Chapter 17: First the Arms, or First the Legs?
"Master, have mercy on my youth and let me go!"
"That's not very friendly! Call me 'brother in faith'!"
"Yes, yes, Master Brother in Faith, please let me go!"
"Hmph. Young man, I advise you not to be unwise. Do you think joining our Electro-Priest Brotherhood is beneath you?"
I don't want to be in a gang! Omega screamed internally. Look at the others! They're called the 'Titanicus Order,' the 'Genetor Order,' the 'Magos Order.' You guys are called a 'Brotherhood'! That doesn't sound like a place for any respectable priest to be.
"Master Brother in Faith, look at my small arms and legs! It's too early for me to be joining a brotherhood!"
The blue-skinned master nodded. "I know. If you were an adult, you would have been electrocuted the moment you stepped through the door!"
This brotherhood is quite particular! Hah! So your recruitment method is kidnapping! If Omega had come a few years later, he would have entered a perfectly normal person and left as a shirtless, tattooed (with circuitry), blue-skinned, non-mainstream member of the Mechanicus underclass.
Omega asked timidly, "Master, why did you keep me here?"
"You came all this way and you want to leave without learning about the 'Motive Force'? What do you think this place is?!"
"Oh, oh, of course! Please, Master, enlighten me!"
The blue master sat down, centered his chi, and began, "Our Electro-Priest Brotherhood is not..."
Eh? Hmm? What? Weren't we talking about the Motive Force? Why are we talking about your gang... I mean, brotherhood? Although the blue master was seriously off-topic, Omega didn't dare to interrupt. He would listen to whatever the master said.
As the blue master's spittle flew, Omega began to understand the Electro-Priest Brotherhood. It could be summarized in three points: fanatical, militant, and prone to infighting.
The fanatical and militant parts were self-explanatory. The infighting, however, was worth a closer look.
The Electro-Priest Brotherhood had two major factions: the Fulgurites (the staff-wielding priests) and the Corpuscarii (the body-focused priests).
The Corpuscarii believed that the light of the "Motive Force" should be spread throughout the galaxy, allowing more beings to experience its glory. Therefore, they were happy to share the "Motive Force" with all living things and machines, regardless of whether they could withstand it.
The Fulgurites believed that the "Motive Force" was sacred and precious. Only the truly pious could allow the bio-current to continue flowing within their bodies to sustain life. They were dedicated to siphoning life energy from other beings across the galaxy, especially the bio-electricity that sustained life.
The two factions' philosophies were completely opposed. When they got together, it was a small fight every three days and a big fight every five. Throughout history, there had been numerous factional wars. The bloodiest was the "Schism of Interpretation," which lasted for centuries. At the end of M39, the Fulgurites blew up a group of Corpuscarii who were on a pilgrimage to Mars. This immediately sparked a civil war that lasted for hundreds of years. The scars of that war can still be seen on the surface of Mars today.
Omega nodded along, joining the blue master in despising the pettiness and shamelessness of the Fulgurites. Inwardly, he was thinking: You're worse than a gang. At least gangs talk about 'unity' and 'brotherhood' in their slogans. You guys just want to kill each other, openly and secretly.
After successfully escaping, Omega scurried home. He didn't mention his day's adventure to anyone. After all, how could a "pious" believer gossip about another pious believer behind their back? That wouldn't be "correct." (My real fear, Omega thought, is that the blue master will hear about it and drag me back to join his brotherhood.) (´..̫.`)
"Don't be scared! Don't be discouraged!" Omega pep-talked himself before bed, his liver still trembling at the thought of the blue man. "The 'Motive Force' cult is a minority faction. It's normal for them to be weird! If they weren't weird, they wouldn't be a minority! Tomorrow, I'll go to the cult of the 'Machine God.' That's the main faction. You can do it, Omega!"
Speaking of the "Machine God" and the "Omnissiah," it is a mistake to consider them one and the same. This error, though common among non-Mechanicus believers, is enough to displease the all-knowing Machine God. The "Machine God" is an entity of the void, an integration of all knowledge, data, laws, and essence. According to the Mechanicus's own understanding, it should be "ever-changing and unnamable." The "Omnissiah" is the avatar of this entity, the sole messenger of the Machine God (according to orthodox doctrine). He is the teacher, guide, and protector of the Mechanicus, and he oversees all rituals of machine and technology.
The next day, Omega woke up, got himself ready, and set out again on his journey of faith.
The main faction was different. Look at the crowd of "machine-heads" swarming around. Compared to the desolate atmosphere of the "Electro-Priest Brotherhood," Omega immediately felt energized.
Following the queue of the "machine-flow," Omega carefully dodged the mechanical arms, legs, tails, and bodies of the cog-heads around him. He had to be careful. The haphazardly attached bionics were clearly designed for maximum function, with aesthetics being a non-consideration. The glint of metal, the sharp angles—a bump could kill, a scrape could maim.
