Dominus Solvexa Ferridane stepped into the Observuim, taking in the sacred chamber. It had once been a great observatory millennia in the past, charting the divine geometries of the stars, but had long since been entombed as the forge world grew around it. Now with no access to the stars, it had become the main legislature chamber.
She confidently walked along the pathway to the raised platform in the centre of the room. On it sat a lone chair, fixed to the floor and padded with thick restraints attached to it. There would be no need for those today, but were used for important trials.
Glancing up, she saw the colossal telescope rising directly up a few metres from the chair like a pillar. Lining the walls of the chamber were seating areas, able to fit in tens of thousands of adepts. Although it was rare to have that many. There was a fraction of that number today, but she noted Tyr and Aleric with his two acolytes off to the left.
They all nodded when they saw her, except for the small girl who waved happily. That would do her no favours.
Turning back, she watched a segment directly in front of her, which was filled. None of the priests looked even remotely human, all twisted and sculpted with intricate bionics that served their role perfectly. On a tiered dais of strict numerical precision, separated from the rest of the stands, seating exactly 500 priests and in front of them, raised even higher were five thrones. Altogether, they were the Probatum Magisterium, arbiters of ascension from Adepts to Magi.
As they had been for millennia.
300 of the seats were magos of various disciplines, while the remaining 200 were in a slightly different section of the raised platform, which were of, or related to, the Dominus discipline. The 200 were there just there for the Thesis while the other 300 were there for life. All 500 were some of the oldest and most respected magos and archmagos.
Finally, the five thrones were filled with the High Council, five of the wisest and most discerning individuals in the forge world. From the far left, there was Prime Magos Dominus Kalybrant-IX, the leader of all forces in the Stratix System, his authority only below that of the Fabricator General in matters related to war.
Next in was Voss-Beta, a Genetor Archmagos that oversaw the vast cloning vats of the forge world, raising tens of millions every cycle, and that was just one of his many responsibilities.
In the centre was the Fabricator General himself, in his immaculate robes. Next was the Forge Lord Rho-Varius Klyne, responsible for much of the construction and production on the forge world, and only a small step below the Fabricator Lords in authority.
Finally, there was Lord Arcuitor Threxian Mordax. She was the head of the Prefecture Magisterium and the Astynomia. The Astynomia were the planetary security forces and enforcers. The role was a purely ceremonial one on the forge world, but the role was important to keep the divisions on other planets in control.
The Prefecture Magisterium mandate, on the other hand, extended across all holdings of the forge. It was the organisation's holy task to find and hunt down hereteks. Dimuaas was a member and had been sent on her expedition for that reason and not for his ties with the Fabricator Lords, as she had believed at first.
It was a position of grave doctrinal weight and wielded vast power within the forge world.
She reviewed her Probatrix Thesis and its supporting data-appendices as she had done 2114 times before.
She was ready.
Her service-records were immaculate, with many accolades and commendations. The most recent of which was the expedition which had exceeded her expectations. The site had been locked down, and information about it purged, but she still had the blessed data Aleric had sent her. It didn’t make much sense, but all knowledge was sacred, so she kept it nonetheless.
Many of the 500 weren't there in person but had tuned in through the noosphere for one reason or another. As while the Cortem Tribunalex was a holy endeavour, it didn’t require their presence in person.
It was exactly twenty-seven seconds, a holy number, since she entered when a gong sounded through the room, silencing the few whispers. The Fabricator General's ocular augmetics intensified, lumen-cores flaring, focusing back on the room.
She said, standing and bowing the perfect amount. Enough to signal deference but nothing more. Clasping her hands behind her back, she launched into her speech. She pulled up her thesis within the noosphere for all to see, using the supporting documentation to strengthen her case.
