangement of buttons and levers forms part of a runic pattern itself important to proper functioning. This view is reinforced by the Adeptus Mechanicus rituals for Preparation, Ignition and Activation. Other worlds prefer to adopt the technical arrangements of their ancestors, utilizing more advanced pure crystal or holographic control systems.
Pure Crystal technology and stacked atomic chains have no visible components - control panels often take the form of either black slabs of material or transparent sheets like glass. Held by suspensors, an inactive control panel appears as a floating pane of glass or a slab of stone - the same panel could be recessed into floor, walls or ceiling and might float into position by voice or prayer command.
Holographic Projection envelops the user in holographic images somewhat a three dimensional wrap-around control panel. Activation is usually be presence at a specific location. The projection can be manipulated to provide monitoring or control functions. Projectors sense the movement of the users eyes and limbs and translate these into instructions. This is the most specialized type of tactile control panel, being almost impossible for the uninitiated to use. The slightest gesture may change the entire set-up and unique arm/hand/finger and eye movements form the basis of the operating procedure.
Mind Impulse dispenses with any sort of panel or control gear, allowing the user to control or monitor a system by thought alone. These systems are technically complex and producing them is difficult. Consequently they are rare outside the Adeptus Mechanicus. Their most common application is in Adeptus Astartes tactical dreadnought suits. Some spacecraft also use mind impulse links but this is not usual. Such systems require considerable training to use at all, and a great deal of practice if they are to be used efficiently. The physical component is a head ring which picks up and amplifies the wearer’s instructions. A cruder, but equally effective, version is the spinal tap. This is engineered into the wearer’s spinal cortex and works the same way as the head ring but is difficult to remove without causing physical or mental damage. Spinal taps are common in Servitors and lower level members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and are universal in fully fledged Adeptus Astartes.
Skinplants and Electoos are a development of crystal technology and are used for many purposes including personal ornamentation. Many races apply paint or tattoos and within the Imperium the practice is common. This is true of all levels of society, from the lowest city scum of the hive-worlds to the most sophisticated of the Adeptus Terra. amongst government servants and employees of the Navigator families these marks serve as identification as well as ornament. Devices are also used as secret signs by governmental and anarchist agents, psychic covens and pirates. Tattooing is commonly achieved using materials and technology of a very ancient kind - although the inks and pigments used can be of any color, including fluorescent, and can be removable, temporary or degenerative when exposed to light, laser, heat or other energies.
Skinplants are sophisticated tattoos. The miniaturization possible using crystal technology makes it possible to create a functioning electronic device between layers of skin. The device cannot include mechanical components or utilize large amounts of power. The most popular skinplants control and activate electrically sensitive tattoos, you can literally light up in the dark. The subcutaneous time piece is the standard way of carrying the item - a light pressure on the skinplant activates the display beneath the skin. A light emitting patch on the palm will illuminate a small area and is known as a ‘thief’s light’, providing sufficient light to pick locks, operate switches and other covert acts.
Electoos also utilize crystal technology, but involve a lot more work and a great deal of technical skill to create. An inert layer of conductive material is inserted beneath the skin and allowed time to settle in place before the process can continue. Crystal stacks are built up on this film and waste material is dissolved out. The Electoo can then be programmed to function as any control or monitoring device. On Earth, everyone carries an electoo containing personal details, credit ratings, security clearances, social and criminal record, participation in Religious events and a person identification and location device. Sensors at building entrances read details of every individual that passes them, so a constant record can be built up of anyone’s movements. Similarly when an individual buys anything, a record of the transaction is kept. The system is also used throughout the Adeptus Terra and on some other imperial worlds either generally, or through specific social levels. As electoos are usually invisible, they are ideal for carrying secret messages or other information coded so that it is useless to the intended recipient.. Electoos carrying information can be split among several people and only work when joined.
Electro-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus use a special electoo and powerful storage and channeling controls to use a very powerful personal electric field as both armor and weaponry.
Electrografts are a special form of electoo engineered directly onto the recipient’s cerebellum. This involves cutting away a portion of the skull and creating the electoo directly on the brain tissue before (usually) replacing the section of the cranium or covering it with synthetic material. An electrograft reacts with the brain to alter the recipient’s memory, personality and knowledge. Many of the Imperium’s. and especially the Adeptus Mechanicus’ technological secrets are passed on by this means, and it is certainly a quick and easy way to learn how to speak new languages, operate machinery, etc. On the other hand, interference with the mind tends to cause personality disorders, problems with personal memory recall and occasional mental breakdown. Once inserted, an electrograft can be reprogrammed almost indefinitely, although repeated re-use accelerates the degenerative process.
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In summary, it can be seen that the Adeptus Mechanicus has influence in every aspect of the Imperium of Mankind from the Golden Throne on Earth, to the most distant outpost at the edge of the galaxy, and perhaps beyond. The Adeptus Mechanicus is a very large organization, far larger than standard Imperial analysis normally allows for. Every element reports to the Fabricator General of Mars, and it is only through the acknowledgment of the Divine Emperor as the Incarnation of the Machine God that their loyalty to the Imperium is so strong. Only the Inquisition has the power to monitor the Adeptus Mechanicus, and only the most senior Inquisitors have the knowledge and background necessary to sift out the truth and calculate the threats.
It is my recommendation that special Cells be established for the express purpose of examining the activities of the Adeptus Mechanicus, that the ranks of the Inquisition be scoured for staff with the necessary experience and background to work with these cell, and the level of oversight of the Adeptus Mechanicus be increased at least ten fold.
I must also note that in my researches I discovered that over the last 2645 years, a total of eight previous reports similar to this one have been produced, about one every 300 years. This document is the best, most accurate and comprehensive, and it seems that in a time where the strength of the Imperium as increased by less than 10%, the resources of the Adeptus Mechanicus have more than doubled.
Each of these reports has made the same recommendation as I, and as far as I can find out, nothing was done. Three of the authors died or disappeared in the warp shortly after their report was finished, three were shipped off to urgent investigations in different quadrants of the galaxy, and two received substantial promotions which prevented them from following up on their plans to investigate the Adeptus Mechanicus further. On substantially less information than this whole conspiracies have been proven and the guilty punished.
Having completed this report I am leaving to resume my examination of allegations of corrupt gene-seed in various Adeptus Astartes detachments fighting in the Norcross campaign.
There is No Innocence, Only Degrees of Guilt.
High Inquisitor Sigismondo
Inquisitor Primus, Ordo Veritas
Norcross III.
No comments:
Post a Comment