Chapter 31: Corpse Starch
If one were to choose a single food from the vast and varied cuisine of the Warhammer universe that best reflects the cultural essence of this cesspool, it would have to be "Corpse Starch."
As its name suggests, Corpse Starch is a starch product made from corpses as a raw material. Of course, it doesn't have to be made from corpses—the vast majority is a by-product of refining Promethium, the pillar of Imperial industry. Thanks to the miraculous carbon chain recombination technology of the Adeptus Mechanicus and other incomprehensible cracking and polymerization reactions, the process of purifying Promethium can produce a range of products including pharmaceuticals, plastics, fuels, adhesives, synthetic rubber, and food—Corpse Starch.
However, the fact that it bears the name "Corpse" indicates that a significant number of Imperial worlds do use corpses as a raw material. Among these worlds are Forge Worlds.
Discarded biological components, obsolete servitors, failed wetware modifications, and the remains of deceased indentured laborers on the planet are shredded and thrown into a "Bio-Protein Reactor." After a series of complex reactions—high temperatures, acid hydrolysis, etc.—the final product is extruded and formed into Corpse Starch.
Omega had eaten this stuff. For a whole month. To overcome the psychological barrier and avoid starvation, he constantly told himself that the bar he was eating must have come from a Promethium factory. He also changed the name from "starch block" to "starch bar," thus, in a formalistic way, distinguishing what he ate from the common variety—a form of self-deception.
So, when a famine occurs on a Forge World, what is the optimal solution from a purely rational and computational perspective? To relieve a portion of the indentured laborers from their hunger... and feed the rest.
Unfortunately, the Adeptus Mechanicus has never lacked for "rational people."
Omega rubbed his face to calm himself down. "The Archmagos's side wouldn't go so far as to use living people to feed their men. He can get supplies from off-world. That only leaves the Temple faction."
"Hmm."
"But with all their years of preparation, the Temple shouldn't be facing a food shortage. Why?"
Jacob, watching Omega pace and think, was suddenly struck by the absurdity of reality. The Magi, with their greater knowledge and experience, were busy searching for potential ruins, while a child of a few years was busy contemplating the future of hundreds of thousands of people. No, not just "contemplating." Since the war began, they had all been truly, successfully, luckily living under the "leadership" of this "child."
"I've got it!" Omega exclaimed, clapping his hands.
The sound pulled Jacob back to reality. "What have you thought of?"
"The Temple is competing with the Archmagos for manpower! They saw the Archmagos arming the workers and couldn't sit still."
"So that's why there were no able-bodied men among the people being escorted," Jacob said.
"That's right. But they don't have an endless supply of food like the Archmagos. So while they're competing for manpower, they're also building up their strength."
Jacob began to understand. "You're saying that when the Temple can no longer feed so many people, that's when they'll launch their final assault."
"That's when they'll be at their strongest," Omega nodded.
"Will they succeed?" Jacob asked.
Omega shook his head. "I don't know. If I can see it, the Archmagos can see it too. Both sides are playing with their cards on the table now. It's a contest of strength."
"If they fail, will they destroy the spaceport as you predicted?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe the Archmagos is already prepared for it."
Jacob rubbed his metal forehead in anguish. "You're right. Whether we know or not, what can we do?"
Omega saw the pain in Jacob's kind heart. "Their misfortune is not of our making," he consoled. "And the good fortune of the people here is the reward for our efforts. So, Jacob, you can pity them, but don't let their pain become your own."
Jacob pondered Omega's words. After a moment, he seemed to have come to an understanding. He smiled. "Thank you, Omega. I understand."
"As long as you understand. Now I'm going to find the Magi. It's time they pulled their weight. Why should low-ranking priests like us have to worry about everything?" Omega grumbled, slapping a pile of documents on his desk.
"Hahaha, I feel the same way."
"Right?"
Piloting the "Omega," he sped through the cavern. With the new, level road, it didn't take him long to reach the first outpost in the subterranean space and stand before the "usurper," Magos Laust.
"Magos, can we get some intelligence on the Temple faction?"
"Did something happen?" Laust asked.
"Something has been discovered." Omega told Laust about the Temple faction using living people to make Corpse Starch and his own theories about it. He didn't bother to hide it from the "legion soldiers" gathered around. The soldiers, horrified by the news of the Corpse Starch, grew even more respectful of Omega, who had led them to a path of survival.
Omega's thought: That's right, I did that on purpose. I want everyone to know who the real "Warmaster" is.
Unaware of Omega's rich inner monologue, Laust began to contact the Magi who were "dividing the gold and locating the dragon's lair" in the distance. He wanted to see if anyone had any connections in the Temple, if they could get data on their food supply. If they could, they could estimate the approximate time of their final assault, which was much better than being in the dark.
While the Magi communicated in an open channel that Omega could hear, they were also communicating in a private binary cant that only they could understand.
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Laust thought: Do you think I haven't given him things? But he would never say that out loud. He had to protect Omega. He was also curious about where Omega had gotten his knowledge. He had investigated, spied, and eavesdropped on Omega. After all, who wouldn't be curious, who wouldn't be worried, if a self-taught prodigy like Omega suddenly appeared by their side? The only logical explanation he could come up with after his long "observation" and "experiments" was that Omega was a "prodigy."
He believed the results of his investigation, but that didn't mean others would believe his explanation if they knew about Omega's situation. To reduce unnecessary trouble and protect Omega, the five people who knew about Omega's situation—Rhea and the others—had all been warned by Laust about the dangers of leaking his secrets.
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[ADEPTUS MECHANICUS LORE INSERT]
The Adeptus Mechanicus is a highly diverse organization. It is a vast, loosely-knit bureaucracy. All Tech-Priests belong to the Adeptus Mechanicus. All Tech-Priests believe in the Cult Mechanicus: the Motive Force, the Machine God, the Omnissiah. The Adeptus Mechanicus is the organization; the Cult Mechanicus is the faith within the organization. Over ten thousand years ago, before the Adeptus Mechanicus, they were simply called the Cult Mechanicus. After the Unification Wars, Mars, which had developed a culture vastly different from Terra's, was brought back into the fold by the Emperor. However, during the Horus Heresy, Mars became a key battleground. The loyalist Mechanicum fought a brutal civil war against the heretical Dark Mechanicum, who had sided with Horus. The Dark Mechanicum ultimately won, and the loyalists retreated to Terra. The leader of the loyalists, Fabricator-General Zagreus Kane, established himself on Terra and proposed the creation of a new order: the Adeptus Mechanicus. Since then, the Adeptus Mechanicus has been the official name of the Cult Mechanicus in the Imperium, and the Cult Mechanicus has become its sole official faith. In essence, they transitioned from a theocracy to a state with a single, separate faith. Within the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are Tech-Priests with factional beliefs, and those without. These non-aligned priests often look down upon the fanatical behavior of the factional priests, believing they waste vast amounts of time and resources on meaningless pursuits.