She started with her pedigree, under Archmagos Telok, who, while not the most powerful magos, particularly with his interest in biological improvements, was still an archmagos. She then covered her accolades, like the campaign of Heliox Purge, where she was present for the Burning of Halcyra IX. Or the war of Myr Karth Annexation, where she was a major contributor in the victory and recovery of sanctified archeotech relics.
She spent longer on her more important and notable accomplishments, highlighting characteristics closely aligned to the forge worlds ethos and values. She ended with the most recent accommodation before winding down with her closing arguments, perfectly tying it altogether and then finished with the sacred phrase.
A flash in the noosphere as one magi indicated they had a question.
the Fabricator General said.
Once named, the magi stood, addressing her. The magi said, highlighting the map in the noosphere, pointing out which route he was speaking of.
Starting off combative then. She felt her muscles tighten, but she forced herself to remain relaxed. She had practised for this. Any sign of emotional instability could be used as a reason to halt her promotion, seen as a failing of doctrinal purity and not sticking to holy logic.
She launched into her prepared speech; she had thousands of them ready, all indexed within her mnemonic vaults for immediate retrieval. Once she fell silent, the magi nodded and sat.
The next asked why she deserved to be promoted. A much more expected question. In fact, she would have been disappointed if it wasn’t asked. Once again, she launched into a speech she had practised and refined for years, going through 1439 iterations.
As more questions came in, she fell into a calm, steady rhythm. She almost started enjoying it. She did note those adepts who fielded especially difficult questions. They would be ones to watch out for as possible rivals.
And so it went for hours. The 200 grilled her on her plans, projects, and decisions. Questioning every detail with a fine forensic doctrinal scrutiny. She had expected it, but was no less tired for it. Once the 200 finally fell silent, each member having asked at least one question, questions were opened up to the other 300 judicators.
The questions here were more varied. Sometimes going into even greater detail on what had already been asked, but other times going off into completely different topics. Some trying to throw her off, others carefully testing her and everything in between.
This too went on for hours, until finally they too fell silent. That left the final five. Here was the make-or-break moment. It was their opinion that mattered above all others.
First was the Genetor Archmagos, who asked an easy question, which she was thankful for. He had a loose connection to her master, so she had hoped it might be the case.
The next was a Prime Magos Dominus who had no such compunctions.
The Forge Lord Rho-Varius Klyne, another easy question, just clarifying something she had already spoken of.
Then it was the Lord Arcuitor, the one she was most nervous of. She was in awe of them, of course, all adepts were, but it didn’t stop her body wanting to shift uncomfortably under their intense scrutiny.
Another question she had extensively prepared for.
Finally, all attention was turned to the Fabricator General, who stared at her. She could feel the time drag by, but still he didn’t speak, just contemplated. She knew to expect it, but it didn’t stop her pounding heart.
The room was dead silent; her sensors could barely pick anything up, even the noosphere, normally in constant motion, stilled. As if holding its breath.
She nodded, fighting to keep the smile on her face. It wouldn’t do to lose her composure now.
She bowed to each of them, sending a personalised thank you code. Then she stood in front of the assumably and said. "By the grace of the Omnissiah and the sanction of this Magisterium, I dedicate all future calculus to the eternal advancement of the Machine God."
Spinning, she marched from the room, the heavy doors slamming behind her, the deep thud echoing down the corridors. From vents on each side of it, incense poured out. Coating her in its holy scent. A special blend to bless her and a sign of her new status.
Checking no one was in the corridor, she allowed some of the emotion she was feeling to show, her face brightening into a laugh of relief. She felt like she might float off; she was so light. The weight of the Cortem Tribunalex tribunal had been weighing on her for months.
A Magos of the Stratix Forge.
One of the highest accolades to receive in the Mechanicus.
Only the Archmagos or Fabricator Lords were greater, and they needed centuries, if not millennia, of dedication to be considered.
A Magos of the Stratix Forge.
It was hard for her to believe. She verified the elevation through her matrices to make sure it was real.
Not just being raised as a mogos but from the Stratix Forge world.