Thankfully, the efficiency-loving cog-heads moved quickly. Soon, Omega was at the front of the temple. Just then, a "mechanical cockroach" scuttled up to him.
Ah... don't come near me! Oh, wait, it's a Tech-Priest...
The mechanical cockroach spoke in a synthesized electronic High Gothic voice. "This little brother in faith must be here for the first time."
Omega looked at the insectoid being before him, which seemed to have no organic components left. Such a high degree of modification must mean a high rank, he thought. He replied respectfully, "Yes, Magos."
"Haha, I am merely a servant of the Machine God."
"You are too humble, Magos. Allowing more people to feel the glory of the Machine God is a great undertaking!"
Hearing Omega's "correct" statement, the mechanical cockroach's electronic voice rose a few decibels. "I never expected someone so young to have such thoughts and awareness. You are far superior to most priests!"
Hmm?! What 'most'?! Nope, I have to get out of here!
"Magos..."
"I haven't introduced myself. Just call me Priest Alpha."
"Of course, Priest Alpha. My name is Omega."
"There are fewer and fewer priests like you who are willing to recognize the ideals of us 'Preachers'."
Oh, so he's a 'Preacher'! You damn cockroach! You scared me!
The Preachers are an unusual organization within the Adeptus Mechanicus. They proselytize the faith of the Mechanicus to Imperial citizens and guide them to join. They believe that they must increase the number of believers to spread the awareness of the "Great Work." The "Great Work" requires that the only path to salvation is through strengthening the body and mind with the knowledge provided by the "Machine God." The Preachers truly believe it is their duty to help their fellow humans avoid "damnation" by bringing non-believers into the glorious light of the Mechanicus.
However, the Adeptus Mechanicus has always been self-sufficient. Therefore, most priests distrust the Preachers' work of bringing outsiders into the fold. As a result, Preachers are often unpopular and unaccepted by most members of the Cult Mechanicus.
Since the Preachers' targets were outsiders, they posed no threat to a priest like Omega. He didn't mind leaving a good impression. "People are selfish. It is precisely because of the selfishness of the majority that the selflessness of priests like yourself, Magos Alpha, is all the more precious."
"Hahaha, you flatter me, you flatter me!" The flattery was clearly effective; there were too few priests who knew how to praise others.
Not having yet achieved his goal, and not wanting to get too involved with these Preachers, Omega said, "My apologies, Priest Alpha, but I came here today to devote myself to the Machine God, so..."
"I see! I never thought someone so young would have such awareness, such clarity of thought. As it happens, I have some time now. Allow me to guide you inside."
Since the Preachers are in charge of proselytizing, Omega thought, they must have a relationship with the temple. I should have made a good impression on Priest Alpha. It's always better to have an acquaintance guide you.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Priest Alpha!"
"No trouble, no trouble at all."
The mechanical cockroach, Alpha, led Omega inside. "Although all priests are believers," he said as they walked, "very few are able to find their own path of faith."
"Oh, so I'm not the only one who's lost," Omega, disguised as a lost, pious lamb, replied.
Priest Alpha, leading the way, continued, "It's normal for you to feel 'lost.' In fact, it's quite remarkable that you do!"
"Ah! Is it?"
Priest Alpha recalled the rumors about the Fabricator-General's "illegitimate son" and looked at Omega's appearance. He concluded that Omega was a vat-born whose self-awareness was just beginning to awaken. The root cause of this misjudgment was that Omega's "pure lamb" act was just too convincing. (Omega: You spend half a year with 1,299 three-no boys and girls, you'd be a good actor too.)
"I have heard about your situation," Alpha said. "Your batch are all victims of selfish desire. The fact that you feel 'lost' so early is a sign of the Machine God's favor."
Omega understood the "selfish desire" Alpha was referring to as Archmagos Veyl's reckless decision to "prematurely" decant him and his batch-mates. But he couldn't say something so "incorrect" out loud. "Priest Alpha, I don't understand!" Omega said, playing dumb.
"Everything is the will of the Machine God. You don't need to understand, just believe in Him. He will punish those who blaspheme against Him!"
Religious fanatics always speak in riddles, Omega thought.
The two of them, through mutual misunderstanding, somehow found themselves on the same page.
"Oh, Priest Alpha, what did you mean when you said that other priests haven't found their path of faith?"
"Unlike you, most of them only turn to the path of 'mechanical ascension' when their biological organs begin to fail, or when they can no longer keep up with the demands of their work and the exploration of knowledge."
"Oh..."
Hmm?! (⊙o⊙)
"You have understood the meaning of 'the flesh is weak' from the very beginning. So, are you planning to start with your legs this time, or your arms?"