Not every forge world was made the same. Stratix was known to have an especially tough process to become a magos, with the requirements especially stringent. So it was highly prestigious gaining Magoshood through Stratix. Greater than many forge worlds, only beaten out by the most notable forges and Holy Mars itself.
And even then, it could be argued that the prestige of becoming a Mogos in Stratix was on par with many of the big nine. Only Holy Mars was clearly above, although in her heart of hearts, she thought Stratix's process was harder to complete, even if Mars was more prestigious.
Even to be mentioned near the other forges showed the respect given to Stratix's requirements.
---
She was halfway to Archmagos Telok when Tyr and Aleric caught up to her.
Behind them were the small boy and girl who followed Aleric around. The boy's face was set, blank. The girl, on the other hand, could barely contain her excitement.
She had been confused when she learned of them. Not in him gaining acolytes, with his connections, it was about time. With his ties to the Locum, he could have gained some far sooner. The only restriction for having acolytes was space and resources. You had to provide for them, and it was seen very badly if an adept couldn't.
Taken as a clear sign they are unable to see the Great Machine Gods' vision and unable to plan ahead, so clearly not to be trusted.
Above that, the acolytes reflected on their master. Poorly trained acolytes could be seen as another black mark.
While the girl lacked the full ceremonial decorum, Solvexa couldn't dispute her skill. Either of them for that matter. Tyr sang their praises.
Tyr swept up to her, showing a distasteful amount of emotion.
As he reached her, she gave him a long, practised look for him to get his emotions under control. He would never rise high up through the ranks if he didn’t learn to control them, but he had always worn them on his sleeve, and nothing she had done over the years had changed that.
Such overt displays of biological emotion weren't always a disadvantage.
She knew for example, as soon as something wasn’t right, and it was only from Master Telok's urgings that she hadn't stepped in. At least it worked out in the end. Better than she could have hoped actually. He had already been promoted years, if not decades, before he otherwise would have.
He tried to school his features, but she could still see the twitch of his lips as the smile threatened to break out.
Still, he pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations, Magos. I knew the Omnissiah wouldn't fail you."
Another flare of pride rushed through her. She wouldn’t tire of hearing her title for a long time yet.
She squeezed him back. "Thank you Tyr. Come, we can celebrate later; first, I want to move into my new Sanctum." Turning, she carried on walking, the others falling in around them, Lysa bouncing on ahead.
Elevation to a magos didn’t just come with the prestige of the holy position; it came with a multitude of benefits. From increased resource allocation, greater authority and permissions, as well as a new sanctum. She had one as an adept, but it had been tiny, just enough room for a bed and a worktable. It was why she spent most of the time within her master's sanctum, but as a magos, she would be able to claim a far greater one.
It had already been allocated. Further away than she would have liked, but she didn’t have the backing to gain a nearer one. Not that she minded overmuch, her new place would have all she needed for a long time yet.
It had already been formally recorded within the noosphere, as well as her expanded access to classified rites, augmetic protocols, and restricted cognitive nodes. She was dying to dig into it and learn more, from rites and rituals she didn’t know to tactics and other obscure knowledge.
Alongside that, her requests for Sygex-X, Ro-44/em28 and Ix-XVX had been accepted, as well as permission to recruit more from the next Skitarii cohort.
The Archmagos Telok was in the middle of an experiment, so she was surprised to see him standing by the door of his sanctum. He said with a small controlled smile. Reaching out, he clasped her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Even though it was a biological limb, she could feel the power and strength within it.
Another reason she didn’t fully agree with the general belief within the forge world of flesh is weak. The base human bodies were and should be improved as much as possible, but not in shape.
She nodded back to him, bowing slightly.
He said, completing the tradition.
With that done, he spun and hurried back into his sanctum, the doors of his private laboratory closing and locking behind him, and he got back to his experiments.
With him gone, she set about collecting the last of her stuff. Most of it was already packed, her servitors already holding it ready to move. As she was packing up the last of it, she saw the pleased look on Tyr's face and a look of triumph.
"Nothing." he said, looking sheepish.
"Tyrr… tell me."
"I was just glad the archmagos came out to wish you goodbye. I didn’t know if he would or had even received my message."
"You reminded him did you?"
Tyr nodded. Shaking her head slightly, she gently smacked him round the head, a fond look on her face. "Thank you."
---
At her new sanctum, she interfaced with the systems and used her new code to gain control. Once done, she immediately changed all the sacred cyphers she could find. She would need to have a thorough look over it all to make sure there were no backdoors, but that could be done later.
Maybe Aleric could do it if he accepted.
The doors swished open, and she got her first look at her new home and sanctuary. Her servitor moved ahead, lugging everything in. Before she could follow, Ro stepped into her way, with Sygex and Ix moving to clear the room.
She threw him an unimpressed look, which ran off him like water off a duck.
Only once it was clear did he step to one side, letting her enter.
She entered the main hall, a short corridor that had a dozen doors leading off it. To her left was a tiny cubicle for her bed, but at this point she rarely needed to sleep, having overcome that weakness years ago.
To her right was a large empty room for her servitors. Next to that were the barracks for her Skitarii. Then there were a handful of workshops, some small and others larger. She knew from the blueprints that the barracks had several workshops leading off of it, and finally, at the back was a large circular room for training.
Most didn’t have that add-on, but she had specifically requested it. Only her accomplishments allowed her to gain it.
All in all, she was very pleased, although her bionic eyes were scanning everything critically. Already, there were some things she noted.
She ritually secured a few boxes containing some of her secretive projects and locked them into a secure workshop, invoking the Machine Spirit’s guardianship, but otherwise allowed the others to help her move in.
Once that was done, they sat down and talked for hours. She was quickly pulled into a conversation with Lysa and Kellen. Lysa's enthusiasm was infectious, and she found herself sharing far more than she would have done. But it was Kellen's questions that interested her.
They were careful, well-reasoned and insightful. Especially around war, some of the principles she shared he got instantly.
But finally Tyr reluctantly stood, having a shift to get to. She reminded him he could come over any time; her doors would always be open to him. With Tyr standing, Aleric made a move as well.
He nodded, clearly having expected this to some extent and waved the kids over to Tyr. "Go help Tyr's shift, I will pick you up later." he said, before sitting back down. Snuffles curled back up by the door.
The boy nodded, composed, while the little girl darted over, hugged him and danced out of the room. She once more shook her head at the girl. Somehow, in the short amount of time she had known her, she had become fond of the girl.
Lysa's enthusiasm and curiosity shone through, and she was always so happy to talk about others' projects; it was disarming. Even she wasn’t immune to it, the pleasure of talking to someone who showed such genuine excitement and interest in everything she had to say.
She still had some doubts about his unknown background, yet she recognised the undeniable efficacy of his sacred training and battlefield proficiency. Not to mention his affinity with machine spirits, which could not be understated.
The expedition also gave her his measure.
she stated. Pausing until she saw him nod. If he hadn't, she might have reconsidered. With the message she sent him, which was effectively a contract. A statement made before the Machine God.
It was binding and used often within the Mechanicus. It was more a statement of terms laid out, which he agreed to, but when she saved it, it would act as a contract if there was ever a dispute in the future.
She had used something similar for the volunteers joining her expedition.
Solvexa raised her eyebrow.
She felt a flash of a data packet, which was scanned and then passed through her sacred shields.
The packet comprised exhaustive records about his education and training.
Solvexa cocked her head in thought. She hadn't had acolytes before, not having the resources or influence to do so. But now as a magos...
She had become so focused on becoming a Magi that the steps after it had somewhat fallen by the wayside, even if she would never admit it. But testing her training on the boy would be an effective strategy. She might be able to pick up some tips and tricks from Aleric about how he trained them as well.
They were advanced for their ages, which right now didn't say much; Tyr had been as well. But considering their upbringing, it was impressive.
As he stood and left, Snuffles padding along behind him, Ro sat taking his place. "You're still sure about him?"
"Yes, and you?"
Ro nodded. "Double so following the reports from Ix-XVX on the repairs he did on him. When will Engeenseer Draxus arrive?
There had been a manufacturom problem that he had to see to, which was why he hadn't been present for the Probatrix Thesis presentation. Although she had felt him dip in and out throughout it.
With that, he stood and went to see to their Skitarii.
She spent the rest of the day taking a rare day of rest. Draxus arrived near the end of it, with many of his servitors in tow. Each carrying crates and equipment.
He would be fully moving into her Collegex and working with her full-time. It was a significant step down for him and could hold him back from advancing indefinitely if he wasn’t careful.
But they had spoken and he had faith in her.
Relying on her to succeed, which would gain him success as well. A tide lifts up all ships.
Standing, she moved to greet her oldest friend. She said, clasping his hand.
"Magos Solvexa. Congratulation." He said, holding her hand tightly, his face cold. But she could see the crinkling around his eyes, and she knew him better than anyone, so she knew he was smiling.
They sat, the bustle of moving servitors around them and reminisced on their journey together and the many adepts they had lost on the way. Some to death, others to stagnation, mistakes or even lack of ambition. One that stopped their advance, at least for the short term.
"How close are you?"
"Years yet, likely centuries."
"We shall have to change that."
"Affirmative. I expect you to carry me up."
"We will have to see if you put in the effort or just keep lazing around."
"Hah. Not all of us get the blessing of the Machine God you possess."
"Blessing?"
"Yes, what else would you call your deployment in...
---
She marched in formation to the next alumni of Skitarii. Aleric beside her and Snuffles trailing behind them. Her three Skitarii were arrayed around her.
There had been a surprising amount of pushback when she had recommended Aleric be transferred over. His Forge Master had been particularly reticent about it, and it was only after Aleric had spoken to him separately that his objections quietened.
What was said, she didn’t know, but she was thankful for it as she had been running out of ideas.
She hadn't realised quite how effective Aleric's presence was to machine spirits. She had seen it to a small degree on the expedition, but not in the very quantifiable way as seen in the forge temple. 10,000s of extra output just from his presence alone was nothing to scoff at.
She doubted anyone else had noticed either. It had been carefully hidden and was only visible if you went looking for it. Even then, it wasn’t clear he was the reason unless you had some outside context.
Even better, Tyr received a small promotion, not quite filling Alaric's position but still getting another run up the ladder, once again years in advance.
It had been a few weeks since then, and the most recent Skitarii alumni had just completed, allowing her to select her remaining Skitarii.
She of course, didn’t have the pull to receive any of the top candidates; all of them were snapped up by Magi with decades more experience and credentials. She did get two of them, a benefit of her recently raised status.
Lho-17 was an expert marksman and had been slated for the Ironstriders. While Hektran-09 showed an unparalleled amount of determination. Able to fight on with wounds that should have collapsed both his mechanical and biological parts. But he was able to force himself on.
The remaining eleven were more of a mixed bag. Six were nothing special. Solid recruits but nothing more.
The remaining five, however, were risks on her part. On paper, they were at the bottom of the pile. Myr-Alpha-6 was even the worst in the entire cohort. However, she had dug into their records, and they had some of the sparks she was looking for.
More independence, intelligence, problem-solving and instincts. All things she hoped would serve well in her maniple. But she was aware it was a risk, calculated, but still a risk.
She pulled herself from her thoughts as Aleric asked. "Ix-XVX, how are the modifications holding?"
That was good. As she had hoped, Aleric had significant skill with bionics; his servitors hadn't been a fluke. Speaking of…
she asked.
As he spoke, he sent a detailed report of his progress and a complete timeline for them all. She had little interest in many of his designs, but the Sensor-skulls had been very interesting.
She had asked for twenty-four of them, with a full complement of the sensory orbs. It had wiped out many of her resources for the next few months. Maybe ever for that year, but it was worth it. Besides, she wouldn’t be on the planet soon.
Each of her Skitarii would receive a linked servo skull, and the remaining would be for her to distribute as needed in the operations.
She hadn't been able to afford a full complement of the more advanced combat servitors, but she had started with six and expanded from there. She already had dozens of combat servitors able to provide a screen for her forces, so they weren't crucial. She had, with the help of Draxus, changed the designs somewhat, refining what was there.
She still had many roles she wanted to fill in, but was hampered by resources. A few had been made with Draxus supplies, but they had quickly run out. She just had to hope she had time to build out her forces fully. If she were lucky, she would even be able to build up to war machines.
Although that was impossibly far off into the future.
They reached the training grounds. The cohort had already been dismissed, with most of the recruits already gone to their standing armies. Ready to serve the Machine God. But there were still 100,000s of recruits scattered across the training grounds, waiting and millions more across the world as various tech priests came to collect them.
They needed to be done in person, exchanging verification codes to hand over command properly.
With thirteen collected, she headed home. As soon as they arrived, Aleric herded them into the workshop to look over. Myr-Alpha-6 grumbled, but Ro's head snapped to her. She could see the flaring of data passing in the noosphere, but didn’t interfere; this was his remit.
If she proved unable to serve, she would be passed on or recycled.
It would be several days until they would remerge, many of the bionics having been swapped out for new or optimised ones. Draxus had compared notes and had conceded Aleric was far more skilled with bionics than he was, so happily left that to him. He had even had him look over some of his servitors and his own.
As she watched them move, she once more dived into her algorithmic matrices. She had several options for her Skitarii. She could upgrade their biological parts here and now, improving them massively. But again, that would cost her resources she didn’t have.
Or she could follow the routes that most Dominus's and the main Legions followed. Replace the parts as they failed or were injured. She would wait for now, and when she had a better feel for them, she would make a decision. Maybe the better performing members would receive the upgrade, making them more survivable and better able to perform their jobs.
They wouldn’t have long. She had already gained a slot for Draxmora, a world designated as a death world.
She had been tempted to bring Aleric, but some minor pushback had stopped her. In the end, he wouldn’t be able to do much, so his time was better on the forge world.
Draxus would be with her, and he was more than enough.
There were several weeks before she left for the planet, joining the millions descending upon the world, ready to put their forces through the meat grinder. She knew what to expect, having been there several times before. But no matter how much you trained for it, it was no less dangerous for it.
It was the next day when she received a report from Aleric, highlighting the skitarii and his recommendation and what he had already done. She went over it with Draxus and Ro.
She was pleased to see he had taken her feedback on board and had updated his report to be more in line with hers. Making it more effective for her, both easier and concise.
---Imperium: Hive Cities Scavenger (Tier 2) - IIWarrior (Tier 3) - VIImperium: Hive Cities Danger (Tier 2) - IIIHuman: Hand to hand (Tier 2) - IIITerra Federation: Technician (Tier 3) - XTerra Federation: Software (Tier 3) - VSharpshooter (Tier 3) - VISelf (Tier 3) - XIReverse Engineering (Tier 2) - IImperium: Canine Handling (Tier 2) - IVAkashic Throne (Tier 1) - IBlade Mastery (Tier 3) - VIIPhysics (Tier 1) - 11Glyphcraft (Tier 2) - IIBlueprints (Tier 3) - IIIActing (Tier 1) - IMathematics (Tier 1) - XIBiology (Tier 1) - XTeaching (Tier 2) - IIMachine Spirit (Tier 1) - IChemistry (Incomplete) - VII